What had started as private dance lessons turned into dates. Soojin and Shuhua were still dancing during those times, but a fair amount of flirting and blushing was now also involved. 

Shuhua soon found out that if Soojin the dance teacher was strict and a bit distant, Soojin the girlfriend was the sweetest thing that Shuhua had ever known. The Korean woman was spoiling her in every way, always encouraging her and praising her for achieving even the easiest moves.

At the end of one of their sessions, Soojin looked at her persistently but without saying anything so Shuhua asked.

“Is there something wrong?”

Soojin looked away. “No but… I wondered if you would like to go on a date with me?”

Shuhua’s brain stopped functioning, and that fact showed on her face as she blinked. “What?”

“I mean, we already know we like each other so maybe we could go on a date… somewhere…”

Soojin looked down and fiddled with her fingers and Shuhua found her utterly cute.

“You know, I kinda considered our dance lessons as dates.”

“Oh.” Soojin’s eyes widened at the younger woman's words and she looked up. “But dancing is my universe,” she went on, “I want you to show me the things you like.”

It was Shuhua’s turn to look down, heat warming her chest at the idea that Soojin wanted to know her better.

“Then maybe we could go to the…”

_ 

“The zoo?!” Yuqi screamed. 

Shuhua had tried not to let her friend know because she had feared that kind of reaction. However, as she had been about to leave their dorm, hand already on the doorknob, Yuqi had asked her where she was going and Shuhua hadn’t wanted to lie. “You suggested going to the zoo?” Yuqi went on. “Isn’t that for kids?”

“It’s not!” Shuhua defended. “And she seemed happy about it.”

Yuqi rolled her eyes. “Come on, Shuhua, you don’t take someone like Soojin to the zoo.” 

“She’s not like you think, she’s really sweet.”

Yuqi sighed. “You guys are so lame,” she said. “If I were you I would take her to the club so that she wears something tight that reveals her body.”

“Yuqi!”

“What? It’s not my fault if your girlfriend is the hottest thing on Earth!”

“Yuqi, Soyeon is right next to you.” Shuhua reminded her friend.

Yuqi looked at Soyeon. “So what?” She asked, eyebrow raised.

“Why should I get mad?” Soyeon asked, blinking.

Shuhua facepalmed. She would never understand those two’s relationship. “Anyways,” she said, “I have to go, it's almost time.”

“Have a nice day!” Her friends both shouted and Shuhua shut the door behind herself.

She took the stairs and exited the building. It was early in the morning. The street was empty except for Shuhua’s presence and she thought for a moment that it might be dangerous for her to stand there. But that thought only lasted one second before her mind was distracted by the chirps of birds. 

Shuhua looked up and localized one of them on a tree branch. She observed it as it took a few steps on the branch before it spread its wings and flew away. Shuhua was following its flight as a car approached. She turned around only to recognize Soojin in the driver’s seat. The smile lingering on her lips only grew wider. 

She got into the car and Soojin returned the smile.

“Hey, Shu,” she said. 

“Hey,” Shuhua answered. “You look great.”

Soojin’s eyes slightly widened and she looked down at herself. “I’m not wearing anything special though.”

Her words made Shuhua detach her eyes from her girlfriend’s face to take a look at her clothes. Blue jeans topped with an oversized beige cardigan over a white tee-shirt. Simple and efficient. Perfect for a day wandering around in a zoo and far away from what Yuqi thought suitable for a first date.

“You look great no matter what you wear, Soo.” 

It slipped out of Shuhua’s lips before she had time to realize that she was saying it and she blushed as soon as she did. I’m so embarrassing, she thought, but the smile that Soojin gave her was blinding. 

“Thank you, you look great too.”

They stared at each other in an awkward silence. Soojin opened to say something but didn’t in the end, choosing to bite her lip instead. Shuhua had a question on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t dare to ask. 

“Should we go?” Shuhua asked instead after what was probably an eternity. Soojin nodded and started the engine.

Maybe Yuqi was right. Maybe they were lame.

_

The sun had set up high in the sky when Soojin parked the car. They had made sure to leave early but a lot of cars were already there. Shuhua was eager to get in. She had always loved animals, that was why it had been natural for her to choose to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine. Her ultimate dream was to open a shelter for abandoned animals where she would provide them with the love that they had been deprived of.

They presented their tickets and the employee let them in. Soojin instinctively walked to the giant map exposed at the entrance of the zoo. 

