Solar came back to her hotel and took a hot bath. As she soaked in the bathwater, she felt her worries slowly wash away. The warm embrace of the gentle water eased her mind. She closed her eyes and rested her weary soul, before she knew it she had fallen asleep. When did I fall asleep? I wonder what time it is now? She smiled and stretched, I guess it didn't matter. There was a new sense of happiness after her nap and she was content with that.

When she left the restroom, she noticed that her phone was filled with messages—forty-eight of them to be exact—plus fifteen missed calls, and all of them were from Whee-In. I forgot I told Whee-In I would call her once I’d landed. She glanced at the time, that was about 2 hours ago, she sighed in disbelieved. Should I ignore it? She’s going to give me an earful. She tapped her foot as she stared down at her phone. After a serious consideration, I shouldn't, she must be really worried. She decided to return Whee-In’s phone call. As she dialed, she braced herself for a loud lecture, and loud it was. The phone had barely finished it first rang when Whee-In’s voice screeched from the other side.

“Where have you been!? I was really worried! I almost called the police! You said 8:30. 8:30!!! Do you know how many times I called you!? I—”

“Calm down. I’m fine,” she spoke softly.

“Cal-Calm down!? Ho—?” She was baffled at the prospect. “I thought something bad had happened. You are always on time and you’re over 2 hours late! 2 hours! This is the first time you did this to me, how could I not be worried!?”

“I’m sorry,” she pleaded in a cute voice. “Please, forgive me. I'll try not to do it next time.”

“Ne-Next time!? There’s not going to be a next time!" She pouted angrily.

“Alright. Alright. No next time. Don’t be angry, okay?”

She tried her best to calm Whee-In, but she couldn’t do much. Whee-In stayed rowdy until another voice entered the conversation. It was calm and soothing, singing a sweet melody. Solar smiled happily, recognizing Hwasa’s voice.

“Whee-In ah, don’t lecture her anymore. She must be tired from her flight, let her rest,” she said sweetly.

“Alright—” she mumbled and handed the phone to Hwasa.

“Hello?” she called out to Solar.

“Hey,” Solar replied cheerily. “It’s been awhile. How are you?”

"Good. Good,” she nodded. “As you can tell, Whee-In is doing great. She was really excited when you told her you were coming back.” She paused for a moment, “But why didn’t you tell me? I only found out through Whee-In. That stung a bit, you know? Was it because I’m close to you-know-who?”

“Sorry—maybe that is part of the reason. I’m not sure myself. But Whee-In tells you everything, so I figured she would just let you know.” She sighed, feeling sad she had let her friend down.

“It’s fine. I’m just teasing. You must be tired, you should rest. Don’t worry about Whee-In, I got her.” She assured Solar that everything was under control.

“Alright, let’s catch up sometime. Good night.”

“Good night,” she said cheerily.

Solar hung up, a serene smile spread across her face. She thought for a moment on how she could enjoy the rest of her evening. She poured a glass of wine, cranked up her relaxing music, and stepped out to her balcony. The gentle wind caressed her face as it passed by and a beautiful scenery greeted her, giving her a smile. She leaned on her balcony as she watched the city light below. It was lit up on every corner, filling the city with a gentle glow. Although she couldn’t hear the loud music and chatter. She knew it filled the city, bringing with it all sorts of laughter. She returned to her bed and fell asleep with ease. Just like her calm heart, her mind was at peace. The moonlight wrapped her in its warmth, making sure she was safe and unharmed.

The light from the morning sun greeted her happily. When she looked at the time, it was ten in the morning. I slept for almost twelve hours, she smiled and shook her head. She stretched and yawned as she headed towards the restroom. After washing up, she opted for a long sleeve shirt and jeans because it was cold out. As she debated on what she should do, her phone began to vibrate. I wonder who it could be? She picked it up and saw Whee-In’s message.

WheePup: Hey Unnie, wanna get coffee?

DoReMi: Sure!

WheePup: Yay! ^^

WheePup: See you soon! <3

They met at a coffee shop a few blocks from the hotel Solar was staying at. Solar arrived first and waited out front for Whee-In. The moment Whee-In got there, she dashed towards Solar and hugged her so tightly it almost knocked them both to the ground. Solar could tell that Whee-In was on the verge of tears. She patted Whee-In’s head to assure her everything was alright.

