“Jang Wonyoung - tell me you didn’t forget. I know you’re a little absentminded sometimes, but you remembered, right?”
The thing is, Wonyoung did forget.
She doesn’t say it out loud, but her mother lets out a sigh on the other end of the phone like she can sense it and Wonyoung winces. She flops back onto the sofa and tries to contain her own sigh as she runs a hand through her hair. Gaeul spares her a concerned look from the other couch.
“No, of course I didn’t forget,” she lies poorly. “How could I have?”
“You’ve always been a forgetful thing,” her mother says, thankfully sounding more amused than upset. “Didn’t one of your friends buy you that calendar for Christmas?”
Yujin got it for Wonyoung's birthday, actually, and it was a gag gift to cover up the real gift of One Direction VIP passes to a concert. Wonyoung hated Yujin for about five minutes that day (but not really).
“You promised to be at your cousin Jia’s wedding,” her mother interrupts Wonyoung's thoughts. “You promised months ago.”
Wonyoung vaguely recalls a phone conversation with her mother in a dirty club bathroom after a few shots where her mother mentioned weddings and dates. Wonyoung had agreed easily – Yujin was just outside and Wonyoung didn’t want to keep her waiting.
“Right, I know that,” Wonyoung tells her mother. She watches Jiwon nearly knock Rei off a barstool and the squabble that ensues. She smiles.
“So you’ll be here, right?”
Any amusem*nt Wonyoung was feeling evaporates and she pulls away from the phone to groan into a pillow. Gaeul looks worried again, but Rei and Jiwon roll their eyes at her.
“It’s been really busy these last few weeks,” Wonyoung begins, but halts when her mother cuts her off.
“You promised,” her mother whines, sadness spotting her tone. “Your cousin Jia is really looking forward to seeing you at her wedding.”
“Alright,” Wonyoung folds, “yeah, fine, I’ll be there.”
“Jang Vicky Wonyoung,” her mother warns, sensing the hesitation in Wonyoung’s voice.
“I’ll be there!” Wonyoung says more firmly, her voice chipper and loud enough that Yujin finally pokes her head out of the kitchen with a confused look on her face.
Wonyoung's mother laughs and Wonyoung smiles at the sound. She really does miss her mother, if she’s being honest, even if her mother can be overwhelming at times. Wonyoung relaxes onto the sofa, zoning out as her mother prattles on about dresses and tuxes and flowers and other things that Wonyoung figures must make a wedding perfect.
Jiwon lands on top of Wonyoung, knocking the breath out of her.
“Wonyoungie, I’m breaking up with you,” Jiwon says seriously as she shoves a cookie in her mouth.
“Jiwon, what the f*ck-”
“Wonyoung!” her mom chastised.
“Gaeul’s cookies are better than yours will ever be – I’m leaving you for her,” Jiwon says, not looking put out.
“Sorry, Mom,” Wonyoung says into the phone, unceremoniously dumping Jiwon onto the floor. “It’s just – well, it’s Jiwon,” she explains, like that’s a legitimate excuse. Jiwon’s been her best friend for years, way before they went to college together, so Wonyoung’s mother is definitely familiar with the wild and loud explosion of a person that is Jiwon Elizabeth Kim.
“Of course,” Wonyoung’s mother says, like that makes sense. “Oh, and don’t forget, you said you were going to bring a date.”
That brings a bitter taste in Wonyoung’s mouth. She did have a date in mind when she’d originally been told about the wedding, as she’d been dating this guy and they were really hitting it off. Sunghoon was sweet and charming and he really swept Wonyoung off her feet. It was naïve, maybe, for Wonyoung to think they’d go to a wedding together that was months off, but young love and all that.
Sunghoon had turned out to be a cheating scumbag anyway, and Yujin pretty much held Wonyoung for hours as she cried.
(Wonyoung returned the favor the next night by wrapping Yujin’s busted knuckles. Yujin could be very protective, as Sunghoon’s broken nose could attest to.)
But she can’t tell her mother she’s without a date. Oh no, because then her mother would pick out some boy for Wonyoung that she’d have to awkwardly tolerate for the weekend and then never speak to again, which would disappoint her mother and set the woman off on a rant about how Wonyoung was going to end up alone forever if she didn’t start really looking for a husband.
No. Saying she didn’t have a date was possibly the worst thing she could do.
“You do have date, right?”
“Of course,” Wonyoung says confidently, surprised with how well the lie comes out.
Her mother squeals on the phone. “Great! Who is it?”
That’s a good question, Wonyoung thinks to herself, but she says, “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“You’re going to tell me before the wedding,” her mother says. “I want to know at least something.”
Wonyoung agrees and they both say goodbye as they hang up. Wonyoung rolls over and screams into a pillow.
“I feel like you might be under some stress,” Rei says.
Wonyoung rolls back over and stares at the ceiling. “I’m f*cked. I totally just really f*cked myself.”
“I thought we agreed, no masturbation in the common areas,” Jiwon comments, not looking up from her phone.
Wonyoung can’t even muster a laugh as the guilt starts to build in her stomach. She just lied to her mother, what kind of person does that?
“Hey,” Gaeul sits next to Wonyoung on the couch. “Are you alright?”
“I don’t have a date,” Wonyoung admits. She doesn’t have a date and she lied to her mom, she’s really having a sh*tty time right now.
“A date?” Rei asks from next to Jiwon. They’re both on twitter and only half paying attention to anything else. “For what?”
“Wedding,” Wonyoung sighs. She used to love weddings when she was a little girl, with all the flowers and pretty dresses and cake. But the older she gets, the less fun they are. Everyone wants to know when she’s getting married, what she’s doing with her life, what has she achieved? She’s only twenty, for god’s sake, she’s just trying to pass her advanced psych class.
“Hyunseo’s a little young for that,” Jiwon says. Wonyoung rolls her eyes and snorts, but Jiwon’s always had a way of lightening her up.
“It’s my cousin Jia’s wedding,” Wonyoung corrects. The more she thinks about it, the less excited she is.
“Oh yeah,” realization dawns on Jiwon. She’s met most of Wonyoung’s family over the years. “She’s the really hot one, right?”
Wonyoung nods, resting her head in her hands with a sigh.
Gaeul rubs her back soothingly. “So you need a date for a wedding? That sucks,” she says sympathetically.
“Well it’s – I mean,” Wonyoung splutters a little. “I told my mom that I have a date for the weekend.”
“And you don’t,” Rei raises an eyebrow.
“No,” Wonyoung winces. “I don’t.”
“You are problematic, Jang Wonyoung,” Jiwon says dramatically. “Who tells her mom she has a date when she doesn’t.”
“You’re not helping,” Wonyoung groans.
“Why not just go alone?” Gaeul suggests.
Wonyoung’s still feeling guilty and her hand aches where she’s clenching her phone too hard. This is all just so frustrating, and the worst part about it is that it’s really her own fault.
“I can’t,” she insists. “My family likes to set me up for dates or romance or whatever.”
Jiwon snorts (she’s seen a few of these disastrous set-ups first hand) and Gaeul gives Wonyoung a pitiful smile.
“Set up dates, what are you, fifteen?” Rei teases.
Wonyoung groans again and puts her face into her hands. She hates all of them at this point, with the exception of Yujin, who’s still in the kitchen. Yujin would defend her, she’s sure of it (even if Yujin would giggle as she did).
“You’re all useless,” Wonyoung grumbles.
“Did something dramatic happen while I was gone?” Yujin’s voice reaches Wonyoung’s ears. She shifts instinctively and smiles into her hands when Yujin slides into the spot between Wonyoung and the armrest of the couch. “I only went to make tea.”
The scent of the tea wafts over to Wonyoung and she finally pulls her head up. Yujin slings an arm around Wonyoung's tense shoulders and takes a sip. It’s almost unnoticeable to Wonyoung now, the touching they do. They always seem to fit into each other – careless arms around waists, a chin on a shoulder, a hand spread across a belly, fingers along her spine, a thumb brushing quietly behind her ear. It’s a casual softness they’ve mastered over their two and a half years of friendship.
Wonyoung bites her lip and she’s so fascinated by the line of Yujin’s profile, the softness under her eyes, the natural quirk to her mouth that she almost misses the way Yujin raises her eyebrows at her.
“Sorry,” she mumbles, ducking her head.
Yujin shrugs carelessly, grinning. “Shut up,” she whispers back, nudging Wonyoung’s knee with her own.
(It’s the small touches, the little gestures, the little lilt to their voices like they understand each other better than anyone else that melts a calm into Wonyoung's bones.)
She relaxes under Yujin’s arm and presses back into her, looking away.
“Our little Wony,” Jiwon announces, leaning forward like she’s delivering incredibly important news, “has a bit of a situation.”
Rei snorts. “You make it sound like she’s got an STD or something.”
“She’d need to get some action for that,” Jiwon replies, ignoring the disapproving look Gaeul gives her.
“I’ve had action!” Wonyoung protests. Admittedly, it’s been quite a while since her last time, but…
Jiwon scoffs. “Back with Musty Park.” Wonyoung kicks a pillow at her, knocking Jiwon’s phone out of her hand and sending her scrambling after it.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Yujin asks quietly, her nose brushing under Wonyoung's ear. It tickles and Wonyoung half-turns, bumping their foreheads together. Yujin’s breath is warm and smells like the tea she so often drinks and her eyes are so bright and distracting and –
Wonyoung shrugs, frowning softly. “I told my mom I’d have a date for my cousin’s wedding,” she tries not to grimace at her own words.
It’s always pretty ineffective – trying to hide her feelings from Yujin, because Yujin always seems to know what she’s feeling. It’s come from years of quiet conversations in the middle of the night, comforting and making Wonyoung feel like she’s home.
Yujin tilts her head sympathetically as she reads into Wonyoung's words. “And you don’t have one?”
“She doesn’t,” Gaeul confirms.
“Dumbass,” Jiwon tacks on quietly.
Wonyoung considers throwing something else at Jiwon, but this all really is her own fault, so she tucks her chin to her chest and shakes her head.
“Yeah,” she mutters. “Awful, I know.”
“It’s not awful,” Yujin laughs, the noise sweet and comforting.
“It is,” Jiwon insists, and Gaeul slaps at her for Wonyoung .
“You could hire someone,” Rei suggests. “Like an escort.”
“Rei!” Gaeul gasps. “That’s awful.”
“It worked in Pretty Woman,” Rei defends, not looking very serious.
“I’m not hiring an escort,” Wonyoung says. “Besides, I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”
“Only if you sleep with them,” Rei winks, startling Jiwon into laughter again.
“Just ask a friend,” Yujin proposes, drinking her tea and looking the very picture of calm. Wonyoung appreciates how steady Yujin is, especially when Wonyoung’s all over the place like she is now.
“You could ask Heeseung,” Gaeul says.
Wonyoung shakes her head with a frown. “No, Heeseung’s got a big performance this weekend.”
