Sowon blinked reflexively once the device holding her head in place finally let go, her mechanical eye mimicking her biological one in motion. She sat up, flexing her arm experimentally, before cricking her neck and rolling her shoulders to feel the full range of motion in her body.

“Honestly, if you would just replace all that outdated tech you’ve got implanted, you wouldn’t need to come by so often for maintenance.” 

The street doctor, recommended by one of Sowon’s irregular contacts, tutted disapprovingly as he rinsed off his hands and took off the goggles he had been wearing. He looked surprisingly young for someone so well recommended, but Sowon knew better. She had been visiting him on and off for the last ten years, and here was one person who did in fact practice what he preached. Sowon wasn’t sure who he got to install tech on him, but the good doctor was always updating himself quite literally. Where Sowon was still mostly human, her implants limited to defensive upgrades and a few strength and nerve enhancements, Dr Park was already more machine than meat at this point. A fact that he was rather proud of, and he never stopped reminding his customers of all the possibilities that could await them.

“Isn’t me coming by often more business for you?” Sowon chuckled, sliding off the cot and stretching languidly. The cyborg doctor sniffed haughtily as he put his tools away.

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find some of the parts I have to replace for you? Some of it isn’t even in mass production anymore, I have to actually get them custom ordered. It’s cutting into my bottom line, young lady.” He waved a tool at the amused Sowon.

“Besides, if you do get those upgrades, I get to charge you for the op anyway. I’m really not losing out.” He shrugged. Sowon raised an eyebrow.

“That’s assuming I get you to install them.”

Doctor Park looked almost offended by the idea that anyone else would be better than him at his chosen trade, and Sowon laughed, tossing him an unmarked credchip with the usual payment. He caught it without even looking, already turning to check on his beloved machines. Sowon grabbed her longcoat resting by the door, slipping it on and checking her weapons before exiting. She didn’t say goodbye, and neither did the doctor. Despite their friendly banter, they were not friends, their relationship purely transactional. It suited Sowon just fine. She wasn’t here to make friends, just to make sure her implants didn’t break down. Dr Park was one of the best in the region, with a reputation for excellence and a tight lip for secrecy. She wasn’t the only shadowrunner among his clients, and the appointments were always scheduled precisely to avoid any possible confrontation. 

Sowon was about five minutes out from the building when she realized the keys to her motorcycle weren’t in the pocket of her coat. It must have slipped out when she had taken it off earlier, and while it was bad form to disturb the doctor during non-appointment times, Sowon didn’t think it’d be a big deal, since it was only five minutes ago. Nipping back quickly would hardly take up any time, and she would be gone soon anyway.

Sowon bounded up the steps two at a time, barely making any sound while she was at it, as she considered what to do for the day. Not actively working was starting to get a little boring, and the ex-soldier briefly considered picking up some small jobs just to pass time. SinB would certainly appreciate the distraction, and they could maybe even make it a date. 

Sowon smiled wryly to herself. She had spent so much time as a mercenary that she didn’t even know how to have a normal date anymore. Then again, getting paid to get into fights seemed like something SinB would like. She would have to check with the younger girl. It was better than being cooped up at base the whole time, and the heat had mostly died down on them by now. They could afford to move around more freely, though they would always have to watch out for any leftover cultists from the now broken Mireu. 

It was not unlike beheading a hydra when they had taken out the imugi. The most important pillar was gone, but there were always other factions holding power within such a large organization. The Spartans were still locked in active struggle with the remnants of those factions, but trying to stomp them out entirely would take time. It was why Sowon had decided to lay low out of sight for the past few months, beyond just recovering from her wounds. She didn’t need or want to attract attention from any of the remaining factions who might seek to gain legitimacy by slaying the dragonslayers. It was more trouble than it was worth, especially when most of the team was still out of commission after the battle with the imugi.

Now that they had mostly recovered though, and with those factions currently locked down in their own civil war on top of struggling with the Spartans, they had more freedom to move around without being instantly targeted by mad cultists seeking vengeance for their fallen god. Even if there was anyone trying to off them, Sowon was confident they could handle it. She definitely wasn’t planning on hiding her entire life, that was for sure. Challenges were made to be overcome, after all.

The door to the clinic was slightly ajar, and Sowon entered, looking around the tiny waiting room that was just as devoid of clients as it was when she had arrived for her appointment earlier. It made sense, since most of Dr Park’s clients were here by word of mouth, and knew better than to arrive without an appointment. People didn’t simply walk into an underground clinic specializing in off-market upgrades that weren’t entirely street legal. You had to know people for that. 

