Yunjin had never imagined that she'd be involved in a casual sex arrangement. Just the mere thought of it made her blush. She always believed that if she was ever going to sleep with someone, it was going to be with a long-term girlfriend. Well, not exactly. Yunjin just wanted to do it with someone she felt comfortable with (and in theory, Chaewon did fit those requirements). And based on the stories her friends used to tell her about how their first time went, Yunjin was more than certain that her experience was definitely above average. Chaewon didn't know Yunjin's status as a virgin at the time, so she didn't get to hold back.
However, although sex with Chaewon was more than satisfactory, Yunjin just wished that the girl would stop running away from her.
The morning after Chaewon had fucked her senseless, Yunjin woke up alone. Chaewon had left home early, and Yunjin didn't know where she had gone off to. She didn't leave a note. She didn't send a text. Chaewon didn't feel the need to share any information about her whereabouts, and even if it hurt, Yunjin didn't push her to say anything. By the time she came back, Yunjin didn't even get to question her before Chaewon had her pressed up against a wall with her hand down her pants.
And again, Chaewon didn't stay to talk. She wasn't necessarily avoiding Yunjin per se, she was mainly avoiding talking about anything related to their occasional fucking.
On her birthday, Yunjin had watched Chaewon being emotional. Watched her cry, smile, laugh. But after Yunjin messed it up for the both of them, Chaewon had gone back to hiding behind a stoic façade. She was still kind to Yunjin and spoke to her every once in a while, but the connection they had built throughout the months somehow vanished in the blink of an eye. There were no more movie nights nor midnight grocery shopping. Instead, Chaewon just sneaked into her bed whenever she felt like it. She always stayed long enough for Yunjin to fall asleep next to her, but never enough to let Yunjin see her in the mornings. It was simple, not waking up together meant no need to speak of the night before.
It just wasn't fair. Yunjin didn't want to pretend that having a sexual relationship was enough, nothing had changed about what she felt for Chaewon. They were as intimate as they could get between the sheets, but during the day they couldn't even hold a proper conversation without Chaewon making excuses and walking away.
Yunjin would have lost all sense of stability in her life if it wasn't for one particular detail. That being, Chaewon never separated herself from the necklace Yunjin had given her as a present. She never left the house without it. Occasionally, even when she was fully naked in Yunjin's bed, the necklace was the only thing she would leave on. Mostly, Chaewon tried to hide the charm below her shirt, but Yunjin could always spot the black cord peeking above her collar. So no matter how many times Chaewon made it seem like she didn't care anymore, Yunjin knew that she still did. And even if the hope Yunjin had left for them to become close again grew smaller each day, she still held onto it for dear life.
---
Sakura lived in a flat she shared with two other girls. Her family didn't live in the city, so she had moved out when she started university. Yunjin had only visited her a couple of times, but she remembered how to get there when she needed to talk to her friend with urgency. She wasn't in the mood to cycle, so she opted for the train. It was just a twenty minutes ride, so it didn't take long for Yunjin to reach Sakura's apartment. She had messaged her before leaving the house, just as a heads up in case Sakura had any plans that she needed to let her know of. But since she didn't receive a reply, Yunjin assumed that she was asleep like always and resting on her day off.
When she finally reached the main entrance, Yunjin knocked on the door and waited for someone to open. She heard footsteps right after, but when the door swung open it wasn't Sakura that greeted her.
