rain talk
UNCHANGEABLEseulgi opens her eyes at the sound of her apartment door getting unlocked.
the light footsteps that follow after the door shut tell her it's joohyun who came in.
it's probably around six in the morning. joohyun always comes in around this time whenever she comes from working the night shift in the hospital.
not wanting to get up yet, seulgi shifts her eyes to the window, seeing pure greyness outside.
it is raining.
she inhales, getting calmer by the second. joohyun would go to her anytime now to wake her up and to help her clean up and change.
she decides to continue her sleep while waiting for that.
---
the rain is still pouring outside the second time she opens her eyes. the time stamp on her phone says it's past ten in the morning.
there is no movement in the apartment.
did joohyun leave without waking her up?
seulgi gets up to check. there's food on the table, but joohyun's not around. she ventures more around the apartment and smiles when she finally finds joohyun sprawled on the couch, asleep, still in her baby pink scrub suit.
poor joohyun. she must be tired from work.
the sleeping nurse moves, turning to the side and curling up into a fetal position.
seulgi melts at the sight, wondering how this woman can still give her these funny unexplainable feelings until now.
sighing at how whipped she still is, seulgi grabs a blanket from her room and covers joohyun with it. she plops down on the couch under joohyun's feet and stares at the other woman in silence.
seulgi doesn't want to wake her up yet, knowing joohyun would leave by then. it always breaks seulgi to see the woman go. she understands now how joohyun felt before each time she goes for her new assignment.
seulgi fixes the blanket to make sure joohyun's properly covered. once done, she leans back on the couch and looks up at the ceiling.
she closes her eyes and listens to the rain.
---
she wakes up for the third time that day.
how long has it been? an hour? two? three?
she can still hear the rain outside.
a movement on the couch made seulgi look. joohyun's wide awake now, staring at seulgi with that adorable face of hers.
"morning," says joohyun, blinking her sleepiness away and covering her yawn with a hand.
still disoriented, seulgi tilts her head up and rubs her eyes. "what time is it?"
"it's past noon."
seulgi internally groans, thinking how she wasted her time sleeping instead of staring and appreciating joohyun in silence.
"what time is your work later?" she asks joohyun.
"it's my off today."
"oh."
"why do you ask?"
"nothing. just curious."
joohyun examines the blanket. "sorry. i didn't notice i dosed off here. a lot happened in the hospital last night. i was running from ward to ward the entire shift."
"you can still sleep. i won't be noisy."
joohyun's body relaxes. she stretches her legs out until they are fully resting on seulgi's lap. she pulls the blanket over her body. "thank you."
"for?"
"this."
seulgi says nothing but fixes the blanket to cover joohyun's entire frame up to her feet.
"i'm flattered. kang seulgi is taking care of me." there's a hint of a smile in joohyun's voice.
"isn't that the proper thing to do because you're also taking care of me?"
"you mean you would do this to anyone who takes care of you?"
"what do you mean?"
"say for example..." joohyun looks up, thinking. "sunmi. would you do the same thing to her? or doctor gyuri?"
seulgi narrows her eyes at joohyun. "you're probably stressed. you're overthinking." she puts her uncasted hand around joohyun's calf. "just lie down there and relax, okay?"
joohyun couldn't argue anymore when seulgi rubs her calf gently, gradually moving her hand up to her knee.
"does that feel better?" asks seulgi. "you said you were running the entire shift."
joohyun chuckles. "yeah. thank you." she raises her leg a bit for seulgi's easier access. "we used to do this before, remember? whenever you spend your vacation at my place, and i come home to you tired from work."
seulgi hums. she wants to ask if junmyeon is doing the same thing to relieve joohyun's stress, but she keeps that at the back of .
"seven years... what happened to us, seulgi?"
seulgi's hand stops. "i don't know. life, maybe?"
"maybe my mom?"
"hey. don't say that. a lot of things happened. we were young. we made decisions--i made a decision. you were right, i was the one who gave up on us."
"i never blamed it on you. i know i mentioned before how i wish you were stronger. but i never blamed it on you. it was my fault."
