MOONSUN One-shots; This Divine Pairing

Sunshine after the storm (in Byul's heart)

Soundtrack recommendation: Sea of Love by Cat Power

"Unnie, stop drinking!" Wheein pleaded while trying to peel the shot glass away from between Byul's fingers.

"Wheeinnie's right. It's not the end of the world," Hyejin chimed in as she took another mouthful of gopchang.

The clock struck 3 in the morning. The younger girls have been at Byul's place since dinner after Wheein received a text from Byul asking if she could be her drinking companion for the night.

"All these years of pining for her and she still has no inkling – or rather, I c-, I can't let her know," Byul finally spoke, and swiftly gulped down another shot of soju as if to wash away the pain of having to suppress her feelings for Yongsun. Byul was slurring at this point, "There's too... much at stake... Mamamoo's... image, our careers, the careers... of those who depend on us, our families... I can't... but I feel so... so suffocated... having to...", and when there was a pause in her narrative, Wheein and Hyejin gave a knowing look to each other and pulled Byul in for a group hug. Byul rarely drinks to the point of getting drunk and she was never one to shed tears so easily, yet on this cold winter's night, she was sobbing herself silly whilst being intoxicated on a drink she barely likes. And this was all because of Yongsun.

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It all started when they were trainees. Byul and Yongsun didn't exactly get off to a great start. In fact, the misunderstanding that occurred during their initial encounter left a bad taste in Yongsun's mouth and she didn't speak to Byul until a week later, ironically, when Byul approached her. But when they did, it didn't take long for them to get acquainted since they were compatible in so many unthinkable ways, such as similar taste in food, a love for dogs, outlook on life, personality, and so on. They were each other's pillars of strength in trying times and biggest supporter in encouraging the other to blossom into the amazing person and artiste they are today.

Love came naturally to Byul. After all, Yongsun was the one who transformed her from an average Bucheon girl into one of the best South Korean female rappers and singer-songwriters of their generation. Byul wore her heart on her sleeve, and she showed her affections in every way possible – big or small. Her friends have long commented that her actions were clear as day and that if Yongsun hadn't realised it, she was probably just playing with her feelings while enjoying the attention from Byul. Byul would always defend Yongsun and reason that the girl was just shy and probably wasn't used to affection. However, Byul got increasingly confused and exasperated the more she tried to explain Yongsun's behavior to her friends.

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"Supporting her through Solgam – even ordering excessive amounts of coffee cup sleeves with our faces and the words "soulmates" printed on them. Travelling with her to Busan and performing as a guest at her show... Plus that food cart selling her favourite tteokbokki that I sent to her rehearsals... Surely she must know?" Byul thought aloud to Wheein and Hyejin when she was done sobbing.

"Unnie, I have a brilliant idea," Hyejin announced as she smirked at Wheein, who returned a confused but intrigued look. At the same moment, Byul too looked up at Hyejin with a dazed look, revealing a face stained with the tracks of her tears below her now red and puffy eyes.

"Why don't we... test the waters?" Hyejin cautiously put the idea on the table. She elaborated when she sensed that Byul and Wheein had not caught on. "I mean, why don't we devise a plan to find out about how Yong-unnie feels?"

"I'm gonna need details." Byul sounded keen on the younger girl's suggestion.

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