"Oh, you. About time you show up." Hyunjin greets her, tone oh so rich in sarcasm. Jungeun glances up just enough to see that Hyunjin is all dressed up, a little too much to just stay at home.

"Is Heejin in?" She avoids looking directly into Hyunjin's cat-like eyes. Her voice is menacing enough to her.

"Why do you want to know?" Hyunjin is now crossing her arms, standing still in between the opening of her front door. She leaves little to no space for the guest to take a peek inside.

"She won't answer my calls nor respond to my texts." She clears before swiping her tongue to wet her lips. "I'm worried if she is in trouble. Or something."

Hyunjin raises a brow. "If I were you I would worry for myself instead, Jungeun." In that moment, Jungeun accidentally makes an eye contact with her and Hyunjin doesn't let the chance to slip and glares at the ash-haired girl. "I think you are the one in trouble here."

"Can I see Heejin please?" Jungeun ignores Hyunjin's comment, trying to focus on her initial objective coming all the way up to the 12th floor of this apartment complex. She thinks the sweat on her forehead is enough of a proof.

"You just interrupt my little rendezvous with Miss Fluffy here." She gestures at the bread still in her hand. "So why would I let you have that luxury?" Hyunjin heaves a sigh before tearing the food with her front teeth. "Heejin doesn't want to see you right now." She proceeds to add with still full.

Jungeun runs a hand down her face. "Please, Hyunjin. Do me a favour." Jungeun finds herself slowly begging and she hates begging to the core. The matter at hand is that important to her.

Hyunjin continues to munch on her little snack until all that is left is the crumbs at the corner of her lips. "No. You do me a favour." She taps on Jungeun's forearm at every word. "Stop with this cycle, will you?" Hyunjin knows she has no business in this but she needs to take a measure to protect her best friend.

"I swear it wasn't intentional." Jungeun begins. "You know I won't hurt her on purpose." She carries on to plead her case.

Hyunjin just rolls her eyes. "You really need to come up with a new script, Jungeun. Even I am  getting tired of your excuses, I can't imagine just how dreadful it is for Heejin." Her eyes fleet to the general direction of Heejin's bedroom. "Either she is really that forgiving or she is just a fool in love. Ah, I can't decide." She fakes massaging her temple.

"Hyunjin, please..." Jungeun has so much pride in her but she opts to put it aside for now and bows at Hyunjin, her palms meeting at the front of her face to convey her desperate plead.

"Oh, my bad. We have two fools here actually." Hyunjin makes sure that statement reaches both Jungeun and Heejin or so she wishes. "You both are very much hopeless." She finally relents and takes a step back, pushing the door ajar behind her.

Jungeun moves her rigid body with so much hesitance and soon enough finds herself in the confine space of the apartment. "Where is she?" She asks in a low whisper.

Hyunjin just shrugs. "Dunno. We had dinner together earlier and then she's off into her room I think." She scrunches her face. "Wait, I had dinner, she refused to eat. I think she is full on her own tears then. Which is a shame." Hyunjin then makes her way to the pastel pink couch. "That pizza is heaven." She adds as an afterthought. Hyunjin  inhales a good amount of oxygen before she starts talking again. "Look, Jungeun. I'm in no way trying to tell you how to handle your relationship. Heejin loves you so much and I know it is mutual on your end, no one else could make her all smiles and happy like that but you. You treat her right, I'm aware. But the many times it actually matters, you always magically manage to ruin it for her. I know that's how relationships work, not all rainbows and unicorns but... you know what? You are a grown woman, I'm sure you understand my point."

Jungeun just stays silent, she receives quite an earful from Hyunjin and doesn't retaliate. The Kim Hyunjin is talking sense into her, that is saying something. And nothing coming from Hyunjin is based on lies or exaggerations, they are facts. Although, it definitely doesn't help in easing Jungeun's nerves and anxiety. If anything, Hyunjin has just successfully on doubling it up.

Jungeun averts her gaze to the lone brown door down the hall. It is not long before she hears a jingle of keys from behind her. "Where are you going?" She asks when she spots Hyunjin carrying her pouch bag with her.

