There was no identifying when this sudden interest started. Maybe when she was passing through the street in the middle of the night, a busy street that was now not so busy. In the shiny glass of one of the stores, visible to anyone that walked by, was a beautiful porcelain mask of a cat.

 

Jungeun knew there was something interesting about it. The black paint on it reflected the light better than any polished car, carved carefully full of details and all kinds of flourish. The concave and pointy ears, and the lace strip that was so fine, it was nearly invisible. The mask carried its charm in all of the details, and if Jungeun didn't have to walk by so fast, she would even take a picture of it.

 

But it wouldn't give it justice.

 

She wanted to stop, head into the store, maybe even take a look personally. Perhaps even try the mask on, to see if it would fit her face perfectly like she expected it to. It just sounded like a nice experience to Jungeun, even if she ended up not taking it home. She could just picture it so well in her mind.

 

Her phone buzzed in her pocket while she was walking, her heels clacking in the concrete with the fast steps she was taking.

 

I'm gonna be late, you gotta wait for me because there's this new photographer dying to meet you. Take your time, but don't be late.

 

Jungeun grunted in frustration, sighing even if she was so used to her manager being late, and stopped walking. She found herself in the same street, in the same spot. The mask, however, wasn't there where it previously hung anymore. The support for it was empty and the light on it was off.

 

The curiosity won her over and she headed inside the store, a bell announcing her arrival as the door closed by itself.

 

"May I help you, Ms?" A purple-haired girl, seemingly quite young, greeted her as she walked further inside. She was wearing a white dress shirt, and a blue vest above it; she was well put together, and the colored hair complemented everything else. The girl certainly had potential to be a model.

 

"Oh, yeah. I wanted to know about a mask, it was a cat mask; used to be right there." Jungeun pointed at the spot she remembered, and the girl smiled at her. The light just right above her shone down, making the tiny plaque pinned to her vest shimmer. Jungeun read the name on it: Choi Yerim.

 

"Oh! I know just the one you're talking about. Unfortunately we no longer have it, it was sold yesterday…" The girl looked as if she was attempting to recall the details, tapping the glass counter. "Oh, yeah. A woman bought it."

 

"How was she like?" Jungeun asked, ignoring her once-again, buzzing phone.

 

"She had long hair and was dressed really well..." Yerim, once again, was trying hard to remember the details. "Oh! She was carrying one of those, uh, camera bags? It looked pretty heavy. The mask was one of our pricier items, but she didn't seem to mind the price..."

 

"Mhm. Okay. And that was probably the only model..." Jungeun muttered to herself and the girl nodded, even though she wasn't paying much attention.

 

"I'm sorry about that. If you want to look at anything else…?"

 

"Thanks, but I have to go. My manager is probably losing her mind." Jungeun smiled nervously, trying to shut down her phone so it would stop. ing. Buzzing. "Maybe I'll come back some time."

 

The girl nodded, a small smile on her face.

 

"Of course. I'll see you out."

 

Jungeun waved at her as she left, and quickened her pace.

 

[...]

 

 

Jungeun was thinking, as she waited for the elevator, about what would she say to her manager. What excuse would she use so she wouldn't be punished? I needed my beauty sleep? That one never worked.

 

But her thoughts were always going back to the mask, and who possessed it now. Her first hunch was maybe a college student, but Yerim back at the store had said the price was salty and no college student could afford a decent meal, much less an expensive porcelain mask.

 

And then, she remembered the camera bag Yerim had also mentioned. A photographer? And what exactly did she take pictures of to have a ton of cash to spend?

 

The elevator finally arrived, and Jungeun kept thinking as she headed in and pushed the button to the fourth floor. But before the doors could close, an unknown hand reached in and stopped them. The doors slid back into their open position, and the owner of the hand could finally be seen.

 

It was a woman. She had a lollipop in , and a camera bag hanging from her shoulder. She was well-dressed, with a burgundy turtleneck under the black long coat she had on, probably for the cold. The woman headed inside the elevator, and pushed the button for the fourth floor without even looking at it.

 

Jungeun observed her closely, trying to find any resemblances with the description she had heard from Yerim earlier. It was quite similar of a match, but it also just seemed like such a big coincidence; there was no way Jungeun could be this lucky. And why was she looking for it in the first place? The mask wasn't hers. It didn't belong to her in any way.

 

She tried telling herself to stop obsessing about it, and looked away just as the elevator stopped on the fourth floor. The photographer left first, dangling the lollipop from , going her way. Jungeun sighed and left second, but before she could even think of watching where the woman was going (she couldn't lie, it crossed her mind), her manager showed up.

 

"There you are! And I'm the late one." Haseul shook her head, silent disapproval covering her face.

 

"Yes, you are." Jungeun brushed her hair away from her face, earning a death stare from Haseul.

 

"Come on. There's someone I want you to meet. You're gonna work with her in a few days and I would love if you got along." Haseul led her by the shoulder into one of the rooms.

