Archive of Our Own

The first time it happens, it’s an accident. Joohyun is in the middle of setting up her wine and Netflix for a very comfortable Friday night when her phone rings, and it flashes a picture of her and her best friend. It’s not uncommon for her to call out of the blue, especially on weekends, so Joohyun really has no expectations when she answers the phone with a, “Hey Seulgi, what’s up?”

But instead of her best friend, all she hears are utensils scraping against plates, loud boisterous laughter, someone calling for a waiter and different people just chatting away.

She’s about to end the call when suddenly, “Unnie! Why’d you call?”

Joohyun’s brows furrow together, “I didn’t call, you did.” 

She hears the scraping of the chair against the floor and Seulgi’s soft voice, addressing someone else, “Oh- excuse me, I need to take this.”

The voice that responds seems sweet enough, “No, it’s fine, go ahead.” 

“Unnie, you still there? Sorry, I didn’t realize I called accidentally.” 

“It’s fine, where are you anyway?” 

“Uh… I’m on a date.” 

“Yah! And you’re talking to me?! Go back and be with your date, Kang Seulgi!” 

Seulgi sighs, “But… what if… I don’t want to…? She’s a great girl, and she’s super nice… but she’s so boring, unnie. I have nothing to talk about with her! She’s talking about stocks! I don’t know anything about that, and she has no hobbies- I just want the date to end.” 

“Then end it? Maybe, eat faster? Then get her a cab home.” 

Seulgi’s sigh then turns into an overdramatic groan and Joohyun has to suppress the smile that’s forming on her face, already imagining Seulgi pinching the bridge of her nose, “She eats so slow, unnie. Soooooo slow. I’ve seen turtles eat faster than her! I just- I want to go home.” 

It’s an offhand comment more than anything and Joohyun isn’t really thinking when she says, “Then say you have an emergency, pay for the meal, and go home.” 

There’s a beat of silence, Seulgi makes the sound of kissing into her phone, “Unnie, you’re a genius!” and Joohyun doesn’t even have a chance to respond when the line is cut after a hurried, “Bye, see you!” 

“I-“ 

And sure, Joohyun could worry about Seulgi but Seulgi is an adult and she’s sure she’ll be fine. Her best friend will either chicken out and go through with the entire date or… well, she hopes her best friend will just eat faster instead of following her dumb spur-of-the-moment-not-really-thought-out advice. She settles in, her blanket draped over her shoulders and she presses play after raising her glass of white wine as a silent wish of luck for her best friend. 

She’s only a couple of minutes into the movie, the leads having just had their meet-cute moment, when her doorbell rings and outside stands Kang Seulgi, a plastic bag of who-knows-what, and a huge smile on her face. “I did it!” 

“You did it?! What did you say? What did she say?!” Joohyun asks, trying her best not to shriek in surprise as she drags her friend inside.

“I just said you called cause you caught your girlfriend cheating on you and I said I never heard you cry that much before so I was really worried and needed to go ASAP. She said ‘no worries’ and hopes you’re okay.” Seulgi shrugs, more focused on revealing the contents of her plastic bag than anything else. “I got sushi by the way! Yeah, I ate already, but lying makes me nervous and-“ 

“You get hungry when you’re nervous, I know, I know. Did you bring any for me?” 

“Course I did, unnie! Anyway, what are you watching for Joohyun’s Night of Self-love?” 

“Don’t call it that, it’s weird when you call it that.” 

Seulgi snorts and plops herself on the couch, “Come on, unnie, it’s only 9pm, we’ve still got a lot of time to enjoy our Friday night.”

Joohyun honestly thought it would be a one-time thing. Seulgi is very personable and she gets along well with people, even if they’ve just met, so when it happens two weeks later, Joohyun thinks it’s just Seulgi’s natural bad luck coming into play. But then it happens at least six other times and now, Joohyun is left expecting Seulgi to call her when she’s out on a date.

“What movie do you wanna watch?” Seungwan asks, her feet on the coffee table, her gaze focused on Netflix’ wide selection. 

“Anything you want.”

“Really? Even like… The Kissing Booth?” Joohyun gives a non-committal hum that gets the younger woman’s attention, “Are you okay?” 

“Uh, yeah.” 

“Why are you gripping your phone like that?” 

Joohyun looks down at her knuckles pale from how hard she was holding her device. “I didn’t even notice-“ and like clockwork, she sees the empty text message that Seulgi has managed to send and dials her best friend’s number right away. 

“Mom? What’s up?” Seulgi says, and Joohyun can’t help but think that somehow, Seulgi’s gotten better at acting (or lying). 

“Doing the mom routine again?” 

“Oh no, is everything okay?” This time, Joohyun snorts and takes it back, Seulgi is now a bit too dramatic for her taste but Seulgi is cute anyway and her date probably won’t notice. 

“Wannie is here by the way.” 

“Okay, okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Are you home?” 

Joohyun rolls her eyes, “Where else would I be?” 

“Give me 20 minutes tops! Listen, I’m so sorry-” and the line gets cut. 

As expected, Seungwan is practically gawking at her, and before she can even ask, Joohyun says, “Give it half an hour and it’ll make sense… then I’ll let you judge me tomorrow.” 

It takes Seulgi a little bit longer, she arrives in 42 minutes, (and no, Joohyun wasn’t counting, it just says 00:42:23 when they pressed pause on the movie and shut up, Joohyun is not defensive) and Seungwan understands instantly. She shoots Joohyun an extremely judgmental look as Seulgi enters but it’s momentarily forgotten when Seulgi offers her a slice of pizza and a case of beer as a greeting. 

Seungwan does remember though when Seulgi tries to force herself between them and claim a spot on the couch, “Seulgi! Move! Why are you even here! Shouldn’t you be on a date!” she shrieks, kicking Seulgi’s butt and sending her to sit on the floor. 

“I was on a date. Now, I’m here. It’s more fun here.” Seulgi says, and then she pouts, though it’s clearly more about having to sit on the floor than being called out on ditching her date.

“What’s wrong with your date this time?” Joohyun asks.

“He kept burping and every burp smells like blue cheese.” 

Seungwan laughs, “Okay, fine, valid. Now please, shut up and let’s watch the movie.”

“Okay, it’s tomorrow, now I get to judge you.” Seungwan says accepting the coffee that Joohyun slides her way, hoping that it’ll lessen the judgment.  “And don’t think this is going to make me go easy on you, unnie.”

“Well, can’t say I didn’t try,” Joohyun shrugs, “But do note that I also let you stay over last night and treated you to dinner before that.” 

Seungwan squints, “Fine, I’ll be nice.” 

“Thank you, now, shoot.” 

“Unnie. You. Are. An. Idiot!” 

“This is you being nice?!?” Joohyun asks, smacking Seungwan on the arm.

“OW! And yeah! Do you want the mean version? I can be meaner if I wanted to.” 

“Fine, fine, just get on with it.” 

“I can’t believe you, of all people, are condoning Seulgi lying. One, because she sucks at it and two, because don’t her dates deserve the truth? Or you know, a good date?? How would you feel if you went on a date with someone and you were having a good time and they just up and left?” 

“Bad…?” 

“Yes, bad! Not to mention it gives them hope that hey, maybe she likes me. It’s just really bad timing right now and then Seulgi has gotten into a bigger mess.” 

“Okay, okay. Listen, Wan, I know you have a point. And you’re right. It’s not fair to those people she goes on dates with. But it’s so hard for me to say no to her especially when she’s obviously having more fun here than out on dates. Like did you see her last night? She was so happy and comfy and I don’t want to ruin that for her too.” 

