“Say, Gahyeon, who's that woman waiting for you at the end of class sometimes?”

There were multiple reasons why Gahyeon always shied away and answered the question in the most elusive way possible: Siyeon was beautiful, Siyeon was older than her and Siyeon was gay… for her. The opposite was of course true which was why Gahyeon always panicked.

“She's a friend I met during my gap year. She works close by so she waits for me sometimes,” the student blurted to her group of friends who answered in all sorts of cries and woos.

“She looks so cool, I bet she's working for a lawyer firm or something.”

“You're so lucky, Gahyeonah. You always meet interesting people.”

“Do you think we could meet her too?”

Gahyeon's eyes widened in panic just picturing that scene. Not that she didn't like her friends. They were nice to hang out with and reliable in class and for group projects. She would even say that she liked going out outside of uni with them. But those were two parts of her world she really didn't want to collide.

“Hum, she's often busy and, hum, we barely see each other anyway…”

“Look, she's here again.”

Gahyeon's rambling mess of a sentence was cut short by Siyeon's apparition. The tall woman waited for her patiently, eyeing at the street and the students leaving the building. Because it was 7pm, she had just gotten off work and was wearing her formal clothes with a white shirt and black blazer. Her dark hair was also tied in a classic bun which made her look very serious and intimidating.

However, when her brown eyes finally found Gahyeon in the crowd, Siyeon's face lit up with the widest, most adoring smile. Looking at her like that, the student couldn't even understand how the others believed her when she said they were just friends. There wasn't a friend in the world whose smile could make her heart skip a beat the way her girlfriend's did.

“Say hi to your friend,” one of her comrades shouted in an obvious attempt to be heard by the woman across the street.

The smile faded.

Gahyeon was left alone to meet the one waiting for her. They couldn't do much except smile and laugh and ask the usual “how was your day, unnie?” Sometimes the student felt bold enough to link their arms, as friends do. No one really questioned it. That day specifically, she wanted to show her affection as much as she could. Because Siyeon had been called her “friend” again. Because she wanted to be able to call her more than that.

“I'm sorry,” Gahyeon said as soon as they got into the older woman's apartment.

They tried to spend as much time as possible together, mostly on weekends. Since Siyeon's place was obviously bigger and generally way more adapted to the norms than the student's one, they chose to spend it there.

“For what?” her girlfriend asked too candidly to be entirely sincere.

Gahyeon glared at her with her you-know-what-I'm-talking-about look which made the taller woman sigh in defeat.

“It's okay, Gahyeonie.”

“No it's not,” the student replied sharply. “You were hurt.”

Siyeon studied the younger woman's pout with a tired smile. She was right. She had been hurt. It always stung when Gahyeon referred to her as only her “friend” to her acquaintances, because obviously they were more than that, and obviously she wanted to show that.

She wanted to look at her without people wondering why she stared like that. She wanted to kiss her in the streets when she heard her laugh next to her. She wanted to brag about how smart her girlfriend was to her dumb colleagues who asked too many questions.

But it wasn't just her. Gahyeon had already suffered enough the first time she was outed at school. She had taken a year to herself and changed uni. Nobody knew her there. The student couldn't take that risk again. Of trusting someone too much.

“You don't have to come out to your friends if you don't feel safe with them. Besides, they're not really important to you anyway. So it doesn't matter.”

“You're right. I met them only this year and once we're done with our master we'll probably never see each other again. I don't know them, really. I don't want to share that much with them.”

Siyeon smiled listening to Gahyeon rambling about how much she didn't really like the group of people she called friends when the right term was “comrades of fortune.” She always went at length about how even if she could come out to them, it wasn't worth it. They wouldn't stay in her life anyway.

The older woman walked closer and placed a kiss on her forehead to stop the flow of words.

“See? It's fine,” she whispered, then walked away to prepare dinner.

Gahyeon’s brain short-circuited, all her thoughts being replaced by one single person. She followed Siyeon to the kitchen and gave her the biggest back hug. The older woman giggled when she felt her girlfriend’s forehead in the little well just between her shoulder plates and the two arms clasping around her waist.

