Yerim and Sooyoung exited the parking deck elevator on the second floor, stepping into a wall of fragrant morning air that was somehow unmarred by the dank, basement-like atmosphere of the cement and metal structure around them. The two nurses in the elevator with them gave the pair an inquisitive look as Yerim followed Sooyoung; they knew that nurses didn’t have hangtags that would permit them to park on lower floors. Yerim ignored them.

“Alright,” Sooyoung said, taking the brunette by the arm and leading her into the second-floor section labeled “PHYSICIAN ONLY”, “We have so much to discuss.”

Before responding, the shorter girl did a visual sweep of the area around them to ensure that no one could see them walking so closely.

“We’ll talk about it in the car. HIPAA, remember?”

Sooyoung rolled her tired eyes but relented. She was half-dragging Yerim along now, though the younger girl didn’t really mind. She was too busy enjoying the post-dawn, pre-noon serenity; the serenade of the birds, the sunlight dancing across the ground in wide fans of yellow-white, the rejuvenating early summer breeze. The nurse had always seen things like this as a kind of reward for making it through the night in one piece.

They arrived at Sooyoung’s uncharacteristically gaudy vehicle and entered without delay; although both women were fairly sure that they were alone on this particular floor, they couldn’t be too safe. Especially considering the tiny mishap they’d had with Naeyeon earlier.

“Wait, before we go, are you sure you don’t want me to drive?”

The minute tremble in Sooyoung’s hands as she went to start the car hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“I’m sure,” the doctor leaned over and kissed her girlfriend for the first time since they’d gone into work, and the tight grip of Yerim’s moist lips around hers helped to break the fog of her tiredness and steady her.

“And didn’t you mean to go up to the Peds floor and thank Dr. Son for covering your shifts today?” Yerim cocked her eyebrow in a teacher-like, “you-should-know-better” kind of way that made Sooyoung snort with laughter.

“Well, Ms. Kim,” Sooyoung said in mock submission as she began backing the car out, “I would have, if Dr. Son was at work tonight. But, she’s not. So no detention for me.”

“Maybe just a spanking then,” Yerim japed with a giggle, “Since you failed to tell me this before.”

“Mmm… as much as I’d love that, I think it’ll have to wait until after breakfast and a nap.”

To Yerim’s pleasant surprise, Sooyoung’s driving was completely steady as she maneuvered her way through the crowded parking deck and out into Seoul’s rush hour traffic.

“Sounds good to me,” Yerim said with a mewling yawn, reclining back in her seat and rolling the window down in order to let the warm air in, “What am I cooking for you?”

“I’ve got it this time. You’re my princess, remember?”

“You know, sometimes that nickname is cute, but most of the time it’s kinda cringey.”

Sooyoung let out one of her full, twinkling, child-like laughs, a pleasantly playful symphony that caused Yerim’s heart to swell any time she heard it.

“But it’s true. You are my princess. And, speaking of which: thank you for earlier. When I was starting to panic about the whole Joohyun situation, I don’t know what came over me. That’s never happened before.”

“It’s alright, babe,” Yerim whispered, placing a comforting hand over Sooyoung’s on the gear shifter, “It was your first day back, and Joohyun is someone you hold in high regard. To see her like that… it was disturbing for both of us.”

“I still hate myself for reacting that way…” the older girl grumbled, “What if that had happened when she first came in? If I started freaking out like that while she was actively dying in front of us?”

“Sooyoung… shush…” Yerim interlocked her fingers with Sooyoung’s and ran her thumb over the doctor’s knuckles, “It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that, in the moment, you managed to put your feelings aside, and you saved her life. You did your job.”

“It wasn’t just me,” Sooyoung’s eyes flitted over to the brunette for a second, and in that second, Yerim could almost palpate the undiluted love that those dark irises expressed, “If you weren’t there, I don’t know if I’d have been able to do it. You give me strength just by being around.”

