For other people, Son Seungwan might be one of the greatest actresses of her generation. For Bae Joohyun, Son Seungwan is the greatest of all time.

Seungwan might not show her professional side often at her house, considering how she likes to laze around during her break and always disturbing Joohyun when she brings her work home together with her. 

But when she got a new acting project, Seungwan would lock herself inside her working room with a bundle of scripts Sooyoung gave her inside her grasp. She did that for the sake of privacy that Seungwan needed to study about the plot and immerse herself into the character she got casted as.

And Joohyun respected her mate for that. Especially as someone who tends to ignore her surroundings and everything when she gets focused with her work a little bit too much.

Her girlfriend will stay inside for hours without leaving her working room unless Joohyun reminds Seungwan about her presence inside her home. And Seungwan makes it easier for her by never locking the door of her working room, allowing Joohyun to be able to interrupt her when needed. Whenever that happened, Joohyun would try her best to support her. She will keep up with the time of the day—even setting up an alarm, because Joohyun also tends to get lost a little bit too much when she works on her design project—just so she can make food for the two of them.

By locking herself inside her working room, it allows Seungwan to understand the nature of her character. 

The younger woman is the type of someone who easily bonded through emotional aspects alone. Seungwan is someone who will put feelings first instead of logic, an absolute polar opposite compared to Joohyun. And sometimes, it causes this sudden surge of emotion inside Seungwan that Joohyun will never understand.

There was one time when she was about to tell Seungwan that dinner was served, Joohyun found the actress was already crying while she was reading the script in her grasp. 

She gets confused and worried at the same time from the sight, because she has never seen Seungwan cry that hard before. Joohyun rushes towards her omega and doesn’t care if Seungwan likes it or not that she just barges in unannounced. “Seungwan? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing,” stuttered Seungwan along with a hiccup. Joohyun gently wiped her tears with her thumb while her mate blew her nose with the tissue that Seungwan apparently had prepared. “It’s just—I know I was already crying over this script during the read-through, but I didn’t expect for the rest of the story to be this sad!”

Joohyun frowned as she listened to the ramble Seungwan just told her. “What is it about?”

“It’s about a photography studio but for the deceased,” hiccuped Seungwan as she gave her the summary of her new drama. Her frown went deeper from her explanation. She was about to say something when Seungwan stopped her. “Don’t.”

“But-”

“Don’t ruin this, Joohyun,” warned Seungwan, trying to look scary. She even put her forefinger on top of Joohyun’s lips to prevent her from saying more. But with the snot running down her nose and the never-ending tears, it just makes Joohyun more confused. “Just this once.”

“Ghost doesn’t exist,” whispered Joohyun as she ignored her warning and chose to say the word she wanted to say. The death glare Seungwan gives her right now only makes things more confusing because Joohyun knows she was right. Why did Seungwan act like she was wrong? “There is no legitimate proof that ghosts exist between us.”

Seungwan let out a loud groan after listening to her explanation. “God, you are so horrible at this.”

The alpha put her lips together in a straight line, perplexed from her reaction. She scratched the back of her head, starting to become totally confused with the whole situation. Joohyun just told her the truth, and it appears that Seungwan doesn’t like that. Why would Seungwan choose to live with a lie when the truth is out there? “Seungwan?”

“What?”

Her frown thickened when Seungwan said that with so much lash inside her tone. Does she really not like the truth that much? Is Joohyun the one who is wrong here? “I just cooked dinner. Let’s eat before the food grows cold.”

There is only silence shared between the two of them for a few seconds. Seungwan only looks her in the eyes while Joohyun tries to understand everything, but to no avail. She clenched her hands into a fist as her mind tried to find out where she just made her mistake. If she made a mistake in the first place.

It was until Seungwan broke into a laugh that her train of thought stopped. Joohyun blinked her eyes, confusedly staring at Seungwan who already had a smile on her face. She grows more confused by raising her eyebrow when Seungwan suddenly throws her arms around her neck, tugging her forward to close the gap between each other. “Kiss me.”

Joohyun can’t help but find the request odd, although she still leans forward to place a soft peck on top of her lips and waits until Seungwan kisses her back before she pulls away. “I thought you were mad at me.”

“Why?” Seungwan asked her back. “Do you want me to be mad at you?”

“It’s not that,” muttered Joohyun softly before she scratched her nape that doesn’t feel itchy in the slightest. “I feel like I just made a mistake earlier.”

“Well, technically, you are not,” admitted Seungwan before she let out a defeated sigh. She reaches after Joohyun’s face, grazing her thumb against her bottom lip and flashing her a smile before she pecks her lips for the second time. “You are just painfully being yourself.”

The thick frown between her two eyebrows is back on Joohyun. But her reaction seems to be funny for Seungwan because she was giggling before kissing her frown to erase it from her face.

“Come on. Let’s go have dinner,” grinned Seungwan as she took her hand in her grasp. “I’m starving.”

She can only blink her eyes before Joohyun breaks into a small smile. The architect nods her head as she lets Seungwan lead the way to her dining table, where Joohyun has served the dinner she just cooked a few minutes ago. Their food is no longer hot and steaming. But seeing Seungwan enjoying her dinner and telling Joohyun everything about the storyline of the script in a mouthful condition is enough for the small smile to stay permanent on her face during the time they spend together in the dining room.

There was one time when she was about to tell Seungwan that dinner was served, Joohyun found her currently reading aloud her script by changing her characterization into the figure she got casted with. It was odd for Joohyun to see Seungwan change into someone that she was not. 

To see her being a calculating person, or being a careless person, brings another level of confusion to Joohyun because Seungwan manages to look so convincing in her new character.

It is even more confusing when Seungwan pulls her to the sofa after they are done with their dinner, and gives Joohyun a copy of her script.

“I need you to help me practice with this scene.” That is the first thing Seungwan said once they were comfortable on the sofa. Joohyun scratched her nape while Seungwan was searching through the said scene in the thick bundle of the copy of her script she gave her. “This one.”

