Gentle, Gentle, Gentle

As Seulgi and Jaeyi moved toward the kitchen, reality started to settle in for Seulgi, chasing away the warmth still tingling under her skin. It was easy to bury it deep when surrounded by pleasant scents and calming blue lighting, the feeling of Jaeyi breathing, Jeyun snuggling up to them. Back in the bedroom, she could almost pretend that the evening before didn’t happen, that she simply slept over at Jaeyi’s place like a normal teenager, and they just so happened to snuggle up during the night, drawn by pure human instinct. Simple and easy.

Except that wasn’t what happened, and now Seulgi felt a weight settle over her chest. She glanced at Jaeyi’s back as the girl walked in front of her. She looked… comfortable. Clad in pyjamas, an unzipped hoodie and house slippers, moving slowly through the house as if not fully woken up yet. Seulgi felt her shoulders hunch the closer they got to the kitchen. She licked her lips, discomfort burying deep into her muscles.

She felt pathetic.

Why was she the one being comforted and taken care of, when she was also the one who betrayed Jaeyi? Why would Kyung and Yeri help her, when she sold out their friend? Just for protection from accusations she knew weren’t true. She should have defended herself fiercer and kept her composure. Maybe then she would be able to convince their principal without selling out the first person in her life she felt was her friend. Manipulative and strange, giving off a vibe of “stay away, you’ll regret crossing me”, possessive to the bone, all hidden beneath a soft exterior and a pretty face, sure. But still, her first friend. She gulped, willing herself to calm down. Jaeyi said she forgave her. Jaeyi gave her enough. Seulgi didn’t want to take anything else.

—

When Seulgi’s eyes fell on the dining table, they grew wide with the amount of food in takeout containers, open and steaming. Kyung and Yeri were messing with the coffee machine, arguing in hushed tones. Jaeyi cleared her throat, and they turned around. The mischievous grin on Yeri’s face made Seulgi’s stomach roll.

“Well, good morning, you two. About time,” greeted Yeri, a playful note in her voice that made Jaeyi lift an eyebrow.

“What are you so chirpy for?”

“Don’t mind her, she’s being stupid.” Kyung interrupted. “Did your dad really have to get a new coffee machine? We can’t figure it out,” she huffed, gesturing for Jaeyi to come help her, which she did, still observing Yeri closely.

Yeri, who was now staring straight at Seulgi, and had gone weirdly serious.

“How are you feeling?” Yeri’s voice did not sound playful anymore. It was soft, like she was trying not to step on anything too fragile. Seulgi swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, and looked away.

“Good,” she answered. “I’m still… a bit tired. But I slept well.”

“One night won’t fix whatever screwed up sleep schedule you were on this week” Kyung said matter-of-factly, watching over Jaeyi’s shoulder as she handled the coffee machine. “How much sleep did you get the last few days, anyway? You looked minutes away from passing out.”

Seulgi noticed Jaeyi’s head tilting to listen despite moving on to make a second cup of coffee. She thought about her answer carefully. She desperately didn’t want to worry anyone more than they clearly were already. On the other hand, they were too smart. If she lied, they would definitely know. They noticed enough to confront her. And no matter how much she felt she didn’t deserve this, the three of them already took care of her. Lying felt wrong after that. It couldn’t hurt to deflect a little, though.

“Not much. A few hours a night, maybe.”

“Bullshit. How much did you sleep exactly?” Well, clearly deflection didn’t work on Kyung. Seulgi licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry.

“Two hours at most,” she mumbled. She saw the three girls’ heads snapping to look at her. The floor suddenly looked very interesting. Seulgi didn’t want to add that the two hours happened last week, and she couldn’t sleep even that much since. For a moment, nobody spoke.

“At most,” Yeri repeated drily, dragging the words out. “Fuck, are you trying to kill yourself? All week, and two hours a night was your personal best?”

Seulgi gulped. The pattern of the tiles was curious. What was she supposed to say? Oh, it’s just that the guilt was keeping me up at night, even after everything was resolved and only Kim Beumsu got in trouble? Yeri’s words might’ve been harsh, but Seulgi didn’t miss the concerned undertone still lingering. It settled in her chest, warming her. She didn’t know what else to say, especially to make this better.

