The hardest part of writing this story is finding the appropriate vine for the chapter title...Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it!!

. . .

The steady beep of the heart monitor, the rhythmic drip of the IV, the hissing and wheezing of the ventilator, and various other machines filled the hospital room with sound. Heeyoung laid asleep in peaceful bliss, her skin pale and void of color as Haseul entered the room quietly. She left a folder filled with a multitude of drawings and paintings from Chaewon before she sat on the stiff cushioned armchair beside her sister. Heeyoung woke slowly, her eyelids were still heavy though she tried her best to keep them open. Haseul sighed, smiling at her older sister. "Go back to sleep if you're tired, I'll be here."

"It's your prep isn't it?" Heeyoung croaked, her voice hoarse and dry. Haseul winced at how painful it sounded, though she kept a brave face.

"I can take the rest of the day off, I just...I want to make sure you're fine." a hum resonates through Heeyoung's chest, she set her hand in her younger sister's outstretched palm and squeezes as tight as she could.

"I'm okay Haseul, it was just an allergic reaction-"

"That shouldn't have happened! Don't these people check what you can, and can't eat?"

"They couldn't have known. I didn't even know."

"Now you're on a ventilator...I should sue them." Haseul huffs, scooting her chair closer so her sister could sit more comfortably.

Heeyoung smiled at her, a teasing glint in her eyes beginning to form. "You can't afford to."Another huff leaves Haseul's nose, she looks at her watch pouting at the time. Heeyoung notices the woman's worried look and squeezes her hand reassuringly. "I'll still be here when you come back, okay? I love you."

"I love you more." The music teacher smiles getting up from her spot, she embraces her sister's side making sure not to knock down anything she's hooked up to. A small goodbye leaves her lips as Haseul leaves the room before she begins poking around the folder Haseul left her.

Haseul searches the mostly empty corridor for a doctor to aid Heeyoung, unfortunately, a familiar head of chestnut hair in a -- usual messy yet annoyingly elegant -- high ponytail catches her eye. Jungeun walked toward her, a toothy grin that looked much too nervous to be genuine plastered on her face. Haseul stopped herself from rolling her eyes, mentally preparing for the awkward small talk ahead. It's not that Haseul didn't like her, it's more like Jungeun hadn't given her any reason to besides knowing the same people. Though she still has a job to get to and an ill sister who needs assistance, so, Haseul acknowledges Jungeun's presence hoping she could help her find a doctor in the ward.

"Is there anybody around who could help me out?" Haseul speaks abruptly, a bit more bite in her voice than she initially intended. Okay, maybe she didn't like Jungeun at all, and clearly, she was having some difficulty hiding it as of late. Jungeun holds back a gasp, though her surprised look doesn't go unnoticed. "Sorry, hi, uhm, my sister just woke up and I've got to get back to work."

Jungeun's eyes go wide for a moment as she frantically looks between Heeyoung's room and Haseul's obviously irritant expression. "Your sister? You mean--"

"--Yes, the cancer patient in Room 205. My sister. Now, can you help me or not? I'm not really in the mood for small talk." Haseul confirms awkwardly. Jungeun nods her head slowly, her eyebrows furrowed and mouth slightly ajar.

"I'm sorry I didn't know -- I-I mean I can help you, I can check up on her."

"Aren't you a neuro-surgeon or something?"

"That is a thing I do, yes...but I can still treat a patient it is my job."

"I'm not entirely sure of the legality of that but I'm going to trust you've got it under control, goodbye Dr. Kim." Haseul nodded curtly, only being able to take a single step before Jungeun pulled her back by the wrist. She inhaled deeply, an undeniably fake smile gracing her features as she exhaled. Jungeun, realizing her mistake let go of Haseul's wrist immediately, eyes wide and frantic.

"I-I just...uh..."