Her eyes read through a collection of paragraphs and conversation that looks a bit confusing for a newbie like her. Ever since they were together, Seungwan often asks for her help to practice over a scene that the actress feels like it will be better if she does it with someone else. And no matter how often Joohyun has been doing this, she never got a grasp of changing into a character that is painfully the opposite of her. Especially when the scene is a romantic scene.

“Which character am I?”

“The guy one,” answered Seungwan as she pointed to a name in the script. Joohyun nodded her head and used the pen Seungwan gave her to mark her assigned character. It will make it easier for Joohyun to read her line without getting it overlapped with Seungwan. “I will start first, and then you can follow me once I’m done with my line. Okay?”

Joohyun nods her head before she clears . She can’t help but to feel nervous whenever she’s doing this.

“How could you?!” gasped Seungwan in disbelief, already turning into her character and surprising Joohyun from how quick she changed herself. “I put my sweat, blood and tears into this work! You were the only one who knows how hard I was preparing for this. And then you ruined it over this crazy preposition that it will put my life in danger? Are you insane?”

She swallowed the ball of anxiety that got stuck inside . Joohyun can feel her palms grow colder from how nervous she was. “But I did that to protect you.”

There was a beat of silence before Seungwan loudly snorted. “Really, Joohyun? Where’s the emotion?”

“Um,” Joohyun scratched the back of her neck nervously. She read her line once again, finding the type of emotion she needed to apply while delivering her lines to make it sound perfect. “But I did all of that to protect you!”

“You were basically just raising the volume of your voice instead of adding emotion in it,” deadpanned Seungwan in disbelief over how Joohyun read her line. She can only grimace from her feedback, feeling sorry for not being able to deliver her line decently. Joohyun heard her let out a heavy sigh. “Whatever. Let’s just move to the other line.”

“Sorry,” murmured Joohyun softly before she read through the script to find her next line. Seungwan only replies to her with a short hum, something that is enough for Joohyun to set her lips into a straight line apologetically.

“And I didn’t ask you to protect me!” continued Seungwan, perfectly turning back into her character. It’s absolutely surprising Joohyun how she can just do that like she was merely flipping her own hand. “Why do you even care about what I do? We are only friends.”

“Because I love you!” Joohyun read her line as best as she could. She honestly thought she did well. But when she raised her head only to find Seungwan staring at her with those unimpressed eyes, Joohyun knew she was merely delivering her line without adding emotion. “Uh, they did say I need to scream when I read the line.”

“Yes, Joohyun. I know. We are reading the same script,” replied Seungwan sharply, causing Joohyun to flinch because she knew she just annoyed her with her inability to show emotion. Is this how her sisters feel whenever they were trying to mess with her when Joohyun was building her Lego? She wasn’t given the time to reminisce about the past because Seungwan let out a groan loud enough for Joohyun to go back to reality. “What did I expect from you, really? Of course you can’t do it well.”

“I’m sorry,” muttered Joohyun softly with a thick frown on her face. She also doesn’t know why she can’t do this like how Seungwan expected her to. “Am I holding you back?”

Seungwan merely looks at her before she lets out a defeated sigh. She reached out her hand to have her palm inside her tight grasp. Joohyun frowned in confusion from the gesture, wondering why Seungwan was holding her hand instead of being angry. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t have lashed out my anger towards you.”

“It’s okay,” Joohyun gently shrugs her shoulders. “Now I understand why my sisters are always mad whenever I do that to them because they keep disturbing me while I was building my Lego.”

Her mate merely chuckled at her reply. Joohyun flashed her a small smile to assure her that she’s okay with it, and Seungwan let her know that she caught her signal by brushing her knuckles with her thumb. “You know, you actually did well. It’s just lacking a little bit of emotion to make it sound decent.”

“I don’t know how to add the emotion,” Joohyun confusedly frowned as her brain tried to come up with a way to help her add emotion in delivering her line.

“How about this?” Seungwan shifted her body closer to Joohyun like she wouldn’t listen to her explanation with the previous distance they have between each other. “Why don’t you pretend that we are in the middle of a fight right now to help you with delivering the line?”

The frown between her two eyebrows deepened. “But I don’t like having arguments with you.”

“We are just pretending, love,” Seungwan tries to convince her to do it with the formula she just gave her. Joohyun is really uncomfortable with the new idea. She never likes the thought of having a fight with Seungwan. “It’s not like we are fighting for real. We are just going to act like we had an argument when we’re not.”

Joohyun pursed her lips in distaste. She really doesn’t like the thought of pretending to argue with Seungwan. But for the sake of helping her practice with her script, and with the fact that she hasn’t come up with another way to help her add emotion while delivering her lines, Joohyun doesn’t have any other choice. “I guess we can try.”

“Great! I will start over from the first one,” grinned Seungwan excitedly, such a complete opposite of Joohyun who was absolutely unsure about choosing this path. “How could you?” I put my sweat, blood and tears into this work! You were the only one who knows how hard I was preparing for this. And then you ruined it over this crazy preposition that it will put my life in danger? Are you insane?”

“But I did all of that to protect you!” screamed Joohyun, after imagining that she was in the middle of a fight with Seungwan right now. Joohyun carefully looked up from her copy of the script to look at Seungwan’s expression. To find her wide grin instead of deadpan, it was an understatement to say that she was stunned.

“And I didn’t ask you to protect me!” continued Seungwan in reading her line without pausing to protest about the way Joohyun delivered her dialog. “Why do you even care about what I do? We are only friends.”

“Because I love you!” screamed Joohyun again, saying her line as best as she could. “You are more than just a friend to me!”

“Bravo!” exclaimed Seungwan with a row of claps for Joohyun who just flinched because she was surprised by the sudden reaction. Seungwan looks so happy for someone who just pretended to argue with her. “That’s how you do it! It was much better than earlier, babe. You did so great.”

The architect bit her bottom lip from her praise. She is still too uncomfortable in pretending to have a huge fight with Seungwan. “Are we going to do this again? Because I don’t think I can. I really don’t like it.”

