Solar entered the house and glanced in the direction of Moonbyul’s room. It’s dark, I wonder if she’s home. She neatly tucked away her shoes before coming over to knock on the bedroom door. Is she not home? After a few moments, she opened the door to check. The sight of the empty room brought loneliness to her heart. I wonder if she’s okay? She let out a long sigh before closing the door.

In the kitchen, she listlessly poured herself a cup of water. I wonder what she’s doing right now? The water oozed from its overfilled cup, wetting the counter. She quickly grabbed the nearby hand towel to soak up the excess water. What’s wrong with me? She rubbed her face and sighed in frustration. She leaned her back against the counter and sipped her water. It wasn’t long before the noise coming from the front door caught her attention.

“I’m home!” Moonbyul grinned happily.

An overwhelming joy entered her heart as she greeted Moonbyul, “Welcome home!”

Seeing Solar’s warm welcome reminded Moonbyul of their long-lost past. With you here, this place is no longer an empty husk. A gentle smile lit across her face. With you here, I can finally call it a home. She brushed Solar’s hair aside, shook her head playfully, and sighed.

“W-what’s wrong?” Solar questioned.

Moonbyul rubbed her temple and gave an even longer sigh. “What should I do?” she said in an almost sad tone.

“Wh-what’s the matter? Are you hurt?”

She met Solar’s gaze and smiled happily before replying, “I’m happy.”

“W-what? You’re happy?” She raised an eyebrow. “Why are you sighing then?”

“What if I did it to get your attention?” she teased.

“Are you saying you’re making me worry on purpose?”

“Are you worried about me?”

Solar groaned, “You’re impossible.” She sighed and attempted to storm back to her room.

Moonbyul grabbed Solar’s arm and quickly stepped in front of her. She gave a smile that could melt any frozen heart and it secretly imprinted itself onto Solar’s. Solar could feel her heartbeat thumping loudly underneath her as her face became warmer. My heart is beating so loud, will she hear it?

“W-what is it?” She looked away, feeling flustered, forgetting that Moonbyul had just mere moments ago. “Is—is there something on my face?”

“Yes~,” she said sweetly. “It’s very apparent.”

“W-what!?” W-where?” She frantically searched for her pocket mirror.

Moonbyul held Solar still and met her gaze. “You’re beautiful, just perfect the way you are.” She grinned.

She’s so beautiful when she’s smiling. Solar felt her face heating up. Wait, I can’t just let her tease me! She broke away and grumbled, “You’re unbelievable, you know that?” She almost stuttered as she spoke, “I’m going back to my room.”

It’s so cute when she’s blushing. Wait a second, this reaction! That means I still have a chance! Moonbyul was delighted. “Don’t be angry, look what I got you.” She dangled the bag of sweet rice cakes in front of Solar.

“Is that--!?” she said excitedly as she sniffed the bag.

“Yep.” She nodded proudly.

“It smells really good!” She held the bag in her hands. “It still warm too, how? Aren’t all the shops closed?”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” She winked.

“You didn’t abuse your authority as a detective, did you?” she teased.

“Of course not!” she protested. “What do you take me for? A thug?”

Solar took a step back, crossed her arms, and rubbed her chin. She did a double take as she checked out Moonbyul from head to toe in a playful manner. “With the way you dress, you look more like you’re part of a biker gang than a detective.”

“What’s wrong with how I dress?” She glanced down at herself. She was decked out in a black leather jacket and dark-colored denim jeans. A crimson splatter art on her black T-shirt did not do much to help her case. “Do you not like it?”

“It’s debatable.”

“Aw, don’t leave me hanging.”

They continued their antics as Solar plated the rice cakes and Moonbyul prepared the tea. It had been a while since they could laugh without care. Although this moment can’t last forever, a moment longer is enough, Moonbyul thought as she waited for the water to boil. She glanced over at Solar, who smiled back at her. Whether as friends or as lovers, I’ll do my best to keep that bright smile on your face.

While Solar was getting the rice cakes ready, a moment of clarity hit her. I can’t just let her tease me. I must do something. She took two extra plates with her, one to cover the rice cakes, the other to use as a display. She grabbed the small dining table that was leaning against the wall, then unfolded it. She placed it on her right side and hid the rice cakes underneath. Sneakily, she placed an empty plate atop the table. All that’s left is to wait for her.

Once the tea was ready, Moonbyul took it to Solar, who was sitting with her legs dangling off the porch. Her hair was tucked behind her ears and glistened underneath the moonlight, causing Moonbyul to become enchanted. She used her hands to support herself as she leaned back, smiling sweetly when she greeted Moonbyul.

“You sure took your time,” she teased.

Moonbyul cleared and regained her composure. “Th-the water had to boil. The tea needed to steep.” She pouted, which caused Solar to giggle. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?” she protested.

“You started it.”

“Here, careful, it’s still hot.” She handed Solar her tea before sitting down. She took a look at the table with an empty plate sitting on top and a clear view of the one underneath. What’s she trying to do? Guess I’ll play along. “Where’s the rice cakes?”

“I ate it all.”

She said that almost too proudly. She glanced at the plates under the table once more. If she wants to hide it, why would she use the white porcelain plates? Wouldn’t the darker ones be better? I can see the rice cakes sticking out, should I tell her? “I-I see. Was it good?”

“It was delicious!”

“I’m glad.” She smiled sweetly before giving her suggestion. “Should we go for a jog tomorrow?”

“I’ll think about it. Do you like jogging?”

“Not really.” She took a sip of tea.

“Then why did you ask me to go?” Wait a second, is she beating around the bush to make fun of me—she is, isn’t she?

“I just thought you might want to work off all those rice cakes that you ate.” She rubbed her thumb on the rim of the cup.

