[IX] (1/1)

A month.Yerim is going through her social media on her phone as she takes a spoonful of her favourite cereal.They have been dating for a month.She realizes as she stops by the most recent picture on Seungwan's Instagram. A picture of Seungwan standing next to her suitcase, posing with a peace sign. The picture has earnt 200K likes already.It's time for a change of scenery. You know that I've been staying in Seoul for a month now. I got a lot of things to tell you about... But it'll have to wait. I'm moving to a new house! I might upload a house tour, too. Would you like that? How is your Monday?Yerim sighs and leaves the phone on the counter. She takes her bowl and she leaves to the living room. It still feels strange but she likes the way Seulgi smiles these days. She looks like a different person from the person she was before the accident. Yerim knows what Seungwan is talking about in that picture. Seungwan is moving in with Joohyun today. That's why Seulgi is gone today.Yerim gets another spoonful of cereal, munching on them as she tries to put her thoughts in order while sitting on the couch.She likes the fact that Seulgi's girlfriends get along so well. She also likes that both Seulgi and Seungwan still spend time with her. When they started dating, she was worried that they would get in their bubble, but Seulgi still made plans with her and Seungwan even made a Youtube video with her. And then there's Joohyun. Joohyun has tried to reach out to her in a natural way, but Yerim doesn't feel comfortable around her yet. She knows that Joohyun is a good girl. She's elegant, she has a good sense of humour, but there's something that simply doesn't click yet. And Joy...Yerim doesn't feel like eating when her thoughts drift to Joy and the memory of what happened last week.She was laying on her bed, listening to Ariana Grande's latest album with her eyes closed. She had been dealing with a hard client who wanted a trademark for his business. None of the over thirty logos she had designed was of his liking. She knew that she would need to pull an all-nighter to give him more options for tomorrow.So she needed to calm down a little bit first.The music got interrupted when Joy called."Hey, what's up?" Yerim greeted. She knew that Joy and Seulgi should be rehearsing now.Joy had passed the auditions thanks to Seulgi and now they were getting ready for the next round."I fucked it up, Yerim." That made Yerim sit up on the bed."What's wrong?""I almost kissed Seulgi."She explained it further and Yerim listened to her while covering her mouth.Seulgi was congratulating her for getting the dance steps right and Joy teased her.Joy admitted that maybe some of those teasings sounded a little bit like the way the used to flirt.Seulgi teased her back and began to tickle her. Joy held her hands up and she leaned closer than she should.And that's when she felt that she wanted to kiss Seulgi.Yerim met up with her, forgetting about her client. Yerim picked her up and she drove them away. Joy didn't open her mouth in all the drive, just to tell Yerim what bubble tea she wanted.When Yerim came back, Joy had already set herself on the backseat. It was something Yerim was getting used to. Yerim knew she could get used to Joy leaning her head on her chest, letting Yerim caress her hair.Joy was doubting herself but Yerim could see it clearer."Just give it a try." Maybe that was stupid of me.However, after seeing how Seulgi interacted with Joohyun and Seungwan, and how happy they seemed together, she doesn't think she said something stupid.Yerim watched how Joy considered it, but she shook her head. It would be too much.Bringing her out of her thoughts, her phone begins to ring. She takes her bowl and walks back to the kitchen. She smiles a little when she sees Seungwan's name on the screen. She frowns when she sees that she's asking for a video call. She fixes her hair on the reflection of the phone and she picks up the call."Hello, darling!" Yerim says with her most charming English skills. She sees Seungwan giggling at the other side of the call. "Hey there," She hears another voice in the background that makes Seungwan look to the side. Yerim recognizes that the voice belongs to Joohyun. "Yeah, I'm showing Yerim my room.""Oh, that's what this is for?" Yerim asks, getting closer to the phone. "Then show me!""Okay!" Seungwan changes the camera and begins to show her around. Yerim blushes because when Seungwan and Joohyun decided to move in together, she kind of expected them to share a room. However, she doesn't feel like asking her about it."You should come over someday!" Seungwan suggests when she's done showing her around. Joohyun pokes her head into the video