Chapter Text
Yoona was a deep sleeper. This has been an established fact since the day they first met in school, when Jinsol had to wake her up after the school bell rang to signal the start of lunch break. Yoona had been slouched in her chair with her hair covering her face, shoulders softly rising and falling as she breathed.
This was why whenever Jinsol woke up before Yoona did, which was a rare occurrence given that Yoona had a stricter daily schedule, Jinsol would sometimes play with Yoona’s hair while watching her sleep before getting up to start her day.
She had been brushing her fingers through the strands of dark brown hair scattered on the pillow when Yoona’s eyes fluttered open with the tentativeness of a baby bird opening its eyes for the first time. Her eyes were unfocused for a moment before landing on Jinsol’s gaze, which is softly trained onto her face.
“Morning,” Jinsol said gently, as if careful not to wake a sleeping cat. She moved her hand from Yoona’s hair and placed it on her cheek, thumb rubbing the slight swell of her cheekbone.
Yoona smiled, soundlessly nuzzling closer into the crook of Jinsol’s shoulder. Jinsol held her tighter.
“Do you want breakfast?”
“Not today.” Yoona’s voice came out scratchy and deeper from sleep. “It’s Principal Seo’s birthday and he said we’re getting catering for lunch for the entire staff today.”
“No way, the same catering company from that one guy’s retirement party?” Yoona made an affirmative noise into Jinsol’s chest. “That was the best pork rib I’d ever had in my life, and I had it for leftovers.”
“I’ll send you a picture of the whole spread. Just let me know what you want me to take home if there’s any left.”
Jinsol kissed the top of Yoona’s head with a loud smack. “You’re the best.”
They stayed in bed a while longer in silence, each thinking of what the day would bring for them. Yoona’s students had an exam today, which meant she would have some grading to do tonight, and she would also need to start making a lesson plan for next week.
“I have a call with the publisher today,” Jinsol said. “She wants a few new side characters for the sequel.”
“That’s fun. Any ideas?”
Jinsol pulled back to look at Yoona with a grin that said she was up to no good. “As a matter of fact, yes. I’ll show you when it’s done. I’m so excited to see what you’ll think about it.”
“It better not be based on me or something.”
“You’ll like it, I promise,” Jinsol said, crossing her fingers.
“I could be more convinced.”
Yoona showered first, as she usually did since she needed longer to dry her hair. They got dressed in silence on opposite sides of their bedroom, Jinsol in a crisp white shirt and sweater vest and Yoona in a cardigan over a gray blouse and dark slacks. They walked together to the bus stop, hands brushing occasionally. It reminded Jinsol of them in university, the few days when they first started seeing each other, both giddy and nervous and yearning for casual touches and serendipitous proximity. She took a glance at Yoona and smiled to herself.
“What’s funny?” Yoona said, already reaching out to tuck a strand of hair into Jinsol’s ear.
“Nothing’s funny. You look nice.”
The weather was cooling down as they were entering September. Jinsol made a mental note to ask Yoona to go on a bike ride this weekend to the Han River.
When they reached the stop, Jinsol waited with Yoona for the bus, chatting idly about the new markers Yoona had bought Jinsol, and the new exchange student in Yoona’s class. Once the bus came, Yoona kissed her on the cheek and boarded, and Jinsol stood watching the bus drive into the distance and turn the corner before she turned and walked the opposite way to the library where she often sat for hours at a time, drawing and writing.
Once she got settled into her favorite seat next to a window that overlooked the street, she took out her sketchbook and loaded up her playlist. The book was filled with drafts of illustrations of fluffy animal-like figures with exaggerated features. She flipped through the pages and contemplated on each one for a few seconds. She stopped at the bear with a coffee mug for a head. Give it glasses, she wrote on the margins. After a moment, she added “각성해,” gaksunghae.
On a new page, she drew an outline of a rabbit’s head.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Yoona walked into a room full of kids who immediately crowded up to her. A few of the girls who always sat close to the board greeted her.
“Morning, class. Anyone up to anything fun this weekend?” The singing lessons she’d been taking have helped tremendously with projecting her voice. The first year she started teaching, she came home exhausted every day and could hardly talk at dinner. Jinsol recommended taking singing lessons. Yoona liked singing anyway, and it would help her with her breath control and vocalization. These days, it still took effort to address an entire classroom and compete with the noise of a room full of 10-year-olds, but she’d gotten much more accustomed to it.
One of the students asked Yoona if “Jinsol unnie” had drawn something new for them to look at.
“Oh, good thing you reminded me.” She took out a piece of A5 paper from her bag and held it up for the kids. It was a drawing of Ulbyo, a crybaby duck character with big, teary eyes.
“It takes your bad feelings and cries so you don’t feel sad anymore,” she said.
“Ulbyo is so cute, I want one!”
“Can Jinsol unnie draw spaceships?”
“I wanna marry Jinsol noona.”
