Alright, you guys know the deal welcome to part 2!! This was so freaking long...Anyways ENJOY! P.S. there's gonna be a little more swearing from here on out I thought i should mention! Everyone is sad and angry so c I know <3

. . .

"I hope you're having a good evening ladies and gents, but mostly ladies." A tall slender man spoke in a low purposefully sultry tone. He looked civil, his hair was kept and his suit was clean though the sleazy look in his eye contradicted his well-mannered aura. The venue was darker than it had been when they first arrived. The bright yellow stage lights replaced with dim blue mood lights. Jungeun had downed the rest of the liquor in her flask claiming she wouldn't laugh if she was sober, it was clear it was already getting to her since she laughed frighteningly loud at the man's one line causing people to turn heads in their direction. "Alright, it's good to see our regulars in the crowd today..." The audience laughed quietly. "Well let's bring out everyone, shall we?"

One by one the group from earlier had entered the stage, Jungeun inaudibly retched when she saw Eunwoo send a wink in their direction. The tall man had moved away from the mic stand, a small 'ladies first' could be heard leaving his lips as he motioned for one of the members to introduce themselves. An attractive woman with long black hair pushed past the men to reach the stand, flipping her hair in a sassy manner and side-eyeing them before she spoke. "I'm Song Hye-Kyo, the only tolerable person here." The woman rolled her eyes before making way for another person to go. A bright looking man with a teasing glint in his eye dramatically spun up to the mic before letting out a quiet 'Lee Joon-gi' and spinning away. The crowd applauded as he bowed and waved from his position.

"He's popular with the girls, he's a quote on quote mystery or something equally as cliche. I think he's just quiet," Jungeun whispered as she clapped along with the rest of the audience, Jinsoul nodded as a response. "He once asked me for my number. Only words he said the whole night."Jinsoul hummed nodding her head again as the clapping settled.

"Did you give it to him?" Jungeun rolled her eyes, taking a drink of wine from Minhyun's glass.

"I thought about it." She responded with a playful smirk, Jinsoul snorted returning my gaze to the stage. Eunwoo and a man named Gong Yoo were the last ones to introduce themselves before the tall man had reclaimed his position in front of the microphone. 

"And of course, everyone's favorite, I'm Lee Dong-Wook. But you beautiful can call me anytime." Haseul groaned at the man's excessive use of cheesy pick-up lines finishing off her rum and coke before asking Jungeun if she happened to stow away a bottle of tequila in her -- quote unquote  --  'giant coat' (she did). Lee Dong-Wook had made his way down the stage, stopping in front of Minhyun and lighting his cigar. Waving away Jungeun's silent protests Minhyun takes a puff only to break out into a coughing fit, Dong-Wook pats his back nonchalantly before giving Haseul his attention. Another sleazy grin (that Jinsoul had half the mind to smack off) graces his handsome features as he sends her a wink. "Since this young man's guests are so beautiful I'll let him chose today's prompt." The audience applauds once more, a bright light shone on their table causing a very inebriated Haseul and Jungeun to hiss in pain.

"How about murder?" Haseul glowered at the tall man shielding her eyes from the harsh light, he only chuckled shaking his head to seemingly agree.

"Murder sounds nice." He returns to the stage, his colleagues pushing in chairs chatting quietly amongst themselves. A few moments pass and the woman leaves the stage along with Dong-Wook, leaving Eunwoo who was currently playing dead, Joon-gi and Gong Yoo pacing back and forth. The light shining on their table had turned off to Haseul's relief and had made it's way to the three people on stage.

"I can't believe you killed him!"

"It was an accident, I swear!" Joon-gi sat down on the chair looking horrified at Eunwoo's 'dead' body.

"Jesus man do you even know how much that rug cost me. If you're gonna kill somebody do it in your own house!"  The crowd erupted into laughter. One of the busboys walks to their table, leaving a bottle of wine and a few more wine glasses. He whispers something into Minhyun's ear and leaves to serve others at their tables. Haseul and Jinsoul gave him a questioning look, though Jungeun was very focused on the wine bottle in his hands rather than how it got there.

"So, Dong-Wook might be interested in Haseul..." Minhyun said with an amused smile, Haseul only rolled her eyes snatching the bottle from the C.E.O's hands. From the short glance Jinsoul had of the bottle's label, she loosely read something written in sharpie about a mysterious woman being the most beautiful thing in this world.

"That is the most desperate thing I've ever read," Jungeun said leaning her whole body on me to get a look at the wine bottle, in due course, blocking Jinsoul's view. "Do you think it'll get me drunk?"

"Jungeun, you reek of alcohol I think that's enough," Jinsoul said pinching her nose, shoving the younger woman off of me. A huff left the doctor's mouth, her bottom lip tutting out. Minhyun extinguished his barely smoked cigar patting his wife's back in pity. "Gosh, you're such a childish drunk." Jinsoul felt Haseul nudge her side harshly, she turned ger head around to meet her glare with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't be rude to Jungeunie, why aren't you drinking? It's not like you're driving." Haseul handed her, her new glass of wine and stared her down probably wanting Jinsoul to drink it all. Her face was red from all the alcohol intake and Jinsoul couldn't help but snort at the way her glare looked more childish and playful because of it. She took a sip of the wine, scrunching her nose at the sour taste. Before Jinsoul could even think about setting the glass down, Haseul tipped the bottom of the glass making sure she drank every last drop, Jungeun's loud laughing could be heard when she choked in surprise, Haseul hummed satisfied rubbing soothing circles on Jinsoul's back as she sputtered and heaved for breath. She looked in Minhyun's direction as she finally regained her composure, as the only other sober person at their table he gave her an understanding look.

As the night went on, the more bottles of wine were downed, and the more their laughter grew louder. In hindsight, the jokes told that night weren't even that funny though you would think otherwise from the cacophony of laughs and giggles coming from the table. "What do you mean I cheated on you?"

