Chapter Text
520
wǔ èr líng
我爱你
_
Oh My God promotions were finally over, which usually meant rest. But to the girls, it was not.
As soon as promotions ended, they were back to their office lives, specially Soyeon and Yuqi. The two spent as much time as they could in their respective studios to get ready for their new album whenever it was meant to be released.
Soyeon saw how Yuqi had been extremely focused and hardworking these days producing her own songs and she could only wish that the board members of Cube would finally let her release them.
Although they were crazy busy during promotional period, they would be busy as group, therefore, they would see each other 24/7. These days though, the only time they get to see each other was at home (if one of them even went home at all).
So, to the both, it was no blessing.
__
Soyeon wanted all the best for her girlfriend and because she was Korean and Yuqi was Chinese, she wanted to learn her girlfriend’s culture to be able to show her that she cared about her.
While taking a bit of a break, Soyeon decided to go through multiple webpages of articles, reading through special days she needed to keep track of then came an interesting article about the numbers 5, 2, and 0.
520, wǔ èr líng, 我爱你
May 20, usually a day where couples go out on a date or spend time together. For Chinese people, May 20, is as special as Valentine’s Day.
Soyeon read that out loud before grabbing her phone to look at the date.
Exactly a week from today.
Soyeon thought she should do a little something special for Yuqi on that day to show her how much attention she actually paid to the girl and her culture.
After many pending thoughts, Soyeon decided to go through with one of the plans she had in mind. She went back to work on her music, already inspired by what she had read and she knew another song would be made based on that as well.
__
The night before May 20th, the two were somehow able to get home early and spend some time together.
They were sitting on the sofa alone in their dorm, watching a Chinese movie after eating Chinese take-out. Soyeon was seated in between Yuqi’s legs with her arms around Soyeon’s waist.
A night like this was rare for the two and they both wished they could have moments like this more often.
Yuqi had her back rested on the soft cushion of the sofa and Soyeon’s weight completely leaned back on her. The tv speakers blasted out the actors and actresses speaking in Chinese and Soyeon marvels at how Yuqi listened through the whole thing while she had to read subtitles.
I should consider taking serious Chinese classes.
Soyeon may not look like the type of person to be cuddly and clingy, but after meeting Yuqi, almost her whole view on romantic, cringey gestures changed entirely. Maybe she would be a bit more cautious on camera, but behind the camera, believe it or not she would be the one initiating affections to Yuqi.
Soyeon and Yuqi were currently in their most natural forms at the moment, no makeup, no fancy clothing, no one and nothing can hold them back from expressing love to each other.
As the night grew deeper, both were starting to feel sleepy. Before they could consider going back into either Soyeon or Yuqi’s room, Soyeon took the chance to ask the other.
“Jagi-yah.?”
“Yes?” Yuqi answered softly, fingers still fidgeting with Soyeon’s that had been intertwined for the whole movie.
“Are you sleepy yet?” Soyeon turned back to look at Yuqi’s eyes.
“Hmm… Not yet.” They kept eye contact for a bit. Yuqi admired how Soyeon’s eyes soften for her since she had always been the one teasing her. Most of the time her eyes had that glint of mischief whenever she was with Yuqi, but at times like this, she loves the soft look fixated only to her.
“Do you want to do something together tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? Do we have some sort of event tomorrow?”
Soyeon let out her gummy smile, eyes disappearing before answering, “520.” She said in her best Chinese.
Her statement made Yuqi let out the biggest smile possible. She found the other girl so cute with her little accent. Yuqi poked her nose lightly with her index finger. Soyeon scrunched her nose at that action.
“You know 520?”
“Yeah, I tried to read more about special days in China.”
“For me?”
“For you.” Yuqi could not handle the adorable tiny girl in between her legs anymore, she picked her up by her waist and slammed her back on the sofa before attacking her with kisses all over her face. Soyeon let out giggle feeling ticklish all over. She grabbed Yuqi’s face and pressed a kiss on her lips.
The emotions Yuqi was feeling at that moment was so intense. She felt like she was about to cry at any moment now. Everyone knew how emotional Yuqi can get over small things and this small gesture was so special to her. If she could, Yuqi would’ve squished the older girl from how cute it was.