call. "Right, Irene?""Yeah! We could bake something." "I'd love that." Wait...Yerim frowns."Hey, isn't Seulgi supposed to be with you?"Seungwan looks away while Joohyun smiles politely."She had some plans with Joy first."Yerim finds it weird. None of them had told her anything about it. Maybe it had something to do with all the questions Joy made her last night about Seulgi's relationship with Joohyun and Seungwan."Oh, right," Yerim mutters. "Hey, I gotta go to class.""Sure!" Seungwan begins to wave at the camera. "Take care, Yerim.""It was nice to see you! Please, come over." Yerim thinks that the way Joohyun smiles is really charming."I will! Bye!" Yerim waves as well and hangs up. She lets out a long sigh.What's going on?Seulgi is waiting by the cafeteria where Joy has made an appointment with her. She's tapping her fingers on the table as her coffee is left forgotten, getting colder as the time goes by. Seulgi knows that Joy isn't late yet and it's her fault for being there too early, but she can't help but feel awkward.She felt it. She felt that Joy was about to kiss her back then, but then she ran away before she could say anything.That is so frustrating that Seulgi doesn't know how to deal with it.Did it mean something to her? Or was it just a mistake she did without thinking?When she talked about it with Joohyun and Seungwan, they seemed to agree that Joy must be confused about her feelings. And what Joohyun said is still echoing in her mind."Just give her time, okay?" Joohyun caressed her cheek as she said that, while Seungwan leaned her head on her chest. Things are going beyond perfect. Today Seungwan is moving into Joohyun's place. She couldn't afford the hotel any longer so Joohyun offered her spare room to her. Seungwan was doubtful at first because her relationship with Joohyun was just starting and it orbited around Seulgi.Seulgi loved seeing them together and it was something she never expected to feel. When she watched them interact, she felt content. She loved the mutual understanding they shared. She also loved how Joohyun was helping Seungwan to deal with her small episodes of jealousy over Joy. Ever since they started rehearsing together, Seungwan started to feel afraid about losing the relationship the three of them had because of Joy. Seulgi reassured her that she would never let that happen. However, she heard a conversation between her two lovers and she heard how Joohyun comforted her about her fears.Sometimes it could be a little bit overwhelming how mature Joohyun was. Compared to Seungwan and her, Joohyun is really experienced. Seungwan even joked about it once."Are you sure you never studied psychology?"Joohyun chuckled at that comment, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "I'm simply a musician who feels a lot of things and listens a lot."It was true, indeed. Seulgi has seen that Joohyun is always listening and paying attention to everything. Seulgi knew that Joohyun was fully aware that Yerim was awkward around her. However, that didn't stop her from being nice and the charming self she always is.Seulgi knows that Yerim will eventually get used to this situation and accept Joohyun fully into her life, so she doesn't want to pressure her into liking Joohyun.Seulgi taps her fingers on the table as the music on the background changes. She recognizes the song that it's usually on Yerim's playlist: Ariana Grande's thank u, next.She wonders what's Yerim doing now.I should probably have told her about this.She feels regretful and she takes her phone out. Glancing at what time it is as soon as she unlocks it, she lets out a sigh. Yerim must be in class now. She decides to write her a text.Hey, I'm meeting Joy for coffee. She said we gotta talk... I'll tell you about it when I get home tonight. - Seulgi.Dinner is on me! I have been thinking about trying a new recipe I saw in one of Seungwan's old videos. ;) - Seulgi.She frowns when she sees that Yerim replies quickly.I hope everything goes fine! Fingers crossed :D - Yerim.Is it the fried chicken? Please tell me it's the fried chicken - Yerim.Seulgi chuckles at her friend's antics. That girl loves chicken so much.It's the spicy fried chicken wings recipe, yup. You read my mind, don't you? - Seulgi.Shouldn't you be in class now? - Seulgi.She can almost see Yerim shrugging.The teacher couldn't make it. I'm at the library now. - Yerim.Gotta go. I've just seen Hayoung. I gotta see what she's up to! :D - Yerim.Good look with Joy ;) - Yerim.Seulgi starts to type her answer but she sees someone standing by the cafeteria door that looks familiar.Could that be...?Seungwan lets out a huge sigh as she folds the last cardboard box. Joohyun mimics her as she wipes the