Blearily blinking her eyes open, Heejin rustles awake at the sound of a jackhammer drilling away. Mentally berating herself for forgetting to close her window the night before, she groans into her pillow and buries her face into the softness of it, desperately trying to muffle the noise that has been waking her up from her peaceful sleep for the past week. If it’s not her alarm waking her up for work, it’s the construction that has been banging outside of her window for the past month.

“Good morning, sunshine!”

Freezing at the intrusion of sound, Heejin’s blood runs cold. Whipping her head to the other side of her bed, Heejin scrambles to get out of it, tripping on her bedsheets and sprawling across the floor at the sight in front of her.

“Oof, I didn’t realize I was that ugly.”

Backing against her wall and wielding the Hydro Flask on her bedside table as a weapon, Heejin rubs her eyes, hoping that this is some crazy illusion. Or that she was still happily slumbering in her dreamworld, “What- who- how did-”

(If Heejin recalls correctly, she went out with Jiwoo and Jungeun the night before, had a couple drinks, and safely walked home with her friends. It was just the two of them waving goodbye to her as she fumbled her way inside her apartment and she most definitely did not take a random girl home with her. Yet somehow, right in her bed, was a beautiful stranger leisurely relaxing with her arms propping her head).

“You act as if you’ve never woken up beside a stranger before.”

Heejin, almost scandalized, sputters a response, “I’ve- I’ve never woken up beside a stranger before!”

The girl hums and picks at her nails.

“Who are you and how did you get here?”

The girl stretches, similarly to that of an unbothered cat, before getting out of Heejin’s bed.

“Remember the coin you threw into that fountain while you were at Jeju? Seems like you caught Iris’ interest because I’m here for you, Human.” Brushing off her clothes and carefully rearranging the tendrils of her side bangs, the girl doesn’t appear to care that Heejin’s face seems to be perpetually stuck on outrageous shock and disbelief, “My mother calls me Hyunjin but people like you know me as Cupid.”

Shaking her head profusely, Heejin can only bellow a laugh. There was no ing way this was real. 

No. ing. Way.

“Haha, very funny, Hyunjin. If that even is your name. Get out of my apartment before I call the cops on you.”

The girl, Hyunjin apparently, raises her hands in surrender before backing off, “I’m only here to help you with your absolutely hopeless crush on your best friend. Jiwoo, was it? But, if you insist, I don’t want to waste any more time here. I have other people to help.”

Just as Hyunjin is about to leave, Heejin’s voice stops her, “How do you know about Jiwoo?”

Hyunjin sighs and rolls her eyes. (She always hated this part—the interrogation and the repeating). 

“I told you. Iris told me about your predicament and here I am.”

There is a slight silence that follows, “Why aren’t you, like, tiny? And in a diaper? And have wings?”

(If there was one thing Hyunjin hated more, it was the ridiculous image of Cupid that humans had of her. Trust old white men to ruin everything).

“I’m a grown woman, Heejin. The last time I was tiny, I was a baby. And the last time I wore a diaper, I was two. I know my skin is beautiful and I have more wrinkles in my clothes than I do on my face, but immortality is such a thing that exists in my world.”

Heejin only nods before fiddling with the handle of her water bottle, “And your wings?”

Dismissively waving a hand before pushing Heejin’s door open and waltzing into the girl’s kitchen and rifling through her pantry, Hyunjin’s voice is muffled as she peeks at a bag of chips, “Not needed now. Also, this is expired.”

Snatching the snack out of her hands and stuffing it back into her pantry and closing it resolutely, Heejin squints her eyes at the goddess in front of her inquisitively. 

“So, how are you supposed to help me?”

Looking through the girl’s fridge now, Hyunjin frowns, “You should really go grocery shopping. There’s no way you’re surviving solely off of avocados and a singular apple.”

Heejin groans. Ever since the deity arrived, it’s as if Heejin had to work for the answers she so desperately needs, “What about your arrows? Where are they? Can’t you just, shoot Jiwoo in the heart and get her to fall in love with me?”

Taking the last apple out of her fridge and biting into it, Hyunjin is overjoyed to find that it’s crisp and sweet—she has always loved the refreshing sensation of enjoying the fruit.

