Shuhua is lying on the living room floor when Yuqi calls. Her fingers are fiddling with the coloured cube and her eyebrows are bunched in concentration.

“Yah! Did you answer without saying anything?” Yuqi’s voice crackles through the speaker and ricochets off the walls. It’s hot and loud. Very, very loud. 

“Hmm?” The question registers - somewhere - but Shuhua is preoccupied. Answering the phone is reflexive or at least it is now after one too many missed calls and a search party that involved far too many people.

“Let’s go for hot pot.” 

Shuhua twists the top of the cube. For a moment, she shuts her eyes. The feeling of defeat seeps into her bone as she stares at the plastic toy and it’s mosaic of colours. “I can’t,” she lets out a long sigh.

“What?” The line is muffled for a moment before Yuqi’s voice becomes clear again, “I thought you had no schedule today.” She sounds confused. 

“I don’t, but this stupid-,” Shuhua waves the cube in the air, “-I have to solve it.”

“Solve what? Turn on your camera.”

For once Shuhua doesn’t argue. She slaps her palm atop her phone blindly. First, she hits mute then the call add feature. When Yuqi yells at her to hurry, Shuhua considers hitting the call end. Accidently, of course. 

“Shu-,” the phone screen lights up with Yuqi’s face, “Finally! Now… Yah! Why am I looking at the ceiling?” 

Shuhua rolls onto her stomach. “So noisy,” she chides as if she’s never done the same, “Here.” The cube is into view of the camera. “This.” 

“Why are you doing a Rubik's cube?”

Cheek pressed into the area rug, Shuhua shrugs. Yuqi can’t see, but to Shuhua that isn’t the point. “Soojin said if I solve it, we can go on a date.”  

“Just watch a video then.” The sound of Yuqi as she clicks her tongue against the roof of filters over the line. “Then we can go.”

“Jinjin said no videos.” There aren’t tears in her eyes, but Shuhua is close. “It’s cheating.” 

“Fine,” Yuqi says with her face uncomfortably close to the camera. “I did one when I was five. I’ll just come teach you. Then we can go.” She doesn’t wait for Shuhua to respond before she hangs up the phone.

At midnight, Soojin returns to the apartment. She is expecting to find Shuhua perched in front of the television or on her Switch, having long lost interest in the cube. Instead, she finds her hunched over the coffee table. Minnie is to her right while Yuqi is seated across from them. 

“Welcome home,” Miyeon greets from the kitchen. In one hand is a plate of snacks. “Have