Catherine Ki Heehyun. 23. 16 June 1995.

 

Lee Jueun. 23. 7 June 1995.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

Heehyun stares at the time on her phone’s screen with a frown on her face.

 

She had somehow managed to wake up before her alarm went off. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to congratulate herself on a job well done, or get annoyed at herself for essentially denying her body the extra hour of sleep that she could have probably used. It wasn’t easy being a university student. She’s gone past the stage of having Redbull and caffeine flowing through her veins to just barely arriving to class on time in a semi-comatose state.

 

Still, it’s rare that she manages to wake up early. She should take it as a sign. A sign that maybe today things will start to change. Maybe today she’ll get her life together and everything will start falling into plac—

 

“Ah !”

 

—or everything could just start falling on her head. Yup. That could definitely happen.

 

Heehyun spends the next few minutes rolling around in bed clutching her forehead, groaning in pain as a result of all her textbooks falling onto her face. She knew that stacking her books onto her headboard after reading them would come to bite her one day. Her laziness was the cause of this. She knew, which made this worse because she bloody hell could have prevented it from happening.

 

If today was going to be the start of something new, Heehyun wasn’t sure she was going to enjoy it based on the way the day was starting.

 

Her door creaks open slowly, almost warily. It opens just wide enough for her roommate to stick her head through the small gap and offer (a still writhing) Heehyun a questioning look. “What was that noise? Did you break something again unnie?”

 

“...My forehead....and various other fleshy bits that make up my face.” Heehyun grumbles in response, angry at herself and her roommate who was suddenly sporting the widest grin on her face.

 

“Oh that’s too bad. Those fleshy bits were your only redeeming feature. How will you ever get a girlfriend now?”

 

“Alas, some things are probably just not meant to be.” Heehyun shrugged while moving to get off her bed. Well, she definitely wasn’t going to fall asleep now. Might as well get the day started.

 

“Alas? Which book fell on your head? The dictionary?”

 

“You know I don’t own a dictionary, Chae.”

 

Heehyun trudged past her laughing roommate at the door, still rubbing the sore spot on her forehead. The little git was enjoying this a little too much. You’d think after living together for 3 years the younger girl would have gotten tired of laughing at Heehyun hurting herself. God knows it happens way too often, but nobody is really keeping track of Heehyun’s mishaps. Actually, she takes it back. If there was anyone who would be interested in keeping track of her misfortunes and accidents, it would be her roommate and longtime friend, Jung Chaeyeon.

 

Try as she might she actually couldn’t remember the exact moment she and Chaeyeon had decided to become friends. As far as she knew, they just always were. When one decided to come to Seoul to study, it only made perfect sense for the other to follow suit. They gave each other , but they loved each other more than anything. True friendship.

 

A friendship that gets put to the test the moment Heehyun discovers that Chaeyeon had used up all her shampoo again. Great. Now she has to go through the rest of the day with a lump on her forehead and a head full of greasy hair.

 

Could still be worse. At least Chaeyeon didn’t use up all the hot water agai—

 

—and she spoke too soon.

 

“JUNG CHAEYEON!!”

 

“SORRY UNNIE! GOT CARRIED AWAY AGAIN!!”

 

 

 

**********************************

 

 

 

Oh lord it’s cold out today.

 

Heehyun didn’t really notice it during the short walk from her front door to the elevator, but as she reached the ground floor of her apartment she was assaulted with air colder than a tax collector’s heart as soon as the doors peeled open.

 

It....it was bad! She was most definitely underdressed for this weather. What the hell was Mother Nature on about today?! Heehyun was in danger of freezing her off in this weather, literally! Somebody is going to walk this very hallway to find a single on the floor, frozen in place from this icey weather.

 

But no. Heehyun was early today. She was ready to start a revolution! She wasn’t going to negate her efforts of starting the day early by going back up and changing. Preposterous. Ki Heehyun was a stubborn mule, and though by the end of the day she may become a stubborn mule encased in solid ice, she was not going to go back upstairs. 

 

Heehyun pulls out her phone and checks the time. If she wasn’t wrong, the next bus is scheduled to arrive in 18 minutes. She could last 18 minutes right? Of course she could.

 

And with that, Heehyun sets off into the cold day, teeth chattering while she hums ‘Eye of The Tiger’ quietly to herself. She was a fighter! And fighters do not surrender to adverse weather conditions.

 

It takes her a bit, but once she reaches well beyond past the point of no turning back she breaks out into a full sprint, practically diving into the bus stop to shield herself from the frigid gale blowing her way. She pumps her fist in victory, for today she has looked Mother Nature straight in the eye and spat in her face. Heehyun has bested the cold, and now she can laugh with mirth! Nothing could stop her—

 

—and now she realises that she wasn’t alone in the bus stop.

 

Ah.

 

Ah.

 

Blood rushes to Heehyun’s face as she realises what an embarrassing spectacle she was making. 

 

Heehyun cleared a couple of times, fixed her hair, dusted imaginary lint off of her clothes and sat down as demurely as she could next to the stranger, who had her nose buried so deep in her book she probably never even noticed Heehyun being an idiot in the first place.

 

With the girl seemingly too engrossed in whatever it was she was reading, Heehyun takes the opportunity to study this stranger further, realising then that she’s never seen this person before. She had black hair that went past her shoulders, soft bangs and the sharpest eyes Heehyun has ever seen. A stray gust of wind finds itself into the tiny confines of the bus stop and manages to blow the stranger’s hair out of place and as the girl moves to fix it, Heehyun struggles to pick her own jaw off the floor.

 

This girl was the prettiest stranger Heehyun has ever had the displeasure of embarrassing herself in front of.

 

It was easy to call something or someone pretty. Anything that is mildly pleasant to the eyes can have the benefit of earning that moniker, but this girl...this girl was something else. This girl was prettier than pretty itself. The whole word has to be redefined to suit this one girl, casually reading her book in a bus stop while bundled up in a light blue denim jacket.

 

Heehyun feels her heart leave her chest by ways of . She actually feels sick. This girl was so gorgeous Heehyun’s body is having a violent reaction to it. Oh no she’s going to make a fool of herself again. Why was she always this pathetic around attractive strangers?

 

“Yes?”

 

Heehyun’s eyes snap up and she sees the stranger looking back at her curiously, no longer engrossed in her book. Heehyun freezes in place, this time the weather playing no part in it at all. Their eyes meet and somewhere in the distance Heehyun hears a choir of angels start singing. It was a beautiful time to be alive.

 

And now it’s gotten awkward, because she’s pretty sure the stranger is waiting for her to say something but all she’s done for the past minute is stare like a creep and she should try to rack her brain for something clever and charming to say that can and will totally knock this girl off her feet but all she can come up with was a meek—

 

“Hello.”

 

The stranger blinks back in confusion, and Heehyun has never before needed the ground to just open up and swallow her whole as she does right now. 

 

“Hi.”

 

The reply came softly. The stranger’s voice was gentle and melodic. It was just a word. A single syllable, but this girl made it seem like a song. Never before has Heehyun been swept off her feet so quickly and surely by someone whom she didn’t even know the name of.

 

“Is something wrong?” The stranger asks, a sign that Heehyun had spaced out for too long again.

 

She was never the best conversationalist. Especially not when it matters. This would be one of those situations where being a good talker would matter. 

 

“It’s...uh....kinda cold. Your jacket looks very warm.”

 

The weather. Heehyun decides to talk about the weather. Wow hit her with the low hanging fruit why don’t you? Goddammit Catherine Ki Heehyun you are a living meme, and not the funny kind that people share with their friends.

 

Beautiful Stranger™ narrows her eyes at Heehyun, and the latter was already kicking herself for being such an awkward loser.

 

“....Are you going to steal my jacket?”

 

Huh?

 

“Ex-Excuse me...?”

 

“My jacket. You brought up my jacket and you’ve been jittery since you sat down. Are you planning on robbing me?”

 

Heehyun’s eyes widened in alarm at the sudden accusation. She jumps back in surprise, appalled that she would be mistaken as a thief. “What? No! No! Do I look like the type of person that would steal jackets?!”

 

“You’re acting pretty defensive about it.” The stranger shrugs, hugging her denim jacket closer around her small figure.

 

“I’m just defending my good name. It’s rude to accuse people out of the blue.”

 

“It is rude, isn’t it?”

 

“Very much so.”

 

The stranger pauses to contemplate that, before following up with an “I apologise.”

 

“...You’re forgiven.”

 

“I just really like this jacket.”

 

Heehyun watches as the girl seated next to her fiddles with the buttons on the denim jacket. Indeed it looked expensive. Heehyun for the life of her could probably never afford anything that nice. This girl must have some amount of money to her name, or maybe the jacket was a gift. Maybe that’s why she treasures it so much. 

 

“....It is a nice jacket.” Heehyun agrees after a beat, and the stranger smiles warmly at the compliment. Suddenly she wasn’t freezing anymore. This stranger had enough charm to control the weather.

 

“I’m Heehyun by the way. Some folks call me Cathy, or Catherine. I don’t really mind either way.” A hand is extended in greeting, and the stranger takes it without any noticeable hesitance. 

 

“Nice to meet you, Heehyun-ssi.” 

 

Something sparks in the air the moment their hands touch. It was like a cheesy movie. Heehyun has only ever seen and heard about these symptoms in the campiest romance movies that Chaeyeon would often watch in the living room, but here she is living through it. This stranger that she met maybe 10 minutes ago has made a believer out of her.

 

“.....”

 

“.....”

 

“...This is the part where you tell me your name.”

 

Beautiful Stranger™ actually has the audacity to look surprised. “Is it? I seem to have lost the plot here.”

 

True to her word, she does look completely bewildered. It was almost as if she really didn’t have any plans to introduce herself to Heehyun. Maybe her identity was a secret. Maybe she was an idol. That would explain the Goddess-level looks and the expensive jacket.

 

“This would make a terrible movie. I’d be the most uncharismatic heroine ever.” Heehyun chuckles, leaning back against the glass wall of the bus stop they were in. It was just a small booth, separating them from the cold wind and the rest of the world.

 

It was as if they had this space to themselves, or maybe Heehyun was just over-romanticising the moment. But they were so close together. So isolated, that even though the stranger’s next reply came out soft Heehyun could hear it plain as day.

 

“If this were a movie, I think I’m the one who would be the main character.”

 

Heehyun chuckles again, in disbelief this time. “What? And why is that?”

 

The beauty straightens up, puffs her chest out and tugs at the collar of her jacket as if to emphasise it. She side-eyes Heehyun before the edges of her full lips tug upwards into a smirk of sorts.

 

“I’m the one with the cool jacket.”

 

And there it was. Attitude to go with the demure image. Heehyun was doomed. The stranger winked cheekily to support her statement and Heehyun could only continue chuckling to mask the fact that she had just gotten her breath stolen from out of her lungs.

 

“You....guess you got me there.”

 

There was a brief moment of silence, in which Heehyun spent internally debating the politest way to demand this girl’s name and number and address and possibly even her blood type and favourite food. It was a brief moment, that ended when a bus pulls up in front of them and the stranger stands to leave.

 

This wasn’t Heehyun’s bus. She has no reason to follow or stop the girl. The stranger was about to leave, and Heehyun begins to panic.

 

“You still haven’t told me your name!” She shouts as the stranger already had one foot on the bus’ steps.

 

The stranger seems to contemplate it for a moment, before turning back and smiling the brightest most mischievous grin Heehyun will probably spend nights dreaming about.

 

“Maybe you’ll find out someday. Have a good rest of your life, Heehyun-ssi.”

 

Before Heehyun could get a word in edgewise the black haired beauty ascended the remaining steps up the bus and disappeared out of sight. Heehyun’s entire body was screaming for her to chase after the girl but for some reason she didn’t. She just remained seated, frozen in place as she watched the bus drive off, bringing with it the best thing to have happened to Heehyun all year.

 

The stranger’s last words echoed in her head. No, she really doesn’t think she’ll be having a good rest of her life. Not with the ‘what if’s’ that'll constantly plague her.

 

 

******************************

 

 

 

It was later in the day. If you were to ask Heehyun what she learnt in class today she probably wouldn’t be able to tell you, because none of it stuck in her head. She was a mess of jumbled thoughts and regrets, mind focused on the beautiful girl from the bus stop earlier.

 

Here she was, lying on Chaeyeon’s king-sized bed (because Chaeyeon the Princess had to have the largest bed in the house) wallowing in self-pity while Chaeyeon herself was trying her best to have none of it and complete her homework in peace. Heehyun was persistent though. Acknowledging her would make things worse, so the younger girl continued with her assignments, pretending that Heehyun didn’t exist and that there wasn’t a grown woman whining and groaning next to her on the bed.

 

“Chaeeee~”

 

Ignoring her was getting impossibly hard though.

 

“CHAAEEEeeeEEeeeeE—“

 

“....Yes unnie?”

 

Heehyun’s features brightened up upon hearing her dongsaeng responding back to her.

 

“So...there was a girl at the bus stop today. Would you happen to know who she is?”

 

Chaeyeon paused for a moment to allow Heehyun’s dumb question to fully sink in, only to realise that even when fully processed it was still a bloody dumb question. “....I don’t even take the bus, unnie.”

 

“Yeah, but you know these things. Don’t you? You know people.”

 

Good god help her. Chaeyeon rolls her eyes as subtly as possible. “I know people yes, but I don’t think I know every single girl who sits around at bus stops.”

 

Wrong thing to say because Heehyun just emitted her greatest groan yet, doing her best imitation of a whale that had just stubbed it’s toe.

 

Chaeyeon gives up.

 

“Describe her.”

