Chapter Text
"This is so much information,"
"OLIVIA GET THE FUCK OUT," Sooyoung threw a pillow at the door and glared at her, pushing a very flustered Haseul off her lap and onto the bed as she got up. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KNOCK,"
"I thought this was the bathroom," Olivia mumbled.
"Right. I'll pretend I believe that," Sooyoung rolled her eyes.
"Okay well when you guys are like...done, I'd like help moving stuff please,"
"We're done!" Haseul called, frantically sitting up and straightening her hair.
"I wasn't," Sooyoung cocked a brow and Haseul blushed as she ran a hand through her tangled brown locks and offered her girlfriend's sister a wary smile.
"...ookay, I'll come back later, or-"
"No!" Haseul pushed a handsy Sooyoung off of her and rushed towards the door. "Sorry! It's great to see you here, kid!"
"Kid?" Olivia snorted.
Haseul blushed, looking very sheepish as she mumbled an awkward apology, and Sooyoung came up behind her, glaring down at her sister.
"Don't be rude to her, Olivia,"
"Sorry if I hurt your future wife's feelings, can you help me now?" Olivia said, rolling her eyes at how flustered the couple seemed by her comment.
"Wife?-"
"Marriage is a long ways off-"
"I mean, I'm not not considering it-"
"I didn't ask," Olivia groaned. "Instead of being useless lesbians, you could put yourselves to work for me,"
That shut them up. Haseul gave her an embarrassed and wonderfully silent smile and Sooyoung glared at her as they made their way out of the couple's apartment bedroom and into the living room, where all of Olivia's moving boxes were piled.
Olivia cursed under her breath. It was a pain to have them delivered here, but it was the only way to get everything out of her house with parental help. Her mother and father were under the impression that she and Sooyoung were going to be sharing an apartment because somehow they still didn't know about Haseul. They believed that Sooyoung and Haseul were "close friends" even though it took anyone with the ability to see that they were like an old married couple. Well, apparently with a higher sex drive, much to Olivia's disdain.
They had offered to help Olivia bring all her boxes from home, and now they'd all have to be repacked into Sooyoung's SUV to take her to her actual dorm, the one on campus. Olivia was going to die.
Saying she hated her sister wouldn't be quite correct. She hated that her sister hated her, so Olivia had to hate her first. She had to hate her more. She'd never admit that it hurt her to see how happy Sooyoung was when her family wasn't around. Stupid Haseul with her stupid smile and her stupid perfect family and her even stupider girlfriend, who was wrapped around her stupid finger.
Sooyoung hated Olivia because she reminded Sooyoung of her step-dad, or Olivia's father. She was the reason Sooyoung's real father left, why their home life was so bad because Sooyoung's dad found out about the affair her mom was having. Olivia had felt like Sooyoung's dad had been hers too, because that's all she had ever known. It hurt her when he left, and as a young kid, knowing she was the reason he left destroyed her. Sooyoung had hated her from that moment forward, and Olivia just had to deal with it.
"Oli, can't you call friends to help with this?" Sooyoung asked, surveying all the luggage.
Olivia tensed. "I don't have any, remember?"
It was embarrassing, really. Turns out that if you hate everyone, it's a bit hard to join social circles in high school. Olivia had always been the outsider, the loner, but hopefully, college would be a fresh start.
If she didn't have her sister's reputation hanging over her too. It was already going great.
"No, of course, you wouldn't remember, you're too busy kissing your girlfriend and ignoring mom's calls,"
"What did you say?-"
"Can you two just-" Haseul squeezed Sooyoung's arm, giving her a tired smile. "Stop being snarky,"
Where Sooyoung softened and kissed her forehead, Olivia glared at the two of them and stalked off, counting her bags again.
"Okay," Sooyoung said. "Let's move it then, I don't have all day,"
Haseul elbowed her and shook her head. "My sister moved into her dorm a couple of days ago, I'm sure she'd be open to helping and possibly making a friend," She smiled.
