Joohyun pulled into the parking lot at her usual 6:45am arrival time and found that Seulgi was already there waiting for her. As Joohyun made her way over to Seulgi's car so they could walk in unison to the dock doors.

 

They felt a vibration and heard a rattling sound from behind them. Seungri pulled up to where they stood driving a royal blue 2017 Mazda cx5  while blurring the song Freak Me by Silk. His car was custom design to impress with tinted windows, spinning rims, and a green LED underglow lighting.

 

"A car only driven by a douche," Joohyun thought with a look of disgust.

 

As Seungri pulled up he open his window a crack and gave Joohyun a wink. Seungri was putting his car in reverse to park it when the young female attendant at the security booth ran to his car and placed a piece of paper in his hand.

 

"WHAT! $60 fine for disturbing the peace, this is unbelievable," Seungri growled as he crumbled the fine and tossed it in the back of his car.

 

Joohyun and Seulgi burst into laughter as they made their way to the back entrance of the kitchen. The entire walk to the dock doors Joohyun felt Seungri's eyes were watching her every move but it was hard to quicken her pace in 6 inch heels. She was wearing a back sleeveless dress that hugged her body nicely with a black men's blazer and a strand of pearls with earrings to match. She made sure not to sway her hips too much so that Seungri wouldn't see it as an invitation to harass her. Dead silence filled the air as the trio walked to the door until Seungri spoke up.

 

"So Joohyun you said you are seeing someone, I like to know how is it going. I mean who around here isn't curious about this sudden revelation. You never mentioned him before so why now?," Seungri proclaimed only inches away from Joohyun's ear.

 

Seulgi looked at Joohyun surprised, "So you're seeing someone."

 

Joohyun gave Seulgi a pleading look as if to say just please help me out this once and I will owe you forever.

 

Seulgi played along, "Oh yeah, that's right of course it started over the weekend."

 

Joohyun nodded yes and mouthed, "Thank you" for going along with her lie.

 

Seungri cocked an eyebrow and threw the women a suspicious look letting them know that he didn't take the bait.

 

Seungri ran ahead and held the door open for the friends to enter but just as Joohyun was walking through the threshold Seungri put his hand up to stop her and said, "If you think you can get rid of me that easily than you are sadly mistaken."

 

He put his hand down as Joohyun pushed pass him with a cold glare on her face.

 

 

 

Namjoon popped into view as Seulgi, Joohyun, and lastly Seungri clocked in before settling into their work stations. Namjoon was carrying a metal spatula that he hit his free hand with to emphasize to Seungri how angry he was for Seungri's late arrival.

 

"You know it is my duty every week to compose a certain set of hours to distribute throughout the kitchen. So why am I standing here waiting for you to start your shift at 7am when it is suppose to be 6:30am. What am I suppose to think? I thought I could count on you but I guess I was wrong. All I know is it better not happen again." With that remark he gave one final slap of the spatula and left Seungri standing there with his head down not warranting an explanation.

 

"Oh just to inform you about today's workload, the forecast calls for rain I was told that a lot of flights will be grounded so the staff throughout the airport will most likely stay in to eat today. I want you to increase your food production besides you will be lucky if you find a chance to breath after I am done with you for showing up late."

 

Namjoon noticed Seungri had his head down for the speech so Namjoon chose to change the topic.

 

"Look man, I am not the type of person to strike the hammer at my employees. But on a personal level bro, if you are acting out your frustration toward me because of Joohyun's consistent rejections than that is low and I won't tolerate it. I may even ask you to turn in your badge." Namjoon finished with his hand extended to Seungri to show he was serious about it.

 

"No I swear my tardiness has nothing to do with my personal life and I won't let you down Chef Namjoon," Seungri said with convocation and set up his work station where he stayed preoccupied for the rest of the day.

 

 

 

Seungri made Joohyun's skin crawl like how repulsive was he, blaring music with ually explicit lyrics that were directed at her.

 

"In the end he has to lose money for that," Joohyun thought to herself and smiled triumphantly.

 

"Who does he think he is driving that loud ridiculous car with the blinding colors? Oh and questioning whether I am in a relationship or not is none of his business! Besides why was he just showing up to work at 7am! That is the time that I clock in and I asked Namjoon to schedule us at different times so I won't be stalked to the door!"

