Archive of Our Own

“So seriously, that last match wasn’t on me. My teammates kept feeding like crazy, and I literally broke my back trying to carry them. I’m dead tired.”

Yoona shoved her keyboard forward and let her chair take her weight as she stretched her arms overhead, working out the knots in her shoulders. She stared at that victory screen she had busted her ass for over nearly thirty minutes. Her eyes drifted to the chat box, which was flying by at a million miles an hour with comments and the occasional donation. She thanked every single one of them, even the tiny ones, because that was just how she rolled. She toyed with the idea of queuing up for another match but decided against it after a second of consideration. She logged out and let out a long, weary sigh into her mic.

“Ah... nope. Not happening today. My hands feel like they belong to someone else. I need a breather. So what do you guys want? Want me to sketch something? Or maybe you would rather hear about that movie I watched yesterday?”

The chat predictably exploded.

“Alright then. Drawing it is.”

Yoona decided after a quick glance at the comments. She dug around in her drawer and pulled out a brand new box of colored pencils, still wrapped in plastic. She held it up and gave it a little shake for the camera.

“I lost my old one somewhere so I bought this. It just got delivered yesterday. But don’t get your hopes up too high because my art skills are probably at like a fifth grade level. Fair warning.”

As she bent her head to peel off the plastic, the sound of keys clanking against the front door lock cut through the silence.

Her hands stopped moving.

Jinsol had texted saying she was taking the KTX from Busan and wouldn’t be back until around ten thirty, but it was barely past nine. Plus that girl usually shoved the door open with enough force to wake the dead, shouting “I’m back!” to announce her presence. She never did the whole quiet sneaky thing. Maybe it was the landlord? Or—

The door swung open.

Bae Jinsol stood in the entryway with her short hair all over the place, an oversized yellow jacket hanging off her frame, and a bulging hiking backpack slung across her back. A smug grin spread across her face and she shot a wink toward the living room.

Before Yoona could even process what was happening, the lanky girl darted over to the back of her chair. Bending down to drape her entire body over Yoona, Jinsol planted a loud, natural kiss on her cheek. She then rested her chin on Yoona’s shoulder and looped her arms around from behind while she whined right into her ear.

“I came back early. They had an extra KTX train so I swapped my ticket. Did you miss me?”

A jolt shot straight down Yoona’s spine and she went stiff. Jinsol’s warmth radiated from behind her. The jacket brushed against her neck and sent little tingles through her. But what really hit her was the screen in front of her. The chat had lost its mind. Comments were flying past at warp speed like a waterfall that wouldn’t stop.

Yoona finally managed to find her voice again, caught somewhere between panic and amusement. She shot a look at the troublemaker still wrapped around her like she had no clue what she had just done.

“Yah, Bae Jinsol.”

“Yep?”

Jinsol lifted her chin from Yoona’s shoulder, tilting her head slightly to rub her nose against Yoona’s temple like a massive puppy checking her owner’s scent. She was clearly riding a high, but when she caught Yoona’s pointed stare, her gaze slowly shifted from Yoona’s face to the computer screen. She froze dead at the sight of the chat window, which was drowning in unhinged comments.

A few seconds of dead silence stretched out.

Jinsol’s arms snapped off Yoona’s shoulders like she had been electrocuted. She stumbled back half a step. “You’re live?”

The chat exploded even harder. Donations poured in so fast the text-to-speech couldn’t keep up, most of them asking about their relationship. Yoona smiled and thanked them before turning back to Jinsol. Her mic caught every single word.

“Been live since eight. Wanted to chat with everyone because I was bored but now...” Yoona laughed softly, eyeing the sudden spike in the viewer count. “Now about fifty two hundred people just saw what you did to me.”

A fresh wave of messages swept through the chat.

Jinsol stood glued to the floor, her short hair even messier from her earlier antics. A deep flush crept up her cheeks. She pouted.

“I didn’t know you were streaming. Don’t you usually do Tuesdays and Thursdays?”

“Just wanted to do a casual chat stream.” Yoona leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and tilted her chin up at her, a smile fighting its way onto her lips despite her best efforts. “I was lonely because someone wasn’t here.”

Jinsol fidgeted on the spot, those eyes that were normally so confident and comfortable in front of a camera now looking like a deer caught in high beams. Her gaze ping-ponged between Yoona and the monitor. Then she did something Yoona never saw coming. She stepped right in front of the camera, leaned down toward the mic.

“Hi everyone, I’m Bae Jinsol. Um... I’m... Yoona’s... uh... that thing...”

She choked on her words.