Nonchalant and unbothered with answering, Hyunjin happily hums into her bite, “I could. But, I’m not about that life anymore.” Finishing up her bite and sparing a glance at the girl looking at her incredulously, Hyunjin sighs, “Think of this as OkCupid but in real life. And better. I need to learn more about you. I need to learn more about Jiwoo. We’ll go from there.”

Heejin wants to laugh at the absurdity. As if OkCupid isn’t already a very real and accountable resource for dating. If anything, Heejin would think that Cupid herself would be a fantasy.

Hoisting herself up on Heejin’s kitchen counter and vanishing the finished apple core from existence, Heejin can barely stop herself from gasping. The deity, closing her eyes and basking in the warm glow of the rising sun filtering in through the windows, peaks an eye at her, “Don’t you have to get ready for work, Heejin?”

Flicking her eyes to the clock on her oven, Heejin scrambles to her room to get ready because, holy  , she is going to be late if she doesn’t get out of her place in the next fifteen minutes and she really doesn’t want to deal with her uptight boss lecturing her on punctuality.

(Sighing sadly while shrugging on her jacket and stepping out, she was really looking forward to having some avocado toast for breakfast but, Heejin supposes, it’s not every day Cupid ends up in her bed).

~

Barely getting to work in time and rushing to her desk after clocking in, Heejin huffs in her seat while catching her breath.

Popping her head to the side like she’s the ing sun welcoming a new day, Jiwoo smiles that warm smile that Heejin loves, “Late morning, Heej?”

Nodding because it’s not like she could possibly explain her morning to any other human being without them looking at her like she has two heads, Heejin only whines, “I woke up late and didn’t get to have breakfast.”

Cooing at the pout on her friend’s lips, Jiwoo disappears and reappears with a muffin in her hands. “Jungeun packed this for me as a snack but I’m not really feeling hungry right now.” Before Heejin can refuse, the girl is placing the bread in her hands and returning to her work.

Fondly smiling at the kindness extended to her, Heejin startles when she hears Hyunjin beside her. “Are you gonna eat that? You’ve been staring at it for the past five minutes.” Pulling the muffin away from Hyunjin’s greedy gaze, Heejin can’t help how possessive she sounds.

“Jiwoo gave it to me. It’s mine! And what are you doing here?” Hyunjin only quirks an eyebrow at her before taking one of the pens in her cupholder and balancing it on her philtrum, pouting when it rolls off and falls to the floor.

Appearing again and picking the pen up from the floor, Jiwoo’s curious eyes scan Heejin’s work area, “Who are you talking to? Also, you dropped this.”

Quickly flicking her eyes between Hyunjin and Jiwoo who are not even a foot apart from each other, Hyunjin survey’s Jiwoo’s face before looking at Heejin with impressed eyes, “She’s cute. You’ve got good taste.”

Sputtering a bit and not knowing how to respond, Hyunjin takes mercy on the other girl, and gently pats the top of Jiwoo’s head, “Right now, the only person who can see or hear me is you.”

Taking the pen that Jiwoo holds out to her, Heejin only fakes a laugh before rubbing the back of her neck, “Oh! Just, no one. You know me. I like talking to myself.”

Accepting her answer and turning back to her work, Heejin can feel how her cheeks burn red.

Angrily whispering at the girl who is now writing on her post-it notes, Heejin tries to keep her voice as quiet as possible, “What are you doing here, Hyunjin?”

Happy with the bunny and penguin doodle she finishes, Hyunjin only pastes the note on Heejin’s computer, “Like I said, I have to learn more about you and Jiwoo. I’m doing my job like you should be doing yours, Heejin.”

Ripping the note off and scoffing at the obnoxious heart enveloping the two animals, Heejin stuffs it into one of the drawers at her desk before glaring at the deity, “Don’t distract me then.”

Hyunjin only pokes at her nose before smiling cheekily, “No promises!”

Huffing and doing her best to ignore the girl making a mess of her desk, Heejin has to smack Hyunjin’s hand away a handful of times before the deity disappears. (But only to reappear with a pastry and a cup of coffee in her hands. Heejin doesn’t want to ask where or how she got the items—doesn’t even want to know. It’s getting easier for Heejin to understand that the less she knows, the better). 

