Chapter Text
"Hey."
Carmen glanced up from the glow of her laptop screen.
Jiwoo stood by the living room entrance, still dressed in her work clothes. Her tie hung loose around her neck, the sleeves of her white button-down rolled unevenly to her elbows. She looked as though the day had wrung every last ounce of energy out of her.
Without another word, Jiwoo shuffled toward the couch and collapsed onto it face-first.
The ferret plushie Carmen had given her on their last anniversary barely had time to bounce before Jiwoo pulled it against her chest, burying her face into its snow-white fur with a muffled groan.
A laugh escaped Carmen before she could stop it.
"Rough day?"
Jiwoo answered with a dramatic thumbs-up that never made it past shoulder height before flopping back onto the cushion.
"I'm surviving."
Only surviving.
Carmen smiled to herself.
Most people only saw Choi Jiwoo: the promising young lawyer from one of Seoul's fastest-growing firms. Sharp, articulate, impossible to intimidate.
But this exhausted woman who treated stuffed animals like emotional support pillows.
This was the Choi Jiwoo Carmen knew.
She saved the document she'd been editing, closed her laptop, and stretched the stiffness from her shoulders before crossing the room.
"You want coffee?" she asked, easing Jiwoo's legs onto her lap.
Jiwoo immediately shook her head.
"If I drink coffee now..." She yawned halfway through the sentence. "...I'll end up answering emails until three in the morning."
"So that's a no."
"Mhm."
Silence settled between them.
Not the awkward kind.
The familiar kind.
The kind built over years of knowing exactly when words weren't necessary.
Jiwoo shifted closer until her arms circled Carmen's waist. She rested her chin atop Carmen's head and exhaled, long and slow, as though she had been holding her breath since the moment she'd stepped into the office that morning.
Carmen melted into the embrace without thinking.
A soft kiss landed against her forehead.
Small.
Absentminded.
Routine.
Yet somehow, it never failed to quiet the noise in her mind.
Maybe that was Jiwoo's greatest talent.
Not arguing impossible cases or winning difficult clients.
Just making the world feel a little less loud.
When Carmen finally glanced toward the clock above the television, the digital numbers blinked back at her.
10:02 P.M.
She blinked.
Had an entire hour really slipped by?
She tilted her head, ready to ask whether Jiwoo wanted dinner before bed.
Instead, she found soft, even breaths brushing against her hair.
Jiwoo had fallen asleep.
Her brows, usually knitted together after work, had relaxed completely. Even in sleep, one arm remained wrapped around Carmen as though letting go simply wasn't an option.
Carmen's chest tightened.
"How much overtime did they make you do this week?" she whispered.
Carefully—painfully carefully—she eased herself from Jiwoo's embrace.
Jiwoo stirred.
Carmen froze.
A few seconds passed.
Nothing.
Only then did Carmen slip away to their bedroom and return with the thick fleece blanket Jiwoo always stole whenever the weather turned cold.
She draped it over them both before squeezing into the narrow space left on the couch.
The movement was enough.
Jiwoo instinctively reached for her again, wrapping sleepy arms around Carmen without ever opening her eyes.
Carmen laughed under her breath.
"You're so clingy."
No response.
Only the slow rhythm of Jiwoo's heartbeat beneath her ear, accompanied by the faint scent of strawberries lingering in her shampoo.
Somehow...
It felt more comforting than silence ever could.
Before long, sleep found Carmen too.
Next Day
By the time Carmen reached their apartment, every muscle in her body ached. She fumbled for her keys, barely suppressing a yawn as she unlocked the door.
Her phone buzzed.
> Stella: Got home safe?
Carmen smiled faintly before typing back a quick Just got in.
The café had been relentless today.
Weekends always were.
With only Carmen and Stella behind the counter, the line never seemed to end. Yuha had stayed home to take care of A-na after she came down with a fever, while Ye-on had flown somewhere overseas for a family emergency. Between taking orders, brewing coffee, washing dishes, and apologizing for twenty-minute waits, Carmen felt like she'd run a marathon without ever leaving the café.
She slipped off her shoes.
The apartment was unusually quiet.
"Jiwoo?" she called.
No answer.
Probably still at work.
Carmen reached for the light switch.
Click.
She froze.
The living room exploded with color.
