“Remember how you told me you always wanted one of those stereotypical kisses in the rain?”

Byulyi doesn't know where the sudden burst of confidence came from, or how long it will last, but she figures she should try to run with it while it's here. Neither of them had been prepared for the sudden rainstorm that appeared during their meal at the new restaurant in town. Without any rain gear or even their phones, the pair had simply resigned themselves to trying to enjoy the steady rainfall as they walked back to their apartment building. Everyone else has long since sought shelter so it’s just the two of them soaked through and looking like a scene straight out of a drama. The opportunity was just too good for Byulyi to miss.

“Huh?” Yongsun looks caught off-guard by the sudden question, if not a little bewildered. She glances at Byulyi, but only holds eye contact for a moment before her gaze flits away to focus on anything and everything but the younger woman. “Yeah… it just always seemed so romantic. I've never really gotten to experience all that much romance.” She grimaces slightly. “Well, at least not romance that was real.”

Byulyi doesn’t fight her grimace that mirrors Yongsun’s as she realizes what she’s referring to. Eric is a great guy and an even better friend, but that wasn’t enough to make either of them like that show. She mentally shrugs off the topic and the bitter memories as they continue walking through the downpour.

“Well,” Byulyi pauses and looks at the ground, her uncertainty and fear rushing back in a wave. She forces herself to look back up and catches Yongsun's curious expression. Taking in the beautiful features she knows so well, she claws back the determination she felt moments ago and forces out the next line. “How about now? I’m sure I could make it super romantic.”

Yongsun's eyes widen and for a second Byulyi lets herself think it might've actually worked. But the moment ends too soon as disappointment flashes across Yongsun's face. Before Byulyi can begin to work out what exactly Yongsun is disappointed about, her question is answered by a groan from her best friend that Byulyi immediately recognizes. Knowing what's coming, she braces herself moments before she's swarmed by several quick punches and pushed away.

“You're too much.” Yongsun giggles and her face scrunches up into her signature smile. “You'd think all this rain would've washed at least some of the grease off of you by now.”

Normally this would've been enough for Byulyi. Seeing that beautiful smile from her best friend is enough to make her feel better on any day, and that over-the-top reaction that Byulyi is so good at getting is always enough to make her laugh along. But something today feels different. Her brain is still stuck on that flash of disappointment she swears she saw. It's not much but the same swell of confidence Byulyi felt earlier returns and something tells her that she just needs to try.

Byulyi stops walking. With her eyes trained on the ground in front of her, she just barely notices Yongsun stopping several steps ahead of her when she realizes Byulyi is no longer following her.

“Byul-ah?”

Yongsun calling her doesn't really register in Byulyi's mind because instead, her own thoughts seem to pick up speed as they race around in her head. She realizes that the truth is... she's tired. She's tired of dancing around on this line between best friends and something more. They've been doing it for so long that it's easy - too easy - to shrug everything off as playful and never think too hard about the feelings brewing underneath.

“Byul-ah, we can't just stand out here. We're already probably going to get sick from how long we've been walking in this rain.”

Byulyi doesn't want to shrug everything off anymore. She's been slowly realizing it for awhile, but she tried her best not to acknowledge it. Deep down she knows that it's been a long time since her greasy lines started becoming serious. That it's been a long time since saying “I love you” to her best friend started meaning something more than it used to. She hadn't realized before that she'd been slowly approaching a breaking point, but now that she knows she thinks she might already be there.

“Byul-ah?” Yongsun's voice now sounds concerned as she walks back to where Byulyi stands frozen. “Is something wrong?”

Before Byulyi can let herself chicken out again, before the safety of routine and what's easy can win out in her mind, she forces herself to speak.

“What if it did?” Byulyi suddenly snaps her head up as she says it, eyes monitoring Yongsun's reaction.

“It did?” Confusion spreads across Yongsun's face. “Did what? What are you talking about?”

Byulyi bites her lip nervously, but forces herself to maintain eye contact. “What if the rain did wash the grease away?” She sees Yongsun's eyebrows furrow as she tries to work out where the conversation is going. Byulyi clenches her fists, trying to hold on to that courage as it threatens to abandon her again. “What if… what if that happened a long time ago?”

Realization starts to dawn on Yongsun's face. “Byul-ah…” she calls Byulyi again but this time her voice is soft, apprehensive, scared. Byulyi understands because she's scared too, terrified even, but now that she's started she can't stop and the words tumble out.

“What if it never was just grease? What if I meant it, all of it?” Movement draws her gaze downward and she watches Yongsun take a step back. Panic flows through her body, rooting her to the spot and edging into her words, making them come out faster. “What if I was just scared of what you'd think? What… what everyone would think? What if it was just the easiest way, because even if it hurts sometimes, at least it kept things from getting too complicated? W-what if-” Byulyi unintentionally cuts off her own rambling as she starts to choke up. She can't bring herself to raise her eyes up far enough to see Yongsun's face, so all she knows is that her best friend hasn't moved since that initial step back.

The silence seems to stretch on forever though Byulyi knows it was likely only seconds. She feels tears begin to prick at the corners of her eyes, but she's not sure what emotion is causing them. Maybe it's the fear of what she's done - that she's finally tipped the delicate balance she and Yongsun had and now it'll all be over. Maybe it's the frustration of having held in these feelings for so long, and now the constant denial she kept inside for so long is what’s about to pour out of her eyes - no use for it anymore now that she's exposed herself like this. Maybe it's the sadness already building as she prepares herself for the worst. Yongsun's taking too long to respond and that step backward and away from her as Byulyi started pouring out her feelings resonates in her mind because things will never be the same now and her own best friend is scared of her now and-

“Byul-ah.”

