“Are you not going to release her?”

Krystal was brought back from her trance by a voice from her back.

She turned around and saw Joy stand behind her idly, eyes resting lazily on the same pair she had been staring at since five minutes ago.

“It’s been over two weeks. Do you plan to keep her sitting outside the bars like that until Winter ends?”

The head doctor shifted her gaze back to the crouching pair in front of the cell -- Seulgi outside and Irene inside -- and mused, “I thought you didn’t care about Seulgi. Are you guys friends now?”

“Ew, no.” Joy denied as if the thought itself offended her, but Krystal knew it wasn’t the case and smiled.

“I just asked because it’s stupid to see her sitting outside the cell everyday and talking through bars like a lovesick puppy.”

Realization came a bit too late and Joy slapped a hand over  hoping that Krystal didn’t catch her slip-up. She was surprised however, when the head doctor turned out to have known everything.

“So you know about them too.”

Joy didn’t say a thing and only blinked.

“Has it been long? I only know about them recently.” Krystal added.

The intern finally nodded awkwardly before letting out a stiff answer. “Well, yeah. Some weeks ago when I happened to walk into them.”

“Does anyone else know?”

“Not really. I didn’t tell anyone. But I think some of them already know that something is fishy. It’s hard not to notice when they are all over each other like that.”

Krystal directed her eyes back to the said pair and saw Seulgi shove Irene playfully on the arm. The older girl paid her back just as good and cracked a happy laugh.

“Well, I guess she made her decision.”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.” Krystal wrapped up the conversation with a small smile. “Please tell Seulgi to wait a little longer. I will talk to the head of the hospital about the release.”

Joy scoffed. “I don’t talk to Seulgi. I hope you remember we still hate each other.”

“You wouldn’t help her keeping her secret if you hated her.” The psychiatrist shook her head in amusement. “Come on, stop being brats.”

Joy crossed her arms defiantly. “Okay maybe not hate but dislike.”

Krystal narrowed her eyes.

“Okay, the dislike has been gone for a while!” Joy huffed, admitting half-heartedly. “I used to dislike her because she was such a jerk who didn't care about any of her patient but-”

She paused, looking at the said girl who was crouching in front of the cell and taking care of the girl inside, “I think she just needed someone to remind her how to feel again, and well, she found the person. I’m still baffled with this girl and girl thingy but, whatever changes her for the best.” Joy shrugged.

Krystal smiled proudly and patted her on the shoulder.

“Do you think they will last?” She asked the psychiatrist slowly afterward. “People like this...do you think they will last? It doesn’t look easy.”

“It is not easy.” Krystal stared off into the distance. “It is not going to get any easier either considering that Irene is...different.”

Her eyes set on the couple again and her voice lowered. “I just hope that Seulgi is really ready for all the consequences before she decides on this.”

-----------------------------------------------

“So, here’s a book from the fiction section, here’s one from history and biography, and here’s one from -- hey, listen to me when I’m talking. I’m only eating lettuce for a week to buy you these.”

“Sorry.” Irene smiled from where her head rested on top of her bent knees. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

Seulgi knew she didn't really mean the apology because a second later, her attention was nowhere on her words again.

She was busy smiling at her for unknown reasons instead.

“Why do you keep smiling at me like that?” Seulgi eventually gave up and put down the books to stare back at her girlfriend -- the one she still couldn’t call so without turning into a shameful shade of tomato.

“Like what?” Irene had the audacity to continue smiling at her, keeping her starry gaze locked on Seulgi until the girl felt weak in the knees.

“Like that. Smiling and staring at me so....”

“So...?” The older girl drawled the unfinished sentence and Seulgi grumbled to herself like an embarrassed child.

“I’m sorry,” Irene laughed, reaching a hand out through the bars to touch Seulgi’s cheek and sending ripples of electricity through her skin. “I like the books, it’s just that you are way more interesting than them.”

If it was possible, Seulgi went redder than tomato's shade at this point.

“People are going to see us.” She eyed the hand on her face, but her voice was weak even to herself and her body betrayed her by leaning more into the touch.

When Irene retracted her hand, Seulgi almost whined at the loss of contact.

“Tell me if you finish reading the books so I will get you the new ones.”

Irene took the books gratefully and sighed. “Thanks. They will save me from boredom when you are away. I wish I can do something else on my first few weeks of dating you instead of reading though.”

Seulgi broke into a small laugh, humming as she inched closer. “What would you like to do once you get out of the cell?”

“A lot.” Irene said dreamily, eyes gleaming. “I want to do a lot of things with you. Things that people do when they date.”

“Like what?”

“Like holding hands, hugging, and...”

Her eyes stopped at Seulgi’s lips and her words seemed to flee.

She could still remember the feel of them pressing softly on her forehead two weeks ago, warm and gentle and dizzying in all the good ways.

She wanted to feel that again.

“You realize that you are only saying things that we have done so far, yes?” Seulgi’s voice teased her back to reality and made her swallow. “You have been linking arms and snuggling at me shamelessly before we even date.”

“T-that’s different!” Irene stuttered, feeling heat rose up to her cheeks. “I didn’t know you liked me too back then. I was feeling like some annoying-“

“You were really kinda annoying though.” Seulgi agreed, and at the sight of Irene’s frown, added with a silly grin, “annoyingly cute.”

