Its been a year already, huh?

 

Kim Jiyeon sits there, on the stool next to her kitchen counter, basking in the morning sunlight coming from the big windows on the wall. Her gaze lingers on the buildings around her apartment, while her hands busy themselves stirring her white coffee. Everyday, Jiyeon would savor these few minutes before she starts off her hectic day.

 

While she is sipping on her coffee, her ears perk up when she hears light footsteps behind her back. She turns around and smiles at the sight of her 6 years-old rubbing her eyes out of sleepiness.

 

"Good morning."

 

"Good morning, mummy." Kim Yeoreum replies, yawning at the same time. The little girl shivers at the cold morning breeze, and when Jiyeon opens her arms for her, she lets herself be embraced by her mother.

 

"Mummy how did you wake up so early everyday?" Yeoreum asks as she sits on top of Jiyeon's lap.

 

"Mummy is used to it, Yeoreum-ah."

 

The little girl nods her head even though she struggles to keep herself awake. Seeing that, Jiyeon pulls lightly on her daughter's hair to untangle them.

 

"Do you want to eat breakfast first or shower first?"

 

"Hmmm… I think I want to shower first." The little girl put her index finger to her chin, as if she's thinking about something.

 

"Alright, go then. I'll make breakfast. Is pancake ok?" Yeoreum hops off Jiyeon's lap and grabs her red towel.

 

"Pancakes are ok." Yeoreum says as she shows an 'ok' sign to her mother before she turns and heads to the bathroom.

 

Jiyeon smiles and shakes her head. As she's reaching out for the frying pan in the cabinet, she couldn't help but notice a drawing that was stuck to the fridge. Yeoreum drew them. Her school teacher has asked her to draw her family. Even though Jiyeon has looked at the drawing for like the nth times already, she couldn't help but notice it every time she opened the fridge. There's her, with her long light brown hair. Yeoreum with her dark brown hair and a wide smile. And lastly, beside Yeoreum there's a person, with black hair and bangs, holding a black and white cat.

 

Jiyeon would say that Yeoreum is good at drawing. Hell, even good at portraying people even if she's only 6 years old. Why did she say that?

 

Because the black hair person reminds her of Kim Hyunjung.

 

Kim Hyunjung wakes up to the sound of alarm blaring through her phone while the sun annoys her eyes, peeking through the curtains.

 

She grunts in displeasure as she reaches for her phone on the bedside table and turns off the alarm. She rolls around her bed before deciding to wake up and shower.

 

She puts on a navy blue suit with a white shirt underneath and black leather shoes.

 

After a few minutes, Hyunjung is already outside and in her Porsche. She starts off her engine and drives to her favourite cafe near her office building.

 

"Aww,look who's here!" Hyunjung could see a certain redhead peeking from the counter, smiling at her.

 

"You say that like I didn't come here everyday." The black haired woman says.

 

Chu Sojung laughs at the comment while she grabs an empty paper cup to fill it with white coffee.

 

"Well, you always seemed like you wanna kill someone so I thought I could brighten your mood by greeting you like that." The barista/cafe owner blurts out as she writes down Hyunjung's name and pours coffee into the cup.

 

"I don't." She says as she stares at Sojung.

 

"Yes you do." Sojung puts the cup on the counter, directly in front of their faces in order to block Hyunjung's stare.

 

"I don't. People just pisses me off so easily." She says, taking her cup and having a sip.

 

Despite being annoying, Sojung makes great coffee.

 

But not as good as hers.

 

She stares at Sojung and this time, the other girl stares back at her. They stay like that for almost a minute before they hear someone's voice.

 

"Excuse me, aren't you guys gonna include me in your intense staring session?" Hearing that familiar voice, Sojung burst out laughing, and they broke their eye contact. Hyunjung just shakes her head.

 

Park Soobin emerges from the cafe store and walks towards them with a box filled with packets of coffee in her arms.

 

"What were you guys talking about anyway?" Soobin says, putting the box underneath the counter.

 

"About how Hyunjung unnie hates everyone--"

 

"Nothing, just Sojung being annoying--"

 

They speak in unison and when they realize that, they glare at each other. Soobin eyes paces back and forth between the two and said,

 

"I believe in Hyunjung unnie 'cause Hyunjung unnie speaks the truth most of the time." Soobin nods eagerly, as if she had come to a conclusion and turns around to continue her work, leaving Sojung feeling betrayed by her and Hyunjung grinning in victory.

