Chapter 7: The Almost Storm

“Can you grab my bag, unnie? I’m late already,” Wheein groaned, tying the laces on her sneakers and brushing a hand through her hair with a huff. She stood, accepting her bag from Yongsun’s outstretched hand and giving it a subtle squeeze in thanks.

“Do you need me to pick you up later?” Yong asked quietly, and Wheein shook her head, taking in the subtle dark circles under the woman’s eyes and the way her shoulders drooped subconsciously.

“Rest, okay? And eat a proper meal?” Wheein requested, squeezing the woman’s arm and tucking her hair behind her ear. She supposed it was their version of public kiss. Yongsun nodded with a small smile and bit the inside of her cheek.

“I want to-“

“I know, me too,” Wheein sighed, looking around at the bustling dressing room and settled for hugging the woman goodbye instead of kissing her. “I’ll text you later.” Wheein left with a wave to the rest of their team still packing up from the night’s concert and hurried out of the building, refusing to think about where she was going in case her brain convinced her to turn around.

It didn’t take long to reach the quiet bar they’d agreed to meet at, Wheein waving the taxi driver goodbye and shoving her hands deep into her pockets as she was faced with the icy night breeze. She pulled open the door and to the familiar building and greeted the owner with a soft smile.

“Wheein-ah, nice to see you,” The woman grinned, giving the girl a quick hug before leading her to her usual table. “Are you meeting someone?”

“Yeah, they should be here any minute. How have you been, unnie?” Wheein asked, taking off her coat as she settled into the booth in the back corner of the bar, the table littered with soft burning candles and plants strewn across the darkened window beside her.

“Good. Although Joohyun’s been driving me mad lately. She thinks we need a bigger house but I told her there’s no point when it’s just us and the dog,” the woman sighed and Wheein laughed.

“You agreed to let her get the puppy? Yah, you’re so whipped, Seulgi-unnie,” Wheein teased, enjoying the way the woman hit her arm and let out a sigh.

“Shut up. Are you gonna order anything or are you just here to make fun of me all night?” Seulgi groaned and Wheein smiled goofily at the girl.

“The usual, please. Plus an extra beer,” Wheein said, blowing the woman a kiss dramatically as she left to tend to Wheein’s request. Wheein looked around, noting the various couples seated around the bar, the soft pulse of music playing from the speakers masking most of the chatter. Her eyes drifted to the door, noting a woman looking flustered and confused as she entered the building. Wheein could tell that face anywhere. She let the woman’s eyes search the room, only offering a small wave when their eyes locked. The woman hurried over.

“Sorry I’m late. The traffic was awful and I maybe got a little lost too,” the woman admitted, her cheeks flushed pink as she took a seat across from Wheein and let out a relieved breath. Wheein, wide eyed and unnerved, just nodded in response. “Have you been waiting long?”

Wheein shook her head. “I was a little late too so it’s okay,” Wheein said, trying to calm her heart with each word she spoke, thankful for Seulgi’s appearance and the drinks she set down. “I got you a beer? I…I didn’t know what you like…” Wheein said awkwardly.

“You didn’t have to,” Nayeon said, offering a small smile in thanks at Seulgi who nodded back and retreated to the safety of her bar. “But thank you,” she said, eyes boring into Wheein’s, making the girl increasingly uncomfortable with the attention, before shaking her head as though she were breaking a trance. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be creepy, it’s just weird seeing you again in person.”

“Ditto,” Wheein said, taking a long, slow drink of her beer and soju cocktail, eyes subtly tracing over the woman in front of her. She had changed a little with age, but she still looked very much like the Nayeon she knew years ago. Her hair was a lighter brown, her cheeks a little slimmer, her eyes coupled with faint laughter lines, but her strong sense of self was still there, present in the way she sat upright, as though subconsciously demanding to be seen, her lips still stretching into that same heart-stopping grin she’d worn throughout middle school. “Do you still live in Jeonju?”

Nayeon shook her head, folding her arms on the table and leaning forward slightly. “I’m actually living in China right now,” the woman said. “I was just home for a little healing time.”

“Ah. Why do you live in China?” Wheein asked, surprising herself with how calm she was now, having prepared herself all week to not burst out in rage at the thought of all the awfulness Nayeon had subjected her to in the past. It was strange. Maybe she had grown up.

