Chapter Text
“Hey,” Jungeun whispers, her voice raspy and desperate. “Jinsol, wake up.”
The doctor shifts in her queen-sized bed and knits her brow together, eyes still closed shut. “Jungeun? What time is it?”
“It’s barely sunrise. Listen, I need you to—”
“Oh, shit!” Jinsol jolts up and looks to her bedside table, frantically fishing for something in the dark. “Where’s my phone?”
After roaming her hand aimlessly, she finally takes hold of the object and brings it close to her eyes, illuminating a portion of her sleepy face (which Jungeun found cute).
“10 missed calls, he’s gonna kill me,” Jinsol clicks her tongue and rushes out of bed before slipping her feet into her home slippers, Yerim still soundly asleep despite the fuss.
“Jinsol, wait!” Jungeun took her crutches and tried to catch up to Jinsol who was already hurrying down the stairs that took the injured girl forever to climb. “Don’t open the door!”
But Jinsol doesn’t hear her and swings the door open anyway.
“Finally,” A tall man with a large backpack slung onto his shoulder greeted, exhaustion in his voice. “It’s freezing out here.”
“Sorry, I kept my phone on silent and overslept.”
Jinsol helps the man with his things and invites him back into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. The moment Jungeun successfully reached the first floor, the two were already sitting comfortably and having a chat.
“Jungeun!” The older girl calls out. “This is my brother.”
“I’m Jaehyun,” He stands to bow subtly and takes Jungeun’s hand for a quick shake. “With your hair blonde like that you look more like Jinsol’s twin than I do!”
“Hi,” Jungeun greets with a hasty breath, still trying to recover from the panic and anxiety she felt earlier. She found it dumb that she was worried for nothing, forgetting that Jinsol did say something about her brother coming over soon. She blames The Bathroom Moment yesterday for fogging up her mind so much.
—
Jungeun sits with the Jung siblings at the breakfast table, she listens to them talk more than inputting her own narratives (there wasn’t much to tell them anyway; it’s not like she can openly talk about the time she shot a man dead during a hit-and-run).
It was a little odd, just observing the both of them and taking every bit of information in. The stories they shared about each other was something Jungeun never heard of, never thought of, never experienced.
The world is so much bigger than just hunting people down and stealing riches, I guess.
“You’re gonna love the seasonal carnival, Jungeun. Food’s great, the weather’s great—literally everything is perfect there,” Jaehyun expressed sincerely like he wanted to marry the place. “Oh and don’t forget to ride the rollercoaster!”
Topics shifted from left to right and the more they talked the more questions and mysteries Jungeun had of Jinsol were answered. She learns that the tiny scar Jinsol had on her forehead (that she finds absolutely adorable) was from when she tripped and hit her head on the table as a kid, Jaehyun got scolded badly when their parents found out.
Jaehyun then spoke of his fiancee, Taeyong, who was an international model, his career as an architect, and Jinsol’s embarrassing stories which made the blonde doctor share Jaehyun’s own as revenge.
Apparently, Jinsol was the campus crush in both high school and college; Jungeun thinks that was to be expected though. How many people she’s dated wasn’t mentioned by Jaehyun but Jungeun caught the word “girlfriend” at some point and an unexplainable weight that she didn’t notice was lifted off of her shoulders.
“We were the infamous Jung Twins,” Jaehyun smugly says with a dimpled grin, his arms crossed on his broad chest. “Jinsol here gave us a bad rep for being such a heartbreaker.”
“Was not!”
The bond Jaehyun and Jinsol had reminded Jugeun of her and Sooyoung. They weren’t too close like that but the insults and the bickering hit close enough.
Huh, I wonder how Sooyoung’s doing.
Actually, let me rephrase that.
I wonder who Sooyung is doing.
Jungeun smirks to herself, Jinsol and Jaehyun think she’s laughing along.
“So,” The dark-haired man turned to her after he took a sip of the coffee Jinsol had prepared. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you, Jungeun.”
“Jaehyun!” Jinsol whacks her brother on the shoulder and gives him a warning glare.
“Hey, is that how you treat people older than you?”
“By like fourteen minutes? Yes.”
The two argue again and it seems Jaehyun’s already forgotten what he had just said about Jungeun since they’ve moved on to a different subject. Still, Jungeun couldn’t take her mind off what Jaehyun mentioned. How else was he supposed to know about the things that’s been going on?
Jinsol cleared her throat and Jungeun was out of her daze. “We should start setting the table for breakfast. Yerim will be waking up soon.”
“I’ll cook,” Jaehyun and Jungeun both said in unison as they stood up.
Jaehyun looks at the short brunette, surprised. “You do the cooking?”
“Uh, yeah,” Jungeun says hesitantly, unsure if that was the right answer or not.
“The cleaning?”
“Stop with your Nicki Minaj jokes!” Jinsol throws another punch at her brother.
He laughs. “Jinsol still can’t cook, I see.”
Jungeun found their squabble funny. But behind the venomous words they throw, she can tell they care for each other very much.
“Keep making fun of me and I’m gonna tell Jungeun to poison your food.”
“You’re going to set your guest up for murder? What a horrible host,” Jaehyun raised a brow. “Besides, Jungeun would never.”
He’s right. She wouldn’t, she could though, but she wouldn’t.
“Just get your ass in the kitchen!”
—
Yerim finally woke up just in time for breakfast. She was especially ecstatic when she saw Jaehyun, practically jumping from the fourth to the last step and into his arms, nearly knocking his balance off.
It took Jinsol five whole minutes to settle her down and convince her to eat first before playing Super Smash Brothers with the new gadget. “Breakfast will only take thirty minutes, Yerim. Then you’ll have the whole day with your Uncle Jaehyun.”
While eating, Jinsol asks her whose cooking she liked better, Jungeun’s or Jaehyun’s. The sweet girl answered “or” and added, “Jungie and Uncle Jaehyun have their own kind of cooking and I like them both!”
Ah, Yerim. The brightest ray of sunshine.
To think Jungeun couldn’t stand the kid at first.
Now she would do anything for her.
“Slow down, the asparagus might choke you if you don’t chew it properly!” Jinsol scolds lightly, her parenting instincts kicking in.
Despite her mother’s nagging, Yerim still continues to finish up fast. She was too excited to get her hands on the new Nintendo console Jaehyun had told her about a few weeks ago.
It didn’t take Yerim too long to lick her plate clean (which Jinsol was at least happy about because it takes so much effort to get the kid to finish her food). Before Jaehyun could even eat the last bite of his omelette, Yerim had already pulled him from the breakfast table, leaving Jinsol and Jungeun by themselves.
At first, she wasn’t bothered by it. Jungeun was slowly getting used to Jinsol’s presence.
Until she remembered what happened yesterday.
Jungeun had such a scare earlier in the day she forgot all about That Moment she shared with Jinsol in the bathroom after she dyed her hair blonde. She wasn’t sure if Jinsol was irrationally overthinking it the same way Jungeun was, but Jinsol had probably swatted the thought away already by now.
“I’m gonna go wash up,” Jinsol sighs in relief after she wiped the plates dry. “Let’s leave in a few?”
Jungeun nods, lips pursed awkwardly. “Sure.”
