A/N: Admittedly, this was supposed to come out yesterday, but it was actually... well my bday, but we didn't celebrate. I just went to work, my summer job, then had cake and icecream baked by my grandma, bought by my mom. Yeah. It was fine though. Enjoy?

Falling on her back with a loud thump, Dahyun cursed at her curtains for not being closed that day. She cursed her alarm for not being loud enough, and she cursed Nayeon Unnie for forcing one-too-many drinks down .

Her older sister knew she didn't drink! At all!

With a sigh, she resigned to her horrible fate- the fate that told her her luck would always be so ty regardless of how old she got. Well, at least it wasn't all this bad. She used to be happy. Actually happy. Outwardly and Inwardly. Some may say she's a happy little tofu, but she isn't really. This facade all began when her parents got involved in a drunken shooting on their way home from a date.

From their anniversary.

Dahyun was eight.

After that, her luck just seemed non-existent. Almost as if her parents were her lucky charms, and losing them was... everything.

Eventually, Dahyun- after crying for years, grieving her greatest loss- realizing she was not helping herself, got up and tried walking on her own two feet, studying her best, continuing her piano lessons to preserve the memory of her mother who adored the playing of her father, she reached college with a full ride for the music course.

Well, how could she not? Not when she was already a prodigy before her life was shattered into pieces.

Dahyun blinked, only now realizing she was showering, body probably having acted on auto-pilot, taking her here. She ran a hand through her wet hair, rinsing out the bubbles.

Dahyun was thankful. Thankful that after that horrid ordeal, her beloved Cousin (then, before both girls decided to be the sisters they never had), Nayeon, had taken it upon herself to be Dahyun's guardian, both children being orphaned by their grandmother.

Maybe it ran in the family. Nayeon's dad had left them when she was still a babe, and her mother died of depression. Bad Luck really. That was all it was.

Her luck with girls just had to too, apparently. Yeah girls. That was another thing. She wasn't the straightest bristle on the brush.

Soon, they lost their last support. Their grandmother died. Nayeon turned eighteen and became the legal adult as both finished their studies. Both girls took on part time jobs, Dahyun also earning through her wins at piano competitions, Nayeon working at a radio station and in a cafe with Dahyun. Nayeon graduated with flying colors and Dahyun had never been prouder. Dahyun graduated earlier than expected and took on jobs from five-star hotels, restaurants to little casinos and bars by the road, playing her fiddle- er piano.

Sometimes, she'd write songs and sell them to companies to earn that extra buck. But she never did get a permanent job.

Which is why she was thanking all heaven for that flier left on the cafe counter by some kind soul. And here she was, glaring at her watch that told her she had fifteen minutes to get her out the door and to her audition. Throwing whatever on her body, meaning going through her organized stacks of clothes and no longer matching up what and what together, she was out of her room before she even had the chance to check her own reflection.

Again, she cursed as she stubbed her toe on the coffee table while trying to hurriedly pick up the lunch Nayeon had packed in a paper bag and left for her before leaving for work earlier. She bit back a growl as her thumb almost got seriously injured, getting hit by the closing door, and then her car just didn't want to cooperate with her.

Arriving at the venue slightly late, she glared at the words on her flier. The audition to be Myoui Mina's pianist. Oh the pay seemed so good, and she was pretty hungry- she wished she stopped by for breakfast at the cafe...

The cafe!

She forgot to call in and say she couldn't do her shift!

Shooting a quick message of apology to her boss, who was super duper cool for telling her it was fine (though the reason was actually because Dahyun worked too hard, and too good, and did overtime and covered for others a lot that her manager decided it was a paid leave of absence. Plus Dahyun may have dated her sister in the past and she loved Dayhyun as a sister more so than her real one. Funny how it worked.), Dahyun ran into the hall, registered and got a number, waiting to be called in next.

She willed the pangs of hunger away as she sat in the waiting lounge, secretly studying the competition- not that there was going to be any, it seemed. Dahyun scanned over their forms, posture, hands, how some would just sit there, how some would go over she sheet music, some with eyes closed and tapping their fingers on an imaginary piano, some with ears plugged. She could assess levels that way. She discovered that talent quite some time ago after being a regular at competitions. It became second nature.

Oh?

What was this she saw? Hmmm, hasn't been playing for too long, but hard working, slightly experienced hands, good posture, seems confident. It was someone seated at the end of the line, and Dahyun tried to squint to see the face- damn she forgot her contacts and glasses. How could she have not realized till now? Was she going to be going around, glaring/squinting at people?

Dahyun sighed as a thought popped in her head. It was going to be a stupid move, but this was the only she could quell her curiousity to see this person's face! Damn her need to look at people's face when she was curious.

Getting up from her seat and moving to walk casually nearby the person to take a look, Dahyun shook her head at her silliness. Once close enough to the girl, she froze.