“What about Ryujin?” Jiwon offers.
“I’m pretty sure Ryujin’s girlfriend might have a problem with it,” Rei says.
“Plus, my family expects me to be dating whoever I bring. Or at least like them enough to,” Wonyoung adds, her lips firming into a line.
“Then why not take one of us?” Gaeul suggests with a huge grin.
“Kim, you f*cking genius!” Jiwon gasps.
Gaeul looks pretty pleased with herself and Yujin chuckles softly into the shell of Wonyoung's ear.
“What?” Wonyoung squeaks. “You’re not – you’re not serious, are you?”
Jiwon and Rei narrow their eyes almost simultaneously and lean forward.
“What’s wrong, Wonyoungie?” Jiwon demands.
“We not good enough for you?” Rei adds.
“Absolutely not,” Wonyoung says decisively, grinning when both girls reel back with offended gasps.
It’s not that Wonyoung’s never been with girls before. Sure, she only dated guys her first year in college, but at some point, gender really just stopped being a factor for Wonyoung. The other girls took it in stride, not even batting an eye when Wonyoung went on dates with girls or guys or those who fell into neither category.
“Do your parents know you like girls?” Gaeul asks, her tone conversational.
“Kind of?” Wonyoung answers. She gets looks from everyone in the room. “I mean, it’s never really come up, but I’ve talked about having girlfriends and stuff.”
“Okay, but straight people say girlfriends to describe platonic friends, too,” Yujin reminds gently.
“Oh sh*t,” Wonyoung says. “I’m gonna have to come out to my parents at a f*cking wedding.”
“And what better date to have than me!” Jiwon sits up straight, tossing her hair over her should and giving Wonyoung a blinding smile.
The girls all groan collectively.
“That’s a terrible idea,” Rei says.
“It’s pretty bad,” Gaeul agrees.
“I’d be the hottest date there!” Jiwon protests.
“Yeah, and then you’ll sneak off with a waiter when you think no one’s looking,” Yujin teases.
Jiwon narrows her eyes. “What’s your point?”
“You’re just kind of a fling girl,” Wonyoung says. “And that’s cool, but I need these people to think I’m in a committed relationship. And some of them know you too well to buy it.”
Jiwon shrugs, looking mostly unaffected.
“Rei, then?” Gaeul says.
“No way!” Jiwon laughs. “Rei’s too mean to Wonyoungie for anyone to believe they’re dating.”
“That’s fair,” Rei admits with a tilt of her head. Yujin laughs behind Wonyoung’s ear, the sound soft and raspy.
“Gaeul’s a sh*t actress,” Jiwon says.
“And I’ve got a boyfriend,” Gaeul adds, not looking upset at all by Jiwon’s comment.
“Your giant boyfriend wouldn’t approve of you getting a side chick?” Rei teases.
“He’s not that tall!” Gaeul protests.
“You’re just tiny,” Jiwon says in a baby voice, pouting at Gaeul .
Wonyoung lets the bickering fade to the background and looks to Yujin. She’s still got one hand around her mug, the other curled at the nape of Wonyoung's neck, scratching lightly at the skin there. It’s incredibly soothing to Wonyoung, so much so that she just stares at Yujin, unable to tear her eyes away. It happens often, this staring, but Yujin never tell Wonyoung to stop or chastises her for it.
“It’s gonna have to be me, then,” Yujin offers, the words sounding easy. Her dark hair is framing her face, making her eyes look even more vivid than usual. Her hand moves around and she drapes her arm over Wonyoung's shoulder, her fingers resting comfortably against Wonyoung's collarbone.
“Nice,” Jiwon approves with a nod. “You were my first choice, Ahn.”
“After yourself, huh?” Rei snorts.
“Of course,” Jiwon nods.
“Of course,” Gaeul repeats. “That’s probably the best course of action.”
Wonyoung’s heart thuds as she looks at Yujin. “You want to – I mean, you wouldn’t. Um. You think?”
The corner of Yujin’s lips tug into a grin. She looks really amused by Wonyoung's flustered state, which, rude, but Wonyoung doesn’t have anything clever to say right now.
“Wonyoungie,” Jiwon says sweetly, raising an arrogant eyebrow, lips already twisting into something vaguely lethal and familiar, “can you really not see how perfect this is?”
“Really?” Wonyoung croaks, even as she and Yujin press closer and Yujin taps comfortingly at her collarbone.
“It wouldn’t be hard for the two of you to pull it off,” Rei agrees.
“I can definitely see it,” Gaeul adds.
And, like, okay, it’s not like Wonyoung's never noticed how beautiful Yujin is (because she notices it, like, all the time) or that she and Yujin are kind of touchy-feely with each other, but to be in an entire relationship together is… something else entirely.
Wonyoung and Yujin exchange a look where they communicate silently, debating whether they should go through with it.
“Ugh!” Jiwon gestures at them angrily. “They won’t even have to try!”
Yujin rolls her eyes as Rei kicks at Jiwon, knocking her off the couch from where she’d been perched at the edge.
Wonyoung giggles and reaches up to lace her fingers with Yujin’s where they rest on her clavicle. She gives them a squeeze and smiles when Yujin squeezes back.
“It’s a good idea, actually,” Yujin admits quietly as Gaeul snapchats Jiwon and Rei fighting on the other sofa.
It’s sort of not, for some reason Wonyoung really can’t describe, but she really is desperate for a date.
“So it’s settled!” Jiwon exclaims from where she’s got Rei pinned. Rei knocks her off and they’re back at it again.
“I guess so,” Wonyoung agrees, smiling at Yujin.
It’s so easy in this comfortable living room in a house that they’ve been living in together for two years. The affection they share between them – at this point it’s so natural. Believable.
Yujin presses a clumsy kiss against the side of Wonyoung's head. There’s nothing weird about it and Wonyoung thinks for the first time that it all might work out.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The steady hum of the plane is soothing but Wonyoung can’t fall asleep.
It’s, like, eleven at night (or something – they’re crossing a few time zones right now) and Yujin is curled up with her head resting against Wonyoung's shoulder, breathing steadily.
Wonyoung’s mom bought the tickets for the flight, which was really good because Wonyoung had, like, four dollars in her account, so she was short a little. They’ve been flying for about an hour and they have hours left to go but Wonyoung's got nerves fluttering in her stomach so fiercely that she can’t even think about dozing off.
She’s aware of why, though. When she and Yujin boarded over an hour ago, Wonyoung pulled out her phone and told Yujin to smile, snapping a quick selfie of the two. Yujin had pouted and complained that she wasn’t ready and Wonyoung ignored her because Yujin looked like a damn model in the picture anyway (who looks good in candids? Yujin, apparently).
Wonyoung sent the picture to her mother with a text that said ‘me and date are excited and on our way!!!’
Then she immediately shut her phone off.
Yujin sighs in her sleep and Wonyoung smiles a little at the noise. Regardless of the whole fake-girlfriend thing, it’ll be really nice to have Yujin around for the weekend. Jiwon has been Wonyoung's best friend since she was ten, but she and Yujin just… connect. There’s something special between the two of them that she can’t deny (not that she wants to), and it’s incredibly comforting as Wonyoung’s about to have to brave lots of awkward extended family nosing into her business.
She’s nervous, of course. She did just come out to her mother via text message, which may not have been the most brilliant idea, but. Still.
“You’re thinking too loudly.”
Wonyoung jumps a little when Yujin’s voice floats up to her ear. Yujin still has her eyes closed, but she definitely just spoke.
“Sorry,” Wonyoung says.
Yujin stretches lazily as much as she can in the small space and slowly blinks her eyes open. She’s like a cat when she’s sleepy, Wonyoung notes fondly.
“’S okay,” Yujin yawns. “Whatcha thinking about?”
Wonyoung turns away from Yujin’s eyes, which are boring into her with alarming intensity for someone who just woke up.
“Just – you know, all the family that’s going to be there and. You know how I get with talking to people,” Wonyoung replies.
Yujin’s laughter rumbles in the back of her throat. “Pretty odd, considering you want to be a shrink.”
“Talking about other people’s problems, I can handle,” Wonyoung says, her reply practiced. This is a conversation they’ve had several times. “Talking about myself to people who are ready to pounce on everything I do wrong – not so much.”
Yujin hums noncommittally. “What’re you really worried about?”
It would be annoying, sometimes, how Yujin always seems to know what Wonyoung's thinking, but Yujin’s always been good at knowing when to push and when to let off. Even when Wonyoung's not sure which one she needs.
“I just texted my mom about my date,” Wonyoung says. Yujin frowns.
“My female date,” Wonyoung emphasizes.
“You…” Yujin blinks slowly, looking like she’s been caught off guard. Wonyoung takes a moment to appreciate it; she very rarely catches Yujin off guard. “You came out of the closet to your mother by texting her?”
“Well what was I supposed to do?” Wonyoung says defensively, struggling to keep her voice down. A lot of other passengers are still sleeping. “Just show up?”
Yujin looks mostly amused which kind of makes Wonyoung frustrated.
“You could’ve told her, like, all week,” Yujin says reasonably. “You decided to take me as your date on Tuesday.”
“Shut up,” Wonyoung snaps, feeling irrationally angry at Yujin, who was completely right. She shouldn’t have left this off until the last minute, but forgive her for being a little worried.
“Hey,” Yujin’s voice goes soft and Wonyoung relaxes almost by instinct.
(Everything with Yujin seems instinctive to Wonyoung .)
“You were scared,” Yujin says. “I get that.”
Which mostly just makes Wonyoung feel guilty, because Yujin told her only a few weeks ago about how she came out to her parents when she was only seventeen and how their reactions were… less than pleasant. Their relationship was improving, Yujin had said as they curled up together, their voices low, but Wonyoung knew it still hurt Yujin.
“But I know that anyone who raised someone as lovely as you has to be wonderful and kind.”
Wonyoung looks at Yujin and Yujin’s staring at her with so much intensity that Wonyoung thinks she can almost hear what Yujin’s thinking.
Then the plane jostles a little and Wonyoung looks away, the moment broken.
“Compliments like that will have my mom wrapped around your finger in no time,” Wonyoung chuckles nervously. But oddly enough, she’s not nervous about her mother anymore.
Yujin doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, then her voice comes out rough. “Good to know.”
Wonyoung’s holding her breath when she turns her phone back on.
She has a message from her mother.
‘She’s gorgeous!! Is this the Yujin I’ve always heard so much about? Let me know when you land.’
Wonyoung lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She knows her mother is a very open-minded person, but that didn’t keep her from fearing the worst possible reaction. She’s more relieved than she knows how to deal with.
“Hey,” Yujin drags both of their suitcases over from baggage claim. “Everything alright?”
Wonyoung just tugs Yujin into a rib-crushing hug that knocks the wind out of both of them. Yujin hugs her back, running a hand up and down her spine.
“Is this good or bad?” Yujin wonders.
“Good,” Wonyoung says, pulling back to beam at Yujin. “My mom says you’re gorgeous.”
