Hyejin and Byulyi found an empty waiting room and locked the door behind them to prevent any interruption.

It made Hyejin a little nervous; being in a locked room with the woman she desired with all of her being was extremely dangerous – for her sanity and self-control.

“Are you okay?” Byulyi asked in a concerned voice. She took a step closer to Hyejin, but the younger woman took two steps back. Byulyi stopped moving, hurt splayed across her face. “Are you afraid of me, Hyejin-ah?”

Hyejin let out a snort. Byulyi was about as harmless as a hamster; Hyejin, on the other hand, was like a hungry lioness eyeing her prey. Byulyi was the one who should be afraid of her.

“No, of course not,” Hyejin finally said, sighing. “I just…don’t want to be so close to you.”

Byulyi let out a long sigh and plopped down onto a nearby sofa. She untied her hair and ran a hand through it, looking extremely upset. “So, what did you want to talk about?” she asked coolly, not even sparing Hyejin a glance.

Hyejin took a seat on the sofa opposite of Byulyi. “I want to talk to you about me.”

Finally, Byulyi looked at her in the eyes. “Okay,” she said as she leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “I’m all ears.”

Hyejin took a deep breath and began.

“I told you before that I don’t remember much about my past, but that’s not the whole truth. The truth is, I don’t remember anything about my past. Not my name, not my parents, not Wheein. I don’t even remember how to speak, walk or eat. I was like a newborn baby. I had to re-learn everything from scratch.” She paused for air. “The memories did come back, but in bits and pieces. That’s why I didn’t recognize you, unnie…until just now.”

Byulyi was silent the whole time Hyejin was talking. Then, she asked, “How did it happen?”

“Wheein said we were in an accident, but I still don’t remember it...”

“When did it happen?”

“Wheein said we were on our way back from the airport-”

Hyejin’s words faltered when she saw Byulyi shut her eyes tight and was set in a grim line.

“U-Unnie…?” Hyejin got up and slowly approached Byulyi. She knelt in front of her and gently cupped her face. “A-Are you okay?”

Byulyi let out a small gasp when she felt Hyejin’s touch. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself staring into Hyejin’s worried face. Without warning, the tears she had been holding back fell down her face and onto Hyejin’s hands.

Hyejin’s eyes widened in alarm. It was the second time that she had seen the older woman cry, but it was still a shocking sight to her. “Wh-why are you crying, unnie?”

Byulyi covered Hyejin’s hands with her own and turned her face to kiss each of the younger woman’s palms. Hyejin felt a tingle running from the palm of her hands to the rest of her body; she had to sternly remind herself that they were still just friends.

“I’m sorry,” Byulyi murmured against Hyejin’s palm. “I’m the reason you were at the airport in the first place…”

Hyejin frowned. She rubbed Byulyi’s tears away with the pad of her thumbs and gently coaxed the older woman to lock eyes with her. “What do you mean by that, unnie?” she asked softly.

Byulyi took a deep, shaky breath and explained, “If I’m not mistaken, that was the day I flew off to America. You two were there to send me off…” She paused and Hyejin saw the tears gathering again in her eyes. “I almost lost you, Hyejin-ah,” Byulyi whispered as she squeezed Hyejin’s hands. “I almost lost you and I didn’t even know it.”

Hyejin opened and closed it again. She didn’t know what to say to comfort Byulyi; she had never hated her amnesia as much as she did right now. Before she realized it, tears had fallen from her eyes as well.

Byulyi saw and leaned in to kiss them away. “I’m sorry for making you cry too,” she murmured against Hyejin’s cheek. “I was crying because I was frustrated with myself and with fate. But I am thankful that you are alive and here with me now.”

Hyejin simply stared at the older woman.

Ever since she had lost her memories, everyone was busy telling her to remember this and remember that; they had forgotten that she and Wheein had been in an accident that could have taken their lives. Hearing Byulyi’s words of gratitude was refreshing and it made her smile.

“What?” Byulyi asked, noticing Hyejin’s smile. “Is there something on my face?”

Hyejin shook her head and, without meaning to, her gaze fell on Byulyi’s lips. She suddenly felt the urge to kiss the older woman, but wasn’t sure if she was allowed to; friends don’t kiss each other like that after all.

Hyejin let out a small sigh and raised her eyes to meet Byulyi’s…only to find that the older woman was eyeing her with the same hunger she was feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Hyejin-ah…” Byulyi’s voice was low and lazy as her eyes dipped down to Hyejin’s mouth and her hand moved to cup Hyejin’s chin. She ran a thumb along the soft, quivering flesh that was waiting eagerly to be claimed. “I know we agreed on being friends, but can I kiss you one last time?”

