Yewon was scurrying all over the place gathering papers, pencils, pens, highlighters, sticky notes, books and notebooks and dumping them all on the space beside her bag as she combed her hair back and looked around just in case she missed anything.

“You forgot your flashdrive.” Sinb arm shot up from underneath the comforter, holding up the red object with her head still buried under the covers of the bed. A few soundless footfalls later, she felt the object in her hand plucked up out of her grasp, “Are you late?”

She let her hand drop back to the mattress while she shaking the covers off her head, causing them to slide down to her nose so that she could get a better look at Yewon. The woman was busy packing up her things, paying Sinb no mind.

“Not really, but I need to discuss the output with my groupmates before our presentation on Monday.” Yewon answered, struggling a bit as she shoved her laptop inside her bulging backpack, “And have our professor go over it for his approval.”

“You know he doesn’t care if your work’s bad or good as long as you’re the one reporting.” Sinb groggily spoke, lazily turning on her side to get a better look at Yewon while vaguely remembering the favoritism that particular professor has for her, “You’re the best student–”

“–he’s ever taught in his career, I know.” Yewon absentmindedly chorused with her, “He’s repeated that to me more times than I attend his classes. The only reason he said that is because I give him good results, and I can’t go breaking that now.”

She frowns a bit as the laptop stubbornly refused to fit. If she forced it, she would end up breaking the device. Sighing in defeat, she set it aside and began taking out everything inside the bag when she was stopped by a hand on hers and a body siddling to her side. Looking over her shoulder, she sees Sinb still in her pajamas and bed hair, face looking like she’s about to fall asleep in any second, but focused as she took over in her task.

“Go and prepare, I’ll pack your things up for you.” she mumbled in a sleepy voice. Yewon took a moment to just stare at her before a small soft smile broke out on her face.

Leaning forward, she planted a quick kiss on Sinb’s left cheek, “Thanks babe.”

Sinb just hummed, but Yewon didn’t miss the smile that she was trying to hold in. With a chuckle, she left Sinb to grab her bathroom necessities and get ready for the day.

The previous day, Yewon’s house had internet connection problems and she badly needed to finish her presentation for her class and so she sought out Sinb’s help, asking if she could sleepover and do her work at her place. Sinb readily agreed and so that was why even Hwang Eunbi, someone who normally sleeps in, was up and about at an early time.

An hour later, Yewon was slinging her backpack over her shoulders, heading over to the nightstand to plug her phone out of the socket. She still had over an hour to get to school and submit their final output to their professor whom she assumes should be on his way there already.

“I’m heading out.” she called over to Sinb who had entered the bathroom after she finished a while ago.

Meanwhile Sinb had just finished brushing her teeth when she heard Yewon. Quickly wiping her face, she approached the door, “You’re not eating breakfast first? You might get hungry on the way.”

“I can just grab something while there.”

“Hey, the travel’s 30 minutes long, at least grab a granola bar before you head out. I have some in the cupboard if I remember correctl– huh?” Sinb’s brows furrowed as she twisted the knob one more time and pulled, but the door refused to open. Trying one more time, her forehead creased further when she was met with the same results.

“Uh… Yewon?” Sinb called loudly, stooping down so that her sight was in level with the doorknob. She tried twisting it one more time and noticed the problem immediately.

“Yewon?” she called one more time, already thinking that the woman might have left the room and went off to the kitchen, but was relieved when she responded a minute later.

“What is it? Did you forget your towel?” she asked from the other side of the door.

“No, I think the door’s stuck…” Sinb mumbled.

“What?”

“I said I think the door’s stuck!” she repeated louder, “Can you try opening it from your side?”

She hears the rattling of the knob, indicating that Yewon was doing as she was requested to do but noticed that it wasn’t twisting on her side. She waited for a bit, expecting the door to swing open but it refused to budge even after a push from the other side.

“That’s weird.” she hears Yewon say, “It was just fine earlier. Hold on, I’ll try the key.”

“Aren’t you running late?”

“Why are you thinking of me when you’re trapped inside?” Yewon asked in disbelief, her voice sounding farther away as she searched the room, “You leave your keys in the drawer right?”

“Yeah, second small drawer on the right.”

