It's been three weeks since she had been sat at Eunji's dinner table and bombarded with questions about her one-night stand; Namjoo, Hayoung and Eunji completely unaware that her one-night stand was in fact Chorong, who undoubtedly disliked the topic of conversation just as much as she did. It's been three weeks since she and Chorong decided to attempt to have a friendship. Initially she had her doubts that they would become friends but she's pleasantly surprised that they have managed to be civil to each other. She's willing to say that a tentative friendship between her and Chorong is forming, slowly but surely a sense of comfort is developing between the two women.

Obviously due to how they met, occasions where uneasiness lingers still arise, like when they're left alone for several seconds and neither woman finds the courage to speak. Perhaps out of fear they'll say the wrong thing. Or like when their hands accidentally brush together and both girls feel the connection and spark but choose to remain silent.

Because it's easier that way.

Although, if she's being honest, she's not sure whether the hand brushes are accidental. At least not on her part.

However, they've only seen each other a couple of times since dinner at Eunji's but it has never been just the two of them. The first time Bomi saw her had been coincidental, she had been Christmas shopping for her family and had spotted Chorong and Eunji shopping together. The second time, Chorong had been in Starbucks with a colourful dressed girl who Chorong introduced to her as Sana.

Bomi can't help but wish there will be a time when it's just the two of them because questions which need to be asked still remain unsaid.

She sends a small wave in Hayoung's direction before rolling her eyes as her mom continues to talk her ear off about Christmas and how she hopes Bomi is still partaking in the Yoon traditions. Buying a real tree rather than an artificial one, exchanging one present with somebody on Christmas Eve, attending some form of carol concert and coming to visit her family on Christmas Day.

Bomi moves the phone from her right ear to her left as she waits for her mom to finish showering her with questions.

"Of course I'm going to be partaking in the usual Yoon traditions and yes mom, I'm coming home on Christmas Day to spend a couple of days with you, just like I told you last week and the week before that. What else would I be doing?"

"Maybe you'd want to spend it with somebody special."

Her mom allows the statement to linger before Bomi sighs heavily into the phone. "If that's your way of asking me if I'm seeing somebody, firstly well done on the subtlety and secondly, no I'm not."

"Dear, you will tell me when you finally get a girlfriend right?"

"Yes mom, I can assure you that when I finally get a girlfriend, you will be the first to know. I would never in a million years deprive you of the knowledge you've so desperately been seeking for the past six years." Bomi runs her fingers through her hair as she listens to her mother give her a running commentary on her lack of love life, as if she didn't already know.

"You're getting old. You should really try and find somebody."

Bomi scoffs into the phone. "What is it with everybody saying I'm getting old? I'm 24."

"Sunmi was married by the time she was 23."

"Well good for her," Bomi whispers quietly knowing her mom won't hear her due to her poor hearing. "Mom, I gotta go. I'm at Namjoo's dance recital and it's about to start. Give my love to Dad and Sunmi and I'll see you at Christmas."

She waits for her mom to say her goodbyes and after a quick 'I love you', she hangs up the phone just in time to see Namjoo bouncing over to her. Her arms wrap forcefully around her as she crashes into Bomi and Bomi has to force herself to stay upright.

"Bomi-ah you came."

"Of course I did Joo" Bomi replies. "I wouldn't miss your dance recital after all the hard work you've put into it."

Namjoo beams at her. "I hope it's worth the trip," she tells her before leading Bomi to the front of the dance hall where Hayoung is already sitting cross-legged with her eyes on her phone. "Is Eunji coming?"

"I don't actually know," Bomi replies truthfully. Ever since she found out Chorong was Eunji's girlfriend, her friendship with Eunji has become somewhat strained, and the blame for that falls completely on the blonde. She makes a mental note to spend more time with Eunji over the Christmas season. "I'm sure she'll be along in a while."

Namjoo bobs her head and greets her fiancée briefly, quietly telling her to put her phone away and actually act friendly. Bomi chuckles as Hayoung pouts but does as her girlfriend asks. From behind the side curtain, somebody beckons Namjoo and within seconds the bubbly redhead has disappeared.

Bomi takes a seat beside her friend and rummages in her bag, pulling out a bag of gumdrops and offering it to Hayoung; it's something her mom always used to do when she and her older sister were younger. Whenever they went on a long road trip or went to the cinema, her mom would always bring her own candy rather than pay for overpriced confectionery.

"God Lie, you get more like your mom every day," Hayoung jests in playfully manner but takes an offered sweet. "If you start baking bread in order for your house to smell nice, I'm giving you an intervention."

"What do you mean if I start?" Bomi replies seriously. "You always say my apartment smells nice."

"You haven't."