“So,” Soyeon said after breaking off the kiss, “Do you have anything you want to do?”
Yuqi sat back up and pulled Soyeon with her. She pondered for a bit of what they could do, but realized that they both had things to do tomorrow.
“Don’t we have something to do tomorrow? You and I both.”
It wasn’t just the both of them, all three of the members who were in charge of producing songs had to finish up whatever they had left before wrapping it up to appeal to the higher ups of the company.
“We can do something after we’re done with everything. I thought you told me you were almost done?”
Yuqi pulled Soyeon onto her lap facing her and nodded.
“Yeah, let’s do something after that. Dinner outside? Or is that too dangerous?”
Soyeon gave it a thought, not only was it a risk considering the current situation, but also the risk of getting caught. But then again, she thought they could pass as friends getting dinner together anyway.
“Dress up tomorrow comfy, let’s go on a drive around Han River” Soyeon decided and said. She was going to book a table for two at a private fancy restaurant for them, but she thought it would be safer that way. She wished the both of them would be able to experience a normal dating life at some point, but she knew it would be difficult especially since they were celebrities.
“Ok jagi-yah…” Yuqi reached for the remote and turned the tv off. Soyeon was still on her lap, arms wrapped around Yuqi’s neck and legs wrapped around her waist like a koala. Soyeon knew how different she could be on and off camera. The members were right, she was an absolute cutie off camera and it was not like she would ever admit to that.
“Should we sleep in my room tonight?” Yuqi asked. They both would switch around since they were given individual rooms anyway. At the beginning of their relationship, they thought it would be better to take it slow and not always be all up in each other’s faces all the time. So those were the times they would leave for their respective rooms for the night after a long busy day. Though for the past few months, they’ve been trying to take turns sleeping in each other’s rooms. They had grown to sleeping in each other’s arms and warmth.
Soyeon nodded with her head on the crook of Yuqi’s neck to answer her question. She felt Yuqi’s fingers grasped onto soft thighs and lifted Soyeon’s tiny frame up towards the entrance of Yuqi’s room.
They turned in for the night holding onto each other and off they went to dreamland.
__
It really was hectic for them the next day. As soon as the two woke up, there were no sweet good mornings or kisses, just rushing to get everything prepared and leaving for the company immediately.
They did not have much time to say anything to each other, as soon as they arrived at the company’s 6th floor, both gave a soft ‘bye’ before leaving to their own studios directly getting to their work.
__
Soyeon was just finishing up her last song before she received a notification from their group’s VLIVE account. She was curious to who it was with that peach emoji.
A huge smile appeared on her face when she saw a certain cute Chinese girl on the screen. She was currently saying something in Chinese excitedly and Soyeon could only stare at the girl with a bright smile on her face. She watched as Yuqi switched back to Korean.
Ah she was talking about 520…
“My mom called me earlier because it was May 20th and asked when I would be going back home. I’m so sad right now I want to only listen to sad songs.” She heard Yuqi say.
Hearing the girl said that broke her heart. She promised to herself that she would be able to get the girls’ their well-deserved vacation so that they would be able to spend times with their families, especially the foreign members.
Who would be the member you’d take to China with you? Was the question Yuqi had read.
“Minnie unnie. Because Minnie unnie used to always talk with me about how she wanted to eat the food my mom made.”
Soyeon pouted at that.
I want to eat your mom’s cooking too.
She pressed sent and waited for the girl to give a slight reaction on her live broadcast. Soyeon saw Yuqi paused a bit to look up at the notification she had just received and let out a slight smile. But did not say anything afterwards.
Soyeon continued watching her girlfriend on VLIVE and saw how she quickly ended the live telling Neverlands that she had to continue to work on her songs.
Soyeon thought she wouldn’t get any response from the girl so she went back to work. A few seconds in, she heard a ping and her phone lit up.
Yuqirin <3
I would’ve brought you in with me. You know the people want an Yuyeon Vlive. You could’ve dropped by my studio.
:’(
Captain <3
You know how awkward I am with Vlives, jagi-yah.
Yuqirin <3
I was acting all extra cute for you too.