Ok, one thing about Haseul was that she was just so naturally likable. Olivia was having a hard time hating her. She was sweet and caring, and everything Olivia wished Sooyoung was.
Olivia pushed that thought down and crossed her arms. "Sure, whatever,"
Not a lot of people smiled at her, so it did make Olivia's chest feel a little lighter when Haseul's face lit up in a real grin. "Really? Okay, cool,"
Haseul wasn't so bad, really, but Olivia hated how easy it was for Sooyoung to look at her like that. To love Haseul when she couldn't love her own family.
Whatever, Olivia didn't care.
College was very stimulating, Olivia earned quickly.
As soon as they arrived in the campus dorms, Olvia felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of people around her. They were loud, reckless, shouting at each other as furniture and bags were being thrown around. Olivia didn't like it one bit, it seemed that everyone had chosen the same day to move.
Olivia's chest tightened, it felt like everything was getting louder and brighter by the moment. She couldn't breathe, everything was so intense-
A hand slipped inside hers. Haseul.
"Olivia," Haseul spoke softly. "Are you alright?"
Haseul was looking up at her with genuine care and concern in her eyes. Olivia looked around for Sooyoung, to see the older girl lifting a chair and stumbling off down the hall. Maybe if she was gone, Haseul would stop pretending to care.
But Haseul didn't, even though Olivia knew she saw Sooyoung leave.
"I'm scared," Olivia whispered. "I don't want to be alone, but I can't...I can't go back,"
Haseul squeezed her fingers. "Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I had no idea you were feeling like that,"
Olivia nodded faintly, feeling her throat tighten.
"Let me see your dorm number, we'll figure this out okay?"
Olivia decided she liked Haseul, actually. The woman called her sweetheart, and Olivia couldn't remember the last time someone had been that soft with her. It didn't feel demeaning or condescending, just caring. Haseul did care that she was afraid, and Olivia felt bad for hating her.
"Please don't tell Sooyoung I'm afraid," Olivia mumbled as she handed Haseul the papers with the info to her dorm.
"I won't, I promise," Haseul rubbed her shoulder and then read through the paper. "Looks like you're in dorm...124. Hold on," She checked her phone. "My sister is in that dorm,"
Olivia paused. "Really?"
"Yep, looks like you already have a friend," Haseul smiled. "She's a little...excitable and talkative, but I bet you two can get along,"
Olivia hesitated and Haseul noticed. "But what if she doesn't like me?" She asked softly.
Haseul smiled more knowingly this time. "Trust me, she'll like you. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body when it comes to pretty girls, and I guarantee I'll receive a text within the day that her roommate is pretty,"
Olivia blushed and Haseul laughed.
"Also," Haseul got serious for a moment. "I'll tell you the same thing I told my sister. If you need me, for any reason, even if you're just sad, you call me. Doesn't matter what time it is," She took Olivia's hand again. "I don't want you to feel lonely. You can depend on me,"
Olivia chewed her lip. "T-thank you, I just," She sighed. "I don't want to annoy Sooyoung,"
"Sooyoung's business is hers and mine is mine," Haseul told her firmly. "I'm extending my offer because I care about you, Olivia, not just because you're my girlfriend's sister. Frankly, I don't care what Sooyoung thinks about it," Haseul smiled sadly. "She's trying, I don't know if you can see that. I know that won't erase everything in the past, I don't know if it's even noticeable, but she does care,"
Olivia nodded faintly. No, she couldn't see it, but she hoped Haseul was a good influence on her sister. Maybe once they were both out of their parents' house, Sooyoung wouldn't hate her so much anymore. Olivia could hope.
☀︎︎☀︎︎☀︎︎
Yeojin liked Sooyoung when she first saw her. She wasn't kidding when she said she'd happily steal the girl from her sister if given the chance.