Bomi allows herself to smile and shakes her head. "No I haven't, she hasn't taught me how to make bread yet. She's always said her mom taught her and one day she'll teach me," she explains. "Don't worry; I'm pretty sure that day is a long way off. She's too busy focusing on my love life to do anything else."

Hayoung releases a dramatic sigh of relief. "Good to know." She points to a name on the sheet they've been given which contains all the children's names. “There's a girl in Namjoo's dance class called Siyeon who reminds Joo of me, so naturally she'll be amazing."

"I'll have to look out for her."

"Allegedly she's a mini-me so you'll easily spot her."

Bomi's about to respond when she hears somebody sitting beside her and the unmistakeable scent of vanilla and strawberries fills her nostrils.

It's a scent she's not too familiar with but it's unforgettable all the same.

"What are you doing here?" Bomi whispers as the woman beside her gets comfortable.

"I'm here for Namjoo," Chorong says as an explanation. "She has been my friend for longer than she's been yours after all, why wouldn't I be here to support her?" Chorong asks, shrugging her coat off. "She's come to watch me perform before. Besides, I've spent some time with her children helping them with their performance and I'm here for them too."

Almost as if the redhead's ears were burning, she appears before them once again and drags Chorong backstage. Bomi furrows her eyebrows as she watches them both go.

"She seems to be popping up everywhere now," Hayoung states as she drums her fingers against her knee and Bomi had momentarily forgotten that she was there, it's unlike her to stay silent for so long.

"Define everywhere?"

"At work and then here."

"Two places then," Bomi corrects her. "Besides, she's Namjoo's friend, why wouldn't she be here?"

Even though she had wondered the same thing.

"Okay I'll give you that one but why did she turn up at work?" Hayoung questions with a furrowed brow. "Why was Eunji's girlfriend visiting you?"

Bomi feels the back of her neck heating up at the intense stare being sent her way by her friend. "What's with the fifty questions?"

"You sound a bit nervous there Bomi, something you're not telling me."

The stage is still dark and Bomi is silently praying for it to light up and the recital to start, anything to stop the accusatory tone that the tall girl's voice possesses.

"She wanted help with what to buy Eunji for Christmas."

"Really?"

"Why are you questioning this?" Bomi states, trying to remain calm. "She needed my help with a Christmas present for her girlfriend, my best friend, so I helped her."

Hayoung holds her hands up in surrender. "Alright Bomi-ah, whatever you say…although with the nerves you're giving off, anybody would think you had something to hide."

"I don't have anything to hide." Bomi stands up hurriedly and reaches into her bag, retrieving a cigarette and a lighter. "I'm going to have a cigarette before the show starts, come get me if I'm not back in time."

Hayoung tuts in her direction before Bomi heads towards the front door and walks outside, inhaling the cold, fresh air. Lighting the cigarette, she brings it to and breaths in the smoke before blowing it out in one fluid motion.

"Smoking is a disgusting habit you know."

Bomi turns at the voice to see a tall dark-haired woman leaning against the wall next to her. "So I've been told."

The other woman's mouth curls up into a smile. "I love the smell of cigarette smoke, I used to smoke myself."

"Why'd you stop?"

"I grew tired of people telling me it was a disgusting habit," the woman replies. "You can only hear that so many times before it becomes grossly annoying."

"Maybe you should tell me again and I might stop."

The black-haired woman laughs before extending her hand. "I'm Naeun."

Bomi rakes her eyes over Naeun and realises this must be the woman Namjoo was hoping to set her up with, unless of course there's another Naeun in the vicinity of Namjoo's dance recital right now.

She supposes that is always a possibility, albeit a slim one.

She has to hand it to Namjoo; the woman is certainly Bomi's type.

"Bomi," she replies, taking Naeun's hand.

Unlike when she shook Chorong's hand, there is no spark, no butterflies dance in the pit of her stomach. It's just a normal handshake.

"Do you work with Namjoo?"

Naeun nods before shivering a little at the cold. "Yeah, how did you know?"

Bomi takes another drag of her cigarette before looking at Naeun and finds herself staring into intense brown eyes. Eyes that could rival Chorong's in the colour department. She shrugs her shoulders before answering. "Lucky guess."

The front door to the dance hall opens and both women turn to look in the direction. "Bomi, the show is start –"

Chorong's words fall short in as she takes in the two women standing side by side, engaging in conversation. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You didn't," Bomi states firmly, her eyes moving from intense brown eyes to doe-eyed brown ones. "I'll come in now."

Chorong observes the dark-haired woman for several seconds before bobbing her head to show she heard what Bomi said and disappears back inside. But not before she sends Bomi a look of disgust, gesturing towards the cigarette resting between Bomi's fingers.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Bomi emits something that is a mixture between a cough and a laugh at the question. "What? No. Why did you think that?"