Finally finishing with work and hopping on the subway that’ll take her to the grocery store by her place, Heejin quickly learns to keep an eye on Hyunjin, the girl walking around with a half-eaten peach and an open bag of candy in her hands.

“You can’t just eat before buying!”

Hyunjin shrugs before taking a big bite of the fruit, “Stealing can be fun. And plus, I don’t carry money. I’m a god. I don’t need money.”

Heejin rolls her eyes, “If you’re appearing like a human and eating food without buying things, people are going to accuse you of stealing. You need money if you’re going to fit in.”

Shrugging again, Hyunjin tosses a gummy bear into , “I don’t need to fit in. I have contingency plans.”

(Contingency plans also stands for “Haseul owing me a favor and promising to charmspeak me out of trouble when I need her to.”)

Heejin only shuts her eyes and takes in a deep breath before making a silent plea, “God (or was it gods?), give me the patience to deal with Cupid.”

Heejin doesn’t quite know how Hyunjin bugging her incessantly for hours is helping her learn about her but it seems like Hyunjin is happy to spend her time bringing every little inconvenience possible into her life. From taking the only seat left in the subway and forcing her to clutch onto the metal bar to eating a third of the dinner Heejin makes for herself, Hyunjin is content to lazily lay on her couch and channel surf while Heejin busily gets ready for bed.

Getting out of the shower with a face mask on, Heejin yelps when she finds Hyunjin in her bed with her beloved guitar in her arms. “You know how to play?”

Masterfully gliding through chords and piecing together a beautiful melody, Hyunjin’s voice comes out like a harmony, “Apollo begged to fall out of love with Daphne and I made him teach me guitar before shooting him with my arrow.”

Sitting on the other side of her bed and appreciating the way Hyunjin plays, Heejin has to fight the closing of her eyes, “You can make people fall out of love?”

Finishing up a riff and settling on playing another, Hyunjin barely even has to look at the fretboard, “I have two types of arrows. One with a golden head and the other lead. Golden heads will get people to fall in love, lead ones will make someone fall out of love. Apollo was sick of loving someone who could never love him back and begged for mercy.” Humming to herself, Hyunjin adds an afterthought, a smirk playing on her lips, “It doesn’t help that the person of his affections got turned into a tree to show just how little she cared for his love.” Finishing up her melody, Hyunjin mumbles to herself, “Serves him right—to think heartbreak couldn’t hurt.” 

(It’s the first time Hyunjin loses the playful air around her, her eyes no longer shining with mirth. Just as brief as Hyunjin’s show of vulnerability is, a smirk is back on her lips, her eyes just as mischievous as usual).

Placing the guitar back on its stand and throwing a peace sign up, Hyunjin disappears with a quick and breezy, “Smell you later, Jeon Heejin!”

~

Come morning, it's not the faithful jackhammer that wakes her up or the ringing of her alarm. It is the heavy flick on her forehead startling her awake. In front of her, Hyunjin is sitting on her floor with a -eating grin on her face (her eyes even ing twinkle but that just might be the sun glowing around her like a shroud). “Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!”

Blearily blinking and blindly patting around for her phone, Heejin groans at the time.

“It’s four in the morning. I don’t need to be up until seven, Hyunjin.”

The deity only ruffles her hair before jumping onto her bed, “Don’t be so grumpy! Love waits for no one; I need to do my job.”

Heejin only places a pillow on top of her head and groans when Hyunjin rips it away from her. (If Heejin weren’t so sleepy and grumpy, she would definitely pay mind to how the deity is straddling her hips). Glaring at the girl cheekily smiling at her, Heejin rubs her face in her hands, “Are you sure you’re Cupid? You’ve been nothing but a gremlin to me.”

The cheerful smile painting Hyunjin’s lips does not seem to match the fire Hyunjin puts into the hits with the pillow against Heejin’s head, “Don’t be ridiculous, Heejin! I am Cupid and I’ll prove it in due time, you fickle human being!”

Rolling over and forcing Hyunjin off of her, Heejin doesn’t have the sense in her to stop herself from getting into Hyunjin’s face and scowling at her, her nose bumping into the other girl’s, “Do not wake me up at 4 AM and expect me to be able to function. Good night, Hyunjin.”