"I'm sorry but I don't have time-"

"No, no, no!" Jungeun waves her hands dismissively, laughing awkwardly. "Don't say sorry, I get it. It's just -- when I'm nervous I either, don't remember how to talk or talk too much. It's kind of ironic though since I'm not open about-"

"Please get to the point." Haseul interrupts the doctor's tangent, looking at her watch impatiently. The doctor in response stutters out a few muddled apologies with a sheepish grin.

"I wanted to apologize for the Jinsoul situation and make it clear she wasn't the only one in the wrong," Jungeun nervously fidgeted with her fingers looking down at the ground, unconsciously rocking on her heels as she looked at Haseul apologetically. She looked like a kicked puppy and it annoyed the music teacher. "It was a weird moment for the both of us, I had no idea what was going through her head and it didn't help nothing was going through mine. I hope we can look past it and still be friends." Haseul held in a scoff at the doctor's last comment, clearing to prevent a cackle from escaping her lips.

"Let me guess, coffee?" The music teacher joked more to herself as she looked around the empty halls for an excuse to exit the conversation. But what better excuse is there besides going to work. Plus It's not like she knew anybody there besides a handful of nurses that take her sister's vitals but it was worth a try. Jungeun looked at her quizzically, mirroring her movement and looking around for particularly nothing.

"Well, I wasn't going to suggest that but if you want-"

"What? No! What I want is to go to work and leave this conversation!" Haseul groaned pinching the bridge of her nose. "Now if you don't mind, Dr. Kim-"

"Is six okay for you?"

"What?"

"Six, is it okay for you? We can go out for a drink, we can leave the kids with Jiwoo. Chaewon likes Jiwoo, right?" Jungeun's smile was wide and genuine, she stuffed her hand in her lab coat pocket most likely shuffling around for her phone.

"You've officially convinced me you're absolutely hysterical," Haseul breathed, shoving her hands in her jacket. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not very fond of you."

"All the more reason to grab coffee with me!" Jungeun said whipping out her phone from her lab coat enthusiastically.

Haseul huffed, rolling her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few minutes. "Look, I don't know what baggage you have, but if you want to stay in Jinsoul's life please leave it at the door. I don't know you all that well, but from what I've gathered all you bring is trouble," She started angrily, obviously fed up with the younger woman's insistence. "You and I both know Jinsoul's going through some things and I don't need you adding to her stress." Jungeun furrowed her eyebrows, her smile faltering into a confused expression.

"Are you seriously suggesting -- Haseul, I have a family, what happened last night was an honest mistake and it won't happen again. I understand what you're feeling-"

"It's not just about last night, Jungeun. It's about last week, the week before, whatever happens after this week. Are you blind? Do you seriously not notice how worried you make her? Her problems are always about you and I wouldn't be surprised if whatever is happening to her is about you too. I don't want that for her, and since you obviously don't agree with me, I don't think you do understand."

"Haseul, I-"

"You know what? Thank you for helping me, genuinely. But after today just do me the favor and stay away from us both." Haseul said leaving Jungeun stunned, mouth agape, and unable to speak. The music teacher looked at her watch again, cursing under her breath when she realized she was going to be late for work. Jungeun cleared , stuffing her phone back in her lab coat pocket. 

"Well, thanks for the chat. I'll let you get to work then," Jungeun smiled meekly at the older woman. Haseul said nothing, instead, she raised her head to meet the doctor's gaze curiously. "Goodbye, Haseul." She said as she turned around heading for Heeyoung's room, but Haseul was quick to grab her by the shoulder halting her movement.

"Wait," with a deep sigh, she pulled out her phone swiping through it as Jungeun turned back to face her slowly (and with much caution). "I'm free Saturday evening."

. . .

Yeojin stood at the far end of the classroom with her hands flat on the side of the fishtank, staring as the lonely blue-fish inside of it swam around gleefully. A focused expression etched in the details of her babyish features whilst she mimicked the fish's face. Her lips tutted out into a pout, and cheeks puffed in and out rhythmically. After a few silent moments of watching the little fish swim back and forth, another body joined her, crouching just a bit to match the girl's height.

