YES
UNTOUCHABLEJoohyun was still outside when Seulgi got back to their room after her training. Evenings were the usual highlight of her days. It's when she can get to talk to Joohyun to catch things up, eat dinner together, and just spend the entire evening with her.
But something on the bed drained all the excitement in Seulgi's body.
"Flowers? From whom?" Seulgi whispered to herself. She looked at the card attached to the flower.
'Thank you for always making my day complete. -Sehun'
"Sehun?" Seulgi's eyebrows furrowed. She started asking herself what the message meant. Was Joohyun doing something to him to make his day complete, or is he just being mushy?
The door opened. Seulgi went to her closet, pretending to fix her stuff.
"Seulgi?" Joohyun stepped in.
"Yup."
"Did you just arrive?"
"Yup."
"Something wrong?" Joohyun walked over to her closet.
"Nothing. I'm just... hungry."
"Me too. I'll message Seungwan so we can meet up in the cafeteria."
Seulgi walked over to the bed and pretended to notice the flowers. "From an admirer?"
"I dunno. Maybe."
"Well, I can tell from on his message. Who's Sehun? You never mentioned him before."
"A transfer student. Quite a hottie. He's getting a lot of attention since he came here."
Seulgi didn't like what she heard. "Do you think he's hot too?"
"Hmm. He's a nice boy..." said Joohyun, typing on her phone.
"Is he like courting you now?"
"I dunno. He never said anything. He gave me those flowers after school."
"If he asks you out, will you go out with him?"
Joohyun looked up from her phone and smiled. "You're not jealous, are you?"
Seulgi looked away. "I'm just... I just want to know the guys you're going to date... I want to get to know them first so I can approve them."
Joohyun chuckled. "Wow. So, you're like my dad now?"
"No. I just want to make sure none of those guys will hurt you, in case you decide to date finally."
"I'm too young to date, Seulgi. I haven't thought about it that much," said Joohyun, looking back at her phone. "Besides, why do I need someone to date if I have you to take care of me, right?"
Seulgi smiled. "Totally right."
Joohyun's phone beeped. "Let's go. Seungwan's already waiting for us there."
Seulgi felt at ease that night. However, as days go by, those flowers kept coming. Seulgi is starting to feel jealous seeing Joohyun beginning to like receiving those.
Aside from that, she started hearing Seungwan mention Sehun's name several times lately, giving Seulgi the impression that Joohyun's telling her best friend something that she's not telling Seulgi.
It was one of those nights when Seulgi went home from the training when she spotted Joohyun dressed up and fixing her hair in front of the mirror.
"Wow. Going somewhere?" Seulgi went to her study table to drop her bag.
"Yup. Sehun invited me for dinner," said Joohyun putting a clip on her hair.
Seulgi froze for a moment, then looked over her shoulders. "You finally agreed to it, huh?"
"He's been asking me out for a month now. I'm running out of excuses on why I shouldn't go out with him."
"You can simply tell him you don't like him."
It was Joohyun's turn to look at Seulgi over her shoulders. "I can't just tell him that. He's nice, and I don't think going out with him once would hurt me."
Seulgi leaned her on the study table, her hands inside her pockets. "So, you like him now?"
"I don't know. Maybe. I'll find out later, I guess."
It was hard for Seulgi to take. She huffed. "Okay. Enjoy your little date." She headed to the door now, not wanting to talk more about this boy.
"Where are you going?"
"Dinner. Sooyoung is going out with Seohyun and her friends. I'll join them."
"Seohyun and her friends? Those girls are drunkards, right?"
Seulgi shrugged. "I dunno. I have never hung out with them."
"What if they asked you to drink?"
"I'm old enough to drink."
"I'm going to text Sooyoung to make sure she looks after you," said Joohyun, grabbing her phone and typing on it. "I don't want to sleep beside someone who smells alcohol later."
Seulgi just rolled her eyes. "Enjoy your date. I'll see you later." Without waiting for another word from her roommate, Seulgi left the room.
---
Seohyun and the gang invited Sooyoung and Seulgi to a bar in town. Seulgi agreed to whatever the girls wanted to do because she wanted to take her mind off something. The idea of Joohyun enjoying her date somewhere in the city is killing Seulgi.
"Three! Two! One! Shot!"
Seulgi and Sooyoung grabbed the shot glass in front of them and drunk it up. Seulgi's face grimaced at the foul taste in and the burning sensation in .
