"Chae,"

The blonde groaned into her shoulder and covered her eyes. "Too bright. Turn off the sun, Hyeju,"

"Working on it," Hyeju patted her head. "It's snowing,"

"Really?" Chaewon sat up, sleepiness forgotten. "You said that last time, and there was like one inch, it was pathetic,"

Hyeju followed her into a sitting position, their shoulders brushing. Chaewon shot her a glance, almost as if she was hesitant, and Hyeju took her hand. She smiled a little, and Chaewon smiled back,

"You're in a good mood," Chaewon's voice was soft, like speaking any louder would disturb the moment.

"Get coffee with me,"

Chaewon snorted in surprise, but Hyeju didn't miss the flush in her cheeks. "We have coffee here, you know,"

"I want to walk with you. In the snow," Hyeju stood up, pulling Chaewon along. "Please? I know you want to,"

Chaewon's smile became a little more fragile and she nodded quietly. "Lemme get dressed, and I'll meet you downstairs,"

Hyeju let herself be pushed out of the room, not caring that she was still in her pajamas. It was much earlier in the day than she was used to being up, but she woke up with a sense of determination. Sooyoung's words kept bouncing around in her brain until all she could think about was Chaewon and her. She imagined holding Chaewon's hand, waking up beside her, all the things that would change if she felt more for Chaewon than a friend. But would taking the leap of faith to reach that be worth the possibility of losing her best friend? Nothing would be the same if she spoke aloud her feelings. And Hyeju didn't know if she could take that.

She descended the stairs to find Jungeun and Sooyoung making breakfast, except there was a little too much giggling involved. She watched Sooyoung come up and hug Jungeun from behind as the younger rolled out dough for rolls, but Jungeun's hands were bare of any rings.

Hm.

"Am I interrupting something?" Hyeju yawned as she crossed the threshold into the kitchen, and Sooyoung and Jungeun broke apart like high schoolers caught by a teacher. Jungeun shot her a smile while Sooyoung mouthed what looked like a combination of curse words and keep your mouth shut about you know what to which Hyeju rolled her eyes.

"Hey Jungeun, just curious. Have you ever thought of, you know, settling down and having kids?"

Jungeun looked taken aback but not nearly as horrified as Sooyoung, who was having a brain aneurysm behind her.

"It sounds nice, I think. I'd like to have children if I married someone who wanted them too," She continued to fry up the eggs, unaware of Sooyoung's anxiety and silent threats at her younger sister. She smiled and looked up at Hyeju. "Why do you ask? Chaewon and you talking about it?"

Hyeju flushed, looking away. "Uh-m,"

"Aw, Sooyoung look at her. They're so cute," Jungeun grinned and looked over her shoulder. "Babe?"

"Yep! Yes, I..." Sooyoung blinked several times and laughed nervously. "I'm going to make toast,"

Jungeun snorted in mild amusement when Sooyoung turned her back and then looked at Hyeju. "You guys got plans today?"

"Coffee," Hyeju said shortly. "We're going out, don't wait for us,"

"Have fun!" Jungeun replied. "But put on a coat, Hyeju. It's freezing out there and there's a foot of snow,"

"I will, I will," Hyeju rolled her eyes. "You sound like my mom,"

"Your mom is smart," Jungeun replied without even looking up.

"Hye?" Chaewon called from the doorway. "You ready?"

"Yeah, coming," Hyeju quickly grabbed a pair of socks and shoved her winter boots on, tucking the end of her pants into them. She stuck a hat that probably belonged to Sooyoung on her head and her puffy winter jacket. She turned, ready to open the door for Chaewon, and then realized it was the first time she'd looked up.

Maybe Hyeju had finally begun to look at her differently after all this time too, but something was different about Chaewon. Her lips were shiny, like she'd put lipgloss on, and her cheeks were dusted pink. Her hair was curled lightly over her shoulders, on top of which she wore her pink earmuffs. Of course, her coat was a pink so pale it was almost white, and Hyeju would've made fun of how small she looked in it, if she wasn't-

"You're really cute," Hyeju murmured before she could stop herself. Chaewon opened and closed her mouth, her eyes darting from Jungeun, who was in the kitchen but still watching them, and then back to Hyeju. Was Hyeju saying that because it was true, or because Jungeun was watching?

"Come on," Chaewon took her hand and opened the door, not sparing her another glance.

Outside, the walkway had been shoveled by Soyoung just after dawn but past their garden, it was a foot of snow. Chaewon went into it with childlike excitement, carefully stepping off the porch and then practically skipping down the sidewalk.

Hyeju followed her with less fervor but a smile on her face nonetheless. Chaewon looked back and made fun of her for being slow, but Hyeju just rolled her eyes and kept silent. It felt rarer these days, to see Chaewon carefree like this.

"Come on!" Chaewon came back and tugged on her arm. "You take forever,"

"I'm trying to enjoy the moment, Chae. Chill out,"

"We can enjoy it once I have coffee," The blonde grumbled back. "And what's with you being all in the moment and sentimental?"

"I missed you," Hyeju was honest. "I haven't seen you - really seen you - in days. I'm not used to it, and I don't like it,"

Chaewon stilled. "I...I missed you too,"

"Everything just feels weird when it's for my family,"

"Yeah! Yeah, it does," Chaewon took her hand, pointedly not looking at her. "I've missed being able to talk to you freely,"

"I do like one thing though,"

"Hm?"

