II.

The worst thing about teacher-parent meetings was… well, the parents.

Seungwan was convinced some people shouldn’t have children. She knows that nobody’s born knowing how to be a parent but she has come across some situations that just make her want to rip her hair off. It’s gotta be common sense that if your child comes home crying every day and then wakes up scared about going to school again next morning, there’s probably something going on. Something bad.

After a few hours that feel like days, families start moving out from the school’s auditorium into the parking lot and hopefully their homes. As long as it’s anywhere that isn’t here, Seungwan will take it.

It’s not that she despises her job — the kids are alright. They’re loud and annoying a lot of the time but they are also bright, sweet and innocent. She’s convinced children are nothing but the reflection of their parents. ty parents equal ty children that will probable end up becoming ty parents and the cycle goes on forever.

Anyway, kids aren’t the problem. The problem is that Seungwan has been working a job she doesn’t want to work ever since she graduated. She’d gotten a degree in Visual & Performing Arts back at the University of Toronto. The decision of studying abroad in her birth country came shortly before finishing high school, together with the plan of coming back to Korea afterwards and try to snatch a job in the entertainment industry.

That didn’t work out quite the way she’d hoped. Getting into the industry was hard, especially fresh out of college and with no connections. She wanted to be a singer more than anything but she knew that wasn’t going to happen overnight, so her plan was to climb her way up and when she was stablished enough, give the famous artist idea a shot. But it had been four years and she was still stuck in her same old boring life, making a living with a part time job as a teacher at a local elementary school and the occasional photography gig for a small studio on the side.

So yeah, Seungwan doesn’t despise her job — she just wishes it were a different one.

There were only a few people left in the auditorium but she was still standing in a far corner, not in the mood of speaking to anyone. These things always made her exhausted. She’s looking at her twitter feed when a voice makes her look up.

“If you keep frowning like that you’re gonna get so many wrinkles.”

It came in the form of Kim Jisoo, Seungwan’s co-worker and closest friend.

“Putting up with you has already aged me a hundred years anyway, so i’ll frown as much as i like.”

“Someone’s stingy.” Jisoo mocks. “Cheer up, sunshine, at least it’s over!” Her friend knows how much she hates these meetings.

“It’s not over until they’re all gone.” Seungwan says while eyeing some families still chatting by the door. “Do you think the process will speed up if i pull on the fire alarm?”

Jisoo rolls her eyes. “You’re such a drama queen. There’s barely anyone left anyway. Come on, help me clean up so we can get the hell out of here.”

“So that’s why you came over. And here i was thinking you enjoyed my company.” Seungwan puts a hand over her heart. “Maybe i should start charging you for my services.”

“Maybe if your services had 5 stars reviews i would pay for them, but they don’t, so.”

They keep bickering while tidying what’s left of the materials used at the reunion. Not long after they look around, feeling content because it seemed that everyone that wasn’t part of the staff had finally left. Seungwan takes a look at the clock on the wall, which read 8:23pm.

“You want to grab dinner? I’m starving. We could go to the diner a few blocks from here.” Jisoo’s stomach growls exactly as she finishes her sentence, making Seungwan laugh.

“Let’s go before your stomach riots.”

-

When they arrive at the diner, a waiter who looks like he hates his job more than Seungwan does approaches their table and takes their order.

When he leaves, she turns to Jisoo. “Poor guy. I feel for him. I wonder what he actually wants to do with his life aside from working on a diner.”

The black haired girl shrugs. “Maybe he wants to be a father. Or the president. It could be anything, really.”

Comfortable silence falls over them as they wait for their food to arrive.

“Which reminds me,” Jisoo breaks the quiet. “What happened with that job interview you kept talking about a few weeks ago?”

Seungwan sighs. “I submitted my CV to the company as soon as i found out about it, but i haven’t heard back from them yet.”

In that moment the waiter comes back with their plates, both girls uttering polite thanks.

Jisoo takes a bite out of her chicken. “I’m sure they’ll call soon. Try not to stress too much about it.” Her eyes turn soft. “I don’t see why they wouldn’t want to hire you. You’re hardworking and great. Everything a company should want.”

