"are we going to keep doing this, hyun?” the young photographer asks as they gaze into the endless cosmos above them, staring into the night sky has always made her feel so small and powerless — this feeling is only magnified with bae joohyun lying by her side.

 

the model swallows nervously with her hands folded across her midsection, “do you want to stop?”

 

“could we be more than this?” byulyi exhales in despair, an ambiguous definition of a relationship is all she has.

 

this is the best they could get with the nature of their jobs, a getaway five hours away from the city, where no one knows who they are or what they are to each other. they met on a job three months ago — moon byulyi, an up and coming photographer with plenty of talent running through her veins and bae joohyun, the ethereal being of beauty taking over the entire nation by storm.

 

since then, it’s been whirlwind of emotions and discreet meetups in the dead of night, a budding love like this is nothing short of catastrophic. still, they tried to make it work, they cling to the fragments of joy that exist in meetings that are few and far between.

 

the stars seem to align for this one weekend, with no schedules planned for either of them, byulyi takes them south for an impromptu vacation. on this grassy hill after a night of stargazing, they attempt to tackle the largest obstacle in their relationship.

 

“i don’t know,” joohyun murmurs as she sits up, resting her weight on one elbow as she turns to face her counterpart, “but i wish we could.” 

 

she leans in to plant a longing kiss on byulyi’s soft lips, shifting to straddle the photographer as she continues to pepper kisses from her lips down to her neck, pouring her love into the girl who could never be hers. she doesn’t know what they have but she’s going to try her damnedest to hold on to it.

 

afterall, this might be the best they could get.

 

---

 

news of an asteroid estimated to be just under half a kilometre wide being spotted at the edge of the universe and getting caught together with photographic proof instils the same amount of fear, horrifying for a moment but self-reassurance convinces them that things are going to be okay at the end.

 

bae joohyun spotted with mysterious girl — friends or something more?

famous model, bae joohyun spotted at a convenience store in the dead of night sharing instant ramen with an unfamiliar face.

 

avoiding catastrophe isn’t as easy as it sounds, on the bright side, at least they weren’t caught in the middle of a kiss. byulyi should know better than to read a scandalous article considering her line of work but this is something different entirely and it’s not like she has anything better to do on her morning commute.

 

she opens the link that joohyun had sent her after sending a quick ‘good morning’, the model has said nothing more, probably busy dealing with the consequences of their supposedly secret midnight date. skimming through the entry, it’s more or less what the photographer had anticipated — a picture of them sharing a bowl of instant noodles in the middle of the night at a desolate convenience store is plastered right at the top.

 

the model looks too comfortable in her favourite hoodie, a sacrifice she’s willing to make at her own expense. byulyi never liked being in front of the camera, she's much too awkward and insecure but being next to joohyun with half her face covered looks natural — like she belongs there, like they belong together.

 

she’s certain that she was busy telling joohyun about her recent incident regarding eating ramen with her airpods on when this picture was taken — one of them fell into the piping hot soup and has been intermittently working ever since, and it sent her companion bursting out in a fit of laughter.

 

seeing joohyun frozen with a wide grin across her face is enough to convince her that it’s all worth the hassle, it isn’t the end of the world to be bae joohyun’s mysterious girl.

 

“did you read the article?” is the first thing that joohyun asks when byulyi opens the door to let the model in later that night.

 

the photographer nods with a cheeky smile, “i tried really hard not to.”

 

“got my head chewed off today but at least i get to see you now,” joohyun tackles the younger woman in a tight embrace as they stumble into the living room, “i missed you.”

 

the outside world is a terrifying place but at least byulyi doesn’t fear it when she’s in the arms of joohyun.

 

---

 

they were foolish to believe that they could continue a relationship without any sort of consequence.

 

with joohyun’s rise in popularity, the model continues to take on larger projects while byulyi takes a backseat. the photographer had her own career to focus on too and it's hard to hold on to something that slips through your fingers so easily.

 

a relationship that was loving coupled with missed calls and rain checks every other date turns strained even without watchful eyes. byulyi was aware of it and so was joohyun.

 

a crack.

 

the love they have is growing into something they no longer recognised, the initial infatuation has faded and keeping it alive took a lot more effort than they expected. so they attempt to figure things out, to place a bandaid on it, anything to keep it from falling apart — but some things are beyond repair.

 

"my manager has been breathing down my neck," joohyun mumbles into the crook of byulyi's neck, "we can't continue like this."

 

byulyi looks down at the older woman in her arms, to love without restraint could only remain a fantasy. she gazes into the distant skyline, the view from joohyun's luxurious apartment is nothing short of magnificent — it's a shame she might not ever see it again.

