Byul was overjoyed. She had no work since her boss was kind enough to give the office a whole day off. She grabbed the closest coat to her and left her house with a bright smile.
-- -- -- --
“Unnie!!” She heard a high-pitched voice call her when she stepped into the café. Wheein and Hyejin were sitting near the corner of the café, drinks in hand.
Walking to the corner she sat in front of Wheein, earning a small greeting from the younger, pup-like girl.
“It feels so nice to have a break from work,” Hyejin sighs, “CEO-nim is so amazing.”
Byul chuckled at the youngest girl. “Hyejin you just don’t like work.”
“When do you think Yongsun-unnie will arrive?” Wheein giggled.
“I dunno, she’s never on time. Give her a few years maybe,” Byul teased, making the two younger girls burst out in laughter.
Just a few moments after the kids settled down, a familiar person burst through the café door. Said person then made their way next to Byul.
“Overslept Yeba?” Byul teased, grinning ear to ear.
“I was 5 minutes late,” huffs Yongsun, clearly out of breath,
“Yong, I have never seen you not late,” Byul continued, poking Yongsun’s cheek.
“Ew,” Wheein exclaim fake gagged. “Stop acting like a couple, me and Hyejin don’t want to be the third wheel today.”
“Aish, you’re so annoying. Firstly, I’m older than you Moon Byul-ssi, address me more formally.” Yongsun playfully nudged Byul’s shoulder. “Secondly, I have a boyfriend now.”
‘What?’
Byul froze.
“You got a boyfriend?” question both Wheein and Hyejin at the same time.
“Yeah? Wait- why are you guys so surprised??” Yongsun counter.
Byul stayed silent, busy suppressing the tear creeping up in her eyes and the stinging pain in her chest. She felt broken, lost even. Like a part of her just got up and left. She liked Yongsun, no, she loved her. She thought she was obvious enough, clingy 24/7, always following Yongsun, dropping hints everywhere. Guess it wasn’t enough.
“Byul-ah?”
She snapped back to reality.
“Huh, yeah?” Byul squeaks, voice too high for her liking.
“What’s wrong Byul-ah?" Yongsun asked with a worried frown.
“N-nothing.” Byul cough out. “I’m just glad you found someone to look after you. Let’s hope he could deal with your dolphin laugh, yeba noises, and chaotic self.”
Yongsun worried frown went away, instead replaced with annoyance.
“Aish, this kid. Anyways you kids would love him-”
Byul zoned out again, whether it was an accident or whether she was refusing to believe that the girl she loves now has a boyfriend, she herself doesn’t know.
-- -- -- --
It’s been a week since Yongsun announced the news to the group, and since then Byul hasn’t slept properly. Often time she would reminisce back to the moments she shared with Yongsun, the nights she would come really close to confessing but chickened out last minute, and wished she actually did something instead of backing down. Most of Byul’s nights these days would end with a few bottles of soju, not the best way to cope but it works.
But now she is sitting in front of a blank computer screen, feeling the fatigue settling in. She’s too hungover to think and too tired to work properly.
Dropping her head on the desk with a slight ‘thump’, she sighs and closes her eyes.
‘If only I wasn’t a coward.’
But before she could lose herself in the depths of regret, she felt something cold and wet on her neck. She snapped her head up, wincing due to her sore neck, and met Seulgi holding 2 cups of iced americano.
“You good unnie? Here’s some coffee,” Seulgi asked as she placed one cup on the desk. “You look like trash, paler than a vampire, eye bags darker than ink, and gosh your eyes are so red and puffy. Have you been crying-”
“I’m fine,” Byul groaned out, grabbing the cup of coffee on her desk and chugging down the sweet addicting liquid.
She really shouldn’t be having coffee while having a hangover, but it’s just too hard to resist.
“Unnie, if you want to talk, we can. We may be coworkers but we’re still best friends.”
Byul nods and smiles sweetly at Seulgi, well sweet enough to make her cringe and leave.
