Unfortunately for the both of them, Seungwan’s predictions seem to be rather accurate, because within the next half an hour, Sooyoung finds herself faced with a young man—one of the sons of the countless wealthy families here, no doubt—who’s abhorrently insistent on getting Seungwan’s number despite the doctor’s numerous hints at reluctance.

 

She’d left Seungwan side momentarily for the bathroom, and Sooyoung had returned to find Seungwan standing face-to-face with an unfamiliar man.

Except that her friend’s body language screams anything but engaged, and Sooyoung’s footsteps quicken instinctively.

It takes a mere few seconds for Sooyoung to reach Seungwan, and as she approaches, the doctor glances over.

Almost immediately, her face brightens into a look of immense relief, and before Seungwan can utter a word, Sooyoung’s slipping an arm around the doctor’s waist, pulling her closer ever so slightly.

“Who’s this, babe?” Sooyoung hums, raking the unwelcome third party with a scathing once-over, lip curling ever so slightly.

“Oh, um—” Seungwan starts as the young man’s gaze flickers between the two of them.

It takes him a few seconds of processing, and his eyes widen.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you came alone.” He interrupts hastily.

 

A look of guilt washes over his face, and there’s an odd, fierce satisfaction that flares in Sooyoung’s chest.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m already seeing someone. I was trying to tell you that—” Seungwan jerks a thumb at Sooyoung. “— she’s my girlfriend.”

“I see. I’m sorry.” He directs the apology at Sooyoung this time, who merely gives him a curt nod as the young man quickly takes his leave, effectively granting the two women privacy once more.

 

Sooyoung sniffs.

“I leave your side for five minutes and this happens.”

“Yeah, they’re like hyenas. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. This is what I’m here for.” Sooyoung grins. “So, how’d I do, Miss Son?”

Seungwan laughs, looping an arm around Sooyoung’s.

It’s strange how natural it feels, and Sooyoung swallows, pushing the feeling to the back of her mind.

She’d dwell on them later, in the absence of Seungwan. Now, her job is to keep any more unwanted suitors off Seungwan’s case.

“Just perfectly, Miss Park.”

 

 

 

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

Sooyoung’s voice is coloured with disbelief as she watches a man in his mid-fifties approach the both of them with a beaming smile.

Seungwan shoots her a confused look, and it’s a good second later that understanding dawns in her eyes.

“Oh! No, no. That’s my uncle, don’t worry.”

“Oh, thank God.” Sooyoung mumbles, cheeks heating, but Seungwan just laughs.

 

“My dear! It’s been so long!” Seungwan’s uncle engulfs the doctor the moment she’s within reach, and Seungwan hugs him back just as tightly, grinning.

“It’s only been a year, uncle.”

“A lot can change in a year.” He points out, gaze turning to focus on Sooyoung, who straightens at the attention. “So, is this the famed girlfriend I’ve been hearing about?”

“Uncle, this is Sooyoung. Sooyoung, this is my uncle. He’s the brother of the aunt we met.” Seungwan supplies helpfully, and Sooyoung proffers her hand in a handshake, which Seungwan’s uncle takes heartily.

“It’s an honour to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise. My sister sings praises about you, and she doesn’t do that with just anyone.” He hums. “You two are pretty official, huh? Bringing her here is an equivalent shouting it from the rooftops, after all.”

Seungwan presses a little closer to Sooyoung, and the taller woman glances down just in time to catch Seungwan shooting her a honey-sweet smile.

Merely an act, obviously, but Sooyoung’s breath catches in anyway, and she has to force herself to turn away.

 

“I figured it was more or less time for it.”

 

“Good for you two!” Seungwan’s uncle smiles warmly, just as his phone rings, startling both Seungwan and Sooyoung. Fishing it out of his pocket, he glances at the screen before making an apologetic wave, already moving away.

“I have to pick this up. You two have fun!”

 

Both women turn to watch the quickly disappearing view of Seungwan’s uncle, and it’s only a few seconds later that Sooyoung lets out a soft huff of laughter.

“Wow.”

Seungwan raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“You’re actually pretty good at this whole acting thing.”

There’s an amused snort. “Nope, just survival instincts kicking in.”

Sooyoung smiles. “That’s fair. Why is your uncle here, anyway?”

Seungwan shrugs. “He manages one of my parents’ hospitals. Family business and all.”