“If you keep talking like that, we’re going to have to pull the car over so I can your brains out,” Yerim said seriously, giving herself a sense of deja vu as she remembered that Sooyoung had said something similar the first time they’d hooked up.

“I think my ual tendencies are starting to rub off on you,” Sooyoung remarked with a smirk, “But as much as I’d love to be arrested for public indecency, I think I’ll stop complimenting you so much.”

    The pair was quiet for a time afterwards, content to bask wordlessly in one another’s presence, both locked in separate, yet similar thought threads concerning the events that had unfolded in the previous hours. They remained holding hands as Sooyoung navigated through the ocean of vehicles around them.

    “So,” Yerim said after a while, breaking the silence with a lowly resonant, yet calming tone, “Joohyun.”

    It was almost astonishing how a single, two-syllable word could morph Sooyoung’s expression from relaxed and complacent to alert and concerned. It was painted all over the older woman’s visage; in her frowning lips, her crinkled eyebrows, her tightened cheeks. Yerim hated to say things that elicited such a reaction from her lover, but it was necessary to address certain topics regardless of how uncomfortable they made either of them. It was the nature of their profession. It was practically in their job description, something they’d had to accept from the first day they stepped into a clinical setting. Comfort would not come easy to them. There would be immeasurable highs, such as the lusty cry of a newborn baby or the sight of a previously wheelchair-bound patient taking their first steps, but there were also seemingly bottomless lows, such as the high-pitched death whine of asystole on an EKG monitor, or the sight of one of your closest, most trusted coworkers, lying on a gurney before you with a respiratory rate of three.

    “Did she tell you why she did it?” Sooyoung asked in a hush tone.

    “No,” Yerim replied thoughtfully, “However, Dr. Lee gave a referral for a relationship counselor.”

    Sooyoung’s frown deepened, and her eyes grew dangerous.

    “That woman who was there with Joohyun…”

    Yerim pulled Sooyoung’s hand off of the gear shifter and pressed it to her own lips.

    “Don’t get yourself riled up. You had a long night.”

    “What could she have done to Joohyun? How much does a woman like her have to take in order to reach a point where she… where she…” Sooyoung’s voice trembled, and Yerim felt a slight lurch as the car picked up speed.

    “I don’t know,” Yerim said, placing another kiss on the back of her lover’s still-tense fist, “Calm down, babe. Please.”

    Sooyoung took a long, deep inhale through her nose and expelled it from her lips. To her relief, Yerim could feel the doctor’s palm relaxing.

    “So it was an opioid? Did she tell you which one?” Sooyoung asked, sounding much more steady and controlled, much more like her usual self.

    “She told me while we were doing the discharge paperwork. It was some old Percocet that her girlfriend had in the back of their cabinet.”

    “This girl seems to just be the root of all of Joohyun’s problems,” Sooyoung grumbled.

    Yerim couldn’t disagree.

***

    The car ride back to Joohyun’s apartment was mostly silent. Bogum navigated the trio through the pre-dawn streets of Seoul, which were the emptiest that Seulgi had ever seen them. The monolidded girl opted to sit in the back with her newly-reacquired girlfriend. Joohyun was nothing short of exhausted, so Seulgi allowed the older girl’s head to lull lazily against her shoulder, wrapping an arm around Joohyun in order to keep her steady as she napped.

    To Seulgi, it was a welcome return to the norm. Or, at least somewhat so. Joohyun’s face still harbored some of that shadowy gauntness that it had taken on as a result of the neglect her body had suffered during the past few days; however, Seulgi reasoned that it was nothing that a blend of sweet love and meticulous care couldn’t cure. The monolidded girl Joohyun’s hair, pushing the tufts of blonde away from and eyes so as to give her a more restful, unbothered sleep. Joohyun seemed to appreciate this, as she nuzzled deeper into Seulgi’s shoulder, the ghost of a smile appearing on her lips as she did so.

    “Seulbear… can we cuddle like we used to when we get home?” her words came groggy and low, whispered so that only Seulgi could hear them.

    They sent chills up the younger girl’s spine.

