[Special Chapter] The Seulgi Effect

Strawberries&Cigarettes
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I was having a hard time preparing for the test and this suddenly came into mind. So it was a nice way to relieve the ache in my head :') Hope you enjoy this, S&C enthusiasts! :D

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Joohyun was never interested in science or psychology.

But there was one theory she pursued.

She called it 'The Seulgi Effect'.

It was very valid because she experienced it dozens of times.

Like how she managed to make her heart skip a beat regardless of time and distance.

 

 

Effect #1. It never gets tiring to see her face.

 

Seulgi still had about a month left before packing up but she had to leave about a week earlier than the younger because of her volunteer work and school project.

'Why don't they ever give you a break?' Seulgi had protested, leaning on the door looking around Joohyun's tidy room which seemed more empty than usual because half of her stuff was packed in several cardboard boxes.

Seulgi hated being whiny so Joohyun knew how much the younger didn't want her to go. The long-distance relationship was hard enough. Thinking Joohyun's college forced them to shorten their time together also made her upset.

But time didn't stop and ticked away even when the day Joohyun had to leave finally came.

Seulgi had insisted on accompanying her but the fates were cruel to make it the same day as her great grandmother's birthday.

Poor Seulgi looked like she was ready to cry before she said goodbye so Joohyun had to spend half an hour trying to coax her that this is never the last time they'll see each other again.

'You don't want your crying face to be the last face I'll see before leaving, right?' Joohyun had said and that was enough for Seulgi to stop and smile for her.

And Wendy, who had been watching them in her car, shook her head vaguely as Joohyun opened the car door before waving at the younger goodbye for how many times.

"Took you long enough," Wendy muttered but Joohyun ignored her, fastening her seatbelt as she waved at the younger again making Wendy start the engine.

Joohyun stared out the window and craned her neck even though that didn't help her look at the figure that became a mere dot as the car drove further away from Seulgi who kept waving.

And when Joohyun finally tore her gaze from outside, she opened the sun visor, rummaged through her bag and pulled out a photo with just enough size to stick it right beside the mirror.

Wendy didn't have to chance a glance to know who was the girl in the photo.

"You know this is MY car, right?" Wendy said with a snort, shooting Joohyun a look.

"She can't come with me so this is the only way I can feel like she's here," Joohyun said with a pout which only made Wendy snort louder.

"Why not stick her photo on a more.. oh I don't know, meaningful place?" The driver asked sarcastically.

"Don't worry," Joohyun said, brushing off Wendy's hint of annoyance in her tone.

"I have plenty of photos."

 

And when Seulgi had found out her girlfriend was keeping hundreds of photos of herself on the older's phone gallery, she had inspected her girlfriend's phone to make sure there were no photos that Joohyun could use to blackmail her.

"What's wrong?" Joohyun asked, noticing the evident frown on Seulgi's face.

"Nothing," Seulgi squinted her eyes, staring down at the screen in such concentration Joohyun was afraid the younger might be into her phone.

"It's just that.." Seulgi sniffed. "What is the difference between these photos?"

Joohyun blinked and tried to take a peek at the gallery Seulgi was looking at.

"It's almost like I'm playing 'Find the hidden picture'," Seulgi said, leaning closer to Joohyun to show her where she was looking.

"But they are all different!" Joohyun claimed as she pointed at one of the pictures.

"In this one you are smiling more widely than the previous one. And you see how your cheeks are more tinted pink?"

"...Okay?" Seulgi replied, raising an eyebrow.

"And this one," Joohyun pointed at another picture that looked the same as the other one to Seulgi. "This one shows the moment right before you smile. The way your lips widen a little and how your eyes crinkle."

"I see." But Seulgi wasn't paying attention at all. She was too busy staring at the older, with her neck resting on her palm and just enough eyesight to let her eyes bore into Joohyun's face, admiring how excited she looked and trying to remember the exact expression so that maybe she can find the difference of Joohyun's expression one day.

"Why are you staring at me?" Joohyun, who finished her long explanation of the photos that were hardly different, asked in confusion.

"It just amazes me," Seulgi said with a small grin. "I feel like a piece of art that many artists admire."

"Don't be so smug about it," Joohyun grumbled but Seulgi knew she was just shy by the way she kept averting her eyes, trying to change the topic.

"You know, I never really liked the way I looked," Seulgi said after a short silence which made Joohyun meet her eyes in awe.

"What? Why?"

"I just didn't like having no double eyelids," Seulgi said as she rubbed her cheeks. "And I don't like the way my cheeks puff up when I smile."

"But.. But I like that." Joohyun said as if Seulgi announced she was going to do plastic surgery.

"I know," Seulgi said, trying not to laugh out loud by how Joohyun resembled a helpless puppy. "What I mean to say is, I didn't like them before but,"

"But?" Joohyun asked hopefully and Seulgi gave Joohyun's hand a gentle squeeze with a smile.

"I think I like them now."

 

 

Effect #2. You can never stay away from your phone.

 

Joohyun always kept her phone in two places.

Right beside her or in her grasp.

She was always lazy at replying to texts with her friends because well, how could she not when Joy asked her every two hours about what clothes she should buy?

She would unconsciously sneak a glance at her phone every five minutes, feeling a little disappointed by the black blank screen and would jump on it whenever it vibrated.

And one time she found her actions incredibly humiliating when she was with her friend Yongsun at the cafe. She literally jumped at her phone when it finally vibrated(which only did when Seulgi sent a message), making her almost collapse because her eagerness was enough for her to leave the chair.

'Well, someone is desperate." Yongsun had replied, raising an eyebrow and Joohyun had blushed in embarrassment.

So she had decided to set her phone in silent mode, hoping this will able her to be less 'desperate'.

But of course, it didn't work. It made her more desperate.

She would tap the screen dozens of times enough to leave her fingerprint on the screen, thinking maybe her old phone had failed to function properly.

And her 'desperate' behavior became worse when Seulgi called.

Seulgi liked calling her at the most random moments which was always a n

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MeloMera
I don't have a twitter account anymore but thankfully I saw a pleasant surprise today when I went back to my account for the last time :)
Thank you @dinniebur for liking this fic so much! I'm very happy&grateful that you enjoyed it :) your reactions about each chapter made my day haha

Comments

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hollyhunterey
#1
One of the best.. Thank you very much 💕
Kylie_123 #2
Rereading !!! Kasi gusto ko kiligin ulit 💗💗💗
Jensoo4everlove #3
Chapter 59: I LOVED THIS SO SO MUCH 😭❤ And thankyou so so much Author for taking out time to write such a masterpiece!!! I really appreciate it!! But why can't I see the sequel? 🥺
sjaelister
#4
I just want to ask if this is the original version because I read this but it's the Ryeji version on wattpad huhuhu.
AnneTokki 34 streak #5
Chapter 59: 💓💓💓💛💛💛🫶
Revemid12
#6
Reading this masterpiece for the third time, is my comfort fic, let’s goo!
Oct_13_wen_03 25 streak #7
Chapter 49: reread❤❤
serenedipitea
#8
Chapter 20: this chapter made me cry. the angst!!!
Seul_rene14 #9
Chapter 59: Am I the only one who won't get to read the sequel?🥺😭
gcpt21 #10
Chapter 49: This fic is so beautiful thank you so much author ily