(1) Beyond the Lights

Lights are flickering and shutters can be heard. Everyone in the room was only looking at the brunette taking her pose. Every hands that sway, hair that flipped, legs that seemed to walk in midway, and eyes that flutters with every snap, they just had to look. The cameramen were loving every shot they are taking and her manager just had to make the proudest smile there was.

It was her dream. And she was lucky that she was living that dream even before she she had to graduate. Another advantage was, she does not need to beg her parents for tuition assistance since her pay was enough to cover for it. Plus, she get to have extra money for other things!

A last shot was called and everyone was ready to pack up and she immediately went to the dressing room to change into her casual outfit. Sweaters and ripped jeans were her thing and even though she get to wear expensive brands, she would never replace the comfortable outfits that her wardrobe could offer. 

Once she was done, her manager went to her and shook her hand telling her how amazing she was. She then gave her manager a curt smile and a hug to which the manager returned too. Then for the exciting part, a bundle of cash was given to her, since she was yet to apply for a debit card that time. 

She was happy and she felt fulfilled. She bid her good byes to the people she will be leaving behind and started to jog to meet her friend inside a run down music shop. It was autumn then, and it was visible in the huffs of breaths she was exhaling as she was seeing her own huff of air. She was never fond of autumn since everything seemed to fall off nor the winter season because it seemed sad. Maybe that was why she was never fond of her birthday too.

So she placed some earphones and listened to the Bee Gees, turned the volume up and strutted towards the meeting place. Upon entering, her dark brown eyes strated to hunt for a particular brunette with glassess on and probably sporting a baggy kind of outfit. 

And she did not even missed it. 

There in one corner was her friend, her nose stucked in a business text book even if she was inside a music shop. "Hey Jung!"

Her friend looked up to see where in the hell did she heard her surname being shouted out loud. Thank goodness the owner had already known them, so Sowon being her loud freaking friend shouting was... pretty normal. 

"How's the shoot?" Yerin asked while adjusting the glasses on the bridge of her nose. "It would always take you forever to finish!"

"Aish this kid!" She immediately replied. Even if Yerin whines about her being late to their meet-ups, the brunette will always wait for her. That was just her being Jung Yerin. If she does not wait, then Sowon would already know that the latter was in a bad mood. She was even thinking if Yerin was secretly fond of waiting. "I know you'll still wait because I got money and you badly wanted to be treated out tonight, right?"

Her adorable friend nodded and Sowon smirked. "Now, which place shall we go to?"

But right before Yerin could answer, her phone rang. She had to move away from Sowon who just gave her a nonchalant grin and focused on the tapes and cds in front of her. Sowon always wondered who was Yerin talking to over the phone. Not because she felt jealous or anything, it was just that Yerin would take up a long time talking over the phone. 

Then like a surprise, Yerin ended the call and went to hug Sowon like a koala to her tree. Sowon immediately knew something was up. "What's with the clinging?"
"Nothing," Yerin sheepishly answered back. "Can't I cling to my friend?"

"Of course you can," Sowon returned a smile then in a flick of a second did the smile dropped. "No, you idiot! I know you want something when you start being clingy to me. C'mon, spill the beans." 

Yerin gulped. "I uhh... I think I can't accompany you right now." 

Sowon quirked an eyebrow. "And why is that?" 

"My sister needs me right now. She said she has trouble commuting." Yerin explained as she was getting ready to go out. 

Sowon got intrigued by that. The brunette never mentioned anything about having a sister. "Wait! You have a sister?!"

Yerin stiffened. It was not that she does not want Sowon to meet her sister. It was actually the other way around. Eunha was fond of playing relationships and her friend was too fragile for someone to play her heart. "Uhh... I did?"

Sowon's grasp tighten around Yerin's arm. Why was her friend hiding that she got a sister? "You just did Jung, and you must let me meet her."

----

It was never a love at first sight. It took Sowon a couple of meet-ups with Yerin's sister before she realised that she might have been growing feelings for the younger Jung. And these feelings she was having for Eunha kept her awake most of the nights. 

It was like her perfect life seemed nothing when Yerin's sister entered her life. Eunha was like a storm, shaking her boat, and making her confused on why she would have feelings for the young player. 

It was a Thursday and it was raining hard that afternoon. She was inside the dorm doing nothing as her shoot neded in a haze. The shoot only took roughly three hours and she has nothing to do on that particular day. Yerin was out of the dorm as the latter went to the library, probably keeping her nose on some books again with Umji. How she wished she was just as studious as her dear friends.

It was these times that Sowon dreaded the most. It was when she got nothing to do that images of Eunha would just cloud up her mind. Not that she does not like thinking about her but rather questioning herself of not facing the cold truth that she was having feelings for Eunha. 

