Yeji stares at the pretty stranger standing before her.

"Huh?" she says, eloquently.

The stranger's brows push lightly together with some degree of concern. "This is yours, isn't it?"

"No, I..." Yeji shakes her head. Her mind is reeling. "You...what did you say?"

She needs to sit down. Blindly, she grasps for the counter and grips it tightly.

Realisation flickers across the stranger's face. "Oh," she breathes.

Helplessly, Yeji looks to her right, looking for some indication she misheard, but Ryujin's eyes are trained on the stranger, her gaze unreadable.

"My name is Minjoo," the stranger says, coyly tucking a lock of raven hair behind her ear. "I knew I had a pretty difficult soulmark, but I never expected to find you in a coffee shop, of all places."

She tugs down her white scarf, turns around, and bares her neck. Written across her nape in green ink is the single word Huh?

A cough sounds to her right, sounding suspiciously like a laugh. "You couldn't have picked something better to say to your soulmate?"

Yeji takes a shaky step back. "My soulmate," she repeats, her hand slipping absentmindedly from the countertop.

She needs to sit down.

A pair of hands gently grasps her elbows. Lavender and lemon. Yeji unconsciously leans back into the contact, breathing in the familiar scent, and the hands tighten around her arms, ever so slightly.

"Are you okay?" Ryujin says, just next to her ear. She's ducked around the counter to come to her rescue. Her steady hold is the only thing keeping Yeji upright.

"I'm fine," Yeji says faintly.

She looks up to see Minjoo watching them, something uncertain in her gaze. Ryujin seems to notice the same time she does; she drops her hands from Yeji's arms, stepping away hastily and clearing .

Yeji feels a hand at the small of her back that gives her a little push.

"Oh!" Minjoo laughs, catching her as she stumbles forward.

"Sorry," Yeji apologises, trying to regain her senses. She twists around in Minjoo's arms, trying to catch Ryujin's eye so she can frown at her for pushing her, but Ryujin is already heading back behind the counter, reaching for an empty cup in preparation for the next customer's order.

"What's your name?" Minjoo asks.

Yeji's head jerks back to her. 

Minjoo is smiling at her, open and hopeful. She’s gorgeous, midnight-black tresses artfully framing her delicate features, doe eyes wide and earnest. She’s nice. Friendly. And looking at Yeji with nothing short of undisguised awe.

Her soulmate.

She should be everything Yeji’s ever dreamed of. 

Yeji tries to smile back, waiting for the butterflies in her stomach that she’s sure are inevitable, but all she feels is an uneasy prickle in her gut. 

“Sorry,” Yeji says again. “My name's Yeji. I guess I’m just a little nervous.”

“Me too,” Minjoo says, her smile dazzling. “You’re so—you’re even better than I imagined.”

Yeji opens , tries to return the sentiment, but the words get stuck in . “You too,” she says weakly. 

She’s all too conscious, all too aware of Ryujin working the counter just behind her. 

“So,” Minjoo begins, the shy look returning to her eye. “Um, I don’t know how to do this, but…”

Before she can say anything, Ryujin pipes up from behind her. “Sorry, could I ask you two to move to a table? I don’t want to block customers from the collection counter.”

Yeji glances around sheepishly, expecting to see students waiting behind and giving her the stink-eye, but it’s a Friday morning, and most students are either in class or in bed, save for a scattered handful of early birds studying diligently at their tables.

“Sure?” she says, a little confused, but Ryujin has already started busying herself with the coffee machine.

“Sorry about that!” Minjoo says apologetically.

Ryujin doesn’t look up. 

Yeji wants to apologise on her behalf—Ryujin isn’t usually this prickly, not even when she’s trying to deliberately annoy Yeji—but Minjoo just shrugs and smiles, taking Yeji’s hand and pulling her to a table.

"Can I..." Minjoo looks at her feet, blushing prettily, "can I get your number?"

"Yeah. Sure." Yeji extends her hand for her phone, and Minjoo presses a hand to her forehead.

"Oh, I'm stupid. I left my phone back in my room today."

A giggle bubbles out of Yeji at that, despite herself. "I can get my phone. It's in my bag, by the counter—"

"Oh, it's okay," Minjoo says, eyes wide. "We've caused enough trouble for the barista already. Here."

She digs a pen out of her pocket and tugs Yeji's arm towards her, eyes twinkling. Yeji watches as she scrawls her number in small, cramped digits, adding her name and a little heart at the end, her slender fingers cool against Yeji's skin.

"There," Minjoo says, satisfied, while Yeji's eyes slide back to Ryujin behind the counter.

She thinks of last night, and remembers Ryujin crying in her arms, explaining why she'd never want to be with her soulmate, and the guilt that had washed over her subsequently.

"Would you want to hang out sometime?" Minjoo asks, her tone bashful, pulling Yeji back to the present.

You're a good person, Ryujin had said.

"I'd love to." Yeji smiles.

She can at least try to be.

 

---

 

When Minjoo leaves for class, Yeji wanders back to the counter, dazed, and Ryujin briefly looks up from where she’s cleaning the coffee machine.

Yeji just stares into space for a while, at a loss for words.

“She’s pretty,” Ryujin says after a while, preoccupied with scrubbing at a particularly stubborn bit of grime with her rag.

“She—yeah. She is,” Yeji says.

“You sure about that?” Ryujin deadpans. “You don’t sound very sure.”

“Shut up,” Yeji whines, dropping her forehead onto the counter, relishing in its coolness against her flushed skin. “I’m processing. ”

Ryujin continues to wipe down the coffee machine, the rag swishing back and forth on the metal. “It makes sense, I guess. You were like that when you first met me, too.”

Her head shoots up so fast she almost gets a crick in her neck. “But we aren’t soulmates.”

“I know.” Ryujin raises an eyebrow at her.

Yeji lets her head thud back down onto the counter. 

“See? I was right.” Ryujin gives a little half-laugh. “Our words just happened to be the same. There was someone out there that was better for you.”

“You don’t know that yet,” Yeji mutters into the counter. “I barely even know her.”

“She’s your soulmate,” Ryujin says placidly. “She’ll be perfect for you.”

Yeji snorts. “You don’t believe in that stuff.”

“No. But you do.”

Yeji isn't sure what to say to that, so she settles for watching Ryujin tip coffee grounds into the machine. It's strangely therapeutic, watching the fine powder spill into the filter, Ryujin's thumbs coaxing residual grains out of the bag, thinning in concentration.

"Stop staring at me."

"You have a very high opinion of yourself," Yeji splutters, twisting so that her arm hides her crimson ears. "I was looking at the coffee. God. "

Ryujin ignores her. "Go stare at your soulmate instead."

"She has a name, you know."

"Go stare at Minji."

"Her name is Minjoo," Yeji says, amused.

"Whatever." The last of the coffee grounds tumble into the filter, and Ryujin crumples up the bag and tosses it into the trash. "You knew who I was talking about."

Yeji just makes a non-committal noise, Minjoo's number on her forearm catching her gaze. She squints at it, then flips her arm, surreptitiously comparing it to her soulmark. The handwriting is very similar, but the cramped digits on her forearm squash together in a way that the neat, narrow letters on her wrist do not.

But she doesn't know whether she's only seeing what she wants to see. Doubtful, she frowns, flipping her arm again, staring critically.

"You look like you're having a ."

"Do they look...I don't know, different to you?"

Ryujin eyes her soulmark, then Minjoo's number. "You're expecting her handwriting to be perfect when she was writing on your arm?"

"You have a point," Yeji admits.

"Besides, they do look similar. See the way she writes her 'n's?" Ryujin taps Minjoo's name on her forearm, and they both jerk back at the resulting spark.

"Ugh, winter static," Ryujin gripes, while Yeji rubs her arm.

"It is getting colder," Yeji agrees. She pushes away from the counter, grabbing her cup and Jisu's goddamned iced coffee, the one responsible for the mess she currently finds herself in.

"You're leaving?"

"I have class. And I've hogged the counter long enough." Yeji smiles apologetically. "Sorry about blocking your customers. I feel like I've been doing that every time I've come in here. Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"Oh," Ryujin says. Uncertainty flits across her face for a split second, then Yeji blinks and it's gone. "Um, it's fine, I guess. You're just one person."

“If you say so.” Yeji shrugs, slinging her backpack on one shoulder. “Bye. See you next Tuesday.”

“Send Minji my regards.”

Yeji rolls her eyes at Ryujin’s cheeky grin. “Bye, Ryujin.”

 

---

 

On a windy Saturday night, she meets Minjoo at a restaurant that neither of them has tried before. The ambience is nice, the food even better, and Minjoo looks stunning even dressed casually in a simple black sweater and jeans.

At one point, Minjoo takes her left hand in between both of her own, looking at her soulmark. "Wow, my handwriting looks the best it's ever been here." She laughs.

Yeji picks up a dumpling with her chopsticks. "Really? I was thinking mine looks worse. "

She thinks of the green Huh? scrawled on Minjoo's nape. It could pass for her handwriting; her words sometimes clump together like that when she's in a hurry, but it's hard to tell. Ryujin was right. She really could have picked something better for her first words to her soulmate. Not that she'll ever admit it. She pictures Ryujin's teasing smirk, the mischievous glint in her eye just before she seizes the opportunity to poke fun at Yeji.

"What's that smile for?" Minjoo asks, grinning at her.

"Oh." Yeji blinks, picking up another dumpling. "Nothing. I was thinking about what my friend said the other day. I can't believe that was my first word to you."

