“Aren’t these adorable, Seungwan?”

“What? Couples’ phone cases?” Seungwan asks mindlessly, not once removing her gaze from her laptop. She’s been trying to draft some lyrics, hopefully for her next album. “You’ve never liked things like that though. Why the sudden interest?”

Joohyun has no good answer for that, other than the fact that she wants to stamp her name all over the short-haired woman. She knows better than to lay it all out so brutally too. Neither she nor Seungwan feel the need to double down on their public displays of affection; they’re pretty private as it is so it’s completely unnecessary. There are, however, times when Seungwan is asked out in front of Joohyun’s face and she dislikes it. Men… women… everyone under the sun can be taken into account, Joohyun still won’t be done with the list.

Which partner would like that?

Not to say that Seungwan needs to walk around with love marks on her neck or whatever… but it’d be nice to be able to carry a few couple items now and then.

Seungwan, getting tired of waiting for a response, finally spins around on her swivel chair. “Joohyun? Did you hear me?”

As much as Joohyun wishes she could just tell Seungwan her unfiltered feelings, she refuses to be burdensome about it. Her girlfriend is literally working her off in order to produce some good songs for people. There’s no reason she needs to split her focus over silly couple items.

“Never mind, it’s nothing. Go back to your writing, honey.” Joohyun blows her a kiss, ruffling Seungwan’s hair as she leaves the room.

They’ve been dating for three years now, always hidden from public eye and tabloids. It was originally Joohyun’s idea; she didn’t want to get her career derailed and interrupted because of their relationship. Amazing choreographers and songwriters aren’t ever mentioned enough if they have public scandals. Whilst Seungwan is one of the most popular songwriters in the state, Joohyun often works on the choreography for those same songs thereafter. The two of them are also known as the duo. Hits and misses happen over time, but they have a huge combined success rate of almost ninety percent.

Although they often attend the same parties together, they never leave or arrive at the same time. Seungwan always drops Joohyun at least two blocks away or the building opposite, so there’s never a reason to suspect.

“God damn it.”

Seungwan takes off her glasses and rubs her face; now she’s really worried about why Joohyun suddenly wants couple items. She can’t even focus on writing this song anymore, not after that sudden question.

Maybe she neglected Joohyun? It’s been a very busy year for them, after all.

Joohyun is lying on the couch like an insolent child, mindlessly switching the channels but barely even registering what is playing. “Jesus. When I’m trying to get romantic with my girlfriend, they only have horror movies and now, there’s nothing but romance movies. This is annoying.”

It’s not that Joohyun means to be difficult or secretive; she just doesn’t want to come off wrongly and cause more pressure on both of them. There’s been so much stress between them recently due to the magnified focus on song lyrics these days – not to mention how netizens will switch up on anyone without an explanation – and will probably remain for the rest of time. Seungwan’s been a little short-fused and sometimes she answers with a tinge of annoyance, but ends up crying into Joohyun’s shoulder when they’re in bed for the night.

Sometimes, it’s just tiring enough.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, baby… why?” Joohyun brings her hands up to rub the arms wrapped around her shoulders. She turns her head over so slightly, pressing a kiss against Seungwan's cheek. “What’s there to apologize for?”

“For not being more aware of your feelings.”

Joohyun almost groans audibly at how lovely her girlfriend is being; she quickly beckons Seungwan to get over and sit with her. The moment Seungwan is within arm’s reach, Joohyun swings her legs over and straddles the younger woman. “What in the world are you apologizing for?” Joohyun whispers, nuzzling her nose against Seungwan’s.

When Seungwan shies away from her gaze, Joohyun wonders if there’s anything bothering the latter recently.

“Look at me, Seungwan.”

Seungwan bites her lower lip in an attempt to hold back her tears; work has been so stressful with the higher-ups constantly breathing up and down her neck about producing quality songs. She knows how understanding Joohyun can be when it comes to their relationship; it only makes her guilt accumulate tenfold. Joohyun choreographs on a daily basis but she isn’t required to stay that late every night if the dancers aren’t present. The thought of letting Joohyun go to bed alone in their apartment hurts Seungwan; they used to cuddle and spend some time talking about their day before they sleep but recently…

It's just been tough.

“Honey… you’re fine, we’re fine.” Joohyun giggles, her arms snaking around Seungwan’s neck. It’s not that anything is comical right now but it’s cute that Seungwan treasures their relationship so much. “Honestly, I just want us to have something small together, you know? It can be nice, but it also isn’t that big of a deal.”

“So, I didn’t do anything wrong?”

“No, you goofball.” Joohyun sighs, kissing the side of Seungwan’s head. She can see why it’s easy to misunderstand though; it must have come out wrongly. “I love you and that’s not going to change over a stupid phone case or keyring.”

It really shouldn’t matter.