While Yewon went off to grab the keys, Sinb looked around the small bathroom for anything that could help her in getting out. There wasn’t much except her bath supplies and it was becoming difficult to think of a solution the more she failed to find anything that could help. She hears the sound of keys amidst her searching and could hear Yewon sliding it into the keyhole but no matter how much she twisted, pushed and hit the knob, the door refused to open.

“Looks like the latch is broken.” Sinb observes, twisting the knob a bit more aggressively this time but it refuses to give in, to her annoyance.

Looking around the bathroom once more, she cursed slightly knowing that there was little to none that she could do about her current situation. She didn’t have enough tools that could help her out and there was no way she could receive anything from the outside.

“Should I kick it open?”

“Don’t!” Sinb scrambled to stick close to the door so that Yewon would clearly hear her, “You’ll get h– I mean, you’ll end up breaking the door too. Don’t do it.”

A brief silence followed and Sinb could already imagine the pout forming on Yewon’s face at her response. Grinning, she took a step back and inspected the knob again.

Yewon sighed, “Should I ask for help? I doubt this door will open if we shout open sesame at it.”

“Open sesame!”

“Yeah, I’m definitely calling for help. You already need help.” Yewon told her, unamused, “Sojung-unnie should know what to do.”

Sinb pouted slightly as her attempt to lighten the situation backfired on her, “Yewon you should be leaving already, you’ll be late.” Sinb spoke, taking a few minutes to estimate how much time has passed. Yewon had already spent around 20 minutes just helping her out when she should be halfway to school by this time.

“…Are you being an idiot right now?” the response was just as she expected.

“No. But I can hold out in here until help comes. You should go on ahead.”

Yeah, right, of course she’s not going to be doing nothing while she waits.

Still, she had watched Yewon the previous night stressing over her presentation, making revisions over and over until she found it satisfactory and falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning before having to wake up once more with barely 3 hours of sleep. She wouldn’t want Yewon to miss something so important just for her sake.

“Just give Sojung-unnie the password and go on ahead. Your professor should be there by now.” Sinb continues to say while searching the room once more for anything she can use.

“Hwang Eunbi.”

“I’ll be fine!” she assures her one more time, “Your project is more important right now and you wouldn’t want to disappoint everyone by not going. It’s not as if I’m dying here anyway, and Sojung-unnie will come right? I’ll be fine. Go and submit your presentation, and come back quickly if that makes you feel any better.”

“If you think I’m actually going to leave you alone for a project, then you’ve got another thing coming.” Yewon stubbornly refused her offer.

“Just go~!” Sinb whined.

“I don’t want to.”

“Yewon, I can manage to wait, but your project can’t. I’ll be fine.” Sinb repeats her words, trying her best to convince the younger woman to do as she says, “I’m sure I’ll be out of here by the time you return. It’s not like I’m locked in here with a starving lion you know?” she adds jokingly.

Sinb could already feel how worried Yewon was, especially when everything they’ve tried to do hasn’t helped. Knowing her, she would try all she can to help her out and get her out, forgetting all of the other important things that need her attention more and at this moment, it was either her duty as a student, or her duty as a girlfriend.

Such a thing was a no brainer for Sinb. She can handle herself just fine and right now, she is the less important between the two. Now all that’s left was to convince her.

As if on cue, she hears the familiar ringtone of Yewon’s phone and hearing it stop abruptly means she was answering it. Flattening her palms against the door and pressing her ear to it, she hears Yewon’s urgent voice, as well as a sigh of exasperation along with it.

“I know, but something c– Look, I’m sorry, I know I’m the one who called everyone to go…”

The snippets of the conversation were enough for Sinb to understand what was going on. Detaching herself from the door and straightening up, she folded her arms across her chest with a small frown. If there was anything she didn’t like when it came to Yewon, it would be when she sounded stressed and she hated it more knowing that she’s part of the reason for it.

“Yewon.” she called again, knocking on the door to garner her attention.

“Hold on a second… What is it Sinb? You need anything?”

“Just go.” she told her seriously.

“Sinb…”

“I know what you’re going to say but it’s obvious they need you there.”

“But you need me too. Sojung-unnie hasn’t–”

“Unnie already knows the layout of the house, she doesn’t need you to guide her.”

Okay, that may have come out a tad bit harsher than she wanted it to, but she needed to get her point across or they would be here the whole day.

“It’s alright. I understand.” Sinb told her in a gentler tone, “Go and finish your business. Sojung-unnie can take it from here.”

