9:47PM

Hey

Are you home right now?

9:50PM

Yeah

9:51PM

Okay

I’m heading over

10:03PM

Read my messages so i have inexplicit approval to come over :(

10:04PM

Is that how it is??

10:04PM

ㅋㅋ 

Here i come ㅋㅋㅋ

“What’s the occasion?” Yongsun asks, opening the door for her late visitor. Byulyi simply beams at her.

“No occasion except for the blessing of your presence.”

Yongsun makes to close the door but Byulyi’s hand juts out to push it back open. “Unnie! That’s not nice! Please let me in.”

“Only if you behave.” Yongsun scolds her, but there’s no annoyance in her tone. She turns to head back to her drama, letting Byulyi make herself at home and amuse herself. She had stopped playing good host after the second year of Byulyi randomly barging in to her home.

Byulyi chooses to amuse herself by plopping down on the couch next to Yongsun. “Walking Dead? Are you caught up yet?”

“No, so hush.” Yongsun says absently as she lifts the blanket and Byulyi wiggles under. Yongsun hisses at how cold her toes are but doesn’t otherwise complain.

Byulyi obeys and they sit quietly in the universe of zombies and betrayal and fears that were a little bit more tangible. It becomes another thought that piles onto Byulyi’s mountain and she s around under the blanket. She finds Yongsun’s hand at last and interlaces their fingers, squeezing gently.

Byulyi once said that she and Yongsun could communicate with just a look. It was partly true, only they didn’t even need to look at each other lately. Yongsun knew something was different about the random visit the minute Byulyi played her ‘greasy’ card. She rarely did it when it was just them. The girl was putting up pretenses for some reason.

And just like Yongsun would be ready to even shoot down the moon for her, when she feels her hand grasped she immediately pauses the TV and turns to give Byulyi her full attention.

“Byul-ah, what’s wrong?” Byulyi shrugged, trying to get her thoughts in order. Yongsun pressed on. “How about, what were you doing before you came over?”

“I was writing lyrics.”

“What were you writing them for?”

“For one of my own songs.”

Yongsun deflated. She pulled Byulyi towards her until they were both laying down, Byulyi’s head on her chest. “I swear, Byul-ah, you’re the only one I know who can make yourself sad by making beautiful things.”

Byulyi laughs. She’d never thought about it, but maybe it was true. “I was reading letters too.”

“Those are nice.”

“They are.” Byulyi closed her eyes, and sees the dozens of letters surrounding her, and the notebook of her scribbles in the middle, lines containing the same feelings, like a reflection, like a mirror.

“The love is real, you know.” Yongsun’s voice vibrates against Byulyi’s ear and it soothes her. She squeezes their fingers. “Their love for you is as real as the paper in your hands.”

“They love Moonbyul.” Byulyi mumbles, eyes still closed, trying to bask in Yongsun’s warmth to chase the cold away. “But when I look in the mirror, I wonder if the person I see is really worth loving.”

Byulyi feels a huff in Yongsun’s breath and before she knows it she’s being pulled upward and Yongsun is dragging them both to the bathroom.

She positions Byulyi so they’re staring at their reflections head on.

“What do you see Byulyi?” Yongsun demands.

Byulyi fidgets under the fierce gaze of the older woman and having to meet her own gaze in the mirror.

“I see…that I’m tired. I’m not that pretty without make up. My hair is greasy.” Byulyi lists off objectively. There’s a beat of silence and she starts again, quieter.

“I see someone that is immature about things that don’t really matter, and worse, about things that do matter. I see someone who has so much pride it’s embarrassing. I see someone pretending to be a good person.” She breaks eye contact with herself at that.

Yongsun puts a hand on her back and encourages her to look up again.

“That person you see then, is not worth loving.” Yongsun says. Byulyi feels her eyes b with tears because no matter how many times her mind told her these dark things, deep, deep down inside of her, there was a glowing light that comforted her and said “it isn’t true, none of that is true.”

But Yongsun was blunt, and Yongsun was right, and Yongsun would never lie to her.

A tear breaks from the corner of her eye. “I guess that’s it then.”

Yongsun places a hand on her shoulder and trails the other down her cheek. “Do you want to know what I see?” She brushes Byulyi’s bangs aside, takes her silence as a cue to continue.

“I see someone warm and beautiful. I see someone who works herself into the ground and stays humble. I see someone bottles in her emotions, takes them on all by herself because she only ever wants to bring happiness to others. I see someone who gives her love so freely I even wish she would be a little selfish with it.” Yongsun envelops her in a hug.

“I see Moon Byulyi. She’s worth all the love in the world.”

Byulyi turns to protest, but it dies on her lips at the glimmering confidence in the other’s eyes. Yongsun is blunt. Yongsun is right. Yongsun will never lie to her.

“Your demons don’t deserve your time and they certainly don’t deserve your love Byul-ah. You shouldn’t feed them.” She tiptoes to kiss Byulyi’s nose. “And if those thousands of people who love Moonbyul, don’t have what it takes to love Byulyi, then I’ll do it all my self.”

Byulyi gazes deeply into Yongsun’s shining eyes, they’re so bright she can see her own reflection. She thinks, it’s the most beautiful mirror she’s ever seen.