about year and a half later...

 

 

 

For the second time this week Siyeon had a hard time standing up from dirty ground after another unlucky deal. Her legs were trembling out of the cold at the streets because even the weather started to get hostile and distant. There were no longer rays of encouraging sun that would give her a little amount of heat at moments like this.

 

But Siyeon forced herself to shut down all the complaints from the stinging pain across her whole body and to continue walking: painful yet bearable. 

 

Before she would go back to her home she dropped by Handong’s house who later made sure to take care all of bleeding wounds among the thick smoke of cigarettes in the spacious studio.

 

“You should stop blackmailing those crazy people. It will get you killed eventually.”

 

“I know, I know. I will stop... someday.” Siyeon did not hesitate to lie.

 

When she came back to the apartments, Siyeon immediately headed towards the bathroom to take a cold shower and get cleaned from today’s hardships. She made sure to scrub all the dirt from her skin while diligently trying not to accidentally brush over the still stinging wounds and bruises, or even both.

 

After she was done her tired body finally had a chance to rest on the shared bed with her girlfriend who was seemingly asleep. Her arm carefully slides under familiar to the heart arm while almost desperately snuggling to the sleeping back. A subtle kiss on the nape and a familiar warmth immediately lulls Siyeon to sleep.

 

But little did she know that a person she was hugging was actually fully awake and was trying to breath evenly, though an hour ago it had been almost impossible from the constant anxiety that her beloved one would not reach her doorstep tonight.

 

Siyeon’s hand was resting under her own and Minji could feel the thick plaster on her hand and another future scar. Of course, she could not close her eyes for a bit knowing that Siyeon was again getting involved into those stray businesses. Feeling under her fingertips dried blood Minji tried not to sob so that Siyeon would not get woken up from the sleep she really needed right now. In the end she cried herself to sleep with muffled sobs.

 

 

 

In the morning Minji woke up first and waited until her beloved one would open her eyes too. Until that time with a heavy heart she was staring at the wounds and then kissing them carefully as if touches of her lips would heal them. 

 

Because of that Siyeon slowly opened her eyes with a content smile on her swallowed lips at how Minji was kissing the bruise on her stomach.

 

“Hey,” Weakly greeting were usual for the younger girl as her voice was extremely raspy. “What’s up?”

 

Minji did not want to talk so she moved towards her face and captured her lips in a long deep greeting kiss. 

 

you can’t even imagine how happy I am to be able to see you again

 

Although Minji was careful with every her move as if dealing with fragile piece of crystal under her fingertips, her blood was boiling because she was feeling deep resentment to Siyeon. 

 

They have already passed over long heated arguments about  how they just could not live like that and Siyeon should just stop getting involved with dangerous criminals. Every time her attempts had fallen on deaf ears and because of that Minji stopped arguing.

 

Minji knew that one day those soulless people would hurt Siyeon to the extent where she would not see her again and the fact Siyeon was kind of content with it was literally killing her inside. Just a thought of an eventual consequence rendered Minji utterly devastated every single time. Maybe leaving before it would get too late was optimal for Minji, to just leave behind her beloved one so that she would not be suffering the most in the end.

 

While pinning down her girlfriend towards the mattress and muffling all of her moans, deep down Minji perfectly knew that she would never leave Siyeon. Despite how many times she considers and even sometimes says it out loud, she knew there would never be a time when she would find herself leaving Siyeon.

 

So Minji decided to stay and wait for the tragic end that would reach them eventually.

 

 

 

—

 

 

 

“Do you regret meeting me?” The question that Siyeon asked took Minji off guard. And it wasn’t the actual truth but the context of a question. 

 

Messy ruffled black locks were tickling her stomach while she was staring with surprised doll eyes at the piercing darker ones.

 

“Not even once.” Minji answers without hesitation as she was meaning every word.

 

Meeting Siyeon made her realise of the horrible treatment she was receiving from her so called family. Her broken mother never loved her and was just using her only for extra money just like other relatives did. So she left her and the part time job that was pretty exhausting for her considering she also had studies at prestigious university that accepted her because of the rare intelligence she possessed.

 

Siyeon helped her to settle in her apartments and like that Minji also found a new better workplace in a local restaurant. Since leaving her family she had not met any member of it as she was now practically living at the other end of the enormous city.

 

Everything was getting better in her life so far: living in a cosy apartment and getting occasional chances to meet new nice people without any restrictions and rumours, being with a person she truly loved, who could support her, give her comfort, be a safe place if needed until....