—
She didn’t want to be the one who kept the other waiting so Jungeun did her best to get ready in less than ten minutes despite her casted leg and limited movement. The anxiety she felt probably fueled her adrenaline, letting her get things done faster.
So many thoughts are going through her mind right now. The biggest concern she had was what if shit goes down at the carnival later? What if by the time they get home, the gang would have already ransacked the place and left no one alive?
She thinks of the stone she stole kept in the satchel. It was most likely impossible and very stupid but what if somehow—somehow—there was a tracker in it?
One by one, Jungeun’s worry piled up like a stack of Lego blocks. She tried to ignore the negative theories her mind was constructing, not wanting to ruin the day Jinsol was looking forward to.
“Sorry, hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”
Speak of the devil.
Jinsol finally came down after changing into her “going out” clothes and Jungeun is immediately speechless. She wasn’t dressed in the plain green scrubs anymore, Jinsol was in high waisted shorts, a black, cropped tank top with a flannel over it and a bag slung onto her shoulder.
(What negative thoughts? I don’t know her!)
“Kiss your mommy goodbye, Yerim. She’ll be going out with Jungeun today,” Jaehyun carries the six year old in his arms, letting her reach Jinsol’s height. “Ask her to get us hotdogs on the way home.”
“Hotdogs! Hotdogs!” Yerim chants after placing a quick but loud peck on her mother’s cheek.
Jinsol tried to reason that it would just get cold by the time they got home, but Yerim counters that they could always microwave it. “Okay, okay! I’ll get you guys some hotdogs.”
Jaehyun and Yerim cheered loudly, excited for their hotdog dinner later.
It took Jungeun a few seconds to snap out of her trance and realize Jinsol had already walked out of the house. She quickly straightened up and before she could close the front door, she could’ve sworn Jaehyun gave her a wink, clearly teasing her about the situation she was getting herself into.
—
“I cannot believe you drive a convertible Jeep Wrangler,” Jungeun tells Jinsol after stepping out of the vehicle. “That’s pretty cool.”
“Pretty hot” was what Jungeun wanted to say.
“I needed something heavy duty for travelling great distances and getting past uncemented routes so I thought this was the best choice for me,” Jinsol shrugged like it was no big deal, slamming the door of her car shut and rushing over the Jungeun to help her out with her crutches.
“Still cool,” The younger girl repeats.
The place was amazing, Jungeun thought. It wasn’t grandiose or anything, it was just the right size for a carnival in the middle of nowhere.
Booths and tents were set up along the cliffside, overseeing the vast ocean ahead (Jungeun thinks the sunset would look really nice from here). A small Ferris wheel with the height of not more than twenty meters stood at the edge of the cliff. Jungeun thought that was dangerous but hey, at least there’s a Ferris wheel.
“A carnival is not a carnival without a Ferris wheel.”
She recalls Jinsoul’s words in the car.
“Why are we parked so far from the entrance? I feel like the distance between the car and the carnival is bigger than that entire place,” Jungeun catches a breath after struggling to walk down from the hill’s slope where Jinsol’s Jeep was parked. “I mean look, you can literally see everything from here. That’s how far away it is from everything.”
“I always park there. It’s my favorite spot.”
Jungeun groaned in response, still not understanding the logic behind Jinsol’s reasoning.
“Shall we, then?”
Jinsol points to the entrance with her thumb where a bunch of summer-clothed people started to gather.
She wanted to enjoy the moment like nothing was holding her back, but Jungeun was still tense. Jinsol looked beautiful, the weather was good, the atmosphere felt like it was the most perfect place at the moment—so why was she losing her mind?
There was a lump in her throat, the possibilities of what could happen flashing in her mind.
Until Jinsol took her hand and squeezed it.
“Hey, let’s have fun today. We’ll be okay.”
And that was it.
Jungeun nodded and smiled back, trusting each word Jinsol had said.
We’ll be okay.
It was her new mantra.
Besides, nothing unusual has happened. She’s never seen a single sign of the Black Butterfly since ending up in Jinsol’s clinic and it’s been more than a month.
No way were they going to waste their resources and energy on just one member, and they weren’t even sure if she was alive. All the time they could spend looking for her and the stone could be used to start planning for a new heist and a chance for them to score something bigger instead.
Jungeun thinks of what their mastermind told her at a young age, “Everyone is disposable.”
She definitely wasn’t an exception. By now, they’ve probably moved on.
So what if they lost the stone? So what if the heist was a failure?
It’s not the first time they failed. Jungeun’s experienced a failed mission before and although the boss was pissed as fuck, it’s not like they were killed for it.
We’ll be okay.
Jungeun repeats.
“Let’s go.”
And that was Jinsol’s cue to pull Jungeun along with her, almost forgetting that her leg was still healing. She quickly apologizes and takes the shorter girl in for a small hug, laughing.
Both girls enter the carnival, every step adding to the thrill of the moment.
Everything was good.
They start off with a shooting game, Jinsol was total whack at it but of course, Jungeun nailed it perfectly despite how inconvenient it was, clinging onto her crutches for support while holding up a toy sniper. It took her less than a minute to finish shooting all ten cans and winning Jinsol a big, fluffy Shiba Inu stuffed toy.
“How did you do that?”
“I just got lucky.”
“Oh, wait!” Jungeun flinched at Jinsol suddenly moving closer to her. “I brought this.”
She takes out a Polaroid camera from her sling bag and holds it up with one hand, the lens facing both of them, while her other hand hugged her prized Shiba Inu.
Now being a fugitive, Jungeun never took pictures so she didn’t really know what she was supposed to do. But Jinsol was smiling and, in turn, made her subconsciously smile along as if it was an instinct.
Problem was, Jinsol didn’t give her a head’s up and pressed the capture button with Jungeun still looking at her.
“Uh, I wasn’t able to look at the—”
Too late. The film finished printing and the colors were beginning to come together, revealing the moment that had just occurred.
“Cute,” Was all the taller blonde said before dragging Jungeun to another booth, not letting a second go to waste by idling around.
And this time, Jinsol decided it was her turn to shine after Jungeun effortlessly crushed the shooting game. She wasn’t gonna let her pride down that easily.
“You’re gonna hurt yourself,” Jungeun warns as Jinsol lifts the big mallet over her shoulder; the tool was nearly half her size and most likely half her weight too.
Scoffing, Jinsol disregards Jungeun’s advice. “Says the girl who reopened her cut.”
“Why can’t you let that go!”
“It took me a while to stitch back!”
Taking a few more shaky steps towards the High-striker machine, Jinsol holds onto the object with both her hands wrapped tightly around the handle and eyes the target like a bull seeing red. Once she got close enough, she slammed the mallet with all her strength; the loud ting! heard after the collision between the puck and the bell caused Jungeun’s ears to buzz.
Maybe she should consider not messing with Jinsol too much.
Mouth agape, Jungeun could only do so much as stare at an overjoyed Jinsol jumping up and down as the staff let her choose which stuffed animal she wanted as her prize.
“Jungie!” She pulled the younger girl to the counter with the widest smile Jungeun’s ever seen. “You choose.”
Jungeun didn’t see the appeal in stuffed toys. If she could, she would ask the staff if she can take the mallet home instead.
