7:02 pm. Lip woke up in her bed, dry. Downstairs, her parents had begun making dinner. All her assignments were tucked away in her bag, completed from the memory of yesterday. Lip took her planner out, flipping to tomorrow's date. No entry. She clapped it shut and placed it on the ground. Taking out her phone, she scrolled through videos to watch. Various cooking show episodes, drama clips, and other interests filled the page. While a video buffered, a message came through.

n/a: Hi, is this Kim Lip?

Lip: Sorry, who is this?

n/a: Sorry, this is Jinsoul. I exchanged numbers with ViVi during class, and asked for yours in case I needed help with anything…

Lip: Oh, that's fine, no worries. What's up?

n/a: I'm at a cafe at the moment, so I figured I'd get some math homework completed.

n/a: But I don't know how to do it yet, because I wasn't there when everyone learned how to solve the problems.

Lip: Ah.. is it near ViVi's bus stop?

n/a: Yes, just across the street. You don't have to come, but I can pay for you if you want something to eat.

n/a: To make up for the trouble.

Lip: Sounds like a plan! I'll be walking, though, so you'll have to wait a bit.

n/a: No, I'm okay with that. Sorry again! Maybe some time we can hang out properly. :)

Lip: Hopefully! See you in a bit!

             Lip tossed her phone onto her bag, walking towards the bathroom to wash her face. Soon after, she changed out of her uniform into her actual clothes, sporting a yellow t-shirt and grey shorts. She left only her notebook, some pencils, and her phone in her bag, collecting everything else into a pile on the floor. As she came down the stairs, her mom poked her head out from behind the arch, separating the kitchen from the living room.

             "Hey, heading somewhere?" she called out, "Dinner's going to be ready in a little bit."

             Lip rummaged through the coat rack. "Yeah, a friend from school wanted to work on some homework together." Finally, she yanked a red windbreaker off its hook. "I might just grab food at the cafe there, by ViVi's stop."

             "Are you sure? Well, be careful. We'll leave you some food just in case. How long will you be gone?"

             Lip cracked open the door, "I'm not sure, but I should be back before it gets too dark. See you!"

             "See you!"

~ ~ ~

             The clouds grew faint in the sky, wispy masses dissipating into the grey-blue dome above. Leaves skid across the pavement in waves as cars and bikes passed. Ahead, Lip could make out ViVi's bus stop. It sat on the inner corner of a T-intersection, the path she walked coming up towards where it branched into its two opposite directions. Across the street, partially covered by planned trees and bushes, sat the cafe, neon lights shining onto the sidewalk. Morning Flower.

             She pushed open the glass door, a beep sounding from above. The whole of the area stood ahead and to her right. Regular tables and chairs near the windows looking out onto the street on her right, booths arranged at the far right corner. Directly ahead was the bar, an ornate work of wood, housing rows of drinks, mirrors, and proper stools. The wood from the seats had worn smooth, years of customers sliding their hands and arms across its surfaces. Only the booths offered arrays of deep green cushions, often all reserved.

             From behind one of the booths, someone sat up from the booth and made eye contact. Noticing who it was, Jinsoul smiled and waved, pointing over to her booth. Lip returned the smile and made her way over. Before she had even gone halfway, Jinsoul's eyes began to water.

             "Woah, hey," Lip rushed over, "Are you okay?"

             Jinsoul got out of her seat and grabbed onto Lip's sleeve, pulling her into a hug. After a moment, she let go, letting Lip have a seat.

             "Yeah, sorry," she said, wiping her nose, "I guess I got a bit… overwhelmed in the moment."

             Lip cleared , "Did something happen at school, or at home?"

             "Oh, no, it isn't anything like that," she cleared up, pulling her hair back behind her ears, "But I do need your help."

             Lip slid her bag off her back against the wall, ping it, "Math, right?"

             "Not really. It's a bit more difficult than that."

             Lip stifled a chuckle, "It's okay, I've taken the class before. What is it?"

             She took a breath. "Our world is coming to a close. We need your help saving it."

             Drinks clinked behind her, followed by a quiet conversation. A couple waiters walked around, bringing refills. Jinsoul didn't laugh.

             "... What? I don't understand what you're saying right now."

             "We're still trying to make sense of everything, too. Not everything is in place yet. I'm here to bring you over."

             A waiter came over to their booth, bringing over a vanilla ice cream, with strawberry syrup and a cherry on the top. Jinsoul smiled and received it, placing it between them. "Once you're there, you'll have to go find Heejin. She didn't tell me how it all works, but she's behind everything that's happened the past few days." Jinsoul took off the cherry, offering to Kim Lip. Lip grabbed it.

             "Who's Heejin? And, more importantly, why me? What's going on here?"

             Jinsoul leaned in towards her. Opening , she took a spoon from the table and scooped a piece of cake, taking a bite. "It's," she chewed, "up to you. If it was anyone else, you'd be back at home right now, enjoying your time."

             Lip brought the cherry to . "What if I refuse? What if this is all nonsense and you're... that weird of a person?"

             She took a bite. Chills rushed throughout her entire being, her surroundings tearing itself to shreds into darkness. Jinsoul itched her cheek, "You might not have much of a choice anymore. Good luck."