"look. there's no point trying to figure out who's to blame. it's long over now."
"you're right. it's long over now." there's a tinge of disappointment in joohyun's face. "but i've been thinking... that day you saved yerim two years ago, i was in the control room the entire operation while you and sooyoung tell others about our past."
"hmm. what about it?"
"i'm curious. after your training in brazil, did you have any intentions of coming back here for me before you found out i was already married?"
seulgi doesn't need to lie about it. "i did."
"oh."
"i was assigned in the northern lands after the training in brazil. sooyoung was assigned back here. they were planning to build a new platoon, which i heard will get deployed here in your town. i thought of volunteering for that post so i could come to you, talk to you, or kneel and beg in front of you. but two days after sooyoung got back here, she called me and said you are already married."
"i see. did you still join the troop after that?"
seulgi shakes her head. "i don't see the reason anymore. then i thought, yeah, you getting married is a good thing. it leaves me no choice but to stay away from you instead of asking you to take me back into your life and then disappear for a few months again. it will be unfair for you. you'll just regret dating an aef personnel again."
"again? i never regret being with you, seulgi. ever. please remember that."
seulgi looks at joohyun, and lets out a slight smile. "thank you."
"how about you, did you ever regret dating me?"
"well, honestly i did at first. but that was during the first few weeks after our breakup," admits seulgi. "but i still couldn't hate you, you know. after everything settles down, and after hearing your side from our last talk two years ago, it made more sense why those things happened." she pauses, eyes looking around. "i never regret anything i've done with you, hyun. those were the happiest days of my life."
joohyun smiles warmly. "thank you."
the two settle in silence as they both listen to the pitter-patter of the rain outside.
melancholy rushes into seulgi, how she and joohyun usually spend rainy days before whenever they are together.
well, it's a bit blur now, to be honest. but seulgi's sure there's a lot of love-making before.
and she's sure, if it weren't for her injury, given how close and comfy they are now, she might have already done something to the other woman.
now she's asking if joohyun could be thinking of the same thing.
"what do you think would happen to us after this?" asks joohyun. "once you go back to your usual life, do you think we'll still see each other? i mean, yerim would surely look for you."
"i don't know." seulgi purses her lips. "i would love to spend time with yerim, but i don't think it's safe for us to keep seeing each other."
"why?"
"you know why. you know the exact reason why. honestly, i don't know how you do it, staying civil around me. it's admirable." seulgi glances at joohyun. "but i'm not like you, hyun. i don't trust myself around you. the only reason i still haven't done anything to you, given our current situation, is this." she lifts her casted arm. "i can't move that much."
joohyun smirks. "and what exactly would you do to me?"
"something we shouldn't be talking about." seulgi smirks back.
joohyun covers her laugh with a hand. "i know you better. you wouldn't do anything like that."
seulgi nods. yeah, maybe joohyun knows her better.
"isn't it funny how we can be still like this around each other even after everything?" asks joohyun. "i thought you don't care about me anymore."
"what makes you think so?"
"i don't know. you seem mad at me for forcing you to go here. i mean, you haven't been talking to me in case you didn't notice."
"i'm sorry. there's a lot to take in when i had my last episode. but thank you for sticking with me. thank you for your patience."
"what i've done is nothing to what you've done for my family and me, seulgi. you saved us a couple of times now."
"no, joohyun. you're wrong." seulgi turns to joohyun. "it may not seem like it, but you're the one who saved me this time. if you weren't persistent that night you went to my apartment, i don't know what could have happened to me. and whenever i look back at my life before, when we were together, you saved me even before i saved you. you gave me friendship. you gave me life. you gave me home. you gave me love. and i think that's the reason i still can't get over that past."
joohyun pulls her legs out and sits up on the couch. "please remember, even that happened to us, you're not alone. i'm here for you. sooyoung, sungjae, and seungwan too. and even yerim. we're all here for you."
seulgi nods. "thank you."
joohyun smiles and taps seulgi's arm. "join me for lunch?"
seulgi smiles back. "sure."
