Everyone was taken aback by this newfound information. Soyeon’s jaw literally dropped to the floor. Qri, usually quiet and measured, let out a yelp and then, to everybody’s surprise, gave a delighted little clap.

“Eunjung-unnie... are you gay now?” Hyomin asked with a genuinely confused tone.

“What are you talking about? She’s allowed to have other friends, you know. It doesn’t mean she’s gay, right Eunjung-ah?” Boram barged in from her position astride the inflatable toy, clearly oblivious to the situation.

“Aish unnie, seriously, try to keep up,” Soyeon said, knocking lightly on Boram’s head.

“She said ‘girlfriend’, not just any friend. There is definitely a gay undertone to it!”

“And so what if she is? We should support her regardless!”

“Of course we should, I was just clarifying...”

While the girls were talking animatedly, Eunjung took a worried glance at Jiyeon, who was still clutching at the photo in her hands.

“Jiyeon-ah? Are you okay?” she asked warily, and moved slightly closer to the younger girl.

“Is it serious?” Jiyeon’s voice was barely above a whisper, her gaze still fixed on the photograph.

Taken aback by the question, Eunjung had to rack her brain to come up with something to say.

“We’ve been together for... eight months now, so I guess you could say that.”

“How did you meet her?” Jiyeon asked, her tone ice cold.

“We... met during a shooting. We had a small role as a lesbian couple in a TV show and we instantly hit it off.”

“Yeah, I’m sure...” Jiyeon scoffed. “Though... you know, it’s important for an actress to separate real life and fiction. I played a lesbian too, yet I didn’t let this confuse me and influence my actual behaviour.”

Eunjung just stared at her, dumbfounded. She could understand Jiyeon was surprised, but she was now starting to be downright rude.

“Yeah... You also played a brat and a bully in Dream High, but we all know that’s not what you really are, right?”

This comment was like a slap in the face to the maknae, and she realized she’d gone too far. Eunjung usually reacted to her outbursts with leniency and affectionate indulgence, but she couldn’t stand being disrespected. Jiyeon suddenly felt ashamed for attacking her unnie this way, but was too proud to fully admit it.

“I’m sorry” Jiyeon simply said.

Then, with her head bent down, she finally set the frame back to its original place, still refusing to meet Eunjung’s eyes.

“It’s good that you told us Eunjung-ah, really.” Soyeon said comfortingly, sensing the dreaded tension between the two was back.

“But what about your parents? Didn’t they give you hell about this?” Hyomin asked, still clearly shocked.

Glad to see her friends were so quick at accepting her, Eunjung smiled gratefully.

“They’re okay with it. Of course, it was hard for them to accept at first. Especially mom, you know her.” She laughed softly, along with the other members. Indeed, Eunjung’s mother was not exactly the easy-going, permissive type.

“But we talked a lot, we argued, and then she understood love was not about gender, but just about the person. You know I helped them open a restaurant by the coast in Santa Monica, right? One day, I brought Jamie with me there, and it went great! They were instantly charmed by her. And when she introduced herself in Korean, I knew the mission was a success!” Eunjung explained excitedly.

All girls (except one) laughed at this and went to take a closer look at the picture, for those who hadn’t seen it clearly.

“Wow, she’s so pretty!” Qri exclaimed.

“Yeah, so girly, Eunjung-ah! Does your aegyo even work on her?” Boram teased.

“Ahah, yeah, it does. But then, hers is even more powerful than mine!”

“She looks like a very cool girl,” Soyeon offered sweetly.

“She is, really. You’ll love her too, when you get to meet her, I swear...”

Jiyeon tsked and shook her head in mockery.

Feeling the awkwardness again, Hyomin barged in.

“Of course, and we’re very happy for you Jungie-ah! Sorry if we were a bit awkward at first, it’s just... we weren’t expecting this. But we love you and support you all the way. Right, everyone ?”

All girls frantically nodded their agreement and came to hug Eunjung to congratulate her. Eunjung happily accepted them, relieved to have all her friend’s unconditional support.

Jiyeon, however said nothing and stood behind, still unable to meet Eunjung’s eyes. Well, apparently she didn’t exactly have everyone’s support.

