Byul put her cup on the table in front of her and sat down. She was so exhausted she almost melted into the chair. It had been a very busy Sunday at the coffee house she worked at, and after four hours she was finally getting a break where she could sit down. She took off the hat she had to wear as uniform and put it down beside her coffee, sliding her arms and head down into a resting position on the table.
Her quiet break did not last for long. Her cell phone started buzzing in her pocket, she pulled it out and checked the ID. “Um, HyeJin-Ah, what’s going on?” HyeJin was the first person Byul met when she moved to Seoul, they were friends for years before she moved, but only online. HyeJin was the one who helped her find her apartment.
The was shuffling on the other end. “ByulYi Unnie, what are you doing?” She and HyeJin lived in the same neighbourhood to be close to the school, HyeJin had been living in the city for a few years, but she now moved in with her girlfriend.
Byul slid back into a sitting position. “Just taking a break at work, why?”
“The coffee house?”
“Yeah.”
More shuffling, she must be walking. “I wanted you to meet WheeIn today, you promised me you would this week.” A brief pause. “But I understand if you are busy.” Byul thought it over, she knew what HyeJin was trying to do, she was good at guiting Byul into things. “No today is good. Come by after I am done and we can have a snack.”
There was a very audible yeah on the other end. “Okay Unnie see you then.” With that she hung up.
Byul rolled her eyes, HyeJin was a good kid and she would do anything for her. 

A few hours later the bell above the front door chimed. Byul caught HyeJin’s unmistakable hair. Walking in beside her was a girl around HyeJin’s height, around Byul’s height too, though HyeJin was a few years younger they were around the same height, Byul was taller, as she like to remind her. Byul nodded to them and HyeJin picked a seat in the back. 
She still had to finish serving the customer she had before she could be done for the day. When she did, she grabbed a small assortment of treats from the showcase and the drinks that HyeJin had previously texted her, and brought them to the table with her. Byul had already changed out of her work clothes and shoved them in her bag, wearing just a casual shirt and some jeans. She was glad she always brought a change of clothes with her, she thought it awkward to meet her friend’s new girlfriend dressed in her work uniform.
HyeJin and her girlfriend were seated at one of the tables with a couch on either side. Both sitting on one side, so Byul slid into the other. She handed out the drinks like a good employee, and set the treats in the middle for anyone to grab what they wanted from the pile.
Once everyone was settled, Byul introduced herself. HyeJin’s girlfriend was named WheeIn, she learned that they had met at school, but not the college, elementary school. They were both from the same town and grew up together, they only just reconnected. That explains why HyeJin was comfortable enough to move in with her after only a few months.
“How has it been going Unnie?” HyeJin asked her gently.
Byul wondered where this was going, she usually told HyeJin about all her hardships, perhaps she was just simply asking how Byul was but there was a hint of something else in her tone. Byul shrugged. “Not bad, I work a lot, have to pay the bills. I am passing all my classes, I stay awake for most of them now.”
“What are you taking?” WheeIn asked her while nippling on the end of some bread.
“Web Design.” It wasn’t the most fascinating of courses, especially when it came to javascript, that stuff was like really annoying math. “Not sure if it is the course for me but I am trying to stick it out.”
WheeIn nodded like she understood. Byul found WheeIn to be very cute, almost puppy like, but she caught a ier edge to her, wheres HyeJin oozes iness. They actually made a cute match, it made Byul a bit jealous but she was happy for them. HyeJin seemed to catch that look on Byul’s face.
She leaned in, resting her elbows on the table. “Have you met anyone yet Unnie?” She use to go to the clubs with HyeJin when she could but Byul was not really looking for a date, just needed something to distract her from her life. Nothing outrageous just a lot of drinking and dancing.
A certain brown haired girl came to mind when she asked but Byul shook her head. “I don’t have time to look for a girlfriend, between my two jobs and school I would be lucky to get a full eight hours of sleep.” She laughed it off.
HyeJin sighed. “Unnie, you wouldn’t be so lonely if you found yourself a girlfriend to spend your free time with.”
Byul had often told HyeJin about her loneliness, not being able to see her family, HyeJin use to fill that void but they both had been very busy lately. “Maybe when the semester is over.”
HyeJin gave up on that conversation after a few more banters back and forth.
Eventually it was time for the girls to get going, they each had a pile of homework waiting for them at home. They walked each other back to the neighbourhood then separated ways, leaving Byul alone again.
>

