I've decided to continue in 3rd person since I never liked writing in 1st person anyway hehe. Thank you to those who voted! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

. . .

Vivi and Haseul stare at each other in silence, the air is thick with an unfamiliar tension. A few weeks after Haseul had filed to become the permanent legal guardian of Chaewon, unsurprisingly the judge had appointed their best child advocate on the case. Of course, she was the only child advocate available but in Haseul's mind, she was certainly number one. She was also, unfortunately, number one on Haseul's list of things to worry about -- which brings us to the present. It's a week before Heejin's birthday and a few weeks after Jinsoul and Haseul had officially become an item. Chaewon had already finished her mandatory 'check-up' with the lawyer and was probably off playing legos with another kid in the waiting room as the two adults conversed privately...well, they were supposed to be conversing privately.

Vivi shifted awkwardly in her office chair, folding her hands over a small haphazardly thrown pile of papers. "You never told me Jinsoul was your girlfriend."

"Relax, it's new," Haseul reassured, glad that the silence was finally broken. She pursed her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you bringing this up now, aren't we supposed to be talking about the case?"

"Haseul, the case is fine, you know that... " A frustrated groan leaves the younger woman's lips before she retaliates.

"What'd you expect, Vivi? I'm indebted to you for all that you've done for me and Chaewon, but it was just a few lonely nights. I'm sorry to say this but it was a mistake."

"Look, I get it, I'm not trying to steal you from Jinsoul or anything we're adults, aren't we? I just didn't want things to be weird, cause I know things are weird."Vivi's voice is sincere but she'd be lying if she said Haseul's words didn't hurt her, even in the slightest. Sure, she understands that their relationship shouldn't breach anything past mere friendship, especially now,  though she wouldn't go as far as to call their shared nights a mistake. With a sigh, she rids her mind of unwanted thoughts and shoots the music teacher the friendliest smile she can muster. "Plus, Jinsoul's a good person...I think."

"You think?"

"Well, I don't have much of an opinion, we've only interacted a few times outside of Jiwoo's extensive amount of group chats. The point is I think she's good for you and Chaewon, I have my doubts by default though. Besides I'm pretty sure she didn't acknowledge my existence till about a week or two ago so minus five points for Hufflepuff." Haseul snorted rolling her eyes at Vivi's nerdy humor, a stark contrast from her usual poised and professional lawyer persona.

"If you knew Jinsoul you'd know she's a Slytherin." Haseul retorts, letting the comfortable silence set in. Vivi takes a small sip from her signature pink mug filled to the brim with coffee before shooting Haseul a tight-lipped smile.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you think she's good for you?" Another beat of silence goes by before Vivi corrects herself. "And Chaewon, that is."

"I mean, I don't know, isn't it too early to think about that stuff? She's good with Chaewon, and she takes care of her well. Wonnie would never admit it, but she cares about Jinsoul too..." Haseul smiles contently holding her chin in her elbow, looking dreamily at nothing in particular probably reminiscing about the strange duo. "Though, since you asked, I think she's great for me. She's a little weird and childish...and dramatic and borderline infuriating sometimes, but she tries her best for me and she cares about me. But then again only time will tell...plus when she spends the night she stays and makes me breakfast."

Vivi glares playfully. "Low blow..."

"Don't beat yourself up, it was just a bowl of Cocopuffs."

"And you were impressed?"

"Her ratio is mastery level." Haseul chuckled, shortly Vivi followed suit, and the room was filled with giggles that soon turned into roaring laughter. Why? Neither party had any idea. Maybe Jinsoul's implied talent of cereal making was a lot funnier than it initially seemed. Or maybe Vivi's laughter was a tad bit more infectious than Haseul would've liked. Either way when they settled down the tension that they thought had disappeared had returned worse than before. Vivi's smile fades completely morphing into a painfully dejected expression. She takes another sip of her coffee with a distant look in her eye. Just when the lawyer was about to get up from her seat Haseul beats her to it, grabbing the woman's wrist before she can move any further.

"Haseul-"

"In a different world, maybe."

"What?"

"We could be together I mean, in a different world. Vivi, it's not that I don't like you I do, you were just-"

"Too slow?"

"Yeah..." Haseul breathes out settling back in her seat, Vivi does the same a shy smile gracing her features.

"Let's go out for lunch sometime." The music teacher scoffs dramatically, amusement visible in her eyes as she raises her eyebrow. "As friends."

"Oh, no, I got that part. It's just I don't do friends."

"Pretentious much?"

"I'm just saying I don't have any friends!"