Yujin’s cheeks go faintly pink. “That’s very nice of her.”
Wonyoung just laughs and pulls Yujin along.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yujin ends up driving the rental car because Wonyoung's nerves only grow worse the more time passes. She’s not even really sure why she’s so nervous, or why her heart keeps pounding harder every time she looks at Yujin.
It’s just – well she is about to show up to a wedding with one of her closest friends posing as her girlfriend. She’s lying to pretty much everyone in attendance, and while she doesn’t really care about her bitchy Aunt Shin ae or her spiteful twin cousins, lying to her mother and father and little sister does send a twinge of guilt in her stomach.
Yujin’s humming to the radio. She doesn’t look nearly as anxious as Wonyoung is, but Wonyoung can still tell by the way she taps her hands against the steering wheel that she isn’t completely unaffected.
They’re nearly there when Yujin finally breaks the silence.
“Wony, are you sure you want to do this?”
Wonyoung's head whips around to stare at Yujin. “Do you not want to?”
Yujin shakes her head, glancing at Wonyoung out of the corner of her eyes. “I’m here to help you, Wonyoung, but you look like you’re about to throw up. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
“No,” Wonyoung shakes her head immediately. “No it’s nothing like that, it’s just… you’ll stay with me the whole weekend, right? You’ll help me if I mess something up?”
They stop at a light and Yujin turns to look at Wonyoung fully, her face going soft and fond. She reaches out and tangles their fingers together.
“Of course,” Yujin murmurs, her voice like a promise.
“Thank you, Jinnie,” Wonyoung breathes back. “For all of this. This weekend would’ve been unbearable without you.”
“Of course,” Yujin says again, smiling gently.
Wonyoung really does mean it. To be surrounded by all of her family who don’t really know about her and only mildly care about her because she’s ‘family’ sounds like pretty much one of the most unpleasant things Wonyoung can think about. With Yujin, though, nothing’s really unpleasant. Even when they argue or frighten each other, Wonyoung's never really upset, because she knows that Yujin will be there for her at the end of it all.
“Besides,” Yujin turns to the road again, her voice casual, “I’m your girlfriend, aren’t I?”
That knocks the wind out of Wonyoung a little and she can only nod dumbly. Because Yujin is her girlfriend for the weekend and that absolutely doesn’t feel odd (which is what actually does make it odd).
When they pull up to the house, Wonyoung might just keel over the second she gets out of the car. Yujin senses it (of course she does) and reaches out to grab Wonyoung's hand again.
“Hey, relax,” she says, rubbing her thumb along Wonyoung's. “It’s just us, you know. I’ll be right here with you the whole time.”
That gives Wonyoung the surge of confidence she needs. She steps out of the car and takes a deep, steady breath. It’s pleasantly cool outside, which is a nice surprise, but it is nearly winter in Sock-cho. Yujin gets out of the car and sends Wonyoung a reassuring smile over the top of it.
“Unnie!”
Wonyoung turns around and is promptly tackled against the car by Hyunseo. She’s not even really sure why her little sister is up, given that it’s nearly two in the morning.
“A little gentleness would be appreciated, Hyun,” Wonyoung groans.
“Sorry,” Hyunseo giggles, not looking very sorry at all. “I missed you.”
Wonyoung's scowl melts into a smile as she wraps her arms around her little sister. “I missed you, too.”
“Is that her?” Hyunseo’s voice drops to a very loud whisper as she looks at Yujin, who’s pulling their luggage out of the back of the car.
Belatedly, Wonyoung realises that Hyunseo’s asking if Yujin’s her date, so she nods.
“She’s super pretty,” Hyunseo goes on in her whispering that might be louder than her speaking voice. Wonyoung catches the smile that grows on Yujin’s face.
“Yes she is,” Wonyoung agrees quietly as she studies Yujin’s face.
Wonyoung’s mother is walking out of the front door then, spreading her arms with a smile. Wonyoung smiles as well, until her mother walks right past her to pull Yujin into a fierce hug.
“Oh, I’ve heard so much about you over the years, it’s so good to finally meet you. We’ve been waiting up for you,” she says when she pulls back.
Yujin’s fighting laughter, Wonyoung can tell, but she’s still polite when she says, “It’s very nice to meet you Mrs. Jang.”
“Call me Jennie,” Wonyoung's mother orders firmly. Then she turns to Wonyoung almost accusingly. “I can’t believe you never told me you were dating this lovely girl.”
Yujin drifts closer to Wonyoung as she stammers through her excuse.
“It’s still kind of new, I just didn’t want to – you know, jinx it or something.”
Yujin’s hand slides across Wonyoung's back to rest at her hip and Wonyoung relaxes into the touch, looking over at Yujin.
“Well, we’re so glad you’re here. Both of you,” Jennie says happily.
Yujin carries their bags into the house, refusing to let Jennie help.
“Quite the chivalrous one, isn’t she?” Jennie says delightedly to Wonyoung , who just smiles and nods.
Yujin meets Wonyoung's father, Jongin, who beams at her and very loudly threatens to kick her ass if she ever hurts Wonyoung (much to Wonyoung's mortification).
“I’d never hurt her, sir,” Yujin says, sounding absolutely resolute in her words.
Jongin nods in approval. Wonyoung almost can’t believe that they’ve got everyone convinced so easily. If her parents believe, the rest of the people at the wedding will as well.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There’s only one bed.
Wonyoung knows her parents aren’t dumb, they’d expect her to sleep in the same bed as her girlfriend but, like. Yujin’s not actually her girlfriend. Wonyoung’s actually not sure why she’s even worried about something as dumb as sharing a bed, because it’s not like she and Yujin haven’t before, but that’s just because they’re best friends. Sleeping in the same bad as ‘girlfriend’ Yujin is…
Yujin doesn’t look concerned at all though, not even when Jennie gives the two of them an exaggerated wink.
“Your mom’s sweet,” she says lightly as she puts their bags down.
Wonyoung snorts. “To you, maybe. Did you see the way she went right past me to hug you?”
Yujin wrinkles her nose. “Are you jealous of me and your mom?”
Wonyoung barks out a laugh and tosses a pillow back at Yujin, who catches it with an easy grin.
“I’m not into married women,” Yujin insists, her eyes wide.
“Shut up,” Wonyoung laughs, falling onto the bed.
Yujin lies down with her head on Wonyoung's stomach. Wonyoung runs her fingers through Yujin’s hair habitually.
“Going well so far,” Yujin murmurs. “Your parents and your little sister. They think I’m a great girlfriend.”
“You are,” Wonyoung agrees.
Yujin’s quiet for a moment and Wonyoung can’t see her face, but the silence feels weighted. Then Yujin says, “Better girlfriend than Kim, that’s for sure,” and Wonyoung giggles, the heaviness gone.
They move around each other, getting ready for bed. They’ve shared a bathroom for years as roommates, so their routine flows easily.
They’re finally in bed, some space between them. They’re usually cuddled up when they sleep, but Wonyoung still feels odd about the whole my-parents-totally-think-we’re-banging thing, so she’s thinking maybe space will be good for tonight.
“Night, Jinnie.”
“Goodnight, Wony.”
(Wonyoung wakes up a few hours later with her arms wrapped around Yujin and her head tucked under Yujin’s chin and she thinks it was kind of dumb of her for trying to avoid the inevitable.)
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Why are we going to the bridesmaids’ brunch if we’re not bridesmaids?” Wonyoung complains into her cup of coffee. She’s standing at the counter and frowning at her mother, who’s perched on a barstool.
“Don’t whine,” Jennie orders, looking calm as she flips through the morning paper. Wonyoung can’t believe that her mother still reads the newspaper, but it’s nice to see that some things never change.
“Yujin and I only got here, like, six hours ago,” Wonyoung says.
Yujin’s actually still upstairs in bed, which doesn’t surprise Wonyoung at all – Yujin’s never been much of a morning person. When Wonyoung crawled out of bed only twenty minutes before, she placed a hesitant kiss on Yujin’s forehead (like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to do that) before rushing out of the room.
“You’re in college, surely you’ve operated on less sleep than this,” Jennie replies.
Wonyoung grumbles into her coffee because that may be true, but she likes to sleep, and not sleeping is not fun.
Warm hands slide around her waist, startling Wonyoung. Yujin’s thumbs slide under the bottom of Wonyoung's t-shirt and rub at the smooth skin of her stomach as Yujin hooks her chin over Wonyoung's shoulder.
It’s not an unusual position – Yujin’s always cuddly when she’s sleepy, and she spends most mornings draped across at least one of the girls in their house.
“G’morning,” Yujin mumbles.
Jennie tosses them an adoring look, and Wonyoung finds that more flustering than anything else.
“I tried not to wake you,” Wonyoung tells Yujin.
“It was cold in bed without you,” Yujin says candidly. “Is there more coffee?”
Wonyoung pours her a cup and Yujin stands next to Wonyoung to peck her on the cheek in thanks.
“Oh, you don’t have to feign modesty here, girls, have a real good morning kiss,” Jennie teases.
Wonyoung stares at her mother and before she can say anything else, Yujin’s fingers tap at Wonyoung's jaw and –
It makes Wonyoung's heart race, if she’s being honest. Yujin’s lips taste like mint toothpaste and they’re soft and gentle against Wonyoung's. Somehow – oddly – it doesn’t feel strange at all. It feels like something they’ve always done, something that comes naturally to them.
It’s not a long kiss, or a particularly deep one, and Yujin pulls back with a sparkle in her eyes that Wonyoung can’t identify.
Her mother’s still in the room and Wonyoung knows that she and Yujin are supposed to be girlfriends, and that, she tells herself, is why she leans in to press another kiss to Yujin’s mouth.
“Gross!”
Yujin and Wonyoung jerk apart, startled. It was Hyunseo’s voice that interrupted them, surely wrinkling her nose at their affection, but Wonyoung can’t stop staring at Yujin.
“Hush, Hyunseo, someday you’ll find someone to love and kiss,” Jennie says.
Wonyoung chokes a little and Yujin coughs into her fist, looking away as her cheeks flush pink.
“I’m gonna, um,” Yujin gestures back towards the stairs, “get ready.”
She leaves and Jennie sets in on teasing Wonyoung but Wonyoung's lips are still tingling and she can’t really focus on her mother because all she can think about is how much she really liked kissing her best friend.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I hate weddings,” Wonyoung mutters to Yujin under her breath.
Yujin co*cks an eyebrow at her. “Never getting married?”
“I’ll elope,” Wonyoung decides. “Just go to the courthouse and get it done. Weddings aren’t the point of being married, being married is the point of being married.”
Yujin gives Wonyoung this fond look she always has when Wonyoung's rambling about something that doesn’t really make any sense.
“I’ve seen your wedding dress pinterest board, Wony,” Yujin says. “It’s… extensive.”
“So I’ll wear a wedding dress to the courthouse. Who could stop me?”
