In a span of a week, Sakura has seen Yunjin's stepdad four times, and that's already twice the amount of time she sees Chaewon per week.

 

(This realisation was heartwrenching, mind you.)

 

The first time being that godforsaken dinner, the second and third was through videocalls, where Yunjin had deliberately called her through Facetime with her big iPad Pro in the living room just so every damn atom in that house could see who she was facetiming. She was literally walking around the entirety of her house as they called, and Sakura lost count how many times she caught a glimpse of Yunjin's stepdad appearing in the background, most of it was because Yunjin kept angling the camera with him in frame on purpose.

 

And what do you know? He certainly did stare at some point but made no remarks, Sakura vaguely remembered seeing how he was trying so hard to keep his attention on the newspaper in his hands but then realised he was still on the same page many minutes later. He was definitely eavesdropping, well more like he had no choice because Yunjin made it obvious that she wanted to piss him off.

 

So what better than putting her 'girlfriend' on speaker?

 

Not once had Sakura ever thought of being an actress, but at that moment, between exchanging (disgusting) sweet talks and constantly having to refer Yunjin as (revolting) corny pet names, she really thinks she'd do a fantastic job at being one.

 

When they facetimed again the following day, her stepdad made it clear this time that he didn't want to see or hear whatever cringy conversation they were going to stage again. And through the facetime call, Sakura could only watch with a grimace as he suddenly bellowed at Yunjin to take their conversation somewhere else, sounding so repulsed that his rising anger could be felt through the screen.

 

And while the camera was off, Sakura merely listened as the two argued again, ultimately ending with Yunjin storming off into her room and the blatant slamming of her door made Sakura flinch.

 

( "Yunjin, I know you're brave and it impresses me honestly but for 's sake, I can't lie that I'm also kinda scared what could possibly happen to you if you keep pushing his buttons. Is all this really necessary?"

 

"Yes, so that he knows he's not in control of me or my decisions on whoever the I wanna be in a relationship with!"

 

"Okay wow, he's really gotten under your skin now. Can you calm down?"

 

"It's just so stupid, Kkura. Every man I ever brought to dinner he disapproves immediately, then they'd all break up with me after that just because they were scared of him and every dude he brings to dinner ing ! So seriously tell me what the hell am I supposed to do? Date a freaking animal?? He's already giving me weird looks every time I mention you. Sometimes I feel like punc-"

 

"Deep breaths, Yunjin."

 

"Sorry..."

 

"You should become a Soundcloud rapper.")

 

At this point, Sakura has just been simply feeding into Yunjin's cravings to go on an all-out mutiny against her stepdad. On the other hand, she just couldn't understand what her dad wants — if he wanted the best for his stepdaughter then he should know better than to keep shoving suitors into her face or sending the boys she brought to dinner running out of their seats before they could even pick up their spoons.

 

It was clear that he only wanted things going according to his decisions and his decisions only.

 

Yup, very much an on his part.

 

Moving on, it's a rather grumpy Sunday today, and truthfully, Sakura should be in her room right now smashing the hell out her keyboard while playing her games. Instead, she's strolling at a shopping mall with Yunjin who's keeping a vice grip on her poor small hand.

 

She's definitely going home with shattered bones for hands, Christ.

 

Oh, and this is her fourth time seeing the infamous stepdad this week.

 

Hurray.

 

"Yunjin, do you see them? Where'd they go?"

 

Since it's the weekend, it was no surprise that the mall would be filled like sardines. It was hard enough trying to navigate through the crowd as a pocket-sized (Yunjin's words) human, fortunately, Sakura's (fake) girlfriend is a beansprout and is keen on holding her hand so that they wouldn't be separated.

 

Yunjin's been craning her neck trying to catch a glimpse of her parents in a boutique store nearby, then suddenly pulls back hurriedly, dragging Sakura to the side where the railings were, away from the rush of the crowd.

 

"Shh! They're right there at the store beside us!" Yunjin says with gritted teeth, eyes darting back and forth between the store and Sakura.

 

"Why are you shushing me? Isn't the whole point for them to notice us?" Plus, all Sakura could hear was the mall buzzing with life, she could barely hear Yunjin.

 

Since Yunjin knew that her parents were going for a bit of a shopping spree today (she gladly told Sakura she was eavesdropping them the night before), the objective was to 'accidentally' bump into them. As in deliberately having a shopping date in the same shopping mall, walking in directions where they were sure to cross paths but then the younger couple would act like they never realised Yunjin's parents were there.

 

Something about being 'too lovey dovey' to notice them, Yunjin was speaking nonsense really.

 

Sakura is pretty sure Yunjin's parents saw them walking by earlier at an intersection, literally grazing by one another by a hair's length. And with Yunjin's striking red hair, who the wouldn't recognise her instantly?

 

"You think they can see us from in there?"

 

"I don't wanna look, what if I meet their eyes? That would be so awkward!"

 

"Look, please look! Are they looking or not?!" Yunjin urges her, back facing the store and she has Sakura trapped against the railings, knuckles white from keeping her grip on either side of the cherry blossom.

 

Sakura's looking at her in disdain, the proximity clearly annoying her but it was nothing Yunjin wasn't used to. Actually, seeing her trying to peek her head out beyond Yunjin's body (which shadowed all of her) without looking too obvious was kind of funny.

 

Then there was the tiny sweater paw slightly pushing on her chest, adamant on not wanting Yunjin to come any closer than she already had. Yunjin keeps a tight-lipped smile on her face trying not to laugh at how Sakura was trying so hard to be steadfast in this situation, face so cramped you'd think she was holding in a nuclear fart.

 

If they were ever spies in an undercover mission, God forbid they get paired up.

 

"Ugh you seriously- yes! Wait... no? I don't ing know but they're looking at the clothes facing this way!" Sakura lets out an irked groan as she peeks from Yunjin's shoulder, eyes squinting and widening every now and then as she spies on the older couple browsing inside the store.

 

"Okay great! I'm gonna kiss you right now!"

 

"Eh?!"

 

Yunjin wheezed when Sakura unconsciously smacked her in the stomach from the sudden warning, "Sorry! Wait- no I'm not. Don't you dare kiss me!"

 

Yunjin rolls her eyes, grunting as she rubs her sore stomach with one hand. Sakura has her hands firmly placed on her shoulders, elbows locked as she tries to keep Yunjin at arms length. Her lips curled downwards and she's looking at the redhead with a horrified expression that she might as well pass off as one of those mortifed expression oil paintings.

