“Look, you’ll either find her there, or you won’t.”

“But what if she isn’t here?”

“Just check first and call me again if you don’t find her.”

“Fine.” Joohyun huffed into her phone, ending the call.

She tossed her phone to the side with a sigh, leaning back against the large oak tree, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she wondered what she was even doing.  At least it was a good day, she thought. She took in the blue sky above her, enjoying the gentle breeze that was blowing against her skin. 

It was her first day real off in months and she had just spent a good chunk of it stuck in traffic, driving to some park she had never been to, in hopes of bumping into the girl again. What made it worse was that she didn’t even know why she felt the need to see the girl again as soon as she could. 

"What is going on with me?" She sighed.

It was just one night in some random convenience store she had stumbled into while waiting for her scene. She remembered the migraine that was beginning to form at the back of her head as she sat under the cheap flickering fluorescent lights, humming to some random tune as she tried to will her eyes to stay open. There was nothing even remotely romantic about that moment, but then she appeared: Son Seungwan, the girl with the softest brown eyes who looked stunning even under poor lighting.

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

Joohyun bit her lip, feeling her face flush at just the thought of the girl’s words. It wasn’t the first time Joohyun had been called beautiful, but it was the first time her heart had fluttered at those words. And she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since: that night, Son Seungwan, her eyes and those words.  

Joohyun sat back up when she heard footsteps approach her, a small gasp escaping her lips when she found the girl she had been looking for standing right before her. Joohyun stared blatantly at the girl, her heart lurching as two thoughts filled her mind: wow, she looks even better under proper lighting and oh, I’m attracted to her. 

“Hi.” Joohyun finally said, her voice coming out more like a squeak than she would have liked. She paused, wondering what she was supposed to say. It wasn't the first time they had seen each other, but it was true that they had never officially met. “I’m Bae Joohyun, it’s nice to meet you.”

A few moments passed and the girl was still just standing there, staring at her. The silence was almost deafening. Joohyun felt herself letting out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding when the girl responded. “I'm Son Seungwan, nice to meet you.”

Joohyun nodded, she knew that. There was another pause and Joohyun found herself unsure of how to continue the conversation. This was much more awkward than she thought it would be. She figured that she would know what to do after seeing the girl again, but she was realizing that she was very wrong.  

“You should sit.” She managed, gesturing to the grass before her.

“Oh, yeah.” Seungwan let out a small laugh, dropping to the ground and setting her guitar beside her. A gentle breeze filled the air, and Joohyun felt her breath catch when the sun seemed to shift above them. Joohyun found herself unable to look away from the girl. She was adorable, seemingly swimming in her hoodie that covered her hands even with the sleeves rolled up. 

“Do you remember me?” Seungwan asked after a brief moment of silence. Joohyun frowned, unsure of what she meant. “You know, that night? The convenience store.” Her voice trailed off.

“Oh, yes, I do.” Joohyun nodded. She didn't think it would have been possible for her to forget, not when she found herself constantly replaying that night's events in her mind.

“Right, yeah. I wanted to apologize for that.”

“Huh?” Joohyun tensed. Is she apologizing because she didn’t mean it?

“For that night, you know, you were just really beautiful. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, I’m sorry about that.” Seungwan said with a sheepish grin on her face as she rubbed the back of her neck.

Oh. She let out a soft breath, relieved that she hadn’t read Seungwan wrong that night, her own smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I wasn't uncomfortable. I was flattered, actually, that a superstar like you thought I was beautiful." She responded. Her smile widened when she saw the tips of Seungwan's ears turn a bright red. “But I have to say that I'm a little disappointed now. I was only beautiful that night? Not today?”

“No, you’re still really beautiful, like unbelievably so.” Seungwan’s eyes widened, her face turning as red as her ears.

Joohyun laughed. "Thank you. For the record, I think you're really beautiful, too."

"Oh, thanks." 

Joohyun took in a deep breath as silence took over again. Seungwan hadn't run away yet and that was a good sign, but just at the park didn’t seem like the best thing to do. Her eyes narrowed in thought, thinking back to what Byulyi had told her about Seungwan's likes. “Would you like to have a cup of tea with me?”

“What? Oh, yeah, I would really like that.”

They ended up going to the tea shop that Seungwan frequented. It was a small homey shop with chairs and tables that didn’t quite match and Joohyun found herself smiling unconsciously when Seungwan greeted the woman at the counter with the brightest of smiles. She watched silently, a sense of fondness for the girl growing as Seungwan asked the woman how she was doing, how business at her store was going, if her back was feeling better and how her grandchildren were. 

