DECAFFEINATED

by Jihyokitty

Summary:

Sana isn't entirely sure Jihyo is human. The girl is kind, beautiful, and seemingly perfect—though perhaps a little weird. What Sana is even less sure of, however, is whether she's completely fallen in love with her.

Or

Jihyo’s popular and Sana wants to know everything the girl thinks, even if it means it’ll break her.

Chapter 1

January 5, 2020.

Minatozaki Sana wouldn't say her life was a cliché.

The truth was, she had a pretty normal life. Boring? Maybe.

She could go unnoticed, more than she would have liked. It might be that she just wasn't the most interesting person on the planet, nor the one who attracted the most attention.

But whatever it was, she couldn't complain.

Her parents were good, not the best, but not the worst either. They loved her in their own way, one that wasn't always loud or full of grand gestures, but that was present. Her friends were few, just enough for her to be satisfied, so she didn't feel like anything was missing.

That morning was no different. The routine was so ingrained in her brain that even thinking about breaking it was out of the question. So far, it had been a boring day.

The first period was her favorite, because she could talk to Dahyun about some new school gossip or because every now and then she could approach Tzuyu, who managed to get a smile or two out of her with her antics. The simple fact of seeing the Taiwanese girl, with her big curious eyes and her soft laugh, was enough to brighten her morning.

When she walked out into the hallway, everything was a bit of the same: the usual hustle and bustle of students changing classes. She felt the sweater she was wearing digging slightly into the skin of her neck and that the noise her shoes made against the linoleum floor attracted more attention than necessary, but she didn't dwell on it. For her, the small noises and sensations were part of the scenery.

Walking to her locker was one of her favorite things. Not because Sana was a gossip or judgmental, but because she liked to observe the way others lived. She got lost in the small details: couples laughing, groups of friends planning their weekends, seniors acting like they owned the place. It felt like watching a movie in which she was just a silent spectator.

Come to think of it, maybe she was a gossip. Could they blame her for anything? Definitely not.

Sana reached her locker, the cold metal familiar under her fingers. She opened it and a soft smell of paper and pencil greeted her. She hummed to herself as she put her books away, stopping for a moment to look at the small photos and notes stuck to the metal. Most were reminders about assignments she had to clean up or about her vacation in Japan, with Mina's arms around her, or with her parents' smiling faces next to her. With a small smile, she put her books away, lingering for a moment longer just to read a few things she couldn't forget, like the plan to go for coffee with Dahyun that weekend.

Then, she turned her face, just a little, enough for the corner of her eye to peek through the metal door. Her eyes landed on the people walking toward her. It wasn't like the school was really under the typical movie charms, although if Sana thought about it, maybe they weren't that far from her reality.

Im Nayeon was popular. Not in a dramatic movie way, but in a natural way.

She was so intelligent that Sana was amazed by how she always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone. Her face helped a lot, because she was pretty, always with a smile that showed her bunny teeth, and she spoke so loudly that when Sana ran into her in the hallway, she tended to find out everything that was on her mind without even trying.

Hirai Momo was not far behind. Sana had seen her in all the dance performances they organized in the school gym or auditorium, and to say she hadn't been captivated by the way she danced would be, frankly, a lie. The way her body moved with a mix of power and grace, with every step precise and full of emotion, left her breathless. Momo didn't just dance; she told a story with every movement, and her presence on stage was magnetic, almost hypnotic.

And then there was Park Jihyo. If Nayeon was loved and popular, if Momo was praised and intimidating, Park Jihyo was the next level. Or at least, that was the idealized perception Sana had of her. She had exchanged words with her a couple of times in the two years they had been together in the same school.

They were trivial things that, honestly, Sana hadn't bothered to remember. Maybe she had once asked her for the time, or she had probably asked her for class notes that she hadn't bothered to write down.

And yet, with those silly and superficial interactions, she considered the girl a mystery.

She couldn't explain exactly why, but the same comparison always came to her mind: if Nayeon was kind to everyone, Jihyo was willing to give her time and dedication to help people. It was rumored that she spent hours after class helping students with difficult subjects or that she was the first to organize charity events. If Momo was funny and could liven up a conversation, Jihyo could make a whole room laugh with a single word, with a simple joke that changed the atmosphere of the room instantly.

Sana couldn't confirm it, or maybe she could. Because she saw Jihyo pass through the hallway every day without fail, with an almost hypnotic punctuality. She was often hanging from Momo's arm with a delicate smile, exchanging words here and there, and every now and then letting out a loud laugh at some remark from Nayeon that echoed in the crowded hallways.

Sometimes, when she was particularly sociable, Sana would look up from her locker or her books and, just as Jihyo would look away to some place other than her friends, their eyes would meet for a fleeting instant. The Korean girl would draw a delicate smile, one that barely registered in Sana's brain as a soft gust of air.

Yes, maybe she would say that her life wasn't a cliché, but really, at that point, what the hell did she know? It wasn't like she thought those glances meant anything beyond the polite realm of a schoolmate. It wasn't like she had made enough of an effort to actually approach the girl, to cross the barrier of trivial interactions.

Sana wasn't a total outcast, not at all. She went out with her friends and sometimes made bad decisions that she ended up regretting. Her grades weren't perfect and she was far from it, but that didn't take away from the fact that they were different. Sana lived in a world of silent observation, while Jihyo seemed to live in the spotlight, a bright lighthouse in a sea of students.

The Japanese girl finally averted her gaze from the crowd, concentrating on her things again. She put a couple of books in her backpack, closed the locker with a metallic click, and started walking down the long hallway toward her next classroom. She gave warm smiles to a few acquaintances she met in the crowd, feeling the familiar jostle of people around her.

When she finally got to her classroom, she just walked in. Her eyes immediately went to Mina, who was writing something in one of her notebooks, her lips moving in silence as if she were reading something of utmost importance. Sana smiled to herself, approaching and taking a seat next to her. Mina didn't look up, and Sana didn't mind. She took out her own cell phone, distractedly answering a message her parents had sent her.

The classroom began to fill up gradually, the murmurs got louder, and the laughter did too. She put her cell phone away just as Mina finally cleared her throat, closing her notebook with a soft thud.

Mina looked up, turned to look at Sana, and gave her a smile.

"How did it go?" she asked, her voice calm and melodic.

"Good," Mina replied. "I guess. They'll give me the audition results in a couple of days."

Sana raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you ask for the exact date?"

"It didn't occur to me," Mina said, shrugging. "Although Tzuyu told me it wasn't necessary."

Sana rolled her eyes. "I don't think Tzuyu is the best one to give you advice in those moments."

Mina let out a giggle. "We applied together, even if she's young she knows things, and I'm going to agree with her: I think it's better that I just don't know and find myself with the surprise in my email any day now."

"I guess so," Sana said, with a grimace. "Although I think that will make you more anxious."

"I'm not really anxious," Mina replied calmly, a genuine smile on her face. "Dahyun promised to speak well of me to Momo, which helps."

Sana leaned back in her chair, the plastic backrest creaking slightly. "It would have the same effect if you just went and talked to her yourself."

Mina shook her head, her lips forming a thin line. "I don't think that's possible. I've never bothered to actually talk to Momo before. If I approach her now, I wouldn't blame her if she thinks I'm doing it for my own benefit."

"Technically, you are," Sana pointed out with an amused smile.

"Yes, and that's precisely why I'll let Dahyun do the subtle work. Who's better than her?"

Sana shrugged. "You're the one who knows what you're doing."

Mina pursed her lips, raising her eyebrows as she turned her body to face the front, looking directly at the whiteboard. The teacher walked into the classroom with his typical leather briefcase in hand, his presence filling the space with a sense of impending order. Mina lowered her voice to a whisper. "Do you have a partner for the next project yet?"

Sana hummed, looking down to get her notebook and pencil case out. She shook her head. "No, I thought we'd do the work together, like always."

"That won't be possible," Mina said, her tone even lower.

Sana looked at her, frowning. "Why? Did Jeongyeon ask you to be her partner?"

Mina shook her head. "She did, but that's not why. The teacher assigned the partners at the beginning of the week. It's in the rubric."

Sana raised her eyebrows and huffed. "That would have been really helpful if you had told me sooner."

Mina shrugged, a nonchalant expression on her face. "I assumed you had seen it."

Sana sighed, resignation weighing on her shoulders. She got up to walk slowly to the small cork board at the front of the classroom, where the sheets with the partners were posted. She looked for her name among the letters, frowning to read without making mistakes. First she found Mina's name.

Sana smiled to herself: Myoui – Yoo, of course, that was to be expected, how lucky Mina was.

Sana kept looking, scanning the sheets with her finger until she found it. She moved closer, her finger moving over the surface. "Minatozaki – Park J." Sana raised her eyebrows and blinked slowly, the information processing in her mind. It only took two seconds before she sighed heavily. How lucky she was too, right?

Without another word, she turned to go back to her seat. Mina looked at her out of the corner of her eye, letting her pencil fall on the desk with a small sound. "Who did you get?" she asked.

Sana dropped into her chair with a soft thud. "Park," she replied, her voice emotionless.

Mina huffed, a slight smile curving her lips. "Well, that's a surprise, isn't it?"

"I guess so," Sana said, with a slight nod. "Although it doesn't really bother me, I've heard she works well."

"Maybe," Mina replied, a playful glint in her eyes. "You'll have to find that out on your own." She sighed and slowly got up, stretching her arms.

