Chapter Text
Something had changed.
Yunah couldn't quite put her finger on what.
Only that...
Talking to Minju had suddenly become surprisingly difficult.
Which was strange.
Because talking had never really been Yunah's problem.
…
Practice had just finished.
The room slowly emptied.
Minju slung her bag over one shoulder.
She gathered her hair into a ponytail.
A few loose strands escaped almost immediately.
Yunah looked up.
...
Was her hair always this pretty?
She blinked.
...
What?
Minju looked over.
"...What?"
Yunah realised she'd been staring.
"...Nothing."
Yunah took three steps towards the door.
She stopped.
She turned back.
"...Your hair looks really..."
...
"..."
...
"...Hair."
Minju blinked.
"..."
"...Thank you?"
Yunah nodded far too enthusiastically.
"...Mhm."
A beat.
She turned around.
"..."
"..."
She walked out of the room considerably faster than she'd intended.
Minju watched the door close.
"..."
"...That was strange."
The door clicked shut behind Yunah.
Silence.
She stared at the floor.
...
"..."
"...Hair?"
She covered her face with both hands.
"..."
"...Hair?"
She slowly slid down the wall.
A trainee walked past.
"...You alright?"
Yunah didn't move.
"..."
"...I complimented Minju's hair."
The trainee nodded.
"...That's nice."
"..."
"...I called it..."
She covered her face again.
"...Hair."
The trainee blinked.
"...Huh?”
Yunah slowly lowered her hands.
"...I was trying to say it looked pretty."
"..."
"...But all I could think of was..."
She gestured helplessly.
"...Hair."
The trainee stared at her for a long moment.
"..."
"...Are you concussed?"
“…I don’t think so.”
"...Has this only started happening around Minju?"
Yunah blinked.
"..."
"..."
"...Maybe."
The trainee raised an eyebrow.
"...Interesting."
She carried on down the hallway.
Yunah got up.
“Haeun, wait up!”
She caught up to her.
“What do you mean interesting?”
Haeun glanced at her.
“...You’re acting strange.”
Yunah frowned.
“I am not.”
“You are.”
“I’m really not.”
Haeun looked at her.
“Yunah.”
“...”
“You don’t get nervous.”
A pause.
“You don’t even know the meaning of the word embarrassed.”
Yunah opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Haeun raised an eyebrow.
“Exactly.”
Yunah looked away.
“...I’m just tired.”
“Mhm.”
“I’ve been practising a lot.”
“Mhm.”
“I’m fine.”
Haeun nodded.
“Okay.”
Yunah relaxed slightly.
Then…
“Maybe you should figure out why.”
Yunah looked over.
“Why what?”
Haeun glanced at her.
“Why you suddenly forget how to talk around Minju.”
Haeun gave Yunah’s arm a supportive tap.
“You’ll figure it out.”
Yunah watched Haeun disappear down the hallway.
"..."
She shook her head.
"No."
There was no reason to overthink this.
She was just tired.
That was all.
…
The next morning...
Yunah had decided Haeun was wrong.
She wasn't nervous.
She wasn't embarrassed.
And she certainly wasn't going to start analysing every interaction she had with Minju.
That would be ridiculous.
"...Morning."
Yunah looked up.
Minju was walking towards her.
"...Morning."
Minju dropped her bag beside Yunah's.
"...Did you wait long?"
"...Nope."
"...Good."
She sat down beside her.
And...
That was it.
Yunah blinked.
...
See?
Normal.
They were normal.
...
Practice passed normally.
So did lunch.
By their afternoon break...
Yunah had almost forgotten about the whole thing.
Almost.
They were sitting against the practice room mirror.
Minju was telling her about something that had happened earlier.
"...And then she just walked away."
Yunah stared at her.
"...No."
"...Mhm."
"...She didn't."
Minju started laughing.
"...She did."
Yunah laughed with her.
"...You're lying."
"I'm not!"
Minju reached over without thinking.
Her hand landed lightly on Yunah's thigh.
...
Yunah stopped laughing.
Her eyes dropped.
To Minju's hand.
Then back to her face.
Minju was still smiling.
Still talking.
Completely unaware.
But Yunah wasn't listening anymore.
Because suddenly...
Her heart was beating very, very fast.
...
Oh.
