Roses and Thorns (Jinlia)

Chapter 13: In the Warmth of Dusk

Jisu was startled by how swiftly time had slipped through their fingers. Reclining on the long, familiar couch, she stared out the wide living room window. The sky had deepened into a lush shade of orange, dusk pressing gently against the glass like an old memory.

“Yuna, are you hungry? I can whip something up if you are,” Chaeryeong offered softly, her voice carrying across the room and tugging Jisu’s attention back to the present. She turned, catching the smile they exchangedㅡone of quiet closeness. Her eyes narrowed, just a fraction.

“Anything, dulzuㅡum... eonni, hehe. I’m not picky,” Yuna replied, stumbling adorably over the pet name before masking it with a playful giggle.

Jisu didn’t miss it. She knew what dulzura meant, and the slipㅡthough smallㅡlanded in her mind with a curious weight. Two months. That’s all it had been. Barely eight weeks since Yuna began hanging around, yet the bond she and Chaeryeong had built seemed effortless, intimate, and unshakably warm.

Jisu didn’t quite know what to make of it. Lately, she’d been wrapped up in Ryujin, preoccupied with balancing time, feeling the bite of guilt for letting her friendship with Chaeryeong drift. Still, at least Chaeryeong wasn’t alone. At least Yuna was there.

She was here, after all, because of Chaeryeong’s invitation. A reunionㅡa promise to catch up. And she’d meant to. But then Yuna had shown up, all wide eyes and laughter, and suddenly, the atmosphere had shifted. Now, Jisu watched from her corner as her best friend lavished attention not on her, but on their youngest guest.

Not that she was jealous.

Well... maybe just a little.

Her gaze lingered on Yuna. There was something there. Something about how naturally the girl moved through Chaeryeong’s home, how she belonged in the space. Once, only she and Mrs. Choi had that unspoken privilegeㅡto come and go without knocking. Yet Yuna? Yuna had slipped into that space like a hand in a well-worn glove.

“Planning my mental demise, Jisu eonni?” Yuna teased, snapping her out of her musings.

Jisu raised a single brow. “Was it that obvious?”

Yuna pointed to her own expression, mimicking the slight scowl Jisu hadn’t realized she wore. A silent touch of mischief.

“In any case...” Jisu began, voice low, catching Yuna off-guard with her sudden closeness. “Do you have feelings for my best friend?”

“WhㅡHuh?!” Yuna stammered, eyes going wide, ears burning red. Her fingers twisted nervously in her lap.

“That’s a ridiculous question, eonni. Why would you even think that?” she said, trying for nonchalance but failing spectacularly.

“Just a yes or no, Shin Yuna,” Jisu pressed, calm and unrelenting.

“No,” Yuna shot back, the answer far too quick to be true.

Jisu blinked. Interesting. That response practically screamed deflection. There was a current swirling under the surface, and she’d always had a knack for spotting the ripple in still water.

“Well,” she said with a slow shrug, “that’s a relief.”

Yuna tilted her head, caught between confusion and caution.

“Someone’s been pestering me to set him up with Chaeryeong. Might as well give it a shot, right?”

Yuna’s brows creased, the corners of her lips twitching downward. “You agreed to set her up with a stranger?”

And there it wasㅡa spark. Tiny, but unmistakable.

“You were an outsider once, remember?” Jisu replied, voice teasing. “Doesn’t seem all that different.”

Yuna pressed her lips together, holding her tongue. There was restraint in her silence. A quiet tension. She wasn’t angry. No, it was something else. Something she couldn’t say out loud.

Jisu slung an arm around her shoulders, grin growing wide and wicked. “So...” she drawled, voice full of mock innocence, “got a thing for my best friend, or what?”

Yuna exhaled, dragging a hand through her hair in exasperation. “Seriously?”

“Going once... going twice...”

“Yes, alright! Yes!” Yuna burst out, eyes wide with a mix of horror and resignation.

Jisu’s triumphant grin practically glowed. “Hey, Chaeryeong!”

Yuna’s hands flew to her face. “No, eonni, please!” she begged, muffled behind her palms. But Jisu was already laughing, already enjoying the chaos.

“What’s up, Jisu eonni?” Chaeryeong called from the kitchen.

Yuna turned away, back rigid, fingers spread across her cheeks to hide the flush spreading fast.

“Someone’s got a crush on you!” Jisu sang, eyes glinting.

Chaeryeong paused mid-step, blinking. “...Who?”

“I’m so done...” Yuna whispered to herself, trying to melt into the cushions.

“Shin Yuna,” Jisu announced, gesturing dramatically.

Yuna tensed. Every syllable of her name landed like a strike.

“Yuna... likes me?” Chaeryeong’s voice cracked with disbelief.

“I’m sorry, eonni!” Yuna cried, leaping to her feet and bowing deep, so deep her hair veiled her face. “I didn’t mean to burden you with that. I justㅡ I understand if it’s awkward, and I know you’re probably straightㅡ”

“I’m not,” Chaeryeong interrupted, voice soft but steady, a rare quiver threading her words. “Yunaㅡ”

“You don’t have to say anything! I don’t expect anything. We can still be friends!” Yuna rambled, bowing again, unable to meet her eyes.

But then, slowly, Chaeryeong crossed the room. Her steps quiet, her touch gentler still as she took Yuna by the arms and lifted her upright.

Yuna stood frozen, breath shallow.

Chaeryeong leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her foreheadㅡdelicate, deliberate. The world seemed to hush around them.

“I feel the same,” she whispered, eyes searching Yuna’s with something tender and new. “But let’s not rush. Let’s figure this out in due time, okay?”

Yuna’s gaze shimmered, wonder pooling in her eyes. Her hands rose, cupping Chaeryeong’s cheeks with trembling care. Chaeryeong leaned into the warmth of her touch, a soft smile curving her lips.

“In the future,” Yuna murmured, voice full of quiet promise, “mi dulzura.”