 

"No- as in like pretending you idiot! Sorry for intruding but it's just for a bit!"

 

"Nu-uh!"

 

"$25! I increased it, good enough?!"

 

A brief period of silence and Yunjin knows she's won. She knows exactly how to keep Sakura interested in the bait. However high she jumped, she would still remain in Yunjin's palm.

 

Sakura huffs at this, screw her materialistic bones.

 

"If I feel your lips touching me even just the slightest..."

 

"You'll throw me off the railing, yeah yeah." Yunjin dismisses her caution, drawing in the moment Sakura hesitantly loosens her rigid hold on her shoulders.

 

Sakura's frown stays on her face as Yunjin leans in further into her space, she feels the railings digging into her lower back. She bends back over as far as she could, the more Yunjin leaned in the more she drew back, so far so that Yunjin had to hold her up in case she fell over.

 

Sakura glances back, sees the people from up top like they were ants roaming around. When she returns her gaze to Yunjin, she automatically in her breath.

 

Nevermind that they were being complete eyesores in public (she swore she saw someone's mom glaring at them while covering her child's eyes passed by), their bodies were so close that Sakura could feel the heat emanating from Yunjin. Moreover, the face that lay inches away from hers, steady breaths grazing her cheek, Sakura clenches her jaw as she felt her stomach tighten at the proximity.

 

She didn't have to romantically like Yunjin for the latter to reduce her into a blushing mess. Hell, if you had someone this close against you, your head would have probably felt like it was going to explode too. One thing she hates right now though, is the blatant fact that she was the only one between them both being affected this.

 

Whatever the hell they're doing, Sakura hopes that stupid man is watching her stepdaughter do all this to her, she was not about to let her efforts go to waste — embarrassing as they are.

 

"Your ears are very red right now," Yunjin mutters, and... was it just Sakura or did Yunjin's voice suddenly sounded sultry?

 

Sakura's slaps herself internally, Stop being gay! This is a straight woman!

 

"Please shut the up, Yunjin please." Sakura closes her eyes shut momentarily, her arms that were around Yunjin's neck tightened briefly, a gesture Yunjin clearly understands as a warning (she's a firm believer in Sakura not hesitating to strangle her to death).

 

"Are they still looking?"

 

"ing straight at me, oh my god their eyes almost met mine!" Sakura lets out a muffled shriek, trying her best not to show that she's freaking out the moment two pairs of eyes looked at them directly.

 

She immediately shifts her panicked gaze to Yunjin's face, feels the way Yunjin's hands cautiously slid down from her back to her waist to calm her down.

 

Calm down? Who is she kidding? Yunjin's making the heat in her head even worse, it's been a while since she's had a woman being this intimately close to her and Yunjin's driving her nuts.

 

Pretend she's Chaewon. Chaewon. Chaewon. Chaew-

 

Sakura takes in a deep breath. Right, this wasn't Chaewon, so why the was she feeling this jittery? She should have saved that nervousness when it's Chaewon pinning her instead, ha!

 

No, this was Yunjin, that one friend in your clique who's well-known in your campus, a social butterfly despite being an introvert, that one friend who keeps entering new relationships often just because she 'can't find the one', the one friend whom you squabble with often and most importantly...

 

That! Straight! Girl! Friend!

 

"Your breath stinks," Sakura suddenly blurted out, after much, much needed mental strengthening and being self-aware.

 

", really?!" Yunjin suddenly jerks back, and the comical look of horror on her face brings Sakura relief.

 

She can get through this no problem.

 

"No, I lied. You're so gullible, it's sad. I really should've came up with a believable excuse to refuse your stupid fake girlfriend proposal that day."

 

"Oh my god, you're such a ! Got me self conscious for a second!" Yunjin grouses, sending a light slap on Sakura's shoulder.

 

The older woman responded back wordlessly with a glare, sliding her hands off Yunjin's neck before peaking one last time over her shoulder.

 

Though this time, there's no sign of her parents anywhere, except someone with a very distinct brown bob, small face and porcelain skin...

 

"Is that..." Sakura trails off, looking into the distance and when she locks eyes with the one and only Kim Chaewon, she feels her heart plummet.

 

In a flash, her senses spiked, adrenaline is rushing through her veins and she instinctively shoves Yunjin away without a care in the world that the redhead basically flew.

 

"Oh! Sakura!"

 

God, that honey voice calling out to her, that little wave Chaewon does with her hand and that disarming smile always setting off the butterflies in Sakura's tummy that she feels like she's in highschool again, experiencing a crush for the first time.

 

Sakura prides in herself for not wearing her heart on her sleeve though, despite all the chaos going on because Chaewon's presence has the power to alter her brain chemistry, her exterior appearance remains amicable and composed. All that's different is the huge smile stretching across her face, straining her cheeks that she didn't care it hurt.

 

She doesn't care if Yunjin sees her being all dumb like this, everyone's probably the same way when the person they have the hots for is standing right in front of them.

 

"Chaewon, hey! Going shopping on a Sunday? Yunjin was just removing something from my eyes, definitely not what you're thinking."

 

Sakura laughs and it's awkward, giving Yunjin who dragged her back after being hurled to the moon a quick glance.

 

She'd hate to know that Chaewon saw all that, she's already coming up with a hundred reasons in her head in any case Chaewon starts questioning it.

 

"O...kay? What else would I be thinking?" Chaewon giggles, head tilted in confusion but the pretty smile remains on her endearing face.

 

Oh.

 

So much for overthinking.

 

"Well, whaddaya know? The neighbourhood's Pupu is here!"

 

Yunjin speaks animatedly just as Sakura was about to reply, it's so obvious she's doing it on purpose knowing that all Sakura wanted now was to kick her back into space so that it's only her and Chaewon.

 

Then Yunjin decides to somemore by flinging an arm around Chaewon's shoulder, her stupid lips pulled to the side of her face in a taunting smirk.

 

Sakura simply smiles, she'll deal with that human skyscraper later.

 

"Get off me dude, you're so heavy!" Chaewon whines, shrugging Yunjin off.

 

"Oh my bad, thought you were my armrest for a sec." Yunjin snickers, nose scrunched as she laughs at death's door.

