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You had successfully moved to LA for almost three months. Same job, but new apartment, different continent, and different people. A fresh start. In these three months, you stopped just being Yoonchae’s cousin. You had become a staple in the Katseye household. You would stop for game nights, movies, and karaoke sessions where all of them would put you to shame. Sometimes there would even be sleepovers, others just for dinner.

It was strange how easily you fit into their world.

And through all this time, Sophia had been slowly losing her mind. The more time she spent with you, the harder she found herself falling for you, and the harder it got to pretend she wasn’t absolutely down bad.

I mean, how else was she supposed to feel when not even a week into living in LA, you stopped by their house for movie night with a basket full of snacks just because she had mentioned liking them the first time you met?

And yet, just the mere thought of actually doing something about her feelings (other than the blatant, very obvious flirting) made her mouth forget how to form a coherent sentence in that pathetic way that made her want to scream into a pillow.

The flirting didn’t stop, though. If anything, it got worse. Sophia would compliment you every time she saw you, small touches, making sure she always sat next to you, remembering every detail about you, both mentioned by you or by your cousin. And still, you just kept treating her like she was the nicest person you ever met.

The jokes didn’t stop either. Sophia being down bad for you had officially become Katseye’s favorite form of entertainment.

“I’m starting to think she really thinks you’re, like, pure kindness in human form. Or like… the patron saint of kindness.” Megan said one morning, watching as Sophia stared at her phone, rereading a simple message, “Thanks for recommending that bakery. It was great!” Which meant you either went alone or with someone else, and not with her, which was her plan all along.

“Does she think I’m a walking review app? I only told her about it so I could take her there.” Sophia groaned. “She’s going to put me in a stained-glass window before she realizes I like her.”

Manon laughed. “Maybe she’s just shy.”

“More like she’s dense.” Sophia corrected. “But in a totally adorable way.” She dropped her head as she realized just how pathetic she sounded while talking about you. Even you not catching on to her feelings was adorable to her.

“Don’t give up yet.” Yoonchae encouraged. “She just needs time to catch up. She’s bad at taking hints, even if they are right in front of her face.”

“At this point, I feel like she’s willingly ignoring it.” Sophia started. “I mean, I’ve been flirting for months. I make sure I always send good morning texts. I’m always all over her. How does she still think I’m being friendly and making sure she feels included?”

“Okay, so what’s the plan for tonight?” Manon asked. “Are you going to pretend to drop something again so you can seductively bend over in front of her?”

Sophia dramatically gasped. “That was one time, and I actually did drop the remote.”

Daniela grinned. “Sure you did. Just like you ‘actually’ got scared during a non-horror movie and cuddled into her arm the whole night, even after the movie ended.”

“Hey, I wasn’t scared.” Sophia defended herself. “It was an emotional scene. I needed comfort, and who better than her to do it?”

The girls burst out laughing. Even Sophia couldn’t help but laugh at her own antics.

—

The text came on a random friday afternoon on the group chat Megan made as soon as she was informed you were moving to LA.

Hey girls! Finally finished decorating my new apartment. Do you want to come by and have dinner?

Sophia was the first one to see it during a quick break, her brain taking a few seconds to process not only the words, but also that she was going to be in your apartment, your personal space.

Then she squealed.

Daniela nearly dropped her water bottle. “What? What happened?”

Sophia spun around, turning her phone to show everyone the text. “She’s inviting us. All of us, not just Yoonchae. To her apartment.”

Lara grinned. “Oh my god. This is going to be so good.”

—

By the time they were on their way, the girls were in full matchmaker mode.

Lara was fixing her hair while the other girls were giving her pep talks.

“Okay.” Daniela said, as serious as a soccer coach before a match. “No hosting, this is her own house. No twelve offers of water. Be normal. Be yourself.”

“I am normal!” Sophia protested.

“Last time, you offered to iron her jacket.” Manon pointed out.

Sophia gasped. “I was trying to be helpful. She was on her way out. And besides, it was cold outside. I wanted her to be extra warm, at least for a few seconds.”

“Well, be helpful with boundaries this time.” Megan teased.

Even Yoonchae was grinning. “Just relax, okay? It’s just my cousin, not the boogeyman.”

—

Your apartment was exactly what Sophia expected. Tidy, cozy, stacked books in random places, and a framed photo of you and Yoonchae from when you were younger.

“I finally finished decorating.” You said, proud of how your apartment turned out. “Took forever, but it finally feels like it’s mine.”

“It looks beautiful.” Sophia said, taking in every little detail she could. “It feels like you.”

You laughed. “That’s the nicest way anyone has ever said I have too many books lying around.”

Sophia smiled. “No, seriously. It looks very cozy, very you. I see myself spending a lot of time here.”

You nodded before going to the kitchen to start making dinner.

The girls were already sprawled across your living room, raiding your pantry and debating about background music.

Among the noise, Sophia felt her attention drift towards you. She didn’t do it on purpose, it just felt like gravity pulling her towards you.

Manon notices and immediately laughs. “Stop staring and just go.”

Sophia didn’t even blink. “I’m not staring.” She murmured dreamily. “I’m yearning.”

She ended up listening to Manon as she went to the kitchen to join your side as you prepared dinner.

“Can I do anything?” Sophia said as she stepped closer to you.

You smiled over your shoulder. “You can keep me company. That’s enough for me”.

Sophia felt her heart flutter as it usually did anytime you said things like that. “I can do that.”

Watching you cook with your sleeves rolled up was making Sophia feel weirdly domestic, almost close to being romantic.

“You know, it’s nice having you here.” You confessed quietly. “You girls always make me feel more alive.”

Sophia smiled. “We do bring a lot of noise.”

“The good kind, though.” You said. “Honestly, I’ve been so focused on work lately, and I still don’t know many people there, so it’s nice having familiar people around.”

There was something in your voice. A tone filled with loneliness that you were trying to hide.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed you’ve been working too hard. You barely come to our rehearsals anymore.”

“Sorry about that. I’m still trying to get used to everything, I guess. Being here is so different from back home. It’s like I have to build the same version of my life from scratch.” You admitted.

“Well, if you ever need company, you know where to find us.” Finding an urge of adrenaline, Sophia decided to try her luck once again, already knowing it wasn’t going anywhere. “Or just me.”

You smiled warmly. “You’re always the first one to offer. I seriously don’t know how you do it. You’re so thoughtful all the time.”

Sophia gave a small, sad smile. “Yeah. Thoughtful.”

Her chest tightened. The same ache she always felt when you didn’t understand what she was trying to tell you if you would just read between the lines. The ache she felt when you said things like that. Kind words that meant so much to her, but never actually what she wanted them to mean.

Sophia leaned against the counter while you cut vegetables, and before she could control herself, she blurted out. “Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

Sophia hesitated before she realized she had nothing to lose. You wouldn’t understand anyway. “Have you ever liked someone who didn’t quite realize you liked them?”

You froze mid-cut before letting out a chuckle. “Unrequited crush? Yeah. Been there, done that.”

Sophia exhaled. “Well, it’s kind of happening to me right now.”

“Oh yeah?” You turned your full attention to her. “Do I know them?”

“Maybe.” Sophia bit her lip.

“Tell me about them.”

Sophia’s throat tightened, afraid she was going to say the wrong thing. “She’s just amazing. Very kind. The kind of person that makes you feel at ease. She’s smart, funny, and beautiful. But she’s so oblivious, it makes me want to slap some sense into her sometimes.”

“Oblivious?” You repeated. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s also kinda endearing, which makes everything worse.” Sophia said with a soft smile. “She doesn’t realize just how special she is, especially to me. Everyone else seems to realize it, though.”

You tilted your head. “And you’re sure she doesn’t know how you feel?”

Sophia shook her head. “I’ve tried to show it. I flirt, and I try to be as close as humanly possible anytime we do anything together. I think she assumes I’m being nice.”

Your face softened with a slight pout. “Oh, Sophia…”

Your voice and your expression were so gentle that it made Sophia’s heart clench.

“That has to be tough.” You continued. “Sometimes people don’t see what’s right in front of them because they aren’t expecting it. You have to be patient with them. Or just tell me. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“I’ve tried. I’ve dropped hints. She thinks I’m being friendly.” Sophia let out a breathy laugh. “You think I should tell them exactly how I feel? Because I feel like I could spell it out for her and she’d say I’m good at spelling.”

You let out a chuckle. “Well, if it’s making you hurt like this, maybe you should be really direct with her.” You said sincerely. “You deserve to be appreciated too.”

Sophia looked at you, really looked at you. The soft glow of the kitchen lighting your face just right, and, for a second, she considered saying it. It’s you.

But then you smiled again, trying to be as comforting as you could, and the words got caught in her throat.

“Yeah.” Sophia whispered instead. “Maybe someday”.

“Well, I’ll be rooting for you.” You reached out to her arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “And whoever it is, they will be very lucky to have you. You are one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met”

Sophia could only smile in response. A little sad, but also a little in love. “Yeah, that’s what you keep telling me.”

You tilted your head, curious. “What do you mean?”

Sophia shook her head, smiling to cover up what she was feeling. “Don’t worry about it. Thank you, though.”

Later, when you all sat down to have dinner, Daniela caught Sophia’s uncharacteristically quiet mood.

“Let me guess.” She whispered so no one else could hear her. “Still clueless?”

Sophia nodded. “She gave me relationship advice about herself, Dani.”

Daniela tried not to laugh.

Across the table, you laughed at something Megan said, your eyes crinkling.

Despite that disastrous conversation, Sophia still found herself smiling at your expression. At least, you weren’t feeling so alone anymore.

The table was loud in the best way possible. Laughter, loud stories about their chaotic lives, your own stories about your new job.

Yoonchae set down her chopsticks and leaned back in her chair, eyes shining with excitement as she turned to you. “You still haven’t seen us perform live yet.”

“Guess not. I see you rehearse all the time though-”

“That doesn’t count.” Lara cut in. “You need to feel the bass in your bones as you watch us and the crowd screams the lyrics back at us.”

“We have a show coming up next weekend. Please come watch us.” Yoonchae nudged your arm.

“You sure?” You hesitated. “I don’t want to be in the way or anything.”

“You’d our moral support.” Megan butted in immediately. “Besides, we love having our families and friends watching.”

Lara grinned. “Especially if it’s someone Sophia can show off for.”

Sophia almost choked on her food. “Lara!”

The whole table burst out laughing.

Yoonchae tried to hide a smile. “Don’t listen to them. Sophia just really likes to perform”.

Manon hummed. “Especially if there’s someone special in the crowd.”

“Oh my god! Please ignore them.” Sophia murmured. “But I agree with them. You have to come. It’s different watching us live.”

You laughed, your eyes softening as you looked at her. “Alright, fine. I’ll even bring flowers and snacks for after the show.”

“She’s bringing flowers!” Daniela cheered. “I love you, seriously.”

You shook your head, laughing at Daniela’s antics when Megan raised her glass. “To our honorary member’s first live performance.”

Everyone clinked glasses, laughing.

—

The backstage was pure chaos.

Sophia sat in front of the mirror, trying to make sure her makeup looked flawless. She has performed live dozens of times before, yet somehow, tonight felt different.

“Deep breaths.” Manon leaned over her shoulder. “You’re acting like you’re about to go on a first date instead of on stage.”

Sophia tried to hide her blush. “It’s a show. I always get nervous.”

“Uh-huh.” Manon teased. “I’ve never seen you reapply lip gloss like four times.”

Before Sophia could answer, Yoonchae perked up. “Guys, my cousin is here.”

That sentence hit Sophia like a truck. “She’s here? Already?”

“I told her to come here before we go in. I hope that’s okay.” Yoonchae said. “I want her to have the full experience.”

Sophia looked back to the mirror to check how she looked… again.

Daniela noticed and burst out laughing. “Are you actually fixing your hair for her? She’s seen us after rehearsals when we look a mess. You’re about to go on stage. You look fine.”

“Shut up.” Sophia murmured.

There was a knock on the door, and there you were after a chorus of “come in.”

“Is this where the cool kids hang out?” You joked as you walked in, eyes bright with curiosity looking around the room with the calm composure that made Sophia’s chest warm every time.

“You made it!” Yoonchae rushed over to hug you.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” You squeezed her back. “This is not what I expected at all.” You said, still trying to take in everything you could.

“Welcome to our world.” Megan said, passing one arm around your waist to lean into your side while you put your arm around her shoulders.

“You’re my guide tonight. I have no idea how anything works backstage. I’m worried I might do something wrong.” You joked even though you were being dead serious.

“Just try not to trip over any cable, and you’ll probably be fine.” She said.

“Hi.” Sophia softly said, even if she was glaring at Megan’s arms around you. That casual and natural closeness Megan had with you made an irrational jealousy start brewing.

“Hi, Sophia.” You said before your eyes flickered over her outfit. “You look amazing. I feel underdressed.”

Sophia grinned at your words. “You look perfect, don’t worry.”

You let out a soft chuckle. “Thanks. You’re sweet.”

Yoonchae rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath. “Here we go again…”

You looked around again. “I didn’t realize how much production a single performance takes. I passed so many people from the back door to here. It was crazy.”

“You have no idea.” Sophia stepped closer. “I’m glad you came earlier. It means a lot.”

You smiled at her. “Of course. I wanted to see how this all works. Besides, I wanted to wish you all good luck before you went out there.”

“Thanks.” Sophia said, and, before she could stop herself, the next words escaped her mouth. “I could get used to you being my personal good luck charm.”

You blinked, clearly caught off guard, before letting out a bright smile. “I hope I bring you extra luck then.”

Manon snorted from across the room, not able to hide her laughter. Lara nudged her, whispering something that made them laugh even harder.

Sophia ignored them all. She was way too focused on the way your eyes crinkled when you smiled and the fact that for the first time you had somewhat acknowledged her flirting.

“But I’m sure you’ll be great. In almost all the videos Yoonchae sends me, you’re always there, either performing your heart out or collapsed on the floor from all the dancing.”

Sophia laughed softly. “Occupational hazard.”

“Yeah, maybe. But definitely worth watching”.

For a second, Sophia froze. *Was that flirting?*

Across the room, Daniela’s eyebrows shot up while the other girls pretended to be busy while trying to hide their grins so they wouldn’t ruin the moment for Sophia.

But the universe had other plans. Their manager poked her head through the door. “Girls! Ten minutes.”

The room came alive once again. Chairs scraping, vocal warm-ups, last-minute touch-ups.

Sophia stepped closer to you while the chaos happened behind her. “As my good luck charm, you need to give me a hug. It’s like good luck charms rules, I believe.”

“Oh yeah?” You raised an eyebrow. “Come here then, superstar.”

You opened your arms and let Sophia wrap her arms tightly around you. One of your hands went to the back of her head to pull her closer to you, your thumb softly caressing her hair. Sophia could feel your perfume surrounding her senses, which was driving her a little crazy.

“Knock them dead out there. I’ll keep my eyes on you.” You whispered.

When Sophia pulled away, she was blushing up to her ears.

Daniela caught her expression as they walked to the stage. “Sooo… she was absolutely flirting with you.”

Sophia grinned from ear to ear. “She did, right? I’m not making this all up in head, am I?”

“Nope.” Megan added. “There was definitely a moment between you two. We all saw it, and we are so proud of how far you’ve come.”

Yoonchae grinned. “I told you she would catch on eventually.”

“Maybe miracles do happen.” Lara butted in.

Manon gave a nudge. “Sophia, she flirted back. This is your sign to finally do something about your feelings and tell her how you feel. If you don’t, I will do it for you.”

“Maybe soon. I don’t want to rush anything. What if this is a one-time thing?”

“Then make sure she sees what she’s missing out on.” Lara said, smirking.

Sophia took a deep breath as she went on stage. Your hug warm on her skin, and your perfume still lingering in her nose.

—

Sophia’s heart hadn’t slowed down once.

From the first note, she performed harder than she ever had before. And every time she looked towards where you were sitting, her eyes found yours instantly.

Every time your gazes met, Sophia felt the same rush. A mix of adrenaline, longing, and disbelief that you kept your promise and kept your eyes on her.

