Engine oil, rust, and fumes from the undercoat paint make breathing a chore. The heat that’s built up in the garage thickens the air and takes its toll on Dahyun’s already tired muscles. It’s a cancer sentence, working on these outdated cars. Dahyun knows Kyungsoo has the kind of money that could get a fleet of thirty new sedans. He wouldn’t even need to snap his fingers. Dahyun also knows that Kyungsoo is frugal as , a champion cheapskate. On those rare occasions where he’d treat his staff to beer he’d buy a keg or two and would make it last the whole night by filling the solo cups halfway with ice.

An uncle of Kyungsoo’s used to be the manager and the mechanics before Dahyun were these incompetent ahjussis. Half-assing lazies who got away with just the basic battery and coolant checks, and no-brainer oil changes. When Kyungsoo took over they were promptly laid off.

What Kyungsoo couldn’t get rid of, though, are the signs of wear and tear on the older taxis. They are currently the bane of Dahyun’s existence. Over the years rust had accumulated at the undercarriage, naturally eating away at some parts. Right now, Dahyun’s trying to replace a worn out bracket that is supposed to hold up a leaf spring suspension at the rear.

She has been trying to work at the bracket’s bolts. They are stuck like and Dahyun’s only been able to take one out so far, even after she’d already switched her ratchet for a longer breaker bar. Her safety glasses have fogged up and her forehead’s damp - a heavy mix of grease and Dahyun’s own sweat. Dahyun regrets not having re-tied her top knot before getting underneath the car. Her hunter green work shirt (name patch: K. DAHYUN) is of a heavy cloth and now that it’s heavier with perspiration, Dahyun just wants to peel it off and take a cold shower. The creeper she’s laying on isn’t a bed of roses either. She would have been better off with her back against a skateboard.

Dahyun blows out a tired breath and stops trying to twist the damned bolt free. That’s when she listens to what Hoseok, their HR officer, is saying. This guy’s a motor mouth and most of the stuff that comes out of him is workplace gossip and play-by-plays of the latest KIA Tigers game. Stuff that Dahyun usually tunes out so she can stay focused on getting her work done. Kyungsoo doesn’t exactly pay by the hour…

“You heard what happened to E’Dawn?” he says in a low voice. Totally unnecessary by the way since he and Dahyun are the only ones in the garage at the moment.

“No,” Dahyun says. “What happened?” She keeps to her own so she’s usually the last to hear news about anyone and anything. Then she gets an idea on how to loosen the bolts. Asks Hoseok for a can of WD-40.

There’s some shuffling and clanging about as Hoseok searches. “Where do you keep it?”

“It’s next to the wrench set.”

“It’s not here.”

Dahyun frowns. Those night shift ers must’ve taken it again without putting it back. “The steel cabinet at the corner. You see it?”

“Uhhh...” Hoseok drifts off, scanning the garage then finding it. “Yeah.”

Dahyun turns her head to look at thes floor beyond the car. Sees Hoseok’s trainers move towards the cabinet. She tells him, “there should be a whole box left.”

“Found it!” Hoseok announces brightly. He takes a can out and walks back to the car, playfully kicking Dahyun’s boot that stuck out from underneath it. “Anyway, E’Dawn flew the coop. With that girl? Kyungsoo told me that E'dawn’s going to marry her.” He bends down and peeks under the side of the car. Takes one look at an utterly dishevelled and greased up Dahyun and says, “I’m glad I’m stuck with office work.” He slides the can of WD-40 Dahyun’s way.

She catches it easily, before the can rolls out of reach. “That Hyuna chick?”

Yeah, Dahyun’s one of the less socially aware individuals in the company but she’s not blind. Hyuna is impossible to miss. “Wow. I thought they weren’t even dating.” She puts on her mask and pops the cap off the can. She looks away while she sprays at the bolts. An extra precaution even though she’s already wearing safety glasses. You wouldn’t want to get this stuff in your eyes.