Chaeng?!

No retreat, no surrender wasn't really Dahyun's thing; quite obvious as she did a complete turn on her heel, praying that Chaeyoung didn't see her lest they become awkward. Wait, they were technically friends, good friends now, so it was fine.... right? Right?

Nah, can't risk it. Not with my kind of luck.

Dahyun sat back down in her seat, still waiting for her number. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her denim jeans realizing she was actually nervous for once. Well, who wouldn’t be when your livelihood depends on something like this.

Lost in her thoughts that were uncommon for her to think of, she jolted in her seat when she felt a burning feeling on her fingers and she clenched said fingers after hearing a snarky voice. She sometimes forgot she wore rings from how often she had them on, almost feeling like they were a part of her. The heat stayed on them and added to the pain as Dahyun couldn’t think of taking them off.

(She had her first ring from her parents after winning a particularly difficult competition. When they died, she kept their marriage rings growing up. A replacement charm, she supposed. She also took her grandma’s. Nayeon wore her parents’ around her neck, always. Both girls also bought a pair together to “keep their hearts connected”. The rings meant family. A symbol of their family. No matter what, this would always ring true.)

“Oh I’m sorry. You were just sprawled out on that seat, and I spilled my coffee a bit. Clumsy me.” The lady tried to play innocent, but who the hell would be stupid enough to buy that? “Don’t worry, you wouldn’t pass this audition regardless if you had your fingers or not.”

Sharp eyes met prideful contacts, a menacing grin painted on with cheap lipstick.

“They say clothes speak a lot about personality. Wandered in here by accident?”

Dahyun clicked her tongue in annoyance, standing abruptly in her seat with a clang before deciding not to let it get to her. By now, most of the attention was on her and this little spat. She cursed when she saw Chaeyoung looking at her in shock and worry.

She wanted to retort. She wanted to be snarky and give this random lady a piece of her mind, but she knew it would do her more harm than good to retaliate, so she tried keeping it together. Tried.

“Sorry, I was just thinking of lessening the competition. You know what they say, it all starts behind the scenes; only half of the fighting is actually shown on stage.”

“Who even says that?” Dahyun muttered under her breath, composure held firmly in her grasp, though she had to say it was slipping quite dangerously from her sweaty fingers.

“Did this seat say something? Sorry, I don’t exactly speak the language of nobodies.”

That was it.

“Of course you wouldn’t know how to speak it. Too dumb to learn something new, I guess. Ever heard of humility?” Dahyun asked sarcastically, not sparing the lady a moment to reply. “Guess not, never been up high enough to need to pretend to lower yourself. Your already at the all-time low.”

“Says the person who looks like she’d barely scrape passed the screening.” The young mono-lidded woman saw the shaking fists and grinned, happy to get a bit of revenge.

“You wouldn’t pass anything at all. Eighteen years, give or take ten bronzes, a silver, skill level not too high, frustrated pampered pianist.” She commented her assessment. The widened eyes told her she scored the gold, just like any piano comp. “You wouldn’t be able to beat me with all your fingers unharmed.” She smirked before leaving the waiting area, her name called perfectly on time. Maybe luck was on her side for once.

“And who are you anyway?! To say you can beat my experience… a-and at least some achievements!” The woman shouted, the area of staff and pianists that became the audience to the spectacle clearly waiting with bated breath for the outcome of this stand-off.

With a twinkle in her eyes rediscovered and newfound vigor- and credit to that dumb lady, but she got a hell ton of motivation to prove herself, Dahyun gave a warm smile that sent cold shivers down her “challenger’s” spine. She said it simple as she could. It had been a while since her name was known to people of the same craft, so who knew? She said it anyway.

She knew. The moment she walked into that hall, she knew she didn’t quite look the part of someone auditioning for a musical for the high-class and prestigious group of audience. She wasn’t the most presentable or properly dressed… okay, Dahyun admitted she looked like someone who cut classes and skinned puppies to pass the time, a gangsta who taught their non-existent kids the importance of weed every morning.

Her hair was a mess, the sleeve of her denim jacket had a stain- from the coffee spill earlier, and she forgot to hide the tattoo on her ankle that she had gotten with Nayeon-unnie a little bit after their grandma died and the management of their grandma’s apartment kicked them out for no real reason.

Yeah, that wasn’t the best night of her life. They went crazy, Nayeon crazy drunk, and Dahyun just wild and high on her emotions to hide all the pain. They wandered the streets that night with two suitcases of clothes and personal belongings.

Thank heavens for Nayeon’s girlfriend, Jeongyeon who offered to share her apartment. Thank heavens because even though she already had a roommate, both women were willing to bring them in and share the rent, claiming there was enough space for everyone. (Obviously, the couple slept in the same room. Dahyun had to share with this fun, food-enthusiast unnie. Damn did they flirt like nobody’s business. Surprisingly nothing beyond flirting happened. Huh.)

