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1. Flushed
Soyeon hears Yuqi sigh for what seems to be the millionth time that evening. A pang of annoyance involuntarily shoots through Soyeon. She gets it- she also is not particularly entertained by watching group after group of singers perform their hit songs for hours on end. On top of that, the chairs are not comfortable. Soyeon can feel a cramp twitching in her back muscles.
Another sigh cuts through Soyeon’s thoughts about this music show. Soyeon rolls her eyes so hard she’s sure they almost got stuck that way. She needs Yuqi’s sighing to stop before Soyeon actually screams at her. Soyeon frowns, trying to think of a way to entertain Yuqi, for the sole purpose of shutting her up.
Unfortunately for Yuqi, as Soyeon is desperately searching her mind for something to say, Yuqi groans a little and readjusts the modesty blanket draped over her lap. This is all it takes for Soyeon to snap.
Soyeon whips her head around, eyes blazing with annoyance. She leans in to Yuqi’s ear, whispering harshly.
“Can you stop sighing, Yuqi? And why are you always moving?”
Yuqi looks at Soyeon, making eye contact. Soyeon falters a little at the sight of Yuqi’s large round doe eyes coupled with her slightly flushed cheeks.
Yuqi leans in a little closer to Soyeon, whispering in her ear. “Sorry, unnie,” She says, her warm breath making contact with Soyeon’s ear. “I’m just so bored.”
Soyeon rolls her eyes again. It was times like these that made Soyeon remember the true childlike nature of Yuqi’s personality. Although this event was not particularly interesting, there was no reason to force everyone around them to be the victims to Yuqi’s boredom.
A few quiet minutes go by. Yuqi’s sighing has finally ceased, and her squirming in her seat is kept to a minimum. Soyeon relaxes, mistakenly thinking Yuqi has managed to gain a semblance of self control.
Only a moment later, though, the sighing starts again. Soyeon is about ready to forget about her status as a public figure and hit Yuqi across the face. Instead, though, Soyeon desperately looks around for something to distract Yuqi with. She looks up on stage, noticing the boy group performing. Soyeon remembers meeting one of them backstage.
“Yah, Yuqi-ah. I met one of the guys performing right now backstage earlier. He’s really short,” Soyeon says, nodding toward the stage.
It works. Yuqi blinks a few times, leaning back to get a better view of the stage, presumably to get a view of the short member. However, their view is slightly obstructed by the large speakers blasting who-knows-what for the duration of the music show. Yuqi resorts to whipping her head around, looking at the large monitor. Soyeon watches, annoyance melting away, replaced with adoration for the cuteness of the girl sitting next to her. She admires Yuqi’s round cheeks, and the way her long lashes flick as Yuqi blinks.
Suddenly, Yuqi turns around again, leaning in to whisper to Soyeon. Soyeon flinches at the sudden interruption, flipping her head toward Yuqi by reflex. Yuqi must have said something, based on the way her lips were moving- Soyeon takes note of Yuqi’s shiny glossed lips- but Soyeon can’t make out the words due to the close proximity of their faces.
Soyeon’s stomach flips as she smells Yuqi’s sweet jasmine-scented perfume. She off-handedly wonders if there are cameras picking this up. She hopes not, because she can feel her face burning. Soyeon can’t tear her gaze away from Yuqi’s lips, imagining what Yuqi’s lips would feel like against hers, if Yuqi would let her slip her tongue into her mouth, if Yuqi would let her touch…
“Soyeon-unnie? Soyeon-unnie! Are you okay? You look a little flushed,” Yuqi whisper-screams, breaking Soyeon out of her trance.
Soyeon blinks rapidly, attempting to regain her focus. She looks at Yuqi, and finally processing their closeness, she leans back quickly, heart pounding in her chest. Had she really let herself daydream like that because her member, the girl she was supposed to take care of, had come a bit too close to her?
“Yes, yes, sorry, Yuqi,” Soyeon apologizes quickly. “I zoned out.”
