Start

The golden rays of the sun paint the Hangang River in a majestic golden tint as it starts to set. You watch the scene from beside the ice cream vendor’s cart, waiting for the two ice cream cones being prepared for you. After it’s prepared, you head back to the walkway along the river. Leaning on the railing was the reason you were there in the first place.

Jung Chaeyeon.

You’re too stubborn to admit it to her, but she looked breathtaking. Especially now as she bathes in the sunset’s golden glow. You take your place beside her, handing the cup of ice cream as she continues to marvel at the scene.

“Enjoying the view?” you ask her.

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” She says as she accepts the ice cream. “It's just weird how we can pass over the river multiple times a day and barely pay any attention to it. But when you slow down at the right time it can look this—

“Beautiful?” you finish her thought for her. Your eyes weren’t paying attention to the river though. No, they were glued to her. When she notices, her cheeks flush bright pink.

“Come on, don’t play with me.” she says shyly. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to repeat the mistake that got us here in the first place.”

“Do you still think it was a mistake?” you ask Chaeyeon. “You looked like you were enjoying earlier.”

“I mean… I did.”

“The food—”

“It was delicious. That Italian restaurant was amazing. I’ll give that to you.”

“And the movie—”

“It was a lot of fun. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a horror movie as much as I did that one.”

“I’m pretty sure you were also having fun at the go-kart place.”

“Fine! It was fun! Are you happy now?” Chaeyeon confesses, admitting defeat after failing to conceal her true feelings. She tries to hide her face as she can’t stop her cheeks from turning crimson. 

“Then why do you think it’s still a mistake, Chae?’

“Because… It’s— It’s going to change things between us! It’s going to change our relationship.”

“Was the fun we had awhile ago any different from the fun that we had before?”

“No…”

“Then nothing’s really changed, Chae.” you try to reassure her. “Besides, if anything does, sometimes change is good.” 

Chaeyeon goes silent. She sees the point you're trying to make, and she wants to agree with you. But you can see there’s still some hesitation for her, which she confirms.

“If we do this… I’m afraid that if things go south for us, that if one of us fucks up in any way, shape, or form, I’m going to lose someone important to me. I’m afraid that I’m going to lose you.”

She has a point. It hits you that you’ve been approaching this little dilemma far too casually. That you can’t treat this another fling with a woman you barely know. There’s two decades worth of memories, two decades worth of emotion at stake. A lot is at risk for the both of you, which only means that if it works out, it will be worth it.

“I can’t promise you that we’re going to be the perfect couple, Chae.” you start to confess. “Hell, I’ve told you a million times over how I end up fucking up my relationships. We might end up living with the regret of breaking up and losing each other, but I would rather live with that instead of the regret of not giving us a chance.” When you finish your piece, you find yourself unconsciously holding on to Chaeyeon’s hand. Your words and actions have her close to tears, along with turning her cheeks bright red.

“I seriously hate how good you are with words.” She says as she tries to hide a smile. “Genuinely annoying.”

“That smile on your face says otherwise.” You tease her. “So… is there a chance for a second date?”

“Yeah, yeah.” she teasingly answers. “Though you have to admit, we got the order of things wrong. Usually the dates happen before what we started with.”

“Sure…” you answer back, “but we wouldn’t have gotten to where we are now if that happy little accident didn’t happen.”

You and Chaeyeon laugh at the joke. When you settle down you take your place behind her, arms wrapping around her waist for a hug.

It felt different now, with your words managing to alleviate a shared weight between the two of you. It felt right, how she fit in your embrace. How you felt at peace with her.

Compared to your past relationships, you saw a future with Chaeyeon. Maybe it was because of your long history together. Maybe it was because there are deeper feelings involved now. There could be a multitude of reasons, but right now it doesn’t matter to you. 

All that matters to you is how perfect the view is right now. 

How perfect Chaeyeon looks in the golden light of the setting sun. 

How you want to make sure that this will last.

-earlier that morning-

The golden rays of the sunrise breakthrough your window, urging you to wake up from your slumber. You have little to no recollection of what happened last night, and any attempt to try and remember would cause your head to throb with pain. Fucking hangovers. When you do start coming to and decide to sit up, you notice that something was off. That’s when you realize, the bed feels heavier.

You turn to your side and find the figure of a woman covered by the blanket. You’re trying to rack your brain, fighting through the pain in order to remember who you ended up spending the night with. Though you find out the answer anyway when she turns over to face your side. Your jaw drops wide open when you find out who it is.

Jung Chaeyeon.

Suddenly, all of the memories from last night start rushing back into your brain, along with them a painful headache (though considering the situation that you’re in, you think that it’s deserved.). You met up with Chaeyeon after breaking up with another fling. After more than a few drinks both of your inhibitions get taken down. Some confessions were made. Some of them may have been true. 

Okay, all of them were mostly true.

Next thing you remember was the two of you clinging to each other, lips messily trying to assert dominance, and clumsily making your way through your apartment and on to your bed. That’s the last thing you remember before waking up (which is probably for the best). The wave of confusion and regret must have been evident on your face, because Chaeyeon makes sure to let you know. 

“I had that same look when I woke up a while ago.”

When you turned to her, she was bathed in a golden light from the sunrise. The slight smirk on her face made her look… cute? What the fuck is going on?

“Did we— uh…”

“Judging from that face you made, I think you already know the answer.”

After the two of you get your bearings and get dressed, you find yourself sitting across from Chaeyeon at your dining table. An awkward silence dominates the atmosphere as the two of you sip on the coffee that you prepared. It’s only broken when she mutters something to herself.

“Fuck, this was a mistake.”

It kinda stung when you heard her say that. By no means is she wrong though. Twenty-plus years of friendship is currently at stake. You completely understand her sentiments.