Seungwan feels warmth in her stomach and it isn’t food related. “I’m not sure that’s the case but thank you.” A beat passes. “I hope so, anyway. I’m not sure how much more of this teaching job i can take.”

“Is it really that bad?” Jisoo asks honestly. She found herself in a situation similar to Seungwan’s except she had graduated as a fashion designer. The difference between them was that Jisoo came from money, her parents always a steady support both emotionally and economically. She’d only taken this job to have something to do while things got into place for her and well, an extra source of money never hurt anyone.

Point was, Jisoo could quit her job if she wanted, something Seungwan didn’t have the privilege to do.

She supposes things could be worse, though. “No. I’m just really tired.”

“Things will get better soon.” Jisoo pats her hand sympathetically. “Meanwhile, we can always go out for a drink.”

Seungwan snorts. “Is alcohol your solution to every situation ever?”

“Is that a no?”

Seungwan wasn’t much a drinker, but today had been particularly awful and she could use something to relax.

“No.”

Jisoo grins. “Good. Now, let’s finish this and get going, the night is young!”

-

Seungwan wakes up the next day with a headache.

The morning light coming through the window is way too harsh on her hungover eyes as she sits down on the bed, the movement making her stomach turn a little. She hadn’t even had that much to drink but she was cursed with a low alcohol tolerance ever since her high school days.

She takes a minute to go through last nights events but nothing particularly relevant seems to have happened. Jisoo had taken her to a local bar since she wasn’t really in the mood for anything wilder than that. Around an hour into their stay a man had approached them —young, handsome with a decent enough speech— and offered to buy them drinks. Which, not to toot their own horn, wasn’t something out of the ordinary but it was always welcome. As the night went by Seungwan was starting to feel a lot like a third-wheel, barely part of the conversation anymore with her drowsy brain and worn out limbs. So she’d excused herself, Jisoo offering to come along to which she politely declined. The guy they were with called her a cab and the rest was history.

She wonders if Jisoo went home with him. The thought makes her feel a little bit lonely.

Seungwan gets up and goes straight to the kitchen, downing a glass of cold water in one go. It felt glorious on her dry throat. She uses another one to take a painkiller then gets back to the room to check her cell phone.

She has a message from Jisoo that says i’m glad! rest well, i’ll call you tomorrow as a reply to the one she’d sent letting her know that she’d gotten home safely. She smiles, making a mental note to call her later since she doubts she’s up right now. There’s some notifications from various social media and down at the very bottom, there’s a text from one of her co-workers at the studio.

Hey! I was wondering if you could drop by today, boss booked a last minute shooting and we could use some extra hands. Let me know!

Seungwan stares at her phone, contemplating. She didn’t have any particular plans, maybe go to the park in the evening or do some cleaning at home but she also didn’t feel like working.

In the end she decides that an extra shift was an extra shift so she texts back Sure, i’ll be there in a few. And goes to get ready.

An hour later she finds herself in front of the business building. She liked this job, at least it made her feel like she didn’t attend college for nothing.

The bell rings as she opens the door to find the co-worker who had texted her, Johnny, sitting behind the counter. The sound makes him look up and he greets her warmly. “Hi Wendy! Thank you for coming in such short notice. I’m not sure why boss urgently booked this session, i think it’s a favor or something. Anyway, i won’t keep you long. Just need some help with the editing and all.”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t have much to do today anyway.” Who doesn’t have plans on a Saturday? Pathetic.

“I get it. It’s foreign life i guess.” Johnny smiles knowingly. He was american and had recently moved to Seoul to try his luck as a photographer. It’s also why was he the only one who called her by her english name. It made her feel a little bit nostalgic.

The studio was a small, cozy place. Nothing too extravagant with it’s grey toned walls filled with all types of pictures, a display of the different photographers’ work. She leaves her stuff in the storage room at the back of the hall and goes to set up the space where the photos would actually be taken.

Like Johnny had said, the task doesn’t take more than a couple hours, the clients easily satisfied with the way the pictures had come out.

“Thanks for backing me up.” He tells Seungwan while they clean up the props that had been used during the session. “I can finish here. You go enjoy the rest of your Saturday.”

She makes a face. “It’s okay, i don’t mind staying.”

