| our love affair pt.2

"i kind of knew already about xiaoting's relationship from before..." yeseo stated, leaning her head on the car seat while looked up at the roof of the van, the sound of air conditioner ringing in her ear in silence. youngeun looked at her, raising her brows she spoke.

"you... knew? how?"

while everyone was out, yeseo thought of staying in for a while, youngeun realized that she might have wanted to accompany the younger one inside the van for a while.

yeseo blinked, as the memories slipped right into her head that time when they were practicing for the fate performance, she remembered it very clear like day.

was it late at night?

xiaoting had walked out of the room with gloomy face carrying a phone on her hand, obviously phones were still allowed but only for limited use, that probably was the issue.

yeseo had watched her from afar how she exited upset, maybe she had overlooked it, she thought but then (choi) yujin asked yeseo to fetch them a drink so they can be hydrated during practice.

as she did so, she exited next in the room and walked a few steps towards the vending machine, and just a few meters there stood xiaoting with a phone on her hand to her ear, a deep frown on her lips while her brows were creased together, she spun upset as she spoke.

yeseo couldn't understand a word yet she somehow managed to get some of it inside her head.

"what? no— that's unfair!"

"please, just— for a little longer..."

"...sister? this is— of her business!"

"y/n... i don't— get it."

xiaoting had somehow probably realized someone might see her and walked further into the darkness as she disappeared from yeseo's eyesight.

yeseo stood there, stunned yet shook the thought out of her head and decided to step out of the way and do as what she was asked.

"one time i heard her bickering on her phone back in that show... i supposed that had something to do with her... ex? i just realized yesterday when we eavesdropped her conversation with yujin and mashiro..." yeseo stated, she shifted her head to face youngeun who looked at her back.

"it's a trivial thought, it never crossed my mind that she was seeing someone that time, i never understood her but hearing a name of a girl made it all clear to me." yeseo added, reaching out to fiddle the collar of youngeun's shirt.

"she looked stressed." youngeun noted, remembering how there was a time in the show xiaoting would walk off ahead of everyone.

"i think she was definitely, you know it's not right to assume someone's status right of the bat... yes?" yeseo muttered.

youngeun nodded. "but— on a second thought, i didn't know she likes crazy girls." yeseo laughed, nodding at the remark youngeun made, whilst she added. "psychopathic woman, to be exact." youngeun bobbed her head and hummed.

°°°°°°°°

a day has passed and they were back to work again, xiaoting had realized that they were exactly at sunday— inkigayo? right.

means she'd be seeing (ahn) yujin again— much against to her liking.

(ahn) yujin was remarkable at her job, although for sure she wanted to jab at xiaoting's face she never looked like it, so calm and fun, well, she definitely is not to xiaoting's eyes.

also this seems to be her last day as an mc— at least xiaoting hoped she wouldn't ruin this day for (ahn) yujin. well that was what she wanted, at least.

while at the backstage, xiaoting watches (ahn) yujin on the monitor mc-ing along with what xiaoting remembered— sungchan and jihoon, whilst she held the water on her hand.

she drank, feeling her throat dry with all the feelings in her chest and the stiffness of her neck.

there was a knock on their room, xiaoting along the others faced the door, xiaoting decided to walk towards it and opened the door, while she didn't see anyone, she turned her head to right, then left— she stood y/n with a big paper bag on her arms, leaning on the wall.

xiaoting stepped out of the room, closed the door.

she took a sharp breath, readying herself before she spoke.

"y/n...? what's up?" she greeted, in korean at that.

y/n, who faced her front, shifted her gaze towards xiaoting, before facing the taller one. "here's some snacks. from the fans of NiNiNi." she stated, referring to the paper bag on her arms, xiaoting took it, eyes bore into y/n's as she did so.

y/n then turned away and started walking.

"you're leaving already?" xiaoting asked, standing there with an expectant face, with an awkward silence, y/n nodded. "i guess." she muttered.

"can we talk just for a moment? i just want to clear up things between the two of us." xiaoting asserted, with a brave face she held the door knob while waiting for an answer, y/n turned her head to look at xiaoting from her shoulders, before nodding.

