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Ji-yeong is an adult. She is. She’s been one for a while now. But that does nothing in helping her prepare for getting a phone call from Cheol’s school that he needs to be picked up and taken home, not before a guardian of his staying for a very serious meeting with the principal. 

“What happened?” She had questioned worriedly, “ Is he hurt?”

No, no he’s not hurt. Actually, the lady from the front office had told her, he’s the one who ended up hurting another student. He had punched a kid in the face and now they had a bloody nose and were waiting to see if the kid’s parents wanted to press charges. 

That sounded completely absurd to Ji-yeong. Cheol was the sweetest kid she knew. He would never hurt anyone unless he was pushed to the brink of no other options. Of course, she doesn’t tell the lady that and instead agrees to drive there and pick him up. 

She debates on whether or not telling Sae-byeok was a good idea. Ji-yeong had already finished her few morning classes and was at home, but Sae-byeok was still working. She didn’t know if bothering her would be such a good idea.

In the end, though, she dials Sae-byeok’s number. 

“Ji-yeong?” Oh, she sounds tired. The job was taxing and Ji-yeong is beginning to regret disturbing her while she was still working. She struggles with finding the best way to say what she’s learned without worrying Sae-byeok. It doesn’t work out when her mouth is ten steps ahead of her brain. 

“Cheol’s in trouble at school.”

She can hear something metallic dropping to the floor. 

“ What ?”

“He’s not hurt! He just—the school called me and said he hit another boy so someone needs to pick him up and also have a meeting with his principal. I thought I’d let you know because, well, you’re his sister.” 

Sae-byeok is silent for a few seconds, then, “I’ll be on my way as soon as I can.”

Ji-yeong’s eyes widen. “No, I was planning on going myself! I’m done with classes and you don’t get out for a few hours. I can handle this.”

Again with the typical Sae-byeok silence. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. I’m going to drive there right now and I’ll tell you all about it when you get back home, okay?”

“Fine.” She exhales, “Thank you. I’ll try not to take too long.”

Ji-yeong waves her away, even though they’re not speaking in person. “It’s no problem. Okay, I’ll, uh, let you get back to work then. You’ve eaten lunch already, right?”

“Yeah, thanks again for making it.” The voice of a man can be heard from the background. Sae-byeok moves away from the receiver, “I’ll just be a sec!” She quiets down as she speaks directly to Ji-yeong again. “Sorry. They need me. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Already slipping into her shoes by her front door, Ji-yeong says goodbye and hangs up. 

As she parks in the school’s front lot, Ji-yeong is already running through everything she would have to do to make sure Cheol didn’t get into too much of a situation. She was definitely priming her whole ‘rich girl’ vibe if it needed to come in handy. She wanted to keep him safe and get approval points from Sae-byeok. A two birds, one stone type of deal. 

Upon entering the building, she talks to the woman she assumed was the one who called her and is given a visitor pass then escorted to the principal’s office. She’s greeted with the sight of frustrated-looking Cheol sitting on a chair just outside the door to enter.

He glances up right as she arrives. “Ji-yeong?”

She does her best to look positive for his sake, sending a small wave his way. “Hey, buddy. The school called me.”

He frowns. “I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to get so mad.” He nods towards the door. “Do-won is with the principal right now. His parents too.”

Shaking her head, she takes a seat on the chair next to him. “There’s no reason to be sorry. I’m not going to judge when I don’t even know the whole story.”

“Does Sae-byeok know?”

Ji-yeong nods. “She does and she’s not mad so don’t worry about that. Now, do you want to explain what exactly happened to me?”

Still looking uneasy, Cheol starts, “We were on the playground and I was playing tag with one of my new friends when Do-won came up to us with some of his own friends. He made fun of all of us, but then started talking just to me. He said he knew I was from the North and that was why I would fail all of my classes—because I don’t know anything about the South. I-I got mad so I hit him without thinking.”

Ji-yeong takes a page out of Sae-byeok’s book and stays quiet for a while, taking in everything she’s heard. Obviously, that kid was being an asshole, but she can’t condone violence can she? No, not when she can sense the foreboding presence of a certain older sister. 

Sighing, she says, “I guess I can see where you take after Sae-byeok, huh?” Suddenly, she recalls something as she watches him rub at his knuckles unconsciously. “Did they seriously not get you an ice pack!? What the f—” She drags out the fff sound as Cheol eyes her with amusement, settling on saying ‘freak’ instead. It’s not her best save, but he doesn’t comment on it. 

As she stands up, she alerts the woman who had walked her here about needing an ice pack and she’s given one from the nurse’s office. The other parents are still speaking with the principal, so she’s back to sitting quietly with Cheol. He insists on keeping the pack in place on his own and she lets him. He needed some things to go his way after everything. 

“Hey,” She gets his attention, “Just so you know, I’m not mad at you either. What he said—it’s not true. You’re, like, the smartest kid I’ve ever met. All of your grades are great. And you’re very sweet, probably the best gentleman I know.” 

Cheol smiles shyly at that, looking down at his shoes. 

“But I get it,” Ji-yeong continues softly, “His words hurt you and that’s totally fine because he was being mean, but maybe next time—if there ever is one—you could just let a teacher know immediately?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

She grins. “Great. That’s all I want. I want you to try.”

Right on time, the door to the principal’s office swings open to reveal a distressed-looking man in a suit with an equally distressed hairline looking at the two of them. “Are you his guardian?” He asks her directly.

With a nod, she firmly says, “Yes.”

“Please, step inside. We have a lot to discuss.”

_____

“Well, that could’ve certainly gone worse,” Ji-yeong says aloud as soon as they both step out of the school building, hand in hand. 

Cheol is still buzzing with excitement. “You were so cool!”

She scoffs, looking down at him. “Really?”

He nods quickly, tightening his grip on her hand without thinking. “Yeah! You were super scary with his dad.”

“I hope so. He sounded very serious about it, but I guess he must have also recognized me and not wanted to face the wrath of my lawyers.” With a sigh, she starts walking with him glued to her side. She clicks her car keys with the other to unlock the vehicle. “Since they let you out early because of this, I think it’s only fair that you choose what we do until Sae-byeok gets home.”

Cheol gasps. “Really?” 

“Really,” She opens the car door for him to get in the backseat and shuts it before walking to the driver’s side. As she situates herself she asks, “Got any ideas?”

He nods, clicking his seatbelt on and looking very proud of himself. “Can we please buy some ice cream? Like the one you guys brought me when I was still at the home? ”

Ji-yeong grins at him from the mirror, adjusting it a little.  “I’m surprised you remember that. You must’ve been craving it for a while, huh?” She turns the keys in the ignition, “But, yeah, we can definitely head there. I can’t say no to ice cream.”

The shop is more crowded than it was when she and Sae-byeok had last been here. And since they had walked the same path as last time, she spots the alleyway they ducked into when that man had been searching for Sae-byeok. Ji-yeong almost points it out to Cheol but stops herself completely because the sentence this is where I asked your sister to pin me against the wall did not seem very appropriate right now. Or ever, actually. She was already on thin ice with her makeup-covered hickey.

“What flavor do you want?” She asks him as they step inside and get in line. 

Cheol peers up at the menu, reading it over carefully. “I think…I want chocolate with sprinkles.”