There were raised voices coming from further within the operating theater that also doubled as the doctor’s office. Sowon used to wonder why Dr Park didn’t simply move to a larger location, but it appeared that the eccentric surgeon simply liked this place, somehow. The walls were certainly thin enough that sound was leaking through quite audibly. She stepped closer, hesitant to interrupt the doctor if he was with another client, when his voice sounded quite clearly through the creaky door of his office.

“This is preposterous! I have paid my dues on time for the last fifteen years, and I will not be threatened by some wee jarhead who thinks working for the biggest cabal in town gives them the right to threaten an honest citizen! I have ethics, you uncouth hooligan, and I will not violate patient confidentiality even if you...what do you think you are doi--”

A gunshot rang out, suppressed yes, but there was no mistaking the sound. Sowon sprang instantly into action, barging into the office even as the doctor slumped to the floor. His assailant was dressed in grey, stocky and heavyset, a full head shorter than Sowon. He had a pistol out, and turned instinctively at the sound of someone charging in. To his credit, he reacted quickly, opening fire on Sowon without pause, but Sowon was no rookie herself. She never stopped moving, using her armored longcoat as partial cover as she charged the boy -- and it was a boy, no more than a teenager from the looks of it, but there was something cold in those eyes. This was a killer, young or not. 

Sowon did not hesitate, closing the distance rapidly. The quarters were too close for her to bring out her rifle, and she hadn’t packed a smaller sidearm today. That wasn’t going to be a problem though, since she was still fairly lethal with her fists. Bullets pinged off her armor harmlessly, and the assailant quickly abandoned his obviously useless pistol when Sowon closed in, sliding out of the way of her right hook and coming in fast from her other side. They traded a few blows, but Sowon was clearly stronger and more experienced. The young gunman seemed to sense his disadvantage, and when a glancing kick left him winded despite his best attempts to avoid it, he staggered back and dropped a smoke bomb that detonated almost instantly, giving him enough cover to make his escape. 

Sowon’s mechanical eye tracked the motion and she made to intercept him, but the boy vaulted over her attempted grab like an athlete, moving surprisingly fast for his size. There was something familiar about his moves somehow, but Sowon didn’t think too hard on it and attempted to give chase, but he was swift as a snake and Dr Park was still wounded, and Sowon gave up quickly in favor of returning to the clinic to attend to the doctor.

Dr Park was wheezing when she helped him up, an obvious bullet hole in his coat over where the heart was. However, the good doctor was very much still alive despite being shot in the chest. At Sowon’s confused expression, Dr Park rolled his eyes.

“You do realize that while I didn’t install military-grade dermal plating like you did, I do still have street-legal plating put in, right?”

Right. She should have remembered. Dr Park grumbled under his breath, complaining that he would have to run diagnostics on his cyberheart to make sure the impact didn’t damage any of the servos inside. Sowon helped him clear up the mess she had made during her scuffle with the assailant earlier, and the doctor eyed her solemnly.

“I know you’re curious, and I suppose you should know about this.”

Sowon looked up, palming the keys she had finally located under a chair. Dr Park sat down at his desk, looking weary despite his unnatural youth.

“That boy wanted your records, for what purpose I do not know, but I would never knowingly give away information on any of my clients. I have a reputation at stake.” Dr Park looked offended at the thought that anyone would think to extort information from him. As a doctor that served both legal and less than legal clientele, he had protection on both sides of the law. He was strictly neutral, and it was considered extremely bad form to attack someone who could one day save your life.

“You know who he works for.” Sowon’s face was grim at the knowledge that someone was after her records. She had no idea why anyone would do that, but it was still an attack. She could not afford to go in blind when someone was out there gunning for her. 

The doctor looked reluctant, and Sowon understood his difficulty. Neutrality tied his hands in more ways than one, but someone had broken those rules despite them. That left very few options to choose from in terms of potential culprits, and the good doctor had already said something earlier that was a huge tip in itself.

“Only the biggest fish in the lake can afford to ignore all the rules.” Sowon stared into the doctor’s eyes, and he nodded, falling silent right after. Sowon inclined her head, acknowledging the clue that had been given. There were no other words exchanged, and Sowon left the building, head spinning from the information that had been given.