“I love you,” the student mumbled, her voice muffled by the taller woman’s clothes.

“I love you too, Gahyeonie.”

 

***

 

Apparently, things weren’t always supposed to go Gahyeon’s way. Especially with group projects. There was only one during the year –the big one, as their teacher called it– that was supposed to determine whether they passed the class or not. Since the beginning when she first heard of it, the student knew this was going to be a mess. The project was for groups of three. She and her friends were four.

Of course, Gahyeon was the one who politely agreed to look for other people. And the group she stumbled into was, of course, the group of the outcasts. At least, they were nice. The one who seemed to know the most what she was doing was called Yubin. She had a pretty chill personality and withdrawn attitude that Gahyeon respected. When she asked if she could join them, the other student studied her for way too many seconds before nodding and showing her a seat next to her.

At first, the young woman thought that they were outcasts only because of that shy attitude and probably, also, because they understood like her that this whole thing was only temporary anyway. But then Yoohyeon greeted her and everything became clear. That girl was unapologetically queer in the most obvious, and sometimes cute –Gahyeon could give her that– of ways. And so her nightmare began again.

 

***

 

“It’s Gahyeon’s birthday soon” was the only thought keeping Siyeon awake way too late at night for the past week. They had only been together for two years, but never before had it felt like the right time to be slightly over the top with this yearly event.

It was something acknowledged by both that their life together was the best thing that could have happened to the two of them. Siyeon was the luckiest one –only according to her– She had met Gahyeon at the most vulnerable of times and the young woman had given her the thing she needed the most: a safe place.

For someone who liked to spend a lot of time in her thoughts, like Siyeon did, it was difficult to connect with others. Most of the time, she bottled up her emotions and kept her thoughts to herself because she was afraid her words would not translate well what she truly wanted to say.

Gahyeon knew all that. She gave her the time to think and a place to share what was wrong. She noticed immediately when her girlfriend was keeping too much, so she acted like a lifeguard, bringing her ashore when she was stranding too far away.

For her birthday, Siyeon wanted to give her something meaningful. She scrolled on her work screen, looking at very elegant necklaces and bracelets that could fit what she had in mind. One was a wolf designed with very few angular lines. Gahyeon had often told her that she looked like the nocturnal animal sometimes.

“Oooh someone's getting a nice present. Is your boyfriend going to give it to you?”

Siyeon started. She hadn't felt her nosy colleague's presence behind her. The lawyer forced a smile.

“No, I was just looking for something for myself.”

“You go girl! Give yourself a treat,” the colleague cheered, smacking her shoulder.

“And let's hope one day a cute young man will do it for you,” another added from her desk.

That was why Siyeon hated working in an open space.

“Yeah…” she chuckled awkwardly to go along

“What's the talk about a boyfriend?” another voice piped out.

“Oh, nothing, sunbaenim. We were lamenting about Siyeon-shi's celibacy,” the first colleague explained lightly with a smile.

The three lawyers looked at the new person entering the space. Kim Minji, their senior in the firm and clearly the star lawyer of the agency. She walked in with her usual smile that always felt genuine even in the fakest of circumstances, like right now.

“Oh. Well, our Siyeon-nim is smart and beautiful. I'm sure she'll find someone when she wants to and that person will be lucky to have her.”

“Aaaw Minji-sunbaenim is always so nice!” the women in the office cooed.

“Thank you, sunbaenim,” Siyeon answered briefly.

It had never gotten past her how her senior always used gender neutral terms when talking about potential partners. The young woman had never talked about it with her even though they were quite close.

Minji was one of those people who was easy to talk to. She adapted herself perfectly to any type of social situation and as such it was difficult to see where you really stood with her. Siyeon liked to believe they shared something that was beyond the simple workplace connection.

“By the way, Siyeon-nim, I wanted to talk to you about your next case. Would you mind coming to my office?” Minji added.

“Not at all.”