 

(Sakura thinks anyone who voluntarily likes to activate Chaewon's little anger button isn't afraid of death.)

 

Chaewon shoots her signature glare at Yunjin, the redhead always being her sole target when it comes to her piercing stares. Sakura feels a pinch in her chest as she watches them — how she longs for that kind of dynamic, to be in Yunjin's shoes as she laughs in Chaewon's ear.

 

Like always, she doesn't do anything. It's ironic considering how much she desires Chaewon in her head but now that she's physically here, Sakura is still and cowardly.

 

She figures it's fine, what is there to fight for in a losing game?

 

"Beansprout ... anyway what are you guys doing here? Probably the first time in a while I'm seeing you two hang out 'cause usually Yunjin would be glued to some mediocre dude-"

 

"Hey! My tastes aren't mediocre!" Yunjin playfully shoves Chaewon with a look of disbelief on her face, the latter letting herself stumble a few steps as she releases a fruitful laugh.

 

Then Chaewon's looking at her.

 

"Sakura would agree with me though, right Kkura?"

 

"Totally," Sakura replies without missing a beat, she ignores the way Yunjin rolled her eyes at her at the obvious favouritism.

 

"I'm not glued to my boyfriend everyday okay... you guys are mean. Today I just wanted to go on a date with Kkura 'cause it's been so long!" Yunjin shuffles towards Sakura this time, about to hang her arm around her shoulders but the cherry blossom was quick to side step and smoothly avoid her.

 

"Friendly date. Also we see each other every week in the cafè, and I think that's too much honestly." Sakura jokes, giggles when Chaewon does.

 

"I totally see why. Aaaand... my feet's aching so let's go sit somewhere and chat instead before I collapse." Chaewon sighs, holding up one of her hands which were full of various shopping bags.

 

"Bet Sakura can carry you- ow!"

 

A smack on her arm and Yunjin's boring holes into the side of Sakura's head.

 

"I can't but I'll gladly take some of those off your hands though?" Sakura willingly offers, but Chaewon smiles dismissively.

 

"Oh it's fine, I got it. Thanks though, always the gentlewoman, aren't you?"

 

Sakura chuckles and hums, her hands falling back to her sides before they hid in her pockets. She glances at the bags hanging off that petite wrist once again, and doesn't wonder who all of it is for because Chaewon doesn't usually buy items in bulks. 

 

Usually.

 

Migrating to a more comfortable place then — a lounge somewhere in the shopping mall — it's a miracle that they haven't once seen or ran into Yunjin's parents. Either way, Sakura is beyond glad, she's particularly not fond of the idea of Chaewon having to know what Yunjin and her were up to in the first place.

 

"Did you guys know that you two look like Wade and Ember?" Chaewon chirps at some point, legs crossed as she sat on the cushioned seat, her bags laying by her feet.

 

"Who?" Sakura looked at her questioningly, head tilted when Chaewon suddenly gasps at her answer.

 

Yunjin seems to have the same reaction as Sakura, the way her brows furrowed as she tries to wrack her brain for it. They exchanged confused glances and still remained clueless.

 

"From the Elementals movie! They're that water and fire couple... don't tell me you haven't watched it?!" Chaewon gasps again, the movie must have meant a lot to her with how she's in pure disbelief because the two knew nothing about it.

 

"Well now I know not to..." Sakura mumbles under breath, 'water and fire couple' was all she needed to hear to not watch that movie.

 

"Unbelievable, they're literally so cute! Since you're in the mall, why don't you guys go to the theaters and watch it now? You guys have the perfect hair colours too! Wait- let me take a picture of you guys holding hands and I'll post it on my story!" Chaewon's giggling to herself at this point, whipping out her phone as she swiftly goes to the camera app.

 

Sakura didn't even have time to react when Chaewon suddenly tugs her hand and Yunjin's together, her palms flat against Yunjin's.

 

"Holy- I know your hands are tiny but this tiny?! What the heck?!" Yunjin's eyes expanded when she compares their hand sizes, fingers automatically curling into the spaces between Sakura's.

 

On the hand, Sakura is internally gagging, too caught up in the way Chaewon's smiling and giggling like a school girl as she tries to set the two up for a pose.

 

"Hey! Your hands shouldn't touch!"

 

She did not dye her hair just for Chaewon to use it as an excuse to ship her with Yunjin. She's only got it done a week ago and now she's going to have to dye it back...

 

Oh who is she kidding? She's not going to spend a near hundred just to dye it back to jet black. That damn salon was expensive too...

 

"Not one word."

 

Sakura says this immediately after Chaewon leaves, moments after their whole Elementals hair fiasco.

 

She has a firm finger up pointed at Yunjin straight between her eyes, glaring at the taller woman with reddening cheeks and gritted teeth. Yunjin chuckles, she feels bad for the Japanese truthfully. She lightly pushes Sakura's finger down.

 

"Man, unrequited love is so sad huh?"

 

Yunjin really doesn't know when to keep zipped, especially when it comes to Sakura and her nonexistent love life she notices.

 

"Shut up." Sakura curtly says, swivelling on her feet to make her way towards the mall elevator with Yunjin on her trail.

 

"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" Yunjin jogs to catch up to her, softening her tone then, curious eyes awaiting real answers as she asks Sakura with a cautious tone.

 

"Ugh why do people keep asking that- If it was so easy, don't you think I'd be all up in her face screaming how much I love her by now? Honestly? I'd rather ing die. And she's seeing someone else, so drop it okay?"

 

"Oh." Yunjin clamps shut after that, lowering her gaze to the floor when Sakura's infuriated eyes look at her.

 

The Japanese frowns, hit with a twinge of guilt seeing Yunjin keeping to herself after her sudden outburst. She groans, pulling Yunjin's hand along when she started slowing down.

 

"Sorry. Is it over for today? Your parents are gone and it would be nice to get my money and go home right about now." Sakura exhales, exhausted both physically and mentally, she couldn't decide if the day would have probably gone better if they hadn't bumped into Chaewon.

 

The whole fake girlfriend staging or being a hopeless existence in front of your crush, Sakura really can't make up her mind. Actually, she can, one gives her money and the other, heartbreak. Easy choice really.

 

She doesn't mind Yunjin winning this one for once.

 

"Jeez, don't you wanna hang out for a little bit? I really mean it when I said we haven't hung out together in a while for real..." Yunjin pouts, nudging Sakura every now and then.