"I mean you stuck your parts in somebody that wasn't me!" An actor exclaimed causing Jungeun to roar with laughter, smacking Jinsoul's arm with the strength she didn't know she possessed.

"She cheated on her husband! That's hilarious!" Jungeun giggled wiping the tears off her eyes. The actors' voices were beginning to sound slurred, it was obvious they were as drunk as their audience. Gong-Yoo held a beer bottle in his hands swaying as he made his way off the stage. He pointed at Jungeun's direction laughing voraciously. 

"You've been laughing the loudest since we started!" He said suddenly breaking character causing his colleagues to groan. "You look very close to your friend here," He spoke again looking straight at Jinsoul. She was kind of in a drunken daze until that moment not aware that Jungeun was squeezing the life out of her arm.

"She's not just my friend, how disrespectful to assume." Jungeun slurred angrily, reaching for another sip of wine only for Minhyun to snatch the glass away. Jinsoul turned back to Gong Yoo waiting for him to continue talking, the rest of the actors were taking the time to interact with the audience.

"Is the man on you're left your husband?"

"Yes."

"But the woman on your right is not your friend?"

"Far from it." It was clear to the other's at the table Jungeun was attempting to express that Jinsoul was, in fact, her best friend (i.e. more than a friend). Though because of her poor choice of words, the grin on Gong-Yoo's face grew -- probably not for any wholesome reasons. A shiver went down Jinsoul's spine as the actor continued to stare them down, most-likely creating scenarios in his head.

"She didn't mean it like that." Jinsoul spoke up but since her voice was hoarse and scratchy from the lack of use it was far too quiet to catch the actor's attention.

"This is quite an odd situation," The actor looks between the two of them, Jungeun was not catching on to the actor's dirty notions still very keen on finding alcohol around the table. "You two come up on stage and I'll buy you shots as a reward." Before Jinsoul could even register the request -- or rather the demand, Jungeun was already pulling her by the hand up the stage steps. An amused Gong-Yoo following close behind.

. . .

Jinsoul sat on a chair in the center of the stage next to the actress from earlier -- at this point, she was too drunk to remember anyone's names. She looked bored picking at the dirt under her nails though still elegant. Her back was straight and her legs were crossed, her plump red lips pursing as she combed her hand through her wavy locks. Yes, she was blatantly staring at her in front of an audience but Jinsoul's sure they were far too preoccupied watching the dramatic scene unfolding behind her to judge.

"How did I get in this situation? I never wanted this to happen!" Jungeun yelled frustrated, sounding as if she was on the brink of tears, somehow voicing Jinsoul's exact thoughts. The prompt given to them was originally 'beach date', but somehow it turned into 'cheating fiasco' in mere moments. Unsurprisingly, Jungeun was blowing the stage away with her talent while the actors kind of just watched in awe, sometimes piping up to feed the doctor's theatrical ranting.

"Don't act like the victim! You knew what you were doing!" It was the same line over and over again at this point. The actors were too drunk to come up with anything entertaining, though the audience didn't seem to mind since Jungeun was doing the job on her own anyway.

"I think they're running out of ideas." The older woman turned to Jinsoul surprised, she giggled at her shocked expression. "I'm drunk."

"Yeah, I noticed," She offered her hand to shake, Jinsoul took it giving the woman a polite smile. "What's your name?"

"Jung Jinsoul." The woman returned her smile, shifting her gaze to the audience. 

"Well, Jung Jinsoul your friend is pretty good at this."

"Yeah, I know! She's close to me like a little sister almost...we're like soulmates. Do you know how long we've known each other? Like almost twenty-years isn't that crazy? Do you know what else is crazy? She's got two kids, and she's a doctor, and she works in a lab sometimes. Oh yeah! She's married too! I have a roommate and I can barely do my laundry. It took me getting a job to realize my life is kind of falling apart and I have this bad feeling in my gut that I'm doing everything wrong and it makes me want to puke. I think I'm gonna puke-"

"NO!" The woman yelled startlingly loud silencing the others behind them. Everyone turned to look at the center of the stage where the two sat, waiting for the older woman to say something more. "I-I mean she's not cheating on her with Joon-gi or Eunwoo, i-it was Jinsoul."

"Who's Jinsoul?"

"I think Hye-Kyo means Mrs. Dopey Dwarf on her right..." Jinsoul furrowed her eyebrows at the insult, far too exhausted to retaliate only turning her body to face the others on stage.

"Oo, plot twist..." She said dryly, just wanting to go home at this point, the crowd gasps followed by thunderous clapping and cheering. The men behind them clap as well, as Jungeun bows dramatically sending flying kisses into the audience.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today. Drink, eat food, just enjoy yourselves, my friends!" One of the actors spoke. Jinsoul stood up shakily, following Jungeun and the rest of the actors off the stage returning to their table where a very perplexed looking Minhyun sat eating a bag of chips.

"I'm as confused as you are..." Jinsoul sat down in her spot chugging a bottle of water that Minhyun probably placed on the table for Jungeun. "Where's Haseul?"

"She went to the bathroom to throw up." Minhyun offered her a bag of chips, she declined, making a b-line to the bathroom. When Jinsoul got there it was empty apart from the handicapped stall at the very end, she knocked lightly on the door and not a moment later Haseul had unlocked the stall. She sat on the floor with her hands on her head groaning, Jinsoul sat next to her leaning her head on the shorter woman's shoulder.

"We're never doing this again," Haseul mumbles, removing her hands from her face and leaving a kiss on Jinsoul's head. "Too much drinking."

"Please don't even mention it I'll puke on you, I'm not kidding." Haseul laughs bringing her knees up to her chest. "I missed you today."

"You just spent the whole night with me!" 

"Yeah, but we didn't talk." Jinsoul pouted snapping her head off Haseul's shoulder to look her in the eye. She returned Jinsoul's gaze with an annoyed expression, leaning her head on her knees still maintaining eye-contact.