sweat from her forehead. She's glad that they are done because she needs a little rest before Seulgi comes back home for her piano lesson.Seungwan looks up at Joohyun and they seem to read each other's minds as they voice out the same thing at the same time."Do you have some cold tea?""Do you want some cold tea?"Joohyun's eyes widen and Seungwan giggles. Joohyun leads the way to the kitchen and she takes the cold tea. Seungwan comes right behind her and she opens the cupboard to get two glasses. Joohyun looks at her in awe. It feels comfortable to see someone knowing where she keeps the things in the kitchen. It makes everything easier.She takes the glasses from Seungwan's hands and she puts some ices on them from the fridge's ice maker. She thinks that some lemon would make the tea even more perfect and Seungwan seems to read her mind again as she takes the cutting board from the shelve. "Do you want yours with lemon juice?" Joohyun smiles as she nods. Seungwan takes the lemon from the fruit basket and slices it in half, getting two perfect slices and putting them in the glasses. After that, she presses the tip of the knife on the flesh of the fruit and squeezes it with her hands into the glass. Joohyun chuckles."You do know a lot of cooking hacks." Seungwan shrugs. "What can I say? I still use Pinterest." "In 2019? (authornote1) Are you okay, grandma?" Joohyun teases her, poking at her sides. Seungwan laughs and shakes her hand. Joohyun leans her chin on Seungwan's shoulder as she watches her take the other half of the lemon to do the same thing. Seungwan can't help but think that she could get used to this. They are going to be living together from now on and it really hit her just now.She feels Joohyun wrapping her arms around her waist and leaving a chaste kiss on her neck, before covering her face on her crook."I'm so tired. Why don't I just tell the students to go home?""Nope. That's not happening." Seungwan simply said. "And one of the students is our Seulgi."Our Seulgi. Joohyun can't help but feel warm at those words. She sighs and her breath against her neck makes Seungwan shiver."Okay, Wendy. When you are right, you are right." Joohyun agrees as she takes the glasses from the counter. Seungwan takes the tea pitcher and follows the oldest to the living room. They sit next to each other, leaving their drinks on the coffee table.Seungwan has always wondered why the couch was so big, but then she remembered about the size of Joohyun's bed. She blushes at the memory of their first night together. It has been a month since that happened for the first time, and they have done it three times. All those times, the main focus was pleasing Seulgi and letting Seulgi please them. Seungwan is undeniably comfortable around Joohyun. Their relationship is going slower comparing it to the one she shared with Seulgi because she still needs to know a lot of things about Joohyun. They haven't spent as much time alone as Seungwan would need for their relationship to get stronger.She likes her and she's growing fond of her."I can hear you thinking from here" Joohyun smiles at her, poking on her round cheek with her index finger. "I'm here whenever you feel like talking to me about it.""I was just thinking that..." Seungwan feels herself blushing. "I don't know how to say this but... I was thinking about how you lived in this house before, you know... with your lovers."Joohyun doesn't know if she has understood what Seungwan means at first, but when she gets it, her mouth forms a perfect 'O'. She drinks a sip of her tea and she leaves it on the table, clearing her throat as she does so."You want to know more about them, right?" Joohyun asks her and Seungwan nods shyly."You don't have to if you don't want, but... I think it would help me know... more about this kind of..." Seungwan points at the distance between them and Joohyun nods in understanding."You think it would help you know more about polyamory, right..." Joohyun looks around and it makes Seungwan wonder if she has heard something weird. When their eyes meet again, Joohyun smiles. "I think we need a change of scenery for that.""What?""Do you want to build a pillow fort?" She asks, mocking the way Anna asks Elsa to build a snowman in Frozen. Seungwan chortles and nods eagerly."If I ever answer 'no' to that question, it must be because I'm out of my mind." Joy is waiting at the entrance of the cafeteria, her gaze focused on the girl who is tapping her fingers on the table as she talks to someone over text.She's probably texting her girlfriends.She doesn't feel so weird about the fact that Seulgi has two girlfriends as she used to. It must be because all of the things Yerim had told her about them. She knew just the basics that Yerim knew. Seungwan is sweet and caring, and Joohyun is charming and gentle. Joy argued that she wouldn't have anything to offer to Seulgi if they happened to be a thing. She remembers the way Yerim laughed and looked at her with such tenderness."You are more than amazing, Joy. