I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways 
Maybe it's all part of a plan 
Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes 
Hoping that you'll understand 

Baby, now
Take me into your loving arms 
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars 
Place your head on my beating heart 
Thinking out loud 
Maybe we found love right where we are

———————  

"... to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?"  

"I do." Soojung heard her own voice. Echoed clearly inside her head, before slowly faded, then turned into alarm tone coming from the phone buried somewhere in her bed.

She didn't remember when did it start, but Soojung often saw the same dream. Herself walking down the aisle, someone she could never recognize waiting by the altar, vow of forever and always. An annoying dream, Soojung always thought after she woke up.    

It wasn't because she hated the idea of married life, just those dream was like reminder for her; that her time was slowly but surely running out, that her life was just series of inevitable events – being top student at school, accepted into good university, and one day in future, getting married to a guy her father had introduced her some time ago. All to receive a filial daughter title and proud smiles from her mom and dad.  

During her younger days, Soojung was ready to accept whatever she's being told to. She absolutely loved her parents, and knew well that they never meant any harm to her. This oppa - her parents' business partner's son - wasn't that bad of a man either, lawyer-to-be who could guarantee she spend the rest of her life out in luxury. Everything seemed it would turn just fine.

But things changed since she started college and moved in to the campus dorm. A whole new world, very different from her high school where everyone obsessed only with study. People here seemed to enjoying life freely. They were boisterous and high-spirited, and exactly everything college students are supposed to be.    

Her parents would say they were just bunch of kids living pointless life, a distractions and time-wasters; but in Soojung's eyes, their liberty shone. Like a warm light she'd never felt before. Like sun she'd been longed to see for all her life. And one question began to surface inside her,  

Are you happy?

——————— 

Among millions, why did those two choose each other?

There was a wedding boutique not far from the spot where Soojung was waiting for her friends that afternoon. Peeking from the display window, she could see a couple trying out wedding dress and suit inside, and it brought the recollection of her dream back.

What kind of feeling is 'fall in love'? How could we like someone enough to the point we want to live together with that person for the rest of our life?

Still stared sourly in contrast to the happy scene, Soojung didn't notice someone had ghosted to her side, softly whispering into the shell of her ear...

"I bet you'll look beautiful in that white dress."  

Soojung jumped in surprise, reflexively raised both hands to her head in defensive gesture.  

"Geez, don't do that! It tickles!" She spun and pushed Mijoo off of her. It got Soojung very irritated just by seeing the taller girl's chesire cat grin.  

If she had to describe what is a Lee Mijoo? Soojung would totally say that girl was her natural enemy. How their friends nicknamed them Tom and Jerry only confirmed the theory that sole reason for Mijoo's existence in this world was to ruin Soojung's peace of mind on daily basis. 

Even so, she did never go as far as to call it hatred. On the contrary, there was a thing Soojung would never admit, that Mijoo was the one who caused whirlwind on her previously well-planned life. The girl just intrigued her – someone who is complete opposite to myself, how does it feel to fly so freely like her? To live life easefully without having your future already set by other people?  

"I was kinda surprised an uptight, stone-hearted princess like you actually interested with something like this.." Mijoo giggled, nudging at direction of the dresses on the window. "Desperate to find your prince charming?"  

"HELL NO! I'm just looking randomly!" Soojung snapped loudly. "Where's Jisoo by the way?"  

"Died because of Statistic test this afternoon. It's three of us today!" Perfect brows arched when Soojung grunted a heavy disappointment to herself. "Why? What's wrong?"  

"Jiae can't make it too, she's been feeling unwell since morning."  

"Guess there's no other choice.. We should just call off the plan for today. Let's go home!" Soojung tried to say it as expressionless as possible. She already turned around when a hand abruptly grabbed hers.

"No, let's go to the noraebang!"

"Only two of us?" That wasn't the actual problem, Soojung would even go to the karaoke all by herself when she felt like singing as much as she please. But being alone with Mijoo for hours, just imagining it already made her felt super awkward. They didn't even into same kind of music.  

"Of course! C'mon!" Mijoo apparently didn't share same sentiment.  

"Wait! Yah!" Soojung tried to separate their hands to no avail. Thus she resigned and let the younger confidently led them to the karaoke building.  

"You've been wanting to go so badly, I don't want to let you down."    