“Then do something about it.” 

Joohyun sighs, placing her mug of coffee down, “Okay, okay, I guess I should tell her to stop lying.” 

“And…?” 

“And what?”

“Is that all you’re going to tell her?” 

“Uh… yes…?”

“You’re not gonna tell her you’re in love with her?” 

It’s truly a good thing that Joohyun isn’t drinking or she would have choked with how hard she’s laughing at Seungwan’s words. “I’m not in love with her! It’s just a bad habit we’ve developed and now we’re going to stop it. Relax, Seungwan. I know you overthink and analyze things but that’s not what’s going on here.” 

Seungwan mumbles, “I hate you so much.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll try to talk to Seulgi about it.” Joohyun says, already feeling a bit lighter, “You’re so silly, Wannie. I’m not in love with her.” 

Joohyun does as promised. 

She talks to Seulgi. Seulgi listens. 

Seulgi realizes that yes, what they were doing isn’t very nice and they agree not to do it again. 

See. Good talk. Productive. 

And then two things happen. 

One. Seulgi no longer cuts her dates short just to hang out with Joohyun. She just… goes to Joohyun as soon as the dates end. Which should be fine, they’re not lying or hurting anyone and Seulgi’s mood is always better by the time she heads home because for some reason, every single date is still a major flop. 

But well, that leads us to number two. Joohyun may be, possibly, a tiny bit, very very tiny, even smaller than her pinky nail, in love with Seulgi. 

And god! It’s so dumb how she realized it too. Seulgi was talking about this girl she went on a date with that was funny, and pretty and Joohyun’s insides felt like they were on fire. When Seulgi kept talking about how she wished this one would work out cause they were actually hitting it off and “Joohyun unnie, she was so pretty, like model pretty!” Joohyun felt her stomach drop to her feet. But when Seulgi said that the girl was only looking for a hook-up that Seulgi herself wasn’t interested in, suddenly Joohyun felt so relieved and a weight lifted off her chest.

In the moment, she thought it was just the alcohol, Seulgi bringing in something other than beer or wine having an adverse effect on her. But then the movie plays and she sees the female lead get all irritated that the male lead has a pretty and hot new coworker and it dawns on her: that’s her. She’s jealous. And that made her want to throw up even more. 

And at first, Joohyun figured, it’s not even that much of a problem, it’s so small she can just shove it in a box and hide it away. But it turns out, it’s more of a princess and a pea sort of situation. It’s so small but you can still feel it. (Okay, Joohyun has not read the book in what, two decades? So she has no idea what it’s actually about but she figures it seems accurate enough.)

And what does she do? Tell Seungwan? And give her the satisfaction of being right? Hell no.

Sooyoung? No, she’ll tell Seungwan.  

Yerim? No way. That’s worse than telling Seungwan and Sooyoung at the same time! 

Jennie? That woman will be waaaaay too excited, someone will question her excitement and if it’s any of her close friends she’ll tell them the reason, then they’ll be excited too and the chain won’t end and Seulgi will find out within an hour, guaranteed. 

Yongsun? Yeah, she can keep a secret but Byulyi will most probably be nearby eavesdropping out of habit and yeah, just no.

Tell Seulgi? HA! Definitely not. 

So, she keeps it to herself. And that leads her to right now, a little past 11pm on a Saturday night, her phone ringing with a call from her best friend. 

Usually, she’d answer within seconds. But now, she just watches the screen flash until it fades back into black. 

She feels guilty after the fourth missed call, but instead she hides herself under the blanket and forces herself to go to bed. 

She’s still tossing and turning when she hears the door to her apartment open, followed by the soft pad of footsteps. Then, a knock on her door, “Unnie, are you okay?” 

“Seul?”

The door opens and Seulgi sits at the edge of her bed, placing her hand on Joohyun’s forehead, “You’re not warm, at least. Are you okay?” 

“What are you doing here?” 

“You always answer your phone unless you’re in a meeting or sick. And since it’s a Saturday, I figured it was the latter. I got some basic meds, but I can always go out and get some more. Have you eaten anything?” 

Damn Kang Seulgi and knowing her so well and her caring nature.

But Joohyun is weak and a little bit in love, so when she says it’s just a migraine and Seulgi still insists on staying, she lets herself be taken care of. The lights are off, the only light coming from the hallway outside and Seulgi sits on the floor across her bed, her legs tucked in close to her, allowing Joohyun to just lay down on her side as they talk.

“How was the date?” Joohyun asks, ripping out the bandaid so that she can spend the rest of the night enjoying Seulgi’s attention. 

“I didn’t have one today.” 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, I’m just a bit tired of it… but I missed you today so I called. Sorry it was so late.” 

“S’okay. I’m glad you’re here now.”

Seulgi lifts her head up and smiles, “Yeah, me too.”

The silence stretches over them, and not only is it comfortable, but it’s comforting, something about Seulgi’s presence keeping her calm despite the weight of her affections for the other woman. It’s like Seulgi is holding her steady just by being there, watching over her.

After a while, Seulgi says, “Unnie, can I ask you something?” 

“Of course,” Joohyun says, slowly sitting up, mirroring Seulgi’s position.

“No, no! Your head! You can lay back down!”

“I’m fine, Seul. This seems important anyway,” Joohyun pats her bed, “Come here.” 

Seulgi does as she’s told and sits across from her. “Okay… I just… It’s just… is there something wrong with me?” 

“What?! Of course not! Why would you think that?” 

“I’ve gone on all these dates, and yet, nothing seems to click. I’ve met so many people… but it never seems to work out. When we talk on the app or whatever, it’s fine, but in person, something is always… off. And when I think I do like them, they don’t seem to want the same thing. I dunno… it’s just… what’s wrong with me?” 

If Joohyun were desperate, she’d go on a full, “OPEN YOUR EYES, KANG SEULGI. PICK ME. CHOOSE ME. LOVE ME.” speech. (She and Yerim are doing a Grey’s Anatomy binge, okay, sue her. Also, how the hell is it still ongoing? But, whatever.) But because she is not desperate, she gives Seulgi an honest answer. “I don’t think anything is wrong with you per se, but I do think that you have the tendency to look for something wrong instead of focusing on what’s right. I’m not saying that you have to settle, I’m just saying it’s the first date, and you can’t fully judge someone based on the first date, right?”

“I know you’re right… but it’s just… okay, when you and I first met, we didn’t get along in the first ten minutes-“ 

“That’s because you accused me of stealing your drink, then proceeded to spill said drink on me-“ 

“I was drunk, it was an accident and I apologized! But you see, after that, we hit it off instantly! And I don’t know why I can’t seem to click with someone in the same way.” 

The urge to spout the cheesy Grey’s Anatomy line grows ever stronger within Joohyun, and though she is still a badass who can keep her emotions in check, she is also a dumbass who just likes torturing herself more. “Is there anyone, out of all the people you’ve gone on dates with, that you could give a second chance to? What about the one that wanted a fling? Maybe you could change her mind? You said the date was fun, right? Maybe you should give her another chance.”

“I… I guess. I dunno. I’ll have to think about it. But thanks for the advice, unnie.” 

Joohyun reaches forward to squeeze Seulgi’s hand, “You’re amazing, Seulgi. You’ll find someone, I’m sure.”

Seulgi squeezes her hand back, and Joohyun really needs to swat those damn butterflies herself. “Thanks, unnie. But you know, I’ve also been meaning to ask. Why aren’t you dating?” 

“Me?” 

“Yeah! You’re a catch! If you were on Tinder or something, people would be falling over themselves in hopes you’d swipe right on them!” 