"Where are you going?" Sana asked, following her with her gaze.

"To Jeong," Mina replied, already walking away. "She's going to be out for a couple of weeks because of softball and we need to get organized."

Without another word, she walked toward the girl's table. Sana watched them smile at each other and start talking, the familiarity between them was evident. Then, her eyes drifted around. Most of the students were standing up, talking among themselves, creating a buzz of conversation that filled the room. The teacher had a neutral expression on his face as he typed something on his laptop, oblivious to the controlled chaos around him.

Sana sighed, her gaze fixed on the front, where Jihyo was writing something. Her eyes were fixed on the lines on the paper, her lips slightly parted, murmuring something to herself, clearly with no intention of approaching her to talk.

Sana pursed her lips with a mix of frustration and resignation. Then, she simply gave in. She got up from the chair, quietly and slowly, and walked through the classroom, approaching Jihyo's desk until she was in front of it, slightly blocking the light from the ceiling. Sana looked at her for a few seconds, observing her concentration, before speaking.

But Jihyo was faster. Without taking her eyes off her notes, she spoke, her voice calm and confident. "I thought you were never going to come over."

Sana froze, a slight blush rising up her neck. She cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. "I noticed we have to work together on the project." The sentence came out more like an excuse than a statement.

Jihyo finally looked up, her eyes meeting Sana's. She nodded, moving her bag from the chair next to her and lightly tapping the surface with the palm of her hand, as a silent signal for Sana to sit down. The gesture was simple, but full of a confidence that disarmed Sana.

Sana processed the signal for a few moments before nodding, her mind still grappling with the surprise. She sat down, placing her hands on the table and nervously fiddling with the edges of her sweater. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice a little low. "I hadn't noticed we were partners."

Jihyo smiled slightly, her eyes crinkling in an amused expression that lit up her face. "I noticed, but it's okay. I knew you would eventually come over to get everything sorted out." The tone was not one of reproach, but of simple observation.

Sana cleared her throat again, feeling her cheeks flush even more. "I'm sorry."

Jihyo waved her hand, dismissing it. "Like I said, it's okay. Maybe I should have come to tell you, your spot isn't that far."

Sana forced a smile, the sound of her throat clearing a little clumsy. "I'm—"

Jihyo interrupted her gently, a warm smile on her lips. "Sana. I know."

Sana raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.

Jihyo smiled. "Your name is written on the rubric. And I remember, you helped put on one of the plays the drama club organized, didn't you? I thought it was great."

"Yes, 'Rent'," Sana said, nodding, a flash of pride crossing her eyes.

Jihyo nodded her head. "Yes, that one. Besides, we've shared classes for a while. I'm good at remembering faces." Her gaze remained fixed on Sana, a mix of curiosity and recognition in her eyes.

"Yeah, I can see that," Sana said, a genuine smile finally showing for the first time.

"So," Jihyo began, adopting a completely efficient tone, "I have a few notes that might be useful for you." She leaned slightly over the table. "I think we should do the report and the practices together, so we can help each other and check for errors. And for the presentation, each of us can organize our information and then share it to see if it makes sense and doesn't overlap."

Sana was perplexed for a moment, assimilating the torrent of information. Jihyo already had a plan of attack. She finally nodded, blinking. "Yes, that makes sense to me."

Jihyo smiled, a satisfied curve on her lips. "I was thinking of some topics we could use as a starting point. I can share them so you can read them and tell me what you think."

"Yes, of course," Sana said, her voice a little more firm.

Jihyo nodded, turning to write something else in her notebook with neat, fast handwriting. She tore off a piece of the page and handed it to Sana. The girl looked at the paper, finding a series of numbers written by hand.

Jihyo pointed to the paper with the tip of her pencil. "It's my number. I think it'll be easier if we meet after class to start. That way we can turn in the first draft version earlier and move faster."

Sana's mouth fell open in awe. Okay, yes, maybe she had underestimated Jihyo a bit. Maybe she should have put a little more effort into actually being involved, but now her mind was tangled, unable to keep up with the girl's pace.

Finally, she could only nod, taking the paper in her hand as if it were an object of great value.

"We can work at my place," Sana said, her voice a little rushed, trying to sound casual. "It's often empty and no one will bother us."

Jihyo nodded, her efficient expression not losing its friendliness. "Yes, of course. You can send me the address and the time we can meet."

"I will," Sana promised, clutching the paper.

Jihyo nodded again, a subtle curve on her lips. "I think that's all for now, unless you have any questions."

Sana quickly shook her head, a brusque movement. "No. And the ones I do have, well, we can talk about them later." She cleared her throat, feeling the need to leave, as if the space next to her was too intense. She got up from the chair slowly. She leaned forward a little, in a gesture of farewell. "Thanks for going to the trouble of getting a head start."

Jihyo smiled warmly at her, a smile that felt genuine and not forced. "It's no problem."

Sana nodded again, almost robotically. "I'll see you later." Jihyo smiled at her one last time, and Sana walked back to her seat, feeling Mina's gaze on her, a mix of curiosity and surprise that did not go unnoticed.

—

Sana was sitting on the sofa, her cell phone in her hands and an expression on her face that she knew wasn't the best. The afternoon light streamed through the window, illuminating dust motes in the air.

Her mother had left a while ago, flashing a smile over her shoulder and telling her to offer her friend all the snacks she wanted. Sana hadn't complained, she had replied with a "yeah, yeah" as if she were really going to make an effort for Park Jihyo. She knew that maybe she was being a little vengeful. The reason? She didn't really know.

Her interaction with Jihyo in class had been nothing short of kind, she could even say she enjoyed it. And yet, she didn't know why she felt the discomfort she had. Maybe it was the fact that, even though the Korean girl was kind, everything felt artificial. Her smile was cute and big, but rehearsed, as if she had spent weeks perfecting it in a mirror. Her voice was high and clear, raspy and deep, but not in an intimidating way, but in a calm, almost forced one for her.

Park Jihyo was faking it. What was she faking? That was what Sana didn't know, and the uncertainty gnawed at her.

Sana was avidly anxious to know more about the girl, a new obsession that had become a mystery to her.

The clock on the living room wall struck three in the afternoon, and the soft hum of the air conditioner was the only sound filling the space. She let herself fall back onto the sofa, sinking into the cushions, her gaze lost on a fixed point on the wall. She would spend the afternoon at her house, and just thinking about the reason for it, she felt a jumble of emotions in her stomach. Jihyo. Jihyo would come to her house. Didn't she have the right to know what kind of person she was going to receive?

The kind, beautiful, and perfect Jihyo.

That was the label the city had given her. And it certainly didn't tell her much. She felt like she was running in circles on a track she had created herself, chasing the shadow of a person everyone knew but her.

Sana simply grunted, closing her eyes and getting more comfortable in her spot. She let out a tired sigh, feeling her eyelids getting heavier. Surely sleeping for five minutes wouldn't affect anyone, much less the Korean girl, who seemed to be unexpectedly unpunctual.

—

When Sana opened her eyes again, it wasn't on her own accord. She was convinced that by the way her eyes were burning, she could have spent the rest of the afternoon just sleeping. However, the way the doorbell rang over and over, getting louder each time, was hypnotically irritating. Sana sighed, sitting up, and walked to the door with less grace than she intended, opening it with a bang. Her eyes squinted from the light, and there was Jihyo, standing with her backpack on and a peculiar car waiting across the street.

"Hello," Jihyo said, her voice a little hoarse.

Sana blinked, her mind still clouded by the impromptu nap. "Uh, hello." She cleared her throat, feeling her voice rough. "Have you been there long?"

"No, not really," Jihyo replied, with a wave of her hand. Sana nodded, her gaze momentarily drifting to an elegant car parked across the street. It was a vehicle that was definitely not seen in the area. Curiosity pricked her, but she let it go. She moved aside and gestured for Jihyo to come in.

"Come in," Sana said, her voice regaining its usual tone.

"Thanks." Jihyo walked in without further ado, and Sana closed the door behind her, turning to see Jihyo standing in the middle of the living room with a big smile.

"We can go to my room, we can start there," Sana said, gesturing toward the stairs.

Jihyo nodded, waiting for Sana to start moving. Sana looked at her for a moment, catching the anticipation on her face, before walking toward the stairs. She heard Jihyo follow her at a considerable distance, the sound of her soft footsteps on the wooden floor. Once upstairs, Sana walked to the end of the hallway and opened her bedroom door, entering without a word. Jihyo did the same, looking around with a look of awe, as if the small room was the most amazing thing she had seen in a long time.

Sana said nothing and instead walked to her bed, taking a seat. "Make yourself comfortable," she told her.

Jihyo smiled and nodded, taking off her backpack and putting it on the floor next to the desk. Then she pointed to the desk chair. "Can I sit here?"

Sana nodded. Jihyo sat down, lacing her fingers over her lap, still looking around. "Your room is pretty," she commented, her eyes scanning the walls full of posters and the bookshelves packed with books.

"Thanks," Sana replied, settling on the bed. She sat up straight, her hands clasped. "Where do you want to start?"

Jihyo nodded with a smile, took some sheets from her notebook, and stretched to hand them to Sana. "Here are some things from class," she explained. "It's not that I think you need them, but maybe they'll help you choose a topic."

