The lockdown brings them a peace of mind, a sense of being protected from spreading of the outbreak, but at the same time it also prevents them from doing a lot of things, not exclude to moving around, and a limit access to particular lodging like accommodations and hotels, under this very rare circumstance with measures varies from country to country and from where they are; While many tourists are stuck in town and have extended their stays, causing some decent hotels are limited to availability, especially when those hotels have been reserved as government supporting quarantine places, so finding a new place at specific time has become tough, and seeking for any accommodation which allows a temporary stay, let alone matching their needs and preference is a trouble.

Hyomin is still busily looking for an accommodation when she hears a knock on the door, knowing well that it’s none other than Jiyeon, Hyomin shouts loud enough for a person behind the door to hear “Come in please”, without a slight glance up from her computer.

“Haven’t you packed yet?”

“I’ll do soon”, Hyomin replies, sliding her gaze upward to look at Jiyeon

Looking around, Jiyeon offers, “Anything I can do to help?, I mean I’m done loading my suitcase in the car”

“Oh, did you?”

“Yes, I did”

“Do you even have anything in your suitcase?” Hyomin grunts, brow knits, she has a full view of Jiyeon staring at her as if to verify the truth.

“I have only some clothes and essentials”

Hyomin is not surprised, it’s one thing that she notices about Jiyeon, all she has for wearing is simple T-shirt and skinny jeans in those shade on black and fade blue, Jiyeon has been on the same shirt over and over, especially with T-shirt with printed screen, Hyomin even recognizes every slogan and wordings on her shirt.

Now look at her, Hyomin has to admit she has a little too much, which make packing and unpacking consumes more time, but she didn’t expect to move around changing her place to stay during the trip “I know I have too many”, Hyomin waves her hand in the air.

“Well, I didn’t say anything is wrong with that” Jiyeon clears it up

Leaving her computer, Hyomin gets up, she walks off to bathroom and comes back with an armful of toiletries and skin cares.

Jiyeon doesn’t wonder why Hyomin has such giant suitcases, look at her stuff, only those skincare and beauty products do take almost half of her luggage space. But still, she can’t understand why someone would take so many items on a trip.

“Did you bring all of these from home or you got some from shopping?” Jiyeon asks, curious, eyes roaming around

“All from home, I didn’t even do any shopping yet, besides a new camera and phone” Hyomin simply replies

Jiyeon spots a set of color and paints “Drawing kits?”

“Ah, that’s I brought just in case I got bored during the trip, which I don’t regret bringing it along” Hyomin tells with a proud tone

“Oh” Jiyeon holds her giggle

“Why?” Hyomin squinted eyes

“Nah, nothing” Jiyeon nonchalantly says

“ If you don’t mind, please don’t even start, I try to get it done here” Hyomin stops Jiyeon before she gets a chance to bug her.

“I’m here to help in case you have not noticed it”, Jiyeon finds a spot to sit

” Then just stay still right where you are, that’s helping a lot”, Hyomin shoots her sarcasms out of her nervousness, she holds everything in her arms, and vaguely manages to put them together in suitcases, sorting in pouch after pouch.

Jiyeon notices how nervous Hyomin is, she decides to set her playful tease aside and all she wants is for her to relax a bit. “You know, the landlord is okay to let us stay another couple days if we can’t move out all of sudden”, Jiyeon tells in a serious tone.

“I’d prefer to stay but the more they are kind to us, the sooner I want to give them back their house” Hyomin is responding while multi-tasking, “ I know at time like this everyone wants to be home and feel safe, don’t you think?”, she stops and looks at Jiyeon momentarily.

“Yes, that’s true, home is where you feel safe” Jiyeon agrees, “Anyway, did you decide where to stay?” Jiyeon asks.

Hyomin stops what she is doing, “Unfortunately no, I couldn’t find a place we can book long enough”, she heaves a weary sigh, “I’m sorry”, Hyomin adds. As agreed, Hyomin was the one to handle the accommodation for them, because Jiyeon would be fine with anything Hyomin chooses, she has a good sense on this sort of thing.

“Eh, that’s okay, it’s not your fault” Jiyeon gives her a reassuring smile, “ I’ll do some searches while waiting, just in case there is any available place”

“Um” Agreed in her disappointed tone, Hyomin, then, focuses on packing quietly, her movement is in between, bending over, handling the clothes and so on.

Jiyeon shifts her gaze from watching Hyomin to her phone screen, tapping on apps providing accommodation and lodging to look for places which meets their needs, but Jiyeon knows it’s not easy and she is not a type who has enough patience when it comes to this kind of thing.

