In the middle of a workshop sat a girl whose eyes were squinting at the paper propped against a drawing board. Yujin meticulously traced her sketches with a thin marker, ensuring they weren't out of line.  

She straightens her back, hearing a soft crack. "I've been here too long." She groans, putting down the pen. She rotates her wrist a few times, stretching her fingers. Tapping on her phone screen, she checks the time.

It was two in the morning and she hadn't left the school campus.

A girl enters her mind when she thinks of midnight. By the shores, in the car boot, doing nothing but talking. Yujin was amazed they could talk for hours without feeling bored. There was always something to talk about.

Maybe because she just met Minju. They were nothing but strangers who met not long ago. There was a lot to know about the older girl.

Yujin hasn't seen her since that day. It's been a week. She was busy and often, it was because she didn't have Minju's number. And she wants to respect the girl's boundaries, giving her space instead of constantly going to the cafe.

But today, she wanted to see her. Too bad she stayed on the campus for too long.

Yujin returned to the apartment, light with her steps because she didn't want to wake anyone up. When she was walking to her room, the lights suddenly which made her stop.

"What are you doing?"

Yujin turns to see one of the girls she shares the apartment with. Kim Jiwon.

"Why are you back so late?" The girl heads into the kitchen, originally coming out of her room to get some water.

"Workshop."

Jiwon nods, sipping on her water. She walked back to her room, unbothered. "Good night."

Yujin continues tip-toeing back into her room. She walks in the dark, putting her things aside gently so she doesn't wake Yena up. Not wanting to sleep, she goes back out and decides to go on a walk. She does it very often and has a designated route for herself.

But recently, that route changed because of someone. Yujin passes by the cafe Minju works at, peeking into the darkness. "I should've ended earlier." I would've been able to see her if I did.

It's Wednesday. 

She sighs and continues walking, enjoying the cool breeze with soft music playing in her ears. Scrolling through her gallery, she saw the picture she took at the beach, trying to capture the stars in the night sky.

Dark but memorable. They both failed badly since light pollution was a thing.

"We didn't take a single photo." She realises. They were so immersed in their conversations that phones weren't a thing while they were together. "Too bad." She lets out another sigh.

—

Two days later, Yujin enters the cafe in the evening, thinking of getting the Iced Americano she hasn't drunk for the past week.

She goes to the counter, eyes looking for Minju but she doesn't see the girl. All she saw was the staff that spilt a smoothie the last time she was there.

Chaewon came to her. "Are you looking for Minju?"

Yujin shakes her head but ends up nodding. "She's not here."

"She's not here," Chaewon repeated her words. "I heard she didn't give you her number. You would've known why she's not here if you asked for it."

"She didn't want to give it to me."

"She probably doesn't like you then." Chaewon teases, taking the girl's order. She notices the little pout. "Iced Americano?"

Yujin nods, tapping her card on the reader. But she's not here. She puckers her lips, wondering if her coffee would taste any different.

Chaewon waits for the receipt. "She'll not be working for the next four weeks."

"Why?" Yujin got worried she might never see Minju again.

"Clinical rotations at her university's hospital." Chaewon shrugs, smiling as she tears the receipt from the machine.

"She didn't tell me anything." Yujin lets out a soft sigh. "So I'll not be seeing her for the next four weeks?" She asks the girl as sadness lingers in her voice.

"Why didn't you just get her number?"

"She said it would be fun if we didn't have each other's number."

"She doesn't like texting," Chaewon told her. "She probably knew you'd text her a lot."

"How would she know that?"

"That's Minju." The older girl receives the drink from her staff, passing it to Yujin. "I can tell you already like her."

"I don't." Yujin denies it, poking the straw through the lid.

"Then why are you here?" Chaewon settles her hands on the edge of the counter.

Yujin thinks of the best excuse other than to see Minju. She raises the cup of coffee. "To get coffee." She quickly bows and exits the cafe.

Chaewon shakes her head in amusement. "I get what she meant. A little cute." She goes back to help out with delivery orders.

Yujin walks back to her dorm, sipping the coffee. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking at the drink. "Not that good." She didn't know if there were fewer coffee beans in this one or if it was too warm, but it definitely tasted different.