Okay, she was kidding, but she did think that Sooyoung was one of the most attractive women she'd ever seen. She had the nicest smile, the prettiest laugh, she was so funny, and secretly Yeojin was glad that she made Haseul so happy. Her sister and Sooyoung were adorable together, and Yeojin couldn't lie and say she wasn't jealous. It seemed like everyone in the world had a girlfriend except for her. Haseul had Sooyoung, Jinsoul had a girlfriend too, according to Haseul. Yeojin found that hard to believe, but whatever. Point was that Yeojin did not like that she was entering college with no past relationships under her belt. It felt embarrassing, and Yeojin hated to be embarrassed.
"Hey kid," Sooyoung said in surprise as she pushed the door open, furniture in her arms. "Is this your dorm?"
Yeojin narrowed her eyes, looking up from her Nintendo switch at the woman. "Did you bring me a chair?"
"This is my sister's dorm room too," Sooyoung replied. "You must be roommates,"
Yeojin looked from her to the paper posted on the wall. Dorm Room 124: Olivia Ha and Yeojin Jo. What a coincidence.
"Wow," Yeojin raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. "I didn't even know you had a sister,"
"Haseul must've mentioned her to you,"
"Probably, but I don't pay attention to what Haseul says,"
Sooyoung rolled her eyes and put the chair down, ruffling the younger's hair. "Don't say things like that, I've gotta be a good girlfriend and defend her,"
"You have to be a better sister-in-law and agree with me," Yeojin said cheekily.
"I heard that, Yeojin,"
Haseul stood in the doorway with a taller, much shyer black haired girl. She was half-hidden by Haseul, but Yeojin still caught a glimpse of her face and felt her cheeks grow hot.
That was her roommate?
She subtly tried to smooth out her hair as the two girls walked into the dorm room and wished she had a bit of time to prepare for this. Haseul came to Sooyoung's side while her sister hesitated towards the entrance.
"That's your bed," Yeojin motioned with an amount of enthusiasm that even she cringed at. Sooyoung's lips twitched and Haseul had a look in her eye, but if her sister noticed that she didn't show it. Instead, she nodded stiffly and sat down on the bed across the room.
"Yeojin, this is Olivia. Olivia, this is my sister Yeojin," Haseul introduced.
"Hi," Yeojin greeted. "It's nice to meet you,"
Olivia blinked at her and bowed her head slightly. "You too,"
"We should get going," Sooyoung chewed her lip. "You'll be fine, Oli,"
Olivia looked down and fiddled with her hands. "Okay,"
"Hey," Haseul went over to her and wrapped her shoulders in a hug. "Call me later, okay? Let me know how you settle in. Both of you," She looked back at Yeojin, smiling. "I'm just a phone call away,"
"We know, Unnie," Yeojin rolled her eyes.
"Thank you," Olivia said softly. Yeojin wondered if she imagined the wistful look in Sooyoung's eyes.
"Bye girls!" Haseul waved and Sooyoung followed behind, shutting the door and leaving them alone.
Olivia looked so nervous, and Yeojin felt bad for her. Despite being sisters, it didn't seem like Sooyoung and Olivia were very close. Yeojin had noted without jealousy how close Haseul seemed to be with the younger girl and felt a twinge of pity. Olivia seemed small despite being taller and older.
"Hi," Yeojin said again. "So you're Sooyoung's sister. I see it,"
"Half-sister," Olivia quirked her lips and inspected the ground.
"Oh, cool," Yeojin trailed off, unsure what to say to that. Maybe that was why they weren't as close.
"I like your, um-" Olivia pointed to the pride flag over Yeojin's desk, and Yeojin beamed.
"Oh, thank you!" She stood up. "Haseul bought it for me, I hope you don't mind me keeping it up. And if you did, I still would,"
"I don't mind," Olivia agreed.
"Cool. We're going to be friends,"
Olivia smiled. "I'd like that,"
☀︎︎☀︎︎☀︎︎
Olivia woke up to Seohyun's "Don't Say No" blasting at full volume.
