Memories - Purinz

Chapter 9 - Space

Yunjin and Sakura roll their eyes but they break into smiles anyway.

"Yujin, you're the best."

--

Then

From the night she met and talked to Yujin at Club Answer, after years of nothing, Wonyoung had started to feel the guilt creeping up at her. It's there when she's immersed in a phone call with Yujin, it's there when they exchange texts and Yujin acts like the past four years did not happen. It eats her up constantly but she just couldn't find it in herself to ignore her for the sake of hiding and letting herself wallow in shame and regret — not when Yujin is there, flashing her a smile made out of pure sunshine, not when she's spent the last four years without her.

That is probably why even though it's nearly two in the morning, Wonyoung did not hesitate to put on a sweater and leave her apartment when her phone lit up with a text from Yujin saying, "I'm hungry."

She drives off and meets Yujin at a 7-Eleven near Le Sserafim's apartment building. The latter's already standing idly by, waiting for her to arrive.

"Can I just say," Yujin begins to say just as Wonyoung's getting out of her car. Wonyoung raises her eyebrows, egging her to continue. "I didn't think you'd actually go out."

"And why not?" Wonyoung asks, shutting the car door before fully facing her.

"It's a few minutes past two in the morning, Wonyoung."

Wonyoung rolls her eyes. "I was still awake." She throws a teasing glance at Yujin and smirks ever so slightly. "Plus I didn't wan't wittle Yujin to go out on her own, god knows she wouldn't last the night without consuming at least four hot bars."

Yujin scoffs, placing a hand over her heart in mock offense. "You are so terribly wrong. I wouldn't last a night without consuming at least five hot bars, thank you very much."

"And you couldn't have done it a much more reasonable hour?"

"Nah. I wanted to lure you out in the open and maybe murder you, Miss I'm-A-Little-Shit-And-Proud." Yujin replies nonchalantly, burying her hands in her pajama pockets for warmth as they walk towards the store across the street.

Wonyoung's giggles ripple throughout the small parking lot.

"No offense, Yuj, but I've seen you have full conversations with babies like they're capable of understanding advanced human speech. You're like a chicken nugget trying to threaten me."

"I will end you."

They're at the front of the store when Wonyoung casually responds with an "Okay, baby." The word baby slipping out of her mouth before she could do anything to stop it.

Fuck.

Wonyoung begins to contemplate screaming and running away.

Yujin chuckles, voice cracking at the end before an awkward silence settles between them.

Wonyoung then starts to think of driving off someplace else, changing her name to Dumbass Jang, and live as a hermit who knows how to act for the rest of her god forsaken life.

But before she could do any of those, Yujin clears her throat as she opens the door for them.

Wonyoung gives her a shaky smile and enters the store, hurriedly trotting off to the shelf stocked with chocolates. Yujin follows her, not oblivious to Wonyoung's obvious embarrassment about the accidental use of their endearments before.

Her chest feels constricted at the memory, she's been trying so hard not to acknowledge their past relationship, telling herself it wasn't time yet.

The moment she met Wonyoung again, she's been trying to push down the pain and awkwardness she's supposed to feel when she's with her. She knows they should address it but it's hard to do so, especially when they'd started to hang out again. Yujin was good at being in denial but she wasn't going to pretend like she didn't miss Wonyoung all this time, she wasn't going to let her pride take the reins and ruin things for her.