Her junior followed her to the private space where they could talk more openly without the risk of being overheard. They both knew that some were envious of how Siyeon was quickly given the most interesting cases despite her relatively short time in the firm compared to others.

They sat comfortably, the youngest waiting for her sunbae to start with what she wanted to say.

“I'm sorry, but I was just looking for an excuse to chat,” Minji admitted with her wide innocent smile. “It's been a while. I feel like we're always working.”

Siyeon's jaw dropped, then she let out a weak huff. Yeah, that was very much like Minji.

“I guess we've both been busy. The firm is placing more faith in me lately. I’ve been given a few important cases.”

Her senior hummed in agreement. “How do you deal with the pressure? Do you still have time for yourself? I remember two years ago when you took your break, you were different. Maybe after the Park Sojoon case you can take some time off again?”

It came from a good place, the way Minji worried about her. Kind of like Gahyeon, she had a good feeling to judge when people in her team were handling too much. But Siyeon was fine. Really, she was. And it was all thanks to a certain someone entering her life.

“It's nice to worry, but I'm good,” the junior lawyer said. “My personal life couldn't be better actually.”

A little smirk absent-mindedly creeped at the corner of her lips when she thought about her girlfriend. Minji noticed it and smiled.

“So there is someone after all?” she teased with a squeaking voice.

However, what she thought was a harmless joke instantly petrified her coworker whose lips pressed into a thin line. The senior’s smile also faded when she saw the effect of what she had just said, but her attitude remained strangely the same.

“We've only been seeing each other at the office haven't we?” she picked up again. Siyeon noded. “What would you say about hanging out sometime? Maybe dinner at my place?”

Her junior had some trouble understanding the sudden shift and what it meant exactly for them. Seeing each other outside the workplace meant that she was offering to be her friend more than her colleague. Something that had been in the balance for a while. But the timing of the request was just so odd that Siyeon could only respond half-heartedly.

“That could be done…”

“You're free to bring anyone,” Minji added.

The younger one ticked. This was more than a simple act of politeness. Her senior was clearly trying to send a message. She wanted her to bring someone. And not just anyone, obviously. Gahyeon. Was she sincere? Could she be trusted? Siyeon wanted to believe she could, but her reason forced her to second guess everything when it came to hers or her girlfriend’s private life. For obvious reasons.

“I'll see,” she answered blankly.

“Great!” her senior cheered for both of them. “I'll recontact you for the time and day. I think it will be easier to keep in touch that way.”

The young lawyer managed to send her a fake smile as a reply before excusing herself back to work. Gahyeon’s birthday was in two weeks. She definitely had to get back to that.

 

***

 

The rumor started, as they always do, with seemingly harmless jokes. And it was all because Gahyeon had decided to be serious and actually spend more time with her group for the project rather than with her other “friends” who, may it not be forgotten, had ditched her a tad too easily for that damn assignment.

“You’re not hanging out with us anymore,” one of them whined when she declined their invitation to hang out after class.

“I’m sorry, but I’m meeting with Yubin and Yoohyeon for the group project.”

“You spend a lot of time with them, Gahyeonah. You sure it’s just for the group project?”

“Wooo, be careful,” another joked around. “That Yoohyeon girl could corrupt you. Has she made some advances?”

“She’s not a ert just because she’s gay,” Gahyeon replied irritated.

That seemed to stop them and that was what immediately worried the student. They looked at her with their fake shocked expressions, as if she had just said something revealing by just being a decent human being.

“Oh my God, of course! We didn’t mean to be rude.”

“Sure, sure. Go find them. For your group project.”

And just with that, doubt started to rise.

There was another person Gahyeon had forgotten to tell about the meeting for the group project, and that person was waiting for her across the street as she did every Friday, but this time Siyeon’s eyes lit with concern when she didn’t recognise the two people her girlfriend was with. The young student realized her mistake and rushed to join her.

“Hi! I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you, but I can’t hang out tonight. I’m working on my project with my classmates.”

