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Sana stared at the piece of paper in her hands. Scrawled out in her messy handwriting were her plans for the following day—Saturday. A day both she and Jihyo had off. Finally.
Mostly, it was Jihyo who finally had it off. An end-of-year project had had Jihyo in the office early in the morning, late at night, and, much to Sana’s dismay, even on Saturdays. No one was asking Jihyo to work Saturdays, but that was Jihyo—a super hard worker who always gave her all, not stopping until the job was more than done. When someone else might give 100%, she would find a way to give 1000%.
Sana admired her for it, but it also worried her. In the past, Jihyo had overworked herself and fallen ill, but she still went to work to finish the project. Nothing Sana said or did, including physically blocking the door to their apartment so Jihyo couldn’t leave, worked. So Sana watched her go, then—despite Jihyo’s protests—nursed her back to health afterward.
But it was all over now. Jihyo had given her presentation, it’d gone well—just as Sana knew it would—and now Jihyo was asleep in bed next to Sana. Sana looked at her finally peaceful face, set the paper down, and turned off the bedside lamp. She wrapped her arms around Jihyo’s waist and burrowed her face into her girlfriend’s shoulder, quickly drifting off to sleep, excited for what tomorrow would bring.
***
“So you really aren’t going to tell me where we’re going?” Jihyo huffed with a little laugh.
“Nope. You aren’t getting it out of me,” Sana said with a proud smile. She took her girlfriend’s mitten hand and swung it between the two of them.
“You’re gonna love it,” Sana said, tugging Jihyo off the street and into a small cafe they’d never been to before.
Or more like Jihyo had never been to before. Sana had gone there two weeks earlier, scouting it out to see if it was good enough for her Jihyo, despite Google reviews being highly in its favor. She even taste-tested Jihyo’s favorite dishes—pancakes and oatmeal—specifically so she could rest assured that Jihyo would like it no matter which she chose.
They walked through the door, a little bell jingling as they did. The girl behind the counter smiled at them, leading them to a small table by the window that looked out on the street.
“Good morning,” she said as she set menus in front of them. “My name is Dahyun and I’ll be your server this morning. Can I get you a drink to start with?” She smiled at them so brightly that it brought a smile to Sana’s face.
They both ordered their own versions of coffee—black coffee for Jihyo, and something super sweet for Sana. Jihyo then ordered the pancakes, much to Sana’s delight.
“These are good,” Jihyo exclaimed after the first bite, her face scrunching up in a way it only did when she was thoroughly enjoying what she was eating.
“Are they?” Sana asked with a giggle. “I’m really glad you like them.”
“This was really sweet of you,” Jihyo said, smiling at Sana. “Thank you.”
“This isn’t it, you know,” Sana said.
“What?” Jihyo’s eyes widened. “But this is more than enough!”
“Jihyo, please. I have a whole plan… Just let me spoil you today?” Sana threw in a small pout for good effect.
Jihyo groaned and rolled her eyes.
“When you make adorable faces like that how can I say no?”
Sana grinned at her victory, making Jihyo roll her eyes yet again, but Sana caught the hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
As they ate their breakfast, Sana asked Jihyo some questions about the project she’d just finished, loving the way Jihyo’s eyes lit up in enthusiasm as she talked about it.
When they finished and paid, bidding Dahyun a good morning before leaving, Sana took Jihyo by the hand and led her back onto the street.
“Where are we going next?” Jihyo asked. She wasn’t hiding her excitement anymore—her voice was dripping with it.
Sana’s heart swelled in happiness.
“You think I’m going to tell you?” Sana pulled Jihyo closer, wrapping her arm around Jihyo’s waist as she whined at Sana’s non-answer. “Just a little bit further,” Sana said more gently, taking pity on her girlfriend.
They walked in a comfortable silence, Sana watching their breath puff out in front of them then disappear into the cool air.
They stopped at a park, but instead of going on one of their usual trails, Sana led them toward the recreation center. Normally, this was where the outdoor pool was, but in the winter it was turned into an ice rink. Sana knew Jihyo loved skating, that she had since childhood, and that she hadn’t had the opportunity or time to go in years now.
But Sana? She wasn’t much of a skater, to put it lightly. In fact, she wasn’t a skater at all, and the idea of skating frankly terrified her, but she wanted to try for Jihyo. For the past month, she took weekly lessons so she could be more confident on the ice with her girlfriend. Her girlfriend who definitely wasn’t expecting her to skate because she knew how much it scared Sana.
Sana marched into the recreation center and right up to the counter, placing her credit card on the counter.
“Two pairs, please,” she asked the woman behind the rental desk, giving her their sizes.
“Two?” Jihyo looked at Sana with one brow quirked in surprise. “Is there someone else joining us on this part of the date?” Jihyo teased.
“Very funny,” Sana deadpanned. She took the skates from the woman behind the counter and handed a pair to Jiyho. “I happen to enjoy skating.” She turned to sit down on a nearby bench, getting ready to put on the skates.
“Let me,” Jihyo said, taking the skates from Sana’s hands.
