Moon Byulyi stood at the door of the Kim household on the outskirts of Seoul, it was a modest two-storey house that belonged to a family from the upper-middle class. The house sank with age but it looked well-maintained with its own small garden. She glanced around the street, the very street that her girlfriend had grew up in.

The neighbours that lived along this street were long-time friends of the Kim family and some of them peeked out of their window when they noticed an unfamiliar SUV parked right outside of the house, mostly out of concern for the family that lived within. Kim Yongsun once remarked that the neighbours did their best to protect the privacy of her parents, often asking the occasional paparazzi to leave if they did wander to the doorstep.

The stoic rapper could feel her palms getting sweaty and she wiped along her distressed jeans roughly. She pulled down baseball her cap nervously as she carried a bouquet of fresh colourful flowers for the female host of the family, the woman who had worked hard to bring up her girlfriend into such a wonderful person. Her heart was filled with gratitude that the singer had such a loving family.

She ran her hands down her leather jacket, straightening it for the umpteen time, before she pressed the doorbell hesitantly. She wore a white crop shirt under that jacket to give her an edgy look. The rapper maintained a polite smile as she waited with bated breath.

The door opened and Byulyi breathed a sigh of relief before she was swept away by the sheer beauty of her girlfriend. She had swept her pink hair in a bun, leaving her sleek neck bare. She wore a black button-up jacket barely held together by the might of its button over a pair of jeans. Her make-up accentuated her youth with its bright colours: her generous lips painted red to look luscious, her nails coloured with the same shade of red.

Her soft honey eyes brightened up like Christmas lights as they fell on the nervous woman at her doorstep.  Those eyes curved into twinkling crescents as she beamed, a smile that brightened her face. “Byul, you’re here.” She rested against the door, mesmerised by the handsome woman at the doorstep. The rapper decided to go for an edgy look, pairing her white crop top with a simple leather jacket that emphasised her sleek figure. Her distressed jeans tapered to her long and toned legs, ending in a pair of combat boots. She had worn a black baseball cap and the rest of her silver hair cascaded down her face.

“Yong,” grinned Byulyi, enamoured. Her nose wrinkled cutely as she grinned roguishly, little Indian dimples appearing on both sides of her face. She wanted to fan herself at the sight of Yongsun’s exposed nape—how can she be so alluring with just a change of hairstyle? She looked at her dumbly for a moment.

“Yong, who’s at the door?” Another voice interrupted them, belonging to an older woman. There was a coarseness to that feminine voice, which differentiate them. “Did your Unnie forget the code again?”

An older woman with rosy, plump cheeks like Yongsun appeared behind her. Her hair was permed into tiny curls, the hairdo that middle-aged Korean woman seemed to appreciate for its pragmatism. She was slightly shorter that Yongsun and a lot stouter. Byulyi would not be able to distinguish her from the other middle-aged women if she had met the latter on the street.

Remembering her manners, Byulyi sank into a bow instantly. “Good evening, Mrs Kim. Sorry to trouble you.”

“Umma, this is Moon Byulyi,” introduced Yongsun shyly, still leaning against the side of the door, her knees weak. How could Byulyi turned up looking so delectable? She had invited Byulyi over the usual family dinner since they were getting very serious with each other. The singer was uncomfortable that her family had not met her girlfriend formally when she had already decided to be with her for the rest of her life.

Mrs Kim nodded at her as she studied the lean and handsome woman in front of her.  Watching the younger woman on the television with her youngest daughter did not prepare her for how fatally charismatic the rapper was in person. The silver-haired rapper carried herself with elegant indifference that was very attractive and she could see why her youngest daughter was so mesmerised with her and she had never remembered a time when Yongsun was harbouring a crush over anyone. The rapper held herself proudly under her scrutiny, still wearing a respectful smile.

“Mrs Kim, this is for you. Thank you for having me over for dinner,” added Byulyi, handing the beautiful bouquet over with two hands politely.

