Sooyoung’s lost count of the months she’s been hanging around with her. They’ve grown as best friends, to the point where they’ve already been to each other’s houses, and she even met Jiwoo’s family.

Yeah, that part still hasn’t sunk in her mind to this day. 

She even remembers Jiwoo’s initial reaction to entering her house.

"You only have a couch.” She points at it, looking at Sooyoung, as if she was expecting some sort of explanation.

“Yeah…? Is there anything wrong with that?” She has no clue on what this woman is trying to imply.

“Not even a TELEVISION?” 

“I have a laptop. I can watch the news there.” 

“That’s different! A TV isn’t only for news!” Jiwoo immediately shakes Sooyoung’s shoulders, moving her hands to cup the tallers face.

“I don’t- I’m not into shows, Jiwoo!” 

Jiwoo’s so focused on her lack of furniture and fun that she doesn’t notice how the tips of Sooyoung’s ears are turning red.

She knows it’s not her business to question other people’s lives but Sooyoung is different. She doesn’t even have any decorations on her walls, it even looked like she just moved in here despite the years she had already stayed in this house.

“How do you even live here...” Jiwoo pouts, plopping herself onto the couch, “I bet you took the word ‘bedroom’ literally and only have a bed sitting there.”

“Why are you so pressed over my living conditions anyway?” She giggles, finding her so odd.

“So I’m right?!” Jiwoo frowns even more.

“Answer me first!” Sooyoung laughs at her face.

(Jiwoo isn’t wrong. Sooyoung’s bedroom indeed only has a closet and a bed sitting there.)

“It’s so sad to see you like this, having to wake up in a cold, empty room, and it’s like you don’t even care, like you’re just living for the purpose of staying alive…aren’t you sad here? always alone?” 

Sooyoung’s teasing smile turns into one of fondness, she softly taps Jiwoo’s cheek, the girl quickly looking back at her.

“Always alone indeed, but I’m never lonely.”

Sooyoung didn’t really care about anything, but it was never mentioned that she didn’t care about anyone . 

She’s human, being human means you have emotions.

Being too caught up in living the same life wondering about how others live better than her, she forgets about herself. Sooyoung forgets that she’s human, that she cares. She forgets that she’s capable of understanding everyone else despite the differences in their lives. She forgets that she can change too, that she can slowly adapt to new things. 

She never felt lonely, and someone in the name of Jiwoo made her realize this, she always made her Saturdays different. Now, she’s one step closer to making her entire life change. 

Yet this still doesn’t change the fact that Sooyoung was completely in fear. 

They both knew it, they both understood each other without having to say it, but none of them was even trying to make a move.

Sooyoung doesn’t want them to stay like this, but she also doesn’t want to hurt her either.

“Well then, what do you say about helping me re-decorate my house?” She asks, and Jiwoo panics as she turns her head to look at her.

“No! I mean- you don’t have to change anything if you’re comfortable living like this. It’s just that I’m not used to it and it’s so different from my house and-“

“You are going with me to turn my house into a home.” Sooyoung completely interrupts Jiwoo and quickly, yet gently, takes her hand and leads her to her car. 

“Sooyoung, aren't you doing this so suddenly?” Jiwoo questions her every move but still willingly sits in the passenger’s seat herself.

“Yeah, and? Besides, I too, think my interior needs a makeover.” Sooyoung’s already driving.

“That’s not what I meant! How are you gonna buy it all?”

She softly brakes the car on the side of the street.

“You little- I’m not doing all of that in one day! I’m obviously gonna plan it out first, and with that, I’m gonna need your help.” 

“I’m just an artist, not an interior designer!” Jiwoo exclaims, though the smile on her face still remains.

“As if I’m an interior designer myself!” Sooyoung chuckles.

“I’m too broke to hire a professional, and it’s more fun this way, I want to do this with you.” 

When Jiwoo finally can’t retaliate, Sooyoung shifts the gear to drive again.

“Alright then, BUT if I destroy something in your house, that’s not gonna be my problem anymore!” 

“Don’t even try.” Sooyoung jokingly glares at her and notices Jiwoo blushing as she laughs.

The woman’s thoughts get interrupted when she feels the subject of her memories slightly shift on top of her.

No matter how much Sooyoung tried to convince her to go back home, the girl still insisted on staying with her, wanting to help Sooyoung assemble two cabinets she bought, as well as to apply the newly bought wallpaper on her walls. 

It took them 5 hours with little breaks in between to do all of the work, and as soon as they finished, Jiwoo immediately jumped into her arms in complete exhaustion. They ended up sitting down on her couch for a while, and the older woman didn’t realize that Jiwoo had already fallen asleep. 

