*shutter click*

A sigh of relief escaped as the picture popped on screen showing she had gotten the shot before the noise scared off the grasshopper in front of her. Picking herself up, Seohyun continued looking around hoping to find inspiration for her next collection. As a gust of wind sent her hair flying across her face in a matted mass, she found herself stumbling towards the cliff edge while failing to pull her hair up out of the way. Eventually finding the direction of the breeze and using it to help tie her now windswept hair into a high ponytail, a shadow on the beach below caught her attention. Instantly pointing her camera at it and snapping a wide shot before zooming in, something about the shape made her feel uneasy.

Finding her way down to the surprisingly secluded shoreline, Seohyun fought the urge to run as her unease grew. A few steps onto the beach was almost all Seohyun could manage, but catching the shadow move in her peripheral vision made her sprint towards it. Whether she wanted to go or not her feet were carrying her across the beach of their own accord and stopped her a few paces away.

A small gasp escaped as she realised it wasn’t a shadow at all, it was a tall girl tangled in seaweed. Crouching down beside her, Seohyun gently prodded her and smiled warmly as two beautiful chocolate brown eyes looked back at her. Feeling a tingle spread across he cheeks, Seohyun averted her gaze and mumbled “Are you alright?”

“Mwo?” the girl mumbled weakly. Not fully hearing the response Seohyun asked again “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Gasping heavily the girl nodded “I… I can’t… breathe.”

Instantly pulling at the seaweed wrapped tightly around the girls’ ribs, Seohyun did her best to free her. Once the girls breathing had returned to normal, Seohyun helped her sit up and offered her the bottle of water she’d been keeping in her bag. Becoming confused when the girls reaction to the water was ‘Gamsahapnida!’ Seohyun decided to take her home to make sure she was okay.

As they arrived at Seohyun’s cottage, the girls eyes lit up in awe at the sight of her garden. Watching quietly as she skipped between flowerbeds admiring the new blooms, Seohyun unlocked the door and slipped her shoes off before leaning back out the door “You’re welcome to enjoy the garden as long as you like but it’s about to rain and you don’t want to be soaked.”

Stepping aside to let the girl in, a gentle shudder caused her to begin worrying. As she closed the door, Seohyun noticed the girl couldn’t stop shivering and her lower lip was beginning to turn blue. Taking her hand, Seohyun lead her upstairs and stood her in the bathroom as she dropped the plug in the bath and turned the taps on. Grabbing a towel from the next room as well as a pair of fluffy pyjamas, she headed back to the bathroom and handed them to the girl “This should help you warm up, it should make you feel a bit better.”

Leaving the girl in the bathroom and heading back downstairs, Seohyun decided to start making lunch and had just made two cups of green tea when the girl appeared in the kitchen looking considerably better than before. Handing her one of the cups, Seohyun smiled “Are you feeling better?”

“Much better, thank you.” The girl smiled accepting the cup. Turning to plate up her lunch of jjajjangmyeon Seohyun realised something “So, what’s your name?” blinking as if dazed, the girl hesitated before replying “My name is Sooyoung.”

“That’s a pretty name…” Seohyun mumbled airily. Taking a sip of her tea, Sooyoung stared at the green liquid and replied “Thank you… a-and what is yours?” almost dropping the bowl in her hand, Seohyun glanced back over her shoulder trying to hide how surprised she was “Oh, it’s Seohyun.”

“…Seohyun?” Sooyoung queried tilting her head.

“Okay, it’s Seo Joohyun but I prefer Seohyun.” She mumbled, grabbing two sets of chopsticks from the nearby drawer. Offering a bowl to Sooyoung with a warm smile, she picked up her tea and headed into the living room. As she sat down next to the coffee table, the skies opened up and rain began battering the window behind them.

Staring at the window while she was eating, Sooyoung seemed hypnotised by the water racing down the glass. Noticing this, Seohyun watched her for a moment but couldn’t resist asking “So where are you from?” as she drew her attention back to the room Sooyoung blushed “I’m from Gwangju… where am I now?”

“A long way from home I’m afraid, you’re in England now.” Seohyun replied with an unintentional tone of sympathy. Allowing the information to sink in, Sooyoung looked at the food on the table and frowned “This can’t be… why did you help me?”

Setting her chopsticks down, Seohyun thought carefully about how to proceed “I know it must seem strange, I have a Korean name, can cook Korean food and know that Gwangju is south-east of Seoul but you’ve seen for yourself that this isn’t what you’re familiar with. I mean we walked past dozens of houses with two or more stories and every one of them had a garden… a-and I helped you because I believe that we as a species should strive to help rather than harm one and other.”

Tearing up as a smile briefly crossed her lips, Sooyoung mumbled “There aren’t enough people like you in the world Seohyun, you are far kinder than anyone else I have ever met.” As she turned a bright pink, Seohyun put all her attention on the almost empty bowl before her “T-thank you, but I don’t believe I’ve earned such high praise.”