“No, no. I’m serious. Please.” He sounds too sincere and Seungwan doesn’t have the heart to tell him that she really doesn’t have anywhere else to be.

“Fine. If you insist.” She hopes her smile isn’t too strained. “I’ll just take these to the storage room and be on my way.”

He nods, unbothered. “Good! Take care, Wendy.”

-

Seungwan had settled for just hanging out at the park. The weather was nice enough, summer warmth filling her senses.

She sat under a tree since the sun was out in full force, took out a book and read for a while, except she kept getting distracted by her thoughts.

Her life was not what she wanted it to be. She felt worn out, lonely and overall, unhappy. She didn’t like her job, she barely had any friends, she was struggling to pay rent, she hadn’t gone out in a date in god knows how long.

Seungwan wondered if it had been a good idea coming back to Korea.

Just as she was second-guessing every decision she had ever made, her phone rings, sparking her out of her reverie. She frowns since the call is from an unknown number but answers anyway.

“Hello?”

“Is this miss Son?” A female voice comes from the other side of the line.

“Yeah, this is her. Who am i speaking to?” Seungwan replies politely.

“Hello, miss Son! I’m calling from SM Entertainment. We got your CV submission for a production assistant spot and we’re happy to inform you that we have chosen you, along with 3 other candidates, for a personal interview. Said interview is the last step to determine who actually gets the job. Would you be interested?”

“Oh wow.” This was unexpected, it had been a while since she made it this far on the election process. “Sorry, i’m really surprised. But yes, of course! Just let me know when and where and i’m game!”

She can hear the girl chuckling on the other side of the line. “That’s good. We’ll be communicating with you to let you know the exact date and location where you have to go. Have a good evening, miss Son.”

“You too! Thank you!” Seungwan says as the line goes dead. Her stomach feels tight, the milkshake she’d drunk earlier mixing with the anticipation of the sudden news. What were the chances that just a few minutes ago she had been sulking about everything and now, an opportunity for change was knocking on her door?

Like Jisoo said, maybe things would finally get better.

-

A few days later, Seungwan was feeling a bit better than she had in a long time.

She has to go to the studio, since her class ended earlier than usual on Wednesdays, she also worked a full shift there in the afternoon.

Seungwan gets there just in time, ready to let Johnny cruise to freedom for the day.

“Hi Johnny!” She greets him, more joyful than usual. “How was everything today?”

“Hey Wendy!” He looks like he wants to ask about the sudden cheerfulness but changes his mind in the last second. “Um, it was good. A family dropped by, they had 4 children and they wanted pictures for all of them. It was kinda chaotic but nice.” There was a glint in his eye that showed just how much he actually enjoyed doing what he did.

“I can imagine.” Seungwan replies as she takes a bite from the croissant she’d bought on the way here. “You always get the entertaining clients. I just get passport pictures.”

He laughs. “Well, i don’t think anyone wants to have a full on photoshoot on a Wednesday afternoon.”

“What a shame.”

Johnny finishes packing up his stuff. “Oh, i just thought of something else. Remember the wedding we were supposed to photograph on Sunday?”

“The one on…. What’s that fancy garden’s name? I forgot.”

“Yeah, that one. The bride called earlier and cancelled.”

Seungwan almost spits out her drink. “Are you kidding?! It’s literally four days away! What happened?”

“I don’t know. She didn’t say.” Johnny’s voice is sympathetic. “But for someone to cancel their wedding four days before it takes place, it must’ve been big.”

“Tsk. Poor woman. I hope both her and her fiancé are okay.” Seungwan couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness in her chest. “Wait, does that mean we’re free that day?”

“I mean,” he looks around as if to check that there’s just the two of them. “Unless boss decides to book another urgent shoot out of nowhere… yes.”

He bids Seungwan goodbye and parts, leaving her alone with an unfinished lunch and the prospect of a free weekend.

-

Seungwan wakes up on Friday to an unexpected text.

Her weekday routine is simple enough: She wakes up at 6:30am, takes a shower, has a small breakfast since her next meal won’t be until at least midday then takes the bus so she’ll already be at school when the kids arrive at 8am.

