Strawberry x Dorami

The room was quiet except for the soft scratching of pencil on paper and the occasional rustle of fabric and other materials.

A girl in a messy bun, sat cross-legged on her bed, surrounded by neatly arranged tools for her personal project—a small model she was carefully assembling by hand. Her expression was calm, focused.

Her bed, night stand, and the storage space under her bed were lined with carefully arranged plushies and squishmallows, each positioned as if they had their own story to tell. They were Jisoo's only friends, and honestly, she didn't think she needed more.

Real friends? In this society?

She had long given up on that idea. People came with expectations, rules, and inevitable disappointments. Her plushies never asked anything of her. Her projects never betrayed her.

And yet...

Her hand slowed down as her mind wandered.

Kemiko.

They'd only met yesterday, yet there was something about that girl. Sunshine wrapped in a human form—cheerful, curious, genuine, overly honest, and unapologetically lively.

Kemiko was always looking forward to something. Like tonight's 'Fun Meeting' after dinner, which she'd been practically bouncing about since she heard about it.

Moon Ji Soo, on the other hand, had no interest.

She never like to attend gatherings or whatever. Too noisy. Too many people. Too much effort.

But now, unease gnawed at her.

Kemiko should have been back by now.

Her hand resumed working on the delicate pieces of her project, though her focus was fractured by questions that wouldn't leave her alone.

Where is she now?

Had something happened?

Her plushies watched silently from their spots on the shelves, offering no answers.

...~•~...

🇯🇵 "Jihye onee-san said she's busy, right?"

🇰🇷 "Don't remind me that..."

🇯🇵 "Sorry... If you want, I will go dinner with you."

🇰🇷 ". . ."

🇯🇵 "So we don't go dinner alone!"

🇰🇷 ". . ." — (Small smile) — "Sure!"

🇯🇵 "Okay!" — "Now I gotta hurry! Can't make Hyundae-san wait."

🇰🇷 (Hyun...Dae? Ugh... That fox 💢 What is he planning with a little girl?)

🇯🇵 "Take care, Jisoo-ya! I'll be back!"

...~•~...

She pressed her lips into a thin line, her fingers tightening around the small model.

Cursed Hyun... What have you done again!? 💢

And Kemiko, she sighs.

Don't overthink it, Soo-ya. She probably got distracted by something shiny and lost track of time.

But still...

Jisoo glanced at the door, hoping—no, waiting—for a sign.

Any sign.

The model in her hands trembled slightly as she adjusted the pieces with more force than necessary. Her usual meticulous care was faltering under the weight of her thoughts.

Why was she even worried? They weren't friends. Not really.

Were they?

Her mind wrestled with the unfamiliar feeling as the minutes stretched longer. The soft hum of the dorm was almost suffocating now. She didn't like this—this knot in her chest that shouldn't even exist.

And yet...

Jisoo kept glancing at the door, waiting for the sound of Kemiko's return.

...~•~...

~A knock at the door.

!!

Her heart jumped into her throat. She froze, instinctively wanting to hide under the bed or run into the closet. A guest? No, it couldn't be.

She stared at the door, willing it to disappear.

Please be Kemiko, she thought desperately. Just open it yourself and come in.

Silence.

Nothing.

Her pulse hammered in her ears. Ah... maybe her card is having an error or something.

Slowly, Jisoo got off the bed and walked to the door. Peeking through the peephole, she saw—no one.

Her brow furrowed. Strange.

Curiosity gnawed at her caution. She moved to the window, brushing the curtain aside just enough to see the path outside.

No one.

But something red caught her eye and— "Wait... is that... Dorami?"

Without thinking, she opens the door.

There on the floor lay a single cherry-red candy with a playful emoji wrapper—and next to it...

Her heart skipped a beat.

A Dorami hair clip.

Her hands trembled as she knelt to pick it up, her mind flashing back.

Kemiko.

Her bubbly sunny roommate had tied her hair into two bouncy pigtails earlier, one clipped with a bright red bow and the other... this exact Dorami hair clip.

There was no mistake.

She clutched the items tightly. Kemiko had been here.

But if she was the one who knocked... why didn't she come in?

Jisoo's blood ran cold.

She couldn't.

The realization hit her like a blow. Something had happened.

...~•~...

Back inside the room, she shut the door firmly, locking it as though that could keep her fears at bay. But the room's quiet only made her thoughts louder.

Her gaze dropped to the candy.

The emoji wrapper had a cherry... and a tiny 📞 printed on it.

Her heart raced.

What does this mean? Call her?

Panic gnawed at her. They hadn't exchanged numbers. How am I supposed to call her?

She wanted to cry. Fear gripped her chest. Her hands shook as she stared at the Dorami pin.

Kemiko's laughter echoed in her memory, bright and warm.

She clenched her fist around the pin, a surge of determination cutting through her fear.

No.

She couldn't fall apart now.

...~•~...

Her first instinct was to call her sister. It was always her first instinct. Family was all she had.