"Your friend the barista?"

Yeji nods, bringing the dumpling to .

"You two seem close," Minjoo notes.

Yeji promptly drops the dumpling. It lands squarely in her glass of water with a humiliatingly loud splash.

She and Minjoo stare at each other for a while, stunned, before Minjoo bursts into giggles, while Yeji smiles sheepishly.

"Sorry?"

"Don't be sorry," Minjoo insists. "Here."

She hands Yeji a few tissues, and Yeji dabs at the splotches of water on her clothes.

, Ryujin would've said after she managed to stop laughing, before proceeding to pat at the wet spots on Yeji's clothes herself.

Yeji shakes herself a little.

She needs to stay present.

 

---

 

“You’re listening to Velvet FM. This is Yeji and Ryujin, bringing you the best music,” Yeji says into her mic, while Ryujin spins her pen idly between her fingers.

Her co-host starts her playlist for the hour as Yeji mutes her mic, leaning back in her chair languidly. It's midterm season, and Ryujin's brought homework with her to do today; Yeji vaguely recognises it as some astronomy assignment or other. She remembers Ryujin complaining to her that she signed up for astronomy because she thought it would be a fun supplement to her art major, not expecting the professor to, in Ryujin's words, assign a ton of homework.

“So, how’s Minji?” Ryujin snags one of the lollipops from the candy bowl by the door, unwrapping it and sticking it in . 

“Good,” Yeji says, not even bothering to correct her this time. “We went out on Saturday.”

Ryujin raises an eyebrow, plucking another lollipop from the bowl and unwrapping it. “And?” she says, when Yeji doesn’t elaborate. 

“It was nice. Are you going to eat both of those?"

"No, one's for you." Ryujin pops the lollipop into Yeji's mouth before she can argue. "Duh."

Yeji wrinkles her nose as best as she can with something in . 

There’s a brief silence. Yeji slowly on the lollipop in , feeling Ryujin’s eyes on her.

“So. Nice,” Ryujin repeats, pulling the lollipop from . “That’s it?”

“I’m sparing you the gruesome details,” Yeji protests around her lollipop. “I didn’t think you’d want to hear them.”

“Maybe I do.” Ryujin shrugs, eyes moving to the sheaf of notes in front of her. Her pen resumes its hypnotising twirl between her deft fingers. "How was the whole...soulmate-y thing?"

"The what?"

"You know." Ryujin rolls her eyes, scratching a song off her playlist. "You said everything feels better with your soulmate, right?"

"Oh." Yeji tugs at her beanie, momentarily flustered. She thinks back to Minjoo's fingers on her forearm as her pen scratched numbers into Yeji's skin, slender and cool.

Ryujin gives her an expectant side glance.

"Yeah," Yeji stammers. "It really does feel different."

"Good." Ryujin's eyes flick back to her notes. "I'm glad you finally found your soulmate."

"Thanks?" Yeji can't tell from Ryujin's matter-of-fact tone whether she's being genuine. Her co-host does hate the idea of soulmates, after all.

"No, really." Ryujin turns to face her again, and the corner of pulls up into a little half-smile. "I'm happy for you. If anyone deserves it, it's you."

 

---

 

As Yeji swings open the door to the booth, she's greeted unexpectedly by Minjoo's smiling face.

"Minjoo!" she says, surprised, her hand still poised on the doorknob. Ryujin steps out of the booth as well, ducking out from under her outstretched arm, eyeing both of them. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Minjoo says shyly, playing with a loose thread on her scarf. "I was listening in! I really liked your show. Ryujin, you're in charge of the music on Tuesdays, right?"

"Mm." Ryujin nods.

"Your playlist was really good," Minjoo tells her brightly.

Yeji knows she's extending an olive branch after the incident at the coffee shop, especially since she told Yeji on Saturday she wanted to be friends with her friends. It makes her smile a little. Minjoo catches sight of the look on her face and smiles back, curling her hand around Yeji's.

"Thanks," Ryujin says. Her eyes dart to their entwined hands, then to Yeji, before she glances away. She looks a little uncomfortable.

Yeji frowns, confused, before she remembers.

"Sorry." She laughs. "I forgot you didn't like PDA."

"PDA. Yeah." Ryujin is looking everywhere but at her. "I'm gonna head out first. See you Thursday."

Yeji watches her go, amused, while Minjoo leans affectionately into her side, notes of her floral perfume tickling Yeji's nose.

"Can I walk you to your dorm?" Minjoo beams at her, and it's so infectious Yeji feels her own smile widening in response.

"Sure."

 

---

 

They begin the walk back to Yeji’s dorm together, both of them quiet at first, listening to the crickets chirp in the evening air. 

Itching to fill the silence between them, Yeji says, “So, how was your day?”

“It was okay.” Minjoo shrugs. “I had a lot of homework to do. But it was nice listening to your radio show. It kept me going.”

“I’m glad,” Yeji smiles at her. 

They continue down the street together, silence falling between them again. Yeji can't help thinking a little wistfully of her walks back with Ryujin, with their easy banter and comfortable silences. She shakes herself, her mother's words echoing in her mind.

It's fine if she and Minjoo don't exactly click fantastically at first, right? Right. Potential for a deeper connection, Yeji tells herself.

She's pulled out of her internal ramblings by Minjoo's voice.

“Look.” She points. “Isn’t that cute?”

Yeji turns and sees a couple walking on the opposite side of the street, clasped hands swinging lightly between them, bundled up in matching scarves.

“Couple scarves?” Yeji is about to agree, before remembering Ryujin's disparaging remarks just the week before. She can't help it; she chuckles a little.

"What?" Minjoo laughs as well. "You don't think it's cute?"

"It's cute, it's cute!" Yeji says hurriedly. "I just remembered Ryujin hates these things."

"Does she?"

"I don't think she hates them," Yeji says thoughtfully. "I think she pretends to, but she probably secretly thinks they're cute."

Minjoo arches an eyebrow at her.

"She's like that." Yeji shrugs.

"You two are really close."

Minjoo's tone is light, casual, but Yeji feels a little spark of guilt run through her all the same. She shouldn't be thinking about Ryujin, not when she's with her soulmate.

"Yeah," she says, a little awkwardly. "She's my co-host, after all."

"Mm. You two do match each other well."

"So we've been told." Yeji laughs, lightly.

They arrive at Yeji's dorm, and Yeji pauses by the steps that lead up to the building, uncertain. "Thanks for walking me back. It was really nice."

She smiles at Minjoo tentatively, and doesn't miss the subsequent blush that creeps across her cheeks at the sight of it.

"I'll gladly walk you back after all your radio shows," Minjoo says shyly. "If you'll let me. You shouldn't be walking alone so late at night."

Yeji hasn't walked back to her dorm alone after any of her radio shows since the semester started, but Minjoo doesn't know that.

"I'd love to," she says quickly.

"Okay, then." Minjoo beams at her. "I will."

She steps a little closer, and Yeji blinks at her owlishly. "Oh—" 

Heart thumping in her chest, she squeezes her eyes shut.

The kiss is gentle, warm. Minjoo's fingertips land lightly on her jaw, their touch cool from the chilly evening air, the scent of her floral perfume flooding Yeji's senses, making her a little heady. Yeji moves her lips against Minjoo's as she slides her hands into her hair, waiting for the warmth in her stomach to turn into butterflies, trying, hoping to feel something more.

They pull apart. Yeji doesn’t miss the flicker of confusion that darts across Minjoo’s face, mirrored by the sinking feeling in her gut. 

“I’ll see you on Thursday?” she says weakly.

“Yeah,” Minjoo says quickly. She smiles at Yeji a beat later, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. “See you.”

 

---

 

Yeji supposes she should have seen this coming.

"I have something to tell you," says Minjoo, a few weeks later. She fiddles with her scarf.

Curling a nervous hand around the hot latte she'd got from the university's coffee shop earlier, Yeji waits with bated breath.

"I found someone," Minjoo says carefully, eyes searching Yeji's face for her reaction, "and I think she might be my soulmate."

"Who...?" she says faintly.

"Her name is Chaewon. I don't know if you know her?"

Yeji doesn't. She shakes her head, numbly. She needs to sit down.

Minjoo watches her, eyebrows drawn in concern, doe eyes contrite. "She—we said each other's words. And my handwriting looks more like the words on her soulmark than—well...you know."

"So we're not soulmates," Yeji says woodenly.

"We're not."

Yeji wets her lip with her tongue. "Are you sure? It's kind of hard to tell from handwriting, right? How do you know?" she whispers. "That it's her and not me?"

Minjoo gives her another apologetic look. "I think you know, don't you?"

She does, but she doesn't want to say it out loud, doesn't want to admit that her last hope of getting over someone who didn't want her has been rudely extinguished.

"When we kiss," Minjoo says, biting her lip. "It's not...well. What I expected it to be."

"And it's different?" Yeji asks, dreading the answer. "With Chaewon?"

Minjoo looks at her for a long moment. "Whenever we touch...she makes me feel like I'm flying," she says quietly, and Yeji's heart sinks to the soles of her feet.

"Ah," she says, with a mirthless half-laugh.

Whatever's showing on her face must be bad, because Minjoo reaches for her, eyes shining with sympathy. Yeji takes a shaky step back, out of her grasp. She can't do this right now.

"I'm sorry, Yeji," Minjoo says softly, hand falling back to her side. "I hope you find your soulmate soon."

