“Oh, hello!” The strange girl looks up from where she’s sprawled out sporadically on the grassy park lawn, smiling at Irene pleasantly. “I did not expect anyone else to be out here this late at night! I have never seen you here before.”

“I’m not usually one to go on late night walks,” Irene says after a moment’s hesitance, the silence of the park at nighttime resounding heavily in her ears. “But I can’t sleep. And I didn’t want to be in my empty apartment all alone.”

She doesn’t know why she’s saying this to a stranger she found spread out like a starfish in the middle of the park, but for some reason, the words keep tumbling out, and maybe Irene just needs someone to talk to. She’s all but shut out her family, and she doesn’t live near any of her old friends. So maybe she’s just tired of being alone.

“Oh,” the other girl nods slowly, her lips forming an ‘o’ shape. She pushes herself up into a sitting position and gazes at Irene, sympathy in her eyes. “I understand. So you did not come out here to chase clouds too?”

Irene furrows her brow, cocking her head. “Chasing clouds?”

“Yes!” The stranger nods earnestly before pausing, quietly observing the way that Irene gingerly takes a seat in the grass next to her. As soon as Irene’s settled, the other girl sticks a hand out, smiling at Irene comfortingly. “Hello, my name is Seulgi. I was told not to talk to strangers, so I am letting you know me.”

Irene bites her lip, eying the extended hand before lightly grasping it in return. “I’m Irene. It’s nice to meet you, Seulgi.” She her head slightly, sweeping long raven locks over her shoulder. “Why do you chase clouds, Seulgi?”

“I chase clouds to let the stars shine brighter, Irene,” Seulgi replies, eyes twinkling, and Irene briefly wonders which stars Seulgi had been referring to— the stars up in the sky, or the ones that seem to sparkle in Seulgi’s eyes.

Seulgi tilts her head so that it’s parallel to Irene’s. “I think that the sky likes it when I help her. I have been away for so long, so I have to make it up to her.”

“You didn’t look like you were chasing clouds when I got here,” Irene teases gently.

“That is because I already finished chasing the all the clouds away, silly,” Seulgi giggles, pointing towards the sky. Irene looks up, and surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) enough, there’s a stunning lack of clouds and a wondrous amount of shimmering stars, all scattered across the sky.

“Looks like you did a good job,” Irene comments. In the back of her mind, she wonders what’s gotten into her.

“You can help me next time,” Seulgi promises, and Irene chuckles. “Just come whenever you cannot sleep again. If I am here, and not asleep, we can chase clouds together.”

“Sure thing, Seulgi.” Irene says, stifling a yawn.

Seulgi smiles. “You can sleep. I will wake you up later.”

Irene falls asleep on that grassy lawn to the sound of a gentle melody weaving its way through the air and swirling all around her.

Maybe I see a part of me in them.

The missing piece always trying to fit in.

The shattered heart

Hungry for a home.

No, you're not alone.

I love the broken ones.

--

Seulgi wakes Irene up an hour later.

She doesn’t remember walking back to her empty apartment, but the next time she wakes up, she’s in her own bed thinking about how she’s never felt lonelier.

And Irene can’t sleep the next day either.

Seulgi isn’t at the park that night, and the sky is overcast.

Irene asks herself why she’s feeling disappointed.

--

When Irene sees Seulgi next, it’s three days later, during a late night trip to the local convenience corner store since she’s run out of Benadryl to help make herself fall asleep. By then, Irene’s halfway through with convincing herself that meeting Seulgi had merely been a passing dream.

She’s exiting the store when she hears an eerily familiar voice screaming and the heavy stomping of running footsteps.

“Seulgi,” she breathes, recognizing the tone, immediately pocketing her medicine and making a dash for the source of her noise. Rounding a corner she gasps as she nearly runs into the suspected girl, whose eyes widen at Irene’s familiar face.

“Wrong way,” Seulgi mumbles, and Irene almost can’t hear her over the roaring in her ears as the younger girl grabs her wrist and drags her into a sprint down the sidewalk. “We have to run, there are very bad men following me!”

“Seulgi!” Irene shouts over the sound of their pounding feet. “There’s an alley down this way!”

And then it’s Irene’s turn to shove Seulgi down the narrow, dank alley, and as they press themselves against the cold brick walls, Irene prays that anyone up there decides to take pity on them.

--

It’s only when the thundering footsteps pass by minutes later that Seulgi and Irene allow themselves to slump onto the ground.

Yet they’re shaken into upright positions when they hear loud voices cursing down the street.

“Hey! What do you all think that you’re doing?!” a female voice shouts over the commotion.

Irene watches Seulgi chew on her bottom lip in worry.

“That is Wendy,” Seulgi whispers. “She is my friend. She works in the café. She is nice to me and I do not want her to get hurt, Irene.”

“She’ll be fine,” Irene whispers back, not entirely sure if her words will hold true. “Wendy will be fine.”

“I swear if you don’t get out of here right now, I will force you all into my shop and we’ll wait until the police arrive!”

Wendy’s threat is more than enough to send Seulgi’s pursuers retreating, and they can hear Wendy’s indignant humph! before slamming the door to the café shut, the bell in the entrance jingling in her wake.

Irene feels her knees give out beneath her and she shudders, the soreness in her legs finally settling in after the unexpected activity. She didn’t even run that much yet Irene’s completely spent. Her head lolls around slightly, and she stares down at the concrete beneath them.

And there’s blood. And it’s not hers.

“Seulgi!” Irene gasps, and Seulgi blinks, blearily looking down to her bloody legs.

“Oh,” Seulgi says, genuine surprise laced in her tone. “I forgot about those.”

--

“My half-brother sent bad people after me,” Seulgi murmurs, her head spinning and dizzy after all the adrenaline. Her legs are simply numb as she forces herself to stand up, wobbling as a sudden weight reaches her head— Seulgi’s definitely been running too much. She inhales sharply as an electrifying jolt of pain sears through her spine, but thankfully, Irene is there to catch her.