"Not like that you don't!" Vivi chided shaking her head in faux disapproval. This time, when Vivi gets up Haseul doesn't stop her, rather watching as the suit-clad woman walks over to the door and places her hand on the doorknob. "So, what's Jiwoo and the dream team?"

"Jiwoo's more like a trusted advisor and I know Sooyoung and Jinsoul by extension." Haseul confidently stated getting up from her seat to face the lawyer more comfortably.

"Fine, I guess I'll be your first friend. Next Sunday at eleven sound good?"

"Sounds awful."

"Perfect!" Vivi beams brightly, finally opening the door of her office. She moves to the side and jokingly motions for Haseul to step-out much like a victorian gentleman would. The music teacher giggles as she walks through the doorway, she sends Vivi a small smile (which is returned) and makes her way to the play area where Chaewon was indeed playing with legos. Much to the blonde girl's annoyance, she picks her up into her arms and makes her way to the elevators lining the walls of the department.

As the duo waited for the elevator Haseul let her thoughts wander about for a few moments. She made a mental note of going to the toy store to buy a gift for Heejin and find that Gundam that Jinsoul's been whining about. Haseul only met Heejin once, by chance, when she caught the ten-year-old playing her guitar after school hours. At first, she assumed Heejin was a new student looking to join jazz club as an extracurricular, it was soon revealed she just got lost trying to find a faster way to Jinsoul's class.

"I'm not a very good runner, but Hyun says I've gotta buy her lunch tomorrow if I lose the race."

"Don't you play soccer?"

"I'm not very good at that either." 

Haseul laughed at the memory recalling how Heejin called her auntie despite it being their first meeting. A few days after the event, Vivi had visited her unannounced with an invitation to the young girls proclaimed 'Super Fun Amazing Birthday Bash'. Unfortunately, the lawyer caught her on a particularly lonely day, and without Chaewon or Jinsoul there to keep her busy...to keep it pg lets just say there was a noise complaint or two from the neighbors. Thankfully the elevator rang to alert Haseul of its arrival, subsequently pulling her out of her thoughts now that her mind was charting into particularly dangerous territory.

Vivi being the usual unpredictably fascinating enigma she is had suddenly ran into the elevator just before the doors had closed. She was smiling smugly as if she'd won something and Haseul hated to admit how much it made her insides churn.

"Can I help you, Vivi?"

"Huh? Oh no, I'm just, you know...on lunch break." Vivi giggled mischievously as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Oh yeah! Haseul?"

"Yes?"

"Ever read The Tortoise and the Hare?"

"Yes...why?"

"Then you would know, slow and steady wins the race."

. . .

Jungeun idly waited in the halls of Jinsoul's apartment complex, one hand occupied with a large black bag filled to the brim with the older woman's clothing and the other with her phone.

. . .

Jiwooming: you're simping

Jungie: I'm not simping I'm married

Jiwooming: you can be married /and/ a simp :)

. . .

Upon the discovery that Jinsoul was indeed staring at her bug-eyed from the threshold of her apartment, somehow making a coffee-stained cropped tank top and lemon shorts look y, Jungeun almost dropped her phone in surprise. Luckily, the doctor had enough self-control to hide her flustered reaction, thus saving her phone, though, unfortunately for her, not enough to stop her palpitating heartbeat and sweating palms.  Jungeun gave Jinsoul a wary smile, stuffing her phone in her sweat pants pocket before getting ready to explain herself.

"That's not a body, is it?" Jinsoul whispered sticking her head out into the halls and looking around to see if anyone was there to eavesdrop.

"What? No! It's your clothes, you weirdo!" Jungeun spat shoving the bag into the girl's arms. 

"How'd you get them!?"

"Sooyoung gave me her spare key."

"That back-stabbing mother flubber," Jungeun raised her eyebrow questioningly letting out a small giggle. "What?"

"Interesting choice of words." Jinsoul shrugged nonchalantly, moving to let the shorter woman inside the small apartment. Jungeun wordlessly followed her into the quaint living room, where a pretty girl with strikingly fair skin sat on the black leather couch greeting the doctor with a bright smile.

"Dahyun, this is my friend, Jungeun. Jungeun, this is my roommate, Dahyun." Jungeun bowed, politely returning her smile, though the irrational part of her brain was jealous Jinsoul was living with such a charming looking girl for who knows how long. "We'll be in my room folding laundry, yell if you're getting murdered. Oh, and tell me when Sana gets here, I expect spring rolls!"