“Work. I’m acting in a movie, it’s crazy how it happened really. One minute I was-“ Nayeon cut herself off, running a hand through her hair, an embarrassed chuckle leaving her lips. “Sorry. I told myself I wouldn’t make this about me. Anyway, I owe you an apology before anything else,” Nayeon said quietly, gulping when she was met with Wheein’s blank expression. “I’m really sorry for everything that happened. Truly. I wish I didn’t do what I did, I wish I never stopped being your friend, I wish I-“

Wheein raised a hand, silencing the rambling woman in front of her. “I…I’ve thought about it a lot too. But if you hadn’t done any of it, I wouldn’t have become as close to Hyejin, and we probably wouldn’t have left Jeonju together. I don’t like to think of what could have been, because I don’t like the thought of not having this life,” Wheein said seriously, tracing absentminded patterns on the condensation on her glass. “I’m not gonna get mad at you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“But you should, Wheein. I was so awful to you, and Hyejin for that matter.”

“We got over it. Well, I did at least. I can’t guarantee that Hyejin won’t want to strangle you if you meet again, but you know how she is.” Wheein laughed at the thought, and Nayeon shook her head in amusement.

“I’d gladly take the attempted murder if it helped her feel better. How is she?”

“She’s good. Happy, for the most part.”

“And you?”

Wheein thought for a moment, flitting through the array of emotions she had been feeling lately before settling on one that felt warm and cosy and turned the tips of her ears pink. “I’m happy too,” She said, failing to hide the bashful smile on her face.

“Yah, who’s got you smiling like that? I know that look,” Nayeon said, her eyes glinting with mischief, leaning her chin onto her palm as she waited for an answer. Wheein shook her head.

“Nope. I’m not telling you,” Wheein sing-songed, trying not to think about how quickly they had fallen into a familiar sense of ease with eachother. “We haven’t even talked about my dad yet, anyway,” Wheein said, thankful that Nayeon wasn’t tempted to press her any further, instead choosing to take a swig of beer and sigh.

“God, I know he’s your dad and everything, but I really ing hate that man,” Nayeon uttered, her face morphing into a deep frown. Wheein nodded in agreement.

“So…what happened?”

“The usual. He was drunk around town the other night and my Dad saw him while he was going to work, he was hanging out by the harbour, you know the place where we used to camp out?” Nayeon said and Wheein nodded, trying not to remember those nights spent together, full of laughter and a little too much affection. “Well my Dad was getting ready to take the boat out when he saw him slip and fall into the river…he got him out and took him to the hospital because he was so out of it and…well, when they woke up and told him what happened, instead of thanking my Dad he…he told him about what had happened. Between us.” Nayeon bit her lip, watching Wheein’s face intently and trying to work out what she was thinking.

“So that’s why you didn’t just tell my Mom what had happened? Because of what he said?”

Nayeon nodded. “I-it’s not like I’m ashamed or anything like before,” Nayeon said, and Wheein couldn’t help but wince at the girl’s wording. It was still unpleasant to hear she had been the cause of someone’s shame. “I mean, I just didn’t want to tell her something you didn’t want her to know. I’d already wrecked your life enough, y’know?”

Wheein nodded slowly, understanding Nayeon’s reasoning. “She knows everything, so you shouldn’t have worried.”

“Everything?”

“Yep.” Wheein said, pausing to down the rest of her drink. “But I appreciate you trying to be sensitive. I’m just sorry my Dad did that.”

Nayeon groaned. “Wheein-ah how many times do I have to remind you that nothing your Dad does is even remotely your responsibility? And anyway, my Dad didn’t respond as awfully as I thought he would. I’m just worried that your Dad’s going to tell the whole town and it’ll get out. I don’t want to be the cause for any more drama in your life.”

Wheein sighed, disliking that she was finding herself right back where she was mere months ago, only now her Dad had not only wrongfully taken Yongsun’s money, but was now set out to ruin more than just her own life. “I don’t know what to do anymore,” Wheein frowned, gulping down the panic in . “I don’t know what there’s left to do besides beat him to it.”

“Beat him to it? You mean…tell people before he gets the chance to?” Nayeon asked seriously, and Wheein shrugged helplessly.

“My…friend made up a contract and paid him, but he just took the money and kept being awful anyway.”

