Wheein stumbled blearily out of her bathroom and flopped face first onto her bed. 

Her everything hurt. 

Things had been hellish for the pup lately, for a long time actually, and it wasn't getting any easier. Assignments were flying left and right. Her small Mamamoo calender was filled with red circles, the majority of which fell on the upcoming week. Finals week. Wheein d blindly around her bed for her phone. The screen lit up. One thirty in the morning. Wheein stared at her reminders. Calculus final on Monday. Practical portion of her kinesiology final immediately after, the theoretical portion on the following morning. Physiology exam right after that, in-class essays galore for her two English classes. Then a final presentation for her business education, which she had yet to start. Wheein noted the times before scrolling to her scheduled work hours. Great. At least they didn't conflict. The phone was cast aside and Wheein let herself go limp, not even bothering to get under the covers. She didn't try to sleep though, her thoughts were too much of a mess to let her rest.

Everything was just a bit much to handle.

A year ago Hyejin had moved in with her. Wheein's apartment was much closer to school than Hyejin's had been, plus Wheein's roommate had gone to study abroad so the room was already open. Nevermind the fact that Hyejin had gotten kicked out of her last apartment. Wheein didn't ask why. Didn't feel like she needed to, it was her best friend after all. Rent was the main concern but Hyejin had assured her she could keep up with her half. Told her that the last landlord was a homophobic bastard that kicked her out once he found out. So Wheein believed her.

That's why when the first month's rent was due and Hyejin couldn't pay, Wheein wasn't worried. She had money saved for a situation like this, though she was still reluctant to use it. Her doubts had been assuaged once Hyejin talked her through the work schedule she had, explaining that she'd get paid the week after and would  immediately pay Wheein back in full. The numbers checked out and Hyejin assured her she'd talk to her boss about getting paid a week earlier. She wouldn't go wrong by Wheein.

But a week passed by and Hyejin only paid back half of what she owed. Said it was because her boss fired her for trying to move her payday. Wheein understood. Some people were just hardasses about these things. As long as Hyejin found another job right away, it would be fine. Hyejin promised she would. She came back the next day at ten in the morning, hungover and missing her shoes. Things were stressful, she said, and she needed to try and unwind. It was understandable. Hyejin still had three weeks until rent was due again.

Wheein looked at her savings, she made it a habit of planning ahead with her finances. Some easy math was all it took and Wheein had the time. Savings minus her half of the rent equals money she was able to use to treat herself. She ran through her quick mental math and grinned to herself. Her savings had taken a bit of a hit because of Hyejin, but the half she paid back made up for some of the loss. Maybe this time it'd be a personal spa day or that new set of Mamamoo albums. She'd been wanting to buy the entire set at once.

Wheein's grin faltered and she grew pensive. What if she fell through on rent again? No. No, Hyejin wouldn't do that. But Wheein ran through her math again, just in case. Just in case Hyejin didn't have the money. Savings minus all of the rent equals...

Maybe just one of the albums.

---

Her landlady was fairly nice about things. She had a bright personality and spoke eloquently, something about a recreational license she got years ago. She operated her building on a system of strikes. Three and you're out. The rules for the strikes were pretty basic. 

Make too much noise at night? Strike.

Steal someone else's parking spot? Strike.

Scare her dog? Strike.

Late or partial rent payment? Two strikes.

At first Wheein had raised an eyebrow at the deviation, but it made sense. There was no way the place would still be standing if everyone was late for rent. Of course it would be more strict. 

Wheein had never gotten a strike before in her four years of living there. And that was the only reason why she was let off with one strike. The explanations had been lengthy, but her landlady had been compassionate. Moving was always a pain and society's judgement even more so. And some people "were just es".

She was great.

"Just don't let it happen again."

"Thank you, unnie. I won't."

The next month rolled around and rent was due in a week. She ran through her mental math as Hyejin apologized over and over in the background. Enough for a coffee this month. Nothing more.

---

Wheein found Hyejin a job. It was actually at the diner she worked at. Her boss had been happy to hire another person, especially if they were as cute as Wheein. Hyejin had blushed at those words and Wheein laughed at her friend's expense. It was the perfect blend of overconfidence and cringe. The fact that her boss was a woman also reduced the inappropriateness of her comments.

Wheein had morning classes, prefering to get them out of the way, while Hyejin had afternoon classes, wanting to sleep in. Her boss had been understanding of the situation, shifting around hours for the both of them. Hyejin ended up working from seven to one, choosing to take the weekend off. Wheein had her hours slightly changed. She'd start at two and end at eight, shifting her schedule an hour later in the day. Her boss was okay with it, Wheein liked the plan, and Hyejin was grumbling about the early hours, but only jokingly. 

