“I can feel her burning holes into the back of my head.” Shuhua hissed across the counter, eyes glaring at Soojin, who seemingly found this very amusing. 

Soojin raised her gaze towards Lia, and surely, the waitress was indeed glaring at Shuhua, not even paying mind to the customers that she was supposed to be taking orders for. Soojin wonders how long Lia will last with such horrible working habits, but then again, she knew how Moonbyul was about giving people chances, so Soojin figured Lia will be staying for a while. 

“Do I have to deal with this every time I’m here?” Shuhua asked, a sigh leaving her lips. 

Soojin smirked, “why? Is being my fake girlfriend that bad?” It was playful, and Shuhua received it as so, but Soojin’s intentions of trying to bring a smile out of the younger girl obviously did not work when Shuhua only replied with a huff. 

“Okay,” Soojin sighed, putting down the drying rag and cup in her hands, and Shuhua raised a brow.

 “What?” Shuhua questioned. 

“Come with me,” Soojin said, already walking out from behind the counter. Shuhua twirled on the stool, waiting for Soojin to round the counter, and take her hand in hers. 

Shuhua let herself be led, not missing the way Lia’s hands clenched into fists. 

Soojin led Shuhua towards the back door of the bar, and into the very familiar alleyway. Sometimes Shuhua wonders if Soojin ever gets in trouble for not being behind the counter in the middle of her shift, but the younger girl shouldn’t be surprised to know that Soojin did whatever she wanted to do. Even at work. 

Soojin leaned onto the wall, giving Shuhua a knowing look. The two seemed to have forgotten their hands were still conjoined; Soojin’s thumb drawing comforting circles onto the back of Shuhua’s hand. 

“You’re staring.” Shuhua stated, eyebrows connecting in the middle, creating that cute subtle wrinkle on her forehead. 

The fond tilt appearing on Soojin’s lips made Shuhua’s heart flutter, and the way the older girl pulled their bodies together with a soft pull on their intertwined hands made Shuhua’s heart combust in her chest. 

“What are you doing?” Shuhua asked, relishing in the way Soojin let go of her hand to grip onto Shuhua’s waist to rub her thumb back and forth comfortingly on her hip bone, and how her other hand raised to cradle Shuhua’s face softly. 

It was all too soft. Too intimate. 

A bit overwhelming for her heart, but Shuhua didn’t want to pull away at all. 

“If I kiss you better, would that make you forget about Lia, so you can enjoy your night with our friends?” Soojin whispered, nuzzling their noses together in a soft Eskimo kiss. 

Shuhua blinked, “I thought that was only valid when one of us was hurt?” 

It’s come to be their thing. And really, if other people knew about it, they would see that Soojin really isn’t the apathetic and callous person that she gives herself off as to other people. 

Soojin shrugged, “I think this is valid. Your grumpiness is giving me a headache. Does that count?” A playful smirk, and eyebrow raise made Shuhua roll her eyes. 

“Just say you want to kiss me, stupid. Maybe I’ll let you.” Shuhua smugly said, gaining her confidence and shooting Soojin her own smirk. 

Soojin scoffed, “like you would ever say no to these lips.” 

“You’re so annoying.” 

Shuhua giggled when Soojin only pulled her closer, lips ghosting over one another teasingly. “Shut up and just kiss me better already.” Shuhua encouraged, closing her eyes in anticipation. 

Soojin smiled, closing the small distance left between their lips into a soft kiss. 

Shuhua loved Soojin’s lips like this the best; kissing her chastely and in the softest ways. Nothing rushed, and no wandering hands. It was never like this in the beginning. It hasn’t been that long either, so Shuhua wonders when they became less and less angry with each other. 

Shuhua pulled away, a look of realization on her face. Soojin raised her eyebrows in question, “what? What’s wrong?” 

Shuhua blinked, “N-No, nothing…. I just—,” 

A loud clunk of the tin garbage bin stopped Shuhua’s words, both their heads turning towards Lia who had just thrown the garbage away. 

Shuhua met eyes with Lia, and found pain in her eyes, not the usual anger that Shuhua was starting to get used to. She was suddenly aware that Soojin was still very much holding onto her securely, and that made Shuhua step away to put distance between them. 

When Lia disappeared back into the bar, Soojin coaxed Shuhua to look back into her eyes and saw how saddened the younger girl’s brown orbs had gotten upon seeing the waitress that she had considered to be friend. 

“Tell her.” Soojin said. 

Shuhua furrowed her eyebrows, “what?” 

Soojin shrugged, “tell her the truth. I know this whole lying thing bothers you. I mean, unlike me, you’re actually a good person.” 

Shuhua knows Soojin meant to relay it as a joke, but the way her smile didn’t reach her eyes was enough for Shuhua to know that deep down, Soojin believed it. 

“W-What about Lia?” 

Soojin chuckled, “I can handle her. Did you forget who you are speaking to, stray girl?” 

Shuhua smiled softly, “I haven’t forgotten.” 

Soojin’s eyes softened into Shuhua’s gaze, and she had to force herself to quickly look away before she could feel anything of any sort that she wouldn’t even be able to understand. 

“You’re a good person, Soojin.” Shuhua said with so much genuinity in the way she said it. 

Soojin let Shuhua place a soft kiss onto her cheek, “I want you to know it and I want you to believe it.” Shuhua whispered into her ear, a comforting squeeze onto her hand that Soojin didn’t even know Shuhua got a hold of. 

“If I was a good person, then why does my life so much? Good things happen to good people, right?” Soojin chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. 

Shuhua pulled away to look her in the eyes, “maybe you just need to start looking at life a little differently.” Shuhua grinned, before giving Soojin’s hand one last squeeze, and walking away to leave Soojin in her thoughts. 

_

When Shuhua approached Lia, she didn’t expect the latter to be calm, but she was. The blonde seemingly let her talk this time, and even though Shuhua was prepared to have the worst happen, which was to get slapped again, it never came. 

“I get it, Shuhua. You don’t have to parade around me and rub it in my face. And I’m sorry for slapping you. I shouldn’t have. No matter how angry and hurt I was.” Lia spoke first. 

“N-No, Lia, this was all a misunderstanding. Soojin and I aren’t dating.” Shuhua confessed. 

Lia scoffed, “you know, at first I thought it was some kind of joke. I mean, this is Soojin we’re talking about, right? She’s never been committed to anyone in her life, and is very vocal about not wanting to.” Lia clutched onto the round tray, putting it between her side and her arm, tucking it under her armpit, as she turned to face Shuhua. “But I saw you two outside earlier, and I get it. You don’t have to lie just, so you can redeem yourself for being such a horrible friend.” 

Shuhua blinked, “Lia, I’m not lying…” her voice trailed, getting smaller at the end. 

It hasn’t been long, since Shuhua and Lia started forming a friendship, and even if they were still in the beginning stages of it, Shuhua thought that she could really picture her and Lia being really good friends. Lia’s never shown her anything, but a good time in their random conversations and coffee meet ups. 

Shuhua felt like a ty person. 

“Shuhua, I saw how she was with you. Soojin wasn’t like that with me, or with anyone else. Trust me, it was shocking for me to believe it when she told me, but to see it and to be proven that what I’ve been denying this whole time is actually true?” Lia let out a bitter laugh, “well, . That hurts even more…. To know that Soojin isn’t incapable, and that she’s actually willing to give all of herself to someone in such a vulnerable way,” Lia weakly shrugged, and Shuhua could really see the pain in her eyes, “and that someone isn’t me.” 

“Lia, it’s not like that.” Shuhua took a step towards her, wanting to comfort h