one.
Now
Wonyoung takes a deep breath and steps out of the airport. And almost immediately, she is greeted by a gust of hot air, making her grumble as she makes her way to the taxi stand. She pulls the cap she was wearing even lower in an attempt to cover her face, she thinks no one probably remembers her so it was more of a habit than a precaution. She falls in line and leans onto the handle of her luggage, doing her best to keep her knees from wobbling and taking her down in the process. She flinches when she hears whispers around her, when she hears cameras shutter.
Fuck. So much for no one remembering you, Wonyoung.
Her cover was blown.
She mentally scolds herself for being so stupid and careless. It's only been two years, how could she have deluded herself into thinking everyone has forgotten. Wonyoung wants to run, but she stops herself. Coming back here was a long time coming, it's been pushed back and delayed for so many times—sometimes because of scheduling issues but mostly it was because of her own cowardice. Truth be told, it wasn't Seoul that frightened her, it was the people and the memories, and the pain that came along with it that did. But just a few months ago, she'd promised herself to stop being scared of coming back and she couldn't betray herself — not again anyway, so she stays. She doesn't run back inside the airport to book the next flight back to Japan. Her fingers tighten around her palms, and she forces herself to move forward.
Deep breaths, Wonyoung.
"That's Jang Wonyoung, right?" Wonyoung hears someone say.
"I don't know. Didn't she just disappear? Why would she even be here?"
"Maybe she's back in the band?"
"Dude, her bandmates don't even mention her anymore."
"Maybe it's a surprise?"
"I doubt that."
Deep breaths.
Wonyoung keeps her eyes down, begging the universe to have mercy on her and just let the ground give way and swallow her or send a cab her way at least. Either of the two sound good to her, anything to get her out of there, away from the whispers and the judgement. The universe seemed to listen for once and she finds herself rushing to get inside a cab as soon as the driver finishes pushing her luggage into the trunk.
Once inside, she felt a little better and grateful for the cold air that enveloped the cab. She takes her cap off and allows herself to look out the window, allows herself to take Seoul in. Everything looks much different than they were when she left, for instance, there were more buildings and it seemed busier and livelier than before. What remained the same was how she felt — the same dread, the same fear, and the same pain she felt when she packed her things and left it all. She leans on the window and shuts her eyes.
No matter how much she tries to convince herself that she was finally being brave, Wonyoung knows deep down that she wants nothing more than to run away, to hide, and never come back. Deep down, she knows she's a coward because she's been back in Seoul after a little over two years but she was already dying to fucking get out.
--
The day was unusually humid.
Yujin sits on one of the two egg chairs they had beside the window of their penthouse. Hair in a loose bun, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, back hunched over, and fingers gripping her pen tightly as she writes, Yujin looks like a picture of diligence and hard work. She considers turning up the air conditioning unit in the living room but decides against it because it'd mean her having to stand up and disrupt her "creative process" as Yuna puts it. They were hard at work, writing lyrics and composing songs for their upcoming EP, that's why they were up at as early as eight in the morning instead of spending their day lazing and sleeping on their respective beds.
At least they were supposed to be.
Her bandmates seemed to be stuck, and tired — mostly tired though. After only a few hours of attempting to do their work, Leeseo's already knocked out on the couch, Gaeul put her pen and paper down and began distracting herself with her phone. Yuna and Yujin are the ones left standing in their battle against exhaustion, although Yuna is already a few seconds away from putting her bass guitar down.
She can't blame them for being exhausted though. While being members of the most popular alternative rock band in the whole country meant immense fame, tons of cash, world tours and filled out stadiums, it also meant sleepless nights, immense pressure, and endless exhaustion. Even though they've been doing it for four years — almost five, they still have a hard time with it. But it wasn't all bad of course, they get along great, their personalities were a perfect blend and balance, they had each other's backs and they had a six year old friendship wherein they would tear the world asunder if someone hurts the other. And as tiring and as stressful the world of fame was, at least Yujin got to face it with five — four of her favorite people. She shakes her head, not allowing herself to even think about the fifth person, as if that person didn't use to mean the whole world to her. Yujin continues tweaking her lyrics when a voice breaks her concentration.
"Holy shit," Gaeul says, eyes glued to whatever it was on her phone, and voice piercing through the entire living room. Yuna, who was next to her, finally puts her bass guitar down and leans over to see what Gaeul was talking about. The younger one covers her screen, making Yuna battle her for it. The commotion makes Yujin stop writing and listen in. A few moments later, she hears Yuna mutter, "That's fucking surprising."
"What's wrong?" Yujin asks, looking up from her notebook and raising an eyebrow questioningly. The two of her friends look at each other and then at Yujin. Gaeul looks unnerved. Yuna raises her arms up in surrender, and says, "You tell her." Gaeul faces Yuna and hits her arm, "Why me?"
Yujin shifts in her seat, "Tell me what?"
Gaeul sighs and looks at Yujin again, "Yujin,"
"Yeah?"
Yujin feels shivers run down her spine, the kind of feelings she gets when she knows something bad is about to happen. She looks at Gaeul, praying not to hear anything that could ruin her day. Before Gaeul could speak, their manager/friend/honorary band member, Liz enters. They all divert their attention to her but she has her eyes fixated on Yujin. And she tells her what Gaeul was about to tell her seconds ago.
"Wonyoung's finally back in Seoul."
--
Wonyoung pulls her cap down and puts her sunglasses on before getting off the cab. She gives the cab driver her fare money and thanks him for driving safely. She then lugs her bags behind her as she makes her way to the front door of the Four Seasons. She heads to the front desk and flashes the receptionist a smile before asking for a room key. The receptionist, a girl in her early twenties, looks up and almost drops her jaw when she realizes who she was talking to. Wonyoung hopes the receptionist won't make a big deal out of it, not yet anyway. Fortunately, the receptionist, although shocked, remains professional. She hands Wonyoung her room key with slightly shaky hands. Wonyoung thanks her and flashes her an apologetic smile before she lets the bellhop load up her luggage and follows him to her room.
Her phone vibrates as she steps inside the elevator. She lets out a sigh when she sees who texted her.
Liz
[9:45 AM]
you're back in seoul?
Wonyoung debates on replying or just ignoring Liz's messages. What would she say anyway? Hey! It's been two years since I abandoned you all but let's catch up and get coffee? Nope. Wonyoung doesn't want that. But she knew how persisitent Liz could get, if Wonyoung didn't reply now she'd just flood her with texts until she finally does. Wonyoung doesn't have the energy to fight and resist, just being in Seoul has already drained her, so she huffs and types up a reply.