Yujin chuckles quietly and loops her arm around Wonyoung's waist, tugging her closer while Wonyoung sips at her mimosa.
The brunch is annoying to Wonyoung , full of nearly every woman in her family and Jia’s fiancé’s family. It’s like a minefield laid out before her, and any wrong step will suck her into a conversation she really doesn’t want to be a part of.
So she hangs back with Yujin, telling her all the drama she can remember between certain family members while drinking champagne and orange juice.
“I don’t think anyone in their right mind would try to stop you once you’ve set your mind to something,” Yujin snorts.
Wonyoung squints at her. “Is that an insult or a compliment?”
Yujin shoots Wonyoung an amused look before walking off to get a refill on her drink, which inadvertently leaves Wonyoung hung out to dry in a room full of invasive women.
Her Aunt Shin ae sidles up to her in record time and Wonyoung has to actively work to suppress her groan when the woman appears.
“Who’s that you brought with you?” Aunt Shin ae asks.
Hello to you, too, Wonyoung thinks, but Aunt Shin ae’s never been the small talk type.
“My girlfriend, Yujin,” Wonyoung says confidently (she practiced in the shower).
“Oh,” Aunt Shin ae hums sympathetically, tilting her head and giving Wonyoung this pitying smile that makes Wonyoung grit her teeth. “Couldn’t get a date, so you just brought a friend, huh? There’s no shame in that.”
It’s about as insincere as a person can be and Wonyoung only restrains herself because her mother would be very upset if she punched Aunt Shin ae.
(How her mother turned out so sweet and kind when she had the devil for a sister is beyond Wonyoung , but, whatever.)
“Actually,” Wonyoung begins, “Yujin is my girlfriend.”
Aunt Shin ae blinks, still not understanding and it really pisses Wonyoung off for some reason. Yujin is her girlfriend, is that so hard to understand?
“We’re together,” Wonyoung tries to keep her temper as she explains. “We go on dates and hold hands and kiss, because she’s my girlfriend.”
It must finally click for Aunt Shin ae based on the way her face warps into poorly concealed disapproval.
“Oh,” she says. “I didn’t know you were… like that.”
Wonyoung nearly crushes her glass in her hand. “Like what, exactly?” she demands, anger seeping into her voice despite her attempts to keep it under control.
“Wonyoung, sweetheart!”
Wonyoung turns, still feeling the steam practically coming out of her ears as her Aunt Rosé approaches them very quickly.
“So good to see you, your girlfriend has been chatting with Jia and I, why don’t you come join us?” she suggests hastily, very obviously giving Wonyoung an out from her current conversation.
“Sure!” Wonyoung chirps gritting her teeth into a smile. “Let’s go see my girlfriend,” she directs the last word to Aunt Shin ae as she walks away with Aunt Rosé.
Rosé pulls her to a stop in an empty corner and Wonyoung tries to reel herself in.
“You looked like you were about to murder her,” Rosé says lightly.
“I was seriously considering it,” Wonyoung mutters darkly. “She’s just so – I mean, she was. You know.”
“Trust me, I do know,” Aunt Rosé chuckles. “But I really did come over to grab you. Jia’s talking to your Yujin.”
My Yujin, Wonyoung thinks. She likes it more than she cares to admit.
“She’s a wonderful girl,” Rosé says happily. “My daughter might just make her a last minute bridesmaid, the way they’re getting along right now.”
Wonyoung looks over just as Yujin tosses her head back to laugh at whatever Jia said. She always laughs like that, full-bodied and loud and contagious. Wonyoung smiles at the sound.
“You’re certainly smitten,” Aunt Rosé decides.
“What?” Wonyoung turns back, but Rosé is already dragging her over to the bride and her ‘girlfriend’.
“Wony!” Jia cries when she spots her.
“Hi, Jia,” Wonyoung laughs when Jia pulls her into an enthusiastic hug.
“I’ve been talking to your girl, and I’ve decided you have to keep her,” Jia says.
Wonyoung looks over Jia’s shoulder where Yujin is talking to Rosé.
“Is that so?”
“Yes,” Jia nods firmly. “I like her.”
“Watch it, you’re getting married in less than forty-eight hours,” Wonyoung warns.
Jia just laughs and moves closer to her mother and Yujin.
Wonyoung slides into place next to Yujin. “Hi,” she says.
“Hi,” Yujin grins at her. “Long time no see.”
Wonyoung smiles back and impulsively leans in to peck Yujin on the lips. Yujin’s eyes go a little wider, but she looks pretty unfazed.
“This is unacceptable,” Jia complains. “The weekend of my wedding and I’m being upstaged by the cutest couple ever.”
Wonyoung blushes and looks away from Yujin, but she can feel Yujin’s eyes are still on her.
“So how did you two meet?” Aunt Rosé asks, looking genuinely interested. It’s only because she’s Wonyoung's favorite Aunt that she decides she might as well answer honestly.
But Yujin beats her to it.
“We met in a coffee shop.”
“Unbelievable,” Jia says. “You’re like a perfect romance movie couple.”
“Actually,” Wonyoung says, glancing at Yujin out of the corner of her eye. It’s been over two years and she’s still embarrassed about the first time they met.
“Wonyoung bumped into me and spilled her coffee on me,” Yujin smirks back at Wonyoung , surely reveling in the flush it brings to Wonyoung's cheeks.
“That does sound very much like Wonyoung ,” Aunt Rosé laughs.
“Well, we sat down and got to talking and Wonyoung was telling me about how awful her roommate was, and we ended up renting a house with a bunch of our friends. We didn’t start dating until pretty recently,” Yujin explains.
She sounds so confident and sure when she explains it. She also leaves out the most embarrassing part of it all – that Wonyoung had really burst into tears the second she spilled her coffee and continued to weep pretty much the rest of the time they spent together in that coffee shop. Yujin was probably too nice to leave Wonyoung's crying ass alone, but Wonyoung’s glad it happened.
They spend a little more time talking with Jia, but eventually the bride excuses herself to tend to the other guests at the brunch.
“You totally left me for dead,” Wonyoung gripes.
“I didn’t realize it was so serious,” Yujin replies, looking unbothered.
“You haven’t met my Aunt Shin ae,” Wonyoung mutters darkly.
“Judging by the look in your eyes, I’m not sure I want to,” Yujin says.
And the idea of her Aunt Shin ae makes Wonyoung's stomach churn because she knows how incredibly unpleasant the woman is on a good day, let alone at a time like now when her unpleasantness is at an all-time high.
“Yeah, you should stay away from her,” Wonyoung says, her voice more solemn than she meant it to be.
Yujin turns to look at her, the smile sliding off her face when she sees how serious Wonyoung .
“Okay,” Yujin promises. “I’ll stay away.”
Breathing’s a little easier then and Wonyoung presses a kiss to Yujin’s cheek.
“Thank you,” Wonyoung says.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Unnie never lets me get on her shoulders!” Hyunseo squeals from on top of Yujin.
“That’s because she’s lame,” Yujin says matter-of-factly, and Hyunseo laughs in agreement.
It’s too cute for Wonyoung to really be upset, but she still pouts and says, “Hey!”
“Don’t worry, Wony, I like lame,” Yujin tells her, hazarding a kiss on the cheek with Hyunseo balanced on her shoulders.
“No kisses while I’m in charge!” Hyunseo demands.
“Right, of course,” Yujin nods immediately. “Sorry Wony, no kisses for you.”
“Such a shame,” Wonyoung jokes (and if she means it a little, no one has to know).
Wonyoung's really just beyond grateful that she and Yujin managed to get out of the bachelorette party. It was a Friday night that she would have to spend with drunken girls screaming in her ear and as much as Jia insisted for Wonyoung to be there, she managed to get out of it.
Instead, she and Yujin are walking along the beach with Hyunseo, the moonlight bright enough that they can easily see.
Hyunseo’s always been a very talkative kid, and with Yujin as her official New Favorite Person™, there’s no stopping her. Yujin listens very attentively, gasping and asking questions in all the right places. Hyunseo adores it.
Actually, all of Wonyoung's family adore Yujin. She’s only been around for a day and she’s got the whole Jang family wrapped around her finger. Wonyoung even tells her as much.
(“I think my family likes you more than they like me,” Wonyoung says.
Yujin scoffs and rolls her eyes but Wonyoung insists, “I’m serious!”
“Well,” Yujin says, her eyes burning into Wonyoung's, “you’re still my favorite. No matter what.”)
Wonyoung almost jumps when her phone rings in her pocket.
“Hello?”
“I’m almost to the pier to pick up Hyunseo, meet me there in five minutes,” Jennie orders.
“What –?” Wonyoung starts, but her mother hangs up before she can say any more. Wonyoung stares at the phone for a few seconds.
“Who was on the phone?” Hyunseo asks, apparently managing to stop her story about her friend losing her tooth by falling off the slide in order to pay attention to her surroundings.
“Mom,” Wonyoung answers. “She’s coming to pick you up, she says.”
Hyunseo whines and slumps against Yujin’s head dramatically, almost sending both of them toppling into the sand before Yujin catches her balance.
“Watch it, kid, I’m walking for both of us here,” Yujin complains, turning Hyunseo’s pout to giggles.
They make it to the pier and, sure enough, Jennie’s there waiting. Yujin carefully removes Hyunseo from her shoulders and lets the girl run to her mother.
“What do you say to the girls for taking you out?” Jennie asks Hyunseo.
“Thank you,” Hyunseo chants dutifully.
“We would’ve brought her back ourselves,” Wonyoung tells her mother.
“Oh, I know,” Jennie says. “I just wanted the two of you to have some alone time.” She gives them an exaggerated wink – just like the one when she showed them their room – and then she’s off, tugging Hyunseo with her.
Wonyoung's face burns because god could her mother be any more embarrassing?
“I see where you get your masterful subtlety from,” Yujin jokes, looking unfazed.
“We’re on a public beach, what does she think is going to happen?” Wonyoung demands, ignoring Yujin’s jab.
Yujin laughs and tugs Wonyoung closer to her so that they’re walking with their arms around each other. They’re silent for a while, just enjoying each other’s company as they leave footprints in the sand together.
“Today was nice,” Yujin says finally.
Wonyoung hums and nods. “I told you, my family all love you already.”
Yujin looks pensive and serious then, which isn’t unusual for her, so Wonyoung stay silent while Yujin gathers her thoughts.
“I just want them to know that they don’t have to worry about you. That I’m on your side, I guess,” Yujin shrugs.
Wonyoung's heart swells and her lips twitch at the corners because Yujin’s always been so selfless. That’s what Wonyoung admires most about her, that Yujin would do anything for the people she cares about. Especially for the people she loves.
The last thought spreads an odd warmth that encompasses Wonyoung's chest and she leans in to peck the corner of Yujin’s jaw.
“You’re sweet,” Wonyoung says, smiling when Yujin’s cheeks go pink.
Yujin scoffs and rolls her eyes lightly shoving Wonyoung away from her. “Shut up.”
