Two days. Wendy promised two days to get the money by then but there she was on Joy's bed, lying down with Haetnim in her arms. Two days. She had nothing to do but stare at the wall and play with Haetnim. Joy was barely home and she had tried cleaning the girl's room but there really wasn't there to clean. Joy didn't have much stuff in her room and she didn't have much food in her fridge but eggs and her Denny's leftover from two days ago. Joy really was broke but Wendy had nothing against it. Besides, Haetnim was there to accompany her and not to forget the old tv hanging on the wall with old workout commercial videos playing. What she had in her hand was Joy's handmade schedule, reviewing Joy's shift every week which she had been doing for the past days as she waited for Joy to come home. She had noted that Joy's free on Fridays which explains why she met her at the club on the same day. Wendy giggled, she thought the idea was cute and Haetnim's her cheek. The latter loves her, she knew. It almost seemed like Haetnim liked her better than her real owner who would always look at them jealously. Explainable, she thought and went back on reviewing Joy's schedule.

She works at a diner from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays then from 7:00 am to 3 pm on Thursday. Then 8:00 pm to 2:00 am on the weekends and 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. And then she also works at a coffee shop, which Wendy thought was really cute, from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am on Mondays and Thursdays, 6:00 pm to 12:00 am on Wednesdays and 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Thursdays. She also tutors for four hours every Wednesday fro 11 to 3 in the afternoon. Wow. How is Joy still alive? Wendy thought. She must've been desperate. Wendy knew. Despite Joy's cold and harsh exterior, she knew there was a vulnerability in her. As she looked around the room, she started appreciating the girl's hard work. If it really wasn't Joy, then who?

The time was 2:00 pm, Joy's gonna be home shortly.

"Do you ever get bored hm, Haetnim?" it's not like she was expecting the dog to respond. She was bored, there was nothing to do and taking a stroll outside wasn't a choice. She wondered if Joy ever talked to Haetnim like a person too. Or maybe if she had a conversation to herself because Wendy had been doing that. She didn't have many friends. She did have one but it didn't turn out well but she shouldn't be thinking of her anymore despite the fact that she could be helpful with Wendy's sticky situation.

The door swang open, enough for Wendy and Haetnim to notice. Both turned their heads to a drained Joy with a messy ponytail that Wendy thought was pretty hot.

"Welcome home~" Wendy greeted in a sing-song voice while she held Haetnim in her arms. She took Haetnim's paw in her hand and waved it for Joy while she made a childlike tone as she said "hewow".

But Joy didn't seem to be in the mood. She ignored Wendy and went to the kitchen to drink water. She had always hated working at the diner. Her boss had always been demanding plus the rude and impatient costumers. Being sleep-deprived and working that early to deal with such things was never Joy's forte. Yesterday was bad enough but today was especially a bad bad day. It was Wendy. She thought going to work would distract her from the fact that Wendy would be in her apartment when she gets home. She'd like to pretend she didn't mind having her stay but the littlest things would get on her nerve like the genuine smiles the blonde would give her as if it meant something else. No proper conversations ever since Denny's. Also, Haetnim seemed to like Wendy even more than her now which made it worse. Not to mention, Wendy loved to walk around half- like Joy wasn't even there in the first place. Joy didn't like it because, well, she didn't know why, she just didn't like it. Wendy had been slipping in her sheets when she would be sleeping even when Joy has told her so many times to sleep on the couch. Her sleep deprivation then turned to no goddamn sleep at all.

Joy felt like an absolute if she was going to be honest because every time she would stare at Wendy, she couldn't read her at all. So far she has only seen Wendy in the morning before the latter would wake up. Wendy was a light sleeper and she would quickly awaken from her sleep when Joy would get up. She would grip Joy's shirt and say "Stay for a bit." and from there it was guessing games because right after that Wendy would fall back asleep and the answers to her questions remained unanswered. When she would stop by to her apartment before going straight to her job just to check on Wendy and Haetnim, Wendy would look at her and she knew there was something behind it which she couldn't quite fathom. When they talked at Denny's, Joy was unable to read Wendy's eyes. She was supposed to be good at that. She was great at reading people and if she hadn't majored in forensic science, she would've been a psychologist.

What's worse than that? Joy not remembering anything from that night until she heard the familiar song. It was almost the scariest thing that happened to her because she was great at remembering things. From the littlest things around her to people's stories through their eyes, she knew it. She knew it all even how they behaved or acted in a specific scenario, she could remember that. But one night with Wendy and suddenly she was not good at anything at all.