Sooyoung’s eyebrows furrow. “Family business? That insinuates that you’re going to take your parents’ place one day.”

“Unfortunately, yes. But for now, I get to work my off in the hospital.”

 

---

 

The ride home is fairly quiet, with both women exhausted, slumped in the backseat as Seungwan’s chauffeur brings them home.

“Thank you for agreeing to do this, by the way.” Seungwan’s voice is hushed, and Sooyoung waves a hand, almost as if to dispel the sentiment.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad I could help.”

There’s an amused huff of laughter from Seungwan.

“My night would’ve been a lot worse if you weren’t around.”

“I can tell.” Sooyoung gives a wry smile. “To think that the number of people who approached you tonight had already been halved— I can’t imagine what it’s like to go to these things alone.”

“Good thing you’re here, then.” There’s a playful twinkle in Seungwan’s eyes, and Sooyoung swallows. She gives a smile that she hopes passes as amused, because she doesn’t quite know how or why her heart seems to be hammering in her chest.

 

It’s weird—she’s never really been nervous around Seungwan, even when she’d admired the older woman back when they were both teenagers.

Yet, it’s almost as if something had changed fundamentally between them – at least, on Sooyoung’s end—since the day at the mall. An inkling of something more that Sooyoung feels for her long-lost acquaintance and newfound friend.

“You can crash at mine tonight if you’d like, I know it’s been a hell of an evening.” Seungwan’s  offer breaks her out of her thoughts.

 

Sooyoung freezes.

 

In any other situation or any other occasion, Sooyoung might’ve accepted it; after all, the extra company is nice, and Seungwan’s home has always had a homey quality to it despite the doctor’s frequent absence from it.

 

Except that she’s had one too many realizations tonight and Seungwan’s presence merely exacerbates them, a relentless chant that Sooyoung’s not quite ready to mull over nor acknowledge just yet.

 

So, despite her heart screaming to accept the invitation, Sooyoung shakes her head.

“I’ll be alright. Besides, my apartment isn’t too far from yours—I’ll just walk back home.”

Seungwan’s eyebrows furrow. “Who said that you’d be walking home?”

As if to prove her point, Seungwan turns to the driver. “Mr. Kim, could you make a turn here? Let’s drop Sooyoung off first.”

“Of course, Miss Son.”

 

---

 

Days with Sooyoung are inherently brighter.

 

They don’t find much time to hang out together save for their biweekly dinners with Seungwan’s parents and the occasional impromptu late-night catchups, but it’s a comfortable setting and pace. Sometimes, they meet up on their days off.

Seungwan’s never been one for using her rest days to socialize – she’s had more than her fill of human interaction at work – but time spent with Sooyoung is never really draining, anyway.

Oddly enough, it merely seems to boost Seungwan’s mood.

 

“Do you always skip your lunches?” Seungwan asks, watching Sooyoung wolf down her dinner yet again with mild alarm. The younger woman had just returned from work, and had dropped by her own house for a quick shower, as well as to buy a takeaway from the nearby store before arriving at Seungwan’s.

 

Seungwan doesn’t really know why Sooyoung insists on having their evening hangouts even on days where the younger woman works, but she appreciates the company nonetheless.

 

The younger woman gives a shrug.

She swallows before speaking, “Mostly, yeah.”

“I told you to stop doing that, it’s unhealthy.” Seungwan frowns, and Sooyoung waves with a hand, as if to refute Seungwan’s words.

“I just don’t feel like eating during the day. Besides, it makes me sleepy.” Sooyoung pouts.

“Still, you shouldn’t be eating only one meal a day.” Seungwan shakes her head.

Sooyoung merely makes a noncommittal noise in response, and Seungwan rolls her eyes.

“Would it help if we had lunch together?”

 

Stunned silence greets her question.

 

Sooyoung blinks. “How’re you going to do that?”

Seungwan scrunches her nose in thought. “Well, I’ll drop by on the days that I’m not working, and we can have lunch together. I’m afraid I can’t spare the time to do that when I’m working, though.”

“You’d do that for me?” Sooyoung asks, voice hushed, almost as if she couldn’t quite believe it.

She’s giving Seungwan a look that the doctor can only pin down as ‘puppy-eyed’, and Seungwan can’t quite suppress the smile that forms on her lips.

“Of course.”

 

---

 

“You’re looking a lot chipper these days.” Joohyun hums as they both buckle their seatbelts, and Seungwan revs the engine.