"Yes ma'am!" Dahyun exclaimed frantically waving the two away ensuring she would be fine. The two entered Jinsoul's bedroom, which closely resembled the aftermath of a college fraternity party. There were pieces of garbage littered around the floors, the bed was unmade, blankets were thrown to the floor forgotten, random solo cups with unnamed substances collected on her desk, and various undergarments were hanging in several places on and around the bedpost. Jungeun -- though disgusted, didn't feel the need to complain, getting all giddy when she realized the assortment of well-taken photos haphazardly tapped all over the walls, many of which included a younger version of her.

"You like them?" Jinsoul asked, emptying the contents of the large bag onto her bed messily. Jungeun nodded walking over to a particularly new photo of Jinsoul and Hyunjin sitting in a booth eating what appeared to be Bunggeo-ppang ice cream. She smiled to herself, running her fingers across her daughter's wide glossy grin. "I've got more, but they're not of people so I didn't put them up."

"I forgot how much you liked taking photos of everything. Jeez, isn't that from our last Halloween?" Jungeun gushed, pointing excitedly at a less pretty looking photo of a crying Jinsoul in a sailor moon outfit donning a large bandaid in between her eyebrows with 'big baby' written in large sharpie letters at the bottom. "That's when you face-planted on the curb!"

"Yeah, and the nice lady gave me extra candy! But the scar never healed up all the way." Jinsoul pouted rubbing the almost unnoticeable blemish in between her comically arched eyebrows. Jungeun giggled at her childishness reminiscing about the moment. She'd taken that photo in an attempt to make the older girl stop crying.  In the years they'd been apart she'd forgotten all the small happy moments Jinsoul always liked to capture. Soon the nostalgia trip came to an end and the two decided to get started on the mountain of laundry. Though Jinsoul's never been the hardest of workers when it came to chores, so instead she settled for attempting to distract Jungeun while she folded with the determination of a marathon runner. Little did Jinsoul know she didn't need to do much, especially in what she was wearing... or wasn't wearing.

After fifteen minutes or so the Jinsoul could no longer take the heavy silence that came with laboring away with chores. In retaliation she laid on the clothes on her bed, limbs sprawled out in several directions as she mumbled out various indecipherable sentences attempting to pull Jungeun out of her task. Jungeun wasn't having the most fun either so she indulged Jinsoul.

"What was that?" Jungeun said flatly, folding one last shirt before she hesitantly gave Jinsoul her full attention. She gulped forcing herself to make eye contact not letting her eyes wander to other areas of the other girl's body that were still on full display despite the many hoodies thrown at her face. Jinsoul's eyes narrowed playfully as a mischievous grin began forming on her lips. 

"Let's cuddle." She said cheekily, shooting her a teasing wink. Jinsoul's words threw Jungeun into a coughing fit, her whole face filled with color as her mind began to fill with dirty thoughts. Jungeun was already struggling with Jinsoul being half-, the last thing she needed to do was touch her. Especially since Jungeun had been unfairly robbed of such a luxury ever since that strange car ride from the hospital. 

"No! Are you insane!?"

"I was kidding!" The kindergarten teacher laughed thoroughly amused with the reaction she received. "What's the big deal anyway? You used to love it when I gave you cuddles."

"That was different. That was when I..."

"You, what?" Jinsoul sat up moving closer to Jungeun, her mischievous grin not leaving her face. There was something in her tone that she didn't understand but it twisted her stomach into knots. The older woman stood up from the bed, their bodies mere centimeters apart, Jungeun could practically feel her breath on her lips and it sent a chill down her spine. Usually, this kind of proximity would have Jungeun in a panic trying to create as much space between them as possible but something was pulling her in and she didn't know what. 

"You know what." Jungeun husked trying to mock Jinsoul's strange tone, though it had the exact opposite effect. The taller girl's smile faltered and her eyes flickered into something Jungeun couldn't recognize. Her arms had left her sides and had encircled Jungeun's waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other forcing her to crane her neck back in a way that would prevent their lips from touching. Jungeun's breath was caught in though she invited the contact, cautiously wrapping her arms around Jinsoul's bare shoulders. More than happy with basking in the familiar warmth, she failed to notice when one of Jinsoul's hand had begun drifting from her back down toward...other places. A surprised noise left Jungeun's throat as Jinsoul's hand had stopped just at the small of her back, though the glint in her eye was filled with audacious intention. So, that's where this was going.

