Yoona’s and Seohyun’s kiss felt oh so warm in comparison to the lowering temperature around them. Their lips moved against each other’s in perfect synchrony, with Yoona leading Seohyun through the pleasant experience of kissing someone she actually liked for the first time. Yoona herself couldn’t help but tangle her fingers in the maknae’s hair, pulling her even closer, yearning for her warmth and her delicious scent, while her other hand drew shapeless patterns all around Seohyun’s back. The latter cupped Yoona’s face, as their lips met over and over again in teasing, sensuous kisses. The doe-eyed girl gave into the temptation and deepened the kiss as she Seohyun’s bottom lip. The latter welcomed Yoona’s tongue with a small moan, delighted with the older girl’s taste. Yoona wanted so desperately to lose herself in that kiss and never be found, but her reasonable side couldn’t be shut down so easily. However, she knew that the longer she kept their lips together, the harder it’d be to pull away, so she swiftly ran her tongue along Seohyun’s before breaking the kiss. They were both so out of breath that it took them a few seconds to actually open their eyes. Seohyun’s hands, those warm, graceful hands, were still cupping Yoona’s face, not allowing her to pull away completely. Seohyun just couldn’t let her go after such perfect moments; moments in which she felt she was flying high, away from all her personal troubles and her argument with Jessica. With Yoona, she finally stopped feeling like she undeserving of love and affection, and unbeknownst to her, she’d done the same for Yoona.

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have kissed you so suddenly.” Seohyun whispered. The fact that Yoona had been the one to pull away had made her second guess their kiss.

“No, don’t you dare apologizing.” Yoona shook her head before pulling Seohyun in for a hug. Seohyun wrapped her arms around Yoona’s midsection and buried her face in Yoona’s shoulder. “I’d never wanted to kiss someone as I wanted to kiss you…” She was supposed to be pretending, but neither was she pretending nor lying.

“Really?” Seohyun asked. The ghost of a smile grazed her lips. Yoona smiled as well and nodded her head, resting her cheek against Seohyun’s temple and closing her eyes. The gentle breeze caressed their bodies and brought them even closer together.

“Yes.” Yoona cupped Seohyun’s face so they could stare at each other eye to eye. The meaningful way in which Yoona was staring at her made Seohyun tongue tied. There was endearment and passion in her eyes, but there was something else that made her stare somewhat sad. Seohyun couldn’t quite tell what it was. “I’m so sorry that whatever it is that happened between you and Jessica went so wrong. I should have done something to avoid it, but I never thought anyone would be mean to an angel like you…”

“She had all the right.” Seohyun cut her off, her features scrunching up as more tears fell from her eyes.

“Like I told you, I have no idea what happened… but at least you tried to apologize. Now just give her time to realize that you do care for her. For tonight, just forget about her.” Her own words surprised Yoona. She was doing the exact opposite of what her job was. But in the end, she was just a human being human and caring for the person she liked. She wanted Seohyun to stop crying; stop hurting. Even if that meant she wouldn’t get any more info on Jessica for that night.

“I’m a mess inside, Yoona. How can you want me?” Seohyun asked after a few seconds. The fact that the older girl was showering with care and attention made her feel on top of the world, yet she also knew that the fall would be high. A small chuckle escaped Yoona’s lips. How could she not want Seohyun?

“If you want me, know you already got me.” A breathtaking smile slowly took over Seohyun’s features. Even with the tears and the slightly smudged makeup, she couldn’t look any more gorgeous in Yoona’s eyes. The latter couldn’t help but lean in and kiss Seohyun again. This kiss was less passionate, but just as romantic as the first one and it made them both melt; there was no clumsiness. It was perfect.

“It’s getting late.” Seohyun whispered against Yoona’s lips in-between small kisses. As much as they both knew they couldn’t just stay there, kissing by a random street, their attraction was magnetizing. They both wanted more of each other.

“It’s no use going back into the fashion show… It’s most probably over by now.” Yoona whispered back, her voice breathy from all the kissing. “D-Did you have anything else to do tonight?” Yoona’s voice came out insecure, because she was actually anticipating that Seohyun would want to stay by her for the rest of the night.