 

After talking for a bit, Hyunjung leaves the coffee shop and heads towards her office building.

 

She parks her car under the designated parking area and enters the 20 floor level building. The receptionist greets her and she nods at her. When she enters the elevator, she presses the 18th floor and nods along whenever someone greets her. Finally after arriving on the 18th floor, she heads towards her office. Outside, her secretary briefs her about any meeting or work she has to do today.

 

This is her everyday life. Everything is the same thing. She wakes up, goes to work, and comes back home and repeats again tomorrow, the day after and until she's incapable of doing work anymore. But even so, Hyunjung had achieved so much despite her young age.

 

She stops in front of her office door and reads the sign on the door.

 

Chief Executive Officer: KIM HYUNJUNG

 

Jiyeon feels like her phone is ringing for way too long. This is the second time she's calling and yet the person on the other line is not picking up her calls. She taps her fingers on the wooden table in her kitchen, anxiously waiting. She almost thought that maybe the person she's calling is already asleep and is about to hang up but then she hears the beeping stop.

 

"Hey. I'm sorry, I was in the shower."

 

"N-no it's okay."

 

Jiyeon thinks that it's been a long time since she hears that voice, but really, it's only just been a month. And she's done this a lot of times already, so why is she nervous. Unconsciously, she clears .

 

"So, what are we gonna do this weekend?"

 

"I don't know. I'm okay with anything." The other one replies. Answers like this makes Jiyeon think if her own plan is too exaggerated or too boring.

 

"Then, is going to the theme park ok?" The light brown-haired girl asks the question with full anticipation. She's afraid of the answer she's going to get, whether it's 'i'm busy' or 'isn't that too childish?'.

 

But she knows that Kim Hyunjung would never say that.

 

Hyunjung always makes time for Yeoreum. She's their daughter after all. And right on queue, Hyunjung answers.

 

"Sure. We're going on Saturday right?"

 

"Yes." Because I know your only free time is Saturday.

 

"Alright. See you later."

 

"Y-yeah. See you later. Here." She says it as if Hyunjung is here with her. And then she couldn't hear anything after that, so she put her phone down and turned to look at Yeoreum. But the little girl's not in the living room.

 

"Yeoreum?" She yells as she walks around the house while picking up some stuff scattered on the floor. Yeoreum's crayon box, drawing book, school bag and some candies.

 

"I'm in here Mummy!" Jiyeon walks in on her daughter drawing on a piece of paper while munching on her favorite candy.  She sits next to Yeoreum and watches the girl as she starts speaking.

 

"Hey there, sunshine." She nudges the little girl's head with her nose and drapes her left arm around her shoulder.

 

"Hey mummy. What's up?"

 

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Hearing that, Yeoreum laughs along with Jiyeon.

 

"Ah, well, I'm just here to tell you something." The mother grabs one of the candies on the table and unwraps it.

 

"What is it?" Yeoreum asks and bright eyes look up to Jiyeon's tired one. It's been a long day at work and all she really wants to do right now is just lay in bed and sleep.

 

"We're going to a theme park on Saturday!" Jiyeon tries her best to sound energetic, and it probably works because Yeoreum's eyes are now wide open as she smiles brightly and cheers.

 

"Really?" She asks in disbelief. Jiyeon only nods, which makes Yeoreum's grin grow wider.

 

"Mama is going too right?" When Yeoreum suddenly asks that, Jiyeon doesn't know what to feel.

 

"Yeah. Mama's going." She says and kisses Yeoreum on the cheek.

 

"Anyway, it's time for you to sleep don't you think?" She turns her head to look at Yeoreum who's clad in soft pajamas and to her surprise, Yeoreum nods. Normally, her daughter would put up a small fight before she goes to sleep, but Jiyeon guesses that maybe she's just tired like Jiyeon is. So Jiyeon tucks her in bed and kisses her goodnight and closes the door, but not before turning on the nightlight.

 

Jiyeon lingers around the apartment for a while, making sure the doors are locked, things are organized and finally she turns off the lights. She walks to her bedroom and half-closes the door, just in case Yeoreum needs anything. She lay in bed and is about to close her eyes but she remembers something. She glances at her fingers and takes off the silver hugging her ring finger, and puts it on the bedside table next to the bed. Finally she turns off the lights and closes her eyes.

