There are some things that will take your breath away no matter how many times you bear witness to them. For some people it might be fireworks, the first snowfall in winter, or that one song that never fails to give them goosebumps.
For Moon Byulyi, the one thing that never fails to amaze her, the one thing she can't seem to grow sick of no matter how long she stares or how many pictures she takes - for Moon Byulyi, that's Kim Yongsun.

Photos don't do Yongsun justice - they don't quite manage to capture the spark in her eyes or the way her skin glows just so - but Byulyi will damn well die trying to keep these moments forever.

She wants to never forget Yongsun’s sleepy face in the morning, her bed-head, how she will sometimes take a spoonful of food that’s too large to swallow and the way she’ll stubbornly keep chewing regardless. She wants to capture the way the light catches in her hair and forever save that one particular kind of smile that seems reserved for Byulyi only.

Yongsun has grown used to it - the way a camera will show up in her face unexpectedly at any time, the way Byulyi will sometimes pipe up with gentle instructions, guiding her to "stay just like that" or "lift your chin a little".
It's flattering, knowing that the other girl is so enraptured with her, even after all these years.

Of course, there's times when she doesn't welcome it.

Sometimes, Byulyi gets carried away when they’re working, pulling out her phone and pushing the lense toward Yongsun with insistent shutter noises in a moment when they should be focused. 

(“You have that look in your eyes when you practice,” Byulyi explained after one such encounter ended with Yongsun confiscating her phone for the rest of practice. “I never know how to describe it.”

Yongsun huffed and playfully shoved her shoulder.

“You make it sound like I have a look for everything.”

“You do. And each one of them is worth keeping forever!”

Yongsun shook her head at that ( so cheesy ) but passed the phone back into her girlfriend’s eager hands. She watched as Byul unlocked it with a few quick taps to the screen, undoubtedly about to take a look at the photos she’d managed to sneak before Yongsun had stepped in.

Byulyi’s smile was soft and subtle, an unconscious sort of look, accompanied by a gentle murmur that was barely loud enough for Yongsun to hear.

“I wish you could see it, too.”)

Other times, there are days when Yongsun simply doesn't feel pretty at all, and no cheeky grin or smooth compliment will quite manage to chase that feeling away. She doesn’t struggle much with self-confidence, but, sometimes, she’ll have a day where her hair doesn’t look quite right or her face looks a little bloated.
On those days, Byulyi’s insistence on her beauty is more irritating than flattering. On those days, Yongsun wishes Byulyi wouldn’t look at her quite so intensely.

Byulyi has always been a hoarder of memories - keepsakes from trips, birthday cards from several years ago, ticket stamps from a meaningless ferry ride back in the 3rd grade - Byulyi holds on to all of it because she loves to remember.

Yongsun doesn’t always understand it. There are many moments that seem mundane and meaningless. She can’t find any value them, but for Byulyi, they’re enchanting - enchanting enough for her to be annoyingly insistent about taking a picture of it.

 So, no. Yongsun doesn’t always welcome the attention. Sometimes, it’s inappropriate. Sometimes, it’s unnerving.

But most of the time, Yongsun gladly plays along.

Like right now.

"Unnie, don't move!"
Yongsun stands wrapped in her bathrobe in front of the window of their suite in Brazil, overlooking the street below. She’s freshly showered, hair still in the messy bun she put it in in order to shield it from the water.

She smiles, unseen, as she keeps her back turned away from the other girl.  
"What is it, Byul-ah?"
She knows what it is, has heard this particular reverent tone too many times to doubt what's to come, but she enjoys the attention. She loves the way Byulyi will speak of Yongsun's appearance so softly, every word dripping with a raw sort of emotion.
"You. It’s stunning. You’re stunning! The lighting..."
Byulyi seems lost for words, and Yongsun grins to herself as she hears her rummaging around, undoubtedly reaching for the camera. There’s the familiar click of the lens cap being removed, followed by the distinct noise of zoom and focus.

Yongsun waits in her position looking outside the window. One heart beat, two heart beats...
"Don't move." Byulyi insists again, voice so soft, yet with an underlying sort of urgency.
"This is..." Yongsun hears more rustling as Byulyi positions herself at the right angle, "...just perfect."
She knows the shutter will sound in a second.

She knows Byulyi will look at her work and smile a most satisfied grin at the results. She also knows, as she decides right then and there, that she will kiss that grin right off of Byulyi’s lips.
The shutter sounds. Once. Twice. Then Yongsun decides to have a little fun. Rolling her shoulders just so, the robe slides off in one smooth ripple, catching in the crook of her elbows.

The sharp intake of breath behind her is enough to let her know that this move worked entirely in her favour, and she can't quite stifle the low chuckle that bubbles up from somewhere deep in .
"Yong..."

It sounds breathless, almost pained, but the shutter clicks again, in quick succession this time.

