Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Dahyun stop frowning. I will just be gone for a week." Dahyun's dad said while chuckling lightly.

She's currently riding her dad's Honda Civic on their way to Hanlim Multi-arts school. Her dad will drop her by on his way to Ansan in Gyeonggi Province.

"I'll be gone quickly, before you even realize it, I'll be home." Her dad said when she didn't reply. 

She heard her dad sighed when she didn't bother looking away from the window. "I'll bring home a treat for you and your mom."

"Hwadeok Pizza." She mumbled.

"Hmm, what did you want?" her dad looked at her quickly before stopping the car in front of her school.

"Hwadeok Pizza. Its popular in Ansan." She said with a pout in her voice.

"Okay. Okay." Her dad chuckled again. "I'll bring it home for you and mom. Dozens of it." He stated with a warm smile in his face.

She's about to get down the car when his dad cough to capture her attention. Dahyun looked at him and saw that he opened his arms. "Where's my goodbye hug, young miss?"

Dahyun quickly hug him and said "Please drive safely," before finally getting off the car.

When she arrived at the gate, she looked back and saw her dad's car pulling away. She quickly ran off inside the school, not bothering who she's crashing into and just screaming her apology into the air. She passed by students on their way to class and didn't stop running when she reached her building. She arrived at the fence located at the back of the school breathlessly and looked at her surrounding to see if there's any witness. 

Dahyun threw her bag to the other side of the fence and struggled to climb it. She jumped when she reached the other side and picked up her bag. 

After huffing, Dahyun screamed at the top of her lungs, "YAHHHH SON CHAEYOUNG!!"

A car beeped at her, when dahyun looked at it, she saw chaeyoung's head hanging out the driver's window with a smug look plastered in her face. "Miss me already?" Chaeyoung said playfully.

Dahyun quickly rode the passenger seat and threw her bag at the back of the car. "Step on it Chaeyoung!"

Chaeyoung started the car. After a few minutes of Dahyun looking around furiously while they're driving, "Dahyun sit properly, you're blocking the mirr--"

"There! That's dad's car. Tail it! Chaeyoung tail it!" Dahyun pointed at it aggressively.

"Calm down, I see it, okay, I'll follow him." Chaeyoung had no choice but to do what Dahyun says. "See, he's driving to Ansan, I don't even understand why you're doubting him. Mr. Kim loves your mom, and I guess, you." Chaeyoung snickered.

Dahyun rolled her eyes and let Chaeyoung's joke go. "I just feel it. There's something different. I don't know, I'm sensing something. I just hope it's overthinking." 

"Look, Dahyun, your dad is not that kind of--"

"Chaeyoung, he switched lanes! Follow him!"

"But--"

"Switch lanes!"

Chaeyoung switched lanes which caused a lot of honking by the cars at her back. "Damnit Dahyun, I just got my driver's license last week. If the police appears, I'm jumping off. ISTG mom will kill me!"

Dahyun is silent for a while.

"Chaeyoung, this is not the way to Ansan." Dahyun stated softly while her heartbeat started to pick up. She looked at the sign overhead. "This is the road to Incheon."

"Maybe your dad will pick something up before making a detour." Chaeyoung stated but she's starting to get restless.

After a few minutes of driving, Dahyun's dad entered Incheon Airport's parking place. Chaeyoung followed him. When she parked the car, she stopped Dahyun from getting off.

"Will you confront him now?"

"No. Atleast not yet. The evidence is not yet big." Dahyun stated before getting off.

They sneakily followed Mr. Kim inside the airport. Camouflaging with the crowd, hiding behind columns and trolleys everytime he looks back. 

He approached the teller and let the teller do her job, checking his passport and ticket. Dahyun looked at the sign of departure overhead and figured out that he's boarding a plane to Jeju Island.

"So this is it for us?" Chaeyoung said while they're hiding behind a plant.

Dahyun looked at her with a determined expression that sent Chaeyoung's heart to the pit of her stomach. uh-oh! She doesn't have a good feeling about this.

"Let me borrow your money."

"Dahyun, this is absurd! A plane ticket is so expensive. I was saving all year for my art supplies."

"Please, I'll pay it back." Dahyun glanced at her father who left the teller.

Chaeyoung sighed in defeat. "Pay my 40 dollars back later."

"80." Dahyun drags her to an e-ticket kiosk nearby. "You're coming with me."

"NOOOOOO."

--

The plane safely landed in Jeju. Mr. Kim, didn't notice Dahyun and Chaeyoung. The two continued to tail him as he ride a taxi. Dahyun quickly called the next taxi, and told the driver to follow her dad's taxi.

"You know, maybe he just want to unwind for a while. Being with you is so draining." Chaeyoung tried to joke which earned her a loud smack in her arms.

Mr. Kim's taxi pulled up in an apartment complex. A building clearly not meant for a quick getaway. Chaeyoung pulled Dahyun to hide as Mr. Kim entered the elevator. They raced to the stairs and observes the elevator in each floor. As the two reached the 4th floor, Mr. Kim is now in front of one of the suite's doors.

The two walked to the suite's door. Dahyun in her rage was about to knock in the said door but Chaeyoung quickly had her in chokehold. "Calm down, Dahyun." She faced Dahyun. "When you knock, and he comes out, and turns out your wrong, what are you gonna say?"

Dahyun saw in her peripheral vision, someone got out of the neighboring suite. It looked like a maintenance person. She quickly pushed Chaeyoung and caught the other suite's door before it totally close.

She tapped the walls lightly and tried to listen to the suite her dad had entered. Chaeyoung watches her carefully as Dahyun's expression grew more frustrated. "I can't hear anything. The walls are too thick. Chaeng try it, you got better hearing than me." 

Dahyun looked around the the place and saw a cup. She grabbed it and tried again. "Still nothing." 

Chaeyoung sighed heavily and grabs the cup from Dahyun. "People say its clearer to listen in the electric outlet." 

Chaeyoung tried listening in an awkward stance. Dahyun watches for a long time as Chaeyoung's expression turns grim. "There's really nothing. We should go home before we get caught. We can even attend the afternoon class if we're lucky."

Chaeyoung tried to force Dahyun out, but Dahyun is firm and grabs the cup. "Let me try it first."

"Dahyun. No." 

Dahyun felt like there's a cold water splashed over her. She chuckled painfully. "That bad?" She said while looking at Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung nodded.

She exited the suite aggressively. How can her dad do this to them? How can her dad do this to her mom? Dahyun vented her anger in knocking at the door that her father entered.

Her dad opened the door. He looked around the floor but saw nothing. He didn't even noticed the elevator's light indicating someone going down.

Chapter Text

Dahyun's loud sobs can be heard by everyone in the economy class flight. Chaeyoung can't take the embarassment anymore because everyone in close perimeter is trying to look. She removed her school coat and draped it over Dahyun's crying face to atleast muffle the sound and hide her from the onlookers.

A stewardess stopped by and asked what's wrong but Chaeyoung dismissed her. 

Dahyun peeked through the coat. "Chaeyoung, why are stewardess so pretty? They're in a different level with their uniform. Do you think the mistress is a stewardess? Because how could he? How could dad?" Dahyun continued bawling while Chaeyoung tries to cover her face with coat again.

"Dahyun, ssshhhh, everyone's looking." Chaeyoung whispered. She addressed the onlookers, "I don't know her people." Dahyun hits Chaeyoung's thigh and whined. Chaeyoung holds Dahyun's hand and interlocked it with hers.

"And so do you, take your seats please. There's nothing to see here. Just another teen dumped by me." Chaeyoung added.

"Son Chaeyoung, I'm gonna fcking jump you." Dahyun says while sniffing.

"They're gone." Chaeyoung looked at Dahyun who's still covered by her coat. She fixes the coat but didn't remove it while Dahyun continues crying. "Will you tell your mom?" Chaeyoung opened the issue for the first time.

"I don't know. They will probably break up. Dad," Dahyun sniffed, "he will leave us. My mom will be hurt."

"It will hurt at first, but isn't it better to stop it early?" Chaeyoung said while caressing her hand lightly.

"My mom doesn't deserve to be hurt like that." 

"Your mom does not deserve to be cheated on."

"But what if it's just a one time thing?" 

"He's still fooling your mom."

"My dad always work. He's always busy but he still have time to send me to school every morning. He said, he didn't want mom to get tired." Dahyun's cry is starting to intensify again. "I don't think my mom can handle it. If...if I can handle it."

"I'll be here." Chaeyoung stated firmly. Dahyun peeked through the coat draped over her head. "I won't leave you. I'll carry the pain with you. I'll face it with you." Dahyun embraced Chaeyoung.

"He always says he loves me and mom." Dahyun embraced Chaeyoung. "But now, I'm not sure if he really did."

"I love you Dahyun." Dahyun's eyes enlarged due to the sudden confession. "I don't know who loves you, but I do. It will be okay. Be with me for now."

Chaeyoung realizes that she really means it. She loves Dahyun, more than she thought she did and in a complete different way to the platonic love she always had for the other girl ever since. She feels enlightened, like everything suddenly makes sense. Chaeyoung realized.

"When you said you love me," Dahyun broke the silence that enveloped them for a while, "what kind of love is that Chaeyoung?" 

Silence. Chaeyoung could swear her heartbeat can be heard by every passenger of that plane. The stewardess started their protocol regarding landing but the two haven't heard it, too lost in their own world.

Chaeyoung tried to free herself from Dahyun's hug, but the latter tightened it instead. Chaeyoung felt the latter buried her face deeper into Chaeyoung's neck. "Answer me first."

"I really love you Dahyun." Dahyun felt herself smiling lightly. "I care about you. You're my only friend who I can share anything. Nobody can understand me like you do." Her smile vanished slowly.

"You're my friend, and you know what's the best part? Friends don't break up. Being friends is good enough."

Chaeyoung realized she loves Dahyun, but she can't take advantage of Dahyun's vulnerability. Dahyun needs a friend to held onto. She needs a friend more than anything at the moment. Not now.

Dahyun got out of her daze. She realized what she's doing and what Chaeyoung just said. She freed Chaeyoung from her hug. She chuckled and said, "Fine. Stop cheering me up with quotes you found from the internet."

Dahyun stood up, feeling embarassed. She let Chaeyoung's school coat drop at the airplane's floor. Dahyun repeatedly wipe her tears while laughing humorlessly. "I'm just gonna go to the restroom." Dahyun moved to the aisle.

"Ma'am, you can't stand up now. Please return to your seat. The plane is preparing to land." The stewardess said visibly annoyed while approching them.

"Fine. Fine." Dahyun walked to an empty seat. Far from Chaeyoung.

Dahyun hastily wear the seat belt while still wiping her tears. Chaeyoung continues looking at her while having a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Being friends is good enough, because that's what you need now Dahyun."

--

"Good job! Try again!" Chaeyoung clapped and shouted to tease the cheerleaders practicing nearby after one of the cheerleaders made a mistake and dropped her baton. The said cheerleader looked at her and sneered.

"Good job! Try again!" Chaeyoung heard a voice copying her. The voice she had not heard for two weeks. It made her felt butterflies.

Chaeyoung looked at Dahyun who stand beside her. "Are you copying me?" 

"Are you copying me?" Dahyun repeated what she said.

"She sells seashells on the seashore." 

"She sells seashells on the seashore." Dahyun repeated it smiling.

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Chaeyoung stated testing Dahyun.

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Dahyun repeated again effortlessly.

"Chaeyoung is the most awesome person in the world," she followed it with a bunch of unintelligible sounds made up of coughing, spitting and random sounds.

"You're so mean." Dahyun pouted.

"You're the mean one. You avoided me for two weeks and made me sit next to that dumb jock. His feet smells." Chaeyoung said in disgust.

Dahyun giggled. "Fine. I'll go back sitting next to you."

"How was things?" Chaeyoung was dying to ask that.

Dahyun shaked her head sadly before avoiding her gaze and going back to her cheery mood.

Chaeyoung wants to hold the girl near her. She wants to assure the girl that everything will be okay. She wanted to but she can't. 

Dahyun inched closer and whispered giddily next to her ear, "I'm seeing JB." 

Chaeyoung felt her world crumbled.

"Wow, we didn't speak for two weeks and you got a boy. What did he see in you?" Chaeyoung was trying to fight her shock and the rising unpretty feeling by joking.

"I'm not telling you."

"Got herself a boy and now you're keeping things from me. What a good friend." Chaeyoung masked her emotion.

"Dahyun, let's go?" JB, that cocky student from the other section, appeared out of nowhere. He was holding a guitar. Chaeyoung's eyes landed in his guitar.

'I guess I don't have to buy a guitar anymore, looks like Dahyun already got someone to accompany her while she's playing the piano. And the money is gone anyways.' She thought bitterly.

"Chaeyoung, being friends is good enough right?" Dahyun caught her attention. They stared at each other for a while. Dahyun was trying to read Chaeyoung's expression.

Chaeyoung nodded while smiling tight lipped.  

Dahyun approached JB and he placed his filthy hand in Dahyun's shoulder. Chaeyoung felt like going feral. She wants to run to the two and free Dahyun. She wants to smack the guitar to his head. She wants to but she didn't. As the two were leaving, she sees Dahyun laughing at what JB said.

She smiled bitterly and said quietly, "Being friends is good enough. I said that, but hearing it from you... it burns."

Chapter Text

A year had passed. So many things happened. Dahyun mustered up the courage to confess to her parents when she found out her dad was preparing to go to one of his 'week-long bussiness trip' again. What unfolded next wasn't pretty. The annulment was emotionally taxing, gruesome, tedious and heart breaking, but they're starting to move on now.

"Chaeng, there you are!" Dahyun said smiling at her. 

A lot happened but there's something that never changed. Their friendship... and sadly, Dahyun and JB being a couple.

"Oh hi! Did you wait for a long time?" The dumb male specie asked with his hand intertwined with Dahyun's. 

Chaeyoung's eyes dropped at their intertwined hands for a moment. "Nah, I just arrived too." It's been a year, she's accustomed to him being around now. Or that's what she thought.

Dahyun attached her freehand to Chaeyoung's arm. "Let's go inside."

They're currently at Seoul National University to inquire for their desired courses. Dahyun is planning to take up music production, while Chaeyoung got no idea what she wants. She'll probably follow Dahyun like how she followed her to Hanlim Multi-arts school. To be a music producer doesn't sound so bad. Meanwhile she got no idea what the mongrel wants to take and she's planning on keeping it that way.

"Chaeng did you hear that they're already doing the Season 4 of the Reply series? I can't wait." Dahyun asked her in an excited tone as they continue on walking.

"Really? That fast?"

"Are you still watching Reply 1988 like I asked you to?"

"Yeah I did. I binge watched 3 episodes yesterday."

"Did you know Sunwoo likes Bora and not Deoksun?" 

"YAAHHHH! I hate you! You promised no spoiling." Chaeyoung said in a faked annoyed tone.

Dahyun did her annoying laugh instead. "By the way, I heard a song yesterday, and I'm sure you'll like it."

"What is--" Chaeyoung wasn't able to finish what she's saying when Dahyun suddenly squealed while looking at the notice board of SNU.

"Look JB!" she let go of Chaeyoung's arm and dragged JB to the notice board. "Their music club is competing worldwide. We can apply if we pass SNU's test. Want to do a duet with me for the trials? If I finish the song I'm making before the trials, we can use it." Dahyun said while smiling at the mongrel.

'She's so happy.' Chaeyoung thought. It hurts seeing Dahyun with him but Chaeyoung can't avoid looking at them. What a martyr.

"Hey! I'm guessing you're inquiring at SNU since I haven't seen you before yet. I know, there's a lot of students here but I'm totally sure that you're not a student yet because believe me, I know every pretty face here. And yours is an unforgettable one." Someone was talking by her side but Chaeyoung isn't paying attention because she's still looking at her friend.

The stranger keeps on rambling but her mind can't comprehend what she's saying. When JB looks like he's about to kiss Dahyun's forehead, she said out of nowhere, "Will that make me get out of here?"

"Yes! Absolutely! It can even make you to explore the world." The stranger said enthusiastically. "So are you interested?"

Chaeyoung, in her pain daze while still looking at the couple didn't understand a single thing that the girl said. She nods her head to make the girl shut up because she doesn't have any energy to deal with anyone right now.

"Cool!" The girl suddenly holds her and drags her to a nearby office door. Chaeyoung didn't even put up a fight. The girl turns to her and said with a smile in her voice, "Welcome to the Tourism department!" Chaeyoung looks at the talkative stranger for the first time and the first thing she noticed was her bunny like features due to her teeth. "We'll help you reach your dream! You won't regret your decision."

Chaeyoung finally registered what the stranger was saying. 

"Wait-- my what?!"

--

After 4 years. (Dubchaeng at 23)

Dahyun and JB arrived at the party event. It's a party thrown by someone from SNU. Someone probably extremely rich. She didn't really know who but according to Chaeyoung, all the graduating seniors, no matter what course they're taking, are invited. Something about partying wildly before they become one of the country's slave and be buried by adult responsibilities, but Dahyun thinks this party is solely for the student's last chance to do a one night stand with someone they're eyeing their whole university life.

One of JB's friends, Jackson Wang, saw them as soon as they arrived. "Hey dude." They bumped their fists as a greeting. Jackson's eyes landed on Dahyun afterwards. "Dahyun, uhh... hey." He addressed her a bit awkwardly. Dahyun thinks Jackson didn't expect her to attend the party.

Dahyun also considers him a friend. He's a sweetheart, really. He helped her and assisted her when she needed it. He even protected her when she was catcalled once when she went to a bar to drag JB home after a petty fight. He's someone Dahyun can consider closest to a brother since she's an only child.

"Dahyun, I'll go with the guys. Do you want me to accompany you to Chaeyoung first?" JB turned to her.

"No. I can do it. I'm sure I can find her easily. Don't drink too much, okay? You still needs to drive us home." The two of them started living together for 4 months now.

JB kissed her. "Text me, if you need me."

"Okay." She said just for the sake of it. She's pretty sure, he won't even check his phone for the whole evening.

Dahyun started wandering the area to find Chaeyoung. She tries to relax and feel the loud music, its her last party before graduating too. She spotted the bar first before finding Chaeyoung. She made her way into it and asked the bartender for a margarita, holy shit, the party host is really pretty loaded. She turned her seat to observe the crowd and in the hopes to find Chaeyoung. Considering her height and her friend's height, it will be hard to find her in this crowd.

