“I’m guessing I did too well of a job.” The amusement is clear in Sooyoung’s tone even over the phone, and Seungwan heaves a sigh.

“Unfortunately. Will you help me out?”

“Of course! Who in their right mind is going to say no to that much money?”

Seungwan blanches at the thought of another five hundred thousand won out of her bank account. Karma is truly a .

“Right. Can you do next Saturday?”

“Sure. I am unemployed, after all.”

 

Thanks to her hectic schedule at the hospital, the weekend rolls around a little faster than Seungwan’s expected. As she navigates her way to the front of Sooyoung’s apartment building, Seungwan can’t quite decide if she wants this to be all over or for it to never happen. Probably a little bit of both.

Then, the car door jerks open, breaking Seungwan’s train of thought, and Sooyoung plops onto the chair, wearing a light brown blazer on top of a white shirt and jeans. Buckling her seatbelt, she glances at Seungwan before letting out a snort.

“We match.” She points at Seungwan’s similarly coloured blazer, and Seungwan looks down at herself.

“Great minds think alike, huh?”

“I’m glad you think I’m smart.” Sooyoung grins. “Your parents are going to absolutely fawn over this, aren’t they?” She reclines into the seat, looking already well at home in Seungwan’s car as she fiddles with her phone.

“Oh, absolutely.”

 

As they make their way towards the door, Seungwan can already detect faint sounds coming from the other side of the door, and she’s groaning inwardly.

“Just a heads up—my aunt and grandmother can be quite… a lot.” She sighs, but Sooyoung merely gives her a reassuring smile and interlaces their hands.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” She presses the doorbell, and once more, Seungwan’s mother is opening the door, greeting them with a warm smile.

“Hello! It’s lovely to see you again, Sooyoung. Come in, come in.” She steps back, and the two of them enter the raucous house. It’s only then that Seungwan’s mother notices their matching outfits.

“Oh! How lovely, you two! Absolutely adorable.” She beams, and Sooyoung shooting Seungwan a knowing look, eyebrows raised and lips quirked ever so slightly in a smug smile as they make their way into the living room.

Before Seungwan can lead Sooyoung by the hand to meet her two other relatives, Seungwan’s mother touches her daughter’s arm gently, stopping them in their tracks.

“Have you… talked to Sooyoung about your aunt and grandmother?” Her tone becomes more serious, her voice now hushed.

The two younger women exchange looks, and Seungwan nods.

“Okay, okay.” Seungwan’s mother lets out a sigh of relief, pushing them towards the rest of the family. “Be nice, Seungwan.” She whispers to her daughter, before she hurries off to the kitchen, where Seungwan’s father is, presumably, busy with making dinner.

“Always am.” Seungwan mutters, and Sooyoung snorts a quiet laugh. Leading her by the hand, Seungwan makes her way to her grandmother, who immediately notices her grand-daughter’s appearance, and her eyes flicker to Sooyoung.

“Ah! You must be Seungwan’s girlfriend!” She says, somewhat loudly, and Seungwan winces. Sooyoung, on the other hand, looks completely unfazed. “Yes, I am! It’s very nice to meet you.” She bows, and turns to Seungwan’s aunt beside her grandmother, bowing again before offering her hand in a handshake.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Sooyoung!” Sooyoung flashes a confident smile, and her aunt returns her greeting enthusiastically. Chancing a glance at her grandmother, Seungwan holds in a relieved sigh, because it seems like her grandmother looks pleased—which is a rare occurrence in itself, and even more so for strangers that family members brought back to introduce to the rest of the family.

“You’re very pretty! Seungwan, why didn’t you tell us about her sooner?” Seungwan’s aunt turns to her, and the doctor jolts a little at the sudden attention.

“I, uh, we only became official recently.” She offers weakly, and Sooyoung’s grip on her hand tightens.

“It took us a while to get there and Seungwan doesn’t really like to jump the gun, so I didn’t push for it either.” Sooyoung adds, glancing at Seungwan with a soft smile.

“How thoughtful! Seungwan, she’s definitely a keeper— I can already tell.”

Seungwan chuckles, albeit a little nervously. “She is, I still can’t quite believe how lucky I am.”

“So, are there any plans for marriage?”

The sudden question is met with silence, and for the first time, Sooyoung seems to be caught off guard.

“Uh,” Seungwan stutters, just as Sooyoung starts, “Actually—”

“We haven’t thought about it yet. Or talked about it. It’s just—a little… well, too soon?” Seungwan stumbles over her words in her haste, and Sooyoung pulls her a little closer by the waist. Seungwan casts a sideways glance to the taller woman, who seems to be giving a polite smile, nodding.

“Oh, well. No need to worry, it was just a question.” Her aunt replies flippantly, waving a hand vaguely, and Seungwan swallows.