Playing with one of the chopsticks as she returned thought to what Seohyun had said, Sooyoung instinctively asked “Can I ask, are you Korean Seohyun?” giggling playfully Seohyun hummed “No I was born and raised here, the closest I’ve been to Asia is that globe in the corner.” Almost without thinking Sooyoung continued “So then how come…”

“My great-grandmother was from Jeju and she insisted I was given a Korean name and when I was little she taught me to cook and even speak a little Korean though I have forgotten most of it.” Seohyun whispered, almost reluctant to say it. Sensing that she should leave that there, Sooyoung pulled her knees up and sat in silence listening to the melodic drumming of the rain on the window.

Sensing the growing tension Seohyun tried to raise her tone and chirped “So, what do you do for a living?” almost not catching the question Sooyoung paused “…I…I’m a painter, I haven’t been able to sell many pieces lately though.” Quickly realising that meant she couldn’t afford to send herself home, Seohyun tried to work out a way to help her home but her train of thought quickly drifted “What kind of media do you like to use?”

“I use watercolour mainly but I dabble in other media’s too.” Sooyoung replied instantly cheering up. Happy to see Sooyoung in a better mood, Seohyun continued “What do you paint?” humming quietly to herself for a moment, Sooyoung sighed “My first pieces were of traditional dancers, they helped me create a name for myself. I did a few portraits on commission but at this point I’d try painting just about anything to have something in the bank.”

“Well, it looks like you’ll be here for a little while then. I can’t afford to send you home right now either.” Seohyun admitted. Feeling awful Seohyun struggled to find a way to lift the mood again “Oh! I have a mass of art supplies upstairs I’ve never used, you’re more than welcome to them. There’s canvases, paint, charcoal… all sorts!” watching Sooyoung’s eyes light up as the thought of painting returned, Seohyun smiled. Catching something fade in Sooyoung’s look she asked “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… I’m confused. How did I get here?  Why am I here? How was I so lucky that you found me and not some creep?” as an almighty crack cut her questions short, Sooyoung jumped as the flash followed. Hoping to take her mind off the thunderstorm that had suddenly hit, Seohyun stuttered “W-Well I don’t know the answers to any of those questions, but you are more than welcome to stay with me as long as you like… I’ll find a way to get you home.”

“I can’t ask that of you, I’ll try and pay my own way back… somehow.” Frowning deeply trying to think of a way to get home, Sooyoung almost didn’t hear Seohyun thinking aloud “If you really want to help, I suppose you could always try and sell some paintings… I know a few people that would probably be interested.” Catching a smile briefly appear before another crack made Sooyoung jump again, Seohyun sighed “Perhaps you should get some rest, you’ve had a long day.”

Nodding slightly still feeling tense, Sooyoung stood up and followed Seohyun upstairs. Smiling as she showed Sooyoung the guest room, Seohyun let her go in before following “I left you some clothes and stuff, I don’t know if it’ll fit you’re quite tall… we can always go shopping tomorrow if they don’t.” leaving Sooyoung to get changed, Seohyun went to get herself ready for bed. Dropping her clothes into the laundry basket, Seohyun heard giggling and went to see what it was. Once she’d crossed back across the hall, Seohyun was about to open the door but quickly stopped herself and knocked.

“You can come in!” called Sooyoung from the other side. Pushing the door open to see Sooyoung standing in the middle of the floor wearing a top that should finish at the hips stop above her navel and a pair of shorts that were a little too low riding Seohyun did what she could to supress a giggle. Seeing the look of Seohyun’s face Sooyoung shrugged “I think they might be a little small on me.”

Leaning against the doorframe, Seohyun mumbled “That doesn’t make sense, you’re not that much taller than me.” Smiling as Sooyoung danced around like a little crab, Seohyun continued “Yeah so I’ll take you shopping tomorrow. The art supplies are in that cupboard if you’re looking for them.” Pointing to the door in the back corner of the room, Seohyun bid her goodnight and finished getting ready for bed.

Waking up early the next morning, Seohyun stumbled downstairs to find Sooyoung standing the kitchen waiting for her “Good morning!” scratching her head at the sight of the tall girl Seohyun grumbled “Good morning?”

“I woke up early and thought I’d make you breakfast, I felt I had to thank you in some way and this was just about all I could do right now.” Looking at the counter and seeing seaweed soup and green tea Seohyun smiled “That’s so sweet, you didn’t have to do that.” Watching as Seohyun walked over to the counter, Sooyoung drank her tea in silence hoping she liked the soup.

“This is amazing, I could happily live off this!” with a look of utter relief Sooyoung laughed “Well I’m glad you like it, cooking’s kind of my thing so I’m glad I can put it to good use.” Giggling playfully, Seohyun joked “You know I might just have to keep you, I haven’t had food this good in years.” Noticing that Sooyoung was wearing a polite smile, Seohyun carried on like she hadn’t said the previous sentence “So, are you ready to go shopping?” seeing her nod happily, Seohyun headed upstairs to get changed.

Arriving back with armfuls of bags, Seohyun sat them down to take her shoes off when she heard the phone ringing. Immediately running to answer it, Seohyun began mumbling incoherently until she eventually hung up and started squealing excitedly. Quietly entering the room to see Seohyun dancing around excitedly, Sooyoung whispered “I take it you got some good news?”

