Work Text:
"Thursday nights I like
Seeing you under the stars' light
Through the fire as bright
Wanna know what your love feels like"
- Pretty girl, Hayley Kiyoko.
Mijoo is a random addition to their small group of friends. Yein as well.
It all happens by accident one night when Jiae and Soojung are coming back to their apartment together - a rather rare thing since Jiae usually leaves the office later than Soojung - after a boring day of work and they find a girl sitting on the stairs.
"Are you looking or waiting for someone?" Soojung, as the good person that she is, asks in order to help. Jiae is a good person too but she's tired, she hates her boss and now she just wants a hot shower.
"I'm waiting for my housemate," she replies amicably and Jiae observes her pretty eyes and pink lips. "She should be getting home any time now."
"Why don't you come with us and wait in our apartment? It's not very comfortable to sit here and it's definitely safer," Soojung smiles after suggesting it and Jiae almost sighs out loud. The girl shrugs and looks convinced, Jiae is still going to take her hot shower.
The three of them make their way to the floor above, Soojung making small talk while Jiae unlocks the door.
"Are you new in the building?" Jiae knows Soojung is trying to be subtle nosy.
"I moved in with Yein three months ago but we're barely at home," she gets as a reply and Jiae listens without taking any part in the interaction, already imagining the hot water on her skin washing away the tiredness. "I'm Mijoo."
Jiae processes the name but doesn't have enough energy to interact.
"I'm Soojung and she's Jiae, don't mind her, she's usually dead when we get home after work. She's not usually that grumpy," Soojung says and Jiae is thankful that she doesn't have to open her mouth to speak. "Do you want some tea?"
Jiae doesn't stay there longer, choosing to go straight to the bathroom for her shower after she gives Mijoo a small wave in order not to come across as someone rude and antisocial, which she is not. When she gets back into the living room, feeling a lot better and now thinking about what she should eat, Mijoo is not there anymore.
"She's pretty, huh?" Soojung says when she comes from the kitchen, Jiae is surprised by her comment. "A year younger than you but she's still studying."
Jiae nods, she hates how Soojung can notice when she feels even if just a tiny bit attracted to someone - a result of years of friendship.
"Fashion design," Soojung continues and Jiae is on her way to the kitchen, not bothering with what her friend is insinuating or trying to, that she's interested in someone she doesn't even know. It's not true, Jiae just thinks she's pretty."She's just your type, the same as when we were still in uni."
Jiae enters the kitchen without a word.
She hates how Soojung knows her too well.
Jisoo and Jiyeon come around often on weekends. They don't live close by but it's not too far either, besides Soojung and Jiae's apartment is surely bigger than theirs so it's also a better option. They usually bring the drinks and Soojung takes care of the snacks while Jiae just watches and occasionally does the dishes when the sink is too full. Soojung doesn't like when other people use her kitchen, so Jiae usually just helps set the table with the dishes her friend makes.
"What if we call Mijoo and her housemate?" Soojung suggests to Jiae and the two girls who are putting the cans of beer and a bottle of vodka into the fridge suddenly have their attention on the hosts.
"Who's Mijoo and her housemate?" Jisoo wiggles her eyebrows and nudges Jiae softly with her elbow.
"New neighbors," Jiae replies and shrugs at Soojung. "You can call them."
Soojung gives Jiae a look. A look that says she is not the one who's going down to call the girls because she's busy making their tteokbokki and frying the dumplings they made together earlier. The glare alone tells Jiae that she is the one doing it.
"I don't know which apartment though?" Jiae comments and Soojung sighs but looks more amused than annoyed.
"It's 32."
Jisoo and Jiyeon are snickering at them and Jiae rolls her eyes before she exits the apartment.
Once she's in front of the door, she takes a deep breath and knocks.
In less than a minute, it opens and reveals a girl with long jet black hair that Jiae assumes is Yein. Behind Yein, Jiae spots Mijoo wearing a set of pajamas consisting of shorts and a tank top. She gulps and averts her gaze.
"We're having a gathering in our apartment and would like to know if you two are interested in joining us?" Jiae asks and hopes Mijoo won't come closer, Jiae is not ready to see a girl barely dressed after spending so long without even getting herself a date.
"Oh sure!" Yein replies excitedly. "We're going to get dressed up and then we'll go up."
"See you soon then," Jiae waves and leaves without looking back. She hears the door clicking closed as she's rushing upstairs.
"That was quick," Jiyeon comments and Jiae makes a face at her before she decides to rest on the couch while Soojung and the other girls are chatting.
