When they first started seeing Wendy, Joohyun and Seulgi had figured she’d eventually stop passing through. However, it’d been a few months by the time they had exchanged CDs and she kept stopping in. Sometimes they’d see her six to eight times in a month, sometimes they wouldn’t see her at all. They’d make guesses as to what her job was, seeing as Wendy traveled frequently and always looked flawlessly put together.

“She’s probably a model,” Seulgi had said. “You don’t look like that and not be a model. Present company excluded.”

Joohyun had simply shrugged off the comment. She had never seen what others saw in her, but she and Seulgi both—despite the other girl having excluded herself from model status—had warded off enough pickup lines at their counter. “I bet she owns a business or something,” was her theory, ignoring Seulgi’s teasing that her guess was too boring.

Regardless, as long as she wasn’t late for her plane, Wendy would stop by and chat with them for a few moments. Joohyun had finally wrestled her crush under control, able to talk to Seungwan without her stomach doing flips even if she didn’t quite stop being mesmerized by her beauty. Worse, even as she got used to Wendy’s looks,  she was falling more and more for her warm personality instead. Last time, Wendy had even dropped off a box of Japanese sweets for her and Seulgi to share.

However, they hadn’t seen her for a few months, long enough for Seulgi to finally pick up work as a photographer and have to drop the midday shifts she’d shared with Joohyun. She’d begun to believe that Wendy would no longer pass through the airport by the time Wendy appeared with two wrapped boxes in hand.

Wendy had by then shed the stammering reserve from their earlier meetings, a bright expression settling easily on her features where it belonged. “Joohyun-ssi! It’s been so long!”

“It has.” She smiled without thinking. “How’ve you been?”

“Busy! So busy, but it’s about to get busier!” Seungwan craned her head to look behind Joohyun. “Is Seulgi-ah here? I brought a gift!”

“Oh, you really don’t have to…”

“But I haven’t been by in ages! The purple one is for you!” She slid the box across the counter, and Joohyun toyed with the pretty ribbon on top. “The orange one is for her.”

“Thank you so much… Seulgi is at her other job now, but I can give this to her for you.”

“She finally found photography work? Tell her congratulations for me! I’m so happy for her!”

“I’ll be sure to do so.” Joohyun tucked the packages under the counter to keep them safe. “She probably won’t be back during the day again. We’re hoping she’ll keep picking up work.”

“I do too, even if I’ll miss her. Wow…”

Joohyun got Wendy’s order, waving her away when she tried to pay. The least she could do was use her drink credit for the shift on Seungwan. The other girl followed her over to the other side of the counter, chatting about her trip where she had picked up the souvenirs in the boxes. Even though the other girl was prone to rambling, she never spilled any hint of what her job was, only describing the beach and the restaurants she visited. Joohyun wished she’d say more.

“Here’s your drink.” Joohyun finally placed the iced chai on the counter. If she let Seungwan talk for too long, someone would come over and scold the girl. As much as she enjoyed listening to Seungwan’s stories, she knew she couldn’t hold her up for too long. “Have a safe trip.”

Seungwan picked up her drink, but paused before leaving, setting her drink back down and digging in her purse. She pulled out a pen and a scrap piece of paper. “Um…. Maybe this is kind of weird, but it makes me sad to think I only see you and Seulgi-ssi at the airport, and…” She scribbled something on the scrap piece of paper and passed it over to Joohyun. It was a phone number. “Maybe pass it on to Seulgi-ssi too, if that’s not too creepy?”

“No, that’s okay.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say; her mind blanked out upon seeing the numbers in stark blue ink.

“Have a good rest of your day, okay Joohyun-ssi?”

“You don’t have to use -ssi,” she said without thinking.

“Oh.” Seungwan’s eyes went wide and Joohyun was struck by how endearing the reaction was. “Uhm… I’m 24…”

“Then it seems like I’m your unnie.”