Going back to her side and snuggling into her blankets, Heejin almost falls back asleep until the other girl’s voice disrupts her. Wrinkling her nose, Hyunjin frowns, “Your morning breath is not pleasant.”

A resounding smack echoes the room, Hyunjin’s pained yelp following.

“Let me ing sleep, Hyunjin.”

Relaxing into the pillows behind her and resting her hands on her stomach, Hyunjin only lets out a low whistle silently noting to herself, “Sleepy Heejin is not a Happy Heejin.”

Two hours later, Heejin wakes to the sound of jackhammers. Again. Before she can even complain, the weight beside her disappears, the sound of Hyunjin’s feet padding across her floor stopping the begrudging whines bubbling up . The next thing Heejin hears is the closing of her window and the jackhammers’ drilling is dulled into a muffled hum. The other side of the bed dips once more before silence invites her back to sleep.

(Maybe Hyunjin wasn’t all that annoying).

Waking up to the sound of her alarm’s ringing, Heejin throws an arm behind her only to find the other side of her bed cold. Frowning at the emptiness, Heejin is slipping on her glasses and dragging her feet out her door. In the kitchen, Hyunjin is wearing an apron Heejin didn’t know she had (but really, she’d never own a Kiss the Chef apron—or own an apron in general; she was quite the atrocious mess when it came to cooking).

Placing a plate of omurice in front of her, Hyunjin’s grin is big. (Heejin is reluctant to admit that it’s a charming grin but that’s beside the point). 

“Breakfast is served!” Pausing briefly and furrowing her eyebrows, Hyunjin places a finger on her chin. “I don’t know whether I should call you Sleepy or Grumpy. You’re bo-”

Before tucking into her appetizing meal, Heejin grumbles, “Stop naming me after dwarves. And thank you.”

Hyunjin only pats her head before taking an apple out of Heejin’s fridge and biting into it.

Eating her first bite of breakfast, Heejin can’t help the happy exclamation humming from the back of , “This is delicious, oh my God, Hyunjin!”

Hyunjin proudly smirks before flipping her hair. (It’s not like it took her five cartons of eggs and more trials than she’d be willing to admit perfecting the dish).

“When’s the next time you’re hanging out with Jiwoo?”

Heejin shrugs and vocalizes a sound resembling that of “I don’t know.”

Taking a spoon from one of the kitchen drawers and stealing a bite from Heejin’s dish after taking a seat beside her, Hyunjin can’t help but to find herself surprised at how well her cooking turned out, a pleasantly shocked “hmm” spilling from her lips.

(Heejin bats her hand away when Hyunjin goes for a second bite and pulls the plate closer to her).

“Well, make plans with her as soon as you can. I’m getting restless just watching you blush and panic around her. How she doesn’t know you’re in love with her is beyond me. You’re as obvious as a blinking billboard. You might as well just write Jiwoo, I’m in love with you! on your forehead.”

Guffawing and smacking the deity’s shoulder Heejin whines, “I can’t help it! She makes me so nervous!”

After finishing another bite, Heejin pokes the girl’s cheek to get her attention, “Am I really that obvious?”

Gently redirecting Heejin’s face back to her food by grabbing her chin between her pointer finger and thumb, Hyunjin rolls her eyes, “Just focus on eating, lovebird. You still have to get ready for work.”

(Hyunjin doesn’t know how Heejin is the human embodiment of the pouting puppy dog eyes emoji but if Heejin looked at her like that and asked her for a favor, Hyunjin might not even have to consider before bending at her will).

As it goes, Heejin gets to work with time to spare, a cup of Americano, and a blueberry muffin in her hands. When Jiwoo greets her (and it feels like the comforting warmth of the sun when she smiles at her), Heejin is a shy and blushing pink mess handing the cake to her. Jiwoo tries to resist the offering, in which Hyunjin’s eyes light up at the thought of an abandoned muffin, but Heejin pushes the food back into Jiwoo’s hands with a happy, crescent-eyed smile. During their lunch break, Hyunjin has to pinch Heejin’s stomach to remind her about making plans with Jiwoo. (When Hyunjin pinched her, Heejin yelped and blamed it on the annoying fly that’s been buzzing around her and supposes that Hyunjin wasn’t too far off from it anyway).