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend."Those words remain dear to her, keeping them in mind as she lets out a sigh. Joy jumps a little when she suddenly sees Seulgi glancing at her way. She shivers and gulps, nodding to herself as she walks into the room.I can do this.Her mind wanders to the support words Yerim has told her over the last days.Just give it a try.Never say never.I know Seulgi still feels the same way about you.Joy waves her hand at her and she remembers that the last time she saw her, she was standing so close that she could almost kiss her.She feels herself blushing as she shyly takes a seat in front of Seulgi."Hey." It's the only thing that comes to her mind. Seulgi grins at her."Hey." Joy doesn't know what to say, but before she can think about it, the waitress comes by."Welcome to Onceland. What can I get you?"She reads her nametag. It's become a habit ever since she started working at the ice cream store. She smiles up at her and she takes the menu from the table."Hi Jeongyeon," She calls her by her name casually. "I would like a frappuccino with extra caramel, please. Thanks." "Sure," The girl with short hair takes a note turns her attention to Seulgi. "Do you want anything else?""I'm fine, thank you." Seulgi waves her hand, giving her a small smile. The waitress bows at them a little and leaves the two of them alone. "I kind of like this place. All the waitresses are so nice.""Yerim brought me here last week. Her friend Nayeon works here." Joy explains. She's glad that they have found a topic to talk about before the silence started to grow awkward."She probably gets a special discount." Seulgi grins, thinking about how her friend Yerim had so many friends around the city."Her cheekbones are a discount card themselves," Joy chuckles as she playfully rolls her eyes. Seulgi laughs, nodding her head in agreement.Seulgi is glad that their first conversation is going so well after what happened the last time they saw each other."Geez, that girl..." Seulgi mutters, her fingers playing with the mug's handle.Joy clears her throat, her ears burning already. "Well... It was her idea. She told me it would be better to... you know, just talk to you."Seulgi's lips form a perfect 'O' before she bits on her lower lip, nodding her head. "Then tell me, what do you want to talk about?"Joy sighs, knowing that Seulgi is playing clueless. "You know what I want to talk about."Seulgi bits on her lip harder and nods again. "I know.""It... It wasn't okay." Joy rubs the back of her neck, knowing that this isn't the best way to start. "I mean, sure, I wanted to kiss you but... I want to talk about things first.""Of course. I understand." Seulgi is so nervous that she sounds like a robot right now. It makes Joy feel fluttery, seeing the girl she was falling for like that."You know, what I mean is..."She sees another waitress going to her direction. She glances at the new girl's nametag as the girl places the frappuccino on the table."Here you go a frappuccino with extra caramel. I hope you like it!" The girl says with a charming smile."Thank you, Dahyun." The girl blushes and looks down at her nametag. She looks for another girl in the cafeteria before yelling."Dahyun!!! We exchanged t-shirts again!!!"The girl with red lipstick and blonde hair blushes as she looks down at her own nametag and brings a finger to her lips."Sana! Not so loud, you silly!" She hisses. Joy and Seulgi watch the scene with amused smiles. The girl turns to the table, flashing a charming smile before leaving."Don't forget to share a picture of your drinks on Instagram if you like them. We are always having giveaways of our products." With that being said, she leaves the two alone, still giggling at what has just happened. When they look at each other, it feels a lot better. Laughing has broken the tension of the moment. Joy reaches out and puts her palm up on the table, asking for Seulgi's hand silently. The older happily complies, caressing her hand with her thumb."What I want to say is... that kissing you would have been wrong because I need your permission. And I guess that I would need their permission, too." Seulgi nods and making a bold move, she takes Joy's hand and brings it to her lips."I have talked to them about the possibility and they are okay with whatever I decide." Joy feels herself melting at the way Seulgi leans her cheek on the back of her