The two in question peeped from behind Gahyeon, saying little “hies” as well. Siyeon gave back their salutations, amused by the general awkwardness of the scene.

“It’s fine, don’t worry. It’s something important, you better get it done.”

“Thank you,” the student sighed. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.”

There was a fleeting moment when both looked into each other’s eyes with the same need to kiss the other goodbye and the same social instinct to kill that thought in the womb. That short moment was obviously difficult to miss for anyone who had ever seen that same fire within lovers eyes and if it hadn’t been for Yubin’s quick “goodbye” it would have been far too noticeable for anyone around.

The three classmates left to Yoohyeon’s flat which was closer and reportedly “more adapted to work in” –The plushies and notebooks thrown everywhere in the room begged to differ– and immediately began to brainstorm and divide the task without talking about what had happened. Until Yoohyeon, in one bored, fleeting moment, asked the question:

“Is she your girlfriend?”

Gahyeon’s eyes became as round as saucers. Her brain refused to compute whatever was coming back to the surface with that dreadful question and instead of answering she just stared blankly in shock.

“Yoohyeon, you can’t just ask that!” Yubin scolded her friend. “Please don’t listen to her. You don’t have to answer that,” she then said softly to Gahyeon who still wasn’t responding.

“What?” the clumsy one whined. “I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just a genuine question! Gahyeonah already knows about me. I’m not going to say anything.”

The two friends stared at their classmate. Seeing how she was, Yoohyeon quickly reconsidered what she had just said. Her question clearly had hurt the other deeply.

“I’m sorry, Gahyeonah. Yubin is right, you don’t have to answer anything. I was just assuming because I want to believe everyone is gay,” she joked awkwardly to diffuse the bomb she had thrown.

“I am,” the girl answered at last in a very low voice.

The other two listened but said nothing.

“Her name’s Siyeon. I met her two years ago and she’s my girlfriend,” she continued.

Gahyeon didn’t know why she was saying that. She swore that she would never make that mistake again. But Yoohyeon was right, out of all the people in their class she certainly wouldn’t judge her and even less frame her in front of everyone. The same went for Yubin.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and another hugging her. She hadn’t noticed it, but she had started to cry.

“Thank you for sharing this with us, Gahyeon,” Yubin cooed.

“You’re safe with us,” Yoohyeon added.

It was like a wave rushing over her when she heard them. Until now, her safe place had been Siyeon whereas everything else was just there in the background. Classes, classmates, teachers. She couldn’t be herself with them. She wouldn’t let herself be. She hadn’t realized how much weight it had added to her heart.

Finally, it felt like she could breathe again.

 

***

 

“Are you coming alone next Saturday?”

Siyeon sighed as she read Minji's text. Oh how she wished she could give an answer easily and be done with the anxiety. She could, technically. Gahyeon was busy with uni and she probably wouldn't want to risk it anyway. Her girlfriend could make the choice for her and just answer: “Yes, I'll be alone,” but that wouldn't be fair, would it?

If something concerned Gahyeon, Gahyeon had to know. However, it wasn't something that Siyeon wanted to do through text, which had been their main way of communicating this past week. Of course there was no way to predict exactly how the student would react to the proposition, but judging from her past experiences, it ranged from extremely badly to conveniently agreeing without actually wanting to. None of the options were satisfying.

“Can we call sometime soon? I miss you.”

Almost as soon as she sent the text, she saw the three dots indicating Gahyeon was already answering.

“I’m going to sleep early tonight. Tomorrow?”

“Sure. Sleep well, my love.”

“Thanks. Don’t stay up too late <3”

That day was definitely a sighing day. At least, Gahyeon seemed to be doing well. Tired, but well. She went back to Minji’s text, staring at it for a couple more minutes as if the answer would write itself down on its own.

“I don’t know yet. My partner is busy these days :(”

“No worries :) We’ll just prepare something for them just in case. Have a nice evening.”

She couldn’t express why but this whole situation was putting Siyeon in way more distress than what was necessary. It was a friendly dinner. With someone she liked, who repeatedly made the effort to use genderless pronouns, who actually worried about her to some extent. It should be easy to trust her. God, why were social interactions so complicated?