"Of course, you were all over Jungeun the entire time." A small teasing smile started growing on Jinsoul's face, Haseul groaned knowing full well where the conversation was going.

"Are you jealous, Haseulie?"

"Don't call me that, and I'm not jealous," She huffed angrily, hugging her knees tighter. "How could I be? It's not your fault she's one of your best friends, plus we're not even girlfriends." Jinsoul smiled adoringly placing a chaste kiss on her lips. She pulled back and furrowed her eyebrows, causing Haseul to give her a questioning stare.

"Have you been seeing anyone else?" Jinsoul asked sheepishly, Haseul smiled softly chuckling at Jinsoul's shyness.

She thought for a bit before responding. "No, no I haven't."

"Then, do you want to be?"

"God, you're such a lesbian..." Jinsoul scoffed pushing Haseul's shoulder causing the rest of her body to flail out of position, her elbows keeping her from falling flat on the cold ground. "Should I order a Uhaul too?" She smirked, her eyes narrowing in a teasing fashion.

"It was just a suggestion, you don't have to reject me so coldly!" Jinsoul lamented pouting, Haseul giggled returning to her position beside her.

"I'm not rejecting you...It'll also make the blow less hard on that Wong-dook character when I turn him down." Jinsoul hummed letting the silence fill the room. They heard footsteps enter the bathroom but quickly scurry off afterward probably feeling weird seeing two pairs of legs in one stall. "Minhyun is a good guy, Jungeun's lucky. You know he offered to hold my hair back when I said I wasn't feeling well, seriously the only man who deserves rights." Jinsoul nodded her head slowly, leaning all her body weight on Haseul's side.

"So we're girlfriends?"

"Is that seriously all you got from that?"

. . .

After another impromptu puke session and heartfelt drunken confessions that anybody will hardly remember in the morning (it's for the best anyway), Haseul and Jinsoul rejoined their favorite married couple at the bar. Jungeun had received her promised shots long ago and Minhyun was helping her sober up. Though the night was still young, drinking was no longer an option so the four of them settled for socializing with other improv-group-goers (?). Haseul stayed close to Jinsoul, trying to avoid getting hit on by Dong-Wook who was currently giving her heart eyes from across the room. A-very-much-still-drunk Jungeun was talking to him and the other actors. Probably about recruitment because Jungeun sort-of blew the house down with her performance.

"Do you think Minhyun can act?" Haseul asked downing a wine glass filled to the brim with what Jinsoul assumed was coke -- no girlfriend of her's would ever be caught dead drinking Pepsi.

"Maybe, Jungeun never really associated with talentless people."

"Really? Jungeun doesn't strike me as the type to be...you."

"Me, what does that mean?"

"You're an that's what I mean," Haseul teased, nudging Jinsoul's side with her elbow, she grumbled crossing her arms over her chest. Haseul noticed Jinsoul's sulky demeanor linking their arms together and leaving a soft peck on her lips. "Sometimes." 

"That's not making me feel any-"

"Ladies!" The deep voice of one Lee Dong-Wook had interrupted their conversation, his tall slim figure walking toward them.

".." Haseul cursed under her breath, pulling Jinsoul's body closer to hers. "Quick act like my girlfriend."

"I am your girlfriend." Haseul turned her face towards her sending her a threatening glare, though there was a very visible blush on her cheeks so it really wasn't that threatening.

"W-well, you're not acting like it. Why are you smiling like that? Crap, he's here. Shut up. Act normal."

"Wha-"

"Shush." Haseul's back straightened as she gave the tall man a forced smile. He bowed upon making eye contact with Jinsoul before turning to Haseul sending her a cheeky grin. It was surprisingly sweet, a stark contrast from his brazen pick-up lines and shameless (creepy) looks. He handed both of them a glass of soda claiming 'we've had enough alcohol tonight', Haseul had politely declined, though Jinsoul didn't hesitate to snatch the drink from the man's hands feeling her throat dry up (not in a good way) when she saw Eunwoo staring at her from across the room.

"I just wanted to pop over and say hi. I love meeting new fans." Jinsoul snorted, almost spitting out her drink. Haseul discreetly pinched her arm forcing her to awkwardly play off the sudden outburst with a few fake coughs and an apologetic smile. 

"Fans, yes, we are fans. I loved you in the pregnancy skit!" Jinsoul lied giving the man a dramatic ok gesture, she wasn't even sure there was a pregnancy skit to begin with. He smiled proudly, fixing the lapels on his tux his eyes returned to Haseul who only looked anywhere but his suggestive gaze.

"I think I fell in love."

"Do you?" Haseul said frantically looking at Jinsoul for help.

"What's your name, beautiful?" Haseul's hands moved from clutching her bicep to intertwining their fingers.

"Babe, I'm gonna go find Jungeun," Jinsoul gave Dong-Wook a hard stare and turned to Haseul leaving a purposefully lingering kiss on her lips. "Coming with?" Haseul smiled sweetly at her before turning to the shell-shocked actor.

"Sorry to cut our conversation short but my girlfriend isn't much of a patient person." Haseul cautioned, Jinsoul smiled at her ignoring the music teacher's unrelenting subtle jabs, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked over to Jungeun and the other actors at the other end of the room. On the way, Haseul dragged Minhyun out from his heated discussion on what beer goes best with Korean barbeque, getting a little annoyed he had barely talked to his wife the entire night (rightfully so).

"Mother of polygamy, what is this relationship!?!" Gong-Yoo shouted grabbing on to a disgruntled Eunwoo's collar shaking him roughly. Hye-Kyo shook her head pinching the bridge of her nose as she groaned in disgust.

"What? No! You've got the wrong idea!" Jungeun gave the man a bewildered expression, the rest of them broke out into giggles.