Hoseok snorts. “Apparently they did more than just date.” The dirty tone in his voice is obvious. “So Little Boss is losing his mind. He’s down one all-star for the night shifts. That’s why he’s been such a lately.”

As she’s waiting for the liquid to set, to really get at the rust, she considers what Hoseok just divulged. Dahyun understands why Kyungsoo is so upset. All-star drivers know two or more languages and E’Dawn spoke French. Colossal loss there obviously. Then something occurs to Dahyun. Assigned the airport rounds, these all-stars, the internationals, make twice as much as the regular taxi drivers. Serious cash is in it for you if you could hustle hard.

“Awwww come on,” Dahyun says. She takes her breaker bar and tries a bolt. With the rust having melted loose, the bolt finally gives when she turns it. “Don’t call him that. He’s not that bad.”

“For you he isn’t,” Hoseok says.

“That’s because everyone loves me.”

“Oh, off!” Hoseok laughs.

As Dahyun’s unscrewing the last bolt, she notices Hoseok’s laughter fading.

“Hoseok?”

Nothing.

“HOSEOK?”

Crickets.

No, actually just the whirring of the garage’s exhaust fans.

Dahyun rolls out from under the car in her creeper. Finds no Hoseok.

“For ’s sake.”

Dahyun could really use a beer right now.

 

- - -

 

When Dahyun gets home she catches the unmistakable smell of sausage stew that’s floating throughout their apartment. Perfect. Dahyun is starving. Chae must be in the kitchen and Tzuyu is on her way. She’ll probably arrive in thirty minutes, give or take. Dahyun sets down the box of honey sesame chicken onto the dining table. She isn’t sure why, but she’s feeling rather celebratory tonight.

She sniffs her way to the kitchen. Finds Chaeyoung there, stirring and prodding a wooden turner around in a cooking pot. She has on her thick-rimmed glasses and the apron Dahyun gave her five Christmases ago. The apron says “CUB OF THE KITCHEN” and has a cheeky little lion badge stitched on the front pocket.

Chaeyoung notices Dahyun come in. She puts a lid on the full pot and says, “dinner will be ready in a sec.” Chaeyoung raises her eyebrows at Dahyun who’s making her way to the fridge, carrying a six-pack.

“I brought chicken! Honey sesame,” Dahyun announces with a grin. She opens the fridge and loads in the beer.

“You should’ve said you were taking something home!” Chaeyoung is quick to say. “I made a huge batch of budae jjigae!” She gestures wildly at the stove.

Dahyun steps towards Chaeyoung and all seriously, squinted eyes and everything, goes, “Wow! I try and surprise your tiny and this is what I get in thanks?”

Chae suddenly turns regretful. Slumped shoulders and panicked expression. “Hey, Dubs! I’m sorry, I was just—”

She tries to keep a straight face but Chae’s backtracking is hilarious so Dahyun eventually fails and breaks into big piggish giggles, hand clutching at her stomach. “Nah, I’m just ing with you, Chaeng,” Dahyun tells her, patting Chaeyoung’s unfairly attractive shoulder. “Relax, relax.”

The smaller girl grins despite herself and tries to sound angry when she tells Dahyun she’s an . Chaeyoung turns Dahyun around and pushes her out of the kitchen with an excessive amount of force.

Dahyun scuttles away, makes for their guardian’s room. While she’s still within earshot, she raises her voice. “Set the table! Tzuyu’s on her way home.”

Jinyoung’s door is open when she approaches. Dahyun is careful to soften her steps until she reaches the door jamb. On the wall right across from her is a framed abstract painting - shades and shapes of blue and white. It was just Chaeyoung messing around but Jinyoung thought it wonderful and pretty enough to hang up.

The radio is on, tuned in to a ridiculous drama that runs until 7PM. And there’s Jinyoung, just listening (or maybe not), sat in front of his bedroom window. It’s open and the wind coming in is cool. Jinyoung looks out, at the people down the street. He stares at them. Longingly. People walking.