The bartender passed Dahyun her drink. She took a sip and gets her phone from her pocket. She texted Chaeyoung where she's at and stared at it for a minute. Another song played and compared to the former played song, this is slightly better. She enjoyed the party's vibe and took occasional sip from her drink. She looks at her phone again and saw that Chaeyoung still hasn't responded nor seen her message. 

"That's weird." Dahyun muttered silently. Chaeyoung always responds within five minutes unless she's sleeping. Dahyun finished her drink and starts to look for the other girl again. She encountered some familiar face and some classmates. She exchanged brief pleasantries and congratulations with them. 

One of her classmates gave her a beer and offered to accompany her but she prefers to spend her last party with Chaeyoung. She passed another set of familiar face and some couples making out. She's about to sit at a couch she spotted since her feet is starting to hurt. 'Damn these heels,' she thought. When she's nearer, she saw that it's occupied by another couple making out heatedly. This time its both girls, one blonde and one with black hair. Just great. She's about to turn around and look for another couch but the one with short blonde hair got a similar physique to Chaeyoung which caught her eye.

'How silly of me, Chaeng doesn't swing that way.' Dahyun thought and sipped her beer.

"Chaeyoung." The other girl moaned and it caused Dahyun to drop her beer and cough heavily. Her noise caught the attention of the couple and both of them looked at her.

Chaeyoung, who happened to be one of the girls, pushed the one with black hair hurriedly which caused the latter to fall off the couch. "Dahyun!" Chaeyoung stood up looking shocked... and scared?

They stared at each other for a while, both sporting a shocked look. 

"O-ouch! My back." The girl with black hair said while massaging her back, still crouched at the floor where she landed after Chaeyoung pushed her earlier. 

"Mina, oh my god! I'm so sorry." Chaeyoung frantically helped the so called Mina to stand.

The black haired girl plops in the couch instead. "What a gentle woman you are Chaeyoung." She sneered. "Is this your kink?" The last time you did--"

Dahyun choked in her own saliva. 'So this is not the first time' she thought. The choking sound made the other girl to stop speaking and look at Dahyun instead.

The part where they are isn't well lit, thus nobody notice Chaeyoung's further paling face.

"Uhh-- hi?" The black haired girl said looking at Dahyun.

This snapped Chaeyoung from her growing anxiety. "Uhh... Dahyun, this is Mina. Mina, this is Dahyun. Dahyun, Mina. Mina, Dahyun." Chaeyoung rambles. She's well aware of how she's embarassing herself, but she can't stop.

"I'm Dahyun." Dahyun initiates a handshake. "Chaeyoung's best friend." She smiled.

"I'm Mina." The black haired girl wants to add Chaeyoung's girlfriend, but she can't because she isn't. She's well aware that Chaeyoung doesn't do those. So she said "I'm tonight's party host. Chaeyoung had told me lots about you" instead, and showed her gummy smile and accepted the handshake.

"Dahyun, can we talk?" Chaeyoung intervened.

"Not now. I'm talking to your girlfriend Chaeng."

"No, God no. Mina isn't my girlfriend." Chaeyoung said exasperatedly.

Mina pretended that didn't hurt.

"But you're--"

"Please, let's talk?" Chaeyoung said with pleading eyes and looked like her life depended on it.

Mina never saw this Chaeyoung before. Chaeyoung is everything but this. She can't stand the sight anymore and left feeling annoyed. The two didn't even notice her absence.

Chaeyoung drags Dahyun to the couch to sit.

"Chaeyoung, you didn't told me you got a girlfriend." Chaeyoung was about to rebutt but Dahyun continued, "Heck, you didn't even told me that you're gay. I thought we're friends? You said you can tell me anything." After saying that, it left a bitter taste in Dahyun's mouth.

"Look, I can't tell you, okay? I didn't have any courage to. I was afraid that you'll be disgusted or see me or treat me differently or...or avoid me totally. I'm just afraid." Chaeyoung heaved a sigh. "You're my constant Dahyun, and I can't imagine and handle it if that suddenly changes." Chaeyoung put her face in her palm.

Dahyun stared at the other girl for a while. She puts her hands in Chaeyoung's shoulders and faced her gently. "Chaeng," she said softly, "is that how you think of me? You can even tell me that you're a serial killer, and I'll still treat you as the whimpy kid who cries if she doesn't have a stawberry flavored snack in her meals." She said truthfully. "You're not a serial killer right?" She added in a joking tone.

Chaeyoung smiles lightly.

"I want you to understand that no matter what, I'll always be by your side. I don't care if you're gay, you're still my Chaeyoung and you can't be freed from me, no matter how hard you try. And I mean it." Chaeyoung embraced her tightly.

Chaeyoung hummed to her embrace. "It's long overdue, but Dahyun, I want you to know that I'm gay." 

Dahyun caress Chaeyoung's back assuringly. "and I still love you."

The two stayed in that position, in their own bubble, not being bothered by the ruckus of the party nor its terrible loud music.

"So...Mina huh." Dahyun said teasingly.

"Damnit, don't ruin the moment."

Dahyun laughed heartily. 

"She's not my girlfriend. I don't have any." Chaeyoung pouted.

"Mina threw this party to get into your pants." Dahyun said feeling proud and enlightened.

"What are you even thinking? She could just text me and I'll let her, just like my other girls." Chaeyoung said cheekily.

"Pervert!" Dahyun remembered someone with a bunny like smile. "Hey, you used to always hangout with Nayeon. I should have known."

Chaeyoung stared at her confusedly.

"Duh! Nayeon is a walking pride flag. She made sure I knew that through and through ever since she recruited you to be in the tourism department."

Chaeyoung laughed. "I guess you're right. You're too oblivious for your own good."

"Were you two a thing? Were you attracted to her so you agreed to be in her department?"

"Oh god! No! I don't do girlfriends, but we made out one time and we decided not to repeat it again." Chaeyoung snickered at the memory and avoided answering the second question. It was another moment where Dahyun almost caught her at it in Chaeyoung's car. She kicked Nayeon out of her car unceremoniously when Dahyun came into view.

"Too much details." Dahyun fake gagged. "Chaeng, do you want me to buy a pride flag? or an 'I'm an ally' shirt? We could also get a matching rainbow shoes or put a rainbow design in our nails occasionally. Do you want me to put a rainbow in your name in my phone?" Dahyun said excitedly which made Chaeyoung's heart to melt.

Chaeyoung chuckled. "Please don't do that phase. Mom was like that for half a year after I came out to her." She smiled at the memory.

"Wait--So you're telling me, you had the courage to tell your mom, the person who gave you life and raised you all on her own, meanwhile, you got no courage for me, your bestfriend slash best buddy?"

Uh--oh. Chaeyoung is not liking how this is going.

"YAHHHH! SON FCKING CHAEYOUNG, YOU DIMWIT."

Chapter Text

"Dahyun!" Chaeyoung opened the door of Dahyun and JB's apartment hurriedly and aggressively. Worry is evident in her tone. The place is a mess with almost everything turned over.

Dahyun called her crying something about JB and a table. It didn't makes sense but Chaeyoung stopped what she was doing (hint: making out with a co-trainee from her flight attendant training sessions, Chaeyoung is pretty sure she left her mad and annoyed) and immediately come running to Dahyun within 20 minutes.

She found Dahyun in the living room with a huge box while ransacking the place, meanwhile, JB is nowhere to be found.

"What's going on?" Chaeyoung asked her confusedly.

Dahyun turned when she heard her voice and looks at her. Dahyun's tears start to flood. "Chaeyoung!" Dahyun wailed and slumped in the floor.

Chaeyoung immediately came to Dahyun's aid and accidentally knocked some things on her way. She palmed Dahyun's cheeks and tries to wipe her tears. "Shhhh." She tries to comfort her. "Calm down Dahyun, can you tell me what's going on?"

Dahyun looks like a mess. Red puffy eyes and dried tear stains. Her hair is in a messy bun and she's still in her corporate attire even though it's already 9 in the evening.

Dahyun held both of Chaeyoung's arms and while still wailing she said, "Chaeng... H-He cheated on me Chaeng." 

Chaeyoung felt her anger rise up. She's starting to be agitated. JB knew how cheating affected Dahyun's life, yet he still had the audacity to do it. She's already planning a thousand ways to beat JB until he's unconscious. Her vision is starting to darken.

"Chaeng, he cheated on me." Dahyun repeatedly said while holding onto her like her life depended on it. This brings Chaeyoung out of her stupor.

"Can you tell me the details?" She stopped Dahyun from her repetitive wails that breaks her heart.

"I was on my way to meet mom after I left work, but Jackson called me and said I should go home. He kept on saying sorry and he said he should have said it before we graduated. I didn't understand what he was saying but he didn't clarify." Dahyun tries her best in explaining. "When I arrived here, I saw JB with another girl having sex in that table." Dahyun pointed at the table accross the room. 

"Chaeng, he was cheating on me for months and in my own home! In my own damn study table!" Dahyun has a breakdown again and kept on repeating her words.

Chaeyoung was too mad to say or even process anything so she could only comfortingly hug the other girl as she continues on wailing. She gently sways both of them while still sitting at the floor.

--

After almost an hour of weeping, Dahyun freed herself from Chaeyoung's hug, she wiped her tears and stood up. 

"Can you help me pack my things? I don't want to see that asshole's face ever again. I am Kim Dahyun and he's just a piece of cheating garbage. It's his loss." Dahyun seemingly answered one of Chaeyoung's worries.

Chaeyoung is glad. She thought this will affect the pale girl's self esteem but looks like Dahyun is braver than she thought. 

Chaeyoung jumped up from sitting down and patted her pants to remove non-existent dust. "Yeah that scumbag is a total moron. I've never liked him anyway."

"Really?"

Chaeyoung picks up a few things that looks like Dahyun's and placed it in her box. "Yes. Really."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Dahyun faced her.

"I mean, I've always knew you got terrible taste but you're happy, I guess, so I didn't bother." Chaeyoung found a blanket. "And remember, you like to dip your sweet potato to chocolate. Terrible, terrible taste." She added with disgust and freethrowed the blanket into Dahyun's large box.

Dahyun faked offense. "It was really delicious! You're just a hater." She retorted starting to feel lightly. "And this," she grabs the blanket, "isn't my blanket. Are you really my best friend?" she stated jokingly before throwing it somewhere.

"How would I know, I'm not sleeping with you." Chaeyoung said and made her way to the cursed table. "Did they really did the deed in here?"

Dahyun stared at Chaeyoung who's inspecting the said table. The latter held one of the corners and rocked the table which made a wooden rickety sound.

"Hey can I have this?" Chaeyoung asks Dahyun pertaining to the table.

"What are you gonna do with that? No, no, don't answer. I don't care. You can have it. You can even burn it, I don't care. Throw it." Dahyun proceeds to pick up her other possessions.

Chaeyoung smiled menacingly. Hell yes, she's gonna throw it. Or more like, 'throw someone with it.'

--

The next day, in the lobby of Myoui Corporation who upholds their dignity, company-wise and employee-wise, and also well known for the image in the whole country for their honesty, trustworthy, and loyalty, there was a ruckus.

The ruckus was due to a table placed in the center of the lobby where everyone who enters and exit the building using the main entrance can see it.

One of the passing employees squeezed and fights to be able to see the spectacle up close. The said employee reads the big and bold words written in the tabletop "A present for Mr. Im Jaebeom under the Marketing Department, who was caught by her girlfriend of 6 years, having an infidelity in their own house in this very table."

In the 10th floor of the same building, JB can be seen packing his things hurriedly.

Almost all of the employees in the same office room are staring at him. There are also some employee from the office room next door hanging out in the door to look at him. Some are even talking shamelessly.

"What a waste. He was supposed to be promoted, he got fired instead. Can't control his own libido." He heard one of his co-workers said it along with other things but he remained looking down and didn't confront them.

--

Meanwhile, in one of the music studio in Seoul, Chaeyoung is plopped in a couch in the music booth. The music booth had 2 rooms separated by a glass window. One of the rooms is meant for the music producers, and the other is for the recording artist.

Dahyun is seated near the control panels along with another co-worker, while Park Jihyo is inside the music booth getting ready to record her new song. Coincidentally, Jihyo graduated at Hanlim Multi-Arts school before she debuted as a solo artist, thus Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Jihyo are already acquaintances.

"Fck, Mina really did a number on me." Chaeyoung muttered while trying to stretch her painful body.

"What Chaeng?" Dahyun swiveled her chair to look at her.

"Nothing, my body hurts."

"What did you do yesterday?" Dahyun asked her.

"Nothing. Really. I just fall off the bed. Nothing much." Chaeyoung said weirdly but Dahyun didn't payed attention to it.

"Silly. I was the one who drunk heavily yesterday, you're getting old Chaeng. Grandma, you should have stayed home instead of accompanying me." Dahyun teased her.

"You know Dahyun," Jihyo speaked into the mic which caught their attention, "people will always be nice to us in the beginning. Will always be with us. Takes care of us. Make us feel loved. But in the end, they will still cheat, be unfaithful and hurt us. You can't trust them. I've experienced and knew it well. Don't bother with love."

Chaeyoung can't take it anymore when she saw Dahyun nods in agreement. She grabs the pillow she's laying on and threatens to throw it. "Shut up Jihyo. Where did you even heard the news? Also, Dahyun is just your music producer. Don't recruit her to your spinster club."

"Damn Chaeng!" Dahyun interrupted her.

"Didn't you sing 'I do want your love for me' repeatedly in your latest OST?" Chaeyoung asked Jihyo mockingly.

"I didn't sing that line, it was a collab." Jihyo rolled her eyes and Chaeyoung felt sheepish. "I wasn't in the chorus. You're just bitter that I didn't fall for your flirting back in highschool." Jihyo sneered.

Chaeyoung felt her cheeks reddening. "Anyways~~" Chaeyoung averted her gaze when everyone looked at her. Damn, she forgot about that. "Correction! You almost fell for my flirting. You were about to kiss me, if only that Yoo Jeongyeon didn't suddenly appear out of nowhere."

Dahyun looks at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Whatever. Dahyun, let's start, I'm already in the mood." Jihyo moved away from the mic and said something inaudible that sounds like, 'That dumb unfaithful bastard, don't show yourself to me Yoo Jeongyeon.'

"I agree with you." Dahyun answered Jihyo to stop the latter's angry spree. "I'm not gonna fall inlove again."

--

Dahyun and Chaeyoung is walking along the Han river in comfortable silence. Chaeyoung is carrying a plastic bag filled with canned beer and snacks bought from a convenience store nearby. It's already dark but the place is illuminated with light from the street lamps, which created a peaceful mood. The gentle flowing sound of the water can be heard. A cold breeze passed by. Chaeyoung heard Dahyun took a contented deep breathe.

 A girl that looks like a teen walked in between the two. Even though she's only a teen, that girl easily towered both of them. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

The two settled when they found a nice part of the grass along Han river. Chaeyoung opened a beer for Dahyun and passed it quickly. Dahyun received the beer and sipped the foam that formed in the rim of her canned beer.

Chaeyoung opened a snack and proceeds to ask Dahyun, "Were you serious with what you said in the studio? That you're done with love?"

Dahyun took a moment to answer. "I just said that to agree with Jihyo." Chaeyoung felt a tiny hope blossoming in her chest.

'Maybe.' she thought hopefully.

"I still believe that there's a good man out there meant for me."

Oh.

Chapter Text

Chaeyoung is currently attending a wedding ceremony. She's wearing a floral printed light jumpsuit that exposes her shoulders and a high stiletto heels to match it. She didn't bother styling her black above the shoulder length hair.

The bride is the daughter of one of the major shareholders of the Seoul Airlines, the airline she works at as a flight attendant. The groom is one of their pilot, so Chaeyoung was forced to attend out of respect even though she prefers to use this night for rest instead after her countless tiring flights.

The family's wealth is reflected on the wedding. The venue is a high-end place filled with crystal chandeliers, elegant tables, fancy foods, expensive alcohol, colorful lights, and miniature airplane decors made out of crystals found in every table. They even hired a well-known singer with a live band for the after party of the wedding. "Rich people and their ego to boast what they have," Chaeyoung grumbled internally as she sipped her expensive beer from an expensive looking beer mug.

The place is packed with people, some familiar faces from her work, some from politics, some high profile businessmen and some are celebrities. Almost everyone is at the open space, enjoying theirselves while listening to the singer. Chaeyoung is observing everyone, particularly ladies, as she roams the place. "Having someone to go home with for tonight doesn't sound so bad," she thought sneakily.

As she continues on looking for someone to flirt with, her eyes landed on a familiar pale girl with dark hair in the middle of the crowd. The girl is wearing a ruffle black dress that compliments her complexion. Her heartbeat picked up. She gently approached the certain girl and stands beside her.

"Fancy meeting you here, pretty lady." She jokingly flirted with the pale girl.

"Oh! Chaeng, I didn't know you'll be here too." Dahyun instantly smiled when her gaze landed on Chaeyoung. Her flirting not reciprocated.

"I was forced. The groom is a pilot from work. He invited us, and it's embarrassing to decline." Chaeyoung explained and took another sip of her beer. She noticed that the beer mug Dahyun is nursing is almost empty. "How about you? How come you're here?"

Her question remained unanswered as the handsome guitarist up in the stage played a riff with sudden overacting knee slide on the floor. The crowd around them went wild and excited.

"Show off." Chaeyoung mumbled but no one heard it.

"Pretty cool right?" Dahyun asked her after the noise of the crowd died down.

Chaeyoung only rolled her eyes.

"I'm gonna live with him." Dahyun said out of nowhere.

Chaeyoung didn't register it right away. Everything stilled for her. The rowdy crowd fell silent. Everything is moving in slow motion. Is she numb? Does her heart hurts? How does she feels about this? Chaeyoung doesn't know.

"Good. Don't bring many things with you." Chaeyoung said instead and forced a smile.

"You jerk." Dahyun nudged her lightly.

Chaeyoung didn't noticed that the song ended. The guitarist made his way to them while the crowd makes space for him like they're the dead sea making way for freaking Moses. 

"Baby Hyun," he stated while looking for someone. His eyes landed on Dahyun, and Chaeyoung saw how his entire face lighted up. "Baby Hyun," he said again in his baby voice.

Up close, the guitarist is much more handsome and tall, and did she mentioned handsome?