Irene glances at her worriedly, grasping Seulgi’s right arm and slinging it around her waist, allowing for Seulgi’s entire weight to become her burden. Noticing how Seulgi doesn’t want to address her injuries, Irene steers clear of the topic, but instead inquires, “Why?”

“He wants to lock me into a small place,” Seulgi says through heaving breaths, and she exhales shakily as she’s finally helped onto her feet.

“I won’t let them touch you, Seulgi,” Irene vows. “What’s your brother’s name?”

“His name is Kim Junmyeon.”

“You brother is Suho?” Irene gasps, slightly faltering in her already wavering steps— she isn’t the strongest of females. “The prodigy CEO of the stock company?”

“He is my half-brother,” Seulgi corrects, but says nothing more on the subject of matter.

Irene simply nods, deciding to drop the topic for now.

The two girls make it to the end of the alley, and Irene bites her lip. “Seulgi, we’re not too far from my apartment, and my car’s parked over there. Let’s head over to my car and—”

“No—” Seulgi starts to say, yelping as another jolt of pain pierces through her body. Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she groans and pushes further into Irene.

“Please no cars,” she musters out as the pain slowly begins to ebb away. “Walk please.”

Irene gapes at her. “Seul, you’re terribly injured. I don’t want to hurt you anymore. If we can just get you to my car—”

“No cars!” Seulgi insists more urgently this time, anxiety seeping into the core of her tone, and Irene looks at her wordlessly in worry.

“Please,” the younger girl’s voice drops down to a whimper. “Please, can we walk? I… I am afraid of cars.”

Absorbing Seulgi’s words, Irene slowly, albeit reluctantly nods.                                      

“Okay,” the older girl finally relents. “We’ll walk to my apartment. But the second you start hurting again, we’re taking a break.”

Seulgi nods a bit too fast, starting to feel lightheaded again, but the gratitude is more than evident as she croaks out a weak, “Thank you.”

--

“This is the second time we’ve run into each other,” Irene says quietly, dabbling at the blood that stains Seulgi’s legs. She purses her lips when she hears Seulgi holding her breath, gripping at the armrest of her couch and trying to endure the pain. In an effort to take Seulgi’s attention off of her wounds, Irene looks up and smiles.

“We must be soulmates or something,” she jokes.

Seulgi blinks down at Irene in wonder. “We are soulmates. Didn’t you know?”

Irene’s smile softens into something warm and affectionate. “I guess we are.”

Seulgi nods, satisfied with Irene’s acceptance. Irene watches the other girl observe her surroundings as the older girl finishes cleaning her wounds.

There’s a long scar that traces runs up the back of Seulgi’s leg, disappearing up her shorts, leaving its ending a mystery. Irene swallows at the severity of the cut, pondering what story was behind it. It surely hadn’t been made today, so when and how…?

“You have a big apartment,” Seulgi notes, and Irene makes a sound of acknowledgement. “Do you live alone, Irene?”

Irene stiffens.

“Yes. I used to have a roommate,” she says after a moment’s hesitance, “but she’s gone now.”

Seulgi takes her time nodding. “I see.”

“Where do you live, Seulgi?” Irene questions, slightly changing the topic.

“I live in the park shed,” Seulgi replies nonchalantly.

“Wha—” Irene does a double take, opening slightly as she sets the once-white, now-red towel down on the floor beside her. She meets Seulgi’s eyes with her own concerned gaze, but for the first time since she met Seulgi, she can’t seem to decipher what was going on in Seulgi’s brown orbs.

“Seul, you live in the park shed? You don’t have a house or apartment?”

“I used to live in a house,” Seulgi says, her features not giving anything away. “But after my parents left, it did not feel like home. So I ran away with Jackson.”

“Jackson?” Irene repeats.

“Mmhm,” Seulgi nods, and doesn’t continue.

Reading the atmosphere, Irene doesn’t push further. Maybe another day.

Instead, she purses her lips and places a tender hand on Seulgi’s bruised arm. “I’m not letting you sleep in that shed anymore. I can’t. You’re staying here tonight.” She can see Seulgi open to protest. “And tomorrow night. And the night after that. And every night after that.”

“I—” Seulgi frowns. “Those bad men from tonight. They might try to hurt you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Irene declares definitively. Her gaze softens. “We’re soulmates, remember? And besides, I needed another roommate anyway.”

It’s all the convincing that Seulgi needs to accept Irene’s offer.

--

“Irene?” Seulgi calls. She materializes in front of Irene’s bedroom door, donning Irene’s oversized white band t-shirt and shorts, her hair still wet from having just taken a shower. Seulgi shifts on her feet, looking at Irene like a small child would look at their parents in the midst of a thunderstorm. “Can I sleep next to you tonight? I think I might dream of the bad men if I am alone.”

Waves of sympathy wash over Irene at the sight of a stricken Seulgi.

“Of course,” the older girl says, patting the spot on the bed next to her, smiling when Seulgi considerably brightens and clambers to get close to Irene. “Seul, you still have belongings at the park shed, right? We can go get them tomorrow.”

“Can Bear stay with us too?”

Irene casts Seulgi a questioning look. “Bear? Who’s that?”

“My puppy!” Seulgi says with excitement. “He was a present from Jackson. He helps keep the bad things away, just like you.”

Irene chuckles, patting Seulgi’s head endearingly. “I guess we can, especially if Bear helps keep away the bad things. You’re lucky that my apartment complex doesn’t have any rules against pets.”

“Yay!” Seulgi cheers. “I am a lucky girl.”

--

Irene wakes up completely surrounded by everything Seulgi – her arms, her breath, her scent, her strength – and realizes that it’s the first time in over a week that’s gotten a full night of rest. Well, it looks like Seulgi can keep the bad things away too, she thinks. Seulgi is still asleep (and rightfully so, considering last night’s events), and Irene takes the liberty to observe the sleeping girl.

Seulgi looks innocent; almost painfully so. It’s such a stark contrast to the pain on her face back in that alley, it makes Irene want to cry. What could Seulgi have done to deserve this? To choose a life in a shed over living in the safety and security of a house? But two things are for sure: Seulgi is hellbent on never returning to her first home, and Irene is hellbent on Seulgi never returning to that shed.