The gentleness of Yongsun's voice is enough to calm the storm in Byulyi's mind. A soft hand cups her chin which makes Byulyi suddenly aware that Yongsun is now standing right in front of her. She briefly wonders how she could’ve missed that but isn't given time to think as the hand slowly lifts her face, forcing her to meet Yongsun's eyes for the first time since her panicked rambling began.

Yongsun's face is serious, conveying an intensity Byulyi usually only sees when the older woman fully assumes her leader role. Briefly worried that she's about to receive the scolding of her life, she breathes a mental sigh of relief when her best friend's features soften. She can tell that Yongsun's expression is still guarded, but the undertone of affection she's so used to seeing from her friend is still there. Byulyi clings to that affection, letting it give her hope that she hasn't ruined everything with her impulsive confession.

Expression still mostly unreadable and hand still holding Byulyi's chin captive, Yongsun slowly reaches up with the other to gently brush at the tears that escape the younger woman’s eyes. It's unnecessary, as the rain that continues to pour over them ensures Byulyi stays covered in droplets running down her face, but she appreciates the gesture anyway. It gives her another piece of hope to cling to. Another reason to believe that she won't lose her best friend over her screw-up.

The continued silence, however, is killing her. She can't bring herself to say anything else, sure that she'll only make everything worse. The extended eye contact with Yongsun's unreadable gaze only causes Byulyi to tense up even more. It feels like the older woman is staring straight through her and picking her apart in a way no one has ever done before. The urge to look away builds until Byulyi can't take it anymore and her eyes clench shut, forcing even more tears out.

“Byul-ah.”

Yongsun's call is barely above a whisper this time. Byulyi tries to respond but all she can manage is a small whimper she fails to stifle in time. Embarrassed, she keeps her eyes closed, trying to avoid the leader’s intense gaze for a little bit longer.

“Byul-ah, look at me.”

It's phrased like a command but it doesn't sound like one. The underlying pleading, the underlying want in Yongsun's voice is enough to draw Byulyi's eyes open to meet Yongsun's again. She hopes with her entire being that it isn't just wishful thinking and that she didn't imagine the emotion in those words.

“Did you mean it?” The emphasis Yongsun puts on the word did is slight but impossible for Byulyi to miss. She knows what her friend means. It's not just a question about tonight, but every other night. It's about every greasy line dealt with just a little too much emotion. Every joke with just a little too serious a meaning behind it. Every look that went on for just a little too long. Every touch that got just a little too intimate. Every one of those little things that they just shrugged off at the time, both of them unwilling to push their luck and take it any further.

On another night, a night where Byulyi hadn't just exposed herself in a panic-driven ramble, she knew this would be the time to crack one of her one-liners. Something silly and cringey, then they would both laugh and it would be business as usual for the pair. But it was too late for that now. She'd already taken the leap, and now she had no choice but to hope Yongsun would catch her. It was finally time to let herself be honest, both to Yongsun and to herself. Did she mean it? There was only one answer to that question.

“Yes.”

Suddenly feeling her fear return at the admission, Byulyi's eyes shut tightly yet again the moment the word leaves . She hears Yongsun's sharp intake of air but doesn't dare to look, afraid of what she might see.

The hand under Byulyi's chin finally moves but only to the side of her face, Yongsun's other hand finding the other side immediately. Surprised at the sudden intimate hold on her face, Byulyi's eyes snap open to meet the now teary ones of her best friend.

“I never thought… I- I hoped sometimes, but…” Yongsun trails off, unable to finish her sentence, but it's already more than enough to make Byulyi's heart race. Byulyi knows that there's so much more she wants to say, and so much more she wants to hear from Yongsun, but they've never been very good at expressing these kinds of emotional topics through words. Her hands move up to Yongsun's face, instinctively mimicking the hold on her own. The eye contact between them feels even more intense than before, but it’s now addicting rather than unbearable. She senses rather than sees the distance between them shrinking.

Before Byulyi can figure out her next move, she's beaten to it. Warm, wet lips suddenly rush forward to envelop her own. Her body responds automatically, her own lips immediately following the rhythm set by the older woman. Her hands slide down to settle comfortably on Yongsun's waist and pull their bodies closer together. As her mind struggles to start working again, Yongsun's hands travel behind Byulyi's head and tangle themselves in her hair, instantly derailing any thoughts as a shiver runs up her spine.

When they pull apart for air, Byulyi still feels dazed. The sound of Yongsun's giggle grounds her enough to focus and see the cheek-splitting grin on the older woman's face. She matches it with a grin of her own. Byulyi may not be able to form coherent thoughts at the moment, but she can feel the happiness and pure joy coursing through her veins.

“I... wow.” Byulyi's failed attempt at speaking earns her another laugh from Yongsun. She basks in the joy of the moment for a bit until her mind finally catches up, along with her nerves. “So... I guess we should talk about-”

Yongsun cuts her off by pressing a finger to her lips. “We will. But for now...” Yongsun's innocent smile morphs into a smirk she normally reserves for the camera, “shut up and kiss me.”

Byulyi is more than happy to oblige.