 

She doesn't realize that the traffic on Friday could be busy. She thought that her move to leave the office early on Friday is going to go smoothly but guess she's wrong. The road is busy like it's weekend. Hyunjung stares at the red numbers on the traffic light as she listens to whatever music is playing on the radio. Hyunjung taps her fingers along the rhythm and finally presses the paddle when the light turns green. Her car speeds up, and after a few minutes, she arrives in that section of the town where there's a lot of apartment complexes with different lights in every building.

 

Hyunjung drives her car to the underground parking lot and nods to the guards that's standing near the barrier gate, opening them for her. She doesn't even have to give her ID anymore because she's here enough that the guards remembered her face. She smiles at the guards and drives past them, searching for the parking space designated for her.

 

Or so she said.

 

Finally, the raven hair girl turns off her car engine and steps out of the car, but not forgetting to take the small duffle bag on the passenger seat. Hyunjung has come here straight from work, hence the reason she's bringing extra clothes. She locks her car and steps into the apartment, pressing the 'going up' button. As she steps into the elevator as it goes up, Hyunjung couldn't help but think that it's been a while since she's been here. The thought of seeing her makes her nervous all of a sudden, but Hyunjung shakes the thought away.

 

The elevator dings made her snap out of her thoughts and she steps out, walking straight towards the only apartment unit she recognized. She used to be here all the time, but that's something she rather not thought of at the moment. When she's finally standing in front of the apartment door, she lets out a sigh before pressing the doorbell. She anxiously waits, looking around the luxurious apartment complex, eyes wandering around because she still couldn't get used to having a relationship like this. Then, suddenly the door clicks, bringing her attention back to it, and it opens.

 

Damn it.

 

Hyunjung forgets how breathtaking Jiyeon is. Even if she's not wearing anything fancy, just some old loose t-shirt that goes above her knees and some shorts, Jiyeon is still as beautiful as ever. With her round, curious eyes looking straight at her and brown hair that's hanging down her shoulder perfectly.

 

"Hyunjung." And Hyunjung forgets how she misses Jiyeon calling her name.

 

"Hey there." She replies. Jiyeon is kind of looking at her weirdly.

 

"You're...early." Jiyeon says with bewilderment in her voice.

 

"Yeah, I know."

 

After a minute, Jiyeon realized Hyunjung isn't going to explain her reasons for being here a day before the day they're supposed to meet.

 

Oh well, come in." Jiyeon steps aside to give Hyunjung space as the older woman steps inside. She is about to ask Jiyeon something when suddenly she is pulled in a really strong hug on her lower body. She looks down to see another brunette hugging her legs. Hyunjung smiles. Well, it's not Jiyeon the only one she misses.

 

"Mama!" Yeoreum smiles as she looks up to the raven hair woman, whom she recognizes as her other mother. Hyunjung pats her head and puts the duffle bag on the ground before lifting the little girl up in her arms.

 

Jiyeon lets the mother and daughter spend time together, so she picks up Hyunjung's bag and puts it on the kitchen counter. For a second she contemplates on whether to put it there or in her own room.

 

"Hi baby. I miss you."  She says as she kisses Yeoreum on the forehead, grinning at the same time. She notes how Yeoreum grew so much even though it's only been a month or less the last time she saw her.

 

"I miss you too, Mama." Yeoreum says as she relaxes her head on Hyunjung's shoulder, as the elder turns to look at Jiyeon who's back turns towards her as she washes the dishes.  She watches Jiyeon's back, working expertly in the kitchen and suddenly she turns around.

 

"Have you eaten?"  She asks as she wipes her hand on the napkin sitting on the kitchen counter. Hyunjung feels her arms getting tired, so she nears the kitchen counter and puts Yeoreum down.

 

"I've--" She looks at Jiyeon and sees her raising an eyebrow.

 

"--eaten lunch, but not dinner." She tells as she scratches her head. She doesn't know why it feels kind of embarrassing to admit that. Jiyeon nods her head and walks to the fridge.

 

"Do you want salad or spaghetti?" Hyunjung doesn't expect that she would get fed, but then again, Jiyeon is her ex-wife after all, it's only logical for her to care about her.

