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it was a wet, dark night in seoul, she planned on catching the subway to the next station to go search for a few jobs she could possibly take on in the morning. she ran down the stairs into the underground metro, watching the train pass her by. “shit.” the short haired girl muttered. she had come all this way only to miss her train, but she wouldn't leave empty handed.

she sits down on a nearby bench, intending on waiting for the next train (if there'd even be one). saebyeok had a habit of zoning out, drowning in thoughts that became worries, but she never looked stereotypically worried, just tired. her dark brown eyes fixate on a blinking neon light, the flickering doing nothing to ease her loud thoughts.

saebyeok was only seconds away from either collapsing or losing her shit, but then you sat down next to her, snapping her out of her hurricane of emotions. you look over to meet her gaze. “oh, i'm sorry. is this seat taken?” she shakes her head in response, both looking away and scooting over a bit to give you more space. “are you alright? you look all over the place, no offense.”

“i'm fine.” she sad quietly, almost a whisper, only for you to hear. you glanced at her for a few seconds; her shaky hands hidden in her pockets, her eyes darting everywhere but you, her messy hair mirroring her mind at the moment. if she didn't look seconds away from a panic attack, she could almost be your type. almost, of course.

everything was going wrong for the introverted girl next to you; worrying about her family, cautious of being caught by the north koreans, exhaustion, rent, bills, finding a job, and the cherry on top? missing her train. the world most certainly wasn't on her side, leading her to wonder 'what the hell am i even doing?'

your eyes returned to hers, just looking into each other for a few moments. the sound of the bustling metro suddenly calmed down, the crowd of rushing people suddenly quieter, the heavyness resting on both of your hearts suddenly lighter. you give saebyeok a small smile in hopes of brightening her day, and it makes her heart skip ten beats.

your smile's so pretty it makes her want to smile back, it makes her happy in a few too many ways, like suddenly her day isn't that bad and her worries aren't that important. your eyes tell her everything will be okay, to loosen up and enjoy the ride, it won't always be like this. or maybe she's overanalyzing and you're just trying to be friendly, she really hopes it's the first one.

“hey.” you speak up, grabbing her attention once more. “do you wanna talk?” there's a good kind of silence for a bit, just the two of you in a universe that keeps demanding more and more each day. “about?” she asks, watching you shrug. “anything. lets introduce ourselves, tell me how your days been. or don't, i don't mind.”

you didn't expect her to respond, you were fine if she didn't answer, but, “. . . kang saebyeok.” you looked at her once more, smiling again and giving her your name in response. “your name is so pretty, kang saebyeok.” she watched you chuckle, every movement not going unnoticed. “how old are you, if i may ask?”

she seemed to have a habit of not replying for a moment or two, which was expected considering how calculated she appears to be on the outside. “twenty.” you nod, exchanging your name in return. you raise small talk with a few little questions, 'how's life?' 'what brings you to the mentro?' 'what's your haircut called?'

—

it's been two years now. you helped her find a job, so she stuck around, even called you trustworthy, so you tried to remain that for her. she decided you were her closest friend around a year ago and went completely honest on one rainy night like the one way back when. plus you were the exact opposite of her, and it was refreshing.

she was mostly a listener, you were mostly a talker. she was mostly quiet, you were mostly loud. she kept to herself, you kept to others. it's like grumpy and sunshine, introvert and extrovert, yin and yang, and you both couldn't be more happy to call each other your friend.

it was routine now, waking up and going to each other's house to see each other. the first time saebyeok did it was to 'save money on food', the next is because she 'lost her phone', the third time? you just told her she's welcome whenever. so, taking advantage of your words, she's been visiting every morning to check on the only person besides her family that she can trust, and it brought her a sense of belonging.

on days where she's tired from working part time jobs all night or parenting her little brother, you visit her instead. she always leaves a little wooden chair out for you before she goes to sleep, staring at it in contained excitement for you to be sitting there when she wakes up. she genuinely gets happy.

and everytime the chair is out and you know she's tired, you use the key she gave you to let yourself in. you take a seat and give a lazy effort to fix her messy hair, fixing a few pieces and then petting her. she's a light sleeper, so she always knows when you're over, but she pretends to stay asleep so you don't get the preposterous idea that she wants you to stop.

—

“what's your opinion on me?” she asks, leaning on the railing of the bridge you both stood on. no matter the temperature, no matter the conditions, you both would take a walk in the morning together after breakfast and after you've both woken up. “what do you mean?” you reply, picking an autumn leaf out of her hair.

“you know what i mean, don't play dumb.” she scolds with little to no effort. “i think . . . you're someone i want to stay in my life forever.” you stand next to her with a sigh, watching the water underneath you. it was quiet here, nobody was out yet, it was perfect, but saebyeok couldn't be more anxious.

“forever?” she whispers, shifting her gaze to you. you knew saebyeoks eyes were on you, that's what you always wanted. she contemplated silently, trying to tame fraying thoughts and shaky hands. sensing her discomfort, you attempt at switching the topic. “the water's gorgeous, isn't it?” it's more of a statement than a question, but saebyeok couldn't care less.

saebyeok grabs your arm almost roughly out of nowhere, staring at you with glossy eyes and parted lips. “kangsae? are you alright?” she waits a few moments, waiting for a reaction, a sign, anything that might give her an answer. she leans in slowly, expecting you to back away. after all, if this goes wrong, your friendship will never be the same again.

her lips touch yours just barely, like she's terrified and full of adrenaline at the same time. it's not fast, it's not uncomfortable, its just what the both of you gravely needed. after all these months of playing cat and mouse, it's finally happening, she's kissing you, and you're not pulling away.

she presses a little harder, showing you exactly how inpatient she's been all these years. her hands hold you in place, her fingers wrapped around your upper arm and digging into your hoodie, keeping you right where she wants you; with her.

CREDITS — DIVIDERS - @/aquazero @/anitalenia @/uzmacchiato HEADER - pinterest, merged by me

© atetheluck — editing, translating, or modifying my work in any way, shape, or form will result in immediate blockage. do not use my work for ai training, reposting without consent isn't tolerant.