Backstage was chaos once again, but Sophia didn’t hear any of it.

The moment she saw you, she didn’t even think. She just moved.

“Come with me.” She said, her voice urgent.

Sophia reached out and grabbed your hand and, without even muttering a word, dragged you down the corridor. She only stopped when she reached her changing room.

You tilted your head, a little breathless from being dragged away. “What’s happening? Are you okay?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know. Just shut up before my adrenaline levels drop and I lose my nerve.” She quickly said. “It’s you. You’re the one I like.”

You froze, eyes widening at Sophia’s words. “Sophia…”

“I’ve been trying to tell you for months now.” She let out a shaky laugh, half embarrassed. “Every time you came over, every time I flirted, you thought I was being nice or just a good friend. And I told myself it was okay. That I could wait until you finally noticed, but I can’t keep pretending you don’t drive me crazy just by walking into a room.”

Sophia looked down, breaking the eye contact, her voice small now. “I’m sorry if this makes things weird now. I just had to say it.”

“I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.” You whispered.

Sophia looked up. “What?”

You gave a small, almost disbelieving laugh while rubbing the back of your neck. “That night in my apartment when you told me about your crush. Remember that?”

“Yes.”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about it after you all left. Something about the things you said sounded so familiar, so I kept replaying that conversation in my head. I felt like the dumbest person alive when it finally clicked you were talking about me. Suddenly, all I could think about was everything you would tell me, every touch, every time I caught you staring, and every moment I brushed off as you just being a good friend. And then all the teasing and the little side comments the girls do all the time started making so much sense.”

Sophia’s jaw opened. “You knew?”

“Well, not until hours later after you left.” You admitted. “And by the time I realized, it was too late to text you or something. And I didn’t want to embarrass myself just in case I was wrong.”

Sophia let out a breathless laugh. “You are the most oblivious person I’ve ever met. It was annoying and adorable at the same time.”

“Guilty.” You smiled. “I’m sorry.”

“But for what it’s worth, I’m glad you told me.” You hesitantly said.

“Really?”

You stepped closer, tucking a strand of hair behind Sophia’s ear. “Yeah. Now I can actually do something about finding you the prettiest person I’ve ever seen instead of telling myself I shouldn’t do anything about it just because I feel like it would make things weird between you and my cousin. It’s why I started flirting a little before you went on stage.”

Sophia grinned. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I’m saying I’m done being slow to figure things out and that I’m on the same page now.”

For a moment, you just stood there staring at each other in the eyes. The air warm with something new and real.

Sophia smiled. “Took you long enough.”

You laughed, reaching for her hand. “Guess you’ll have to make up for all the time wasted then.”

She squeezed your hand. “I plan to, don’t worry.”

You started softly brushing your thumb over Sophia’s hand. “You were amazing out there, by the way.”

“Thank you.” Sophia said, briefly closing her eyes.

“I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.” You said, your voice quiet.

Sophia smiled. “I saw.”

The world seemed to stop as you both stepped closer to each other. Your thumb was still brushing over her hand.

Sophia’s gaze flicked from your eyes to your lips.

You noticed and leaned in even closer. “I’m sorry it took me so long.” Your voice barely above a whisper.

Sophia laughed before she leaned her forehead against yours, noses almost touching.

Your eyes slowly closed. And then-

“There you are!”

The door slammed open.

“Oh my god!” Megan screamed as she realized what she had walked in on.

Daniela was right behind her, letting out a shriek. “They were so close. I saw that. You were going to kiss.”

Megan started clapping like she had just witnessed history being made while Manon just laughed.

“Finally. About damn time.”

Sophia jumped back, her face red. “Can you guys not?” She pointed at Manon. “You’re the one who told me to confess just seconds before going on stage.”

Yoonchae walked in last. She took one look at you and groaned dramatically. “I leave you alone for five minutes, and you try to kiss my cousin?”

You laughed, cheeks almost as red as Sophia’s. “Hey! We didn’t actually do anything.”

“Only because we walked in.” Megan gasped.

Lara smirked. “So… is this just going to be an almost first kiss, or are you actually going to do it?”

“Out!” Sophia motioned with her hands. “Everybody out!”

The group left in between laughter and squeals, leaving the two of you alone once again.

When she turned back around, you immediately wrapped your arms around Sophia, pulling her closer to you once again.

23:57.

karina found herself running through the people who had attended that party.

end of the year. after a peculiar 2024, full of surprises and new people, of different emotions and discoveries, they were finally just 3 minutes away from a new year. as was customary, people all over the world were throwing parties to celebrate the beginning of 2025 with their family and friends, and for the celebrities in seoul there was also a selection to attend. among the options was the party that rosé from blackpink had organized on the top floor of a luxurious building whose terrace overlooked the center of the city.

the entire korean entertainment elite was there, from top actors to models to members of the biggest bands you could imagine. it was the party among parties. but at first, karina had other plans. she couldn't go back to her family because of work, but she still wanted to spend a quiet night at the apartment with her roommates. and that's what they were going to do,

until she found out that serim would be at rosé's party.

of course, serim would go wherever jennie kim told her to go. serim loved going to parties. she loved being around people, socializing, dancing. karina didn't dislike it when it came to her, but it certainly got her blood boiling with that quality of serim's. she didn't like her to be perceived. that's why when they talked about their plans for the end of the year, serim was hesitant to tell her. it's not that she wanted to hide things from her, she just wanted to avoid the eye rolling and sour comments for a couple more days until she eventually told the blackhaired about her plans.

listen, jimin is not crazy,

she just has serious jealousy issues,

and she's obsessed with jang serim.

when they decided to spend the night at the apartment and welcome the new year quietly and together, the aespa members already knew that the plan hung by a thread. that thread was whatever serim decided to do that night. as soon as jimin told them that jennie was taking jang to the rosé party, giselle was already texting the hostess to get her to put them on the guest list.

serim didn't mind at all. jimin was busy and every second they could spend together was gold to jang. she loved spending time with the younger girl. all night, they had been glued together like gum, drinking, chatting, flirting and dancing to the music. they were so into their own world that none of their friends thought it was weird that they disappeared for an hour and left them to make friends with each other while they had their make out session in a dark, secluded area of the terrace.

but as punishment for abandoning them, as soon as they returned with their companions, aeri, minjeong and yizhuo had forced jimin to go with them to get some air outside. winter was dizzy, while the rest were all sore and tired from dancing. they just wanted to take a break and get some fresh air, and the blackhaired had to accept it even though it was torture for her to be even two centimeters away from serim, who stayed on the dance floor with her friends.

but it was okay, jimin understood that part of forcing her members to follow her to a party when her plans were quite different had its requirements. she patiently stood there chatting with her bandmates and waiting for them to pull themselves together to go back inside, while minjeong downed a bottle of water to regain her five senses.

she was calm until she turned on her phone and saw the time.

23:57.

three minutes to new year's. she began to hurry the others back inside, where rosé's voice could already be heard through a microphone preparing to count down to midnight. they passed through the crowd quietly until they reached where serim was supposed to be with her friends, but no one was there.

23:58.

jimin turned on her phone. "we accompanied jennie to the bathroom." read a text from serim from 5 minutes ago.

the girl told her friends that she was going to look for the oldest and without waiting for an answer, she ran out, pushing through the people and making her way to the bathroom area. she entered the women's one, but there was no one there. they weren't there anymore.

she searched her phone for the woman's contact and called her. she could hear little because of the loudness of the hostess's voice over the speakers and the whispering of the large number of people at the party, but she finally managed to hear that they were on the terrace because they wanted to see the fireworks. when she hung up, she sent a quick message to giselle to tell them to go to the terrace and again, she hurried upstairs.

23:59.

she had to be serim's new year's kiss, she couldn't miss it. the elevator was busy so she took the stairs, which were not easy to climb as she was wearing heels and moving in such a hurry.

10.

everyone started shouting when they heard that the countdown had begun. jimin was on the terrace, but although she searched through the crowd, she couldn't find serim. she kept wandering around the area, her heart pounding and her breathing hectic. she looked worried and upset.

5.

she passed through a large group that was blocking her view and so she appeared at the front, almost at the edge where the wall that kept people from falling was located. as she was spat out from the crowd, she finally spotted the girl's back in the distance and hurried toward her.

3.

she ran towards serim.

2.

she reached where she was and hurriedly touched her waist, signaling her to turn towards her.

1.

serim turned to see who was pinned to her torso, turning in the arms of the younger who was visibly exhausted and trying to catch her breath as she looked up at her smiling. serim slipped her arm over the younger's body to wrap her in her hold and rest her hand on her waist while her other hand was busy with a drink.

"happy new year, baby." she said very close to her face so she could hear her amidst the shouts of congratulations from all around and the sound of fireworks.

"happy new year, my namu." she replied glad that she was able to get there in time to tell her.

jimin lifted her hands that were resting around serim's waist, sliding them up the older girl's body until she was holding her face between her fingers and pulling her close until they could connect their lips in their first kiss of the year under the moonlight in front of the fireworks show in the sky.

"it's the first year we've started together." serim observed as they pulled apart.

"it's the first of many." assured the younger girl as her hand caressed her opposite's cheek. "i thought i wouldn't get here in time to be your first kiss of the year." she stretched her neck slightly to reach up to leave a peck on the opposite's nose. "i'm always running back to you." she smiled sideways, accompanying her flirtatious comment.

"as you should." serim laughed softly and wrinkled her nose playfully to tease her. "come here." she indicated leaning down to kiss her again.

after the arrival of the new year and the end of the fireworks show the party continued, causing most of the people who were on the terrace waiting to see the colorful flames in the sky to start going down to the lower floor to return to the celebration. serim was leaning back against the edge with karina in her arms who had her hands glued to her face caressing and pampering her, so lost in each other and their conversation that they were practically alone on top of the building and that even their friends had returned downstairs.

"you know, yves wished ningie a happy new year." commented the blackhaired causing the older girl to grimace in surprise.

"what can i say." she looked up with mock pride. "she's a gentlewoman." she shrugged jokingly.

"yizhuo can do better." she refuted, shaking her head.

"better than sooyoung? impossible."

"she's a little weird." she furrowed her eyebrows pretending to be worried. "i hope she'll take care of my baby." she closed her eyes in grief.

"she'll take care of her." she assured her. "don't worry." she ran a lock of jimin's hair tucking it behind her ear. "she's a good girl."

"and you?" she looked at her expectantly.

"me?" she pointed her index finger at herself. "i'm awesome."

"no, idiot." she slapped her shoulder in embarrassment. "if you're going to take care of me." she elaborated.

"oh." she mumbled after understanding what she meant. "of course i'll take care of you." she affirmed, then leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"if you cheat on me i'll kill you." she looked into her eyes seriously.

"all right."

"i am serious, jang serim, i will kill you." she reiterated with a dark gaze, swearing every word.

"as if i have eyes for anyone else." she cocked her head to the side with narrowed eyes judging her, incredulous. "i would never hurt you." she promised.

"you better." she pointed her finger at her accusingly.

"either way," jimin turned her head abruptly, looking at her with eyes wide in surprise at the very idea that she might regret what she just promised. "you have to be my girlfriend for me to cheat on you." she raised her hands in the air innocently.

"no, sorry, serim." she pulled away, putting a hand between them, stopping her words. "your love life dies in me." she laughed sourly. "since we said 'i love you' to each other for the first time, you are doomed to me." she warned.

"what do you mean by that?" she folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "that you don't feel the need to be my girlfriend?"

"you're already my girlfriend." she copied the action of intertwining her arms over her chest, defiantly.

"no." she contradicted her. "we never established it, so we're not."

"are you saying you're single?" she clenched her fist.

"i'm saying you should ask me to be your girlfriend." she explained. "look." she turned and with her hand pointed toward the city. "we have the best view in seoul, the night is starry." she walked up to the younger girl and put her hands on her waist, trapping her in her arms. "it's new year." she murmured. "you look beautiful." she commented, earning a smile from jimin that came with a roll of her eyes at the compliment. "you love me and i love you." she added.

"and why don't you ask me?"

"no." she broke contact, pulling away and giving her a defensive look. "make amends for your mistakes." she claimed.

jimin sighed. serim was right. after so many months of doing things wrong here was her chance to have what she wanted most in the world, to have serim. the terrace was empty, it was a moment that belonged only to them. the sky was splendid, it was a beautiful night, a cool wind was blowing, but it wasn't cold, and it was a new year.

new year, new beginnings.

jimin smiled sideways, an idea popped into her head, and she approached serim. she took her hands in hers and looked into her eyes. "don't laugh at what i'm going to do." she took a breath of air.

"oh my god, you're going to sing?" the mere thought caused serim to be unable to contain a giggle that escaped her lips.

"namu!" she punched her arm gently, nagging at her.

"sorry, it's just that i imagined you asking me to be your girlfriend while you sing up." she shook her head trying to erase the idea.

"i write you a song and this is how you treat me." she bit her lower lip trying to contain the smitten grimace that was blossoming on her.

when the funny moment dissipated, they both looked seriously into each other's eyes again, to which jimin took the opportunity to clear her throat and catch her breath again to start singing a song.

"cause maybe, baby..." she began softly keeping the tenderness in the way she looked at serim. "i just wanna do you, do you..." she sang in the highest pitched voice. "do you wanna do me? do me?" she moved her shoulders up and down to the rhythm of the song and with her finger pointed at the older one. "underneath the moonlight, the moonlight." she pointed to the sky. "baby, maybe-" the girl sang excitedly, moving more and more with the song.

"stop, stop, stop." she interrupted her in horror. "stop it, dylan." she identified the modern family song she was singing. "i can't believe you ruined it like that." she covered her face in embarrassment.

jimin would have refuted her disappointment, but she was too busy choking on the laughter her own joke had generated, bending over her body trying to catch her breath. serim could only look at her skeptically, unable to understand how she had found it so funny.

"oh my god." the younger girl pulled herself together, straightening up and turning back to face her partner still letting out the occasional laugh. "how does it feel to love such a funny person?"

"i could leave you in this very moment."

"not true." she grabbed her face between her hands and pulled her to her to leave a chaste kiss on her lips. "you love me too much." she reminded as she broke apart. "this time for real." she positioned herself again, taking in puffs of air to calm her fit of laughter.

"no, i don't want to anymore." serim shook her head sideways in denial.

"yes, come on." she struggled to take her hands as the older one pulled them away from her grasp. "come here." she tugged on her grip to pull her into her personal space.

silence reigned again and though serim was unsure as to the direction the moment would take, this time jimin was solemn, focused, she was looking at her like someone looking at a shooting star while making a wish. it was that kind of tenderness, that kind of desire.

"so excuse me forgetting..." she mumbled, she wasn't intoning yet, but rather speaking the lyrics. "but these things i do," she let out shyly. "you see i've forgotten..." she raised her voice so the words could be heard more clearly. "if they're green or they're blue." a little more confidently, she began to sing the sentences. "anyway the thing is, what i really mean..." she released serim's hands to wrap herself around her torso. "yours are the sweetest eyes i've ever seen..."

now that she was singing decisively, serim had let her guard down and was lost in the way jimin was watching her. she could see in the way she was moving that she was nervous, that she was embarrassed to open up like that, and she appreciated knowing that she was still doing it to express her feelings for her in some way. she wasn't used to being sung to, so she didn't know how to react, but she understood, they were both artists and if there was anything they were in love with apart from each other, it was music. jimin's voice fascinated her, she could listen to it for hours.

"and you can tell everybody..." as the younger one sang, they both swayed to the beat. "this is your song." serim smiled tenderly at that part of the lyrics. "it may be quite simple, but," serim's hands rested on jimin's neck. "now that it's done." jimin raised her touch to the woman's nape to push it to bring their foreheads together. "i hope you don't mind... i hope you don't mind..." she lowered her voice so that if there was anyone else in the place they couldn't hear, only serim. "that i put down in words..."