"Want another round, Seulgi?" asked Seohyun. They were sitting on the sofa with bottles of liquors at the table in front of them.
"Nah, I'm all good. I don't want to go home drunk."
"C'mon, Seulgi. Don't be a killjoy," one of Seohyun's friends said. "It's not every day we get to hang out with the two most popular students in school."
"Yeah. The other students here are thrilled to see you together," said another girl. "Why don't you two have fun with us for a while?"
Seulgi looked around and realised that the bar is filled with mostly students from their school. She turned back to Seohyun and the gang. "But I, I need to be home. We have a curfew, right?"
" the curfew. Let's go home tomorrow. It's a holiday," said another girl. "Besides, your lady guard is busy dating the new boy in town."
Seulgi furrowed her eyebrows. "Lady guard?"
"It's Joohyun," said Seohyun, refilling the glasses with wine. "We couldn't help but notice how she keeps on warding everyone away from you."
Seulgi is fully aware of how Joohyun has been trying to protect her from the wrath of the girls in school. But she didn't know that's how others see it.
"By the way, you said the new boy in town. Is it Sehun?" asked the other friend.
"Yeah. I saw them eating in the restaurant nearby on my way here. They seemed to be enjoying each other's company."
Seulgi's nose flared. She's grabbed one of the shot glasses and downed it.
"Wow. Wow. Wow. Take it easy," said Sooyoung, taking away the glass from Seulgi's hand. The other girls are now busy chatting over Sehun. "I don't want you going home drunk. Joohyun is going to kill me."
"She won't mind. She's happy with him anyway." Seulgi scoffed. "Look at these girls. They all wanted to date that Sehun. What are the chances of Joohyun not liking him?"
"But she's worried about you..." Sooyoung trailed off, seeing her phone beeped. "Speaking of her, she's asking where we are right now."
"Don't mind her. Just enjoy the party, Sooyoung."
"I can't! I wouldn't want to deal with an angry Joohyun. You should text her yourself."
"I left my phone in the room."
"Aish. What am I going to do with you?" Sooyoung was about to reply when her phone rang. She showed the screen to Seulgi, displaying Joohyun's name. She put the device next to her ear. "Yes? Huh? I... I can't hear you... It's too loud here..." Sooyoung got to her feet and headed outside.
Seulgi was about to get up too, but one of Seohyun's friends grabbed her by the arm. "Hey, Seulgi. Don't go home yet. We're just getting started."
"I... I just..." Seulgi pointed outside in Sooyoung's direction but couldn't continue as the girl pushed her down to sit back on the couch.
"Getting bored? Let me entertain you." The girl straddled Seulgi. She picked up one of the lemon slices and put it in between Seulgi's lips. "Now, hold that for me, darling."
Seulgi, curious about what would happen next, obeyed and held the lemon in between her teeth.
The said girl grabbed a glass of tequila from the table, drank it down, and leaned forward to bite the lemon.
Due to shock, the lemon almost fell from Seulgi's lips, but the girl grabbed it at the right time, making it look like they almost kissed.
Seulgi just stared at the girl in amazement, somehow imagining if Joohyun could do that to her. But her eyes grew wide when the girl pulled back, giving her a view of Joohyun standing beside Sooyoung, arms folded, having that impression that looks like she's already massacred the girl in her head.
---
Seulgi has never been this scared in her life, not even when she's facing those monsters.
She and Joohyun just got back to their room. After seeing Joohyun in the bar earlier, Seulgi immediately stood up from the couch, with the girl on her lap falling on the floor. Seulgi helped the girl get up and apologised, but followed Joohyun when the latter stormed out.
Joohyun hailed a cab. Seulgi rode with her. They were silent during the ride, but Seulgi could feel the fuming heat emitting on Joohyun's side.
And now, they are back in their room, Seulgi sitting on the bed, waiting for Joohyun to get out of the bathroom. The shower has been running since Joohyun went in there.
Seulgi could swear she could feel her heart thumping when the shower stopped. Seconds after that, Joohyun went out in her white nightgown.
Joohyun looked like she just cried and was trying to hide her sniffs.
Seulgi couldn't handle the silent treatment any longer. "Hyun..."
Joohyun ignored her and went to the closet.
"Hyun...?"
"What?" asked Joohyun, her voice stern.
"I'm sorry..."
"For?"
"For making you angry."
