Archive of Our Own

“So Wonyoung-ssi,” the MC called, looking up from his cue card and at the idol sitting in front of him. “We know you love watching foreign movies, so fans were wondering, have you ever gone to a party like prom?” 

Wonyoung’s eyes widened momentarily, fingers twitching where she clasped her hands in her lap, before she schooled her expression. She glanced once at her members and staff who all looked a bit stunned, before she turned her attention back to him. 

It was a bold question. One that never usually would have appeared in an interview like this. The MC seemed a little too eager to improvise. Even so, Wonyoung gave him an easy smile, already too used to these kinds of probing questions. 

“Well, I was already an idol in high school, so there really was no time for those kinds of things.” Wonyoung answered calmly, sidestepping the question, casting her eyes down for a moment so brief that most wouldn't have picked up on it at all.

“Ah! That’s a shame, but do you ever wish you could’ve gone? You know — flowers, photos, dresses, dancing. The whole deal?” The MC pressed, leaning forward curiously.

Wonyoung laughed lightly. “I’m happy with the path I chose.” 

There it was. That genuine sureness that Wonyoung always exuded. Never doubting. Never wavering. Always drawing people in with her confidence. 

The MC wore an impressed look after Wonyoung’s answer. The other members smiled happily, teasingly nudging her with their shoulders and the staff collectively took a breath in relief. 

It could have ended there.

Should have ended there.

It was the perfect idol-like answer that anyone would have expected. 

But just as the MC started talking again, Wonyoung let out a tiny, barely audible sigh, whispering just under her breath:

“It’s okay.”

It was quiet. So quiet, in fact, that it was not supposed to have been heard by anyone. And it was said so gently—so lightly—that it shouldn’t have meant anything even if someone had.

But Yujin felt it like a drop of cold rain on the back of her neck.

Because she knows that tone.

The soft one Wonyoung uses when she’s choosing not to want something.

When she’s trying not to trouble anyone.

When she’s telling herself that she shouldn’t miss the things she gave up on long ago.

Yujin’s fingers curled tightly against her knees, knuckles turning white as she tried to keep her face impassive.

The MC made another comment and Leeseo leaned over joking, “Unnie would have been prom queen anyway!”

The set erupted into laughter, rolling with the bit. Even Wonyoung herself smiled in response and the moment was swept away in the chatter.

But Yujin couldn’t unhear it.

That tiny, fragile crack in her voice.

It’s okay.

Of course it was.

Of course Wonyoung wouldn’t say she wanted what she missed.

But Yujin sees it. 

Sees the way Wonyoung’s posture shifts just slightly as her gaze turns wistful for a moment. Sees the little breath she lets out that lands just a bit too soft. Not in sadness, just… quiet longing. Sees the way her smile—her perfect, beautiful smile—never quite reaches her eyes.

And Yujin thinks with sudden clarity, feels it in her chest with unwavering determination:

If she never got her night, I’ll make one for her.

That night, as soon as the van parked in front of their dorm building, before anyone could say anything, Yujin wrenched the door open and raced to her room with barely restrained urgency. She shouted a short ‘Goodnight guys!’ behind her shoulder before disappearing, leaving the rest of her members stunned at her swiftness.

Quickly, she locked the door, practically stumbled into the seat at her desk, and flipped open her laptop, not wasting a single second, creating a Google doc titled:

OPERATION: PROM!??!?

(Confidential — especially from Wonyoung!!!!)

She stared at the blinking cursor for a few seconds, the silence contrasting a little too sharply with the rapid beating of her heart. She took a deep breath. This wasn’t just a party. It was something Wonyoung never got to have. And Yujin was going to give it to her. No matter what.

“Okay, Yujin…” she whispered to herself, breaking herself out of her stupor, “first of all, what does a prom even need?”

She starts typing:

• Music
• Decorations
• Fancy clothes
• Uh… punch bowl?

She paused, fingers drumming rhythmically against the table as she furrowed her brows in thought. A couple minutes passed in silence, Yujin glaring at her computer screen as if that would give her the answers she was looking for. Then she groaned dramatically, leaning back against the chair and putting her hands over her face. 

“This is hopeless. I’m Korean. I’ve never been to a party like this before! I don’t even know what a prom punch bowl looks like!”

She instantly got up and started pacing the room, running her fingers through her hair in barely contained frustration.

“C’mon think!” She muttered to herself, “what does a prom look like? What would make her happy?”

She really didn’t know.

There was only one solution.

She darted into the living room—where the others were gathered for a late dinner—snatched her AirPods from the counter, and disappeared again before Wonyoung could even finish asking, “Do you want to join us for dinner?” 

Upon returning to her room, Yujin immediately grabbed a notebook and pen from her bookshelf, flipping to the next blank page. Then she typed “American high school prom movies” into the search bar of her laptop and pressed play on the first rom com that popped up.

An hour later, she was so engrossed in her note-taking that she didn’t notice the door to her room clicking open.

“What are you doing?” 

The question startled Yujin so much that she slammed her laptop closed and jumped out of her chair so quickly, she knocked her knee against the edge of her desk. Hard. She bent over, wincing as she balanced on one leg, clutching her knee. “Owww!”

“Unnie!” Wonyoung exclaimed, rushing forward and placing a steadying hand on her arm so she doesn’t tip over, “are you okay?”

“Fine, fine,” she breathed out, straightening and trying her best not to look too incriminating, “So… uh… what’re you doing here, Wonyoung-ah?”

Wonyoung folded her arms across her chest, pouting slightly. “You didn’t eat dinner yet! I brought you some food.” She gestured to the plate on the night stand.

Yujin blinked. Only now realizing how hungry she actually was. Her heart melted at the thoughtfulness.

“Wony…” Yujin breathed, slightly bashful, cheeks tinting red and turning her gaze to the floor. Immediately, she paled, seeing the notebook full of her prom notes lying open on the ground. She coughed loudly and tried to subtly kick it behind her hoping Wonyoung wouldn’t notice.

Unfortunately, Wonyoung’s gaze followed the movement, brows furrowing curiously. She looked back up at Yujin. “Anyways…what’s got you so focused?”

“NOTHING! I-I mean… nothing, haha” Yujin chuckled awkwardly, really hoping Wonyoung doesn’t notice the sweat trickling down her neck.

“Okayyy…” Wonyoung drawled, eyes narrowing, not convinced at all.

Yujin gulped nervously and gave her a lopsided smile praying that Wonyoung would leave it there.

A beat passed. Neither saying a word.