Yuqi smiles, taking the excuse, and quickly begins talking to Soyeon again. Soyeon tries her best to pay attention, but she is a little out of it for the rest of the night.
2. Orange
It’s been a while since Soyeon has been on a variety show like this one. With the scandal that resulted in Soojin’s departure from the group, they had been on a long hiatus. However, with the release of I Never Die, the group was back to regular promotions.
Soyeon is wearing orange today, and is glad about it. She believes that orange is her personal color, so she feels confident wearing it. Her baggy blouse has a steep V-neck cut, showing off her collar bones.
She’s sitting in a chair, Yuqi pressed up next to her, leaning toward Minnie, speaking to their right. Soyeon nods attentively at the statement Minnie is making, laughing along as Miyeon cracks a joke.
Although it’s nice to be back to schedules like these, Soyeon can’t help but feel the absence of Soojin. She’s sure the other members experience the same feeling. Soyeon looks at the expressions of her group mates, leaning forward a little to look at them. Miyeon and Minnie are still laughing about something, but she can tell that their smiles don’t quite reach their eyes. Shuhua, poor Shuhua, is barely smiling, clearly not as energetic without her JinJin to cling to. But they’re making an effort. Soyeon frowns a little, a pang of sadness shooting through her chest.
Soyeon can feel Yuqi’s warmth pressed against her, and is suddenly grateful for the contact, serving as a tether to reality. Yuqi giggles a little, the sound setting something off inside Soyeon’s chest. The warmth spreads outward, and she can’t help but smile a little.
They continue in that vein that for some while, until Soyeon feels Yuqi suddenly stiffen beside her. Soyeon grows concerned, wondering what caused the sudden shift in comfort, as they were still having a lighthearted conversation.
Soyeon looks over, only to find Yuqi looking at her. Not at her face, but… lower. Soyeon blinks a few times, taking in Yuqi’s slightly elevated breathing pace and pink cheeks. Soyeon struggles to process this information for a few seconds, wondering why Yuqi was looking at her.
Yuqi notices that Soyeon is no longer facing the other way, and quickly snaps her head up. Soyeon looks at Yuqi again, and seeing her darker than usual eyes, it clicks. Soyeon remembers the V-neck of her shirt being a little loose, so if she leaned forward, you could see down her shirt from the right angle. While Soyeon was looking at the other members, Yuqi must’ve had a view down Soyeon’s shirt.
Soyeon’s heart pounds hard in her chest, and her cheeks warm at the thought of Yuqi checking her out like that. A pang of warmth shoots down somewhere lower as she imagines Yuqi liking her the way she liked Yuqi. However, she doesn’t let her internal reaction show externally. She forces a flirty smile, and pushes her chest out to tease Yuqi.
Yuqi bites her lip, but then smiles. Soyeon laughs a little, but quickly turns her head, eager to move on.
***
Later that evening, after Soyeon has already gone to bed, Soyeon replays the events of the day. Inevitably, her mind comes to Yuqi. Yuqi looking down her shirt. Yuqi’s quick breaths and flushed cheeks.
Why did Yuqi react like that? Why was she so flustered? Soyeon replays the moment over and over, heart fluttering. Was it possible that Yuqi wanted Soyeon in the same way Soyeon wanted her? She wasn’t sure, but she figured she could do some experiments to find out.
Yes, Soyeon thought as she drifted off. Maybe I’ll be more flirty with her, just to see how she reacts. Soyeon smiles a little as she falls asleep, curling deeper into her bedding, imaging the soft blankets are Yuqi, embracing her.
3. Jasmine
Soyeon breathes heavily, smiling for the ending fairy. She can smell Yuqi’s sweet jasmine perfume wafting from Yuqi, standing in front of her. She admires Yuqi’s blonde curls, watching them coil across Yuqi’s shoulders where they fell out of her updo. Yuqi’s heaving shoulders create just enough movement to bounce the curl a little, captivating Soyeon.