"Hey! You did great on stage." Dahyun said and the guitarist attached himself to her.

'Great. He's clingy. Too clingy' Chaeyoung thought bitterly.

"I want you to meet someone special to me." Dahyun said while looking up at the guitarist.

Dahyun looks at her and Chaeyoung saw how happy Dahyun is based on her smile.

"Chaeyoung, this is Eunwoo, my boyfriend for 2 years now."

2 years and yet she only introduced him to her now. Ouch.

"Eunwoo, this is Chaeyoung, my best friend."

"Hi!" He said to Chaeyoung in a friendly manner. Chaeyoung returns it with a nod and sipped her beer. Not trusting her voice not to stutter.

"Baby Hyun, wanna sing with us? Sana said you can do a duet with her." He said still using that baby voice.

Sana is the hired well-known singer. Sana with some complicated long surname. Chaeyoung doesn't really know the singer, she does not like to keep up with the celebrity world and only prefers to listen to songs randomly. But Chaeyoung observed from the former songs the singer sang tonight, Sana does have a sweet calming breathy voice that can either bring your mood up or can be used as a lullaby depending on the mood of the song.

"I don't know. It's embarassing." Dahyun acted all cutesy with him.

"Come on. Just one song." Eunwoo returned with his own cutesy version. Chaeyoung had to fight back the urge to puke at the sight. God, shoot her, she doesn't want to witness this.

"Go Dahyun." Chaeyoung has to stop this. "I'll capture you on video." She said and gets her phone from one of her jumpsuit's pocket. 

"Chaeng, you can't trick me, you just want to film Sana." Dahyun said then rolled her eyes.

Eunwoo turned to her. "You like Sana? I can introduce the two of you. I mean, if you want to." He said in a friendly manner.

"No. Don't introduce them." Dahyun intervened. "Chaeyoung had so many girls, she can't remember all of their names." Dahyun said playfully.

It stings. Dahyun has been joking about her girls for years now, but for the first time, it stings. 

Chaeyoung masked her real emotions and decided to humor Dahyun like usual. "I may not have been able to remember all their names, but I can assure you, I remember all of their faces, especially their body." She said it in an equally playful manner and ended it with a wink.

"Master," Eunwoo said to her looking amazed, "Please teach me your ways." and laid out his right hand to initiate a handshake.

Dahyun hold both of his cheeks in one hand and lowered the tall guy's head to have him at her eye level. "Don't you dare." Dahyun said in a stern voice and matching it with a glare.

"Baby Hyun, I'm just kidding." He laughs awkwardly. "Anyways, wanna do that duet? It's Dance the Night Away, your favorite song." He then smiled which makes his eyes gone. 

Chaeyoung had this familiar sensation, she wants to go feral. She wants to separate the two. She wants to grab one of the fancy crystal airplanes decorations and slam it to his head.

But before she can finish imagining it, Dahyun gave her almost empty fancy beer mug in Chaeyoung's face. "Chaeng, fill this up instead. Don't flirt with anyone. I'll be back afterwards."

The two made their way to the stage with intertwined hands. Chaeyoung called out after Dahyun. "Okay, I'll fill it to the very rim." She said bitterly.

After filling their two beer mugs, Chaeyoung made her way back to watch Dahyun's performance. She's so happy performing and even dancing along to the upbeat song. Dahyun's voice is so pretty, she already knew it ever since they're young but she's still captivated everytime. Dahyun looks ethereal, with the light shining upon her. She's radiating happiness in her smiles.

Chaeyoung tries to gauge her emotions. This night was so bizarre to her. All of those years, her love didn't dwindle, instead it kept on spreading and growing. 'Being friends is good enough right?" her words haunted her. Chaeyoung doesn't know what she feels, it still felt surreal. She can imagine Dahyun slipping through her fingers again, and she didn't even had the chance to fully hold Dahyun. She lost Dahyun to cowardice and fear of losing friendship again. Yet, Chaeyoung still doesn't know what to feel.

As the song near its end, Dahyun became more engrossed with the choreo. She did not notice that she's already at the edge of the stage. There was a collective gasps and shouts as Dahyun accidentally slipped off the stage with a loud thud.

Chaeyoung shouts in a scared tone with a racing heart, "DAHYUN!"

--

The ambulance quickly arrived. Dahyun is placed in the stretcher, and thankfully, she's conscious. She's unscathed but her left foot hurts. The paramedics rushed the stretcher out of the venue, Eunwoo and Chaeyoung hot on their tails.

The paramedics mounted the stretcher to the ambulance. Chaeyoung and Eunwoo tries to mount the ambulance at the same time. The two had a staring contest, both of them not giving a sign of backing down.

"Excuse me, only one guardian can come with us." The paramedic inside stated to break the tension. 

Dahyun tries to rise to look at them better. "Chaeyoung." She stated then looks at Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung smiled and felt a blossoming pride inside her. Of course, Dahyun will choose her, they're friends since birth. That's a bond that can't be broken by a mere guy that appeared in the picture two years ago. As she tries to mount the ambulance, Dahyun stated, "Go back inside Chaeng. Enjoy your beer."

Eunwoo tapped her shoulders and mounted the ambulance. "I'll update you on her."

Chaeyoung watches as Eunwoo holds Dahyun's hand and whispers words to assure the latter. Dahyun only nods while maintaining eye contact with Eunwoo. Chaeyoung seemingly already forgotten.

Another paramedic closes the door and they started to drive off. Chaeyoung can only stare at the ambulance driving away. She remained staring even after its no longer at sight. She stares and stares. Dahyun chose someone not her. Then all her emotions comes crashing down. Dahyun loves someone again, and for the second time, it's still not her. 

Chaeyoung felt her heart being torn in multiple pieces. She wants to cry. She wants to cry and scream and shout after Dahyun. She wants to tell Dahyun this feeling, this pain. She wants Dahyun to know how she's breaking. How she's breaking because of her. She wants Dahyun to know that she's hurting and her soul feels like being shattered. 'Being friends is good enough right?' Cowards are also allowed to feel hurt right? Chaeyoung wants to cry, but her eyes remains dry.

"Hi!" A cheerful voice stole her attention. 

Her gaze landed on the speaker. She doesn't notice it earlier because she's too engrossed with Dahyun. The speaker looks really gorgeous with her hair slightly curled and in her peach colored dress that exposes both of her shoulders. The speaker's eye sparkles and looks like it speaks a thousand words and more. She's too gorgeous, totally Chaeyoung's type. 

The speaker smiled at her. A smile that can melt a thousand hearts. "I'm Sana. Wanna ditch this place?"

Chapter Text

Chaeyoung finds herself driving her white Hyundai Ioniq with no destination in mind and a Sana seated in her passenger seat. The road is peaceful, only a few cars can be seen probably because the world is asleep at 1 AM. They drive in comfortable silence as Sana hums a melody Chaeyoung isn't familiar with while looking through Chaeyoung's phone for a song to play. She steals a glimpse of Sana through her rear-view mirror.

Sana suddenly turned to her. "I can't find any of my song in any of your playlist. This is blasphemy!" She said exaggeratedly.

"Maybe you're just not that famous." Chaeyoung said chuckling.

"Jerk." Sana said then pouted. "You got Jihyo's songs." 

Chaeyoung peeks at Sana again. "Why? Do you consider her as your rival?"

Sana places Chaeyoung's phone in the cup holder of the interior central gear between them. She gets her own phone from her purse. "Nah, she's too sexy to be that. Your car have bluetooth right?" She said while clicking through the car's music system. "Nevermind, I'm in."

"Yeah you do that. Thanks for asking permission to go through my stuffs and respecting my boundaries, stranger." Chaeyoung stated in a faked annoyed tone. She gets her phone to check for any updates on Dahyun but she saw none. She puts her phone back.

"Oh please! Drama queen." Sana giggled.

Sana sings as a harmonious music plays.it's the same music that Sana was humming earlier.

[A/N: The song is Satsugyou/Graduation. Sana did a cover of it. Think of it as a Korean song]

'This view that's about to disappear

I want to be able to remember it and try to burn it into my memories but

each time I blink, they keep pouring down.'

The song is Sana's. She peeks into the music system and saw the title 'Graduation.' It's Chaeyoung's first time listening to it, and she's not gonna lie, it's so good. The melody and lyrics, but most of all the way Sana sings it live in her passenger seat like she means it, it brought out the songs emotions.

'The reasons we fought was because of your kindness

and I had failed to realize that and your tears that day

You were always fun and playful

but now you look down with shoulders shaking and mutter, "Let's meet again"'

Chaeyoung feels at ease. All the tension she felt today leaves her body due to Sana's soft voice. She bet other people will pay her millions to be at her position. Cozy late night drive with THE Sana singing in her passenger seat. She felt Sana looks at her while continuing in singing.

'Graduation is not the last goodbye but realizing that 

will be when we are all grown ups

Until then, we'll go separate ways

We may stumble and look back

and we will meet again some day.'

The song ended and a pop song plays afterwards. Chaeyoung is glad that the road is empty because she found herself staring at Sana as the singer sang the end parts of the song.

"So how was it?" Sana asked her while smiling.

Chaeyoung fixes her eyes on the road. "It's really good. I'm sure everyone loved it. It's my first time listening to it though."

"You're boring." Sana rolled her eyes. "I thought you're gonna say you listened to it before or something."

Chaeyoung looks at her in confusion.

"It's my new song. It'll be release in a few days. You're really lucky to be the first outsider to listen to it AND have the actual singer, herself, sang it personally." Sana said cheekily.

"I'm honored Ms. Sana with a long ass surname." She stated to humor Sana.

"It's Minatozaki, you uncultured swine!" Sana whined.

Chaeyoung laughs. "But on a serious note, everyone will love that song. It'll do great in charts. You'll do great. I believe in you."

"Awww" Sana said softly.

"One opinion though from an uncultured swine." She snickers. "If it's possible, sing the part before the chorus in acapella, that will be ground breaking and everyone will be smitten. The emotions will be much more raw."

Sana stares at her.

"What?" Chaeyoung chuckles nervously.

"That's a good idea. A really really good one. If only the writer, producer and company will allow it. That'll be hard to do because only few days left to prepare everything, but I can imagine it. It'll even be a slap to my haters." Sana rambles. "Hey Chaeyoung, stop at that convenience store." She suddenly said.

The two entered the convenience store. Its empty aside from the part-timer dozing off in the counter. There's a song playing softly in the speakers. Sana makes her way to the instant noodles aisle and Chaeyoung follows her.

"Aren't you worried to be seen outside with me, not to mention at this time of the night?" Chaeyoung asks Sana as the latter looks through brands of instant cup ramen.

"It's fine. If a rumor started, I'll just say we're dating." Sana winks at her.

"Bold of you to assume that I'll date you." Chaeyoung smirks. "Wanna try? Dating, I mean." 

Sana cutely laughs. "Coffee or hot chocolate?"

The mention of hot chocolate makes Chaeyoung's mind flew to a certain chocolate-loving pale girl. She abruptly checks her phone for updates, but still saw none. Should she call Dahyun instead?

"Coffee or hot chocolate?" Sana repeats.

"Coffee." Chaeyoung puts her phone back to her pocket instead.

"Great. Mine is coffee too." Sana gives her two instant cup ramen. "Pay this and buy two coffees, lover." Sana points at the counter then made her way to the table and seat in the other side of the convenience store.

After paying, Chaeyoung seats beside Sana. She places one of the cup ramen now filled with hot water in front of Sana. "I thought celebrities are rich. Why make me pay?" She pouted.

"Well, news flash, I'm broke. You should totally buy my incoming album to help a broke indie singer" Sana smiles sweetly. 

"I thought I am your lover? Now, you're recruiting me to be your fan."

"It doesn't hurt to try." Sana sniffs the ramen and sighs contentedly. "You can never go wrong with ramen." She stirs the ramen with the wooden chopstick. "Speaking of, what do you do for a living?" 

"Nothing much. I'm a flight attendant." Chaeyoung started stirring her ramen too.

"No way. You're kidding me." Sana said unbelievably. "Your height doesn't meet the criteria."

"Foul! My height definitely made it to the criteria." She whined.

"Cute." Sana stated. "Cute-size stewardess." Sana added then giggles while Chaeyoung exaggeratedly gasps.

"What brought you to it by the way? You don't look like the neat goody-two shoes type that strolls in high heels with her wheeled suitcase." Sana stated then blew on her ramen before eating it. "Ah! This is why you have to buy ramen everytime you're in a convenience store." 

"Just out-of-the-spur decision. A senior student came to me and asked me if I want to be in her department." Sana hums for her to continue.

Chaeyoung is about to open her mouth to continue her story about Im Nayeon, but she closes her mouth instead. She looks at Sana, who's still eating her ramen. She looks at her phone for any updates for the nth time that night, but still saw none. She looks at Sana again. There is something about Sana that makes Chaeyoung wants to be truthful. Sana is a stranger. Strangers are the best people to talk to because they don't judge. Maybe its because she's vulnerable this night or maybe because she's comfortable with Sana, but for the first time, Chaeyoung wants to be honest.

"Scratch that." She said instead. "Dahyun said before, Flight attendants look attractive. Dahyun, my best friend. My straight best friend, said a woman looks attractive." Sana looks at her seriously while chewing. She chuckles. "And I was a fool, still am. Little gay Chaeyoung hopes that her best friend will start looking at her in a different light and see how attractive she is."

"You like Dahyun? The music producer who's dating Eunwoo?" 

Chaeyoung sips her coffee. "Yup." She said with a pop.

"Hmm. So that's why you have that look earlier outside the venue." Sana mutters.

"What look?"

"Like you're constipated or something." Sana giggles. "Anyways, I thought you're the multiple partners type. No offense. Its just your vibe." Sana pointed at her from head to toe with her chopstick.

"None taken and you're kinda right. I don't do relationships. Just hook ups here and there."

"Why?" Sana asks with her brows furrowed.

Chaeyoung gazes out the window of the convenience store. "I can't do serious relationship. I know myself, I can't love someone as much as I love Dahyun. I don't want to hurt the other girl like that. Plus, I might cheat. Cheating is a big no to Dahyun."

"But you're still playing the other girls feelings. Isn't that the same with cheating?"

"Nah, this is different." Chaeyoung stops for a moment and thinks deeply. "This is different right?" She repeats with doubt in her voice which made Sana giggle.

"By the way, you're still friends today with Dahyun? Wow, you're lucky. Not everyone can confess and still be friends." Chaeyoung avoided her gaze. "Wait-- You confessed, right? Tell me that Dahyun knew."

The question fell on deaf ears.

"Of course, another coward. It runs in homosexuality." Sana sighed.

"You can't tell me that you confessed to someone you like."

"Duh! Of course I did. Unlike some people, I got balls. I'm among the 1% of lesbians who got courage. Jihyo thought I was hitting on Jeongyeon, so I had to come clear. That girl, I'm telling you, is too oblivious for her own good." Sana said shaking her head. "I've been sending hints her way for far too long but she didn't noticed it. All her attention is in that Yoo Jeongyeon. So I've did what every perfectly sane people did." She said proudly.

"Leave them alone?" Chaeyoung said doubtfully.

"What? No! I've approached Jeongyeon."

Chaeyoung looks at her emotionless. She knew this is gonna be dumb.

"And can you believe, that's the only time Jihyo noticed me. She thought I like Jeongyeon. My plan totally worked. Well, kinda." Sana giggles.

"But Jihyo and Jeongyeon are already married, and you still hit on Jihyo?" Chaeyoung asked bewildered.

"That was years ago." Sana laughs.

"And you still haven't moved on?"

"How about you? How many years do you love Dahyun now?" Sana asks a question with a raised eyebrow instead of answering her.

"Touché." Chaeyoung said and started eating her ramen. "Hey, did you know that I almost made out with Jihyo before?" She said smugly.

Sana drops her jaw. "No way! Give me the details, you sexy little human." 

--

A week has passed, Sana is already in the middle of promoting her new song. Chaeyoung was able to watch some performance in her free time.

It's 3 AM but Chaeyoung is currently waiting for Sana in the convenience store they hanged out before. The part-timer is the same one and just like last time, she's still dozing off. There's also a song softly playing in the speakers today.

She saw someone being dropped off by a car in front of the convenience store. It might be Sana, but she's not sure, since the person is wearing a hat and a mask to cover her face. The car drove off afterwards.

"Hey booty call." The person addresses her and it is indeed Sana.

"Booty call?" Chaeyoung smiles at Sana.

"That's what I saved you in my phone." Sana said while surveying the place. She stares outside the convenience store and observes the vicinity.

"What's with you today? And what's with the appearance?" She asks confusedly.

"Turns out, I'm still a celebrity after all. Can't risk having dating rumors in the middle of promotion." She said then removes her cap and her mask.

"I thought you're gonna confirm our dating rumor?" Chaeyoung is having fun toying with Sana. The singer just rolled her eyes. "Anyways, why do you call me here, lover?"

"I'm having trouble sleeping and I'm feeling lonely, then I've thought of you. I thought you would love for me to spare you some time despite my busy schedule. I hope I didn't bother you." Sana smiles sweetly.

"You don't have any friends to hang out with. Noted." Chaeyoung stated in a matter of fact tone. "Also, I'm free right now, my next flight is tomorrow midnight."

"Whatever. Can you buy me a coffee, pretty please?" Sana said with her puppy eyes.

"Do you want ramen too?"

"No. Just coffee. I'm on a diet" 

Chaeyoung makes her way to the counter. She's baffled with how Sana acts today. It's really difficult to be a celebrity, she thought.

After a while, she went back to Sana with two coffee in hand. As soon as she sat, Sana started ranting about how stressful her week had been. Chaeyoung just listens and nods, then occasionally, she makes a comment. Sana's song 'Graduation,' plays in the convenience store's speakers.

She saw how Sana's eyes lit up and there's a proud smile plastered in her face.

"Wow, this song is pretty dope. Do you have any idea who sang it?" She asks Sana with a mischivous smile.

Sana returns her smile. "I do. I heard the singer is pretty, sexy and oozing with talent. You should buy her album, you know."

Chaeyoung laughs heartily.

"I'm still trying to do that acapella idea by the way, if you're wondering." 

Chaeyoung's phone suddenly rang. She looks at the screen and saw Dahyun calling her. It's already 5AM, she didn't notice how time quickly passed because she's with Sana.

"Just a sec." Sana only nodded and sips her coffee.