"Don't ruin poor Gong-Yoo's fantasies," Eunwoo spoke up pushing the older man off of him. He walked over to Haseul offering her hand, Haseul took it smiling respectfully when the interaction was over. "I'm Eunwoo, I'm sure Jinsoul's already told you about me."

"What, that you were an annoying classmate with a knack for poetry?" Eunwoo's smile faltered slightly, but he didn't bite back or scowl like Jinsoul assumed he would. He was known for his short temper on stage.

"Sounds about right," He laughs bitterly shooting Jinsoul a smile, she sent him an apologetic one in return. "I like it. That fire you've got, I didn't have that in high school makes sense she rejected me."

"Well, that and you know..." Jinsoul lifted their intertwined fingers with a proud smile on her lips, Eunwoo laughed with an understanding look in his eye. Haseul hid her face in her girlfriend's shoulder mumbling curses under her breath, she laughed wrapping an arm around her shoulders cooing softly. "No hard feelings right?"

"Of course not." He gives them both a smile, looking over his shoulder when loud boisterous laughter filled the quiet venue. "She's different." He chuckles lightly bringing his attention back to them.

"Not really, just drunk." Jinsoul looked in Jungeun's direction, a growing concern building up at the bottom of her stomach as she wobbled around like baby giraffe learning how to walk. Haseul gasped when Jungeun toppled over, Minhyun just barely catching her. Before they could go help the woman, Eunwoo had walked in front of them blocking their way.

"You know I always thought the reason you never liked me was that you two were dating."

"What?" Eunwoo gave Jinsoul an amused look as if surprised she had no idea what he was talking about.

"I mean it's just -- you guys weren't? The way she looked at you all the time and she never stopped talking about you. There was a rumor she cried for three months after you left, it was clear to anyone in a five-mile radius she was head over heels for you, I honestly felt bad." His tone was mocking and it irked Jinsoul the slightest bit.

"I was her senior, and I acted as such. She looked up to me that was all." She concluded, Haseul probably sensing the tense atmosphere gave the man a kind smile before pulling Jinsoul away to make sure Jungeun was safe and alright. She wasn't, Minhyun had an arm around her waist keeping her upright so that she didn't fall. The doctor's face was pale and her body was missing some of its usual warmth and her eyelids were heavy with fatigue. Minhyun continued having a casual conversation with the younger woman making sure she didn't fall asleep before help arrived, the others did the same. Hye-Kyo already had her phone out to call for an ambulance, while others in the venue did the best they could to help.

"Jeez, how much did she drink?"

"Why the hell would you give her those shots?"

"Why'd you let me give her those shots!?" Various whispers could be heard as a crowd began forming around them, Haseul shooed a couple of people away yelling at everyone to give Jungeun space. Jungeun gave Jinsoul a sheepish smile as she made her way toward her, Jinsoul's heart stung as she watched her stumble awkwardly into her arms.

"Don't tell Soulie~" The shorter woman slurred nuzzling her nose in the crook of her bestfriend's neck.

"You seriously think she doesn't have feelings for you? Gosh, look at you two."

"Dude, can you screw off! Not the time for your conspiracy theories." Haseul cursed. The mischievous glint in Eunwoo's eyes only grew, obviously enjoying getting a rise out of everybody. That was another annoying thing about him, he loved the attention that came with acting a little too much and strived to get it even off the stage.

"Don't humor him, the brat won't stop otherwise." Hye-Kyo joined in, finishing the call with the operator on the other line. "Ambulance will be here soon." Jungeun had finally let go of Jinsoul's neck -- though a lot of tugging and whining was involved. Dong-Wook and Gong-Yoo had helped her sit down on a stool at the bar, handing her a glass of water and a plate of hors d'oeuvre (french for appetizer) in hopes it would slow down the alcohol absorption. She downed the water in one go and nibbled at the food Jinsoul sighed in relief when a little color began returning to her face, not enough for her anxiousness to completely leave her.

Eunwoo was irritating her, he hadn't said anything since Hye-Kyo had shut him up but his teasing glances proved he was planning something. Haseul was seething, cursing under her breath anytime he did something as minuscule as shifting in his seat. "Look at his stupid smirk! He wants to rile me up."

"He hasn't said anything bad he's just being annoying, don't pay attention to him."

"So help me god, if that -"

"Haseul..." Eunwoo seemed to have heard the brunette's comment since he sent a wicked smile in the couple's direction. He wiped his striped vest straightening his blazer. Dong-Wook put a hand on the younger man's chest stopping him from walking any further. The older actor leaned in whispering something in his ear but Eunwoo's face only contorted into a scowl. Jinsoul rose her eyebrow at his sudden hostile behavior, other's seemed to notice as well sparing glances in his direction. Eunwoo pushed pass Dong-Wook walking straight towards Jinsoul, Haseul attempted to intercept him but Hye-Kyo beat her to it.

"What are you going to do, punch a girl? Can you deal with this later, preferably when one of our customers isn't at risk of dying of alcohol poisoning or do I have to call the cops too?"

"This has nothing to do with you-"

"Do I need to remind you who hired you in the first place? If it weren't for me and Dong-Wook you would've never stepped on a stage again. I'm trying to protect you." The anger in Eunwoo's eyes softened for just a moment only for it to return a second later. Hye-Kyo sighed shaking her head moving out of the way, Jinsoul felt Haseul tighten her grip on her hand. Eunwoo hesitantly walked passed the actress to reach them, his twisted smirk continuing to grow each step he took.

"Don't look so frightened I'm not gonna do anything," He stopped a few feet away from Jinsoul, she wasn't afraid to get jumped or anything his eyes looked sincere and apologetic. Lee Joon-gi, who was barely present the entire night, stood on her other side his jaw-clenched and eyes piercing as he stared Eunwoo down. There was a story between the actors and Eunwoo, She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it. Jinsoul looked over Eunwoo's shoulder, an EMT had arrived and was helping Jungeun, another volunteer was dragging a stretcher into the building. Minhyun looked Jinsoul's way giving her a thumbs up before raising his eyebrow, silently asking if she needed help. Jinsoul waved him away but he stayed put watching Eunwoo as he spoke. As Haseul would say 'the only man who deserves rights'. 

