There have been so many moments now, where she watches Eunjung just drift out into space. Her eyes blank, mindlessly staring out of nowhere as if she held the world’s biggest secret. It was happening so often she could never figure out what was wrong.

She saw Eunjung speaking animatedly with Suzy and Areum, before she bid goodbye as she headed towards her direction with that same blank stare. Eunjung hadn’t forgotten to give her a peck on the cheek and a small smile that never really eased her worries. Even as they got inside the office, with Amber greeting them from Jiyeon’s desk doing the much needed work, Eunjung had simply thrown herself on the couch, just sagging and melting in it as she stared at nothing in sight.

Jiyeon had kept her company for a while because that was all she could do when Eunjung was in this unreadable state, until she was called out to the front. She never really wanted to leave Eunjung like that, looking lost and drained for some reason. For what she remembered, Eunjung slept in her clothes last night but had slept like a baby. She had adequate amount of sleep, which worries her even more, because Eunjung wasn’t supposed to act like this. She didn’t really behave this way even when she was extremely tired, much more when she was well rested.

She had often wondered if it was because Eunjung was missing her mother and sometimes she wondered if it was her that’s Eunjung’s problem. She couldn’t really tell.

They’re fine together, perhaps just drifting through the wind. It felt like it; being blown by a force she can only feel but couldn’t really see. She may have found her musings ridiculous at this point but she was cautious. Jiyeon’s cautious about everything now, it was as if she was treading on thin ice and one wrong move everything would break. She almost thought that she’d lose Eunjung because of their fight last time and she wanted to make sure whatever it is Eunjung was feeling they’d be able to talk about it.

But what could she have done when Eunjung was slowly changing into someone she couldn’t recognize.

It was as if Eunjung was a melting candle that had lost its light... Though, perhaps, that’s just what she never really knew about her best friend until she married her.

Her thoughts of Eunjung’s wellbeing was immediately put to a halt as she sees a familiar face she and the staff were waiting to see and Jiyeon was quick to her aid. So whatever she wanted to figure out needed to be put in the backseat, she had work to do.

“Hey Jiyeon,” a friend of theirs Taylor greets as Jiyeon gives her a quick hug.

Taylor was one of their handful of high school friends that just happened to work in the same city, who regularly came to the shop for pastries she gives out to the orphanage. She picks up the pastries Jiyeon and Eunjung donates but lately, it had been someone else picking it up since Taylor had went to do humanitarian activities somewhere in South America.

Jiyeon excitedly hands over the pastries to Taylor’s companion as they both chattered away at the side, with the help of Luna.

It was always nice to see a familiar face in the shop, Jiyeon thought with a smile.

“You should really try travelling sometimes.”

Jiyeon grins, with a shake of her head, “I really like just staying in one place. Travelling isn’t for me. That’s Hyomin’s thing.”

“That reminds me! How’s Hyomin lately?” Taylor suddenly asks.

“Hmm?” Jiyeon hums, taken aback. As far as Jiyeon knew, Taylor and Hyomin haven’t been in touch.

Hyomin was just too hard to get in touch with due to her constant travels and her job. During their high school reunion, everyone had kissed Hyomin’s for being a known photographer who they saw appearing in at least three episodes America’s Next Top Model as a guest photographer. But none of them could get through her best friend. Heck, it wasn’t even much of a surprise if Hyomin had lost touch with mostly all their high school friends except for a few.

Taylor suddenly asking about her was such a weird question. But even she, herself, didn’t know how Hyomin is doing lately.

“With the divorce going on, she must be having a hard time travelling back and forth for work,” Taylor softly says in concern but what she had just blurted out had Jiyeon in shock.

“What do you mean divorce?” Jiyeon chokes out.

“Her wife filed for a divorce,” Taylor mutters out with wide eyes, gasping. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”

“Where and how did you know about this?” She panicky asks.

“I saw Hyomin last week, we had the same flight back from Mexico because she had work there, so we talked for a while,” Taylor murmurs unsure still baffled by Jiyeon’s lack of knowledge in her best friend’s problems. “Wait, do you not really know about this? Didn’t Hyomin tell you?”

Jiyeon shakes her head.

Taylor looked absolutely guilt stricken, probably closer to choking on air as she fidgets before Jiyeon. “Oh goodness, I’m so sorry…I shouldn’t have said anything! I thought you already knew!”

“I…I knew that they were having some problems but—you know what, uhm, I gotta go,” Jiyeon utters in shock, pointing towards the office door. “I’ll see you when I see you?”

“Yeah, and sorry you had to hear that from me,” Taylor manages to say.

Jiyeon didn’t even bother a reply as she turns hurriedly inside her office only to see Eunjung now lying down on the couch, and Amber still going through the paperwork on the desk. Jiyeon ignores her assistant’s presence, hurrying towards her wife’s idle figure with much frustration.

