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Ji-yeong woke up in a flinch.
A throbbing chill pain arresting her body onto a tough piece of fabric beneath her. Afflicted with an overwhelming sensory overload — punished to be tortured by everything in her surroundings. The darkness swallowed her very core, every grain in the fabric itching her skin and the air suffocating her. Ji-yeong was in agony. Unable to breathe or even move — it was that of death closing in on her, a feeling she had experienced many times but never gotten used to.
Nightmares were not an uncommon occurrence for Ji-yeong. The memories of her father and past life continue to haunt her. Now, flashbacks of scenes of hundreds of people being slaughtered around her. The terrifying notion that she could be next to meet the same grime fate. Which is what she almost did — by her own volition.
A part of her wished that she could erase the terror the images sent her. Dreaming of a life of which none of that ever occurred. A life where she could grow up as a normal girl. Another part of her believed that it was all deserved. That she should have died that day — then all of this would be buried with her. Not penalize others around her with the heavy luggage.
Not to be a burden. Not an annoyance. Not an—
A halt. A stop.
The thoughts; her wandering mind that felt like it was seconds away from exploding had been disarmed. It all ceased.
The panic and cold blood running through her veins had been embraced with something else. Warmth.
A tender embrace.
Squeezed gently into another body — neutralizing Ji-yeong out of the negativity she was experiencing. Instead, her bodily sensory functions picked up on the other’s smooth and warming skin. Her face being stuffed right by the other’s chest, hearing every single heartbeat. Quick heartbeats — possibly out of worry, Ji-yeong speculated. No matter the reason, it was comforting.
Ji-yeong could feel a pair of two loving and soft hands travel from underneath her shirt to her back. They made out a pacifying motion — a gentle dance on her skin. The room had fallen to silence, her thoughts completely still. It was serene.
The quiet did not last long. Rather, it was replaced by an even more nurturing soundscape.
”Ji-yeong. It’s okay.”
The words fell apart and melted onto her skin. It was the affectionate voice of her very girlfriend, Sae-byeok. The one woman she considered to be her life partner. The love of her life.
Sae-byeok was herself a stoic and rigid figure. She did not open her heart and reveal the insides of the mechanisms to many. Although, when she did — what was to be found was the purest, most devoted and caring of blood vessels. Ji-yeong often pondered how one could achieve such tender chemistry. It was electrifying —piercing her very soul. She felt very lucky for Sae-byeok to have a huge soft spot for her. How could she have ever lived without such a compassionate soul binding with hers?
The sweet lovesickness brought tears onto her cheeks. Quiet and fond weeping. Ji-yeong pressed her face deeper into the other’s chest, but was swiftly rejected. In retaliation, Sae-byeok cupped her face with her mellow hands, caressing the tears away. Despite the darkness, her eyes shone with kindness. She was absolutely beautiful at that moment.
Ji-yeong began to sob more, now even louder. She was overwhelmed with the range of emotions she had experienced in a short period of time.
Sae-byeok was one of few words — preferring just her active presence and service as a love language. Although, she was additionally an expert when it came to physical affection. She knew one way to quiet down Ji-yeong’s tears.
In a breathless moment, she closed the gap between their faces. Their lips meet in a delicate touch. So tender, so bounding. The dampness of Sae-byeok’s lips interlinking with hers felt like a fusion. That their cores could unite into one. It was magnetic — so passionate that the embers inside of them could light up the entire sky. Love that used to be so alien to the couple that they believed it was something limited to beautiful fairy tales. Without having to wish upon a distant star, they were proven wrong.
They pulled apart, though it barely felt noticeable. It felt like their physical bodies and souls could be connected for eternity. On a celestial and spiritual level.
”Hey, Sae-byeok.”
The other girl just smiled in response, awaiting her girlfriend’s continued words.
”I love you.”
”But, you know that already”, Ji-yeong sniffled. ”What I really wanted to tell you is that….” Before continuing, she stopped to wipe her tears.
She cracked up with a big smile.
”I am so grateful for you. I didn’t realize you loved me so much you would treat me like a princess because of a dumb nightmare. You really are a softie, heh.”
Her giggles were stopped by an even tighter squeeze from Sae-byeok. Even though her face was out of view, Ji-yeong could tell she was smiling.
”Cut it out, Ji-yeong.”, the other muttered in tender whispers.
The grasp around Ji-yeong tightened even harder, though she did not mind in the slightest bit.
”I love you too.”, Sae-byeok whispered shyly while burying her head beside Ji-yeong’s. She would always be timid when it came to verbal affection — luckily, Ji-yeong found this even more endearing.
”Huh?”, Ji-yeong pretended not to hear the affirmation.
Sae-byeok repeated herself, this time more loud — yet somehow even more bashful. Her voice trembled.
”I love you too, Ji-yeong. I love you… a lot.”
The horrifying memories that had reemeraged from the nightly terrors had vanished. Locked inside a closet, they’d surely escape and continue to haunt Ji-yeong.
Though, with Sae-byeok on her side, they felt a lot easier to battle. Not entirely due to her loving embraces, but the everlasting reminder that she had a purpose in this world. Ji-yeong would never be a burden and her life was perfectly fine as it was.
With Sae-byeok, she had found her home. Here, she could forever be content and happy.