Eggs sizzled in the pan as they cooked. Gaeul lifted the edge of one, and, satisfied, she turned off the heat, and slid it onto the hearty orange rice while being careful not to break the yolks. On the next stove, a saucepan of galbitang bubbled.
Gaeul set the plate of kimchi fried rice on the coffee table, placed a food cover on it, and headed back into the kitchen. Azzo took interest, trotting all over the place. She shooed him away with a gentle foot.
She picked out a few apples from the fridge and hummed as she cut them up after bringing the soup off the stove.
All of these were Yujin's favourites. Maybe she'd pick up some rice cakes later.
In her studio, Yujin, well, drew.
Her previous piece was set in a large mat frame, though she hadn't bubble wrapped it. A text from the museum man notified her he'd be there tomorrow afternoon due to some delays, so she'd saved herself the trouble.
The room was cool despite the absence of air conditioning because of the approaching winter, but Yujin had a sweater on, and fuzzy socks. A mug of pear tea sat on her desk.
It wasn't a requested piece. It was just doodles on regular sketchbook paper. Unconsciously, Yujin scrawled out the beginning of an ear, then a jaw, then caught herself and scribbled it out. Then she stilled for a moment and looked up.
Wonyoung was back. Wouldn't it be okay to draw her again?
Yujin decided against it. For now, at least. The wound was still raw. It had never healed, had just been patched over time and again.
She started sketching out the start of a farmhouse. Her hand jolted slightly, almost ruining a line when Azzo went into a frenzy, yapping sharply and scrambling across the floor towards the door at the ring of the bell.
"I'll get it!" Yujin shouted out before Gaeul could answer.
Wonyoung planted her feet firmly. She was going to let Yujin know what was on her mind the whole day. That's what healthy couples do, right? And it's what Wonyoung never did before, so-
Yujin opened the door.
"Hi," she breathed out.
"Hi," Wonyoung greeted shyly, thoughts dropped for now. She held out the tote bag. "These are yours."
Yujin took it with one hand. Wonyoung slipped off her shoes.
They made their way in, Wonyoung following Yujin back into her studio.
"You- you drew all this?" Wonyoung gaped, gazing at the framed artworks on the wall. Yujin nodded, a little proudly.
Wonyoung approached one, a painting which had a wall covering most of its right side, disappearing near the center, with benches and a small pebble trail leading into the distance.
A tiny signature was stamped at the corner of each drawing. In neat writing, it read simply: Eugene.
"Eugene," she murmured.
"That's me," Yujin said. She stood beside Wonyoung. "Do you... recognise this?"
Wonyoung nodded gently. It was the back of their school, and the benches where Wonyoung would meet Yujin before going to the library together. She chuckled wetly.
"When did you draw this?" she asked, turning to face the older girl. Yujin rubbed her foot against her ankle, shifting.
"About a month after I dropped out," she answered. "I dunno. Sentimental reasons."
"It's beautiful, Jinjin," Wonyoung said, still in awe.
"You don't think it's a little pathetic?" Yujin asked.
Wonyoung shook her head. "Why would I? You're such an artist. This is how you express yourself."
Yujin sat on the spinning chair behind her desk.
"You've... become such an amazing person," Wonyoung said breathlessly. "Can I buy one of your drawings?"
"Sure," Yujin chirped. Then her expression changed as she got off the chair. "Actually, you can have this one." She headed to one of her shelves and dug around.
"Do you mind if I look around?" Wonyoung asked, still looking at the drawings on the walls.
"Nope. Knock yourself out."
With that, Wonyoung passed a stack of boxes. They were labelled "YUJIN AN", so they must be Yujin's old drawings. She knelt down beside a smaller rectangular one and opened it.
A folded card wrapped in clear tape greeted her. She reached out and held it carefully, then opened it. An oil pastel drawing of a dog and a rabbit.
Wonyoung held her breath and put it back gently.
Under the card was a portrait on paper. It was preserved in a plastic file, drawn in simple graphite pencil, a gentle curve for the jaw, thicker lines for eyelids and wispier ones lashes and stray hairs, and a dot for a beauty mark.
"Yujinnie," Wonyoung said softly. "You never threw them away?"
"How do you keep finding these?" Yujin huffed, walking over to her. Wonyoung was still holding the portrait in her hands.
"Ah- um," she stuttered, not knowing what to say, "I just saw boxes and thought they'd be drawings you didn't hang up."
Yujin sat next to her. "Well, they are drawings I didn't hang up."
"Why didn't you get rid of these? They're all drawings you made for me. And my card. And-"
"Because I missed you," Yujin said, crossing her legs. Wonyoung put the drawings back in the box and closed it, then faced Yujin.
"...are these all the things you made for me?" Wonyoung asked, pointing towards the rest of the stack.
"Oh, no." Yujin opened up another box and brought out a thin framed piece. She dusted it off lightly in case the glass was muddled, then handed it to Wonyoung.
It was a detailed drawing of a bonsai tree.
"You can have this," she said shyly. "It's not my best work, but-"
Wonyoung kissed her nose. She clutched the frame to her chest.
"It's beautiful, Yujin. Can you sign it for me?"
Yujin snatched a pen from her desk. She removed the drawing from the frame, signed it as neatly as possible with her penname, and handed it back to Wonyoung.
"How much is it?"
"It's free," Yujin said, closing the box.
"But this is a piece of you. And I've already taken so many for free-"
Yujin took Wonyoung's hand, turned it up, and wrote Ahn Yujin on her wrist.
"This means you're mine too," she said.
Wonyoung felt a smile forming on her lips. Her face grew warm. It burned hotter when Yujin reached for her face.
Wonyoung closed her eyes, parted her lips. Yujin was going to kiss her, and it'd resolve all her worries and damn the concern she didn't love her-
Yujin pecked her cheek. Wonyoung pouted.
"Not yet," Yujin giggled, smoothing Wonyoung's hair. "I promise I will, and I want to, but not yet."
It wasn't what she'd expected, but it was a good start.
