Chapter 39

Nayeon went to the real estate office just like how she told Y/N last night that she would. To be honest she's feeling nervous. She's scared to get closer to the younger again, but at the same time she can't stop herself from getting closer.

Nayeon entered the office and saw Y/N and Irene talking. The two didn't notice that someone entered the office since they were busy talking to each other. Nayeon feels intimidated by Irene. Irene is definitely one of the most beautiful woman she has ever seen and she doesn't like the fact that she's so close to Y/N.

"Yah, what is this make up? I thought I taught you well, but seems like you still need some of my lessons huh?" Irene scolded Y/N while she was fixing the younger's make up.

"What? I thought it was pretty good." Y/N pouted. Nayeon feels kinda sad hearing that. Y/N didn't care much about her appearance before and she didn't like wearing make up either. Nayeon asked many times if she could teach Y/N to do make up, but the younger always refused. So now that she sees that Y/N let Irene teach her, she's feeling sad.

"It's not pretty good, it's just okay. But you still look beautiful, so don't worry about it." Irene smiled as she caressed Y/N's hair. Irene felt someone glaring at her in the distance and when she saw that it was Nayeon she smirked.

"Oh hi, Nayeon-shi. What brings you here?" Irene approached her.

"Oh, Ms. Im, you're here already." Y/N got startled.

"I'm actually taking her to see an apartment." Y/N explained to Irene.

"Ow, well I hope you'll like it, Nayeon-ssi."

"Yeah, I hope so too." Nayeon answered still glaring without noticing.

"Let me get my stuff, then we can go." Y/N said which Nayeon just nodded on. The moment Y/N left to get her stuff, Nayeon and Irene locked eyes. Irene can feel the jealousy that's coming from Nayeon. Y/N has told Irene a lot about Nayeon, so Irene knows her to some extent. Most things she heard about Nayeon are good things, but Irene doesn't like the fact that Nayeon broke up with Y/N during her most vulnerable state. She should have helped her instead of leaving her alone during her hardest times.

"Let's go." Y/N came back.

"Will you come back to the office?" Irene asked.

"I think I'm gonna go straight home." Y/N answered.

"Alright, well don't forget about our date tomorrow." Irene winked. Of course she did it on purpose to make Nayeon even more jealous. She's enjoying this sight of Nayeon.

"I won't, I won't." With that the two left the office.

"We can just walk there since it's close by." Y/N informed and Nayeon just followed her. They were  just walking and they could both feel the awkwardness around them so Y/N decided to speak up.

"Why are you looking for an apartment in this area? If you don't mind me asking." Y/N's been curious about this ever since Nayeon told her that she wants to move.

"The school I work at is closer from here." Suddenly Y/N got reminded of how Nayeon got fired because of Jeongyeon. It used to make her angry a lot, but now she just feels disappointed about it.

"Well, we're here. Let's go inside." Y/N said after 5 minutes of walking. She opened the door with the keys and they both walked in.

"Let me show you around." Y/N smiled weakly. Nayeon has seen the younger girl smile more in these past two weeks than she has in an entire school year.

"As you can see it's pretty new and modern. It has everything it needs. And from what I know it fits into your budget as well. It's also a bit bigger than your current apartment, I don't know if that's something you wanted?" Y/N asked. To be honest Nayeon wasn't really listening to what Y/N was saying. She was so mesmerised by Y/N's passion, that she stopped listening after a while. Nayeon is glad that her ex-girlfriend found something that she's good at. Nayeon had her doubts about Y/N doing this job, because you have to work with a lot of customers and Y/N wasn't very good with that in the past. But now it seems like she's mastered it.

"Ms. Im?" Y/N raised her eyebrows when she didn't get an answer.

"Oh, y-yeah. I was looking for something bigger." Nayeon stuttered.

"Great, well I showed you everything. If you want, you can keep looking around and if you have questions don't hesitate to ask them."

"Oh no, I think I know everything that I should know."

"What do you think? Do you like it?" Y/N really hopes that Nayeon likes it. She wants to help Nayeon find a nice apartment, and this apartment is in Y/N's eyes pretty nice.

"I like it. But I also want to see the other one, if that's possible."

"Of course. I already called the owner about it and we can go there tuesday if that's okay for you."

