(Thank you for giving this story a chance. Just a heads up, the pronouns she/her will be used temporarily for story progression. I apologize if this offends anyone. I will try to describe gender dysphoria as simple as possible at one point, I hope I won't confuse the readers. At the same time, I am writing this story including characters with depression based on my own experiences and ways of dealing with it. With that in mind, I ask for your tolerance.)

 

  Chaeyeon felt sick. She wanted to drink.  It's four in the afternoon and being a freelance web developer, after spending hours of coding and checking the functionality of the program she coded,  her eyes were starting to hurt. 

  Fortunate for her, weekends were starting soon. 

  At 20, she's a self-taught programmer with javascript and python and other various languages under her belt. For the past two years, she had built a reputation within the freelance community online. It's a busy season for her. 

  But money is good. It's worth it. 

  Doesn't erase the fact that her eyes hurt like a though. 

  She took off her anti blue light specs and looked out of the window. The streets were getting busy. School students were on their way home, and soon the adults will join in on the rush hour. Chaeyeon felt relieved to be standing high above on her apartment balcony, enjoying the view instead of being stuck in traffic. 

  She pushed off the metal railings and returned to her bedroom to get some fresh clothes before a cold shower. Dressed up in black pants and a light blue shirt, she applied minimal makeup before heading out to meet her friends. 

  With a mask on. 

  Chaeyeon walked down the road to a simple bar. She stepped into the dim building with a soothing atmosphere. They played jazz a lot. The owner is an old man who always sits by the glass panel reading newspaper. That is the aesthetic. 

  The white waiter waved at her, recognizing her as a regular. The food is amazing. She doesn't come here just for a drink. Even if she does, she holds her intake, unlike her friends. Speaking of which. 

  Yujin bolted in followed by Yena. The old man shook his head. Obviously this wasn't a first time.  They greeated her with "ays" and "wassup". As stupid as they sound, they were the closest friends Chaeyeon had since her highschool years. Yujin's a lawyer while Yena is a real estate agent. Both successful in their own field. 

  Even then, Chaeyeon earned most. Not to brag. 

  "The usual?"

  "I'll get a latte." Yena chipped. Now this was weird. 

  "Something happened?"

  "I need myself sober. I have an appointment with a client later."

  "Oof sad. I'm free till Sunday. Have a court visit again." Yujin drummed the wooden surface. 

  "I could never walk in there."

  "You won't have the chance to, trust me."

  Chaeyeon glared. 

The food came and they ate. They made jokes and laughed. They were a trio of happy dudes. When meaning dudes. 

  "How have you two been feeling?" Chaeyeon started first after putting down her fork, plate anew. 

  "Been feeling like . Had a few episodes when I was on a date with Wonyoung. I just hate it when people give me that look."

  "Ha. I just hate being short. It gets to me."

  "Yea it's great being a ruler taller."

  "You son of a—"

  Chaeyeon made sure she grabbed Yena in time. 
  
  "Damn can you two stop being kids?"

  "He started it."

   "HE DID."

  The white waiter smirked as he watched the drama unfold. He was used to it. The pronouns used by women for men. He uses to raise an eyebrow but nowadays he seemed to understood the more he observed them. They just weren't normal women. 

  Chaeyeon said okay and let the two fight. The old man was unfazed, only hoping the two won't break anything. It had happened. SHE paid for it because the two didn't bring cash that night and the old man wasn't accepting cards for causing trouble.  
  
  "Stop it." The waiter said with a wink of a European accent. He's a good looking guy who had been working here since the first time they came here. 

  "Alright." Yujin pointed at Yena. "But he started it, not me."

  "Cut it out. Jesus."
  
   A few new customers came in. They gave them a glance. 

  "Speaking of Jesus. I think I saw a human Jesus today."

  "Who?" 

  "A Japanese woman." Yena looks at Chaeyeon expectantly. "You have a room for rent, right?"

  "Yeah."

  "Rent it to her for free, please?"

