“Minju… Minju, wake up,”

 

“Mmm…” The said girl called, hugging her pillow tighter. 

 

“Kim Minju, wake up right now,”

 

Minju felt someone pulling the pillow from her.

 

“5 minutes more…” She grumbled, hiding herself under the thick blanket.

 

“Minju, you wake up or you’ll take a bath here in your bedroom?”

 

The frog felt annoyed for a second but then shot her eyes wide open like she didn’t sleep at all when she remembered that last line. 

 

Quickly, she threw the blanket away from her body and saw the familiar silhouette holding a pitcher of cold water from their refrigerator.

 

She opened the lamp on the bed table and clearly saw the sleep intruder’s face. “Y-Yena unnie?!”

 

“I’m home, froggy,” She greeted, putting the pitcher beside the lamp. “Now, wake up… Your visitor is waiting for a very long time now.”

 

“Huh?” Minju was more puzzled. “Wait, wait, you didn’t tell me you were coming home… Since when? Last night or-”

 

“That’s not important for now. I already told you, the visitor’s waiting.”

 

“Who? I thought you’re referring to yourself.” Minju wiped the drowsiness from her eyes. “Who is it?”

 

 

 

 

“Your manager.”

 

Minju gasped and sprang from her bedroom. She dashed to where her door is, opened it and peeked at their living room.

 

There, standing in front of their ‘award wall’, scanning the baby pictures and medals hanging, is her manager and friend. 

 

Yes, it is her. The one who just confessed to her last night. 

 

“Y-Yujin?!” The frog yelled, grabbing the tall girl’s attention. 

 

“M-Minju! Uh, morning?” Yujin chuckled nervously. 

 

“W-Why are you here? It’s-” Minju looked at their wall clock. “I-It’s just seven in the morning!”

 

“I know,” Yujin said

 

“She’s been outside our house for an hour,” Yena chimed in, leaning on her room’s door just in front of Minju’s room. "She’s too shy to knock. If I didn’t arrive this morning then she’ll still be standing there.”

 

“W-What?!” Minju felt more guilty. “You didn’t tell me that you’re coming…”

 

“But… I told you that I won’t stop myself, remember?” Yujin said, awkwardly fixing her hair.

 

“I… I’ll just get ready real quick. I’ll be back. You want breakfast?”

 

“No, no… I ate before leaving my house.”

 

“Uh, okay, then. Give me five minutes,” And she immediately went inside her room to glamour herself for work.

 

But, as expected, no woman is able to fix herself within five minutes, especially Minju who’s used to fixing herself for about an hour.

 

She usually wakes up at 7:15, fixes until 7: 50 and walks her way to the company for 10 minutes. 

 

She finished fixing herself at 7:20, a new record. She’s just wearing a simple white dress and light makeup, yet her beauty still managed to make Yujin speechless.

 

She knocked on her sister’s room’s door. “Unnie? Unnie, we’re going.”

 

“I know,” Yena, who’s actually sitting on the sofa by the living room, replied before standing up.

 

“Oh… Sorry, unnie, I thought…” 

 

That’s weird. Usually, whenever Yena arrives early in the morning, she’ll just lock herself up in her room to get a good rest and meet her sister at dinner time.

 

“This is the least I could do for our visitor,” Yena, as if reading her mind, answered. 

 

“Uh, we’ll get going now, Yena-ssi,” Yujin said, standing up and bowing. 

 

“Sure, be careful on the road, Yujin-ssi.” Yena said, tapping the tall girl’s shoulder. She walked towards her sister and hugged her. “Take care.”

 

“You, too, unnie. I’ll tell Yuri to join us later for dinner.”

 

Yena nodded and smiled. She then accompanied them to the house’ gate.

 

“Here ya go,” Yujin said, giving Minju the white helmet, wearing the blue one afterwards. 

 

“Bye now, unnie,” Minju waved before riding the motorcycle.

 

“Minguri!” Yena called one last time, causing both to look back. “Go home early… We need to talk about something.”

 

For some reason, the frog felt her heart race but she chose to ignore it and nod instead.

 

And off they go.

 

While Yujin’s tackling the road, and Minju’s clinging on her in a very shy manner, they rode past a specific part of the street. Yujin slowed down her speed.

 

“I remember this place.” She whispered.

 

Minju noticed her mumbling. She took a look around and figured the place. It’s where their first unfortunate meeting happened. 

 

“I’m sorry, Miss, did I hit you or something? Your scream is too loud I had to stop,” Minguri imitated, using a thick voice the serious Ahn Manager used before. 

 

She felt Yujin laugh because of her hold to her torso.