Silence falls on them a moment they concentrate on what they are doing and after sometimes, Jiyeon tears her attention from her phone, just as Hyomin is done packing her last piece, then she is back to sit in front of her computer where her eyes are lighten with hope upon receiving a new email

“I think we should….”

“I get a reply from an apartment”

Jiyeon’s almost suggestion is cut short by Hyomin’s excitement when she clicks open a new email replying to her inquiry, Jiyeon waits patiently allowing Hyomin to read the context until Hyomin casts her gaze upward and Jiyeon is afraid to ask because Hyomin’s excitement seems to be gone, and replaces by a reluctant look on her face.

“So how is it?” Jiyeon asks

“Good and bad news” Hyomin informs

“Then, let’s go with good one first” Jiyeon chooses in a suggestive tone

“Well, I found this cute little place, it’s like a semi-serviced apartment that is available until next three weeks” Hyomin swaps her computer screen to show the picture of a mentioned apartment for Jiyeon to see, just like how Hyomin told, it’s a cute little apartment unit.

“That’s nice, take it if you like, it looks comfortable to me, as long as it’s available a long period booking” Jiyeon comments.

“Yeah, it’s all good but …” Hyomin bites her lips followed by a sigh, and Jiyeon is reminded that a bad one is yet to come

“I hate “but”

“Alright, the thing is it’s only bedroom apartment”

“Ah”

Jiyeon shifts her gaze back to a monitor screen which Hyomin turned around for her to see the photo of the room and she then asks, “Is that a living room with a couch?”, Hyomin turns around to look at it before she answers, “ yes, it is”

“I think we should take it, I have no problem sleeping in the living room” Jiyeon pursudades

“There is no way you want to sleep in the couch until this is over” Hyomin protests

“It’s better than sleeping on the street, don’t you think?” Jiyeon asks,“ We need out any time soon, it’s better to grab something before it’s gone” she further convinces

“But” Hyomin hesitates, weighing between losing it or getting a perfect one

“I told you I hate “but”, so no “but” and go ahead, book it please” Jiyeon insists

“You think so?”

“100 yes”

Hyomin doesn’t think it’s a best idea, but Jiyeon is right, this is the only place she finds available for the longest period, besides she likes it a lot and if they miss it, they will have none. Her indecisive thought at first is convinced when Jiyeon says, “Take it or lose it”

Hence, Hyomin makes a decision.

Your reservation has been confirmed

Struggling with all moving out and passing all checkpoints along the street, doesn’t make it any easier for them to move into a new place during such a time. After a bit of hassle, they are back on the road and Jiyeon feels like the road that they are taking is awfully familiar like she has been before, it’s not in the center of the town but rather a residential zone with more trees and less shops, and she is sure she doesn’t mistake it as they draw closer to building complex.

“Is anything wrong?” Hyomin asks, noticing how silent Jiyeon is, she stands till and look at the building as if she saw a ghost, in which case Hyomin hopes not.

“Just ….” Jiyeon contemplates, “Um, never mind”

Hyomin furrows her brow, she hates a hanging feeling, just like it’s almost there when someone chooses to swallow the words back.

“Just get in already” Jiyeon pushes Hyomin in, one hand pulling her luggage, and on the other, she is assisting Hyomin with her other small travelling bags so this woman can handle her two giants suitcases, Jiyeon will never stop rolling her eyes every time this facts reminds her how much her travel mate could be.

Upon their arrival in the apartment unit, they know right away that their decisions do not frail them, seemingly cozy atmosphere greets them as if it opens its arms to welcome them, something in this simple yet warm place makes them feel comfortable at their first sight. Of course, it is nothing compared to their first vacation villa they were staying, what appears in front of them now is just an average apartment comprising of only one bedroom, a living room, and a dining table at the corner of a pantry, but marvelously every little things about it gives off a relaxing vibe that puts them at ease, to the extend, it secures their feeling knowing that they are safe at last.

“Are you sure you’re sleeping on the couch?” Hyomin asks as Jiyeon is taking a pillow and blanket toward a couch.

“If I say no, would you give up on a bed and sleep on a couch instead?” Jiyeon playfully asks, followed by her silly grin.

“Where do you get your confidence I would do?” Hyomin snorts

“Then no point of asking” Jiyeon shakes her head, then proceeds to the door, her slouching tired shoulders moves Hyomin to feel an unexplainable emotion, it builds up in her heart, she presses her lips, reluctant to say.

