A/N: Hey, everyone! Thanks for the new upvotes and subscribers! Let's start picking up the pace from here on, shall we? Please leave comments. I'd like to hear some feedback. :)

Word count: 2,276 words

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Monday. Evening.

The rain makes a comeback in a light drizzle that evening but that doesn't stop any of the festival goers from coming. In fact, the festival grounds look like a sunflower field with the huge number of people pouring into the open, dressed in cheap yellow ponchos to protect them from the rain. Simply put, it’s jammed pack. Sejeong never even knew this town had a population of this many. But then again, half of the people here are probably tourists like her and Nayoung, who is now nervously tugging at the edge of her poncho sleeve.

“Is something wrong?” She asks.

“I just don't want us to get separated with this much people.” Nayoung mutters, dodges a particular rowdy bunch of teenagers in the crowd. Sejeong sees that annoyed look on her face and feels the need to lighten it up.

“Then don't tug at my poncho. Instead, hold on tight to me.” She says, locks her fingers around Nayoung’s. “Like this, okay?”

Nayoung looks slightly taken aback but smiles and nods just the same. Sejeong can’t help but think how pretty she is when she smiles with her dimple showing like this.

“It's good to see that our event is appealing more and more to gay couples every year.” A person standing next to them says.

“Ah, no! You have the wrong idea!” Sejeong starts, waves her free hand, the one that’s not holding Nayoung’s, around.

“Oh, dear. It's okay. No need to be so defensive. I'm one of the event organizers and you should know that we're happy that you're out and that you're here.” The woman smiles warmly at them.

“No, I mean. We're not actually a couple.” Sejeong mumbles.

“Actually? Uh-oh.”

“Yongsun, what's going on over there?” Another woman pushes past the crowd to stand next to them.

“I was just saying how it's really nice to have gay couples here with us but they told me they're not a couple yet and-”

“Really?” The newcomer says, puts a hand on her hip and raises an eyebrow at them, gestures at their intertwined fingers.

“This is just a safety precaution. So we won't get separated.” Sejeong says, looks over at Nayoung for affirmation.

“Right.” The one called Yongsun says. “Anyway, we have a special spot up front for couples which, I guess, you won't be going to ‘cause you're actually not a couple.” She makes to leave. Nayoung makes a split-second decision and calls after her.

“On second thought, wait! We are a couple.” Nayoung says. Sejeong's eyes grow big at that but Nayoung just gives her a pointed look to play along.

“Yeah, I thought so. Come this way, love birds.” Yongsun and her friend lead the way and the two of them follow.

“Why did you tell them that?” Sejeong whispers.

“Because they're giving us a spot up front and you're going to need it for your coverage.” Nayoung whispers back. “Just play along.”

“I'm actually surprised that you didn't deny being gay.” Sejeong says before she could stop herself.

“I never said I was straight. Did I ever give you the impression that I was?” Nayoung raises an eyebrow at her.

“Umm… you didn't give any indication that you weren't either.”

“Forget it.” Nayoung figures she’ll end the conversation there.

“Well, here you are. Our theme this year focuses on acceptance. Byul was the one who drafted it in so I don't know the exact words but we're all for love! Have fun!” Yongsun smiles at them one last time and then disappears with Byul in tow.

The ‘special spot up front’ is just a fenced area closest to the stage. Kind of like a mosh pit. But instead of having bodies slamming against each other as they jam to the rock band playing, there are only same couples giving gooey-eyed stares at each other or making out.

Thinking that maybe this was a bad idea, Nayoung wriggles her hand out of Sejeong’s hold. Sejeong doesn’t look surprised but she does cough awkwardly.

As Nayoung turns to face the stage where the next band is setting up for their performance, Sejeong steps up to her side with a camera in her hand and gets to work, taking snapshots of her surroundings - the festival grounds full of yellow poncho-ed people, the stage with the blaring set lights and residual smoke from smoke machines. She makes to take a photo of the so-called VIP area when a girl, probably around her age, walks up to her and tries to grab her camera. Sejeong immediately pulls the gadget away, hugs it against her chest.