Joohyun thought that she would have been perfectly content just watching the two before her, but eventually the woman had ended their conversation. “You’re boring your friend, dear, enough with the questions.”

Seungwan jumped slightly, turning around to face Joohyun who just smiled at the girl. “I don’t mind it.” Joohyun said, her hand moving to pat Seungwan’s arm before she even realized it. She retracted her hand quickly, about to apologize when Seungwan caught her hand with a wide smile. 

“Go take a seat, I’ll bring out your usual.” The show owner chuckled. She turned to face Joohyun. “I think you’ll like it, too.” She said before turning and disappearing into the kitchen. 

“I guess we should take a seat?” 

Joohyun nodded, looking around the empty shop. “Where do you normally sit?”

“In any of the corners, really. But we don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.”

“Lead the way.”  Joohyun said, feeling a sudden sense of disappointment when Seungwan let go of her hand as they moved to a table. 

Eventually, they were settled into a table in the corner farthest from the entrance with two cups of chamomile tea and a slice of red velvet cake before them. It was an interesting combination, but before Joohyun could even ask, the woman, or store owner according to Seungwan, said that the tea was because Seungwan couldn’t sleep at night, and the cake was on the house.

“You can’t sleep at night?” 

“Insomnia.” Seungwan shrugged. “It’s been a lot better though. I get at least three good nights a week nowadays.”

Joohyun frowned, concerned for the girl. “Is that enough?”

“I take what I get.” Seungwan took a sip of her tea, eyeing Joohyun who had her head down, gaze focused on the cake between them. “What are you thinking?” 

Joohyun hummed, stabbing her fork into the cake before mumbling. “That it would be great if you could sleep well at night.” 

Seungwan laughed. “Thank you.”

Joohyun tilted her head. “For what?”

“I don’t know.” Seungwan shook her head. “I guess for not listing a bunch of medication for me to try.” She took a bite of the cake as well, and Joohyun stared at the girl, turning away and clearing when Seungwan her lips.

“Well, it’s not like you asked me to help you fix it.”

“True. How’s your sleep? Hopefully better than mine?” Seungwan asked.

“Definitely better than yours.” Joohyun nodded, her tone playful, laughing when Seungwan twisted her face into a mock scowl. 

“Must be nice.” She grumbled, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned her elbows onto the label. “Okay, so I have insomnia. What’s a fun fact about you?”

“Insomnia’s a fun fact?”

“Details.” Seungwan waved her off. 

“You first.”

“I don’t know if you know this, but I kind of do music for a living.” Seungwan said as she leaned even closer towards Joohyun.

Joohyun laughed, setting her cup down. “Oh, really? It’s almost like there wasn’t a billboard on the freeway with your face on it.”

Seungwan chuckled. “Well, unsurprisingly enough, my hobbies include listening to, playing and making music." 

 “What's your favorite instrument?” 

“The guitar."  Seungwan answered almost immediately.  "It was the first instrument I ever learned how to play.” Her eyes lit up as she began to speak, the smile on her face growing. Seungwan quickly got into how much she loved the way guitars sounded, how she got her first guitar for free when her neighbors were thowing one out, how she taught herself how to play, and Joohyun didn’t think she would ever enjoy listening to anyone speak that much. Seungwan’s voice was beautiful; it was a clear and soothing sound, with just a slight rasp coming through. And whenever she got excited, her accent would slip into her words and her pronunciation would become just a little too stiff, which Joohyun found adorable. 

“Alright, your turn, got any hobbies?” 

Joohyun shook her head.  “Not unless you count doing laundry a hobby.”

“If you enjoy it, then I don’t see why not.”

“Okay, then, laundry.”

Seungwan nodded. “Cool, what do you like about it?”

Joohyun paused, not expecting Seungwan to actually take her answer of laundry seriously. “It calms me, and I guess in a way, it makes me feel normal.” 

“That’s good.” Seungwan smiled, and Joohyun found herself smiling right back.

Before long she found herself talking about her favorite detergent, ironing and the order in which she washed her clothes. It was the first time that she had someone actually listen to her. No one had ever taken her interest in laundry seriously, but there Seungwan was, eyes bright as she listened to Joohyun go on about her favorite brand of fabric softener was. I could get used to this.

“But how do you iron a shirt without burning a hole in it?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Joohyun stared at the girl, unsure of if it were a joke or not.

“I mean I didn’t do it, but one of the artists at my label did and nearly set her dorm on fire. After that they banned us from ironing at home.”

Joohyun couldn’t help but to laugh. “It only burns if you leave it against the shirt for too long.”