"how wonderful life is..." serim joined in and now they were singing in unison. "while you're in the world." they finished together.

they both stayed in that intimate position, one against the other, holding themselves and dancing alone on the terrace in the new year for a moment, serim closed her eyes to enjoy the moment and jimin kept them open because she wanted to see her, she always wanted to see her, she wanted to be able to appreciate serim's beauty for the rest of her life.

"elton john?" serim inquired when they both stopped, lifting her eyelids so she could look at her, her forehead still pressed against the opposite one.

"moulin rouge." she corrected. "it's the only musical i know any songs from." she confessed. "and you know..." she put on a confident expression. "my girl likes musicals."

serim scoffed at her attitude. "yeah." she nodded in agreement. "your girl likes musicals."

"my girl?" she repeated. "so you agree to be my girlfriend?"

"you haven't asked me yet."

"jang serim." she called out to her and wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her even closer, their bodies pressed against each other, their faces so close she wanted to kiss her as soon as possible. "will you be my girlfriend?" she asked, her eyes sparkling and her heart beating faster than she would have imagined.

"no."

"what?" she exclaimed offended and abruptly turned away from the oldest. "serim." she watched her as the named laughed frantically at her reaction. "serim, be my girlfriend." she commanded. "serim." she quickly approached her and began to push her arm repeatedly as if asking her to stop teasing. "namu." she herself couldn't hold back her laughter at seeing the contrary so amused, but still she kept hitting her gently to make her stop. "hey." she wanted to grab her arm to pull her closer, but serim wouldn't let her, so they started to struggle. "be my girlfriend." she reiterated exerting force trying to win serim over. "love me." she jumped on the spot anxiously because she couldn't stand the joke the older girl was playing on her. "namu!" she squealed shrilly.

"okay, okay." she raised her arms in the air, thus giving way for jimin to latch on to her waist. "i love you." she assured. "and i do want to be your girlfriend." she wrapped the girl in her grip.

"really?" she raised her eyebrow dubiously.

"really." she affirmed. "from now on i'm all yours."

jimin let out a little squeal of excitement and jumped repeatedly on the spot to then pounce on the older girl and catch her in their first kiss as an official couple.

"puppy!" a shout echoed through serim's apartment after the sound of the door closing.

it could have been just one person, other than that jang recognized the voice instantly, so she rushed out of her room to find her girlfriend in the living. she ran towards her catching her in a tight hug and lifting her slightly off the floor as she held her.

"hi, baby." she leaned forward with her eyes closed waiting patiently for jimin to give her a kiss and shaking her body slightly once she did.

"hello, namu." she replied after kissing her then continuing to fill her face with pecks.

"how are you, my love?" asked serim as she watched the girl arrange her things on the table.

"i'm fine." she answered in a good mood. "happy to see you." she gave her a smile and dropped forward being caught in serim's arms to kiss her lips again. "is sejeong here?" she straightened up and inspected the apartment looking for her girlfriend's roommate.

"no." she denied, rounding the kitchen island to face the younger girl. "she's in her apartment because she's starting the move back in there." she reported.

"is she leaving already?" she inquired arranging the things she had brought with her.

"she's been living here for a while." she recalled. "she thinks i'm better now, so she's leaving."

"that's good." she put her elbows on the table and leaned back on her arms. "i do think you are better too." she agreed. "it makes me happy to see you like this."

serim smiled shyly. she had been eating better, at first it was because of sejeong's help controlling her at meal times, but lately it was of her own free will. she was happier, she had even been smoking a little less and sleeping at reasonable times. jimin stretched her arm across the counter to give her cheek a caress.

"i brought you a present." she announced excitedly.

"presents!" she celebrated.

the younger girl took a bag and put it between both of them, opened it, reached inside and from it pulled out a small plant with heart-shaped leaves, lifted it in the air and showed it proudly, painting a big smile on her face.

"it's a plant!" happily introduced the blackhaired.

"i see!" she said wryly.

"don't you like it?" she pouted and set the plant down on the counter.

"no, love." jimin dropped her shoulders in disappointment. "i love it!" she exclaimed and then picked up the pot to begin to inspect it. her passion for gardening making kicking in instantly, making the girl pry at the soil and the state of the leaves.

"do you really like it?" she received no response and that was exactly what she needed because she understood that her hyperfixation was acting up and that was a sign that she was excited about the gift. "namu." she called out to her softly with a smile.

"what, my love?" she replied without looking up from the gift.

"do you like it?" she leaned over the counter looking at her with enamored eyes.

"it fascinates me." she raised her eyes to finally connect with hers. "i didn't have one of these." she lunged forward to press a kiss to her lips. "thank you."

"it's a hoya kerly." she reported trying to remember the plant's proper name.

"hoya kerrii." she corrected amused, looking at her tenderly at her mistake.

"that." she dropped her head. "i don't know anything about plants." she covered her face in embarrassment.

"my love." she laughed and took her hands to remove them from her face. "you don't need to know about plants just because i like them." she tried to calm her down. "i'll teach you and you'll learn."

"but i wanted to present it well because it has a special meaning." she explained frustrated.

"it's the plant of the heart." she deduced.

"yes." she confirmed. "it represents love and harmony." she added. "i bought it for us.

"really?"

"yes." she nodded. "i want us to take care of it together." she looked at the pot. "let it be like our love sapling." she finished, her cheeks turning red at the confession.

"how corny you are." a smile broke out on her face as she watched her blush. "i love you."

"i love you too."

"and we're going to be very careful with our baby." she pointed to the plant. "for a long time." she walked around the table back to where jimin was. "what shall we name it?" she took her face in her hands.

"i have a name in mind." she admitted. "but it's even cheesier." she hid her face in serim's chest.

"tell me." she encouraged. "we're in love and happy, we have permission to be cheesy." she reassured.

"canada." she announced without removing her face from the security provided by the older.

"how?"

"canada." she repeated, this time speaking to her face.

"why canada?"

"because so!yoon is our favorite artist." she explained, referring to the singer's song.

"i like it." she agreed. "i only want you close to me." she quoted the song's lyrics.

"you're the one for me, half of my body, half of my mind." the younger girl continued.

"canada." she assured.

"she's our love."

"and we're going to take care of it for a long time." guaranteed serim. "together."

"together."

— the end.

#

[a/n: thanks to everyone who read. this was one hell of a ride and it wouldn't have been possible without all of you. ♡]

(!)

“does anyone know a good place to get coffee? i fear i’ve been too sleep deprived lately, and i need a cup of coffee asap.” hanni sighed, walking to campus with her friends. 

danielle wore a smile that was as bright as ever, swinging her interlocked hands with haerin. "i don't know of any coffee places, sorry hanni." danielle said. "nah, it's ok dani. it doesn't seem like you would. you're always filled with so much energy," hanni chuckled.

minji, walking alongside hanni’s right, put her finger up and exclaimed “didn’t hyein say she started working at a coffee shop? maybe, you should try that place.”

“hyein works? like, a real job?” hanni snorted. “i’ll probably visit after lectures today, but i probably won’t see hyein. it'll be too early for her to have finished school yet,” hanni continued. “do you wanna come with me?”

minji put her hands behind her head, continuing to walk alongside hanni. “sorry hanni, might have to pass up on that offer. i got a big project coming up and i need to study in the library.” minji shrugged. “okay, nerd” hanni muttered, earning herslef a slap on the shoulder.

hanni walked out of the lecture hall, searching for directions to get to the coffee place minji mentioned. the shop was a bit of a distance away from the campus, hiding away in a small area of town.

“this coffee better be worth it,” hanni mumbled to herself.

hanni walked through the door – a bell ringing, signifying her entrance. it was a cozy space, not very crowded but not completely deserted. the shop screamed comfortable and safe. it smelled like freshly ground coffee, for very obvious reasons. a small tune played in the background – a silly little bossa nova tune.

a worker heard the bell ring from the entrance, and so peaked their head out from behind the counter. as hanni walked closer to the employee, the cuter she found them. since when did cute guys work at coffee shops? she thought to herself.

the guy at the counter rocked a shoulder-length, half-up, half-down hairdo, with many ear piercings and a gorgeous face card. to top it all off, he had glasses. this boy was very pretty, making hanni almost fall to her knees. hanni finally made it to the counter, face to face with the cute barista. hanni had to play her cards right if she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of such a fine specimen.

“hey there, sigma. what’s a fine specimen like you doing here?” hanni stuttered out, immediately going red and mentally slapping herself. she ducked her head and broke eye contact in embarrassment. what was she doing? and fine specimen? what was she even saying?

the barista chuckled softly. “i mean, i’m not too sure. maybe, i’m just a random person who stole an apron and a job.“ he snorted. hanni still kept her head down, muttering curses against herself.

“so, miss sigma, what would you like today?” the barista asked. hanni cleared her throat, raising her head but avoiding eye contact at all cost. “i’ll just take a latte, if that’s okay.” hanni said quickly. the guy behind the counter gave a soft smile before giving hanni a total, recieving cash in return.

hanni quickly made her way to an empty table, still beet red. she did not want to tell any of her friends about this interaction, fearing that she will never hear the end of their teasing. hanni took out her phone, trying to find anything that could distract herself from that embarrassing interaction.

after a few quick minutes, hanni looked up to see the cute barista place a cup of coffee onto the table. he still had that stupidly soft smile that made hanni weak in the knees.

“enjoy your latte!” the barista said softly. all hanni could do was nod in response.

happy lil sigmas

minji so hanni how was the coffee shop hyein what coffee shop? hanni u went to a coffee shop??? hanni sighs i did indeed it was erm ur coffee shop too btw hyein WHAT?? AND U DIDNT BOTHER TO TEXT ME OR WAUT FOR MY SHIFT TO BEGUN?? hanni I DIDN’T KNOW WHEN U WOULD GET THERE 😭 minji so completely ignore my question some friend 🙄 hanni says the one who abandoned me to get coffee by myself js to study in the library minji JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION 💀 hanni it was erm nice! minji something happened for sure.. hyein who was working the shift when u got there? hanni it was like a cute guy he had like shoulder length hair half up half down ear piercings and glasses haerin did i hear hanni call a guy cute?? what did i miss who r u????? hanni WEHRED U COME FROM HELLO?? hyein cute guy you say? im pickign up whta ur putting down hehehe hanni i can hear u scheming from behind the screen whatever ur thinkign stop it pelase hyein what if i told u im VERY close with the barista ur talking abt i could  help u make a move perchance haerin u cant just say perchance! hanni GET OUTTA HEREEE HAE haerin 😿 danielle don’t say that about haerin!!  that’s very rude of you hanni 😡 hanni so does everyone js like appering outta nowhere and attack me?? minji yes hyein wait hanni r u gonna go back to the coffee shop hanni well yes! not when ur gonna be there tho i fear i can basically hear ur shemeing scream thru the screen the coffee is nice haerin is the coffee the only reason you’re going back? hanni ok whatever now im cursing everyone here

hanni walked through the coffee shop doors once more. she had finished another day of lectures and was so down for a cup of coffee. as she made her way to the counter, a familiar face was standing behind the cash register.

“so, miss sigma comes back for another latte?” the barista from yesterday chuckles, hanni going slightly pink in the cheeks. “could we, potentially, forget about the whole sigma thing. it’s embarrassing,” hanni chuckled awkwardly. “i think it was cute, but if it makes you uncomfortable then sure!” the barista smiled softly. 

hanni could feel her eyes dilate, sharing a soft smile with the cute barista. “not uncomfortable, it’s just a little too embarrassing to think about again,” hanni chuckled. the barista hummed in response as hanni ordered the latte from yesterday. she then went and sat down on the same table from the day previously too.

hanni received her latte, accompanied with that same soft smile. she took the time to look at admire the latte art – a cute little bunny. 

“enjoy your latte!” the cute barista said softly.

hanni went to the coffee shop everyday of the week. and now, the weekend had hit. hanni had no plans to go out, yet she found herself walking out the door and towards the coffee shop.

the bell rang softly in hanni’s ears as she opened the entrance door to the shop. she looked over to the counter, surprising herself when she saw who stood behind it. it was hyein. hanni wouldn’t admit it to herself, but she was a little disappointed when she didn’t see her little coffee shop crush.

“hanni! it’s good to see you on such a lovely lil weekend!” hyein beamed. hanni smiled softly while rolling her eyes. “so, you work weekend shifts?” hanni questioned. hyein nodded enthusiastically. 

“you know, a little birdie told me you introduced yourself to the lil barista crush with a ‘hey there, sigma’.” hyein snorted, hanni going red and smacking hyein from across the counter. “i was trying to seem confident to avoid embarrassing myself.” hanni hissed. “uh huh, didn’t seem to work though.” hyein smirked.

hanni ordered her usual latte, paying for it and sitting in her usual spot. when hyein came over to deliver the latte, she sat herself down. “it’ll be fine, this place is slow enough for me to have a lil convo with a friend.”

hanni took a slow sip of her latte. “so,” she began, “your really pretty coworker. is there any way you could, potentially, hit me up with him?” hanni took another long, slow sip of her latte. she could see the mischievous glint in hyein’s eyes. “oh, you mean that one?” hyein said, tilting her head and pointing towards a figure emerging from behind the counter. it was the barista crush.

“yeah, i’ll see what i can do.” hyein smirked. hanni didn’t know whether to be excited or scared.

the bell rang softly through the shop as someone walked in. hyein looked at the clock of the shop and got up from her seat. “the job’s calling for me now. i gotta make money somehow.” hyein shrugged. 

hanni waved at hyein, looking towards the counter once more. the cute barista was taking the order of the person who came in, taking cash and giving the customer their change. then, the barista made eye contact with hanni and smiled softly. hanni felt her cheeks heat up a little before smiling back at the guy behind the counter. 

hanni went back to the coffee shop the next day, under the guidance of hyein. when she arrived, she saw hyein at the counter once more.

“i’m gonna be busy today, but your little crush will be at the counter the entire time i’m gone. when you get the chance, make your move. trust me, it’ll be fine.” hyein whispered from across the counter. 

hanni raised her eyebrow and chuckled at hyein’s little antic but didn’t question it. she ordered her latte to go this time, watching as the barista came from the back and swap places with hyein.

hanni waited by the side of the counter, watching her barista crush make her latte gracefully and slide it gently to hanni. “enjoy your coffee!” he said softly, with his signature soft smile.

the barista went to turn around and redo his little ponytail, until hanni used her voice.

“um, could i ask you something?” hanni asked softly. the barista made eye contact with hanni and smiled, hair tie on his wrist and his hand still holding onto his little ponytail. “anything,” he replied.

hanni cleared her throat and mustered up all her courage. she closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she wore a playful smirk.

“so, pretty boy, do you have a name or should i just call you mine?” hanni said smoothly, trying to keep up her charismatic act. she watched the barista in front of her go pink in the cheeks a bit, but he looked a bit confused and tilted his head. he let go of his ponytail and let them fall to his sides.

“pretty boy? hate to break it to you but, erm, i’m a girl.” the cute girl chuckled awkwardly, still wearing that stupidly cute, soft smile. her hair fell above her shoulders.

hanni’s eyes widened a bit, her jaw dropping. how did she get it so wrong? hanni’s cheeks began to heat up as she avoided eye contact with the barista standing across the counter. this felt like the sigma thing all over again, only 10 times worse.

