TITLE: Kashmir ~ II. Aspects and Expressions ~ Love Changes Everything
AUTHOR: kerk_hiraeth
FANDOM: Nevertheless (Soljiwan),
CHARACTER(s): Part Two ~ Yun Sol; Seo Ji-wan; Oh Bit-na,
'SHIP(s): Yun Sol/Seo Ji-wan;
LENGTH: 2,347;
RATING: 13;
SUMMARY: The day before her first major exhibition, Yun Sol is enjoying a few pleasant hours off in the company of her partner Seo Ji-wan but the ripples of Na-bi's adventure of the previous chapter are about to reach them too.
A/N: This chapter has, I believe, become the longest story I have ever written, and committed to public view. This may explain why this story is taking so long as I was not aware of how much I had written.
I have been enjoying writing this that much.
It makes me love and appreciate even more the impact that the characters, and the story, of Yun Sol & Seo Ji-wan, as well as their friends, Yu Na-bi & Oh Bit-na have had on me since discovering them this summer.
Sol took a moment to study herself; as she dried her hands, in the washroom mirror. The woman she had been would have thought her vain, or worse, a narcissist; then she smiled, trying to recall which was supposed to be worse.
She laughed at herself; very softly, almost shyly, realising that she was not seeing something.
The old tension was gone; a still strange contentment in its place.
She turned her face, trying to see what Ji-wan saw when she wanted a photograph of her.
She gave the mirror one of her 'serious' faces; could almost hear the frustrated tone of Ji-wan 'telling her off' for not taking it seriously, then giggled; blushing as she remembered what had followed.
Would her friends even recognise her when they got back home?
Then her hand was over her mouth; slowly removed as she realised it was just a boy arguing with his mother.
She went back to looking at her face again.
A gentler smile appeared; she could almost see Seo Ji-wan, wicked grin on her face, teasing her about hogging the mirror; making her go all shy in front of herself.
She hadn't spent this much time in front of a mirror since she'd practiced with make-up as a thirteen year old.
Now she had to be reminded to carry some; shrugging she would always point out the studio would have a woman doing her make up; one in Germany had been a gay man, who had chatted delightfully, but endlessly, about the child he and his husband were expecting anytime.
He was the only one who had even known who she was; asked for an autograph, having been in Seoul when her first piece had been shown.
Sol had smiled, remembering it had been the first time she and Seo Ji-wan had been out in public as a couple.
When she signed the picture for him and his husband she had to tell him, truthfully, that it had been not only the first autograph she had been asked for, but also why it was so special a memory for her.
She had thought he was going to cry; privately she was certain he did ~ later.
She knew she had cried, a few days afterwards.
She was still getting used to how much freer she feel here; still felt so lucky all their friends had been so accepting.
When they had seen the newspaper review of the exhibition they had hurriedly arranged a trip back home to speak to Seo Ji-wan's parents; quietly arranging to stay with her parents, just in case.
They really had not the room, but had been aware of her feelings for Ji-wan, long before a very long phone call when they had got back from that retreat.
Her own parents had moved to a smaller house after she had left home, but quickly made space for her and Ji-wan to share the same bed if they wanted to.
That retreat that had changed everything for her and Seo Ji-wan.
Sol still could not comprehend how she had been able to manage not bursting from the tears she had been holding in before that call home, but they had accepted the revelation that her sexuality was a reality without any hesitation.
She had often wondered why, unlike other parents, they had never asked when she was going to bring a boy home for dinner.
She smiled as she recalled she had also been crying by the time the call had ended, with laughter, at her appa's wicked, but typically sardonic tone, despite still feeling as if her heart was shattering.
Now she felt as if she was floating back into the main area of the coffee bar; so badly did she need to see Ji-wan's face; stopping only when the wall began to open out.
There she paused; leaning against the wall, leaving just enough room for passers by, and took the opportunity to enjoy watching Ji-wan; still feeling her face flush, even though anyone passing her would have no idea who, or why, she was staring into the open area.