There it was again - slightly faster heart beats and heated cheeks.  

Was it the damn hot weather? Or was it the way Mijoo keenly understood her?  

Perhaps it was the latter. But of course, Soojung would never admit that too.  

———————  

She was wrong. The first few minutes were indeed awkward, but then karaoke session started and they quickly got along well. Though Soojung and Mijoo's tastes were pretty distinct, music still managed to help them let loose. There was something comforting about being with Mijoo, probably because the dark haired girl tried to sing along, even when she wasn't too familiar with the song, instead of ignored Soojung and just busied herself with random things while waiting for her turn. Two hours extended into four, and without they realized, it was already late in the evening.  

"Wooo daebak!" Mijoo cheered, shaking tambourine loudly after Soojung finished another song - a hiphop number with lots of rap lines which the short girl nailed perfectly without much trouble.

"You really love singing, don't you?" She said, great amount of admiration in her tone. "Unnie should've auditioned for being singer... Or rapper! That would be cool!"  

"My parents won't allow something like that." Soojung huffed, slumping down against soft leather of the couch. "This is the only place where I can be myself. That's why I go to karaoke so often."  

"Ah... That's too bad."

"Well.. If my father knows I'm still out until this hour, he surely will scold me." Soojung had prepared to get mocked at how ridiculous her life was, but that never came. Instead, Mijoo just gazed at her solemnly.  

"Are you happy?" 

Surely, that question caught Soojung off guard. It sounded weird, coming out from someone else's mouth.

"Isn't it tiring? Living like a caged bird. Don't you want to break free even if it's only for awhile?"  

Soojung laughed dryly, plaintively. "I wish I could."  

"Soojung." The absence of honorific made the older glared at her, but Mijoo ignored it and continued. "Do you want to have with me?"  

The words didn't register at all Soojung had to repeat them inside her head multiple times.  

We. Me and Mijoo. Have...  

"What?!" She cried out, extremely mortified.  

"You know, friends with benefit.. It will help alleviating your stress."  

"I'm not gay!" Guilt crept over Soojung because those words sounded a bit more rude than she'd like - especially considering Mijoo was quite open with her uality all this time. But it was the answer that came first to her mind.  

It was definitely what her parents would say.  

But this is your life, right?

"So what? It doesn't require us to actually be in love or date, nor you to be lesbian.. We're just pleasuring each other, no feelings involved." Mijoo shrugs lightly. "You must've never been with any girl before. I'm pretty confidence that I can do better than some guys."

Soojung swallowed hard. "Never been with anyone.."  

"... Oh." Silence stretched out between them, and there was something unfathomable on Soojung's face.

What do you want?

"Hey let's just forget it!" Guessing the older girl was probably contemplating some murder plan, Mijoo started to regret offering such foolish idea. "It's okay I actually didn't expect you would.."    

"I will."  
   
"Huh?" 

I’m tired of hiding within the safe line for my whole life...  

"I want to do it." Soojung said, still in low voice, but now clearer than before. "Shall we go? We're not doing it right now and here, right?"  

"No!" Mijoo choked out. This time, it was her who couldn't believe her ears. "Of course we should go somewhere."  

"Then, take me with you."    

———————  

Mijoo lived in a closet-sized studio apartment because it gave her more personal space, despite a little bit more pricey than campus dorm. Her room was somehow almost exactly like how Soojung had pictured before; papers and stationery scattered all over the table along with beer cans and snack packages, drawers left opened showing heap of things jumbled inside them, clothes strewn here and there in the floor, faint scent of cigarette lingered around.

"You didn't lie when saying cyclone just ripped its way through your room.."  

"Yeah." Mijoo laughed shyly, quickly snatching as much trash as she could reach and shove them to the garbage bin. "Look, there're small hotels nearby that surely I can afford, I don't want you to have bad memories on your first time.."  

"No, your place is okay." Soojung cut in, laughing while taking off her cardigan and placing it on the worn-out couch. "I used to live with two monsters that are Ryu Sujeong and Jung Yein, and their room looked not much different from pig pen. So don't underestimate my survival skills."  

But jokes and laughters didn't last long. Soon, very inconvenient atmosphere surrounded the two as they only stood numbly, few feet distance between them, hearts pounding out jagged rhythm. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. After half a minute which felt like an eternity, it was Mijoo who decided to make first move.

