It was a nice warm day in the city and Solji was in a corner of her favourite cafe down the streets of her apartment, reading a magazine as she eagerly waited for her friend. "Friend", it was a nice sounding term since it was LE. She kept taking a sip of her coffee and stealing glances at the door in hopes of the person she's waiting for. She was nervous because she still doesn't know what LE thinks of her. Their exchange of texts the previous day had been friendly but brief since they had planned to talk things out in person and she was worried LE might clear things up and end everything all at once.

As she continued to read her magazine half-heartedly, a man sat down in front of her. It was a face she never wanted to see again, the exact opposite of the one she was waiting for. It was her ex. He was slightly haggard looking and bruised up a tiny bit with the stench of alcohol all over him, seems like he's been drinking. Solji suddenly got worried, not at the fact that her ex was in front of her but of what LE would think when she arrives. Solji was panicking when the Ex started drunk ranting to her about how his life was in shambles because of her. He was angrily rambling about how news of that night was spread all around town thanks to her breaking up with him in front of the lady from that night who happens to be someone with the loudest mouth. And thanks to the news spreading like wildfire, the other girls left him and some even asked their new boyfriends to teach him a lesson. Other customers were stealing looks at them but no one stood up nor jumped in, everyone was afraid of the mad drunk that had entered.

Solji was flustered as the shouting got louder and it was scaring her, causing her to remember the times her ex would shout at her during his bad moods and making her realize that he was someone she feared. She had learnt Hapkido since young but she was thought never to raise a hand against anyone unless needed, she had also been blindly in love with the man before her once that she had never thought to retaliate at him no matter how bad the drunk beatings had gotten. She had always stupidly believed in him, thinking that he would change one day and enduring the pain like the idiot she was. Honestly, she had realized that the relationship wasn't healthy, she had always known deep down but had always been in denial and fear. As the Ex slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage, she curled into a ball on her seat and covering her ears as a kid would in their beds during a thunderstorm. In the white dress that she had worn for LE and all curled up in fear as tears rolled down her cheeks out of fear, she looked like a ball of snow that was crumbling to pieces.

[Switch POV]

LE was running slightly late, she had rarely cared too much about her style since she has always just gone with a chic look but today, she was meeting Solji. She was worried that the strong taste of clothes she often wore might be too strong for a bright looking cafe that Solji wanted to recommend. So she had spent her entire early morning trying to pair the clothes and accessories she had in a more toned down manner. As she was arriving, she noticed a group of people outside the cafe watching and as she got closer, she heard a man's shouting. She wasn't exactly the type to meddle nor was she brave enough but something about the whole situation was unsettling to her as she got even closer. At the door, she noticed in the corner was a drunk shouting like a madman while a small, curled up figure was sobbing silently. She instantly recognized Solji and without hesitation, threw a piece of leftover cake she noticed on the nearest empty table.

Her aim was as spot on as her accuracy in shooter games as the sugary ammunition landed directly on the back of the drunk's head. As the drunk spun around, she shivered in fear on the inside but she knew that the crying Solji in front of her must be more afraid. Whoever this guy was, he was bad news. She glared at him and as he was approaching her, she picked up a half-empty cup of ice water and splashed it on him, causing him to scream in anger before a pair of officers arrived. Turns out someone from the crowd had notified the police about the terrorizing drunk and the officers arrived in time. As the drunk was taken away, she quickly hurried over to the hurdled up Solji to comfort and calm her.

[Switch POV]

She doesn't know how long has passed but she knew that it felt like an eternity. As she cried, all she could hear was the loud and deafening screams of her Ex blaming her for everything and her own mumbling that was begging for everything to stop. She was so terrified that her eyes were shut as tightly as she could and her grip on her ears got more and more intense in hopes of blocking out the world around her.

Suddenly there was a warm embrace around her and a familiar calming floral scent. She was still afraid to open her eyes and uncover her ears but at least her trembling and tears had stopped and her grip around her ears slowly loosen. The person embracing her was patting her head, comforting her with a sweet and soothing humming that slowly made her relaxed. And as soon as she was back into reality, she slowly looked up at the person to see LE in holding her gently and looking at her with a worried look. Solji suddenly hugged LE in relief before realizing that her cheeks were still wet from the tears and then pulling away hurriedly while apologizing repeatedly to LE for staining her clothes.

As she wiped away her tears quickly, another realization struck her. The woman in front of her had seen a terrible sight of her yet was still caring about her so gently. She had also noticed how the presence of LE was always so soothing and calming like an angel.

[Switch POV]

As she watched Solji clumsily wiped her tears barehanded in a panic, she quickly picked up the nearest clean napkin to wipe the tears away for her. As the world around them went back to their usual routines with a few eyes still darting a look at them in silent worry, LE ignored them and continued to focus on Solji. She couldn't imagine how traumatizing it must have been to be curled up so intensely and all alone. She waited as Solji slowly tried to regain composure and kept giving reassuring smiles whenever Solji turned to her.

As she watched the gentle looking Solji slowly returned, she realized her own action. She wondered why she had stepped out of her own comfort zone to stand up for Solji, a person she barely knows other than the night they spent together briefly. She had promised to meet up with Solji to get to know each other better because she was drawn to her but she ever would have in a million years befriend a target from the club. She realized that the woman before her was special and is probably the only one who would make the soft side of her appear despite whether she liked it or not.

[General POV]

As the two sat in the silence of their realizations, they kept exchanging glances and smiles of reassurance to each other while just enjoying each other's presences. And as soon as Solji calmed down entirely, they ordered some new snacks and drinks to do what they came here for, to hang out and chat.

=End of Chapter 3=