“It’s not that I don’t want to date. It’s just that… I know what I want. And what I want…” Joohyun pauses, trying to figure out the best way to say that the object of her affections is her best friend who is looking for love in all the wrong places instead of literally right in front of her without alerting said best friend.  But instead she settles with, “...well, I guess they aren’t ready yet.”

“Wait, wait, wait. You like someone? Who? Why didn’t you tell me? You could have been going out on dates with them instead of hanging out with me all the time! Do I know them? Are they nice? How can they not like you back- It doesn’t make sense-” 

“I’m not ready to tell you yet, if that’s okay. I haven’t told anyone else either.” 

“Oh. Well, then that’s okay! Take your time, unnie! I want to hear all about it though when you’re ready. Oh, oh! What’s your ideal date like?” And sure, there’s a little twist in Joohyun’s heart seeing Seulgi excited for her at the idea of her being with someone else, but Seulgi is such a romantic and an extra cute one at that, that she can ignore it. 

“Is it lame if I say I don’t want to go out?”

Seulgi swats at Joohyun’s hand, “YES! Incredibly lame! You can spend all the time indoors when you’re already comfy with each other, but for your first date, it has to be special! What would you want to do?” 

Joohyun thinks to herself, “That’s because I’m already comfortable with you, you idiot.” But she simply shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know, I don’t think I’m picky, I just want to be with them. Whatever they want to do, I’m fine with it. What about you?” 

“The aquarium!” Seulgi answers, and it’s clear the younger woman has thought of it before as she absolutely lights up at the question, and damn Joohyun’s heart for thinking it is absolutely adorable. “But not a first date, because it has to be special and I can’t tell if they’re special if it’s the first date. But anyway. Yeah. The aquarium! Because even if there’s a lot of people, there’s an air of excitement but not too overwhelming or hot like an amusement park. Plus, it’s all the wonders of underwater without getting wet! Oh, and you know my friend Jinsol works there right? So I could ask her for some help ahead of time so I look smarter and can impress them. Plus, there’s a restaurant there too! The one where it’s basically under a glass dome and you can see all the fish swimming by. It’s very intimate. I’d really like that.”

And damn Joohyun’s mind for suddenly imagining the entire thing. Her and Seulgi, walking around the aquarium, Seulgi pretending to know what they’re talking about, possibly while holding hands. Then they can cap it off with dinner together with the reflection of the water just adding to Seulgi's beauty. Yeah, that would be nice. She doesn’t realize that she’s been smiling, the idea of her and Seulgi in the aquarium causing her cheeks to heat up. She only realizes what she’s been doing when she hears Seulgi mutter something under her breath and she blinks as she realizes her best friend was staring at her. “Sorry, what were you saying?” 

“N-nothing.” Seulgi shakes her head, “I was just saying that I hope you get to be with whoever you like soon. And you’ve got to go out there and get them, unnie! You can’t spend time with them if you’re always stuck at home, you know.” 

Joohyun is pulled back down to earth. Right. Spending time with someone other than Seulgi. Because Seulgi is looking for someone else. Not her. But god does Joohyun mean it when she says, “Yeah, I hope I can be with them too.”  

Joohyun should stop giving Seulgi advice. 

Why did she even give that advice in the first place? Why did she say, “Maybe you should give them another chance.”? Why didn’t she just say, “Take a step back.”? Or maybe even, “Look around, you’ve got a lot of single friends who aren’t horrible to look at and are decent human beings who you enjoy spending time with and who love you and to be specific, I mean me, if it’s not clear.” Why is she an idiot? 

Also, why the hell does Seulgi keep following her advice? 

Seulgi was not this obedient when Joohyun told her to stop cracking her knuckles. Or when Joohyun tells her that she does not need another can of beer when she can barely stand. Or to not rub wasabi on her tongue on a dumb dare. 

But this??? This is the advice she listens to?? Why????

If Joohyun did not love her hair so much (and if it were not so sensitive) she would’ve already pulled it all out due to the stress of crushing on? Liking? Loving? one Kang Seulgi. 

You see, it’s been a little over a month since that night Joohyun feigned sickness and Seulgi came over to take care of her. Within that time, Seulgi did in fact give the other girl - yes, Joohyun knows her name, but also, yes, she is petty and will not be saying the name out loud, even in her head - a chance and they’ve now been on four dates. YES. FOUR. F-O-U-R. Dates. Maybe even five if you consider the fact that Seulgi hasn’t contacted any of them tonight.

And she can’t even be fully mad that Seulgi listened to her because Seulgi looks so damn happy in the pictures she posts on social media and she just wants Seulgi to be happy but maybe she’s more mad at herself for not doing anything but again, Seulgi is happy but-

“Unnie!” Seungwan calls out, thankfully stopping Joohyun’s internal spiral from getting any worse.

“I- Sorry, Wan.” Joohyun says before she realizes that her pants are wet. “I- uh- what-”

Seungwan hands her a bunch of paper towels with a sigh. “Please don’t squeeze your can of beer like that again. You’re lucky it spilled on your jeans instead of the carpet. Do you know how expensive dry cleaning is??” 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Wan. My head was somewhere else.” 

“Clearly.” Seungwan huffs before taking a seat on the couch and inviting Joohyun to join her. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Does Joohyun want to talk about it? No. Should she talk about it? Probably. So Joohyun tries, but for some reason, the words don’t come out. “It’s- I’m-”

“Is it work? Did that jerk try to steal your work again?” Seungwan offers.

Joohyun shakes her head. “No, that’s solved already.” 

“Is it your family? Are your parents okay?” 

“They’re fine.” 

“Is it…” Seungwan asks, slowly reaching for Joohyun’s arm, as if she’s afraid Joohyun will run out of her apartment at the question. “Seulgi?”

A small nod in response. 

“Is it cause… she’s been seeing that girl for almost a month now?”

Another nod. 

“And that… you’re jealous and finally realize you have feelings for Seulgi?” 

Joohyun feels the blood drain from her hands, with Seungwan saying it out loud, it suddenly feels even more real. Because it’s no longer just her in her little bubble thinking these thoughts. Thoughts that she can shove away or deny exist. Now, with Seungwan saying it out loud, with Seungwan seeing her struggle, and knowing why she’s struggling, it feels like everything has been confirmed. She really is in love with Seulgi. She really is jealous. She really just let Seulgi go. She really just missed her chance. Maybe for good. 

It’s only when she feels Seungwan crushing her in a hug does she realize that she’s been crying. And when Seungwan says, “It’ll be okay. At least you know now, right? I’m sure you haven’t missed your chance yet completely, unnie. It’s okay,” does she realize she said all those words out loud.

Joohyun doesn’t cry for long. She’s not like that. At least not in front of others anyway. She just squeezes Seungwan back tightly, wipes away the tears, and accepts the glass of water that’s handed to her. Then, when her heart stops racing, Seungwan asks, “Hey unnie, you really love her, don’t you?” 

“I do, and I’m so stupid. I pushed her away, Wannie. But the truth is, what else could I do? She keeps looking for love somewhere else, on that stupid dumb app. She doesn’t see me and she never will.” 

The younger woman sighs, “Do you want comfort or do you want advice?” 

“If you’re asking if you can call me an idiot again, you can.” 

“Unnie, you’re not an idiot. Feelings… especially with friends are different. I get you. I get that you feel Seulgi is never going to see you in that light, or never even going to consider you that way. But at the same time, Seulgi is not a mind reader. How is she supposed to know what you feel if you never tell her? Or you know, you never even show her? You don’t give her any hints that she’s special to you, other than as a best friend. She won’t know if you don’t do anything.”