 

Inside, the room was already quite packed. Make-up artists, light technicians, costume designers… everyone you could think of was already there and working. And then, there was the photographer. Much to Jungeun's (lack of) surprise, it was the same woman from the elevator.

 

What a small world.

 

"Jungeun, this is Ha Sooyoung. Sooyoung, this is Kim Jungeun."

 

"I've heard of you." Sooyoung remarked, reaching to shake her hand. She had a confident handshake. "Finally, someone I haven't taken a picture of."

 

"That's going to change in due time." Haseul interrupted for the last time, and walked away, leaving them to talk. "She told me quite some stuff about you."

 

"I hope most of it was good…?"

 

"Don't worry, I still probably don't know a thing. So, who's taking your shots today? Jinsol?"

 

Jungeun realised she was still holding her hand, and let go, laughing awkwardly. "Yeah, that's her. You two know each other?"

 

"Well, if you consider her helping me with AP Bio in high school, then, yeah, we know each other pretty well." Sooyoung reached for her pocket, fishing her phone and typing a number. "Sol? It's me. You're late. Alright, we're waiting."

 

"She must've stopped to get coffee." Jungeun suggested, and she was probably right. She was hoping there was going to be coffee for her too.

 

They waited for Jinsol to arrive and started working right away. While Sooyoung prepped for her own model, Jungeun took the opportunity to ask Jinsol about her while getting ready.

 

"How long have you been friends?" Jungeun asked, trying not to pinch her fingers in the heavy earrings she was putting on.

 

Jinsol was nonchalant as she installed new lenses on her camera.

 

"We studied together. I was actually pretty shocked when I found out she wanted to pursue photography too. But she went abroad to study photography while I preferred to stay here. We ended up meeting again at work."

 

Jungeun just nodded, taking the information in. It still didn't make sense in her head - why would Sooyoung purchase the cat mask? Was it for some photoshoot, or something? And still, she couldn't be sure it was her in the first place. For all she knew, the mask was far away in some foreign country, sent as a gift for someone she definitely did not know or had a connection to. Jungeun was thinking about getting back to Yerim and asking more about the person who had bought it.

 

After the photoshoot, Jinsol ended up inviting her to her place for drinks and to chat about stuff. But of course, she had to also invite Sooyoung, and some other girl she was seeing that Jungeun didn't know about; but of course, she would find out eventually.

 

Sooyoung still seemed very interesting to her even if she didn't have the mask. She was playful, but kind. Mysterious, but at the same time quite open. And it also helped her image that she was a strong advocate for the things she believed in, even if they were controversial. Sooyoung was a sensitive person, after all.

 

Jungeun was also obviously curious about the girl Jinsol was seeing. It turned out that her name was Hyunjin and she was a bit younger than everyone else. She was smart and funny and they seemed to get along well, teasing each other almost constantly. It was nice seeing Jinsol happy like that, since Jungeun didn't expect her to get serious about someone so soon in her life. Perhaps she was wrong, and it felt good that she was wrong this time.

 

At the same time, as they were drinking some wine, Sooyoung got a call. It didn't seem like a big deal, at least at first. But Jungeun couldn't help but notice the way she reacted after seeing who was calling; rushing to leave the wine, leave the kitchen, and answer the ring.

 

Jungeun hesitated for a second, seeing maybe the woman needed privacy. But the situation was odd for her, at the same time. As she approached, and the voice in the line became a little clearer, things started clicking better in her mind.

 

"Sooyoung… I really need you." She thought it sounded familiar, but there was still something she couldn't place in it.

 

"Jiwoo? What's going on?"

 

And there it was. The name. If the voice was familiar, then the name was like getting hit by a hammer straight in the head.

 

"He… he hit me… he hit me again..." Jiwoo was crying, and her voice was clouded.

 

"Where are you?? I'm on my way!" Sooyoung was clearly in distress, but also trying not to show it too much. She was pacing around the room, restless.

 

"I'm at the bar… the one- you.. took me once." She was crying louder in between words.

 

Jungeun's level of worry started matching Sooyoung's own. She knew her. She definitely knew her, but it was still unclear and she couldn't pin it exactly.

 

"Wait for me. I'm coming." Sooyoung got off the phone and ran to find her keys.

 

Jungeun couldn't ignore the conversation she had heard. And even if she ended up not really knowing who the girl was, it would still be an move not to help out. And Jungeun wasn't an .

 

"I'm coming with you." She muttered, overly affirmative on the matter. And when Jungeun was affirmative, there wasn't much that could stop her.

 

"I don't think you should. Jinsol would be sad if she saw you leaving and-"

 

"You don't get it. I'm coming with you, no matter what you say. And Jinsol is too busy having heart-eyes for her girlfriend, she won't mind." Jungeun insisted, feeling a bit of anger after Sooyoung's initial reaction. She tried to let the feeling go, reminding herself that they didn't know each other too well, yet.

