[VI] (1/1)

Yeri has been driving absentmindedly for half an hour when her phone begins to ring in the hands-free device. One thing she never liked about that thing is that it automatically picks up the call, no matter who it is.Without even getting to know who it is, she automatically answers. "Hello?""Yerim..."She immediately recognizes Joy's voice and she knows that whatever the conversation has been, it hasn't gone well."Hey, Joy." She falls silent after that, not knowing what to say. She then hears sobbing on the other side of the call. "Are you okay?"There's a low chuckle. "I guess I'm not okay."Yerim taps on the steering wheel. "Where can I pick you up?"Joy takes a few seconds to answer. "I'm three blocks away from your apartment.""I can be there in ten minutes. Wait for me, okay?""Okay..." Joy lets out a little sigh that sounds messy against the microphone. "Thank you, Yerim."Seulgi didn't expect it would turn out like this, but she's glad that Joohyun and Seungwan have stood. And not only that, they were actually making an effort to get along.It is noticeable that among the three of them, Seungwan is the one who is lest comfortable with the situation. However, Seulgi knows that she's the one who is trying her best to be nice to Joohyun."So that's how I started giving piano lessons." Joohyun shrugs as she finishes her little speech. "It's really amazing that someone with your career is so generous to teach others." Seungwan is genuinely amazed by the girl's story. Someone who had played for Seoul's Philharmonic and had an international career, playing at the New Year's Concert in Vienna twice, had ended up going back to her hometown to give piano lessons."It's not a big deal. I needed to get down from the spotlight. It was really draining to me." Joohyun rubs shoulders and closes her eyes. Her body tenses at the memory of those days. "I always woke up to read the review from my last night concert. My life revolved around that: what people thought about me, what people said about me..." Seungwan nods in understanding and watches as Seulgi places a hand on her knee, trying to be reassuring."It's not the best way of living." Joohyun chuckles and places her hand on top of Seulgi's. "I needed a change.""And that's how she ended up giving me lessons, too." Seulgi chimes in, a grin on her lips."Well, Seulgi is a fast learner, but I guess being a dancer helps." Joohyun pokes Seulgi's side, earning a giggle."I don't think dancing has anything to do with how I play the piano...?" Seulgi tilts her head and brings a hand to her ear, wondering if there's a connection between those things. "But I guess it does help me keeping the tempo." "Of course it does," Seungwan mutters. She coughs to clear her throat and she talks louder this time. "I mean, being a dancer does help you keep the tempo, but I think that it also helps you move your fingers on the piano."Joohyun nods in agreement. "She does it with such grace... It's something I admire from you.""Come on, stop it. You're making me blush." Seulgi covers both her ears as the other two go 'aww' at her. Seungwan stands up from the couch. "Do you want more wine, Irene?"Joohyun smiles at her and hands her the glass that has been resting on the coffee table. "Yes, please."When Seungwan looks at Seulgi, she shakes her head 'no'. "I think I had enough, but thanks, Wan-ah."With that, Seungwan goes to the kitchen with her glass and Joohyun's. Taking the chance that they are both alone, Joohyun leaves a peck on Seulgi's cheek."I like that girl. She's really nice." Joohyun confesses, which makes Seulgi relax after that unexpected kiss."I'm really glad that you are getting along. I was afraid that you would walk away, too." Joohyun bits on her lip and brings her hand up to caress Seulgi's cheek. "I think you should have talked with Joy first. She was so startled about all this... Maybe some warnings would have helped."Seulgi groans. "Yeah... I guess you are right."Yerim spots Joy as soon as she nears the apartment blocks. She stops near her and Joy walks up to the passenger seat. "I thought babies couldn't drive." Joy jokes through a cracked voice. Yerim playfully rolls her eyes."Nope, babies like me get a special license. That's why my horn sounds like 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star'." Joy gives out a little chuckle as she puts the seatbelt on. Yerim begins to drive them away. "Where are we going?"Yerim shrugs. "Wherever you want. I want some chicken now. How about you?""Chicken sounds good." Joy's unenthusiastic tone is so noticeable that Yerim can't avoid the topic anymore. "How are you?" Joy shrugs. "I've been better." She rubs her eye. Yerim can clearly see that she's been crying. "You knew about this, didn't you."It doesn't come out like a question. Yerim sighs as she nods. "Seulgi told me this morning.""That was why you didn't answer my texts."Yerim brakes at the traffic light and she looks at Joy in the eye. "I'm sorry..." Joy shakes her head. "It's