“Nope! We are done,” grinned Seungwan widely before she squished Joohyun’s cheek using both of her palms. “I’m sorry, baby. I know you don’t like it if we use that way to help you deliver your line, but you did it so well earlier it really helps me to practice with my line. So, thank you.”

Before Joohyun could muster up a reply, Seungwan kissed her puckered lips with so much intensity that it almost made her fall back and lay down on the sofa, if not for her arm to prevent it. When Seungwan breaks her kiss and the huge grin still present on her face, Joohyun can feel her cheek slowly becoming warm. She looked away from Seungwan’s eyes from feeling too shy while clearing to regain her composure. “I-It’s nothing.”

Seungwan laughed, and it put Joohyun in a daze because she sounded so happy just now. It seems like her mate will not give her a chance to reply because Seungwan is already back on kissing her lips again. And before she realizes it, Joohyun already has her back touching the surface of the sofa, with Seungwan being on top of her. Their kiss never broke, and Joohyun can’t help but smile from the loving contact.

It was a sweet moment shared between the two of them, until Seungwan changed her smile into a cunning smirk and had a seat on her crotch. Joohyun is too late in realizing the sudden change of mood around them. Her chance of escaping from this situation no longer exists the moment Seungwan cages her underneath her presence.

“Shall I give you a reward for being a good girl?” smirked Seungwan while she ran her finger along her chest and body. A really good way to tease Joohyun who was unable to move away. “Maybe I should. You deserve a really good reward for helping me with my line.”

“Uh, there’s no need to do that,” stuttered Joohyun as her face is practically burning right now because of the situation she got into. It seems like Seungwan wasn’t listening to her words at all, since she was already taking her top off from her body and exposing her for Joohyun to see with her own two eyes. Turns out, all this time, Seungwan wasn’t wearing a bra. Joohyun can feel her heart beating so fast underneath her ribcage from the new fact she just learned. “Really, it’s okay. A kiss is eno-”

“Shush,” Seungwan lightly pressed her index finger against her lips, preventing her from saying more. Joohyun swallowed her saliva as suddenly felt dry when Seungwan guided her hand to rest on her waist, while the other one grasped her . “Just enjoy, baby.”

Yeah, Joohyun doesn’t need to explain what happened afterwards.

Staying up all night also happened during the time of Seungwan familiarizing herself with her new character before the first day of filming. Usually, it will be Joohyun who will pull an all-nighter because of the demand of her job that requires her to never lose her focus and always innovate. 

For Joohyun, it was a little bit weird to see Seungwan being the one who stayed up until late night.

When she wakes up in the middle of the night to an empty side of the bed and a cold sheet, Joohyun can’t help but to feel confused. She knows how much Seungwan values sleep in her life, considering that a top actress like her will only get a proper rest once she is free from any schedule. 

But to find out that she has been sleeping alone until this hour, Joohyun can’t help but to wonder why.

She will go downstairs to check on Seungwan, even when her eyelids barely parted to allow her to see things properly. Sometimes, when Seungwan had grown sick of locking herself inside her working room, she would choose the living room as a place for her to practice her line. Joohyun will be greeted with her voice as she reaches downstairs, with Seungwan being too focused with her script to even notice that she has joined her.

“Seungwan?” Joohyun softly calls out for her name while sleepily rubbing her eyes. 

And the first thing Seungwan does as her response is turn around along with an apology leaving . “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I being too loud?”

“No,” muttered Joohyun while shaking her head. “What are you doing?”

“Practicing my line,” answered Seungwan with a sigh as she showed Joohyun a thick bundle of script inside her grasp. “I still haven’t found the right way to deliver this line yet.”

Joohyun scratched her head as her eyes glanced towards the digital clock that sat just right beside the TV. Number one was shown on the screen, enough to tell Joohyun what time it is right now. “At this hour?”

“Yeah, I know. Unbelievable,” replied Seungwan as her eyes went back to her script and searched for a certain line she was having a struggle with. Joohyun frowned at her reply, because it doesn’t seem like Seungwan wants to go to sleep even when the night is already this late. “Just go back to sleep, Joohyun. I will join you later.”

“When is this later going to be?” asked Joohyun, only for Seungwan to ignore her since she was already lost in her script to even hear what she just said. 

can’t help but to let out a defeated sigh. She turns around, and Joohyun can just go back upstairs to continue her sleep. But she chose to go towards the kitchen instead. She took out a small pot from inside the cabinet to boil a certain amount of water. Joohyun contemplates whether she should make Seungwan a glass of tea or a glass of coffee, only for her hand to take out a chocolate powder as she decided to make Seungwan a glass of hot chocolate.

The alpha turned around for a while to see that her mate was still too busy to realize that she was in the kitchen instead of her bedroom. Joohyun can’t help but smile when she sees how much focus Seungwan poured into her project alone. 

No one ever knows the amount of hard work Seungwan did just to understand her character. All the night that got sacrificed to practice with her line. Every all-nighter she pulls just to find the right way to articulate her words that will fit her character. Every accent that she needs to learn just because her character is coming from a part somewhere in the world. 

Joohyun is grateful to be someone who can witness this side of Seungwan with her own eyes.

She poured the hot water into the glass that was already filled with chocolate powder. Joohyun only poured the water until it was half full because she will fill the rest of the glass with fresh milk. The alpha stirred the hot chocolate until she thought they had mixed properly. Once she was done, Joohyun put a little bit of marshmallow on top before she brought it over to Seungwan.

“Seungwan?”

Her mate turned around when she heard her name was being called. When her eyes landed on her, Seungwan broke into a smile as she threw her script to the sofa and approached Joohyun. “I thought you were going back to sleep?”

“Um,” Joohyun paused because she could feel her face slowly heating up since Seungwan was looking at her with that gaze. She chose to blame it on the steam coming off from the glass of hot chocolate she just made a minute ago that was in her grasp. “I—I just thought you might need this.”

Seungwan laughed as she accepted her glass of hot chocolate from Joohyun. “Thank you. I really need this right now.”