But Jinsol looked so excited, so proud of her victory—the victory that was won for her , for Jungeun. She lifted the heavy-ass mallet with Jungeun at the back of her mind, hoping to win something for her.
For her .
“We’ll take that one,” Jungeun points at the body-sized Moomin plushie.
The employee sighs before stepping on the counter to reach for the object hung at the top part of the wall grid. Jugneun figures it was probably one of those hard-to-get prizes people could rarely win. Hopping off of the counter with the toy in hand, the personnel hands Jungeun her chosen reward.
“It kinda looks like you,” Jinsol teased, her index finger poking Jungeun’s reddening cheeks.
Shy eyes look away from the older girl’s direction and catches the blue and red neon lights of the ice cream parlor instead. “Hey, that place looks nice.” Jungeun takes the opportunity to change the subject.
Following Jungeun’s line of sight, Jinsol is all giddy. She tells her that it was her fourth favorite place in the carnival and before Jungeun could say no, Jinsol had already insisted that Jungeun must have a taste of the best ice cream she’s ever had; she says it’s Gelato, which Jungeun later found out was a fancier version of the usual dessert.
The two girls enter the petite shop with arms linked, eyes dart towards them and their bright blonde heads (okay, some were looking at Jungeun’s big ass cast and the huge stuffed toys Jinsol managed to shove into her bag). A guy tried to hit on her and Jinsoul by offering to buy them a cone each; Jungeun expected Jinsol to decline but she was surprised (and jealous) to hear the taller girl accept the offer.
Jungeun blocked out the small talk they were both having, her mood completely turned upside down. She felt a little immature and mentally reasoned with herself that she had no right to act like this, but come on!
Really, Jinsol? This guy looks like his face was used to wipe ass after shitting.
“What about you, cutie? What are you having?” The asswipe-looking guy turned to Jungeun, who was almost gagging at how cringey that sounded.
“Anything is fine,” She managed to mutter.
“And so are you,” He clicked his tongue twice in an attempt to be charming (which failed miserably) before telling the cashier lady their orders.
Jungeun thinks Jinsol had already picked up the negative energy emanating from her because the grip she had on Jungeun’s arm went tense. The reaction made Jungeun feel bad, she avoided looking at Jinsol for a second after the girl moved closer to try and read her expression; she didn’t want to bother Jinsol with her moody ass on a supposedly happy day.
Still, Jinsol subtly tapped on Jungeun’s hand to get her attention. The shorter girl doesn’t turn her face to look back at her, she instead moves her eyes enough to see Jinsol in her peripheral vision.
She didn’t look worried or mad, which was a relief to Jungeun. But her raised eyebrows and goofy grin added to the confusion Jungeun was feeling because what on earth did Jinsol plan to do from here on out?
“Here you go, ladies.”
Jesus Christ.
Jinsol thanks him with a bright smile; Jungeun was silently looking at her overloaded cone topped with thick, pink cream and dried strawberry chips. The guy throws more compliments at the girls but Jungeun dismisses while Jinsol happily entertains.
“So what are you up to?” He scoots closer to Jinsol and Jungeun’s first instinct was to tighten her hold on the girl’s arm, stopping herself from kicking the man with her cemented leg.
Jungeun waited for Jinsol’s answer and it drove her crazy how long it was taking her to respond. Were they really going to spend the day with this weirdo? And the bigger question Jungeun was afraid to hear the answer to was: “ Is Jinsol into MEN? ”.
Jaehyun mentioned her having a girlfriend in college but what if that was just one of those “out of curiosity” stuff people did?
The googly eyes this guy was giving Jinsol was pissing Jungeun off so much and Jinsol delaying her reply was making it worse. Jungeun looks at Jinsol almost as if she was pleading with her to give the correct response.
“The free ice cream was great so I guess this is where we leave you,” Jinsol tugs Jungeun. “Bye. Thanks again!”
Both blondes exit the parlor, satisfied with their Gelatos, leaving the man dumbfounded and a wallet with $20 less. Jinsol started giggling by the time they stepped outside, causing a domino effect to Jungeun who also began laughing.
“You really did that,” Jungeun takes a bite of the melting dessert in her hand, letting go of Jinsol’s arm to keep herself balanced on her crutches; the distance letting her breathe better.
“Ew, you bite your ice cream?!” The doctor scrunched her nose. “And yes, I really did that.”
“For a second there I was worried you liked men .”
“Oh dear god, no. Never!”
“That’s good to hear,” Jungeun sighed, obviously relieved to hear that statement.
“You sound happy about it,” Jinsol smirks, her tone playful.
Expressing herself in words was always a skill Jungeun could never master, she was even worse at it when pressured or in the middle of a gay panic attack. Jungeun collects herself again and again but everything she’s saying just sounds like Yerim key-smashing on the computer.
Jinsol couldn’t be that oblivious, could she?
“It’s starting to get late.”
Topic change. Hallelujah.
“Um… are we heading back?”
“Not yet! We still have the roller coaster and the Ferris wheel to ride!” Jinsol finishes her ice cream and dusts off the bits of cone crusts on her fingers.
How Jinsol devoured that ice cream in less than five minutes was beyond Jungeun. She was barely halfway with hers and she’s already having a hard time finishing it.
The taller blonde moves closer and takes a quick bite off of Jungeun’s Gelato. “Hey!”
“You looked like you needed help,” Jinsol says as she licks the ice cream that smudged the corner of her lips; Jungeun stares at her and is, yet again, the shade of flaming hot Cheetos. “If we wanna get on that roller coaster you better finish that fast.”
“I kinda lost my appetite. Besides, I might throw up mid-ride.”
Jinsol grimaces and pats Jungeun’s back softly. “Alright, alright. We have to move though, the line gets really long at this hour.”
—
She was right. The line does get really long at this hour.
They’ve been standing in a queue for the past thirty minutes and the total distance they traveled from the starting point was less than a half a meter. “Don’t they have a PWD lane?” Jungeun suggests, thanking her injured leg for once.
“They closed it after people kept pretending they were visually impared,” Jinsol sighed. “I was one of them.”
“YOU’RE LITERALLY A DOCTOR??”
“I KNOW BUT I REALLY WANTED TO GET ON THIS RIDE AND I WANTED TO PEE!”
After another thirty minutes of waiting, they finally got to the front lines. Unfortunately, the employee caught a glimpse of Jungeun’s cast and frowned.
“I’m sorry, ma’am but we don’t allow injured people to go on this ride.”
Luckily, the staff was some guy in his late teens. And that made Jungeun feel less sorry for him the moment she started yelling at him and forcing him to let her get on the roller coaster.
Jinsol was about to argue, but Jungeun stepped up faster. She couldn’t understand the words Jungeun was saying with the way she was speaking too fast; all Jinsol heard was a sentence composed of “fucker, bitch, assface, and shithead”.
She knew Jungeun had won the argument when the staff member unlocked the gate that led to the ride’s upper platform, the look on his face visibly irritated. Jinsol was surprised at first, not knowing Jungeun had that kind of spunk in her even though Jinsol always sensed the strong personality the shorter girl had.