Sana took the sheets, giving them a superficial glance, barely registering the words. Then, she looked up to look at Jihyo. "Do you have a topic in mind?"

"No, not really. We can talk about a lot of things," Jihyo said. "Maybe it sounds repetitive, but we can start by focusing on an area. I'm interested in history or maybe science."

Sana pursed her lips. "History would be a good starting point. How it relates to the evolution of philosophy, its impact, things like that? It can be repetitive, but if we do it well, it'll turn out great."

Jihyo nodded with a smile. She took her laptop out of her backpack and opened it on her lap. "Perfect. Now, we need a basic question to start the research."

"I read the rubric a couple of hours ago," Sana said, stretching to take her notebook from the nightstand. She opened it and handed the notebook to Jihyo. "I wrote the key points here so we know what to include."

Jihyo accepted the notebook. "Thanks. I'll read it and then we'll start."

Sana nodded, tilting her head as Jihyo turned to place the notebook on the desk. Sana raised her eyebrows, nodding to herself. She lowered her gaze to the sheets in her hands and little by little began to read them. Her eyes registered every word, rereading some paragraphs to understand them well. Time slipped away without her noticing.

She finished reading the notes and looked up. Jihyo seemed completely concentrated on the notebook. Sana could only see her profile, but from that angle, she noticed her furrowed brows and how her cheeks moved, a sign that she was talking to herself. Sana couldn't help but clench her fists and grunt. Jihyo hadn't done anything wrong so far. The conversation they had could barely be cataloged as anything more than mere politeness, and she knew they weren't really there to become best friends.

Sana got up from the bed slowly and walked to the window, looking outside. The street was empty and the sun was still shining brightly.

"Are you finished?" Jihyo's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Yes," Sana replied, turning to her.

"Perfect," Jihyo said, closing the notebook. "Me too. Now, we can really start."

Sana nodded and walked back to the bed. Jihyo looked at her with wide eyes. Sana started to think about how terrifying Jihyo could look with that exaggeratedly superficial expression.

“Okay, let's start.”

–

Okay, Sana had to admit it. Jihyo was good, really good.

She had brought up arguments that Sana didn't think she had ever heard in her life, she had written things that made her wonder why on earth the girl was still studying with her and not in some kind of university for gifted people. It was as if every word Jihyo uttered was a brick perfectly placed in a flawless structure, built with an understanding that went far beyond what they were supposed to learn. Sana found herself nodding, not just out of politeness, but because every point had an undeniable weight.

And, above all, Jihyo had been extremely patient. Sana felt like she was in another class, writing, reading, and then handing in her things for Jihyo to correct, so to speak. The Korean girl checked her notes with meticulous attention, her eyes following every line, and then offered suggestions with a gentleness that removed any trace of judgment. There wasn't a hint of frustration in her tone when she explained a concept for the third time.

She hadn't even stopped to consider that in this way Jihyo was essentially working double, because she did it with a grace , with such an enviable calm , that she couldn't bring herself to say anything moral about the situation. It felt like she was witnessing a silent act of altruism , a gesture that Jihyo executed effortlessly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Jihyo's patience was a calming force, and Sana couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt mixed with a growing admiration.

Jihyo sighed for a moment, her shoulders slumping before her back regained its erect posture.

Sana looked at her from the corner of her eye and, clearing her throat, put her things aside. She got up with a discreet stretch, feeling her muscles protest slightly from sitting for so long. "I think it would be good to take a break," Sana said. "It's not good to work nonstop either."

Jihyo stopped reading, turning to look at Sana with a genuine smile. "You're right," she nodded.

Sana returned a slight smile and looked around. "Do you want something to drink or eat? I didn't really offer you anything when you arrived."

"Don't worry, I don't want anything," Jihyo replied with a polite wave of her hand.

Sana nodded, passing a hand over her neck with a gesture of discomfort. She headed to a smaller, upholstered chair in the corner of the room, settled into it, and crossed her arms, lowering her gaze to the carpet, avoiding Jihyo's. She felt exposed, with her personal space being examined.

Jihyo got up from the desk chair with a fluid motion and approached the large full-length mirror that dominated one of the walls. The mirror was framed by a tangle of warm LED lights , and dozens of faded polaroids and scribbled drawings hung from a thin string. There were stickers of flowers, stars, and cartoon characters stuck to the frame, a chaotic but lively collage that encapsulated a part of her soul.

"I really like your decorations," Jihyo commented, her voice soft.

Sana looked up. "Thanks, but they're... uh, nothing special," she said, noticing Jihyo's attention on the collage.

Jihyo stopped, her index finger raised to point to a particular photo. It was a slightly blurry polaroid of two girls laughing in a cafe, their faces half out of focus from the movement. One of them had dark, straight hair, and her eyes looked like crescent moons of happiness.

A genuine smile, not the one she used to hide her thoughts, was drawn on Jihyo's lips. "That's Myoui Mina, right?"

Sana relaxed a bit, the tension she didn't know she had in her shoulders suddenly released. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips. "Yes," she replied with a slight nod of her head. "The one and only."

Jihyo nodded, a silent certainty in her expression that Sana found strange. "I saw her at the auditions for the next performance they're preparing. She's good. They'll choose her," she affirmed without a shadow of a doubt.

Sana raised an eyebrow, her curiosity overcoming her reluctance. "How are you so sure? Did Momo tell you something?"

Jihyo turned to look at her, her smile getting smaller, but the hypnotizing glint in her eyes remained. "How do you know Momo?"

Sana let out a dry chuckle, a mix of resignation and amusement. "It's really hard not to know her. She's... popular among all the students. I know a few guys who would kill for her to even look in their direction."

Jihyo smiled slightly, her dark eyes shining with a hint of amusement and understanding. "Yes, I suppose so," she said. Then, she pointed to the photo again, her finger not touching the wall's surface. "Momo didn't tell me anything. But I think it's obvious. Mina is good. More than that, in fact. Her technique is incredibly polished."

Sana raised her eyebrows again, a mix of skepticism and fascination. Jihyo's confidence was unnerving. "If you say so..."

Jihyo probed her with her gaze, a penetrating glint in her eyes that made Sana feel as if her soul were being scanned. "Don't you believe in your friend?"

Sana frowned, suddenly feeling defensive. "Yes... of course I do. And of course they'll choose her... I just... uh, I really don't know." The sentence felt weak, floating in the air. She didn't know why it was so hard for her to accept Jihyo's confidence. It was as if Jihyo had seen something in Mina that she couldn't see, something that validated her talent in a way that Sana couldn't.

Jihyo just nodded with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She stopped looking at the photo and started moving around the room, examining the posters on the walls with a methodical curiosity , her movements fluid and silent.

Sana watched her every move, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning. Jihyo wasn't just kind; she was something more. Sana couldn't help but think that she had invited a damn alien into her house.

That was definitely it.

And if they spent any more time like this, she knew she would end the day sure that Jihyo wasn't just gentle, she was a damn robot programmed to please everyone or, what was worse, a hidden psychopath looking for a weakness to exploit. Her perfection was unnatural. Sana crossed her arms, feeling an urgent need to keep her guard up.

The silence in the room, broken only by the constant hum of the air conditioner, grew heavy and oppressive. Jihyo stopped in front of a vintage poster of a Japanese rock band that Sana adored, a rarity she had found in a small record store. Her eyes moved slowly, as if she were scanning every detail, every crease in the paper.

Sana felt like an insect under a microscope. She kept her arms crossed, the padded chair no longer offering her comfort, but feeling like a front-row seat to her own silent interrogation. Jihyo's calm was an unsettling counterpoint to the storm of paranoia brewing in her mind.

Finally, Jihyo turned, her expression tranquil and her smile perfectly calibrated. "I like your taste in music," she said, her voice resonating with a calm that Sana found chilling.

"Oh, thanks," Sana replied, the words feeling like stones in her throat.

Jihyo nodded, looking back at the poster. "They're not very well-known outside of Japan, are they? They're more of a cult band, but their lyrics have a depth..."

Sana's mouth went dry. There was no way Jihyo knew that band. It was a band that only her closest friends, and a few internet obsessives, knew about. They had no hits, no viral videos. It was as if Jihyo had scanned her brain, her Browse history, her secret playlists. It was a threat.

Sana said nothing. She just watched, immobilized by a mixture of terror and fascination. Her eyes followed Jihyo as she moved around the room, scanning the bookshelves and the stacked records. The way Jihyo moved was too fluid, too elegant, as if every step were choreographed.

She believed that if she tried to stop her, everything would get worse. What would happen if she did? The next day would probably be filled with the same gossip that Jihyo would tell all her hundreds of friends. That Sana was a weirdo who couldn't seem to accept what... was happening right then and there.

She didn't need another nickname on her record. Drowning in doubts and fictional scenarios was the best option, the lesser evil.

Just then, Jihyo turned with a smile that lit up her face and walked back to the chair. She dropped into it with such natural grace that it seemed impossible.

"I think you're really cool," Jihyo said, her voice filled with a sincerity that sounded strange coming from her lips.

Sana's eyes widened and she blinked a couple of times, processing the phrase. The validation, raw and unfiltered, felt like a direct punch to the gut. Yes, who was she kidding, Jihyo's compliment had hit her right at her weak spot.

"Not really," Sana said, her voice a little hoarse. "I'm just... me."

