The manager didn’t come. What he did, though, was talk to the doctors, to Bomi and Eunji, and give Chorong the scolding of her life. The poor girl was on the verge of tears when she hung up, going back to Bomi’s hospital room.

“Unnie...” Bomi tried to sit up, but Chorong stopped her with a gesture.

The leader tried to fake a smile. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

“But it is,” Bomi answered. “If I had let you all, our manager-oppa included, know what I had, this would have never happened.”

She pointed at the machines surrounding her, the low beeping she had become used to hear 24/7. Bomi then asked Chorong to lie beside her on the bed; incredibly big for a hospital room. The two girls held each other for a while, happy with only the other’s company. They had been left alone by Namjoo and Hayoung, who were now resting at the cafeteria while Naeun and Eunji did so at home.

“Bomi-ah,” Chorong said after being quiet for a while. “I think we need to talk. For real this time. We can’t just pretend everything’s alright because you are feeling okay now.”

“Why can’t we, unnie?” Bomi was avoiding her girlfriend’s eyes. “It’s better to pretend.”

“It’s not.” Chorong was categorical. “You know I hate this as much as you do, but I don’t think it’s right to avoid it any longer.”

Bomi turned around so she was facing the older girl. She cupped Chorong’s chin with her hands so the leader had to look at her straight in the eye. Then Bomi closed the distance between them and kissed Chorong’s lips softly.

“Stay with me tonight. We’ll talk then,” Bomi said as she pulled back. “I promise you.”

Chorong could do nothing but nod.

∼

“Naeun-ah...” Eunji caressed Naeun’s cheek with the back of her hand, gently. “Wake up...”

The younger girl started blinking, hesitatingly at first. She finally opened her eyes wide, looking into Eunji’s, and she smiled.

“We should go back to the hospital; let Namjoo-ah and Hayoung-ah come here and get some sleep,” Eunji said.

Naeun nodded, now completely awake. She sat on the sofa where they had ended up falling asleep after hours of talking. Hadn’t you noticed? I fell for you so long ago, Naeun-ah, Eunji had said. I think I was just lying to myself. Naeun couldn’t help but blush at the memory, and Eunji just smiled, her eyes showing understanding.

“Come on,” she told the younger girl. “I’ll make you some lunch before going back to the hospital. It’s past noon, after all.”

“I’ll help you, unnie.” Naeun stood up after Eunji, the two walking awkwardly towards the kitchen. Eunji was silently going through the stuff she might need for lunch, opening drawer after drawer while lost in thought. I need you more than I need air. Naeun’s words were tattooed in her heart forever. I’ve wanted to tell you sooner, but I just... there wasn’t an ideal occasion. And I tried at the hospital, but then Bomi-unnie got worse and I just... Eunji remembered how she cut Naeun off with a kiss at that point of the sentence.

A kiss.

She kissed Naeun.

It was still so weird for Eunji to think she had finally become confident enough and fought for what she wanted. What she needed. I need you, she’d said before kissing Naeun for the first time. And she hadn’t thought about it, she just felt it inside her and the words came out naturally, unintentionally.

After making some fried rice just like Chorong had taught them many months ago, the two girls set up the table and sat down, none of them muttering a word. They looked at each other intensely, but still quietly. The silence wasn’t too uncomfortable, but they weren’t used to it, not this way. After what had happened last night, after what they had talked about for hours... it was not going to be like it once was. But maybe they didn’t want it to be. 

∼

“I have something for you, Bomi-ah.”

Bomi turned her head towards Chorong, who was immersed in her purse, looking for something.

“I was going to wait until our anniversary next month, but I think... Maybe the situation demands it to be given now?”

“Oh, no, unnie,” Bomi replied. “If it’s an anniversary gift, it’s an anniversary gift.”

Chorong fought herself for a while, internal conflict in her eyes, but she finally listened to Bomi and left the gift in her purse, where it would have to stay hidden for another few weeks, until their anniversary. She was closing it when her phone started ringing inside.

“Naeun-ah?” She answered after checking the caller ID. “Yes. Oh, yeah, I will. She’s feeling way better now, it’s okay. Okay, see you later.”

When she hung up, Bomi was looking at her in interest.

“She wanted me to tell Hayoung-ah and Namjoo-ah that they can go home now. Eunji-ah will be coming with Naeun-ah in an hour or so; they just woke up.”

Bomi nodded, and let her eyes wander around the room. When they stopped in Chorong’s purse, with the so-called gift inside, a thought occupied all her mind.

“Unnie, where’s my phone?” Chorong grabbed it from a table nearby and gave it to Bomi, the other girl lost in thought.

“I’m going to go look for the maknaes,” Chorong said. “Will you be okay?”

When Bomi nodded, Chorong left, leaving the younger girl with her plan-focused thoughts.

Eunji-ah! Can you do me a favor? Go check my bottom drawer and you’ll find a small jewelry box with two rings inside. Please, bring them to me when you come see me. And do not tell Chorong-unnie about this! It’s a surprise! Thank you – Bomi

Bomi locked the phone, and that’s exactly when she heard a low beep from Chorong’s purse. It can’t be. She looked back at her phone in the exact moment when the leader came back to the room. Delivered to: Chorong-unnie. Bomi froze in her spot. When had she become so stupid?

“Unnie, may I have your phone?”

“Why would you want my phone?” Chorong asked in confusion.

“There’s... something I need to check.” Chorong shook her head, not willing to give it to her. She had private things in there too.

“Tell me what you want,” the leader replied, and then it just became a stupid conversation usually found in children.

“Let me have it. Why won’t you?”

“Because I don’t want to! Tell me what you did!”

“No! We’re dating! You shouldn’t have anything to hide from me!”

“Exactly!” Chorong used Bomi’s words against her. “You should tell me why you want it!”

The two suddenly started laughing like little kids, realizing how stupid the situation had become. Even though, Bomi used the opportunity to jump off the bed and grab Chorong’s purse before the other girl was properly inside the room.

“Bomi-ah!” Chorong didn’t sound mad, she was just surprised and partly amused. “Hey, Bomi-ah, give it back!”

Bomi managed to access the phone and check the text messages, before Chorong reached out to her. The older girl was trying to get her phone back, trying to grab it, but Bomi was keeping it way out of reach for her girlfriend. Deleted.

“Okay, sorry.” Bomi gave it back. “Here you have it.”

Chorong shook her head in disapproval and rolled her eyes. Bomi sighed, now she just needed to send it properly for once or Eunji would never get it.

∼

“Naeun-ah! Check this out.” Eunji pointed at the screen of her phone. “They are so cute...”

“Do you think Bomi-unnie’s going to propose?” Naeun’s eyes were wide open in surprise and excitement. “That would be so beautiful...”

“I don’t know,” Eunji said truthfully. “I’m almost completely sure that it does have to do with what’s happening to Bomi, and she’s just trying to live her life at its fullest. But I don’t know if it’s right to rush things this way...”

“They love each other,” Naeun said, matter-of-factly. “And it’s been a long while. Can’t you see how they look at each other? There’s nothing they would like more than to spend their lives together every second, and if marriage is Bomi-unnie’s way of proving that, then it’s perfect.”

Eunji looked at her dongsaeng quietly. She then felt something in her stomach that made her lean forward and kiss Naeun softly on the cheek.

“What was that for?” The younger girl asked, but Eunji just shrugged with a smile.