YongSun woke up with her hands wrapped around Ryan. She squeezed him a little bit tighter, not willing to wake up and face the day yet. A thought crossed her mind, a quick flash reminder that her her jumping up in bed and throwing the teddy bear toward the wall. Today was the day she got to see Byul! Normally it wouldn’t be such an event to go and see your girlfriend but both YongSun and Byul had been so busy lately neither of them had time to see one another. Today YongSun had an early day at her placement and she had the next day off. Byul did have to work late at the store but she arranged to be off the next day. YongSun was going to spend her afternoon at the store then they were going back to Byul’s place to have a much needed stay in date. 
YongSun got out of bed and started to make it. She placed her very large bear Ryan in the centre on her pillows. It was a surprise from Byul not long after they got back from her house, YongSun complained for a week that it was hard for her to sleep because she got so use to cuddling Byul. After listening to her for the whole week, she showed up at YongSun’s one night after she got off work holding the bear, it was almost the size of Byul herself. YongSun jokingly named him Ryan just to make Byul jealous but it did help her sleep, and she thought of Byul everytime she hugged it. 
YongSun checked her reflection in the mirror above her dresser. A glint on her finger caught her eye. The ring Byul gave her was proudly sitting on her ring finger, she smiled at the site of it but then very shamefully removed it, dropping it onto the necklace she was wearing. More than anything YongSun hated taking it off her finger but she had not got up the courage yet to tell her parents about her and Byul, she didn’t want the ring to do it for her, so until she left the house she slipped it around her neck. 

YongSun’s family were casually sitting around the kitchen table, just as they were every morning at breakfast. Her mother looked up at her and smiled. “Why don’t you look pretty today?” She said as YongSun took her seat. 
YongSun tried not to flush, she had dressed up a bit more today just for Byul. YongHee must have known this as well because she gave her a look. YongSun was more than excited to show YongHee her ring when she got home from her trip with Byul. Her sister was very happy for her. “Yeah Yong, why so dressed up today?” YongHee had been on her case for the last two months to tell her parents, she kept dropping hints here and there about it. She was right of course but YongSun couldn’t, not yet. YongSun took a large mouthful of rice to try and hide her embarrassment. “It is Friday.” She shrugged. “I just thought it would be more fun.” 
YongHee shot her a glare and YongSun stuck out her tongue. “Will you be home for dinner?” Her mother asked, not seeing the silent fight going on between her daughters. “You said you had an early day.” 
Now YongSun really did go red, she forgot she had mentioned that. “Um, no.” She tried to quickly think of an excuse. “Some of the girls and I are going out for dinner.” Not a lie, they were. “And ByulAh has the day off tomorrow so we made plans to hang out.” 
“How is ByulYi-Ah doing?” YongHee said with a tone.  
YongSun shot her a look. “Fine, we’ve both been busy. No time to hang out so we planned a friends day.” She hated using that word without the proper girl in front of it. “You should invite her over for dinner again.” Her mother interjected. “We haven’t seen her since you two got back from her parent’s house. I am sure she could use a home cooked meal.” 
YongSun nodded. “Sounds good mom, I’ll mention it to her.” She got up from the table, dropping a kiss on both of her parent’s cheeks. “I have to go to work now, I will see you all later.” They all said goodbye, and with one more glare from YongHee, YongSun was out of the house and off to work. 

YongSun’s placement was boring. She didn’t get to pick it. Because it was for school she didn’t get paid much, it was all supposed to be experience, but all she was, was a secretary and errand runner. By the end of her day, her feet her, her head was spinning and she was out of breath. She was currently in the bathroom of a nearby coffee place fixing her appearance before she went to see Byul. She smoothed out her hair and took her ring off of it’s chain and placed it in its proper spot. She kept it off at work because she didn’t want to have to try and explain things to people she never planned on talking to after the summer. 
YongSun grabbed a couple of those specialty drink for her and Byul.  
