The people on the street down below reached the end of their countdown when Jiwon slid an arm around Nagyung and kissed her.
“Just in case,” she said, smiling sheepishly. The it’s our last didn’t need voicing.
It was never going to be just anything with Jiwon. Just a drink, just a kiss, just the end of the world. Just her head on the shoulder of the girl destined to save it, watching fireworks crest over the balcony. Not when Nagyung had already crossed over the new year twice before, once in reverse. Not when this Jiwon didn’t know her, or the future at stake, not yet.
“Don’t say things like that,” Nagyung said, sharper than she meant to. She was ruining the moment, but Jiwon had always been good at tipping her off balance, even before she figured out how to.
Jiwon just laughed. “Where did they find you? The princess of optimism.” Nagyung pulled back to find her eyes full of mirth. “Good thing I have you.”
“Good thing,” Nagyung repeated, but her heart wasn’t in it.
Instead of giving Jiwon the opportunity to say something worse, Nagyung leant over to kiss her again. She was tired of this conversation, the web of white lies and secrets Jiwon wanted Nagyung to keep from her.
But Nagyung was good at pretending. It was why Jiwon chose her.
+
If Jiwon could’ve revealed one thing about her past and Nagyung’s future, it should’ve been this.
“Who are you?” Jiwon said. She was normally remarkably bad at staying still, but now she was frozen, face shuttered. This wasn’t the voice she used on people she was about to kill, but it was close. The only reason she hadn’t tried to yet was because they were sitting in the middle of the airport, tucked away and tucked together, but in public nonetheless. “No one I work with knows my name.”
I do, Nagyung thought.
“I can explain,” she said.
Could she? Jiwon liked her, immediate and obvious, a buzz of satisfaction that went right to Nagyung’s head. But Jiwon didn’t trust her. No matter how well Nagyung knew her, she couldn’t know how she would take it. This slip-up could cost her.
It was an impossible task, knowing that every move she made was just as likely to push them off course as to lead them closer to accomplishing their mission. Nagyung wanted to curse Jiwon for entrusting her with it. She wanted to curse herself for wanting to do whatever Jiwon needed her to.
When Nagyung was done, Jiwon sighed, slumping into her seat. “I should have known.” Nagyung wanted to tell her she shouldn’t be so hard on herself for not seeing what her future self wanted to hide, but Jiwon was already back in motion. “I thought you were just”—she glanced over, realization in the corners of her eyes and the dawn of a smile on her mouth. “Really good at your job.”
Nagyung ducked her head. She had thought she was being careful. Booking hotel rooms with only one bed, leaning into Jiwon whenever she touched her, and looking at her in the way Nagyung didn’t think she could unlearn was, admittedly, not very careful.
“So this—” Nagyung edged her hand towards Jiwon’s until their fingers bumped together. “It’s just part of the job description?”
“No,” Jiwon said. Nagyung already knew this. She hadn’t known Jiwon would too. “Not for me.”
+
Those first few days, on a late night while Jiwon was asleep, Nagyung typed Jiwon a message for her to find years from now. Why was it so important everything go as it should, if her memories of the future were living proof that they would succeed?
Jiwon had no way of answering, but Nagyung was too greedy. She had just lived all the years she had known Jiwon without her. She missed Jiwon and she was right in front of her.
The answer never really mattered. Nagyung knew she would do whatever it took to keep the future and their life together intact, for Jiwon. The end of the world couldn’t stop her from that.
don’t read the last page - fromis_9 jiwon/nagyung - tenet au
“Just in case,” she said, smiling sheepishly. The it’s our last didn’t need voicing.
It was never going to be just anything with Jiwon. Just a drink, just a kiss, just the end of the world. Just her head on the shoulder of the girl destined to save it, watching fireworks crest over the balcony. Not when Nagyung had already crossed over the new year twice before, once in reverse. Not when this Jiwon didn’t know her, or the future at stake, not yet.
“Don’t say things like that,” Nagyung said, sharper than she meant to. She was ruining the moment, but Jiwon had always been good at tipping her off balance, even before she figured out how to.
Jiwon just laughed. “Where did they find you? The princess of optimism.” Nagyung pulled back to find her eyes full of mirth. “Good thing I have you.”
“Good thing,” Nagyung repeated, but her heart wasn’t in it.
Instead of giving Jiwon the opportunity to say something worse, Nagyung leant over to kiss her again. She was tired of this conversation, the web of white lies and secrets Jiwon wanted Nagyung to keep from her.
But Nagyung was good at pretending. It was why Jiwon chose her.
+
If Jiwon could’ve revealed one thing about her past and Nagyung’s future, it should’ve been this.
“Who are you?” Jiwon said. She was normally remarkably bad at staying still, but now she was frozen, face shuttered. This wasn’t the voice she used on people she was about to kill, but it was close. The only reason she hadn’t tried to yet was because they were sitting in the middle of the airport, tucked away and tucked together, but in public nonetheless. “No one I work with knows my name.”
I do, Nagyung thought.
“I can explain,” she said.
Could she? Jiwon liked her, immediate and obvious, a buzz of satisfaction that went right to Nagyung’s head. But Jiwon didn’t trust her. No matter how well Nagyung knew her, she couldn’t know how she would take it. This slip-up could cost her.
It was an impossible task, knowing that every move she made was just as likely to push them off course as to lead them closer to accomplishing their mission. Nagyung wanted to curse Jiwon for entrusting her with it. She wanted to curse herself for wanting to do whatever Jiwon needed her to.
When Nagyung was done, Jiwon sighed, slumping into her seat. “I should have known.” Nagyung wanted to tell her she shouldn’t be so hard on herself for not seeing what her future self wanted to hide, but Jiwon was already back in motion. “I thought you were just”—she glanced over, realization in the corners of her eyes and the dawn of a smile on her mouth. “Really good at your job.”
Nagyung ducked her head. She had thought she was being careful. Booking hotel rooms with only one bed, leaning into Jiwon whenever she touched her, and looking at her in the way Nagyung didn’t think she could unlearn was, admittedly, not very careful.
“So this—” Nagyung edged her hand towards Jiwon’s until their fingers bumped together. “It’s just part of the job description?”
“No,” Jiwon said. Nagyung already knew this. She hadn’t known Jiwon would too. “Not for me.”
+
Those first few days, on a late night while Jiwon was asleep, Nagyung typed Jiwon a message for her to find years from now. Why was it so important everything go as it should, if her memories of the future were living proof that they would succeed?
Jiwon had no way of answering, but Nagyung was too greedy. She had just lived all the years she had known Jiwon without her. She missed Jiwon and she was right in front of her.
The answer never really mattered. Nagyung knew she would do whatever it took to keep the future and their life together intact, for Jiwon. The end of the world couldn’t stop her from that.