There's a queasy, unwelcome feeling in her gut that tells her she already has.

 

---

 

"Alright." Ryujin eyes her, her pencil stilling over yet another astronomy assignment. "Something's up with you."

"Nothing's up with me," Yeji says tonelessly, pencilling in a new song into her playlist for next week.

Ryujin ignores her feeble attempt at deflection. "You've barely said a word this entire time, and you've added at least nine of Sam Smith's saddest songs to that playlist."

"I just like Sam Smith."

"I know." Ryujin eyes her. "But this is an inordinate amount of Sam Smith, even for you."

Yeji's pencil slips from between her fingers, clattering onto her notes. She picks it up. "Ryujin…drop it, okay? I'm not in the mood."

Ryujin falls silent at that, then says, "Okay. Sorry."

As the next song starts, her co-host slips quietly out of the booth, and Yeji wonders if maybe she'd been too curt. Before she can dwell too much on it, Ryujin returns, holding a large white bowl in her hands. Yeji recognises it as the bowl of cherries Seungwan left out earlier in the day for the students hosting. 

Ryujin sits down, picks up a cherry, and drops it lightly onto Yeji's notes.

Yeji looks at her, but Ryujin seems focused on the comments streaming in on their live forum.

Bemused, she picks the cherry up and bites into it, chewing around the pit slowly. She swallows, spits out the pit, tosses it into the bin by the door, and when she looks back at her notes, there's another cherry sitting by the corner of the page.

She feels a small smile worm its way onto her face, despite herself. "Are we allowed to take the whole thing?"

"Who cares?" Ryujin pops a cherry into her own mouth, giving her a sidelong glance and a half-smile. She puts another cherry into the palm of Yeji's hand, resting idly in her lap.

"Thanks." Yeji says quietly. Disappointment still aches dully in her gut, but she does feel a little better.

"If you want to talk about it..." Ryujin says, spitting out her cherry pit, voice trailing off.

Yeji smiles wryly. "I can't. But thanks."

She plucks a cherry from the bowl and holds another out to Ryujin in a silent question. In response, Ryujin opens expectantly. 

“Both your hands are free,” Yeji says amusedly. 

“Yeah, and?” Ryujin juts her chin out, mouth still open.

Yeji rolls her eyes, dropping the cherry into her open mouth, trying to ignore the way her dark eyes twinkle with mirth. Her thumb brushes Ryujin’s bottom lip as she does, and she feels the resultant frisson of warmth tingle through her fingertips. Swiftly, she drops her hand and looks away, even as she feels the heat of Ryujin’s gaze on her skin. 

Yeji supposes she should have seen it coming, when she feels more just looking at Ryujin than she ever did kissing Minjoo. 

 

---

 

“Minji’s not coming to walk you home today?” Ryujin asks, as they step out of the recording booth together and she takes in the empty hallway. 

Yeji attempts a smile. “She’s not.”

“Oh.” Ryujin pauses, then looks at her. Yeji feels her heart ache at how devastatingly pretty she is, even under the garish fluorescent lighting that lines the hallway. “Do you...want to walk back together, then?”

Yeji thinks it might be her imagination, but Ryujin sounds hopeful, almost tentative. The Yeji from a few weeks ago would’ve jumped at the opportunity.

But her mind is made up.

“I can’t.” She smiles, ruefully. “I have to talk to Seungwan about something.”

“Oh. Okay.” Now Yeji’s sure she isn’t imagining the flicker of disappointment in Ryujin’s eyes.

“Sorry. Another time?”

“Sure. No big deal.” Ryujin shrugs casually, turning to walk away. 

 

---

 

When Yeji enters the little room they’ve fondly dubbed Seungwan’s office, she almost turns around and walks back out again. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were in here with someone!” she stammers, face crimson, as Seungwan and the other girl jump apart.

Seungwan just laughs, looking a little embarrassed, while the other girl grins sheepishly in a way that bunches her cheeks and makes her eyes disappear. 

“It’s okay, Yeji. Open door policy, remember? This is Seulgi, my soulmate.” Seungwan looks at Seulgi, eyes almost unbearably fond.

Yeji has to look away for a moment. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“What’s up?” Seungwan says gently. 

“I need to talk to you,” she hedges, glancing apologetically at Seulgi. 

"You heard her." Seungwan lays an affectionate hand on Seulgi's shoulder and makes a shooing motion with the other. "Important Velvet FM business. I'll meet you outside when I'm done."

"Sorry," Yeji says again, and Seulgi just smiles at her, eyes crinkling warmly.

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you outside, Wannie."

Seulgi heads out, and Yeji turns back to Seungwan, who's watching her closely. "Are you okay, Yeji? You look..."

Yeji winces. "It's okay. You can say it."

Seungwan frowns. "Why don't you tell me what's going on instead?"

Yeji stares at her feet. "Is it too late in the semester to request a partner change?"

"A partner change?" She looks up to see Seungwan furrowing her brow, quizzical. "Did something happen? I thought you guys worked really well together."

"I'd rather not talk about it," Yeji says quietly.

The line between Seungwan's brows deepens. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"I know," Yeji says.

They look at each other for a long moment, before Seungwan sighs, pulling up a spreadsheet on her laptop with a swipe of her thumb and a few clicks. "It's a little hard, Yeji. Like I said at the start of the semester, everyone else already has a co-DJ. And there aren't any other slots for me to split you guys up into."

"Is there any way I can swap with someone else? Maybe I can find someone who's willing?" Yeji asks, a little desperately.

Seungwan's lips purse lightly. "If you find someone who's willing, yes."

Yeji nods jerkily.

"Are you sure this isn't something that can be solved by talking to each other?" their president asks gently.

"I'm sure."

"Okay. I'll ask around to see if anyone wants to swap as well."

"Thank you," Yeji says fervently, and Seungwan's eyes soften.

"Come here," she says, holding her arms out. Yeji all but sinks into the older girl's embrace, face pressed into her shoulder.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but I'm here for you, always, if you need someone to talk to. You know that, right?" Seungwan says, rubbing her back slowly.

"I know," Yeji says, voice muffled by Seungwan's thick cardigan. "Thank you."

 

---

 

When Yeji exits Seungwan's office and rounds the corner, she almost crashes headlong into someone, but stops herself just in time. She looks up, and all the colour drains from her face.

Ryujin is leaning against the wall, arms folded, looking straight at her, face impassive.

"Hey," Yeji tries, nervously.

Ryujin says nothing.

"I didn't think you'd still be here—"

"I wanted to wait for you." Ryujin's tone is flinty. Yeji flinches. "We haven't walked home together after you started seeing Minjoo."

"Oh," Yeji says, voice small.

"So when were you going to tell me," Ryujin says. "Before or after you found someone willing to swap with us?"

Her voice is quiet, but every word rings almost deafeningly in the space between them. Yeji shrinks back, cheeks hot with shame. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

Ryujin scoffs under her breath in disbelief. "So you're not even going to tell me why?"

Yeji fumbles for the words as best as she can in her flustered state.

Ryujin watches her flounder, dark eyes glinting with hurt. "Was it something I did?"

"No," Yeji says immediately. "It was me."

She sees Ryujin's eyebrows push together as she tries to understand. "Is it...because of Minjoo?"

"What? No," Yeji says, confused. "Why would it be because of Minjoo?"

"I don't know. You tell me. I thought maybe she didn't like us hanging out or something."

"Why wouldn't she..." Yeji shakes her head. "It's not her. Well. It kind of is?"

Ryujin waits, an eyebrow raised.

Yeji exhales slowly. "Minjoo and I didn't work out," she mumbles. "We're not soulmates."

Ryujin is quiet for a while.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out," she says finally. "I know how much you wanted to meet your soulmate. But what does that—" Yeji flinches again as her voice regains its hard edge "—have to do with you not wanting to be co-hosts with me anymore?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Yeji says, with a resigned laugh. "I have feelings for you."

She watches as Ryujin's eyes snap up to meet hers. "I still don't understand how that warrants you not wanting to co-host with me."

"Don't play dumb," Yeji says wearily, "please. We're soulmates. Aren't we?"

Ryujin doesn't say anything, so Yeji continues, "And you don't want anything to do with your soulmate, you've made that clear."

A pregnant silence hangs between them. Ryujin stares at Yeji, long and hard, jaw tense. "You said you just wanted to be friends."

"I'm sorry," Yeji whispers. "I don't think I ever could."

When Ryujin turns on her heel and walks away, Yeji slumps against the cold, unforgiving wall, face crumpling, her heart a leaden weight in her chest.

 

---

 

Half an hour later, she's stumbling numbly through Jisu's door and into her arms.

"What did she do?" Jisu demands, as she leads Yeji over to her bed and sits her down, one hand curled protectively around her shoulders, the other tenderly cupping her tear-streaked face.

"She—" Yeji frowns. "Who are you talking about?"

"Ryujin," Jisu says, in a way that implies that she couldn't have possibly been referring to anyone else.

"How do you know I'm not crying over Minjoo?"

Jisu gives her a look. "The only other time I've seen you cry in college is over Ryujin."

Yeji chokes out a watery laugh. "Okay, fine. But she didn't do anything. You were right, Jisu."

Jisu lets her snuggle into the crook of her neck, smoothing away the strands of hair sticking messily to her wet cheeks. "About?"

"I didn't know what I was getting into."

The edge of the mattress sinks a little, and Yeji looks over through bleary, tear-filled eyes to see Chaeryeong cradling a steaming mug. "Here. Drink this."

