The day went on, dusky leaves fluttering onto the pavement, and with gentle gradation, the sky feathered from bright blue to a warm tangerine colour.
The thing about Yujin was that she loved drinks - a taste she'd developed a year after being dumped. She had a mini fridge and shelf in her studio beside all her canvases and easels, and all it contained were drinks: cartons of flavoured milks and regular milk. Teabags. Kool Aid packets. Protein powder. Sodas. Fruity soju. Expensive-ass aged whiskey she shared with Gaeul only on very special occasions.
Yujin leaned back and stretched her hands over her head. She let the pen drop from her hands and popped a knuckle, then groaned. The pen clattered onto the floor, waking Azzo. He stirred lightly, then yapped and stretched his body, all four little legs reaching out.
Her piece was complete. Now all she had to do was frame it and wrap it up in bubble wrap and wait for the guy at the museum to bring it down.
"Alright!" she announced to no one but Azzo, placing her hands on her hips. "I've decided." She looked at the puppy as if he was going to respond. When he didn't, she smirked and continued. "I'm going to go back to school! But not as a student!"
Yujin stood up and paced around the room. Her heart felt heavy for some reason still. She chewed her index nail as she walked, stomach gurgling with slow building anxiety.
She passed her mini fridge and selected a bottle of chocolate milk. She broke the cap, peeled back the seal, and sipped. The sweet taste cut her worries a little, though they still weighed down on her.
Wonyoung was back, and Gaeul and Rei were still here, and she'd made a new friend too.
So why did it feel like something was off? Why did it feel as though her shoulders couldn't relax still, just the way as she always tensed them?
A flash of Wonyoung's lips against hers and her long fingers under her shirt shot through her mind. She shook her head violently, and milk sloshed over the mouth of the bottle. A drop plopped onto the floor.
Shouldn't she be feeling giddy instead of bothered? What was wrong?
Yujin sighed and mopped it up with a paint cloth before Azzo could get to it.
Azzo tilted his head at the display of her frustration. She placed the bottle on her desk, careful to keep it far away from the paper in case condensation made the ink bleed. She scooped him up, one hand under his bottom, and pressed her face into the plush white fur.
"It'll be okay, right?" Yujin wondered out loud.
.
"Yujin, I love you," Wonyoung began, hands clasped nervously as she leaned over the table. Her palms were sweaty and she resisted bouncing her knee. "I love you and I'll make up all those years to you."
Chopsticks and a grumpy look jabbed in her direction. "Wonderful, now say that to her instead of leaving your lunch untouched like that," Gaeul said, snatching a sausage from Wonyoung's plate.
"She won't say it back," Wonyoung whined, tilting her head and resting her chin on her palm. She was particularly squirmy when things didn't go her way. She picked at the noodles with a single chopstick, stirring them around. Yujin had always initiated I love you's. Did she not feel the same as she did before?
"It's only been a day," Rei said, attempting to reassure her friend. She pat her shoulders lightly.
"But she does, right?" Wonyoung gave in and let her knee bounce, heel of her sandal clicking against the floor. It didn't echo through the hall, thankfully. Liz put a gentle hand on her thigh to still the habit.
"I'm sure she does. Give her some time, Wonyoung. She must've had just as hard of a time as you did," Liz told her as gently as possible by Liz standards.
Gaeul shuddered. "Don't even make me think about it," she chuckled. Wonyoung leaned against her.
"But why won't she say it back?"
"Well, maybe because you dumped her out of cowardice and your own little war between you and yourself. Oh, and you did it in the worst way possible. Oh, and you were cold to her all the times she tried to call you after- OW! Hey, she has to hear it!"
"Kim Jiwon!" Rei hissed softly, retreating her hand. Liz rubbed the sore spot on her arm.
Oh.
Maybe it couldn't be helped.
But the way they'd kissed not even two days ago? And the way Yujin had desperately held her as they slept together?
Were those all in the heat of the moment?
Wonyoung's head was so ajar it might as well have been detached from her neck. She had a far-off look in her eyes. "No, she's right," she sniffled, standing up. Her knuckles gleamed white as she clutched her phone. "Sorry, I have to call her."
Gaeul grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. "Wonyoung, she does love you. I swear on my sister's life she does - I witnessed everything firsthand. God, watching you two is the same as watching a TV drama."
"I'll just check up on her-"
"Nope," Rei insisted. "Yujin's a big girl. She'll be okay. And plus, you'll see her later anyway!"
Wonyoung deflated. They were right.
Liz sipped her coffee and leaned against Rei. "Happy I could help," she said lightly with a playful smile.