Jungeun knew whatever was happening was a horrible idea, but so was being around Jinsoul at all when her feelings were so strong. Somehow the irrational part of her brain had taken over and she couldn't care or less. The way she was looking at her so intently and holding on to her so tightly made her body hot and legs feel like jelly. She was glad Jinsoul was holding her up, otherwise, she thought she would've fallen. Jinsoul leaned in, her lips ghosting Jungeun's jaw before she felt her lips teasing her ear, making her body quake in pleasure. That escalated quickly, is what Jungeun would have said if she could funtion at all.  

"Then, I want you to give me a reminder," Jinsoul growled, pulling back to make eye contact once more. Jungeun let out a shaky breath when Jinsoul's gaze lowered to her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed as she began to lean in slowly, keeping the younger one in suspense. Oh god, she was dreaming. She had to be dreaming, Jinsoul would never kiss her. She has a girlfriend, even if she didn't Jinsoul doesn't have feelings for her. Right? Jungeun just continued to stare wide-eyed thinking of reasons to justify her sudden desperation and necessity but found none, though she knew it was far too late to stop herself.

"Holy ..." She breathed out, her eyes now shifting to Jinsoul's incoming lips bracing herself for impact. Jinsoul stopped -- their lips barely apart -- and opened her eyes revealing the same confusing expression. Jungeun felt pathetic once more because all she wanted to do was beg. Beg Jinsoul to kiss her, beg her to touch her, but she kept closed finally regaining control over herself.

"JINSOUL BABY!! MOMMY MINATOZAKI BROUGHT SPRING ROLLS!!" Jinsoul snapped her head to the door, the cloudiness in her eyes disappearing in an instant. She pushed Jungeun off her rather harshly just seconds before a bright-looking older woman had peaked her head into the room. "Is that Haseul- Oh? Who's this?" The unknown older woman opened the door fully revealing a sheepish looking young-girl about the same age as Hyunjin. Jungeun took note of how she vaguely resembled an older Hyejoo, especially with the Nintendo switch tucked underneath her arm.

"Uh- I- she's my friend."

"I know that, but what's her name, silly?"

"I'm Dr. Kim Jungeun. Just Doc is fine, though." She cut in, smiling at the young girl and reaching out her hand for the woman to shake, she took it smiling widely.

"Well Doc, I'm Sana and this is my daughter, Mina."

"She's a friend of Dahyun's, who's also super good at cooking," Jinsoul added monotonously, patting Mina's head much to the young girl's annoyance. "I hope you brought a lot, I'm starving." Jinsoul avoided eye contact with the others inhabiting the room, simply slipping out the door wordlessly leaving the two adults perplexed.

"Is she, like...on her period?"

"Mina!"

The five of them sat in the living room eating while watching reruns of Friends episodes. Sana would occasionally start a casual conversation with Dahyun and Jungeun about various topics, or share an unfortunately detailed anecdote or two about her eccentric lifestyle, and seemingly more eccentric wife, Momo. Jinsoul, on the other hand, sat silently stuffing her face with as much food as possible. Occasionally she'd look over at Jungeun and flinch whenever the doctor matched her stare. Sana would sometimes stop in the middle of her stories and throw Jinsoul a few concerned looks only for them to be waved away.

"And that's how Mina was born! We still don't know who the father is to this day."

"Were there seriously four of them??" Dahyun asked, horror written all over her features.

"Of course, I told you this already!"

"You never told me about the chauffeur and the bartender!"

"Well, I didn't wanna scare you off."

"I'm more concerned about what mom did to the cup!" Mina grimaced, saying her first words since they began eating an hour ago. Jungeun would learn the girl wasn't very sociable, much like Hyejoo. At this point she had half the mind to ask if any of those men ever met a certain UFC fighter. "And that poor man's glass eye! "

"Honey, don't be silly, we returned everything." Sana giggled, it was unnerving to say the least. Though the rest of them were cringing in disgust, Jinsoul only chuckled softly to herself for an instant alarming the rest of the group. Sana set a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently before placing more spring rolls on the girl's plate. Jinsoul responded by looking up at the older woman and giving her an appreciative nod, then simply continued to watch Monica get her head stuck in a turkey. 

It wasn't a secret Jinsoul had been exhibiting odd behavior all week. Sooyoung would often complain about Jinsoul having 'temper tantrums' over the smallest inconvenience and Haseul would often recount stories of her having sudden emotional episodes. What concerned everyone the most was that Jinsoul was the type of person to wear her heart on her sleeve. If something was wrong she'd tell you, but anytime someone would ask the topic would be dismissed with a dry 'I'm fine'. With all of this in mind, Jungeun was more than confused with Jinsoul's prior actions.