“Mom, what do I do?”

“… For a former valedictorian in your high school days, you can be so damn dense sometimes.”

“Mom!”

Well, what else can Seungwan do other than ask her mother – the queen of dating, apparently –who knows best? She knows how often Joohyun and her mother talk about their daily lives so it’s safe to say Mrs. Son definitely has an idea. If Joohyun won’t be honest for fear of overdoing things, then Seungwan has to dig it out somehow.

“What did she last say to you?”

“Um… something about phone cases.”

Silence overwhelms the call for a good five minutes or so; Mrs. Son leaving the phone on speaker while she continues to bake. She can’t even get a day on her own in peace, not that’s she complaining much though; it’s a blessing to have a close knit family. Her elder daughter calling early in the morning about dressing to impress her husband and now the younger one is being so clueless. One thing the two sisters have in common is their consistency in asking their dear mother for help. It also comes in great use that Mrs. Son gets along very well with both of their partners so she’s often the mediator.

“You idiot! She wants to get matching phone cases so get her that, Seungwan. My goodness.”

“Oh…” Seungwan laughs good-manneredly, pretending she didn’t just hear her mother call her an idiot. She was up almost all night, tossing and turning over what exactly Joohyun wants – the fact that Joohyun’s words were really so literal, kind of makes things funny. “Well… thanks, Mom!”

Naturally, things are resolved whenever Mrs. Son steps in.

Speaking of her precious girl, Seungwan smiles and leans back into her chair with a loud yawn. Joohyun was already out of the house when she woke up so there has to be a couple of groups coming in for practice. Their careers weren’t always as smooth as now but Seungwan had Joohyun beside her, and it made things a lot better. Just the thought of spending the rest of her life with Joohyun encourages Seungwan to keep pushing through. Passion is admirable but it’s also insufficient in the long run, especially in a fast-moving industry like theirs.

There are days Seungwan gets tired too; tired of hiding that she’s in fact one, a lesbian; and two, attached to Joohyun. Perhaps Joohyun is starting to feel the same way, hence the sudden request for matching couple items.

Text Message to Joo ♡

hey babe?

let’s go shopping tomorrow x

“You rascal. What are you doing?”

“I just texted Joohyun about going on a shopping date tomorrow.” Seungwan mumbles, eyes still heavily focused on the laptop in front of her. She can finally resume writing lyrics with maximum concentration and be productive.

“Girl, what is wrong with you? Go and get her a present instead of buying it together! Hello, it’s called element of surprise. I must have dropped you on your head when you were born or something because you’re just like your father, barely romantic and cannot take a hint to save a life!”

“MOMMMMMMM!”

Text message from Wan ♡

actually, scratch that

let me cook you dinner

and breakfast

and lunch

Joohyun can barely wipe the dazzling smile off her face, scrolling through Seungwan’s texts from this morning till now. She didn’t have time to make breakfast for her girlfriend or even write one of those cute post-its that they have a habit of doing whenever they don’t see each other. The dance practices and reruns absorbed Joohyun’s time so quickly that she feels a bit disoriented sometimes; it’s perfectly normal though. Honestly, the only thing Joohyun accomplished today is giving her snoozing girlfriend a few kisses on the head before leaving.

“Am I doing this right?”

“Unnie?”

“Oh, sorry. Let me show it to you one more time.” Joohyun quickly types a reply and shoves her phone back into her bag, albeit embarrassed at the trainees seeing her like that. She’s known to be one of the strictest choreographers of all time, so her reputation is also on the line – or so, she thinks it is.  

Text Message from Joo ♡

sure, honey

whatever you wanna do 💖

Seungwan can’t help but shake in excitement at Joohyun’s reply; the last time they had their off-days coincide was sometime last year, and it was a rather extravagant date night. Joohyun is the sleepyhead between them, so for her to drag herself out of bed and draw a bath with rose petals, cook dinner and giving Seungwan a full body massage after is a notable feat in itself. Before they enjoyed a private night, Joohyun also took the liberty to thank Seungwan for being who she is and whatnot. Not that it needs to be said out loud at all but Seungwan experienced falling even harder for Joohyun on that very day.  

Now that it’s her turn to reciprocate, she’s definitely going to do her part.

“Ah… my shoulders.”

Then she realises that Joohyun’s reply already came hours ago, but she was too absorbed in her lyrics to check her phone. Seungwan’s productivity is always multiplied when she’s focused.

“BABE?”

Joohyun?

Before Seungwan can get out of her home office and run to her girlfriend, the door flies open to reveal a breath-taking Joohyun. She’s in a messy high ponytail, track pants and a body-hugging dry-fit shirt. It’s just like when Seungwan saw Joohyun for the first time ever, bumping into each other at the recording studio. They were to be introduced because they were attending a camp together with a bunch of other choreographers and lyricists.