Sighing, she looked around the office. She locked eyes with a certain Yongsun in the distance, worried clear on her face. Byul sighed (once again) and turn back to her computer.
It’s going to be a long day.
-- -- -- --
“Alright team, thanks to you all, the company is going to be swimming in brand deals,” toasted CEO-nim, raising a small glass of soju.
“Wheein-ah you’re drinking too much-” Byul sighed as she tried to confiscate Wheein’s glass of soju. “The party had barely started, and you’re already done with a bottle-”
“Unnieee it’s finee,” Wheein slurs, holding the glass out of Byul’s grasp.
Hyejin was giggling watching the chaos unfold before her.
Then suddenly they heard a ringing sound.
The Loser crew turns towards the door.
Byul’s heart drops at the sight.
There Yongsun was, looking all angelic in a red dress, and next to her was a guy, whom Byul assume to be Yong’s new boyfriend dressed in a simple two-piece suit.
Byul watched as the couple sat down at the table and joined the conversations.
The way Yongsun’s boyfriend cares for her, the way he offers Yong food before feeding himself, and the way he fixes her hair all remind Byul of how it was between her and Yongsun.
Byul hated the guy so much... But she can’t seem to wish ill on the guy.
He seems so respectful, and he seems to treat Yongsun so well.
Plus, Yongsun is so happy...
Byul felt a painful smile fading onto her lips.
“Unnie?”
‘Oh, shit she forgot the kids were here’
“Sorry I kinda space out a little,” Byul mumbled, sitting down, giving up on trying to take Wheein alcohol from her.
“Unnie, I know it’s hard, but you should move on,” Hyejin nudge Byul.
“Here take a shot!” encourage Wheein. “I bet I can drink more than you!”
“Oh bet,” Byul chuckled, grabbing the shot glass.
Yeah- let's say that night was chaotic.
-- -- -- --
It’s been another few weeks and with every day that goes by Byul feels less sane than she already was. She was chilling in her room feeling like trash and suddenly a ping from her phone interrupted her from her thoughts.
Byul tiredly grabs her phone from the nightstand and reads what’s on the screen.
Yeba Yongdunnie: Can you bring over some Tteokbokki please, I’ll pay you back.
Byul sighed.
-- -- -- --
“Yong! I got the Tteokbokki,” Byul yelled after opening the door to Yongsun’s apartment. “You don’t have to pay back”
For once it feels normal again. Well, until she made eye contact with Yongsun’s boyfriend.
“Who the hell are you!?” he growls from the kitchen.
“I’m Yongsun’s best friend? I’m guessing you’re her boyfriend?” Byul placed the bag of food on the counter.
Maybe he wasn’t as respectful as she thought he was.
The guy made his way closer to Byul. “Hm. Now that I have a clearer look at you... you look hot.”
Byul freeze. “Excuse me?”
“I mean,” the guy smirks. “I don’t mind leaving that annoying bitch for you.”
Byul snapped. She charged at the guy and grabbed the collar of his shirt. “Say that again you asshole! -”
“BYUL LET GO!”
Byul “accidentally” pushed the guy hard into the wall and looked over to Yongsun.
“Yong I could explain-” she started.
“Baby your friend is insane! I was just getting a glass of water and she harassed me!” The guy pointed at Byul with a scared expression.
“You fucking liar-” Byul glared at the guy and clenched her fist.
“Byul just stop!”
The room goes dead silent as an icy cold blanket covers the three.
Byul whipped her head to Yongsun. “What?”
Yongsun glared at her.
“You caused enough trouble already”
Byul was baffled.
“Yong-”
“Leave Moon Byulyi!”
Byul relaxed her fist and huffed.
“Fine, believe your lovely boyfriend.”
She just couldn’t believe Yongsun would believe her stupid-ass, fake boyfriend instead of her. She felt betrayed, like a knife in her back, going straight through her heart. She couldn’t stand Yongsun’s boyfriend’s stupid face, so she left.
Byul turned and headed straight to the door before her tears could start falling down her face. She dashes down the hall to the elevator, ignoring Yongsun calling her name behind her.
