At about six in the evening on August 19th, SinB was running around her kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off. A timer was going off, and something was burning, and SinB was so not cut out for this. She rushed to stop the annoying beeping before reaching for the pork belly. As she scurried from one thing to another, Umji watched her with undisguised amusement from the counter. She even had the nerve to prop her face up in her hands like she was watching a show or something.

“Are you sure you’ve got this?” Umji asked after SinB burned her hand on a pan and let out a string of curses. She grinned at the glare SinB gave her and said, “I just don’t want to come back to our apartment burned down.”

“Get out,” SinB replied with a scowl. 

“I’m just saying this an awful lot for a friend,” Umji pointed out, shrugging innocently. “Are you sure your crush hasn’t become something more?”

“Get out!” SinB repeated.

Umji giggled but did as she was told. Despite her embarrassing teasing, SinB was thankful for Umji, who was being a nice roommate and going over to Yuju’s tonight so that SinB had the apartment to herself. With Yerin. SinB just hadn’t wanted Yerin to feel awkward and for Umji to say something she shouldn’t. That’s all. Umji was crazy. SinB was completely over her crush on Yerin. They were just friends, good friends. That’s all.

It was Yerin’s birthday today, and SinB wanted to make it the best birthday she could for her. After overhearing Yerin’s father wouldn’t be able to have dinner with her, SinB had subtly gotten Yerin to mention this fact, so that she could suggest Yerin come over to dinner at hers instead. SinB remembered the shy but eager smile Yerin had worn when SinB asked her over for dinner, eyes practically twinkling. 

Now, SinB was trying to finish off her homemade meal, praying it was edible. She figured something like this would be something Yerin would like. It wasn’t much, SinB knew. Just a questionable dinner and a movie. Nothing like a Tiffany bracelet, but it’s something more intimate. SinB hoped Yerin would like it. If not, she had a Plan B shoved somewhere in her closet. 

Just as SinB was finishing the pasta, the doorbell rang. SinB felt her nerves spike as she tugged off her apron. She tried to fix her hair and smooth down her clothes as best as she could, but one glance in the mirror made it clear that she’d been cooking for the last two hours. Shaking her head, SinB knew there was no point in trying to make herself look any better. Besides, it was just Yerin.

When SinB opened the door, she was prepared to greet Yerin loudly and happily, but the words got stuck in . Rather than the bright smile SinB had expected, Yerin stood on her doorstep, shoulders hunched with tears streaming down her face. SinB stared at her for a moment, at a loss for words. Even though she had seen Yerin serious and a bit sad before, SinB couldn’t comprehend the utter anguish on Yerin’s face right now. Yerin was a happy person. She was always smiling. She wasn’t supposed to look like this.

Finally snapping out of it, SinB wrapped an arm around Yerin’s shoulder and guided her into the apartment. SinB shut the door behind them and sat Yerin down on the couch as she continued to cry. Yerin hesitated then buried her face in SinB’s neck as she cried, and SinB could only hug her as she did. Normally, SinB shied away from any sort of physical contact with Yerin, but she couldn’t exactly push her away when she was sobbing like this. She didn’t want to either. She held Yerin tightly, feeling the insane urge to go out and find who did this to her and give them a good punch. 

They stayed like that on the couch for who knows how long. SinB wasn’t really sure. She just laid back and held Yerin as she cried, staying there even after the sobs became quiet sniffles. She could feel the way Yerin shook, and she didn’t want to let go. SinB had to eventually though when Yerin slowly pulled away.

SinB wiped away a few stray tears, feeling an ache in her chest at the sight of Yerin’s swollen, red eyes. “What happened?” SinB asked gently. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Did you know the hospital is merging with another?” Yerin asked. Unsure of what that had to do with anything, SinB just shook her head. Yerin pursed her lips as her eyes dropped down to her hands. She took a shaky breath then said, “My father confirmed it yesterday, but there were stipulations. One of them is that I marry the son of the other hospital director.”

SinB’s first reaction was to ask if she was joking, but one look at Yerin made it clear that she was being dead serious. Then her next reaction was that she wanted to throw up at the thought of Yerin marrying some other man. In that moment, SinB was struck with the realization that despite her months and months of denial, she was in love with Yerin. It only took the news that she was going to lose her for her to face her feelings. Why was she such an idiot? Unable to think of anything else to do, SinB blindly reached out and held Yerin’s hand tightly in her own.