    “Of course,” Seulgi murmured, planting a kiss on Joohyun’s warm forehead.

    “Mmm… good. But when we wake up, we have to talk about something important.”

    The sudden solemness in her girlfriend’s tone caused Seulgi to involuntarily swallow as a burst of anxiety formed in her gut. She knew that there would be a lot to work out, and she couldn’t be mad at Joohyun for wanting to do so as soon as possible, but that didn’t help to stave off the dread.

    “Okay. But maybe after breakfast.”

    Thankfully, Joohyun answered by chuckling and extending her arm across Seulgi’s front in a sleepy half-hug that quickly morphed into her limb resting in Seulgi’s lap.

    When Bogum pulled up in front of the couple’s apartment building, Seulgi found that she herself was half-asleep. Her older brother turned around, wearing a wide grin that was clearly meant to hide his bloodshot-eyed exhaustion.

    “You’d better have called out of work today,” Seulgi warned, tenderly nudging Joohyun into alertness.

    “Way ahead of you, sis,” Bogum said, his grin widening, “I’m gonna go home and pass right the out.”

    “Good,” Seulgi said as she began to usher Joohyun out of the car, “And again, I can’t thank you enough for everything-”

    “And neither can I,” Joohyun’s voice came stronger than Seulgi expected, causing the monolidded girl to jump slightly and turn to her lover, “You saved my life, Bogum. If you ever, ever need anything, I’m here. Thank you. Sincerely.”

    As expected, Bogum humbly waved off the nurse, shaking his head as he did so.

    “If anyone were in my position, they’d do the same. Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

    Joohyun sniffled and covered , causing Seulgi to reflexively start rubbing the center of her back in an effort to subdue her.

    “Do you need help getting up to your place?” Bogum asked.

    “No, no, I’ll be okay… I have Seulgi to help me,” Joohyun wiped away the forming tears as she spoke, “And I couldn’t possibly ask you for more help.”

    “Good,” Bogum said with a mock heavy sigh, “Means I can go home quicker.”

“Bye Bogum,” Seulgi said with a chuckle, “See you around.”

“Later!”

The pair watched Bogum’s car as it retreated into the distance.

Seulgi wrapped an arm around Joohyun’s midsection, allowing the shorter girl to lean on her for support.

“Y-you don’t have to…”

The brunette smiled and kissed her girlfriend. Joohyun wasn’t used to being the patient. If she had been conscious and mentally intact for her hospital stay, she would have been a real pain for the nurses and techs.

    “That’s okay. I want to.”

    They gradually made their way into the apartment, choosing to take the elevator in order to make things as easy as possible for Joohyun. Seulgi felt a sense of misplaced nostalgia as they walked through the hallways, despite the fact that it had only been a couple of days since she’d left. The patterns on the wall and the little things (a scratched mirror here, a scuffed table there) reminded her of times that she and Joohyun had made this exact journey together. It reminded her mostly of the late night treks, after having a few post-dinner drinks, when they’d walk arm in arm, laughs echoing off the tiled floors, faces alight with drunken glows, focusing solely on one another, their surroundings only providing a muted backdrop to the mirth they shared.

    When they arrived in front of the apartment door, Seulgi found herself becoming anxious, her forehead beginning to sweat as her heart picked up its pace. It didn’t take her much thinking to realize why: her most recent memory of the place involved beating her fist futilely against the wood as her close-to-death girlfriend groaned weakly in response.

Seulgi paused for a full two seconds before she felt a firm squeeze on her palm.

“It’s okay,” the older girl whispered, “Go ahead. I’m right here.”

She looked over to see Joohyun, grinning sadly and looking up at her with eyes full of encouragement. Seulgi was almost ashamed of herself. If there was anyone who should be afraid to come back to the apartment, it was Joohyun. The time she’d spent here leading up to her suicide attempt must have been nothing short of acutely painful and traumatic.

Together, they stepped into the threshold of the home, Seulgi reaching over to flick the lights on, illuminating the inside of their living space and revealing the sight that the monolidded girl so heavily dreaded seeing.

