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It took Gi-hun over a year to realize that she was not living in a fairy tale.
A year; Three hundred and sixty five days when the thought that had been slowly forming in her mind finally popped out of her mouth.
“I think...this isn't right.”
She looked down at her hands. She stared at the dainty, manicured nails that were free of dirt and engine grease. Gi-hun touched the pads of her fingers and was shocked to find that her calluses were almost gone.
“Wait...”
Heart pounding in her throat, Gi-hun ran a hand over her arms, gripping them. The lean muscle she's had since she was a teenager was barely there. Her once rough and dry skin was now soft and smooth and alien.
When did that happen? When was the last time she worked on a car? Or did anything other than housework and dressing up?
Gi-hun didn't remember.
Trembling, she got up from the couch and made her way up the stairs. When she reached the top, she looked down at the living room. She looked at the portrait of herself hanging over the fireplace mantle.
“I want you to be the first thing I see when I come back from work,” In-ho had told her, her fingers tracing circles on Gi-hun's back, “and you look so beautiful here.”
In-ho had taken the picture three months after they started dating. She'd given Gi-hun a beautiful white dress with pearl like buttons and taken her to park filled with cherry blossoms trees. They walked for hours, talking and giggling like teenagers and at one point, In-ho had taken a picture of her, head thrown back in laughter and flower petals falling all around her.
“I love you,” In-ho had whispered to her afterwards, her lips grazing her cheek, “you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. How did I get so lucky?”
A month later, In-ho practically begged Gi-hun to move in with her. In-ho promised Gi-hun that she would pay for her mother's apartment and medical treatments and that she would be sure to help with Ga-yeong too.
“They're your family,” In-ho told her, “so now they're mine too. I'll take care of them.”
And then, another terrifying realization crawled from Gi-hun's mind and nested in her heart.
How was In-ho able to afford everything? Sure, she was a police commander but could In-ho's salary really afford their lifestyle? The house, the vacations, the weekly shopping trips, the money for her mother and daughter?
Where was all that money coming from? Could all of it really be from her job? And if it wasn't...where was it from?
Maybe it's from her stepmother and brother, Gi-hun thought, maybe...maybe...
But In-ho was estranged from her family. She rarely about them and Gi-hun had only met them once. Her stepmother, who had the same name as her own mother, had hugged Gi-hun and kissed her cheek. She told Gi-hun how happy she was that In-ho had found love again.
Jun-ho, however, had stared at her with something like pity. He'd also barely talked to In-ho and looked at his sister as if she was a stranger.
Why was that? What did Jun-ho know that Gi-hun didn't?
Panting, Gi-hun stumbled into their bedroom, a hand over her chest. She dropped down in the chair in front of her vanity and stared at herself in the mirror, trembling.
She did not recognize the woman that stared back.
Her hair, which she usually kept somewhat short and unruly, was shoulder length and curled elegantly. Tentatively, she ran a hand through her hair. It was soft and smelled faintly of lavender.
Shuddering, Gi-hun tentatively touched her face. She hardly ever wore makeup before meeting her girlfriend but In-ho insisted on doing her makeup before she left for work in the morning.
“I don't go anywhere though,” Gi-hun laughed at In-ho, “nobody is going to see me!”
In-ho had smiled at her and caressed her cheeks, “I like doing it. It makes me happy.”
That's what In-ho said whenever Gi-hun asked certain questions.
Why did In-ho pay of all her debts and help Gi-hun's mother and daughter? Because it made her happy. Why did In-ho insist on Gi-hun moving in with her after only dating for four months? Because it made her happy. Why was In-ho adamant that Gi-hun stay in the house and not get a job?
Because it made In-ho happy. In-ho told Gi-hun that she was just wanted to give Gi-hun the life she deserved. That she just wanted to pamper and take care of Gi-hun; that In-ho loved her so much.
“You deserve the world,” In-ho told her one day, her arms wrapped around Gi-hun's waist, holding her tight, “let me give it to you.”
Am I happy? Gi-hun continued to stare at her reflection, eyes burning, am I happy?
She should be; she had to be.
Meeting In-ho was the best thing to ever happened to her. In-ho saved her; she swooped in and pieced Gi-hun's life back together and never asked for anything in return.
Didn't she?
Gi-hun did not know who the woman in the mirror was.