The first thing she does though, like every good millennial, is checking her phone. It’s not often that she has notifications that aren’t from social media accounts, so she spots it immediately.

Hi, this is Park Sooyoung! Is this still Son Seungwan’s number?

Seungwan reads the message once, twice, three times, trying to make sense of it. If her name wasn’t on it, she probably would’ve thought that it was sent to the wrong number. Not because she didn’t know a Park Sooyoung, but because she hadn’t spoken in years with the one she did know. Curiosity spiked in her gut, thinking slow and hard about what she should reply.

In the end she settles for a simple Hi, Sooyoung! Yes, this is still her number. How’ve you been? Because she doesn’t know what Sooyoung wants but she’ll be damned if she doesn’t know how to start a polite conversation.

She waits a few minutes for a reply but is met with nothing. She’s a little disappointed but doesn’t think too much of it, the sun wasn’t even up in the sky yet. She sets her phone aside and starts getting ready for work.

-

The next time message comes during the kids’ recess. The teachers usually took this moment to have lunch and chat while overseeing the kids play.

She’s babbling to Jisoo about something she’d read online yesterday when her phone buzzes in her pocket. She takes it out and grins, which of course doesn’t go unnoticed by her best friend.

“What are you smiling at?” Jisoo asks through a mouthful of fruit.

“What? Oh, i got an unforeseen text this morning.”

“About the job interview?”

“Not quite.” Seungwan isn’t looking at her, concentrated on whatever was on the phone’s screen.

I'm glad! I’ve been good, thank you. What about you? I know this is probably super random but i’d love if we could catch up one of these days.

Jisoo is waving a hand in front of her face. “Hello, earth to Seungwan?”

“Oh right. Sorry.” She turns to look at Jisoo this time. “I got a text this morning from an old friend.”

“An old friend?” The younger girl raises an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

Seungwan rolls her eyes. “It’s not what you think. She’s an old friend from before i left to Canada for uni. We kinda grew up together i guess?”

“Hmm. Is she pretty?”

“What?”

“You could really use a date, you know.”

“Jisoo!” Seungwan shoves her playfully. “I don’t even know what she wants. Also, i think she’s straight.”

“Sounds to me like you’re just making up excuses, honestly.” She takes another bite from her food. “Why’d she text you then?”

“I don’t know. I was just about to ask.”

Seungwan types out her reply.

I’ve been good as well, thank you. Don’t worry about it, it’s always nice to hear from an old friend. I’d love to! I’m sure we can figure something out that works for the two of us.

“How boring.” Jisoo says as she reads the message from over her shoulder.

“What else am i supposed to reply?” Seungwan asks, pocketing her phone.

“I don’t know, something like let’s meet up and have babies?”

She snorts. “That’s just desperate.”

“And you’re not?”

“No. Not yet, anyway.”

-

Sooyoung’s reply comes during dinner.

Seungwan’s cooking some pasta for herself, trying not to think about how she was spending yet another Friday night alone, when her phone buzzes from it’s place at the kitchen counter.

A small smile graces her lips when she sees the sender’s name.

Cool! I don’t want to overstep but i was wondering if maybe i could call you right now? If you’re not busy? There’s something i’d like to propose to you.

Seungwan has to stop what she’s doing and take a moment to think about what the message says. Make a proposal? What could someone who she hasn’t spoken to in years possibly offer her? Also, not that she would admit this out loud but the idea of talking to Sooyoung made her a little bit nervous.

They hadn’t by any means ended their friendship in bad terms. They hadn’t ended their friendship at all really, it just faded over time when she left for Canada. They were both super busy with the first semester of uni and stuff, their lives had taken different ways, so they stopped talking. No one’s fault. But before that they’d been the best of friends: like she’d told Jisoo, they had basically grown up together. Still, she couldn’t help but feel jittery about hearing the younger girl’s voice.

“It’s just a phone call, you coward.” She tells herself.

Her hands shake a bit as she types out sure, i’m not busy right now, we can talk. She sends it and tries to distract herself by continuing to prepare dinner.

Even though she was expecting it, she lets out a little scream when her phone starts ringing a few minutes later. She takes a deep breath, quietly repeating that it’s just a phone call, before pressing the green button. “Hello?”

