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Jiwoo sat in the cafeteria, chopsticks idly pushing rice around her plate while her gaze remained fixed on the table diagonally across from hers.
Jinsol and Hajung were sitting face to face with two dishes between them. Hajung must have said something funny because Jinsol laughed so hard that her eyes crinkling at the corners, shoulders tilting forward as if she was being pulled into whatever Hajung was saying. Hajung picked up a piece of spare rib from her own bowl and placed it right on top of Jinsol's rice.
Jinsol looked down at it, said something Jiwoo couldn't hear, then she actually ate it.
Jiwoo set her chopsticks down.
She knew she was being ridiculous. The cafeteria was packed, nobody was paying attention to what she was staring at, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. She watched Hajung pour Jinsol a glass of water, watched Jinsol hand her phone over and lean in so they could both look at the screen, their shoulders pressed together and strands of hair nearly tangling.
None of it was inherently wrong. Jinsol was kind to everyone and Jiwoo had always known that. But there was a difference between being kind to everyone and being especially kind to someone in particular, and today it felt like that line had shifted just a little too far in someone else's direction. She dropped her head and stabbed at her rice with renewed vigor.
The afternoon classes were a blur. Jiwoo spent most of them with her cheek pressed to her desk, facing the window, catching glimpses of Jinsol sitting diagonally ahead of her with her back straight and her pen moving across her notebook.
When the final bell rang, Jiwoo packed her bag with deliberate slowness, dragging out every motion in the hopes that Jinsol would come over and walk her out. But Jinsol was surrounded by classmates, hashing out something about a group project. Hajung was there too, gravitating to Jinsol's side with her phone held up, pointing at the screen while Jinsol turned to look.
Jiwoo yanked her zipper shut and walked out.
She was already past the gate when she heard quick footsteps catching up, then a hand reached out and tugged lightly at her backpack strap.
"Why are you walking so fast?" Jinsol's voice came through slightly breathless. "You didn't wait for me."
Jiwoo didn't turn around though she slowed her pace a fraction. "Looked like you were busy."
"I'm not anymore." Jinsol fell into step beside her and tilted her head to study Jiwoo's face. "What's wrong? You seem off."
"No."
"Every time you say no it means yes."
Jiwoo pressed her lips together. She didn't want to confess, because confession would make her feel small and petty. But the knot in her chest had grown too tight to ignore, and before she could stop herself she was already saying it: "She gave you food."
Jinsol blinked. "Who?"
"Hajung."
"The spare ribs? She said she ordered too much and couldn't finish."
"Then why didn't she give them to someone else?"
Jinsol stopped walking, and Jiwoo stopped with her, standing at the curb with heat crawling up her neck. She knew how childish she sounded, but knowing didn't make the feeling go away.
Jinsol stepped in front of her and looked down with that quiet, unhurried focus, and she reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Jiwoo's ear before she spoke.
"Hajung lent me her notes last week," Jinsol said evenly. "I bought her lunch as thanks. That spare rib today was probably her way of paying me back. If it made you uncomfortable, I'll pay more attention next time."
Jiwoo finally lifted her gaze, and the earnestness in Jinsol's eyes made something in her chest loosen. Her small grievance felt like it had been caught and held safely.
"I'm not saying you can't eat with other people," Jiwoo murmured, struggling to shape the feeling into words. "It's just that..."
"I know," Jinsol said softly. "You just don't want that someone to be anybody but me."
Jiwoo dropped her gaze to her shoes and stayed quiet.
Jinsol stepped closer and lowered her voice. "So from now on, if anyone tries to give me food, I'll say, 'Sorry, my little one wouldn't approve.'"
Jiwoo gave her a light shove, her face heating up. "I'm not your little one."
But the corner of her mouth curving despite herself. Jinsol took Jiwoo's hand and interlaced their fingers, tugging her gently toward the bus stop. Jiwoo let herself be pulled along, and the tightness in her chest slowly dissolved.