“I’m so sorry,” SinB choked out, feeling tears prick at her own eyes. “So… It’s arranged?”

“Of course it is!” Yerin snapped, and she gave SinB this look like she should’ve known better. Before SinB could apologize though, Yerin’s shoulder slumped and she whispered, “Sorry. I’m just… I don’t know what to do.”

SinB bit her lip, absently rubbing her thumb over the back of Yerin’s hand. “Do you want to marry him?” SinB asked. She tried not to sound miserable as she said this. Her feelings didn’t matter right now. What was important was making Yerin feel better.

“No,” Yerin said immediately. She looked at SinB then, and it felt like she was trying to say something with her eyes. After a moment, her eyes dropped once more. She shook her head and said, “I don’t even know him, but my father thinks this is for the best.”

“Why?”

Yerin let out a heavy sigh, and her hand tightened around SinB’s. She peeked at her through her eyelashes and said softly, “I think it’s time I tell you more about my ex-fiance.”

“You don’t have to do that,” SinB said. She felt a little like she’d just taken a knife to the gut. She really did not want to hear about this guy, the one that started all those rumors around Yerin. 

“I want to,” Yerin replied firmly, even as her hand trembled slightly in SinB’s. “What a lot of people don’t know is that I didn’t meet him when he was a doctor at the hospital. We actually met in college and dated for a while. Things didn’t work out then, so we broke it off on good terms. When we met again when he was a doctor at the hospital, we decided to give it another go.” Yerin pressed her lips together as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. “I was so happy. We dated for two years, and we were always happy. I thought it was perfect, and when he proposed, I said yes without hesitation.” Yerin let out a watery, bitter laugh, and her nails dug lightly into SinB’s skin. “I was blind. Or maybe, I saw the signs and chose to ignore them. About six months before our wedding, about a year before you started your internship, my father found out he was helping another hospital to sabotage my father’s. He was just using me to get to my father, so he could tear us down and use the information to get a good job somewhere else. He never really loved me. I was just a tool.”

SinB didn’t know what to say. She tried to wrap her head around the idea that someone would be cruel enough to use someone like that, let alone Yerin of all people. Yerin, who is so kind and happy and willing to help whoever needs it. The mere thought of using Yerin like that makes SinB sick. 

“My father didn’t want the media to find out what happened,” Yerin continued brokenly, staring into space. “He kept it quiet, but that meant the staff didn’t know the whole story. They saw bits and pieces and made up their answers. For all the kindness they’d seen from me, they decided I was a spoiled brat who got her heart broken and made her father fire a good man.” Yerin let out a choked sob and shook her head. “I didn’t step foot in the hospital for two months after. I couldn’t stand the stares and the whispers. I couldn’t even defend myself. I just had to take it. I hated it. I hated my father for keeping it a secret. But most of all, I hated my ex for doing it to me.”

“I’m so sorry,” is all SinB could think to say.

“And now my father is cleaning things up,” Yerin said like SinB hadn’t said anything. “No more trusting me with my own decisions. He found a good man that will take care of me that won’t screw over the hospital.”

“You’re your own person, Yerin,” SinB argued, finally thinking of something useful to say. “You don’t have to marry anyone you don’t want to.”

Yerin smiled at her sadly and said, “I wish that was true, SinB, but it’s not. I have no job. I rely on my father’s money for everything. And despite everything, I do love him. If I go against him, I lose everything.” Yerin tried to make her smile brighter, but it only made her look more broken. “Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll learn to love the man my father has set me up with.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” SinB said.

Yerin gave a small shrug and wiped away the last of her tears. “Maybe. Now, what’s that smell? Did you actually cook something?”

SinB knew what she was doing. Changing the subject. Forgetting about it for now. A part of SinB wanted to keep talking about it. To try and make Yerin see she didn’t have to do this. Another part of SinB knew that she couldn’t do that. Not to mention, that wasn’t what Yerin needed right now. She needed a supportive friend, and that’s what SinB would be.

“Yeah,” SinB replied softly. “Let’s eat.”

a/n: hello! i hope everyone is staying safe and taking care of yourselves. i debated on whether to update right now, but i figured some might need a break from what's been going on. but also, please don't forget to do what you can to help the blm movement. thank you for reading.