Jihyo leaned forward a little, lacing her fingers over her lap. "Yes, that's exactly why. You're very cool. I never approached you before, but I would have liked to be your friend for a while now."

Sana's mouth fell open, words stuck in her throat. Her friend? What did that mean? A snort escaped her lips, a dry, quick sound that she hoped Jihyo wouldn't take as mockery, but as what it really was: a mix of genuine disbelief and surprise.

"Uh... thanks," Sana said, her voice barely a thread. "I guess... that's a compliment, right?"

Jihyo nodded, her smile softening into something warmer. "Yes, it is."

Sana shrugged, breaking eye contact to look at her own hands clasped in her lap. "Well... you haven't missed much so far. I'm really nothing special. I'm just... Sana."

Jihyo hummed, her voice lowering to a more intimate murmur. "That's why. You've always seemed like an interesting person to me. Different."

Sana's eyes went wide. Praised by Jihyo, the unreachable one. She raised her eyebrows, her disbelief palpable. What? Had she been living in a different dimension this whole time?

Jihyo laughed softly, a melody that dissolved some of the tension. "You don't go as unnoticed as you think. You have your own fair share of followers, too."

Sana pointed at herself, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you talking about me?"

Jihyo nodded, a spark of amusement in her eyes. "Yes. I don't know why you sound so surprised. I didn't think you were one of those who feigned modesty."

Sana frowned, processing the accusation. "It's not that I'm faking it. It's just that... I don't pay attention to it, I guess. I mean, I know I'm not completely invisible, people... perceive me... but I've just never cared much."

Jihyo nodded with a comprehending look. "That makes sense. Still, it doesn't take away from the truth of what I told you."

Sana fell silent, Jihyo's words echoing in her head. Her fingers fiddled with the edge of the chair, the upholstery feeling soft and secure under her fingertips.

Part of her wanted to believe it, to soak up the compliment like a sponge. The other, the paranoid part that had already labeled her a robot or a psychopath, urged her not to fall for the game.

Jihyo watched her for a moment, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips, as if she could read the gears turning in Sana's mind. Finally, she broke the silence, the sound of her voice bringing Sana back to reality.

She settled into the chair, placing her laptop on her lap. "Well, the break is over. Ready to find that research question?"

Sana blinked, the sentence pulling her out of her trance. She straightened up in the chair, nodding slowly. The tension hadn't gone away, but the need to finish the work was an anchor that kept her grounded. She took out her own notes, the tip of the pencil grazing the paper, and looked up at Jihyo.

Jihyo was already focused on the screen, her fingers flying over the keyboard, the laptop's light illuminating her face with a cold, artificial glow. Sana swallowed and studying suddenly felt like a psychological battlefield.

—

"Thanks for inviting me to your house, Sana," Jihyo said, her voice echoing on the already cool night porch.

"Oh," Sana said, smiling slightly as she tightened her grip on the doorknob. The cold wood offered her an anchor. "It's nothing." She felt strangely nervous, as if the farewell was more significant than the time they had spent together.

"I hope you have a nice night," Jihyo said, leaning in a little, her figure in the gloom seeming even more perfect.

"Yeah, you too," Sana replied, looking over Jihyo's shoulder. She noticed the same elegant car from before stopping on the other side of the street, its lights shining in the darkness. She cleared her throat. "I think they're here for you," she said, pointing slightly with a finger.

Jihyo turned to look at the car for an instant and then returned her gaze to Sana's face, her expression unreadable under the porch light. "I have to go," she said, tilting her head. "We'll see each other tomorrow to continue."

"Yeah, sure. Same time," Sana replied, nodding.

"Perfect, goodbye Sana." Jihyo started to walk, going down the porch stairs unbothered by the cold of the night. She moved with the same inexplicable grace she had observed during the afternoon, a supernatural calm.

"Uh, goodbye, Jihyo!" Sana said when she finally found her words. She watched her walk toward the car, whose door opened silently for her. She got in and the car drove away as quickly as it had arrived, leaving Sana alone at the door, with the night breeze caressing her face. The silence was total, and the mystery of Jihyo had deepened even more.

—

January 23, 2020

If someone had told Sana two weeks ago that she'd start spending time with Park Jihyo as if they were lifelong friends, she would have burst out laughing. Then, she would have fainted, convinced that the fantasy was too wild even for her most vivid dreams. She would have pinched her arm, doubting the reality of such an improbable situation.

Or maybe Sana was just a bit dramatic, which, to be fair, was a personality trait she accepted. In her mind, in her entire life—which, to be honest, wasn't very long—she had never considered the possibility of crossing that social gap and getting close to the girl in the way she had. Park Jihyo was a lighthouse, while she saw herself as a silent satellite, orbiting at a safe distance.

Of course, they weren't at the level where Jihyo told her her deepest secrets and they spent hours talking and laughing about private, shared jokes. In fact, they weren't even at the level where they actually talked in public. In the school hallways, amidst the hustle and bustle and the crowds, Jihyo would greet her with a simple nod, sometimes with a fleeting smile that was barely noticeable. They were brief, superficial interactions that contrasted sharply with the hours they spent together in her room, immersed in conversations about the evolution of philosophical thought or quantum mechanics. The contrast was so stark it gave her chills.

Sana had a lot to say about it at first, a whirlwind of questions that gnawed at her from the inside. Was the girl who was the heart of the city, the girl everyone adored, ashamed of her? Was there something about Sana that needed to be hidden?

No, the answer was a resounding no. She refused to believe it. No, it wasn't that. Jihyo wasn't like that.

So, if it wasn't shame, what was it?

She had resolved not to find out. Entering Jihyo's world would be like trying to decipher an alien code. How would that help her? Not at all, most likely. It would only cause her more questions than answers, more sleepless nights filled with fictional scenarios and dialogues in her head.

And yet, every day, the barrier between them became thinner, more transparent. She believed she could spend a couple more weeks in her room, chatting and writing with Jihyo by her side.

Literally by her side.

Jihyo had crossed the distance gap between them, choosing to sit right next to her on the bed instead of in the desk chair. Their knees almost touched, and sometimes, their hands brushed accidentally over the surface of their notebooks. Her posture remained exemplary, a model of grace that defied gravity, with her back so straight it seemed made of steel. And somehow, her fucking voice sounded even better up close. That voice, which in the hallways was a reassuring murmur, in the intimacy of her room became a husky, deep melody, each word resonating in the air in a private way, exclusive to Sana.

She wouldn't say she had fallen for Jihyo, per se. It wasn't a movie-like crush; there were no butterflies or foolish sighs. It was more... a side effect, an inevitable chemical reaction.

But her presence was irritatingly addictive. Like a drug that fell into Sana's hands and was consumed before she could stop herself. It was the drug of curiosity, the elixir of perfection, the calm for her hyperactive mind.

Every time Jihyo smiled, every time she explained a concept with that astonishing clarity, Sana felt a hum in her chest. A strange sense of comfort, of knowing that everything in the world had an order, and that order was sitting right next to her. She was hooked, and the idea of detoxing felt, for the first time, like the most terrifying part of the equation.

"What do you think, Sana-chan?"

Jihyo's voice pulled her from her thoughts, the sound of her name, pronounced with that soft accent, resonating in the air. Sana moved closer to read what the girl had drawn in the corner of her notebook. It was a kind of diagram, a visual representation of the relationship between two philosophical concepts. To Sana, it looked like a spiderweb of lines and circles, but it had an artistic touch that made it... decent.

"Uh, I think it's okay," she replied cautiously.

"Okay?" Jihyo raised an eyebrow, frowning for a moment and looking at the drawing with a concentration that could have broken her soul. "I think it's horrible." Her tone was completely flat, devoid of drama, as if she were simply stating a scientific fact.

Sana blinked. Yes, that was another thing. Jihyo was direct, in an adorable but terrifying way. Her honesty was so brutal that it made you question your own perception of reality.

"Well, maybe," Sana said with a forced smile.

Jihyo nodded to herself, pulling the notebook closer again and erasing the drawing with surprising agility. The eraser scraped the paper with a soft sound. "I think we'll have to find someone else for the graphical representations."

Sana looked at her, tilting her head and shrugging. The idea of finding another person seemed like an unnecessary hassle. "Or we can just look it up on the internet," she suggested, the most obvious resource.

"No," Jihyo answered, the word pronounced without even a second thought, her voice so calm it sounded like a verdict. "That would be stupid."

Silence settled between them. Sana blinked again, feeling a slight burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. The accusation was so casual it left her speechless. Stupid? Was using the internet for a school project stupid? It wasn't the most ingenious option, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

"What do you suggest then?" Sana asked, her voice a little more tense than she intended. She found herself unconsciously fidgeting with the hem of her sweater, the familiar feeling of discomfort returning. Despite the closeness they had developed, Jihyo could still completely disarm her with a single word, a single look. It was a game that Sana didn't understand, but from which she couldn't escape.

Jihyo finally smiled, a soft, genuine curve that for a moment dissipated the tension in the air. She closed her eyes for an instant, and when she opened them again, an unexpected light shone in them. "We can ask for help," she said, her voice a soothing whisper. "There's no need for both of us to stress over a simple sketch."

Sana hummed in response, feeling a knot of tension in her stomach unravel. She threw herself onto the bed with a light jump, the mattress sinking softly as she flopped onto her back, her arms spread out like a starfish. With her eyes fixed on the ceiling, they moved from side to side as if she were following a fleeting thought, her mind already creating scenarios for the project. After a moment, she let out a small laugh.