“Your ‘friend’?” Nayeon asked, her eyebrows raising playfully, making Wheein shake her head and avoid her mischievous gaze. “Wait, what sort of contract?”

“I don’t know the legal terms, but he just signed and then disappeared with the money and-“

“He signed? Do you have the details of the contract?”

Wheein shook her head. “Why?”

“I…my husband’s a lawyer, he might be able to help.”

Wheein’s titled her head in a mix of shock and confusion, her eyes suddenly drawn to the flashy diamond on the girl’s left hand. “You’re married?”

“Yeah I’m a wife or whatever, that’s not the point. We might be able to solve your Daddy issues for good,” Nayeon said, unable to stop herself from laughing at her own choice of words. Wheein shook her head in both disbelief and embarrassment that the girl in front of her had somehow managed to make a joke in such a dire situation. But still, she found herself agreeing to let Nayeon try, agreeing to meet up again with the girl who had broken her heart years ago, allowing the woman to hug her goodbye with a promise to text her later. Out of all the scenarios Wheein had played over in her head for the past seven days, not once did the night end like this.

Wheein reached Yongsun’s apartment in no time, arms heavy with the bags she was carrying and ascending the steps with a tired yet excited grin. She hadn’t been able to spend any real quality time with the woman lately besides the rehearsals and concerts they’d been doing for the past week, and despite knowing she told the woman to rest, Wheein couldn’t fight the urge to visit her, especially after the weird night she’d had.

Wheein reached the familiar hallway leading to Yong’s apartment, pushed the buttons on the keypad beside the door and pushed it open, not seeing the point of knocking first since the older woman always scolded her for being so polite. She slipped her shoes off at the door and was met with the dark hallway, a small glow from the tv in the living room luckily lighting her way as she made her way into the kitchen, setting the bags on the counter with a sigh. She’d be lying if she said she was disappointed that Yongsun hadn’t listened to her and gotten some rest, instead finding herself shaking her head at the woman’s stubborn nature. She scanned the empty kitchen and living room, about to call out for Yong when she heard the familiar sound of the woman talking to herself coming from her bedroom.

“You’re weird,” Wheein said with an amused grin as she leaned against the doorframe of Yong’s room, enjoying the startled sound Yong made, and the relief that washed over her once she realised who the intruder was.

“Yah! I swear I’m going to have an actual heart attack one of these days,” Yongsun said, clutching her chest dramatically and breathing obnoxiously.

“A heart attack from being so happy to see me, right?” Wheein said, eyes wide and feigning innocence, paired with a wide, toothy grin which made her nose scrunch up. Yong shook her head in disbelief.

“How can you make me both disgusted and enamoured at the same time?”

“It’s one of my many talents,” Wheein said, walking over to where Yong was and hopping onto the woman’s bed happily. “Buy me one of these?”

“One of what?” Yong asked, sitting on the bed and looking down at Wheein.

“These beds. I need one, it’s so comfy,” Wheein sighed, snuggling further into the covers and breathing in deeply, instantly feeling satisfaction wash over her body at the scent of freshly laundered sheets mixed subtly with something very familiarly Yong.

“Move over,” Yong said, not waiting for the girl to move and shoving her over to the edge of the bed, then lying down next to her. Side by side, shoulders touching and staring up at the ceiling, both girls felt peaceful with each other, listening to their synchronised breathing. “How did it go with Nayeon?”

Wheein rolled onto her side, head propped up on her arm and looking down at Yong with an uneasy expression. “It was weird. I didn’t hate her like I thought I would,” Wheein admitted, using her free hand to brush the woman’s hair from her eyes.

“Why do you seem nervous about that?” She reached up to smooth out the slight frown on Wheein’s face, running her thumb soothingly across her cheek, smiling when Wheein leaned further into her touch.

“I’m not nervous, just confused I guess. It’s like all the she did back then melted away when I saw her, and I could only think about the good things.”

“The good things…like when you liked her?” Yong asked quietly, treading carefully in a way she hadn’t needed to before.

“I mean, a little. She was the same, I think that’s what caught me off-guard. I didn’t expect her to be like how she was before we got caught, y’know?” Wheein said. Yong nodded slowly. She was a unsure of what to think, of what Wheein meant, what to say.