Barely fantasized herself being engaged in any kind of physical – let alone with Lee Mijoo out of all people, honestly Soojung didn't know what to expect. But much to her surprise, the taller girl only took her hand, peppering little kisses start from her fingers, crawling its way up to forearm. Of all things she’d guessed Mijoo would do, that certainly hadn’t been it. Yet the gesture was charming and left unfamiliar arousing sensation.

For someone who regularly appeared to be reckless and brash, Mijoo's touch was amazingly very gentle. As though ensuring she was safe. Dissipating the nervousness that'd been accumulated inside her.  

On the next moment, Soojung found their lips already locked in searing kiss. Slowly got the hang of it, she also began to reciprocate the affections. Husky moan spilled from Mijoo's throat while her hand slithered beneath the younger's tanktop, brushing the expanse of her toned abs. It sounded like an approval, and boosted more confidence to Soojung – she might be lack of experience, but she didn't want to let Mijoo do all the works anyway.  

The mattress dipped when two of them fell into it, and Soojung blushed profusely as Mijoo started stripping her clothes. The air was supposed to be cold, but under those intense gaze, her entire body burning up even more instead - those eyes which were filled with adoration, they eased Soojung from shameful worries about her figure might not be considered as ideal or underwear she wore wasn't flattering at all.  

"Let me do it for you." Before she could stop herself, Soojung seized Mijoo's wrist, preventing the other girl from slipping out of her own tanktop.

That startled Mijoo at first, a cute surprise that someone like Soojung actually thought to romanticize thing like this. She gladly obeyed, lifting both arms and soon her clothes joined Soojung's in a heap on the floor. The two pressed together closely as if they'd melted into each other. Soojung's back arched off the bed, one hand clutching sheets and the other raking through brunette hair while soft mouth mapping out her body.

Unlike some girls she had been with previously, Soojung didn't make much showy noises. Yet every y little whimper, every hitched gasp coaxed from , Mijoo found herself relishing all of those. They strangely sent her gratifying buzz, causing her stomach doing somersaults. A new experience she never quite felt with anyone else - that she wanted to give more pleasure because purely enjoyed it, rather than merely to proof that she can and inflating her ego. When Soojung reached , that was the first time she heard her name escaped the other girls' mouth.

And Mijoo thought her heart had just ing bursted. 

The deep voice calling out for her, the look on Soojung's eyes, flushed skin and irregular breaths.. Every side of Soojung that nobody else had ever seen before. All hers.

———————   

They lay sideways facing each other, in the process of composing themselves. Limbs tangled and breaths mixed together. "Your face is so red.." Soojung's still trembling hand extended over to caress Mijoo's cheek. 

"Oh.. Really?"  

Her slightly surprised reaction drawn out soft laughter from the older girl. "It's funny that you look even more flustered than me."  

Because you are absolutely, the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen..    

With the last strand of sanity that was left in her, Mijoo stopped herself from voicing that thought. No strings attached, her mind warned again and again.

"Sleep. You're tired, aren't you?" She pulled a blanket to cover their bodies. Soojung yielded, closing her eyes and sighing contently when pair of arms wrapped around her. "Good night."  

———————  

That night, Soojung saw the same dream again, and she could finally see it - the one who's waiting for her by the end of the aisle. It wasn't a cool prince charming like one in fairytale movies, nor some male idol those girly classmates of hers often discussed, also not the guy her father had introduced her.  

Her soulmate wore equally beautiful white dress, globe amaranth crown graced top of her head and long brunette locks fell in loose curls over one shoulder. Her arm reached out as Soojung neared closer to the altar. When Soojung looked up, there was Mijoo smiling lovingly at her.

———————   

Under the dim light, sleeping Soojung unconsciously snuggled closer into Mijoo. Little dimples appeared in both cheek as faint smile flickered across her face.

Of course at this moment, it didn't ever cross her mind that someday, years after today, that dream will come true; in each other, they will find love. 

——————— 

bcoz it seems everyone don't realize, once again, this story is a direct prequel from chapter 1 (^_^)

if you happened to found this in my tumblr, there's slight differences between here and there because I don't want to move this fic to mature section (^_^;) thank you for reading! please leave few words of what you think if you have time :D