"She just didn't seem to like the fact you were talking to me."

Shaking her head with a scoff the blonde drops the cigarette to the ground and squashes it with her foot. She'd barely even smoked it; maybe stopping would be easier than she thought. "I best head back inside, wouldn't want to miss the show."

Naeun murmurs her agreement. "Nice talking to you Bomi-ssi, we'll have to do it again sometime."

Applause fills the dance hall as the children who had performed bow for the audience one last time, all smiling and giggling. Bomi notices that Chorong is clapping with enthusiasm and attempting to whistle but failing terribly. Bringing her fingers to , she whistles sharply in satisfaction and gives Chorong a smirk and cheeky wink.

The brunette huffs and looks away. Chorong hadn't spoken to Bomi throughout the performance, even ignoring her during the fifteen-minute interval and Bomi can't understand why. She doesn't know what she's supposed to have done.

Ten minutes after the children leave the stage Namjoo appears, a wide smile decorating her features. Hayoung stands and wraps her fiancée up in a hug, telling her how fantastic she is.

"Namjoo that was amazing, you're such a good teacher."

Namjoo beams at Bomi's praises as she wraps an arm around Hayoung's waist, tugging her closer. "Thanks Bomi, but the children did all the work, I just watched them and went along with their ideas."

"Don't put yourself down Joo, you're amazing," Hayoung says as she kisses her.

"Do you two want to come back to ours?" Namjoo asks. "I just need to make sure all the children are picked up but then we can celebrate."

"I can't," Bomi replies as she fiddles with her car keys. "Too much work to do."

"I should probably leave now as well," Chorong states, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I need to hail a cab before everybody else starts leaving."

"It's better if we celebrate by ourselves anyway," Hayoung purrs into her fiancée's ear, causing a sheepish grin to appear on the redhead's face.

"I can give you a lift."

Chorong pauses momentarily and Bomi doesn't fail to notice the quirked eyebrow Hayoung is sending her way. "Are you sure? I don't want to put you out."

"It's fine, I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't okay."

"Okay thank you, I'll just grab my coat."

Chorong briefly disappears and Hayoung stands still, smirking at the blonde. "How very generous of you, Bomi."

Bomi drums her fingers against her steering wheel as they stop at traffic lights. "Where's Eunji tonight?"

Chorong looks out of the window as Bomi speaks and doesn't bring her attention towards the blonde, instead she watches the elderly couple who are walking along the sidewalk hand in hand. "She's not feeling very well."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I think she's getting the flu," Chorong tells her. "Personally I don't think it's anything more than a cold."

"Eunji has always been dramatic especially when it comes to illness," Bomi explains turning left once the traffic lights change to green. "When we were little and she scraped her knee, she would always act as if she was going to have to have her leg amputated."

Chorong chuckles quietly as she rolls her head so her gaze is directed forward. "Can I switch the radio on please?"

Bomi nods silently as she stops at another set of traffic lights. The gentle tune of orchestral music floats through the car and both women fall into silence that's neither comfortable nor uncomfortable.

"So Chorong," Bomi starts as she turns the volume on her radio down slightly ensuring Chorong will hear her. "What do you do?"

"Do?"

"As in what's your job." Bomi states more clearly.

Chorong bobs her head and fiddles with her seatbelt "I'm in theatre."

"Oh...that's why you looked offended when I said it wasn't really my thing and why you helped the children with their performance."

"Of course," Chorong says in jest. "I've always aspired to be on The Seoul Arts Center. I've performed in a couple of plays at Daehakro, which is brilliant but I hope to take that performance onto the Seoul Center stage eventually. A couple of months ago I had an audition to play in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change on the Seoul Arts Center."

"Did you get it?" Bomi questions lightly. "Will I be seeing your name up in lights shortly?"

Chorong shakes her head. "Something came up and unfortunately I was unable to attend the audition." Bomi can hear the sadness which laces the brunette's voice and decides not to push it any further. "I've always prided myself on being an optimist so hopefully I'll receive another chance."

"You must be a brilliant singer then."

"Brilliant is an understatement," Chorong replies playfully.

Bomi laughs and wonders whether if she asked Chorong to sing for her, she would. Not wanting to put pressure on the brunette, she decides against it and focuses her attention on the road ahead.

"What about you?"

"I possess an okay singing voice, I wouldn't call it brilliant but if I went carol singing, I'd probably make a bit of money."

Chorong laughs at the blonde's response. "As useful as that knowledge is, I meant what is your job? I know you work for the Hankook Ilbo but what exactly do you write?"