A pregnant pause followed and even without seeing her, Sinb already knew she was contemplating her next move, but she knows she has already convinced her somehow.

“…Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

“Of course.” she replies with confidence, “You talk as if you haven’t known me for years. Something like this is no big deal, and help is coming anyway so I just need to sit tight and wait but your groupmates and professor can’t, you have to go.”

Yewon sighs a little bit louder, Sinb didn’t even have a hard time hearing it meaning the concern Yewon has for her was serious. Sinb can’t help the small smile on her face thinking how Yewon thought so much about her despite being just a door apart.

“Alright… But I’ll come right back as soon as we’re done.”

“Sure, sure, now go!”

“Sojung-unnie’s arriving in a few–”

“I know.” Sinb cut her off, “Go, go, hurry~!”

Sinb once more plasters her ear against the door, listening intently to make sure Yewon really left. When she finally hears the sound of her bedroom door opening and closing, she was quick to detach herself from the door and begin scouring the bathroom for anything that can help her escape again.

She’s already experienced numerous instances concerning locked spaces, being locked out and forgotten keys so she might as well try her luck and try to be a resident Houdini of her own home. Nevertheless, she’s just glad that it was her locked in and not Yewon, though she wouldn’t hesitate to kick the door down if that was the case.

Going back to the task and as far as she understood, the problem was the door latch and the spring not interacting well, so no matter how much she tried to twist and turn the knob, nothing would happen. Lockpicking was also out of the question. She had two options: either find something she can use to move the latch between the tight space that was visible to her or break the knob and fiddle with it until it opens.

Trying her luck, she grabbed the knob and pulled as much as she could but it still refuses to give in. The knob cover wouldn’t even come off properly.

Taking a step back and glaring at the door intensely, she resumed her search inside the room for anything she could use.

Sinb sighs, feeling the heat of the room getting to her. It was gonna be hard to think properly when it felt like a damn sauna inside. Still, she should be able to handle this much. Hwang Eunbi won’t let a stupid door stop her just like this.

In the meantime, Yewon had closed the bedroom door behind her, a displeased expression encompassing her face as she tried to reason with her groupmate on the phone.

“Listen to me for a second!” she nearly exclaimed, her patience reaching its all-time low, “An emergency came up alright? So I can’t go.”

Yewon flinched away from the yelling that came from the other end. She was close to just throwing her phone at the wall and completely ignore the earful they were giving her, but she did have a part in this, she was the one who called for them to go to school during a weekend and now she was the only one who couldn’t go. Still, would it hurt them to have a little bit of understanding concerning her current predicament?

“Give the phone to Eunseo.” Yewon told her groupmate when the yelling stopped.

She hears a few grumbling noises before another voice made its way to her ears, causing her to sigh in relief.

“Yewon?”

“Hey Eunseo.” she greets.

“Did something happen? It’s not like you to bail out on us like this.”

“Sinb got locked in the bathroom,” she went straight to explaining. Eunseo would definitely understand why she can’t leave if she tells her this.

“That sounds like Sinb alright. I take it you can’t come then? What about the project?”

“You brought your car with you right?”

“Yeah, I did. Why?”

“Can you come over? I can explain it better if you’re here.”

Sinb slams the toilet seat cover close and sat cross legged on it, huffing slightly in frustration. She blew off some stray hair strands bothering her face and groaned, lifting her head and just stare up at the ceiling for a few minutes before focusing on the bathroom tiles next.

Needless to say, her search turned out to be fruitless and she’s tried everything she can get her hands on to try fiddling with the door latch through slipping it in the small space between the door and the wall. All attempts were unsuccessful.

She reminds herself to buy a new toothbrush the next time she heads out.

Ah, the sound of her getting out sounds very endearing to her right now.

Lifting her arm to wipe off the sweat forming on her forehead, she furrowed her brows and went ahead to tie her hair in a bun. She didn’t realize the bathroom’s ventilation was this bad.

It was hot, she’s still sleepy and she wants to lie down but the shower room floor didn’t look like a good bed and as if reminding her what else she was missing, she felt her stomach growling in hunger and she groaned along with it.

“I’m hungry…” she pouts, rubbing her stomach as if it would ease the complaints coming from it. If she’s already experiencing hunger at this time, it should be time for breakfast. It felt weird not knowing how much time has passed since being trapped inside. It felt like she was inside a different dimension, with time flowing by so slowly it was making her head hurt.