Wonyoung shoves back harder and takes off, laughing as Yujin stumbles. Yujin catches up to her easily and knocks them both onto the soft sand, rolling until they’re both covered in it and giddy with laughter. Wonyoung's nearly on top of Yujin when they stop. Yujin’s grinning so wide that her eyes are squinted in the way that always makes her look like a puppy to Wonyoung and Wonyoung starts to lean in to kiss her.
Then her brain kicks in and halfway there, she jerks back like she’s been stung. She knows she must be wide-eyed, because Yujin’s not smiling anymore, staring up at Wonyoung with an unreadable look in her eyes.
Wonyoung just got caught up in the moment, is all, feeling like she needs to prove to everyone that Yujin’s really her girlfriend. Even though she’s not and there’s no one around to prove it to.
They’re both silent, looking at each other under the moonlight.
Finally, Wonyoung says, “We should head back,” her voice barely a whisper.
“Yeah,” Yujin agrees, something like disappointment in her voice as Wonyoung sits up. They both brush the sand off themselves and walk back to their car quietly.
It’s almost uncomfortable between them, Wonyoung notes, and she doesn’t like it at all. Yujin’s never made her feel awkward before. She knocks the backs of their hands together and Yujin turns her hand so that Wonyoung can slide their palms together, finger intertwined.
Just like that, everything is normal again. Yujin tells Wonyoung about what she and Jia talked about at the brunch and Wonyoung tells Yujin about her unsavory Aunt Shin ae.
By the time they make it back to the house and take turns showering, they’re both so exhausted that they fall into bed. They sleep wrapped up in each other’s arms, feeling completely at ease.
(The almost-not-quite-nearly-was kiss they shared earlier plays on loop in Wonyoung's mind but she shoves the thought away. She doesn’t want it to come between her and Yujin.)
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What’s up, f*ck?”
Wonyoung pinches the bridge of her nose and suppresses a sigh. “Hello, Jiwon.”
“How’s the whole wedding thing going? Everyone convinced you’re dating Yujin?”
“Yeah,” Wonyoung murmurs. “That’s… kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Gaeul , don’t let my macaroni overcook!” Jiwon’s voice becomes a little fainter as she presumably pulls the phone from her face and shouts across the room. Wonyoung waits patiently, faintly amused by Jiwon’s humming as she stomps to her room and loudly shuts the door.
“Okay,” Jiwon says finally. “What’s up, you’ve got your serious voice thing going on.”
Wonyoung leans up against the railing of the back porch. Yujin was asleep when Wonyoung left their room (their room), and the sun is just starting to warm Wonyoung as it rises. She had a weird dream.
“Wonyoungie? You still there?”
“Yeah,” Wonyoung shakes her head to clear it. “It’s just. I’ve been thinking.”
Another pause.
“Congratulations?” Jiwon offers.
Wonyoung sighs and tilts her head back. “Is this a bad idea?”
“I’m gonna need you to be a little more specific.”
Wonyoung runs a hand through her hair, tugging on it a little to clear her head. “You know, bringing Yujin home and telling everyone I’m dating her. I’m lying to everyone.”
Jiwon’s quiet for a second. “I need Gaeul for this,” she decides. “Gaeul !”
“Wait,” Wonyoung's heart races as she protests. For some reason she knows this conversations going to be a little more serious than she’d like, and the thought of letting another person into her thoughts feels… unsettling.
“Rei, don’t let Jiwon’s macaroni overcook!” Gaeul ’s voice comes faint over the phone while she enters Jiwon’s room. Wonyoung takes a second to be entertained by how ridiculous her friends are but she quickly shrugs that off as Gaeul asks, “What’s up?”
“Wonyoungie thinks taking Yujin was a bad idea,” Jiwon informs Gaeul .
Wonyoung almost feels like she needs to defend herself. “I’m lying to my whole family.”
Gaeul makes a thoughtful noise and Jiwon practically scoffs. Maybe Wonyoung should’ve texted Rei.
“It’s not really lying,” Jiwon says.
“They think we’re in love,” Wonyoung said, her heart thundering at the thought. Being in love with Yujin – that would certainly be something.
“Well, you love her, don’t you?” Gaeul prompts.
“Of course I do,” Wonyoung replies. “But not like that. I love all of you guys.”
“But you love Yujin more?” Jiwon presses. Wonyoung can practically see the wicked gleam in her eyes.
“No!” Wonyoung's voice cracks on the denial. Very reassuring.
“You totally do!” Jiwon practically cackles.
“I love you all equally,” Wonyoung insists. She feels like some weird parent trying to reassure her children, except her children actually want her to pick a favorite. Or something.
“Of course you do,” Gaeul soothes. Wonyoung relaxes a little; at least she has one person on her side.
“Maybe you just love Yujin differently,” Gaeul adds and Wonyoung very nearly hangs up right then and there.
Jiwon’s laughter rings over the line but maybe Gaeul can sense that Wonyoung's pretty frazzled, because she changes the subject back to what Wonyoung originally asked.
“It’s not really wrong,” Gaeul begins, which isn’t super reassuring, but Wonyoung's willing to take what she can get at this point. “You’re just spending the weekend with your friend.”
“Who you love,” Jiwon drags the word out teasingly and Wonyoung groans. “Gaeul ’s right, though, it’s no big deal. It’s not like you guys have made out or anything.”
Wonyoung mind flickers back to the kiss they shared their first morning in front of her mother and the almost kiss that happened at the beach the night before.
“Oh my god, have you made out?!” Jiwon’s very loud voice brings Wonyoung back to reality.
“No, Jiwon, Jesus, we haven’t made out!” Wonyoung says, because it’s true, they haven’t. But they’ve definitely kissed. And it definitely didn’t feel like just a random kiss between friends.
“Don’t think about it so much,” Gaeul advises. “It’s not really their business who you date anyway. Just enjoy yourself and worry about that other stuff later.”
“That sounds a lot like procrastinating,” Wonyoung says weakly.
“Which I know you’re good at,” Gaeul says cheerfully. “I’m gonna go make sure Rei hasn’t burned the kitchen down. Have fun, Wony!”
“Thanks,” Wonyoung grumbles.
“Seriously, though, Wonyoungie,” Jiwon’s voice becomes a little lower. “Are you alright?”
Everything has been so overwhelming the past few days that Wonyoung's not even sure. “I don’t know,” she tells Jiwon, her voice a little more miserable than she intended.
Jiwon sighs a little. “I know you're probably having a rough time. Those big family gatherings are never fun. Add in all this stuff with Yujin – I get it, I really do,” she says. Her voice has gone soft and soothing, very unlike her usual boisterous tone, but she’s always been good at helping Wonyoung calm down. “You’ve only got two more days, though. You’re gonna get through this.”
Wonyoung , embarrassingly enough, has to rub at her eyes to keep tears from escaping them. She always gets emotional at the worst times.
“Thanks Jiwonnie,” she says, keeping her voice level.
“’Course, Wony. See you soon.”
When Wonyoung climbs the stairs, she’s surprised to find Yujin sitting up in bed and on the phone.
“Thanks, Rei,” Yujin says sincerely just as Wonyoung pushes the door open. Yujin freezes for a second, ending the call. Then she just curls back up on the bed.
“It’s too early to get out of bed,” she declares. “Come cuddle with me.”
Wonyoung rolls her eyes, but she climbs back into bed, lying so that she and Yujin are facing each other, only inches between their noses. The sunlight is just starting to filter through the curtains, but Wonyoung doesn’t mind, because the natural lighting makes Yujin’s eyes sparkle a vibrant green.
“What’d you and Rei talk about?” Wonyoung asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I had a weird dream,” Yujin admits. “I just wanted to tell someone about it.”
“I had a weird dream, too,” Wonyoung says before she can stop herself.
Yujin just hums, not asking Wonyoung to explain any further. Mostly just because she’s is already dropping back into sleep – Wonyoung has no idea how she does it – and burrowing further into her pillow.
Wonyoung's relieved Yujin didn’t ask about her dream. How was she supposed to tell her friend that she dreamed about following through with that kiss on the beach?
No, it was better that Yujin didn’t know.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I’ve never really understood the point of the rehearsal dinner,” Yujin says. “We all know how to have dinner. This is just more money being spent on a fancy gathering that will only end in drunk uncles giving speeches.”
“At least there are no uncles on my side of the family,” Wonyoung says. “No blood related ones, anyway.”
“Yeah, just your mom and her two sisters, an angel and Satan,” Yujin jokes.
Wonyoung cracks a grin at that. Her conversation with Jiwon and Gaeul earlier has left a sort of calm feeling in her.
(She wonders how long it will last.)
There’s laughter, pleasant and hearty from the head table. Wonyoung almost feels guilty about how relieved she is to not be at that table. She loves Jia, really she does, but she’s perfectly content to be sat at a table with just Yujin and her family. Yujin pulled her chair closer to Wonyoung's after only five minutes, and they’ve been giggling with each other, hands interlocked, for most of the night.
Wonyoung's glad Yujin’s there, because otherwise, Wonyoung would’ve had to resort to drinking the night away, which would have only ended in disaster.
(Also Yujin looks stunning in her dress, but that’s beside the point.)
Wonyoung manages to keep herself under control for all of the speeches, even as Yujin’s practically running a nonstop monologue that has Wonyoung biting back laughter.
“You’re such an asshole,” Wonyoung mutters to her after ever politely applauds the best man’s speech.
Yujin just grins back at her.
Hyunseo talks to Yujin for nearly twenty minutes (Yujin listening intently all the while) before Wonyoung can break into the conversation.
“Can I have my girlfriend back, Hyun?” Wonyoung asks.
Yujin’s eyes snap to Wonyoung in an instant. She looks almost surprised.
“Sure,” Hyunseo agrees easily. She turns the other way and starts talking to Jongin like nothing interrupted her.
“C’mon, I spot Aunt Shin ae making her way over,” Wonyoung tugs at Yujin until she rises from her seat. “I don’t want to give her the satisfaction of pissing me off.”
“How do you know she’ll piss you off?” Yujin asks, trailing after Wonyoung obediently.
“She always does,” Wonyoung says wryly. “She’s talented like that.”
Most people are wandering around at this point, a few drunken speeches still going on in the background that no one’s really paying attention to.
“Wonyoung !”
Wonyoung turns and smiles, pulling the man who called for her into a hug. “Hi, Dae.”
When she pulls back, Yujin is waiting patiently, curiously looking between the two.
“Yujin, this is Dae,” Wonyoung introduces. “He’s the groom you’ve managed to evade for two days.”
Yujin smiles brightly and offers her hand to shake. “Nice to meet you,” she says sincerely.
“Nice to meet you,” Dae insists. “Jia’s been talking about you all day. I was worried you might slip her right out from under me the day before our wedding,” he jokes.
“I’d never,” Yujin replies. “Although, she is very pretty.”
