Despite being a rather cold night, Eunji is far too warm to avoid being sleepy. Her eyes grow heavier by the second and it only gets worse when she snuggles her face into Chorong's neck. She expects her to shift uncomfortably but Chorong is staring too hard at the screen to acknowledge the change in position. It’s only when Eunji whispers against her skin that Chorong turns to glance at her.

 

“Should I get off your lap?” Chorong asks softly, cupping the side of her chin in one hand.

 

Eunji shakes her head sleepily, feeling herself close her eyes for too long whenever she blinked. Chorong giggled slightly at the look on her face, but eventually directed her eyes back when there was a loud bang from the speakers. The main character dashed across the screen to run after his beloved and Chorong immediately gazed on with glittering eyes. Eunji half-wished she could see Chorong's lovestruck expression in that moment but her thoughts were too groggy to even fulfill much of her desires.

 

To be truthful, she’d been the one who suggested watching a movie in hopes that she could make her move in the quiet darkness but Chorong ended up enjoying the movie too much for her to interrupt with her naughty hands. After what felt like hours on end, the main characters of the movie finally shared their long awaited first kiss in the pouring rain. Eunji remained hidden in Chorong's warmth, unaware that the movie was coming to a close and Chorong stared blankly at the credits when they finally made their appearance.

 

“Eunji?” Chorong called hollowly, not shifting to face Eunji and separate their bodies.

 

“Mm?” Eunji's response was more of a bland hum than anything but Chorong took her time to drawl out her words.

 

“Can we have our first kiss on our two month anniversary?” Chorong bit her lip in anticipation but was relieved when Eunji hummed in agreement from behind her.

 

She felt her muscles relax again and she let herself drift off into sleep in Eunji's arms, satisfied with the sweet promise she had lulled in her mind for over a week now.

 

“Love you.”

 

“Love you more.”

 

days before their two month anniversary…

 

“Wake up!”

 

Eunji tries to block out the familiar voice from her ears but she knows it won’t be long before she’s practically dragged off her bed.

 

“Five more mi–” Eunji starts, only to feel a sharp pain in her back.

 

“Get up!” Chorong says in a threateningly singsong tone.

 

Eunji is more or less terrified but she’s defied Chorong enough to keep up being a rebel. She rolls lazily on her back and blinks slowly a couple of times before grinning stupidly up at Chorongs glare.

 

“What do I get for getting up?” Eunji has a mocking smirk when Chorong raises a brow and slaps her arm again.

 

“OW! Okay, okay! I’ll get up.” Eunji flings forward as Chorong continues to slap her.

 

“Ack!” Chorong abruptly shrieks when Eunji throws the blanket off of her.

 

“What?! What is it?” Alarmed, Eunji stands up and starts scanning the room for whatever has scared her easily frightened girlfriend.

 

When her head swivels back, she finds Chorong flushed bright red and her hands covering her eyes in desperation. It takes a couple seconds to process, but Eunji finally realizes the problem. Another confident yet smug grin stretches across her face as she resettles on her wrinkled covers. She lets herself pry Chorong's fingers from her face and gently through the tangles of her hair. Chorong's eyelids immediately flutter shut again in alarm.

 

“Aw, come on.” Eunji laughs gently and tries again, “You don’t need to be embarrassed. I know you secretly like that I sleep .”

 

Eunji wiggles her eyebrows and tugs at Chorong's arm again. She automatically jerks away from Eunji's grasp and wobbles to stand up in her most intimidating stature. Eunji tries not to burst out in laughter at how cute she is.

 

“S-shut up!” Chorong stammers. She struggles to catch her balance but practically pounces to open the door, “Just put on some clothes and come downstairs for breakfast.”

 

She takes her leave clumsily, fumbling with the door knob and hesitating to shut the door before scurrying off to her own apartment. Eunji actually lived only a floor above her and Chorong shared her apartment with her roommate, Bomi. Bomi and Eunji got along well enough but Eunji would be lying if she didn’t feel a little jealous about Bomi's closeness to her girlfriend. Bomi and Chorong were best friends since college and they had been roommates ever since. And it doesn’t help that Bomi is single despite possessing quite attractive charms in Eunji's opinion.