“Jinsol noona is already spoken for,” Yoona said with a smile.
“What does that mean?” the boy asked.
Yoona shook her head. “Okay, that’s enough. Everyone, sit down. I haven’t forgotten about your math test."
A collective groan filled the room.
It was already lunchtime before Jinsol realized it. She picked up her phone and found two messages from Yoona. The first was a picture of a few aluminium trays of food, and the second simply said, “they didn’t get the pork ribs this time :(”
Jinsol smiled and typed out a response.
i trust your judgment
let me know if the kimbap is any good
The read receipt came up immediately, followed by a reply.
the brown sauce is buldak
okay yeah nvm
what are you having for lunch?
haewon unnie just texted me. we’re trying out that new dessert place at seongsu-dong
bae jinsol you need to have an actual meal
you can’t just eat 20 egg tarts and call it a day
watch me
yah
Jinsol laughed, clicked her phone shut and pocketed it, then gathered her things to meet up with Haewon.
There was a time in undergrad when they were on the couch together, Jinsol’s head in Yoona’s lap, when Yoona told her about how she’d had to walk home late at night because she’d missed the last bus.
She was absently running her fingers through Jinsol’s freshly bleached hair. “I didn’t feel like making small talk with a cab driver so I just walked home.”
Jinsol opened her eyes and looked at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. “You should’ve told me. I would’ve walked you home.”
“You’d been pulling all-nighters. I didn’t want you to waste your time walking me home when I could do that myself.”
Jinsol was quiet for a moment.
“It wouldn’t have been a waste of time,” she said quietly.
Ever since then, she had walked Yoona to the bus stop whenever she had the time to spare, holding Yoona’s hand in her coat pocket in the winter, huddled together from the cold, talking about things that didn’t matter for no other reason than that it was so easy to be herself around Yoona. She would watch Yoona board and wave at her until she could no longer see the bus. Once they moved in together, Jinsol would start picking her up from the bus stop at the end of the day too. After a while, Yoona started doing the same whenever Jinsol came home late. Yoona loved the walk between their apartment and the bus stop. She loved listening to Jinsol talk about her day, the way she gesticulated to make a point, the rise and fall of her voice depending on her level of excitement and investment in the story, how her accent would slip out without her noticing.
Yoona took the evening bus to the stop near their apartment, and as the bus approached, she started to see Jinsol’s faint outline leaning against the pole, holding her phone and scrolling aimlessly. She had changed into something more casual. Jinsol looked up and smiled as the back door opened with a hiss and Yoona stepped out with a container full of food. Yoona blushed at how devastatingly attractive Jinsol looked just then, and felt embarrassed at herself momentarily at how juvenile she must have looked. They had been dating for years, and sometimes she still couldn’t believe that Jinsol was someone she could come home to every day.
Jinsol hugged her with one arm, the other hidden behind her, clearly holding something. She smelled like fresh laundry.
“Welcome back. I have something for you.”
When she released Yoona, she revealed a small paper bag with faint lines of steam coming out of it.
“A snack to go with the kimchi fried rice I brought for you?”
“A snack to enjoy while we walk to our place. Come on.” Jinsol slipped her hand into Yoona’s with ease, like they’d done a thousand times, and started walking.
“I showed the class Ulbyo. It was a hit. Everyone loved it.”
Jinsol squealed and some birds flew away from a few feet away. “Really? Ulbyo’s my favorite, I worked so hard on that little guy!”
“Yeah, best reaction I’ve seen so far, I think. It even got you a marriage proposal.”
“Say what now?”
“I think Jihoon is in love with you.”
“Jihoon?”
“One of the kids in my class. He said he wanted to marry you earlier today.”
Jinsol scoffed. “Tell him I’m already spoken for.”
That got a smile out of Yoona.
“So what’s in the bag?”
Jinsol let go of her hand and started rummaging in the bag.
“Gil-gamja.”
Now it was Yoona’s turn to squeal. “Are you serious?!”
“I got it just before I waited for you at the stop so it's still warm.” Jinsol stabbed a piece with a toothpick and gently blew on it. “Here.”
Yoona took a bite.
“It’s good. Try it.”
Jinsol struggled through the heat of her first bite, huffing and puffing dramatically, which earned her a smack on the shoulder.
“Pretty good. I like the texture,” she said, already preparing another bite for Yoona. “Is your curiosity sated now?”
Yoona nodded and took her second bite. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
Jinsol laughed, light and easy. “Hey, give me some credit, I remember a lot of things you say off-hand.”
“You really do,” Yoona said seriously. “Thank you, Sol-ah.”
Jinsol just looked at her and smiled so big her eyes disappeared.
“Surprise isn’t over yet. Wait till you see what Haewon got us.”
While Yoona showered, Jinsol reheated the leftovers Yoona had brought home and set the table. At dinner, Jinsol talked about her day, the storyboard she’d been working on, the call with the publisher, and Haewon’s recent trip to Europe with Lily.