Yeojin was already up, evidently, and she was dancing about the room in her monkey pajamas. Olivia wasn't sure how Yeojin was expecting her to sleep through this, but she clearly wasn't expecting Olivia to wake up since she was dancing so freely. Olivia peered over the blankets to look at the alarm clock. 7:40. Wonderful.
She coughed, and Yeojin froze, looking over her shoulder with a red face to see Olivia awake.
"Oh!" Yeojin rushed to turn down the music. "Sorry, oh my god, I forgot you were still sleeping-"
Olivia sat up in her bed, rubbing her head. "You have so much energy for so early in the morning,"
Yeojin shrugged. "I'm a morning person. And a night person. I just hate to sleep,"
"Hmm," Olivia wrapped the covers around herself further and curled her limbs into a ball. "Cannot relate,"
"There's so much to do!" Yeojin exclaimed. "Don't you want to go explore?"
Olivia looked up to the window and then back at Yeojin. "It's so loud out there,"
Yeojin deflated a bit. "I'm here, so it's loud here too. Do you mind that?"
Olivia considered it. Yeojin was nice. She was Olivia's first friend, and she didn't have bad music taste. What if she forgot about Olivia though...got herself newer, better friends. Then Olivia really would have no one.
No. Yeojin was Haseul's sister, and Haseul cared about her. Surely Yeojin would be the same.
"I don't," Olivia answered. "Everything outside is just...so much,"
Yeojin nodded slowly. "It's okay to be nervous,"
Olivia swallowed thickly. "I don't think people will like me,"
"Wha-" Yeojin's mouth fell open. "People won't like you? But you're like, gorgeous. Anybody with eyes-" Yeojin's own eyes widened when she heard herself and she quickly shut up.
Olivia fidgeted, feeling too shy to look at her. Sooyoung didn't like her, her parents didn't like her, so why should anybody else? Yeojin's words were...confusing to hear. She wasn't used to a compliment like that, and Yeojin didn't seem to be used to giving them.
"I don't know," Olivia said even softer.
"We don't have to," Yeojin assured her. "How about we do something to get to know each other?"
Olivia nodded with more certainty this time. "Okay,"
"I promise," Yeojin gave her a look. "People will like you,"
Olivia hoped she was right.
☀︎︎☀︎︎☀︎︎
"You think they'll get along?"
Sooyoung snorted, wrapping her hands around her girlfriend's waist and placing her chin on Haseul's shoulder as she watched the younger cook. "They'll be fine Seul,"
"I worry about Olivia," Haseul murmured. "She seemed so nervous,"
"Everyone is," Sooyoung kissed her temple. "But they have each other, and I'm sure Yeojin's already head over heels for another Ha girl,"
Haseul gave her side-eye. "You think so highly of yourself,"
Sooyoung smirked. "I know what effect I have on the Jo women," She said lowly, earning a shove from her girlfriend. "Seriously. You do realize Yeojin hit on me like the first several times we talked? And I know you saw her face when Olivia walked in,"
"She looked like a deer in headlights," Haseul agreed in amusement.
"Hm," Sooyoung pressed herself against Haseul again. "Reminded me of you,"
Haseul blushed. "Stop with that,"
"You're much cuter," Sooyoung's hands drifted under Haseul's shirt and her mouth found its way to just below Haseul's ear. "I remember how flustered you'd get over something like this-" She placed a light kiss on Haseul's skin.
"Sooyoung," Haseul gasped and then shot her a grumpy look. "You'll make me burn the rice,"
"So burn it," Sooyoung replied. "I'm not hungry for that,"
"What are you- Sooyoung," Haseul groaned as her girlfriend's touches got more persistent.
"Indulge me," Sooyoung's voice was husky next to her ear. "Olivia interrupted us last time, I'm not done with you,"
Haseul giggled and turned off the stove as Sooyoung pulled her away, towards the bedroom.
"I love you," Haseul whispered as Sooyoung's hand went to her hair and held her close.