The cat girl abruptly stops by the entrance. "A late night date of course." Hyunjin's giggle annoyingly reaches Jungeun's ears. "Because unlike Heejin, I have a sweet responsible girlfriend that never broke her promises as often as 31 times per month." She looks up at the ceiling out of nowhere. "Whoever is up there, thank you for gifting Jung Jinsoul to me."

That would have been sweet if Jungeun was innocent enough to believe that it is not a pure jab on her. Still, she thinks she deserves this. "You coming back later?" She gives Hyunjin a weary but hopeful look.

"Oh hey, won't you look at that." Hyunjin continues on with her mocking rampant. "I know what you have in your mind, you cheeky silver girl." She grabs her boots before putting them on. "If I didn't come home tonight, it would be because of Jinsoul's right way of treating me and definitely not for you two lovebirds." She gives one last glare at Jungeun before bringing the door to a close. "Good luck! You gonna need that!" Seems like this apartment unit doesn't have the irritation-resistant walls installed.

Jungeun rubs on her tired eyes and ears. A deep draw of her breath and off she is to approach her destination. Kim Hyunjin surely holds her out for a solid 20 minutes. She makes sure to get rid of the sweat on her palms with a swift move on either side of her jeans.

Jungeun then softly knocks on the wood separating her from the love of her life. "Heekki?" She tries once and her fear is instantly fulfilled, no sign of reply from the other end. Jungeun huffs a couple of times before making sure to knock in a firmer manner afterwards. "Baby, I'm not sure if you are asleep? But I know you are in there." It is still dead silent, save for Jungeun's labored breathing.

Jungeun recalls the entire unfateful day of hers, it makes her this close into believing that the entire universe is very much against her. She briefly remembers the tiny bits where Heejin would never failed to remind her of her then upcoming recital.

"You remember that recital I told you about the other day right?"

"Clear your schedule, love!"

"I'm so nervous, this is going to be my first stage with an actual audience. By actual, I mean you in the crowds."

"What do you think about that little snippet? Impressed yet? You're gonna be blown away on D-day though."

"Jungeunnie, promise you gonna be there?"

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♡♡♡ Heekki ♡♡♡
19:33   It could have been the perfect first big stage for me.
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And then it hit her like a truck the moment she read the content of that text message. Her heart dropped to the very core of the earth and her thumb instantly punched on the call button but she only had the mobile operator to greet her. Jungeun kept on trying but her efforts were proven futile.

That goddamn CEO's daughter birthday party.

She had a very long short-noticed training session with the company's new girl group that began as early as the wee hours. She actually received the call at 4:45 in the morning when in fact, she just got home around three hours beforehand (Jungeun had to laugh). All because the girls were behind the schedule and they were being quite handful to Jungeun. They were struggling to get a grasp on her choreography and Jungeun had to make sure she didn't lose both her brain cells and patience.

And by the time she finished with her super late lunch (five in the evening to be exact), she just had to run into her all smiling CEO, urging her to come with him to the party. Jungeun tried to flee, excuses dripping from her tongue but the old man didn't buy any of them. He insisted on introducing Jungeun to some of his business partners, to help her branches out outside of the company he said.

Jungeun grits on her teeth everytime the memory of the CEO's spoiled princess, name was Gowon or something, trying to occupy both her time and to an extent, her private space too, flashes at the back of her brain. The girl was being unnecessarily clingy from the moment her father introduced Jungeun to her. She knew attending that birthday party was a terrible idea from the very beginning.

It is a goddamn birthday party, who needs business partners on their guest list?!

As it turned out, Gowon was stuck to her side like how a glue would, only a lot more persistent and annoying. She was basically an by then. Jungeun only remembered about her promise right after she found comfort in the seat of her car, having fleed the cursed party using the back door. She sped her way through the traffic and almost cried her heart out when she saw a group of workers were already on their duty to clean the auditorium up.

She received the text not long after that and to say that she was devastated would be an understatement, with Heejin not letting her through the line and all. Jungeun hated that she was able to hear Heejin's tone through words alone. She was masking her disappointment in fear of hurting Jungeun with possible wrong choice of phrases. Jeon Heejin is selfless like that and she hates it.

And here she is, adding more to the list of 'why Jeon Heejin is better off without her'.

