(Soooo hey yes, it's me again- I know I said I won't be updating but it's Friday morning here and I woke up feeling horrible so no classes for this sick potato. I got bored and decided to do one more chapter, shorter, and noticed something disheartening. There is an inconsistency on the original work concerning the bakery from the first chapter. It was Bohoe Bakery but then on this chapter it has a different name so I went ahead and fix the first chapter, and the young man that called Seulgi "Bear" is no longer a man, you will find out who she is on this chapter. I really, really enjoy working on this chapter and I hope you all will love this one too! I'm going to apologize in advance though lol, now on to the story!)

Joohyun tries, and fails miserably, to pretend she isn’t hovering over her phone anxiously while waiting for a message from Seulgi. The girl decided to go out with Yeri on a Thursday night in early December- a perfectly fine choice that she is completely capable of making herself, because she is her own person. She knows it is stupid, Seulgi is fine, just paryting with some friends. but her iPhone doesn't light up, no matter how many times she glances at the dark screen. Worry mounts inside Joohyun. She paces the room, Atticus watching as he curls up beneath the Christmas tree. Joohyun realizes she’s verbalizing the constant string of worried thoughts.

“Great, now I’m talking to a freaking dog.”

Atticus almost looks sad at the comment, and she rushes to take it back, “I didn’t mean it like that, you’re not such a bad dog. Wait, am I actually apologizing to you?”

Her phone bings, and Joohyun can’t help dodging towards it. She feels unsettled but knows she’s only worried for her friend’s safety. “That’s what friends do, Atti, think about each other...” she muses, typing in her passcode.

Seulgi 12:34 AM heyy can yhou get me

Joohyun 12:35 AM On my way.

Joohyun 12:35 AM Where are you?

Seulgi 12:39 AM i dnot know oh Yeris

Seulgi 12:41 AM its white houes

Joohyun remembers Yeri’s house - the home shared by several grad students, including her intern, which was notorious for its parties. She mumbles a gruff goodbye to Atticus before grabbing her scarf and a plastic bag, just in case Seulgi decides to get carsick.

She arrives at Yeri’s door in record time (no one pays attention to speed limits at 1:00 am). It swings open before she had a chance to knock.

“Hello, Yeri. Is Seulgi here,” Joohyun states casually as she lowers her hand, acting like it were perfectly normal to show up at her door in the middle of the night. The brunette stares back at her, a small smile plastered dumbly on her face. Joohyun notices the ruffled state of her hair and the hickey forming on her collarbone. She decides to keep that knowledge to herself.

Yeri stumbles back, gesturing grandly. “Heya, boss. I’m not faced. Seulgi-ya’s in room, mine.”

Joohyun nods in gratitude and immediately takes off at a fast walk to the staircase. She believed Yeri, but wants to see Seulgi safely with her own eyes. “Someone tried to kiss her,” Yeri smirks, promptly stopping Joohyun in her tracks. She is all ears, staring at Yeri intently. A rush of emotion spreads through her; she convinces herself it couldn't be jealousy. The brunette attempts to sober up slightly but it doesn’t work well.

“She pushed her off. Said no, made it go boom,” she exclaims, blowing air out of her cheeks and giving sound effects.

Joohyun is angling her body towards the stairs, inching forward. Her mind reels with the new information. Seulgi never told her, outright, that she was into girls. The kiss had been a mere product of adrenaline. The bathtub was an accident, through and through. It left no room for “maybe” or “what if”. She pushes that out of her mind as she walks into Yeri’s bedroom and opens the door.

Seulgi is spread out, starfish style, on the bed. Her tousled blonde hair completely covers her face. Joohyun sighs, walking over to her friend. She kneels besides the bed until her face is level with Seulgi’s, brushing the hair out of the girl’s face gently. The girl cracks open one eye and the look on her face is almost fond. Joohyun feels an odd tightening in . “Hi.”

“Hey, you,” the blonde rasps in return, before heaving herself up on her forearms and curling her body slightly closer to Joohyun. Her face is inches away. She blinks sleepily and Joohyun makes an effort to keep her breath steady. Seulgi smells of sweet liquor but beneath that she knows the blonde borrowed Joohyun's perfume.

“Boss, can you get’er home? I mean, I love her but-” Yeri startles Joohyun from her thoughts. She jerks behind her, winking, at the taller, slouched woman holding her hand. Joohyun resists the urge to roll her eyes. She might complain if Yeri wasn’t such a completely brilliant, skilled mechanic.

“I will. See you at 8:00 tomorrow.”

“Don’t remind me,” Yeri groans at the comment, turning her cheek into the chest of the woman beside her. She touches an arm to her back, briefly, and Joohyun finds herself squinting at her oddly familiar flushed face.

She feels a hand on her head and glances over to see Seulgi, tangling her hands in Joohyun’s hair. When she notices the attention, the blonde smiles sleepily, her eyes just a swirl of chocolate.

“Let’s go, Seulgi,” Joohyun mutters gruffly in an attempt to quell the shakiness taking hold. The blonde merely whines in protest, smooshing her face into Yeri’s comforter. Yeri, from the doorway, pipes up, “Yah, we do this easy or hard way. Get’a move on, Kang.”

Joohyun realizes that Seulgi has absolutely no intention of moving, despite Yeri's threat.

