Although finally having Hyunjin all to herself temporarily made Heejin feel on top of the world, the other aspects of Heejin’s ty life immediately drag her back down to earth.

Her parents, for example, are fighting like they always do. It had gotten so bad recently that Heejin eventually grew to hate every time they so much as spoke to each other, having grown used to every civil conversation inevitably turning into an argument.

Back before her sisters went off to university, sitting through their fighting had been a lot easier - still heart-wrenching, of course, but easier than if she were all alone. Misery loves company, after all.

Like she always does, Heejin slips on her headphones and turns on her favourite song - her usual way of distracting herself from the chaos just outside her door. Her finger taps the keyboard, turning up the volume to match how their heated conversation rapidly grows louder and louder. Soon after the second chorus hits, Heejin winces at the sound of a sudden thud, their words now being shouted.

No amount of music could drown this out, Heejin thinks bitterly, her hands reluctantly taking the headphones off and placing it to the side. Even her favourite song, the one that never failed to make her want to dance along, couldn’t help.

After opening her door just a little and taking a slight peek down the staircase, Heejin catches a glimpse of her father’s face all twisted and ugly as he spits out poisonous words of hatred. This isn’t a new sight for Heejin - she’s seen them at each other throats for the smallest of issues - so instead of being scared like she used to be when she saw it happening as a child, Heejin’s irritated.

Shaking her head, Heejin makes her way back into her room. Although she should really be used to it by now, there’s no denying the way her heart is beating a mile a minute in her chest and she’s somewhat disappointed in herself for it. She shouldn’t allow herself to be so affected like this - she shouldn’t feel as if she were the one in that screaming match, shouldn’t have to fight back tears as she wills herself to not listen too deeply to them.

“--just not happy here!”

“Then leave!”

Her parents are like demons, their sole purpose for existence to torture the other for eternity. Because of that, this house slowly became Hell for Heejin and her siblings, to the point that they moved away with smiles on their faces, leaving Heejin alone to suffer.

Heejin leans against the wall, ready to just slump down onto her bed and ignore it like she’s always done. What else could she do? She feels so useless like this - unable to say anything that could stop them, unable to block out their words and let them affect her idea of love. Does it always hurt like this? Does it always turn twisted, turn into something worse than hatred, turn into a cycle of hurting each other until someone eventually leaves?

No. Hyunjin would never hurt her like this. Her parents’ problems are theirs and they have nothing to do with Heejin. They shouldn’t affect what Heejin thinks about love - how much she appreciates the simple happiness and contentment that it brings. There is no way that Heejin would allow something as beautiful and freeing as her love for Hyunjin turn into the poisonous prison that her parents falsely called love. Maybe once upon a time her parents were truly in love, but if you’re able to hurt them just to prove that you’re right, how can you say you still care?

After hearing a plate shatter against the ground, Heejin decides she’s had enough. Making a split-second decision, Heejin pulls a jacket off of a hanger, grabs her keys and puts them in her pocket. Heejin glances at her phone, grimacing when she sees how low its battery percentage is, before putting it in her pocket as well.

Not giving herself time to hesitate, she walks as fast as possible down the stairs to the front door, slipping on her shoes without so much as a glance at her parents. After leaving, Heejin slams the door behind her, half-hoping that the loud sound would make her parents notice her leaving and hopefully distract them from their pointless arguing. Not likely though, they always were too involved in their problems to pay much attention.

Heejin walks around aimlessly, slowly taking in the evening air, hoping that the fresh air would calm her mind and clear her thoughts. She tries to distract herself, tries to make herself focus on the road in front of her, or on the cars slowly driving by. But no matter how hard she tries, she finds that her thoughts always goes back to her parents. Although she knows it’s childish - every couple eventually argues - she makes a half-hearted promise to herself to never fight and ruin what she has with Hyunjin.

She feels a drop on her cheek. Bringing her hand up to her face, she wipes it away, confused. Am I crying? More drops fall, one by one, darkening the footpath in front of her. Before Heejin can even move, the slight sprinkle of rain turns intense.

Heejin runs. Her thin jacket soaks through almost immediately, the wet cold seeping into her skin, so cold she can feel it in her bones. Her damp hair sticks to her face, the road in front of her now hard to see. The rest of her clothing is equally drenched, clinging onto her form and making it difficult to move. It’s tiring but she continues to put one foot in front of the other, a single thought in her mind driving her to keep going. Home, she thinks to herself, I have to go home.

She reaches a familiar street soon enough, practically sprinting to reach some sort of shelter from the rain. Heejin half-trips on the stairs, the puddles that formed on its surface messing up her movements, but she fixes herself so that she’s upright, her feet stopping instinctually at the door. Without hesitation, she knocks.

