Yoona smiled when she felt a slightly smaller hand wrap around her own, reminding her of the presence of her loved one in the same room. Since it was a school holiday and she had gotten the afternoon shift for the day, Yoona and Seohyun had decided to sleep in. The night before, there had been a friends’ get-together at Seohyun’s house, in which all nine girls had eaten, talked and played around until midnight. After their friends left, Yoona and Seohyun stayed a bit more, watching Sgt. Frog Keroro, Seohyun’s favorite cartoon. The older girl didn’t seem to like it as much, since she slept half through each episode. Seohyun didn’t mind, though, as long as she got to spend time with the girl who had managed to steal her heart so easily and quickly. After that, the two fell asleep in each other’s arms, like they were growing used to do.

Even after they woke up, they decided to stay in bed for a bit more. Seohyun had been reading her self-improvement book, while Yoona just lied there and stared at the room’s ceiling. From time to time, she’d pretend to study for her upcoming test, but in the end her eyes wandered to Seohyun’s studious features. She couldn’t help but notice the little things; how the corners of Seohyun’s mouth would twitch into a small smile whenever she found a passage she really liked, or how she’d pause and highlight the words she considered to be the most important ones. Now, the younger girl had put down her book and was staring at her with a warm smile, giving her hand a light squeeze. Yoona looked back up at her, returning the smile. She moved so she was resting her head against the headboard of the bed and reached for Seohyun, tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear. Her hand then remained on the latter’s cheek, slowly pulling her down for a kiss. Seohyun smiled when she realized Yoona’s intentions, so she complied, leaning down and pressing her lips softly against Yoona’s. The two smiled into it, considering the moment to be magical. Because of the awkward angle, Yoona slowly changed her position into a fully seated one, managing to not break the kiss. The doe-eyed girl gave Seohyun’s lips one last peck before pulling away. There was no doubt in her mind that this nerdy and clumsy girl had really found a way of filling her dull and empty life with joy and fantasy. Seohyun was staring deeply into her eyes, but her smile had become a bit shy. Yoona’s kisses always had that effect on her; it always took her a few seconds to savor the now familiar taste of Yoona’s lips.

“What do I owe this kiss to?” Yoona asked as her hand continued caressing Seohyun’s cheek, enjoying her soft skin. The younger girl shrugged.

“I just finished my book and your lips looked really inviting.” A blush colored Seohyun’s face as she answered, making Yoona’s ego swell.

“Was it good?” The deer asked, nodding towards the book that now lied forgotten next to Seohyun’s body on the bed. The latter nodded repeatedly, as her eyes shone with excitement.

“It’s Walter Rizzo, a world-renowned writer. He specializes in the self-improvement genre.” She stated. “He is becoming one of my favorite authors now.” Yoona pinched Seohyun’s cheek softly before letting it go.

“I should read one of his books sometime…” She commented, making Seohyun let out a hearty chuckle. “What?”

“I can’t picture you reading a book, Yoona. You’re too impatient and hyperactive.” Yoona began to laugh along as she acknowledged Seohyun was right.

“I’ll surprise you one of these days. I won’t be able to read as fast or as much as you, but I could try…” The maknae gave Yoona a disbelieving look. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m giving you my word here.”

“Sorry, Yoona.” Seohyun pouted, making Yoona lean forward and kiss her temple.

“Alright, you’re forgiven for being so cute.” The doe-eyed girl wiggled her eyebrows as she leaned her head back against the headboard.

“I do believe in you, it’s just that there’s no comparison. My passion for reading can only be compared with your passion for acting. It’s that big.” Seohyun’s visage became thoughtful as she bit her bottom lip. “… Which reminds me…”

“Umm? What’s up?” Yoona asked, absentmindedly bringing Seohyun’s hand to her chest while running her thumb over the maknae’s delicate fingers.

“I’ve asked for my doctor’s professional approval for me to enter college next semester.” Yoona widened her eyes, making Seohyun smile. “My studies were held back because my relapses were too frequent and I was unable to attend classes regularly. I couldn’t even finish the first semester through online courses.” Seohyun frowned at the memory.

“What did Dr. Kim say? Did he approve?” The older girl asked, trying to contain the joy that this news brought her. Even if Seohyun didn’t vocalize it, it was obvious that she felt complexed by the fact that she wasn’t fulfilling her dreams, and all because of a stupid careless mistake when she was just a little girl.

“I still don’t know. They had to run some tests, but I turned them all in yesterday at the clinic. He’s supposed to get back at me in three days.” Seohyun answered. Yoona showed an alligator smile as she squeezed Seohyun’s hand in hers, breathing out a single ‘wow’.

