If it wasn’t for Heejin, Hyunjin would probably have gone mad that week. It was incredible how a simple hug or listening to Heejin’s voice, while sitting beside each other on the couch, could refill Hyunjin’s energy gauge. 

But at last, Friday arrived, and with it, Hyunjin’s last exam. She felt like screaming as she stepped outside the school gates, excitement moving her muscles towards home to relax a bit before going to the party. 

“Hyunjin,” Heejin called from the other side of her door. “You ready? They must be arriving.” 

No, because she was having a breakdown about what she should wear. 

“Almost!” 

It was a party in Jinsol’s house, why was she giving it so much thought? Hurrying, she pulled up her comfortable black jeans, put on her light pink blouse, then grabbed her leather jacket and rushed outside her room.  

Heejin stood by the kitchen counter, drinking a glass of water. She was wearing that same white shirt Hyunjin remembered from that night, but with ripped jeans this time, and with her hair down and decorated with delicate waves. She really looked amazing in whatever she put on. 

Hyunjin’s phone buzzed on her hand, breaking her moment of beauty appreciation. “They’re here.” 

Jinsol and Jungeun (and Jiwoo, she was already with them) offered to pick them up, as long as they helped them buy food and drinks for the party. Hyunjin didn’t think twice – that way she could guarantee there was some kind of bread.  

Lots of people filled the living room of their spacious house. Music played in the sound system, people’s bellies were full, or not if you’re Kim Hyunjin, and now full glasses were raised in the air, along with cheers after singing Jinsol happy birthday. She blew the candles, and Jungeun scooped whipped cream from the cake, splashing it on Jinsol’s cheek. While everyone laughed, Hyunjin frowned in terror. 

“How could you do that to the cake, Kim Jungeun! The poor cake didn’t deserve to go on Jinsol’s face!” Jiwoo yelled, grabbing her wrists to stop her from starting a food war, while Jungeun whined, you party pooper! 

Hyunjin took a deep breath with a hand on her chest. If there was something she couldn’t handle watching it was people wasting food like that. 

“Thank you, Jiwoo.” Jinsol cleaned her face, ignoring her girlfriend and friend’s bickering. 

The party went on, with music louder than before and everyone dancing. Hyunjin sat for a bit - she really needed to work on her stamina - and couldn’t stop smiling, watching Heejin have the time of her life, dancing like there was no tomorrow. Then, she remembered her gift for Jinsol. She fetched the box from her bag and approached her. 

“I was starting to think you didn’t get me anything.” Jinsol laughed. 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes and opened the box, revealing something that looked like a small statue of a sunken ship. 

“It’s for Soul,” Jinsol’s blue betta. “Her aquarium looks too dull, so I thought that would look good and she’ll like it.” 

“Hyunjin, it’s my birthday, not Soul’s.”  

“Fine, next time I won’t give you anything.” Hyunjin crossed her arms. 

“I’m kidding.” Jinsol laughed, pulling Hyunjin into a hug. “I really liked it, thank you. Tomorrow I’ll set it up and send you a pic.” 

“You better.” 

“Oh, and there’s something I have to tell you. I have a student!” 

Hyunjin frowned, then it clicked. “For your private piano lessons?” Jinsol nodded, a grin plastered on her lips. “Oh wow, that’s amazing, congrats!” 

“Thank you, I’m so excited and nervous. It’s a young girl, I hope I can teach her well.” 

“I’m sure you will, but I’m not so sure about your skill to deal with kids.” Hyunjin took a sip of her drink she didn’t quite know what was, but it was sweet. 

Jinsol glared at her. “What do you take me for? I’m great with kids, and I’ll be an awesome teacher.” 

“Your confidence came back pretty fast.” 

“It never left.”  

They laughed and Jungeun called Jinsol, so Hyunjin was left alone. She looked around and spotted Heejin talked to a taller girl she didn’t know. She went back to sit for a bit more, finishing her drink. 

“Mind if I sit with you?” 

Hyunjin looked up at the smiling Jiwoo and nodded at her, moving so she gave her more space to sit. “Actually, let me refill our glasses,” she said, stealing Hyunjin’s from her hand. She came back and sat beside her. “Enjoying the party?” 