“A classic. I approve.” Ji-yeong hums, “I’ll get strawberry.” As they make it to the front, she orders for the both of them and hands Cheol his own cone. “Do you want to eat it outside? That’s where your sister and I ate ours last time.”

He nods, already going to lick at the desert. “That’s fine. Sae-byeok’s always saying that it’s good to get some fresh air whenever you can.”

It’s as if the incident at school never happened, she thinks, and maybe it boosts her ego a bit but she’s glad she could be someone in his life who can give him this. God knows she didn’t have anyone to care for her like that when she was his age. 

“Alright,” She wipes her fingers with a napkin, offering a clean one to him once they finish their dessert. “Where to next? We’ve still got a lot of time to kill.”

“Um,” Cheol pauses, shrugging, “I dunno. Maybe you could choose this time.” He looks at her expectantly.

Ji-yeong sets her lips into a thin line, thinking. She needed to make sure whatever she had in mind would be interesting enough for a ten-year-old and just when she’s about to give up, she beams over at him. “I’ve got a place in mind. But—let’s keep it a surprise. I think you’re gonna really like it.” She grabs his little hand as they exit the dining area and walk back to the car. 

When they arrive at the location, Cheol is immediately zeroing in on the sign in front of the building, eyes alight with joy as he reads out, “An animal shelter?”

“Yep. I used to come here pretty frequently last year to do some volunteer work,” She cups her mouth with one hand for faux secrecy, “ And to play with the animals.”

That grabs his attention. “Is that what we’re going to do?” 

She nods, “I’m sure they remember me. It hasn’t been that long since. As long as we do some helping out beforehand, then we can hang out with the puppies and kittens.” She taps on the steering wheel, turning back at him, “How does that sound?”

Cheol’s expression is enough of an answer, but he still says, “Awesome!”

Once she parks, they start walking towards the building. Ji-yeong makes sure to stop to look both ways before crossing the street because she was nothing if not a good role model for him. 

Inside, she goes to the front desk. But before she can introduce herself, the woman running it exclaims her name. (Guess someone did remember her.) Ji-yeong smiles politely at her, explaining their situation and willingness to help out in exchange for some time with the animals. 

“Well, right now is around the time when volunteers will be taking some of the dogs out for a walk around the block. So, if you’re okay with helping out with that then we can schedule some time for you and the boy to play with the animals.”

Ji-yeong nudges Cheol, “What do you say? You up for walking some dogs?”

(She ends up being given a German Shepard to walk and Cheol has to wrangle with a surprisingly lovable chihuahua.)

When they’re done, the two of them are allowed into a playroom where all the puppies are. But before they can even step a foot into it, Cheol tugs at her hand lightly.  “Could we see the kittens instead? I sort of…like them more than dogs.” 

Ji-yeong beams, “Sure thing, dude! As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

The kittens are, as expected, adorable furballs that leave her and him with more scratches on their arms and hands than when they first arrived, but it’s worth it. She especially falls in love with a black one. Its beady little eyes stare at her with curiosity and she can’t help but pick it up. 

It purrs into her hands and she has to stop from tearing up a little. 

“What’s his name?” She asks the volunteer watching over them. 

“Oh, that one? We haven’t put a name to him yet, but we really should.”

She scratches his head, “Why’s that?”

The volunteer shrugs, “Most people have pretty bad superstitions on black cats, so they’re rarely ever adopted. It’s sad, but it’s the truth. He might stay here until he’s an adult.” 

Ji-yeong frowns, rubbing its chin gently. He meows at her, and the gears in her head are turning. An idea slowly forms…she’d need to run it by Sae-byeok before actually doing anything of course, but she just sees so much of herself in this creature. Not being anyone’s first choice and wanting to be loved anyway. 

She glances across the room when Cheol’s shrieks of joy catch her attention. He’s getting buried under a pile of the kittens and is absolutely loving it. She grins at it, “They’re not gonna let you leave now. They’ve made you their new ruler already.”

He laughs, pumping a fist down in victory. “Yes! I’m gonna teach them to become my own army!”

They go to the park afterward. It’s the last stop on their day of activities since Sae-byeok was going to be home soon and they wanted to be there when she did. Ji-yeong is just glad she got Cheol smiling again after going through the tough day he’s had. He deserved it. 

The first thing he wants to do is go to the playground, so she sits on one of the many benches near it and watches him from a few feet away. There are a few other kids, mostly younger than him, but he’s sweet to them whenever they need help on certain things like climbing up the structures or wanting to chase him around for a game of tag even though he clearly has an advantage.

“So which one’s yours?” asks one of the few moms there, bouncing a baby on her knee.

Ji-yeong smiles, pointing. “Him. But he’s not mine, he’s my, uh, friend’s younger brother.” The word friend rolls off her tongue a little too easily and she wishes it didn’t. If she could, she’d shout that she loved Sae-byeok from the rooftops but they haven’t even talked about what they are yet. So, this was the best she could offer up to strangers for now.

_____ 

Back at home, she prioritizes getting Cheol to ice his bruises for a few more minutes before letting him finish his homework for the night while she works on getting dinner ready. She goes into the kitchen, ready to work on some dinner while he works. He even asks her if he can play some music because it helps him focus. It’s nice background noise as she chops up onions, carrots, and garlic for a beef stir fry. With a quick glance at her phone, she guessed that Sae-byeok would be home in the next thirty minutes if there wasn’t too much traffic. 

But she must be too in her own head because she ends up slicing her index finger by accident. 

“Shit.” She curses quietly, washing as blood drips out of the cut. 

That grabs his attention and he sets his pencil down on the table.  “Are you okay?”

In one swift move, she tears off a paper towel from the rack on the kitchen table and presses it onto the cut while she digs through drawers for a band-aid. They’re all Spider-Man-themed ones that Cheol really liked, but she can’t say they weren’t cute. She surveys the vegetables, happy to see that none of her blood had gotten on the food. That would've been really gross. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Just a little accident.” She assures him, showing off her handiwork in amusement. “It gives me an excuse to use those new band-aids.”

He smiles lopsidedly at the mention of them, “They’re cool, right?”

“The coolest.” She confirms, pulling up a chair to sit beside him. “How’s your work going?”

“Fine.” He pauses, pursing his lips. “Okay…not really. I don’t get this question. I’m using the equation and my answer’s still not any of these choices.”

She leans into his space slightly, looking over the question. It was a math worksheet. For once, she’s grateful for her dad forcing her to use those pricey tutors for every class because all of the jargon is not lost on her. 

“Lucky for you, I happen to be an expert in this stuff.” Ji-yeong reaches out to grab an extra pencil he had on the table. Before she writes on the paper, she double-checks with him, “Can I…?”

He nods, watching as she carefully goes over every step, answering his questions along the way. Eventually, they come to the correct answer and he circles it with a grin that matches Sae-byeok’s rare ones. 

She still has to get all of her ingredients together into a pan just as their front door opens. She doesn’t even need to turn around to know who it is, but that doesn’t stop her from grinning when she does. 

“How was your day?” She asks, turning the heat down on the stove as Sae-byeok steps closer. 

Sae-byeok shrugs off her jacket. “It was good. How about you guys? What happened at the school?”

“He got in a little fight with another boy who said some mean things to him.” Ji-yeong explains, “We already had a talk with the other family and they agreed to not press any charges.”

Sae-byeok sighs, not even a little surprised. “What did he say to Cheol?”

