Eunsook had never been really confronted with the problem she was facing now.
Simply said, there had never been a moment in her life where she felt as self-conscious as she did right now.
When she looked into the mirror before, all she saw was a girl with a goofy smile.
She might be a little on the short side, but there had never been a problem with this.
Her hair was pretty, slightly wavy as it fell over her shoulder’s in brown dyed locks.

Eunsook had never been bullied either. She had been class president back in high school and now in college she was on good terms with almost everyone.
Even with the teacher assistant.
A sigh left her lips as she averted her eyes from her own reflection.
Had she always been that…
Big?

And if the answer was yes, then why had no one ever told her?
Neither her mother nor her best friend in high school?
Perhaps, the girls in her class had secretly been laughing about her.

Eunsook scrunched up her nose as that thought flashed through her mind.

Okay, now she was definitely over thinking this and turning everything ridiculous.
Doubting her best friend and everyone she had been close with… just because she suddenly became aware of those extra 20 pounds she had.
Maybe they were 30 pounds, if she compared herself to a certain someone.
Which, frankly speaking, wasn’t a good idea if you were in the middle of developing self-confidence issues.
Then again, she was the whole reason Eunsook found herself in this predicament.

She had a name of course.
Choi Minjung.
Taunting 178 cm tall, short black hair that fell past her ears in a casual cut. She had been the captain of their soccer team back high school and was now studying journalism with focus on said sport.
Choi Minjung with her lean body and her flat stomach …
Minjung, who was her girlfriend.

Eunsook was still astonished at how that could have even happened.
But let’ just say she had attended that one single college party in her life and it ended with a very drunk Minjung splayed over her lap and crying in her drunk state about that girl she had a crush on since the start of her freshman year in high school.
The elder had tried to soothe her, had tried to make her calm down and built up the girl’s courage to confess her crush.
And well….
Confess…she did.

A week later, Choi Minjung had cornered the brunet after her last class, handing over a single red rose. Eunsook had been completely flabbergasted and more than bewildered.
And Minjung’s stammers that followed hadn’t really enlightened her in the slightest.
She remembered saying something eloquent as ‘uhm… what?’, before the tall black haired female had cleared and repeated herself with a steady voice this time.

As it turned out, Eunsook had been the girl Minjung had been crushing on for all this time. And as much as the elder wanted to say that she saw it coming because she had known the taller girl since her first year back in high school…. She hadn’t expected it at all.
They hadn’t been close, but they had greeted each other and maybe there was this one time when Minjung had copied her maths homework because she forgot to do it the day before due to an important soccer match of their school’s soccer club.
And how could Eunsook say no to this? They had won the match after all.

A week later the elder of the two had made up her mind and agreed to go on a date with the former soccer captain. Honestly, Eunsook will never forget the big smile that had formed on the raven haired’s face when she accepted her feelings.
It was one of her favourite memories of them.
The rest was history, so to say. One date turned into two, and two turned into many more till they decided to make it official and go steady.

Their story was a short tale, but Eunsook cherished every small moment of it. She didn’t regret it. She didn’t regret the awkward phase she had with her dad for about two months until he came around and hugged her and told her he never wanted Eunsook to feel unloved or uncomfortable. Her mother had accepted Minjung like her own.
Only that the brunet could really live without all the baby stories she had easily dished out to the younger.
Eunsook would remember the glint in Minjung’s eyes and her grin forever.

Anyway, she was getting off track here.
Eunsook blushed as she realised how easily she was distracted when the topic was her own girlfriend.
She rubbed her cheeks in a vain attempt to dust of the pink on them.

When she finally looked back up, she was faced with her reflection again, staring back at her with her thighs that suddenly looked so big in comparison to others, or her tummy that wasn’t toned and flat like her girl’s.
Maybe it’s the jeans.
Eunsook pondered that possibility for a moment, before she discarded it just as quickly as it had come. She had owned this particular pair of jeans for forever and her thighs had never bothered her. So the only reasonable conclusion was that her legs were indeed on the big side.