There was a bright side to this week though. She had finally found the perfect gift for Gahyeon and she would be able to receive it on time.

 

***

 

She didn’t know why she was reacting like this. She didn’t know why she had to be such a mess for something that had already happened. Or maybe it was precisely because it had already happened that she was panicking right now. It was just a simple comment, but it told everything.

“Meeting with your girlfriends again?”

The mean sarcastic laughs still echoed in her head. They knew. Or well, not really but they had started to make the hypothesis so it didn’t matter what they believed or if they had proof. People would hear, people would believe and she would be alone again. She lost so much the first time.

Gahyeon didn’t know why she was running away like this. Not even Yubin could snap her out of it. She just ran through the corridors and past the entrance across the street. There was only one person on her mind. She knew where she worked. She had walked past it multiple times but never entered, let alone wait in front of the building for her. It was one thing the student didn’t want to be outed, but Siyeon couldn’t be. Her whole career could depend on that.

So when Gahyeon walked through the automatic doors and asked feverishly if she could talk to Lee Siyeon who worked for the Yoon & Lee firm, she seriously considered the fact that she was going insane. The clerc attendant probably thought the same, but out of principle she contacted the office in charge and asked the student to wait in the hall.

It wasn’t Siyeon who came down to meet her, but another lawyer with long, straight raven hair that fell impeccably on her shoulders and makeup that accentuated her angular jawline and thin cheekbones. She wasn’t Siyeon, but she was a ninety-nine out of ten for sure. Her cold eyes looked for Gahyeon in the hall and didn’t leave the young woman once she found her.

“You’re looking for Lee Siyeon?” she asked politely but with a defensive edge to her voice.

“Y–Yes. I’m sorry to bother you like that. She’s not expecting me but I… I really need to talk to her. Please. If you say Lee Gahyeon’s here, she’ll understand.”

The woman studied her a while more. Gahyeon was sure that she didn’t exactly inspire trust. Her whole body was shaking, her tears threatened to fall any second, she was clearly on edge, speaking in short breaths, stuttering on every word.

“Siyeon is in a meeting right now,” she said in a less warry tone.

This seemed to be the final straw for the student whose features dropped, expressing all the despair she was feeling. The woman reacted as soon as she saw it, in a much more gentle way.

“It’s ok. Just breathe.” Her hand was on Gahyeon’s back. “Who are you to her?”

“I’m her…” the student caught herself before she could complete that sentence. “We met two years ago and we stayed close,” she corrected herself.

The lawyer paused. She didn’t take much time to arrive at a decision. Her hand pushed Gahyeon gently towards the elevator.

“Alright, let me take you to my office. We’ll wait for Siyeon there.”

 

The office was spacious enough, definitely too wide for only one person. When they walked together through the open-space that led to it, people sent them curious looks that made Gahyeon shrink even more behind the older woman whose name, she learned, was Kim Minji. Once inside, the student took refuge on the small sofa without waiting for the lawyer’s permission to sit.

“I’m really sorry,” she muttered for at least the hundredth time as Minji took a chair to sit in front of her.

“It’s fine, Gahyeon. Really,” the woman spoke softly. “Siyeon will be here soon.”

The girl just nodded, her mind already focused on trying to calm herself, but she knew what was going on. She knew she couldn't overcome this alone. Minji observed her for a while. She understood what was happening too, but she wasn't sure about what to do about it.

“Are you safe?” she asked eventually.

It was the most logical question but for Gahyeon it sounded completely absurd, so out of her preoccupations that it stunned her.

“Yes. Yes, I'm safe. I just… I just need to see Siyeon.”

There wasn't much the older woman could do, so she nodded and stood up to leave the room.

“I'm going to see if her meeting ends soon. I'll be right back.”

 

Gahyeon didn't know how long she waited. It could have been between five minutes and thirty hours for all she cared. All she knew was that it felt endless. When the door opened again, it wasn't Minji.