"So are you gonna tell me what's wrong?  We're kind of on a tight schedule here if you hadn't noticed." Jinsoul sneered, her sight not leaving Jungeun and the EMT.

"You know I never liked Jungeun, I didn't understand how someone so nice could have such a strong bond with someone like her," He side-steps blocking Jinsoul's view. "She was a bully you know? She'd bully me, anytime I'd get close to you, she'd take me to the side and spout mean words, the very thing you despised. I always liked that about you -- you didn't like bullies. You always preached karma would get to them, that they'd pay. That's why I didn't care when I found out how successful she became -- with her picture-perfect family. I knew she never got what she really wanted. Maybe she's changed but she still got her karma."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I just wanted you to see how little you know about your y friend." He snapped, Jinsoul exhaled shakily her fists clenched. Haseul pulled at her sleeve, trying to get her to leave but she ignored her. In a fit of rage, Jinsoul's hand found it's way across Eunwoo's face. A few gasps could be heard ringing out around them before the room went silent. He chuckled as he clutched his cheek, Joon-gi had moved from his spot beside Jinsoul, standing in between the both of them like a divider. "Whoo, that's gonna leave a bruise."

"You disgust me."

"Do I, Jinsoul?" His face turned sullen, he moved closer only for Joon-gi to push him back. "You and I are the same and you know that. You stood up for me because I reminded you of yourself, that's what you told me. Do you know what she called me, Jinsoul? She called me an unlovable bastard, sound familiar?" Jinsoul stayed silent, attempting to will away memories she thought she'd forgotten. Jinsoul looked around the room, Minhyun and Jungeun were nowhere to be found, they probably made it to the hospital already. Somewhere along the way, most likely when the married couple left, the crowd had moved its attention towards them. Jinsoul cleared her throat awkwardly, as on-lookers anticipated her next move. She walked passed Eunwoo aggressively knocking their shoulders. The crowd had split, making a walkway for her to pass. She heard the hurried clacking of heels following her out into the hall a short time after, she had assumed it was Haseul. Jinsoul turned around ready to hear an earful about how she could've handled the situation better but instead was met with an apologetic stare from a different woman entirely.

"Does that happen all the time?" Hye-Kyo smirked.

"No, that was the first..." Jinsoul rubbed her nape sheepishly.

"Look, whatever he said and whatever he meant by it doesn't mean anything, alright? You've got a good heart and there's not a doubt in my mind that you'll make it. This is just a bump in your story, Jinsoul. Work hard, put yourself out there, and don't listen to jerks like him." She gave Jinsoul a reassuring smile, patting her back. Jinsoul respectfully bowed whispering a few thank-yous, and stood up straight once more with a large grin suddenly feeling much better, she laughed. Jinsoul felt her cheeks warm at the memory of her embarrassing ranting from a few hours ago."Promise me one thing though. Never settle for easy, it's the only way you'll live up to your potential." Jinsoul nodded as a response, sensing there was more to the promise than just a simple wish of good luck but not wanting to intrude.

"Thank you again."

"No problem...Oh yeah, and we should head inside, we might miss your girlfriend beating the crap out of Eunwoo."

"Deserve. Oh , wait no-"

 . . .

"I'm driving it."

"This thing cost more than the both of us combined, there is no way in hell I'm letting your drunk drive."

"You're drunk too!"

"Less than you!"

"That makes zero sense." Haseul had left Eunwoo with a black eye, though he promised not to sue them for assault as long as the couple didn't sue him or the club venue for harassment. The crowd inside had applauded after they reconciled thinking the whole thing was an elaborate play, one of them even asked for Jinsoul's autograph. It was pretty dramatic and out of the blue so she didn't blame them. After they made sure nobody was going to jail their next mission was to get to the hospital. Minhyun had left them his keys before he left, according to Gong-Yoo, and the pair were currently fighting over who was least likely to get them into a car accident. Well, that is until a familiar red-head (and friends) had showed up to end their bickering. 

"Hello, my beautiful angels!" Jiwoo cooed wrapping them both in a tight embrace. Haseul yelped at her sudden appearance smacking her off of them.

"What the hell are you doing here??"

"Well, Minhyun called us to come!"

"All three of you?" Jinsoul quipped in, raising her eyebrow at an embarrassed looking Vivi and a smug as ever Sooyoung.

"I came for the tea!" Sooyoung said proudly, Jiwoo cringed at her sudden use of slang. "Vivi came for Jungeun, I mean so did I but mostly for the tea."

"My apartment is two blocks down, Vivi was dropping off Heejin for 'Auntie Jiwoo weekend fun time' when Hyun Senior called."

"Hyun Senior?" Haseul furrowed her brows at the strange nickname.

"Yerim's older sister named Hyunjin, everyone calls her Hyun for short. So Hyun Senior, Hyun Junior." Jinsoul supplied, Haseul hummed in understanding. 

"C'mon get in the unnecessarily flashy car, it's not gonna drive itself!" Jiwoo exclaimed with a bright smile. The three of them exchanged knowing looks while Jiwoo racked her brain around what she had just said. "Gosh, rich people are lazy. You know what I mean, let's go."

They made it to the hospital in one piece, though in more than the needed time. Jiwoo was far too busy having fun with the fancy controls to focus on getting to their destination. Though with enough insistence they'd finally convinced her that seeing her cousin was more important than how loud the speakers could play Ocean Man. When they arrived Minhyun was there to greet us, ensuring that Jungeun was indeed still alive. Jungeun had been the only thing on Jinsoul's mind the entire time, selfishly, for more reasons than one. Sooyoung, Vivi, Haseul, and Jinsoul were sitting patiently in the waiting room since we weren't allowed in. If it weren't for Sooyoung stepping in, Jiwoo would've attacked the doctor when he told them they couldn't see her because they weren't relatives, though Jinsoul supposes it's nice to know Jiwoo considers them like family.