“No need to rush into all that.” Seungwan’s grandmother finally speaks up. “Be careful, Seungwan. Don’t make silly mistakes, you know who should and shouldn’t be brought into the family.” At this, Sooyoung stills beside Seungwan. Suddenly, the atmosphere is tense, and Seungwan shifts uncomfortably.

“Grandma, Sooyoung’s not like that. She’s honest and earns a decent living.” Seungwan says firmly, but her grandmother looks unconvinced, and Sooyoung’s grip on her hand tightens. Seungwan’s gaze darts between her grandmother and aunt. She clears . “We should go check on Mum and Dad.”

With that, Seungwan’s pulling the taller woman with her out of the living room and out of earshot of her relatives, granting the two of them privacy.

“I’m so, so sorry. That was so uncalled for, I didn’t think they’d be this rude in front of you.” The apology tumbles out of Seungwan’s mouth almost immediately, but Sooyoung just shakes her head.

“It’s fine. I’ve been through worse.”

“We can leave early after dinner. I’ll let my parents know.”

“No, no. Please, don’t sour your relationship with your relatives because of me. It’s not worth it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely.”

 

There’s an underlying, unspoken sort of tension when they eventually return for dinner at Seungwan’s mother’s beckoning.

It’s weird. None of them ever talk about the fact that Seungwan’s parents aren’t the biggest fans of her extended family—even before Sooyoung’s appearance. Not that Seungwan blames them—after all, she shares similar sentiments. Growing up around her extended relatives had only solidified her distaste for them, and it’s a little embarrassing that Sooyoung is now a witness to it all. She casts a glance at the other woman, who now seems a little quieter, but smiles nonetheless and responds to the probing, invasive questions as politely as before.

Seungwan makes a mental note to treat Sooyoung to dinner sometime in the near future.

 

 

“I know you said they were bad, but I didn’t think they’d be that bad.” Sooyoung mutters as they make their way to the car.

“Well, they’re wealthy and snooty. It’s pretty much a recipe for disaster.” Seungwan sighs. They get into the car, and Seungwan starts the engine, driving them out onto the main road. Sooyoung leans back against the seat, and a heavy sigh escapes her. A few seconds of silence passes.

“I’m sorry.” Seungwan says.

“Don’t be. You gave me ample warning.” Sooyoung smiles.

“Still. Let me buy you dinner sometime this week to make up for it?” Seungwan glances over at Sooyoung.

“So eager to take me out on a date already?” Sooyoung teases, but there’s an oddly strained tone in her voice, and it falls flat.

“You are my girlfriend, after all.” Seungwan replies, and then there’s a quiet, genuine chuckle from Sooyoung.

“Sure, just let me know when you’re available.”

 

---

 

Work is all sorts of terrible. First, Seungwan loses a patient in the middle of surgery, and then she’s scheduled for multiple night shifts. To put the cherry on top, she falls sick on at the end of the week.

It’s nothing major—just a bit of a terrible cold—but after her hellish week, it’s enough to leave her utterly exhausted, and Seungwan finds herself lying in bed on Saturday morning, staring emptily at the ceiling. It’s her day off, and yet she can’t quite seem to find the energy to pull herself together and start the day. She sniffles a little, willing back tears that prick in her eyes. Convinces herself that it’s probably the cold.

There’s a soft meow as Mittens wanders into the bedroom, and the bed dips gently as the cat makes his way to her, settling into the crook of her arm. Tucking his legs under himself, Mittens watches her quietly for a while, before his eyes close, and Seungwan feels the cat purring against her.

“I guess I must be in a pretty bad shape if even you can tell I’m feeling like .” Seungwan mutters.

Reaching for her phone, Seungwan finds several unread messages from Joohyun and Seulgi each, and she glances at Sooyoung’s contact.

Right, they still have a pending dinner together.

She sends a quick reply to both of her friends, and her finger hovers over her chat with Sooyoung briefly before she’s sending the younger woman a text.

 

Hey, are you free in the evening next Monday?

 

It barely takes a second for Sooyoung to reply.

Yeah, let me know when and where!

 

“Well, at least there’s one good thing happening next week, huh, Mitts?” She says, but receives no reply. She turns to glance at her cat, only to realize he’s fallen asleep beside her, tucked safely and comfortably against her.

 

---

 

She’s running late.

As Seungwan pulls her scrubs over her head and off, reaching for her own clothes, she mutters a curse, scrambling to leave as quickly as possible. She hitches her the strap of her bag on one shoulder before closing her locker shut, power walking through the hospital as she makes her way to the parking lot. Granted, she’s already given Sooyoung fair warning for her potential tardiness, but Seungwan isn’t one to keep others waiting, and especially not when she had been the one to arrange this dinner in the first place.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, Seungwan dumps her bag in the passenger seat and starts the car, and glances at the clock.