Questions keep swirling through the older girl’s head. Who is Jackson? If he left with Seulgi, where is he now?

“You are thinking too hard,” Seulgi says lightly, and Irene lets out a squeak of surprise. “What are you thinking about, Irene?”

“Nothing,” Irene stammers, choosing to reluctantly push herself out of Seulgi’s embrace. “Just about our agenda for today. When do you want to get your stuff?”

They settle on going at night, because Seulgi says that she has to chase the clouds away anyways. Seulgi also wants to visit Wendy and later get more dog food for Bear (she said that she had given him more than enough yesterday, so Bear would be okay on his own for a little longer), and Irene agrees to eating lunch at Wendy’s café before shooing Seulgi off to the bathroom to get changed while she makes breakfast.

It seems that Seulgi understands how jumpy Irene normally is at this point, because the younger girl yells across the apartment to Irene once she leaves the bathroom, announcing that she’s walking to the kitchen.

Irene laughs at Seulgi’s grin as she enters the kitchen.

“I did not want to scare you,” Seulgi says, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “You are easily scared.”

The words hold more truth than Irene will admit.

“Are we having eggs?” Seulgi asks, padding across the cool tiled floor to stand behind Irene’s shoulder and letting out a happy shout of excitement when she sees that she’s right. “I love eggs!”

“Eggs are healthy for you,” Irene remarks.

“Eggs are also yellow,” Seulgi nods. “I like the color yellow. It is my favorite color.” She backs away carefully. “I will let you finish now. Where are the plates? I will set them down.”

Seulgi sets up the table as Irene continues to cook their bacon, and from behind her, much to Irene’s surprise and delight, she can hear Seulgi singing.

Look at the stars,

Look how they shine for you,

And everything you do,

Yeah, they were all yellow.

--

“Wendy!” Seulgi shouts as soon as she’s stepped a foot inside the café. Fortunately, it’s past the lunch rush so there’s only a few other customers inside, and Seulgi makes a beeline for Wendy, who’s hanging behind the cash register. Meanwhile, Irene chuckles and closes the door with the bells jingling behind her.

“Hey, Seulgi!” Wendy greets enthusiastically. “How are you?”

“Fine,” Seulgi replies curtly, hastily glancing Wendy over for anything unusual. “Are you hurt?”

Wendy raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“We heard all of the commotion yesterday,” Irene supplies in Seulgi’s stead, knowing how Seulgi wouldn’t want to make her friend worry. “With those loud and rambunctious men. Seulgi’s staying at my place, about a block away, and we were walking home and got worried when we heard the shouting.”

“Ohhhh.” Understanding floods into Wendy’s eyes, and she smiles brightly. “I’m not hurt, don’t worry Seul! I just threatened them, and there’s been no sign since last night. I’m not worried. They can’t do much to me with Eunji hanging around.”

It’s only then that Irene notices the friendly-looking female police officer lounging back in one of the café’s comfy sofa chairs. Eunji gives them a friendly wave of her hand.

“Hi there, Seulgi! Is everything working out for you?”

Irene chuckles to herself. Of course Seulgi has such extensive connections.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Seulgi lies, and Irene knows this technique. The younger girl doesn’t want to trouble the kind people. Irene can relate. She’s told countless white lies over these past two weeks. “This is Irene. She is my new friend, and I am staying with her now.”

“That’s great, Seul!” Wendy says enthusiastically before greeting Irene, who smiles in return. “So what can I get for you two? Everything’s on the house.”

Ten minutes later, Seulgi and Irene have plates that Wendy had graciously piled with pastries, and the three girls join Eunji in the sofa section by the fireplace.

“Honestly, I don’t know why Eunji’s here,” Wendy tells Seulgi and Irene, playfully rolling her eyes with bravado. “I’m fine on my own. Don’t you have more important things to be doing?”

“Nope,” Eunji beams (and Irene wonders why Eunji didn’t decide to become a CF model with that eye smile of hers). “Nothing’s more important than you.”

“I think Eunji’s here for more than just pastries, Wendy,” Irene teases, and god, she hasn’t smiled this much since before her week of leave from the university.

“She is here because she like likes Wendy,” Seulgi adds innocently, and Irene bursts out laughing as she and Seulgi watch both girls in front of them turn brighter than the ketchup that Seulgi had put on her eggs that morning.

--

It’s 7 o’clock and the sun is setting when Seulgi leads Irene through the park towards the shed. As they approach the meek building, Seulgi stops Irene and quietly tells her to wait for Seulgi where she stands. Irene doesn’t argue, and Seulgi scurries off to get what little possessions she has.

It doesn’t take long for Seulgi to gather her belongings, and ten minutes later, Seulgi wheels a small luggage up to Irene with her left hand. Meanwhile, her right hand holds a ratty leash, and at the end of the leash stands the happiest Shiba Inu puppy that Irene has ever seen.

And usually Irene’s afraid of animals, but damn, that puppy is adorable.

“Is this the infamous Bear I’ve been hearing about?” Irene asks in excitement, crouching down to be closer to the same height as Seulgi’s canine friend.

Bear barks at the mention of his name, and Seulgi laughs.

“This is Bear! He was a gift from Jackson before Jackson left, and now Bear takes care of me and keeps the bad things away, like you! I taught him not to talk to strangers, but you are my friend and my soulmate, Irene, and Bear likes you too, so you can pet him.”

Irene willingly beckons for Bear to come forward, and squeals when the puppy bounds towards her, peppering her face with little that say, okay, human, I like you.

“Why did you name him Bear?” Irene asks.

“I did not name him,” Seulgi says. “Jackson did, because he reminded him of a bear. Jackson likes things that look like bears. He says that I look like a bear a lot.”

Irene tilts her head curiously. “Who is Jackson, Seulgi? You mentioned him before, but never explained who he is.

“Jackson is…” Seulgi frowns, trying to think of the right way to describe him. “Jackson is the person who was around when I needed someone the most.” She shrugs. “He is not here right now. He has gone searching for something. He might come back for me, but that is okay. I like you better, Irene.”