YongSun hated Mondays but then again who didn’t. She managed to pull herself up and out of bed, and to school. She managed to perk up at lunch, remembering that yes it was Monday, which meant ByulYi was most likely going to be at the store tonight, so she could stop by and have a conversation with her. YongSun carried this with her for the rest of the day.
YongSun tired not to show how excited she was when she walked into the convenience store later that night. She gave a quick look over to the counter, and her heart immediately dropped. The boy from Saturday night was standing behind the counter and ByulYi was nowhere to be seen. He looked over at her as she walked further into the store, she plastered a smile on her face, trying not to act disappointed.
She walked to the ramen isle and picked one out. She had already decided to have dinner at the store because her parents had to go to some company meeting at her mother’s company, she was just hoping by having dinner at the store it meant she could spend more time with ByulYi.
YongSun walked up the counter and the boy smiled at her as he cashed her out. YongSun smiled back but she was still trying very hard not to let the fact that girl was not at work, get to her.
YongSun took her ramen to the hot water station and made it. She grabbed a pair of wooden chopsticks with her to the customer counter and took a seat. The seat looked out the front window, she spent the time she was waiting or her noodles to cook, by counting the number of red cars that drove past, it was all she could do from looking for the girl some more. With a sigh, she took a few mouthfuls of her ramen and choked it down. This was turning into one of the worst nights.
“That is not going to be a very filling dinner.” Someone said from behind her.
YongSun turned to see the blonde girl standing there, hands on her hips, hair stuck under her worn blue cap, this time the hood of her grey sweater was not pulled up over it. “Please tell me that is not all you are having.”
YongSun could feel the corners of turn up slightly, but she tried hard to shake it before the girl noticed. “I wasn’t very hungry, I just wanted a snack before going home.” YongSun directed a look behind her at the boy that was still behind the counter. “I didn’t think you were working tonight.”
ByulYi looked back at her co-worker. “WooJin is staying an extra hour so I can get the inventory done.” She looked like she had an idea. “Hold on a second.” She didn’t wait for YongSun to respond, she just walked away, presumably to the back of the store.
The girl returned moments later with something in her hand. ByulYi dropped a couple of triangle kimbap on the table in front of her. “These are only good until the end of the night. We will have to throw them out so eat them for me okay.”
YongSun looked at them for a second then back to her. “I really don’t think I can.”
ByulYi rolled her eyes, grabbed one and took a big bite out of it. She dramatically chewed and swallowed it. “They are fine to eat, if you don’t eat them they will go in the trash, it gives you something more to eat then just ramen.”
YongSun nodded and took a small bite from the on that ByulYi bit. “I was supposed to treat you to a meal, not the other way around.” She said after she swallowed. ByulYi leaned on the counter next to her, a little too close, YongSun’s heart rate went up. “Well is it a good thing I am off this Wednesday.” It came off a little greasy but YongSun smiled. “That is if you are free of course.”
YongSun nodded eagerly. “I have class until four.”
“Good, it is set then, you can buy me dinner on Wednesday.” ByulYi gave a quick look to her co-worker. “I better get back to work so WooJin can go home, he is only staying as a favor to me.” She stood back up and took a step, but hesitated. She pulled out her cell phone and held it out to YongSun. “Put your number in it, just in case something comes up for one of us. I wouldn’t want to be stood up.”
YongSun nervously put her number into the phone and handed it back to ByulYi. The girl quickly shot a text to YongSun’s phone so she had her number and YongSun saved it.
“Finish your dinner, and text me when you get home so I know you didn’t run into more trouble.” YongSun didn’t know why but she felt her cheeks heat up.
They said goodbye and ByulYi went back to work, leaving YongSun to finish her dinner alone, and wishing that Wednesday didn’t seem so far away.

Byul could not keep a smile off of her face for the rest of the night. She thought she was mistaken when she was YongSun sitting at the counter eating her ramen. She had left the backroom for a drink of water when she saw her. Byul was a bit embarrassed that she stood there for a few moments just watching YongSun stuff food into her chubby cheeks, Byul had the overwhelming urge to just squeeze her cheeks and that made her smile. Byul even managed to finally get her number without looking like a creep. It had bothered her most of the weekend that she had no way to contact the girl. She seemed to have a habit of walking the streets late at night, and after what she had to save her from last week, she found herself anxious at moments wondering if she had got home safe, now she could.
Byul finished the inventory as fast as she could for WooJin’s sake, and to her dismay YongSun had already left for the night. She took up her spot behind the counter as a new group of late night students came in. Her phone went off a moment later with a text from YongSun, to which Byul renamed as Chubby Cheeks, telling her that she had gotten home safely. Byul shot back a quick good night and that she would see her Wednesday before the group reached the counter. Byul spent the rest of her shift dreaming about what they would do on Wednesday night.