Meant To Be

The distance between them when they walked together before compared to now was a drastic change. The two seemed to gravitate towards each other. They brushed against each other several times when they walked back to class, and when they entered the room, they could tell the atmosphere had changed once more.

Instead of jealousy and hatred, there was a sense of awe and respect. Whatever Minji and the others said, they must have exaggerated greatly for this kind of reaction.

When Bora looked at Minji, she was grinning mischievously. Clearly, she was the one behind this one. Siyeon and Bora exchanged worried looks as they walked to their seats and watched as everyone whispered quietly among themselves.

“so… Siyeon? how are your stitches?” Minji asked slightly louder than normal. Everyone tried to glance back as Siyeon shrugged.

“It hurts a bit, but I have had worse,” Siyeon said as Bora and Minji grinned. Siyeon was just being honest, but she was only helping Minji spread the rumor of Siyeon rescuing Bora.

The whispers grew louder after Siyeon’s comment, and she suddenly worried that she made a mistake when Bora secretly grabbed her hand underneath the desk and rubbed the back of Siyeon’s hand soothingly.

Siyeon relaxed visibly, and Bora couldn’t help but smile. She liked knowing that she could make Siyeon feel comfortable even if it was through small gestures like this. It meant that Siyeon was starting to relax around her and told Bora that she was slowly learning to trust her.

Siyeon noticed that throughout the day, Bora started to frown more and more. She was trying to take notes with her arm that had the cast, and it seemed that the pain was starting to get to her.

“Bora? Are you ok? How is your arm?” Siyeon whispered as Bora set down her pencil and winced.

“I thought I was going to be alright today, but its really starting to hurt…” Bora whispered back as she held her arm to her chest. It was clear that it was hurting Bora badly.

“I will give you my notes after class. You two just listen to the teacher.” Minji whispered as Bora smiled and whispered her thanks.

Both girls were suffering by the end of the day. Siyeon’s mouth was throbbing, and Bora had a hard time using her arm without it aching badly.

“you two wait here…” Minji said as she walked off and soon came back with Mr. Park. They were the only ones left in the classroom, and the two could feel that something was up.

“see? They are trying to act like everything is fine… I'm worried…” Minji said with a very theatrical worried expression as Mr. Park frowned.

“Bora, what did I say about no heroics?” he said with a fake frown as Bora looked away guiltily.

“both of you are excused from class tomorrow. Stay at home and rest. If you show up, I will only have to send you home. Minji promised to give you two a copy of her notes and the assignments you missed after school. Ok?” Mr. Park said as the two looked from Minji to Mr. Park to each other in confusion. What were they supposed to do if they didn’t go to school?

“I know your friends are trying to spread that rumor to protect you two, but I know the truth. Take this day off to spend some time with each other. It will be easier for Minji if she only has to drop the notes off once, right?” Mr. Park asked with a smirk as Siyeon and Bora laughed nervously.

“congratulations Siyeon. I don’t know if you two are official or not yet, but all of the teachers knew just how much Bora was smitten with you…” he said as Siyeon looked at Bora, who was now a bright shade of red.

“Mr. Park!” Bora shrieked as he laughed.

“what? You are so obvious. If you didn’t want us to know, then stop staring at her while in class!” he said as he laughed and left the class with Minji, who just winked at the two.

Siyeon glanced over and snickered at how red Bora had become. Bora looked over at Siyeon and couldn’t help but laugh nervously.

“cute…” Siyeon said with a smile. Bora looked up in shock to see that eye smile that she already loved so much and smiled back.

“well, let's get you and your sister home. Ready?” Bora asked as she stood and held out her hand for Siyeon.

Siyeon nervously took Bora’s hand and smiled. Who knew that this tiny girl could break through Siyeon’s walls so quickly? Feeling Bora’s tiny hand in hers made Siyeon’s heart ache in happiness. How could someone be so cute yet beautiful at the same time?

The three had decided to skip staying late at the school until Bora’s cast came off. That should ensure that the girls would be safe, and hopefully, those boys would forget them by then. But when Bora looked over at Siyeon, she could tell that she was sad that she wasn’t able to sing today.