Walking.

Dahyun watches him in his wheelchair with a hurting heart. In spite of it, she conjures up a bright smile and knocks on the open door to make her presence known. “Hey, old man.”

Jinyoung maneuvers his chair around to face her. Counters her greeting with a polite “good evening to you too, Dahyun-ah.” His expression is warm and in his arms is one of Tzuyu’s dogs. Gucci is this tiny Pomeranian and he’s just about the right size for lounging on Jinyoung’s lap.

She’s leaning timidly against the door jamb. “Sorry I couldn’t come with you earlier. Kyungsoo called me in an hour before my actual shift. He had a job for me.” Dahyun digs her hands deeper into her pockets as she explains.

“Don’t be silly,” he says, bending over and gently setting Gucci down onto the floor. Gucci struts out into the living room, drawn by the smell of dinner. “Chaeyoung took great care of me. Even better than you do, actually.”

Dahyun’s jaw drops. Okay, that right there is just straight-up offensive. “You don’t mean that.”

Jinyoung simply shrugs his shoulders, satisfied that he got a rise out of his “firstborn”. He wheels himself closer to her. “Did he pay you extra?”

Dahyun proudly grins and nods. “How was the session today?” she asks back.

“It was fine. Nothing much is new. Same exercises. I can fly now.”

“Sure you can.”

“I’ve already lost my legs,” Jinyoung says. “I refuse to lose my sense of humor.”

Dahyun smirks. “You never had that to start with.”

Jinyoung shakes his head. “One of these days, I’m going to kick you out of this house.”

Dahyun steps forward with an air of challenge. “Kicking,” she tells him, tapping her toe against a wheel of his chair, “would require one to move their legs.” She steps back and crosses her arms. “You don’t scare me, old man.”

“Okay, low blow but I’ll allow it. After all, I didn’t raise a softie.” They share a smile and Jinyoung looks back at her with what Dahyun likes to think is pride. “You don’t have to do this anymore,” he says.

“What are you saying?”

“All these side rockets, the moonlighting.” He stares hard at her and he’s serious. Real concerned. “You should focus on getting into school again. Get a better degree. Something close to your heart this time.” Jinyoung frowns. Pauses a while and his lips. “I don’t think therapy’s working anyway. I’ve already accepted it. I’ve accepted this chair. I could be like, a Korean Professor X.” He laughs at himself.

Dahyun smiles at the silver lining their guardian came up with. She gets closer and squats in front of his chair so they are level, eye to eye. “I had nobody. And you took me in. Cared for me, for Chae and Chewy. Now, just let me do my part.”

Jinyoung’s lips tremble but he stops himself before he breaks down and cries before they have dinner. He doesn’t want to worry the other two with puffy, red eyes and some sniffles. “I wish I could do something to make this easier on you all.”

“Just keep going to therapy,” Dahyun says softly. “That’s all you have to do. Just knowing that you’re trying to recover is enough for us.” She makes a fist and pumps it - the classic Hwaiting! gesture.

The man sighs. “ Alright. Just don’t stretch yourself out too thin, either.”

“Deal,” Dahyun says and they shake on it. “Come on, dinner’s almost ready.” She gets up and goes around his chair to grab at the handlebars. Dahyun eases them forward. “I brought honey sesame chicken.”

“And beer?”

“And beer.”

 

- - -

 

The following morning Dahyun is in Kyungsoo’s office, asking him about the vacancy. Dahyun’s look of determination tells Kyungsoo so much and she hasn’t even reached that part in their conversation yet but Kyungsoo already knows where it’s going.

His back straightens in his big leather chair. “No. Absolutely not!” Kyungsoo shakes his head. Says she’s crazy for even considering it.

“Come on, Kyungsoo. You know I really need the money right now and I can do it.” She wants to be taken seriously. “I can do this.”