It was going on seven at night before she rounded the corner of the store. Lucky for her Byul only had to work until ten tonight so they wouldn’t be stuck there for long, even if it did unofficially become “their place”. One of YongSun’s favourite activities was finining placed for her and Byul to makeout in between customers. Turns out stalk rooms are good for more than just holding stalk.  
The store was kind of busy. Not like crowded busy but there were quite a few people in the store buying things. It was a friday night. There was a group of high school students grabbing snacks on their way to study. A few older boys who looked like they had been drinking. YongSun navigated around them all to the front counter. She was Byul standing there in her old pull over grey hoodie and worn blue hat, the one she was wearing the day they met. Right away YongSun knew something was wrong with her. She was barely moving, there was no emotion behind her eyes when she started serving the customers. YongSun waited until she was done serving her customer before she walked behind the counter, placing the drinks on Byul’s little table that usually held her school books. She walked over to Byul, inspecting her. She was very pale, there were dark circles like she hadn’t slept in a long time. Byul didn’t even notice she was there until YongSun pulled on her sleeve. She slowly lifted her head, eyes looking vacant, YongSun’s face scrunched in concern. “Unnie.” She smiled weakly. 
YongSun lifted a hand and rested it on Byul’s forehead, she was very warm. “ByulAh, you’re sick.” She said taking a better look at her face. 
Byul shook her head a bit but YongSun could tell it made her dizzy. “Don’t worry I am fine.” She said giving YongSun’s shoulder a slight pat. YongSun could argue with her because the line in front of the cash started and Byul had to serve them. YongSun stepped up and helped her bag things so the line went away faster. 
Finally after a long line they were alone. YongSun wasted no time pulling Byul’s hood back, one hand on her own forehead, one on Byul’s. She was indeed running a fever. “ByulAh why did you tell me you were sick?” She said sounding very worried. Byul was very bad at admitting she was hurt or sick, she was too busy taking care of everyone else. 
Byul’s eyelids kept drooping. “I’m fine.” Even the way she spoke had no energy. 
YongSun could feel her blood rising. “You’re not fine Byul, you have a fever. You shouldn’t even be out of bed.” She pulled up Byul’s stool and sat her down on it. She bent down so she was on eye level with her. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” She more muttered to herself than Byul, she wished Byul would tell her these things, it makes her feel useless to find out like this. 
Byul leaned forward a bit, trying to rest her head on YongSun’s. “It’s okay baby, I just need some sleep.” She said as her eyes were closing. 
YongSun lifted Byul’s head. She positioned herself so she was kind of sitting on the stool with Byul so she could use her shoulder as a pillow. YongSun could feel Byul’s soft breaths. She wracked her brain, she had no idea what to do, Byul still had three hours of work but there was no way she could work like this, she needed to sleep. YongSun remembered the cot in the back, it was supposed to be for first aid, she had no idea how clean it was but it was all she had.  
Before anymore customers came in YongSun practically dragged Byul into the back and laid her down on the cot, she grabbed a blanket and spread it over her. She leaned down and smoothed Byul’s hair, gave her a small kiss on her forehead but had to leave her because she heard the bell above the door go off. 

YongSun had to think on her feet. Lucky for her she spent enough time here that she could run the store while Byul slept. The bad part was that everytime she checked on Byul she seemed to get more hot. YongSun stole Byul’s phone and texted the worker that was supposed to come in next and asked her if there was anyway she could come in early, explaining the situation. She agreed but couldn’t get there till nine. YongSun could work with this. Next she took out her own phone and called her mother. 
She answered on the second ring, probably because YongSun never calls her, only texts. “What is wrong.” Was the first thing she said. 
“Eomma,” YongSun let out a child like whine. All the fear and anxiety she had been bottling up for the last twenty minutes was starting to make its way to the surface. YongSun explained everything to her mother over the phone in a rushed tone, by the end she was trying not to cry, she felt so lost and so useless that she had no idea how to help Byul, or even if she needed a doctor. 
