​Halcyon

noun / hal·cy·on / ˈhal-sē-ən /

denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful.

Byulyi was never good at school.

She didn’t have the ability to digest information right away once it was taught to her. In other words, that simply meant that all lessons went in through one ear and straight out the other. As a result, nights in her household were often spent with the parts of her body that were easiest to hide, bearing the brunt of her parents’ anger at her incompetence.

Splotches that varied from blues to blacks and purples always seemed to paint her skin, and she was deemed the quiet and strange girl who always wore sleeves regardless of the season.

She left her town without even completing her 12th school year, and she'd never stop being grateful to Hyejin who took them both away from that small and devastating town. Hyejin was the only person in her life who knew that her nightmares took shape in the form of her parents, and that most, if not all of her thoughts were always dark and terrifying. They moved to another city together, one with the promise of a new life, filled with wonder and beauty and brighter stars in the sky. But most importantly, it was far away from the place that gave birth to her marks that marred her skin and heart.

And yet, even in the bright city, her nights were still spent shrouded in darkness. Even with a new start, her scars followed her well into adulthood and she became certain that they would never disappear and allow her to move on with her life. As she watched people walking with purpose in the streets of the city, she wondered when she would find her own.

Then, at the smack of midnight on her 23rd birthday, she found it. Or to be more precise, it found her.

It swooped into her life in the form of a breathtaking figure with long, dark hair and mesmerizing hazel eyes all wonderfully topped off with a sinfully sweet smile.

Maybe she was blessed. Or taken pity on for her horrible childhood, because somehow, that smile was aimed directly at her from across the dance floor.

The girl moved with a grace that didn’t belong in a rundown club like this as she smoothly evaded all eager hands that reached out for her — all the while keeping her eyes trained on Byulyi.

And God, that gaze. Byulyi couldn’t really do anything with those piercing brown orbs focused on her. She felt Hyejin’s hand on her arm, could vaguely hear the younger girl shouting something over the pounding music. But the small sliver of attention that went to Hyejin vanished immediately when the brunette began making her way closer.

There seemed to be a collective, disappointed sigh that Byulyi could practically hear throughout the room when the girl stopped right in front of her. Flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes filled with anticipation and the haze of alcohol greeted her as she smiled at Byulyi. This girl easily outshone all the stars that Byulyi had seen since moving to the city.

As the brunette leaned in and let loose the single word that would be the start of everything, Byulyi would only realize months later the solace and redemption that this girl would become for her. And that fate had simply been playing with her on this night, as drunk as her but only with the desire to make her life as miserable as could be.

"Hi," The girl said softly, but her voice rang clear and she smiled to reveal two endearing dimples beneath the corners of her lips. And just like that, a chord was struck inside her — a chord that went against all the laws and would never stop moving.

It’s a lazy Saturday afternoon that’s right in the dead of fall. It’s when the leaves have long since turned into vibrant colours that pop and make Byulyi long for artistic blood running through her veins so she could somehow preserve the beauty of it all on paper. But amidst the falling leaves and dying sunlight, the figure sitting cross-legged on the grass in front of her makes it alright that she doesn’t have such a talent. Because she knows if she did, she would have lost her mind attempting to replicate such features onto mere sheets of paper.

“Hey,” A soothing voice snaps her out of her daze, and she blinks to find Yongsun frowning at her. She pokes Byulyi’s cheek with a finger and a teasing grin, “are you even listening to me?”

“What?”

“I said,” Yongsun leans closer and places her hands on Byulyi’s knees, “are you listening to me, Moon Byulyi?” Her eyes are twinkling playfully and she’s close enough so that their noses bump lightly against each other.

Byulyi’s head begins to cloud with a lightness that only occurs whenever Yongsun is in such close proximity. And it’s kind of pathetic really — the effect Yongsun still has on Byulyi after all this time. The brunette never fails to make her breath trip in and cause her chest to tighten with an emotion where she can’t really find the words that would properly convey them.

“N-no,” She croaks apologetically as Yongsun’s warm, chocolate eyes stare into hers. “sorry...what were you saying?”

Yongsun laughs — sweet and melodic — the only music Byulyi ever wants to listen to. “I just wanted to know what you were thinking so hard about.” She says, bumping her forehead against Byulyi’s.

“You.” Byulyi says immediately without missing a beat.

Yongsun wrinkles her nose in mock digust and Byulyi can’t help but laugh and lean forward to press their lips together — but she misses, and ends up clumsily meeting the corner of Yongsun’s mouth instead.

Yongsun lets out a laugh of her own and grabs Byulyi’s hands to lace their fingers together. “And I’m supposed to be the klutz here,” She teases.

“If you’re a klutz that makes me a klutz too.” Byulyi says sappily.

Yongsun groans, "Could you be more gross?"

Byulyi waggles her eyebrows, "Do you really want to try me? Kim Yongsun, I just can't help the fact that you make my feelings overflow because I feel so on top of the world with you, and not to mention that that's not the only thing that you make overflow—"

"Okay, stop!" Yongsun screeches as she yanks her hands out of Byulyi's and buries her face into them.

Byulyi bursts out laughing. "Don't act like you don't love it." 

"You need Jesus." Yongsun moans.

Byulyi grins as she yanks Yongsun's hands away from her face and begins to pepper her favourite cheeks with kisses. 

"I only need you." And she leans in to properly press her lips against the older girl fighting to keep a smile off her face.