“Be careful. It’s hot,” warned Joohyun after she gave her a nod as a reply to her gratitude.

“Yes I know, baby. I can see that from the steam,” giggled Seungwan before she took a sip of her hot chocolate, while Joohyun was busy trying to calm down the blush that suddenly filled the color in her face by clearing to regain her composure. “This is good. I like it.”

“I’m glad you like it,” muttered Joohyun with a small smile on her face as she watched Seungwan enjoy her hot chocolate. She still manages to look so pretty even with a tired expression on her face. Seungwan doesn’t wear any make-up right now but her skin glows brightly and Joohyun can’t find it in herself to look away. “You’ve worked hard tonight, Seungwan.”

The omega only flashed her a smile from her words. She put down her hot chocolate on top of the coffee table before closing their gap with each other. Joohyun raised her eyebrow, wondering what Seungwan was going to do when she felt her arms wrapped around her neck and her face tucked inside her collarbone. She blinked her eyes from the sudden embrace, wondering why Seungwan suddenly held her before she wrapped her arms around her waist to hug her back. Joohyun heard Seungwan let out a sigh as she allowed herself to melt inside her arms.

“I know you are confused right now, but please, let me have this for a little while,” murmured Seungwan against her skin, painfully close to the mating mark on Joohyun’s skin as it felt a little bit ticklish for her. On a normal occasion, Joohyun would blush crazily. But right now, she honestly just feels confused with the whole situation. “I’m so tired, Hyunnie.”

Joohyun hums as she hears the pet name Seungwan always used to call her whenever she wants something. The alpha tightened the embrace around her body while kissing the side of her head gently. “Shall we go to sleep?”

“I really want to go to sleep,” chuckled Seungwan as it seems like she doesn’t want their hug to be over yet. “But there’s still a lot I need to do.”

“You can continue it in the morning. I always do that when I feel too tired with my work but the deadline keeps coming closer,” murmured Joohyun just right beside her ear. She heard Seungwan chuckle from her explanation. “I can wake you up in the morning if you want to do that.”

“Are you sure?” asked Seungwan with a little bit of mirth sprinkled over her voice before she pulled away to look at Joohyun in her eyes. “You know I can be super annoying in the morning. You can be the victim of my grumpy side.”

“That wouldn’t be my first rodeo,” assured Joohyun with a small smile on her face. She tucked a strand of Seungwan’s hair behind her ear to look at her face clearly, without any obstacle. “As long as you get your rest, I think I can handle your grumpy self lashing out your anger at me because I woke you up at eight.”

Seungwan laughed from her answer before she cupped her face inside her palm and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips. Joohyun automatically closed her eyes, kissing her back as their lips softly caressing each other. She can taste the hot chocolate she made for Seungwan on her soft lips. It’s a gentle kiss with zero amount of lust underneath each touch. It’s a lovely kiss that loudly speaks about their feelings towards each other, a way to express the inside of their heart in a sweet manner.

“Alright, let’s go to sleep,” murmured Seungwan as her lips brushed against hers when she said those words. Joohyun softly smiled from the gesture as she took her hand inside her grasp. “Don’t forget to wake me up in the morning.”

“I won’t,” whispered Joohyun before she pressed her lips against Seungwan’s own pair. She tugs her hand to go upstairs with her after she pulls back from the kiss, to the bedroom who has been waiting for their arrival.

Sometimes, Seungwan chose to stay inside her working room when she pulled another all-nighter. Joohyun will wake up in the middle of the night to an empty side of the bed once again. She will come downstairs to ask Seungwan why she doesn’t go to sleep, only to find the living room to be in a completely dark state without no one occupying the space. 

The alpha would sleepily rub her eyes while wondering where Seungwan might be, before her eyes landed towards the door that leads to her working room. She will find the light illuminating through the small space between the door and the cold-tiles floor, the sign that Seungwan is still inside. And it was enough for Joohyun to bring herself towards the working room.

“Seungwan?” Joohyun sleepily calls for her name while gently knocking on the door frame. When she doesn’t hear any reply coming from the other side, Joohyun tries to turn the handle and finds out that it wasn’t locked. “Are you not going to-”

Her words paused just like that when her eyes landed on Seungwan who was already falling asleep on the couch. The thick bundle of her script has fallen from her grasp to the carpeted floor. Joohyun carefully walks closer towards her sleeping girlfriend to not wake her up, and saves the fallen script because she knows how much Seungwan doesn’t like unnecessary creases on the paper.

And the short distance allows Joohyun to take a closer look at her sleeping mate.

She looks so calm in her sleep, with her lips parted and her long eyelashes rested against her cheek. Anyone who sees Seungwan in this state will clearly see the exhaustion in her face. There are tired lines decorating her beautiful features, along with her dark eyebags as a result from the lack of sleep she got during the time of studying the script.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that no one dares enough to wake up Seungwan if she is already deep in her sleep like this, including Joohyun. But the architect easily noticed how uncomfortable Seungwan's position was on the couch. 

If she leaves her to sleep in a state like this, Seungwan will turn into something far worse than her grumpy side because her body was in pain for the whole day. Joohyun has experienced that side of Seungwan once, and she promised herself to never let her mate turn into her extra grumpy mode again. But Joohyun is also in a dilemma to not wake up Seungwan because she already looks so deep in her sleep, and her girlfriend deserves this rest more than anything else in this world.

Joohyun swallowed her saliva as she made her resolve. Seungwan might deserve her sleep, but Joohyun is far too scared to meet the demon for the second time in her life. “Seungwan? Wake up.”

The actress needs a few seconds to wake up after Joohyun calls for her name and gently taps her thigh. She blinked her eyes to adjust her sight with the light that fills her working room before looking around to process where she is. Her eyes then landed on her as she looked at Joohyun long enough before she could muster up a word. “Joohyun?”

“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” muttered Joohyun after she gave her a nod. “It’s not comfortable to sleep here.”

