Joohyun hisses as, once again, her mobile buzzes. It is across the room, ringing obnoxiously on her granite countertop. She has been receiving nonstop calls for ‘surveys’ recently, but they only wanted her personal information and weren’t getting the ‘ off’ memo. Who does business calls at - she checks the oven clock - 7:20 pm on a Thursday night, anyway? No one worth her time.

She swirls wine around in her glass, the dark burgundy liquid sloshing against the edges. It had been ridiculously expensive, but she can afford it; and really, what else would she do with her nights if not drinking fancy alcohol, alone, on her couch?

She shifts, rising to pick up the blaring phone.

“Leave me the alone, I’m not taking your survey. You have the audacity to call someone at this hour? It’s completely unprofessional. For the last time, stop calling this number.”

The line at the other end crackles and a thin voice emerges from the static.

“Umm, I guess I got the wrong number. I - I’m so sorry.”

Guilt floods through her: she literally just yelled at some random person.

“No, , I’m sorry. It’s been a long day,” Joohyun laughs dryly, scrubbing a hand over her face. She senses, rather then hears, an empty chuckle on the other line.

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

Joohyun has no idea what compels her to continue. She should hang up, let this poor person get on with their life. But maybe Joohyun’s lonely, deep down. She had everything she's ever wanted; a spacious loft in the financial district of San Francisco and is the young CEO for an up and coming company. She worked to be here, drinking fancy wine while watching the bay bridge twinkle outside a giant wall-sized window. But after Jennie, she had never again opened up to people. But tonight, Joohyun looked around her dimly lit apartment. So pristine. Devoid of emotion. It looked as if no one even lived here, let alone for over 6 months.

Maybe it was for these reasons, or a combination thereof, that Joohyun doesn’t end the call. Instead, she speaks into the heavy silence on the other end: “So, what’s your name?”

A pause. For a moment, Joohyun thinks that she hung up. The thought saddens her immensely until she receives a reply. “Seulgi. And yourself, stranger?”

“Joohyun,” then, as it hits her, “Am I keeping you from something? Didn’t you have to talk before you called this number instead?”

“Oh, no,” the girl, Seulgi, hurriedly replies. “I didn’t. Well. The number was disconnected, I guess. I mean,” Joohyun hears crackling on the other end of the line “It’s been years, so.” She gives a dry laugh.

“Why would you call a number after so much time?” As soon as the words leave , Joohyun chastises her for the bluntness. Great, now you might've scared off the only person willing to talk to you.

Not that Joohyun really cares. There’s a reason she has so completely detached herself form the world, ever since Jennie. Maybe she gets lonely. Her coworkers, especially the younger interns, always greet her with enthusiastic smiles. She appreciates the sediment, even if her answering nod is not quite the same magnitude. At least they care enough to make an effort, even if she realizes it’s probably only because they want a raise.

She realizes the other girl has still not replied. Again, she worries that she has overstepped. Joohyun has to remind herself that she doesn’t care, and it’s just some random person. She can’t develop any emotional attachment. That would be stupid.

“Well,” the voice is hesitant, and Joohyun picks up on her unwillingness immediately. It’s a feeling she gets every day.

“No, no need to explain. I apologize for being blunt-”

“It’s the only number I have memorized.”

The honesty cuts Joohyun off mid sentence. She takes a moment to register the words, weighing the meaning. She listens to the noise through Seulgi’s end of the line. She swears she hears a horn honk, and the dull patter of rain. She looks outside briefly; her window is indeed covered in droplets.

“Are you outside?”

“No. I’m not.” It was a lie. Joohyun realized that instantly, but didn’t question further.

Seulgi must have a reason to be dishonest. It was not Joohyun’s place to know. But sometime draws her in; something her about this strange girl, who is obviously calling from a public telephone, intrigues Joohyun. The voice speaks again.

“From where do you hail, stranger?”

The joke draws a ghost of a smile to Joohyun’s lips. She wonders if it looks like she’s grimacing instead - it had been a long time since she’s smiled.

“Bay area, born and raised. You?”

“Moved around a lot. College and all.”

She subtly deflects the question, Joohyun notes, but she doesn’t push. This girl has no right to tell her anything - hell, she should be thanking her for making the night a bit more entertaining. A small undeniable piece of her wants to keep talking and learn more. She hasn't felt this curious since since Jennie’s death.

“What’s your favorite animal?”

“A wolf,” Joohyun replies. A simple question - since she was old enough to talk, that answer had never changed.

“Why?”

Now that, she hadn’t heard before. She pauses, humming softly. The rain batters her windowpane.

“They stand for what they believe in. They are powerful, but independent.”