“Um,” Ji-yeong has no idea how to frame it. Even if Sae-byeok was much older, that didn’t mean she didn’t also get put down by others’ opinions on defectors. “It had to do with him being from The North. You know, the usual stuff. It was pretty dumb honestly.”

“Yeah…I figured.” Sae-byeok looks around the apartment, biting her bottom lip in worry. “Where is he now?”

“His room. He wanted to get changed into his pajamas for the night.” Ji-yeong carefully cups Sae-byeok's face with both her hands, taking the opportunity to be more intimate while he wasn’t present. “I promise he’s okay now. We had a really fun day that we’ll tell you all about while we eat.”

Melting into the touch, Sae-byeok still has that furrow in her brows. And Ji-yeong can finally bring herself to smooth it out with her thumb. It does the trick.“Thank you for, you know, taking care of him.” She tells her, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Ji-yeong smiles, leaning in for a quick peck on the lips. “You’d survive like you always do.” 

Sae-byeok smiles against her lips, gently removing her hands. “I’m, like, completely covered in grease. I don’t want you to get dirty too.” 

“I don’t mind,” Ji-yeong tells her.

Sae-byeok catches her wrist in one swift but gentle move, “You’re hurt.” Her eyes zero in on the band-aid. “What happened?”

“It’s just a little cut. I got distracted while I was chopping the vegetables. No biggie.” 

“Are you sure?”

Ji-yeong laughs. She could never get over how much Sae-byeok cared for her. “Yes. As you can see, Spider-Man’s already taken care of it.” 

“Uh-huh,” Sae-byeok says, still keeping her at bay. “You need to be more careful.”

“I will. Cross my heart.” And she does the sign, grinning. “Hope to die.”

Sae-byeok purses her lips, murmuring. “Maybe not that last part.” 

With a giggle, Ji-yeong attempts to go for another kiss. Sae-byeok does let her this time for a measly three seconds before saying, “Seriously—I feel gross. Let me just—”

Cheol’s bedroom door opens and they separate as quickly as they can.

And, yeah, it’s slightly hurtful, knowing that they can’t act like this in front of him. But Ji-yeong puts on a brave face anyway. They just have not had the time to explain whatever their relationship is to him. What with school and work and, well…it’s complicated. 

Clearing her throat, Ji-yeong says, “Right, just, uh—go get cleaned up. I’ll have the food set on the table when you get back.” Sae-byeok only nods, but her eyes are full of understanding and a hint of sadness. She doesn’t want to hide it either. 

As she’s walking back, she ruffles Cheol’s hair. Ji-yeong smiles at the two of them then directs a question at him when Sae-byeok’s gone. “Wanna help me set everything up?”

Dinner is the same as always, and Cheol is happy to explain away their eventful day with Sae-byeok silently listening as she eats. Ji-yeong is flustered when she makes sure to comment on how good it all is whenever she can, with her brother joining in on the compliments as well. 

“So,” Sae-byeok asks as she sticks her fork into the meal, “What exactly did you two do today?” 

She lets Cheol take the reins on this and he goes off on just how much ice cream he ate, all the kittens that now loved him, and how tired he got after running around the playground all afternoon.

Ji-yeong chuckles when he finishes, taking in a breath from all his rambling. “You know, I think my favorite thing we did was go to that shelter. I seriously fell in love with a little black kitten they had.”

Cheol nods eagerly, “You should’ve seen him, Sae-byeok! He was so tiny!”

His sister smiles softly at the both of them, “I wish I had, but I’m glad you two had fun.”

“Okay, shoot me down if you want, but,” Ji-yeong begins, two pairs of curious eyes on her now with her ominous start. “I think we could totally afford to adopt one of those little dudes from the shelter.”

Sae-byeok lets out a surprised laugh, “Really?” She looks over at her brother, “What do you think?”

Cheol looks shocked that she’s even considering his opinion on this. “I think…It’d be cool to have a pet. I’ve always wanted one.”

“Okay.” Sae-byeok says simply, “We’ll think about it then.” She takes another bite of food, pointedly ignoring them looking at her like she’s been replaced by a robot or something else as outrageous as that.

When they all finish around the same time, Ji-yeong takes it upon herself to wash everyone’s dish. 

“But I can help.” Sae-byeok insists, trying to grab one. 

Shaking her head, Ji-yeong waves her off. “You should talk with Cheol. He was worried about what you might say about the bullying.”

Sae-byeok opens and closes her mouth before finally saying. “Yeah, you’re right… But I’ll do the laundry tomorrow, okay? I hate making you do everything.”

Ji-yeong smiles, simply saying,  “Okay.” Then gets to work on washing the dishes that had been used for the stir fry. She sort of gets lost in the mindless task, half-focusing on the news still playing on the TV and the thoughts running through her mind. She’s so distracted that when a hand is placed onto her shoulder she barely registers it. Looking beside herself, she sees Sae-byeok. 

“He’s pretty worn out, so he’s gonna head to bed early,” Sae-byeok informs her quietly. 

Nodding, Ji-yeong places the last plate onto the rack to dry. She switches the faucet off with the flick of her wrist. “Makes sense. He’s had a long day.” Now that she has no excuse to hold back, Ji-yeong wraps her arms around Sae-byeok, hugging her as tight as possible. She can sense her freezing at the sensation for a second before ultimately leaning into it. 

Hugging her back, Sae-byeok mumbles, “I missed you.”  She’s almost gone completely limp as if finally having been permitted to relax for the first time all day. 

“I missed you, too,” Ji-yeong tells her, breathing her in. “And you smell good.”

“It’s a new shampoo. Cinnamon.” 

“I like it.” 

Sae-byeok laughs a little into her neck, only making her shiver.  “Thank you.”

Even though she wants to stay frozen in place like this, Ji-yeong does eventually take the initiative to pull back from burying herself into her chest to stand up on her toes and kiss her, deeper this time. Sae-byeok crouches down a bit to give her easier leverage. 

“I need to ask you something.” She breathes out, only a centimeter of space between their lips when they pull apart.

Sae-byeok nods slowly, prompting her to go for it as she’s seemingly drunk on the kiss. 

Taking in a breath, Ji-yeong asks, “What are we, Sae-byeok?”

“What do you mean?”

Ji-yeong, to her credit, looks like she’s at least attempting to not look so anxious. “I mean...does doing this—all of this stuff—mean we’re together? Like—girlfriends ?” She utters that fateful word almost too gently as if to say it any louder would shatter their bubble. 

Sae-byeok raises her eyebrows, trying to comprehend the simple question with not-so-simple implications. “Uh,” She licks her lips, “I think…I’d like that. If you’re okay with it.”

“Why would I ask if I wasn’t okay with it?” She retorts playfully but looks genuinely relieved. “Then, let me ask officially.” She clears her throat all dramatically, making Sae-byeok roll her eyes at her antics. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Yeah.” Sae-byeok’s tone is gentle. As per usual with Ji-yeong, eyes softened in the cutest way. “I’d like that. Will you be mine?”

The corner of Ji-yeong’s mouth ticks up, repeating. “Yeah.” She laughs, “God, that feels good to say. I just—I remembered what you said at that party.”

Tilting her head, Sae-byeok says, “I said a lot of stuff. Mind being a little more specific?”

“You, uh, you told me you didn’t think you deserved me,” Ji-yeong explains quietly, the weight of such an admission pushing down on the both of them. “Do you still think so?”