“Then enjoy your day, Joohyun unnie!” Joohyun was too dazed to do more than wave at Seungwan’s bright farewell, clutching the precious number tightly in her fist.

That night she called Seulgi, telling her about the encounter and passing on the phone number as directed. She’d opened the box to find a beautifully lacquered hair clip in a deep violet alongside a small bag of candies. There was also a keychain with a cute bunny figure that she immediately clipped onto her everyday bag. She imagined the orange box still on her desk held something similar.

“I don’t know if I should text her. Would that be weird?” Joohyun was complaining, lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling.

“I know you have a big crush on her, but you don’t have to play the waiting game. If you want to talk to Wendy-ssi, then text her. If you don’t, don’t,” Seulgi said firmly. “She gave us her number, so she obviously wants you to. Besides, you should thank her for the gift.”

Sometimes Joohyun really wondered whether Seulgi was actually three years her junior. The younger girl’s common sensical view on life never failed to ground her.

“I was going to thank her in person, but alright.”

“That’s right, unnie. I’ve got an early day tomorrow, so I’m going to go, alright?”

“Good night.”

“Good night!”

Joohyun hung up then stared at her phone for a long moment. Her heart pounding in her chest, she finally took a deep breath and opened up her texting app.

Joohyun: Hello, this is Joohyun from the café. I just wanted to thank you for the present. The hair clip is so beautiful! I also gave your number to Seulgi, so you’ll probably hear from her soon.

The answer came back faster than she expected.

Seungwan-ssi: Hi! 😃 😃 😃 I’m so glad you liked it! I saw it and I thought of you for some reason

Joohyun: I appreciate it! I’ll probably give Seulgi her gift tomorrow. I didn’t get to see her today.

Seungwan-ssi: That’s alright! I meant to make another CD too but I didn’t have time 😭 I’ve been so busy

Joohyun: Please don’t worry about it!

Seungwan-ssi: Next time though 🎵 I’m going to be traveling a lot again eventually, so it’ll give me something to do on the plane

Joohyun: What is it that you do, if it’s okay for me to ask?

Seungwan had been replying rather quickly, but this time the dots indicating that someone was typing didn’t appear as fast as before. Joohyun worried that she’d been too forward. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding when Seungwan finally responded again.

Seungwan-ssi: Sorry, I’m dozing off—jetlag 😰 I’ll talk to you soon, though?

Joohyun: No worries. Please rest well!

Seungwan-ssi: Thank you!! Goodnight!! 🌜 💤 😴

Joohyun: Good night

Apparently, she hadn't scared Seungwan off with her question as she received a message the next day around lunch. She didn’t try asking what Seungwan’s job was again, too afraid to risk it. She told Seulgi when she delivered the gift before their shift—Seulgi had received a similar gift, but with an orange hair clip.

“See, I told you it was a good idea to text,” Seulgi said with a grin.

“But what do I talk about now?” Joohyun asked as Seulgi fussed with her hair.

“Whatever you’d like!” Seulgi had managed to pin the clip to her liking, assessing the effect in the mirror. “Just talk about whatever.”

“But I’m not good at that sort of thing,” she complained. Of course Seulgi, easy going Seulgi with endless interesting hobbies and skills, would find texting with a virtual stranger easy.

“But you always chat with Wendy just fine when she’s in the café.”

“Because she guides the conversations! And it’s only until her drink is done!”

“What did she text you?”

“Well… she sent a picture of her lunch.”

“So send a picture of a cute drink you made, or a picture of your dinner. Then ask her what her favorite food is or something! Don’t worry so much; I’m sure Wendy would be interested in whatever you have to chat about.”

Joohyun sighed but didn’t bother trying to argue the point further. “It’s time for us to go.”

“We kinda look like twins,” Seulgi pointed out, gesturing for her to look in the mirror. With both of them in their all black work clothes and matching clips in their hair, she had a point. “It’s cute!”