“Will you see her again?” Yong didn’t know where the plainness in her voice came from, her eyes stuck on Wheein’s face, like she was looking for something. When Wheein nodded her head, Yong gulped.

“She thinks she might know a way to end this situation with my Dad once and for all, it’s good news right unnie?” Wheein said, scrunching up her nose in a way that made Yong’s heart ache. No matter what she was feeling, it was undeniable that Wheein would always find a way to make her feel something magic. “I want you to come with me next time, if that’s ok? I need to bring your contract too.”

“You want me to meet her?” Yong asked, feeling more at ease the more she watched Wheein’s features contort into eagerness and excitement.

“Of course. I want you to be there for everything, especially since you’re the dummy who gave the idiot all that money,” Wheein said teasingly, punctuating her joke with a gentle kiss pressed against Yongsun’s cheek. “Thank you for trying, though,” Wheein whispered into Yong’s ear, making the girl squirm from the act.

“Don’t be cute,” Yong whined, draping an arm across Wheein’s stomach and pulling her closer despite her words. “Can’t you see I was trying to be jealous over here?” Yong said, words muffled as she spoke into Wheein’s chest. Wheein let out a loud laugh.

“Jealous? Of what? Nayeon?” Wheein asked, Yong nodding against her chest once, her face hidden by a curtain of hair. “Yah, you think I would dare have thoughts of that nature about anyone other than my one and only leader?” Wheein knew she deserved the punch that landed on her arm for that one.

“Don’t make fun of me. You sounded like you wanted to marry her,” Yong said with a pout, and Wheein let out a sigh.

“It’s not like that. I felt something when I saw her, but nothing close to how I feel about you. It was more like…like I was happy that I could look at her and know that she held no power over me anymore.”

“Promise? Promise you won’t marry her?” Yong asked, looking up at Wheein with a serious expression. Wheein held in the laugh threatening to escape at the sight of the woman’s puffy cheeks and pouting lips, instead choosing to cup the woman’s face in her hands and giving her a sweet, chaste kiss.

“I promise I won’t marry her,” Wheein said with a smile. “I never knew you could be so clingy.”

Yong shrugged, her boldness returning once more, and leaned up to give Wheein another kiss, this one much slower and careful, as if the woman was trying to lull her into a trance of staying with her forever. “I just like you a lot,” she said, pulling away slightly, her words vibrating against Wheein’s lips and making the younger girl crinkle her nose at the weird feeling.

“Oh! You’re gonna like me even more now. Or less actually, since it’s probably all gone cold,” Wheein said, jumping off Yong’s bed and offering her hand to the woman who took it with a frown. “I brought food,” Wheein explained. “And yes, there’s tteokbokki, even though I wanted to die when I was ordering it. I swear your body is like 2% water and 98% tteokbokki at this point,” Wheein sighed, shaking her head. Yongsun only clung more tightly only Wheein’s arm and leaned up to plant a quick kiss on the girl’s cheek.

“Wah, you’re the best,” Yong said, eyes lighting up at the sight of the bags on her kitchen counter. Wheein giggled.

“I knew you wouldn’t listen to me when I told you to rest earlier, but for once I’m glad you didn’t,” Wheein said, pulling various containers from one of the bags and Yong laughed.

“Why?”

“Because maybe I might’ve missed you a tiny bit this past week,” Wheein mumbled and she felt Yong wrap her arms around her waist and rest her head on her shoulder. It was quiet apart from the hum of the microwave as it heated Yong’s food and Wheein let herself take in the calmness of the moment, of the dull thumping of Yong’s heart against her back, of the way the girl’s breathing matched her own, of the warmth of the woman’s body surrounding her. “Everything will be alright, won’t it?”

Yongsun let out a content sigh at the hopefulness in Wheein’s voice. “Yes,” she said with a confidence that made her sound as though she held all the answers of the universe in that perfectly round head of hers. Yongsun turned the girl in her arms around to face her, placing a hand on each of Wheein’s shoulders and grinning softly, then leaning forward so their heads were touching, breath mingling, smiles matching. “Everything’s going to be alright, Wheeinie.” And just like that, the strange weight that had been sitting on Wheein’s chest began to lessen gradually, slowly, until it melted away into nothing and was replaced with something warmer, something familiar, something that felt a lot like hope and a little like…love?