Me
[9:46]
ugh
Liz
[9:47]
what? word travels fast around here
Me
[9:49]
that's one thing i don't miss
Wonyoung follows the bellhop out of the elevator, hoping Liz stops texting because of her dry replies but her phone vibrates just a minute after anyway.
Liz
[9:50]
and what about the things you miss?
or should i say people
or person
Me
[9:50]
i just got here. don't start
Liz
[9:51]
i'm surprised you didn't change your number
or block me. i mean you disappeared without a word
didn't think you'd still want to be contacted
Me
[9:50]
me too
Liz
[9:51]
are you gonna talk to Yujin?
Wonyoung stops in front of her room.
Yujin.
During the years she spent away, she's been trying not to think about her. She tries not to think about how she felt when she held her, how being loved by her was undeniably the best feeling in the world, how her eyes glinted like dark amber crystals when the sunlight hits it at the perfect angle, how she and Wonyoung used to be young and in love and could not care less about what the tabloids have been saying about them. Wonyoung tries not to think about how things began to fall apart, tries not to think about the last night they spent before she left — emphasis on the try. She fucking loses to herself every single time. After all, how could she stop thinking about the woman she loves and the woman who was the very reason why she left in the first place?
Wonyoung decides not to reply until she got settled in to her room, as if the problem would go away if she ignored it hard enough, as if two years on ignoring it and failing wasn't proof enough that avoiding it doesn't work. She thanks and tips the bellhop before shutting the door behind her. She plops down the hotel bed, lifts her phone just above her face, and stares at the text.
Not gonna reply, not gonna reply, not gonna re —
Her phone rings, startling her and making her drop her phone flat on her face. She groans in pain, taking her phone away from her face rubs her nose since it took most of the impact. She looks at the screen and sees Liz's name.
God damn it, Kim Liz.
Wonyoung answers the call, already resigned to the fact that a persistent person like Liz won't quit after the first try.
"Good. I thought you weren't going to answer." Liz's says on the other line. Wonyoung sits up and leans back on the headboard, pressing the phone to her ear.
"As if I have a choice." Wonyoung replies dryly.
"You're right, you don't."
Wonyoung lets out a frustrated sigh, "What do you want Liz? Aren't you supposed to be angry at me for disappearing on you guys?"
"I am mad. But whatever, right? It doesn't matter."
Wonyoung doesn't speak, she lets the weight of Liz's answer hang in the air, the implications. Wonyoung knows she has every right to be mad at her, Yujin wasn't the only person she left. She left all of her friends.
"Anyways, are you going to talk to Yu —?"
"No." Wonyoung says, cutting Liz off immediately, "Not yet anyway." The mere mention of Yujin was enough to send shivers down her spine, enough to crush her again and again.
Liz goes silent for a while that Wonyoung begins to think she's ended the call. Liz speaks up before Wonyoung could actually press end.
"...Is this about the thing?" Liz asks, voice now unsure. They both know it's a highly sensitive topic.
Wonyoung picks on tiny flecks of lint on the clean white duvet.
"It's alright. You can say divorce, Liz." Wonyoung tells her, surprising Liz with her nonchalance. She tries not to remember how Wonyoung looked the last time she saw her, makeup running down her cheeks and sobbing as she sat on the floor hugging herself.
"You're giving her what she wants then?"
Wonyoung scoffs inwardly. She hates how Liz says it like it's what Wonyoung actually wants to do, like it wasn't the reason why she left in first place, like she wasn't scared of letting what was left of her relationship with Yujin go, like it doesn't hurt, like the reason why she came back wasn't because she's going to try to get Yujin back. She looks up at the ceiling and thinks about the promise she made with the new Wonyoung. Even if it hurt, she has to put on a brave face at least.
"I don't know. I just figured we should at least talk about it," she replies glumly.
"Yeah, I'm sure that'll go well." Liz retorts, she knows the two of them. Yujin and Wonyoung were both stubborn; one of the few flaws in their relationship, and Liz knows this scenario won't end well if they keep it up.
"I don't appreciate the sarcasm." Wonyoung wryly tells Liz, losing her bite. Liz was probably right to be doubtful because there was no way in hell that this will all work out well. Yujin's made up her mind years ago but Wonyoung isn't usually the type to go down without a fight, it's the reason why she deeply regrets leaving. She hears Liz sigh on the other line.
"I know, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Liz," she says softly.
"Yeah. Well good luck."
"Thanks. And Liz?"
"Yeah?"
Wonyoung closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
"I miss you. I miss all of you."
There was silence on the other line, and Wonyoung gets scared again. She holds her breath as she waits for Liz's response.
"We miss you too, Wonyoung."
"I'm sorry for leaving."
"Do you regret it?"
"I do. Every fucking day, Liz. I really hope you guys could forgive me." Wonyoung says, voice breaking, hoping her sincerity translates well over the phone.
"Eh, let's talk about it over coffee."
--
"You're not going to like this but I'm meeting her for coffee," Yujin hears Liz call out as the girl makes her way to where Yujin was.
The penthouse was empty save for the two of them since the rest of the band decided to eat lunch out. Yujin stayed behind, kind of scared that she might run into someone she doesn't really want to see. She's given up on writing lyrics and is now eating ice cream on their couch, trying not to think about her.
"Good for you," she replies, not even bothering to look at Liz.
She puts her ice cream on her lap and makes the mistake of drawing her attention to her phone in a desperate attempt to take her mind off of she-who-must-not-be-named, but it was no use. Practically the whole internet was talking about her, a bunch of theories popped up about the reason for her return.
"You're not angry at me or anything?" Liz asks, taking a seat on the empty space beside Yujin on the couch.
"No," she mumbles, thumb scrolling down her Twitter feed.
ive's number one fan @yujinsdrums · 2h
CURRENTLY TRYING NOT TO DIE RN SOME PEOPLE SAW WONYOUNG AT THE AIRPORT!! HJSHSHSHSJAKL!!!
ive's number one fan @yujinsdrums · 2h
YALL what if Wonyoung's back bc she's back in the band I'm fuckign scR E AMING
kelly @gaeulismygod · 2h
Replying to @yujinsdrums
pls i'm weak i'm sick of clownery
Ive's number one fan @yujinsdrums · 2h
Replying to @gaeulismygod
PLS WE R ALLOWED TO HOPE. IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS AKSJLJDLAKS
kelly @gaeulismygod · 2h
Replying to @yujinsdrums
SHUT UP DOES THIS MEAN ANNYEONGZ REUNION
IVE OT4 @YUJINNIE · 2h
Replying to @gaeulismygod
LMAO didn't they already break up
LEESEO BEST GIRL @leeleeseo · 1h
Replying to @YUJINNIE @gaeulismygod @yujinsdrums
SHUT UP BEST COUPLE BACK TOGETHER I WANT TO BELIEVE I WANT TO!!!!