 

Eunji lets out a low sigh and throws open her closet door. She doesn’t take too long to wash up and throw on a random button up with the most comfortable pants she could locate. After glancing at the mirror briefly, she snagged her favorite coat off the hanger and jogged downstairs to Chorong's apartment. The door is unlocked as usual and there’s this warm feeling that fills her the second she steps into the sparkling clean home.

 

“What did you make today?” Eunji asks as she drapes her coat onto the nearest chair by the door. Bomi looks up from the dining table and grins cheerily at her appearance, waving her over to take a look at Chorong's newest creation.

 

“It’s pancake souffles with whipped cream!” Bomi mumbles through a mouthful of whipped cream.

 

She puts two thumbs up and happily begins digging into her plate again. Eunji chuckles lightly and takes a seat next to her, smiling brightly when she finds Chorong shuffling about in the kitchen. After some clattering, she slides another plate of pancakes in front of Eunji and joins them with her own cup of coffee. A delicious smell wafts under Eunji's nose and she can’t help but jump eagerily at the thought of the hearty breakfast.

 

“It might be a little soggy because you woke up so late.” Chorong shoots in irritation but Eunji responds with a cheeky whine.

 

“You know it’ll taste good anyways.” Before Chorong can protest, Eunji places a forkful of the pancakes into .

 

She hums in delight, nodding her head and clapping hands with Bomi just to annoy Chorong a little bit more. Chorong sips at her coffee and tries to ignore the two children but eventually breaks them up with an electric glare. Bomi sits back first, eating up the last bite of her pancakes before clearing out to her room. She was quite considerate when it came to giving the couple alone time.

 

“Can you bring home chicken feet tonight?” Chorong asks suddenly as she watches Eunji eat.

 

“Are you craving it again?” Eunji sprays some more whipped cream onto the last few bites.

 

Chorong just bobs her head with wide eyes, leaning a little too forward. Without a second to lose, Eunji steals a kiss on her forehead and gets up from her seat. It was just a peck, but it leaves Chorong blushing and startled.

 

“Chicken feet for the beautiful lady coming right up!” Eunji gives one last charming smile before skipping over to the front door with her coat, “And thanks for breakfast!”

 

that night…

 

“Your spicy chicken feet order for my future sister-in-law is ready!” Namjoo appears from behind the counter with a plastic bag and exaggerates her politeness as she passes Eunji her food.

 

Namjoo, who also happens to be Eunji's step-sister, never misses a chance to tease Eunji about Chorong even if it means that she’s basically putting her life on the line every time. She shrinks away a little but finds that Eunji simply raised a displeased brow at her as she plopped the plastic bag back onto the counter.

 

“I ordered half and half,” Eunji said bluntly and watched as Namjoo went through numerous expressions of shock, confusion, and frustration before settling back down into a haughty stance.

 

“Oh Hayoung!” Namjoo shouted back into the kitchen and scowled when she noticed Eunji falling back against her seat in laughter.

 

She didn’t have to be a genius to predict what would happen next. Namjoo had recently hired a new high school part-timer though the girl looked as if she were already in her mid twenties. They clicked well but Hayoung wasn’t the most organized sort despite her ambition.

 

“Oh Hayoung!”

 

“Yes?” Hayoung pops out from the side door, flinging the mop ahead of her as she rushes to the counter. Namjoo is midway to scolding her when Hayoung catches sight of Eunji and waves excitedly at her.

 

“You’re still here?” Hayoung asks before sharing a complicated handshake with Eunji that leaves Namjoo gaping.

 

“When’d you guys get close?” Namjoo chokes out, pointing accusingly at the two. Hayoung shrugs and lets Eunji do the talking.

 

“I would answer but it’s already ten o’clock and I’m starting to think that Chorong may be getting ready to sleep.” Eunji tapped her watch with a sly smile, “I’ll just take this incorrect order for free and get going.”

 

“Yeah, you really need to avoid getting yourself killed by your girlfriend,” Hayoung says as she exchanges another wink with Eunji. Namjoo doesn’t take her eyes off of Eunji as she jauntily stalks out the door into the night.

 

“She didn’t actually order half and half, did she?” Namjoo grumbles, suddenly realizing that she had let herself get scammed.

 

Hayoung raises her head innocently, “I played no role in her evil scheme.”