"What are you doing?" An enthusiastic voice that could belong to no one else but Yerim piped up. Yeojin didn't respond, not even giving the taller girl an ounce of her attention. Yerim pouted, momentarily studying Yeojin's expression as she watched the glass cage. With a curious hum, she turned to the small girl's current field of concentration, pouting her lips and puffing her cheeks in and out just as Yeojin did. Only some short seconds passed before a very loud and exasperated groan came out of Yerim's mouth. "This is so boring!"

"Then leave."

"Play with me!!" Yerim whined, turning to face her friend with her large puppy eyes and cute pleading pout. Yeojin rolled her eyes, meeting her friend's gaze with a deadpanned expression. "Yeojinie--"

"--No." With another distressed whine, Yerim turned back to watch the blue-fish with a huff. The class had finished their multiplication practice early, and Jinsoul didn't have much else planned for the morning so she let the kids have playtime till the lunch bell rang. Hyejoo and Chaewon were off doing god knows what, probably discussing plans on how to better run the classroom. Or rather, Chaewon was feeding her terrifying obsession with ruling the world and Hyejoo was listening intently. Either way, it didn't interest poor Yerim, thus leaving her alone and playmate-less. This is where Yeojin came into play, but of course, the young girl was far too busy imitating fish to entertain her.

Yerim accepted her fate, studying the fish as Yeojin did. The two stood in comfortable silence, filtering out the chaos of whatever mess was happening behind them. As enchanting as Dialga was, the silence was killing Yerim and unsurprisingly it didn't take long for her to become restless.

"What are you even doing--"

"CHOERRY?!?" Yeojin growled, her head snapping to meet the nervous large grin of her friend. With a disgruntled sigh, she turned to face Yerim fully, a hand on her hip as she gave her a pointed look. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Admiring the fish."

"No! I'm imagining killing this thing in many bloody, savage, murderous ways." Yerim chuckled at her, turning to watch the fish again prompting Yeojin to do the same.

"Why haven't you killed it yet, since you hate it so much?" She teased, knocking their shoulders together playfully.

"Well, for starters, you and the others clearly like it so much I'd never forgive myself for it. That and Ms. Jung is at her wit's end with me, I'm surprised she hasn't permanently kicked me out of the class." 

Yerim hums, the ends of her lips upturning slightly at the mention of their favorite teacher. "I think you just like the fish--"

"--I DO NOT!!"

"KIDS, CAN YOU NOT YELL PLEASE? I'M GONNA RUIN MY EYELINER!" Said teacher joined in from the front of the room, where she sat at her desk meticulously touching-up her makeup.

"There's literally so much other stuff going on-- ugh, nevermind." Yeojin huffed, crossing her arms over her chest before returning her eyes to the tank. Yerim giggled, amused at the turn of events though not letting her eyes leave Dialga. Maybe Yeojin was on to something, it was sort of enchanting to look at.

"Doesn't she look like Auntie Jin-- I mean, Ms. Jung a bit?" Hearing Jinsoul being referred to as 'Auntie' all the time had been messing with her a bit lately. She sometimes found herself forgetting that the woman was indeed her teacher, not a relative of any kind.

"Ugh, I still can't believe you call her Auntie." The smaller girl cringed, Yerim giggled a bit nudging her to the side. Yeojin looked at her with a smile though it faltered when she realized her friend's sudden melancholy expression. "You okay, dude?"

Yerim turned her head to meet her eyes, surprise evident in her voice as she spoke. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine!" Yeojin barely had to give her a questioning look before her obviously fake 'regular bright attitude Yerim" act failed miserably. She pouted, not in the cute puppy way Yeojin often saw when she didn't get her way, it was filled with genuine worry and sadness. 