She could hear her mother shuffling on the other end. “The store a few blocks away right?” YongSun confirmed. “I am on my way with my stuff, just keep and eye on her until I get there, or at least the best you can. Don’t worry YongSun she will be fine.” 
YongSun hung up with her mom and dashed back to Byul. YongSun had pulled up a chair next to the bed and in between customers she had been dabbing Byul’s face with a cloth and holding her hand. Byul was what YongSun’s father would say was dead to the world, in such a deep sleep that even if YongSun blew an air horn she was sure she wouldn’t budge. 

Not long after her phone call the front door chimed again. YongSun was becoming more reluctant to leave Byul’s side but she didn’t want Byul to get in trouble over this. The person standing at the door was her mother, and YongSun almost started crying in relief. Her mother must have sensed that because she collected her up in her arms and hugged her. YongSun showed her mother into the back and to the sleeping Byul. 
Her mother set down her medicine bag, it had any household thing for sickness you could buy. She leaned in and started examining Byul, hand on her forehead. Next she pulled out a thermometer and put it in Byul’s mouth. When it started beeping she removed it, looked concerned but said nothing. YongSun was practically bouncing with stress but she was trying to let her mother handle it. She did a few more things then turned to YongSun. “Did you give her anything?” 
YongSun shook her head. “They didn’t have anything for fevers, and I read all of the cold stuff, but I didn’t want to take a chance.”  
Her mother nodded. “That was a good choice. She had a high fever, probably a cold that went to long untreated.” YongSun’s heart hurt, if only she was a better girlfriend she would have known something was up. “She doesn’t need to to go to the hospital, not yet at least. If the fever doesn’t break in a few hours she might. But for now we will watch her, let her sleep, I will give her some medicine.” YongSun nodded as her mother spoker. “You said the other girl is coming at nine?” Another nod, her mother checked her watch, it was now just after eight, less than an hour to go. “Okay, go take care of the front and I will look after Byul. I already called your father and told him to pull out the soup I froze after he got over his cold. He is going to meet us here at nine to bring her home with us.” Or to the hospital, she knew her mother purposely left it out. YongSun walked over and gave her mother another hug, she was so scared for Byul but so relieved her mother was here helping her. “It is okay, go get the store in order, everything will be fine.” YongSun wasn’t sure if she was just saying that to make her feel better but she nodded again. With one last look at the sleeping girl on the bed, so mall looking, so fragile, YongSun walked back out to the store front and left Byul in her mother’s hands.

Kim YongRim sat in the chair next to the cot and ByulYi’s hair. She looked much more thin than the last time she saw her, she looked more like a child now, a child in need of a mother to look after her. YongRim had been through this many times with her own children but it never got any easier. When there is nothing you can do to fix the hurting child. She could still hear the panic in YongSun’s voice as she called her earlier that day. YongSun was a sensitive child. And ever since YongRim got sick a few year ago, anytime someone in her family sneezes YongSun gets scared, she can only imagine how this is effecting her. 
YongRim squeezed the hand towel in the bowl next to the bed and wiped Byul’s face and neck again. She had been doing this every ten minutes or so. This time when she reached for the child’s hand, her fingers weakly wrapped around YongRim’s “Unnie?” She mumbled so low that YongRim almost didn’t make out what she had said. 
She thought YongRim was YongSun. She didn’t correct her, instead she squeezed ByulYi’s fingers. “What it is ByulAh?” She moved some of her damp hair away. 
ByulYi’s face contorted. “It's cold.” She whined.  
YongRim tightened the blanket around ByulYi. She felt like she interrupting something and she felt a bit embarrassed about it. “Is that better?” She asked. 
ByulYi opened her eyes a bit, they lazily looked at her but they were not focused. “Will you lay down with me?” She slowly lifted her hand out to YongRim. 
