Yeojin's POV
I don't know what time it was when I woke up and opened my eyes. I felt a weight on me, then I noticed that Yerim and I were still cuddled up together in her bed. Judging by the even breathing of the person I can now proudly call my girlfriend, Yerim was still sound asleep. Feeling safe and comfortable in her arms, I decided to not move from my position.
The memory from yesterday came back in a flash and I had to hold it in because if not I would be screaming and dancing right now. But because I don't have that much self-control, I threw my arm up, and instantly regretted it. Apparently I was so caught up by the fact that Yerim was now my girlfriend I actually forgot about this stupid arm pain. How did it even happen, I don't remember injuring it. And why does my arm only sting like hell when I wake up? I consider asking Yerim about this, but end up deciding against it. She had enough stuff to catch up on her own anyway.
I don't know how I had it in me to confess to her, and I still can't believe this all started because of some fucking chocolate bar. How does simply giving someone candy turn into an absolute mess of guns and death?
Well now I'm tangled in a new reality I didn't even know existed, all because I liked a girl. Was managing to get Yerim as my girlfriend worth my life?
Absolutely.
Now I just have to make sure that Yerim and I actually don't die, because these past few weeks really reminded me that my life could end at any second, and to be fairly honest I'm scared shitless.
So with the thought of potentially having those closest to me get harmed in my head, I went back to sleep.
Because I'm tired of this shit, and because I'm still actually tired.
"Should we teach you guys how to use a gun?"
The six of us were in the living room. Three of them were the triplets, obviously, while the others were Heejin, Gowon and me. Turns out that Hyeju was not sending her girlfriend kissy faces yesterday, but she was actually going to facetime Gowon to confess to her about her backstory.
I was cuddled up to Yerim on the couch while listening to the conversation. We told everyone in the group chat that we were official, receiving a lot of congratulations, teasing, and me having to tell people to shut up about the chocolate thing because Yerim doesn't know about that yet.
Hyunjin turned to Hyeju with a dumbfounded look.
"You want them to use guns????"
"Hey look they need to be able to defend themselves if we're not here!" Hyeju crossed her arms. Hyunjin does the same gesture.
"Just teach them how to use knives!" Hyunjin shot at her.
"The enemy has guns and you want the to use knives?!?!" Hyeju shot back, the two of them bickering for a few more minutes. Gowon grew impatient as time went and snapped at them, telling them to shut up. Both obeyed, surprisingly, and Yerim shared her own thoughts on the matter.
"They're already in this mess, might as well get them to use guns." She spoke. Hyunjin frowned at her.
"You too??"
"What's the worst that can happen?"
"Someone dies?"
"They're going to fucking die if they don't learn how to shoot a gun!" Hyeju interjected and Hyunjin jumped her. Watching the two fight was extremely entertaining, except for Heejin who decided to drag her girlfriend away from Hyeju.
"It's fine Hyun, we can shoot things." Heejin spoke up.
"Not gonna lie Heejin with your shitty aim during laser tag you're the last person I would trust with a gun."
Hyunjin then got beaten up by her girlfriend.
We were now all in the triplets' basement, which is something I've seen for the first time. Turns out that the basement, like the house, is pretty huge too. Theres an entire workout station, a small shooting range, several shelves filled with all kinds of weapons (what kind of fucking job do they have?) and a cork board with a lot of things I don't understand. When we passed by it, I managed to read a newspaper with something that said 'Breaking News: Local Supermarkets' Bread Stolen'. Doesn't take a single braincell to realize Hyunjin did that.
The last time I've been here, I did keep my eyes closed when Yerim told me to, and that was only because it's Yerim. Speaking about her, she was currently teaching me how to use a handgun at the shooting range. When we first arrived, the triplets told us the rules of gun use, such as don't point a gun towards yourself or your friend, even jokingly. Hyeju told us a story about how someone did that and it ended up with someone losing an ear.
After having the triplets repeat the set of rules fifty times, it was Yerim's turn to explain the different parts of a gun, the different kinds of guns and how to safely handle a gun. She chose to focus on handguns more, because she concluded that we won't be using a sniper as a self-defence weapon. Hyeju, in the middle of Yerim's teaching, specified that guns in videogames are not like those in real life.
Yerim gave each of us a gun and made a demonstration on how to shoot it. She got into position and aimed at the target. A few seconds later, I heard the sound of a gunshot and instinctively went to cover my ears. I did get scared by the sound, remembering how I had to run away from people trying to shoot us.
My ears kept ringing for a while, looking over to see that Yerim managed to hit the centre of the target. She turned back and sent a wink in my direction, and I think I just fell for her all over again. When she started speaking I couldn't even focus anymore because I was so blown away by her.
Before I knew it, the others next to me stood up for training. Hyeju went up to guard the house in case any intruder tried to break in. I went to my own station and looked at it. The target was pretty far away and the halls were separated with glass panes. My gun (I forgot what the model was called) had a silencer on it, but Yerim still told us to use ear muffles. Why she didn't get us to wear it during demonstration I have no idea.