 

"is this it?"

 

joohyun nods slowly, if the world would just stop and leave them be instead of getting in their way, it'd be perfect.

 

"but i don't want things to end, i can handle this." the photographer protests softly, hoping that she could sway the model’s decision.

 

"i know, but i don't want to drag you into this mess, you know how things are." joohyun mutters as she clutches the younger woman's arm tightly, she sees no other way out for them, "it's tiring for the both of us."

 

"i can deal with the consequences, hyun-ah."

 

"but i can't," the model shuts her eyes as her companion stiffens beside her, "my career is at stake."

 

the final nail in the coffin also feels like a stab to byulyi's chest, how could the princess of the nation give up everything for someone so insignificant like her?

 

to joohyun, her career is more important than the charismatic photographer she fell in love with at a commercial shoot. this relationship is nothing more than a bout of bad timing, if she wasn't at the peak of it all, she would easily give everything up to be with byulyi.

 

six months, they had six good months together and now the end is in sight.

 

the asteroid named caerus is headed on a collision course for earth and the experts aren't sure if its impact will mark the end of humanity.

 

and to the two lovers, it feels like their world has ended. byulyi leaves the warmth of joohyun behind as she attempts to move forward, she doubts she'll ever find anything close to what they had, their love was one of a kind.

 

---

 

throwing herself into work seems to be the easiest way to nurse her broken heart, or avoid it rather.

 

they ended things on amicable terms but the heartache is much too raw for them to carry on as friends, the absence of byulyi stings but joohyun convinces herself that this will be better in the long run. their paths would cross again, eventually — at least that's what she likes to think as her thumb hovers over the send button.

 

the sound of footsteps approaching causes her to delete her carefully crafted message to the photographer she so dearly misses.

 

"have you seen this?" her fellow colleague tosses a newspaper on her dresser.

 

joohyun raises an eyebrow as she reaches for the paper, her eyes glance at the main article's headline with amusement.

 

"asteroid caerus is expected to pass by earth in a month?" the model snorts, she's not one to keep up on news about space rocks, that’s more of seulgi's thing.

 

seulgi groans as she jabs a finger to the column by the side, "wasn't this the photographer you were close to?"

 

a rising star in the world of photography — an interview with moon byulyi.

 

seeing her name sends a pang of regret through joohyun's heart, as curious as she is about the interview, she can't let herself be distracted by thoughts of byulyi while she’s at work.

 

the model places the newspaper down and glances at her colleague, "we got a lot busier so we haven't been talking much." she lies through her teeth easily with a small smile, acting was never her forte but it's easy to deceive her innocent friend.

 

nobody knew about the world of bae joohyun and moon byulyi, their love only existed in the space between twilight and daybreak, out of sight with no certainty of a future together.

 

"well, text her then, she nailed this interview with a picture of you," seulgi nudges her with an encouraging smile, "also, wouldn't it be nice to have a personal photographer?"

 

joohyun can't help but roll her eyes at the ludicrous suggestion but she finds herself unable to ignore the growing urge to reconnect again.

 

"we'll see."

 

---

 

a text from bae joohyun three months after their supposed break up is the last thing that byulyi expects after a long day of work but the model is always full of surprises.

 

bae joohyun:

hey, are you free to meet for dinner?

 

byulyi:

of course, where and when?

 

bae joohyun: 

convenience store, 12am.

 

byulyi:

that would be supper, wouldn't it?

 

bae joohyun:

since when were you so technical?

 

byulyi:

i'm a changed person. you're buying though, unnie.

 

bae joohyun:

fine

 

byulyi:

see you later ;)

 

it's a strange feeling to navigate a reconciliation with someone you used to love, going from knowing everything about them to not talking at all — at least there’s a chance now. in the empty convenience store at the edge of town, byulyi and joohyun attempt to figure out where they stand with each other after a supposed break.

 

joohyun arrives first, taking the seats by the window after preparing for two bowls of noodles. even after all these months, the model still remembers the younger woman's preferences when it comes to instant noodles. she wasn't that picky, but she couldn't have the water too hot or her noodles too soggy.

 

byulyi arrives a little after midnight wrapped up in her new favourite hoodie considering that joohyun never returned her previous one. it's been a while since she's been here, she had no reason if there was no joohyun.

 

a soft ringing of a bell signals her arrival and the two meet eyes for the first time since their break up. a tense silence lingers momentarily until byulyi steps inside the store completely.

 

byulyi exhales slowly as she cracks into a small smile, "hey, aren't you that model for that makeup brand? i see your face plastered on ads all around town."