“I can do it myself!” Sana said, crossing her arms and pouting at Jihyo.
“I know you can,” Jihyo said. She knelt in front of Sana and started to untie her shoes. “I just want to help my beautiful girlfriend.”
Sana couldn’t hide the blush overtaking her face.
“But today is about you,” she said, moving to pull her foot away from Jihyo’s grip.
But Jihyo held her in place. Sana whined, sensing her defeat.
“If today is about me, then shouldn’t you theoretically let me do whatever I want?” She waggled her eyebrows at Sana.
“I guess…” Sana groaned. She could see where this was going, but she didn’t know how to stop it, or if she particularly wanted to.
“Then allow me,” Jihyo said with a smirk.
Even years into dating, Jihyo could still manage to make Sana’s heart skip a beat in moments like these, as she lovingly laced up her skates, taking Sana’s hand and kissing the back of it as she stood up.
She leaned down and whispered in Sana’s ear, her hot breath sending shivers down Sana’s spine.
“You’re so cute when you’re flustered.”
Sana’s eyes widened and her face turned red. Jihyo just quietly laughed at her. Sana knew Jihyo loved the effect she could have on her, and this time was no different.
Jihyo quickly put on her own skates and took Sana’s hand, leading her toward the ice.
“Are you sure about this?” She asked Sana before stepping onto the ice.
“Most definitely,” Sana said with a confident nod.
Sana followed Jihyo onto the ice, keeping a smile on her face even as her hands broke out in a cold sweat.
You can do this, she told herself.
She held onto Jihyo’s hand as they made their first loop around the rink. Jihyo looked at Sana in shock as she kept up with her, only wobbling once or twice, but never stopping.
“Whoa, Sana, did you become a pro or something?” Jihyo said as she came to a stop, gently taking hold of Sana’s forearms to help her slow down.
“I was always a pro,” Sana said with a wink.
“Last time we were here you could barely make it a few feet,” Jihyo said in genuine awe.
“Things have changed,” Sana said. She took Jihyo’s hand.
“Clearly,” Jihyo said with a smile. “Let’s go again?”
Sana nodded, and they took off around the rink a few more times. Sana stepped out after a bit, watching Jihyo speed up and twirl around a bit. Sana had to admit that she was rather impressed that Jihyo was this good without much practice over the years.
When Jihyo tired out a bit, she rejoined Sana.
“This has been a lot of fun,” she said as they walked back to the counter to hand their skates in. “Thank you for an amazing day,” Jihyo whispered in Sana’s ear, sending shivers down her spine yet again.
“It’s… not over yet,” Sana said while clearing her throat, struggling to recover her composure.
“Seriously? You’ve done so much!” Jihyo protested.
“This last part is at home,” Sana said, taking Jihyo’s hand as they walked out of the recreation center. “Are you up for that?”
“Home sounds perfect,” Jihyo said with a content sigh.
Sana had wanted to do more for Jihyo, but she knew Jihyo would be tired by this point. So she moved onto the next phase, tugging Jihyo out of the building, finally headed home.
***
“Sana,” Jihyo whined. “This is too much!”
“It’s literally a bubble bath,” Sana said, rolling her eyes at her girlfriend.
Jihyo stood in the bathroom, a fluffy bathrobe wrapped around her, as she eyed the bathtub. Sana had made sure the water was the perfect temperature and was now holding a vanilla-scented bath bomb in her hand. She felt like vanilla was just very right for winter— comforting and warm. And she knew Jihyo liked it too, so a double win.
“Just get in there before it gets cold,” Sana said with a little wave of her hand.
Jihyo grumbled a bit more before finally giving in, and Sana let the bath bomb fall in after her, the scent filling the bathroom.
“You enjoy and I’m going to go cook, okay?”
“Sana!” Jihyo practically shouted. “You got me in here just so you can go cook? Do you not remember what usually happens?!”
Sana couldn’t help but laugh as her girlfriend looked torn between jumping out of the bathtub and tackling her so she couldn’t make it to the kitchen and enjoying the bubble bath.
“It’ll be fine!” Sana said with a grin. “So just relax!”
“I certainly won’t be relaxed now,” Jihyo mumbled.
On her way out, Jihyo turned on some of Jihyo’s favorite music, blowing her a kiss as she shut the bathroom door.
Sana stood in the kitchen, her hands on her hips as she surveyed the room. Jihyo was right—Sana never set foot in the kitchen for a reason. A reason that involved just a little bit of fire.
And that’s exactly why she wasn’t really cooking, but she was sure going to trick Jihyo into thinking she was for the time being.
She checked the app on her phone and saw that the delivery she ordered out from Jihyo’s favorite restaurant would be delivered in fifteen minutes. Until then, she just had to make it all believable.
She loudly pulled some pots and pans out of the cupboard, then ran the water for a few seconds, filling the kettle and placing it on the stove to boil. (Yes, she could make tea safely, no matter what Jihyo might say.) She mixed some spoons around in the empty pot, opened and shut the fridge a few times… She didn’t have to be near Jihyo to know what she was thinking.