“It’s cold. Let’s go in,” she said sweetly and Whee-In nodded.

They sat by the window, took off their thick coats, and ordered their drinks. There was a long silence before Whee-In grabbed Solar’s hand and spoke.

“I’m glad you’re back,” she paused and took a deep breath, making sure she wouldn’t break down crying. “You left so suddenly, I didn’t get to say goodbye. We’re so close yet you—” She furrowed her brow and said sternly, “You’re not allowed to do that again. Make sure to tell me before you leave.”

“I don’t think I’ll be leaving anymore. I might stay here perma—”

Whee-In didn’t wait for Solar to finish. She was so excited she slammed her hands on the table and stood up quickly. “Really!?” she screeched. She was causing a scene so Solar gestured for her to calm down. She looked around and realized the other customers were staring at her. She laughed nervously as she sat down.

“Yes, but I’m not a hundred percent sure.”

“That’s still great! If Hwasa and Moon—” She caught herself before she could finish and carefully worded her sentence before she continued. “Hwasa will be so happy. I’m going to tell her later. She will love it!”

“How are you guys?”

“We’re good. Some debate here and there but it’s no big deal. Can’t agree on everything, you know? But she always finds a way to cheer me up when I’m feeling down. Seeing her happy makes me happy. It’s simple and I like it that way.”

“That’s good. Treasure it.”

“Don’t worry, I will.” She smiled happily.

The veil of silence had caught up to them once more. Whee-In could tell Solar had a question. She also had a pretty good idea what that was based on Solar’s expression. She stayed silent and waited until Solar was ready to speak.

Solar grabbed the sleeve of her shirt and ruffled it between her fingers. She took a few deep breaths and sighed. Should I be asking about her? A conflicted feeling burning within her heart. What is it that I want to know? Her well-being? What she’d been doing the last three years? Has she found someone new? Would it make a difference? She looked up at Whee-In, who was smiling sweetly. She let out a long sigh and took a sip of her coffee, deciding that a simple question would be best.

“How is she?”

Whee-In pondered for a moment, trying her best to phrase her answer. She wanted to avoid hurting Solar. “She’s fine—” She scratched the back of her head. “I actually don’t see her much anymore. I know she moved a while back. I’m not sure where. I didn’t ask. Hwasa visits her often though.” She sighed, “We met from time to time a while back, but we always ended up arguing. Hwasa had to intervene each time. I didn’t want to make it hard on Hwasa, so I just stopped going.” She sipped her coffee.

“Was it because of me?” The sadness was apparent on Solar’s face.

“I guess I did blame her when you left—” She stopped, realizing she might have veered in the wrong direction.

“It’s not—” she mumbled, looking down at her hands.

Whee-In quickly changed the subject. “You said you were staying, right? Have you found a place to stay yet?”

She shook her head, “No, not yet.” She perked up, “I was going to check out some places today.”

“Looking for anything in particular?”

“Doesn’t have to be great, but probably close to work.”

“You were studying to be a doctor, right?”

“Yes, I’m in training now. I’ll be starting in two weeks,” she said happily, wanting to jump from joy. “I just need to find a place to stay. I’m hoping to find one before I start.”

“I’ll go look with you. Better than going alone. Besides, you’ve been away for three years. You're going to need a tour guide to get you through these mean streets.”

“That’s not good advertisement,” she chuckled. “Do tour guides even speak that way?”

Whee-In cleared , “Well ma’am, your requested service has arrived. The tour bus will be departing soon.” She got up and bowed; one hand to her abdomen, the other pointed towards the door. “This way please.” She looked up and winked.

She tried her best to keep a straight face, but the corner of her lips perked up every few seconds. She got up and spoke as seriously as she could, “thank you kindly. Let’s be off then.”

The moment they stepped outside, they burst out in laughter. The passerby raised their eyebrows, most likely pondering if these girls had a screw or two loose somewhere. Once they had calmed down, they let out a long sigh as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. They looked at each other and smiled.

“Let’s go,” she said sweetly.

“Yes, let’s.” Whee-In nodded in agreement.

After a day of searching but turning up empty handed, they still felt that the time they spent together was not wasted. They had fun and made new memories. They bid each other farewell and parted ways happily.