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Seulgi pulled her fluffy blanket tighter across her body as a chilly breeze lightly tousled her chestnut locks. It was a lazy Saturday night and instead of spending it hopping from one club to another with the rest of her friends like she usually did, the fresh university graduate found herself sitting on her lounge chair. She braved the cold nighttime air that her balcony offered, leaving the warm comfort of her apartment, and stared mindlessly at the night sky.
She didn't exactly know what came over her, but instead of saying the expected response when Seungwan said the usual time and place, Seulgi shook her head and said that she wasn't feeling it. Her best friend just regarded her with an odd expression and looked like she wanted to say something else, but she didn't. Seulgi smiled at her thankfully, not in the mood to do anything at all. Thinking back on it now, she felt a surge of gratefulness for her relationship with Seungwan—it was easy and wasn't demanding. Sure, they had their fun and confided in each other, but with that, came the understanding and natural intuitiveness that was hard to find when it came to other people. Their other friends would often drop suggestive remarks when it came to the both of them, but the two would just laugh it off. They once tried to go beyond being the best of friends, seeing how they were so compatible with each other, but all it took was one kiss to know that nothing would come of it. They just didn't have the spark, as people would say.
Her breath fogged up before her as she sighed for the nth time that night, already having an idea on why she wasn't like her normal self. Earlier that day, she strolled around her neighborhood and ended up on a nearby park. She sat on one of the wooden benches which littered the path—the one that was farther than the rest—and decided to people watch, losing track of time as strangers walked past her. As she did that, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Seulgi turned her head to the side and saw something that was otherwise ordinary, but at that particular idle moment, called out to some buried and often ignored part of her. It was a young couple –probably just some college students from the university nearby, nothing too special– who strolled leisurely by, hand in hand and giggling to each other. Something nagged at her then, but she didn't dwell on it and felt too lazy to acknowledge it, so she decided to go back to her building and just lie on her soft bed.
Now, however, she recognized what she refused to think about earlier—she wanted a girlfriend. Someone to talk to without any inhibitions, to bother without any undesirable consequences, to cuddle with after a particularly long day, to talk with about random and mindless things until the wee hours of the morning, to hug whenever she wanted, to kiss freely if she felt like it, and to just lie and relax with on a cold night like that one.
She turned her gaze once again to the night sky and saw an unusual sight—a streak of light swiftly shot past her vision.
It was a shooting star.
Seulgi knew it was probably just her imagination. It's supposed to be impossible to see a shooting star, much less a star, in the light and air pollution of the city. She blinked at the direction where she saw it and shook her head. It's impossible and it most likely was just something her tired brain came up with, but she still made a wish like what all those characters in books and movies did.
I wish for a girlfriend.
Seulgi waited with bated breath for something to happen—a flash of brilliance, wind suddenly gushing, or even a genie or something of that sort to appear. Alas, nothing happened and her lungs begged for oxygen. She then realized how ridiculous she was being and let out the air she withheld, shaking her head once again. She spared one more fleeting glance at the spot where she saw her supposed shooting star before gathering her blanket around her and heading inside. She switched off all the lights and crawled onto her bed, throwing her comforter overhead. Seulgi slowly drifted off to sleep, totally and completely unaware of the unexplainable distortion of air by the foot of her bed—as if there was something hot making the air look weird, like the ones that happened above the roof of a car on a particularly stifling summer day. She was utterly and certainly unaware as the left side of her bed dipped, giving way to an unfamiliar warm weight which settled there decidedly, somehow resulting to Seulgi unconsciously moving closer to it, sighing contentedly in her dreamless sleep.
A couple of things assaulted her senses as Seulgi groggily woke: a certain, indescribable, and pleasant smell drifted to her nose as she inhaled, missing it as she let out the air in her lungs and exhaled. There was a foreign mass on her left side, something soft, and she instinctively burrowed closer to it. And the temperature.
Warm.
It was warm. It was the good kind of warm.
Why was it unusually warm?
In her half-conscious, half-asleep state, Seulgi furrowed her eyebrows and tried to remember the events of the past night. On mornings like that one, the air outside would be too cold for even the hottest setting of her heater, so she wondered if she had covered herself with an extra blanket. A pout formed on her lips as she was sure she left it on the chair by her desk. That's when something else registered in her mind. There was an extra weight on top of her torso which extended to her back. It rose and fell periodically, as if it was an arm which embraced her, the person breathing peacefully in their sleep.