"I love you more," Sooyoung smiled gently, before scooping the woman into her arms and pressing her against the wall.
The kiss was slow, languid because they had all the time in the world for this. Haseul's fingers slid down below her collar and Sooyoung's body flexed against her hands. "You're so beautiful," Haseul breathed against her lips, and the older smiled into her.
"Told you I'm charming," Sooyoung replied.
"Shut up," Haseul laughed, and pulled Sooyoung into the bedroom.
When they laid back, both satisfied, Haseul turned to Sooyoung and just watched her. Sooyoung was always gorgeous, but Haseul liked her best in a setting like this one, where all her defenses were down. Her lips were smudged and swollen, and her chest heaved breaths from their exertion. Her hair was splayed across the pillow, the new silver color creating a hallow around her face. Her eyes were closed and her lips painted in a half-open smile. The picture of contentment.
"Sooyoung," Haseul called softly.
"Hmm," Sooyoung opened her eyes and admired her girlfriend.
"Would you do something for me?" Sooyoung raised a brow, and Haseul hit her softly. "No, not like that!"
"I would do anything," Sooyoung sat up and kissed her forehead. "Whatever you need,"
Haseul smiled shyly and then started to feel bad about what she was going to say. "Please, try with Olivia,". Sooyoung didn't seem to be expecting an answer like that. She pulled away to look into Haseul's eyes, confused. Haseul smiled sadly and took her girlfriend's hand. "I know what she reminds you of, but she's a kid. She's your sister, and she's more terrified than she should be,"
"I went to college alone," Sooyoung's voice was cold. "I didn't have my mom or her dad to support me,"
"You know what it's like, Sooyoung," Haseul pleaded. "I can only help her so much, she needs you,"
"She doesn't even like me," Sooyoung mumbled.
"She does," Haseul put her arm around her girlfriend. "But neither of you know how to show it,"
Sooyoung sighed. "I just...I look at her, and I see everything that I didn't get. Then I feel like shit because I know she's just a kid, and..." Sooyoung shook her head. "She's messed up cause of my parent's shit, I know, and I want to be a person to fix that, but I'm messed up too,"
Haseul rubbed her shoulder, sighing deeply. "I'm so sorry baby, you didn't deserve what they put you through,"
Sooyoung leaned into her and Haseul could feel her uneven breaths coming out against her neck. She frowned, holding the older girl a little tighter and wishing she could make it alright.
"I want to do right by her," Sooyoung murmured after a moment. "I want her to be happier than I was. I don't want her to hurt people the way I did, the way I hurt you," She pressed her hand to Haseul's cheek. "Or the way I hurt myself,"
"Look where you are now," Haseul whispered. "I think she'll be just fine,"
Sooyoung smiled and kissed her. "You're here. I think we'll both be fine,"
☀︎︎☀︎︎☀︎︎
Olivia liked Yeojin a lot.
The past couple of days hadn't been so bad with Yeojin. Olivia and Yeojin were completely opposite in so many ways, Olivia wanted to sleep in in the morning, Yeojin wanted her to get up and explore. Olivia wanted to stay inside and play games, Yeojin wanted to go out and meet people. She had introduced Olivia to some of her new friends, but all of them seemed far less interested in her and more interested in Yeojin.
Which was okay, because Yeojin barely paid any attention to them.
She could hear the ding of incoming texts from Yeojin's phone, but it was like Yeojin was deaf to them. She was very focused on painting Olivia's nails, and she was so concentrated that her tongue was peeking out from between her teeth.
Their apartment was shrouded with darkness, but around them, there were little nightlights that had provided more than enough light. Olivia had been interrogated on the decor she wanted for their dorm, and she chose a glow-in-the-dark theme. Yeojin thought it was the coolest thing she'd ever heard, and they took a day trip down to the Halloween store to find as many led nightlights as they could. The end result looked like a glow-worm cave, and it made Olivia feel safe. Yeojin made her feel safe now too.
