Summary: You're banned from pranking your girlfriend
Pairings: Yoonchae x Fem!Reader
Warnings: Little Angst, Hurt/Comfort
A/N: Today I'm working on my requests since I'm off!
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ≽^•⩊•^≼ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
The prank had sounded funny for exactly twelve seconds.
You had been lying across the couch in your apartment, scrolling through your phone while waiting for rehearsal to end. Yoonchae had texted you every day after practice without fail.
Yoonchae🩷:
You busy? Wanna come over after rehearsal?
A grin spread across your face.
“What if…” you muttered to yourself.
You quickly typed a reply.
You:
She’s busy.
You giggled.
A few seconds later…
Yoonchae🩷:
…Who is this?
You bit your lip, trying not to laugh.
You:
Her boyfriend.
You actually had to bury your face in a pillow to keep yourself from laughing.
Then the typing bubble appeared.
It disappeared.
Appeared again.
Disappeared.
Your smile slowly faded.
Finally—
Yoonchae🩷:
Oh.
Just that.
No question marks.
No angry texts.
No accusations.
Just…
Oh.
Your stomach sank.
You immediately called her.
She declined.
“…Uh oh.”
By the time she answered your third call, she was sitting alone outside the HYBE building. The evening sun painted everything gold, but her expression was anything but warm.
“…Hi.”
“Yoonchae.”
“You can stop pretending now.”
Your heart dropped.
“I-it was a prank.”
Silence.
“I thought it’d be funny.”
More silence.
“…Please say something.”
Finally she sighed.
“I know.”
“…You know?”
“I figured it out after like…two minutes.”
“Then why won’t you talk to me?”
Yoonchae looked away from the camera.
“Because it still hurt.”
You frowned.
“Hurt?”
She nodded slowly.
“I never told you.”
Your joking mood completely vanished.
“My last relationship…”
She rubbed her thumb against her sleeve.
“…I found out she was cheating because someone answered her phone.”
You froze.
“…What?”
“It wasn’t exactly the same.” She laughed weakly. “But…seeing ‘her boyfriend’…”
Her voice cracked.
“…For a second I believed it.”
Your chest tightened painfully.
“I remember just staring at my phone.”
“I couldn’t breathe.”
“I kept wondering what I did wrong.”
“I kept thinking maybe she’d tell me it was a joke.”
She smiled sadly.
“…She never did.”
The silence between you suddenly felt impossibly heavy.
“Oh my God…”
You whispered it more to yourself than to her.
“Yoonchae…”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I genuinely didn’t know.”
“I know you didn’t.”
“But it still brought everything back.”
You felt sick.
“I’ll come over.”
“No.”
“I’m coming.”
“No.”
“…Please.”
She finally smiled a tiny bit.
“You don’t have to fix everything tonight.”
You absolutely disagreed.
The next morning, Yoonchae woke up to a delivery.
A bouquet of white lilies and pink roses.
Attached was a note.
To the prettiest girl in the world.
I love you.
Only you.
Forever you.
- Your idiot girlfriend
She texted you immediately.
Yoonchae🩷:
You’re ridiculous.
You:
Do you forgive me?
Yoonchae🩷:
No.
You:
Fair.
Day Two.
Coffee waiting outside rehearsal exactly how she liked it.
Another note.
Still in love with you.
Day Three.
Her favorite Korean snacks.
A tiny plush capybara she’d pointed at weeks ago.
Another note.
Still choosing you every day.
Day Four.
You showed up after rehearsal carrying absolutely nothing.
Yoonchae tilted her head.
“No gifts today?”
“I figured I’d give your apartment a break.”
She laughed.
Then you knelt dramatically onto one knee in the middle of the parking lot.
“Attention everyone.”
She immediately covered her face.
“Oh no.”
“I would like to formally announce—”
“Don’t.”
“I am hopelessly, disastrously, unbelievably in love with Jeong Yoonchae.”
Several staff members walking past actually clapped.
Yoonchae turned bright red.
“I don’t know her.”
“Yes you do.”
“I’ve never seen this woman before.”
“You kissed me this morning.”
“No evidence.”
You stood up and wrapped your arms around her anyway.
“I love you.”
“…I know.”
“I’ll keep saying it.”
“I know.”
Day Five.
You mailed an apology letter.
To her own apartment.
Despite seeing her in person that same day.
She called you laughing.
“You mailed me?”
“I wanted it to be official.”
“You live fifteen minutes away.”
“I know.”
“…You’re unbelievable.”
Day Six.
You cooked dinner.
Burned the rice.
Nearly set off the smoke alarm.
Yoonchae had laughed so hard she cried.
“You almost killed us.”
“It was made with love.”
“It was made with fire.”
“Mostly love.”
Day Seven.
She came over to your apartment carrying a grocery bag.
You opened the door.
“Hi!”
Before you could finish smiling, she held up a finger.
“No.”
“Huh?”
“No more.”
You blinked.
“No more flowers.”
“No more stuffed animals.”
“No more apology letters.”
“No more handwritten poems.”
“No more surprise desserts.”
“No more giant ‘I LOVE MY GIRLFRIEND’ signs outside rehearsal.”
“…You saw that?”
“Everyone saw that.”
You looked at the floor.
“…Sorry.”
She sighed dramatically before stepping closer.
Then she reached up and cupped your face.
“I forgave you days ago.”
“You…did?”
“Mhm.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything?”
She smiled mischievously.
“I wanted to see how far you’d go.”
You gasped.
“So you pranked me back?”
“I guess.”
“You little—”
Before you could finish, she leaned up and kissed you.
When she pulled away, her forehead rested against yours.
“I know you would never actually cheat on me.”
“I know that.”
“I was just reminded of something that hurt.”
You nodded.
“I understand.”
“And…”
She smiled softly.
“Thank you.”
“For trying so hard.”
“I know every flower…”
She kissed your nose.
“…every gift…”
Another kiss.
“…every embarrassing declaration…”
One more.
“…came from love.”
You wrapped your arms around her waist.
“I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that.”
Yoonchae laughed.
“I know.”
She rested her head against your shoulder, listening to your heartbeat.
“But maybe…”
“…just maybe…”
She looked up with an amused grin.
“…let’s retire pretending you have a boyfriend.”
You groaned.
“Deal.”
“And for the record?”
“Hm?”