 

Joohyun was so upset that she felt the need throw her phone at the wall. But she held her phone in her hand she thought about Seungwan and how looking at her photos brought Joohyun solstice. She couldn't take her eyes anyway from the gym selfie especially those abs. Joohyun also observed a slight dimple on Seungwan's right cheek whenever she smiled.

 

"Cute," mused Joohyun as she held the phone close to her chest. She thought it was only right to share with Seulgi, Seungwan's pictures and profile. She wanted Seulgi's approval and Seulgi introduced her to the app after all.

 

Joohyun opened the door of her office only to find Jimin standing in the doorway to Seulgi's office leaning to one side with his arms crossed.

 

"Well honey I hate to tell you this but until we are fully staffed like CL promised these are the conditions I must deal with. This weekend is the fitting for my dress and the bridesmaids dresses I mean I don't want to postpone the ceremony but there is so many tasks that need to be completed and so little time," Seulgi said in a worried tone.

 

Jimin made his way over to the chair Seulgi was sitting at and placed his hands on her shoulders.

 

"I will keep repeating this even though you hate hearing it but you are over working yourself. And for what? For us? Baby I told you I make enough money as an engineer for us to live comfortably. I am not asking you to give up your job. But don't constraint yourself based on empty promises that your superior wants you to hear." Jimin ended his speech by giving Seulgi a long kiss on the lips.

 

"Whatever you decide I am 100% here to support you as we continue our future together," Jimin said while lovingly running his fingers through Seulgi's hair.

 

"Can we change the topic? It is a real downer for me," Seulgi said with a pout.

 

Jimin let out a laugh and shook his head yes.

 

"So I see that Hyojin is the main barista and I bet she loves it. You know I went to purchase a white chocolate mocha latte from her and she starts to rap," Jimin said to lighten the mood.

 

"Really what did she rap about?" Seulgi said while smiling.

 

"I really wasn't paying attention but something about drinking a lot of bottles of champagne I think," Jimin replied.

 

They looked at each other and burst into laughter.

 

"I think Hyojin believes that us engineers are sound engineers for a recording studio and not aerospace engineers," Jimin said as he shook his head because Hyojin was entertaining.

 

"I don't want to keep you from your work so I will be leaving now and by the way your mother called me asking if we are available for dinner two Saturdays from now," Jimin said as he shrugged his shoulders when he saw a look of confusion on Seulgi's face.

 

"Two Saturdays from now? Wow do we even have plans tomorrow night? That's how unorganized and scattered brain I feel at this moment," Seugli was running her fingers through her hair.

 

"I should head back to my office let's discuss this at the house later," Jimin said as he planted a kiss on Seulgi's forehead.

 

Jimin turned to leave as he caught Joohyun standing in the doorway of her office and said, "Hey Joohyun! Could you do me a favor and make sure that my future wife to be doesn't take on more assignments than she can handle even if CL request it promising a better outlook for the kitchen. Also I leave you in charge of making sure that my precious Seulgi doesn't  overindulge on mimosas at the dress fitting this weekend. Thanks Joohyun I can always count on you."

 

And with that Jimin left Seulgi's office.

 

"I apologize for that, you don't have to watch over me this weekend, I want everyone there to have a good time," Seulgi finished with a smile that turned the shape of her eyes into crescent moons.

 

"I think it is sweet for Jimin to care so much I always feel a little envious about how much attention and care he showers you with," Joohyun replied with a smile on her face.

 

Seugli put her finger to her chin as if she was deep in thought and said, "I believe that if you stick to the app I showed you then you will find love before you even realize it. So did you have any luck?"

 

"Actually there is this one woman that I spoke to yesterday when I was outside on my lunch break," Joohyun beamed because she was thinking of Seungwan as she said it.

 

"That is wonderful! So may I see this person who makes your eyes twinkle," teased Seulgi.

 

Joohyun had Seungwan's profile on display as she gave her phone to Seulgi.

 

"Wow she sure is adventurous I mean pictures of skydiving and bungee jumping, are you sure you are up for that? (Joohyun shook her head no) Wait a second look at this gym selfie, oh boy she is stunning no wonder you are on cloud nine. She seems like a catch and I am glad that you decided to speak to her before someone else snatches her up," Seulgi emphasize the last point.

 

"Actually she reached out to me and she is planning on moving to Korea," Joohyun replied.

 

"Really? But her life seems so interesting in Canada! Why would she want to live in such an uptight strict country like Korea? That doesn't make sense," Seulgi was puzzled.