"If that's the case, maybe I have someone in mind," she said, still not looking at Jihyo.

"Who?" Jihyo asked, her tone calm and curious.

Sana straightened up, feeling her cheeks flush slightly. "Mina's girl... best friend," she corrected, stopping herself just before finishing the word. She sat up to look at Jihyo, the correction barely perceptible in her voice. Her heart skipped a beat. Had she noticed? The word had gotten stuck in her throat, a small mistake that felt like a betrayal. "She's, like, absolutely amazing with art. I'm sure she could draw a few pieces for us."

Jihyo nodded, her expression not seeming to notice Sana's small slip-up. There wasn't a blink, not a hint of surprise in her eyes. Her face remained as serene as a waveless lake. "Yes, what's that girl's name? I can look her up and ask her."

Sana frowned, genuinely confused. It was as if Jihyo was omitting a step for some unknown reason. "Didn't you hear me? She's close to Mina, I can just ask her in person. Or Mina can do it for me."

Jihyo looked at her for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face. It was a look that didn't ask for an explanation, but rather analyzed her, as if she were weighing every word Sana had said. Then, a smile returned to her lips, perfectly calibrated. "Okay," she said simply.

The game was over. Jihyo had won, or at least, had decided that the round had come to an end. Sana couldn't help but sigh, the strange dance of their conversation back at a standstill.

"Even so, give me a couple of days to talk to her," Sana said, breaking the silence that had settled in the room. "I'll tell her what we have in mind and all that."

Jihyo smiled and nodded, a warm curve that erased any trace of the analytical expression from before. With a grace so innate she seemed to float, she placed her closed notebook on Sana's nightstand, setting her laptop to the side. Her eyes met Sana's, a soft, knowing gleam in her gaze. Sana raised an eyebrow and, with a flick of her eyes, gestured to the bed, inviting her to share the space. Jihyo seemed to understand immediately, a spark of amusement dancing in her pupils. She lay down delicately beside her, with an elegance that made Sana feel a little like a sack of potatoes in comparison.

The mattress dipped under her weight, and Sana let out a barely audible sigh, a mix of relief and astonishment at the closeness. The warmth of her body radiated towards hers, creating a bubble of warmth in the cool air of the room.

"Do you think we'll finish everything on time?" Sana asked, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, avoiding the need to turn and look at her. Jihyo's closeness was a constant reminder of the strange comfort she had come to feel by her side, a feeling that still seemed illicit.

"Yes, of course," Jihyo replied, her voice filled with a confidence that was her trademark. "We're ahead of schedule on absolutely everything."

Sana shrugged, a small smile forming on her lips. "Yeah, I guess so. And I know we'll be the best in the class."

Jihyo let out a giggle, a natural and adorable sound, a genuine melody that crinkled the corners of her eyes. "Did the professor tell you that?" Jihyo asked, her voice still tinged with that soft laughter.

Sana rolled her eyes. For an instant, she wanted to gently hit Jihyo's shoulder, a playful impulse that felt like an electric shock. Her hand stopped inches away, the paralysis of her own mind preventing her from crossing that barrier. "You can't say that to me. It doesn't work here."

"Why not, huh?" Jihyo asked, the playful tone in her voice a new layer of her personality that Sana was just starting to discover.

Sana laughed, a genuine laugh that released some of her tension. "Forget it. You'll just keep making fun of me."

Jihyo opened her mouth, feigning offense in a way that looked like an act worthy of a movie. "I would never make fun of anyone!"

"You don't know that," Sana said, turning her head to look at Jihyo. "Maybe you will one day, and I'll be the first victim."

Jihyo's smile vanished instantly. Her face became a blank canvas of such abrupt seriousness that the air in the room froze. Her voice, already low, became a tone colder and more deliberate. "If that's your perception of me, then we shouldn't be friends."

Sana scoffed, the sound of her mockery choking in her throat. She sat up abruptly, the lightness of the joke gone in an instant. The contrast between the game and the reality hit her with the force of a punch, and for a second, the silence was an abyss. Yes, Jihyo was direct, and her sincerity had no filter.

"Come on, I was just kidding," Sana said, trying to sound nonchalant as she lay back down, though her body felt tense. "It's just... you're everyone's favorite. If you made fun of someone, they'd probably thank you from the bottom of their heart or something. You're kind, smart, athletic, the leader of every club under the sun... you're an angel, according to everyone."

Jihyo tilted her head, the seriousness persisting in her eyes. "I'm not everyone's favorite."

"You're enough people's," Sana retorted, gesturing with her hand, as if it were a fact as obvious as the sun rising every morning. "They see you as an angel."

Jihyo let out a sigh, the first real, heavy sigh Sana had heard from her all day. It was a sound that broke Jihyo's perfection, a release of air that made her tangible, human. The warmth of her body next to Sana's suddenly felt more real, less artificial.

"I don't know why I'm anyone's favorite, actually. I just... exist, so to speak, and that's enough."

Sana was breathless. She sat up abruptly, the surprise evident on her face. "Who's faking modesty now?" Honestly, she was surprised that Jihyo couldn't see the way everyone adored her. It was as if she were talking to a completely different person from the one the rest of the world idolized.

Jihyo looked at her for a moment, her eyes exploring Sana's, as if she were trying to read the codes in her soul. After a long instant, a smile returned to her lips, but this time it was softer, with a touch of melancholy that Sana had never seen on her.

"It's not modesty," she said, her voice an intimate murmur. "It's pure ignorance. If I don't see myself as special, maybe others are just seeing a distorted version of the facts."

Sana was speechless, her mind in a whirlwind. She had wanted a crack in the facade, and Jihyo had opened a window she never would have imagined. The enigma hadn't been solved; it had only become more complex.

Sana cleared her throat, the sound feeling too loud in the silence. Her throat was dry. Now, what was she supposed to do? Giving advice felt intimate, personal, much more than she was prepared for. What kind of person would she be if she ventured to explore that part of the girl as if they hadn't been talking for less than a month more than four sentences a day? The idea was absurd.

And yet, this was exactly what she had been waiting for. The vulnerability she longed to find. The proof that Jihyo was human, after all. Despite everything she knew and everything she didn't, she couldn't deny that the last two weeks had passed in the blink of an eye, filled with a strange routine.

Yes, yes, she knew what she had said. Two weeks, and they were already... "soul friends" or whatever? Soul friends who only talked nonsense and occasionally ate whatever Sana's mother enthusiastically prepared, who, to the surprise of... oh, no one!, had fallen for Jihyo's charms.

But come on, Sana's obsession with deciphering Jihyo, scrutinizing every movement and word, felt... a little like she was turning into a stalker or something. And she wasn't going to allow that.

She forced herself to suppress the whirlwind of thoughts. She was going to be as normal as she could be. As boring as she could be. She was going to act like a person who hadn't just discovered the existential secret of the girl next to her. And to start being normal, she had to talk. She opened her mouth, but found there wasn't a single normal word she could say.

God, she was the worst friend in the world. What did she know about comforting her friends? She felt like a fraud. She should apologize to Mina and Dahyun for forcing them to endure so much of her... this. And, what was worse, she should apologize to Jihyo for even bringing up the topic, even if she didn't really understand the problem.

But then, as if a switch had been flipped, Jihyo's voice cut through the whirlwind of Sana's thoughts. Her tone was calmer, as if the moment of vulnerability had never existed. She broke the tense silence between them with a simple question that made Sana's heart stop.

"We should go to a party."

The world froze. Sana turned slightly on the bed, her eyes wide as she looked at Jihyo in disbelief. "A... party?"

"Yes," Jihyo replied, turning her head to look at her with a calm expression and a smile that lit up her eyes. "There's one this weekend. Do you want to go?"

Sana couldn't help the question that escaped her in a whisper from sounding like an accusation. "Are you talking... to me?"

"Well," Jihyo smiled, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "I'm talking about a Minatozaki Sana. Japanese, cute, and strangely fun—that's you. Do you want to go to a party?"

Sana couldn't breathe. The air left her lungs in a silent sigh. That description... It was as if Jihyo had entered her brain and ignored her entire list of flaws to create a version of Sana that didn't exist. For a second, she completely forgot the reason for the conversation, the cause of her panic.

"I... I don't know," she said, her voice feeling rough, as if she were using it for the first time in hours. "I probably won't know anyone."

"You know me," Jihyo said, her tone simple but undeniable, moving a little closer on the bed, making the bubble of warmth between them smaller. The firmness in her voice was an anchor Sana didn't know she needed. "And I'm inviting you so we can go together, so I won't leave you alone if that's what's bothering you. You can relax."

At that moment, Sana realized she had no more logical excuses to refuse. The queen of logic had cornered her. And for the first time, Sana wasn't sure if she wanted to escape.

"It depends," Sana said, the word leaving her lips before she could stop it.

"On what?" Jihyo asked, her tone so calm and patient it almost annoyed her.

"Will your... your other friends be there?" Sana asked, feeling the question get stuck in her throat. The idea of facing Jihyo's entire circle made her nervous. They weren't like the calm Mina or the energetic and outgoing Dahyun. They were the popular girls, the social elite.

"Yes, of course they will," Jihyo replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's a party for a reason."