Wow.

“Are you okay?” Joohyun giggles, walking towards the swivel chair so she can plant a big fat kiss on Seungwan’s cheek. She leans onto the younger woman a bit longer, smooch after smooch coming. “You look a little dazed.”

“Look at you! Of course, I am!”

Seungwan buries her face into her palms when Joohyun begins to wiggle closer, her chest pressing against the woman’s arm. She knows what a seductress Joohyun can be at the most random times, whether appropriate or not. “Joohyun… stop. We need to eat dinner and then rest early…” Seungwan’s shoulders start tensing involuntarily when Joohyun’s lips start to attach itself to the side of her milky neck. Joohyun’s fingers find her own and they intertwine, in contrast to how Seungwan is attempting to foil this seduction plan.

Well, truth be told, they haven’t had the energy to get intimate in a while too so…

“SEUNGWAN!”

Joohyun squeals when she almost loses her balance, her now on the chair instead of the arm rest. “Why would you get up so quickly, you dummy?”

“Come here.”

The dip in tone, the formerly mischievous glint in Seungwan’s eyes replaced with diluted pupils… Joohyun is sold. She takes small strides towards her girlfriend, inwardly smiling when she notices Seungwan’s knuckles crack. Seungwan is calm, collected and patient when it comes to everything else in their daily life, except two things – her career and their y time. So, when Seungwan breaks her composure and lifts Joohyun against the wall followed by a kiss so passionate that it ignites the fire in Joohyun’s loins… Joohyun can’t help but smirk. She’s still the one who wins the war in the end.

“You are such a tease.”

The first rays of the morning sun shone into the master bedroom, causing a sleeping figure to begin stirring under the covers. She hasn’t had such a good sleep in a long, long time… no wonder though, with their activities and all; Seungwan sure knows how to spoil her in different ways. Although intimacy and bedroom time is not a department they’re lacking in any way, it’s never enough with how busy they are individually. Making love is, after all, another form of declaration whenever they come home to each other – even coming home unscathed is a miracle these days.

Outstretching her hand to poke her girlfriend out of habit, a pout crawls onto her face when she realises, she’s in bed alone.

“Baby?”

No response.

Oh wait, isn’t Seungwan supposed to make her breakfast today?

Joohyun groans when she twists her back a little too much, a habit she really should get rid of before she accidentally hurts herself – Seungwan nags at her about that so much. Finally opening her eyes to steal a glance around the room, Joohyun’s pout deepens when her girlfriend still isn’t within view. Normally, she’d wait for Seungwan to bring her breakfast in bed since the woman scolds her for leaving the room so early.

“Seungwan-ah!”

Wow, her girlfriend is definitely deaf.

When Joohyun sees an empty kitchen, she scrambles for her phone. A message is the first thing she sees, telling her to calm down and look around. Her anxiety dispels when she notices a plate in the warmer, and a purple post-it stuck to the counter – Seungwan’s meticulousness in the kitchen is something to be admired but her greasiness really is the cherry on top.

Merry Christmas baby ♡

I’m off to buy something, so eat up

Lunch will be delivered later 😊

Frankly, this isn’t what she intended but she’s also not really complaining. It just would have been nice to have Seungwan eat breakfast with her too, instead of preparing it solely for her. Again, Joohyun can’t really find it in her to complain or lament about being alone because Seungwan has her own way of showing how much she loves her. Their anniversary happened not too long ago and Joohyun brought Seungwan on a short cruise – not eventful at all, but the amount of privacy and undisturbed time they got together was remarkable.

“This woman better be on her way home or something…” Joohyun mumbles, pouting as she begins her first meal of the day.

*

“Thank you so much… my friend’s going to love this.”

The clerk reciprocates with a tender smile, amusement very much evident on her features. “No worries at all, Ma’am. I’m glad you managed to find what you’re looking for here in our store. If there are problems with the engraving, just give us a call to let us know and then we can set a date to issue you a new pair.”

Seungwan just bows with crescent-shaped eyes, hoping her gratitude is conveyed through their eye contact. She didn’t even have to drive to more than two malls to find a shop willing to do engraving at such short notice; though it’s probably because they realized she’s none other than the well-known songwriter. One thing about being on the production side of the industry is that most people simply do not care about your identity, as compared to being an idol. Thank goodness, Joohyun is also not in the public eye or they’d have so much difficulty.

Text Message to Joo ♡

I’ll be coming home a bit later

I need to get groceries first

I love you

Eagerly waiting for a reply from her beloved, Seungwan can’t help but whistle a tune to herself while she packs the cases back into their box. Joohyun didn’t really mention a specific design or font but Seungwan went with whatever feels right, along with the assistance from the clerk.