Not bearing the silence and the low murmurs coming from the kitchen, Jiae turns the television on just so she has some other type of white noise to distract her mind. The show that's running is not familiar to her, besides she's not very interested in it so she stares outside the window until someone knocks on the door.
Jisoo is the one that opens the door for Mijoo and Yein, playing the host even though she's not the one that lives here. A little curious, Jiae looks away from the night sky and glances at the two women that are now greeting everyone in the apartment. Thinking to herself about how she should be friendly and not rude, Jiae turns the volume of the television down and stands up, making her way to the newcomers.
"Hi," she greets, a little awkward and stiff but with a smile on her thin lips. Upon seeing how pretty Yein and Mijoo look, Jiae feels underdressed and somehow bad for not having any makeup on but she pushes that thought to the back of her mind - this is supposed to be a relaxing and fun day and not one where she worries about her looks.
"Oh, you're the one from before," Yein says with enthusiasm and Jiae wonders what her age is, she gives off a youthful vibe by the way she's all smiles and energetic after probably a week of work or studies while Jiae feels her body aging the more time passes. "I'm Yein, should I call you unnie or are you perhaps younger than me? You look so young though, such pretty eyes."
At that comment, Jiae feels her insides turn, it's been a while since someone - especially a pretty girl - has complimented her.
"I'm Jiae," she says before her silence becomes awkward. "I'm twenty-seven."
"Jiae unnie then," Yein beams and pulls Mijoo who's chatting with Jiyeon to her side. "Mijoo unnie is a year younger than you! I think you'll both get along well."
Mijoo looks like a deer caught in headlights, Jiyeon snickers and turns around, going back into the kitchen and leaving the three alone in the living room.
"Hey again," Mijoo waves at Jiae and glares at Yein who lets go of her sleeve with a giggle. "Thanks for inviting us, we don't really know anyone in the building."
And before Jiae can make the whole conversation die because she's not good at small talk, Jisoo and Jiyeon rush into the living room with some of the drinks they brought.
"Soojung is asking for you," Jisoo says and points to the kitchen with a soft movement of her head, then she resumes putting the cans she has in hands on the coffee table along as Jiyeon does the same. Jiae nods at the two guests - Jisoo and Jiyeon not included since they're always around and can't be considered guests anymore - and makes a beeline to the kitchen.
"Yes, ma'am?" Jiae jokes and both, she and Soojung, laugh before she points to the pan filled with steaming tteokbokki and Jiae doesn't need her friend to explain what she wants her to do. Promptly, Jiae gets the tteokbokki with care not to burn herself and brings the food to where the girls are, some sitting on the couch and some on the ground around the coffee table. Before Jiae can get back to the kitchen to get the big plate with the fried dumplings, the intercom rings.
Aside from Jiae, none of the girls seem surprised. As if on cue, Soojung's head peeks from the kitchen door.
"Ji, can you get it for me? I ordered fried chicken, I'll give you the money," Soojung explains and grabs her wallet that's on top of the small table they have near the front door - which they use to leave their keys and other important things they can't lose. "Here."
"I can help bring the food," Mijoo says, already getting up from the couch and jogging to Jiae's side. Soojung looks pleased at the offer and nods at the two.
Without another word, Jiae and Mijoo leave the apartment together, going down the stairs in silence although Mijoo seems hesitant, as if she wants to say something but is unsure if she should. In the end, they exit the building and Jiae only speaks when the delivery guy talks to her.
"It'll be twenty-three," he says and Jiae counts the bills Soojung gave her.
"Keep the change," she says and the guy hands her the two boxes he's holding, Mijoo quickly takes them from Jiae's hand. The guy leaves with a thank you and once they're inside the building again, Jiae hears the sound of the motorcycle being turned on. "I can carry one of those boxes, they weren't so light."
Mijoo shakes her head and smiles. She just keeps on walking and Jiae is almost left behind as she ends up admiring Mijoo's slim frame going up the stairs. With a quick shake of her head, Jiae skips some steps in order to catch up with her neighbor and they're both soon reentering the comfort of the apartment.
"Fried chicken!" Mijoo says loudly and takes large steps to join the other girls. Soojung is already there drinking some beer and motions for Jiae to join them faster as she is still locking the door properly. "Let's split the costs please," Mijoo says once she sets the two boxes along with the rest of the food and Soojung shakes her head.
"It's a welcome gift to both of you," Soojung says while beaming warmly, it's impossible not to love Soojung with her motherly care for everyone. "Now let's start eating?"
