“Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?”

Luda heard Hyunjung’s voice in a rush. She continued doing the drink – not to be intruder in their family talk.

“You should inform me before you want to come here. I have to cancel my appointment after I heard that you are on the way here,” Hyunjung complained.

“For what? So you can hide her from us?” Mrs. Kim asked her in a mocking tone. “I heard you live with a girl now. Then, what’s next? You want to marry her?!”

“MOM!!” Hyunjung was shocked at her mother's words. “She’s just my friend and I help her for a reason. She being here or not does not affect anything. What do you want, actually?” Hyunjung asked in a tired voice.

“Find a man, get married, have children. It’s time for you to replace your father. How should you replace your father if you are still single and incapable?”

“Mom, I’ve said so many times about my preference. And I also said that I don’t care if you want to disown me or anything because of that. I know I have disappointed you a lot. But, you can’t change my mind. Dad, if you think that I’m not capable enough to replace you. I’m fine. You can give that so-called proud position to your nephew. I can resign. But please, don’t ask me to do what I don’t want to,” Hyunjung looked at her father. Her gaze showed nothing and was empty.

“I don’t want to be ungrateful daughter but please, mom, dad. Please accept who I am. If you have nothing to say, please leave. I’m tired,” Hyunjung’s voice sound sad and discouraged.

“Hyunjung-ah, I don’t care if you end up with a girl, but please don’t get hurt again. Understand? We will talk about your position again, later. I acknowledged my only daughter’s capability and I know her very well,” he gave an assurance smile to his only daughter. “I’m already proud of you.”

“Thank you, dad.” Her voice was shaky – touched by her father’s acknowledgement.

 

Hyunjung sat on the sofa helplessly after her parents left. She sighed. “You can come out, Luda. I know you are there.” Hyunjung said with her eyes closed. After a couple of seconds, she felt a soft massage on her shoulder. She begins to relax on the touch after a very long and tired day at the office plus her parents’ confrontation just now.

“Unnie, have you had dinner yet?” Luda asked from behind the sofa – where she stood to massage Hyunjung. She leaned forward a little to peek at the tired face.

“Hm, not yet.”

“I’ll re-heat the food. You should take a shower first.”

“I want to take a nap for a while,” Hyunjung said while turning her head at the voice she spoke with, then opened her eyes only to find that Luda’s face was only an inch away from her. She gulped. She always admired Luda’s beauty and cute visuals but she never had a chance to admire it from this close. For a moment, she lost in her own thoughts and realized Luda has an almond-shaped eye with a thin lip along with a sharp jawline. She wondered how it felt to kiss those lips.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Luda realized what’s going on and bolted upright. “Urm, okay.”

Hyunjung proceeded to lie on the sofa – pretending nothing had happened.

“You want to sleep here?”

Hyunjung nodded. “Wake me up in 10 minutes.”

Luda went to the kitchen to reheat the food that ahjumma had cooked for them. Hyunjung and her parents’ conversation keeps replaying in her mind. ‘Hyunjung unnie is… gay? So, does that mean… no no. It can’t be. But her gaze just now looks so-’ A ding from the microwave snapped Luda from her deduction and reasoning.

Luda walked to the front and saw Hyunjung was deep in sleep. She approached her closer and crouched beside her. She whispered Hyunjung’s name to wake her but got no response.

She took a chance to have a proper look at Hyunjung's features that she had only a chance for a few seconds just now. She studied Hyunjung’s facial features and then realized that she was really pretty despite the dark circle barely visible under her eyes - proving that she has been constantly working and didn't get a good enough rest. Unconsciously Luda lifted her right hand and tracing Hyunjung’s face from brows to eyes, nose and lip. Luda’s finger stopped at Hyunjung’s soft lip when suddenly her finger was grabbed by Hyunjung. She was shocked and flabbergasted – afraid she was caught red handed.

Hyunjung slowly opened her eyes and looked at the girl with a questionable gaze. Her right hand was still holding Luda’s hand and she raised her other hand to the girl’s cheek. She brushed it softly using her thumb. ‘If only I could hold her like she’s mine, but I know it will never happen because I know she is straight and…’ Hyunjung awakens from her dream. She blinked a few times and realized that it’s not a dream but Luda was really in front of her and she was holding Luda’s hand and face.

Hyunjung quickly let it go and sat down. She cleared . “I want to take a bath,” Hyunjung stood up and left stunned Luda in the living room.

 

-

 

“I’ll do the dishes.”

“But-” Luda stopped from object Hyunjung’s word when Hyunjung looked at her with an unwavering gaze. “O-kay.”

After Hyunjung did the dishes, she went to the front with a bowl of ice cream in her hand. She passed it to Luda without saying any words then sat on the same couch with her. She knows Luda always finds ice cream after eating the meal. She noticed it after having a meal a few times with her.

“What are you watching?”

“Huh? Oh, just a random drama. You can change the channel if you want.” Luda was a bit shocked with the gestures but she still accepted the ice cream. 

