A/N: To Queen and Yum, I hope you had a grand afternoon tea.

Eunji was waiting in bed with a book in hand, although she held it open, her eyes were far from the pages. She was watching her wife brush her long locks by the dresser. From the mirror, she could see the smile on Naeun’s face. It may not be something special in the eyes of other people, but for Eunji, it meant joy, bliss, and contentment. She’s the only one who could see through her wife’s subtle smiles; it’s the one thing about her wife that she knows best. After all, she spent most of her life bringing that smile onto the angel’s face.

The first time she caused Naeun to smile was during high school when the clumsy sophomore almost tripped on a tree root while running. Thankfully, she had just rounded up on the tree and was able to catch Naeun in her arms. She had always known that Naeun looked like a goddess but on that day, the said goddess had bloodshot eyes and tearstained cheeks.

She gave the young girl the yogurt drink that she’s been saving for herself and offered her to take a break under the shade of the tree. She stayed by her side in silence until Naeun suddenly opened up. They didn’t have any other interactions prior to that afternoon aside from exchanging polite greetings along the hallways, yet Naeun chose to confide in her.

That day, she found out that Naeun had a fight with Taemin. Apparently, although Taemin was a nice guy, he had a habit of choosing his friends over Naeun especially when it comes to afterschool gaming.

Naeun told her that even though Taemin makes up for it, she was getting tired of the vicious cycle. Being too shy to socialize, she doesn’t have that many friends – or any at all. Thus whenever Taemin went off with his friends, she’s usually left alone.

Eunji never knew why she did, but she always thanked her stars that she offered herself to accompany Naeun whenever the young girl felt lonely. She specifically said that the tree they’re sharing is their special rendezvous point, that whenever Naeun would take shelter under its lush canopy, she wouldn’t be lonely for Eunji would be there waiting for her.

That was the first time she made Naeun smile. Its effect was immediate and lasting, it was like a drug to her and she had wanted more of it. Something inside her stirred that day, something she wasn’t able to explain then. All she knew was that she would do everything in her power to keep that smile on Naeun’s face.

That one fateful afternoon, she caught Naeun in her arms and Naeun caught her heart.

Eunji tried her best not to interfere with Naeun’s relationship with Taemin but thankfully, Naeun chose her in the end. However, it didn’t go as smoothly as they hoped it would.

Having been raised in a prestigious family, Naeun’s parents disapproved of their relationship but Naeun fought for it which eventually led her to be disowned and disinherited. Eunji’s family took her in but they didn’t have the wealth that the young girl was used to; nonetheless, Naeun was grateful.

When Eunji went to college, she studied hard to get a scholarship and got a part-time job to support Naeun since she didn’t want her parents to shoulder all the burden. The time when Naeun was about to graduate high school, Eunji begged her parents to give Naeun her own college funds so that the young girl could go to the same university. After a lot of bargaining and pleading, she was able to persuade her parents arguing that she had a full scholarship anyway so she wouldn’t be needing the money.

She had kept this from Naeun and begrudgingly lied that Naeun’s parents were the ones providing for her, and that they still cared for her. With Naeun being gullible and filled with the hope of her family’s reconciliation, she blindly believed. It wasn’t until the aspiring lawyer’s graduation from pre-law that she found out the truth.

Eunji never did mind supporting her girlfriend on her own especially when she could make her happy, but when Naeun found out what she did, the young woman insisted on sharing the burden and took a part-time job herself. Until then Eunji has gotten used to treating Naeun like a princess that she hadn’t realize Naeun had grown to become a queen who can hold her own and conquer anything. That was when she knew that even though both of them are perfectly capable of independence, they still chose to be together. And that made them virtually unstoppable come ruin or rapture.

A lot of people say that putting your happiness in other people’s hands will make you dependent on them, but that wasn’t exactly the case with Eunji. She doesn’t rely on Naeun to make her happy; Naeun’s happiness is her happiness, thus she does what she can to make it happen.

Seeing her wife in front of her makes all her sacrifices worth it. In retrospect, she couldn’t figure out why she didn’t want to have a child sooner.

Nevertheless, that’s how life works; everything will fall into place at the right time – just like Naeun falling into her arms that afternoon years ago.

“Where did your mind wander off to?” Naeun slipped under the sheets and snuggled closer to her wife as she closed her eyes.

“Thoughts of you.”