“That’s so cool, Seobaby! When were you planning to tell me this?” The doe-eyed girl asked, silently wishing she would have had more participation in Seohyun’s plan to go back to school.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” The younger girl’s eyes wandered to their linked hands that rested on top of Yoona’s chest. The latter puffed out a sigh and slightly loosened her grip on Seohyun’s hand.

“Sorry to change subjects, but that just reminded me of something I had been meaning to ask you ever since we got together.” Seohyun nodded her head, waiting for Yoona to continue. “Do you… um… feel uncomfortable with me living here? Since couples who have dated for less than a year don’t usually live together; this is kind of weird. I’m earning enough to pay for a small place now…” Seohyun chuckled and lowered her head.

“It sounds weird if you say it like that, but the thing is that I do want you here. I could even fall sick if you leave, remember?” Both girls shared a small laugh at Seohyun’s exaggeration. “This relationship is just different from the rest, I think, so you’re wasting your time by comparing us to the rest of the world.”

“You, Seo Joohyun, are one wise young lady.” Yoona mumbled as she pulled Seohyun into her embrace. The latter sighed as she hid her face in the crook of Yoona’s neck, smiling when she felt Yoona’s fingers running through her hair and massaging her scalp. “What do you want to major in, by the way?”

“Music.” Seohyun answered simply. Yoona shivered when she felt the movement of Seohyun’s lips against the sensitive skin of her neck.

“I was kind of expecting that. I know you’ll succeed because of your insane musical talent. An actress and a singer, huh? We’ll have a brilliant future.” Seohyun nodded in agreement as her eyes fluttered close. She wasn’t sleepy, but the feeling of being in Yoona’s arms was like the perfect lullaby. The two stayed in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the calmness they rarely got.

“Jessica-unnie and Taeyeon-unnie want to meet us today. Are you in?” Seohyun asked drowsily. She giggled when Yoona let out a strangled groan.

“Does that mean we have to get up?” Seohyun nodded and lifted her head from Yoona’s shoulder.

“It’s okay if you don’t feel like going.” The younger girl added, to which Yoona shook her head repeatedly.

“I do, but I think my body is glued to the bed.” Seohyun rolled her eyes and patted Yoona’s stomach before getting off the bed.

“Unglue yourself then, because we’re meeting them for lunch.” Yoona pouted at Seohyun, giving her a look of pure desperation. “And don’t look at me like that.”

“Ugh, fine. Go shower while I unglue myself from this piece of Heaven…” Seohyun snickered and complied, unable to hide her smile.

…

“So tell me, what’s the deal with Taeyeon-unnie and Jessica-unnie? Why did it take them so long to get together?” Yoona asked as she and Seohyun walked side by side at the mall, with their hands linked together. Seohyun hummed, wondering if it would be okay to tell Yoona all about her unnies’ romantic history, but in the end it always came down to the fact that she knew she could trust Yoona.

“It’s a bit complicated. Taeyeon-unnie used to be head over heels for Tiffany-unnie, but at the time neither Jessica-unnie nor Yuri-unnie had joined our group of friends. At some point, I even thought Taeyeon-unnie and Tiffany-unnie were together, but apparently it never happened. Then, Hyoyeon-unnie introduced us to Yuri-unnie, since the two had participated in a dance competition together. It didn’t take long before Yuri-unnie and Tiffany-unnie began dating and Taeyeon-unnie was heartbroken for a while. A few months after that, Tiffany-unnie introduced us to Sica-unnie since the two were working in the same company. Taeyeon-unnie grew close to her pretty quickly, and she had made it obvious that she liked her, but I guess Sica-unnie was just afraid of being the rebound, but I honestly think she isn’t. Taeyeon-unnie doesn’t look at Tiffany-unnie in the same way anymore.” Yoona nodded in response.

“That’s one tangled love-web. Who would have thought, right?” The doe-eyed girl furrowed her brows, trying to imagine Taeyeon being hopelessly in love with someone who wasn’t Jessica. Seohyun grimaced slightly as she and Yoona reached the entrance of Planet Hollywood Seoul, while Yoona grinned maniacally as the smell of greasy food reached her nostrils. “I like this choice of place…” Yoona trailed off, her lips. Seohyun rolled her eyes and shook her head at her shikshin girlfriend.

“Sica-unnie must miss American food.” The younger girl muttered as the two of them walked into the restaurant. Spotting Taeyeon and Jessica, the maknae couple approached them and after greeting them, sat across from the two older girls.

“We thought you two wouldn’t make it after our all-nighter at Hyunnie’s place.” Taeyeon joked, sipping her iced tea.