It's jasmine tea. Yeji takes a grateful sip, exhaling softly at the liquid warmth in her chest. "Thanks."

"Do you want me to talk to her for you?" Chaeryeong offers.

"No," Yeji says quickly. She doesn't even know what Chaeryeong could say to make this situation better, even if she is Ryujin's best friend. "She's been honest with me from the start. I was the one who ed everything up by falling for her."

Chaeryeong makes a sympathetic face. "Don't say that. I think you've been good for her, even if she says she doesn't want her soulmate."

"I have?" Yeji says uncertainly.

“I’ve never heard her click with someone as well as she does with you when you’re on air,” Chaeryeong says, “and she won’t shut up about you. Yeji played this song today and it’s really nice, Yeji said this to me today, today a listener called in and Yeji gave them the best advice, today I made fun of Yeji for doing this—”

“Baby,” Jisu says, as Yeji looks at Chaeryeong, eyes wide, “I don’t know if this is the best idea.”

“I’m just saying,” Chaeryeong insists. “I don’t know if she wants a soulmate, but I know your friendship is something that can’t easily be broken. You’re important to her, Yeji. She’ll come around.” 

Yeji bites her lip. “Thanks. I hope so.” She gingerly takes another sip of tea. “I’m so sorry. You barely even know me, and you have to deal with this already."

She gestures vaguely to herself, managing a wry smile.

"You barely knew me when you helped me find Jisu, too," Chaeryeong tells her. Jisu shoots her a shy smile from where she's sitting on Yeji's left, her face practically glowing with adoration, and Yeji has to look away.

"Still...thank you. Both of you."

"Don't thank us." Chaeryeong puts a hand on Yeji's, smiling at her. "It's time someone listened to your troubles for a change, you know?"

 

---

 

Yeji thinks about calling in sick.

But then she remembers her listeners, the callers and anonymous users who seek her advice, as well as the new playlist she's been wanting to try, and she knows she can't.

If she thought the first hour she'd spent hosting with Ryujin was painfully awkward, it's nothing compared to what the thick, uncomfortable silence in the booth is right now.

Neither of them has said a word to each other since setting foot into the recording studio. Yeji stares miserably at her sheaf of notes, seated as far from Ryujin as she can possibly manage in the cramped booth. Ryujin hasn't even looked at her since setting foot in the recording studio. Yeji isn't sure whether to feel hurt or relieved; she doesn't think she can handle making eye contact with Ryujin right now.

When the hour is up, she shoves her things into her backpack, slips out of the booth as swiftly as she can, and begins the lonely task of walking back to her dorm alone.

 

---

 

The next session on Thursday is pretty much the same. 

Yeji says the obligatory Velvet FM line as chirpily as she can, and sinks back into her seat glumly as Ryujin starts her playlist for the day. Yeji pores unseeingly over her notes, while Ryujin hunches over her homework next to her.

Halfway through, she notices an anonymous comment wondering why they've both been so quiet this week, and why there's been no conversation between them lately. Another user chimes in, saying they miss their banter, and hope to see more of it.

Yeji drops her gaze back down to her notes, frustrated, feeling oddly like they’re back at square one; only this time, instead of Yeji trying to bridge the gap, neither of them is making an effort. 

 

---

 

As she leaves the booth for the day, Ryujin calls out from behind her. “Yeji.”

Yeji freezes in her tracks, and slowly turns to face her.

"I don't like this," Ryujin admits, voice low. "Us not talking."

Yeji's mouth falls open a little. She closes it hurriedly. "Me too!" She coughs, reddening, and tries to speak nonchalantly. "Um, me too."

"I'm sorry that I stormed off after you...said that," Ryujin mutters. "I was just mad that you said it after I said all that stuff about not wanting to be with my soulmate."

"I know, I'm sorry—" Yeji begins, flustered, but Ryujin holds up a hand to cut her off.

"Let me finish?" she says, lips quirking in a half-smile, and Yeji falls quiet.

"I was talking to Ryeong, and she helped me realise it's not exactly something I can fault you for," Ryujin says, and Yeji feels the beginnings of hope tug at her chest.

Sweet, beautiful, wonderful Chaeryeong.

"And you only said it because I caught you trying to swap partners, which was because you were trying to put some distance between us," Ryujin continues. "You've been so damn noble this entire time, even though I know you've wanted to be with your soulmate your whole life. I really have no reason to be mad. You should be mad for having a soulmate like me."

"I could never be," Yeji says earnestly.

Ryujin laughs under her breath. "Someone like you deserves a far better soulmate than someone like me."

"Someone like me? What's that supposed to mean?"

Ryujin's eyes dart away. "I don't know," she mumbles, after a beat of silence.

"Don't say that. I could never be mad that I have you for a soulmate," Yeji says, softly. "You're you."

Ryujin looks at her like she's grown another head. "Even if I don't want to be with my soulmate?"

"Even then." Yeji smiles wryly. "I'm just...glad to have met you. You aren't like anyone else I've ever met before."

Ryujin's mouth moves soundlessly, before she clears and says quietly, "Please don't ask for a partner change. I like hosting with you. I don't think I could do it with anyone else."

"Okay. I'll tell Seungwan." It's going to be difficult to deal with her feelings with Ryujin so close, but Yeji finds she doesn’t really care.

"Do you...want to walk home together?" Ryujin says hesitantly, and Yeji grins so widely it threatens to split her face in two.

"Yes. Please."

 

---

 

The walk back to their dorms is quiet, for the most part. Yeji can't stop herself from sneaking surreptitious glimpses of Ryujin every now and then, still partly in disbelief that she's here next to her, walking back from campus radio by her side, just as they used to do every Tuesday and Thursday.

Ryujin notices, of course, because the universe hates Yeji and won't let her sneak peeks of Ryujin in peace. Or maybe because she's just being that obvious.

"I know you like me so it's hard not to, but stop staring."

Yeji whips her head back, suitably chastised, before she realises Ryujin, as usual, is pulling her leg.

"Why do you always have such a high opinion of yourself?" she says, trying to sound as affronted as she can, while Ryujin snickers under her breath next to her. "I was looking at...the street names across from us..."

Ryujin follows her gaze, and then turns back to her, eyebrows raised. "The street names? Worried you'll get lost even though we've walked this path at least a hundred times this semester?"

"Maybe," Yeji says petulantly.

"Just like you were looking at the coffee?"

Yeji doesn't dignify that with an answer. Ears crimson, she speeds up so that she leaves Ryujin giggling behind her. "I don't want to walk back home with you anymore," she announces.

"No..." Ryujin whines, quickening her pace as well. And now Yeji's brain is short-circuiting, because Ryujin is grabbing onto her arm and clinging there, laughing. "I just got you back. Don't leave again."

"Don't be dramatic," Yeji grumbles, trying to ignore the way her pulse is racing. "We were only fighting for like, a week."

"But we haven't walked back together for four weeks now because Minjoo would pick you up every time."

Yeji stares at her. "Were you counting?"

Ryujin lets go of her arm. "No."

"Four is such a specific number," Yeji says, half-joking, half-wondering.

"I wasn't counting," Ryujin says defiantly.

"I missed walking back home with you too," Yeji confesses. "With Minjoo...it wasn't the same."

"Really?" Ryujin looks like she doesn't quite believe her. "You two looked like you got along really well."

"Did we?" Yeji tries to recall their conversations, and remembers her own tendency to bring up Ryujin with an almost embarrassing frequency, and Minjoo's look of curious uncertainty every time she did. "Um. Not really? I mean, I guess we did, for the most part."

"Make up your mind," Ryujin says, mock exasperatedly.

Yeji isn't sure how she can say we did get along, but nothing quite compares to when you and I are together without scaring Ryujin away, so she settles for a shrug and a, "It was okay, I guess."

"I should've known from the moment you said your date was nice ," Ryujin says. "So all that about everything feeling better with her...?"

"I lied," Yeji says. "We hadn't even kissed then. I think part of me just wanted it to be true...for both your sake and mine."

Ryujin gives her a sidelong glance. "You kissed her?"

"She kissed me," Yeji says defensively, then pauses, wondering why she feels the need to justify kissing Minjoo to someone who doesn't even want to be with her.

They're arriving in front of Ryujin's dorm now, and both of them slow to a stop.

"This was nice," Yeji says tentatively. "I meant what I said earlier—I missed walking back home with you."

"I'm still mad at you for not telling me before you requested a partner change."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"We're the best partners to ever co-host Velvet FM, aren't we? What happened to we have one of the highest listener counts? " Ryujin says pointedly.

"I know," Yeji says again.

Ryujin eyes her for a second, then steps forward, wrapping her arms around Yeji's midriff. "But I missed you, too," she whispers, face pressed into Yeji's shoulder.

Heart thudding madly in her ribcage, she hugs Ryujin back, her senses awash with lavender and lemon. Ryujin's nose brushes against her collarbone, leaving a trail of tingling skin in its wake.

"Wow," Ryujin breathes, laughing lightly. "You were right. Touching your soulmate does feel different. I thought I felt it a few times before, when we touched, but..."

She nuzzles softly in the crook of Yeji's neck again, and they both shudder at the sensation. Yeji feels goosebumps pop up on her skin wherever Ryujin touches, butterflies unsettling her stomach.

"Please don't say things like that," Yeji pleads weakly, but neither of them makes a move to pull away.

"Sorry," Ryujin mumbles into her shoulder.