Her smile slowly disappeared.
...
Oh.
Every strange moment from the past few weeks seemed to arrive at once.
The staring.
The nerves.
The embarrassment.
Her hair.
Hair.
Haeun's voice echoed somewhere in the back of her mind.
“Why you suddenly forget how to talk around Minju.”
Yunah looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And suddenly there was only one thought left.
...
I have a crush on her.
...
Oh no.
Yunah stared at the floor, not moving.
"...Yunah?"
Nothing.
Minju's smile faded slightly.
"...Are you okay?"
Yunah blinked.
"..."
Minju's hand was still on her leg.
Yunah looked down again.
Minju followed her gaze.
"...Oh."
She casually moved her hand.
"...Sorry."
"...No!"
Too loud.
Minju blinked.
Yunah wanted the ground to swallow her up.
"...I mean..."
"...It's fine."
"...Completely fine."
"..."
"...Everything's fine."
Minju stared at her.
"...Okay."
A beat.
"...I don't feel well."
Minju's expression immediately changed.
"...What?"
Yunah stood up.
"...I think I need to go home."
Minju frowned.
"...Are you sick?"
"...I..."
Yunah looked at her.
Big mistake.
Minju began getting up.
"...Do you need me to—"
"No."
Yunah cut her off far too quickly.
"..."
"...Sorry."
She grabbed her bag.
"...I think I just need to go home."
Minju looked concerned.
"...Okay."
A pause.
"...Text me when you get there?"
"...Mhm."
…
Yunah lay face-down on her bed.
She had been there for twenty-three minutes.
Her bag was still on the floor.
Her shoes were still by the door.
Her phone rested beside her.
...
She groaned into the pillow.
I have a crush on Minju.
Silence.
She rolled onto her back.
Stared at the ceiling.
...
I have a crush on Minju.
She covered her face.
"...Oh my god."
Since when?
Yunah frowned.
...
How long has this been happening?
...
Her eyes widened.
Does everyone know?
She sat upright.
"...No."
Of course they didn't.
She didn’t even know till now.
She'd been subtle.
...
Mostly.
...
Her phone buzzed.
She looked.
Minju
: Did you get home okay? x
Yunah stared at it.
...
She grabbed her pillow.
And screamed into it.
…
A while later...
The room was quiet again.
Yunah lay on her back.
Staring at the ceiling.
...
The panic had faded.
A little.
...
She thought about Minju.
The way she laughed.
The way she always waited.
The way she made everything feel easier.
How beautiful she was.
...
A small smile appeared.
"..."
"I like Minju."
She said it quietly.
Like she was testing how it sounded.
...
She smiled.
A beat.
"..."
"Of course I do."
…
The next morning...
Yunah waited.
And waited.
Until finally...
Minju left the room.
Yunah watched the door close behind her.
...
Okay.
She turned around.
“Guys.”
Nobody looked up.
...
“Guys.”
Haeun glanced over.
“What?”
Yunah took a breath.
“I have something really important to tell you.”
That got their attention.
Haeun frowned.
“...Okay.”
Yunah suddenly became aware that everyone was looking at her.
...
Maybe she should've told Haeun first.
It was too late now.
“What is it?”
Yunah glanced towards the door.
Still closed.
Good.
She looked back at them.
...
“I figured something out.”
A pause.
Haeun waited.
Yunah swallowed.
...
“I have a crush on Minju.”
Silence.
...
Yunah waited.
Haeun blinked.
“...Yeah?”
Yunah stared at her.
...
“What?”
“Yeah?”
“What do you mean, yeah?”
Haeun looked around.
Then back at Yunah.
“Wait.”
Yunah's eyes widened slightly.
Finally.
A reaction.
“That’s it?”
...
Yunah's face fell.
“...What?”
“That’s the really important thing?”
“Yes!”
Haeun relaxed.
“Oh.”
“OH?”
“I thought something happened.”
“Something DID happen!”
“You realised you like Minju.”
“Yes!”
Haeun nodded.
“About time.”
...
Yunah stared at her.
Then at everyone else.
Nobody seemed particularly concerned.
Or surprised.
Or anything, really.
...
Seriously?”
Haeun looked at her.
“None of you think this is surprising?”
A few of them exchanged glances.
...
“Not really.”