“Believe me, the idea of staying in bed all afternoon sounded so tempting… but Seohyun pretty much dragged me here.” The doe-eyed girl elbowed Seohyun softly.

“Look at the menu and you won’t regret having gotten up the bed.” Taeyeon winked, handing Yoona the restaurant’s menu. As she went through it, Yoona’s grin widened and her eyes flashed with excitement. All the other three girls could only look at her in amusement.

“Can we order now?” The doe-eyed girl asked as she put the menu down. Her stomach growled audibly, making the other girls laugh.

“Sica and I already ordered some starters. Let me get our waitress…” Taeyeon said while waving her hand around, effectively catching their waitress’ attention. The two maknaes could only look in amazement as Jessica, who had been quiet as usual, suddenly grabbed Taeyeon’s hand on top of the table and held it in-between both her hands. Taeyeon smiled dorkily at the gesture as she leaned in and kissed Jessica’s cheek. Seohyun paled, thinking her unnie would get mad because of the public display of affection, but the Korean-American girl only smiled back at Taeyeon and blushed. This only showed Yoona and Seohyun how different Jessica was whenever she was around Taeyeon.

After the waitress got Seohyun’s and Yoona’s order, Jessica cleared , ready to start a conversation.

“We talked about a lot of things last night, but you two never told us how you really got together.” Both Seohyun and Yoona blushed and looked briefly at each other. Seohyun nodded her head at Yoona, silently telling the doe-eyed girl to tell the story.

“Well, I was telling Seohyun about her potential date when she got tired of me speaking nonsense and suddenly kissed me.” Yoona explained, rubbing the back of her neck. Seohyun blushed in embarrassment as her two unnies gave her a teasing look.

“Our shy maknae isn’t shy anymore, huh?” Jessica teased, eliciting an ahjumma laugh from Taeyeon. The two couldn’t keep a straight face as they watched Seohyun’s face turn crimson red.

“That night, I asked her to be my girlfriend. If she hadn’t taken that first step, who knows when I would have finally made up my mind about my feelings.” Yoona added, squeezing Seohyun’s hand in hers as the two were intertwined and resting on Seohyun’s lap. The younger girl stopped blushing and smiled back at Yoona.

“That’s so cute, isn’t it Taengoo?” The oldest nodded at her girlfriend. “So Hyunnie was going on a date before you? Who was it?”

“Oh, just a friend named Luhan. He asked Yoona to help him go on a date with me.” Seohyun explained. Yoona’s face paled a bit as she remembered about the boy in question.

“Aigo, that’s a bit complicated. Was he mad when he found it you two are together now? He’s your co-worker, isn’t he, Yoona?” Taeyeon asked. The addressed girl averted her gaze for a moment. Seohyun sensed her discomfort and ended up sharing it, because in the end, the matter involved them both.

“Yes, unnie, he is my co-worker, and we haven’t told him about us. I’ve just been dodging his questions and avoiding him for now.” Yoona answered, looking at Taeyeon in the eye again. “To be honest, I’m afraid of how he’ll react.”

“Do you think he might resent you?” Jessica asked. Her cold façade had been replaced with a caring look, in fact, Yoona had never seen her show such a concrete emotion.

“That’s what I’m afraid of. I’m also afraid he won’t understand me. He’s the first friend I made in the city and he helped me get my job, so it really worries me that he might end up hating me.” Yoona bit her bottom lip.

“We can always hide it from him until he drops his crush on me.” Seohyun comforted, giving Yoona’s hand a squeeze. The latter shook her head almost instantly.

“No, I’ll tell him as soon as possible. I owe it to him, and to be honest, it’s really tiring to hide when all I want to do is show everyone that you’re my girlfriend.” A unisonous ‘aww’ was heard from TaengSic, which made both girls blush. Seohyun looked deep into Yoona’s dark eyes, finding her decided and resolved. Still, Seohyun couldn’t help but worry about it, and silently wished she could be there for Yoona when it would happen, but she knew that the doe-eyed girl ultimately wouldn’t let her. And maybe it was going to be easier that way; just Yoona and Luhan. She received a reassuring smile from her girlfriend, silently telling her that everything was going to be okay, and Seohyun resolved that the way Yoona made her feel so safe with just a look was just one of the many things that she loved about her.

…

“Luhan, wanna come outside with me for a second?” Yoona asked, not knowing how she mustered the courage to finally ask that question. She had been wanting to just blurt it out for a few minutes now as all Baru workers were on their break, but the hesitation was eating her alive. The blonde boy looked up from his PSP and nodded his head, smiling. He took Yoona’s calling as an inkling that the doe-eyed girl might have talked to Seohyun on his behalf.