Just wonderful.
That was exactly what she needed right before she would have dinner with Minjung and the younger’s parents.

“Eunsookah”, came her girlfriend’s voice just in said moment. As if it was bewitched.
“Yeah?”, she hummed and turned away from the damned mirror that just kept on pulling her further down.
The black haired’s eyes were on her, obviously seizing her up from head to toe and Eunsook just wanted to shrink or be eaten alive.
Did she see it too?
She was… too curvy.

“You look gorgeous”
Eunsook’s eyes widen at this comment. She hadn’t expected that, but when she met her lover’s gaze she saw nothing but adoration.
She swallowed down the lump in and showed a shy smile. Her cheeks were flaring red again as if she hadn’t received a compliment from her girlfriend before.
“Thanks”, she whispered, but the smile she gifted the other with was genuine.

She didn’t know how she did it, but Minjung could always… just make everything better. One word, one comment, one big grin of her and Eunsook’s world started spinning and coming apart in the good way.

But this time… this one time it wasn’t fully enough.
When Eunsook let her eyes wander over her girlfriend’s appearance, she become awfully aware of the fact, that next to her she would look off.

Small, curvy, dressed in jeans and her favourite sweater.

Not like Minjung who wore skin tight pants with a printed shirt and comfortable but very stylish Adidas shoes.
Eunsook had even put on some make-up for the evening, but she still felt inferior.
“You know what would look even better on you?”, her girlfriend started and the elder could only shake her head.
“That cute apricot coloured blouse you bought last week! You know? With the trumpet sleeves?”
The brunet knew which top the other was talking about, but…
“You think?”
Minjung just nodded, before she walked over to the elder’s cupboard and retrieved said blouse from a clothes hanger
“It will look good with the dark blue jeans you are wearing”
Eunsook smiled a little and decided to trust her lover’s taste.
Besides… she didn’t want to please a crowd.
If Minjung told her she looked pretty than she was satisfied with that. She was not going to dress up for someone else anyway.

“When you’re ready let’s head down to my car. I think we might already be ten minutes late”
“Sorry”, the elder blushed again as she had exchanged tops at the speed of lightning as she really didn’t feel like letting Minjung ogle her today.

When her head re-appeared through the blouse’s collar the younger was already in front of her, showing her typical bright smile.
Minjung leaned in and kissed her fully on the lips, a small press nothing more, before she pulled back again and sent her a wink.
“No need to be”
The younger of them interlaced their fingers then and pulled Eunsook out of her dorm room which resulted in the brunette being grateful for their doors being pin-locked and didn’t need to be shut manually with a key.

She felt a little lighter then, with Minjung so close to her and sending her that special smile.

Eunsook wanted to say that she felt like she could take on the world, but her doubts came back as soon as she stepped into the Choi’s house.
 

“What was up with you?”
Eunsook kept mum as they drove home.
She could hear that Minjung was worried for her, but she… she couldn’t explain it either.
“You barely talked”
The elder only shrugged. She knew her girlfriend couldn’t see it as she was concentrating on the road like she should be, but she really didn’t feel like talking right now.
“Sorry”, she whispered out.

--

Minjung had driven her back to her dormitories like she always did.
Eunsook really had to admit that her girlfriend was a gentlewoman through and through. When you needed her she was there. If you needed space, she granted it to you.
She felt really guilty now for treating her lover this coldly.

“Sorry about… about the dinner with your parents… I didn’t feel so well”
She didn’t want to admit that her thoughts had been revolving about her figure. It was so unlike her. This was not something Lee Eunsook usually thought about or worried about.
“You feel unwell?”, Minjung had just closed the door behind them as she stepped up to cup her lover’s face with her palms
“Nauseous? Stomach flu?”, there was a small pout on the taller’s face and Eunsook was so close to just get on her tiptoes and kiss it away
“No”, she answered and chewed on her lower lip.
She hated it when Minjung worried.
That one time Eunsook had been sick during holidays, having come down with the flu and knocked out with a fever, her girlfriend had spent every minute with her, nursing her back to health. She even missed some practise sessions of their universities soccer club for that.
And that had meant a lot to the elder.

