Byulyi had just come back from the bagel shop down the street when she noticed the moving van outside her apartment complex. It was a little exciting, maybe she’d make a new friend. Maybe it’ll be a cute girl.

 

 

She walked up the stairs to her floor and to the end of the hallway where her apartment was. As she reached her door, she noticed that the door to the apartment directly across from hers was open. Curiosity got the better of her and she peeked inside. Mostly, there were just a lot of unpacked boxes, but she saw there was a keyboard set up in the living room. A musician perhaps?

 

 

“Hello,” a voice from behind Byulyi said, the sudden noise making her jump and give a small yelp in surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!”

 

Byulyi turned to face the voice and was met with the face of a very pretty girl. “I- uh… It’s okay. My fault for not paying attention.” she chuckled nervously.

 

The pretty girl smiled and Byulyi felt get a little dry. “I just moved in, as you can see,” she gestured to the open door, “My name is Yongsun, Kim Yongsun. It’s nice to meet you!” she bowed at Byulyi and Byulyi bowed back.

 

“Oh, I’m Moon Byulyi. I live right across from you.” She mirrored Yongsun’s gesturing towards her own door. “I hope we get along well and can become good friends!”

 

“Of course!” Yongsun smiled again, “Well, I have to get back to moving in, but I hope to see you soon.” Giving a small wave and one last smile, Yongsun walked into her apartment and closed the door behind her.

 

She was really pretty, Byulyi thought to herself as she unlocked her own door and let herself in.

 

////

 

After coming back from work the next day, Byulyi ran into Yongsun in the hallway, who was looking down and holding a small plastic bag slightly away from her in her left hand.

 

“Good evening Yongsun.” Byulyi said, giving Yongsun a small smile.

 

Yongsun looked up and quickly moved the bag behind her back, “O-Oh, good evening Byulyi.”

 

Noticing her odd behavior, Byulyi looked at Yongsun curiously but decided not to pry, as she didn’t know her too well after all. “Have you finished moving everything in?”

 

“Yeah, just about. I just need to put everything away and tidy up.”

 

“That’s go--,” Byulyi’s face scrunched up, as she caught a waft of a foul smell, “Do you smell that?”

 

“Smell what?” Yongsun replied a little too quickly.

 

“It smells like poop or something.”

 

“No, I don’t smell anything.” Yongsun shrugged.

 

Byulyi quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t press for an answer. “Weird. Well, I won’t keep you from your unpacking any longer. Have a nice evening!”

 

“Bye!” Yongsun gave Byulyi a small wave before turning around quickly and walking off, hiding the small bag so Byulyi couldn’t get a better look at it.

 

Watching Yongsun walk off, Byulyi wondered what she’d been hiding behind her back. Could it have been a bag of poop? Where would she have gotten it from? Why wouldn’t she just flush it down the toilet or something. Byulyi shrugged it off. It probably wasn’t as weird as she thought it was.

 

////

 

It had been two weeks since Yongsun moved in, and Byulyi mostly had short interactions with her. She never saw her with a small plastic bag again but sometimes when she came back from an errand or from work, she could hear the keyboard and Yongsun’s singing through the door. Although muffled, Byulyi could tell it was really good and wanted to join in, but she knew her raps weren’t that great, and rap wasn’t suited for every song. She wasn’t too confident in her singing either, since she didn’t have too big of a range and couldn’t really hit the high notes, but Yongsun always sounded like she was enjoying herself and she wanted to have fun too. And getting close to Yongsun might be fun. She decided next time she saw Yongsun, she’d ask about the music.

 

One evening, Byulyi was cooking dinner when she heard Yongsun’s door open across the way. She didn’t want the beef she was cooking to burn, so she didn’t leave to go talk to her (she also felt like that would be a little creepy) so she thought she’d take over some of the cookies she bought earlier to Yongsun’s afterward.

 

She’d just gone back to cooking when she could’ve sworn she heard a few barks through the sizzling of beef. Maybe she was just hallucinating, since she was really hungry. She’d finished cooking when she heard the barks again, clearer without the sizzle to distract her, and then the sound of Yongsun’s door opening and closing and the patter of footsteps quickly going down the hall. I wonder what all that was about.