Chaeyoung stood up and walks a few feet away for some privacy. "Hello clumsy. How's your feet cast?" Dahyun's left feet had been in a cast after the accident in the wedding event.

"Chaeng. I've been puking all day." Dahyun said unexpectedly. "My menstruation also hasn't come yet. I might be pregnant."

"Huh?!" She said unbelievably. She felt all blood in her body being drained. Sana looks at her worriedly, she only nodded at the singer. "Where are you?" She asks feeling worried for her friend.

"I'm in Malaysia."

"Bro? What?!" Sana looks at her again. "What are you doing there?"

"Where are you?" Dahyun asks her instead of answering.

"I'm in Seoul. Where's Eunwoo? Is he with you?"

"No. I came here alone. Can you come see me?" She hears, based on Dahyun's tone, that the girl is stressed.

"I'm not just a car ride away, you know it. That's six hours flight." She stated with her brows furrowed.

"Please, Chaeng. I don't know what to do anymore."

She sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll call you." She said then waited for Dahyun to drop the call.

She makes her way to Sana.

"You're gonna go to her?" Sana asks her. Chaeyoung only nodded. "Good. Don't worry about me. I'll text my manager to fetch me. Thanks for accompanying me." Chaeyoung only nodded as an answer. When Chaeyoung was about to go, Sana called her. "Chaeyoung." She looks at her. "Try not to be a coward. If you see a chance, then risk it." Sana smiled at her reassuringly. Chaeyoung only smiled and left. Sana watches as Chaeyoung's car drove off.

Sana stares at the night sky while sipping her no longer hot coffee. It's almost dawn, the sun will start to peek any minute now. She sighs and mutters, "We're all fools when it comes to love, aren't we?" The convenience store speaker is still playing her song and it's almost finished. She hums along with it.

'Until then, we'll go separate ways

We may stumble and look back

and we will meet again some day.'

Chapter Text

Chaeyoung arrived in Kuala Lumpur at almost 3 PM. The earliest flight to Malaysia was at 8AM and there was some delay much to Chaeyoung's dislike. She's currently sitting in a taxi stuck in a traffic. She can't calm her nerves. She's worrying about Dahyun, how the pale girl feels right now. She looks out the window and noticed a light drizzle. She sighed heavily. The traffic is still not budging. She looks at the vehicles around her, then looks at her phone to see if Dahyun texted her. The hotel address Dahyun sent her earlier is near but the traffic is really bad.

She stares at the light drizzle again and contemplates if she will run or wait in the traffic. After a minute, she pays the driver and wears her backpack she uses for light travelling. She opened the taxi door and quickly runs to the direction of the hotel. When she arrives at the hotel, the security, receptionist, and bellhop stares at her unamused. Chaeyoung pays their expression no mind and approaches the receptionist to state her business. Afterwards, she went directly to the elevator and presses fifth floor.

Chaeyoung arrives in front of Dahyun's hotel room and knocks. She didn't wait for long as the door quickly opens. Dahyun is still in her foot cast and holding a crutch to support her while walking. Dahyun looks scared. Her face visibly enlightens when she saw Chaeyoung.

"Chaeng!" Dahyun said in a nervous tone and immediately hugs the other girl. "You really came! Why are you drenched? Did you run in the rain?"

"Yeah, the traffic was terrible and it's just a drizzle. You're just worrying too much Dahyun." Chaeyoung said thinking about the pregnancy. They moved inside the room. "That's just your food baby. Too much chocolate or something. You should learn to poop regularly." She said jokingly pertaining to Dahyun's stomach.

"What food baby? I can't even eat anything."

Chaeyoung sits in the only couch in the room. Dahyun's hotel room is a small one, only composed of a Queen sized bed, one couch, a cr, and a table. Dahyun tossed a mini towel in her direction. Chaeyoung uses the towel to dry her hair and clothes.

"Did you tell about it to Eunwoo?"

"No. Not yet. You're the first one to know." That might seem like a little thing, but it made Chaeyoung smile. Her chest swell with pride. She's happy that Dahyun told her about the possible pregnancy first before telling Eunwoo, an all time low considering Eunwoo is the father of the possible baby.

Dahyun started rummaging through her travel bag placed at the top of the bed. "I bought a pregnancy kit, but I didn't use it yet. I was waiting for you to come." She continues looking through her things. "I can't find it. Where did I put it?"

"Dahyun, it's in your hand. Calm down." Chaeyoung said while remaining seated in the couch.

"Oh!" Dahyun feels sheepish. "I'm gonna try it." She gulps. "I'm gonna do it Chaeng." She looks at her nervously and turns her back but stays in place. 

Chaeyoung sighs deeply and stands. She holds Dahyun's shoulder and softly drags the other girl to sit in the bed. She sits beside Dahyun and they stared at each other.

"Dahyun." She softly stated.

"Chaeyoung, I'm scared." Dahyun's eyes started to redden. Chaeyoung gently rubs Dahyun's arms to soothe her. "I'm so scared. I'm not yet ready to be a mother. I can't even look after myself correctly, what more a baby." Her voice shakes. "I can't. It will be just doomed with me."

"Dahyun." Chaeyoung said to interrupt the pale girl.

"I can't have a baby. I will do poorly. I'm not ready. The baby will hate me when it grows up. I can't even cook. How can I keep it alive. I can't. I'm not fit to be a mother. I can't raise it properly. It will go rogue and blame me for ruining its life. It did not even want to be brought up in this world." Dahyun keeps on going into spiral.

Chaeyoung holds Dahyun's face. "Dahyun, look at me." Dahyun looks straight into Chaeyoung's eyes but she remains scared. "Having babies aren't bad. They are cute, remember how you used to squish random babies' cheeks?"

"But squishing baby cheeks and raising one is an entirely different thing." Dahyun whines.

"I know, and I also know that you'll be a great mother." Chaeyoung smiles softly to assure her. "You'll do great, I promise you. You'll protect it like how you used to protect me from mean kids. You'll raise the baby to be kind, honest, brave, and intelligent, just like you."

"You really thinks so?" Dahyun asks her softly.

"I know so." Chaeyoung freed Dahyun's face and drags the other girl in front of the cr. "And I'll help you raise it, I'll make sure to pamper it. When you can't handle it or feels like you're doing it wrong, just call me. I'm here." Chaeyoung giggles.

"Babies doesn't sound so bad. I can already imagine it running after you while you pathetically scream for help." Dahyun giggles as she enters the cr.

"Yaahhh!!" Chaeyoung whines as the cr door closes. Chaeyoung tries to listen through the closed door.

After a while, the door opens again and Chaeyoung looks at Dahyun expectantly as her heart continues beating fast. 

"I can't pee." Dahyun sulkily stated.

Chaeyoung let go of the breath she's holding. "Come on. I'll help you." She turns Dahyun around, gently push the girl back to the cr and closes the door. 

She clears her throat and made the sound "swswswswswswswswsw" to help Dahyun pee. After a long time, the door opens again. Dahyun is emotionless but said nothing.

"So?" Chaeyoung can't handle the wait any longer.

Dahyun shoved the pregnancy kit onto her hands. It's a bit sticky but Chaeyoung didn't mind it and stares at the pregnancy kit, not understanding a single thing. "What does this mean?" She asked with brows furrowed while still staring at the pregnancy kit. 

"Not positive. I'm not pregnant." Dahyun enthusiastically said and proceeds to jump lightly due to joy.

Chaeyoung temporarily became weak in the knees due to the news. She holds the wall for support. "Good. Good. I am so not ready to raise little Dahyuns." She said which contradicts what she said earlier. Dahyun only giggles.

Chaeyoung went back to sit on the couch and Dahyun follows her to sit on the bed. 

"Did you fly all the way here to test a pregnancy kit?" Chaeyoung asks her bewildered.

"No." Dahyun pause for a moment. "I think Eunwoo is cheating on me. I can feel it, there's something not right." Dahyun said with a serious face.

"What? How?" Chaeyoung can only ask despite the rising anger in her chest.

"We're currently working together on a song for MNET. It's a collab between countries that signed with that tv channel, so we have to fly to those countries."

[A/N: This is the English translation of the song. It's the Friendzone 2018 OST. Feel free to listen to it.]

Can you please tell me?

Is it true or am I thinking too much?

My heart gets shaken up

With the questions that haven't been answered

Tell me what's on your mind

I wanna know what is in your heart

Are you trying to fool me

Do you really want to see me cry?

I would like to let you know

How much I am worried

Before saying anything

I want you to promise me

That you will never hurt me again

Our love is still as good as before?

Are we still together in our dreams?

Your heart hasn't changed and is still mine

And our love is still the same

I just want to ask you to say this

Tell me that your heart also feels this

Tell me so that I can be assured

That our love still remains the same as before, am I right?

How come you are so cruel?

Do you know I'm an overthinker?

Messing with my heart and head

Who will be responsible for that?

"We're already done with the respective singers from South Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and Philippines. But because of the accident in the wedding, I wasn't able to go with Eunwoo to Malaysia." Dahyun explains seriously. "I think it's the one of those singers."

Chaeyoung stares at her doubtfully.

"What? You don't believe me? It's not like I don't trust Eunwoo, maybe those singers seduces him. He's a handsome, tall, and muscular guy after all."

"Okay, stop bragging." Chaeyoung said with disdain.

"I met up with him in Indonesia since I can walk again but with crutches as support. While we're working, he asked me to get his headphones in his bag. In his bag, I found..." Dahyun trails off which made Chaeyoung to move closer, "...a wristwatch. He got us couple watch."

"Dude, I thought you found a female's underwear or a used condom." Chaeyoung said in an annoyed tone.

"What? That's disgusting." Dahyun said disgusted. "Back to the topic. He gifted me a matching watch but it isn't a special day. Not a birthday, anniversary or even monthsary. He was so sweet. So sweet that he seems like he's guilty and was covering something. My guts is screaming he's cheating on me." Dahyun's eyes narrowed while telling her this.

"Maybe he just suddenly thought of you when he saw the watches in the shop."

"That's what I thought too. So I sent him to help the singer with her lines inside the music booth while I look through his bag. Did you know what I found in his wallet?" Dahyun trails off again.

"A female's underwear or a used condom?" She said with a raised brow.

"Ew! God no! Stop with that thing." Dahyun grabs her pouch and looks through her stuffs, she takes out a little paper and shoves it to Chaeyoung's face. "I found this!"

Chaeyoung stares at the paper cross-eyed due to close proximity. "Uhh..." She started with uncertainty. "A receipt?" Dahyun nods firmly as a confirmation. "You flew all the way here just because of a piece of paper?" Chaeyoung said amazed.

"My money, my problem." Dahyun said nonchalantly.

Chaeyoung holds the receipt to look at it comfortably." A restaurant receipt. Hamburger, beer, sundae." She looks at Dahyun. "There's nothing sketchy here."

"That's his orders. Continue reading."

Chaeyoung stares at the receipt again and continues reading slowly. "Caesar salad, truffle chocolate lava cake, strawberry smoothie..."

--

"Caesar salad, truffle chocolate lava cake, strawberry smoothie." The waitress laid out their orders.

Dahyun and Chaeyoung went to the restaurant indicated in the receipt and ordered all the food in it. It's currently quarter to 6 PM and its almost dark outside the establishment. The restaurant got a romantic mood with the help of dim lights, fancy decorations, and ballad music being played. The two are seated facing each other with the food laid out in the table in front of them.

"Who do you think Eunwoo went with?" Chaeyoung asks then took a smile bite of the burger.

"Probably the Malaysian singer, Joyce Chu." Dahyun opens her phone and clicks and scrolls through stuffs. "She even looks cuter than me." 

"Let me see the girl who's cuter than you." Chaeyoung said while chewing.

Dahyun shows her a picture of a girl from instagram. "Hmm... You're right, she looks cuter than you." Chaeyoung said enthusiastically.

Dahyun gave her a glare. "Excuse me." She caught the attention of the waitress passing by. "Hi! Does Joyce Chu always come here?" Dahyun said while smiling. "We're her fans from South Korea."

"Joyce Chu? Yes, She always eats here."

"Did she also ate here last week?" Dahyun asked interestedly.

"Last week? I can't remember." The waitress laid her eyes on her two co-waitresses nearby. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" She said to caught their attention. The two waitresses approached them. "Did Joyce Chu came here last week?" 

"Joyce Chu? I think she came." Said the second waitress.

"No she did not." The third one contradicted.

"Joyce Chu came. You're the one that didn't come." The second one said while pointing finger to the third waitress 

"You didn't come last week?" The first waiter said with a shocked expression.

"Did I not come last week?" The third one asked looking confused.

As the three waitress continues their banter, Chaeyoung whispers to Dahyun, "Now, I'm not sure who came or not."

"Nevermind." Dahyun stated to stop the waitresses. "Thank you for your help." The three waitresses bows and continues on their work.

"I think she came but they can't remember it." Dahyun said in a sad tone. 

"Maybe they just ate together to celebrate. Then they parted ways afterwards." Chaeyoung said to console Dahyun.

"Imagine, you're Eunwoo and you're out here with a girl. With this romantic setting, dim lights and romantic ballads, wouldn't sparks fly while you're staring at the girl straight in their eyes?" As Dahyun describes it, Chaeyoung stares at Dahyun's eyes. She didn't bat an eye and nor did Dahyun. The surrounding seems to start to blur in Chaeyoung's eyes and only Dahyun stands out. The ballad playing at the moment makes Chaeyoung wants to be lost in staring at Dahyun's eyes forever.

'If you see a chance, then risk it.' Sana's voice suddenly rung in her ears. Her heart started to beat slowly yet loudly. After a while, Chaeyoung can't handle it anymore and she averted her gaze. She shoved Sana's voice at the back of her head. Instead she said, "I don't know. I'm not Eunwoo."

Dahyun's shoulders slumps. She became gloomier, and Chaeyoung can't tolerate it.

She covers her mouth and imitated the sound of an incoming phone call. "Ring ring ring... ring ring ring."

Dahyun only stares at her confusedly.

Chaeyoung exaggeratedly looks at her phone and said, "Excuse me Ms. Joyce Chu. I have to take this." Chaeyoung picks up her phone and pretended to be calling someone. She dipped her fingers in the truffle chocolate lava cake and smeared the oozing chocolate onto her face to create a fake beard that matches Eunwoo's. She imitated Eunwoo's baby voice back in the wedding, and said "Hello Baby Hyun. Yes. I'm out with Joyce Chu. We're only eating. Hmm? No Baby Hyun. It's just dinner, I'll go home after this. Okay Baby Hyun. Bye Baby Hyun, Good night, sweet dreams Baby Hyun." Dahyun stares at her fighting to smile all throughout Chaeyoung's antics. "I'm sorry Ms. Joyce Chu. I already have a girlfriend and I have to go straight to my hotel after this." Chaeyoung pretended that Dahyun is Joyce Chu.

Dahyun decided to entertain Chaeyoung's antics and drags her chair closer to Chaeyoung. In a seducing tone she said, "Are you sure you can't stay the night with me? Hmm?" Dahyun shakes her body to make her boobs bounce as an attempt of seduction.

"I'm really sorry, but I have a girlfriend. She may not have boobs and is similar to a flat iron, but I love her." Chaeyoung said with finality in her voice while still pretending to be Eunwoo. She also pretended that deep inside, it didn't hurt.

Dahyun also dips her fingers in the Truffle chocolate lava cake and inches closer to Chaeyoung.

"Eunwoo, I think your beard is thinner, let's fix that." She said while laughing and trying to smear more chocolate into Chaeyoung's face.

--

The two went back to Dahyun's hotel after their dinner slash investigation in the restaurant. It's now 7:30 PM and Chaeyoung has to be back in Seoul before 3 AM for her flight. With a smile in their faces Chaeyoung escorted a limping Dahyun up to the few steps of the stairs. 

"Do you want me to give you a piggyback ride?" Chaeyoung asks seeing how Dahyun was having a hard time on walking.

"Nah. I'll break your back. Plus I'm taller than you."

Mouth agape, Chaeyoung whines to protest. "Definitely not! I'm taller than you."

"I'm sorry to burst your bubbles, but I'm 161 cm now. I'm taller than you 159 cm Chaeng." Dahyun stated smugly.

"You cheated in measuring!" She continues on whining like a child. "Or its probably because of those insoles you always insisted on wearing. Your feet adopted the height."

"Nuh-uh." Dahyun reciprocated her childishness. They burst into fits of laughter due to it. They continue walking until they're in front of the elevator.

"So," Chaeyoung stated. "I'll go first. I still have to do flight attendant stuffs. What are you gonna do now?"

"I'm gonna met up with Eunwoo in Seoul tomorrow. We have to continue this MNET Project." Dahyun hugs her. "Thank you for today Chaeyoung. Really. I don't know where I'd get another best friend like you." Dahyun said it meaning it with her whole heart. This made Chaeyoung to temporarily lost her smile, but Dahyun didn't saw it.

"Glad you know it." She can only say this. She tried to smile again before freeing herself from the hug.

"Bye." Dahyun said.

Chaeyoung nodded and proceeds to go out of the hotel. She asks the guard in the entrance to get her a taxi. While waiting, she hears a familiar giggle and a rolling of wheels. She looks back at the hotel and saw Dahyun giggling while riding a hotel cart being pushed by an unamused and slightly annoyed bellhop. Chaeyoung can only laugh out loud because of her friend.

"What are you doing?" She asked while still laughing.

Dahyun got down from the hotel cart and faces Chaeyoung. "I asked him to give me a ride because I want to keep you company while waiting. I'm afraid that you'll have to wait long." She said while smiling brightly. The bellhop was about to go back inside the hotel but Dahyun stops him. "Wait. I need a ride back inside."

A taxi suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Oh. Well, that's a waste." Dahyun continue on giggling 

Dahyun and Chaeyoung stares at each other while still smiling happily. They seem to be in a trance and can't look away from each other until the annoyed bellhop coughs to catch their attention.

"Oh." Chaeyoung felt sheepish after averting her eyes from Dahyun. "I'll go now, go back inside." Chaeyoung enters the taxi. The taxi proceeds to drive away but Chaeyoung saw from the rear-view mirror that Dahyun remains standing in the spot where she left her.

Chaeyoung gazes out the window to space out with a pleasant smile adorning her face.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure you're gonna come with me to Hongkong?" Eunwoo asks Dahyun.

