This place is too fancy for what Minnie needs right now. With all their faux antique lamps and wood panelling and the pianist in the corner, it's meant to be a place for gentlemen, ladies, and private conversation. But right now, it's the first bar that caught her attention at this hour, and it's empty enough to let her mope alone.

She seats herself at the bar, and within the minute she has spirits in one hand and her phone in the other. Scrolling down the instagram feed, watching *that* woman's story told in squares. The sunny holidays. The coffee dates. The selfies in the mirror. The bottles of soju. That woman's life passing by, the life without her in it. She's careful with her thumb - long press, then drag. Never the double tap that would explode her heart.

Minnie knows she's supposed to be happy for her. To see her smiling face and to type in her own happy faces in reply. But she doesn't want to turn that camera on herself, to see what it might capture. To try and stretch her lips into a smile, to frame just her own face in that preview. So she watches the days roll backwards and her mood follow the feed down. Because she knows that if she goes far enough, she'll see her face there and be reminded of those fragile days when her name came before his in the tags.

"Soju, please." The newcomer to the bar looks like she's stepped straight of the fashion pages - slender and tall, in a dress that says dinner and a fancy date. Minnie watches as the woman starts slamming back the shots, only slowing after three in a row. The stranger only notices her presence then, looking between Minnie and the phone she's holding.

"Missing someone?" Pretty sharp of her. Soju probably hasn't kicked in yet.

"Yeah, you could say that." Minnie surprises herself with her slightly slurred words. Had she been here that long?

"To the lonely," the woman says, raising her glass and looking at Minnie. "And to the newly single." Both of them take their drinks. Minnie looks back to her phone. Her plan was to be alone, to sink into the screen by herself. But it seems this woman has other plans as she leans over and peeks at Minnie's phone.

"He's not that good looking, you can do better." the woman states. But from the way she keeps looking at Minnie, watching for a reaction - that's as good as asking outright. It's not him who you're looking at, is it?

"Like her?" Minnie states. She wants to wallow, she doesn't need this stranger hanging around. Yeah, she's into women. Maybe that'll scare her off.

"I see," the woman replies. She reaches for Minnie's hand, but then grabs the phone instead. Turns it face down on the bar and turns her gaze to meet Minnie's. "Forget about her. Tell me about you."

"I'm Minnie."

"Hyejeong."

///

Minnie has her phone open, the white glow brighter than the dim orange behind the curtains.

"Still looking?" are the weary words from Hyejeong peeking over Minnie's shoulder, resting her chin there. It's pathetic, Minnie knows that. It'll take more than one night to forget, and that's written all over her expression right now.

She feels Hyejeong's arms around her, pulling her back down. One night isn't enough, but she feels good enough for now. And at least there will be more.