“…Is he your boyfriend, Seulgi?” Irene asks, unconsciously bracing herself for the answer.

“No,” Seulgi says simply. “Maybe he was once?” She sounds a bit more uncertain about this part. “I kissed him once, and I knew that we were not supposed to be together. He is not my boyfriend.”

It’s a shaky answer, but enough to make Irene relax.

“Okay then,” is all the older girl says. She takes Seulgi’s luggage away from her and hands Bear back over with a smile. “So we’ve got your stuff, right? Aren’t we supposed to chasing clouds now?”

Seulgi visibly brightens. “Yes! Let’s go!”

--

Maybe it’s because there’s two of them instead of just Seulgi around, but “chasing clouds” ends up being an intense battle of tag that results in a ferocious tickle fight and eventually both girls lay down in the grass, absolutely spent and smothering down laughter. Meanwhile, Bear runs laps around their bodies, yapping what Seulgi identifies as encouragement.

“I get the feeling that I’ll always end these cloud chasing sessions with lying down out of exhaustion,” Irene comments, prompting a laugh out of Seulgi.

“We get to watch the stars too,” Seulgi replies. She bring up a hand to point at one particular bright star. “Do you see that one right there?”

“The super bright one?”

“Yes, that one,” Seulgi nods, retracting her hand and resting it on her stomach. “That star is a friend of mine.”

“A friend?” Irene asks.

“Yes,” Seulgi smiles warmly. “Her name is Yeri. She is my star friend. I was supposed to meet her on earth back when I was really, really young. My mother was telling me about her. But since Yeri had already done all of her good deeds, she went straight to becoming a star instead.”

“She had already done all of her good deeds?” Irene casts a quizzical glance Seulgi’s way.

“Yes. People become stars when they are finished with all of the good deeds that they have to do in their lives,” Seulgi explains earnestly. “Yeri did not get to make any friends here on earth, and I decided to be her friend so that she does not get lonely as a star.”

“I… see,” Irene murmurs, her thoughts swirling.

Suddenly, the grass beneath her is very interesting.

“Irene?”

“Yeah, Seul?”

“Can we come back here with strawberry ice cream sometime?”

“I, uh— yeah, I don’t see why not. Any reason why?”

“Yeri’s favorite ice cream is strawberry ice cream,” Seulgi says. “That is what her mother told me— her mother is my aunt, so Yeri is my star cousin? I think that is how it works. Aunt Yoona said that Yeri got very excited every time Aunt Yoona ate strawberry ice cream.”

Irene smiles at her. What a warmhearted girl.

“Sure thing, Seulgi. And I’ll be Yeri’s friend too.”

“Yay! Yeri has two friends now!”

--

“You are up too early,” Seulgi grunts in annoyance, feeling the bed shift as Irene forces herself out from under the warm covers.

“Sorry, Seul,” Irene says apologetically. “I can’t sleep in with you today. I have university classes to attend.”

“You do?” Seulgi looks a bit confused. “You did not have any last week…?”

“I was on a medical leave for two weeks,” Irene explains. “My two weeks are up, unfortunately, so I have to go back to attending classes now.”

“Aw…” Seulgi pouts. “So I will be alone…”

“Oh, Seul…” Irene immediately feels bad. Ever since Seulgi moved in with her, the two girls have never left each other’s side for more than ten minutes at maximum. And if she is being completely truthful, Irene is a bit apprehensive as well. She’s been so at ease with Seulgi by her side, and now she has to sit through hours of classes, bored out her mind and without that sense of comfort? “I’m nervous too. But don’t worry, I’ll be back sooner than you realize. We’re soulmates, yeah? So we have a connection, don’t we? I’m with you, even when I’m at class.”

“That is right!” Seulgi brightens, perking up. She sticks her pinky out, giggling when Irene links it with her own. “We are soulmates.”

“And you have Bear too, silly!”

“Oh! I almost forgot about him. Sorry, Bear!”

“Oh, Seulgi! Look what you’ve done! He’s barking up a storm!”

--

Irene comes home to music blasting throughout her apartment. She chuckles to herself as she unlocks the door, thankful that her neighbors are other party animal college students who have absolutely no right to complain about a little music.

Unsurprisingly, Seulgi is dancing around the living room, bouncing up and down with Bear weaving in and out of her legs (it’s a miracle that Seulgi hasn’t tripped over the little puppy at this point), singing the lyrics along with the original singer.

Run, baby, run!

Don't ever look back!

They'll tear us apart if you give them the chance!

Don't sell your heart, don't say we're not meant to be

Run, baby, run, forever we'll be

You and me!

“Oh, Irene!” Seulgi beams at her, and it’s then that Irene notices the other girl is holding an iPhone, watching as Seulgi turns down the volume of the music. “You are back!”

“I see you’re making use of those Bluetooth speakers,” Irene jokes.

“They were all lonely in the corners of your living room,” Seulgi pouts cutely. “I wanted them to live a little.”

“I love that song,” Irene comments when Seulgi flashes the screen of her iPhone and the We the Kings album cover fades into view. “I haven’t heard that song in years.”

Seulgi hums in appreciation. “I did not listen to the radio much when I was younger, but Jackson was a big fan of music, so he made me a playlist. It has good song that I never get tired of listening to.”

“Well, let’s listen to more!” Irene encourages, and Bear yaps in agreement.

Seulgi laughs and raises the volume again, before reaching out for Irene’s hand as they begin jumping around to the beat of their hearts.

--

Time really does fly when you’re having fun, Irene has to admit.

Two months pass by in the blink of an eye, and by then Seulgi, as well as every new aspect that she’s introduced to Irene, have become staples in the older girl’s life.

They’ve started a routine, actually. On Monday afternoons, they blast the playlist that Jackson made for Seulgi throughout the apartment and take Bear to play in the park. On Wednesdays, they go out to eat at Wendy’s café. And on Thursdays they eat strawberry ice cream with Yeri under the stars. Every other day in between is always a new adventure in itself, even with Irene’s classes, and the girls keep discovering new things about each other (like how Seulgi is incredibly good at drawing and photography, and how Irene loves fabric softener like no other).

