Between the lines

You, my paradise

Oh Yoon-hee breathed in and smiled to herself at the feeling of  the cold gentle breeze playing with her short hair. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. The contrast between the warmth of the sunlight bathing her face and the refreshing breeze caressing her neck made her shudder. It had been so long since the last time she had been out like this. The weather was perfect and the company was even better. Her smile widened. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a photo being taken. She opened her eyes and looked around.

"Shim Su-ryeon!" Yoon-hee exclaimed as she pretended to be offended. Truth be told. She loved this adorable and corny side of Su-ryeon. The older woman chuckled and stared at the now printed photograph. "How many pictures have you taken me? I don't want you to waste all the roll film," she said, ashamed. Su-ryeon showed her the picture and Yoon-hee smiled. Su-ryeon had captured the blue of the sky and the sea just perfectly.

"I'm not wasting it. I'm using it very wisely," Su-ryeon assured her, smiling at her. Yoon-hee bit her lip as she tried to hide a smile. Her heart fluttered. They shared a conspiratorial look. "I'm glad we did this." 

"Me too. We should spend more time together. It never seems enough," Yoon-hee agreed, not looking away from her. Su-ryeon was wearing her dark sunglasses, which made her look almost mysterious. Yoon-hee remembered all the things the woman at Hera Palace had said about her, but she knew better. She knew her like not many people did. She felt lucky. Su-ryeon had brought light into her life. "Here, you're too beautiful as to not take a hundred pictures of you," she said, grabbing the Polaroid from Su-ryeon's hands. The older woman let out a nervous laugh and sat up straight. She grabbed her glass of wine and brought it to her lips as she looked at the sea. Yoon-hee put the camera near her face and pressed the shutter button. She tilted her head to the left and stole her a glance. Su-ryeon was too focused on the train of waves to notice her staring. Yoon-hee let out the air she didn't know she was holding. The older woman was a goddess. She often wondered if the statue at Hera Palace was a representation of the woman sitting in front of her. Both were regal, powerful, and their beauty was out of this world.  Her long hair was dancing with the wind and there was a slight blush in her cheeks. It matched her pink lips and the red liquid she was drinking. Yoon-hee thought the swell had invaded her stomach through the breeze as the butterflies flew around.

"Did you take it?" Su-ryeon asked her, glancing at her. Oh Yoon-hee nodded and cleared her throat. She had no doubt she had been caught staring. Su-ryeon took a sip of her wine and put the glass down.

"Let's take a pic together now," Oh Yoon-hee said, collecting herself. Su-ryeon nodded and sat next to her. "We need to be closer. Put your hand around my waist," she said, ignoring the growing blush in her own cheeks. Su-ryeon licked her lips before doing as she was told. She didn't think she had touched her this intimately before. They had held hands, yes, but she had never touched her waist. Oh Yoon-hee flinched at her touch. Her breath was caught in her throat.

"I'm ready," Su-ryeon whispered, looking at the Polarid before turning to Oh Yoon-hee. Her brown eyes darted from Yoon-hee's short hair to her sunglasses and stopped in her neck. She was wearing a loose white blouse that revealed some of her beautiful cleavage. Her mouth went incredibly dry despite the ocean surrounding them. Su-ryeon removed her eyes from her chest and they went to her second favorite spot so far. Her scar. It was like a magnet. She couldn't stay away from it and before she knew it, her right hand went to Yoon-hee's neck as she caressed it softly, tenderly.

Oh Yoon-hee pressed the shutter button and took a photo without meaning to. The sudden touch of her hand over her exposed scar sent shivers down her spine. She didn't let anybody, not even Ro-na, look at it, let alone touch it. Yet, she couldn't stop her. It felt so right. Yoon-hee closed her eyes and tilted her head to the right to give her more room. Su-ryeon's index finger followed the rect dark line before she replaced it with her lips. She swallowed and stayed still as if waiting for Oh Yoon-hee to walk away from her embrace, but she didn't. Taking it as an approval, she started to kiss her neck shyly. Yoon-hee bit her lip hard. She felt like being kissed by the air itself. She accidentally took another pic of them, but she didn't dare open her eyes. She didn't want this to end, even if it was a dream. It was so surreal. She couldn't tell whether it was real or not. Su-ryeon's soft lips kissing her scar felt like heaven. Yoon-hee couldn't help but gasp when her warm tongue met her skin. Su-ryeon smiled at the sound as she kept licking her scar. If only Oh Yoon-hee knew how many times Su-ryeon had sat there, daydreaming about kissing and licking her scar. She had always wanted to kiss it. Su-ryeon wanted to replace the woman's dark memories and past with cheerful ones. She wanted to turn her pain into hope and love. Su-ryeon gave her scar one last kiss before pulling back. Oh Yoon-hee opened her eyes at the lost of contact and looked at her.

