Jaeyi had done it now. She had finally done it. She had finally filled the giant container that was Woo Seulgi's patience. Looking at the shattered Lego Death Star on the kitchen floor, she bit her lower lip and let out a shaky breath. No big deal, right? It had only taken Seulgi an entire week to build. Besides, she was smart. She could fix this.
No big deal.
Right across from her, she heard Seulgi's breathing begin to get heavier. Seulgi's face was a mask of icy calm, but the crimson flush creeping up her neck and the faint, almost comical, hiss from her ears betrayed her simmering rage.
Oh god, please let this be a bad dream. Maybe if I put it back together really fast she won't notice. Surely, it can't be that bad.
'Yoo Jaeyi...' Her voice, low and dangerous, sent a shiver down Jaeyi's spine.
Shit, it's bad! With a gulp, she shot her a nervous chuckle and backed away slowly.
'S-Seulgi-ah... I-I..." she tried reasoning, mentally face-palming herself for sounding so pathetic.
If Seulgi's eyes were deadly, Jaeyi would be six feet under by now, judging by the intensity of her stare. Her eyes burned with such anger that Jaeyi thought lasers might start shooting from them. To make matters worse, her hands were balled into fists. Jaeyi didn't wait for those fists to land on her face. No time to waste. A safe distance. A deep breath. Then, she ran—as fast as she could. She ran like her life depended on it, not even bothering to look back at the furious girl.
'YOO JAEYI, COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!'
Haha, sucker! What, so you can skin me alive? I don't think so. She thought as she sprinted right out of the door. Rushed steps followed her as she ran. The slam of the apartment door echoed behind her, a percussive punctuation to her panicked escape. For once in her life, she was thankful for being tall. It gave her a power boost in dire situations like this. Her height gave her an advantage, long legs eating up the pavement.
She hadn't made it far from their apartment when a pink fuzzy slipper whizzed past her ear. Her eyes grew wide as she ducked, anticipating the other pair to come flying next. Seulgi almost got her! She turned to look at Seulgi still chasing her, laughing as the smaller woman was obviously having a hard time catching up to her, the other slipper still in her hand.
She laughed to herself, thinking about what they probably looked like now. People stared at them as Seulgi chased her down the street. Her legs sore but she refused to give up that easily. They probably looked like children playing tag.
As if adding salt to the wound, she stuck her tongue out at Seulgi and laughed like a maniac. This made the other girl even more furious, and she threw the other slipper in her direction. Jaeyi yelped and jumped just in time to dodge the slipper.
'HA! YOU MISSED AGAIN! MAYBE TRY HARDER NEXT TI—' she didn't even finish gloating when she smacked right into a tree.
And that's how Yoo Jaeyi died.
Just kidding, but she did get hurt pretty bad.
Seulgi watched in shock as Jaeyi's body dropped to the ground. Meanwhile, Jaeyi thought she was seeing stars. She felt something drip from her nose and her head felt weird.
Damn, she got me!
'Jaeyi-ah!' was the last thing she heard before everything went blank.
Now, you're probably wondering how they got into this situation. It all started on Monday…
[ Flashback ]
Seulgi was angry. She'd been stressed for three days now. Jaeyi never understood why or what had made her roommate this on edge this time, but Seulgi had moments like this. She never bothered to ask, so used to being brushed off whenever it happened. It got intense. One time she saw Seulgi uppercut some guy for looking at her a certain way. It didn't take a genius to know better than to get on her nerves.
So, being the nice roommate she was, she made sure to help her out the best way she knew how. Unfortunately for her, all her efforts were always being trumped by an unknown force. Like bad luck was purposely clinging to her. Whenever she made an effort to make Seulgi feel better, it always seemed to blow up on her face.
MONDAY. She decided to make Seulgi her favorite coffee and breakfast in bed. She hummed to herself when she entered their room. She found her still sleeping and smiled to herself, watching the cute girl lying in bed. Her Seulgi was so cute; even asleep, her brows were knitted together, and her lips were formed into a pout. She chuckled and kissed the small girl between her eyebrows. She saw Seulgi's face relax, and her smile grew wider.
Oh, she's gonna love this breakfast so much, she might give me kisses as a reward. If I play my cards right, I might even get a cuddle out of this. Fingers crossed for a full-on hug! 😋
She leaned in once more and cooed into Seulgi's ear, "Seulgi-ah~ time to wake up." She blew on Seulgi's ear—a bad idea, really—because doing so, Seulgi jolted awake. Jaeyi, surprised by the sudden outburst, took a sudden step back, losing her balance in the process and watching the tray in her hand fly off, landing right on Seulgi.
Fuck!!! Goodbye, kisses... ૮( ╥﹏╥) ა
TUESDAY. Determined to give it another shot, Jaeyi thought of a way to make it up to her Seulgi after yesterday's misfortune. She was so lucky Seulgi hadn't killed her from yesterday's theatrics. It was PE day, and the class was playing dodgeball on the field.
