There was something about doing workouts with Taecyeon.

Over winter break, Yongsun took her physical fitness more seriously, putting in the effort necessary to become more consistent. She did the exact same exercises that Taecyeon taught her. Did the same number of sets and repetitions he’d recommended. Improved enough to increase the amount of weight she was lifting and pushing. She’d even become more disciplined about stretching, starting every day with 30 minutes of mindful yoga. The workouts were challenging, but she had always found a way to get through them relatively unscathed.

Alongside Taecyeon though, her body ached and groaned, behaving as if this were the first she’d ever attempted anything more physically demanding than getting out of bed. Currently splayed out on the black rubber mat her workout buddy had thoughtfully set out for her, Yongsun mentally ran through the training session she’d only barely survived. It made no sense.

Her skin buzzed as beads of sweat languidly trailed down the expanse of exposed skin at her stomach, arms, and neck. The salty droplets tickled as they descended, eventually pooling at the base of her body but, oddly enough, concentrating on the sensation helped tremendously as she struggled to compose herself.

“I hate you,” Yongsun huffed. There was no true malice behind her words, mostly because she lacked the energy to bolster the statement. Taecyeon surely only heard because of his proximity, mat next to hers as he completed one last cooldown stretch.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth. I was about to compliment you, actually. Your form has improved a lot and you’re much stronger.” Needing more time to recuperate the energy lost from speaking moments ago, Yongsun gave a husky grunt in response. Taecyeon chuckled before settling into a seated cross-legged position beside her and thumbing through notifications on his phone. “Our pic is getting a lot of attention.”

Even with her curiosity piqued, Yongsun couldn’t muster the energy to sit up and peek at his screen. The dull ache in her shoulders and thighs were setting in. “What kind of attention?”

“Good attention, I guess. For you, at least. A bunch of people are interested,” Taecyeon looked down at her, wagging his eyebrows.

“I’m dealing with enough mess, thanks.”

“You’re a hot commodity!”

“And you’re an idiot,” she scoffed, donning a small smile.

“Maybe so.”

Growing a bit more serious, Yongsun spoke up. “Are you sure your girlfriend won’t mind you posting that picture with me?” Before starting their session, the two took a few minutes to joke around. Standing in front of the mirrored walls, Yongsun and Taecyeon took pictures together to commemorate them resuming their gym partnership. Taecyeon asked for permission to post one of the pictures and, even though he assured Yongsun over and over that his girlfriend wouldn’t mind, the young woman felt the need to ask him once more. Her outfit for the day consisted of only a sports bra and leggings — some people were very particular about this sort of thing, not fans of their partners in close proximity to half- others.

“I wouldn’t have posted it if she’d have a problem with it, Yongsun. Are you sure your girlfriend won’t mind me calling us a dynamic duo?” He countered, alluding to the caption chosen for their picture.

“Shut up!” Yongsun jerked her arm out to slap his thigh, earning his deep-pitched giggles. Of course, imbued with energy, Taecyeon expertly dodged the lazy attempt. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Says the woman throwing a surprise celebration tonight for the best friend she has feelings for.”

“Hmm. Can’t dispute that,” Yongsun groaned as she sat up. Laying out the way she did had caused more harm than good. It allowed too much time for her body to lock up. A momentary reprieve from the pain came as her shoulder blades rested against the wall behind her.

“You should just confess. It’s easier that way. Worked for me,” Taecyeon haughtily shrugged his broad shoulders before double-tapping on some Instagram picture.

Staring incredulously at the man beside her, Yongsun contemplated bring him down a few notches. It wouldn’t have been hard. Only five months ago, this aggravating confidence was nowhere to be found. All pride was swallowed when he approached her after one of their workouts, rose-tinted face and all, to ask for help with asking out his now-girlfriend. Mentioning that day would have effectively cut him down to size, but Yongsun didn’t have it in her. Happiness looked good on Taecyeon. From all he’d shared — the man hadn’t stopped gushing about his relationship during their workout today, hence the reason she had yet to tell him about the confessions — things were going well for him and his partner. Her stomach did sting a little with bitterness though. How could some people have it that easy? He asked his crush out, she accepted, they dated, they started a relationship. Easy peasy. People that didn’t have feelings for their best friends had it made. Must be nice.