Why in the world would Tristar want her medical records? It made no sense. The biggest player in this area could only be Tristar, though the Spartans ran a close second. Even so, Sowon couldn’t be sure one hundred percent sure it was just Tristar either, considering that even Bo-geun’s intentions were still murky at best. Her old friend had changed a great deal in the intervening decades, and Sowon couldn’t be certain he wasn’t involved in this somehow. 

She had so many questions, and only some of those could be answered. Sowon clenched her fists, looking up at the sky. Well, she wasn’t going to sit around and be put on the defensive. She needed answers, and she was going to get them. 

No one came after her like this and got away with it. She had faced a dragon and lived to tell the tale. Mere mortals were a lot squishier. Sowon’s lips curled grimly. She hadn’t planned to follow through with this, but this move was forcing her hand.

Old friend or not, Bo-geun had a lot to answer for. 

SinB caught Yuju in the dining area alone, deliberately choosing when Eunha was conveniently out of sight. The shaman had been eating a lot more lately, mostly at Yerin’s behest. Mysteriously though, Yuju somehow never seemed to put on weight, as if all the food she ate just vanished into thin air. It was enough to make any woman jealous.

Yerin was nowhere to be seen, a surprising fact since the two had been all but joined at the hip for the last couple of days. SinB scowled at the thought, remembering how she had found Eunha crying alone in her room the other day. It had taken all her self control to not immediately march to Yuju and kick her right there and then. No one made her best friend cry except her, and certainly not like that.

“You. ” 

Yuju looked up, mouth still full with her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel. SinB’s eyebrow twitched. She still hadn’t quite gotten used to Yuju’s new hair length for some reason. It was now just to her shoulders, where before it had been much longer. Eunha had admitted that it was her fault that this was the case, which was partially why SinB had managed to rein in her anger for the moment. She still remembered the melted tile on the balcony. Yuju might have upset Eunha, but she also saved their necks by making sure the conflagration didn’t spread to consume them all. 

Yuju eyed SinB patiently, chewing on her food with a certain meticulousness. The grumpy gunslinger raised a finger, as if trying to find the right point to launch into a tirade, but it was kind of hard to get mad at Yuju when she looked like an oversized puppy gnawing on a bone. 

“Practice room, five minutes.” SinB grunted after a few seconds of helpless vacillation. It didn’t seem quite right to yell at someone trying to eat, for some reason. Yuju nodded, glancing past SinB’s shoulder as her eyes lit up, and SinB didn’t need to guess who was behind her.

Yerin stepped around the gunslinger, wrapping her arms around Yuju as the shaman rubbed her head against Yerin’s stomach in greeting, making the specialist chuckle softly. SinB scowled again, jamming her hands in her pockets. Five minutes, she mouthed at Yuju silently. The shaman held up a quiet okay with her fingers in response. 

SinB exited shortly after that. While she didn’t hate the idea of Yerin and Yuju finally breaking down that wall between them to start dating properly -- it honestly made sense really, considering how much unresolved they had ever since they had first joined the team -- SinB still didn’t like how Eunha had been hurt in the process. Granted, Eunha might have courted that fate herself, but SinB was being a loyal friend right now.

Taking things out on the training dummy made SinB feel better. Marginally. It was starting to get cold outside, and while they could turn on the heater, it wasn’t yet cold enough to justify doing it this early in the season. Besides, a little workout would heat her up right away, so why bother?

Five minutes wasn’t a very long time, and Yuju was punctual as always. Surprisingly, Yerin didn’t follow her in, though SinB spotted them exchanging a quick kiss at the doorway before Yerin went on her way. Yuju would need someone to help her find the right room, as it wasn’t like the shaman had spent very much time outside her own room for the last few months since they moved in. SinB felt a moment of envy at the openly affectionate couple. Sowon was always reluctant to express any kind of intimacy, even when they were alone. 

Yuju shrugged off her outer shirt, leaving her in shorts and a tank top as she hopped onto the treadmill in the corner. SinB joined her quietly on the neighboring machine, and they ran in silence for the next ten minutes. It was something they used to do quite often back when they still lived in the Underground, and SinB did kind of miss having a gym buddy. It was a little weird falling back into old routines again after so many months, but oddly reassuring. For all that Yuju had gotten scary during the fight with the imugi, it really seemed like she hadn’t changed all that much. That didn’t mean SinB was going to forgive her for breaking Eunha’s heart though. 

