"Okay this is a little ridiculous, Yongsun. I'm fine." Byulyi insisted as she followed Yongsun around the supermarket.

It was 11:56pm. Yongsun dragged Byulyi along and barged into the nearest store 4 minutes before closing, heading straight for the frozen section.

"I'm just looking for something to help with the swelling. We'll be out in seconds I promise," Yongsun searched up and down the frozen aisles before settling on a pack of frozen peas.

"You said that about me getting my sleep tonight too..." mumbled Byulyi. Solar didn't say anything back. Byul wasn't sure if she pretended not to hear or if she really didn't hear because she was so focused on retrieving the right pack of peas.

"Here, keep this on your hand and don't take it off," instructed Yongsun as she slapped a package of peas into Byul's good hand. Byul tried to protest again but Yongsun was already walking away towards a different part of the store.

"Bandages... I'm looking for bandages," Yongsun said outloud as she shuffled along the aisles.

Byulyi couldn't do anything but continue trailing behind the woman. She was at a loss for words. She was embarassed at the fact that she needed Yongsun to take care of her, but also in awe that Yongsun is making such a big deal out of the situation. She really thought her fingers are fine. 

"It's okay I can just hold onto it like this-" Byul tried to show Yongsun what she meant so they can get out of here already, but she was interrupted mid-setence by Yongsun suddenly whipping around with something in her hand. 

"Aaaaand here we are. Move your fingers for me, like this," said Yongsun as she showed Byulyi what she meant.

Byulyi tried to copy what Yongsun was doing, but a sharp pain shot up her swelling knuckles along her fingers and she winced. Okay, maybe she was not fine.

"You play guitar?" asked Yongsun and she gently placed the peas back onto Byulyi's hand. 

Byulyi nodded timidly, earning a smile from Yongsun.

"I can tell. And that's exactly why we need this on there for as long as possible. Let's go."

As they walked towards the cashier, Yongsun made yet another detour to the snack section and grabbed some onion rings.

"You like that stuff?" Byul inquired, curious because she wasn't fond of them.

"They're okay, I guess," Yongsun shrugged.

As soon as they approached the cashier, Byulyi tried to put the pack of peas onto the conveyor belt, only for Yongsun to grab it from her quickly. 

"No no, that stays on," Yongsun looked up at the cashier as she swung the package across the barcode scanner in front of the cashier swifly and placed it back onto Byulyi's hand in one smooth motion. "Excuse me, sorry, she needs to have this on at all times." 

Byulyi felt her face turn red. She was being babied and she really didn't know if she enjoyed this or not.

"You're really sweet and all but this is really extra-" Byulyi protested once again as she tried to get Yongsun's attention.

"We have to stop the swelling as soon as possible," Yongsun cut Byulyi off as she pointed at Byulyi's hand. "Trust me you need to do this-"

*Click*

A camera shutter went off.

Yongsun and Byulyi both turned to look at the cashier at the same time. 

The cashier slowly dropped her hand that held the phone aimed directly at Yongsun as she stared at the two women in front of her after being caught. 

"Sorry," whispered the cashier.

Yongsun pulled out her credit card. "It's alright," she said as she handed it over.

Meanwhile, Byulyi was glaring at the cashier.

"Not, it's not alright," warned Byulyi. "Do not do that again."

"Thank you, have a nice night," Yongsun said as the cashier handed her card back to her. She ushered Byulyi out of the store quickly before they need a second pack of peas for the other hand.

"How do you deal with that all the time?" Byulyi asked as they sat down on a curb in the parking lot. Yongsun was attending to her hand once again, wrapping the bandages around her hand and the package to stabilize it.

"See, now you're mobile," Yongsun said excitedly as she held Byulyi's hand up by her wrist, beaming. 

Byulyi couldn't help but smile at how cute Yongsun was at that moment. Byulyi slowly tested her hand's mobility by waving it around in different directions. It wasn't that bad, surprisingly. 

"What is this?" Byulyi laughed. "I feel like a pirate." 

"You can find some treasure then," Yongsun joked.

"So how do you?" Byulyi asked again.

"Find treasure? You dig."

"Don't change the subject, Yongsun."