“Byulyi’s leaving,” Yongsun said instead of bringing up his past. It didn’t much matter now, she supposed. He was in a good relationship and her best friend was leaving. There were more important things than getting a few cheap laughs out of embarrassing him.

“Leaving?” Taecyeon gave her his full attention.

“Yeah. That’s what the celebration tonight is for. She’s going to Turkey.”

“Whoa, you didn’t tell me all of that! You just said she was going to play professionally. I assumed she’d stay in Korea.” The noncommittal hum Yongsun let out caused him to look at her sympathetically. She hated it. “How do you feel about it?”

“Does it matter?” Byulyi asked her the same question in the car last week, and Yongsun gave the same answer.

“I mean, yeah, it does,” he forced out a couple choppy, nervous laughs.

“I’m proud of her. I’m happy for her. I truly am. She’s so good, Taec. So good,” Yongsun breathed. “It’s really funny,” she started again, wearing a wistful smile, “when she first brought up the idea of going pro, I almost slapped myself for not having thought of it first. She deserves it.” And the young woman meant every word uttered.

“You care about her a lot.”

“I do. Which is why I hate that I’m souring the experience for her.” His confused face urged her to give more context. Yongsun explained the confessions, decided he didn’t need to know about the kisses, and skipped to her current situation — trapped by romantic feelings that threatened to ruin everything she and Byulyi had.

“Damn.”

“Yeah.”

There wasn’t much else to be said. Neither spoke for several minutes.

“If she was staying, would you date her?”

“If she was staying, we wouldn’t be in this situation because she wouldn’t have confessed.” That was a frustrating truth to come to terms with. Byulyi would have stayed silent.

“Okay . . . but you are in the situation now. What do you want?”

“A guarantee that we’ll work.” The response was automatic. When it came the her and Moonbyul, all she wanted was to know for sure that she and her best friend would be okay if they became more. “I’ve had one relationship. That’s it. We did the best we could but it only lasted a handful of months. It was real, I won’t call it a fake relationship. And he was a sweetheart, but it didn’t work. That’s the extent of my experience with relationships. Going from that to a relationship with Byulyi? Oof,” Yongsun expelled a deep gust of air. “I don’t know. I’m the problem,” Yongsun suddenly changed the direction of the conversation, mumbling that last sentence more to herself than anyone else. “I don’t know how to really be in a relationship, and I don’t want to use a relationship with her as practice. I’d want to put my best foot forward. To make sure that we last, I’d need to put my best foot forward. And I don’t feel like I’m in a position where I could do that. Y’know?” Even if he didn’t, Yongsun needed her gym-buddy to pretend like he did. Pleading eyes conveyed her desperation for understanding.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Taecyeon nodded reassuringly. “But how do you get experience unless you date? You only get good at something by doing it.”

“That’s the dilemma, isn’t it? I don’t want to date anyone else, but I’m afraid of being bad at dating Byulyi.”

Although no one mentioned her, Seungyeon came to mind. Since their actions the previous Monday, the two exchanged messages, but that was all. Nothing else had happened and Yongsun wanted it to stay that way. Even with the mental limbo she’d found herself in regarding Byulyi, as each day passed, the graduate student grew more comfortable with admitting that the feelings she had for anyone else paled in comparison to what she felt for her best friend.

Seungyeon was everything Yongsun could have asked for — attractive, sweet, thoughtful, and patient. Yongsun learned a lot from her former schoolmate, including, unfortunately, that what she wanted more than anything else was to add what she had with Seungyeon to the relationship she had with Byulyi. Nothing proved that more than the fact that, even with a very skilled Seungyeon atop her last week, Yongsun could only wonder what it would feel like with her best friend.

Shame washed over her.

There was only so much Yongsun could control her thoughts and feelings on the matter, but, even so, it hurt that she’d essentially been using Seungyeon as an in-between. The other woman didn’t deserve that. At all.

And, yes, she was upfront and honest about wanting nothing more than a physical connection, but with all things said and done, did that make any of this easier to grapple with? During the window in which Yongsun could have considered dating Seungyeon, she had been thoroughly uninterested in anything of that nature. Now that she was open to the idea of — at some point in the future — dating and romantic relationships, only Moonbyul was on Yongsun’s mind.

“You should talk to her about it,” Taecyeon gently nudged Yongsun’s shoulder before standing up and extending a hand to her.

“People keep saying that,” the blonde woman reveled in feeling the air around her whizzing past as Taecyeon effortlessly pulled her up using only one arm.

