Despite the revelation about Minji’s roommate, Siyeon was relieved the smaller woman had gone out that night after dinner, leaving the couple on their own. She knew that her girlfriend meant well, but it was difficult enough for her to meet new people without having to spend an entire night with a new person and feeling like the odd woman out between the best friends. Not to mention Bora seemed to know who she was, even if it was mostly based on talk and rumors, and had made it very clear she did not trust Siyeon at all. It didn’t bode well for the dark haired woman, a part of her somewhat fearful that Bora would actually try to stir up to get Minji to dump her even if Bora said she wouldn’t. It wasn’t the situation she wanted to be in, but she would have to take the shorter woman at her word.

Siyeon reminded herself that things were fine the entire night after Bora left. Her girlfriend was so incredibly sweet and did her best not to pressure her, coming to understand some about Siyeon’s social awkwardness even if Minji didn’t understand most of the core causes for it.

That was also something Siyeon was thankful for. They never talked about certain personal things, like their families, beyond some surface level information. There were obviously topics that neither wanted to discuss yet, so they never did. It worked in their favor, at least for now.

So Siyeon pushed her focus onto the amazing woman that was so different from anyone she’d met. A truly kind soul with a smile that could literally rival the sun itself. Certainly there was attraction there, but Minji wasn’t like any of the others she’d dated or been with in the past. It wasn’t some simple physical thing, it was deeper than that. A connection that Siyeon was honestly a bit afraid of but excited all the same to experience.

She had stayed that night even if she still felt out of place in the blonde’s upscale lifestyle compared to her own, coaxed easily by the thought of how safe she felt sleeping next to Minji. In truth she’d only stayed over a handful of times, but it was becoming more frequent as the dark haired woman attempted to push her concerns away.

A few hours after they’d gone to bed, Siyeon was startled awake by someone entering the apartment. Confusion and panic started to set in as she shot up but thankfully Minji shifted, carefully turning towards Siyeon in the dark. “Baby, it’s alright,” she assured her with a soft voice, “It’s just Bora.” She didn’t touch her at first, likely waiting for Siyeon to register where she was.

Finally Siyeon choked out an apology, “S-sorry.” Her breathing was staggered, but she was at least more aware of her surroundings now as a hand carefully found her own and gently squeezed.

Soon after that Minji wrapped an arm around her and gently pulled Siyeon into a hug as she shook her head, “No apology needed.” The younger woman nuzzled more against Minji, her scent and presence reminding Siyeon that she was indeed safe here. This wasn’t the first time she’d woken up in a panic, and it wouldn’t be the last, yet with her girlfriend there it was easier to ground herself and calm down. Further proof when Minji continued to try and lighten up the mood, “Plus I’d know her drunken shuffling anywhere. If you didn’t notice, Bora’s actions are just as loud as her voice.”

Siyeon actually chuckled softly at the comment.

Which then brought the question to mind. How had Minji so quickly and effectively calmed her down? It was something that she’d ponder over later but for now, Siyeon found her breathing steadied along with her racing thoughts which meant there was a possibility of actually falling back asleep. The two settled back down with Minji still holding her and eventually the dark haired woman drifted off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Siyeon stirred awake again, the bed was colder than before with the space beside her left vacant. The raven haired woman felt a bit weird with this, always insisting that she leave when Minji did no matter the hour. But apparently her girlfriend had let her sleep in that day.

Siyeon groaned after she checked her phone. It was indeed far later than when her girlfriend would have gotten up and the text messages from Minji supported that she’d left for work.

From: Minji <3
“Please don’t be upset with me.
You just looked too peaceful to wake up.
Lock up when you head out.
And don’t forget there’s food in the fridge for you.
Enjoy your day <3”

The messages did put a smile on her face though. Siyeon just hoped that she could get ready and out of dodge without running into Bora again. Sure, she’d seemed quite confident in their conversation yesterday, but she really didn’t want to push her luck. That maybe the short woman would see through her facade and that Siyeon was far more intimidated than she let on.

Reluctantly the raven haired woman finally got up and dressed, thankful her girlfriend had her own private bathroom. Before Siyeon ventured outside of the room she listened intently at the door, searching for any indication that Bora was up and around, going as far as to press her ear against the wooden surface. Once she opened it and found the apartment still silent, she sighed in relief.

