While she was younger, she didn't have the opportunity to go out much. She didn't have any close friends to begin with. Her parents worked till last night, so she was stuck with her hermit of a brother. They cooked for themselves and so during her free time Chaeyeon read manga and learned Japanese on her own. 

  She grew up not interested in being out and about because she had problems finding the right outfit for any occasion. She didn't like the options she had in her wardrobe. Pink, red and flowery. It was clear that her mom didn't understand her at all.  

————

  Chaeyeon sighed as she walked out of the cafe after an appointment with a potential client. A loud grunt escaping her lips when she looked at the figures on her watch. She pulled her trenched coat up her neck. The client had broad ideas for the websites and drew out extensive structures for the website. He was a founder for a startup and had big dreams. It was supposed to be a thirty minute meeting but it spanned to an hour and a half.

  In the end, it took Chaeyeon a long time to explain why she wouldn't accept his offer. One, she's not specialized in web designing (not that she couldn't). Two, read one. Conclusion, a waste of time. 

  She ruffled her hair and checked her phone. She had another video appointment later that night. The week was starting to get busy. It was only Monday. She had a bunch of emails to read over the breakfast. It almost made her late to setting up her work mode. 

  She has her own schedule and follows it strictly. From ten o'clock, she's to be on her favorite chair typing in code, checking the websites status and clearing up her cache so her computer doesn't slow as each day she compiles much data. No distractions. Until lunch time, when she always has it pre-ordered the day before. It would arrive exactly on 1 pm. Her schedule is fixed. 

  Thus, her time is precious. She doesn't like breaking her flow. 

 Right now, she was rushing home to get her food. 

  
————past
  
  Chaeyeon remembered telling her former best friend about 'him'.  They were side by side in a restaurant eating dinner after their final exams  were over. They would be separated by a sea after their next break pasts, as her best friend wanted to study in Shanghai. Chaeyeon thought it was a suitable time to unveil the secret she had been hiding from her friend. She believed she deserved to know. When they were both seated down,

  Chaeyeon tried to explain in the simplest terms, taking reference from the note she wrote at home the night before to follow through while explaining about 'him'.  After ten minutes of struggling to say with was on the tip of her tongue, her best friend had let out a loud sigh and threatened to walk out of the door if she stalled any longer. 

  Chaeyeon took a deep breath and blurted out four words.  I. Am. A. Guy. 

  Inside. My body. I was born in the wrong body. 

  She sounded so stupid. She felt her tears welling already by then. 

  She could remember the exact expression her best friend had. Eyes widened, chin retracted and mouth straightened. Confusion for one whole minute before shaking her head. 

  Her best friend,  Seul, did not understand the concept of the existence of 'him'. 

  Another ten minutes was wasted. Chaeyeon wondered if she had prepared enough notes at that point. She told her, he exists. He is within her. He is her. She is he. Broken sentences. 

  She couldn't understand what she was trying to convey either. It made herself a mess. 

 "What nonsense are your spurting?"  Seul started to seem agitated with all the impossible things she was talking about. "You have a male's soul inside you? You hear him?"

  "Are you possessed? Is that it?"

  Dumbfounded and disappointed, Chaeyeon shook her head and stood up, she left some money before walking out of the door. She cried on the way out, teeth clenched as hard as her pale fists. 

  It had not gone as she expected. 

  She texted Seul saying to completely forget what she told her that evening. It was a disaster. 

   They never kept in contact after graduation. 

   Chaeyeon didn't attend prom. 

————present

  Chaeyeon clenched her teeth as she read the title of the article that just popped up on naver. Another debate about LGBT rights had come up recently. But as everyone knew, the South Korean population was still very conservative about these issues. 

   The comment section was poisonous. She wondered why she bothered to visit it. Everytime she scrolled through it, a surge of sadness would fill her up. Tears welled up in her eyes.

  Acceptance. That's all 'he' needed. Yet, it was the one thing 'he' could never get. 

  Chaeyeon closed her laptop. That was enough news for today. She still had work to do. She needed to get this bread. 

  Her phone vibrated. Then the screen lit up with three characters in the middle of the display. Choi Yena.  She figured it would be another message about the new Japanese girl that was homeless in her journey to finding success in Korea. Chaeyeon chuckled. It's been days. 

  Until she looked away from her computer screen and walked over to her bedside lamp where she placed the book Saku No Ki at before sleeping last night. 