Sae-byeok’s silence is not surprising. She’s just gathering her thoughts. Ji-yeong knew that now. “I…I don’t know. Sometimes—it’s like I get why you like me like this, enough to want to be my girlfriend. And then—then I get these dumb thoughts that it’s all some big joke. That you could never feel that way towards me of all people.”

Ji-yeong’s face falls, cupping her face once again. It seems to always do the trick, bringing her back down from devolving into some rut. “Sae-byeok…” She pauses, finding her words. “You deserve me. Always.” Her thumbs stroke her jaw “Never forget that.”

Sae-byeok swallows harshly, head tilted down to meet her eyes. “I’m working on it.” Her voice is strained, rough around the edges and Ji-yeong knows she’s forcing herself to not tear up even a little. 

As she leans into the touch, Ji-yeong doesn’t let her go just yet. “That’s all I can really ask, so—thank you.”

Now Sae-byeok’s the one initiating the kiss. She’s so gentle when she does so, ever since their first night together she’d never gotten rough or too forward anymore and Ji-yeong was grateful for it, for having someone be so understanding of her past even if she hadn’t revealed too much. Her hold on her waist is incredibly delicate as she presses her closer, so so careful. 

“I should be the one thanking you.” Sae-byeok murmurs. “I can really suck sometimes.”

Ji-yeong shakes her head a little. Grasping her chin lightly, brows furrowed. “Shut up. Your kissing privileges will be revoked if you keep talking like that.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Sae-byeok apologizes, raising her hands up in surrender. 

“Promise me you won’t.”

Sae-byeok purses her lips, looking like she'd rather do anything else. “Do I have to? I don’t—”

Ji-yeong’s already walking away, tossing her a glare. “Then I’m going to brush my teeth!”

Where her warm hands just were is left cold. Sae-byeok’s noise of protest is cute, but Ji-yeong doesn’t wait up.

Sae-byeok follows her to the bedroom. Without really talking about it, they had chosen her room as the place to sleep tonight. They both crowd into her bathroom fit for at least five people but stay hip to hip the entire time. Ji-yeong even convinces Sae-byeok to do a face mask together before heading to bed. 

“We look stupid.” is all she has to say, but Ji-yeong catches her amazed look in the mirror as she rubs over her extra smooth skin as soon as it’s peeled off. As soon as they’re done, Ji-yeong calls dibs on her favorite oversized shirt from Sae-byeok’s closet plus a pair of her own sleep shorts. 

“Hey, have you seen my shirt…?” Sae-byeok asks suddenly, walking in with only her sweatpants and an undershirt she always wore under her work clothes. She points at Ji-yeong, caught red-handed. “That’s my favorite one!”

“Finders keepers, sorry.”

Sae-byeok looks positively offended. “I have so many others. Why’d you have to choose that one?”

“I mean…you don’t need to go to bed with a shirt on,” Ji-yeong suggests coyly. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“You’re terrible, you know that?” Sae-byeok informs her, but she’s already given up on this argument because she’s soon sitting on her usual side of the bed. “Absolutely terrible.” She crosses her arms and Ji-yeong only crawls in right next to her, smiling since she got what she wanted. 

Ji-yeong leans on her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her jaw. She can feel Sae-byeok’s usual stiffness melt into it. “I know.”

“You’re doing that on purpose.” Sae-byeok grumbles, uncrossing her arms to hold her by the waist, rubbing soothing circles onto her hip. 

“I am.” Ji-yeong pats her cheek lightly, wriggling to move away and Sae-byeok lets her. She plucks her phone from the nightstand to set an alarm and is greeted with a text message from a number she had already blocked. But her father is nothing if not persistent enough to use multiple numbers to try and contact her. With a sigh, she swipes the notification (a simple how are you doing? ) away from her screen, hoping to forget about it. 

It barely lasts five seconds before she’s exhaling a heavy breath and tackling Sae-byeok with a hug, burying herself into her chest for comfort. She doesn’t say a word, but Sae-byeok seems to understand that she just wants to be held right now. 

“You wanna talk about it?” Her voice rumbles into her ear once a minute goes by and all she can hear is the cars driving around on the street below. “Or not?”

“It’s my dad.” She says into her shirt. “He keeps on trying to talk to me.”

Sae-byeok stiffens a bit at the mention of him, her hold on Ji-yeong tightens for a split second before relaxing again. “What’s he saying?”

“Just…trying to start a normal conversation, as if I haven’t already told him I want nothing to do with it anymore. It’s more annoying than anything, but it just—it sucks to be reminded of it, of what I’ve done.”

“You haven’t done anything.” Sae-byeok counters, “You did what you had to do and he’s an idiot if he thinks he can do anything to change that now.” She shifts to get Ji-yeong to stop pressing herself into her chest. Their eyes meet. Sae-byeok kisses her forehead, “You don’t need him. Never forget that.”

Ji-yeong’s lips curl up just barely. “Using my own words against me, huh?”

“Learned from the best.” Sae-byeok shrugs, “You know, I’ve never actually met him. Maybe I could have a talk with him.”

“I can still see faint bruises on your nose from when you got it broken.” Ji-yeong tells her, ghosting over that part of her face as she speaks, “And the scar under your eye—you’d think that’d be enough to not make you want to fight again.” 

She sighs all serious-like, “I promise if you let me punch your dad I will never fight anybody ever again.”

“For some reason, I don’t believe you.” 

Trying to not smile too hard, Sae-byeok says, “What? I’m the picture of honest. You know this.” 

Ji-yeong’s face softens. Everything she’s thinking is much too cheesy to even elaborate on. So she won’t. “Still not convinced.” She kisses her cheek, “Sorry. Maybe try harder next time?”

“Mhm.” Sae-byeok’s eyes twinkle. (Happiness looks good on her.) “Come here.” She opens her arms, permitting another hug and Ji-yeong gladly takes it. Sae-byeok moves the both of them to lay down together. “If he tries talking to you again, tell me. I’ll help distract you.”

“Okay,” Ji-yeong breathes out, shutting her eyes to focus on her steady heartbeat. “I will. As long as you don’t go out of your way to get into a fight, dad or ex-boyfriend or otherwise related. I like your face. Please don’t break it anymore.”

Sae-byeok nuzzles her cheek against her head, humming and Ji-yeong knows she’s the luckiest person alive because no one else gets this from her. She’ll cherish it for as long as she’ll live. “I was kidding…sort of. I don’t wanna get into fights anymore either. I swear.” 

“Thank you.” Ji-yeong whispers, kissing her on the lips this time because she can’t wait any longer.

_____

The next day, the three of them go to the mall. It’s Saturday, so Cheol and her have no school to attend to and Sae-byeok only worked on the weekdays full-time. It’s nice to do something like this after getting so busy during the week with their own problems. 

After getting some hot dogs from the food court, Ji-yeong is just about to ask Sae-byeok if she needed to anything else while they were there when the taller girl almost drops her phone as soon as the device vibrates incessantly when someone calls her. She keeps her mouth shut as Sae-byeok talks to whoever it is. 

She catches a ‘Yes, sir. Thank you so much!’ which, yeah, is a little weird since she hardly ever shows that much emotion in public. It was hard enough to get her to smile for photos when they’re out and about. Cheol must be curious as well because they share a knowing look as if asking each other, are you gonna question it or should I?