Hyunjin was put in charge of teaching Heejin and Gowon while Yerim only focused on me. I felt warm inside and smiled bashfully while I heard Gowon mutter 'gay' next to me.
Yerim first showed me how to position myself correctly. Her front was flushed against my back, her hands guiding mine to the right places. I couldn't help but blush at the close contact, despite us having hugged and cuddled so many times. I had a hard time listening to what Yerim was saying, but focused nonetheless. As she kept explaining to me how to aim (my ear muffles were put around my neck), she slowly started tracing circles on my hand with her fingers. That nearly made me pull the trigger on accident, barely managing to keep it together.
Yerim noticed that my hands trembled slightly and asked if I was okay, to which I nodded. I told that I was just a bit nervous since it was my first time having a deadly weapon in my hands. It was not entirely a lie, I did feel a bit pressured.
When I was finally in the right position, Yerim put the muffles on my ears and kissed my head. She then walked away to give me space to focus. I sighed deeply, evening out my breathing. My eyes were focused on the target, aiming for the middle.
I pulled the trigger. At first, the recoil caught me off guard and not only did I nearly stumble, pure pain shot through my arm, apparently I forgot once again about that shitty injury of some sort. Barely managed to keep it together by gritting my teeth hard, not even letting out a yelp. I then noticed that thanks to the suppressor and ear muffles, I wasn't as startled by the loud noise. I looked around me, noticing that Yerim was smiling at me while the others were still doing their own thing. When I looked back, I saw that I had missed the centre of the target by a lot, my shoulders slumping down in disappointment.
I felt a pat on my shoulder, the next thing I knew I was getting pulled in for a hug. I took off my earmuffs and slightly pouted at Yerim, showing her my discontent. She let out a chuckle.
"It's okay baby, you did great on your first try, and you'll get better with practice." She grinned and pat my head.
I still couldn't handle the petname baby, but I didn't say anything about it. I went back to the original position, ready to try again.
Yerim's POV
It's been a few days, and surprisingly nothing has happened since the break-in at Yeojin's house. The six of us were gathered once again (it should be mentioned that Heejin and Gowon are temporarily staying in our home too) to talk about very important matters.
"Why the fuck would you willingly eat mint chocolate ice cream?? Literally just brush your teeth!" Hyeju had said, angering Gowon.
"Have you even tried it?! It's not the same!" She yelled back at her girlfriend, who huffed in disbelief.
"I have tried it and it's gross! I don't know how you're even able to like it, let alone actually eat it on a constant basis! It's crazy!" Hyeju countered. Gowon was so mad you could practically see her veins threatening to pop. I had to hold in my laugh, or else I'd be dead in seconds. As I said, it's been days, meaning that Yeojin, Gowon and Heejin had now improved a whole lot on shooting guns.
"God you should really see a doctor if your tastebuds are so broken to the point where you mistake ice cream with freaking toothpaste!"
"I should check my tastebuds!? You're the one who thinks edible toothpaste is actually good!"
"Guys- guys calm down now it's just an ice cream flavour-" Heejin nervously tried to deescalate the situation, only to get interrupted by Gowon.
"It's not just an ice cream flavour!" She interjected, Hyeju surprisingly backing her up.
"Exactly! It's not just an ice cream flavour!
It is a threat to society and it should be terminated along with every person who actually likes mint chocolate!"
For the first time ever, Hyeju gets beat up by none other than her tiny girlfriend Gowon. We all laugh at how Hyeju doesn't even try to counter, and is just laying there and taking the hits. Hell, she didn't even look bothered and actually had the guts to smile.
"I think she's into that." Yeojin had whispered next to me and I burst out laughing.
"Oh wow, that was amazing! I'm so proud of you!"
We were at our basement's shooting range once again, and the girls had made serious progress. I smile brightly as Yeojin does a tiny victory dance, finding her extremely endearing. She turned and beamed at me, having the cutest smile on her face. I'm so happy to get to call Yeojin my girlfriend.
My smile wavered when I noticed Yeojin slightly clutching her left arm. In fact, she'd done that often for the past few days. One time I thought to ask her about it, but if Yeojin didn't think it was serious enough to tell me about it, I shouldn't worry too much.
Wait no that's a terrible mindset and I definitely should be worrying about my own girlfriend. I make a mental note to ask her about it later.
I looked over to the other two when I heard a gunshot go off. Despite Heejin getting told that her aim was shit, she was actually very good at it, and excelled at keeping her stance after firing. Even Hyunjin was shocked. For Gowon, her aim was good, but the recoil of the gunshot always threw her back a bit.
I was genuinely surprised that Yeojin now barely flinched when she pulled the trigger, knowing how small she was. I'm also impressed by her rapid improvement, I couldn't help but be proud of her. Knowing that she had been forcibly thrown into this reality, Yeojin had adapted to it quickly. I just hope when all of this was over, maybe she'd be able to live a normal life again.
It was my turn to go upstairs and guard the house when someone grabbed me by my arm. When I turned to look at who it was, I was greeted by the face of my girlfriend, who looked rather nervous.
