It had been a whole week since the wedding and it was a weekend, meaning she could finally spend some quality time with Yerin. 

Eunbi found out that Yerin worked from home and it seemed that her work would always keep her busy for the whole day. At some point, she’d find the woman donned in business clothes from head to foot, a blazer, a white long sleeved blouse underneath and pencil skirt to match with a pair of high heels (perhaps she had gawked at the woman for too long when she saw her in it for the first time) and the only explanation she’d get was that she had some business to attend to and won’t be back for a few hours.

Eunbi never really understood what the nature of her work was, but assumed that it wasn’t too much since Yerin always had time for her and would get breaks in between. Basing from the array of business clothes in her closet, Eunbi surmised she’s probably just a normal office worker.

It was finally a non-work day and she had let Yerin sleep in, thinking that it was an appropriate reward for her after working so hard the past days. She had opted to make breakfast for the woman, a simple one so as not to remake the disaster she caused a few days ago, and was just about finished when familiar arms circled around her waist, bringing her in for a hug against a familiar chest.

“Morning.” Yerin greeted in a groggy voice, feeling her rest her chin on her shoulder as she looked over what she was making.

“Morning.” Eunbi turned the stove off, “Breakfast?”

“Is it edible?”

“Yah.”

Yerin let out a chuckle before letting go, “I’d love that, thanks Bi.”

Eunbi found herself unconsciously smiling at the affectionate nickname that she gave her just the previous day.

“Any plans for today?” she asked as she placed the plate in front of the still sleepy woman.

“Yeah. Cuddles.”

Ah. Good lord why is she being so cute for. Stop.

“Other than that?”

Yerin hummed, “You.”

Eunbi sighed. Of course she would answer that. She should be used to it by this time, but her stomach was still doing summersaults every single time. 

“You do know those pretty much go together.” 

Yerin nodded, “Exactly.”

She just let it go and joined the older in eating, engaging in a conversation like they naturally would when they were together. She would listen to Yerin talk about work and she would talk about some things about her that Yerin wanted to know. 

They were just arriving at a decision whether to head out for that day or just stay home when the doorbell rang, interrupting them. The both of them looked over at the door in reflex, both sporting confused looks as another doorbell sounded.

“I thought you didn’t have plans?” Eunbi asked.

“I don’t.” Yerin was frowning, “I made sure to clear my schedule today. I even told them not to disturb me. What…? Do they want to get fired…?” 

She said the latter part in a small voice that Eunbi wasn’t able to hear it clear enough.

“I’ll go get it.” Eunbi volunteered, “I’m done anyway.”

“No. Let me handle that.” Yerin spoke, already up from her seat and trekking towards the door in a seemingly annoyed manner with how she was basically marching up to the disturbance. Curious, Eunbi also stood up to follow and soon found herself in the living room with Yerin standing by the already open door. Her tall figure was enough to cover the person that had intruded and so she couldn’t see clear enough, but the voice that spoke got her rooted to the spot.

She would recognize that voice anywhere, and it was a voice she hoped she wouldn’t hear anymore.

“Where is my daughter?”

Eunbi swallowed a lump in as she instinctively took a step back. 

No, they can’t take her back. She doesn’t want to. They should have just disowned her or something. Why did they have to be here? How did they find this place? How did they know she was here?

“And you are?”

“I’m the mother of the woman whose wedding you ruined a few days ago.”

Yerin stared, “You’re the mother of who a what now?”

“How dare-!”

“First of all.” Yerin raised a hand, cutting her off, “You’re trespassing. Second, please leave.”

“I’m not leaving without my daughter!”

“Sure, suit yourself.” Yerin answered, shutting the door in her face. 

She watched as Yerin turned her back to the door and began walking over to the slightly shell-shocked Eunbi.

“Yerin, I—“

The sudden pounding and yelling on the door interrupted her words, the both of them once more turning to the source. 

