Work Text:
“Would you die for me?”
Yujin, playing on her gadget, suddenly looked up to gaze at her girlfriend, who was comfortably sitting on the couch. She often gets questions like ‘would you love me if I was a worm?’ and several other hypothetical questions that are way too absurd for her thinking. They are fun to ask, yes, but if you are the one to answer the question of your beloved, it’s not so fun because it might be the start of petty quarrels depending on how you answered it.
Her answers would vary as it ranges from yes when she does love the thought of taking care of Wonyoung if she was a bunny and a no like that if she was a worm, which, Wonyoung does understand, because she, too, wouldn’t love Yujin if she was a worm.
This question, however, is a new one.
“Why are you suddenly so serious?” Yujin walked over from her table, sat next to her girlfriend and held her hand. Yujin’s warm palm slowly thaws the coldness of Wonyoung’s. “What happened to watching funny videos on tiktok?’
“I just saw something sad,” Wonyoung shrugged and turned off her phone, not wanting to open her phone anytime soon because she might see something that would further dampen her mood. “Would you answer my question?”
Yujin took a deep breath and watched as Wonyoung’s eyes were busy searching for any emotion reflected in her eyes. It is silent in the apartment, only the ticking of the analog clock on the wall can be heard.
“I wouldn’t die for you.”
Wonyoung opened her mouth, about to say what’s on her mind when Yujin continued.
“I’d live for you.”
Yujin firmly held Wonyoung’s hand and traced circles on the back of her hand using her thumb. “I think it’s easier to say I’d give up my life for you. I admit, I had that same thought too. That once I love someone I would gladly lay down my life for them. But when I think of myself actually dying and leaving you alone, sad and aware of my absence, I would rather live fighting through another day than see the frown on your face when you learn of my death. If I died for you, I wouldn’t be able to share future moments with you. Heck, I wouldn’t get to spend the rest of my life with you if I did. If we’re in the medieval ages and I have to fight for you, I’d make sure to survive every time so that I could return to your side. I’d never ever give up.”
Yujin hugged Wonyoung. “I don’t know what you’ve seen online but I assure you that I love you and I would never ever leave your side.”
They stayed hugging for half a minute before Wonyoung decided that she’s had enough of the hug. “That’s actually a way better answer than I expected,” Wonyoung smiled faintly. “I just got sad when I saw this thing about a lesbian couple who died just minutes after the other and out of nowhere that question just passed through my mind. I don’t even know why.”
“That’s some peak soulmate thing,” Yujin said.
Wonyoung nodded, “Yeah. It’s heaps better than Romeo and Juliet.” Wonyoung looked at Yujin, who is now sitting on the floor and ready to take on the lego set that Wonyoung got her for her birthday, with full adoration. This is her person and there is nothing that would ever change that.
The pang on her chest at the thought of Yujin dying before her solidies her care and love for her person. Her heart could not take the idea of losing the love of her life early and spending the rest of her life yearning and grieving her. The mere idea of it chokes her.
When she heard Yujin’s answer, she’s thankful that Yujin thinks that way. She doesn’t have to worry about her living this world anytime soon.
Wonyoung loves Yujin too dearly, so immense that the English nor Korean lexicon fails to put it into words. So she settles on just saying, “I love you”, hoping that Yujin feels its intensity.
“I love you too,” Yujin said, pausing from connecting the lego blocks on her hand to look up at Wonyoung and smiled at her.