a/n: im sure no one is complaining about how long this story is turning out but goddamn i've been adding some scenes, extending some background just to fill out the skeleton that i had written years ago and theres def moments you might find some disjointment or plot holes, just let me know bc there is a lot to this story and i edit only a good portion that i think actually needed it -- im trying to keep up with it well but its kind of hard?

clarification - im in the USA so like mon and fri updates are actually for the readers i know are overseas in Asia and such; if you're like closer to my end it'll be sun nights and thurs nights for updates!

and I KNOW youre going to screech at me by the end of this so just clarify which parts youre screeching about hehehe *devil emoji*

Wendy wakes up the next morning in Joohyun’s bed, curled against her side, wearing last night’s clothes. She internally freaks out as she stares at Joohyun beside her, sleeping on her back, perfectly still with hands folded on her stomach, wearing her white blouse and trousers from last night. 

Her heart thumps inside of her and it rings in her ears because she is still waking up. Her head is hazy as hell but she doesn't feel sick, which is a major plus. Joohyun’s brow twitches and Wendy is mortified at the thought of Joohyun hearing her heart pounding. Despite the irrational thought, Wendy takes a few calming breaths until her heart calms down and at the same time, Joohyun’s brow relaxes. 

Wendy takes a moment to glance around the room, realizing that she’s never seen the inside of Joohyun’s room before and it’s much larger than Wendy’s room. Probably twice the size. 

It’s dim because the curtains are thick and heavy, effectively blocking the sun from entering. This is probably why she can’t tell whether it’s day or night, Wendy reasons. She spies an easel in front of the tall windows with charcoal and paints surrounding the station. There are even used canvases leaning against the wall beside it. There’s a tall bookshelf filled with books and Wendy spies several different languages in the spines. 

On the opposite side of the room, Joohyun has two desks that meet in the corner. One of them having several file organizers and binders sitting on top of it. The other has a computer set up with two large monitors and an impressive tower that hums quietly with a shimmering blue light. She recalls Sooyoung’s annoyance about Joohyun’s gaming habit, seeing the headset and controller hanging neatly on the hook beside her desk. 

She looks back down at Joohyun beside her. There really is much more to Joohyun than Wendy could ever imagine. 

It almost feels like she’s intruding on Joohyun’s private space. 

While her memory is a little hazy, there is something about their conversation that sticks out to her. 

The flame dies when the wick ends. 

Sleep with me tonight. 

I don’t want to be alone.

The realization wakes her up so quickly like being splashed by a bucket of cold water. 

Wendy carefully (and quickly) slips out of the older woman’s room and creeps across the entire condo, too scared to wake up and confront Joohyun about last night. As soon as she gets into her room, she falls right into her bed and screeches into her pillows. 

Sleep with me tonight. 

Sleep with me. 

Wendy is absolutely mortified at herself. She’s never in her 26 years of life, ever, ever, ever, never said to someone, “Sleep with me.” She cringes at herself. It sounds so gross, so desperate, so...needy. 

She’s so embarrassed she doesn’t know how she’s going to face Joohyun whatsoever. She walks on eggshells around the condo for the rest of the morning. As much as she wants to sleep the day away and hide in her room through her embarrassment, she is surprisingly sober–as if she hadn’t drunk a single drop of alcohol. She does feel bloated, but she was expecting a hangover and definitely isn’t having one. Unfortunately wide awake, Seungwan does a quick routine of cardio in the building gym anyway before hopping in the shower. 

Maybe Joohyun won’t say anything because won’t think much of it. After all, we just slept together. Literally, side by side, our clothes were still on. 

She’s just being a great roommate taking care of my silly drunk . But she’s such a great unnie for staying with me—letting me stay with her. 

Seungwan finds her blushing over and over at the memory of waking up in Joohyun’s bed next to her. But she can’t stop replaying it in her head. 

Joohyun’s calm sleeping features. Her soft, alabaster skin with the perfect side profile of her forehead, dips of her eyes, peak of her nose, and shape of her lips. The more Seungwan replays the memory, the more it is ingrained in her mind. And she can’t help but feel her heart leap and flip inside of her. 

It’s late afternoon by the time Seungwan finishes her routine (her morning did start rather late). She’s in the kitchen eating lunch when she hears Joohyun’s door open and she sees Joohyun walking down the stairs. 

It is extremely early for Joohyun to be awake, but there she was in her blazer and trouser combo with some sort of cream coloured blouse inside. 

“I have a lot of meetings for the next couple of days, so I won’t be around,” Joohyun casually informs, her voice calm and chic as ever. As if they didn’t sleep together. She walks by Wendy with a small smile to grab two cans out of the fridge. She immediately downs one. 

Wendy just nods, mouthful of chicken, trying desperately not to actively engage with Joohyun. Not engage. Interact. She doesn’t know what she’d do if Joohyun brings up the fact that they slept together. They didn’t even sleep together. They shared a bed. 

It’s completely innocent. 

And unbelievably intimate.

Joohyun stares at Wendy. Also not quite making eye contact. “I’m going to leave my car keys with you,” she informs. “That way you can use it when you need to.” 