Captain <3
Aww, is that so? You don’t have to overdo anything; you are already cute. :*
Yuqirin <3
Woah woah… Who are you trying to flirt, Captain Jeon?
Captain <3
A certain giraffe =.=
Anyways, jagi-yah, are you almost done?
Yuqirin <3
Almost. What about you?
Captain <3
Yeah, I’m just waiting for everything to finish processing.
I’ll wait until you’re done then we can go home together. Ok?
Yuqirin <3
Ok… I’ll get going now. I love you.
Captain <3
I love you too.
After the conversation, Soyeon quickly finished processing all the files and transported them to her hard drive. She was finally finished for the day. Soyeon contemplated whether she should drop by Yuqi’s studio, but was afraid she would disturb her work, so she decided against it.
Soyeon was sitting in her studio quietly reading more articles on the Chinese culture and any other special dates she needed to remember.
She was reading her fifth article that evening before she heard her phone go off.
Yuqirin <3
“Wae?”
“I’m done, jagi-yah.”
“I’ll drop by your studio.”
“Ng...”
Soyeon hung up the phone and started preparing herself. She walked by a few rooms and arrived. Soyeon knocked on the door softly. A soft click was heard and Yuqi’s head peaked out.
“Hey.”
“Let’s go.”
__
As soon as they arrived at their dorm, both separated and got into their own rooms to get dressed.
Soyeon put on a pink hoodie and comfortable pants, black hair hidden under a beanie, and light makeup. She then looked through her desk’s drawer to find a red velvet box hidden in a corner. She quickly put it in her purse and went out to wait for Yuqi.
Yuqi also had on a similar pink hoodie. It seemed to the two that every shade of pink was their official couple color. Yuqi had her black hair down and light makeup.
Even if she only had on casual clothes, Soyeon found her to be so beautiful like always.
“I love you.” She blurted out.
“I love you too.”
“You’re so beautiful.”
“Have you looked at the mirror, jagi-yah. You’re beautiful.” Yuqi said. Soyeon turned a light shade of red.
Yuqi took Soyeon’s hand and pulled her out the door.
“You sure we’ll get there safely?” Yuqi said and bit back a giggle to only get slapped on the arm by the older.
“What… You only recently got your license.”
“I’m going to push you out the car if you even dare to go in.” Soyeon said with a sharp look.
She was obviously joking.
As Soyeon neared her new white 2020 CLA, she went to the passenger’s door and opened it for Yuqi. Although she did get a good deal from Mercedes, it would be a lie if she said that she did not save up night and day for that car. She knew she made the most out of the group because of her self-produced songs, but she wanted to be responsible and not spend too much on useless things.
“Hey girl, do you need a drive in my car?” Soyeon said her iconic line from that one Hyundai video.
“Why are you so cute?” Yuqi said before poking her nose and giving her a peck on the lips. Soyeon would have slapped anyone who would said that, but it was Yuqi so she could only smile. Yuqi bent down and took a seat in the passenger’s side as Soyeon closed the door.
“Let’s go?”
The drive there was silent, but a comfortable silence. Yuqi was hesitant to intertwine her fingers with Soyeon’s because that would mean she would have to drive with one hand. But she knew how responsible the leader was and she wanted the night to be romantic, so Yuqi finally intertwined their fingers together.
The two dropped by their favorite Chinese restaurant for take outs. They knew how dangerous it was to enjoy a normal date outside like any normal person, not only was it because they were celebrities, but they were two girls who found love in a country that discriminated against them.
The drive towards their destination continued on in silence with Yuqi’s fingers playing with Soyeon’s as the other girl kept her eyes on the road. The car was filled with the smell of food. Soyeon entered into an open space of a parking lot facing Hangang.
They were currently eating the food they bought inside the car quietly. Yuqi would sometimes feed the other girl meat and Soyeon would do the same.
Soyeon knew it was not much for a date, but she knew Yuqi was satisfied considering the gigantic smile on her face at the moment.
After they were done eating, Yuqi suggested that they sit at the back for a bit and just cuddle. Soyeon being the whipped girlfriend that she was did just that. The two moved to the backseat with a towel and sat shoulder to shoulder cuddling each other quietly while listening to music.
Moments went by with a few soft kisses and hand holding before Soyeon broke the silence.