Sana grimaced, a slight twitch of her lips that she hoped wasn't too noticeable. Jihyo's smile faded a little, though the calmness in her eyes remained. "What's wrong? You don’t like my friends?" There wasn't a hint of judgment in her voice, just a genuine curiosity that made Sana feel even more exposed.

"It's not that," Sana said, shaking her head with a bit of desperation. "It's just that I didn't think you were... uh..." She stopped, clearing her throat, the word stuck. Her mind had been about to say "so open to spending time with her in a public setting." Going back to her previous excuse, she continued on a lower note. "I don't know. I like parties, they can be fun, but I really don't know how I could have fun at that one."

"Easy," Jihyo said. "With me and the others." She described her friends as if she were introducing a group of movie characters: "Nayeon is... well, fun, she can make friends with anyone in minutes. And Momo is shy, so nothing will happen."

Sana raised an eyebrow, the disbelief palpable on her face. She sat up again, feeling a chill down her spine. "Momo? Shy?"

Jihyo let out a soft chuckle, and this time, the sound came with a touch of melancholy that Sana was beginning to recognize. "It's a performance, like a character she plays. She has to be intimidating and active because that's what her dance... for her performances... requires. But in reality, she's shyer than you are, even."

Sana fell silent, processing the information. The revelation that Momo also had a facade, a public persona so different from her real self, hit her with overwhelming force. It was the same duality that Jihyo had just confessed. Maybe Jihyo wasn't an alien after all. Maybe she was just surrounded by them.

Sana let out a sigh, laughing to herself. The tension released from her body in a soft chuckle that resonated in the silence of the room. It was a sound of pure incredulity.

Jihyo looked at her, her eyebrow raised in confusion. "What's so funny?"

Sana shrugged, still smiling. "I don't know." She wrinkled her nose, a gesture Jihyo found adorable, and the Korean girl's smile softened. "Maybe it just surprises me a little, but in a way, it's... what I expected, really."

Jihyo laughed, a stronger, more joyful laugh than before, a sound that made a tingle in Sana's chest. "You don't make sense. You never make sense to me."

"That's a really weird thing to say," Sana said, still with a smile on her lips.

"Maybe," Jihyo replied, looking at her with an intensity that made Sana's heart flutter. "But I like that you don't make sense to me."

Sana stared at her, her eyes wide, the impact of the declaration echoing in the air. Jihyo just smiled, not breaking eye contact, her expression a mix of mystery and warmth. Sana scoffed, breaking the tension. "Okay, fine."

Jihyo said nothing, simply waiting. Sana sighed, this time with a resigned amusement. "I'll go to the party." She turned a little more to face Jihyo. "Maybe something good will come of it, don't you think?"

"Yes," Jihyo said, a bright smile lighting up her face. "Definitely."

—

January 27, 2020

"Do you think this is good to wear to a party?" she asked Mina, feeling the fabric move uncomfortably against her skin. "Maybe it's outdated."

Mina replied from the armchair, her feet propped up on a pile of books, completely engrossed in her reading. "You look good," she said, without even looking up from the page she was reading. The sound of pages turning was the only noise in the air.

"Are you sure?" Sana insisted, turning slightly. "People..."

"Is this your first time going to a party?" Mina asked, raising an eyebrow and turning a page with a dry sound, without looking at Sana for a second.

Sana sighed, accepting that she wouldn't get a detailed answer. "The first time I'm going to one with Park, yes," she replied, walking to grab her phone and put it in her pocket, the action giving her an excuse not to look at Mina.

"Well, if she already invited you, I don't really think she'll care if you show up dressed as a clown or something." Mina's tone was so flat that you couldn't tell if it was a compliment or a warning.

Sana's heart skipped a beat. "Uh," she pursed her lips, her eyes wide. "Should I go change? I have a black shirt that's more..."

Mina sighed, the sound of someone who was accustomed to her friend's dramatics. She finally lowered the book to look at Sana, her eyes calm but penetrating. "No," Mina answered. "I was joking, come on, since when do you take jokes so seriously?"

Sana looked at her, crossing her arms over her chest with a hint of frustration. "You seem completely uninterested in me," she said, the tone of her voice a barely disguised reproach.

Mina didn't react. She simply stared at her. "Why do you think that?" she asked, her voice so calm it was irritating.

"I don't know," Sana said, gesturing with her hand to encompass everything. "Maybe the fact that you haven't helped me at all since you got here. Or that you've been buried in that book..."

Mina interrupted her with a monotonous tone of voice, turning back to her book, though her eyes didn't move from Sana's face. "It's because you really don't need my help, I guess. Besides, people will be drunk enough to pay you any attention at all. You look good."

Sana let out a genuine growl, a display of childish frustration that, for once, she wasn't faking. "Fine," she complained. "It's useless. Clearly."

Mina said nothing, simply examining her in silence from head to toe, as if evaluating a specimen. Sana sighed, breaking the silence.

"I'm leaving now," she said. "Do you need a ride home?"

Mina shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips. "I'll stay the night."

"With whose permission?" Sana asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"With mine," Mina replied, her smile widening a little. "I'm not going home, so you might as well let me stay here."

Sana rolled her eyes, but a smile appeared on her lips despite her frustration. "Yeah, yeah, you know where all your stuff is. Just don't burn down the kitchen, please."

"I still don't know why you're not coming with me," Sana said, biting her lip.

"I don't feel like spending the night surrounded by people."

"Well, a fair excuse, I guess," Sana said, a smile finally curving her lips. The growl of frustration had completely disappeared, replaced by an unusual calm.

Mina finally nodded, her smile becoming soft and genuine. She rose from the armchair with a fluid motion, leaving the book on the cushion as if it were a temporary bookmark. She walked over to Sana and took her by the arms, examining her again, but this time with a look of pure warmth.

"You look beautiful," she told her, her voice a sincere whisper that cut through all the noise in Sana's mind. The simple declaration left her breathless, and for the first time that night, the knot in her stomach unraveled. "You'll be the most beautiful girl at the whole party." The compliment was so real that Sana felt a warmth in her chest, a warmth that didn't come from the room's temperature, but from her friend's sincere gaze.

Sana just nodded, her breathing returning to normal as she let Mina go. The moment of intimacy passed as quickly as it came. "I'll be back early," she said, a promise she didn't even know if she could keep.

Mina nodded with a relaxed expression. "Yeah, I'll be waiting for you."

Sana shot Mina one last knowing glance before walking to the door and opening it. She left without another word, stretching her limbs slightly as she walked toward her car. She got in, starting the engine with a gentle rumble and pressing the accelerator to move forward. Her fingers drummed lightly to the rhythm of the music playing on the radio, her lips moving in soft humming as she occasionally glanced at the directions on her car's GPS.

Jihyo hadn't texted her since yesterday afternoon—a quick "see you tomorrow!" Honestly, that simple phrase did little to pacify the whirlwind of Sana's thoughts, but again, she wasn't going to say anything. She wouldn't lie and say she wasn't excited for the party; her curiosity about Jihyo's world was a magnet. Mina was probably right: no one would pay any attention to her. Why would they? People would be busy doing other, more... productive things, so to speak.

Which was good. It would give Sana the opportunity to simply be there and observe. Maybe spend some time with Nayeon, Momo, and anyone else interesting enough to capture her attention. And, of course, Jihyo. The only real reason she was going. The only one that truly mattered.

Unfortunately, she didn't get there as quickly as she expected. The GPS had guided her to a part of the city where the houses had morphed into mansions. Well, not really mansions, but houses expensive enough that Sana figured she couldn't afford a single one even if she worked for thirty years straight. Despite that, she didn't feel intimidated; she had no reason to be. She wasn't the most confident person in the world, but she didn't care much about that kind of thing either.

Sana scoffed to herself, taking a turn and leaning over the steering wheel to see ahead. At the end of the block, she spotted a massive house with lights blazing and many cars parked outside. That was it. She drove slowly, opting to park on the other side of the street, away from the cluster of luxury cars. The last thing she wanted was for some idiot to dent her car; that would definitely ruin her night.

She finally got out of the car, adjusting her hair as she crossed the street and felt the lawn grass under her feet. She walked toward the noise, a murmur of music and voices that grew with every step. Her phone still had no new notifications, and the air smelled of a mix of perfumes and alcohol.

Still, Sana made her way to the large, open door, stepping over the threshold. The roar of the music hit her full force, and she had to squint to adjust to the haze of colored lights and the lack of real illumination. The place was packed, with bodies crammed everywhere. People were drinking, laughing loudly on the couches, kissing, shouting, and playing games. It was a pandemonium of energy that made her feel as if she had snuck into a movie that wasn't hers, into a world where she didn't belong.

Sana paid no mind to anything and walked straight toward... she wasn't exactly sure where. With her shoulders slightly hunched, she wove her way through the bodies, feeling the heat of the crowd and the smell of sweat and perfume. She muttered apologies that were lost in the chaos until, miraculously, she emerged from the crowd and found herself standing in the middle of the kitchen.

Sana sighed. Well, this wasn't so bad. The kitchen was relatively empty, with a couple of people talking in the corners, laughing and holding cups. It was a reprieve from the deafening noise of the rest of the house.

Sana sighed again, moving closer to the counter and pulling out her phone. There was no way she would find Jihyo here on her own. Her fingers moved with agility, sending a quick message that simply read: "I'm here. Where are you?" She put her phone back in her pocket, as if she didn't want the device to remind her of her loneliness.