She's just the right height for Yeji to rest her chin atop the crown of her head, so she does, breathing in deeply, her arms tightening around the smaller girl, and allows herself to pretend for one perfect moment that Ryujin is hers.

"Jinnie," she whispers longingly into Ryujin's hair.  Then she sighs, and disengages herself reluctantly from Ryujin’s arms, taking a step back. She smiles ruefully. "Thank you for giving me a second chance."

Ryujin's cheeks are a little pink. "Jinnie?"

Yeji twists her hands together, nervous. "Can I call you that?"

"I—um. Yes. That's fine." Ryujin bites her lip, then smiles down at her feet, her dimples creasing her cheeks, and Yeji feels herself beam stupidly at the sight.

Ryujin is unfairly, unbelievably precious, and Yeji is in so much trouble.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance," she says again, reverently. "I'll get over you, in time."

The smile slips off Ryujin's lips, uncertainty darting across her face, quickly enough that Yeji thinks she might have imagined it. Before she can dwell too much on it, Ryujin is speaking again. "Thank you," she says softly, her smile returning. "I'm glad we can still be friends."

Friends. Because that's all they can ever be.

"Me too."

 

---

 

They fall back into their familiar rhythm of bantering over the air and walking home together. 

Yeji rethinks and overthinks each interaction with Ryujin, terrified of scaring her off again, until she nearly drives herself mad. 

Unsure what else to do, she tries putting some distance between them, shying away from physical contact and trying not to look at Ryujin for any longer than is platonically acceptable. 

She manages to keep this up for a week or so.

As she’s leaving the booth one Thursday, a hand grabs her bare wrist, and Yeji freezes as she feels her arm tingle up to her elbow. 

“What’s going on?” Ryujin says.

“What do you mean?” 

Ryujin folds her arms. “I thought we were past this.”

“Past what?”

Ryujin stares at her, frustration clear in her eyes. “You’re avoiding me.”

“No, I’m not,” Yeji says, because it isn’t true.

“Okay, you’re not,” Ryujin concedes. “You’re just...acting different. Distant. Not like how you used to be.”

Yeji sighs, slumping a little against the booth’s padded door. “I’m just...scared of doing something that might push you away again, you know?”

“I came back, didn’t I?” Ryujin says softly.

“But what if I do something that scares you off for good, one day?” 

“You couldn’t,” Ryujin says. At Yeji’s skeptical look, she exhales out a little laugh. “I can’t stay away from you for long, you know? Even that week we were fighting…”

“Really? Why?” Yeji says, still doubtful.

Ryujin fidgets, runs a hand through her hair. “I’d miss you,” she mumbles. “I thought I told you, . You’re one of my closest friends. Who else am I going to make playlists with? And walk home with? And bully?”

“Was the last one really necessary?” Yeji protests, but warmth begins to blossom in her chest, all the same. “Okay. Sorry for being stupid.”

“Let’s be honest with one another from now on, okay?” Ryujin says, holding out her pinkie, and Yeji hooks her finger around hers.

“Okay, Jinnie.” Yeji smiles at her, bright and relieved.

Ryujin stares at her, cheeks pinking, then scowls. “I hate when you do that.”

“Do you want me to stop calling you that?”

“No.”

 

---

 

Something's off about Ryujin today.

She's gotten up to pace around the cluttered booth a grand total of six times during the session. Yeji's getting a little dizzy just watching her.

"Is something wrong?" she asks, frowning.

"Nothing's wrong," Ryujin mumbles, before getting out of her seat to start her seventh circuit of the room.

"Is it astronomy? Did your professor assign too much homework again?"

Ryujin laughs at that. "No. Well, yes, but no."

"Then what is it?" Yeji says, growing concerned now, and Ryujin shakes her head.

"Jinnie?" she says softly, and Ryujin looks over at her, eyes widening a little, pink dusting her cheekbones.

"Don't use that. That's not fair."

"Then tell me what's going on."

"Later," Ryujin mumbles cryptically. She sits back down in her seat, drawing her legs up to her chin and wrapping her arms around her shins. Yeji fights down a smile. She's adorable.

"Okay, fine." Yeji turns her attention back to the screen displaying their live forum. "Oh, before I forget, we had a listener who wanted to send in a message."

If she's unlucky, it'll be about soulmates (as it usually tends to be), and she'll have to listen to someone ask for advice on finding their soulmate again, or worse, listen to someone talk about their soulmate. Yeji is grateful so many people come to her and Ryujin for advice, really, but it kind of stings that she's helped so many people with their soulmate and has no luck with her own.

She opens the message in their inbox with a few clicks. "Do you want to read it aloud, or shall I?"

"No, you go ahead."

"You never want to read the anonymous messages aloud." Yeji pouts. "It's always me."

"But you do it so well," Ryujin says teasingly. "It's probably about the S word again. You know how I feel about those."

"I hate you," Yeji says, without any real bite. She unmutes her mic, announces the anonymous message to their listeners, and begins reading aloud.

"Hi, Yeji and Ryujin. I'm a freshman," Yeji begins. "I've heard you guys are really good at giving advice, especially about the soulmate bond, so maybe you can help me. I don't really know what to do."

She sighs under her breath, just a tad bit resigned. Here we go again, she thinks.

"My soulmate and I...we didn't exactly get off on the right foot. In fact, I think we kind of hated each other," Yeji reads, then says, "Listener, whoever you are, you'll be surprised how often that happens."

"It's why so many people have rude soulmarks," Ryujin pipes up. "Sometimes with swear words."

"Yeah, you'd find that funny." Yeji rolls her eyes affectionately, and continues reading. "Over time...I think she grew on me. Now I can't imagine not having her in my life."

Yeji's beginning to smile, despite her earlier reservations; this already sounds like the beginnings of an adorable story. Getting the privilege to hear stories like this first-hand is another of her favourite things about campus radio. She chances a glance at Ryujin, only to see her playfully sticking out her tongue in disgust. Typical.

"It doesn't help how pretty she is...I've never told her this, but she's beautiful, without question, inside and out. She puts up with my quirks, my occasional grumpiness, and we haven't known each other for that long, but she just gets me."

Yeji has to pause for a while to hide her smile in the palm of her hand. Even Ryujin is smiling a little now.

"I don't think I've ever met a more selfless soul in my life," she reads. "And it kind of scares me, because what if I'm not good enough for her? Doesn't she deserve better than me?"

She pauses here, frowning in sympathy. Ryujin makes a thoughtful noise. "That's what I think, deep down, a lot of people are afraid of. What do you think, Yeji?"

"I don't think it's a question of whether or not she deserves better," Yeji says softly. "Listener, you clearly care for her a lot. And it sounds like she cares for you too. That should be enough. If you think she deserves better, work to become the kind of person you think she deserves."

Ryujin makes a quiet noise of agreement next to her.

Yeji continues to read the anonymous message. "There's another thing—up until very recently, she thought I didn't want to be with her. In fact, I've told her repeatedly that I don't want to."

She blinks. She wasn't expecting a twist like that.

"She doesn't know that there's nothing more in the world I'd want. But I'm scared," she reads. "You see...I have my reservations about the soulmate bond. I've watched people around me make stupid decisions and ruin relationships because of it. And I don't want something like that to taint what we have right now."

Yeji pauses, sneaking Ryujin a worried glance. The listener's view on soulmates sounds similar to what Ryujin confided in her that night in the dark all those weeks ago, and she frets a little about the message triggering bad memories.

As if she's read her mind, Ryujin shoots her a grateful smile and a little thumbs-up. I'm okay, she mouths.

Appeased, Yeji continues reading. "But...in spite of all of this, I want to be with her, more than anything. Even if I'm scared. The way she makes me feel...I think she's worth it. I think we could figure out the soulmate bond together, if she'll have me."

She pauses, her smile growing wistful. "It doesn't sound like you need much of our help, then, listener. You have it figured out."

"There's more," Ryujin says, peering over her shoulder. "Keep reading."

"Oh, so you're hooked now too," Yeji teases.

"Shut up and keep reading," Ryujin gripes.

"Can I tell you a little bit more about her?" Yeji reads. "She's kind, has a pretty voice, is kind of easy to bully—I do it only because it's cute seeing her reactions. I spend a lot of time with her, and it both warms me and terrifies me how easily we fall into place next to each other, how much we get along as if we've known each other our whole lives. I'll tell you about our soulmarks too, because I know Yeji, at least, enjoys hearing about these things. Hers says—"

Yeji stops, blinks rapidly, and stares at the screen, heart pounding, because there is no way she's reading this correctly.

"Are you going to continue?" Ryujin prompts softly from over her shoulder.

"Hers says, here's your latte. Don't forget your straw, and mine says, is it you? " Yeji whispers, her voice catching on the last word.

"Took you long enough to figure it out," Ryujin murmurs. "Go on, read the last part."

"Thanks for reading to the end of such a lengthy message," Yeji reads, voice trembling a little. "So...how about it, Yeji? Do you want to figure out the soulmate bond together with me?"

She turns to face Ryujin, who's peeking out from behind her knees, still drawn up to her chin. "Well? Do you?"

"Ryujin," Yeji manages to say, her voice barely above a choked whisper, "are—are you sure?"

Ryujin nods, hesitates, then says, "I don't know about the soulmate bond, but I'm sure about you."

“Then yes.” Yeji grins so hard her cheeks start to hurt, still half in disbelief. “ Yes, I would love to.”

“But let’s take this slow, okay?”

“Of course.” Yeji nods fervently. “Can...I hug you?”

