In hindsight, this was all Yongsun’s fault. She would deny the accusation if someone confronted her about it, but Wheein knew the truth. It certainly wasn’t her own fault. It wasn’t Hyejin’s either.

When Hyejin and Wheein started dating, the latter thought they had it all together unlike Yongsun’s and Byulyi’s tendency to stare when the other wasn’t looking. Wheein remembered when Hyejin professed her feelings one day after practice. She remembered the way Hyejin’s head shot up when the other two left and her stare made Wheein freeze. She remembered the way Hyejin admitted that her feelings for Wheein went beyond friendship for a while, but only now had the guts to admit it. She remembered the way Hyejin attempted to sound nonchalant and folded her arms over her chest, but nonetheless darted her gaze to the floor.

Wheein remembered the look of panic that flashed in Hyejin’s eyes when her own started to brim with tears, the latter quickly saying that it was just a joke and she wouldn’t do something so stupid again. Wheein remembered the surprised sound Hyejin emitted when she rushed forward to embrace her, the sudden force causing them to both topple to the ground. Wheein remembered her sides hurting, but that didn’t stop her from tightening her grip on Hyejin’s neck as she sobbed that she loved her too.

She thought she was content with how things were, but then Yongsun had to point out that Hyejin and Wheein never kissed since they began dating. Now she pondered if the lack of progress in their relationship was her fault.

Sighing, Wheein rested her chin against the wooden table. She snuck a glimpse towards Yongsun and as if on cue, Byulyi leaned forward to plant a quick peck on her lips. Yongsun giggled and lightly slapped Byulyi’s shoulder, whispering that she shouldn’t do that in front of the others.

The issue wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if it weren’t for the fact that those two managed to kiss first when they started dating after Wheein and Hyejin. Wheein huffed. “Lucky,” she muttered.

Wheein shifted her gaze to the one that sat across from her. Hyejin didn’t notice, for she was too busy scrolling through her phone. Wheein’s eyes trailed down to Hyejin’s lips, which were slightly parted. She had a feeling they would be soft against her own, and not knowing for sure left a bitter taste in Wheein’s mouth.

“What’s up?” the lips moved and Wheein blinked, darting up to meet Hyejin’s eyes. “Is there something on my face?”

“Um—” Wheein sat up straight. “Y-yeah, right here,” she lied, touching the side of her lips. As if the only thing on Hyejin’s lips wasn’t Wheein’s eyes.

Hyejin hummed, raising her hand to run her finger along her bottom lip. Wheein gulped. “Is it gone?” she asked.

Wheein’s smile was thin. “Yep,” she forced out. It wasn’t.

______________________________________________________________________________

Wheein checked her reflection through the vanity’s mirror, patting down any signs of hair sticking out of her ponytail. They would need to be out on stage soon and she wanted to make sure she was presentable. “Hyejin,” she said. “Can you pass me the lipstick?”

“Yeah, just hold on,” Hyejin replied.

Smiling in satisfaction, Wheein leaned back and made a mental check. Her hair was well-maintained, her dress had no wrinkles, and her eyeliner didn’t make her want to cry in frustration. Now all she needed was—

Wheein froze. Hyejin was bent slightly forward, coating her lips a dark red with the lipstick. Her lips rubbed together with a pop and Hyejin looked up, smiling at Wheein through the mirror. She stood up and faced Wheein, offering the cosmetic. “Here you go.”

Wheein tore her eyes away before Hyejin could call attention to her incessant staring, grabbing the makeup as she turned away. She peered down at the capped lipstick. There was no reason for her to be nervous. This wasn’t the first time they shared lipstick. It wouldn’t count as a kiss anyway.

She leaned closer to the mirror and applied the lipstick, trying to not smudge her work as Hyejin stared at her out of boredom. Wheein made the mistake of looking up and not meeting Hyejin’s eyes through the reflection, but rather Yongsun’s. Yongsun smiled and all of a sudden Wheein was reminded of what she didn’t have with Hyejin, the red skidding off-course.

“Great,” Wheein whispered to herself. She reached around for the napkins, but met nothing but the stand that supported the hairbrushes and various cosmetics.

“I got it,” Hyejin said, placing a hand on Wheein’s shoulder. “Turn around for me.”

Blinking and briefly panicking, Wheein obeyed and let her friend help her. Hyejin dabbed the stray red line, tracing the curve that outlined Wheein’s bottom lips slowly. Wheein closed her eyes, unable to bear to look at Hyejin, and shivered at the contact.

“Are you nervous?” Hyejin asked. “If it’s about the show, it’s no big deal. We’ve performed in bigger places.”

“No,” Wheein said. “I’m not nervous about that.”

Hyejin paused. She lifted the linen from Wheein’s face, but let her palm linger. Wheein opened her eyes and was shocked to see Hyejin still staring at her. Wheein wanted to open to speak, but didn't know what to say. She didn't pull away from Hyejin’s caress, her gaze lowering.

A knock on the door caused Hyejin to recoil from her touch. They both turned as a man wearing a black cap and headset walked into the room. “Mamamoo, you’ll need to be on standby soon,” he said, checking the list in hands. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Yongsun said. Wheein flinched, realizing that she wasn’t alone with Hyejin. “We’ll be out soon.”

He nodded, paying more attention to his notes than the singers, and made his way out the door.

“Let’s go, guys!” Yongsun yelled excitedly and the rest of the members cheered along.   

Byulyi exited through the door, shortly followed by Hyejin. Wheein trailed behind, but halted when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“You know,” Yongsun said and Wheein swiveled her head to see her properly. “Why don't you follow the same advice Hyejin gave me?”