 

"Spaghetti,please. And thank you." Jiyeon closes the fridge door, taking out a bottle of orange juice and setting it on the kitchen counter, then going to the pots on the stove to take out the spaghetti and sauce for Hyunjung.

 

"Mommy, can I accompany Mama while she's eating?" Yeoreum mumbles as Jiyeon puts down the plate of spaghetti in front of Hyunjung, and is about to reach for the mug but Hyunjung beats her to it, nodding at her as a sign to say 'it's okay, I'll do it.'  Jiyeon retracts her hand and looks at Yeoreum.

 

"Sure. But you still need to sleep on time, okay?" She says with her best serious expression.

 

Yeoreum pouts, but nevertheless she nods and answers "Okay, mummy." as she moves to sit on Hyunjung's lap. She looks at Hyunjung who's already devouring her spaghetti, and Hyunjung looks up to her and nods. Getting reassurance from Hyunjung is enough, so she walks past them and towards her bedroom, hoping to do some work before going to sleep.

 

"Hey Mama, wanna see what I draw today at school?" Yeoreum says while Hyunjung's washing the dishes. With her back facing Yeoreum, Hyunjung only listens to her little girl who hasn't stopped talking since she sat on her lap a few minutes ago.

 

"Sure, where is it?"  Hyunjung says as she finishes washing her mug and closes the tap. She turns around and Yeoreum is gone, but then she's back in seconds, running from her room with a piece of paper.

 

"Here." She climbs one of the stools and sits opposite Hyunjung, who's standing and shows her the paper.

 

"Teacher Xuanyi said it's really pretty." Hyunjung looks at the paper, and the person reminds her of someone. With brown hair, round eyes and pink lips. It's none other than Jiyeon herself.

 

"Yeah." She lets out.

 

"You think it's pretty?" Yeoreum asks.

 

"Yeah it's pretty. It's Mommy, right?" She asks carefully.

 

"Yes! You recognize my drawing!" Yeoreum beams at her, making the smile that stretches across her face wider.

 

"Of course I do. You're good at drawing, you know that." She winks at Yeoreum and gives the little girl back her paper. Yeoreum sees that, but she pushes the paper back to Hyunjung.

 

"It's ok. You can keep it." The little ball of sunshine nods and out of a sudden she hops off the stool and makes her way to Hyunjung. Hyunjung watches her, walking towards her and then extending her arms while looking up at her mother.

 

"I think it's time for me to go to sleep now. Can I have a good night kiss?" She says as she rubs her eyes. Hyunjung's heart swells with fondness and warmth.

 

"Of course Yeoreum. Anything for my baby." She says as she bent her knees and hugs Yeoreum, at the same lifting the little girl up, who chuckles as she hugs her and kisses her cheeks. Hyunjung savors these kind of moments as best as she could because who knows, someday even Yeoreum would walk away from her too if she knew what had happened in the past that causes them to be in this kind of situation.

 

Hyunjung is proud. Of what she has achieved and of what she has become. But she is never proud of herself. And her own decisions. Especially the one that left bad outcomes. Yes, maybe her past self thought that what she did was for the best and for her own future. It's what she always wanted anyway. But her present self regrets her actions. She was immature, stupid and selfish. She always wishes she could just turn back the time and fix her problems. But what's done is done.

 

"Mama!" A high pitched voice next to her ear snaps her out of her thought and she turns her head to the source of the voice. Yeoreum is only an inch away from her face, but she still sees the worried look the little girl gives her.

 

"What's wrong?" Yeoreum's arms around her neck tightens.

 

"Nothing. I'm just tired that's all. Let's get you to bed, okay?" Hyunjung walks out the dining area and turns off the lights, with Yeoreum in hand. Even if Yeoreum isn't a baby anymore, Hyunjung always finds herself carrying the little girl whenever she wants to.

 

"Ah I see. Then go to sleep then." Yeoreum says as Hyunjung pushes her bedroom door decorated with animal stickers and a sign that says 'Yeoreum' .

 

"I know. I'm going to sleep after you go to sleep." As Hyunjung puts her down, she tickles her side, making Yeoreum roll around laughing as she emphasizes the word 'you' and laughs along with Yeoreum. They go on for about a solid thirty seconds before Hyunjung stops because Yeoreum was out of breath. Hyunjung stands up and tucks her under the covers and kisses her forehead.

 

"Good night, Yeoreum-ah."