 

Byulyi was sitting down in front of the TV to eat her dinner when she heard Yongsun’s door open again and some muffled talking from Yongsun. Maybe she had brought a friend over? Byulyi’s curiosity got the better of her and she scurried to the peephole in her door. She saw Yongsun fidgeting with her keys while carrying something white-ish and furry in her left arm. A stuffed animal from her boyfriend maybe? The thought made Byulyi a little disappointed, but she pushed the thought away, since it looked like Yongsun was alone and now Byulyi could hear her words a little better.

 

“…Jing Jing I really need you to behave…” Jing Jing was a weird name, maybe it was a pet name for her boyfriend? What kind of name would get you Jing Jing?

 

All of sudden, the stuffed animal in Yongsun’s arms writhed. “... Jing Jing calm down! Be… neighbor’s can’t….” Byulyi couldn’t catch all of the words but it looked like Yongsun had a pet?

 

Before she could get a better look at the writhing furry mass in Yongsun’s arms, Yongsun had gotten her door open and slipped inside. If Yongsun had a pet, she could get in real trouble with the manager since their apartment complex didn’t allow pets. Yongsun could even get kicked out. Byulyi’s stomach dropped at the thought.

 

Maybe she could convince Yongsun to give the dog away. She didn’t want her to leave before being able to at least become more friendly with her. She also didn’t want her to be homeless.

 

Byulyi’s stomach growled and she remembered her dinner that was getting cold on the coffee table. She stepped away from her front door and resumed her position sitting on the couch, picking up her now lukewarm dinner and slowly putting her food into , chewing thoughtfully. Remembering her plan to take over the cookies she had bought to Yongsun, Byulyi started eating faster, almost choking on her dinner as she shoveled the food down . She jumped up to put the dishes in the sink, grabbed the bag of cookies off the kitchen counter and her keys, and threw open her door.

 

Of course, since Yongsun lived right across the hall from her, she was met with Yongsun’s door almost immediately. Byulyi closed and locked her door before taking the three steps needed to be in front of Yongsun’s door and raised her hand to knock, but panic started to sink in. What if Yongsun didn’t like these kinds of cookies? What if she didn’t like cookies? What if she did have a pet and didn’t want to talk to Byulyi? What if she didn’t like Byulyi at all?

 

She still had one hand raised to knock on the door when it opened slowly, jostling her out of her panicked thoughts.

 

Yongsun poked her head out the door. “Hello, Byulyi. Can I help you?”

 

Byulyi was a little dumbfounded. How did Yongsun know she was outside her door? She thought she’d been inconspicuous and quiet. “Uh,” she looked down at the bag in her hand, then held it up to Yongsun with what she hoped was a winning smile. “I bought some cookies today and was wondering if you’d like some?”

 

Yongsun looked Byulyi up and down and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, of course.” She hesitated a moment before opening the door a little more, “Come in if you’d like.”

 

Byulyi smiled broadly, “Yeah, I’d love to.”

 

Yongsun lead Byulyi to her living room, which was the same size as Byulyi’s but was modeled completely different. There were a lot of light, pastel looking colors decorating the room, with pictures of family, friends, and a cute dog hanging on the wall above the TV. On the other side was a bookcase stuffed with lots of music books, some looking like the kind you write in yourself. But the most outstanding part of Yongsun’s apartment was that it seemed like she had made it into a small recording studio. Her keyboard and laptop were hooked up to each other and various other devices. She even had some turntables in the corner.

 

“Wow, Yongsun. I knew you were musically talented, but this is an impressive setup you have!” Byulyi gushed, in awe at all the equipment.

 

Mesmerized by the music equipment, Byulyi didn’t see Yongsun’s face flush. “Musically talented? Thank you. But, how did you know I’m a musician?”

 

Now Byulyi’s face flushed, still not turning to face Yongsun and instead staring pointedly at the wall, “Oh, sometimes I can hear you singing when I come back from work and stuff. You sing very beautifully so it’s nice to hear after a long day.”

 

 

Yongsun’s face turned a darker shade of red. “Why thank you, Byulyi.” Yongsun walked over to the table by her small kitchen, motioning Byulyi to follow her, and took a seat.

 

 

After sitting down, Byulyi enthusiastically asked what she’d been dying to know for weeks. “Are you a musician? Like I said, I can hear you sometimes, so I just got curious.” Realizing she was rambling, Byulyi stammered meekly, “As your job, I mean. Of course you’re a very amazing musician.”

 

 

Yongsun giggled, and Byulyi felt her face heat up again. “Yeah, I work as a composer for a recording company.”

 

 

“Wow! That’s really cool! But that must be a lot of work.”

