Four

“Welcome to my humble abode!” Seulgi slumps onto the couch that she missed for a whole month. Nothing beats her favorite couch.

It’s not as big as the house they visited a while ago, but it sure looks modern and minimalist, Joohyun thought. “It looks nice and comfy.” She commends the place.

“I’ll give you a spare key. Just please don’t bring you one-night stands here. I would appreciate it,” Seulgi says jokingly. Somehow, it dawns on her that everything that happened from Soojung’s wedding, her wedding, and dealing with her family.

“Yah! I am now a married woman. I don’t want to get captured by some paparazzi while I’m tied to you! I’d appreciate it if you do the same.” Joohyun bawls out.

“I don’t have time to play around, Mrs. Kang! I’m a busy COO of an airline company and I’m not up for paparazzi news to break my reputation now that I’m married.” Seulgi sits up from her position and says this in a business-like tone, the one she usually uses in front of her employees. “Pick whatever guest room you want.” She gestures for Joohyun to look around as she walks towards her own room.

“Well, at least we’re on the same page.” Joohyun starts to walk opposite Seulgi’s direction.

“Good night, Hyun!” Seulgi says before going inside her room. “Oops, I hope I’m not overstepping.”

“We should talk about it tomorrow. Good night.” Joohyun checks out all the rooms before finally choosing one. She decided she’d sleep in the one beside Seulgi’s room.

—

Joohyun cannot sleep. It may be the time difference or something else. Something like her heart beating erratically. Since Seulgi called her ‘Hyun’ today, not once but twice, it made her anxious thinking about the gesture. They are friends pretending to be married. It should be fine, she tells herself.

She picks up her phone from the bedside table. She almost forgot to turn it on again. Somehow, she knows she needs to reassure her parents that she is okay. They weren’t really on good terms when she decided to hop on a plane with Seulgi after the wedding.

After sending some messages that she is in New York for their honeymoon, she decided to go and grab herself some water from the kitchen fridge. She was about to go back to her room when she noticed something in the living room.

She sees her wife sleeping on the couch with a blanket sprawled unevenly. She fixes the blanket to cover Seulgi’s sleeping body like an instinct. Isn’t this overstepping as well? The thought just hit her.

Joohyun tucks some of Seulgi’s loose locks. She is certain her wife looks like a bear while sleeping. The dim light perfectly resonates with Seulgi’s undeniably attractive features. Her pretend-wife’s monolid eyes, pointed nose, and beautiful lips. She’s seen these before in broad daylight but to see this in sleeping form, she thinks her heart stopped beating for a moment.

She has to fight the urge. They are just pretending and it’s only a day since they met. So, she gets her water bottle and starts tiptoeing towards her room, careful not to make any noise.

—

“Good morning!” Seulgi greets as Joohyun emerges from the guest room beside her room. She is seated on one of the bar stools, reading the newspaper while drinking her coffee.

Joohyun looks up at Seulgi who is still wearing pajamas. “Did you sleep well on the couch? She asks in return.

“Yes, I did.” Seulgi answers briefly. She knows Joohyun would know about her bad habits but not this so