not your fault." She threads her hair with her fingers and lets out a long sigh. "Though I wish you would have told me something before all of this.""I couldn't do that, Joy." The light music on the background fills the silence as she tries to look for the right words to say. "It's Seulgi's life and her decisions.""But you are my friend." Joy knows that she's being unfair and she realizes that pushing on Yerim isn't going to help. She huffs and tries to calm down."I'm sorry, Joy. It was just a lot to handle."The horn of the car behind them makes them realize that the traffic lights have changed. Yerim accelerates and starts to lead them to KFC's drive-through. Joy shakes her head."It's okay. It's not your fault." Joy rests her head on the window, feeling the vibration of the car. She reaches out to Yerim's phone and unlocks it, not feeling in the mood to listen to Taylor Swift. She passes the song only to find another Taylor Swift song and chuckles. "You're listening to Taylor Swift's Lover." "And what about it? It's a nice album." Yerim feels herself blushing. "Do you always listen to foreign music?" Joy asks. Every time she has seen Yerim listening to music, it was some pop American singer."Yeah. I used to like 2NE1 though." Yerim tries to think of another Korean group she likes. "And AKMU.""You will still support me if I make it big one day, right?" Joy pokes her side. Yerim laughs, eyes never leaving the road."Of course I will. I will support your girl group no matter what music you make." Joy smiles at the thought. She still hopes that someday, when the auditions work out, she will be able to become a trainee. And hopefully, that will get her closer to her dream of becoming an idol."Will you even come to our live shows?" "Yeah, sure. I'll even make a sign for you." Joy chortles at the image of Yerim holding a sign on one of her live shows. "Or maybe I'll come up with a fan chant. How about, 'I love you, Joy-yah.'?" Joy playfully smacks her shoulder as she laughs out loud at her friend's antics. Yerim cackles as she brakes once they get to the end of the line at KFC's drive-through."I'm sorry for being so rude to you." Joy mutters. "I guess this has been too much, just like you said.""It's okay. I think I should have told you something... I just didn't know how." Yerim looks at Joy and when their eyes meet, they can't help but smile. "It will get better, you know.""I know. I will get over her." Joy plays with a lock of her hair, wondering if she would get over her. "I guess I just need time." "That's all you need." The car in front of them moves forward and Yerim follows it. "Time... and chicken." Joy laughs at her words and they begin to ramble over what they can get from the drive-through. They end up agreeing on a bucket of spicy chicken wings and french fries. They pick their favourite sodas and they wait by the window for their food.Since the playlist of Taylor Swift's album is done, the device randomly chooses to continue with Taylor Swift's Shake it off. Joy turns the volume up and Yerim can't help but snicker at the way Joy makes silly dance moves. The girl from the drive-through laughs as she hands Yerim the food. "Have a nice night, you two." "Thanks!" Yerim hands the food to Joy and pulls the window up. She gets her soda and drinks a long sip of it, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Come on, pick the next song." She tells her the code to unlock her phone and Joy goes through the streaming platform, looking for her favourite idol group. Yerim playfully rolls her eyes when Girls' Generation's 'Lion Heart' begins to sound. However, she taps her fingers on the steering wheel on the beat of the song. She grins at how Joy sings and dances to every lyric of the song. Joy sighs in relief. She's beginning to feel better thanks to spending time with Yerim. Yerim finds a nice place to park the car and stops the engine. She turns the stereo on so they can keep listening to music, but Joy lowers the volume. They place the food in the middle and they share a light conversation.When Yerim gets back to the apartment, she isn't expecting to find the scene she's witnessing.Joohyun and Seungwan are sitting next to each other on the couch, the latest showing her photos on her phone. The friendly scene makes her know that whatever has happened ever since Joy left has gone right.It's 6:00 AM and here they are.Seulgi walks in, wiping her hands with a small towel. "Hey, Yerim." Seulgi seems awkward, Yerim notices. "I thought you would be gone all night."That's when the two standing on the couch turn to look at her."I've been just driving around, you know." Yerim doesn't know how to word it. Would it hurt Seulgi that she was with Joy all this time?Why would it hurt her, though? It's not like Joy and I are a thing."How's Nayeon?" Seulgi asks her. She barely knows the girl, but Yerim always talks wonders about her.Yerim rubs the back of her neck. For a second there, she almost thought about lying to her. But she