Byulyi wasn’t five anymore. If someone was going to critique her personality, well, that’s not exactly something she can fix; she ignores it.

She isn’t a kid, but it still hurts.

She thinks that it wasn’t her fault, but it kind of is. She doesn’t want to apologize, there’s nothing really for her to apologize for, but she still feels sorry.

She grabs her things in a rush and all she needs to do is be at home right now, to just be somewhere safe, because she feels so vulnerable. She doesn’t turn around when she goes out the door, because she knows Yongsun isn’t looking at her anyway.

She knows Yongsun didn’t mean it. She’d been looking stressed all day. Byulyi had been teasing her to get her out of her funk, but it ended up only making things worse.

But Yongsun had still said it. Didn’t that mean that deep down, she’d been thinking it anyway?

She’s home now and it’s empty. How did she use to feel better? Byulyi asked herself. Where did she use to seek comfort before she had the felt the safety of Yongsun’s arms around her? She didn’t remember. Byulyi tries the next best thing she can think of and curls up under her blankets, thinking of Yongsun’s smile instead of her snarl.

She must have laid there for hours, but she doesn’t feel better. There’s a dull ache in her chest that she knows will bleed in to tomorrow. Sleep will never find her like this. She and Yongsun always resolved their arguments soon after they started. It was always over something dumb.

But this wasn’t dumb, and this time, Byulyi had walked away. The distance between them felt like a deep, endless chasm. Byulyi had been staring into its impregnable darkness, and then she looked up and saw a light.

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hey
I’m sorry.
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The knot in Byulyi’s chest unfurls. She presses the call button. Yongsun picks up in the middle of the first ring.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“I’m sorry too.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“I am.”

A silence follows but for the sound of their breathing, perfectly aligned. Byulyi stares at dim glow of Yongsun’s contact on her screen. It was a picture of her shy face from when she’d just woken up, and Byulyi snapped a shot before she could protest. Byulyi is suddenly incredibly grateful.

“I love you.”

She hears Yongsun make a sound like she’s finally satisfied.

“I love you too.”