“All good things, I hope.”

Eunji chuckled and placed her book on the bedside table. She ran her fingers on Naeun’s hair as she takes in the smile on her wife’s face. “Nothing but good things.” She adjusted herself so Naeun could lay her head on her chest. “Have you decided?”

Naeun took a while to respond, but Eunji was patient – she always has been.

“I think so.” The young woman whispered.

“And?”

Another stretch of silence while Eunji lovingly traced circles on Naeun’s shoulder.

“And I think we should adopt.”

Eunji never thought she will ever be happier than the day she married Naeun, but at that moment, she did. If only she’d known the bliss it would bring, she would have agreed to it sooner.

She kissed her wife ever so tenderly that she felt her lips melting. It was a slow, passionate kiss – full of love, gratitude, and serenity. She was happy.

Rolling Naeun on her back, she pinned her down without breaking the kiss. She took it all in: the warmth of Naeun’s body beneath her, the moans mixing in their kiss, Naeun’s scent intoxicating her, slender fingers sliding their way up her sides, and her name – her name escaping Naeun’s lips. She slid her tongue inside Naeun’s warm mouth as Naeun did the same. No one was fighting for dominance – it was a dance. She was happy and she wanted Naeun to know – she wanted Naeun to feel just how much.

Eunji’s fingers grazed everywhere – through Naeun’s hair, across her cheek, tracing her every curve from her jaw to her thigh – she was reading Naeun like braille; and Naeun’s body tells her favorite story – nothing less than a masterpiece.

She planted warm, wet kisses along her neck and breathes on her ear.

“I love you, Naeun-ah.”

Her wife moaned in reply, feeling the young woman’s fingers press on her ribcage – a clear indication that she wanted more.

Eunji, being the ever giving and obedient wife that she is, humbly obliged.

It’s been a week since they went to the orphanage and Chorong knows that something has been bothering Bomi. She had heard the young woman’s conversation with Hyoyeon about her past and although she was quite bothered at first, she made a resolution to let it go. There are more important things in her life now, and her past is nothing but a memory that, in all honesty, she doesn’t want to remember. Bomi has been nothing but perfect since they officially started dating but after their visit to the orphanage, she’s been spending a lot of late nights in the studio. Chorong knows exactly what it means and it worries her a lot. A room filled with nothing but blasting music and burning passion is Bomi’s only place to find solace – except in Chorong’s presence, of course, but that isn’t the case this time.

“Namjoo-yah, you better go home, it’s getting late.” Chorong said as she entered the nearly abandoned studio.

“Ah, yes unnie. Hayoung’s on her way over to pick me up. Are you sure you’ll be fine?” The concern in Namjoo’s eyes is unmistakable.

Chorong heaved a heavy sigh as her eyes fell on the brightly lit room at the end of the hall. “She’s still at it, huh?”

She’s been waiting for Bomi to talk to her about what Hyoyeon had generously laid out but it seems as though the young woman keeps the burden to herself. Chorong’s not having it anymore. If they want their relationship to progress, she needs to be a part of whatever Bomi’s holding in her heart – storm or sunshine, everything. They need to start with a clean slate.

Chorong completely spaced out until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

“Everything’s going to be okay, unnie. She just loves you too much to burden you with her troubles.”

She exhaled long and hard, “That’s what I’m afraid of, Joo. I love her too. And it pains me to see her like this. It takes two to tango, you know.”

Namjoo’s smile was consoling, it made Chorong wonder how much wisdom this young woman has.

“You know how she can be stubborn at times. Just talk to her, unnie.”

“I guess you and Hayoung have all this figured out, huh?” she chuckled.

A light tint of pink bloomed on Namjoo’s cheek. “We have a long way to go. But we’ll take it on together.” She held Chorong’s hand and looked deep into her eyes with all sincerity. “And I know you will too. I’ve never seen her like this with anyone, unnie. In all the years I’ve known her, I’ve never seen her love like this, like it’s too much for her to even grasp the magnitude of it. So just… help her, okay?” her voice was almost pleading.

Before Chorong could even say anything, a car honking loudly by the entrance broke through the moment.

“I have to go unnie.” She pulled Chorong in for a hug. It was more than just a farewell hug; it was as comforting as it was encouraging. The little push Chorong needs for the night.

As soon as she saw the taillights disappear around the corner, Chorong locked the