"Yeah, that's okay for me." The older nodded.

"Then shall we go?" Y/N asked on which Nayeon nodded again. They went outside and Y/N wasn't really sure what to do next. Normally she just shows the customers around and then they leave, but she can't just leave her ex-girlfriend like that. That would make the situation even more awkward.

"Are you going back to the office?" Luckily Nayeon spoke up first.

"Oh no, I'm going home. How about you?"

"Me too." Nayeon answered.

"Do you want to walk together?" They have to go into the same direction anyways, so Y/N didn't see any harm in asking.

"Okay." And with that they started walking towards their places. They didn't talk that much on their way since they're still not used to being around each other again.

"Hey, woman!" A guy suddenly approached them making both of them stop.

"Why don't you give me your number huh? I bet we can have fun tonight." Not this again, Nayeon thought to herself. She's pretty, so of course guys are going to hit on her. This happens quite a lot. Y/N just kept quiet and waited to see Nayeon's reaction.

"No, thank you." Nayeon answered and was about to walk away but the guy stood in front of her.

"Why? Don't you like me? You seem like you would enjoy my company." The guy smirked. Y/N just glared at him. If this were a year ago, she already would have broken his nose. But right now she's using the technique she thought herself when she needs to control her anger. She's counting in her head, very very fast, so that she gets distracted from her anger. Nayeon is surprised that Y/N didn't say anything yet.

"No, I would not. So please leave me alone." Nayeon tried walking again but this time the guy grabbed her wrist. Y/N kept quiet when he was talking bullshit, but she can't just stay back and watch how he hurts her so she chimed in and released the guy's hand from Nayeon's wrist.

"She told you to leave her alone." Y/N said and pulled Nayeon behind her, forming a wall between her ex and the guy. This is the first time that the two have physical contact since they've met again. She always used to do this whenever she needed to protect Nayeon. Even though the younger girl changed many things about her personality and attitude, protecting someone she cares about will never be one of them.

"Who are you to come in between us? Can't you see she wants me?"

"If I saw that she wants you then I wouldn't be stopping you right now. She literally told you to leave her alone. What else does she need to say for you to understand that she doesn't want it?" Y/N asked calmly. She's approaching this in a calm way so that it doesn't get out of hand. Out of reflex Nayeon just hid behind Y/N and held her arm. Y/N has always been her safe place and it always will be.

"She's just playing hard to get."

"Then why is she hiding behind me? Unnie are you playing hard to get or do you really not want to go with him?" Y/N asked without even facing Nayeon who's behind her. She just kept glaring at the guy in front of her.

"I don't want to go with him." Nayeon answered.

"Okay, okay. If she doesn't want it, then I'll just go. But if you change your mind, know that you can find me around here." He winked to Nayeon before walking away.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Y/N turned around immediately. Nayeon is surprised with how well Y/N handled the situation. What made Nayeon fall for Y/N in the past was her shitty attitude. She seems to like people who have a rude attitude and all. But right now Nayeon is even more attracted to this attitude of Y/N's.

"No, no. I'm okay, Y/N." Nayeon assured her. The guy didn't grab her harshly, so she's not hurt.

"Let me walk you home. It's not safe for you to go home by yourself, he might follow you." Nayeon wanted to protest at first, but she ended up just nodding. Y/N did as she said and walked Nayeon home, making sure that no one follows them.

"You didn't have to come all the way up." Nayeon said as they got in front of her apartment.

"No, it's okay. Just needed to make sure you arrive safely."

"Thank you." Nayeon smiled.

"No problem. Oh before I forget, here's your shirt." Y/N said as she took out Nayeon's shirt from her bag that she gave her last night.

"It's washed and all." Y/N added.

"Oh, you didn't have to return it."

"I should go now, good evening." Y/N was about to walk away but Nayeon stopped her.

"Y/N!"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to come in?" Nayeon doesn't know why she asked her that, but she does know that she doesn't want Y/N to go yet.

"Euhmm, okay." Y/N hesitated a bit but when she saw the look on Nayeon's face she agreed.

"Here's some coffee." Nayeon put it on the table and they both sat down.

"Thank you." Y/N took a sip from her coffee.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong with my face?" Y/N asked when she noticed how Nayeon keeps staring at her.