“that stupid hyein. always pulling her little pranks.” the girl in front of her snorted. “i get perceived as a really pretty guy a lot, but i swear hyein told you. that damned girl is always causing trouble.” she chuckled.

hanni slowly made eye contact with the cute barista again, almost melting at the sight of her smile. hanni was so downbad. “i, um, look i’m so so sorry.” hanni began, scratching the back of her neck.

the barista only smiled wider, and nodded softly. “it’s not your fault. hyein was always the more mischievous cousin.” she replied softly. hanni felt her world shake. “cousin!?” she exclaimed. 

the barista sucked in air through her teeth and shook her head slowly. “i’m going to give her a piece of my mind, excuse me. when you leave, maybe check the inside of your latte and the side of the cup.” she winked before going to the back.

hanni walked out of the coffee shop, hearing some bickering from the back room. hanni opened the lid of her to go cup, looking at the latte art. it was a heart. hanni couldn’t stop herself from smiling widely before checking the side of her cup. there was writing with a phone number below.

the hues of white and gold twinkled against the sunlight, the heat of the californian sun blinding everyone in the venue. yuri's dress, a hanbok beautifully accentuated with gold, ruffled in the wind, yena standing across from her soon-to-be wife with tears in her eyes.

y/n couldn't focus as they began to open their letters, the couple's vows written in great length (and the last time y/n asked yuri, she had almost two pages).

all she saw was jang wonyoung, standing across from her with a soft smile, watching the couple exchange their speeches.

the wonyoung she knew was still there, bits and pieces of the shy, caring girl she fell in love with years ago making herself known through each smile and laugh. her smile was still angelic, but gone was the burden of her last name. she walked lighter, the shackles of expectations now released from her .

she wasn't jang wonyoung, the daughter of a politician. she wasn't jang wonyoung, the promising volleyball player and the hope of suma, nor was she 'victory' jang, yoo 'the ace of korea' jimin's shadow.

she was wonyoung, just wonyoung.

and somehow, despite the years apart, wonyoung looked as beautiful as ever. she seemed much older, wiser, yet it was all the same. with her hair slightly shorter, y/n could tell she had gained some weight in her cheeks. her eyes, still doe-like, never seemed brighter, and from where she stood, y/n could see someone familiar.

she didn't know why, but y/n wanted to fall in love with this wonyoung, just like she she fell in love with her wonyoung.

y/n's eyes tore away from her ex, the entirety of the venue cheering as yena and yuri kissed.

she clapped half-heartedly, her mind and eyes wandering to the tall girl standing on the other side.

she was happy for the two, knowing how hard it must've been for them. y/n knew about their rough patch and the long-distance relationship they had during yena's overseas training. she admired them honestly, the way they pushed through it.

y/n wanted to be like them, so sure they'd be better for the other person.

she glanced at wonyoung, their eyes meeting.

it was pathetic, honestly. she was still hung up on her ex from college despite graduating so long ago. even through her multiple counselling and therapy sessions, she couldn't let go of it.

she did all the steps. she explored her options, dating around but nothing truly sticking. she took care of herself, both mentally and physically. she focused on her career, finally a well known actress.

but it always ended with wonyoung in her heart, no matter how much her mind wanted it to stop.

yuri and yena walked down the aisle, and beside her, jiwon and minju had already begun to cry.

(she was sure after their toasts later, jiwon would sob a river.)

it was bittersweet, knowing that when she was young, she had always dreamed that she and her wonyoung would be walking down in a similar fashion, somewhere in france.

wiping a stray tear on her cheek, y/n smiled. they followed suit with the now-wedded couple, cheers erupting as flowers littered the hot air.

y/n looked forward at the couple.

wonyoung didn't.

the after-party started right after aeri's toast.

they had moved to a much bigger, more ambient venue once the ceremony had ended. it was a couple minutes away from the vineyard, yet it was enough to fill the entirety of the one hundred guests and the couple's requests.

wonyoung knew coming in that there would be a huge bar with a plethora of fine wines and liquor. yena had asked her months ago about the most expensive services money could buy. beside it, a photo booth with yena and yuri's cardboard cutouts stood. tables littered the floor, the front designated for the two brides. in the center was the dance floor, a huge, rave-like stage sat in the middle.

she was surprised that the two didn't bother to buy a disco ball while they were at it.

"yeah," yujin hiccuped, raising a glass of champagne in her hand. she watched as yena messily made out with her now-wife in the middle of the dance floor. "that's my friend!"

wonyoung smiled. part of her wished rei could've come to humble yujin a tad, but things were already hard on her with the mention of jiwon. if she were to see the kim, fully dressed up, she was sure to have a mental breakdown.

gaeul sat yujin down, the taller girl leaning on her fiancée.

"is yujin-unnie drunk already?"

her eyes wandered for a moment, settling on the actress who constantly invaded her mind.

unlike wonyoung who was mostly known for her brand, l/n y/n was a name you heard everywhere. her face was on billboards, her smile on screens. everywhere she looked, everything she heard was y/n, or at least adjacent to her.

it hurt for a while, seeing the girl you loved everywhere but not hearing from her. wonyoung had waited months for a text back, for a call.

nothing came, and it was enough for wonyoung to know that y/n was done with her.

but the years of drowning herself in horrible music, expensive wine, and using work as a distraction paid off. VKY took off, and the bigger it got, the worse and worse her mind became.

the first few months of success felt like a failure.

"she was drunk during the ceremony, actually." gaeul clarified, ignoring the sulking girl beside her.

wonyoung was thankful for them, dragging her away from her desk and forcing her to face everything she worked so hard to push away. gaeul, rei and yujin urged her to go get help, and despite her parents raising hell to prevent wonyoung, she did.

she hated taking those stupid pills though.

"i was not!" yujin sulked, clinging onto gaeul like saran wrap. "i was tipsy."

wonyoung glanced once more at her ex, y/n smiling at some joke yuri had made.

she got over it, the ghosting. it took a year or two (or three), but she did. she cried, she drank, she tried to forget. wonyoung even journaled, her baby blue leather book filled with tears and pain.

still, she could never get over y/n.

it was by accident. wonyoung had found out when she was going through her contacts with yujin, the two talking about other notable people to model for her newest collection. yujin, always making sure never forgot, mentioned the actress. out of curiosity, she checked, only to realize that her number was wrong.

and then she panicked even further.

('wrong number.' she had double-checked with jiwon.)

"baby," yujin whined, her eyes watery. "i wanna dance."

the olympian tugged on her fiancée, huffing at gaeul's sluggish movements. yujin's emotions always got amplified tenfold when she drank, and years later, it was still the same.

"i'm gonna go with her." gaeul grinned, gathering her purse as yujin tugged harder. "she'll start telling people we're married if i don't."

"we are!"

"we are not." gaeul's voice blended into the background, finally giving into yujin's request. "our wedding is next year, yujinnie."

the music continued to blast around them, wonyoung watching as they walked into the surprisingly active crowd (but what did she expect from yena and yuri's friends?). their figures blurred into the horde, leaving wonyoung alone at the table.

she looked at her glass, dripping as the cold mingled with the hotter air.

it was lonely, being twenty-six years old and watching your friends get married. she achieved success, all the things her father was sure she would never reach. but not once was she date. she didn't want to date anyone, and when she did, it wasn't her.

it wasn't y/n.

wonyoung felt like she was back in that stupid bathtub, drinking some wine she grabbed from the dollar store, and playing some music that someone probably dedicated to their ex. her eighteen-year-old self would probably sit beside her, crying in her arms. she'd probably even throw up on the ta-

"hey."

l/n y/n.

familiar yet different, everything and nothing, hers but no ones.

"hi." wonyoung smiled, her grin soft but her heart hammering.

y/n's nerves crackled in the dim light, the sun setting behind her. for years, she had dreamt about this, pathetically so.

"can i sit here?"

the designer nodded. "go ahead."

the decorated chair scraped the floor lightly, y/n taking place on it. she was close enough to feel, the heat of her skin permeating onto wonyoung's, their knees nearly touching. wonyoung strained her ears, hyper-aware of every move, every breath, everything that was y/n.

she was over the hurt, but wonyoung would never be over y/n.

"congrats, by the way."

wonyoung glanced at the shorter girl's hands, watching as she rubbed her knuckles. "on what?"

"on your brand." y/n whispered, her words coming out slightly forced and awkward. "i remember you always liked stuff like that."

she always tried to hide it, but y/n remembered freshman year, and the little pastel blue notebook wonyoung would hide in her nightstand.

"i did." wonyoung fought the urge to look up, to steal a glance, afraid that this was just another dream. "i just never had the time to."

fear always ruled jang wonyoung.

the fear of imperfection, of loss and pain. it lingered in the halls of the jang household, long before wonyoung was born. it was a birthright that she had no say in, one acquired through her father's actions and her mother's words.

wonyoung wasn't scared anymore.

the taller girl's eyes met with y/n's, a soft sigh escaping her mouth. y/n was way more beautiful than she remembered, her cat-like eyes and her mole pairing with her smile.

"how's hyunseo?"

"she's good." wonyoung closed her eyes, letting out another breath as she relaxed. "we visited hannah's grave a couple weeks back."

y/n had never heard of hannah, her name a foreign word to the actress. she tried to wrack her mind for any memories, but every single one came out empty.

"hannah?" y/n sighed softly. "who's hannah?"

wonyoung stared at her, her eyes softening. it felt so freeing, finally being able to say her name. "hannah was someone who meant a lot to me."

even after years, a near decade, y/n could still read the bits and pieces of wonyoung. how she'd look away, contemplating on telling more. how the girl take a sip of water, trying her best to calm down.

wonyoung was still so similar to the girl she met, the girl she loved, and the girl she let go.

"why didn't you tell me that you were the deleted number?" her mouth moved before she could process her words.

"huh?" wonyoung froze, and from the corner of her eye, she could see the crowd getting larger and larger. "oh, um, i didn't think it mattered anymore."

if wonyoung was eighty percent sure she let go, then she was sure y/n definitely did.

and before, as soon as those words left wonyoung's mouth, y/n would already be in hysterics. her heart would be ripped in two, and she'd go silent, trying her best to figure out what she did wrong.

"it mattered to me." it felt like the world lifted off her shoulders. "you should've said something."

their eyes met once more.

"i panicked." wonyoung's voice was sheepish, a small dust of red coating her face. "it was stupid of me, i know. i just..."

y/n's fingers twitched, her mind itching to touch her wonyoung again, to figure out who was in there.

"an old habit, i'm guessing?"

she'd love any version of wonyoung, whether it was hers or not.

"a very old habit."

the air danced around them as the night continued, the smell of booze multiplying with each minute. neither moved from their spot, worried that this was the last time - the last chance - they'd get to see each other. so the two sat, stealing glances and people-watching, content with whatever was going to happen next, whether it be good or bad.

a soft whisper traveled into wonyoung's ears, and if she hadn't spent the past eight years yearning for the sound, she might have missed it.

"i'm better now, wonnie."

wonyoung loved that nickname more than life itself. "sorry?"

"my promise." a smile flickered onto the actress's face, and wonyoung found herself afraid of losing her again. "i'm better now."

old habits die hard, but time marched forward. wonyoung knew that they changed, for better or for worse. she knew that no matter what, in sickness and in health, she'd love y/n. they weren't the same two naive girls who were hurting, and even though glimpses of them flashed through, wonyoung was willing.

y/n held her hand, and everything fell into place.

"thank you..." wonyoung could barely hold her tears back. "for keeping your promise."

"anything for you, wonnie."

y/n squeezed her hand, and the room fell silent. wonyoung felt like she was floating. she wasn't sure where she was gonna land, if it was gonna hurt her or anyone else. all she knew was that somewhere, y/n was waiting for her, just like wonyoung had been too.

to love someone was to do the right thing.

"are you seeing anyone?"

"no." a grin splayed across y/n's face, one that was only ever reserved for wonyoung. "i'm not."

jang wonyoung would wait forever. she would wait for the perfect time, sitting idly in the corner of the room. she'd count the seconds as they go by, watching as each hand moved at a snail's pace, but a pace nonetheless.

"good."

l/n y/n couldn't wait. she couldn't sit by and let nature take its course. she could prevent earthquakes and hurricanes if it meant protecting wonyoung. she'd move planets, shapeshift, become someone new... someone better.

"good?"

wonyoung stood up, her hand trembling. she reached out to her y/n, offering a hand. she couldn't keep waiting forever, and she knew y/n couldn't be the only one changing for rest of eternity.

(wonyoung was too grown to keep being an idiot, anyway.)

"dance with me, y/nnie?"

love.

it was still there.

"gladly."

THE END.

masterlist

taglist (CLOSED)!!

december 25, christmas had arrived.

for many ordinary families it was a special holiday spent together, where they ate delicious things and showered each other with attention and gifts, for other ordinary families it was perhaps a day like any other. but if there was one certainty it was that if your job is to be an idol and during the year you released even minimally relevant music, then december 25 was just another workday, and a very exhaustive one at that.

all the groups that played on the radios during the year today were at the sbs stations recording the christmas special. a compilation of pre-recorded performances of the same songs they had sung over and over again the past twelve months, and some special ones among the most relevant celebrities.

karina had arrived earlier than the rest of the members that day as she had a collaboration with other groups to film, and then wandered around the station waiting for her bandmates and her turn to take the stage as a group. every year she would have liked to spend that date with her family, but instead she had to be cooped up for hours in that building surrounded by people she hardly knew who were in her same situation, bored and uncomfortable with her wardrobe, waiting for the time when everyone would come out on stage at the end of the event to greet their fans.

after trying to kill time walking around the venue interacting with her industry friends, making content together, playing games on her phone and anything else interesting she could find, it was finally time to go up to say goodbye and she headed her members excited as it meant she would soon be going home. so quickly she reached to the entrance to the set that aespa ended up among the first in line, ahead of everyone, and while waiting to be signaled to enter, the girl got distracted looking around the room they were in.

she was confronted with many familiar faces, even making eye contact with some and having to greet them, while many others she didn't recognize from anywhere. as she moved her eyes through the crowd, she ended up bumping into a figure she identified.

trying to keep herself entertained and with all the work she had to do, she had forgotten that HeAVEN would also be showing up there.

she met chaeyoung's back and couldn't help but stare as if the girl, who clearly couldn't stand her, was going to feel her attention on her and turn around to greet her. but it wasn't the taller one she wanted, it was the presence of the group that captivated her because it made serim, even though she wasn't there because of her hiatus, feel closer.

ningning followed her gaze back to what had her so transfixed, meeting the people with whom she had already formed a bond of friendship and raised her hand to greet minnie who was the only one standing there facing her side. the older one noticed the movement on the girl's part and when she realized it was yizhuo, she returned the greeting cheerfully, tapping yves' shoulder, giving her a strange look and causing her to wave back too, though more shyly. yujin and chaeyoung joined in last as they saw their companions, turning to see who they had met to also say hello. out of nowhere, chaeyoung, just looking at ningning, pointed to the side, telling her to look, and both she and jimin, who was witnessing the entire interaction, turned their heads in that direction, finding serim leaning against a wall with her manager, eyes lost in the screen of her phone.

the girl was so bored that she had gone to support her teammates to at least spend christmas with them instead of at home alone with her porcupine, and now she had to wait for the others to come back from the closing.

when jimin saw her, she became anxious. they had been talking through chat these days, but as it happened lately, they didn't have time to meet because of the younger girl's busy schedule. serim was surprisingly more friendly and that made jimin not hesitate to interact with her. when she knew they were in the same place, she wanted to run out to be with her, but as she started moving people out of her way to get to her, yizhuo stopped her.

"they are about to tell us to come up." she warned her.

"but namu..." a small pout formed on her lips, she really wanted to go talk to her.

"namu will still be there when we go down." she reaffirmed.

and as if they had heard her, a group of staff appeared to order them, putting the groups in line and making them pass slowly in an organized way. aespa passed among the first ones, staying in the front row.

other than posing for the fans' cameras and waiting for the conductors in charge to say the last words, there wasn't much more to that part of the show. they would also receive christmas, although it really only consisted of a confetti explosion and, actually, the day was almost over. it was all performative, but for a part, if anything, they had something special to do during the holidays and they could spend time with their fans.

one of the mcs started to speak, reading his letters full of formal words and superficial questions to ask some of the guest acts, while the idols greeted the audience as they had been trained to do. but karina's head wasn't there, as much as she loved interacting with her fandom and wanted to show respect for the hard work of the narrators, her mind kept going back to the backstage.

she was trying to be patient, but it seemed like every word they said came out slower. she just wanted to go be with her who was sure lonely and bored on christmas eve. just wanted to spend all the christmases that followed with her.

her senses came back to work when she noticed that they were saying the final words, the last words of the speech they had prepared, welcoming christmas and allowing all the groups to start wandering around the stage for a while before letting them go.

but jimin wouldn't stay for that,

jimin wanted to spend christmas with serim.

at least she could say she thought twice about it and both times thought it was a great idea to run off the stage, passing through a bunch of colleagues who, if they didn't clear a path for her, tried to hold her back to ask if she was okay.

and she was fine, almost, just losing her head a little over a woman.

when she got to the stairs leading to the staff area, her own team rushed towards her to help her with whatever she needed, but jimin pushed them away, passing them and running to where the aisles were, reading the names on all the doors looking for the one that read HeAVEN.

hell, there were an eternity of groups present.

she walked past so many doors, bumping into a world of people, her managers chasing her with intentions of finding a reason for all the chaos as she frantically ran the sbs dressing rooms. until she found it, she found herself face to face with the sign indicating what she was looking for and knocked desperately on the door, but didn't wait for anyone to open it, she opened it herself, almost falling inside where serim, sitting on a chair, looked at her dumbfounded, as well as the whole team of the group who didn't expect a member of aespa to throw herself towards the leader of the group they managed, landing on her lap, taking her face in her hands and pulling her to look her in the eyes.