With Heejin giving no response to her, Jungeun tries her luck by turning on the door handle but it doesn't budge in the slightest which can only mean that Heejin has it locked from the inside. She glances at her wristwatch, it is twelve minutes past nine and she assumes that the younger girl is probably fast asleep. The image of Heejin crying herself to sleep adds more to Jungeun's already pulsating head.

Jungeun looks around the empty unit, a few options running at the back of her mind. She could just crash here and confront Heejin first thing in the morning or she could go home and sort this out later. But the thought of leaving Heejin by herself in the quite spacious apartment tonight doesn't sit well with her. She is pretty sure Hyunjin is not going to return home, or at least not as early as midnight. So if she leaves too it means that Heejin will be all alone. Although a sleeping Heejin is probably not even aware of that fact.

And then a wave of exhaustion washes over her. She can't remember the last time she had a decent rest. Her career path offers her a very rocky schedule. It can be as empty as the desert for weeks and it can also make her sleep deprived to the point of losing her mind.

Jungeun slides down against the wall, just beside Heejin's door. "I miss you." She whispers into open air, hoping for it to reach the sleeping beauty behind the door. "I know I make a terrible girlfriend." Jungeun is so occupied since the beginning of the month that she barely makes time for Heejin. Hyunjin is not blabbering nonsense she thinks, Heejin is way too forgiving. Had it been another person, Jungeun probably would never be given the chance for a long lasting relationship. "I don't think I deserve you at all." She sighs. "I'm so sorry about today. It was a big event and yet I... I  still managed to it up." Jungeun hits the wall with the back of her head, eyes closing as guilt engulfs her much further. "I...' Jungeun gulps a huge lump down . "... I love you so much."

Jungeun's head bobs up and down at first, trying to fight off the sleep. But it doesn't take long for her to finally surrender to her exhaustion.

She isn't sure how long has it been since she let the sleep to consume her but a stitched blanket drapping her all over makes her believe that a good amount of minutes has passed. Jungeun glances over to her left and sees the door is slightly ajar so she gets up to check, the warm blanket slowly sliding off her but Jungeun catches it just in time before it reaches the floor. The room is dark and with whatever minimal lighting that comes from the hall, Jungeun makes a conclusion that the bed is empty. And she can't see her object of interest anywhere in the closed space.

Jungeun decides to head for the living room and there is still no sign of life. Then she hears a rustle coming from the kitchen so Jungeun slowly makes her way there. Jungeun is half through the entrance of the kitchen when she finally spots the person she has been longing to see. Jungeun just stands still, watching as Heejin sifts through the fridge as if looking for something. Not more than 15 seconds later, Heejin straightens her back and frozen up before heaving a sigh.

"You could have sprained your neck sleeping like that." Heejin begins with her back still facing Jungeun, her tone is flat and almost disinterested. The fact that she managed to sense her presence is a little spooky to Jungeun. Heejin just closes the fridge with a light thud before moving to the cabinet on her right side. She appears to be continuing with her little search.

"I didn't realize either." Jungeun answers, her voice quiet. She then runs a hand through her messy locks.

Heejin huffs audibly against the hair that has fallen onto the front side of her face. "I think you know I don't like hospital visits." She leaves the cabinet, moving past Jungeun and headed for the living room. "Go home and get some proper rest." Heejin briefly suggests when her left shoulder lightly brushes against Jungeun's.

"Heekki..." Jungeun calls out, following after Heejin. "Are you mad at me?" She knows it is a dumb question to ask but Heejin's passive-aggressiveness makes her super antsy. Jungeun rather to have Heejin shouting and let her frustration out right on her face.

Heejin is busy with her mobile phone after that, face scrunches up into different emotions. "Why should I be?" There it is. Heejin still refuses Jungeun's eye contact. She is always moving to avoid facing Jungeun directly. She hears Heejin muttering somthing that sounds like 'this woman really inhaled everything up' under her breath.

"You have a valid reason to feel so." Jungeun's breath is heavy. "Baby, I'm-" Heejin swiftly makes a beeline towards her bedroom, not letting Jungeun to finish.

She comes out of the room a few minutes later, this time she has a sweater on and Jungeun is beyond puzzled. "I don't know why that cat girl let you in and left right after. But I'm leaving too. So, go get some rest at home."