 

"Good night, Mama."  She says as she cuddles her plushies and closes her eyes. Hyunjung doesn't forget to turn the nightlight on, and half closes the door. When she turns around, she almost yelps in surprise seeing Jiyeon standing behind, well technically now in front of her.

 

"God, you scared me. What?" She asks as she watches Jiyeon playing with her fingers.

 

"You'll be sleeping here tonight, right?"  She mumbles quietly, but Hyujung manages to catch it. Hyujung knows. How anxious Jiyeon is around her. She knows how hurt she is because of her. So she answers her with something she would be ok with.

 

"Yes. I'll sleep on the couch." Hyunjung says as she walks to the kitchen counter to pick up her duffle bag. Turning around she sees Jiyeon looking at her with wide eyes.

 

"I can't…" She says but she trails off and looks anywhere else because Hyujung was looking at her.

 

"Hm?" The older one lets out as she walks towards her.

 

"I can't let you do that." Jiyeon says carefully and looks up to meet Hyunjung's eyes.

 

Hyunjung's eyes that are full of things she couldn't quite understand. Hyunjung's eyes that pull her in whenever she stares at them. Hyunjung eyes that left her crying because she looked at them with full of hope but was returned with coldness.

 

"Jiyeon." She snaps out of her thoughts and stares at those beautiful eyes. She hated how she still finds them attractive. And she feels heat going up to her face.

 

.

 

"It's okay. Just let me sleep on the couch. It's better for both of us." Even though saying that breaks a piece of her heart, Hyujung knows it's for the best. Both of them are still hooked up on the past to be thinking about fixing their future. She sees the hesitation in Jiyeon's eyes, and even the redness on her cheek but she ignores them. Finally, she sees a little bit of relief in the woman's eyes.

 

"Okay. If you say so." She turns around but stops midtrack.

 

"Hyunjung?" She calls, not turning around.

 

"Yes?"  She can feel Hyunjung's eyes burning through her back.

 

"Good night."

 

"Good night, Jiyeon-ah." With that she walks to her bedroom, not closing the door fully, but still enough for Hyunjung to have her privacy. She sighs and lays her head on the door frame, thinking of the woman in her living room.

 

What do you mean 'Jiyeon-ah'? Who asks you to call me that?

 

She screams internally at the nickname and thought that it's been a long time since Hyunjung called her that. After a few seconds, she spins her body and slumps herself on her queen sized bed and she turns off the light on the bedside table.

 

As she lays on her back and eyes staring up at the ceiling, Jiyeon thought that she's out of her mind. Why is she flustered because of Hyunjung? Well of course, she used to love Hyunjung and they used to be so happy. But now not anymore. She can't feel that way anymore. She refuses to feel that way. She's not ready to open up again to Hyunjung. And even if she does, it'll only end up with her getting hurt again. Not to mention there's also Yeoreum. What if they fight again? What will happen to Yeoreum? Jiyeon shakes those thoughts out of her head and closes her eyes. Now's not the time to think about that. They're about to enjoy themselves tomorrow. She couldn't ruin this just because she's too deep in her own thoughts.

 

After a while, she falls asleep.

 

The beeping sound coming from her left interrupts her deep slumber, making her grunts as she cracks open her eyes slowly.  Jiyeon turns around slowly, reaching for her phone and turns off the alarm. She sits up and rubs her eyes, and after a moment, she stands up and opens the bedroom door.

 

The first thing she notices is how the sun annoys her eyes, shining through the large window in her living room. Second thing she notices is Hyunjung, sleeping on the couch, still wearing her work attire from last night with her legs hanging from the armrest on the couch. Well, Hyunjung is taller than her after all. Unconsciously, she steps closer to the sleeping figure.

 

Jiyeon takes a seat next to the couch, positioning herself right in front of Hyunjung's face. She studies them because it's been a long time since she had a proper look at her. Her hair has grown out. Her eyelashes are still neat. Her bangs are perfectly trimmed. And her lips still look soft and kissable.

 

Holy , Jiyeon. What are you thinking?

 

Suddenly, she sees her eyelashes move. Hyunjung stirs a bit but before she can open her eyes, Jiyeon stands up and walks as fast as she could towards the kitchen. She pretends she was doing something when she sees Hyunjung sitting up and stretching her limbs. Poor her, her back must've hurt.