 

Joohyun shrugged her shoulders and said, "We literally started talking to each other last night so I didn't want to pry too much. But it is her life and her decision to make so who am I to judge."

 

"I see that she is a chef, wouldn't it be weird if she gets a job working here?" Seulgi laughed at that.

 

"I highly doubt that someone with her job criteria and background would want to work in our kitchen. Besides I proposed the idea but in a joking manner I think working at say La Yeon would better suit her," Joohyun said matter of fact.

 

"I know it is too early to judge but I like her Joohyun and you have my approval and how great would it be if she relocates. You could invite her to my wedding," Seulgi exclaimed.

 

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Joohyun laughed and returned to her office to complete her paper work while glancing at her phone to check the time wishing it was 7:15pm already.

 

 

 

Seungwan was completing her last lap around Don River when the alarm on her Apple watch went off. The time read 5:55am, she had less than 20 minutes to make it back to her apartment to chat with Joohyun.

 

Still a little out of breath she said to herself, "I better book it," as she sprinted to the big wooden doors of her apartment building. As Seungwan made her way to the stairs she passed the rental office, she scheduled a sit down with the property manager this week to inform him that she would not be renewing her lease.

 

"I know in my gut that this is the right thing to do but that doesn't stop the butterflies from fluttering," Seungwan thought.

 

She dropped her keys and caught her phone midair before it fell to the floor.

 

"What is wrong with me today? The conversation hasn't even started and yet I am nervous," Seungwan scolded herself.

 

Maybe it was the side effects of cramming in exercise this morning after staying up late last night that were to blame for her jitteriness. She made her way across the kitchen to a cupboard above the sink and took out a breakfast bar to munch on.

 

Just then her phone ding and she read the message, "Are you awake? I don't want you to lose sleep over me," Joohyun wrote.

 

Seungwan smiled and typed, "Yes I am awake, I just finished my morning workout."

 

"Mind sending me some pics?" Joohyun ended the sentence with the winking emoji.

 

Seungwan laughed and typed, "I would love to but I am all sweaty and gross besides I don't want you to see me like this."

 

"Is it really that different than the gym selfie? Why don't I send you a picture of what I look like right now just so we can confirm that we are the people in the pictures," Joohyun suggested.

 

Just then Seungwan had a hard time catching her breath as she saw a gorgeous woman standing in a slightly above the knee length sleeveless black dress with heels on and long wavy black hair paired with a pearl necklace and earrings.

 

"She appears to be sophisticated maybe even a little too sophisticated for me," Seugnwan said to herself as she rushed to the bathroom to fix her hair and wash the sweat off her face.

 

She was wearing a white t-shirt and navy blue Under Armor compression pants paired with her white Nike cross trainer sneakers. Seungwan sent the photo hoping Joohyun wouldn't change her mind about speaking to her.

 

"What no abs?" Joohyun typed back.

 

Seungwan chuckled as she read the message and quickly typed back, "Well if you examine the picture carefully you will see my white t-shirt is wet, if you know what I mean."

 

"Don't tempt me but in all seriousness I am relieved to know that you are the same person from your profile. I had a horrible day at work and I really like talking to you," Joohyun confessed.

 

Seungwan felt a warmth spread throughout her chest as she read the message. All of Seungwan's friends relied and confined in her over the years because she was selfless, understanding, and offered great advice. In the short amount of time she knew Joohyun, she was elated to know that she provided some comfort to her.

 

"I know we haven't been in contact very long but if you need someone to vent to you can call me anytime," Seungwan wrote including her phone number at the end.

 

"Thank you for being such an amazing person and if you don't mind, can we FaceTime right now? I want to hear your voice," Joohyun included her phone number too.

 

"Okay," Seungwan agreed.

 

Seungwan was logging off of the app when her FaceTime notification started to buzz with an unknown number written across the screen. She swiped to open and Joohyun immediately appeared on her screen it looked like she was sitting in an upscale cocktail bar. The noise from the crowd in the background was almost deafening just then Joohyun was outside in front of a huge glass window.

 

"Sorry about that I finished a social event with a coworker that was postponed from yesterday," Joohyun said.

 

"No worries, I hope you had a good time," Seungwan said with a smile.

 

Joohyun smiled back and replied, "Yeah I did but my whole day was consumed with anticipation of finally speaking to you again," Joohyun said looking at the ground as her face turned red.