Sojung was definitely taking her time.

Heaving out a sigh once more, she stood up from her current seat and situated herself near the door, leaning her back against it as she sat on the floor and began to hum a random melody to pass the time. There was nothing more that she can do but wait for help to come.

Unknown to her, right on the other side of the door Yewon perks up upon hearing the sound of Sinb’s voice. She lets a smile grace her face at hearing the familiar song, closing her eyes slightly as she silently hummed along to it.

She’s always liked the contrast between Sinb’s talking voice and singing voice. Whenever Sinb sang, it would be one of those rare instances when she can appreciate how mellow and beautiful it sounds contrasting to her talking voice which sounds like she wanted to pick a fight with every person she meets. Not that she doesn’t like Sinb’s talking voice. She especially likes it whenever she would sound concerned for her, or when she would show her jealous and protective side when anyone tries to flirt with her.

Without knowing, Yewon’s grin had stretched out from ear to ear as she reminisced the time Sinb talked down a guy who disrespected her and idly remembers how cool she looked back then.

Wait no, stop. Now’s not the time for a trip down memory lane.

Slapping her cheeks gently, she shook her head and fished out her phone from her pocket. Eunseo had arrived and Yewon handed all the material to her, leaving it to her to present it to their professor. It’s been an hour since then and it’s just now that she’s sent a message saying that there wasn’t any problem with their presentation and that the professor has given it his complete approval. Yewon let out a relieved sigh and replied back, thanking her for the help.

She did tell Sinb that she would leave, but there’s no way she can leave her girlfriend alone like this. Sinb may act tough all of the time and that is when she’s not with her, but she has some moments when she’s fragile.

“What is taking Sojung-unnie so long…?” Yewon hears her speak, taking a momentary break from her singing. She can already hear her sounding tired which indicates that she’s probably having a hard time right now. Yewon frowns slightly. If Sinb knew she was here, she’d never even show that side of her for as long as she lived.

“What is taking her so long…?” Sinb repeats in a smaller voice, a hint of anxiety and impatience becoming obvious in her tone. Yewon sighs silently, fishing her phone out again and checking her inbox for any new messages. There wasn’t any new message from her sister and the last message she received from her was her saying that she would be over in a few minutes. Did she get stuck in a traffic jam somewhere? But it was a weekend.

A small vibration from her phone pulled her out of her thoughts and she quickly brought it up to check, seeing the message was from Sojung. The older Kim informed her that she’s running a bit late because she asked for help from the other girls who all agreed to lend a hand and are on their way now. She smiled at how willing her other unnies would drop their various tasks just to help one of them out. Still, if they were all coming over, they would probably take their time.

“I’m hungry~” she hears Sinb whine from the other side of the door. She can practically visualize the pout on her face as she grumbled, “I wonder if Yewin got that granola bar…”

Yewon scoffs in disbelief.

How can Sinb worry for her when she’s the one in a sticky situation? Until now Yewon doesn’t know if she can brand that certain trait of hers as a good thing or a bad thing. She’s always been like this, she doesn’t show it in the presence of other people but she actually cares more for people important to her than she does for herself. It’s a good thing that Yewon has already seen through her with the amount of time they’ve spent together, though she would appreciate it more if Sinb would be more honest with herself just like now.

She knows Sinb doesn’t want her to leave, but feels that she has to for her sake.

Sometimes Yewon wishes she can do something for her in return.

I should go buy her some food then just in case she wants to eat once she gets out. she thought to herself, but of course she’s not leaving Sinb alone to do that.

Whoever thought of home delivery being a good idea in the past, she would like to thank that person for existing.

Yewon checks the time on her phone and assumes that enough time has passed and she can finally announce her presence to Sinb. She held back from doing so because she knew her girlfriend would feel guilty for causing her trouble and would sulk the entire day because of it. Though a sulky Sinb is cute, she’d rather see her out of there first.

For the past half hour, Sinb has been grumbling nonstop not knowing that Yewon was there to listen to all of her whines. She could already tell that Sinb was getting scared being alone but was putting up a brave front more for herself with the way she kept assuring herself that help was coming.