Yunah frowned.
“Why?”
Haeun shrugged.
“You like Minju.”
She paused.
“It’s kinda obvious…”
Yunah stared at her.
“...Obvious?”
Haeun nodded.
“Mhm.”
Yunah looked around the room.
“How is it obvious?”
Silence.
Everyone seemed to think about it.
“You’re always looking for her.”
Yunah frowned.
“What?”
“Whenever you walk into a room.”
Another trainee nodded.
“You do.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
Yunah looked at Haeun.
“Do I?”
Haeun nodded.
“Every time.”
...
Yunah seemed to process that.
“Okay.”
A pause.
“That could mean anything.”
“What else?”
Haeun laughed.
“What do you mean, what else?”
“Apparently you all know more about my crush than I do.”
A few of them exchanged glances.
A beat.
“You blush when she wears that top you like.”
Yunah froze.
...
“What top?”
Haeun stared at her.
Yunah stared back.
...
“Exactly.”
“That proves nothing.”
“You know exactly which one I mean.”
Yunah looked away.
“It’s a nice top.”
“Mhm.”
“It is.”
“Nobody said it wasn’t.”
Yunah folded her arms.
“Anything else?”
Haeun thought for a moment.
“When Minju sings.”
Yunah looked back at her.
“What about it?”
“You stare at her.”
“I don’t stare.”
“You do.”
Yunah sighed.
“Well according to you, I stare at Minju all the time.”
“No.”
Haeun shook her head.
“This one’s different.”
Yunah frowned.
“How?”
Haeun smiled slightly.
“You look at her like she’s the only person in the room.”
...
Yunah went quiet.
“Oh.”
A moment passed.
Yunah looked down.
Somehow, that one felt different.
...
“So?”
Yunah looked up.
“So what?”
Haeun raised an eyebrow.
“What are you going to do?”
Yunah blinked.
“...About what?”
Everyone stared at her.
...
“Minju.”
“Oh.”
A pause.
Yunah frowned.
“I don't know.”
Haeun blinked.
“You don't know?”
“I only figured out I like her yesterday!”
“Okay.”
“I've been busy.”
“Doing what?”
Yunah stared at her.
“Panicking.”
Haeun laughed.
Yunah sighed.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“You could tell her.”
Yunah looked at her.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t even know if she likes me.”
A pause.
Yunah glanced towards the door.
...
“And I don’t want to make things weird.”
Haeun’s expression softened.
“Do you want her to like you?”
Yunah looked back at her.
...
She didn’t even have to think about it.
“Yeah.”
A small smile appeared.
“I really do.”
...
The door opened.
Yunah immediately sat up straighter.
Minju walked back into the room.
“What did I miss?”
...
Yunah looked at Haeun.
Haeun looked at Yunah.
“Nothing.”
Minju frowned.
“Okay...”
…
The next day...
Minju sat across from her friend Sena at lunch.
For a while, neither of them said much.
Sena scrolled through her phone.
Minju ate quietly.
...
“You missed a weird conversation yesterday.”
Minju looked up.
“What?”
“Everyone started talking about their crushes.”
Minju smiled slightly.
“Why?”
Sena shrugged.
“I don't even remember.”
“Sounds productive.”
Sena smiled.
“Very.”
...
Minju went back to eating.
A few seconds passed.
...
“What did they say?”
Sena looked up.
“About what?”
“Their crushes.”
“Oh.”
Sena thought for a moment.
“Nothing interesting.”
...
Minju nodded.
Another pause.
“How do you know?”
“Know what?”
Minju hesitated.
“That you like someone?”
Sena thought about it.
“Hmm.”
“I don't know.”
A pause.
“I guess you think about them a lot.”
Minju listened.
“You want to be around them.”
...
“You notice when they're not there.”
Minju's eyes dropped to the table.
Yunah.
The thought came almost immediately.
...
But that wasn't strange.
Yunah was her friend.
One of her closest friends.
Of course Minju thought about her.
Of course she noticed when she wasn't there.
...
“You remember little things about them.”
“Like what?”
Sena shrugged.
“Anything.”
“Things they like. Things they tell you.”
A pause.
“You just... pay attention to them, I guess.”
...
Minju did that too.
But again…
Yunah was important to her.
That explained it.
...
“And you're attracted to them.”