  "Wh—"

  "Listen. She can cook, do house chores and sing. She fixes computers too."

  "And what does that have to do with me?"

  "She's homeless here in Korea but she's willing to risk it to become famous here too. She's a writer. I read her books, although they're not well known. What's amazing is that she distributes them for free around town. I think she's doing that at the moment and I think she's really passionate—"

  "I asked, what does that have to do with me? I want some additional income for my future plans. Bruh. You know that." 

  Chaeyeon took a shot. 

  "You can always make a deal with her, as long as it doesn't involve money. You hire that part time cleaner don't you? You order takeouts. Time to spend nothing on those two."

  "Why don't you bring her to your own house then?"
  
  "Yuri will kill me..."

  Yujin who has been sitting silently for the past minute sips on her orange juice, eyes drooping. Could be exhaustion kicking in. "Can you shut up, duck."

  "Why don't you go home!"

  "Nice idea..." Yujin yawned and slipped off the high seat. She waved to the two and flapped her non existent wings, trying to make a killer exit. 

  "Stay safe." Chaeyeon shook her head. 

  "Do you think you're gonna consider?" Yena pats on her shoulder.

  "Nah."

  "I'll text you. I gotta go now too."

  "I said 'nah'."

  "Yeap!"

  Chaeyeon wondered why she showed up today. She felt her headache worsened. Great. The purpose had struck the opposite back at her. She decided to stroll around the shopping district. It was a notable area for travelers. Chaeyeon was lucky she lived nearby downtown. It was only walking distance away from the good things. 

  She passed the shops while checking the new arrivals being hung for show. Fashion just gets bolder each season. More revealing too. She eyed the red festival shirt and decided to walk in to check the price. It looked great. The brand had quality clothing too. 

  "Hi, how much is this?"

  She approached the sales woman. She gave her a look before replying. "It's fifty thousand won."

  Chaeyeon nodded. The saleswoman walked away to serve another customer, a man with his friend giving her a look. Is it really a crime to be in the men's section? 

 Did she look weird? It's none of their business. 

 Chaeyeon hung the shirt back where she took it from and went out dipping through the chill night air. Winter had just ended, but it lingered.

 She placed her hands in her pockets. 

 Further, she walked down the busy streets. Kids were having fun. Girls were laughing amongst themselves. Some families walking together after having dinner. 

 Chaeyeon hadn't contacted her family in a very long while. The last time they talked, she almost hung herself. 

 ————

  Sometimes it took her till midnight to finish her work. When clients call her out if the blue for sudden maintenance. Chaeyeon looked at the clock hung on the wall. It's two in the morning. 

  She woke up grumpy. 

  Someone had rang the doorbell when it's a Saturday morning. She was not expecting visitors. She managed to drag herself to the door two minutes later, only to find no one waiting outside. It pissed her off. 
  
  A minutes later another roll of knocks interrupted her toilet break. She stomped over this time. She huffed and pulled the door open like a stuck gum.

  "What is it-"

  A bright face quickly fell to a scared frown. The girl standing timidly outside her front door tweaked her expression for a moment before holding up a pink book with two hands, the title written in Japanese, but labeled as a translated version. Chaeyeon softened her facial muscles. 

  "Good morning." The girl bowed, speaking broken Hangul. 

  Chaeyeon blinked, slightly flustered after almost raising her voice at the girl. The girl wore a pink sweater and track pants. Comfortable. 

  "I'm Sakura Miyawaki. I'm here to promote my book. I know this is sudden but I hope you would give it a chance."

  Memorized lines. Chaeyeon nodded. 

  "What does that have to do with— Oh sure."

  "Huh?" The girl blinked. 

  Chaeyeon cleared .

  "Are you a writer from Japan?" She asked in fluent Japanese. 

  "Ah, yes." The girl lit up, the energy she had the moment she saw her when she opened the door returned. 

  "I see." 

  Chaeyeon watches as the girl fumbles with her fingers. It seemed like she was thinking before she lifted her head and spoke. 

