In the grey light of the early morning, Chaewon dragged herself out of bed and went in search of the bathroom. The house was small but she still opened the door to a neatly kept closet before she found the right room. Sitting on the toilet, she looked around at the tiny signs of Yunjin living here: the toothbrush in its holder, the end of the toothpaste tube rolled up tightly, the washcloth by the sink. She wondered what Yunjin's morning routine was, if she showered then or in the evening after a long day working, if she ate breakfast. Between her legs, she could feel the tug of the night before and she idly plotted talking Yunjin into another round before they got to work tomorrow.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Shiro was awake and waiting by the front door. He pawed and whined at it and Chaewon smiled as she went to open it for him.
"You too, huh?" she asked, letting him out to pee.
She was still naked, and the cool air brought goosebumps up on her skin and made her shiver. Her house sat squat and dark by the lake, empty and lifeless without her there, and she supposed that was perhaps how it had appeared to Yunjin for the majority of the time she had lived here. It looked better now, of course, cleaned and repaired, but there was still some shadow over it that a fresh coat of paint could not cover. Chaewon wondered if it would always feel like that, like some lurking presence she might open a door to and see when she least wanted it.
There were three weeks left until she had to leave, leave the house and leave Yunjin. Her feelings sat too heavy and complicated in her chest for her to puzzle out just then.
Shiro trotted back inside, his tail wagging happily, and Chaewon turned away from it, closed the door and pushed the thought of it from her mind. She patted Shiro's head instead as he settled himself back into his bed, and then opened the door again to Yunjin's bedroom.
Yunjin was still asleep, her face smooth and peaceful, the blankets wrapped close around her. It was enough for Chaewon to let the house drift out of her mind, to climb back into bed as gently as possible.
It didn't work. Yunjin half woke, her eyebrows furrowing but her eyes not fully opening.
"You're cold," she grumbled and pulled Chaewon closer, one strong arm wrapped around her hips. Chaewon had forgotten what this was like, to climb into bed with someone you liked so much, to feel the heat of their body envelop you, like sinking into a warm bath.
She fell asleep again to the steady, even lull of Yunjin's breathing.
When she next woke, the bed next to her was empty, the sheets neatly pulled up, and she could hear the faint sounds of Yunjin moving through the house, getting ready for the day. Chaewon lay there for a moment to listen to it, the muffled sound of Yunjin's voice as she spoke to Shiro, the dull rush of the faucet running and then shutting off, a door opening and closing.
She dragged herself from the comfort of the bed at last, pulling on the flannel Yunjin had been wearing the night before in place of her own clothes, still heaped on the floor where they had been flung. The shirt was a little long on her, touching her mid-thigh, and it smelled like Yunjin; she buried her nose into the collar and inhaled.
When she stepped out of the room into the blinding light of the morning, she found Yunjin sitting at the tiny kitchen table holding a book she didn't seem to be reading. Shamelessly, Chaewon took the opportunity to absorb the house properly, as she hadn't been able to the night before. It was small and neatly kept, the kitchen and living room merging into one. In one corner was a faded, comfortable couch next to a wall lined with bookshelves, a landscape of a place Chaewon thought might be England hanging on one wall, a sturdy wooden coffee table she was sure Yunjin had built herself. It was nothing fancy, nothing much, but so distinctly Yunjin that Chaewon loved it immediately.