“I mean, the bed is big enough for us, um, you know you can sleep on the other side of it”, Hyomin suggests an idea, her voice fills with uncertainty though, Jiyeon stops and thinks.

“Nah, I am fine” Jiyeon refuses to buy the idea , “Besides, I am afraid I won’t be on the other side of the bed late at night, but ….on, ahem…” Jiyeon playfully eyes on Hyomin in alluring way with her mischief grin which soon earns her a flying pillow

“Get lost!” Hyomin exclaimed, eyes casting daggers at Jiyeon.

Jiyeon catches a pillow just in time before it lands on her face, letting out faint laughter

“Or maybe I should ….”

“Yah, go away, you little ert”

“Like we have not done it before”

“Park Jiyeon !”

Strangely contented, Jiyeon has enough to tease a person sitting with her crossed legs on the bed “Alright, I think we’re already too tired for a pillow fight tonight….so good night”, Jiyeon winks playfully before closing the door. Willingly, she leaves a whole bed room for Hyomin, and takes over a living room on the outside.

“What with her” Hyomin mumbles alone, red hue on her face is still visible from blushing to be reminded of that night, a stupid night that led them here, in a middle of craziness of what going on in the world. It has been tough weeks for them but after replaying the event in her head, she knows, somewhat, she doesn’t hate it all, and it’s not bad as it might seem at first.

“Good night Jiyeon” Hyomin lets out a smile.

The first night in a new place, thing is finally settled, and they fall asleep without any trouble due to the exhaustion. However, soon afterward, both of them come to realize that living together in such limit space is totally different from sharing a whole house where space are enough for them to do whatever they want.

Hyomin always wakes up to find Jiyeon sprawling or curving into ball each morning on the couch, that she has to tiptoes to a pantry corner to fix easy breakfast not to disturb her sleep, in which the smell of the food coming from a connecting pantry would be the first thing Jiyeon is greeted after waking up.

Since when, Hyomin doesn’t remember exactly, may be the third or fourth morning when she learns how Jiyeon possesses a habit of putting away her temporary bedding right away after waking up, it doesn’t suit her character to be neat though, and it’s also hard for Hyomin to admit that she grows to fond of the way Jiyeon is doing such routine. And today is like the other day, Hyomin spends her morning to look over from where she is preparing to see Jiyeon yawning while tidying a couch aka bed. For a moment, Hyomin starts thinking in her head that a moment like this could be gone once everything goes back to normal and the thought of it makes her sad for no reason.

"Hyomin gently presses on her camera, starting to film what she is making for breakfast then she swaps it to take shot of a person who is folding up her blanket, her hair falls loose on her shoulder in a messy free fall, her eyes are a bit swollen from a morning wake-up, Hyomin hopes Jiyeon doesn’t mind to be captured bare face because she looks beautiful anyway. Unexpectedly, Hyomin gulps at the thought which comes out of nowhere, for it makes her heart pound.

“What is with that smell?” Jiyeon scrunches her nose

“Holy sh!t” Hyomin quickly shoves a flying pan away from electric stove, in an alerted manner, she can’t believe she just burnt her omelet.

“Earth to you, Ms. Park” Jiyeon shakes her head in disapproval, knowing that Hyomin has it under control afterward, Jiyeon carries a folded blanket and a pillow to put away in the bedroom that she doesn’t share.

“Geez!” Hyomin groans at the burning omelet, never before she is so regretful over wasted eggs, until food supply is hard to get. “Pabo yah” she says it to herself.

Over breakfast, Jiyeon looks from her plate to Hyomin’s plate, the portion is obviously not the same, and Hyomin’s is missing something. Jiyeon then cuts half of her omelet and places it on Hyomin’s plate.

“You don’t have to” Hyomin protests

“You can’t let me grain weight all alone” Jiyeon simply says

“I wasted mine already” Hyomin tells, remorse in her tone

“Nah, it’s not the end of the world”

“Still eggs are hard to find” Hyomin sulks

That’s a true statement, eggs are hard to find, it’s something new to them when back at home, eggs are easy to find everywhere.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone is sad over the burning omelet” Jiyeon starts eating

“Yah, I am not, I just feel bad over the waste” Hyomin grumbles

“Take it out from the garbage bin then” Jiyeon states as if it’s a good advice

“Ew, that’s gross!” Hyomin disgruntles her face

Jiyeon lets out a grimace,“ Stop thinking about the burning one and enjoy yummy one then” , “ if it will make you feel better, I’ll find more eggs for you”

“Can you?”