Cheol does, biting off some of the hotdog and talking with his mouth full. 

Sae-byeok still finds it in herself to tell him, “Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Before breaking into a sly grin, eyes darting between him and Ji-yeong. “I got good news.”

Ji-yeong rolls her eyes. “Then don’t keep us waiting! Tell us.”

“Mom’s scheduled to get here in three days.” 

Cheol’s mouth drops, “ What? Are you being serious?”

“Deadly,” Sae-byeok assures him, arms already opening for when he eventually collides into her with a bone-crushing hug. She crouches to easily pick him up, carrying him off to a quieter corner of the mall. 

Ji-yeong trails behind them with a grin. “So that’s why you sounded so happy?” 

Sae-byeok peeks at her from over Cheol’s shoulder, her eyes are glossy. Ji-yeong thinks she can hear him hiccuping a little. Her own lips are trembling a little. But she sniffs, keeping it in. 

“Yeah, I—I’m—” Sae-byeok clears her throat, shaking her head slightly.  Sure, she could be happy like this in front of others, but crying was off-limits when she could help it. Ji-yeong smooths a thumb over her cheek, while Cheol’s face was still tucked into his sister’s neck. 

“I know,” Ji-yeong whispers soothingly. “I know.” 

_____ 

The waiting is the hardest. Three days has never felt so long and Ji-yeong could tell by how anxious the Kang’s had become after only a day had passed since they got the news. So, she thought a good way to fill the time was to actually look into homes for their mother. As much as she knew she’d love Mrs. Kang, she thought it’d be nice to give her her own space. Of course, it did leave the lingering question of where Cheol would fit in all of this. 

“He’s missed her so much, Sae-byeok tells her as she folds the laundry and Ji-yeong sits on top of the washing machine for moral support. “I think he doesn’t want to say it, but he’d probably like to live with her as soon as he can.”

“What about you? Do you want that?” 

She bites her lip, “I…don’t know. I mean, I’ve missed her like crazy, too. But then—I think about you. Us. What we have here and I don’t want to leave that either.”

Ji-yeong can’t stop herself from jumping off the machine to press a kiss to her nose. “You’re such a smooth talker.”

Sae-byeok scoffs, but it does nothing to hide her blush. “I think I’ll visit a bunch, though. If that’s okay with you.”

“God,” Ji-yeong rolls her eyes, “I’d be insane if I said it wasn’t.”

They find the perfect place on day two. A house only fifteen minutes away from the apartment with four beds and four baths. Nothing too crazy, Sae-byeok had asked. Her mom wasn’t very materialistic. Ji-yeong guesses that’s where she got it from. 

Cheol runs through the rooms much to the disdain of the real estate agent showing them around. But he shuts up from any complaints when he sees Ji-yeong, recognizing her in an instant. And it always makes her feel icky, using her powers like this, but it’s for Cheol’s sake so it’s worth it.

Sae-byeok’s eyes go as wide as saucers when she sees all the zeros on the paper the agent shows the three of them. She whips her head around to Ji-yeong, “Are you sure about this?”

Ji-yeong pulls out her wallet. “A hundred percent. Your mom deserves a nice place, Sae-byeok. And we’re going to give it to her.” 

It’s like something’s clicked into place for Sae-byeok as her expression softens. She half-smiles.  God. Ji-yeong is completely smitten with her. “Okay.” She sighs, “Okay…you’re right.” and stands beside her as she pays for it in full. 

It’s only after the agent has left and Cheol is testing the ability of the living room couch to withstand his jumps that Sae-byeok wraps her in a tight hug. Ji-yeong laughs in surprise when she does.

“What’s got you so touchy?” She teases, hugging her with as much force back. 

“I love you.” Sae-byeok breathes out quickly like she’s got no time to take it slow. “I love you so much and it’s okay if you can’t say it back right now but I don’t know how much longer I can take you not knowing how much I love you.”

Ji-yeong’s eyes widen at the confession. She pulls away carefully, wondering if she’s imagined this entire thing. Those three fateful words. Sae-byeok had just admitted to loving her. Her. It almost didn’t feel real. As if the whole facade would start fading now because this couldn't be true.

But she grabs the back of Sae-byeok’s shirt for stability and she knows this must be happening. 

“I love you, too.” She chokes out. The words fall out of her mouth so easily,  like she’s been waiting her entire life to say it and mean it. She hides her face in Sae-byeok’s chest, trying to keep it together because they weren’t exactly alone and she didn’t think to wear waterproof makeup today. 

Sae-byeok places a hand on the back of her head, holding her tighter. 

_____ 

The day before she’s supposed to arrive, they decide to tell Cheol that they’re dating. It's a quiet night, but everyone’s buzzing with excitement at the dinner table. Sae-byeok had bought some fried chicken takeout on her way back from work, insisting that they could afford something a little unhealthy in preparation for such a big day. 

(Sae-byeok even saying the word unhealthy let Ji-yeong know how excited she must be to see her mom.)

After dinner, they both walk into his room, hands held. It was incredibly nerve-wracking, but this seemed like the perfect time to tell him that they were girlfriends. 

The first thing he blurts when they enter his room is, “Am I in trouble?” 

Ji-yeong laughs, realizing that they probably looked so serious without meaning to. He crawls into his bed, rummaging through his comics. “No, bud. You’re not in any trouble.” She exchanges a look with his sister, who clears her throat. Cheol furrows his brows. 

“Cheol,” Sae-byeok begins slowly. “We need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” He questions.

Ji-yeong rubs Sae-byeok’s knuckles with the pad of her thumb. “Well, your sister and I—we’ve sort of come to a decision that—that we want to date each other.” She doubts he would be too unaccepting, at least not in the way she had gotten used to. But he loved his big sister and only wanted the best for her. She could only hope to provide that.

“So you guys are girlfriends now?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, we are.” Sae-byeok tells him, “Is that—is that okay with you?”

He’s quiet for a moment. Then, says, “You always tell me not to lie, right?”

They both nod.

Cheol sighs like he’s about to say something he doesn’t want to. “I thought you guys were already dating.” 

(Suffice to say, he’s totally cool with it.)

_____

When the fateful day arrives, they get the phone call from the same man who had told them she was coming in the first place. She had arrived and had already finished an interrogation with the National Intelligence Service and the National Police Agency. 

Now she was at a Hanawon center, where she’d stay for three months to prepare for integrating into South Korean society. They could visit her in that facility for about an hour at a time, so that’s where they were heading. 

Ji-yeong was the one driving them, but she thought it’d be best to let them see her on their own this first time. They were the family, They deserved this. 

“Okay,” Sae-byeok whispers as they walk closer to the front entrance, “Okay, this is it.”

Cheol pulls incessantly on her hand, “We need to hurry! She’s right in there. Come on!”

“I know, I know. Just—give me a sec.” She tells him before turning to Ji-yeong. “I’ll call you, okay? I’ll call you when we’re done.”

Ji-yeong squeezes her shoulder in response, nodding. She crouches to Cheol’s level to tell him one last thing. “Good luck, little man.” and smooths his hair down to make sure he looks as presentable as possible. “Say hi to her for me.”

_____ 

The place is familiar.

 Sae-byeok can remember clearly what she felt when she had no choice but to come to one of these. Fear. She had come all the way from the North, past China, and finally made it to what she thought would be her salvation only to be pushed into this building and forced to learn everything she needed to survive in twelve weeks. 