 

Heehyun lights up again, immediately ceasing her whale noises. Her pained expression was suddenly replaced with a look of infatuation that was so sickeningly hopeful that Chaeyeon felt like punching the older girl. It was like she was living through an episode of Hey Arnold, how comically smitten her unnie was.

 

“I don’t knowww Chaeeee.....she’s pretty.”

 

“Well that’s successfully narrowed it down to a few million people. We live in Seoul! Everyone is pretty!”

 

Heehyun frowns as she racks her brain, obviously trying to pick a defining feature that sticks out. “She...she has black hair. And she looks Japanese. And she’s smart.”

 

“Smart?” That last one caught Chaeyeon’s attention.

 

“She was reading a book. Only smart people read books.”

 

“I guess you’re out of your league then unnie. The book-reading ones are the pickiest.”

 

Heehyun let out a defeated sigh. “You think I’m in over my head?”

 

“I think, that you don’t want to know what I think.” Chaeyeon nonchalantly replies as she gets back to work on her English assignment.

 

“You’re probably right. I probably don’t.”

 

“....”

 

“....”

 

“I think that you’re a hopeless idiot by the way.”

 

Heehyun sits up, clutching her heart in mock-pain at her roommate’s statement. “Jeez Jung Chaeyeon, whats your damage?”

 

“My damage, is that you are wallowing in self-pity all over my English notes.”

 

Heehyun looks down underneath her and sure enough she sees crumpled pieces of paper and folders filled with neatly-scribbled notes where she had just been lying down.

 

“No wonder. All the pretentiousness is digging into my back.”

 

Chaeyeon scoffs, not even bothering to spare her roommate a disapproving glance. “There’s nothing pretentious about speaking English, unnie. It’s an entire language.”

 

“I at English.”

 

Chaeyeon looks up this time, slight confusion on her face. “Don’t you use English in marketing?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They lock eyes for a brief moment, Heehyun with her lips pursed and Chaeyeon with gradually narrowing eyes, trying to understand why Heehyun was still horrible at English when she’s learning it on a university level.

 

And then she remembers who she was talking to.

 

“I forgot for a moment there that you’re an idiot.”

 

This time, Heehyun didn’t find the insinuation insulting in the slightest. “If I had managed to become a famous director instead I wouldn’t even need to be studying right now.”

 

“You’re not even studying! You’re sprawled on my bed telling me about yet ANOTHER pretty girl you’ve met that you’re too chicken to do anything about.”

 

“I’m not a chicken.”

 

“Could’ve fooled me. Chicken-face.”

 

“That is a horribly childish insult Chae, even for you.”

 

“Takes a child to know a child unnie.”

 

Now it was Heehyun’s turn to narrow her eyes as she watches the triumphant smirk make it’s way across Chaeyeon’s youthful features. Childish. Childish she says! Heehyun was a grown woman! 

 

A grown woman that shall now exact her revenge by making snow angels on Chaeyeon’s English notes, laughing maniacally as her roommate watches on in horror.

 

“UNNIE! UNNIE PLEASE!!!” 

 

 

********************************************

 

 

Days turn to weeks. Heehyun makes it a point to wake up earlier every single day in hopes of catching the beautiful stranger from the bus stop again but she’s disappointed to find nobody there whenever she reaches the stand. Maybe it was a once off event. Maybe the stranger was coincidentally in the neighbourhood at the time. Surely if she actually lived in this apartment Heehyun would have inadvertently bumped into her before this.

 

All her efforts were in vain. She never bumps into the stranger again and with her exams fast encroaching into her life, her thoughts drift further and further away from the black-haired beauty. By the time spring comes along, Heehyun’s forgotten all about the Beautiful Stranger.

 

Perhaps their fate seem to be intertwined by way of adverse weather conditions because a sudden fall of rain catches Heehyun off guard one day as she walks around an unfamiliar part of the city trying to find a store selling sweet potatoes. Panicked, she dives into the first building she sees for shelter only to find herself surrounded by books.

 

A library. Of all places. 

 

Heehyun really can’t say if she’s ever stepped foot in one before. She was always worried she’d spontaneously combust the moment she started browsing the shelves, like a demon would at a place of worship just because she really doesn’t belong in a place like this. Catherine Ki was allergic to knowledge of any kind. It wasn’t her idea of fun.

 

She checked her palms and sniffed the air a few times. Musty. But no traces of smoke anywhere. She wasn’t about to catch fire just yet. That’s a relief. Maybe she could chill here for a bit while Mother Nature stops being a bitc—

 

“Anything I can help you with dear?”

 

“HolydontDOTHAT!” Heehyun hisses at an old lady that somehow managed to sneak up behind her at the entrance. How’d she do that? There was barely any space between her and the building’s front door, how did Uchiha Grandma here get behind her?

 

“I’m sorry dear. Did I startle you?”

 

Even with how dense Heehyun was she could tell that the old lady was not at all sorry about startling her. Heehyun tried to calm down her beating heart while eye-ing the grandma cautiously. “A little, yeah. I’ll live though. I think. How’d you even get so close without me hearing you?”

 

The corners of the old lady’s lips tweaked upwards a fraction. “I work in a library dearie. I’ve gotten used to moving in silence.”

 

Okay...that wasn’t ominous in the least...maybe she should just turn around and find shelter in another building, preferably one with lesser creepy old hags that might or might not secretly be a witch and/or ninja.

 

“You’re soaking wet. Would you like a towel?”

 

That offer catches Heehyun’s attention.

 

“You have towels here?”

 

“No, I was just wondering if you would like one. We have no reason to carry towels here silly, this is a library.”

 

“Wha—then why’d you ask?!” Heehyun nearly shrieked but managed to contain her volume at the last minute upon remembering where she was. No Catherine. No. Control yourself. We do not punch the elderly. We do not punch the elderly.

 

“It is my attempt at making conversation. I don’t get to talk to many people see. Working in a library really doesn’t provide you with many opportunities to talk to people.....”

 

The old woman trails off, and there was enough sadness in her voice for Heehyun to forget about her anger altogether.

 

“That’s...kinda sad.” It was only then did she notice the lady’s uniform. It was a simple ensemble of a button up top and a pair of slacks, completed with a navy blue tie and a silver nametag pinned to her pocket. The name ‘Park Joon Hee’ twinkling back at her from the surface of the polished tiny metal plate.

 

“Don’t you have any colleagues to talk to?” Heehyun inquires, looking around the admittedly empty library.

 

“Oh there aren’t many of us here. There’s me, a young lady who is constantly wearing headphones and Lee Sajangnim. Although Lee Sajangnim is a pretty good conversationalist, it is quite inappropriate to hold casual conversation with one’s boss.”

 

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.” Heehyun nods in agreement, before the conversation fell to a lull and the air quickly grew awkward. Heehyun fidgeted uncomfortably in place as Old Lady Park watches expectantly, probably hoping for Heehyun to continue the conversation.

 

Unfortunately Heehyun at socializing.

 

“Do you mind if I take a look around? I’ve never been in a library before. Wait, do I have to pay? Are libraries free?” Heehyun checks quickly, finding the gentle smile that has been playing on Old Lady Park’s face since they first started talking still holding strong on her face.

 

“As free as a nightingale, dearie.”

 

Heehyun has no idea what that means.

 

“....yes that means it’s free.”

 

“Brilliant!” Heehyun cheers a bit too loudly, causing the Old Lady Park to shush her before walking off while shaking her head, probably in search of people that can actually hold a decent conversation. 

 

Now left to her own devices, Heehyun begins her exploration of this cave of wonders she’s somehow stumbled upon.

 

Although she’s never been in an actual library before, everything she’s seeing so far pretty much lives up to the expectations set by the movies she’s watched. The ceilings were high, the windows lining the walls were large and almost every piece of furniture seemed to be made of wood. With childlike fascination Heehyun approaches a bookshelf and runs her finger along the spines of the books as she walks alongside it.

 

So much knowledge in one place. It seemed almost novel, the idea of reading a physical copy of anything. Heck even magazines and newspapers were digital nowadays.

 

A rustling sound followed by a soft grunt catches her ears, further amplified by the relative silence of her surroundings. Heehyun’s eyes follow the sound to a girl standing on a miniature step ladder at the end of the aisle she was in. The girl was struggling with a book on the top shelf, the step ladder evidently not tall enough for her to reach the highest shelf.

 

It takes her a moment, but she realises she’s seen that face before. A disbelieving smile cracks across her face once she’s finally able to put a time and place to the familiar face. 

 

It was the girl from the bus stop.

 

“I’VE GOT IT!” Heehyun calls out as she sprints down the aisle towards the girl, who looks up completely alarmed by the sudden loudness.

 

Channeling her inner Yao Ming, Heehyun leaps into the air as high as she possibly could, fueled by the need to impress the beauty before her and in one swift move she manages to yank the book the Beautiful Stranger™ was struggling with earlier right off the top shelf, stepping stool be damned.

 

Heehyun couldn’t help the proud smirk that was making it’s way across her face. Damn she was cool. She would be impressed at herself. Now to come up with the perfect one liner to cinch the situati—

 

“I was trying to put it back.”

 

“Huh?” Heehyun does a double-take, hand paused awkwardly in the air while still clutching the book.

 

“The book you just yanked from me.” The stranger points to said book in Heehyun’s hand. “I was trying to put it back. Give it here.”

 

“Aah....S-sorry.” Heehyun smiled sheepishly as she returned the book back to the stranger’s awaiting hand. What was with her and embarassing herself in front of this girl?

 

Trying her best to be undaunted by the earlier mixup, Heehyun trudges on, not wanting to let the opportunity slip by her again.

 

“So uh...fancy meeting you here—” a glint on the girl’s chest, and Heehyun looks to see the same nametag that the older lady earlier had on pinned to Beautiful Stranger’s shirt. Convenient. “—Miss Lee Jueun.”

 

Jueun....finally, a name to go with the face.

 

“Nothing really that fancy about it. It’s a library.” Jueun shrugs nonchalantly, getting off the stepping stool and heads towards a cart filled with books. The brunette then begins to push the cart down the aisle, and Heehyun decides to tag along next to her, matching her pace.

 

“You must really like books huh? You work here or something?”

 

“You can say that.” Jueun replies, already sounding disinterested in the conversation. “This building belongs to my family.”

 

“For real?” Heehyun’s jaw dropped, which was probably the intended effect of the statement because she swears she sees the corners of Jueun’s lips curve upwards ever so slightly. “This entire library? You can own a library? I thought like, that’s the government’s thing. Are you with the government??”

 

“My family own this building, and the books belong to the people. The government just converted it into a library because it’s convenient. It’s a long and convoluted story.”

 

It probably was. Not that Heehyun would mind. Jueun’s voice sounded like what butter would sound like if it was verbal. Verbal butter. Smooth. She was pretty sure she was staring at the librarian with hearts in her eyes. Are you still a librarian if you own the library? Probably right?

 

Another thought occured in her head. If Jueun was that rich, there was no way they lived in the same apartment. So what on earth was Jueun doing in that part of town? It wasn’t any of Heehyun’s business, but she was nothing if not curious.

 

“Sounds like you’re pretty rich to be riding the bus.”

 

Jueun hums in reply.

 

“I was visiting a friend in that area. Driving can be bothersome.”

 

“....Boyfriend?”

 

“Would a decent boyfriend let me go home by bus?”

 

“I don’t know. I’m not much for boyfriends. Or boys in general.”

 

There was a pause in the air as Heehyun dropped the fattest, most obese hint she could think of. Jueun must have read into it because the shorter girl had a pensive look on her face.

 

“....Is that so?”

 

Not the response she was expecting, but okay. “Yeah. I guess that is, indeed, so.”

 

“....”

 

“....”

 

“I like girls in case you didn’t—.”

 

“—Yes, yes I understood the implications just fine.”

 

Heehyun laughed at that, glad they were on the same page but also nervous as for the next stage of this elaborate setup that she had managed to come up with 20 seconds ago. 

 

She was not letting this girl slip away again without trying to make her stay.

 

“With that out in the open and possibly ready to bite me in the in the next sentence, would you like to grab dinner with me tonight Miss Jueun?”

 

Jueun stops pushing her cart and turns to stare at Heehyun, an amused smile beginning to form on her face.

 

“Are you asking me out on a date, Heehyun-ssi?”

 

“Yeah, I guess.” They were indoors. How is Jueun’s hair doing that blowing-in-the-wind thing? This girl was a walking dream. Ethereal from the tips of her shiny black shoes to the ends of her gorgeous black hair. They lock eyes, and Heehyun actually blushes like a little schoolgirl. Jueun must have noticed because the amused smile on her face grows even wider.

 

“C-Can you not smile at me like that?”

 

Jueun tilts her head. “You have a problem with my smile?”

 

“It’s....it’s distracting.” Heehyun shyly admits, turning her gaze to her feet. She was 23, not 13. Jueun made her feel like a kid again.

 

“By all means call the girl you just invited out on a date a distraction why don’t you. That won’t hurt your chances one bit.”

 

Jueun was teasing her now. Casually playing with her heartstrings but Heehyun didn’t mind it one bit. She liked the confidence the shorter girl exuded. 

 

“It’s pretty. Your smile, it’s pretty. You’re distracting because you’re pretty.” 

 

A pause in the conversation and Heehyun feels herself sink away, preparing to nurse her wounds from the inevitable rejection that was probably being aimed and primed her way. Why would this rich goddess date an unemployed college student like her? Not that Jueun would know that she was unemployed but you could probably tell from a glance that Heehyun really had nothing special to offer h—

 

“I get off at 8pm.”

 

Heehyun’s train of thought carrying her low self-esteem pauses in it’s tracks upon hearing Jueun’s words. 

 

Was that a yes? 