Gahyeon noticed the issue as well and thought of an interesting solution. Instead of going home, they went to a place that Siyeon could sing her heart out. Gahyeon knew one that was good to students, and soon they arrived.

Siyeon looked up at the name of the place and looked at Bora in confusion, but Bora held up her phone to show a message from Gahyeon.

“let's go! You look like you missed singing. And here you won't have to worry about people judging your voice!” Bora said as Siyeon hesitated. But Bora wasn’t taking no as an answer and slowly walked around and opened Siyeon’s door and held out her good hand.

“come on! Just think of it as an unofficial date!” Bora shouted before she realized what she said. Soon the two were standing beside each other in the small room after Gahyeon bailed on them, and soon Bora started searching through the song list nervously.

“um… Is there anything you want to sing?” Bora asked as her eyes flicked to Siyeon’s nervously. Both were unsure of how to act at the moment. Finally, Siyeon sighed nervously. She had decided on a song.

“um… don’t look at me like that by Song Jieun?” Siyeon said as Bora searched for it until she found the song and hit play with a smile.

The song started off slow and sorrowful, and Bora couldn’t help but observe Siyeon. She had her eyes closed as she put her emotions into her words. All of her feelings that had built up through the day were finally being released, and Bora couldn’t help but watch Siyeon in amazement.

Siyeon could still remember the looks of her classmates when they noticed the two become closer. All the judging stares and threatening gazes, and for what? Because they like each other?

Once the song was over, Bora was absolutely speechless. Siyeon’s voice was even more beautiful in person.  All the emotion that she poured into the song had brought tears to Bora’s eyes.

When Siyeon finally opened her eyes and looked at Bora, she wondered if she had done something wrong. Did she make a mistake? Was her song choice wrong? But Bora smiled as she wiped away her tears.

“Siyeon, that was absolutely beautiful… I have never heard a voice as perfect as yours…” Bora said with such adoration that it caught Siyeon off guard.

“Oh… I thought I did something wrong…” Siyeon said as she let out a sigh of relief.

“what do you mean?” Bora asked as she slid closer.

“well… I didn’t know if my song choice offended you or if I did something wrong. I have never been in this situation before. I don’t even know what to call us…” Siyeon said as Bora’s pulse quickened.

“well… it depends. What do you see us as?” Bora asked as Siyeon went red and started stammering. Bora smiled as she slid even closer.

Bora gently cupped Siyeon’s cheek with her good hand, silencing Siyeon’s rambling and made her look Bora in the eyes.

“Siyeon? Breathe. I like you. I want to be able to call you mine. The question is, what do you want?” Bora asked as Siyeon blushed harder.

“what I want?” Siyeon asked as Bora nodded.

“I don’t want to rush you into anything if you are not ready or make you feel uncomfortable. So let's go at your pace, ok?” Bora asked as Siyeon hesitated.

“b, but what if I want that?” Siyeon asked as Bora tilted her head cutely. Siyeon took a deep breath and gathered her courage for what she planned to say next.

“what if I want to be yours?” Siyeon asked as Bora sat there in shock. Where did this confidence come from? Both girls went bright red and silent.

“do you mean that?” Bora asked softly as Siyeon nodded. She was too embarrassed to make eye contact, but Bora gently tilted her chin up until their eyes met.

“do you really mean that?” Bora asked as Siyeon whispered a soft ‘yes.’

Bora didn’t waste any more time and leaned forward until their lips connected. Bora wanted to be more aggressive, but she knew that Siyeon was hurting from all of the kisses today, so she went gentle and slow, but when her good arm pulled Siyeon closer, the younger girl gasped in shock.

Though Siyeon was surprised, the grin that she gave told Bora that Minji was right. She liked it when Bora would take the lead.

The two stayed like that until they finally realized that their time was almost up. They didn’t want to waste it, so the two quickly looked for one last song to sing. This time they decided to do it together.

