It was past noon when a sneaky sunray made its way toward Seungwan’s face. The sleeping girl opened her eyes in distaste and sat up right away. She was trying to pull herself together remaining motionless on the comfy bed as she was still drowsy from the rude awakening. She could see her disheveled self in the mirror that was part of Wendy’s baby blue dresser. She didn’t like it. Just like how she didn’t like the room and the rest of the apartment. Did a child live there this whole time? The only three things that were worth saving were in the living room. A black mahogany modern-looking bookshelf that was filled to the brim with games, and a customized gaming shelf with an 85” Samsung QN90B QLED sitting on top. 

Everything else in that house came in all shades of blue with white walls in the background. One would think the white could somehow be a breather for the poor Seungwan and it probably would have but Wendy thought those plain walls needed some extra color and took it upon herself to place posters and pictures of game characters along with K-pop idols all over them. The poor girl smacked her already sleepy face as soon as she saw that atrocity the moment Sooyeon opened the door for her. 

“Well, at least she was considerate enough to save a wall just for her family pictures.” Seungwan heard Sooyeon say but she refused to take a look at them.

Her eyes opened in realization. “Sooyeon…” The name came out without effort. She glanced at the empty side of the bed where the older girl lay hours ago after Seungwan asked her to stay with her. There was an evident surprise on her face at first but agreed without much thought. Although it wasn’t the same reaction when Sooyeon asked her to take a shower while she went to her apartment to pick up her pajamas, and Seungwan asked her to bathe her. The brunette almost lost her step and looked at her a little thrown off. 

“Why?” She asked with her right hand resting on the doorknob.

“Back then, someone else always took care of that so I don’t know how to do it on my own.” Seungwan waited no time to put her explanation on the table.

“Ah. I see…” Sooyeon got silent, probably assimilating how this girl was able to somehow keep up with her intellectual reasoning but couldn’t even wash herself. 

On the other hand, Seungwan noticed the internal conflict the older one was having in her mind. “Just this once so I can learn from you and do it on my own from now on.”

Sooyeon blinked away her thoughts and nodded. “Then…I’ll be right back.”

And she was. 10 minutes later she was back at Seungwan’s apartment with a small Nike sports bag in one hand, and a stylish black box full of her skin care products and hair treatments in the other.

“Please, take off your clothes.” Sooyeon ordered her while she was busy looking for some pajamas for Seungwan to use along with proper underwear. The brunette made a mental note to buy new underwear for the girl the next day.

“The city looks better at night.” She heard Seungwan say. 

“Yeah. It’s always better at night.” She replied in a loud voice while she placed her shampoo and conditioner inside the bathroom.

“There are almost no cars right now.” 

“Ye-” Sooyeon’s eyes widened in fear as she dashed to Seungwan’s room and found the girl staring out the window flashing her goods to all those people outside. She waited no time to pull the girl away from the window and embrace her to prevent her from exposing herself again.

“Sooyeon? Are you okay?” She asked as the girl was gasping for air like a fish out of the water. She was about to smack her but she finally recollected herself.

She was holding her firmly by the shoulders with a frown. “Don’t do that again!”

Seungwan didn’t like the tone in Sooyeon’s voice and was ready to talk back until the girl sighed and tried to calm herself down without letting go of her hold. “Seungwan, someone could’ve seen you like that. I just hope no one did or at least didn’t get the chance to snap a picture of you. If they did, those bastards won’t hesitate to upload it on social media and your life will be over.” Seungwan saw it, Sooyeon was truly worried. “You need to be careful. Maybe it wasn’t a problem when you were a child but…things are different now. Either they’ll see you as a ert or a ert will see you and both of them are not good for you.” She let go of her and closed the curtains making sure not to leave a single gap between them. 

“I won’t do it again.” Seungwan lowered her face like a scolded child. 

Sooyeon bit her lower lip out of frustration thinking that maybe her choice of words wasn’t the right one. “It’s not your fault. You barely woke up in this strange world so I can’t expect you to understand everything right away.” She approached her and used her index finger to carefully raised her head. “Let’s get you all clean up so you can rest, okay?” 