After the spring rolls had run out and there were no more stories left to tell, Dahyun and the strange mother-and-daughter duo had left the apartment to do some shopping thus leaving Jungeun and Jinsoul alone. Jungeun had the intention of confronting Jinsoul about her recent behavior though the scowl the woman wore while aggressively scrubbing at a bowl proved she didn't want to be bothered. Dishes were cleaned and dried in deafening silence. When the tension seemed to slightly lift and Jinsoul had managed to wash her tenth glass without seemingly trying to break it, Jungeun would occasionally attempt to start a conversation only to be shot down when Jinsoul returned no answer. To say Jinsoul was being an was quite frankly an understatement and Jungeun could no longer stand it. 

"What's your problem?" Jungeun snapped, albeit hesitantly. She deduced the only way she could get Jinsoul to talk was with forcefulness.

"What do you mean?" Jinsoul continued to wash a weird hello kitty themed saucepan, barely giving Jungeun an ounce of her attention.

"What do you mean, what do you mean?" Jungeun whispered harshly as if she didn't want any of the kitchen utensils to hear. "You were flirting." Jinsoul paused her movement, after a moment or two she turned off the water and faced Jungeun. She clicked her tongue in obvious amusement, leaning on the counter as her expression turned smug. 

"I wasn't flirting. It was a harmless joke. You know friends do that?"

"You're an ."

"What??"

"Which part was the joke, you trying to get me in bed or wait...let me guess, was it you trying to get me in bed!?"

"I wasn't trying to do that!"

"You weren't trying to kiss me either!" Jungeun shouted looking exasperated. "What the hell were you thinking?" 

"Me? What about you?" Jinsoul motioned accusingly, Jungeun scoffed crossing her arms. "You weren't exactly stopping me."

"I understand I could've handled the situation better but this goes beyond that, so don't turn this around on me," Jungeun hissed. "You've been acting like a jerk all week, so what's the issue?"

"There's nothing wrong."

"There must be something going on for you to be acting like such a toddler! This isn't highschool, Jinsoul, grow up!" A frustrated groan left the older woman's lips as she threaded her fingers through her hair messily.

"Why do I have to tell you anything?" She spat leaving the kitchen, but Jungeun followed her not yet done with the conversation.

"If you're not gonna tell Haseul or Sooyoung, at least tell me!"

"You're a hypocrite."

"I know, but it gives you no right to turn into me." Jinsoul turned around, her back facing the door of her room, a deep scowl etched in her features. Jungeun had struck a nerve. Taken aback by Jinsoul's sudden aggressive demeanor, she took an attentive step back. Before the doctor could move any further Jinsoul grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. Jungeun struggled in her hold, pushing and shoving the older woman but to no avail.

"Do you know what I'd give to turn into you, Dr. Kim Jungeun, the poster child of success stories? A perfect person. The things I'd give up just to be somebody else but me, somebody who isn't confused-"

Jungeun matches Jinsoul's intense stare, baring her teeth at her like a wild animal."So you'd give up happiness, Jinsoul?? You'd give up whatever you have with Haseul, the friendship you have with Sooyoung -- the friendship you have with me, goddammit?! You have no right to be angry right now, no right to play the victim. Stop pitying yourself, clean up, and change."

"So you can have bad days, and I can't? The rules don't apply to you? You get to have everything. A nice house, a nice family, a good job, a future. What do I get? Broken dreams, and food stamps." Jinsoul's grip on Jungeun's wrist tightens as her voice begins to rise again, a grimace replaced the doctor's mean look for a small moment but not long enough for Jinsoul to notice. "You don't think I'm trying? Some of us don't get everything spoon-fed to us."

"There you go pitying yourself again!"

"I'm not pitying myself, I'm telling you the truth!"

"And what's that?"

"You're selfish, Jungeun." Jinsoul barked, Jungeun's jaw clenched as her hands balled up into fists. She'd never thought she would ever hear those words fall from the older woman's mouth. With a deep inhale, she glares at the older girl, aggression written all over her features.

"Let go of me," Jungeun demanded in a low tone, something about the finality in her voice flipped a switch in Jinsoul. "I said, get your hands off of me."

"I-I'm sorry." The older woman's look softened as she let go of her grasp of Jungeun, suddenly becoming hyper-aware of how tight it was. A strong feeling of guilt had settled itself in the pit of her stomach as Jungeun continued to stare daggers at her.

"Maybe this was a bad idea." She breathed out clutching her wrist. Jinsoul cocked her head unsure what the sentence meant, concern visible in her expression. Before she could get the chance to speak up and ask her, Jungeun had already walked away, heading for the door. Jinsoul followed behind keeping a few feet of space between them. When Jungeun finally reached the door, with her body facing it, she turned her head around just enough to see Jinsoul's figure in her peripheral vision. A feeling of resentment suddenly washing over her, though she kept calm.