---
"mommy!"
seulgi smiles as she watches from inside the car how the seven-year-old ran towards her mother, hugging the older woman like they haven't seen each other in decades.
she and joohyun drove to yerim's school that afternoon. joohyun took seulgi out to see other people and get exposed to other places aside from the walls of her apartment. this leads joohyun to decide to take seulgi out for a drive whenever she's on her day off.
joohyun bends down and whispers something in yerim's ear. the kid's face brightens, her eyes landing on her mom's car where seulgi is waiting in the shotgun seat.
seulgi waves, not sure if the kid can make out her movement from the tinted window.
yerim then runs, her purple backpack bouncing as she drags her mom along with her.
knowing where yerim is aiming, seulgi opens the door on her side to greet the kid.
"seulgi!" yerim leans over for a hug. "you're here!"
"yup. i'm here to pick up the little princess." seulgi rubs yerim's back.
"careful, sweetie," joohyun reminds. "not too tight. seulgi's still recovering."
yerim pulls back and turns to joohyun. "mommy, can we treat seulgi to ice cream?"
joohyun glances at her wristwatch. "it's getting late, baby. we still have to cook dinner and eat with her before we go home."
"then why don't we eat dinner outside instead? please, please, please, mommy. let's take seulgi to dinner..."
joohyun looks at seulgi.
"i'm okay with that," says seulgi. "as long as it's okay with you."
"i don't mind. i'm just worried you're not in the mood to go out."
"i'm always in the mood for this kid." seulgi lightly pinches yerim's cheek. "where do you want to eat, little princess?"
"mall!" yerim jumps. "in chicken mania!"
seulgi and joohyun laugh. chicken mania is one brand seulgi is currently endorsing.
"you just want to brag to people you're with seulgi," joohyun tells her daughter. "and we just ate there last week, sweetie. plus, seulgi being there would surely attract attention. do you want people to keep disturbing us to ask for a picture or an autograph while we eat?"
seulgi chuckles. "hyun, i'm not that famous."
"you are that famous." joohyun looks back at her daughter. "what do you think, baby?"
"umm..." yerim glances at seulgi, cutely placing a finger in between her teeth. "how about schindlee's burger diner?"
"hmm. good choice. not in a mall. serves nice burgers. they also have ice cream and chicken there. i agree." joohyun looks at seulgi. "sounds good to you?"
"yeah. sure."
"all right. it's schindlee's burger diner then."
---
and so, the three of them eat and talk until joohyun decides it's time for them to go home as it's close to yerim's bedtime.
"oh my gosh! joohyun? seulgi?" as they were about to approach joohyun's car in the open parking lot, a female voice calls them.
the trio turns and sees a tall woman approaching them.
"hey, seohyun! it's been a long time!" joohyun exclaims in excitement, reaching out to hug the taller woman. "wow! how have you been? i didn't know you're back here."
seohyun pulls away from the hug. "doing great! you're looking prettier, huh? i came back here just last week for vacation. i'm flying off next week."
joohyun turns to seulgi. "you remember seohyun, right?"
"of course. she's sooyoung's former roommate." seulgi offers her hand for a shake. "i heard you transferred to canada right after we graduated."
"i did. and i've been living there since then." seohyun shakes seulgi's hand back. "this is the first time i came back to the country after i left. how's sooyoung?"
"she's doing well. she got married a month ago."
"really? wow. that's nice." seohyun points at seulgi and joohyun. "and you two are still together? are you guys married now?"
both joohyun and seulgi couldn't answer.
seohyun's eyes dart towards the little person who's hiding behind seulgi's back. "oh my gosh! is this princess your daughter? she looks just like joohyun!"
joohyun smiles and calls her daughter. "come here, baby. i'll introduce you to my friend."
yerim steps hesitantly and looks up at the tall woman. "hello."
"hi," says seohyun, waving a little.
"yerim, this is seohyun, my classmate when i was still in college. she's a nurse too, but she works abroad," says joohyun.
"it's nice to meet you," says yerim, waving back.