"Is it cause I said I didn't like Dialga? Cause if it is, I mean she's alright, I didn't mean to--"

"--I think something's wrong with Ms. Jung," Yerim interrupted. Yeojin furrowed her eyebrows, slowly turning her head to watch their teacher who was still sat comfortably at the front of the room. She'd finished with her eyeliner and was dominating a line of six-year-old boys in an arm-wrestling tournament. Yeojin grimaced when one of the boys left her desk clutching a limp wrist.

"She seems perfectly normal...I think that's the real issue." She shook her head in disbelief, turning back to her friend who still had the same worrisome expression.

"She's been going to the bathroom a lot--"

"--Well she's kinda old, old people can't pee sometimes, y' know? She could be having problems down there or something--"

"--Okay, but she comes back and fixes her makeup every time, haven't you noticed!" Yerim added turning her body to face Yeojin more comfortably, her expression contorted in a way that would suggest Yeojin missed an obvious joke. "Auntie Jiwoo's always coming in here on her prep and gives her this look whenever she gets up and leaves..."

"A look??"

"Yes, a look! Like she knows something everybody doesn't...not in a good way. I've seen it countless times. She gives my mom the same look every day!" Yerim smiled proudly at the last part, probably feeling like some sort of detective for figuring that out. Yeojin patted her shoulder encouragingly feeling a little disturbed by the dark undertones of the taller girl's statement.

"So what, she might have a urinary problem or digestive issues? It's nothing to be pissing our pants over," Yeojin chuckled, a sinister smile forming on her face. Yerim blinked giving her a perplexed look. Her smile faltered. "Get it, cause, piss--nevermind, what were you saying?"

"Sometime's my mom cries in our bathrooms after watching Glee. My sister says she's menopausal. What if Auntie--Ms. Jung is menopausal and that's why she goes to the bathroom all the time. To cry." Yeojin stared at her for a moment, looking absolutely baffled before snorting.

"Oh my god, I love your sister." She said as she clutched her stomach chuckling lowly. She sniffled, biting her lips to compose herself but her smile still showed through her efforts. Yerim smiled, her naivety stopping her from understanding what Yeojin was laughing at but it still made her happy to see her friend enjoying herself. Yeojin wasn't like most kids, Yerim knew that. She was witty and chaotic, a little attention-seeking, but above all, she knew a lot. More than she should really. All of that most likely due to being raised in a family with five other -- much older -- kids.

"So you're telling me, you think Ms. Jung cries in bathrooms because she's been watching too many glee episodes?"

"No, because something's wrong with her! Don't you see it??" Yerim whined, punching Yeojin's shoulder, the shorter girl winced clutching the abused area.

"No! You sound ridiculous!" She scowled, Yerim drew back her eyes wide and glistening with surprise and hurt. It wasn't rare for Yeojin to get angry at her friends but Yerim wasn't ever at the receiving end of it. She was too sweet and innocent, getting mad at her was like committing a crime that could give you the death sentence. Already feeling the guilt bubbling up in the pit of her stomach, Yeojin turned to face her friend fully and set an apologetic hand on her shoulder. She rolled her eyes when she saw Yerim's familiar pout, a lazy half-smile growing on her lips.

"But if I did," Yeojin paused, waiting for Yerim to meet her gaze. "What would we do about it?"

. . .

"Stay out of trouble, Hyun!"

"Yeah, yeah. Have a good rest of your day Mr. Park!" Hyunjin waved to the driver as she stepped out of the bus, throwing her duffel bag messily over her shoulder. The chilly October wind bit at her arms but she was too lazy to grab her blazer from the inside of her bag. It was ten in the morning on a school day, third period with Professor Moon would start in fifteen minutes, and Hyunjin was not where she was supposed to be. She was in the city, specifically the park near her Aunt Jiwoo's apartment complex, scanning the area for a food cart to satisfy her sudden fishcake craving.

"I can't believe you're skipping school without me." Heejin huffed on the other line, her voice was barely audible to avoid getting caught on her phone.

"As if you'd actually come with me," Hyunjin scoffed rolling her eyes. "Besides, Vivi would roast you alive."