She quieted down, deciding to let her girlfriend actually relax, and waited for the delivery to arrive. She met the delivery person at the apartment door so Jihyo wouldn’t hear the doorbell, and then ran in with the food, quickly pulling out plates and cutlery.
The table set, she dished out the food—a spread of all of Jihyo’s favorites, from kimchi stew to potato pancakes to tteokbokki—and then she tiptoed off to the bathroom, knocking before poking her head in.
She smiled when she saw Jihyo leaning back, submerged up to her nose in the water, her eyes shut. She almost didn’t want to disturb her, but she also didn’t want the food to get cold.
“Hey, sweetheart,” she said softly.
“Mmm?” Jihyo said without opening her eyes.
Sana walked in, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. She gently ran a hand over Jihyo’s hair. She loved seeing Jihyo like this—calm, relaxed, content. She silently vowed to make sure it happened more often. She leaned down and kissed the crown of her head.
“Dinner is ready,” Sana said, her cheek leaning lightly against Jihyo's head.
Sana laughed as Jihyo jolted up.
“Is the kitchen a wreck? Burnt down?” she asked as she turned to face Sana.
“Well, you’ll just have to come and find out…” Sana giggled as she gave Jihyo a peck on the lips and ran from the room.
The last way she was going to tease her girlfriend? It was ultimately romantic, but it did serve other purposes too. She pulled out two candles and set them in candle holders on the table. She took out the packet of matches from the kitchen drawer and struck one, lighting the candle wicks on fire.
After a few moments, she heard Jihyo making her way down the hallway. Her relaxed footsteps suddenly sped up, and Sana waited with a sly smile on her face.
“Do I smell fi—” Jihyo ran into the kitchen, then skidded to a halt as soon as she saw the table and a smirking Sana beside it.
“Surprise,” Sana said. She gestured to the kitchen. “And our apartment is still intact!”
“Sana…” Jihyo took a few steps forward, closing the gap between them. She took Sana’s hands in hers, moving them to her waist, then tilted Sana’s face so she was looking directly into her eyes. “This is all amazing,” she whispered. “Thank you so much…”
Jihyo kissed her, slowly and sweetly, then Sana deepened it.
It was Jihyo who pulled away, a bit breathless, nodding toward the food on the table.
“Right, let’s not let the food get cold!” Sana said.
She pulled out a chair for Jihyo, who sat down with a slight blush on her cheeks.
They ate in a comfortable silence for a few moments until Jihyo broke it.
“You didn’t cook this, did you?” she asked, giving Sana a tentative look from across the table.
“Absolutely not,” Sana said with a laugh.
“You tricked me!” Jihyo said with a whine.
“It was too fun!” Sana giggled. “And too easy,” she added.
“You are so gonna pay,” Jihyo said before taking another bite of her food. Her face scrunched up in delight. “This is the best,” she said with a content sigh.
“So you had a good time today?” Sana asked. She couldn’t keep the anxiety out of her voice. She really wanted Jihyo to thoroughly enjoy their day together—to feel relaxed, recharged, and like they had spent quality time doing the things she loved.
“Oh, honey,” Jihyo said, reaching her hand across the table, placing it on top of Sana’s. “I absolutely loved it.”
Sana smiled at her.
“You deserve the best,” Sana whispered. “I’m so glad you had fun today.”
“Thank you,” Jihyo said, squeezing Sana’s hand.
They finished their meals, and Sana cleared the table, washing the dishes by herself, much to Jihyo’s protests.
“You just change into your pajamas,” Sana said over her shoulder. “And pick something for us to watch, okay?”
Jihyo eventually gave up on trying to get Sana to accept her help, and just did as she asked. When Sana went to change into her pajamas, she saw Jihyo had set out her favorite pair already—fuzzy pajama pants with tiny teddy bear print all over them and an old comfy sweatshirt.
She changed and made her way to the living room, snuggling up next to Jihyo right away. Jihyo looped an arm around Sana’s waist, pulling her close, kissing her lightly on the lips.
“Thank you so much for today,” Jihyo said. “I’m sorry I’ve been gone so much. I really missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Sana said. “I’m glad we got to spend today together.”
“It won’t happen again,” Jihyo said seriously. “I’ll be around more often.”
“Jihyo, sweetheart, you’re ambitious, you’re hardworking, you love what you do…” Sana brushed a stray hair out of Jihyo’s eye. “So you’ll do it again, and that’s okay. I love seeing you excited and passionate about what you do. I want to support you.”
Jihyo smiled at Sana with watery eyes. “Did I ever tell you you’re the best girlfriend?”
“Hmm, I think you could mention it more often,” Sana said playfully.
Jihyo leaned in and kissed Sana, and the world around them faded. As Sana reached her arms up to loop them around Jihyo’s shoulders, she couldn’t help but smile into their kiss. She was so happy to have Jihyo in her arms, to be kissing her, to be able to show her how much she loved her.
As she kissed Jihyo back a bit harder, Sana swore she would never stop showing Jihyo just how much she loved her.