"No, no. I was just thinking about how different you are from before." Nayeon admitted.

"You probably think this is all an act like most people, don't you?" None of her friends believe that Y/N really changed, so she's guessing Nayeon thinks the same way.

"I don't know what to think to be honest. I did think it was an act in the beginning but after seeing how you handled that guy, I'm starting to think that maybe this is not an act."

"I still am the same person as I was before. I just try to change the things that I don't like about myself."

"Like your anger?" Nayeon asked.

"Yes. Anger was definitely my weakest point, so I've been working on that for the past year and I think I've been doing pretty well." Seeing how Y/N didn't get mad at that girl for spilling her drink on her and how she didn't beat up that guy shows Nayeon that she did indeed improve her anger issues.

"How did you do that? Do you go to therapy?"

"I actually stopped going to therapy when I left, but I started going again when I came back." Y/N explained.

"Where did you actually go to? I heard that you went to Busan."

"I don't know why everyone thinks I went to Busan. It's a false rumor." Y/N smiled weakly. "I actually went to the countryside. Tiffany unnie told me that she has a friend who lives there and that they need someone to help them at the farm."

"The farm?" All this time Nayeon thought that Y/N was in Busan, turns out she was at the farm?

"Yes, the farm. I worked at the farm for eight months with Irene unnie and her family. I got pretty close to them and they helped me a lot in finding myself. Actually the place itself helped me a lot as well. It was literally in the middle of nowhere, so there was no one that made me angry."

"Then why did you come back?" If that place helped Y/N so much, why did she come back? And why did she take Irene with her?

"Irene unnie's family wasn't doing financially well anymore and her dad got a job in the city so we had to come back here."  Y/N explained. Nayeon is asking her a lot of questions but she doesn't mind.

"You seem close to Irene-ssi." Nayeon said weakly. She hates how they got so close.

"Ah yes, if it wasn't for her then I probably would have turned out like my dad. So I'm very thankful that she came into my life."

"Are you two perhaps..." Nayeon couldn't even ask what she wants to ask, she just couldn't bring the word "dating" out of her mouth but luckily Y/N understood what she meant.

"Dating?" Y/N raised her eyebrows and Nayeon nodded weakly.

"No, no, no. We're not dating. I really see her as my big unnie, she's too old for me anyways." Y/N laughed.

"Wait, how old is she?"

"She's 30." Y/N answered. Well, she isn't much older than Nayeon and knowing Irene's age made her even more worried. She knows that Y/N likes older women. Even though Y/N just denied everything she still is scared.

"How have you been? I mean with your job and all, did it all work out?"

"Yes. I work at a pretty nice school now. So yeah it worked out." Nayeon smiled and Y/N melted at the sight. Nayeon's smile is her favorite thing in the world. She really wishes she could just stand up and hug the older girl, but she can't. Not when she hasn't fulfilled her promise yet.

"I'm happy to hear that. But anyways, I think I should go now. It's getting late." Y/N stood up and so did Nayeon.

"I'll see you tuesday then?"

"Yeah, tuesday." Y/N said and with that she opened the door and left the apartment.

"Y/N!" Nayeon yelled from behind her.

"Yes?" Y/N answered turning around but was taken aback when Nayeon suddenly walked to her and hugged her tightly. Y/N didn't react for the first few seconds since she didn't expect this at all, but eventually she hugged the older girl as well. They both missed each other a lot.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that." The teacher said pulling away.

"Oh, it's okay. No problem, really. Uhm I should go now."

"Yeah, yeah. You should." Nayeon said and with that Y/N left.

"Stupid Nayeon, why did you do that? You just made things even more awkward." Nayeon sighed to herself. After scolding herself for like 5 minutes, Jihyo suddenly showed up at her apartment. She didn't even have to knock since Nayeon's front door was just open.

"Did I just see Y/N leaving the building or was I hallucinating?" Jihyo saw Y/N leaving the building in the distance, but she wasn't sure if it really was Y/N.

"No, you saw right."

"Wait, what? Why was she here?" Jihyo asked closing the door.

"She showed me an apartment and then walked me home."

"And why do you look like you got hit by a truck?" The principal questioned.

"No reason." Nayeon tried to shrug it off.

"Unnie, are you regretting things again?"