Following Jungeun up the steps, Jinsol skipped through by twos and mouthed a quick “sorry” to the teenager who just had a terrible workday after being screamed at.
“I think that guy just shat his pants,” Jinsol laughs, standing beside Jungeun after catching up with her.
“I didn’t want that one hour to go to waste,” Jungeun mumbled, still recovering from her outburst. “And I really wanted to know what this ride was like since you kept talking about it.”
“It’s just like every other roller coaster, really.”
“I’ve never been on one.”
Jinsol’s eyebrows shot so far up her forehead Jungeun was worried they’d fly out of her face. “You’ve never been on a roller coaster before?”
“Nope,” Jungeun purses her lips into a thin line, revealing a small dimple on her cheek. “It looks extreme, though.”
She looked up at the 360-degree loop the riders were currently on; hairs covering the entirety of their faces, some had their hands up in the air while the others were covering their eyes, people screaming left and right—Jungeun didn’t want to admit it but she was afraid.
“Are you… are you scared?” Jinsol bit her lower lip to hold back a smirk and now Jungeun wasn’t sure if she was scared or if she was feeling something else.
“Of course not.”
“Oh my god, you are.”
“I’m not!”
“You screamed at an innocent teenager to get on a ride you’re actually afraid of?”
“I only yelled at him because I didn’t like the idea of your riding this roller coaster alone!”
Pause.
“Aw,” Jinsol smiles at Jungeun and gives her a soft, sincere look. “That’s sweet.”
The moment didn’t last long, thankfully. The previous batch of riders had finally come to a stop and it was their group’s turn to hop in.
Jungeun deposited her crutches along with Jinsol’s bag inside the locker by the staff counter; they had a hard time punching the oversized plushies in but they managed. Jinsol helped Jungeun settle herself into the seat before joining her.
This was a bad idea, Jungeun knew that much. Jumping head first for a girl—crazy, really crazy. She hated the Pick Me behaviour she was acting out every time Jinsol was around. It was a new, bewildering emotion she didn’t know how to confront and it was torturing the few remaining neurons in her brain.
Once everyone got comfortable, the staff announced a few safety precautions and reminders to prepare them for the ride. Jungeun, still bitter about the feud earlier, decides to ignore whatever he was saying and zones out.
She was, however, snapped out of her blank staring when she felt Jinsol’s hand wrap itself around hers. “You’ll be okay.”
The blonde doctor flashes a toothy grin accommodated with a corny thumbs up, but it instantly makes Jungeun feel better anyway—until the engine begins moving and Jungeun is startled, turning her into a palpitating mess. Jinsol couldn’t hold back her laugh and smoothly linked her arm around Jungeun’s in the process.
The car moved slowly at first, each second adding to the nervous feeling at the pit of Jungeun’s stomach as they began to climb up the track’s steep slope.
Unbelievable. An internationally known criminal, afraid of roller coasters. Jungeun literally eats near-death experiences for breakfast and yet— and yet —a safely designed thrill-ride stressed the shit out of her?
When they reached the highest point of the track, the car halted right before the upcoming dip. “Holy fuck, is this thing broken?” Jungeun said too loudly, clearly panicking.
“No, Jungeun. Calm down, it’s fine,” Jinsol cannot stop cackling.
“Jinsol, don’t shit with me right now. Are we stu—”
Dropping down to a nearly 90-degree drop, Jungeun felt her soul leaving its shell. Her hair whips against her cold face and up into the air, arms holding onto Jinsol for dear life while the girl beside her is cheering loudly for god knows what reason.
But the ride didn't stop there, the 360-degree loop Jungueun was looking at on the platform earlier was approaching closer and closer. The roller coaster jerks past a sharp turn and again, starts climbing its way up from the foot of the loop; Jungeun’s leg surprisingly remained untroubled throughout the whole thing.
They surge forward with full speed, relieving Jungeun because at least they were going to get over this fast and didn’t have to be thrown around in the air any longer. But only when they reached the center of the spiral did Jungeun realize she spoke a little too soon.
Upside down, more or less twenty meters off the ground, they were suspended yet again for ten seconds, but Jungeun felt like it was forever . She clings onto Jinsol tighter, her hands glued to Jinsol’s own and her head tucked under the other girl’s jaw; at this point, Jungeun barely cared about how their bodies were practically stitched close together.
“Whoo!” Jinsol cheers once more, raising a fist.
“You’re crazy!”
Sudden but slow movement creaked through the gears of the machine and they’re on the move. Jungeun feels sick after what gravity has done to her stomach and the anticipation of what’s to come made it worse.
They slid downwards and everyone on the ride screamed, Jungeun sounded like she was being exorcised. After finishing the loop, the car maneuvers gently towards the point where they started.
Jungeun finally lets her grip go a little looser and composes her windswept blonde hair that now resembled a haystack. With dexterous hands, Jinsol takes a quick snap with her Polaroid before Jungeun could successfully make herself look like a normal human being again.
“You can’t even see my face there,” Jungeun grumbles as the lap bar restraint is being lifted automatically. “Wait, did you sneak that in?”
The doctor only shrugs and smiles innocently, like a puppy who had just been caught eating toilet paper but refuses to own up to it through an angelic facade.
“It’s not like they’d sue me for smuggling this in.”
Jinsol slings the camera’s strap over her shoulder and steps out of the vehicle before she curtsies and offers an arm to help Jungeun out of her seat, imitating those overly dramatic British men from period movies. Jungeun rolls her eyes, in denial that she appreciates the gesture but takes it nonetheless and plays along with Jinsol’s chivalrous act.
Balancing herself with the help of Jinsol’s support, the staff hurriedly (out of responsibility) returned Jungeun’s crutches and was off to handle the next batch of riders. Maybe Jungeun would give his employee performance rating a 3.5 out of 5, he was personally a pain but she respected his professionalism.
The blondes exit the ride and walks back into the crowd of tourists. There was only one thing in Jinsol’s list that they haven’t gotten ridden yet, and it was the preeminent Ferris wheel Jinsol was talking about on their way to the carnival.
Why Jinsol was so obsessed with this ride, Jungeun had no idea. She explained the concept so excitedly and yet Jungeun still couldn’t understand how sitting still for almost twenty minutes was something fun to do.
“It’s not about what you’re doing, it’s about what you’re seeing ,” The taller blonde elaborates, her hands cupping the sides of her eyes as if she was holding a pair of invisible binoculars.
“And what exactly am I supposed to be seeing?”
“The view!” Jinsol exclaims. “And we’re perfectly on time because the sun’s about to set and oh, Jungeun, it’s beautiful out there when it does. I love how it makes the ocean look. It’s like the water turns into orange juice.”
Getting on the Ferris wheel barely ignited a hint of interest in Jungeun, but Jinsol’s eagerness to show her something that’s close to her heart made Jungeun want to jump into that ride right now . She starts to speed-walk—technically speed-limp but you get it.
Jinsol was surprised to see Jungeun get ahead so fast, she jogged to catch up with the shorter blonde and flashes a puzzled grin. “Looks like someone’s suddenly excited. Did the orange juice spark your curiosity?”
“The lines might get too long.”