By a of luck, they’ve both finished their shift at around the same time, and Seungwan had offered to have dinner together.

 

“Really? What makes you say so?” Seungwan raises an eyebrow, but her attention doesn’t diverge from the road ahead as she navigates them out of the parking lot and out onto the main street.

“You just seem… bubblier.” Joohyun squints. “What’s going on?”

Seungwan glances at her best friend in mild confusion.

“Nothing much, honestly. You and I both know that I don’t really have a life outside of work.”

Joohyun smirks. “Not even Sooyoung?”

The suggestion sends Seungwan sputtering for words, and the younger woman shakes her head in disbelief.

“We’re just friends, Joohyun.”

“You two looked pretty cozy at your dad’s party.”

“We’re meant to! She’s pretending to be my girlfriend, after all.”

“No, I meant even when people weren’t watching.”

Seungwan snorts. “So you were watching us the whole time? Creep.”

“I was looking out for you.” Joohyun corrects.

“Hey, Sooyoung’s a nice person!”

“I meant that I was looking out for the both of you from stupid people, . I know Sooyoung’s nice.” Joohyun rolls her eyes. “I take it that you and Sooyoung are getting along well? I’ve heard that you’re spending time together outside of your family dinners.”

 

Seungwan shrugs as the car slows to a stop at a red light. “She’s nice to be around. She’s smart, she’s funny. She’s kind.” Seungwan pauses, and her voice is a little softer this time. “She gets the burdens of our work—I mean, I can’t even talk to my parents about things like these. You used to be the only one I could talk to about it.” Seungwan shifts, looking away.

“I don’t know, it’s just… it’s nice to be around people who genuinely understands me for a change.”

Joohyun doesn’t respond immediately, instead opting to turn her attention from the road outside to Seungwan, whose gaze flickers to meet hers.

“What?” Seungwan says, a little defensively.

“You don’t sound like you’re describing a friend.”

“Says the one who’s basically in love with her flatmate.” Seungwan deflects with ease, and almost immediately, a pink blush dusts Joohyun’s cheeks.

“Oh, shut up.” Her best friend mumbles, shrinking a little into her seat. Joohyun looks away. “It’s not like she’ll ever know, anyway.”

 

The light turns green, and the car purrs to life once again.

 

“She will if you tell her.” Seungwan points out.

“No!” Joohyun shoots her a look somewhere between horrified and offended. “She’s always so busy, and she’s this close to having her first exhibition— I’m not going to put more things onto her plate and mess this up for her.”

“It’s been five years, Joohyun. Come on.”

 

Joohyun hisses out a breath between her teeth, defeated.

 

“Don’t remind me.”

 

---

 

As Seungwan approaches the clinic, she glances past the glass doors, squinting for any signs of her friend.

The place is, expectedly, void of people, but it seems that a staff member has noticed her presence, because a second later the door swings open, and a young woman in her early twenties peeks her head out.

“Sorry Miss, we’re closed for lunch.”

“Oh, no, no, no! I’m looking for my friend, actually. Is Sooyoung in?”

The young woman blinks, eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly before she turns behind, shouting out, “Doctor Park! Someone’s looking for you.”

 

Within seconds, there’s rustling, and Seungwan spots a familiar face poking out from one of the rooms.

Sooyoung blinks. “Seungwan? Why are you here?”

The younger woman starts making her way to Seungwan, with the unnamed coworker watching the interaction between them with wide eyes.

“Well, I promised to have lunch together with you, remember?”

“…You remembered.”

Seungwan breaks out into a grin. “Of course! Now, let’s go.”

 

 

Sooyoung doesn’t eat much for lunch – they wind up at a small, casual restaurant, where she settles for a simple salad.

There’s also the not-so-occasional bites of Seungwan’s own food that the older woman repeatedly offers her, which Sooyoung can’t find it in herself to refuse.

 

Definitely part of Seungwan’s ploy to get her to eat a little more, but Sooyoung’s not exactly complaining either.

 

“You didn’t actually have to come all the way here,” Sooyoung mumbles around her mouthful of food.

The older woman merely hums in acknowledgement. “I made a promise to you, and I usually like to keep my promises.”

“Well, it’s your day off. You should be resting at home.”

“Its fine, really! I prefer to be up and about, anyway.”