Yewon brought up her hand to knock but stopped short when she heard the familiar sound of someone punching in the code at the front door. Bolting to her feet, she made her way out Sinb:s room and let out a relieved smile upon seeing Sojung entering the place, their other friends following after her in a rowdy fashion she’s known them for.

“Hey unnies.” she greeted.

Sojung looked up after removing her shoes only to grin upon seeing her sister, “Hey Yewon, sorry we took so long.”

“What happened?” she questions, ushering all of them in.

“None of us knew anyone who could fix doors.” Eunha explained, “And so we ended up going to everyone and that’s why all of us are here.”

“I said we can just kick the door down.” Yerin shares her input.

“I suggested that to Sinb but she didn’t want me to. Said I might end up breaking the door.” Yewon told her with a glare in Sinb’s general direction.

To her surprise, the four just laughed at what she said.

“I doubt Sinb really cares about the door Yewon-ah.” Yuna tells her with a pat on the head, “I’m pretty sure it’s not the door she doesn’t want broken.”

“Come on, let’s see if we can help her out.” Sojung said with a chuckle, the youngest leading the way inside. When they entered, the sound of Sinb standing up and rapping her knuckle on the door could be heard.

“Hey Sinb.” Yerin greets.

“Yerin-unnie?” Sinb sounded confused for a moment, “I thought Yewon called for Sojung-unnie’s help?”

“You don’t want me here then? Fine. Bye~”

“No! Don’t leave. Help me get out of here, please?” she asked her voice getting smaller the more she spoke. They could practically hear the desperation in her tone which made Yewon worried that the time she’s spent being trapped inside has taken its toll on her.

“Hang on then, we’ll get you out in no time.” Sojung assures her, “Do you have any tools we can use to prod the latch with?”

“The space’s a bit too narrow for that.” she replied, “And I don’t have enough tools, unfortunately.”

“We should just kick it down then.” Yerin spoke up once more, “You don’t mind if we break the door, do you?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Hey!” Yewon stomped forward until she was face to face with the door, “You said you didn’t want the door broken earlier!”

“Yewon?” Sinb called out in surprise.

“See? Sinb just didn’t want you to get hurt so she said those things to you.” Eunha grabbed Yewon’s arm and dragged her away from the door before she ends up breaking the wall too, “Right Sinb?”

“Shutup.”

“See?” Eunha gestures happily.

“Alright, everyone take a step back. Clear the way.” Yerin spreads her arms in warning, “You too Sinb. If you end up being hurt, Yewon will hurt me too so steer clear of the danger zone.”

“Are you sure you can handle this Yennie?” Sojung asked in slight concern.

“I don’t know, but there’s no harm in trying. Ah, no, there’s harm in it but nothing I can’t handle.” Yerin grins before bracing herself and slamming her full weight against the door.

The group flinched in unison at the loud sound she created in doing so.

“Can’t we just use a card though?” Yuna asks as Yerin tries one more time.

“How about we just google on how to open the door?” Eunha suggests already taking out her phone.

“No need, I think Yerin’s got it.” Sojung tells them and as if on cue, the door slams inward after one more hard shove, successfully opening it with Yerin nearly stumbling forward and almost falling face first on the tiled floor if she wasn’t pulled back by Yuna just in time.

Sinb’s head peeks out from the doorway and let her eyes roam around, looking as if she was about to step into a new dimension.

“You’re not aliens are you?” she asks the group.

“Sure. We come in peace.” Sojung deadpans, holding up a peace sign while at it.

“You’re now in Narnia, Sinb.”

“That was a closet door.”

“Yerin, how’s your arm?”

“Still good, but I think it’ll bruise…”

“That’s not good, should we go shop for some long sleeves after this?”

While the group talked amongst themselves, Sinb hesitantly walked out of the bathroom, approaching Yewon whose arms were folded across her chest coupled with an unamused glare in her direction. Sinb couldn’t even look her in the eye as she took a step closer.

“Uhm…”

“Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

“…Sorry.”

Yewon sighs before spreading her arms out, beckoning Sinb for a hug, “Shut up you dork and come here.”

Sinb waddles into Yewon’s waiting arms and enveloped the younger woman into an embrace she was more than happy to reciprocate. The entire group collectively cooed at the display.

“Look at them being all cuddly.”

“Hey, hey, someone take a picture!”

“I’m on it!”

“I’m gonna take a picture too!”