Yujin feels the irritation rise in her veins.
Best couple my ass.
She lets out a frustrated groan and throws her phone across the hardwood floor. Liz's eyes widened.
"...Okay. Not mad at all, huh?" Liz says, taking a spoonful of ice cream from Yujin's tub and feeding herself.
"I'm not mad. She's your friend. You don't have to choose sides," she replies, leaning back on the couch, "..even if she left us and dropped out of the face of the earth," she mumbles.
"You know she probably left because she got scared when you suggested a divorce, right?" Liz retorts, shooting Yujin a look. Yujin rolls her eyes in response, "Whatever. There was no choice left anyway."
"Please. You and I both know that's bullshit, Jinnie. You guys were the best couple I know. You could've talked things through and —"
Yujin stands up, cutting Liz off. "I don't want to talk about this. I'm going to sleep." She picks up her poor phone and walks towards her room.
Liz sighs, "She came back to talk to you."
That stops Yujin in her tracks. Liz hears her scoff then sees her turn to face her, expression unreadable.
"Really? Hooray."
"Yujin, you can't keep acting like you're over her."
"Are you kidding me? It's been a long couple of years, Liz. And I was the one who asked for a divorce, I've been done with her years ago."
"You know you're not fooling me, right? I sometimes see you staring at her pictures on your phone, I've read the lyrics you've written about her over the years that she was gone. You can deny anything but you can't deny that you still love her."
Yujin shakes her head, a few strands of her hair fall out of her loose bun in the movement.
"Fuck's sake. Fine. I'm not over her, I'm not over what she did, and I'm not over what we had because that shit fucked me up, her leaving fucked me up," Yujin spits out, "but all the love that I had for her? She took it and drained it all when she left, Liz. So I'm sorry to burst your bubble but I'm not in love with her anymore."
Liz's mouth hung open a little. Needless to say she was shocked at the admission, Yujin who loved deeply and dearly, and probably would have destroyed the world if Wonyoung asked her to, was in front of her telling her there was no sliver of love left.
Before she could get a word of response out, her black-haired friend shuts the door to her room.
--
Then
They meet when they're twenty.
Yujin's on her way to their freshmen orientation and she's been stressing about it the previous night. There were just so many new people and it didn't exactly help her anxiety. Luckily for her, her roommate and best friend since high school, Yuna was right beside her. They both decided to go to college at the same university, and it made Yujin feel relieved and happy, at least for the whole summer. When autumn came rolling around, her anxiety reappeared. She's been more than grateful for her best friend but college was scary.
'It's just school, calm down. And besides, we're roommates. Don't miss me too much,' Yuna told her the night before while she humored Yujin's nervous rants in their dorm room.
Yujin stops at the entrance of the orientation hall and Yuna notices. "Are you okay?" she asks her, looking concerned. Yujin nods sheepishly, not wanting to admit that she was tense and that she could feel the nerves eat her up.
"Are you sure?" Yuna asks again, eyeing her as they follow other freshmen inside the room. Yujin follows her and was about to open her mouth, probably about to deny her nervousness again when a girl bumps lightly into her side. The girl immediately turns to her and apologizes. She has an apologetic smile plastered on her porcelain face, light brown hair spiraling down her back. The second Yujin meets her eyes, the world around them disappears and suddenly it was as if it was just them, no crowd of people, no noise. Her jaw goes slack as she stares at the girl in front of her, wondering why flowers even dared to exist when this girl puts them all to shame. Her eyes the color of dark honey and it reminds Yujin of something familiar, of home. She looks familiar but Yujin couldn't quite put a pin on it. It's probably been just a few seconds but Yujin's sure she's been staring at this girl for a lifetime. Before the girl cold pull her deeper into the trance, Yuna's voice cuts through her thoughts and brings Yujin back to reality.
"Yujin? Is there something wrong?"
Yujin blinks, unable to get a word out and respond to Yuna.
"Yujin?" the girl in front of her repeats softly, her voice sounding like wind chimes getting hit by a light breeze. Yujin nods, "Y-yeah."
The girl smiles, too pretty, too blinding that Yujin fears that she might go blind any second. "I'm so sorry for bumping into you. I wasn't watching where I was going."
She shakes her head in response, smiling sheepishly, "No, it's okay."
"Are you sure? I'm Jang Wonyoung, by the way. Nice to meet you!" she says cheerfully, reaching out to shake Yujin's hand.
Jang Wonyoung. 'Ah, the sun has a proper name,' Yujin thinks to herself, nodding as she shakes Wonyoung's hand as well.
Yuna, who apparently has wandered into the room has come back out due to her roommate's lack of response. Much to her surprise, she sees her with another girl. She makes their way to them, pushing through a crowd of eager freshmen, and twists her arm around Yujin's.
"Hey, what happened?" she asks Yujin before turning to the other girl and asking, "Hi, I'm Yuna, who're you?"
"I'm Wonyoung," she replies, smile still in place. Like a moth to a flame, Yujin finds herself unable to stop staring.
"Well, Wonyoung, do you want to join us for the assembly?"
Yujin gnaws on her lip, wishing and hoping Wonyoung would say yes.
"Sure! That'd be nice," Wonyoung responds, eyes glinting in the sunlight.
They don't speak again until they're seated on a bench the second row from the top, listening idly to the chatter of the other students, and occasionally the speeches of the teachers and admin. Yuna begins paying attention when the upperclassmen begin talking about orgs and clubs. Wonyoung places her elbows on her lap, resting her chin on her palms and looks at Yujin.
"Hey Yujin," she begins. The dark haired girl turns to face her and asks, "Yeah?"
"You look familiar." Wonyoung continues softly. Yujin bunches her eyebrows together, confused.
"I do?"
Wonyoung nods, "Yep. I swear I feel like I know you from a past life or something."
"Past life? You believe in that?" Yujin replies, laughing at the randomness of the topic. She used to think it was something you talk about with someone you're close to and not someone you just met. But apparently, Yujin was wrong.
"Mm. Why not? Past lives, soulmates, fate. It's nice to believe in something. Don't you?" Wonyoung probes, looking into Yujin's eyes.
Yujin stays quiet. She stares back at Wonyoung, taking her in, the curve of her lips, the glimmer of her eyes, the sound of her voice and she thinks of how she reminds her of fallen angels, and mermaids, too beautiful to even exist. She thinks of the goddesses who grant the wishes and dreams of mortals and how she would not mind worshipping them if they were the reason why this fucking beautiful person was in front of her. She wonders what is going through Wonyoung's head, Yujin wants to know her thoughts, her take on things. Her voice, wind chimes and bells, Yujin could listen to her all day.