"I write the sport articles," Bomi answers. "It's not exactly what I want to do, I'd prefer to report the sports news in front of a camera but the newspapers are a stepping stone to that."

"Maybe one day we'll both achieve our dreams."

Bomi nods silently. "Which way is it now?"

Chorong glances towards the road. "The next left and then the third right," she explains before scratching a non-existent itch behind her ear. "What's your favourite movie?"

"It's a Wonderful Life," Bomi answers immediately. "It plays in Yeouido Park each year a couple of days before Christmas and it's become a tradition for me to go and see it every year, no matter how many times I've seen it before."

"I've never seen it."

"You should come and watch it in Yeouido Park," Bomi says without even thinking. "They're playing it in a couple of weeks, 23rd December." Once the words leave Bomi wishes she could take them back, it sounded like she was asking Chorong out.

Luckily Chorong doesn't give any indication that she's planning to take Bomi up on her invitation so she breathes a sigh of relief and turns down the third right, asking Chorong to signal her when they get close to her apartment. "What about you?"

"Somewhere in Time."

Bomi nods. Now Chorong has told her, she can remember Eunji telling her that was Chorong's favourite movie a couple of weeks ago.

Silence fills the car for several seconds before Chorong whips her head towards Bomi. "Was that Naeun you were talking to earlier tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Namjoo told me earlier how she'd told Naeun to ask you out," Chorong comments, bringing her attention back to the window, avoiding Bomi's gaze.

"Did she?"

Chorong clears . "Did she?"

"Are you just repeating what I'm saying?" Bomi says with a chuckle but Chorong doesn't crack a smile. "No, she didn't ask me out."

"Okay."

"Why would you care if she did?"

The brunette shakes her head meekly. "I don't."

"Then why ask?"

Chorong doesn't answer; instead she turns the volume of the radio back up and taps her fingers against the car door. "This is me," Chorong states loudly, pointing in the direction of a building on the right hand side of the road. "Anywhere near here is fine."

Bomi pulls her car over right outside Chorong's building.

"Thank you for the lift," she says gratefully as she unbuckles her seatbelt and opens the car door. "I really appreciate it."

Bomi shrugs her shoulders. "Don't mention it; it's better than making you get a cab."

Chorong steps out of the car and hovers beside the car door. opens several times but all words seem to escape her. After several seconds of silence, Chorong voices some words although they weren't the ones she was searching for. "Thanks again." She closes the car door behind her and Bomi watches as she walks towards the building, opens the front door and heads inside.

She waits until Chorong's safely inside the building before driving away, turning the volume of the radio up even more, allowing the orchestral music to fill her car once more.

Chorong closes her front door behind her and rests against it. She mentally scolds herself for asking Bomi about Naeun.

It's none of her business what Bomi does or who she talks to.

Resting a hand against her forehead she pushes herself off the door and calls out for Sana.

"Yes," the voice floats towards her from Sana's bedroom and shortly afterwards, Sana appears before her. "You're back early; I thought you were spending the night at Eunji's?"

"I was going to but she's not very well."

"You should have called, I would have picked you up," Sana replies as she heads towards the kitchen and flips the kettle on. "It would have saved you getting a cab."

"Actually Bomi gave me a lift home."

"Who's Bomi?" Momo questions as she walks out of Sana's bedroom, her fingers running through her hair in an attempt to calm it down. "Hey Chorong."

Chorong sends a hello back in her direction before copying Momo and taking a seat on the couch as Sana moves about in the kitchen, making a ridiculous amount of noise.

"Eunji's best friend."

"You've talked about her a lot the last couple of weeks," Sana tells both her and her girlfriend. "Considering you don't even really know her, she occupies a lot of our conversations."

"She's a nice person," Chorong replies with a blush. "Besides, she's Eunji's friend so I'm trying to get to know her because we're obviously going to be spending a lot of time together."

"You don't normally take to people straight away."

"I resent that accusation," Chorong declares adamantly.

Sana releases a high-pitched laugh. "You didn't like me when we first met because we were battling for the same roles and I managed to steal some from you. When I introduced you to Momo, you accused her of trying to steal the same roles from me." Sana continues with a smirk.

"I will have you know that they were all legitimate concerns. You were trying to steal my roles and as you've just admitted, you did steal some. Momo could have been the same."

Sana starts to fix everybody some hot chocolates. "My point was that you don't seem to have any worries regarding this Bomi girl, you're not wary of her and you seem to have befriended her straight away. She must be something special to get the Park Chorong seal of approval."

"I never said she had the Park Chorong seal of approval."

Momo quirks her eyebrow. "Does she?"

Chorong flushes and ducks her head. "I don't know her well enough to give her the Park Chorong seal of approval...but she's definitely on the right path."