“If you’re going to murder me in my sleep, please leave Yerin out of it.”

Yuju slowed down on the treadmill, slightly winded already. The lack of regular exercise was showing, and the shaman resolved to get back on her routine. She side-eyed the still easily running SinB, who, to her credit, didn’t even choke too much at Yuju’s sudden statement. The gunslinger did miss a step or two though, before remembering the promise they had made all those months before. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, after everything they had experienced.

But Yuju had remembered. Damn this girl. Why was she always so earnest and sincere? SinB couldn’t quite fault Eunha for having fallen so hard, really. It was easy to love someone like that, and for all that it hadn’t worked out between Yuju and Eunha, SinB knew that it wasn’t Yuju’s fault that she had chosen Yerin over Eunha. Feelings didn’t always go where you wanted them to, and Eunha had been at a disadvantage from the start. SinB understood this, but it was still hard not to feel upset for Eunha’s sake.

“Yerin will murder me first if I tried that,” SinB grumbled, also stepping off the treadmill, flopping down on the floor next to Yuju, who was stretching to loosen up her limbs. Yuju smiled faintly at that.

“She would.”

“I am very angry with you right now.” SinB informed Yuju tartly, grabbing a bottle of water and chugging it down. Yuju nodded.

“I can see that.” The shaman sat back upright, folding her legs into a cross-legged position as she leaned back against the wall.

“How is Eunha now?” There was a guilty concern in her tone, and it made SinB want to punch her out of principle. The gunslinger scowled.

“She’s been better. Umji got her into this game they’re playing together now, so that helps.” She twisted the cap back onto the bottle, shooting Yuju a dirty look. The shaman was listening intently, and only blinked owlishly when she noticed SinB glaring at her.

“I can’t believe Yerin would leave you here alone with me, doesn’t she know I’ve been dying to beat the out of you?” 

“You won’t.” Yuju said calmly. SinB narrowed her eyes, cracking her knuckles ominously.

“Wanna bet on that?”

Yuju dusted herself off and leapt to her feet, cracking her neck experimentally with a gleam in her eyes. SinB mirrored the move, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Yuju quirked a finger at SinB, almost tauntingly.

“You can certainly try. ”

Ten minutes later, both of them were lying flat on the ground next to each other, panting heavily and sweating bullets. SinB managed to roll over with some difficulty, weakly punching Yuju in the shoulder.

“You cheated, .”

“You know what I am, of course I was always going to use magic. How is that cheating?” Yuju, as always, was infuriatingly reasonable. SinB swore under her breath, falling back down on the ground. It was a very unpleasant surprise when Yuju decided to copy the imugi’s gravity field move just as SinB decided to accelerate to hit her in the face. Faceplanting had never been taken so literally. Fortunately, Yuju didn’t have the juice to maintain such a spell for longer than a few seconds, and SinB did get her chance to pummel the shaman. 

Of course, that was where the accusations of cheating came in. For all that SinB was able to beat up Yuju, the shaman wasn’t actually taking any damage from it. SinB had gotten suspicious a few seconds in when she realized the impact sensation didn’t feel quite right. She had spent enough time scuffling with Sowon to know the difference, and that was when another Yuju, the real one, had come in from behind to trip her up. On the bright side, at least she got to beat up a very realistic illusion? SinB glared at Yuju, who was also panting from exertion. 

The shaman hadn’t gotten in any combat practice for a long time, and it was difficult relearning what her new limits were compared to before. She had to be more careful with how she cast now, her reserves no longer as limitless as it used to be. Yuju felt the difference keenly, and repressed the gnawing hunger that preyed at the corner of her mind. She shut that away, just one more sibilant suggestion she had to live with all the time. It was basically white noise by now. It didn’t get easier with time, but it was a familiar burden to bear. She was nothing if not good at control. If she hadn’t been, a lot of people would be dead.

“Feel better now?” Yuju turned her head to eye SinB, who had finally managed to roll into a sitting position. The gunslinger glowered at her.

“Let me actually hit you for once, and I will be.”

“Not in the face, Yerin wouldn’t like that.” Yuju warned, pushing herself up as well. SinB smirked, flexing her hand experimentally.