Su-ryeon removed her sunglasses so the younger woman could look at her right in the eyes. Yoon-hee imitated her. Their eyes mirrored each other's fears and secrets. Yet, they were sparkling with the same intensity as though they were being fueled by the same desire. Su-ryeon  gave her a shy reassuring smile. Oh Yoon-hee touched her left cheek thoughtfully. She didn't want to spoil their friendship, but after what they had just shared, she didn't think she would. Su-ryeon had given her the proof she needed. She licked her lips and without breaking the eye contact, she slowly leaned in. Su-ryeon's heart was pounding in her chest. The only times she got that nervous was around Oh Yoon-hee. She closed her eyes when their lips touched clumsily.

"It's okay. We're okay," Oh Yoon-hee reassured Su-ryeon, noticing how tense she was. She didn't want her to hold back. She wanted her to give in to this new feeling. The older woman met her eyes and noticed the honesty and love Yoon-hee was looking at her with. There was no way they could be wrong. Everything they did was right. Su-ryeon closed her eyes and crashed her lips against hers. She felt dizzy. Kissing her neck was one thing, but kissing her lips was an entirely different one. A marvelous one. Yoon-hee kissed her as if she was eating her favorite candy. She wanted to make it last forever. She wanted to taste all of it, but she didn't want to scare her off. She would be damned if she did. Su-ryeon parted her lips and allowed Yoon-hee to deepen the kiss. She couldn't help but moan. Su-ryeon tasted like strawberry and she loved it. They broke apart when the air became a necessity.

"I have been wanting to kiss you for months now," Oh Yoon-hee confessed, licking her lips and tasting their kiss. Su-ryeon's cheeks turned bright pink with embarrassment. She was about to turn around so Oh Yoon-hee wouldn't notice her blushing when the shorter woman put her hand under her chin. Their sparkling eyes met again. "Don't push me away now," she asked her, softly. Su-ryeon held her gaze.

"I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same," Su-ryeon explained to her. Oh Yoon-hee looked at her skeptically. Did Su-ryeon not know the effect she had on people? Yoon-hee leaned in and kissed her concerns away. With her free hand, the younger woman took another picture of them. Su-ryeon broke the kiss. "Oh Yoon-hee!" she exclaimed, faking annoyance.

"I can't get enough of these moments and I want to immortalize them all," Oh Yoon-hee replied, playfully. Su-ryeon chuckled. "As for my feelings, I didn't think you would reciprocate them. I thought you were out of my league, so I tried to hide how I felt, but I guess that I wasn't very good at it."

"I'm glad you weren't. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared touch your neck," Su-ryeon confessed, smirking. It was so unlike her to give the first step, yet when it came to Yoon-hee her line was blurry. Oh Yoon-hee let out a nervous laugh before giving her a peck on the lips. "Don't laugh! I mean it."

"What gave me away?" Yoon-hee asked her, lying back on the blue cushion. Su-ryeon pursed her lips deep in thought. Yoon-hee snorted. "It can't be such a long list, can it?"

"Your eyes, your body language, and the fact you can't stand any men in my life aside from my son," Su-ryeon replied, teasing her. Oh Yoon-hee glared at her. Su-ryeon smirked and leaned in. She kissed her passionately as a reminder of to whom her heart belonged to.

"Come here. I want us to enjoy what is left of the trip," Yoon-hee said when Su-ryeon pulled back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Su-ryeon curled up next to her. Her hand went to Yoon-hee's mid section and she interwove their legs. Her head rested on the younger woman's chest. Yoon-hee smiled at the sudden action. Her right hand went to Su-ryeon's long hair as she played with it. The older woman closed her eyes and allowed Yoon-hee's heartbeats rhythm to match hers. "This is paradise," she whispered, putting her left hand on tops of Su-ryeon's one resting on her waist.

"You are paradise," Su-ryeon replied with a sleepy voice. Yoon-hee smiled and bit her lip. She never thought she would get to experience the kind of happiness that makes people walk on clouds. Oh Yoon-hee kissed Su-ryeon's temple with affection and Su-ryeon groaned as she hid her face in the woman's chest. Yoon-hee's heart melted. There was no doubt the woman had fallen asleep. Yoon-hee leaned back and stopped braiding Su-ryeon's hair. She put her hand around the older woman to bring her closer to her. Her paradise was right between her arms and she would keep it that way even if the whole world was against them.
—————

Here's your zombie writer-nim apologizing for taking this long to update. Life has been SO hectic you wouldn't believe it.
I hope the wait was worth it and thank you so much for reading and for your patience. ♥️

Also, if you like plot twists and dark tv shows, you should watch "How to get away with murder". I think the writer got "The Penthouse" ideas after watching it haha.