nineteen. 

“Is she okay?”

Seungwan stopped in her tracks after walking out of the room, staring at Seulgi with an incredulous look on her face. “Is she okay? Is she okay?” She repeated, walking closer to where Seulgi was sitting on the couch. “Yes, Seulgi. She was only abducted and knocked unconscious and tied up then brought to your house and left on your bed as your gift! Does that sound like ‘okay’?” Seungwan replied, the evident sarcasm in her voice only winding Seulgi up more.

“Why are you saying that like I wanted this?” Seulgi asked, her voice raising to a volume louder than she had intended. “I didn’t know this would happen, alright? I just want to know if she’s hurt or not.” She said exasperatedly.

Seungwan pressed her lips into a thin line, nodding. “She’s fine. I don’t think she’s injured anywhere. But she’s still not awake.”

Seulgi sighed in relief, murmuring a quiet ‘thank you’ and Seungwan sat down on the far end of the couch after some hesitation.

“I feel sick. I can’t believe this happened.” She said, looking at Seulgi who was hunched over with her head in her hands.

“Me too.”

“So are you going to explain why this happened? Who did this? Shouldn’t we call the police or something?”

“It was my boss. Calling the police would be useless.” Seulgi said with a sigh, hanging her head low. “And it’s a warning. He knows my weakness and he’s telling me he has the power to hurt her if he wanted to. If I step out of line, he could easily…” Seulgi swallowed hard, not wanting to finish her sentence.

“A warning for what?” Seungwan questioned. “What the hell is going on? What are you doing?”

“I wish I knew.” She sighed, rubbing her temples and feeling the headache from how many questions Seungwan had.

“He didn’t hurt her this time but what about next time? Seulgi, whatever you’re doing to aggravate him, you have to stop. Otherwise it’s not you, but other people you care about who will get hurt.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Seulgi snapped before calming herself down and adding in a softer voice, “It’s not that easy Seungwan.”

“I don’t know what you’re doing but what I do know is that your reckless actions are putting my friend in danger.” Seungwan said, pointing to the direction of the room Joohyun was in. Seulgi couldn’t even lift her gaze to meet hers and she could only stare frustratedly at the ground. “I don’t care if you want to keep doing stupid that will get you killed, but please, for God’s sake, leave Joohyun out of it.”

Seulgi seemed to be unaffected by her harsh words (because she agreed with them) but Seungwan realised what she had accidentally said out loud and was about to apologise for the insensitive words but Seulgi spoke first.

“You’re right. Joohyun shouldn’t have to suffer for my actions, that’s unfair to her and everyone who cares about her.” Seulgi agreed.

“Then what are you going to do?” Seungwan asked. She knew Seulgi heard her question but Seulgi ignored it completely. Maybe it was because she didn’t have an answer for it.

“Joohyun might wake up soon, you should be there for her when she does.” She said instead. “I already called Bogum to come and take you both home.”

“Why would you call him?” Seungwan asked and she received an amused look from Seulgi.

“Why wouldn’t I call him?” Seulgi walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. “He’s Joohyun’s fiancé, he’s the closest person she has.”

Seungwan followed her to the kitchen and folded her arms, staring at her from across the counter. “You really say that like you don’t care at all.”

“And why would I care?” Seulgi gave a short laugh, drinking some of the water. She held eye contact with Seungwan to make her words seem more truthful. “I got over it already. What she does or who she is with isn’t my business.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“Yeah.” She replied with an empty expression.

Seungwan pursed her lips, nodding but still unconvinced. “I’ll go and check on Joohyun.” She muttered, not waiting for a response before she left.

Seulgi sat in silence by herself, thinking about what Seungwan had said. She was relieved that Joohyun wasn’t hurt but she also knew the implications behind this incident.

Right now, the only way to protect Joohyun would be for her to be as far away as possible from Seulgi. Daegu wasn’t exactly far, but it would have to do for now. 