After giving herself time to catch her breath, Heejin takes in her surroundings, finally realising where her legs had subconsciously taken her. So this, Heejin thinks with a half-smile, this is what I think of as home?

A tall man answers the door, and she’s somewhat comforted by his kind, fatherly smile as he greets her. It morphs into a look of worry as he sees how dishevelled she is.

“Heejin--”

Behind him, there’s a sudden movement. Through the strands of her hair obstructing her sight, Heejin registers the movement as Hyunjin, who abruptly stands up at the sound of Heejin’s name.

As soon as she sees Hyunjin, she feels at ease. Even though she’s dripping wet and cold, there’s something about Hyunjin that makes her smile, makes her feel like everything’s alright even when nothing is.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Hyunjin pulls her in, seemingly not minding how her own dry clothes are being dampened as a consequence, “you’re okay now.”

If Heejin’s so-called home is Hell, then Heaven must be in Hyunjin’s arms. Nothing has ever made Heejin feel so safe, so comfortable, so perfectly okay as this. Sure, she’s still panting, still struggling to catch her breath, her clothes are still clinging to her uncomfortably, but those things immediately stopped mattering the second Hyunjin held her.

After all, if Hyunjin says she’s okay, she must be. Heejin looks up at her, sees the worry in those eyes she loves so much, and finally realises something. Heejin’s home isn’t a place, no, her home is a person, her home is the girl she’s proud to call hers.

Heejin’s still shivering a little, still feeling the aftereffects of the rain.

Hyunjin had rushed her upstairs, hastily helped dry her off with some nearby towels and gave her some new clothes to wear. The clothes are a bit large on Heejin - Hyunjin always tended to buy clothes a size larger than necessary, saying that oversized clothing was in style - but Heejin appreciates them nonetheless. She slyly ducks her head down to take in a breath, enjoying the smell of Hyunjin that still lingers in the fabric.

Hyunjin had haphazardly draped blankets around her help to warm her up, but they mostly end up weighing her down. As soon as Heejin tries to take some off, Hyunjin pulls them back onto her, saying that she should keep them on to avoid getting a cold. This starts a little game of tug-of-war, which Hyunjin wins easily. While Heejin pouts and calls for a rematch, her phone dings from the other side of the room.

Dear Jeon Heejin,

We are glad to inform you that you have been accepted as a trainee for BlockBerry Creative. During your audition this last Sunday, we were impressed by the vast amount of skills and initiative you displayed.

We believe that with the intensive training and opportunities we strive to provide, you will gradually improve those skills and eventually debut.

We expect a response from you within two weeks. Further details about will be provided as soon as your response is received.

We look forward to working with you.

Love or fame? It was a difficult question back when she was standing in the audition room, but right now when Hyunjin’s right in front of her, the correct answer is obvious.

Heejin chooses Hyunjin. Of course, she chooses Hyunjin.

How could she choose anything else when she knows now that her home isn’t a place but the feeling she gets when she’s in Hyunjin’s arms, when thinking about Hyunjin before she sleeps makes her dreams better, when she can close her eyes and see them having the most beautiful kids and family movie nights when they’re older, when it’s impossible to even imagine a future without the other girl by her side?

And so Heejin’s thumb moves to delete the email, but before it can make contact with the screen, Hyunjin surprises her by wrapping her arms around Heejin. That comfortable warmth envelops Heejin again, instantly making her forget that cold feeling.

“Not that I’m complaining but-” Heejin quickly pockets her phone again, not wanting Hyunjin to read what’s written on the screen, “-what’s this hug for?”

“No particular reason, just wanted to hug you,” Hyunjin says, nuzzling her face into Heejin’s neck. The warm breath of her words tickles Heejin's nape, but she doesn't mind. “Who texted?”

“No one important.” The second Heejin says those words, they become silent. The disappointed look on Hyunjin’s face makes it obvious that she knows that Heejin’s lying, but she doesn’t ask further so Heejin changes the subject.

“What do you think would happen if I left?“ Heejin questions, “What would happen… to us?”

“I’m your biggest fan,” Hyunjin says, before hesitating for a while, “no matter what happens, I’ll be cheering you on.” As true as the words sound, Heejin can’t help but notice the subdued tone to her voice, as if Hyunjin were trying to convince herself that they’re true.

“Won’t you miss me?” Heejin doesn’t quite know what she wants the answer to be. Knowing that her leaving would hurt the other girl - it’s a painful thought to say the least.

“Of course I will.” Hyunjin’s grip around her loosens, “But… an opportunity like that is more important than I am. Your happiness is more important than I am,” Hyunjin says, resolutely, as if she’s rehearsed these very same words over and over.

“I-”

“I think if you get that opportunity, you should go for it,” Hyunjin says, cutting Heejin off before she could speak. “Singing is something you really love. You’ll be happy there.”

“But there’s something I love right here.”