A beat passes before Sooyoung’s voice comes from the other side of the line. “Hi! This is Seungwan, right?”

Sooyoung’s voice is still the way she remembers it, high-pitched and cute. It made her sound like she was happy all the time. Seungwan’s voice, on the other hand, was rough and awkward. “Yeah, this is her. Hi.”

“How’ve you been? I’m sorry this is all so random. You’re probably wondering why the hell i’m just calling you out of nowhere after all these years.” Sooyoung was speaking fast now and Seungwan realizes that maybe she’s not the only one who is nervous.

She lets out a small chuckle. “I mean i can’t say i wasn’t surprised,” Seungwan puts the phone on speaker and restarts her cooking. “But like i said, it’s always nice to hear from an old friend.”

She can tell from the background noise that Sooyoung is pacing around the room. “I’m glad.” A beat of silence passes. “I guess there’s no point in beating around the bush.”

“Please don’t tell me you need help hiding a body.” Seungwan couldn’t help it, sarcasm was her only ally when it came to uncomfortable situations.

“No! Of course not.” Sooyoung’s voice was tight, like she hadn’t caught on to the joke. It was starting to make Seungwan worry.

“I’m just kidding, i’m sorry.” She’s not the best at comforting people, much less over the phone, but she tries. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, i just…” Sooyoung makes an inaudible noise, as if she was whispering something to herself, before continuing. “I was wondering if you wanted to come on a trip with me.”

The older girl’s reply was nothing but a lame what.

“I know what you’re thinking but hear me out! You are living in Seoul again, right? I found about that sometime ago. Well, i was supposed to go on a cruise—i am supposed to go on a cruise next week, but the person i was going with bailed last minute, so i called the agency and it turns out the tickets are non-refundable. I don’t want to go alone, so i asked around but everyone says they can’t so now i’m looking for someone to go with me. And i said well, why not call an old friend? It’ll be good and we get to catch up! And you were the first person that popped up in my mind. So i know this is extremely sudden and maybe a little bit frightening and it’s okay if you say no because you’re probably really busy but i have to ask if maybe you wanted to be my companion?”

Seungwan doesn’t think she’s ever heard someone speak that fast in her entire life. And yet, it takes her a whole minute to process what Sooyoung just said. A cruise? When would they be leaving? For how long? She can’t just ditch work to go on a trip around god knows where with someone she hasn’t seen in years. But at the same time, she could really use the break. She hasn’t gone traveling ever since she came back and even that doesn’t count because it was moving and not vacation.

She doesn’t realize she hasn’t said anything until Sooyoung breaks the silence. “Seungwan? Are you still there?”

“Yeah. Yes! I’m still here, sorry. I was just taking in what you said. I wasn’t expecting that.” She replies absently.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to overwhelm you.” She’s a lot quieter now.

“It’s okay.” Seungwan’s next words come out before she can stop them. “Can i ask you something, though? Why me?”

“I don’t know.” Sooyoung replies sincerely. “But it’s real when i say you were the first person i thought of.”

Her face suddenly feels hot and she’s thankful to be alone so nobody can see the way she’s blushing. Jisoo would never let her live it down.

“First of all, i’m honored at the invitation.” She says while chopping some carrots. “However, it sounds way too good to be true.” She can hear Sooyoung’s breathy laugh.

“In the hypothetical case that i agreed to this, when would we be leaving? You’re right about something, i kinda do have to work.”

“The plane leaves on Wednesday night.”

Seungwan stares at a calendar hung up on her kitchen wall. “Oh. That is pretty soon.”

It would be so easy saying no, making something up about how she can’t ask for permission to miss work (which, granted, wouldn’t be an absolute lie) or how she’s waiting for a super important call regarding a job offer but for some reason, she doesn’t want to. Something in her gut is telling her that she should say yes, that she should take the risk and forget the world that she complains about so much even if it’s just for a little while.

Sooyoung sounds like she’s trying to cover up something that resembles disappointment. “I mean, you don’t have to, of course. I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble or anything.”

“I want to go!” Seungwan retorts quickly, not wanting her to get the wrong impression. “It’s just really soon. Maybe if I could have a day or two to ask for permission and to find someone to cover for me?”

