Two Confessions in One Day?
A few days after Seoha shook Yeoncheong's heart with words she would remember for the rest of her life, it was the night before Valentine's Day.
They hadn't made any particular plans, but there was one more person who'd spent a busy day making chocolate...
"Siyeon, what should I do?"
"Ahh! You scared me."
As always, Suyeon poked just her head out from the top bunk, and Siyeon, whose heart had lurched, scrunched up her face.
"What? Why?"
"I'm meeting Yeoncheong tomorrow, but what should I say?"
Since she'd never hidden anything from Siyeon, who was family, Suyeon caught on immediately to what she was talking about.
"Why are you asking me? Just say you have something to give her. It's not like she's the type to refuse something like that."
Siyeon had naturally assumed Suyeon had already made plans, given how she'd been clattering around in the kitchen all day—but apparently not. It wasn't exactly surprising, though. Suyeon had a habit of charging into things without a plan, so she'd learned to let it slide.
But.
"Still... I think Seoha is going to confess to Yeoncheong tomorrow..."
That follow-up remark was something she could not let slide.
"What!?"
Why was that name suddenly coming up? Siyeon shot upright like a spring—forgetting, for a moment, that she was on the top bunk, and that directly above her head was the ceiling.
Thud.
"Ack! Shit..."
She'd managed to slow herself at the last second, but it hurt all the same. Grimacing, she rubbed the bump that seemed to be forming on her head while Suyeon hopped down to check on her twin.
"You okay?"
"Probably... but more importantly—what do you mean, confess? Yeon Seoha? To Ha Yeoncheong?"
"......Oh. Right."
Wondering what had gotten into her, Suyeon suddenly remembered that she had only ever told Siyeon that she liked Yeoncheong herself—the fact that Seoha liked her too was something only Hasol and Nayun knew.
After much prodding and prying, Siyeon finally heard the whole situation, and her one-line verdict was as follows:
"What a mess."
Five girls who had shared a room on the school trip and were close enough to travel together over break—and now two of them had feelings for one member of the group...
A girl in love with another girl. Setting aside whatever charm Yeoncheong possessed that made this happen, what baffled Siyeon most was how the group was even holding together. Of course, there was a complicated story behind all of it involving Yeoncheong's secret, but naturally, Suyeon said nothing about that part.
"Hmm..."
Whatever the situation, if the person on the top bunk kept causing a commotion, the person on the bottom would suffer for it. What she meant was: if she wanted any peace and quiet, she'd have to ease Suyeon's worries first.
"Give me your phone."
"Why?"
"Less talk, more phone."
Siyeon kept pestering until Suyeon handed it over with a dubious look. Siyeon tapped around the screen with practiced ease, then promptly handed it back to its owner.
Suyeon hurriedly checked what she'd done, her lips wobbling.
"What did you do?"
"Texted Yeoncheong."
"What!?"
When she opened the messaging app, there it was—a message asking if they could meet tomorrow, already sent. And written in Suyeon's usual tone, no less. With the 'Read' mark and a reply of Sure, sounds good already waiting, there was no unsending it now.
"Hey! Yeoncheong already saw it!"
"Because if you'd gotten it back before then, you would've just deleted it."
Siyeon shrugged as if this were obvious, then flopped back onto the bed.
"Just go for it. Why do you always overthink everything when it comes to Yeoncheong?"
"That's... that's rich coming from you. What would you know about how I feel?"
Wriggling around under the covers until she found a comfortable position, Siyeon turned her head toward Suyeon.
"I don't, which is why I'm saying it. Stop testing the waters and just put yourself out there. If you've heard that Seoha's going to confess, then Yeoncheong probably knows too—she has her sources. And she's still meeting up with you anyway. That means you've got a real shot."
It was strangely persuasive, hearing the hopeful scenario Suyeon had only ever imagined alone come out of her own twin's mouth. Like it or not, they were twins, and the years they'd spent joined at the hip were not few. And now, scratching her head over it like this—this was her chance to lay the worry to rest for good.