To put it simply, Irene is in bliss, especially when she’s with Seulgi. She doesn’t have a care in the world as she runs around with the younger girl at night, chasing away the clouds and laughing to the highest heavens.

But perhaps – just perhaps – there’s something itching at the back of Irene’s mind— just a little bit.

Because those men that had chased them – chased Seulgi – still haven’t made another appearance, and a very, very miniscule part of Irene is shifting in anxiety, waiting for something to happen. She doesn’t want to scare Seulgi with the idea, but Irene is almost positive that a man like Kim Suho does not give up that easily.

And that infinitely small portion of Irene is like the little mouse, waiting in the single patch of sunlight, staring out into the darkness, wondering when the snake is going to strike.

--

Another week passes, and Irene’s worst fear comes into fruition.

Irene’s supposed to have gone back to Daegu for the weekend to visit her parents. Actually, she had planned on taking Seulgi (and Bear) with her as well, to introduce them to her “best friend” (Irene really doesn’t think that this is the proper term whatsoever, since they’ve always been a bit more).

There’s thunderstorm on the day that they’re supposed to leave, and Irene has to call her parents the night before and apologize because there is absolutely no way that Irene is going all the way to Daegu in this weather.

She doesn’t know if they’re lucky or not.

Lucky in the sense that at least they’re not out in that thunderstorm, probably stranded on the side of the highway, clinging to each other in fear or worse.

Unlucky in the sense that when they’re getting ready for bed, Bear come racing in, barking like a rabid dog, and Seulgi scrambles hurriedly out of bed to calm him down.

It’s then that Irene hears it.

There’s someone else in their apartment.

--

“Stay here,” Irene whispers, pushing a cowering Seulgi back into bed, underneath the safety of their comforter, Bear whimpering in Seulgi’s arms.

“Irene do not go,” Seulgi pleads as Irene steps away from the bed. “You might get hurt.”

Irene sends what she hopes to be a reassuring smile to the younger girl. “Don’t worry, Seul. I’ll be fine. We’re soulmates, remember? We can’t be separated.”

“That does not mean that you will not get hurt,” Seulgi retorts weakly, and Irene feels her heart get encased with a fist, clenching it into a small ball.

She steps back towards Seulgi, leaning in to press a quick kiss against Seulgi’s forehead, and revels in the way that Seulgi shudders at the contact.

“Do you trust me, Seulgi?”

“I trust you, Irene. More than anyone else in my life. You are my soulmate.”

“Then trust me to end this tonight.”

They both know what Irene’s referring to.

--

Kim Suho broke into my apartment, Irene thinks to herself, still shocked. CEO Kim Suho. Broke. Into my apartment.

And now he’s standing in front of Irene with a kitchen knife in his right hand. And he wants Seulgi.

Kim Suho picked the lock to her front door, breaking the handle in the process, and threatened Irene with one of her kitchen knives when she showed up to investigate. Now her life is probably in danger, but all that she can think about is Seulgi, Seulgi, Seulgi, and all of the twisted words that are coming out of this awful man’s mouth.

“To have such a sick sister,” Suho tsks, shaking his head in a pitying manner. Irene narrows her eyes at him as he leans in closer to her, close enough for him to whisper in her ear, “It’s bad press. But you understand, right?”

And Irene snaps, shoving the man away from her body, knocking the knife out of his grip. She seethes in rage, fixing Suho with the iciest glare she can fathom and bares her teeth.

“No,” Irene retorts, balling her hands up into fists so tight that her nails leave marks deep into her palms. “I don’t get it. What’s this nonsense about Seulgi being sick? She’s not.”

“Are you kidding me? The girl is crazy!” Suho laughs, the sound jarring like grinding gears against Irene’s ears. He clicks his tongue, the look in his eyes just screaming I pity you, “But don’t you know, Irene? Don’t you know why Seulgi left home?” He smirks as Irene remains silent. “Seulgi ran away with Jackson because she was enchanted by him and his fantastical lies, and now she’s just as sick as he was. She was admitted into the hospital, you know? But the day after she was discharged and we brought her home, she just ran away again. And do you know what else? Jackson is dead.”

Irene freezes, eyes wide. That’s it. Everything makes sense now.

Then she shakes her head, snapping herself out of her realization before she fell too deep. “That’s not the point. You think that you can just barge in here, trying to take Seulgi and claiming that you are ‘best suited’ to taking care of her? Spare me. You must think I’m stupid. You’re not going to take care of her. You’re just going to dump her off at some hospital institution, or lock her in some small room, which are the exact places where Seulgi least belongs.”

Growling under his breath, Suho steps closer to Irene. “I am her brother. Who are you to think that you can watch over Seulgi better than me?”

“First of all,” Irene snarls, “Seulgi doesn’t need to be watched over. She’s gotten by just fine on her own, even before meeting me.” She voluntarily steps forward, holding up two fingers. “Second, you are her half-brother. Third,” She jabs three fingers into his chest. “If Seulgi thought that she could trust you to take care of her, she would’ve come straight back to your fake- and your inherited mansion and money. Instead, she chose to stay out on the streets. That says something.”

“Listen you little bi—“

“Do you even know what kind of food Yeri likes to eat?” Irene interrupts. “On what days we go out to eat and visit Wendy? Do you know the type of music that Jackson picked out for her? Do you even know who Bear is?”

“I—”

It’s satisfying, Irene realizes, to see legendary CEO Kim Suho, stammering and biting back words, trying to turn the tide in an argument that he can’t win.

“Then that settles it,” Irene says coldly. “There’s no way in heaven or hell that I would ever trust Seulgi with you. Now get out of my apartment.”

“Make me,” Suho jeers, and Irene shoots him the sweetest, most cynical smirk, motioning to the broken lock on her front door handle.

“This can be considered breaking and entering without a search warrant,” Irene says, her voice coated with sugar and spice and everything nice. She’s nearly shocked at her own tone, having never encountered this side of herself before. “And this entire complex has security cameras stationed outside of every single apartment door.” Oh, the look on Suho’s face is just so satisfying.