 

"Not after the embarrassment you saw me as. Now you either take me home like the good 'girlfriend' that you are or I'll just hail a taxi." Sakura folds her arms, feet tapping incessantly against the marble tiles as she narrows her eyes at the descending floors of elevator.

 

Yunjin's not surprised, yielding to Sakura's commands and not wanting to rile the woman up further.

 

"Alright alright, I'll drive you home... I seriously feel bad for you though, what do you think about getting free therapy sessions from me? Heart to heart talk to ease that little broken heart of yours, hm?" She tries to joke, a corner of her lips curving up in an encouraging smile.

 

Sakura simply turns to her with an expressionless face.

 

"I think I would rather admit myself to a mental hospital."

 

---

 

It's becoming bearable.

 

Sakura means that she's getting used to holding Yunjin's disgustingly comfortable, warm hands, calling her nauseating sweet nicknames, heck she's getting used to Yunjin almost kissing her a couple times.

 

But getting used to it didn't mean it didn't make her any less gayer or any less nervous. She's just not surprised anymore. At the end of the day, Yunjin is still a woman, and in case we're forgetting, Sakura is so very hopelessly attracted to women.

 

Today, they're on a different mission though — one that's going to make Sakura regret she was ever the egg that fertilised on her mom's uterus walls and made it to birth instead of the countless others that died before her who could have taken her spot.

 

This time, she's going back to that godforsaken house all on her own, under the guise that she's going to be having a date with Yunjin in her room. With that murderous looking stepdad of hers at home (with Mrs. Huh too of course, it's a national holiday today).

 

Not suspicious at all.

 

This makes it... what? Sakura doesn't know how many sessions has it been then but a good three weeks have passed since and she hasn't been counting what session today would be. She does appreciate the little tips she's been getting from this side hustle.

 

Now Sakura is quivering outside the entrance door, one trembling hand up hovering over the intercom while her phone was clutched on her other hand with Yunjin's incessant texts asking her where the she was.

 

It's been twenty minutes.

 

She's been standing outside shaking like a leaf for twenty ing minutes and she's certain she's going to piss her pants if Yunjin isn't going to be the one opening this damn mahagony door.

 

Miyawaki Sakura, 22, death caused by petrificafion outside of the Huh family's residence, rest in peace.

 

"Oh shi-" Sakura retracts her hand after she accidentally pressed the bell, horrified that in the midst of her internal panicking, she flinched and rang the bell.

 

Now she's got about a minute before someone opens the door or she could dip right now and bail on Yunjin.

 

Just as she was about to commit to the second option, the door opens and she's suddenly brought to a standstill.

 

Funny, Yunjin is supposedly 5ft 8, not a whopping 6ft 2...

 

Sakura gulps, her eyes trailing up from a pair of feet that seemingly came out of a Bigfoot movie to the owner's bearded, chronically constipated face.

 

Definitely not Yunjin.

 

"H-Hi..." Sakura clears , flashing her pearly whites as if that was going to make that frown disappear off the stepdad's face, "Um... good afternoon uh- sir?"

 

No response, last time she recalled, Yunjin's stepdad wasn't mute. Is he seriously planning on glaring at her until she runs off? Yeah, she's getting that feeling actually.

 

"You know what, I'll just go, haha! Have a good day sir-" Sakura awkwardly laughs when the man still didn't move an inch, about to turn on her heels to run off just as he intends her to but Yunjin's voice blares out the last minute.

 

"BABE!"

 

And then Sakura's escape attempt is entirely ruined, merely grinning painfully just as Yunjin runs to the door in time and pushes her stepdad aside.

 

"You're here! I've been waiting!" Yunjin exclaims, her eyes pointedly looking at Sakura at the last sentence as she smiles too sweetly.

 

Sakura returns the smile wordlessly, leaning in as Yunjin quickly reels her in for a hug and presses her lips to her cheek.

 

"You could have let her in instead of trying to scare her off, old man." Yunjin scoffs as they pass by her stepdad who looked on with a clenched jaw, eyes narrowed as they rushed into Yunjin's room.

 

When the door slams shut, Sakura lets out a huge breath, clutching onto her chest as she drops to her knees.

 

"Oh I thought I was gonna die..." Sakura breathes, then whips her head up to glare at Yunjin who's holding in her laughter, "Why didn't you open the ing door instead?! I kid you not, I almost my pants!"

 

That was really all it took for Sakura to be traumatised. Hell, why does Yunjin's dad has to have one of the most fear-inducing, intimidating face ever?

 

"You should've seen the look on your face!" Yunjin wheezes, knees buckling as she doubles over in laughter and lets her body sink against Sakura's.

 

"Hah... that was more frightening than the mannequin house in Resident Evil, me... Why am I subjecting myself to this..." Sakura cries out, clasping her palms together before doing the sign of cross, muttering the words under her breath.

 

Yunjin laughs harder at this, sending slaps  against Sakura's shoulder as a couple of tears trickle down her cheek.

 

"Oh my god... that was- you're seriously the funniest person alive, dude! My stomach hurts so bad right now..." Yunjin heaves, trying to recover from her high as she wipes her tears dry.

 

They're sprawled on the floor for different reasons, Sakura has no strength because of PTSD and Yunjin just couldn't stand up from laughing her off.

 

"Please... let's get this over with. What are we doing today?" Sakura weakly mumbles, eyes half-closed as she takes in the blurry view of Yunjin's ceiling.

 

"Wanna watch a movie? Come on, get your up." Yunjin shakes her out of her nerves, picking her own body off the floor.

 

"Wait what- is this just gonna be a normal hang out session?" Sakura raises a brow, shooting Yunjin a puzzled look.

 

It earns her a chuckle.

 

"It's a 'date', but yeah more or less. Pretty easy huh?" Yunjin smiles, a hint of tease somewhere in there and Sakura doesn't trust it one bit.

 

She crinkles her nose and pinches them with two fingers, eyes squinting at the dubious redhead.

 

"Suddenly, your room stinks with lies..."

 

"Don't be like that! C'mon we're gonna cuddle- okay maybe not cuddle, let's just watch one movie!" Yunjin laughs, tugging on her arm mercilessly until Sakura has no choice but to rise to her feet languidly.