"And you think Doc wouldn't do the same to you? You're treading on dangerous water, partner. I say you come back to school and save yourself."

"So you can cheat off my math homework? No thanks." She teased, Heejin let out a loud whine making Hyunjin move the phone away from her ear momentarily. Unsurprisingly, the sound of her sputtering and scuffling followed, and the line cut. Heejin was never the best at being discrete, Hyunjin smiled at the thought. With a sigh she pocketed her phone and set down her duffel bag on the floor, kneeling to open it up. She shuffled through the contents of the bag pushing away sweaty athletic gear she should've given to her mom to wash weeks ago. She smiled widely when she finally found her favorite hoodie not wasting another moment to slip it on. She patted the "BLOCK BERRY CHAMPION" patch that was carefully sewn on the  proudly before collecting her things once again and heading toward a nearby food cart. 

It wasn't her hoodie, it was her dad's, so it fit like a dress nearly reaching her knees and burying her pleated black skirt. She hoped it would be enough for her to walk around inconspicuously but there wasn't much she could do about the food vendor. When she walked up to the cart the old woman behind it gave her a weird look but Hyunjin didn't expect her to rat out a paying customer. Without much thought, she continued her mission and acquired the skewered food without any further mishaps. 

Somewhere between finding the food cart and buying the food, a cat had been tailing Hyunjin. Observing her from a far enough distance to keep it from being found, and it wasn't -- not until it decided to jump on her lap when she settled on a nearby park bench. Hyunjin let out a startled shriek when the visitor made itself known.

"You can't be serious..." Hyunjin grumbled, the hand holding the cup of food raised away from the cat in case it got any ideas.

"Mew," the cat responded softly, Hyunjin scoffed. She got up quickly, prompting the cat to jump off of her with a hiss. Hyunjin stuck her tongue out at the cat, walking away as she ate her food peacefully and without care. The cat followed close behind, rubbing its head against the young girl's bare leg every once in a while reminding her of its presence. With a deep wistful sigh, she took in the scenery of the park, it was large enough to hold a lot of...parky stuff, like a basketball court or a picnic area, but just small enough for you to be able to turn your head in a certain direction and see everything it held. 

She finished off the last of her food and threw it away in a nearby bin. The air had gotten a little colder, so she scooped the cat from the ground and held it close to her chest. The cat's fur was short and auburn, it wasn't as skinny as she expected it to be and it didn't look too sick or unhealthy. Just small...and very needy. Hyunjin chuckled softly when her thoughts immediately went to Heejin and the cat answered with a questioning meow. Well, maybe not questioning but Hyunjin liked to think so.

"I'll call you Heekkie, then," Hyunjin smiled at the cat adoringly, petting the side of its chest with her thumb. She felt herself growing fond of the stray, a stark contrast from the annoyance she'd felt earlier. It was funny how Heejin could do that even if she wasn't in the room. The sound of a ball dribbling forced Hyunjin out of her thoughts. Bored out of her mind she decided to follow the sound. Unsurprisingly, it led her to the basketball court where a tall man played alone, shooting the ball and rarely missing. Hyunjin walked closer to the metal bench at the side of the court, she set her duffel bag on it before sitting down. She placed the cat on her lap and its fur as she watched the man continue to play.

After a few more shots, the man put the ball under his arm and walked over to the bench where Hyunjin sat. Another bag was placed beside along with a water bottle and she assumed it belonged to him. As the man walked closer his face became clearer, Hyunjin's eyes bulged when she realized who it was.

"Aren't you Hyejoo's uncle?" Hyunjin asked curiously, narrowing her eyes at the tall man. He stopped in his tracks frowning at her, but his expression soon turned into an amused smirk once he realized who was talking. He shook his head in disbelief before continuing to walk toward Hyunjin. She watched as he quickly took a swig of his water bottle before looking down to meet her gaze. 

"Hyunjin, right?"