"Almost done," Yeojin murmured, finishing up her ring finger. "You look so cool,"
Another ding of her phone. Yeojin's eyebrow raised but she didn't say anything.
"You can get that if you need to," Olivia told her.
"It's no one important," Yeojin shrugged.
Olivia nodded slowly, then pursed her lips. "They're texting you a lot,"
"They need a life," Yeojin scoffed and turned around to silence her phone. "There. Now only Haseul and you will get through,"
Olivia smiled and looked back down at her feet. She liked being one of the people Yeojin found cool, that Yeojin would rather spend time with her.
"Do you like it?" Yeojin held up Olivia's hand to show her. It was a tidy polish for the most part, but what Olivia liked most was the little self-made frog stickers Yeojin had put on them. It was really dorky, admittedly. She'd be embarrassed if Sooyoung saw them, but right now dorky was okay. Everything was ok.
"I do," Olivia agreed softly, smiling. She wiggled her fingers and Yeojin laughed. The two of them leaned into each other, and Yeojin's cheeks heated up when she felt Olivia's face in her hair. It felt nice here, in the dark with her.
"Now we're matching," Yeojin told her happily. "We'll show them off to everyone,"
Olivia brightened even more at that and grinned. "Y-yeah, okay,"
Yeojin blew on her nails and then let go, standing up to go put away her polish.
"There's a party," She said absent-mindedly. "Yerim invited us. It's tomorrow, I think we should go,"
Olivia took a breath. "She invited you,"
"And I want you to come," Yeojin shot her a look. "It's not a party if you're not there with me,"
Olivia blew out her cheeks, laughing sadly. "Yeojin...come on. I know I'm lame, and the past few days have been great but I don't want to be holding you down,"
"What?" Yeojin looked at her like she was crazy. "Viv, come on. I'm telling you because I like you. You're so- hey,"
She rushed over to Olivia when she noticed the tears that slipped from the older's eye.
"How can you like me?" Olivia asked softly. "No one likes me,"
Yeojin held her gently as she started crying and Yeojin's heart broke to see this quiet girl so broken and confused over their friendship.
"Why wouldn't I like you?" Yeojin asked her in concern.
"No one does, Yeojin," Olivia sniffled. "Not my parents, not Sooyoung, not any of your friends,"
"They don't see what I see," Yeojin held Olivia's cheek in her palm, forcing their eyes to meet. "I know you. You're kind, and you're sweet, and you're pure hearted. You're smart, and, you know,"
Olivia's eyes were shiny with tears and filled with confusion. "I don't know," She whispered.
"You're pretty," Yeojin told her sheepishly. Olivia's cheeks reddened and a shy smile crept onto her face.
"I wanna go with you to that party," Olivia whispered. "I'm just afraid,"
"You don't need to be afraid," Yeojin wiped the tears from her face. "It's just some stupid college kids making dumb decisions. Everyone is focused on themselves, and anyone who meets you is going to think the same thing I did when I met you. Tall, pretty...and " Yeojin swallowed thickly.
Olivia looked up at her. "And...?"
"I hope she likes me back," Yeojin whispered.
Then she leaned in and kissed the older's lips.
It was just a peck, something innocent enough for the whole world to be watching. Yeojin felt like she had sunburn, the heat of her face was so intense. It was only a second, the kiss, but it could've lasted whole lifetimes the way Yeojin felt it. When did Olivia start smelling so good? She couldn't remember.
"Woah," Olivia breathed.
Yeojin cringed. "Sorry if I-"
"No," Olivia had the audacity to smile while Yeojin was panicking. "Don't say sorry. I was never going to work up the courage to do it myself,"
Yeojin sighed in relief, and then the both of them giggled. "So the party?"
Olivia took a deep breath, and squeezed Yeojin's hand. "As long as you're there, yeah, the party,"
Yeojin could definitely work with that.