“You’re not supposed to take pictures of people without asking for their permission first!” The girl says to her angrily.

“I’m with the press!” She says in her defense.

“Oh, yeah? Where’s your proof?”

Nayoung grows wary of the situation and pulls Sejeong to stand behind her. “What seems to be the problem here, miss?”

Another girl appears just as the girl opens to answer.

“Heehyun!” Angry girl turns her head to look at the newcomer. “What did I say about picking fights?”

“I wasn’t picking a fight, Chae. She was trying to take a picture of me.”

“Oh, wow. I was trying to take a picture of you? Excuse me, I was taking a picture of the area in general!” Nayoung hits Sejeong on the arm, effectively silencing her.

“See? She wasn’t taking a picture of you.” The girl sighs then turns to Sejeong and Nayoung. “I’m sorry about this. She’s not particularly fond of cameras.” She looks at them with furrowed brows and somewhat pouty lips that it warrants only one response.

“It’s okay. No harm done.” Nayoung and Sejeong chorus.

The girl muffles a giggle behind her hand then clears . “I’m Chaeyeon and this is my girlfriend, Heehyun. You are?”

“Nayoung and Sejeong.” Sejeong says. “She’s Nayoung. I’m Sejeong.” She clarifies.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you both.” Chaeyeon says, turns to Heehyun who is still visibly frowning. “To make up for the whole slip up, why don’t Heehyun and I buy you some drinks?”

“What? Chae!” Chaeyeon throws Heehyun a look and she quiets down.

“Uh, that would be… nice.” Sejeong looks to Nayoung for confirmation. “But you really don’t have to do that.”

“It’s fine.” She waves it off.  “I hear this band’s a really terrible one so we should escape to the beer station while we can.” She whispers, earning laughter from the two.

“Okay then. Lead the way.”

--

The four of them hang out by the beer station even after finishing the drink that Heehyun and Chaeyeon paid for. So naturally, Sejeong and Nayoung return the favor. Before they know it, they’ve had too many and one of them needs to use the bathroom.

Sejeong really has high tolerance for alcohol but she forgot to pee at the hotel when she and Nayoung dropped off their luggage there so she needs to go now.

“I’ll come with you. I know where the portalets are.” Chaeyeon volunteers with a lively countenance that makes Heehyun frown. “We won’t take long, unnie. I promise.” She says to her and the older girl loosens up.

“Okay. Hurry back.” Heehyun mumbles, pouts when Chaeyeon squeezes her hand before she goes.

Nayoung tries not to laugh because, really, Heehyun looks like she could be the badddest ever but she acts like a helpless pup in front of Chaeyeon. And, apparently, Nayoung doesn’t try enough because she earns a glare from Heehyun.

To someone as socially inept as Nayoung, this is a matter of life and death so she thinks of what Sejeong (who is probably the Jesus of socializing) would most likely say in this situation and settles for “I thought we were past all the thoughts of murder.”
 

Heehyun drops the glare. It seems like she’s had more alcohol than Nayoung thinks she did. “Sorry. I can’t help it. I always have to keep my guard up.”

“Oh, is that why you overreacted with Sejeong and the camera thing?” Heehyun sighs.

“You wouldn’t understand. You wouldn’t even believe me if I tell you.”

“Yeah? Try me.” Nayoung challenges, drinks the remains of what is probably her fifth beer (honestly, she lost count).

Heehyun hesitates. She grabs a beer can and takes a swig then with a determined look on her face she says “Okay, fine.”

Nayoung lets out an “ooh” which Heehyun ignores.

“You know how everybody has secrets?” Nayoung nods. “Let’s just say that Chaeyeon and I have a really big one. Like a massive secret.” She treads slowly on her words, not slurry but rather very careful.

“And?” Nayoung pipes in before Heehyun could get lost in looking for the right words. It must be really a big secret like she said and Nayoung’s starting to feel nervous.

But Heehyun is still an like she was hours ago, like she has been her whole life, probably. “I can’t just tell you. Duh, that’s why it’s called a secret!”

