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The faint sound of the clock ticking on the wall and the soft hum of the air conditioner were the only noises inside the shared apartment. The events from earlier had happened all too fast for either of them to fully process.
The silence felt thick—hard to cut through—so instead of talking it out, Hyunjung decided to set her extra pillow and blanket over the sofa.
Jiyeon, on the other hand, was oblivious to what her girlfriend was planning. She watched carefully from the bedroom door down the hallway as Hyunjung lay down on the couch, plopping her head onto the pillow and pulling the blanket over herself.
She huffed, ready to say something—but their dog beat her to it.
Manbok barked twice, getting Hyunjung’s attention.
“Quiet, Manbok…” she muttered.
The dog ignored her and barked again before biting the end of her blanket, tugging it away.
Having successfully stolen it, Manbok dragged the blanket down the hallway, tail wagging proudly as he spotted Jiyeon standing by the bedroom door. He trotted toward her with the blanket in his mouth.
Hyunjung groaned and sighed.
“Why couldn’t he be like Yangmal?”
She stood up from the couch and followed him.
At the end of the hall, she found Jiyeon crouched on the floor, petting Manbok’s head while holding the blanket with her other hand.
“Hi…” Jiyeon said softly, looking up at her.
Hyunjung’s face softened.
“Hey.”
“Guess he didn’t want you sleeping there,” Jiyeon said as she stood, still holding the blanket.
“Yeah, I guess so…” Hyunjung replied, a bit awkwardly.
“Then why were you sleeping there?”
“Because… aren’t we fighting?”
“Unnie, you were the one who shut me out all of a sudden.”
“Shut you out? I thought you were the one giving me the cold shoulder,” Hyunjung said, crossing her arms.
Jiyeon leaned her shoulder against the doorframe and sighed.
“Can we just talk about what happened earlier first?”
Earlier That Night
The room was filled with people—soft jazz playing, glasses clinking. The couple had attended one of their mutual friend’s album launch parties. Despite arriving together, they had somehow ended up on opposite sides of the room.
Known for keeping to herself, Hyunjung stayed near the back, a wine flute in hand, watching Jiyeon from across the room.
She took a quick sip before noticing someone approaching—Sojung.
“Hey, congrats on the album,” Hyunjung greeted. “You produced really well on this one.”
“Thanks. I appreciate you and Jiyeon coming tonight. Speaking of, where is she?”
Hyunjung tilted her head toward Jiyeon. Sojung turned and spotted her talking animatedly with Sungjae, one of her closest friends.
They were laughing—nothing flirty, just familiar and easy. But from across the room, Hyunjung couldn’t help but notice how Jiyeon’s eyes softened whenever she smiled at him.
It wasn’t jealousy, not really. Just a faint tug in her chest—an ache she couldn’t name.
“Hyunjung unnie, you’re staring,” Sojung teased, sipping her champagne.
“No, I’m not,” Hyunjung said, clearing her throat.
“Sure,” Sojung chuckled.
Later, Jiyeon returned.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah. Just a bit tired.”
“We can leave if you want.”
“No, it’s okay. You’re having fun.”
Jiyeon frowned—something about Hyunjung’s tone felt off—but she didn’t want to push. Instead, she stayed by her side, sipping her champagne silently until Luda and Eunseo came over, breaking the tension.
By the time they left the party, both had convinced themselves the other was upset.
Back at the Apartment
“Did I say something wrong earlier?” Jiyeon asked, arms crossed.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Hyunjung kept her eyes on the floor as Manbok barked again.
“See? Even Manbok thinks you’re lying, unnie. You’ve been quiet since the party.”
Hyunjung sighed and walked back to the couch, slouching into it. Manbok jumped up beside her, and Jiyeon followed, sitting on the other side of the dog.
The poor dog looked between them, tail wagging—thinking his parents were there to play, not realizing they were in the middle of a misunderstanding.
“You didn’t like seeing me talk to him, did you?” Jiyeon asked, breaking the silence as she rubbed Manbok’s head.
“That obvious?” Hyunjung smiled sheepishly, still not looking at her.
“A little.” Jiyeon smiled back.
“I—I didn’t… well, I didn’t mean to be—”
“A little jealous?”
Hyunjung sighed and nodded.
“Yeah.”
Manbok sighed too, curling up between them as if he understood.
“You don’t need to be jealous. You know he’s just a friend, right?” Jiyeon said gently.
“I know. That’s why I felt frustrated. I’m sorry, it’s dumb.”
“It’s not dumb.”
“Yeah, well… it felt like it.”
They both laughed softly—awkward but warm. Manbok started to fall asleep, nestled between them.
“It’s kind of nice hearing you admit that, unnie,” Jiyeon confessed shyly.
“That I got jealous?”
“Yeah. Means you care.”
“I didn’t mean to act weird. You looked happy, and I loved that you were happy, Jiyeon. I just… had that feeling that maybe you’d be happier with him than with me.”
Jiyeon blinked, surprised by the honesty.
“You really think that?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I got scared.”
Jiyeon gently lifted the sleeping Manbok onto her lap and moved closer, closing the gap between them.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” she said softly.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re all I ever wanted.”
They stayed close—not because they were afraid to move, but because neither wanted to break the quiet.
“You mean that?” Hyunjung asked.
“Yeah,” Jiyeon replied, leaning back against her.
The tension slowly melted away. Jiyeon leaned into her while Hyunjung’s arm wrapped around her shoulders. Manbok moved down to the rug, sighing as he tried to sleep.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Jiyeon murmured.
“I know. I just… don’t want to mess this up.”
“You’re not messing anything up, baby.”
Hyunjung smiled—tired but content. Her eyes flickered down to Jiyeon’s lips.
“C-Can I?”
Jiyeon noticed the glance and leaned in—slow, careful, giving either of them room to pull back.
Their foreheads brushed lightly, igniting something warm and familiar. Jiyeon exhaled and closed the gap. The kiss was soft—more of a promise than an apology—reigniting their love and melting what tension remained.
When they parted, the air felt lighter.
“Well, that felt overdue,” Jiyeon said with a laugh. “You didn’t kiss me at all today, unnie.”
“Didn’t I? I gave you a kiss on the hair before work.”
“That wasn’t me. That was probably Manbok—I woke up beside him,” she teased, rolling her eyes. “That’s probably why you got jealous earlier. You didn’t give me your usual loving.”
Hyunjung chuckled.
“Yeah, probably.”
She pulled Jiyeon closer.
“I’m glad we talked, though.”
“Me too.”
Jiyeon yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.
“You’re tired. Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Hyunjung said, glancing at her.
Jiyeon stood and held out a hand.
“Only if you come with me. I don’t want you sleeping out here on the couch, Jagiya.”
Hyunjung studied her for a moment, heart fluttering. There was nobody else Jiyeon wanted but her. Only Hyunjung got to be this close—this known.
She took Jiyeon’s hand.
As the lights dimmed, they walked down the hall. Manbok lifted his head to watch them go before settling back down.
The door clicked shut behind them, and the house fell still again—filled not with silence, but with something gentle and complete.