Seulgi opened her eyes with a sudden jolt and was met with the face of what could only be described as an angel.
Or a goddess.
Or an angel goddess. Same thing.
The beauty before her was ethereal—heavenly, undeniably and impeccably gorgeous, stunning, and just so magnificently beautiful.
She simply could not believe her eyes as they traced perfectly smooth and unblemished skin, flawlessly sculpted eyebrows, a dainty nose, and slightly parted, delicate, soft-looking, rosy lips. The unbelievably elegant face was framed by what seemed to be silky smooth hair in a shade that was a tad darker than lavender, and Seulgi itched to reach out and touch it. Then the eyes.
Her gaze flitted to neat and trembling eyelashes, which led to languidly fluttering eyelids, and finally to the most captivating eyes she had ever seen.
Purple just did not suffice as a word to describe the color of those eyes which pulled her in and made her feel like she was in one of those isolated places in the wilderness which one would only see from a wallpaper or a photobook. Seulgi felt like she was staring at a clear, starlit night sky—the universe presented before her very eyes.
Her jaw fell open—either in shock or an attempt to speak, she wasn't certain. Then the angel smiled and Seulgi felt like all the air in her lungs rushed out, as if she was punched on the gut.
"Good morning."
Her voice was soft and melodic, adding to the ever growing list of all the seemingly perfect qualities the seraphic girl before her had.
However, it seemed that the list of truly unexpected things would grow as well.
All thoughts flew out from her head as warm, soft, and moist lips pressed against her own, a hand cradling her face tenderly. Time seemingly stood still until Seulgi was finally functioning enough to sit up and gape at her companion incredulously.
"Wha-what... who?" she garbled idiotically.
The girl made a move to rise and be in the same position as her, but as the covers slid from her skin and tantalizingly revealed more of it, Seulgi immediately pushed her back down and pulled the covers securely around her, their faces merely inches apart.
Determined not to be put in the daze the girl induced from her earlier, Seulgi closed her eyes before speaking.
"Is there anything else on your body besides the sheets?"
"Yes—"
Seulgi's body involuntarily sagged in relief and she opened her eyes—ensured by the fact that she only had a seemingly perfect girl on her bed and not a seemingly perfect and naked one—only to find out that the girl was not yet done speaking.
"You."
Blood rushed to her face and she momentarily felt a bit lightheaded, then Seulgi quickly backed away and headed straight to her closet.
Not a word was spoken since Seulgi came back, handed the girl clothes, and turned around to allow privacy. After a few minutes, Seulgi faced the girl who now looked back at her questioningly. She let a few seconds pass before she made up her mind.
"Follow me."
Silence reigned as they made their way outside and to her balcony, only disturbed by the occasional sound of muted footfalls on the floor and the sliding of the glass door. Seulgi sat on the lounge chair she perched on the past night, leaving the girl standing in front of her with no other place to sit on.
Seulgi sighed and made room for the girl, sitting cross-legged by the top of the chair, before patting the space in front of her. The girl followed and mirrored her position, waiting quietly with a questioning look still on her face.
Allowing a moment of peace before facing the unexplainable situation she found herself in, Seulgi closed her eyes and let her surroundings wash over her other senses: the sound of birds chirping, the occasional crunch of gravel as a car passed by, the warmth of the sun on her skin, and finally the sweet scent of the girl that wafted to her nose, brought on by a light and cool breeze as it blew past her.
She opened her eyes to a sight she was sure she'd never get used to, the sheer perfection of the girl before her too outlandish to see in the normal context of her everyday life.
"What—," she started, as the person before her couldn't possibly be human, but decided to be polite and changed her question. "Who are you?"
The girl flashed her a radiant smile—and Seulgi noted that even her straight teeth were perfect—which knocked the breath out of her and answered, "I'm your girlfriend."
Seulgi's jaw fell open for the second time that morning, yet not a sound came out. Taking the lack of reply as a cue to continue, the girl continued speaking.
"Last night, when you were out here all alone, you saw something like a shooting star, right?"
Too baffled to speak, Seulgi just nodded.
"That wasn't a shooting star, that was me—"
"What?"
"A wish," the girl continued, undeterred by Seulgi's interruption. "Your wish."