Ryujin rolls her eyes at her. “Not that slow. We’re not courting in the Victorian era, you don’t have to ask me if you want to touch me—”

Yeji surges forward and wraps her arms around Ryujin, her head tucking neatly under her chin, and the smaller girl lets out a little noise of surprise, laughing as her chair rolls back with the force of Yeji's hug.

"Jinnie," Yeji murmurs happily, holding her tightly, arms encircling her waist.

"I'm sorry," Ryujin says quietly. "I know you've waited for your soulmate your whole life, and soulmates usually move faster than this..."

"Stop it. We can go as slow as you want," Yeji whispers into her hair. "I'll take whatever you're willing to give."

Ryujin laughs shakily. "God—wait—our forum hung."

"What?" Yeji lets go of her, and spins around to face the monitor. There are comments gushing over them, congratulating them, expressing shock that everyone's two favourite co-hosts are each other's soulmates—but Ryujin is right, the comments aren't flooding in anymore, replaced instead by an infuriatingly slow loading circle.

They'd forgotten to mute their mics again.

"We broke Velvet FM," Ryujin announces, resting her chin on Yeji's shoulder. She sounds amused.

Yeji feels her heart flutter ridiculously at the simple contact. "Sorry, everyone," she says, but she's smiling too widely to care.

"Sorry," Ryujin echoes, but she doesn't sound sorry at all.

Yeji's phone chimes a couple of times, and she looks down to see a clump of notifications.

 

jisu loml

i'm so incredibly happy for you my love but if she hurts you again i will not hesitate to cut her <3

 

minjoo

hey, yeji! i don’t know if this is weird but i still tune into your show every now and then bc you guys have such good music taste...is it weird to say that i’m kind of not surprised ryujin’s your soulmate? haha. i’m happy for you :)

 

Unknown Number

hiii, this is chaeryeong! jisu gave me your number!! congrats~ ryujin was so nervous when she was planning this out...she said you helped so many listeners w their soulmates over calls that you deserved to have one for yourself. i was dying inside trying not to tell you or jisu!!~

 

son seungwan (velvet FM)

i guess it all worked out then, huh? no need for a partner change anymore, right? ;)

 

Yeji laughs, a little incredulously. "Is the entire campus tuned in right now, or something?" she says to no one in particular, after muting her mic and pressing play on Ryujin's playlist for the day. 

“I hope Minji was listening,” Ryujin says cheekily. 

“She was.” Yeji huffs out a laugh as she taps Seungwan’s text and types, yeah, guess it did :)

“Good.”

 

---

 

Nothing really changes after that; it's peak midterm season and both Yeji and Ryujin are too swamped with assignments and exams to even think about dating proper outside of classes and their hosting schedule.

Nothing really changes after that—but everything is different.

Yeji no longer feels guilty about sneaking peeks of Ryujin whenever they're together; she does it liberally and frequently, and sometimes catches Ryujin already staring at her when she does, a playful, knowing smile on her face. Their walks back to their dorm aren't just limited to Tuesdays and Thursdays anymore; they find the time to make their schedules work together, and they walk back home nearly every day after. They walk so closely together Yeji can brush her little finger against Ryujin's and pretend it was an accident, and Ryujin will hide her smile in her scarf, pretending not to notice, keeping her finger pressed against Yeji's.

And perhaps Yeji's favourite: when they're in the booth together, sometimes Ryujin will tire of poring over her homework, and will let her head drop lightly onto Yeji's shoulder, take one of Yeji's hands between her own, and start playing idly with her fingers.

("You're distracting me," Yeji complains one day, when Ryujin discovers that touching the soulmark on her wrist just intensifies what they already feel when they touch.

"You love it," Ryujin singsongs, dragging her thumb over the word latte yet again, and Yeji has to fight back a shiver, grumbling emptily and turning back to her essay.)

 

---

 

One Thursday, just after the end of midterm season, Ryujin pokes her on the shoulder. "Want to help me with my astronomy homework?"

"I don't know anything about astronomy," Yeji says, confused.

"Silly." Ryujin pokes her again. "I know. We actually have a fun assignment this week. Our professor wants us to go outside and draw constellations."

"Oh." Yeji blinks, then feels a slow smile spread across her face. "Shin Ryujin, are you asking me out on a date?"

"Maybe."

"It would be my honour to help you with your astronomy homework," Yeji tells her happily, and Ryujin pretends not to look pleased.

" Dork. "

 

---

 

They have to take two buses and a train to escape the light pollution of busy Seoul, but Yeji thinks it's worth it.

Ryujin brings her to a quiet spot atop a grassy hill, where their professor had brought them on a previous field trip, and they sit on a blanket Yeji had thankfully thought to bring, side-by-side, their shoulders touching. She proceeds to sketch the cloudless night sky, a rumpled star map by her side and a pair of rented binoculars pressed to her eyes, while Yeji lies back, hands behind her head, wordlessly admiring how bright the stars are this far from the city, listening to Ryujin's pencil scratching distantly on her notebook. One of Ryujin's more mellow playlists plays softly in the background, one that Yeji recognises as something she hasn't aired to their listeners yet.

After a while, Ryujin joins her in lying back on the blanket.

"Do you have a favourite?" Yeji asks her softly, fearing anything louder would break the wondrous stillness of the moment.

"My favourite is that one," Ryujin points, and Yeji squints, but all the stars look more or less the same to her.

"Here," Ryujin says, and she presses her binoculars to Yeji's eyes. "You see the little group of stars that looks kind of like a W?"

"That one?" She points.

"No..." Ryujin takes her wrist and gently directs it to the cluster of stars just below it. "That one."

" Oh. Why's it your favourite?"

"'Cause of the story. Do you know who Perseus is?" Ryujin turns to look at her, her face dimly illuminated by the weak glow of the nearby streetlamps, and Yeji can't tear her eyes away.

"From Greek mythology, right?" she murmurs, just barely able to focus with Ryujin's face just inches from hers. "He rescued that girl tied to a rock?"

"Yeah. Andromeda. Cassiopeia was her mother," Ryujin says, speaking animatedly now, and Yeji smiles at her, affectionately. "The story goes that she boasted that she was more beautiful than the nereids—sea nymphs—and Poseidon got pissed and sent a sea monster after her. So she tied her daughter to a rock to appease it."

"That's horrible." Yeji laughs.

"Mother of the year," Ryujin agrees. "Anyway, Perseus rescues Andromeda, and of course she falls in love, right? They get married, but one of her simps gets pissy—"

"One of her simps? "

"Stop interrupting me," Ryujin shoves her shoulder lightly. "Her simp tries to fight Perseus, and—you know how Perseus defeated Medusa before in another story, right? He uses Medusa's head to win, but everyone turns to stone. Except Perseus and Andromeda."

"So Cassiopeia..."

"He turned his parents-in-law into stone too, yup," Ryujin affirms cheerfully. "Supposedly, the gods turned everyone in the story into stars, but because they were still mad at Cassiopeia for being vain, they made her spend half of every year upside down. So it looks like a W now, but in the summer it'll be more like an M. Scientifically, it's because it revolves around the north celestial pole...but I think the story's cooler."

"Definitely cooler," Yeji agrees, smiling. She slips her hand into Ryujin's on the blanket and squeezes tentatively. "You told it well."

"You sure?" Ryujin scrunches up her nose at her, playfully, but her fingers quietly intertwine with Yeji’s. "You seemed to have issues with the way I was telling it."

"No, I didn't, promise," Yeji protests, grinning. "I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Andromeda and her simps. Thank you for sharing it with me."

She'll gladly listen to any story Ryujin wants to tell, however she wants to tell it.

"Okay, good." Ryujin dimples at her, and her stomach does flips. 

Ryujin rolls back onto her back so that she's facing the night sky again. "I complain about my astronomy class a lot because of the workload and all the science, but it's worth it to learn about stories like these, I think."

She says a few more things about astronomy, and Yeji thinks she hears the words "physics" and "math", but she can't be sure, because Ryujin looks heart-wrenchingly beautiful under the moon's silvery light, hair mussed from lying on the blanket, eyes gazing distantly at the stars. Yeji tries to concentrate on what she's saying, she really does, but every time she thinks she's got the gist of it, Ryujin's thumb brushes against her knuckle in a gentle, almost absentminded caress, and she promptly loses all semblance of coherent thought again.

"Stop staring at me. There's a whole view out here before us."

"You have a very high opinion of yourself," Yeji murmurs, but she doesn't look away from Ryujin. "I was looking at the view."

Ryujin blinks, lips parting, and before Yeji can say or do anything else, she's pushed her face into Yeji's shoulder. "Shut up."

Yeji can see even under the dim glow of the streetlamps that the tips of her ears have turned red. "Why?" she says, laughing softly. "Do you want me to stop?"

"I didn't say that," Ryujin mutters into her sleeve.

"You’re so pretty,” Yeji whispers to the top of her head, just to see her blush again, “I could stare at you all day, if you’d let me.”

“Shut up or I’ll—”

“Or you’ll what?” Yeji teases. Ryujin looks up from her shoulder suddenly, her face a hair’s breadth from Yeji’s, and Yeji’s heart stutters in her chest. 

“Tease me again,” Ryujin dares, inching forward, so close that their noses brush. Yeji feels her breath hitch. 

She panics. 

“It’s just payback for all the times you’ve bullied me,” she says, jerking back and trying to laugh. 