Dae and Yujin both laugh together and Wonyoung really can’t believe just how good at all of this Yujin really is.
“I guess I’m lucky you’ve already got a girl, then,” Dae says.
“Yeah,” Yujin turns and gives Wonyoung a look filled with what Wonyoung can only describe as adoration. Wonyoung's cheeks flush and she ducks away, a smile practically splitting her face. “Lucky.”
Someone’s voice raises across the room and Dae rolls his eyes. “That’ll be Uncle Jinyoung. I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he says, fast walking in the direction of a man very loudly talking about something Wonyoung can’t decipher.
“How do you do that?” Wonyoung asks before she can help it.
Yujin raises an eyebrow. “Do what?”
“How do you always know the right things to say? How do you look at me like… like that?”
Yujin’s smile slides off her face and she looks very serious all of a sudden. “I’m your girlfriend,” she reminds Wonyoung quietly.
It’s a little too intense – almost frightening, if Wonyoung's honest – and she turns her head to look at the ground.
“You’ve always been a better actor than me,” Wonyoung tries to joke, but her tone goes flat and it’s kind of pained sounding.
Yujin’s very quiet for a few seconds and Wonyoung doesn’t look up. “Yeah, I’ve always been a great actor,” Yujin mutters, her voice strained. “Excuse me a second.” She slips away from Wonyoung and practically vanishes into the crowd.
Wonyoung spends the next half hour alone as she very discreetly tries to search for Yujin. But it’s like Yujin has disappeared. Eventually, she retreats to a corner with a drink in hand. She doesn’t really know what happened.
“Oh, hi, Jang.”
“Long time no see.”
Wonyoung has to shove down the urge to groan as loud as she can. She slaps on a smile that she’s sure looks forced and turns to face the two girls that have her cornered.
“Hello Hanni. Hello Eunchae.”
It’s almost bizarre to Wonyoung . Most twins like to kind of form their own identity and not be so closely associated with their identical sibling but these two have really done the opposite. They’re two years older than Wonyoung , they attend the same school, the same classes, they wear their hair the same; at this point, Wonyoung's surprised they don’t have matching outfits.
“Not too surprised to see you lurking on the outside,” Hanni says.
“As always,” Eunchae tacks on.
Isn’t there supposed to be an evil twin and a nice twin? When Wonyoung was younger she used to imagine that there was a third sister and that she donates to charities and volunteers at soup kitchens and old folks’ homes. Like maybe all of the nice that was supposed to be spread out among three girls was actually only put into one, resulting in two mean girls and one practically saintly girl.
It’s a nice thought, at least.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Eunchae asks.
“Not good form to leave you all alone like this,” Hanni adds.
They’re definitely their mother’s daughter. Aunt Shin ae would be thrilled.
“She’s in the ladies’ room,” Wonyoung deflects politely. “I’m sure she’ll be back any minute.”
The twins exchange a look. Wonyoung feels like she’s in that one horror movie with the creepy little girls in the hallway or something. Yujin knows horror movies better than her.
“So,” Hanni begins.
“How’s your schooling going?” Eunchae finishes.
God, do the two of them share a brain?
Wonyoung sucks in a breath through her nose. She really doesn’t want to be talking to these girls. She wants to find Yujin and apologize for… whatever it is she did.
“It’s going well,” she says. “I’m on track to finish ahead of schedule.”
“That’s nice,” Hanni says. “And then what?”
Wonyoung grits her teeth. “And then I’d like to become a psychologist –”
“So you don’t have a plan?” Hanni interrupts.
Wonyoung flounders for a second. “Well, I –”
Eunchae cuts her off. “Hanni and I already have jobs set up and we’re not graduating until the spring.”
“That’s nice,” Wonyoung says, just shy of being sarcastic.
“So you have no plan? No prospects?” Eunchae prods.
“I,” Wonyoung hesitates. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“I hear that’s a hard job market,” Hanni says, all fake sympathy that makes frustration bubble up and nearly choke Wonyoung .
“You’ll probably just end up as some fast food worker,” Eunchae nods.
Wonyoung bites back the retort that there’s nothing wrong with fast food workers (because there isn’t), as that argument won’t really be of much help with her snobbish, elitist cousins.
“And then your girlfriend will dump you and you’ll be a washed up loser for life,” Hanni finishes with a pleased nod.
Horrifyingly enough, Wonyoung's eyes start to well up with tears. She’s always been a frustrated crier, and the thought of Yujin leaving her – even though they aren’t really dating – makes a lump burn in Wonyoung's throat.
“Hey, babe, I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Yujin suddenly appears, pressing a quick kiss to Wonyoung's lips that stuns pretty much everyone in the little corner they’re all huddled in. Yujin turns to the twins and gives them a winning smile. “Hi, I’m Yujin. And you are?”
Wonyoung gets a brief moment to revel in the stunned looks on her cousins’ faces.
“Hanni.”
“Eunchae.”
“Lovely to meet you,” Yujin says pleasantly. “Has Wonyoung been bragging about her internship?”
“Internship?” Hanni echoes faintly.
“Yeah, my Wony isn’t one to brag,” Yujin says fondly, looking down at Wonyoung . Wonyoung's really just too taken aback to do anything but watch this all unfold. “She got an internship at one of the biggest psychiatric hospital in Seoul. I’m very proud of her,” Yujin declares as she smiles.
Suddenly, Yujin looks back up to the twins, her gaze sharp and her smile a little more lethal. “Aren’t you?”
The twins both nod dumbly.
“That’s good,” Yujin says, any threatening air about her gone in an instant. “Wony, I actually needed to talk to you about something.”
Wonyoung nods quickly. Anything to get away from the demon twins.
Yujin drags her all the way outside of the reception hall, until they’re standing out in the cool air. Before Wonyoung can say anything, Yujin tugs her into a hug. Wonyoung melts into the embrace, clinging to Yujin and settling her breathing that she didn’t even know had gone shaky. When Wonyoung stops hearing her heartbeat thumping in her ears, she pulls back to look at Yujin.
“Sorry,” Yujin mumbles, swiping under Wonyoung's eyes where she’s sure her makeup has smudged. “Didn’t mean to leave you all alone.”
“It’s okay,” Wonyoung sniffles a little. “I’ve been dealing with them for a long time.”
“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to. I’m your partner now,” Yujin frowns, then she blinks, like she’s just realized something. “Or at least for the weekend. We’re supposed to tackle sh*tty family members together. That’s why you brought me along.”
“I brought you along because I wanted you here with me,” Wonyoung says. “You’re my best friend.”
Yujin grows quiet, her eyes almost glowing in the faint lighting of the parking lot. Wonyoung doesn’t look away for once, staring right back at Yujin. After a few seconds, Yujin smiles faintly.
“I don’t have an internship,” Wonyoung says suddenly, as though she just realized.
“Well,” Yujin shrugs. “They don’t need to know about that. They were kind of creepy – I felt like I was looking at the little girls from the Shining.”
“That’s what I thought!” Wonyoung says, smiling when Yujin laughs.
“Let’s go back inside,” Yujin says.
“Wait,” Wonyoung pulls Yujin to a stop. “I wanted to apologize for… upsetting you earlier.”
“Nah,” Yujin waves it off. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“But you were upset.”
“It’s fine,” Yujin shrugs.
“Are you sure?” Wonyoung presses.
“Yeah,” Yujin says. She gives Wonyoung an odd smile, one that looks almost… sad. “I’ll get over it.”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wonyoung blinks away the fuzzy spots in her visions as the flash goes off yet again.
“Just one more!” Jennie begs for probably the tenth time.
Wonyoung presses a groan down, feeling like a petulant child. But her mother’s been taking pictures for forever now.
“Don’t whine,” Yujin practically giggles into the shell of Wonyoung's ear. Wonyoung rolls her eyes and crunches her face up in a ridiculous smile while Yujin laughs.
Jennie frowns at her phone, as it’s likely out of focus, and gestures for another picture. Wonyoung scowls this time and Jennie raises a scolding finger. “None of that Jang Wonyoung , smile and make nice with your girlfriend.”
Wonyoung scoffs, though she can’t help but smile as she looks at Yujin. The flash goes off again, but Wonyoung's barely paying attention.
Jongin finally puts Wonyoung out of her misery. “Alright, Jennie, let’s find our seats.”
Jennie makes a noise of complaint and snaps one more picture just as Yujin leans in to press a kiss to Wonyoung's cheek. “Adorable,” she coos.
Wonyoung's cheeks grow warm and she slides into the pew next to Yujin.
Yujin laces their fingers together easily, the feeling familiar and calming. Wonyoung giggles when Yujin picks up their hands and kisses at each of Wonyoung's knuckles.
Another flash goes off behind them.
“Leave them be, Jennie,” Jongin says.
Wonyoung ducks her laughter against Yujin’s shoulder.
The ceremony isn’t too large; only a few dozen people total are in the church. Wonyoung smiles and makes faces at the flower girls, who giggle sweetly.
When Wonyoung comments on the purple bridesmaid dresses, Yujin sniffs haughtily.
“They’re lilac, actually,” Yujin says in a voice that sounded remarkably similar to how the twins did the night before. Wonyoung has to bite her lip to keep from laughing aloud.
“Bet you ten bucks Dae cries first,” Yujin whispers as they rise for the bride’s march.
“You’re on,” Wonyoung grins.
Jia’s a stunning bride. Her dress is gorgeous and she looks like she belongs in a wedding magazine. She only makes it halfway down the aisle before Wonyoung loses the bet.
“Dae’s crying,” Yujin murmurs delightedly.
“No he’s not,” Wonyoung gasps, but when she turns her head, Dae is absolutely dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief that his best man gave him. “Oh, damn it,” Wonyoung whines.
Yujin just laughs.
The crowd is near silent as the two recite their vows. Near the end of Jia’s, Wonyoung turns to look at Yujin to comment on how beautiful they are, only to find Yujin already staring at her. Wonyoung feels like she’s trapped in place, pinned under Yujin’s gaze. Then Yujin gives her a little smile, pecks her cheek, and faces the front.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wonyoung wrinkles her nose at the little arrangement in the center of the table. It’s been crushed flat –Wonyoung's not sure how – but the little flower petals still look pretty. The music is kind of loud in the reception hall, but Wonyoung doesn’t mind. One of the flower girls runs over to sit in Wonyoung's lap and giggle before dashing off again like a little fairy.
“Hey,” Jia appears suddenly in her beautiful gown. If Wonyoung ever wore so much white, she’d have stained it pretty badly at this point.
Wonyoung smiles and hugs her tightly. “You’re a married woman now. Speaking of, aren’t you supposed to stick with your husband?”
Jia brightens at the word ‘husband’, but she waves her hand. “He’ll be fine. After all, we’ve got all the time in the world.”
Wonyoung smiles at the words, getting that warm and fuzzy feeling she always gets when her loved ones are happy.
“But you have quite the girl yourself,” Jia comments, looking over Wonyoung's shoulder.