Once on the first floor of Yongsun’s apartment complex, Byul took a B-line to the exit, tears streaming down her face.
What Byul doesn’t know is that she passed by Yongsun’s older sister.
-- -- -- --
“Kim Yongsun!,” Yonghee hollers as she steps into the apartment, locking eyes with her younger sister with her boyfriend sitting at the dinner table. “Why is he here?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Yongsun looked at her boyfriend and sighed, ‘why is he even here’
A sudden ping silences the room.
Yong’s boyfriend pulled out his phone and checked it.
He smiles and stood straight up.
“I gotta go, see you.” and just like that he was gone.
A few minutes went by and Yonghee decided to break the silence.
“I don’t get what you see in him,” Yonghee shakes her head as she sat down next to her younger sister.
“I don’t get what I see in him either.”
Yonghee hums, signaling for her younger sister to elaborate.
“I’m tired Unnie,” Yongsun sighed, tired eyes staring at the floors. “I’m tired of this relationship. I don’t feel like I’m even in one. He used to be so caring and loving and now he’s... He's distinct. Honesty, I don’t know what I’m even doing anymore, all I've been doing is pushing everyone I love away for this- jerk.”
Yonghee scooted closer to her sister, rubbing her back slightly.
Yongsun brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. “I messed up Unnie... I- I didn’t mean to push the kids away. I-i didn’t mean to push Byul-ah away either. I just got caught up in the moment and... I yelled at her. God, she must hate me right now.”
“You and Byul-ah have been through a lot with each other, I doubt this would make her hate you,” Yonghee reassured her sister.
“Unnie... at this rate, I don’t even know why I am in this relationship- fuck I just wish he was Byul instead-”
Yongsun covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes glued to the floor.
“Yongsun-” Yonghee started.
Yongsun braced herself for the worst.
She expected her sister to be disgusted or to yell at her but all she got was a soft, breathy laugh from her sister.
“Ah, so you do like her,” Yonghee chuckled. “You know I was waiting till you guys started going out.”
“...You’re not mad?” Yongsun lifted her gaze up to meet her sister’s face. Her eyes were soft, filled with understanding.
“Sunnie, of course, I’m not mad. You must understand that I was rooting for you guys to get together. She treats you better anyways. Unlike...you know.”
The two sisters stayed in comfortable silence until a question flew out of Yonghee’s mouth.
“Wait, if you like Byul, then why did you get into a relationship?”
“I,” Yongsun’s cheek went flush. “W-well I was scared, scared that I was just overthinking mine and Byul’s relationship and so I dated him. Half of it was to figure out whether I liked her- well girls in general or not and... the other half was because I didn’t think Byul-ah would like me back.”
Yonghee burst out into laughter, making Yongsun turn more red.
“I-it’s not funny unnie!” Yongsun squeaks out, softly hitting her sister’s shoulder repeatedly.
“Omo omo, my little sister is so dense. What do you mean you “didn’t think Byul-ah would like me back”? Yong, you must know that the poor girl is head over heels for you. God- this girl has been doing the things your boyfriend should be doing while probably dying inside because of your relationship at the same time.”
Youghee softly patted her younger sister.
“It’s okay to be scared, so don’t rush it... however, Yong, you have to tell her eventually.”
All Yongsun could do was nod.
-- -- -- --
Ring Ring Rin-
“Hello?” Byul’s voice croaked out, still laced with sleep.
She swiped a hand over her tired eyes, groaning slightly as she sat up from her bed. Before she started to complain about the call at an ungodly hour, she heard Yonghee’s voice.
“Byul-ah?” Yonghee called out from the other end of the phone.
“Unnie-? Why are you calling me at- 2:40 am?” Byul asked, extremely concerned.
From all the years she had known Yonghee-unnie, she knew that the older girl is usually in bed by 12 at the latest. So, hearing her voice at 2- well almost 3 am is very alarming.
“Byul-ah can you please come to the small restaurant near Yongsun’s apartment? She had a little too much to drink, and I have to go somewhere urgent-”
‘Ah, Yongsun.’