 

“Then why didn’t you say you took the right order!” Namjoo scowled and chased Hayoung back into the kitchen; it didn’t help that Hayoung couldn’t stop laughing.

 

. . . . .

 

Eunji practically sprints home at her fastest speed without jumbling all the food contents she was carrying. She was rarely successful in keeping the takeout from spilling but at this point, even Chorong was used to eating through the mess that Eunji usually brought home.

 

Though Eunji rushed every day, she was especially speeding back because she had finished recording her newest song so late. She never spent too much time in the studio after she started dating Chorong but the fluttering feelings were also different inspirations that spouted fresh creativity and lyrics packed with emotion. Eunji was better than ever at jotting down the melodies and it led to a higher demand that she spend more hours planning for a comeback.

 

Either way, Eunji was determined to keep her meetings with Chorong regular and plentiful so when she finally found herself standing in front of her door, she didn’t hesitate to punch in the door code and burst inside. She tried to stay quiet, just in case anyone was asleep. It felt as if there was no one there with her and just as it was getting a little too eerie, Eunji noticed that Bomi's room door was open.

 

She shrugged to herself and tossed the plastic bag on the table, tiptoeing over to ask if Chorong had already gotten ready to sleep. She had to stop herself from stumbling backward when she peeked inside. Bomi and Chorong were sitting on the bed, lips locked gingerly in a tender kiss.

 

They were so focused on their quiet moment that Eunji was able to slip away, wiping away tears that instantly came raining down her cheeks. In a strange sense, she was so numb to the situation that she couldn’t figure out why she was crying nor could she get rid of the knot stuck in . She felt like her world was crashing down on her, her heart ripping to a million pieces, all emotions drained but also amplified, and all she could really ask herself was “Why?”

 

Sleep didn’t reach her that night. She tried to reason what she saw, wondering if she was not enough or if she was never even a competition for Bomi. She had to admit that Bomi and Chorong did look good together and they knew each other inside out. It was the perfect match! Insecurities, pain, confusion, frustration, anger, and despair flooded Eunji's heart and when the sun finally rose, she had plotted out her next steps with care.

 

Chorong did not know that Eunji had seen the kiss and perhaps if Eunji avoided the topic long enough, she would be able to hold back the breakup. It was immature of her to hold onto an already broken relationship; Eunji knew that very well. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to let it end. There was something in her that told her she wasn’t done and that she simply could not let Chorong walk away that easily.

 

Because despite the red hot emotions churning within her, she had unknowingly already forgiven Chorong for one unshakable reason; she was, undoubtedly, the one.

 

. . . . .

 

Eunji manages to avoid Chorong for days on end. It’s not easy because their lives were so intertwined before. Eunji hates to admit it but she misses eating breakfast, borrowing Chorong's clothes when it’s extra cold out, eating dinner together, watching movies, or even just seeing Chorong's annoyed face every day.

 

But the worst part is that she has to get up early every single morning. It was already hard enough with the love of her life yanking her off the bed to get her to sit up at 7AM in the morning. Now Eunji set up twelve alarms at 6AM and forced herself to leave the apartment before Chorong could catch her and potentially leave her life. One mistake and Eunji would be losing the girlfriend she wanted to last forever.

 

Ring! Ring! Ring!

 

It’s Eunji and Chorong's two month anniversary and despite not wanting to remember, it’s all that’s on Eunji's mind the second she wakes up. She yawns and stretches out on her bed, glancing at the time only to see that it was already afternoon.

 

What? How? It wasn’t that she expected Chorong to come wake her up since she was rather upset that Eunji was not picking up any of her calls, answering their daily threads of cute emoticons and useless texting, or ever at home for that matter. But on the other hand, Chorong could not bear to see her oversleep and she was worried sick about her condition.

 

Ring! Ring!

 

“Ugh, I thought I just turned that off–” Eunji stops midway in her grumbling and finds her phone vibrating with a call. It was Naeun, Chorong's close coworker.

 

“Hello?” Eunji tries not to sound too groggy as she snags a plastic water bottle next to her bed. She’s gulping it down as she holds the phone between her shoulder and ear, struggling to keep her balance as she goes out into her living room.

 

“Hey, is this Jung Eunji?”

 

“Yes, it’s me. What’s up?”