“Yeah, what about you?” 

“Absolutely! Sooyoung is chatting with Heekkie, and since you were alone, I thought I should keep you some company.” 

“Oh, that’s Sooyoung,” Hyunjin mumbled, stealing another glance at them. “She’s really pretty.” 

For a moment, Jiwoo’s head slowly tilted to her side and her eyes, fixed on Sooyoung, seemed to glisten as she let out a sigh. “Tell me about it.” 

Hyunjin couldn’t help the small smile forming on her lips, observing how adorably in love Jiwoo looked.  

Jiwoo snapped out of her daze and turned back to Hyunjin. 

“Hyunjin! I wanted to tell you something.” 

Hyunjin looked at Jiwoo, and for the first time since she knew her, her face was serious. She gulped and her heart shot in less than a second. 

“G-Go ahead.” 

“I wanted to thank you for what you’ve been doing for Heejin,” Jiwoo said, and Hyunjin couldn’t stop her eyebrows from rising. She even dropped the nickname this time. “Even though she had suffered at home since she was just a child, she still was a very energetic, bright, and outgoing person when I met her in her first year of high school. But since all the fights with her mother, then being kicked out and her first experience living with other people, all of that took a toll on her. That Heejin I knew was slowly replaced by an insecure, depressed Heejin, and it worried me I could do nothing but be there for her when she needed. But since she moved in with you, the old Heejin started resurfacing. It’s all thanks to you, Hyunjin, so, thank you. I’m glad you two met, you love each other and bring out the best in one another.” 

Hyunjin blinked, eyes locked on Jiwoo. She opened , but didn’t know what to say. 

“W-What did you just say?” She blurted, almost regretting it, but then Jiwoo smiled. “L-L----” 

“I said nothing.” Jiwoo pretended to look away as she smiled.  

“So was I that obvious that day?” Hyunjin asked. 

“Heejin probably already told you my relationship with Sooyoung is a little uncommon, but I still know what jealousy looks like.” Jiwoo placed a hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “I felt really sorry for making you feel like that, but you’re clearly a good person, Hyunjin. Even though I hurt you, you still welcomed me in your house and treated me well.” 

“Oh, uh, nothing like that! It wasn’t any of my business, and of course I wasn’t going to hold it against you or something. You’re clearly a great friend for Heejin. Thank you, too.” 

“Either way, I’m really sorry. From that day on, and going forward, I promise to respect your feelings for Heejin and won’t be doing that again as long as you feel uncomfortable.” Jiwoo extended her a hand with a raised pinky. 

“No, it’s really not about me. You don’t have to say those things. We’re not even dating, I don’t have that right.” Hyunjin waved her hands in front of her. 

“So when you do date, I promise I won’t do anything to get in the way. Yes?” 

Hyunjin beamed and took Jiwoo’s pinky promise. 

“Thank you again, Jiwoo. You’re also a really good person.” 

“No need to thank me!” Jiwoo let go of her pinky and grabbed her hand instead. “I hope in the future we can become great friends too!” 

“Of course!” Hyunjin squeezed her hand. “Hey, I think Jungeun’s calling you, by the way.” 

Jiwoo looked back and stood up. “Right! I’ll see you later, Hyunjin!”  

Hyunjin finally felt like she could let her guard down around Jiwoo. Before, she might have been intimidated by her energetic and happy aura, a vibe Hyunjin didn’t have and she thought made her uninteresting in comparison.  

But that didn’t make sense. Jiwoo and Heejin weren’t interested in each other that way, and there was no competition other than the one she made up in her head. 

And that was a night to have fun, relax after her stressful exam week, and above all, celebrate Jinsol’s birthday. 

But how could she relax when she remembered the hints Jiwoo dropped? 

When you date? Love each other? 

The room felt too loud all of a sudden, or maybe it was just all the thoughts ringing in her head. She drank all the liquid in her glass in one sit and stood up.  

She slid the glass door open and stepped outside to the backyard, the summer night breeze greeting her. There was no one there, since it was still quite early and everyone was dancing inside.  