hand, looking at her with eyes full of hope. Joy knows that it's not going to be so easy."Then... it's up to us." Seulgi gives her a small nod and Joy can't help but begin to caress her cheek with the back of her hand. She knows that Seulgi loves this kind of gesture. The music in the background fades just in time as Joy's phone begins to ring on her pocket. Her eyes widen a little, not expecting a call from anyone. She has texted Yerim to tell her that she was meeting Seulgi. She takes the phone out and finds a number she doesn't recognize.Could it be from the audition?Joy picks up the call. "Hello?" she covers her ear to hear the person on the other side. Seulgi looks at her, her eyes widened as Joy brings her hand back to Seulgi's cheek. They look at each other in the eyes and Seulgi leaves a small kiss on the palm of her hand. "Yes, it's me." She caresses Seulgi's face, pausing to touch her eyebrow with her thumb. "Yes, I can talk right now." The music in the background has stopped and Seulgi looks to the side, finding the three girls from before struggling with the computer. Seulgi realizes that they are the only customers right now. Seulgi sighs and feels glad because she can be affectionate with Joy in public now. She nuzzles the palm of her hand, leaving a kiss on each of her fingers. She watches the way Joy's eyes widen at whatever the person on the other side is telling her."I know we should meet in-person to discuss this, but we believe that it's you the one we've been looking for. We have a project for a new girl group who have been training for a year now and you are the missing piece of it. We were impressed with your audition because of your dance skills, but also because of your talking skills. You're a natural."Seulgi leans on her hand and Joy can't process all that she's feeling at once. "Oh..." It's all that she manages to say. "I... I don't know what to say. Thank you so much.""No, thank you, Joy. You are exactly what we are looking for. I wanted to tell you beforehand so we can, maybe, sign the contract tomorrow? I know it's early but the company would want you to move to the dorm with the rest of the members as soon as possible.""It's not... I mean, it's not early. It's okay. I'll be there tomorrow.""Thank you and... well, welcome to T5 Entertainment. I will e-mail you the meeting details right now and I will see you tomorrow, Joy.""Thank you. Thank you so much." Before she can say anything else, the person on the other side ends the call. Joy is left dumfounded, her eyes widened in shock.She leaves the phone on the table and brings a hand to her forehead, leaning her elbow on the table."Is everything okay?" Seulgi asks, her brows furrowed in worry. Joy caresses her cheek one last time before pulling her hand away. "It's more than okay." Joy feels herself sweating and covers her face with both her hands. "I don't know where to start."Seungwan comes back to Joohyun's bedroom, bringing the pillows from the living room. She looks around as their pillow fort is almost done, unable to find Joohyun."Irene?" she calls for her, only to be met by silence. She frowns, wondering where the girl has gone.Just right then, she lets out a screech as a small figure jumps on her like a tiger, making them both fall on top of the bed and under the sheets of the pillow fort. Seungwan laughs out loud as she pats Joohyun shoulder, the oldest snickering at how Seungwan has reacted. The pillows Seungwan was holding were now spread on the bed.Seungwan chuckles as Joohyun makes herself comfortable on Seungwan's chest and she brings a hand up to caress her hair."You scared me" Seungwan complains, her lips curved into a pout. Joohyun giggles and gives it a shrug. "How come a small woman like me can scare you? What am I, some kind of little monster?" Joohyun brings her hands up, imitating some kind of zombie. Seungwan laughs again, her laughter sounding like a wonderful melody in Joohyun's ears."Of course you are not." Seungwan pokes Joohyun's nose playfully. Joohyun sticks her tongue out at her and Seungwan replies with a cheesy wink, which makes Joohyun roll her eyes playfully."So... now that we are in our pillow fort, we should find a name for this castle." Seungwan brings a hand to her chin, dramatically humming as she thinks of an answer. Joohyun leaves a small kiss on her arm before leaning on her chest again, wrapping an arm around Seungwan's chest."WenRene kingdom?" Seungwan suggest and Joohyun nods."I like it. And if Seulgi comes in, it will be WenSeulRene kingdom." "Agreed." Seungwan holds her hand up for a high five and Joohyun lazily complies, failing to high five her the first time. "So...""Yeah, about that." Joohyun chuckles, knowing that