A steaming cup was placed in her hands before her face was cupped and lifted to meet Jaeyi’s eyes, the seriousness in them knocking the breath from Seulgi’s lungs.

“Next time,” Jaeyi started, quiet but certain, as if she already knew Seulgi wouldn’t protest. And she was right. “You’ll tell me. Straight away. No more chasing.”

“If you don’t, I’ll take Jaeyi’s dad’s offer for my back surgery. Just so I can kick your ass as soon as I heal.”

Just like that, the tension was broken with Kyung’s words and Yeri’s laughter. Seulgi couldn’t stop staring at Jaeyi’s small, amused smile, not until Jaeyi’s hands left her freshly warmed cheeks. Forcing herself to move, Seulgi sat down at the set table, taking a sip from her cup.

“Tea?” she mumbled to herself.

“Boricha,“ Jaeyi clarified, not even looking up, focused on making the last coffee. Seulgi wasn’t even surprised she heard her. “No caffeine. If you need more sleep today, I’d rather you nap. You should catch up on as much of it as you can before Monday.”

The warmth in Seulgi’s chest started to feel just a bit stronger than the leftover guilt.

—

Everything was delicious. The seaweed soup felt like a warm hug and was probably the best Seulgi’s ever tasted. She’s gone back for a second bowl, even after filling up on basically every dish set on the table.

The atmosphere in the room was nice. Kyung and Yeri were clearing the table, loading up the dishwasher, while Jaeyi went back for another cup of coffee, bringing Seulgi a glass of water on her way back. Seulgi took it from her with a smile, finally starting to feel better after a full night of sleep and with a belly filled to the brim with light, nutritious food. A stray thought struck her suddenly.

“When did you even get the time to go out and buy all of this?” she asked, gesturing to the plastic containers on the table, some still half-full. “Isn’t it still pretty early?”

Seulgi felt like prey when Yeri spun around to look at her, one eyebrow raised just enough, and a sly smile back on her face.

“It’s almost eleven, Seulgi.”

She almost choked on the sip of water she took, managing out a shocked, half-shouted “what?!” Even Jaeyi looked surprised by the information. Yeri’s smile got just a little bit wider, clearly enjoying the reaction.

“Yeah,” Kyung picked up the conversation as if nothing happened. “You know, some of us – not naming any names – didn’t feel like sleeping for over twelve hours, so some of us took Jeyun for a morning walk and picked up breakfast while out anyway.”

“We thought about waking you for some fresh air, but you two looked way too cozy to interrupt.”

That line made Seulgi freeze. She glanced at Jaeyi, who was sipping her coffee, not bothered in the slightest.

“What do you mean?” she asked cautiously, trying to seem unaffected despite her racing heart, fiddling with her cup. Yeri looked like she definitely knew better.

“I mean,” she started, smile stretching into a grin, “that you looked cozy. You know, we had to steal some of Jaeyi’s clothes to go out, so we went in and caught a little peek of just how well you slept. You really enjoyed the impromptu sleepover, huh?”

“I didn’t –“ Seulgi trailed off, feeling her ears going red. Deep breath in. Focus. “I couldn’t fall asleep. It helped. That’s all.”

The devilish expression on Yeri’s face told Seulgi she just made this worse.

“Oh, I’m sure it did. If someone cuddled me like that, I’d sleep like a baby, too.”

Seulgi tried to mask the blush making its way up her neck and to her cheeks by taking a sip of water. She chanced a glance at Jaeyi, whose neutral expression still revealed nothing. Their eyes met for a second, Seulgi’s silently begging for help.

“She’s right.” Jaeyi shrugged her shoulders. “I slept better than usual, too.”

Seulgi groaned and buried her blushing face in her hands, despite the tiniest smile slowly curling her lips up. Yeri’s smirk softened a bit.

“There you go. Nothing to be embarrassed about, next time just admit you were comfy. It was adorable. Wanna see the picture?”

There was a picture?

Before Seulgi could collect her jaw from the floor, Yeri’s bright laughter filled the air, almost drowning out Kyung’s “YERI!”. Jaeyi grinned just a little, taking another sip of coffee.