Ryujin blinks, pulling back as well, confusion in the line between her furrowed brows. "Oh. Okay...yeah. Fair," she says slowly.

Yeji thinks she sees a hint of something like disappointment in Ryujin's eyes as she rolls back onto her back, returning her gaze to the night sky. Biting her lip, she lets her head thud back onto the blanket, silently berating herself.

They lie in silence while Yeji tries to sort the jumble of thoughts inside her head out.

"Sorry," she says quietly. "I kind of freaked out."

Ryujin turns to her again. "Hey," she whispers, and Yeji feels a hand curl tentatively around her index finger. "It's okay. Don't be sorry. We don't have to go slow only for me, you know. We can take this at whatever pace you want."

"No, I just—" Yeji looks down, struggling to find the words.

Ryujin waits, patiently.

"I like you," Yeji whispers. "A lot. And I want you so much I'm afraid I'll—I don't want to move too fast and scare you off again."

"I was the one who...you know," Ryujin points out.

"I know," Yeji says. "I just..."

She'd thought of every time in the past Ryujin had pulled away whenever they got too close, and had panicked. "But don't get me wrong," she says softly. "I do...want to kiss you."

The hand curled around her index finger tightens, ever so slightly. "I want to kiss you, too."

Yeji looks up. Ryujin's smile is gentle, shy. Her chest warms.

“You want to know why I kept pulling away? Why I was so frightened to get close to you?” Ryujin asks her.

“Because the whole soulmates thing scared you, right? I thought you just wanted to stay as far away as possible because of it.”

“Yeah, that. But also…” Ryujin fiddles with Yeji’s fingers. “ You scared me. I saw you that day in the coffee shop and thought I was doomed, because there was no way I’d be able to stop myself from falling.”

Yeji blinks. “Oh,” she says. Her cheeks feel hot, suddenly. “Are you still scared?” 

“No,” Ryujin says, “not anymore. When I'm with you…I don’t feel afraid.”

Her voice is quiet, but certain. Yeji stares at her, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Okay. Good.”

"Let me show you another one," Ryujin says, tugging at Yeji's finger.

"Sure," she agrees.

"You've probably heard of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor before, right?" Ryujin says, and Yeji lets out a hum of agreement.

"They're supposed to be bears, right?"

"Yeah. The two bears in the sky." Ryujin smiles at her. "A big one and a little one. But a lot of people don't know that if you take two of the stars at the end of Ursa Major—" she lets go of Yeji's index finger, gently takes her wrist again, and points to the stars in question "—and you draw a line to Ursa Minor—" she guides Yeji's hand across the sky as she talks "—you'll reach one of my favourite stars."

Yeji sees it, shining just a little brighter than the other stars dotting the outline of the little bear. "Just a star? Not a constellation?"

"Yeah." Ryujin lowers their hands. Yeji slowly intertwines them, focusing on the feel of Ryujin’s soft palm against hers, the way her pulse thrums steadily against her wrist bone. "Its name is Polaris."

"What's so special about Polaris?"

Ryujin sneaks an almost bashful glance at her. "It makes me think of you."

Yeji's head snaps to hers immediately. "Why? What's the story behind it?"

Ryujin considers her for a moment, then smiles to herself. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Yeji's jaw drops. "You can't just say something like that and not elaborate!"

"I can and I just did." Ryujin grins at her, smug, all whisker dimples and curved eyes. A lock of hair has fallen in her eyes; without thinking, Yeji reaches up to brush it out of her face, tucking it carefully behind her ear.

She blushes, once her brain catches up with her actions. Right. She's allowed to do this now. It feels almost surreal, reaching out for what she wants like this, given how often in the past she's snuck peeks of Ryujin's hair and longed to run her fingers through it.

Ryujin shivers a little, and Yeji notices belatedly her fingers are still lingering by Ryujin's ear. "Are you cold?" she says immediately. "I have another blanket—"

"No," says Ryujin. Her voice is a little breathy. "Not cold, it just—feels good."

Realisation dawns on Yeji, and her cheeks redden further. With the tips of her fingers, she trails a tentative line from Ryujin's ear to her jaw, watching carefully for any signs of discomfort, but Ryujin just stares at her, eyes heavy-lidded, breathing shallow. When she cups Ryujin's cheek, the smaller girl nuzzles into her palm like a contented cat, eyes closing, and Yeji feels her gaze soften immeasurably.

"Jinnie," she whispers, and Ryujin's eyes flutter open.

Yeji doesn't know who leans in first. Ryujin’s lips meet hers, moving tenderly against her own, her free hand moving to cradle Yeji’s jaw, Yeji’s skin electric wherever she touches. Yeji feels like she’s floating, head reeling at how soft Ryujin feels against , how her thumb paints goosebumps across her skin as it softly caresses her cheekbone. Heart pounding, she deepens the kiss, hands sliding into Ryujin’s hair, wanting more, needing more, and Ryujin whines softly against her lips, pressing closer to her. 

The noise makes Yeji shudder, and she pulls back abruptly, breathing heavily, trying to calm her frenzied heart. Every breath she takes tastes like lavender and lemon. 

Ryujin stares at her, hair mussed, lips kiss-swollen, cheeks pink. “That was...”

“I know,” Yeji whispers. She feels lightheaded, Ryujin’s gentle touch on her cheek the only thing still anchoring her to the ground.

“Is it going to be like this every time we kiss?” Ryujin says in awe, and Yeji has to fight back a laugh. 

“God, I hope so.”

 

---

 

When Yeji gets back to her room later that night, the first thing she does is look up polaris. She frowns, not really understanding what she's seeing. She tries searching polaris star story instead, but comes up short as well.

As a last resort, she texts Ryujin.

 

yeji

the brightest star in the sky...?

jinnie

oh you went to look it up hehe

no and it's not even the brightest star in the sky that's a myth...your googling

yeji

oh so i'm not the brightest star in the sky to you...

jinnie

no <3

yeji

:< tell me

jinnie

well what's polaris

 

Yeji frowns at the search results on her laptop screen.

 

yeji

the north star?

jinnie

and what does the north star do

yeji

guide people who are lost?

jinnie

hehe

 

Yeji stares at her phone, smiling stupidly, and sends Ryujin an amalgamation of heart emojis and at least five different crying faces, to which Ryujin doesn't reply.

Just as she's heading to bed for the night, her phone chimes again.

 

jinnie

i mean it

you're my guiding star

i felt like i was fumbling around in the dark before i met you

thank you, yeji

 

---

 

"So," Seungwan says, positively beaming, "you guys now consistently have the highest listener count. Congratulations!"

"We what? " Yeji gapes at her, while Ryujin just grins. 

"It might have something to do with Ryujin's anonymous confession a few weeks back." Seungwan laughs. "But you guys are doing really well, regardless. You have solid playlists, you give listeners good advice, and you have really strong co-hosting chemistry."

Yeji turns pink at the praise, and Seungwan smiles at her, understanding. "I hope you two decide to come back to Velvet FM next year.”

"We will," Yeji promises. "For sure."

"Good." Seungwan smiles at both of them, turns to leave, then pauses in the doorway. "By the way—do you know who keeps taking the fruits I leave out? They disappear so fast."

"Nope," Ryujin says, with a completely straight face, while Yeji coughs into her hand beside her. "Not a clue."

 

---

 

As they're walking back to their dorms, a tiny, powdery flake spirals its way onto Yeji's nose, and she goes cross-eyed trying to look at it. "Jinnie—look! First snow!"

"Where?" Ryujin says, looking around, confused. "There's no snow."

"Here. On my nose! Look, it hasn't melted yet." Yeji grabs her arms, excited.

"Let me see." Ryujin peers at her nose, then pokes it, right where the snowflake landed. "Where? I don't see any snow."

"," Yeji complains, even as the tip of her nose tingles with Ryujin's touch. Another snowflake lands lightly on her upper lip, and she grabs Ryujin again. "Look!"

Before she can say anything else, Ryujin's lips land lightly on her skin, just at the corner of her lips, lingering there. "Where?" Ryujin whispers again, breath ghosting against her skin. "I don't see anything."

She pulls back, laughing, while Yeji stands frozen to the sidewalk, crimson creeping into her cheeks.

“Are you coming, or what?” says Ryujin, a few steps ahead of her.

Shin Ryujin is going to be the death of her. 

She catches up to her co-host, frowning. “You’re evil.”

“I’m evil because I kissed you?”

“Yes—wait, no—”

“I’ll make sure not to do that from now on, then,” Ryujin says airily, and Yeji pushes her shoulder. 

“It wasn’t even a proper kiss.”

Ryujin turns to face her, taking a step forward, right into her personal space. Yeji freezes in her tracks. “Are you asking for one?”

"Maybe."

Ryujin takes another step closer. “You only needed to ask,” she says.

Before Yeji can say anything in retaliation, Ryujin leans in, fingers cradling Yeji’s jaw, and kisses her, her breath tickling Yeji’s nose softly. Pulse racing, Yeji digs her hands into her hair, pressing closer to her and kissing her slowly, relishing in the soft noise Ryujin makes when she does. They break apart for air, Ryujin’s teeth catching onto Yeji’s bottom lip, tugging lightly. 

She pulls her in for another, eyes dark, pupils blown, and Yeji jerks back.

“I—I want to respect—I know you want to take it slow,” Yeji stammers, but she can hardly string together a coherent sentence with the way Ryujin’s eyes are focused hungrily on hers.

"Stop being so damn noble. " Ryujin presses closer, knotting her fists in the front of her jacket, and Yeji breathes out a half-disbelieving laugh.