“Wow, despite her age she really packs a punch doesn’t she?” Yerin remarked at how loud the pounding was, meanwhile Eunbi didn’t say anything and just reached over to grasp the woman’s hand in hers tightly. Yerin could feel the woman’s nervousness radiating off of her and she couldn’t blame her for that. Just when she thought everything was going well, the past just had to come back to haunt her.

It’s only been a few days. She thinks it’s still too soon for her to face them.

“Why do they want me back so much? Can’t they just leave me alone?” 

“Because you’re just that worth it.” Yerin smiled at her in assurance, squeezing her hand as she spoke, “But they’re going about it the wrong way.”

Eunbi shook her head, “I don’t want to go back.”

“I don’t want you back there either.” Yerin agreed before pointing her thumb in the direction of the door, “But we’re going to have to do something about that or they’ll never leave us alone and I’m never getting those cuddles. For that to work, I’m going to need your help.”

“M-me?”

What could she possibly do?

 She doesn’t understand Yerin’s train of thought sometimes. Despite the situation, she would always look as if she has something up her sleeve. She found it amazing how she could conjure solutions on the spot but for this one…

Yerin said she needed her help, and all of a sudden she lost confidence that it would work. She was sure that whatever plan the older had for them, she wouldn’t be able to execute her role properly. Can’t Yerin think of another way to solve this? At least a solution where she wouldn’t be included so that it wouldn’t be ruined? Why does Yerin need her? What for?

“Bi.” her head snapped up in attention upon hearing her nickname, “You’ve got to trust me on this.” 

“I trust you… but I don’t think I can trust myself.” Eunbi replied with apprehension in her tone.

“You’re going to have to.” Yerin replied, “If not now then when? Listen Bi, if you think you’ll never be ready for something, then the right time to act on it is now. There are times when you repeatedly tell yourself that you’ll be ready once you’ve had some time, but in the end you will keep telling yourself that and end up not doing it. So there’s no other time. Do it now, get it over with, get it off your chest. Because no one else can lift any personal burden but yourself so you have to take initiative.”

Eunbi was still apprehensive but found sense in Yerin’s words. She would have had to face them sometime soon, if not now then in the future, and she was sure that she would be acting this way even then, full of hesitation and doubt. If she doesn’t get this over with now, it will continue bugging her until the time it comes. Facing them was inevitable so dealing with it sooner would be for the better.

“…What do you want me to do?”

Yerin smiled proudly at her and Eunbi felt herself gain a little bit of confidence at that small gesture since it showed just how much Yerin believed in her.

“You just need to tell them what you’ve always wanted to say.” she answered, “That’s all.”

“What…?”

“All these years you’ve been restricted to say anything back to them right? Well, right now you tell them what you’ve been keeping inside.”

“Will they even listen though?” Eunbi grumbled.

“It doesn’t matter if they do or if they don’t, the important thing is you’ve said what you wanted to say. It’s up to them if they hear you out or not, you’ve done your part.”

Eunbi let out a nervous sigh, staying silent for seconds… minutes… Yerin giving her all the time she needed before she seemed to have finally made up her mind and nodded, “Right. Let’s get this over with. You’ll be there with me, right?”

“Of course I am. I’m not leaving you.”

She smiled, “I know I probably sound like a broken record right now, but thanks.”

“You can thank me with cuddles later.” 

Eunbi knew that cuddles just wouldn’t be enough to show her appreciation for the woman. 

After waiting a few more minutes for Eunbi to collect herself, ignoring the harsh pounding of the door all the while, the two finally began to approach the disturbance. Yerin looked over to Eunbi, asking a silent question and getting a nod as a reply. With that, she took a step forward and opened the door once more, catching Eunbi’s in mid-knock. 

“Are you planning to break down my door or something? I’ll have you pay for it if I see any damage on it.” Yerin glared at the older woman in irritation until she realized that her attention wasn’t on her but on the woman by her side. With the way Eunbi’s hand slipped onto hers and clutched on tightly, she understood that the mother was trying hard to be as intimidating as possible. She’s pouring out her authoritative energy onto Eunbi, reminding her who she was facing, and that she’s done something she doesn’t like. 