That’s what Seungwan enjoyed the most, Sooyeon’s soft voice. “Okay.” She replied as she fought the urge to close her eyes. She noticed the girl taking off her clothes without hesitance, revealing a toned stomach and graced chest underneath. “Are you getting in, too? Seungwan asked while her eyes watched how every piece of clothing fell on the floor until both of them had nothing on. 

“Yes. You don’t have a bathtub so I have to get in with you or else I’ll make a mess. I don’t want water splattering everywhere.” She explained to her as she folded her clothes neatly and placed them on top of the dresser. Sooyeon then faced Seungwan who was already looking at her with a pair of curious eyes. Front and back. Back and front. Not an ounce of shame. “I’m going to wear off if you keep looking at me like that.” Seungwan frowned in distaste. “What?” She asked.

“Am I fat?” She bluntly asked and Sooyeon was taken aback. 

She wanted to ask why but her expectant eyes urged an answer out of her. If she was honest, she didn’t pay any attention to Wen-Seungwan’s body so she had to look at her properly. Maybe it was the loose-fitting clothing she always wore that made her look like she was chubbier along with her fluffy cheeks which looked bigger as she was often smiling or laughing but her body shape wasn’t bad. She was healthy and her figure was well-defined. She had beautiful legs with thighs a little bit on the thick side. “You aren’t. Y-” She wanted to say more but was cut off. 

“Why isn’t my body like yours then?”

“All bodies are different Seungwan.” She tried to reason but it was futile. 

“But I want mine to be like yours!”

Sooyeon could tell Seungwan was on the verge of throwing a tantrum. A part of her was still a child and that was something she had to work with. “And you can have it. Even better than mine with proper training and healthy eating habits. That’s what I normally do to keep my body looking like this.”

“Really?” She asked. 

“Yes. Probably in a month and a half, you’ll have it if you’re persistent and diligent enough. Our scholarship covers the expenses so we can go to the same gym together. The only thing you’ll have to pay for is the personal trainer but it’s worth it. You can set the goal with them and they’ll help you achieve them.” She stole a glance at the blue clock on the wall and noticed it was already 2:30 am. “It’s getting late.”

Seungwan thought Sooyeon would be uncomfortable once both of them were in the shower, but it was the total opposite. She had no rush and patiently taught her how to scrub herself and how to massage her scalp when using her shampoo. Armpits. Elbows. Knees. Everything. She made sure Seungwan didn’t miss a single spot and even showed her how to clean her private areas, which was the only thing that Sooyeon showed hesitance for. If you asked for Seungwan’s favorite part, she would say it was when the older girl scrubbed her back and massaged her scalp. She loved every second of it. It was the first time she was treated with such care. Seungwan truly thought she had already found her favorite part of the bath routine until it was time to dry herself. Sooyeon got out first and quickly put one towel around her body and one on her head to prevent her hair from dripping. She then asked Seungwan to step out and the moment she did she was welcomed with a soft and fragrant fabric hugging her body. The older girl was drying her body like she was drying a little kid and Seungwan loved it. She closed her eyes enjoying the touch and care only Sooyeon had been able to provide to her but she lost herself the moment the girl dried her hair and she could feel her fingertips grace her scalp as the warm air was flowing through them. That was like a knockout for her. She didn’t know how she stayed awake the whole time and even made her way to her side of the bed. She was so tired that as soon as she placed her head on that cloud-like pillow she passed out. The last thing she saw was Sooyeon applying the same creams she applied on her. 

Her walk down memory lane was abruptly interrupted when a delicious scent claimed all her senses. She stretched her back and arms before rubbing her eyes in an attempt of getting rid of the sleeplessness that still lingered in them and with one last push, she stood up letting her feet take her out of the room and guide her to where the delicious scent was coming from. It didn’t take long before she was already looking at that familiar back, that shouldn’t be familiar given that she barely saw it the day before but that’s how it felt. Sooyeon heard her footsteps and turned around to greet her with a spoon in hand. “Hi, Seungwan. Good morning.” She smiled slightly at the girl who mirrored the same smile. “Did you sleep well?”

Seungwan was happy. It was also the first time she was told “good morning”. She had been told that before but it wasn’t for her but for Wendy, so you could say for her this was the first time. 

“Good morning, Sooyeon. I did but the sun woke me up.” She replied with a wrinkled nose.