She had been in a haze from watching her father die in front of her and getting separated from her mother to be completely understanding of why this was so necessary. Not being able to see Cheol for all those weeks had done nothing to help her either. 

But now she was here as a visitor, for her mother. 

A worker here had already walked them inside and told them they could only stay for about half an hour before having to leave since they operated on a tight schedule with the other defectors too. Thirty minutes. That’s all the time they had to get through everything they had missed out on for two years. 

“This is the room.”

She nods at the worker, watching as they knock on the door to announce visitors coming in. Cheol is squeezing her hand so tightly she thinks it might turn purple, but she doesn’t tell him to ease up. Her heart’s going so wild she’s scared she might not make it another step before collapsing on the spot. 

The door opens, revealing her. 

She’s the picture of exhausted and Sae-byeok can only guess what they forced her to do in those prisoner camps. Her hair is shorter than usual, almost Sae-byeok’s length and she has a small band-aid on her chin. Her clothes look freshly washed, probably courtesy of the Hanawon. 

She stares at them, all wide-eyed and unconvinced of the two people looking back. “Kids?” She whispers. 

Cheol is the first to dash forward, shouting a strangled, “Mom!” His hand leaves her own feeling cold in his absence. The force of his hugs is almost enough to knock her down sometimes, so she’s not surprised to see her fragile mother is the same. Sae-byeok stands frozen in place for a second or two, not knowing what to do with herself after playing this moment over and over again in her mind every night since they got separated. And now—now she’s at a loss.

She opens her mouth to say something, but the only thing that comes out is a sob. Her mom looks over from her embrace, eyes softening at her daughter. A look Sae-byeok never thought she’d have the opportunity to be on the receiving end on again. 

“Sae-byeokie,” Her mother calls out quietly, always so quiet. They were similar like that. “Come here.”

And it’s like that’s all she needed, permission to officially lift that weight off her back and go hug her mom. Her arms are thin, almost bony and it breaks her to even think of what she’s been subjected to this entire time she’s been gone. Sae-byeok knows her own arms are stronger than they’ve ever been, so she’s careful to not be too flippant with her strength. 

And she’s sobbing into her shoulder, can hear Cheol doing the same into their mom’s shirt. She’s a child again, complaining about a scraped knee she got from running behind Tae-hyun all day. She expects her mom to chastise her for hanging with her big brother all day and expecting to not get hurt. Instead, she only laughs, maybe shakes her head a little before cleaning up the scrape and pressing a kiss into it. She always said kisses had healing properties, that they made the injuries hurt less instantaneously. 

Sae-byeok believed her, even now as her mom kisses her hair with all the care in the world. She’s healing. She’s better now. 

“I missed you.” Sae-byeok croaks out, pulling back just a little to meet her eyes. Every time she looked at Cheol he’d have the exact same ones and she always thought that would be the only way she’d ever see her mother again. Through him.

“Me too.” Cheol sniffles still pressed into her. 

“Oh, my darlings.” Her mother murmurs, “I’ve thought about you two every single day, just praying I’d get to hold you like this again.”

Sae-byeok blinks, allowing more tears to fall. She doesn’t want to ever let go.

Their mom continues, stroking the back of their heads soothingly. “You’ve gotten so big, Cheol. So tall.”

He gives a wet laugh, “I bet I’m gonna be taller than Sae-byeok.”

She focuses on Sae-byeok now, speaking ever softer. She stops stroking her hair to cup her chin gently, “Sae-byeokie, you…you must’ve worked so hard for you and your brother. I am so sorry I couldn’t be there to help you.”

Immediately, Sae-byeok’s shaking her head. “It’s not your fault. And—and I had help anyway. From a friend.”

But she’s so much more than that, mom. 

Her mother smiles sweetly, “Oh, my sweet girl. I’m glad you did. You must tell me everything soon. But,” She breathes out, “You’ve done so well for so long. And I just—I want you to know I’m so incredibly proud, okay? Never forget that.”

“Okay.” Sae-byeok whimpers, “I won’t.” 

They will eventually let go of each other and spend the rest of their precious minutes catching up as quickly as they can since they couldn’t visit every single day, but for now, the three of them are content to stay in each other's embrace, knowing that they could begin rebuilding their family from now on.

_____

The three months are torture, only seeing their mother on the weekends when they could make it for thirty minutes to an hour at a time for three whole months isn’t easy for either of the Kang siblings. Ji-yeong knows, logically, that giving her this time to get adjusted into this new world was important, but that doesn’t make it any easier to see them all down and sad whenever they got back and the high of seeing her was fading fast. 

So, again, she works to distract them by forcing them to help her decorate the new home she would be moving into soon. And since they knew her best, they were perfect in picking and choosing what would fit her style more. 

“Have you told her that she has a place ready to go whenever she leaves?” Ji-yeong asks, strained due to carrying an entire couch into the home with Sae-byeok. Cheol got lucky and had school as an excuse to not be subjected to helping them out. But they wanted it to be complete as soon as possible.

Sae-byeok checks behind her so they don’t bump into anything. “Yeah. I don’t think she believed me when I said it’s bigger than where we used to live.”

Ji-yeong huffs out a laugh, “Well, she’s in for a surprise then, huh?” She pauses, “What about us, um—you know, dating? Does she know?”

She shakes her head, “I was thinking of telling her when she gets out. I want you to be there when I tell her if that’s okay with you.”

They finally get to the living room where the couch would be. Ji-yeong nods, “That’s fine. Are you worried about what she’ll say?”

“A little,” Sae-byeok breathes out, “She’s, you know, the nicest person ever, but I’ve never had to introduce somebody to her, much less a girl.” She winces, “Ugh, that sounded worse out loud. I’m sorry.”

“You’re fine.” Ji-yeong laughs, “I’ll just need to turn up my charm to an eleven. Now, let’s bring this thing down because I’m starting to lose the feeling in my fingers.”

With a roll of her eyes, Sae-byeok obliges. “Okay, on three, let's set it down. One, two—oh you’re not even going to wait!” She fumbles with her end to not get her hand squished when Ji-yeong is already going for it before her. 

Ji-yeong’s jaw drops as it thuds onto the tile floor, “You said on three!”

“Exactly! I didn’t even say three yet and you were already letting it down!” 

“I thought that little pause after two was three!”

Sae-byeok looks at her like she’s grown another head. “That’s not how that works. That’s not how any of this works.” She inspects the floor for any bad scuffs, wrinkling her nose. “I don’t think you did that much damage.”

Ji-yeong gasps indignantly, “I didn’t do that much damage?”

Chuckling, Sae-byeok shakes her head. “Baby, you weren’t listening. That’s kinda on you.”

She doesn’t even seem to realize she’s let out a pet name for the first time since they’ve started dating. Ji-yeong does, though. She does and it makes her turn all the shades of a sunset and fire combined, but she disguises her shock by plopping onto the couch, covering her face with her hands with a groan. 

“I’m sorry.” She says into her palms. She feels a weight sink into the couch beside her as Sae-byeok joins her. 

“It’s okay.” Her deep voice rumbles out, “I’m not even mad. That’s such a stupid thing to get mad about.” She touches Ji-yeong’s hands with her own. They’re even rougher from the job she’s taken up but Ji-yeong doesn’t care. “Can you look at me?”