Perhaps in the past, Eunbi would have remained silent, not speaking a word and just let her mother talk her down, reminding her to know her place and all the other things she’s experienced when she was with her. Unfortunately, things have changed. Eunbi doesn’t have to deal with this alone anymore.

Yerin wanted to convey that to her, to remind her that she wasn’t alone in this and that she’s with her this time. With a small squeeze of her hand in encouragement, she met Eunbi’s gaze with a soft smile of assurance and nodded so slightly, anyone wouldn’t notice if they didn’t look close enough.

“There you are. Let’s go.” her mother finally spoke, reaching forward to grab her daughter’s hand but was surprised when Eunbi shook it off.

“No.”

“You don’t have a choice, Eunbi. You’ve ruined our name and you’re supposed to go back there and fix it, so you’re coming with me.”

“I always had a choice in the first place mom.” she answered, “But you made it look like I didn’t have any. This time I’ll decide for myself. If my name got ruined then that’s okay with me, but if yours got ruined then please deal with that yourself. I’ve already made up my mind the moment I ran away.”

“How dare you talk back to me like that! I didn’t raise yo—“

“You… You raised me to adhere to everything you want me to do, not what’s good for me.” Eunbi cut her off, “I never even liked a single thing that you made me do.”

“I agreed when you said you wanted to dance!”

“And I remember saying that time that I didn’t like ballet, but you made me go to classes anyway. In the end, I never did manage to do what I want. You never let me do anything I want. It always has to have your say, your approval in it. You made it seem like you own me. Well newsflash mom, I’m not your slave!” she exploded, rendering the older woman dumbfounded while Yerin just silently listened, her grip on Eunbi’s hand not diminishing in the slightest, and that was enough drive for her to go on and not be intimidated by the presence before her.

Right, she has Yerin this time. 

Back then she was alone so she couldn’t get herself to fight back because she didn’t have anyone to turn to but this time, it’s different.

“I’m already an adult, I’m supposed to decide for myself, but you make me feel like a toddler who still needs guidance. You made me dependent on you and made me feel as if I wouldn’t be able to do anything without you. But I saw that I could actually do it. I could do stuff on my own, I could make decisions on my own, I could decide what to do with my life for myself.” she breathed in, “I’m thankful for the years that you took care of me, even if it was obvious that you did it for your future plans, but I want to do things my way this time. I’m not going back, so please leave.”

Her mother was fuming already at this point, given how red her face had become and how she looked like she was about to explode anytime soon. It goes to say that she didn’t like being talked back like that, and unable to form a retort to her daughter’s words when they all made sense made her angrier and more frustrated. But more importantly, she must have realized that the Eunbi standing before her was not the same woman a few days ago.

So she decided to take it out on who she thought was the root of the problem.

“You!” she jabbed a finger at Yerin who just looked down at her calmly, “This is all your fault!”

Eunbi frowned, “Yerin has nothing to do with my decision mom!”

“Yerin?” her mother repeated, before throwing her head back in laughter, “You’re still keeping up that farce of yours? Don’t believe anything this woman says Eunbi! This woman can’t be Yerin!”

Her brows furrowed at her mother’s words, finding them ridiculous, “What are you talking about?”

“Right, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Who would I be if not Jung Yerin?” she calmly asked, a small smile playing on her face as she did so. 

She scoffed, “You’re lying. There’s no way that you can be Jung Yerin.”

“Mom, just get straight to the point.”

“Jung Yerin is the current CEO of the company that your husband is partnering up with soon.” she explained with a smug look on her face, as if she’s just divulged confidential information that her daughter didn’t know of. She had the thought that if she knew exactly that this woman isn’t who she thinks she is, then she’d come back with them, “There’s no way that a person who lacks proper decorum, can’t follow simple instructions on the invitation, and ruin a sacred ceremony like a wedding would be Jung Yerin.”