Byul hasn’t exactly talked to Yongsun since the incident at the apartment. Not because she hated Yongsun- but because she was hurt and needed time to cool down before she says or does something stupid. And before she knew it, it’s been another month or so.
She felt bad for avoiding Yongsun- and knowing the older girl- Yong probably thinks she hated her. God how will she make it up to her-
“Byul-ah?”
“Oh yeah, um I’ll be there in around 5 minutes?” Byul answered leaping out of her bed, before grabbing a random coat.
-- -- -- --
“Byul-ah!” A very annoyed Yonghee yelled from the distance with what seemed like an extremely tipsy Yongsun clinging to her arm. “I’m so glad you can make it--” Yonghee softly pushed her drunk sister into Byul’s arms. “You can have her- I gotta go.”
“mmm... Byul-ah.?” slurs Yongsun as she wraps her arms around Byul’s neck, nuzzling her nose into Byul’s neck.
“Why did you get so drunk?” Byul asked, worry clear in her voice.
“I was bored...” Giggled Yongsun.
“Let's go home... mkay?” Byul whispered, trying to get out of Yongsun’s grasp. Once she got out of the (very warm and comfortable) hug, she came face to face with Yongsun’s cute little pout.
“Did you not like the hug...?” she asks in a small voice.
“No, no it was... nice. I really like it-,” The last part comes out barely audible. “It’s not like I hate it, Yong- we just need to get home,” Byul assured.
Yongsun’s pout went away and instead a bright smile faded onto her lips.
“Come on- you can get on my back,” Byul kneed down.
“Yay piggyback ride!” Yongsun hopped on Byul’s back (knocking some air out of Byul’s lungs) and wrapped her arm around Byul’s neck once again.
Byul’s sighed and chuckled, she forgot how cute and energetic her unnie was when she is drunk.
She stood up and started making her way back to Yongsun’s apartment.
-- -- -- --
“Yong- No don’t get on the bed- You have to wash up first-!” Byul panicked as she watched an extremely drunk Yongsun hopping onto the bed, make-up and all. “Future Yongsun is going to kill me,” Byul groaned, rubbing her temple.
“Yong please?” Byul plea, and to her surprise it worked. Yongsun sat up, although with a (cute) pout.
Byul went over to Yongsun and picked her up koala style, which Yongsun accepted with a nuzzle on her shoulder.
“Omo, you’re so heavy- did you eat a whole watermelon?” Byul teased, earning a hit from Yongsun.
-- -- -- --
“Aigoo,” Byul sighed, after what seemed like an hour of bickering. Who would have known that once you made someone wash up that they would not want to sleep anymore?
But now Byul is sitting on the floor, as her crush? Friend? Is sleeping on the bed- that they once shared.
She was about to enter the realm of unconsciousness when she heard her name being called.
“Byul-ah?”
A deep “Hm?” answered Byul, as she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
“Can you come spoon me-? It’s cold and I feel very lone-”
Before Yongsun could finish, Byul was on the bed spooning her, an arm wrap around her waist.
She felt Byul’s nose nuzzling against the back of her neck and remember how much she misses it.
Yongsun sighed contently, snuggling back into Byul’s front.
A few minutes pass until she heard Byul’s breathing slow down.
Yongsun took a breath and then her feelings came pouring out like a waterfall.
“You don’t know how much I love you...” Yongsun whispered. “I’ve been in love with you long before I got a boyfriend, heck I’ve loved you since our eyes first met. The only reason I got a boyfriend was that I was scared. I was scared that everyone would hate me, for liking girls... For liking you. But most importantly I was afraid- no terrified that if I confessed then you would hate me, you would think I'm fucking disgusting, and you would leave me.”
Now Yongsun was sniffing. “But now I don’t care anymore. I can’t keep pretending that I don’t fucking care about you. Because I care. You’re the world to me. Byul-ah... I love you so fucking much...but I’m still so fucking scared...”