 

"Okay." Sooyoung finally caved, finding her keys. They grabbed their coats, and left the apartment without saying anything else.

 

Jungeun thought her mind was starting to get really, really scrambled when she recognized the neon sign of the bar. She had been there before, but she couldn't remember when or why.

 

They got in without waiting for a sign, and their worry for what was happening just kept increasing tenfold. Sooyoung scanned the place thoroughly, finally finding the girl sitting on a stool with her head down and her hair a mess.

 

"Jiwoo?" She muttered, her voice only a whisper, and realised the real level of the situation when Jiwoo lifted her head, revealing an astonishing amount of bruises in her face and neck. Jiwoo was a wreck, and not just in physical appearance.

 

Jungeun felt her eyes water when she finally, really, recognized her. Of course she knew the voice, and of course she knew Jiwoo. Because Jiwoo was her best friend from high school, and most importantly, Jiwoo was her ex.

 

The girl looked at Sooyoung, rubbing the eye that hadn't become a swollen galaxy. Then, she looked at Jungeun. And a second later, she was speedily getting up from the stool and rushing to Jungeun, hanging onto the model's neck without realising why. Jungeun just stood there, accepting the physical labor that was Jiwoo holding her, gladly taking the sobs on her shoulder even if painful memories were rushing to her head in full force.

 

The three of them left the bar because it was obviously not the best place for the situation and not the best place for explanations, either. And while Sooyoung didn't really understand how the two knew each other, she let them be in the backseat, Jungeun comforting Jiwoo, as she drove. But Sooyoung did not deny the curiosity rising in her mind, and she was going to ask about it later.

 

They headed to Sooyoung's place. It was quite a nice and comfortable apartment, high up in the building. It was full of interesting art pieces and tiny little trinkets. Sooyoung went to grab a medical supply kit, and Jungeun carefully applied ointment and bandages on Jiwoo's wounds; the girl moaned in pain every time she was touched, but she didn't resist it.

 

"It's okay. We're here for you. It's alright if you can't tell us right now." The model brushed back the wild strands in Jiwoo's hair, a gentle smile on her face. Sooyoung nodded too, asserting the message.

 

"It's okay… I want to. I-I- he called me suddenly and I… I thought it was for work. But… when I got to his house, he called me a-an useless and started- hitting me.. I..." Jiwoo couldn't stop the tears from coming while she told the story, and it was difficult for them to hear it as Jiwoo recounted her helplessness.

 

"Alright. Where's- where's this ing bastard? I'll end his ing life!" Sooyoung backed away from the two, screaming and unable to control her exploding anger.

 

"Sooyoung… calm down. We can deal with this later. The most important person now is Jiwoo." Jungeun tried to be rational, but deep down, she understood where Sooyoung was coming from extremely well. Hell, she was feeling it too. But she also knew going after whoever had done that, would just be dangerous and impulsive.

 

It helped Sooyoung calm down some, even if she still was really, really angry.

 

While Jungeun stared at the broken girl which, a few good years ago, had been her girlfriend, she couldn't help but think the world went round and round more than you thought it could. She couldn't help but think about how good their relationship had been, and sadly, how it had ended.

 

They were just young and naive. And just like every pair of young and naive people, they thought they could handle the world on their fingertips, when they couldn't even handle themselves. With dreams in common, it wasn't surprising how close they got in such a short time, from friends to girlfriends in a snap of the fingers.

 

Everything about the relationship was great. The kisses, the cuddles, the … except, there was one thing that wasn't so great: the feelings were the complicated part. Because when one of them disagreed about something, it was a difficult fight to solve. Jungeun was the most hard-headed person on the planet, and Jiwoo just couldn't see the reality one meter beyond her own nose. It was so easy to trick her, and it irritated Jungeun, but more than that, it scared her. And that fear, justified as it was, made the relationship tough to trust. How could Jungeun know she could take care of her, if Jiwoo didn't know how to take care of herself?

 

Dependent. Jiwoo was too dependent on her, and it frustrated Jungeun to no end. If she had grown out of that intense immaturity and learned how to defend herself, they would probably still be together. But Jiwoo was fragile in the beginning, middle, and end. And Jungeun wasn't sure if she ever did grow out of it.

 

Her head ached with so many thoughts. She looked around to set her mind off of the constant thinking, and sighted a black box gently placed on the couch by Sooyoung.

 

Jungeun lifted her eyebrows, curious, and watched as Sooyoung opened the box.

 

The cat mask. It was inside.

 

[...]

 

 

Jungeun wasn't able to sleep well after going back home that night. She couldn't get her mind off the mask and how easy it was to find it. With her luck, probably because she hadn't looked for it at all. It was interesting how things just seemed to work in her favor.

 

But there was no guarantee that the mask would even find itself closer than that. There was no guarantee of anything at all, particularly with Sooyoung. And why the hell was the mask so important in the first place? Why couldn't she stop thinking abou