AFTER a long day of filming for the elimination and the revelation of the final task, Seulgi didn’t even bother going to the dorms and just went straight with Joohyun at the latter’s house.

They wanted to celebrate a bit with the band for making it to the finals but they all agreed not to do the celebration until everything is finished. They will have to meet the next morning too to prepare for the final missions.

Only three groups made it to the finals and there will also be three tasks. First is revival, picking up a song from a completely different genre and making it into a band song. Next is fan’s choice which is obviously a song that will be picked by their fans through voting. The last is song making in which they will have to perform an original song of their own. Not just a cover but a new song that they composed and wrote by themselves.

Seulgi dropped herself at Joohyun’s couch and closed her eyes. It was indeed a tiring day, more exhausting than usual. She could feel eyes all over her at the studio. Even though she tried to show that she’s calm, her heart was actually filled with anxiety.

After the news about her identity was published everything turned upside down. Since she wasn't at any other entertainment agency, no one was there to guide her about what to do with the rumour. The Chairman called her and asked her about the truth but Seulgi could only keep her head down and stay silent.

The Chairman immediately knew what it meant but the man didn’t comment anything about it since it’s Seulgi’s personal life and the girl had nothing to do about what her parents did. She didn’t ask to be conceived out of adultery.

The man just told them to remain silent since it would be more of an issue if they deny it and then evidence would come out. He’s sure that the one who did the post has something on their sleeves and might just be waiting for Seulgi to deny everything before pulling them out.

Joohyun also told everyone not to talk about it in fear that someone might overhear and spread whatever was leaked. The band agreed, hoping that everything would turn out fine.

But, they still couldn’t help but to be worried about Seulgi.

The smile that returned to her face after getting together with Joohyun immediately disappeared when the news broke out.

To avoid Seulgi from stressing out, Joohyun asked her to uninstall all of her SNS apps for a while and refrain from searching her name. Seulgi agreed with her girlfriend’s suggestion and her phone literally turned into call and text mode.

The two can’t even visit Doona’s restaurant since Seulgi’s aunt said that she was being asked by Hanna’s loyal fans about the integrity of the rumour. The restaurant continues to operate but Doona is also in her limit since the questions are getting more persistent as days go by.

Up to that moment, Kwon Sangwoo hasn’t given his response to the news which makes people think that there is truth in the rumour.

“Tired?”

Seulgi felt the sofa behind her sink as Joohyun sat. She also felt her girlfriend’s arms around her waist.

“Eung~” she groaned with her eyes still closed. “Tired…”

“Poor teddy bear…” Joohyun tightened her hug on her girlfriend and she instantly noticed how Seulgi’s ears turned red. Joohyun smirked because she knew exactly what she was doing. She knew what she’s stirring in Seulgi’s heart. “Wanna go to sleep now?”

“I still have to wash up.” Seulgi slowly opened her eyes and pivoted her body to look at Joohyun when she felt her soul leave her body the moment she laid her eyes on her girlfriend. “J-Joo—ACK!”

Seulgi was taken aback when Joohyun strategically pinned her down with that playful look on her face. Seulgi froze to where she was, she couldn’t move at all. Her eyes were glued on Joohyun who’s in a Kafka cosplay just for her.

“W-W-W-What’s happening!?” Poor Seulgi failed to keep her tongue straight. “W-W-Why are you o-on a c-costume?”

“What? You don’t like it?” The sly director asked as she pressed her body even more on Seulgi. “I thought this would lift your mood up so…”

Seulgi had to swallow hard when Joohyun’s finger started tracing her jaw. “D-Director…”

“Oh~ So I am suddenly Director Bae now?” Joohyun guided Seulgi’s hand and placed them by her waist. “Let’s just say this is an event for you~”

The younger girl had to gasp hard because she forgot about breathing for a moment. “My goodness… You are breathtaking…”

There was a satisfied smile on Joohyun’s face, the smile even widened when she felt Seulgi responding to her. She felt the bassist’s hold to her tightened. Her hands might be trembling but she could feel how they were making their way inside Joohyun’s clothes. 

