Yoona poured some water onto her glass—for the third time in the fifteen minutes she had been sitting at that table for two. Seohyun still wasn´t running late, but Yoona knew she´d better be a couple steps ahead of the younger girl in their “date” that night. The doe-eyed girl had opted for brighter colors for her outfit that night; blue skinny jeans, a black and white striped blouse topped with a maroon cardigan and black slip-on shoes. Soft make-up touches to add to the final look, and she looked like the perfect young adult who was about to have coffee with a person she liked. All in all, Im Yoona was a chameleon for all situations and this one was no exception.

         From her peripheral vision, she could notice a small grey object protruding from the collar of her cardigan, which made her curse under her breath. It was a small, almost imperceptible microphone. She acted as if she was fixing the collar of her cardigan, using a hand mirror to block the view of any wandering eyes and consequently to add to her consummated (and fake) act of vanity, as she tucked the head of the microphone on the inside of the fashionable cardigan, taking the opportunity to also fix the earpiece on her left ear. Her hair was down, but just in case it swept, she’d made sure to wear brown feather earrings that could easily hide the earpiece from Seohyun´s view. When it came to her job, Im Yoona was a perfectionist.

“I had to shift the microphone. Tell me if you can hear me. Change.¨ Yoona whispered lowly, before putting down her hand mirror, placing it back into her purse.

“Loud and clear.” She nodded as she heard the voice through her earpiece. Everything was set.

         After gulping down her glass of water, Yoona heard the door of the coffee shop being opened. She looked up, meeting eyes with Seo Juhyun, who was elegantly making her way towards the table for two she was going to share with Yoona. The latter smiled naturally and waved, standing up so she could greet Seohyun. No one would have been able to tell, but both girls were nervous, though for very different reasons. And both were glad to see each other after their first encounter the night before.

“You came.” Yoona greeted, bowing slightly at Seohyun. The latter bowed back, but due to her nerves, she didn´t know how to respond. Sensing Seohyun´s uneasiness, Yoona became bold and reached for her hands. “Thank you so much for accepting my invitation.” Seohyun blushed slightly, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Yoona was still smiling at her, with that same stare she´d given her the night before, at the parking lot, when she´d given her the book as a gift.

“I thought I could treat you to some coffee after your gift last night, Im Yoona-ssi.” Seohyun answered, amazed by how smoothly the words rolled off her tongue. She wondered why that was; social situations had never been her forte. But for some reason, Yoona never left any space for awkward moments.

“Oh, I certainly don´t expect you to…” Yoona was silenced when the younger girl squeezed her hands briefly, encouragingly. The doe-eyed girl almost felt guilty for liking the warmth that those hands gave hers.

“I insist.” Seohyun said, her words soft and confident. She gave Yoona a somewhat flirtatious and cute smile, which the latter returned as they stared into each other´s eyes in silence for a few nanoseconds; just enough for their bodies to get used to the amount of chemistry going on between them.

“Then I won´t say no.” Yoona broke the silence, her words just as soft and quiet as Seohyun´s previous ones. “Sit, please.” The doe-eyed girl gestured towards the seat across from hers. Seohyun finally let go of Yoona´s hands and complied, straightening her skirt as she sat down and crossing her legs gracefully.

         She had just sat down when a waitress, who could have been just a few years younger than the both of them, came to take their orders. Seohyun, being as observant as she was, could have sworn she saw the waitress stare at Yoona for a tad longer than it would have seemed the norm, but quickly shrugged it off when Yoona appeared absentminded from the waitress´ presence.

“Good evening, my name is Eunji and I´ll be taking care of you girls tonight. Would you like to look at the menu or are you ready to order?” Eunji asked with a sweet eye-smile.

“I already know what I´m going to order. What about you?” Yoona answered, keeping her eyes on Seohyun.

“Me too.” Yoona nodded at her. “I´d like a chococcino. Low carb, please.” Seohyun said, politely handing Eunji the menu back.

“I’d like a chococcino too. Full carb, though.” Yoona added making both girls laugh. Seohyun couldn’t help but blush slightly, slightly embarrassed about always having to choose the healthier options. Eunji took Yoona’s menu as she finished scribbling the girls’ orders, smiling widely.

“Perfect, your orders will be out in a second.” Eunji said before bowing slightly and heading back to the counter.

         As they were left alone again, Seohyun met Yoona’s eyes. It seemed like those doe-like orbs hadn’t looked away from her one second, and Seohyun was flattered. She made a point to make the most out of the eye contact for the rest of their date.

“You know…” Seohyun broke the silence, trailing off mysteriously. There was a glint of playfulness in her eyes that Yoona seemed to mirror. “… you bought me a book, invited me to have a coffee with you, and you still haven’t asked for my name.” Seohyun teased, making Yoona’s cheeks turn slightly pink and a sheepish smile to graze her lips. But Im Yoona knew perfectly well what Seohyun’s name was.