“No, you’re wrong. Wolves are social animals, like people. They need it.”

Joohyun is slightly taken back by the rebuttal. She’s not one to go down without a fight, or admit to what someone else says.

“Then maybe I’m a lone wolf,” she retorts back, tone brisk. It’s the voice she uses at work, to make sure no one questions her and leaves her alone. Seulgi doesn’t get the memo, or ignores it.

“The lone wolves always die. They are weakest, without a support system.”

“Maybe they figure out how to survive on their own. Relying on others, love, is weakness.” Joohyun realizes she is no longer talking about just wolves, and the conversation has escalated.

They talk, friendly banter. Joohyun loses herself in the conversation. It’s easy, she doesn’t have to think much or worry about messing up. When Joohyun looks up to check the time, she almost drops her phone in surprise. The clock blinks back at her - 12:43 am.

“,” she curses, chastising herself. She has an important meeting tomorrow at 8:30 am, only a few hours away.

“Hey - Seulgi, I’m sorry. I have work super early tomorrow..” she trails off, and hopes she’s not imagining the disappointment in the voice that replies.

“Oh, no worries! Uh.. It was nice talking to you?”

Neither of them knew where to go from here. Joohyun had almost forgotten this was some random person calling from a payphone. Who even called from a payphone at this hour? She wondered where she lived, and assumed somewhere far away where it was still daytime. Definitely not somewhere in the city.

“I enjoyed our conversation. Maybe we can talk another time?”

“Of course, I’d love to!” the response sounds genuine and brings a rare smile to Joohyun’s face. She is already looking forward to talking with Seulgi again.

“Goodnight, Seulgi.”

“Night, Joohyun.”

She hangs up the phone. For a long time, Joohyun remains standing in her kitchen.

Several hours and countless cups of coffee later, Joohyun sits at her large desk and wants to bang her head on the table. She considers it, because who the hell would stop her? No one, because her office is alone at the top floor. She doesn’t mind the quiet, not usually. But today her thoughts keep drifting back to the girl on the phone, and she struggles to concentrate on the new prototype design.

The morning had been a whirlwind of activity. Once again, she questions why they have to start work so early. Really, Joohyun adored her job, but couldn’t they make important meetings a bit later in the day? Then again, she’s an extremely young CEO for an aerospace engineering company she never gets a break. No one ever said Joohyun wasn’t ambitious. She knows, deep down, that she would never survive in a normal desk job. She needs more excitement than that.

A knock sounds on her door, and Joohyun calls them in without peering through the frosted glass to check.

“Don’t you look fabulous today?”

Joohyun looks up immediately, surprised for a moment, before her lip curve into a grin and she jumps from the swivel chair. She’d recognize that voice anywhere.

Taeyeon stands in the doorway, smirk on her face and hip resting against the smooth glass. Her dignified posture breaks slightly when Joohyun tackles her in a hug, knocking her back a step. She was Joohyun’s much older sister, but the age difference between them had never hindered their friendship.

“Get off me, you ooff!” Taeyeon laughs, ruffling Joohyun’s hair.

She smells like sun and her skin is fair. The uniform fabric is rough against Joohyun’s cheek, and she realizes her sister must’ve come straight from the airport to see her. The last letter she had received came weeks ago. It hadn’t mentioned coming home. When they break apart, Joohyun feels a flash of worry.

“What’s wrong, Eeyore?”

Of course her sister noticed the twinge of fear. Joohyun scoffs at her childhood nickname, given by her family when she was young.

They had been watching Winnie the Pooh, all huddled on the threadbare couch. Her mother made delicious hot chocolate and they all slowly sipped the scalding liquid, eyes never leaving the screen. They laughed as Pooh and Piglet danced around, meeting up with friends. Joohyun had been warm, nestled between her father and sister, despite the storm raging outside. When Eeyore the pessimistic donkey was introduced, Taeyeon immediately turned to Joohyun, her voice alight with mischief.

“Momma! Dad! Look, he’s grumpy just like Joohyun!” she exclaimed in a squeaky 8 year old voice. Joohyun gave her the harshest glare she could, sticking her chin out. Her parents boomed with laughter for the rest of the movie, and to this day, none of them have let the nickname go.

“Why are you home, Taeyeon? You didn’t mention it in your letters-“

She breaks her younger sister off, laughing. It’s like she’s 5 again, and desperate to prove herself; Joohyun feels strongly inadequate with her sister. She’s the only person who makes her feel this way.

“Nothing to worry about. Apparently even the military thinks I don’t take enough time off. I decided to come home and see the family.”