 

To Sakura's surprise, they did end up watching a movie with nothing couple-y involved. There's a bolster between them as they lay on Yunjin's bed, her laptop placed on top of it. She's starting to think Yunjin really did invite her over to spend genuine time with her.

 

Alas, just when everything seemed normal, an hour into the movie, Yunjin starts stretching her limbs out of nowhere, letting out relieved grunts and the next second, a blood-curdling grin occupies her face. Sakura feels the shivers again.

 

At the same time, Sakura hears muffled voices outside Yunjin's room — her parents most likely.

 

But her ears perked up, now that she's listening to the noise outside properly, she realises that there weren't only the voices of two people now...

 

There's multiple voices overlapping right then, and occasionally the choruses of laughter and bubbly chatter can be heard through the walls.

 

Don't tell me there's a party going on outside...

 

"Okay! It's been long enough!" Yunjin yells out, startling the older woman who lay beside her with eyes as wide as saucers.

 

"Um... care to tell me what the hell is going on outside?"

 

"Just some family gathering on my dad's side," Yunjin rolls her eyes when she says it, but then the sly smirk returns as fast as it disppeared, "you don't have to worry what's going outside, just focus on me."

 

Sakura's eyebrows pulled together in a frown as Yunjin swiftly rolls over her to get out of her bed, pulling her along by the hand. Sakura squeaks at the girl's strength, letting herself be catapulted out of the comfy sheets and colliding into Yunjin.

 

"Yunjin! Wha-"

 

"Shh! Hear that?" Yunjin mutes her footsteps and pulls her along towards the door, pressing her ear against it where the chatter then became clearer, "Quite lively huh? What say we add to it?"

 

Sakura shoots her a weird look at the dubious insinuation, "Just what are you planning?! Why didn't you tell me there's a family gathering?!"

 

"Look, I didn't wanna be here for it either but you know how that old man gets. Wouldn't let me out on a special occasion... my ..." Yunjin grouses, eyes boring at the door as if her stepdad was right there.

 

Sakura scratches her head slowly, scoffing incredulously as she looks at Yunjin in disbelief.

 

"So you told me to drag my here... for what?! Company?!" Sakura shrieks, hands balled into fists like she was prepared to rain them down on Yunjin for being the ing Pinocchio she is.

 

She should have known there was something more to it than a 'simple date' in her room!

 

"Trust me, you're better company than them." Yunjin admits, lips pulled up on side in a lopsided smile.

 

"I'm gonna end up meeting your entire family tree, Yunjin." Sakura shakes her head, letting her arms fall in defeat.

 

It didn't just stop there, of course it didn't. While Sakura was busy pondering if she was gonna be stuck here for another hour until the guests leave so that she can leave, Yunjin starts toying with the belt of her jeans.

 

Sakura's eyes widened instantly, panic and utter surprise marring her face as Yunjin suddenly starts unbuckling her belt.

 

"Uh what... what?! Wh-what the hell are you- why are you taking off your pants?!" Naturally, Sakura starts freaking out, face heating up as she desperately covers her eyes.

 

"I'm not taking off my pants! Don't be a ert!" Yunjin retorts, the metallic sound of her belt being carelessly undone only makes Sakura flush red.

 

Yunjin's not making any sense, shifting herself out of the equation when she was literally the one who started it.

 

"Me?! ert?! When you're the one suddenly unbuck-"

 

"Relax, I'm only loosening them a bit to look like we..." Yunjin pauses awkwardly, the strap of her belt now hanging off the buckle as it was released from the loop.

 

Sakura glues her eyes to Yunjin's face as best as she could the moment the redhead lets her hands off her belt slowly, her jeans shifting down just the slightest but enough to make Sakura want to shoot herself in the head if she accidentally memorises what colour-

 

"Like we...?" Sakura echoes, voice strained.

 

Yunjin shrugs mindlessly, raising her brows at the cherry blossom knowingly.

 

"Like we just finished fu-"

 

"Don't even finish that sentence, moron! Who even walks out of their room looking like they finished a quickie knowing half their family is outside?!"

 

Sakura's genuinely going insane, slapping Yunjin on her shoulder for pulling the most insane stunts on a weak lesbian like her.

 

"You know what's funny? Every guy I dated, we've never run into this situation before because I had to sneak them in so you're gonna be the first one where they know I have you over and it's gonna be obvious we did more than just a movie marathon in here."

 

It's so wicked. Whichever spawn of Satan standing in front of her in the form of Huh Yunjin is doing a damn good ing job at messing with her mental state.

 

Yunjin saying all that so casually with an amused smile on her plump lips while leaning sideways on her door and that stupid, ridiculous half-buckled belt of hers clinging to the waist of her ripped jeans-

 

Lord, Sakura was not built for this.

 

"Wow, to be someone's ing guinea pig. You know, your dad's gonna murder me one day."

 

Sakura forcefully tears her eyes away from the redhead, choosing to glower at the door instead, maybe a little longer then she would become Cyclops, maybe she could have been lasering her way the out of here by now.

 

"Not if I murder him first," Yunjin replies a little too quick, earning a side-eye from the older woman.

 

"What."

 

"What? Just kidding, I'm a menace but me committing homicide? I can't even look at seagulls in the eye, be serious, I have morals okay."

 

"I'm not the one insinuating murder." Sakura deadpans.

 

"Okay nobody is killing anyone! Now can we get back to this?"

 

I don't want to...!

 

Sakura's throat bobs when Yunjin approaches her, she subconsciously takes a few steps back until her back hits the door, face stiff just as Yunjin stands at an arm's length.

 

The redhead points down to Sakura's chest wordlessly, who instinctively covers herself with her hands, cheeks heating up at the silent implication.

 

"Just let one button loose,"

 

"You are so dead, Yunjin."

 

Yunjin just nods absentmindedly, so used to Sakura's threats by now with the amount of time they've been spending with each other this intimately lately — all because of a ludicrous fake relationship Yunjin made up to annoy her dad.

 

"I know, and you're still gonna get your money so please just do me a favour and feed into my pettiness?" Yunjin pleads, feigning a pout and Sakura's face morphed into disgust almost immediately.

 

"You better raise the price today, jerk." Sakura hisses, bringing up her hands timidly to her croptop once.

 

"God damn, that's a pretty necklace." Yunjin whistles, eyes looking directly downwards with no shame, nodding her head in approval.

 

Sakura turns very red, her big ears searing hot, she wasn't wearing any freaking necklace.