Yoona burst out laughing. It was a soft, breathy sound that carried a mix of helplessness and affection. She reached up, grabbed Jinsol’s hovering, awkward hand, and pulled it down.

“Alright, you’ve all seen enough.” She addressed her viewers. “I’m going to cut the stream here for today. I need to handle this privately. Good night, everyone.”

She hit the end button and the screen went dark, cutting off the chaos of the chat and donations. The only sound left in the living room was the low hum of the PC fan.

Jinsol remained frozen like a mannequin, except for her bright red face. Slowly, she relaxed, a playful grin tugging at the corners of her lips, and her eyes sparkled with the familiar mischief Yoona adored.

“Are you mad?”

Yoona stepped forward and started unbuttoning Jinsol’s jacket for her.

“Why didn’t you text me that you were coming home early?”

“I wanted to surprise you.” Jinsol closed the distance and wrapped her arms around Yoona’s waist. She look down with a pout. “Also I bought those famous Busan hotteok.”

Yoona raised an eyebrow and pinched Jinsol’s cheek.

“You think a bag of pancakes makes up for crashing my stream?”

“...Two bags? And I also got those fish cake skewers you like. They should still be warm.” Jinsol offered a sweet, innocent smile, but Yoona knew her far too well to miss the spark of mischief in her eyes.

Yoona grabbed Jinsol by her collar and pulled her down. Jinsol willingly leaned in, letting their foreheads and noses touch. Their breaths mingled, and Yoona spoke in a low, amused whisper.

“I bet Twitter’s already going crazy about us. How many people do you think will be digging through your channel tomorrow looking for proof I was there?”

“I don’t really care, honestly.” Jinsol whispered back like sharing a secret. “To be fair, in my Sokcho vlog last year, camera caught your reflection in the window and someone commented that it looked like you. I actually liked that comment.”

Yoona snorted and gave Jinsol’s forehead a gentle headbutt. “So you did that on purpose?”

“Not on purpose. But if people find out, why bother hiding it? You don’t mind, do you?” Jinsol smiled proudly, looking like a dog that had successfully fetched a ball and was waiting for a head pat.

Yoona pressed her palm against Jinsol’s cheek and ran her thumb along the soft skin, still carrying a hint of sweat. She rubbed over the sunburn from Jinsol’s last shoot, the one that hadn’t quite faded yet.

“You’re unbelievable.” She said it like a complaint but it came out warm, then she rose onto her tiptoes and kissed Jinsol.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds. Right before pulling away, Yoona bit down on Jinsol’s lower lip on purpose, drawing a surprised little yelp from the other girl. When she leaned back, she had the satisfaction of seeing Jinsol looking flustered and pouty.

“That’s your punishment.” She turned and walked back toward her desk, starting to gather up the scattered colored pencils and charging cables. “You turned my whole stream into a circus. I’m gonna have to explain things to my viewers tomorrow, so I deserve some compensation.”

Jinsol wrapped her arms around Yoona’s waist from behind and rested her chin on her shoulder like a giant blanket. “Then can I pay that now? With cash? Or hotteok? Or maybe...”

“Stop.” Yoona set the pencil box down and leaned back against her. “Go get the fish cakes. I’m hungry.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jinsol nuzzled her neck for a moment before letting go and bounding off toward the entryway to dig through her bag for the fish cake.

Once Jinsol was gone, Yoona finally had a second to notice her phone buzzing nonstop on the desk. She sighed because she already knew what was coming. Dozens of unread messages sat in the group chat.

What a mess
Haewon unnie, Kkyu 😻...

Sar July 04

Haewon unnie

wth was that stream9:12 PM

Haewon unnie

I saw your name on Twitter9:12 PM

Haewon unnie

Bae Jinsol hugging and kissing you????9:12 PM

Kkyu 😻

What??9:13 PM

Kkyu 😻

I need the clip9:13 PM

Jjyu 🐶

I saw it I saw it!!!9:13 PM

Kkyu 😻

Unnie send me the link9:13 PM

Jjyu 🐶

Yoona unnie was blushing9:14 PM

Lily unnie ❤️

What??9:14 PM

Lily unnie ❤️

I still don’t get what happened??9:14 PM

Haewon unnie

Unnie I already sent it to you privately9:15 PM

Lily unnie ❤️

Awwww thank you9:15 PM

Yoona

I thought Sol wasn’t getting back until 10:30!!!9:16 PM

Kkyu 😻

Are you two thinking of coming out or what9:16 PM

Yoona

Whatever.9:17 PM

Haewon unnie

Honestly it’s not even a big deal just go public already9:17 PM

Haewon unnie

Then Bae Jinsol won’t have to stress about editing you out of her vlogs anymore9:18 PM

The group chat kept buzzing but Yoona just muted her notifications and walked out to the living room. Jinsol had already set up the fish cake skewers and hotteok neatly on the coffee table with two steaming cups of tea beside them.