“Okay”, her younger girlfriend kissed her gently and Eunsook couldn’t help but respond just as tenderly. They hadn’t had a lot of time for each other due to exams, but now they had a clearer schedule again and the brunet couldn’t wait till they would stay up until late again, binge watching some series they found on the web and munching their favourite ice cream.
She leaned into the touch of the younger and let out a tired sigh.
All this thinking… had caused her to grow exhausted.
And the tiny voice that told her that she looked absolutely ridiculous next to drop dead gorgeous and super sporty Minjung hadn’t shut up either.

“I’ll be better tomorrow. Maybe I’m just tired from all the seminars… Nutrition and Health class has been giving me a hard time, but I’m glad the exam is over now”
That wasn’t completely a lie.
The subject had been extremely difficult to handle and she had been bombarded with homework, but after the exam she had left with a good feeling. Hopefully she never had to hear about it again.
“Mhm”, Minjung hummed and hugged her closer now, her hands going around Eunsook’s neck
“Exams are over. We’re free again”
The brunet chuckled at that
“Your eyes can recover from all the staring you did at your notebook”

The black haired girl squeezed her.
“You’re a worrywart. So… can I stay over?”
Eunsook’s breath hitched for a moment even though they had spent countless nights together already. With and without clothes on.
“Sure”, she answered then and felt stupid for even considering to say no for just a moment.
She was being silly, Eunsook concluded.
Just… just because she had self-confidence issues…. She shouldn’t push Minjung away.
It wasn’t the girl’s fault in the slightest that she was just equipped with a perfect body, worked out to keep it and was just born with the right genes.

The elder released a grumble when she realised she was doing it again.

“Are you coming?”
The black haired female had already dressed into the pair of pyjamas she kept at the elder’s place for occasions like these. She didn’t need to wash her face, as she rarely wore make up anyway.
“What about brushing our teeth?”, Eunsook piped up, always the responsible one, while she was using a wet cloth to get rid of her mascara and foundation
“We’ll do double time tomorrow to make up for it”
The brunet just rolled her eyes at that but changed into her own sleeping clothes and slipped into bed, where her girlfriend was already waiting.
“You know that won’t make it better right?”
Minjung just showed her cheeky grin that wasn’t exactly visible in the darkness of the room now, but Eunsook didn’t need light to know it was there.

“I know. But I just wanted you close to me.”
“You’re terrible”, the smaller whispered under her breath but snuggles closer to her girlfriend. Sometimes Minjung’s lines could be a bit too much.
But she loved them no less.
“It’s because I love you”
Eunsook blushed even more and hid her face at her neck.
She breathed out and whispered an ‘I love you’ back. She usually wasn’t that shy and reluctant with her affection but…
Now that she felt slightly down did it cause her heart to beat extra fast and her stomach to flip as if it was the first time Minjung confessed.

After she exhaled again, she came back out from her hiding place and their lips met a moment later. Their movements came natural, pressing and slow nibbling, followed by languid pecks that turned slightly more heated as Minjung let her tongue slip out between their quick kisses and asked for entrance like that.
Eunsook granted it willingly and let their tongues twirl in a short mess of affection.

They parted and both showed a big grin.
“Sleep well”
“You too”, Eunsook let herself get spooned. She loved being the small spoon. Not that it was kind of evident that she would be anyway. As she was over ten centimetres smaller than her girlfriend. But she just loved to be held.
By Minjung’s arm that was casually dropped around her belly.
Her big belly.
Bumpy and soft and squishy…
“Hey Min?”, she whispered feeling sick to the core suddenly.
It felt like she was suddenly double her size.
Every patch of skin the other was touching felt big and fat and unnecessary to her.
“C-can… you hold me there?”, she used her own hand to resettle her taller girlfriend’s arm right below her s.
Better.