Mrs Kim smiled brightly, looking like the older version of her girlfriend for a moment as she admired the colourful flowers. “You should not have, Byulyi. May I call you Byulyi?” She stepped backwards, a silent invitation for the rapper to come in.

Yongsun’s cheeks pinked immediately when she realised that she was so busy gawking at her girlfriend that she did not invite her in. “Come in. Come in. We’re just waiting for Unnie. She went out for a bit.” She closed the door after the omega, resting her back against it as she composed herself.

Byulyi glanced around the door and noticed that they did not wear footwear at home and began to remove them quickly.

“Was it difficult to find our house? I hope you don’t mind the mess at home,” quipped Mrs Kim as waited at the entrance with the rapper.

Byulyi shook her head. “No, the GPRS brought me right to your door.” She made a show of glancing around the house before smiling at the older lady. “The house looks wonderfully managed. I can see where Yong picks up her skills at maintaining the house.” She nodded to herself as she peered around the house. Stairs led to the second storey. On the right side was the living room and on the left was a dining room. The home looked very cosy with photographs of the family and the children.

Mrs Kim smiled, enthralled with her sweet charms. “I’ll put these flowers in a vase. Yong-ah, you can take Byulyi on a tour around our house before dinner is ready. Make yourself feel at home, Byulyi.”

The rapper who was in the midst of removing a boot, bowed immediately and the two women laughed carefreely at the adorable display. It was a feat of perfect muscle balance since the rapper was still able to bow while holding a foot.

Mrs Kim headed into the kitchen, leaving the couple alone.

Byulyi hastily placed her boots neatly on the shoe rack before she straightened herself, meeting the besotted gaze of Yongsun. Automatically, they clasped each other’s hands fondly. “Unnie, it’s barely more than twenty-four hours and I missed you,” admitted the rapper softly.

“Omo,” complained Yongsun, releasing her hand to hit her as she blushed furiously. “Don’t be so greasy.”

Her impossibly blue eyes widened innocently. “But Unnie, it’s the truth.” She looked almost wronged.

Yongsun shook her head slightly in fond exasperation. “OK, OK.” She lowered her head. “I missed you too.” Her answer was muttered in a bare whisper and Byulyi had to strain her ears to catch it.

A rakish lopsided smile crept on the rapper’s face at the thought that the sentiment was mutual and the bashful Yongsun had actually admitted it to her. She reached to brush an errant pink hair away from her soft face, looking keenly into her eyes. “Yong-ah, you’re so pretty.”

A blush rose from her chest to colour her plump cheeks crimson and Yongsun hit her chest out of embarrassment again. “Aiggo, can you stop being so cringy?” She huffed and backed away, certain that her heart would not be able to withstand the countless attempt of Byulyi to embarrass her.

Byulyi merely rubbed her chest absently, smirking cheekily. She sensed that she had already hit the limit of her girlfriend and decided to stop annoying her for a while. “Unnie, will you give me a tour of your lovely family home?”

Yongsun took her hand, feeling the warmth that radiated from the younger woman. A thrill thrummed in her at the thought of showing her family home to the love of her life. She could not help but share every little thing about her house to her girlfriend. She pulled the taller woman into the homely living room. The living room had a couch and several armchairs that faced a large flat screen television. An upstanding piano stood at the corner, decorated with photographs of the family.

Before her very eyes, Yongsun grew up from that smiling, round face girl into this ravishing beauty next to her. Byulyi grinned to herself as she picked up one of the photographs of Yongsun in her middle school—she was a chubby and happy-go-lucky child in school uniform and that cheered the younger woman up. “You were adorable when you were younger. Was this before I met you?”

Yongsun glanced at the photograph and inclined her head. “I was nine in this.” She placed the photograph down and searched for another one. “I know we have a photograph here,” mused the singer, studying each of them carefully until she found the correct one. She handed the photograph to Byulyi, watching for her reaction closely.