 

“I was actually wondering if Chorong is okay?” Naeun sounds tentative and almost nervous for her answer. Eunji grunts a little awkwardly into the phone. She doesn’t feel too good all of a sudden.

 

“Why? Is something wrong?” Eunji manages to ask.

 

“Er… Well, she hasn’t been to work in the past two days and I haven’t been able to get in contact with her.” Naeun pauses for a second, “If it isn’t rude to ask, you’re still dating her, right?”

 

“Yes…” Eunji scratches the back of her head as she speaks. She doesn’t know why her voice is cracking so badly in the moment and it’s starting to make her feel more embarrassed. “I’ve just been quite busy these days… and I haven’t gotten around to asking about her work.”

 

There’s a dead silent pause on the line before Eunji starts talking again. “Uh… How about this? I’ll give you her roommate's number and you can try contacting her.”

 

Naeun agrees and they quickly end the call with both sides feeling rather unsatisfied. Eunji shakes off the uneasy feeling and contemplates if she should go to work. She knows if she goes to the studio now, everyone will question why she’s so late when the girlfriend she brags about all the time will do anything to make the infamous, always-late-Eunji into an always-early-Eunji. Besides, she had stayed late working through her emotions through lyrics for the past couple days and had some good results. She doubted there would be any urgent work she hadn’t already taken care of already.

 

What seemed more urgent was the way that call with Naeun constantly came back to bother her. Though Eunji took her sick days when needed, it wasn’t like Chorong to simply opt to not show up to work and it was definitely not like Chorong to not contact her boss about it beforehand. Ding! Eunji glanced over at her phone again. This time, it was Bomi.

 

Yoon Bomi . . . . 10:49AM

Bomi: I just got the call from Naeun.

I don’t really know what’s going on with you and Chorong but she’s caught a bad cold.

And she misses you.

Just thought you should know.

 

Eunji sighed at the text but couldn’t bring herself to answer it. In a manner, she was relieved but it still worried her more than she would’ve liked. Was it a bad fever? Was she in a lot of pain? Has she still been eating? Did she take medicine?

 

“She has Bomi.” Eunji says to herself as she plops a couple eggs onto her counter, “Bomi will take care of her. There’s nothing wrong. She doesn’t need me.”

 

Eunji huffs at each claim as her fists clench a little too tightly against the delicate egg. She stares at the spreading yolk and liquidy mess on her kitchen floor for a long time before chucking the remaining shell into the trash can.

 

“Damn it.” And with that, Eunji is out the door.

 

. . . . .

 

Eunji paces in front of Chorong's door for a full hour but she can’t think of anything to say or do if she decides to face her. She’s slightly desperate to get a look at her condition and maybe mother her a little, but she’s also still terrified at what would happen afterwards. Things were still too complicated in Eunji's heart and mind for her to respond to the situation.

 

It was just when Eunji finally decided that she would simply place the porridge and medicine at the front and secretly take her leave that the door abruptly swung open. Eunji looked up in shock, midway to plopping the plastic bag of steaming food and pills on the ground.

 

“So you came,” Bomi smirks, her hands fixed on the sides of the doorframe. She didn’t take her eyes off Eunji when the flustered girl straightened up.

 

“I, uh… I was stopping by Namjoo's and she had, uh, some porridge so I just…” Eunji lifts up the bag meekly, unable to mimic Bomi's jaunty posture.

 

She curses to herself for being in this situation and resists the urge to throw a tantrum in that very spot. Bomi is about to speak again when she’s instantly cut off by a sharp voice. Eunji tries not to melt at how much she’s missed this soft sound.

 

“Bbom-ah.”

 

“Rong unnie? When did you wake up?” Bomi shrinks back a little but Eunji doesn’t bother trying to take a look inside. She’s not really sure if she’s ready to see Chorong's face just yet.

 

“Go stay in Eunji's apartment for a minute. I need to talk to this one.” She sounds tired and that makes Eunji cringe.

 

Bomi looks taken aback but she’s got that expression that tells Eunji she’s defeated. She sighs and steps out of the apartment, shooting Eunji an unreadable look.

 

“I can’t believe I’m getting kicked out of my own apartment!” Bomi wails almost cheerfully and runs off up the stairs before hearing another word. Eunji's feet remain planted outside and she’s staring at her shoes with her mind swimming with endless thoughts. She feels a little dizzy.