“Eunha, send that to the group chat later.”

“Eunha, are you going to press the shutter anytime soon?”

“Don’t rush me Yuna, I’m looking for a good angle.”

“If I don’t rush you there’s no picture left to take.”

“Take it while they’re still cute!”

Yewon feels her face burning at her friends’ antics. Perhaps it was a bad idea to have done this while everyone was in the room, but she was worried and wanted to check on Sinb as soon as she got out. She may not look like it but she was probably experiencing distress while inside, given that she got trapped for hours.

Yewon vaguely feels Sinb burying her face in her neck further, something she does when she wants to hide in embarrassment and with the remarks the others were making, it didn’t take a genius to know why she was acting that way.

Seemingly having enough, she pulled away from Yewon abruptly and turned to the others in the room, “Hey! Stop that already. Get out!”

The group stopped whatever they were doing and stared at Sinb in stunned silence. The silence hung for a full minute before it was broken once more.

“Hey, is that how you talk to the one who saved you?” Yerin stomped towards her.

“Kids nowadays are so ungrateful…”

“Sinb-ah, we flew across mountains just so we could get here for your sake–”

“We flew?”

“No we didn’t.”

“With the way Sojung-unnie was driving, we might as well have.”

“I haven’t even heard you thank me yet~!” Yerin was whining.

“Sorry unnie. Thank you.” Sinb mumbled, hiding behind Yewon again who was snickering at her girlfriend’s state. It was then that the sound of the doorbell interrupted the bickering going on, and Yewon knew exactly who and what it was.

“Is anyone hungry?” Yewon asks the group, completely silencing everyone for the second time.

“Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

“Food!”

“We’ll go out and give you two your private time~”

When the door finally closes behind them, Sinb and Yewon let out a collective sigh of both relief and exhaustion. They should have seen this coming the moment they all came over. Dealing with all of them felt like dealing with a bunch of kids with how chaotic they can get.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. A bit hungry I guess?”

“With the way your stomach was growling since earlier, I’m not surprised.” Yewon jokes, meanwhile Sinb just stares in confusion.

“Since when have you been here? No, when did you get back?”

Yewon scoffs, “As if I would even leave you alone in the first place, dork.”

“B-but your group presentation…”

“I sent it to someone and had them submit it in my place.”

“Is that so…?” Sinb fell silent, “Sorry about that.”

“Hey,” Yewon bumped her shoulder, smiling slightly at the apologetic look Sinb was sporting, “There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m actually surprised you thought I left for real.”

“I really thought you did.” she answers with a nearly unnoticeable pout on her face, “But a part of me could sense you in the room with me.”

“Did you develop a sixth sense while you were in there?” Yewon asked jokingly, not being used to hearing Sinb speaking so fondly of her the way she just did.

“Sixth sense for you? I guess?” Sinb replies, “Maybe because you’re always here?” Sinb taps her chest a few times as she says this, nodding her head in agreement at the same time.

Yewon stares, unblinking as she registers what Sinb just said before letting out an embarrassed cough to cover up the reddening of her cheeks and the smile so close to breaking out on her face. She abruptly turns her heel and faces the bedroom door, “Y-You’re hungry aren’t you?” she clears when she notices her tone a pitch higher than usual, “Let’s go eat with the others before they finish up everything.”

Thankfully, Sinb didn’t seem to mind the sudden change of topic and just groaned in response. With a pout and a pat on her belly, she nods her head like a child and was about to follow Yewon out the door when she stops.

“Before that, I think I have to wash up first. It was so hot inside, my shirt reeks of sweat.” Sinb grimaces as she sniffs her clothing.

“Sure, I’ll just wait outside first then.”

Sinb reaches out and grabs her wrist before she manages to open the door.

“A-about that…” Sinb swallows slightly, a hint hesitation in her tone as she tries to find the next words to say, “C-can you stay with me? For just a bit?”

Yewon turns to face her again, about to ask why but notices how there was a small sense of fear wisely hidden in her expression. Yewon would have failed to notice if not for the fact that she’s known Sinb for years. The younger woman realizes that the ordeal may have affected her more than she thought it did.

Her gaze softening, she places her other hand over Sinb’s and pats it in assurance, “Sure. Don’t take too long though.”