Wendy looks at her in utter confusion. “Don’t you need it to get to your meetings?” 

Joohyun shakes her head. “Some of the meetings are going to be long. I’ll be too exhausted to drive.”

Now that Wendy actually looks at Joohyun, she can see the exhaustion all over her face. It brings about a massive concern to Wendy. The concern for their embarrassment slips away easily. The air isn’t all that tense after all, Wendy is just too in her head. And the fact that Joohyun is still talking to her, must mean that she is okay with everything. 

“Are you going to be okay? Should I drive you?” 

“No. I have a driver.” Joohyun fiddles with the second can, debating if she should drink it. 

“You sound like a chaebol,” Wendy teases lightly, just to see if she can bring a smile to Joohyun’s sunken face. 

“In case you didn’t surmise, other than being a PhD candidate, I have to take care of the family business.” 

Wendy doesn’t think when she asks, “What exactly is your family business?” 

“Investments and properties,” Joohyun simply answers. She opens the second can to drink. “This isn’t the only condo and building that I own. That’s why Sooyoung wants the Jeju Island home.” 

Wendy’s jaw drops. “I’m too scared to ask how many places you own.” 

“Please don’t.” Joohyun begs, looking disgusted by the reminder. And expresses it wholeheartedly. “It reminds me of how much I have to take care of when I’m not focusing on my PhD.”

“You don’t even need to do a PhD,” Wendy points out. “You’re literally a chaebol. You don’t have to work at all.” 

Joohyun rolls her eyes. “Not working is boring. I hate sitting around being bored.” 

“Wow, you’re unreal. You sound like one of those old retired grandpas.” 

Joohyun cracks open the can with a small hiss. 

“By the way, why is my rent so cheap? You can probably make a fortune off tenants,” Wendy curiously asks while they're still on the topic. “Especially around this area.” 

Joohyun mysteriously smiles. 

“What? Why are you smiling?” 

“Your money is Sooyoung’s allowance.” 

“What?!” 

Joohyun laughs as she drinks her drink.

The thing with living with someone for a while is how easy it is to pick up on their schedule. For Wendy and Joohyun, they had already discussed their schedules in relative detail. It was a good framework for Wendy on nights that she wanted to cook after studying late, or study at the dining room instead of her room, or play her guitar and keyboard while she sings. It was really easy to get away with most things because Wendy always tried to be a little quiet even though she knew Joohyun was awake through the night. 

Except their schedule has changed a little bit because of winter break. 

Wendy doesn’t have the pressure to study for 12 hours of her daylight hours and can go to sleep a little later after binge watching dramas or catching up on her hobbies. But Joohyun on the other hand, seems to be working more than usual. She gets up before noon and leaves only to come back until at least after midnight. 

There’s no chance Joohyun is getting any sleep when Wendy wakes up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and hears Joohyun pacing about her study at 3am.

At the end of the week, she expects Joohyun to be home because it’s the weekend, but she catches Joohyun crushing a can in her hand at 9am when Wendy wakes up to use the gym downstairs.

“Welcome to the land of the living,” Wendy jokes as Joohyun tosses the can into the recycling. 

Joohyun whips around, startled like a doe, which is a strange sight to see because Wendy has gotten quite used to Joohyun’s sixth sense. She relaxes at the sight of Wendy. “Stupid day walkers,” she growls. She rolls her neck and sighs at the way it pops. 

Wendy frowns because she sees Joohyun dressed like a CEO again. This time royal blue trousers and a cream colored sleeveless top that reveals her toned arms. The ensemble is complete with a black belt that matches her black heels. “Don’t tell me you’re working on a Saturday.” 

Joohyun doesn’t answer her. She grabs her blue blazer and slips it on. When she buttons it, it hugs her frame perfectly. She shakes out her hair. As beautiful as she looks, it pains Wendy to not see Joohyun even smile. 

“Are you going to be home for dinner? I can cook for us,” Wendy offers.

“No.” Joohyun turns around and makes her way to the door. 

Wendy frowns. Joohyun definitely hasn’t eaten because she doesn’t smell her cooking and she’s starting to miss that red flavor smell. She opens the fridge quickly and grabs one of Joohyun’s cans. 

“Unnie,” Wendy chases Joohyun to the door. 

Joohyun whirls around and snatches Wendy’s wrist the second she gets within arms length of her. Wendy is surprised at the reflex and the strong grip Joohyun has around her wrist. 

She quietly gasps at how dark Joohyun’s eyes look to her. Usually they shimmer like the stars in a deep night sky but they’ve gone black. Wendy can’t tell if it’s because of the gray wintry morning or if Joohyun looks like that when she’s angry. 

“I’ll be home late,” Joohyun whispers, her grip loosens around Wendy’s wrist. “Don’t wait up.” 

Wendy frowns deeply. She holds out the can to Joohyun. “At least take this with you.”

Joohyun looks at the drink and uses both hands to clasp Wendy’s offer. Wendy warms at the sudden tenderness. “Thank you,” she whispers before slipping the can out of her hand. 

That night, Wendy feels a little bi