It reminded of when she used to watch Ji-wan; desperately hoping not to get caught, or maybe hoping she would. Only now she knew what her love's reaction would be.
Sometimes she still yearned, but that cute way Ji-wan use to call out her name.
She did still, occasionally, but they were always working, or trying not to disturb wildlife somewhere.
She was just about able to hear Ji-wan's voice, as she was animatedly chatting to her parents on the phone, given by them as a gift just as they were leaving for the train station to venture on this long creative journey around the world.
Everyone had been nervous since they were well aware Yun Sol was about to become famous at home; they were out as a couple, but not that many people knew of them, and that was about to change.
Sol and Ji-wan would be, mostly, free of the gossip at homes, but not their families. No one had been remotely complaining, but everyone had been nervous about it all the same.
Unconsciously she wiped a tear away recalling that first visit home after they had been outed, unwittingly it was true to say, by a very apologetic journalist.
It had become a private joke, how embarrassed he had been.
Yun Sol had been so proud of Seo Ji-wan that day; scared as she had been, had insisted they call the paper to make sure he didn't try to resign, or get fired.
Sol had been well aware that her love had been genuinely terrified at how her parents would react, even though she had always complained they were in no way as conservative as Yun Sol imagined.
Within a few minutes of stepping over the threshold of the new family home; Ji-wan had not seen it, until that day, their entire world changed beyond Sol's wildest dreams, and Ji-wan's faith had been confirmed and her fears dispelled.
Watching Ji-wan delightedly telling her parents about all the sights they had seen since arrived in New York made Sol experience again her emotional reaction to Ji-wan's father explaining to them, but especially to her, that they had known for a very long time what Yun Sol's feeling for their daughter were; aware to that Ji-wan had returned those feelings.
The only surprise, for them, had been how long it had taken for Ji-wan to realise it.
They had their concerns, of course; no different than her own parents though.
Standing before them in a manner Yun Sol had never expected to experience, they told the new couple something Ji-wan had not known herself.
They said they had known exactly where Ji-wan's sudden interest in art, and especially Sculpture, had come from; also that they had not hesitated a moment to give her the money she needed, guessing exactly where it might lead.
They did confess to still hoping that their daughter might meet a boy but, since they also admitted to being almost as proud of Sol as her own parents were it had felt a very slight one.
But, when both had called her cha-nyŏ, Yun Sol had almost collapsed into the arms of Ji-wan and her mother, sobbing like a little child on her first day of school.
It had seemed an age; still did but, in reality it had all been over in less than five minutes and she knew the experience would stay with her for the rest of her life.
The last time they'd been home to Korea they had all been together; everyone knowing it could be a long time before they would be together.
They had both been crying a little; all the way until they fell asleep on the plane for Frankfurt; neither wanting to confess how much they were going to miss their parents, especially now they had so much more love and respect for them.
Yun Sol had never been one for constantly keeping in touch, but she knew that Ji-wan was updating her own parents as well. One time she had been faking sleep because Ji-wan was very quietly telling both families what they had been up to.
Though not everything, she hoped.
Opening her eyes again, the camera her parents had also given Seo Ji-wan swung into view. She pulled back, not wanting Ji-wan to see her just yet.
~~~
At that moment, Yun Sol, if she had been paying any attention to her immediate surroundings, would have seen a young woman; about the same age, performing a very similar action.
Of course she was hiding behind a huge coffee bowl, wearing a very new Stetson and very expensive looking sunglasses.
She also had on an oversized, and white, Islanders Hockey jersey; at least one size too large.
So, really, Yun Sol would have had to make a series of huge leaps of logic to recognize Oh Bit-na that afternoon; trying to hide from her two friends while looking very conspicuous.
This was not, the kind of places sports fans usually frequented though, in her defence, Bit-na was not a sports fan, so her lack of stealth was forgivable.
~~~
Sol was able to see Ji-wan occasionally...
Occasionally? She had to smile at that thought.