Siyeon came in, rushed and alarmed. When her girlfriend saw her she immediately went for a hug. The taller woman took her in, wrapping her arms around her like a cocoon.

“I'm here, baby. I'm here.”

The sobs that were threatening to break out before were now heard loud and clear. Gahyeon couldn't even make a sentence between the gasps. Siyeon cooed, drew an up and down movement on her back, enjoined her to follow her respiration, until she could speak again.

“It's okay, Gahyeonie. You're doing great. You're doing great, baby. You're with me.”

The girl calmed down progressively. The tears stopped. Then her breathing came to a steadier pace

“I'm– I'm sorry,” Gahyeon spoke with a voice still broken.

“No no, it's okay. I'm glad you're here, Gahyeon. I'm glad you came to me,” her girlfriend cooed. “What happened?”

“Everyone knows. In my class. Everyone knows.” The girl seemed to break down again as she explained. “It's happening again. I'm going to lose everything again. I can't–”

“Shhh.” Siyeon's arms around her got tighter. “You're not alone, Gahyeon. What about your project partners? You told me you trusted them, hum?” The student nodded. “And you also have me. I'm not leaving you,” Siyeon continued. “You don't need the other es to complete your degree and if anything happens with your grades, I'll sue your teachers' asses.”

Gahyeon snorted, her head still buried in her girlfriend's clothes. The older woman kissed her in her messy hair.

“Everything is fine,” she whispered.

“Everything is fine,” the student repeated. “Can you keep holding me?”

“Always.”

 

Soon after, the door opened again to let in the actual owner of the office. Minji wished she could have given more time but the situation was already gaining traction outside and it was better if Siyeon took Gahyeon back to her place and called out early.

“I told them she was your cousin. She found herself in a bad situation and went to see you. I'm sorry but that's all I could come up with,” the senior lawyer informed, apparently unsatisfied with herself.

“You already did a lot. Thank you so much Minji-sunbaenim,” Siyeon reassured, Gahyeon still in her arms.

Minji’s eyes rested softly on the two of them. her attitude wasn’t as uptight as it previously was, as if she was also allowing herself to release some pressure.

“No worries. I'm glad I could help,” she answered with a smile. “Take care of her.”

 

Gahyeon spent the rest of the day and the night at Siyeon’s place, basically glued to her side until she fell asleep and her girlfriend carried her in their bed. The student was obviously exhausted and still scared. Her life had turned upside down once because of a similar event three years ago. She trusted a friend who repeated everything to everyone. Ultimately she was forced to come out to her parents and was kicked out of her family and ostracized from her class. The situation got so bad for her that she had to run away for a year.

It was hard to make her understand it wasn’t the same situation anymore. She had people she could trust, she had Siyeon and she was almost done with uni. She was going to be fine. It was all the lawyer repeated next to her like a spell until, hopefully, Gahyeon would believe it.

The student didn’t attend class for the last two days of the week. Yubin and Yoohyeon worried and went to see her directly at Siyeon’s apartment. It was also the occasion for everyone to get to know each other, which caused a number of gay panicks on Yoohyeon’s side. Life was still going on and this time Gahyeon wasn’t alone.

What she thought was going to be another ordeal for her died out quietly. Her former “friends” kept teasing, but no one was really interested in pursuing what they had started. Finals were coming soon and everyone was preparing for the future. The young woman felt stupid for reacting the way she did at the first comment. But trauma can’t be rationalized was what Yubin reminded her.

The week died out too, quietly.

 

***

 

Siyeon still had to go to work. She had envisioned calling in sick but Gahyeon had her friends and she would have died in embarrassment if she had made her girlfriend miss work for her. The atmosphere was weird for the morning. People didn’t want to pry openly, but they were also dying to know. Siyeon wasn’t inclined to fulfill their whims. At some point, a colleague braver than the rest dared to ask: “So how’s your cousin?”

“She’s better now. The situation wasn’t as bad as she thought.”

“That’s great. I didn’t know you were close to your family. Our Siyeon-shi is so reliable.”