—

Emergency sirens, nurses dashing across the halls. University hospitals were the busiest place to be as autumn made its way to Seoul. Whether it was the melting ice or the change in temperatures, there were many people. Hospital lobbies often look like ants scampering around.

Minju walks across the hallways in a white coat, passing the nurses who were doing administration.

"Minju, Minju." A nurse from the counter calls and gestures for Minju to go to her. The brunette bows slightly. "Do you have time now?"

She nods, knowing her break is in five minutes.

The lady told her to come closer as she asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Minju stood back up, wondering why she was asking.

The lady flicked her wrist. "You're just too pretty. I have a son who doesn't go out often. But he's very handsome."

Every mother would think their own son is handsome. The brunette didn't want to sound like she was turning her down too harshly. "Thank you, but I'm not interested in dating for now. I want to focus on my studies."

"That's what I thought. Pretty and smart. There's no one like you. It's okay. But if you're ready in the future, come and find me."

Minju bowed politely but knew she wasn't going to find her. She appreciates the offer and leaves for her break.

She enters the loft where interns and med school students usually rest to see her senior at his seat, doing his research. Ryan.

In his fourth year of med school, this guy oozes a confident and composed demeanour that reflects his years of hard work and dedication. Standing at an above-average height, he carries himself with an upright posture, anyone might think he's a certified physician. His well-maintained physique hints at a balanced approach to self-care despite the demands of his studies. His neatly groomed dark hair, styled in a way that's both practical and stylish, frames a symmetrical face. His warm, hazel eyes exude intelligence and kindness, bringing comfort to those around him.

Shortly, a senior who takes every opportunity to tease the brunette.

"Is that Minju?" He could hear her footsteps.

"How do you know?"

"No one else comes here during their break times." Ryan turns in his chair. "Why don't you head to the rooftop or walk around the place?"

Minju sat on a swivel chair. "I'll be here if anyone needs me. I don't want to run down from the rooftop or run across the halls."

"You're scaring me with how hard you work." He laughs briefly. "Did you get asked if you had a boyfriend?"

"Are you secretly following me?"

"She's on duty today. Nurse Lee," he says. "She always asks pretty girls if they have a boyfriend. You're not the first one."

"This son of hers must really be doing nothing."

"What did you tell her then? Do you have a boyfriend?" He was also curious.

Minju shakes her head. "I'm not into that kinda thing at the moment."

"Dating?" He sees her nod. "Right, don't date. My girlfriend always thinks I'm doing something behind her back when I go home late. When in reality, I'm busy fixing other people's hearts in the operating theatre."

The guy goes back to his research while Minju checks the notifications on her phone.

Chaewon: Yujin came by last week. You should've seen how sad she looked when I told her you weren't going to be here for the next four weeks.

"And you said you weren't dating. Why are you smiling?" The guy narrows his eyes. "You little liar."

"Is smiling prohibited now?"

"Unless you're watching some cute cat video, that smile means you're dating someone." He clicks his tongue, turning back to the computer.

Minju shakes her head and sees another message.

Chaewon: You should've given her your number. You're torturing her.

Minju: She didn't mind.

Chaewon: Her pout tells another story. She likes you. I think you know that.

Minju: She doesn't. She just acts that way.

"Minju, do you want to see how I do this?" Ryan asks for her. He's studying cardiology which Minju wants to specialise in sooner or later.

Minju: I have to work. Bye.

She pockets her phone and goes to him.

Before she got to him, the door busted open. "We need help. School trip accident." The resident quickly sprints to find more manpower as the two run out the door towards the emergency room.

Minju went to her supervisor, Dr Park, who tried to keep calm as they waited for the ambulances. "When they arrive, I need you to make sure we have everyone on this list." He hands her a clipboard with the names of the victims. "Assist the nurses after."

"What happened?"

"University students went on a field trip. The building collapsed because it was way too old. They didn't do enough checks when they were supposed to. A freak accident, we call it. I heard it's the architecture department of that school."

"Which year?"

"First years."

It can't be. Minju didn't want to overthink. There were many universities in the area. Now she thinks it's better if she had Yujin's number. She looks at the list of names, going down one by one.

Ahn Y