“If someone ever answers your phone for you again…”
She reached over and intertwined her fingers with yours.
“…they’d better be telling people you’re already taken by me.”
The rest of the day proceeded slowly, just as any day would. You walked from class to class and passed the time by talking to some familiar faces.
A few hours before the party, you and Manon found yourselves back at your apartment getting ready at the same time.
"Manon!" you called into the hallway, "What should I wear tonight?"
Too busy doing her makeup to come help, Manon answered: "Something cool. Honestly you can dress how you normally dress. You turn heads anyways."
You blushed at the compliment and slipped back into your room. Now a mess from the past hour that you've spent trying to put together your outfit.
Somewhere among the chaos, you decided to put on something a little bit more than casual. You put on some low-waisted jeans with a bedazzled belt around your waist, and a fitted tank top that showed your figure perfectly.
"Perfect." You said to yourself as you check it out in the mirror.
After getting dressed, you went across the hallway to show Manon, but she wasn't in her room. By the time that you walked back to yours, a bit disappointed, you realized that Manon had texted you about 30 minutes ago:
Manu💕: i wanted to get to the party early so i js left. i tried to call you but you didn't answer. so fake.
Anyways here's the addy: KKT House
You giggled to yourself while reading the text and went back to finish up getting ready. You just had to put on some light makeup, and then you were ready to go.
...
The music from the house could be heard down the street, but nothing less is expected from a college town.
The night air was warm, which was perfect because that meant that you could take your time walking up to the door. You took this time to get yourself into the party mindset. As you approached the house, you found it easier to slip into that head space because of the music that you could hear blaring from the speakers 120 feet away. Against your will, you found yourself bouncing your head and mouthing the lyrics to Okay by Chase Atlantic.
"Wowww. Someone is really enjoying the music, huh?" a familiar voice called out from behind you. The same voice that was annoying you through the hallways just a few hours ago.
"You know, you're kind of cute when you're in your own world." Yoonchae chuckled as she slowly approached. You tried to fight it, but she could see the slight blush creeping onto your face. Your hands went up to try and cover it, but it was already too late.
After a moment, Yoonchae went to pull your hands from your face, hesitant at first but she decided to do it anyways. You let out a long sigh and flipped Yoonchae off when you saw the stupid grin plastered on her face.
"Shut up… Whatever." You huffed out as you went to push the girl's shoulder and continue your walk up to the house.
Yoonchae faked being hurt and gave a weak laugh before she caught back up to you.
"So, what really made you want to come to the party tonight? Did you just really want to see me, but you don't want to admit it?" Yoonchae teased as she nudged you with her elbow.
"As much as I know you want that to be true, I didn't come for you. I see you enough as it is." You answered, rolling your eyes at the confidence—or arrogance—you couldn't really decide. "I came because Manon asked me to."
"Ah yes… Meret Manon." Yoonchae breathed out, more to herself than to you. "Your best friend, right?"
"Oooh be careful Yoonchae, I'm feeling some jealousy coming from over there." You said as you waved your hands in Yoonchae's direction. That earned a small giggle from the girl.
"Why would I ever be jealous of Manon, she's… the goat." Yoonchae awkwardly smiled.
"Yeah… never say that shit again. I don't think even you believe what you just said." You said throwing your head back with a laugh. Yoonchae was not being subtle at all.
"Actually… why did you come to the party tonight? It was kind of out the blue when you asked if I was coming earlier." You turned to Yoonchae which caused both of you to stop walking completely. It didn't really matter anyways because you finally made it to the door after what felt like an eternity.
"I didn't come for any specific reason or anything. Honestly, I was just taking a shot in the dark when I asked you earlier. I guess I just wanted to know." Yoonchae answered with a shrug, not really understanding where the conversation was going.
"So really you just wanted to see me, huh?" You asked slyly with a smile that already suspected the answer.
"I uh-" Yoonchae stammered out. Suddenly the door to the house flung open. The loud music seeped out as two people came stumbling out and apologized for almost hitting you guys with the door.
Caught off guard, you both shared a laugh as you stepped inside. The smell of cologne, weed, and cheap alcohol filled the air immediately. Without thinking, you grabbed onto Yoonchae's hand in attempt to keep close.
"Is that THE Y/N L/N I see?" The girls heard coming from the left side of the door. Like she was just waiting for you to walk through the door, Manon ran and basically jumped onto you. This caused you to stop holding Yoonchae's hand in order to catch her. It was something little, but Yoonchae noticed the absence immediately.
The sudden weight also threw you off balance, causing you to slightly fall into Yoonchae. Even though it wasn't enough to make you fall over, Yoonchae's hand still found its way to the middle of your back, propping you up just in case.
"Oh, and hello to you too, Yoonchae!" Manon said with a huge smile as patted her skirt down and collected herself.
"Hey Manon," Yoonchae responded, her eyes flying between you and Manon as they stood together. She hated how she couldn't get that close to you. It was so easy for Manon to be in your space. 'So just fuck me, huh?' Yoonchae thought as she almost rolled her eyes at the sight.
After a beat of awkward silence, you turned your attention back to Yoonchae. "So, are you just gonna hang around me for the entire night or do you have other friends here?"
"Oh, so you admit that you and I are friends? You finally admit it?" Yoonchae asked with a smirk.
"I meant friend extremely loosely," you said with a laugh as you stepped a bit closer to Yoonchae, causing your shoulders to brush. Yoonchae stepped in a bit closer too, hoping that you would notice.
"I do actually have other friends here, so maybe I'll see you later?" Yoonchae answered, which sounded more like a promise than an invitation. "Don't have too much fun without me."
"How could I possibly do that?" You responded as you pushed Yoonchae into the crowd. Your eyes lingered as you watched Yoonchae disappear into the countless bodies in the center of the room, and Yoonchae's eyes found yours too as she faded away.
It meant that there was finally enough time to study without fear of being interrupted, and if we're being honest, you loved studying. Correction: you loved studying math. It came easy to you, it always had.
However, some lessons of Advanced Calculus beat your ass, and unfortunately those lessons happen to be the lessons that you have a test over in a few days.
This meant that you were spending any free time you had at your favorite cafe with all the materials you could ever need. You had already gotten your usual order, a Caramel Vanilla Latte, and brought your own reinforcements—a redbull—and you were ready to lock in.
As you were deep into pulling formulas from your notes and plugging them into practice equations, you get a text:
Manu💕: wya rn?
