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Hani scrolls through Instagram, laying in bed. It was a long day at work, where she’s the lead secretary for one of the more rambunctious prosecutors in the office.Her finger stops when she sees a new post from her friend Junghwa. She’s with her dog, sporting a flowy white outfit and jewelry that she designed herself.Junghwa had decided two years ago to escape the nine-to-five life and start her own jewelry brand, and this month marks the official launch. Hani couldn’t be prouder of seeing her friend--younger sister, really--achieve her dreams.Hani looks forward to tomorrow, not only because 5:00 PM marks the beginning of the weekend, but she promised to buy Junghwa a meal once the brand launched. They haven’t seen each other in a while, and she looks forward to celebrating with her dongsaeng. She shuts the phone off and puts it to charge before she lays back once more, letting sleep take her over.♡They had met in university. Hani had been an active member of the LGBT support group on campus, and volunteered for the buddy program her senior year. The program paired seniors with incoming freshman who might need help navigating a new landscape, especially as university allowed a little more freedom for queer students. Hani was paired with Junghwa, and the two were quick friends. Junghwa was so shy back then, rarely speaking unless asked to. But by the end of the school year, Hani had helped lower some of those walls, and she was confident she’d leave Junghwa behind with no problems.She didn’t necessarily expect them to stay in touch, but she was glad that they still found time to meet up every so often between their busy schedules. Junghwa had been especially busy the past two years preparing to launch her jewelry brand, so tonight’s meeting is the first in a while. “Congratulations!” is the first thing she says when she enters the grilled meat restaurant and sees Junghwa sitting. She smothers her younger friend with a hug before sitting down across from her.“Thanks, unnie,” Junghwa says softly, and Hani can still see it, the shy nervousness from her younger days. Maybe the younger is just being humble, Hani thinks, for it to suddenly come out again. “Let’s eat!”♡Hani grills the meat. Junghwa cuts it. Hani drinks beer. Junghwa drinks soju. They’re so different, Hani thinks; contrasting images. Junghwa is long and elegant. Her back is always straight, her makeup never overdone, but playing up her femininity. She’s at once trendy and transcendent. Hani is in her suit from work, hair in a boring ponytail, manicure weeks old. She sits with her legs too far apart for a woman, and chews with her mouth open when she’s got something to say.“I have something for you,” Junghwa says when their bellies are filled. Hani can’t quite be called sober, but Junghwa looks the same as she always does. Hani wonders when she learned to hold her liquor.“Me?” Hani asks dumbly.“Yeah,” Junghwa giggles. “You, unnie.”The younger brings out a long box, lifts the lid, and—oh. The necklace is beautiful, and it’s just the type of thing Hani would wear, for those spare occasions when she does don jewelry. “From the collection,” Junghwa says. “For you.”Hani fights a gasp. “Really?”“Yes! Don’t get all sentimental on me.”That brings Hani out of it, and she laughs the same way she always does when she’s actually happy: a bit too ugly, a bit too loud.“I love it. Thanks.”As Hani reaches for the box, Junghwa swats her hand away from it. “Let me help you put it on.”Junghwa comes to stand behind her, so Hani dutifully pulls her hair up off her neck. The cool touch of the metal comes first, and then she can feel Junghwa’s fingers brushing the her nape softly, and a warm breath that lingers as Junghwa’s tipsy fingers fumble with the clasp. “There,” Hani hears, and she drops her hair. Junghwa brushes her fingers through it, gets it back into place before she takes her seat again.“Thank you,” Hani says once more, touched.“Anything for you, unnie.”