𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 - 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐬

(FORTY-THREE)

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Ha," Jiwoo politely greeted as she walked through the door. "My name is Jiwoo. It's nice to meet you." Sooyoung's mother looked Jiwoo up and down and scoffed, seeming unimpressed.

Sooyoung tapped Jiwoo on the shoulder. "Hey, peach, can I meet you in my room?" She pointed down a hallway. "There are stairs at the end of the hall, and my room is the first door at the top." Jiwoo nodded and walked away.

"You could've at least said 'hello' to her," Sooyoung scolded, "She was so nice to you."

Mrs. Ha's stoic expression didn't falter. "I don't like her," she hissed.

Baffled, Sooyoung tried not to shout as she told her mother, "You don't even know her!"

"I don't need to," the woman said with a shrug. "Songhee has told me what a horrible girl Jiwoo is – they go to school together, you know." She straightened the collar on Sooyoung's shirt and sighed. "I don't think you two should be friends. She's a bad influence, Yves. Songhee says Jiwoo is... for lack of a better word, a whore. She even sleeps with teachers in order to get good grades." She scrunched her nose in disgust. "She's a delinquent. I mean, just look at her! She's clearly been in plenty of fights, and she doesn't even bother trying to hide those scars on her face. Does that girl have no self-respect?"

This upset Sooyoung more than she understood. She'd never been so angry with her mother. "Songhee doesn't know what she's talking about," she spat, "And neither do you. So if you'd kindly refrain from insulting Jiwoo any further, I have to go. She's waiting for me." She turned on her heel and stomped away, already knowing she'd receive a lecture later for having an attitude and disrespecting her mother.

When she opened her door, her anger fizzled away. She saw Jiwoo sitting on the beanbag in the corner holding a penguin stuffed animal and talking to it in a baby voice.

Jiwoo froze when she noticed Sooyoung. "Sorry," she blurted out, setting the plushie down.

"Why?" Sooyoung nudged Jiwoo to tell her to scoot over a bit. She plopped down into the beanbag and wrapped an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders. "Nothing to be sorry for, unless being too cute is wrong." She poked Jiwoo's side and pinched her cheek, causing the younger to squeal and laugh, burying her face in Sooyoung's shoulder.

Jiwoo didn't pull away when she whispered, "What did your mom say?" When Sooyoung didn't respond, Jiwoo continued. "I don't think she likes me. Maybe we should keep hanging out at my house; I don't want your mom to be mad at you because I'm here."

"Baby." Sooyoung pushed Jiwoo away by her shoulders so she could look at her. "I need to tell you something. No matter what, I really care about you." Her voice cracked toward the end of the statement.

"Sooyoung, you're making me nervous. Is everything okay?"

The elder sniffled and smiled, blinking back tears. "I just want to make sure you know I love you, and that I don't care about your past," she said, "And I want you to be good to yourself no matter what anyone says or does. Your past doesn't define you, Chuu. You are a good person." Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, but she didn't bother wiping them away. She kept her hands where they were, gently cupping Jiwoo's face, occasionally running her thumb softly over the scars on her cheekbone.

Jiwoo knew what that meant. "Sooyoung, it's okay," she whispered, "I know what people say about me. Is this because of your mom?"

Sooyoung blinked slowly, afraid to say yes. But Jiwoo understood. "You're kind. You're smart. You're funny. You're talented. You're cute. You're brave." She took a deep breath before finishing, "And you're the strongest person I've ever met. You've come so far from when we met, and I hate that people can't see you the way I see you. I love you, peach." Jiwoo waited for Sooyoung to stop talking and leaned in slowly, planting a lingering kiss on Sooyoung's lips.

"I love you too. But it's okay, princess," she whispered, "Don't worry about what your mom thinks of me. All I care about is what you think of me. You're the one who knows me."

After another quiet sob, Sooyoung kissed Jiwoo again. "What I think of you?" She mumbled, "I think you're my perfect peachy baby who I love and I think you should cuddle with me." She grinned mischievously and pulled Jiwoo close to hold her. "And I think you're a really, really good singer."