“Not really… why?” Seohyun opened her eyes and stared at Yoona, who was biting her bottom lip.

“Well, I was wondering if you’d like to stay at my place tonight…” Seohyun widened her eyes. “We’re not going to do anything! It’s just that I kind of… don’t want this night to end now that you know how much I like you and I know that you like me back…” Yoona answered with a sheepish smile. Seohyun smiled widely and swiftly pecked Yoona’s smiling lips.

“Sure, let’s go.” The two finally let go of their embrace and in exchange held each other’s hands and walked towards Yoona’s car.

…

“Welcome to my place…” Yoona said as she pushed the door to her apartment open and the lights. The place was small, but it sure had a very cozy and warm feeling to it. “May I take your coat?” Seohyun smiled and nodded mindlessly as Yoona did as she asked, still looking around the apartment. The kitchen was to her right and in front of her was the living room, with a leather couch in front a flat screen TV and some book shelves. There was also a glass sliding door that led to a balcony. The walls were painted a beige color and had a couple of paintings hung on them. That surely seemed like the apartment of a very artistic and cultured person; it totally suited Yoona’s personality.

“This is gorgeous, Yoona. Did you decorate it yourself?” The addressed girl couldn’t help but smile in secrecy when Seohyun didn’t use honorifics.

“Yes, I did. A friend of mine helped a bit with the arrangements but mostly it was all me.” Yoona came to stand next to Seohyun, wrapping an arm around her shoulders affectionately. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Can I see the balcony?” The maknae asked, with a slight childish drawl to her voice. Yoona nodded her head and Seohyun was probably close to squealing with excitement as she slipped her high heels off and jogged to the sliding door. She felt amazingly comfortable around Yoona; usually, she would have been a lot more collected and coy.

         The doe-eyed girl walked right behind her. There were many things of her mind, but she soon pushed them all away and allowed herself to enjoy this time she was having with Seohyun. Her job rarely gave her any chance to enjoy anything, so if she was being given the chance right now, she might as well forget that she was setting Seohyun up in exchange of information about Jessica Jung. She wasn’t sure if the young musician would ever forgive her, but one thing she was sure of was, she would never forgive herself.

“You come out here often, right?” Seohyun asked, hugging herself as she got out to the balcony and the night breeze brushed by her.

“Yeah, I come out here to read sometimes.” Yoona answered. Desperate for comfort for her trouble thoughts and wanting to be closer to the younger girl, Yoona stepped forward and backhugged Seohyun, resting her chin on her shoulder. The younger girl held her breath before relaxing into Yoona’s arms and shyly running her fingers along Yoona’s arm. The embrace felt heavenly for both of them. Seohyun got from giddy to thoughtful as Yoona’s words reminded her of the book she had yet to read, Adultery.

“Do you think a life without love is worth living?” Seohyun asked, after a few seconds of comfortable silence. Unbeknownst to her, she had inched back a bit into the embrace both because of the cold and because of how comfortable and secure she felt. Yoona sighed, her chest raising and falling against Seohyun’s back. They were both mindlessly looking at the city lights and they’d never found them more beautiful than in that moment.

“No, it’s not.” Yoona sentenced, her own words pulling on her heartstrings. Did she have love? Would she ever have it? “If you don’t want to suffer, then don’t love. But if you don’t want to love, why do you want to live?” Yoona quoted, her voice getting quieter by every word.

“Are you asking me that?” Seohyun asked, wishing the answer was ‘no’. As always, Yoona’s words had caused havoc in her thoughts.

“No, it’s a quote. By a religious man and philosopher named Augustin of Hippona. But I think it’s very true. We all look for love, want to love and want to be loved but we’re so afraid of getting hurt. And we’ll always suffer for those that we love; I’m not even talking about romantic love here.” Seohyun lowered her gaze to Yoona’s wrists that were locked over her stomach. Seohyun had never been in a serious relationship, but she could think of a lot of people she loved, that had one way or another hurt her feelings. My parents, Jessica-unnie… “But if we just push them away so that we won’t be hurt, what’s left for us? Loneliness? So my answer is no. It’s not worth it.” As Yoona spoke, many thoughts were running through her mind. She’d chosen such a dangerous, complicated job out of love for others, wanting to serve and protect them, but had she achieved that? If she had, how come she’d end up so alone, and the only way to have human contact and an actual conversation with someone was lying to them, the way she had been lying to Seohyun so far?