Heejin then opens the front door but paused at that. It takes Jungeun awhile to notice that Heejin is waiting for her to leave. She reluctantly places the blanket on the couch. Heejin doesn't want her here and she has to respect that. They get into the elevator together in silence but the tension is definitely there. "Where are you going?" Jungeun can't help her curiosity. She watches as the floor indicator on the elevator finally stops at 'G'.

"I need some fresh air. And something for my empty stomach." Heejin remains emotionless but at least she still verbally acknowledges Jungeun's presence. Jungeun continues to follow after Heejin's trail and eventually comes to a halt when Heejin suddenly turns around to face her. "What are you doing?"

She has been dating Heejin for more than three years and yet she always get stunned at how effortlessly enchanting Heejin managed to look everytime. Jungeun finds herself staring at Heejin's sculptured features a little too long but she can't stop all the same. When she snaps out of her trance at last, Heejin is looking at her weirdly. "What?" Jungeun asks, still very much in daze.

The younger opens to say something but just shakes her head at the end. "Never mind." She turns on her heels and glares at Jungeun over her right shoulder. "Go home." She repeats again.

Jungeun just let Heejin strides away from her before pulling on her hoodie and continues to follow after her girlfriend. Heejin is not any smaller than her but her back somehow still looks cute to Jungeun and she can't help the sick puppy smile on her face. After around two minutes of walk, she sees Heejin stopping by her favorite convenience store, where she assumes Heejin is going to get her food from. Jungeun chooses to sit at one of the outdoor tables, the farthest one from the store's entrance. The chilly night air hits her and Jungeun shivers at the contact, hugging on her own frame afterwards. She is thankful that she is off work for the next two days. But even if she has to work she is already calculating to just call in sick. Jungeun wants to at least make things right with Heejin before she gets busy again.

It doesn't take long for Heejin to reemerge from the store with both of her hands occupied. Jungeun attempts to look away in fear of Heejin seeing her face but she notices that Heejin is already strutting towards her direction. Crap.

"You think I won't recognize you just because you turn your face away?" She can tell Heejin is looking at her incredulously. A few seconds later, Jungeun hears a soft thud on the table and a cup of warm instant coffee appears in her line of sight. "I just realized I bought the wrong one." Heejin speaks up, a soft sigh leaves her. "I don't want it to go to waste, you can have it instead." The younger girl's tone remain stoic.

Jungeun inspects the cup from the corner of her eyes and easily recognizes it since it is a brand of her favorite. If Heejin indeed purchased it wrongly, then it must have been out of habit since she always gets it from the stores for Jungeun. But Jungeun's theory stands for only less than a minute when she sees Heejin drinking from a different cup, one that holds her own favorite green tea. There is no way Heejin intended to buy herself two separate beverages like that.

Jungeun then half expected for the girl to take a seat or make her way back to her apartment. But instead, she goes down a path that takes her further away. Instinctively, Jungeun grabs the coffee and empties the cup in one go without much thought. It is truly a foolish decision on her side since the liquid is still a little too warm and the inside of is now burning like mad. Jungeun desperately trying to cool off her tongue all the while making sure she is not too far behind.

The walk is familiar to Jungeun, Heejin and her used to spend a lot of time sitting in front of the store and munch on snacks together (Heejin entertains to Jungeun's appetite very well), sharing set of laughters, banters and flirts in between. Then they would take a stroll together, most of the times hand in hand and on some rare occassions Heejin would be enveloped in her arm. The fact that Heejin is nowhere near her proximity right now tugs at her heart strings. Heejin is barely reachable within invisible walls she had built overnight and Jungeun's fear of her slipping away from her grasp is growing.

"I remember telling you to go home, Kim Jungeun." Heejin says, loud enough for Jungeun to hear from behind her. She spuns on her heels to give a pointed look at Jungeun. Instead, she is caught off guard at the sight of Jungeun acting all silly by herself when in reality she is writhing in pain. "Wha--"

Jungeun stops just before she collides into Heejin's frail figure, eyes soften at Heejin's cute offended look and begone all of the physical pain she was feeling. She is unsure about what has gotten into her but she speculates that her brain is probably already short-circuited by then. "I'm home, Jeon Heejin." Jungeun's voice is a little unclear due to her numb tongue and there is a hint of mist escaping from the chilly air around them. But her heart is still very much warm because of a certain girl.