Then, Wonyoung sighed, affection coating her tone as she said “I won’t ask, but at least eat your dinner. Goodnight Unnie.” 

She hesitated for a second, a flicker of vulnerability passing through her eyes, before stepping forward and giving Yujin a gentle kiss on the cheek, lingering for a moment longer than strictly necessary, and finally leaving her room.

Yujin’s brain went blank and her face started burning as she let out a little squeal of surprise, falling back into her chair, heart beating wildly in her chest.

Somehow, it seemed like Operation Prom was still a go! (Even if Yujin sustained a mental breakdown in the process).

So now it was 2:37 am, and here was Yujin, finally recovered from her Wonyoung-induced existential crisis, hunched over her laptop, notebook and pen in hand, with blue light reflecting off her glasses, watching her fourth American teen movie with unnatural focus.

“Why is there always glitter everywhere? Why are the dances always in, like… barns or something? Why does everyone confess so dramatically?? Some people even sing songs for promposals?! What is this? A musical???”

She had so many questions. She didn’t understand the appeal of this kind of party at all. But, every time she saw a character get that small, hopeful look—one that resembled Wonyoung’s—she bit back her judgments, continuing to watch.

“Okay. I can do this. For Wonyoung, I can do glitter. A whole barn of glitter.”

After finishing her fourth movie, Yujin was overwhelmed but committed. She started with the easiest task: ordering decorations. Fairy lights, balloons, streamers, glitter, tulle… whatever tulle was. She made sure to cross reference with her notes as she went along. By the end, her digital cart grew to an alarming size, but she clicked purchase anyway.

By 3:18 am, she was deep into her next idea.

“Prom has food, right? Cake? I can bake a cake,” she told herself confidently, even though the last thing she had baked was… nothing. She had baked nothing. Ever.

The kitchen lights flicked on. She rolled up her sleeves confidently and found a cake recipe on her phone, propping it up against the wall as she pulled out the ingredients one by one. Flour, eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla extract. She glanced around at the ingredients, then at the recipe. 

“Okay, An Yujin. Visualize. You are an idol that has survived the kpop industry for seven years, training for a lot longer, and being in two groups. You can bake a simple cake. You totally got this!”

Turns out, she did not, in fact, have this. 

Not even close.

Flour was scattered all around her like sad snow. The mixing bowl sat on the counter, full of lumpy, chunky chaos. The cake in the oven had noticeably not risen (this was her third attempt by the way). The frosting, which she’d forgotten next to the still-warm stovetop, drooped like melting ice cream. A pan of what was supposed to be sliders…once possibly edible… was blackened to charcoal.

But Yujin’s determination was unshakable.

“Maybe… it’s supposed to look like that,” she told herself, holding onto that last shred of hope and dignity.

She looked at the image again. It wasn’t.

Yujin dropped her head to the table, groaning. “Why is cooking so hard?!”

Then, the sound of footsteps in the corridor made her jump so hard she dropped the pan, hearing it clatter loudly on the counter. She winced at the noise.

Rei stood in the doorway, hair messy, eyes blinking slowly in disbelief. “…Unnie. Why does it smell like a building is on fire?”

Yujin froze. “I… uh… I was trying to cook?”

A moment passed in utter silence.

“You were trying to cook?” Rei asked incredulously, suddenly wide awake.

“Yeah! Uh… Great to develop new skills, right?”

“At three in the morning?”

“I was hungry! I wanted to make a midnight snack!” She tried. A beat passed. “Experimental… midnight snack?”

Rei stared, absolutely unconvinced. “Unnie…”

Before she could say another word, Yujin panicked. She swept the entire disaster into the trash with both arms, still covered in flour and frosting, muttered something that might have been “goodnight,” and bolted to her room like she would die if she didn’t reach it in the next ten seconds. Leaving Rei standing there, dumbfounded in her wake.

Later that morning, Yujin sat on the living room couch, glasses sliding down her nose, laptop open to an online dress shop that specialized in prom and party dresses. She scrolled through gowns at lightning speed, muttering to herself:

“No, too sparkly. Too plain. Too pink. Too suspiciously bridal. Wonyoung would look good in anything but this has to be perfect. She’d look best in like reds… or blacks… or—”

Leeseo popped up from behind the sofa like a horror movie jump scare.

“Unnie, whatcha looking at?”

Yujin screamed—literally screamed—slammed her laptop shut so fast that it echoed, and leapt to her feet.

“NOTHING. SCHOOL PROJECT. BYE.”

She fled again.

“You’re not even in school though!” Leeseo called out to her confusedly as the door slammed behind Yujin.

It happened again later.

Yujin was in the bathroom, practicing in front of the mirror, holding her phone like a script.

“Wonyoung, would you do me the honor of going to pro—ugh. No no no. Too formal.”

She paced back and forth, running her hands through her hair, clearing her throat.

“Wonyoung, will you go to prom with—no, that sounds like a line from one of those silly high school movies.”

She scrolled on her phone, muttering under her breath.

“Wonyoung… I want to take you somewhere. Somewhere special. Somewhere—AGH THAT’S SO CORNY!!”

She huffed frustratedly, scrolling obsessively through her google doc for better ideas. Then, just as she was about to try her next attempt—

The bathroom door burst open.

Liz walked in, toothbrush hanging from her mouth.

“Unnie… what are you doing?”

Yujin yelped, nearly threw her phone at the wall, and sprinted past her.

“NOTHING! I WAS NOT TALKING TO MYSELF!”

Liz spit out toothpaste, watching Yujin almost run into a wall in her haste to leave, concern etched on her features.

In the afternoon, a mountain of boxes arrived at the dorm, all addressed to Yujin.

The members gathered around.

“Unnie never buys this much stuff…” Leeseo whispered.

“Is she starting a business?” Rei asked.

“Is she… okay? She’s been acting really weird,” Liz added.

Wonyoung nudged one of the boxes with her foot, frowning, just as Yujin stepped out of her room. “Yujin-unnie, what did you order?”

Yujin stopped in her tracks, saw the members gathered around her pile of boxes, panicked and dashed towards them.

She clutched the nearest box like a shield, standing between the boxes and her members like a dragon guarding its treasure.

“Things! Personal things! Girl things! Private! No touching!”

Everyone stared.

Wonyoung’s eyebrows knitted the slightest bit. “Unnie… is everything okay?”

“Yeah! All good! Just… PEACHY!” Yujin breathed out, voice pitching up unnaturally at the end.

Wonyoung looked even more concerned after her response and reached out, gently wrapping her hand around Yujin’s, stroking her thumb over Yujin’s knuckles. “Hey… What’s going on?” She asked softly.