YongRim grabbed it feeling really embarrassed now, like she was doing something wrong. “Later okay, it is time to sleep now.” ByulYi mumbled something else but YongRim didn’t catch it, instead she was left holding her hand. A small hand with a band around her finger. One YongRim recognized as the twin to the one YongSun tried to hide around her neck and a few times forgot to take off. YongRim knew what ByulYi was to YongSun and what YongSun was to her, she might be old but she wasn’t stupid. She had been waiting since they first time she invited ByulYi over for dinner, for YongSun to tell her the truth but she had not yet. She wasn't ready and that was okay, she just hoped she wasn’t holding back because she thought the she and her husband would react badly. The truth was, she didn’t one hundred percent understand it, it was not they was she was raised. She had this conversation with her husband one day, back when YongHee was still a baby, before YongSun was born, what would they do if one of their kids turned out this way. Back then it seemed so complex, so much to understand and overcome. But when the realization hit YongRim a few years ago that YongSun’s interests might extend past what was expected, it just kind of clicked into place. YongRim didn’t care, nor did her husband. It wasn’t traditional, not here, and she had fears for her daughter, but that was the bottom line, this was her daughter and she loved her… no matter what. So a few months ago when YongSun started spending all her free time with ByulYi, she put two and two together. What she didn’t expect was how happy it made her feel to see that bright smile on YongSun’s face when she talked about ByulYi or when she was talking to her on the phone, the way her face lit up. Something changed on their trip to ByulYi’s old home. YongSun came back even more happy than before, and with a ring. YongRim wasn’t sure the promise behind it but that also didn’t matter to her. And again today when she showed up, seeing the pain and sadness on her daughter’s face when she walked in the door, the girl she loved was hurt and she didn’t know how to fix it. It was not unlike the first time YongRim found her husband sick, or when YongHee and YongSun got sick for the first time. YongRim smoothed ByulYi’s hair again. As long as they were happy, that was all a mother could ask for. 

YongSun was more than relieved when Byul’s co worker walked in the front door. She practically jumped over the counter. YongSun rushed into the back, to her mother who was already cleaning up her things. “Your father is outside.” She waited, to see where they were talking Byul. She snuck a glance at her, she was still very pale and covered in sweat. “Her fever broke about ten minutes ago.” YongSun let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Let’s take her home and get her into a real bed.” Her mother smiled. 
YongSun’s father came into the store and scooped Byul up like she didn’t weigh a thing. He let YongSun climb in the car first and then put Byul in next to her. YongSun set Byul’s head on her lap. She was a bit worried about Byul not having a seatbelt on but it was only a five minute drive to their house from the store. She couldn’t stop Byul’s hair. Making sure she knew that YongSun was there, she felt terrible that she had to leave Byul alone for so long while she was sick but she had to take care of her in another way. YongSun looked up once and make eye contact with her father in the rear view mirror. He gave her a warm smile then looked back at the road. 
YongSun watched helplessly as her father carried Byul into the building, to there house, and into YongSun’s room. YongSun dashed ahead and moved Ryan off her bed and pulled the blankets back so her father could lay Byul down. “I’ll go stir the soup and see how it is doing.” Her mother gave her some small instructions on how to care for Byul while she was away. 
Once they were alone YongSun rested her head on the side of the bed, she laced her fingers with Byul’s and watched her sleep. “Please be okay ByulAh.” She used her free hand and she traced the side of Byul’s face. She had no idea how Byul took care of YongSun all the time, she should take more care of Byul than she does. 
Byul’s fluttered a bit. “Unnie?” She asked in a whine. 
YongSun leaned in closer. “Byul?” She wasn’t sure if she was sleeping or not. 
“Will you lay with me now?” Now? YongSun really hoped Byul didn’t say anything to her mother while she was away. That didn’t matter right now. “Of course I can.” YongSun carefully climbed in the bed next to Byul, who automatically snuggled in close to her, the way YongSun always does. 
Byul rested her head on YongSun shoulder and YongSun wrapped her arms protectively around Byul. “So tired…” She said softly. 