sighs, realizing that a lie isn't going to bring them anywhere."Actually, I was with Joy," Yerim confesses. Seulgi lets out a little gasp before she can hold it back."How is she? She isn't answering my texts.""I know." Yerim keeps rubbing her neck. "I kind of... saw her... intentionally ignoring your texts.""Oh." It's all Seulgi manages to say, lowering her gaze."But she's fine, really. We got some fried chicken and I drove all the way to Muchang-po." Seungwan lets out a little 'wow'. "So you went to the beach?""Yup," Yerim answers, trying to think of it as no-big-deal. "We talked a lot and... it kind of came up naturally.""So is she okay?" Seulgi asks, trying to make sure."She's better now, Seul." Yerim caresses Seulgi's arm before yawning. "She will be fine. Don't worry.""Could you..." Seulgi clears her throat by coughing. Seungwan leans her hand on her back. "Could you please reach out to her tomorrow? I want to make sure she's okay."Yerim nods before letting go another yawn. "Of course, Seulgi. I was going to check on her anyway." "Okay... Good night, Yerim." She waves her hand at her as the youngest walks to her bedroom."Good morning, girls." She chuckles as she closes her bedroom door behind herself. The three of them hear the shower of her private bathroom. "I guess it is really late... Why don't you stay over, Irene?" Seungwan asks her, before turning to Seulgi. "Would you mind?""I mean... sure, but where are... I mean, I can-" Before Seulgi short circuits further, Joohyun lets out a chuckle. "Actually, I think I'm taking a cab. I'm not in the place to drive now." "Nonsense! Stay over, Irene. You can't leave your car here." Seungwan reasons, but Joohyun shakes her head. "I think it's better this way." Joohyun opens the taxi app on her phone and it takes her a few seconds to order one. "I had a lot of fun, girls. The wine was amazing and... well, the conversation was more than amazing." Seulgi nods and holds her hand. "I never expected this to go so... smoothly.""I didn't expect it, either." Seungwan feels herself blushing. "You're really nice, Irene.""And so are you, Wendy." Joohyun chuckles.Seulgi can sense her ears burning. They are so cute, calling each other by their English names."Let me walk you out." Seulgi offers.Joohyun bows at Seungwan, who shyly bows back at her. Joohyun gives her a last smile before going to the door with Seulgi. Seulgi opens the door and lets Joohyun out, before leaving the door open behind herself."That was a lot of fun. Thank you." Joohyun smiles at her and gets on her tiptoes to leave a kiss on Seulgi's cheek."I had fun, too." Seulgi grins. It was true but a part of her mind still kept going back to Joy. Joohyun seems to notice as she brings her hand up to caress Seulgi's cheek."It will be fine," she reassures her, though she really doesn't know if it's true. Seulgi nods and closes the distance between them, kissing her.Seungwan watches the scene from the distance. A part of it feels... wrong. It's her girlfriend after all and seeing her kiss someone else is awkward. But when she sees them pull away and watches the way Joohyun smiles at her, she feels better. Joohyun, or Irene, how she likes to call her, is a nice girl. She knows that she doesn't have any bad intention at all. It is going to be fine.Yerim goes to Joy's ice cream store the day after the conversation just to make sure she's doing okay. Even though Seulgi had told her to do so, it isn't a matter of obeying Seulgi. She cares about Joy, more than she can admit out loud.When she opens the door of the ice cream store, she spots Joy behind the counter, placing some napkins in a napkin holder. When their gazes meet, Joy gives her a small smile. Yerim waves at her as she gets closer."Hey." Joy chuckles at her greeting. "Hey yourself." When she reaches the counter, Yerim doubts herself. She doesn't know how to word her worries. Joy looks back at the oldest woman. Yerim guesses that it is her boss. She makes the time out sign at her and the oldest nods at her, before mouthing "Ten minutes, okay?"Joy takes off her apron and she walks out with Yerim to the door."We've got ten minutes so, whatever you want to tell me, it will have to be under ten minutes. I kind of need to go to the restroom, too." Joy grins at the youngest. Yerim lets out a chuckle at her friend's antics. "I just wanted to know how you are feeling... You know, after everything that happened yesterday."Joy rolls her eyes. She takes a few seconds to answer, entwining her fingers and leaning her nose on them. "Well, it's been a lot to handle. But hanging out with you made me feel a lot better, so thank you."Yerim smiles at her. "It was the least I could do."Joy gazes at her in the eyes. "You know you are not responsible for everything your best friend does, right?"Yerim's eyes widen at that. "I know, but... I kind of wish I had told you sooner. But well, it wasn't my-""It's not your responsibility," Joy reassures her, bringing her hand to her