The next month's rent was paid in full, on time, by both tenants. Wheein got one rent's worth of her money back. The best friends hung out together that night, ordering in and catching up. 

Hyejin had a knack for inspiring confidence in people. She was like the ultimate hype woman, pumping up your confidence no matter what you were doing. There was that time Wheein had jokingly suggested they dance for the school talent show. Hyejin ran with the idea fully and they had put on quite the stunning performance, even though Wheein was dying of embarassment the whole time. Point is, Hyejin made you trust her. Made it reasonable for you to trust her.

And Wheein couldn't stop trusting her.

---

Her boss had been less than pleased when Wheein came in. Normally this was because of some new tax or an ignorant customer, but this time it was neither. Hyejin had quit. Wheein wanted to run home and smack some sense into her but unfortunately she couldn't. She couldn't even go after work was finished since she got held back.

"Is everything alright Wheein? She doesn't seem like the type you'd hang out with."

Well that was new. Usually it'd be comments about their hyperactiveness and loudness. 

"What do you mean? She's more confident in public than I am but at home we're bo-"

"Do you smoke?"

"W-what?"

Her boss just stared straight at her and asked again. Her hair was up in a bun, the mix of dyed grey and black sticking out randomly. Her thin shoulders were slumped with exhaustion but her eyes were still piercing.

"I said, do you smoke?"

Wheein shook her head. 

"Good."

"What does that have to do with Hyejin?" Wheein fumbled with her fingers, fighting the urge to just run home and ignore anything else her boss said.

"Well you know I have no smoking on my property written into your contracts." Wheein nodded at this. "I found Hyejin outside on her break. She was halfway through a cigarette. Gave her a warning and she just quit on the spot. You might want to talk to her."

---

Talking didn't work. There had been an attempt, at least on Wheein's part, but the conversation moved nowhere. Hyejin had been almost defensive the entire time, wanting nothing to do with the diner anymore, claiming she could get a job that would let her smoke on her breaks. Wheein had reluctantly breached the topic of smoking and the look she received destroyed any hope she had of Hyejin coming back to work. But she still had to ask a very important question, so she did.

"When did you start?"

"I'll quit when I want."

She hadn't gotten the answer she wanted, and after sitting in silence for an awkward five minutes, Hyejin just scoffed and left, only taking her phone and coat with her. Wheein was left to try and figure out how everything had gone so wrong. The door had slammed hours ago but Wheein still treaded quietly around the apartment. Her apartment. She sat at the table, bills spread out in front of her, her bank account pulled up on her laptop, doing more mental math than she'd like to. And this time it didn't add up. She'd have to work more.

A lot more.

Wheein was shaken from her thoughts by the opening of her bedroom door. She didn't move from her spot, already knowing who it was. She felt the mattress dip beside her and a hand pressed into the muscles on her shoulders. A groan of satisfaction left . The mattress squeaked and Wheein turned her head to see Hyejin moving to straddle her lower back, a second hand coming up to massage her other shoulder. Wheein let herself relax and closed her eyes. Hyejin didn't say anything, simply moving Wheein's hair out of the way and moving up to her neck. Wheein could smell the lemon scent coming off of her hair, but there was something else too. The pungent smell of cigarette smoke. 

"I thought you said you were going to quit?"

Wheein felt Hyejin's hands tighten briefly. She couldn't see Hyejin's face, didn't want to either. But she knew her best friend. Hyejin was either feeling pissed at Wheein or disappointed in herself. Wheein figured it was the latter. Hyejin's hands went back to what they were doing and Wheein could feel the sigh hit the back of her head. Smell more of the smoke as it passed over her.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice hadn't been that gentle in a while, and Wheein at least knew that Hyejin was sincere. For now.

"Did you just get off of work?" Hyejin pressed into a particularly painful spot and Wheein let out a hiss. A mumbled sorry left Hyejin's lips and Wheein nodded in response to her question.

"I'm sorry. I..." She trailed off as she sat up. Wheein felt her hand being nudged and uncurled her fingers. She felt paper and metal. "I have your money. All of it. You should count it."

Wheein looked at the money in her hand. She shook her head and put the clip of cash next to her head. 

"It's okay." Wheein mumbled, her eyes drifting shut again. "I trust you."

She felt Hyejin's weight shift off of her back and the clip was put back into her hand.

"Count it. Please?" Her voice was strained and low, more desperate than it had ever been.

Her eyes resisted but she pried them open at the tone of Hyejin's pleading. Wheein's arms shook as she shoved herself into a sitting position. Her fingers were clumsy with fatigue and fumbled with the money clip. After watching Wheein for a painful minute, Hyejin reached over and took the clip off for her. 