The older one snickered. “And here I thought I closed the curtains perfectly last night.” She shook her head and turned around to keep an eye on the miso soup she was preparing.

“You did but it came through a tiny gap.” She stretched her neck to try and sneak a peek at what she was cooking but failed miserably. “And you? When did you wake up?” Seungwan asked as she approached the kitchen counter and looked down at the food Jessica had on the stove not recognizing most of it. 

“I woke up 4 hours ago.” She said paying no mind as she stirred the soup slowly.

Seungwan looked up and saw 12:38. She still wondered why Wendy had a clock in almost every room. “You woke up at 8:00 am?!” She asked and Sooyeon nodded. “But we went to sleep at 5:00 am. You barely sleep 3 hours! Don’t you feel tired????” She asked incredulously. 

Sooyeon glanced at her for a second and almost laughed at her face but kept her composure. “I normally don’t sleep that much. I suffer from chronic insomnia so I either can’t fall asleep or can’t stay asleep for too long. Sometimes it’s the two and when that happens I stay awake the whole night.” 

Seungwan listened attentively but the frown deepened as Sooyeon explained more. “But why?”

Sooyeon shrugged as if she didn’t care about her condition paying more attention to the grilled salmon she was preparing. “Probably stress but it’s been years since I’ve been like this so I’ve learned to deal with it.” 

“But don’t you feel tired?” Seungwan couldn’t think of not sleeping at all. 

“Sometimes. When I feel extremely tired I do take a nap and then I feel better.” She smiled at her. “I’m fine, Seungwan.” 

Seungwan found it hard to swallow but just move her head in a silent yes. 

“Want to taste it?” Sooyeon asked as she pointed at the soup with the spatula.

It was an offense to ask the famished girl. “Yes.”

Sooyeon grabbed the spoon taking a little bit of the soup with a small piece of tofu, blowing it for a bit before offering it to the girl who spared no time to have a taste. She found it unavoidable not to smile. It was tasty. The tastiest thing ever. The warmth feeling spread like a fierce ocean through her body. 

“How is it? Did you like it?” Of course, she did. And Sooyeon knew it damn well. Not that she tried to hide it behind her proud grin.

“It’s really good.” It was the first time Seungwan smiled like that. “Did you learn on your own?” She asked as the girl got the bowls ready. 

“I did. Youtube taught me all I know.” She signaled Seungwan to pass over the blue kitchen glove which she did right away. “If you are willing to be independent, learning how to cook it’s a must.”

“I want to learn, too.” The shorter one looked at her with determined eyes. 

“Hmm…” She looked around for a bit. “This kitchen is well-equipped, so I think we can start right away…but we need to make a schedule first given that you also want to start training, and I work and train as well.” She was thoughtful for a second. “You also need time to study so you can be on pair with wendy or else...” She unconsciously pouted and that was a blow for Seungwan who found that action way too cute for her to bear. “You need to learn as much as you can about her so you can imitate her in the meantime.” Seungwan heard nothing. She was too busy trying to keep her hand from squeezing her lips. “Let’s talk about all that once we’re done eating. I ordered two fruit cocktails to eat as dessert.” That was the last thing she said before focusing solely on serving and setting up the table with Seungwan, who had a hard time finding her way through the place.

Breakfast was beyond tasty for the newcomer. Flavors unknown to her exploded in over and over again under the older one’s gaze, who was entertained by Seungwan’s reactions. It was like watching a toddler eating pizza for the first time. 

“Liking it?” Sooyeon asked before placing a cherry in . She knew the answer but still asked anyway.

Seungwan was neatly stuffing her face with not a single spec of food in her clothes or face. Her area was also clean, something that caught the brunette’s attention. In all honesty, she was anticipating some sort of mess given that she acted like a child at times and she had been unfortunate enough to see Wendy’s face full of whatever she had been eating for lunch that day a couple of times. Sooyeon found it unavoidable to unconsciously compare the two but she never brought up her name if it wasn’t necessary. 

“It’s 10x better than what I ate last night.” She gave Sooyeon a thumbs up and she almost snorted. Where did she learn that?

“I’m glad you like it. It’s the first time I cook for someone else other than myself.” She smiled slightly and took a sip of her americano. 