Blue, white, and silver balloons floated lazily near the ceiling while dozens more littered the floor. Rose petals formed a crooked path toward the bedroom, ending at an enormous cat plushie sitting proudly in the middle of their bed as though it had been waiting just for her.
"...Jiwoo."
A laugh escaped her, breathless and disbelieving.
"You're unbelievable."
She walked over slowly, afraid that moving too fast might somehow make the scene disappear.
Resting neatly on the plushie's lap was a powder-blue envelope.
Beside it sat a woven basket overflowing with chocolates, candies, and all of Carmen's favorite snacks.
Her fingers hesitated over the envelope.
Jiwoo never needed a reason to surprise her.
Birthdays.
Bad days.
Ordinary days.
She simply loves making Carmen smile.
The thought alone made Carmen's chest ache with quiet affection.
Carefully, she broke the seal.
The letter inside unfolded with a soft rustle. Before she had even finished the first line, her vision blurred. A tear landed silently on the page. She laughed through it, shaking her head.
"You're impossible, Choi Jiwoo..."
"Dearest Carmen,
Annyeong! Did you like my surprise? I was walking around the mall with Yuha and Stella last week during break time when I chanced upon this adorable cat. I was instantly reminded of you because you look like a cute giant cat especially when you pout. I don't need any special occasion to make you feel special, right?
Anyways, I really hope you like this little surprise. Don't worry, I'll stop by later after work to help you clean up the mess hehe. I love you more than life itself Carmen, always remember that :)
Your very own,
Choi Jiwoo.”
Carmen's heart swelled as she read the letter.
It was almost unfair.
Jiwoo loved her so loudly.
Not in grand declarations or extravagant gifts, but in little things—remembering her favorite snacks, surprising her after exhausting shifts, kissing her forehead whenever words weren't enough.
She loved with an ease Carmen had never been able to match.
A lump settled in Carmen's throat.
Every time Jiwoo did something like this, she was reminded of the same unbearable truth.
‘I don't deserve her’
Jiwoo deserved someone who would look at her the way she looked at Carmen.
Someone whose heart wouldn't hesitate.
Someone who wouldn't still catch herself searching for fragments of a love that should have been left in the past.
Whenever Jiwoo smiled, Carmen smiled back.
Whenever Jiwoo slipped her hand into hers, Carmen held on just a little tighter.
Whenever Jiwoo whispered, "I love you," Carmen answered without hesitation.
Every word was sincere.
And yet...
Somewhere deep inside her, there was still an empty room she had never managed to close.
A room that still echoed with someone else's name.
The realization filled her with guilt.
She loved Jiwoo.
She truly did.
But why did loving her still feel... incomplete?
Why was it so difficult to give Jiwoo all of herself when Jiwoo had given everything without ever asking for anything in return?
Carmen folded the letter carefully and pressed it against her chest.
"Do I really deserve someone like you...?"
The apartment offered no answer.
After a long moment, she let out a slow breath and blinked away the sting behind her eyes.
There was no point chasing questions she couldn't answer.
She still had work to do.
—
Carmen had just finished tying her hair when she heard the familiar sound of keys jingling outside the apartment.
A second later, the front door clicked open.
"I'm home," Jiwoo called.
Her voice carried the same warmth it always did, despite the exhaustion beneath it.
Carmen smiled to herself.
"In the bedroom."
Footsteps echoed down the hallway. They stopped abruptly.
Silence.
“You found it."
Carmen turned toward the doorway.
Jiwoo stood there with one hand still gripping the doorknob, her messenger bag hanging crookedly from one shoulder. There was a hopeful smile on her lips, though it looked more nervous than confident.
It was oddly endearing.
For someone who could dismantle opposing counsel in a courtroom without breaking a sweat, Jiwoo suddenly looked like she was waiting for a report card.
"So?" Jiwoo asked, scratching the back of her neck. "Do I still have my title as Best Girlfriend Ever?"
Carmen laughed.
"I don't remember giving you that title."
"You did."
"I absolutely did not."
"You did."
"When?"
Jiwoo pretended to think.
“Hmm, in my dreams."
Carmen rolled her eyes.
"Of course."
Jiwoo gasped dramatically.
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"I'm calling you delusional."
"I prefer 'creative.'"
Before Carmen could reply, Jiwoo crossed the room in three quick strides and wrapped her arms around Carmen's waist.
