UNCHANGEABLE - TIAOM

17

everything fast forwarded after she got back to the city.

interviews, endorsement shoots, meetings with her manager, lawyers, accountants, business partners-- these occupied kim's schedule. she and conan even went to yeosan a couple of times to check how the hotel construction is going and to iron out employment plans in the area.

she reconnected with suzy and had officially signed a contract with her agency to get her as the endorser of the hotel. this hyped the showbiz buzz again between them. even so, their relationship remained platonic and their meetings have all been purely business-related.

if it weren't for dee who messaged her to visit the foundation, kim wouldn't have realised that a month already passed. feeling guilty after receiving the message, kim hurriedly jump into her car and drove out of the city that night.

she arrived around ten in the evening. there's no light in dee's apartment. kim stays in the hallway, dropping a quick message to pie about seeing katrien tomorrow if they are available.

but her excitement got drained by pie's lack of response to her message. and kim's brain is already conjuring up reasons.

is pie already asleep? or is she at work? could she be spending time with her husband right now?

"ugh." kim shakes her head.

not wanting to linger at the thought, kim messaged some of her friends and former comrades in the area asking them to hang out.

it's probably too late in the evening for that as no one is responding to her.

she was ready to go into her apartment and sleep it off until one text came.

it was from gyuri.

---

she met gyuri at a bar. despite the doctor's rants about how her day was so stressful, she's still undeniably attractive.

they had a couple of drinks and kim finds herself appreciating more how beautiful gyuri is. they drank more and talked about a lot of stuff: politics, the dog gyuri adopted, life experiences, and even relationships where it ended with gyuri saying how kim's ex is such a bitch.

kim still checks her phone from time to time but a certain someone hasn't responded to her yet. her suspicion on the lack of response got bigger and bigger and kim feels uneasy.

not wanting to linger on the thought, kim tries her best to focus on gyuri. the doctor's not-so-subtle flirting tells kim that something more is expected from tonight.

and who is she to deny herself of some enjoyment?

it was past midnight when kim, who's now consumed by alcohol intoxication, finally gave into the temptation. they kissed, once, twice, thrice. too drunk to drive, both left their cars at the parking area and called a cab back to kim's apartment.

they were already mauling each other before they can even get through the front door. after successfully getting in with their clothes still intact, gyuri playfully pushes kim down the sofa. with a sexy grin playing on her lips, gyuri undoes the buttons of her blouse and takes her shirt off, letting it fall on the floor.

kim gulps, staring at the woman in front of her. is she really doing this tonight? yeah. why not? pie could be doing the same thing, right?

gyuri moves and straddles her, cupping her face and kissing her again. it was hard and needy this time.

just as when she's ready to tear gyuri's bra off, kim glimpses the painting that is still hanged on the wall.

and suddenly, she hears voices.