 

the model lets out a quiet snort as she raises an eyebrow, "oh, aren't you that famous photographer, moon byulhee? i'm a big fan of your work."

 

"i’m honoured but that's my twin sister," byulyi settles next to the model with a chuckle, "i'm moon byulyi, just an ordinary girl."

 

“it’s lovely to meet you, moon byulyi, i believe you’re more than just ordinary,” joohyun laughs as she pushes the still warm noodles to her companion, “got them just the way you like them.”

 

the photographer stiffens momentarily but accepts it nonetheless — a casual reacquaintance over cheap convenience store food, a scenario more fitting for college students rather than worn out adults. still, it is a nice reprieve from all the heartache they’ve been dealing with. it’s much easier to imagine a world with just the two of them instead of living it out.

 

they’ve tried holding on, but hurting each other under the guise of love isn’t really love is it?

 

“how have you been?” byulyi muses as she begins to dig into her food, this isn’t how she pictured meeting bae joohyun again, she fantasized a more heart wrenching reunion accompanied by a multitude of kisses.

 

the model stares out into the darkness of the streets beyond them, being honest with byulyi is never hard and it’s one of the things she loved most about their relationship, “i missed you.”

 

“oh.”

 

“is that all you have to say?”

 

“what else should i say?” byulyi retorts with a mouth full of food, certainly not the best way to start a serious conversation after not seeing each other for months, “you made it pretty clear when you broke my heart three months ago.”

 

joohyun furrows her brows slightly and pushes her untouched food to the side, supper was just a mere excuse so she could see the photographer. “i’m sorry,” she mutters softly under her breath, fiddling with her hands anxiously, “i wish i could take it all back.”

 

“you can.”

 

“it’s not that easy, byul-ah.” joohyun mumbles through clenched teeth, yet all she can think of is how nice it feels to be wrapped up in byulyi’s arms again.

 

“what’s stopping you? you’ve already reached out to me, isn’t this clear enough?”

 

this isn’t how joohyun expected their conversation to go, things started off casual, friendly. yet, underneath that relaxed facade lies the desires of their hearts and byulyi still wants her.

 

thus, joohyun caves, knowing that byulyi will catch her if she falls.

 

the model grabs the younger woman by the arm and yanks her out of her seat, this world could go to hell for all she cares. if they couldn’t love the way they want to, they’d just have to create a new world for themselves. 

 

---

 

for a while, they stay like that, settling for half of it. conversations over cheap convenience store food in place of proper dates in fancy restaurants, walking each other back to their apartments with their fingers grazing instead of hugs and physical affection.

 

joohyun continues to rise in popularity and byulyi is slowly gaining recognition for her work. at some point, meeting each other during jobs becomes a regular occurrence. perhaps the gods are in favour of their love, they cling onto the possibility of a future together. 

 

even if it won’t come for years, they know they could do it, it’s hard but not entirely impossible.

 

little did they know, this was merely the calm before the storm.

 

bae joohyun's mysterious girl identified — nation's sweetheart in love?!

fans have supposedly connected the dots in her cryptic social media posts

 

"how bad is it?" byulyi asks softly as she tries to embrace her girlfriend who's utterly distressed by the turn of events.

 

it was supposed to be a relaxing day off for the both of them, they had planned to sleep in and get brunch but joohyun's attentive fans have dug out the truth about their little relationship and it's now the talk of the town. the subtly cropped pictures they shared on their socials with ambiguous captions were a little too obvious, besides the style of pictures that have been taken resonates strongly with byulyi’s work. anyone could’ve connected the dots if they knew what they were looking at, they were the own cause of their downfall.

 

maybe they should've settled for a modicum of love instead of trying harder.

 

"my manager has called me twelve times, well, thirteen now." joohyun huffs as she rejects yet another call, joining byulyi on her soft couch, "what about you?"

 

byulyi glances at her phone with a couple of unread messages from yongsun and the latest one from wheein.

 

wheeinie:

lol u little i knew it!! call me when u see this!!!!

 

"much better than you." she snorts while joohyun buries her face in the younger woman’s chest, “it’ll be okay, hyun-ah.”

 

the model lets out a muffled groan, “why can’t we have one good thing?”

 

“we do have it, miss bae,” the photographer plants a soft kiss on her girlfriend’s head, “maybe it’s time we come clean.”

 

“you know i can’t do that …” joohyun pulls back so she can face byulyi fully, “from the way my manager is calling me, we’re going to deny the rumours by tomorrow.” she looks at the photographer with a sad pout.

 

byulyi exhales quietly, “but why? isn’t this the best time to just acknowledge everything? i want to show the world how blessed i am to be yours.”