Wonyoung frowns for a moment, looking over her shoulder.
Oh. Right.
Yujin’s on the dance floor, easily spinning with Wonyoung's father and a smile on her lips. Then Hyunseo runs up and demands to dance with Yujin, and they’re off in no time.
“Yeah,” Wonyoung mumbles. “She’s… wonderful.”
Yujin tilts her head back to laugh at something, her eyes squinting as Hyunseo looks pleased, probably with some dumb joke that Yujin found way too funny.
“Well you don’t have to stare, we all know she’s hot,” Jia teases.
Wonyoung blushes immediately, hot and red. She stammers for a second, but no real words come out.
“You always were so easy to fluster,” Jia laughs. “But seriously. You gonna keep her around?”
“Yes.”
The answer leaves Wonyoung's mouth so quickly she’s almost startled by it. But she knows that no matter what happens, Yujin will always be by her side.
“Good,” Jia says firmly. A slower song comes on and Jia turns to search the crowd. “I’m going to dance with my husband. Why don’t you go dance with your girlfriend?”
It’s – well it’s a good idea, because couples dance together during weddings. That’s what couples do.
Hyunseo’s just tugged Yujin off the dance floor when Wonyoung gets to them.
“Sorry, I know you just finished,” Wonyoung begins, feeling strangely nervous, “but would you like to dance with me?”
Yujin blinks at her for a moment. “Are you sure? You want to dance with me?”
Wonyoung rolls her eyes. “Yes, loser, I want to dance with you.”
Yujin narrows her eyes. “I don’t know if I want to dance with someone so rude.”
“Then I’ll make it up to you,” Wonyoung says with a smile.
Yujin holds out for a few seconds, but then she’s smiling as well. “Alright, Jang. You’d better not step on my toes.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Wonyoung says as a few older couples file onto the dance floor.
Wonyoung easily slides her left hand into Yujin’s and from there she’s pretty lost.
Yujin steps in (literally) and tugs Wonyoung closer until their body fit together snugly. Yujin spreads a hand on the base of Wonyoung's spine, comfortable and familiar, pressed into the little dimples there. Wonyoung wraps an arm around Yujin’s shoulders so that their heads rest up against each other’s.
Some old song is playing – maybe Louis Armstrong, if Wonyoung's hearing it right – and Yujin leads them into a little sway, the two of them stepping into a slow figure eight. It’s lazy and calm and kind of perfect.
Yujin starts humming along, then singing the words softly, gently, like they’re only for Wonyoung's ears.
“Hold me close and hold me fast, this magic spell you cast.”
Wonyoung presses her smile against Yujin’s neck. “Very romantic,” she mumbles.
Yujin’s laughter rumbles low in her chest; Wonyoung feels it more than she hears it.
“Think they’re getting a kick out of it?” Yujin asks, and Wonyoung doesn’t have to ask who she’s talking about. When they spin slowly, Wonyoung can see her parents pressed into each other, watching with smiles and glistening eyes.
Wonyoung hums and says, “You should keep going. Singing I mean.”
Yujin smiles – Wonyoung doesn’t see it, but she knows – and picks up the song.
“And when you speak angels sing from above, every day words seems to turn into love songs.”
Wonyoung sighs gently, pressing a kiss to Yujin’s shoulder. “That’s nice,” she says, letting her hand squeeze Yujin’s a little tighter.
Yujin falls back into humming, the two of them moving like they’ve got all the time in the world.
The song draws to a close and Yujin sings one last bit.
“Give your heart and soul to me, and life will always be la vie en rose.”
Wonyoung presses a kiss to Yujin’s cheek as the song ends.
Another song starts up, more upbeat, but Wonyoung doesn’t recognize it. “Another dance?” she prompts Yujin.
“Sure,” Yujin smiles, the two of them moving a little faster and Wonyoung miraculously managing not to step on Yujin’s feet.
Their foreheads nearly knock together as they face each other.
“They keep looking at us,” Yujin says, sounding almost shy.
“Yeah,” Wonyoung says, but she doesn’t look around. She doesn’t take her eyes off of Yujin for even a second. “Should I kiss you?”
“What?” That certainly got Yujin’s attention.
“Isn’t that what couples do?” Wonyoung tilts her head. “They kiss on the dance floor.”
“Yeah,” Yujin says, almost shakily. “Yeah, they do.”
“Is that alright?” Wonyoung prods.
“Yeah,” Yujin says again. “It’s – well, that’s what’s appropriate I guess. As girlfriends.”
“Pretend girlfriends,” Wonyoung says, because, well – f*ck.
It just doesn’t feel like… she just needs to say it. As a reminder.
“Right, right,” Yujin says, her eyes falling.
Wonyoung's heart’s pounding; it’s so loud she’s sure Yujin can hear it.
“I could kiss you,” Wonyoung says. “They expect it after all.”
“They do,” Yujin agrees, her face tilting back up to Wonyoung's. “They do expect it.”
“They do,” Wonyoung repeats, her voice nearly a whisper.
“I do,” Yujin murmurs, then startles a little. “I just, y’know, want them to know you’re happy.”
“Happy?” Wonyoung says, her voice lilting.
“Happy,” Yujin says again. “That you’re in love and they don’t have to worry about you.”
“That’s nice,” Wonyoung mumbles, the tip of her nose brushing Yujin’s. “You’re a very nice person, Jin.”
And then before Yujin can say anything, Wonyoung leans in and presses their lips together.
It’s different – different than the other kisses they’ve shared over the past few days. They’ve exchanged pecks a couple of times, and the one kiss the morning they first arrived, but this kiss –
It makes Wonyoung's whole body tingle with electricity. Yujin tilts her head to kiss Wonyoung a little deeper and Wonyoung practically melts. When they pull apart, the last chords of the song are fading and they’re both breathing a little heavy.
Neither of them say anything, they just stand near the edge of the dance floor, taking each other in.
“Wonyoung ,” Yujin says finally. They’re still wrapped up in each other’s arms, their faces too close to be anything but intimate. “I don’t think – I mean, maybe this. Isn’t right.”
Wonyoung's head is still foggy and she can’t really make sense of Yujin’s words, but it’s all for show. All of this, everything they’re doing, none of it’s real.
“It’s almost over,” Wonyoung says breathlessly.
“But, Wonyoung …” Yujin trails off, her words dying on her tongue. She looks almost speechless, Wonyoung notes faintly, which is a rare state for Yujin to be in.
“Almost,” Wonyoung says again, the words feeling like some twisted prayer.
Yujin nods slowly, giving Wonyoung a tiny smile that doesn’t look real.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jennie is clutching Yujin like she’ll never see her again.
Wonyoung rolls her eyes next to her dad.
“You two should come back,” Jennie insists. “Come back for Christmas in a month or two. It’s important to spend the holidays with family.”
“Mom, don’t harass her,” Wonyoung complains, but she sounds more fond than anything else. She hasn’t spent Christmas with her family in a few years – she’s just so far away now.
“I’ve just missed so much time with her,” Jennie says. “And now I have to make up for it, since she’s practically –”
“Let the girls breathe, Jennie,” Jongin says, sounding amused. He gives Wonyoung a conspiratorial wink and she grins back.
“Unnie,” Hyunseo tugs at Wonyoung's hand until she kneels down. Despite Jongin’s insistence, Jennie’s still harassing Yujin. “Unnie.”
“What, Hyun?”
“Can you bring her back some more?” Hyunseo asks. “She’s really pretty and nice and funny and she laughs at all of my jokes and she told me I was her favorite Jang.”
Wonyoung glances up to Yujin, who smirks as she listens in on the conversation, all while Jennie continues to talk.
“I’ll do my best,” Wonyoung says, and Hyunseo cheers.
After everyone’s been hugged (twice), Wonyoung and Yujin are driving their rental car back to the airport.
They mostly just listen to the radio quietly. It’s not until they’re almost there that Yujin even speaks.
“I think we did well. Had everyone fooled,” she says, her voice faint.
“Yeah,” Wonyoung agrees. “We sure did.”
She wonders if Yujin feels like this, too – so disappointed.
But Wonyoung tries to shake it off. When they’re back in Seoul with the other girls, everything will go back to normal.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It doesn’t.
To be fair, it’s entirely Wonyoung's fault.
The morning after they got back from Sockcho (and they slept in separate beds, something that Wonyoung hadn’t realized that she didn’t like until she spent four days with Yujin), Wonyoung is the one who knocks everything off balance.
She woke up early to make her class, because while she could have skipped it, she also missed her Friday classes. She shuffles into the kitchen, where Rei and Yujin were drinking coffee and talking. Wonyoung barely registers that they stop speaking once Wonyoung walks in.
Yujin hands her a cup of coffee, with all the cream and sugar Wonyoung likes, and Wonyoung leans up and kisses Yujin with her eyes half closed. She takes one sip of the coffee before she realizes what just happened.
Her eyes open wide immediately. Rei’s mouth has fallen open, and Yujin’s cheeks are pink and her eyebrows are higher than Wonyoung knew they could go.
“Um,” Wonyoung says. “Sorry.”
Then she flees the room.
Jiwon laughs for probably a solid five minutes when Wonyoung tells her.
“It’s not funny!” Wonyoung cries, her eyes wide.
“It’s pretty funny,” Jiwon disagrees, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “Oh god, I needed that.”
“Jiwon,” Wonyoung whines.
“Look,” Jiwon says, “it’s not that big of a deal. You just pretended to be her girlfriend for, like, four days. You were half-asleep and not thinking clearly. I don’t think Yujin’s going to hold that against you.”
Jiwon’s words roll around in Wonyoung's head for a few beats. “You’re right,” she decides.
Jiwon scoffs. “Duh.”
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s not until they’re back in their normal environment that Wonyoung realizes how much has shifted.
Or rather, how little everything has shifted, Wonyoung was just oblivious to it before.
Wonyoung does her best to fall back into the role of Best Friend, but it’s kind of difficult. It’s difficult now that Wonyoung needs an excuse to want to sleep in the same bed as Yujin. It’s difficult now that Wonyoung knows how it feels to kiss Yujin and she can’t do that.
So, two weeks after they return, Wonyoung implements a brilliant plan.
She’s going to avoid Yujin and wait for these weird feelings to subside. That’ll do the trick.
Except deliberately snubbing Yujin’s attempts to touch her, talk to her, be near her, that all kind of f*cking sucks. Because Wonyoung likes to cuddle with Yujin, she likes to talk to her, and she just likes being around her.
Yujin kind of backs off after a week of this harsh treatment, though, and Wonyoung doesn’t know how to feel about it. It makes it easier for her to try and get rid of these feelings, but… she misses Yujin.
“I don’t know what I did,” Yujin says from the other side of the kitchen. Wonyoung's not eavesdropping, she’s not. She’s just… lingering by the wall and admiring the paintjob. “What did I do to make her treat me like this?”
Nothing, Wonyoung wants to say. It’s all her fault, her and these dumb feelings.