Y/N: studying… why?
Manu💕: i'll be there in like 10 minutes
Y/N: what do you need now 😭
Manon was your roommate, and also your best friend for the longest time. All throughout high school you guys orbited each other, even when you didn't have any classes together.
You guys stayed close, and when you realized that you were going to the same college, both of you decided that it would be perfect to get a place together.
You really appreciated Manon for being there for you whenever you needed her, and it was the same the other way around. You guys like to think that you guys are platonic soulmates.
After about 10 minutes had passed, the bell dinged above the door and Manon flew into the chair across from you. She seemed out of breath for whatever reason, which intrigued you as to what she was doing before she came inside.
"Y/N" Manon breathed out, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "You need to come to this party with me tomorrow."
You laughed so hard before answering, amused by the fact that she's acting as if this is a life or death situation.
"I don't like parties Manon, you literally know this," you answered, waving off Manon as you began the next equation. It was about evaluating limits… you HATE evaluating limits.
"Y/N, this is so serious," Manon huffed, snatching the pencil from your hand. "You're going to turn into a damn equation if you keep staring at that textbook, and I really need another girl to come to this party with me. What better person than my favorite in the world?" Manon said sweetly, holding out the pencil in front of your face.
Your eyes narrowed as you considered.
You knew that Manon was just using flattery in order to get the answer she wants, but maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad idea to go to a party just this once.
"I mean… I guess I can make an appearance this one time." you answered, taking the pencil.
"Thank God! Y/N you are my life saver," Manon squealed out as she almost jumped across the table to give you a kiss on the cheek.
"Literally what would you do without me?" you asked sarcastically, tossing your hair to the side. Before Manon could even think of answering she got a call from her girlfriend, Kazuha.
She quickly excused herself and told you that she'll see you back at the apartment.
You chuckled to yourself as you watched Manon rush out the door. Once she was out of sight, you returned right back to your studies.
…
The day of the party started off pretty normal.
You spent your day floating through the corridors of the university, walking from class to class with ease.
The first class you had was a morning class, which was extremely unfortunate, but having morning classes gave you a reason to actually start your day.
You opted to wear something casual and comfy because at the end of the day, there isn't anyone in your classes that you want to impress.
You put on a pair of baggy jeans and cropped polo that paired nice with you dark brown docs and your messenger bag.
Because you were a freshman, most of your classes were General Education classes. You had decided to major in Computer Engineering, so most of the classes were math or science related.
Chemistry was definitely one of your least favorite subjects, but what made it more insufferable was the fact that there was this girl in your class that couldn't stop talking to you.
You aren't ever against some good banter, but this girl pressed buttons only your younger sister could reach.
The girl's name is Yoonchae. Yoonchae was the same exact age as you and not only did you both share Chem 101 together, but you also shared Calculus together.
As you entered the classroom, you slid into your seat quietly and waited patiently for the lecture. You had already taken out your laptop and your notebook, prepared to not miss a single sentence that came from your professor's mouth. Someone took their usual seat next to you, poking her on the side.
"Hello, super genius," Yoonchae said with a smile. "Are you ready to slop up the easiest work there ever was? That's all you ever do in this class anyways." She lets out a giggle as she grabbed for her bag to get out her notebook.
You just sighed and rolled your eyes.
"Not today, Yoonchae. I'm just trying to get through this class and get out," you said as you watched Yoonchae reach for her materials. "Try not to be annoying for once in your life."
You can admit that you were being a bit mean to Yoonchae right now, unfairly. It's not like the behavior is new, but you just wanted to get through the day.
Despite your initial reluctance, you were kind of looking forward to the party tonight.
Yoonchae just looked at you, contemplating saying something back or just remaining quiet.
"Yeah, okay. I'll leave you to it then." Yoonchae muttered as she turned away, effectively leaving you alone.
Surprisingly, she really did leave you alone for a good majority of the lecture after that. Usually whenever your professor would stop talking, Yoonchae would make some kind of comment poking fun at how focused you looked on work you going to 'fail anyway', but this time, silence.
Not normal silence. It was heavy, creating a weird tension between you both that you didn't acknowledge, but you both could feel.
At some point you got tired of the weird vibe between the two of you, so you nudged Yoonchae's leg with your foot under the table.
Yoonchae turned to you almost offended, hoping to find some kind of explanation, but instead she saw you writing away in your notebook as if nothing happened with a hint of a smirk on your face.
As your professor resumed the lecture, you nudged Yoonchae again, this time making her giggle.
This descended into a bunch of kicking each other back and forth and laughing in between. Like two middle schoolers.
Sometime before the lecture ended, you both had stopped messing with one another and decided to pay attention. You were finishing up your notes as the class was ending.
You had written everything down, but you had to highlight some specifics and bold some others. When you were finally done, a satisfied smile on your lips.
Yoonchae's eyes hadn't left you since the lecture ended.
She watched the way that you swiftly moved from typing on your laptop to writing something down in your notebook. She watched how your eyebrows furrowed when you were focused and saw every time you would stick out your tongue when writing down equations.
Yoonchae thought that it was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen. She caught herself wondering how you developed these habits, and if you even knew that you did these small things.
She must have gotten carried away too deep in thought because by the time she came back to reality, you were staring back at her with your eyebrows furrowed.
"What the hell are you looking at?" you asked as while sliding your belongings back into your bag. "I know I look good, but you can stop drooling over me. Geez."
"I was just trying to get a good look of what stupidity looks like, and damn, it looks strikingly similar to your face." Yoonchae answered quickly, hoping that it would be enough to satiate your curiosity. It was.
Yoonchae quickly caught up to you as you were walking out to the hallway and decided to walk with you to wherever you were going. Yoonchae didn't have a class after. You didn't know that though.
"Soooo… did you hear about the party tonight at KKT?" Yoonchae asked to break the silence between you both.
"Actually, yeah I did." you said with a big smile on your face, but suddenly realization hit you. "Wait… please don't tell me that you're going to be there too," you said, stopping Yoonchae by grabbing her shoulder and turning your bodies to face one another.
Yoonchae looked at your hand and smiled before she pushed it off of her. "Awww, you know I will be. I'm just a bit surprised that little Miss Scholar is having any fun the night before our Calc test."
"Haha Yoonchae, you are just on a roll," you answered, your words soaked with sarcasm. "I guess I'll never fucking get rid of you," you added as you continued to walk down the hallway.