Soyeon watches intently. Why was she so mesmerized by Yuqi’s hair? She doesn’t know, but she can’t take her eyes off it. Soyeon’s not even sure it’s even Yuqi’s real hair. It’s likely extensions, seeing as all the hair dye damaged Yuqi’s hair to the point of breaking off and becoming bob-like.
Soyeon reaches a hand out, touching a curl of Yuqi’s hair. Yuqi doesn’t react, so Soyeon continues. She twirls Yuqi’s hair- or rather, extension- around her finger. Yuqi’s jasmine scent drifts toward her. Soyeon wonders how Yuqi got her extensions to smell like her. Is it ambient perfume? Maybe strong shampoo? Soyeon makes a mental note to ask Yuqi so that she can get the same perfume. For herself, of course.
Definitely not to remind herself of Yuqi whenever she wants to cheer up. No…
Yuqi suddenly turns around, smiling at Soyeon. Her eyes crinkle in a way that makes Soyeon’s heart flip and race. Soyeon smiles back, cheeks flushing and eyes sparkling. Yuqi turns her head out of the view of the camera, whispering to Soyeon.
“You like my hair?” She asks playfully.
Soyeon smiles wider, the adrenaline of being on stage giving her some confidence. “Of course I do, jagiya .”
Yuqi’s eyes widen momentarily, her cheeks turning a cute shade of pink.
“ Jagiya ?” Yuqi questions, wondering why Soyeon was bringing out the pet names right now. Sure, Soyeon had started calling her jagiya from time to time, and especially while they message each other, but she had never called Yuqi jagi on stage before.
“You smell really good, too,” Soyeon adds, holding back a giggle at Yuqi’s flushed cheeks. “What perfume do you wear?”
Before Yuqi can answer, Shuhua runs up to them, grabbing them each by the arm.
“Time to go, lovebirds! Save the flirting for later. The ‘leaving-the-stage’ is for now.”
Yuqi glances at Soyeon one more time, smiling. Soyeon smiles back, following the other two-thirds of the maknae line off stage. Only after the adrenaline wears off does Soyeon realize that she had just flirted with Yuqi on stage for several minutes. She blushes recalling the events, the butterflies in her stomach going rampant. However, remembering Yuqi’s cute expression, she swears to herself to flirt with her more often.
4. 자기야
Soyeon and Yuqi are again sitting with each other, but this time, it’s not a variety show, but a radio show. The hosts have been leading through small talk, discussing their newest album, I Feel, and asking about member dynamics, as is typical for these types of shows.
Somehow, the topic has shifted to Yuqi and Soyeon, and Soyeon’s coldness. The hosts address Yuqi, and Yuqi lights up, the glint in her eyes showing she has something to say. Soyeon glances over nervously, wondering what Yuqi has to say about Soyeon’s coldness- or moreso, lack of coldness.
While Soyeon has no issues being sweet and loving to Yuqi in private, she believes that there is no reason to break her ‘cool girl’ image to the general public on a radio show. Yuqi opens her mouth to speak, and Soyeon blinks nervously, hoping Yuqi doesn’t bring up anything too embarrassing. Yuqi glances at Soyeon before her words escape her lips.
“We have a chemistry,” Yuqi says. “She usually seems charismatic, but when she’s with me, she calls me jagiya . It’s so cute, and-”
Yuqi is cut off by Shuhua. Soyeon is grateful for a moment, before processing what Shuhua asks.
“Always like that?”
Yuqi looks at Shuhua as she answers her question. “She calls me jagiya on KakaoTalk, right?”
Yuqi looks over to Soyeon, expectant. Soyeon hopes her flushed appearance isn’t too obvious, as she forces out an answer.
“That’s right,” She says quickly, not elaborating past that point, hoping the subject would be dropped.
Unfortunately, Miyeon, matchmaker Miyeon, exists.