 

“Oh? I-I mean, right! Of course you do! I’ll...uh...chill out here in the meantime.” Heehyun panics, not really knowing what to do because she didn’t plan this far ahead. All the simulations in her head prior to this always ended with the stranger saying no.

 

This was an unexpected development.

 

Jueun just shrugs nonchalantly, as if she did not just totally make Heehyun’s day. “Do what you must.”

 

The librarian begins pushing her cart, leaving Heehyun still dumbstruck in place before the few cells left in the latter’s brain finally made a connection and allowed her to realise something critical she had missed earlier.

 

“You remembered my name!”

 

Jueun halts and turns to look at Heehyun, regarding the latter with a pondering look on her beautiful face. Could it be that Jueun herself hadn’t realised that she had remembered Heehyun’s name? Could Jueun herself had been thinking of Heehyun since their first encounter as much as Heehyun herself has? She needed to know. 

 

“....so I did.”

 

Jueun shrugged again, and continued pushing her cart down the rest of the aisle, denying Heehyun any assurance that this obsession was more than one-sided.

 

Heehyun pulled a random book of the shelf and plopped down on the nearest padded wingchair. 8pm was in another 2 hours.

 

The clock has never before moved any slower. 

 

 

************************************

 

Heehyun finds out they’re about the same age, with Jueun being older by only 9 days. That bit of information comes as a mild surprise because the other girl carries herself with an air of dignity and maturity that Heehyun could only dream of. Well beyond her years.

 

She’s had two hours to figure out where to take Jueun on their dinner date, which she managed to decide within 15 minutes. The remaining time was spent on the phone with Chaeyeon trying to convince/beg her roommate to have a heart and loan her enough money to make the night a good one. Impromptu dates bring about the death of wallets.

 

Jueun in her librarian uniform, loosening her tie at the end of her shift and telling Heehyun that she was ready to leave would bring about the death of her.

 

Now they sat opposite each other, in a quiet booth in a quaint Japanese restaurant Heehyun would often pass by on her walks around town. She’s always wanted to try it, and this seemed like the perfect occasion. She was worried initially, that someone as wealthy as Jueun would have standards when it came to sushi. This restaurant wasn’t exactly your 5-star Omakase dining experience. Far from it. But Heehyun sees the way Jueun’s eyes lit up the moment they walked through the front door.

 

It felt like the perfect decision.

 

Whether it was by choice or out of consideration for Heehyun, Jueun didn’t order anything too crazy off the menu. She easily could have. The smell of wagyu beef filled the air around them and this particular establishment was well-known for their grilled scallops, but Jueun’s selection was modest. 

 

Lee Jueun was beautiful, intelligent, wealthy, witty and now Heehyun discovers the girl is considerate as well. If the girl had any shortcomings, now would be the perfect time for them to be known because at this rate Heehyun was in danger of legitimately falling in love before dessert was even served.

 

Heehyun spends most of dinner staring at Jueun as the latter ate. There was something about the girl. Something unique. Something special, that captivated Heehyun so much.

 

“Sorry if this is offensive, but—“

 

“Sentences that start out that way usually do end up being offensive.”

 

Jueun looks up from her soba to grin at Heehyun. Probably proud of herself for cutting the latter off midsentence. Heehyun just shook her head in amusement and continued on with her question.

 

“—but are you part Japanese or something? You just look...really Japanese. And you’re really digging into your sushi.”

 

Jueun’s face turns stoic all of a sudden. “Is there anything offensive about being Japanese?”

 

“No! God no! I mean ethnicity can be a touchy subject and I really don’t want to overstep—“ Heehyun’s panicked tirade ended abruptly when she hears Jueun giggling at her, a melodic sound that produces butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Only when the feeling washes away somewhat does Heehyun realise that she’s being made fun of again.

 

“Relax. I’m just having some fun with you.” Jueun confirms, and Heehyun lets out a defeated sigh for being bullied this way. Jueun laughs again seeing the pathetic look on Heehyun’s face before elaborating further. “No, I’m 100% Korean. And I just really like sushi.”

 

Heehyun nods, making a mental note of that for the future. Her face was still flushed from the embarrassment of getting teased so easily by the other girl, which leads to Jueun commenting on it.

 

“You get flustered really easily.”

 

Heehyun whines, placing her chopsticks gently onto the table so that she could bury her face in her hands without poking her eyes out. “I have a weak heart. It’s mean to take advantage of that.”

 

“My apologies.” Heehyun peeks through her fingers. Jueun does not look the least bit apologetic.

 

She does however, look absolutely breathtaking. Even if she’s currently scarfing down salmon like a bear. Because she’s scarfing down salmon like a bear. Jueun still had her librarian outfit on sans the tie, and it fit her image so well. The shirt made her look authoritative and professional, but it hugged her figure well enough to still be fashionable and flattering. 

 

It might actually hug her figure a bit too well. Heehyun’s cheeks heated up as her brain went down the gutter.

 

“...You look real nice in that.” Heehyun said while clearing , trying her best to hide her blushing cheeks.

 

Jueun raised an eyebrow at the sudden compliment. “My uniform?”

 

“Yeah. It really suits you.”

 

“It’s the same thing every other employee wears. It’s just a shirt with a pantsuit.”

 

“It’s not about the work clothes girl, it’s the way you work clothes, girl.”

 

Heehyun’s compliment was followed up with her shooting finger guns at Jueun while winking, and the older of the two actually laughed. Whether it was with her or at her, Heehyun wasn’t sure.

 

“Wordplay. Nice.”

 

“Was that impressive? I try. I’m quite prosciutto with languages.” Heehyun stated with confidence, leaning back in her chair and grinning madly at her date who looked...confused?

 

“Did you mean to say proficient?”

 

Heehyun mimicked the confusion. “What did I say?”

 

“Prosciutto.”

 

“The hell is a prosciutto?”

 

“I have no idea. It came out of your mouth.”

 

“Hold up.” Heehyun pulled out her phone and quickly looked up whatever this word that had slipped out of was. What language was prosciutto—how do you even spell prosciutto?? Hopefully it wasn’t anything offensive. “Ham! Prosciutto is ham! Huh. The more you know.”

 

Heehyun laughed weakly at her own expense, while Jueun...well, she still looked confused but also amused. This wasn’t exactly going as planned. Not that there was much of a plan to begin with, but things were supposed to flow a lot smoother than this. 

 

“I’m sorry. You must be bored out of your mind. I promise I’m usually a lot more charming than this.” 

 

Jueun took her time in replying, elegantly picking up a piece of sushi with her chopsticks and savouring the taste on her tongue before grinning cheekily at Heehyun. “What’s different this time?”

 

“You’re uh...” Heehyun didn’t even know where to begin answering that. “You’re hands down the prettiest girl that’s ever agreed to go on a date with me. I’m weirdly starstruck.”

 

“I’m flattered.” Jueun’s grin grew into a warm smile. “I’m also having a pretty good time.”

 

“Really?? Oh thank goodness! I think I have a need to impress you that doesn’t match my capability to actually impress you.” Heehyun laughed weakly, freely admitting her shortcomings to this girl on their first date. 

 

“I’m a pretty tough customer. Some would view that as an inviting challenge.”

 

Jueun leaned forward, resting on her elbows as she locked eyes with Heehyun, as if in challenge. There was a glint in those beautiful black eyes that Heehyun would spent the rest of the night getting lost in. 

 

“I don’t do well with challenges. Too clumsy.” Heehyun breathed out, hearing Jueun chuckle in reply. This was her cue to be impressive. “But I do have one trick up my sleeve. You can’t really call it a trump card since it’s my only card, but it’s a good one. Gimme a sec.”

 

She noticed it while walking towards her seat earlier. A weird fixture for a japanese restaurant to have, but she supposed that it was oddly convenient for what she needed to do to impress her date so she really shouldn’t complain.

 

Heehyun stood up from her chair and walked towards where she saw the piano earlier. Looking around she really didn’t see anybody to stop her and hey, piano’s are meant to be played right? Before anyone could drag her away Heehyun mustered up all of her courage and pulled the bench out, taking a seat in front of the instrument before she could chicken out.

 

Okay.

 

she suddenly couldn’t remember how to play any of the songs she’s learnt.

 

She’s nervous. Her fingers are trembling.

 

Just...just play something. You’ll figure it out as you go.

 

With that thought in mind Heehyun took a deep breath and began playing the first song that came to her head: Wonder Girl’s Be My Baby.

 

She will probably look back on this as being one of the weirdest dates she’s ever been on. Playing a piano version of a kpop song in the middle of a Japanese restaurant while on a date with a rich librarian. She wasn’t doing too bad though. A couple of people even started cheering. Heehyun didn’t dare look around because she wasn’t sure if Jueun would be cheering. For all she knew the girl might have left the restaurant out of embarrassment.

 

But no, after her song was done, after the restaurant gave her a surprisingly raucous ovation, after Heehyun had taken her bows, she walked back to her table to find Jueun still there, beaming at her as she sat back down.

 

“Wow.” That was the first thing that came out of Jueun’s mouth. 

 

“Yeah? How was that?”

 

“I daresay Heehyun, I am most definitely impressed.”

 

Heehyun let out a breath of relief that she’s been holding for the past few minutes or so. “Good. I’ve gotta take you to more places with pianos then.”

 

“Wonder Girls though? Really?” Jueun eyed her with amusement, an elegant eyebrow raised while Heehyun could only laugh sheepishly at her taste in music being exposed on their first date.

 

“I’m just surprised you recognised the song.”

 

The rest of the date went by without a hitch. Heehyun had to try to swallow the bile that came up to the moment she saw the figure on the bill she had to pay, but it was worth it really. This was one of the best nights of her life, and heck she even managed to get a little bit of piano playing in it too. She hadn’t touched the instrument for several years now.

 

Turns out Heehyun wasn’t the only one with the capability of pulling out surprises. Jueun had offered to drive Heehyun back home, an offer that the taller girl didn’t even hesitate to accept. Any opportunity to spend more time with this embodiment of perfection and elegance.

 

The surprise came when Jueun led her to the back of the library building where she had parked her car, and what a beautiful car it was. Heehyun would be the first to admit that she knew next to nothing about cars, but this two-door Lexus definitely looked luxurious. If there was one thing Heehyun knew about cars, it’s that the lesser the number of doors the higher the price.

 

They continued their small talk during the drive, and Heehyun couldn’t get enough of talking to Jueun. The old lady at the library was right; Jueun really was an extraordinary conversationalist. They talked about everything they could think of to ask on a first date, and the more she got to know about Jueun the more curious Heehyun got. 

 

Questions and questions came and went, answered swiftly by a smiling Jueun, until Heehyun was left with one more burning question that she had been wrestling with since she first bumped into the beauty at the bus stop all those weeks ago.

 

“Could I uhh...get your number? I don’t know...make this not a one time thing?”

 

Jueun lightly stepped on the brakes and turned to look at Heehyun with an unreadable expression. They’ve arrived at Heehyun’s apartment, and the car was parked right in front of the bus stop where they had first met. There was a tense silence, one which filled Heehyun with doubts and dread.

 

Until Jueun started giggling.

 

“Yeah. Yeah let’s do this again.”

 

Heehyun would later spend the whole night debating how many emoji’s she should use when saving Jueun’s name into her contacts list. She didn’t want to appear too excited.

 

4 heart emoji’s was more than enough.

 

 

******************************

 

Heehyun has never been good at this stage of dating. The ‘push’ and ‘pull’ phase. She’s never been a ‘push’ kind of girl. Her style is to pull and pull and pull until the other party gets freaked out and runs away. She didn’t want to let this one run away though. This one was special. She had to play her cards right. She had to be patient. Employ a bit of strategy into her approach.

 

She definitely shouldn’t be sending Jueun a spam of texts the minute she walked through her front door.

 

Which of course, is exactly what she’s doing right now. Like the idiot she is. 

 

Jueun’s replies came slow. Maybe Jueun was better at this game than she was. Not hard to be, honestly. They continued talking until late at night, and the texting continued the next morning, and throughout the days that followed. Heehyun was smitten. 

 

The second time they would meet would be 4 days later, when Jueun tells her they’ve been having problems with the sink in the library’s pantry. Heehyun jumped at the chance, rushing downtown with a toolbox in hand smiling at herself for being sufficiently equipped for situations like this.

 

She burst into the library like a comet, ignoring the disapproving glares she received by the other patrons. Nerds, the lot of them. Heehyun didn’t care about these bookworms, she had a Goddess to please.

 

Although really in hindsight the aforementioned ‘Goddess’ was the proprietor of this library, which in effect would probably make her the biggest nerd of them all. Huh. Maybe there really was something to this ‘reading’ thing after all. Maybe Heehyun would give it more thought once she’s caught her breath because she probably just set the world record for sprinting down Garosu-gil.

 

“Hey, you got here fast.”

 

Heehyun whips around upon hearing that melodious voice. Oh goodness those late-night phonecalls do not do Jueun’s voice justice. It was like wind chimes, how light and soothing it was.

 

“Y-Yeah. T-The...The buses were all on time.” Heehyun sputtered out, still winded and Jueun standing there looking all perfect and ethereal and taking her breath away was not helping matters either.

 

Jueun raised an eyebrow, an amused smile decorating the canvas of her face. “Uh-huh. Buses. Is that why you’re panting?”

 

“You’ve...j-just taken my breath away m-ma’am.” 

 

Jueun laughed easily at that, and Heehyun realises that she’s been doing that alot lately. Even during their phone calls, Jueun has been laughing a lot more frequently. It evokes a smile from Heehyun as well.

 

“I wasn’t aware I was capable of such a thing, Heehyun.”

 

“Oh believe me, you don’t have to do much to leave me overwhelmed.”

 

“You’re so cute.” 