In her memory, the place appeared much worse than it actually was. Things were still disconcertingly disorganized in comparison to how Joohyun normally kept the it - the few articles of clothing strewn about, the emptied bottles of liquor lay on the carpet and tiles, and the kitchen was an absolute mess - but overall, it was much better than Seulgi expected.

“So this is it, huh?” Seulgi asked, flipping on the lightswitch and looking around the empty apartment, an expression of childlike wonderment on her face.

    “Yep,” Joohyun answered, striding into the center of the room, spinning around in a cliched yet beautiful manner, the frills of her mint-green skirt lifting daintily as she did so, giving her the appearance of a ballerina, “It’s not much, but I had just enough saved up for the first and month’s rent, and it’s close enough to both of our jobs-”

    The blonde’s sentence was stifled by a pair of lips as Seulgi crashed into her, pulling her into an embrace that might have been slightly too tight, but to Joohyun, it was just right. She giggled as her partner kissed her again, their teeth knocking together slightly at the clumsy angle at which their mouths met.

    “Thank you so much, Joohyunnie,” Seulgi hummed, “I could have never imagined that we’d be moving in together… I know we talked about it and everything, but I didn’t know it would actually happen… it’s so surreal.”

    “You don’t need to thank me,” Joohyun replied with a wide, loving smile, one that flashed her perfect set of teeth, a smile that made Seulgi’s heart skip a beat, even this far into their relationship, “Your love is more than enough thanks.”

Joohyun was already making an effort to support herself with one foot while attempting to pull off her shoes by the time Seulgi had finished doing a visual sweep of the apartment. The younger girl swiftly came to her partner’s aid, holding her steady as she untied her sneaker.

“Thanks, Seul,” Joohyun murmured weakly.

    Seulgi could see that her girlfriend was growing increasingly exhausted; the walk from the car to their apartment, coupled with the fresh wounds that the sight of their disheveled apartment must have salted, was draining Joohyun’s energy. The monolidded girl began guiding Joohyun to their bedroom.

    “This place is such a mess…” Joohyun grumbled, looking around as they passed through the living room, “I need to clean when we get up…”

    “I’ll stay up a bit longer and clean it,” Seulgi said as she opened the door to their bedroom.

    “But… cuddles?” Joohyun was approaching the point of total fatigue, and Seulgi’s muscles were dedicating every ounce of their strength in moving her forward now.

    The brunette lowered Joohyun into a sitting position on the bed, stepping back and inhaling deeply in an attempt to catch her breath before responding.

    “I’ll come cuddle with you as soon as I’m done cleaning and showering,” Seulgi bent over and kissed Joohyun’s forehead as the older girl lowered herself into a lying position on the bed.

    “Promise?” Joohyun asked groggily, eyelids fluttering as soon as her head made contact with the pillow.

    “I promise,” Seulgi whispered, pulling the blankets over Joohyun’s tiny form.

    The older girl mumbled something that was incomprehensible as she fell into the embrace of a natural, restful slumber.

    “I love you,” the brunette’s final words came soft and low, words that she was sure Joohyun didn’t hear, words that were spoken more for Seulgi’s own benefit than anything else.

    For a few moments, Seulgi remained by the bedside, looking down at her girlfriend as she snoozed away. Tears formed in Seulgi’s eyes as she found that she couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen Joohyun so relaxed. All of her recent memories of the older girl involved contorted, furious expressions and yells of frustration and heartbreak, memories that elicited sickening, horrible emotions that Seulgi wanted to shove away, forget completely and start fresh again. Her poor, innocent Joohyun didn’t deserve the hell that she’d been put through the past couple of days, just as Seulgi didn’t deserve Joohyun’s forgiveness for the transgressions she’d committed.

    “I’ll never hurt you again, my love,” Seulgi said quietly, reaching out and running a thumb over the curve of Joohyun’s cheek. The older girl smiled in her sleep, nuzzling up against the point of contact, as if she knew that it was Seulgi who was touching her. This was enough to send the monolidded girl over the edge, and she wept in silence for a few minutes before departing the room to clean.

