It was 9 days into their vacation with Jessica and it was still dark outside, the sun was only a faint glow on the horizon as Yewon sat on the steps of the back porch, watching as the sun rose. She had woken up early after a night of tossing and turning, she left Eunbi to sleep and had taken a blanket, wrapping it around herself as she walked downstairs.

With a cup of coffee and the blankets wrapped tightly around her shoulders, Yewon watched the sea gently flow back and forth. She found the rhythm of it soothing; the only other sound except for the soft sounds of the wind chimes above the door. Her breath would create small clouds of mist as she breathed out.

That was how Jessica found her, she had come home from the 36-hour shift from the hospital, a dark silhouette outlined against the dim sky. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she opened the screen door and walked across the porch to sit down next to Yewon.

“Are you okay sweetie?” Jessica asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked down at the brunette.

“I’m fine, just having some trouble sleeping,” Yewon explained, unwrapping the blanket to share it with Jessica. “How was work?”

“Tiring,” Jessica sighed, sipping her coffee as she looked out at the horizon. The silence stretched out before them and Yewon didn’t know how to fill it. This was the first time she had truly been alone with Jessica. They had talked a lot over the past week, but they haven’t had a conversation alone and Yewon was tense as she waited for Jessica to say something.

“Yewon, I only know as much as Eunbi told me, but I know there are some issues with your mom. I don’t want to pry, but whatever is bothering you, you can come and tell me,” Jessica said, looking at Yewon with concern.

Her shoulders tensed up at Jessica’s words and Yewon ducked her head down, turning to the side slightly to hide her face. It wasn’t until she sniffed that Jessica realized she was crying. “Oh...honey, it’s okay,” Jessica whispered, setting her cup down before bringing Yewon into her arms.

If anything, that made Yewon cry harder. She sat there sobbing as Jessica gently rubbed her back, holding Yewon tightly as she murmured soothing sounds. Yewon’s tears had soaked through the front of Jessica’s shirt, but she paid it no mind as she held the girl close.

“I don’t want her to go,” Yewon choked out, her head resting on Jessica’s shoulder. She sounded so small, so scared, and for the first time, Jessica realized just how young Yewon really was. Yewon was so mature for her age, it was easy to forget that she was barely an adult, that she was younger than Eunbi and not the other way around.

“I know darling,” Jessica whispered, her own eyes stinging with tears. She could understand this feeling very well, every time Eunbi came home safely it was like she could breathe easily again...that is, until the next deployment, where Jessica would wait with anxious breaths.

Yewon’s sobs had eventually subsided, but the tears still streamed down her cheeks and her breathing hitched as she tried to calm herself down. Closing her eyes, she focused on breathing deeply, taking comfort in Jessica’s motherly embrace as she steadied herself.

“I’m scared,” Yewon whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of waves crashing a few feet away. “I-I don’t want to be alone again…”

Jessica gently lifted Yewon’s head off her shoulder and cupped her cheeks. She ducked her head down, trying to get Yewon’s gaze. She looked up tearfully and Jessica reached up to brush her tears away, before gently tucking Yewon’s hair behind her ears.

“You won't ever be alone,” Jessica promised her. “I know it’s hard, believe me, I know. And it never gets easier, but you do get used to it. You just have to hold onto the hope that she’ll come back to you.”

Yewon nodded, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt. “I know, it just hurts...I miss her so much and she hasn't even left yet. I don’t know what I’m going to do without her,” Yewon said, her voice cracking as more tears came, falling down her cheeks, replacing the ones she had previously wiped away.

“You’ll throw yourself into your work as you did before. And at first, you’ll cry yourself to sleep every night and you’ll be filled with worry. That worry won’t ever go away, but when you speak to her, you’ll forget about it for a moment because you know she’s safe. And there will also be times when you won’t hear from her for a week and that’ll be the hardest part, but you have to tell yourself to remember that no news is good news,” Jessica spewed out.