Yoonchae just watched as you walked away, coming back to reality before you could get too far away.
"I guess you won't!" Yoonchae shouted after you, before she caught up to you. "But let's not lie to ourselves, you know you love me."
"I barely even like you." you retorted.
To anyone else these words would seem harsh, but to Yoonchae it was like music. She smiled to herself as she continued to walk with you to whatever destination you were headed to, with her eyes every so often drifting to her left and meeting the peaceful look on your face.
a/n ~ yes every chapter will be named after a song whether that be title or lyrics bc i js love music so much. its too good.
Summary ~ You are at university, majoring in computer science and it feels like everything is happening at once. You have a Calculus test coming up, and despite your better judgement, you decide to attend a party rather than studying. It's not like you, but maybe it will be fun. The last thing you expect is fall for a girl.
Pairing ~ yoonchae x black fem!reader
a/n ~ okay yes technically this is a reupload but i wanted to change some stuff because i feel like i could've done better. so i hope you guys enjoy it this time around :)
no one else might notice how you hardly eat, pushing around food in an attempt to make it look like you've consumed something, but yoonchae does, and she can't stand to see her girlfriend destroying herself.
content: fem!reader, eating disorder, angst, one mention of reader measuring her wrist, no actual descriptions of readers weight/physical appearance (except from looking tired), a brief scene of yoonchae eating, yoonchae drives (don't ask about her licence....) not proofread word count: 1.0k note: please mind the warnings and take care of yourself <3
it was naive of you to think your girlfriend wouldn't notice.
she pays attention down to the finest details, memorising your favourite flower from just one mention to always putting your preferred amount of ice cubes in your drink without ever needing to ask. so why wouldn't she notice this?
"you didn't eat anything," she accuses halfway through the drive home, breaking the almost painful silence. usually, your drives back from dinner with your friends are filled with singing and laughter, only occasionally broken by a comfortable silence while yoonchae focuses on the road and you gaze at her lovingly.
"i don't know what you're talking about," you mumble, staring out the window. in the reflection, your tired eyes greet you, a prevalent, bone deep exhaustion that not even the heaviest makeup can conceal. you're surprised none of your friends commented on it, but you guess they were too caught up with talking and eating to notice.
which honestly, thank god, because yoonchae's concerned eyes are already too much, having five more worried looks all trained on you might kill you.
"you just pushed your food around during dinner, so it would look like you ate," she says, and damn her for paying attention to you so well, for knowing you like the back of her hand. "i didn't see you take a bite once."
you shrug, "well then i guess you just weren't looking when i did."
"oh? so you took one bite? how filling," she deadpans. her hands grip the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles go white, jaw firmly clenched in order to bite down words she won't be able to take back.
"i wasn't hungry, is that such a crime?"
"it is when you're never hungry."
she pulls the car to a stop in front of the late night convenience store you didn't even realise you were approaching, wordlessly grabbing her bag and stepping out of the car. then, before she slams the door shut, commands, "stay here."
as if you'd have anywhere to go.
the wait is excruciating, your knee bouncing so hard the car slightly shakes. you can't sit still, obsessively fixing your makeup, opening social media and then immediately regretting it a second after, measuring your wrist with your fingers and sighing unhappily at the results that'll never be enough, regardless of the outcome.
only ten or so minutes have passed, but it feels like it's been a lifetime when yoonchae finally exits the store, a plastic bag filled to the brim in her hands that she passes over once she steps back into the car.
despite having no plans to actually eat, it's instinct the way you take out the first item and immediately flip the packaging to check the calories, only to find all the information scribbled out in pen. yoonchae.
she doesn't say anything, just carefully watches from the corner of her eye as you assess her food selection.
it's a mixture of your favourite junk food and then some healthier options, like she scoured the shelves and put anything in the basket she thought you might even potentially eat. your stomach cramps painfully at the sight.
for the most part, you weren't lying about not being hungry; your appetite is mostly non existent at this point. but regardless of what you want, your body needs food, and likes to notify you of this in the most painful ways, hence the cramps.
"can you open that for me?" yoonchae asks, pointing to the packet of crisps in your hands. you're glad she doesn't mention that obvious pain you're in, even if concern is written all over her features.
you nod and pry open the packet with more force than probably necessary, the smell hitting you almost instantly. on a better day, maybe it would've appealed to you, but you feel nothing but apathy towards what you once might've called your favourite snack.
you're not stupid, you know what yoonchae's trying to do. if you open the bag, she thinks, maybe you'll feel more inclined to reach in and take a bite. just one tiny little nibble and your girlfriend will rejoice.
instead, you try to ignore her disappointed expression as you pass the bag over. there's no satisfaction on her face as she starts to eat, just an emptiness that matches how you feel.
"thanks," she mumbles through a mouthful.
when it becomes clear that you have no intention of joining her, yoonchae puts down her food, dusts off her hands, and puts the key back into ignition. "you ready to go?"
"sure."
she pulls out of the space and the two of you fall back into silence, the only sounds the hum of the car as she drives and the occasional hitch of her breath.
the world passes by in a blur of city lights, slightly disorienting but relaxing in its own way, too. you rest your head against the window, eyes fluttering shut. in retrospect, you haven't done much today, but your body feels exhausted like you've just run a marathon instead of having gone to dinner, an event that's supposed to breathe life into you instead of talking it away.
at least now you can rest.
"you know i love you, right?" yoonchae eventually breaks the silence, her voice soft and shaky. she'll lose her courage if she waits for a reply, so she continues on, "i'm sorry i got mad. i know you're struggling and the way i acted was unfair, i'm just so fucking scared. i can't loose you. the thought makes me sick, so i tense up because that's the only thing i know how to do. does that make sense?"
this time, she takes her eyes off the road to look over, only to find you've drifted off into sleep, worlds away from the conversation. she sighs. at least you look peaceful like this, cheek slightly smashed against the car door, shoulders having finally lost their tension.
you can't hear it, but she whispers the words regardless, like maybe they'll reach your subconscious and fix everything when you wake, "please don't leave me."