“Greedy.”

“It’s not my fault you’re so—” Frustration flickers across Ryujin’s pretty face, mingling with the undisguised want in her eyes. It makes Yeji shiver. 

“So what?” she whispers.

“Just kiss me again already. Please?”

Yeji wants to give Ryujin the world with the way she’s looking at her right now. Ryujin reaches for her again, but Yeji cranes her neck, placing herself out of reach.

The smaller girl gapes at her, incredulous. “Yeji!”

“We’re taking this slow,” Yeji repeats. “Remember?”

“God. Fine.” Ryujin drops back down to the balls of her feet, nose scrunching in displeasure, mouth twisting in an adorable scowl. She turns on her heel and starts walking off. 

Yeji stares after her in fond exasperation, before taking hold of her wrist and tugging her back.

“ What— ” Ryujin says, all huffy, and Yeji slots against hers mid-sentence, kissing her senseless.

When she pulls back, Ryujin’s cheeks are flushed. “Taking it slow, huh?” she says, a little breathlessly.

“It’s your fault for being so cute,” Yeji murmurs.

 

---

 

Eventually, they reach Ryujin’s dorm, the walk back having taken at least twenty minutes more than it should have, and Ryujin says, casually, “I think Jisu is staying over at Ryeong’s again tonight.”

“Oh, is she?” Yeji says. 

“Mm.”

She chances a glance at Ryujin, who’s already looking at her, a smile playing around the corners of . “Do you...want to stay over at mine, then?” she asks hopefully. 

Ryujin grins at her, whiskers on full display. “Yeah. I’d love to.”

 

---

 

After a few weeks of seeing each other, Yeji likes to think that she's used to being together with Ryujin.

But in her room, when she glances between Ryujin and her small standard issue college bed, she flounders a little, unsure. "I can take the floor," she offers hesitantly, and Ryujin makes a face at her, grabbing a fistful of her shirt and yanking her so that they both tumble clumsily onto her bed. Yeji laughs, surprised and relieved, grabbing onto Ryujin instinctively as she loses her balance.

"Don't be stupid."

 

---

 

When Ryujin leaves her room for the bathroom, Yeji scrolls idly on her phone for a while, before something occurs to her. Curiously, she glances at Ryujin's phone, lying unattended amidst her blankets, and wonders what Ryujin's contact name for her is. She doesn't really expect anything much, given that they just started dating a few weeks ago, but if it's something like Hwang Yeji (Velvet FM), she's going to be sorely disappointed.

She sends Ryujin a hesitant text. Ryujin's phone lights up with the notification, and Yeji's eyes widen at what she sees there.

 

my north star

hi

 

---

 

Lying in bed with Ryujin just inches away from her, their knees touching lightly, blankets drawn up to their chins, is absolutely not helping Yeji's poor, weak heart.

"Yeji," Ryujin says quietly. "Can I see your wrist?"

"Which one?" Yeji says automatically, and she can practically hear Ryujin rolling her eyes in the dark.

"You know which one."

"It's late, okay?" Yeji says defensively, and she holds her left wrist out. Ryujin gently takes her hand in both of hers, eyes moving over the narrow lettering of her soulmark, partially lit by the moonlight.

"I'm sorry," she breathes, running her thumb over the words, and Yeji feels a tingle run up her arm. "Sorry that I lied about not seeing my handwriting there before."

"Hey, it's okay," Yeji says softly, reaching out to cover one of Ryujin's hands with her own. "You weren't in a place to be with your soulmate before. I get it."

"Still." Ryujin looks at her, regret in her eyes. "You looked so sad, that day. And if I had known sooner..."

"Stop," Yeji says gently, but firmly. "I don't regret a thing about how we came to be together. I think we're stronger for it."

Ryujin exhales, then says, "Yeah. No, you’re right. Me too."

She dips her head, bringing Yeji's wrist to her lips, and kisses the skin there softly, right on her soulmark, the touch of her lips electric. Yeji shudders.

"Thank you," Ryujin whispers, "for being patient with me."

"Always," Yeji whispers back, then hesitates. "Can...can I see yours?"

"Yeah. Hang on a sec." Ryujin sits up, reaches for the hem of her shirt, and—oh. Oh. Yeji jerks her face away immediately, cheeks burning; it completely slipped her mind that Ryujin's soulmark spans her ribs.

"Don't you want to see?" Ryujin says, sounding very amused.

Yeji stares determinedly up at the ceiling. "Um," she squeaks.

Ryujin's fingers touch her jaw, gently directing her to face her again. "It's okay. You can look."

There, written across her ribs, are the words Is it you? in neat, spiky cursive.

"It's my handwriting," Yeji says in wonder.

Ryujin quirks an eyebrow at her, one hand still holding up the hem of her shirt. "Are you surprised?"

"No!" Yeji says quickly. "Just—" She sits up as well, reaching up to finger the words, and feels Ryujin shiver lightly against her fingertips.

"Yeji," Ryujin tries shakily, her voice catching on the last syllable. Yeji meets her gaze, and she's caught off guard by the unadulterated want she finds there.

"Jinnie," she whispers, and bends to press her lips reverently to her own handwriting. Ryujin lets out a quiet whimper at the contact, shivering again.

"Thank you for showing me," she says softly, when she pulls back. "Thank you for letting me in."

Ryujin lets the hem of her shirt fall, sliding her arms around her neck and kissing her, long and slow. "Thank you for not giving up on me," she whispers against Yeji's lips.

 

---

 

The next morning, Yuna beckons Yeji over to the cashier's register. "I don't know what you did to Ryujin," she stage whispers behind her hand, "but I hope you never stop doing it."

"What do you mean?"

They both watch Ryujin as she tips milk into the latte she's making for Yeji. Ryujin notices, and flips both of them off with her free hand, eyes curving in a cheeky smile. Yeji feels herself smile back in response, her gaze soft.

"She's been practically glowing for the past few weeks." Yuna giggles, looking between the two of them. "She hums to herself when she's pouring coffee. Even during morning shifts. Do you know how freaked out I was when I first heard her?"

"I can hear you, you know," Ryujin says pointedly.

"I'm just telling Yeji how glad I am she turned you into a big softie," Yuna says.

"I'm not a softie," Ryujin says, motioning Yeji over to the collection counter.

"So if I pop open the lid of that latte right now, I won't see something cute you drew for her again?"

"No," says Ryujin, so petulantly that Yuna laughs, while Yeji hides an affectionate smile behind her hand. "Shut up."

"Okay, okay, sorry. I'll leave you two alone." Yuna grins, starting to take the next customer's order, and Yeji steps over to Ryujin’s side of the counter. 

Ryujin holds out her drink, pauses, grins, and then says, very deliberately, “Here’s your latte. Don’t forget your straw.”

Yeji blinks at her bemusedly for a second, then snorts. “Please. This is hot coffee, I’m not even supposed to have a straw.”

Ryujin clucks her tongue disapprovingly. “That’s not what you’re supposed to say. I thought you’d know, since you saw the words on my body last night.”

A few heads turn in their direction, and Yeji slaps her hand over Ryujin’s mouth hurriedly. “Jinnie!”

Ryujin’s eyes sparkle with mischief over her hand, and her teeth clamp down playfully on Yeji’s finger. Wincing, Yeji drops her hand and regrets it immediately.

“Really, I thought since you kissed me there you’d have a better idea of what you should’ve said—”

Yeji drops her head into her hands on the counter. Shin Ryujin is absolutely, utterly, indubitably going to be the death of her. 

“Sorry.” Ryujin giggles, bending down to peek at her. “You’re just cute when you get flustered, you know?”

“So you’ve said,” Yeji says into her hands. 

Ryujin hands her the coffee cup, still smiling, and Yeji takes it, cupping her hands around its warmth. Curiously, she peels the lid open to see little stars swirled into her coffee. Five of them are lined up in a little W, while the last one hangs in the milky sky, beautiful and brighter than the rest. Right at the bottom, a dash of foam runs across the surface in the shape of a grassy hill, where two figures are lying side by side, infinitesimally small under the vast night sky.

"Cassiopeia and Polaris," she whispers.

"You remember," Ryujin says, sounding pleased.

"Of course I remember. How could I forget?" Yeji wrinkles her brow at her. "So, did Yuna do this one too?"

"Yeah, this one was definitely Yuna," says Ryujin, deadpan.

"Tell Yuna that this one is my absolute favourite," Yeji says, smiling, "and that her latte art is as pretty as she is."

"Shut up," Ryujin says, pink creeping into her cheeks, and Yeji just laughs at her, fond.

"You know, this is where it all started," Yeji muses, cradling the latte in her hands. "You shot me down—" she points to the sidewalk just outside the café "—right there."

She's joking, but Ryujin winces anyway. "See, that's why I wanted a do-over," she says, "but you won't say your words along with me."

"Okay, okay." Yeji laughs, while Ryujin sticks out her bottom lip in a childish pout. "I'm sorry! Say it again."

"Here's your latte," Ryujin repeats, her hands coming to rest over Yeji's on the cup, her dark eyes twinkling, and Yeji's heartbeat quickens. "Don't forget your straw."

"Is it you?" Yeji says softly, and Ryujin dimples at her happily, one hand reaching up to cup Yeji's jaw, pulling her in for a kiss that leaves Yeji's world spinning.

"Yeah," Ryujin whispers, once they've pulled apart, resting her forehead tenderly against Yeji's. "It is."