Chapter 28: The Sisters, A Perv, and a House Key

Wednesday | December 6th, 2023 | 4:12 PM

For the fourth time this week, I stared down absentmindedly at my desk and the exam in front of me. The question sounded simple enough, "List three tools commonly used for creating technical documents and briefly describe their primary uses," but I was drawing a complete blank. I barely studied. In fact, I wasn't really studying for anything these days.

There was so much on my mind that school work had slipped down to the bottom of the list, and I was suffering for it. The amount of times I shrugged off studying to hang out with Chaewon or practice volleyball had piled up. At some point, I gave up on studying completely, figuring I'd just wing it and try to pass the tests on the day.

Two days ago was my first exam, which I knew I bombed when almost everything on the first page felt foreign. What happened to me? I used to study religiously last year, every day without fail. And now, it felt like every other day if I was up for it.

It was so hard.

Sighing, I put down the pencil and massaged my temples. I would've had time last week, but I got in my way. More ways than one. I leaned back in my chair and took a deep breath. The exam sat there, mocking me, making me realize how dumb and careless I was. Dumb and careless.

Wednesday | November 29th, 2023 | 1:42 AM

"Drive home safe, alright?" Wooyoung had patted me on the back. He walked Chaewon and I to his front door, leading us out of his apartment.

"Alright, I'll be fine," I laughed, giving him a pat back. "Thanks for letting us come." Sana and Joy were coddling Chaewon on the way out, wishing her goodbye. Joy leaned onto her, "It was so nice to meet you, Chae. Come down anytime, yeah?"

"For sure," She laughed, giving each girl a hug. "I'll be sure to."

"Take care of her, Minjae," Sana said, putting her hands on my shoulder. "And make sure to drive safe."

"Of course, will do."

"Alright, goodnight," Wooyoung waved, stepping back and closing the door behind us. The hallway was empty, but the sounds of laughter and music was heard from inside his apartment. Chaewon grabbed onto my hand, intertwining her fingers with mine.

"They're so sweet," she mumbled, swinging our arms.

"They are, aren't they?"

"I'm so tipsy, aren't I?"

"You are," I hummed, giving her a smirk while I guided us towards the elevator. "Tonight was fun, everyone was loud and excited."

"Loud is an understatement," she laughed. The doors to the elevator slid open, and I pulled us in, pressing the lobby button. As the doors closed, Chaewon leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She was tired.

"You okay?" I asked, running my thumb across the back of her hand.

"Mhm," she nodded. "I'm good. Did you have fun though?"

"Of course, it's always a fun time."

"You didn't drink that much." She was right. I only had a few shots, declining the rest as they were offered to me throughout the night. Chaewon, on the other hand, was convinced by almost everyone to take a shot with them. By the end of the night, her eyes were unfocused and she was slurring her words which was why I decided to take us home earlier than usual.

"It's okay," I murmured, reaching over and brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Someone needed to drive us home."

"I know, but you deserved to let loose, y'know?"

"Another time," I grinned. The elevator chimed, announcing we were at the lobby. Chaewon opened her eyes and pushed herself off the wall. Her feet stumbled slightly as we walked, but she had a firm grip on my hand. I walked us to my car, opening the door for her before helping her inside.

"So," she began, watching me walk around the front and get in. "This is the first time you've seen me drink." She giggled and buckled herself, adjusting her seat belt.

"It is," I smiled. I buckled myself and turned on the engine, "You're not the worst. I've seen people throw up in a trash can and have to be carried around."

"Yikes," she grimaced.

"Yeah, it was pretty nasty," I laughed. Putting the car in reverse, I pulled out of the spot and drove down the street. There were barely any cars, probably due to the fact that it was almost 2 am on a weekday. I had the windows rolled down a bit, allowing the wind to brush against our skin and blow the smell of alcohol out of the car. Chaewon and I remained quiet for a moment. Her breathing was low, and she stared out the window at the passing lights.

"I hope we can spend more nights like these," she said suddenly, resting her head against the seat.

"We will, don't worry. Finals are next week and then winter break will come."

"Good," she smiled, tilting her head towards me. "We have a lot to do together."

"Sure, whatever you'd like."

"I like the sound of that." We reached a red light and I glanced at her. She was staring right at me, grinning wide. It made my stomach flutter. Her eyes were glossed over, the streetlights illuminating her skin. It felt so nice to have her in the passenger seat. It felt nice.

"The light's green," Chaewon whispered.

"Ah, thanks," I replied, pressing down on the gas.

"I'll probably sleep a little on the drive, but," she began, "thank you for taking care of me. And thank you for the ride."

"Of course," I said. With that, Chaewon seemed to doze off, her head moving back and forth gently with the motions of the car. The drive back to campus was smooth. A part of me wished it could last longer. I could tell that she was starting to fall asleep, the soft sounds of snoring filled the car.

As we neared the campus, I pulled into a spot and shut the engine. Turning my head, I looked over at Chaewon, who was fast asleep in the passenger seat. I had considered sleeping in the car, not wanting to wake her but she seemed to sense the car stopping and slowly opened her eyes.

"We're here?" She mumbled, blinking a few times.

"We're here."

"Sorry for falling asleep."

"Don't be," I chuckled, unbuckling my seat belt. I got out of my car and circled around, moving to help Chaewon out of the car and grabbing her by the bicep. Together, we slowly walked towards the dorms. Since it was at night, no one was there to see me guide Chaewon inside the building and up to my dorm. Fishing my ID, I let us both in and quietly took her across my living room.

The dorm was dark, which I assumed meant Seulgi was already asleep in her bedroom. Relying on my muscle memory, I walked us through the dark before I found my bedroom door. I pushed it open with my shoulder, revealing the dimly lit room and guided her towards my bed.

"Here we are," I whispered, helping her sit down.

"Oh, wow," she giggled. "This is the first time I've been in your room, huh?"

"It is," I nodded. "And it's a little messy, sorry."

"I don't mind."

"Okay," I smiled, taking a step back. "Did you want to borrow some sleeping clothes, or are you fine with what you're wearing?" A part of me really wanted to see Chaewon wearing my clothes, which was why I asked in the first place to be honest. But I wasn't going to pressure her into doing so.

"What do you think would fit?" Her eyes twinkled under the light.