 

 

Yongsun shrugged, “I get to work at home as much as I want so it’s not too bad. And I’ve always loved making music, so really it’s like all my dreams have come true.”

 

 

Noting the way Yongsun lit up while talking about music, Byulyi couldn’t help but smile. “How long have you been playing the piano?”

 

 

“Since I was 5.”

 

 

“Whoa, that’s a really long time!” Byulyi ripped open the bag of cookies, chose one for herself, and pushed the bag across the counter to Yongsun. “They’re chocolate chip, sugar, and macadamia nut cookies.”

 

 

“I love sugar cookies! Thank you.” Yongsun pulled out a sugar cookie and bit into it, and Byulyi’s internal sigh of relief that she liked the cookies quickly became a gulp as she watched Yongsun’s lips curve into a smile around the cookie. “Do you play any instruments, Byulyi?”

 

 

Byulyi moved her gaze from Yongsun’s lips to her (very pretty) eyes, “Huh? Oh, yeah. I’ve played electric bass since my first year of high school, so not nearly as long as you.”

 

 

“You play bass? That’s cool! No wonder your hands are so long.” Yongsun looked down at Byulyi’s hands briefly, then back at her face.

 

 

“What? I-I uh, yeah. I don’t play her too much anymore, but she’s in my room.” Byulyi stuttered, fidgeting with her hands a little. Why was Yongsun looking at her hands? Why did she comment on how long her hands were? Byulyi peeked at Yongsun’s hands. They seemed normal sized, she supposed. She did notice that her nails were awfully short.

 

Yongsun quirked an eyebrow, “Your electric bass is a girl?” She chuckled and Byulyi’s stomach flipped at the sound, “Does she have a name?”

 

 

Byulyi flushed, grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from the bag, and took a bite before saying, “Her name is… Krystal.”

 

 

“Krystal is a nice name!”

 

Byulyi only nodded in response.

 

Yongsun didn’t need to know she had named her bass after some female idol she thought was smoking hot in her early teens. Not that she still didn’t think that idol was smoking hot. But that was beside the point.

 

The two settled into a comfortable silence when Byulyi remembered that she wanted to rap for Yongsun. “Hey, Yongsun. Wha-” Byulyi was interrupted by the sudden sound of whining and scratching that came from what she supposed was Yongsun’s bedroom. “What was that?”

 

Yongsun paused for a second before smiling sweetly at Byulyi, “What was what?”

 

Byulyi looked around in disbelief, had she heard wrong? “It sounded like… a dog whimpering? From your room?”

 

Yongsun cocked her head in confusion. “I don’t think so. Are you okay Byulyi?” Getting up, she walked over to Byulyi and pressed her hand to the other girl’s forehead. “Do you have a fever maybe?” The gentle pressure of Yongsun’s hand to her forehead made Byulyi’s face start to heat up. She’s touching me. Her hands feel so soft. I’m going to die in this apartment. “You are a little warm. Maybe you should go home and get some rest.”

 

Byulyi looked down in embarrassment, snapping out of her trance. “Y-Yeah, maybe I sh-” she was interrupted again by louder whimpering and more scratching at Yongsun’s bedroom door. Byulyi stood up, “There it is again!”

 

“There what is again?” Yongsun put her hands on Byulyi’s shoulders and carefully pushed the other girl back into her seat, while smiling and shaking her head, “You really should rest up, Byulyi. I’m getting worried about you.”

 

“Yongsun, I’m not sick!” Byulyi chose to ignore how close Yongsun was to her, but it was hard when the other girl hadn’t taken her hands off her shoulders. “Do you have a dog back there?”

 

Yongsun looked shocked, “A dog? No, of course not! This apartment complex doesn’t allow pets! I would be out on the street with nowhere to go if the management ever thought I had a dog!”

 

Byulyi seemed to get it, she didn’t want that for Yongsun. She knew that her small crush on Yongsun made her want to at least get to know the girl better and become friends.

 

“Of course not.” She paused. “But you know, if… if you did have a dog, I wouldn’t tell anyone. I really like dogs. And I really like you.” Byulyi’s eyes went wide. “A-As a friend and neighbor. I… could help you take care of it if you were ever out on a date with your boyfriend and needed a dog sitter?” Byulyi looked at Yongsun nervously and was met with a bashful smile.

 

“I don’t have a boyfriend.” Yongsun looked away shyly, “But, do you really mean that? Would you really… help me out? If I hypothetically had a dog in my room? Even though you don’t know me that well, you would help me? With my hypothetical dog? You wouldn’t tell management?”