You didn't realize you'd fallen asleep until you jerked awake at the sound of the door. You blink, rubbing your eyes to see Yoonchae in black sweats coming back into the room with damp hair. You glance at the clock on her nightstand and realize it’s almost 11. “Holy fuck, how long have you been at the pool?” You ask, pushing up so that you’re sitting up and mostly facing her. Yoonchae just shook out her hair before settling back down at her desk. You stifle a groan as she opens her computer and the screen illuminates the room. You glare at the clock before rolling back over, trying to gain any semblance of rest despite your roommates' odd behaviors.
You find yourself being awoken by Yoonchae yet again. Or more accurately, her alarm. You roll over to see the other girl already sliding out of bed and slipping into her closet. “It’s six in the morning, Yoonchae!!” You say, throwing your hands in the air as you reluctantly choose to start getting ready as well. “I told you I have a schedule,” Yoonchae replied, and you would bet money on the fact that she was smiling right now.
You mutter under your breath as you begin to tug on your second uniform set. “It’s cold today,” Yoonchae warned as she stepped out of the closet. She’s in a much darker version of the navy blue uniform to the point that it almost looks black. “Why is your outfit different?” You ask curiously, and she just shoots you a cat-like smile. She doesn’t seem interested in answering your question and just swings the bag over her shoulder before heading out.
It seemed as if she was interested in attending breakfast, and you stumbled over your tights to follow her. Unfortunately, you manage to lose Yoonchae in the sea of girls heading towards the cafeteria. It seemed as if everyone at this school got up ungodly early. You run a hand through your hair as you find Daniela and the other girls at their table. But as you grab your plate and try to make your way over there, Daniela just shakes her head furiously.
She jerks her head towards a table a little ways away, and your eyes flick to it. The only person there is Yoonchae, and you sigh. Instead of following Daniela’s unspoken instructions, you headed over to the girls' tables. “You can’t sit over here,” Manon said firmly even as her mouth pursed in sympathy. “Why?” You ask, frowning down at them, and Daniela laughs. “Alright, listen. Yoonchae hasn’t come to breakfast in two years. When she had Megan. Now she’s coming, and the only new thing is you. Go sit with her before she blows us up,” Daniela hissed.
Your head jerked so you could see Yoonchae, and she certainly didn’t seem pleased. She had a book in her lap, but you spotted her eyes flicking up to you and the others. “Her attitude is not my problem,” You retort, but one of the other girls with long black hair slid over her tray where you were going to sit. You glower at them and reluctantly stalk over to Yoonchae and sit across from her.
The only sign of her approval was a slight twitch in her lower lip. She didn’t even glance up from her book. You aggressively stabbed at your fruit bowl. “What are you reading?” You ask, attempting to make any sort of conversation, even as the thought of beating her in class lingered in the back of your mind. “The Secret History,” Yoonchae said, placing her book on the table as she began to eat her omelet.
You can’t resist a sharp laugh; your eyebrows furrow as you eat your own food. “By Donna Tartt, if you don’t know it,” Yoonchae said with a cocky tone. “I know it. I’ve read it more than once. I have an annotated copy,” You retort, your competitive spirit flaring as she glares at you. What the hell was the point of her apparently wanting you here if she was just going to be rude?? Instead of firing back, she just continued eating and returned to reading her book.
You huff, tugging out your phone as you try to come up with anything to do rather than be faced with Yoonchae's cockiness. Before you can come up with something to brag about, she was standing up and sliding her bag over her shoulders. You finish your own plate, checking your watch for the time. You ran into Daniela on your walk to your first class, and she offered a smile. “You’re a traitor,” You inform, lightly pushing her away.
She laughs, but her eyes stay narrowed. “Listen, I’m not going to be the one to piss off Yoonchae.” Was all Daniela said before doing a mock salute and heading off down the other hallway. You furrow your brows but head inside math class. Yoonchae is already settled down in her seat, and you reluctantly sit down next to her. “You smell like chlorine,” You snark, and she just rolls her eyes.
Before she comes up with her own witty retort, Ms. Park is flashing up some warm-up problems. You fumble for your pencil as Yoonchae starts scribbling down her answers. You recognize a few of them from the sheet you stole from her last night and suppress a surge of excitement. Surely she couldn’t have practiced these formulas as many times as you had. Just as your hand shoots up to announce the answers, Ms. Park calls on Yoonchae.
The other girl pauses for long enough to shoot you a cocky smile before rattling off the answers. To your dismay, she manages to get all 5 of them correct. And when Stella raises her hand, confused about how to actually do the problem, Yoonchae gets called up to explain it. She keeps her expression rather composed, but you catch the excited glimmer in her eyes.
You stare down at your paper, trying to ignore the way everyone seems to be hanging off of her every word, scrambling to write everything down. Even though she seemed to be mildly feared by the entire student body, it was clear they needed her help. You pulled out your computer and tried to find the lesson plan so you could work ahead, but as Yoonchae walked by, she smoothly shut the top.
She sits back down in her seat and smooths her dark uniform skirt before raising her hand again. “Ms. Park, could you set up some sort of digital countdown? For this year's midterm?” Yoonchae suggests, and it's a testament to how dedicated everyone is to their studies that they don’t groan or boo her. The older woman just nods, “Fantastic idea, Ms. Jeung,” She says with a seemingly rare smile.
You suppress the urge to make a fake gagging sound as Yoonchae ignores the attention of the girls in front of you, who were turned around trying to talk to her. “Could you guys even pretend to have a mind of your own?” You ask, your annoyance rising to your boiling point. The redhead's jaw drops, but she turns around with a huff, dragging her friend as well. Yoonchae's eyes flick up from her paper where she’s meticulously taking notes already, and you make momentary eye contact.
It’s broken by the announcement of a pop quiz that makes even you groan inwardly. It was your second day, and you were already being faced with a quiz. Ms. Park passes out the papers, and you quickly start running through the quiz. You glance at Yoonchae every few questions, clenching your jaw when you see she’s a question ahead. You struggle to get through the bonus question, but as soon as you’re finished, you practically leap to turn it in.
The rest of the class is dedicated to independent study time while she grades the quizzes. You watch as Yoonchae seems to switch between reading A Secret History & doing additional questions. You try to focus on your own quiz you’re completing online. Your focus declines as soon as Ms. Park rises from her desk. “I’m going to announce your results in terms of points as usual,” She said calmly as she looked down at the collection of quizzes.
