Yoohyeon has a gift. She’s a good writer and she knows it, but unfortunately, she can’t make a living off her original works.

 

One day, her friend Siyeon asked her for advice. She wanted to write a letter to the girl she had a crush on. Two years later, they’re still together. That’s when it all started. When Gahyeon -Siyeon’s girlfriend- found out about the letter, she suggested as a joke that she should put an ad on the internet. Siyeon looked at her with a wide smile, and the next day she sent her a draft of her future advertisement.

 

It worked well for her. A few days later, she had a couple of messages asking her for advice. Some people are too desperate , she thought, unsure about her new side job. Then, she looked at the bills and sighed. There was no other choice.

The clients were so satisfied, they started recommending her to their friends -most of them young boys, too clumsy to talk to a girl-. Soon, she had to raise the price to be more selective.

 

With time, she’s gotten confident over her work. So much that today, she’s going out to celebrate her latest payment. A rich kid was too desperate and threw a crazy amount of money to her bank account.

 

“It’s on me!” Yoohyeon says, proudly to the bartender.

 

Siyeon and Gahyeon shout behind her, ready for the first beer.

The music is loud. A terrible band is playing some rock classics, but it won’t stop them from having fun.

 

“That one can’t take her eyes off you.” Siyeon says to her ear, in a teasing tone. She’s tired of seeing her friend writing I want a girlfriend tweets and not doing anything about it.

 

Yoohyeon blushes and tries to spot her discreetly, but the place is too crowded. “Who??”

 

Siyeon clicks her tongue, trying to think of the best way to point at her without getting noticed.

Gahyeon shakes her head and grabs Yoohyeon’s arm. She walks with her to the other side of the bar until she stops in front of a short woman, who has been clearly caught off guard. She almost drops her drink.

 

“Hi!” Gahyeon yells with her best smile.

 

“Hi!!” The unknown woman replies, loud, while checking out Yoohyeon.

“You were looking at my friend!!” Gahyeon is not even drunk yet, but she doesn’t need it to be cheeky.

 

“She’s… tall!” The woman smiles and sips from her drink.

 

“Nice! Gotta go now! Bye!” Gahyeon pushes Yoohyeon in front of the short woman and disappears into the crowd.

 

Yoohyeon curses, and the other woman reads her lips. Her smile doesn’t fade away, she gets closer and speaks to her ear. “I’m Bora!”

 

Yoohyeon swallows and manages to introduce herself. Bora can see how nervous she is.

 

“I’m in the same situation!” Bora points at Gahyeon and Siyeon, already making out at their table, then, at two girls doing the same thing on the other side of the place. Somehow, it makes Yoohyeon feel better.

The band is gone, now there’s electronic music playing. Everyone leaves their tables to dance, so they take the opportunity to take a sit.

Bora invites to the first round, Yoohyeon to the second. They can’t talk much, the music is too loud, but during this time, Yoohyeon has found out Bora lives alone, and her boyfriend cheated on her some weeks ago.

“I just wanna have fun, you know??” She says. “All this time all I could think about was my job, and making him happy!! Not anymore!!” Bora drinks the whole bottle in one go and gets up. It’s time for a third round… on the dance floor.

The small woman knows how to move, and Yoohyeon discovers she’s not bad at it either.

Siyeon crosses paths with her and winks. Yoohyeon knows exactly what she means with that look and can’t help but laugh of embarrassment.

 

“Everything okay!?” Bora asks, still dancing.

 

Yoohyeon nods, incapable to speak.

 

 “Wanna go upstairs!? There’s also music, but at least we could talk!”

 

“Don’t you wanna keep dancing!?” Yoohyeon says, confused. She seemed to be having fun.

 

“I need a rest!!” Bora lies. “So…?? Upstairs!?”

 

“To the VIP rooms?? I don’t have the money!” Yoohyeon worries. She’s not used to someone paying real attention to her, she’s always so busy helping others picking up, that she never bothers to do it herself. And now, the hottest woman in the club wants to have a private talk with her.

 

Bora smiles to comfort her. And, in that moment, Yoohyeon is convinced that she has the most beautiful smile she’s ever seen. “I know the owner, she’ll let us in!”

 

“What? Really??”