    Seulgi collapsed onto the newly placed mattress, tearing off her bra and throwing it aside, leaving her completely bare aside from her .

    “Seulgi!” Joohyun stomped her foot indignantly, holding up a fitted sheet that she had been moments from placing on the bed, “I was just about to make the bed!”

    “Hyun, we’ve done so much so far,” Seulgi said sleepily, rolling over onto her side and facing her messy-haired girlfriend, “It’s late. We can finish setting everything up tomorrow.”

    Joohyun sighed and plopped down onto the bed, sitting with her back directly against Seulgi’s midsection. The younger girl sat up and straddled Joohyun from behind, wrapping herself around the blonde’s stomach and pressing herself to the older girls back.

    “But we have so much to do,” Joohyun spoke with a defeated tone, as if she knew that the moment her body came into contact with Seulgi’s, she was done doing any housework for the day, “The kitchen needs to be stocked, half of our clothes still need organizing, and…”

    Joohyun’s words trailed off into a series of incomprehensible mumbles as Seulgi’s teeth started dancing across her earlobe, accompanied by the knee-weakening sensation of her girlfriend’s hands running up and down her torso.

    “You need to rest. You worked two days in a row before this. I can tell when my baby’s exhausted. So just lay down, close your eyes, and let me take care of you,” the monolidded girl’s warm words splashed against the side of Joohyun’s face, “I’ll get a blanket and some pillows afterwards… I don’t want to have to clean them so soon.”

    Joohyun grinned and allowed Seulgi to pull her backwards onto the bed.

    Seulgi stepped out of the wall of steam that had formed within her shower, grabbing her towel and walking over to the sink. She swathed the white cloth around her hips as she leaned into the mirror, staring at herself as drops of water splashed down upon the countertop. She found that she despised the wet-haired, slender woman in the mirror. The bags under her eyes and the default scowl that were set on her face reflected only a fraction of the turmoil that bubbled within her. Her appearance, so normal and human, did nothing to show her sins, or to alert the world at how despicable of a person she was. She needed some kind of mark, some scarlet letter, that would parade her actions for the world to see, a tattoo that would convey exactly what she’d done so that everyone would know and hate her for it.

    The brunette spent several minutes staring blankly at herself before toweling off, brushing her teeth, and walking back to her room, the one she shared with the tiny goddess that now lay curled up beneath the covers. Even though Seulgi knew that Joohyun was merely asleep, she placed a hand over the goddess’ shoulder, reassuring herself with the slow, steady rise and fall of each of her partner’s breaths. She then crawled into the bed, draping her body across the back of Joohyun’s, basking in the feeling of the older girl pressed to her, shutting her eyes and burying her face in the wily brush of platinum blonde until her nose was just touching the calmingly soft skin of the back of Joohyun’s neck.

    “Seulbear?” Joohyun asked groggily, turning slightly in her semi-conscious state.

    “Yeah… it’s me,” Seulgi said in a low voice, “I finished cleaning everything, so I came to cuddle with you.”

    “But you’re …”

    “I showered too. I didn’t feel like getting changed,” Seulgi admitted with a small, joyless smile.

    “Okay,” Joohyun’s head fell back to her pillow and she scooted backwards to close any leftover space between her and Seulgi, “Don’t go anywhere until I wake up, okay? I… I just want to feel you next to me.”

    “I won’t. I’ll stay here as long as you want me to,” the monolidded girl swore, unaware that Joohyun was already asleep again, “I’ll never leave your side, if that’s what you want. I’ll never let you go.”

***

    Yerim knew that Sooyoung was nearing the end of her rope by the time that they arrived at her apartment. So much so that she found it necessary to lead the physician by her hand all the way upstairs, the shambling, white coat-clad woman clinging to her like a child as they went.