Yoonchae sits up in her seat, shutting her book and clasping her hands in her lap. You shut your computer, leaning forward in your seat as you wait. “Stella 8 points. Carmen 9. Ahyeon 11. Sophia 13. Yoonchae 15. Y/n 15” She says before rubbing the back of her neck, “I don't see the point in naming the lower ones. Come see me after class if you wish,” Ms. Park said as the bell rang. You looked over at Yoonchae, who was already giving you a murderous glare. “I’m not thrilled either,” You mutter as the two of you head towards your next class.
You were certain that every teacher at this school conspired to put assessments on the same day. By lunchtime, you were exhausted from having to fill out surprise questions. Yoonchae heads off to the pool with little more than a jerk of her head. You take the opportunity to sit with Daniela and the rest of the girls. “So how’s the day going?” Rami asked, leaning forward with a mischievous grin.
You scowl at her. “Exhausting. This school is brutal. And that’s without factoring in my robot of a roommate,” You complain as you dig into your new tray of food. “All she does is swim or study. And I’m stuck sitting next to her in every class,” You add, and Rami laughs. That was enough to bring a smile to your face, and you can feel the tension in your body seep out.
Rora settles down next to Rami without a tray, but your unasked question is answered a brief moment later when Asa appears with two trays. “You could always just ask someone to switch seats,” Rora suggested with an all-too-innocent smile. “It’ll be easier to compete with her if she isn’t breathing down my neck,” You admit and flash her a grateful grin.
Asa is glaring lightly at her girlfriend, but you’re too invested in overhearing Manon and Daniela's conversation to notice. Manon is discussing a potential modeling job while Daniela argues against it. You can’t help but snicker but freeze when both of them whirl around, clearly already aggravated. “Or if you want to get inside her head, you could join the swim team,” Rami says, drawing you back to the conversation at hand.
You shake your head. “To do that, I would have to get into the pool. And apparently it’s like password-protected or some shit,” You counter. “Actually, it’s a keycard. You could always just take Yoonchae’s after she gets back and showers. They keep their practice up on a huge TV. If you try that out, it’ll give you a feel for it,” Rora says as she steals a frie from Rami. “It’s almost like all of you want her to get me kicked out,” You say playfully, and they’re rapidly shaking their heads.
Asa is the one who speaks up, finally entering the discussion, “Yoonchae’s only done that once,” She says calmly. You choke on your water and stare at the Japanese girl. “First of all, I was kidding. She has the power to get me kicked out??” You exclaim, and Rami gestures for you to lower your voice. “No one really talks about it anymore, at least not where Yoonchae can hear. But last year, she and the girl who dormed next to her got really close. Close enough, people started to talk. Neither of them seemed to care, but right after winter break Yoonchae came back, and well, the other girl didn’t” Rora explained while Ramis eyes flicked around.
They’re clearly avoiding saying her name, but you decide to guess. “Megan? Dani said she only came to breakfast when Megan was here-” You’re cut off by Rami shaking her head furiously. “Don’t say her name. Some underclassmen mentioned her to Yoonchae once, and she ended up getting ranked at the bottom of her year twice in a row afterwards. Her rowing scholarship was pulled,” Rami hissed.
You feel dread settle in your chest. Yoonchae was clearly more powerful at Blair than you thought she was. You wince when you hear the bell ring. “Wish me luck” Is all you mutter as you rush to class. Yoonchae isn’t there yet, and you feel a weight lift from your shoulders. “Would you be willing to trade seats with me?” You ask a girl with dark dyed red hair, and she laughs.
You fumble for something to convince her. “Listen, Chiquita,” You say, spotting her name on her backpack. “She’s practically a genius. I bet if you sit with her and if I talk to her, she would give you homework help.” You blurted hastily even though you were positive Yoonchae would not do that. Chiquita slowly stood and shifted her stuff to your table.
You quickly thanked her and settled down in your new seat as the rest of the class flooded in. A girl with a cute sort of choppy black hair sat down next to you. “You’re not Chiquita,” She stated, and you mustered an apologetic smile. Before you could apologize, the bell signaled the class start, and the teacher entered. A few moments into reviewing the warm-up, Yoonchae entered with her hair in a high ponytail.
There were no comments about her tardiness, but when her eyes met yours at your new table, it felt like ice flooded your veins. She didn’t say anything as she sat down, but when Chiquita turned to her with a bright smile, Yoonchae didn’t even acknowledge her. You cringe but focus on the timeline shown on the board. Instead of Yoonchae offering rapid-fire answers, the Korean girl is scarily silent. The only times you spot her eyes leave you are when they land on Chiquita.
You manage to earn a few bits of the teacher's praise, but the feeling of Yoonchae's gaze unsettles you to the point you’re darting out of class when it’s over. You hesitantly convince Wonhee to trade seats with you, and your final class of the day passes in much the same fashion. You answer almost everything while Yoonchae stays silent.
It’s clear everyone has noticed. You push your way out of the crowd of students into the hallway and hear quite a few whispers. “What’s going on with Yoonchae?” “She seems to hate Quita.” “It’s like her scowl is her only feature.” The whispers follow you all the way up to your dorm. You sink into your bed with a groan. The girl's advice had half worked, but now you were definitely going to face Yoonchae's wrath.
You mentally planned how you would pack everything up once you were kicked out as you halfheartedly worked on your homework. Instead of seeing your roommate trudge into the room and glue herself to her desk, you found yourself alone for the next few hours. Just as you were about to head to dinner, you felt your phone buzz. You were tagged in a post made by ‘behind.the.blair.gates’.
You clicked on the post and saw that at least half of the student body had been tagged. But yours, Chiquita's, and Wonhee's usernames were bolded. The post didn’t have a caption; it simply had two videos. One of the videos was of Wonhee clearly cheating on an exam by using her phone. The angle was a little messy and blurry, but you could clearly see Wonhee's name on the paper. The photo showed Chiquita holding a shot of soju. Everyone around her was blurred out.
She didn’t even look as if she was about to take it. But that seemed to be enough. Within a few moments of the post having been created, there was an announcement over the loudspeakers. It was calling for Wonhee and Chiquita, and you felt guilt swirl in your stomach. This was Yoonchae. She was annoyed with them and you for switching seats. So she did this. You literally had the roommate from hell.
Being a transfer student was very different from what you expected. Instead of getting the nice tour and being taken under someone’s wing you found yourself fully relying on a map and a schedule written on a post-it note. By now it was smudged and you couldn’t make any sense of the map. The campus was huge compared to your last school which made navigation virtually impossible.