There was something about Yerin's sister, something she could not put a finger on. Eunha just kept popping inside her mind when the latter was not in sight; She was a stuttering mess whenever she sees her; and serious case of a jealous fit when she hears from Yerin that Eunha was in another relationship. 

How will she put it?

"What are you thinking?" Eunha chimed as she popped the taller's train of thoughts. They were driving to where Umji will open her exhibit and memories of how she had met Eunha was very out of the blue. 

"Nothing," Sowon said as she tried to focus on the road. "Just tripping down the memory lane." 

Eunha's eyes sparkled. Of all the things she liked about about Sowon, she liked how her girlfriend was an amazing talker. Sowon could talk and talk and she would never get tired of hearing her girlfriend's voice. There was just something in Sowon's voice and stories that draws her in. Something pure and sincere. 

"And what did you thought about?" Eunha simply asked, her eyes not living the side line of her girlfriend. Then she saw Sowon smile and took a glance at her and it was these moments Eunha wished Yerin could see. That despite her girlfriend being accused by her sister as a walking make-out machine, Sowon was capable of being a loving best friend and a strong confidant. All of which Eunha was experiencing when she was with Sowon. 

"Something about us?" Sowon replied. "I just remembered how I got to meet you."

"And?"

The jeep went to a full stop when the red light . It was raining cats and dogs and they were the only ones traversing the road. Sowon looked at Eunha lovingly and realised that her question has just been answered. 

"That how much Yerin would like to put ours was a love at first sight, it never really was."

Eunha raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend but remained quiet. Instead, she adjusted the air-conditioner and tried to relax in her seat, ready to hear what Sowon would say next.

"I just found myself delving deeper to you Eunha. You know how I felt conflicted of having to restrain my feelings towards you when you're a player then right? But I couldn't stop myself. And before I knew it, I fell in love with you." Sowon said lovingly. "And you know what?"

"Oh, I would like to know." Eunha stated she closed her eyes. 

"I never stopped falling for you."

----

(2) Perfect Direction

Umji's exhibit was filled of art enthusiasts and photographers. Of course, her faily was there and so were her friends. But there was one person missing, and it kept Umji feeling helpless.

Just where is Yuju when she needs her the most?

"Are you feeling nervous, partner?" Yerin asked while giving a gentle pat on her shoulder. Umji just nodded, her eyes still searching for a particular redhead. Yerin immediately noticed that it must be Yuju whom her friend was looking for that Yerin smiled. Oh girl, her partner was whipped!

"Have you seen Yuju around?" Sinb suddenly asked the duo when she got near them. Sinb kept receiving updates from work informing her of their sales records and it was making her mood twitch from good to worse. Plus they have something important to talk about. "Don't tell me she lost her way here?!"

Yerin chuckled at the cute outburst of her girlfriend. Sinb was never the type to wait. "You have the most accurate reaction for Yuju, Bi. Mind you, she has a girlfriend who should be worrying as much."

Sinb looked at the frantic Umji and then to her cute reckless being. Oh crap. She forgot her friend from Planet Weirdo already has a girlfriend! 

"Uhm, well I've been friends with your girlfriend for years now," Sinb started explaining as Umji just stared blankly at her. "And her sense of direction is just way, WAY off the radar. You must've known that by now right?"

Then Umji's blank face started to get teary and both Sinb and Yerin went into panic mode. Sinb cursed herself for even explaining while Yerin tried to hug Umji and console her friend's precious heart. 

Yerin sighed internally as she looked at her girlfriend with worried eyes. Why does Sinb have to explain things like that?! Holy cheeseballs! 

"What happened here?" Eunha asked as she and Sowon wnet near them. They had just arrived and what a scene was she witnessing. Wait, was Umji crying? 
Sowon immediately went near them and saw Umji's teary eyes and started to glare. Who dared made Umji cry?! "Who made her cry?!" She asked threateningly to Yerin as the brunette stiffened and let go of the crying Umji. 

"Could Yuju be really that dumb not to memorize the way here?" Umji suddenly said as she wiped her tears and started hugging the oldest. "We've been going here almost every week..." 

Now Sowon was clearly pissed. There would only be one person who would dare say that Yuju has a terrible sense of direction. And holy mother of mothers was she right!

Sinb started hiding behind Yerin's back as she felt the cold, icy stare of the towering giraffe. She mentally slapped herself for the worst kind of mistake she did her whole life. 

Just then the lights went out and everyone was aghast at the sudden situation. Yerin took Sinb in her hold while Eunha was scrambling in the dark finding Sowon and Umji. What other terrible luck could Umji's night be?