 

“Eunji?” Chorong's voice softens.

 

“Mm?”

 

“Come inside.”

 

Eunji doesn’t say anything.

 

“Come inside.” Chorong repeats but this time a little more threateningly.

 

Eunji shudders and finally obeys. She would be lying if she didn’t say that she imagined Chorong would look absolutely miserable, but much to Eunji's shock, Chorong simply looked normal. A little exhausted, yes, but normal nonetheless. Naturally, Eunji placed the porridge and medicine she’s still holding on the table though Chorong didn’t seem to acknowledge it. There’s this awkward unbearable tension in the air that neither of them want to have any longer.

 

“Come sit.” Chorong orders, patting a spot on the sofa next to her. Eunji hesitates but she finishes settling the to-go box and walks over to her. Eunji breaks the silence first.

 

“I’m sorry.” Eunji feels a little more encouraged at the slight brightening of Chorong's expression and begins to spit out her words quickly, “If I’m being completely honest, I just saw something that I probably shouldn’t have and that really confused me and scared me and I just needed some time alone to sort things out and avoid letting our relationship get ruined.” She slows a little when the remaining guilt wanders, “I guess I didn’t think about it getting ruined because I didn’t want to talk about it first. I’m sorry for being so immature.”

 

“It’s okay.” Chorong makes out the words carefully but there’s still something bothering her. “But what is it that you saw?”

 

“I, uh, I saw you kissing Bomi.” Eunji flushes at the thought of it but the words feel so much lighter now that it’s been said.

 

“Oh my god.” Chorong practically breathes the words and there’s so much going through her head that she can’t speak properly.

 

“You don’t have to explain anything,” Eunji says timidly, “I respect your feelings and if I’m not the one the–”

 

“No!” Chorong shrieks, her hands fluttering tirelessly to Eunji's chin. “No. No. No. T-that kiss wasn’t anything. I love you.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s all just a misunderstanding. It was just practice. I just… I was just a little nervous and Bomi was helping me practice.” Chorong can’t form her words in any order but she’s so frantic that Eunji can’t help but remain patient.

 

“A little nervous? Practice? What are you talking about?”

 

“Don’t you remember our two month anniversary promise?”

 

Eunjis eyes widen a little. “We have a two month anniversary promise?”

 

“Yes! We made it on our one month anniversary watching that movie together!”

 

“I was a little sleepy during that movie.” Eunji admits to which Chorong responds with a glare. “So… What was this promise about?”

 

“Our first kiss! I said I would kiss you on our two month anniversary and back then I just said it without much thought but as the day started to get nearer and I thought about it more, I was just really nervous. And I know this may sound really stupid to you but I thought maybe if I kissed Bomi and got some practice, I could make our kiss a lot more… enjoyable?” Chorong catches her breath and anxiously turns to look at Eunji who is now breaking out into loud laughter. Chorong suddenly hates herself for saying anything.

 

“You want to know what’s funny?” Eunji chokes out when she’s tearing up from laughing too hard.

 

“What?” Chorong pouts.

 

Eunji lets out an airy sigh and sticks her face closer to Chorong, “I guess you really don’t remember.”

 

“Remember what?!” Chorong is starting to get a little red from impatience.

 

“We already had our first kiss.”

 

“What?!”

 

*FLASHBACK*

 

Eunji had come back from the studio early that night with a bottle of wine and two fresh glasses. She called Chorong over to her apartment and the two drank away, sharing stories and giggling as time passed. It was a sweet, relaxing night that Eunji didn’t want to end but Chorong had her limits when it came to alcohol and she was bound to see it.

 

At around midnight, Chorong was undeniably drunk and even Eunji was a little tipsy. She propped her chin between her arms and gazed lovingly at Chorong who was now spread out on her living room couch. Perhaps it was time to get to bed now. Eunji considered taking Chorong back down to her apartment but Eunji also liked the idea of waking up and seeing Chorong on her bed. Already smiling at the image, Eunji shuffled over to the couch and gently tucked Chorong's hair behind her ear. She was such a beautiful girl.