The other students were unfortunately no help. They all seemed ready to get to their class as fast as possible which meant you were surrounded by a whirlwind of chaos. The bell rang and you froze in the middle of the hallway. Everyone else seemed to be in their classes already which left you alone and confused. The map you were staring down at was useless and your schedule was half crumpled.
A hand on your shoulder made you jerk away immediately. You spin around to see a girl with a mass of tight curls. She has a kind grin on her face. “Are you a new student?” She asks and extends her hand and you can’t help but notice how good she looks in the uniform. You shake her hand regretting how clammy they are. “Yeah! First day” You admit as a nervous smile creeps across your face. “Could you tell?” You joke and her eyebrows furrow before laughing.
She gives you a quick once-over and spots the schedule and map in your hand. “I’m Daniela! And I can help you find where you’re going.” Daniela takes the map and schedule and analyzes them before grabbing your hand and dragging you behind her. You find yourself standing outside a rather small classroom with a few rows of desks. “Wait, why aren’t you in class?” You ask and Daniela just smiles before pushing you in.
You stumble and turn around to glare at her but she’s gone already. The teacher is staring at you with a raised eyebrow. There’s only one empty seat in the very back. She gestures towards it with a soft scoff. You walk over and hesitantly sit down. The girl next to you does not look pleased that you’re there. You smile at her trying to penetrate her cold demeanor.
She just looks back up at the board smiling at the teacher. “Ms. Jeung, why don’t you ensure Ms. L/N makes it to her next class?” The teacher asks and you stare at the other girl, flooded with embarrassment. “You don’t need to!” You whisper and shake your head quickly. She just gives you a cool look and returns to her work.
Even if your social life wasn’t going smoothly at least the academics weren’t as bad as you thought they would be. For you at least. The students all seemed dedicated to the work but few of them tended to raise their hands to say the answer. The girl next to you, Yoonchae, apparently seemed to be at the top of the class. She was working through problems the moment they were up and wasn’t shy about making sure everyone knew she had the right answer.
It was a bit intimidating to be sitting next to her as she devoured the classwork but you weren’t about to let her stop you from working your ass off. The teacher scrawled an additional problem on the board and you felt Yoonchae's arm brush yours as you both got started on it. You froze for a brief moment but refocused and ignored the drone of Mrs. Park in the background.
Then Yoonchae's hand shot up and you bit back a sigh as you finished writing down your answer. You put your own hand up as well just in case. “Ms. Jeung?” Mrs. Park asks with an expectant smile on her face. “The answer is that the average in terms of m is 9m + 11” Yoonchae says confidently, her hand lightly gripping the pencil. Mrs. Parks' smile wavers as she checks her notes. “That’s incorrect Ms. Jeung” She replies and you watch as Yoonchae's eyes seem to ice over.
Your seatmate was clearly competitive, which did not help your nerves when your teacher focused on you. “Ms. L/N?” She prompts and you focus back on your paper. “3m + 3.67” You state and she nods a small smile of approval forming. You glance over at Yoonchae's paper and spot her mistake. “You forgot to divide” You explain tapping it and trying to inject as much cheerfulness in your voice as possible.
The girl ignores you and just moves her seat closer to the edge of the table so that there’s more space between the two of you. You swallow and your eyes flit around as you try to find anyone who looks a bit friendlier. A girl with a black bobbish cut waved subtly and you waved back a smile creeping over your face. A small huff escaped Yoonchae but when you glanced over at her her eyes were fixated on her paper.
You couldn’t help but get the impression she manages to already not like you. Over one question. Maybe it was better she wasn’t talking to you. Getting petty over you beating her at one question was ridiculous. As soon as the bell was ringing you were standing and walking as far away from Yoonchae. You couldn't find Daniela again for the life of you, but thankfully the girl with the bob (Asa) seemed more than willing to help.
She also seemed unusually willing to fill you in on everything going on at the school. She was leading you to your last class before lunch with her hand grasping her girlfriend's. Rora seemed a bit more content to just listen but she kept shooting looks at you. “So! Yoonchae! She skipped a year when she transferred two years ago. No one quite knows where she was before that. All we really know is she came in with a vengeance.” Rora muffled a laugh at her girlfriend's dramatic phrasing.
You went to ask a question but the words died in your mouth at the sight of what seemed to be a large poster with all the students' names on it. You spot Yoonchae's name at the top with Daniela's name not too far after. Rora and Asa seem to be in the middle. Your own name isn’t even on there. “What’s this?” You curiously ask noticing more than one student's eyes drifting towards it as they passed by.
Asa scoffs but her own eyes are glued to her name. Rora speaks up “It’s the class ranking. They update it on Mondays.” She explains and you can’t stop your eyebrows from raising. “They put everyone’s ranking up? With their names? Is that not an invasion of privacy or something?” Asa shoots you an amused look as you start walking again. “Yoonchae said the same thing until she rocketed up” Rora clarifies and you blink slowly.
What you don’t expect is to spend Every Single Class with Yoonchae and she did not seem excited about it either. Somehow every class had an empty seat but it was always next to her. You were starting to think the rest of the student body just hated her. Even though they all seemed to be shooting her jealous looks. Finally, you walked into your last class of the day and spotted a seat open near a girl named Stella, whom you had met earlier.
You went to sit down next to her with a friendly smile on your face but she was shaking her head at you. “Carmen is going to sit here” Stella warns, pointing at the brunette Yoonchae was talking to with a scowl on her face. “I thought she was sitting with Yoonchae” You say hesitantly and you watch as the top student waves her off. Your heart sinks at the fact that you were stuck sitting with Yoonchae.
The Korean girl didn’t even reference the fact that she had clearly made Carmen move. She just looked at you for a long moment before smoothing her skirt and settling down. “Y’know I didn’t sit here of my own accord. You could try to be nice” You snap in a low voice. If it weren't for the way her lips twitched you would’ve assumed she hadn’t even heard you. Yoonchae just glances at you and returns her focus to the teacher.
You yawn gently and Yoonchae lets out a scoff. “What is your problem?” You hiss and she just continues to focus on her own paper. “Do you two need to be separated?” The teacher asked coldly. “No it’s fine ma’am. No need for that. I’ll keep us on track” Yoonchae said with a dazzling smile. You aren't a violent person but the urge to kick her was becoming overwhelming.