Yujin’s brain short circuited, heart picking up pace to dangerous levels. All her nerve endings screaming at her. Saying, ‘she’s touching me!’ Her mouth flapped open and closed, gaping like a fish out of water.

Finally, she squeaked, choking on her words, heat rushing up her neck as she barely managed to mutter a “Nothing!” before turning and stumbling to her room, clutching as many boxes in her hands as possible.

Once inside, she slammed the door, and slid down to the floor, covering her burning face with her hands. She let out a muffled scream. “God, she can’t just do that!!”

After getting her heart to finally calm down enough to formulate thoughts (yes it took her an hour, sue her), she started ripping open the boxes, and trying to plan the layout for her makeshift prom.

“Okay. So, balloons go… somewhere. Lights go… on something. Decorations… decorate… things. Wait—where am I even gonna set all this up?” Her voice grew more frustrated. “Ughhh, why is this so hard?!”

“Why is what so hard?”

Yujin shrieked and spun around so fast she nearly tripped over her million boxes.

“G-Gaeul unnie!” Yujin squeaked, facing the unimpressed gaze of her member. “H-how did you get in here?”

Gaeul just raised an eyebrow, now gingerly stepping over the boxes to properly approach Yujin. “Your door was unlocked…? And I knocked three times, you didn’t answer. Also, why do you have a pack of 300 balloons and twelve-foot fairy lights?”

Yujin’s eyes darted to the open boxes and back to Gaeul. Then, in the next second, she threw herself to the floor, trying to cover everything with her body like a raccoon guarding stolen bread. “I—Its’ for a project!”

Gaeul stared at her, face unchanging. “Right… Project… As in, the school project you yelled at Leeseo about? Which is a terrible lie, by the way. Do I have to remind you that you’re not in school?”

“I um—uh… It’s—I just…” Yujin stumbled over her words, sweat trickling down her neck, arms hurting from the uncomfortable position she was trying to keep while hiding the incriminating decorations.

It was then that Gaeul glanced up from where Yujin was propped up on the ground. She caught sight of the still open Google doc. Her eyes widened slightly, getting a sense of the problem. She glanced back at Yujin, still in the same position whose face was now colored a deep shade of red, still unable to come up with a proper response.

A tired, resigned sigh left Gaeul’s lips. “Yujin. Everyone is worried. You’ve been acting weird since last night. Rei told me you almost set the kitchen on fire.”

“That was experimental cooking!” Yujin shouted, voice pitching higher in her fluster.

“Liz said you almost ran into a wall.”

“I… was practicing my reaction time!” She defended, though the excuse fell flat even to her own ears.

“Mhm. Just tell me what’s going on.”

Yujin’s shoulders finally slumped. She moved, now sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes trained on the ground as she whispered. “…I’m… trying to plan a prom. For Wonyoung. Because I think she… wanted one. And she’s not gonna say it out loud…”

Gaeul’s expression softened instantly, an exasperated smile making its way to her face. “You couldn’t have just said that instead of making us all worry, huh?”

“It was supposed to be a surprise!” Yujin exclaimed, pouting dramatically when Gaeul started shaking her head.

“Okay. Okay. Let’s tell the others. You shouldn’t do this alone.”

Yujin blinked up at her. “You’re… not going to tell me it’s stupid?”

“Of course not,” Gaeul said gently. “You’re doing it for someone you care about. That’s never stupid.”

Yujin smiles—genuinely—and feels the panic start to slowly ebb away.  

“Though I will say, once the others find out, you better be prepared for some serious teasing.”

Yujin groaned, running her hands through her already mussed up hair, her heart rate picking up once again. So much for the panic to ebb.

Gaeul laughed at her expression, and reached to pull her up from the ground. “Relax. You know how they are. Quit looking like you’re about to be publicly executed. C’mon.”

The living room was quiet when they walked out. Suspiciously quiet.

Rei was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes trained on a book in her hands (though the book was upside down). Liz was perched on the arm of the couch, humming a tune under her breath, eyes darting to Yujin’s room and back every few seconds. And Leeseo was pretending very badly to be completely engrossed on her phone. Wonyoung wasn’t there. She had solo schedules until the evening.

Yujin’s chest tightened for half a second, imagining Wonyoung wearing her smile through another schedule, bright and untouchable—impenetrable. 

But not to Yujin.

The thought was not allowed to linger as Gaeul unceremoniously cleared her throat. 

“Yujin has something to say.”

Three pairs of eyes looked up from whatever they were pretending to do, immediately locking onto her.

Yujin wished she could evaporate.

She shuffled her feet awkwardly. Rubbed the back of her neck to stall for time. And avoided eye contact at all costs. 

Gaeul nudged her gently.

“So… hypothetically,” she began.

Rei squints. “That’s already bad.”

“HYPOTHETICALLY,” Yujin insists, ignoring Rei’s snicker, “if someone… wanted to… y’know… make a friend happy… by throwing a prom—”

“YOU’RE THROWING A SECRET PROM?!” Leeseo gasps dramatically, cutting her off.

“I um… It’s—”

“Is THAT what all the boxes were for?!” Liz’s jaw drops, eyes wide.

“I—yes… I uh… got decora—”

“The fire hazard cake was for PROM?!” Rei asked incredulously.

“IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A TEST RUN!” Yujin threw her hands up frustratedly.

There’s a beat, everyone staring at Yujin like she suddenly grew three heads.

Then—

The room explodes.

“You almost burned the dorm down for a test run?!”

“You were looking at prom dresses that one time, weren’t you?”

“Unnie, how many decorations did you even buy?! The amount of boxes is insane!”

Yujin groans and collapses onto the floor, face in her hands.

“I just wanted to give her something nice, okay?!”

That shuts them up.

The room softens.

Gaeul steps in gently. “Tell them the rest.”

Yujin exhales slowly.

“She… she didn’t say she wanted one. But I think she did. And she won’t admit it.” Her voice grows quieter. “She does that a lot. Decides she shouldn’t want things.”

The teasing fades completely.

“She gives things up so easily,” Yujin continued, gaze far away, as if she was clearly picturing Wonyoung’s expression. “Like it doesn’t cost her anything. But it does. I can see it on her face, even if she doesn’t want me to.”

Rei’s expression shifts, a softness present that wasn’t there before. Liz lowers her gaze. Leeseo hugs a pillow to her chest. 

Yujin swallows. Then lifts her gaze to meet her members’, the honesty in her eyes undeniable.

“I just… want to give her something she doesn’t have to pretend she doesn’t want.”

Silence settles over them.