This time it was Siyeon’s turn to be amazed. Bora also sang beautifully. Their voices went together perfectly, and once it was over, both girls frowned. They wanted it to last forever. But once their time ran out, Gahyeon knocked on the door and peeked inside.

“oh good, I was worried I would walk in on you two making out again…” Gahyeon teased as Bora grinned while Siyeon hid her face behind Bora in embarrassment.

“no, we stopped a bit ago,” Bora said as Siyeon gently slapped her shoulder. The older girl laughed as Gahyeon smiled while watching the two. They really were cute together, and she could already see that her sister was slowly opening up more and more.

“what? I can't say I kissed my girlfriend?” Bora asked as she smiled broadly. Both Siyeon and Gahyeon screamed at her statement as Siyeon hid her face against Bora’s neck shyly. She really liked how that sounded.

“about time! I can't wait to message Minji!” Gahyeon said as she cheered excitedly and smiled happily.

“oh! mom is coming to pick me up, but I said you might stay the night at a friend's house…” Gahyeon teased as the two blushed.

“want to wait with me? I don’t want to wait outside alone…” Gahyeon said as both girls stood up automatically.

Siyeon couldn’t help but grin. She didn’t expect Bora to jump up like that. It was so automatic, yet they had only known each other for a few days. Bora was already protective of her little sister.

The two stood outside with Gahyeon as they waited on Gahyeon’s ride. Suddenly Bora got nervous when she realized that she would be meeting one of Siyeon’s parents and her nerves set in.

Siyeon realized that Bora was becoming more and more tense. The anxiety was getting stronger, and soon the older girl was fidgeting restlessly when Siyeon gently took her hand.

When Bora felt Siyeon’s hand, she instantly paused as she looked at her. Siyeon smiled reassuringly as she gave Bora’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“shes really nice. Don’t worry.” Siyeon said with a smile as Bora let out a nervous sigh and smiled. Hearing that helped but only slightly. Bora didn’t want to make a bad impression.

After several minutes a vehicle pulled up and stopped in front of Gahyeon. Once it stopped, the driver got out, and Bora smiled. She could see where Siyeon got her looks from. They looked so alike, and when she looked at Bora, the shorter girl saw the same eye smile that Siyeon would give.

“ah! You must be Siyeon’s friend Bora!” her mother said as Bora greeted her nervously. But to Bora’s surprise, the woman pulled her into a hug shocking the smaller girl. Gahyeon obviously took after their mother.

“um… hello, Ms. Lee…” Bora said shyly as the woman giggled. She was so bubbly and happy, just like Gahyeon. She also looked at Bora with a look that made her wonder just what all had Gahyeon told the bubbly woman?

“Gahyeon, you ready to go?” Ms. Lee asked as Gahyeon nodded and grabbed her bag, and threw it in the back seat.

“now Siyeon, Gahyeon said you might stay over at your friend's house. Have you two decided yet?” she asked as the two girls flushed red. Ms. Lee looked at Gahyeon with a smile. The two were so obvious that she couldn’t help but find them cute.

“um, I haven't asked Bora yet…” Siyeon said as she tried to save Bora. But her plan backfired when her mother looked at Bora, waiting for a response.

“oh! Um, my father wouldn’t mind… Minji stays over all the time.” Bora said as the woman smiled. Clearly, this was planned out between Gahyeon and her mother. Both girls could tell, but the idea of spending more time with each other was so tempting that they didn’t really mind much.

“alright. And I heard you were supposed to stay home and rest. So, relax and focus on healing. Both of you…” Ms. Lee said as she and Gahyeon got in the car and drove off.

Bora and Siyeon just stood there for several minutes. What had just happened? How did it get to where Siyeon was going to spend the night at Bora’s house? Either way, it was too late to change their minds.

“um… ready to go?” Bora asked nervously as Siyeon just nodded silently. Both girls were extremely nervous.

“then let's go!” Bora said as she extended her good hand to Siyeon. She looked so nervous. She was worried that Siyeon would refuse, but Siyeon smiled as she gently took her hand and followed the smaller girl to the car. Her girlfriend's hand.