The fish cakes were tender and still warm, the broth carrying that slightly spicy kick Yoona absolutely loved. After swallowing a bite, she held the skewer out to Jinsol so she could have a piece too.

“What did you film in Busan this time? A seaside homestay?” She asked, leaning sideways into Jinsol and resting her head on her shoulder.

“Yeah, a homestay experience series. I went all over the place.” Jinsol’s arm looped around her waist. “I even filmed that famous coastal train but the wind was so bad my hair ended up looking like this.” She pointed at her own head with an exaggerated expression.

Yoona laughed, a soft sound muffled against Jinsol’s shoulder. “Did you get footage of the capsule train I wanted to see?”

“I did. I went twice actually. The second time was at sunset and it was gorgeous. I’ll edit it tomorrow so you can watch it.” Jinsol said it all with such enthusiasm, not forgetting to bury her nose in Yoona’s hair. “Without you there it just felt kind of empty.”

Yoona didn’t say anything, only nodding.

Jinsol finished her fish cake, discarded the bamboo skewer, and pushed the hot tea toward Yoona.

“I’m having lunch with Haewon and the others tomorrow.” Yoona spoke up suddenly. “You wanna come?”

Jinsol’s face lit up with barely concealed excitement. “Can I? They won’t mind if I’m too loud?”

“They’re used to you by now. Lily said she wants to hear that story about you falling into the ocean at Jeju.”

“I can talk about that for three days straight.”

“I know. That’s why I only listened once. I’ll let Lily decide if she wants to hear it a second time.”

Jinsol’s laughter shook her body and made Yoona’s head bob along with it. She rubbed her nose against Yoona’s earlobe.

“Can I stay over tonight then? We can head out together in the morning.”

Yoona gave her a look. “When do you ever not stay over? A third of your wardrobe is already in my closet.”

“So I’m asking a question I already know the answer to.” Jinsol giggled as she leaned in closer, her lips brushing Yoona’s temple before trailing slowly down the bridge of her nose and stopping right at the corner of her mouth.

Yoona closed her eyes, counted to three, and turned her head to meet Jinsol’s lips.

She kept her eyes slightly open, catching the slight furrow of Jinsol’s brow and the flutter of her eyelashes. That intense focus made Yoona’s heart ache with affection. She looped her arms around Jinsol’s neck and pulled her in even closer. Her tongue ventured out shyly and grazed Jinsol’s upper lip.

A surprised little noise escaped Jinsol’s nose. She tightened her grip on Yoona’s waist and stroked her back while their mouths moved together. A few days apart had only made them hungrier for each other and their tongues found their way into a lazy dance.

“The hotteok’s gonna get cold.” After they broke apart, Yoona rested her forehead against Jinsol’s and tried to catch her breath.

Jinsol glanced at the ignored bag on the table, then looked back at Yoona with an annoyed pout.

“You really know how to ruin a moment.”

“We shouldn’t waste food.”

Yoona sat up to grab the bag, sliding the paper wrapper off to let the sweet, nutty aroma fill the room. The crispy sugar layer crunched between her teeth and the sweetness melted into the rich nutty oil. It tasted incredible.

She offered the half-bitten hotteok to Jinsol, who took a large bite. Jinsol’s cheeks puffed up as she chewed, a smear of syrup catching on the corner of her lip. As crumbs fell, Yoona cupped one hand to catch them while using her other thumb to wipe Jinsol’s mouth.

“You’re basically treating me like a pet.” Jinsol mumbled around her food.

“Well you’re my puppy.” Yoona took another bite of the hotteok and grinned. “A dumb puppy that crashes her owner’s live streams.”

Jinsol answered with a smile that said she wasn’t about to argue. She added to Yoona’s point by laying her head on Yoona’s lap and rubbing her nose against her lower belly. She fidgeted around for a bit before gradually slowing down and eventually going still. Her eyelids drooped like she had found the most comfortable spot in the entire universe.

Yoona set the hotteok back on the table and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair.

“Idiot.” Her voice had gone soft, softened further by the quiet of the night.

She would have to wake Jinsol up later so she could shower. There was no way Jinsol was getting into her bed all sweaty like that and no way she was going to sleep holding someone drenched in sweat.

But she needed to hold Jinsol to sleep. That was just the way it was.