“Maybe they’ll stop when you actually talk to her.”

“He gets in one relationship and thinks he knows it all . . .”

“I know that you and her have been inseparable for 1.5 years, that you have feelings for each other, and that when you talk about her you speak with an energy and passion that isn’t present when you discuss most other things. I also know that, at the end of the day, she’s the only one that can give you the answers you need in order to make the best decision for you.”

Thoughtfully, Taecyeon collected all of Yongsun’s possessions for her, meeting her by the gym’s entrance. They walked through the lobby and entered the elevator in silence, Yongsun needing time to gather her thoughts, Taecyeon understanding and letting her have it.

“No invite?” The muscled man shattered the silence as the elevator climbed passed the second floor en route to the third.

“Huh?”

“I gave impeccable love advice and you still haven’t invited me to this celebration you’re hosting.”

“Ah, I see,” Yongsun played along.

“Yeah. This is when you say, ‘Taec, you’re the best. To thank you for the best advice I’ve ever received, I’m inviting you to come get some free food and drinks.’ And I’ll say, “Ah, it’s nothing. Anything for a friend. Who am I to pass up free food and drinks though? Of course I’ll come join the celebration.’”

The bell dinged, door opening to the third floor, before Yongsun could catch her breath from laughing as hard as she was.

“Thank you for singlehandedly saving my love life and giving advice I’ve never before heard,” the petite woman bowed sarcastically, doing her best not to grimace at the pain the action caused. “There’ll likely be a bigger celebration in a couple months when she signs the contract and the deal goes public but it’s just the four of us tonight.”

*

“Wheein-ah. What do you mean you two aren’t staying the whole time?!”

“You tell her, Hyejin.” Wheein quickly pushed her best friend in front to serve as a shield.

“She means that we’re not staying the whole time, unnie,” the black-haired young woman robotically repeated Wheein’s words.

“Thank you, Hyejin,” Yongsun rolled her eyes. “I heard her the first time.”

“Then you shouldn’t have asked,” she mumbled and turned to climb onto Yongsun’s bed. The conversation no longer held any interest for her.

Upon entering her apartment, the ruckus coming from her bedroom momentarily confused Yongsun, until she remembered her plans for the evening. Halffway down the hall leading to her room, a high-pitched shriek confirmed her suspicions — Wheein and Hyejin. The two were on Yongsun’s bed, tucked comfortably underneath her comforters as they reacted to something on Hyejin’s phone. Noticing the older’s presence, Hyejin briefly looked at her before turning full attention back to her phone.

“Chorong-unnie let us in,” was all she said.

Not even in her own damn home could she get some respect, Yongsun thought as she stood there in shock.

That was 15 minutes ago.

Now, she stood wrapped in a lavender towel with a second jade-colored towel masterfully tied on top of her head. Wheein casually shared that, despite the original plan, she and Hyejin would only stay a few minutes past Moonbyul’s arrival.

“It was supposed to a full-night affair, Wheein-ah!”

“I know,” the younger woman sulked, “but some of our other friends asked us last-minute if we wanted to go out with them and we said yes. Only because we turned them down before leaving for winter break. We’ll be here for unnie’s arrival though!”

“That’s not what she’s worried about, Wheein-ah,” Hyejin called out in a deadpan tone.

“What am I worried about, Hyejin-ah?”

Thumbs scrolling and eyes not leaving her phone’s screen, Hyejin didn’t miss a beat. “You don’t want to be left alone with Byul-unnie.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Yongsun scoffed, busying herself with picking clothes from her wardrobe.

“It’s not. Since you returned to campus on Tuesday, you haven’t spent time alone with Byulyi-unnie.”

“We saw each other last week and she’s been hanging out with her teammates since she got back to campus.”

Everything Yongsun was saying was true, Moonbyul had moved into the next phase of her rehab, easing into a return to basketball. She wasn’t yet participating in full contact, but Yujin was testing the reaction that Byul’s body had to shooting and light jogging. There was also the fact that the athlete was a team captain. It was important that she integrate herself once more into team activities, formal and informal. The two still messaged each other regularly. Things between them weren’t as weird as Hyejin was trying to make it seem.

And still. With all that said, with all that being true, there was an unintended edge to Yongsun’s voice when she responded to Hyejin’s assertion. Deep down — or maybe not that deep down — the graduate student was thrown for a loop by the wrench thrown into the group’s plans.