She stares at Wonyoung and wonders how it's possible that after only a few minutes of knowing her, she's got Yujin thanking her lucky stars that she met her. She stares at Wonyoung and thinks about destiny.
"Right now, I think I'm starting to." Yujin says finally.
--
Wonyoung's added to their little group and immediately fits right in, as if she's always belonged there, as if they'd saved her a seat with her name on it and were just waiting for her to arrive. And in just a short amount of time, Wonyoung becomes a permanent fixture in their dorm room, in their lunch tables, in Yujin's life. In just a short amount of time, Yujin's absolutely enthralled by Wonyoung, the way she talks, the she laughs, the way her arms feel when she wraps them around her. Wonyoung's acting the exact same way; she listens intently to what Yujin has to say, puts in the effort to make her laugh, and brings her food when she's feeling down. Those were the little things but Yuna catches on easily. They weren't exactly subtle, she sees how Yujin looks at Wonyoung, and she sees how Wonyoung regards Yujin like she's given her the stars or has found the cure to cancer. They spend their breaks together, eat dinners together. The two of them walk the other to their classes, pick them up afterwards. They take strolls outside the dorm and Wonyoung intertwines her fingers with Yujin's. Yuna doesn't contest it, she's Yujin's best friend and she's very protective of her but there was something about seeing them together that made her feel at ease. She sees Yujin happy, wrapped around Wonyoung's arms, and Yuna doesn't mind, even if it meant seeing them go from sickeningly sweet to downright savage with each other. She sees them together and wonders if they ever thought of making it official, announcing to the whole world that yes, they're fucking in love.
"So, is Wonyoung like your girlfriend now or something?" Yuna asks Yujin on a Friday night. Wonyoung had just left their dorm room, telling them she was going to meet up with some of her friends. 'You have other friends? That's hard to believe,' Yuna had teased her, earning her a pillow to her face. Yujin had laughed but instead getting hit, she got kisses on her cheek from Wonyoung.
"What? No." Yujin retorts, looking at Yuna, amused. Her friend only rolls her eyes at her. "Really? Because with the way you act around each other screams a totally different story," Yuna fires back with a smirk, "I clearly remember you playing tonsil hockey with her at Jennie's party. And that wasn't the first time either."
Yujin lets out a groan as she drops to her bed, she's heard this from Yuna a billion times already and she hates it. But not because it wasn't true, Yujin knows she likes Wonyoung, that she's attracted to Wonyoung. It was hard not to; she's smarter than she lets on, and she's funny, and she's kind. What's hard for Yujin was hiding it made her feel, how much Wonyoung affected her. She's failed at it but not for the lack of trying, she's tried to suppress it, thinking that it would go away but it didn't. It's difficult to keep a straight face when someone as beautiful as Wonyoung was in front of her, it's hard to stop the tint of red rising on her cheeks when Wonyoung links their hands together, it's hard to think straight when she feels Wonyoung's teeth bite her lower lip. She knows there was something else between them, something more, something much deeper than friendship. And every moment she spends in Wonyoung's arms, every time she feels Wonyoung's lips on hers, she knows Wonyoung could feel it too.
"Come on, Jinnie. It's so obvious to everyone else actually. Yunjin from our Foreign Language class even asked if you were together after seeing you two all over each other at the coffee shop like the world was ending." Yuna continues, now tuning her bass guitar while leaning against the headboard of her twin sized bed.
"Ugh. Shut up." Yujin mumbles. It was one thing to know something, it's another to be told about it — it makes it real.
Yuna laughs loudly, "God. You're like, in love with each other so just go and make it official, dumbass."
Yujin hugs one of her pillows tightly and pouts, "No. That's literally the worse thing I could do. She might not think the same way and asking might make things awkward and I might end up losing the only non-obnoxious friend I have."
Her friend stops fiddling with her guitar and shoots her a playful glare, "Rude. I think it's not hard to know that Wonyoung thinks the same way."
Yujin just sticks a tongue out at her as a response.
Yuna raises both her hands up in surrender, "Alright. You're right, Wonyoung doesn't like you. You're a child."
"Exactly." Yujin huffs, turns around and faces the wall. She hears Yuna sigh across the room, but she tries to ignore it anyway. Who needs labels anyway? They didn't need to say it out loud, they already show each other how they feel, already have their hearts on their sleeves, and for Yujin that was enough.
--
A couple of months before their first semester ends, something beautiful was made.
Wonyoung bursts into their dorm room and greets the room owners cheerfully. It was Saturday and the sun was already up, however, the occupants of the said dorm room weren't.
"Good morning, ladies of Room 19A. It's a wonderful day and ya'll need to get up," she repeats with verve, looking at the two of her friends sleeping; Yuna was lying on her stomach, dark hair covering most of her face, comforter splayed all over the bed, and notes on the foot of her bed. Yujin was on her side, lips on a slight pout, looking like an adorable burrito wrapped in her pink fluffy comforter. Wonyoung smiles softly, she's seen Yujin asleep so many times during the semester but she's never gotten over just how beautiful she was, there was something about the calmness of it, about how peaceful Yujin looked that just gets to her. She walks over to Yujin's bed and plops down beside her when she receives no response from either of the two. Wonyoung listens to Yujin's soft snores and smiles devilishly when she suddenly gets an idea. She pokes Yujin's side and starts tickling her. Yujin gasps, eyelids instantly snapping open, lips already set on a smile. "Wonyoung," she says giggling, "stop — shit —"
Wonyoung laughs, withdrawing her tickle attack and pulling in Yujin for a hug instead. She presses a kiss at the top of Yujin's head. "Rise and shine, lady. We're meeting Liz today, remember?"
Yujin grumbles, "Can we just meet her tomorrow or on the twelfth of never. I'm sleepy." She wiggles out of Wonyoung's embrace and turns over, completely covering herself with her comforter. Wonyoung laughs, "As tempting as that sounds, we can't. She says it's important."
She hears Yujin groan underneath her cover and Wonyoung chuckles before trying to pry Yujin's comforter off her.
"Ugh. Morning people aren't allowed here. Go away," Yujin whines, battling Wonyoung for her covers with all the strength she could muster.
"It's always so funny waking you up. You get so violent. I like it." Wonyoung says in between laughs.
"Fuck you, you're evil." Yujin bites back playfully. Wonyoung stops tugging at the comforter and puts on an expression of mock hurt, "Wow. You kiss me with that mouth?"