Seungwan is so careful with the way she words everything. "How far do you know? I don't know if Seulgi has ever told you something about them.""She told me that you were in a polyamorous relationship with two girls.""Well, yes." She nods, trying to get the words out of her. "There was a girl I liked in college when I was studying abroad. Her name was Soojung and her English name was Krystal. It started as a crush but it started to get more and more intense. Until one day..." she tapped a finger on Seungwan's lips, trying to make a point. "we kissed. I still don't know if I kissed her first or if she did, but it didn't matter. It felt like heaven."Seungwan gets a strange feeling hearing Joohyun say something like that about an ex. "But then she told me that she was already seeing someone and... that she's in a polyamorous relationship. And this other girl I didn't know about also knew about me and how Krystal was falling for me. It was a lot of information to handle so I asked her to give me some time."She nuzzles Seungwan's chest and brings a hand up to her hair, caressing it caringly."But I didn't need time. I needed her, so I kept dating her. At first, I didn't want to know much about Amber. That was the other girl's name. All the situation was too much for me to handle. Amber was dating another girl too, a girl named Victoria, but her main relationship was with Krystal. It all sounded weird to me, you know? The idea of having a 'main relationship' and dating other people at the same time... I didn't know how it could work."Seungwan cups Joohyun's cheek and wraps her arm around her shoulders, snuggling her closer for comfort."But it worked, you know? When I got to know Amber... It was easier. It turned easier and I started falling for her as well." She looks up at Seungwan and her gazes meet. "Just like now.""Now?"Seungwan mutters, already knowing the meaning behind those words.Joohyun is falling for me.Seungwan smiles gently at her, bringing some locks out of her face and pulling them behind her ear. "Yeah..." She mutters, letting out a small sigh. "And our relationship started getting better, and better and... it turned out to be the main relationship for the three of us. Victoria and Amber broke up when Victoria left to Montreal. None of us wanted to date anyone else and our rented apartments weren't enough for us. That's when we decided to move in together. Our first house in LA... it was amazing. We were in our bubble, separated from the rest of the world. We could do whatever we wanted. Things were going fine and I played with the Philarmonic so I made quite a lot of money back then. But then..."Joohyun's gaze lowers until she closes her eyes, focusing on the way Seungwan caresses her."Amber had some trouble at her work and had to leave it. She started to look for a new one, but she never found anything. Krystal and I tried to make her feel better, telling her that it was okay, that the two of us could afford to pay her rent while she looked for a better job. However, we knew that Amber was starting to hate getting stuck at home while we were away like she was some kind of housewife.""I can understand that," Seungwan mutters, thinking about her parents and how her mother was restless when she wasn't working."It was also a matter of how she was, you know. She was a tomboy. She didn't like anything that showed that she was feminine in some way so... being home like a housewife was also making her angry, so we discussed a lot. Every night I knew that when I came back home I wouldn't walk in the same comfort I used to have in my own house. I didn't want to blame her though. I knew she was going through a hard time so... I just supported her and Krystal did the same."She looks up at Seungwan and she knows that Seungwan is going to tell her that she doesn't need to keep going on if she doesn't want to. She feels good that Seungwan is so easy to read. She leans in and leaves a kiss on her cheek, before leaning on her shoulder again."So finally, finally... She got a job, but it was here, in South Korea. It was too soon for me to come back home. I had already finished my studies abroad, sure, but... I didn't know if I was ready to come back home and show everybody my new way of living. However, I knew that it was for the best. I knew that Amber needed that job to feel better again. So we..." she points at her surroundings with both her hands. "Well, I bought this. It was a way to show Amber that I would support her and that I would be there for her."Seungwan's voice cracks as she says what's on her mind. "That's so thoughtful of you."Joohyun gives her a small chuckle, nuzzling the crook of her neck. "I know." Seungwan shifts awkwardly and Joohyun