☀︎︎☀︎︎☀︎︎
Sooyoung did not enjoy Hyunjin's parties.
Hyunjin referred to herself as "The Ultimate Bachelor," which was possibly the most obnoxious title in existence and meant that her parties were often a place people liked to... well Sooyoung couldn't think of a polite way to phrase it. Point was, Hyunjin herself was often missing for a large portion of the night, and Sooyoung had little desire to find her, knowing exactly what activities she was currently partaking in.
Haseul's face was pressed into the fabric of her jacket, as it had been for some time. It was cold outside, which was where they chose to be. Jungeun, Hyunjin's cousin, had told them that the ideal place to be for parties like this was on the balconies. "If you get there first, couples won't try to have sex on it," and Sooyoung shuddered thinking of the way Jungeun acquired this information. Hyunjin's parents were rich rich, and often spent time in different houses, meaning Hyunjin had the house all to herself. This was convenient because Hyunjin's house was as close to a mansion as you could get in the city, and there were plenty of places to hang out during a party.
This balcony was secluded but still near the main living area, and Sooyoung could hear the bass of some over played pop song. "I Am The Best" had probably been played about six different times now each with a different remix, and Sooyoung was starting to debate whether or not she wanted to stay at all. Haseul was tired, Jinsoul was probably getting very drunk with Heejin and their two respective girlfriends-turned-babysitters.
"Oh my god," Haseul's lips exhaled near her ear. "Soo, look,"
Sooyoung turned in the direction her girlfriend was looking and her eyes widened in surprise.
It was glaringly obvious who were freshman among Hyunjin's guests. Olivia and Yeojin were very nervous, very fresh faced, and entirely more sober than the rest of the people in the room. That wasn't what caught Sooyoung's attention though, it was the grip they had on each other's hands, and the very light imprint of a kiss mark on Olivia's left cheek. Were they...a thing?
"They're so cute," Haseul cooed. "I knew Yeojin liked her, but it's impossible to tell with you Ha girls what's going on in your heads,"
Sooyoung gave her a loving glance. "I don't think that's true, I was head over heels for you and everyone knew it,"
"Except me,""
"Except you," Sooyoung kissed her forehead. "They're much better at communication than us, apparently,"
"Sooyoung," Haseul's eyes were filled with knowing. "On the topic of communication,"
Sooyoung groaned, pouting a bit to try and appease her girlfriend. "Tonight?"
"No time better," Haseul stood up from Sooyoung's lap and kissed her cheek. "And you know, I'll be in a good mood when we get home," She smirked. "That always goes well for you, huh?"
Sooyoung grinned and said nothing as Haseul sauntered off back into the house and leaving Sooyoung cold without her presence.
Olivia was a much more somber matter. Sooyoung realized with a tinge of guilt that she'd never seen someone make her sister smile the way Yeojin did. Maybe she wasn't used to her sister smiling at all, and that in turn was hard to accept. Maybe in the week that Yeojin had known Olivia, she managed to know her more than Sooyoung did.
She missed the memories that she had of her and her sister. Sooyoung and Olivia against the world had slowly turned to Sooyoung against Olivia and she hadn't tried to fight it. Sooyoung had been small and weak, and the one thing cowards do is prey on the smaller and weaker. She saw Olivia as the catalyst for the lost of her dad, for the surrender of power of her mother to her step-dad. They were older now, Sooyoung was an adult. She couldn't let Olivia be subjected to the pain or loneliness of knowing no family, of having no one. Sooyoung was alone once, and never again.
"Oli!" She called. "Olivia!"
Olivia spotted her, and something in her eyes changed. She let go of Yeojin's hand, who looked up in surprise. Olivia muttered something to her and Yeojin let her go, till Olivia was entering the balcony and silenting standing in front of her older sister.
"Are you gonna sit?" Sooyoung's voice came out harsher than she meant, but Olivia didn't seem surprised. She sat down and looked straight ahead, out at the city.