Seulgi’s eyes were obviously in a daze. She was enchanted. “I want to take a picture of you now but I don’t know how I should just let you go…”

“Seulgi…” Joohyun, almost a whisper. 

The younger girl tilted her head to the side before smiling at Joohyun. “Yes, Hyunie?”

Joohyun’s heart skipped a beat after seeing that mischievous face. She couldn’t stop herself anymore and closed the gap between their lips. Seulgi gladly welcomed her lips and pulled her even closer to feel her even more. 

Seulgi strategically guided Joohyun in a position where the girl would be sitting on her lap without even cutting their kisses. When Joohyun was finally in the desired position, Seulgi stopped with the kisses and held Joohyun by the wrists.

She took another look at Joohyun with that Kafka fit. She was looking so intensely at her as if she was imprinting that image of her girlfriend in her brain.

Seulgi didn’t even notice that she her lips while staring at Joohyun. The said action made Joohyun want for more.

“What should we do now, Joohyunie?” Seulgi asked as her eyes travelled from Joohyun’s face down to the girl's chest before going back to that flustered face. “You wore all of this for me. Won’t it be a waste if I just… strip these all from you.”

“Oh, Seulgi…” Joohyun freed herself from Seulgi’s grasps and sensually removed the jacket she had over her shoulders revealing the porcelain skin that Seulgi is always crazy about. “You know I wore this for you to take off—AHH!”

Joohyun squealed when Seulgi stood up out of nowhere. The girl was carrying her as if she weighed like cotton. “Let’s go to your room, Joohyun.”

“I thought you were tired~” Joohyun said in between snickers.

“There’s no way I won’t have any energy for this.” 

Seulgi brought her girlfriend inside the girl’s room, kissing nonstop until they reached the bed. The couple shared another steamy night which they both always enjoy. Whatever Hanbyul was claiming was all nonsense because Joohyun just proved that Seulgi can satisfy her best. 

She loves how Seulgi makes love with her as if she’s the most beautiful woman on earth. She loves how Seulgi would start so shy but turns into the wolf that she is while they are on it but goes back to being the cuddly teddy bear that she is after. It’s like a roller coaster ride for Joohyun that she’d always love to ride.

Joohyun also finds it cute when Seulgi would be clinging to her after they’re done. She was so used on being the one to listen to heartbeats but Seulgi would purposely lower herself from the pillows and succumb on Joohyun’s embrace while listening to the girl’s heartbeat. The older girl finds it really cute especially when the same person was the one who just tattered her with kiss marks.

“I’m so happy…”

Joohyun heard Seulgi whisper. She stopped caressing Seulgi’s fluffy hair and looked down at her. “My teddy bear is happy?”

“Eung…” Seulgi cutely looked back at her girlfriend. “I’m really happy just being with you… I am really happy…”

Joohyun gave her cute girlfriend a soft pinch on the cheek before giving her a kiss. Seulgi looked really pleased and went back to listening at Joohyun’s heartbeat. “This is my most favourite bass sound.”

“Why are you this cute?” The young director snickered in happiness.

Seulgi stayed like that for a while before finally speaking again. “You know… I was actually thinking of getting all the opportunity to be successful in the field that the Kwons consider as their territory. I was asked by Taeyeon-unnie to be a singer.”

“S-She asked you what?” Joohyun’s eyebrows twitched at the mention of that other woman’s name but Seulgi was actually opening up to her so she chose to be understanding.

Seulgi looked back at her again before adjusting herself to lay her head on the pillow. She wanted to have a better look at Joohyun’s face while talking about this. 

“She said she has full confidence that I can be a successful singer. She told me that my rightful place is on the stage.”

“Wow…” Joohyun lowered her gaze. “One of the most popular singers of the country told you that?”

“Yes.” Joohyun felt her heart sink when she saw that smile on Seulgi’s face. “The first time I heard her say that, I was really taken aback. All this time I was told that I don’t have any singing talent at all but then just a short clip of me singing made such a huge fuss. Even Taeyeon-unnie told me that I belong to the stage. It was like the highest praise that I have received in my entire life. Of course, I still have doubts about it but I am just really happy hearing it.”