Given the fog clogging her brain, being alone with Byulyi wasn’t a problem if she had time to plan for it. However, Wheein’s announcement left her with little to no time to do so. They were going to call Moonbyul over in half an hour.

“Are you nervous being around her because of the confession? Or because of what happened with Seungyeon-unnie last week?”

“We’ve hung out since that happene–, wait. How do you know about that? I didn’t mention that to you.”

“I’m so glad you brought that up!” Hyejin sat up. “No, you didn’t mention it to me. I had to hear all of this from Wheein.” She lifted a sharp brow and stared at Yongsun questioningly. It was intimidating. It was effective.

“Hyejin-ah . . .” Yongsun tried her hand at smooth-talking her way out of things.

“Nope.”

“Hyejin-ah . . .” Yongsun cooed again, approaching the bed.

“No. Don’t even try it. If Wheein didn’t tell me, you wouldn’t have.”

Climbing onto the bed, and ignoring the dull ached the action caused, as well as the fact that only a towel covered her body, Yongsun wrapped her limbs around Hyejin, latching on for dear life.

“Hyejin-ah! You know I love you,” the blonde continued, ignoring Hyejin’s squeals.

“And yet you didn’t tell me.”

“I’m sorry.” The bevy of kisses hastily smacked against the younger’s cheeks proved effective. Upset Hyejin gradually melted away.

“You can stop now. I’m over it.”

“I am sorry that I didn’t tell you. I guess I get used to you and Wheein being so close sometimes; I assumed she’d tell you, but that’s not fair.”

“As long as you know.”

“Sorry,” she placed one last kiss against a tanned cheek.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can get off me now. Save all this for Byulyi-unnie.”

“Maybe I will!” Hyejin wasn’t one that many succeeded against in fighting fire with fire, but Yongsun wanted to try nonetheless.

“Ohhhh. Wheein-ah! Unnie’s acting bold. She said she’s going to do this to Byulyi-unnie.”

Ambling in from, presumably, the kitchen, Wheein appeared with both hands full of snacks.

“Well, you’ll have lots of time to get busy with her after we leave,” she answered, more interested in her food than anything else.

“The two of you are ridiculous,” Yongsun removed herself from Hyejin, carefully climbing down from the elevated. She needed to get dressed.

“Is it really that ridiculous?” Hyejin asked. “Unnie’s very attractive.”

“Super good-looking,” Wheein added.

“I didn’t say that she wasn’t.”

“You’re talking like it’s the most far-fetched thing in the world for you to want to do stuff with her.”

“I’m not talking about this with the two of you. It’s weird.” Slipping on a sweatshirt and sweatpants, Yongsun entered her bathroom, shifting attention to her hair. If she actively ignored Wheein and Hyejin, they’d take the hint and stop. Maybe.

“It’s not weird,” Hyejin called after her. “Byulyi-unnie’s hot.”

From the corner of her eye, Yongsun saw two masses lean against the bathroom’s doorway.

“Do you really not think about doing things with her?” All mocking was gone, unbridled curiosity taking hold in Hyejin’s voice now.

“Hyejin, please.”

“Just asking.”

“Unnie, we get it. You don’t have to tell us everything that happens, but for yourself, if you want to do something, just do it. Remember how great that was for you over the summer? You got out of your head and just had fun. Loosen up a little and see what happens.”

“Byulyi-unnie would enjoy anything. Now that the two of have confessed, I can finally say that out loud. Goodness. That girl is so whipped. I’ve never seen her like this.”

“Hyejin, remember that time we were all hanging out and Yongsun-unnie was talking and Byulyi-unnie just stared at her with that dopey smile on her face?!”

“Which time?” Hyejin laughed as she asked.

“True.”

“Okay, okay. Thank you. That’s enough. Leave her alone.”

The young girls squealed. “Aww, you’re defending your woman!”

“Thank you, Hyejin. The conversation is over.”

“But it’s not! That was reverse psychology. We got you to defend her and now your heart is probably giddy over the fact that she’s super soft for you, so now you’re definitely gonna do something with her after we leave,” Hyejin smirked cockily.

“You’re welcome, Byulyi-unnie,” Wheein called out to no one in particular.

“She owes us one.”

“For sure.”

Answering them now would be pointless. Yongsun let them believe that their antics made a difference. It was easier that way.