Sooyoung didn't know what to say, but she wanted to fix things. She didn't know how Olivia was feeling about all of this, and she couldn't blame her sister for not trusting her. So; she chose an easier topic.
"Yeojin?"
Olivia, despite all her defensiveness, still blushed at the girl's mention. A smile crept up on her face, and Sooyoung couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, I'm sure Haseul is questioning her the exact same way right about now,"
"I... I like her," Olivia admitted quietly.
"I noticed," Sooyoung snorted. "You've got some pretty convincing evidence on your cheek there,"
Olivia shyly wiped off the kiss stain on her cheek and looked down. "You don't think Haseul will mind?"
"Oh, Haseul is far too excited if you ask me," Sooyoung smiled. "I better give Yeojin a talking to about doing right by my little sister,"
Olivia's smile dropped and Sooyoung cleared her throat when she realized what she said. It was the first time in a long time she hadn't pointed out the difference in their fathers, and something about it felt wistful yet unfamiliar.
"Have you talked to Mom recently?" Sooyoung tried to keep the conversation going. "After the move,"
"Everyday," Olivia picked at her fingers. "She tries to call, sometimes we can't, but she always says something,"
Sooyoung tried not to be too jealous of that. She wanted her mother to do that for her, to try, to care, but it wasn't Olivia's fault she was deprived of that.
"She asks about you," Olivia looked up at her.
Sooyoung cleared her throat. "What do you say?"
Olivia chewed her lip and went back to her nails. Sooyoung noted the frog nail polish. Cute. Very Yeojin.
"I tell her you're happier than I've ever seen you. That school is going well," She took a deep breath. "She figured out you're in a relationship. I haven't told her it's with Haseul, I haven't even told her it's a girl- but I think she knows. She just won't say," Olivia swallowed thickly. "She asks me about "Sooyoung's special person", and she wants me to tell you she's happy for you," She looked up. "I guess I hadn't gotten around to it yet,"
Sooyoung exhaled. That was... different than what she'd expected.
"I always tell her you're busy when she asks to talk to you," Olivia continued. "I don't know if she believes that part, but, you know, you're not exactly there,"
Sooyoung felt tears in her eyes. Olivia's voice went down the tiniest bit, like it was a rejection she was used to. Of course she was, but it hurt to hear all the same.
"Olivia I'm-" Sooyoung really hoped her voice didn't crack. "I'm sorry. I know I did things, said things that were just... cruel, but none of it was stuff you deserved. You were just a kid, you are just a kid, but I saw you as a reminder-"
"I know what you saw me as," Olivia's voice was cold. "There wasn't a day that passed you let me forget,"
Sooyoung faltered. "You were a child. I see that now, that I was hurting someone, only because I hurt too,"
"I was still your sister," Olivia whispered. "I still share my blood with you, but you looked at me like I was something disgusting,"
Sooyoung grabbed her hand. "Olivia, please understand. It was not you, it was never you. I..." Sooyoung blinked back tears. "I wanted to belong, I wanted to feel like I had a family, but then he-" A sob escaped her. "He ruined it all,"
"I wanted it too," Olivia was crying too. "I wanted it with you,"
Sooyoung broke out crying and Olivia launched herself into Sooyoung's arms, sharing a tight embrace that they hadn't felt since they were kids.
"I was broken when I left home," Sooyoung whispered. "I didn't know how to love. I didn't know how to be a daughter, a friend, a girlfriend, a sister, but I want to try. There's always gonna be a part of me that's still broken, but for you," She pulled back and brushed the hair from Olivia's eyes. "I want to change that for you. I want to do right by you,"
"That's all I ever wanted," Olivia buried her face in Sooyoung's neck. "My big sister back,"
Sooyoung was crying again, but out of relief this time. She hadn't made up for the pain she'd caused Olivia, but she'd spend her whole life trying to. For now, it was enough to be forgiven, it was enough to hold her little sister tight and feel a hole in her heart slowly closing.
the end of THE LINE