Everyone does as said and Jiae sits down on top of a cushion next to Yein. She eats and listens to the conversations, sometimes adding a comment if she has anything to say but mostly in silence.
Some minutes past midnight, Yein and Mijoo say their goodbyes to everyone and leave for their apartment.
"You girls are staying tonight, right?" Jiae asks, seeing the drunken state of her friends. She is tipsy as well but she usually doesn't drink too much, at least not as much as Jisoo does.
"None of us can drive like this," Jiyeon says motioning at Jisoo and herself and then yawns. Soojung comes back from her bedroom with a handful of blankets and two floor mats, enough for a makeshift bed in the living room - which it's where Jisoo and Jiyeon usually sleep when they come over. Jiae helps make the beds on the floor and tests to see if it's adequately soft as always and helps her friends down. "Goodnight!"
"Goodnight," Soojung replies and turns the lights off, Jisoo passed out already. On cue, Jiae says goodnight to Soojung and goes to her room as well. She changes into her pajamas and falls asleep while thinking about Mijoo's silhouette.
The next time Jiae meets Mijoo is by accident.
She's passing by the grocery store - that's on the way from her walk from the nearest subway station to her apartment - to buy some cans of beer since it's Friday and she's exhausted due to all the boring accounting work she had to do throughout the week. She thinks she deserves this treat.
She's scanning through the alley and checking the shelves for her favorite brand. Jiae has her hands full when she sights Mijoo at the other side..
A little unexpected, Mijoo waves and walks toward her.
It's weird how in the span of the five seconds Mijoo takes to get to her, Jiae eyes Mijoo's whole outfit, her hair and every little detail - without getting caught or making Mijoo uncomfortable, Jiae is good at this - and she starts panicking internally. She knows that this has been her default reaction whenever she saw pretty girls approaching her in university and it's terrifying that Mijoo is causing this. It's not a very good type of nostalgia if Jiae has to be honest with herself.
"Hi," is the only thing Mijoo says, a pretty smile on her glossy lips. Jiae tries her very best to not stare at Mijoo's skin that is showing because of her off-the-shoulder top. By the way Mijoo tilts her head and glances at Jiae, it seems that Jiae's efforts didn't work. "Is there something on my shirt?"
Use your wits, Jiae.
"That's a very nice top, where did you buy it?" Jiae asks quickly, adding a small smile and an interested look to make her question seem genuine. Well, it is a very cute top indeed but it becomes even cuter on Mijoo.
"Oh," Mijoo's face lights up at the question and she touches the fabric. "It's an old shirt I had! I decided to do some work on it since it was pretty boring plus I had an assignment that was about customizing clothes so I decided to do it. Do you really think it's nice?"
So maybe saying that was perhaps not the best idea. Now all of Mijoo's attention is on Jiae and she's going to start sweating soon if this doesn't end.
"It's really pretty," Jiae replies in hopes that they'll just talk without looking directly at each other. She takes a look at her wristwatch, pretending to check the time. "I have to go."
"Me too," MIjoo says and Jiae doesn't even have the chance to say anything else before Mijoo is gently holding her by the arm and pulling Jiae to the cashier with her. "Let's go back home together then. I'm so tired, I had classes all morning and I stayed at the library to study and finish some stuff. All I wanna do is eat these chips and drink some coke."
No more words are exchanged except with the cashier, at least from Jiae's side. She gives some input on whatever Mijoo is rambling about as they make their way back to the apartment building and, despite wanting silence so she doesn't need to think about what to say, Jiae is pretty satisfied since Mijoo doesn't really require proper answers or reactions to whatever she's talking. Plus, Mijoo's voice is really nice and Jiae doesn't mind listening.
"Hey," Mijoo says when they're on her floor and Jiae is about to resume going up to her own apartment. "Do you wanna share these chips with me? I bought the biggest package, Yein is not home and I'd love to spend more time with you."
Jiae's heart does a backflip in her chest and she tries her best not to let it show on her face how Mijoo's question shakes her insides.
"Why not?" She shrugs and hopes the hint of desperation and anxiety is not in her voice. The last time Jiae was alone with a girl that was not Soojung, she did things she still regrets - in brief, she lost a possible friend. "Why don't we go up to the rooftop?" Jiae suggests since she's not really keen on being in a closed space with Mijoo. "The nights have been pretty and we could check out the moon and the stars."
Mijoo pursues her lips, Jiae stares. A nod is her response and the two are soon going all the way to the rooftop. The last time Jiae went there was a year ago, she doesn't remember why since the rooftop is a place she goes when she's actually sad but she's sure it'll take some time for her to forget tonight.