“It’s also the first time for me.” Sooyeon heard the girl say in a quiet voice. “Eating something cooked solely for me. Before, whenever I got fed it was because of wendy and out of fear. Of course, back then I didn’t understand it but I noticed it.” She got lost in her thoughts and the girl in front was able to see her expression hardened, perhaps, those memories were playing in her mind.

Sooyeon was never good with this kind of situation. Comforting others or having the right words to say wasn’t her forte no matter how smart and sharp she was, so she chose to listen. Seungwan was broken. They broke her.

“I didn’t want to fall asleep but I couldn’t help it. I was afraid of not waking up, or if I did, that I wouldn’t recognize myself once again. I was relieved when I woke up in that ugly room.” 

“It’s understandable given the circumstances.” Of course, it was. Her time here was uncertain. It only took Wendy to take over for Seungwan to vanish into a deep sleep. How unfair. “It’s okay to be afraid. Everyone fears at least something. What you can’t do is let that fear take away your chance of living the life you want. Live every second as if it was the last, so when she returns you won’t regret time passing by.” Seungwan looked at her wide-eyed. Her words caused an impact on her that she couldn’t quite put a finger on. “I want you to discover yourself. Your likes and dislikes. What do you feel and why do you feel that way? What are your interests and desires? Do you want to learn how to cook? How to drive? Do it. Do all of it as if time was never a problem. If you feel suffocated here, then go ahead and take a few days for yourself. Maybe you will not want me there with you every time but when you do, I’ll be there for you. So, don’t press the brakes on yourself.” Seungwan was listening and processing each word, which surprisingly weirdly squeezed her chest. Was it okay for her to do all that? Was it? Could she? “I know I told you, you need to pretend to be her but that’s only for other eyes to see. You don’t like how that room looks? Change it. Change whatever you don’t like in here and make this place yours. It may be a shock for others but everything is always constantly changing even if those changes are so small that we don’t even realize they happened. They will have to understand that Wendy is…mentally growing up. You just need to keep up the act for a few months and then slightly change so as I told you before, it can be natural and not abrupt.”

“But will I be able to pull it off?” She wanted to say more but her chest couldn’t let her.

Sooyeon pushed the plates to the side and rested her left forearm on the edge of the table while her right hand played around with the cup handle. “That’s why you need to learn about her. Study her.” Seungwan got lost halfway. “How she acts with others. In this case, how she replies to her family’s texts or calls. Her mannerisms. How she thinks. How she behaves with her friend.” She noticed the frown building up on the girl’s face. “I know you don’t want to but again, as I said before, it’s needed. And it’s going to be hard because we have limited information on that but we can look through her phone, her texts, social media, and phone gallery. Anything that can widen our knowledge about her will be helpful. I think the most crucial part will be you talking to her parents.” Seungwan froze. “Everything will be okay. Don’t forget we have a plan already, ok? And you aren’t on your own anymore.” 

“I don’t think I know how to properly lie or sound convincing. You caught me right away.” She was being way too pessimistic for her own good. Thankfully, Sooyeon was patient enough and never lost her composure. 

“You’ll learn. I won’t say lying or pretending is morally okay but sometimes those two are needed for our own sake. To protect ourselves.” She took a sip of the now-cold coffee. “You may think it’s impossible but I know you’ll be able to do it. That is if you indeed want to run away with me.”

“Of course, I want to!” Seungwan almost stood up with how fast she reacted.

“Then don’t think too much about it.” She got up and started gathering the dirty plates to place them on the sink.

“Can I tell you something?” The girl asked with such innocence that Sooyeon stopped what she was doing to give her all of her attention.

“Go ahead.” 

Seungwan took a deep breath before locking gaze with her. Those deep eyes that were now clearer due to the sunlight never ceased to amaze her. “Rather than fearing not waking up, the thing that scared me the most was opening my eyes and not seeing you there.” Sooyeon almost stumbled. She would lie if she said she wasn’t caught off guard by the sudden confession. “What if you had only been a dream? Maybe I never woke up and you were a creation of my mind after being isolated this long just to cope a little more?” She shook her head in denial. “Many questions plagued my mind but there was one that…I…” She sighed and with a painful look, she finally revealed what truly was the matter for her.  “What if time indeed passes and you aren't around anymore? What if you continued with your life and plans after she took