 

“byul-ah … the world isn’t going to stop coming after us just because we acknowledge this, there’s still going to be people who hate us for being who we are.“ the model cups the younger woman’s cheeks gently, “denying all of this will help me keep my job, it’ll be less work for my agency as well.”

 

“so it’s the easy way out?” the photographer sighs indignantly, fixing her gaze on joohyun.

 

joohyun nods slowly, “it’s the easier way for now, okay?”

 

“are you ever going to choose me over your job? like at all?”

 

“what are you talking about, byul-ah?”

 

“i’m asking you if i’m ever going to be more important than your job.”

 

“of course you are,” joohyun frowns as she straddles the photographer, “i’ll always make time for you.”

 

“it’s not about making time, hyun,” byulyi says slowly, “it feels like your job will always come first.”

 

“you signed up for this.”

 

“because you said you love me but yet we sneak around like it’s a sin to be seen together!” the younger woman argues, exploding in a fury of emotions, “i don’t want to waste my youth on a maybe, if you’re going to be in the limelight till you’re fifty, what then? how long are we going to do this for?”

 

all they have is a chance, there’s no certainty that they’ll have a happy ending, or if they’ll even be together long enough to see that future. if joohyun isn’t going to choose her now, would she ever? anyone could tell that they were in love with each other, but circumstances have made it more taxing than it should be. love isn’t easy but it shouldn’t be this ing hard either.

 

they could keep trying and trying but what if the outcome never changes? what if nothing they ever do matters because their fate has been set in stone?

 

their eyes are locked in a heated argument and joohyun desperately wants to defend herself but byulyi made a good point. parts of their relationship have already been sacrificed for her job, how long till all of it is gone?

 

the model’s phone buzzes once again and she gets off the photographer, answering it with a tightened jaw. over the shouting of her manager, she decides that she’d rather see byulyi happy, even if it’s in a world without her.

 

their paths are destined to collide, only to end in hurt and heartbreak. 

 

she can’t choose byulyi — not now, not ever. 

 

---

 

it’s funny how the end of the world doesn’t sound as terrifying till it happens, till the government officials flee and the only thing left is chaos. a week ago, everyone was wrestling with the rumours of bae joohyun dating a woman and now they deal with the news of an asteroid hurtling towards earth at a frightening speed.

 

asteroid caerus wasn’t meant to pass by them as the media had announced, a miscalculation suggested that it would narrowly miss the planet but it never strayed from a collision course to earth.

 

humanity was given all the warning signs, yet they took their chances and of course, hits the fan.

 

the city descends into a panic when they find out that a gigantic space rock is about to descend and potentially wipe them out, astronomers try their best to mitigate the damage but it’s too late to do anything. a mass evacuation is ordered but with only a day left, there’s only so much the higher-ups could do, so they save themselves in order to rebuild a better tomorrow.

 

citizens like byulyi are stuck being collateral damage, except that there’s no hope of her being saved or that she’ll even see a tomorrow. she tried to leave the city but the roads are all blocked, humans turn into monsters when it comes to their survival.

 

she retreats to her empty apartment, those idiots in the streets would be just as dead as her in a day. she drowns out the chaos of the city with whatever liquor she could find, hoping that would ease the fear of dying but it doesn’t. she manages to get one last phone call to her family who she had sent on vacation a week ago when the rumours started to show up, she didn’t want them to be around in case things got ugly. her friends, on the other hand, were on a job in the states, so they were safe from it all.

 

she’s the only one left here, waiting for death to come.

 

byulyi attempts to scribble her last words on scraps of papers scattered around her apartment but if she isn’t going to make it out alive, what are the chances that a piece of paper will? everything she has will probably be destroyed along with her when caerus arrives. she lays on the cold hard floor, empty bottle in hand as she curls up into a ball.

 

she’s had a good run, she concludes.

 

she achieved her dream of becoming a renowned photographer, she’s worked with celebrities and artistes beyond her wildest imaginations, she fell in love.

 

she fell in love with the prettiest, sweetest and probably the most incredible woman to ever walk this earth.

 

they haven’t seen or heard from each other since joohyun left her apartment a week ago, naturally, the rumours were denied and byulyi is left questioning if that’s the end of it.

 

now, it is.

 

and she hopes, she ing prays with all her might that joohyun is safe. that joohyun somehow makes it out alive. that joohyun is so ing popular that those s have no choice but to save her.

 

it’s okay if things ended the way they did, as long as joohyun is alive, that’s enough for her.

 

---

 

the photographer cries herself to sleep at some point, the fear of dying has kept her awake for days and her body is on the brink of breaking down. sunlight pours through her windows and her television cackles to life with a breaking news report from the government officials that have abandoned them.