“But who am I to just insert myself? Isn’t it selfish of me to suddenly start showing my affections or if I just confess to her out of the blue? When she’s happy?” 

“It is selfish,” Seungwan shrugs, “But sometimes you have to be selfish to get what you want. Besides, I’m not saying confess now. Maybe give a little hint or something? Just to plant the seed in Seulgi’s mind to look at you differently. And if you decide to tell her everything, I’m sure we both know Seulgi enough to know you’re not going to lose your best friend.” 

“But-” 

“It’s not going to be easy, unnie. But if you’re willing to take the risk, you might be surprised at what you find. Okay? I always thought Sooyoung just thought of me as a friend, but if I didn’t confess, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Joohyun nods, this time, her turn to crush Seungwan into a hug. “Thanks, Wannie.” 

“Of course, unnie. Also,” Seungwan smirks as she pulls away, “I knew you liked Seulgi.” 

She smacks her friend with a pillow, causing the younger girl to yelp. “What, it’s true!! I’m right!! You’re so whipped for her!!” 

Joohyun raises the pillow ready to strike again when her phone rings, Seulgi’s face appearing on the screen. Seungwan sighs in relief as she answers the phone. 

“Hey Seul!” Joohyun says into the phone as brightly as she can, trying her best not to show that she literally just shed tears for the girl.

“Unnie, where are you?” 

“Seungwan’s.”

“Oh. Okay.” Joohyun hears the way Seulgi’s voice drops in tone, and she can feel her own heart clench. 

“Seulgi, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Joohyun asks. And thank god for Seungwan whose head perks up at the question, already understanding what Joohyun wants and runs to get her belongings that she left by the dining room table. 

“I- uh- I-I don’t know.” 

“Where are you?” 

“Just walking around…” 

“Where?” 

“By the park near Yerim’s apartment.” 

Joohyun is already slipping on her shoes and mouthing a thank you as Seungwan opens the door for her. “I’ll be there soon- give me ten minutes tops-”

“But Seung-”

“Wait for me, yeah?” 

“Of course, unnie.” 

Joohyun decides to run. 

Sure, technically, she could take the bus and just ride the two stops to Yerim’s apartment but honestly, her body physically can’t do it. She can’t wait for the bus to arrive or stand in the bus knowing that Seulgi is alone and probably not okay. She can’t just stand by while something is bothering or even hurting Seulgi. She lets her legs lead her, and she finds Seulgi easily, sitting on a bench hidden from most of the late night park goers. (Joohyun tries - forces - herself not to think about how easy it was to find Seulgi, as if her heart knew where she was, because yeah, Joohyun may be slowly becoming a sap, but she’s not fully at that point yet.)

She expects to see Seulgi crying. Something about her voice on the phone just seemed so lost and broken… and it hit Joohyun right in the chest how she never wanted to hear Seulgi that way again. So, she’s a little surprised when she calls out to Seulgi, sitting on a park bench eating bread, and she gets a smile back in greeting. 

(Her stomach does a flip at the smile, but damn it, not now gay side of Joohyun.) 

“Seulgi? Are you okay?” Joohyun asks as she takes a seat. 

“I am now.”

“Is it the bread? That good, huh?” 

Seulgi rolls her eyes before giving Joohyun another smile, “No, it’s because you’re here.”

(And damn it, Seulgi, so much for keeping the gay side down.)

“Shut up.” Joohyun replies, playfully shoving the younger girl. “But I’m serious. Are you okay? What happened?” 

“I ended things.” 

“What? Why??”

“It was fun and she’s nice… but I don’t know, unnie. It felt off from the moment we saw each other again… and I thought if I went on more dates it’d be better and I’d feel like I was doing the right thing. And… Every time I posted our dates it was like I was trying to convince myself that I was happy, that this is what I wanted. But I didn’t.” 

“So what do you want?” 

“I don’t know. I really don’t. Maybe it’s about time I give up. Maybe, I don’t know. Maybe I’m not meant for love.”

“That’s not true, don’t say that!” Joohyun snaps.

“Unnie?” 

“Of course you deserve love. Everyone does. Especially you. You are one of the best and loveliest people I know, Seulgi.”

“Then how come I can’t seem to find it?”

They lock eyes for a moment and inside of her, Joohyun’s heart shouts, “Maybe you’re not looking in the right places. Maybe you should look at the person seated right next to you.” Her heart shouts at her to confess. To be selfish. But the more she looks at Seulgi, the more she feels she can’t do it. Not because she’s afraid, but because she knows Seulgi deserves more than a rushed confession. And also, because Seulgi, out of all people, deserves to know she is loved no matter what. 

“Whether you’re in a romantic relationship or not, you are loved, Seulgi. I know it’s different… but I hope you believe that it still counts too. You deserve love. You are meant for love. The best type of love. I don’t know why it didn’t work with anyone else, but maybe this way, you can look forward to who it will work out with.” 

“Unnie, I’m sorry, you lost me.” 

“Not everyone was horrible, right? You did have some good dates, it just felt off. You met good people. And maybe it didn’t work out because you don’t just deserve a good partner, Seulgi, you deserve the best.” 

“Unnie…” 

Joohyun reaches for both of Seulgi’s hands, “They don’t deserve you. All of them. Seulgi, I have known you for eight years now. And I know you. I know how talented, kind, sweet, humble, and great a person you are. Maybe it doesn’t work with them because the one that’s right for you is going to be so so sooooo much better.” 

“It feels like you’re talking about someone that doesn’t exist.” 

The urge to confess creeps up again but no, now it isn’t the time. Not with Seulgi like this. So instead, Joohyun just says, “Try one more time.” 

“What?” 

“Come on, just one more. Next Saturday. One last date.” 

“Unnie, I don’t know…” 

“Just, trust me. One more chance? And if it doesn’t work out, you and I can be single together for the rest of our lives and I’ll even let you adopt a cat or something.” 

“But-” 

“Come on, who knows you as much as yourself? Or maybe even better?” 

“You?” 

“Exactly! So, give it one more chance, Seulgi. I’ll find someone you’ll love.” 

Seulgi is quiet for a moment, then after what feels like an eternity she finally smiles, “Okay, unnie.” 

Seulgi doesn’t know what to feel. 

On one hand, she feels confused. Well, that’s just her general state the past few weeks to be honest, which did lead to her most recent “break-up” of sorts. She also feels tired. Tired of putting herself out there to not get anything in return. Tired of waiting for a spark that’ll never come.

And she also feels incredibly nervous. Joohyun didn’t give her any details about today’s date, she just told her to be ready before 10:30am. First of all, that’s sooooo early. Second of all, who goes on dates so early in the day? So, if her date is a morning person, maybe she should just cancel it right now. She’s just about to complain to Joohyun when she gets a call from the woman herself right before 10 am. 

“Unnieeeee,” Seulgi groans, “It’s 10 am, why is the date so early?” 

“Yah. Kang Seulgi. 10 am is mid-morning. You’re just a sleepyhead. And like I said, just trust me!” Joohyun answers. “Are you ready for your date?” 

“Yes, yes. You said casual right?” 

“Mhmm. By the way, how was dinner with your family yesterday?” 

Seulgi can’t help but smile as she tells Joohyun all about it. 

The dinner with her family was unexpected but very much appreciated. Her parents messaged her out of the blue to come and visit them and she didn’t realize how much she missed spending time with her family until they were all gathered around the dinner table. It was even sweet how her parents gave her flowers with a small little card that said they loved her. 