Seulgi then made Joohyun look back at her by lifting her face a bit through the chin. “But… There are many things that I realised these days… One of them is that I don’t really have to be successful in that scene anymore. I don’t need any of those successes. I don’t need their approval either. I don’t need anyone else’s praises…”

The younger girl gently pulled Joohyun into a hug. “I am already satisfied by having you near me like this. I don’t need anything else. I don’t need anyone else. Just having you with me is enough for me.”

“Seulgi…” Joohyun closed her eyes and returned an embrace. She was deeply moved by those words of the teddy bear but she couldn’t help but feel sorry about Seulgi’s potential. “Don’t you think you’re being too short-sighted? You told me before that you love singing, right?”

“Are you saying that you want me to live in that world too?” Seulgi asked with her voice trailing. “Now that I’ve experienced a bit of it, I don’t think it’s a happy place at all.”

“What do you mean?” Joohyun opened her eyes and looked straight to those troubled eyes of her girlfriend. “Aren’t you happy that a lot of people are praising you right now?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Hyunie… I am indeed pleased that I am getting validated. I am also not looking down at people who chose to be in this line of career… It’s just… My background… The people I get involved with… What’s happening right now… It doesn’t seem like it will be a good place for me to stay.”

Seulgi took a deep, deep breath. “I don’t want to try just for experience and then quit halfway. I would just make fun of those who are trying their best to make a place for themselves in the industry. The whole band competition is enough for me. I don’t have any problems with my current work as well. My salary is enough for me. I am satisfied with what I have now.”

The girl then scoffed at herself. “I sounded like a wolf who lost her fangs, right? Suddenly getting scared of the spotlight. It’s just too scary now…”

“Seulgi…” Joohyun started tracing Seulgi’s face with her fingers. Seulgi just closed her eyes to savour the moment. “Whatever it is that you want, whatever you think is best for you, I will support you with all my heart.”

“Thank you…” Those weary eyes opened once more. “I am so happy right now… But why am I this scared?”

Seulgi won’t deny it. She kind of developed a trauma with happiness. Everytime that she feels happy, a huge problem would just come to ruin everything. When she was getting a good start with Joohyun, it was ruined by the past the other girl had with her brother. When her popularity was skyrocketing and the band was doing really well in the competition, issues about her identity started to surface even though she managed to hide everything perfectly for years. Now that she’s started a real relationship with Joohyun and is very much happy to be with the other girl, she couldn’t help but to be scared. 

She somehow started feeling that she must not enjoy things or they would be taken away.

…That she has no right to be happy at all.

“It’s fine for me to be happy… with you… right?” Seulgi’s deepest worry came out in the open. “Because I am really happy… I am really happy when I am with you…”

“Of course…” Joohyun cupped her girlfriend’s face. “I will always be here for you. No one can ever take me away from you. I am all yours, Seulgi…”

Joohyun then pulled herself before reaching for something in the drawer beside her bed. She then asked Seulgi to give her her right hand. Though she was confused, Seulgi did what she was told. The next thing she saw was Joohyun making her wear a bracelet inspired by the red rope being worn by her favourite Genshin character.

“H-Hyunie?”

“Shenhe’s red rope.” Joohyun smiled. “I just realised that the two of you are very alike.”

“I-I don’t have any homicidal urge, Hyunie…” Seulgi whined which Joohyun found really cute.

“But you are a bit prone to anger explosion recently…” Joohyun raised Seulgi’s hand to have a good look at the bracelet. “When you feel really angry and I am not around, just look at this bracelet and try to calm yourself down. I know a lot of things are getting into your nerves lately but in the current situation, you’ll be the one losing if you let anger control you.”

“Joohyun-ah…” Seulgi looked at the bracelet with those sparkling eyes. It’s not just cool but she was really moved by her girlfriend’s thoughtfulness and kindness. She could feel her heart jumping in happiness just because of that little yet very important gift. “I love you so much, Joohyun-ah!”

“All of a sudden?” Joohyun chuckled. “I love you more, Seulgi~”

A gentle smile finally lit up Seulgi’s face but it didn’t even last a second and turned into a mischievous one. “Then are you up for another round?”

Joohyun’s eyebrows shot up. “B-But I thought you were—