‘HEY, FOUR-EYES! STOP TRYING TO HIT MY PRINCESS!’ Jaeyi yelled at Kyung, who looked so determined to eradicate the other team.
‘MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE? YOU'RE NOT IN OUR PE CLASS!’ Four-eyes yelled back at her, picking up another ball. She wasn't even aiming for Seulgi; she just wanted to hit Jaeyi.
Seulgi sighed annoyingly and walked off the field, tired of watching them bicker. They'd been going at it the entire day. Jaeyi watched her leave, and Kyung took that distraction as an opportunity to finally hit Jaeyi's face with a dodgeball. With one swift motion, she launched the dodgeball at Jaeyi's face. Jaeyi turned just in time to raise her arm. In doing so, her arm hit the ball in a different direction—a direct bullseye to the back of Seulgi's head.
Gasps rippled through the field. Then, silence. A heavy, suffocating silence.. Seulgi's shoulders tensed, her spine straightening like a steel rod. Every muscle in her body seemed to coil. Her right eye twitched as she turned slowly to face the culprit. Jaeyi ran to her side, and out of frustration, Seulgi grabbed the ball in an attempt to get back at her by throwing it in Jaeyi's direction, only for the other girl to raise her arm again in defense, making the ball ricochet back into Seulgi, now hitting her in the face.
Oh no…
WEDNESDAY. Jaeyi sniffed, and for the third time in a row, Kyung elbowed her in the ribs. Annoyed at how utterly defeated her new seatmate looked right now. It wasn't helping that Jaeyi was crying silently, clearly heartbroken at not sitting beside her personal powder keg of a roommate. Seulgi had flatly refused to sit with her in class, and to "bandage the situation," Yeri had offered a "solution" by swapping seats with Jaeyi for the day.
Jaeyi vehemently opposed the idea, but Seulgi threatened her with a night spent sleeping outside if she kept grumbling. She would never in a million years risk her bedroom privileges. So, with a heavy heart and a glare that could curdle milk, she sat beside Choi Kyung. It took every ounce of willpower to resist the urge to kick the four-eyed Dora-lookalike beside her.
Seulgi was still fuming, even more so now that she sported a rather impressive black eye. She couldn't stay mad at Jaeyi for long, not really. But she was determined to teach her a lesson. Even though Jaeyi had knelt for forgiveness and cried as if she were the one who'd been bludgeoned by the dodgeball.
At home, Seulgi continued her silent treatment. Defeated, Jaeyi tried to distract herself by gathering their laundry. She'd planned to take it to the dry cleaners, but then she remembered how "romantic" it would be if she did it herself. What could possibly go wrong? she thought, conveniently ignoring the fact that she'd never done laundry in her entire life.
THURSDAY. It was a rather normal day for Jaeyi. She was used to being the center of attention. People always looked her way. Seulgi, on the other hand, was waging a silent war against the urge to spontaneously combust in front of the entire school. People snickered and whispered whenever she passed by. What could possibly cause this? Definitely not their now rainbow-colored uniform. Their originally pristine white color, now replaced with colors that resembled a color wheel.
Jaeyi shot her a sheepish smile. ‘Seulgi! Stop f-frowning. We look cute with matching shirts! R-right, guys?’ her voice trembled slightly.
Yeri bit her lip to stifle a grin, and Kyung straight up choked on her food sputtering and gasping. Seulgi just stabbed her food with enough force to bend the fork in response, earning a nervous gulp from the taller girl.
FRIDAY. Seulgi exhaled sharply and stared intensely at her desk. There's no way. There was just no way, right? She shook her head. Jaeyi couldn't possibly ruin this day for her. Jaeyi had not only managed to rack up three strikes, she'd also just scored a home run in the bad luck Olympics.
She sighed again and glanced at her rainbow uniform. Jaeyi's face flashed in her mind. Despite everything, she couldn't help but smile.
What am I going to do with you, Yoo Jaeyi?
With everything that had happened this week, Seulgi was sure there was no way they could possibly get into any more trouble.
The odds couldn't be this bad. There was just no way.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
There was, in fact, a way.
‘SEULGI-AH!! GO!! GO FASTER!! WAIT— NO, SAVE YOURSELF! I'M LETTING GO!’
Jaeyi screamed as Seulgi dragged them away on her bicycle, pedaling like a maniac. Meanwhile, Jaeyi felt like her skateboard was doing everything it could to sabotage her. It wobbled, it threatened to veer off course, and it seemed to have a personal vendetta against smooth surfaces. Jaeyi's knuckles were white as she clung to the bicycle for dear life, her voice raw from screaming. She looked like a manic surfer trying to ride a tidal wave, only the wave was Seulgi’s bike, and the ocean was a swarm of angry Chihuahuas. The dogs barked behind them, a furious, yapping chorus, gaining on them with agonizing speed.
‘DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE LET GO, YOO JAEYI!’
Seulgi's thighs burned as she pedaled for their lives. Her eyes started to water from fear and panic. Her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Why did she even agree to this?! They should've just headed home after class.
GOD DAMN IT, YOO JAEYI! If we survive this I'm gonna kill you myself!