And then—

Leeseo sniffles. “That’s so romantic, oh my god.”

Yujin’s head snaps towards her. “IT’S NOT—”

Rei crosses her arms. “Unnie. It is. It so is.”

Yujin gapes at her, mouth opening and closing but no words coming out, redness creeping up her cheeks.

Liz grins. “You’re down bad for Wonyoung.”

Yujin combusts. “I AM NOT—”

“You ordered tulle,” Gaeul interjects calmly.

“UNNIE! Not you too!” Yujin whines, actually whines which only make the others start cackling at her.

“Yujin, do you even know what tulle is?” Gaeul asks knowingly.

Yujin freezes, eyes darting around wildly as if there was some way to get out of this. But there wasn’t and there were four pairs of eyes waiting for her answer. 

“…No…” she mumbles quietly.

That was the final nail in the coffin.

The members shriek with laughter as Yujin turns into a tomato next to them, contemplating the life choices that got her to this moment.

Once the laughter dies down a bit, Rei leans forward, eyes locking with Yujin’s sincerely for once. “Unnie. Just give up denying it. We know this is important to you. You're not just planning a prom. You’re planning her prom.”

And that lands.

Because it’s true.

Because somewhere along the way, it stopped just being about making Wonyoung happy. 

It was about giving her back the freedom to want. 

The silence settled for a few precious seconds—warm, peaceful.

Then Gaeul clapped her hands once. “Okay. Enough of all that. If we’re doing this, we’re doing this right.”

Rei nods in agreement. “I’ll handle the food. Properly. Without arson.”

Liz brightens. “I can do the music! We need to make a playlist.”

Leeseo gasps. “Oh! Oh! I’ll help with the decorations!!”

“I’ll work with Leeseo on that.” Gaeul said calmly.

Yujin looked between all of them, stunned.

“You’re really gonna help?”

“Of course,” Gaeul replies, the others nodding their agreement. “Though only on one condition.”

Yujin blinks. “Uh… and what’s that?”

“You,” Gaeul says, pointing directly at her, “have to figure out how to keep it a secret from Wonyoung.”

“Haven’t I been doing that?” Yujin asks, offended.

“Unnie…” Rei sighed exasperatedly, “You literally can’t lie to her. You twitch.”

“You sweat,” Liz says helpfully.

“You scream,” Leeseo nods.

Yujin looks personally attacked. “I do not scream.”

Four pairs of eyes stare at her.

“…I’ll do my best,” she murmurs, pouting like a kicked puppy.

Gaeul sighs fondly, lightly pinching the bridge of her nose. “Don’t worry. We’ll distract her. You just focus on getting her a prom dress and figuring out your promposal. We’ll take care of the rest.”

And something in Yujin’s chest loosened after that.

For the first time since the interview, she doesn’t feel frantic, panicked, or lost.

She feels supported. And more determined than ever.

***

The schedule ran long.

It always did.

By the time Wonyoung finally slipped into the backseat of the van, her cheeks ached faintly from smiling. She didn’t let it show, of course. She never did. She leaned her head against the cool window and watched the city lights blur past in streaks of gold and white.

The question kept replaying in her head.

Flowers. Dresses. Dancing.

These were all harmless things. Things she’s had given to her and done herself many times over. 

But not in that context. 

Not in the way high school girls look forward to their entire high school lives.

She had answered well in the moment. She always did.

I’m happy with the path I chose.

It wasn’t a lie.

But it wasn’t the whole truth either.

Her reflection in the glass stared back at her. Composed, elegant, unshaken. But underneath—behind the sureness in her eyes, the perfect curl of her smile—there was a wistfulness there. A quiet longing for what could have been. 

She let herself linger on that for just a second before subtly titling her head, the composure back on.

It’s okay.

It had to be.

She had learned, long ago, that wanting things only made the missing sharper. So, she had gotten very good at sanding the edges down. At folding the longing small enough to tuck away in the very corners of her heart where no one would see it.

And it worked. Mostly.

When she arrived back at the dorm, the lights were still on. Voices drifted from the living room, loud and animated. She stepped inside, the quiet click of the door echoing behind her.

The conversation stopped for half a second.

Then resumed. Too quickly.

Wonyoung paused.

“Hi…?” She said lightly, the greeting turning into a question halfway through.

Five heads turned toward her with varying degrees of innocence.

“Wonyoung!” Liz sang a little too brightly.

Rei closed a laptop with suspicious speed.

Leeseo scrambled to sit on what looked very much like a colorful box.

Gaeul just smiled calmly. 

And Yujin—

Yujin wouldn’t look at her.

That was new.

And Wonyoung couldn’t help the sudden spike in her heart rate, alarms going off in her head.

She stepped further into the room. “What are you guys doing?”

“Nothing!” They chorused.

She blinked. 

Normally, she would laugh. Tease them. Lean into the chaos.

But this time, Yujin was already standing up, eyes still trained on the floor.

“I’m going to shower!” She announced abruptly, brushing past Wonyoung, never once meeting her eyes.

Wonyoung stood there for a moment, a prickling sensation in her chest.

Yujin’s absence was louder than any sound.

That was new too.

It happened again the next day.

Another delivery. Another stack of boxes.

Wonyoung reached out instinctively, curious.

Yujin practically dove across the room.

“Don’t touch!”

The words came out sharper, more panicked than intended.

The room fell quiet.

Wonyoung slowly withdrew her hand, hurt flashing across her face for the briefest second before she masked it.

“…Sorry,” she said softly, lips downturned in a bit of a frown.

Yujin’s expression flickered—guilt, panic, something unreadable. She quickly reached for Wonyoung’s hand, squeezing it gently.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m sorry,” Yujin said, hoping the sincerity in her voice reached Wonyoung. “I’m just… stressed…”

Wonyoung swallowed heavily, eyes darting between Yujin’s hand wrapped around hers and her eyes. “Right… stressed…”

Yujin smiled softly at her before grabbing the rest of the boxes and then disappearing into her room.

Again.

Wonyoung just stood there, staring at the closed door.

That uncomfortable feeling back in her chest. 

She told herself that it didn’t matter.

That everyone was weird. Their dorm was always chaos. And Yujin was chaotic by nature.

But this felt… different somehow.

Yujin never avoided her.

Not like this.

Over the next few days, it became a pattern.

Yujin flinched when their hands brushed. Found reasons to leave the room when Wonyoung entered. Stopped sitting beside her on the couch.

It was subtle. Small. Almost nothing. Something anyone else wouldn’t even bat an eye for.

But Wonyoung noticed everything.

