yongsun looks forward to seeing wheein at the train station again, even more so now that she knows she can approach the latter without looking like a creep. she steps into the train, expecting wheein to arrive in a few seconds. sure enough, she sees the younger rushing into the train just a few seconds later, out of breath. 

“late again, i see,” yongsun teases when wheein is next to her, panting. 

“it’s not my fault the bus came late! at least i made it in time,” even though she’s tired and her legs are aching, wheein still gives yongsun a sweet smile. this was what yongsun liked so much about her, that no matter how tired she was, she would still give her best. yongsun admired that, she admired how wheein was able to do that with a smile every day. she couldn’t imagine how tiring it must be, to hide everything and pretend that everything was fine. and although she didn’t know wheein that well, she knew enough to know that the younger woman wasn’t always this happy, cheerful puppy. yongsun had always worn her heart on her sleeve, she cried when she felt like it, and she was never really good at hiding her feelings. wheein, however, was the complete opposite. she chose to keep all her emotions to herself, to only let them out when she couldn’t take it anymore, and when she was by herself. 

the two women talk, and anyone who saw them would’ve thought they had been friends for a long time. they laughed, smiled, and were happy. this was pure and innocent, truly the beginning of a beautiful friendship that would surely blossom. it was like they knew each other from the moment they met, like they understood each other without having to use words. it was like they were fated, bound by the heart and soul. 

yongsun is delighted to find out that wheein will perform at serenity almost every week as she had gathered quite a big crowd the last time she performed. it went without saying that yongsun was a part of the crowd who loved wheein’s voice. in fact, she was head over heels for the smaller woman, but of course she would never admit that out loud. everything about wheein attracted her, and it was making yongsun very, very confused. how could she have fallen for someone in two months, let alone someone she didn’t even know until less than a week ago? 

but wheein, god, jung wheein. she was just so perfect. so damn perfect in everything she did, and that only made yongsun like her more. she’s starting to wonder if there’s anything that wheein can’t do. 

“do you have any original songs?” yongsun can’t help but ask. 

“i have a few, but none are really completed. it’s just hard, y’know? when you have no inspiration, the lyrics mean nothing. and when the lyrics mean nothing, the song means nothing. i sing to bring emotions out of people, to let them feel the melodies and hear the lyrics, because what’s a love song without its heartbreaking lyrics?” yongsun nods in reply, she would’ve never thought that wheein was this passionate about singing. it was just one more admirable thing to like about wheein. 

three days seem to pass so quickly when their daily train rides together pass quickly too. somehow, when you’re beside someone you really like, time flies past and you’re happier than you have been since a long time ago. this is what yongsun feels since she started talking to wheein. before she knows it, she finds herself on the train with wheein almost an hour earlier than the usual time. she had assured wheein that she would accompany her to serenity earlier so she could prepare, but she was really just looking for a an excuse to spend more time with her. 

soon, they’re in the back room of serenity, with yongsun putting her bag down and wheein taking her guitar out of its case. she starts strumming, and yongsun sits opposite her, staring with amazement as wheein practises. even though she’s just practising, her voice still made yongsun have butterflies in her stomach. 

she looks so pretty like this, yongsun thinks. with her eyes closed and the lyrics flowing smoothly out of into the silence, and with her gentle hands holding the guitar, her fingers dancing across the strings, yongsun committed this image of wheein to her memory. too soon, half an hour has passed, and yongsun has to work while wheein has to perform. but even though their jobs are hard and tiring, even though they do the same thing almost every day, when they find each other’s eyes in the crowd, everything seems to disappear. and wheein is left on the stage, suddenly the audience is not in front of her, and yongsun is the only person in the room. and as cliché as it sounds, it’s like they’re the only two people in the room, and wheein sings. she sings to yongsun, to the crowd she can’t see anymore, because yongsun was the only person that mattered now. and yongsun falls, falls deeper into wheein’s eyes, into her voice and the beautiful sound of her guitar. she falls just a little bit more into everything of wheein, every single day, and she only hopes that when she finally reaches the end, wheein will be there to catch her. 

when she finishes her set, she’s gathered an even bigger crowd than the first time. she smiles and thanks them for their support, then walks off the stage. yongsun can’t take her eyes off her, she doesn’t even care if she’s not doing her job properly. okay, maybe she does a little, but wheein was way more important than her job at this moment. 

just a few minutes later, wheein is back at the counter, ordering an iced mocha. she orders something different, interesting. this time, yongsun dares to put a heart after wheein’s name on the cup. she slides the drink across the counter to wheein, smiling. 

“i’ll wait at a table somewhere there, okay?” wheein doesn’t wait for a reply and leaves, but not before thanking yongsun for the drink. déjà vu, yongsun thinks. 

the train ride back is one of comfortable silence, each of them sitting beside the other, as if they were listening to each other’s heartbeats in the silence. but there was no point in that, because their hearts were already beating as one, as it had been since the day they met. and as the train travels into the distance, the sun sets, casting the sky in a shade of pretty, dusty pink. and in the silence, their hands find each other’s in the cold air, warming their hearts like a cup of warm milk. with intertwined hands, and a cup of iced mocha in the other, they hold on. and even though they don’t say it aloud, their hearts seem to beat the rhythm of a song. 

what do i do

if i don’t have you?

my heart will have no home

to lean comfortably on

but i leave my heart empty for you

though i know it will be a bit hard

i will always be standing here

so you can think about it slowly

‘cause i’m your home, home, home, home

the place where you can cry

the place where you can come to

— 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖 | 𝕤𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟

they hold onto what’s left of each other, onto the last part of their shattered hearts that haven’t given up the fight, and they will never let go.