They made it back to Jinsol's apartment. After a quick dinner thrown together from whatever was in the fridge, they collapsed onto the sofa, the television droning on in the background without either of them paying attention. Jiwoo lay with her head in Jinsol's lap, eyes closed, while Jinsol's fingers wandered lazily through her hair.
A long silence stretched between them before Jinsol spoke again. "You barely paid attention in class this afternoon."
"How do you know?"
"Because you had your head down the entire time." Jinsol pinched Jiwoo's earlobe gently. "Not once did you look up."
"And you spent the whole afternoon talking to other people about homework."
Jinsol laughed softly. "So you were watching me after all."
Jiwoo didn't answer, but the heat creeping up her cheeks said enough. She rolled onto her side and buried her face against Jinsol's stomach.
Jinsol looked down at her with obvious amusement. "You were watching me the entire time, weren't you?"
"Stop saying it."
"Okay, I'll stop."
Jinsol kept laughing, quiet and warm, and the tremor of it traveled through Jiwoo's forehead. Jiwoo pushed herself up, half-annoyed, but when she met Jinsol's gaze her irritation evaporated. Jinsol's eyes held her, nothing else in the frame.
Jiwoo leaned in and kissed her without another word.
Jinsol was surprised before she responded, her hand sliding up to cradle Jiwoo's head and her fingers threading into her hair, pulling her closer.
The kiss stretched on until they both had to break for air. Jiwoo pressed her forehead to Jinsol's, breathing uneven and lips slightly numb. She shifted forward, swinging her leg over until she was straddling Jinsol's lap.
Jinsol's hands settled on her waist. She said nothing, just watched Jiwoo with that same patient, open expression that made Jiwoo's heart swell. Jiwoo braced her hands on Jinsol's shoulders and pressed down, closing whatever small distance remained between them.
Jinsol's hands slid from her waist to her back. Jiwoo let her eyes fall shut and rested her chin on Jinsol's shoulder, following some instinctive rhythm against her thighs.
Jinsol turned her head and whispered to Jiwoo's ear. "Take your time. Do whatever feels right."
Jiwoo's breath caught. She pressed her face deeper into the curve of Jinsol's neck and fisted her fingers in the back of Jinsol's shirt. Heat kept building under her skin, and she didn't know what to do with it except hold on tighter and let Jinsol be the anchor.
Jinsol's palm ran steady strokes along her spine.
When Jiwoo finally hit the edge, she bit down on her lip before collapsing against Jinsol's chest.
They stayed wrapped around each other in the quiet. Jiwoo kept her face hidden in that small pocket between Jinsol's shoulder and the sofa cushion, too embarrassed to lift her head. Jinsol didn't rush her. She just kept combing her fingers gently through Jiwoo's hair, waiting.
At last Jiwoo's voice came out. "Will you... not eat food that other people give you from now on?"
Jinsol tilted her head down, a smile tugging at her lips. "Okay."
Jiwoo lifted her face just enough to rest her chin on Jinsol's chest. "And..." She faltered, searching for the right words, then gave up and just said it quietly, "I don't like it when you're too close to other people."
She buried her face again immediately. Jinsol tightened her arms around her and pressed her chin to the crown of Jiwoo's head. "Then maybe you should just sit closer to me. Problem solved."
Jiwoo squirmed, finding a more comfortable position in her lap. "I already sit as close as possible."
"Then sit even closer."
Jiwoo met Jinsol's eyes properly. She held her gaze for a long moment, then poked her cheek. "You were already plenty close to other people today."
"Then I'll make it up to you tomorrow." Jinsol caught the poking hand and pressed a soft kiss to Jiwoo's knuckles. "Starting right now."
Jiwoo didn't pull her hand back. She let Jinsol keep holding it, palm pressed to palm. She showed no sign of moving off Jinsol's lap, and Jinsol didn't seem to mind. She just wrapped an arm around Jiwoo and reached for the remote with her free hand, flipping through channels until something caught her eye.
Jiwoo paid no attention to whatever was playing.