She turned to look at the other people, feeling watched even though no one was looking directly at her. She recognized a couple of guys from her classes, but none of them were close enough for her to just walk up to them. Once again, the feeling of being an observer rather than a participant returned. Sana sighed, moving to grab a clean cup from the shelf. She poured herself a bit of what looked like vodka, the pungent smell making her nose wrinkle. Maybe it would help her relax, or maybe it wouldn't; she just wanted something to calm her nerves. She raised the cup to her lips, feeling the cool plastic on her fingers.

The liquid burned her throat, and the raw warmth settled in her stomach, making her nose crinkle again. She took another gulp, being careful not to actually taste it, just to feel the effect.

Then she looked around. A couple in the corner was getting really close, and Sana knew that was probably her cue to leave the kitchen. She walked to the exit and found herself back in a packed hallway. In front of her, steep stairs seemed to lead to a second floor filled with more chaos. To her side was what looked like another immense room, a sea of heads and lights.

She decided to go through the room, maybe she'd get lucky. She walked, taking another sip, craning her neck slightly to scan the place and trying to convince herself that staying was a good idea. She felt the shoves from people dancing, the rhythm of the music making her sway. Her breathing became more shallow with every step.

And, as if to prove that the universe definitely hated her, she slipped, just a little, enough for a startled sound to escape her lips and for her hands to instinctively land on someone's back, who immediately tensed. Sana regained her balance and let out a curse under her breath, pulling her hands away quickly.

The person began to turn, their voice rising over the party's noise, asking in an annoyed tone: "Can’t you watch where you're going?"

Sana scrambled to apologize, words tumbling over each other until the girl's voice became clearer, and a figure turned fully to face her. In that instant, the girl froze.

"Oh," she said, raising a hand to push the hair out of her face. The voice that had just sounded annoyed was now soft and surprised. "I'm sorry, I thought it was that idiot Kyung."

Sana blinked, her heart pounding in her chest. She slowly lifted her eyes, a nervous smile forming on her lips as she recognized her.

"It's okay, I wasn't watching where I was going and...," Sana began, her voice trailing off, the words getting stuck in her throat. The music thundered around her, and people continued to jostle her from the sides, but in her mind, only the girl existed.

Nayeon waited, tilting her head slightly. Her large, expressive eyes looked at her with a genuine curiosity. "And?" she asked, encouraging her to continue.

Sana froze, her tongue suddenly glued to the roof of her mouth. What was she supposed to say? Should she tell Nayeon that she recognized her? Should she ask her if she knew where Jihyo was? The idea felt so... strange. It was the very definition of stalker-like behavior.

Sana cleared her throat, tilting her head. She decided the best option was to play ignorant. "And... that," she said, feeling utterly inept. "I'm sorry." She lowered her gaze to the plastic cup in her hand, feeling more out of place than ever.

Nayeon shook her head, a soft laugh escaping her lips. Her smile was easy and authentic, a beacon in the gloom of the place, and it completely dispelled the annoyance from her earlier voice.

"It's nothing," she said. "I'm sorry for being rude. Uh, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Sana said, forcing a smile. The warmth of the vodka in her stomach was the only thing keeping her steady. "I just slipped."

Nayeon nodded, her gaze scanning the room and then returning to Sana. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were trying to decipher a puzzle. "You look a little lost," she commented, her voice calm despite the noise.

Sana scoffed, the honesty escaping her lips before she could stop it. She shrugged, embarrassment feeling like a wave of heat on her face. "Yeah, I am," she admitted. "A little."

Nayeon smiled too, a genuine smile that made her eyes crinkle at the corners. "It's a big place," she said. "Did you lose your friends?"

"No, I was actually looking for someone," Sana said, shaking her head. "But it seems I'm out of luck for the moment."

"I'm not surprised," Nayeon said, her voice almost drowned out by the thundering music. "It's packed. It's going to be hard to find anyone right now."

"I'll keep trying," Sana said, taking another sip of her drink.

Nayeon looked at her for a moment, the curiosity in her eyes palpable. Suddenly, she extended her hand, a gesture so confident and formal that it was completely out of place with the chaos surrounding them. Her face lit up with a friendly smile.

"I'm Im Nayeon," she said.

Sana stared at her hand for a second, feeling the contrast of Nayeon's soft skin against the humid, charged air of the place. The formality made her laugh on the inside. She scoffed, the amusement of the situation momentarily overcoming her anxiety, and took her hand with a light squeeze.

"Minatozaki Sana," she said, her voice feeling more confident now that the conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

Nayeon's eyes went wide. The smile on her face widened, and she gave Sana’s hand a little squeeze before pulling away. The look in her eyes had shifted from surprise to pure delight.

"You're Sana!" she exclaimed, the name ringing out in the gloom. Sana's brain stopped. She had expected a polite response, a simple 'nice to meet you.' But not this. Not an immediate recognition and a shout of surprise. The heat on her face felt like a whirlwind.

"Uh, yeah. Hi," Sana said, feeling her cheeks flush. There was nothing she could do to stop the wave of embarrassment.

Nayeon let out a laugh, no trace of annoyance in her voice. "I knew it," she exclaimed. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere. Follow me!"

She gave Sana no chance to protest. She turned on her heels and began to plow through the people, moving with an ease that Sana could only envy. It was as if the crowd parted for her, a path opening in the sea of bodies. Sana followed, confused, as if she were tied to her by an invisible thread, the vodka cup trembling slightly in her hand. Nayeon led the way, smiling, greeting a couple of people in the crowd until, suddenly, she stopped.

Sana barely stopped herself from crashing into Nayeon’s back. The music thumped with a deafening force, and colored lights flickered in the gloom. Nayeon inhaled deeply, her voice cutting through the noise, incredibly loud and clear.

"The one you were asking for is here!" she shouted, causing several heads to turn in their direction.

Sana followed Nayeon's gaze and looked toward a couch packed with people. And there, sitting on the lap of a guy she didn't know, was Jihyo. The scene hit her with a cold force, like a bucket of ice water to the face. The smile on Sana's face grew tense, and she unconsciously clenched her jaw. She raised a hand to wave, a nervous smile plastered to her lips.

Jihyo, who had just looked up, immediately broke into a genuinely warm smile. Without a glance at the guy whose lap she was on, she rose with impressive ease, as if she weren't surrounded by people, and gracefully weaved her way toward Sana.

Once Jihyo was close, the noise dissipated slightly, replaced by her soft presence.

"You made it," Jihyo said, her voice a warm whisper amidst the chaos.

"Yeah, uh, I ran into Nayeon," Sana said, feeling utterly inept in the situation.

Nayeon nodded with a wide smile, and Jihyo turned her head to look at her, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thanks, Nay," she said, before returning her gaze to Sana, her attention fully on her.

"Well, it looks like you made yourself comfortable," Jihyo said, following the line of Sana's arm down to the plastic cup. An eyebrow raised with an amused smile.

"Yeah, I decided to have a drink," Sana said with a slight smile. The warmth of the vodka gave her a false sense of calm. "You were nowhere to be found."

"Good call," Jihyo replied with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "You weren't going to die of thirst."

Then, Jihyo turned to look at Nayeon, tilting her head over the thumping music that vibrated through the floor. "Where's Momo? I thought I'd see her at the entrance."

"With Jeongyeon, probably," Nayeon replied with a naturalness that Sana found surprising.

Sana turned to look at her so quickly that she felt a little dizzy. Disbelief settled on her face. "Yoo? Yoo Jeongyeon?" she asked, the name leaving her lips like an exclamation.

Nayeon looked at her with wide eyes. "Yeah, you know her?" she asked, her smile growing wider, as if she were excited about the connection.

Sana felt the need to appear casual. "Yeah," she replied. "We have a couple of classes together. She's... uh, hard not to know."

Nayeon smiled with a sparkle in her eyes that was noticeable even in the dim light of the room. "She's a sweetheart, right?"

Sana forced a smile, feeling the muscles in her face protest. A sweetheart? Sana's mind flashed back to all her encounters with the girl, her sarcastic comments, and the way she always found a way to ruin her day with a single phrase. She wouldn't describe her with that specific word. If she had to name some of Jeongyeon's qualities, they would be: stubborn, with a terrible sense of humor, sarcastic, irritating, occasionally kind... but only when no one was looking, and even then, the kindness was as dry as a desert. It was like comparing the light of the sun to a flickering light bulb.

"Yeah, for sure," she said, the forced smile still on her face, as the vodka in her cup felt lighter in her hand.

Nayeon smiled even more, as if Sana's answer had confirmed something for her. "I really like you!" she exclaimed.

Sana blinked, completely taken by surprise. She looked at Jihyo, who simply nodded, an unreadable expression on her face. Sana sighed, a nearly imperceptible sound. So Nayeon wasn't lying; it wasn't a social mask. She really did become friends with anyone. Sana cleared her throat, feeling the situation becoming more and more surreal.

"Thanks," she said, with a smile that felt a little more genuine this time. "You too."

Nayeon winked at her, her smile pure amusement. "I'm going to look for Moguri," she said, before taking a step back.

"We're going to get some air," Jihyo said.

Nayeon nodded and turned, walking away and instantly disappearing into the crowd, as if she were an illusion. Sana felt Jihyo's hand on her wrist, a soft and firm pressure.

"Follow me," Jihyo told her, pulling her gently.