  Miyawaki Sakura. She's here, and at the same time she's also Japanese. 

  She paused.

 Connecting the dots. She could be the same person. 

  Mind-blowing. How did she not notice? 

  She bashed her head on her desk. Had Yena made the girl come all the way just to make an impression? 

  Immediately after, she called Yena. She tapped her feet on the ground. 

  "Hello—"

  "You really wanted me to feel bad didn't you?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about! I swear! But it's the same girl."

  "This is too much of a coincidence!"

————

 This old woman was putting up an urgent sign right when Sakura past by. She helped the woman, but after she accidentally slipped Japanese out of , the old women initiated a conversation with her and told her what the sign meant. "Vacancy."

 Which brings us to the present. It was currently raining.

 Sakura didn't like rain. 

  Her shoes would get wet. Her clothes would soak if not prepared. Most importantly, she was afraid of thunder. It startled her. 

  She jerked when a zip zag line of light struck down the sky. 

  The heavy pour meant she had to stay indoors with the florist. She was a nice old woman who was passionate about flowers. She spoke a little bit of Japanese too. She had become more eager to find a job when she realized her allowance wasn't going to sustain her any longer. So she went hunting.

  They ate lunch together. Just a simple meal.  Sakura cooked for the old woman some fried rice with the ingredients in the fridge. The old woman let her stay in the room upstairs, but Sakura still had to find a place to stay when her son comes back from his trip to Japan in a week. 

  She continued writing drafts on her phone. She planned on releasing her first book in Korea soon. That way she could gain recognition from the locals. The old woman was very supportive of her idea. She also read her book. The positive feedback she received motivated her to write more. 

  Even then, Sakura found it hard to survive in Korea. With no proper accommodation, she didn't want to burden the old woman. But she had no choice. 
  
  Sakura checked her inbox, with still no sign of messages from the good person Choi Yena. She promised to tell her if her friend would let her stay in her spare room. It's been a few days, Sakura started to think that she had probably forgotten. The thought made her sad. 

  She contemplated going back to Japan and taking her trip back with a more detailed plan. Sakura knew her decision was rash, but she did not expect it to be this hard. She carried only her suitcase with only a few different sets of clothing folded compactly with her pens and books, her identity, files and personal information. 

  She shook her head. She can't go back just yet. It'd be embarrassing.

 Sakura exited to the home screen and tapped on her dialer. 

—————

  Sakura sobbed more as she explained her situation to Yena. They were starting to get attention. 

  "Aigoo. Don't worry. I'll help you." Yena patted her head. "Poor kitten." She said in Japanese. 

  Sakura nodded. She thanked God that a person like Yena had approach her. She didn't know what she would do without her input. 

  Sakura wiped her tears away with her hands. She took one copy of her book out from the bag and gave it to Yena. "Please have this."

  Yena took it with a toothy grin. "I'll definitely read it!"

————

  "I-Is this the unit?" Sakura turned to the shorter figure beside her. 

  Sakura called Yena back at the florist to ask her whether her friend agreed to let her stay there. 

  "Yeap, Chaeyeon lives here. It is... A nice place!" Yena tried to say in Japanese. 

  "I see..." 

  Yena-san told her Chaeyeon was busy during daytime but after 5pm she was free. They tried calling her, but she wasn't picking up her phone. 

  But this place felt familiar.

  Sakura scratched her head. She knew she had come here before. It was the same unit. That woman who could speak Japanese. She lives here doesn't she? 

  Sakura felt anxious as she waited. Yena-san noticed and made jokes, tried to make her smile by jumping about or make funny faces. 

  After calling Chaeyeon three times, Yena let out a sigh and punched in the security code into the system. The door unlocked, catching Sakura by surprise. She knows the code?

  "Chaeyeon and I are best friends. Don't report to the police." Yena smiled guiltily. Sakura tilted her head. She acted like she understood what she said. 

  "Yah, Lee Chaeyeon."

  Sakura took off her shoe and placed them on the black shoe rack with various sneakers and boots. All black and blue, or white. She looked around the apartment unit. The lights were off, so Yena switched them on. It illuminated the whole room. 

  Sakura was wary of the step up that could cause a fatal trip. The marble tiled floor felt cold to her feet. They walked past the small dining and kitchen area into the living room. She met a hallway to the left with a black wooden door at the end and the bathroom on the right with another door, which was white.