She always did.

And slowly, the familiar tightness in her chest returned. That same feeling she had pressed down in the van after the interview.

“It’s okay.”

She repeated it to herself again.

Maybe Yujin was tired.

Maybe she was stressed.

Maybe she was bored.

There had to be a reason.

Wonyoung had always prided herself on not being needy. On not asking for reassurance. On not clinging too tightly to things that could easily slip away.

Wanting less, hurt less.

That was the rule.

Still, when she passed Yujin in the hallway that evening and Yujin barely met her eyes before muttering a rushed goodnight, something in her faltered.

She lay awake longer that night than she meant to.

Staring at the ceiling.

The room felt bigger somehow.

Colder.

One of the only ways she had learned to quiet the restless ache in her chest was by letting Yujin fill the space with noise, with laughter, with ridiculous antics, with warmth that didn’t demand anything in return.

But lately—

The space stayed quiet.

And she didn’t know what she had done wrong.

So, she did what she always did.

She folded the feeling smaller.

Tucked it away.

“It’s okay,” she whispered again.

And this time—

There was no one else to hear it.

The next day, Wonyoung found herself being dragged out of her room by Liz who immediately dashed to the front door, already slipping her shoes on.

“We haven’t gone out together in forever,” she says, pulling a jacket on and tossing a hoodie to Wonyoung. “Let’s just go somewhere. Coffee. Window shopping. Something fun!”

Wonyoung hesitates.

Normally, she’d glance at Yujin first. See if she wanted to join them.

Today, she doesn’t.

“Okay,” she says instead, trying not to let the urge to just go back and hide away in her room win.

She walks to the front door, slipping on her shoes and pulling on the hoodie Liz threw at her. She stops at the threshold, just holding the door open, waiting. Hoping for a single word from the older girl who hadn’t said a word to her all day.

A few seconds pass in silence.

Nothing.

“Wonyoung! Hurry up!” Liz called, already waiting at the elevator down the hall.

“Coming!” She called back, finally giving in to the urge to look over her shoulder.

Yujin doesn’t look up from whatever she was pretending to reorganize.

That stung more than it should.

—

The day is nice.

Light breeze. Bright sun. Not a cloud in sight.

The cafe they ended up at was quiet and cozy. Just the way she liked it.

Liz talked easily. About music, about choreography, about nothing in particular.

It was the kind of day that, had it been any other time, she would have immensely enjoyed.

But today…

Today, Wonyoung’s thoughts kept drifting.

Back to the dorm.

Back to Yujin.

Back to the way she hadn’t looked her in the eye all day.

Liz’s phone buzzes.

Once. 

Twice.

Three times.

She glances at it quickly, types something, and flips it face down.

“Sorry,” Liz laughs, though it sounded a little forced, “Group chat.”

Wonyoung nods, brows scrunching lightly as she sees the phone vibrate once more.

After the cafe, the two walk to a nearby park, basking in the bright sunshine and taking in the greenery.

Wonyoung is just about to sit on a park bench when she notices Liz lagging behind.

She turns fully, seeing Liz hurriedly whisper into her phone. 

Wonyoung frowns at the clear panic on her face. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Liz froze in place, eyes going wide as she met Wonyoung’s gaze. “N-nothing! Just the members saying some stuff… ha ha ha…”

She rapidly closed her phone, stuffing it in her purse before joining Wonyoung on the bench, pointedly ignoring her confused looks and trying to change the subject. 

Wonyoung’s frown deepened and she couldn’t help but think…

Why wouldn’t Liz tell me what’s wrong? She usually would… unless… 

Unless it had something to do with Yujin…

She swallowed harshly, shoving those thoughts away. There’s no way that was the case. Surely.

Suddenly, she really wanted to go back to the dorm. To see what was going on. To prove that her fears were all false. There’s no way. It couldn’t be. Because Yujin would tell her if something was really wrong. Right?

But… there was no harm in checking…

Wonyoung stood up from the bench, looking in the direction of the exit.

Liz followed her gaze and scrambled to her feet. “W-where are you going?”

Wonyoung turned to look at her. “I just want to go back to the dorm for a second.”

“NO!” Liz yelled frantically, grasping Wonyoung’s arm to stop her from moving.

Liz’s voice was just a little too loud.

Just a little too desperate.

Wonyoung blinked at her, confused. “Why not?”

Liz opened her mouth.

Closed it.

Then forced a laugh that sounded painfully fake.

“I-I just thought… we shouldn’t leave yet! W-we don’t go out like this very often right? Ha ha ha. S-so how about we… uh… get… get dessert first or something?!”

Wonyoung glanced up at the sky.

It was nice. Bright and warm.

But the restless feeling in her chest hadn’t gone away all day.

If anything, it had gotten worse.

“Liz,” she said slowly. “I really don’t know… I’m not sure I feel up for that right now…”

“But we literally just got here! And there’s that bakery down the street! And that ice cream place we tried last year! Remember how you liked the strawberry flavor?”

Wonyoung sighed in resignation. If Liz was that insistent, then she really didn’t want to turn her down. “Alright, fine… but just for a little while ok?”

“Yes!” Liz exclaimed, dragging Wonyoung by the arm toward the ice cream shop.

As soon as they entered the shop, Wonyoung realized how bad of an idea it was. Everything in the store just reminded her of Yujin. From the puppy stickers all over the walls to the flavors of ice cream that Yujin loved to the few IVE albums happily displayed on the shelf in the corner (the owner was a Dive).

Wonyoung felt that emptiness in her chest again. Though she tried to quell it as to not disturb Liz’s clear joy at eating her favorite ice cream.

They quickly ordered their scoops, Wonyoung trying not to look around as much as possible, and made their way to a secluded table at the back.

At some point, Liz excused herself to use the restroom. Wonyoung was just sitting at the table, absorbed in her own thoughts, nibbling on her strawberry ice cream. It tasted good, but not as good as she remembered it. Not as good as it was when Yujin was with her.

Wonyoung was so spaced out that she was startled when she felt the table vibrate.

She looked up, seeing Liz’s phone on the table buzz.

Wonyoung didn’t mean to look. 

She really didn’t.

But the screen lights up.

And she sees it.

Yujin:

Good. Keep her away for a while.

The words are simple.

Casual, even.

But Wonyoung felt her stomach drop violently.

Her vision blurred for a second, then sharpened painfully.

Keep her away.

Not wondering if she was busy.

Not checking in.

Not asking where she was.

Just… Keep her away.

Oh.

Wonyoung swallowed hard.

Of course.

Of course she’d misread everything.