“I’ll do my best to find them”

“Promise”

“Yes, I promise, even if I have to fight a war” Jiyeon says

“That’s dramatic” Hyomin finds herself laughing at Jiyeon’s dry humor, and so Jiyeon smiles.

Without much choice, they are forcibly tuned to each other and by spending almost 24/7 around one another, they learn a lot about each other, there are things that they find impressive about one another and yet there are so many annoying habits that they don’t like about each other too.

“Jiyeon, how many times do I have to tell you to cap a toothpaste after using it huh?” Hyomin nags from the bathroom

“Can’t you just do it now?” Jiyeon retorts

“And why can’t you capping it back after using, it’s not very hard? Hyomin fusses over it in motherly or more a wifey tone and for sure she doesn’t realize she does.

“I forget it alright?” Jiyeon accepts her fault

“You forget everyday” Hyomin reminds

“I’ll try to remember from tomorrow “Jiyeon promises

“You’d better do, if I see it again tomorrow, you’re dead” Hyomin threatens

And it’s not only Hyomin who finds some habits of Jiyeon annoying, Jiyeon faces the same thing too. It just gets into Jiyeon’s nerve when Hyomin is using knife her way or even when she talks alone and gets Jiyeon to mistake that she is talking to her. One of the things which Jiyeon can’t stand is Hyomin always waits until the garbage bag is really full until she disposes it, which Jiyeon finds it gross and always tries to get rid of it before it’s full.

“I’ll go and dump the garbage and I’ll be right back soon” Jiyeon tells Hyomin as she is walking across the room, hands holding a garbage bag.

“I just changed a garbage bag yesterday’s evening, it’s not even half filled yet” Hyomin protests

“It smells and it’s gross, I don’t like it just exactly the same that you hate it when I walk out of bathroom hair wet dropping” Jiyeon raises it up

“That’s different” Hyomin argues

“Well, it’s the same, my dislike and your dislike” Jiyeon reasons

“You’re not saving the world by wasting plastic bag” Hyomin comes up with a go-green supporting idea

“Say that to a person who is still using plastic bag, and straw ” Jiyeon argues , Hyomin rolls her eyes when she can’t think of word to fight back

“Whatever” Hyomin gives in when Jiyeon is right about it, “just come back quick, dinner will be ready soon” Hyomin adds.

“Okay”

Jiyeon planned to do as Hyomin told, just dump and quickly go back up, she doesn’t want to be out for long anyway, but then that voice stops her at her track.

“Jiyeon”

Jiyeon doesn’t know why her voice still has so much power to make her stop and turn around, so when she does so, Jieun is right there smiling at her, her eyes are brighten with joy like those old days when they met for dates, Jiyeon wishes she had a heart to hate her, but she knew better than that, her heart flutters hearing her voice.

If Hyomin remembers it right, it has been more than 20 minutes since Jiyeon disappeared behind the doors, when the trip should have taken less than 5 minutes to go down and dump the garbage, so this fact gets Hyomin to wonder what taking her so long or where she has been, Jiyeon could have returned by now.

“Can’t anything possibly go wrong for such a short trip, can it?” Hyomin asks herself while keeps glancing at the door, “She shall be back soon”, Hyomin mumbles, then another thought runs in, “Nah, it doesn’t hurt to check, should I?”

Talking alone in her own head, Hyomin knows she is not going to get any answer soon, until one of the voices in her head won and it leads her to a hallway and down the elevator, she starts looking around.

The floor which Jiyeon is supposed to dump the garbage is plainly quiet, besides nobody is thrilled to leave the room anyway. To her relief, soon Hyomin spots Jiyeon at a corner of the hall way, she is standing still where she is.

“Eh?” Hyomin’s frown deeps as she is puzzled what Jiyeon is doing there, pacing closer, it’s not until she gets to where Jiyeon is and calls her name where Hyomin discovers that Jiyeon has been talking to someone, who is standing behind a huge pillar that her petite body is hidden and can’t be seen from Hyomin’s angel earlier, Jiyeon tiles her head sideway, to a direction Hyomin is walking toward.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t know you were talking to someone” Hyomin apologizes, she bewilderedly looks from Jiyeon then to another woman, a pair of courteously bow , Hyomin remembers her right away.

“No, problem” Jiyeon responds, though her stern face as if she is being mad or something

All of sudden, burden falls upon Hyomin’s shoulder, when the atmosphere turns stiff like she interrupts their important conversation or something. Seconds pass, there is still no proper introduction, nor any formal greeting other than a small smile from a petite woman, which Hyomin also returns a smile, then slowly, the dead air completely falls upon them when none of them speaks, silence is a worst enemy for Hyomin, and she doesn’t know how to react anymore, everything turns awkward, just like how it was that day when this woman appeared and was hugging Jiyeon. Hyomin steals a glance at Jiyeon, she seems being caught in something which is hard to explain, sad aura embraces her, something that Hyomin feels unfamiliar to be around, so she decides to speak.