She nodded. "Uncle Hwiyoung, right?" He smiled nodding his head as a response, he noticed the cat in Hyunjin's arms and his eyes lit up. Without another word, he shuffled through his gym bag and pulled out a little Tupperware of dry cat food. When he opened it up and set it on the ground, Heekkie jumped off Hyunjin's lap and happily ate. Hyunjin's lips tugged up into a wide grin before she gave the tall man a questioning stare.

"Do you just carry cat food with you everywhere?" She asked raising her brow making Hwiyoung chuckle.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school instead of wandering around with stray cats and questioning me?" 

"Touche," Hyunjin grumbled, her gaze shifting back to the cat once again. "I wasn't in the mood..." She trailed off pensively. Hwiyoung sat next to her with a sigh making the metal bench creak and shift under them.

"Why's that?" Hwiyoung asked, Hyunjin saw his expression in her peripheral vision. He was looking at her with furrowed brows and a focused expression as if he was trying extra hard to listen to the young girl's worries despite barely knowing her. She remembered when her father used to give her that look, something that was becoming harder to do as the days went by.

"I got hungry, I can't focus when I'm hungry." Hyunjin turned her head to face Hwiyoung, he shook his head disbelieving as his toothy smile began to return.

"Are you sure that's it, Kiddo?" Hyunjin snorted, rolling her eyes at the pet name. She looked back down at Heekkie who had just finished eating with a content smile. She scooped up the cat into her arms once again, giggling softly when it nuzzled its head into her chest.

"Since you know my Auntie, have you met my mom?"

"Once, though, I hardly remember it."

"Well, she's married to the nicest piece of  you will ever meet," Hyunjin looked back at Hwiyoung with a deadpanned expression. Hwiyoung gasped drawing his head back, surprised by the young girl's sudden strong language. Hyunjin shrugged, understanding his reaction. It's not every day you hear a 10-year-old curse. Soon, Hwiyoung snapped out of his shocked daze, he looked at the young girl amused as his laughter slowly starting to grow. "Seriously, he's a ty dad! But you can never be mad at him because he knows and he tries his best to make up for it. The man grows tulips for his wife for christ's sake. She doesn't even like them, but how can you get mad when he does stuff like that?!" Hwiyoung continued to laugh loudly, needing to support himself on his knees as the girl continued to talk. When he started to calm down, he wiped away the tears falling from his eyes as he looked over at Hyunjin with eyes full of adoring mirth. His expression, once again, reminding her of her father. She felt a heavyweight in her chest, it happened so frequently now she barely even noticed it.

"You're very witty, Hyunjin." Hwiyoung smiled at her comfortingly, probably sensing her sudden change in demeanor. Hyunjin smiled at him sadly, returning her gaze to the cat in her arms. A few beats of silence passed by before Hwiyoung decided to talk again, probably thinking hard about his next words. "Why is he a ty dad?" He asked, making quotation marks with his fingers to emphasize his last words.

"He's never around, he's always at work."

"Are you mad at him for it?"

"No, I get he's a busy guy. He knows it's wrong, and he tries his best to be there but the timing's never right. He tells me sorry all the time. Every night, when he doesn't come home in time for dinner, he leaves little notes under my door with some stupid cartoon and an apology." Hyunjin laughed humorlessly, feeling her eyes beginning to sting. She huffed frowning angrily, aggressively wiping at her eyes refusing to let her barrier break. 

"Then why are you upset?"

"Because I'm tired of forgiving him," Hyunjin said, raising her voice a little, her rising anger getting harder to conceal. Heekkie whined in distress, Hyunjin's grip around the cat getting too tight. Feeling guilty, she relaxed and continued to the cat's fur and it responded with a soft meow. Hwiyoung hummed, nodding his head as if he understood the girl's frustration. Without saying anything else he got up and grabbed the basketball from the ground, dribbling it as he looked at the girl with a wide grin. Hyunjin raised an eyebrow at the man's antics.

"You play ball?"

"Since I could hold one."