“We’ll see about that…”

Yuju left the practice room with a black eye and a smug SinB waving her off from behind. The shaman shrugged helplessly, accepting the blow with good humour. She deserved that much from SinB, especially after hurting Eunha’s feelings that way. Yuju wanted to make it up to the other mage, but she wasn’t sure how to go about doing it. Things were awkward now, but it couldn’t be helped. Yuju would always choose Yerin first, no matter what. It was never a matter up for discussion.

Gingerly, Yuju touched the sore spot on her face. True to her word, she did let SinB actually hit her, and it hurt. She could sense Yerin upstairs with Umji, and Yuju wasn’t about to show off her newly acquired black eye to her girlfriend. Yerin would not be amused, deserved injury or not. And Eunha probably would like to keep her best friend. 

Yuju sighed, closing her wounded eye and channeling mana into it, accelerating the healing process. It was as good as new seconds later, but then Yuju suddenly stumbled, leaning against the wall for support. Her head was spinning, and her vision was starting to spot over. 

Not now… Yuju ground her teeth together, digging her fingers into her arm to stay conscious. A faint nausea oozed its way into , and Yuju slid down the wall, hugging herself as she started shaking uncontrollably. She felt like she was burning up from the inside.

Yerin Yerin Yerin… She repeated to herself, clawing at her arms helplessly. The voices were so loud now, whispering terrible things and spreading like poison through her veins. She was starving, every cell afire with a terrible need to feed on something, anything, and Yuju bit her tongue, drawing blood as she tried to push back against the tide.

As if summoned by her distress, soft arms enfolded her into a tight embrace, whispering comfort and more importantly, feeding a warm stream of energy into the cracked pathways of her soul. Yuju breathed, shuddering like an addict getting her fix, unaware of the bloody tears that dyed her irises an eerie shade of red. Her trembling ceased, but the raw trails her nails had left on her arms remained, marking them like a tribal tattoo. 

Eunha looked down at the helpless girl in her arms, a complicated look in her eyes. Next to her, Yerin was also on her knees, embracing Yuju from the other side. She had felt her puppy’s pain almost like her own, but there was nothing she could do until Eunha came along and put a bandaid on the problem. The assassin looked up, meeting Eunha’s eyes with genuine gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Eunha Yuju’s hair affectionately, despite herself. 

“She’s still my friend, and I do care for her.” Too much, she didn’t add, but they both knew it.

Yerin leaned down to kiss Yuju on the temple, and her puppy shifted closer to her in response, which made her smile. The assassin sighed, looking straight at Eunha.

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

Eunha nodded grimly. Yerin closed her eyes, her jaw tightening.

“There has to be something we can do.”

Eunha pursed her lips, thinking. Reluctantly, she opened after a while.

“We can’t actually let her drain people…or can we?”

Yerin gave her a look that was part impressed and part amused. “Not that I haven’t considered that option, but Yuju would never agree to it. You know that.”

Eunha did know. She could also actually see how much Yuju was suffering whenever the withdrawal hit her, but she had never witnessed such a terrible case. She had heard of other accounts of mana withdrawal of course, and it usually occurred when someone went over their limit and drained themselves. Any subsequent attempts to cast magic before fully recovering from the drain could trigger some fairly nasty withdrawal symptoms, though there was no apparent pattern to when or how it would hit.

Yuju’s case was special in the sense that even Eunha couldn’t accurately estimate how deep the damage went. Recovering from drain was a natural process as a mage’s mana reserves regenerated to safe levels. This differed from mage to mage, since not everyone had the same capacity. For someone like Eunha, fully recovering from drain would take up to several weeks, and she was on the fairly powerful side. 

Yuju, on the other hand, had been suffering for more than three whole months. That was completely unprecedented as far as Eunha was aware of. Either her mana capacity was massive -- not unlikely, considering the amount of energy she used to be able to hold -- or something else was hindering her from regenerating properly. 

Eunha couldn’t be sure which was the case, but the former was a lot easier (relatively) to deal with than the latter. They just had to feed her enough mana to top her off again, but considering how Eunha hadn’t been able to even gauge where her limits were, that was sort of difficult to do. She suspected that even if she drained herself completely to feed Yuju, she might not even start to scratch the surface of the ocean the shaman could potentially hold.

They had a problem, and there were no good ways to solve it. Yerin smoothed away the messy fringes of hair covering Yuju’s face, considering. She would feed the whole city to Yuju if she thought it would help, but knowing her puppy, that was never going to be an option.