The car ride to Bora’s house was tense. Both girls didn’t know what to do or say, and the fact that they were alone in the car was driving the two crazy.

Both girls sighed in relief when Bora pulled into the driveway of a large house. Siyeon looked at it in surprise. This house couldn’t have been cheap. But with the car and Bora’s bike, it kind of made sense.

“so, your family is rich?” Siyeon asked as Bora laughed.

“well, my father is. It's just the two of us. I paid for my bike myself. I didn’t want to rely on him for everything and end up like a spoiled rich girl… this car was his gift for me for my sixteenth birthday. I didn’t drive it until today…” Bora said as Siyeon listened carefully. She could tell that there was some tension between the smaller girl and her father.

“are you ready?” Bora asked as Siyeon gulped. Now it was her turn to feel nervous. She might run into Bora’s father and worried that she wouldn’t leave a good impression due to her shyness.

“I hope he won't hate me…” Siyeon mumbled as Bora froze. The worried expression and her nervous tone stirred something inside Bora. What was Siyeon doing to her?

Bora walked over and wrapped her arms around Siyeon while being careful not to hurt her with the cast. Siyeon was surprised by the action but relaxed in Bora’s arms as she looked into her reassuring eyes.

“I'm sure that he would love you. And even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t change what I feel for you. That won't change the fact that I like you. Ok?” Bora asked as Siyeon nodded. She was still a bit nervous but felt slightly more relaxed than before. Bora leaned forward and gently pecked Siyeon on the lips causing the younger girl to smile as she was led inside.

The two walked into the house, and like Bora worried about, her father came out of his study to see Bora leading Siyeon into the house.

“one of your friends?” Bora’s father asked as Bora nodded coldly. Siyeon was a bit surprised by the cold treatment Bora was giving her father but knew that there must be a reason for it. Either way, Siyeon greeted the man politely as he smiled and retreated back into his study for the night.

Bora sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair and led Siyeon into her bedroom. Siyeon looked around and noticed that there wasn’t much in it. There were small items here and there, but it wasn’t decorated like a teenager’s room.

“I'm sorry for before… I don’t want you to think I'm an ass… things with my father are just… complicated…” Bora said as she looked at Siyeon with a worried expression.

“I don’t think you are an ass. I'm sure there must be a reason for it.” Siyeon said as Bora frowned. She wasn’t sure if that was true anymore.

“I don’t even know… I think it just became a habit…” Bora said as Siyeon looked at her. She could see that the older girl was struggling with something internally.

“Minji says I just need to talk with him. But I'm afraid… what if I was in the wrong all this time? I'm sorry. I won't mention any more depressing topics…” Bora said as she forced a smile on her face and looked around the room.

“I know it’s not much. But I usually just study and sleep. I am always tired after dance practice.” Bora said as she walked over to her closet and opened it. She needed to find something for Siyeon to sleep in, and as she looked around, she finally found something.

“here are some pajamas that some relatives sent me. They forgot that I'm short, so they are a bit long for me, but hopefully, they will fit you…” Bora said as she handed the pajamas to Siyeon. The tension from before was slowly starting to return.

“I usually take a shower before bed. Do you? If so, I can set out some towels for you.” Bora asked as Siyeon nodded as her face flushed pink.

“um… the bathroom is over here, and I usually have spare toothbrushes. Minji always forgets hers, so I just bought a couple as backups.” Bora said as she opened the medicine cabinet by one of the two sinks and pulled out a new toothbrush still in the package.

“thank you,” Siyeon said as she looked at the bathroom. The shower was a huge walk-in shower with a bench. There was also a large sunken water jet tub set in the floor. The colors of the bathroom were all relaxing and warm, and Siyeon noticed a beautiful scent in the bathroom. It smelled like Bora.

“while you shower, I will make us something to eat. Are you alright with tteokbokki?” Bora asked as Siyeon smiled and nodded.

The two separated, and Siyeon slowly undressed as she winced. When she was shoved into the wall the day before, it left a nasty bruise. Luckily no one knew of it but Siyeon. She didn’t want to worry anyone any more than she already had.