Yujin stops struggling too, she looks at Wonyoung and gives her a smug smile. "Why? You have a problem with that?"
"Kissing you? Absolutely not." Wonyoung replies, there's a hint of the truth there — lost in all the flirty banter.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"It's so early for you two to be flirting," Yuna mumbles from across the room. They both turn to see her sitting up on her bed, back hunched over as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. The commotion earlier had woken her up and to no one's surprise, she sees Wonyoung and Yujin grinning dumbly at each other. She shakes her head, this was their weird ass version of early morning wrestling or flirting — Yuna doesn't really know.
Wonyoung grins, "And it's too late for you to be sleeping in."
"It's still ten in the morning, nerd." Yuna says with a yawn, throwing a stuffed bunny at Wonyoung. She catches it and sticks her tongue out at Yuna, making Yujin burst into laughter. She groans, "Literal children. You two are made for each other."
--
The three of them go out to meet Kim Liz, a sophomore from their university, later that day. One thing about Kim Liz is she's a pretty well-liked student and she's immensely popular which is kind of an amazing feat for a person in a campus filled with tens of thousands of students. She and Wonyoung became close because they were roommates — it took a while but it was inevitable really. And since she was friends with Wonyoung, it was only natural that she became friends with Yuna and Yujin. Liz had told them a few weeks ago that she wanted to meet with them to talk about "something very important".
"Is she secretly dying?" Yuna asks, putting her cap on to partially save herself from the harsh noon time sunlight as they strode on the sidewalk on the way to their meeting place.
"Probably not." Wonyoung says simply, focusing more on holding Yujin's hand than paying attention to Yuna's query.
"Is she secretly part of the mafia or something?" Yujin questions jokingly. Wonyoung giggles, the side of her eyes crinkling. "I don't think so, Jinnie."
Yujin hums thoughtfully and looks away, fingers still entwined with Wonyoung's like her hands were always made for Yujin to hold. It seemed so natural how Wonyoung reaches out for her, Yujin wonders if that was something like gravity, like how the moon was with the Earth —one always going to where the other was. She wonders if Wonyoung thinks of that too. Yujin shoots Wonyoung a soft glance and almost immediately, Wonyoung looks back at her, lips set in a soft smile. Yujin smiles back, maybe she does.
They continue walking for a little while, Wonyoung and Yujin, still hand in hand, listening to Yuna who's begun to whine about how their current RA sucked, until they reach the burger joint Liz had told them go to. The three of them go in and are immediately greeted by the smell of cooked patties and fries.
"God, I'm starving." Yuna says wistfully as she scans the room for their friend. Since there were only a few people at the joint, she immediately sees Liz, chin resting on her palm as she looks out the window. "Alright, there she is. Let's go. I'm starving," Yuna says, making her way to where Liz was, Yujin and Wonyoung follow in suit.
"Hey." Yujin greets, sliding into the booth. Liz breathes a sigh of relief, lifting her chin up and dropping her arm.
"Finally. I thought you guys would never show up." She tells them as Wonyoung takes her place beside Yujin — of course, and Yuna takes the space beside Liz.
"I was planning on it." Yuna says lightly with a teasing expression plastered on her face, making Wonyoung and Yujin laugh. Liz punches her shoulder playfully, "Shut up. Don't make me regret ordering for you guys already."
Yujin looks at Liz, starry eyed and grateful, "You're the best." Liz smirks, "I know, I know. Best there is."
Wonyoung covers her mouth and blows raspberries as she gives Liz a thumbs down, "Boooooo we can't stand you."
Liz rolls her eyes and looks at Wonyoung smugly, "Please, I know you love me." Wonyoung and Yujin feign a look of disgust, and Yuna pretends to gag.
"Whatever, whatever. Listen to me now please," she says, waving a hand dismissively. She was used to being clowned and teased by these girls anyway and what she was about to say was very important. The girls decide to give it up and pay attention to what Liz was about to say.
"All ears." Yuna replies.
"Good," Liz smiles, ignoring the playful jab, "now you guys know I work part time at 21:29, right?"
They nod, of course they knew. Liz is popular, she was good at everything — an ace if, if you will. Her being good at "everything" does not only pertain to academics and student leadership, it also means she's good at singing too. It was how she landed a steady gig singing every Friday and all throughout the weekends at 21:29, a live music bar that was pretty popular among the students at their school. The students rave about the food and the service, while the employees brag about the pay. 'Ah, to do what you love and get paid for it," Yuna had once said dreamily.
The three of them have already witnessed Liz's prowess in the art of singing a bunch of times already, the first time was after their first meeting and she forced them all to watch her gig with the promise of free food to celebrate the "start of a new friendship" as she'd put it. The rest of those times, they came in their own free will.
"What about it?" Yuna asks curiously.
Liz flashes them a big, toothy grin.
"The band that we had just got signed on to a music label and we're left without a band. I told the manager I knew just the right people."
The moment was interrupted when the food that Liz ordered for all of them reach their booth but she keeps the grin on her face as the waitress carefully places the food on the table. The other girls ignore the feast, still overcome by the shock that came with what Liz had just told them. Yujin looks at her with her brows furrowed, not believing what Liz was implying. Wonyoung's expression was a mix of doubt and shock.
"You're fucking with us." Yuna tells her apprehensively, breaking the silence once the waitress leaves. Liz drops her grin and shoots her a look, "No, I'm not. I know you do not just lug around that bass guitar of yours for show."
The girl in question blinks, "Okay, I play but that doesn't mean I'm good."
"You are. And you love it, so why not get paid for it then?" Liz says with a shrug. She knows that's what Yuna wants, to do something she loves while getting paid for it. It would fulfill one of her dreams and help with her finances. Liz knows she's got Yuna when the girl doesn't respond, so she turns her attention to Wonyoung, "Oh please, Wonyoung. We're roommates, I've heard you play your guitar." Wonyoung looks back at her, eyes wide and trying to look innocent, "I didn't say anything, lady." Liz shoots her a smirk, she knows she's got her too. Liz trails her eyes to the last person to complete the group, "And I for one know you play drums –-"
"— when I was thirteen —" Yujin inserts dryly.
"— and I know you were good." Liz continues, sounding like a mother praising her child into coercion.
"No, I wasn't." Yujin replies stubbornly.
"Oh, you were. Yuna said so."
Yujin looks at Yuna, expression painted with just a tad of disgust, "A traitor."
Her best friend raises both arms in surrender, "I didn't kno —" but her eyes widened all of a sudden, seemingly realizing something.