No extra skin.

“Uhm? Sure, Eunah?”
“Yeah?”, she replied but her voice was barely above a whisper.
She felt horrible. This was Minjung. She had held her like this countless of times but… Eunsook felt overly aware of her pudgy flesh and she imagined it tingling and…
She couldn’t describe it, but it was a sickening feeling.

“Are you alright?”
The black haired was obviously worried again and Eunsook felt tears pool in her brown eyes as she realised that it was only because of her weird behaviour.
“I’m okay. I promise. Let’s sleep okay?”
She didn’t want the younger to worry even more.
Maybe tomorrow she would be over her weird phase.
She could only hope so.
A tender kiss was placed on her shoulder as she felt her girlfriend nuzzle closer to her.
“Okay. Love you. Meet you over there”

Over there being dreamland. Minjung could be a hopeless romantic when she wanted.
“Meet you there”

Eunsook didn’t sleep a wink that night.
 

“I have something for you”

Eunsook blinked in confusion as she pulled out the spoon from , her hand still holding onto the cup of yoghurt she was eating.
Natural yoghurt extra light.

“A present?”, her eyes lit up a little but then she pouted, stuffing another scoop of white into
“You shouldn’t spend so much money on me Min”
“I wanted to”
Eunsook couldn’t help but sigh.
She the spoon clean before she put it into the sink and the cup into the garbage can.
“Fine”, she mumbled, but deep inside she was really curious about the gift.
What could it be?
“Then give it to me”, the brunette her heels and approached her girlfriend with a small smile on her lips.
Her arms reached out and circled around Minjung’s neck, pulling herself closer, their bodies pressing together just slightly
“Please?”, Eunsook batted her eyelashes, using her baby doll eyes to make her lover give in.

She didn’t like it when Minjung spends her money on her, but once her interest was piqued… she could turn a little annoying and unreasonable.
But she was working on that – cross her heart!

Minjung’s smile was breathtakingly broad as she encircled the smaller’s waist and pecked her lips.
“After dinner”, she promised
“But I just had dinner!”, Eunsook argued and that put a frown on the taller’s face
“You ate a cup of yoghurt”
“For dinner. Yes?”, Eunsook didn’t see the problem with that. She had been cutting down diligently, she even tried to reduce her doses of chicken.
And everyone knew just how hard that was for her!

But over the past weeks… her self-esteem had hit rock bottom and that was when she decided to go on a diet.
She was doing this not only for herself, but also for Minjung, right?
Eunsook didn’t want to be the ugly duckling next to her sporty and overall gorgeous girlfriend… wouldn’t… people feel sorry for Minjung?
Why a wonderful girl like her was with –

You see just how far down she was with her doubts.

“You’re unbelievable…”, the taller of the two sighed and dropped some tender kisses along Eunsook’s jaw line and down her neck to her shoulder.
She shivered slightly at the contact, enjoying the intimate touches.
Minjung was always so gentle with her.
She hummed in contentment and squeezed her lover’s back when they met in a kiss that involved some teasing and the raven haired nibbling on her bottom lip just to be a little annoying, but nothing more.
The taller pulled away and Eunsook let out a needy whine.

“Bad girls aren’t allowed to have fun”, she snickered and the brunette all but pouted.
Why was her girlfriend teasing her so much right now?
“You will get your present under one condition!”, Minjung started then and the smaller was all ears
“Yeah?”, she looked up at the black haired with a hopeful gaze
“You will eat Jjajangmyeon with me for dinner”

Eunsook’s shoulders slumped, her lips forming a big pout.
Why wouldn’t Minjung understand?
She was trying to get a healthier body!
“Fine”, she whispered eventually and that earned her a kiss on the cheek.
Her lover seemed honestly happy with that answer, judging by the wide smile that was decorating her beautiful face.
Eunsook blushed as she caught herself checking out her own girlfriend and deemed that one dinner couldn’t hurt.
Not when it apparently meant so much to Minjung.
 