“Don’t worry about it! Nobody really cares about the Ferris wheel. Sadly,” Jinsol laughs, her arms in a 90-degree angle on each side so as to exaggerate the jogging position she was currently in, waves of blonde hair bouncing past her shoulders and to her lower back. “They think Ferris wheels are too overrated it actually ended up becoming underrated. It’s ironic and kinda funny.”
Jungeun continues to speed-limp while Jinsol jogs beside her, spilling random Ferris wheel trivias as they get closer to the ticket booth that was already visible enough from where they were. They took a few more steps and finally—
“It’s closed ?” Jinsol’s shoulders drop, obviously sad about one of her favorite rides being shut down.
“Has been for over a month now,” A passerby says. “It was losing riders; the administration decided to shut it down to lessen the electricity and maintenance expenses. They’re gonna start moving her out of here soon.”
Jungeun inspected the machine closely. It wasn’t impossible for her to get it running again, it’s not like the basic parts needed to turn it on have already been taken out, there was just no staff around to operate the mechanism. She would gladly get the wheel to function for Jinsol, but putting all the attention to them was the last thing Jungeun wanted, especially for someone who was on-the-run.
“I’m sorry, Jinsol,” She attempts to comfort a defeated Jinsol, gingerly patting her back which makes her cringe at how much affection she’s displaying but it was Jinsol. If Jungeun let her walls down for someone it would only be for Jinsol.
“It’s fine,” The older girl sighs. “I just really wanted you to experience riding the Ferris wheel.”
“You said you wanted to see the view.”
Suddenly, Jinsol straightens her back up, eyes wide like she just had a eureka! moment. “We can still do that.”
“What? But you said—”
“Sh! No questions,” Jinsol puts a hand on Jungeun’s mouth. “Let’s just get Yerim and Jaehyun some hot dogs and go before the sun completely sets!”
Whatever Jinsol had in mind, Jungeun didn’t bother questioning it; the doctor literally zoomed back to the hotdog stand they went past earlier, leaving Jungeun to limp back alone, though she wasn’t bitter about it.
But her being all by herself gave her brain enough time to tortute her with the same appalling thoughts she tried so hard to shove away. One of them was, of course, the violent group of ruffians she left behind, who she assumed were probably trailing her; the other was how she was going to explain to Jinsol that she was always Employee of the Year for nearly a decade in her field of work with said ruffians.
It was hard sorting this all out because every time she looked at Jinsol, everything melted away. Jinsol was, if Jungeun were to describe her, a literal ray of sunshine, just like Yerim—hell, she could be the biggest sun in the universe with the kind of smile she had; she was so bright, so pure. Jungeun didn’t want to taint her with her depressing backstory and way of life.
Or maybe.
Jungeun just wanted to run away from that kind of life. Maybe she wants to “step into the light” as they all say.
No more cold-blooded murders, no more breaking into fancy banks, no more inhumane behavior first thing in the morning. She could start all over again.
And with Jinsol by her side, maybe pretending she wasn’t an evil mastermind would be easier.
But did she share the same thoughts as Jungeun did? Recalling the tension-filled antic they had in the bathroom yesterday, Jungeun thinks that maybe Jinsol does.
Maybe stumbling into her home half-dead was fate, maybe it was the universe telling her to stop going solo all the time and settle down, even though Jungeun has not once thought about it, couldn’t even bring herself to imagine it.
“Do you want one?”
She snaps out of her subconscious stupor, unaware that she had already been standing beside Jinsol. “What?”
“Hot dog,” Jinsol points to the menu hung on top of the stand’s counter. “Do you want one?”
Jungeun thanks her but respectfully declines while Jinsol just shrugs and says “okay!” with a smile so playful it wiped Jungeun’s mind of worry. She looks at the snack (not Jinsol) being prepared by the hot dog guy, rolling along the metal bars that support it above the machine responsible for heating; she had already said no to Jinsol’s offer, but she still wondered why Jaehyun and Yerim were so desperate for a bite.
Jinsol must have noticed her staring too long because the taller blonde’s lips curled into a sly grin. “You want one don’t you?”
“I—” Jungeun stutters. “I don’t think I can finish one, though.”
“Me neither,” Jinsol lied, obviously. “We can share, if you want!”
A quiet laugh escaped Jungeun’s lips, it was bashful and a little giddy. She knew the blonde was a foodie with the way she chomped down the meals Jungeun makes for them, the doctor could definitely finish a single hotdog in less than a minute; for Jinsol to go to great lengths for Jungeun, the gesture warmed even the coldest parts of her.
After the stall’s employee securely packed the hotdogs Jinsol had ordered, the taller blonde excitedly starts to skip out of the queue. Her energy—Jungeun just can’t keep up sometimes.
“So what now? The Ferris wheel’s closed.”
But Jinsol doesn’t answer her, she just keeps beaming at Jungeun. It was really hard for Jungeun to keep reading her like this because once Jinsol gave her that kind of smile, Jungeun’s mind just went haywire and she ended up staring at her instead.
And this time, she shamelessly did so.
That goofy smile, the Polaroid slung around her neck, the hotdog boxes held tightly in her arms, the awfully deformed plushies squished into her bag while the golden glow of the late afternoon sun kissed her skin and the cool, sea breeze flowing past her bright blonde hair, making it dance in waves—Jungeun could look at it forever.
Then it hit her.
There is a way for her to look at this moment forever.
“Can…” Jungeun trails off, already regretting that she opened her mouth, unsure if she should finish her sentence.
“Hm?” Jinsol blinks, surprised that Jungeun uttered a word.
“It’s—you see—I—” Oh god, here it comes again she could already feel her cheeks and the tips of her ears burning, her heart aching to beat out of her ribcage. “It’s just that—”
Jinsol could have laughed, could have been annoyed that Jungeun was such a useless gay, could have cut her off—but she didn’t. She waited for Jungeun to speak out with patient eyes, her full attention directed at the shorter girl who was struggling to formulate a coherent phrase.
“I was gonna say that…” Shaky hands tried to express Jungeun’s thoughts but she only ended up looking like a drowning duck. “Since you’ve taken a lot of pictures of me today, I thought I should take some for you too.”
With both brows raised, Jinsol was silent; her curled lips turned into one straight line, her eyes still looking at Jungeun as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“I mean, only if you want me to!” Jungeun quickly adds, holding up two defensive hands. “If you don’t want to it’s fine.” She tries to recollect herself, breathing in and out slowly, but Jinsol’s unreadable expression and silence were not helping her do it easier.
The tension was finally broken when Jinsol threw her a grin and took the camera’s strap off her neck, giving it to a relieved Jungeun. “I thought you’d never ask! I need to send my co-workers some pictures anyway, they might end up forgetting what I look like after not seeing each other for so long.”
Jungeun takes the camera and Jinsol starts to pose dramatically, pretending the hotdog boxes she held were heavy weights as an excuse to show off her now exposed muscles to Jungeun who tried to look anywhere but there. She rolled her eyes at Jinsol’s ridiculousness, though she found it undeniably cute.
“Take the shot, I can’t keep my biceps flexed for too long I think I’m pulling my biceps brachii!”
“Just say biceps, nerd!”
Averting her concern from Jinsol to the camera, Jungeun realizes she’s never operated one before.
