After Wheein left the house with a lopsided grin and her recent companion, Moonbyul settled in comfortably in front of her girlfriend.

“Well, I for one am glad you two solved whatever that was,” Her voice pierced through the frosty air.

Yongsun hummed out a response. Byul’s forehead creased at the remarkably quiet woman, she was expecting a scolding for locking her girlfriend with her best friend in a room but the woman was oddly absentminded.

“Are you planning my murder or-?“ Byul joked but the woman was unaware of the humor in her voice. With a sigh, Byul slid into a seat beside her girlfriend.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered, her voice barely audible to the elegant woman beside her despite no one was near.

“I can’t stop thinking about Wheein,” she muttered distractedly.

“You’re already falling in love with her?” Byul attempted joke went unnoticed by the older woman.

“Don’t you find it strange? Why would Wheein suddenly want to deliver these pastries personally? She never wanted to go back into those woods after incident yet out of nowhere she volunteered to do this?”

Before Byul could interject, Yongsun continued.

“And then the conversation we had this morning? It’s been 11 years since she dared to speak about what happened; even I don’t know exactly what happened that night! Something is different Byul…”

Byul knew that Wheein was a defiant woman; she was strong and capable of much, but one thing she was not good at was being honest. Wheein would ignore her problems, indulging herself in numerous distractions if it meant she would not have to deal with it personally. Byul wondered if that’s how Wheein was still so bubbly after the incident, truthfully Byul would not have bounced back as strongly as Wheein was. But Wheein was Wheein, and Byul was Byul. 

The silver-haired woman tentatively wrapped an arm around the brunette. She may not possess the answers that Yongsun needed, but she would perpetually be Yongsun’s rock. It was not only her duty as a girlfriend but a best friend. Yongsun suffered greatly with guilt from the event, and it would be nefarious if her problems surfaced when her girlfriend and best friend required the most of her.

“This is what she needs unnie, healing. And perhaps you do too. You were right that she never mentioned the incident after this but something changed, for the better I hope.” Byul postulated.

Yongsun tucked her head into Byul’s benign embrace, her problems mitigated as the scent of honey imbued her.

For all Byul knew, Wheein was incandescent, but her inability to share these feelings would be her biggest downfall. Byul pondered if Wheein spending more time alone and near the site of her trauma would serve as therapeutic. 

☾

I’ll see you tomorrow.

Medusa hardly got any sleep last night. Perhaps it was due to an incessant voice that promised something that Medusa may or may have not thought too much about. She hadn’t cared for the brunette if she was being candid. Caring meant getting hurt. Caring meant being vulnerable. Caring meant she was human. And Medusa was not human, Athena may sure of that years ago.

So instead of dwelling on trivial matters such as Wheein, Medusa went for a swim. And then a walk, then a run, and then suddenly she was back in her chair with her heart twanged with hope. She did not like this routine.

Medusa stared out the window wistfully, she was a fool back then and she was still one now. The girl could’ve been lying, especially with her little insinuation; however, Medusa found that Wheein’s proclivity for small creatures was too ridiculous to be some type of fib. Despite the younger woman’s naive persona, Medusa would not fall for her dubious tricks. If she were to show herself and that dreadful creature here again Medusa would assure she would be the first and last person to escape her home.

☾

“Okay Ggomo, take me to the home of that helpful lady!”

Wheein smiled giddily and waited for some type of sign that Ggomo had started the route though her question was answered moments later when he rubbed his fur against her ankle.

The brunette had a knack for getting into trouble, and sometimes being a bit too impulsive for Moonbyul or Yongsun’s liking; especially since she was a blind woman depending on a kitten currently. Either Zeus was playing favorites or she was incredibly lucky that she hadn’t been robbed, kidnaped, or a combination of both.

“Aw Ggomo, can’t you just do me this favor once? Pretty please…I wanna see the pretty lady again!”

Ggomo eeped out a response, Wheein doubted it was the one she wanted.

Wheein sighed with frustration, yet she was still persevering. “I owe her a thank you at least...”

And then suddenly as if Ggomo had detected Wheein’s desire to encounter the other woman again, he was possessed with a sense of direction and alerted his owner it was time to give the “thank you” she wanted.

Wheein broke into a crooked grin, gathered her materials, and set off to a route that was going to be very frequent soon.

In lieu of heeding to the other woman’s request (well it was more of like a command, but request sounded much nicer in Wheein’s mind), she still stuck to her mannerism. And it was if someone helped you, you had to give a proper thank you. And a proper thank you meant her cheerful self-peruse that she hoped the older woman would enjoy, and a basket of freshly baked pastries she baked.

Wheein followed Ggomo with her heart thumping along her footstep, she was unsure if this was due to her lack of exercise in years or maybe it was the idea of seeing the older woman again.

Wheein hadn’t figured out why she was so infatuated with the woman, maybe it was the way the woman was so prim and stern that Wheein wanted to know what made her that way or what made her smile. The brunette thought the woman would have a beautiful smile, even if the way she spoke always had a melancholic tone to it. 

When Ggomo finally came to a halt, Wheein was unfortunately pulled out of her reverie. She was saddened at that but then her main goal came to mind again and her notorious dimples returned. The way to the older woman had been much shorter than she remembered but the thought was replaced by Ggomo abruptly sprinting again.

Wheein had to work out soon.

“Ggomo wait up!”

With caution thrown to the wind, Wheein ran for the first time in ten years, and she was doing pretty well considering she was running against rocky terrain.

Wow, maybe I am pure luck-

Nope.

She was wrong. 

Her heart caught in as she felt the pebble stubble away, had she stepped an inch forward she could’ve avoided the mischievous rock but her cockiness had proven to finally catch up to her. Her heartbeat suddenly slowed and that gut retching feeling when you knew you screwed up big time permeated her; and