(It’s not a big deal, really. Jiwoo and Heejin go out all the time but after finalizing their plans, Jiwoo exclaims, “It’s a date!” and it’s enough for Heejin to choke on her spit and stumble on her feet. It really shouldn’t affect her because Jiwoo likes making dates out of everything—shopping dates, grocery shopping dates, spa dates—but it still does. Even if Jiwoo calls Heejin her “bestie” every time she sees her).

Later at Heejin’s home, the girl is pacing back and forth in her room, her mind going a mile a minute trying to think of what to do on Friday night, “I don’t know what to do! Oh God, I don't want her to be bored or have a bad time!” Following her with her eyes, Hyunjin thinks she would have become dizzy had she not been in worse situations. (Worse situations like plummeting into a barrel roll and just barely elongating her wings before soaring into a flock of birds because Sooyoung challenged her to—and Hyunjin was never one to refuse a challenge). 

“What do you usually do when you go out with her?”

Counting on her fingers and turning sharply back into the same direction she came from as she rambles under her breath, “Sometimes we watch movies, sometimes we drink, sometimes have dinner, sometimes we-”

Having enough of watching Heejin’s down spiral and pushing her to sit at the couch, Hyunjin squishes her cheeks in the palms of her hands, “You need to get it together, Heejin! This isn’t even a real date and you’re freaking out! Just have a quick dinner and go to a karaoke bar or something. It’s fun and casual and to be honest, I don’t want to see you panicking like this in a fancy restaurant. I can’t deal with secondhand embarrassment well.”

Heejin scoffs. It’s not like Hyunjin didn’t steal from the bakery they went to this morning or barked at every dog she saw—she is the definition of shameless.

“Why don’t you get her flowers? See how she reacts?”

At first Heejin balks before beaming in glee after thinking Hyunjin’s suggesting over. Squishing the god’s cheeks the same way she did with her, she coos at the sight, “You’re a genius! I could just kiss you!”

(Heejin feels her cheeks warm at her lack of filter but ignores it).

Hyunjin pushes her away by pushing at her forehead with a finger and a grimace. “I’m Cupid; I know my stuff. And I’d rather you not. Just get the girl, Heejin.”

~.~.~

After rushing home from work on Friday and frantically looking through her closet, Heejin’s room looks as if a tornado flew by. Various clothes are on the floor and Hyunjin’s pretty sure that’s a bra on her lampshade. Sitting on the girl’s bed and watching how the streetlights outside of Heejin’s door flicker between colors, Hyunjin counts five rotations until Heejin comes out of her bathroom, fully changed.

“How do I look?”

Looking uninterestedly at her, Hyunjin runs her eyes up and down twice before she throws a thumbs up. Huffing, Heejin nudges at the girl’s legs with her foot and even pouts, “Hyunjin! I need more than that!” 

Running a hand through her hair and doing everything she can to stop her eyes from rolling, Hyunjin forgot just how much humans needed validation before stepping out into the world. “Heejin, you’re already a pretty person; it doesn’t take a lot for you to look good.”

Heejin only pouts harder and whines.

Audibly sighing and being unable to hold back her exasperation, Hyunjin takes the restless hands picking at the loose strings in the holes of her jeans and it’s enough for Heejin to stop whining, “You look beautiful. Jiwoo would be a fool if she didn’t see that.”

It’s enough for Heejin to settle and sit on the bed, her mind doing what it does best when it comes to Jiwoo—overthink. Knocking her knees against Hyunjin’s and getting her attention, Heejin mumbles a shy “thank you” before her phone buzzes in her pocket. 

Jiuwu :3 do you mind if jungie comes along? she’s been stressed at work and a night out would be great for her  ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ❀❀

Heejin has never been great at refusing anything when it came to the girl. Begrudgingly replying and trying not to sound disappointed in her text, Heejin flops onto her bed after sending the text. (Looking at the bouquet of flowers sitting in a vase on her kitchen table, Heejin sighs. She was really hoping that it’d be just the two of them alone but figures that the bouquet she got for Jiwoo is enough to be split into two, not wanting to be rude and single Jungeun out).