"yeah, but after work— my sister needs me."

y/n left, walking on the hall passing around different rooms whilst xiaoting stood there with the paper bag, before entering their room with an upside-down stomach and shame all over her face.

°°°°°°

"what is it you want to talk about?" y/n asked, fiddling with her bag as she spoke, eyes avoiding xiaoting's gaze. xiaoting took a heavy breath, preparing herself for the worse. "do you really don't want to fix this anymore?" she asked, hands clasped around each other and she placed them on the table.

"there's no point of doing so if we're not talking anymore." y/n bluntly stated, her tongue bitter as she did so, with a small frown on her pretty lips. xiaoting sighed. "but weren't you the one who stopped talking to me?" xiaoting asked.

"look— that was so, weird. because when i tried to call and text you everything all you did was ignore me and i swore i started looking like a stalker to everyone else." xiaoting stated, upset.

"why even do all of that for me? when you know yourself what kind of a girlfriend i was." y/n argued, looking at xiaoting with a glare so sharp it could kill someone who isn't xiaoting— someone who's not used of the glare.

"yeah, obviously i've called you a psycho so many times, well that's given. but that doesn't mean i don't want this to be resolved just by you ignoring me like we weren't a thing just a few months ago." xiaoting retorted, voice getting louder through her mask.

y/n's glare got sharper with every word xiaoting has said.

"a thing?"

she muttered.

xiaoting stared at her, before shaking her head.

"i meant, like we weren't kissing, like we weren't dating or slept together many times, because you're still my girlfriend right?" xiaoting fumbled with her words and she tried to reach for y/n's forearm but the latter moved away.

"were you even doing any efforts for my sister to like you?" y/n asked, leaning on the chair, she raised her brows, as if interviewing xiaoting for a job, xiaoting pulled the mask away from her face.

"why does she need to like me? didn't you see that girl wants to jab at my face before? and— you're my girlfriend." xiaoting stayed at her position, wanting to touch y/n but stayed still. y/n rolled her eyes. "ddaeng isn't like that at all, it's just because you like to shove her off like she isn't my sister, she feels threatened that you don't want to show her your intentions as my lover." y/n answered.

"if you can't get her to like you then don't even expect anything from my parents." she added.

xiaoting realizes, her eyes shifting anywhere as she gulps. "okay... i guess that's true." she stated, before putting her palms on her face and sighing.

"alright, you have a point." xiaoting groaned, her voice muffled by her hands, she chuckled, before pulling her hands away from her face. she smiled slyly. "you're still my girlfriend right?" she asked, eyes twitched with her own question.

y/n stared at her. "you need to think about it a little longer if you're willing to lower down your ego." y/n muttered before standing up and walking out of the cafe, xiaoting followed, they continued to walk, xiaoting following. "come on, we're still talking why leave?" xiaoting asked, wearing the mask back on whilst she followed.

"i'm done with your jibber-jabber." y/n stated, ignoring xiaoting. "i have so much to say to you, don't leave yet!" xiaoting reached for y/n's hand and the stopped, surrounded in a sea of people under the dark sky and lights from the buildings.

they stared at each other's eyes.

"i still love you y/n." xiaoting stated, caressing y/n's hand.

she can see how y/n's kind of softened but still emotionless.

"you still love me right? i'll understand if you don't but come on— just tell me." xiaoting walked a little closer towards y/n, their face a few inches away from each other. y/n breathes, hearing her own heartbeat betraying her.

"you're a moron— shen xiaoting. and of course i do!" y/n yelled in xiaoting's face, scoffing as she looked away. xiaoting sighed deeply, looking up and laughing before holding y/n in a hug, pulling down her mask. y/n complied, placing her hands on xiaoting's waist.

xiaoting placed her hands on y/n's cheeks before leaning in for a kiss. their lips met in a kiss, with y/n feeling herself melt in while holding on to xiaoting's arms.

after a minute or two, xiaoting pulled away, her cap covering her eyes whil she looked at y/n dearly, she spoke. "wanna stay with me for a night?" with a mischievous smile she asked.

y/n looked at her, nodding.

"sure— why not?"