 

her limbs ache as she shifts to sit up, a night on the floor did wonders for her back. she blinks to clear her vision so she could focus on the screen.

 

“the estimated time of impact of asteroid caerus is in under an hour, to the people watching this, we are sorry–”

 

byulyi hurls the remote at the television in anger, the screen cracks upon impact and sputters momentarily before turning dark. 

 

this isn’t how her life should end, she’s still got a whole life ahead of her, why is she the one suffering the consequences of a ing miscalculation? she lets out a piercing scream as she throws a hard punch against the wall, she feels something crack but her resentment blocks out all the pain.

 

amidst her rage, she doesn’t notice her front door opening.

 

“byul-ah.”

 

the photographer turns her head at the sound of that ever so familiar voice, one she fell head over heels for, one that shouldn’t be here.

 

“joohyun?”

 

no, no, no… 

 

the model stands at the entrance of her apartment, panting, dishevelled and on the verge of tears. joohyun tackles her into an embrace and byulyi being too stunned to react merely falls on her back, cushioning joohyun from the hard floor.

 

“you shouldn’t be here …” the younger woman chokes, clenches at the idea of joohyun being here with her instead of on the other side of the world, safe from the destruction of the cosmos.

 

“but you’re still here.” joohyun sobs into byulyi’s chest, trembling as she tries to control her tears, “i thought you’d made it out, the vacation with your family ... but then yongsun called and i just had to come back … i just had to check …”

 

a harrowing feeling settles in the depths of her chest when she hears joohyun’s words. she actually made it out, but she came back.

 

joohyun came back for her.

 

byulyi forces herself up despite joohyun weighing down on her chest, she grabs the older woman tightly by the shoulders, forcing the latter to look at her. “can you still make it out?” she asks seriously, shaking her to snap her out of it.

 

with a gentle shake of joohyun’s head, byulyi is dealt a heart-rending realisation that she’s going to die as well.

 

the photographer wraps her arms around joohyun’s waist and pulls her close, “why did you ing come back, you idiot ..?” she lets out a choked sob, fingers grasping the back of the model’s ruined shirt.

 

“how could i leave you behind?” joohyun pulls back with a wry smile, her eyes are swollen from crying but at least she’s finally with byulyi.

 

she’d been given a spot on the first plane out — in first class, nonetheless. but upon receiving yongsun’s call at the airport and hearing that byulyi is stuck in the city, she couldn’t bring herself to step on the plane. so she turned back despite all the protests, nobody knew that the rumours were true and only after a heated confession does she find a way to leave.

 

in this world, no one cares about who they are to each other, but it’s not meant to last.

 

“i was praying that you’d make it out, that you’d ing live,” byulyi raises her voice and it comes out as a guttural cry, “i don’t want you to die!”

 

“and you’d expect me to step on a plane and leave you behind?” joohyun sniffles, finally calming down enough to speak properly, “how could i, byul-ah?”

 

her heart wrenches in anguish and guilt and fear and every emotion associated with a ing asteroid crashing down on earth. this isn’t the ending she had pictured, this is the exact opposite of a loving future with joohyun where they’d age and look back on the past and how they struggled to get there.

 

this is the only time byulyi didn't want joohyun to choose her, the only ing time.

 

and she did.

 

“shh … shh, look at me, byulyi, “ joohyun coos softly while using her hands to guide the younger girl’s face towards her, “look at me.”

 

she’s not going to say it’s okay because really, how could things be okay? the sky is crashing down upon them and she’s scared less but the last thing she wants is for byulyi to leave with nothing but fear in her heart.

 

byulyi gazes into her teary eyes, orbs glazed over in hopelessness. joohyun’s throat constricts painfully at the sight of her despair, she tries to string a sentence together, anything to comfort the younger woman even if it’s a lie. 

 

but only one truth comes to mind.

 

“i love you, byulyi,” a tear trickles down joohyun’s cheek and she presses her lips against hers, “in this world and every other to come.”

 

byulyi couldn’t bring herself to return these final words of affection. joohyun wouldn’t be here if they didn’t fall in love. if she could turn back time to stop them from meeting, she would. she would do anything to ensure joohyun’s survival.

 

in the distance, a light begins to descend from the heavens. joohyun pulls byulyi closer to her chest, as if she could protect her from the catastrophe that’s about to befall them.

 

maybe they still have a chance.

 

but the universe isn’t on their side, it never was and never will be.

 

---

 

caerus wipes out the entire city of seoul. 

a fatal miscalculation by scientists have led to a catastrophe by the cosmos, little to no survivors are expected.