"Yeah. You're right. Confess while you have the chance. At the end of the day, it's you or Seoha."
Should she be angry that Siyeon had done this without consulting her? Or grateful that she'd resolved her dilemma and even cheered her on? After floundering back and forth, Suyeon gave a small nod.
"...Thanks. I'll think about it. Seriously."
Meanwhile—
But... what happens if I confess and she turns me down? She'll probably bawl her eyes out for days.
It was only after spouting all that mouth-easing nonsense for the sake of a quiet evening that Siyeon finally started worrying about what came later.
The next day.
Against all expectations, Yeoncheong was not in her pajamas. She wasn't sprawled out rolling around on her bed, either.
Dressed comfortably enough for a quick errand nearby, she sat crouched on the chair at her desk, staring blankly at the pitch-black screen in front of her.
......I don't know. What am I supposed to say?
Tick, tock. The time she'd promised to meet Seoha kept creeping closer, and with no satisfactory answer coming to mind, her unease was only natural.
She had boldly asked Seoha why she liked her, after all—anyone might wonder what on earth she was playing at now. But Yeoncheong had troubles of her own.
Since she'd been a man in the past, was it somehow wrong for her to date a woman? Now that she was a woman, was it acceptable to date one? Did she truly harbor feelings for Seoha that went beyond friendship? And on and on.
But the biggest problem of all was this: two people liked Yeoncheong, and both of them were precious friends.
And why wouldn't it be? She had lived more than ninety percent of her life as a man. These were friends her own age who had been the ones to reach out first to a hopelessly awkward female newbie, despite all her efforts to adapt. On top of that, they had embraced and cushioned the pain and secrets she carried. It was no exaggeration to say that those four friends—Seoha and Suyeon included—were bonds that would last a lifetime.
The reason she tolerated their mischievous pranks was, in the end, precisely because they were those four.
Her friends refused to believe it, but Yeoncheong was absolutely not the pushover type who'd meekly fall for every little trick. Absolutely not.
And yet the moment she accepted one person's confession, she feared that the relationships built up until now—the daily life shared by five—would shatter.
Even Yeoncheong, whose nickname "Daengcheongi" was steadily taking root, could foresee at least that much. How could anyone carry on as before, knowing the friend they loved had someone else by their side?
Because she had once been hurt by someone she'd believed was her closest friend, she knew better than anyone that no relationship stayed the same forever.
And still...
No matter how many times she thought it over—dozens of times agonizing, hundreds of times sighing—
They're both precious to me...
The place her heart arrived at never changed.
Because Yeoncheong thought of them not as 'ordinary' friends, but as 'special' ones. Rather than imagining the bonds that would deepen after accepting a confession, her mind went first to whoever might be hurt—the fear that they could never again be together the way they once were. The anxiety closed in before anything else.
But that was neither the best answer she could give Seoha, nor one Yeoncheong herself believed in—she knew it was riddled with holes somewhere deep down.
Just as she was about to begin the umpteenth round of thinking—clearly this was hopeless, even to herself—a low buzz scattered her concentration, and Seoha's name appeared over the screen that had been silent all along.
Tap, tap.
Two fingers drummed against the desk. Finishing one last brief thought, Yeoncheong answered the call.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm heading out now."
Putting off a promise because she couldn't give her best answer might be the worst thing she could do—but showing up anyway, giving whatever second-best she could, was the right call.
Valentine's Day afternoon.
At first, even Suyeon had been only half convinced—but by the time she arrived in front of Yeoncheong's building, an inexplicable confidence had begun to well up inside her.
Do I actually have a real chance?
Seoha had clearly said she was going in the morning, and given the mood, her confession was all but certain. So until noon, Suyeon had braced herself for the possibility that their own meeting would be canceled. If Yeoncheong accepted Seoha's confession, meeting her would suddenly become an awkward thing to do.