Hyunjung grabbed the remote control then randomly switched the channel to find an interesting show or movie to watch. She paid full attention to the television when she sensed someone close to her. She turned her head and saw Luda closer with her than before.

“Erm I just… I’m wondering what…” Luda stammered.

“Why?”

“I don’t know how to say this, but… urm… your scent could get rid of my drowsiness and nausea. That’s why I…” Luda said in a low voice – eyes couldn’t meet Hyunjung’s.

Hyunjung smiled. “Really? Come here,” Hyunjung opened her right arm but saw hesitation from the other girl.

“If this can make you feel better…”

Luda slowly came closer to Hyunjung then let the older girl wrap her arm around her. After a full thought and uncertainty, she rested her head on the latter chest slowly.

Hyunjung could feel Luda’s stiffened body on her. Hyunjung sighed silently.

“I know you heard a conversation between me and my parents this evening. Please, believe in me that I’m not hiding any attention behind my actions,” Hyunjung uttered. ‘And even if I started to like you, you can never return it back to me.’

“I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be apologized for. Anyway, I got a report from ahjumma saying that you want to take over her job?”

“I'm just helping her because I’m bored,” Luda mumbled – dissatisfied.

Hyunjung chuckled. “What were you doing before? I mean, are you continuing studying or working somewhere?”

“I err…” Luda scratched her head with a pout. “I can say that I helped my father with his things because I’m not that fond of that business. But he asked my favour, so I helped him here and there.”

“So, what do you like?” Hyunjung planned to know more about the girl in her arms.

“I love games!”

Hyunjung looked at Luda then chuckled a little. “Okay I can see that.”

At the same time, Luda had finished her ice cream and put the bowl on the near table. “How about unnie?”

“What about me?”

“Do you like your work?”

“I enjoy what I do now. But I also have my little dream.” A smile instantly curved on Hyunjung’s lip at the mention of her dream. “My life is all about bread. Since I was a child, I have a dream to have my own bakery.”

“You can bake?” Luda asked in impressive.

Hyunjung let out an awkward laugh. “No, I’m not. Hahaha... Maybe I’ll hire someone professional to bake, and I’ll run the business behind the scenes.”

“That is a possible dream.”

“Yeah.”

The living room went quiet as both watched the movie in silence.

Hyunjung opened her eyes and saw the closing credits were showing on the television. She realized she fell asleep in the middle of the movie – same as the smaller girl who remained in her arms with her both hands wrapped around her waist. She felt the latter snuggled deeper to her and her own heartbeat boosted gradually. She peeked at the sleeping girl – guilty to wake her up. She found the small girl's sleeping habits to be so cute, she was like a koala that loved hugging a tree. 'Uh oh, now I described myself as a tree.' 

"Luda, let's sleep upstairs," she attempted to wake the sleeping girl. "Luda…" 

Luda stirred in Hyunjung's arms upon hearing Hyunjung's whisper in her ear but only then she made her position to be more comfortable. 

Hyunjung let out a small sigh. She's pretty sure Luda is not gonna wake up at any moment for now. She pushed the girl by a little then slipped her hands under the girl's shoulder and knees. She's ready to carry the small girl to her room. What Hyunjung is really relieved of is that the girl is light and she did not have to struggle to carry her upstairs. 

Gently, she put the small girl on the bed then fixed a cover on top of her body. When she was ready to leave the room, suddenly she felt a tug on her wrist, stopping her from moving. She didn't register what did Luda has a dream right now but before she could think to do anything, Luda tug her wrist stronger make she fumble on to the bed but her quick response to her mind is to avoid Luda's body. So before her body could hit Luda,  she immediately rolled herself to the other side and made her lie beside the girl. She felt her heart rate increase at the sudden impulse. 

Hyunjung took a moment before she glanced at the girl beside her who is still in a deep sleep. Once again, before her brain could function, the small girl shuffled and turned her body facing her. In a blink of an eye, she felt her snuggling on to her with a hand on her waist and felt a weight on her leg. She peeked to see that Luda's leg was on hers.

Hyunjung hardly swallowed her saliva. She knew that Luda was unconsciously doing what she is doing now. But she contemplated to enjoy it or to stop her from doing it because she was the one that was sober right now. 

As if Luda heard her small thoughts, Luda tightened her hold on Hyunjung's waist and positioned herself to tuck under her chin perfectly. 

'Just for tonight,' Hyunjung finally raised a white flag and admitted defeat with her own thoughts that she is also tired and getting sleepy. Slowly, she put her hand on the girl's head and caressed the girl while letting her sleep in such a position.

 

Hyunjung woke up at hearing the alarm ringing from her smartphone and took a few seconds to digest where she was. When she felt rustled beside her, only then she realized the small girl rested her head on her hand and her arm started to feel numb. She tried to reach her phone on the bed table without moving much when the smaller girl hummed in protestation. Once she turned off the alarm, she went back to her position and the smaller girl instantly snuggled into her - again.