Her train of thought stopped right there and then as she now stared at the girl—no, her girlfriend, in a new light.
"You're my girlfriend?"
"That's what I said." The girl in front of her nodded her head in affirmation. "However, you must know this," she paused, looking at Seulgi intently, "you'll only have me for a day."
Another blow.
Seulgi shook her head in mystification at everything that had happened so far. It was all too surreal. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when a finger landed on her mouth to shut her up.
"I know you're feeling perplexed and don't really understand what's going on, but just—" she momentarily stopped as she scooted closer to Seulgi, invading her personal space, and peered upwards at her through thick eyelashes with those enchanting eyes, "let yourself have this, even if just for a day. Let me ease your longing."
The girl proceeded to cradle her face once again, tugging gently to lessen the distance between them, unknowingly igniting a fire within her.
"I'm your wish come true," she said, her breath fanning out on Seulgi's lips. "Don't you want me, Seulgi?"
She replied by closing the small distance left between them and sealing their lips together with a searing kiss. Seulgi felt the girl smile against her mouth as she brought up her hand to finally touch those silky strands she had been itching to feel since the moment she saw them. Her hair felt just as soft as it looked, prompting Seulgi to pull the girl closer to her. She ended up with her back pressed to the chair, the girl on top of her, their lips still connected. Before the heat between them could get any hotter, her girlfriend—an idea she wasn't sure she'd get used to—ended their kiss with a final peck to her lips. Their foreheads still pressed together, the girl smiled.
"We've yet to have breakfast."
Seulgi looked up at her, still caught in a daze.
Another soft kiss to her lips.
"I'm Irene." She then pulled away and flashed another dazzling smile at her. "Please take care of me."
With that, Irene was off and waltzing into her apartment without a trace of hesitation, as if she lived there, leaving Seulgi staring after her with a mixture of wonderment, perplexity, and the unnoticeable beginning of something she has yet to name.
Upon sliding open the glass doors, she was greeted by the mouthwatering aroma of food being cooked in her kitchen. Seulgi walked towards the sound of clanging pans and sizzling, suddenly aware that she was indeed hungry.
The sight of someone else cooking in her kitchen besides her or Seungwan was unusual. Seulgi barely let anyone else except her best friend or family in her apartment, and even that was rare. Often, the two would just order something in when they hung out or in the occasional case that her family would be in town, they'd end up eating outside. Besides, based on smell alone, Seulgi was sure that her cooking was nothing compared to what Irene was cooking.
Irene, she thought. A pretty name for a pretty girl.
Irene.
Her girlfriend.
She was shook out of her thoughts when the purple-haired girl flashed her another brilliant smile and beckoned her to the chair opposite the one she sat on, their breakfast spread out before them.
Just as she thought, the food was amazing and would've knocked her socks off if she wore any, just as everything did when it came to Irene. She studied the girl before her, eating her meal gracefully, and thought of something they could do for the day.
Seulgi looked down to her food in thought and was surprised when she felt a hand on her chin, tilting her head up. She wasn't prepared to see that their faces were once again so close, nor was she prepared when Irene closed the distance between them, her mouth once again coming into contact with her own.
She felt Irene's tongue on the corner of her lips then, licking it swiftly, before separating from her suddenly just as she did when she swooped in.
Irene's lips quirked.
"There was some sauce."
Seulgi stared, befuddled.
"You could have just wiped it with a tissue..."
"Where's the fun in that?" Irene smirked, mirth evident in her eyes. "Besides, I'm your girlfriend, aren't I?"
A challenge, it seemed, one Seulgi wasn't quite ready to take up.
Yet.
"Just," Seulgi sighed in acquiescence, "finish your food."
Irene smiled back at her in triumph.
They continued eating their breakfast in silence, with Seulgi glancing at Irene every now and then, only to find her already looking at her. A blush would spread out on her cheeks every time, causing Irene to grin in amusement.
Seulgi cleared her throat once she was done with her meal and noticed that Irene finished before her. She gestured to the dishes.
"Hand those to me, will you?"
Irene looked at her in surprise.
"No, no, it's fine," she said, already standing up and carrying the plates to the sink. "I'll wash the dishes."
That simply just did not sit well with Seulgi, so she stood and followed after Irene quickly, stopping her by placing a hand on her waist. She tugged gently, turning her body to face her.
