***

 

Funny thing.

 

The room stopped talking at once.

 

Wheein could see Hyejin turned to her in her peripheral view. Her back straightened. Her breath hitched when a slender hand reached towards the side of her face.

 

Oh no.

 

Hyejin’s fingers were not much as running through Wheein’s hair to tuck it back in place as it were much more purposeful in raising the gooseflesh on her neck and arms.

 

Thump-thump.

 

Her face flushed and she bit her lip at the embarrassment. She managed not to close her eyes for more than five seconds and basked in those fluttery feelings, and partially successful in reigning her fist from hitting her thigh to dispel the brief somersault in her stomach. She beamed a grimacing smile to Hyejin, hoping that the other girl took it as gratitude. Judging by the wrinkled eyes and grin on her face, she seemed to think nothing of it. She looked like a puppy that had to fetch a ball for its owner. And boy, do Wheein want to yield at those perfect brown eyes. Her parents, sitting not six feet away from them, however, were not as oblivious to the involuntary action. Her dad’s eyebrow shot up and eyes lightened with glee like a kid who got himself a Christmas present, and her mother sat prim and straight was donning an accusing look with her furrowed brows and pursed lips.

 

Oh no.

 

Wheein’s heartbeat just kicked up another notch.

 

What just happened?

 

Wheein grimaced internally. It seemed like a good year to start digging my grave and filled it with concrete. She cleared and shuffled awkwardly before standing up, “SO anybody wants some tea? I feel like I want some tea. Every day is a good day to have tea. Evening especially is a good time to have tea. Care for some tea?”. Or maybe chained herself with heavy iron and threw herself in the ocean. She did not wait for their answer before walking or precisely, stumbling to the kitchen, knowing that the walls were thin enough for her to hear their answers.

 

Once at the sink, she buried her red face into her sweaty palms, letting a muffled groan on the cuff of her fleece’s sleeves. Oh my God, what the actual ? It was not a few seconds later that her hearing perked up at the conversation in the living room that she really considered banging her head on the countertop.

 

“Odd.” Her father mused.

 

Hyejin’s curious tone followed after, “Odd of..?” Indignant in her tone as if she was the subject of her father’s muse.

 

“Oh, it’s not you, Hyejin. You are lovely.” Her mother supplied softly. Then a quieter, “No much lovelier than you are perfect...”

 

An adorable, confused tone from her kill-me-now-aren’t-you-supposed-to-be-my-best-friend asked her mother. “Excuse me?”

 

 “It’s just, she never liked tea that much…” Wheein could imagine the twinkled mischief in her mother’s eyes as she told Hyejin about it.

 

It was a simple “Oh.” for a beat from Hyejin that made Wheein whined at . Her face reddening even further.

 

However, it was her dad’s booming laugh that made her want to open the tap water and drown her head in the sink a few beats later.

 

“Well, how do you feel about kids, Hyejin?”

 

***

 

A banging in the kitchen brought silence upon the living room. Hyejin’s eyebrows furrowed in concern for her friend and she cast a questioning look at her friend’s parents. Should I...?

 

Wheein’s mother only let out a small chuckle and a wide smile as if to say ‘everything is just perfect’. Hyejin could only give an amused smile as Mr. Jung huffed out small laughs for whatever it is that he found funny. Did I do something here? What do they find funny about?

 

Mrs. Jung chose that moment to sip her coffee and gently putting it down before giving her full attention to Hyejin, completely ignoring her other half. The corner of her lips lifted into a predatory smirk as she tilted her head slightly.

 

“So Hyejin, tell me… Are you fertile?”

 

A resounding squawk ‘Ack!’ followed by a loud clank of steel from the kitchen shot the poor girl from her seat.

 

 

***

 

 

”Why?!”  Wheein cried into her hands. She curled herself as timid as possible. Her two best friends cooing placated words at her, gentle hands patted her hairs and legs. The three of them huddled close on the living room sofa, finding comfort on the plush cushion.

 

Yongsun shot a pained look at her girlfriend on the other side of the human ball between them. Her lips moving without words. ‘What do we do?’

 

Moonbyul rolled her eyes and shook her head at their precious friend, ‘How the hell do I know?’

 

Yongsun huffed out a sigh and gently removed Wheein’s head from the safety of her lap and onto the cushion pillow. A muffled whine was the only protest that came from the human ball. She moved to crouch on the floor to get a better look at her younger friend.

 

“Wheein ah… Maybe, you just need to tell her how you feel?” She said softly.

 

Wheein, choosing to face-planted herself into the cushion, muttered softly. “Feel..?”

 

Yongsun tutted. “You know what we meant. Come on. It has been like what? Two, three years? Since you guys are joined to the hip? And God knows how long you’ve been in love with her…”

 

A mix of a growl and a groan came from the girl.

 

Yongsun gripped the girl’s hand and shook it as if to make some sense into her head. “You guys are practically dating! Just ask her point-blank.”

 

Moonbyul shot an exasperated look at her girlfriend before glancing down at the human ball. “Sweetheart? Yongsun is right. Do you wanna stuck like this forever? We’re not trying to force you, but you are kind of being childish right now.”

 

Wheein’s body jolted at the slight insult, finally removing her head from the cushion and glare at the blonde’s girlfriend as if she was to blame. Yongsun just gave her the ‘you know it’s true’ stare. Wheein rolled her eyes before sighing in defeat and pouted her lips. Yongsun wasn’t going to lie, but her heart kind of broke at her friend’s predicament. The sadness in her dark brown eyes pulled a string to her own heart.