"No, ugh, yes, I don't know what I'm feeling Jihyo. I feel weird." Nayeon confessed. Ever since Y/N has been back around, she's feeling weird.

"Are you maybe falling for her again?"

"I don't know. I do know that I'm fucking attracted to her at this point. I can see the change in her, Jihyo. It's a good change and it's making me like her even more. But I'm scared, what if this is all just an act?"

"Well, only time will tell unnie." Jihyo patted the older girl's shoulder.

---------------------------------

After Y/N left Nayeon's apartment, she had trouble calming herself down. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy. Nayeon really hugged her like that and she can't be happier right now. On her way home Chaeyoung suddenly called her asking to come by since she's bored and Y/N agreed. She has nothing to do now anyways.

"Ah, you're here unnie. Come in." Chaeyoung smiled opening the door for Y/N to enter.

"Yah, why did you invite her?" Tzuyu popped up from behind Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung didn't tell them that both of them are going to be here. She thought that maybe this was their chance to finally make up.

"She's our friend, Tzuyu-ah."

"No, she's not. You know what, I'm leaving." Tzuyu said and was about to walk away but Y/N stopped her.

"Can you just please listen to what I have to say?" Y/N held Tzuyu's arm.

"No." Tzuyu answered harshly, pulling her arm away.

"Yah! Why are you being like this, huh? Do you think it was easy for me to leave?" Y/N yelled and both Chaeyoung and Tzuyu were taken aback. They haven't heard Y/N raise her voice like that ever since she came back. Y/N has been understanding until now, but she can run out of patience too, you know.

"It took me a lot of courage to leave that day and I didn't do it because I wanted to. Tzuyu-ah you know the best out of everyone what I was going through, you know that I didn't have it easy. I was losing my mind and I didn't know what to do. Everything had happened so fast. First I got exposed to the entire school of being a gangster, then the break up with Nayeon and then I got fucking expelled. What else was I supposed to do? You know very well that I wouldn't have turned out well if I stayed here. I had to escape to save myself, Tzuyu-ah. I get that you're mad okay? I really get that. But please just try seeing it from my perspective as well. Please." Y/N whispered the last word. Tzuyu just stood still, she didn't know what to say and her eyes got teary. She knows Y/N is right, but she doesn't know what's holding her back to get close to her unnie again.

"I'm sorry." Tzuyu suddenly hugged Y/N as she shed a tear. It's very rare to see Tzuyu being emotional. Y/N looked at Chaeyoung and Chaeyoung just nodded before leaving the two alone.

"It's okay. Please just don't be mad at me anymore." Y/N pleaded.

"I'm an asshole." Tzuyu said pulling away.

"You're not. I am. I at least should've let you know before leaving."

"Hell yeah, you should have! Do you know how worried I was? I didn't know if you were alive or fucking dead! I tried calling you and I even went to Tiffany unnie just to confirm that you're still alive. I was so scared, unnie. I was scared that something had happened to you. I was so used to you being around me all the time and protecting me. But when you left, I had no one to protect me and I felt alone. I just missed my unnie." Tzuyu confessed. Out of everyone she had the most trouble with Y/N leaving.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I promise I'll never do something like that again. Can you just allow me to protect you again? Just like how I used to do?"

"I'll like that." Tzuyu smiled weakly. Finally the two managed to talk it out.

"So we're okay now?" Y/N asked with hope in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. We're okay. But I swear if you do something like that one more time, I'll fucking kill you." The maknae threatened.

"Ah there's the Tzuyu I know and love." Y/N laughed. She missed Tzuyu a lot. She loves all her friends of course, but she has a different bound with Tzuyu.

"Finally, you two made up. Aish, I can die peacefully now." Chaeyoung came back to the two.

"Why did you even leave if you were going to eavesdrop anyways?" Tzuyu asked.

"Yah, you should be thankful! Thanks to me you two made up!"

"Thank you Chaeyoungie." Y/N messed up Chaeyoung's hair.

"You know what? On second thought it was better when you two didn't talk. The two of you together is more annoying than the two of you separately." Chaeyoung sighed while Y/N and Tzuyu high fived each other.

--------------------------------------------

A/N: Updateeee. Please vote and comment and thank you all for reading. Tzuyu and Y/N finally made up aaah. And what do you think Nayeon is actually regretting?