The money was all there. It was almost too much to believe. 

Wheein had been going on close to six months of hell. Working sixty hours a week to cover for the entirety of rent, a feat only possible due to her boss' understanding and willingness to let her work. Combined with her academics and Hyejin's... habits, it had taken a huge toll on her. Both in body and mind. But the money was there, she was holding it in her hands. 

Her wallet appeared, Hyejin's outstretched arm offering it to her. 

"The money clip is mine." A sheepish smile spread across her face. "Here."

Wheein accepted her wallet. The few bills inside amounted to what was left of her spending budget for the month, but maybe she could take a few hours off of work. Maybe relax for a little. Maybe for more than just a little.

The wallet ended up on her dresser and Hyejin practically shoved her under the covers, tucking her in. She sat at the edge of the bed and turned to Wheein.

"I... I called Yongsun-unnie earlier today. I told her everything, about how you only missed rent because of me. She agreed to forget your strike and put it on me instead." Wheein tried to sit up and speak, but Hyejin shook her head and gently pushed her back down.

"And I called Moonbyul-unnie to apologize for quitting. She let me come back and I explained everything to her too. I'm covering for you for a few weeks so just sleep and relax okay? She already agreed not to let you work even if you show up."

Wheein could feel her eyes stinging and when she tried to speak, she could only choke out a simple phrase.

"I missed you."

It made no sense, she and Hyejin had been living together for over a year. But Hyejin understood.

"I missed this me too. I know I've been terrible for a long time and I'm still really sorry. But I got my together now so you won't have to work as hard anymore..."

Silence fell between the two and Wheein offered Hyejin a small smile. Hyejin got up, pressing a small kiss to Wheein's cheek before making her way to the door.

"Get some sleep okay? I'll be at work before you wake up so... goodnight. I'll bring home dinner."

The lights flickered off and Wheein's door opened, letting in the hallway light. 

"Hyejinnie?" Wheein called out gently.

Hyejin turned around in the doorway, a hand still on the door knob.

"Thank you." It was nothing more than a whisper, but it conveyed everything between the two.

"No." Hyejin shook her head and smiled. "Thank you Wheeinie."

The door clicked shut and Wheein slept peacefully for the first time in a long time. 

---

She woke up the next day to the sound of her phone going off. An arm flopped out from under the sheets and reached blindly around. She figured it was her alarm. She hadn't exactly had a chance to turn it off last night. Her fingers found the vibrating aluminum and pulled it in front of her sleep filled eyes. It wasn't her alarm.

A flood of messages from her coworkers and her boss filled the screen. Questioning where she was, if she was okay, that it was okay if she miss work today. The ones from her coworkers she could understand, they hadn't been informed about the situation. But Moonbyul? She should know. Unless...

Wheein sat up in a panic. She texted Hyejin right away. Where was she? What was she doing? Did she tell Moonbyul? No response. She tried calling. It rang over and over and over. She hung up. Tried calling again. This time it went straight to voicemail. The phone fell out of her hand and Wheein felt sick to her stomach. Her head slowly turned to look at her dresser.

Her wallet was gone.

A/N: So two things. The first is that I have part one of a MiMo two-shot published. If you are interested I’ll link it here. If not no problem, this is a MooMoo fic after all.

The second thing is a bit more serious. I’m not trying to sell a sob story or ask for anything so please keep that in mind, I just wanted to offer an explanation since I think you guys deserve one. Basically my brother and I were kicked out of the house. My mother turned out not to be as accepting of my gender identity and ual orientation as I had hoped, and my brother tried to speak up to support me (he’s six years younger than I am). I’m a full time student and while I was working before this happened, it was only about 20 hours a week. I’m now up to 40 hours and overtime thanks to a really understanding employer. My little brother understands that we won’t have the same comforts as when we lived with my mother but I want his life to be affected as little as possible, so I’ll be working as much as my boss will let me so that he doesn’t have to think of things like how much electricity he’s using (haha because we’re both gamers). 

I know my update schedule already but as a result of all this it will have to slow down even more. I still want to update at least two to three times a month, hopefully with chapters similar to the length of this one since there's more time between updates. Again, I'm not asking for anything from anyone nor do I want anything other than to continue writing. I first posted in 2016 and many readers have seen this story since, even with my terrible update schedule. I never expected to even get one hundred views, much less the nine thousand I have now. I appreciate it more than you can know.

P.S: At the time this is being published, it's been a week of my new living situation. I hope to have something for you all relatively soon. Thank you for reading.