A Brave Thing
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Hyunju’s heart shrank when she saw the shopping bags on her counter. There was a note from you stuck to her fridge with a post-it.
— "Do what you love! ;)" —
It was written with a smiley face and a heart next to it. Hyunju realized that these were all the products she had forgotten at the convenience store the day she ran into her mother. She also noticed all the ingredients she had asked you for but hadn't been able to buy.
Her heart warmed, and a smile lit up her face as she stored everything in her pantry and refrigerator. How much money had you spent on this? Is that why you arrived so late yesterday?
Hyunju thought about the little time you had left in her home. Soon, her stitches would be removed, and you would leave for the hospital. Her heart ached just thinking about it—she wouldn’t have you in her days anymore, in her mornings, afternoons, and nights.
You wouldn’t make her laugh, nor make her cry with laughter at your late-night antics.
She wouldn’t receive silly messages from you while being in the same room, nor your occasional hugs.
You two hadn't talked about what was happening between you again. She had broken her promise not to give you more hope because, with each passing day, you both grew closer.
Your actions meant more than a million words; there was no need to say them aloud.
Hyunju's chest began to burn with an unbearable pain, her breathing became unsteady. So, she dragged herself to the couch and turned on the TV to calm her thoughts.
The old movie channel played automatically. Hyunju didn’t recognize the film, but it featured a blonde woman and a man with a mustache that she found amusing.
The movie seemed to be at its climax, a tense scene.
— "You gave me your heart, you know? You'd like me to hand it back, whole again, but I won’t.
You'll live a long time yet, Kathryn, an eternity without me," said the man with the funny mustache.
"You will look into the faces of passersby, hoping for something that will, for an instant, bring me back to you.
You will find moonlit nights strangely empty because when you call my name through them, there will be no answer...
Always, your heart will be aching for me, and your mind will give you the doubtful consolation that you did a brave thing."
Hyunju didn’t realize when her tears betrayed her, silently streaming down her face.
"A brave thing," she repeated to herself. Watching that had reminded her so much of the two of you.
Hyunju wanted to talk to you—or at least, make it clear once again what she felt for you.
𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼
"And then the supervisor ordered us to leave the room immediately! The police officers took the patient away on a stretcher—can you believe it? You should’ve been there to see it," Bryan exclaimed excitedly, telling you one of the many things you had missed at the hospital.
You had left Hyunju’s apartment early to go to the hospital, sign some documents, and finalize your service in taking care of her.
Now, you were enjoying your usual coffee with Bryan—at the hospital café, of course.
"Then, rumors spread that he was from the mafia! Everyone freaked out."
You widened your eyes in surprise. "Didn’t they suspect anything? I mean, if the patient came in with bullet wounds all over his body… sounds suspicious." You took another sip of your coffee.
"He was reported lying in the street and was transferred to the hospital immediately. They even considered calling you to take care of him because he didn’t have any family listed as an emergency contact!"
Bryan joked about the last part.
"What? Oh God, I should start charging more once I’m back at the hospital," you laughed.
"Oh honey, trust me, you’re the most sought-after bitch in town!" Bryan replied, laughing hysterically.
You started coughing from laughing so hard, almost choking on your coffee. You had missed the hospital.
"Jesus, Bryan, I almost died!" you exclaimed as he patted your back.
"Speaking of your return to the hospital, how’s your girl?" Bryan asked, obviously referring to Hyunju.
"She’s fine, her wound is almost completely healed. Every day, she gets stronger and has more appetite to get back to her daily life," you responded professionally.
"That’s not exactly what I meant. I was asking about the two of you."
"Oh."
"We haven’t talked about us again, if that answers your question. But we’ve been getting closer lately."
"Hmh?" Bryan hummed.
"Yeah… Did I tell you we slept together again?"
"Oh God," Bryan smirked mischievously. "Are you trying to kill your patient? She’s still recovering!"
"What? N-no! Bryan, no! Whatever you’re thinking, just no.
It was a hard day—Hyunju ran into her family while we were shopping, and I just did everything I could to make her feel better!" you quickly explained, trying to shut down his teasing.
"Make her feel better? I wonder how that went," he smirked again.
"Oh my God, shut up!" You hid your face in your hands, embarrassed.
"Honey, I know. No need to get worked up, I’m just joking," Bryan patted your back.
"And yesterday, I took the day to buy her some things she left at the convenience store—the same day we ran into her mother and siblings. She has an online dessert shop! Her social media profile is really pretty, you should follow her," you said while unlocking your phone to show him.
Bryan raised an intrigued eyebrow.
"What? She makes delicious desserts—well, I haven’t tried them yet. But I ordered some for you for Valentine’s Day."
"Darling, I’m not surprised that Hyunju bakes desserts or whatever. I’m surprised that you took the time to go buy everything she left at the store.