“...So now here I am, confessing when you’re asleep... god I'm such a loser.”
Yongsun now, drained from pouring all her feelings out and still somewhat drunk, drifted off to a deep slumber.
Unbeknownst to the deep sleeper, her best friend was awake this whole time.
Byul, an extremely light sleeper was tired yes, but hasn’t managed to fall asleep completely. Especially with her heart thumping so hard in her chest due to close contact with her crush.
And if she wasn’t awake before, she is wide awake now.
‘Huh-There’s no way she’s still drunk...Is she drunk-? Wait-She loves me-?’
Several emotions flashed through her mind yet the last emotion she settled on was love.
The realization made Byul feel so warm and giddy. For once, finally, life was on her side.
“Haha, you dork... I love you so fucking much too,” Byul mumbled softly into the back of Yongsun’s neck, too overjoyed to keep her excitement in.
-- -- -- --
“Mmgh..” Yongsun woke up, unfortunately. “Ahhh why did I drink so much,” she groans, head pounding. “What even hap-”
Then last night's event came crashing into her like a truck- no it was more like a train.
The whole spooning to the confession... and somewhere in the back of her head-
“Haha, you dork... I love you so fucking much too.” in a very suspiciously similar voice to Byul.
‘…'
‘Wait.’
‘Hold on...’
Now Yongsun was panicking
‘She was awake!? Crap she knows- wait... does she feel the same...? Or was it all a dream...? Am I hallucinating-?’
Yongsun looked over to the other side, but to her disappointment, Byul wasn’t there.
Knock. Knock.
“Who is it,” Yongsun called out, well tried to at least.
“Yonghee, your favorite sister,” Yonghee entered, smiling holding a tray of food.
“Byul made some soup for us, well you, as well as prepared some painkillers. Our poor Byul was here till I came home, I doubt she slept, she looked-.” Yonghee made a worried face as she placed the tray on Yongsun’s bed stand. “I had to force her to go home and get some sleep.”
“Oh?” Yongsun took a sip of soup concerned about how her older sister was describing Byul however sighed delightedly at the taste of the soup. ‘Byul’s cooking is so good... she would be a wonderful girlfriend’
‘…'
Yongsun eyes goes wide at the realization of her thoughts and started coughing.
“Yong. We’ve talked about this. Stop having weird fantasies while we eat.” Yonghee rolled her eyes, slightly disgusted.
Yongsun goes beet red as her sister faked a gag.
-- -- -- --
Byul has been lying in her bed ever since Yonghee forced her home. She hasn’t had a wink of sleep, part of it because she is an extremely light sleeper in an apartment full of noisy neighbors, but the main reason was Yongsun’s confession.
Byul was rejoicing internally but was also doubting what had happened. Fake scenarios run through her mind, like ‘What if she was still drunk and confused?’ or ‘What if it was a dream-?’ or ’What about her boyfriend' .
Byul’s face morphs into disgust at the thought of Yongsun’s boyfriend.
Suddenly her phone exploded with pings.
Yeba Yongdunnie: Good morning
Moon Fart: Good morning unnie, are you feeling better
Yeba Yongdunnie: It’s better now that I’m talking to you
Byul eyed her phone suspiciously. ‘This is unlike Yongsun’
Moon Fart: Aren’t I supposed to be the greasy one, unnie did you hit your head?
A call rang out, with the caller id ‘Yeba Yongdunnie’ in bold.
“Yong-?”
“Byul-ah?” Yongsun's frantic voice rang out from the other line. “Sorry Yonghee-unnie hijacked my phone.”
“Oh,” Byul replied, although a bit disappointed. She was hoping, just a little, that Yongsun was the one that typed it. ‘It’s not like Yongsun liked me- right?’
‘Last night's conversation could have been a dream- right?’
Byul shook her head trying to put the thoughts aside.
“Unnie, did you get to eat the soup yet?” Byul heard a giggling Yonghee in the back and a meek “yes” from Yongsun.
“that’s good-” Byul checked the time, “Alright I’ll be at yours in- 10 minutes?”