“I don’t know, Jin,” Rei says. “But whatever’s going on, it’ll be alright. You’re Wonyoung and Yujin – you always make it out intact.”
Rei’s right – nothing’s ever separated them before, and Wonyoung would be damned if she let this be the thing that finally does.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wonyoung's plan isn’t really working. She feels pretty much the same, except she misses Yujin and daydreams about kissing her in class. It’s awful (in a great way), but Wonyoung's not sure what to do at this point.
Wonyoung's walking down the hallway to get to her room just as Yujin’s leaving hers.
They haven’t spoken to each other – really spoken to each other – in a few weeks. Wonyoung's been downright glib and not at all like a best friend should be.
But Yujin still gives Wonyoung a little smile and she looks so beautiful and –
Stupidly, impulsively, Wonyoung moves in and kisses Yujin fiercely.
Yujin makes a startled noise that Wonyoung feels against her lips, but Yujin sinks into the kiss, pressing back with equal fervor. Wonyoung walks until Yujin’s pressed against the wall, letting her fingers slide under Yujin’s shirt to run along the soft skin underneath it.
Yujin practically gasps, pulling Wonyoung closer until they’re flush against each other, kissing and panting and grabbing.
Wonyoung pulls back and pecks along Yujin’s jaw until she can press a hot, open-mouthed kiss to Yujin’s pulse point.
“Wonyoung ,” Yujin’s voice comes out as more of a whimper than anything else.
It’s jarring, for some reason, and Wonyoung abruptly pulls back and takes in the sight before her.
Yujin’s hair looks mussed, and her eyes are practically half-lidded, her pupils blown wide. She’s panting and staring back at Wonyoung and Wonyoung does the first thing that comes to mind.
She runs.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If Wonyoung thought she was avoiding Yujin before, this was an entirely new level.
She pretty much never leaves her room now, unless it’s for class, and she always texts Jiwon to see if Yujin is around (and when she is, Wonyoung climbs out of her window, because she’s just that pathetic).
“Why don’t you just tell me what happened?” Jiwon prods, surprisingly gentle. Probably because Wonyoung just cried on her for, like, half an hour or something.
Wonyoung shakes her head. She can’t, there’s no way. She just can’t believe it happened, she can’t believe she did that. She made Yujin flustered and moany – god, Wonyoung really can’t think about it.
Jiwon hesitates for a second. “You know, Yujin’s upset, too. She won’t tell us what happened, either, but I can tell she’s torn up about it.”
That really only makes Wonyoung feel worse because it’s all her fault. She didn’t want to make Yujin feel bad.
“You should just talk to her,” Jiwon suggests.
And Wonyoung will. As soon as she gets over her overwhelming sense of embarrassment over it.
As soon as the memory stops turning her on.
She swats that thought out of her mind. Yujin’s her friend and that’s all.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wonyoung impatiently waits for Jiwon’s reply. She’s hungry, but she’s not leaving her room if there’s a chance she’ll bump into Yujin.
From Jiwon: i dont understand why u wont just talk to her
Wonyoung sighs deeply.
To Jiwon: Jiwon can you please just answer my question
Jiwon doesn’t reply for almost a minute (probably checking all the rooms, Wonyoung reasons), then Wonyoung's phone dings.
From Jiwon: ur good, shes not here
Wonyoung breathes a sigh of relief – she really is starving – and heads downstairs. She only makes it two steps into the kitchen before she freezes.
Everyone is in the kitchen.
Including Yujin.
Yujin, who looks just as surprised to see Wonyoung as Wonyoung is seeing her.
“Hi,” Wonyoung says hesitantly.
Yujin’s quiet for a second, then she gets a look on her face that Wonyoung rarely sees, and one that’s never been directed at her before. Yujin’s eyebrows come together and she scowls and her eyes get a little wider. She’s pissed.
“It that all you have to say to me? ‘Hi’? Are you f*cking kidding me?”
The room is silent. No one dares move.
“Yujin…” Wonyoung begins, but then she stops, because she doesn’t really know what to say.
Yujin’s practically shaking then, and Wonyoung's mouth clamps shut.
It’s silent for another few seconds, then Yujin scoffs loudly.
“Whatever,” she says. “God, just… whatever.” Then she storms past Wonyoung , headed for the front door.
Wonyoung's brain stalls for a good few seconds before she lurches after Yujin.
“Yujin, wait!”
“What do you want from me?” Yujin cries, wheeling around to shout at Wonyoung .
Wonyoung pulls up short a few feet away. “What?” she asks, bewildered.
“What do you want from me?” Yujin demands, her voice trembling. “Because I can’t figure it out.”
“Yujin…” Wonyoung trails off because she has no idea what to say.
“I can’t keep doing this, Wonyoung , I really can’t. It’s driving me insane – you’re driving me insane.”
Wonyoung's speechless.
Yujin looks away for a moment, looking exhausted. She looks back at Wonyoung , her words coming out shaky.
“I can’t keep doing this,” she says again.
“Doing what?” Wonyoung finally croaks.
That only sets Yujin off again. “Don’t feed me that bullsh*t, Wonyoung , you know what! You can’t pretend we’re just friends and everything is fine and dandy and then ignore me. And you really can’t try to f*ck me in the hallway and then go back to ignoring me. I’m not a goddamn toy that you can play with when it’s convenient for you.”
“I know that,” Wonyoung protests, her voice weak to her own ears.
“Do you?” Yujin challenges without hesitation. “You don’t act like you know. Because I’m really starting to feel like nothing more than a game to you.”
“Yujin,” Wonyoung says faintly. “You know you’re not a game to me.”
“That’s the thing. I’m not sure that I do,” Yujin says, looking more tired than anything else.
“What can I do?” Wonyoung asks desperately. “What can I do to prove that you’re not just some game to me?”
“Tell me what you want from me,” Yujin says. “God, just tell me, Wonyoung . I’ll be whatever you want me to be, but I need you to tell me.”
Wonyoung's brain shuts down. She can’t even breathe, let alone try to answer Yujin’s question. Whatever I want her to be? Does that mean she…?
Wonyoung jerks back to reality when Yujin yanks their door open and slams it shut in the same beat.
And then Wonyoung's all alone.
When she shuffles slowly back into the kitchen, the other three girls are huddled together with wide eyes. Wonyoung had only wanted a sandwich. That’s why she came down here – just for a sandwich.
She doesn’t feel hungry anymore.
“You told me she wasn’t here,” Wonyoung says to Jiwon, her voice dull.
“I’m sorry,” Jiwon says sincerely. “I just – I mean, we thought you two needed to talk.”
“We did,” Wonyoung admits. Her whole body feels heavy, like she’s moving through molasses. “But it probably should’ve happened a few weeks ago.”
Gaeul pulls her into a hug, comforting and sweet. “It’s gonna be okay, Wony. You two will work everything out.”
Wonyoung clings to Gaeul and prays that she’s right.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yujin hasn’t come home. Rei tells them she’s crashing at someone’s place for the night and Wonyoung's gut churns with guilt. Yujin feels like she can’t even sleep in her own bed because of Wonyoung .
Rei knocks on Wonyoung's doorframe.
“Hi,” Wonyoung says, then winces because the last time she said that, it didn’t go too well.
“Hey,” Rei says. “You alright?”
Wonyoung sits up from where she’s sprawled across her bed. “Not really. You know, I kind of thought you’d be on Yujin’s side or whatever.”
“I am,” Rei replies. “What you did was sh*tty. And probably damaging to your relationship.”
Wonyoung hangs her head because she knows she deserves this.
“But… you guys are so gone for each other, it’s painful to look at.”
Wonyoung's head snaps back up in an instant.
“I’m on Yujin’s side. I’m on your side, too. And I know that being together is what would make the two of you the happiest. The way you two look at each other… it’s like you built the universe for each other,” Rei says, looking almost wistful.
“She’s angry with me,” Wonyoung says. “And she has every right to be.”
Rei hums thoughtfully. “I think she’s more hurt than anything else.”
That doesn’t make Wonyoung feel any better. But it does help a little, because while she doesn’t know how to fix an angry Yujin, she knows how to fix a hurt Yujin.
“You’ll get through this,” Rei says reassuringly. “And when you do, I’d better be at least one maid of honor for all my counseling skills right now.”
Wonyoung actually laughs for the first time in days.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Yujinnie: hey
Wonyoung stares at the screen for a good thirty seconds. She hasn’t seen or heard from Yujin since their fight three days ago.
To Yujinnie: hi
From Yujinnie: do you think you could meet me on the front porch? i think we need to talk
Wonyoung clicks her phone off and slowly makes her way down the stairs. Jiwon’s on the couch and she gives Wonyoung an odd look.
“Yujin’s on the porch,” Wonyoung explains. “She wants to talk.”
“That’s good!” Jiwon encourages. “Go on, then.”
When Wonyoung opens the door, Yujin’s sitting on the steps of the porch. Wonyoung slowly shuts the door and sits next to Yujin. They’re both quiet, watching a few cars drive by.
Yujin breaks the silence.
“I’m sorry.”
That certainly wasn’t what Wonyoung was expecting.
“For what?” Wonyoung asks.
“For – yelling at you. It was stupid, it didn’t help anything.”
“I deserved it,” Wonyoung says. “I was awful to you.”
“Maybe,” Yujin nods. “But that doesn’t excuse it.”
They’re quiet again.
“I’m sorry,” Wonyoung says.
“For what?” Yujin asks, a light smile on her face.
“For… everything. For how I’ve treated you the past few weeks, for the whole thing in the hallway, for the wedding. All of it.”
Yujin hums and nods. “I’m not.”
“You’re… not?” Wonyoung repeats.
“The wedding was the cause of all this, but I wouldn’t give it up. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Really?” Wonyoung asks, her voice faint.
“Yeah,” Yujin nods. “But for the record, taking me to the wedding was a horrible idea. I should’ve said no.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Yujin huffs a laugh that makes her sound older than twenty-one.
“Because I’m in love with you.”
Everyone’s been hinting at it, prodding, for weeks. Wonyoung also just kind of knew, quietly, in her heart. But hearing it come right out of Yujin’s mouth is…
“Hey, what’re you crying for?” Yujin asks softly, wiping away the tears that fall from Wonyoung's eyes.
“All this stupid sh*t I’ve been doing – all I’ve been doing is hurting us. Hurting you. I just wish I could have figured this all out sooner,” Wonyoung says shakily.
“But then you wouldn’t be my Wony,” Yujin says with a smile. It’s the first time Wonyoung's heard the nickname in forever and it really just makes her want to cry some more. “Besides, isn’t this what makes love stories great? The obstacles they overcome to be together in the end?”
“Are you saying we’re a great love story?”
“Of course,” Yujin says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You don’t think so?”
Wonyoung pulls Yujin into a kiss. It’s slow and fond and it makes Wonyoung's toes curl with love. Love.
“I think you might be right.”