 

Heehyun actually feels her cheeks burning up at that sudden compliment, and she struggles to change the topic because blushing like a schoolgirl was definitely not very becoming was it? It’s embarrassing, that’s what it is.

 

“Where’s that sink that needs fixing?”

 

Jueun must have noticed the attempt at diverging the topic (it really wasn’t very subtle and Heehyun was sure that her face was resembling a tomato right now) but she didn’t call Heehyun out on it. Instead she chose to lead Heehyun towards a back room hidden in a quiet corner of the library, where the pantry and problematic faucet was.

 

It really didn’t take Heehyun long to fix it at all. It just needed some more tape and a few extra washers that fortunately enough she had in her toolbox. An easy job, but once again she’s managed to impress Jueun with her set of skills that has never before come in handy before she met the loaded librarian. First the piano, now her plumbing knowledge. Jueun was making a functional human being out of her.

 

Of course, Jueun just had to show her gratitude to Heehyun by standing on the tips of her toes to kiss the latter on the cheek, which promptly shuts down all functionality in Heehyun’s brain for a good 15 minutes.

 

 

*********************************

 

Their third date would take place a lot sooner than their second. Upon Jueun’s suggestion they decided to get to know each other better over a few drinks, so the day after Heehyun had played plumber to the library’s faulty sink the pair had met up again. 

 

Heehyun was a chicken-and-beer kinda girl but Jueun’s preferred drink was red wine, an honestly accurate analogy of their personalities. Somehow they had compromised and ended up settled in a quiet hole-in-the-wall establishment, a few bottles of soju between them. Not enough to get piss-drunk, but just enough to set the mood.

 

Heehyun learns a lot about Jueun. Such as her parents’ occupation, which is owning a pharmaceutical company. It doesn’t occur to her at the time how big of a thing that is, until later on when she starts noticing the name of the company on everything she owns. She also learns that like her, Jueun was a single child with no siblings. In her free time Jueun likes to listen to IU because of the singer’s mellow voice.

 

In exchange, Heehyun makes sure to only divulge information about herself that was charming and attractive. 

 

Such as how she snores in her sleep. And how she accidentally ran over her neighbor’s cat when she was learning how to drive. 

 

....Maybe she’d had a little too much to drink.

 

Jueun, on her part, seemed to laugh at every joke Heehyun’s made so far. Maybe it was all in her head, because really this wouldn’t be the first time Heehyun’s misread signals, but she can’t help but to stop and overthink when Jueun smiles at her like that while absentmindedly tucking her own hair behind her cute ear. It can’t be a coincidence that Jueun’s arm keeps accidentally brushing against hers. There was plenty of space in the restaurant they were in, so Jueun really doesn’t have to sit this close to her. There was also something about the way Jueun would call her “Hyun” instead of Heehyun, as if it was a nickname that they had somehow decided upon together, that made her weak at the knees.

 

Jueun’s perfume was intoxicating. Even more so in the limited confines of the older girl’s Lexus as she drove Heehyun home when the night was coming to a close. 

 

When they finally arrived at the front gate to the apartment complex, Heehyun realised that she didn’t want the night to end with just another “thanks for the night, I had a good time”. She actually wanted to act on her instincts, and fueled by the liquid courage that was still pulsing through her veins Heehyun leaned over the center console seperating them, only to find Jueun already meeting her halfway.

 

The moment their lips touched was like pure magic. The greatest sleight of hand. Instead of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Heehyun was pulled from this world into space. Jueun felt amazing against her, and tasted like the sweetest fruit she had ever enjoyed. So good, that she kept coming back for more. They kissed again. And again. And again. Until Jueun decided to climb over onto the passenger side seat of her car to straddle Heehyun and they made out until neither one could breathe anymore. 

 

Heehyun distinctively hears herself say “thank you”, although it wasn’t a conscious effort at the time. Whether it was for the kiss, or for Jueun coming into her life, Heehyun didn’t know but she was definitely grateful for both.

 

 

******************************

 

Jueun only finds herself in Heehyun’s house on their 6th date. They’ve made out plenty of times since the first time, but they’ve never really gone anywhere further than that. There were no plans for their relationship to reach that level yet, but as their casual movie night somehow turned into them making out on Heehyun’s living room couch, one should realise that some things just happen without any planning involved.

 

The sweet nothings Heehyun whispers into Jueun’s ears as she ed the librarian’s blouse were like promises that she had every intention to keep. As more and more of Jueun’s pale, unblemished skin was exposed to Heehyun’s eyes, the latter begins to wonder which country did she save and which war had she won in her past life to somehow end up with this goddess lying underneath her.

 

Heehyun leans down, trailing kisses down from her lover’s jawline to her collarbone and she feels Jueun tremble under her touch. They lock eyes, and Jueun’s spoke of an invitation that Heehyun was all too eager to accept. The smaller girl shrugged her blouse off her shoulders and wrapped her arms around Heehyun’s neck, pulling the latter down into a k—

 

“UNNIE! Have you seen my—OHMYGOSHHOLY!!”

 

Heehyun actually shrieked in alarm, tossing herself down onto Jueun’s half- body in order to shield her lover from the sudden intruder’s eyes.

 

“Chaeyeon! What the are you doing back here?! You’re supposed to be in class! I texted you saying I had company over tonight!”

 

“I forgot my phone! Had to come back to get it!”

 

“Cover your DAMN EYES! This is NOT for you to see!” Heehyun panicked, burying a surprisingly calm Jueun under a mountain of cusions in a fruitless attempt to cover the girl up. How did she not hear Chaeyeon opening the door? They have the loudest, creakiest door this side of Seoul!

 

“Hey HEY STAY BACK!” Heehyun commanded when Chaeyeon began walking towards them, extending a hand to Jueun.

 

“Hi. Name’s Chaeyeon. You’re very pretty.” Jueun smiled warmly and somehow managed to sneak her own hand out of the mountain of cushions to shake Chaeyeon’s.

 

“Hello. I’m Jueun. Likewise.”

 

“Are you single by any chance?”

 

Heehyun grabs a cushion from ontop of her buried lover and violently smacks Chaeyeon upside the head with it.

 

“Are you ing blind?! She’s half- and under me! What are you doing shooting your shots?!”

 

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, unnie.”

 

“My fist is 100% about to hit you across the face Chae.”

 

“You can’t 100% anything to save your life.”

 

“Umm....Hyun, you’re sitting on my shirt.”

 

The roommates pause their bickering to see Jueun sitting up, one hand trying (and failing) to cover up her torso while the other was tugging at her shirt that was trapped underneath Heehyun’s .

 

“Oh, sorry.” Heehyun quickly shot up, belatedly feeling guilty upon seeing the creases on the librarian’s formerly pristine shirt.

 

With a nod (and a flush on her cheeks, Heehyun notices but does not address) Jueun gets up and walks towards the bathroom, clutching her shirt and what was left of her modesty.

 

Heehyun felt awful. Jueun must be so embarrassed, being caught in a compromising position in front of someone that she’s never met before. If only she had heard the door opening. She was too engrossed in other shenanigans.

 

“You might want to fix your pants.”

 

With a start Heehyun looks down and was surprised to see the button of her jeans open and her zipper down. That sneaky little librarian....when did she....?

 

Heehyun awkwardly cleared and fixed her clothing while Chaeyeon occupied the empty space next to her on the sofa. Her younger roommate had her eyes fixed on the bathroom door down the hall, and Heehyun joined her in doing so once she’s ensured that she was properly clothed.

 

The sound of water running could be heard coming from the bathroom, suggesting that Jueun must have decided to take a shower. It was a weird feeling, knowing that someone as classy and elegant as Lee Jueun was currently showering in her and Chaeyeon’s cramped bathroom. Jueun was probably the most attractive person to have ever set foot in the household, and Heehyun knew her roommate well enough to know that Chaeyeon was definitely thinking the same thing.

 

“Holy .” Chaeyeon said out loud after an eon of silence.

 

“Yup.”

 

“You weren’t exaggerating. She is pretty.”

 

“Yup.”

 

“So we’re dating models now?”

 

“She’s a librarian. Believe it or not.”

 

“No way.”

 

“Yup.”

 

Chaeyeon’s state of awe only served to feed the -eating grin currently stretching across Heehyun’s face. This wasn’t how she had planned for the two most important girls in her life to meet (yes, Jueun has earned that honor although it’s only been 6 dates counting this one) but that dumbstruck look on Chaeyeon’s face. The one where she looks like she had just witnessed a chicken give birth to a fish. Yes, that one. 

 

Heehyun had been waiting for that reaction since forever and oh boy is it more satisfying than she could have ever imagined.

 

“What’s she doing in a library? She should be on a runway somewhere.”

 

Heehyun nonchalantly shrugged. “Her family owns the library.”

 

“No way.”

 

“Your unnie ain’t so shabby eh?” Heehyun turns to Chaeyeon with a proud smirk on her face, nearly laughing at the way the younger girl’s jaw was hanging open in pure shock.

 

It took one glance at her unnie’s smug expression to completely wipe off the disbelief from Chaeyeon’s face. Instead she just shook her head and extended a fist out to her best friend. “I’m impressed bro.”

 

“Worship the ground I walk on, you pleb.” Heehyun haughtily says as she bumps fists with her roommate. Chaeyeon laughs loudly in response, leaning back and sinking further into the sofa.

 

“After seeing that, I just might. Didn’t think you had it in you to bag a treat like that.”

 

“She’s not a treat, she’s an entire meal. A 9-course feast.”

 

Chaeyeon playfully nudged Heehyun’s shoulder with her own. “Unnie, you’re already whipped.”

 

Heehyun smiles, responding to the nudge with an even harder nudge of her own. “It feels good to be this whipped, Chae-Chae.”

 

The sound of a door opening makes them snap their heads up and what they saw nearly caused both girls to have an anime-level nosebleed.

 

Jueun popped her head out of the bathroom, dripping wet hair sticking to her forehead and bare shoulders, her evidently very body being concealed behind the door. Heehyun’s lips went dry at the sight. She has never wanted to be a door so badly in her life.

 

“Hyun, could I get a towel?” Jueun asks, voice sweet and innocent, a stark contrast to the very not innocent thoughts Heehyun was trying desperately to shake out of her head.

 

“Yes you may!” Heehyun bolts up, ignoring the remarks of Chaeyeon calling her ‘whipped’ from the sofa.

 

She scrambles into her bedroom, retrieves a fresh towel from her wardrobe and passes it to Jueun who accepts it with the brightest of smiles.

 

“Thank you Hyun.”

 

Heehyun nearly dies of sheer happiness.

 

“Need anything else just let me know.” Heehyun winks, making sure to throw in a few finger guns to accentuate her point as Jueun closes the bathroom door but not before making sure Heehyun sees her roll her eyes.

 

“We have a hot librarian taking a shower in our apartment.”

 

Heehyun stops in her tracks, having momentarily forgotten that Chaeyeon existed in this world. “Shouldn’t you get back to class?”

 

“Meh. I’m already late anyways.”

 

“....Please?”

 

Their eyes meet, and Chaeyeon sighs when she sees the pleading look her unnie was giving her. “Okay. Okay sheesh. Let me know how it goes.”

 

“Fat chance.”

 

“Can’t say I didn’t try.” Chaeyeon shrugged, getting up and walking towards her room only to emerge a few seconds later with her phone in her grasp. “Need anything just call me. Will be back in a jiffy.”

 

As if Heehyun needed her roommate to come back and ruin the moment again.

 

“Bye, Chaeyeon.”

 

“Extra handcuffs and lube is in my dresser drawer if you—“

 

“BYE CHAEYEON!!” Heehyun repeated, a LOT louder this time as she rushed towards the younger girl, prepared to push her out the door if that was what it took. The younger girl just laughed obnoxiously and skipped out the door before Heehyun could get her hands on her.

 

It was perfect timing because as soon as the front door shut closed, the bathroom door swung open and out walked Lee Jueun, still in the same clothes, but looking completely refreshed and almost radiant.

 

Jueun must’ve noticed that her appearance caused an input lag in Heehyun’s brain because she slowly walked towards the taller, took her hand and guided the both of them back onto the sofa that they had nearly defiled earlier in the night.

 

“....Sorry about that.” Heehyun’s apology was belated, but Jueun just smiled and laughed like the good-natured girl she was.

 

“Your roommate?”

 

Heehyun let out a long, exhausted sigh. “She’s the furry chunk of mold on my otherwise perfect slab of cheese.”

 

“She seems pleasant. She has impeccable timing though.”

 

A laugh escaped Heehyun at that perfect description. That was Chaeyeon alright. Always on time when you need her to not be.

 

“Do you...uh...want to continue where we left off?” Heehyun weakly asked, not surprised in the slightest when Jueun slowly shook her head with a smile.

 

“I just took a shower Hyun. Not really keen on having to freshen myself up twice.”

 

“Yeah well...can’t blame a girl for trying.”

 

To say that she was disappointed was an understatement. Heehyun’s hormones were still on fire from their earlier session on this very sofa, and her eyes kept awkwardly darting back to Jueun’s luscious lips and the pale skin being exposed by the partially-ed shirt the librarian was wearing.

 

Jueun must have taken pity on her, because suddenly Heehyun felt the very same lips she had been ogling peck her on the cheek quickly. As Jueun pulled away, Heehyun saw in those eyes a level of adoration that nearly rivalled her own. It was overwhelming. Frankly she knew she didn’t deserve to be looked at that way. Nothing she has done or will ever do will make her deserving of those loving eyes Jueun was currently looking at her with.

 

“Would you like to cuddle and watch horrible movie reruns together instead?” Jueun suggested, and Heehyun wasn’t opposed to the idea at all, despite it raising a few questions.