She did! She’s saying that I’m fat! Well, since I dug this hole myself, I can’t lose here! “Are you saying that I’m fat?”

“Of course not!” Did I go too far? She’s not going to get angry, is she? “I-I just thought it’ll be fun to do it together.”

“It’ll be fun, she said,” she mumbled as she yanked the plate of rice cakes from under the table and shoved it into Moonbyul’s hands. “You can eat it then have fun tomorrow!” She angrily sipped her tea.

“I thought you said you ate it all.”

“Well I didn’t!” She turned her head away and in a playfully cute voice she went, “Hmph”. A slight smile showed at the corner of her lips.

It’s so cute when she does that. “Are you sure you don’t want any?” She took a bite and made sounds to exaggerate how delicious it was. “It’s really good!”

She stared at Moonbyul in shock. She’s really going to eat it by herself? “No!” She looked away and furrowed her brow. “I don’t want any!” she groaned as she drank her tea.

“But I went to such lengths to get it.” She looked pleadingly at Solar. “It’ll be such a waste since I can’t finish it by myself.”

How can I say no when she’s looking at me like that? She glanced down at the rice cakes. I do want to eat it. “F-fine, I’ll try some.” Her face was slightly flushed, “O-Only because you can’t finish it.”

“Of course! Of course!” She smiled as she lifted the plate towards Solar.

As they enjoyed their tea and rice cakes underneath the moonlight, Moonbyul embellished her rice cake adventure to Solar. She spouted nonsense about being scolded for an hour upon entering the shop after it had closed. How the owner ranted about her dog having no sense of direction and acting as if he were a cat. How, despite the thickness of her walls, she could still hear her neighbor’s nightly escapades. She even imitated the weird sounds the shop owner supposedly made.

Solar listened attentively as she watched Moonbyul tell her tale. Although the dramatic effects were unnecessary, it was entertaining to watch. It might even be the reason why Solar was so mesmerized by Moonbyul’s every word, every gesture, and every expression. They were engraved into Solar’s memories as though she was programmed to register them.

At the end of her long-winded retelling of her so-called dangerous undertaking, Moonbyul let out a long sigh before tapping her chest confidently to indicate how proud she was of her success. It made Solar burst out laughing since she was holding it in for the entire story. Moonbyul looked at her and smiled. My true success is when I can make you laugh. She sipped her tea and waited until Solar calmed down.

“How was your first day at work?”

Solar pondered for a moment, “It was pretty good. I shadowed a Sunbaenim (Senior) and learned a few things. How about you? Was it busy?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “We got some new cases. Sorry I was away for so long.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she assured Moonbyul. “I know it can’t be helped.”

But I didn’t want to be away. I wanted to spend more time with you. Suddenly, a marvelous idea struck her. “I’m off tomorrow,” she said excitedly. “How about I take you to work?”

“That’s okay,” she said sullenly. I do want you to take me, but I already promised someone else. “I already agreed to go with a Sunbaenim from work.”

Moonbyul was certain she knew who Solar was referring to. She had been dying to know more about the man Solar was hugging, after all. This is it! I can’t let this opportunity slip through my fingers. I just need to phrase my questions correctly. As long as I don’t sound too pushy it should be fine. I can do this!

“Who is it? Do I know him?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Is it someone you met at work?”

Solar shook her head. “I met him in the doctorate program, he was a year ahead of me. He was my first friend there.”

I see, so they’ve known each other for a few years now. Her first friend, hmm—I guess that does make him special. “Did he came back to Korea with you?”

“No, he left first. I only ran into him by chance. We grabbed dinner together and he took me home. We did that a lot before, it’s nothing special.”

Does that mean he got to hug her all the time in the last three years? She bit her rice cakes in frustration. I want her to hug me. She looked at Solar pleadingly. “I-I see. What are the chances you’d end up working together!?”

Why is she looking at me with those puppy eyes? It’s really cute. I want to give her a hug. Control yourself, Solar! Control yourself! She looked up at the moon. “I didn’t think I’d see him so soon either. It was quite a surprise.”

Moonbyul gave a long sigh. Am I losing my touch? She’s not falling for my charm. “Did you have fun?”

“Mhm,” she nodded. “It was fun.” She giggled when she saw how much Moonbyul was sighing. She really is too cute.

“What is it?” Moonbyul raised an eyebrow.

Solar shook her head. “It’s my little secret.” She raised her finger to her lips.

“Hey, that’s not fair,” she pouted. “I told you about my sweet cake adventure.”

“Thanks for the cakes. They were delicious!” She smiled sweetly, the wind gently brushing through her hair.

“Y-you’re welcome.” She could feel herself becoming flustered. “If-if you like it, I’ll get some more next time.”

“I look forward to it.” She rested her chin on her hand and grinned as she looked at Moonbyul.

“A-anyway, it’s getting late.” She glanced at her watch. “You should get some sleep.”

“What about you?”

“I’m heading to bed as well.”

“I’ll help you clean this up then.”

After cleaning up the dishes, they went back to their respective rooms. As they stood at their bedroom doors, they giggled before exchanging their final farewell after a wonderful evening. They smiled shyly, almost as if they were a pair of teenage lovers.

“Goodnight,” Moonbyul spoke, her smile never leaving her face.

“Goodnight,” she replied with a sweet smile of her own. “Thank you again, the cakes were very sweet.”

Moonbyul plopped back into bed, happiness seeping into every inch of her body. She glanced out the window where the moonlight brightly shone through. A gentle warmth was wrapping itself around her heart. She raised her hand up against the moon and smiled as she watched its light seeping through the crevasses of her fingers. When she closed her eyes, the only thing that entered her mind was Solar’s sweet smile as she gave thanks for the sweet rice cakes. She held her hands to her chest and whispered, “The sweetest thing is you.”