"Oh my god, is that why you were asking me over and over last week if Yujin played any instruments?" she says accusingly with her torso turned to the oldest girl in the booth. Liz props her elbow on the table, resting her cheek on her palm, and smiling smugly at the girl beside her. Yuna slumps back on the leather chair and face twisted in confusion as to why she didn't even suspect a thing when Liz was interrogating her the week before.
"So, will you join me?" Liz asks them perkily. The three girls were still silent, but that didn't bother her at all because another thing about Kim Liz is she's persistent as fuck and she wasn't backing down.
"Please?" she continues, pouting her lips and giving her friends her best puppy dog eyes. "It's a really good gig and it pays well!" Her friends look at her, they knew it was a trap but it was hard to say no to.
Yuna is the one who breaks first.
"Ugh. Fine." she mutters, making Liz squeal in delight and Yujin put her face in her hands.
"Yuna, what the hell? That was quick," she mumbles, trying to stifle a laugh.
"Oh, Shin Yuna, you're the best!" Liz says as she gives her a tight squeeze. Yuna groans, trying push her off, "Ughh stop. I'm already regretting this." This doesn't deter Liz's squealing though. Seeing this, Wonyoung laughs loudly, "God, Yuna. I can't believe you fell for her trap."
Yuna looks at the others in front of her, "Shut up, it means I get paid anyway. Aren't you two going to join? Please don't leave me alone with her."
Wonyoung hums, pretending to be in deep thought, "I don't know, Yuna. You and Liz in a duo already sounds better than us being a band."
Yujin snickers beside her, earning a glare from her best friend in front of her. She takes pity on her and sighs. "Fine," she says, giving in, "getting paid is never a bad thing because that means I get to buy more food anyway. I can't promise that I'll be good at it though."
Wonyoung looks at Yujin, unable to stop herself from grinning. It was such a Yujin thing to say, and Wonyoung finds her love for food absolutely adorable. Yujin throws her a look.
"Wonnie, please say yes. It's better when you're with m— us." Yujin pleads with a small pout.
And just like that, Wonyoung finds herself breaking, Yujin knows how to get her.
And by god, she'd say yes to this girl all the time.
"Alright. I'm in too." Wonyoung acquiesces.
Liz beams at them, "Perfect."
After that, they dig in to the delicious plates of food in front of them and the rest was history.
--
A month after they start playing gigs at the music bar, Yujin begins to feel inspired. She's written lyrics and poems before but she's kind of dropped it after her third year in high school. There was something about being musically involved again, and there was something about meeting Wonyoung, getting to know her, kissing her, loving her. There was something about her that made Yujin want to write a thousand hundred sonnets, a million songs, hundreds of poems for her and only her. She's already been able to write bits and pieces while she's in class, half listening to what the professor was discussing or during her breaks alone.
She finishes her first song after one particular night with Wonyoung.
They were alone in the room since Yuna and Liz were out for the night off doing some favor the oldest had asked for. Half past eleven in the evening and the two of them were still up, huddled together in front of Yujin's laptop as they watched a drama Yujin's been dying to binge watch. Having Wonyoung on Yujin's bed was no surprise, it's become something normal, expected. Yujin feels Wonyoung absentmindedly drawing circles on her arm, so she looks up at the girl beside her. Wonyoung looks calm as she continues watching characters face dilemmas on the screen. And Yujin just looks at her, wondering how someone could be this beautiful. Her stares drops onto Wonyoung's lips. Yujin's kissed her before, much more than one would think but she knows she'll never get enough of it, never get over how she tastes. She realizes she wants her, she wants her more than she could ever admit.
"Wonyoung," she murmurs. The brunette turns to her as soon as her name leaves Yujin's lips.
"Hm?" Wonyoung asks innocently.
"I want to kiss you." Yujin utters, surprising even herself.
Wonyoung laughs softly, amused at the question. They've done it many times and she wonders why Yujin thought she still had to ask. She pulls Yujin close and presses her lips onto hers. It was soft and chaste at first, and Yujin forces herself to be content but she's unable to stop the want that she feels. She puts a hand on Wonyoung's waist and kisses her more, lips moving fiercer and fiercer as seconds pass. Wonyoung reciprocates, kissing her back fervently and pulling Yujin closer. Yujin's tongue slips out across Wonyoung's lower lip, and she opens her mouth with a sigh.
"Is it bad that I want you?" Yujin asks, looking at Wonyoung.
"Why would that be bad?" Wonyoung questions back. Yujin sighs again, head dipping low to plant kisses on Wonyoung's jaw, on her neck.
"Because you aren't exactly mine, Wonyoung." Yujin drawls, sucking on Wonyoung's pulse point. Wonyoung lets out a soft moan and Yujin thinks it might be the best sound she's heard in forever.
"Yujin, I'll always be yours." Wonyoung replies, breathless and in all honesty, turned on.
Yujin gains confidence and rolls Wonyoung onto her back. She slides a knee on both sides of her hips and kisses her again. Wonyoung's teeth captures Yujin's bottom lip, making Yujin whine softly. They kiss for a long time, on top of the sheets and then underneath them. Their clothes hit the floor and their soft moans fill the room.
--
The next day, Yujin spots Liz at the library. It was surprisingly quite empty with only a few students littered all over the huge space, back hunched overs tables and cubicles. It was one of the rare times that Yujin is alone since both Yuna and Wonyoung had classes. She pulls Liz aside and brings her behind some shelves.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Liz asks, partly taken aback. She holds the books she has in her arms tightly.
"I wrote a song." Yujin tells her simply.
"Really?" the girl questions, delightfully surprised by what Yujin had told her. Her shoulders relax and she sighs in relief.
"Yeah. I finished it late last night."
"That's actually really great, Jinnie but I don't understand wh —"
"I want you to be the one to sing it, Liz."
"What?"
"When the day comes, I want you to sing it."
Liz nods slowly, still seventy percent confused.
"Okay... Is it for someone or..?"
"Do you really have to ask?" Yujin retorts, an eyebrow raised defiantly.
Ah.
Liz's hit with a realization.
"Ah, of course I don't."
And she was right, something that obvious, expected didn't really need to be said out loud.
--
Now
Wonyoung pulls her trusty Yankees cap over her head and makes her way to the café right across her hotel. With her dark navy t-shirt, loose denim jeans, round framed glasses, and sneakers, Wonyoung knows she'd have no trouble blending in with the café goers. She stops in front the café's clear glass doors, hand of the door handle, and look inside. She's supposed to meet Liz at three in the afternoon and she was scared shitless. That's why Wonyoung breathes a sigh of relief when she doesn't see Liz there. For the past hour she's debated on whether or not she'd actually meet with Liz or ditch her, but seeing no one waiting for her made her feel better, relieved that she still has a few minutes to herself, to prepare for seeing one of the people she left — as if two years of radio silence weren't enough already.