Jungeun witnesses as Heejin's orbs changing and the girl is quick to turn around before cupping her face with both of her hands. Heejin's shoulders are shaking violently and Jungeun is a lost cause then. "I can't believe you just said that." She comments, moving away from Jungeun as fast as she can.

Jungeun is stunned at the sudden event. Was that Heejin laughing? Heejin, her Heejin was laughing? Wow, okay. When she finally snaps out of it, she jogs a little to catch up to Heejin who is already on the other side of the road. It is getting late and the traffic is conveniently empty so it gives a sense that the space and moment is exclusive to only both of them. Heejin is running away from her but in a way, the invitation to run after her looks almost intentional.

Soon enough, they both arrive at a vacant playground. It is usually crammed during the day, with kids and teenagers running around the park and fighting for the swings and what not. The pair loved to come here during night time just to spend more time with each other. Jungeun wonders how can the time flies so fast.

Heejin settles herself on one of the swingset, giving it a light push using both of her feet. She sways back and forth, having her gaze locked on her worn out loafers.

Jungeun sees the solemn look on her girlfriend's face and her stomach churns. The fact that she causes it makes her silently wishes for a truck to run over her flat. A deep sigh and she takes her place on another swing to Heejin's left.

"I remember getting spooked at how enermous the auditorium was when I first got there." Jungeun hears as Heejin begins in a hush voice, almost whispering. She wanted to interrupt but eventually decided to let Heejin speaks her mind first. "I got cold feet afterwards and almost pulled out of the recital. I kept rethinking about it over and over again. But then I was reminded that that was my dream all along, to perform in front of a huge audience. So, I braced myself. Because at the back of my mind I didn't want to let myself down, I didnt want to let everyone who has been supporting me down. As far as my parents' conditional support goes, someone else's goes beyond all that. She trusted in me when nobody else did, she picked me up when everyone else just watched me stumble down, she provided me comfort when I was at the verge of giving up because of the overloading stress and... she had been nothing but an amazing support system. So when my big day finally came, I wanted her to be there first and foremost. I wanted to show her just how far I've come, I wanted to make her proud. But I guess... I can't have it all..." Heejin breathes out the last sentence, a dejected expression plastered on her face this time.

Jungeun's stomach sinks even further, she feels sick of her own self. "I know sorry won't cut it so I'll save it... I'm totally at fault this time, I don't even have an acceptable excuse... It is just me- I  wish I wasn't as careless." Both of her hands bolt up to grip on her head, her cold fingertips send her dizzy. "I just want you to know that I have a very deep regret over this. All I ever wanted was to make you happy but I'm lacking so much it's pathetic..."

Heejin visibly flinches at that, she feels warmth b at the base of her eyes and she subtly looks up to avoid them from leaking over. She lets a heavy moment of silence to veil over them. Heejin doesn't trust herself to speak in this condition.

But after a good amount of time is gone, Heejin finally finds her voice again. "I don't know if I can do this anymore." She sighs.

Jungeun will never deluded herself into believing that she never saw this coming. Heejin is a human being with feelings, she obviously can only takes up so much before she finally reaches her breaking point. But she never imagined that to actually hear it from Heejin would feel like having countless of sharp daggers being thrown at her. She doesn't want to lose Heejin but that will be selfish of her, Heejin deserves to be happy with her out of the picture. Part of Jungeun slowly leaves her, she feels like dying on the spot. "I understand if you wann- oomfh-"

Jungeun feels her frame being crushed by Heejin right after the younger girl pulls her unsuspecting self into an embrace. Jungeun has no idea when Heejin left her swing either. "I didn't know if I could do that any longer, forcing myself not to just lunge at you with you right in front of me since 40 minutes ago was hellish enough." Heejin's warm breath hits Jungeun's nape as the girl buries her face there. "But I know now. I can't."

"Wait, wha-" Jungeun is so thrown off by her own misjudgment, she literally has zero idea of what is going on anymore. Despite all that, she brings her arms up to return the hug and let herself to bask in Heejin's warmth.