“Yeah. I try to be there when I can,” Siyeon replied with a forced smile.

She saw from the corner of her eye that Minji was going to her office and jumped on the occasion to flee the open-space. She knocked on the door and entered when she was called in. Her senior wasn’t at her desk but on the small sofa which suggested they both had the same idea in mind.

Siyeon sat next to her. She was the one who asked to come in but she didn’t really know what to say. The corporate etiquette required her to apologize for what transpired, but her moral compass refused to yield to that. It wasn’t Gahyeon’s fault for being in such distress and she would never apologize for prioritizing her girlfriend over her work in a situation like this.

Minji didn’t wait too long before taking the situation in her hands.

“I think we should talk about a few things… What happened was out of anyone’s control, but I really think it shouldn’t happen again. For your sake.” She fixed her eyes on her junior to emphasize her point. “The people in the office believed me. But if I hadn’t been there, I don’t know how you could have controlled the damage.”

The sentences were clear, yet remained cryptic. She was clearly trying to suggest something that Siyeon perfectly understood but refused to believe was what the conversation was about. No one in the office could know, certainly not her senior. She had to rely on that certainty. She had to push through and play the part she had always played.

“What do you mean?”

“Siyeon…” Minji’s eyes were saddened. She seemed to ponder over something for a brief moment then sighed in resignation. “How is Gahyeon?”

“She’s better. Thank you for taking care of her.”

“She was really shaken. For a moment I thought something really bad happened to her. How old is she?”

The questions were becoming too personal for Siyeon’s taste. The inquiry about age often came along even from people who thought they were friends. They only had a five years difference, but because Gahyeon was still a student some people liked to draw their own conclusions.

“Twenty three,” Siyeon answered confidently. Technically, Gahyeon would have to wait another week but no one needed to know. “She’s completing her master degree. Right now, there’s a lot of pressure.”

“I’m sure,” Minji hummed. She didn’t seem to be bothered that much about the age difference, giving the impression that her question had no meaning in particular. “Do you think she could come to dinner with us on Saturday? My girlfriend and I would love to meet you both properly.”

Siyeon’s world stopped. Did she… ? Was she… ? the junior lawyer’s jaw dropped in confusion.

“Your…”

“I wasn’t sure how to tell you. I’m guessing we were the same,” her colleague said with a soft giggle.

“You’re…”

“I’m gay. I figured you were too,” Minji confirmed. “That’s not why I befriended you though!” she quickly added. “You’re just a nice and very smart woman.”

Siyeon had given up any form of composure. She felt the heat in her cheeks and rather than fighting it she just looked askance and mumbled some thanks, making Minji smile even brighter.

“So, do you think Gahyeon would like to come?” the senior went back on track.

Her coworker wasn’t sure. With everything that happened, she didn’t know if it was a good idea to expose her girlfriend to a social event like this. It helped that the two had already met. Anyway, it would be Gahyeon’s choice.

“I’ll ask her.”

“Thank you.”

“No. Thank you,” the junior lawyer insisted. “Without you Gahyeon would have been alone yesterday and I could have been exposed. You really saved us there.”

“I figured that’s what friends do,” Minji replied lightly.

Siyeon sent her back her smile. Friend. That sounded right.

 

***

 

Back home, Gahyeon was waiting for her. Even in a time of stress, she managed to get things done, writing frantically on her laptop for an assignment that was due in two weeks.

“Please, tell me you took some time off today,” her girlfriend joked when she entered the living room.

“I did! I watched some dramas for most of the afternoon. You're the one who comes home late,” Gahyeon complained.

Siyeon scoffed, glad to see the student back to her usual self. She bent over to kiss her and take her attention away from the screen.

“I was talking with Minji,” she sighed.

“What did she say?” the student asked, shoulders tensing slightly.

“She asked if you were alright. And she wanted to know if you would like to come to dinner with me and her… and her girlfriend.”

Gahyeon stared at her wide-eyed. “What?”