“You must have read many self improvement books in the past, huh?” The maknae joked slightly, as she turned around in Yoona’s arms. Yoona had first encouraged her to make things right with Jessica with her wise words, and now she was encouraging her to go to her parents and make things right with them as well, without having the actual intention to do so. If liking Yoona was helping her tie all the loose knots in her life, what more could she ask for in a significant other? “Where did you learn so much?”

“Let’s just say it’s just empirical knowledge.” Yoona joked back as she ran one of her hands through Seohyun’s soft hair and stared into her eyes. “Sorry, I don’t mean to talk like a shrink or anything. I just like the way you think… You have deeper thoughts than most girls your age. I guess your emotional age matches your ahjumma name.”

“Yah! You’re messing with my name again? Pabo!” The maknae lightly pushed Yoona’s shoulder as they both laughed. The atmosphere between them was comfortable and easy-going. Yoona wrapped her arms around Seohyun’s shoulders and pulled her into a full hug. No words were exchanged between the two but their heartbeats spoke in one romantic rhythm that was all the communication the two of them needed in that moment.

“We should probably go to bed. After all that happened today, you must be exhausted…” Yoona whispered as she reluctantly disentangled herself from the hug and took Seohyun’s hand instead. And the latter was, in fact, very tired. Both physically and emotionally. But knowing she was going to spend the night with Yoona by her side reassured her that she was going to get some much needed rest.

         The two walked back into the apartment and Yoona lead the way towards her room. It was quite simple in comparison to the rest of the apartment; Yoona’s picture in a with graduation gown above the bed, a desk with a laptop against the side wall and some more books to the right. Yoona looked into her closet and took out some long pajama pants and an oversized shirt she thought would fit Seohyun.

“These are for you. You can change here and I’ll go change in the bathroom. Be right back.” Yoona winked before exiting the room. Seohyun giggled softly and sat down on Yoona’s queen sized bed, looking around just like she did when she entered the apartment. Yoona’s graduation picture in particular got her attention. Was the doe-eyed girl a university student? Did she have a job? Or maybe both? Where was she from? Did she have any family? Many questions that would have seemed quite important when getting to know someone clouded her mind. She felt guilty about their conversation always being centered on her and not on Yoona, and made a point to ask her all those things and more the next morning over breakfast and coffee. The next day would be all about Yoona. Smiling to herself about her plan, she quickly changed into the clothes the older girl had given her, noting that they smelled just like her.

         Yoona knocked on the door a few minutes later and went inside the room once Seohyun told her she was fully dressed, chuckling at the sight of Seohyun wearing her clothes. It was a definitely endearing sight for her. The doe-eyed girl dimmed the light coming from the lamp and walked towards her bed, grimacing slightly.

“Sorry I didn’t ask you earlier, but do you feel it’s too awkward if we sleep on this bed together?” Yoona asked, her insides trembling with anticipation. Seohyun looked thoughtful for a few seconds before she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

“I think I’ve bared a lot of me to you already. I’m comfortable around you, Yoona, I really am.” The young musician assured, walking to stand next to Yoona and holding her hand with a reassuring squeeze.

“Then let’s get to bed.” The older girl said in a sing song voice as she childishly dove into the mattress. Seohyun couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “What?”

“You looked like a frog.” Seohyun answered in-between laughter. “You’re Sergeant Frog Keroro from now on.”

“You’re too cute, Seohyun-ah.” Yoona answered as she shook her head and laughed along. “Come here.” She invited, opening her arms for Seohyun. The latter climbed into bed as well and into Yoona’s arms, resting her head on her shoulder and draping her arm across Yoona’s stomach. The latter wrapped her arms around Seohyun’s shoulders and brought her closer, shutting her eyes softly and sighing in contentment.

“I’ll pretend you’re my keroro plushy.” The maknae said, snuggling further into Yoona. The latter smiled warmly and kissed the crown of Seohyun’s head.

“Goodnight, Seohyun-ah.”