“Of course. Take all the time you need.” She sounds a bit more cheery now. “Just let me know, yeah?”

“Absolutely! I promise i’ll let you know ASAP, so in case i can’t go, there’s still time left for you to find someone else who can.” Seungwan claims but her mind is made up.

She’s gonna do everything in her power to be there.

“Hopefully i’ll get to see you soon.” Sooyoung utters, her voice sweet like honey. “Goodnight, Seungwan.”

“Goodnight, Sooyoung.”

-

The first thing she’d done after the call with Sooyoung ended was texting Jisoo.

are you busy tomorrow? i need your help

oh no, what’d you do? but nope i’m not busy. we can have breakfast if you want

maybe you’ll kill me, maybe not. it’s about my friend who texted me earlier. but i’ll tell you everything in the morning!

okay NOW i’m listening. i'll see you tomorrow at 9 in our usual place. don't be late!

thanks jisoo. love you!

Good thing Seungwan was kind of a morning person or else she would be hating her best friend for waking her up so early on a Sunday. Even though, if this was going to work, she will probably have to go long ways to get the help she needs. Unless Jisoo agrees to help her. In that case it would probably be a lot easier.

Her friend isn’t there by the moment she arrives so she orders two coffees and sits down on one of the cabinets near the window. Mornings were chilly, the weather nice enough for some jeans and a baggy shirt.

Jisoo gets there a few minutes after, panting. “Sorry i’m late! I missed the first bus and since it’s Saturday, they don’t come by as often.”

Seungwan’s smile is excessive, probably bordering on fake. “Don’t worry about it, i haven’t been here for long. Here, your favorite.”

The black haired girl eyes her warily as she sits. “Thank you.” She takes a sip. “It’s delicious. God, Seungwan, what did you do?!”

She feigns offense. “Can’t a woman just buy a great coffee for her best friend just because she feels like it?” Jisoo’s face doesn’t budge. “Fine, fine. But you have to promise you’ll help me.”

“Do i have a choice?”

“Not really.”

“Hit me, then.”

It takes her around an hour to describe a ten minute phone call because well, she’s a bit terrible at telling stories. Jisoo listens intently and doesn’t interrupt except for the occasional question that Seungwan forgets to clarify.

When she’s done, Jisoo puts her hands together as if analyzing the situation, face serious. “So let me see if i understood correctly. You want me to help you find someone to cover for you in an extremely short notice, in both of your jobs, and also help you get your bosses permission to miss work so you can go on a journey to god knows where for god knows how long with someone you haven’t seen or spoken to in a bunch of years.”

“…Yes?” Seungwan replies awkwardly.

“Damn it, Seungwan. I thought it would be something more serious!” Jisoo breaks into a wide smile. “Don’t worry about it, we’ll figure something out. I just have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you doing this? Ditching everything just like that? You don’t even know anything about the trip aside from the fact that it’s on a cruise and that you’re going with this Sooyoung girl. It just seems so out of character for you.”

Seungwan sighs. “I don’t know. It just feels like something i should do. I could use the air.”

“And the company.” Jisoo snickers. “Good thing you weren’t desperate. I’d hate to see it if you were.”

Seungwan tries to ignore the way her cheeks color. “I already told you it’s not like that! I hate you.”

“You love me. And you’ll love me more when I find you a replacement so you can go on your merry journey without a hitch.”

Her best friend is so annoying but she wouldn’t trade her for the world. “Thank you, Jisoo.”

“I just hope you remember this when you have to pick a maid of honor.” Jisoo’s smile is as bright as the sun.

Seungwan lets out a gasp and then proceeds to slap her head. “I really do hate you.”

-

Jisoo, being the magical popular fairy that she always is, had managed to solve Seungwan’s trouble in just under 12 hours.

it's all covered. you owe me big time, her message read.

you're the absolute best! thank you

Seungwan feels giddy at how everything seemed to be falling into place.

She debates between texting or calling Sooyoung to let her know, deciding on the latter. She would be spending quite some time with her, so might as well start breaking the ice between them.

She dials her number and waits. “Sooyoung? Hey! Guess what? I’ve got some good news.”