The force of the hug made Carmen stumble backward onto the mattress with an undignified squeak.
"Jiwoo!"
Jiwoo buried her face into the crook of Carmen's neck, laughing.
"Caught you."
"You're impossible."
"Mhm."
"And childish."
"Mhm."
"You almost gave me a heart attack."
Jiwoo finally looked up.
"But you're smiling."
"That's beside the point."
"It is exactly the point."
Carmen tried to maintain her glare. She lasted all of three seconds before laughing.
"There it is!" Jiwoo beamed, her dimples appearing instantly. "I've been trying to get that smile all day."
Something inside Carmen softened.
"You worked all day..." she murmured, brushing a loose strand of hair behind Jiwoo's ear. "You didn't have to do all this."
"I know."
"You barely get any sleep and yet you still decorated the apartment?"
Jiwoo shrugged as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"You looked tired this morning."
"Jiwoo…"
"I figured if I couldn't make your work disappear" She gently nudged Carmen's forehead with hers. "I could at least make coming home a little nicer."
Carmen stared at her.
No hesitation.
No expectation.
Jiwoo said things like that so naturally, as though loving Carmen wasn't something she had to think about.
It simply existed.
Carmen reached up and cupped Jiwoo's face.
"Thank you."
Jiwoo smiled.
"Worth it."
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Jiwoo's gaze drifted toward the opened envelope resting on the bed.
"So… Did you read everything?"
She bit the inside of her cheek.
"I did."
"...And?"
Carmen lifted an eyebrow.
"And what?"
"I don't know." Jiwoo's ears began turning pink. "Your review?"
"My review?"
"Yes."
Carmen pretended to consider it seriously.
"The handwriting was terrible."
Jiwoo's jaw dropped.
"I spent twenty minutes rewriting that!"
"I could tell."
"My feelings are hurt."
"They'll recover."
"No, I think they're permanent. The only known cure is kisses."
Jiwoo pouted, making Carmen laugh.
"Convenient."
"Medically recognized."
"By whom?"
"Me."
"You are not a doctor."
"I'm a lawyer."
"...That's significantly worse."
Jiwoo let out an exaggerated sigh.
"You’re so difficult and dramatic, Jiwoo"
"And yet you still love me."
Carmen looked into Jiwoo's eyes.
The words came effortlessly.
"I do."
Jiwoo smiled so brightly that it almost hurt to look at.
Then, without another word, she leaned forward and stole a quick kiss.
Just one.
Soft and brief.
The kind that lingered long after their lips had parted.
"See?" Jiwoo whispered, resting their foreheads together.
"My medicine works every time."
Carmen shook her head, laughing under her breath.
"There really is no winning against you."
"There never was."
"And whose fault is that?"
Jiwoo's grin widened.
"Yours."
"Mine?"
"You fell in love with me."
Carmen snorted.
"You proposed first."
"I did."
"So technically, this is your fault."
Jiwoo blinked once before throwing her head back in dramatic defeat.
"Objection!"
"Sustained."
"No fair."
"You walked right into that one, Attorney."
Jiwoo groaned, collapsing dramatically onto Carmen's shoulder.
"I date my greatest legal opponent."
"You really do."
"And I'd still lose every single case if the prize was getting to come home to you."
The joke was light.
Almost effortless.
But Carmen felt her chest tighten anyway.
Jiwoo said things like that so casually. As if loving Carmen was the easiest thing she'd ever done.
Jiwoo tucked a loose strand of Carmen's hair behind her ear.
"What?" Carmen asked, catching her staring.
Jiwoo smiled.
"Nothing."
"You're smiling like an idiot."
"I know."
"So?"
Jiwoo's thumb brushed softly across Carmen's cheek.
"I was just thinking..."
"Hm?"
"I'm really lucky."
Carmen laughed.
"You're so cheesy."
"Only with you."
Carmen shook her head before leaning in to kiss her one more time.
If she had looked a little closer, she might have noticed how tired Jiwoo's eyes really were.
But Jiwoo was smiling.
And somehow, that made everything else easy to ignore.
Later that night, long after Jiwoo had fallen asleep with one arm draped over her waist, Carmen lay awake listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing.
She smiled to herself.
I'll make it up to her.
Tomorrow.
They had all the time in the world.