“Goodnight, Yoongie. Thank you so much.” The doe-eyed girl hummed, slightly confused about Seohyun’s words.

“What exactly are you thanking me for?” Yoona asked. Upon getting no response, she looked down at Seohyun. “Hyunnie?” The maknae was sound asleep. Yoona chuckled lowly before closing her eyes. While talking to Seohyun earlier at the balcony, she’d made a decision, and she would try to drift off to sleep wondering whether it was the right one.

The next morning.

         Yoona woke up, slightly startled. The last time she’d checked her watch before finally drifting off into slumber had been at 5:43 am. Now it was 7:10 am, meaning she’d slept less than two hours. A small headache was threatening to appear, but she paid it no mind, for she knew that after a cup of coffee it would be gone just as soon as it would appear. She looked down at Seohyun, still sound asleep on her shoulder. She had barely moved during the night. At one point she slightly inched away from Yoona while she dreamed, but in less than fifteen minutes her arms pulled Yoona’s body closer again. The doe-eyed girl was relieved Seohyun had had a good rest. Even through her makeup the night before, the dark circles under her eyes gave away sleepless nights of studying and worrying. The girl was suffering for reason Yoona had yet to know, and Yoona had decided she was not going to add more reasons for sorrow.

         Knowing she had to be fast before Seohyun woke up, the doe-eyed girl carefully disentangled herself from Seohyun’s embrace and in her previous spot she placed a big teddy bear her grandma had given her when she was fourteen years old, yet she still kept it through the years. Seohyun gladly hugged it to her chest and continued sleeping. Yoona’s heart was warmed at the sight, and she couldn’t help but smile and press a soft, feathery kiss to Seohyun’s cheek, nuzzling it softly afterwards. I’m not going to hurt you…

         She silently walked out of the room and shut the door, hurrying towards the coat hanger and the entrance of her apartment. She grabbed Seohyun’s coat and unclipped the tiny microphone from where she’d placed it the night before, feeling relieved that it hadn’t fallen and that Seohyun hadn’t discovered it. She went out to the balcony with the microphone and her cellphone in her hands, breathing steadily in order to gather her thoughts and not feel so nervous. She dialed the first number on speed dial and waited for the three rings that would be the cue for the person on the other line to pick up the call.

“Yoona-ah? You, calling so early?” Eunji’s surprised voice went through Yoona’s ear like a gust of wind.

“Good morning, Eunji-ah.” She greeted, trying to save time since her thoughts were still running wild.

“Great job last night, by the way! Looks like you definitely took the mission to another level, huh?” Eunji congratulated with a slight teasing tone, making Yoona’s insides churn. If Eunji was that sure that Yoona’s feelings for Seohyun were fake and acted out, she could only imagine what Seohyun would assume and think if she found out the truth. “We lost connection with the microphone a few times, but we have most of it all recorded. You’re so close to completing your mission already!”

“Eunji-ah, I’m going to resign. I can’t do this.” Yoona blurted out, not being able to hold the words in any longer. “I’m not going to get through with this. It’s going to do more harm than it’s going to help.”

“You know that’s not up to me to accept or forbid, Yoona-ah.” Eunji sentenced after a few seconds of silence. “And you know the harm that Jessica Jung has done.”

“I’m giving this mission as completed. If the commissioner wants to know more about Jessica Jung than what I’ve found it, let him send someone else. Actually, since you’re so excited and passionate about this case, why don’t you finish this mission yourself?” Yoona asked, slightly aggravated.

“You come and discuss that with the commissioner face to face. He has the last word, but as your colleague I’m telling you, you’re making a mistake.”

“What time?” Yoona asked, ignoring Eunji’s warning.

“He’ll be free at 2:30 pm. I’ll tell him to expect you.” With that Eunji hung up. Yoona sighed and lowered her head. She could feel the disappointment in Eunji’s voice, but she knew it would be nothing compared to seeing the hurt in Seohyun’s innocent eyes. Whatever it was she had coming that day, she was ready to face.

A/N: A fluffy chapter for my awesome readers :] I hope you like it! And sorry for any mistakes you might find, I didn’t proofread very thoroughly. Thanks for reading and supporting this story!