“You don’t know how to use it, don’t you.” Jinsol says in a low tone, Jungeun just forces a sheepish smile.
—
Both girls start walking back to the parking lot after a long day of activities and free ice cream. They finished earlier than Jungeun expected, but then again Jinsol still had work the next day and the way home takes an hour or so. It bugged her, though; how she spent so much time with Jinsol today yet she’s still somehow unsatisfied.
“I hope you didn’t have such a hard time today, you’re injured after all,” Jinsol looks back at Jungeun, a tight smile on her face as they tread on the gravelly ground of the parking space.
Shaking her head, Jungeun tells Jinsol it wasn’t a big deal and that she doesn’t even feel an ounce of fatigue, which was true because she’s so used to situations where she’s losing half her blood that it doesn’t bother her anymore.
“Are we not looking at the sunset?”
“We are. Just not from the usual view,” Jinsol jogs up the hill’s slope where her car stays parked on top of it. She throws the stuffed toys in the trunk and securely sets the hotdog boxes inside a compartment at the backseat before helping Jungeun up.
Once Jungeun got up to the hill’s summit, she understood what Jinsol had been planning.
Below them was the carnival literally sparkling as the metallic materials reflected the light of the setting sun, the sea was dipped in a hue of a melancholic pinkish orange, hitting Jungeun with a kind of serenity she hasn’t felt in a while. It was beautiful, she thought; it wasn’t the diamonds or gold or silver that she had been so obsessed with getting her hands on—no, it was even more than that.
“It’s nice isn’t it?” Jinsol says beside her, the box of hotdog in her hand.
Still not peeling her eyes away from the view, Jungeun nodded slowly. She could tell Jinsol was stealing glances at her, like she had something more she wanted to tell Jungeun but was hesitant.
“You look like you haven’t seen a sunset before,” She finally says in a voice so soft it was close to a whisper.
When was the last time she was out like this? She couldn’t even remember. Her end of the day routine was always getting back to headquarters as fast as possible to avoid getting caught, she had no time to dilly dally and look at the skies.
There was something in the air that moment and it didn’t take long to hit Jungeun in the head for her to realize that it wasn’t just the view washing her with utmost tranquility, but also because Jinsol was there to experience it with her. Jungeun admits it was an extremely cheesy thought, but if she were to stand there all by herself with the exact same view that was before her now, she doesn’t think it would even come close to what she was feeling with Jinsol at her side.
Bringin Jungeun back to reality, Jinsol pats the hood of her Jeep hard enough for Jungeun to hear the thumping sound. She was now seated on top of the vehicle with the box of hot dog they planned to share set beside her lap, her tilted head giving Jungeun the invitation to sit with her.
“Jinsol, my leg,” Jungeun reminded, sending Jinsol’s palm straight to her own forehead.
She doesn’t give up, though. Jungeun was surprised when she felt hands on each of her sides lifting her up in one fell swoop and setting her down on the hood. Jungeun’s gotten so used to Jinsol’s sudden physical contact she’s managed to control her fight or flight instincts around her, otherwise she would have knocked her out cold right then and there.
“There we go!” Jinsol huffs, stretching her back after lifting something heavier than three kilograms (she’s not as young as she used to be).
After hearing each joint in Jinsol’s spine cracking, Jungeun gives her a sly smile and a raised brow. “Hag.”
“Hey!” The taller blonde shoved Jungeun’s uninjured leg playfully, threatening to do the same with her casted one.
“Aren’t you a doctor? You should be healing pain, not inflicting them!”
“This is an exemption!”
Mischievous remarks were thrown here and there until Jungeun and Jinsol were out of breath after laughing so hard, the amount of euphoria they radiated was unparalleled by anything else in the world.
Jinsol leaned on her car’s bumper with little to no distance from where Jungeun was seated, still standing on the ground as she tried catching her break and steadying herself; Jungeun’s palms were facing flat on the hood’s metallic material while the weight of her back rested on her arms, chest slowly heaving up and down.
Once her breathing was stable again Jinsol moved closer to Jungeun, practically positioning herself between the other’s legs as she looked up at her from where she stood. Sitting on the muscle car boosted Jungeun up to a foot taller than Jinsol, allowing her to see Jinsol at a completely different, fuller angle.
(Jungeun wanted to combust.)
She could see everything on Jinsol’s face from this position. The tiny, almost invisible scar between her eyebrows, her infectious smile that made her little dimple peek out of her left cheek, the lines that defined the corners of her very, very kissable lips—Jungeun thinks she might go for it this time.
Setting sun, cliffside carnival, perfect breeze, it’s like a Hollywood movie scene; everything was perfect.
“Jungeun,” Jinsol breathes, her eyes moving back and forth from Jungeun’s eyes to her lips. “I…”
She paused, looking at anything besides the girl in front of her, like a child shying away from a face they’ve never met before.
“I just wanted to thank you for accompanying me today, even though you didn’t have to. And… I hope your leg had the exercise it needed.”
“You don’t have to thank me, you literally snapped my joints back in place, that’s the kind of free healthcare this country can’t offer. Seriously, I should be the one thanking you.”
A chuckle escapes from her mouth and Jinsol breaks the rising tension by putting a healthy distance between them. She props herself up the hood and sits beside Jungeun, continuing to marvel at the dipping sun on the horizon.
Relief washed over Jungeun, she hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath since Jinsol put them that close together. It was probably a sign that the time wasn’t right yet. That Jungeun still had something unresolved that she had to confront Jinsol about, like her identity and her entire past. Maybe not now, Jinsol was having too much fun, Jungeun didn’t want to take this rare moment away from her.
“Hey the hot dog’s getting cold,” Opening the food box, Jinsol takes out the snacks she ordered earlier. She breaks it into two equal pieces for each of them and offers the other half to Jungeun.
“Thanks,” The younger girl takes it with two hands and serves herself a bite. Now understanding why Jaehyun and Yerim wanted one so bad, it was an understatement to say it was the best hot dog she’s ever had.
“It’s good, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I get why Jaehyun would kill for this.”
“He did once.”
“WHAT?”
“I’m kidding! Jaehyun’s the softest person I know aside from Yerim, he wouldn’t even squish an ant because he said, and I quote, ‘What if it’s just going back to its tiny ant family who’s waiting for him to come home and have dinner?’ ”
“He really said that?” Jungeun asks, eyes wide open in disbelief.
“And we were in college . He still says it now when he catches me attempting to squish one, so I just flick them away.”
A tall, relatively muscular man—Jungeun didn’t think all that tough exterior would be the reincarnation of a Care Bear. It must be in the genes, since Jinsol was just as compassionate as her twin brother.
“You Jungs are too nice for your own good.”
“We try to be,” Jinsol shrugs as she finishes the last bite of her hot dog, dusting off the crumbs from her hands. “At least me and Jaehyun.”
Something in the way Jinsol said it hit Jungeun with a wave of… sadness?
***
“Jaehyun and I,” The doctor continued though a little reluctant, afraid to pull down the mood. “It’s always just been us, you know? Don’t get me wrong, we were pretty well-off and I’m grateful for that... but our parents were never around much when we were kids.”