 

Chuckling softly, Byulyi put her hand over one of Yongsun’s hands that was still resting on her shoulders, “Yes, I will help you with your hypothetical dog.”

 

Byulyi felt like the wind had been knocked out of her when Yongsun suddenly wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her. “Thank you, Byulyi.”

 

Byulyi responded by loosely wrapping her arms around Yongsun’s waist, taking in her warmth and sweet scent, stomach fluttering and not wanting to let go. It didn’t seem like Yongsun wanted to let go either, but Byulyi was starting to get dizzy and asked, “Can I meet your hypothetical dog?”

 

“Oh!” Yongsun let go of Byulyi, her cheeks painted slightly pink, “Yeah, he’s in my room.”

 

Yongsun quickly walked over to where Byulyi had suspected the noise had been coming from, and opened her bedroom door slowly. “Jing Jing, I have a new friend to introduce to you!”

 

A small, grayish-white dog came bounding out of Yongsun’s room and jumped on her leg, wagging its tail happily. It noticed Byulyi and started sniffing her cautiously but got excited when it decided it liked how she smelled.

 

Byulyi squatted to pet the dog and it her face, “So cute! Jing Jing was it?”

 

“Yeah! He was acting up earlier when he sensed you were outside, that’s why I opened the door. He isn’t always very friendly with strangers, but he really seems to like you!” Yongsun smiled brightly and squatted down next to Byulyi to pet Jing Jing’s head, “I’m glad, I really like you too.”

 

Byulyi’s heart almost stopped when she heard those words. And then the biggest, stupidest grin crept onto her face but she kept her focus on Jing Jing, “I really like you both, too.”

 

Yongsun giggled, turning her head to face Byulyi’s, “I noticed that your nose scrunches up when you smile.” Byulyi immediately covered her nose with her hand but Yongsun pulled it away, “I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I think it’s cute. It means that you’re really happy when your nose muscles flex!”

 

Jing Jing jumped up to Byulyi’s face and she smiled her nose muscle smile, “Yeah, I am really happy.”

 

////

 

It had been a few months since Byulyi met Jing Jing. Since then, she’s spent a lot of time with Yongsun. Mostly they watch movies in Yongsun’s apartment, make or talk about music, or take Jing Jing out for walks in distant neighborhoods so their neighbors don’t catch them with a dog. She had grown comfortable with Yongsun and they were good friends now who joked and talked about everything and anything. But sometimes Byulyi felt like there was something more than friendship budding between them, but she chalked it up to wishful thinking.

 

Byulyi was coming back from grocery shopping after work one day and she couldn’t quite manage getting her door open with all the groceries in her hands. She fumbled helplessly in front of her apartment door. She would have put the groceries down but she was now in a position where she couldn’t or everything would fall out of the bags.

 

“Hey, Byul,” Yongsun had popped her head out of her apartment door probably after hearing Byulyi struggling, “Wanna come over later and watch a movie with Jing Jing and I? We can bake cookies from scratch.” Byulyi turned her head meekly in Yongsun’s direction and Yongsun smiled her dimpled smile. If Byulyi hadn’t already been won over by the promise of cookies, then that smile would have been the nail in her coffin.

 

“Oh, hey, Yongsun. Yeah, sounds like fun! Just let me put my groceries away. I’ll be over soon.”

 

“Oh, let me help you with that.” Yongsun insisted, closing the door to her apartment and grabbing some of Byulyi’s bags out of her hand before Byulyi could protest.

 

“You didn’t have to.” Byulyi whined.

 

“But I wanted to.” replied Yongsun, smiling brightly at Byulyi.

 

Byulyi smiled back before turning to open the door to her apartment, “Thank you, Yongsun. What would I do without you?”

 

“You would probably be dead.” Yongsun said following Byulyi through the door into her apartment, “You know, we live across the hall from each other but I’ve never seen the inside of your apartment. I’ve always been curious as to what it looked like.” Yongsun looked around in wonder.

 

“Well, we’re always at yours because of your cool music setup and Jing Jing! And my apartment’s nothing special, it’s pretty much a mirrored layout of your apartment.” Byulyi shrugged and grabbed her groceries from Yongsun, starting to put them away in the fridge and cupboards.

 

“It is special, it’s your apartment.” Yongsun teased. She walked slowly around Byulyi’s apartment, looking at every detail carefully.