“Haewon brought us a bottle of wine from Paris.”
“Oh, that’s nice of her.”
After dinner, Yoona sat down on the couch to do some grading with her feet in Jinsol’s lap. The TV was playing a dating show they’d been watching together and Jinsol grabbed Yoona’s attention whenever something juicy started happening. They’d laugh at the contestants’ shenanigans and the obvious ways the showrunners would try to stir up drama. Jinsol started idly massaging Yoona’s feet. In the middle of everything, Yoona snuck a glance at Jinsol in profile. She has spent many days trying to commit that face to memory: the slope of her nose, her slightly open mouth, the spark in her eyes and the way they crinkled when she smiled, and Jinsol was always laughing or smiling at something. Yoona felt suddenly very fond of her.
When she’d finished working on the stack of exam papers, it was only 10.
“Care for a nightcap?” Yoona said.
“Yes, please."
Yoona got up and brought out the wine glasses and set them on the coffee table. She poured half-full glasses for both of them. She could feel Jinsol staring.
“Why are you staring at me?” she said, eyes focused on the candles she’s lighting.
“I love you so much.”
Yoona looked up. Jinsol was still staring, and Yoona waited for the joke that would follow, something to lighten the mood like she usually did, but none came. Yoona gave it a go.
“We haven’t even had a sip yet,” she said with a small smile.
This seemed to embarrass Jinsol a little. She scratched the back of her neck and laughed nervously. “Right. Guess I’m feeling a bit sappy all of a sudden.”
Yoona placed the matchbox on the table and settled next to Jinsol on the couch. She brought her arms behind Jinsol’s neck and they shared a kiss. When their lips separated, Yoona pressed her forehead against Jinsol’s. “I love you too,” she said softly. “And I like that you’re sappy. It’s the best thing about you.”
They drank slowly and talked with the TV on at a low volume. It was so easy to talk to Jinsol. Yoona spent most of her life being reserved and quiet, not having many friends because she was too shy to approach even the people she found interesting. She was never shy with Jinsol, though. She never had the chance to be.
As so often happens lately, their conversations steer towards the future and their dreams. They weren’t interested in plans as such. They were more interested in the possibilities, the places they’d see, foods they’d try together, what Yoona’s favorite students might turn out like, how Jinsol’s stories would progress.
Before they realized it, they had nearly finished the entire bottle of wine. Yoona was feeling pleasantly drowsy and incredibly content. She leaned the side of her head against the couch, watching Jinsol on the other side, playing with Yoona’s fingers, her blinks getting slower and slower, her breathing evening out.
“I’ve been thinking of Haewon unnie and Lily unnie,” she started, “how long they’ve been together, the things they’ve gone through, and it got me wondering what we look like from the outside. I wonder if we look as happy as we are.”
“Are you happy?”
“I’m very happy,” she said, then lifted her eyes. “Are you?”
“I’m happy too.”
They shared a smile and Jinsol leaned in to rest her head on Yoona’s shoulder and their fingers intertwined naturally. Her warm weight against Yoona was a grounding comfort.
They were quiet for a while. The TV had been turned off at some point, and now the only sound was the faint noise of cicadas outside the window and the occasional car passing. Yoona could feel her eyes growing heavy.
“Yoona-yah.” Jinsol was starting to slur her words.
“Hmm?”
“You’re my best friend.”
Yoona was silent, waiting for Jinsol to continue. She traced patterns on the back of Jinsol’s hand with her thumb.
“More than anything else. You’re really important to me. You know that, right?” Her tone took a serious quality and she lifted her head off Yoona’s shoulder to look her in the eyes, as if to make sure Yoona understood the gravity of her statement.
Yoona opened her mouth to speak. She didn’t know what she was going to say, but she didn’t get a chance to find out because Jinsol lowered her head into Yoona’s lap and continued, “Sometimes I think I don’t need to say it out loud. I’m pretty sure you know. But just in case.” Her voice started to trail off. She was falling asleep.
Yoona leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Her skin was flushed and warm. Yoona felt that tug in her chest again. She started stroking Jinsol’s hair to soothe herself.
“I do know, but it doesn’t hurt to hear you say it from time to time.”
Jinsol was silent for a while. Just when Yoona thought she'd fallen asleep for real, she yawns. “Can you take me to bed?”
With some difficulty, Yoona managed to drag Jinsol up and into the bathroom to brush their teeth. After Yoona had turned out the lights, they both plopped down ungracefully into bed. Jinsol spread out an arm and Yoona crawled into the space she’d made, like they’d done so many times before.
Yoona leaned up to kiss Jinsol on the jaw. “Good night. I love you.”
Jinsol was half asleep at this point. “You too.”
That night, Yoona dreamed of waking up to Jinsol’s face, bright and open and so beautiful.