And just like that, the fear disappeared as fast as it came and Sinb nods her head with a grin before scampering off towards her closet while Yewon takes a seat on her bed and waits with the patience of a saint as Sinb went to do her task. It was a small thing, but if it would help assure Sinb that she wasn’t alone, then of course she would do it.

No questions asked.

The girls all left when dinner finished. The door had been fixed in the meantime when Sinb noticed that it wasn’t all that damaged and they only needed to replace the knob. Needless to say, the whole afternoon had been a noisy hangout for the whole group. The couple couldn’t be more relieved when they were finally alone.

Don’t get them wrong, they definitely enjoyed the time they spent with their friends, but they also valued the times they would spend alone and with the ordeal that happened, they wanted nothing more than to rest at the moment.

“Seriously, they didn’t even bother washing the dishes.” Sinb huffs as she returns from taking out the trash. She watches as Yewon dries her hands on the apron she was wearing.

“You really think they’ll be able to wash any dishes with the amount of soju they consumed?” Yewon raises a brow at her statement.

Sinb looks up at the ceiling as she remembers the number of bottles she had to dispose.

“Yeah, they’d end up breaking everything instead…” Sinb approaches, “You need help?”

She shakes her head, “I’m almost done.”

As Yewon refocuses her attention back to her current task, she nearly drops a plate at the sudden feeling of arms snaking themselves around her waist and a body pressing up against her back warmly. She found herself paralyzed at the action because there could be no one else but Sinb who would be the one doing this right now. But last time she checked, Sinb tends to be shy around her and would usually seek her approval before she tried anything touchy. Was she drunk? No. She didn’t drink that much, she made sure of that.

“What’s wrong?” Yewon asks as she finishes up and turns in Sinb’s arms to face her properly.

There was a short pause before she answered, “Nothing.”

“Don’t bother lying, what is it?”

Arms still wrapped loosely around Yewon’s waist, Sinb purses her lips slightly and looks to the ground, a sign that she’s thinking about something deeply. Yewon waits as Sinb takes a full minute before finally speaking her thoughts.

“Can you… Can you stay with me again for the night?”

Eyes surprisingly looking vulnerable and expression pleading, Yewon caves in almost immediately. It didn’t take her much to understand the desire behind the request.

With a soft smile she lifts her arms up and hooks them around Sinb’s neck, staring back lovingly at the woman before her. Seriously, it really doesn’t take her much to understand her girlfriend these days as compared to before when she’d had to probe her relentlessly for answers because of her stubborn nature. Now, it feels like second nature being some sort of mind-reader of her girlfriend’s inner thoughts.

“Do you want me to stay?”

Sinb nods her head quickly in a childish manner.

Yewon breathes out a laugh at that, “Alright. I’ll stay again for the night.”

When she was rewarded by Sinb’s beaming smile after her statement, it felt like she just achieved a million rewards. Nothing makes her feel better than seeing Sinb happy after all. Of course there’s also the teasing but that’s a different kind of happiness.

She yelps when Sinb suddenly pulls her in, arms hugging her tightly to herself as she shyly plants a soft kiss on her forehead which lingers a bit longer than Yewon was used to but she didn’t dare dislike it, not one bit, but she does feel a tad bit flustered at the sudden act.

“Best girlfriend ever.” Sinb says when she pulls away to stare lovingly into Yewon orbs.

The younger weakly pats Sinb’s shoulder, her face flushed red to the roots of her hair, “I’m your only girlfriend, idiot.” she gives her a dry glare that proves ineffective with the way Sinb’s smile just widened, “A-and wash up! You smell like alcohol.”

“Yes ma’m~”

Not long after, the two found themselves inside Sinb’s bathroom, playfully splashing water at the other as they washed their faces and did their nightly routines that was taking longer than they usually did.

Yewon was just brushing her teeth when Sinb suddenly bolted to the door and nearly slapped it open. Dumbfounded, Yewon turned to see what happened and saw Sinb’s panic-stricken expression with her knuckles turning white at how strong she was gripping the door edge. Rinsing off hastily, Yewon approached and gently placed a hand on Sinb’s shoulder, shaking her from her frozen state.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Huh?” Sinb blinked before turning her gaze to what she was doing. She quickly let go, “Yeah, yeah, I’m good.”

“What happened?” Yewon asked, though she already knows just from looking at her, still it would be best if Sinb actually talked about it.