“This is your one warning,” she continues, turning away from him and starting to walk back towards the bedroom. Towards Seulgi. “You better stay away from her and leave Seulgi alone, you corporate scum,” she spits out, “Or else you’ll be getting notified of your date with court. And trust me, as a student currently enrolled in law school, I won’t hesitate to press charges so much if you even look at her in the wrong way. I’m not letting anymore of the people precious to me get hurt.” She pauses, looking back at Suho, steel in her eyes. “I assume that you can see yourself out?”

(Irene never hears from him again.)

--

The moment Irene enters her bedroom, Seulgi flies out of the massive pile of bedsheets, tackling Irene into a tight embrace, sobbing into the older girl’s shoulder. From the floor, Bear barks in gratitude, being the brave dog that he is, silently pads out to station himself outside the bedroom door and keep watch.

“Thank you,” Seulgi cries, and Irene hugs her tighter. “Thank you!”

“Anything for you,” Irene whispers, cupping Seulgi’s cheek and kissing her forehead. “Let’s go lie down now, okay? I’m a bit tired.”

Seulgi nods quickly. “Okay. What about your lock, Irene?”

“I’ll ask someone to get it fixed tomorrow. He won’t be coming back,” Irene says, her embrace around Seulgi suddenly turning protective. “It’s just you and me.”

“And Bear too?”

Irene giggles, her shoulders feeling considerably lighter. “Yes, Seul. And Bear too.”

--

"Seulgi?" Irene calls tentatively, turning over so that she could look the other girl face-to-face.

"Hm?" Seulgi hums in response, blinking in the dim light in order to get a better view of Irene.

"Seul," Irene bites her lip. "About that Suho…  He came to take you home and—"

"My home is here," Seulgi says immediately, something desperate in her eyes. "My home is here. You are my home, Irene. Suho could not have taken me home. Not when I am already here." She hesitates, that desperation seeping back into her voice. "Please don't let him take me away."

Irene's eyes soften. "Of course not. You belong here, with me. I won't allow anyone to take you away. This is our house— our home, remember?"

Seulgi nods, and Irene tries to take comfort in the relief that floods into the other girl's face.

"Our home."

"Yup. Just you and me. And Bear's too, I guess," Irene smiles as Seulgi giggles quietly before a hush overtakes them.

She's just about to roll over again when Seulgi starts speaking once more.

"Can you hold my hand?" the younger girl asks, gently pressing her right hand to Irene's cheek. Irene shivers involuntarily, feeling their coolness against her skin, and she immediately brings up her own hands to return the warmth to Seulgi.

"So cold... You're not feeling ill, are you Seulgi? I don’t want you to get sick."

Seulgi hums again, but shakes her head. "No," She pauses. "But Jackson was sick. And Suho thinks that I am sick because Jackson was sick."

Irene stares at Seulgi in shock, unsure of what to say to that. She didn’t think that Seulgi knew.

Seulgi's gaze flickers with uncertainty. "You sounded like you wanted to know."

"I do," Irene quickly assures, rubbing Seulgi's fingers comfortingly. "I want to know all about you, Seulgi, but only if you're ready and willing to tell me."

Irene watches Seulgi take a deep breath, watches her steady herself before flipping over to stare up at the ceiling, her hand never leaving the warmth of Irene's. "I think I am ready to remember now. I was not ready before, but I am now." She looks over at Irene. "Hold my hand?"

Irene smiles at her in earnest and squeezes her fingers. "I already am, Seul."

"Oh, well," Seulgi keeps her gaze trained on the ceiling, a blank look on her face that's so un-Seulgi that Irene wants to wipe it off permanently. "Before I came here— before I first came home, I was lost. Everything had disappeared, long gone, and I was lost, so I had to go searching, and Jackson said that he would search with me."

"Are you still searching?" Irene asks.

Seulgi shakes her head. "No, silly," there's a smile on her lips now. "I stopped searching when I found my soulmate."

Irene tightens her grip on the bedsheets as Seulgi shrugs like all that time spent searching doesn't matter anymore. The thing is that there was someone before Irene. A soulmate before Irene. And something twists in her stomach, coiling up like vines from the pit of her insecurity and up her spine. The thought of someone other than her as Seulgi's soulmate is suffocating.

"You found Jackson."

The small frown on Seulgi's face reappears at this, and she her head at Irene and furrows her brow, as if trying to find a way to get the older girl to understand. A heartbeat later, with an open expression, Irene finds herself swallowing, staring at Seulgi's left hand resting over her chest, where her heart is.

"Your heart is half of a life," Seulgi says simply. "You have half, and I have half, and together, our life is complete."

Irene blinks, cradling Seulgi's hand to her chest tenderly. "I am your only soulmate?" At Seulgi's nod, warmth explodes beneath her skin, but she can't help but ask. "And what about Jackson?"

"I had a heart," Seulgi responds slowly. "I had a heart, but Jackson did not have one. He did not have one at all, and I thought that he wanted to look for it together." Seulgi hangs her head in regret. "He'd promised me so much. He said that he could show me so much."

"And he wasn't your soulmate," Irene murmurs, just to be safe. To have it confirmed one more time. "Not him. Just me."

"Only you," Seulgi reiterates, smiling at Irene like she's the most special thing in the world. Then she looks back up at the ceiling and sighs. "Jackson never fulfilled his promises. He never showed me what he promised. I think he was blind. I could not see anything in his eyes. Not like how I can see the world in yours, Irene."

Secretly, Irene is glad. Jackson is long gone, but she wants to hold something— everything, over the man who had Seulgi before. It's a selfish and greedy wish that Irene would not take back for the world. Seulgi is hers.

But she can't say that out loud. Not yet, at least. So Irene settles for more questions instead.

"Why did you go with him then? If he couldn't see?"

"Because I did not have a place anymore," Seulgi replies, finally looking away from the ceiling, appearing more small and broken than ever before. Irene wants to take Seulgi into her arms and never let her go. "My 'home' at the time was small and dark and did not feel like a home at all. I wanted to see what the world looked like."

