The passing of time is only natural and change is ever-present. The flow of movement; of people; of things happens everywhere. We are like specks of dust floating in the air and seldom crossing paths but to us insignificant particles when we do come together, it creates something unimaginable.

‘Happy Birthday!’

The shout echoed in the tiny apartment as Heechul blew a party horn. He raised his arms in celebration and Sana clapped excitedly, ushering a knife into Momo’s hands. “Hurry up. Cut the cake,” she urged. Momo frowned at her best friend saying, “Waiting a few more seconds isn’t going to kill you.” “Yes, but hunger will,” Sana replied and her stomach rumbled in kind. “I skipped on breakfast so I could bloat myself on cake and fried chicken.” Momo laughed but grabbed the knife and cut into the cake.

It was a bright funfetti cake that Heechul had ordered for the special occasion and the knife slid easily through it. Closing her eyes tight, Momo thought about what kind of wish she should make. There was nothing that she wanted that stood out. She was happy where she was; surrounded by friends. Sana and Heechul had been her closest friends for a long time and today they were gathered to celebrate her birthday. Remembering that helped her decide and she mouthed the words to her wish silently. I wish for continued happiness.

Having made her wish she opened her eyes and turned the knife in her hand, cutting the cake into neat slices. A cross section of the cake revealed its colourful sponge and she quickly served a slice to each Sana and Heechul then to herself. The room was soon filled with the sound of chewing and forks clinking on glass plates. some left-over cream from a finger, Momo pursed her lips as she wondered if she should have another slice. She had already eaten lunch and a slice of cake had filled her to the brim. Beside her, Heechul was patting his stomach and he looked over to her. “What did you wish for?” he asked curiously. Momo shrugged.

‘Just a simple wish. I wished for happiness.’

Heechul nodded but then Sana stopped mid-bite and gasped, shaking her head in disappointment. She tutted and waved a finger at them. “Momo, don’t you know? If you say a wish out loud then that means it won’t come true,” she scolded. “Quick, throw some salt over your left shoulder.” Momo frowned at Sana’s words but didn’t make any move to do as she had been told. “That’s just superstition and besides, salt is expensive,” she laughed. “And if I did, who would be the one to clean it up?” She patted Sana on the shoulder and lay on her back to look up at the ceiling.

The plaster was coloured a plain white and it reminded her of her lab coat that had been left out to dry. It had been nearly two years since she had graduated high school and following her intended career path, she had gained entry in Yonsei University and its widely acclaimed medical school. After their introductory year, her class was now undergoing their placement and clinical rotations and there was a strict uniform code with clogs, lab coats and work shirts. It was a warm day, something that was growing rarer and rarer in the end of autumn and Momo had taken full advantage of it to hang her laundry outside.

She left Sana and Heechul to nurse their bloated stomachs and walked out to the rooftop of the apartment building where her clothes were sitting under the sun. Feeling the sun on her face, she smiled and held her arms out as a breeze fluttered through her hair. With her eyes closed, she felt at peace and at that moment, everything seemed right. She was well on her way to becoming a doctor as she had always wanted and all her other troubles had faded away into the background. Given, she was still in debt with student loans and her apartment but they seemed such minor problems now and they no longer kept her up at night worrying. Everything was right.

~

‘Good morning Mr. Song.’

Mina waved to the chauffeur as she slipped on her shoes and he tipped his hat in greeting. She smiled broadly and walked quickly to the car. It had been some time since she had memorised the names of all the staff employed in her home but even now, it was something she took pride in being able to do. It was certainly better than calling them ‘Maid’ or ‘Servant’ and it seemed to have improved both her relationship as well as their service. Nowadays, she was able to easily converse with her chauffeur or maid and it made things less awkward.

She got into the car and put on her seatbelt. They drove in silence as they navigated the heavy traffic and Mina grinned at her phone as she double-checked the time. It was the end of the academic year for many schools and today was the graduating ceremony for Avonia Academy. The students had survived through their examinations and all they waited for now was to receive their diplomas.

The car stopped as they arrived and Mina looked up towards the building that had been the location of her secondary education and was hit by a wave of nostalgia. It had been exactly two years since she had left the school and it looked exactly as she remembered it. Pristine white walls of the buildings and immaculately groomed school grounds. She resisted the urge to smile again and stepped out of the car. She waved goodbye to her driver and made her way through the building to the assembly hall where seating had been organised for parents and family members and looked for her allocated seat.

She spotted Tzuyu’s parents sitting together embroiled in yet another argument and greeted them as she neared. They stopped arguing for a moment as they saw her, waving her closer. “How are you?” asked Tzuyu’s mother. Mina thought for a second, thinking over the past year of her life. Since graduating high school, she had only attended university sporadically and had spent the majority of her time working under her father as she learnt the ropes to managing a company.

There was much to do and learn in a global industry that was continuing to grow and develop and she had found it hard to find time for her personal life. It was inconsequential compared to taking on the mantle of command and flying out of the city and country quite frequently didn’t help in maintaining her friendships. It was only her close-knit relationship with Tzuyu that had remained and she had near lost contact with all of her high school friends. “I’m fine,” she finally answered. “Working with my father has really tested my stamina and endurance but it’s been an amazing experience.” Tzuyu’s mum nodded sympathetically and patted her hand fondly.

‘To think that someday you’ll be leading the company. You kids sure do grow fast. Just yesterday I could’ve sworn that I was changing Tzuyu’s nappies.’

Mina grinned and hummed agreement. She had been involved with the family business for a large part of her life but her father was still reluctant in giving her large tasks with a lot of attached responsibility and it often took some wheedling before she managed to convince him that she was capable of the tasks. “Well you know, it doesn’t look to be happening anytime soon. My father is still fit and healthy and doesn’t seem to age so I guess it’ll take some time before I have to stand at the helm,” she said. Tzuyu’s mother’s reply was cut off as someone tapped on a microphone and the crowd quietened down as they awaited the start of the proceedings. A stern-looking man stood at the