“You’re right, stranger. What is your name?” She asked, as they both chuckled at how belated that question had come.

“I am Seo Joohyun, but everyone calls me Seohyun.” The younger girl introduced herself.

“It’s nice to meet you, Seo Joohyun. And yes, I’d rather call you Seohyun, ‘Joohyun’ is for ahjummas.” Yoona teased playfully.

“Yah! I’m named after my great grandmother!” Seohyun protested, laughing as she did so.

“Mianhae, great grandmother.” Yoona clasped her hands together and bowed, again earning a laugh from Seohyun. And truth was, Yoona was enjoying herself too. To her, after seeing Seohyun from afar for so many months now, the younger girl appeared so pure and innocent; tender. She couldn’t help but feel an endearment she wasn’t supposed to feel… it was refreshing for her to like Seohyun. In a world so dark, someone with such innocence and light seemed like a dream and right now, it felt damn good to make her laugh.

“Have you started the book?” Yoona asked as their laughing subsided. Seohyun shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek.

“Unfortunately, not. I’m nearing my finals so I don’t really have time to read.” Seohyun explained.

“Then how come you were looking at books last night?” Yoona furrowed her brows.

“Can’t a girl have a few minutes of fun sometimes?” Seohyun asked jokingly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Sure she can. Which is why I bought her a book.” Yoona winked, making the other girl giggle and look away to hide her blush.

         Eunji interrupted their playful talk as she delivered their orders; two full mugs of delicious chocolate coffees. The two continued to talk animatedly about various topics, including Seohyun’s music major, the cold and rainy weather, the current best sellers on the front page of goodreads.com, etc. Everything seemed to flow just perfectly, and unbeknownst to the younger girl, Yoona was adamant in not talking about herself, for she had a lot to hide. Seohyun could barely remember the last time she had talked to a person without a few awkward silences. They even took sips of each other’s chococcinos, as they light-heartedly argued whether the low carb drinks tasted any different from the original ones—an indirect kiss, you could say. The chemistry between them seemed to grow by the second.

“Aigo, I think I tasted a piece of Heaven…” Seohyun murmured as she finished her hot drink.

“In this weather, it tastes better.” The doe-eyed girl added, looking out the nearby window as the sound of rain went in crescendo. Afterwards, she met Seohyun’s eyes, giving her a flirtatious smile. “I don’t know which was better; the drink or the company.”

“You sure have a way with words, don’t you?” Seohyun flirted back, her cheeks tinted a light shade of pink. Yoona shrugged and sighed softly.

“Sometimes.” She leaned forward slightly, as her hand that was close to Seohyun’s on top of the table inched even closer to Seohyun, the tips of her fingers grazing the young musician’s. The latter’s breath caught. “I guess I’m just nervous that you… wouldn’t want a second date?” She asked in a whisper, the corners of her lips twitching into a smile. It took a few nanoseconds for Seohyun to believe her own ears, before she returned Yoona’s smile.

“What do you have in mind?” Seohyun leaned back in her seat, increasing the distance between them and consequently adding to the flirtatious aura between them.

“Well, now that you ask…” Yoona reached for her purse, rummaging through it for a few seconds. She put her purse back down as she showed Seohyun two small tickets to a convention center. “Do you like fashion shows?”

“I sure do.” Seohyun answered, still smiling widely at Yoona. Her insides were swimming with excitement.

“Great, because a friend of mine gave me these two tickets for a charity fashion show. The main fashion house will be Lane Crawford, and there are going to be some big names of the industry as well, like Matthew Rolston, Zac Posen…”

“Did you say it’s being organized by Lane Crawford?” Seohyun asked carefully. Yoona noticed how her joyful visage had slightly dropped.

“Yes, and she’s promoting an amateur designer named…”

“Jessica Jung.” The name rolled off of Seohyun’s lips in a somber whisper. Yoona patted herself in the back; the younger girl had fallen into her trap.

“Yes, that’s her.” The doe-eyed girl said halfheartedly, like that name meant nothing to her. Seohyun shook her head and averted Yoona’s stare.

“I don’t think I can go. I mean, I can go but it probably wouldn’t be a good idea. I mean, it’s a good date idea but…” Yoona raised her hand with a chuckle, stopping Seohyun’s rant. The younger girl’s face became red as she stopped stumbling over her words, but still didn’t meet Yoona’s eyes.

“Why are you hesitating? If you don’t want to go we could do something…”

“Aniya! It’s not that. I do want to go.” Seohyun interrupted. She sighed, not knowing how to explain herself to Yoona. “Jessica Jung is actually a friend of mine… more like was a friend of mine…” Seohyun lamented, biting her bottom lip. The playful look on Yoona’s features dropped as she furrowed her brows.

