A/N: Trigger Wanring.

(...)

[Flashback]

The couple reached Joy's parents' house in less than fifteen minutes. Joy was glad her parents lived so close to their dorm. That way Joy was able to visit them any time of the day she wanted and take many pictures of her favourite dog in the world, Haetnim, for her Instagram page. Joy loved two things more than anything in the whole world and those were Seulgi and Haetnim. Thankfully, Seulgi loved dogs too, unlike their leader who screamed at the top of her lungs every time a dog approached her.

The girls' schedules had been packed for the past three weeks and Joy didn't have the chance to visit her parents during those days. Now that the promotions were finally over, she had plenty of time to see them and her baby, Haetnim. She also wanted to finally reveal the big secret she had been hiding with Seulgi to them.

Joy knocked the door three times and seconds later her mother appeared behind the door.

"Sooyoung!" the woman hugged her daughter tightly, "How are you, honey? It's been sometime," she broke the hug and that was when she noticed Seulgi standing shyly behind her daughter. "Seulgi! I didn't see you there sweetie. Welcome!" she gave Seulgi a small hug too.

"Hello, Mrs. Park," Seulgi bowed politely.

Mrs. Park welcomed the girls and told them to wait for her in the living room while she made them drinks. The couple was left alone in the living room. The room was dimly lit with the vintage wall sconces that hung on the mute coloured walls like earrings. Thick velvet curtains hid the long windows across the walls, just leaving a shy peak of the woods beyond. Two antique couches stood the opposite sides of each on the hand-woven rug in front of the ashen fireplace, accompanied by rich velvet and bronze wing-chairs that stood as sidekicks. The paintings and faded tapestry panels on the walls seemed to blink at Seulgi as she looked at them.

Seulgi had visited Joy's house many times before, especially since she got Haetnim. Her mother was a sweetheart, very polite and charming just like her daughter. Her father was more distant but still a gentleman. The dancer turned her head to look at the framed pictures on the wall. Joy's parents smiled from the old photographs, full of the promise of youth. Her mother stood in her wedding dress, modest by today's standards, simple and white. Her father was the proud man holding the arm of his pretty dame, the sunlight reflecting from his unwrinkled face.

A few minutes passed and the girls were becoming more and more nervous. The closer they got to revealing their secret, the more anxious they became. Seulgi's stomach shifted uneasily and she noticed that the hands she was hugging herself with were pinching into her skin. She released her hands but then she couldn't figure out what to do with them, so instead they clasped and unclasped each other as if in constant need of touch and reassurance.

As if she reading her thoughts, Joy took Seulgi's shaking hand in hers, "Everything's going to be okay," she gave her a reassuring smile. Seulgi gave her a small nod and took a deep breath, "Where's Haetnim?" she asked, trying to avert the bad thoughts that started flooding her mind.

"She's in the room next to the kitchen," Joy pointed with with her eyes, "My parents don't want her running around the whole house. She's pretty naughty," they giggled.

"Sooyoung!" both girls turned their heads to see Joy's father behind them. Joy smiled and stood up for a hug.

"How are you? Have you been eating? You look thinner."

"I'm good, dad. I've been eating well."

Seulgi also stood up and greeted Mr. Park with a bow.

"Hello to you too, Seulgi," he offered a hand and Seulgi shook it gently. They all settled down on the two couches, right when Mrs. Park came back with three cups of tea. The girls thanked her and waited for her to settle down too.

It was time. Joy could hear Seulgi gulp. Both her parents were sitting across them, eyeing them like hawks, making them ten times more nervous.

"So, what brings you here, ladies?" her father started. Seulgi looked at Joy with eyes that cried for help, as if she was saying 'please talk' or more like 'please answer all their questions quickly because I'm going to lose it'. Either way Joy took the message.

"It's been sometime since I visited you. I also wanted to see Haetnim, I missed her a lot."

Her mother nodded, "What about you, Seulgi? Last time we saw you was many months ago."

Seulgi opened but no sound came out. She gave Joy another panicked look.

'Help!'

Joy could read her like an open book.

"Um, Seulgi has been very busy this year. Lots of solo schedules," Joy explained, and it wasn't a lie. Seulgi had, indeed, been very busy this year, especially with photo shoots.

"Ah, I see," her mother hummed.

The room fell silent after that. Whenever Joy visited her parents, they always had something to talk about, they would talk for hours and hours about everything and anything. This time felt different, though. Something was off. Maybe it was because of Seulgi's presence or maybe because of their nervousness. Could her parents tell they were nervous? She hoped not. The young girl took the cup of tea her mother had left on the coffee table and drunk a long sip. As it turned out, she couldn't drink away the silence.

"Is everything okay?" Mrs. Park asked after a few awkward minutes of silence. Seulgi hadn't looked away from the floor in what seemed forever which made Joy very concerned. She hoped the girl wouldn't start crying like she usually did when she was under pressure.

Joy couldn't stand watching her girlfriend suffer like that, so she decided to make this quick. Her hand found Seulgi's, rubbing it softly with her thumb. The motion didn't go unnoticed by her parents.

"Yes, everything's great. Listen, there's a reason why I brought Seulgi with me today," Joy started bravely and Seulgi's breath hitched, "We wanted you to know that..." Joy's heart was about to jump out of her chest. Sh