"Yeojin, what's wrong baby?" I asked in a soft tone.
"Can we go upstairs?" She said, looking down. I don't know what happened, but I definitely did not like it.
"Of course, let's go." I replied. Telling the others that Yeojin was with me (safety precautions), we went up to my room for privacy. Once again, I asked Yeojin what was wrong, laying down on my bed. She joined me and laid her head on my chest when she spoke. I don't leave the fact that she keeps her possibly injured armed away from me unnoticed.
"My parents texted me.. They said they were going to be back in a day." She huffed. I raised an eyebrow.
"Well that's a good thing, right? You'll get to see them." I said, clueless to why she was so antsy about it. Yeojin shook her head.
"It's just- the house is not and I don't want them to be in danger because of me." She reasoned with a frown on her face. Everything then clicked in my brain. Of course Yeojin would be worried, she herself went through so much in her own house. She'd obviously feel stressed about the fact that her own parents might go through the same thing as her, or worse.
We lay in silence as I think about a temporary solution to her problem. Then, it clicks.
"We could guard your house while your parents are in!" I say as if I just discovered the secrets of the universe. Yeojin looks at me incredulously.
"..What?" She asks with a frown. I swiftly get up from my laying position, shoving Yeojin in the process. I hear her hiss in pain and immediately regret my actions.
"Oh my god are you okay??" I cup her face, Yeojin giggling a bit at how worried I probably look. She clutched her arm again, and this time I don't let it slip.
"You've been doing that a lot." My eyebrows that were facing upwards quickly turn into a frown. Yeojin quickly becomes nervous again, eyes darting everywhere.
"Doing what?"
"Holding your left arm."
"W-well-"
"Let me look at it." I don't give her time to reply, grabbing her left arm and pulling her closer. She gasped, then whimpered in pain. I mumble an apology, making a mental note to stop being so harsh on her when she's hiding something from me.
"Where does it hurt?" I ask and Yeojin points at her upper arm, at the place where people get vaccinated. Weird comparison, I know, but it works. I look at it closely, softly tracing my finger over her soft skin for any anomalies, and I manage to find it. There seems to be the remnants of a scar, and I could feel something hard under Yeojin's skin. Confused, I question her.
"Did anything happen to your arm?"
"Not that I know..."
"When did it start hurting?"
"Well, when I woke up a few days ago in my room, like- before you came in and asked if I was okay, when I tried to move it it hurt really hard."
Hearing Yeojin's confession, I frowned further. If she was telling the truth, then that was right after her kidnapping. Meaning that goddamn Jaehyun had something to do about it again. I can't wait to just kill him. I also shouldn't wait too long on telling Yeojin that she actually got kidnapped for a while, although it's weird how she doesn't remember it herself.
Yeojin probably saw the anger in my eyes, so she kissed my cheek in an attempt comfort me. Good on her, it did. I relaxed and sighed, lightly brushing my thumb over that unnatural bump in her arm.
"Well... I'd say you have something stuck under your arm that's not supposed to be there." I deadpan. Yeojin's eyes widen.
"Wha- how?! Can we get it out??" She asked frantically. I combed her hair with my fingers.
"We'll be able to remove it with professional help, meaning that we'd have to go to the hospital." I respond, and Yeojin's worried face becomes worse.
"But if I go to the hospital, then my parents would know... They can't know about all of this.." She looked down at her lap, nervously playing with her fingers. I take her hands in mine.
"Hey, hey. We don't have to do that right now, we'll just have to take it out eventually. And if you really don't want your parents to know, we could definitely make up a lie. We could tell them that Hyunjin fell down the stairs and brought you along with the ride. Hell, we could even push her down the stairs to actually make it more believable." I make an attempt at humour and it works, because I hear Yeojin's laugh echo through my ears. I smile.
"If you don't want to focus on the thing on your arm just yet, then we won't." I reassured her further so that she could feel as comfortable as possible. Yeojin quickly nods and squeezes my hands in approval.
"Now, about the plan with your parents and your house." I go back to what we were actually here to talk about. How to keep Yeojin and her parents safe in their own home.
"Yeah, you said something about guarding my house...?"
"Yes! Okay so, you have to stay in your house when your parents are around, so they don't get suspicious. While you're at your own house, it's definitely risky for you and your parents, so my solution is that me and the rest of the triplets will stay around your house to keep a lookout for potential threats." I explain the plan, and Yeojin seemed impressed.
"That's actually a very nice idea.. but wouldn't it be weird for my parents if suddenly three people surrounded the house?" She tilted her head. I couldn't resist patting it affectionately and she grinned.
"It's totally gonna be fine, we're actually very good at being stealthy, so you won't have to worry about us being found out."
Yeojin was not the literal definition of :D as she pulled my into a hug.
"Thank you... I love you so much." She mumbled into my shirt and I had to do everything in my power to not combust right here and now.
"It's okay baby, I love you too."
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okay so i didn't actually plan to write over 3k words this chapter but i literally never plan anything
y'all i write this on my phone at 2am so forgive me if spelling, wording and sentencing is dog shit okay thanks xoxo