“What do you mean, unnie?” Wheein asked.

“I mean,” she continued, offering a smile. “You can ask her to kiss you.”

Wheein frowned. “Asking Byulyi to kiss you is a lot different than asking Hyejin to kiss me. What if she teases me?”

Yongsun laughed. “You have a point. But—” she pointed ahead and Wheein followed her finger until she spotted Hyejin talking with Byulyi. “She’ll at least know what you want when you actually ask her, instead of staring at her lips all day.”

Hyejin’s lips were curved into a carefree smile, the way Wheein loved them. Sighing, Wheein relented. “You’re right,” she muttered.

Yongsun settled her hands on her waist, puffing up her chest in pride. “I know,” she said.

Wheein side eyed Yongsun. “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re a hypocrite, unnie.”

The other girl’s arms slumped. “I know,” she reiterated.

______________________________________________________________________________

The studio was empty, and Wheein wondered if romantic developments taking place here were naturally becoming a thing. That or Yongsun and Byulyi didn’t really have to go to the bathroom because they wanted to give Wheein some privacy. Although Wheein’s back was to Hyejin, the former was still able to see her with the dance studio’s mirrors. Hyejin rubbed off the sweat on the back of her neck with a towel, lips stilled as she took a sip from her water bottle. Wheein gulped.

Wheein’s shoulders drooped and she tore her gaze away in favor looking at the polished floor. She bit the inside of her cheek, chastising herself for acting ridiculous. She needed to calm down or else Hyejin would notice.

She yelped when she felt a cold sensation on her neck, turning while she protected her nape with her hand. Hyejin laughed, bending down to be on the same eye level with Wheein, her shoulders shaking.

“Here,” Hyejin said and dropped the water bottle in the space between Wheein’s crossed legs. Hyejin plopped down next to Wheein, her own legs stretched out.

Wheein glanced down at the half-empty water bottle, attempting not to think about Hyejin’s lips on the rim and failing. “Thanks,” she whispered. She twisted the bottle open and took a swig, her eyes still not meeting Hyejin’s.

Hyejin made small talk with Wheein and the latter mostly nodded, not really giving commentary. Hyejin glanced towards her friend, her head tilted to the side. “Hey, Wheein,” she piped up suddenly. “Can I kiss you?”

Water sputtered as Wheein’s grip on the bottle tightened, compelling the girl to cough. Hyejin’s eyes widened, her hands patting Wheein’s back. Wheein wiped the water with her long sleeve. “I-I’m sorry what?”

“I was wondering if I could kiss you.” Hyejin shrugged. It was casual. It was also familiar, but Wheein failed to place where or when she saw it because her brain was going haywire. “After all, we’ve been dating for a while now.”

Wheein blinked. “You mean—” She pointed at herself. “You want to kiss me?”

Hyejin scoffed. “Of course I do.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Did it seem like I didn’t want to kiss you?”

“Not exactly,” Wheein said. It would be more accurate for her to say that she was too busy thinking about wanting to kiss her to see that maybe Hyejin wanted to as well, but Wheein chose not to in order to retain a bit of her dignity.

“Is it okay then?” Hyejin reached forward to hold Wheein’s hand.

It took a lot of willpower for Wheein to stop herself from yelling out in agreement before Hyejin was able to form her question. “I—yeah,” she said. “It’s fine… I want to kiss you too.” She flushed in embarrassment for admitting this, but thought it was appropriate to let Hyejin know she wasn’t going with her wishes just because she was her best friend and girlfriend now.

The moment of humiliation proved to be worth it when Hyejin flashed a smile, beaming. “Great,” she said. “That’s… great.”

Wheein nodded, biting her bottom lip. “So, like,” she muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. “Do we kiss now or—”

“Oh!” Hyejin’s head shot up. “Yeah, I would prefer that we kissed before the other two come back.”

If she was being honest, Wheein forgot those two only left momentarily in the first place. “Right, right,” she repeated.

The two stared at each other, waiting. Wheein’s eyebrows furrowed. What now? However, Wheein didn’t have time to think when Hyejin closed her eyes and started to lean forward. Wheein gasped, but followed her actions.

In hindsight, they should have planned it out. They both leaned forward too quickly and crashed their foreheads and not at all kissed.

“Ow!” Wheein winced and shrunk away, touching the sore area on her head.

Hyejin groaned. “What was that?” she asked, opening one eye.

Wheein sighed. “Sorry,” she lamented. “I was nervous.”

The room was silent and Wheein wanted to make an excuse by saying she needed to go to the bathroom too. However, her eyes shot open instead when laughter erupted from Hyejin. Wheein pouted. “What?”

“Nothing, I just—” Hyejin smile was softer, but still bright nonetheless. “I’m glad we’re on the same boat.”

Wheein’s eyes widened, finally remembering Hyejin’s nonchalant facade from when she confessed. “Oh.”

Hyejin scooted closer to Wheein until their legs were touching. “Okay, let’s try this again.” She looped her arm around Wheein’s waist. “This time a lot slower, alright?”

Wheein gulped, smiling. “Alright.”

Their eyes fluttered shut and they leaned forward, meeting halfway. Wheein didn’t really expect Hyejin to feel nervous like her nor have their foreheads collide into each other in their first attempt. But she was right about two things. Hyejin’s lips were soft against hers and Wheein knew she would ask for more.

__________

[Author's Note:]

Follow me on tumblr at https://sammeup.tumblr.com
I'll be posting sneak peeks of my future fics on there. I will also be posting my own personal stories and character profiles there.