A tiny smile creeps up from Jinsol’s mouth, but it wasn’t bright like the ones she had when they were laughing like there was no tomorrow, it was a pensive one. And Jungeun couldn’t find the right explanations to what she was feeling but there was an aching in her chest that clogged her throat.
“The relationship gap we had with our parents got too wide, there was no way for us to close it. They didn’t know anything about us and we didn’t know anything about them. Mom and Dad had only started getting more involved with our lives when we were around thirteen. Sometimes I don’t even remember what they look like anymore.”
“We lived like that for almost ten years. All in the same house, but refusing to call it a home,” Choking back a sob, Jinsol took a shaky breath. “Sorry, I should stop this stupid self-pity. I’m ruining this day for you.”
“It’s okay,” Jungeun reassures at the speed of light, reaching for Jinsol’s hand and squeezing it lightly. “Jinsol. You can talk to me, I’m here for you.”
If she was being honest, she’s starting to pick up on how to be more emotionally considerate ever since she started hanging out with Yerim everyday. It was still a new skill she’s learning but Jungeun really wanted to let Jinsol release the pent up frustration and grief she’s been carrying for a long time.
“You’re great,” The older blonde leans her head on the other girl’s shoulder and Jungeun swears her heart rate went up to almost 200 beats per minute. Jungeun scoots closer, letting her shoulders relax under the weight of Jinsol’s big brained head as she tilts her own to tuck Jinsol underneath her jaw.
The sun has long disappeared from the twilight sky, swallowed by the blue sea. The atmosphere was now enveloped with a cool blue-purple shade, stars beginning to reveal themselves as the evening grows deeper.
She doesn’t look at Jinsol, but Jungeun could tell she was holding back from spilling her emotions right then and there by the way the older girl had her jaw clenched against Jungeun’s skin. Jinsol had more to say, Jungeun knew that much, but she didn’t want to rush her; they had time to spare.
With a trembling inhale, Jinsol begins speaking again. “We thought we could just keep living that way until we finish college and be able to live independently. But—” Jinsol scoffs with sarcasm. “We were wrong. I don’t know how they found out but they were so furious that one night. Telling us how ashamed they were for having children who were…”
Jinsol doesn’t finish her words but Jungeun understood what she meant.
“It was so hard, Jungeun. They kicked us out, our entire family shunned us except for a few of our cousins and aunts. Fortunately, I’d already finished my four years of pre-med and started my proper studies while Jaehyun only had a month left before graduation.”
Pain cut through Jungeun’s chest as if someone dipped a dagger in scorching lava and slashed her. No one deserves this, especially not Jinsol who’d been nothing but extremely kind. The mistreatment she received from her parents pissed Jungeun off and it pissed her off even more knowing there was nothing she could do.
“I mean who does that? Leaving your children in the most vital stages of their lives; parental neglect hurts and it affects the child a whole lot. The least they could have done was accept us for who we were but no. They blamed their absence, they made it about them again and pushed us away.”
Jinsol pressed her head deeper against the curve of Jungeun’s neck, vulnerable and weak.
“Luckily, our aunt Jessica took us in for a few years until Jaehyun and I saved up enough for a studio apartment. It was crazy for the both of us. Jaehyun had to take on five projects all at once and I had to take two part-time jobs while studying just so we could be under a roof and pay for med school.”
For a person as positive and care-free as Jinsol, Jungeun didn’t peg her to be someone who’s been through so much shit in her life. Sure, she was bitter about what happened to her but who wouldn’t be? Yet here she was, thriving in what she loves doing most: saving lives and taking part in medical breakthroughs.
***
“That’s why I took Yerim in,” A more pleasant smile formed on Jinsol’s lips, eyes twinkling at the memory of her little girl. “She had no known and living relatives of any sort according to the records, so I adopted her. I refused to leave an innocent child alone like my parents did. And I know what happened was unfortunate but I still feel like Yerim was heaven sent, like she was meant to arrive at my doorstep that night. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
The sight of a blissful Jinsol flipped Jungeun’s stomach after seeing her look so down and defeated earlier. It hurt Jungeun more than a million broken legs and a million reopened cuts on the hip to have seen her that way.
“You are the kindest, most selfless, craziest person I’ve ever met, Jung Jinsol,” Jungeun managed to say, attempting to lighten up the conversation to keep Jinsol from feeling bad that she had just broken down. “I think your parents suck, but thank you Mr. and Mrs. Jung—I guess—for giving this nerd god-tier genes and the biggest possible brain a human could carry.”
Jinsol blushed furiously, suddenly tense on Jungeun’s shoulder. “You think I have god-tier genes?”
“I also think you’re a nerd,” Avoiding the question, Jungeun flirts back with an insult. A part of her regretted saying that but it was the truth! Jinsol is the prettiest girl Jungeun’s ever seen with her own two eyes.
“No no no no. You think I’m pretty,” Jinsol lifted her head off from the other’s shoulder, now facing Jungeun with a cheeky grin despite her flushed, tear-stained face.
“Stooooooooooop! I was just trying to cheer you up!” Jungeun leaned to the opposite side from where Jinsol sat to dodge the older blonde as she also brought herself closer to Jungeun.
“You think I’m pretty!”
“Okay! Yeah, I do!”
Jungeun hears Jinsol giggle, like a third grader just found out someone dropped love letters inside their locker.
“You’re pretty too, Jungie,” Jinsol finds her way to Jungeun’s shoulder again and wraps her arms around her, a sigh of content escaping her lips.
It was completely dark now, the sources of illumination only being the moon and the rusty lamp post beside Jinsol’s parked Jeep. The faint noises of stridulating crickets could be heard around them, signifying that the night has indeed arrived and the day is over.
Which means Jungeun needs to think of how she’s going to tell Jinsol about her too. She knows Jinsol opened up to her without expecting anything in return, she was kind like that; but after all the mess Jinsol put up with, Jungeun feels indebted to her. And keeping this innocent masquerade wasn’t fair either, she has every right to know the truth.
“Jinsol…”
“Hm?”
Jungeun takes a breath, looking for the right words to say. “I have something to tell you but I don’t think I’m ready for it right now. Is that okay?”
There was an unreadable expression on Jinsol’s face after she lifted her head from Jungeun’s shoulder. Was it the look of confusion? Worry? Distrust? Jungeun didn’t know. She held her breath, hoping Jinsol wouldn’t get the wrong idea.
“I’ll wait,” Was simply what Jinsol said, locking her teary eyes with Jungeun’s sincere ones and leaned on the younger blonde once again.
They stay like that for a few more minutes, just relishing in each other’s company; completely content in their own silence. Jungeun wanted to capture this moment but she knew no camera nor device would be able to recreate how happy she was right now.
But like all the good things in life, it has to come to an end. Jungeun hears Jinsol groan as a notification pings from her phone.
Jinsol disconnects herself from Jungeun and reaches for the gadget, slightly annoyed that it ruined the ambience. “Jaehyun said he’s about to make dinner and Yerim wants her hot dogs.”
The phone pings again.
“Yerim also said she misses us.”
“Let’s not keep them waiting, then,” Jungeun smiles, positioning herself to drop down from the hood after Jinsol had hopped off, arms ready to help the injured girl.