*

Soon after finishing her hair, Yongsun called Byulyi. After training, the athlete had spent her Friday afternoon with teammates. She had been home for a few minutes before receiving the call.

The graduate student didn’t have to do much convincing. Yongsun told Byulyi she missed her — she did — and that she wanted to spend some time with her tonight — also true. Moonbyul immediately agreed to come over. Wheein and Hyejin ran off to the bedroom to laugh out loud at that without blowing their cover to an unsuspecting Byulyi.

Five minutes later, the three women were bunched together, pressed against the kitchen island. In front of them was a cake that had one single candle protruding from its center. Along the cake’s upper arc was a single word: “Congratulations!” An assortment of fruit everywhere else. Not as personalized as Yongsun would have liked, but she bought everything earlier in the day before her workout. They had to make do with what she could find.

Jarred from her thoughts by the series of beeps coming her keypad, Yongsun, Hyejin, and Wheein readied themselves to give as much energy as they could.

Byulyi hadn’t even crossed the threshold when a deafening scream of “Congratulations!” knocked her into a crouched position. Wheein and Hyejin ran to pull her into the apartment proper before both suffocating her with their simultaneous hugs. To call it heartwarming was an understatement.

Yongsun stayed back, preferring to give the third-years the space they needed to properly fawn over and celebrate a woman that, for them, was more a sister than anything else. They were witnesses to Byulyi’s entire career at SNU. Even though they wouldn’t say it today, Yongsun knew that this accomplishment held great meaning for Wheein and Hyejin. Whatever her relationship with Moonbyul was, the two of them had an equally unique relationship with the athlete, if not more so. She had to respect that.

“We’re gonna be rich!”

“We did it, Hyejin! We chose wisely and rode this thing out until the end! We’re set for life!”

“Maybe wait until I sign an actual contract and receive the money first before exposing yourselves. Clowns.”

“I don’t know. Three years?” Hyejin started. “Legally, you have to pay us. It’s, like, time served or something.”

“Definitely,” Wheein agree right away.

“I’ll have my people call your people,” Byul played along.

The scene unfolding before her was truly too cute.

She and Moonbyul hadn’t seen each other in over a week, time Yongsun spent fretting over what the hell to make of the mess she’d created with Byulyi. But now, watching from afar her best friend smiled and laughed as if she had no cares in the world, every worry evaporated. Just like that. None of her concerns had been solved, they still existed, but in that moment, none of them mattered. She was just happy for her best friend.

“Blow out the candle!” Like a ragdoll, the senior let her younger friends drag her further into the apartment and in front of the cake whose candle had been burning for some time now. Obediently, Byulyi blew her candle out and cut the cake — Hyejin and Wheein were ready to eat, they said, and needed her to move along with things.

The entire thing took 10 minutes and, not until the youngest two were sitting on the couch, satisfied with their slices of cake, did Yongsun and Moonbyul get to greet each other.

“Hey,” Byulyi smiled.

“Hey,” Yongsun smiled back.

“I know this was you.”

“Was it?” She played innocent.

“Yeah, it was.”

In no more than two bounds, the athlete approached her and lifted Yongsun into a hug, arms secured tightly around her waist.

“Thank you,” Byul whispered, the sound sending a shiver from the shell of Yongsun’s ear, rippling throughout the rest of her body.

“I’m so proud of you,” the older woman nuzzled her head into the crook of Moonbyul’s neck.

“I know.”

“I really, really am. And I’m happy for you, too.”

“I know, Yong.”

It was the sincerity in Byul’s voice that triggered it for Yongsun. Before even she realized what was happening, a small stream of tears began flowing down her face, dampening Byulyi’s neck.

“Yongsun-ah, why are you crying?” When met with only sniffles, Byulyi craned her neck backwards to get a proper look at the woman in her arms. “Don’t cry.”

“It’s happy tears.”

“Still. Don’t cry.” Still holding the blonde up with her left arm, the athlete gently padded away the liquid that remained under Yongsun’s eyes. “That’s better.”

The words of gratitude and appreciation that danced on the tip of her tongue weren’t shared. Yongsun was too stunned by how good Moon Byulyi was. The kiss she gave her on her cheek, she hoped, would suffice.

“You and these cheek kisses,” Moonbyul groaned.

“Oh? Not good enough? How about no kisses at all?”