friend's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, okay?""I'll try." Yerim chuckles and Joy rolls her eyes. "Anyway, when is your next audition?""It's in two weeks." Joy lets out a sigh. "Well, I need to get better at dancing. The company I'm auditioning to has some killing choreographies."Yerim shifts awkwardly. "Well, I know someone who could help you with that."Joy rolls her eyes again before sending a death glare on her way. "You mean Seulgi."Yerim shakes her hands. "I know that it's too soon, but if you think about it... Seulgi is in this business. She has been the back dancer for a lot girl groups and music videos. And now that she's got time off sick and she's still pending on her contract renewal, you should reach out to her and ask for her help."Joy groans. She knows that Yerim is right, but she doesn't want to talk to Seulgi. Not yet. She's brought back to the present when Yerim places her hand on Joy's shoulder. "Just think about it, okay?"Joy sighs and nods her head. "So, do you want some ice cream or not? I can treat you to your favourite."Yerim's eyes widen in wonder. "Would you do that?"Joy can't help but laugh at the way her friend is looking at her. "Of course I'm doing that. It's the least I can do after last night."Yerim blushes but she smiles as she follows Joy back into the ice cream store.Seulgi watches Seungwan as she packs her clothes back into her suitcase."Are you sure you are not staying? I know Yerim won't mind." Seulgi says for the nth time. Seungwan turns around and caresses Seulgi's cheek, leaning in for a short peck."It's for the best that we don't rush things. Living together is quite a huge step... I want to live with you when the right time comes." Seulgi understands what Seungwan means, but she still wishes Seungwan would change her mind. There's something comfortable about coming back home and finding Seungwan there. Knowing that Seungwan is going to stay in a hotel, Seulgi can't help but groan that she's going to be in the same city as her, but not in the same room."But...""No buts. I already thought about this, Seulgi." Seungwan gives her a small smile. "Besides, I think giving you space will help you with your relationship with Irene, too."Seulgi sighs in defeat, pouting. "I guess you are right."Seungwan giggles at her girlfriend's gesture. "Come on, don't give me that pout." She reaches out to her and she begins to tickle her sides. Seulgi laughs out loud, trying to slap her hands away. Seungwan chuckles as she keeps on tickling her. Seulgi falls on the bed and Seungwan follows her, straddling her and keeping her tickles. Seulgi grabs on her wrists and she puts them on each side of her head, holding them there.Seungwan is left breathless at the sight of Seulgi, with her hair loose on the bed, leaning on her shoulders so beautifully. She takes no time in closing the distance between them, leaning down to kiss her. One kiss leads to another and it's Seulgi who deepens the kiss. Their tongues meet for the first time. It's rare and new for Seungwan. She has kissed before, but Seulgi is a different kind of tender and sweet.She pulls away when she feels Seulgi's hand getting under her t-shirt. "Time out. Time out." She huskily says, clearly out of breath. Seulgi chuckles and puts both her hands up, beside her head. They try to regain their breaths, quietly staring at each other.It's Seungwan who speaks first, voicing out her worries."Will you have to tell Irene about this?"Seulgi blinks once, then twice. She hasn't thought about that, but now that Seungwan mentions it, it makes the most sense to tell Joohyun about this."I guess so. The three of us can't have secrets from each other."Seungwan nods at her words, looking down at Seulgi's necklace. "And she seems to take these things well...""Yeah, she's not jealous of you." Seulgi brings her hand up to Seungwan's cheek, trying to make her look at her in the eyes. "Are you jealous of her?""I don't know, I guess I am. Wouldn't you be? I mean, if I kissed Yerim, wouldn't you be jealous?"Seulgi closes her eyes, trying to picture the situation. There's something about the situation that feels weird, but she can't pinpoint why. When she opens her eyes, she caresses Seungwan's face."I think that being almost dead changed the way I think about so many things. And if kissing Yerim makes you happy, then I would be happy for you."Seungwan sighs. "I think I understand now. But what if I kissed Irene?""I wouldn't blame you. She's quite a catcher." Seungwan starts to laugh and that grows contagious to Seulgi, who takes the chance to tickle her sides. Seungwan slaps her hands. "Just relax, you know? I'm also new into this, too. I guess we will have to be guided."Seulgi feels her phone vibrating insistently on her pocket. She had set a special alarm for when she received a text from Joy. She sits up and Seungwan stands up from her lap, having felt the vibration too. She goes back to packing her suitcase, still looking at Seulgi from time to time.Hey... - Joy.