Of course she’d made herself bigger than she should’ve.

Yujin wasn’t distant because she was stressed or nervous.

She was distant because she wanted space—wanted to be away from Wonyoung.

The thought lodged itself in Wonyoung’s heart, pulling a sharp breath from her lungs.

And what did Wonyoung do?

She just kept trying to stand closer.

Blindly believing that Yujin wouldn’t mind if she did so.

That it was okay to want to be next to her. 

Closer to her.

The pain burned hot against her chest. Almost suffocating.

Liz returned. Saw her face. Saw the text still open on her phone. Froze in place.

“Wonyoung—”

“I’m going back,” Wonyoung breathed out, already standing.

“Wait—no, just— it’s not—”

But she was already out the door, cold air hitting her face as she moved automatically down the sidewalk, faster than usual. 

She barely noticed.

The words kept replaying in her head.

Keep her away for a while.

As if Wonyoung was something inconvenient. Something to be avoided.

Her chest tightened painfully, knuckles almost turning white from how hard she was clenching her fists.

So that was it.

That was why Yujin was avoiding her.

Why she wouldn’t meet her eyes.

Why the others were acting weird.

They weren’t tired, or stressed.

They were managing her.

Keeping her distracted.

Keeping her out of the way.

The thought twisted uncomfortably in her chest.

She should have realized sooner.

Wonyoung had always been good at pretending she didn’t want things.

Pretending was safe.

Pretending meant no one would have to reject her.

But somewhere along the way, she had started to believe that maybe—

Just maybe—

She didn’t have to pretend to want Yujin.

And that maybe, Yujin didn’t mind having her around.

Her throat tightened.

That had been stupid.

She climbed the stairs to their dorm. About to punch in the code to the room when suddenly—

The door bursts open.

And Wonyoung comes face to face with the one person she wasn’t sure she wanted to see right now.

Yujin.

Yujin, who texted Liz to keep her away.

Yujin, who Wonyoung desperately hoped would allow her to be beside her.

Yujin, who now looked panicked and out of breath as she blocked the entrance to their dorm room.

“W-wonyoung!” She stuttered out, forcing a laugh, “F-fancy seeing you here?”

Wonyoung watched the way Yujin’s eyes flicked about nervously, as if she didn’t want to be here in front of her at all.

And something in Wonyoung’s chest cracked open.

“Yujin,” Wonyoung called, breathing out shakily, trying and failing to stave off the emotion crawling up her throat, “You’ve been avoiding me.” 

Yujin blinked quickly, eyes darting away and back again. “What? N-no I haven’t—”

“You have!” Wonyoung yelled more forcefully that she intended, causing Yujin to flinch.

She softened her voice.

“You have…” Wonyoung whispered again, looking straight into Yujin’s panicked eyes. “Don’t try to deny it…”

Yujin opened her mouth.

Closed it again.

And somehow, the fact that Yujin didn’t even try to explain tore a frustrated noise out of Wonyoung’s throat. She clutched at her chest, gripping so tightly that her knuckles turned white. All the emotions she held back burst forth, out into the open.

“You leave rooms when I come in. You stop talking when I walk over! You won’t even look at me half the time!”

Wonyoung breathed heavily, her body trembling with the force of her emotions.

“Wonyo—” Yujin tried.

“I saw the text” Wonyoung cut her off, closing her eyes tightly, trying to quell the burn of tears threatening to spill over.

Yujin froze at that.

And Wonyoung watched the realization cross her face — the exact moment Yujin understood what she meant. What was happening.

“Wonyoung, that’s not—”

“Good. Keep her away for a while,” Wonyoung repeated, practically torn out of her chest, unable to meet Yujin’s eyes.

The words sounded different out loud. Sharper.

Yujin looked like someone had just unplugged her brain.

“I—wait—Wonyoung, I can explain—”

“Can you?” She asks, eyes glossy, breathing uneven, “Because I’m getting really tired of guessing.”

“I… Wonyoung—” Yujin called desperately, reaching for her.

But Wonyoung jerked herself away, taking a few steps backward. Yujin frozen in place.

“I thought I did something wrong,” Wonyoung continues, words spilling out from deep within, years of composure breaking, “I thought I was being annoying. Or clingy. That I was wanting too much.”

“You’re not—”

“But you keep avoiding me,” Wonyoung cut her off, voice breaking. “If… If you needed space, you could’ve just said that! You didn’t have to ask Liz to keep me away.”

“That’s not what I—”

“If you…” Wonyoung sobbed, throat tightening painfully. “If you h-hate me now… y-you cou—”

“Wonyoung!” Yujin frantically yells, hands curling around Wonyoung’s tightly, desperately. “That’s not it at all! Not at all! Please stop saying that!”

Wonyoung looks up at Yujin, the hurt written all over her face.

“Then what is it, Yujin?” She breathes out tiredly.

“I—uh… just…” Yujin stumbles, staring at Wonyoung’s glistening eyes, trembling mouth and something inside her just—snaps.

“Would you go to prom with me?” The words burst out, wild and desperate.

Wonyoung blinks.

“…What?” She whispers, confused and still aching all at once.

“I uh… um—ughhhh” Yujin groaned, stepping away from Wonyoung just a fraction to run her fingers through her hair. “This is not how I imagined this to go at all…”

“Yujin,” Wonyoung called, startled by the change in tone. “What’s going on?”

“I just—” Yujin dragged her hands down her face. “I needed a little more time.”

“For what?”

Yujin glanced past her shoulder, toward the dorm hallway behind her.

Then back at Wonyoung.

She exhaled hard. 

Finally, she stepped aside, opening the door fully to reveal the dorm.

The hallway behind her exploded in color.

Balloons.

Lights.

Streamers.

Wonyoung blinked in disbelief as she slowly followed Yujin inside.

The entire dorm living room had been transformed into something that looked like a set from a movie. Fairy lights hung across the ceiling. Pink and purple streamers draped over the walls. There was even a handmade banner strung across the back wall and a disco ball hanging from the roof.

Yujin shifted awkwardly beside her.

“I was going to, um,” she gestured vaguely, “do a reveal.”

Wonyoung didn’t move.

Her brain was still catching up.

“…What… what is all this?”

Yujin rubbed the back of her neck.

“Well…”

She walked a few steps into the decorated room, then turned back around, suddenly looking more nervous than Wonyoung had ever seen her.

“So,” she said. “Funny story actually.”

Wonyoung remained frozen in the hallway.

Yujin took a deep breath, swallowing audibly.

Then, she held up a slightly crooked poster board.

Glitter covered most of the letters.