The two is at their own home. They're packing their things to bring for the Hongkong trip for the MNET song. Eunwoo's travel bag is placed at the top of the bed and his clothes are everywhere.

"Yup. My feet is now okay. This cast is basically just design now." Dahyun said while trying to organize Eunwoo's clothes in his travel bag.

Eunwoo drops the jeans he folded in the bed. "Nice. I also need my partner." He said while wriggling his eyebrows.

"Dummy. We're gonna go there to work." Dahyun laughingly said.

Eunwoo hugs her from behind. "That's what I said. What were you thinking Baby Hyun?" He stated in a teasing tone.

"Nothing." Dahyun giggles. "Go, get your toiletries in the bathroom, I'll put your stuffs." She shoos him away and Eunwoo complies while humming the song they're working on.

Dahyun grabs the jeans that Eunwoo laid on the bed and she noticed that it's messily folded. "Tall guy but can't even fold properly." She mumbles. While she's placing it in the travel bag, her hands grazes on a bulky thing inside a pocket hidden in the side of the travel bag. She tried to get it and before her eyes lays a pack of a condom from a brand she had never seen before. 

Her mind runs a thousand different scenario alongside the uneasy beat of her heart. With shaky hands, she pries the pack of condom open and saw two still sealed condoms. She took a deep breath to gain courage, then inspects the design of the pack. She found out that it was supposed to have three condoms instead of two, which meant that Eunwoo had already used one. She accidentally dropped the condoms onto the floor along with a choked sob that escaped past her lips.

"Baby Hyun?" She suddenly heard Eunwoo's voice calling her from their ensuite bath room. "Do you want me to bring your toiletries too?"

Thousand questions are running inside her mind. When? Where? Who? How? Why? but instead of confronting Eunwoo, she said "Yes, please," using the most normal voice she can muster. She immediately grabs the pack of condom from the floor and returns it to the travel bag's pocket. She proceeds to continue organizing Eunwoo's stuffs while sitting in their bed, but her mind was being filled with questions.

She didn't notice that Eunwoo had already came out of their cr and was talking to her but she's not responding. He squatted in front of her, and looks at her with worry in his eyes.

"Baby Hyun," He tentatively said. "Are you okay? You're spacing out. Are you tired? You should rest. Are you sure your foot is now fine? If you're tired, I can go alone to Hongkong, it'll be fine?"

While staring at Eunwoo's eyes, Dahyun becomes determined, she thought, 'I must know.' 

"I think I strained my foot from all the walking." The worry in his eyes remains. "I've been reckless these last few days. Are you sure its fine if I won't come with you?"

"Of course, it's fine! You're the top priority."

--

Chaeyoung is in the book sections of Lotte Duty Free located in Seoul International Airport, looking for new books that she'll want to read to pass time. She just landed from a long exhausting flight, changed out of her uniform and shoes, feet too worn out due to her heels. Instead of her travelling bag, she got her backpack on her shoulders. She's planning on driving straight home after buying a book or two, take a quick bath, and be in deep slumber for the next 12 hours or so.

While she's reading a book's blurb, she felt someone stood behind her. She glanced at the person and quickly returns to looking at the book to pretend she didn't saw the person. She doesn't have the energy to deal with anyone right now, not after one socialite from business class treated her like a slave.

"Chaeyoung."

Oh crap. "Hey Tzuyu, didn't saw you there." She laughs awkwardly.

Chou Tzuyu is one of her coworkers. The tall Taiwanese beauty asked to be a flight attendant based in South Korea after Chaeyoung hooked up with her. Chaeyoung thought it was just a one time thing, then she'll never see the Taiwanese again but she didn't know what strings did Tzuyu pull to be transfered to her own work.

"Where do you want to go? Singapore? Philippines? or we could go to Europe. It's your pick." The tall girl happily asks.

Chaeyoung only made a sound of confusion. She may have been hooking up with the tall girl for so many times, but everything is casual between them.

Tzuyu's face fell in disappointment. "Don't tell me you don't remember?"

Chaeyoung immediately panics. "Of course I remember." She rakes her brain for any clues but can't remember anything that comprises of her promising a trip to Tzuyu. She laughs awkwardly. Tzuyu looks at her expectantly. "I owe you a trip because uhh---" she fiddles with the book she's holding. She huffs and finally admits, "I can't remember shit, I'm sorry Tzu."

"You promised to try with me." Tzuyu said with a serious expression. Chaeyoung only looks at her in confusion. "You called me drunk a few days ago and said, you're afraid risking what we have but you're more afraid of not letting me know. You asked me if I'll let you try it with me." Chaeyoung bats her eyelashes as memories from that night resurfaces.

--

It was the night after Chaeyoung's departure from Malaysia. She went to a bar with an intention of drinking until she drops or making out with someone. Whichever works is fine with her.

She did find someone but while she's heatedly marking the other girl's neck, Dahyun's face from the restaurant suddenly crossed her mind. Dahyun looking ethereal with the dim lights and a soothing ballad playing in the background. Dahyun intently staring at her in the eyes. Suddenly, the girl moaned and the unfamiliar voice breaks Chaeyoung's revery, she's now back to the loud and crowded bar, faraway from Dahyun's eyes. She stopped assaulting the girl's neck and can't bring herself to continue doing it. Later that same evening, a very drunk Chaeyoung can be seen using her phone in her own home.

She used her phone with the intention of calling Dahyun. She typed "Ch" in the contacts because Dahyun's name in her contact list is "Chaeng's Dahyun" courtesy of the pale girl. But drunk Chaeyoung is seeing doubles and instead of "Chaeng's Dahyun," she unintentionally clicked Chou Tzuyu.

Chaeyoung, still unaware of her mistake, rambles as soon as the other line accepted the call. "Hey!" She giggles. "I was kissing some girl earlier, and you suddenly crossed my mind." The other line was saying something but Chaeyoung was too drunk to comprehend anything. "and I can't bring myself to continue kissing some girl... when you're the one I really want." Chaeyoung drunkenly closes her eyes and lays her head in the table while still holding the phone near her ears. The other line didn't say anything. "We're just friends... I know... I'm painfully aware of that. We... had been through everything in our life with each other being present in the picture. I can't imagine... I can't imagine you without in mine. I'm afraid. Scared. Too scared to lose you. But, hey, Sana is right... I'm already losing you... I want to stop losing you without even trying anything. I'm willing to risk it... Am I ready to risk it? I don't know." Chaeyoung giggles. "I want to try it with you... Is it okay, if I want to try it with you? I really want to. Will you allow me to try it with you?" She whispers as she becomes unconscious.

--

Oh. Crap. Chaeyoung's initial thoughts after she remembers everything. Looking at Tzuyu's expectant face, she can't bring herself to further disappoint the girl. She returns the book at the shelf and briefly did face palm out of frustration. 

"Why do we have to travel to other countries?" She asks instead of clarifying things. "I'm already fed up with flying in airplanes here and there. I want to rest."

"We have never travelled long distance with just the two of us."

"Aren't you tired of flying?" She tries to reason.

"Just say it, if you don't want to go with me." Tzuyu said annoyed and starts to leave her alone.

She holds the tall girl's wrist. "Fine. Let's travel." She didn't say it truthfully and Tzuyu knows it.

"I'm not forcing you. Just decline." Tzuyu is still not looking at her.

"I'm really tired now. Can't I just tell you when I have a free time?"

"Don't bother." 

"Fine. Let's go now." Chaeyoung didn't bother masking her annoyance.

"Just call me when you have the free time." Tzuyu forcefully freed her wrist from Chaeyoung's grasp and walks out annoyed.

Chaeyoung can only grumble, "women," while she's walking out of the store, mood sour and the intention to buy a book is thrown out of the window.

A familiar rushing figure caught her eyes, someone with a left foot cast but now the crutches are nowhere to be found. Dahyun is rushing to the escalator. Seeing her friend instantly made her mood to lighten. She brought her phone out and dials 'Chaeng's Dahyun.'

When Dahyun made it to the top, Chaeyoung saw her stop to look at her phone. Not a second later, Dahyun accepted her call.

"Bro." Chaeyoung greeted Dahyun happily.

"What made you call, Chaeng?" Dahyun asks while still rooted in place. Dahyun still hasn't seen Chaeyoung.

"Where are you today?" She asks while smiling.

"I'm at home." The lie made Chaeyoung to smile wider. "I'm gonna hang up now."

"Wait!" Chaeyoung said hurriedly, "Look down. I'm in front of your house" she laughs. Dahyun looks around until she finally saw Chaeyoung waving at her. Chaeyoung added teasingly, "Your home is kinda huge and crowded. Do you know all these people?"

Dahyun can only roll her eyes and hangs up the phone. 

Chaeyoung made her way to Dahyun. "Where are you going?" She asks as Dahyun continues to walk.

"Hongkong. Eunwoo is alone there. I found a condom in his bag."

"A used one?" She sneakily asks.

"Shithead. A missing one. So I'm gonna spy on him to see if he meets up with anyone." They stop walking when they arrived at a ticket kiosk. Dahyun clicks through it while Chaeyoung only watches. Afterwards, they continues to walk. "I think it's one of the singers."

"Do you think you're Detective Conan now?"

"I'm gonna find out the truth." Dahyun copies Conan shooting the needles to make Detective Moore sleep using her watch, the watch that Eunwoo gifted her.

"I'm good here. You don't have to go with me or worry about me. I can handle this." Dahyun smiles to assure her. "I'm gonna go now." Dahyun waves at her and walks away.

Chaeyoung watches Dahyun go. She turns around and walks to leave but she can't stop worrying about Dahyun.

Inside the airplane booked to fly to Hongkong, Dahyun can be seen struggling to fit her travel bag into the overhead compartment above her seat. The bag was about to hit her in the head when her hand accidentally slipped, good thing a passerby helps to stabilize her bag overhead. She looks at the kind samaritan to thank them but she found out, it was Chaeyoung.

"Yo!" Chaeyoung wiggles her brows. She steals Dahyun's travel bag from her friend, opens the neighboring compartment and places the travel bag there. Chaeyoung closes the compartments and smugly pretended to be swiping her hair with gel.

"I told you, I can handle this." Dahyun wasn't able to stop the smile on her face. "But good thing you're here. You're so mucho." Dahyun fake gushes to boost Chaeyoung's ego. They remain standing at the aisle while smiling like fools at each other. "What am I gonna do without you Chaeyoung?"

Before Chaeyoung can respond, the passengers that they're holding up in the aisle coughs to show their annoyance from the disturbance. This made Dahyun to quickly sit in her respective seat and Chaeyoung followed suit.

Chaeyoung and a co-flight attendant exchange brief greetings before the latter continue on assisting passengers.

Dahyun saw this brief interaction. "I want to see you while working Chaeng. I'm sure its gonna be funny." Dahyun snickers at the thought. "I just remembered. You're flying free right? Flying with worker's incentives?" 

Chaeyoung hummed in agreement. She's busy making herself comfortable for the flight.

"Is there any way that could extend to me?" Dahyun smiles suggestively. "Something like a friend incentives?"

"There's only one incentive. The mom incentive." Chaeyoung grabs a blanket.

"Like maternal mom?"

"Like the mother of my child incentive." She said in a sing song voice while wrapping Dahyun's torso with blanket to make the other girl comfortable. "You interested?"

Dahyun only laughs. Later on she said, "I envy you Chaeng." She huffs. "You're not stressing with anything."

Chaeyoung looks at Dahyun properly. "What do you mean? You didn't even gave back my money when we flew to Jeju back in high school. I've been stressed. I was gonna use that to buy a guitar to accompany you in playing the piano." After the information left her mouth, Chaeyoung realized what she said and her eyes enlarged due to shock. Chaeyoung knows she's fucked.

"Really?" Dahyun questions her softly.

Chaeyoung's gears in her head runs quickly. "Nah, I'm shitting on you. I was supposed to used that for a date. Jihyo had to treat me, I was so embarrassed." Chaeyoung whines with a racing heart. "If I only got money that time, I'm probably married to Jihyo by now."

Dahyun seemingly believes what Chaeyoung said. "You should have asked me to return it!"

Chaeyoung pouts and said "How can I do that when you avoided me for two weeks afterwards?" Chaeyoung made a gesture with her hands like she's asking for something. "Give me your hand."

Dahyun gives her right hand confusedly. 

"Not that hand." Chaeyoung grabs Dahyun's hand and re-adjusted Dahyun's watch that was given by Eunwoo. "Hongkong time is late by 1 hour from our time." Dahyun only stares at her face as Chaeyoung smiles gently.

--

Dahyun and Chaeyoung is in a Chinese restaurant located at the front of the music studio that Eunwoo is working on in Hongkong. It's currently 7 PM. They're currently spying on the building very discreetly (read: not) through the restaurant's window while waiting for their orders to arrive.

"I thinks that's the manager. They'll be finished in some time." Dahyun said in a hushed tone. Chaeyoung stops snooping and sits properly.

Dahyun's phone suddenly has an incoming call. "It's Eunwoo! He wants to video call! Should I answer? What if he'll notice?" Dahyun is panicking.

"Then don't answer it. That simple." Chaeyoung drinks her water.

"Right." Dahyun lowers her phone and contemplates. "I want to see who he's with." Then she accepted the call. "Hi!" Dahyun smiles awkwardly while looking at the phone.

"Baby Hyun!" Chaeyoung hears that annoying voice. "Good thing you answered. We're already finished with recording."

"Oh! That's great. Was the singer good?"

"Yeah. She's easy to work with. Wait, let me show her to you." 

Eunwoo calls out the singer's name. "This is Dahyun, my girlfriend and co-worker for this project. She's a big part of this project." Eunwoo introduced them to each other.

"Hi!" The singer greeted her in a friendly manner. "Wow! You're so pretty."

The compliment made Dahyun shy. "No. You're prettier. I heard that you did great. Was it tiring working with Eunwoo?"

"No. He made it fun and easy. I have to go now. My manager is waiting for me. It's nice meeting you."

After the singer said her goodbyes, Eunwoo asks Dahyun, "Baby Hyun, where are you? That's not our house." This sent Dahyun and Chaeyoung to panic.

Chaeyoung looks around furiously, she half-yelled-whispers "Chinatown. Restaurant." At the same time, one of the servers with their order is approaching them.

Dahyun relays what Chaeyoung said. "I removed my foot cast and stopped by to eat."

Chaeyoung steals the food tray from the server and imitates the chinese tone of the people in chinatown in korea. "Ma'am here's your order. Two dimsum and steamed bun and steamed dumplings. Is there anything else you want to order?"

"Do you have fried taro?"

"This is the steamed cart, the fried cart already passed by. Why didn't you order it before? Are you stupid?" Chaeyoung is still imitating the chinese voice.

Dahyun glares at Chaeyoung, while still holding the phone. "Bring whatever you have. Shithead."

"Oi!" Eunwoo reprimanded her through the phone. Dahyun forgot for a moment that he's on the other line. "Are you that hungry? You're about to eat her alive."

"I'm starving." Dahyun chuckled.

"Alright. Enjoy your meal. Go straight home after you eat. I'm gonna go now too." 

"Okay. Are you not gonna hang out together with the singer?" Dahyun asks sneakily.

"No. I'm going straight to the hotel. I'm exhausted. Enjoy Baby Hyun. Bye! I miss you." 

As soon as Eunwoo drops the call, Dahyun shuffles to stalk through the window. Meanwhile Chaeyoung starts eating. 

"Chaeng! They're together. Look!" Chaeyoung stops eating and looks at the window too.

From their position, they saw Eunwoo bid his goodbye to the singer and her manager before they parted ways. Eunwoo remains outside the studio, probably waiting for a taxi. 

Chaeyoung fixes her sitting position. "See. Satisfied? There's nothing going on Dahyun." She continues on eating while Dahyun remains snooping.

Out of the corner of Chaeyoung's eyes, she noticed the singer and her manager enters the Chinese restaurant where they are. She remembers that the singer saw Dahyun through Eunwoo's video call, and this sent her to panic. 

She covers her face casually (read: not) using her hands due to panic. The singer didn't even saw her at the video call earlier but her panic-stricken mind can't think of that. "Dahyun! pssst. Dahyun." She frantically calls to her friend. 

Dahyun remains snooping at the window. "He's in a call with someone. Who is he calling?" Dahyun mumbles.

"Dahyun!" Chaeyoung half yelled half whispered while tugging frantically at the other girl's clothes. The singer and manager sat in a table 2 rows away from them. This drove the already panicked Chaeyoung into near insanity. "Dahyun!" 

"Chaeng." Dahyun stated but her eyes remains on Eunwoo. "He rode a taxi."

Chaeyoung doesn't care what Eunwoo is up to now, she's only concerned that they're about to be busted by the singer. The singer looks at their table. Chaeyoung is peeking through the gaps of her finger to look at their table. She saw that the singer is looking intenly on Dahyun with brows furrowed.

"Dahyun!" She's practically begging the pale girl to notice her.

"Chaeng, there's a girl in the taxi." Dahyun stated and collected her bag to move out of the restaurant.

Chaeyoung follows Dahyun while crouching awkwardly and still covering her face. When she passed by the singer's table, she swears she heard the singer say "Some people really have generic faces" while still looking at Dahyun.

The two went directly to Eunwoo's hotel. Dahyun approached the receptionist to ask if Eunwoo had already arrived. Dahyun made her way to Chaeyoung who's sitting on the lobby's couch.

"What did she said?"

"He's still not here. I knew it. He's cheating on me. There was someone already inside the taxi before he rode it. Also, he said he'll go straight to this hotel, but look, we arrived before him." Dahyun is seething.

A waiter approached them with four drinks in his tray. He laid out the drinks and a scissor in the table in front of them then left after bowing.

Dahyun ordered the drinks from the restaurant in the hotel's lobby, but Chaeyoung doesn't know what it is or why there are so many. "Why did you bought so many? Are you that thirsty?" Chaeyoung asks mischievously.

"I bough two for you and me. The other two is for throwing at Eunwoo and his mistress." Dahyun said seriously. "Good thing you're here. I'll need another hand to pull the mistress's hair."

Dahyun dials Eunwoo's number but it only rings and remains unanswered. Chaeyoung gets one of the drinks and took a sip. "Hmm." She hummed happily. "Strawberry. How nice of you to consider me."

"He's still not answering." Dahyun grabs the scissors and aims it at Chaeyoung.