 

“That’s greasy!” Byulyi called from the kitchen.

 

“You like it.” Yongsun replied. She picked up a picture of a young Byulyi with a woman who resembled her off a shelf and brought it over to Byulyi. “Is this your mom?”

 

“Hmm?” Byulyi turned from placing groceries in the fridge, “Oh, no, that’s my aunt.”

 

“Oh, she’s really pretty!”

 

Byulyi took a closer look at the picture, “Oh that’s when we went to the mudflats. Right before I got hit by a minibus.” Byulyi said rather nonchalantly.

 

“You got hit by a what?”

 

“A minibus.”

 

Yongsun looked and sounded really worried, “Oh my god, what happened?”

 

Byulyi shrugged and went back to putting away her groceries, “Well, when the car was being parked, I saw a bug on the ground and was amazed by it. I called out saying, “Auntie, come look at this!” I’d lost my senses and at that time, a mini-bus was coming toward me. I got hit by it. The driver was a grandfather who had been drinking. I was loaded up and taken to the hospital operating room. I had to have surgery on my chin and ankle, but luckily I wasn’t severely hurt.”

 

Yongsun’s brow was furrowed and was agape, “What the hell, Byulyi.”

 

Byulyi smiled reassuringly at Yongsun, “It’s kind of a funny story when you look back on it.”

 

Yongsun looked at her in disbelief, “Not really.”

 

Byulyi shrugged, “It’s not big deal to me anymore.” She closed the refrigerator door, “Well, I’m done! Let’s go to your apartment, I bet Jing Jing misses me.”

 

“Wait, I want to see your room.” Yongsun walked over to the only other door in Byulyi’s apartment.

 

Byulyi panicked, she had 2 posters of her favorite female idol hanging in her room, one of which was rather embarrassing. She rushed towards Yongsun and grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks, “What? Why? There’s nothing special in there.”

 

Yongsun smiled mischievously, “Well, obviously there is if you’re acting so weird!” Yongsun reached for the doorknob to Byulyi’s room but Byulyi got in her way.

 

“Honestly, Yongsun.” Byulyi put her hands on Yongsun’s shoulders, trying to keep her in place, “Let’s just bake some cookies.”

 

“That’s not fair, you’ve seen my room! You know the saying, ‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours’? It’s time to show me yours.” Yongsun quickly maneuvered out of Byulyi’s reach and managed to get her room open. She pushed herself and Byulyi inside and took a look around. “What were you so worried about it’s completely- oh.” Yongsun stopped when she saw one giant poster of a really pretty girl hanging on Byulyi’s wall, “Is that-”

 

“No, it’s not.” Byulyi interrupted.

 

“Krystal Jung?” Yongsun let out a laugh of disbelief.

 

“No.”

 

“No, that is definitely Krystal Jung.” Yongsun walked up to the poster to inspect it further, “It’s a recent one too!”

 

“No it’s not! I’ve had that for forever.” Byulyi replied matter-of-factly.

 

“So you admit you’ve had this for a long time.” Yongsun teased.

 

“Damn it, Yongsun.” Byulyi groaned, letting her head fall into her hands. She was beyond embarrassed.

 

Byulyi felt Yongsun pat her head, “Don’t be embarrassed, Byul. She is really pretty, I understand.”

 

“ you, she’s gorgeous and talented!” Byulyi exclaimed. A dawning realization came upon Byulyi. , I have a type.

 

Yongsun guffawed at Byulyi and put her hands up in surrender, “Okay, okay! Well, I’m satisfied with what I’ve seen, let’s go make some cookies!”

 

Yongsun skipped happily out of Byulyi’s room and Byulyi sighed before following her out of her apartment. At least she didn’t notice the one on the ceiling.

 

When they walked into Yongsun’s apartment, Jing Jing rushed up to greet the both of them.

 

“Hey buddy!” Byulyi bent down and picked Jing Jing up. She hugged and cradled him like a baby, “I missed you while I was at work today.”

 

Jing Jing only panted in response.

 

“He says he missed you, too.” Yongsun said from the kitchen. She grabbed a treat from the pantry and gave it to Jing Jing. Byulyi put him down and he scurried off to eat in peace. Yongsun walked to the sink and started washing her hands, “Please wash your hands before we start!”

 

Byulyi made her way over to the sink, “I’ve never made cookies from scratch before, how do you do it?” When she was done washing her hands, she stood next to Yongsun, who had grabbed various baking supplies out of her pantry. Jing Jing was happily chewing on his treat and watching them from under Yongsun’s dining table.