    “You still feeling up to making breakfast?” Yerim japed, reaching back and giving Sooyoung a pat on the behind.

    “I can still do it,” Sooyoung muttered, stumbling slightly so that Yerim was forced to catch her, “I just need a cup of coffee…”

    “No, baby, you need to sleep. It’s okay.”

    They made a beeline for the bedroom as they entered Sooyoung’s apartment.

    “I don’t need to sleep,” Sooyoung verbally resisted, although she allowed Yerim to start removing each article of clothing from her body, carefully yet quickly stripping her down to her bra and shorts, “I need to cook for my princess…”

    “You don’t,” Yerim whispered, sitting Sooyoung down on the bed and giving her a tender kiss on the lips, “You need to rest. That’s what’ll make your princess the most happy. You’re still recovering. I shouldn’t have even let you go to work tonight. Now, do you want to shower before you go to bed? You’re awfully sweaty.”

    Sooyoung nodded, her eyes half-open as she lifted her arms for Yerim to scoop her up. Despite their difference in height, the blonde was able to efficiently guide her to the bathroom with little effort; being a nurse had ingrained certain abilities into her that she had become an absolute expert in.

Yerim removed the remainder of Sooyoung’s clothing before turning on the hot water and assisting her lover in getting into the shower. In her barely-conscious state, Sooyoung immediately lowered herself to the floor of the bathtub, sitting with her legs out in front of her as the hot water rained down on her youthful face. Yerim chuckled to herself at the absurdity of it.

“Don’t laugh at me,” Sooyoung grumbled, “I’m so sleepy…”

“Too sleepy to clean yourself, I can see,” Yerim said, rolling her eyes as she began removing her own clothing, “I swear, you’re worse than some of our patients.”

“Shut up and get in here with me,” Sooyoung demanded, scooting forward to give Yerim some room behind her, “Doctor’s orders.”

The younger girl obeyed, slipping into the tub behind her partner.

She started shampooing Sooyoung’s hair as soon as she sat down, running her fingers through each dark tangle and knot, working them out with meticulous care. She then employed Sooyoung’s special facial wash, being extra careful to avoid getting any in the older girl’s eyes while still managing to clean every inch of her face. Next, she lathered her own hands with soap and, beginning at the doctor’s shoulders, she washed every inch of her beloved’s pale skin. As she did so, the taller girl cooperated, moving in whatever direction she needed to, with no complaints. Every once in awhile, Sooyoung would lean back and kiss Yerim on her forehead or cheek, a tiny thanks for all of the effort she was putting in.

But to Yerim, it wasn’t work. She enjoyed every second of it. Running her hands along the soapy moistness of her girlfriend’s body, taking care of her in the most involved and intimate way possible, expressing her love through not only words but physical labor as well.

She finished up by cleaning between Sooyoung’s toes, at which point the older girl stood up, using a surprising amount of strength to bring Yerim with her. They stood, bodies interconnected under the now lukewarm spray, soap suds still running off of both of them as they pressed their foreheads together. Yerim gazed into Sooyoung’s soft, brown orbs and cupped her cheek, pushing away a few wet strands of hair.

“Thank you, my love,” Sooyoung whispered simply, her lips curving upwards radiantly.

“You’re welcome,” Yerim replied.

If it were up to her, she could have stood there for the rest of her life.

***

    When Seulgi awoke, she was alone.

    She shot up in bed, head darting back and forth frantically, throwing the covers off and half-sprinting out the door, unconcerned that she was . The only thing that ran through her mind was panic, pure and raw, accompanied by flashes of her girlfriend lying on the kitchen floor, mouth hanging open slightly, eyes half open as she dozed in that twilight state between life and death.

    A wave of relief crashed into her as she was greeted by the sight of Joohyun’s back, standing before the oven, the sound of food frying on pans filling the air along with the sweet fragrance of pancakes.

    Joohyun turned around, her eyebrows crinkling in confusion and a playful smile forming on her face as her pupils scanned the younger girls body.

