The distant busyness of the downtown streets were of no concern to Byulyi as she stretched on her tiptoes to get the next line in, finger starting to ache slightly against the nozzle of the can she was holding after the many hours she had spent bringing her quick pencil sketch to life on the wall before her. Bright colors and bold outlines came together to form a picture straight out of a psychedelic Cyberpunk fantasy, a woman's face splitting in half to reveal both robotic mechanisms and organic shapes, fighting for attention in the center of the piece.

The outside world might as well have been dead to the girl right now as she was totally immersed in her work, the slow beats and groves of her music playing in one ear as she listened to the calming sound of the spraying of her can with the other, steady stream of paint getting laid on the wall as she continued her line all the way down, coming to a stop at the asphalt pavement. She took a step back for a moment, inspecting her artwork to see if there was anything going amiss.

As she did so, Byulyi finally realized how hot it had gotten, all notions of time and discomfort having been chucked out the window a long time ago by stubborn, artistic tunnel vision, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. She ed her large, oversized flannel, removing it swiftly and tying it around her waist, leaving her in her loose fitting black tank top and baggy jeans, before she pulled her respirator down around her neck. She wiped away at the moisture that had gathered on the skin underneath the rubber as she reached for the water bottle near the wall, taking a few long sips before she slipped her phone out of her back pocket.

Checking the time, Byulyi realized with a displeased grunt she had only about three hours worth of daylight to go and she was nowhere near finished. She really wanted to get this piece done in a day and so, she quickly pulled her respirator back on, grabbing her next can of purple and throwing herself back into her work. It was only when the orange colored sky was starting to darken that Byulyi was satisfied enough to add her signature, a crescent moon and a few letters in the bottom right corner in pure white to contrast with the darker colors of her work. She took a few steps back, doing one more once over before nodding to herself, satisfied.

She was about to take her phone out to snap a pic when the sudden sound of an impressed whistle startled her out of the motion, her hand clutching at her chest instead as she swirled around toward the sound, heart now beating frantically in her chest. She came face to face with a girl sitting daintily on the dumpster pushed against the wall opposite to Byulyi's piece, her confident body language exuding a powerful aura as she looked straight into the artist's eyes with a piercing gaze, an amused smirk pulling at her glossy lips.

The alley was pretty large, a couple of meters separating the two buildings forming it but still, Byulyi had no idea when the girl had gotten there or how she hadn't noticed her presence before then. What she did know, however, was that she was extremely pretty.

"You're really talented," the stranger's voice was smooth and low and yet retained a certain texture that gave it a bit of an edge, the contrast not unpleasant to Byulyi as she turned her gaze to the ground, slightly embarrassed by the sudden compliment. She mumbled a quiet 'thanks' behind the rubber of her mask, unsure if the other even heard it. "What's your name?" the mystery girl followed with a question, looking at the artist with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

Byulyi opened , unsure if it was to answer or to take a breath as it suddenly felt a little hotter in the chilling evening air. Her words seemed to have eluded her as she stood there frozen, unable to stop herself from taking the liberty to have a better look at the person in front of her.

The stranger wore a loose crop top draped over a blood red sports bra, flat stomach disappearing into a pair of matching sweatpants, the elastic waistband resting low on her wide hips. Even with the baggy garment, the girl's thighs pushed against the fabric slightly as she sat leaning forward on her arms, hands resting on the edge of the bin, and Byulyi could only imagine the kind of curves that woman must have underneath the loose clothing.

Dark cascades of jet black hair fell upon the stranger's lithe shoulders in soft waves, catching the light of the orange setting sun and framing her face with flaming hues. Byulyi noticed the mole on her cheek, right next to her smirking mouth, knowing look in her eyes. The artist hadn't realized more time than what could possibly still be called appropriate or polite had past when a soft chuckle suddenly escaping the other broke her out of her trance, startling her for the second time that evening.

Oh yeah, she was definitely extremely pretty.

"You're staring," the stranger stated between chuckles, eyes sliding down to Byulyi's cheeks for a brief second, making the latter acutely aware of how they were starting to warm up. The artist forced herself out of her embarrassed stupor, mentally slapping herself into action. She was acutely aware of how brain dead she must've looked to the other and truly, she felt a little pathetic to be so destabilized by a stranger.

A very y stranger.

Byulyi laughed a little, the sound slightly strained as she reached for the back of her neck, scratching the skin there in that nervous habit she had picked up whenever she felt uncomfortable or embarrassed. Her fingers caught the rubber of her respirator, reminding her that she still had it on and so she pulled it down, letting it rest around her neck again.

"Sorry, didn't mean to do that," Byulyi said shyly, trying not to sound too stiff. God, she hadn't been that shaken by a girl in a long while. She had forgotten what it felt like.

"No worries," the other reassured, that knowing smirk still stamped on her face, as if it were frozen in place.

"To answer your question," the artist started, "My name is Byulyi. Moon Byulyi if you care to know," she finished with a smile, feeling herself ease back into that confident persona she usually displayed.

"I'm Ahn Hyejin," the stranger answered back, an amused twinkle flickering behind her eyes, before she pushed herself off of her perch on the dumpster, landing a few feet away from Byulyi. The latter felt the slightest twinge of satisfaction when she realized the other was just a tad smaller than her. However, it definitely didn't take away from the aura she exhuded.

"That's a beautiful name," Byulyi breathed, small, mischievous smile stretching her lips as she continued, "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

"Didn't realize you were a sweet talker," Hyejin laughed, taking a few deliberate steps towards the artist, the latter's heart beating harder in her chest the closer she got, "I like it."