 

“Cuddle? Really?”

 

“Yeah. I like to cuddle.” 

 

That was something new she learned tonight. Jueun likes to cuddle. With a smile Heehyun leaned back and raised and arm, making space for the other girl next to her.

 

“C’mere then.”

 

It was adorable. Jueun curled up into Heehyun’s side like a cat, and the latter brought her arm down to wrap around the smaller girl’s body, pulling her tight against her and making sure there were no gaps between them.

 

On a side note, she notices that Jueun smelled of Heehyun’s own shampoo, a factoid that brought a dumb smile to the taller girl’s face. She picks up her remote and begins surfing the channels, stopping on whatever show Jueun told her to stop at. Heehyun really didn’t care about what was playing on TV.

 

She was already too occupied by the angel curled up into her side, head on Heehyun’s chest and probably counting her heartbeats in between commercial breaks.

 

 

 

***********************************************

 

“So did you always want to be a rich librarian, or was there something else in the works before all this happened?” Heehyun asked with a mouth full of sandwich. 

 

They were on a cafe date, she and Jueun. Heehyun learns in time that these were the kind of dates that the beautiful girl sitting across from her prefers. Cafe’s, long walks as the sun sets over the horizon, flower picking with a sundress on, all that “Instagram aesthetic bull” as Chaeyeon calls it.

 

Heehyun isn’t used to it, but she really doesn’t mind it that much. Jueun smiling at her while her sundress billows in the wind was a scenario that she never realised she was missing in her life until it happened one day, and Heehyun had never before felt her heart beat faster. Long dresses were her weakness. 

 

Jueun in a long dress? Why, that’s a recipe for an early death.

 

The older girl was an expert at that. Bringing Heehyun closer to death, that is. It barely takes any conscious effort at all. This one time while she was engrossed in a book, Jueun had absentmindedly asked Heehyun to help her tie her hair into a ponytail because it was bothering her. At this point they’ve been dating for several weeks and Heehyun has seen Jueun in various states of undress, but something about the latter’s exposed neck while Heehyun fumbled with the hair tie....

 

Dating Lee Jueun has been unreal. Jueun legitimately makes her feel like the happiest person alive, and Heehyun is sure even her quality of life has improved tremendously. Her sense of humour has definitely been put through the ringer, as she’s constantly trying to find new ways to make the other girl laugh.

 

“Are you implying that my work ethics are not to your standard?” Jueun replies after a moment, savouring the flavour of her carbonara and making sure everything was done and swallowed before speaking.

 

“Oh no. No you’re good at being a librarian.” Heehyun on the other hand, lacked the same refinement as she spoke with a mouth full of lasagna. “A lil’ too good in fact. One might think you’ve undergone strict librarian training or something.”

 

Jueun looked up from her pasta, an amused smile starting to form on her face at the insinuation. “Like a shaolin temple you mean?”

 

“Yeah! Like, you must’ve trained in a monastery somewhere in the mountains, under the guidance of an old monk with an incredibly long beard who’s sole purpose in life is to educate you on all the different ways you can shush someone who’s talking too loudly.”

 

“Ahh! That brings back horrible memories! I despised that mountain!” Jueun playfully whined before bursting into melodic laughter.

 

It was always easy around Jueun. The latter always made her feel relaxed and at home. They haven’t been dating for long, and it scares Heehyun how she already couldn’t remember her life before the other girl came in.

 

“You didn’t answer the question though.”

 

It took a few more seconds for Jueun’s laughter to subside, seconds that Heehyun thoroughly enjoyed witnessing. “This is what I’ve always wanted to do. I watched Beauty and the Beast when I was younger and decided that taking care of a library was the dream occupation.”

 

“Nerd.”

 

Jueun snorted at the random insult thrown her way. “You could benefit from reading a book or two.”

 

“And risk losing all the charm that comes with being as dumb as a bag of bricks? It’s a benefit for you, me being this dumb. It makes y’all smart people seem smarter.”

 

“You’re not that dumb.” 

 

Jueun looked her dead in the eye, and her gaze was as soft as Heehyun has ever seen it. The latter meant that as a self-deprecating joke, but Jueun’s reassurance actually made her feel good about herself. She felt warm and fuzzy in her stomach, which was probably why she was blushing now.

 

Simple compliments like these is the reason why Heehyun’s heart can never get any rest around Jueun. She’s permanently doing cardio.

 

“Backtracking are we?” Heehyun asked while clearing , trying to play it cool but the knowing look on Jueun’s face made her burn red hot.

 

“No. Just expanding on an earlier point. You’re not that dumb. You’re actually quite brilliant when you choose to be.” Jueun’s hand reaches across the table to gently trace circles on the back of Heehyun’s and it sends chills down the latter’s spine. “Out of curiosity Hyun, has it always been your dream to be a marketing student?”

 

“What? Nah. Who dreams of studying marketing? That’s like asking a kid what they want to be when they grow up and they tell you that they’ve always wanted to be an accountant. Kids have wilder dreams than that.” The last part of Heehyun’s rambling came out as a whisper as Jueun absentmindedly played with Heehyun’s fingers, drawing random shapes on her now upturned palm. 

 

Somehow they started talking quieter, almost whispering to each other as if what they had to say wasn’t meant to be heard by foreign ears. As if they had their own little secret to keep, although really the subject of their conversation was far from scandalous.

 

“How wild were your dreams?” Jueun whispered low. Raspy. It sent a shiver down Heehyun’s spine. Jueun’s eyes locked onto hers and good god she could get lost in those eyes a million times and still not figure a way out of them.

 

“Wild.” Heehyun actually had to repeat her answer twice because the first time she said it no actual sound came out. She just mouthed the words, haven’t reached the threshold of how low her voice can go.

 

She chuckled, both at the ridiculousness of them whispering in a loud cafe and how funny her childhood dreams were. It’s been awhile since she’s voiced them out loud. “I always wanted to film music videos. I grew up listening to a lot of pop music.”

 

“Oh? That sounds interesting. What happened to that?” Jueun sat back, eyes wide in surprise. Her question came out in normal volume, probably shaken out of the little game they were playing by Heehyun’s unexpected answer.

 

“June, you asked for my dreams. Reality is never quite the same. I just...sorta abandoned that dream somewhere down the line. Consequences of growing up.”

 

The librarian nodded in agreement, eyes breaking contact with Heehyun’s to instead stare downwards, seemingly lost in thought.

 

The thumb gently caressing the back of Heehyun’s hand never ceased in their movements, although the owner of said thumb seemed to have powered down a little, staring off into space and worrying Heehyun a little. 

 

“I think you would make a great director.”

 

Heehyun’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected reply that came from nowhere. She expected to be made fun of but of course Jueun had to look at her with that serious look of determination in her eyes. She truly believed that Heehyun could be a director, and that was one of the amazing things about Lee Jueun. Always supportive, always there to push Heehyun beyond her limits. How fortunate was she to have someone like Jueun in her life?

 

Heehyun’s always joked about it, but this is the moment she knew that it wasn’t a joke any longer. This was the moment she knew that she was in love with Lee Jueun. Beautiful Jueun who sees things in her that for the life of her she could never see.

 

“And how would you know that? You’ve never seen me direct anything.” Heehyun countered, trying to still her beating heart by putting up a nonchalant front like she always does. 

 

Jueun leans forward, playful grin on her face as she replied with so much sass and confidence there was no way Heehyun could do anything but to roll her eyes and snort in defeat.

 

“I’m smart. Remember? You said so yourself.”

 

She did indeed say that. She just never expected Jueun to admit it out of her own mouth. Cheeky little git.

 

“....You’re so annoying, June.”

 

 

*****************************

  

 

Heehyun doesn’t really know much about the other side of Jueun’s life. The side of her that’s a billionaire heiress, and not the dork that Heehyun meets almost every evening after the former’s worked a fuIl day shift at the library. It’s actually quite fascinating how that little tidbit of info can slip out of Heehyun’s mind sometimes, as the name of the pharmaceutical empire Jueun’s parents own is quite literally on almost everything she owns. So it comes as quite a surprise when she discovers that the company that Jueun keeps outside of work (and herself) consisted of celebrities and influencers that even someone as daft as Heehyun has heard of before.

 

Jueun had invited Heehyun out today to meet her best friend, something that the taller girl was admittedly nervous about. What if Jueun’s friends were snooty and sophisticated? What if they used big words that Heehyun couldn’t understand? What if they disapproved of her eating habits? A thousand other concerns were voiced out and subsequently brushed aside by Jueun, classifying them as ‘trivial worries’.

 

The concerns really didn’t seem trivial to Heehyun herself but Jueun can be very convincing.

 

Upon arriving at the arranged meeting spot (a small secluded restaurant that honestly took awhile to locate), Heehyun realised that ‘snooty’ and ‘sophisticated’ were the last of the things she should have been worried about. 

 

“This is INSANE!” Heehyun harshly hissed the minute she caught a glimpse into the restaurant and met eyes with the sole patron in the eatery.

 

Her heart actually stopped for a moment.

 

“Is something wrong?” Jueun asked, looking slightly concerned at her lover’s sudden outburst.

 

Jueun had said that her friend was already waiting for them in the shop, and this shop only had one customer, so that had to be her friend. That had to be her.

 

Kim Chungha, famous idol beloved by the entire nation was sitting all by her lonesome in the restaurant, eye-ing them curiously while eating Kimchi stew, probably wondering why on earth were they standing outside having a panic attack instead of coming in to join her but there were so many questions! Heehyun was probably one of Chungha’s biggest fans!

 

“Is somet—IS SOMETHING WRONG SHE ASKS! Babe what the ! Is that Kim Chungha? THE Kim Chungha?! I—I’m about to get an aneurysm. I’m lightheaded. W-What am I supposed to do here?!”

 

“Well, you could start by talking to her. She wants to get a music video made and I recommended you.” Heehyun’s jaw hit the floor so hard there was probably a dent in the pavement. Jueun shrugs it off nonchalantly as she usually does, as if she had not just dropped a verbal nuclear bomb on Heehyun’s head. “C’mon Hyun. You’ve done this before. I’ve seen your portfolio.”

 

She absolutely HAS NOT done ANYTHING like this before.

 

“Random videos with my roommate as the feature is NOT a portfolio June! This is so sudden! Wha—We were supposed to go out for coffee!”

 

“And we are having coffee. While we’re at it, why don’t we help you realise your dream as well?”

 

“Babe....I—“

 

Heehyun wasn’t even sure if this tiny restaurant specializing in Korean cuisine even SERVED coffee.

 

“Relax. She’s a close friend. Now don’t be a baby.” Jueun says easily before waving to Chungha and walking towards the singer, leaving a confused and overwhelmed Heehyun outside the restaurant.

 

“Close? How close—Babe wait!”

 

Heehyun had no choice but to chase after her girlfriend, walking into the restaurant with as much trepidation as she could possible have without screaming at the top of her lungs and running in the opposite direction. She wasn’t good around new people. Idols weren’t an exception to that.

 

“Hi Chungie! Sorry to keep you waiting! I see you’ve already ordered without me!” Jueun accused with an adorable pout. Aegyo. Even Heehyun has never seen Jueun do aegyo. The realisation stung a little bit.

 

Chungha, to her credit, appeared mostly unaffected by the aegyo attack, instead responding to Jueun’s betrayed expression with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I got hungry.” Heehyun then sees Chungha’s amber eyes lock onto her and she freezes under the idol’s gaze. “Is this her, unnie?”

 

“Yeah. Hyun, meet Chungie, or Chungha. Whichever it is you want to call her. Chungie, meet Heehyun. She’s my girlfriend.”

 

“Your girlfriend?” Chungha repeated with a hint of surprise.

 

“Your girlfriend?!” Heehyun repeated louder than Chungha, sounding absolutely surprised.

 

“Aren’t you my girlfriend?” Jueun asked Heehyun with an adorable head tilt, both confused and surprised.

 

“Um uh I mean, of course, if you want me to be—I mean we’ve never discussed this beforehand—“

 

“Would you two like a private moment together to sort whatever this is out?” Chungha asked while wearing an expression on her face that suggested the idol has had enough of being involuntarily dragged into problems that didn’t concern her. Heehyun practically jumped forward to clear up the misunderstanding.

 

“Oh no! No that is not needed Chungha-ssi! Girlfriend! Jueun is definitely, irrevocably my girlfriend.”

 

Chungha raised an eyebrow. “....Are you positive about that?”

 

“Absolutely.” 

 

“Cause you didn’t really seem all too sure a minute ago.”

 

“A lot can happen in a minute.”

 

“Is that the title of your tape?”

 

Heehyun actually gasped out loud, taken offguard by the sudden crude implication. “Wha—I don’t—A minute—“

 

Jueun decides to insert herself into the conversation, seeing that her girlfriend was already reduced to a sputtering mess as a result of Chungha’s sass.

 

“Leave the girl you’ve just met alone, Chungie. You’re an idol and you shouldn’t be talking like that.”

 

Chungha smiles widely, a Cheshire grin that takes up a fair portion of the idols face. Heehyun did not expect her favourite idol to be so unapologetically crude, but she supposed the only thing she really knows about Chungha is what the songstress chooses to show on T.V.

 

“....She’s cute, Joonie.” 

 

A teasing look played on Chungha’s face that probably said more than Heehyun could decipher. Jueun sticks her tongue out at the idol and moves over to wrap a possessive arm around Heehyun’s waist.

 

“She’s mine, Chung.”

 

Goodness me if Heehyun wasn’t already swept off her feet that proclamation would have been enough to knock her out for the count. Tiny fingers dug into her side as Jueun held Heehyun close to her. Heehyun decides that she likes possessive Jueun. Possessive Jueun was hot.

