Chapter Six
DrenchedEunji was walking around her room, nervous but trying not to make a sound, since Naeun was sleeping.
I can't believe they're not here yet, she thought. Bomi had left the dorm to go to the doctor at about 1pm, but it was 11.30pm and she hadn't answered any of her calls or texts. Eunji could not go to sleep without knowing how her unnies were.
She had reached the conclusion that they were together, since both of their attitudes responded to the same pattern. Chorong was more responsible, but she was also the most innocent one. And Bomi was more childish, but still, she knew how to take care of herself. And Eunji assumed that the results hadn't been too great at the doctor, since Bomi hadn't come back after her appointment. She was probably somewhere thinking about it, which made Eunji worry even more.
Eunji was about to look at her phone again to check the time when she heard a noise outside the apartment, somewhere in the stairs. She hurried out of the room and opened the door leading to the main corridor.
“Yoon Bomi you have no idea how worried...!” Eunji stopped when she saw the state of the two girls outside. She opened her eyes widely and realized it was too late at night to be shouting. Oh my, they are drunk, she thought.
“Unnie!” Chorong was helping a sleepy Bomi walk out of the elevator. “Are you alright?”
Chorong managed to nod, reassuring Eunji a little bit, and asked the younger girl for help carrying her girlfriend.
“I was worried sick about you two,” Eunji started. “Haven't you seen my calls?”
Chorong explained the situation and apologized, but it didn't look like Eunji was less mad.
Eunji helped Chorong put Bomi to bed, and she tucked her in while Chorong went to the kitchen to get some water for herself.
“Bomi-ah...” Eunji was talking more to herself than to the sleeping girl lying there. “I hope you're alright. I really do. Do you have any idea about how worried I was?”
She was shaking her head in disapproval when Chorong came back into the room.
“I'm sorry,” the leader said. “I am sorry we missed the dinner, and I'm sorry we made you worry so much.”
“You hadn't drunk in ages, unnie.” Eunji acted all motherly most of the times; she looked like the one in charge when it was about taking care of the members.
“I know,” Chorong replied. “I was just... Bomi called me and we ended up celebrating our time alone and...”
Eunji sighed, defeated. She was in no position to lecture the leader, but she could give her advice as a friend.
“Whatever. It's done. Unnie, you should get some sleep.” Eunji left the room and went to sleep herself.
∼
“Unnie…” Bomi leaned towards Chorong, purring in her ear. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Chorong laughed, her eyes shining even though she’d never been this tired.
“Probably not, Bomi-ah.”
Bomi pulled back and stared at her girlfriend, pouting.
“My offer of having wild still stands, you know?” Chorong’s eyes went wide at the comment, her heart beating faster. Bomi was so disinhibited when drunk, but Chorong would always end up the responsible one and, while still a bit lightheaded, saw everything with perspective.
“Bomi-ah…” Chorong sighed. “You’re very drunk.”
“So?” Chorong thought that her girlfriend looked like a child sometimes.
Tension was felt in the air, their eyes permanently fixed on each other, hands intertwined in Bomi’s lap, their breathing the only sound in the night.
“Our members are sleeping!” Chorong hushed, not understanding how Bomi couldn’t think of that. “And besides, you’re not yourself tonight… We should go to bed.”
“But… But…” Another pout, accompanied by puppy eyes that made Chorong’s heart flutter. She laughed, and Bomi acted all mad and stood up so lie on her own bed, her back towards Chorong.
The leader shook her head in exasperation, and that’s when she felt the slight dizziness caused by alcohol to come back. Not only had they skipped dinner with their members, but they’d both ended drunk and lost control of the situation for a while. Chorong was thankful for having brought them both home safely, at least, even though poor Eunji was so worried about them that she couldn’t sleep.
“You’d better sleep, Bomi-ah.” Chorong’s silken voice seemed to calm the younger girl, but she did not turn around just yet. “We both know I’m right.”
“You’re always right.” Bomi was sulking, and Chorong couldn’t help but laugh slightly.
Silence filled the room then, Chorong standing up to change into her nightgown while Bomi stayed there, completely immobile. Chorong rolled her eyes, her smile never abandoning her lips, her thoughts only on Bomi. Why had she even suggested for them to go drinking? She’d been crying earlier… Chorong knew something was off, but she wouldn’t pressure Bomi. The girl would tell her when she was ready, just like she always did. That’s the trust they had deposited on each other.
“Bomi-ah,” Chorong whispered while caressing the girl’s back gently, letting her body rest over hers so she could whisper in Bomi’s ear. “I’m not up for wild … but let me make love to you.”
∼
Bomi opened her eyes due to her increasing headache. She checked the time on her alarm clock. 2.34AM. She groaned, realizing what she had been up to that night, from the drinks to lying in bed with Chorong, and got up to get some water.
When she opened the door of the fridge, she heard footsteps behind her.
“Eunji-ah!” She was surprised.
“How are you feeling?” Eunji asked, straight to the point.
Bomi shrugged and told her about the headache, to which Eunji only told her to go to bed again. Bomi nodded and turned around, leaving the empty glass of water by the sink.
“Bomi-ah.” Eunji stopped her by placing a hand on the older girl's shoulder. “Tell me. What did the doctor say?”
Bomi-ssi, I'm sorry, the doctor had said that afternoon. You have bone angiosarcoma, a type of cancer. And it’s serious. Bomi recalled every other word she had been told, but it wasn't what she told Eunji.
“Oh, don't worry,” she belittled it. “It's just a migraine due to stress. It'll be over when I rest.”
Eunji stared at her friend for a while, deciding whether to believe her or not. Bomi smiled, trying to show just how fine she felt. So Eunji decided to buy it.
“I am so glad it's nothing.” Eunji felt relieved. She couldn't help but hugging her friend, so she didn't see Bomi's guilty expression.
They said good night and left for their beds. Bomi wasn't feeling light-headed anymore; she just felt sick and needed some deep sleep. She looked at Chorong's peaceful sleep. She couldn't remember how she got back home, so her girlfriend must have been the responsible one. She caressed Chorong’s cheek softly, staring at the shadow of the girl’s eyelashes on her pale skin, moonlit. She went to sleep thinking about Jeju and her chances to make that trip the best thing in her life.
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