 

Jiyeon takes out eggs from the fridge and a packet of bacon. She hears her bathroom door being pushed open, so she thought that Hyunjung is probably going to shower. While she's busy cooking scrambled eggs and frying bacon, she lets them be for a while to cook so she turns and walks to one of the cabinets to take out a mug. Apparently, she is watching the bacon so that it's not going to be overcooked so she lets her hand roam around the cabinet. But then she feels something cold touches her hand, making her turn her head and she blushes. Hyunjung is looking at her, while she's reaching for the mug too, and now their hands are touching. As Hyunjung stares at her, Jiyeon takes the opportunity to reach for the mug and breaks their eye contact.

 

Suddenly she realizes something. Hyunjung's wearing it too. She's wearing their wedding ring. And seeing that warms Jiyeon's heart, and she carelessly lets herself be happy about it.

 

Oh, and she hates how Hyunjung looks so good with wet hair. And she smells nice too.

 

God, this is gonna be a long day.

 

"Hyunjung! Yeoreum! Let's go!" Jiyeon shouts after the staff hands her some guides and a map of Lotte World. She watches as the two walks towards her, with snacks in their hands and headbands, the sight fills Jiyeon with happiness.

 

"Mummy, look! We got you this too!" And by this, Yeoreum means a headband with bunny ears on them. But, she couldn't believe that Yeoreum managed to convince Hyunjung to wear one. The older woman is wearing cat ears while Yeoreum wears tiger ears. She chuckles at how silly the three of them look like right now. Yeoreum raises her arms which hold the headband, and so Jiyeon bends her knees and kneels in front of Yeoreum to let her put them on while Hyunjung puts the snacks in Yeoreum's small bag.

 

After she puts it on Jiyeon's head, Jiyeon stands up and says "Alright. Let's go, shall we?" She offers her hand to Yeoreum and she takes it, but she's also holding Hyunjung's hand on her other hand, so they walk hand in hand together.

 

The day passes by without them noticing. They go on rides together and run around a lot, watch some of the performances and play more games. Jiyeon is more energetic than Hyunjung so she keeps up with Yeoreum who runs around, looking like she wants to try every ride and everything there is around them.  

 

Jiyeon is sitting on one of the benches next to the area where there's a carrousel, and she watches as Yeoreum forces Hyunjung to ride it with her. But even if she's being forced, Hyunjung never declines Yeoreum.

 

It's evening now, and the sky is turning a beautiful shade of blue, orange and red. Purple even. As Jiyeon watches the carousel slowly start to move, she observes the smile on Hyunjung's face, and thinks about how she used to see that smile everyday. The fact that she used to be Hyunjung's only source of happiness and now she's, whatever. Jiyeon stays there as she thinks about her past, and how she and Hyunjung could've led a better life for both of them and Yeoreum. It was all fine, and suddenly the next day, it was a disaster, and it was one of the darkest moments of her life. Jiyeon keeps on thinking about her past, repeating the scene of that day in her head, the day everything falls apart. Suddenly, she feels like her anxiety is back as she fiddles with her fingers, but she knows she's not having a panic attack because she's still breathing properly. She's just overwhelmed as she remembers how devastated she was. She cups her face and rubs her eyes, but then she hears footsteps approaching her, making her look up and sees the person that's been occupying her mind all the time. Hyunjung, looking down at her, with her big, bright eyes with the orange sky behind her.

 

For a moment she thought that there's only the two of them there.

 

But she snaps out of her thoughts quickly and stands up. She sees the worried look that flashes through Hyunjung's eyes for a second, but she ignores them.

 

"Are you guys done?" She asks, picking up Yeoreum's bag and putting it on her shoulder.

 

"Yeah! It was fun, Mummy! Why didn't you join us?" Yeoreum asks while holding onto Hyunjung's hand.

 

"It's ok. I'm tired already." She smiles, but then she hears a low growling noise. She looks at the source of the sound, and Yeoreum grins shyly at her, while Hyunjung chuckles.

 

"Let's go eat dinner, ok?" Hyunjung says, as she looks between Yeoreum and Jiyeon, who nods her head in agreement.

 

It's almost dark now and they walk leisurely through the crowds, heading towards the cafe near the entrance of the theme park, holding hands with each other with Yeoreum in the middle.

 

Jiyeon is having a conflict with herself. She's sitting on one of the stools near her kitchen counter as she rubs circles on her forehead, trying to ease the dizziness.