She seems to recognize that and takes a small scoot away. Once the teacher is wrapping up class and dismissing all of you you are rushing out of there. You didn't want to be there with Yoonchae for a moment longer. You tug out your schedule glancing down at the note you made to ask about your dorm situation.
You wander through the halls searching for the counselor's office. “Lost again?” Daniela teased one hand clasped in another girl's behind her. “No” You retort, your head swiveling for the sight of the office. “I just want to know about my dorm situation” You explain running a hand through your hair.
The girl behind Daniela grins “Oh you don't know?” she asked and you shake your head. “You're rooming with Yoonchae. She's had a private room for every year she's been here. She's not particularly pleased” The girl explained and she looked mildly sympathetic. “Can't I just room with one of you?” You all but beg. The two of them exchange a glance before chuckling.
Daniela loops her other arm through yours “It won’t be that bad. She might not fully hate you” Dani reassured as the three of you started heading to the dorms. You glare “You haven’t been stuck next to her for every single class.” You point out which makes both of them laugh. Daniela gives you a light shove towards your new dorm. You swallow before knocking on the door.
It swings open a moment later and just as you thought Yoonchae did not look happy. She had headphones around her neck and just pointed towards your bare bed. Your suitcase was resting on top of it and you frowned when you realized it was slightly unzipped. Whoever brought it up must have hit it by accident.
You take a moment to look around the room and it has more personality than you expected it to. Everything is a deep royal blue with white and silver accents. She has a very organized desk set up but it's interrupted by the scattered coffee cups and energy drinks. “Got some vices?” You tease and Yoonchae's lips quirk into a smile. It disappears after you smile back.
And you're reminded of the fact that she doesn't like you when she gives you a cold look. “I have roomed by myself for 2 years. I have a strict schedule and I follow it without any missteps. I’m not going to let you ruin what was supposed to be the most successful year. Understood?” She said as she slipped out of her shoes and into slippers.
You clench your jaw but before she can argue she's settling down at her desk and resuming her work. You can't resist taking a peek and spotting an application to Hakan Medical school. You furrow your brows but decide it's not your best move to comment on it. So instead you focus on unpacking your suitcase.
You catch her eyes on you and your stuff a few times. You hang up your photos with fairy lights and she spins around. “Those better be off by midnight” Yoonchae warned and you clenched your fists. “They will be” You say bitingly and she lets out a low chuckle. She spins back to her desk while you attempt to make your side of the room somewhat cozy.
Yoonchae does in fact have a rigid schedule. Instead of going to dinner like everyone else she had it delivered to the room. Which thankfully left you free to go to the dining hall with everyone else. It was less packed than you expected but you spotted Rora and Asa sitting with a few other girls. Rora waves gesturing for you to join them.
You make your way through the line and find more variety in the foods than you expected. It also looks much more edible than any of your previous school's food. You snag a simple sandwich with fruit and chips. Your choice feels very plain compared to the other girls' more exotic plates.
But you set your platter down and listen to their conversation about the swim team. “They're getting overfully funded and the softball team deserves money too!” Rora argued aggressively stabbing at her food and the blonde next to her nodded fervently. “You try and convince Yoonchae the funds should go to a team she’s not on” Asa replied, rolling her eyes.
Your interest piques at the mention of your new roommate and her control over the money. “You’re gonna have to catch me up” You point out after taking a bite of your sandwich. “Oh right. New girl” The blonde said before sticking her hand out. “I'm Rami. And I’m with Rora on the softball team. Which is horribly underfunded” Rami said with a light roll of her eyes.
You frown, your mind flitting back to the swim team and Yoonchae. “Well, what’s with the swim team?” You ask inquisitively as Asa steals some food from Rora's plate. You watch as Rora yanks her plate away and they begin to tussle. Rami laughs but focuses on you, “The swim team is solely funded by Yoonchae. She's convinced the headmaster that it's good for the school overall. It's practically her pet project and it is intense. The cream of the cream is on the team.” Rami explains with a huff.
You laugh “Well that explains why she's so” You gesture with your hands. Rami nodded in agreement sliding over some fruit from her plate for you. “Apparently whenever she's not studying she’s at the pool so good luck” Rami adds and you groan. “It's gonna be a good year!” You say sarcastically as you dispose of your platter and reluctantly head out.
You try to postpone your return to your dorm so you decide to stop by the pool to see what's going on with it. But once you try to swing the door open you notice the keypad sensor that is currently glowing red. There's no fucking way the swim team was this exclusive. You kicked the door before turning away and heading to your dorm.
Yoonchae was in the same spot she was when you left. But instead of delving into her computer she was doing math problems. You took a look over her shoulder. The first one was wrong but you weren't planning on pointing that out. Not after the murderous attitude from before.
She glanced up, removing her headphones. “Do you need something?” Yoonchae asked, smoothing her hair as she waited, one leg crossed over the other. “You might wanna check number one” You say your previous plan flying out the window as she watches with a calm expression. Yoonchae twists back to her paper and you know as soon as she realizes.
Her entire expression twists into an indignant frown and before you can stop her she’s carefully pulling out a drawer and shredding the entire sheet. You stare as she then finds another sheet and starts over. “That's excessive” You mutter and thankfully she doesn't reply.
Instead, she just continues to write with almost robotic efficiency and when she finishes the sheet she's standing and heading towards the small closet. You watch as your roommate shuts the door before quickly emerging in a sleek black swimsuit. She has a bag in one arm and a towel slung over her shoulder.
Yoonchae doesn't wave, just stalks out the door flashing her key card as she walks by. You scoff as you flop onto your bed reaching for one of the books you packed. But as you read the opening chapter you couldn't keep your mind from drifting to how good it had felt to be correct. To have beaten Yoonchae to the right answer. When all you had heard was that she was the one girl at the school to be scared of.
It was obvious that she worked hard to maintain her place at this school even though she was very clever. Which meant that you had to do the same if you were going to continuously beat her. So instead of indulging in a book you found yourself on your computer searching for extra practice problems.
You briefly considered stealing some of her work but you wanted to do this fairly. Which meant finding your own resources. You wanted to beat her and you were going to do it. You briefly researched swimming tips as well, opting to cover your bases. You ignored the voice in the back of your mind that was pointing out that this was slightly crazy to do on your first day. But hell, might as well make senior year fun.
