It was a little past midnight when Seulgi reached the curb by Joo Hyun’s house, marked by the old Birch tree they used to climb on warm and hazy summers years before Seulgi’s family moved to a different neighborhood.

Her hand twisted the key and the engine entered a state of steady silence. She tilts her head slightly, gaining full view of the house that became all too familiar to her. A nostalgic smile erupts on her face, gradually vanishing as her thoughts sink in.

            Seulgi blew a heavy breath through pursed lips and placed her forehead upon her hands on the steering wheel. “What are we doing here, Seulgi?” She asked rhetorically, squeezing her eyes shut and feeling her forehead scrunch. Her lungs filled up with the coldness of the air outside that seemed to seep through the fogged-up glass of her car as she inhaled fully, nodding in her mind one final time before reaching for her phone inside her jacket.

            The ringing pierced through the dead stillness of a community that’s fast asleep. Each chime started with a deep tone and ended with a resounding toll, as if mimicking the rhythm of her pulses, constant and unwavering and –

            “I’m on my way out,” the voice on the other end of the line said, snapping Seulgi back to reality. “Where are you parked?” the girl was speaking in hushed tones, but she was moving fast enough for the rush to be audible in the call.

            Seulgi merely chuckles and she unconsciously answers in the same quiet voice as the girl, “By the Birch tree as always,” she answered. “Take your time, I turned my engine off.”

            A few seconds passed, and from the door emerged a girl wearing pastel pink sweater with white sweatpants. She half-walked-half-ran through the lawn towards the parked car. Seulgi reached for the passenger door handle and opened it like reflex. The corner of her lips immediately curled up watching the girl settle on the seat, catching her breath and fixing her hair.

            “Bae Joo Hyun,” she silently called, looking at the girl intently. “I missed you.” Her eyes remained focused on Joo Hyun’s face.

            It was Joo Hyun’s turn to chuckle, “I know you did.” She rustled Seulgi’s hair and her smile widened. "Open the heater, will you?" Seulgi broke her stare and laughed the whole interaction off.

            She turned the key and ignited the engine, its sound filling the serenity with its revving. Seulgi shoots Joo Hyun a look, her face illuminated by the lamppost rather than the moon.

            “You ready?” She asked, straightening her back as she placed both of her hands on the steering wheel.

            “Always,” Joo Hyun simply answered, her lips erupting into a sheepish smile. “Take me away, Seul.” Her head rested snugly against the soft cushion that has known every curve in her body through the years.

            Seulgi stepped on the clutch, changed to first gear, and pedaled on the gas. Just like that, the car was in motion, and so was the night.

            “Play something for this cruise,” she told the girl in the passenger seat who seemed to have entered a trance—eyes reflecting the glowing signs on the road.

            “Sure thing.” Joo Hyun fiddled on her phone and a few taps after, a song began playing. She glanced at Seulgi as she waited for the notes to register on the latter’s mind.

            “Are you serious?” Seulgi finally uttered without turning towards Joo Hyun, there was a hint of giggle in her voice. “The Scientist, really?” This time, she turns her head briefly across the car to where Joo Hyun was seated.

            “Come on, you love Coldplay,” her words were playful, fully knowing the girl seating beside her couldn’t resist her antics.

            “Bae Joo Hyun, you know way too much about me.” Seulgi meant what she said, Joo Hyun did know way too much about her—perhaps, exorbitantly to the point that there were times when she felt too bare, too vulnerable around the girl. Although, who was she kidding? Joo Hyun was the only person she allowed to be this close, she was Seulgi’s exception to the façade she tried so hard to build.

            “Of course, I do!” Joo Hyun interlaces her arm with Seulgi’s arm that rested on the stick shift. “Seul, won’t you be getting an automatic car soon?” Her eyes settled on the girl’s hand that adjusted the gears ever so often.

            “Why would I? I love this car; I’ve had this for years. It’s reliable and fuel efficient,” Seulgi replied nonchalantly, eyes glued to the road that seemed endless.

            “I can’t hold your hand while you drive.” Joo Hyun’s words almost drove Seulgi to step hard on the brake because of shock, but thankfully, only a small hiccup of a hump made the engine shudder.

            “What are you talking about?” She nervously inquired, her knuckles almost turning white from holding the shifter too tightly. “Quit messing with me,” she added, followed by a timid laughter—Seulgi’s poor attempt at lifting the mood up.

            “I get cold hands easily,” Joo Hyun began to say, nestling further on Seulgi’s arm, relishing the warmth and softness of the girl’s thick jacket that smelled like white musk. “You used to hold my hand all the time when we took the bus home from school. I miss that.” Her lips pout unconsciously.

            Seulgi started to become even more aware of Joo Hyun’s arm linked with her, head resting against her shoulder. “That’s because I wasn’t driving, we were both passengers then.” She knew it was a lame excuse, but the situation called for it—or so she thought.

            “Fine, that makes sense.” Joo Hyun lifted her head briefly and looked straight at Seulgi, “Which is why I am suggesting for you to buy an automatic car.”

            “If you buy one for me, I’ll drive it.” Seulgi meets Joo Hyun’s deep brown eyes, and she swore she could have drowned in them if not for the sudden honk of an overtaking car. “You have to let me drive, otherwise, this is going to be a last for the both of us.” Her voice was low and there was