Hyunjin sat down on the grass and looked up, at the dark sky decorated with its bright stars. The moon looked beautiful, just a couple nights away from being full. The words kept echoing in her ears, like Jiwoo was still beside her, alongside the question – what did it mean? Hyunjin scoffed. It was pretty obvious what they meant. Jiwoo wouldn’t say that if she didn’t know anything for sure.  

It was time to overcome her fears. 

Through the corner of her eyes, Hyunjin noticed someone sitting beside her. A smile crept on her lips before she even turned around. 

“Bored?”  

“No, just felt like getting some air. It's a beautiful night.” 

Heejin hummed. At last, Hyunjin turned her neck, and suddenly the night became ordinary.  

“I’ve been talking to Sooyoung.” 

“I saw you two.” 

Heejin met her eyes and smiled. “I’m gonna join.” 

Hyunjin’s heart thumped harder. “Join what?” 

“The dance academy.” 

“For real?” 

Heejin nodded, her smile becoming a grin. A wave of happiness hit Hyunjin so hard she felt her eyes getting warmer, but she fought it back and hugged her instead. 

“You have no idea how happy that makes me feel,” Hyunjin whispered, her fingers brushing her hair. 

“Hyunjin,” she called, sending a chill down her back, and pulled away to stare straight at her eyes. “I don’t think I can ever thank you enough. Not only for this, but for everything. I don’t think you understand how much you’ve done for me.” 

Maybe Hyunjin didn’t, but she also didn’t mind. All she wanted was to keep doing everything she could to see Heejin happy, to keep seeing her beautiful smile.  

Not knowing what to answer, the silence invited Hyunjin to sing. An attempt to convey the feelings she wanted so bad to let Heejin know about, so, never breaking the gaze, she let the melody and words she wrote for Heejin leave her lips. 

“Remember when you said you would love it if someone wrote a song about you?” Hyunjin asked, but Heejin kept silent, eyes never leaving Hyunjin’s. “Well, someone has.” 

The silence dragged for a few seconds. Then, a touch, soft as kitten fur, rested on Hyunjin’s neck, burning the skin under it. 

“It would if someone showed up right now and ruined the moment, wouldn’t it?” Heejin stole a glance at her lips.  

For each passing second, for each inch Heejin came closer, the faster and harder Hyunjin’s heart hammered her chest.  

And Hyunjin knew that if they came this close again, she wouldn’t be able to push back anymore. But in the end, Hyunjin was still a coward, because Heejin was the one to pull her in. 

Their lips ghosted over each other, but when Heejin’s moved against hers, a jolt pulsed and ran all over Hyunjin’s body. A sensation she could never describe, feelings she could never put in words.  

For a second, Hyunjin thought her chest would rip apart, and blocked from the overwhelming fire burning her insides. She forgot how to breathe, or it was the intensity of the kiss that was preventing her from doing so. 

Heejin pulled away, and fearing it all was but a dream, Hyunjin held on her shoulder. She opened her eyes, and there she was, as vivid as the kiss had been.  

“You kissed me,” Hyunjin said, because she still had to be sure. 

Heejin chuckled, her nails lightly scratching Hyunjin’s neck. “Yes.” 

“Can you do it again?” 

With a smirk, Heejin approached, stopping when she couldn’t. “No,” she whispered, backing away. “You come and do it.” 

Hyunjin’s head spun, and before she could faint, she cupped Heejin’s cheeks and complied to her request, knowing it would be, from this day forward, another request from Heejin she would and could never deny. 

Heejin rested her forehead on Hyunjin’s, keeping her eyes closed and leaning into Hyunjin’s touch. 

“I’m sorry it took us this long,” Heejin muttered. 

“Why are you apologizing? It was me who was always a coward.” 

“No, Hyunjin. Even if I ever thought I could have a chance, after that night with Jiwoo, I thought I had ruined everything. Even when we made up, I thought there was no turning back. Maybe I felt like I didn’t deserve you-” 

“Don’t you think I always thought it was my fault for the way I acted with you? I still feel bad about that, but we’re here now, and I...” Hyunjin took a deep breath, raising Heejin’s chin and making sure she opened her eyes. “I love you so much, Heejin. I don’t think you know how much, really.” 