"merry christmas." spoke jimin while from the monitor showing the transmission the exact same words could be heard from the conductor. "merry christmas, my namu." she repeated, leaning over her, who was now holding her waist to help her keep her balance. "i love you."

she dared to admit it and also to kiss her. drawing her face up to hers, shortening the distance, joining in a desperate, but somewhat shy kiss charged with tenderness and need. it had been so long since they kissed that it was like rediscovering something you knew you were addicted to, falling back into the vice. they were looking for more closeness, contact, for their bodies to intertwine like roots of a tree that grow without direction and belong to the same system. karina's arms clung to the older girl's neck, while she stood up, pushing the chair a little out of the way, so she could occupy the space her legs took up with the girl's presence, without letting her lips come loose even by accident.

"are you sure?" serim broke contact for a moment, opening her eyes to show desperation and illusion in these. "do you love me?"

"i love you." she left a short kiss on her lips. "i love you, i love you." she gave a peck each time she said it. "i love you." the girl kissed again. "and i'm sorry for not saying it sooner." she leaned her forehead against hers. "but after your birthday and seeing you sick, thinking about the possibility of something happening to you and the need i had to be me and no one else to take care of you..." the sentences came like waterfalls from her mouth, intraquilly trying to express her emotions. "i was afraid of being wrong, but nothing was ever so certain in my life."

serim wrapped her arms around karina's torso. "do you love me?" she asked once again.

"i love you." she confirmed, a flirtatious smile on her face.

the older one lifted her into the air taking advantage of the hold she had established on her, causing her to bend her knees, lifting her legs, and hold tighter to her. "i love you too!" she reciprocated in an exclamation, making them spin, looking genuinely joyful for the first time in months. "and merry christmas." she set her down again, accompanied with a chaste brush of their lips. "please, don't ruin this." she pleaded, a little jokingly, but you could see the sincerity in her eyes.

"i'll be good." she caressed her cheeks. "we'll be fine." she assured.

"oh my god, how beautiful." a gangly voice filled the room making everyone turn to look at aespa's manager who was choking back tears admiring the whole scene as he futilely wiped his tears with a handkerchief.

"slut!" appeared chaeyoung from the hallway.

"my manhwa lives!" celebrated ryujin with her head poking out from the door frame.

ningning was also among the accumulation of people, at the front of it all, next to the members of the staff who had tried to stop jimin, leaning against the doorframe, she said nothing, but gave them a genuine smile.

(!)

When a full month went by, Y/N assumed the singer had given up. She had bitten off more than she could chew, and when the reality of the situation finally hit her, she ran away and left the doctor behind once again.

Y/N didn't know whether to be happy or sad, so, as always, she focused on her work.

"Think I scared Carrot away?" Yana asked, trying to keep a proud smile at bay.

"Think you're pissing me off." Y/N didn't look up at her. She leaned back in her chair and focused on the document in front of her.

"You're such a sourpuss," Yana tutted, flicking Y/N's earlobe affectionately. Y/N swatted her hand away, but there was a hint of a smile on her face.

"And you're annoying," she retorted. "I'm busy, you know. I have things to do, papers to sign, patients to see."

Yana rolled her eyes, resting her hip against the edge of the desk.

"Or you're just trying to avoid going home."

Y/N almost scoffed. "Yeah, tell that to the eight-year-old diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma."

Yana's expression softened momentarily, a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

"How is Yoonji doing?" she asked softly.

Y/N sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "As good as she can be," she said quietly. "It's serious, Yana, and she's young. The next few months..." Her voice trailed off, and she didn’t finish the sentence.

Yana was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Maybe you should go home, Y/N, and come back with a refreshed mind. You've been here for almost three days now—it's not healthy."

Y/N shook her head, though weariness was evident in her eyes. The worry for her young patient weighed heavily on her shoulders, along with the mountain of paperwork on her desk.

"Can't. I have a surgery in two hours," she said softly, her voice betraying more exhaustion than she wanted to show.

Yana frowned, clearly worried. She knew how relentless Y/N could be when it came to her work, but she also knew the toll it took on her.

"Are you even listening to yourself? Three days without a proper break? You need to take care of yourself too. You’ll burn out at this rate."

She placed a hand on Y/N's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "Let someone else handle the surgery. Take a day off. Go home, take a bath, watch some trashy TV, and eat something other than hospital food for once."

Y/N sighed, knowing that Yana wouldn’t relent without an answer. She dropped her pen and turned in her chair to face her friend. "I'll do that after surgery, okay? Don’t worry so much about me. I'm fine."

Yana raised an eyebrow skeptically. "After this surgery, you'll just find another reason to stay. And then another after that. I know you, Y/N."

She crossed her arms, fixing Y/N with a stern look. "You need rest. And if you won’t take it voluntarily, I’ll make you."

Y/N shook her head, smiling faintly as she held up her pinky between them. "No, this is the last one, I promise. My schedule’s clear for tomorrow. I won’t set foot in this hospital."

Yana huffed but couldn’t resist the pinky swear. "Fine," she said, linking her pinky with Y/N's. "But if I catch you here tomorrow, I’ll knock you out and drive you home myself."

She let go of their pinkies and made her way toward the door. "Come say bye before you leave?"

Y/N couldn’t help but smile softly and nod. "I will."

As her friend finally left, she refocused on the documents in front of her. She was supposed to be analyzing the best procedure to adopt with the little girl who still didn’t know she had cancer, but it was a tricky situation. The cancer was advanced, and the only possible surgeries were incredibly risky given the girl's age. Y/N had been trying to come up with a solution for days, but nothing seemed viable.

Y/N sighed and ran a frustrated hand through her hair, not hearing the soft knock at the door or the quiet footsteps coming inside.

Minjeong slipped into the office, a smile spreading across her face at the sight before her. Y/N just looked so captivating when she was focused—her brow slightly furrowed, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Minjeong had missed her.

"You look stressed," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Y/N's head shot up at the sound, her eyes widening in surprise. Minjeong stood in the doorway, her smile soft and warm.

Y/N’s heart gave a sharp thump against her chest. It had been a month since she’d seen the singer. Seeing her again now, after a month of silence, knocked the breath right out of her.

She quickly gathered herself. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone coming out a bit more brusque than intended.

Minjeong didn’t let the tone bother her. She approached and took a seat on the other side of the desk.

"I missed you, Y/N," she said softly, pulling a small gift from her pocket. It was a golden necklace with a small heart pendant. "Got this in Berlin...made me think of you."

Y/N’s gaze flickered to the necklace in Minjeong’s hand, her heart twisting at the sight. Her eyes then lifted to meet Minjeong’s, taking in her soft smile and familiar features.

She wanted to stay mad, to tell Minjeong to leave her office and leave her alone. But she couldn’t seem to find the words.

After a few moments of silence, Y/N finally spoke. "You've been gone a month," she said, cursing the slight waver in her voice.

Minjeong nodded, her eyes drifting away from Y/N's. "Yeah, it was the last leg of our tour. We're supposed to lay low for a while now—write songs for our new album and start the whole recording process again." She suddenly looked up at Y/N, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Did you like the gifts I sent you while I was away?"

Y/N frowned in confusion. "What gifts?"

Minjeong's excitement immediately deflated, replaced by a look of disappointment.

"What do you mean? I sent you a letter before leaving. And I sent you gifts after every performance. Bouquets, letters, chocolates..." Her voice trailed off as the realization hit her. "You... you didn't get any of it?"

Y/N shook her head. "Where did you send them to?"

"The hospital," Minjeong replied, her eyebrows furrowing. "I put your name on it."

Y/N paused, an amused expression flickering across her face.

"Right… all gifts sent to the hospital are automatically taken to the donations office. Come to think of it, that’s probably why the kiddos in the pediatric department were walking around with flowers all month."

Minjeong paled at the thought, her eyes widening in horror.

"Shit," she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief. "All this time… I thought you were ignoring my gifts, and you... didn't even get any of them?"

A mixture of guilt and embarrassment washed over her. She had been so sure the doctor was rejecting her gifts.

Y/N smiled slightly, taking a moment to look Minjeong up and down as if to assess her well-being. Touring was incredibly taxing on people, but Minjeong looked okay. Tired, but okay.

"How was Berlin?" Y/N found herself asking without a second thought. Once she caught on to what had just happened, she inwardly cursed herself.

She wasn't supposed to show interest. She wasn't supposed to be interested.

Minjeong's initial embarrassment began to fade as she picked up on Y/N's unintended slip. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes softening with amusement. "Berlin was beautiful. Busy, but... beautiful," she said, her voice quieter now, almost as if she were trying not to break the fragile moment they were sharing.

Y/N did her best to appear disinterested. The subtle way she kept her gaze on Minjeong, how her hands stilled on the desk, and the way her jaw clenched when Minjeong smiled—all of it gave her away.

"It sounds like it," Y/N replied, keeping her tone neutral. She quickly moved to change the subject, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "At least the gifts went to someone who actually appreciated them."

Minjeong smiled at the small jab. "I'll be more careful next time. But for what it's worth, none of this would've happened if you just gave me your number."

Y/N chuckled, shaking her head as she returned to her documents. "I'm not giving you my number."

"Why not?" Minjeong asked, her voice laced with a mixture of amusement and disappointment. She leaned back in her seat, watching as Y/N worked.

She decided right then and there to reach for her purse as well. She pulled out her phone and notebook as if it were the most natural thing in the world, leaving them on Y/N's desk as she stole one of the doctor's pens.

"'Cause you're perfectly capable of stalking me without it," Y/N declared, watching Minjeong with a raised eyebrow.

She was making herself at home, wasn't she?

Minjeong smirked, rolling her eyes as she settled comfortably into the seat.

"I prefer the term 'determined pursuit,'" she said, opening her notebook and focusing on it.

Y/N watched her for a while and eventually gave up with a head shake. Figuring the singer out wasn't worth her time, but curiosity got the best of her.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Minjeong looked up from her notebook, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Working, of course," she said, her tone as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Figured I'd write better songs with my muse in front of me."

Y/N raised an eyebrow, feeling a mix of annoyance and something else she didn't want to name.

"Just don't turn everyone against me this time around."

Minjeong's smile quickly vanished. She found herself hissing slightly and avoiding Y/N's eyes. "I never meant to turn anyone against you, you know? I... I couldn't have predicted that everyone would... react that way. And I was just so angry. I was an asshole. I'm sorry."

Y/N's expression didn’t change at the apology. Again, she told herself she didn’t need it. It had been too long; she had moved on. But even then, her younger self felt a little satisfied at finally getting the apology she had desperately craved.

She returned to her work without saying anything else. This wasn’t about Minjeong; she had a lot to do.

Minjeong pushed her feelings of disappointment and sadness aside to focus on her work. She figured she had to take things slow with Y/N. Overwhelming and annoying her was not the solution, so she opted for small, more discreet moments.

Also, she really did need inspiration for her new songs, and there was no one who inspired her more than the doctor.

So, the two got to work.

Minjeong glanced up from her writing, stealing glances at Y/N in between verses. She couldn't deny how comforting it was to be in the same space as her, even in silence.

Y/N also didn’t seem to mind Minjeong’s company. She’d never admit it out loud, but it felt good having the singer around again. She liked the attention and care that the orange-haired woman seemed to have for her. Sitting in front of her again reminded her of when they were younger, studying late into the night at the university’s library.

Nothing good really lasts forever, though, and soon Y/N’s pager rang.

It was time for her to prepare for surgery.

Minjeong watched her stand up and quickly got up to follow.

"Are we finally going home?" she smiled.

Y/N rolled her eyes softly. "You're going home. I have surgery."

"Oh." Minjeong's mouth fell open in slight surprise. She shrugged and settled back down in her chair. "I'll wait for you to come back, then."

Y/N halted her movements and stared at Minjeong. "It's a 5 to 7 hour surgery."

Minjeong didn't budge. "Even better. You'll be too tired when you come back, so I'll drive you home."

The doctor gaped at her. Minjeong was being so damn stubborn; it was almost as infuriating as it was endearing.

"You can't just camp out in my office for 7 hours," she snapped. "Go home. I don't need a babysitter."

Minjeong's smile widened at Y/N's outburst. She knew she was pushing her luck, but she couldn't help herself. There was something about Y/N that made her want to poke and prod and push.

She crossed her arms over her chest, raising her chin in a defiant gesture. "Do you have to complain about every nice thing I do? You'll be dead tired; I'll take you home."

Y/N's eyes narrowed as she looked at Minjeong. The girl was getting under her skin so easily, and the worst part was that a part of her actually enjoyed their arguments.

Her pager rang again, and she sighed. "I don't have time for this, Minjeong. Stop playing and go home."

She gathered her belongings and left, convinced that Minjeong wouldn't have the patience to wait that long. She figured the singer would last fifteen minutes alone in the office before heading home.

That thought was the reason why Y/N's eyes widened when she returned to her office eight hours later.

There had been complications in the surgery, so it took longer than expected.

Y/N had been certain that Minjeong would have left a long time ago. The sight of the singer laying on her couch, sleeping soundly, both surprised and frustrated her.

Y/N stood in the doorway, watching Minjeong. She wanted to feel angry, annoyed even, at the girl for sticking around all this time. But instead, a pang of concern and fondness took over her chest. Minjeong had just returned from tour; she should be resting well at home.

Y/N quietly walked over to the couch and stood in front of the singer, contemplating whether to wake her or just let her rest.

With a sigh, she walked to her closet and pulled out the fluffy blanket she usually used whenever she stayed back at the hospital. She covered Minjeong with it, watching her turn and sigh in her sleep before returning to her desk to start on her reports.

Y/N settled into her work, trying to ignore the soft sound of Minjeong's breathing in the background. It wasn't easy to concentrate, but she forced herself to focus. She'd get everything done and then deal with the singer, who’d probably wake up any moment now.

But Minjeong slept on, undisturbed, for the rest of the night. Y/N had just finished her tenth report, and the sun was high in the sky when she heard stirring from the couch.

Minjeong groaned, her eyelashes fluttering softly as she slowly opened her eyes. She sat up, a small yawn escaping her lips as she took in her surroundings.

Momentarily disoriented, her mind still foggy with sleep, her gaze fell upon Y/N, who sat at her desk surrounded by piles of paperwork.

The memory of last night came rushing back, and she felt a pang of guilt in her chest.

Clearing her throat, her voice still groggy from sleep, she said, "You were supposed to wake me up."

"You were supposed to go home," Y/N replied without looking up from her report, letting out a yawn. Yana would kill her if she knew she was still at the hospital.

"Why? So you could stay here all night and not sleep? I won't let you, doc."

Minjeong's voice was firm, but there was a hint of concern in her eyes as she observed the exhaustion evident on Y/N's face.

"I was worried about you." Minjeong stood up, her eyebrows furrowing as she walked toward Y/N. With a gentle touch, she reached for her pen. "Still am."

Y/N rolled her eyes at the gesture and sighed heavily. Truth be told, she was exhausted. She could barely remember the last time she slept, and her original plan had been to go home after her surgery. But it’s not like she could just leave Minjeong alone in her office, could she?