"They have a bench up here?" Mijoo asks in surprise as soon as they exit the building and feel the night air hit their faces. "The sky looks so pretty."
"It's a nice place to relax," Jiae comments and takes a seat, dropping her purse next to her feet and putting the cans of beer down as well . Mijoo stares up at the sky for another minute before sitting down too. "Want some?" Jiae offers Mijoo when she opens her first can, Mijoo shakes her head and takes the coke from the plastic bag.
Wordlessly, Mijoo offers Jiae her chips once the package is open and Jiae accepts, taking a small bunch in her hands and munching on them.
They remain in silence again. It's not uncomfortable, Jiae drinks slowly but she knows she's going to be finished with all of the cans by the time they go back down to their respective apartments. Instead of worrying about that, Jiae watches Mijoo staring up at the night sky, the moon is bright and the stars are few tonight but the way the moonlight hits Mijoo's skin takes Jiae's breath away. She's beautiful and Jiae can't help but wonder what it feels like to touch her skin and kiss her lips.
She nearly chokes when Mijoo catches her staring. The girl smiles at her and resumes her sky watching, munching on the chips she has left.
"Can I have one?" Mijoo asks and Jiae nods, not trusting herself to give the girl a proper response. Jiae is already feeling her thoughts running thin on her, the sane part in herself taking a rest and leaving her alone to deal with whatever this is, this weird feeling she remembers well but wishes she did not. Jiae hands Mijoo a can and tries not to keep eye contact going for too long. "It's getting cold."
"Do you want-" Jiae was going to suggest going back inside but she stops speaking when she feels Mijoo scooting close, way closer than she expected. Jiae feels Mijoo's hot skin against her own, the warmth between them is blinding. She presses her mouth shut and waits to see what Mijoo is planning to do next, honestly Jiae doesn't know what to expect.
"Yein was right," Mijoo mumbles and Jiae barely gets what she's saying, especially by the way she's borderline drunk.
"About what?" She asks, not caring that maybe she's trespassing and this was not something she was supposed to have heard.
Silence.
Jiae decides to take a peek at Mijoo instead of staring down at her hands and is startled when she feels a cold pair of lips on hers.
Her brain takes a long time to process what's going on. By the time it happens, Mijoo already has her fingers tangled on Jiae's hair. Jiae feels the taste of her favorite beer on Mijoo's tongue.
Jiae wonders if this is a dream. But Mijoo tugs on her hair and bites her lower lip and Jiae is brought back to reality. It feels so good she wishes they could kiss the whole night.
It ends as fast as it began. It felt like hours but it didn't last so long. Mijoo is still mere inches from Jiae's face and gives her lips a shy peck before pulling away and putting a good distance between themselves.
"Sorry," she breathes out and touches her lips, Jiae licks her own and, in a brave act, touches Mijoo's shoulder. The action catches Mijoo's attention and Jiae pulls her closer.
"Sorry about what?" She smiles and kisses her again. Now she really kisses Mijoo, the first time she was taken aback and didn't have time to reciprocate the way she should have, maybe that's why Mijoo apologized. Jiae runs her fingers on Mijoo's skin and squeezes her shoulder while Mijoo brushes her hair with her fingers.
They pull away from the kiss and stare at each other, Mijoo smiles and looks away.
"I really thought you'd push me away," she comments shyly and Jiae snickers, covering her mouth with a hand.
"This is the first time I don't fuck something up with a girl," Jiae comments and sighs, happy that Mijoo decided to take the initiative so she didn't have to.
Mijoo hums and they stay sat for a few more minutes, nothing more to be said. Mijoo reaches for her hand at some point and they watch the stars together until it gets too cold for them to handle without proper clothing.
"I need to go home before Soojung freaks out and decides to call me," Jiae says when she checks the time, seeing that it's nearing 9pm.
"I should go as well," Mijoo stands up and grabs her things, Jiae does the same and gathers her empty cans as well. Her steps are a little wobbly but the two make it inside the building safely. They go down the stairs together, not exchanging words but Mijoo holds Jiae's hands and Jiae feels warmth spreading through her body. "I'll see you soon?"
"Hopefully," Jiae says and lets go of Mijoo's hand. "Goodnight."
Mijoo pulls her back by the arm and kisses Jiae's cheek.
"Goodnight," she says and rushes down the stairs, leaving a stumped Jiae standing in the middle of the corridor.
Jiae smiles to herself and opens the door to her apartment, thinking about Mijoo's soft lips and hoping they meet again soon.