 

“Eunji?” Chorong suddenly speaks, her voice quiet and her eyes opening slightly. Eunji chuckled softly and kneeled down next to her, her hair to console her. “I need to tell you a secret.”

 

Eunji giggled at Chorong's silliness but nodded eagerly anyways. “What is it?”

 

“It’s a secret!” Chorong said again.

 

Suddenly, her arm shoots out to snag Eunji's collar and she pulls her on top. Eunji rushes to clutch the sides of the couch so she doesn’t crush Chorong with her weight. She’s breathing a little hard from the shock but finds herself laughing again.

 

“Do you want to know the secret?” Chorong asks again, blinking innocently up at Eunji.

 

“Tell me.”

 

“Come closer.” Chorong wraps her arms around Eunji's neck and begins to play with her hair. It tickles but Eunji manages to lean forward. “Closer.” Chorong demands and Eunji moves in again.

 

They’re inches apart and Eunji can now feel Chorong's breath against her cheeks. Her muscles tighten when Chorong pulls herself up so that their foreheads are touching. They stay that way for a while: hearts caught in their throat but melting with hot warmth.

 

“Kiss me.” Chorong breathes and before Eunji can respond, her lips are against hers.

 

At first it’s soft and slow but it soon escalates, Chorong nipping at Eunji's lip insistently and their bodies drawn impossibly closer. With her tongue exploring Chorong's mouth, Eunji forgets about the world around her. All she can think about is Chorong from her perfect lips to her sweet scent. She doesn’t want to wake up from this dreamlike reality when suddenly, she feels the bitter sting of alcohol. Eunji pulls away, panting hard.

 

“W-wait. You’re drunk.” She stammers. Chorong blinks stupidly up at her and slides her hand along Eunji's back. Eunji starts to feel an uncomfortable itch between her legs and all she can do is squirm when Chorong jerks her down again.

 

“Okay.” Chorong whispers and dives back into Eunji's lips.

 

Eunji is barely holding herself together when she throws herself sideways off the couch. There’s a loud bang as she hits her body against her coffee table and scrambles to hold down Chorong's wrists. The drunk girl resists for a while, mumbling the same things over and over again before abruptly falling asleep.

 

Eunji lets out a long sigh of relief and sprawls back out onto the floor. She stares at Chorong for a while, smiling at how peaceful and beautiful Chorong looks with her eyes closed and strands of her hair tickling her cheeks. They stay that way for another hour before Eunji finally gets up and gathers her sleeping girlfriend in her arms.

 

“Let’s get you home.” Eunji says softly and kisses the top of her forehead. She swings Chorong's arm around her neck and takes her back down to her apartment.

 

*BACK TO THE PRESENT*

 

“So… You’re telling me that we already… that we already…” Chorong swallows hard.

 

“Yes. We already made out.”

 

Chorong stares at her with wide eyes and before Eunji knows it, she’s getting slapped repeatedly by her girlfriend.

 

“What the– Hey! You’re the one who kissed me first!” Eunji shouts, shielding herself with her hands from Chorong's fierce attacks.

 

“I was drunk!” Chorong shouts back as she fumes at Eunji's chortling, “You don’t kiss drunk girls.”

 

“That’s why I took you home!” Eunji scratches the back of her head and eyes Chorong warily. “I couldn’t trust myself to not give in to you after that heated ki––”

 

“Don’t!” Chorong holds up a hand to stop her. “Don’t say it.”

 

“We could commemorate our second month anniversary with that instead of a kiss.” Eunji wiggles her eyebrows suggestively but is met with a sharp slap on the backside of her head. Chorong looks like she’s about to fuss again when Eunji cuts her off.

 

“Or how about I tell you a little secret?” Eunji beckons Chorong closer, smiling slyly when Chorong just stares back skeptically.

 

“What are you saying?”

 

“Just come closer and I’ll tell you my secret.”

 

Chorong sighs and finally leans in only to be drawn rapidly closer for their lips to meet. Chorong stills in shock at first, but timidly begins to respond to Eunji's advances, melting under her touch and letting the exhilaration overtake her senses. They separate slowly, catching their breaths and letting her foreheads touch. Eunji squeezes her hand a little harder.

 

“This can be our second anniversary promise.” Eunji says quietly.

 

“What?”

 

“The first kiss that I give you.”

 

~fin