It read:

To The Most Beautiful Girl,

JANG WONYOUNG

WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME?

Wonyoung started at it.

Then at Yujin.

Then back at the sign.

Her throat tightened.

“You… you were avoiding me…” she whispered slowly, still in disbelief.

“I was…” Yujin replied, looking guilty, “But! I wasn’t keeping you away because I didn’t want you… I was doing it because I can’t keep a secret to save my life…”

Her voice wobbles.

“And I messed it up anyway…” Yujin looks down in shame. “I really didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m so sorry, Wonyoung-ah…”

“Yujin unnie…” Wonyoung breathed, her entire body slumping as she realized what was happening. “You were planning a prom?”

“Yes…” Yujin answered, eyes still downcast.

“… In our dorm?”

“Yes.”

“For me?” Wonyoung practically whispered.

Yujin smiled softly then, even with her ears burning, meeting Wonyoung’s eyes as she replied. “Of course, Wonyoung-ah… You didn’t get one. And I know you act like you don’t care but I know you do. And I just— I wanted to give you something you don’t have to pretend you don’t want.”

Wonyoung stares, eyes wide, breath stuttering sharply as Yujin speaks.

Doesn’t move.

Doesn’t speak.

Yujin coughs lightly, trying to break the silence. “So… um,” she mutters. “Allow me to ask again. Properly this time.”

Wonyoung felt her heart beat faster as Yujin lifted up the sign again, a lopsided smile that exposed her dimples on her face. 

“Jang Wonyoung,” Yujin starts, voice smaller this time, hopeful, terrified. “Would you go to prom with me?”

Wonyoung’s hand flies to her mouth.

And then—

She starts crying.

Not quiet, controlled tears.

Not the kind she knows how to manage.

These are messy.

Overwhelming.

Relieved.

“You idiot,” she chokes out.

Yujin’s stomach drops. “I—”

“I thought you hated me.”

At that, Yujin drops the sign and crosses the distance between them without thinking, pulling Wonyoung into her arms.

“I could never,” she whispers fiercely into her hair. “Not in any universe.”

Wonyoung clutches the front of Yujin’s hoodie like it’s anchoring her to earth. 

“I’m sorry I made you think like that… I’m so sorry Wonyoung-ah… Please don’t cry.”

But Wonyoung just shakes her head fondly, pulling back slightly to see her.

“You… you’re such a dummy,” Wonyoung laughs and Yujin just looks at her like she hung all the stars in the sky.

“Sorry…” Yujin said sheepishly, though the giant smile on her face didn’t make her look very sorry at all.

Once the laughter dies down a bit and Wonyoung wipes her tears, she looks at Yujin again, biting her lip nervously.

“… Are you… really asking me to prom?” Wonyoung asks, though the slight tremble in her voice gave away her vulnerability.

Yujin straightened, looking at her with all the affection in her eyes.

“Yes.”

Wonyoung laughed again, her heart feeling light and fluttery. She buried her face in Yujin’s neck, leaving a light kiss there that made Yujin jump slightly.

“Of course I’ll go to prom with you, you idiot” Wonyoung breathed out, nuzzling more into Yujin.

Yujin’s entire face lit up like someone had switched on the sun.

“Okay… okay good…” she said, exhaling like Wonyoung just drained all the tension from her. “Then… why don’t you go to your room and change? I got you a dress to wear… And… and I’ll do the same… And we can also tell the others to stop hiding so we can all enjoy this prom… sound good?”

Wonyoung sighed dreamily, stepping away so she could face Yujin. “Yeah… that sounds good.”

Yujin smiled and gave an awkward little wave. “I’ll see you in like an hour then? Is that long enough to get ready? I’ll come pick you up at your door?”

Wonyoung chuckled at how adorable Yujin looked when she was trying to impress her. “Alright. See you in an hour then.”

They split up, each going to their respective rooms. Once Wonyoung reached hers, she closed the door gently behind her and gasped as she saw the dress laid on her bed.

She quietly approached and ran her fingers over it. 

It was beautiful.

She quickly pulled it on, admiring how it looked on her in her floor length mirror before starting on her makeup.

Just as she was finishing up, she heard a quiet knock on her door.

“Coming!” She called, placing down her eyeliner before hurrying to open the door.

Yujin stood waiting beneath the fairy lights in a burgundy suit that matched Wonyoung’s dress perfectly, the jacket fitted neatly over her shoulders. Her short hair had been combed back for once, making her look less pretty and far more handsome.

Yujin cleared her throat, eyes trained on the ground, shuffling her feet nervously as she held out a bouquet of roses in front of her. “H-here… I got you flowers…”

Wonyoung blushed and chuckled at Yujin’s bashfulness and happily took the roses. “Thank you, unnie…”

She lifted them up to her face and smelled the fresh rose scent emanating off the bouquet. She smiled softly and placed them in a vase near her bedroom door.

When she came back, Yujin was still looking at the floor, biting her lip nervously and wringing her hands in front of her.

Wonyoung huffed amusedly and lifted her hand to hook under Yujin’s chin, gently coaxing her gaze upward. “My eyes are up here, Yujinnie.”

Yujin finally looked at Wonyoung. Her eyes widened and instantly, she forgot how to breathe.

Wonyoung was wearing a deep burgundy dress, lace tracing softly across the bodice while the skirt fell in gentle layers to the floor. The rich color caught the glow of the fairy lights, warm and soft against her skin. Her hair flowed down her back and across her shoulders in soft waves, framing her face perfectly and making her look almost ethereal.

Yujin blushed all the way to the tips of her ears. “Y-you look so b-beautiful…”

Wonyoung’s heart warmed at the genuine awe in Yujin’s expression, her eyes crinkling into crescents. “Thank you. You look quite dapper yourself.”

Yujin’s blush deepened and her mouth flapped open and closed as she tried to speak, but nothing came out.

Then—

A laugh burst out from behind them.

Rei was doubled over, clutching her stomach as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. “Did you guys see her face?” 

Leeseo, Liz, and Gauel stood behind her, all with varying degrees of amusement on their faces. 

Liz whistled, pointing at Wonyoung. “Damn! You look amazing! Guess the four different dress shops really worked out, huh?”

Wonyoung titled her head in slight confusion. “Four dress shops?”

Yujin blanched and whisper-shouted back to them. “You guys promised you wouldn’t tell her!”

“Oh c’mon, Yujin-unnie,” Leeseo laughed brightly. “You have to admit, it’s kinda funny… You literally rejected like 20 dresses from three different stores before you accepted this one!!”

