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chapter prompt: sometimes one of them will lay their head in the other’s lap while the other plays around with their hair

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The first time Wheein met Kim Yongsun, Moon Byulyi is always there somehow.

It was at a company meeting and she’s the new hire, already tasked in being under Yongsun’s—Solar’s—care and collaborating with each other for a song in the older woman’s album at that time. Imagine the instant scrutiny of the public when she—a nobody from a small town—becomes the apprentice of an allegedly high notes goddess and a woman with impeccable vocal technique.

So to say she was nervous that day was an understatement. She didn’t know the proper studio conduct, what’s the right time to pipe in her opinion, but Solar just smiled at her, repeating what she suggests when the higher ups pretend they don’t even hear her until people started to contemplate her ideas.

After being briefed on her project, she waits for Solar outside of the meeting room, curiously peeking this way and that as she watches people mill around with their headphones in or talking to someone on the phone—someone even passed her by rollerskating down the hall while playing the melodica—when someone leans against the cubicle in front of her, all silver dyed hair and a suit without a tie, the first few buttons undone and an expensive looking camera slung to their side.

“You new?” The woman asks, offering the bag of chips she’s been holding, and Wheein politely accepts a piece, filing away in her head that this must be a senior. “Ah, right, you’re the new hire Yongsun said that’ll collab with her, right?”

“Yongsun…Kim Yongsun?” Wheein subtly does a once-over of the other woman, deducing that she must be either a producer or someone high enough to be on a first name, honorific-free name basis with Solar-sunbaenim.

“Yeah, or are you one of those who prefers to call her Solar?” The woman’s smile is full of amusement, crinkled at the edge of her eyes and scrunched up nose.

Noise erupts at the front of the office, Wheein’s attention caught for a moment as she watches a delivery man haul in large bags of what looks like chicken. Most of the staff immediately crowd, some shouting at instructions to get plates at the pantry and some throwing smiles their way.

“Ah, you spoil them way too much.” Wheein jumps at the sound of her senior’s voice, immediately bowing when Solar looks at her. The older woman waving her hand in dismissal. “You can just call me unnie if you want, there’s really no need for strict formality if we’ll be working close.”

“Ah, yes, unnie.” she stammers, hesitating at the word, and a bit irked when the woman who still refuses to introduce herself laughs at her.

“This is Moon Byulyi but it’s okay if you forget her name, she’s not working here, anyway,” Solar introduces, waving a uninterested hand to which Moon Byulyi catches and bites playfully at her senior’s finger. Wheein’s eyebrows raise slightly. Not a coworker…so a lover, then?

“That’s not how you thank someone that just bought you lunch, Yong.” Moon Byulyi challenges, the two older woman glaring at each other and Wheein feels like she’s intruding on something.

“Ah, I should get going…” she awkwardly tries to shuffle away from her senior, but Yongsun stops her with a firm hand around her forearm.

“Let’s eat together, Byul bought enough chicken for the staff anyway, you’re lucky on your first day.”

After that, it’s glaringly obvious how much time Moon Byulyi spends at their company, everyone knows her and is friends with her. Even with their weird and tense first meeting, Wheein admits there’s