She takes a deep breath and takes her cap off before pulling the door open and stepping inside. The smell of coffee fills her nostrils as she moves toward the counter and orders two iced cappuccinos. She thanks the barista, who thankfully was too late recognize her, and walks over to the table at the farthest corner of the café. Wonyoung takes a seat and tries to compose herself before Liz arrives. She stares at the condensation building up on the plastic cup of her coffee.
What was she going to say to her? Hi! I'm sorry for leaving you guys can we be friends again? Hi, Liz! I'm sorry for disappearing for a couple years? How have you been? How is my wife? Does she hate me even more now?
And just like that her mind wanders off to Yujin again. Fuck. How was she going to get her back when she can't even handle meeting Liz? She grumbles in defeat, there was no way she could do this. She sighs and fishes her phone out of her purse. She begins to type up a message for Liz telling her that she wouldn't be able to make it to coffee, giving her a random excuse and an apology but she stops typing when she sees a very familiar face enter the café.
Too late.
Wonyoung drops her phone back in her bag, place her hands on the table, and sighs as Liz walks over to where she was.
"Wow. A genuine Jang Wonyoung sighting. Pretty rare these couple of years." Liz says dryly, no hint of playfulness, and takes a seat across her.
"You must be very lucky." Wonyoung retorts, making Liz shake her head.
"Maybe," the girl tells her, tone dropping the hint of venom it had a few seconds earlier, "I didn't think you'd make it today. I honestly was waiting for you to text me some lame excuse and tell me you won't come."
Wonyoung gives up, looking at her friend who she hasn't seen in years, and flashes her an apologetic smile.
"Well, I was about to but you arrived so..." she trails off. Liz laughs softly, "You're the worst." Wonyoung chuckles back but it dies down shortly.
"I'm sorry, for leaving." Wonyoung tells her sincerely, giving Liz a rueful look. Her friend sighs and reaches out to hold her hand.
"It's okay, really. I know you had a reason," she replies softly, giving Wonyoung's hand a soft squeeze. Wonyoung smiles at her appreciatively, "Thank you." She lets out a breath and squeezes her friend's hand back. "It was mistake though — leaving. It was just done so hastily and the only reason why I took so long to come back was because I was scared of facing the consequences and —"
"Wonyoung." Liz says, cutting her off. "You know I'm not the person you should explain to, right?"
Right.
"Y-Yeah. God. I don't know how to face her again, Liz." Wonyoung utters, she's trying to keep her voice from cracking. Wonyoung's a strong girl but she's weak and she breaks easily when it comes to Yujin.
"I honestly don't know what to tell you, Wonyoung." Liz says, releasing her friend's hand. "You practically ghosted us. And her, your wife — you ghosted your wife, Wonyoung."
"And I regret it. But —" Wonyoung groans, burying her face in her hands.
"But what?"
Wonyoung looks up from her hands and looks at Liz, unsure if she was ready to embarrass herself by telling her what she really came back for.
"Um. I know I have no right to ask you this but," Wonyoung says slowly, deciding to tell Liz anyway, "Do you think she'll take me back?"
Liz looks back at Wonyoung, trying to mask the pity that she felt, her mind immediately wandering off to the conversation she had earlier with Yujin.
"I don't know. She's still, uh —" she stutters, not in love with you anymore? "—she's still angry. And weren't you guys about to get...divorced before you left?"
Wonyoung's face falls, "Yeah."
How could she forget? It was the reason why she left anyway. Wonyoung's breaking and she has no more strength to even try to hide it. It was in plain view for Liz to see.
"I really want you guys to work this out, you know?" she tells Wonyoung truthfully. It hurt seeing them hurt because of each other, she remembers watching Wonyoung crumble even before she left, and she remembers hearing Yujin sob into the night when she thinks everyone is asleep weeks after Wonyoung was gone.
"That's what I'm going to try to do, Liz."
"Bu —" Before Liz could finish her sentence, a familiar-looking girl puts a hand on her shoulder. Wonyoung stares at her intently, she knows her but she couldn't quite put a finger on it.
"Hi," the girl greets softly. Liz turns around and breaks into a huge grin.
"Hey, babe," she greets back, pushing the chair beside her so the girl could sit.
Babe?! Wonyoung looks at the both of them in confusion as the girl sits down. Wonyoung clears her throat, demanding an answer from her friend in question.
Liz turns back to her, "Oh, uh. Wonyoung, this is Naoi Rei. Rei, this is Wonyoung. I hope you don't mind that I asked her to come here."
The girl — Rei, reaches out a hand. "Hello, it's nice to see you again, Wonyoung."
Wonyoung laughs awkwardly as she takes Rei's hand and shakes it, dazed and still wondering where she knew this girl from. Naoi Rei. Naoi... And then it dawns on her.
"Holy shit. Rei? I haven't seen you since college!" she exclaims excitedly, "I mean really see you, of course I've seen you around, you're a world famous ballerina! My parents loved you in the Nutcracker."
Rei laughs, "Well, probably not as famous as you guys."
"Please, you're better than the rest of us combined." Liz scoffs.
Wonyoung nods.
"How did you guys manage to reconnect and become friends again?"
Liz and Rei share a look, Wonyoung raises an eyebrow.
"I'm her fiancée." Rei states, smiling sheepishly.
"Her what now?" Wonyoung questions, unable to process the information that was given to her. From what she remembered Liz and Rei dated a few years back, before IVE was scouted, before Liz gave up singing. But they ended up breaking up for some reason.
"Fiancée, Jang. We're getting married in two weeks." Liz repeats, looking Wonyoung in amusement.
Her eyes widens, "Oh my god? Congratulations!"
The couple thanks her and gives her sheepish grins, the fluttering feeling they get when they acknowledge their engagement still hasn't worn off. Wonyoung's reminded of her and Yujin, and her heart continues to ache.
"This is why I asked to meet up. I couldn't just tell you over the phone." Liz tells her, still smiling.
"Does this mean I'm invited?" Wonyoung says with a grin.
"Guess so." Liz shrugs, looking at Wonyoung playfully and making her laugh lightly.
"How did this happen though? You guys broke up years ago. How did Liz manage to get you back?" Wonyoung jokes, trying to divert her thoughts away from her sinking love life.
Liz complains, "Excuse you, she was the one who asked me out again."
"Well that's weird." Wonyoung replies teasingly, feigning confusion. Rei laughs softly and looks at Liz, "Well, believe it or not, she's actually telling the truth."
"I have got to know how that happened." Wonyoung replies grinning, curiosity weighing over her current worries.