 

“Sure! She owes me a big favor!” She stands on her tiptoes until she spots an orange haired woman. “Dongie!!” Bora grabs Yoohyeon’s hand and starts walking while screaming her friend’s name until she draws her attention. “Hey, Dongie!! Could you open VIP 3 for us??”

 

Bora’s friend takes a look at Yoohyeon, sharing right after a knowing glance with the short woman. If it wasn’t for the alcohol, Yoohyeon would’ve run away to hide how red her face is. 

 

“Yoohyeon, meet Handong!” Bora introduces them.

 

“Hi!” Handong shakes her hand with energy. “You’re pretty!”

 

“You too!!” Yoohyeon answers automatically, what she instantly regrets.

 

Lucky for her, the agony doesn’t last. The orange haired woman goes away for a couple of minutes and returns with a key and a bottle of champagne.

 

“Fancy…!” Bora claps.

 

When she turns, Handong slaps her . In their language, that means ‘ you got this!! ’

 

Going upstairs feels like entering in another world. The music is still there, but sounds distant now. When Bora opens the room, Yoohyeon swallows. The light is different, she can see her face and -she needs to process that second part with open- her body more clearly. She doesn’t feel guilty, though, for checking her out. There’s no doubt Bora is doing the same thing with her.

For a few seconds, they remain silent. There’s so much tension between them, that Yoohyeon decides to bring up a new subject.

 

“What’s that big favor Handong owes you?” It feels weird talking in a normal tone again. She looks for the best spot to sit and wait for the answer on the big couch.

 

Bora waits until she finally wins her fight against the bottle of champagne. She looks for glasses, but she can’t find any. “Do you mind?” She makes the gesture of drinking directly from it. Yoohyeon shakes her head. After a first sip, she replies. “Oof, it’s a good one… I introduced her to her girlfriends.”

 

“Sorry, what? Girlfriends?” Yoohyeon is not sure of what she just heard, she blames the alcohol.

 

Bora laughs. That’s a typical reaction. “Remember those two girls making out that I pointed?” She sits next to Yoohyeon, close.

 

“Oh, wow…” Yoohyeon starts laughing nervously.

 

“Yeah… We all shared an apartment. Handong was a friend I met at my first job, she was kicked out by her landlord aaaaand… She started living with us.” Bora shrugs. “Imagine being me.”

 

That last comment makes Yoohyeon laugh. “Oh, yeah... I feel bad for you.” She puts her hand on Bora’s leg -almost- accidentally.

 

“Why would you?”

 

Yoohyeon catches Bora looking at her lips, what makes her ending up doing the same. Bad idea.

 

“Can I kiss you?” Yoohyeon asks without second thoughts.

 

Bora smiles. She’s too close to resist the temptation. “You better.”

 

What am I doing? Yoohyeon wonders the second before putting her lips over Bora’s for the first time. That’s the last racional thought she has. Kissing her feels so good, she forgets the rest of the world exists.

 

They stay like this until their lips get dry. Bora breaks the kiss with a smile. “Champagne?”

 

Yoohyeon grins. “I’m pretty sure the bubbles are gone by now.”

 

“Your fault.”

 

Bora takes the bottle and offers her the first sip, that she accepts willingly. She fixes Yoohyeon’s her hair while she drinks.

 

“Is it that bad?” Yoohyeon jokes. Bora’s is all messed up, so she can imagine hers.

 

“Nah, it’s perfect.”

 

It’s Bora’s turn for a quick fix. You’re perfect, Yoohyeon thinks. Sometimes she hates being a writer, she’s pretty sure it has made her excessively romantic.

 

They finish the bottle while talking like they’ve known each other for years. There’s a connection between them, that Yoohyeon is incapable to describe.

It’s getting late, and what she fears the most is not seeing her ever again. She’s about to ask her for her number when she gets interrupted.

 

“I live nearby.” Bora says, abruptly. “Please don’t think bad, I just… .” It’s the first time she sees her so nervous tonight. “I really like being with you. Would you…?”

 

“Yes.” Yoohyeon answers before the other woman can finish the sentence. “.” She curses for sounding too desperate.

 

“Great! Now? I’ll get my coat, I think Minji has it…” She says that last part to herself.