Slowly, Ji-yeong allows Sae-byeok to remove her palms from her face. She’s met with the kindest gaze, the one she knows Sae-byeok saves for people she loves (Loves! Isn’t that wonderful?) 

“What?” Ji-yeong asks when they haven’t said anything for a few seconds. 

Smiling, Sae-byeok softly cups her face with both hands. “Nothing. Just wondering how I ever got so lucky.”

Rolling her eyes, Ji-yeong glances away because she’s going to blush again and it’s embarrassing. “Dickhead.” She mumbles to not give her any satisfaction. 

“Asshole,” Sae-byeok says back with her biggest grin yet. “Come on. There’s still a bunch of stuff to move in.”

Later, at home, Cheol is watching a new Disney movie with Sae-byeok on the couch, while Ji-yeong sits next to her, typing away at a paper for class. It had to be a thousand words and she had only barely hit two hundred after an hour. It was not going well. 

“How’s it going?” Sae-byeok whispers when she looks over at the smaller girl pressed into her side, arm wrapped casually around her shoulder. Cheol was so engrossed from her other side that she didn’t want to disturb him.

Ji-yeong frowns, burying her face into Sae-byeok’s shoulder. 

Sae-byeok chuckles, “I’m gonna take that as ‘not good’.” When Ji-yeong doesn’t respond, Sae-byeok runs a hand through the back of her hair, “Take a break.”

“But I wanna get it done,” Ji-yeong says into her shoulder, so it’s muffled. 

“When is it due?”

Lifting her head, she laments. “Tomorrow.” 

“Okay, how about this?” Sae-byeok offers, “When the movie’s done, I’ll help you brainstorm or whatever else you need, even make some coffee and it’ll be an all-nighter. College students still do those, right?

“You make it sound like you're beyond college student age,” Ji-yeong points out, but sighs in defeat anyway. “Are you really gonna do that for me?” 

In the sporadic light of the TV, Sae-byeok says, “Of course,” like it’s the easiest thing in the world. And, for her, it must be. (She makes good on her word and they celebrate the second Ji-yeong hits submit on the email with the essay attached to it.)

Later, when they’re the only ones awake, Ji-yeong is still riding the high of submitting at exactly 11:59 that she almost misses how quiet Sae-byeok’s gotten. It’s not uncharacteristic, but it still makes her worry whenever it happens. 

“What’s wrong?” She asks. They were still on the couch, Ji-yeong sprawled across Sae-byeok’s lap as she scrolled through her phone and Sae-byeok read a book. 

Sae-byeok’s eyes flit down for a second before returning to her book. “Nothing.”

“You’re being quiet.”

“I’m reading. What else am I supposed to be?”

Ji-yeong huffs, “This feels different. A different quiet.”

“A different quiet?” Sae-byeok repeats with a scoff. But it’s not mean, she’s staring down at her very lovingly. (Ji-yeong has a theory she’s yet to test that she could be talking complete nonsense and Sae-byeok would still give her that look.) 

“Yes.” And she keeps her questioning stare right on her, not saying another word to force her to let out what’s bothering her. 

Finally, Sae-byeok sighs, shutting her book and putting it to the side. “I’m just thinking.”

“About…?”

“Us.” She elaborates some more, “I mean, like, how we’re going to tell my mom about us. I hadn’t given it much thought before today, but then you sort of—reminded me. I guess.”

Ji-yeong sits up, not wanting to have a serious talk while she was lying down.“Oh.”

Sae-byeok takes one of her hands, soothing her. “And I-I’m not saying it’s your fault or whatever. I’m just worried. I don’t actually know what she would think about us dating. About—about who I chose to date. That’s…terrifying.” She finishes with a small voice. 

“Hey,” Ji-yeong breathes out, assessing the situation. “It’s okay to worry. Honestly, I’m worried too. Of course, I want your mom’s approval. You love her, so I know she’s a good person. That has to be enough, for now, believing that she’s good enough to not care that we are who we are.” She leans over to hug her, not knowing what else words could do for her now. 

Sae-byeok speaks into the crook of her neck, “I love you.” and hugs her back as gently as possible. She still smells like cinnamon and a hint of oil that can never really be washed off after spending so much of her days around cars. 

Ji-yeong enjoys holding Sae-byeok like this, giving her the feeling that nothing can hurt her as long as they’re together. It feels good to know she’s capable of protection, too. She might not pack the strongest punch, but she can still do that.

And hearing those words never gets old. Ever. “I love you too, dummy.” Ji-yeong sighs in content when she feels Sae-byeok press a deeper kiss onto her neck. “So much.”

Pulling away, Sae-byeok’s half-lidded eyes tell her they’re not going back to reading or using their phones for a while. So, if they spend the rest of their night making out on the couch, then it’s really nobody’s business but their own.

_____ 

Ji-yeong hasn’t had to meet the parents in a very, very long time. 

Anytime she’s had to, she was either in some fancy gala or over at a million-dollar mansion for dinner. They usually critiqued her in that usual way that overly rich people do, say something like ‘you’re so brave for wearing that dress’ or they made it very clear that they didn’t care much to get to know her since everyone involved knew this relationship had less to do with romance and more to do with making sure everyone was making as much money as possible. 

She could handle those situations because they made sense, they were all she knew. But now she actually cared to make a good impression since, as terrifying as it was to admit, she didn’t see anyone but Sae-byeok and her family in her future. There was no room for fuck-ups here. 

Sae-byeok had taken the car to go pick her up while Ji-yeong did last-minute adjustments on the house, making sure it was spotless for when they arrived. She also put it upon herself to cook lunch for everyone, which she was beginning to regret because if anyone knows good homemade food it’s a mother. 

When she hears the sound of the car pulling into the driveway, her heart drops. She almost wants to run out and let the three of them eat on their own while she wasn’t there. 

She’s in the living room as soon as the door opens, Cheol running in first as he excitedly explains how big this place is. Sae-byeok is telling her something else as she holds her mom by the arm, when she glances up she brightens at Ji-yeong’s presence. 

“Mom,” Sae-byeok brings her attention to Ji-yeong, “This is my friend I was telling you about.”

“Hi,” Ji-yeong greets happily, bowing before her. “I’m Ji-yeong. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Kang!” She reaches out an arm to shake hands.

She smiles in return, weary but happy nonetheless. It’s almost eerie how much of Sae-byeok she sees in it. Her eyes wander all around the home for a few seconds before returning the handshake, “It’s so nice to meet you as well. Sae-byeok has told me so much about you that I feel like I already know everything there is to know.” 

Ji-yeong raises her eyebrows, sending an amused glance to a red-faced Sae-byeok. “I hope they were good things.”

“Ah, they were. Trust me.” She tells her, “She also told me about this house, but I had a hard time really believing she already had a home ready for me. It’s very beautiful.” 

Sae-byeok wraps an arm around her mom, “It’s all for you, mom. I promise.” 

Suddenly Ji-yeong remembers the food waiting in the kitchen. “Oh! I forgot to say that I prepared lunch for all of us, so we can eat right now if we’d like to.”

“Yes, please!” Cheol exclaims, “I’m starving!” 

His mom laughs quietly, tenderly patting his cheek. “Yes, I think that’s a great idea. A growing boy needs his food.” She meets Ji-yeong’s eyes, “Thank you for going out of your way to cook. That’s very sweet of you to do.” And the way she smiles at her, so softly. It reminds Ji-yeong of her own mother, how she’d look at her whenever Ji-yeong went on one of her long rants after school, complaining about a teacher or a student who was being particularly mean. 