…

 “I’m home.” Seulgi announced, quickly scanning the house until she found where Joohyun was and she put her arms behind her back, turning her body so Joohyun couldn’t see behind her and she smiled innocently. “Hi.” She greeted when she walked closer.

Joohyun took one look at her and stifled a laugh. “Why are you standing there like that?” She asked, observing Seulgi’s stiff posture and nervous smile.

“What do you mean?” Seulgi asked innocently. The amused and knowing smile on Joohyun’s face only grew wider when she walked closer and Seulgi looked more nervous.

“What are you hiding?”

“Nothing. Why would I be hiding anything?” Seulgi lied poorly.  

“Yeah?” Joohyun reached for Seulgi’s left arm but she turned quickly, avoiding her grasp. “Why are you keeping your arms behind your back then?”

“No reason.” Seulgi spun to face the opposite side when Joohyun tried to look behind her, laughing when Joohyun tried to pull her arm. “What are you doing? I don’t have anything.”

“You’re a bad liar.” Joohyun said, laughing when Seulgi tried to defend herself. “Show me, what are you holding?”

“Look, there’s nothing.” Seulgi took one hand from behind her back, waving it around to .

“Show me your other hand.” Joohyun said, stepping closer and reaching behind her.

“Okay, wait, wait.” Seulgi stuttered in between laughs and tried to hold Joohyun back with her free hand. She was moving backwards but Joohyun was already holding her wrist that was behind her back and pulling it to make Seulgi reveal her other hand. Joohyun laughed again, knowing she was winning (as usual) and Seulgi sighed defeatedly, letting her pull her arm out. Her hand was in a fist and Joohyun pried her fingers open with a lot of effort.

“There’s nothing.” Joohyun said with a confused expression when Seulgi finally opened her hand to show her an empty palm.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Seulgi replied and Joohyun punched her stomach lightly to wipe the smirk off her face.

“Then why were you acting like that?” She asked, folding her arms and giving her a glare. “I wasted so much time and effort for nothing.”

“Don’t be mad, I was just messing with you.” Seulgi put her arms around her waist to pull her in, already seeing the smile that Joohyun was holding back. “Maybe next time you should trust me when I say I’m not hiding anything.” She smiled and Joohyun narrowed her eyes at her.

“You should’ve seen your face, it was hard to believe you were telling the truth.”

“But I was.” Seulgi showed her hands again to prove her innocence and then reached up to caress Joohyun’s face, her playful expression turning into a serious one. “I want to kiss you.”

“No, you don’t deserve it.” She said and pulled Seulgi’s hands away, laughing at Seulgi’s shocked and disappointed reaction. “I’m going to start preparing dinner.”

Seulgi watched her go back to the kitchen and after a few seconds, she collected her handbag from the couch where she had thrown it the moment she walked in through the door. Reaching inside the bag, she felt around for the object and breathed a sigh of relief when it was still safely inside. She sat down on the edge of the bed with her back facing the kitchen and after glancing over her shoulder to double check that Joohyun wasn’t looking, she turned back to look at the small box in her hand that automatically brought a smile on her face. It was made of smooth purple velvet and Seulgi opened the lid, looking at the ring she finally chose after a long week of stressing and deciding.

With her new job, price was no longer a factor to worry about so all she had to think about was the design. But Seulgi wanted the perfect ring to give to the perfect woman because Joohyun deserved nothing less. She smiled, taking one last look at the ring before closing the box. She was happy with her final choice and she was sure Joohyun would love it too. She couldn’t wait to give it to her when it was the perfect moment, except she didn’t know when that would be because she didn’t know when she would be able to finish her secret job.

Seulgi jumped a bit when Joohyun called out for her from the kitchen and she shouted back a response, opening the wardrobe and reaching for a box on the top shelf. She put the ring in the box along with her other personal belongings, knowing Joohyun would never look in it without her permission.