Sana glanced back at the couch and the guy, who now seemed lost in his phone. "Aren't you going to say goodbye?" she asked.

"No," Jihyo said with undeniable simplicity. And then she pulled Sana, guiding her through the hallway.

Sana let herself be led, walking slowly until they stepped out into what looked like the backyard. The night air hit her, feeling like heaven after the suffocating heat of the house: cold and sweet. The sound of the music was muffled, and the murmur of the crowd became a distant echo.

Jihyo guided her to some nearby wooden benches under the faint light of string lights. They sat down, and Jihyo smiled at her with wide eyes, a smile that seemed to hold a secret. Sana let out a nervous chuckle that sounded strange, like a squeak, and then cleared her throat, feeling the vodka in her veins.

"What are we doing out here?" she asked, the question sounding more like an accusation than she intended.

"I couldn't stand the noise inside anymore," Jihyo said, the sincerity in her voice resonating in the cool air. "I needed some air."

Sana nodded, her body finally relaxing into the seat. "Yeah," she agreed, looking toward the house, which now seemed like a noisy beast from the outside. "I don't know how people do it so often. I felt like I was going to go deaf."

Jihyo scoffed, an amused sound that wasn't quite a laugh, but close. She leaned back a bit, resting her hands on the back of the bench. "Yeah, probably," she said, looking toward the house for a moment. "But with all the alcohol inside, I don't think anyone cares."

Sana smiled, a real smile she didn't have to force. She cleared her throat, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. "Are we staying out here all night?"

"Does that bother you?" Jihyo asked, turning her head to look at her again.

"No, not really," Sana said, shaking her head. "But I thought the purpose of coming to a party was to dance or something. If you wanted to sit around, I could have just invited you out for coffee or something."

"Do it," Jihyo said, her voice as simple as Mina's had been in Sana's room.

Sana froze, her eyes widening in surprise. The offer, the instruction, was so direct it took her completely off guard.

Jihyo's eyes crinkled, a mix of amusement and warmth in her expression. "You can do it. Invite me. I won't say no."

Sana cleared her throat again, setting the plastic cup aside. The alcohol was no longer enough to calm the whirlwind in her mind. She looked at Jihyo and then at the sky, which was covered in stars.

"The guy, the one on the couch... is he your boyfriend?" she asked, the question tumbling from her mouth before she could stop it, direct and raw.

Jihyo smiled, gazing up at the starry sky with an expression Sana couldn't decipher. Her smile was calm, but it held a world of unexplored thoughts. She stayed silent for a long moment, the echo of the party filling the void, before finally answering.

"He's not my boyfriend," she said at last, her voice a whisper that blended with the party's echo. She leaned a little closer to Sana. "You don't have to put a label on every person who sits near you, you know? Not everything is as simple as 'boyfriend' or 'friend.'"

Sana fell silent, feeling the plastic cup melt in her hand. Jihyo's answer was so simple and so complicated at the same time. Sana bit her lip, mulling over Jihyo's words.

"Does that disappoint you?" Jihyo asked, her voice soft and non-judgmental, just a genuine curiosity that made Sana's heart flutter.

Sana scoffed, an almost automatic defensive reaction. "Why would it disappoint me?"

"I don't know," Jihyo replied, shrugging slightly. "It was just a question."

Sana swallowed hard, feeling a blush creep up her neck. "No," she said, with more force than she intended. "No, it doesn't."

Jihyo nodded slowly, as if processing important information. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the night air on her face, the sound of the party seeming to drift away for an instant. Then, she opened her eyes and fixed them on Sana, a new question forming in her expression.

"What about you?" Jihyo asked, her voice returning to its normal, clear, melodic tone. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Sana let out a humorless chuckle, shaking her head. "No. I've never had one."

Jihyo's eyes widened slightly, and she looked Sana up and down, taking her time, a slow, methodical scrutiny that sent a shiver down Sana's spine. Jihyo's gaze was so intense that Sana felt she had been stripped of all her layers, that Jihyo was seeing right through her. Jihyo's gaze lingered on her eyes, her smile, her posture.

"You're pretty," Jihyo said, the declaration simple and direct, a straightforward statement of fact. When Sana stared at her, wide-eyed, Jihyo nodded. "I mean it. You're pretty. Why have you never had a boyfriend?"

Sana couldn't help but smile at the brazen honesty. The words didn't come from flattery but from a genuine curiosity that Jihyo didn't bother to hide. "I've never wanted one," she replied, her voice softer now.

Jihyo opened her mouth to say something, a retort at the ready, but stopped. Her lips closed and she nodded, seeming to consider the answer. A small smile slipped across her face. "Fair enough. Boyfriends are stupid anyway."

Sana laughed, a genuine chuckle that caught her by surprise. Her eyes crinkled in amusement. "'Stupid' is the only bad word you can say?" she teased. "I don't think I've ever heard you say anything stronger."

Jihyo looked at her out of the corner of her eye, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Yes," she said with a knowing smile. "Maybe."

Sana burst into laughter again, the sound of her laughter filling the space between them, the strange tension that had formed vanishing in the cool night air. She felt comfortable, inexplicably comfortable.

Then, Jihyo's laughter faded. She let out a long sigh, the sound soft in the relative silence. "I noticed your face earlier, when you mentioned Jeongyeon," she said, her voice a whisper that compelled Sana to pay attention. "Do you dislike her?"

Sana wrinkled her nose, her mind drifting to the image of Jeongyeon—the distant gaze, the energy she radiated without doing anything. "I'd probably need more than a glass of vodka to answer that," she joked, but the tone of her voice was more serious than she intended.

Jihyo just looked at her, not smiling. "Why?" she asked, her voice soft and non-judgmental. "There's no one else here. I won't hate you just because you tell me you can't stand Jeongyeon or something."

Sana bit her bottom lip, hesitating for a second about whether to be honest. "No, I have nothing against her," she finally said, choosing her words carefully. "I think she's... hard to read. I feel like I have a definition of her, and it doesn't fit, you know? And we're not that close either. But Mina is."

Jihyo nodded, seeming to understand. Her head tilted slightly. "Did they date?"

Sana's eyes went wide, her brain taking a second to process the question. "What?"

Jihyo was quick to clarify, a small, apologetic smile on her lips. "Jeongyeon and Mina. I thought they were dating before."

Sana let out a nervous laugh and cleared her throat. "No, no," she said, shaking her head. "They're just friends."

Jihyo nodded, her face turning thoughtful again. "So, is Mina dating someone else?"

Sana tensed, a sudden rigidity in her shoulders. The question caught her off guard. "Yes," she replied, her voice barely audible. "Son Chaeyoung. Maybe you know her." She shifted uncomfortably, wondering why the information made her feel so... awkward.

Jihyo pursed her lips, her gaze distant. Sana quickly filled the silence. "She's the girl who's going to help us with the drawings. She's Mina's girlfriend."

Jihyo nodded, the expression on her face lighting up with understanding. "That makes sense. I thought I misheard you when you mentioned her earlier," she said, looking back at her.

"No," Sana said quickly. "It's just that... Mina isn't really that... vocal about her relationship. I mean, the right people know. I think that's enough for her."

Jihyo nodded, a warm glow in her eyes. "I think that's sweet," she said, in a sincere tone that made Sana's heart feel a little more at ease. "I don't know Chaeyoung, but I bet she's cute."

Sana couldn't help but smile, an eyebrow raised with a mix of amusement and skepticism. "Are you used to calling people cute just when you meet them?"

Jihyo thought for a moment, a small mischievous glint in her eyes. "Just a few," she said with a grin.

Sana smiled, letting her eyes drift to the grass, momentarily lost in her thoughts. The feeling of the night, the noise of the party, the lights... everything felt less heavy than it had a moment ago. She felt a strange lightness in her chest.

Just as she was about to reply, Jihyo spoke again, her voice having lost all trace of playfulness. "I was serious earlier," she said, a tone of raw honesty that made Sana lift her head.

Sana looked at her, her eyebrow raised in curiosity. "About what?"

Jihyo held her gaze, unblinking. Her smile had vanished, replaced by a serious, vulnerable expression that made Sana's breath catch in her throat. "I'd like to do that with you. Go out? Have a coffee."

Sana blinked, feeling a blush rise on her face—one that had nothing to do with the alcohol. Her mind went blank for a second, processing the question. Finally, she nodded, a clumsy but sincere answer. She cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. "Okay. I'll ask you out."

A soft, small smile returned to Jihyo's lips, an expression of pure relief and joy. However, before she could say anything else, her eyes flickered to a spot beside Sana. From the back door of the house, a warm light spilled into the yard, and two figures emerged, one of them a familiar silhouette.

"What would you think about meeting Momo?" Jihyo asked, a hint of amusement back in her voice.

Sana blinked, disoriented by the abrupt transition from an intimate moment to this change. "Now?"

Jihyo didn't answer verbally. She simply raised a finger and pointed at the girls who had just come out and were approaching them, their laughter floating on the night air. Sana watched them, recognizing Nayeon, who was leading the way, and Momo beside her, followed closely by another figure—Jeongyeon. Sana felt a bit overwhelmed by the situation but nodded. "Yes, of course."

Jihyo smiled at her, that smile that lit up her entire face, and rose from the bench with fluid grace. Sana followed her lead, feeling like she was about to step into a world she didn't understand at all.