Yongsun looked at Byulyi with a smile on her face. Byulyi noticed that Yongsun likes to smile at her a lot. She took this as a good sign.

"You get used to it," Yongsun finally answered. "It takes time but eventually you get used to it."

"But... it's as if they don't even see you as a human being anymore," Byulyi challenged. "How does that feel?"

"You always make sacrifices in everything you do... its just a part of the job," Yongsun shrugged.

After a brief pause, Byulyi suddenly understood.

"No one ever hears you out about this kind of stuff... Right?" she whispered. 

Yongsun blinked, then looked down at the ground and shook her head gently. 

Byulyi felt bad. She wanted to help Yongsun, but became a pirate as a result. She herself wanted so much to make it big as a singer, but she also never thought about the consequences. Yongsun, looking defeated in front of her, was a stern reminder.

"Is it..." Byulyi hesitated, but she had to ask. "Is it worth it?"

Yongsun sighed.

"Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It's my escape, my first love, my saviour - I owe my life to music and my feelings for it will never change. I wanted everyone to hear what I have to say through music, so I will always enjoy doing what I do," Yongsun explained. "Even if there are negatives associated with it, it'll never outweigh the rush I get when I'm standing on stage, ready to express myself through my music. It'll always feel like the first time. None of that would exist if it weren't for my fans."

"So..." Byul drew the conclusion that Yongsun was coming to. "Yes, it's worth it?"

Yongsun nodded, more confidently this time. 

"I'm not saying this because I'm trying to pursuade you to do music, alright? I'm just telling you what I genuinely think," Solar clarified, seeing the doubt in Byulyi's eyes. 

"I know... I appreciate you being honest about it with me," Byulyi really was thankful that Yongsun was having a heart to heart with her. She relaxed a little. She found that Yongsun can be trusted.

The two of them shared a long silence after that. They gazed at the sky, each thinking about different things. 

It was Byulyi that finally spoke up first. 

"I've been working on a song... Did you want to hear it?" 

Solar whipped her head around excitedly. 

"Of course, my pleasure."

Byulyi smiled. She stood up and walked right in front of Yongsun. She cleared and started singing quietly.

For some reason, Byulyi was nervous. It was fun talking music with Yongsun. Byulyi enjoyed Yongsun's presence. But when Yongsun was her only audience, she can't help but feel a tiny bit nervous. There was something different about the way Yongsun looked at her, and she couldn't really tell if it was just her wishful thinking, or if there was a hint of more than what's on the surface. Byulyi wanted to believe that it was admiration. Yongsun was admiring her. It still feels surreal.

On the other hand, Yongsun let herself just stare, once more, at the beauty and perfection in front of her. It's been a while since she's felt like this about someone, but it's a feeling she can never forget once it was experienced.

Maybe it's the alcohol, but Yongsun has always been a straightfoward person anyway, so she continued staring with no inhibition, never forgetting to maintain the smile on her face. She realized she hadn't stopped smiling since she met Byulyi.

"So... When are you going to release your own album?" Yongsun clapped when Byulyi finished singing.

"Stop with that," Byulyi hit her arm gently and laughed. 

"In case you couldn't tell, Byulyi, I don't joke about what I say, alright?" said Yongsun, pretending to be hurt that Byulyi isn't taking her seriously. 

But how could Byulyi? How can she take Yongsun seriously when the singer had been drunk the entire time they interacted? Byulyi's smile falters, and Yongsun notices. The air between them suddenly became awkward and uncomfortable.

"I guess... I should take you home," Yongsun cleared , "Take you back to your home, I mean-."

"Thanks but I can manage," Byulyi quickly rejected the offer. 

"Don't joke around like that, it's nearly 1am, I can't let you go home alone at this hour," Yongsun pulled out her cellphone and punched in a message to her driver. "My driver is just around the corner. Ten minutes tops and you'll be home."

"Oh. Thanks, I guess," Byulyi didn't really want to give away her address just like that, but a part of her told her that Yongsun can be trusted.

"No problem - you threw a punch for me, this is the least I can do." Yongsun flashed a smile again at Byulyi, and Byulyi could have sworn her heart jumped.