Clearing her throat, she forces herself to not tear up on the spot. “Of course, Mrs. Kang. It’s the least I could do.”

After a peaceful dinner, they all help bring in a small luggage bag Sae-byeok filled with toiletries and some extra clothes for her mom before they could go out and take her shopping for some more. Once she’s settled into her bedroom upstairs, it’s late enough that Cheol has to go to bed. He had chosen a bedroom close to his mom’s and had a few things moved in already from the apartment. 

(Ji-yeong doesn’t hear him say it, but he’s elated to have his mom back to tuck him in and kiss him good night.)

That leaves her and their mother downstairs, cleaning up after dinner even after Ji-yeong said she could do it all on her own. Sae-byeok was still upstairs with Cheol. 

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Kang had chided her, “You’ve already made dinner. And it was delicious, mind you.”

Ji-yeong blushes, dipping her head down. “Thank you, Mrs. Kang. That means a lot to me.”

Sae-byeok walks into the kitchen, patting Ji-yeong’s shoulder to get her attention. “Cheol’s asking for you.”

She points to herself, baffled. “Me?” 

Sae-byeok nods, shrugging sheepishly, “He says you’re the only one who still hasn’t gone up to say good night.”

Ji-yeong laughs softly, if only because that’s the sweetest thing she’s ever heard. So she goes up the stairs to see him waiting patiently in his bed, covered up to his chin. She smiles at him from the doorway. 

“You called?”

He nods quickly. “It’s good luck to say good night to everybody.”

She cocks her head to one side, “Who taught you that?”

Shrugging, he says, “No one. I just thought of it myself.”

“Ah,” Ji-yeong says, sitting at the foot of his bed. “In that case, we have to keep up the tradition from now on. Have a good night, little man. See you in the morning.” 

“Good night, Ji-yeong.” He mumbles, already shutting his eyes. She kisses his forehead and turns off the light in his room before closing his door as quietly as possible. 

Back downstairs, she sees Sae-byeok and her mom talking in the living room now and almost feels bad interrupting them as they both glance up at her walking down the steps. 

The look Sae-byeok sends her way is enough to let her know. They were going to do it now. No more stalling. Ji-yeong bites her lip to keep her nerves stable as she sits beside her on the couch, Mrs. Kang across from them on another one. 

“Hey, mom? Can we…talk to you? Me and Ji-yeong, I mean.” Sae-byeok struggles to start, brows knit together with worry. “It’s important.”

Her mom raises her eyebrows in question a little, but says, “Of course, go ahead. What is it?”

“So, you know how I’ve told you she helped me a bunch in gathering the money to pay for a lot of this?” Her mom nods in response. Sae-byeok swallows roughly, “Well, um, while we were doing that, we—we sort of realized something.”

Mrs. Kang nods at her to keep going. 

“We liked each other. A lot. And I know this is probably surprising to you, but I can’t keep it a secret anymore, mom. I want you to know that I’m dating Ji-yeong. She’s…she’s my girlfriend.” 

Ji-yeong can only squeeze her hand for comfort, hoping it says all she can’t. She meets Mrs. Kang’s eyes, something she can’t quite discern in them. “I love your daughter, Mrs. Kang and I promise I will do everything I can to keep her safe and—and take care of her. I will.”

“I believe you.” Mrs. Kang finally says quietly, a small smile overtaking her face. She glances at Sae-byeok, “Is that all?”

Sae-byeok nods once, not any less terrified. 

“Well, Sae-byeokie, I can’t say I’m surprised to find out you were in love,” She tells her daughter, “Every time you came in, I could see it in your eyes. You had someone here you had grown to care for a lot. Someone who wasn’t your brother. I wanted to ask about them, but as soon as I came here today and met Ji-yeong, I knew that person must be her.” 

“You did?” Sae-byeok asks, eyes wide in shock. “H-how?”

Her mom chuckles, “The way you look at her, sweet girl. Like she’s the only person to exist. A mother can always tell these things, you know.”

Ji-yeong can’t help but laugh at that. Were they really so obvious that both her and Cheol didn’t find it hard to believe they were dating? 

“So, you’re okay with it?” Sae-byeok questions. 

“I am.” Mrs. Kang assures them with a grin. “As long as you’re happy, then who am I to complain? We came here for a better life and you’re obviously getting that with Ji-yeong. I’m happy for both of you. And,” She turns to face Ji-yeong now, “I know you’ll treat my Sae-byeok well like you said. So thank you.”

Ji-yeong smiles, wiping at the corner of her eyes because she had begun to tear up without even realizing it. “I should be the one thanking you. It means more than you’ll ever know to have your approval.”

They finish off their conversation soon after, bidding each other a good night as Mrs. Kang goes to her own bedroom while Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok go into a guest room.

_____

After spending a few days all living together in that house, Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong finally say their goodbyes to Cheol as he would begin living there with his mom permanently. They would still help out with picking him up from school since Mrs. Kang wasn’t well-versed in knowing how to drive. 

“I’m gonna miss you guys,” Cheol says sadly as he hugs them both. 

Sae-byeok ruffles his hair, “We’re only fifteen minutes away, bud. It’s not too bad. I’ll still visit, like, every day you already know.” 

“Yeah, “ Ji-yeong agrees, “We’ll visit so much you’ll get sick of us!”

He shakes his head fervently, like the idea was insane to him, “I could never!”

And she wholeheartedly believes him.

_____ 

Sae-byeok steps out into the afternoon sun, sliding her phone between her cheek and shoulder as she shifts her grocery bags to one arm. Ji-yeong’s on the call with her, urging her to hurry back or she’ll start on their watch through all The Hunger Games movies without her. It was their first night officially alone, with Cheol already moved out.

Sae-byeok chuckles, pulling the phone back up to her ear like normal. “You wouldn’t. You’re too nice.”

Ji-yeong groans into a pillow or something because it’s muffled. “You’re right. Just get your lazy butt over here! It’s so cold without my own personal heater.”

Sae-byeok grins, “Okay, okay. I’m already on my way. Promise.” She starts walking in the direction of home when something across the street catches her eyes. Some men in suits, sunglasses. The works. At first, she thinks it’s leftover paparazzi from last time so she ignores it until they start strolling over her way like they have all the time in the world.

They don’t have any cameras on them.

Something’s definitely off.

Her face is quickly wiped clean of any of the happiness Ji-yeong brings her, even if it’s over the phone, and she brings back her practiced resting bitch face. Ji-yeong’s still going on her tangent of complaints and she wants nothing more than to listen and listen to the girl’s voice until she’s physically incapable of doing so. But she’s too focused on the three men as they stop in front of her. 

She moves the phone away from her mouth a little, “Can I help you?” Because she’s not trying to start a fight when it’s not necessary. Not anymore. 

One of the men takes off his glasses, revealing intense eyes. “Kang Sae-byeok?”

Biting down a nasty retort, she only nods once. 

He reaches into his coat pocket, muttering. “You’re quite an elusive figure, you know that?” Finally, he pulls out a badge and ID, presenting it to her languidly. “We’re with the Seoul Police Department.” The officer informs her, “And you’re under arrest.”

Well, shit.