“Could you maybe not interrogate my girlfriend?” Yerin hissed to Eunha as she passed her the tofu soup.

“How else am I supposed to know if she deserves to date you?” Eunha retorted.

Yerin narrowed her eyes at her in a dangerous glare. “I can take care of myself without you. I’ve been doing fine for weeks.”

Eunha grimaced and shut up. She deserved that. She’d hoped in asking to see Yerin that she could mend whatever had broken between them, but in the short thirty minutes since she arrived, things had been nothing but tense. That was probably her fault. SinB, Umji, Yuju, and Yerin clearly all knew each other well. Sowon was new to their little friend group as well, but she wasn’t the one who tried to date Yerin. Eunha had to hand it to SinB though for keeping the death glares at her to a minimum.

She blinked in surprise when she felt someone squeeze her hand and glanced over to see Sowon smiling reassuringly at her. Eunha smiled back and relaxed a little bit. She just needed to be herself and make it clear all she wanted from Yerin was friendship. How hard could it be?

“You work with Zhou a lot, right?” SinB asked her casually.

Eunha nodded. “She’s a bright kid, lots of potential. Are the two of you friends?”

“Something like that,” SinB said with a mysterious smile, but they evidently were not if the confused look Yerin gave her was any indication.

Eunha had to admit SinB was making the whole thing easier to swallow. Even if Eunha wasn’t interested in Yerin that way, it would have stung if Yerin had rejected her for some doe-eyed, incompetent resident who was merely drooling over a talented attending rather than the amazing person Yerin was. However, Eunha could tell SinB was anything but.

She watched as SinB thoroughly discussed a complicated heart surgery with Sowon and the possible complications it could have on the brain if done wrong. She saw the way SinB smiled at Yerin like she was her whole world, keeping an eye to see if she needed something. She even melted a little bit at the way SinB reached out to grab Yerin wrist as she walked by to kiss the back of her hand tenderly. Eunha was glad Yerin had someone like that, even if it meant that Eunha didn’t.

“She cornered me the other day is all,” SinB explained. “I guess I was wondering if that’s a normal occurrence.”

“About what?” Sowon asked curiously.

SinB smirked. “Your dear friend, Nayoung.”

Sowon groaned, and Eunha smiled sympathetically. Eunha had heard all about the whole Nayoung and Kyulkyung predicament before, so she merely sat back and listened to the rest of the gossip.

After dinner, Eunha offered to help Yerin with the dishes.

“Thank you for letting me come,” Eunha said as she dried the plates Yerin handed her.

Yerin paused for a moment before resuming her washing. “I’m glad you still wanted to see me.”

“Of course I do,” Eunha told her firmly, trying not to let her emotions overwhelm her. “Yerin, I made a mistake in asking you out. I was afraid of dying alone, and you were there. It was a terrible thing to do you, and I’m sorry.”

“You don’t hate me?” Yerin asked, her voice so small and tremulous that Eunha wanted nothing more than to hug her.

So she did. She hugged Yerin so tight, and it felt so comforting after missing her these past few weeks. Eunha wanted to cry, but she knew Sowon would notice if her eyes were even the slightest bit puffy or red.

“You’re my best friend,” Eunha said honestly. “I could never hate you. I understand why you couldn’t date me, and I’m glad you said no. I think we would’ve ended up resenting each other if we forced something between us.”

“I’ve missed you so much,” Yerin whispered as she hugged her back, hands wet against Eunha’s shirt.

“I missed you too,” Eunha replied softly. She pulled away gently and smiled at the tears in Yerin’s eyes. What a crybaby. “Don’t be like that,” she told her as she wiped away the tears before they could fall. “We’ll have lunch sometime this week, any place you want, my treat. Things might not go back to normal immediately, but I do want us to one day be what we once were.”

“I’m glad,” Yerin nodded. She stepped away from her and turned back to the sink. “You should go rest. Please ask SinB to help me finish.”

Eunha watched her carefully for a long moment before leaving. She told SinB that Yerin needed her help and lingered in the doorway while SinB walked past her. She looked over her shoulder and watched as SinB embraced Yerin tenderly, whispering something that made Yerin smile despite the tears that still managed to fall onto her cheeks. Eunha smiled; one day she would have that.

She walked into the living room where Sowon was in a heated discussion with Umji about the best ice cream flavor. Sowon noticed her immediately, taking in her sullen appearance with furrowed brows.

Sensing the obvious tension in the air, Umji said, “Let’s go check out the fishtank Yerin said she had in her office. She mentioned she might give it to us if she decides to get a cat.” Umji grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and led her out of the room with a sympathetic look over her shoulder.

Sowon silently held open her arms, and Eunha collapsed onto the couch and cuddled in her embrace. Her eyes fluttered shut as Sowon ran her fingers up and down her back, and Eunha felt like she could sleep for a thousand years now.

“How did it go?” Sowon asked quietly.

“She missed me too,” Eunha admitted shyly, burying her face into the soft fabric of Sowon’s shirt.

“I told you so,” Sowon teased gently. “It’ll be okay.”

Eunha smiled and held Sowon closer. It’ll be okay.

A/N: Happy holidays! Sorry for the lack of any serious focus on any one ship. I just felt like we really needed some closure with the whole Yerin/Eunha thing before moving on. Don't worry though! Each couple will be getting their own respective chapter in the future.