"Suho wanted you to stay small," Irene whispers in realization, and Seulgi nods. Her minds recalls the pity on the older man's face from before, when Seulgi had cowered behind her at the door. He had wanted Seulgi's puzzle piece to fit where it didn't belong. Little did he know that Seulgi wasn't a puzzle piece in the first place, but in actuality is an entire beautiful mosaic on her own, who doesn’t need to fit in anywhere. Seulgi is too bright, too different, to ever belong in Suho's grayscale puzzle. "He wanted you to be small and dull like him."

Seulgi nods.

"Like a princess in a tower," Seulgi says in a hushed tone. "But my knight wasn't there, so I left with the dragon instead." A wistful glint sparks in her eyes. "But then the dragon blew fire and went into flames. It was hot, and it hurt..." She trails off.

Irene shudders at the mere thought of Seulgi in pain, and she scooches closer to the younger girl and brushes her fingertips against Seulgi's arms, as if to make sure that Seulgi is still there and safe. "You don't need to think about that part anymore. You're safe here, with me."

"I am," Seulgi agrees, her smile returning for a brief moment, but a second later, she's frowning yet again. "I... I think I forgot. I thought he was coming back. But he's not."

"He's not," Irene says softly in confirmation. "He's gone, Seul."

But Seulgi shakes her head. "He told me that he wouldn't come back. I told him that I was not his soulmate, and he had said that that was just fine. He said that where we were going, we would be soulmates. He said that we wouldn't have to search anymore, where we'd be going. It... happened really fast. It hurt a lot."

Irene feels all the air escape from her lungs, and then she's suffocating, terrible and frightening, and she clenches Seulgi's hand at the phenomena.

"I was confused," Seulgi whispers, staring into Irene's eyes sadly. "What good is driving fast if you're only going to drive off the ends of the galaxies instead? I did not understand him."

"No," Irene croaks, her voice caught somewhere in the space between. She grips at Seulgi's arms desperately, bringing herself impossibly closer to the younger girl, just trying to feel. Seulgi is here, here, here, and she's not going anywhere, anywhere, anywhere.

(She knew that Seulgi was afraid of cars. She never expected that it would be because of this.)

"That's not fair," she gasps, as if she's gulping for air, and Seulgi smiles tenderly at her, bringing their foreheads together so that they're touching. The younger girl nuzzles their noses together.

"That's not fair!" Irene says again, grasping at Seulgi's everything, and then Seulgi is all around her, surrounding her, and Irene hugs back just as hard. The thought of him nearly throwing away Seulgi's life is sickening and leaves Irene in nothing but complete shreds, wanting to throw up. "You didn't deserve that, dammit! You deserve your damn fairytale ending and your knight and your dog and anything but that!"

"I am here now," Seulgi says, beaming through the darkness at Irene as though everything is that simple, and maybe to Seulgi, it really is. "I am here now, with my knight and my dog, and my home and my heart, and I am happy, Irene. So very, very happy!"

Irene smiles, hiccupping and trying to keep herself intact.

“With me?” she asks.

“With you,” Seulgi confirms, squeezing Irene’s hand as she returns to glance up at the ceiling one final time. Irene wonders if Seulgi can see the stars through it. Probably.

“I am a lucky girl,” Seulgi says with finality; as if she hasn’t just walked through hell and back only to come out alive and kicking, burnt and scarred but alive.

Irene doesn’t stop the hot tears from running down her face. Seulgi won’t cry anymore, so Irene will cry for her.

“I am very, very lucky.”

--

They keep trying to fall asleep, yet even after all they’ve talked about, it feels like there’s something missing. Irene shift in Seulgi’s arms only to find Seulgi already looking down at her, something affectionate in the younger girl’s eyes.

“Can you sing for me, Irene?”

“Me?” Irene questions.

“I always sing for you,” Seulgi pouts. “I want to hear you sing. Listening to you hum to the my music does not count.”

“Well, what should I sing?”

“Anything. I will love anything that you sing.”

“… Okay.”

I'm gonna paint you by numbers

and color you in

If things go right we can frame it

and put you on a wall

And it's so hard to say it

but I've been here before

Now I'll surrender up my heart

and swap it for yours

--

“Good morning,” Seulgi mumbles the next day, and Irene giggles.

“Hey, Seul?”

“Yes, Irene?”

“So you’re mine, and I’m yours, right?’

“I think that is how this soulmate thing works… right?”

Irene laughs. “Yes, I think so too. So, technically speaking, you’re my girlfriend, right? And I’m yours?”

Suddenly Seulgi jumps up, wide awake and staring at Irene with shock in her brown orbs.

“I-I think so… yeah.”

“And being girlfriends comes with a different set of privileges, yeah?”

“I suppose…? I think that we come up with those ourselves though, Irene.”

“Then a morning kiss.”

“I— what?!”

Irene smiles, leaning in close to Seulgi’s face. “I want a morning kiss. Or maybe I’ll be the one to give it. I want to love you the way you deserve to be loved, Seulgi.”

“I…okay,” Seulgi whispers, redness spreading, starting all the way from the bottom of her toes to the base of her neck to the tips of her ears. “I want to kiss you too, Irene.”

Irene chuckles, nudging their noses together. “So stop talking.”

--

Seulgi spends the rest of the day (which is more or less 7 hours, because they slept in past noon), finding more and more reasons to kiss Irene.

Good Morning kisses lead to You Should Shower kisses, which lead to Making Breakfast kisses and Setting the Table kisses, and Watching Movie kisses and Doing Homework kisses (otherwise known as distractions), and Time To Feed Bear kisses and The Feeling of Hummingbirds kisses, and “Pass me the tomato” kisses and “That’s not a tomato, Seulgi, that’s spaghetti sauce” kisses.

But ultimately, they all lead to Forget This, I Am Kissing You Because I Want to Kiss You kisses.

--

“I thought that we could chase the clouds away somewhere different this time,” Irene says quietly, staring out over the green, grassy cemetery before letting her eyes wander up to the array of twinkling stars lighting up the nighttime sky above.

“Will this help you, Irene?” Seulgi asks softly, and Irene kneads the edge of her shirt anxiously.