 

Yoohyeon can’t find her friends, so she sends a text to feel less bad for leaving just like that.

Soon, they arrive to Bora’s place. It’s a modest apartment, not too big, but cosy.

 

“Put your things wherever you want, feel at home!” She breaks the ice.

 

“I’m not used to do this…” Yoohyeon laughs nervously, as she places her stuff carefully on a chair.

 

“Me neither.” Bora laughs too. “Can I kiss you? Please.” It’s her time to ask.

 

Yoohyeon nods and runs to give her permission properly. They merge in a clumsy kiss, while they bump into every possible piece of furniture on their way to the bedroom. Between laughter, clothes fall all over the place. Pants over the desk, shirts on the chair, bra on the nightstand…

They barely sleep that night, but the few hours they do, Yoohyeon feels like she’s gotten more rest than the rest of the year. She stretches, noticing Bora’s not there. The smell of coffee gives her some clues about her location. Yoohyeon looks for her clothes before getting up. Bora has gathered and put them on a chair, next to her side of the bed what makes a smirk appear on her face automatically. Suddenly, before she finishes putting on her shirt, her phone vibrates. 10 new messages from Siyeon, last one being ‘ I HOPE YOU GOT LAID LAST NIGHT YOUNG LADY’ . Definitely not the time to answer. Under Siyeon’s, there’s another text. It’s from the rich guy she helped the other day. Bad news.

 

GUY 56 9:32 AM: She didn’t like your message, she doesn’t want me back. ”

 

Yoohyeon rolls her eyes and replies. “ That’s not my fault.”

 

GUY 56 10:40 AM: “What should I do then??”

 

Yoohyeon yawns while typing. “ Call her or whatever… If she doesn’t want you stop insisting.”

 

She drops the phone on the bed. If it wasn’t for the easy money, she’d drop the job. I’m so tired of men , she says to herself.

She finishes dressing up, and when she finally gathers the strength to face Bora again, she hears her phone ringing in the kitchen, followed by Bora’s tired voice. Yoohyeon can’t understand what she’s saying, but it doesn’t sound like a pleasant conversation.

She only leaves the room when she hears the other woman letting out a big sigh.

 

“Bad time?” She says from the kitchen door.

 

“Hi, good morning! No, don’t worry. It was just…” Bora seems happy to see her, even if she can’t help but sigh again. “My ex.”

 

“Oh…” Yoohyeon doesn’t know how to react. “I’m…”

 

“He’s an .” Bora smiles. “Don’t be.”

 

The short woman asks her to take a sit while she prepares her breakfast.

 

“Last night was…” Bora says right behind her. Yoohyeon turns to look at her, expectant. “All I needed. Thank you.” 

 

“I feel the same way.”

 

Yoohyeon smiles. But deep inside, she’s worried. Bora made her feel so good last night, she’s afraid of not seeing her ever again. What if she’s just a one night stand to her? After all, she just came off a bad breakup.

 

“Yoohyeon.” Bora sits next to her and looks into her eyes like she could read her mind. “You know… I’d love to be your friend.”

 

. Yoohyeon fears the worst. “Me too.” She answers, almost choking from the tension.

 

“But if you want… we could…” Bora keeps talking, struggling to let out her feelings.

 

“Take it slow?” Yoohyeon tries finishing her sentence.

 

The short woman smiles, relieved. “I’d love that.”

 

After that, they exchange phone numbers and finish their breakfast talking about Marvel movies like nothing happened. Yoohyeon gets sad when it’s time to leave, but the kiss Bora leaves on her cheek gives her strength for the rest of the day.

 

Once in the subway, she gets a new message. The dumb smile she had since she left Bora’s home, fades away when she sees the guy has texted her again.

 

GUY 56 12:46 PM: It’s over. I called her and guess what. She’s met someone else. WE BROKE UP THREE WEEKS AGO, WTF. AND SHE ALREADY FORGOT ME? I APOLOGIZED FOR MY MISTAKE TEN TIMES WTFFFFF

 

Yoohyeon blocks him without answering. She’s done with him.

 

Now, the phone buzzes again. Bora is sending her kiss emojis. The dumb smile is back, and this time, it won’t fade that easily.