She sighed. "One last piece of advice," She started, Jinsoul hummed an ashamed look taking over her features as she waited for Jungeun to continue. "If you seriously like Haseul, be honest with her please." With that she left the apartment closing the door behind her softly.

. . .

Hyejoo sat on the swing, swaying gently with the wind as she watched cars and vehicles alike speed their way through the city. She waits patiently for her uncle who was currently painstakingly choosing what he should buy the young girl at a nearby food cart. Usually, she'd be spending her weekends with her dad but since he was off on one of his business trips she was stuck with no caregiver. That is until her estranged uncle decided to reappear after almost three years of radio silence. Why? Hyejoo doesn't care, as long as she isn't stuck in a house with her old cranky grandmother for the time being.

A couple of loud squeals and the sound of familiar cheery laughter had pulled her out of her thoughts. She turned around to the other side of the small park where a fairly large playground stood a few meters away. Just as the young girl had suspected Yerim was standing in all her three-foot and five-inch glory, laughing hysterically at two older kids she didn't recognize seemingly wrestling each other to the ground. Once the bigger one had finally let the smaller framed girl free she made eye contact with Hyejoo, her already large smile somehow broadening impossibly wider on her dirt-stained face.

"Hey, isn't that your friend Yerimie!!" She shouted pointing at Hyejoo before being tackled violently by the still unidentified smaller girl. Hyejoo winced when the other one easily pinned her to the ground but was half expecting it due to the sheer difference in size. "If Vivi let you join the wrestling team I'd destroy you!"

"Then I'll just have to destroy you during basketball season- HYUNJIN YOU'RE RUINING MY THRASHER HOODIE!!"

"YOU DON'T EVEN SKATE!"

"I MIGHT IN THE FUTURE!" Hyejoo cocked her head at the interaction, extremely taken aback at the weird relationship between the older girls. Before she could even wrap her head around what just happened Yerim had already situated herself beside her. A small startled shriek left the girl's lips upon realizing Yerim's presence, but she paid no mind simply raising her eyebrow questioningly.

"You don't live in the city."

"You don't either." Hyejoo broke out into a friendly smile, as she always did when the shorter girl was around. She liked the shorter girl since she was a bit of a break from all of Chaewon and Yeojin's chaos. Not a moment later the two older girls' from before had joined them, their arms interlocked despite their earlier brawl.

"You're not Chaewon, so I'm gonna guess you're either Hyejoo or Yeojin." The taller one spoke, her sharp canines peaking out of her smile.

"Hyejoo..."

"Oh! Well, I'm Hyunjin, Yerim's older sister, and this is Heejin." Hyejoo nodded, lowering her head to hide her bashful grin. She wasn't very good with new people. Unsuspectingly, a hand had made its way to cup her cheeks, squeezing them making her lips tut out into a pout. Hyejoo looked up bewildered, finding that the small girl, who was now known as Heejin, had assaulted the poor girl's face cooing obnoxiously as she struggled in her hold.

"Aw look, she's shy~" Heejin gushed, but Hyunjin quickly pushed her to the side shaking her head.

"You don't just touch people's faces idiot!"

"She's cute!"

"SO!?" Heejin and Hyunjin continued to bicker about who knows what, while Yerim just giggled softly shaking her head, giving Hyejoo an apologetic look.

"What are you doing so far from home?"

"I'm waiting for my uncle, he went to buy me some food."

"Oh, your dad's brother! The one who went away? Or the weird balding one?" Yerim asked taking a seat in the swing next to her. Hyejoo laughed a bit, shaking her head.

"The balding one is my dad." Yerim's mouth formed an 'o' shape as she nodded furrowing her eyebrows. Hyejoo pointed towards the food cart where her uncle stood, he was paying for the food, fumbling for his wallet as he balanced two paper cups of tteokbokki. "The one with the shaggy long hair. His name is Hwiyoung."

"Is he wearing sandals and cargo shorts?"

"The men in my family aren't very fashionable." Yerim and Hyejoo had watched as the man almost tripped on his way over to them, focusing very hard on trying to pocket his change and not drop the food at the same time. Yerim got up from her seat, tugging her sister by the arm as she ran toward him. Heejin -- now free -- took the moment to squeeze Hyejoo's cheeks one more time before running over to help. Hyejoo watched in awe as the three of them scrambled to help her uncle, a small smile starting to form on her lips when Hwiyoung's surprised shrieks echoed through the park as Hyunjin snatched at his wallet attempting to restore the change to its rightful place.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! We leave for two seconds and you're mugging a guy? HYUN GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIS WALLET!!"