“Really?” She prods, setting the stage for more elaboration about Soyeon’s tendencies to use petnames for Yuqi.
“Really!” Yuqi replies enthusiastically, again looking to Soyeon for validation, or approval, or who knows what.
Soyeon smiles shyly, giving up on trying to protect her image. “We’re really like that.”
Yuqi, never knowing when to stop, continues on, “She’s warm-hearted, and knows my heart the best. I just… love her so much.”
Soyeon, who has been watching Yuqi the whole time, notices the way Yuqi avoids eye contact, shyly looking down at her mic. Soyeon’s heart melts, a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through her body. Her heart flutters at the bold yet somehow simultaneously shy confession, and she can’t help but gasp and hum a little. Miyeon loudly comments about Yuqi’s confession, but Soyeon can’t decipher her words through the pounding of her heart in her ears.
Soyeon looks away from Yuqi, cheeks feeling almost uncomfortably hot. Nonetheless, she has a (large) sweet spot for Yuqi, so when Yuqi places a hand on her head to stroke her hair, Soyeon turns back toward Yuqi, responding to her confession.
“I love you too,” She says shyly, melting under Yuqi’s touch.
Yuqi, not expecting that, quickly removes her hand from Soyeon’s head, eyes widening slightly and cheeks reddening. Soyeon smiles at her despite the slight sadness she feels at the lack of contact with Yuqi.
Instead of just ignoring the unhappiness, though, Soyeon reaches for Yuqi’s hand under the table, interlacing their fingers. Yuqi easily complies, stroking her thumb against the back of Soyeon’s hand. Their hands stay connected for the rest of the show, and during the transit home. Soyeon feels almost giddy from the proximity.
5. I-DOL [SYQ]
Yuqi breathes heavily as she performs the last few steps of the dance before she gets to kneel for a short time. As she completes her moves and kneels down, she tries to catch her breath, listening to Soyeon’s rap.
Yuqi has always loved Soyeon’s rapping, and especially the one for this song- Villain Dies- because of the song’s allusions to Soojin. They refuse to let the idea of (G)I-DLE as six die.
Soyeon nears the end of her rap. Yuqi realizes it’s time for their choreographed almost-kiss. The thought makes her heart flutter. She’s prepared for it to happen, but everytime she underestimates how the proximity with Soyeon affects her.
Soyeon glances at her, smirking, just before the inevitable move. Yuqi freezes momentarily, before remembering she’s on stage, and tries to smirk back. She’s sure she looks more like she’s in pain, though, her shyness taking control.
Soyeon stoops down, grabbing Yuqi’s chin with her fingers, long nails slightly scraping against her jaw. Yuqi shivers, the sensation sending chills down her spine. Time seems to slow down as Soyeon leans in.
Yuqi finds herself admiring Soyeon’s plump pink lips. They come closer to her own, as they do every show, causing her heart rate to speed up. She flicks her eyes back up to Soyeon’s, noticing the glint in them. Yuqi almost frowns. Soyeon usually doesn’t have that teasing look during this part, and Yuqi wonders why-
Oh.
That’s why.
As Soyeon and Yuqi begin standing up, as they do in every show, Soyeon leans in a bit too close, closes her eyes, and… kisses her. On the mouth, on stage. As fast as it happens, it’s over. The screams from the audience are so loud that Yuqi can hear them even with her in-ears in. Yuqi blinks a few times, almost missing her next step, preoccupied with the feeling of Soyeon’s lip gloss smudged on her lips.
Yuqi makes it through the concert without any more mishaps, although she can’t stop glancing at Soyeon, looking for anything in her expression to serve as an explanation- she doesn’t find any. She resolves to confront Soyeon about it later.
***
Backstage after the concert ends and the adrenaline begins to wear off, Yuqi is attempting to pack up her stuff. She’s already changed back into her comfortable clothing- sweatpants and a sweatshirt, paired with some Uggs. As she’s wrapping up her phone’s charging cable, she hears Soyeon’s voice drifting into the dressing room. Yuqi looks up, seeing Soyeon walk into the room while on the phone with someone.