"she's so cute!" seohyun giggles.
out of nowhere, the rain pours over their heads, leaving them with no choice but to cut their conversation.
"guess we'd have to go now." seohyun chuckles as she covers her head with a hand. "it's nice to see you both! take care!"
"likewise! take care!" says joohyun, who went back to her car and unlocked it.
seulgi assisted yerim at the back before settling in the shotgun seat where joohyun helped her with her seatbelt.
"baby, are you okay?" joohyun turns to her daughter at the back.
yerim shakes her head. "i'm okay, mommy."
joohyun nods and turns to seulgi. "you?"
"good. it's just rain," says seulgi.
they let the suv beside--seohyun's car--back away first. she honks at them before leaving.
"okay. good. let's go home now." joohyun starts the engine and slowly backs out of the parking lot.
"mommy, can i ask you something?"
"anything, baby." joohyun's upper body twisted around, her arm resting on top of seulgi's seat.
"did you want to marry seulgi before?"
joohyun steps on the brake hard that their bodies jerk. out of instinct, her arm stretches out to shield yerim from falling off the seat.
"oh my gosh! i'm sorry! are you all right, baby?" joohyun leans forward to check her kid.
"yes, mommy."
"are you okay?" seulgi asks joohyun.
"yeah. yeah." joohyun nods and continues driving away from the diner. she clears . "why do you ask, baby?"
"it's because your friend seohyun asked if you two are married. doesn't she know you're married to daddy?"
seulgi looks over her shoulder, trying her best to have a glance of yerim even in her current state. "seohyun hasn't met your daddy yet, sweetie, that's why she's asking."
"ahh. she should meet daddy then."
"yup. she definitely should."
yerim hums and thinks. "maybe seulgi should get married too so other people won't think you're married to mommy."
seulgi chuckles. "well. umm. maybe i really should." she glances at joohyun who's driving seriously. "but i haven't found the right person for that yet."
"right person?"
"yeah. someone you'd want to be married to and live with someday."
"like mommy to daddy?"
"y-yeah. you could say that," says seulgi. "you'd find one soon when you grow older, sweetie."
"what if..." yerim thinks before leaning over to her mom. "mommy, would you allow me to marry seulgi someday?"
seulgi burst laughing while joohyun had a horrified look on her face.
"yerim, what are you saying?" asks joohyun. "seulgi is older than you."
"but i want her to live with us," the kid says, pouting. "if she marries another person, then i won't be able to see her again, right, because they will live together in their own house?"
"i will still visit you, princess." seulgi ruffles the kid's hair. "besides, you don't need to worry about me getting married. i don't think it'll happen anytime soon."
joohyun glances at her. seulgi pretends she didn't notice it.
"you can marry granny too," suggests yerim. "maybe you can help lessen her grumpiness."
seulgi laughs again, louder this time, to the point her injury is hurting a bit.
joohyun couldn't be more horrified. "yerim, where are you getting those ideas?"
"let her be. she's just a kid," says seulgi. "sure, kiddo. maybe once i'm okay i'll try asking your grandma to marry me."
"yey! i'll tell her later to say yes to you!"
"i can't wait to hear what her reaction will be."
joohyun chuckles. "enough of trying to get seulgi to marry someone. go back to your seat, baby."
yerim obeys and sits back on her seat. "i always pray for all of us to live together as a happy family: with daddy, mommy, granny, me, and seulgi."
seulgi turns to the window and stays silent. she knows that setup will involve a lot of complications and will never happen.
"just keep praying, baby," says joohyun softly. "who knows, maybe it'll happen someday."
seulgi look at joohyun whose eyes stay glued to the road ahead.
maybe it'll happen someday? what does she mean by that?
"do you want that to happen too, mommy?" yerim asks.
a small smile grazes joohyun's lips as she taps her fingers lightly on the steering wheel.
and seulgi feels light-headed the moment those beautiful words leave joohyun's mouth.
"i do, baby. i do."
in case you missed reading the foreword, this is a sequel story. if you haven't read untouchable yet, i suggest you go over that before proceeding with this.
enjoy!
enjoy!
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