“Shh,” YongSun said rubbing her back. “Sleep now baby.” She continued to rub Byul’s back until she fell asleep, wishing she herself could fall asleep but she wouldn’t not until Byul was okay. So she just lay there, holding the girl she loved, praying that everything would be okay. 

YongSun reluctantly left Byul alone in her room. She had been a deep sleep for over an hour and YongSun’s mother had not been back to check on her yet. YongSun slid herself out of the bed and replaced her spot with Ryan so Byul didn’t feel alone. 
She walked out into the kitchen. Her mother was hovering over the stove, cooking. Her father was sitting at the counter drinking a coffee. He was a man of little words, he was always there but almost never heard. YongSun slipped into the seat next to him and he passed her over his cup of coffee, getting up to fix himself another. YongSun sipped it eagerly, she was so tired, it was just passed eleven now. Both her parents still awake, helping her take care of Byul, YongHee was out for the night but YongSun had no idea where. “Is she doing better?” Her mother asked as she stirred the soup. 
YongSun nodded, drinking her coffee. “I think so, she doesn’t feel as warm anymore. Thank you both for helping.” 
“I was going to take her temperature a little bit ago but you seemed… busy so I decided to wait.” Her mother sipped the soup and YongSun’s face went red. 
Her eyes darted around the room. “You could have come in anyways.” She tried to play it off. “ByulAh was cold.”  
Her father’s eye brows lifted as he sipped his coffee. Her mother gave her the look she use to give her when she was a child, when she got caught lying. “YongSun is there anything you would like to tell us?” Both her parents looked at her expectantly. 
YongSun’s heart went into overdrive. Did she do something wrong, did she get caught? All she was doing was holding Byul while she slept, was that so odd, perhaps it was. “No?” She squeezed it out like a question. 
YongSun’s mother looked down at her hand and then back up to YongSun. YongSun looked down, on her hand was her ring, the one that Byul gave her, she forgot she was wearing it. Her mother must have seen Byul’s when she was taking care of her. Excuses flew to her lips, it was a friendship ring, it was a gift, it was… But this was YongSun parents. If she was right about what her mother was insinuating and she had not forced YongSun to say it, not got mad at her, not cried over it, then maybe it was okay? But how could it be okay? She was in a same relationship with the girl currently sleeping in her bed. And her parents just stood there, looking at her, expecting her to say something but she couldn’t say it, she couldn’t ruin things for them. 
YongSun’s father set his cup on the counter. “It’s okay YongSun.” Was all he said and YongSun burst into tears. 
Both of her parents rushed to her but she couldn’t speak, she was too busy balling her eyes out. They each put an. arm around her. “I am so s-sorry.” She managed to choke out over her sobs. 
Her mother smoothed her hair as she hugged her. “You have nothing to be sorry for YongSun.” They sat there for a long moment just holding her while she cried. She wasn’t even sure why she was crying, she sad, happy, and scared all at once. And her parents just held her. All of the shame she had been holding in, all the fear came pouring out her eyes. “Shh,” Her mother soothed her. 
Once YongSun got a hold of her emotions they pulled back a bit. Her mother wiped her tears away with her thumbs. “Why don’t you hate me?” It was stupid for her to say, she knew, she had always known they were not like that but she couldn’t help but ask. 
Her father made her look at him. “Nothing you could do YongSun, nothing, could ever make us stop loving you. No matter what.” Then she was crying again, her mother silently joined her this time and her father hugged them all.

It took them a while to calm YongSun down. They relocated to the living room, YongSun sitting opposite to her parents. “I have something to tell you.” They decided to have a quick do over. 
He mother faked shoke that made her laugh. “What is it YongSunAh?”  
“I am seeing someone.” They looked at each other and then back to her. “Her name is Moon ByulYi, we met when she saved me from some guys one night. She is super smart, very pretty, a little greasy, but I love her. More than I ever thought possible.”  
Her mother crossed the space and pulled her into another hug. “She seems wonderful.” She said. “I can’t wait to meet her.” They both smiled at each other. “Why don’t you invite her over for lunch tomorrow?”  