Her thumb hovered over the contact icon. Her sister's name glowed on the screen.

But at the last second, she pulled back. Thinking she'd just end up worrying her sister for something that's not confirmed.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the student app on her device, fingers flying across the screen in search of any information about Kemiko.

Student contact list... student profiles... anything—please!

The screen stubbornly showed only general housing details and school guidelines.

No private student data, of course.

She groaned, slamming the back of her hand against her forehead.

Ugh, why am I being like this?

The answer was obvious: she was panicking.

Her chest heaved as she fought back tears. Get it together.

And then—there it was.

A contact option blinked at the bottom of the screen: Student Assistance Hotline — Connect Now.

...~•~...

"Student Affairs, how may we assist you?"

"I-I need help," Jisoo stammered. "I... I need to contact my roommate, Hakachi Kemiko... I don't have her number and—"

"Understood." — "For privacy reasons, the Student Affairs Department can't provide direct personal information. However..."

She held her breath.

"You'll be connected to a representative from the Data and Intelligence Division. They may assist with tracking authorized communication channels." — "And they may give you the direct info if they see it as necessary or well needed."

Her heart raced as the line clicked.

A new voice came through, low and measured.

"This is [Codename] Nexus. Who's speaking?"

She swallowed hard, forcing her voice to steady.

"It's... uh, Moon Ji Soo. I need contact information for Hakachi Kemiko."

Silence.

"I'm worried that something happened to her."

Then a brisk, calculating response: “Acknowledged. Hold for a moment.”

Her palms felt clammy as she gripped the phone tighter.

This person—whoever they were—sounded sharp, focused, like someone who wasn't fazed by emergencies. She wasn't sure whether that comforted her or made her even more nervous.

Jisoo paced back and forth across the room, her phone trembling in her sweaty hand. Her chest was tight, and she realized she'd been holding her breath. Why does this always happen? She cried when she panicked, always had, and phone calls made it worse.

The sharp, composed voice on the other end of the line didn't help.

"Kemiko is still in the girls' housing area, which remains a green zone based on our latest data."

Relief tried to settle in her chest, but it didn't quite reach. Her legs felt weak. At least Kemiko's still in a safe zone, for now.

"So, mind telling me why you're so worried?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat, biting down on the instinct to start crying again. "I-I don't know," she said, voice cracking. "We haven't exchanged numbers before. And uh... I need to call her... like... NOW." — "Please help..."

The line went silent for a beat, and then the person spoke again, surprisingly patient. "It doesn't sound like a threat-level emergency, but you're clearly in distress. So I assume it's not just some dorm-room drama?"

"No." Her voice shook. "I just... Please, if it's not too much trouble..."

"Alright. Hold on."

She could hear the rapid clicks of a keyboard through the line. Her pacing grew frantic, fingers clenched around the hem of her sleeve. Why do I feel like I'm suffocating?! calm down, it's just a phone call!

"Got it," the voice finally said. "Sending Kemiko's contact now. But—"

"You'll need to report back to us, alright? Standard protocol."

"O-Okay. Thank you..."

"You gonna be alright there? This isn't exactly an emergency, but you're pacing like it is, aren't you?"

Jisoo froze in her tracks. How did they know...?

"N-Not pacing..." she mumbled weakly.

"Uh-huh. Sure." The voice carried a faint trace of amusement.

"Call her. And if things are off, you know where to find us."

The call disconnected, leaving crying Jisoo standing in the quiet room.

...~•~...

🇰🇷 "Kemiko?"

🇯🇵 "Ah... There's my Strawberry Sparkles!"

🇰🇷 Strawberry Sparkles?—Ah... she's avoiding to say my name. — "Where are you? Are you safe?"

🇯🇵 "Of course! Just enjoying some fresh air. It's gonna be a beautiful evening, you know?"

🇰🇷 "Uh-huh... but why do I feel like you're not telling me everything? Is someone with you?"

🇯🇵 "Oh no... Well, except for the early stars. They're great company, don't you think?"

🇰🇷 "You're sure? You sound a little... off."

🇯🇵 "Silly! I'm just waiting here for the night breeze to say hello. But hey, I was thinking... I kinda forgot some things. Like my sunny stuff—you know, better get fresh before the event later."

🇰🇷 (realizing the hint) "You can't go back?"

🇯🇵 "Exactly! But you're amazing at finding things for me, right?"

🇰🇷 (wiping away tears) "Got it. I'll grab your stuff and meet you... where?"

🇯🇵 "You know... Pretty girls' here dream big dreams, as they eat big yummy meals."

🇰🇷 "The girls' dining hall?"

🇯🇵 (Yokatta... Jisoo got the hint) "I knew you're a big dreamer."

🇰🇷 "Okay. I'll be there. Just... stay where people can see you, okay?"

🇯🇵 "Of course, Strawberry Sparkles!" (Why of course! That's one of the safety rules I learned. 😺)

🇰🇷 (sniffles, pulling herself together) "Wait for me."

🇯🇵 "Always!" ⛅

...~•~...

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