tteokbokki delivery

sooyoung stands next to the couch, looking at joohyun who's watching television.

"are you sure you don't want to come, unnie? it'll be our treat."

joohyun folded her legs and rested her chin on her knees. "i'm good, sooyoung. you and seungwan have fun on your own. i'll just eat the pasta you brought for dinner. thanks for that."

sooyoung inhales. not the answer she wants. "you still have two hours to change your mind though. ring me up, if ever. okay?"

joohyun nods. "thanks."

with a heavy heart, sooyoung takes a good look at joohyun. it's dim in the room, with the flashes from the television serving as the only source of light. yet, sooyoung could see the eyebags on joohyun's face, even how the woman's eyes are puffy, and how she looks debilitated.

joohyun's been like this for weeks now. as much as the woman claims she's okay, sooyoung's sure that's a huge fat lie. she tried her best to reach out, to help, but joohyun's uncooperative.

"i'm here for you, unnie. you know that, right?" sooyoung says.

there was no response. joohyun's just flipping channels with the remote. at this point, sooyoung knows it's futile to push it.

"you can take your time with this, unnie. but if you need to let it out, i'm here to listen." sooyoung turns to the door, ready to give joohyun the space she wants.

"is it really love, sooyoung?"

sooyoung whips her head and sees joohyun in the same position, eyes downcast.

"when she said she loves me, is it her feelings or was it influenced by the spirits?"

joohyun's voice is so soft like she's whispering words into thin air. yet, sooyoung can feel the hurt in every word.

"falling in love isn't something the spirits can force upon us, unnie. it's part of our free will as humans," sooyoung explains as she steps back into the living room to sit on one of the couches. "yes, they can control the circumstances around us, but they can never impose a human being to fall for someone, like in just a snap of a finger."

joohyun slowly turns to look at her. "they can't do that?

sooyoung shakes her head no. "that's the tricky part about soulmates that people often misunderstood. the spirits don't program people to fall in love. they match people. of course, they are wise enough to know which human beings we're compatible with and more likely to fall in love with."

joohyun nods in silence, looking away.

"she loves you, unnie. it's not just some interference by the spirits. it's real. seulgi unnie's in love with you."

joohyun hugs her knees tighter, hiding her face in her knees.

"unnie..."

"i miss her so much, sooyoung," joohyun says, her voice muffled. "i miss her so much i don't know what to do anymore."

this time, sooyoung transfers to sit beside joohyun and rubs a palm over the woman's back.

"if she really loves me then why isn't she here now?"

sooyoung could only sigh. "she's coming back, unnie. i'm sure of that. maybe she's taking her time. but i'm sure she misses you as much."

joohyun stays silent, still hiding her face in her knees.

sooyoung keeps rubbing the older's back when she hears a buzzer outside.

"unnie..." she stands up. "i think someone's at my door. it might be a delivery. hold on. i'll be right back."

she steps out of joohyun's unit, closes the door behind her, finding it weird that no one's at her door.

then she hears footsteps near the elevator area and sees a familiar hooded figure with a black cap.

"seulgi unnie?" she calls.

she saw how seulgi's eyes widen. the woman quickly presses the button, wanting to escape.

knowing what's on seulgi's mind, sooyoung dashes to the woman and grabs her coat.

"hah! gotcha! hey-- what the hell!"

the elevator opens. seulgi steps inside and quickly closes it.

"no!" sooyoung blocks the doors with her foot and grabs seulgi by her arm.

"let go, sooyoung-ah... i can't let her see me now..."

"no!" this time, sooyoung uses her long arms to take advantage of the situation. she grabs seulgi's hood and twists it around her fist so it would lock in her grip.

"sooyoung-- let go!" seulgi's getting pulled out of the elevator.

"i can't! joohyun unnie's been crying for weeks because of you! i won't let you get away!"

at this, seulgi finally stops struggling. "s-she's been crying?"

"yeah. do you think she can stay mad at you forever?" sooyoung finally lets go of her grip, pushing seulgi against the wall. "where have you been, huh?"

"just... hiking." seulgi raises her hand holding a paper bag. "i was buzzing your door for five minutes to give this. i thought you weren't around."

"what's this?" sooyoung sniffs the bag. "tteokbokki?"

"i was hoping you could give it to joohyun."

"why not give it to her yourself then?"

"well..." seulgi puts her hands in her coat pockets. "i'm still thinking of how to approach her properly." she bites her lower lip. "i know she might be mad at me, so i need to think of a way to lessen her grumpiness."

sooyoung raises an eyebrow. "did it occur to you that maybe she misses you too?"

"it did. but i still want to plan things out."

"and when are you planning to show yourself up?"

"this afternoon maybe." seulgi shrugs. "or evening."

sooyoung rolls her eyes. "look, seulgi unnie--"

"sooyoung? i thought i heard your voice here," joohyun says. "are you having problems with the delivery?"

sooyoung flinches while seulgi freezes on the spot when they hear that familiar bedroom voice. sooyoung turns around and sees the woman already approaching them.

too late. good luck with seulgi then.

"oh. hey, unnie. yeah. i got my delivery." sooyoung raises the bag. then she steps aside and gestures to the woman hiding behind her. "and guess who's here?"

joohyun slowly places a hand over , eyes getting wider as she stares at the hooded figure beside sooyoung.

". i'm dead," sooyoung hears seulgi whispers.

"now that i got my delivery, i'll head to my room now." sooyoung gleefully jumps away from the scene. "oh, and by the way, seungwan and i will have dinner date later. if you two would want to join, just let me know, okies?"

without waiting for a response from the two, sooyoung skips back into her room, silently wishing seulgi good luck.