Sooyoung was sleeping soundly with her legs messily sprawled over a vexed Haseul's lap. Jinsoul laid her head on Haseul's shoulder trying to sleep herself, though thoughts of previous events were actively plaguing her mind, forcing me to stay awake. Instead, she played idly with Haseul's fingers listening to Vivi's worried ranting while she was on the phone with whom could only be Heejin. 

"You okay?" Haseul asked squeezing Jinsoul's fingers lightly.

"Perfectly fine..." Her tone was dry and borderline lifeless, she didn't even try to make her response believable. Haseul scoffed at her girlfriend's blatant lie, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tucking her head under her chin.

"She's gonna be okay."

"I would've killed Minhyun otherwise."

"Then if you're not worried...what's up?" Jinsoul stayed silent for a moment trying to collect her thoughts into coherent sentences. She was planning on telling her about her parents just not this soon. But she supposes since the topic arose and she essentially walked into this conversation Haseul had the right to hear some kind of explanation.

"I'm the unlovable bastard Eunwoo was talking about."

"What? Don't say that."

"Fine, I'm the by-product of a love affair. An illegitimate child." Jinsoul chuckled joylessly, she moved her head off Haseul's shoulder so I could look her in the eyes, concern and worry were the only emotions present in them. "My birth mother died after I was born, apparently a relative left me on my parent's doorstep with a note. Bet you could guess what it said. It's kind of funny though, don't you think? A man cheats on his pregnant wife and the consequences followed him...t-that's not what's bothering me though."

"What is it?"

"When I was younger I used to get made fun of because I was different. A mistake -- that's what my dad said. My mom, I wasn't her kid biologically but she treated me with love, my brother did too. I had a loving family, for the most part, they protected me. My brother, Jaehyun, got suspended once for getting in a fight for me." I heard Haseul giggle airily, Jinsoul smiled at the sound sighing contently as she laced their fingers together. "I haven't really spoken to them since I graduated college but the point is they taught me that I'm better than that -- better than them. I guess it kind of irks me, even if it was a long time ago, that Jungeun was like that. Especially since there was a point in my life where I thought she was everything. I might have been her senior but I looked up to her. I still do."

"Don't you think you should hear her side?" Haseul mumbled furrowing her eyebrows.

"What?"

"I'm not saying that Eunwoo kid is lying or anything, but I know Jungeun...sort of. Well, I know she wouldn't betray you, let alone, hurt you even with a gun to her head. So, all I'm saying is you should talk to her."

"I will don't worry."

"Okay good, It'd be weird if you guys were awkward. The fabric of time would rip if the universe's favorite besties weren't besties, you know?" Haseul beamed, Jinsoul snorted at her weirdness placing a kiss on her cheek. She returned to her spot on Haseul's shoulder, letting the silence settle in. Well, not silence, Vivi was still talking up a storm and Sooyoung's snoring was pretty loud too. A few moments had passed and Haseul cleared garnering her attention, Jinsoul rose her eyebrow at her hesitant gaze. "Do you think she liked you?"

"Oh my gosh, you are jealous."

"No, I'm not, It's a question!" The brunette huffed rolling her eyes.

"I don't know. Even if she did it doesn't change anything now, right? She's married and I have you."

"Cheesy," Haseul grimaced, Jinsoul laughed shoving her lightly. Haseul pursed her lips leaning further into the hospital bench, staring at nothing in particular for a brief moment before looking at her once more. "So if things were different do you think...?" She trailed off, Jinsoul understood where she was going. She opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. She looked over to the closed hospital door where she could just barely see Jiwoo brightly smiling and scrunched her nose in deep thought. She'd never thought of Jungeun as anything other than a little sister. She supposed she never saw Jungeun as someone she could love (in that way) because she never thought it was a possibility.

Sometimes Jinsoul would think back on memories she had with Jungeun, memories where the lines of platonic and romantic were blurred. When her stares were too deep or touch lingered for too long. Maybe she'd fall in love with Jungeun if things were different. If she failed that calc final like Jungeun told her to, or if they kept in contact after she graduated. If Jinsoul didn't pass off all of their interactions as purely platonic, or if she saw Jungeun as a woman rather then the little underclassman who followed her around that she swore she'd protect. What's worse was that maybe Jinsoul was starting to see that world Yerim was talking about. That world where Jungeun never met Minhyun and she selfishly had her all to my own, maybe that's what she wanted all this time. Maybe she just wanted Jungeun but it was far too late when she finally realized. 

A few minutes of silence passed by and Minhyun and Jiwoo had come out of the hospital room with bright smiles. Vivi had finished her phone call and Sooyoung had sturred awake. Jinsoul still felt Haseul's sharp gaze at the side of her head, her arm hand had left her's and had found its way on her shoulder shaking Jinsoul out of her trance. Jinsoul met her gaze again, a small smile played on her lips, the music teacher's eyes had that same look they always did. The look that told her everything's going to be okay without saying a word. She smiled back brighter and somehow Jinsoul had forgotten everything that pulled her into that whirlwind of emotions like it never happened.

"No, I wouldn't."

. . .

A day passes and Jungeun calls Jinsoul early in the morning asking if she could pick her up after she's been discharged. On Saturday Jinsoul forgot that the kind and well mannered Minhyun was indeed the same C.E.O who tended to put work before his family. Or as Vivi kindly put it: a serious . Now Jinsoul was sitting in an uncomfortable chair with an incredibly tacky visitors badge stuck to her tee-shirt while she waited patiently for the younger woman to leave the shower. When she did finally peek through the bathroom door Jinsoul had already made it through five levels of candy crush. Her wet hair was tied up into a messy bun, visible water stains had adorned her grey hospital-logo sweatshirt and her over-sized black sweatpants engulfed her questionable choice of bright red socks and Chaco sandals. If Jinsoul could describe it in two words it would probably be something along the lines of bum chic.

