chapterfour

Dr. Kim Yerim narrowed her eyes when she spotted a tiny hickey on the neck of her patient. “Ms. Bae is that a hickey I see on your neck?”

Irene blushed heatedly and stuttered out a reply. “Um, y-yes.”

Yerim jotted down a few notes on her legal pad and frowned. The girl was positively radiant. “I hope you are not pursuing any kind of extramarital relationship. It is perfectly unreasonable for you to participate in infidelity, even though you are going through the process of divorce. We’re in marriage counseling right now, and I need you to take this seriously—!”

Her lecture was interrupted when Seulgi burst into the room, her hair messy and her clothes rumpled, almost as if—

Wait. Wait.

Yerim's eyes narrowed. Seulgi with untidy hair and clothing. Irene glowing, looking slightly less immaculate than usual.

She put two and two together as her eyes lit up when everything suddenly clicked. A flashbulb burned brightly in her mind.

“Sorry I’m late. There was a slight holdup at the office—“

“You two had !” Yerim suddenly interjected, a look of pure glee on her face. Seulgi blanched as she sat down on the couch. Irene grew impossibly redder and looked away bashfully.

“This is huge, significant progress, you two! I am so proud of you both!” said the enthusiastic doctor. “So…” she trailed off, waggling her eyebrows. “How was it?”

Irene's eyes snapped to hers. “Dr. Kim!” she cried, a scandalized expression on her face.

Seulgi leaned back proudly, a smug smirk on her face. She threw her hands behind her head and replied cockily, “It was fantastic.”

###

A pair of exhausted bodies collapsed onto the bed, a tangle of sweaty and burning limbs. Irene giggled when she faced Seulgi, noting the awestruck look on her face. “See what you’ve been missing out on?” she inquired, propping her head up on her hand.

Seulgi chuckled and nodded. “I’m an idiot, aren’t I?”

“I wouldn’t say you’re an idiot. Just a little bit… dense, at times,” Irene offered, sliding her bare leg against Seulgi's.

“Does this mean you’re not going to divorce me anymore?”

She stared at Seulgi then, unsure how to answer. “It’s not just the lack of , Seul… It’s much more than that.”

Seulgi grinned apologetically and threw an arm around her creamy waist, snuggling her face into Irene's chest. They needed time to talk, but she didn’t want to ruin their fun and playful moment by delving too deeply into a serious conversation. “I forgot how much I love your s,” Seulgi croaked out, causing Irene to laugh loudly and smack her shoulder.

“Hmm… I forgot how randy you can get,” replied Irene, running a hand through her tousled hair. “Your stamina is still incredible.” She purposefully slid her leg along the length of her bare legs, feeling Seulgi twitch against her touch. Seulgi groaned and grabbed Irene's thigh with her hand, pleading with her to cease her actions. “Stop that,” Seulgi murmured sleepily. “Gomdori is tired.”

“Gomdori? Who's that?"

"My ." Seulgi responded.

"You named your ?” Irene asked incredulously, bursting into a fit of giggles.

Seulgi glanced up briefly before settling back into the warmth and comfort of Irene's bosom. “Shut up. You named your back in college.”

“No, you named my back in college,” Irene corrected with another laugh. “Let’s see, what's Gomdori for?”

“Because I am a strong bear. Duh,” Seulgi mumbled.

Irene smirked mischievously and countered, “You sure about that? Not weak bear? That’s sure what it felt like after round three—”

“Take that back!” Seulgi yelled, instantly pouncing on her. She shrieked in laughter when Seulgi began tickling her, and begged for mercy. “I’m just kidding—SEUL! Seul, stop!” she squealed, trying to remove Seulgi's wiggling fingers from her sides. Releasing a relieved sigh, Irene leaned up and ran her hands tentatively down Seulgi's sculpted body. She lightly bit Seulgi's ear and groaned as her fingers traced her abdominals.

Feeling Irene's fingers inch delicately around her body was far too much for the younger woman to handle. She shut her eyes and growled, pinning Irene against the mattress. “Don’t if you don’t plan on following through,” Seulgi warned, pressing heated kisses against Irene's lips.

“Wait, what time is it?” Irene suddenly asked, catching a glimpse of the alarm clock next to their bed. “! It’s almost five in the afternoon.”

Seulgi raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“We have marriage counseling in less than five minutes!”

“Oh, !”

###

Kim Yerim adjusted her reading glasses, an amused smile playing on her lips. “So, did the two of you find a chance discuss what was said during last week’s session?”

Irene looked away guiltily, rubbing her arm. “We haven’t really talked at all.”

“She ran away for a bit,” stated Seulgi. “It was by chance that I bumped into her today after lunch. And then we… yeah.”

Yerim didn’t miss the dreamy look that crossed Seulgi's face. Irene giggled and slapped Seulgi's shoulder, her eye-smile prominent on her facial features. The psychologist nodded briefly and jotted down a few things on her notepad. Clearing , she began, “Okay, up until this point, neither of you really had the guts to start any kind of discussion or interact like a married couple. I don’t know if either of you realize, but both of you are rather passive-aggressive individuals. And your lack of communication is detrimental to your relationship.”

The married couple absorbed what she had said eagerly, fully focused on the session. “In fact, Irene, I think your suggestion of divorce is actually your way of expressing your passive aggression.”

Irene furrowed her brows in confusion, not quite understanding. “What do you mean?”

“I think you would rather end the marriage altogether, rather than sit down with your wife and talk through your problems. I’ve come to the conclusion that you are both reluctant to share any type of conflict, and this leads to severe miscommunication and division in the household,” informed Yerim, watching both of their reaction with careful eyes. “Sometimes people think that an absence of conflict means that their relationships are just dandy a