It was a bad minute of darkness, but when the lights were restored, something clearly happened. Yerin found Sinb buried between her bosom and maybe our cute reckles being blushed at the contact. Yah you byuntae! Now's not the time! Eunha found herself hugging some other tall woman and Sowon was washed with jealousy as her eyes got transfixed at her bunny. 

And where was Umji?

Umji found herself being hugged by the one person she has been looking for the night. How come Yuju came in and swoop her while in the dark was still a mystery for Umji but who cares? Not Umji. All she cared for right now was Yuju being there with her. 

Then Umji heard it, the wows and gasps of the people in front of them. She was still a bit teary eyed but Yuju held her chin to wipe those tears away. "Aww, why are you crying? Should you be happy because it's your exhibit? Anyways, I got a surprise for you." Yuju said as she motioned for Umji to look behind them. 

And there she saw it. 

A collage of of her pictures making a larger picture of her smiling. 

"Sorry I took long in going here," Yuju apologized. "You never know how much I drove through traffic just bring that here. D'you like it?"

Umji could not believe her eyes. How could Yuju... But never mind, she looked at Yuju and once again, her tears startd flowing. Yuju got worried and Sowon, Yerin, Sinb and Eunha got into fight mode again. Umji should not cry for pete's sake!

"Why I... Thank you," Umji muttered as she hugged Yuju. "I thought you lost your way here. That got me so worried you know?"

Yuju scratched her head as a shy smile appeared from her face. "Uhm, let's just say I did for a little while. But I will never go back home without finding you." 

"So you did get lost!" Umji reacted as she slapped Yuju's chest. Yuju just laughed at her and gave Umji a peck on the forehead. 

----

(3) Clueless

"Umji's exhibit got delayed for month but look at the place," Sinb remarked as she sat on a bench outside the exhibit hall. The couple went out to chill for awhile and settled at the lounge area of the building overlooking the skyscrapers of Seoul. "People still went to look over Umji's work." 

Yerin took a seat beside Aphrodite's daughter and started playing with Sinb's fingers. "It was such a pleasing sight to see, Umji's works being flocked by other artists and photographers. We could say it was a good start for Umji's year huh?"

Sinb could only nod and stared at the scenery behind them. Yerin did the same and both got interrupted when Sowon and Eunha came to them bidding their good byes. Yerin got confused on why the sudden departure but Sinb just let them go and so the couple went on their way. 

"They're probably going to make out again." Sinb said. "Anyways, do you have a place we could go to after this?"

Yerin was still confused but let the thought vanish for a while. But Sinb's question just got her confused again. "You don't want to go home yet?"

Sinb shook her head no as she cutely rested her head on Yerin's shoulder. "I've been inside the house, I could practically count the seconds ticking because of boredom."

Yerin chuckled. "So should I give you assignments while I'm out?"

Sinb leaned away and pouted. Oh. She never imagined herself doing the pout! Yerin found Sinb cute at that moment that she laughed. And Sinb got more embarassed doing it. "Aww, she's shy!" Yerin teased. 

"Yerin, Sinb!" Yuju called for them. Both turned around and looked at the redhead approaching. "I just wanted to say good bye now. I already excused myself with Umji and her parents that I'll be going off now."

"Wait, why?" Yerin asked. "Where are you going?"

"I need to surprise Umji when she gets home," Yuju answered confidently and winked. Sinb scoffed when she saw that but smiled after it. "Surprises should not end here you know?"

"Oh," Yerin remarked and patted Yuju as her good bye. "So they have plans after this. Oh why am I not informed?"

Sinb side glanced Yerin and chuckled. "You mean, you want to know if they will make love after this?" 

Yerin blushed and looked at Sinb. Why this---! But she was stopped when Sinb sealed her lips with a kiss. Oh girl. 

Then Sinb leaned away and whispered, "Why don't we go to someplace after this too?"

That made Yerin's face hot but now would they start making love after this. She does not want to get scolded by Dr. Kang again! "B-But Dr. Kang said w-we should..."

"Yah Byuntae!" Sinb said while smiling. "It's nothing like that! I was thinking of walking down the streets before going home or eat and shop elsewhere. You know, like a date?"

Oh. 

So much for thinking of y time. 

"Are you Hwang Sinb, asking me for an impromptu date?" Yerin asked teasingly and Sinb's ears went red. "You know it all depends on how you ask me."

Sinb leaned again and pecked her girlfriend's cheeks. "Who said I'm going to ask you? We're going a date whether you like it or you like it, Jung Yerin."

Yerin smiled as Sinb started dragging her out of the building to start their date.  

-oo0oo-

I'll be making the next update this Friday. For now, I hope you enjoy reading this one :)

Oh. I'm late to greet but still, Merry Christmas and may we have a good year ahead of us! 

Ciao!