"You're playing again." 

"Agreed." 

Minju gives a weary sigh before dropping straight to a bed, a few feet from the door.

The occupant on the bed next to hers continues to click on her controller,  headset hooked over her neck now. 

"Long*mm*day*m*min-min?" 

Minju looks up from her pillow.

"Chew your food please." 

She hears a loud and dramatic gulp. 

"So, had a long day?" 

"I did- Hyewon-ah, I know you skipped school again today. At this point you'll flunk senior year." 

"I might." 

Minju sighs again for what seems like the third time today. Two from her roommate Hyewon, and the other one..

About now, work had started to remind her of a certain tenant from the second floor.

Her cheeks threaten to flush from the surprise lunch she'd gotten earlier.  Not wanting to expand on such thought further, she deliberately focuses back on her roommate. 

"You haven't looked away from that screen since I got here-"

"AUUUGHHH son of a-"

"Hyewon." 

"Sorry.. phew, almost broke my new year's resolution of not cussing. Thanks, Minnie." 

Minju shakes her head, cracking a gentle smile. 

"Who's pissing you off this time?" 

"The same gamer. ALWAYS sneaking up and shooting me whenever I get on the same server. It was such a mistake accepting his or her, or ITS friend request." 

"Who is it anyway?" 

"Some stupid username 'saku39chan'." 

🌹

She doesn't see Yujin around the next working day. 

And she starts to wonder of her whereabouts when the girl is still not around, two working days later. 

Minju is on the last edge of the building's rooms this time, almost finishing before she has to continue working on the back side of the dormitory building. 

A sigh escapes her lips. 

"You missed a spot." 

She follows the voice leading to Yujin's room and raises her brows to find not Yujin but a stranger leaning over from the opened window. 

The girl's jet black hair was just as short as Yujin's, maybe a tad bit shorter. Her face not typically of Korean descent. Chinese perhaps? 

Otherwise, she was unbelievably gorgeous. 

Reading her face the girl chuckles at her, still dangerously leaned over the window's edge. 

"That was rude of me, sorry. Just wanted to help a cute girl out." 

Minju gives a timid smile, her cheeks emitting a pinkish hue. 

"Please don't lean forward any further, you might fall." 

"Yes ma'am." 

The short-haired girl sweetly gave her a small..wink? It looked like a wink, but at the same time, it didn't. Either way, Minju found herself feeling embarrassed, conscious of her own image. 

She tries to give a short bow before brushing away at the spot the girl had pointed out, trying to ignore the fact that this subtle flirt of a being is still watching her. 

She thanked the gods once she hears a small click of the window, telling her that the girl had gone back inside. 

And she wonders, or ponders really, about the girl's connection to Yujin. 

A friend? Or 

A girlfriend?

She shakes her head. Who cares about other people's lives-

"That's my cousin." 

Minju jumps from the whisper and her back slams on something. 

Or someone. 

She looks back and comes face to face with no other than Ahn Yujin in the flesh, the girl's breath reaching her lips due to their close proximity. 

Minju lets out a small yelp and backs away with her eyes closed. From her impulse, she had expected the back of her head to hit the freshly painted walls. 

But instead, she feels air; her arms held protectively in one place so that she would stay grounded. 

She cracks one eye open to witness Yujin's worried gaze. 

Also, was that a frown on her lips? 

She's probably just imagining things.

"S-sorry, thank you..." 

 Yujin's face relaxes, her eyes half-lidded. She loosens her grip on Minju's arms and slowly drops them to her sides.

"Do you hum nursery rhymes when you're in a good mood?" 

Minju was a bit taken aback by the random question, but she tries to respond normally. 

"Yes." 

"Otherwise?" 

"I work quietly." 

Minju searches Yujin's eyes, trying to piece together what the girl is thinking or where she's going with this, but to no avail. 

Yujin doesn't look away, and Minju is surprised to see hesitance behind the latter's eyes for the first time.

"How has work been these couple of days?" 

Minju isn't the type to assume. 

She was more or so... hopeful. 

And she hates to admit the slight hope within her that wants to believe that Ahn Yujin had meant to indirectly ask if she's missed her. 

So she chooses to be sincere.

"Very quiet." 

[Author's note]

Hope you liked the story so far!