  "It's free for you." The girl said, pushing it towards her. "I like to know that someone knows Japanese. You're quite good."

  "Thanks."

  She looked downwards as she spoke her next words shyly. "Please read it. I spent a lot of time on it."

  Chaeyeon nodded. The girl mirrored her actions. It was awkward. They burst out in laughter. 

  Chaeyeon closed the door after they bid goodbye to each other. That was something. 

  She read the title of the book, "Saku No Ki".

  Spirit Under the Sakura Tree. Interesting. 

————
  
  Under the Sakura tree, how do I feel? There is a sense of calmness. Despite everything happening around me, I find peace within myself.  With that in mind, it means I have truly learned how to breathe. 

————

  Chaeyeon smiled as she read the introduction for the book. It's captivating her on the first page,  which is a good thing. After reading it, she could conclude that she, definitely hasn't learned how to breathe. 

  This Sakura girl. 

  She was beautiful. 

  Chaeyeon hoped no one will take advantage of her kind smile. 

  Beep.

  Her phone had been booming with notifications from Yena who has been trying to convince her to rethink her decision. Yena really had to brush on her people skills. Sometimes Chaeyeon wondered if this is she she persuades clients to buy the property she advertises. 

  She muted her, during the process reading the last message she sent. 

  —She's homeless, have you got no heart? You know how dangerous it is to be out there in the streets! Especially downtown. I can only count on you, Chaeng—

  Chaeyeon sighed. 

  It wasn't that deep. Chaeyeon valued her assets.  It should be understandable. She lost her family. 

————

The sun had set. Night was freezing. 

  Sakura sat on the bench exhausted with leg cramps and a back ache. She wasn't aging, was she? However, she had been running around Seoul trying to distribute or more sell copies of her book to the people. She wanted to make a name around the world. To start, she made a base in Japan. She's aiming to hit in Korea too. 

  Unfortunately, youngsters these day didn't really appreciate the art of reading hard copies, asking if the book was on Google Books or amazon, which it wasn't. Sakura wanted to keep it traditional. That way, the book can be enjoyed to its fullest. 

  Sakura shook her head as negative thoughts fly through her mind. There were a few rude people who spared her no glances, even glared at her like she was disturbing them. Sakura felt attacked. 

  It wasn't just that. She saw a young man throw the book into the bin after he walked away, not realizing she had turned back.

 Sakura felt her tears roll down, albeit without sense. It hurt her a lot. 

 Brrr. She shivered. She wore a coat but after being exposed to the cold all day, her body was starting to crumble from fatigue. She only had enough cash for another few days. She needed to be quick. In fact, she had to find a job. 

 That was hard when most jobs that she was eligible for required intensive training first or a trial period. Experience of three years being a journalist and writer can only offer her a simple desk job. But first thing's first, she couldn't even speak the native language. 

 Sakura heavily questioned her life choices sometimes. She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. At this rate, she wished she could disappear. 

  It was odd. Sometimes she would feel so enthusiastic about life. Yet, she would feel lifeless and low when something triggered her. Like the rudeness and misfortune events she witnessed. 

  Sakura started to cry, whispering that it was hard to herself. She wanted to become famous. She wanted to be the best writer. She wanted to make her parents prouder. 

  She told her mom she wanted to try promoting herself in another country without the help of others. It was possible. It had been seen on the internet. If other people could, she could too. 

  But right now, she felt lonely. With no close trusted people in this place. She wanted to go home. 

 A foreign voice interupted her. 

 "Woah woah... Why are you crying alone here?" A woman stopped walking. She dropped her phone into the pockets of her coat and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

 She wiped her tears and put on a smile. 

 "I'm...alright!" She managed to creak. 
 
 The short woman shook her head and sat next to her. For a moment, Sakura was suspicious or this lady, but she had a babyface. It was hard to imagine her as a bad person. 

 "I'm alright." She sobbed miserably. 

  "Liar! Haha. I'm Choi Yena, what's your name?"