"I'll do it," Seulgi declared in a tone ringing of finality. "It's the least I could do for you after that delicious meal."
Irene looked up at her, hesitation evident.
"Go shower then pick out anything you like from my clothes, we're going out later," Seulgi instructed, already wetting the dishes. She noticed Irene still didn't move and looked at her again.
"It's really fine," she said, turning her attention to the task at hand. She then had a thought.
"I'm your girlfriend, aren't I?"
Seulgi smiled in victory when she saw Irene walk towards her room out of the corner of her eye and continued soaping the dishes. However, she didn't see the purple-haired girl absentmindedly draw a hand up to her face, touching her reddened cheeks in wonder.
"Get back here!"
Seulgi halted her skating and looked back. Noticing Irene struggled to keep herself upright, she raced back to the purple-haired girl and grabbed her waist to steady her.
The look on her girlfriend's face was anything but pleased, and she looked just about ready to leave the rink.
"Seulgi, I don't know how to do this!"
So there was at least one thing the seemingly perfect girl wasn't capable of doing.
Instead of replying, Seulgi simply took both of her hands and slowly skated backwards, bringing the indignant girl with her. They stayed like that—Irene holding onto her as if she was her lifeline—until Irene managed to keep up with her and actually move on her own. Little by little, her annoyance faded and it seemed that she was even starting to enjoy herself. Seulgi then slowed her pacing, eventually coming to a stop. She just stood there, enjoying the sight of Irene doing a little fist pump whenever she surpassed someone.
All it took was a small wobble, and Seulgi was suddenly racing across the ice rink, reaching Irene in time before she fell.
The grip on her was a tad too strong, but the smile on Irene's face was bright as she leaned up and kissed Seulgi on the cheek.
"Thank you," Irene mumbled, lips grazing her girlfriend's ear.
Suppressing a shiver, Seulgi replied, "You're welcome."
Irene leaned back and looked at Seulgi in the eyes. "Stay with me?"
Feeling her heart beat uncontrollably in her chest and her throat choked up with a mass of indescribable emotions, Seulgi could only reply, "Of course."
After almost two hours of skating, several hours of going through almost all of the stores in town, and a couple more of hours of just walking aimlessly hand in hand, Seulgi found herself sitting against a tree, too drained and exhausted, while she watched Irene chase a small flock of birds. It seemed that even if she was in a human form, Irene did not get tired and had an endless amount of energy.
Instead of dwelling too much on the mystery that is her girlfriend, she mulled over the earlier events of the day. To say that she merely had fun was an understatement—what she felt when she was with Irene, no other word could describe it except that it made her feel alive, as if she was woken up from a daze which she thought was life. Irene was—is—perfect, and what she'd do or how she'd feel when the day ends and everything goes back to how it was before—a life without Irene in it—was something she didn't know.
Seulgi's fist clenched in anger—how did all of this even make any sense? It's all too cruel, to be given a glimpse of the sun after a life of darkness, only for it to be taken away like it never happened in the first place. She didn't know what was better—to live the rest of her life knowing that she already had what she was looking for only to lose it, or to live life knowing that she's missing something, but not knowing what it is.
Both of them sucks, she thought.
A pebble skidded towards her, stopping her from dwelling on the fact that she only has Irene for a day. Seulgi looked up and saw her girlfriend with an arm outstretched, purple eyes twinkling beautifully. She grabbed the offered hand and pulled herself up so that her face was at level with Irene's.
Well, I better make the most out of it.
She kissed Irene right then and there, not minding others who might have seen them. It's not like she minded them earlier when walking down the streets, Irene's hand always linked with hers. She felt them looking though, but whether it was their joined hands or her girlfriend's otherworldy beauty that made them look was something that she could care less about.
"What was that for?" Irene asked.
"I just felt like it." Seulgi smiled. "Come on, I know the best place to watch the sunset."
Once again, their hands are linked, but this time Seulgi held Irene's a hand a little bit tighter, as if she was her lifeline.
They were back to her apartment and Seulgi was in the position she was in the previous night, looking at the evening sky, except that she didn't need to look for any star. There was one just beside her. She turned her head to the right and looked at the girl cradled in her arms.
"Are you cold?" she asked softly.
"No," Irene answered, voice muffled due to her head tucked under Seulgi's chin. "You're very comfy."