Heejinnie (⁎˃ᆺ˂) ofc she can come! the more the merry!

Seeing the text before Heejin flopped on her bed, Hyunjin let out a quiet hum, an eyebrow quirked.

Remembering that Heejin had a tendency to be on the more sensitive side, Hyunjin caters to the girl’s emotions and gently asks, “What happened?”

Heejin flips her phone over and stares blankly at her ceiling, “Jungeun is coming. I really wanted it to be us two, but I guess not.”

Catching the streetlight outside of Heejin’s window flickering to green, an idea strikes her, “If Jungeun is coming, why don’t I come with you? Introduce me to them as your friend, say that you met me during one of your commutes to work, and I’ll be able to get a better grasp on everything going on and I’ll be on your side to help you if you need me to.”

Messing with her belt buckle and seeming hesitant, Heejin mulls the thought over, “I’m not good at lying though. Especially to Jiwoo.”

Tired of seeing the disappointment ruining the buzzing excitement Heejin had thirty minutes ago, Hyunjin pulls the girl up by her hands and puts her hands on her shoulders in an effort to get Heejin’s full attention, “Lie about how you met me and I’ll take care of the rest. Don’t worry, Heejin. Things aren’t going the way you planned but that doesn’t mean everything is doomed. Just trust in me and everything will be okay.”

Heejin doesn’t know if it’s comfort or persuasion that she’s feeling but she feels herself nodding to Hyunjin and begins to prepare herself for the night.

Heejinnie (⁎˃ᆺ˂) hey do you mind if a friend of mine comes along too? you haven’t met her yet but i’ve been wanting to introduce you to her! 

Jiuwu :3 heejin making friends outside of jungie and i? we would love to meet her ᕙ(^▿^-ᕙ)

(When Heejin handed Jiwoo and Jungeun their respective bundles of flowers, Jungeun’s cheeks dust a light pink while Jiwoo squeaks an excited yelp before kissing Heejin’s cheeks in thanks. It makes the already racing heart inside Heejin palpitate at a tireless rate—feels like it takes laps around Heejin’s chest like a giddy child walking into a candy store).

Hyunjin is too good at lying; it’s almost scary. With every question Jiwoo and Jungeun throw at her, she breezily answers while being completely convincing. In fact, she fits in like a puzzle piece between the three of them. (Heejin only gets to know this when she comes back to her table after using the bathroom and Hyunjin is teaching her friends how to beatbox. It doesn’t sound much like anything but weird breathing, but her friends are impressed nonetheless and take learning her expertise with stride).

Walking to the karaoke bar, Hyunjin does Heejin a favor and snakes Jungeun away from Jiwoo’s arm and picks up their pace, challenging the girl to not step on any cracks on the sidewalk. Naturally catching up to Jiwoo, Heejin subconsciously props her arm out for Jiwoo to slink her arm through.

“You look beautiful tonight!”

Stealing a glance, Heejin’s heart stutters in her chest at the warm smile on Jiwoo’s lips, stumbles when she presses a quick peck on her cheeks. Ignoring the pounding of her heart and the butterflies in her stomach, Heejin is quick to repay the compliment and do the same. Jiwoo only giggles and smooshes their cheeks together cheerfully.

“Hyunjin’s really cool! I’m glad you guys are friends! Maybe we could do these double dates more!”

Numbly nodding along and doing her best to process her words with the bundle of nerves bubbling in her stomach, Heejin can only focus on how Jiwoo tugs her closer and fully wraps her arms around her to stave away the cold biting at her cheeks.

Getting to the bar and cozying up at a table, Heejin almost wonders how Hyunjin was able to fool the bouncer into getting in because it’s not like gods carried ID cards with them. Heejin is reminded that it’s better to not ask or wonder when Hyunjin comes back with a round of drinks that Heejin doesn’t know how she paid for.

Placing her drink in front of Heejin, Hyunjin leans in to whisper into her ear, the music being too loud for Hyunjin to simply talk quietly to her, “Drink up, lovebird. There’s extra encouragement in this for you. And knowing you, you’re gonna need it.”

(Heejin pushes her away with a groan but still gulps half of the drink down, grimacing when the bitter alcohol coats her tongue).

