Staring right at Minji after her ridiculous comment that she doesn’t know how she should be taking it, Yoohyeon retorts with the first thing she could think of on the top of her head. 

“Lying isn’t a good look for you.” 

Of course, the two of them are looking at each other directly in the eyes. Minji’s thoughts were unreadable even with that same look on her face. Just until another few seconds and she bursts out a small, gentle laugh while swiping her tongue across her lips. 

“Oh, dear. Is that what I look like right now?” ‘Lying, that is.’  The older girl inhales deeply, letting the crisp air sink into her lungs. “I nearly forgot, but you’re the one who has to work tomorrow, so shall we head to bed?” 

“Ah, yeah... I forgot; I didn’t even look at the time!” 

“Haha, that’s alright. It’s my bad for distracting you this long. Thanks for keeping me company, Hyeon.” 

Yoohyeon doesn’t know how to take her answer right after she threw the curveball. Her brain doesn’t let her think too deeply upon Minji’s reaction to her statement. She also barely registers that it’s the first time Minji doesn't call the first half of her shortened name, but the second half this time around. The moment work was brought up, she immediately paid all attention towards the fact that she had to wake early in the morning and prepare for work despite just drinking. 

That night, lying in the same bed as her best friend didn’t make her head feel any lighter. The tipsiness usually would make her feel sleepy after it kicked in, yet she felt completely aware and conscious of her positioning and where she was. It’ll be just like any other sleepover in the past. Although they distinguished this from the beginning, Yoohyeon couldn’t get rid of what Minji had said earlier by the balcony. The curiosity over her ending engagement with her fiancé was also a mystery to Yoohyeon still since she never really gave an explanation besides the event of what happened to her tonight. 

‘She loves me? Yeah, no. She probably just meant that she really appreciates me as a friend, or rather, her best friend.’ 

Yeah, there was no way. Minji had just broken off this engagement and she had been together with her ex-fiancé for about six years now. It would only make sense for Minji to say such a thing after confessing that Yoohyeon’s the first one she told this situation of hers immediately. 

‘Ugh... Yooh, you’re really reading into it a little too much. Get some sleep, else you’re just going to regret it...’ 

With that, Yoohyeon closed her eyes again and started off attempting again to sleep with a big inhale. The sound of breathing from the addition in bed also washed a sense of relief over Yoohyeon, that the older girl was able to sleep peacefully; and the calming of Minji’s own breaths of sleep helped her body set off to dreamland. 

Or so that’s what she thought. 

It was wishful thinking and way easier said than done. 

“Good morni—” 

Her coworker’s greetings stop right away once she enters her entire line of sight, and Yoohyeon becomes even more self-conscious about how she’s being perceived when she sees that the other girl is giving her a quick scan from head to toe. 

“Or not. Wow. You look like .” 

Ah. As brutal as ever and blunt as she could be—Handong—one of Yoohyeon’s friend of Chinese descent who has emigrated over and has been friends with for a few years now.  

“Gee, thanks. That’s one way to give your friend a good morning alright.” 

“Yeah, but well. I take it you didn’t have a good morning? Or good sleep or something? What, did the hangover from Saturday night carry on two days past? There’s no way you’re still hungover from the club, right?” 

Yoohyeon sighed and shook her head in reply. “No, not at all. That’s not why...” Yoohyeon thought about it to herself and remembered that Minji only told her about her recent events. She hadn’t told anyone and Yoohyeon knew that it’s not in her place to be telling everyone else until the older girl decided to update everyone on her own. She knows she can trust Handong and all, but she supposes that this was a matter between Minji and herself. Thus, she decided to keep the subject about the older one staying over hidden until she felt it necessary to be talking about it. After all, the timing of things had to be right. 

“Speaking of which, do you happen to remember what kind of wine you got from Christmas?” 

Handong quirked her brow upward and gave her a weird look, “You become an alcoholic over the span of two nights or what?” 

“Can you just answer the question? I just wanted to know whether everyone got the same wine or whatever.” 

“We didn’t get the same wine as far as I know. I got a white wine while others in the sales department received some rosé wines. Some of us here got sparkling wines.” 

“What the, what was the point in that instead of just buying the same type of wine and giving it out in a bundle like that?” 

“Well, missus smarty pants, maybe the store didn’t have enough for, you know, over a hundred employees? You ever think of it like that?” Handong crossed her arms over her chest after her haughty reply, “Plus, it was probably scrambled out but I’m not complaining. I’m more of a white wine gal over anything else.” 

“Huh... So, there was no meaning as to which bottle you got, right...” The rest of her sentence droned off into a quieter volume. 

“I wouldn’t know... Anyway, here, these are the documents to be looked over today and the next upcoming assignment that we must prepare for. All other details should be there and this time, we’re looking at organizing for about a thousand of folks for this venue.”  

The day had begun, and it was already time to get to work. The stack of papers now on her desk was a reminder that they were at work and that she already had the luxury to be chatting away her morning with Handong for the portion of just coming into the office. At the very least, this would take her mind off the new occupant in her room—for however long a “couple of nights” was going to be. 

The long hours of work that piled up over the weekend sped up the day and kept her mostly busy. Already at the end of the workday, she squeezes her dry eyes tightly and blinks repeatedly to glare right at the computer screen. It had already been several minutes past the time she usually is scheduled to clock out, however, her hardworking personality did not want to leave sooner like most of her colleagues already have. Handong who stopped next to her reached for her coat, then put a hand on Yoohyeon’s shoulder. 

“For someone who didn’t really sleep well, you’ve been able to gather up the energy to work all day non-stop.” She comments, then hums, “But you shouldn’t be working overtime. We have a lot more work to do tomorrow and it can wait until then.” Having said that, she gives two pats on the shoulder and a gentle squeeze. “Make sure to clock out in the next five minutes...! That