Seulgi just hummed, not wanting to really do anything but just lie in peace beside Irene.
A few more moments of silence pass, with them in each other's arms.
When Seulgi felt Irene take a deep breath, she braced herself for what she knew was inevitable.
"Seulgi," Irene began. "You know I have to leave soon."
All Seulgi did in reply was tighten her arms around Irene.
"I'm sorry I have to do this to you."
Seulgi didn't dare to say a word, knowing that if she did, her feeble hold on her emotions would break.
"You did get what you wished for though," Irene hesitated, doubt coloring her tone, "...right?"
"Yes," Seulgi's heart started crumbling to pieces, but she answered anyway. "You."
More silence, but she couldn't help it anymore and a broken whine managed to slip past her lips. "I just don't understand..."
Seulgi trailed off, caught between knowing and not knowing what she didn't understand. Irene did say that she'll only be with her for a day, and she knew that. What didn't she understand? Was it how attached she already is to Irene even if she only met her that morning? Was it how Irene already had a place in her heart, as if she was already there from the start? Was it why something so beautiful, so perfect has to be taken away from her? Was it why she accepted Irene, even though she knew she would get hurt in the end?
She felt a tear fall from her eyes and trail downward, dropping on Irene's head, causing the smaller girl to look up and tenderly hold her cheek. "It's the way the universe works."
"Screw the universe," Seulgi muttered.
"I'm sorry," Irene repeated before taking Seulgi's lips with her own.
It wasn't merely a meeting of lips, rather, the kiss was all the things they wanted to say but couldn't. Seulgi poured all she felt in it—her anger, frustration, desperation, longing, her need of Irene—and what she got in return was tenderness, care, and an overwhelming plea of forgiveness that hurt so, so much she couldn't bear it.
Seulgi broke away, tears streaming down her face, to look at Irene's eyes and saw that what was once the clear, starlit night sky was now clouded with regret and raining with sorrow. Still, Irene managed a smile and stood up, bringing Seulgi with her.
"Let's get you to bed, alright?"
They shuffled inside slowly, trying to prolong their time with each other. Irene reached the bed first and lay on it, patting the space beside her. Seulgi sluggishly followed and immediately wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.
"Sleep, Seulgi," Irene whispered as she stroked the sniffling girl's hair.
Resigned, Seulgi did what she was told. Some part of her wished for a miracle, but receiving another miracle after already getting one sounded impossible. Or maybe that's the point of miracles. Who even gave miracles? What is the limit of getting them? Is there even a limit?
As those thoughts ran through her head, she teetered on the edge and finally fell asleep, not realizing Irene kissed her one last time, leaving a hint of a promise.
Waking up after an amazing dream is very hard to do, especially if it's a dream that one would rather live in. But Seulgi was already conscious and it wasn't warm, and she didn't think it possible, but her already broken heart broke further and she felt it as it pulverized.
She opened her eyes and sat up, suddenly determined to go out and do something so that her mind is occupied and she forgets. Everything looked the same as before—the same as a time in which she didn't know Irene existed—and she found herself wondering if it was all just a dream her mind came up with to make her feel less lonely.
After dressing in comfortable clothes, Seulgi decided to walk to that park she went to the other day since the thought of staying alone in her apartment wasn't bearable. She sat on the same bench and tilted her head to the sky, trying to find peace in nature, then closed her eyes. The birds still chirped, cars passed by, the early morning sun shone on her, and a light, cool breeze blew past, letting some wayward strands of hair dance in the air. Seulgi didn't know how long she stayed like that and didn't mind what the people who passed by thought, but the sound of gravel crunching this time grew stronger, as if whoever it was came towards her. Still, her eyes remained closed, not wanting to disturb the semblance of peace she had found. It's when the light behind her eyelids get dim that she opened her eyes and saw someone standing before her.
There stood a girl with the same heartbreakingly beautiful face, smiling down on her, but there was something different—her hair was the wrong color and it was now a shade lighter than Seulgi's own hair. Seulgi's jaw dropped open and something that's caught between a scoff and a choke came out, because seriously, was this some sort of joke? But when their eyes met and she saw a brief flash of the universe before it faded into brown, Seulgi felt her heart beat uncontrollably again and she knew—when you wish upon a star, dreams do come true, after all.