"I told you, you're a bad influence."

"Well, I must not be that bad since Jiwoo put me in charge."

"That's what you believe." Hyejoo turned her head to meet the curious gaze of two women who looked about the same age as her uncle, one significantly taller than the other. Before one of them could ask her any questions, Yerim came barreling towards her, a steaming cup of food outstretched in front of her. From how fast she was running Hyejoo was sure it would fall. Though somehow Yerim managed to deliver the food safely into her hands. "Yerim, you know this girl?" The short woman with innocent facial features spoke up, holding her body up on her knees as she spoke to Yerim softly.

"Yeah, she's my friend! That handsome man over there is her uncle!" She responded, pointing over to where Hyunjin and Heejin were harshly tugging a mortified Hwiyoung towards them. The two women grimaced, bowing apologetically as the three had joined them at the swing set. This day couldn't get any weirder. Hwiyoung looked like he was about to run away at this point, a flash of familiarity glinting in his eyes. The shorter of the two women outstretched her hand in front of Hwiyoung smiling broadly.

"I understand your niece is a friend of our Yerim. I'm Yoojung and this is-"

"Doyeon?"

"Holy crap! Hwiyoung!? Jiwoo is gonna flip!!"

. . .

When Haseul opened the door of her apartment in the middle of the night, she wasn't expecting to see Jinsoul in anything more than a hoodie and weird pajama shorts she vaguely remembers seeing her wear previously. She certainly wasn't expecting to see her eyes swollen and red, her tear-stained face besmirched with guilt, and body trembling like a mad man.

"W-what happened?" She asked tentatively, reaching out to pull her into an embrace. Upon registering Haseul's tight hold on her shoulders Jinsoul began to sob once more, whimpering every time Haseul rubbed her back trying to soothe her. They stayed there for a solid ten minutes, Jinsoul not once returning Haseul's embrace feeling undeserving. When Jinsoul's cries finally reduced to sniffling, Haseul placed a gentle kiss on the woman's temple, moving her head back to look for her eyes but Jinsoul avoided her gaze, hiding her face in her neck. Wordlessly Haseul's hands left her shoulders and drifted down to her waist, locking her fingers together behind her back tightly, she pulled Jinsoul inside the apartment and closed the door behind them quietly

"Is Chaewon sleeping? It's late." Jinsoul mumbled though it was muffled due to her persistence of making sure her face was hidden.

"Of course she's asleep, stop changing the subject." Haseul was alarmed, to say the least. Sure, Jinsoul had been quite the emotional wreck the past few weeks but this was far past the usual sudden outbursts of inappropriate crying during their nights together after school hours. This didn't look like it could be fixed with a simple youtube stream of her favorite acapella channel. This looked serious and it was taking Haseul to her breaking point. Much like many of Jinsoul's companions, Haseul was getting tired of the foreign shell she was trapping herself inside of. "I can't make this stop if you don't tell me what's wrong, baby." Haseul cooed, pulling Jinsoul's body closer. Another sob left Jinsoul's throat before she began to shake, her arms shot up to tightly hold on to the sleeves of Haseul's t-shirt as her crying started once more.

With a sigh, Haseul led them to the couch, once the back of her knees hit the soft material of the couch cushion she sat down letting Jinsoul straddle her as she cried. "Have you been in your pajamas the whole day, loser?" She giggled trying to lift the mood, she let out a breath of relief when she felt Jinsoul smile against her neck. Haseul left a kiss on her shoulder as she squeezed the older girl's waist tighter. Feeling her breathing even out, Haseul opted to keep shut, no longer wanting to see her cry. She closed her eyes leaning her forehead on the sniffling girl's shoulder, letting the warmth of Jinsoul's body and the thrumming of her heartbeat wash a wave of calm over her, the fatigue hitting her entire body like bricks.

"I'm sorry..."

"Hm? Oh, no, I'm not even tired. You are at the top of my priorities right now, Ms. Jung." Haseul blinked herself awake, Jinsoul's had let go of her sleeves and wrapped her arms around her neck. She sighed contentedly knowing the crying would finally cease. "You okay now?" Haseul whispered, Jinsoul meekly nodded lifting her head to finally meet Haseul's concerned gaze. Haseul smiled adoringly at her girlfriend, her face red and puffy from all the crying but she still wore the same cute childish pout that Haseul -- quote on quote -- couldn't stand.