It’s not a question of ability, no. Dahyun’s one of the good ones. Does the work and she does it fast. He had gone over her records at Hoseok’s office and he found out she graduated from a two-year automotive course at a respectable tech-voc school. She’s even ASE certified on multiple series. Plus, Dahyun knows her languages. She’d make a perfect all-star…

If only she weren’t a girl.

Kyungsoo is a rather small man. That doesn’t, in any way, keep him from being one of the most intimidating people Dahyun’s ever met. “Dahyun,” he says, giving her a hard look. “It’s not safe. If anything were to happen to you, I will hold myself personally responsible for being stupid enough to have allowed you.”

Kyungsoo’s refusal is something Dahyun had predicted. Yet, she argues on. “I can take care of myself. I’m a black belt,” she tries.

“Go on, keep lying,” Kyungsoo says, nodding his head, daring her to continue her quest of desperation with his big, round, threatening eyes.

It’s extremely difficult to maintain eye contact with Kyungsoo when he’s like this and Dahyun’s resolve ultimately leaves her. She puffs out a heavy breath and shoots out of her chair. She claps her hands as if it would make the tense atmosphere disappear.

“Right, so... thank you for your time, Sir.” She smiles at him, cheeks pink, clearly embarrassed.

Kyungsoo frowns. Is actually surprised that Dahyun gave up without much of a fight. Not that he’d change his mind if she put in more effort into convincing him. The suggestion is utterly preposterous.

“I’m sorry, Dahyun-ssi, but I just can’t allow it.”

Dahyun bows before leaves, weakly closing Kyungsoo’s office door behind her.

 

- - -

 

The following day Kyungsoo finds Dahyun in the garage. His ace mechanic is already in her coveralls and sipping at a mug of coffee as she sits and goes over a logbook.

“You,” he calls. Tries not to laugh when Dahyun shudders and sits up straighter like she just got hit by a whip. “In my office. Now.”

Once more, Dahyun finds herself sitting in a chair fronting her boss’s desk. Kyungsoo sets a takeout cup in front of Dahyun before rounding the table and sitting across from her. Dahyun stares at the cup. “Uhhh...”

“That’s real coffee,” Kyungsoo answers shortly. “Not the cheap crap they make in the pantry.”

Dahyun thinks of the mug of coffee that she left in the garage. “I feel so attacked right now.”

Kyungsoo just grins. “Okay,” he says.

“Okay?”

“You get to drive. Be an all-star.” He smiles at the entertaining sight before him. Of her jaw dropping like it’s hot. “I have conditions though.” He closes his eyes, like he’s asking himself if he is really going to go through with it. Setting Dahyun up for a big reveal, Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. Then says:

“You have to be a guy.”

 

- - -

 

DO KYUNGSOO’S CONDITIONS:

1. Get a haircut or a man bun. Whatever. With your face, you can pull off the effeminate male idol look.

2. Hide your twins, however small they may already be. You wouldn’t want people getting grossed out by your man s. Hoodies and jackets a size or two bigger will do. You can even go the extra mile and bind your chest.

3. Pepper spray must be on your person at all times.

4. Learn to use the taser that I have so generously provided you.

5. Text me every hour. Just a little, “hey, I’m still alive” will do.

6. If you’re in danger, send me a message that says “BANANAS”. That’s our safe word.

 

Dahyun pounds a fist on the table. “No way we’re having a ‘safe word’! That’s disgusting.”

“Oh, God. You’re right,” he says, realizing how wrong it sounded just now.

“Just say it’s our signal,” Dahyun offers as an alternative.

Kyungsoo instantly nods his consent. “Anyway, ‘BANANAS’. Our signal, okay?”

Dahyun is considerably calmed down now. “Roger that.”

“So will you do it?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” Dahyun says, set on this from the start. “All of it.”