“Oh my God, my card!” Seungwan smacks her forehead, realizing she left her credit card on the counter. She was so excited over the gift that she threw everything to the wind.

If only she noticed the flashing lights coming in her direction…

Maybe she would have made it back home.

Text Message to Joo ♡

baby

ilysm

i lov yu…

Joohyun’s been feeling uneasy the whole morning; sure, she woke up in an extremely good mood and it was amplified when she saw the breakfast Seungwan worked so hard on. Neither of them is superstitious in any way by nature but when the glass of water just slipped out of her grasp, Joohyun felt her stomach do a flip. Unable to shake off the nagging voice at the back of her mind, she headed straight for their treadmill. A hearty smile crawls onto her face when she remembers Seungwan; maybe Seungwan’s decision to park the exercise bike in the middle of their living room, right in front of the television too, is a good one after all.

“And now, the song ‘Graduation’ written by Son Seungwan, will be performed in a bit. Please wait a little longer!”

It’s the song Seungwan tried to complete for months but to no avail, constantly losing precious hours of sleep over it. It’s also one of the rare few that Joohyun couldn’t help with, since there is no choreography. Joohyun would go to bed and Seungwan would still be in their study, trying to come up with suitable lyrics for the melody; they barely spent time together.

“Topping the charts today, is Graduation! Famous songwriter, Son Seungwan, never fails to show her prowess in the industry despite the constant pressure to outperform her previous works.”

At least her hard work has paid off, Joohyun grins. Every time their work receives recognition, it becomes a routine for them to celebrate with a bottle of wine or a bottle of soju along with a good supper.

Joohyun hurries to her phone, planning to take a picture of the news headline when she goes pale immediately. She completely missed the couple of messages Seungwan sent her.

Text Message from Wan ♡

I’ll be coming home a bit later

I need to get groceries first

I love you

Text Message from Wan ♡

baby

ilysm

i lov yu…

There has to be something wrong.

Seungwan doesn’t use short-forms or abbreviations if she can help it at all; she thinks it’s a lazy way of texting. Joohyun remembers this ever so clearly because she nearly had a when she heard her girlfriend’s explanation.

“Come on… pick up, pick up!” Joohyun nibbles on her fingernails out of habit, pacing up and down the living room. She knows deep down that her gut is quite literally never wrong, but a small fraction of her is begging, praying that Seungwan is in one of her moods.

And then finally, the call is picked up.

“Seungwan!”

“Hello, is this Joo?”

“Um… yes. Who are you and what are you doing with my friend’s phone?” Joohyun swears; one day she will openly say the term girlfriend and not feel this utter sense of discomfort.

“This is Seoul Hospital. Your friend was in an accident and…”

Joohyun hangs up without waiting for the full report, rushing to the front door with just her wallet and her phone. She should have known better than to hope; high hopes always bring terrible results.

At least God has the decency to bless her with good luck (when it comes to useless things, that is), managing to flag down a cab within two minutes of standing by the roadside. Joohyun’s thankful for the constant reminders to put a standby mask into her wallet so it’d come in handy at any time; dealing with the paparazzi is certainly not on her to-do list today. The journey seems to take an eternity though, her leg constantly bouncing in an attempt to waive off the terrible anxiety crippling her stomach. All her calls are going into voicemail again so calling the hospital is useless, which makes Joohyun want to die inside, truthfully.

“Miss… are you okay? You’re crying…”

Joohyun didn’t even realise but her tears have been rolling down her face for the past ten minutes in the cab. “Sorry… I’m just… I’m worried about my friend. She was in an accident earlier today…”

The cab driver apologizes and hands a box of tissue over to her, maintaining his silence but it’s apparent that he takes her words to heart because soon enough, the car is zooming through lines and turns. Joohyun wants to express her thanks but she’s getting choked up again, maybe it’d be better if she kept shut for now.

The thought of Seungwan getting into an accident on Christmas Day digs deep into her soul; why does it have to be her favourite holiday? Seungwan makes sure they celebrate it together with a date every year – whether it’s Christmas Eve, or Day, because she thinks it’s romantic, but this year she’s in the hospital. Joohyun can only imagine how eager she’s going to be discharged with completely no regard for her own health.

“We’re going to reach in about five minutes, Miss.”

“Thank you for rushing me here… thank you, Mister. At least one thing can go well today, I don’t even know how I’m going to look at her and smile.” Her voice cracks for the nth time when she finishes her sentence; Joohyun’s head is filled with images of Seungwan being wrapped up in bandages.

“You really care about this friend, huh?”

Joohyun doesn’t provide an audible response, simply nodding in plain view. She just wants to see her girlfriend now.

More than anything.

here to ruin christmas 2022 for all of you ☺ drop me ur comments while you wait for the second chapter! i might drop it on new year's eve or new year's day so let me think about it! follow me on twt @wnrntown