"Can you please just go home?"

"I will," Minjeong smiled. She almost felt bad at the relieved sigh that escaped Y/N's lips. "Just as soon as you do the same."

Y/N pursed her lips, her expression a mix of frustration and exhaustion. "You're impossible, you know that?"

Minjeong's stubbornness was both maddening and endearing, and Y/N found herself caught in this strange push and pull. Part of her wanted to yell and demand Minjeong go home, but another part quietly appreciated her persistence.

Minjeong smiled.

This was a tightrope for her to walk, and she really didn't want to mess up. "I'm in love with you, Y/N, and I've been trying really, really hard to make you like me back, so I usually wouldn't be this annoying. But I'm standing my ground on this—you need to rest."

Y/N's breath hitched slightly at Minjeong's confession. It felt surreal to hear those words after all those years. A wave of emotions washed over her, bringing back memories she had buried deep in her heart.

"Why do you..." Y/N started, her voice faltering slightly. Why did Minjeong still like her? Especially after everything she had done?

"I don't need you, Minjeong..." Her voice was firm. "I don't need you, and I don't want you, so for the love of God, can you leave me alone?"

Minjeong's smile faltered for a moment, her heart sinking at the harsh words.

She took a step closer, her expression a mix of vulnerability and determination.

"I know," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I know you don't want me, and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. But I'm not leaving. Not until I've proven to you how sorry I am."

"You can prove it by leaving me alone and not coming back." Y/N couldn't look at Minjeong—not when the singer was looking at her like that.

So she tried going back to her laptop.

Stepping forward, Minjeong reached over and gently closed the screen. Her hand landed on Y/N's, silently conveying her determination.

"I'm not leaving you alone when you're pushing yourself this hard. You need rest. You need to take care of yourself too, you know."

Y/N let out a deep, frustrated sigh, her shoulders sagging in exhaustion. She wanted to argue, to tell Minjeong to go away and leave her alone, but the weight of the past few days was catching up to her.

She reluctantly closed her eyes, her head drooping backwards against her chair. She knew she was too tired to fight.

"You're infuriating, you know that?" she mumbled, her voice betraying some vulnerability.

"Yeah, I know." Minjeong whispered in response.

She knew she was treading on thin ice, pushing boundaries she had no right to cross. But there was something about Y/N that brought out a protective side in her, and she found herself unable to simply walk away.

"I'm gonna take you home," she quietly suggested, her thumb gently caressing the back of Y/N's hand, "and you'll sleep for the next two days. Deal?"

"Whatever." Y/N huffed softly, pulling her hand away from Minjeong's to stand up. "This changes nothing between us."

Minjeong hid her smile at Y/N's words.

Of course, she didn't expect anything to change overnight, but this was a small win.

She nodded. "I know it doesn't, love. Come on, let's go before you collapse from overwork."

She walked around the desk, gently placing a hand on Y/N's back to help her take her coat off.

Y/N was too tired to put up much of a fight. She allowed herself to be assisted, her body feeling heavy with exhaustion.

As they walked out of the office, she found herself leaning into Minjeong's touch more than she cared to admit. The fatigue had left her defenses down, and she struggled to keep up her usual collected demeanor.

The ride home was smooth, allowing Y/N to lean her head against the window, her eyelids drooping with every passing minute.

"I really wish you were more awake right now. Last time I drove you home, I nearly ran over two people. Look at how much I've improved," Minjeong tried to joke.

Y/N let out a small, tired chuckle. "You were atrocious." She shifted in her seat, subconsciously seeking more comfort.

The rest of the car ride was relatively quiet, with only the occasional sound of the car's engine and the soft hum of the music from the radio filling the silence. Y/N's eyelids grew heavier with each passing mile, and she found herself fighting against the pull of sleep.

As they neared her house, Minjeong glanced over at her, taking note of her drooping head and sleepy eyes. She stifled a smile, finding the sight incredibly endearing.

"Hey," she said softly, breaking the silence. "We're almost home. Hang in there a little longer, okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Y/N snapped herself out of her sleep-induced state with a shake of her head.

She looked around the street to keep herself awake, raising an eyebrow at how well Minjeong still remembered the way to her house.

"You still live here, right?" Minjeong asked as she pulled up to the familiar mansion. "Because this is about to be really embarrassing if you don't."

"I sold the house five years ago."

Minjeong's eyes widened. She was about to put her car into park but quickly backtracked, starting to pull out of the driveway. "Shit, I'm so sorry!"

Y/N chuckled. "I'm joking, I'm joking, Minjeong."

The singer let out a sigh of relief, stopping the car once more. She shot a half-hearted glare at Y/N, who was smirking in the passenger seat.

"Not cool, you know?" she muttered, parking the car again. "I swear, I'll punch you next time you scare me like that."

As she turned off the ignition, she couldn't help but notice how much lighter the tension between them had become.

"You're exhausting," she said with a huff. "Let's go inside, come on."

But Y/N quickly shook her head, reaching out for the door handle to leave the car. "You're not coming in."

A pout immediately reached Minjeong's lips. She leaped out of the car and ran to the other side, hoping to at least help Y/N close the door. "I—why not?! I wanna come in."

Y/N dismissed her attempt with a wave of her hand and closed the door herself. She had been nice enough for one day. "Well, I don't want you coming in."

"Why—" Minjeong reached out to wrap her hand around the small of Y/N's back and lead the way to the front porch. "Are you sure you'll manage to get to your room? There are a lot of stairs to climb!"

Y/N, who was trying hard to remain upright, nodded. "I can manage."

They finally arrived at the front porch, and Minjeong watched with a resigned sigh as Y/N opened the door. "I'll be here tomorrow morning to take you to work."

"There's no need for that." Y/N dismissed her again.

"But you left your car at the hospital!"

"I have other cars, Minjeong."

"What about the one you left at the hospital?"

"I'll have someone pick it up."

Minjeong rolled her eyes at Y/N's stubbornness. Why did she have to make things so difficult?

"Just let me help you," she insisted, placing a gentle hand on Y/N's arm. "You look like you're about to collapse any second now. It won't kill you to let me walk you to your room and make sure you actually get there in one piece."

Y/N almost smiled. Almost.

"Don't push it." She threw Minjeong one last glance and walked inside her house, closing the door before Minjeong could even take a peek inside.

So the singer was left standing on the front porch, a smile rising to her face as she slowly shook her head and walked back to her car.

And so, with Minjeong now back at home, a new routine was formed.

The singer would visit Y/N at the hospital from time to time—always careful not to cross the line and always mindful of Y/N's boundaries.

Even then, it was months and months of rejections. If Minjeong put aside a penny each time Y/N dismissed her, she'd probably have enough to by herself one of those good, expensive ice creams from Ben & Jerry's.

Sometimes Y/N was nicer and conversed with her a little. Other times she looked at her face, rolled her eyes and let out a small "Out of my way" as she walked by. It depended on her mood, really.

It was an eye-opening experience that made Minjeong realise she needed to become Y/N's friend first and then move on to something more personal.

So she gave up on the expensive gifts and took her time simply being herself and being there for Y/N. Some days, she was able to spend more time with the doctor; other days, she essentially sat in Y/N's office alone for hours on end as the doctor worked on her patients. She was fine with whatever, anyway. She knew that just being at the hospital made an impact on Y/N. She could see that Y/N was becoming more accustomed to her presence—their tense bond had turned into somewhat of a friendship.

It was a painstakingly slow process but it was finally beginning to bear its fruits.

"So then, what are we doing after that?"

Minjeong perked up at the familiar voice. She was leaving Y/N's office after another day of not seeing the doctor much, but then she turned and saw her—walking down the hallway alongside a little bald girl wearing a beanie.

"Then... then I want to play Lego with you!" the kid announced, looking up at Y/N like the doctor hung the stars in the sky for her.

"You do? No way!" Y/N played along, completely unaware of Minjeong's eyes on her. "What Lego should we build first?"

The sight of Y/N interacting with the little girl was endearing—a side of the doctor that Minjeong had never seen before.

She watched silently from the doorway, a soft smile on her face as she observed the exchange. It was clear that Y/N had a soft spot for children, which only added to her appeal in Minjeong's eyes.

The little girl seemed to ponder her options for a moment, her face twisted in deep concentration. Finally, she pointed a finger in the air, exclaiming, "The Avengers Tower! We should build the tower first!"

Y/N feigned shock, her eyes widening as she responded in an equally enthusiastic tone, "The Avengers Tower? Oh wow, that sounds like a fantastic idea! I'll buy it and bring it to you next week."

"Don't listen to her; the Avengers helicarrier is so much cooler to build."

The little girl looked up, eyes widening when she saw Minjeong standing in front of her. She froze, quickly holding on to Y/N's coat and hiding behind her legs.

Y/N looked down as the little girl clung to her, then followed her line of sight to where Minjeong was standing.

She shot the singer a slightly amused look, raising an eyebrow as if to say, Are you just gonna stand there and watch?

Minjeong gulped, not expecting the reaction. She wanted to make a good impression on Y/N.

Maybe the kid was just very, very shy, and Minjeong scared her?

She was such an idiot.

She turned to Y/N with a helpless look, searching for some assistance, but the doctor did nothing but reach down to affectionately pat the kid's head before smirking at her.

"Hello..." Minjeong gulped nervously, "I'm Minjeong."

The little girl peeked out from behind Y/N's legs, her eyes wide with amazement. She looked up at Minjeong again, and a small squeak left her lips before she ran down the hallway, away from their view.

Y/N chuckled to herself, knowing that Yoonji knew her way around the hospital better than some doctors, and turned to Minjeong again.

The singer's heart was heavy with guilt. "I'm so sorry, I—I didn't want to scare her."

Y/N smiled, walking past Minjeong to enter her office. "Don't flatter yourself; you couldn't scare a mosquito if you tried, Minjeong."

Minjeong huffed in fake annoyance, following Y/N. "Excuse me? I could totally scare a mosquito. I could scare a whole army of mosquitoes."

She sat down on the sofa, pouting as she looked at the doctor, who was busy tidying up some papers on her shelf. "I scared that kid. I'm terrifying," she finished.

"You didn't scare her, you idiot." Y/N chuckled. "Yoonji's a fan of your band. She was freaking out because you're her favorite."

Shr reached for a small white paper and handed it to Minjeong along with a pen. "Sign that for her; she'll be happy."

"She's..." She paused for a moment, as if processing the information, before her eyes widened. "She's a fan? Of... me?"

Suddenly, all her worries about scaring the kid disappeared, replaced by a sense of unexpected joy. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she wrote down a cute note on the paper and signed it.

"Wait... did you just call me an idiot?"

She playfully threw a pillow in Y/N's direction.

Y/N was barely nudged, back turned to Minjeong as she looked through her documents. "Did you just undermine your popularity?"

"No, I—"

Minjeong paused, realizing that she had indeed subconsciously downplayed herself. "Love, I'm a big deal, you know. Don't make me throw another pillow at you."

Y/N chuckled, amused by the antics, and picked the pillow up from the ground to throw it back at Minjeong.

Minjeong caught the pillow with dramatic flair, clutching it to her chest as if it were a precious treasure. With a smug smile, she leaned back on the sofa and playfully tossed the pillow from one hand to the other.

She watched Y/N with a curious gaze. The doctor seemed engrossed in her work, reminding Minjeong that they were in a hospital, after all.

"You should come to my show next week."

Y/N finally looked up from her documents, raising an eyebrow at the singer.

"Your show?" she repeated, not bothering to hide the hint of disbelief in her voice. "Why on earth would I waste my time watching you flaunt around on stage?"

Despite her sharp words, there was a flicker of playfulness in Y/N's eyes.

Minjeong shrugged, recognizing the teasing in Y/N's voice. "'Cause... I'm pretty hot."

She chuckled when Y/N rolled her eyes, standing up from the couch to approach the doctor. "And also because we are always meeting up here at the hospital, and you're always stuck on 'super hot and busy neurosurgeon' mode, so I don't get to see the more relaxed you."

Y/N rolled her eyes again, though she couldn't help but let out a short, amused chuckle at Minjeong's words.

She leaned back in her chair, a smirk playing on her lips. "So... you want to see me more relaxed and think a crowd full of screaming kids is the ideal place for that?"

"Yes," Minjeong replied bluntly, her grin widening at Y/N's sarcastic response. "I think seeing you amongst the crowd, swaying to my music and having a good time, would be very relaxing for me."

She perched herself on the edge of the desk, facing Y/N and leaning in slightly. "Come on, just humor me for one night. It won't kill you."

"It will kill my ears," Y/N said, not looking up at Minjeong. "And my self-esteem. Your bandmates despise me."

Minjeong rolled her eyes, gently smacking Y/N's shoulder. "They don't despise you. They did—but not anymore. I told them about... you know? The whole bet thing being fake. That's why they were so sheepish when they saw you."

Y/N looked up again, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "You... told them?"

She tried to keep her face neutral, but the revelation was unexpected. Despite her best efforts, a part of her warmed at the thought of Minjeong defending her.

She quickly masked it with her usual sardonic tone. "Why on earth would you do that?"

Minjeong shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "They're my friends, and they were always giving you a hard time."

She leaned back slightly, her eyes fixed on Y/N's face, trying to read her emotions. There was something in the doctor's reaction that didn't quite match her snarky words.

Y/N shrugged. "Doesn't matter; it's not like we ever saw each other again. They could've gone their entire lives not knowing about it."

Minjeong couldn't help but scoff at the doctor's nonchalant attitude. "Stop downplaying it. You know it's not that simple."

She reached out, gently placing a hand on Y/N's arm.

Y/N tensed slightly at the unexpected touch, her eyes darting down to where Minjeong's hand rested on her forearm. She swallowed, trying to ignore the small flutter in her stomach. Minjeong was messing with her head.

"I don't care what they feel," she muttered, not meeting the singer's gaze.

Minjeong noticed the brief stiffness in Y/N's body and the way her gaze flicked away. She pressed on, her touch light but her words firm. "But I do."

She shifted, moving a little closer to the doctor. "And I would really, really appreciate it if you could come to support me... as my friend. Please? You could even bring that crazy nurse with you or maybe Minji?"

Y/N couldn't help but smile. She knew what Minjeong was doing—giving her an easy out and trying to make her feel as comfortable with the situation as possible. She appreciated it, looking up at Minjeong with a glint in her eyes.

"I haven't talked to Minji in seven years."

Minjeong's eyebrows shot up in slight surprise. "Seven years?" she repeated, her initial surprise giving way to curiosity.

"Why?"

As they spoke, Minjeong was painfully aware of how close they were now, her hand still on Y/N's arm. The doctor's reaction to her touch was becoming a pattern—a subtle shiver, a slight tension in her shoulders. It intrigued Minjeong.

"Well... she let me have a one-night stand with the pretty blonde that completely destroyed my reputation and love life to go make out with another girl." Y/N shrugged lightly. Her instincts told her to downplay the entire thing and not turn it into a big deal, but she had been hurt, and it was a feeling she couldn't easily shove aside. "Not very best friend-like, is it?"

Minjeong's cheeks flushed, caught off guard by Y/N's bluntness. "Um... yeah, that's... fair," she stuttered out, still trying to process the new information. "What about Niki and Yeonjun?"

Y/N tensed up even more.

She knew the entire drama culminated from the two boys being absolute idiots, but they had once been her family. The entire group was incredibly tight-knit. They looked after one another and protected each other. Maybe that's why the entire bet felt like such a betrayal to her—why she took such drastic measures.

"Also cut them off. They tried to apologize countless times, but I guess I just shut myself off after what happened. I didn't know who I could trust, so I trusted no one." Her voice had unconsciously quieted down as she looked down at her own fingers. When she realized what she was doing, she cleared her throat and straightened her body to speak in a firm voice. "Then we all graduated, and I never saw them again."

Minjeong felt her heart drop at the vulnerability in Y/N's voice. It was a side of the doctor she'd never seen before—a side that was raw, vulnerable, and a stark contrast to her usual cool demeanor.