Joohyun shook her head, tugging her friend away from the mirror with a smile. “C’mon Kkang Sseul.”

Seungwan-ssi:

Seungwan-ssi: I missed Korean food so much!! ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Joohyun:

Joohyun: We have strawberry drinks back in

Joohyun: Not that I’m saying you need to stop in and have one, but I thought this drink I made today for a customer looked really tasty

Joohyun: Did you make that yourself?

Seungwan-ssi: Yeah! I love cooking but I rarely get a chance because it takes me so long ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Worth it for tteobokki!!!

Seungwan-ssi: Wow that does look good 😍 Tell me how it is so I know if I should order it next time!

“You’re swooning, Bae Joohyun.”

Joohyun jumped, looking up from her phone to find Seulgi grinned. “That’s no way to talk to your unnie!” she scolded, swatting at the younger girl. But Seulgi dodged the clumsy swing easily, moving around her to continue wiping up the counter.

“If anything, I should be scolding you for being on your phone during work.” But Joohyun knew Seulgi wouldn’t. Regardless, she tucked her phone away with a sigh and picked up a rag to join Seulgi in cleaning.

“Unnie…” Joohyun didn’t like the placating tone of voice. “It’s been more than a half a year. Why don’t you just ask her out?”

Joohyun sputtered. “I—what?”

“Just ask her out. To like dinner, or like… Well, not coffee, huh.” Somehow, Seulgi looked serious about what she said, like asking out Wendy wasn’t an impossibility.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Wasn’t the answer obvious? “I’m a barista and she’s like…” Joohyun vaguely gestured at the air.

“A businesswoman?” Seulgi shrugged. “That just means rich gf.”

“Oh my god, Kang Seulgi I’m not looking for a sugar momma!”

“What’s a sugar momma?”

“Um.” Joohyun could only stare at Seulgi in horror, regretting her response more with each passing second. Thankfully, the other girl only lasted a few seconds before her innocent poker face broke into loud laughter.

“I know what it is. I’m surprised you know what it is.” Seulgi wiped tears from her eyes. “But seriously, unnie. Just ask. It’s Wendy. No big deal.”

“But what if she says no?”

“Then you never have to wonder what would’ve happened. C’mon unnie; I’ve been watching your crush for ages now.”

“I’ll… think about it.”

“Good!” Seulgi clasped her shoulder enthusiastically. “Just do it soon; I’m not ready for a new era of you sighing over Wendy on your phone.” It earned Seulgi another slap on the arm that the other girl only laughed off.

What had happened? Joohyun used to be intimidating to the younger girl one point. Now, she could only glare ineffectively as Seulgi simply beamed back at her, looking blissfully content with her advice giving.

---

Wendy had passed on her number just in time; they didn’t see her at all the next month. Thankfully, Wendy was easy to talk to despite how much Joohyun had fretted. While slow to initially respond, Joohyun found that Wendy was happy enough to ramble on endlessly. She could imagine it’d be annoying to some, but the long paragraphs filled with emojis made her smile.

She still hadn’t asked Wendy out, much to Seulgi’s displeasure, but the semi-regular conversations felt like enough (almost).

Seungwan 🐨: You’re a dance student? 😲😲😲⁉️

Seungwan 🐨: Can I see?

Joohyun: I guess I do have a practice video…

Seungwan 🐨: Please unnie? 🥺

Joohyun stared at her phone, frowning. She really couldn’t say no to that.

Joohyun: Here…

Joohyun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPk_ctukMdw

There was a few minutes’ pause, and she found herself chewing on her lip. Was Wendy watching it? Did she think it was good? She had to remind herself that the video itself was almost two minutes long. Even so, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief when she saw the typing notification pop up on the screen.

Seungwan 🐨: oh my god?

Seungwan 🐨: oh my god??? 😮

Seungwan 🐨: you’re so pretty

Seungwan 🐨: Your dancing is so pretty

Seungwan 🐨: W O W

Did Wendy call her pretty? She could feel her cheeks growing warm as she typed in her far too blasé response to Wendy’s. Compliments.