Back to the present, Dahyun wondered if her presence was that much of a shock or something. Was it the rings? Should she have taken them off? They were really uncomfortable. She usually took them off when she played though. Except her father’s ring of course. She’d always wear that. Who knew, maybe his piano genius would possess her or something. (Yeah, right.)

She was starting to get impatient, and this little burn on her fingers only fed her irritation. Maybe she looked a little angry. Why did everyone seem so… careful? Scared?

"Umm, excuse me, are you lost?" Finally, someone asked… though not quite what she was expecting. Couldn’t they have at least asked for her name first? "This is an audition for classical pianists... for a-"

“I know.” Okay, that did come out like how she wanted. Would it be weird if she let out a sigh? Would she seem condescending? “High horse” kinda person? She didn't meant to sound that way, she was just irritated- couldn't shake the feeling off.

“I-I see, sorry I just-“

"Why else would I be here?"

‘Wow, I need to work on my communication skills… but I mean, can you blame me? My day hasn’t exactly been all that great…’

"I'm just... I'm sorry... you just look-" Now, she was getting a bit tired of this nervous act. Could they just get this over with professionally?

"I look the way I want to. Not the way I play." She finally sighed, though it sounded like a scoff, even to herself. Did that seem rude? Was Dahyun being rude? She felt like she sounded like some , but really, couldn’t this day give her a bit of light in this dim?

… and then there was her.

“Then how do you play?”

She was an angel. With an angel’s voice and face. (No duh, Kim Dahyun.) Looking at her, seemingly the most esteemed(?), well the hottest next to that other bodacious chick, Dahyun could only assume this was the Myoui Mina she had to impress. Oh boy did she want to impress.

Their eyes met and- cliché as it sounded- Dahyun felt the world slow down and everything just seemed… ugly (too blunt?) in comparison to this woman. They held each other’s gazes and Dahyun felt her blood boil- in a good way. It was a challenge. She liked them as much as she did this lady.

So she decided that actions spoke louder than words and sat down excitedly, though she hurt her and grunted. She was gonna make jaws drop.

 Jaws dropped.

It was all fun, surprising everyone and throwing their expectations straight to the bin, but Dahyun didn’t cope well with anxiety and waiting, and she needed to know if she actually passed or not.

She tried to come up with a better way of asking, really she did. Her brain failed her however once she saw the amazed look on The Myoui Mina’s face. It made her heart flutter, strangely enough. All she managed was a nervous, “So?” and nothing more as she tested the limits of her patience for the nth time that day.

The last thing she remembered was a broken heart before the words even registered.

She woke up, surprised she felt as good as she did despite the happenings of yesterday. With a sigh, she threw on a bunch of clothes and a jacket, checking her watch that read a quarter to six am. The café she worked at would be opening by six-thirty and she had the first shift. Seeing that her sister’s bedroom as still locked, she knew the older girl was at work. Leaving a note on the table, she locked up the house and walked out the compound to the café for opening.

Along the way, her stomach rumbled as she sighed softly. She figured her manager wouldn’t mind if she grabbed some breakfast there, taken out of her pay, so she walked faster to the slightly close by joint, reaching the place just in time to catch Son Wendy, her boss, unlocking the back door.

“Good morning, Manager-nim!” She greeted in her usual peppy manner. Wendy smiled, ruffled her hair and gave her a look. Dahyun new that look. She always got it when she teased Wendy about the formalities.

“Dahyun-ah, remember, it’s Unnie. Wendy-unnie.” She laughed lightly, allowing the both of them into the shop to prepare. “You will always be like a little sister to me no matter what.”

Dahyun felt her smile fade as she remembered something. ‘No matter what, huh’.

“I take it your working the whole morning?” Wendy asked from the counter while Dahyun came out of the back room, already dressed in uniform.

“Yeah, that audition thing didn’t work ou-“ Just as she was saying that, her phone dinged. Reaching into her jeans pocket, she gave a small frown at the unknown number, but opened it anyway. It could be a client that was recommended to her again. Sometimes people gave her work number around to contact her if they needed a job done. Some background for weddings, parties and the like.

“Dahyunie?”

“Just a second.” Reading the message slowly- content and sender, her eyes widened. “Wendy Unnie, could I leave around nine-thirty?”

“Sure?” Wendy’s tone of voice seemed to be asking why.

“I think I got the job?”

It was odd. That was all Dahyun could think of as she worked. The previous day, she had been clearly failed in that audition. So why were they telling her now that she got the job? Was it a mistake? Or a reconsideration on the part of the artist?

Thinking of the said artist, Dahyun drifted back into an admiring state. Oh what she would give to see Myoui Mina again.