"It's a long story." Liz says thoughtfully, hand absentmindedly rubbing the back of Rei's.
"I'm all ears." Wonyoung says eagerly with a smile. She's always loved love stories that ended with happy endings, it's just ironic that hers didn't seem like it was going to.
--
It's almost nighttime and it's been a few hours already after shutting the door on Liz and Yujin starts to feel cooped up. She's been trying to take a nap in yet another attempt to keep her mind off of Wonyoung, and she's done her best trying not to pick up her phone. The internet was not a safe place for her sanity as of the moment, her phone in general wasn't safe because she might not be able to stop herself from contacting Wonyoung. And it would be a whole mess, it'd make things worse. She's a little bit annoyed that Wonyoung still has that effect on her after all these years. She's angry — of course she is, and she's frustrated but it was more at herself than at Wonyoung if she was being honest. After all, Yujin was the one who wanted to end things with her in the first place, and instead of giving her an answer and setting her free, Wonyoung ran away, so why was Yujin the one hiding from her her, why was Wonyoung the one going out and catching up with Liz?
She lets out a huff as she kicks her covers off as she's decided get out of the penthouse. Yujin hastily changes out of her pajamas and puts on a pair of crisp jeans and a blue top. She puts her hair up in a tighter bun, takes out a short black wig out of her dresser, and puts it on her head. Yujin looks at the mirror as she adjusts the wig in place and puts her round shaped glasses on as well. She chuckles to herself, she and her bandmates wear disguises out for fun when they go out. They could always bring their manager and their bodyguards if they didn't want to be mobbed in the streets of Seoul, but where's the hilarity in that? IVE wasn't IVE if they weren't a little bit of crackheads, and the disguises were foolproof because they could just put on wigs and glasses — it's hard to mess that up, and people didn't bother them at all. Yujin takes one last look at herself in the mirror and grabs her phone and her backpack before going out of her room.
Yujin hoists one of their bicycles off of their bike stand and wheels it out of the apartment door. She takes the elevator to the lobby and moves past the revolving doors. Yujin positions herself on her bicycle and starts to pedal, breathing in the surprisingly cold mid-April air. Riding her bicycle around the city always calms her down, it eases her mind and it helps her push out unwanted thoughts. It was therapeutic and she's done it a billion of times that it was hard to let go despite the fact that it was something she used to do with Wonyoung. They used to ride their bikes towards the park near the Han River whenever they felt like it, whenever they wanted to have dates that weren't fancy, whenever Wonyoung feels sad, whenever Yujin feels stressed. Yujin still bikes around but she's avoided the riverside months after Wonyoung had left. There were too many memories, too many remnants of Wonyoung that she couldn't just ignore.
But much to her surprise, she finds herself pedaling fast along the riverside. Yujin wants to turn around, go home but she mentally scolds herself; Wonyoung has taken too much from her already, she can't give her the river too. So, Yujin rides along the bank, careful not to hit anyone. The lights were twinkling, looking like stars on the surface of the water, the people seemed to be happy just relaxing and talking, children were running around with their laughter echoing in the distance and Yujin's too enamored by it that she's caught off guard. The feeling of her bike crashing into someone breaks the trance, and Yujin instantly panics. She leans on her left leg for support before she could fall sideways and onto the cement. She sees the woman she hit fall over and Yujin immediately gets off her bike as she rushes to the girl's side.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I was so distracted. I'm so so sorry," she apologizes sincerely as she crunches down and helps the woman stand.
"Oh no, it's okay. Don't worry about it!" the woman reassures her as she takes Yujin's hand, gets up, and dusts herself off.
"Did you break something? Do I need to take you to a hospital?" Yujin asks, voice filled with concern.
"Hospital? No, no it's fine really. I wasn't looking where I was walking," the girl says with a smile as she stands straight.
"Are you sure becau—" Yujin's words stop short as she sees the woman's face. The baseball cap's done nothing to conceal it, and Yujin would always recognize that face anywhere.
"Wonyoung?" she mutters slowly as she stares at the person in front of her, dazed and unbelieving. Of all the places she could have gone, why, why, did she have to choose the Han River. Yujin hates herself then.
Wonyoung stares back at her and Yujin watches as her expressions turns from confusion to realization to shock.
"Y-Yujin. Hi." Wonyoung greets woodenly, she wasn't prepared for this. No amount of preparation could have ever prepared her for this, for the moment she sees Yujin again.
Yujin seethes, biting her lip as she struggles not to scream or cry or do both.
Hi? After two years, that was all she had to say? Fucking hi? Yujin feels the anger rise up in her again, she's panicking and she's angry and she's feeling so overwhelmed. So overwhelmed that she's lost the strength to reign her sharp tongue in.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" she spits, eyes burning.
"I-I where? The riverside? I just got back here and I missed it so I —" Wonyoung stammers, Yujin's anger piercing through her chest.
"I meant what the fuck are you doing back in Seoul," Yujin states, venom still present.
"I... I came back to see you." Wonyoung replies, hoping Yujin wouldn't hear her voice breaking.
"To see me?" Yujin asks sarcastically, "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Yu —"
"Save your breath, Wonyoung," she says sharply as she pulls her bike upright and prepares to ride off. She turns to Wonyoung one last time.
"Ah, now that you're here, I guess we can finally push through with the divorce." Yujin states, feigning nonchalance. Inside, she's shattering, she feels the tears prickling, but she can't show weakness. Wonyoung's lost the right to her vulnerability, so Yujin does her best to keep a straight face.
Wonyoung's face falls as she shakes her head, moving towards Yujin.
"Yujin, please just hear me out," she pleads, trying to reach out and hold her. Yujin realizes this and cuts her off by moving a little forward.
Yujin is confused, she doesn't know what she's feeling anymore. Moments ago, it was clear that she was angry but now, seeing Wonyoung look so helpless, so sad, Yujin just wants to do nothing else but pull her into a tight embrace.
Yujin wants to say I missed you but what she says instead is, "Sure, I will. My lawyer will call you on Monday. I'll see you then."
And with that she faces forward and drives off, leaving Wonyoung in the dust.
Yujin gets back to an empty penthouse in no time. It was still empty and the absence of her bandmates made the entire space look and feel hollow. Funnily enough, that was how Yujin felt. All the anger and pain she had felt at the river with Wonyoung was all gone, all blown away by the wind as Yujin scrambled to make it home without crying.
She places the bicycle on the bike rack and manages to make it to the living before falling to the floor on her knees. She feels the tears make their way down her face and she lets herself sob. And after two years, Yujin was back at square one, feeling as empty as she was the day Wonyoung had left Seoul.