Even when she was talking, Seo Ji-wan was glancing over to where she had last seen Sol; every five seconds, probably only able to resist running to see where Sol had got to because she was on the phone with her parents.
From her hiding place Yun Sol was smiling; feeling like the glow of her love was would warm the spot she was leaning on for days, that smile became even wider when she saw Ji-wan quickly tell her parents she had to go.
Seo Ji-wan had seen something so she was so excited by she had to get pictures, or die.
Sol grinned as Ji-wan rushed to take the camera from its case; quickly checked the light and focus, before she began rapidly snapping away.
Instinctively she glanced down; not that she needed to, knowing Ji-wan would be lost to the dark room at the gallery at some point.
Sol knew she would have to endure endless interviews during the opening day of the exhibition, especially from the journalists from back home.
There was, or so she had heard, a big name from England who was flying in from Taipei.
She was to interview her for a major magazine; both of them actually, since Ji-wan had started to gain attention beyond being the partner of 'the most exciting sculptural talent to come out of Korea for many years'.
Privately Sol thought that silly hyperbole, but it was also true that the attention had given her a freedom to pursue her art, Seo Ji-wan too, that she could not have enticipated so soon.
When they finally got to California in a few months she knew there would be agreements to be signed with galleries all over East Asia; there was even talk of one in Shanghai.
Sol thought that was more to do with the spreading news of their intention to buy a home in Taiwan, since they could not marry back home.
It was somewhere they could be a couple without the incessant media attention likely in Korea and, maybe, they could get married.
In actuality they had talked about it, and decided that, unless their parents really wanted them to, marriage could wait until they could do it home.
That was a few years away though since their parents were all in very good health and looked likely to live for a very long time.
Sol took a lot of confort in this, since it seemed to promise a lot ot time ahead in which she would be able love Seo Ji-wan.
She came to sudden attention when Ji-wan almost dropped the camera; holding a hand to her mouth.
Ji-wan almost fell out of the chair in her rush to get to Sol ~ her mischievous Girlfriend had known she was there the whole time!
When she did not immediately come running Seo Ji-wan cried out.
“Yun SOL! It's Na-bi! I can see Na-bi!”
Sol lost count of the apologies that issued forth in her rush to reach Ji-wan who, gripping her arm so tightly in her excitement it hurt pointed out; almost incoherent, Na-bi standing in the summer heat in a, too big, purple leather jacket; shiny red shirt, and pale blue jeans.
It was not so much the unlikely seeming clothes that shocked, but the fact that Yu Na-bi; beloved friend and cupid, but the freedom with which she was laughing that made Sol do a mental double take; she seemed so open and carefree.
So very joyful.
She almost said, out loud, “Na-bi?”
She could not recall Na-bi ever being so happy; she looked wonderful, especially when she put a glittering baseball cap back on her head; dark glasses on top of it, and pulled a compact out.
Another oddity; Sol had seen Yu Na-bi do her make up but never in public, and then only the once; the morning after the three of them had shared the same room.
She seemed so beautifully perfect always that Sol had just accepted her need for privacy as normality.
Later she recalled wondering what could have happened to cause the change, so delightful to see, in her friend.
It was so startlingly out of character for the woman they loved.
Moments later Sol, with unexpected strength, was being dragged out the door of the coffee bar; money, camera and bags abandoned on their table.
Yun Sol managed a brief, pleading glance at the young latinx barista who had been serving them, and grinned back at Sol, as if this was a scene she had witnessed many times before, and nodded to Sol as some kind of reassurance that it would all be there when they got back.
Then Yun Sol was being dragged bodily forty metres down the street in the direction of the river, Seo Ji-wan calling Na-bi's name all the way.
ps link ~
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Firefly_(2015_film) La luciérnaga is a 2015 Colombian-American film. Written and directed by Ana Maria Hermida, it stars stars Carolina Guerra and Olga Segura.
kerk hiraeth
(December 26th, 2021. Perth & Kinross, Scotland)
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