“Really? Did you two have a fallen out?” Yoona asked. Seohyun shrugged.

“Something like that…” She answered vaguely.

“Maybe if you go to the fashion show you girls could make up?” Yoona suggested, trying to not appear like she was pushing the subject.

“I don’t think that could happen.” Seohyun shook her head, averting Yoona’s eyes again.

“Well, think about it.” Yoona said simply, handing Seohyun the ticket. “It’s a public event, and it’s for a good cause. And if your friend Jessica Jung is smart enough, she won’t say anything harsh to you in one of her first public appearances, don’t you think?” Seohyun thought for a few seconds, as she met Yoona’s eyes again. The decision was made.

“You’re right.” The younger girl said, taking the ticket. “It would just be so weird. We haven’t spoken in a few months now.”

“I know what that’s like. But don’t worry, I know our second date will be perfect.” Yoona winked, making Seohyun giggle.

“Thank you so much for today too. This first meeting was quite perfect, if I might say.” Seohyun said shyly, but meaning her words.

“Yes, it was.” Yoona agreed, smiling gently and nodding her head. They remained silent for a few seconds, enjoying each other’s presence, before Seohyun looked at her wristwatch.

“It’s time for me to leave now, Yoona-ssi. I have class in thirty minutes.” Seohyun grimaced, standing up from her seat. Yoona stood up as well. There was a sense of disappointment that their date was over, almost like she didn’t want to let Seohyun go.

“It’s okay, I understand. Drop the honorifics, you can call me Yoona-unnie.” Seohyun furrowed her brows and tilted her head to the side.

“How do you know I’m younger than you?” She asked. Yoona froze.

“I just figured.” She said quickly, trying to not stir suspicion in the younger girl. “I’m 22, and you?”

“I’m about to turn 21. Looks like you’re good at guessing too, huh?” Yoona sighed in relief, since Seohyun appeared to naively buy her excuse.

“I suppose, yeah.” Yoona stuffed her hands in the pockets of her cardigan so that Seohyun wouldn’t notice how sweaty they became.

“Have a good evening, Yoona-unnie.” The younger girl said, bowing slightly and giving Yoona one last flirtatious smile. The doe-eyed girl returned it. “Oh, and there you go. Tell Eunji-ssi to keep the change.” Seohyun said softly, handing Yoona a 10 won bill.

         Yoona sat down as she watched Seohyun leave the coffee shop. She sighed deeply, the guilt eating at her. How she wished she didn’t have to go through with what she was doing, but it was impossible. She’d made a pledge, a lot of people trusted her and counted on her.

“It will be 7.50 won for the two chococcinos. You sure you don’t want anything else?” Yoona looked down at her lap, chuckling slightly at how real Eunji sounded.

“No, that will be it.” Yoona said, handing Eunji the pay. “You heard her. She hasn’t spoken to Jessica Jung in months.” She said, extremely lowly, no one would know she was talking if it wasn’t for the swift movement of her lips. Eunji could hear her perfectly well thanks to the earpiece she was also wearing. To any outsider, it would seem like the two were having a small argument about the bill or something.

“But they were close. And they can be again. Right now she’s our only safe link to Jessica Jung.” Eunji answered. Yoona shook her head, some slight anger clear in her visage.

“If we keep this up we’re going to ruin her life.” Yoona sentenced, letting her guilt and remorse speak for her.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Im Yoona. You know how this works.” Eunji scolded, wondering what was up with her colleague. “Our job knows no collateral damage. We only worry about one thing, and you know what that is.”

“Collateral damage? Is that what she is?” Yoona was getting slightly aggravated.

“No. But once she finds out the truth, yes she’ll be hurt. But she’ll move on with her life and forget about you. And it’ll be worth it. Don’t be naïve, Yoona.” The alluded girl took off her earpiece and microphone and stuffed it in her purse.

A/N: Hey loyalists! Firstly, I want to apologize for not updating sooner. It’s not because of lack of time but because I haven’t really been feeling up to writing. The day I posted this story (more like hours after I did) my parents broke some news to me about my mom’s health. And they weren’t good news. Since I’m spending a lot of time home, taking care of her or just keeping her company, I will have time to update this story, especially since I’ve decided to hold my studies for a semester, because the situation at home isn’t really easy and I’d rather be with my mom until she’s out of danger. Medicine is a very exigent career and right now I’m really not at my best shape to study. And after all, I’m younger than my classmates (and look even younger than I am) lol I’ll be using this story as an outlet and hopefully finish it before I start my semester in the school of medicine.

Hope you liked the chapter! And thank you to everyone who has subscribed, upvoted and commented! It really means so much to me :) Hwaiting!