A tap on the shoulder brought her back to reality as Wendy chuckled at the quick head turn. “Your shift is ending in a few minutes.”

Dahyun nodded. It was still a fairly slow hour after all, so she could afford day dreaming, but the customers seemed to be picking up, so if she wanted to get out of here, she needed to call the next worker in as she went out.

As she was about to head to the back, a familiar figure came her way.

Thank you, Father, Mother. What luck is this?

“Welcome, may I take your order?”

 She had told ‘Miss Myoui’ (As she now so fondly called her new boss, With whom she had somehow had the most wonderful encounter with ), “See you later.”, but later seemed a bit late as she was running to her next destination, trying to beat the clock with a sandwich in hand. Reaching the front doors, she was greeted by a gorgeous lady she felt she recognized from yesterday.

‘Ah, the bodacious one.’

“Oh! Kim Dahyun, right? If I remember! I’m so sorry about the text. That was from me.” She laughed as she bowed a little, Dahyun getting a little shy.

“Oh, it’s no trouble. I’m actually very glad you decided to have me back, ummm…”

“Jihyo. Park Jihyo. I’m the niece of the big man around here. Nice to meet you. I’m actually the director of this… thing. Sorry the organization is a bit messy. You know, the casting and hiring all strewn around. It’s my first time and I keep jumping from one thing to another.”

“Kim Dahyun as you know, and I think everything is an lesson we ought to learn from, experiences more-so.” She chuckled as they both shook hands.

“Shall we head in? Actually your singer arrived a few minutes ago, but has yet to go to your practice studio. She has got something to pick-up before that, so why don’t you lay down a surprise, yeah?”

“Sure…?”

A surprise was certainly what Dahyun gave. And she could see that when Miss Park said that her boss was getting something, she was actually picking-up someone. If that wasn’t awkward enough, Dahyun could just pretend to play it cool as Myoui Mina walked in with Son Chaeyoung in tow.

‘I knew something was up if my luck had been too good to be true.’

Dahyun watched the following scenes unfold. The girl calling for Jihyo for an explanation, Chaeyoung trying to interact with her, and Jihyo trying to explain. But Mina seemed resistant to this decision even after the beans were all spilled. She couldn’t seem to make up her mind if she actually liked or disliked Dahyun.         

“Get out.” Well, that definitely stung. She was trying to keep her smiling face, but when she heard she wasn’t chosen all over again, that was a sure blow to her confidence and to all hopes of getting a job that could better help out her Nayeon Unnie.

Right, this was what this was all about. Helping out her family and her friends. She knew their rent was going up, and that feeding four wasn’t easy. Being the youngest, she sorta figured they gave her a lighter weight to carry when it came to the division of their bill, but Dahyun knew everyone was doubling up efforts. She rarely saw Nayeon and Jeongyeon, heck she rarely woke up to see Momo and they slept in the same room!

She had enough of being a burden. Working at the café was nice, and doing piano from time to time was a pleasure, but it wasn’t stable. She wasn’t exactly as sought out as she was in earlier years when she was more well-known. She had faded into the background for a good ten years or so. Not exactly in demand. She was grateful to her regular clients for their offers, but even they couldn’t call for her all the time.

It also worried her because she knew there were plans of the four of them moving to a bigger apartment. After all, they were staying in one supposedly meant for two. Nayeon couldn’t move out with Jeongyeon alone. She wanted to stay with Dahyun. Jeongyeon was too worried about the sisters so she didn’t want to leave them and find a new apartment. Plus paying for it by herself was too heavy and lonely. Momo just liked the company of everyone.

If they were going to save up for this new apartment and keep it, Dahyun had to pull her weight.

‘But how do I do that without a job?’

Despite the swarm of worries, her ears still listened to Mina’s adamant resistance to the partnership and this made her wonder what she did so wrong the day before. Really, it was just a bad day for her. Like it was every day. Just her luck giving her bad days, every day.

"It's that or no Main act by me." The last that registered in her mind. So this was how against the singer was to the deal. Enough to abandon ship just so Dahyun wouldn’t be her pianist. Quite the silly drama.

The pale girl saw Jihyo's mouth drop open, maybe to voice out her reasons- attempt to- but Mina stopped her with a glance. They continued their little staring contest, but Dahyun had had enough. If Mina didn’t want her there, if no one did, she’d just have to leave.

She was still curious though.

"Just why do you hate me?" A voice spoke to Mina and she thought her heart would break in guilt at how it sounded. "I just needed a job." With that, the pale girl left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Dahyun walked back the route to the café, ready to take another shift at her only hope, the café. Maybe Wendy-unnie would let her smuggle a few chocolate shakes to feel better. Maybe.

Really, she just had a bad day. She always just had a bad day.

“Stupid Luck.”

A/N: Thanks for reading? See you Next chap?