-----------------------------------------------------------

After this emotional moment, all girls decided to go back to their activities, as if nothing had changed. And really, nothing had changed. They had just made a new discovery about Eunjung’s life, and they were happy for her. Nothing more, nothing less.

Jiyeon, for her part, was clearly brooding. Sitting at the corner of the pool with just her ankles hanging in the water, she stubbornly refused to mingle with the others. The maknae’s immature attitude worried Eunjung as much as it irritated her. She knew Jiyeon was probably still angry about their earlier altercation, but she didn’t know what to do about it. It reminded her of Jiyeon’s attitude when she had confessed her love to her, more than two years ago.

She didn’t want Jiyeon to feel bad, or disgusted by her.

And then it occured to her. Disgust. Was it what she had felt when Eunjung had confessed?

Was it just out of plain disgust that she had avoided and rejected her so violently? Eunjung had convinced herself that Jiyeon was just not feeling any sort of romantic love for her.

That she was confused because of the situation. She had come to accept this.

Of course, if Jiyeon had always seen her like a big sister only, her anger was more than understandable. Eunjung did make things awkward between them, after all.

But now she started thinking of another possibility. What if Jiyeon’s problem was just that she was repelled by Eunjung’s uality? In the pool, surrounded by her friend’s joyous cries and splashes, Eunjung felt her head start to spin.

She suddenly felt two thin arms around her neck, and a small body who was clinging at her from behind.

“Rambo, don’t even think of sitting on my shoulders!” She said playfully, turning her head towards the older girl.

“I wasn’t trying to!” Boram quickly argued. “Though I’m so light, you’d barely feel it!”

Eunjung burst out laughing, and decided she would worry about the maknae’s tantrum later. For now, she would focus on enjoying herself, even if she felt really bad deep inside.

Hyomin, for her part, had also noticed Jiyeon’s attitude and was getting more and more annoyed. She quickly swam to the edge of the pool, and stood up in the water, blocking Jiyeon’s legs with her hands.

“What’s going on? Stop acting like a brat and come play with us!” She aggressively whispered.

“I don’t feel like it, okay?” Jiyeon tried to wave her off.

“Jiyeon-ah, I swear! Get your together. Whatever’s going on in your head, you’re hurting Jungie, right now. Is this what you want?”

Feeling guilty, Jiyeon took a glance at Eunjung, who was talking calmly to Soyeon, while Boram was still clinging at her back like a koala. She was smiling, but underneath the veil of happiness, her agony was obvious to Jiyeon. She looks so vulnerable. So sad.

When she was about to finally jump into the pool and stop sulking, she heard her phone’s loud ringtone!

“Ah! Jinjja this scared me!” Soyeon yelled dramatically, while Boram and Qri giggled uncontrollably at that.

“Aish!” Jiyeon got up, went to the coffee table, and picked up her phone without looking at the caller ID.

“Yeoboseyo?...”

Her voice then noticeably lowered when she recognized the caller, but the girls in the pool, especially Eunjung who was pricking up her ears really hard, were able to hear the following words.

“Oh... hey.... sorry, I know I said I’d call but... calm down baby, I just forgot.... Yeah, everything’s fine, really.... Yeah, okay..... I’ll talk to you later, I’m a little busy now.... Yeah? .... Me too..... Ok, bye.”

She hung up and when she made her way back to the pool, where everyone seemed to be waiting for her.

“So, how’s Myungie doing?”

At Qri's innocent question, she automatically turned to Eunjung and was taken aback when she locked eyes with her. Anger, rejection, frustration, jealousy, and most of all, unmistakable, love and longing were written all over the older girl’s face. At this realization, Jiyeon’s heart skipped a beat.

Oh, my beautiful Jungie... I’m so sorry she thought bitterly.

---------------------------------

So, here it is! Yeah, Jiyeon is still with Myungsoo and this is gonna sting even more in the next chapter^^ I know I made Ji seem like a real brat here, but keep in mind she's very confused. She is teared between what she thinks is right, and what she is discovering she might be feeling. Eunjung's not innocent either, and that's the point of my story. Love makes you do silly things, makes you hurt people you love, and forces you to make difficult choices. So hang in there, they'll eventually find their happiness! Thanks always for the support and until next time, see you^^