“This is ing nasty. What the hell is this?”

Hyunjin only smirks before motioning for her to drink more, “Doesn’t matter. It’s enough for you to get over your nerves.”

Heejin only looks at her warily before the god sighs, “Don’t worry, I’m not drinking. I’ll take care of you when you need me to.”

Picking up the glass again, Heejin continues to stare at her as she finishes another quarter.

Noticing Heejin, Jiwoo only whoops and bumps into Jungeun’s shoulder, “Bottoms up, Jungie!” (Jiwoo proceeds to take the shot with zero hesitation while Jungeun only sips at her soju).

“I’ll eventually have to take care of your drunk and two drunk asses can’t take care of each other in a busy city, Jiwooming.”

She pouts before turning her shot glass over and pushing Jungeun’s closer to her, “You’re the one who’s been dealing with horrible bosses. I’ll take care of you tonight, Jungie.”

Unable to stop the grateful smile growing on her lips, it’s fond and sweet, her eyes softening at the stubborn resolve showing in the other girl’s eyes.

Jungeun’s gaze and smile, it’s loving. And Jiwoo only beams back the same affection. Looking between the two, Hyunjin’s eyebrows raise before she looks back at Heejin flipping through the song manual.

Falling back into her seat and letting out a quick exhale, Hyunjin wonders why she ever took the case Iris laid out for her—it’s so much more than the tireless yearning that she signed up for. How is she going to get someone who is already in love with her best friend to fall for the other? It was times like this that Hyunjin wished she didn’t have to be so strict with herself. It’d be so easy to just shoot Jiwoo with a golden arrow and watch her fall in love with Heejin without so much as lifting a finger after doing so, but here she was, tasking herself to this messy situation.

(Hyunjin supposes it’s too much of a risk to be as reckless as she used to be. As much as Hyunjin loved a challenge, this one was going to be her undoing).

As the night unfolds, Heejin has sung a total of three songs to Jiwoo who is innocently unsuspecting of what the girl feels, eager to sing a duet with the drunk girl beside her. And as Hyunjin observes the three, she comes to pity the obliviousness sheltering Heejin’s eyes from reality. 

The next morning, Heejin is slowly eating a piece of toast and resting her forehead in the palm of her hands, “Did I do anything stupid? Or embarrassing?”

Finishing the apple in her hands and vanishing it the way she does with all the other apple cores, Hyunjin shrugs.

“Not really. Other than your voice cracking a couple of times during Tears and using songs to confess to Jiwoo, it could’ve been worse.”

Heejin only groans, “How could have it been worse?”

Slumping into the chair across from Heejin, Hyunjin hums in thought, “She could’ve taken your completely obvious hints.”

Slowly blinking her eyes, Heejin pouts, “Isn’t that what we want her to do?”

The god only scratches her head and grimaces lightly, “Not exactly. Things are going a little sideways and I’m thinking of ways to get you back on track.”

Looking like she’s two seconds from face planting into her eggs, Hyunjin is ushering her off for a shower, “I need you to hear this when you’re more coherent and put together. Rest some more, Heejin.”

Come dinner and Hyunjin is sat with her hands clasped together and preparing for the worst of Heejin’s reactions. Hyunjin does her best to lighten the blow.

“I don’t know how else to tell you this but, Heejin, your best friends are in love with each other.”

First, Heejin’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion before the confusion melted into helpless sadness. Then, her eyes become glassy and lost. And frankly, it’s a sight that Hyunjin doesn’t like to see, makes her feel a twinge of pain for the girl in front of her. Quickly thinking of ways to stop the ache in her chest, Hyunjin wills herself to smile confidently.

(It’s been so long since a human has made her feel something akin to grief and helplessness).

Clapping her hands together and abruptly breaking the solemn environment with b enthusiasm, Hyunjin is rounding the table to massage Heejin’s shoulders in an effort to cheer her up.

“All’s not lost! I’m thinking of a plan that could work! I’m Cupid! And it’s not over yet! Don’t lose hope yet, Heejin!”

Resting her head on her forehead and doing her best to keep herself together, Heejin can’t help but to feel grateful for the effort Hyunjin displays for her, knows that the god doesn’t prefer to emotionally exert herself like this.