 

"Can you not?!" Sakura smacks her palms onto Yunjin's eyes, who yelped in surprise at the sudden assault, becoming visually impaired for a while.

 

Yunjin breaks into laughter then, with Sakura blinding her with her small hands that she could still see a little bit through the spaces of her dainty fingers. Yunjin shifts her head away to escape them, smiling playfully as she yanks Sakura by the elbow, deliberately switching their positions as the cherry blossom collides to her front.

 

She's sure somebody outside heard that loud thud.

 

"Now bite me!" Yunjin blurts out, a little too cheery for Sakura's taste.

 

"Huh?!" Then she stares up at Yunjin in utter disbelief, a look of horror occupying her face.

 

"Gimme a hickey on the neck! Quick!" Yunjin's hands on her waist prods her, fingers drumming against her soft skin.

 

She's already tilting her head to give Sakura full access to her neck. Just looking at that supple skin littered with moles makes her gulp, lips parting subconsciously. Sakura wonders if this is how vampires feel, because she's definitely feeling a hankering for a little something right now.

 

"I'm gonna freaking kill you after all this..." Sakura meekly threatens her, glaring up at the redhead who tugged at her waist to encourage her.

 

"Shut up, just do it! I'll give you a hundred today!"

 

Sakura immediately stops complaining and that look of terror dissolves so quickly that Yunjin was honestly both impressed and in disbelief that she couldn't help but break into laughter for the nth time.

 

"Dude, at least make it not obvious that you're crazy for money."

 

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just helping a friend." Sakura shrugs nonchalantly, pushing red strands over firm shoulders, exposing herself to more of Yunjin's skin.

 

"You're hilarious, you know that?" Yunjin giggles.

 

"Sadly, being funny doesn't pull." Sakura chuckles, shifting her gaze from Yunjin's neck to her face.

 

"The heck are you saying? Have you seen the amount of girls after you?? No, because your eyes are only on Chaewon! So you either bag her or get over her already! Oh wait, she's already got a girlfriend, so ing get over her!" Yunjin shakes her head in disappointment, looking down at Sakura with narrowed eyes.

 

"Forget about it, enjoy your meal, Kkura." Yunjin continues, back to her teasing self as she pulls Sakura closer.

 

Ugh , how do I do this again...?

 

Sakura's facing a little bit of a dilemma, hesitant to lean in to mark herself onto Yunjin, who so willingly presented herself to her. It's hard to focus when their bodies were so close, pressing against each other ever so slightly everytime she dares lean in.

 

Yunjin doesn't say anything, knows not to pressure her and letting Sakura proceed whenever she wants to. The only thing she could offer is comforting caresses on the older woman's waist.

 

(She doesn't know it's only driving Sakura up the wall.)

 

On the other hand, she couldn't wait to get out of her room looking like a beautifully ravaged mess. Just imagining the look on her step relatives' faces is exhilarating.

 

"Yunjin, my head feels like it's going to explode." Sakura groans, hearing her heart pounding in her ears.

 

She hides her face on Yunjin's shoulder, mumbling incoherent words as her grip on the taller woman's shirt grew tighter.

 

"It's okay, you can do it." Yunjin chuckles, tickling her sides and it at least evokes a short laughter from Sakura.

 

Mustering what's left of her courage and dignity (and the hundred dollars singing in the back of her head), Sakura brushes away the myriad of alarms sounding off in her head before diving in to plant her lips on the column of Yunjin's throat.

 

Nevermind that this whole thing feels like infidelity (Yunjin literally has a boyfriend!), Sakura is a hundred and ten percent sure that no sane friends would willingly do this to each other unless they were drunk off their asses. And they were definitely far from drunk right now.

 

Sakura feels the searing heat surging in waves throughout her body, her heart was beating a mile a minute and her knees haven't felt so weak (gosh, has it been that long?) but she tries to pay them no mind as she tentatively bites softly on the smooth skin, like a leech the way Yunjin would want her to.

 

A straight woman coming up with stunts like these and not batting an eye...  Sakura thinks Yunjin needs to do a serious double take on her uality.

 

Seconds later, Sakura halts her ministrations, pulling away with twitching lips as she feels her ears burn, taking in the sounds that escaped Yunjin's lips.

 

"Wait, that fast? Why'd you stop??" Yunjin questions her, brows furrowed as she looks at Sakura in genuine confusion.

 

"You...! I-I... Can you stop making those sounds?!" Sakura lightly lands a punch on Yunjin's chest, glaring up at her through her lashes with tremulous lips.

 

The low whines and occasional high-pitched hums that Yunjin deliberately evokes were being detrimental to Sakura's health, in all honesty it's making all the heat from her head pool in the pit of her stomach and that was a very dangerous implication.

 

"Are you serious? I need them to hear- okay wait, how long has it been since you made out with someone?" Yunjin asks seriously, did Sakura forget that people don't stay silent when they were being intimate or what?

 

On the contrary, she finds it a rather cute sight seeing how Sakura was being all meek and tiny.

 

"Um, none of your business?"

 

"Okay, so never." Yunjin concludes in a teasing tone.

 

"It's been a while okay! There! You can see the hickey now! Are we done?" Sakura pushes herself off the taller woman and points to the tiny reddening patch on Yunjin's throat.

 

The realisation once again that she was the cause of it was making her turn scarlet.

 

Yunjin goes to check it at her vanity mirror, giving Sakura a smile of approval and a thumbs up through the reflection before she turns around.

 

"Now let me do it to you." Yunjin wiggles her brows, Sakura putting up her arms in defense when she takes a step forward.

 

"What? We have work tomorrow and Chaewon's gonna see it!" Sakura chides, knows that once Chaewon sees it, she's going to start teasing her about a nonexistent lover, not knowing that the culprit was Yunjin.

 

"Please, she hasn't even been coming to the cafè recently." Yunjin points out.

 

"..."

 

"Too much? My bad..." Yunjin grimaces at her own words when a disappointed look flashed across Sakura's face.

 

It was a fact, Sakura knew that. Chaewon's probably busy allocating all her time to her mysterious girlfriend and haven't had the time to visit their cafè recently. At least she was being a great, dedicated girlfriend.

 

"Just... do it near my collarbone so that it at least peeks out. I can cover it up tomorrow." Sakura gives in, voice turning sour as her thoughts consume her, shifting the collar of her croptop to reveal more of her prominent clavicle.