 

“So, have you done this before? Shooting music videos, I mean?” Chungha directs a question at Heehyun, who takes a moment to realise that she was the one being addressed.

 

“I—uhh...No. I haven’t.” It was pretty painful for Heehyun to admit, especially because that’s what she was brought her for today. A wave of shame and guilt washed over Heehyun as she realised that this world-class singer that’s worked with the best of them was here to day to meet....her.

 

“She is capable, Chungie. You know I don’t just speak empty words.” Jueun jumps in, noticing the change in her girlfriend’s demeanour. Heehyun was more than grateful for the vote of confidence, although Chungha herself seemed unconvinced.

 

“There is some bias in your statements isn’t there Joonie? I’m afraid that might cloud your judgement. A lot of money is on the line here, as well as my invaluable reputation as a world-class idol.” Chungha absentmindedly twirls a chopstick around a slim finger, eyes as sharp as a hawk as she regarded Heehyun and everything Heehyun was representing, which really wasn’t much. “Are you capable, Heehyun-ssi?”

 

“I-I....” Hesitation, as Chungah’s gaze got the better of Heehyun. She knew she could do it. She has been waiting her whole life for this opportunity, but really the jump in level was too significant to not ignore. Just yesterday she had been filming short films with Chaeyeon as her muse using her cellphone. This was a different ballpark with a much bigger budget. Heck, her previous films never even had a budget.

 

A hand squeezes her own, and she looks to the side to see her girlfriend nodding at her, staring with those eyes that seemed to think the world of her. If Jueun had that much faith in her, really there was no reason for Heehyun to be afraid of anything. “Yes, Chungha-ssi. I am.”

 

“Have you heard the song?”

 

“No....My girlfriend here must have forgotten to let me listen to it while she was busy surprising me with this meetup.” Heehyun gave Jueun a side eyed glance before turning back to the singer in front of her. “I’m a huge fan by the way. Was. I’m not sure anymore.”

 

“Thank you. Your support is invaluable to me.” A well practiced line most definitely, but it was a credit to Chungha that she managed to pull it off as if it was the first time she’s said it. “Well I just so happen to have the finished song with me right now, so if you’d like we could take a listen to it and you can tell me what direction you think we should go in?”

 

Chungha fishes through her large Fauré Le Page bag for her phone and a pair of headphones before handing them to Heehyun, an expectant look on her face.

 

She guessed this was actually happening. She’ll get home today and the gravity of the situation will probably hit her like a truck full of bricks. She was having a meeting with an idol that she admired to talk about creating a music video. Yes, this was something out of a dream. 

 

“Sure.” Heehyun smiled, taking the headphones from Chungha and putting them on. 

 

This was something out of a dream, but ever since Jueun’s come into her life the line between reality and dreams have been blurred anyways.

 

 

***********************************

 

“I can’t believe this.” Heehyun says, eyes as wide as saucers as they stay glued to her laptop’s screen which was currently playing Chungha’s latest music video.

 

“That’s a whole lot of zeroes.” Chaeyeon whistled, watching the screen over Heehyun’s right shoulder.

 

“I CAN’T believe this!” Heehyun repeated again, as if the first time didn’t properly convey what she was feeling.

 

“Told you you could do it Hyun.” Jueun coo’ed as she came up over Heehyun’s left shoulder to plant a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek, not bothering to look at the screen having already seen Chungha’s video several hundred times.

 

“THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I CANNOT BELIEVE!” Heehyun was yelling now, and Chaeyeon backed away, covering her ears.

 

“This is getting annoying.”

 

“5 MILLION VIEWS CHAE! ONLY 54 DISLIKES! THEY—THEY LIKE MY VIDEO!” Heehyun screamed at her roommate while excitedly pointing her finger at the laptop’s screen. 5,768,329 views! On something that she made herself with a pathetically small budget and zero professional experience!

 

“Chungha’s video, but go on then.” Chaeyeon mumbled but Heehyun ignored her. She was at the top of the world and absolutely nothing could bring her mood down.

 

“I’m proud of you.”

 

Heehyun turns completely around to trace that beautifully soft voice back to it’s owner and there she was standing there in all her ravishing glory, looking at Heehyun with so much adoration in her eyes it was a wonder the taller girl didn’t just melt into a puddle right there. Her girlfriend. Her girlfriend was amazing. God she could die and be reincarnated a million times and she’d probably never meet anybody as perfect as Lee Jueun.

 

“Baby! JUEUN—LET’S GET MARRIED!”

 

Jueun’s gaze went from adoring to absolutely bewildered. “Huh?”

 

“Woah what the hell unnie.”

 

“NO I MEAN—THIS—YOU DID THIS! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO REPAY YOU! I’M YOURS FOR LIFE!” Heehyun shouted while grabbing ahold of her girlfriend, shaking the smaller girl back and forth with each syllable to emphasize her words.

 

“Can we please stop yelling?” Chaeyeon whined once again, holding up a cushion in a silent threat to Heehyun. 

 

Jueun on the other hand, was still openly flabbergasted by Heehyun’s sudden proposal, if you could really call it that. Jueun was a firm believer in traditional proposals. As in, getting-down-on-one-knee kind of traditional. It’s the only form of proposal she would accept and she really did not appreciate Heehyun trampling all over her fantasies.

 

“I’m happy you’re thrilled Hyun but can we please discuss this marriage thing further when you aren’t so emotionmmmphh!”

 

Heehyun cuts Jueun off by smashing their lips together in an almost violent kiss fueled by how overzealous and excited the former was. It takes Jueun a moment to sink into the kiss but once the initial surprise wears off the librarian feels her eyes flutter closed as her girlfriend deepens the kiss further. 

 

Heehyun pulls away after what felt like a century and looks Jueun directly in her dazed eyes, hands grabbing onto the smaller girl’s shoulders as if to brace the girl for what she was going to say next.

 

“I love you.”

 

“Bwuhh?” Jueun replies with a dumb smile, still dazed and feeling the after effects of the kiss. You could see the gears in her head click into place as her eyes slowly widened as realisation began to sink in.

 

That was the first time the word “Love” has ever been used out loud in their relationship. 

 

“I think that’s the most unintelligent sound I’ve ever heard come out of her. I knew your stupidity was contagious unnie.”

 

“Shut it Chae! I’m confessing my undying love to my girlfriend here.”

 

And there it was again. Love. Heehyun loves her. It was bound to come out at some point right? They’ve been dating for several months now, but Jueun really didn’t expect today to be the day. Not in this setting at least, but she’ll take it honestly. She could probably hear Heehyun confess her love a million more times.

 

“I...I love you too, Hyun...”

 

Heehyun wore a smile that matched Jueun’s own, and neither knew who leaned in first but suddenly they were kissing again. A tangle of limbs and tongue as each fought a battle to physically outdo the other’s display of affection. Heehyun tried her hardest to convey all the gratitude she held for her girlfriend by kissing it into Jueun because really she owes the girl so much. Jueun has given her the opportunity to realise her dream of directing a music video. Jueun has taught her where the knives and spoons go during a formal dinner. Jueun has taught her—well it feels like Jueun has taught her almost everything she knew about love.

 

“....So are you two really gonna get married or...?”

 

—and just like that Chaeyeon manages to ruin the moment like the blithering idiot she was. It was probably on purpose too, given that expression on her face. Seriously the Devil himself probably walked in through their dorm’s door once and was confused to find himself already sprawled on the sofa with a hand in a jar of cheeseballs and eyes glued on an episode of Project Runway. It probably took him awhile to realise that he wasn’t looking at a projection of himself but instead he had just stumbled onto the she-devil herself Jung Chaeye—

 

“No, we’re not.” Jueun answers curtly, and Heehyun ends her current train of thought to start a new one. One that involves wondering why on earth did Jueun answer that question so fast? Was it that bad of an idea to get married to her? Sure they’ve only been dating for like 5 months and she really wasn’t serious about the marriage thing but c’mon Lee Jueun don’t show that much enthusiasm when rejecting the idea yea?

 

As if managing to read Heehyun’s mind, Jueun turns to Heehyun and pecks the taller girl on the cheek before bringing her lips to Heehyun’s ear. “Not yet.”

 

Oh.

 

Oh. Okay. So she isn’t opposed to the possibility. That’s good. That’s very good. It’s so good Heehyun smiles and pulls her lovable girlfriend closer so that she could kiss the ever-living daylights out of the love of her life again.

 

“Is this going to lead to ? Can I stay?”

 

“No.” Jueun and Heehyun break apart to reply simultaneously without even looking at Chaeyeon.

 

“No to the first, or to the second?”

 

“Out! Shoo!”

 

Heehyun flings a shoe at Chaeyeon, who only barely manages to dodge it. Scrambling for safety Chaeyeon grabs her bag and runs towards the front door, jumping out and slamming it shut right before another shoe comes hurtling her way.

 

“MY house too!” Chaeyeon yells at the couple through the closed door. She sighs, kicking her feet against the ground as she began walking towards the elevator, mumbling and grumbling along the way. “Jerks. Both of them. Jerks.”

 

 

*****************************

 

“Stop fidgeting around.” Jueun commented lightly, but Heehyun knew her girlfriend was starting to get annoyed. She’s known her long enough to be able to recognize her tells.

 

“I can’t! I’m a fidgeter! And this moment calls for all the fidgeting I can do!—Is my bowtie okay?”

 

“You’re not wearing a bowtie, love.”

 

“I’m no—! I knew I forgot something!”

 

Heehyun nearly cries, patting her collar region to ascertain that yup, she definitely forgot her bowtie, which meant she was wearing this stupidly uncomfortably starchy dress-shirt for NO REASON whatsoever. 

 

This was it. They’re on their way to dinner with Jueun’s parents and she looks like a slob. Their first impression of her will be that she’s a failure that couldn’t even remember to wear a bowtie and they’ll probably ask Jueun to break up with her. This has been a dream anyways. The best 8 months of her life. Of course it had to end due to her own clumsiness.

 

“Will you relax? It’s just my parents. They’re nice people.” Jueun sighs, seeing how twitchy and jumpy her girlfriend was being. Her attempt at calming Heehyun down was met with Heehyun turning to face her, eyes wide looking almost manic.

 

“EXACTLY! They’re your parents! I can’t just be—what are you staring at? Is my shirt wrinkled? OH GOD DO I HAVE CURRY STAINS ON MY—“

 

The distance between them closed in a second, with Jueun stepping forward and entering well into Heehyun’s personal space. She knew just how to shut her girlfriend up with the most minimal of effort. All it took was for her to disapprovingly stare at Heehyun while fixing the taller girl’s messy collar, allowing an annoyed “tsk” to escape past her lips and Heehyun completely forgot about her anxiety.

 

“You look beautiful tonight, darling.” Jueun says as if it was nothing, and despite herself Heehyun found her cheeks heating up at just how domestic this whole situation felt.

 

“Oh great. J-just great. Now I’m blushing. Hoo-boy. Can’t go in all red-faced now c-can I? You’ve done it now Lee Jueun.”

 

The shorter girl’s eyes twinkled with amusement but she didn’t take the chance to poke fun at her stuttering girlfriend. Calming the latter’s nerves was the biggest priority. “Feeling better?”

 

Heehyun scoffed at the dumb question. “No. Now my heart is beating so fast it might just jump out of my throat.”

 

“If it does, I’ll be sure to catch it and keep it safe.”

 

Jueun winked, and Heehyun couldn’t believe such a cheesy line just came out of her girlfriend but it calmed her nerves. Jueun was good at that, calming her down. She has it down to a science.

 

Her girlfriend’s parents were waiting, and scared as she was she really doesn’t want to keep them waiting any longer.

 

“Hold my hand? Please?” Heehyun requested timidly, and with a brilliant smile Jueun obliged, intertwining their fingers and leading Heehyun the rest of the way.

 

It wasn’t that far of a walk at all. Jueun had parked her Lexus within feet of the large grey building that they were currently walking towards. Jueun wondered how much it must cost to rent a unit in this condominium, it was smack dab in the middle of Cheongdam-dong. Probably more money than Heehyun will ever hope to see in her bank account.

 

The condominium was unlike any Heehyun has ever seen though. The double-doored entrance was made of a dark wood instead of see-through glass, and there didn’t seem to be a reception area at all. It gave off the impression of a fortress instead of a home.

 

Jueun swiped her keycard at the reader and the door unlocked with a beep, but before either of them could push it open the door swung back on it’s own, revealing an elderly gentleman wearing a suit with his hand firmly on the handle.

 

“Ah Miss Jueun! You’re early! We weren’t expecting you for another hour!” The man greeted cheerfully, politely stepping back as Jueun walked in leading her girlfriend by the hand.

 

“Just wanted to get Hyun accustomed to the house, before they start grilling her with questions.”

 

“Understood. How very considerate of you Miss.”

 

Seems like they know each other. Pretty understandable she supposed. Heehyun herself was pretty chummy with her doorman. What a get up though, wearing a full three-piece suit. She’s never seen a doorman dressed this fancily.

 

And then Heehyun takes a look around the inside of the would-be reception area only to find that it looked infinitely fancier than any reception lobby she’s ever been in. There was a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, vases set on pedestals lining the walls, a large circular wooden table situated in the middle of the room right in front of a grand staircase that looks like it jumped straight out of a Disney movie and on the far wall overlooking the entire room was a large family portrait.

 

The daughter in that portrait looked awfully familiar....

 

Oh .

 

“Is something wrong?” Jueun asked when she notices that Heehyun had stopped walking. The taller girl had a blank expression on her face that was completely unreadable.

 

“This entire building is your house, isn’t it?”