‘SEULGI! JUST IN CASE WE DON'T MAKE IT—FUCK! I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING! I'VE KEPT THIS IN FOR SO LONG. I LOVE YOU! I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED YOU—AAAAGH, THE FUCKING CHIHUAHUA ALMOST GOT MY ASS—WOO SEULGI, I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU! I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU! DON'T FORGET ME!’
What the fuck is she talking about?! We're together!!
With the remaining power she had, Seulgi maneuvered them onto the long, weathered wooden platform extending out over the lake. She couldn't swim. She never could. But this was the only way she could save Jaeyi.
‘SEULGI, WHAT ARE Y—’ SPLASH! 💦
SATURDAY. Seulgi sneezed, a sharp, angry sound. She was beyond mad now, astronomically furious. Not only did her back ache, but she was also battling a cold, a souvenir from their unplanned plunge into the frigid lake yesterday.
Surprisingly, they'd survived. Jaeyi had managed to haul her out of the water just in time, preventing her life candle from flickering out. Jaeyi performed CPR on her, panicking so intensely that she'd dissolved into tears when Seulgi finally sputtered back to life. She remembered being so relieved she started laughing.
The memory made Seulgi's heart melt, next thing she knows, a concerned Jaeyi was by her side. Her presence melting any negative emotions brewing in her chest.
‘Are you okay? Does anything hurt?’ Jaeyi asked, her voice thick with concern. Seulgi stared at her for a solid minute, then pulled her into a quick, reassuring kiss. Jaeyi smiled into her lips and pressed their foreheads together.
‘My ass really hurts…’ This earned a chuckle from Seulgi, who playfully shoved Jaeyi's shoulder.
‘Serves you right for almost killing us both.’
Jaeyi snorted. ‘I didn't know that would happen.’
‘No, you wouldn't see a tree if it hit you in the face.’
Huh. What a weird thing to say.
[ PRESENT ]
Jaeyi moaned, her eyelids heavy, as her vision slowly sharpened. She adjusted her eyesight, immediately greeted by the familiar design of the room she shared with Seulgi. Soft blue lighting illuminated the space, and the faint hum of the air conditioner filled the silence.
She turned her head to the side and met Seulgi's gaze. Seulgi wore a deadpan expression, but a faint sparkle in her eyes betrayed her worry. Jaeyi thought she was beautiful. Even in this state, she still managed to look undeniably pretty.
‘Jaeyi-ah, are you okay?’ The smaller girl's lips formed a thin line, her right hand suspiciously hidden behind her back.
‘Are you still mad?’
‘That doesn't matter right now. Are you okay?’
‘Uhh. No? M-my head still hurts. It's o-ouchy here, Seulgi-ah,’ Jaeyi pouted, touching the bump in the middle of her forehead, feigning pain. It wasn't a complete lie; the bump on her forehead stood out like a proud, throbbing mountain.
Seulgi sighed, her hidden hand retreating, placing the hanger she'd been holding on the nightstand.
SHIT, I WAS RIGHT HUHU. That was close!
‘S-Seulgi-ah, were you really just going to spank me? I almost died, you know.’ Seulgi scoffed and smacked Jaeyi's face with a pillow.
‘Jerk. I was so worried! Your nose was bleeding!’
AND YOU THINK A HANGER WOULD MAKE ME FEEL BETTER? DON'T I DESERVE BETTER THAN THAT?! A HANGER! Is that the level of care I get after a near-death experience?! Where's the sympathy?! The chocolates?! The twenty-four-hour nurse?! The kisses??? Jaeyi whined in her head. God knows she wouldn't be caught dead complaining to her Seulgi in real time.
'Can I get a hug instead?'
With that, all of Seulgi's resolve crumbled. What kind of princess would she be if she denied her girlfriend's wishes? Scooping the tall girl into her arms, she kissed Jaeyi's nose and rubbed soothing circles on her back.
Jaeyi rested her chin on Seulgi's shoulder, a sigh escaping her lips.
‘Don't scare me like that again.’
Who knew crashing into a tree would absolve me of her wrath? Totally worth it. Jaeyi thought, a smirk playing on her lips as she buried her face in the crook of Seulgi's neck.
‘I'm sorry about your Lego... and for everything else,’ she mumbled, her voice muffled against Seulgi's skin.
‘I don't accept verbal apologies…’
Jaeyi lifted her head, another mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
‘You want me to pay you?’
‘Not with money…’
Am I about to score? I should crash into trees more often.
Oh she's gonna score alright.
Seulgi smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes.
‘You haven't broken any bones, have you?’ Jaeyi shook her head eagerly. .
‘I'm fine! In fact, I am SO fine I could do it again in a heartbeat.’
Seulgi exhaled, her breath warm against Jaeyi's ear as she whispered huskily, ‘Good. Then you wouldn't have any problems washing the dishes for the entire week.’
Fuck my life. 💔
With that, Seulgi gave her a quick peck and ruffled her hair. Jaeyi pouted, slumping in defeat.
‘I'll get you some food. Stay still.’