YongSun laughed. “I’ll see if she if free.” At that she remembered Byul was still sleeping in her room. “How is she?” Her mother went to check on her while YongSun was calming down. 
“Her fever is gone. She is a little warm still but she will be fine. She just needs sleep.”  
YongSun put her head on her mother’s shoulder. “I was so scared.” She could feel the tears coming again. 
“I know.” Her mother said. Her mother picked up her hand to hold, the one with the ring. “Why don’t you tell me about this?” She said tapping it.  
So she did. She told them all about the way Byul gave it to her, about the meaning behind it. It wasn’t an engagement ring, it was a promise ring, a promise for more, a promise for a future. YongSun couldn’t keep herself from crying again. She knew this was always going to go well for her but she never expected them to be so understanding, or for them to find out before she told them. Her mother told her she was too bright around Byul for her not to have guessed. YongSun sat with her parents a while longer. Until her father yawned. Then she gave them both one more big hug and disappeared into her room to comfort her girlfriend, now free to do so.

Byul woke up the next morning feeling very weak. Her head hurt and she couldn’t remember much past seeing YongSun come into the store. She was in YongSun’s room but YongSun wasn’t there. She sat up a bit but regretted it when her head spun so fast she almost toppled out of the bed. “What are you doing?” YongSun shrieked, she rushed forward and grabbed onto Byul, laying her back down, but propping her up on the pillows so she was kind of sitting. 
Byul held her head while the room came back to her. “Do I even want to know what happened?” She squinted at YongSun. 
YongSun looked pissed, a face she wasn’t use to. “You got sick is what happened. You let your cold get bad and you got a fever.” YongSun told her the events of the night at the store. Her face softened a bit. “You scared the hell out of me ByulAh, why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” 
Byul felt like an , she should have told YongSun but she hadn’t seen her in so long she thought she would cancel on her. “I’m sorry Unnie.” Sometimes it took a lot for Byul to remember that YongSun was her Unnie. “It won’t happen again.” 
YongSun smacked her arm, lightly though. “It better not.” She picked up the bowl off the bed side table. It was full of soup. YongSun picked up the spoon and blew on it. “Open up.” 
“I can feed myself.” Byul went to reach for it but YongSun pulled it away. “Unnie…” 
“Let me do this.” She said bringing the spoon back, so she did. Like a good patient Byul ate the soup the YongSun fed her, until there was nothing left in the bowl. YongSun set the bowl down and climbed in next to Byul, she hugged her close but did so lightly. “I was so scared ByulAh, please never do that to me again.” Byul rubbed her back a bit. “I’m sorry baby.” She said kissing her head. “I won’t do it again.” 
They sat there from a long time in silence, YongSun cuddled up to Byul. Finally she pulled back. “Oh yeah, my parents know.”  
Byul’s eyes widened and she almost shot out of bed but the world spun around her. “What?” She was being laid back down by YongSun. 
“Well that went well.” She muttered to herself. “After everything that happened yesterday it just kind of came out.”  
Byul felt like she couldn’t breath. “What did they say?”  
YongSun blinked, Byul wanted to yell at the silence. “They already knew.” She replayed the night for Byul. “They want to formally meet you… at lunch today.” 
“But they already know me.” She groaned. 
“Not as my girlfriend. I met your family, now you have to meet mine.” She almost said that she already had but she knew it was different. 
Byul crossed her arms. “Fine, I guess I could meet the people who nursed me back to life.”  
YongSun leaned in and kissed her lips. “Good.” She said against them. YongSun pulled back too soon and Byul whined. “You’re still healing.” She said but instead she rested her head back on Byul, laying on her.  
Byul’s arms went around her, holding her there. “Should we go meet your parents?” YongSun nodded against her. “Are you going to hold my hand?”  
YongSun laced their fingers, she kissed Byul’s hand, looked her in the eyes and said. “I will never let go.”

And that is all folks. Thanks to those who made it this far and thank you for reading!