Dinner was delicious.
Eunsook found herself drooling at the delivered noodle dish and devouring it a moment after.
Only when Minjung chuckled at her cute manner did she realise that she must have given off the image of a starved little bunny.
She blushed in a faint pink before she placed her chopsticks down, but the plate was already empty.
“Done”, she said in a small voice and her girlfriend grinned even more at her
“Now you deserve your reward!”, she announced happily, got up from her seat and all but pulled the older girl with her and into the bedroom.
Minjung seemed to search something under the bed, and Eunsook had to fight the urge to stare at her lover’s cute behind that she was lifting up to reach underneath the piece of furniture placed in the middle of the small room.

She cleared and averted her gaze.
Her girlfriend made a happy sound and pulled out a plastic bag.
Eunsook blinked and took a closer look, but the brand name written on the bag didn’t ring any bell.
“Promise me something though”, Minjung breathed out as she held out the present with both of her hands, an indication that she wouldn’t hand it over until she had the elder’s word.
“Yeah?”
The black haired relaxed slightly at that answer and pushed the bag into Eunsook’s palms.
“You have to wear it for me!”

Was Minjung blushing?

No, she must be imagining things, right?
For now did she look at the small plastic bag in her hands and started to pull out whatever was inside.
Clothes apparently.
Maybe a dress?
But the fabric she was touching didn’t feel like a dress at all.
She pulled it out completely and nearly doubled over when she realised what it was.

Lingerie?
Eunsook swallowed and turned the garments in her hands.
They were creamy white, both the and the bra, decorated with laces and a small white flower made out of said lace was placed between the cups.
“Minjung…”
The underwear was definitely good quality so they must have cost a fortune.
“I…”
“Y-you promised!”, the taller… stuttered?
The elder couldn’t believe her ears, but when she looked up she saw how flushed and… embarrassed Minjung was.
Her cheeks were crimson and she barely managed to meet her eyes.
“You promised to wear it for me”, she repeated, with a steadier voice this time and Eunsook already regretted her words.
Deeply.

Lingerie….
They were cute, they really were. She’d have loved them…
If only…
“I…”
These doubts.

“You promised”, her girlfriend urged her on and Eunsook gave in with a sigh.
There was no way she could win a fight with Choi Minjung.
Especially not when she was right. Eunsook had indeed promised.
“Okay…”, she whispered and let out a shaky breath as she began to her pants.
Minjung, being the gentlewoman she was even turned around to give her privacy.
Not as if she hadn’t seen all of the brunette already, but… right now the elder was glad for the bit of space she granted her.
The pants dropped to the ground and a moment later she pushed down her blue and put on the creamy one Minjung had gifted her.
It fit perfectly.

What meant that she still hadn’t lost some weight, right? Minjung knew her size. And as this one was fitting perfectly…
Her efforts had all been in vain.

When she closed her new bra and turned it around her torso, getting the straps over her shoulders she was glad however that she hadn’t lost some weight there.
She was actually pretty happy with her C-Cups, thank you very much.

A sigh left her lips as she was done dressing.
Eunsook had to close her eyes as she didn’t want to glance into the mirror or anything.
Look down her body and see her pudgy tummy or something.
“Can I turn around?”
Minjung seemed really excited.
There was no stutter in her voice anymore what must mean that she had calmed down and found her composure.
“Yeah”, Eunsook whispered and wrapped her arms around her body.

She felt so damn exposed.
And right now… she felt ugly.
Maybe not fat, because she knew she was not fat. But not skinny either.
Pudgy stayed the word she used to describe herself with.

“You look so gorgeous, ”
Eunsook looked up immediately.
Minjung barely ever cursed and if she did, did she usually apologies right after.

But right now, she didn’t look sorry at all.