 

"You sure? I'm letting you back out now." Yunjin idly sits on her vanity table, the slightest smile occupying her lips, fiery hair cascading on one shoulder, that belt still hanging onto her waist for life-

 

"Do it before I change my mind, ugh can't believe I'm letting a rider do this to me." Sakura huffs in annoyance, feeling pettiness getting the best of her.

 

Irked, she rolls her eyes and pulls Yunjin's knees apart, slotting herself between the taller woman's legs who briefly looked at her with widened eyes because of her rare initiative, before they're suddenly engaged in a glaring contest.

 

"Excuse me? I literally let you have the option and don't call me a rider!" Yunjin scowls, sounding a little too vexed for a bad joke but Sakura eggs her on, arching a taunting brow.

 

"Are you upset? Okay, fine don't do it then." Sakura folds her arms, not making a move to shift from their controversial position and holds the intense gaze the two shared.

 

"Fine!"

 

"Fine."

 

Seeing how Yunjin was trembling with annoyance in her seat, Sakura feels a smirk incoming, she knows Yunjin would never win against her in petty squabbles like this one. But what she didn't expect was Yunjin giving her a particularly deep frown and then proceeds to hold her firmly on her waist, before she sinks her teeth into the dip between Sakura's collarbones.

 

"Ah !" Sakura voice resonates in her room, immediately slapping her hands to with widened eyes at her own volume.

 

"Way to go, that was loud. Can you scream my name next?" Yunjin laughs mischievously when she pulls away her lips.

 

"How about I scream your mom's name instead?" Sakura retaliates, rubbing the sore spot where Yunjin previously bit her.

 

"You sound so done, I know I know, no more after this." Yunjin raises her hands in surrender, chuckling apologetically.

 

"At this point, I'm just saying it in my mind, Yunjin-ah. I couldn't care less what your family thinks of me now... my image was ruined the moment you brought me to that dinner. Wow listen to me rambling bull."

 

Sakura scoffs at herself as she checks her mark in the mirror, Yunjin's sly smile doesn't go unnoticed.

 

"Has it been a while since you touched a girl? You looked like you were fighting demons. Either way, hope I at least did you a little favour today seeing how you're probably touch-deprived." Yunjin teases her as clear as day, giggling behind her slender fingers.

 

Sakura grits her teeth, feeling her cheeks burn.

 

Well, that's ing embarrassing.

 

Why does Yunjin always notice those kinds of things about her? Her supposedly secret attraction to Chaewon and now her undoubted arousal which she's just barely suppressing.

 

Sakura huffs through her nose, annoyed at Yunjin for being the hot motherer that she is, annoyed at herself because hunger pangs — there's a tiny voice in the back of her head that wants to have another bite because really, it's been so, damn, long.

 

"In my case, you're the demon and you know what? Since you so kindly raised the price today, I'll do something worth your hundred. Just one last touch before we go out there looking like we ed like rabbits in heat." Sakura lets everything go at that moment, yielding to the incessant tugs in her guts.

 

She was going to listen to that stupid little voice in her head and she doesn't care about the consequences right now — future Sakura can deal with that. Worse comes worst, she'll just drive herself off a cliff if she couldn't take it anymore, she's got nothing to lose anyway.

 

Yunjin finds all of this funny still, so entertained by Sakura's change in demeanour.

 

"Woah... are you always this vile when ?"

 

"Shut up, it's your fault." Sakura glances at her, doesn't even bother denying as she suddenly looks around behind Yunjin at the array of cosmetics, some of them out of place.

 

Yunjin simply watches with curiosity, has no clue what the older woman is planning. Nonetheless, she's just glad Sakura is putting in effort today. If her stepdad still isn't convinced that they were dating all this time then she doesn't know what else to do really.

 

Lately though, Yunjin hasn't had any suitors coming to her house so that was a plus.

 

"Aww, you're finally really into this! Or is it because I upped the money-"

 

"It's the money." Sakura curtly cuts her off, reaching a hand out to pick up a certain lipstick, red, just like the desire burning in the pit of her stomach.

 

Yunjin still doesn't catch on surprisingly, even when Sakura starts putting on her lipstick while maintaining eye contact, she's just smiling. Wherever she thought those lips were going to end up, she's got it all wrong.

 

"Well, can't blame you. Oh this is gonna piss him off sooo badly-"

 

Yunjin stops craning her neck when Sakura suddenly hurls the lipstick away and grabs fistfuls of her shirt, yanking her in and in a split second she finds Sakura's lips smashed against hers.

 

Yunjin's got no time to process all of it, eyes ballooning at the sight of Sakura's tightly closed eyes because she's so close that she could count her lashes. Above all, the indescribable sensation as Sakura's lips imprint themselves against her own was making her head devoid of coherent thoughts, too taken aback.

 

And before her five senses could comprehend all of it, Sakura breaks away with parted lips, her big eyes now in slits as she catches her breath. Yunjin remains still, feeling the warmth linger on her lips and it weirdly tingles.

 

Even as Sakura uses her thumb to deliberately smudge a bit of her lipstick where her lips were once bare, Yunjin's wide eyes remain glued to her.

 

"You wanted to make it look like we legit messed each other up in here? There you go, that meant nothing by the way."

 

Sakura chokes out the last bit in a hurry, her chest still heaving as she glances away in a moment of fluster. While Yunjin remains mute, not expecting Sakura of all people to kiss the life out of her just to apply that god damn lipstick on her, the Japanese starts pulling bits of her ginger hair out of place. Sakura laughs lightly after finally taking a step back away from Yunjin to take a good look at her dishevelled appearance.

 

Surely, Yunjin looked like she had the best quickie of her life.

 

"Okay, now you look presentable, let's go." Sakura jokes and pats her thigh, she doesn't know that it snapped Yunjin out of whatever state she was in.

 

"What... was that..." Yunjin mumbles under her breath, out of Sakura's earshot as she mindlessly makes her way towards the door.

 

Sakura seems to realise her change in state, shaking Yunjin lightly by the shoulders with a raised brow.

 

"Earth to Jenjen? Snap out of it, damn you're acting like how I was when I first kissed a girl. Not gonna fall for me now, are you?" Sakura chortles, a playful smirk stretching across her face.

 

Yunjin dumbly shakes her head, "I just... can't believe you'd willingly do that."