“Great!” Kyungsoo says, leaning back into his chair, finding it funny that the turnout of this compromise gave him feelings of accomplishment. “You start tomorrow night.”

 

- - -

 

That evening, Chaeyoung catches Dahyun in the bathroom as the older girl tries to cut her hair. “What exactly are you up to?” Chaeyoung spots the long dark locks that have fallen into the sink. It’s hard to believe. Dahyun’s hair has always been at least up to her shoulder.

Dahyun’s hand stiffens as she’s about to snip the length of hair that’s clipped between her fingers. She explains to the younger the deal she made with Kyungsoo, still cutting away. By the end of the explanation Dahyun’s hair is already at the level of her ears and Chaeng’s sported on a big frown. A sign that tells Dahyun that the wary baby beast has awoken.

“You’re an idiot if you think I’ll let you do this. Jinyoung’s gonna freak once he finds out.” Chaeyoung crosses her arms and takes angry steps towards Dahyun. Suddenly Chaeng appears to be a foot or two taller. “You know that every night you’re going to be putting yourself at risk, Dahyun.”

“That’s why there are safety precautions,” Dahyun argues.

Chaeng rolls her eyes. “I mean it, Dahyun. I’m telling Jinyoung.” She turns around and goes for the door.

Dahyun panics. “Chaeng, wait!” She’s relieved when Chaeyoung stops but she still has her back to Dahyun. “You know why I’m doing this, right?” Silence then, then Chaeyoung lets out a heavy sigh, her posture visibly easing up.

“I know,” she says softly, turning around. “I want him to walk again too.”

Dahyun offers Chaeng a small grin. Says, “and don’t talk to me about risks. Remember the last protest you went to? You got hosed down by the cops.”

Chaeyoung has nothing to reply to that. Just puffs out her cheeks which the older girl couldn’t help herself from pinching.

Hands still squishing Chaeng’s face, Dahyun asks her, “so do I have your blessing?”

Chae sighs. “Fine.” She motions to the pair of scissors. Holds out her palm. “Give it here.”

Dahyun looks at her suspiciously. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Give it here, Dahyun.”

“No.”

“I swear to God, Kim! If you keep that up, you’re going to look like Friar Tuck.”

Dahyun’s breath hitches at that, making her snip off a whole lot more hair than she intended. She eventually surrenders the scissors to Chae.

 

- - -

 

It’s a tough couple of months at first. In that span of time, she’s driven over a hundred passengers to and from the airport, exhausting her kiddie pool of English words. During the first week, a businessman from Taiwan told her that the way she spoke was soft and sweet and it reminded him of his daughter. From that point on, Dahyun had to lower her voice and make it rough-sounding if she still wanted to pass off as a man.

People who get in her taxi are business executives, foreign government officers, and tourists. Generally a respectable bunch so Dahyun has never had the misfortune of cleaning up puke in the backseat. There are other challenges of course, like being yelled at for not going a certain route a passenger specified or hauling heavy luggage in and out of the taxi trunk. Dahyun periodically checks with Chaeyoung to evaluate the improved tone of her biceps. They would have flexing battles and of course Chaeyoung wins every single time. She has the guns of a Greek god.

She’s been at the job for half a year now and she’s earned enough to stay toe-to-toe with Jinyoung’s physical therapy bills and Chaeng and Tzuyu’s tuition fees. She was even able to take the four of them to an amusement park for her birthday last month.

Speaking of birthdays, it’s already June and DubChaeng are whizzing around their apartment, putting up banners and balloons while their friends Nayeon and Jihyo take care of prepping food in the kitchen. They call in Jinyoung to taste the dumplings they just made so the man dutifully gets on his crutches and goes to them. Jinyoung still uses the chair, but he can stand steady on his left foot now. They are all happy and hopeful about his progress, Dahyun especially.