She didn't know when her simple pants and tank tops were replaced with fashionable dresses, blouses and skirts. She didn't know when she last went to a horse race or when she'd last smoked.
And she didn't remember the last time she visited her mother or Ga-yeong without In-ho by her side, constantly looking at her watch and telling Gi-hun they didn't have much time and they really should be heading home.
“...wait...”
When was the last time Gi-hun really hung out with her daughter? When was the last time she spent a few hours alone with her mother?
When was the last time Gi-hun did anything alone?
“Jagiya?”
Startled, Gi-hun turned and almost fell out of her chair. In-ho was at her side in a moment, her hands cradling Gi-hun's face tenderly.
“Is everything ok?” In-ho frowned, “I've been calling you for a while now,” she helped Gi-hun out of the chair and led her to the bed, “did something happen?”
Gi-hun shook her head. She lowered her gaze and tried to ignore the warm feeling in her stomach.
“No, I'm ok I was just...” she let out a breath, “I was just thinking,” she raised her eyes and forced herself to smile, “you're home early today. Is everything ok at the station?”
In-ho blinked at her.
“Everything is fine,” In-ho's eyes narrowed and she sat down next to Gi-hun, “Did your mother call? Or Ga-yeong?”
Gi-hun forced herself to laugh, “No, no I was just,” she swallowed, “I was just thinking...” she trailed off and cleared her throat, “I was just wondering if maybe it was time for me to find a job.”
“A job,” In-ho repeated, voice low and flat, “why would you need to find a job?” she placed a hand on Gi-hun's thigh, “Did somebody say something?” her fingers dug into Gi-hun's leg.
“No,” Gi-hun winced, “I just...it's time, don't you think?” she shrugged, “I mean, I don't want you to feel that I'm taking advantage of your or anything—“ she chuckled awkwardly, “I just—“
“Oh Gi-hun,” In-ho suddenly turned and threw a leg over Gi-hun's lap, sitting on her, “jagiya, you're not taking advantage of me,” In-ho kissed her gently, “wherever did you get such a ridiculous idea?”
“You just-” Gi-hun closed her eyes and tried not to stammer, “you just do—and I don't—“
In-ho ran her nose up Gi-hun's chin, inhaling, “You don't need a job,” In-ho rubbed her cheek against Gi-hun's and licked her ear, “all you need to do is stay here,” she pushed Gi-hun's shoulders until she laid down on the bed, skin hot, “with me.”
Stop, Gi-hun whimpered, mouth clamped shut, stop. Please stop. Not now. Not now.
She took a big breath and opened her mouth but before she could say anything, In-ho kissed her. She licked Gi-hun's bottom lip and her hands ran down Gi-hun's arms and up her chest, groping her breasts.
“You're so beautiful,” In-ho whispered into her mouth, “I love coming home to you,” she placed her hands on top of Gi-hun's dress, “I love knowing you're safe at home,” grinning, In-ho tore the dress open, and the pink buttons flew everywhere.
“In-ho!” Gi-hun yelped, “wha-you could have just taken it off!” she scowled. In-ho smirked.
“Don't worry,”she continued to tear at Gi-hun's dress and bra, exposing her chest, “I'll buy you another dress—I'll buy you a dozen more.”
Still smiling, In-ho took Gi-hun's breasts into her hands. She rubbed Gi-hun's nipples with her thumbs, her eyes dark and her teeth a little too sharp.
“Maybe we should go shopping again this weekend,” In-ho licked a hot stripe between Gi-hun's breasts, “we could get you more lingerie too,” she sighed , pinching Gi-hun's nipples, “what do you think jagiya?”
Gi-hun couldn't think. She could barely breathe. Heat flooded her core and she could already feel her pussy getting wet.
“Hey,” Gi-hun tried to push her girlfriend off, “really, I think we should—“
But then, In-ho took one of Gi-hun's nipples into her mouth and sucked.
“Ah!” Gi-hun threw her head back. She buried her fingers in In-ho's hair, pulling at it, “ah, ah, ah!”
In-ho hummed around her breast. She flicked her tongue over Gi-hun's nipple, grazing it with her teeth. One of her hands slid down Gi-hun's stomach and between her legs, cupping Gi-hun's pussy.