Yoona’s heartbeat was racing as Luhan followed her outside, but she managed to look calm and collected on the outside. They walked in complete silence a few meters further away from the restaurant. Yoona sat down on the sidewalk and patted the spot next to her. Luhan complied and sat next to her.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” The blonde boy asked with a small smile as he patted Yoona’s knee. The latter was so quiet that he began wondering if this really had to do with Seohyun or not.

“Luhan, how much do you like Seohyun?” Yoona asked, trying to keep her voice from breaking. Luhan’s eyes shone and his smile widened as he looked away.

“I wouldn’t know what to tell you, noona. I just know she’s perfect for me. I can’t stop admiring her from afar, thinking she’s the most beautiful person I’ve come in contact with. Not only on the outside, but on the inside. I’ve seen the way she treats people; she’s the gentlest person I’ve ever met.” Yoona nodded, acknowledging that Seohyun was all those things and more. “Why do you ask? Did you talk to her about our date?” He asked, his eyes b with hope. Yoona shut her eyes for a moment, knowing that the moment of truth had arrived.

“Luhan, if I tell you something, can you promise me not to hate me? Even if I hurt you?” The smile on Luhan’s lips faded as Yoona asked him that question, and especially when she noticed Yoona’s eyes were watery. He placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

“You know I would never hate you, noona.” He said zealously, making Yoona feel somewhat better. “Tell me what’s wrong, I’m sure we can do something about it.”

“Luhan, I’m so sorry… But I’m… Seohyun is…” Luhan’s ears perked up at the sound of her beloved’s name, making his anticipation grow. “Seohyun and I are together.” Yoona blurted out, hiding her face in her hands afterwards. She didn’t see Luhan’s reaction, but felt his hand leaving her shoulder. She also heard a small gasp coming out from his lips. Yoona lowered her hands and turned to look at Luhan, gauging at his reaction. The slightly older boy had his round eyes widened, his mouth slightly opened and a total expression of disbelief written on his face. It broke Yoona’s heart to see him like that, because he looked just like she had imagined he would.

“You and Seohyun? B-But how…?” He asked, shaking his head slightly. Yoona tried placing her hand on his arm, but he backed away immediately.

“I promise I didn’t mean for it to happen, it just did! I tried talking her into dating you, but so many things came up, and in the end they just come down to one thing… I think I’m in love with her. And she returns my feelings.” She finished firmly. Luhan looked down and Yoona saw his lips quivering. His breathing was visibly heavy.

“You think? I just…” Luhan shook his head, and Yoona was amazed to see a teardrop running down his cheek. His words made Yoona realize she had worded her thoughts in the wrong way; she is in love with Seohyun, and she couldn’t wait to let her know. “I never stood a chance, did I? And to think I asked for your help…”

“Please don’t be mad, Luhan. You’re one of my best friends and I really wanted to help you. I can’t help that I’m feeling like this, and neither can she.” Luhan was adamantly avoiding looking at her in the eye, which made it much harder for her to decipher what he was feeling.

“I-I’m not mad, noona… I’m just… I just can’t believe this.” His features scrunched up a little and his voice broke with evident pain, as he tried to swallow the lump in . Yoona didn’t even try to stop him as he got up from his spot and quickly made his way back to Baru. Yoona just observed him as he took long steps, wiping his tears and muttering to himself. Yoona herself didn’t even realize she was crying, until her tears began to fall on the pavement. Telling Luhan the truth had been proven to be much harder than she thought; her heart was sharing Luhan’s grief and right now, Seohyun’s love was the only consolation she had.

Meanwhile.

Seohyun was playing a slow melody on her piano when she heard a deaf sound coming from the living room. She furrowed her brows and dropped her sheet music as she stood up from the piano bench, curious about what the noise might have been. She couldn’t help but smile as she found the source of it; Yoona’s heavy backpack, which had fallen from the couch onto the carpeted floor.

Seohyun bent down to pick it up, grimacing when she noticed it was open and a bunch of papers had fallen out of it. She crouched down completely and picked the papers up one by one, being careful of not messing them up more than they already were. Out of the bunch of papers, she noticed the outline of what seemed like an old picture. It immediately caught her eye, even if she knew she didn’t have the right to go through Yoona’s stuff. Pushing the rest of the papers aside, she discovered that it was in fact a black and white picture. A woman, maybe in her thirties, was posing with a matching hat and coat. From what Seohyun could distinguish, her clothing looked definitely expensive. She was smiling, yet had a severe look in her eyes. What Seohyun couldn’t help but notice, though, was that the woman in the picture had a noticeable resemblance to Yoona. Seohyun let out a gasp when realization finally hit her.