“I hope so,” is all she says, and Seulgi nods, deeming the answer acceptable. “Hold my hand?”

Seulgi gives her a small smile and takes her left hand with her right. “Can you tell me more, Irene?”

And Irene knows that she owes Seulgi at least this much (so much more, really, but that can wait), so she opens to mouth to speak as she leads Seulgi into a slow walk along the cemetery path.

“Do you remember the very first time we met, Seulgi? That first night where I found you lying spread out in the park?” Irene receives a short nod in response. “The truth is, I was walking outside because I have a star friend too. Her name is Joy. She was my old roommate, and she’s been my best friend ever since first grade. She was one of the brightest people I knew, but she… she had a problem. Her body didn’t like to cooperate with her, and she was in a lot of pain. When I first met you, Seulgi, it had been a week after I found out from the hospital that she wouldn’t be coming back to our apartment. And at the time, I didn’t know that she had become a star.”

Seulgi gazes at Irene with indulgent eyes, ever the reassuring figure, wordlessly encouraging Irene to continue.

“I think… I think I went on that walk with the intention of looking for her, but I didn’t know where to find her. And Joy, knowing that I needed guidance, lead me to you, lying in the park that night. Because somehow, she knew that from the beginning, you were my special person.”

“Soulmates,” Seulgi interjects dreamily.

Irene bites a lip to contain her smile. “Yeah, I think so. You… I found you when I was in a dark place, Seulgi. The reason why I had taken a week off from school was because a doctor diagnosed me with temporary depression. I was lost, Seul, but then you came and took my hand and showed me what the sky looked like. You saved me, Seulgi.”

“We saved each other,” Seulgi corrects, and Irene thinks that this sounds better. “And… I believe that we are here.”

Irene didn’t realize that her feet had brought them to Joy without her even paying attention. She’d never visited Joy here before; she couldn’t find the courage to.

“I think that Joy brought us here,” Seulgi says, reading Irene’s mind and saying the words that wouldn’t escape her lips. “Did you know that ghosts are real, Irene? But not the scary ones. Good ghosts.”

“Are they? Where are they then?” Irene asks, her voice barely making it out of .

“They are everywhere,” Seulgi replies with a smile, briefly leaning out of Irene’s space to spread her arms out to try and get Irene to picture it. “When you listen to their favorite song, or when you eat their favorite food. They are with you. Joy is with you. You can feel them too. Joy is not gone. She is a star, but she has left a part of herself behind on earth for you to remember.” Seulgi hesitates a heartbeat before resuming. “I know that I love my mother and father, and I always will. And, I do not think that I would still love them as much as I do if they are not still lingering around me, somewhere.”

Irene is stunned into silence, not sure what to say about that. It’s the first time that Seulgi has ever talked about her parents like this before.

But it’s Seulgi again who breaks the hush.

“So Joy completed all of her good deeds too,” Seulgi muses thoughtfully. “Just like Yeri.”

Irene nods, wiping away the silent tears trailing down her cheeks that she hadn’t realized had started falling. “She did. Joy did so much good for everyone— so much good for me. And she fought so, so hard. She— she did not want me to be alone.”

“I love her already,” Seulgi says with a smile. “And now, she is a star too. Do you think she is keeping Yeri company? I think that they would be good friends.”

“I hope so,” Irene says shakily, leaning into Seulgi. “I didn’t want her to leave for the sky yet. We’ve always had each other. She was— is my best friend. I don’t want her to be lonely.”

“You can still talk to her,” Seulgi says, pulling Irene into a hug. “Joy left, but that does not mean that she is so far away that she cannot hear you. And it is not bad to think about her, Irene.”

“Just,” Irene whispers into the crook of Seulgi’s neck. “Just don’t become a star just yet, okay? You have plenty of good deeds to do, Seulgi, and if you think that you’ve run out, I-I know that you can make more. So no matter what, please don’t leave me alone.”

“I will not become a star yet. Not without you. I promise. Some people have a dream as well as an expiration date, but that is not me.” Seulgi cradles Irene’s head gently. “I have a dream and a lifetime, and I will live it. With my soulmate. And that’s you, Irene. And then together, we will live beyond it together. Does that sound good to you, Irene?”

“Yes,” Irene breathes. “That sounds so good.”

And then it spills.

“I love you, Seulgi.”

“I love you too, Irene.”

Or maybe nothing actually spills at all. Just flows.

“I just wanted you to know,” Irene mumbles, prompting a giggle from Seulgi.

“Great,” Seulgi smiles at her. “Now, tell me more about Joy.”

--

Irene talks about her adventures with Joy until the sun rises, and by then, Irene is too sleepy to walk, so Seulgi happily carries her back to their home in her arms.

And when they wake up, another day starts, and they’re happy and healthy and in love.

On Monday afternoons, they blast the playlist that Jackson made for Seulgi throughout the apartment and take Bear to play in the park. On Wednesdays, they go out to eat at Wendy’s café, and on Thursdays they eat strawberry ice cream with Yeri under the stars. And now, Saturdays are spent binge-watching dramas because according to Irene, that’s what Joy’s favorite activity was, and she wants Seulgi to spend time with Joy too.

(They still go chasing the clouds away every time they get the chance, because there are people they love smiling down at them and Seulgi and Irene don’t want to forget.)

The days get crossed off the calendar, and things aren’t nearly as hectic as those first few months. There are arguments and people get mad; sometimes Irene locks herself in her room, or Seulgi leaves the apartment for hours at a time. But at the end of every day, Irene always unlocks her door, and Seulgi always comes back home, because they’re still finding reasons to fall in love every single day. Because they’re soulmates, and Irene is still the same girl who Seulgi found her home in, and Seulgi is still the girl who brought a home to Irene.

And then they wake up, another day starts, and they’re happy and healthy and in love.

End.

 

--

A/N: Congratulations! You've made it to the end! Thanks so much for reading my first shot at angst!

Also for anyone curious, the songs mentioned in this fic are the following:

The Broken Ones - Dia Frampton

Yellow - Coldplay

Check Yes Juliet - We The Kings

Lego House - Ed Sheeran