Hyejin took a little bit more time to calm herself down before stepping out of the room. When she did, she saw Eunbi chatting quietly with Wheein.

Hyejin cleared and the two women stopped talking, turning their head simultaneously towards her.

“Ah, Hwasa-ssi,” Eunbi said as she hurried towards Hyejin, cheeks turning pink. “Are you ready now? The stylists are waiting for you.”

Hyejin nodded and let Eunbi lead the way towards her waiting room; Wheein followed closely behind them.

Half an hour later, Hyejin walked out of the waiting room with a fierce look in her eyes; her switch had flipped and now she was Hwasa.

As she walked towards her assigned position, she briefly locked eyes with Byulyi. She politely bowed her head, as if they were meeting or the first time. Byulyi returned the greeting, lips curled up in amusement. Then, she watched with admiring eyes as Hwasa took her place and started trying out poses for today’s concept.

Byulyi made it a point to be harsher on Hyejin compared to the other models; Hyejin didn’t relent and embraced every challenge thrown at her. She knew she did great when she saw Byulyi’s satisfied smirk; it didn’t show on her face, but Hyejin’s heart blossomed with pride.

Hyejin noticed that her poses became more passionate as the photoshoot progressed; she wondered if it was the side effect of being the sole focus of the person she likes. She would have dismissed it as part of her delusion if she didn’t see the look in Byulyi’s eyes; it sent shivers down her spine and made her whole body flush with want.

When Byulyi was finally satisfied with the photos, she ended the shoot and thanked everyone for their work. Hyejin approached her with hooded eyes; all she wanted to do now was drag Byulyi into an empty room and release all the pent-up desire inside of her. When their eyes meet, Hyejin saw the same look in Byulyi’s eyes and her insides twist in anticipation.

But Byulyi had other ideas.

She dragged Hyejin towards a table where she had her laptop opened and sat Hyejin down in an empty chair while she stood behind her.

“What are we doing?” Hyejin asked confusedly as she stared at the laptop screen.

“Reviewing the photos we took,” Byulyi said simply as she brought up the folders with said photos. “I’m letting you see it first.”

Hyejin was grateful for the special treatment, but she couldn’t help the disappointment washing over her and a pout formed on her face. It quickly disappeared the moment her eyes fell on the photos and she gasped in amazement.

“They’re beautiful,” she whispered, automatically sliding her fingers on the mouse pad to view the rest of the photos.

“No, you’re beautiful,” Byulyi whispered, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. “You always were.”

The feel of Byulyi’s warm breath in her ear sent pleasant shivers all over her body; Hyejin hummed happily in response. “I bet you say that to all the girls you photographed,” she teased.

“If I did, I would be swamped with persistent admirers.”

At first, Hyejin thought Byulyi was joking and looked up to see that annoying smirk of hers for confirmation, but Byulyi’s face was solemn and was pressed together in a straight line.

“Oh,” Hyejin said as realization set in. “You’re serious.”

Byulyi nodded. “That’s why I made it a personal rule not to date my co-workers.”

“What about when you’re not co-workers anymore? You can date then, right?”

“I try not to,” Byulyi said with a small smile. “It gets too…complicated.”

Hyejin was filled to the brim with curiosity; it was the first time she had the chance to ask Byulyi about her past relationships. She turned in her seat to face Byulyi, eyes bright and full of questions.

Byulyi chuckled, seeing Hyejin’s excited face. She lifted her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Hyejin’s ear and let her hand linger, caressing the side of the younger woman’s face. Hyejin’s eyes fluttered close as she leaned into Byulyi’s touch, a soft sigh escaping her slightly parted mouth. Byulyi bit her lip, her heart thundering as she leaned down…

“Byul-ah.”

Byulyi jumped back in surprise; Hyejin’s eyes snapped open and she glared in the direction of the voice.

A pink-haired woman was looking at them over her sunglasses, eyes narrowed and mouth twisted in a grim smile. When she was satisfied that she had the two women’s attention, she slowly approached them.

“I-I thought you’re coming tomorrow,” Byulyi stammered as she straightened up and faced the slightly shorter woman. “What are you doing here, Yongsun-ah?”

“Yes, what are you doing here, Yong-unnie?” Hyejin asked as she stood up and crossed her arms, scowling at the older woman.

Yongsun chuckled. “Always a pleasure to see you, Hyejinie,” she said as she patted the younger woman on the head. Hyejin swatted her hand away and her scowl deepened. Yongsun just grinned at her response. “I see you’re still mad at me about…” her brows furrowed for a fraction of a second before it became neutral again as she added in a soft voice, “…Wheein.”

Hyejin took a step closer until she was nose to nose with Yongsun. “You’re supposed to leave and never come back,” she hissed.

“‘Never’ is a strong word, Hyejin-ah,” Yongsun replied, placing a hand on Hyejin’s chest and gently pushed her away. “I have always planned to come back. I just didn’t say when.”

“Okay, enough.” Byulyi slid an arm around Hyejin’s waist and pulled her back, placing herself in between the two women. “What’s going on between you two?” she asked, looking at Hyejin and then at Yongsun.

Yongsun tilted her head and pursed her lips. “It’s nothing to be concerned about, Byul-ah,” she said, waving a dismissive hand in Byulyi’s face. “I’m here to talk about work. So let’s talk.”

Byulyi didn’t believe that it was “nothing”, but she did believe Yongsun when it was about work; Byulyi had learned that the older woman was a workaholic when they started working together a few months ago.

She let out a sigh and turned to face Hyejin. “I’ll be back in Seoul in a couple of days,” she murmured as she leaned in to peck Hyejin’s cheek. “See you then?”

Hyejin nodded, but her eyes were still trained on Yongsun; the older woman looked back at her with disinterested eyes.

Byulyi shook her head, still confused with the animosity between the two. Then, she turned to Yongsun. “Come on, Yong. Let’s talk in my office.”

Yongsun raised an eyebrow. “You have an office? Here?”

“It’s a temporary, office-like room. Shut up,” she added curtly when Yongsun snickered. “It works just fine.”

Hyejin watched the two women bickered as they walked away from her. It did cross her mind to ask how did they know each other, but she was more concerned about the reason Yongsun came back.

Her eyes slowly widened when she saw Wheein running towards her with Eunbi in tow; they came from the direction Yongsun and Byulyi was heading to. She held her breath, waiting for the moment Yongsun and Wheein reunite.

But Wheein and Eunbi breezed past the bickering women; Yongsun and Byulyi didn’t even notice the two younger women since they were absorbed in their argument.

Wheein and Eunbi came to a stop in front of Hyejin, red-faced and breathing heavily. Hyejin looked over Wheein’s head at Byulyi and Yongsun; Yongsun had stopped walking and turned to look in their direction while Byulyi had gone ahead whilst mumbling to herself.

Hyejin quickly looked down at Wheein and Eunbi. “What’s the rush?” she asked.

“Eunbi said she knows a great restaurant nearby,” Wheein said excitedly, swinging her and Eunbi’s interlocked hands. “Are you finished, Hyejin-ah? Should we go get lunch there?”

Hyejin glanced up just in time to see Yongsun shaking her head and moving on to catch Byulyi who was already steps ahead of her.

Hyejin knew it was a matter of time before Yongsun and Wheein meet again, but the memory of Wheein post-breakup was too heartbreaking for her to revisit; she would prefer not to be there to witness it if it happened.

“Yeah, sure,” Hyejin finally answered, smiling at the two women in front of her. “Let’s have lunch there.”