“Oh! And did you know Yeji’s got a girlfriend now? She’s too young for that! That’s my baby sister!” Seulgi groans, even slapping her forehead for dramatic effect, even if Joohyun couldn’t see it.

She hears Joohyun snort, “You had a girlfriend at that age too though.” 

“Yeah but look at me now, single and alone- oh no what if they break up- I can’t handle seeing Yeji cry-” 

“Yah, don’t worry. Ryujin’s a good kid. Yeji will be fine.” 

“I hope so.” Seulgi pauses. Wait. She didn’t mention a name… did she? “How’d you know it was Ryujin?”

“Oh, I just guessed!” Joohyun chuckles, “Yeji has been posting her picture on Instagram a lot lately, so I just figured-”  

Joohyun using Instagram? That’s new. But, Seulgi figures, Joohyun has been spending a lot of time with Yerim lately. 

“Oh. Yeah. Huh, why didn’t I notice? Anyway, if Ryujin hurts my baby sister-” Seulgi stops mid sentence as she hears the doorbell ring. She checks the time. 10:21 am. “Who the hell?” 

But Joohyun just laughs on the other end of the phone, “Oh wow, your date is early! Plus points for them! Enjoy your date, Kang Seulgi!” And the line goes dead before Seulgi can say anything else. 

Damn Joohyun distracting her with a phone call. She must have known she’d get nervous and probably bail! And now, well, it’s not like she can hide in her own apartment! She could just not answer the door but if Joohyun set it up this person must know Joohyun and she doesn’t want to be rude to someone Joohyun knows- 

The doorbell rings again and Seulgi sighs, accepting her fate as she makes her way towards the door.

She takes a peek into the doorhole only to see it covered by flowers. Joohyun must’ve told them to do that. With one last deep breath, she opens the door, ready to face her date.

Seulgi’s jaw drops at the sight that greets her, while her date just gives her a huge grin.

“Chaeyeon?!” 

“Yup!” the younger woman winks, handing Seulgi the bouquet of sunflowers. She then notices the other woman off to the side.

“Yves???” 

The taller of the two gives a salute in response, “Hey, unnie!” 

“Wait- what- I’m going on a date with the two of you???” Seulgi asks, confusion clearly etched on her face. 

“Yup!” Chaeyeon replies simply as she grabs Seulgi to turn her around, “Now, not to be rude, unnie, but can you let us in? We’re going to have a breakfast date!” 

Seulgi nods, letting Chaeyeon push her into her apartment. Yves drops a huge bag on the kitchen counter and pulls out a purple apron along with a bunch of ingredients. “Choco chip pancakes sound good? Or do you want a banana pancake? I got ingredients for both! Or, actually, do you want both?”

Seulgi nods, still too dumbfounded to give a proper reply.
“Okay, so I’m going to take the silence as you want both, and I got some bacon too, that okay?”

“Same for me, Yibu! Meanwhile, I’ll get started on the coffee,” Chaeyeon chirps as she moves to where Seulgi keeps her coffee beans.

All Seulgi can do is to sit and stare as the two comfortably move around her kitchen. What the hell is going on? Is Joohyun hoping she’d have a higher success rate by letting her date two people at once? I mean, it’s smart, and maybe it would work if it weren’t Chaeyeon and Yves? Seulgi shakes her head to clear her thoughts and decides to seek for answers from them instead. “Okay. Wait. Hold up. I’m still so confused. Both of you are my dates for today?” 

“Again, unnie, yes. Well, okay, sort of,” Chaeyeon replies.

“We’re your dates for the morning.” Yves clarifies, already folding the chocolate chips into the pancake mix. “It’s a date but also a pre-date.” 

“Joohyun unnie figured you’d be nervous going on a date without knowing anything so she wanted you to relax and have fun first! And who else can do that but your favorite dongsaeng?” 

Yves snorts as she corrects her, “Dongsaengs.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Dongsaengs.” Chaeyeon turns to Seulgi while Yves has her back turned and points to herself and mouths, “I’m the favorite.”

“I can still see you, Chae. Also, you haven’t given unnie our other gift yet-” 

“Oh right!” As Chaeyeon scrambles to their bag, Seulgi reaches for her phone to send Joohyun a text only to already see a message from the older woman. Told you you should trust me. Now have fun on your pre-date! ;) 

She doesn’t have time to reply when Chaeyeon returns with a gift bag with a card attached. “Here you go, unnie. We hope you like it.”

“You’re really going all out on this pre-date, huh?” 

“Of course, only the best for our unnie.” Chaeyeon replies, and Seulgi can’t help but remember Joohyun’s own words telling her the same.

She decides to read the card first. 

Hi Seulgi unnie, 

We just wanted to say thank you for everything. We know we aren’t the easiest people to deal with, but we just want to thank you for taking us under your wing, for being a great mentor, but for also being a great friend. You’re like an older sister to us and though we wouldn’t date you in the romantic way, we’d love to do this more often. We love you, unnie! 

Chaeyeon & Yves

She can feel happy tears begin to form as she reads it and she looks up to see her younger friends just grinning at her. She blinks the tears away, not giving them an additional reason to tease her, much to their dismay. 

Then, she opens up the paper bag to reveal a dress. It’s a simple yellow dress, perfect for the summer time, and exactly Seulgi’s style. Actually, if Seulgi’s not mistaken she was considering buying this dress a couple of weeks ago when she and Joohyun went to the mall. She hugs the dress close, “It’s really beautiful, guys.” 

“I’m glad you like it cause it’s for your real date,” Chaeyeon smirks. 

“Wait- what?” 

“We’ll explain everything later, but before that, it’s time for our date!” Yves interrupts as she places a stack of pancakes and a plate of bacon in the middle of the table. 

The entire morning (and a little bit of the afternoon) was one of the best mornings Seulgi’s had in a while. Yves somehow had unlimited ingredients in the bag of theirs, making other food that Seulgi requested without any complaint. (Fried eggs, more pancakes, some kimchi fried rice too) Chaeyeon jumping from teasing to asking how Seulgi’s doing, to teasing Yves, to praising Yves’ food. It was a pre-date full of laughter and good food. 

Sometimes, Seulgi would think about Joohyun. How Joohyun makes a choco chip banana pancake to die for and how she still hides the egg when she makes kimchi fried rice for other people. She also thinks about how lucky she is to have a best friend like Joohyun who knows her well enough to bring Yves and Chaeyeon to calm her nerves.

She always enjoyed being around the two young artists, whom she met when they interned in her art studio. Chaeyeon was a budding photographer, while Yves was more into traditional art. The two didn’t get along at first, but with Seulgi as their mentor, she found ways to get them to see eye to eye. It helped the two work together better, to explore new things, and of course, it cemented the two in Seulgi’s life. 

Admittedly, she hadn’t been able to spend as much time with them since they left her studio. They had their own lives, and sure they’d catch up online, but being with them like this is definitely different. 

Before they left, they instructed her to put on the dress they bought and they even helped with her hair and make up. At first, Seulgi refused but Yves brought out her phone and said, “Joohyun unnie told me to tell you that if you’re being difficult that you promised to trust her and Joohyun unnie trusts us, so you should trust us too.”

And who was Seulgi to fight with that logic?

So now, she’s on her couch, waiting for her date to text her. The nerves are still there, but honestly, the pre-date worked and she’s feeling less nervous about what lies ahead. She’s trying to keep her expectations low, to just have fun, and she thinks that’s what Joohyun wanted for her all along. 