Hyejin wanted to say that it was okay for them to not be “just friends”, but had gone dry and her pulse was racing with anticipation; the only thing she could do was nod.

Without another word, Byulyi leaned in and pressed their lips together. Hyejin’s eyes fluttered close at the contact and a sigh escaped her lips as she returned the kiss. When they finally parted, it was only for a moment. Byulyi had noticed the look in Hyejin’s eyes and knew that that kiss wasn’t enough to put out the fire that had been lit inside the younger woman; it wasn’t enough to satisfy her either.

She let out a low grunt and pulled the younger woman up and onto her lap. Then, she ran her fingers through Hyejin’s dark hair and pulled her down, crashing their mouths together in a passionate kiss.

“Byul,” Hyejin gasped after a while, tilting her head back to breathe in some air. Byulyi took the chance to trail hot kisses down her neck. “W-We have to stop…”

“A little bit more…”

Byulyi’s breath was warm and the feel of and tongue against her skin was driving Hyejin crazy; a moan escaped her lips and she quickly clamped a hand over just in case someone was listening. That one thought was the perfect wake up call for her and she knew they had to stop for real.

“Okay, stop.” Hyejin firmly grabbed Byulyi’s wrist before she could explore the skin underneath Hyejin’s blouse. “Byul, we’re here to work. Remember?”

Byulyi’s mouth curved into a lazy smile. “I remember,” she drawled as she moved her other hand to caress the length of Hyejin’s thigh. “I also remember that you called me ‘unnie’ just a minute ago…”

“I’ll call you whatever I want, whenever I want,” she said with a defiant tilt of her chin, but the blush in her cheeks betrayed her true feelings. “Now please let me go so we can both resume our works.”

“One last kiss,” Byulyi said pleadingly. She twisted her wrist out of Hyejin’s grip and placed both hands on the younger woman’s hips. “Pretty please?”

Hyejin bit her lip, her eyes travelling down to Byulyi’s moist lips and back up. “Okay,” she murmured as she leaned down to press their lips together.

But they knew their time was up when a loud knock interrupted them.

“I’m sorry, Hwasa-ssi,” said Eunbi’s voice from behind the closed door. She sounded anxious and on edge. “But everyone’s waiting for you out here.”

Byulyi frowned. “'Hwasa-ssi'?”

Hyejin sighed and climbed off of Byulyi. “Yes, that’s me,” she said as she fixed her appearance. She looked up when Byulyi said nothing. “What’s wrong?”

Byulyi was staring at her with wide eyes. Then, she blushed and covered her face with one hand. “Goddammit,” she muttered. “You’re Hwasa?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Byulyi removed her hand to reveal a sheepish smile. “Well, I’m a fan.”

Hyejin suddenly felt shy. “R-Really?” she asked, twisting a lock of hair around one finger. Then, she stopped and frowned. “Wait. If you’re a fan, then why didn’t you recognize me when we met that night?”

Byuyli let out a dry chuckle. “As Wheein would put it, I’m an anti-social hermit who refuses to watch TV or go on social media. So, yeah, I don’t know what my favourite singer looks like, but I do love her songs.”

“Thank you for the love, unnie.” Hyejin smirked when she saw the frown on Byulyi’s face (teasing material acquired!). “I’ll be sure to give lots of love in return.”

Byulyi raised an eyebrow, an amused smile playing on her lips. “I thought we’re supposed to go back to being just friends?”

“I might not remember much,” Hyejin started as she placed a hand on Byulyi’s shoulder and leaned down to brush her lips against her cheek. She felt the older girl tensed under her touch and smiled. “But I have a feeling that we weren’t just friends in the past. Am I right, unnie?”

She pulled away to stare into Byulyi’s eyes and her smile widened when she saw the silent confirmation in those dark orbs.

“See you outside, Byul-unnie,” she murmured before heading for the door.

Her steps were halted when she felt her wrist being grabbed by a strong hand. She looked over her shoulder inquiringly. Byulyi had a solemn look on her face as she approached Hyejin from behind. She released Hyejin’s wrist and wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing their bodies close together.

“I think we should stick to being friends,” Byulyi murmured. “At least for today. It’s my personal rule not to date my co-workers,” she added, smirking against Hyejin’s ear. “I’ll see you at the set, Hwasa-ssi. Don’t be late.”

Byulyi was satisfied when she saw the blush spreading across Hyejin’s face. Then, she released the younger woman and sauntered out of the room with a smug smile spread across her face.