“Did you know?”

“What?” Eunjung groggily asks looking up to Jiyeon’s worried eyes.

“Did you know that Hyomin and Sunny are getting a divorce?”

“What?!” Eunjung shoots up in complete disbelief. “Where the hell did you hear that?”

“Taylor came by and she told me about it. Sunny told her herself that they broke up,” Jiyeon exclaims as Eunjung sits up in shock.

“No, that can’t be,” Eunjung gasps. “But I thought…I-I thought they—they were gonna be okay?”

“You’re not making any sense and I’ve got no patience for this. I’ll call Hyomin,” Jiyeon angrily says as she fishes out the mobile phone from her pocket.

“And I’ve got no patience to wait for her to answer when we both know she won’t, so I’ll go and check the studio,” Eunjung says, sparing no time as she picks up her keys and turns to Jiyeon. “You can’t leave the shop today, you’ve got a lot of paperwork. Just let me know if she picked up or try calling Vic!”

“But—let me go with you,” Jiyeon calls out as Eunjung rushes out the shop, only to realize Eunjung had already sped out like a bullet.

-

Hyomin smiles gingerly as the exceptionally dressed models scurry away towards the dressing room. Her heart had beaten furiously in her chest just a look at her best friend glaring angrily at her from the sidelines.

Her staff had rushed to pack up as she hurriedly exchanges formalities with the editor of the magazine who hired her for this shoot. She had taken beautiful shots, they said, expressing eagerness to work with the well-known and in-demand fashion photographer before taking their leave. The photographer could have only wished they stayed longer.

Anyone would have been shaking in anxiety just to meet Hyomin in the flesh, in one of her studios, working her magic. But with Eunjung’s presence, it was Hyomin who was practically shaking in anxiousness.

She knew something was about to go down and the only way she could go about it was to put up a strong front and her poker face.

So as soon as her clients were off, Hyomin hurries to pack up her camera, ignoring Eunjung’s pursuit from behind.

“I need to talk to you,” Eunjung demands.

“Not now, Eunjung, I’m busy,” Hyomin softly declines, carefully placing her lens in one of many of her protective cases.

Eunjung scoffs, ignoring the curious glances of Hyomin’s staff at them. “As soon as you finish, meet me in your damned office, Hyomin.”

With that said Eunjung stalks off annoyed towards Hyomin’s office.

Victoria was surprised at Eunjung’s entrance to the office where Hyomin had tables for her staff to work in, unable to say a word, as Eunjung asks, “How much work does Hyomin have left?”

“Well, I didn’t schedule any shoots for two weeks after this one,” Victoria quickly responds.

“Good call. Make sure you don’t book anything,” Eunjung says with finality. “I don’t want anyone but Hyomin coming into her office, Vic, no matter how important it is. It’s about time we talk.”

“Alright, Eunjung,” Victoria says with a wary glance at the door, observing as Eunjung enters Hyomin’s personal office.

She didn’t mean to be rude to Hyomin’s personal assistant and the people working there, but her feelings have gotten the better of her. She had called Hyomin so many times only to have been ignored. And by the looks of the condition of the room itself, Eunjung confirmed her thoughts that her best friend is indeed heartbroken. 

Outside, papers, office supplies, a large table and several photographs were all laid out; Hyomin’s staff busy keeping up with her work and rushing in and out of the storage room. It hadn’t been a wonder, with Hyomin always on the go and working practically 24/7, the staff needed to keep up with her pace.

This room she was in had served to be Hyomin’s private office, with a small pantry, a closet, a large desk for her to work on, a private dark room where she can develop the pictures she took on film, and most especially, a bathroom.

But seeing how Hyomin’s clothes were strewn on the floor, a towel hanging on the bathroom door knob, and an inflatable bed with a mess of pillows and blankets, it was easy to say Hyomin had been living here for some time now and had been living badly. The nagging sight of some liquor standing by the bed proved that to be so.   

Knowing it’ll be a while ‘til Hyomin shows up, Eunjung thought to clean up a little bit. Hyomin wasn’t known to be disorganized like the current condition of this room and it gave her a headache just being in it. It was time to make some changes, and she doesn’t care if Hyomin would throw a fit.

That was why the first thing she kept was the liquor. There was no way Hyomin would work her way through to becoming an alcoholic, not with her around, of course. Though there was going to be a pile of empty bottles very soon, Eunjung knew it would be right for her to intervene. Hyomin may easily handle alcohol better than she does, it still doesn’t mean she should keep drinking and nursing the habit.

With her eyes fiery, she dumps the contents of the bottles down the toilet bowl, before angrily throwing the bottles in the trash. Just the sight of it disgusts her.

She isn’t a hypocrite, she may have gone to bars for drinks; most especially a bar for lesbians on a regular basis and drank a few glasses or bottles when she felt like it. But she