When Jinyoung came back to the apartment, Yena still wasn’t home. It was kind of worrying, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. Work emergencies never stuck to a normal schedule, so she could be home in a few minutes or a few hours.

As he hung his coat in the closet and collapsed on the couch, he was struck by how awkward it was. He’d been staying with Yena for about a month or so now, and yet the apartment didn’t seem like home for him. He felt... uncomfortable in it without Yena. The air was stiff and unwelcoming, like the apartment itself didn’t want Jinyoung around anymore. When he went into his bedroom, the malicious air remained, pursuing Jinyoung no matter where he was in the apartment.

Thinking about it, Jinyoung really didn’t need to stay with Yena anymore. In fact, he should’ve gone back the moment his mother accepted him again: he had left because of her, so he should’ve gone back because of her. Yet here he was, overstaying at his closest friend’s house. Why? He was always good at being a gentleman, good at knowing the boundaries and never crossing them, but he had grossly overstayed his visit. His initial reservations about the two of them playing house had turned into two siblings rooming together, and now he was too comfortable. At the very least, Yena deserved getting her apartment back for helping Jinyoung through this.

If he was honest, though, Jinyoung didn’t want to go back to his family home. He wanted to live on his own, be independent. He felt like if he went back to his parents, he would end up returning to his old mindset of pleasing his parents’ desires before his own. He wanted to have the space to be himself, to think for himself, without the influence of others. He needed his own space as much as Yena needed it back.

Just then, there was the sound of the key in the lock turning, and the front door opened to reveal Yena, her work clothes hanging haphazardly on her body and her entire frame exuding exhaustion. “Hey,” she breathed as she kicked off her shoes and hung her coat in the closet. “How was your date?”

“Not a date,” he corrected, before adding, “You look exhausted. Why don’t you go shower or take a nap or something, and I’ll order some takeout.”

“Sounds good to me,” she said. “I want jjajjangmyeon.”

“Okay,” he agreed, “now go relax. I’ll get you in an hour.”

She hummed in response before she trudged to her bedroom. Jinyoung had never seen her that tired before. At the same time, though, she looked... relaxed. Like she knew what a heavy workload she had, but she knew how to get it done, even if it was going to be stressful. Memories of her other work emergencies came back, and he realized that that same relaxed-stressed expression was consistent with every work emergency she’d had.

He didn’t know what to make of it. Whenever he had a work emergency, he always ended up so stressed his entire body would seize up and his head would be pounding like he had a hangover for days until he solved the problem. Why did Yena enjoy work emergencies so much?

Maybe it’s because she loves her job. The errant thought floats through his head but resonates, bouncing off the walls and echoing louder, etching itself into his brain. Because it was true: Yena loved her job. She was passionate about cooking, passionate about the culinary world, and passionate about her workplace. She was lucky it happened to be an option for her. Jinyoung didn’t mind his job, accepted it long ago, but there were times when he wished he could pursue something he enjoyed, even if he didn’t know what that was.

He was so lost in thought that a sudden hiss made him yelp sharply, jumping in his seat. It was only a few moments later that he realized that Yena had decided to take a shower, and the sound came from her turning the water on. Back in the real world, Jinyoung grabbed his laptop and began looking for apartments.

Searching through all the listings, Jinyoung felt lost. He didn’t know what he wanted. Did he want a lot of space? Should he expect to have a lot of guests over? Is he planning on having parties of any kind? Is he going to stay there long, or should he be planning on getting something bigger? Should he rent or buy? What kind of security should he be looking for?

This was harder than he thought.

Closing the tab, he stared blankly at his computer screen. He didn’t know what to do.

Ding.

He fumbled for his phone, which had fallen from his pocket in between the sofa cushions. After he had gotten it, however, the message almost made him drop it again.

Hello Jinyoung-sshi, this is Tuan Mark. You gave me your number today at the café. I was wondering if you’re available tomorrow for lunch.

What should he say? He was technically free most weekends, and this weekend was no exception. It was just that Jinyoung still felt awkward around him, and he wasn’t sure how to rectify it. He considered asking Yena for help, but then stopped. He was making a big deal out of nothing, wasn’t he? He was free, he wanted to help Mark, they should meet up and get to know each other. Simple as that. There shouldn’t be a question.

Hello Mark-sshi. I am free tomorrow. Have you heard of The A Bistro? Yena and I used to go there more often when we were teenagers. It has the best American brunch in Seoul.

He hit send before he could overthink things and then moved on to the task of ordering takeout for the two of them.

The moment he finished, his phone dinged again with another message from Mark.

I’m surprised that I haven’t heard of it. I love brunch. I’d love to go there, does 11 sound good?

Sounds good to me, Jinyoung replied. I’ll send you the address. I’ll see you then.

Takeout arrived before Mark replied, so Jinyoung put his phone aside and left to go take care of dinner.

“Yena-ya!” He called as soon as he returned with the takeout. “Are you awake?”

He heard her groan from her room. “Give me five minutes.”

“Okay,” he said, heading to the dining room to set up.

When she came out, her eyes still looked sleepy and her hair was a bit of a mess, but she looked more well rested than when she came in. It was kind of strange, seeing her so disorganized and sloppy. He wasn’t sure if he had ever seen her like that before in his entire life.  “Good nap?”

“Great nap,” she yawned, stretching, “but dinner smells delicious.”

“Then let’s eat,” he said, gesturing to the table.

“I’ve been looking at apartments.”

Yena glanced up, shocked at Jinyoung’s words. “Really?”

“I’ve overstayed my welcome here,” he said.

“Not necessarily,” She replied quickly. “I wouldn’t mind if you stayed.”

“No, I think it’s time I moved out.” He didn’t mention how the apartment no longer seemed like home, or how uncomfortable it was without her. “I