“Did you know that my favorite type of kisses are kisses on the cheek? I don’t know what it is about them, they’re just my absolute favorite. I literally turn down any other type of kiss because kisses on the cheek are superior.”

“Idiot.”

*

From: Hyejinie

Have fun! 🥳

You’re welcome, btw, for turning the kitchen lights off for you.

(Wheein chose the emoji) 6:47 pm

All they did was eat cake, eat food, take some drinks, then Wheein and Hyejin disappeared.

There was a good reason. They had to get ready for their evening out. Even so, when Wheein said they weren’t staying the whole time, Yongsun didn’t know she meant they’d leave 10 minutes after Moonbyul arrived.

The third-years extended an invitation to Yongsun and Byulyi to join them out, but with both women exhausted after their days, neither could muster the energy for much else. They ended up on Yongsun’s couch watching Gone Girl.

A soon as the door to the apartment closed after Hyejin and Wheein’s departure, the display of emotion that they were caught up in instantly turned into a suffocating silence. Unsure of what else to do, Yongsun awkwardly suggested they watch a movie. Byulyi awkwardly agreed. Initially, the younger woman sat a seat’s cushion away, to which Yongsun wanted to scream. The specifics around the future of their relationship was still to be determined, but things between them did not have to be this uncomfortable. When watching movies, they cuddled. To borrow Moonbyul’s verbiage, it was their “thing”. The uncertainty that hung between them was messing up their normal. The weight of guilt and responsibility for the state of things clamped on Yongsun’s heart. How would Byulyi know what was okay if she, Yongsun, had been nothing but a land mine over the past few weeks? She was unclear about what she wanted, leaving Moonbyul unsure about . . .  well, everything.

Taking the initiative, the graduate student pulled the athlete closer about 20 minutes into the movie — she couldn’t concentrate on the film if Byulyi was too far away because then she’d only obsess over Byulyi being too far away.

As it turns out, that helped matters none. Yongsun still couldn’t focus on the movie. The couple readjusted themselves, lying horizontally on the couch, Byulyi behind with a hand draped very loosely and gently across Yongsun’s hip. As the characters on the television screen took turns being horrible people, her mind only processed Moonbyul: the haphazard patterns the athlete sporadically traced on her, the vanilla bodywash wafting off of Byulyi’s skin — definitely heightened by the warm air blowing from the vents above, the seniors heart thumping wildly against Yongsun’s back. It was all too much.

Recalling the thoughts evoked by her earlier conversations with Taecyeon, Wheein, and Hyejin, Yongsun wondered what was stopping her. Not from a relationship, she’d recited that many a time to herself, but from initiating anything beyond kisses on the cheek.

Honestly? Nothing.

Just earlier she’d admitted to herself that it’d be nice to do with Byulyi what she did with Seungyeon. She kissed Seungyeon. A lot. Why not kiss the woman behind her, too? Especially now that things with Seungyeon were on its last legs — Yongsun chose the next week to wrap things up. It was time.

It was because the feelings for Byulyi were stronger than those for Seungyeon, though, that she paused every time she mustered enough courage to consider turning around, facing Moonbyul and — for no reason other than because she wanted to — planting a kiss on the lips she could draw with her eyes closed. The gentle athlete made her nervous in a way that Seungyeon and others never did. It didn’t help matters any that Byulyi was fine with waiting, or so she said. Yongsun felt the spike in breathing every time her back “accidentally” brushed against the younger woman’s lower stomach. Even so, Moonbyul didn’t budge. Didn’t make a move. Didn’t do anything.

If Yongsun wanted something to happen, she’d have to initiate.

The opportunity came three-quarters of the way through the movie. She’d seen the film before. The plot twist was no longer one that incited any emotion from her, but Yongsun’s view of Amy Dunne remained unchanged.

“She’s beautiful,” she accidentally spoke her thoughts aloud.

“Hmm?”

“Her. The main character. She’s beautiful. Very elegant and classy. Put-together and smart. It’s hard to explain, but I wish I could be like that.” It’s a thought that came with each viewing of the movie. For all Amy Dunne’s faults, there was something about the character that Yongsun admired. That was a strong word. There was a command about the character that Yongsun wished she possessed.

“She’s an out-of-her-mind manipulator.”

“Well, yes. All the negative stuff aside, I wish I could be like her. Look at her clothes even. Elegant, but in a simple way? She always looks the part.”