But the hands of the clock had long since passed the number twelve, and no message canceling their plans had come.
She couldn't help the way her heart lifted at the thought—maybe...
Idly smoothing down her clothes and humming a soft tune as she waited for Yeoncheong, it wasn't long before the door opened. Out stepped Yeoncheong in that same outfit from the day of the pajama party, when she'd gone grocery shopping, slippers and all.
"Figured we'd just meet halfway."
The moment she came down, Yeoncheong wore her apology on her face. It was Suyeon who had suggested meeting up, but the trouble she'd caused clearly weighed on the girl's mind.
"No, it's fine. I had an errand out here anyway."
Telling the lie with perfect composure, Suyeon held up the shopping bag she'd brought along.
"Ta-da~"
"...Chocolate?"
When Siyeon had contacted Yeoncheong on her own yesterday, chocolate hadn't come up—but on a day like today, it was harder not to guess.
"Yup. Homemade."
"You too...? Ah—no, I mean. Thank you. I'll enjoy it."
Had Seoha given her homemade chocolate too, just like this? The words had slipped out before she knew it, and Yeoncheong scrambled to catch them. Suyeon flinched as well, but carried on as if nothing had happened.
"Since it's homemade, you can look forward to White Day, right?"
"I don't know how to make candy, so... I'll try my best some other way."
When Suyeon grinned with mischief written all over her face, Yeoncheong broke into a small laugh of her own.
Normally, this would have been the end of it—a happy Suyeon turning to head home.
But today was different.
This was surely the same spot where Seoha had handed over her chocolate and confessed. Was ending things here, just like this, really the right thing for her to do?
They weren't even in the same class anymore, and there was only a single year left. How long was she supposed to keep hovering on the edge of things, watching from this same comfortable distance?
Would there ever be another day as naturally suited to a confession as this one?
It wasn't a turn-based game. If Seoha had failed, wasn't it Suyeon's turn to take her shot?
Siyeon had egged her on just last night—just go for it. And the groundless confidence that had begun bubbling up the moment she arrived at Yeoncheong's door now reached its peak with the girl standing right in front of her.
"I like you. Go out with me."
In the end, that confidence drew out a confession as brief and unadorned as it could be.
Having thrown the dice, Suyeon belatedly searched Yeoncheong's face.
"Uh, um...?"
Perhaps this wasn't what she'd expected—caught off guard by the ambush of a confession, Yeoncheong did nothing but blink for a long moment. When she finally came to her senses, she fidgeted a little, her lips wavering.
"I'm sorry. I want to stay friends."
At those words, Suyeon went silent.
I'm sorry... I want to stay friends...
She would have preferred even a request for time to think. But wasn't this unmistakably a refusal?
Was it because Seoha's confession had been turned down?
Was keeping our appointment just her being considerate?
Was I too late?
Should I have asked to meet before Seoha did?
Should I have confessed that day we went camping?
I liked her... I liked her enough that I wouldn't have lost to anyone...
A thousand thoughts flashed through her head, but the last one, in the end, was regret.
Tears welled up in the corners of Suyeon's eyes.
Worried by the sight of her friend like this, Yeoncheong reached out her hand—
"Suyeon?"
—but Suyeon brushed the approaching hand away and spun on her heel.
"I-I'm sorry. I told you I had an errand, remember? I should get going."
"Wait, hold on... Suyeon, wait!"
Slippers were no good for chasing down a fleeing girl, and left standing there all alone, Yeoncheong sighed and raked a hand through her hair.
Did I say something wrong...? It was exactly the same as with Seoha...
Naturally, the reaction could never have been the same. Suyeon knew about Seoha's confession—so being rejected by Yeoncheong meant, as far as she could tell, that Yeoncheong had accepted Seoha instead.
When Yeoncheong got home, she sent Suyeon a message—but as expected, no reply ever came.