—

A few hours earlier…

Kyung and Yeri moved through the house, slippers abandoned in the guest room in favour of moving as silently as possible. Jeyun was at the bottom of the stairs, watching curiously, but obediently sitting precisely where they told him to stay. Kyung pushed open the cracked door to Jaeyi’s bedroom and made a beeline for the closet, quietly ruffling through the hangers and drawers.

Yeri meant to follow her, but she stayed rooted in the doorway as soon as she got a peek of the bed. Or rather, the two occupants of it. She stifled a squeal, earning a sharp look from the other girl.

“Holy shit. Kyung!” she whisper-yelled, hands pressed over her heart. “Kyung, look at them! Is this real?!”

On the bed laid Seulgi and Jaeyi, both on their sides and facing each other, breathing deeply and calmly in unison. The duvet slipped down to their hips, revealing Jaeyi’s arm curled around Seulgi’s waist. Seulgi, on the other hand, had her knees pulled up, as if curling into herself and Jaeyi at the same time. Her head was gently resting against Jaeyi’s shoulder. The soft, morning light made the scene almost too intimate to look at.

“I see them. They’re very cute. Shut up or you’ll wake them up.” Kyung hissed out, her eyes shifting between the bed, Yeri and the closet she was still digging in.

Wordlessly, Yeri lifted her phone up.

Kyung’s head snapped to her in an instant. “Don’t.”

“I have to,” Yeri whispered helplessly. “It’s too sweet. Also, I want evidence of Jaeyi being soft with someone. How long have we waited for that?”

That would’ve been it, if not for the flash and a loud “click” that came from Yeri’s phone when she finally snapped a picture, loud as a gunshot in the quiet room.

Jaeyi stirred. Seulgi frowned.

Kyung and Yeri froze, barely breathing.

Then, just as both of them were sure they were screwed, Seulgi moved closer, pressing into Jaeyi with a small, gentle sound. Jaeyi rolled onto her back clumsily. A quiet whine left Seulgi’s lips and she moved again, fully on top of Jaeyi now, tangling their legs, one hand loosely wrapping around Jaeyi’s pyjamas over her stomach. Jaeyi’s arms went around her, one settling over her waist, the other high on her back, palm splaying between shoulder blades, pulling her tighter against her own body. The tension simmered out of them instantly, Jaeyi’s face turning towards Seulgi’s head, mouth slightly open, letting out a satisfied sigh when Seulgi’s nose pressed into her neck.

Yeri let out a quiet coo, not able to stifle either that or the huge grin on her face.

When she glanced at Kyung, she barely stifled a giggle at the girl’s expression, stunned and utterly tender.

“Is Seulgi smiling?” Yeri couldn’t help but ask in a whisper, moving a bit closer to the bed.

“She sure is. She’s smiling in her sleep. She didn’t smile all week, but now she’s smilingin her sleep,” came Kyung’s response, her voice soft and awed. “You ever seen her letting anybody even hug her?”

“Nope. This is so precious, I never would’ve even imagined how soft she could look,” Yeri cooed, phone moving up again to snap another photo before Kyung could tell her off, this time on silent and with the flash turned off. She couldn’t let a moment like this pass unacknowledged, after all. “Alright, grab the clothes and we’re out.”

Kyung hesitated for a second, Yeri lifting an eyebrow in question.

“Just a second. They’ll get cold like this,” Kyung murmured, moving to the side of the bed and gently pulling up the duvet over the two sleeping girls, tucking them in carefully, eyes shining with the type of tender care she rarely showed, but always had in stock for her closest friends. Seulgi mumbled something, curling a bit closer to Jaeyi and the soft, warm cotton now safely over her. Kyung paused for a second, a smile tugging at her lips. “There you go. Sleep well.”

“You’re being so soft, oh my god. Okay, last one, then getting out of here before we both melt.” Yeri’s voice was dripping tenderness, the smile on her face not slipping a bit. Kyung returned it before moving back towards the closet. A few seconds later, they both stopped at the door to the bedroom, clothes in hand, and allowed themselves one final look at Seulgi and Jaeyi, cuddled up and sleeping peacefully.