Then she receives a text: Your date is waiting downstairs. Dark blue car. Have fun, Kang Seulgi. ;)

She doesn’t give herself anytime to second guess as she grabs her bag and heads to the elevator. In all her dates, Seulgi has never ridden in her date’s car. For one, what if she doesn’t like them and she’s stuck in a tiny space with them? And two, she always goes to Joohyun’s apartment anyway and it’d be a little bit awkward to explain to her date where she’s headed afterwards. But if Joohyun thinks this person is worthy enough to be in a cramped space for who knows how long, then okay, Seulgi will give it a shot. 

The sunlight forces Seulgi to squint as she steps out of her apartment building, but as soon as her eyes adjust, she sees a familiar blonde in a suit jacket and denim jeans, leaning on the said dark blue car. “Jinsol?” 

“Unnie!” The younger woman crushes Seulgi into a hug when she approaches.

“Wait. Aren’t you and Jungeun together?” Seulgi asks, her brows knitted in confusion.

“Yup, don’t worry. She knows about this. It’s a date, but honestly, I’m just your ride, unnie.” Jinsol winks, before opening the car door for Seulgi. 

“Where are we going?” 

“You are going on a date. A real one. I, on the other hand, am going to work.” Jinsol grins, and under her blazer, Seulgi can spot the standard collared shirt for all employees of their local aquarium. She reaches for something in the back seat before plopping down a tablet on Seulgi’s lap. “Here, unnie, study up.” 

As Seulgi unlocks it, she’s greeted by an impressive slideshow presentation about the different creatures in the aquarium. 

“Did you do this?” 

“Course I did! I’ve got all that knowledge stored in my brain. It was nice to put it to use for something else. Do you like the little drawings of the different sea creatures? Heejin and Yeojin helped with those.” 

“Did Joohyun unnie tell you to do it?” 

Jinsol nods, “Yup, she said you wanted to impress your date but trust me, unnie, you don’t need all this info to impress them. You’re impressive as is.” 

“Are you flirting with me, Jinsol?” 

The younger woman fake gags, “Gross. No. I just meant, you’re great, unnie! You’re an amazing artist which is impressive, like I said. You’re pretty, in an objective sisterly type of way. Plus, you’re nice, and you always listen to me when I talk about aquariums or anything I’m interested in even if it’s completely nerdy. You’re also funny without even trying.” 

Seulgi squints her eyes in suspicion, “Did Joohyun unnie tell you to say all that?” 

“What? No. It’s just the truth, unnie. I do think you’re great and I’m lucky to have you in my life.” 

Seulgi simply hums in response, trying to focus on the different facts about penguins, while Jinsol continues to drive, humming along to her very curated playlist. It’s funny, Seulgi thinks, how Jinsol is very specific with her playlist, not letting anyone besides Jungeun touch it, while Joohyun will let Seulgi add any song she wants while she drives, eager to listen to Seulgi’s recommendations. Jinsol is a more aggressive driver too, nothing too worrying or anything, but it’s a stark contrast to the more casual and laid-back style of Joohyun. One thing similar though, is how they both hum along the music quietly, only singing louder when their companion sings along too.

As per usual, Seulgi’s mind wanders and she imagines that if she were to get into a real relationship, she hopes it’s with someone she can spend hours in the car with. Someone she can play dumb games with during long drives. Who’s willing to stop at random attractions just so Seulgi can take photos with her film camera. Someone who’ll let her put the window down and let her enjoy the cleaner air when they step out of the city. Someone who she can suffer traffic with and not die of awkwardness.

“Hey, Jinsol?”

“Yeah, unnie?” Jinsol replies, casting her a quick glance. 

“Do you think I’ll like my date?”

“Absolutely.”

“So you know who my date is?” 

Jinsol, with her eyes now on the road, starts to smirk. “Maybe.”

“Yah! Jinsol! Come on, tell me!” Seulgi says, swatting Jinsol on the arm.

“HEY! I’M DRIVING!” Jinsol shrieks, “Joohyun unnie would be very mad if something happened to us.”

“Just tell me!!” 

“Okay, okay, yes, I know who it is.” 

“Is it one of your friends?” 

“Uh… I guess you could say that.” 

“What does that even mean??”

“That’s all you're getting out of me, focus on your facts about fishes!” Jinsol scolds, even turning up the volume when Seulgi tries to ask more questions. 

“You’re a horrible chauffeur. This has never happened to me in an uber.” 

At that, Jinsol gasps, “Excuse me, not only do you get a ride in a very neat car, though that’s mostly thanks to Jungeun, you get a really cute driver with a very nice playlist, plus an amazing presentation on the wonders of the sea. There is no one like me and you love me.” 

Seulgi playfully rolls her eyes but she can’t help but smile at the younger woman, “Yeah, I do love you, you big nerd.” 

Jinsol, being the dork she is, forces Seulgi to hold onto her arm as they make their way from the parking lot to the aquarium. “It’s what good dates do!” Jinsoul says as defense. Then, as they reach the aquarium doors, Jinsol reaches for one of Seulgi’s hands and bows dramatically, “Alas, this is where we must part, dear unnie. Parting is such sweet sorrow that I say good-”

Seulgi covers Jinsol’s mouth to shut her up. “Oh my god, please go. Don’t you have some penguins to feed or something?” The younger woman simply laughs, hugging her one last time before she heads into the staff entrance. 

Seulgi means to freshen up before she meets up with her date but as soon as she steps into the aquarium, she is tackled into a hug. And then another. 

“Let our date breathe, guys!” she hears a voice say, as she continues to get squished into an embrace. 

They pull away a little bit after that, and she’s greeted by her best friends in the world, Yerim, Sooyoung and Seungwan. Well, almost all of them.

“Where’s unnie?” 

“Wow, where’s unnie? Not, hey guys, I’m so glad I’m going on a date with you guys!” Sooyoung mocks, with a roll of her eyes. Beside her, Yerim pouts dramatically. 

“No, no, I’m really grateful you guys are here, but-” 

Thankfully, Seungwan saves her before she can say anything else, “Relax, Seul. We understand. Unnie said she’ll follow, there are just some things she has to do today.” 

Seulgi tries not to be too disappointed at that and focuses on the fact that her friends are here with her. “I’m really happy you guys are here, I swear.” Seulgi says and Yerim’s pout turns into a grin. 

“We know, unnie, now, come on, I hear you know all about the aquarium!” Yerim says, dragging Seulgi by the arm. 

Unsurprisingly, Seulgi remembers very little from the slideshow that Jinsol prepared for her. She’s sure it’s useful but she was nervous okay! It’s not easy to retain information under stress! Also unsurprisingly, it didn’t matter because Seulgi has a great time anyway. It was always like this when she was with them. They won’t be complete for weeks, sometimes months, but when they all come together, Seulgi has never felt happier. 

Laughter comes easily when she’s with them, and there’s just a perfect sense of comfort when she’s around them. The laughter is even louder during the penguin show, when Yerim and Seungwan, who insist on sitting up close, get soaked from head to toe. Sooyoung starts wheezing from laughing so hard but Seulgi can’t help but miss Joohyun’s loud signature laugh as well.

And sure, Seulgi realizes she’s been thinking about Joohyun a lot today, but she can’t help it. Joohyun planned all this and yet she’s nowhere to be found. She also wishes Joohyun was here to see Yerim and Seungwan but well, with the photos Sooyoung is taking, she’s sure Joohyun will get the picture. 

After Jinsol uses her employee discount to get Yerim and Seungwan matching button-up shirts with various sea creatures on them, (with Sooyoung laughing once more and taking even more pictures), the group decides to rest at the cafe. Yerim pouts her way into getting Seulgi to pay for her, while Seungwan gives her credit card to the cashier instead, reminding Seulgi that as her date, it’s their job to pay for the entire thing. 

