Before Yongsun could go after Wheein and Eunbi, Byulyi grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“Kim Yongsun,” she hissed in the older woman’s ear, “we need to talk.”

Without waiting for a response, Byulyi dragged Yongsun into the kitchen with Hyejin following closely behind them.

“Byul-ah, it hurts,” Yongsun whined as soon as they stepped into the kitchen. She winced when Byulyi tightened her grip. “Why are you suddenly angry with me?”

Byulyi finally let her go, but she still looked upset. Hyejin stood at the entrance, keeping watch; she was also wondering the same thing as Yongsun.

Byulyi ran a shaky hand through her hair and glared at Yongsun. “Did you date Wheein before or after she came back from America?” she asked sharply.

“Before and after,” Yongsun answered, a frown forming on her face at Byulyi’s rough tone. “Why does it matter to you anyway?”

“So you’re the reason why…” she muttered under her breath. Then, in a louder voice, “Promise me that you won’t do anything to make Wheein upset today.”

Yongsun’s frown deepened. “I wouldn’t-”

“Promise me!”

“Okay, I promise!” Yongsun snapped. She was starting to get annoyed with Byulyi’s sudden fury. “Now will you stop being angry with me for no reason?”

Byulyi laughed bitterly. “Oh, I have a perfectly good reason to be angry with you, Kim Yongsun.” She stepped closer towards Yongsun and poked her chest repeatedly. “You. Broke. Wheein’s. Heart,” she stressed each word. “That is enough to make me be upset at you.”

Hyejin frowned. She knew Wheein and Byulyi were housemates, but she didn’t know they were close enough for Byulyi to get this upset over Wheein.

When Yongsun just stood there, frozen and speechless, Byulyi walked away towards Hyejin. “Come on,” she said as she grabbed Hyejin’s hand. “Let’s go eat. You must be starving, Hyejin-ah.”

As if on cue, Hyejin’s stomach rumbled; a blush crept onto her face at the “coincidence”.

You have the most impeccable timing, dear stomach.

Any embarrassing thoughts flew out of her head when she heard a soft chuckle coming from Byulyi.

“So you really are starving,” Byulyi teased. The anger in her eyes had disappeared and was replaced by amusement. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

Hyejin smiled back and squeezed Byulyi’s hand. “You know how much I love food,” she joked. “We can’t be separated.”

Hyejin suddenly saw an unfamiliar look flashed across Byulyi’s eyes. The older woman opened and then quickly closed it again, pressing her lips together in a firm line. As if she had finally made up her mind, she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Hyejin’s cheek.

“Never change, Hyejin-ah,” she whispered, a pretty blush colouring her cheeks and a shy smile on her lips, “I like you just the way you are.”

Hyejin’s heart warmed at her words and she couldn’t resist the urge to plant a soft kiss on Byulyi’s lips. “I like you too,” she murmured as she pulled away, staring intently into Byulyi’s eyes to make sure she knew how much she meant it.

Byulyi’s smile softened and she kissed Hyejin briefly before pulling her towards the dining area where Wheein and Eunbi were waiting.

Surprisingly enough, the birthday dinner went on quite smoothly.

Yongsun kept her promise and refrained from talking; Wheein took on the role of the perfect hostess, but she made it a point to be extra cold to Yongsun while Byulyi kept watchful eyes over Yongsun, ready to step in when needed.

Hyejin would occasionally glance over at Wheein and Eunbi, hoping to catch any signs of changes in their friendship. She had noticed that for the past few days Wheein was being extra affectionate with Eunbi – today was no different and she was convinced that nothing had changed between the two women.

After dinner, it was time for the birthday cake.

Hyejin and Eunbi had teamed up to surprise Wheein with a special cake delivery – it was supposed to arrive just in time for the party – but the surprise was spoiled when Wheein accepted the delivery instead and secretly swiped the frosting before anyone could stop her.

As if there was an unspoken truce between them, the guests sang the birthday song enthusiastically, with added harmonies from Yongsun and Hyejin, and clapped their hardest when Wheein successfully blew all the candles in one breath.

For the first time that night, the atmosphere was warm and relaxed as they fussed over who get to have how many slices of cake. Then, they washed the tasty cake down with Wheein’s homemade cocktail.

Suddenly, a phone rang and all eyes turned towards Eunbi.

“Sorry,” she said as she grabbed her phone and scrambled to her feet. “It’s my boyfriend.”

She quickly headed out onto the balcony, shutting the sliding door behind her before picking up the call. As soon as the door clicked shut, Yongsun turned towards Wheein.

“Are you dating her, Wheein-ah?”

Wheein didn’t look surprised at the question; it was more like she expected it. “No, I’m not,” she answered calmly. “Even if I am, unnie, it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“You’re right, of course,” Yongsun said hastily, “but as your friend, I don’t want to see you get pointlessly hurt by pursuing a girl who is already in a relationship.”

“Like I haven’t been hurt by a girl in a relationship before,” Wheein scoffed.

Yongsun’s eyes widened with surprise. “You have?”

“Yes, unnie. I have.”

“Who was it?”

Wheein stared at her in disbelief. “It’s you, Kim Yongsun.”

“What do you mean it’s me?” Yongsun asked with a confused frown. “I wasn’t dating anyone else when I was with you, Wheein-ah.”

Wheein let out a frustrated sigh. “What about that guy who appeared on my birthday and punched me in the face?” she asked hotly. “Not to forget that he also went down on one knee and slipped that ring on your finger!”

A look of realization dawned on Yongsun’s face. “Oh. Him.” She let out a long sigh before adding, “I wasn’t dating him. He was a stalker.”

Wheein’s eyes widened. “A stalker?” she repeated in disbelief. “Why haven’t I heard about this before?”

“I tried to tell you,” Yongsun smiled grimly, “but you refused to see me. Then I found out that you’ve left the country.” She paused and tears started forming in her eyes as she whispered, “You didn’t even say goodbye, Wheein-ah...”

Wheein surprised everyone when she suddenly jumped out of her seat and launched herself at Yongsun, engulfing her in a tight hug. Yongsun let out a startled yelp, but she quickly returned the embrace and buried her face in Wheein’s neck.

“I think it’s time for us to go,” Hyejin whispered to Byulyi.

“Let’s do this as quietly as we can,” Byulyi whispered back.

Eunbi chose that exact time to walk back inside. Her steps halted as she regarded the scene – Hyejin and Byulyi on their way to the front entrance on tiptoes; Wheein and Yongsun still embracing each other, completely oblivious to their surroundings.

“Um, did something-”

Before Eunbi could finish her sentence, Hyejin and Byulyi rushed over to her and clamped their hands over . Surprised, Eunbi struggled to escape, but Hyejin and Byulyi were stronger and they half-dragged her towards the front door.