 

“Why are you laughing?” Minju called out. “You can’t blame me for reacting that way. I thought I’ll meet Chaewon that day.”

 

She giggled but then was silenced when she realized who she was talking to. 

 

Wrong topic, self!

 

“S-Sorry…”

 

The whole ride after that was covered in complete silence, except that noise coming from the other cars. Finally, they reach the company’s parking lot. Minju got off the motorcycle first.

 

“Thanks for the ride, Yujin.” Minju said, giving back the white helmet.

 

“That’s nothing. I’m actually-” The manager faced the girl after turning off the vehicle and was captivated by her beauty. She didn’t have the chance to look at her properly earlier since they immediately set off.

 

Is it just me or she’s getting prettier each day?

 

“You’re about to say something?”

 

“N-Nothing.” Yujin became mum. 

 

“I thought you were-” 

 

“Yujin!” The two were surprised when they heard Chaeyeon called from inside the car who just parked. 

 

“Minju… Yujin,” Sakura, who was with the assistant manager, greeted, but was stopped when she noticed the two helmets Yujin was holding. 

 

She looked at them with a curious stare. “... You guys went here together?”

 

“W-Well… Yeah…” Yujin admitted. “W-What’s wrong with that? You and Chaeyeon went together, too.”

 

“We’re a couple, remember?” Chae reminded. “Well, how ‘bout you two? Are you a couple, too?”

 

“W-We-”

 

“We’re not!” Minju panicked. 

 

She looked at Yujin and saw hurt in her eyes. Aish, Kim Minju, you’re so insensitive! That's the second red flag for you.

 

“I-I mean… We’re not,” She lowered her tone a bit. “She just… Stayed over a friend’s house! Yeah… It just happened that her friend’s house is near mine so she decided to ask me for a ride.”

 

“Y-Yeah…” Yujin agreed, biting her lip. “That’s… Exactly what happened.”

 

But her statement is useless, for Chaeyeon already knew that they’re lying. Minju is in so much panic she forgot that Yujin’s only close friends are Chaeyeon and Hyewon. 

 

Yujin did not stay in her place and Hyewon’s condo unit is an hour ride from work and Yujin wouldn’t drive that far if she had drunk a bit of alcohol.   

 

She might not know what happens between Yujin and Minju because she didn’t expect the pair but if there is one thing that she’s sure about... 

.

.

 

There is something, and the two won’t be able to hide it from them.

***********

“I just took a week vacation and this is what welcomes me?” Chaewon asked, massaging her temples.

 

She just came back from her “honeymoon” and when she finally entered her office, tall piles of folders were arranged on her table.

 

“I tried my best to lessen the work, ma’am,” Her secretary replied. “But there are files that need your signature and not other board members. I cannot do anything about it, Miss.”

 

“Ugh, ‘kay, ‘kay,” Ssamu said, fixing her sitting position. “Where should we start? Hmm,”

 

She grabbed the folder on top of the pile and her secretary saw how she just signed it without reading.

 

“M-Ma’am, shouldn’t you read it first? There are important files in there-”

 

“I know what I’m doing, Ms. Park,” She replied. “I just skimmed the paper, and saw that it’s a resignation letter. I didn’t see the name of the architect but for what? He’s resigning from my project anyway.”

 

She continued signing the folders, but now, she’s reading it more carefully as she got her secretary’s point.

 

“Um, ma’am?”

 

“Hmm?” Ssamu hummed, biting her lip while signing.

 

“Uh, Mr. Jang personally asked me to ask you about Ms. Jang’s whereabouts. He said that his daughter isn’t answering him. And now, she’s absent from work.”

 

“Hmm? She doesn’t answer?” Chaewon repeated. “That’s weird, she doesn’t miss a call from her Dad.”

 

“Come again, ma’am?”

 

“Nothing,” The heiress shook her head. She then lightly smiled at her secretary. “Please tell Mr. Jang that Wonyoung is fine. She’s… Not really feeling well but I’m taking care of her and I already gave her medicine.”

 

“Noted, Ms. Kim,” Her secretary stated. “I must go now. I know that you don’t like delaying messages. I’ll be back quickly-”

 

“Wait, Ms. Park,” Ssamu halted her steps. “Can I ask you something?”

 

Now that the topic of Wonyoungwas brought up, she can’t take her mind off her. 

 

“Uhm, sure, Miss.”

 

“Tell me… How do you comfort someone?”

 

“W-What?” Her secretary requested to repeat the question, thinking that she misheard it.

 

She’s used to her boss asking for professional inquiries, scolding her and ordering her to do things. This is… Very unusual.

 

“I said, what’s the best way to comfort someone?”