"Can you turn around?" Joy said with a frown on her face. Wendy just looked at her like she didn't hear anything. "Please? I'm asking nicely," she said monotonously and Wendy wasn't convinced.

"Why?"

"Because I'm gonna change my clothes?" Wendy just laughed at her which didn't really help with the frown on Joy's face.

"Puh-lease, I've seen way more than that." Joy blushed at the comment. She knows that! But she didn't have to be reminded.

"Shut up, you're pissing me off."

"You're blushing." in defeat, Joy just turned around and grabbed a black shirt from her closet. "You're acting like a , Joy."

"I'm not!"

"I am aware. Do you even know who you're talking to?" Joy didn't respond and slammed the bathroom door closed. Well, she must be mad, Wendy thought.

Joy shouldn't have gone home in the first place. Wendy's home to watch over Haetnim. She's a little suspicious of her but since Haetnim really liked her, then she must be harmless, right? Looking at the mirror, all she could see was her beet-red face, and the hint of Wendy's marks on her neck, collar bones, and shoulders that the band-aid failed to hide. Wendy was going to make her turn crazy in no time and that's for sure.

Coming out of the bathroom which took unnecessary long, Wendy was already dressed in Joy's mom jeans and a white shirt. Yes, Joy's white shirt. She just stared at Wendy who was putting on her Balenciaga shoes. Joy just took a long deep sigh.

"What are you doing?" the exhaustion in her voice was obvious and she was completely done with whatever the woman was up to. Wendy looked up at her with a smile. Seriously, this girl is always happy, it's scary.

"Are you forgetting something? I'm getting our money today."

"I have a shift at 3. Can it wait until Friday? I've been in a bad mood lately. I haven't gotten enough sleep and if I snapped at you, sorry."

"Is it the diner?"

"The dinner and my sleeping schedule and you." Joy wanted to add the last words but she didn't see the point in doing that.

"Quit the diner and the convenience store," Wendy suggested flatly which earned another frown from Joy.

"No."

"Come on, stop exhausting yourself even more. Working at the coffee shop fits you the best, you know? You don't have to work until 2 am in the morning then wake up early in the morning." Joy just stared at her in surprise.

"You know my schedule?"

"Of course, I do. We live under one roof and your schedule is plastered on the wall. I have nothing to do but sit around and play with Haetnim. The littlest things in your apartment interest me. Stop acting surprised."

"Just how much money do you have?"

"Enough. Probably more than enough. I don't know." Wendy shrugged. Joy didn't argue back. Wendy went back to tying her shoes. Joy really wish she's not being fooled right now. She would've said something back but she kept mum and took a short moment to run her fingers through her hair and as she took a long breath. Desperation was still there, it never left her and besides, Wendy seemed to be her last resort. When Wendy was done tying her shoes, she stood up, almost excitedly with a huge grin on her face.

"Are you ready?"

"Sure, where are we going anyway?"

"The stash."

"Definitely doesn't sound suspicious at all if you ask me." Joy responded sarcastically which earned a chuckle from Wendy and she didn't quite understand why she needed to do that?

"I know right? Doesn't it sound exciting?"

"Wendy, if you're a fugitive, just tell me. "

"I'm not." and then there it was again, the sudden change on Wendy's expression was noticeable and Joy found it unsettling. "And if I was, what would you do? Kick me out? Would you leave me, Joy?" Joy thought of it. She wouldn't know. She couldn't think. Not when Wendy stared right through her.

"I-it's whatever, I don't care. You have money, and that's all I care about." Joy wished it was that easy. She turned around and held the doorknob in her grip. "I'll be waiting in the car."

...

Joy did exactly what Wendy said. She called the diner and the convenience store telling them that something came up bla bla bla, I'm quitting.

Wendy got in the car with Haetnim in her arms. Joy handed the latter her phone to put in the address. The place was more than an hour away from where they were at the moment. She started driving and neither of them said anything. Wendy was bopping to her cassette while she played with Haetnim. Both of her managers were mad at her for quitting without two weeks' notice but there wasn't an ounce of regret.

"Why do we have to go so far?" Joy asked.

"Because she lives far."

"She?"

"A woman."

"The stash is a woman?"

"The stash is a woman."

"What exactly is going on. Can you at least tell me why we have to drive so far and why you're stash is a woman? Who is she? Is she like a criminal?"

"Can