“I think I do, because I love you just the same, Hyunjin. I’m so sorry I hurt you back then.” 

Hyunjin fixed a strand of hair behind her ear and rested her hand on her neck. “That doesn’t matter anymore, but even Jiwoo came to apologize.”  

“Jiwoo? Ah, for real...” Heejin chuckled, shaking her head, and Hyunjin frowned. “She came to me and said that I should know you were here outside, all by yourself, and you definitely looked like you needed some company.” 

“Looks like we have someone to thank, then.” 

“Later,” Heejin whispered, kissing her once more. Hyunjin surely wasn’t used to that, so it took her a couple seconds to react and melt into the kiss.  

For a second, or a minute, Hyunjin forgot where she was. Kissing Heejin felt like entering a whole new dimension, one she didn’t know about but was eager to explore. 

“What if we go home?” Hyunjin found herself asking, surprising even herself, but she knew the answer when Heejin smiled. 

--- 

The front door opened at last, because the hurry to get inside and resume their kiss made Hyunjin’s hands tremble. When she finally stepped inside, her body froze for a second, as she saw herself by her door, watching Heejin stumbling with Jiwoo, lips on hers. But when Heejin’s hands gripped on her waist and a smirk flashed on her lips before she closed her eyes, that vision no longer hurt, no longer bothered her.  

Because Hyunjin was the one stumbling with Heejin on their way to her room, because Hyunjin was the one Heejin kissed with so much love and passion and need, all while fingers dug on her hair, making Hyunjin’s knees weak. 

She still didn’t know how to process all the overwhelming feelings and sensations that traveled all through her body, but did that matter? When the door closed behind them and Heejin pulled away from their kiss to catch on her breath, all Hyunjin wanted was to make her breathing even faster. But it was her own breathing that got stuck on when Heejin opened the first button of her shirt, then the second, and Hyunjin couldn’t not gulp at the sight. 

“You are so beautiful,” she mumbled, watching as Heejin fully ed it, but kept it on, revealing enough to shut down Hyunjin’s functioning. She took a step closer, letting her hands slide inside, her fingertips barely brushing against her skin. “C-Can I?” 

“Don’t you think you’re taking too long already?”  

Hyunjin’s heart hurt her chest, but she complied, making her shirt slide down her arms, falling to the ground, and she wondered how many more times that same night she would think she had seen the most beautiful thing in the world. 

“You’re so cute.” Heejin giggled, and Hyunjin finally met her eyes. 

“Why?” 

Instead of answering, Heejin grabbed on the hem of Hyunjin’s sweater. 

“Oh, y-yeah, I should-” Hyunjin babbled, hurrying to take it off, but Heejin grabbed her hands. 

“Let me.” 

Heejin's words were but a request, another one Hyunjin would comply without a second thought.  She raised her arms, letting Heejin fling the piece of clothing above her head, and her eyes went shut when nails dug on her lower back and lips touched her neck. Hyunjin gripped on Heejin’s shoulders, an attempt to sustain her legs that wanted so bad to collapse. 

“You okay?” Heejin asked, cupping her cheeks now.  

“Yes.” 

Heejin smiled, hands outlining Hyunjin’s sides, until they reached her jeans. “Should I go on, then?”  

Hyunjin gulped, but nodded. She wouldn’t be a coward anymore. Because there was nothing she wanted more than to be with Heejin, to comply to every one of her requests, to show her how much she loved and wanted her. 

This time, Hyunjin didn’t just linger on the other side of the wall as she heard the breaths of the girl she loved and wouldn’t be able to have. This time, it would be her own breathing in sync with Heejin’s as they finally allowed each other to indulge in the burning passion they’d been holding back.  

Tonight, the wall standing between them had collapsed to nothing. 

---

A/N: I hope I didn't kill anyone with this ^-^ but hoorray, they're together! thank you Jiwoo

So, the next chapter will be the last one. I know, the story wasn't very long, but, on the good side, I'm on the last editing phase of my next fic. This time I'll be back with a long story, my second longest ever in fact! I'm gonna say it's Loona, but I won't reveal the main couple just yet keke c:

I'll see you on the last chapter! Thank you so much for your support ♥️