Seungwan didn't say anything as she pinched her eyes. Joohyun patiently waited for her, even though she slowly became worried that Seungwan might fall asleep again because she was being very silent right now. She almost let out a relieved sigh when Seungwan confirmed that she was still awake. “I’m so tired.”

“Then let’s go to your bedroom,” beckoned Joohyun as she gently took her hand inside her grasp. “It’s better to sleep on your bed instead of on the couch.”

Her omega replies to her with a sleepy hum. Joohyun scratched the back of her neck, wondering if there is a way to make Seungwan want to leave the couch so they can go to her bedroom as soon as possible. But Seungwan surprises her when she suddenly throws her arms up in the air. “Pick me up and bring me to bed.”

She frowned from her impossible request. “But I can’t pick you up. Your bedroom is upstairs and you are too heavy.”

“You are the only person that I know to ever call me heavy,” snorted Seungwan in disbelief before she turned around, to let Joohyun know that she was sulking. “Not even my fans call me heavy.”

“But you are too heavy for me,” Joohyun scratched the back of her neck once again as her frown went deeper. “There’s no way I can pick you up and bring you upstairs.”

“That’s why I told you to hit the gym,” scoffed Seungwan as she brings up one particular conversation they had once about the possibility of Joohyun exercising. Something that is truly impossible to happen in this world. “So you can bring me upstairs by picking me up inside your arms.”

“But I hate exercise,” muttered Joohyun softly, to prevent Seungwan from listening to her words. But seeing how she let out a loud scoff, it’s safe to assume that she heard it pretty clearly. “Come on, Seungwan. You know it’s ridiculous if you want me to carry you.”

“And you know the way to do it properly, Joohyun.”

Joohyun shut her lips. Of course everything leads to this moment. She let out a heavy sigh, wondering why Seungwan really liked it whenever she forced that word to come out from her lips just for her mate to listen to her. “Please, Seungwan. Let’s get you to bed and sleep with me.”

There is never a time when Joohyun understands how a simple word of please is enough to bring a satisfied smirk on Seungwan’s face, just like right now. She pulls herself up to sit on the bed and throws her arms up in the air, silently asking for Joohyun to help her stand up. Joohyun flashed her a small smile before she gladly helped her to leave the couch, and finally bring Seungwan to bed.

They were holding hands as they walked upstairs together, where Seungwan’s bedroom is located. Joohyun was just closing the door when she heard Seungwan throwing herself to the bed, and let out a loud groan when her body hit her comfortable mattress. She can only smile from her silly act before she joins her in bed to go back to sleep.

“Love?”

“Hm?” hummed Joohyun softly after she closed her eyes once she was comfortable in bed. “What is it, Seungwan?”

She felt her body shifting beside her. “I want a cuddle.”

Her eyes opened once again before she turned her head to find Seungwan was staring at her with a hopeful gaze. Joohyun breaks into a small smile as she opens her arms to make space big enough for Seungwan. “Come here.”

A happy grin is present on Seungwan’s face before she shifts closer towards Joohyun to lay her head on top of her shoulder. The alpha waited until Seungwan was comfortable and had her arms wrapped around her body before she did the same thing with her omega. Joohyun tightened her hold that she had around her shoulders before she pressed a gentle kiss on top of her forehead.

“You’ve worked hard today, Seungwan.”

“I know,” grinned Seungwan against her skin, and Joohyun couldn't help but to give her another kiss. “Good night, babe.”

“Good night, Seungwan,” muttered Joohyun as she closed her eyes again. “Sleep tight.”

There was one time when she woke up in the middle of the night and didn't find Seungwan asleep on her side of the bed for a completely different reason. Joohyun frowned as she stared at the empty spot, can’t help but to find it odd that Seungwan is not here beside her. She is no longer spending an all-nighter practicing her script because the filming will start in a few days. And Seungwan usually will spend her days resting before she gets super busy with her filming schedule.

So to find her not sleeping in her bed when Joohyun wakes up in the middle of the night is very confusing for the architect.

She decided to go downstairs to check on Seungwan. Instead of finding her walking around the living room or staying inside her working room, Joohyun found Seungwan currently busy in the kitchen. There is a bunch of small jars lined up on top of the island instead of a thick bundle of script, and Joohyun just grows more confused from the sight in front of her.

“Seungwan?” Joohyun calls out for her name while sleepily rubbing her eyes. Seungwan only replied to her with a hum, and it was enough of an acknowledgement for Joohyun. “What are you doing?”

“Cooking,” answered Seungwan lightly as she turned around to give her a huge smile before focusing back on the task she was doing.

There is a deep frown on Joohyun’s face. “But you can’t cook.”

“Gee, thanks for the motivation,” sneered Seungwan and Joohyun can imagine her rolling her eyes while saying those words, because her girlfriend is still turning her back on her.

Joohyun can only scratch her nape in confusion before she decides to walk closer. “What are you making?”

“Triple berry jam!” replied Seungwan excitedly as she showed Joohyun the jam she has been stirring ever since she came downstairs to check on her. The amount of boiling jam inside the pot is enough to tell Joohyun that there is no way she is only making this for the two of them to enjoy.

And her answer only brings more confusion for Joohyun. “Why are you making jam in the middle of the night?”

“Because I want to give the staff something for our first day of filming,” explained Seungwan as it seemed like she was done with cooking the jam. She brought the pot and placed it on the kitchen island to let it rest and cooled down. “I was wondering what to buy for them when I got hit with the idea to make them something that they can enjoy instead. That’s why I’m making this triple berry jam.”

She nods her head from her explanation. Seungwan has this habit of always giving something to the staff whenever they have a schedule. Joohyun never gets why Seungwan did that. 

But her mate once told her that she just wants to look after them and appreciate their hard work by giving them gifts to let them know that this production will not happen if it wasn’t for them. Something that Joohyun never understood when she put it that way because everyone must have known that what they are doing is not without a reason. Seungwan only laughed and kissed her on the cheek when Joohyun told her that, and it became more confusing for her the more she thought about it.

The alpha decided to stay in the kitchen with Seungwan instead of going back to bed. She sat on the high stool at the island. “Do you need my help?”