"You look like ." Jungeun deadpanned packing up her duffel bag with her toiletries, a small grin gracing her features. The bags under Jinsoul's eyes and the intolerable headache the life from her forced her to agree with the doctor's findings.

"Says the one admitted in the hospital." Jinsoul got up out of the chair and pocketing her phone leaving to join Jungeun. Upon noticing her presence she moved over a bit handing Jinsoul a few extra clothes to fold. "Jiwoo overpacked."

"If that's what you call stuffing an entire drawer into a bag then sure." Jungeun joked, Jinsoul giggled quietly at the thought of the red-head. Gently placing the folded clothes into heir original spot she waited for Jungeun to look at her, concern bubbling at the pit of her stomach. "Can I ask why you're drilling holes in the side of my head?" Jungeun said with a raised eyebrow turning her head slightly to finally return Jinsoul's gaze.

"Don't do that again." She turned her body fully, setting a hand on her hip looking dreadfully pretty with an amused smirk. Jinsoul was suddenly hyper-aware of how Jungeun's eyes traveled up and down her figure looking a little bit too longingly. 

"I can handle myself, Jinsoul."

"Look where that got you," she rebuked, silently cursing herself for being so affected by the way the water from her hair dripped down Jungeun's neck extra slow. She was supposed to be lecturing her on her bad decisions, certainly not thirsting over her. Thirsting over Jungeun, a married woman, her best friend -- something that she shouldn't need remind herself of. "What were you thinking?"

"So I didn't keep track of how much I drank, it's not a big deal. It won't happen again."

"You almost died, do you even know how pale you looked? Everyone was ting their pants when you collapsed but you wouldn't remember that."

"Yes, and I feel terrible. Now, are we done?" The younger woman let out an exasperated sigh, zipping the duffel bag shut and placing the strap over her shoulder all in a purposefully aggressive fashion. Her cheeks puffed angrily as she shifted her attention to the boring white walls of the hospital room, sending them a half-hearted glare that was likely meant for Jinsoul. Her drinking habits were obviously a touchy subject. "I don't need your lecture Jiwoo already had that covered."

"It serves you right, you can't afford to be stupid anymore Jungeun." Jinsoul scoffed snatching the bag away from her and lugging it over her shoulder. She gave Jungeun a teasing grin before making her way out of the hospital room. Jungeun had followed after her linking their arms together, as a result, forcing Jinsoul to ignore the heat making it's way up her neck as they walked to the front desk. A cute looking secretary that some-what resembled a baby bear peaked her head out of the stacks of papers, doing a double-take when she realized Jungeun's presence.

"Dr. Kim, I'm afraid you're in the wrong ward."

"I don't work on weekends Secretary Kang." Jungeun rolled her eyes pursing her lips in disinterest. The secretary rose her eyebrows returning her attention to the large stack of papers on her desk and beginning to organize them into neat piles.

"Oh, then what are you doing here? Did you hear about your coffee machine?"

"What about my coffee machine?" Jungeun sneered through clenched teeth. Secretary Kang paused her movement looking up from the stack of papers with agape and eyes wide with terror. Jinsoul held in a chuckle at her expression finding the interaction kind of funny.

"Who's your friend?"

"Kang, what happened to my coffee machine?"

"Hi, I'm Kang Seulgi, Dr. Kim's favorite secretary nice to meet you." The secretary reached over her desk offering up her hand, Jinsoul took it shooting her a smile.

"Jung Jinsoul."

"Oo pretty~" Seulgi gushed turning to Jungeun with a cheeky glint in her eye. "She single?"

"Stop hitting on her and sign me out so I can leave this hell!"

"Wait, why'd you get admitted? I thought Secretary Hirai wasn't allowed in the labs anymore." Jungeun glared at the girl and it didn't take long for her to scramble into her office chair, sliding over to the computer and begin to vigorously type at it. "Jeez fine. What's your name again?"

"Seriously, Kang."

"Yes, seriously. I've been calling you Dr. Kim for so long I'm half-convinced it's your entire name." Seulgi said sarcastically, though her soft smile proved there was no malice behind her words. It was clear the two colleagues were close despite their cat and mouse dynamic. Seulgi bid the two goodbye giving Jungeun a sloppy kiss on the cheek (to the doctor's disgust) and sending Jinsoul a flirty wink -- or weirdly exaggerated blink. They walked in silence -- well, Jungeun did, Jinsoul was very adamant on ranting about how hard it was to find parking. They'd finally found her less-than-beautiful blue Prius after an unnecessarily large amount of walking, Jungeun gave it a once-over before entering wordlessly.

"Sorry it's not a Volkswagen, but it does the job," Jinsoul said buckling her seat belt, getting ready to wrestle with the key to start up the car. "I would make you sign a waiver but I'm gonna go ahead and assume you've got good health insurance."

"Please, good health insurance in this economy? Though, must I say, the thrill makes the car all the more appealing." She joked patting the dashboard affectionately. As they drove along the streets as soft pop-tunes had begun playing in the background. Both of them had been primarily silent aside from Jungeun's quiet humming and Jinsoul's constant drumming on the steering wheel when waiting for traffic to pass got a bit too boring. Jungeun's house was quite far since she lived out in the suburbs, like Vivi, instead of in the city, like the rest of them. Fifteen minutes or so had passed and they still had a large amount of time to kill before they finally reached their destination.