“Jagi.”
“Mmm?”
After getting Yuqi’s attention, Soyeon turned to the side to face her. Never in her 22 years of life had she ever felt this way. The feeling of just looking at Yuqi was already enough to make her heart burst from happiness and love. Never in her life had she felt special and wanted by someone and to finally found her in the midst of this crazy life of hers was unbelievable to her.
Yuqi sensed that Soyeon was getting emotional by the light glistening of her eyes, but she said nothing. Yuqi felt just as strongly towards Soyeon and she would express it daily. She was thankful to Soyeon for being the light in her life and for always staying by her and supporting her during the hardest time back then during trainee days. As soon as she knew she was going to debut in the same group as Soyeon, she was ecstatic. The leader had inspired her in so many different aspects of her life and she will forever be grateful to Soyeon. Not only for inspiring her, but for loving her. Yuqi did not want to imagine how her life would be if she did not have Soyeon encouraging and supporting every single thing she did.
“Ever since we started dating, I have never been happier. And although, I don’t really know how to express myself to you and would usually push you away or even tease you nonstop, you have been patient with me and would always forgive me. I don’t know how I am able to call you my girlfriend. Our relationship still feels unbelievable to me. I’m sorry for being complicated and I know I’ve hurt you a lot in the past with the way I responded to everything and I will do whatever it takes to become a better Jeon Soyeon for you. But being with you has already made me better. I just love you so much.” She paused before reaching into the center console pulling out a red velvet box.
Yuqi’s eyes never left her.
“I know it is hard for us to have any couple items. But I wanted us to at least have something we can wear together and be like a normal couple.” Soyeon pulled out a necklace with a giraffe pendant. Yuqi could only giggle at the thoughtful choice.
“A necklace, so we can wear it but keep it hidden under our clothes.”
“Jeon Soyeon.” Yuqi said. Her smile had never been bigger than her current one, eyes disappearing into crescents. It was not often that anyone could see the leader at a very vulnerable state, but here she was holding onto Yuqi’s hand and saying everything on her mind.
It was true that they had a bit of a rough start because Soyeon kept denying her feelings and pushing Yuqi as far as she could from herself. But rather than dwelling onto the anger she used to feel, she would rather cherish the times she had been given to spend with the older girl.
“I love you too.” Yuqi saw a tear trail down Soyeon’s cheek and immediately pulled her in for a tight hug.
“Babo, why are you crying?” Times like these were the times Yuqi felt stronger emotionally. She knew Soyeon would teasingly say that she would react dramatically to everything, but honestly it was to get Soyeon’s attention. She ran her hand along her back softly to comfort the older girl.
“Are you going to put that necklace on me or…?” Soyeon let out a small laugh before putting the necklace around Yuqi’s neck.
“Where’s yours?” Yuqi asked. Soyeon pulled her hoodie’s collar lower for Yuqi to see, it was the exact same one.
Yuqi grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a kiss. She made sure to put all her feelings into that lip lock and they stayed making out for the next few minutes. As they pulled away, their eyes never left each other and their smiles never left their lips. Before Soyeon could break the hold they have on each other, Yuqi grabbed onto her forearm making sure that they were still facing each other.
“I haven’t replied to your heartfelt confession yet.” Yuqi teasingly said making Soyeon blush lightly.
“I know you think you’re not doing much, but trust me you are. I don’t want you to change in any way because you’re the person I fell in love. Yes, our relationship did not start out well, but I’m happy with the way things turned out. Please don’t be so hard on yourself. There is nothing wrong with the Jeon Soyeon I know and love. I understand why things happened the way it did because you are under a lot of pressure and burden. But don’t shut me out, I want to be next to you supporting you and helping you in anyway I can. I love you and our relationship is as believable as it can be. Us being together has made only good impacts in my life. Stop blaming yourself over things that are uncontrollable. I love you, don’t forget that.”
More tears started to roll down Soyeon’s cheeks.
“Oh my god, I never knew Jeon Soyeon was such a crybaby.” Yuqi got slapped in the arm by Soyeon who quickly wiped away her tears.
“520?”
“520.”
“Let’s go home now.”
“Ok crybaby.”