“No need. I can handle this,” answered Seungwan as she flashed her a smile to assure her. Joohyun nods while she stays there awkwardly, fidgeting her fingers for having nothing to do besides watching Seungwan doing her business. And it seems like Seungwan noticed her misery. “I can give you some if you want to try.”

“I want to try,” replied Joohyun with a nod of her head. Seungwan only chuckles from her response before she asks Joohyun’s help to give her a loaf of bread for her to put the jam on. 

“I thought you don’t like it if you eat something after you brush your teeth,” somehow Seungwan found the chance for her to tease Joohyun while she was spreading the jam she just made on top of a loaf of bread. Joohyun can feel her face heating up from the taunt. 

She can only shrug her shoulders as she tries to get her composure back. “I can just brush my teeth again after this.”

Seungwan only giggled from her answer before she focused back on spreading the jam on top of the loaf of bread. Joohyun patiently waited for her bread until Seungwan finally gave her for the alpha to try. “Bon appetit.”

The architect can’t help but to smile from her words before she took a bite of her bread. Joohyun carefully tasted the food as she could feel Seungwan’s eyes on her. She is waiting for her comment over the jam she just made and Joohyun can’t blame her for that. “It’s really good.”

“Really?” exclaimed Seungwan with a bright expression on her face, before they turned into a deadpan and almost surprised Joohyun from the sudden change. “Or are you saying that just to make me happy?”

“Why would I lie?” Joohyun asked back as she frowned from the ridiculous question. Truth sometimes hurts, but Joohyun always prefers that instead of telling unnecessary lies just for the sake of the other person's feelings. “I would say it’s not good if it doesn’t taste good. But your jam tasted really good, that’s why I said that.”

Her mate only looks at her for a few seconds in absolute silence before a wide grin blooms on her beautiful face. Joohyun can’t help but to give her a small smile too as she continued to finish the rest of her bread while watching Seungwan pour her jam into the small jar she has prepared. “Do you think they will like this?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t they?” answered Joohyun without a doubt inside her voice. “I like it.”

“Yes, I know, babe. You’ve said that tons of times,” chuckled Seungwan, trying to play it off but Joohyun can see the clear doubt underneath her expression. “I was just wondering.”

Joohyun hummed as she watched Seungwan pretending like she wasn’t worried as she continued to fill the small jars with her homemade jam. The architect let out a sigh before she left the high stool and rounded the island to come towards Seungwan. Noticing that Seungwan will not turn around, she wraps her arms around her body from behind her. Joohyun gives her mating mark a kiss before she tucks her chin comfortably on her shoulder. “They will like it, trust me. I know what I’m saying.”

The actress can only chuckle from her words before she puts down her pot on top of the marbled island. Joohyun then felt her warm palm resting on top of her cheek, before she turned her head to the side and saw Seungwan was looking at her with those sparkling eyes that always gives comfort for her. “You just know what to say, don’t you?”

“I merely told the truth,” shrugged Joohyun as Seungwan laughed from her reply. “You know I don’t like to lie.”

“I know,” giggled Seungwan before she leaned forward to connect their lips in a sweet kiss. Joohyun automatically closes her eyes from the contact, kissing her lips back as she lets Seungwan control their connection. When her girlfriend broke their kiss, she can feel her lips on top of the tip of her nose this time. “Thank you, love.”

“Anytime,” whispered Joohyun softly before she landed a gentle kiss on top of her fluffy cheek. Seungwan widely smiles from the sweet gesture, and Joohyun can’t help but to mirror the smile on her face as she decides to stand on the empty spot beside her mate. “Let me help you. The faster we are doing this, the faster we are going back to sleep. And I still need to brush my teeth before I go back to bed.”

Seungwan only laughed at her silly words as she let the architect help her with her jam. Joohyun might be a little bit clumsy while doing so, and only adding more work for Seungwan to do when she spilled the jam on top of the island. 

But Seungwan is laughing as there are no more worries resting underneath her happy expression, and that’s the only thing that matters for Joohyun.

When the morning comes during the rest time before the start of her filming, it’s rare for Seungwan to be the one who wakes up first instead of Joohyun. The latter would always find her still deep in her sleep when she wakes up, and Joohyun will smile from the sight of Seungwan having a good rest before she leaves the bed to prepare for their breakfast.

Her mate has worked hard in preparing herself before the filming. It will only be right if she also gets a proper rest before she works hard again.

Joohyun would come downstairs with the thought of making a nutritious breakfast for Seungwan to start her day. Something that is fulfilling but not too much, because Seungwan has been keeping her weight in a certain number for this project alone. She would also prepare a freshly brewed coffee for Seungwan and a tea for herself so they can drink it together with their breakfast.

The actress always told her that for someone who doesn’t drink coffee, Joohyun has the ability to make it much better than Seungwan. That’s why, ever since Joohyun unlocked this new skill of hers, she has been tasked to be the one who will make Seungwan’s coffee every morning.

There was one time when Seungwan forgot to drink her coffee because she was late for her magazine photoshoot. Joohyun remembers what Sooyoung said back then when Seungwan’s manager was present during one of their café dates—because they did it after her girlfriend was having her schedule. Seungwan practically always needs coffee every time she has a schedule, or else she will function like a mad man and ruin the whole activities.

“Stop making it sound like I’m addicted,” protested Seungwan after Sooyoung told her the information about how much the actress relies on coffee to function.

“Please. You are annoying as if you don’t drink your coffee before you had your schedule,” snorted Sooyoung in disbelief. Joohyun turns her head to look at Seungwan and notices her face has turned red from the explanation. “That’s why I need you to also help me in making sure that she gets a dose of her coffee whenever she has her schedule.”

“But I don’t keep up with her schedule,” frowned Joohyun, wondering how this thing will work well for the three of them.

Sooyoung grabs her phone and then does something on the screen that Joohyun doesn’t know what. A few seconds after, her phone notifies her with a ding about a new scheduler she just got added into. “There. I have added you into her scheduler. Now you can keep up with her schedule from now on.”