“I was looking for you to tell you that dinner is ready” Hyomin tells, breaking the silence.

“Okay, thanks, I’ll be right there”

It’s a bit better than at least Jiyeon replies, but still suffocating air is in the air.

“Alright, I’ll see you at dinner” Hyomin can’t stand being there anymore, she thinks it would be best to leave them alone

“Um, but if you’d like, please go ahead without me, food will be cold” Jiyeon instructs flattly, her eyes avoiding Hyomin and that’s enough for Hyomin to know that she should leave.

In a very unusual way, Hyomin excuses and starts skipping away, she takes a one last glance and sees that Jiyeon is still standing there. Hyomin doesn’t want to be like this, but a heavy feeling comes knocking at her heart, which she can’t quite tell what it is truly like, it’s that kind of emotion tugging at your heart, something like a hurt but not truly is, jealous, no Hyomin doesn’t want to name it that way, she can’t be, can she ? Caught up in her thought, Hyomin is making her way to elevator only when it just leaves.

“Even the elevator turns its back on me huh?” Hyomin complains, it sounds nonsense but when you are upset, everything seems to mock at you, Hyomin thinks.

Allowing herself to sink in a pool of questions, Hyomin is curious who that woman is, why Jiyeon is like that around her, friends? Aren’t friend supposed to be happy to see each other? She doesn’t know much about Jiyeon to begin with.

Shortly, while she is still waiting for an elevator to arrive, she feels someone paces up and stands next to her, Hyomin instinctively casts a side glance, and at the same time that person tiles her head sideway to look at her as well.

"I hope food won’t turn cold by now” Jiyeon says in a very relaxed tone, followed by her light-hearted smile that magically lifts the heaviness resided in Hyomin’s chest off all of sudden when their eyes meet. Again, Hyomin’s heart pounds irregularly.

“Well, it may be but I can warm it up, not a big deal”

“Thanks”

“Nah, I don’t like cold food either” Hyomin shrugs.

Somehow the small curves make it way to Jiyeon’s cheeks, she is sure Hyomin doesn’t understand her meaning, but that’s all right, she likes it this way though.

Ding

They walk in sync side by side when the elevator arrives, Jiyeon quickly presses on elevator by using a pen, it marvels Hyomin how she even prepares for that, it looks funny, but it’s better safe at this time to touch anything used publicly.

The door of elevator closes and they disappear behind it. From a corner, Jieun has been watching them until the elevator goes up. So many regrets hit her, one of those is the smile that she doesn’t belong to her anymore.

-------------------------------------------

“Hyomin”

“Yeah?”

“Can you do a favor, please?”

Hyomin looks up from her drawing to find Jiyeon staring at her with pleading eyes, which someone would never say no to whatever she is going to ask and Hyomin is no exception, she will never have a heart to say no to whatever request may come.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Here is a thing…..”

“Straight to the point Jiyeon”

Hyomin says impatiently

“Alright, I wonder if you can lend me your credit card, I need to buy something and I’ll pay you back” Jiyeon frankly gets her point crossed

“What did happen to your credit card, can’t you possibly go broke at this time, what do you want to buy?” Hyomin asks a series of questions, as if a wife is investigating her partner, and it’s probably it, only if they realize it.

“First of all, I am not broke, not even close” She boasts, “My credit card is just being locked” she adds

“How is your card locked?” Hyomin wonders

“Mm, I bought several items and credit card happened to lock for preventing fraud, there were unusually transactions” Jiyeon further explains

“Several items ? what did you buy at such a time?” Hyomin keeps questioning which earns eyes- rolling reaction from Jiyeon.

“Does loaning from bank even take these many questions?” Jiyeon mumbles to herself, she is too lazy to answer but she can’t give up now.

“What did you say?” Hyomin pretends not to care about Jiyeon’s request and turns her attention back to her drawing.

“Alright, I bought several game items, you know those come with the game tools and options if you want to customize your game and win.” Jiyeon admits,” I happened to have selected some but still I want some, but I can’t now because my card is locked”

“Seriously” Hyomin chides motherly, Jiyeon has a sheepish smile on her face. Anyhow, Hyomin puts down her brush she gets up and goes to her bedroom.

Jiyeon dro