There was a lot Jinsoul wanted to talk about, though confrontation never was apart of her vast skill set. So instead she welcomed the silence with open arms hoping Jungeun didn't notice how thick with tension the atmosphere was. But the gods of global positioning systems were not on her side and decided to lead her straight into suspiciously heavy traffic. As time went by and the coca-cola truck (that Jinsoul was currently staring at like it was the most enchanting thing in the world) didn't seem to be moving an inch, Jungeun grew antsy. It was clear she was thinking hard on what she wanted to say, on any given day Jinsoul would've thought her furrowed eyebrows and puffed cheeks were cute but right now they were her worst fear.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" She finally broke the silence looking out the window with her chin in her palm. It was sort of cinematic, how somber she looked, but Jinsoul didn't have the energy to talk about movie tropes and why The Perks of Being a Wallflower was an underrated piece of art (period).  "It's just that I know you probably didn't drink too much. Just wondering if I did anything stupid to kill the night."

"Besides almost dying of alcohol poisoning?"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Sorry's not gonna cut it." Jinsoul laughed softly, smiling at the glaring younger woman. She focused her attention back to the road rubbing her hands together trying to generate some warmth amid the chilly fall air flooding into the car. "Last night was sort of a blur but I don't think you did anything stupid...maybe joined an improv group."

"Oh, so I did do something dumb, got it." Jinsoul could still feel Jungeun's eyes on her making her ever more self-conscious. A few silent seconds pass before she felt slender fingers reaching out to remove loose strands of raven hair away from her face. Jinsoul flinched away at the touch, yelping in surprise, though Jungeun was not fazed simply continuing to groom her like a cat did a kitten. Panicking at the sudden display of affection, Jinsoul quickly grabbed the younger woman's wrist effectively stopping her in her tracks. Jungeun looked at the older woman with a bemused expression before slowly retracting her hand from the vicinity of her face awkwardly.

"Y-you shouldn't do that."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm driving, Jungeun. What if we got in a car accident? You said it yourself your health insurance isn't good!" Jinsoul argued, sounding stupider than intended completely forgetting she hasn't driven even a little in the past ten minutes and it didn't seem like she would anytime soon either. She regretted it even more when Jungeun continued to stare at her like she was an extra-terrestrial being coming to abduct her.

"I'm sorry... i-is something wrong?" For some reason, her cluelessness was enough to flip a switch, even though Jinsoul knew I shouldn't be mad at her for not knowing she was currently the route to all her problems (some that will stay unsaid). 

"Oh, what makes you think that? Of course, something's wrong Jungeun!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, it's just me no need to act like the world is melting."

"Jungeun, the world is melting! And you are the problem!"

"I-I am?"

"Yes!" Jinsoul spat, sighing loudly in frustration. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened when uncomfortable silence followed her outburst. Staring down at her whitening knuckles she sighed once again in exasperation, wishing an eighteen-wheeler would just come and run her over right now. "You're infuriating you know that? First, you're crying in the bathroom driving me nuts, then you're getting -faced drunk so much so you end up in the ing hospital. Don't even get me started on the fact that Eunwoo said y-you bullied him? Even after everything I told you -- how I hated that stuff, a-and that you liked me. But not in a friend type of like, like, a love type of like, a-and that's just absurd-"

"What?"

"Huh, I-I mean...nevermind." The car was silent once more though cars seemed to be starting to move though not fast enough to Jinsoul's irritation. She stiffened when she felt Jungeun's hand rest on her shoulder, Jungeun noticed clearing awkwardly and moving away once more.

"Look at me, Soul."

"I'm driving-"

"Just, look at me." She commanded with the slightest amount of bite in her tone. Jinsoul reluctantly turned her head to face her, unsurprisingly Jungeun was looking at her with concern. "Do you want to hear the truth?"

"Y-yeah that sounds nice..." Jinsoul responded trying not to look at her eyes for too long, especially since there was obvious hurt buried in them. Jungeun smiled at her bitterly, looking down at her lap nervously scratching her neck sighing before she began to speak.

"I'm sorry about all that...it's just -- life's been a little hard and I've been feeling guilty because it's pretty much my fault. And the Eunwoo thing I, uh, he just caught me in a bad moment one day and he was making me jealous going on about how you accepted his flowers. It happened one time and I apologized immediately afterward. The words I said that day were pretty harsh so it makes sense why he never forgave me. I'm sorry if you felt betrayed, I don't want anything from the past to affect us now."

"Okay, it won't," The atmosphere continued to be awkward and it was clear they weren't done talking. There was still one more thing that needed to be clarified. "You were jealous...because you liked him, right?"

"No, because I liked you."

"Oh...so that's why your relationship with Minhyun is weird. You're gay-"

"No. No, I'm not gay."

"Bi? Pan? Questioning?"

"Jinsoul, I don't like girls."

"But you liked me?"

"Yes, it was just a little crush. You were like my idol in high school those things happen, that's all."

"Okay...?"

"Okay." Jungeun huffed turning her attention back to the window. Jinsoul examined her dejected figure and couldn't help but think something was going on. But that's how Jungeun is...at least now. One thing that hadn't changed though, the doctor had a horrible habit of building walls around herself and someone always had to come in with a sledgehammer just to break-in. Jinsoul opened my mouth to question her more, though a honk had interrupted her. She turned to the road to find that the suspiciously heavy traffic had cleared miraculously. She furrowed her eyebrows at how oddly purposeful this all seemed and wondered if she should start praying to my GPS. Jinsoul shook herself out of her thoughts and continued their silent drive. The air was lighter, though she still had an itch something was terribly wrong.

. . .

SunshineChuu: and the plot thickens...

ThatOneGemini: Uh- what?

. . .

idk why I added real actor names they're not gonna show up again (maybe Hye-Kyo) I just used them as a segway for the start of Lip and Jinsoul's love story lmao. I apologize if you like them I'm planning to add some filler chapters so you guys can get to know the other non-Loona-member (?) characters (i.e. Dodaeng, Ryulia, etc.) just comment what you want to see lol that was sort of the original idea for this fic anyway. Have a safe coronacation! STAY HOME! STAY HEALTHY!! SEE YOU NEXT CHAPTER KIDDOS <333