  The living room consisted of an air humidifier standing in the corner beside the bent LCD,  with a few console games laid on the table. It made her heart skip a beat. Her eyes sparkled at the sight. Games. 

  The white door opened,  revealing someone walking towards Yena with her fist pulled back.  Yena dodged the hit. 
  
  "Lee Chaeyeon! I called you so many times?"

  "You, why are you here......and with her?"

  "She's the girl I've been talking about."  

 "What?"

————past

  Sakura stood at the corner. She couldn't do anything. She needed to call for help, but from who? 

  Her mother could barely defend herself against her husband whose anger had reached the top of his head.
 
  His voice roared across the compound as he ranted in his drunken state. Her mother told Sakura to stay away from him. Her little brother, Sou, was wrapped inside her arms. Only her parents have phones, and her mom wouldn't allow her to report it to the police. 

  After all,  her father regretted his actions the morning after. It still happened every other weekend. 

  Sakura cried as she watched her mom endure the shouts and hits from the hanger. Just by watching she could feel the pain. She wanted to help, she really did. 

————present
  
  Sakura squeezed her fists as the two friends shouted at each other's lungs. She couldn't really understand what they arguing about, but by their expressions, Chaeyeon wasn't happy at all about having uninvited guests. 

  Chaeyeon seemed to be a nice person before. But right now she looked scary. Sakura clutched her belongings in fear. Stop. She started to blame herself for their argument. If it wasn't for her, Yena wouldn't bother Chaeyeon on a working day. Sakura hung her head. 

  "Stop... Shouting." Her tears welled up. "Stop." 

  "H-hey, why is she crying?" Chaeyeon blinked.

  Yena huffed. 

  "Wait a second. Sakura-chan are you okay?" Yena spoke in Japanese, finally something she understood. "I'll get you some water."

  Yena ran to the kitchen. 

  "Are you alright?"

  "I'm... Just a bit sensitive."

  Chaeyeon walked closer and squatted down to her level. Her face washed with guilt when Sakura looked away. "I'm sorry. You must be having it hard. I'm just in a bad mood today. Bad things happened. I didn't mean to be so mad at Yena."

  The sound of the water filling a cup diverted her attention. Chaeyeon watched Yena with the glass as of she expected her to drop it anytime. She sighed in relief when Yena made it over without an accident. Sakura sniffed. 

  "Here." Yena put the glass in her hands. "Sorry, we'll stop fighting, right?"

  "Yeah, you didn't have to see that." Chaeyeon groaned. "I'm tired."

  "I-it's fine..."

  "I'm fine."

  "Never trust her when she says she is." Yena said matter of a factly. "Right, Kkura." She wriggled her eyes at her. 

  Sakura chuckled. "Hey!" 

  "Ah let's go back.." Yena said defeatedly. "I'll try to find someone else."

  Chaeyeon held Sakura's arm. "Hey it's fine. You can stay here...for a while." She took her bag and walked towards the black door. Sakura who was confused about the situation just followed Chaeyeon, Yena fist pumping behind them. 

  Chaeyeon pulled the keys out from her pocket and unlocked the door. It swung open. 

  It was a white painted room with huge windows to look out, a queen sized bed and a closet. The scenery caught Sakura's eyes. The sun was beginning to set. The orange red and purple cluster. It was beautiful. 

  There was a digital clock sitting on top of the wooden bedrest. 

   "This is the room. You can use anything you want here, even my old desktop if you can fix it. Yena told me you're good with computers." 

  "Really?"

  "Yeah. I don't need it anymore."

   Sakura smiled. 

  "Can I see your room?"

  "Uh..."

  A pregnant silence took over. It became awkward. She realized she shouldn't have asked. 

  "It's fine." Sakura brushed it off. "So..."

  "Yena told me about you. I'm not that cold hearted. I don't know what she told you but I'm willing to let you stay here......free of charge, provided that you do the house chores for me."

  "House chores?" Sakura pouted. Sure."

  "Alright. We have a deal." 

  They shook hands. 

  The sound of a shutters interrupted them. Yena smirked. She showed them the new photo in her gallery. "Ha! I have proof now."

  She looked so bad in the picture. She winced. 

  Chaeyeon swat her hand to get the phone. 

  "YAH."

  

---

I'm sorry if this chapter was slightly disappointing. I really just wanted to get this part over with.