Yewon was quiet as she listened to the woman’s advice. She felt less alone as she sat there listening to the soft sound of Jessica’s voices. She Yewon’s hair and reassured her that everything is going to be okay.

They stayed like that for a while after Yewon had stopped crying, they had both stayed silent as they watched the sunrise and listened to their surroundings.

“I’m happy she found you, you know,” Jessica said, breaking the silence between them. Yewon lifted her head off Jessica’s shoulder and looked up at her in surprise as she waited for her to elaborate.

“I have always been worried about her. She lost her parents at a young age and I’ve tried to fill that gap for her. I love her with all my heart, of course,” Jessica told Yewon.

“She loves you too, so much,” Yewon replied and Jessica gave her a smile, full of happiness.

“She’s always been very open and loving,” Jessica agreed. “That’s why I’m happy she had you. I was worried that with her joining the army at a young age, she wouldn’t have time to find someone to be with, but I can see that I was worried for nothing.”

Yewon blushed as she looked down shyly. She wasn’t good at talking about her feelings, let alone with her girlfriend’s mom, after just having an emotional breakdown on her.

“I can see it’s hard for you...to let someone in and to let them love you. But I guess even you’re not immune to Eunbi’s charm.” Jessica laughed softly, rubbing Yewon’s arm affectionately. “And she’s definitely not immune to yours either. I remember when she told me about you before you were dating each other. It was like listening to Eunha talk about Sojung all over again. It’s nice to be able to understand what she was talking about.

“Especially those eyes!” Jessica laughed. “She wouldn’t stop talking about those gray eyes of yours. God, I would fully believe that she fell in love with you the moment she looked into them, from the sound of things.”

Yewon laughed, shaking her head as she blushed. A part of her couldn’t help but think about her own eyes paled in comparison to Eunbi’s eyes, so beautiful and the deep brown that mesmerizes Yewon every time she looked into them, the laughter and the child-like wonder that filled her eyes at the simple things around her.

“Come on,” Jessica said, kissing Yewon on the top of her head and her hair once, before standing up. “Time for breakfast.”

Yewon picked up her cup and shrugged the blanket off before following Jessica inside. The sun had fully risen by now and Yewon suspected that Eunbi would be up any minute.

“I’m going to take a shower, my face is probably a mess right now,” Yewon laughed, slightly embarrassed now that she had calmed down.

“Okay sweetie,” Jessica replied, giving her a sympathetic smile. She walked over to Yewon and gave her a hug. “It’ll all work out.”

A lump rose in Yewon’s throat so she settled for a nod and a weak smile, before heading upstairs to shower. The hot water made her feel better and she stayed in there longer than she had originally planned, scrubbing her tearstained face clean.

Slipping back into Eunbi’s room, Yewon quietly pulled out some clothes. A groan from Eunbi made her turn around and she smiled as Eunbi sat up, blinking away her sleepiness.

“Morning.” Eunbi yawned, standing up and stretching her arms out before her. “You’re up early.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Yewon told her, crossing the room to give her a tender kiss. “Someone was snoring.”

“Kim Yewon, that is a lie and you know it!” Eunbi huffed, pouting. “I do not snore!”

“That’s off. Maybe Eunha snuck in during the night to escape her insufferable girlfriend,” Yewon laughed, pulling Eunbi closer and touching their foreheads together. She gently the side of Eunbi’s face, before giving her a peck on the lips.

“Your mom is making breakfast,” Yewon told Eunbi.

“Alright, I’ll just have a quick shower,” Eunbi said, stifling another yawn. “Do you want to go wake my snoring sister and her insufferable girlfriend up?”

“That depends...am I going to get my head ripped off?” Yewon asked Eunbi, who gave a grin.

“I’m pretty sure they both sleep with guns under their pillows, so I would be careful,” Eunbi laughed, walking out into the hallway with Yewon following. Rolling her eyes, Yewon walked over to the door and knocked on Eunha’s room, hearing a grumbled answer in response.

“Your mom is making breakfast,” Yewon called, before turning around and w