She ran to the kitchen to help Joohyun with whatever she had called her for and when they started playing around with the food and teasing each other, bickering playfully as usual, Seulgi smiled so hard that her cheeks started to hurt. She looked at Joohyun who was smiling the same and she thought to herself, ‘I can’t wait to marry you’.

Then, when they were waiting for the water to boil and Seulgi told her “I want to kiss you” again and this time Joohyun allowed her, Seulgi thought to herself, ‘I really can’t wait to marry you’.

And when Joohyun banished her from the kitchen for spilling something, Seulgi apologised with a guilty smile and watched her from across the counter as she cleaned and cooked and prepared everything.

Realising that Joohyun would really be the perfect wife and that there was no one else on this earth that she would rather spend the rest of her life with, Seulgi thought to herself for the millionth time, ‘I really can’t wait to marry Joohyun.’

…

Bogum turned the radio down, looking over at Joohyun who hadn’t spoken a word since they got into the car.

“Is everything okay?” He asked. There was a moment of hesitation before he asked again, “Did something happen at your old house?”

Joohyun didn’t say anything but she shook her head, still staring out the window. Bogum tapped his fingers on the steering wheel anxiously, trying to think of ways to cheer her up or make her talk again.

“Did you manage to pack everything you need?” He asked.

“Yeah.” She finally responded. “There wasn’t much.”

“Right. That’s good then.” He tried to sound cheerful but Joohyun’s expression didn’t change the slightest. He sighed quietly to himself, knowing Joohyun’s low mood was definitely because of the memories she had from going back to the place she lived with Seulgi.

He wondered if there would ever be a day that Joohyun would get over her. And he wondered if he would ever get tired of waiting for that day to come.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” He replied a little too enthusiastically. He was just happy that she was initiating a conversation.

“Why are we leaving so soon?”

His smile faded, “We still have two days before we leave. Is something wrong?”

“No. I just find it strange that we’re leaving so abruptly.” She said. “Is this because of what happened to me last week?”

His grip on the steering wheel tightened at the mention of the incident last week and he thought about his words carefully before replying. “It will be safer for you to leave here for a while. I don’t want anything to happen to you again.” He explained, looking at her when the car was stationary at a red light.

“Did Seulgi tell you to take me away?” She guessed and he turned his gaze away when Seulgi’s name was brought up. Joohyun sighed quietly. “Of course.”

“It’s for the best.” He said.

“I know.” She murmured, turning back to look out the window. She said nothing for a while. “When we get to Daegu, where will we be staying?”

“I have it sorted, don’t worry.”

“Did you get a house?”

“Yeah. You’ll love it.”

“Is it near nature?”

Bogum nodded immediately, a smile forming on his face. “Yes. You’re really going to love it there, I promise.” He said, sounding confident. “It’s close to the park that you loved to go to when you were younger and we can go hiking whenever you want.” He expected her to be happier after hearing that but Joohyun didn’t say anything for a long time although she tried her hardest to smile. He could tell that it was a sad smile but he couldn’t decipher the reason behind the smile. 

“Yeah.” She agreed and out of the corner of his eye, he thought he might’ve seen a tear fall from her eye but he wasn’t certain and when he tried to look at her, she had already turned to look out the window.

They arrived at Joohyun’s place and he turned off the engine, shifting in his seat to face her with a serious expression on his face. “I’m sorry that everything is happening so suddenly. It must be hard for you to accept all these changes in such little time.” He apologised and Joohyun shook her head, smiling at him as if to say it was okay and she wasn’t upset about it and it wasn’t necessary to apologise, yet Bogum continued.

“I know I’m not the perfect person for you but I hope you can trust in me and give me a chance to show you that I will really do my best to make you happy.” He said with such sincerity that Joohyun felt her heart beat a little faster. “Regardless of what happens or where we go, I will give my everything into making sure you have a future that you can be happy of, so that you don’t regret your decision in choosing me.”

Joohyun smiled again, reaching out to put her hand on his arm. “I trust you.” She said. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have said yes.”