The family of four had taken the photograph in front of a familiar villa along the lake. They were smiling, standing close to each other. Byulyi had recognised the location at once, the photograph evoking vivid memories of the lake. Her silver brows furrowed deeply as she touched the face of young Yongsun, carrying Sunshine in her arms. Her older sister was in that awkward and gangly age of growing, looking a little like an overstretched child becoming an adult.

The faint smile faded from Byulyi’s face as she held the evidence of the Kim family’s involvement in that near fatal incident that she had recently recollected. The memories trickled out of the tightly-bounded closet of forgotten memories after Yongsun had shared about their past. She felt Yongsun slinging her arm across the dip of her back, crooning softly at her.

It eased the tension from her body remarkably and she remembered herself. She was no longer that young girl whose parents did not care for her. She was a young woman who forged her own path with her own hands and was treasured by a very beautiful and wonderful woman.

The rapper smiled faintly. “Unnie, you really do love Sunshine.”

Yongsun scratched the side of her nose. “Yea, there are many photographs with Sunshine.” She rested her shoulder against her lovingly so that she could look at that photograph wistfully. “I brought Sunshine everywhere. She was my best friend.”

“Yet you bestowed Sunshine to me,” sighed Byulyi softly, turning to regard Yongsun with remarkable tenderness. She resisted rubbing the back of her neck and lowered her gaze.

Yongsun tipped her pointed chin so that their gaze met and clung, her trimmed brows were narrowed with solemness. “I courted you even when we were merely children and you had accepted my wooing. Our souls recognised each other. Moon Byulyi, you were fated to be only mine.” The singer grinned proudly, her eyes falling on her cherry-shaped lips.

Byulyi snorted at her faulty logic. “I would consider this as a coercion since I was unconscious.”

The pink-haired woman leaned in and their faces were simply a hairbreadth away. Her honey eyes shone brightly. “You recognised me and kept the gift of Sunshine,” insisted Yongsun gravelly. “You can’t say that you had no choice in this matter.” Even though she sounded very confident, there was a faint quiver of doubt.

Byulyi’s blue eyes gleamed, staring into Yongsun’s steadily. “I may not understand my actions fully but my soul accepted you.”

She purred, a musical sound at Byulyi’s affirmation that they were engaged even from a tender age. She tilted her head slowly, giving Byulyi a chance to reject her advances. Her eyes fluttered close as she closed the distance to meet her cherry-shaped lips sweetly, sliding her lips along those soft, pink lips sweetly. The singer took her lips in a long, stirring kiss, trying to communicate the profound emotions that she was experiencing with the younger woman standing next to her in the living room of her childhood home.

The sound of the main door opening interrupted them. “Everyone, I’m home. What’s for dinner?” A middle-aged man stepped into the living room. His brown eyes widened at the sight of Byulyi standing next to his youngest daughter.

The rapper froze when she had recognised this man—he looked a lot older, his face more weather-beaten and crinkles on the corner of his eyes. He maintained his robust stature, was dressed in a polo T-shirt and a pair of common brown trousers. She recalled foggy images of this man speaking to the nurses in low voices as she drifted between the states of consciousness and unconsciousness.

“It’s you.”

Both Mr Kim and Byulyi murmured at the same time before they blinked continuously.

The rapper reacted first, sinking into a deep bow. “Mr Kim, thank you for having me. I’m Moon Byulyi.”

Mr Kim approached them cautiously. “It is you right?” He studied the petite woman openly, wondering if she was that girl that his younger daughter had insisted to rescue. She had the same starling blue eyes and silver hair, but these were features that could be replicated through coloured eye contacts and hair dye.

Byulyi nodded hesitantly after adjusting the baseball cap on her head. “It is, Mr Kim. I had no memory of the incident until recently. Thank you for rescuing me.” She sank into a bow deeply.

“Please don’t do that, Ms Moon.” He crossed the living room and helped her