“Ew, where did you learn that from.” Irene slapped her on the arm and she giggled until her stomach hurt, toppling on the floor with red face because of her own lame joke.

She really felt like love was wearing her stupid nowadays. But it was okay because she was stupidly happy.

“I’m serious though. Most of the time when you frustrated me I wasn’t able to do anything because well, you are a little too cute.”

Irene frowned deeper. “Stop calling me cute, I’m your unnie.”

Seulgi smirked. “Hard to think of you as an unnie now that we are dating.”

Irene smacked her on the arm again and she ended up curling in another fit of laughter.

“Alright, I have to go now. Class is going to start soon.” She sobered up and rose to her full height as Irene mimicked her with a dispirited look. “Already time?”

She nodded half-heartedly, crunching her nose as a sign of reluctance. “I have to go. Krystal is going to throw tantrum if I skip class.”

She stretched a hand past the bars to touch the older girl’s face and ran a thumb over her cheek. “I'll come back as soon as the class ends, okay?”

Her voice and gaze was tender, and Irene nodded into her touch while sighing. “Come back soon.”

Seulgi wanted nothing but to drown her small, sad figure in a big hug, but the damned metals were standing in their way and she had no choice but to go without doing it.

“Seulgi?” Irene called before she really walked away and she turned to see the older girl smile at her from behind the bars. “I love you.”

Seulgi was pretty sure she went back to the class floating and not walking.

--------------------------------------------------------

“That’s it for today’s lecture, does anyone have question?” Krystal put her marker down and saw Kai raise his hand excitedly.

“Sunbae, can we ask about something lecture unrelated?”

“If you are going to ask whether or not you will have long holiday for Christmas the answer is no. You will only be given one day off on the 25th.”

Synchronized wail of disappointment echoed through the class and Krystal shook her head. “Hospital doesn’t stop operating when it’s holiday.”

“But it’s once in a year!” Yeri whined, sprawling herself on her desk. “At least give us two days off so we can celebrate Christmas Eve at home?”

Krystal shook her head again. “No. It has always been the same. Every intern went through this. Even I spent my Christmas Eve slaving away in hospital years ago.”

The young interns whined again in unison and Sehun suddenly raised his hand to utter a very brilliant idea.

“Sunbae, how about letting us celebrate Christmas Eve here then? We can throw barbecue party in the backyard and have some fun!”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound bad.” Suho agreed. “We are going to get stuck here on the 24th anyway, may as well have some fun.”

“We can ask the patients to join us too and give them some fireworks!” Yeri cheered, to which Joy flashed a horrified look. “Are you insane? Some of them are going to set the entire place on fire.”

“Okay, maybe just the small, hand-held fireworks then.” The younger girl grinned sheepishly.

“Can we, sunbae? Can we?” The boys stared at Krystal together with wide, puppy eyes and the head doctor finally sighed.

This doesn’t sound like a very safe idea.

“Actually, I think that will be a pretty good event.” A voice which was rarely heard in the classroom spoke suddenly and everybody swiveled their heads to the owner.

Seulgi stared at them from the back of the classroom with a poker face. “What? I’m just saying that it will be a nice chance to socialize with the patients. Help them get accustomed to group activities and all.”

Joy narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously and Seulgi swore Krystal had the exact same expression on her face.

She feigned ignorance however, and Krystal ended up sighing in defeat. “Alright. Fine. But please make sure that no one will get burnt.”

The interns cheered happily and Seulgi grinned to herself.

-----------------------------------------

“You just want to date on Christmas Eve, don’t you? Helping the patients my .” Joy scoffed at her lame excuse. Seulgi snickered once they were the only two people left in the classroom.

The taller intern handed her a can of coffee and earned an eyebrow raise from her. “Thanks?” She mused. “You have been acting weird lately.”

“If you don’t know how to say ‘nice’ properly then I’m taking back the coffee.”

“No, thank you. I’ll drink it.” Seulgi grinned. Joy swore that she looked so stupid these days.

Where did the cold, grumpy girl go to?

“So, how are things going with the damsel in distress?” Joy started, popping her own can open. “Still all rainbows and unicorn?”

Red tinted Seulgi’s cheeks slightly as she smiled. “Well yeah, except for the fact that we are separated by frustrating metal bars, I suppose we are still all happy and flowery.”

“Gross.” The taller girl joked. “At least it was better when she was free because I didn’t have to see you guys fawn in front of the cell daily. Such an eyesore.”

“Hey, we didn’t even do that much aside from talking.”

“Oh, really? Touching faces and holding hands and staring at each other like the world is about to end when you are really just going to class?”

Seulgi blushed dark red and lowered her gaze, “Well, maybe you should help me nag at Krystal to free her sooner then. Save you from more eyesore.”

“I did. She said she would talk to the higher-ups soon.”

“You did?” Seulgi’s eyes widened in shock. “Did she say when?”

“Go ask her yourself. What am I, your mediator or something?” She scoffed again and Seulgi immediately jumped up on both feet. “Thanks! I will go to find her right now and ask her about it. And by the way, thanks for the other day too.”

“What?”

“For trying to help me escape the tricky quest