No response came for a couple minutes, so she assumed that was the end of that.

Then Moonbyul spoke up suddenly.

“You’re already all of that, by the way,” she spoke low.

“Hmm?” Yongsun fully turned her body to face the brunette.

“I said you’re already all of that. Beautiful and elegant and classy. I do have my suspicions about the out-your-mind part too, though, but it’s still too early to call with that.”

“Shut up,” Yongsun playfully slapped Byul’s shoulder. There was no heat behind it.

“Jokes aside, I’m being serious.”

Neither woman had looked away yet, chatter from the television fading into white noise as all they saw and felt was each other.

“Why are you so good to me?” Yongsun cupped Byulyi’s cheek. It was a question she’d wanted to ask for a while now. Surely, there were others more ready that her best friend could invest time and energy into?

“Because you deserve good?” The response was tinged with incredulity, as if the senior didn’t understand why such a thing needed to be explained.

“Do I?”

“Yes.” No hesitation.

Regardless of whether Yongsun agreed or not, the immediate response coupled with the determination set in Byulyi’s eyes sparked something in Yongsun.

“You don’t have to tell us everything that happens, but for yourself, if you want to do something, just do it.”

She wanted to kiss Moonbyul. Properly. So, she did.

The confidence would wear off soon, so Yongsun went for it. Her right hand still cupping Byulyi’s soft cheek, Yongsun eased in until their lips connected. That was the extent of what she had to do as Moonbyul took over from there. A death grip on her waist now, the athlete leaned in and controlled their pace — slow and sensual. The awkward, nervous pecks from their first time were absent. This, Yongsun assumed, was more aligned with how things typically went when Byulyi kissed people. It was solid, not an adjective usually used to describe such things, but it’s what Yongsun felt. Protected, taken care of, secure.

No tongue, only teasing lip bites, but the kissing was intoxicating and, surprisingly, , nonetheless. Over and over, their lips melded against each other. It just felt good. It felt right.

They had to have been going for at least 10 minutes before Yongsun’s thoughts drifted to wondering how much things would escalate. Byulyi’s grip on her hips got tighter, her lips moved more hungrily. The athlete was growing in confidence, it didn’t seem she’d stop any time soon, and Yongsun was enjoying it too much to be the one to stop.

Until a growl? rumbled in Byul’s throat, forcing Yongsun to pull away suddenly as laughter bubbled up.

“What was that?” The blonde tried but failed to contain herself.

“What was what?” Byulyi’s hooded eyes showed no desire to discuss this much longer. She leaned in again, looking to once again capture lips between her own, but Yongsun gently place a hand against her chest.

“You growled. What was that?!” The fit of giggles spilled over into full-on cackles. It was just so random? Was that something people did regularly? Growling while kissing?

Collecting herself, Yongsun saw some of the intensity leave Byulyi’s eyes, the athlete able to appreciate the absurdity of what had just transpired.

“That was embarrassing.”

“It was cute,” Yongsun assured her, gently rubbing the pad of her thumb across the warming skin beneath her touch.

“I guess I growl when I’m really into it,” she joked softly.

“I guess so.”

“Mmm.”

Sometimes we must do things we don’t want to.

For Yongsun, that meant tearing her eyes away from Moonbyul’s and turning her body back around to face the television.

“We should finish the movie.”

“You can finish the movie; I’m going to catch my breath.”

“You do that.”

Silence.

“I told you I’m usually better at that,” Byulyi’s husky voice made sure to note, a reference to her endless apologies for their uncoordinated kisses a couple weeks ago.

“What do you want? Praise?”

“Yes.”

It was comfortable enough that they could both laugh at that.

Moonbyul placed one last kiss at the back of Yongsun’s head before letting her hand trail from the smaller woman’s hip to eventually rest on her stomach.

Yongsun met the hand on her stomach and interlaced her fingers with Byulyi’s long, slender ones.

From the rolling credits to the title screen to the movie restarting, the two remained in their position, enjoying and mentally replaying everything that happened. Both reluctant to pop the bubble of contentedness by discussing what all of that “meant” for “them”. It meant something. Obviously. That was good enough.

For now, they were happy just being.

Note: For those that missed the Author’s Thoughts, updates will now be on Tuesdays. I may very well end up still posting on Mondays, but we’ll see.

This is unedited. Don’t judge, that's rude. It’ll be edited later.