unwraps herself from her. Seungwan lies on her side, facing Joohyun and brings both of her hands to Joohyun's face, caressing it lovingly like she now understood all the things that stood behind her face.Joohyun is left breathless at the way Seungwan looks at her.Like she's the most beautiful thing she has ever seen."Anyway..." She clears her throat, covering her lips with the back of her mouth. She lets out a sigh. "It was beautiful at first. I mean, sure, the house was beautiful and Amber was happy with her new job. Krystal was freelance so she could work from Seoul but... I couldn't. I had to travel a lot for the concerts and they were already used to it, but after all we went through, I felt that they were growing apart from me. Of course, they loved me, but they started talking about me behind my back. Amber was... I know that she was harmed because of all of our arguments and all the months she spent looking for a job, but she was growing toxic. And it began to burn me. When I came back from long flights, I would be greeted with simple hellos, when I had been waiting, longing to see them for hours.""That's horrible..." Seungwan whispers under her breath."I... I guess that in her point of view, it was my fault. I was always working overseas with the Philarmonic, but it was the way my job was. I got another job offer for a great Broadway musical. I auditioned for it and I got the part. I knew that it would mean a lot of harm to our relationship, but it was my dream. I was finally doing things that I loved and I was getting recognition for it." Seungwan gets closer to her, leaning her forehead against hers, guessing how the story would end. "It was only going to be three months, but then it grew to seven. The musical was a success and I was drowning on the sea of applause every night.""Which musical was it?""Waitress, The Musical." Joohyun laughed at the way the girl in front of her turned into a human exclamation mark, her eyes widening."Oh my god, I went to watch it!" She exclaims, her hands now leaning on her shoulders. Joohyun giggles."When did you go?""I think I went in April 2016." "Then I was the pianist on the musical you watched, yeah." Joohyun nods and Seungwan can't hide her excitement. "I loved that musical! I did a video with the cast. We should watch it! Maybe you can be seen somewhere" Seungwan suggests. Joohyun nods."Sure, babe." She playfully pokes Seungwan's nose, letting out a dreamy sigh as she goes back to the memories. "Those times were the happiest I had professionally, but... it was hard to go back to my rented apartment and video chat with them, watching the house I bought for us filled with new memories I wasn't part of. And each time we video called each other, it would turn colder and colder, their answers turning shorter, their excuses to hang up turning lazier. I knew that something was off but I tried to think positive, thinking that maybe they missed me and they didn't want to bother me. So one weekend, I went back home as a surprise. I had to go through a lot of trouble but the producer of the play protected me. I went back home and..."Joohyun shivers at the memory she had in this very same room."I found the truth. They were seeing someone else and they were living together here. In our house." Joohyun lets out a long sigh. "And at first I didn't know how to react, and I tried to be reasonable, knowing that we always shared an open relationship but... It was beyond the line. They had been lying to me but the worst of all was that they were growing apart from me. And that's when Amber said it..."Joohyun feels herself getting teary, but she holds it back. It's in the past now and she is over it now. However, those words remain painful."Krystal and I don't love you anymore, Irene." Seungwan doesn't need to hear anything else as she wraps her arms around Joohyun, embracing her tightly to her chest. Joohyun hugs her back, leaning her head on her chest."I still remember the way Krystal looked at me pitifully. It was the truth, they didn't love me anymore. So... I went out. I spent that weekend getting drunk in random clubs. I've never been worse in my whole life. I had sex with random guys and I tried to forget, drink all the pain away... When I took the flight to New York, I cried all the way. Fourteen hours of crying."Joohyun shakes her head at that memory. "When I got back to New York, I sent them an e-mail. I didn't want to kick them out, but I was uneasy about them living in the house I bought for us. So, since I'm pathetic, I asked them to pay for rent." Joohyun gives out a bitter cackle. "I decided to throw myself into my work and it really helped me. Performing each night and the way the crew supported