“Wait huh-!?” was heard from the other line but Byul give an annoying giggle back to the other girl and ended the call.
Byul got out of her bed and headed to the bathroom to start her day, leaving her phone on the bed with several pings from a certain someone.
-- -- -- --
“Don’t you know the door code?” Yongsun huffed, annoyed but happy that the younger girl came.
“Where is Yonghee-unnie?” Byul looked past Yongsun and couldn’t see any trace of Yonghee.
“She went out, apparently, she needed to run some errands.”
The younger of the two nodded as she entered Yongsun’s apartment stopping in the middle of the living room, leaving a confused Yongsun a few feet behind her.
“Byul-ah?” Yongsun was about to grab Byul’s arm to ask what was wrong until-
“Did you mean it-?” Byul’s voice rang through the room. “What you said last night... did you mean it.?”
Yongsun watches as Byul turns around, her face expressionless, and honestly it scared Yongsun to death.
There’s no running now, Yongsun took a deep breath. It’s now or never, Yongsun took a few steps back, adverting her gaze to the floor.
“...I meant everything I said last night. I’ve been so sick of running away from these feelings Byul-ah-” Yongsun breath hitched, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. “Ever since you showed up at the company as the new graphic designer, I fell deeply in love. From the way your eyes twinkled to the way your nose wrinkled up, I loved it all. I love you to death Byul-”
Before she could add anything more to her (second?) confession, she felt a warm pair of arms around her. A warm pair of Byul’s arms.
Instinctively Yongsun nuzzled into Byul’s neck, smelling the nice fragrance that the other girl always uses.
“I’m glad you love me too,” the younger girl chuckled into Yongsun’s hair. “It would have been a shame if I was the only one that felt this way.”
‘Too? So it wasn’t a dream.’
Yongsun let out a relieved sigh, pulling away from the other girl slightly so they come face to face.
Yongsun watches as Byul’s eyes flicker from her eyes to her lips and back to her eyes.
“If you want a kiss so badly you can just ask,” Yongsun started to lean in- meeting Byul’s finger instead of her lips.
‘Huh?’
“A-as much as I want to kiss you...don’t you still have a boyfriend...” Byul gulped, trying to keep her gaze anywhere but the older girl’s lips.
“Ah. Is that what you’re worried about,” chuckled Yongsun. “We broke up a few months ago after I found out he was cheating.”
“WHAT- the fucking audacity-” Byul was fuming- but calm down instantly when Yongsun gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
“To be honest it was somewhat mutual, we both knew that relationship wasn’t going to last anyways,” Yongsun looked up at Byul, seeing a cheeky grin.
“I guess we’re dating now,” joked Byul, not expecting Yongsun to roughly tug her down.
“Guess so,” whispered the older girl sensually as she begins to lean in again-
Only to be disturbed once again as the two girls heard Yongsun’s door open.
“I’m homeeee,” Yonghee waltzed into the apartment finding her younger sister and Byul standing in the middle of the living room, looking like they just broke a vase of something. “Did I interrupt something?”
“N-NO-” Yongsun stuttered out of annoyance as she dragged a still-blushing Byul, by the hand, to her bedroom.
“Have fun,” Yonghee called out smirking, earning a “Shut up” from her younger sister.
-- -- -- --
Bonus:
“They’re so disgusting,” exclaims Wheein.
“I know right,” Hyejin rolled her eyes.
The two young girls are currently on their break time, but instead of getting food at the food court like they always do, they are currently watching their unnies sleeping in the break room.
Byul was sitting back on the couch, while Yongsun was cuddling up against Byul’s front- like a koala.
“Gosh the fact that they are doing this in public,” Hyejin groaned.
Although the two younger girls were (somewhat) disgusted, they were glad that their unnies could sort out their problems.
“I’m glad they are happy,” Wheein smiled, “Even though it hurts to third wheel.”
“Agree, they’re kinda cute,” giggled Hyejin. “Now we should take pictures so we can blackmail them later.”
“Oh, you’re so right.”