“Where should we go first?” She asked, her eyes glued to the map as if scared to get lost if she ever dared to look away from it.

Shuhua on the contrary had been there so many times that it would be impossible for her to count. She would come there when happy or sad or simply when she was bored. Seeing the wild world appeased her. It always did. So when Soojin had asked her to take her to a place that was special to her, she had immediately thought of the zoo. 

“Do you trust me?” She asked, extending one of her hands out to Soojin.

Shuhua didn’t know if she and Soojin were lame, but one thing was lame for sure : the zoo’s itinerary. Shuhua had no idea who had designed it or decided where to put which animals but they should have been fired right after proposing their plan.

The most impressive animals should be seen at the end, right? Yet, for some reason, it had been decided to put lions, elephants, giraffes and so on around the beginning of the designated path. It didn’t make sense to Shuhua’s mind, so after her first visit there, she had imagined her own sequence, and that was what she wanted to show Soojin.

The Korean shyly took her hand as a silent sign of agreement to be guided by the Taiwanese. 

The map recommended taking the right to start the journey in the zoo but Shuhua knew that it was better to start from the left. Shuhua wondered if she was the only one troubled by them walking hand in hand. Not that they had never held hands before, but Shuhua thought that it would always make her heart panic all the same. 

They came across monkeys and stopped. Shuhua would always be amazed by the degree of similarity between them and the human kind. Soojin was staring at them with wonder, curiosity filling her eyes. The Korean took her by surprise as she turned her head, beaming. 

“Ain’t they adorable?” she said and Shuhua slowly nodded. They were adorable, it was undeniable. But something (read: someone) was somehow way more adorable than them. 

Shuhua wanted to remember that moment forever.

Soojin let go of Shuhua’s hand to walk forward because one of the monkeys had grabbed her attention. Her eyes shone once again and that time Shuhua couldn’t resist the temptation. She subtly took a picture. Well, she intended for it to be subtle, but she forgot to mute the device and Shuhua got caught as it made a clicking sound and Soojin looked her way.

“Shu?”

“Sorry, I just wanted to keep a memory of this day,” Shuhua said and it almost sounded like a question as her voice wavered. 

“It’s okay.” Soojin brushed a hair lock behind her ear, her eyes falling on the ground and her cheeks taking red shades. “Can we take one together?” she asked.

Shuhua was eager to answer. “Of course."

She walked closer and they both stood in front of the grid where a monkey was eating. They counted to three and Shuhua tapped the button on her phone. It was a simple picture but Shuhua liked it. 

“Can you send it to me later?” Soojin asked. 

The smile on Shuhua’s lips was the only answer needed.

_

The visit ended with lions and Shuhua was very pleased at Soojin’s reaction. As she had thought, lions were the most impressive animals and it made sense to end the day by seeing them. Soojin looked at them with a mix of both fascination and fear floating in her eyes and she made sure to stay away feets away from the grid unlike when they had seen other species. Shuhua couldn’t resist the temptation of teasing her.

“Soo?”

“Yeah?” 

“Why don’t you come closer? I want to take a picture!” 

Soojin seemed reluctant but carefully took the few steps that separated her from Shuhua and stood next to her, just in front of the grid. She drew near Shuhua and forced a smile for the picture, which Shuhua didn’t miss when she checked the picture that she had taken. 

“You look cute,” she said softly and Soojin chose to turn around to face the lions as an attempt to hide the blush that bloomed on her face.

They left the zoo moments later after taking the way back to the entrance and got into Soojin’s car. The journey to Shuhua’s dorm was filled with Shuhua commenting about the pictures that she had taken that day and Soojin trying no to get too distracted by her.

They arrived in front of the building and Soojin offered to the Taiwanese home. A twinge of regret travelled through Shuhua’s heart at the thought that she would soon have to let go of the hand that she had been holding all day. Yet, she didn’t have much time to dwell on it as a warm pair of lips met hers in the sweetest touch.

“Goodnight, Shu,” Soojin said, all traces of shyness having disappeared from her. Shuhua couldn’t muster an answer and Soojin left with tenderness in her eyes and a wave of the hand.

Shuhua stood in front of her dorm’s door, unable to move, her eyes still on the shadow of Soojin’s back that had disappeared long ago. When she got out of her trance, she blinked and opened the front door before entering into the accommodation that she shared with Yuqi.

She sat on the sofa, still out of it. 

Shuhua thought that she would never understand Soojin’s duality. 

But she wasn’t going to complain about it.