Could… could it be her mom?

She asked herself, but was almost completely sure that the answer was a rotund ‘yes’. What really surprised her about her discovery was that Yoona was always cold when it came to her mother, claiming she just didn’t have one and that it didn’t exist. If Yoona seemed to despise the woman who had given birth to her, why would she keep a picture of such woman? Maybe she was trying to find her or get in contact with her?

Truth be told, Seohyun had thought about bringing up the ‘family’ subject, but she always got intimidated. She loved seeing how happy Yoona was ever since the two got together, how could she ruin that happiness? It sometimes bothered her nonetheless, because she felt like she didn’t really know Yoona. And this picture appeared to be a very good opportunity to bring the subject up, no matter how much the two wanted to avoid it. Seohyun knew there was no way around it, and today would be the day. One way or another, she was going to make Yoona open up.

…

“Yoboseyo?” Yoona asked into the phone, waiting for her appa’s response on the other line. She was slightly caught off guard when all she heard was silence.

“Yoona-ah?” Mr. Im coughed, making a pang of guilt wash over Yoona’s body. The doe-eyed girl had been so caught up with work and her studies that her hometown visit had been delayed a couple more weekends.

“Yes, it’s me. Sorry I didn’t answer when you called me, I was busy with work…” Or more like ‘busy bawling my eyes out because of what I said to Luhan’, she corrected herself bitterly. She heard her father go into a coughing fit that sounded much worse than the last she had talked to him.

“Yes, Yoona, I did call you. It’s just that I really am sick. There’s no way around it.” Yoona widened her eyes at her father’s admission. “I’ve decided to go to the doctor on my own. I don’t think I can wait any longer.” He added, obviously making a tacit allusion to the fact that he had been waiting for Yoona to take him to the doctor. The guilt that was consuming Yoona doubled its size. “You were right all along, I should have just gone when this forsaken coughing started. I’ve been stubborn.”

“W-Wait, are you hurting? In any way?” Yoona asked, trying to remain calm. Mr. Im’s voice sounded so strained that it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that he was in pain.

“Don’t worry about me, sweetie, it just hurts a little bit. I think I have enough money with me, but if it isn’t enough, I’ll manage to find myself some more. I just wanted to let you know…”

“Wait, appa, I can take care of it! Just wait until I bring you to the city. The doctors here are much better than the ones in that stupid little town.” Yoona cut him off, running her hands through her hair in desperation. The thought of her appa being in pain was eating her insides, and all she knew was that she needed to take care of him.

“Damyang might be nothing like the city, Yoona, but I’m sure these doctors know how to treat chest constipation.” Mr. Im calmly responded, but it let Yoona know that he was offended by the way in which she had referred to his hometown (which was also her hometown).

“At least wait for me, arasseo? I’ll do what I can to go to Damyang tomorrow. What if they hospitalize you, appa? I can’t stand the thought of you being all alone in a hospital room…” She heard a sigh through the phone.

“Yoona-ah, you can’t promise me anything for the moment, and I understand. I do not wish to burden you in any way…” Yoona shook her head, swallowing the lump in . “If I’m not feeling better in a couple of hours, I’m afraid I’ll be forced to go to the doctor.”

“F-Fine, just… Wait for me, okay? I promise you I’ll be there with you tomorrow. You’re going to recover, appa.” Yoona assured, holding on to the little positivity she had at the moment.

“I will. And don’t worry about me, Yoona, I know I’ll be okay.” Yoona shut her eyes and rubbed her temples, wishing she could believe him. If he felt sick enough to actually admit he was sick, it only meant his sickness had become serious.

“Okay… Just make sure you eat well and rest a lot. It might help you, even if just a bit…” Yoona trailed off, hearing him cough again.

“I will. I’m really looking forward to seeing you.” The doe-eyed girl couldn’t help but smile lightly.

“Me too, appa. I love you.” She said, her voice breaking. She could almost picture her father smiling back at her.

“I love you too.” With that, the line went dead.

It was definitely one of these days were Yoona’s patience and strength was really tested, and all she could think of was that she wished everything would go back to normal soon, especially with Luhan and her appa. However, as bad as the situation was, there was someone who always seemed to have the answer and the right words to say; Seohyun.

A/N: The drama began, but this chapter is still a bit fluffy :P so I guess it isn’t so bad? Also, maybe your perception of Luhan has changed after reading this chapter… Lol, thanks for reading and supporting this story, it means a lot :D *bows*