“W-what?”, Eunsook still kept her arms around her body as the younger stepped closer, taking her face between her palms.
It was really unfair how much taller the other was.
Her heart beat increased in pace, and she swore she could feel it beat in .
“Look at you”, Minjung whispered in a breathy voice.
“Looking all y and attractive”
Eunsook gasped at this and quickly averted her gaze, cheeks flaming a deep red.
“I’m not… y”
Her girlfriend clicked her tongue and pinched her cheek as a punishment which caused the brunette to yelp.
“Outch!”, she complained, but Minjung only smirked
“You’re very attractive”, she repeated then and let her hands glide down her lover’s shoulders
“Attractive and y and cute and just!”, each adjective was emphasised with a kiss to Eunsook’s neck, which made her heart flutter even more
“That doesn’t even make sense, you’re contradicting yourself. y and cute”, she interjected, but Minjung had none of it.
She took the elder’s hands in hers and successfully removed Eunsook’s arms from her body so the younger could stare at her openly.

“I know you are trying to lose weight”, she started and the elder quickly retorted, “Yeah, but in vain”
She apparently hadn’t lost any weight at all.
But she didn’t know for certain as she had yet to step on a scale.

“You have”
Eunsook blinked in a bewildered manner and Minjung stopped peppering her with kisses to look into her eyes.
“I bought the in one size smaller”

Oh.

“R-really?”, she couldn’t believe it.
So… it hadn’t all been for nothing?
“Yeah”, Minjung hummed and planted another kiss on her, this time on her forehead
“So you can stop with this crap now okay? I don’t want to make love to a stick! You are so, so beautiful, Sook-ah”
“I’m n-“
“Don’t even try to argue with me on this. To me, you are the most beautiful woman on this planet!”, the black haired cried out, her cheeks pink from the sudden confession
“Minjung…”
How could the younger melt her heart so easily? Everything about Choi Minjung was plain unfair.

“I know… I know that you have issues with your body”, her girlfriend continued
“Wherever they suddenly came from”, the younger shrugged and Eunsook sighed
“I don’t know… I just… suddenly realised… that next to you I look like a pudgy lazy cat”
“Don’t say that!”, the taller exclaimed with a frown on her face
“That’s just silly! You look beautiful and I love you and I love your body and… is that the reason why we didn’t have for a while?”

The brunette flinched.
Bullseye.
“Maybe?”
Minjung grumbled and enveloped her into a tight hug.
“Is it my fault? Did I ever give you the feeling that you aren’t perfect?”, the younger seemed genuinely distressed by that
“No!”, Eunsook answered immediately
“Oh my gosh, silly”, she nudged her lover
“Of course not… You… you know you are… perfect”, she nearly swallowed the last word out of embarrassment, but Minjung must have caught it as she was beaming back at her
“And you are perfect for me. So please? Stop with all this. You are beautiful. I love you, like this. There is not a pound too much on you, bunny”

The use of their special pet name caused a shiver to run down Eunsook’s spine and she couldn’t help but lean against her taller lover.
“I will try”

She suddenly didn’t feel as vulnerable anymore.
Maybe…
She even felt a little pretty.
With Minjung’s words still ringing in her ears.

It wouldn’t stop immediately, she knew that. The voices and the doubts, they would take a while to disappear, drown them out completely.
But…
If her girlfriend would help her, make her feel as pretty and as loved as now… she would manage.
Eunsook was sure of that.
And once again, she wondered how she had managed to make this girl fall in love with her.

“Good”
Minjung placed a lingering kiss on her lips
“I love you”, she whispered and Eunsook couldn’t help but smile.
Her eyes formed crescents as she squeezed her girlfriend’s shoulder’s in gratitude for the pep-talk.
“I love you too”
“Good. Now let me get you into bed and this pretty lingerie off your perfect body”

Eunsook couldn’t agree more.

A/N:
Sorry for the long wait ^^
Chelsea, I'm so happy that it turned out to be you who prompted this ;)
<3
Eunsook is really sweet, isn't she?