How did this become my life?

She stands, rising from the crouch, and in one fluid motion reaches down for Seulgi. Her long hair brushes the blonde’s neck as she bends down, smelling lavender perfume. The scent is so sweet, so overpowering, that she almost has to step away. She powers through, ignoring the fluttering in her gut, and hauls Seulgi up by her armpit. The girl sways, sagging against Joohyun as she leads them both out of the room and down the stairs. Yeri hardly mutters a slurred goodbye before the front door slams shut behind them.

The street is deserted and quiet - as it should be, considering the hour. Joohyun’s feet bang loudly on the porch steps as she makes her way to the driveway, Seulgi stumbling along beside her. She feels a soft hand slip into hers; the blonde’s grip on her arm had sunk lower until she tangled their fingers together.

It feels nice, the way Seulgi trusts Joohyun to carry most of her body weight. She knows the hand wrapped around hers doesn’t mean anything, because Seulgi just isn’t in her normal mindset. In the morning, this will all fade.

Throughout the entire car ride home, their fingers remain intertwined between them. Neither make any move to let go.

Several hours after tucking Seulgi into her makeshift bed in the office, Joohyun startles awake to the sound of stumbling feet. She is exhausted and can hardly lift her head from the pillow, but mumbles nonsense.

I just hope this isn’t a serial killer.

She blinks her eyes open when the mattress sags beside her, extra weight being added. Joohyun smells lavender and smiles softly, even before she catches a glimpse of periwinkle eyes in the dim room. The full moon outside the window turns blonde hair to silver.

“Seulgi?” she whispers softly, her quiet tone still jarring in the silence.

“Mhmm,” the girl sighs in reply as she slides onto the bed. Seulgi wriggles under the blankets and flops her head down on the pillow, arms curling around Joohyun’s chest.

Joohyun stiffens, eyes wide in the dark room. The girl presses against her, movements fatigued and languid. She wipes her face on Joohyun’s shoulder, grumbling gibberish.

“Seulgi, you have your own bed.”

“You’re softer.”

She didn’t have a comeback for that.

“Seulgi stay.”

Joohyun wasn’t sure how to respond to that, either. She fell asleep to the sound of her pounding heartbeat and Seulgi’s sleepy snuffles, vibrating against her skin.

Seulgi takes Joohyun on a tour through the city, but it’s a far different path than she has ever traveled before. They first stop at a hip coffee shop; she immediately recognizes it as the one she painted in front of. The Parkery - a bakery owned by Rosé and her sister, who is seeing Yeri.

They walk through the door, and once again, Bogum the flirtatious barista waves a greeting.

“I’d like a latte, please. And -“ Joohyun turns to Seulgi, realizing she doesn’t know what to order.

“Darkest roast we have, don’t bother,” the guy continues before the blonde can even open . He winks at Seulgi, and she grins back. At that moment, a tall woman walks through the back door. Her face lights up like a puppy when she spots Seulgi.

“How’s it going, Bear?”

“Not bad, Joy. Yourself?”

Seulgi turns to Joohyun, who stands awkwardly off to the side.

“This is Bogum. And Joy, Rosé’s sister and Yeri’s,” she hesitates for the right word, “Friend. Guys, this is Joohyun.”

“You haven’t asked to crash with me and Roje for a while. You know you’re always welcome,” the woman - Joy - continues. She holds out a hand and Joohyun’s takes it - her palm soft and slightly larger in comparison to her own and her grip is firm.

“Actually, I guess Rosé didn’t tell you, Joohyun’s been kind enough to let me stay with her.” Seulgi flashes a brilliant smile and Joohyun just knows her cheeks are reddening. Joy gives her a pointed look and she realizes, horrified, that she knows exactly what’s up. She just hopes she won’t tell Seulgi.

They spend the day meandering through streets alight with culture and diversity. Seulgi’s path seems wayward, until she stops in a narrow alleyway (by now, she should be used to Seulgi’s surprises).

”Look up, Joohyun.”

She does. Above them, a giant mural stretches nearly from wall to wall. It depicts a springtime forest, complete with bluebirds and a family of deer. Joohyun immediately turns to Seulgi, smiling, and the blonde nods.

“Yep, all me.”

Joohyun notes every tiny detail Seulgi has included, running her hands over the paint right above her.

“Technically, it’s private land, but I only paint on abandoned property. Besides, no one really uses these spaces except the people that live here, and most of them approve,” she pauses, seemingly happy with Joohyun’s reaction.

“If you want, Joohyun, I can show you more?”

“I would love that.”

Until the sun starts to set, Seulgi leads Joohyun throughout the city. So much beauty, all the color, is credited to her artistic abilities. They duck behind warehouses and tromp through alleyways, Seulgi pointing out scenes as they pass. Joohyun would never be able to find these spots without her. She asks questions along the way, anything to keep the conversation going. She never wants to stop talking to Seulgi about art, watching her eyes light up as she explicitly explains her procedures.

“How long does it take to paint these?"

“It depends, really. Usually I have to come back twice or three times to finish, because it gets too cold to continue. Plus, I have to make sure no one’s around.”

“Joohyun, come over here,” Seulgi motions as they walk past a community park. The path is filled with elementary aged children trekking home from school. She puts both her hands on Joohyun’s arms, pulling her into