"Flirting with you when I know you can't threaten me,"

Chaewon's smile faded, replaced with a look more guarded. "Oh,"

"What, is it that bad?"

"No, no, it's just..." Chaewon shook her head. "Come on, I want coffee,"

"Wait, Chae, if I should've stopped-" Hyeju grabbed a hold of her when she tried to pull away.

"Hyeju, forget it," Chaewon said weakly. "It was fine,"

Hyeju groaned internally. She'd fucked it up again, hadn't she? Just like how Chaewon had pulled away when they laid together, she'd broken the perfect little bubble she and Chae lived in.

She'd broken it by caring a little too much and not knowing how to show it.

"I'll buy your coffee," Hyeju sighed a little, feeling her heart skip a beat at how Chaewon smiled.

Oh, this was bad.

"Yeah, you better," Was all Chaewon said, and then she was dragging the younger along toward town where the coffee shop was. Their fingers intertwined as they walked and Chaewon began to tell her about the anime she'd started, all while Hyeju kicked at the snow and watched the puffs of air billow around them.

Storm clouds were dark and heavy in the sky, even though the sun had risen higher in the sky. Hyeju's cheeks stung a little from the cold and she blew on her other hand to keep it warm. Chaewon leaned on her when it got icy, and by the time they were outside the coffee shop, Chaewon was practically molded against her.

Chaewon let go of her once they were inside, choosing a table for them to sit at. Hyeju ordered for both of them, choosing a sickly sweet-looking frappuccino for the blonde and espresso for herself. She checked her phone and waited patiently for her order to come, thanking the barista and searching the cafe for the blonde once she had their drinks.

She spotted Chaewon near the window, conversing with a man Hyeju had never seen before. Her nails dug into Chaewon's frappuccino cup.

"-Oh yeah, my family lives around the corner. Funny that I've never seen you-" The man was cut off when Hyeju (maybe purposefully) knocked shoulders with him. He was shorter than Hyeju, with chestnut brown hair and kind eyes. Chaewon had been smiling up at him in a way usually reserved for Hyeju herself. Hyeju didn't like to think of herself as a particularly needy person, but Chaewon was off limits to the likes of him, and she didn't mind showing her distaste.

"Do you need something?" Hyeju asked him coldly, looking him up and down in disapproval. He was taken aback by her attitude, scoffing a little and turning to Chaewon.

"I was wondering if I could get your number," He smiled at Chaewon, and Hyeju scowled. Chaewon almost looked shy at his question. Luckily, Hyeju had no problem sending him on his way.

"She's taken,"

"Oh..." He shot her a dubious look.

"By me, asshole. Keep walking," Hyeju patted his shoulder and rolled her eyes. Chaewon let out a laugh, and then the man was leaving with slumped shoulders. The jingle of the bell on the door jolted her out of her anger and she relaxed slightly, happy to see his retreating figure.

She sat down across from Chaewon with a huff, smiling sheepishly at the surprise on Chaewon's face. They both took sips of their drinks, sitting in the silence for a moment. Hyeju focused on her drink intentionally, slightly embarrassed at this point at her immediate anger.

"Possessive much?" Chaewon teased.

"I just-" Hyeju picked at her nails. "Whatever,"

"You're cute when you're mad," Chaewon reached over and patted her head, ignoring Hyeju's glare. "Didn't know I was taken,"

"You are," Hyeju answered a little too quickly. "Well, not like I have some claim over you-" Hyeju groaned. "Come on, he's not even your type,"

"Oh?" Chaewon looked curious now. "What's my type, Ms. Ha?" She sat back in her seat, smug when Hyeju gulped.

She realized she had no idea.

Chaewon had rarely ever talked about meeting people over the course of their time living together. She never introduced Hyeju to any girlfriends, and hardly even mentioned anyone she was talking to. Holy shit, Hyeju felt like a bad roommate.

"Chae," Hyeju blinked. "You've never had a girlfriend,"

"You never fail to remind me,"

"No, you've never even liked anyone," She looked up at the blonde. "How is that possible? Are you like, asexual, or..."

"No! I mean, it'd be fine if I was, but I'm not," Chaewon shrugged. "I've liked people before, I just keep it private,"

"How much more private can you get than me?" Hyeju frowned a little. "Come on Chae, I thought we told each other everything,"

"I...I liked someone," Chaewon breathed out carefully. "I loved her, I think. But she didn't feel the same,"

"I find it hard to believe that was true," Hyeju replied. "I thought you'd never been rejected,"

"I never have and I intend to continue that streak," Chaewon told her with a hair flip. Then her voice got small again. "I just...I didn't want to ruin a good thing, you know?"

"Yeah," Hyeju agreed timidly. "I get that,"

Chaewon took a sip of her frappuccino and Hyeju glanced at the icy window. She didn't want to ruin a good thing either, but there was a sadness in Chaewon's eyes that she didn't want to know. Chaewon in her life was vital, but if they could be something more...

"I'm selfish, Chae,"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you're here with me, instead of that idiot," She said honestly.

"Oh Hyeju. If only you knew,"