Minju looked up.
“That doesn't necessarily mean you like someone.”
Sena paused.
“What doesn't?”
“Thinking they're attractive.”
...
“You can think someone is beautiful without being attracted to them.”
Sena nodded.
“Yeah.”
Minju looked back down.
Exactly.
Because Yunah was beautiful.
Minju knew that.
She'd always known that.
It wasn't something she'd ever needed to think particularly hard about.
Yunah had pretty eyes.
A pretty smile.
She looked good with her hair up.
She looked good with it down.
...
None of that meant anything.
Plenty of people were beautiful.
Minju didn't have a crush on all of them.
...
“I don't think that's what I mean.”
Minju looked back at Sena.
“What do you mean?”
Sena was quiet for a moment.
“There's thinking someone is attractive.”
A pause.
“And then there's actually being attracted to them.”
...
Minju frowned slightly.
She understood the difference.
At least...
She thought she did.
“How do you know?”
Sena thought about it.
“I guess it's less about what you think.”
...
“And more about what you want.”
Minju went still.
“What you want?”
“Mhm.”
Sena looked down at her food.
“You don't just notice that they're pretty.”
“You notice them.”
...
Minju said nothing.
“You notice when they get close to you.”
...
Something shifted.
“You might think about touching them.”
A pause.
“Or wonder what it'd be like if they touched you.”
...
Minju's fingers stilled.
“And sometimes...”
Sena shrugged slightly.
“You wonder what it'd be like to kiss them.”
...
Silence.
Minju stared at the table.
Because that…
...
That was different.
She had wondered.
Not once.
Not even recently.
There had been moments she'd barely registered at the time.
Yunah leaning closer to speak into her ear over the music.
Minju suddenly becoming aware of just how close her face was.
Her eyes dropping.
Briefly.
To Yunah's lips.
...
She'd looked away.
She hadn't thought anything of it.
Then there were the hugs.
The casual touches.
Yunah's arm around her.
The occasional moment when Minju became strangely aware of exactly where Yunah was touching her.
...
And she'd always had an explanation.
They were close.
Minju trusted her.
She liked being close to her.
None of that had to mean anything.
...
But there had been something else too.
Something Minju hadn't given herself an explanation for.
...
She had wondered what it would be like to kiss Yunah.
More than once.
And if she was being completely honest...
She hadn't only wondered.
...
She wanted to.
Minju swallowed.
...
Oh.
...
Minju stayed very still.
Sena continued eating.
Completely unaware of what she'd just done.
...
Minju looked down at her food.
Suddenly, she wasn't very hungry.
Because now that she'd noticed it...
It was difficult not to.
Yunah's lips.
Her hands.
The way Minju felt when she got too close.
...
She'd spent so long finding perfectly reasonable explanations for all of it.
And individually...
They were reasonable.
Together?
...
Minju closed her eyes for a second.
Oh my.
Sena looked up.
“You okay?”
Minju looked at her.
...
“Yeah.”
A pause.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
...
Minju's mind supplied the answer immediately.
Yunah.
Again.
...
Minju looked away.
“Nothing.”
Minju sat with that thought for a moment.
...
Then she looked up.
Her eyes wandered across the dining hall.
And found Yunah almost immediately.
...
She was standing across the room with Haeun.
She appeared to be...
Minju narrowed her eyes.
...
What was she doing?
Yunah had balanced a spoon on her nose.
Haeun was staring at her.
Completely unimpressed.
Yunah slowly took her hands away.
...
The spoon stayed.
Yunah's eyes widened.
She pointed at it excitedly.
Haeun immediately knocked it off.
Yunah looked betrayed.
...
Minju stared.
Then laughed quietly to herself.
Yunah noticed.
Their eyes met across the room.
...
Yunah smiled.
Just like that.
Bright.
Immediate.
Like seeing Minju had made her happy.
...
And there it was again.
That feeling.
Minju's smile slowly faded.
Not because she wasn't happy.
Quite the opposite.
...
She looked at Yunah.
Really looked at her.
The stupid spoon.
The messy hair from practice.
The smile still lingering on her face.
...
And Minju wanted to kiss her.
Even now.
Maybe especially now.
...
Oh.
Minju looked back down at her food.
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
...
I have a crush on Yunah.