They are together, tangled on the couch in Sooyoung's apartment. Jiwoo has her head resting in Sooyoung's shoulder; her arms wrapped around Jiwoo like a safe haven. Jiwoo is holding The Price of Salt, and the couple is reading together, each in their own pace. But there's no fight on whether to go to the next page or not, for there's that silly coincidence where they finish pages together without meaning to.

“What are we going to read after we finish this one?” Jiwoo asks, curious. Sooyoung is always the one who decides their next book. In fact, she was the one who recommended The Price of Salt. And Jiwoo trusts her judgment more than anyone else’s.

“I don’t know…” Sooyoung trails, thoughtful. She rests her head against Jiwoo’s and smiles. “maybe I’ll let you decide this time.”

“Hey… you’re not tricking me are you?” Jiwoo turns her head so now Sooyoung’s support is her forehead.

The older woman leans away and looks into her eyes.

“Why would I?” Sooyoung’s smile is sly, almost devilish, but her eyes gleam with intensity. She brushes away strands of deep caramel from Jiwoo’s forehead and presses fingers on the sides of her face. “Flung out of space..”

Jiwoo smiles wide, but shily, looking away from Sooyoung’s gaze as if she’s been hit with deep realization. She’s just like Therese; Therese who felt she knew Carol from the moment she met her. Because that’s how she feels with Sooyoung; as if she has already met her in a past time before. And now in another life, with memories erased, but feelings not.

It’s quite amazing, really, and this feeling washes her away as Sooyoung’s lips touch her own, and she doesn't even feel the book closing on her lap because her focus is somewhere else. Or rather, someone else.

They break apart only by their lips; the rest of their bodies are still very much so connected, and Jiwoo's stomach churns, and her heartbeat is erratic. There are many things she would like to say to Sooyoung sometimes, but right now, Jiwoo feels like they have the perfect silence, because both of them understand how the other feels.

So she does nothing else but grab Sooyoung’s palm and place it on her chest, right above her heart. And Sooyoung smiles, nodding lightly, because she does know. And Sooyoung does the same with Jiwoo’s hand, placing it right above her own heart.

Jiwoo does feel flung out of space, but if that space doesn’t have Sooyoung, she doesn’t want anything to do with it.

[...]

They are having dinner along with some of their friends. But they still feel absurdly young, as Haseul remembers things from their past she thought they might have forgotten.

“I didn’t think you two would really click that well, to be honest.” Hyunjin remarks after a sip of her drink.

“Why not?” Sooyoung asks, and everyone else seems curious as well, staring at the girl.

“Well, you two are very different from each other.”

Sooyoung laughs, nodding her head. “That we are.” Everyone laughs as well, even Hyunjin. Sooyoung steals a glance at the girl beside her, and can tell right away she’s a bit nervous. She takes her hand under the table and gives it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

I’m here, don’t worry.

Jiwoo looks at her with a thankful smile.

“What about you and Heejin?” Jiwoo chirps in the conversation this time, her nerves long gone because she’s reminded of the girl, her girl right beside her.

Hyunjin laughs, taken aback by the sudden question.

“Yeah, you two were always together.” Sooyoung joins in, and she can’t help but feel proud. Jiwoo was always too shy to enter conversations, no matter how comfortable she felt around the girls. “Why the secrecy now?”

Heejin stares at the couple with flared up cheeks, and Hyunjin is quietly telling everyone who’s laughing to shut up.

“Great, now I have these two gang up on me.” She shakes her head, huffing.

“Not that you don’t deserve it.” Vivi chimes in, and this time, everyone is taken aback. Haseul mimics a mic dropping off her hand, and everyone’s smiles are beaming, although Hyunjin’s smile is of entire disbelief. "Don't look at me like that, I'm just being honest."

"You were supposed to defend me!"

The girls keep the chatter going, banteri