"Hold up dude! Are you gonna stab him with that?" Chaeyoung's eyes bulges out.

"What? No! I told him that I removed the cast." Dahyun lifts her leg with cast onto Chaeyoung's lap. "So remove my cast and we stays on the plot. I can say that we're here to surprise him. Hurry up and cut it."

Chaeyoung huffs and accepts the scissors. She didn't say anything while removing Dahyun's cast. Dahyun is busy looking at the entrance before she realized how quiet Chaeyoung is. "What?"

Chaeyoung huffs again. "You've lost it." She continues removing Dahyun's cast. "Why are you so obsessed with him?"

"You know that I don't want to get married." Dahyun sips her own drink.

"I know. Ever since your dad."

"But with him... I want to marry him ASAP." Dahyun said seriously. "Every song I want to write is about him. Even every song I listen to is also about him. I've never been like this with JB."

"You're infatuated." Chaeyoung tries to pretend what Dahyun said didn't affected her.

"Chaeyoung." Dahyun said firmly which made Chaeyoung to look at Dahyun. "I'm obsessed with him." She said without batting her eyes. "He told me that he wants to marry me. Have three kids to form a band. One is a pianist, another is a violinist and the other one can be a vocalist. He told me that and I just want to jump into that future." Dahyun said dreamily. 

"He's just daydreaming. That's what everyone does before marriage."

"You know, my mom said that marriage isn't a bad thing. If he fcks up, I can sue him and the mistress to gain a lot of money."

Hearing Dahyun say she wants to start a family with someone not her, hurts really bad. Her heart keeps on sinking while she's hurting. "and you think money can get rid of your sorrow."

Dahyun smirks at her. "You just go continue being the player that you are."

This made Chaeyoung to stop what she's doing. "Who said I don't want to get married?" She said in a low tone.

Dahyun chuckles. "In your case, marriage will bankrupt you." Chaeyoung imagines her heart still free falling.

"Yeah." She chuckles without any humor. "You should stop snooping around. It will only give you divorce."

"Am I not allowed to know what he's doing? For all I know, he'll go around like how you go around."

"I'm so sick of this!" Chaeyoung said in an outburst. She can imagine her stomach being a bottomless pit because her heart only keeps on falling and it's becoming much more painful than what she can handle.

"You're not doing anything wrong. What are you sick of?" Dahyun, as usual, is oblivious.

Chaeyoung's mind is screaming 'Of him. Of you being into him. Of how you don't deserve what he's doing to you. Of how you're treating me. Of how you don't see that I'm hurting. Of everything!' but instead she said. "Of your feet. It's so damn stinky." 

Dahyun shamefully removes her feet from Chaeyoung's lap. She's laughing while apologizing.

"Go. Wait for your groom." Chaeyoung rolled her eyes.

Chaeyoung didn't realize that she accidentally fell asleep while sitting on the couch. She looks at her phone and saw that it's already 10 PM. She remembers Dahyun and looks around to find the other girl. Her gaze landed on the entrance where Dahyun is standing. Chaeyoung made her way to Dahyun and heard the other girl muttering about how her call keeps on not being accepted.

When Dahyun felt her presence, she looks at her. The exhaustion, worry and sadness are evident in her face.

"He still didn't arrived?"

Dahyun shakes her head as an answer. "What if he got kidnapped? Or he's in a pretty bad place. Shouldn't we call the police by now?"

"Dahyun, the police won't take you seriously for reporting a grown ass man that hasn't arrived at his hotel yet when he should have 3 hours ago." Chaeyoung offers her phone to Dahyun's direction. "Try calling with a different number."

Dahyun hesitantly accepts the phone. She closes her eyes tightly for a while before opening them again to dial Eunwoo's number using Chaeyoung's phone. After two rings, she heard that the call got accepted.

"Hello?" Dahyun heard Eunwoo's voice as her soul shatters into tiny pieces. "Hello?" He repeated when Dahyun didn't speak. "Anyone there?"

Dahyun ends the call and her hands fell lifeless on her side. She called Eunwoo using her own phone for countless times that night, and each one of them wasn't answered, but the one single time she called using Chaeyoung's phone, it got accepted.

Dahyun spaces out lifelessly while Chaeyoung only looks at her. "Let's go Chaeng." is all Dahyun said after a long time, and that's all Chaeyoung needed to know.

Chapter Text

Dahyun and Chaeyoung is in the top deck of a double-decker bus in a Hongkong highway. Travelling from Eunwoo's hotel into their own hotel. It's already deep into the night but the Hongkong streets are well-lit with street lamps, and store front's lights and designs. The wind breeze is nice, not too humid and not too dry. A perfect moment to stare into the Hongkong scenery and get mesmerized by it.

Instead of appreciating the foreign night landscape, Chaeyoung is staring into Dahyun with full of worry. The latter was staring lifelessly into oblivion without showing any emotion.

The sight brought Chaeyoung back to the time Dahyun's parents were going through divorce. The first few months was the hardest. Mr. Kim was busy apologizing and self-pitying. Mrs. Kim was busy filing for legal court and trying to collect herself. They're too busy to notice that Dahyun was having it the worst. Dahyun isolated herself to everyone, even to her new boyfriend that time, JB. 

On the days that she'll attend school, she's just spacing out. Despite how lifeless Dahyun acts, she didn't cry.

On the first day of the divorce hearing, Dahyun was absent in school. Chaeyoung decided to skip classes and went to Dahyun's home instead, because she know that this is hard for her friend. She rang the doorbell countless times, but no one was bothering to open it. 

She was about to go look for Dahyun somewhere else, when she heard the sound of running water inside the house. She climbed into Dahyun's room using the open window and obtained several scratches that hurts so bad. She didn't pay any attention to it. 

When she made it inside the room, she hears that the sound of running water was from the cr inside Dahyun's room.

As she opens it, her eyes lays on a soaking crouching fully-clothed Dahyun under the open shower. Dahyun looks so small, hurt and vulnerable.

Chaeyoung gently makes her way inside. She closes the shower, and crouches to be at Dahyun's eye level. 

"Dahyun." Chaeyoung utters her name gently.

Dahyun slowly looks up. Her eyes seems dead. "I am here. I got you."

Dahyun's eyes glistens. "Chaeng, it was my fault." Dahyun grips into her tightly. Tears started to fall from her eyes. "Everything was my fault."

"It's not your fault. Shhhhh." Chaeyoung consoles her friend. "I got you. I got you, you're my good girl."

"Dahyun." Chaeyoung croaked. She clears her throat. "You know, maybe the girl in the taxi is his friend. Maybe they met up, have a few too many drinks and got drunk. Maybe he was too wasted to go back to his hotel, so he spent the night in another hotel." Chaeyoung doesn't know why she's making excuses for him. "Maybe his phone was on silent the whole time. Then when he was about to pee, he looks at his phone and that's the time you called using my phone. So he was able to accept the call." Chaeyoung rumbles but it's visible that nothing was being registered into Dahyun's mind.

"What am I doing here?" Dahyun suddenly said out of nowhere. "What am I doing here?" She repeated with no emotion.

Chaeyoung wasn't expecting what Dahyun did afterwards. Not when they're in a moving vehicle full of strangers in a foreign country. Dahyun stood up from her sit, places one foot in the seat, jumps, and clings into a store signage they're passing by overhead. Everything happened in speed of light. One second, Dahyun was safely seated in the upper deck of the bus, the next moment, she was clinging into a store signage with moving cars underneath it.

Dahyun wails while saying "What am I doing here?" with eyes shut and tears running down her face.

After Chaeyoung realized what happened, every phone of the other passengers are already filming Dahyun, but isn't doing anything to help. 

Chaeyoung's mind stopped working. She screams for Dahyun's name while asking for help but no one was moving. She went downstairs and straight to the driver.

"Stop, please stop. My friend is hanging there. She's in danger. Stop" She frantically speaks in Korean and gestures. Her mind can't construct an English sentence to make the driver understand. She points at it in the window instead. "Look, look."

The driver finally noticed but can't reverse because of the car after them. Chaeyoung sped out of the bus and furiously directs the car to reverse. "Go back please. Go back. Back back."

She stares at Dahyun briefly before running back to the upper deck of the bus. 

"Dahyun. I'm coming for you. Hold on tightly. Don't you dare let go!" Chaeyoung calls out helplessly. When Dahyun is almost within reach, Chaeyoung opens her arms. Dahyun's eyes remains tightly shut.

"I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have found out." Dahyun continues on wailing.

Chaeyoung tries to make her voice reassuring. "Look at me Dahyun." Dahyun furiously shakes her head.

"I'm here for you. I got you."

Dahyun hesitantly peeks at her with one eye. Chaeyoung nods her head to reassure the clinging girl. Dahyun let go of the store signage and falls onto Chaeyoung's open arms. Dahyun clutches Chaeyoung's clothes and planted her face into Chaeyoung's shoulder. Chaeyoung's shirt is getting damped from Dahyun's tears but she didn't mind it. Chaeyoung felt Dahyun's trembles while crying as she wraps her arms around the girl. 

Dahyun tightly hugs Chaeyoung like her life depended on it while still crying loudly. Chaeyoung returns the hug with the same intensity.

"I got you. You're my good girl. I got you."

--

Dahyun's crazy exhibition sent them into the Hongkong police station. They paid a fine for obstruction of public, but otherwise, they remained unscathed. Dahyun was seated in the steps of the station while Chaeyoung is bidding her goodbye to the two police officers that escorted them out. One officer is short and fat while the other is tall and lanky.

The fat one is rumbling in chinese probably to discipline them.

"Next time, tell your wife that she's not Jackie Chan. Lesbians these days, always doing weird things." The lanky one relays what the other officer said in English.

The title made Chaeyoung feel butterflies inside her. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience that my friend caused." Chaeyoung said while blushing.

"Friend? Not your wife?"

"No. No. We're just friends." Chaeyoung said while still blushing furiously.

The lanky officer relays it to the fat one. The fat officer pats her shoulder twice to reassure her. "Friend zone." He said in a sympathetic tone.

Chaeyoung only smiles awkwardly and turned around to approach Dahyun. "I'm not your friend fatso." She mumbles grudgingly.

"Dahyun, come on. Do you want to go home now?" She said to Dahyun who's sitting in the stairs.

"Do you have work tomorrow?" Dahyun asks her while spacing out.

"Yes." Chaeyoung huffs. Just thinking of how long she'll be flying again. Luckily her flight is from Hongkong to Krabi, Thailand.

"Can't you cancel it?" Dahyun looks at her. "Pretty please." She added while acting cute.

"I can't. We're adults now. I can't just run off to somewhere without thinking of the consequences."

Dahyun's shoulders sags. "I just don't want to be alone."

Chaeyoung's heart broke at the scene. She hesitantly said "Maybe you can come with me to Thailand--"

"Really?!" Dahyun beamed. She jumped to stand enthusiastically. The pale girl proceeded to walk away from the police station while babbling, "We should ride a boat to an island. Beaches in Krabi sounds nice, but I don't think I packed a swimsuit but whatever."

Chaeyoung wasn't able to continue what she's gonna say, so she can only murmur, "then to Seoul since I have to do a return flight." 

--

True to her words, Dahyun tagged along to Krabi, Thailand. Chaeyoung explained to her before they left their hotel that Dahyun would need to wait for Chaeyoung in Krabi. It made Dahyun to throw a fit, so Chaeyoung offered a compromise of Dahyun coming home to Seoul instead of Krabi. The compromise was thrown out of the window since Dahyun was already enticed with the idea of beaches.

As the plane is preparing to land, Chaeyoung is safely seated in her jump seat while listening and lip synching to the safety protocols being done by her co-flight attendant. Unfortunately for her, someone named Kim Dahyun is seated directly in front of her. Dahyun can't control her giddy smiles and laughter while watching Chaeyoung. The latter further exaggerates her actions to amuse her friend.

After they safely landed, the intercom announces, "Cabin crew prepare doors for departure."

Dahyun watches as Chaeyoung sprung into action. Chaeyoung stated, "Disarming door," while doing her task. Afterwards, she looks at another flight attendant from the other class and gestures a like sign to relay that she's done. She waits for her co-worker to return the sign. When her gaze returns to Dahyun, her friend is mimicking the like sign gesture while smiling coyly.

The passengers started exiting the plane . Chaeyoung greeted each one of them to have a good day while flashing her smile. Dahyun took her sweet time collecting her luggage from the compartment overhead so she'll be the last passenger on Chaeyoung's class. 

"Can you go with me now?" She asked with the most pleading look she can muster.

"We already talk about this." Chaeyoung rolls her eyes. "I'll return to you after my flight. I'll go straight to you. Sleep then before you know it, I'm already by your side."

"Okay. Thank you." Dahyun lays her head in Chaeyoung's chest gently to show her gratitude.

"Chaeyoung, you didn't tell us that your friend is flying with us." A flight attendant calls them maliciously. It was Kim Yeri, and beside her is a seething Tzuyu.

Chaeyoung gulps hard before speaking. "Ah, yes, this is Dahyun." She averted her gaze from Tzuyu's dagger eyes.

"So... how long you two have been together?" Yeri continues with her malicious tone.

"Ah. We're not together. Bye!" Dahyun not so graciously said before rudely exiting the plane.

"Dahyun!" Chaeyoung calls after Dahyun. Dahyun stops in the middle of the staircase. "Don't forget to eat, okay?"

"Okay." Dahyun replies with a solemn smile.

Chaeyoung remains rooted in the plane door while watching Dahyun moving farther.

Tzuyu creeps closer to her and whispers next to her ear, "So, friend huh?"

Her breath got caught in her throat due to shock. 'This is the part where I come clean and get slap, right?' she thought to herself. Chaeyoung fought the urge to bolt out of the door and faces Tzuyu instead.

Tzuyu remains crouching due to their height difference. Her stare makes Chaeyoung want to pee herself.

"Yeri said to me that you're in her flight yesterday. I didn't believe it at first since you repeatedly said how tired you are. Seems like it's real, huh?" Tzuyu said seriously. "The flight was moments after you rejected my trip idea. Did your fatigue magically disappeared?"

"Dahyun needed me."

"And I also needed you." Tzuyu lashes out.

"What a good friend you are. Really." She added scornfully. "Why can't you be a good lover?"

Chaeyoung didn't speak. She looks for Yeri, but the other girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Was she really just a friend? It's not the first time you run around and skips plans because of a Dahyun."

"Dahyun is just a friend." Chaeyoung mumbles.

"Was she really? I saw how you looked at her." The tall girl said in a low tone. "You wanted to try with me? Then show it." Tzuyu pauses. "Was it really me in the first place? Chaeyoung? Was it me?"

Chaeyoung looks down and stares at her feet and didn't say anything.

Tzuyu understood her silence. It hurts her but she understood. "Seems like it isn't." She chuckled without humor. "The things you told me in that call, some parts didn't makes sense... but I'm so into you that I willed myself to overlook those."

Tzuyu walks away and went to the direction of the galley.

"I'm sorry." Chaeyoung said it in a barely audible voice. She's not sure if Tzuyu had heard it or if Tzuyu just chose to ignore it.

A slap would have made Chaeyoung feel atleast a little better, but who is she to look for something to ease her guilt. Not a moment later, Tzuyu emerged from the galley again and behind her is all of their coworkers. They made a beeline straight out of the door. Tzuyu didn't spare her a glance and treated her like she's not existing. And Chaeyoung knew that she deserves it.

--

The flight time from Krabi to South Korea is 6 hours and 24 minutes. After she landed in South Korea, she changed out of her uniform, grabs a new set of clothes and booked a flight to Krabi. 15 hours after she left Dahyun in Krabi, Chaeyoung was beat up tired from her flights, and she's currently riding a boat to reach the private resort where Dahyun is. She's emotionally drained from Tzuyu's confrontation and physically tired from her flights. 

The sea is calm, there's not a single cloud in the sky but the heat is bearable, the boat's motor noise is not too loud, and the sea breeze is nice with a faint smell of salt in the air. It was peaceful, but Chaeyoung is feeling everything except peaceful.

When the island can be spotted in the horizon she remembers Dahyun's solemn smile. She suddenly feels giddy inside. As soon as they docked, Chaeyoung almost sprinted to go to Dahyun.

After she went to the reception area, she immediately went to look for Dahyun's rented cottage for the two of them. Chaeyoung noticed that there's not a lot of tourist, probably because its no longer summer season. The cottages she passed by are all single-storey with a nice facade that matches the atmosphere of the island. Each cottage has a decent distance between them.

She opens their cottage with the key that the receptionist gave her and opens it widely. She beams, "The most awaited person is here!" with her arms wide open since she expected a hug.

Instead of a warm welcome, what greeted her is a dark atmosphere. Dahyun is seated in the king sized bed with her back in the headboard while munching on food. The place is messed up with Dahyun's things. Dahyun's luggage is opened and placed askew in one of the couch. The bed and bedside table is filled with variety of food and drinks. The cottage is a wide studio type room with a cr, kitchen, sofa set and bed.

"Oh. You're here." Dahyun nonchalantly said with a mouthful of food.

"Why is it so dark here?" Chaeyoung furrowed her brows. "and you look dreadful."

"Thanks. I was rooting for that."

Chaeyoung draws the curtains open to let light in. She looks at Dahyun, "Have you atleast fell asleep?"

"Hmm." Dahyun nodded and grabs another food to stuff into her face. "After I arrived here, I slept long, woke up, buys food, eats and eats again."

Now that the place is well-illuminated, something in the kitchen wall caught her eye. It looks like a melting brown stain and the kitchen counter is also filled with it "What is that?" She asked confusedly while making her way towards it. "Did you kill someone while I was away?"

"Ahhhh...That's chocolate smoothie. I tried making one but I forgot the spoon inside the blender. The whole thing exploded after I turned it on. You should have seen it, it was funny." Chaeyoung's expression is comical. "I think we need to give them a review to get better blender."

"I'm not even gonna--" Chaeyoung retreated.

"Can you grab me a beer in the freezer? I want a beer slushie." Dahyun says while grabbing a kebab and a chocolate syrup. She squirted a huge amount of syrup into the kebab.

"No, its still early and what is that?"

"Fusion food? Haven't heard of it before?" She bites a generous amount of the kebab.

"Your taste is really so weird." She grabs Dahyun's make up pouch from her opened luggage. She rummaged it to find a cleaning cotton and make up remover. 