 

Jueun was obviously not expecting that question so she just stared at her girlfriend in puzzlement. A moment of awkward silence passed between them. “...Would I bring you to somebody else’s house...?”

 

Heehyun let out a sound that was a mix of a whine and a squeaky toy getting stepped on. The taller girl staggered, colour draining from her face.

 

“Seat. I....I need to sit down.” 

 

As soon as she said it a plush wingchair miraculously appears beside her, carried by the man earlier. This was a lot. This was too much.

 

“Are you okay?” Jueun nervously asked, thinking that Heehyun’s anxiety had somehow taken a turn for the worst.

 

Heehyun clutched her head, bent forwards so that she was almost doubled over as she tried to steady her breathing. This whole...this whole building....it has 10 FLOORS!!

 

“...Does your silverware talk?” Heehyun asked suddenly, snapping her head up to look at her girlfriend with eyes so manic Jueun actually recoiled in fear.

 

“Does my what?”

 

“Your silverware! Your plates and spoons and teacups and candelabra! Do they talk?!”

 

Jueun exchanges looks with her butler, both equally confused and concerned. “Do they?”

 

“If they do, they have never done so in my presence, Miss Jueun.”

 

Jueun looked back to Heehyun and shrugged.

 

“—And to my knowledge we do not possess any manner of candelabrum whatsoever.” The butler belatedly adds, and Heehyun nods at that. Good. Good at least that part of the house was normal.

 

“I’m worried.” Jueun states after another period of silence. 

 

“You live in a castle.”

 

“...It’s a house.”

 

“I knew you were rich but—you have an elevator in your castle!” Heehyun points to the elevators on the far end of the house by the stairs.

 

“Oh that leads to the rooftop garden, not anywhere in the house itself.”

 

“HRNNNGHHH!” 

 

Oh rooftop garden she says. No biggie. Just a rooftop garden that’s seperate from the actual house. What’s on the other 10 floors then? A petting zoo perhaps? Scratch that, Heehyun wouldn’t even be surprised at this point.

 

“Are you going to be okay?” Jueun inquires softly, rubbing small circles into Heehyun’s back. She now has an idea why Heehyun was acting weirder than normal.

 

“Your parents will be so disappointed to meet me, June.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“I’m working two part-time jobs to make ends meet and I’m borrowing my roommate’s shirt because I accidentally set mine on fire last night because I at ironing clothes.”

 

“....Might want to leave the ironing story out of the conversation.”

 

Heehyun sighs, realising again the large difference between the two. Feeling the financial gap that separates them.

 

“Should I even be a part of this conversation?”

 

A soft kiss to the top of her head relaxes her, and she looks up to see a reassuring smile inches away from her face. “I want you in my life, Hyun.”

 

Her heart stops at that simple statement. It feels like Jueun had just given her the world with a single sentence.

 

“This is my life Hyun. Actually this isn’t even the most of it. We’re literally only 10 feet past the front door. There’s more to see.”

 

Heehyun laughs weakly, feeling reassured but still frightened. She was definitely in over her head, but Jueun was right there to make sure she doesn’t drown. What more could she ask for? 

 

“More surprises in store for me?”

 

“Isn’t life just grand?” Jueun confirms with a bright smile, and the fear is replaced by excitement. An adventure. This was Jueun’s life, and now she is a part of it.

 

With a hefty grunt Heehyun stands up, unaided and proud.

 

“Okay. Head held high. I can do this.”

 

“Maybe after dinner I can show you around. We have a petting zoo in the back.”

 

“I KNEW IT!”

 

 

 

 

*****************************

 

The family lives large, Heehyun notes. Large paintings on the walls, high ceilings and large archways lining the halls, a largely exorbitant amount of food at the banquet earlier in which she herself was the guest of honour....Heehyun has never really even attended a banquet before tonight. It was a night of many firsts. The biggest of which is meeting her girlfriend’s parents. 

 

She’s never done that before. Meeting the parents of anyone she’s dated, that is. Heehyun has never really felt the need to, but of course she’s never been in any relationship as serious as this one before. They have been dating for 8 months, and Heehyun has never been more in love in her life.

 

By the by, Jueun’s bedroom was definitely not an exception to the “everything must be ginormous” rule. Her bedroom itself was probably half the size of the entire apartment unit Heehyun shares with Chaeyeon. 

 

Heehyun’s had an eventful night, tired from being interrogated by multi-billionaires she decides to spend the night at Jueun’s castle, which is how she ended in this position. Heehyun was lying down in the center of Jueun’s enormous bed (it had to be custom built right? It was larger than the largest King-sized bed she’s ever seen. This was like Emperor-sized), with an arm wrapped around the smaller girl’s figure holding her girlfriend close to her body.

 

How did she end up here? How did she get so lucky? How did she end up with this beautiful angel curling up next to her, pressing their bodies together as if to seek warmth? As if any distance between them would cause physical pain.

 

“Why did you say yes?”

 

In the quiet darkness of Jueun’s sleeping chambers (because this is far too grand to just be a bedroom) Heehyun’s question comes out sounding louder than she intended it to. The question was allowed to reverberate through the air, allowing just enough time for doubts and even more questions to fester within Heehyun before Jueun makes a sound of acknowledgement.

 

“Mmm?”

 

She didn’t even need to look down to guess that Jueun probably didn’t even have her eyes open, based on all the sleep lacing that one sound she just made. A large part of her felt bad for disrupting this angel’s sleep, but a larger part did not want to waste the opportunity now that the question’s been asked so she selfishly pressed forward.

 

“When I asked you out. Why did you say yes? I surely wouldn’t have said yes if I were you.”

 

“You were cute.” Jueun’s reply came a lot faster than Heehyun expected it too. The answer itself wasn’t anything she was expecting either.

 

“I was drenched. It had been raining and I probably looked like a wet cat.”

 

“Mmhmm.” Jueun agreed a little too easily, further adding onto Heehyun’s confusion.

 

“That was cute?”

 

“It was cute.” Jueun confirms, looking up to flash Heehyun a sleepy smile. Oh god it was adorable. Heehyun actually felt like screaming out and punching the wall or something because how is Jueun THAT. BLOODY. ADORABLE?! It drove her mad, really. Her girlfriend was so frustratingly cute and she wasn’t even trying. Heehyun was the luckiest human being on planet Earth.

 

“What do you even see in me?” Heehyun asked in wonderment. At this point it really wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the rich, beautiful and kind Lee Jueun was settling for less with her.

 

“What do you even see in me?” Jueun repeated the question back to her. Heehyun sighed.

 

“Really June?”

 

“Seriously. Tell me.”

 

Okay. Guess we’re doing this now.

 

Actually it took Heehyun a fair few seconds to compose her thought process. Jueun was the best thing to have ever happened to her because....well....where on earth should she even start with that? All the books in the library probably could not contain all the words Heehyun could use to describe the ways Jueun was just overall an improvement in her life. Everything was better with Jueun around. 

 

“When I first saw you at that bus stand...” Heehyun began, pausing to check if Jueun was still with her and lo and behold those black eyes stared up at her with so much attentiveness you’d think the other girl wasn’t even sleepy to begin with. “....You looked gorgeous. Too pretty to be real. I thought you were an illusion created by the cold. You’re poised and dignified, but you have a wit about you that betrays the classy demeanour.” Heehyun brought her other hand up to caress her girlfriend’s cheek. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

 

Jueun melted into the touch like butter on a hot pan. The older girl nuzzled Heehyun’s palm and began planting kisses all over her hand, as if marking her territory. As if stating that this was the only hand that would be allowed to touch her in that way. 

 

“I liked your smile.”

 

Heehyun blinked at Jueun suddenly answering the question and she waited patiently for Jueun to continue and elaborate further but...

 

“That’s it?”

 

“....Yup.”

 

“Here I thought you were supposed to be the eloquent one.”

 

“Eloquent. Big word.” 

 

“Thanks. You used it in a message once and I had to search up what it meant.”

 

Jueun moved out of Heehyun’s embrace and she shifted her position so that she was now on all fours, knees and palms on the mattress as she met her girlfriend’s gaze dead on.

 

“I liked your smile. Really. That was why I said yes.” Jueun scooted forward like a cat, which was adorable as of itself to latch her arms around Heehyun’s neck bringing their faces even closer. “But I fell in love because you made me smile too.”

 

Really. Jueun was unbelievable. She wasn’t even playing fair, saying those things with a straight face while she was only centimetres away from Heehyun. Of course now Heehyun was blushing and although the room was relatively dark with the only light coming from outside the large windows, she knew Jueun knew she was blushing. She could see the smile forming on her girlfriend’s face. A smile that was echoed brilliantly on Heehyun’s.

 

“I am pretty funny aren’t I?”

 

Jueun laughed, lightly slapping her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Absolutely charming.”

 

Whatever retort Heehyun had on the tip of her tongue lay forgotten as Jueun moved in to press her lips softly against Heehyun’s, so unbelievable gentle that it actually leaves Heehyun breathless. She sighed against her girlfriend’s lips and she feels the corners of Jueun’s mouth curve upwards into a cheeky smile. Without missing a beat Jueun presses her full body weight against Heehyun, trapping her against the headboard and in all honesty Heehyun couldn’t say she minded the predicament.

 

The positioning could be a little better though. It was kinda awkward with her sitting up like this and Jueun essentially straddling her because her back was slipping downwards against the slippery wooden surface and whooops she just fully slipped and that *thud* sound was probably her girlfriend fully slamming her head against the wooden headboard.

 

Jueun rolled around the bed, clutching her forehead while Heehyun continued laughing at her girlfriend, not feeling guilty in the slightest.

 

Eventually Heehyun managed to coax her pouting girlfriend to roll back into her arms and they lay there in the darkness again, in the same position as a few minutes ago as if the entire ordeal never even happened, although this time Jueun was facing away from Heehyun as if to show that she was still not happy with her girlfriend being the cause of the bruise on her forehead.

 

“...You know, I’ve never done it in a castle before.” Heehyun whispered suggestively while her fingers ghosted over the waistband of Jueun’s shorts, still riled up from their earlier make out session.

 

“Neither have I.” Jueun replied, not making a move to stop her wandering hand, so Heehyun dared to venture further, dipping into the front of the garment slightly.

 

“You know, your house happens to be a castle.” Heehyun continues planting soft kisses along her girlfriend’s shoulder, hoping Jueun understood where she was going with this.

 

“My house is a house...” Jueun corrected. “....and your arm is my pillow...” Heehyun’s arm was yanked out of Jueun’s pants and placed flat against the bed instead so that Jueun could rest her head on it. 

 

“....and your smile is my home.”

 

Jueun turned around and pecked Heehyun on the lips, momentarily stunning the taller girl with how sudden it was before Heehyun snorted upon realising that she wasn’t getting some tonight.

 

“Sleep?”

 

Jueun suggested heavily, leaving Heehyun no room to argue at all. Not that she really minded anyways. She was pretty cool with Jueun’s parents earlier so she’d probably be invited back to this castle, so her little fantasy didn’t have to be fulfilled today. There were many more days.

 

And she was in it for the long run with Jueun.

 

“Sleep.” Heehyun agreed, pulling her girlfriend closer to her so they could snuggle together on this impossibly large bed that was probably too big for the both of them.

 

 

********************************

 

Jueun looked like the picture of elegance in her black turtleneck sweater, hoop earrings dangling from her ears as she cut into her roast chicken with a daintiness that Heehyun still found absolutely endearing, even after a whole year of dating the girl.

 

Soft.

 

Everything about her girlfriend was soft. From her features to her mannerisms. Jueun was strong enough to take over the world on her own but Heehyun had an urge to scoop her up in her arms and never let the world get their claws on her everytime she sees her. Jueun was precious. The most valuable thing to Heehyun.

 

“How is it?”

 

Heehyun’s eyes follow the path the slice of roast chicken takes from Jueun’s plate to . Her girlfriend had suggested that they have a home cooked dinner for Christmas although neither of them even celebrated the holiday, and Heehyun with her limited expertise in the kitchen had volunteered to cook the meal.

 

Roast chicken. A simple enough meal. It was fortunate that she had the foresight to buy extra chickens because she had accidentally set two of them on fire while preparing them. Down to their last chicken, Heehyun anxiously waits for Jueun to give her stamp of approval.

 

“Not the worst thing you’ve made.”

 

Jueun was sweet, so that restrained compliment spoke wonders about exactly how badly her cooking must taste. Jueun would never say anything to hurt her feelings, even if she suffered a stomachache as a result of this meal.

 

“Great. Mediocre yet edible is what I aim for.” Heehyun smiles satisfactorily. At least nobody is dying today as a result of her cooking.

 

“It’s delicious, Hyun.”

 

She looks up to meet Jueun’s eyes, and they engaged in a miniature battle of sorts. She studied her girlfriend’s expression carefully, finding complete faith and confidence staring back at her. There was only one deduction that could be made from this. “You’re not lying.”

 

“No, I’m not. It’s great.”

 

Heehyun laughs. What a relief. “Almost makes paying Chaeyeon to leave the apartment for the day worth it.”

 

“You did what?” Jueun stopped eating, eyeing her girlfriend curiously.

 

“Yeah. Lil’ git told me she’d give us some time to ourselves if I paid her some cash. Glad she suggested it though. Otherwise I’d feel bad about kicking her out.”

 

Jueun hummed. Nodding as she gently lets go of het cutlery. There was an amused expression on her face that confused Heehyun slightly. “How much did she ask for?” Jueun inquired.

 

“250,000₩. Steep, but worth every penny if I get to have my girl all to myself.”

 

The amused expression Jueun wore finally translated into a full smile on her face, leaving Heehyun even more confused. Was Jueun that happy that Chaeyeon had fleeced some money out of her?