Running over to hug Sooyoung tightly Seohyun sang “Oh unnie the best news!” realising what she said Seohyun stared at the wall in panic arms still wrapped around the now slightly tense Sooyoung “S-so what was the news?” somehow unable to move Seohyun silently cursed herself as she replied “My pictures are being published… I can send you home.”

Hearing this Sooyoung slowly pulled Seohyun closer feeling sad but not knowing why. When the phone began ringing again, Sooyoung headed into the kitchen to make them something for dinner trying to ignore the feeling spreading through her chest. Spending the rest of the evening in a somewhat awkward silence, Seohyun wondered if maybe she should have gotten a later ticket than the following day. After they’d headed to bed Seohyun lay staring at the ceiling trying to work out how to get around London as it had been a very long time since she had last been.

Jumping at the sound of her alarm screeching in her ear, Seohyun hit the floor in surprise. Picking herself up, she stumbled out of the room forgetting why it was set so early but quickly remembered when she saw the suitcase sitting in her spare room. Sitting on the sofa nursing a cup of tea, Seohyun sat in silence until Sooyoung appeared “Morning.”

Sitting on the floor and pulling her knees up to her chin, Sooyoung sat quietly while Seohyun finished her tea. Noticing that Sooyoung was being awfully quiet, Seohyun whispered “Are you alright?” somehow managing a small nod Sooyoung squeaked “Fine…” not sounding like she had even managed to convince herself with that reply Seohyun sighed “Just think, you’ll be able to see your family soon… they must be missing you.”

Watching as Sooyoung’s expression fell further Seohyun felt really bad though she wasn’t entirely sure why. Heading upstairs to get dressed, Seohyun caught sight of a canvas lying out on Sooyoung’s floor. Though really wanting to see what it was, she decided to ignore it and get dressed. Meeting Sooyoung at the bottom of the stairs where she was waiting with her case, Seohyun put on a smile as they headed out to her car. Driving into London in total silence Seohyun found herself growing tense as the awkwardness grew.

Dropping Sooyoung off at the airport with the best smile she could manage Seohyun quickly left to begin her long journey home. Stopping at the first set of traffic lights, she caught sight of something sticking out of the passenger door. Quickly reaching across Seohyun found a photo strip from when she and Sooyoung had been at the shopping centre the previous day. Eyes locked on the last picture of the two girls hugging wearing playful smiles, her heart sank and as soon as the light turned green she began heading back towards the airport.

Running towards the gate as fast as her legs would take her, Seohyun fell into a nearby seat as she realised the flight had already left. Finding herself sobbing uncontrollably, she let herself weep at the ball of emotions in her chest she was now never going to understand. Now having spaced out to everything going on around her, Seohyun didn’t see someone walking up beside her until they tapped her on the shoulder. Glancing up to see a blurry outline, she immediately recognised it as Sooyoung and quickly jumped up into the elders arms. With tears quickly changing from those of sorrow to joy, Seohyun bubbled “I thought you were on the flight… I thought you’d gone.”

“I couldn’t bring myself to board, there was nothing waiting for me back home.” Sooyoung whispered trying to hide her surprise at the younger’s reaction.  No longer caring how dumb she sounded, Seohyun began rambling “I’m so glad you’re still here! I thought you had left, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again!”

“Seohyun, I never dreamed you would react like this… I thought you would be mad.” Sooyoung sighed, holding onto Seohyun as tight as she could. Still unable to stop herself rambling Seohyun replied “Why would I be mad? You’re the most beautiful person I couldn’t be mad at you even if I tried.”

“I’m sure you could, but I’d hate to see someone as cute as you mad.” Sooyoung chuckled softly still confused by Seohyun’s reaction. Finally realising she was rambling but being unable to stop herself Seohyun couldn’t believe what came out of “How could I be mad at you, before I met you I was a lost soul wandering alone but now I know who I am… I found out who I am because I fell in love with you.”

Taking Seohyun’s shoulders and pushing her back to look her in the eye, Sooyoung was almost in tears as she whispered “What did you say?” suddenly terrified that she had said too much, Seohyun knew she couldn’t take it back so reluctantly repeated “I love you Sooyoung.” unable to lift her gaze from the floor where her now free flowing tear were falling to say it, Seohyun waited to hear the inevitable words of rejection but instead found a deep blush colour her face as Sooyoung kissed her. After turning a bright scarlet, Seohyun returned to a babbling mess as her head began to swim with excitement.

“And you don’t think you’re cute.” Sooyoung giggled, wrapping her arms around Seohyun’s waist. Watching contentedly as she continued to make incoherent noises, Sooyoung smiled as tears collected in the corners of her eyes “Did you really mean what you said?” still unable to make a proper word, Seohyun just nodded hoping the colour in her cheeks would die soon.

With a heavy sigh, a single tear broke free and rolled down Sooyoung’s cheek “I felt lost until you found me, and as much as I want to stay you’re government are bound to send me home… this can’t last.”

“Yes it can! If you can’t stay here I’ll go with you, I-I can’t lose you.”