She moved even closer. "I'm really sorry that all happened to you."

She paused for a second, taking a deep breath. "And I'm also sorry that I... that I was part of it."

Y/N would usually have disregarded the entire apology. She would have told Minjeong that it didn't matter, that it happened a long time ago and that she didn't care anymore, that she had moved on.

But this time, she couldn't stop the emotions bubbling up in her throat. She swallowed, her composure faltering ever so slightly as a pang of vulnerability took over.

Minjeong gulped at the silence and pressed on, taking it as Y/N finally listening to her and giving her a chance to properly apologize.

"I shouldn't have written that song, and I shouldn't have let everyone turn against you. It was my fault, and I didn't protect you when it was the least I could've done. I really, really am sorry, Y/N."

Y/N's face softened at the singer's sincere apology. She felt herself resisting it, but the vulnerability and genuine regret in Minjeong's eyes gave her a strange urge to reach out and comfort the singer. She fought against it, cleared her throat, and averted her gaze.

She knew she should resist, protect herself, and keep up her front. But as she looked up at Minjeong again, her resolve faded.

"I forgive you, Minjeong," she muttered, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

Minjeong exhaled, a wave of relief washing over her. "You do?"

The singer felt her heart flutter at Y/N's forgiveness. The soft look in the doctor's eyes, the way her voice had lost its usual sharpness—it all felt like a weight being lifted off her shoulders. Hell, it felt like more than that; she felt like she could finally breathe properly again.

Y/N nodded, reaching out for Minjeong's hand to play with her long fingers. It was a good distraction. "It wasn't your fault that you overheard Niki and Yeonjun. I do wish you would've talked to me before deciding to play me, but... I understand that you were hurt."

"Thank you..." Minjeong murmured, biting her lip to contain her growing smile. "And for what it's worth, I never really played you. I was just falling for you more and more every day and pretending I wasn't."

Y/N's breath caught in her throat at the singer's words, the gentle confession catching her off guard. She looked up, meeting Minjeong's eyes—a mixture of surprise and something else in her gaze.

"You weren't?" she managed to say, her voice slightly breathless.

She was suddenly hyper-aware of their close proximity, the way Minjeong was practically sitting on her table, leaning down to be closer to her, and the way her own hands were still playing with Minjeong's fingers. Everything felt overwhelmingly intimate.

Minjeong chuckled softly, a small, self-conscious sound.

"No," she admitted, her eyes glued to the way Y/N's hands played with hers. "I fell head over heels for you. Then I heard about the bet and told myself that I could get over my feelings after playing you too."

She paused for a moment, still watching their joined hands. It felt so natural, so comfortable.

"It scared me when all that time went by, and I still couldn't get you out of my head," she added in a whisper, the confession heavy with all the emotions she'd been holding back. "That's why I'm so adamant about getting you back... I know you're the one for me, Y/N."

Y/N felt her heart skip a beat at the singer's words. The intimacy of their proximity and the way Minjeong was looking at her sent a shiver down her spine. It was like the world around them had faded, and all that existed in that moment were the two of them.

She swallowed hard, her fingers still wrapped around Minjeong's. The confession was a lot to take in, and it took her a few moments to find her voice.

"Is that so?"

Minjeong hummed softly, smiling as her eyes dropped to Y/N's lips. She found herself unconsciously leaning in, wanting nothing more than to taste their softness for the first time in so long. She was close—so incredibly close—already closing her eyes as pure ecstasy began to take over her body. But then two hands landed on her shoulders and gently pushed her back.

"You keep those lips away from me, Kim Minjeong," Y/N chastised, an unwanted smile slowly taking over her face.

Minjeong pouted, her eyes snapping open at Y/N's words. "But I want you so bad," she protested, her tone whining and petulant.

She was just millimeters away from Y/N's face, her heart racing in her chest. The closeness, the way Y/N's hands felt on her shoulders, the way they were both smiling—it was all too much and not enough at the same time. There was no doubt in Minjeong's mind that Y/N could feel her racing pulse under her touch.

"That's too bad." Y/N patted her arm and fully pulled her back. "You'll have to work more for it."

Minjeong huffed softly. "I've been working so hard, though."

"Work harder then," Y/N taunted, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. Her heart was racing, and her hands were trembling, but she was not going to let Minjeong win so easily. Not this time.

Minjeong nodded, reaching out to pull a strand of hair behind Y/N's ear. She couldn't complain; her heart was already practically bursting with happiness at the forgiveness she had been given. She wouldn't push her luck too much.

"Will you at least come to my show then?" she asked in a soft voice.

Y/N had to fight hard not to shiver under Minjeong's touch and her soft tone. Damn, she had missed her so much.

She paused for a moment, eyeing Minjeong critically before replying. "If I say yes, will you stop pestering me?"

It was a genuine question. Y/N had been enjoying their banter—their playful back-and-forth—but she also had Yoonji's case in the back of her mind and needed to focus on it.

"Yes, I will stop pestering you," Minjeong promised with a smile.

She took Y/N's silence as a reluctant agreement, her excitement flaring up within her again.

She chuckled, giving Y/N's shoulder a firm slap. "You better keep your word!"

Minjeong grabbed Y/N's phone from the table, unlocked it by pointing the face lock at her, and quickly sent herself a message to finally have her number.

Then, without warning, she leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of Y/N's head before leaving the office.

She was absolutely ecstatic to finally have Y/N at one of her shows. So much so that she sent all the details of the gig that same night, a full week before the concert.

On the day of the show, Minjeong couldn't keep her feet from bouncing with each step she took. She was as excited as she was nervous, knowing that this was a big step in their relationship but also feeling the pressure of having Y/N watching her.

She asked her makeup artist to prepare her with even more attention than usual, talked with her stylist to make sure her outfit was on point, planned the entrance access with her security to give Y/N no trouble going backstage, and gave it her all during practice to ensure everything would go perfectly.

The girls noticed her newfound excitement but didn't comment on it, simply smiling at how happy she was.

But that happiness was whipped away when the show started and ended without any sight of Y/N.

Minjeong tried texting her. She called countless times. Then she gave up on waiting for nothing, an hour after the show ended.

Minjeong stepped inside the familiar hospital at one in the morning, no trace of her usual smile present on her face. She was angry, hurt, and confused—a tangled mess she had difficulty dealing with.

When she reached the office, she didn't bother knocking. She pushed open the door to find Y/N crouched down outside on the balcony. Y/N was facing away from Minjeong, but the singer could see her shoulders heaving up and down.

Minjeong stepped forward, the anger quickly giving way to concern.

"Y/N?" she called out softly, her voice cracking in the still night air.

Y/N's shoulders were shaking, her breaths coming out in strangled gasps. It wasn't a sound or sight Minjeong was familiar with—not when it came to the woman who was always so composed.

She stepped closer, crouching down beside her.

"Hey," she said quietly. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I-I couldn't— I couldn't do it, Minjeong."

"What do you mean?"

Minjeong reached out, gently placing a hand on Y/N's back and rubbing small circles.

"What's wrong?"

Y/N did her very best to compose herself. She hated that Minjeong was seeing her like this, but right at that moment, she couldn't help it. She could barely breathe properly, much less control her tears.

"She died. I couldn't—I couldn't save her. I—I tried— I tried so hard. I wasn't—enough."

Minjeong took a sharp intake of breath, her heart sinking as the realization hit her.

Yoonji?

Y/N had grown so attached to the little girl.

She wrapped her arms around the doctor's shoulders in a tight embrace, pulling her close.

"Hey, no. No," she whispered fiercely, her fingers curling into the material of Y/N's scrubs. "You are enough. You're so much more than enough."

Y/N shook her head, her forehead dropping to Minjeong's shoulder as her tears kept falling.

"I wasn't."

"Stop saying that," Minjeong chided gently, one hand coming up to run through her hair while the other still held her tight. "You're the smartest, strongest person I know. You're more than enough."

She paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts.

"You can't save everyone, Y/N. You can't blame yourself for that."

The way Minjeong was holding her, the soothing tone of her voice, the gentle way her hand ran through her hair—it all overwhelmed Y/N. It made her heart ache and her chest feel heavy.

She shook her head again, a strangled sob escaping her.

"I tried—" she started, before cutting herself off.

She had tried so hard. She had put in every last ounce of effort, every last trick she knew.

She was about to leave for the show when a nurse called her, telling her Yoonji was having a seizure. She left everything behind, ran for her life. Used every drop of knowledge in the emergency surgery.

And Yoonji still died.

Minjeong's heart broke at the sound of Y/N's strangled sob.

She held her tighter, her own eyes wet with tears as she continued to run her fingers through Y/N's hair, trying to soothe her.

"You did everything you could," she asserted, her voice cracking.

She leaned forward, pressing her lips to the side of Y/N's head in a gentle kiss.

Y/N squeezed her eyes shut, her tears falling faster now. The last time she felt so utterly helpless was when she was watching her life fall apart in front of her very own eyes years ago.

Now this felt more crushing. The weight of the failure, the guilt of not doing enough, it was crushing.

But the feeling of Minjeong's arms around her, the soft kisses to her temple, stopped her from breaking completely.

She turned to bury her face in Minjeong's neck, taking comfort in her warmth and scent.

Minjeong continued to hold Y/N tightly, running her fingers through the doctor's hair and whispering words of comfort and reassurance. She could feel the sobs racking through Y/N's body, the raw pain and grief of the loss.

"I'm here. I've got you," she repeated in a soft voice, feeling her own eyes starting to water again.

She wanted to take away Y/N's pain, to make it disappear. She didn't know if that was possible, but she knew she would try.

And try she did.

The two sat on that balcony for the next half hour, unbothered by the cold wind blowing at them or the countless times Y/N's pager rang.

When the tears finally eased up a little, Minjeong helped Y/N up and directed her to the couch to help her change out of her scrubs.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before, love," she let out softly, noticing the reddening of Y/N's cheeks.

"Shut up," Y/N replied quickly, sighing when Minjeong pressed a soft kiss to her cheek and continued assisting her.

Right as Y/N finished getting changed, the door burst open once again. This time, a tall, worried nurse ran inside. She glared at the sight of Minjeong but quickly shoved that anger aside to hug her best friend.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Doctor Kim told me what happened."

Minjeong watched as Yana pulled Y/N into an embrace, her heart still heavy with a mix of sympathy and helplessness.

"I—" Y/N started, her voice breaking as a fresh wave of tears hit her.

Minjeong stepped back then, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment between the two friends.

She grabbed Y/N's bag and shoved all her belongings inside it before leaving.

The sounds of the two friends inside the office were muffled but still reached Minjeong's ears. Her heart ached, both for what Y/N was going through and for the helplessness she felt, witnessing it all unfold.

So she waited outside, leaning against the wall of the corridor and scrolling through her phone idly. It seemed to take an eternity, but the office door finally reopened, and Yana stepped out, glaring at Minjeong.

"My shift is not over for another five hours."

Minjeong nodded. Even if Yana's shift was about to end, she would probably fight to be the one taking care of Y/N. "I'll take her home; don't worry."

Yana squinted her eyes at her, walking closer so the two were standing face to face. "Break her heart again, and I'll break your face, Winter." She let the name out with disgust laced in her voice. "I'm not kidding."

Minjeong swallowed hard at the threat, knowing all too well how serious Yana was about it.

"I won't; I promise."

She held the other nurse's gaze, trying to convey her sincerity through her words.

"I'll take care of her."

And she meant it.

"Yeah, don't get too comfortable with her and don't you dare push the limits."

Yana wanted to go on and warn Minjeong about every boundary not to cross with Y/N. She wanted to threaten her with every little dangerous thing that came to her mind, but then her pager rang.

With one last warning look, she sighed and walked away.

A more composed Y/N was the next to step out. She wasn’t crying anymore, but she looked absolutely spent and emotionally exhausted.

"Come on, let's get you home." Minjeong reached out to wrap her arm around Y/N's back and lead the way out of the hospital.

This time around, the ride back home was completely quiet. However, when they arrived at Y/N's house, the doctor opened the door and pulled Minjeong inside with her.

Y/N led Minjeong into her house, her steps slow and heavy. The grief still weighed heavily on her heart, her mind replaying the events of the day over and over again.

Once they were inside, she let out a deep sigh, slumping her shoulders. She looked at Minjeong, her eyes tired and red-rimmed.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" The question escaped her mouth before she could stop it. She quickly shook her head. "I mean—only if you want to, of course. You're probably tired from the show and—"

Minjeong was already nodding before Y/N finished her sentence. "Of course," she replied quietly, her eyes holding Y/N's in a reassuring gaze.

Seeing the doctor look so worn tore at Minjeong's heart. She wanted nothing more than to take away the pain, to do something—anything—to help.

"Come on," she said gently, taking Y/N's hand and guiding her toward her bedroom. "I'm not leaving you alone tonight."

She helped her settle in—brought her water as Y/N changed into her pajamas and helped her dim the lights after she laid down. It took a while, but after some long moments of crying, Minjeong finally managed to get Y/N to fall asleep.

Minjeong herself was spent, but she had difficulty closing her eyes, wanting to be there in case Y/N had a nightmare and suddenly woke up.

She shifted closer, adjusting the covers on Y/N to keep her warm, and sat down on the small, fancy couch beside her bed.

At least the lines of worry had softened on Y/N's face, making her look younger and more vulnerable. Minjeong saw the younger version of Y/N in front of her—the one she had hurt. Her heart ached.

Unable to help herself, she reached out to trace Y/N's eyebrows and nose.

"I'm sorry, Y/N."

The soft touch seemed to bring a small sigh of contentment from the other woman.

"I won't hurt you again, I promise."

For the next few days, weeks, and months, Minjeong kept being a constant presence in Y/N's life. She was the first to make her smile again after the entire ordeal—just as she was the first to make her laugh.

Minjeong forced Y/N to take a break from work because, obviously, Y/N had numerous vacations and breaks put on hold and shoved aside for later.

The neurosurgeon was a walking crime with how many hours she had overworked.

And yes, Minjeong knew that was the reason Y/N had managed to pay off her parents' debt, why she had been able to buy all her fancy cars, and why she could provide Rose with the big house she had always dreamed of. But she also knew Y/N deserved to stop.

So, the two spent their free time going on little dates. They closed down the central aquarium of Seoul to wander around without any fans bothering Minjeong. They visited the countryside and spent two nights in a traditional Korean house. Minjeong even managed to convince Y/N to visit the dorm she shared with the other Aespa girls.

They apologized for being so rude when they were younger, and despite it being awkward as hell at first, they all eventually got to know each other and became close friends. So close, in fact, that Christmas was spent at Y/N's house that year.

It was perfect.

Would you like to know what wasn't perfect?

The A Minor that Minjeong had just completely botched.

She groaned, her head falling back in frustration as she ripped the studio headphones off. She was ready to throw them across the recording booth when a soft laugh caught her attention and immediately eased her nerves.

"What are you laughing at, hmm?" She raised an eyebrow at Y/N.

The doctor sat against the wall, surrounded by the comfortable pillows that Minjeong had arranged for her. There was a couch in the studio connected to the booth, but no matter how many times Minjeong had tried to teach her, Y/N couldn't learn what buttons to press to hear Minjeong through the speakers and make herself be heard. So they had settled for this.

"Say, you're the guitarist, no?" Y/N raised a playful eyebrow. "What the hell are you doing in the recording booth?"

Y/N was joking, obviously. She had heard Aespa's songs, and Minjeong had the voice of an angel, but a little teasing never hurt anyone, right?

Wrong.

Minjeong pouted playfully, discarding the headphones to join Y/N. She had been trying to record the guide to the group's new song, but Y/N's presence was way too distracting. "I'm a singer as well! I probably have more talent in my little finger than you in your entire body."

The most acclaimed neurosurgeon of Seoul's most prestigious private hospital chuckled as Minjeong landed right beside, head resting on her lap. "You're certainly right, my Goddess of Modesty. I will forever repent my horrific sins."