 

Both girls waited for their friend to say something. A few beats later the younger girl sighed again, but more heavily this time.

 

Another slightly longer whine escaped her lips before she burst. “Who the hell does that?” Moonbyul shook her head and shared a small smile with Yongsun as the younger girl whine some more. “Who the hell made this sick puppy loving eyes – goddammit it’s so cute. And tuck my hair behind my ear – like I could do that myself? Hello? – and smile that… ‘God why is she so cute’ smile at me like she is being a doting girlfriend in front of my parents? Like Why? I am NOT her girlfriend. She didn’t even say anything! Oh my God, now they think she’s my girlfriend!”

 

Her hoody clad head burrowed further into the cushion and successfully muffled a strangled scream. Her finger that somehow still holding Yongsun, tightened inadvertently. The latter could only hold a grimace and plead Moonbyul with her wide eye.

 

Moonbyul finally took pity on her girlfriend and moved to nudge the smaller girl into a sitting position. She turned her body to face the girl and palmed both of her cheeks. Her heart softened at the trembling lips and glassy eyes.

 

“Oh, honey…” She sighed softly. “You really do like her, don’t you?”

 

Downcast eyes and a small whine were the only answer she needed to confirm.

 

Moonbyul moved to hug the tiny girl and patted her back. “There, there… You know… We’re going to be here for you. If she’s just being a jerk and all this is just a sick game for her, then Yongsun and I can kick her , okay? You can watch or we can send a recorded kick- session if you want to. You can tell her about this. Whatever her answer be, we will always be here, okay? Everything will be alright.”

 

Everything will be alright. Moonbyul hoped.

 

Heartbreak had become second nature to Moonbyul. She was hollowed before. Only since meeting her girlfriend and her precious friend did she felt the full potential of her heart. There is no way she wanted her friend to be feeling hopeless as she was back then.

 

It was only a slight nod, and a muffled ‘mhm’ on her shoulder did she relieved her own breath.

 

It may not be the answer that they or she wants, but this was progress.

 

Her eyes caught the loving eyes of her girlfriend beside them. Her full lips moved to say ‘I love you’ to her. It was no brainer; Moonbyul could only return the same, ‘I ing love you too’.

 

Wheein, not counting for the umpteenth time that she sighed that night, pulled back from the hug and grabbed Yongsun from the floor and onto her. She wiggled into the sofa and pulled both of her friend’s arms to cuddle them together.

 

It was a few moments later that she muttered lowly, lips not losing its pouty expression, “I don’t want you kicking her . She got a lovely .”

 

Wheein’s lips upturned into a small smile as her friends let out a small laugh. “You’re hopeless, Jung Wheein. How your mom raised you as a useless lesbian, I have no idea.” Moonbyul jibed in humor.

 

The comment did spark humor, but it also invoked another painful memory from her visit to her parents earlier. “.” Then she lowered her body until her legs slipped onto the carpet and she buried her head on Yongsun’s stomach again. She kicked her legs like a kid throwing a tantrum. Both friends blinked in surprise at the action.

 

“Er…” Moonbyul nudged the small girl. “Anything you wanna tell us?”

 

The groan the girl let out this time, was not to be mistaken as other than anguish as it coupled with a loud shriek and shaky whine.

 

Yongsun was impressed. Huh. This is a new type of cry...

 

Both girlfriends only heard a few quick and indecipherable strings of words from the small girl. “Mymomanddadaskedherifshe’sfertile! Andbaby?!Whatbaby??Agh!Embwarassingohmygodd!”

 

Yongsun’s jaws slacked and furrowed her brows as she tried to catch up to what the girl had said. Moonbyul, however, was faster, keened with her sharp hearing. She threw her head back and cackled out loud at the poor girl hiding on her girlfriend’s stomach.

 

“You.. you-“ she choked between laughter. “Oh, this is just too precious. Your parents are legends!”

 

Yongsun whined and pouted at her girlfriend as the girl kept laughing. “Ahh tell me! What did she say?” She shook the girl in her arms, only for the small body to wiggle as if to reply to her ‘no, not ever’.

 

Moonbyul took a deep breath as she saw the reluctance from the younger girl. “Babe, she said…”

 

And so, it was the night that Yongsun felt the worst second-hand embarrassment for her friend and actually felt guilty for laughing so hard that the younger girl sulked into her bedroom and locked herself for the whole night and day.

 

If only she knew that her own embarrassment came not sooner than a week later, when her frugal girlfriend decided to buy slack pants from a bundle and have the zip stuck during a visit to her office, and it was with both knees on the floor and Yongsun’s face close to her girlfriend’s private part that her boss threw a coffee at them and the whole office came bursting through the door.

 

Wheein claimed it was Karma, not a minute after she received a text of the incident from another close workmate from Yongsun’s department. She could only smirk and continue to chat with Hyejin on her messaging app.

 

Hyejinnie 10:30 a.m. Just now.

Do you want to go for lunch with me after this?

Your mom told me that you like this diner around the corner of your office.

I can meet you at your office…

 

Wheein whined at the text and took a deep breath, feeling her heart quickened at the simple gesture. Oh, why must you be so goddamn ergh!

 

 

Jung Wheein -> Hyejinnie

10:31 a.m. Just now.

 

That sounds hella perfect. Xx

 

 

***