When Siyeon turned on the shower, she couldn’t help but relax as the warm water washed over her. It was so relaxing. The body wash and shampoo smelled like Bora, and she caught herself smiling as she recognized it.

‘I guess I liked her more than I thought…’ Siyeon thought to herself as she hummed happily and finished her shower.

Once she was done, she grabbed the large fluffy towel that Bora left out for her and dried off. But the tricky part was putting on the pajamas. Her shoulder didn’t hurt this badly this morning, but by the end of the night, it was painful to move it too much.

Bora went to knock on the bathroom door and tell Siyeon that the food was ready when she heard Siyeon cry out softly. Bora froze. Her hand hovered just above the door as she heard Siyeon struggle to put on the pajama top.

Something wasn’t right. As far as Bora knew, Siyeon’s only injuries were the bruise and the stitches on the inside of her mouth. Bora knocked on the door, causing Siyeon to jump.

“Siyeon? Is everything alright?” Bora asked as Siyeon swore under her breath. It was too late to hide it now.

“My shoulder is a bit sore from yesterday…” Siyeon said as Bora frowned worriedly.

“whats wrong with your shoulder?” Bora asked as she debated opening the door.

“they kind of shoved me into a wall very roughly…” Siyeon said as Bora felt anger flare. She hated that those boys hurt Siyeon.

“are you alright? Do you need help?” Bora asked as Siyeon blushed and shook her head violently.

“n, no! I think I would die of embarrassment if you had to help me put a shirt on…” Siyeon said as Bora laughed.

“Are you sure?” Bora asked as Siyeon reassured her.

The door slowly opened as Siyeon stood there. The pajamas were just a silky grey, but they looked perfect on Siyeon. Bora had to admit they were just pajamas, but Siyeon looked stunning. And with her hair tousled from the towel, it made her look even better.

Bora gulped as she looked at Siyeon and then quickly looked away. How could Siyeon always look so good? Just one look at Siyeon had Bora’s heart pounding like crazy.

“is the food ready?” Siyeon asked as Bora nodded, but before Siyeon could move, Bora blocked her path.

“let me see how bad that bruise is. I have some pain patches that can help.” Bora said as Siyeon looked at her questioningly.

“when you are a dancer, getting injured or having sore muscles is very common,” Bora said with a shrug. Siyeon nodded and turned around.

“what shoulder is it?” Bora asked as she helped Siyeon lift the shirt up and gasped at what she saw. The bruise was on her left shoulder and was a mix of blue and purple. Bora winced as she gently touched the bruise. Siyeon jumped. It was obviously very tender.

“Siyeon…” Bora whispered softly as she looked at the purple bruise.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Bora asked as she walked over to her desk and opened a drawer to grab her first aid kit.

“I didn’t want you to worry…” Siyeon said softly as Bora went through her things to find an instant cold pack.

“Siyeon, please tell me if something like this ever happens again. I don’t like it when you are hurt…” Bora said. Siyeon could hear the worry in Bora’s voice and nodded.

She warned Siyeon about the cold pack and gently pressed it against the bruise. Siyeon hissed at the cold but held still when Bora told her to. Carefully she wrapped the ice pack to her shoulder to hold it in place.

“We need to keep the ice on for a bit… come on. Sit down at my desk, and I will bring the food up here.” Bora said as she walked Siyeon over to the table and helped her lean back against the chair with the ice pack.

When Bora came back with the food, Siyeon was amazed. It smelled amazing, but when Siyeon went to reach for her chopsticks, Bora pulled them away. Siyeon looked at Bora with a confused expression, but Bora just smiled nervously.

“promise me if you don’t like it, you will tell me? I can order food if I need to. I usually only cook for myself…” Bora said as Siyeon smiled.

“I'm sure it's delicious.” Siyeon said as she smiled and took the chopsticks from Bora’s hand. It was the first time Bora had cooked anything for anyone other than Minji. But she liked cooking for her girlfriend. She just hoped Siyeon would like it.