"I really like you, Haseul."

"I know that weirdo...I-I really like you too." Jinsoul smiled at that, giggling like a schoolgirl. Haseul grinned at her, happy she managed to generate an emotion other than distress from the older girl. Though to her misfortune It didn't last long, her expression soon shifted back into one of guilt and deep sadness.

"I wanna be honest with you, and if you hate me after today I get it."

"I could never hate you, I just want to know what's wrong," Haseul smiled, giving Jinsoul's waist another brief squeeze. "Please, tell me what's wrong."

Jinsoul took a shaky breath, her eyes threatening to well with tears as she spoke."I-I wanted to kiss someone else -- I tried to, I mean." Her face fell, but she continued. "It was Jungeun."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"It's not like I wasn't expecting it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I forgive you." Haseul breathed smiling encouragingly before explaining herself further. "You told the truth, that's all I want from you."

"But I cheated."

Haseul shook her head, laughing a bit. "Do you like her?"

"No, of course not," Jinsoul assured, shooting her head up to meet Haseul's eyes once more. "You don't deserve that, you don't deserve to be cheated on." Haseul smiled leaving a small peck on Jinsoul's lips, a melancholic sigh leaving her as she buries her face into the older woman's shoulder.

"When we were seeing each other, Vivi and I...we-"

"Oh," Jinsoul finished, pausing for a moment before continuing to play with Haseul's hair, combing the strands with her fingers. Haseul winced, she could almost feel Jinsoul's heart stop just from the way she spoke. Though after a moment of tension-filled silence, Jinsoul didn't seem phased in the slightest, just rather confused. "That's not the same, we weren't in a relationship then."

"But I never told you, I should've told you, especially when you asked me." She mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear. Haseul's head shot up, her eyes looking at Jinsoul's apologetically sensing she'd hurt the girl. "I lied to you about something important, and I regret it. We're even now, right? We both hurt each other and we won't do it again, right?"

"I promise."

"Then, I promise too." A comfortable silence befalls upon the two women. Though their relationship was strange at times and most definitely rushed, there was an understanding that they needed each other. It didn't take long for Jinsoul to become almost like a second home to her and she knew the sentiment was shared. Smiling at the thought, Haseul uses her hands to move Jinsoul's hair out of her face, kissing her forehead sweetly. Another few silent seconds of content pass before Haseul's eyes playfully narrow. Jinsoul giggles raising her eyebrows at Haseul's sudden weird behavior. "Jeez, your bangs are so long. They're like curtains."

"Hey!"

"I'm kidding...But I could cut them if you want."

"You? Cut my bangs? Emma Watson isn't the goal here." Jinsoul teased, causing an annoyed groan to leave the music teacher's mouth. The two broke out into silent laughter, trying not to accidentally wake up the small girl sleeping in the next room over. Once they calmed down Haseul began to groom Jinsoul once more, moving hair out of her eyes and putting stray pieces behind her ears. After she'd finished, her smile grew as she admired the finished product.

"Have I ever told you you're beautiful?"

"Yes, but the words 'big' and 'head' usually follow."

"Well, you are."

"You are too."

"Oh, I know." Jinsoul scoffed shaking her head, smiling widely at the smug look beginning to form on Haseul's face. She leaves an innocent kiss on Haseul's lips to wipe away her smirk, pressing their foreheads together when she pulled away, another happy giggle leaving her. Haseul was happy, she really was. Jinsoul made Haseul happy, not Jungeun. So what was that strange feeling building up in the pit of her stomach as her girlfriend gazed at her like she was the only thing in the world?

"I think I could fall in love with you."

"I think I could fall in love with you too."

. . .

ThatOneGemini: Anyone wanna go for drinks??

SunshineChuu: no.

JungleBook: no.

BBcream: hell no.

ThatOneGemini: Okay...Jinsoul and Haseul?

HELLO??

JINSOUL AND HASEUL???

Doyumm: I'm down

ThatOneGemini: WHY ARE YOU HERE??

. . .

You've heard of Pining Vivi, you've heard of Confident Gay Vivi but what if we combined them- I'm sorry y'all had to find out this way but everybody you were rooting for (mostly Jinsoul) is an ...can they be redeemed? I don't know I'll think about it. But the important thing is Haseul didn't cheat cause she's got brain cells but apparently not enough to break up with Jinsoul. More importantly if you squint you can see SaiDaMo. Ah yes and theories about Hwiyoung or the next chap are welcome (hint: Chuuves bread). Anyways like always stay healthy! Have a safe coronacation! Till next time!