“Bye!” Soyeon chirps cheerfully, and taps at her phone screen.
Yuqi frowns, wondering who Soyeon would be calling at this time. That thought is quickly pushed into the back of her head as she remembers what happened on stage tonight- Soyeon actually kissing her, on stage, in front of thousands of people.
“Yah! Soyeon-ah!” Yuqi starts out confidently.
Soyeon turns to her, inquisitive.
“Yes, jagiya ?”
Yuqi continues, although less confidently . “Why did you…You know… do that?”
Soyeon smirks for a split second before regaining her composure. “Do what? What are you talking about?”
Yuqi’s cheeks turn just the slightest bit pinker. “You know, on stage… During ‘Villain Dies’...”
“Still not sure what you’re talking about,” Soyeon replies, the glint in her eyes letting Yuqi know that she’s messing with her.
Yuqi bites her lip, before deciding to stop beating around the bush.
“You kissed me!” She bursts out. “In ‘Villain Dies’ you actually kissed me! You were supposed to just lean in, maybe wink, look flirty, but no! You actually went for it! How are you allowed-”
Soyeon cuts her off. “ Jagi, calm down. I thought we would just have a little fun.”
“No, I don’t think that’s it!” Yuqi pouts, looking at Soyeon. “Why are you like this with me and no one else?”
Something in Soyeon’s eyes softens.
“Well, honestly… I like you,” Soyeon says softly, looking carefully for Yuqi’s reaction.
Yuqi’s brain falters for a moment- disbelief showing in her eyes. Did Soyeon just confess to her?
“What?” Yuqi’s voice breaks a little, illustrating her internal conflict.
Soyeon takes a step closer to Yuqi, continuing, “I’ve liked you for so long, now. I’m tired of pretending that I don’t. Ever since the first time we almost kissed, I’ve known that what I felt for you was more than just friendship.”
Yuqi blinks rapidly, struggling to process what she now knows to be a very bold and honest confession. Her heart thuds in her chest, and her hands shake slightly. She’s liked Soyeon ever since their trainee days, always admiring her silently.
“I- Me too,” Yuqi stutters. “I really like you, Soyeon-ah.”
Soyeon’s cheeks turn pink. She breaks eye contact with Yuqi for a second, looking to the floor, wringing her hands nervously. Yuqi can hear her take a deep breath.
“Can I kiss you, for real this time?” Soyeon asks, looking into Yuqi’s eyes.
Yuqi’s breath stutters in time with her pounding heart. She gazes into Soyeon’s usually fierce eyes, taking note of the shyness and adoration displayed in them. She can’t believe that she, Song Yuqi, is the one to bring out these emotions in the great Jeon Soyeon’s eyes.
Yuqi nods, and closes the distance between herself and Soyeon. She pulls Soyeon closer with one arm, cupping the back of Soyeon’s head with the other. As Soyeon’s eyes flutter shut, Yuqi briefly notices the adorable height difference, and the way Soyeon fits so nicely in her arms, before she closes the distance between their faces, pressing their lips together.
Soyeon’s arms snake around Yuqi’s waist, pulling her impossibly closer. After a few seconds, they pull apart, just admiring each other. Yuqi smiles softly.
“We should probably get going,” Soyeon says, remembering they were still in the dressing room of their concert venue.
Yuqi nods, slightly dazed from their kiss. She picks up her bag, before interlocking her hand with Soyeon’s. Soyeon looks up at her, smiling softly.
“Come to my hotel room tonight,” Soyeon offers.
Yuqi’s heart, which has been racing the whole evening, skips a beat. She can’t wait to spend the night with Soyeon.
It’s only later that evening, while she’s holding Soyeon in her arms as they drift to sleep, does she realize that she left her charging cable at the concert venue.