“Because they weren’t right!” Yujin defended.

“Rightttt…” Rei drawled, sarcasm coating her tone. “Now why don’t you give her the other thing before you chicken out!”

“What other thing?” Wonyoung asked from her spot in the bedroom doorway.

Yujin looked nervous again. “Well… um… I kinda have this thing… y-you don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to—it… it’s a little messy… but, uh, here…”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wrist corsage — delicate white flowers tied together with a thin ribbon. It was slightly uneven, but carefully arranged.

Wonyoung blinked in disbelief and Yujin refused to make eye contact.

“I-I made it,” she mumbled, ears immediately turning red.

Wonyoung’s eyes widened slightly.

“You made it?” She asked incredulously, heart warming at the gesture.

“D-don’t look too closely,” Yujin said quickly. “There was a lot of glue involved.”

“Hours of glue,” Liz added.

“Three hours,” Leeseo corrected.

Rei tilted her head. “Four if you count the practice one.”

Wonyoung looked from the corsage… to Yujin, who still wouldn’t meet her eyes.

And then she noticed it.

Bandages wrapped around two of Yujin’s fingers.

Wonyoung’s brows pulled together immediately.

“…Yujin-unnie.”

She stiffened.

“What?”

“You’re injured.”

Yujin’s head shot up, frantically putting her hand behind her back. “I-it’s nothing!”

“She stabbed herself with floral wire,” Rei supplied helpfully.

“Rei!”

“It was twice,” Liz added with a sigh.

Wonyoung’s mouth fell open slightly. “You stabbed yourself twice?”

“I was under pressure!” Yujin said defensively.

Leeseo nodded seriously. “Leadership is difficult.”

Wonyoung stared at the bandages for another second before something soft and helpless bubbled up in her chest.

“You idiot,” she murmured quietly, eyes soft.

But she held her wrist out anyway.

Yujin blinked back owlishly. “…Really?”

Wonyoung nodded.

Yujin carefully slid the corsage onto her wrist, movements suddenly much more gentle than her usual clumsy energy.

The flowers rested against Wonyoung’s skin.

They were slightly crooked.

Perfect.

“There,” Yujin said, stepping back awkwardly, smiling shyly at the sight of the flowers on Wonyoung’s wrist.

“Also,” Gaeul added casually, “she spent two days trying to come up with that promposal sign.”

Yujin whipped around.

“UNNIE.”

“What?” Gaeul shrugged. “You spent so long on it.”

“Because it needed to be perfect!” Yujin protested.

Wonyoung felt her throat tighten, her heart beating faster.

“And how many balloons did you order exactly?” Liz asked sweetly.

Yujin covered her face with both hands.

“300,” she mumbled.

“300,” Liz confirmed.

“And a whole disco ball,” Rei said.

Wonyoung looked down at the corsage again.

At the fairy lights. 

At the balloons.

At Yujin, who now looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor.

Something warm and overwhelming settled in Wonyoung’s chest.

The music started quietly from someone’s phone.

A slow song.

Leeseo gasped dramatically and ran into the living room. “Dance time!”

“Dance time!” Liz echoed, following her.

Rei gently shoved Yujin forward, smirking. “Leader responsibility.”

Yujin stumbled slightly. 

“Oh my god,” she muttered, sending a slight glare Rei’s way.

Then she looked at Wonyoung, the nerves taking over again.

“Uh.”

She rubbed the back of her neck shyly, cheeks warming.

“Do you want to—”

Wonyoung placed her hand in Yujin’s before she could finish.

Yujin blinked. “Oh.”

They moved toward the center of the room while the others dramatically cleared space around them.

Leeseo dimmed the lights, grinning.

Liz whispered something that made Rei snort loudly while Gaeul shushed her from the side.

Yujin placed her hands shyly at Wonyoung’s waist.

“I—I’ve never slow danced before,” she admitted, eyes flicking uncertainly.

“That makes two of us,” Wonyoung said softly, her hands settling on Yujin’s shoulders before slipping around her neck and lacing together, bringing them a little closer.

Yujin blushed lightly as they started swaying, gentle, completely off rhythm. The others laughed at the awkwardness, only causing her blush to deepen.

Yujin kept glancing nervously at everyone watching them.

“Why are they staring at us?” She whispered.

“Because you turned the dorm into a prom,” Wonyoung replied, amused and soft.

“R-right.”

Yujin exhaled slowly.

Wonyoung studied her face.

The nervous way her hand flexed slightly at Wonyoung’s waist, never too tight. 

The bandages adorning her fingers. 

Everything she had done.

All the effort she had poured into this.

For a long time, Wonyoung had believed something very simple.

If she wanted less, then losing things wouldn’t hurt as much.

So she tried to fold every hope small enough to hide.

Small enough that nobody would see it.

Nobody would reject it.

Nobody would get hurt.

And yet…

Here was Yujin.

Building something enormous and ridiculous and beautiful…. Just because Wonyoung had once said it’s okay and not really meant it.

Looking at Yujin like this…

Surrounded by fairy lights and balloons and her members’ muffled giggling.

She realized something else.

Wanting more didn’t always mean losing.

Sometimes…

It meant someone would meet you there to grant your wish.

“Yujin,” Wonyoung said quietly.

“Yeah?” She replied, meeting Wonyoung’s gaze, looking at her with all the affection, attention, and love in her eyes.

Wonyoung’s heart felt so full.

She leaned forward.

And kissed her.

It was quick. Soft. Barely a second.

But when she pulled back, Yujin looked like her brain got fried.

The room exploded.

Leeseo screamed.

Liz fell off the couch.

Rei clapped once like she had been expecting this all along.

Yujin stared at Wonyoung in absolute shock.

“Y—you—I…”

Wonyoung smiled.

Bright.

Unapologetic. 

Beautiful.

Yujin looked so adorably flustered that she wanted to kiss her again.

So she did.

This time longer. 

Deeper.

Her hands slid up to tangle in Yujin’s hair, pulling her flush against her, earning a little squeak from Yujin.

Wonyoung smiled into the kiss, pouring all her feelings of love, gratitude, and affection into it. Hoping that Yujin could feel every ounce of her sincerity.

She pulled back slowly, chuckling at the dazed expression on Yujin’s face.

“Is this— I mean— Are you… Sorry… I’m a mess,” Yujin stuttered out, face aflame but holding Wonyoung tighter against her.

“It’s okay,” she said again, breathlessly, languidly combing her fingers through Yujin’s hair.

But this time…

She meant something different.

It’s okay if it’s messy.

It’s okay to want more.

Especially when it came to Yujin.