He smiled and looked down, smiling wider when he saw the engagement ring on her finger which served as a reminder of the choice she had made. He was happy she chose him, but he would be happier if he could be the one in her heart. That might take some time, but he was willing to wait.

…

She watched the seconds turn into minutes and the minutes turn into hours on the clock. Each hour that passed meant one hour closer to the time that Joohyun would finally leave. Seulgi exhaled heavily and leant back against her chair, looking at the ceiling. She was the one who requested for them to leave early, but she felt no peace in knowing they were actually leaving in less than 8 hours.

She picked up her phone and the message notification from Seungwan half an hour ago was still there, unopened. Seulgi looked at it again even though she already had the message memorised from reading over it so many times.

Joohyun is leaving with Bogum at 8am tomorrow morning, I hope this is what you really wanted.

Seulgi wished she could reply confidently with ‘yes, it is’ but that would be lying to herself and everyone else. She put her phone aside, opening her laptop and tried to distract herself with work. Sleeping wasn’t an option tonight because she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep when all she would think about are the ‘what if’s and ‘what could have been’s.

1am was approaching and it briefly crossed Seulgi’s mind whether Joohyun was asleep yet. She wondered how Joohyun felt, knowing that she was leaving tomorrow. Was she excited to leave everything behind and start a new life? Was she sleeping with a smile on her face or was she like Seulgi, unable to fall asleep because of too many thoughts keeping her awake? Was Joohyun thinking about Seulgi like how she was thinking of her right now?

It was 1am, and 7 hours until Joohyun left. Time was going slowly, yet too fast at the same time and Seulgi wasn’t sure whether she wanted morning to come sooner or not.

Her phone screen lit up and Seulgi looked at it, seeing a new message pop up. She blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating like someone who had been wandering a desert for days without water and suddenly saw an oasis. But in this case, her oasis was a message from Joohyun.

Are you awake?

She opened the message, typing a short response but before she could hit ‘send’, she stopped herself.

She glanced at the clock; 6 hours and 52 minutes until Joohyun left. Maybe it would be better if Seulgi pretended she was asleep. Her heart really, desperately wanted to reply to her and talk to her for what could be the last time, but her head was telling her that it wasn’t a good idea to let herself near Joohyun.

Seulgi bit her tongue, forcing herself to delete the message and put her phone to the side. She told herself it was the right thing to do and she took a few deep breaths, refocusing on the work in front of her to distract her thoughts from Joohyun and the message. It would all be over soon; in 6 hours and 50 minutes.

Her phone started ringing with the contact name ‘Joohyun’ flashing on the screen and she cursed under her breath and looked away, resisting the urge to pick it up. She was successful for approximately half a minute until she answered.

“Hello?” She said in a quiet voice.

“Why didn’t you reply? I saw you typing.”

Seulgi in a breath, having forgotten that she could see that. “I didn’t know what to say.” She said.

There was a quiet sigh from the other side of the line and Seulgi heard a car drive past in the distance. It sounded like Joohyun was outside, but what would she be doing outside at 1am? 

“Can we talk?” Joohyun asked.

“We’re talking right now.”

“In person.” Joohyun said.

“I don’t think we should.” Seulgi replied, her voice wavering slightly because of how much she wanted to say yes. “There’s nothing to say.”

“But I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

“I know.” Seulgi glanced at the time again. 6 hours and 45 minutes to go.

“This will be the last time.” Joohyun tried to persuade her and Seulgi bit her lip. “It won’t take long, I promise.”

The line went quiet for a while and Joohyun had to check that it hadn’t ended. Then finally, Seulgi sighed.

“Where are you?”

A car honked on the street in the background and she heard faint voices passing by. Joohyun took a moment before she finally replied.

“Outside your apartment.”

...

a/n: 8 weeks since the last update ok we get it im a terrible person!
anyway.. this was a bit short because i split the chapter so next chapter will be up within a week I promise