“What are you thinking then, Hyunjin?”

Hyunjin begins to pace around her kitchen, her mind thinking of a million ways to change the course of the universe, “All we need to do is make her see that you’d be a good girlfriend! Humans like knowing that the people they might fall in love with will take care of them. We just need to show her that you can take care of her!”

“And how do you propose that? Every time I do anything for her, she thanks me for being a good friend.”

Hyunjin pauses in her spot, “We need to change how she thinks of you. Stop her from thinking of you platonically and instead romantically. We need to show her what you can do as a girlfriend.”

Groaning and slumping against her chair, Heejin protests, “I don’t want to pull some random innocent girl into this if that’s what you’re implying. As much as I want Jiwoo, I am not playing with anyone’s feelings.”

Hyunjin only smirks, “Who said she had to be random?”

Not liking the mischievous look in her eyes (because nothing good ever really came of it), Heejin glares at her gingerly, “What are you saying then, Hyunjin?”

Dramatically fixing her hair and straightening out her clothes, Hyunjin only puts her shirt in Heejin’s hand, “Do you know what material this is?”

Used to Hyunjin’s habit of never really answering her questions, Heejin exasperatedly groans out an answer to hopefully get a reply for her own question soon, “I don’t know? Cotton?”

The glimmer in Hyunjin’s eyes seems to sparkle as she grins at the girl in front of her, “Wrong! It’s “Heejin’s girlfriend” material!”

It’s not the first time Hyunjin has effectively shocked Heejin enough that her jaw drops, but it’s certainly enough for Heejin to be completely bewildered, “You’re joking. Right? Please tell me you’re joking.”

The cheshire grin on Hyunjin’s lips doesn’t fade as she squishes Heejin’s cheeks in her fingers, “The only thing I’m joking about is this shirt not being made of cotton, lovebird.”

Slowly processing the situation and working through the befuddlement—because if someone told her that Cupid herself was offering to be her fake girlfriend to get her long-time crush to fall for her, she might’ve asked for whatever they were smoking—Heejin doesn’t have it in her to push Hyunjin’s hands away when she continues to play with her cheeks.

“I told you this yesterday. I can’t lie.”

Hyunjin just playfully pats her cheeks before scooting away to search for snacks in Heejin’s pantry, “We don’t have to lie, not really. If it’s better for you, I’ll be your girlfriend for real and as soon as our plan works, we’ll tragically break up and bam! Jiwoo’s gonna comfort you and fall in love with you.”

Completely opposite to the enthusiasm and confidence spilling like uncontrollable waves from Hyunjin’s presence, Heejin can’t help but to think of everything that could go wrong. Like Jiwoo not seeing that she could be a good girlfriend. Or not caring. Or not changing her mind about their friendship. Or not falling out of love with Jungeun. Or-

“Ow!”

After flicking her forehead, Hyunjin frowns at her, “Stop overthinking! I’m Cupid! This is gonna work, Heejin!”

Doubting the god but still ultimately trusting her, Heejin relents an annoyed, “Fine!” 

(Hyunjin then begins to ramble about the details of their plan and really, Heejin doesn’t know how Hyunjin thought of everything so quickly, down from social media posts to date ideas, but figures that it’s best not to question Cupid. It was always better for her peace of mind to not know because Hyunjin had to be the most ineffable enigma Heejin has ever met).

~.~.~

There isn’t much of a difference between Cupid Hyunjin and Heejin’s Girlfriend Hyunjin. Or at least that’s what Heejin thought until a lunchbox ends up in her bag with a little post-it note on it saying, “Eat well, Heejin <3,” with a doodle of a cat and a heart signing off. 

“Did Hyunjin make that for you?”

Glancing at Jiwoo who peers at her lunchbox with impressed eyes, Heejin stutters a bit through her reply, “I guess she did?”

Slightly startling when Hyunjin’s voice appears beside her, Hyunjin is sitting across from the pair resting her chin in her hands, “Just tell her I sneaked it into your bag on the subway before you had to get off for your stop.”

Doing her best to lie through her teeth, Jiwoo’s eyes glimmer as the sun casts a warm glow against her skin, “That’s so sweet of her!” Heejin just chuckles along and