AU in which Chaeyoung notices a girl always hanging out at the laundry shop but doesn't do any laundry at all. 

 It wasn't her business to mind but curiosity gets the best of her.  

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Chaeyoung does her laundry twice a week and in those days, it's not as crowded as it usually is at the same time slot. but another thing that she noticed is whenever she does laundry, there's always this girl.  

At first she thought, she might be the owner or the caretaker of the place, but it is a DIY coin laundry and the owner just lives next door.It crept her at some point, thinking she's some cuckoo girl, though she doesn't really do anything whenever she's there. 

It's odd. 

It's not that she watched her or anything. Maybe she did glance at her thrice, and maybe it might've been too long for it to be a glance.The girl is just there, drinking her hot chocolate, occasionally glancing at the rotations of the washing machines. 

Is that weird? Maybe. 

It's just the two of them around this time. It kinda feels awkward that only the low whirring of the machines and the low volume of the TV can be heard. Often times, she would start little chats to people around but she isn't sure this time. Is this a sign? 

Curiosity took the best of her so when she finished putting all of her laundry in the dryer, she sat across the girl and looked at her directly. The girl didn't budge. 

"Is your laundry done yet?" She knows there's no laundry for her but she isn't gonna point that out now. 

The girl turned her eyes from the machines to the girl in front of her, with eyebrows arching. 

"Ah no. Not yet." the girl looked down on her drink that turned cold and sipped it.Chaeyoung nodded but that intrigued her more. What is she talking about anyway? 

She let it pass and asked anything under the sun. If she's not doing laundry then maybe it's alright to indulge her in conversation while she waited for hers to be finished.And that's how the day went. The only thing different about it is she had the chance to talk to her. 

The next time they met again, they were both by the door entering the coin laundry shop. Chaeyoung was a bit braver to start another conversation again. 

"Hey, Lisa. doing some laundry?" 

"Ah no. I don't think so." Chaeyoung frowned but didn't pry. 

Maybe Lisa liked the place that much so she changed the topic and talked about herself instead, in hopes that Lisa would share something about her instead of just listening to her talk or answering only when asked. 

Maybe today wasn't that day but it was alright though she's not sure why she's invested.      

It was Thursday evening when Chaeyoung went to do her laundry. It was a different time than her usual so she didn't expect to see Lisa that night. To her surprise, she saw her standing in front of the machines as if she was studying how to use them. 

"Are you doing laundry?" 

Lisa turned to see Chaeyoung carrying her laundry bag towards the machines. She watched until the girl stood beside her and started putting the clothes inside the washer. 

"No." She glanced at her, "then why are you standing there?" 

"I was thinking" 

"Of what?" She frowned.  

"If I should do it" 

"Your laundry? Maybe you should because I haven't really seen you do yours yet you're always here." 

 Lisa only watched her speak, her eyes following where she was going. Chaeyoung sat down with two cups of hot choco in hand, signaling for her to sit as well.  

So Lisa did sit across her, sipping from the paper cup she received. She looked at her again. 

"But I'm afraid" 

"Afraid of the machines?" She tried hard not to look weirded out so Lisa would continue talking. She felt that she's trying to open up about something.  

Lisa shook her head and she just waited patiently for her to speak again. It was quiet for a minute or so until she decided to talk again. 

 "I'm afraid of forgetting." 

That's where Chaeyoung got more intrigued. It was so vague and unpredictable but she kept her composure.  

"I- she left me. I wasn't counting anymore. I didn't understand why but I let her go. It's what she wanted" 

Lisa kept her voice low and her eyes fixated on her drink while Chaeyoung listened intently. 

"Everywhere I look or go in my place, they remind me of her. It's hard for me." She paused for a moment, stirring her drink.

"My home basically screams her. It still smells like her and I miss her. I know she's not coming back but a part of me doesn't want to move on and the other half does..." 

Little by little, it all made sense to Chaeyoung and she couldn't help feeling bad for Lisa.  

"So I thought maybe if I go here often, I'll finally decide to take everything all out and clean the things we've shared for years." 

Her lips turned up into a small sad smile, glancing up at Chaeyoung. 

"That maybe, I'll finally be able to move on from her." 

The washer beeped.  

Chaeyoung took a moment before getting up and moving all the washed clothes to the dryer. No one dared to talk. She went back to her seat, looking at Lisa lost in her thoughts. It must've been hard for her, she thought. 

"I think it's time, Lisa." She sipped from her cup.  

"Don't let your dirty laundry keep you from- uh living." She coughed at the awkward choice of words. She mentally kicked herself for it. 

"You don't have to finish them all at once. I do my laundry twice or thrice a week. Do it at your own pace." She looked down, cringing badly.  

Chaeyoung tried to look everywhere except at Lisa. She didn't know what to say next and she should stop before she says something ridiculous. She's not helping the situation get better.

"Would you help me?" 

It was soft, almost inaudible, but she heard it. Her eyes focused on her.  

Lisa looked helpless and vulnerable, almost regretting asking but it's a call for desperate measures and she's not going to let that pass.

"Of course! Didn't you know I'm good at doing laundry? I'm like the best at it." Lisa couldn't help the smile tugging her lips and it washed away the worries Chaeyoung was feeling.  

Lisa knew Chaeyoung meant more than helping in doing her laundry, but she was grateful for not mentioning them anymore. After weeks of frustration and loneliness, she finally felt relieved even for a bit. 

"Your hot choco and coins are on me next week" Lisa offered with a smile. 

"You sure? I think you have lots of laundry to do. You might run out of coins." Chaeyoung teased, making Lisa laugh softly. 

"I'll make sure I have more than enough for you then." 

 "Well, I accept the offer." Chaeyoung beamed and Lisa did the same. 

The dryer beeped.