She’s almost an hour late.

“.”

She shoots Sooyoung a quick text before buckling her seatbelt and making her way out of the parking lot, heading straight for the restaurant.

 

Seungwan’s well aware she looks more than a little frazzled as she steps into the restaurant, scanning the place for Sooyoung, who seems to have already spotted her. The younger woman waves her over, and Seungwan gives a tight-lipped smile, running a hand through her hair as she heads towards their table. The moment Seungwan sits down, an apology is already tumbling out of breathlessly, but Sooyoung merely waves it away.

“It’s fine, you told me you’d be late.”

“I hope the waiters didn’t think you got stood up.”

“Oh, definitely. They were giving me these really sympathetic looks before you arrived.” She snorts. “C’mon, let’s order. You must be hungry.”

By now, the restaurant is relatively empty, with most of the evening crowd already gone, and Seungwan flips through the menu, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

“You alright?” Sooyoung asks, concern clear in her voice.

“Yeah, just… tired. It’s been a long day.” Seungwan finally settles on a pasta dish, and they quickly order their food.

“Surgery?”

“Mhm. Had a bit of a complication earlier on. Again, I’m really, really sorry.”

“It’s fine, I get it. I should be thanking you for bringing me to such a fancy place.” Sooyoung raises an eyebrow, and Seungwan glances around. It’s not a place she regularly frequents given its price range, but from the numerous visits with her parents, Seungwan vividly remembers it, with its pristine floor to ceiling glass windows, fancy chandeliers and all.

“No need! It’s the least I can do after putting you through all that.”

“How chivalrous.” Sooyoung smiles.

“So… are you going to need my help again, or is this the last one?” Sooyoung asks cautiously, and Seungwan lets out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of her neck. She’s temporarily saved from answering by the arrival of their dinner, and there’s a few moments of silence as they become preoccupied with eating. Briefly, Seungwan wonders if Sooyoung would’ve already forgotten her question, or had taken the brief interval as a sign to switch topics.

Unfortunately for her, things never really go quite the way she wants them to.

“Well?” Sooyoung prompts, and Seungwan hums.

“Well… my parents love you, obviously, and they wanted me to invite you every other week for dinner.” Seungwan swallows. “You can say no, I completely understand, please don’t feel pressured to agree.”

“I’m okay with that!”

Seungwan blinks.

“What?”

“I said I’m okay. I love it, actually.” Sooyoung pauses. “That sounded weird.” She shrugs as she cuts into her steak.

“…Is this because I’m paying you?”

“Not really, but yeah, I guess that too. Mostly just because your parents’ cooking is amazing, and they’re really nice.”

“Oh.” Seungwan twirls her pasta onto her fork, stalling. Her next question is on the tip of her tongue, but she swallows it back. No, it’d be too rude and insensitive, especially when they’re just acquaintances.

“What is it?” Sooyoung’s voice interrupts Seungwan’s thoughts, and Seungwan looks up from her plate.

“Hm?”

“You look like you wanted to say something.”

Seungwan’s gaze darts back down. “No.”

“Uh huh.” Sooyoung sounds utterly unconvinced.

“It’s nothing.”

“C’mon, I want to know too.” Sooyoung pouts, and Seungwan sighs.

“Fine, fine. Just—It’s not a nice question, okay? I just wondered why you’d be willing to do all this just for some food.”

Sooyoung merely snorts. “That’s it?”

“Um, yeah.”

“I just miss having homecooked food. I’ve lived alone since we were in high school, and I don’t get to visit my parents very often. Besides, your parents are constantly amazed by me, and I don’t have to always feel like I need to be the best there is in order to make them proud of me.” Sooyoung chews on her food, somewhat nonchalant. It’s strange, how oddly comfortable Sooyoung is with sharing the more personal details of her life. A nice kind of strange. In a way, it’s comforting to know that Sooyoung shares similar struggles, even though Seungwan herself has never exactly been one to disclose her own problems voluntarily.

Seungwan nods. “I know what you mean. It gets worse, doesn’t it? When everyone else goes home for the holidays.”

“How it gets a little too lonely to bear, and suddenly your thoughts just get a little too loud and the apartment’s too quiet.” Sooyoung’s voice goes a little quieter.

There’s a bittersweet smile from Seungwan. “Exactly that.”

 

---

 

On the second time of their biweekly dinner with Seungwan’s parents, Seungwan wakes up to a text from Sooyoung.

 

Hey, can I come around to yours a little earlier and take a shower before we leave? My water pipe burst and I kind of stink

 

Squinting blearily, Seungwan has to read the message a couple of times before it fully registers in her brain.

 

Uh, sure??

 

 

great, see ya!