As they’re eating and catching up on what they’ve been doing lately, Seungwan suddenly interrupts. “Seulgi, there’s something I have to say.” 

“Yeah, Wannie?” 

“You’re one of my best friends, and I’m so grateful for you and I love you.” 

The remaining three girls cringe at her words, both Yerim and Sooyoung swatting her repeatedly. “Why did you do it in such a cheesy way?!” Sooyoung asks. While Yerim says, “I thought we’d just say our joint message?!” 

“I- what’s going on? I’m confused.” Seulgi says, eyeing her friends. 

“Well, it is a date, so we figured it would be nice if we confessed too.” Seungwan explains. 

“Yeah, but not like that!” Sooyoung says, on her phone again. “There.” 

A couple of seconds later, Seulgi hears her phone beep with a notification. 

“You, uh, don’t have to read it now.” Yerim adds, scratching the back of her neck.

“Well, if it’s part of the date then I should, right?” Seulgi says, before opening up her email. 

Hey Seul, 

It’s really hard to be sweet not because we don’t love you, but because it’s really not our style. But if you really must know, we are truly 11100% grateful for you. You bring so much happiness into our lives and we wouldn’t be the same without you. Please just insert all the cheesiest things you can think of here and pretend we said them. Chances are, we do feel that way it’s just we might die of cheesiness if we say it out loud.

Also, trust unnie. Hehe. We’re here for you always. 

Love, (gross)
The Best Friends You Could Ever Have

When Seulgi looks up at her friends, she rolls her eyes at the camera pointed her way.

“Damn. I thought she was gonna cry.” Sooyoung sighs as she ends the video. 

“Did you like it? I typed it out,” Yerim grins.

“I did. Thanks so much guys. You really are great dates, and you guys do mean the world to me. This has been an amazing date so far, I just wish Joohyun unnie were here so we’d be complete.”

From where she’s seated, she sees Seungwan beam at her, “Well, you’re in luck cause your wish is about to be granted.”  Seungwan gestures behind her and as she turns around, she sees Joohyun walking up to them with a small tulip in her hands. 

“Sorry I was late, but I heard there’s a date going on?” Joohyun asks as she approaches them.

“You’re finally here, unnie!” Seulgi says, as she stands to give Joohyun the biggest hug she can manage.

“She says, as if she didn’t spend the last couple of hours with the most amazing people on earth.” Yerim teases as she rolls her eyes. 

“Shush, Yerm. You know how much it means to me to have all of us together. And now, with unnie here, we’re complete!” 

“Uh huh, sure. Keep telling yourself that.” Seulgi hears Yerim mumble, followed by a slap to her arm by Seungwan. 

Joohyun then gives Seulgi the single tulip and for some unknown reason, Seulgi’s stomach does a little flip. Maybe she ate a little too fast over lunch. They catch the older woman up on what they’ve been doing the past couple of hours, and Joohyun simply listens with rapt attention. She can’t help but watch Joohyun as she listens to their friends’ stories, or as Joohyun tastes a bit of Yerim’s ice cream and Seulgi finds herself smiling when Joohyun laughs at the video of Seungwan and Yerim at the penguin show. 

A loud cough interrupts her thoughts, and she realizes that maybe she was staring at her unnie a little bit too long. (It’s been a long day and she’s tired, okay?) She turns to the culprit, Seungwan, “I’m sure the view in here is lovely but there’s still a lot more to see. So if you’re all done, let’s go?” 

Seulgi tells the older woman all about her favorite exhibits as they walk, saying how much she wishes Joohyun was there earlier, or that they should visit again so she can experience all the exhibits. She’s in the middle of telling Joohyun about the coral exhibit when Yerim breaks off from the group in excitement. “There they are!!!!” She shouts, running into the open air area. 

The four of them mean to take their time but when Yerim calls after them with a, “Unnies! Come quick! They say you can touch their shells!” They roll their eyes in fondness but quickly catch up to their youngest friend. 

“Yerm! You look like this one!” Joohyun cackles, pointing at a turtle whose mouth makes it look like it’s smiling. 

If that were Seulgi, she would be mildly offended if she were compared to a reptile but thank god for Yerim’s utter glee because all she does is ask Seulgi to take pictures with said turtle.

When they get to gently touch their shells, Seulgi and Yerim exchange smiles full of utter glee. Joohyun is hesitant at first, her fear of being bitten evident on her face. “It’s okay, unnie. I got you,” Seulgi says, as she holds Joohyun by the wrist and guides her towards the turtle. 

She can feel the way Joohyun’s body stiffens as they approach the animal, but as she guides Joohyun’s hand into the water and onto the turtle’s smooth shell, she feels Joohyun’s body relaxes and when they finish she gives Seulgi a small smile. “Thanks, Seul.” 

They step aside to let Sooyoung and Seungwan have a turn and Seulgi vaguely hears Sooyoung say, “It’s okay, Seungwan unnie. I got you.” Before the two laugh at loud. 

Seulgi doesn’t get it. 

In the jellyfish exhibit, they’re all wowed by the colors of the different jellyfish. Seulgi then decides that they provide the perfect backdrop and instructs everyone to stand by the tanks to get photos. She takes photos of everyone, they take a bunch as a group and she and Joohyun take a bunch of photos using the tank’s reflection as a mirror. 

As they take a step away from the tank, Seulgi looks around the exhibit. “Wait, where did the rest of them go?” Joohyun seems to not have heard as Seulgi goes around the tanks to look for the rest of their friends. 

“Did they all just go to the toilet while we were taking pictures?” 

And this time, Joohyun shrugs. “I just felt you and I needed some time alone. A little date of our own even if it’s just a couple of minutes. After all, I am your best friend, right?” 

“Yeah. Right.” 

They walk to the next exhibit together, and Seulgi has no idea why her insides feel weird. She and Joohyun have spent loads of time together, just the two of them. So why is her heart beating so fast? It must be because Joohyun called it a date and her brain just likes dates so, of course she'd feel nervous and excited. Right…? RIGHT?

As they step into the dimly lit room, Seulgi’s thoughts are shoved aside as her mouth falls open in awe at the sight before her. The crown jewel of the entire aquarium, the whale shark aquarium, completely takes her breath away. The creatures in itself are majestic, and as they swim along with all the smaller aquatic creatures, there is something so beautiful and poetic about it all. 

“Woah…” is all Seulgi manages to get out, and through her amazement, she grabs Joohyun’s hand. “Look at that one! It’s still a baby!”

“And that one, unnie! It looks like it’s playing with the others!” 

“Ah! The schools of fish are so colorful!!” 

Joohyun laughs at Seulgi’s antics as she drags her throughout the room, pointing at everything that catches her eye. For a moment, they stop, just letting themselves enjoy the moment and their surroundings. As they do, there is a feeling that settles in Seulgi’s chest, a kind of awe mixed with comfort that she didn’t realize it was possible to feel. Was it the majesty of the place? Of the animals around her? 

Joohyun squeezes Seulgi’s hand, and Seulgi turns to meet Joohyun and her bright eyes and soft smile.

Or… Seulgi wonders, is it because she’s here with Joohyun? 

Seulgi shakes her head, letting the thought die. No, it can’t be. It’s just her brain lying to her. 

“Did you have fun on your dates, Seulgi?” Joohyun asks, as they go through the last of the exhibits. 

“Of course, unnie. Thank you so so much. First Chaeyeon and Yves, then Jinsol, and you guys… it’s just… thank you.” 

“Then, I’m glad,” Joohyun pauses for a while, as if contemplating what she’ll say next. “Do you know why I did this?” 