 

“Oh, uh,” The secretary cleared . “Well, from experience, I say that food, Miss.”

 

“Food?”

 

“Yes. Buy that person a food that he or she likes, like pizza or french fries. Those are common comfort foods.”

 

“Are you sure that’ll help?” Chaewon asked, considering the suggestion.

 

“It works for most of the situations. It still depends on how the person will accept it.”

 

“Let me see…” Chaewon said, thinking. 

 

What does she really like? It’s hard deciding, I mean, she eats everything I cook for lunch or dinner. Pizza? But what kind of pizza? What if she hates pineapple and I ordered Hawaiian? 

 

Then, what about fries? Nothing can go wrong with fries. Okay! I’ll order- Wait, what flavor? Cheese or Barbeque? Or maybe Sour Cream? Is she okay with spicy or-

 

“Argh!” Chaewon almost banged her head on the glass table, but she’s lucky the piles of folders saved her.

 

She then thought of something because of the memory of hitting her head on a certain table.

 

“Miss Kim!” The secretary dashed forward, yet still keeping her distance from her boss’ table. “Are you okay, ma’am? Do you want to go to the clinic-”

 

“Don’t overreact, I’m fine,” Chaewon said, rubbing her forehead. 

 

Silence took place after that, not until her secretary carefully asked. “… Should I go to Mr. Jang now, Miss?”

 

“Yeah, but one last thing,” Chaewon asked. “How many meetings do I have after 3 pm?”

 

“Oh! I’ll just get it, ma’am,” And the secretary dashed outside to her table.

 

Sometimes, Chaewon has thought of giving her a raise because of the effort she’s putting in her work. Maybe after she fixes her wife’s problems.

 

Soon enough, Ms. Park came in, holding Chaewon’s schedule timetable. “So you have three meeting after 3 pm, Ma’am. Two with the departments, Finance and Design, and one with a potential business partner.”

 

“Is that so?” The Heiress bit her index finger, turning her swivel chair around. “Okay then. Contact Mrs. Ahn to tell my father to attend the meeting with the client. Then, inform the board members that I have to go somewhere so let them handle those department meetings.”

 

The secretary nodded, trying to memorize all her boss’ requests. 

 

“Also…”

.

.

“… Do you know the best Ice Cream Parlor around?”

************

“Sakura? I thought we’re going to have a meeting with Ms. Kim?” Minju asked, preparing the files needed for the said conference.

 

“The heiress cancelled the meeting.” Nako replied in Saku’s place. “Her secretary said that something’s up. She didn’t tell us anything else though.”

 

“Is that so?” Minju said, closing her laptop. “Okay… Guess we’ll have to present this tomorrow morning.”

 

Nako’s brows scrunched in confusion. 

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” The frog asked, chuckling to lighten up the mood. 

 

“Why are you not disappointed?” Nako bluntly questioned.

 

“Huh?”

 

“I mean, I thought you have a crush on Ms. Kim. Back when you just entered the empire, you always look forward to our meetings. You even asked me when’s the next everytime.”

 

“O-Oh that one… Uh,” Minju looked around to find an alibi. “N-No, that was just... A happy crush. You know, that's just a simple admiration.”

 

“Yeah…” Sakura agreed. She then smirked at the busy Minju. “Besides, why would she look for Miss Kim when she already has Yujin by herself?”

 

The frog almost dropped the folders on the cold hard floor. She snapped her head to Sakura’s direction and gave her the ‘I will ing kill you’ look.

 

“Wait a minute, is something up?” Nako asked, gazing back and forth at the two women in front of her battling through their eyes. “Ooh~ This looks fun... Sakura, spill.”

 

“This is nothing, really… Just saw Minju getting off Yujin’s motorcycle earlier this morning.”

 

“Is that so~?” Nako looked at Minju with a malicious and teasing stare. “Now, it’s your turn. Minju, spill.”

 

“And before you do it, do not give me any of that she came from a friend’s house alibi.” Sakura added, biting a piece of cookie she brought and personally baked.

 

“I… Ugh, fine, it’s bothering me anyway,” Minju agreed, pulling the nearest chair. 

 

Her two Japanese friends made themselves comfortable as well.

 

“She… Told me she liked me yesterday.”

 

A round of squeals were heard across the department and the two apologized for disturbing their coworkers.

 

“A-And then?”

 

“And then… I told her that I appreciate the gesture and that her feelings are valid.”

 

“And then??” Sakura and Nako repeated, now a pitch higher due to excitement.

 

“And then we… Never talked again.”

 

“Huh?” Nako was flustered to hear such plot twist. “What do you mean you never talked again?”

 

“I mean, we just talk whenever needed. We tried opening up t