"Just one of my many talents," Byulyi smirked, noticing the faint smell of flowers coming to brush near her as Hyejin approached, pleasant and strangely fitting in all of its subtlety.

"I'd say being full of yourself is second on that list," the stranger spoke with a teasing flair, voice dropping a little as she came to a stop a few inches away from the taller girl.

"I think pleasing the ladies takes that spot, unfortunately," Byulyi countered playfully, liking the shift in the atmosphere, the dynamic she felt they were starting to fall into. Even though she didn't usually randomly pick her dates off the street, the woman in front of her was honestly too good of a catch to let go.

"Was that suggestive or am I just reading into things?" Hyejin asked behind a smile, one of her eyebrows rising in slight curiosity. It looked ier that Byulyi would like to admit.

"Do you want it to be?" the artist countered mischievously, giving the other what she hoped to be an inviting smile.

"Hmmmmm...." Hyejin brought a finger to her chin, comically looking as if she was deep in thought, "How about you take me out, then we'll see..." Hyejin cooed pleasantly, backing away a little as the artist flashed her another eager smile before she moved to put her things away, shoving her spay cans in her large duffle bag quickly, taking her respirator off her neck with a practiced motion and tossing it in last before zipping the whole thing shut, feeling the other's eyes on her all the while.

"I know a cool place not too far from here," Byulyi grunted as she shouldered her duffle bag, shifting it around to try and make it more comfortable to carry, "If you're free, would you like to accompany me?"

"Right now?" Hyejin chuckled, motioning to the heavy bag the artist seemed to be struggling with. The taller girl shrugged, fidgeting a little with anticipation.

"I can drop it off at my apartment, it's on the way."

"You're lucky I'm free then," the dark haired girl stated, amused, starting to walk out of the alley and back onto the busy streets. Byulyi had to try very hard not to let too big a smile escape, not even registering the fact that she was supposed to get moving so excited she was. "Hey," Hyejin called, having paused at the exit to wait for her, "I don't think I know the way to your apartment."

"Well then," Byulyi chimed as she jogged to catch up, "we're gonna have to change that, aren't we?"

Hyejin chuckled in response, shaking her head slightly as she moved to follow the artist.

---

Byulyi woke up with a loud groan, taking in a deep breath before releasing it in a sigh, eyebrows furrowing as she came aware of the unpleasant throbbing against her temples, hammering painful strikes inside her cranium.

She had definitely drunk too much last night.

She brought her hands to her face, pressing both palms hard against her eyes before rubbing slightly, a desperate attempt to try and shake the sleepiness out of her system. The artist had no idea what time it was or how long she'd slept, but the brightness of the room when she finally managed to open her eyes was unforgivable.

She grunted, displeased, stretching her limbs slightly before going limp on the bed once more, turning her head to the side, hoping to find someone still laying with her. She wasn't surprised to find no more than cold, empty sheets, but even though she had seen it coming, she still felt a twinge of disappointment.

She and Hyejin had actually had a very fun night together. In more ways than one, in fact. Byulyi had thought they'd go out drinking, get wasted, come back home, , and that would be the end of it. What she hadn't expected, however, was how well they had clicked together. Of course they had still ended up doing all of the above, but amidst everything, there had been some genuinely intriguing conversations, great laughs and most importantly, a sort of chemistry neither of them had anticipated.

It had been like hanging out with a friend for Byulyi, even though they had never even known each other before their chance encounter, and when they had finally made their way back to the artist's apartment, the way they had wasn't like any other one night stand Byulyi had ever had before. Everything was smoother, easier, more comfortable and truthfully, the artist would be lying if she said this hadn't been one of the best s of her life.

And so, at the end of the night, just as they were about to fall asleep, a drunk and sleepy Byulyi had blurted out how she'd wished that this was a first date instead of a one night stand. Hyejin had simply smiled, laid a soft kiss on the artist forehead and whispered for her to go to sleep. The latter had listened to her soothing voice, falling asleep before she could get a true reply.

In the back of her mind, Byulyi had hoped that maybe, just maybe, last night had meant enough to Hyejin for her to stay with her the next morning. Maybe to give her an answer, or even just to say goodbye properly.

Apparently not.

The artist sighed once again, sitting up in her bed and ruffling her bangs, not entirely unaware of the barely lingering sent of flowers drifting through the air. She reached for her phone to check the time. Hopefully there were still enough hours left in the day to be somewhat productive. As she clicked open the screen, she was surprised to see a notification for three messages from an unknown number, the string of numbers displayed completely unfamiliar to her. She opened it regardless, curious enough to check it out, and came face to face with a gorgeous picture of the mural she had painted yesterday, the lines and colors rendered beautifully through the image.

Byulyi took a moment to appreciate the picture before reading the accompanying message, a stupidly giddy grin suddenly splitting her face in half.

From: XXX-XXX-XXXX
You kept complaining you had forgotten to take a picture of it yesterday

Just let me know when you'll be making the next one

Hyejin.

Byulyi didn't even stop to wonder about the butterflies in her stomach as she quickly moved to type a reply, cheeks hurting and heart beating frantically as she pressed on the send button, a feeling of unprecedented happiness quickly taking over her previous, downcast mood.

She definitely had new motivation to create her next piece as soon as she could and the inspiration to make it beautiful.

-a/n-

Hello~
I hope you all enjoyed reading this new chapter :D
I'm really trying to update more often, but it's just been very hard to write anything satisfactory lately :/
Thank you so so much for reading, don't hesitate to tell me what you thought by leaving a comment and have a great continuation~