Yongsun finally lets out a dramatic sigh before leaning into the kiss. Byulyi’s heart swells at the feel of eyelashes fluttering softly against her cheekbones and it threatens to explode when Yongsun just can’t seem to stop smiling against her lips.

She hums as Yongsun’s hand winds through her hair and the other slowly snakes up her arm, fingers tapping out a jittery rhythm against her skin. Her head begins to spin when Yongsun begins to deepen the kiss and Byulyi knows they’re getting far too carried away when she can't really form proper thoughts anymore.

“Unnie,” Byulyi gasps as she breaks away from her.

The older girl lets out a small noise of protest at the loss of contact. “What?”

“We’re in public,” She says quietly, cheeks burning.  

“So?” Yongsun grins cheekily, tilting her head.

“Unnie!” Byulyi whines, the blush on her cheeks only serving to deepen.  

Yongsun laughs and leans in to press a quick peck on her crimson cheeks before pulling back. “You're as greasy as they come but so stiff about some things. I'll keep it child friendly for you from now on.”

“I'm not stiff, I'd just rather keep in in our sheets unlike a certain exhibitionist.” She mutters and immediately jerks away to dodge Yongsun’s incoming slap.

“E-exhibitionist?!” Yongsun splutters, "Who are you calling an exhibitionist?!"

Byulyi's eyes shine mischievously, "I mean, who else would I be calling an exhibitionist except for the only exhibitionist here?"

This time she isn’t quick enough to avoid Yongsun’s smack to her arm.

Byulyi lets out a pained laugh while rubbing the area, but teasing Yongsun is always too much of a delight to worry about her life.

“But you are the exhibitionist! Remember that one time you tried to jump me while we were in the change room? Threatening to not give me my clothes if I didn’t give in to your demands because you were so damn horn-”

“Yah!” Yongsun screeches, cheeks turning scarlet as she repeatedly slaps Byulyi’s legs this time.

Byulyi laughs as she grabs Yongsun’s arms. “Okay, okay, stop! I’m sorry!”

“I was not—” Yongsun hesitates, “—.” She half whispers, half hisses.

Byulyi rolls her eyes. “Oh my God, unnie. Yes you were. like some thirsty little teenage boy entering puberty.”

“I wasn’t!” Yongsun shrieks.

“Then how else would you put it?” Byulyi grins as she waggles her eyebrows.

“I-I was just playing around!”

Yongsun’s cheeks are puffed out in indignation, and despite the situation Byulyi just can’t fight against the temptation to reach over and squish Yongsun’s face in between her hands.

“You’re adorable,” Byulyi murmurs as she squishes her mochi-like cheeks, ignoring Yongsun’s squawk of outrage. “I can’t believe someone who has trouble saying the word ‘’ has such an unhealthy obsession with lingerie.”

“I’m going to kill you.” Yongsun growls as she pries her face out of Byulyi’s hands.

Byulyi laughs and grabs Yongsun’s hand to place a quick kiss against the back of her hand, but Yongsun yanks her hand away and shakes her head.

“No. I’m not letting you off this time. How dare you disrespect your elder like this?” Yongsun huffs. “I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.”

Byulyi grins at the unintended innuendo. “You're just too freaky for me sometimes.”

“What?” Yongsun blinks.

Byulyi bursts into laughter. “God, you have to be the cutest thing in the entire world besides Wheein.”

Yongsun furrows her brow. “Why is Wheein cuter than me? And what are you talking about?”

This only serves to make Byulyi laugh harder. Yongsun punches Byulyi’s knee and goes on to complain about how Byulyi never explains her jokes to her.

Byulyi manages to calm down sooner or later in the midst of Yongsun's rant. And a small smile blossoms on her face as watches the brunette — her words turn into a kind of soothing background sound that varies in pitches because the older girl is not one to talk in such a colourless fashion. She once told Byulyi that she believes that everyone’s greatest gift is their voice, so she intends to make the most of her blessing.

But in that moment, all Byulyi was able to think about how she had never seen anything more beautiful than how Yongsun looked while she told Byulyi all this; eyes sparkling, her entire body animated and simply overflowing with the definition of one word: alive.

As the afternoon light filters through the leaves and falls upon the girl, with every blink she takes, this simple Saturday afternoon spent with Yongsun is one that will stay with Byulyi forever. Even in the future, if she's holding a hand that doesn't fit quite as snugly in hers, even if eyes that are another colour stare into hers, and even if she holds a different body in the night under the covers, she knows with such painstaking clarity that she will never be able to forget Kim Yongsun.

“—listening to me?”

Byulyi blinks several times to find Yongsun staring at her, eyebrows creased in worry. “Are you okay? You keep zoning off.”

A soft smile blossoms along with the warmth that spreads across Byulyi’s body. “I’m fine, unnie.”

“Are you feeling sick or anything? We can head back if you want.” Yongsun says, voice doused in concern.

Byulyi intertwines her hand with Yongsun’s, “I barely get sick,” and she gently tugs the older girl forward. “and even if I did, you would help me get rid of my cold.” She grins as she wiggles her eyebrows and leans forward to press her lips against Yongsun’s pair.

But Yongsun pushes Byulyi back with a finger to her forehead and scowls at the younger girl. “I don’t know why you make me out to be the weird one when it’s always you saying stuff like that and starting it.”

“Yebaaa,” Byulyi pouts as she paws at Yongsun’s sleeves.

Yongsun sticks out her tongue, “We’re in public.” she