Seungwan nodded. “Makes sense, okay, but how do you know which part to iron? Do you just do it all?”

“It depends on the shirt.”

“Can you teach me?”

“How to iron?”

Seungwan nodded with a sweet smile that made Joohyun blush. “I want to spend more time with you.”

It was a short encounter, but Joohyun walked away from the cafe with several new realizations. Seungwan had beautiful eyes and a mesmerizing voice. Her heart would fill with warmth whenever the girl smiled and her eyes lit up, and Joohyun was almost certain she wanted to keep Seungwan in her life. 

Everything that had happened so far, and everything she was feeling seemed as if it had come straight out of one of her scripts. And before she knew it, she was walking into Byulyi’s office, not even bothering to knock.  

“I think I’m in love.” Joohyun said, not even bothering to look at the younger girl as she made her way to one of the couches in the middle of the room. 

“Do you not know how to knock?” 

Joohyun ignored her. “She showed up, by the way, right where you said she would be.”

“Good for you.” 

“I think I’m in love.” Joohyun repeated. 

"I heard you the first time.” Byulyi rolled her eyes, trying to continue reading the file in her hand. “And that's a problem because?"

"It’s supposed to be just a like." 

Byulyi sighed, leaning back in her seat as she tossed her papers onto her desk. “Okay, what are you talking about?” 

Joohyun shot Byulyi a scathing look, huffing when the younger girl didn’t flinch. "I'm supposed to just like her. This isn’t how it's supposed to go. You should know this, you write love songs for a living.”

Byulyi groaned. “I do not write love songs for a living. I am a CEO.” 

"That's not the point."

"Did you have a point?" 

"I can’t be in love with her, we just met!” Joohyun said, exasperated. 

“Why not? She’s a good kid. Filthy rich and thinks you're beautiful.”

Joohyun rolled her eyes. “Right, and that’s all you need for love.”

Byulyi shrugged, spinning around once in her chair before answering. "You know, you don’t have to jump right into love, right? Have you ever heard dating? It's a magical thing—"

Joohyun chucked one of the couch's cushions at Byulyi's head, making a face when the pillow landed on the ground several feet before even reaching Byulyi's desk. “Yes, I’ve heard of dating. But that's not what I'm talking about."

"Again, what are you talking about?"

Joohyun complained, her voice rising as she spoke. "I'm talking about my feelings, Byulyi! They don't make any sense. I can't be feeling this way about someone I just met! What if I’m just making all of this up? What if I'm just in love with the idea of her, and not actually her? What if this is all just infatuation? We just met!”

She had seen enough of the people around her jump into relationships thinking it was love at first sight. None of those relationships had ever ended well; most of them turned toxic and ended horribly. She didn't want that for Seungwan or herself.

"I don't see why this matters, it's not like you're already dating."

"But I want to date her!"

"Okay, then date her."

Joohyun fought back the urge to chuck another cushion at Byulyi's head, though she was convinced she could hit the girl if she just threw it harder. "What if it's just infatuation?"

“Then you’ll break up. It happens. The whole point of dating is to get to know the person anyway.”

“And what if it ends horribly?”

Byulyi let out a deep sigh. “Okay, first of all, you're not actually dating her yet, so stop planning for a bad breakup before it even happens. Second of all, Seungwan is a grown adult; if you two start dating, it will be because the both of you want to be in a relationship. If it ends poorly because it turns out you weren't meant to be, then that's that.”

"I guess." Joohyun grumbled. Byulyi's words make sense but they didn't exactly offer her any comfort. "I just, I don't know, I feel like she's special and I don’t want to ruin it."

Byulyi nodded. “That's a good thing. Just take it slow."

Joohyun nodded. Byulyi's words made sense, and a strong attraction sounded closer to what she was feeling than love, though at that point she no longer knew exactly what she was feeling anymore. 

"Taking it slow, right, but that's easier said than done." 

"Here, I'll incentivize taking it slow for you." Byulyi said, leaning forward on her desk with a mischievous grin on her face.

Joohyun eyed her apprehensively. "And exactly how are you going to do that?"

 "Easy. You hurt her and I end your career. Got it?”

Joohyun felt a shiver run down her spine at the sudden steel in the younger girl's voice.  “Got it.”

"Good talk. Get out of my office, and knock next time."

A/N: Hello, sorry if there are any typos or mistakes, I tried to proofread as much as I could (not an excuse but English isn't my first language) again please let me know if there are pacing issues/other issues. Or just let me know what you think! I appreciate all comments/feedbacks etc. Thank you again for reading!