Joohyun: Thank you

Seungwan 🐨: Seriously though, I could watch this on repeat 😍 🥰

Seungwan 🐨: Have you ever considered being an idol?

Joohyun: I auditioned once, but I didn’t get in

Joohyun: But I liked the idea of performing the more I thought about it, so I ended up studying dance instead.

Seungwan 🐨: Woooow!!!! 😲

Joohyun’s fingers trembled slightly as she typed her next text.

Joohyun: What about you? Do you have any secret talents to show me?

Joohyun: A video for a video.

Joohyun: 😀

Seungwan 🐨: Hm….

Seungwan 🐨: I guess I have a video of me singing

Seungwan 🐨: Um….

Seungwan 🐨: I hope this video isn’t too big 😥

Seungwan 🐨:

Seungwan 🐨: It’s just a small video, and it’s not very good. I don’t like taking videos of myself because it’s so embarrassing!!

Seungwan 🐨: 😳 😳 😳

She hadn’t expected anything in response to her request. In fact, she’d been entirely ready to play it off as a joke. But her boldness had paid off in the form of a small clip of Wendy engulfed in the cutest purple sweater. Her hair was longer and a different color entirely, so Joohyun assumed that it had to be an old video. Maybe when she was still in college—she couldn’t imagine that Wendy could have that reddish hair color wherever she worked now.

It didn’t really matter whether or not Wendy sang well or not; she already was happy enough to have gotten a video at all. However, there was no need for any concern on her part.

In the video, Wendy was singing to an IU song. From the recording quality, it seemed off the cuff. She wasn’t even singing along to a karaoke track, but what seemed like the original song played off another phone in the background.

Regardless, Joohyun was entirely entranced. Wendy’s voice was smooth and soulful, even when directly next to IU’s. When the clip ended, she immediately hit play a second time.

Seungwan 🐨: So…. What do you think? 😳

Joohyun: You asked me if I was an idol…

Joohyun: Are you sure you aren’t?

Seungwan 🐨: hahaha 😳 😳 😳

Joohyun: Where did you learn to sing??

Seungwan 🐨: I mean, I did choir and theater in high school…

Seungwan 🐨: it’s just kind of my passion, I guess

Seungwan 🐨: thank you 👉 👈

Seungwan 🐨: 😁 😁

Joohyun: I’m amazed

Joohyun: Your voice is so beautiful

Joohyun: If you sold music, I’d buy it

Seungwan 🐨: 😳 😳 😳

Seungwan 🐨: hahaha! Thank you!!!! 🙇‍♀️ I really appreciate it!!

Seungwan 🐨: Well, I gotta go. I have a super long day tomorrow 😭

Seungwan 🐨: Have a good night!!! Sleep well! 😴 🌙 ⭐️ I hope the café is quiet and smooth for you!

Joohyun: Thanks

Joohyun: Sleep well

Seungwan 🐨: And if you have any more dance videos

Seungwan 🐨: I’d love to see them sometime, if you don’t mind 😮

Seungwan 🐨: 💃 💃 💕

Joohyun: Of course :)

Joohyun scrolled up to the video and replayed it. Something about Wendy’s voice seemed to ring familiar for her, but she couldn’t quite place a finger to what it was. She played back the video a fourth time, but whatever connection her brain was trying to make remained elusive. She chalked it up to the fact that Wendy simply had a startlingly good voice. It could be that she was thinking of literally any other good singer, honestly. It was really a shame it was only a small clip of the song.

…Would it be weird if she saved the audio outside of the messages app?

She ended up guiltily saving the video to her phone storage. It was just a short singing video that had been willingly sent to her, and yet for some reason she felt like a thief.

(Perhaps it was because she didn’t want to think about what it meant, that her heart grew warm seeing the video among her photos.)