Yongsun stays still and allows Byulyi to take a couple more snapshots before she turns.
Byulyi is watching her through the lense. It's obvious in the way the other girl so audibly gulps, in the way the shutter is suddenly silent.
Yongsun smiles and, finally, lowers her arms, leaving the robe to slide entirely off her frame and pool on the ground in a puddle of silky fabric.
The shutter clicks again. Yongsun takes a couple steps toward Byulyi, then stops in front of the other girl.
"One day, your pictures will end my career."
She takes a hold of the camera and pulls it away from the other girl's face, watches as dark eyes travel from her eyes to her chest and lower still. Mouth parted, a pink tongue darts out to wet dry lips.
Byulyi looks entirely too kissable to resist.
Yongsun takes another step forward, then lowers herself to kneel on the bed in front of her girlfriend.
"You know I keep them safe. It's just for the two of us," Byulyi husks against after Yongsun leans in, and the other girl hums low in - an off-handed confirmation - before finally pressing their lips together.

Their eyes slide shut, and Byulyi almost laments the fact that she can't kiss and see Yongsun at the same time.
She wishes she could film every second of their time together, hidden from the prying eyes of the public, loving each other in a way she knows they'll never be able to share. She wishes her mind worked like a camera, so she could replay every second in ultra HD to her heart’s content.

Their moments are fleeting, and memories fade with time.

Time is scarce enough as it is, these days.

There's an urgency in their encounters between schedules, stolen minutes of Byulyi and Yongsun in-between being Solar and Moonbyul. It becomes harder to find time for each other in between four albums and their international debut. When they do, it’s all the more precious.

But sometimes, it feels like it will never be enough.

She can't be taking pictures all the time.

And now, with her eyes closed, kissing Yongsun, hands wandering from supple hips to a slender waist, fingers stopping to trace the ridges of firm abs before travelling higher, she decides that maybe she doesn't need her eyes at all sometimes.

No camera in the world would be able to capture the softness of Yongsun’s skin against her fingertips, or the insistent pressure of full lips against Byulyi’s own. There’s no way to catch the sensation of Yongsun’s fingers in her hair or the way it feels when she moans lowly against Byulyi’s mouth.

A camera only reflects what’s visible to the eye, but it’ll never capture the smells and tastes and textures that make up Yongsun.

It isn't until hours later, when she's catching her breath and looking at Yongsun's flushed face and shiny skin (in need of a shower all over again) that she remembers her camera at all. She sits up and reaches for it, turns it on and scrolls through the most recent images in the gallery with the camera resting on her bent knees.

Yongsun sits up and scoots closer to take a look over Byulyi's shoulder, long hair tickling at Byulyi's and making her squirm.
"Ugh, take your hair away!"
"I want to see the pictures!"
"I know but," she turns around to flick long pink hair back over Yongsun's shoulder, "not like this!"
She's whining, squirming still, and rubbing at her back where she can still feel the phantom tickles.
Yongsun huffs and takes that moment to reach over and pluck the camera from Byulyi's hands.
"Hey!"

Yongsun flops herself down to lie on the bed again. She holds the camera up above her face, inspecting the display screen with curious eyes.
"Oh! I like these!"
Now it's Byulyi's turn to lean over Yongsun, peeking at the screen at a somewhat awkward angle.

The pictures are beautiful. The light spills out between the crack in the curtain, catching Yongsun’s slender silhouette perfectly, accentuating the curves of her neck and shoulders, playing with the gentle slopes of her frame.

There’s some blurry photos in between, but for the most part, it’s a collection that makes Byulyi’s chest swell with pride.

Yongsun stops scrolling at one of the earlier photos.

In it, her back is still turned, but the robe is already drooping at her waist. It’s a picture that’s resting somewhere on that fine line between artwork and raw intimacy.

Byulyi watches Yongsun’s lips curve into a gentle smile.
"Let's post this."
"Wait what? Yong, are you serious?"

Yongsun doesn’t know what compelled her to say it. Perhaps it’s the way Byulyi captured the very essence of their relationship so beautifully - that casual intimacy she doesn’t know how to express with words and never quite knows how to share. Maybe it’s the thrill of their fan meet still rushing through her veins in small bursts of euphoria. Or maybe it’s the girl who came on stage to play on a team with Byulyi at the fanmeet. Maybe it’s the “I love how you give girls confidence to be themselves”.

Yongsun shrugs at Byulyi’s wide eyed look and, with an unusual lightness born from a moment of thoughtless euphoria, leans over to peck her on the lips.
"Put a filter on it,” she murmurs against Byulyi’s mouth between kisses. “Make it darker. Let's give them a hint and leave them guessing.”
"They’ll know exactly what's up."
"They've known for years. Longer than we have, really. Let's share something with them. Let’s show them that we’re happy."
With the way Yongsun says it, hardly more than a reverent whisper against her lips, Byulyi really never stood a chance to disagree.