Eunbi turned to Yerin with a brow raised, silently asking for answers from her. While Yerin just stared back, the smile on her face not dwindling for one bit.

“Is this true?” Eunbi found herself asking.

Yerin nodded, “Mm.”

Eunbi felt her chest constrict slightly at the honest answer.

“So you’re not Jung Yerin…” she mumbled.

“Ah, I thought you were asking about the CEO stuff.” Yerin blinked, “I’m Jung Yerin. That much is certain. Last I checked, my birth certificate still has that name printed on it. Even my identifications have that name and my face on it. I can pretty much prove on the spot that I’m the Jung Yerin that this woman is talking about. And yes, CEO and all…” 

Yerin then turned to the dumbstruck mother, “Do you have any proof that I’m not who I say I am?”

She was at loss for words and could only stammer out, “B-But there’s no way such a high class person like you would—“

“Don’t compare me to you.” Yerin glared, “It’s because of you lot that rich people are hated on. You act all high and mighty when you’re people just like the rest are. That doesn’t give you the right to look down on them. Just because you have more money doesn’t mean they’re automatically inferior to you. You also mentioned about ruining a sacred ceremony like a wedding when you’ve made that actual ceremony into a business venture for your guests. Who’s ruining what now? And your invitation had too much gold motifs on it, I couldn’t read a single thing so I just went to the wedding in black. And you’re talking about proper decorum when you’re here trespassing on my property and pounding on the door close to breaking it down. That’s damage to property. Now if you don’t want me to call my lawyer and sue you on the spot, I suggest you leave, and tell your son-in-law I’m not engaging in any partnership with him or deal with him anywhere. Oh, and Eunbi stays with me.” she quickly added, latching onto the woman as soon as she said so, “She still owes me cuddles.”

Eunbi fought off the redness on her cheeks at the sudden display of affection, not to mention they were still in front of her mother which made it more embarrassing, but nevertheless she was relieved to know that her mother’s claims were false. Anyway, Yerin being a CEO explains how she can work at home and would go out looking all prim and proper in business clothes at times.

But that also meant she was fooled at the start.

“T-This isn’t the end of it! I’ll sue you for kidnapping my daughter! And she’s still the wife of my son-in-law!”

“Eunbi never signed documents pertaining to that, so she’s a free woman. If you want to go and check, go ahead.” Yerin stuck out her tongue at her playfully.

“It’s… It’s also not kidnapping since I willingly went with her.” Eunbi added.

“How can you take her side when I’m your mother?” 

“I’m not taking her side… I’m just telling the truth and it’s because I’m doing what I want to do.” she answered, “Please leave, mom.”

Her mother was writhing in anger, “You’ll live to regret this day Eunbi, remember that.”

With that, she left, knowing that she lost that battle, but it goes to say that she will most likely try again.

Yerin’s hug tightened around her, “How are you feeling?”

“…Fine.” Eunbi swallowed a bit as she tried to register everything that just happened during the previous minutes, “I’m fine…”

“I’ll trust you on that.” the older woman mumbled, “You can go lay down if you feel tired.”

“I think I’ll do that.” she agreed.

It was still too much for her to take in. Years of being with her mother did that to her, and all of a sudden here she was talking back and telling her that she can live her life without her guidance. It was a sudden shift that she didn’t exactly think through and at that moment, she was questioning herself whether it was the right decision or not. There was that saying that mothers knows best after all, so she was contemplating whether what she chose to do was the right thing or if it was a mistake on her part. 

She was sure of one thing though, being with Yerin wasn’t a mistake. And if it is, then it’s a mistake she’ll want to live with.

“What’s this about you being an invited guest though?” Eunbi suddenly remembered the conversation from earlier and tore off Yerin limbs still wrapped around her so she could properly face the woman. 