Heejin clearly remembers the sight of an exhausted Jungeun sprawled outside of her room, neck craned to the right in a very uncomfortable manner. Jungeun must have had a very busy day at work. She remembers kneeling to be on eye level with Jungeun and almost waking the girl up but didn't have the heart to disturb her sleep. Plus, she was supposed to be angry at Jungeun so confronting her was the last thing she should be considering at that moment. Still, she didn't want Jungeun to catch a cold hence why she made sure to keep her warm with her favorite blanket.

Heejin is well aware about Jungeun's dedication towards her career. A dream she had been chasing after long before Heejin crossed her path, the one she achieved through constant disapproval of her parents to the point she got casted away from her own household. Jungeun is working hard not only for herself but also to prove her worth and capabilities, to prove her tears and sweats aren't pointless. And more importantly, to provide for herself and her future. By rule, Heejin has the right to be disappointed yet she knows better than to let Jungeun's inattentiveness to cloud her judgment.

"I missed you." Heejin barely whispers right beside Jungeun's ear, her voice raw like she is slowly losing it. She tightens her grip on her girlfriend as if to make up for every moment they were apart due to conflicting schedules.

Jungeun plants a light kiss on Heejin's temple. The girl smells a lot like lavender. And home. "I missed you too, Heekki." She sways them both lightly, appreciating the way their hearts beating against one another. "It is really a regret for me to miss your big performance today. I'm very sorry, I should have been there."

When Heejin doesn't respond, she takes a peek to check on her but there is no sign that indicates anything alarming. "Hyunjin was there right? Does she have it on tape?" Jungeun asks genuinely.

"Even if she got it recorded, you are not allowed to view it." Heejin's voice is stern. She shifts so that her face is facing away from Jungeun's.

Jungeun automatically pouts. "But why..."

"It is a mandatory for you to watch it before your own eyes, Kim Jungeun." She simply answers. 

It somehow frustrates the older girl. "Which means I could never because the dumb me missed it." She sighs heavily. "Still, I'm sure you did well. And I want you to know that I'm proud of you, sweetheart."

Heejin can't help the smile growing on her face. "Of course I did well. A little too well actually."

"Mhm? Too well how?"

Heejin slowly detaches herself from Jungeun. "Too well, to the point that I got handpicked by the director for the extended encore in two weeks time." 

Jungeun's jaw drops at that. "Oh. My. God. Seriously?! Heejin, I can't be any prouder!" Jungeun tackles Heejin into another hug, lifting the girl off her feet to turn her around in circle. "I will make sure to be there this time."

As soon as she puts her down, Heejin's fit of giggles greets Jungeun's ear. "Yeah, you better be." The tranquility of fire behind Jungeun's brown orbs is so inviting that Heejin finds her own lips meeting Jungeun's in a light kiss. "But that doesn't mean you are forgiven just yet." A sudden distance appears between them.

The older girl is left confused. "Wha- what do you mean?"

"You still have some explanations to do. Where were you the entire day?" Heejin squints her eyes, hands gripping her hips. "You couldn't be working 24/7."

"Well..." And Jungeun begins recollecting every minute of her day. Trying her best to form logical clarifications instead of coming up with excuses.

By the time she finished talking, all she sees is a disbelief look on Heejin. "I can't believe..." Heejin whispers, her eyes wild.

"I know right? I can't believe I got unluck-"

"I can't believe you missed my stage and instead, were flirting with some blondie on her pitiful excuse of a birthday party!" There is a virtual fuming gas coming out from Heejin's ear.

"Flirting? Wait, that's not what happened." Jungeun attempts to calm her girlfriend down but all she gets in return is a set of punches on her arm by Heejin's rather small fists. "Heekki!"

"No, don't wanna hear."

"But, Heekki-"

"Go back to your blondie!"

Her beloved girlfriend is already stomping away from the playground angrily and it makes Jungeun let out a tormented sigh. A jealous Heejin is so much harder to handle compared to the one she confronted earlier.

"Jeon Heejin..."

It is going to be a long night for her. She hopes Hyunjin is not going to greet her on the front door later.