 

“That’s funny, Hyun. She only charged me 100,000₩.”

 

Heehyun narrowed her eyes, abandoning confusion and just being straight on perplexed now. Charged her? Why did Chaeyeon charge Jueun.....?

 

Tick.

 

Tick.

 

Tick.

 

Ding!

 

“THAT SLY LITTLE—“

 

Jueun burst out into laughter upon seeing the realisation hit her girlfriend like a barrel of bricks. That git! That opportunistic She-Devil! She’ll murder that little ferret the next time she sees her! Heehyun seethed in her chair, contemplating all the ways to (legally) punish Chaeyeon, all the while Jueun sat there giggling across from her like someone who had not just gotten cheated out of her money.

 

“You’re a little too cheerful for someone who just got scammed.”

 

Jueun shrugged, still smiling broadly. “She got us. It was a nice play.”

 

Heehyun scoffed at her girlfriend’s leniency. “See? That’s why she gets away with this. You coddle her too much, June.”

 

“Relax. Here, time to open your present.” Jueun chirped up, trying her best to remove the frown from her girlfriend’s face. She stood up and walked towards Heehyun and the next thing she knew the shorter girl’s already led them towards the living room, gently tugging Heehyun along by the wrist.

 

Effortless. There was no way Heehyun could stay angry with Jueun bouncing so excitedly on the pads of her feet, leading them towards the Christmas tree in the corner of the room. Chaeyeon had laughed when Heehyun brought the tree back home because really none of them celebrated the holiday but Jueun’s watched too many movies and if her girl wanted a Christmas moment, she’ll get a Christmas moment.

 

Even if it meant buying an overpriced plant that will probably be chucked into the storage room never to be seen again after today.

 

“That’s a big box. Makes mine look downright pathetic.” Heehyun observes as they sat on the floor. They didn’t have a fireplace, but they did have one of those fancy curved tv sets that makes everything look realistic, and the fire cackling on the screen really helped sell the whole image.

 

Jueun moved in closer, leaning her head on Heehyun’s shoulder as they both stared at the gifts under the tree. One box was easily 4 times the size of the other.

 

“You’re right. Yours does look small.” Jueun comments, and Heehyun whimpers in embarrassment.

 

“Kidding! I’m just kidding sweetie!” Jueun quickly amends the situation with a laugh and a kiss on the cheek. “So should we open them together or...?”

 

“Can you open mine first? I have a feeling your gift is going to upstage mine, so I’d much rather get it done with sooner rather than later.” Heehyun looked embarrassed, afraid that she had made the wrong call and had possibly prepared the wrong gift. 

 

Jueun reached under the tree and held the shoddily wrapped gift in her hands. “I’m sure I’ll love it all the sam—is it a book?”

 

Heehyun’s eyes widened in alarm. “What the fu—how can you tell?!”

 

“I own a library Hyun. I’m used to holding books.” Jueun stated matter-of-factly, balancing the present in her open palm as she studied the weight and shape. “You got me a book? That’s unexpected.”

 

“Really? What were you expecting?”

 

Jueun shrugged. “Not a book, definitely. You didn’t get this from my library did you? Because I’ve read everything in there.”

 

“Nerd.” Heehyun coughed under her breath, receiving a soft slap to her shoulder in return.

 

“Open it.” Heehyun nodded towards the present in her girlfriend’s hands, before quickly adding “...Gently please. I’m not sure how fragile it is.”

 

She knew her last statement only served to fuel Jueun’s curiosity. Based on that, her girlfriend was probably expecting a fragile old book. A tome from the ancients or something, detailing the ancient history behind pizza or something knowing how big of a Heehyun was. She sees Jueun’s eyes open wider with every inch of the present being revealed, with every shred of wrapping paper being torn off (so much for gentle).

 

“This is....very unexpected.”

 

Jueun was now holding her fully unwrapped Christmas present in her hands. The librarian had guessed correctly, indeed it was a book. Just not one of your conventional books. This one was obviously homemade, with messy binding and mismatched pages. Some had lines, some were blank. These pages weren’t even uniform in size or colour. It was a messy bit of handiwork, and as Jueun looked at her in confusion waiting for an explanation, Heehyun sheepishly scratched her cheek and laughed. 

 

“It’s uh....poems. And short stories that I wrote throughout the year we’ve been together. It’s when I think of you too much. When I can’t sleep. They’re probably stupid and lame. I’m not much of a writer but you sorta...you bring out the best in me.”

 

Jueun’s eyes widened at that, and she immediately began flipping through the book, pausing on certain pages to read through the entire thing. Heehyun didn’t rush her. She allowed Jueun to take her time in flipping through her gift in silence. That book had about 130 pages to it. It wouldn’t take her long to go through it, especially at the pace the librarian reads.

 

“This....This is beautiful, babe.” Jueun finally says with astonishment after 15 minutes of silence. Her eyes were still engrossed in the book, and a swell of pride rose up in Heehyun.

 

“Yeah? You...You like it?” Heehyun had to make sure. This girl was a tough customer. Jueun held the highest standards for her literary works, and Heehyun knew her stupid compilation of thoughts and ramblings and stick figure drawings weren’t exactly literary masterpieces.

 

She knew Jueun would appreciate the effort though. It was what she could afford, and that smile on Jueun’s face shows that it was the right decision.

 

“Love it.” Jueun says, finally putting the book down so that she could wrap her arms around Heehyun’s neck. “I love you.”

 

The searing kiss that soon followed was the best form of “thank you” Heehyun could hope to receive. It was deep and slow, the kind of kiss that makes your eyes slowly flutter closed before you yourself even realised it because your body was just instinctively trying to savour every moment of the kiss. 

 

They broke apart after what felt like a millennia, and the first breath of air Heehyun took felt awful without Jueun on the other end of it.

 

A large box was suddenly placed in her lap. Startled, Heehyun looks up to see Jueun smiling broadly at her, lipstick all smudged in the best of ways.

 

“Open yours. Though....now I feel like maybe I should’ve gone first instead.”

 

Pfft. As if Heehyun’s present could be better than this large box in her hands. They say that size isn’t everything but she wouldn’t put it past her girlfriend to get her something that’s big in size and had everything in it at the same time. Heehyun gingerly pinched a corner of the box and peeled the tape off of the wrapping paper. 

 

Even the wrapping paper was expensive. Bloody hell. Rich people money. These rich folks keep finding new ways to spend their cash. 

 

A hint of black gets unveiled underneath the paper, and as more and more of the black box underneath gets revealed, the more familiar it seemed to Heehyun. She’s seen this packaging somewhere before right? Where was it? It was in Jueun’s house, wasn’t it?

 

“No....” Heehyun gasped. Jueun let out a satisfied giggle but Heehyun didn’t even bother looking up to see her girlfriend’s probably smug expression as she completely abandoned the careful gift opening and began ripping into the wrapping.

 

Once all the wrapping paper was off, Heehyun’s suspicions were concerned. This couldn’t be real.

 

“What on earth—JOONIE!” Heehyun shrieked at her girlfried as the latter began laughing gleefully. The brand name on the black box in her hands was causing her heart to race and stop beating at the same time. Heehyun didn’t know her brands but even she knew this one wasn’t cheap.

 

“Open it.” Jueun urged, but Heehyun’s hands were to shaky to do anything at the moment.

 

“I HAVEN’T EVEN OPENED IT AND I’M ALREADY—I’M FREAKING OUT BABE!”

 

Saint Laurent. She was holding a Saint Laurent box. Her girlfriend was especially fond of that brand, so it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jueun bought her something from it but really of course it would come as a surprise. How on earth was Heehyun supposed to predict that her girlfriend would get her something that was so frightfully—

 

“THIS IS EXPENSIVE!” Heehyun shrieked, waving the (still sealed) box in front of Jueun’s face as if the girl did not already know that.”

 

Jueun placed a hand on Heehyun’s wrist, effectively ceasing the haphazard waving of her present. She stared into her girlfriend’s panicked eyes and waited for the other girl to settle down again. She expected this reaction from Heehyun. Jueun was pretty generous with her gift giving, but despite having gifted her girlfriend numerous luxury items throughout their year of dating, Heehyun still freaked out whenever Jueun gave her anything.

 

It warms her heart really. To know that Heehyun expects nothing of her although the broke marketing student was currently dating a generous billionaire.

 

“Open it. Please.”

 

A brief moment of hesitation, before Heehyun nodded and gingerly lifted the lid of the black box. Like an idiot she had opened it upside down, causing the content of the box to spill out onto the floor and Heehyun gasped the moment she laid eyes on her present.

 

“Oh...my god.” 

 

It was a denim jacket. The very same one Jueun had worn when she first met the girl at the bus stop a year ago. The one that Jueun had accused her of trying to steal. The beautiful jacket that Jueun wears all throughout winter, and is currently hanging on the coatrack by the front door. 

 

This was a new one. With tags still on it. Heehyun picks it up off the floor and holds it up to get a better look at it. 

 

“Now we can match.” Jueun grinned. Heehyun was still in disbelief that she could own something so expensive. This was probably several year’s worth of rent she was holding in her hands. 

 

“This is like a 1,000,000₩ jacket! Are you sure I can have this June?” Heehyun had to make sure. This probably costs more than her new motorcycle.

 

“Add an extra zero to that and you’re all set.” Jueun corrected with a bright smile on her face. Heehyun choked on her saliva at the mention of the price. “But you’re worth more than that!” Jueun adds quickly, seeing her girlfriend nearly die in front of her in surprise.

 

“That’s like 4 of my motorcycles!”

 

Jueun shrugged. “If you put it that way, then yeah.”

 

Heehyun was still in a daze. With shaky hands she put the jacket on, letting out an involuntary moan of contentment when she realised it was a perfect fit. Jueun must have gotten it altered as well.

 

“Couple jackets. We have couple jackets.” Heehyun mutters under her breath, sounding almost disbelieving.

 

The thought of wearing matching jackets with her girlfriend was....thrilling. This was the first time Heehyun’s ever owned an article of clothing that her girlfriend owns as well because....well because Jueun’s clothes usually add up to Heehyun’s tuition fees. Even Jueun’s hair ties were fancy. Who spends 60,000₩ on a hairtie?!

 

“You didn’t have to get me the exact same brand y’know? You could’ve gotten me any other denim jacket and I’d believe that it was the same one as yours.”

 

Jueun sighed while shaking her head. “Well I would know they weren’t the same. Besides, now we can be the best looking couple in Seoul.”

 

“Weren’t we already?” Heehyun tried to stifle a laugh. Not at the situation, but more at the thought of Jueun even pretending to care about lofty titles like being ‘best dressed’.

 

Jueun’s lips curved into a smile. A particular smile that Heehyun was all too familiar with, because usually it means that the girl had something mischievous up her sleeve.

 

“I mean...I’ve never heard complaints about how I look. You on the other hand, dress like somebody who’s already managed to get a super-hot girlfriend and has no need to care anymore.”

 

“...Wow June.” Heehyun gaped at her girlfriend.

 

Jueun, for the most part, looked absolutely smug. “Yeah. Just facts, no printer.”

 

She wanted to punch Jueun in her perfect face but that would be a crime wouldn’t it? A crime against art. That would be like punching the Mona Lisa. Instead Heehyun took a deep breath and sighed, letting out all the bad juju. “Let’s be realistic here. Maybe you should come down to my level instead of expecting me to come up to yours.”

 

“...Perhaps. What are the odds of finding something in my size in the dumpsters you frequent?”

 

Wow someone was aiming for the jugular today wasn’t she? Killing Heehyun. That’s what Jueun was doing. Murdering her.

 

“First you attack my fashion sense. Now you’re calling me fat. On Christmas!” Heehyun whined pathetically, pouting and contemplating removing "Christmas " off tonight's agenda.

 

“Oh no, you’re fat on other days too.” Jueun laughed, trying to see how far she could push her girlfriend in this sudden game that Heehyun really had no idea when they started playing but she wishes they would stop because Jueun was a meanie and a bully and a big dumb dumb.

 

“....I’m going to cry. You’re actually going to make me cry Lee Jueun.”

 

With zero remorse Jueun burst out into raucous laughter before attempting to kiss the pout off of Heehyun’s lips, because she knew that her kisses were the solution to every single one of Heehyun’s life’s problems. She’s been using the same remedy for a year now and it’s probably worked 10 times out of 10.

 

Heehyun should probably feel something about being that predictable, but she really didn’t mind it. It’s hard to be mad when the girl that she loved more than anything else in the world was sitting on her lap and making adorable demands as if she was Santa Claus. She couldn’t grow a beard but she could definitely try her best to make every single one of her girlfriend’s wishes come true.

 

It’s been a year since she made a fool of herself in that bus stop on that cold, windy day, and now Jueun brings her nothing but warmth. A year since she complimented Jueun’s jacket, and now she has one of her own. A year since Jueun boarded that bus without telling Heehyun her name, and now Jueun’s name almost never leaves her lips.

 

It’s been an amazing year, and here’s to many more like this.

 

 

 

 

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Well that was a tonne of pictures and words wasn't it? I got carried away, and it took me about 3 months to complete this whole darn thing. I was really contemplating on dividing it up into chapters, but meh. I'll just compile it into the longest oneshot ever that probably nobody will ever read hahahahhaa

That was fun. Writing Heehyun and Jueun. It's a pairing that I didn't even think of writing before, but like I said this whole fic was inspired by all the pretty pictures Jueun uploads to her instagram and I wanted a reason to post more pictures of her. Nothing much to say about this really. 

Let me know whatchu think of the fic by commenting below! And maaaybe leave an upvote if you enjoyed it? This took awhile to write! hahahaha

If you'd like to reach out to me, here's my twitter and here's my IG. 

See y'all in the next fic!