“Bye, kids! I know that Yena can’t cook, heck, we all know Yena can’t cook, so dinner’s on me next time!”

The two girls waved goodbye to Yena’s father with matching grins. As Yuri waved energetically, Yena took a sneak at her face and took pride in how happy Yuri looked.

Just as she should be.

Once the door shut, Yena fully turned towards the younger girl seated beside her, leaning off the couch with her hands off the edge.

“What?” Yuri asked with a tilt of her head in response to Yena staring at her wordlessly.

Yena really couldn’t get enough of this. Whenever Yuri smiled, laughed, or anything, really, Yena mentally cataloged it. For every tear Yuri shed, Yena wants Yuri to smile a million trillion billion gazillion times more. Seeing her being able to live the kind of life she had been denied for so long--it was beautiful.

“Hm? Nothing. I was just looking,” Yena said, smiling tenderly.

Yuri quirked an eyebrow but smiled anyways.

“Weirdo.”

“You up for something else today? It’s kinda big though,” Yena said cryptically.

“Something else?” Yuri blinked quizzically.

Yena released her grip on the couch and took Yuri’s hands in her own, looking into her eyes intensely.

“Do you trust me?”

“Huh?” More quizzical blinking.

“Do you trust me?” Yena repeated as she gently squeezed Yuri’s hands.

Yuri paused for a moment and just stared into Yena’s eyes. Yena watched Yuri’s eyes soften further, her smile doing the same.

“I do.”

Yena grinned widely and interlocked their fingers.

“Let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Yena, where the heck are we going?”

“No questions.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Yena, wh-”

“Yuri, patience is a virtue.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you going to kidnap me?”

“Perhaps. No questions, remember?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Yena, I don’t think-”

“We’re here!” Yena screamed in excitement, dragging Yuri out of the taxi after tipping the driver nicely.

“Where exactly is ‘here’?” Yuri asked with furrowed eyebrows as she tried to understand Yena’s plan. Yena hadn’t answered any of Yuri’s questions and insisted that Yuri had to wait for the grand reveal. Yena had also seemed pretty excited the entire time, but also quite nervous. Regardless, she held Yuri’s hand the entire drive here (once again, wherever “here” was).

Yena simply smiled at her and tugged her towards the entrance of the building in front of them. As Yuri swiveled her head around and tried to take in her surroundings, she noticed the large sign to her left.

Seoul Correctional Facility

Prison.

Prison?

Why are we at pr-

Yuri’s body seemed to jolt with the realization of what Yena was trying to do.

“Yena, wait.” Yuri pleaded as she rooted herself in place, tugging on Yena’s hand.

Before Yuri could continue, Yena pulled her into her chest and wrapped her strong arms around her.

“Yuri-ah,” Yena softly whispered into her ear, “I won’t force you to do anything, okay? But please, try? I know you miss them, and I know they miss you.”

Yuri closed her eyes and just stood there with her ear against Yena’s chest, listening to her heartbeat. It comforted her. Everything about Yena comforted her.

She was right.

Yena felt the shaky breath Yuri took before she nodded, turning her head up to nod again as their eyes met.

“Okay,” Yuri said, barely audible despite their proximity.

Yena kissed her head lightly before they pulled away from the hug and laced their fingers together once more.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yena stood beside Yuri as the shorter girl bore holes into the door with her stare. This door was the only thing separating Yuri and her parents. Beyond this, she would see the faces she hadn’t seen since forever. The voices that used to coo her to sleep, the smiles that would greet her at the door--they were all there. Right behind this door.

Yena stayed silent as she squeezed Yuri’s hand gently; she watched Yuri’s nervous, scared, and determined eyes. Yuri took a deep breath as though she were breathing in all the courage she needed to open that door. She shut her eyes and squeezed Yena’s hand back. She let go of her hand and exhaled slowly.

She opened the door.

She looked back at Yena one last time, fueled by the girl’s encouraging smile that seemed to say, “I’ll be here, don’t worry. I’m rooting for you!”

As she stepped into the room, she noted the white walls and the grey floors. White, round tables were scattered around the room, about half holding other prisoners and their respective visitors. There was some crying, some laughing, some silence.

She didn’t have too much time to take it all in, though, because as soon as she stepped in, her eyes found the ones she had been missing for so long.

Her legs were rooted to the floor, her body unable to move. All she could do was stare. She stood there as her parents got up from their seats, not breaking eye contact. She watched as they slowly made their way towards her, delicately moving as though this were a dream that could be shattered at any moment.

Once they stood in front of her, she felt two pairs of arms envelop her. She felt wetness on her face.

Her own tears.

She was crying.

“Hey, sweetie, it’s been a while,” her father said with a smile, his eyes closed as though it would prolong this moment that seemed so surreal.

“We missed you so, so much,” her mother choked out, holding back her own tears.

Bit by bit, second by second, Yuri was brought back. She began to respond to the familiar warmth around her, bringing her own arms up.

It was real. She could feel it. If nothing else, she could feel the love.

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” she cried into the embrace, tightening her hold as relief washed over her.

“We knew you would come, no matter how long it took. We’re a family, you know? Even though some of us make the stupidest decisions,” her father chuckled.

“Yeah,” Yuri smiled, “really stupid decisions.”

She was home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They spoke until visiting hours ended, exchanging stories late into the night. Similar to what she saw, there were tears, laughter, and silence. There were also smiles, screams, and sighs. It was like the past few hours had been put at 5x speed, months of emotions squeezed into the few hours they had.

She told them everything. Everything was laid out onto the table.

Some things, she expected. Other things, she did not.

For example, she did not expect her father to slyly wink at her as she told them about Yena, nudging her with his elbow.

Their eyes were still red and wet from the tears shed a bit earlier after she spoke of the worst of things, but she could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

“You like her, don’t you.”

He had said it as a statement rather than a question. It was very matter-of-fact. Yuri was not aware of this fact.

“Of course I like her! She’s my friend!” Yuri screeched hurriedly, quick to defend herself and avoid the obvious meaning of his question.

“Okay, okay, sorry I asked,” he continued with a smug smile, hands raised up in surrender.

Yena huffed and continued her story, trying to ignore the warm blush spreading across her cheeks.

“Visiting hours are over!” A voice yelled out.

They were the last ones there save for one couple in the corner. Her parents were overwhelmed, especially due to the knowledge that their daughter had been through Hell and back since they were taken away. Even so, they knew that she was strong, even stronger with Yena. They knew things would be okay.

So, when they said goodbye, they said it with a relieved, joyful smile.

Yuri would be okay.

“I’ll come back soon; I promise,” Yuri said as they hugged once more, a smile spread from ear to ear.

“You better! If you don’t, I’ll have to drag you in here myself,” her father warned.

They laughed.

Everything was going to be okay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Yuri stepped out of the room after waving one final time, her eyes searched for Yena. She found the girl sleeping with her head in her arms at a table near the room she had just left. Once she got closer, the older girl began to stir, jolting up suddenly as though ready to fight anything that threatened Yuri. Instead, she found a smiling Yuri, one that quickly came to her and gave her the tightest hug.

Yena returned the embrace, smile as wide as Yuri’s.

“Thank you,” she whispered into her ear, overflowing with emotion.

Instead of saying anything, Yena tightened her hug, knowing that Yuri could feel her smile. No words were needed.

They were in this together. Together, they were making it through.

Funny how now, too, Yuri thought,

I’m home.