“So what was the whole point, huh, Ki Heehyun?”  Nayoung says. “You .” She laughs at the incredulous look on Heehyun’s face. On normal occasions, she wouldn’t be acting like this; she wouldn’t be doing any of this. Thank God for alcohol.

Heehyun clears and Nayoung stops. “Do you know what Chaeyeon’s last name is?” She asks.

“I think she mentioned it earlier. It’s Jung, right?” Nayoung thinks back on their ‘getting to know you’ talk not too long ago.

“How many Jungs do you know of?” Heehyun presses on.

“About a hundred? It’s a pretty common last name!” Nayoung whines.

“In the line of business conglomerates!” The other girl says, now impatient.

Nayoung promptly shuts up, thinks hard. “There’s that Jung that was a girl group member but has a fashion empire now. There’s also that Jung who controls half of the shipping trade in the country. Ah, and there’s that Jung who bought a 100-acre forest land off the coast because he can ‘cause he’s so damn ing rich. And I think he recently got two lawsuits under his belt from this environmental protection NGO and the national labor union.”

“Wow, you know a lot about this.” Heehyun mutters, suddenly impressed.

“I should. I've seen a handful of protests against those capitalists back when I was in university.” Nayoung pauses, something in her brain clicks as she looks at Heehyun’s face but it goes as quickly as it came and she feels the need to holler “But we’re getting off topic here! Why did you ask?”

“I don’t know. Aren’t you making the connection yet?” Heehyun simply says, takes a swig of her drink.

Nayoung blinks. “Chaeyeon is a chaebol heiress?”

Heehyun is saved from having to say anything as Sejeong and Chaeyeon finally return.

“What took you so long?” Heehyun says to Chaeyeon. Again, with that pout.

“There was a line for the portalets.” Chaeyeon says. Noticing the awkward look Nayoung is giving Heehyun, she asks. “Did you two fight while we were gone?”

“What? No!” Heehyun immediately lets out a whine.

“Mhmm. Your girl is surprisingly chummy.” Nayoung says just as Sejeong takes a seat next to her.

“Well, what did you talk about?” Chaeyeon starts. But Heehyun stands up and looks at her hard.

“Can’t we go back to the concert yet? I missed like all of the good bands already.” She whines at her. “And isn’t Sejeong supposed to be working or something?”

With that, they all decide to squeeze back in with the crowd, fighting their way through to get to their spot in the VIP Area. As they do, Heehyun and Nayoung end up bringing the rear while Chaeyeon and Sejeong take the lead.

Nayoung really didn’t appreciate getting their conversation cut so she takes this chance to ask Heehyun for more details.

“So what if Chaeyeon’s the daughter of a really rich family?” She whispers so only Heehyun could hear. The girl sighs in reply. “C’mon, you gotta say something, Heehyun!” She hisses.

“Look, I’ve told you more than enough. It’s best if you know less.” Heehyun gives her a look that is half mad and half dismissive, like the one her mother used to give her when she was in high school every time she asked for an allowance increase.

However, tipsy her is ten times more stubborn than sober her. “So why did you tell me if you weren’t really going to actually tell me everything?”

“I felt like I could trust you because you look like you’re running away from something too!” Heehyun replies, her tone rising.

Before Nayoung could comprehend what Heehyun had just said, a commotion ensues from the crowd in front them. The annoyed murmurs of festival goers are a telltale sign so Nayoung stands on the tip of her toes to try and see what the problem is. And she sees it all at once. A group of ten or so men converging in the center of the crowd from all sides. Chaeyeon moving towards Heehyun so quickly she could’ve teleported, a confused looking Sejeong right behind her.

Without a warning, Heehyun pulls Chaeyeon and runs, pushing past people to get away, away from the scary looking men in black suits.  Then it finally makes sense to Nayoung so she runs after them too, pulls Sejeong along with her.

“Nayoung! What’s going on?”

“I have no idea!” She lies through her teeth. Now isn’t exactly the time to explain. “But we gotta go! We have to help them!”

“Huh? Help them what?”

“Help keep them together.” Nayoung answers.