The architect nods her head while Seungwan lets out a scoff in disbelief. “How can you just say yes to what she says?”

“Because I don’t mind taking care of you,” answered Joohyun in a matter-of-fact manner. Only for Seungwan to blush more and Sooyoung laughing from her mate’s reaction before she teases her.

That reason is enough for Joohyun to contact Sooyoung about the location of the photoshoot because she needs to deliver the coffee to Seungwan. She doesn’t need to wait for long because a minute later, Sooyoung sent her the complete address of their schedule. Joohyun prepared everything that she needed before driving towards the said location to deliver Seungwan’s coffee.

When she arrived at the photoshoot, Sooyoung already waited for her arrival outside.

“To make it easier in case we are meeting a staff member and they get curious about who you are,” explained Sooyoung curtly when Joohyun told her that she doesn’t need to wait for her outside because she can just go inside and find Seungwan by asking someone.

There’s a bunch of people at the set, currently preparing for the photoshoot that is about to commence. Joohyun tried her best to keep up with Sooyoung’s fast stride without tripping over the cables that were lying all over the floor. She can feel many curious gaze coming for everyone at the set upon her arrival, probably wondering who she was and why Sooyoung even made an effort to wait for her outside.

“Oi, Seungwan!” Sooyoung calls for her girlfriend’s name as they enter her waiting room. “You got a guest.”

“Who?” asked Seungwan, who was in the middle of applying make-up on her beautiful face. When she turned her head and her gaze landed on Joohyun, Seungwan widened her eyes in surprise. “Joohyun?”

“Hello,” greeted Joohyun awkwardly as she stayed rooted on her spot and shifted her feet.

Once the make-up artist was done in applying the base on her face, Seungwan immediately left her seat to come towards Joohyun who can only stand in the middle of her waiting room like a lost person. “What are you doing here?”

“Um, here,” muttered Joohyun softly as she handed Seungwan a bag that contained her hot coffee inside the thermos. “You forgot to drink your coffee this morning.”

Seungwan blinked her eyes before she checked on the bag Joohyun just brought along with her. When she looks up and her gaze lands on her, Seungwan coos adorably and Joohyun can’t help but to have her face slowly become warmer from her reaction. “You came all the way here just to give me this?”

“Well,” Joohyun cleared to regain her composure because she was feeling shy. “You have a schedule today, so I thought-”

Joohyun wasn’t able to finish her sentence ever since she got Seungwan’s lips on top of her own pair. Her eyes automatically closed from the soft kiss, and she can feel her face blushing once more when she broke the kiss with Seungwan smiling brightly for her. “Thank you for the coffee, babe. I love you.”

“I-I love you too,” stuttered Joohyun as she could no longer control the blush on her face. Seungwan only giggled from her reaction before she kissed her on the lips. “I brought a lot for you to share with the staff if you want.”

“I will make sure to enjoy this before the shoot, and to share your coffee with the staff,” grinned Seungwan as she put the bag on top of the empty table that was placed inside her waiting room. Joohyun can only nod because she can’t find it in herself to muster a proper reply. “Will you stay and watch the shoot?”

She shook her head no. “I’ve got an important meeting I need to attend in an hour. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Seungwan lightly dismissed her apology like it was nothing much for her that Joohyun can’t stay for long. That Seungwan understands her and will never hold her back from her responsibility. “I’m already happy that you came here just to give me my coffee.”

The alpha can’t help but to give her a small smile. “Good luck on your photoshoot today.”

And the memory easily brings a smile on her face that morning. She continued in preparing for their breakfast when Joohyun suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She put her weight on her back as Joohyun can feel her face getting buried inside her collarbone. A kiss on top of her mating mark is the next thing that she feels, and the sweet gesture brought another surge of happiness for Joohyun.

“Good morning,” greeted Joohyun as she turned her head to look at Seungwan who was still sleepy on top of her shoulder. She gently kissed the tip of her nose and got her soft hum as her response. “Did you have a nice sleep last night?”

“Morning, love,” whispered Seungwan softly before she kissed her lips lazily, partially because she was still sleepy from just waking up. “It was nice until you left me alone in bed.”

Joohyun chuckled from her adorable protest before she kissed her cheek as a form of her apology for leaving her alone in bed. Having Seungwan practically hanging on her back when she was preparing their breakfast is quite a hassle if she needs to admit, because her movement got restricted due to another body leaning against her. But Joohyun didn’t mind as she let Seungwan stay on her back. She likes it when Seungwan becomes clingy on her.

“What are you making?”

“French toast,” answered Joohyun lightly as she dipped the loaf of bread inside the sweet mixture she just made. “Do you want anything else?”

Seungwan shook her head slowly. Having her short hair grazing against her skin feels a little bit ticklish for Joohyun. She doesn’t understand why she likes it so much. “French toast sounds good. I want one.”

She gives her a small smile before kissing the tip of her nose. “Why don’t you wait for me at the dining table? I will give you your breakfast once I’m done.”

Her mate doesn’t answer her with words. She replied to her with a sweet kiss on her cheek instead before releasing the hold that she got around Joohyun to wait for her at the dining table. The alpha can only smile from the sweet gesture before she focuses back on the task in hand. “Ugh, I think I need a cup of coffee this morning.”

“You want some?” asked Joohyun as she saw Seungwan’s head nodding from her question. “Single shot?”

“Make it triple.”

The bright expression on her face turned sour instantly. Why did Seungwan need her caffeine so much when she is free from any schedule today? “Double shot. Nothing more than that.”

“Boo, no fun,” teased Seungwan, although she doesn’t protest with Joohyun’s decision in making her a double-shot coffee for this morning. Both of them went silent as Joohyun focused on making a cup of coffee for Seungwan with the help of the brewing machine they bought for her omega’s caffeine needs a lot, while her mate decided to spend her morning by watching the alpha doing her usual morning task. Until she broke her silence. “Babe?”

“Hm?”

“What do you think of having a picnic right now?” asked Seungwan in wonder.