 

Should I? Or should I not? I shouldn't. But it's dark already.

 

The sound of door closing makes her stop thinking for a while and she watches as Hyunjung stands in front of Yeoreum's door, sighing to herself. She rubs her eyes, and looks up to see Jiyeon looking at her. She walks towards the living room couch and starts to pack up her stuff in her duffle bag.  When she's about to zip her bag, Jiyeon's voice pierces through the silence in the apartment.

 

"Hyunjung." She calls, drawing Hyunjung's attention.

 

"Yes?" Hyunjung turns to her, and Jiyeon realizes she's already slinging the bag around her shoulder.

 

"It's….late already." She hesitantly says, waiting for Hyunjung's reaction while she stares at her hand.

 

"Yeah. I know." Hyunjung says as she nears the kitchen counter, putting the duffle bag down. Jiyeon could feel her burning holes through her with how intense she's staring at her.

 

"So,"

 

"stay."

 

She says softly. It is silent for a while and when she looks up, Hyunjung is staring at her with a bewildered expression.

 

"I'm...not sleeping on the couch again you know? So no, I'm going back." She says as she goes to the living room, searching for her car key. And at the same time, Jiyeon stands up and walks towards her. Hyunjung's back is facing her. Slowly, she reaches out and touches the older's hand.

 

And at the moment, Hyujung stops moving. But she doesn't turn around.

 

"I said, stay. Please. " Jiyeon doesn't know why she's so keen on letting Hyunjung stay even though the woman was wrecking her brain so much. Then she feels Hyunjung turn around, so she looks down, not wanting to make eye contact with her. Hyunjung stays silent for a minute, and Jiyeon is starting to regret her actions.

 

"Okay." She says.

 

"Yeah?" Jiyeon asks as she looks at Hyunjung's fingers.

 

"Yeah. But where do I sleep?" Hyunjung notices Jiyeon is playing with her fingers, meaning that she's still looking down and not meeting her eyes. Hearing Hyunjung's question makes her more anxious than she is so she uses Hyunjung's fingers as a distraction.

 

"W-with me. In my bed."  And another moment of silence as she keeps fiddling with the older woman's hands. Hyunjung's hands are cold. And hers are a bit too warm for her liking.

 

"Are you comfortable with that?" Jiyeon wonders how Hyunjung's voice doesn't even waver.

 

"Yes." She says, finally looking up at her. And, oh, wrong move. She isn't prepared for the stare she gets.

 

Has she been staring since I hold her hand?

 

"Okay. Let's sleep then?" Hyunjung raises an eyebrow and Jiyeon nods her head, walking past Hyunjung to her bedroom with Hyunjung following behind. When she steps in, she realizes Hyunjung doesn't have anything to wear to sleep. She walks to her wardrobe and pulls out an oversized t-shirt and a sweatpant that is too big for her. Maybe it could fit Hyunjung. She turns and almost bumps into said girl if it isn't for Hyunjung stepping away.

 

"Here. Change into this." She hands them over and Hyunjung thanks her, going into the bathroom to change. She gulps nervously as she waits for Hyunjung to be done, and when she does, Jiyeon speaks up.

 

"You still sleep on the left side of the bed, right?" She asks.

 

"Yes." Hyunjung says, nearing her. The sweatpant fit her just right and even her oversized shirt looks normal on Hyunjung. She nods and stands up to go to the bathroom, glancing at Hyunjung who's laying down. Not going to lie, she kinds of misses sleeping with Hyunjung.

 

As she finishes brushing her teeth, Jiyeon glances at herself in the mirror. She's wearing only an oversized shirt, with...only her underwear underneath.

 

It's fine. It's nothing. Nothing's gonna happen.

 

She steps out of the bathroom and closes it slowly. Hyunjung is already asleep. Which is kind of a relief for her. She doesn't have to deal with the awkwardness. So she turns off the lights and lay down next to Hyunjung, turning her body to face her. With a slight opening from the curtains, moonlight shines down on Hyunjung's face, making it visible for Jiyeon to stare at. It just occurs to her that after all these years, she really loves looking at Hyunjung's face. There's something about her face that gives Jiyeon comfort, happiness and love altogether. She was in love. They were in love. And then that happened. She wonders how can it happened when they used to be so in love with each other, so accepting of each other.