 

Seungwan gulped and cleared . "I had a hard time sleeping because I thought I would sleep through my alarm and log on to the app to find that you went offline because I was too late," Seungwan said sheepishly.

 

"I am thankful that didn't occur and now we can call each other anytime and send text messages," Joohyun said as a car whizzed by.

 

"Can I call you back? I will call you when I made it home where it isn't so noisy," Joohyun asked hoping it was a yes.

 

"Sure I will be here," Seungwan said before their quick goodbyes.

 

 

 

Joohyun made it back to her condo 35 minutes later and rushed into her apartment and threw off her shoes. She hoped she didn't miss the opportunity to FaceTime with Seungwan again.

 

"I mean the girl holds down two jobs so it would be within a good reason why she didn't take my call," Joohyun said to herself.

 

She dialed Seungwan's number and waited. Seungwan picked up on the 4th ring and was wearing a completely different outfit from before. Her hair was styled neatly as she was wearing skinny jeans with a blouse and dress flats. Seungwan was in the middle of putting on dangly earrings when she answered the phone.

 

"You changed your clothes? You look like you showered too. If this is a inconvenient time for you then I can call back," Joohyun said apologetically.

 

"No, I mean I have to start my shift at the coffee shop in twenty minutes but you are not interrupting me. So what did you want to talk about," Seungwan said.

 

"First of all, I think that outfit really suits you. It draws attention to your tone body," Joohyun said with a wink.

 

Seungwan blushed and stuttered, "You didn't have to say that it was very kind of you. I mean you look amazing today. Very sophisticated."

 

Now it was Joohyun's turn to blush some more she even let out a light laugh from feeling shy.

 

"You know Joohyun if you ever find yourself fend up with your current situation in Seoul  you are more than welcome to stay at my apartment here in Toronto for a change of scenery and a completely new experience. I am not sure how much vacation time you put away this year but all you have to do is say the word," Seungwan said as her eyes twinkle.

 

Joohyun grinned and replied, "That sounds wonderful Seungwan, I want to make sure it is approved by my colleagues before I purchase a plane ticket," Joohyun said.

 

"No I am the one who threw this notion out there, so I will be the one buying you a plane ticket," Seungwan said reassuringly.

 

"I have to be honest I haven't had a vacation since I rang in the New Year with Seulgi in Hong Kong. I am feeling pretty burned out from the stress and workload besides I want to see you in person and spend time with you," Joohyun said with a pout on her face.

 

Seungwan laughed and said, "Check with your employers first and call or message me back so I can pay for your plane ticket."

 

"But wait Seungwan I thought that you were planning to move to Seoul?" Joohyun asked with her brows furrowed.

 

Seungwan thought Joohyun's reaction was adorable.

 

"About that I am still working everything out it is only the beginning of August and I plan to permanently move at the end of October. My current employers have been so wonderful to me that I intend to help them out until they find someone to replace me," Seungwan said.

 

"That is a generous thing you are doing, it shows what a beautiful person you are inside and out," Joohyun said lovingly.

 

"Nah I am fortunate enough to be able to work with great people so I want to repay them every chance I get," Seungwan said.

 

"You really do think of others before yourself, that is admirable Seungwan," Joohyun said with a warm smile on her face.

 

"Thank you for saying that but now I have to think of myself for once or else I will be late for work," Seungwan said with a laugh.

 

"Okay sorry to hold you up," Joohyun apologized.

 

"My boss is lenient at the coffee shop besides I am never late so there is a first time for everything I guess," Seungwan chuckled.

 

Joohyun chuckled too.

 

"Would you like to talk again at this same time tomorrow?" Seungwan asked.

 

"Sure that sounds great but only if you show me your abs?" Joohyun joked.

 

"Why wait until tomorrow when you can see them now," Seungwan said and perceived to lift her shirt to expose her tone stomach to Joohyun. She caught the woman her lips and fanning herself.

 

"Haha you are funny but I have to go now so talk to you later," Seungwan waved and ended the call.

 

Joohyun fell back on her couch feeling a wave of excitement wash over her.

 

"Wouldn't be great if I spend my vacation in Toronto with Seungwan. Ahhh Seungwan! She is so y! I am not sure we will ever leave her apartment to explore the city. I still can't believe I found someone who is so relatable yet different in a good way from this app," Joohyun raved on and on.

 

She took a piece of paper from her folder with the heading Request Time Off and was pondering if the middle of September was too soon to visit Seungwan.