Seulgi shakes her head. 

“Do you remember what you said to me that night?” 

Seulgi pauses, trying to remember. “I said… Maybe I’m not meant for love.” 

“And what did I tell you?” 

“You told me not to say that,” Seulgi replies. 

Joohyun chuckles but shakes her head. “Yes, fine, I did say that. But, I also said that you are loved, Seulgi. You are meant for love. And I did this because I wanted to show you that you, Kang Seulgi, with the biggest heart, are loved by so many people. I know your lovelife has been less than ideal, but no matter what, I want you to remember that you are worthy of love. Okay? And that whoever you end up with in the future, will never let you forget it either.” 

“Unnie…” 

“Don’t cry on me, please.” 

Seulgi looks up, stopping any potential tears from falling. “N-no. I won’t I promise. Just, thank you. Really.” 

“You’re welcome, Seulgi. You really deserve the best, and that’s why I planned all these dates with people who you love and who love you already.”

“Wait, wait. Were you behind my family dinner too? Cause it has been a while since we’ve all been together and they even gave me a card and flowers!” 

Joohyun grins, “Yup.” 

“That’s how you knew about Ryujin! I knew it couldn’t have been cause of Instagram! You’re barely on it! Hell, I don't even know if you know how to use it."

“Yah. Kang Seulgi. Watch it.” Joohyun glares, though there’s no fire behind it. 

“But really, unnie. This has been the best date-filled day ever.” 

“Well, the day isn’t over yet.” As Joohyun stops walking, Seulgi realizes they’re in front of the aquarium’s restaurant. “You’ve got one last date.” 

“Last?”

“Yup. You had one with your family, your younger friends, your closest friends, and me, your best friend. So, I believe it’s time for a real romantic one. Right?”

“But unnie-”

“Trust me, okay?” Joohyun says, squeezing Seulgi’s hand. 

Seulgi nods, relishing in the warmth of Joohyun’s hand before she slips away. She is then led to her table, where she has a beautiful view of all the different fishes swimming above. She’d honestly appreciate it more if she weren’t so nervous. God, why was she nervous? Isn’t this what she wanted? This is her exact ideal first date. But didn’t she want to be comfortable? God what if Joohyun asked her sort-of-ex to come? Maybe Joohyun thinks that they can still work it out? But can they? Is Joohyun right about this too? Will she be comfortable with her? Who can make her feel comfortable in a place in this? Seulgi racks her brain for a person but all it’s saying back to her is: The person I feel most comfortable with is Joohyun. 

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. What should she do? What does she even want to do? Should she leave? Should she run? But she couldn’t do that to whoever Joohyun set her up with. Joohyun told her to trust her. God. She wishes that it would happen soon already so she can just go to Joohyun’s place right after or call her or something.

Seulgi shuts her eyes tight, willing the nerves to go away.

Is it normal to hear your heartbeat in your ears? Joohyun wonders as she quickly lets her hair down and she slips into the employee changing room, where a simple dress is waiting for her. She thanks Jinsol profusely as the younger woman helps check her outfit one last time, before giving her thumbs up and leading her back to the restaurant. 

Her hands are practically shaking as she checks her phone one last time, and the nerves increase as she reads the flood of good luck messages from their friends. She initially only told Seungwan and Jinsol her entire plan but of course Seungwan told Sooyoung who told Yerim, who told Jennie, who told Solar and Jinsol told Jungeun who told Choerry who told their whole group of friends plus Chaeyeon. 

So. You know, no pressure if Seulgi rejects her or anything.

Jinsol gives her a pat on the back for luck as she steps into the restaurant. As the server leads her to her table, Joohyun does note that Seulgi is right. The dome above the restaurant is absolutely beautiful. But, Joohyun is right too, that Seulgi would look stunning under these lights. Though…as she gets closer she realizes that Seulgi… has her eyes closed? But the closer they get, Joohyun can see Seulgi’s hands tightly clasped on her lap and she realizes. Ah. She’s calming her nerves. Well, at least she’s not the only one that’s nervous. 

“Miss?” The waiter calls out to Seulgi, “Your date has arrived.” 

Joohyun takes a seat across from Seulgi, her eyes still shut tight and she looks like she’s shaking. Joohyun is about to say something to calm her down when Seulgi blurts out- “I’m sorry but I can’t date you!” 

Joohyun’s heart sinks. 

“I’m in love with someone else! I just- I’m sorry- I know Joohyun unnie put you up to this but I can’t- I can’t do it- and I- I can’t even look at you because you’ll be disappointed and- it’s just- you see” Joohyun is about to reach for Seulgi’s hand to stop her ramble when the younger woman says, “I realized I may like Joohyun unnie-”

She doesn’t even think when she asks, “You do?” 

Seulgi’s eyes fly open. She looks like a deer caught in headlights but a really cute deer, if that’s worth anything. “U-unnie? What are you doing here?” 

“Surprise,” Joohyun chuckles awkwardly, “I’m your last date.”

“I-I don’t get it.” 

“This isn’t how I planned to confess but,” Joohyun reaches for the younger woman’s hand, “I’ve liked you for a while now, Kang Seulgi. When I said you deserve the best, I honestly didn’t know if that was me. Or if that even could be me. But I want it to be. Or I want to try at the very least. And I’ll keep trying if you’ll allow me. Yah! Why are you crying!” 

“I’m- I’m not-” Seulgi sniffs, “Crying! It’s just, unnie, I’m so so sorry I didn’t notice it sooner. I was just… so caught up in myself and finding love wherever I could- I didn’t realize it- I didn’t realize- I- ugh- and then this entire day I kept searching for you. Over breakfast, in the car, before you arrived in the aquarium. I kept thinking, oh this would be nice with unnie. Where’s unnie? And then- and then-” 

“Yah, Kang Seulgi…” Joohyun chuckles, and moves her seat to sit beside the girl. “Don’t cry. There’s nothing to apologize for.” 

Seulgi wipes her tears with the table napkin before she continues, “And unnie- when you left- and, and I was sitting here… all I could think about is how I wanted to be someone who I was comfortable with. How that person was you. Always was you. And- and- how after this date, whoever it was with, I could just call you and run to you and we can do nothing together.” 

Joohyun reaches for both of Seulgi’s hands, rubbing comforting circles on them. “And, unnie, I’m sorry it took me forever. I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize that me searching for love was just me not realizing that I was searching for you the entire time. But unnie, even if it took a while, I realize that I just want to be with you. Just you. All the damn time. On a date. In your house. In my house. In a park. In an aquarium. Anywhere.” 

Joohyun then tucks a stray hair before cupping Seulgi’s cheek, “It’s okay, Seulgi. It's okay. I didn't mind the wait because it's you. And well... now... can I kiss you?” 

As soon as Seulgi nods, Joohyun presses their lips together. She can’t help but smile into the kiss, at how soft Seulgi’s lips feel and how Seulgi pulls her close. Sure, it tastes a little salty, but maybe it just fits considering they’re in an aquarium and all. 

When they pull away, Joohyun wipes the tears away from Seulgi’s cheeks. Even with her tears, Joohyun thinks that Seulgi is still the most breathtaking thing in this entire place. There are so many things she still wants to say, so many things she wants to do to prove that her feelings are genuine, but for now, all she can do is ask, “So, are you ready to start the best first date ever?”  

Seulgi taps her chin, as if deeply contemplating what to do next, then she smiles. (Joohyun’s heart does all the gay things and finally, she doesn’t have to hold back.) “We can start the date only on one condition.” 

“Anything.” 

“Just kiss me again.”

Joohyun grins. 

“Will do.”