Oh God, is that why you asked me which mug colors looked better?" Bryan laughed at you.
"What’s wrong with that? The hospital pays well."
"Apparently, your lesbianism is also quite generous," Bryan blurted out before focusing on what you were showing him on your phone.
You two kept talking for hours until you decided it was time to head back to Hyunju’s apartment and enjoy the dinner she had probably already prepared.
"Hyunju is spoiling you with delicious food when you get home! You won’t have that when you’re back in this cold, cruel place," Bryan joked as you said goodbye, and, in part, he was right.
You walked to the nearest metro station and took the train that dropped you off closest to Hyunju’s building.
It was rush hour—workers were leaving their offices, students were dragging their backpacks through the metro corridors, exhausted from the day.
Then, you saw a pair of schoolgirls holding hands, laughing together. They caught your attention when one of them kissed the other, both blushing shyly.
It was rare to see this in the streets of Korea, so your heart pounded with hope at the sight of two young women in love expressing their feelings so freely.
You took the first empty seat you found, sighed, and unlocked your phone to send Hyunju a message.
— "I’m on my way to your building, everything went well, Hyunnie. See you in a bit 😉" —
You clicked send and laughed at yourself for using that emoji—Hyunju had made you use emojis in your messages.
Closing your messaging app, you opened Instagram. It had only been a few days since you and Hyunju exchanged profiles and started following each other.
You took your time stalking her profile, curious about what you’d find. She didn’t have a profile picture—her feed was full of breathtaking landscapes and sunsets, along with desserts and meals she had prepared.
She had around 20 followers and followed 78 accounts (including you in both).
You decided to scroll through her profile, trying to find a picture of her. She was so beautiful without even trying.
A small disappointment washed over you when you realized there was nothing personal about her on display.
"Thailand, huh?" You murmured to yourself as you spotted a picture with that location tagged.
Then, your eyes landed on a photo of a flan, making your mouth water instantly.
She had tagged her pastry account, so you clicked on it out of curiosity.
@byhyunbakery
You knew that Hyunju wasn’t someone who used her phone much. However, her editing skills on Instagram were incredible.
Her profile had carefully curated highlight stories showcasing price menus, beautifully edited pictures of her pastries, and even scented candles.
A small but loyal base of around 300 followers supported her.
Of course, there was nothing personal about her there either—just aesthetic photos of her desserts.
— "Just send a DM for a quote! Deliveries available at the nearest metro station 🍰⭐️" —
That was all her bio said, yet it was more than enough to secure the sales she had mentioned before.
You turned off your phone and, once again, found yourself thinking about her.
"This woman is going to be the death of me," you thought with a goofy smile before closing your eyes, letting the gentle rhythm of your journey lull you.
𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼
“I’m home, Hyunnie!” You called out as you stepped into her apartment, kicking off your shoes and placing them on the small rack by the door.
“I’m in the kitchen, love!” Hyunju’s voice rang out, and you walked towards her.
There she was, wearing a pink apron decorated with red bows.
Her hands were dusted with flour, her hair pulled into a loose ponytail, and a small smudge of flour adorned her left cheek.
“How are you? Did things go well at the hospital?” Hyunju asked as she stood up and walked toward you.
“Everything went great, but I think I’m even better now that I see you.” You replied, making her blush.
You slowly leaned closer, stopping just inches from her face.
Hyunju instinctively closed her eyes, only to open them again in confusion when all you did was gently wipe the flour off her cheek with your thumb.
“You had a little flour right here,” you said, smiling, still hovering close.
“Uh, well, I’ve been baking like a madwoman with no social life for the past six hours, so I guess that’s to be expected.” Hyunju replied, making no effort to step away from you.
Your hand lingered on her cheek, and this time, it was Hyunju who closed the distance.
Your lips met in a passionate kiss, her hands finding their place on your waist while yours cradled her face.
That moment lasted only a few seconds before the oven’s alarm startled you both apart.
“I-I should put this in the oven,” Hyunju stammered, stepping away from your hold.
“What’s with all this baking, Hyunnie?” You asked, taking a seat at the kitchen counter, observing the mess around you.
“Orders started coming in again! I have a bunch of deliveries scheduled for tomorrow, so I need to finish everything soon and get them packed into their boxes.”
She hesitated before adding, “Do you want to come with me?”
She didn’t want to bother or distract you with her little side business.
“Of course! I’ll get dressed in something casual to join you,” you replied excitedly.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow, then!” Hyunju beamed.
That night, the two of you stayed up late, working side by side to pack her orders.
The soft hum of the TV played in the background as Hyunju carefully draped a blanket over you, watching your chest rise and fall steadily.
You had fallen asleep in her bed—at her insistence, of course.
“What did I do to deserve you?” Hyunju whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead before finally lying down beside you, drifting into sleep.
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