“Oh, that well…” Yerin chuckled nervously, “Maybe I wasn’t an uninvited guest so…”

“You’re not a wedding crasher after all.” she finished for her.

Yerin swallowed a bit at the look the younger was giving her. Earlier she looked meek and ready to run away at any time, but at that moment, she was under the scrutinizing gaze of Hwang Eunbi, her glare doing a good job in intimidating her and so she thought it would be the best decision to come clean with everything.

“Well, no, and I’m sorry for that.” Yerin mumbled, playing with her fingers as she found it hard to meet Eunbi’s gaze, “To be honest, I really just went there for the food, but everyone was being so condescending and acting all superior they looked like birds with their chests puffed out like that, so I took a breather and then I saw you at that fountain and I just thought I want to get you out of there.”

“Just like that?”

“You were too pretty to look all sad that day, I couldn’t resist.” she added.

The answer was met with silence until Eunbi spoke again, “I was just a stranger to you, how can you make a sudden choice like that for someone you barely know?”

“I don’t regret it for one second.” Yerin finally raised her head to look straight into Eunbi’s eyes and the younger could see the sincerity in the older woman’s expression, that, despite it being a rash decision on her part, it was a decision that she wouldn’t mind making over and over, “You deserved so much more than being with a family like that who only plans to use you for their own selfish wishes, without even giving you a chance to do what you want. I don’t regret taking you out of there if that’s what would make you happy. It sounds really stupid and flirty, because I’m a flirt and all, but believe me when I say I really just want to do what I think it is you needed. I… don’t understand it myself and I’m still trying to make sense of it still, but I know now that it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

The younger woman didn’t reply. Rather, she didn’t know what to answer to that. She knew that Yerin sometimes ran on instinct, but she could tell how much thought she put while making this decision. She had insisted that she act on things now than leaving them for another day, and she merely applied that principle on herself. She probably thought at that time that if she didn’t run away with her, she’d regret it for the rest of her life and so she did what she thought she had to do and that’s just like her.

It was out of the question that Yerin is the woman she’s shown herself to be these past days. It proved to her how honest her intentions were and that was enough. It was more than enough.

“But if you don’t want to be here, I’m sure I can arrange some things to—“ Yerin went on.

“Yerin.” Eunbi repeated, already by her side to place a hand on to keep her from saying anymore, “What? Why are you saying that? You want to get rid of me already?”

“I—of course I don’t—“ 

“Listen, no matter the method you used, you had good intentions and it was for all the good reasons, and it was fun.” she smiled, “And I can finally do the things I want to do because of you, I’m not about to let one small white lie get in the way of that. I still want to stay with you and get to know you more.”

Yerin took a minute to let all of her words sink in before finally realizing that Eunbi’s forgiven her.

“And marry me maybe in the future?”

Eunbi rolled her eyes, “Don’t push your luck.” 

Yerin pouted.

“Who knows though?”

She beamed.

“You still have to make it up to me for lying in the first place.”

She felt deflated, but soon got back on her feet, “What do you need? I’ll give you anything.”

Eunbi smiled, pretending to hum in thought as shed headed back into the living room and relaxed on the couch, “Cuddles sound good.”

Yerin grinned from ear to ear and practically jumped on the woman’s back in a hug.

“Cuddling all day it is.” Yerin smiled while Eunbi could only chuckle at the action, “And more cuddling in the future?”

Eunbi didn’t have any idea how her future would turn out, but that’s changed now. Even now she wasn’t exactly sure how everything would go, but this time she had free reign on what pace she could take and what choice she can make. Compared to a few days ago, this future looks bright.

“Sounds good to me.”

--- END ---

A/N

i dunno if i did good, but i try to write some stuff even if they're bad lol (─.─||） nevertheless, i'm back from hiatus at least >< thank you for taking the time to read this and for the replies on twt! uwu, it motivated me a lot, tyvm ( ◜‿◝ )♡