but she survived | sae-byeok x ji-yeong

inking our love on our island

And just as Ji-yeong had expected, not a single sound was heard from her girlfriend as they bought her that new swimwear. Not a complaint, not a word. Only small, approving nods or a shake of her head. It was a simple trip. Right until they discovered swimsuits were not sold in the cramped shop. Only bikinis (a couple of strings, in Sae-byeok's opinion) were presented on the wall, the taller girl's freckled cheeks tinted with a faint red at the realization. 

"So.. anything you like?" Ji-yeong tried, aware that Sae-byeok would shake her head at the question. But to her surprise, she didn't. 

Sae-byeok's gaze was wandering all over the fabric, trying desperately to find just the right one. Or- the one with the least skin visible for everyone to see. "I- don't know." Her voice was a little hoarse from her long silence. 

Ji-yeong's eyes had widened, focused on the girl beside her before moving towards what she was looking at. It was obvious that she wasn't the biggest fan of the clothes. "We can just go somewhere else, I'm sure that-"

Ji-yeong didn't get to continue. Not before Sae-byeok had already taken down a bikini, holding the item in her hand as she looked at it with unsure eyes, the determined smile she expressed obviously strained. "I'll take this one." 

When Ji-yeong got to see it properly, she wasn't surprised by her choice. Not in the slightest actually. Not by its basic black fabric, or the fact that it covered up everything greatly, less skin shown than any of the others. Ji-yeong felt her heart skip a beat at the thought of seeing Sae-byeok in it. Even though it didn't show as much skin, it would still expose the smooth skin of her stomach. The skin Ji-yeong remembered against her own. How soft it had been. How heavily her heart could pound at the sight. 

"You sure?" Ji-yeong knew she had been a little tough earlier. That she had said not to complain, but this was not what she meant. She didn't mean to push her girlfriend into wearing anything she wasn't comfortable with. That was for sure. 

"Totally." Sae-byeok's smile was convincing. Not fully, but- convincing. "Is there a changing room anywhere?" 

The both of them looked around, soon finding out that changing rooms were not an option. Sae-byeok lightly shrugged, her eyes scanning the swimwear yet again. "Guess we'll have to hope for the best."

-

The walk home was quiet. A comfortable quiet. The shop was not far from their house, so the walk wasn't exactly long. In the middle of the afternoon, you would probably expect a lot of people. But there weren't. Only a few tourists walked past them once, otherwise, the calm trail had been deserted. Ji-yeong felt daring. Maybe too daring for her own good, but the feeling of Sae-byeok's warm hand in hers felt perfect. Now the walk home was quiet, but with foolish smiles on display, too. 

"Did you see the tattoo parlor on the way back?" Ji-yeong asked when they got home. They were lying on the bed, Sae-byeok's eyes looking right into her girlfriend's as they were facing each other. They were fiery as always, burning into hers, but never had fire felt so good, Ji-yeong settled on. So sincerely good. 

"No, I didn't." Sae-byeok's response was neutral like always. She didn't quite seem to understand, just carefully reaching over to tuck a piece of hair behind Ji-yeong's ear. If it was her obliviousness or her action that made that soft smile appear on the shorter girl's face was a mystery. And remained one as the conversation proceeded to go on. 

"I'm gonna get a tattoo." She had expected Sae-byeok to look surprised, maybe even shocked, but with her eyebrows in her hairline and widening eyes, she truly looked like someone that had been told that the world would end tomorrow.