"Seriously. What are you gonna do without me?" She asks while still removing Dahyun's make up. "Look up." She then grabs a powder and make up brush. She uses this to freshen up Dahyun. "I'm a mortician" she said which earns a tiny laugh from Dahyun.

"You're so much work." Chaeyoung whines.

"Look at me, Chaeng. Every girl you dumped, every single one of them, they were like me right now after you dumped them." Dahyun glares at Chaeyoung. "I'm getting them their well deserved revenge by being hard on you."

Chaeyoung grabs Dahyun's lipstick to apply it onto Dahyun's lips.

"You can bring it on." Chaeyoung looks at the lipstick to adjust its height before looking at Dahyun to apply it. "I never cared about anyone more than I care about you."

As her hand hovers over Dahyun's lips, she realized their current position and the weight of the words she just uttered. Dahyun is seating in the bed, Chaeyoung is in Dahyun's personal space, her hands is centimeters away from the pale girl's lips, Chaeyoung's eyes is fixated in Dahyun's lips, and Dahyun's eyes is staring into Chaeyoung's eyes, trying to find something. Silence. A full minute of unbearable tension. They both gulped hard.

"You do it yourself! You looks dead." Chaeyoung said flustered and stood up to get away from Dahyun.

"Forget it. I don't need it." Dahyun is equally flustered and averted her eyes.

Chaeyoung is still panicking. "Lets...uh...Let's go outside. You should get up. Let's not waste a good day coped up in here."

Chapter Text

Chaeyoung is drop dead tired, so she can't fathom how her body is still able to continue hiking in Dragon Crest Mountain in Krabi. Chaeyoung put all her force in her arms to grasp the stone in front of her. She used the stone to elevate herself. She groans when she felt her aching body after standing. Her body almost forgot how it feels like to stand straight since she almost half crawls the whole time they're hiking due to the steepness of the trail. She feels icky all over with bullets of sweats and dust in her skin.

She patted her hands in the back of the pants she's wearing then turns around and offers her hand to Dahyun, who's still wrestling the rock she recently used.

Dahyun looks at her hands with gratitude before she took it. 

Dahyun stretched her tired limbs. She looks around and found out that they're in a tiny clearing. She accidentally looked back to where they came from and noticed that they're in a high place. The height wasn't noticeable earlier since they were surrounded by trees and grown shrubs.

Dahyun's breath halted. Her fear of height suddenly creeping inside her bones. She's becoming dizzy and felt herself falling despite her feet being deeply rooted in the ground. She felt her knees giving out. With tiny steps, she scrambles backwards to move away from the edge, desperate to hold onto something. She felt a warm hand enveloping her right arm.

"You okay?" Chaeyoung asked her, eyes filled with worry. 

Dahyun wants to open her mouth to answer but she seemingly lost her motor control. Her breath hitched. Chaeyoung noticed it.

Chaeyoung hold both of her arms, trying to provide sense of security to the other girl. "Look at me." 

With unsteady eyes, Dahyun tried to look at Chaeyoung straight in the eyes. 

"Breathe with me." Chaeyoung took a lungful and releases it through her mouth. She repeated it until Dahyun appears fo be breathing fine. "I got you. You're with me." Chaeyoung smiles gently to prove her point.

They agreed to temporarily rest and sits in a sturdy rock before they continue their hike. Chaeyoung takes out her water bottle, opens the cap, and shoves it to Dahyun. 

Dahyun took several gulps before glaring at Chaeyoung. "I hope you know that I hate you with all of me for dragging me to this hell."

"Your hate is not that much since you're also not that much."

Dahyun's glare became more intense because of what Chaeyoung said. "I'm taller than you, you pipsqueak."

Chaeyoung stuck her tongue out. She opens her hand to retrieve the water bottle from Dahyun. 

The latter pass it back to her. "By the way, when we're at the temple earlier, what were you praying?" 

Chaeyoung closes the lid of the water bottle while motioning at Dahyun to prompt her to continue. 

"I heard my name along with some chinese. I didn't know that you can speak chinese."

The two of them visited a temple earlier before Chaeyoung dared Dahyun to go hiking. They both followed the ritual for praying and Chaeyoung spoke her prayer aloud. Chaeyoung spoke it in her haphazard chinese that she learnt from Tzuyu, but it's more of gibberish than anything. Dahyun doesn't need to know that.

"Why? Are you amazed with my multilingual skills?"

"Multilingual bullshit. That's just one line that you kept on repeating with my name."

"You just don't know chinese." Chaeyoung smirks. "I prayed for us to be together forever."

Dahyun rolled her eyes. "Together forever, my ass. That isn't real. Just tell me if you don't want to say it. Plus, if you told your prayer to someone, what you're wishing for won't come true."

"You're not so sure about that. Why were you even peeking at me? Did you curse me? or..." Chaeyoung squinted her eyes. "Ms. Kim, are you interested in me?" She flirted jokingly.

Dahyun ignored Chaeyoung. "It's what other people says. I prayed earlier for you to stop being a player. See. I already told you. It won't come true now." Dahyun fixes her bag pack. "Let's go finish this goddamn mountain."

They made several stops before they reached the top. Dahyun was busy taking pictures of the breathtaking view, Chaeyoung was staring at Dahyun intently.

Chaeyoung can't stop herself from asking the thing that had been boggling her mind since earlier. "Dahyun." She utters hesitantly to get Dahyun's attention.

"Hmm?" Dahyun mumbles without stopping from taking pictures.

"When you...said earlier that you want me to stop being a player, why do you want me to stop?"

Dahyun stops to think for a moment before looking at her, "I feel pity for those girls that you hurt." Dahyun returns to staring at the scenery. "Sometimes... Have you ever think of how it will be if we're a thing?"

Chaeyoung chuckles. "Did you hit your head in the hike, and you suddenly started to swing my way?" 

Dahyun pouts. "You know, maybe because of maturity or because of being cheated on, but I think somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing people based on gender." 

Chaeyoung never imagined that she'll be able to hear what Dahyun just stated. Not in this life. Not even in the next one or in a million years.

Dahyun laughs. "Who am I kidding. Sexuality is still a bleary thing to me." She stares at the glorious scenery before them, "but there's one thing I am sure of, if it's you, then I don't mind it."

The familiar painful falling feeling in Chaeyoung's bottomless pit of a stomach suddenly stopped. The bud of hope in her heart that always had been tightly closed is starting to blossom a tiny little bit.

"It will be just like today." Chaeyoung stated softly while staring at Dahyun as if Dahyun put up all the stars in the sky. 

Chaeyoung watches Dahyun like Dahyun is a setting sun. Like she'll never have enough of Dahyun. Like she's trying to capture what she can before Dahyun is gone.

Dahyun looks at Chaeyoung.

"If we're dating. It'll be just like today." Chaeyoung utters softly.

"Nah." Dahyun made a face. "I'll probably go crazy with all the girls you got."

"What girls?" Chaeyoung said defensively. "I'm not even talking to any girls right now. Also, Who would dare cheat? You hanging out with me is already a huge sign hanging in my forehead. Son Chaeyoung taken by Dahyun."

"Really? You're not talking to anyone?" 

Chaeyoung nodded intensely. 

"Phone." Dahyun said in a challenging tone. She laid her hand in front of Chaeyoung to ask for the latter's phone.

"Palm reading?" Chaeyoung said dumbly to tease Dahyun.

Dahyun cutely shakes her head with puffed up face. The flight attendant could only pass her phone after she rolled her eyes light-heartedly.

Dahyun opens the phone but was stopped by the passcode of the phone. "Password." She showed the phone's screen. Chaeyoung types the password with a racing heart. Nobody had sent her nude pics this month right? She thought to herself.

Dahyun rummages through the said phone. She opens the gallery but its only filled with random pictures of random things, documents and seldom pics of Chaeyoung. No girl in sight. She opens the phone icon but the recent calls are from Mrs. Son, random numbers, co-workers and Dahyun, herself. 

She then opens the phone's messages. The messages are filled with "*name* FA," "*name* pilot," and "*name* management." Chaeyoung still sucks in naming her contacts. Too formal, Dahyun thought with distaste.

Back in high school, when Chaeyoung first had her phone, the contact name Chaeyoung gave Dahyun was 'Kim Dahyun hanlim.' It sent Dahyun to an angry frenzy that almost lead to a broken phone and a broken nose. Chaeyoung fearfully change the contact name under Dahyun's angry gaze, trying sweet names to appease her.

'She still didn't change.' Dahyun thought while smiling internally.

Dahyun's smile turns into a frown when she saw a contact name with "Booty Call Sana."

She clicks the message while her frown deepens. Something is bothering her.

[Conversation:]

Last week

Booty Call Sana

Chaeyoung I did a terrible thing.

I have something important to tell you.

Can we meet up?

Chaeyoung

Hi to you too

Booty Call Sana

Please🥺

Chaeyoung

Okay, I'm free.

Where?

Booty Call Sana

The usual

Chaeyoung

I'll be there in 30

Booty Call Sana

🥺🥺

Earlier

Booty Call Sana

hi

are you free?

Can we meet up at the usual?

Chaeyoung

I can't right now Sana.

Booty Call Sana

🥺🥺

Chaeyoung

I'm with Dahyun

Booty Call Sana

Oh

Nevermind

spend your day well

Ahh I finally did your idea btw

Chaeyoung

wow! that's awesome

you'll do great

Maybe I should buy your album now lol

"Are you my girl now?" Chaeyoung suddenly said sheepishly. "Checking my phone, huh?"

Dahyun glares at Chaeyoung. She rolls her eyes while shoving Chaeyoung's phone back to Chaeyoung. Before Chaeyoung could hold her phone, Dahyun extends her arms to move the phone out of Chaeyoung's reach. She side glanced Chaeyoung and Sana's conversation in the said phone. The conversation is bothering her. She feels a nasty feeling in her chest and she doesn't know why. It's probably because Chaeyoung didn't bother telling her that she's friends with Sana.

Chaeyoung smiles at her while still expectantly waiting for her phone. Dahyun jokingly threatens to throw the phone away from the mountain. 

Chaeyoung's whines are said to be heard even at the foot of the mountain.

--

The day after, Dahyun woke up after she unceremoniously got kicked off the shared bed by a still sleeping Chaeyoung. 

Dahyun groans with her whole soul. Her body is already aching as it is due to their hike, but her fall from the bed had tripled the pain she's feeling. She grabs her pillow with a vengeful heart. "You ashat!" She beats the sleeping Chaeyoung who immediately woke up with a start because of Dahyun's assault using the pillow. "After you made me go through hell yesterday, you still have the audacity to kick me off the bed?!!!" She shouted with half lidded eyes.

Chaeyoung whines and fishes Dahyun's hands to stop her from beating Chaeyoung up. She tugged on Dahyun's hand which made the latter fall on the bed. Dahyun squealed due to shock. Chaeyoung rolled Dahyun to cuddle her tightly and forces Dahyun's head to lay on her chest.

Chaeyoung sleepily mumbles, "Let's sleep Dahyun-ah."

Dahyun snuggled closer to Chaeyoung's chest and grudgingly complies.

The two of them got no plans for the entire day except lazing at the bed to soothe their body ache. 

"Chaeng, we've been listening to Justin Bieber for hours. I'm kicking you out if the next song is still his."

Chaeyoung snapped her head to Dahyun's direction and a crack had been heard.

"Why?!! You know I like him." Chaeyoung said startled.

"And I tried to endure for hours already. Enough is enough."

"One more?"

"No." Dahyun deadpans.

Chaeyoung plopped her face into a pillow and groans loudly. "But Peaches was next!"

"No."

Dahyun is standing straight with her back on the wall. Chaeyoung is trying to mark her height using a pencil they found in one of the cabinet. Both of them will do this to compare their height and finally concludes who is taller. As Chaeyoung was busy looking at the top of Dahyun's head, Dahyun sneakily tiptoes to increase her height. The action didn't go unnoticed.

"You midget! Don't tiptoe. That's cheating." Chaeyoung screamed accusingly.

"How dare you! I wasn't." Dahyun was. She defensively added, "I told you, I grew some height and I'm now taller than you."

"We'll see about that." Chaeyoung squinted her eyes. "My turn."

Dahyun, who's now turn to mark Chaeyoung's height, lowered the mark by a few centimeters so Chaeyoung will appear to be much shorter. She tried to contain her laughter.

Chaeyoung stares at the marks. "YAAAHHH! What do you mean I'm a head shorter than you?!" She tackled Dahyun to the ground and starts to tickle the pale girl.

Dahyun was laughing heartily with tears in her eyes. Her diaphragm hurts from all the laughing. "Stop, stop! I won't do it again!" More laughter had been heard from their rented cottage.

--

On the third day of their stay, they agreed to buy additional foods in the city. Chaeyoung rented a motorcycle from the resort they're staying at.

The motorcycle ride was peaceful. They weren't wearing a helmet so Chaeyoung is driving slowly. The sun is beaming but the trees at the side of the road are shading them. The gentle breeze had made Chaeyoung feel more contented. It was peaceful. 'This is nice.' Chaeyoung thought.

Suddenly Dahyun's phone ringtone cut through the atmosphere. Dahyun fishes her phone out and looks at it. "Chaeyoung, it's Eunwoo. Can you stop for a moment?"

Chaeyoung thought she heard it wrong so she hummed as a way to ask Dahyun to repeat what she said. She tilted her head to be able to look at Dahyun through her peripheral vision.

"Can you slow down? Eunwoo is calling." Dahyun said next to Chaeyoung's ear.

Chaeyoung forgot about that. The selfish part of her doesn't want their bubble to end. No. Not yet. So Chaeyoung complied to her emotion.

Instead of stopping, Chaeyoung accelerated while still not fixing her gaze on the road. Dahyun screamed in surprise and hugs Chaeyoung from behind to avoid falling off the motorcycle.

"Stop!" 

Dahyun saw a monkey standing in the middle of the road. "Monkey! Monkey! You'll hit it!" Dahyun screams in terror.

Chaeyoung screamed too and abruptly stop. The wretched monkey screamed at them in return and runs towards them.

Dahyun mounted off the motorcycle due to panic and terror and ran off to the forest in the side of the road.

"Bro! Come back here! Hop on!" Chaeyoung called after her.

Dahyun realized that she can't outran a monkey in its own home. She ran back to the motorcycle.

Chaeyoung started driving when she felt a weight in the back of the motorcycle. "Hold tight."

"Chaeyoung! Chaeyoung!" Dahyun's voice seems to be coming from a far instead of from right behind Chaeyoung. "Monkey. That's a monkey!"

Chaeyoung quickly looks at her back and saw a monkey instead of Dahyun. She screamed so loud. The monkey pinched her back so hard and bit her through her clothes. Good thing she was able to stop the motorcycle and avoided crashing. The wretched monkey ran off to the forest after she stopped.

Chaeyoung hopes that the monkey's bite didn't left a hole. She's wearing one of her favorite shirt. She bought it with her first salary and it was quiet pricey.

Dahyun caught up to her and huffs loudly. "You thought I was a monkey?!" Dahyun squeezed.

"There wasn't much difference."

"I nearly pissed myself! That was so scary!" Dahyun said in an annoyed tone. "I have to pee."

"Can you hold it? We're near the city." Chaeyoung panicked.

"I'll pee here." Dahyun trudges to the forest and found a bush to take care of her business.

"Be ashamed of yourself. You'll soil the nature." Chaeyoung jokes.

"I am one with the nature."

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. She snickered to herself and turns her back on Dahyun to give her shameless friend a privacy.

As Dahyun was minding her business she heard a sound a few meters away from her. When she looked at the direction of the sound she saw a monkey leaning on a tree while looking at her like it's making fun of her. It was probably a different monkey but Dahyun doesn't really care. She already had enough encounters with the specie. She grabs a stone and threw it at the monkey but making sure that the stone won't really hit it. The stone hit the tree and it was enough to scare the monkey away. 

Dahyun drew a sigh of relief and along it is the rumbling of her stomach

Meanwhile, out of boredom Chaeyoung sings in a singsong voice.

"One day, Dahyun took a piss in the woods

Dahyun met a little monkey."

The rumbling of Dahyun's stomach caused her to poop. "Chaeng. It's poo not piss." Dahyun said shame setting inside her. "Do you have a tissue?"

Chaeyoung patted the pockets of her jeans to look for a tissue or a handkerchief. She can't find any in her pockets. She looks at the clothes she's wearing, a shirt, jeans and rubber shoes with white socks. Looks like the socks have to go. She removes her right shoe and socks. 

Chaeyoung tossed the socks to Dahyun. Dahyun receives it with her hand, after she stare at it for a moment, Dahyun made a disgusted sound and simultaneously threw the socks away. "That's disgusting. I'm using my panty."

"No! That's even more dirty." Chaeyoung disagrees.

"I'm using the leaves instead. That's how our ancestors do it." Dahyun collected fresh leaves near her spot.

"Don't! Wait a minute." Chaeyoung frantically patted her pockets but still found no tissue. In the middle of patting, she noticed her shirt. She stopped midway and thought "screw it."

A piece of clothing suddenly covered Dahyun's face. She grabs it and stares at it.

Dahyun and Chaeyoung arrived at the city. They temporarily stop due to red traffic light. In a motorcycle beside theirs, a boy suddenly laughed while staring and pointing at Chaeyoung. "Look Mama, the lady got no clothes." He said in thai language and continues laughing. The mother sneakers silently.

The two didn't understood what the kid said but they have a huge guess that it's because of Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung was only wearing a brassiere, jeans and shoes in the middle of the city. Her shirt left somewhere in the middle of the woods with a poop smeared in it.

Dahyun laughed along with the kid to tease Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung felt her face getting redder by the second.

--

During the dusk of that same day, the two decided to enjoy the beach. 

Chaeyoung is buying two smoothie in the smoothie bar by the beach. The barista is doing his magic but Chaeyoung prefers to stare at Dahyun who's a seating in the sand a few meters away.

Their trip to Krabi was everything Chaeyoung dreamed of and even more. Staring at Dahyun who was in a call with someone on her phone, made her heart constrict painfully. 'It's probably Eunwoo.' The barista slides the two strawberry smoothie she ordered. Chaeyoung walks back slowly to Dahyun, too afraid of what she might eavesdropped on.

"I still can't go home. Its doctor's order. He said I might be in pain again if I keep on moving around." Dahyun easily lied through her teeth.

'She can't even say that I'm with her.'