me... It made me feel like I was creating my own home.""I'm happy they treated you well. They seemed really nice." Seungwan recalls. Joohyun nods in agreement. "They were... But well, the contract with the Musical ended and I had to go back to Seoul. I told them beforehand so they could get their things and leave. I had an enormous argument with Amber because they didn't want to leave. I was furious at her and she was furious at me. So when I came back here..." Joohyun looks around, glad that they have created this pillow fort so she can't see the full room. "I found broken furniture, broken glasses, broken windows... I didn't want to believe that she had done all that to piss me off, but it was undeniable when I found a note from Krystal apologizing for everything. That's when I understood it. Krystal was stuck in a toxic relationship with her.""That sucks...""Yeah..." Joohyun leans her ear on Seungwan's chest, listening to her heartbeat. "I know that they aren't dating right now, according to Krystal's feed on Instagram. She has deleted every picture she has with her and she has moved to Helsinki. She's happy because she's staying there with her sister." A small smile appears on her face. "I kind of like thinking that she's as happy as she seems in the pictures."Seungwan nods in understanding. "I hope she is."Joohyun looks up at Seungwan and quietly stares at her. Seungwan stares back, taking in every detail of her face. She doesn't know who leans in first, but all she knows is that she feels Joohyun's lips pressed against her own. It starts chaste but she deepens it, Joohyun letting out a surprised sound on her lips. She wants to show Joohyun that she matters to her. That she's also falling for her and she won't let anything in their relationship hurt her again.Joohyun gets the message and pulls away with a smile. "What matters now is that you make me happy. Seulgi and you brought back a part of me that I thought it was dead and buried.""Thank you for telling me all this." Seungwan caresses her face, leaving a small kiss on her lips. Joohyun stares at her, her voice throaty as she feels herself about to cry."Thank you for making me love this house again." Joy lets out a sigh and gets ready for Seulgi's reaction. "I passed the audition. I'm meeting with T5 Entertainment tomorrow to sign the contract."She tries to make sure she saves Seulgi's reaction in her memory, as she smiles at how Seulgi gawks and shakes her arms in the air. She laughs and she gets up from her seat, sitting next to her and pulling her into a bone-breaking hug. Joy pats her back and listens to all the messy congratulations Seulgi sends her way."CONGRATULATIONS OH MY GOD JOY! I'm so happy for you! This is all you ever wanted! I'm so happy for you! I can't wait to see you perform live! Oh my god, congratulations!" Joy laughs as she pulls away. "I know right?! I can't believe it. Let me text Yerim too."She takes her phone and quickly, nervously texts Yerim and tells her all in caps that she has passed the audition. Leaving the phone on the table, she's brought back to the conversation they were having as she sees the way Seulgi is staring down at her hands."I guess... this isn't the right time for us."Joy brings her hand to her chin and makes her face her. "I guess I have a saying on that."Seulgi nods shyly, bracing herself for the worst. Joy voices out her worries. "I want to give it a try but I can't deal with all of this. I think I need time before I meet them again. Is that okay?"Seulgi's eyes widen so comically that Joy can't help but laugh. "Of course it's okay!" Seulgi exclaims. "I don't see what's wrong with it. You can take all the time you need.""I don't care knowing about them, but meeting them and seeing them with you... It's too much. I don't think I can't handle that yet."Seulgi brings her hands up to Joy's face, caressing her cheeks. "But what about your contract? We won't be able to see each other as much.""I know but I'll make time for you. I need you around me." Joy leaves a kiss on her palm, nuzzling it. "I like the person I am when I'm around you. You remind me who I am."Seulgi can't help but smile. Her eyes, however, go down to Joy's lips.Joy knows what Seulgi wants, but she knows Seulgi isn't going to make the first move.Yerim told her about it. Seulgi is too shy to make the first move.It comes out as a whisper as she closes the distance between them, her breath caressing Seulgi's lips."Kiss me and I'll know that there's no going back." Seulgi brings her hands to her neck and she closes the final distance, kissing her.They both know now that there's no going back.  (authornote1) The story is set in January 2019, before all the COVID-19 issue was a thing.