It’s a bit of a lie, but Seungwan doesn’t tell Sooyoung that.

 

Seungwan’s always valued her time alone on her days off, but ever since she’s come to the conclusion that she prefers Sooyoung’s company to her own, there seems to have been a change in her schedule.

A welcome one, of course.

 

 

The doctor eventually walks Sooyoung back to the clinic, and it’s not long before they part with a quick hug.

Seungwan is warm in the chilly spring breeze, and Sooyoung tries not to dwell on how tight and snug Seungwan’s arms are around her.

 

Pushing the door open, Sooyoung enters the clinic once more, and from the corner of her eye, she spots Seungwan making her way back home, footsteps light.

“Who was that?” A voice pops up next to her, b with curiosity.

“A friend,” Sooyoung says, a little absently as she watches as Seungwan rounds the corner and disappears.

It’s only then that she tears her gaze away, only to find her coworker fixing her with a knowing smile.

“Just a friend?” She teases, and Sooyoung turns away with a huff.

“Yes, Yerim, she’s just a friend.”

 

One of the veterinary technicians working at the clinic, Yerim had gained Sooyoung’s trust and friendship – something Sooyoung likes to attribute to their similar ages, but Sooyoung knows for a fact that it’s because Yerim is well-matured for her age, and provides a steady sense of camaraderie that had solidified their friendship.

 

“A friend who goes out of her way to make sure you eat your lunch?”

 

Unfortunately for Sooyoung, Yerim is relentless.

 

“Well, she’s always been really caring, so this isn’t too unusual for her.” Sooyoung shrugs.

“Whatever you say, Doc.” Yerim hums, in a tone that suggests anything but agreement, and Sooyoung sighs.

 

---

 

Before they know it, the weekend rolls around once again, and Sooyoung soon finds herself in the kitchens of the Son mansion, courtesy of Seungwan.

 

The moment Seungwan’s mother enters the kitchen, her eyes widen.

 

“Seungwan! How could you let Sooyoung toil away here? She’s a guest!” She frets, a little panicked.

Seungwan merely groans, and Sooyoung glances up, pausing momentarily from her task of chopping vegetables for their biweekly dinner with Seungwan’s parents.

 

“Mum, you said she was practically family! And being a part of this family means helping with dinner, right?” She grins, earning herself a slap on the shoulder and a frown from her mother. “Ow!” Seungwan rubs her shoulder, pouting.

“You and your cheek.” The middle-aged woman grumbles. “Sooyoung, you don’t have to help out, okay? You work hard enough as it is.” She gives Sooyoung a sweet smile, and Sooyoung laughs.

“It’s okay, Mrs Son. I like cooking. Besides, Seungwan’s helping out too.”

Seungwan shoots her mother a smug smile.

There’s the smallest of head shakes from her mother before the middle-aged woman finally relents.

“Fine, fine, but take it easy.”

Her gaze flickers to the pot, and she pokes Seungwan in the back, prompting a surprised squeak from her daughter. “It’s boiling, dear.”

 

With that, Seungwan’s mother shuffles out of the kitchen, once again granting the two women privacy.

 

Seungwan sniffs. “To think that I’m her own flesh and blood – I’m going to need you to act more like an from here on out.”

“Maybe she just likes me better.” Sooyoung snorts as she places the vegetables into a bowl, moving to wash her hands.

“Maybe she just wants a daughter-in-law to slave away for her on the weekends.” Seungwan counters cheekily.

Sooyoung raises an eyebrow teasingly. “Are you proposing to me, Son Seungwan?”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were already this badly in love with me.” Seungwan’s voice tinges on mock-flirtatiousness, and Sooyoung swallows.

 

It’s ridiculous how her heart jumps at the suggestion, even when she knows it’s merely mindless banter.

 

She shakes her head, huffing out a soft laugh. “You’re getting ahead of yourself there, don’t you think, Miss Son?”

Seungwan shrugs, shooting Sooyoung a playful grin. “Confidence is key.”

 

It’s nothing out of the ordinary, really, and yet, it seems like every action of Seungwan’s has amplified since that night at the party. Every smile, every small tinkle of laughter, or a pretentiously playful flirty comment thrown around goes straight to Sooyoung’s heart.

 

It hammers in her chest now, and Sooyoung has to force herself to look away as her breath hitches in .

 

She’s pretty convinced that Son Seungwan might just be the death of her.