 

“I’ve never done it either, but it looks easy enough.” Yongsun picked up her phone and showed it to Byulyi, “I found a recipe for chocolate chip cookies online.”

 

Byulyi scrunched up her face, “This is a wikihow article.”
 

 

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work!”

 

“Okay, fair enough.” Byulyi rolled up her sleeves, “So, what do we do?”

 

Yongsun looked at her phone, “Step 1,” she read, “Preheat the oven to 180°C.”

 

Byulyi went to the oven and turned the dial to 180°C. “Check!”

 

“Alright! Easy. Step 2 is mix and sift the dry ingredients. Put the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and whisk them together.”

 

“How much of that stuff do we need?” Byulyi asked, grabbing a measuring cup.

 

Yongsun scrolled up on her phone, “Uh… 2 ¼ cups flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon baking soda.”

 

Byulyi just kinda stood there dumbly holding the measuring cup, “I am going to need you to repeat that several times because my brain does not fit that much stuff in it at once.”

 

Yongsun laughed, “You’re cute, Byul.”

 

“You’re cuter, Yongsun!” Byulyi tickled Yongsun’s chin and Yongsun swatted her hand away

 

“So greasy!”

 

Byulyi and Yongsun looked at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter. Byulyi eventually caught her breath and said, “No but seriously, please repeat the amounts. I don’t remember them anymore.”

 

Yongsun gave her a thumbs up, “No problem.”

 

///

 

After repeating the same instructions to Byulyi about 20 times each, they were finally able to put the cookie sheet in the oven. Yongsun gave a sigh of relief as she set her phone’s timer for 15 minutes, “ing finally, now we can choose a movie.”

 

“I want to watch a rom-com,” Byulyi took a spoon scooped up the leftover cookie dough in their mixing bowl and brought it to , “Oh man, I ing love cookie dough.” Before Yongsun could react, Byulyi had put the entire spoon in , wiping it clean.

 

“What are you doing!? You could get salmonella!” Yongsun looked absolutely mortified, slapping the spoon out of Byulyi’s hand.

 

“Who the is Sal Monella?” Byulyi mumbled through a mouth full of delicious cookie dough.

 

Yongsun made a motion to grab the spoon before Jing Jing could get to it, but stopped in her tracks at Byulyi’s words, “What? Salmonella isn’t a person! It’s a sickness that you can get from eating raw eggs. Like the raw eggs in cookie dough!”

 

“Oh,” Byulyi swallowed the cookie dough, “Oops.”

 

“You better not throw up in my apartment, Moon Byulyi.” Yongsun deadpanned, picking up the spoon and putting it in the sink. She walked over to her couch and plopped down, Byulyi followed close behind.

 

“If I do, I promise to clean it up,” she said, plopping down next to Yongsun. Their bodies were touching but neither of them made an effort to move.

 

“You’d better,” Yongsun looked around for the remote and spotted it on the other side of Byulyi, reaching over her to grab the device and making Byulyi dizzy with how good she smelled.

 

Yongsun sat up and Byulyi let out a small sigh of disappointment, “What rom com did you have in mind?” asked Yongsun.

 

“I don’t know, which ones haven’t we watched yet?”

 

Yongsun opened up the category box on Netflix and clicked on the romance tab and then the sub-genre for romantic comedies, “I don’t know, let’s see.”

 

“Seen it, seen it, oh that one was really bad, seen it, seen it, seen it…” Byulyi commented as Yongsun scrolled through the list of movies, “Oh what about that one - no we’ve seen it.”

 

“God, have we really watched this many romantic comedies?” Yongsun asked in disbelief.

 

Byulyi shrugged, “I guess we have.”

“Then let’s watch something else, like a horror movie.” Yongsun started pressing buttons that took her to the horror tab in Netflix.

 

“No! I don’t like scary stuff!” Byulyi exclaimed.

 

“Well, we obviously always watch rom coms!” Yongsun scrolled through the tab to look for something good, “That one looks scary!” Yongsun pointed at the screen but everything there looked scary to Byulyi right now.

 

“No!” Byulyi tried to grab the remote from Yongsun’s hand but Yongsun held on firmly. Their eyes locked, and both of them knew the other wasn’t going to let go of that remote.

 

“Byul…” Yongsun warned.

 

“No!” Byulyi pulled on the remote and accidentally turned the TV off, though she wasn’t paying to it at the moment.