“Uh, uh, uh,” Gi-hun open her legs wide and scratched at In-ho's back, “Good, good, so good!” she slurred, her thoughts melting out of her ears, “ah, ah!”
“That's it,” In-ho looked up, her lips wet and her cheeks flushed red, “lay back and let me worship you.”
No, a small voice shouted in Gi-hun's head, no, something isn't right remember? Stop. Stop.
“In-ho,” Gi-hun moaned and tried to crawl away, her mind hazy, “wait, stop, we need—“
“No,” In-ho tore Gi-hun's panties off and growled, “let me take care of you,” she traced her fingers up and down Gi-hun's wet folds and teased her clit, “don't I always take care of you?”
She does, Gi-hun thought, In-ho takes care of me, she took Gi-hun's breast back into her mouth, tongue circling the nipple, she does everything for me. She loves me. She does.
Groaning, In-ho sunk two of her fingers inside Gi-hun's wet cunt, her thumb rubbing Gi-hun's clit with precision, flooding her body with sharp pleasure.
In-ho loves me, sweat dripped down Gi-hun's neck and back, she's just overprotective. She loves me. She loves me.
Does she? The voice asked, she never let's you out of her sight. You don't talk to your friends anymore. When did that happen? When did In-ho become the center of your world? Why does her love feel so heavy? This is wrong. This is wrong, wrong, wrong.
Gi-hun's legs shook. Her back arched and In-ho's fingers curled inside her, hitting that one spot that always drowned Gi-hun's thoughts.
Wake up. Wake up. You have to wake you. You have to leave. You need to leave.
“Gorgeous,” In-ho mumbled against her chest, panting, “you have no idea what you do to me,” she looked at Gi-hun, tongue licking Gi-hun's breast, “no idea.”
“In-ho!” heat flooded every inch of Gi-hun's body. Her toes curled and her legs stretched out, feet pointed. In-ho kept fingering her, kept stroking her clit, kept lavishing attention to her breasts and it was all too much, “In-ho, In-ho!”
Suddenly, In-ho sucked hard on Gi-hun's nipple and tugged on the other one and Gi-hun was gone.
Gi-hun let out a wail. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she bucked her hips, desperate and crying for more. Waves of pleasure exploded from between her legs and for a moment, nothing but In-ho existed.
“That's it,” she heard In-ho whispered, her fingers still buried in Gi-hun's pussy, “give it to me,” she hissed, “you're mine. Mine, mine, mine!”
Quivering, Gi-hun rode out her orgasm. Her body relaxed and her cunt pulsed with aftershocks in time with her heart. She stared up at the ceiling and sighed, tired and completely wrung out.
In-ho laughed and got up. She looked at Gi-hun and licked her fingers clean, eyes flashing with satisfaction.
“There,” In-ho cocked her head and petted Gi-hun's thigh, “was that good? Are you relaxed?”
Another realization slammed into Gi-hun and she closed her eyes.
In-ho always did this; she always gave took Gi-hun apart when she asked too many questions or when In-ho wanted Gi-hun to give up control.
And you always let her, Gi-hun let out a shaky sigh, you never pushed her away. You just let her. You always let her.
“Jagiya,” In-ho unbuttoned her coat and dropped it on the floor, her eyes boring into Gi-hun, “I love you,” she started unbuttoning her shirt and Gi-hun looked away, arousal and disgust curling in her stomach, “so much.”
In-ho crawled back on top of her, her clothes gone. She kissed Gi-hun tenderly and for a moment, Gi-hun wanted to cry.
“I love you,” In-ho repeated, her hands gently removed the rest of Gi-hun's clothes, “I'll always love you,” she kissed Gi-hun's nose, “and you love me too, don't you?”
That wasn't a question; it was a command. It was a statement. It was In-ho's way of taking control and Gi-hun wished she had figured that out months ago, when she would have been able to run.
But she didn't and now, it was too late.
Gi-hun still had so many questions. There was so many things she did not know about In-ho or what she was really capable of but Gi-hun did know one thing.
“Of course I love you,” Gi-hun mumbled, a cold and heavy weight settling between her ribs “you know I do.”
And when In-ho kissed her again, Gi-hun forced herself to get lost in her girlfriends touch and she prayed that whatever twisted fairy tale In-ho had dragged her into...
She prayed that her family could at least have some kind of happy ending.