 

"It's all part of the convincing right? Come on then." Sakura beckons her, pulling Yunjin by her beltloops as they exchanged knowing glances when she wraps her hand around the doorknob.

 

---

 

Annoy someone, you get a glare. Annoy someone more, you get a scolding. Annoy someone even more, inevitably, you get your kicked.

 

For their case, they got kicked out.

 

Turns out, pulling up to a family gathering looking like you spent a night and a half locked up in a motel doing some 'very friendly bonding' with your significant other is uncouth. Reasoning it with 'Sorry, we didn't know we had guests over' is undoubtedly even more of a shameless move.

 

And then the moment Yunjin's stepdad landed his eyes on the pair and made a hypothesis regarding their dishevelled appearances, he grew furious. Especially when Yunjin acted like nothing happened and smiled at her step relatives while buckling her belt and smoothing out her hair, going to the kitchen to get water and intentionally brushing her hair back so her hickey could be seen. Countless pairs of eyes focused on Sakura who timidly came out after her then, clearing and giving formal smiles to the random people she hoped she was never going to meet ever again.

 

"Okay, so that was successful but at what cost? Honestly, I didn't think about the possibility of getting kicked out, ing ..."

 

Yunjin rolls her eyes, lips pulled down in a scowl as she thinks of it, then swiftly with both hands, flips off the door that was slammed in their faces.

 

"Hey, let me sleep at yours."

 

Yunjin suggests when they walked away, after spending a minute laughing her off just after getting thrown out the door by her stepdad who told her not to come back until the guests leave.

 

He certainly didn't like it when Yunjin announced out loud that Sakura was her girlfriend and earned a lot of questioning glances afterwards, not a single word uttered out of her step relative's surprised faces.

 

Sakura just takes it all in in disbelief, but it was the first time that she saw Yunjin's mom being genuinely furious at her husband's actions yet she kept calm because they had guests over.

 

It just didn't make sense.

 

"No, don't you have a boyfriend to go back to?"

 

Sakura thinks it's a bad idea to bring Yunjin back to her house anyway, not after all that happened between them back there. She's not sure how to deal with the tension they have unknowingly created between themselves, with her being much, much more aware. So she says it to Yunjin like sort of a wake up call because she felt how the line between them had blurred for a brief moment — maybe it was just her, but she knows that Yunjin is someone who thinks a lot — and now that the line is clear again, Sakura is back to being indifferent.

 

"Oh, right." Yunjin replies.

 

Her curt answer and the reluctant tone makes Sakura wonder what it meant. She wants to peek inside of Yunjin's head and sees what she's honestly thinking.

 

"You think this counts as cheating? I'm straight though." Yunjin purses her lips.

 

"Aw, that's a terrible disease. Get well soon, Yunjin-ah." Sakura gives her a pitiful look, Yunjin's not sure if she was even teasing with that condescending look on her face.

 

"You know you didn't have to kiss me," Yunjin brings it up a few seconds later, tone a little more serious, setting her gaze on Sakura who was walking in front of her.

 

Yunjin watches the way Sakura's shoulder momentarily hunches up, and when she spares a glance back, Yunjin spots the thin line of her lips curl down just slightly. The way Sakura's jaw tightened upon her words, the brief moment of silence that hung between them slowly brewed up concern in the taller woman.

 

Maybe she could have sounded a little less rigid, could have added a pinch of humor in that statement of hers which she now realises had sounded a bit firm and...

 

"Well I can't take it back now can I? It's your first kiss from a girl right? What? Are you disgusted now? Are you gonna avoid me over time?"

 

Sakura's questions hit her like bullets, Yunjin stops in her tracks with a deep frown on her face. When Sakura looks back at her with a blank expression, the tongue poking her cheek was a sign that she was perturbed.

 

"Woah relax, what are you saying? It's just... different. I didn't say it bothered me! Wait, you had someone do that to you?!" Yunjin looks at her incredulously, feeling irked just at the thought.

 

"Yeah and some I didn't even have to kiss them for it to happen." Sakura shrugs indifferently, directing her gaze elsewhere.

 

"They freaking . Morons... you deserve better anyway." Yunjin grumbles, glaring at the floor.

 

Sakura chuckles at her reaction, deciding it's probably best to change the conversation to something else. She probably shouldn't have prodded Yunjin like that, especially when she was the one who derailed from her own principles, pulling that unnecessary stunt for some stupid pretense game.

 

"Hitch me a ride? Don't feel like taking the train back."

 

"Yeah, of course."

 

In all of her time with Yunjin, the car ride was probably the quietest they've been. It's when Sakura realises that she hates it, the usual loud banter now replaced with just the gentle hum of the radio and a period of silence that's almost stiffling. When she occasionally steals glances at Yunjin, sometimes she'd catch a foreign expression on the redhead's face. The way she kept biting her lower lip, rubbing the corners of her lips with a finger every now and then.

 

"Sorry, I really shouldn't have kissed you." Sakura utters, lifting her head from the window and locks her downcast gaze on the glovebox.

 

Yunjin is quick protest, whipping her head in her direction.

 

"No no! It's fine really! It was just a kiss, seriously stop acting like you killed my dog or something." Yunjin tries to reassure her, a hand reaching out to playfully punch Sakura on the shoulder in an attempt to lighten the mood.

 

Sakura hums as she offers Yunjin a small smile despite the tight feeling in her chest. She'll believe Yunjin just this once, never pushing further on the topic. If Yunjin felt fine about it then she should be feeling the same way too. Sakura heaves a sigh of relief then, leaning back in her seat when she realises her posture had been stiff.

 

The rest of the ride fortunately feels much better, and like the flick of a switch, they were both back to their usual, out of pocket conversations. Of course, with Yunjin starting it all. Silly grins plastered on their faces, choruses of laughter resonating in Yunjin's car that they didn't need a radio to liven up their journey.

 

It's what Sakura wishes would never change between them.

 

"Just out of curiosity, Kkura, do you say grace before eating someone out?"

 

"Do I what before I what? What the hell did I just hear??"

 

"You did the sign of cross earlier, aren't you religious?"

 

"I was just out of my mind! I'm not religious..."

 

"An atheist?"

 

"No."

 

"What... then what are you?"

 

"A hopeless lesbian? For the love of god, shut up and drive..."

 

Yup, Sakura wouldn't change this for the world.