Yuqi watches Soyeon’s fingers type rapidly on her laptop, as they have been for the past few minutes, and then on the piano keyboard next to the laptop for hours prior. Long fingernails corn-yellow click against the keys, against the desk, against a pointed chin that angles itself up in the air when Soyeon’s deep in thought. 

Yuqi sighs, shifting where she is settled on the tiny couch in Soyeon's equally tiny office. She's sure the company has offered their group's leader a bigger office, considering how wildly successful they've grown as fully self-produced idols, credit fully given to Soyeon's songs. But no, she insists on being in this small cubicle, with a desk and couch and bookshelf all crammed together. There's nothing for Yuqi to do once she's done scrolling through her Twitter and Weibo feeds. There's just no space. 

Song Yuqi is: officially bored. 

She sighs again, hoping to draw Soyeon's attention. Her lamentations are drowned out by the tap-tap-tap of Soyeon working. How frustrating. This is not what she had planned for them for the holiday at all.

She waits for about two more seconds before trailing a finger down Soyeon’s spine, making the girl shiver. Soyeon spins around in her chair and yanks her headphones down. “Don’t do that,” she whines, hand instinctively reaching back to rub at where her spine still tingles.

Yuqi wants to laugh at the pout that creeps on Soyeon’s face. Dressed in an oversized tee and a baggy pair of sweatpants, Soyeon looks nothing like the fierce rapper she is onstage, especially when her face is free of make-up. Now she looks like a baby, with the exception of the long claws attached to the ends of her fingers that could probably poke someone’s eye out.

Jeon Soyeon, Yuqi thinks, is the master of duality. And Yuqi loves both sides of her to the moon and back, the charismatic performer who burns up the stage and the cute young woman who spends her nights at the studio, hard at work. 

But breaks need to be taken, too.

“Are you going to be done any time soon?” Yuqi complains. “We were supposed to go out for dinner, like, hours ago.”

“Hours?” Soyeon stares at her, confused, then hurriedly checks her phone. “Oh no, Yuqi, I’m sorry! Your booking…”

Yuqi shrugs nonchalantly. “Can’t be helped. I anticipated this anyway, and told them to give the table to another couple if we don’t show up.” Lying down on the couch, she whips out her phone and scrolls through a food app. “How about delivery?”

“Okay,” Soyeon mumbles. She does feel very apologetic, she really does, especially when she knows Yuqi went out of her way to book a table at a restaurant Soyeon wanted to try and had mentioned in passing. She doesn’t deserve Yuqi, she thinks. Not this beautiful woman who showers her with affection, not her eyes that twinkle with laughter and freckled cheeks split by a laugh, not by her ever-warm presence and comforting touches.

Soyeon should be giving Song Yuqi the world, but she can’t even remember to spare some time from work on a day when they should be resting.

“Yuqi, I’m sorry,” she repeats, voice small.

And Yuqi looks up with a reassuring grin, and she pats Soyeon’s knee. “It’s alright. What do you want to eat?”

“Anything you want.” Soyeon is more than willing, willing to give Yuqi anything she wants. Shutting her laptop behind her, she turns back to give her full attention to the Chinese girl. She plays with the string on Yuqi's hoodie, twirling it between her fingers. 

"Okay, done." Yuqi taps her screen and rolls around. She sends Soyeon a wink, reaching out to smooth Soyeon's short hair down. "I hope you're ready for some vegetarian food."

Soyeon freezes where she sits. "No, you didn't." 

"But I did?" Yuqi waves her phone, her smile teasing. Soyeon makes a grab for it, tumbling over Yuqi's body as she tries to take it away and check their dinner order. 

"You better have not, Song Yuqi-" 

"I'm joking, I'm joking!" Yuqi laughs breathlessly at Soyeon. She unlocks her phone and brandishes it at the girl currently straddling her. "Here, I got us tteokbokki and ice-cream."

Soyeon glances at the screen to confirm that, indeed, Yuqi did not order vegetables and that she is free from being tortured tonight. "Good."

"But anyway." Yuqi's is steadily gazing up at her, fingers letting go of the phone to dance up Soyeon's thighs, finding purchase on her waist. Her grin turns into a suggestive smirk as she digs into Soyeon's skin. "Looking up like this is a first."

If it were anyone else, Soyeon would immediately murder them for making such a blatant height joke. But this is Yuqi, and thus she knows exactly what the younger girl is talking about. Heat creeps into Soyeon's ears at the insinuation. "Yuqi, please!" she hisses. "We're still at the company!" 

"And?" 

"People might be listening!" 

"Soyeon, your office is soundproofed." Yuqi's hands slowly snake upwards. Soyeon actually has to slap her naughty hands away. She shuffles and hops off Yuqi, dislodging a box from Yuqi's pocket in the process. 

"What's that?" Soyeon leans down to pick it off the ground, but Yuqi swoops in and hides it back in her pocket before Soyeon can see. 

"Nothing."

See, now that's suspicious. Soyeon extends her hand, palm up. "Yuqi."

Yuqi fidgets under the cool stare and quiet tone. Eventually giving in, she swings her legs off the couch and stands up before Soyeon. 

"Fine. I wasn't planning on doing this right here and now, but." Yuqi clears and deepens her voice. "Captain." 

"Yes." Yuqi's being unnaturally serious, and if she is to be honest, Soyeon is just a tad unnerved. She starts freaking out just a bit more when Yuqi goes onto one knee. "Oh my god what are you doing." 

"My beloved captain Jeon Soyeon." Yuqi fishes out the box from her pocket - now that Soyeon can look at it for more than two seconds, it's a simple velvet box without any adornments. A ring box. 

A ring box? 

"Will you officially be my girlfriend?" Yuqi asks as she opens the box, her face set in firm but hopeful lines. 

Soyeon stares at the ring inside the box. "Yuqi, this is a ring pop." 

"No, it's a ring designed to look like a mini yellow ring pop," Yuqi corrects her, rolling her eyes. "And you didn't even answer my question."

Soyeon furrows her brows, confused. "I thought we were already dating. Officially."

"Oh." Yuqi hums in deliberation before offering the ring to Soyeon. "In that case, you should wear this." 

"But it's a ring pop."

"Come on, play along, I have one of my own!" Yuqi points at her own ring finger - which again, now that Soyeon doesn't have her head buried in work, she can see a clear band of metal with a silly design in yellow fashioned on it. 

Soyeon snorts, amused, and nods, sticking her ring onto her finger. "There."

Grinning, Yuqi tackles her down onto the couch. Her hair is lit by the dim lights of the studio, locks that burn like wildfire brushing against Soyeon's cheek as she pulls the older woman into a tight hug. What a childish proposal, Soyeon thinks as she hugs back, and how very perfectly Yuqi. 

When they separate, Yuqi leaning back on her knees and heels, she wiggles her brows at Soyeon lying under her, hair mussed and a grin on her face. "This is a bit more familiar, isn't it?" she snickers. "And delivery won't be here for a while."

Her fingers reach for the light switch. The office goes dark.