Now, they were both lying down on the same couch, with her on top of Sooyoung, clinging to her like a koala, and her head resting on the taller’s chest.

Jiwoo shifts to stretch her legs a bit, then Sooyoung feels her freeze.

“Don’t panic, it’s just me.” She giggles.

“Mhm…” Jiwoo hums, her voice scratchy from just waking up.

She finally lifts her head off from Sooyoung’s chest, her eyes still droopy, slowly blinking them to see her clearly.

“I’ll be going home now, sorry for keeping you awake. I must’ve been heavy.” Jiwoo rubs Sooyoung’s arm in gratitude.

“It’s fine, but I think you should stay, Jiwoo. It’s 2am.” She replies, fixing the girl’s bangs.

Jiwoo’s sleepiness suddenly disappears, her eyes widening in shock.

“Oh my god, Sooyoung. You really didn’t even think of waking me up?! My family probably thinks I’ve been kidnapped or-“

“Kidnapped? Calm down! I already texted your dad that you’re still here with me. I even sent him a picture of you sleeping with your mouth open.”

“Why would you do that?!” She whines, and the other snorts.

“Proof for your family, a reaction meme for myself.” Her tone is mischievous, and Jiwoo playfully smacks her shoulder.

“Get up, I’ll start the car now.” She tries to lift Jiwoo off her but the girl only pushes them back down.

“And where are you going at this hour?” 

“I thought you said you wanted to go home- ow!”

Jiwoo nuzzles into her neck, her head bumping a little too hard into Sooyoung’s chin.

“I’m staying, idiot. Sorry for this…” She quickly glances to see where she hit her, kissing her chin in apology. This time, she finally notices Sooyoung’s ears turning red.

“Does your head not hurt?” Sooyoung is successful in prying the attention off her, and Jiwoo shakes her head.

“Well then, I guess it makes sense that you’re...hard-headed.” 

Complete silence envelops the thin air.

“God, that was so corny. You’re lame.” Jiwoo playfully rolls her eyes, nuzzling back into the crook of Sooyoung’s neck to hide her grin. She is not letting that horrible joke get to her at all.

“I can practically feel your smile on my neck.”

“No.” Jiwoo replies, still smiling

—————————————————————

Sooyoung is lying on her bed, staring blankly through the window. She had nothing to do on a Sunday. Her doorbell rings, and she quickly gets up to go downstairs, not even bothering to fix herself, wondering who would be visiting her. She isn’t expecting Jiwoo, since the girl said she had a painting she was working on.

She opens her door to see someone she did not expect to see. 

“Hi!” 

Sooyoung blinks once, twice, and it’s really her. The owner of the ice hockey varsity jacket her ex wore years ago is standing on her front porch. 

“Jin…” She couldn’t even finish her statement, so many questions were clouding her entire brain.

“…soul.” The ice hockey player completes it for her.

Sooyoung already knew what Jinsoul looked like, due to the athlete's hockey matches always being broadcasted in sports channels. They studied in the same school, talked a few times, had a few projects where they had to work together, but were never really considered as close. The Jinsoul now drastically changed. She grew taller, even taller than Sooyoung and it shocks her since the woman used to be a few inches shorter than her, which also explains why she had to do a double take to convince herself that it was her fellow schoolmate herself. She even seemed paler, and Sooyoung guessed that it was probably from staying indoors a lot for practice.

‘Wait- what is she even doing in front of my house?’

Sooyoung remembers, she was on her way out of the building, walking home when she caught a glimpse of Jinsoul in one of the hockey games on the television stores of the mall she worked at. That game was last week, and it was in the United States.

“W-why are you here? How- didn’t you just finish a match?” 

Sooyoung was already aware that Jinsoul knew where she lived, they both had to work together in a math project back then while Sooyoung was already moving out of her apartment to her home now, but that was already years ago.

“Our division is finished with the first round of playoffs, so I’m on vacation for a week now! I arrived at the airport yesterday and I wanted to come by to say hi to my friends. It’s been a while since I last visited my hometown, and I passed by the subdivision and wondered if you still lived here, which obviously answers my question! So I decided to give boxes of donuts as gifts, and you’re included!”

Right, this city is Jinsoul’s hometown. 

“O-oh wow, that’s nice of you, really.” Jinsoul was always a kind person, Sooyoung considered her too kind for a face that looked so intimidating. She was unlike some of her former school teammates who were extremely cocky and full of themselves. It obviously makes sense almost everyone in university fell for her charms, even Ju-

“Hey, Sooyoung? The donuts…” She doesn’t notice how Jinsoul was already reaching the box out to her waiting for her to carry it.

“Oh right, right. You should come in, you seem exhausted from what you’re doing.”

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