 

Yongsun pulled back on the remote, “Byulyi! Stop being a baby! This is my apartment! Give me my remote!” Yongsun’s pull turned the TV back on and exited to Netflix’s main menu.

 

“Fine!” Byulyi weakened her grip on the remote for a moment, giving Yongsun a false sense of security, then pulled on it with all her might, desperate not to cry or accidentally pee her pants while suffering through a horror movie. However, she was not prepared for Yongsun to come with the remote, knocking them both off the couch and on the floor with Yongsun landing on top of her.

 

Yongsun gathered her bearings and propped herself up on her elbows, but when she looked down, she realized she was on top of Byulyi. And Byulyi noticed that it didn’t look like Yongsun was going to move off of her anytime soon. In fact, Yongsun seemed to be looking at Byulyi rather intensely. damn damn damn damn this is like one of those lame animes what the is happening. Byulyi’s breath hitched when Yongsun’s face started moving closer. Byulyi decided it would be in her best interest to roll with it and she closed her eyes, hoping Yongsun would do the thing.

 

But then Shakira’s hit song “Hips Don’t Lie” came blaring from Yongsun’s phone on the couch, very rudely interrupting them. ‘Oh baby when you talk like that’ was the last line Byul heard before Yongsun turned off the alarm and got up.

 

“The cookies are gonna burn.” Yongsun said, making her way to the oven.

 

“Yeah.” Byulyi sat up on floor and looked blankly into space. you Shakira.

 

////

 

It was a cold November Sunday and Yongsun and Byulyi had gone to a distant park to hang out with Jing Jing. They hadn’t talked about the almost kiss although they were still plenty flirtatious, but when it got what Byulyi liked to call “too real”, they stopped. It was a real bummer, but Byulyi didn’t really know what to do. She’d never made it half this far with a girl before.

 

The cold air seemed to have gotten to Yongsun, as she sneezed rather violently into her hand. She hadn’t brought too thick of a jacket or any mittens.

 

"That's gross, Yongsun, you're supposed to dab when you sneeze." Byulyi said.

 

Yongsun looked at her in confusion, "What?"

 

"You know," In one quick motion, Byulyi bent and raised her left arm, stuck out her right arm and gave a sharp nod into her left elbow. "'Dab on 'em.'"

 

Yongsun scowled at Byulyi, "Don't ever do that again."

 

Byulyi frowned rather pathetically, “Yes ma’am.”

 

Jing Jing stopped in front of a fire hydrant, sniffed it, and peed, “You’re so stereotypical, Jing Jing.” Yongsun scoffed.

 

“Leave him alone, he likes the classics.” Byulyi laughed and Yongsun giggled. They smiled at each other for a while until Jing Jing tried walking in a different direction and snapped them out of their trance.

 

“You’re so impatient, Jing Jing.” Yongsun huffed.

 

Byulyi’s heart was racing and for some reason at that moment, a thought crossed her mind. Gathering her strength, praying to a higher being in her head, and hoping Yongsun wouldn’t notice her sweaty hands, she reached for Yongsun’s free hand and held it in hers. Yongsun turned to looked at her in surprise but Byulyi didn’t look at her, instead staring at Jing Jing. “We can keep each other warm.”

 

After a pause, she felt Yongsun’s hand tighten around hers. “Okay.” Byulyi was still too embarrassed to look at her face, but it sounded like a happy okay, and that was enough for her.

 

The two spent the rest of the walk hand in hand following Jing Jing wherever he took them.

 

(Byulyi was never cold in the first place, but she wasn’t about to tell Yongsun that.)

 

////

 

Byulyi should’ve seen it coming.

Everything was too perfect, she had recently gotten a promotion at her new job, Jing Jing loved her as much as he loved Yongsun, and (in her head) she and Yongsun were basically dating. So of course that morning the landlord knocked on her door to ask if she knew anything about the alleged dog in Yongsun’s apartment. Apparently a neighbor had seen them going around with Jing Jing often. Byulyi cursed in her head, they should have been more careful. Of course, she denied knowing anything but she was certain the landlord didn’t believe her.

 

Once she was sure he was gone, she rushed across the hall and knocked desperately on Yongsun’s door. After few seconds, a crying Yongsun opened the door. Byulyi’s heart sank at the sight and she couldn’t help but pull Yongsun into a tight hug. Yongsun started shaking and crying harder in Byulyi’s arms and Byulyi had to lead her inside the apartment, locking the door behind them.