“Picnic?” asked Joohyun in confusion.

“You know,” Seungwan shrugs her shoulders lightly. “Eating our breakfast at the beach instead of the dining table. What do you think?”

“Do you want to go to the beach?” asked Joohyun, trying to understand why Seungwan suddenly wanted to have a picnic. When her girlfriend gives her an excited nod, Joohyun mulls over the thought of enjoying their breakfast on a mat with white sand surrounding them. She broke into a small smile before she gave Seungwan her answer. “Sure, why not?”

And here they are, already picking a comfortable spot on the beach near Seungwan’s home for them to enjoy their breakfast. Joohyun let her mate play with the sea waves while she set everything up for their picnic. Once she is done, Joohyun calls for her name.

Only for Seungwan to pull her into the sea and have their feet wet from being soaked inside the salty water. Seungwan was laughing out loud when she kicked the water towards Joohyun’s direction. Her mate easily surrendered when Joohyun caught her inside her arms to stop her from kicking more sea water on her and making her wet in the process. Seungwan apologized by kissing her on the lips, and Joohyun accepted her apology as she kissed her back.

They decided to enjoy their breakfast once they grew tired from playing around. Joohyun was feeling very uncomfortable from having her pajama pants soaked wet. That’s why she was only wearing her boxer, who managed to stay dry during all the fiasco that Seungwan caused.

Although Seungwan continued to by resting her hand on her thigh, painfully close to her crotch. And Joohyun almost choked on her French toast and tea whenever she did that.

Both of them decided to stay on the beach after they were done having their breakfast because Seungwan still wanted to enjoy the morning breeze coming from the sea. Joohyun wants to accompany her, that’s why they are currently cuddling on top of the mat she set on the white sand. Seungwan lays her head on top of her shoulder, and Joohyun holds her by the shoulder.

The large trees behind protect them from the bright sunlight. There’s only the sound of waves crashing through the shore and the beautiful sound of birds flying above them. It’s a calm ambience surrounding them, and Joohyun found herself closing her eyes to enjoy the serenity.

She felt Seungwan shift inside her arm as she gently touched her face next. Joohyun let her finger travel through her face as she ran her nail on her eyebrows, her closed eyelids, the slope of her nose and her lips. She opened her eyes when she felt her finger run through her jaw, watching Seungwan looking at her in a way that Joohyun can describe.

“Love?”

“Yeah?” replied Joohyun softly as she pushed a strand of her hair away from her beautiful face.

Seungwan prompts herself with the help of her arm to look at Joohyun better. She looks so beautiful with the gentle sunlight shining on her skin. “What will you do when I get busy from filming?”

“Working,” answered Joohyun curtly with a shrug of her shoulders.

But it seems like Seungwan doesn’t like her truthful answer because she rolled her eyes in an annoyed way. “Besides working.”

“Um,” frowned Joohyun as her brain tried to come up with the right answer. “Lego?”

Turns out, her answer cost her a sharp pinch on her waist. Joohyun hissed from the burning pain while Seungwan looked more annoyed than ever. “Try to be more romantic with your answer at least.”

“What do you want me to say?” Joohyun confusedly looked at her because her brain no longer gave her an answer.

“I don’t know,” snorted Seungwan in disbelief as she sat up on the mat this time. Joohyun soon followed after she scratched the back of her neck from feeling confused. “We are mates already. Try to come up with a proper answer this time.”

“Uh,” her frown went deeper as Joohyun thought hard about how to answer her question. “Missing you?”

The annoyance on her face soon dissipated after Joohyun said that. Seungwan gave her a satisfied nod before she pushed her body to lay down on the mat once again, as she followed after to continue in cuddling with her. “That’s more like it.”

Joohyun raised her eyebrow in bewilderment before she wrapped her arm around Seungwan again. Sometimes, Seungwan really made her confused with the things she wanted from her, this one included. She doesn’t understand why Seungwan wants her to answer her question with ‘missing you’ when they can still interact by phone if she gets busy. 

“I miss you too when you’re not by my side.”

Something struck Joohyun when Seungwan said that. She finally realized why it was the perfect answer to her question. The alpha can’t help but to smile at her before she gives her forehead a soft kiss. “I also don’t want to be separated from you. I like having you by my side.”

She can feel Seungwan smile against her neck before she kisses her mating mark. Seungwan raised her head and tucked a strand of Joohyun’s hair behind her ear. “What will you do without me, really?”

“Alone and stays as a alpha for my whole life, I guess,” answered Joohyun truthfully while Seungwan laughed from her response. She looks so beautiful with a smile on her face and Joohyun doesn’t think that she will get bored of seeing the same thing in her whole life. “I will never be tired of waiting for you to come back to me. So, do what you want and I will stay here to welcome you.”

“Always?”

“Always,” whispered Joohyun before she pulled her closer to kiss her lips. When Seungwan kissed her back, she could feel all the systems inside her body starting to melt into her touch. Her mind can only think about Seungwan when the scent of her comforting pheromone hits her nose. The mix of Seungwan’s scent and the sea breeze screams home, Joohyun never wants to leave. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” grinned Seungwan before she kissed her again, caressing her lips in a tango that Joohyun has memorized inside her brain, but she will never grow tired of it.

Joohyun loves Seungwan so much it sounds impossible for that to happen.

---

this is much longer than i predicted it to be fnskjfkjsnfdskjn WHY AM I BACK TO WRITING LONG CHAPTERS...

with this chapter, i wanted to show more of seungwan in her actress mode from joohyun's eyes and how much she appreciate her when she is in her zone, that's why this chapter comes up in my mind. everything that happened in this chapter happens once theyre being mates (kinda shows you how long they stayed as girlfriends ngl)

anyway, please leave a comment and let me know what you think about this story so i can use it as my motivation to start writing for the next one! if you want to interact with me, you can find me on twitter (just follow, i will accept)! feel free to also buy me a coffee!

i think that's all from me. thank you for reading, i hope you enjoy and like this, and see you in the next chapter!