She sighs before leaning against the doorframe for a bit, “Sorry, I think I panicked when I saw the door closing and…” she trailed off, scratching the back of her neck in shame, “I must look pathetic right now, don’t I? Being scared of such a small thing…”

“No you’re not. It’s understandable since you got locked in after all.” Yewon answers, looking over in worry, “I’d probably react worse if it were me.”

“If it were you locked in, I’d break down the wall if I had to.” Sinb quickly says, determined. Yewon chuckles and probes Sinb’s side with wry glare.

“Let’s just go to sleep you dork.”

Sinb just smiles and nods, leading the way.

“Sinb?”

Said woman turns to face her, wonder evident on her features, “Yeah?”

Yewon approaches her side, slips an arm around the older’s waist and leans in, placing a small kiss on the woman’s cheek. Ignoring the surprised but pleased look on Sinb’s face, she spoke, “It’s okay to be scared, just remember I’m here with you all the time okay?”

Sinb smiles gently at her words and nods her head in understanding, her arms snaking their way around Yewon’s waist in return and bringing her in for a hug which the younger happily reciprocates, “Thanks a lot Yewon-ah.”

They share a tender moment, just enjoying each other’s warmth and presence. Hearts almost bursting at how intimate everything felt. Most of the time spent together was almost similar to when they were still bestfriends and so times like this, when they felt more like lovers than friends, were far and few in between and they certainly cherish each and every one of these moments.

“Let’s sleep?” Yewon invites, leaning back slightly.

“Let’s sleep!” Sinb eagerly agrees before suddenly pulling Yewon to the bed without warning. With a surprised squeal, the two collapse onto the mattress and land together side by side with a slight bounce upon impact.

“Hey!” Yewon whines while Sinb just laughs. Huffing, she was about to voice her complaint once more when Sinb snuggles against her, resting her head comfortably in her neck underneath her chin and her arms locked around her waist. Forgetting what she was about to say, Yewon just brings her hand up to Sinb’s head and it gently.

She swears she could literally hear Sinb purring at the touch.

“I’m serious by the way.” Sinb tells her, "Thank you.

“You know I’ve always been alone and situations like this aren’t new to me.” she goes on saying while the younger silently listens, "And normally I will deal with them myself. It’s always been that way, but now it doesn’t. It definitely feels different.

Before, I’d always encourage myself I can do it alone. I’d struggle, maybe have a hard time but I manage to get through it and I thought that it was fine that way but now, I see that there’s no need for me to go through that much hardship… that it was okay to ask for help once in a while, that I don’t have to shoulder everything alone and that’s all because you were there, Yewon. You taught all of that to me and my life has been a whole lot better since you came. There’s some struggles still, but they’re all bearable so I’m really thankful to you for staying with me. I’m thankful to you for being with me. You’re a real blessing to my life I don’t even understand what I did to deserve you."

“You’ve done a lot of things for me too so don’t go selling yourself short, Eunbi.” Yewon tells her, a soft smile on her face after listening to Sinb’s heartfelt words, “You’ve always been supportive, protective and fun to be around. You’ve done so many things for me if I were to write all of them, an encyclopedia would end up crying.” she chuckles a bit, “If anyone asks me, you’re the best girlfriend one could ever have and I consider myself lucky because that girl who gets you happens to be me.”

“Of course. You’re the best girlfriend so I have to be the best girlfriend for you too.” Sinb replies, her voice starting to become sleepy, “You only deserve the best after all. For you I’d do anything. I just want you to be happy. I just…” Sinb yawns then snuggles closer to her, “I really love you a lot, Yewon-ah.”

Yewon feels her heart burst at that.

“I love you too Eunbi.”

All she hears in reply in Sinb’s soft, relaxed breathing, indicating she was asleep. Yewon just smiles, pulling the covers up and leaning forward to plant a kiss on her forehead, tucking her further against herself.

“Goodnight, love.”

Lol. So I wrote this after I got locked in the bathroom some days ago and it was quite a struggle back then (๑•﹏•) It wasn’t the first time I got locked in or out but it did leave some sort of impact on me. Even now I still get nervous closing doors and would panic when the doorknob doesn’t turn properly. I just thought of this idea while thinking about it so apologies if it’s not much haha (─.─||）Anyway, I hope everyone stays healthy and safe. Thank you very much for reading (ᵔᴥᵔ)