“She actually asked me a week ago and I wanted to ask you before, but we couldn’t talk much recently,” Siyeon kept talking to protect herself from an accusation that wasn’t even there.

“Are you sure?” her girlfriend asked, ignoring the unnecessary justification.

“I think she’s sincere, yes. And she handled the situation really well yesterday. I don’t think she would have had the instinct to protect us if she didn’t know what it was like for people like us,” the lawyer argued very gently, in a way that wouldn’t alarm Gahyeon more.

“But I’m not sure I want to meet with other people like that…”

“Like what?”

“Just the two of us.”

Siyeon felt like she was hit by a bullet. She knew what her girlfriend meant. She knew where she came from. She had to remember that before saying something she would regret. Her steps brought her away from Gahyeon. A measure of protection, really.

“I know you’re scared,” she replied rationally. “But this isn’t a crowd or a room full of people we don’t know. Minji is a friend. And I’d like to be able to be myself around my friends with you. I want to show that I love you.”

There was a weight behind every word like a wound still hurting. The student knew she had messed up, knew she hadn’t used the right words. She never used the right words when she talked about them. They wanted the same thing. Siyeon was just a step ahead of her.

“I want that too. Singnie, I love you too,” she blurted. “I just never really got to be myself like that. I want to be sure I can trust them the way I trust Yubin and Yoohyeon. I mean, this isn’t my world. What if they think I’m too immature. What if they think I don’t fit in. I already caused such a mess. I almost outed you.”

Siyeon found the courage to turn back to face her. She couldn’t stay angry when Gahyeon was so vulnerable in front of her.

“They will never think that of you because that’s simply not what you are. They will see you, the way I see you. You’re a bright young woman who's confident most of the time and awfully stubborn too.”

The student giggled and shied away while her girlfriend walked back next to her.

“You make me feel like I can do anything,” Siyeon whispered as she cupped Gahyeon’s face to peer into her eyes. “Let me show them that.”

Her girlfriend couldn’t resist anymore and kissed the lips that were right in front of her like an offering.

“Only if I can brag about you too,” she sighed against Siyeon’s lips.

She felt her girlfriend’s smile against hers before she kissed her again.

 

***

 

The final year was over. Gahyeon, Yubin and Yoohyeon had given it their all for a rather satisfying result. The last days came peacefully, brought by sunshine and warm weather and with them a new chapter had started. Life was quiet.

Siyeon wasn’t waiting every Friday outside campus anymore, instead Gahyeon had the key to her apartment which had very much become their apartment. They still hung out together publically or otherwise, with friends or on a date. While shopping for clothes, they stumbled upon two familiar faces.

“Enjoying the afternoon?” Siyeon asked when she saw Minji sitting on one of the stools in the store.

“I’m not sure if ‘enjoy’ is the right term,” her unnie whined. “We’ve been in there for two hours and Dongie still hasn’t picked up anything.”

 While the couple were laughing and keeping the woman company, a blonde woman exited a cabin with a few clothes laid on each arm which she gave to the employee in charge of the area.

“Are you talking about me?” she inquired in a deep, slightly snobbish voice.

“Always, darling,” her girlfriend joked.

They could use terms like that when they were a group pretending to be all friends. It didn’t have the same unaffected, sarcastic meaning when they used it though. The blonde smiled and greeted the new couple who had joined them. Her eyes studied their looks, as they always did, and rested slightly longer on two distinct pieces of jewelry.

Siyeon’s pendant represented a wolf, designed with a few geometric shapes, while Gahyeon’s bracelet represented a fox. These two pieces looked more expensive than regular accessories. The designs were sophisticated, meaning they were meant to represent something.

“How many years?”

“Three,” Siyeon answered proudly, bringing Gahyeon closer with an arm around her shoulders.

“And many to come,” Gahyeon added, snuggled against her.”

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Notes: 

Hi! I hope you liked this story. It felt nice to go back to a slice of life and I really enjoyed writing it. Please consider leaving a comment and upvoting if you enjoyed it. 

Bye!