♡Somehow, they start seeing each other more after that. Their lives are still busy, but Junghwa asks to hang out more frequently, and Hani can’t say no to her, so she gets squeezed in.Hani doesn’t know how Junghwa manages to convince her to try hiking, of all activities, but she’s already out of breath halfway up the mountain. “Junghwa-ya? It’s enough, right?”The younger looks back. “Not yet, unnie. There’s a platform just ahead; we can rest there.”The rest has a minimal effect on Hani’s stamina, which abandons her once more before they hit the peak. Junghwa resorts to grabbing her hand and pulling her the rest of the way.And it’s beautiful, Hani can’t deny. The mountaintop leaves a view of more mountains, more nature, abounding into her country. Behind her is Seoul, unbelievably small from this vantage point.“Wow,” She gasps without thinking.Junghwa squeezes her hand. Hani hadn’t realized she was still holding it.“It seems like a shame to go back down,” Hani whines.“Are you kidding, unnie?” Junghwa looks at her mischievously. “Going down is the best part!”“Why?” Hani says, between sips of water. “Because we get to eat at the bottom?”Junghwa just laughs. “You’ll see.”♡Hani never finds out why Junghwa thinks so, and she realizes as time goes on that she doesn’t know her dongsaeng as well as she once did. It’s weeks later at another social event, one with more people, old faces and new, that Hani notices that Junghwa has changed. She looks beautiful, grown. She doesn’t demand attention, but probably has everyone’s in the room. Hani gets the impression that she’s maybe been forcing an image of a younger Junghwa on to her friend this whole time, that maybe Junghwa has outgrown their friendship, and is too nice to say so.“Are you kidding?” Sehun says when Hani drunkenly mumbles this, somewhere in the corner of the party. “She’s totally into you. Go for it.”“Huh?” Hani takes another sip, although she shouldn’t. “I’m not--It’s not like that between us. I was talking about our friendship.”Sehun rolls his eyes. “Your friendship, yeah. And how she’s ‘outgrown it’? Why do you think that is? She wants something more.”Hani’s eyes find Junghwa’s across the room, and is shocked to see the younger looking back at her. Some glint in her eye hides mischief, and Hani’s not sure what to make of that.Hani doesn’t know how long she stares, but Sehun is gone by the time she comes to her senses. She takes a moment to collect herself, and then suddenly Junghwa is there, instead.“Come with me, unnie,” she says, grabbing Hani’s hand to pull her outside. The younger interlaces their fingers.“Okay,” Hani agrees belatedly, brain only functioning once the fresh air outside hits her.“I wanna kiss you.”Hani blinks.“No,” Junghwa corrects herself. “I wanna date you. And also kiss you. Meaningfully. Respectfully.”Hani looks around. She concludes that it is indeed her that Junghwa is talking to. “Um. We’re…drunk.”Junghwa slouches and rolls her eyes. “That’s your excuse?”“I--No? Why are we talking about this?”Junghwa leans in closer, and it's the first time Hani is a bit intimidated by her. When Junghwa answers, though, her voice is a whisper. “I see the way you look at me, unnie. It can’t just be me. Right?”Her voice cracks on the last word, hesitant, or nervous, maybe. Hani sees Junghwa from ten years ago flash through her mind, and then she sees Junghwa before her, now. It’s the same person, but different. Hani is different, too. They've both grown up.When Hani neglects responding, Junghwa speaks up again. “When we were younger, I knew I didn’t have a chance. You were always so cool and mature. But I’m all grown up now, unnie. Can’t you see me?”She can. She does. Junghwa, prettier than a flower. Junghwa, her opposite to attract. Junghwa, someone to take care of, to be taken care of by. Someone to challenge her, to make her better, to make happy.Hani has always been rash, so it’s no big surprise when she grabs Junghwa and kisses her, not sure of anything except wanting that something more that Sehun mentioned, wanting to give it a go.♡It’s weeks into dating when Hani lays in bed after a long day at work, scrolling through Instagram. Junghwa posted a picture of their hands holding, with tactfully placed bracelets from Junghwa’s brand on their wrists.Hani realizes she’s never actually looked at the site, having talked so much with Junghwa directly, having seen her wear so many of the pieces herself.The website is as pretty as Hani expects it to be, and she scrolls through the listings. Her thumb stops scrolling when she recognizes her own necklace, but not because of its familiarity.Each of the products has its own name, and that particular piece is neatly labeled “Hani.”♡