    “As much as I like to see you without any clothes on, maybe you should get dressed,” the blonde giggled.

    “I-I woke up and you weren’t there, and I got worried…” Seulgi mumbled.

    Joohyun nodded, understanding dawning on her visage as her gaze turned down towards the tile.

    “No I’m fine… I just couldn’t sleep so I decided to cook us breakfast.”

    “Maybe you should be saving your energy, Hyun. I can take over-”

    “No, you can’t,” Joohyun said sternly, causing Seulgi to freeze as a sheen of sweat broke out at her upper forehead, “You’ll just burn the house down and get us both admitted to the hospital this time.”

    Joohyun’s grin and chuckle were quickly mirrored by Seulgi, who was beginning to think that this rollercoaster of anxiety and reprieve could in no way be good for her heart.

    Seulgi nodded awkwardly before retreating back to their bedroom in order to get dressed. As she did so, she contemplated the new awkwardness between her and Joohyun. There was an ever-present feeling of walking on eggshells that Seulgi sensed whenever they spoke. She prayed that they would be able to get over it quickly, but that was entirely up to Joohyun; the monolidded girl recognized that she practically had no say in what was going on with them anymore. She didn’t deserve to have a say.

    When Seulgi returned to the kitchen table, Joohyun had already set everything out: a plate of pancakes for them both, along with coffee (with what Seulgi knew was just the right amount of milk and sugar), bacon, fried eggs, and pulp-free orange juice. Joohyun’s thoughtfulness, even in times like this, was both amazing and saddening at the same time.

    Seulgi sat down, noticing the late-afternoon angle of the sun as it beamed down into their living room.

    “We slept for awhile, huh?” she asked, picking up her fork and knife as it dawned on her that she was absolutely starving.

“Yeah, it’s almost five. But we had a long night… so it makes sense.”

    Seulgi nodded, already absorbed in inhaling her girlfriend’s perfect cooking. There was something about Joohyun’s food that made her want to just continue eating them forever, as if the older girl had cooked her love into every bite, creating a burst of flavor that fed both her stomach and her soul.

    Joohyun, on the other hand, sipped her coffee idly and took tiny bites of her pancake, mostly just pushing the syrup-glazed bread around her plate, lost in thought. It took the younger girl a few minutes to realize, when she’d already cleared more than half of her food and the weakness of hunger had all but left her limbs.

    “What’s wrong, Joohyun?” Seulgi asked apprehensively.

    Joohyun looked up and frowned slightly, shrugging one of her delicate shoulders.

    “I’m just thinking about everything that happened last night. I… have a lot of things that I want to work out, and discuss with you.”

    “Okay,” Seulgi placed her fork and knife down, taking a napkin and wiping off, “Then let’s talk. I’m all ears.”

    “I love you.” Joohyun stated plainly.

    So we’re just jumping right into this, huh? Seulgi thought, listening intently but unable to prevent the reflexive notions from invading her mind.

    “You love me… at least I think. And that should be enough, right? Unfortunately, it’s not. I did a lot of thinking yesterday, after we spoke. I know you said you’d never hurt me again like that, and I believe it. Dr. Lee suggested we see a relationship counselor. That maybe it would help us to move past this and go back to how our relationship was before. But you betrayed me in the worst way… I trusted you so deeply, and you abused that trust and betrayed me. And I’ll always remember that. No matter what, it will always linger in my head. Until the day I die, I’m pretty sure. It sounds dramatic but, I know it’s true. So let me ask you this: the damage that you’ve already done, do you think it’s repairable? Do you think our relationship can recover from this? Do you think we can go back to the way we were before, and move on?”

    Seulgi swallowed. The monolidded girl asked herself that question, repeated it in her head over and over again, staring into space as she mulled the words over.

    The seconds ticked by, punctuated by each tiny tick of the clock, echoing throughout the otherwise silent room.

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The ending is up to you guys (:

I'll be starting to write the epilogue exactly one week from today. Until then, vote for whether you want Seulrene to remain together or not!

Thanks for reading<3