When Tzuyu arrives she is greeted by the customary shout of SURPRISE! Complete with party poppers, hurled confetti, and her little Gucci standing on his hind legs to show off his tiny party hat. Tzuyu tears up a bit and picks Gucci from the floor, then hides her embarrassed grin in his fur.

Dahyun brought a fancy cake from a French bakery. She’s pleased with her decision since Tzuyu’s eyes shine with delight when Chaeyoung brings it out, lit sparkler candles on it and everything. Tzuyu doesn’t shut up about how pretty it is.

Of course it’s pretty, it cost Dahyun a good part of her mid-year bonus.

Dahyun watches Tzuyu and Chaeyoung. The girls who fell into the same care as Dahyun, under the roof of Park Jinyoung. They’ve gone through so much together. There was a time when Tzuyu, newly taken in, wouldn’t even come out of her room or speak to them. So much has changed and Dahyun is convinced that theirs is a bond that’s deeper than any real family’s.

Chaeyoung is now in her last year of university. A political science and diplomacy major who is eternally critical of the country’s state of affairs but is also, secretly, a head-in-the-clouds idealist. Tzuyu’s a junior entrepreneurship student at the same university and she’s been consistently in the top ranks for her academic performance.

Dahyun at the time, due to money issues and weak grades, had no choice but to pick a nearby community college to finish her studies. She received a diploma that didn’t bear much weight, that admittedly wouldn’t get her very far. But Dahyun never felt bitter about those two getting better opportunities than she did. She loves them to bits and ing pieces and they are incredibly smart without being s about it. Dahyun’s love and pride for them spread out like a sea. She wouldn’t trade in these dorks for anything in the world.

Everyone sings happy birthday to Tzuyu. Nayeon and Jihyo, the divas among their group of friends, are the loudest, real obvious about trying to outdo the other. (It’s only “Happy Birthday”, geeze.) Chaeng and Jinyoung clap and laugh along through the song. Tzuyu’s holding Gucci in her arms, bouncing him up and down to the beat, and grinning as wide as can be.

They wait for Tzuyu to make a wish and she does, closing her eyes and thinking deeply. She blows out the sparks and it all goes dark. Someone switches the lights back on and Dahyun sees that everyone is smiling. In this moment she’s so happy, her heart could burst.

 

- - -

 

Her night starts off by taking a trio of American tourists to a hostel in Hongdae. From there she drives two blocks north to try her luck at the nearest business hotel. She picks up a lean Caucasian man who has curly hair. He asks to be taken to a club in Itaewon.

It’s half an hour of the man complaining loudly to someone on the phone. Dahyun refrains actually listening but she can tell, by his bazooka loud voice and his big boy words, that this guy’s an that she’d never want to hang with. So arrogant, so full of himself that Kyungsoo’s an angel compared to this guy. She quietly rejoices when he tells her to stop in front of a place called Club Sandwich.

What the actual ?

The meter blinks back twenty thousand won at the both of them. He gives her a fifty thousand won bill and Dahyun is about to fumble around for change but the man already steps out of the car, slamming the car door in his wake.

His tip is more than his actual fare. Dahyun stares down at the crisp bill and feels awful. Laments the fact that it’s wanks like him who get all the money. She gets an urge to toss it out so she rolls the window down a bit then in the next second decides against it. For obvious reasons.

The taxi door swings open again and a woman, an incredibly sweet-smelling woman jumps into the backseat, starts repeatedly patting-no-hitting Dahyun’s shoulder and tells her to go, go, go!

Dahyun, clearly minded about the many things that this past minute has shat on her, just sits there and gets flashes of Kyungsoo screaming BANANAS!BANANAS!BANANAS!

“Go!” The girl shouts this time, right in Dahyun’s ear.

Dahyun obediently pedals the gas. The taxi eases out, away from the sidewalk and in her confusion, Dahyun checks the rearview mirror and sees the woman whose head is turned to look out the back window. “, , ,” the woman hisses under her breath. And all this has the alarms in