She was right; the last time Taeyeon had come home was for Christmas. It felt like a lifetime ago. The entire family drove to SFO to drop her off. When they hugged goodbye in the airport terminal, Joohyun had clung on tight, never wanting to let go. If her eyes were misty, Taeyeon hadn’t mentioned it.

“How’s it going, hot-shot? I hear your companies doing great things,” Taeyeon remarks, spinning around in Joohyun’s swivel chair. It felt like they were teenagers again, attempting to do homework in their father’s office. He had a rickety old swivel chair that should probably have come with a caution label, but the two of them used to fight over it every day after school.

Joohyun adores her parents, but they are nothing like her. Both extroverts, party animals, always joking about something. They used to say they picked up the wrong child in the hospital, because no way grouchy Joohyun could be their baby. Both of her parents came from humble backgrounds, but Joohyun always had a support system and people who loved her. Her mother was a kindergarten teacher - a brilliant woman, she could've been anything she set her mind to, but she only wanted to teach kids. For the millionth time, Joohyun wonders how hardworking teachers got paid so little. She knew her mom did as much work, or more, as she did.

Her father is a lawyer, but not the rich kind. He only takes cases for people who could not afford a lawyer, and therefore is paid significantly less. Joohyun is proud of both her parents, and she couldn't have asked for better role models. She always knew money was an issue, and that drove her to become as successful as she could. All the money that doesn’t go towards her food and rent is given to her family.

Taeyeon had been like a mentor growing up, especially with things she couldn't tell her parents. She vividly remembers the time Suho kissed her behind the shed in his backyard, and how wrong it felt when he held her hand. That night, Taeyeon and Joohyun threw all their combined blankets on the floor and pretended it was under the stars. She read her a book on space until Joohyun fell asleep. Taeyeon had comforted a scared, teenage Joohyun when she got scared of the way she felt around Jennie. Her sister was the first person she came to when Jennie kissed her in the locker room in 11th grade, and everything seemed to slot into place.

She was also the first person Joohyun ran to after Jennie –

She couldn't let herself think about that.

Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, Joohyun looks back to Taeyeon. Her sister quirks an eyebrow at her, knowing something is on her mind.

“Company’s going well. We have a new mechanic, Yeri. She’s actually more of an intern, currently finishing up graduate school at Cal. You’d like her, I think. How’s the military treating you?”

Taeyeon laughs, and Joohyun had almost forgotten how much she missed it.

“Everything’s good. It’s rough, being stationed far away.”

Joohyun knows exactly how she feels. When she went away to MIT for graduate school, on a practically full ride, she had hated being so far. But she needed a change - she had grown up in the bay area and went to college at Berkeley so she could live at home. And so you could stay with Jennie, a small part of her whispers. But the city she called home had became claustrophobic. Joohyun knew she needed a change of scenery away from her memories, but deep down, she knew she could never stray far from her parents. Neither could Taeyeon, and Joohyun knew it took a toll on her to be away so long. What could she say, the Bae’s were a family oriented bunch.

“Hey, wanna grab something to eat?” Joohyun asks, gesturing towards the door. “My treat.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” she replies, abandoning the chair and walking to the elevator.

Joohyun sighs, grabbing her coat and keys before racing after her sister. She can afford to take the rest of the day off.

In the excitement of Taeyeon’s arrival, and the subsequent dinner at their parents house, Joohyun had forgotten the mysterious phone call from the night before. Now, as she waits for the apartment elevator, she remembers Seulgi’s upbeat voice. It’s Friday night, and Joohyun doubts she will hear from the girl, tonight or ever again. Still, she had appreciated the talk. She doesn’t have many friends. Not anymore.

The phone doesn’t ring that night, though Joohyun stays up waiting longer than she wants to admit.

Joohyun leaves her loft early Saturday morning, stopping only to get coffee at a new cafe. The streets of San Francisco are always busy, even this early on a weekend, and she navigates her sleek black Lexus through the congested streets. The car was a gift to herself after she was promoted to CEO, but she uses it so rarely that it wasn’t really worth the price. She Skyped Taeyeon the day she bought the car, and her sister had persuaded her to name it. Joohyun, frankly, thought it was absurd to name a hunk of metal, but she eventually caved in. She called it - him - Dante.

Living in the financial district has it’s perks; she can literally walk to work everyday. Joohyun knows she doesn’t want to stay in her loft forever, because while proximity to RV Industries is nice, she wants to live somewhere closer to nature.

Joohyun drives until she reaches the Presidio, a beautiful park and ex-military base. She jogs a few blocks to the entrance and continues onto one of the numerous dirt trails.

Joohyun ran track all through high school. It was where she met Jennie, a girl with ‘a small girl but