She watched with an amused smirk as Minjeong huffed like a kid, reaching out to poke her stomach. "You did more than fine; stop stressing so much."

"You're only saying that because you don't know what it's supposed to sound like," Minjeong mumbled, rolling her eyes as she sat up.

She looked at Y/N with a small groan, their arms pressing together as they faced each other. "You're not allowed to be this beautiful. How can I focus with you being so distracting?"

Y/N laughed at Minjeong's dramatic words. "Is that so? My mistake then, oh Great One," she replied in a mocking tone, her hand coming up to poke Minjeong's side again.

Y/N continued to chuckle as Minjeong huffed and looked away, a small smile spreading on her face.

Minjeong suddenly leaned closer with a raised eyebrow, a teasing remark on the tip of her tongue, but Y/N spoke up first. "Careful, honey, I've been told my beauty can be quite distracting." She reached out gently, and her hand landed dead center of Minjeong's face, pushing her away. "Don't get too close."

"A doctor and a comedian?" Minjeong reached for Y/N's hand to take it away from her face. She intertwined their fingers and left a chaste kiss on Y/N's palm. "What a talent, my love."

Y/N chuckled at Minjeong's words, giving the guitarist's hand a gentle squeeze, her thumb tracing circles on her knuckles. "I mean, not to brag or anything, but I'm also a great cook."

Minjeong gulped, remembering the dinner Y/N had prepared for them last week.

The gesture was incredibly endearing. It had been a cute picnic set in a secluded park. The sunset was gorgeous, the flowers were to die for, and Y/N looked breathtaking—much like the chicken she had cooked. Minjeong had been two seconds away from drinking the water from the small, polluted lake nearby after tasting the spicy food.

Y/N was as close to perfection as Minjeong had ever seen, but no one was completely perfect, and she had finally found a flaw in the doctor: her cooking skills.

Was Minjeong about to tell Y/N she didn't like the chicken?

Fuck no. She'd rather die.

She let out a small, confirming sound and looked away.

Y/N watched with a knowing smile as Minjeong struggled to keep a straight face. The guitarist’s attempt to act casual and not reveal her true feelings about the spicy meal was endearing, to say the least.

“You’re being awfully quiet,” Y/N teased, leaning her head back against the wall. “Anything to say about my cooking skills?”

She reached out, her fingers gently poking at Minjeong’s side, just above her hip.

Minjeong tensed at the poke, her eyes narrowing as Y/N continued to tease her. Damn, this woman was perceptive.

With a dramatic sigh, she relented. "Okay, fine. Your cooking..." She trailed off with a grimace, her tongue poking out. "Your cooking is..."

She looked at Y/N, who was watching her with a growing smirk, and let out another sigh.

Minjeong caught Y/N's hands in her own, halting the poking, and spoke up. "It's... perfect. I loved it. You can cook for me every day."

Y/N tilted her head as she listened to Minjeong's words, a knowing smile playing on her lips. It was adorable that the singer was trying so hard not to hurt her feelings. Just like it was adorable that Minjeong had kept eating the chicken that day at the park. Just like it was adorable that she was playing with her fingers right at that moment.

Y/N couldn't stop herself.

She cupped Minjeong's cheeks and leaned in to press their lips together.

Minjeong's heart halted.

Seven years and eight months.

That's how long she had been waiting for.

It was torturous to be so close to Y/N yet so far away. There had been several moments where she was a second away from losing all control and just kissing the doctor. But she told herself to be patient, to give Y/N her time and let her come to her instead of forcing anything.

Seven years and eight months...every second was worth the wait.

She was certain of that as she melted into the kiss.

Y/N smiled against Minjeong's lips, her fingers slipping into the soft strands of her hair. The kiss was gentle at first, a soft brush of their mouths against each other, but as the moment grew, the doctor's grip on her hair tightened, her desire growing with each passing second.

Minjeong deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue gently across Y/N's bottom lip, seeking entry. Her heart was racing, the feel of Y/N's body pressed against her own sending sparks of desire coursing through her veins.

Y/N was the first to pull away, lips brushing against Minjeong's as she spoke up in a raspy voice, "I could cook dinner for us tonight."

Minjeong's eyes widened in panic. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around Y/N's waist, pulling her impossibly closer.

"I'll be your dinner tonight, babe."

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺

Final Notes: Thank you so so much for everyone who commented on and liked my posts of this series. I honestly don't deserve all the love I've been getting but really appriciate it nonetheless. Thank uuu :)

The room was bathed in a soft, shadowy stillness, broken only by the hum of the air conditioner overhead. The curtains were half-drawn, letting in just enough moonlight to cast faint outlines of furniture against the walls. Hanni’s room felt quiet, almost too quiet for her restless mind. Her bed, though comfortable, had done little to settle the buzzing thoughts swirling in her head.

The day had been long, and she hoped a few minutes of mindless scrolling would help wind her down before bed. Hanni’s phone glowed in the dim light, illuminating her face as she swiped through her social media feed. But tonight felt different.

As her thumb hovered over the app icon, the notification that usually connected her phone to the Wi-Fi didn’t appear. She frowned, swiping down on her screen. No connection.

“Great,” she muttered, recalling that her neighbor’s Wi-Fi had been down again.

Hanni sighed, watching the list of available networks populate on her phone. There it was—Y/N’s Wi-Fi, locked with the familiar little icon. She bit her lip, fingers hovering over the password field.

Their relationship was awkward at best—sharing a space but never crossing into genuine friendship. Sarcastic remarks, half-hearted jokes, the passing greetings, and occasional shared glances in the kitchen made up their interactions. What was she supposed to do—knock on Y/N’s door in the middle of the night?

No, she’d figure it out on her own.

She tried entering random combinations of numbers and variations of Y/N’s name, her frustration growing with each failed attempt. Then, as a half-joke to herself, she typed in “hannipham.” A ridiculous guess—no one actually used someone else’s name as a password. Right?

But when the tiny bars appeared at the top of the screen, confirming the connection, Hanni froze. Her eyes widened as the reality of what had just happened sank in.

Wait… what?

The soft light of her phone suddenly felt glaring, her pulse quickening in her chest. She was connected. The password had worked. The password—her name—had worked.

Hanni blinked, gripping her phone tighter as the weight of the realization settled in. What did this mean? Could Y/N have set her Wi-Fi password to Hanni’s name… intentionally?

Her thoughts raced, piecing together fragments of the past few months. All the awkward exchanges, the moments she had convinced herself were nothing, now shifted into something far more significant.

Flashback 1: The Weird Question

One morning, a few months back, Hanni had been minding her own business, eating cereal, when Y/N, in the middle of pouring herself coffee, suddenly asked, “So… are you seeing anyone?”

Hanni had choked on her cereal, the question completely out of left field. She coughed, reaching for a glass of water to buy herself a second to think. Y/N had never asked anything personal before.

“Uh, no… I’m not. Why?” Hanni had tried to keep her voice steady, but she couldn’t help the suspicion creeping in. Did Y/N know something?

Y/N had shrugged, stirring her coffee like it was no big deal. “Just curious.”

The tension had been thick, and Hanni couldn’t resist turning the question around. “Are you seeing someone?”

Y/N had looked up, blinking in surprise. “Me? No… Why?”

Hanni had laughed nervously, avoiding eye contact, the whole situation feeling weirder by the second. After that, they hadn’t spoken about it again. But that moment had left Hanni wondering—

Why was Y/N curious?

Flashback 2: The Shared Blanket

The next memory that bubbled to the surface was one of those small, awkward moments Hanni had tried not to overthink. They’d been sitting on the couch during movie night, wrapped in the same blanket—something that felt normal at first but quickly spiraled into something else.

At some point, their arms had brushed under the blanket, and both of them had gone stiff. Neither moved, neither spoke, but the warmth from that small touch lingered. Hanni remembered how badly she had wanted to lean in closer, to let their arms touch again, but she didn’t.

She had tried to laugh it off. “You know, maybe we should get two blankets.”

Y/N had chuckled, though she sounded just as nervous. “Yeah… maybe.”

Hanni had regretted saying it almost instantly, wishing she hadn’t ruined the moment. But Y/N had gotten up soon after, claiming she needed water. That night, they sat farther apart for the rest of the movie.

Flashback 3: The Accidental Sleepover

Then there was that time they had both fallen asleep on the couch after a late-night movie marathon. When Hanni woke up, her arm was draped over Y/N’s waist. She froze, not wanting to move, not wanting to break the spell, but Y/N woke up soon after.

The look of surprise on Y/N’s face had been unmistakable. She had bolted up, cheeks flushed, and mumbled a quick “morning” before hurrying off to her room, leaving Hanni to sit there in the aftermath of what could have been a cute moment.

Flashback 4: The Mixed Laundry Incident

There was also the time Hanni had been folding laundry and found one of her shirts mixed in with Y/N’s clothes. She had walked in on Y/N in the middle of folding it, the blue shirt dangling awkwardly from her hands.

“Uh… is this yours?” Y/N had asked, her face turning pink.

Hanni had teased her. “What, you’re stealing my clothes now?”

Y/N had mumbled something about “getting mixed up in the laundry,” but Hanni had caught her whispering, “smells like you.”

That had thrown Hanni for a loop, but she had tried to laugh it off, pretending she hadn’t heard. She didn’t want to read too much into things, even though a part of her definitely wanted to.

Flashback 5: The “Cooking” Playlist

And of course, there had been the infamous cooking playlist incident. Hanni had been making dinner, humming along to music, when Y/N walked in. Hanni had been feeling relaxed—until she realized the songs that had been playing were all slow, romantic ballads.

When Y/N leaned against the counter, smirking, and said, “Interesting playlist,” Hanni had nearly dropped the spoon into the pot of pasta.

“Uh, yeah, just… random songs,” Hanni had stammered, scrambling to change the music. But the damage had already been done. Y/N had walked away, grinning like she knew exactly what had been playing, leaving Hanni red-faced and cursing the Spotify algorithm.

=========

All those moments had been awkward, funny, and confusing, but now they made sense. Y/N had set her Wi-Fi password to Hanni’s name. She must have been thinking about her… right?

Hanni stared at her phone, the realization hitting her full force. Could it be that Y/N had been feeling the same way this whole time? And if she had… what should Hanni do about it?

With her heart racing, Hanni knew she couldn’t let this slide. She needed to find out what this all meant. But one thing was certain—Y/N had just revealed a whole lot more than she intended with that password.

This was no accident, and maybe, just maybe, Y/N had been hiding feelings, too—just a little better than Hanni had.

She glanced at her phone again, a plan forming in her mind. Maybe it was time to stop tiptoeing around the awkwardness and confront the truth.

=========

When Hanni found Y/N the next day, it wasn’t as dramatic as she’d imagined. Instead, Y/N was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping her morning coffee like it was just another Tuesday.

Hanni had spent the entire night thinking about the Wi-Fi password revelation. Part of her wanted to storm in, confront Y/N, and demand answers. But another part of her—the cautious, unsure part—didn’t want to overplay her hand. What if it was just some random coincidence? What if it was nothing?

But “hannipham” as the password wasn’t nothing, and Hanni knew she had to find out.

With her heart pounding in her chest, Hanni leaned against the kitchen doorframe, eyeing Y/N as she scrolled through her phone, completely unaware of the storm brewing in Hanni’s mind.

Casual. Keep it casual.

“So,” Hanni began, crossing her arms and keeping her voice as nonchalant as possible, “I, uh, tried to mooch off your Wi-Fi last night.”

Y/N looked up, eyebrow raised, clearly curious but not suspicious yet. “Oh, yeah? Finally decided to cave and use mine instead of the neighbor’s weak signal?”

Hanni chuckled, trying to steady her nerves. “Yeah… about that. I couldn’t figure out the password, so I just, you know, typed in ‘hannipham’ as a joke.”

She let that hang in the air for a moment, waiting for Y/N’s reaction.

Y/N blinked, her face freezing for just a split second before she schooled her features back into a neutral expression. But Hanni had caught that tiny flicker of panic—the brief widening of Y/N’s eyes, the twitch of her lips.

“Really?” Y/N’s voice was calm, too calm. She took another sip of coffee, pretending like the whole thing wasn’t a big deal. “And, uh… did it work?”

Hanni couldn’t help but grin, her confidence building now that she knew Y/N had slipped up. “Oh, it worked.”

Y/N set her mug down, her fingers tapping the table nervously. She didn’t meet Hanni’s gaze right away, staring down at the table as if she was suddenly very interested in the wood grain pattern.

“Okay, so… maybe I set it as the password,” Y/N finally admitted, her voice soft but steady. “But it doesn’t mean anything, you know. I mean, I could’ve just picked it because it’s easy to remember. It’s not like—”

“Y/N.”

Hanni’s tone wasn’t accusatory, but it was enough to make Y/N finally look up. There was something unreadable in her eyes, like she was weighing her options, trying to decide whether to run with the joke or come clean.

“Look, it’s fine if it doesn’t mean anything,” Hanni said, trying to sound casual even though her heart was practically in her throat. “But if it does… well, I wouldn’t mind knowing.”

Y/N swallowed hard, and for a moment, Hanni thought she was going to laugh it off, turn the whole thing into some silly misunderstanding. Y/N’s eyes flicked toward the door as if considering an exit, her shoulders tense like she was ready to make a run for it. But then Y/N exhaled, running a hand through her hair, clearly trying to figure out what to say next.

“Okay, fine,” Y/N muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe it does mean something.”

Hanni’s heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her throat. She didn’t dare interrupt, afraid that if she spoke, Y/N would clam up again.

Y/N sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly as if the weight of the confession was finally catching up to her. “I’ve had a thing for you, okay? For a while now. I just didn’t know how to… say it. And I figured setting the Wi-Fi password to your name was the closest I’d ever get to telling you.”

She stood up then, pushing her chair back with a quiet scrape against the floor, her movements slow and deliberate. As she stood, she smiled awkwardly, like she wasn’t sure if she should be embarrassed or relieved, her gaze finally meeting Hanni's.

Hanni blinked, momentarily stunned by the honesty. Out of all the ways she’d imagined Y/N confessing—if that ever happened—this was definitely not how she’d pictured it. But here it was, laid out in the open, raw and real.

She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. “You do realize there are better ways to tell someone you like them than making their name your Wi-Fi password, right?”

Y/N’s smile turned sheepish, a faint blush creeping up her neck. “Yeah, well, subtlety’s not my strong suit.”

Hanni stepped forward, closing the space between them. She stopped just in front of Y/N, their eyes locking, the air between them charged with all the unsaid things that had been lingering for months.

“You don’t have to be subtle with me,” Hanni said softly, her voice dropping just enough for Y/N to understand that this wasn’t a joke anymore. “I’ve been wondering if you felt the same way. I just didn’t know how to bring it up.”

Y/N’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. “Wait, you like me?”

Hanni laughed, the sound light and teasing. “God, you’re dense sometimes, aren’t you? All those awkward moments we’ve had, all the times I tried to get close… Did you think that was just me being friendly?”

Y/N opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead, she just stared at Hanni, blinking in disbelief.

“So,” Hanni continued, her voice a little lower now, “since we’ve established that the Wi-Fi password means something, what do we do next?”

Y/N bit her lip, looking both nervous and excited at the same time. She glanced at Hanni, then down at her hands, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “I guess… we could stop being awkward about it?”

Hanni smiled, feeling the tension between them finally dissolve. “I like the sound of that.”

For a moment, they just stood there, the silence between them comfortable for the first time in what felt like forever. Hanni could feel the shift in the air, the way everything seemed lighter now that the truth was out.

“So… dinner tonight?” Y/N asked, her voice hopeful but cautious, as if she was still afraid Hanni might pull away.

Hanni grinned, the warmth of Y/N’s confession still buzzing in her chest. “Dinner sounds perfect.”

There was a brief pause, both of them soaking in the weight of what had just happened. Y/N then shifted a little, a playful smile creeping onto her face.

“And hey, maybe during dinner… we could play that cooking playlist you’re so proud of.”

Hanni let out a surprised laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. “Oh my God, that again? I should’ve known you’d bring it up.”