 

She ushered Yongsun to the couch and held her close. Byulyi her hair while Yongsun lay unmoving in her arms. What do I do? What can I say? Her thoughts were interrupted by Jing Jing jumping onto the couch and trying to sit in between them.

 

“Hey, Jing Jing.” Yongsun said softly while him. He seemed to understand something was wrong and nuzzled his head into her hand. Byulyi held Yongsun a little tighter.

 

After what seemed like a long stretch of silence, Byuyli asked, “What are you going to do?”

 

The question hung heavily in the air and Byulyi regretted asking it.

 

When Yongsun finally answered, her voice was quiet, “Look for a new place I guess? But I don’t know if I can find one in the time the landlord is giving me.”

 

“Well, how much time do you have?”
 

“3 days.”

 

“Oh.” 3 days was not a lot of time. Byulyi started to panic. What if she gets kicked out onto the street? Her and Jing Jing, living alone by the road, begging for money and scraps? Especially when it’s so cold now, she wouldn’t last! God, what do I do?

 

Yongsun looked curiously at a completely frozen Byulyi who was staring off into space. “Um… Byulyi?” she questioned, meekly raising a hand to wave in front of the other girl’s face.

 

“Move in with me.”

 

Yongsun reeled back a bit, surprised by the demand, “What?”

 

Byulyi’s voice grew a little more desperate, “Move in with me.” She looked Yongsun directly in her eyes, “I just. I don’t want you to… I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She admitted.

 

“Byulyi, if I moved in with you, we’d still have the same problem.” Yongsun frowned.

 

“I… I know. But, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time actually.” Byulyi started feeling around in the pockets of her jacket.

 

“You… Have?” Yongsun tried to get Byulyi to look at her, but she was busy digging in her pockets. Finally, she pulled out a pamphlet from one of the pockets.

 

“You don’t need to worry,” Byulyi assured her, waving the pamphlet in front of Yongsun’s face with a grin, “They allow pets.”

 

“You’ve actually looked into this.” Yongsun grabbed the pamphlet and started flipping through it.

 

Byulyi smiled sheepishly, “Well, I was always afraid you were going to get caught and I wanted to be able to help if it happened.” Yongsun started crying again and Byulyi panicked, “N-Not to say I always expected it to happen I just…!” She was at a loss for words but calmed down a little when she heard Yongsun’s laugh.

 

“No wonder I love you so much.” Yongsun said while wiping the tears from her eyes.

 

Byulyi let out a sigh of relief, “I love you, too, Yongsun.” Byulyi knew what way she meant she loved Yongsun, right now it didn’t matter that Yongsun’s meaning wasn’t the same as hers.

 

Yongsun hugged Byulyi really tightly for a long time and they relaxed in each other's arms, enjoying each other’s warmth. When Yongsun broke the hug she still held onto Byulyi, looking at her with nothing but love in her eyes. Although Byulyi had the same lovesick expression on her face, though she couldn’t recognize the one on Yongsun’s face.

 

Byulyi wasn’t expecting it but this time Yongsun didn’t waste any time before closing the distance between her and Byulyi. Nonetheless, she kissed Yongsun back with an almost desperate vigor. Yongsun put one of her hands on the back of Byulyi’s neck to deepen the kiss and the other on the small of Byulyi’s back. Byulyi ran one of her hands through Yongsun’s hair and used the other one to hold Yongsun’s head at the right angle. After several minutes of kissing, they broke away from each other, panting hard. It was the first time a girl had stuck her tongue in Byulyi’s mouth and she really, really hoped it wouldn’t be the last.

 

Yongsun brought her face close to Byulyi’s again, and Byulyi was ready for more kissing, but she just rested her forehead against Byulyi’s. She put both arms around Byulyi’s neck and with a big smile on her face she said, “I’ll move in with you, Moon Byulyi.”

 

Byulyi smiled her nose muscle smile, the one that let Yongsun know she was really happy, “Nothing would make me happier, Kim Yongsun.”

 

The End

 

End notes

I copy/pasted that one interview where byul said she got hit by the minibus it’s probably my girlfriends favorite thing about moonbyul

I did look at wikihow for the cookies

I really do think byul would say who the is sal monella

Byul is a bottom no ifs ands or buts about it

Solar probably loves Shakira lbr

I really want to see moonbyul dab bc they did the nae nae (not well at all) and i want to see them dab

I’m sorry