The only other way was to prevent her from casting any spells until she was better, but that was almost like asking someone to stop breathing. Magic was indelibly part of Yuju’s life, and cutting her off would be akin to taking away her eyes and ears, especially since there was no telling how long it would take for her to recover naturally. And then there was still the other mystery regarding her blackouts they had yet to solve…

Yerin sighed, gathering Yuju into her arms. Eunha let go of the shaman reluctantly, watching Yerin lift the younger girl easily in a bridal carry. The assassin held her puppy close, turning to look at the slightly forlorn Eunha left behind.

“I know it’s not fair for me to ask, but can you watch over her when I’m not around?” Yerin grimaced briefly, looking down at the now unconscious Yuju sleeping trustingly in her arms. There was so little she could actually do for her puppy, and it irked Yerin. Having to ask for help from her rival was a little humiliating, but if it was for Yuju’s sake, she would grit her teeth and bear it. 

“Always.” Eunha replied without even thinking, reaching out to touch Yuju’s cheek. Yerin allowed it, though her arms tightened around Yuju’s limp form subtly. Yuju wasn’t the only one with a possessive streak in the relationship, though Yerin hid it a lot better than she did.

“Go talk to that best friend of yours, by the way. If she hadn’t provoked Yuju like this…” Yerin trailed off, eyes narrowing dangerously. Eunha winced. She didn’t know what SinB had been up to, but she could imagine. She gave Yerin an apologetic look, but the assassin had already turned away, heading upstairs.

Eunha stared after them, torn between following or not. Her feet stayed where they were, rooted to the spot. It was no longer her place to be there, even if Yerin had opened a space for her of sorts. It still hurt to see them being affectionate to each other, to hear Yuju call out for Yerin in her distress, watch the shaman calm down to some degree when Yerin was near her. 

She had almost wanted to walk away then, but she couldn’t bring herself to, because Yuju still needed her. She could never leave her puppy in the lurch, or bear to watch her suffer. Not when she had the power to help, unlike how it was before.

Was this punishment for her past life? Eunha couldn’t help but wonder. Yuna had died to protect her back then, and it was through her actions back in the past that set in motion the events which brought them all back together in a cursed chain. In some subtle karmic way, she was only starting to pay back whatever she owed, and she had no idea when that ledger would ever truly be clear.

The sins of the past were heavy indeed, but it was her burden to bear. Eunha smiled bitterly. She would just have to deal with it. Even if Yuju no longer remembered, she did, and that was the only thing left to her now. Memories were scant comfort in a cold future, but what other choice did she have? 

Yuju was light in her arms, and Yerin moved carefully to avoid jostling her as she laid her girl down on the bed. When she turned to grab a towel to clean off the blood, she was stopped by Yuju suddenly grabbing her by the hem of her top.

“Don’t leave…” Yuju whined softly, though she sounded more asleep than awake. Yerin’s eyes softened, sitting back down on the bed, Yuju’s hair.

“Not tonight,” Yerin promised quietly, and Yuju’s eyes opened abruptly, still tinged with red as their gazes met.

“I could make you stay.” It sounded almost like a threat, but Yerin only smiled, leaning down to place a kiss on Yuju’s forehead.

“You won’t do that. Not to me.” I trust you.

The shaman closed her eyes, allowing Yerin to flutter kisses down the bridge of her nose and along the line of her cheekbones, before tracing her way to her lips. Yuju reciprocated immediately, wrapping her arms around Yerin’s neck to pull the older girl closer.

“You know I’ll always be with you.” 

Yerin rested her forehead against Yuju’s, the pair relishing their closeness in this moment. Her puppy had been very needy lately, but Yerin didn’t begrudge her that at all. This was all she could give, unlike the concrete assistance Eunha could provide. It was frustrating, and Yerin almost hated herself for her helplessness.

A soft hand cupped her face, one thumb tracing the outline of her closed eyes. Yerin opened her eyes to see Yuju smiling at her in the dim light of the bedside lamp. Her puppy nibbled gently on her lip, an understanding acceptance in her eyes.

“It’s enough as long as you are with me.” 

They kissed again, slowly and tenderly, cherishing their moment. Make love to me, Yuju whispered, yearning in her eyes. Like it’s the last night on earth, Yerin answered, sealing the deal with another burning kiss.

There were no other words exchanged that night, only passion. As long as they had each other, it would be enough. It would have to be enough.

What were they going to do otherwise, if it wasn’t?