—
Despite the lumpy road, Jungeun had managed to fall asleep halfway home. When she woke up, they were already out of the beachy area and had entered the cliffside part. She quickly collects herself, stealing a quick glance from Jinsol who was quietly jamming to an unfamiliar tune playing on the radio, unaware that Jungeun was now awake.
The melody was smooth and calming as it was accompanied by a soft, slow rhythm. The lyrics, though repetitive, were sincere and sung by a sad, soulful voice. It was soothing, like the kind of song you would listen to during a midnight drive to nowhere in particular.
Jungeun listens to an oblivious Jinsol who continued to sing in a hushed voice, still hitting the notes perfectly with raw emotion.
Take me back to when all
You wanted was to love on me everyday, yeah
I like you, I like you, I like you
Words I will never hear from you
Wishin' I could turn back the hands of time
To when I like you was just a secret
Crime
The song ends and Jungeun softly claps at the mini performance Jinsol gave, making the doctor jump slightly in her seat. “Oh my god, I could have swerved !”
“I’m sorry,” Jungen laughs at her reaction. “You have a nice voice.”
Jinsol brings her focus back on the road, heart beating out of her chest at Jungeun’s compliment. “Thanks.”
“That song was chill. I don’t think I’ve heard it before.”
“I like you.”
“What?”
“I LIKE U BY NIKI. The song. That’s the song. The title,” Jinsol wanted to hit her own head against the dashboard.
Jungeun blinked at a stuttering Jinsol, gripping onto the steering wheel too tightly. “Oh.”
Before anything got more uncomfortable, Jinsol finally pulled up at her not-so-humble home’s (courtesy of the hospital she was working at) garage. She switches the ignition off and the vehicle gives one last hum before fully shutting down.
Neither of them moved a single inch, afraid to break or worsen the tension that was in the air. Jinsol stared at the windshield aimlessly, Jungeun kept her head down to avoid seeing Jinsol even in her peripheral view.
Jungeun knew someone had to say something, though. Someone had to make a sound.
“I had fun today.”
“Me too!” Jinsol said a little too quickly. “I had fun, too.”
The painfully awkward minute was luckily wrecked by an excited Yerim rushing out of the front door, her tiny arms swinging back and forth as she ran to the driver’s side, ready to greet her mother with a hug. Jinsol sees the six year old approaching her and immediately gets down from the car, opening her arms to let Yerim crash into her embrace.
“Hey baby,” Jinsol peppers Yerim’s chocolate-smudged face with kisses. “Why are your cheeks so sweet?”
“Uncle Jaehyun baked us some cookies! He also made chocolate-dipped strawberries!”
Jungeun pushes the passenger seat’s door open, reaching for her crutches at the backseat. “Sorry, almost forgot. Yerim, we gotta help Jungie down the car.”
“Yes ma’am!” Yerim saluted, locks of her hair falling to her face due to the movement. The dye was starting to fade now, it was once a deep shade or purple but it’s becoming a lighter hue pink lately.
Mother and daughter stood on each of Jungeun’s side, carefully letting her uninjured foot find its balance on the garage’s concrete floor. Jungeun thanks the duo and helps herself onto her crutches while Yerim carries the paper bag of hot dog orders and Jinsol retrieves the stuffed prizes they won at the carnival.
The moment Jungeun stepped foot into the cozy home, she smelled the savory scent of the dinner Jaehyun had generously prepared. Jinsol and Yerim had already found their way to the dining table after setting the stuffed animals on the couch and transferring the hot dogs on a plate.
“Jungeun, come sit! Dinner’s ready,” Jaehyun pulls a chair for Jungeun before taking his apron off and folding it neatly above the granite counter.
“Okay everybody, no need to be afraid to eat the dinner Jaehyun made. Doctor’s in the house so if anything happens to your stomach, I got you.”
Jaehyun stuck his tongue out at his sister. “You’re just jealous you can’t cook an egg without burning it or undercooking it.”
“LIES.”
The two siblings spent dinner throwing harmless jokes at each other while Yerim and Jungeun had their own little world where they intellectually discussed different strategies when facing the Elite Four after collecting all eight gym badges. Yerim gave Jungeun tips in a serious, high-pitched voice and the older blonde took mental notes.
—
When everyone finished their meals, Jinsol took Yerim upstairs to get her ready for bed. Jaehyun stayed behind at the kitchen to clean up, Jungeun volunteered to help but Jaehyun insisted that she take a break for now, knowing she was tired from the day she had at the carnival.
“It’s fine, I got it,” The architect reassured as he scrubbed the last few dishes clean, leaving it to dry on the rack by the kitchen sink.
“I’m already staying here for free, helping out is the least I could do.”
“Trust me, it’s you helping Jinsol by being here.”
Surprised to hear that coming from Jaehyun, Jungeun raised a brow at the statement. “What do you mean?”
Jaehyun hesitated, wondering if he was overstepping Jinsol’s unsaid boundaries regarding this issue. “I know Jinsol really well, I mean, she’s my twin for god’s sake. And we’ve gone through some really tough times the past few years but this is the first time in a while that I’ve seen her… happier.”
The words Jaehyun spoke meant alot to Jungeun; knowing that she was at least one of the things that made Jinsol happy, it warmed her.
“It gets lonely being stuck in the middle of nowhere. And Yerim’s a bundle of joy but Jinsol couldn’t possibly burden a six year old with her personal problems,” Wiping his wet hands on the towel, Jaehyun walks away from the sink and proceeds to sit at the dining table across Jungeun. “Contacting her friends is hard too, since they all have their own lives to live and not everyone had the same schedule.”
Seeing Jaehyun look so downcast was an unusual sight for Jungeun. They haven’t known each other for more than twenty four hours but according to Jinsol’s description of her brother and the first impression he had on Jungeun, she always saw him as someone with a soft and bubbly demeanor.
“If I could stay here with her for a few months I would. Don’t tell her because it’ll get to her head but I just really want the best for Jinsol because… she’s all the family I have left. Aside from Yerim and my fiance, of course, but you get it.”
Jungeun chuckles at Jaehyun’s protectiveness over Jinsol masked by bickering and playful insults. “Yeah, I get it.”
The two stay in silence for a few moments. It wasn’t awkward, though. If anything, Jungeun felt like she’s gotten more comfortable with Jinsol’s twin brother.
“Listen, Jungeun,” The sound of Jaehyun's gravity stunned Jungeun. “I know you’ve got some place to be and that you had no intentions at all stumbling into Jinsol’s life.”
The air was hard to breathe all of a sudden, Jungeun froze in her seat as cold sweat began to form at the back of her neck. Of course this was going to happen, she can’t keep pretending she can stay here forever.
She can’t keep pretending to be someone she’s not.
“Just… please don’t hurt my sister, okay?”
Jaehyun looked at Jungeun sincerely, but a slight edge was seen in his eyes. It was understandable though, he only wanted to keep his sister safe and Jungeun was totally fine with that. If there was anything they both had in common, it was that they cared deeply about Jinsol and her wellbeing.
“I wouldn’t even imagine it.”
With a curt nod, Jaehyun stood up from his seat and went back to his normal smiley self, bidding Jungeun a good night before leaving the dining area.
I have to tell her soon.