 

Her brown eyes looked up at darker ones that were waiting for her with curiosity just like puppy’s. Minji smiled at the mental note she had made and stretched her hand to touch and ruffle more of Siyeon’s hair. 

 

“Yah, stop!” Siyeon’s messy locks ended up being sticking out to all possible sides. 

 

“How could I not love an adorable puppy like you?” Minji purred making her girlfriend to blush and hide her face on her stomach that she was laying on previously. Enjoying the complaints that were being murmured in an indistinct manner, Minji beams a wider smile at the cute behaviour of Siyeon. 

 

 

 

—

 

 

 

Minji was hiding from rain under the broad awning of a café that was located at the opposite to the huge building of the entertainment company. With a fluttering heart she was waiting for Siyeon to come out of the broad doors of that building and walk towards her with news of what the people inside of the building said about her performance.

 

A week ago they again had an never ending argument about Siyeon’s way of earning money. Despite the fact that Minji was kind of dealing and even coping with it, she could not stand it and again expressed all of her concerns to Siyeon. 

 

They argued but this time it ended rather with a bet. 

 

Siyeon was very insecure about the fact that she sometimes enjoyed singing because of her background where she was raised did not romanticise it so much instead making it something silly and embarrassing when you were on a verge of dying out of hunger on the streets. So Siyeon opened up about it only to people she trusted the most, people who would not laugh at her for something like that. It included Minji and, surprisingly, she loved every bit of Siyeon’s singing voice. 

 

“Do not joke like that!” Minji remembers how Siyeon did not take seriously her at first thinking her girlfriend decided to play a prank on her.

 

“I’m not, Siyeon! It was really beautiful. I didn’t know you could sing that good!” And Minji spent the rest of the night explaining to Siyeon that she was pretty serious and that her singing might be one of the most fascinating things she had ever heard.

 

So the bet was about Siyeon trying out the audition of the local company. If she would be accepted she starts drifting away from blackmailing and earning illegal money. 

 

The bet was that simple, though the persuasion wasn’t.

 

But no matter the hardships that they had been through together, Minji was sure that she would be accepted and believed that people in that company were not deaf enough to recognise the true talent. 

 

For a first time a seed of hope was in her heart that maybe the tragic end will pass away by them.

 

please, I’m sure you can do this, singnie

 

As if on a cue she saw familiar silhouette coming out of the pushed aside doors that was heading towards her with a usual confident manner. 

 

“So how was it?” Minji asked her right away when Siyeon reached her and hugged her as a greeting.

 

“Well, I almost broke noses of two guys because of their arrogant asses.” Minji should have expected that escalation...

 

“But overall they offered me a whole damn contract which was suspicious at first but I accepted it in the end.”

 

Minji pulled away with widened eyes processing the words and when it hit her, her face lighted up like a million fireworks on a New Year night. “Really? I’m so proud of you!”

 

“But it’s a pity that I won’t get a that you promised if you lost in this bet.” Siyeon reminded her with some dramatic hope in her eyes and mischievous grin. 

 

“Forget it.” Minji lightly pinched her on the side. 

 

Both of them laughed it off but Minji had an sudden urge to back. With a firm arms that slide behind Siyeon’s back, she pulls her by her waist until her lips are lightly brushing over Siyeon’s already blushing ear while whispering in a husky tone. “You know what, Siyeon? Tonight you’ll get better reward than that. Get ready, baby.”

 

Siyeon’s reaction was priceless: flustered face with bewildered expression of a lost cub. 

 

God, Minji loved this woman so much.

 

And then as if nothing happened Minji addressed her girlfriend with a sweet voice, eagerly pulling her towards the café. “Singnie, let’s visit this place! I saw them selling those pretty tasty macarons.”

 

“H-How do you know they’re tasty if you’ve never been there before?” After clearing , Siyeon asked with still flushed cheeks.

 

“We will find it out!” Minji beamed her signature smile that had so many resembles of a sun itself. “Come on!”

 

At the sight of that smile, Siyeon felt how her heart flutters at it relentlessly just like she saw it for the first time in that god forgotten minimart. 

 

She did not even know for what deed she deserved to meet the literal embodiment of the sun who lighted her life so much and brought her happiness she had no idea that ever could exist. She did not know for what reason the universe or other highly powers made her paths to cross with Minji’s ones but she surely was grateful for having Minji in her life. 

 

For having a chance to finally find her happiness.