Her last stop was the refrigerator where Minji had graciously labeled a very large bag with her name on it. Siyeon was certain it could feed a family of four easily, but she took it all anyway, knowing it would come in handy today.

It was barely past noon when Siyeon arrived at her destination, tapping on the door before leaning against the wall while she waited. A couple of minutes passed, and she tried again, putting more force behind her knock this time. A few muffled sounds came from inside the apartment, along with what Siyeon was certain were a string of curses. The door finally cracked open, a chain keeping it from going any further.

“Siyeon, what the ?” Yubin grumbled, “Do you know what time it is?” Obviously she’d been woken up by the unannounced visitor, her voice still raspy from sleep.

“Yeah, 12:15.”

“Exactly. Too early to deal with your ,” the younger stated as she ran her hand over her face trying to wake up, “What do you want?” Yubin never liked to waste time with smalltalk. Always right to the point.

Siyeon shrugged, “Can’t I just want to hang out with my bestie?”

“No,” Yubin rolled her eyes, “And we aren’t besties.”

Siyeon frowned, “I’m hurt.” After a small pause she added, “And I even brought lunch.” Yubin raised a brow in disbelief which prompted Siyeon to produce the large bag of food. “It’s from my girlfriend’s work,” she explained while shaking the bag to further draw attention to it.

“Then go eat with her.”

Despite Yubin’s words and harsh tone, Siyeon could tell her friend was eyeing the food, which meant there was a bit of hope that she’d let her in. “I can’t. She’s working today. Please Yubin,” she whined the last part, something only those close to her would ever hear.

The older woman knew she’d won when Yubin sighed, “Fine, but I get to keep the leftovers.”

“Deal.” Her frown was now replaced with a knowing grin.

Yubin closed the door enough to unlatch the chain and allow Siyeon to enter. The apartment wasn't near as fancy or large as Minji and Bora’s place overall, but it was still decently spacious in the shared living space as the raven haired one went to the kitchen.

“You look like by the way,” Siyeon commented while getting things sorted on the counter.

The younger woman snorted, “Ya, well you would too if some woke you up.”

“Damn, you’re cranky today,” she shook her head, knowing not to take it too personally. Part of her had a feeling she knew why her friend was more irritable than normal, “You don’t usually drink a lot at work. So that means-”

“Just a hangover,” Yubin cut her off.

Of course she had a hangover. That much was easy enough to guess, but Siyeon knew it was more than that. “Obviously. Go brush your teeth. Your breath is disgusting,” she said while holding her nose, certain to elongate the last word.

The comment warranted the bird Yubin flipped her as she headed to the bathroom, leaving Siyeon to heat up the food. The raven haired woman knew her friend wouldn’t talk about it unless she wanted to. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to bring it up again.

Despite Yubin’s persistence that they weren’t that close, the two were actually good friends, and probably one of the closest Siyeon had currently. They’d met when Yubin was in her first year and Siyeon in her third year of university through a mutual friend. Somehow despite all the horrible things that shifted that year for Siyeon, Yubin had proved to be quite a loyal friend and continued to be over the years since. She didn’t pity her or mince words when she had thoughts or concerns on Siyeon’s sometimes poor decision making and inability to hold much of her life together. Yubin was that person that spoke harsh truths to her when she needed to hear it. A rare, but interestingly useful trait as long as you didn’t resent her for it. But Siyeon never did. Even if she might sulk and be angry about it for a while, she eventually realized the wisdom in her friend’s words.

When Yubin returned they ate mostly in silence which was fine for both of them. Neither had to fill the void with conversation. Eventually though, Siyeon tried to probe a little, “Why’d you get so wasted last night? That’s not like you.” It was a valid question since despite working at a bar and club, she didn’t get drunk very often.

Yubin, as expected, was simple in her response, “Not what you think.”

“So it doesn’t involve a girl, sure.”

“Nope,” Yubin stated, her expression not changing. It was impressive how effectively she could mask her feelings on something if she wanted to.

Siyeon pressed harder, knowing how to get a rise out of her friend. Attack her ego. “Didn’t have the courage to ask her out huh?”

“ you,” Yubin immediately got defensive. Ah, so she’d hit the nail on the head and her assumptions were correct that it did in