Joohyun sighed. She walked over to the other side of the room and fixed her other stuff.
Seulgi felt she needed to say something more. "I-I am sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
"Done what exactly?"
"Going out with Seohyun and her friends. I know it made you angry."
"Made me angry?" Joohyun turned to Seulgi, both her hands on her waist. "Why do you think I'm angry?"
"B-because I was drinking with Seohyun and her friends?"
"Seriously? Is that the best you could come up with?"
Seulgi tried to think of other logical reasons. "Y-you don't like Seohyun's friends, right? They're drunkards."
"Then why did you still go out with them?"
"I just need some company for tonight. I'm feeling lonely."
"Feeling lonely? You could've told me that instead of going out with them."
"I don't want to ruin your date," said Seulgi instead, trying to hide the fact that Joohyun is the actual reason why she's feeling lonely.
Joohyun sighed again. "So, you were lonely? Is that the reason you're making out with one of them?"
Seulgi's eyes widened. "I was not!"
"'Not.'" Joohyun quoted with her fingers. "So, that girl is just casually sitting on your lap even though there are lots of vacant seats in there?"
It was Seulgi's turn to sigh this time. "We didn't do anything. She sat on my lap and took the lime from me. Nothing happened apart from that."
Joohyun closed her eyes and grunted.
"Hyun-ah, please. Stop being angry."
Joohyun stepped closer and looked at Seulgi's face. "Why do you think I'm angry?"
Seulgi couldn't contain the pressure. She looked down at her foot, not saying anything.
"I know that deep inside here you know the real reason." Joohyun pointed at Seulgi's heart. "You're just too afraid to admit it to yourself."
"Will there be any difference if I admit it to myself?"
"Yes, there is!" Joohyun flailed her arms out. "Because I can't take this anymore!"
"You can't take what?"
"This. Us. You. Me. I don't know about you, Seulgi. But I'm tired of this game we're playing for more than a year now."
"Well, I'm not playing!"
"Me neither!"
"Then why are you going out with that... that... Sehun...?"
Joohyun ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't like him. I went out with him today because I wanted to know if going out with him will make me feel something." She shook her head. "But all that time I was thinking about you. I couldn't stop myself from texting Sooyoung. When I found out that you're just near, I went in right away to see you..." She paused and slowly sat on the bed.
Seulgi remembered the scene earlier, remembering how Joohyun looked after seeing them.
"What am I to you, Seulgi?"
"You're... you're someone I don't want to lose..."
"Then why are you a coward?"
Seulgi could swear she can hear her heartbeat. She knelt in front of Joohyun, her arms resting on the bed. "I was afraid you don't feel the same. I'd rather have you beside me as a friend than lose you completely."
"Masochist." Joohyun scoffed. "What about me then? Don't you think I'm having a hard time dealing with this?"
"Hyun, I'm--"
"I'm tired of this, Seulgi," said Joohyun in a somewhat tired tone. "I'm tired of us pretending to be friends when we both know deep down inside that we feel more than that."
Seulgi looked down. "I'm not sure if I'm capable of this. I... I don't want to hurt you..."
"You're already hurting me by holding back..."
That made Seulgi look up. "Believe me; there's nothing in the world I want right now but to be with you. But I'm scared. I've never felt this kind of attachment to anyone before."
Joohyun held Seulgi's hands. "I know what you went through when you were a child. I know it's not easy. But you have the right to be happy. You deserve another shot in life."
Seulgi looked at their hands playing with each other. "I'm happy like this with you."
"Me too."
Seulgi kissed Joohyun's hands affectionately. She looked up again. "Be my girlfriend?"
A tear fell from Joohyun's eye. She looked up to prevent more tears from falling, but then they just fell down her cheeks.
"Heck yes," she said, crying tears of joy.
Seulgi's eyes started to feel warm. "I can't believe this is happening. It's like a dream come true to me."
"Well, it is real." Joohyun leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on Seulgi's cheek.
Seulgi knelt up to kiss Joohyun's temple. "Thank you. I love you."
"I love you too, stupid," said Joohyun, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
Seulgi helped in wiping the tears with her thumbs. After that, she looked at her girlfriend's eyes to make sure she's not dreaming. Once her heart's been filled with love and adoration for the girl, she leaned forward and kissed Joohyun's lips, the latter kissing her back.
For the first time since her dad died, Seulgi felt whole and secure again.
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