 

 

True to her words, Sooyoung arrives at the given address a little after midday. There’s a couple of knocks on the door to signify her presence, and Seungwan’s scrambling to open the door. It opens to reveal Sooyoung in a casual shirt and shorts, complete with a rather mismatched shoulder bag. Then, there’s a loud gasp and Sooyoung’s bending down, cooing as Mittens approaches her, meowing.

“You didn’t tell me you had a cat!” Sooyoung says, and Seungwan smiles.

“Well, now you know. This is Mittens.” She gestures at the cat at her feet, who’s sniffing Sooyoung’s extended hand carefully.

“Hi!” Sooyoung coos again, and Mittens backs away, turning tail and heading straight for the couch once more.

“Sorry, he’s kind of an .”

Sooyoung laughs, standing up and entering the apartment.

“Where’d you get him from?”

“From the local animal shelter. He’s a foster failure, actually.” Seungwan smiles, petting Mittens on the head as she settles onto the couch.

“The best kind, huh?” Sooyoung’s smile is nothing short of adoring as she watches Mittens lounging beside Seungwan.

“Without a doubt.”

 

Soon after, Sooyoung heads to the spare bathroom, leaving Seungwan alone with her cat once more.

The younger woman returns to the living room twenty minutes later, Seungwan’s spare towel draped over her hair, wearing a simple white silk button down and jeans.

“Sorry, I know I’m way too early for our dinner.” She says as she shoves her previous set of clothes into her bag, but Seungwan waves the apology away.

“No, no, it’s okay! It’s good to have a little company.” She stands up, making her way to the kitchen. “Have you had lunch?”

Sooyoung shakes her head.

“I’ll make some for you as well, then. Do you mind fried rice?”

“I’m good with anything! Need any help?” Sooyoung’s peeking over Seungwan’s shoulder as she watches the older woman pull ingredients from the admittedly pathetic fridge, stocked with little else save for her daily essentials. Which, if Seungwan is being honest, is mostly just milk for her morning coffee, a couple of eggs and leftover ingredients from her trip to the supermarket two weeks ago.

“I’ll be okay, you can go ahead and play with Mittens. The treats are in the cupboard over there,” Seungwan gestures to a nearby cupboard with a spatula. “You’ll probably need them.”

“Good thinking.” Sooyoung opens said cupboard, and within moments Mittens is already weaving in between her legs, sniffing at the treat packet in her hands, all previous traces of hesitation gone.

By the time Seungwan sets both their plates with food, Sooyoung is already cradling Mittens in her arms as she walks into the kitchen once more.

“Thanks for cooking, I really owe you one.”

“It’s the least I can do after all that you’ve done so far.” Seungwan hands Sooyoung her plate, and the younger woman releases the cat in favour of the plate. “He lets you do that to him?” Seungwan raises an eyebrow, and Sooyoung nods, grinning.

“He certainly plays favourites.” Seungwan mutters.

“Don’t sweat it, I’m usually the favourite of many people.”

Seungwan shakes her head, smiling. “I can see why.” She takes a bite of her food, chewing before swallowing. “You left a good impression on both my grandmother and aunt, and I don’t think they’ve ever been impressed by someone until they met you.”

“Well, what about you?” Sooyoung’s eyes meet Seungwan’s, but she’s only met with confusion.

“Huh?”

“What’s your impression of me?”

There’s a brief few seconds of silence as Seungwan contemplates on this, humming thoughtfully.

“A good person.” She says eventually, but the answer mustn’t have been very satisfactory, because Sooyoung still looking at her expectantly.

“That’s it?” The younger woman blinks.

“Well, we don’t know a whole about each other, so it’s a little difficult to say more.” Seungwan shifts uncomfortably.

“Then it’s time to change that, don’t you think?” Sooyoung’s grinning at her now.

“Do elaborate.”

“We should hang out more, especially if we’re going to be doing this whole fake dating thing on a regular basis. Plus, I don’t really want to have to explain to your parents why I don’t know important details of your life.”

“Um, sure.” Seungwan scratches the back of her neck, and it seems like Sooyoung has picked up on her hesitance, because the younger woman sits back into her seat, a little more subdued this time.

“I understand if you don’t want to though, it was just a suggestion.” She says gently, and Seungwan sits up a little straighter, evidently flustered.

“No, no, no! I’d love to! I just—I’m not used to people being interested in hanging out with me. I’m not the most exciting person to be around, really.” Her voice grows a little smaller, and Seungwan glances down at her now empty plate.

“They’re missing out, then.”

Seungwan can’t help but smile at the absolute confidence in Sooyoung’s voice.

“What do you think about grabbing a couple of drinks after dinner?” Sooyoung suggests, and Seungwan glances up. Their eyes meet.

“I’d love to.”