Prael, Yves & Sullyoon

Let's be clear on one thing: Haewon was more than aware of the flaws when she set this whole thing up; in fact, that was part of the reason she did it. There's a fundamental problem with it all; the very core of it just screams out that this shouldn't work. 

Take Sullyoon, a girl more likely to meep than to speak. Very sweet and demure, perfectly kind, and nice to everyone to a fault. She is not the type of girl to rock the boat; she is more like a leaf being carried by the current and hoping not to smack into any rocks kind of girl. Haewon knew that all too well, seeing her day in, day out. She would be wrapped up in bed, Switch in hand, staring at the screen, looking entirely uninterested in anything else, but Haewon knew what she really needed.

Again, it really shouldn't have worked. Like, at all.

Sullyoon took it all seriously enough. In the beginning of summer, a sundress seemed so perfect. It's cute and shows off her collarbones in a way that makes it look effortless. Hair down, a little waved, soft make-up - not too much; she had always been pretty enough on her own. Let us not forget the pouty lips and sleepy eyes - that sort of perpetual doe-eyed look she had. There has always been a lot to like.

Against Haewon's advice, Sullyoon seemed pretty set on going to the aquarium, purely on her own desires. When Yves reluctantly agreed to go, she had her reservations. The reason being, Yves was sort of... well...

There was just something about the way she looked; it was all in her eyes and her smile and the way she didn't seem to be the least bit bothered about anything at all, not really. The way she held herself was like someone who knew exactly how things worked to an almost cynical level. It wasn't even that she was arrogant or anything like that, but more that she just knew that she was attractive and knew what it did to people. She walked with a certain confidence, a certain ease, that was impossible to ignore. It was obvious from a glance that she wasn't like Sullyoon; a polar opposite woman.

And yet, here they were - living, breathing examples of how opposites attract.

"Oh! They have an axolotl! Look at him!"

Sullyoon's voice was a little too excited as she was pointing at a tank with a glint in her eye. She grabbed Yves' hand and pulled her along to get a better look. She was too focused on the little creature swimming around to notice the way Yves' face softened slightly, how her eyes seemed to warm for a second as she looked at the other girl.

"Never seen one?" Yves asked, all calm and smooth.

"No… well, only online. And in games. It's so cute."

"It is." Yves nods in agreement. Sullyoon finally looked at her, noticing the way she was being looked at. There was something in her gaze, something that made Sullyoon's cheeks heat up.

"I mean, yeah, look at its little gills," she said quickly, turning back to the tank, trying to hide the colour that was creeping up her face.

Yves chuckled. "Right, the gills," she said. "Very cute."

They moved on from the axolotl, slowly strolling through the aquarium, pointing out different fish and sea creatures, sometimes stopping to read the little information plaques. Yves just liked to follow. She let Sullyoon lead the way and followed her around without complaint. Sullyoon was in her element, pouring with both excitement and facts about all the things she recognised.

Now, for Yves, dates never went like this. It was more: meet at a bar, have a few drinks while undressing the girl across from her in her mind, undertake a little verbal foreplay, and then a little physical foreplay. You get the picture. 

Not that she was complaining about the change, really; it was quite refreshing to see someone so genuine, so excited, over something so... mundane. They’re just fish, right? It wasn't exactly her cup of tea, but she found herself enjoying it, just watching Sullyoon light up over a jellyfish or a sea turtle.

Yves felt so incredibly out of place in her jeans and band t-shirt. She wasn't used to this, wasn't used to being in a place like this, doing something like this. But then she would look at Sullyoon, see the way her eyes sparkled, and figure it wasn't so bad after all.

They stopped in front of the big tank in the centre of the room, the one with the sharks and rays and all sorts of other big fish swimming around. Sullyoon pressed her hands against the glass.

"Careful, they bite."

"You can protect me.”

"I bite too."

Sullyoon turned to look at her then, blinking in surprise, before a shy little smile curled at her lips. She didn't say anything, just turned back to the tank, her cheeks a little pink. Yves had to bite back a grin. It was all too easy.

They walked around a bit more, eventually stopping at the touch pool. Sullyoon looked at the sign, then at Yves, a bit uncertainly.

"Do you want to?" Yves asked.

"I've never done it before," Sullyoon admitted. "I don't know if I should. It feels weird."

"I'll do it with you," Yves said. "It's just water and some friendly fish. Nothing scary."

That seemed to convince her, and Sullyoon nodded. She stepped closer to the edge of the pool. They both stuck their hands in the water. Sullyoon gasped when something brushed against her fingers, much to Yves’ amusement.

"It's just a ray," she said, touching the back of Sullyoon's hand lightly. "They're like big, slimy pancakes."

Sullyoon laughed at that thought. She could see why Haewon had set this up. Yves was... different. Maybe exactly what she needed.

"You know, you're not what I expected," Yves said after a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"You just seem so... I don't know, innocent, I guess. Not that it's a bad thing! It's just, you know, not really what I'm used to."

Sullyoon looked thoughtful, pulling her hand out of the water and letting it drip dry. "I guess I am. I don't really do this kind of thing often. Or ever, actually." She laughed nervously. "But Haewon said you were really nice. And pretty."

Yves raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips. "Just pretty?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you're really pretty." She was looking anywhere but at Yves. It took everything she had to say that, and it was obvious.

"Thanks. You're pretty too, you know."

Sullyoon finally looked at her, and Yves could see the blush spreading down her neck. She didn't say anything, just swallowed hard, and Yves couldn't resist leaning in a little closer.

"You're cute when you blush," she whispered.

"I-I, uh..."

Yves smiled, pulling back just a bit, not wanting to push her luck. "Come on," she said, taking Sullyoon's hand again. "Let's go see the rest."

Sullyoon let herself be led away, her heart still pounding in her chest. She didn't know what to make of Yves, didn't know how to react to her. She was so confident and bold, and it was... it was a lot, but she couldn't say she didn't like it.

They wandered through the rest of the aquarium, Sullyoon pointing things out, Yves watching her with an amused smile. By the time they were done, Sullyoon was practically buzzing with excitement, and Yves found herself enjoying it more than she thought she ever would.

-

"So, uh, I had a good time today.”

"Me too."

"I'll be honest. I expected just another hook-up. It's more my style. But this was nice."

Sullyoon recalled everything Haewon had told her, including why the aquarium was too cute for Sullyoon to 'get some'. Haewon spelt the whole thing out in advance. If she didn't want anything more from Yves, then this was the time for her to politely say goodbye. Nothing more needed to be said. If she did want it to continue...

Maybe it was because she spent all day feeling the way Yves looked at her. Yves had been looking at her like she was the only thing in the world, like she was the only one that mattered, and it made Sullyoon feel special. She knew what she wanted, and she was tired of playing it safe. So, she took a deep breath, gathering her courage.

"Um, do you want to, maybe, come up for a bit?"