"You're finishing the song? Can you pass it to me when you finished it? I'll listen to it." Chaeyoung gave Dahyun the other smoothie she's holding and silently sits beside the girl.

Dahyun hummed in agreement to something Eunwoo was saying in the phone.

"Yes, I'm being careful. I miss you." Chaeyoung avoided looking at Dahyun, she stares at the setting sun in the sea horizon instead. The pale girl drops the call and took a sip in her smoothie.

The silence that settled between them is uncomfortable. Only the crashing of the waves can be heard. The atmosphere between them is heavy. Too filled with unconfronted situation and unspoken feelings. Chaeyoung can't handle this, so she bites.

"When are you gonna give your Eunwoo a talk?" She refused to tear her gaze from the sunset.

"I don't know. It's not now." Dahyun exhales heavily. 

"So you're gonna fly around with me?" Chaeyoung reasoned out.

Dahyun starts to smile at her.

Chaeyoung knew Dahyun like the back of her hand and knew what the other girl was thinking. "Don't get any ideas. I told you I don't have a friend perk only a mum perk. And you won't fit in my luggage, don't bother opening your mouth."

"Mean." Dahyun pouted. "Listen to this instead." Dahyun places one of the earbuds in Chaeyoung's ear and the other in hers. "Since you can speak chinese, it's in chinese."

Music filled Chaeyoung's ear. She hasn't listened to Dahyun's ongoing project yet. The music is enjoyable and can leave a light hearted feeling.

"You know, I used to like this song a lot. It was fun." Chaeyoung stares at her friend. Dahyun is staring at the sunset too. "but I started to hate it." Dahyun snickers painfully.

Chaeyoung hummed along to the song. She started singing along with the tune using her made up lyrics. 

"Do you like shitting in the woods"

Dahyun looks at her friend with a crease in her forehead. Chaeyoung hummed along to the song while thinking what lyrics to use next.

"and jumping on the signs like Jackie Chan"

She hummed along again. Dahyun smiled because of her antics. 

"When you fall down, you're a clutz again."

Dahyun bursted out laughing from what she heard.

"I don't want to see you going crazy like this"

Dahyun continues laughing.

"Can you find a good person for once"

Dahyun's laugh subsided but the light in her eyes and the wide smile plastered in her face remains. With heart hammering against her chest, Chaeyoung sings,

"But if you can't then stay with me"

Their gaze interlocked. Chaeyoung tentatively added while still keeping up with the tone. 

"For the time being. Can you?"

The heart hammering in her chest didn't stop. Chaeyoung removes the earbud and returns it to Dahyun. "There. I made a new lyrics. It was really creative and fun and made by an amazing person. You'll like it now." She smiled afterwards.

Dahyun stares at Chaeyoung while still smiling. She feels giddy. "Wait here." She runs to the sea front and stops at a spot where the tides won't reach her feet.

She unclasped the watch she's wearing - the couple wristwatch that Eunwoo gifted her. Dahyun threw it will all of her force and emotions and it landed in the sea. 

Chaeyoung's smile widens from the scenario. She stood up to stand near Dahyun.

Dahyun shouted, "WHAT A FEELING!" towards the sea. She laughs light-heartedly. The heavy feeling deep in her has been lifted along with the wristwatch. She felt free.

Chaeyoung gazes at Dahyun lovingly, this time without holding back. Dahyun returns her gaze while still smiling widely.

The sun that had almost set has casted an orangish glow on Dahyun's face. Dahyun looks ethereal. She always had been in Chaeyoung's eyes. A breeze had carried some of Dahyun's hair and covers Dahyun's face with it. Chaeyoung fixes Dahyun's hair and gently tucked the loose hair back on to Dahyun's ear. 

Dahyun drops her smile. She gulped hard due to Chaeyoung's actions. "Let's go back to the cottage." She said seriously and left Chaeyoung standing there.

Chaeyoung knew she wasn't imagining it. She wasn't imaging what Dahyun said and the intention behind it. The moment she steps foot on the cottage, she'll be stepping away from the friend line. No more turning back. The thought scared her. She knows this could lead to Dahyun being out of her life. She unconsciously took a step back, a step away from the cottage, a step away from Dahyun.

Before she can further succumb into fear and cowardice, she hears Sana's voice in the air. This helped her made a decision as she sloppily runs back to their cottage.

'Chaeyoung, try not to be a coward. If you see a chance, then risk it.'

Chapter Text

Chaeyoung officially met Dahyun when they were three year old. She had always seen the other girl since she live 2 blocks away from her, but never had the chance to befriend her. Dahyun was a sunshine kid, always smiling with her eyes closed, and walks with happiness in every step.

Chaeyoung is currently sitting in the park's swing near their house. 

Jeonghoon, her brother, had just been born and had been in the receiving end of their parent's unwavering attention and love. Chaeyoung used to have those. It was solely hers. Now, she felt like she was discarded. 

She took a deep sigh. It's already too late in the afternoon, she had never stayed out this late, yet nobody was looking for her. She stares at the park while running her mind. It was empty aside from her. All the kids had gone home with their parents.

"I should go to gramma" she mumbles. "but then she probably loves that baby more than me too."

She forms another plan. "I should sneak in to get my candies. Also my piggy bank. Then go live somewhere else." She felt tears in her eyes. "I can do that." She nods to herself. The world felt too big for tiny Chaeyoung.

Before she can start crying, she heard a growl at her back. Chaeyoung fearfully looks back and saw a huge dog staring at her with angry eyes. Her tiny mind is telling her to run away quickly or pick up something, probably a stone, to protect herself. But instead of doing those, Chaeyoung remained deeply rooted in the swing due to fright while the dog keeps on advancing slowly towards her.

At that moment a tiny scream reached Chaeyoung's ears. The scream took the dog's attention too. The dog looks back and both Chaeyoung and dog saw a tiny frame running towards them with arms flailing crazily overhead in an attempt to scare the dog. 

The comic attempt seemingly worked as the dog scurry to somewhere else. The tiny human kept on going while screaming until she reached Chaeyoung's spot.

"Are you okay?" her savior asked her.

Chaeyoung recovers from fright and surprise. The tears that pooled in her eyes had leaked yet she still attempted to stop it. Her sobs shook her entire body. Not a single second later, she has started full on bawling.

Her savior was taken aback due to it. It drives her to a frenzy. "Hey hey!" Sticky tiny hands cupped Chaeyoung's face. "It's okay. I protect you." 

The comforting words didn't stop her crying, instead it made her more emotional.

The tiny hands remains on Chaeyoung's face. She looks at the face of her little savior. The other kid was in the verge of tears too, both eyes and nose are red from fighting the tears.

"I'm Dahyun. Don't cry." Dahyun sniffs. "What is your name?"

Chaeyoung bit her bottom lip. She sniffed before answering. "I'm Chaeng." She's too young to even pronounce her whole name.

'Chaeng-ie almost died.' The thought occured on Chaeyoung and it sent her to another crying fit.

Dahyun hugs Chaeyoung's head tightly. Too tight that it almost hurt, but Chaeyoung didn't mind it.

She heard Dahyun's sobs. "Chaeng, I got you. Stop crying now." She said even though she, herself, is crying too. "I got you."

Chaeyoung draws a deep sigh. She's currently standing in front of the closed door of their cottage. She started second guessing herself for the nth time. She stares at the door. The door that separates her from Dahyun.

"Come on Chaeng, you've been waiting for this chance for years. Just confess. Admit that you love her more than a friend should. You can do it." She repeated it like a mantra.

She draws another sign. "We can remain friends if it fails. You can do--"

Suddenly, the door in front of her opens up. Dahyun looks at her with a frown. "What are you doing? Come in." Then turns around to enter the en suite.

Chaeyoung awkwardly laughs before entering the cottage. She heard the running water in the bathroom. Dahyun looks back at her and motions with her head to follow her inside the en suite. Chaeyoung gulped hard then obliges. She stares as Dahyun opens a bottle of beer then dumps the contents into the bathtub then repeats it afterwards.

As Dahyun was busy doing this, Chaeyoung can't stop her eyes from roaming Dahyun's body. Dahyun is wearing a flowing crop top, her brassiere became visible everytime she bends. She partnered it with a pair of shorts. Chaeyoung's breath hitched. On the other hand, Chaeyoung was wearing a new shirt and jeans.

After all the beers had been dumped, Dahyun stands up straight and faces Chaeyoung. Dahyun's eyes were strange but Chaeyoung failed to notice it. The pale girl stretches her arms overhead. This action causes her flowing crop top to rise a bit. Her abdomen came into view. Chaeyoung's eyes landed on it. She gulped again and her face reddens due to being flustered. She can't tear her gaze away from it and Dahyun knows it, she smirked internally.

Dahyun gets inside the bath tub, and sits down alluringly. The water reached until her neck. She slowly looks up to Chaeyoung. "What are you doing? Get in." 

"Y-yes." Chaeyoung stutters. She panickedly dips ger toes in the tub but remembers her jeans. "W-wait a minute. I'll just remove this." She turned her back and struggles to undress the jeans. 'Why the heck did I decided to wear tight jeans?' She cursed internally. 

She hears the ripple of water on her back. Dahyun is playing with the beer on the tub but Chaeyoung can feel Dahyun's eyes on her. 

After undressing the jeans, she took a sigh of relief seeing that she's wearing a bikini instead of some unappealing underwear. She looks at Dahyun and saw the other girl shamelessly staring at her butt. This gave her the confidence she didn't know she needed. 'I'm Son Chaeyoung, I had my way through countless women. Why am I scared over this, it's just Dahyun.' She thought. The other part of her mind answers, 'Exactly, it's Dahyun.'

She made her way into the tub. The tub in question is a small one and only meant for 1 person but it didn't stop them. Chaeyoung is seated in an uncomfortable position. She feels Dahyun's feet in her tighs so she can't move freely. 

"Can you move a bit?" She murmurs softly and barely audible. The atmosphere is so heavy, she was scared to break it.

Dahyun complies with her request. As Dahyun moves back, her torso re-emerges. The shirt is now wet and it sticks to Dahyun's skin. Her brassiere and the outline of the breast are visible.

Chaeyoung curses internally again. Why is she making herself suffer? She cleared her throat and asks, "Why did you dumped the beer here? We could have drink it later."

Dahyun looks at her amused. "Then we can drink it now." She dunks her head into the bath tub. Due to the size of the bath tub, Dahyun's face was perfectly aligned and just above Chaeyoung's crotch. This action felt like years to Chaeyoung. Her heart hammers crazily against her chest.

Thousands of scenarios flew inside Chaeyoung's mind. She coughs as felt all the blood travelling to her face.

Dahyun re-emerges. Chaeyoung visibly saw some of the beer spilling from Dahyun's mouth. Dahyun runs her fingers on her own hair. This sight almost drove Chaeyoung near insanity. 

"Also," Dahyun speaks softly, "I've always wanted to do a beer bath." She splashes some beer onto herself. "I heard that beer is good for the hair." She continues splashing without looking at Chaeyoung. "Can you turn for me? I'll wet yout hair."

Chaeyoung follows Dahyun without hesitation. She struggles turning inside the bath tub without standing up. At their current position, she's now being sandwiched by Dahyun's knees. Dahyun prompt her to move down by patting her shoulder so her hair will be closer to the beer. When she can't move anymore, her hair isn't fully submerged yet. Dahyun scoops some of the beer onto her head.

"You're always dyeing your hair. When will you outgrow it?" Dahyun murmurs next to her ear. "Is this fine?"

Chaeyoung can't handle not looking at Dahyun, she angles her head to be able to look at her and slowly nods her head. She's staring at Dahyun straight in her eyes. This knocks the wind out of her lungs and she can't help but get lost in the universe inside her friend's eyes.

She didn't realized how close their proximity is. Their heads are perfectly aligned and with one minimal push, their lips can touch. Chaeyoung watches as Dahyun's half-lidded eyes travels down to her lips, she copies it afterwards. She can swear that Dahyun can hear her heart pounding. 

Chaeyoung closes her eyes and lessens the gap between them, yet didn't fully closes the gap. She wants Dahyun to be the one to do it even though a huge chunk of her is screaming to just do it.

Moments had passed but no lips touches hers. She opens her eyes slightly and saw Dahyun with tightly shut eyes, tears streaming down her face while sobbing lightly. 

"Are you drunk?" She asked her worriedly. 

Dahyun shakes her head. She slowly opens her eyes. "No." Dahyun wiped her own tears. "No. I'm not drunk." She looks down, she can't bear to look at Chaeyoung's eyes.

Chaeyoung fixes her position to look at Dahyun without straining her neck.

"I can't do this." Dahyun says sorrowfully.

"Hey, look." Chaeyoung cups Dahyun's face. "It's fine with me. I understand. We've been friends for a long time. Stuff like this might take a long time. We can take it one step at a-"

"Why can he do it, but I can't?"

Chaeyoung was baffled. She doesn't understand what Dahyun just uttered.

"How can they do it, but I can't?"

oh

oh.

Chaeyoung almost laughed. Of course. Of course, it wasn't real. She almost believes it. She made a fool of herself. She felt anger rising inside her chest.

"Clear up things with him first." She said seriously. "Don't use me to get back at him. That's too fucked up." She wasn't able to hide the anger in her voice.

This riled up Dahyun too. She stood up and stomped her feet while getting off the bath tub. "How about the times that you flirted at me? You think it wasn't obvious?" She squeezed some of the beers from her shirt to give her shaking hands something to do. "You think I didn't noticed?"

"It was too make you feel better." Chaeyoung said defensively.

"Is that all?" Dahyun huffs. "How about what you said outside? I heard it. I'm not even sure if you have ever treated me as a friend anymore." She utters with pain in every syllable.

"Damn you." Chaeyoung was hurt, she wants to bolt out of here, she glares at Dahyun instead. "If we weren't friends, I would have my way with you by now." 

Dahyun laughs scornfully. "Stop it. If I have let you, there would be no way that you'll resist."

Chaeyoung doesn't even know what's happening anymore, she just know she's angry. "Then let's stop being friends." She struggles to remove her wet shirt, then throws it at the floor outside the bath tub with full force. She raises her voice. "Is this how you want it? Come in here then. Come back here." Chaeyoung was sitting in the tub with only her brassiere and bikini.

Dahyun angrily splashes her repeatedly with the beer from the bath tub. "Don't taunt me!" She's breathing heavily because of rage.

Chaeyoung wiped the beer streaming down her face. She never knew that she'll be able to have this much anger towards Dahyun. "You're so brainless." Before she can stop her mouth, she thoughlessly said, "If I were Eunwoo, I would cheat on you too."

Dahyun was surprised at what she said. Chaeyoung felt shocked too but she didn't let it show. She also didn't take it back or show any sign of regret.

Dahyun stomped her feet while getting inside the bath tub again. "Is this how you want it?" She sits again. "Is it?" She removes her flowing crop top and throws it at the floor. "Then go for it." She removes her brassiere too. "Come on! Do it!" Her glare deepens.

Chaeyoung focuses her eyes onto Dahyun's eyes. She's not even tempted to peek at Dahyun's exposed chest. She move a bit closer towards Dahyun. "You know I love you." She said seriously. Never even in her wildest dreams had she ever thought that this is the way she'll confess. "So you just do whatever you want?" She witnessed how Dahyun's emotions slightly faltered. Guilt seemingly settled in. 

Of course Dahyun knew. She isn't as oblivious as Chaeyoung thought. Dahyun has an idea but she still acted like she didn't noticed.

"Chaeng."

Chaeyoung stood up and moves out of the bath tub. She grabs a fresh bath towel in the cabinet and also grabs her discarded clothes laying in the floor. 

"Chaeng." Dahyun called after her guiltily. "Hey."

Chaeyoung didn't bother looking at the other girl and made her way outside of the en suite. She heard splashing sounds as Dahyun steps out of the bath tub.

"Chaeng."

Chaeyoung stops walking. She took a deep breath. "Before you do something, think about it first, will you? If you don't really feel it, then don't act on it, okay?" Her words were laced with pain. You can't blame her though, she believed that Dahyun started to like her, but turns out all of it was just a pathetic attempt to get even with her cheating boyfriend.

"Who said I don't feel it." It took a while before it registers in Chaeyoung's brain but when it did, she slowly turns around to look at Dahyun. She also lost grasp of her clothes, she let it fall on the floor.

Dahyun was covering her exposed chest with her arms but she slowly removes it. Chaeyoung's eyes remains fixated on Dahyun's face. She walks closer to Dahyun. 

"I'll break up with Eunwoo." Dahyun said with determination to prove her point.

Chaeyoung's mouth slightly opens in awe. She tried to calm her shaking hands by holding the bath towel with both hands. She took a step closer to be in Dahyun's space. Dahyun closes her eyes expecting something. A moment has passed but nothing. Chaeyoung didn't say anything as she places the said bath towel onto Dahyun's shoulders and uses some of its parts to cover Dahyun's exposed chest.

Dahyun opens her eyes.

"If you won't break up with him, I'll kiss you."

Dahyun nods. "Sure."

Chaeyoung felt like smiling but she didn't.

Dahyun noticed it but didn't comment on it. "If I do, you have to take me to Europe. You mentioned before that you want to do a backpack trip in Europe." Dahyun averted her eyes. "See the northen lights. Eat lots of caviar. Get in 5-star hotels. Deal?"

"What a long list." Chaeyoung responded lightly.

"But it can be anywhere...as long as I'm with you."

Chaeyoung still fights the smile that wants to appear in her lips. "Okay." She deadpans yet her heart wants to burst in joy. "Deal."

"Dahyun." Chaeyoung calls the other girl.

She's laying in the blankets that she layed in the floor while Dahyun was laying in bed.

They fought again earlier since Dahyun didn't want her to sleep at the floor and reasoned out that they had always been sleeping together in bed even up to yesterday. Chaeyoung retorted that it's different now but she didn't mention that she probably won't be able to stop herself if she lays side by side with Dahyun. Chaeyoung won at the end.

"Hmm?" 

Chaeyoung can't stop her mind from wandering. She's laying at her back but she feels giddy all over. "After you're..." she clears her throat. "After you're done with Eunwoo... I'll see you at the Namsan tower."

There's a pause before Dahyun answers. "Sure."

This made Chaeyoung to smile like a fool. She took a deep breath to calm herself and closes her eyes to try to sleep, a smile still adorning her face.

Meanwhile, Dahyun was lying at the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.