"Alright, play me then. I win, you go back to school, you win, I buy you everything you want from the food cart. Then you can head back, since you can't focus on an empty stomach, right?" Hwiyoung teased, smirking as he spun the basketball on his index finger.

Hyunjin snorted. "You're on, old man."

. . .

Jinsoul sat behind her desk sifting through a catalog of websites on her computer as Yerim and Yeojin ate their lunch in the small library at the back of the room. Due to Jiwoo's uncanny ability to psychoanalyze anybody with frightening accuracy, Jinsoul had been forced to eat lunch in the classroom. Upon the discovery, the two kindergarteners decided to keep their teacher company. Why? Jinsoul didn't want to know to be quite frank.

"Kids, make sure not to spill any food over there, alright?" Jinsoul said, taking a bite of one of the apple slices Yerim graciously gifted her that morning, still very focused on her laptop. Yeojin stood up abruptly, one hand on her chest and the other raised as if she were taking some sort of oath. The teacher snapped her head up in surprise.

"There won't be a speck of dust anywhere, and if there is I'll clean it myself! On my sister's one good leg!" Yeojin declared with an evil smirk on her face. Jinsoul shivered, feeling disturbed. She was unsure if it was the implication of the comment that made her feel like that or Yeojin's sudden devotion to be clean. This was the same girl who tried to recreate Starry Night on her desk with one of those purple Elmer's glue sticks...like, multiple times actually. Very big fan of Starry Night.

"Which sister?" Yerim asked, looking up curiously at her friend from the carpeted floor.

"The one with the bad leg, obviously," Yeojin answered, Yerim hummed her chin thoughtfully.

"Then I'll swear on my sister's two good legs!" She announced, popping up from the ground next to Yeojin. Jinsoul blinked, not understanding what had just transpired. In fact, their behavior had been a little out of the ordinary since the morning.

"You guys didn't like...kill anything, right?" Jinsoul asked, looking toward Diagla's fish tank where the fish was still happily swimming about. Yeojin followed her teacher's line of sight and scoffed.

"C'mon I've grown in these past months!" Jinsoul shook her head amused, returning her gaze to the two young girls.

"Well, if that's the case, then I suppose if you do dirty anything I'll be expecting three severed legs on my desk tomorrow morning, yeah?" Jinsoul teased, a fond smile making its way onto her lips when the shorter of the two looked at her bewildered. Yeojin nodded hesitantly, slowly sitting back on the ground while she muttered something about how she was going to apologize to her sister. Jinsoul chuckled returning her gaze to her laptop with a small smile playing on her lips. Yerim glided over to her teacher's side, placing her chin on her shoulder and her arms around her. She'd become quite affectionate with Jinsoul overtime, in fact, if it were up to Yerim they'd be conjoined at the hip. It was annoying at times but Jinsoul loved the clingy little girl nonetheless.

"What are you doing?" Yerim asked, watching as the mouse wandered from tab to tab across the computer.

"I'm looking at teaching courses," Jinsoul said, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "To become a teacher."

"But you're already a teacher."

"Temporarily, yes, but I was thinking about doing it permanently, you know?" Jinsoul spoke shyly, she hadn't talked about her sudden curiosity in a career change with anyone. Probably because Sooyoung's snarky 'I told you so' was ringing in the back of her mind already. Of course, Yerim was too young to understand the weight of the situation so she still felt a bit silly.

Yerim gasped in horror causing Jinsoul to jump in her seat, a small squeak leaving as she clutched her chest. Yeojin snickered quietly from her seat in the library as she munched on a boiled egg observing them. The teacher rolled her eyes turning her head to face Yerim who was looking at her with wide sad eyes.

"What?"

"What do you mean temporary?" Yerim pouted, it broke Jinsoul's heart a little. Yeojin got up from her seat, her hands stuffed in her pockets as she walked over to the two. She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand before giving Jinsoul a pointed look. (One that probably said something along the lines of, 'who's gonna tell her?'.) Jinsoul sighed, turning her whole body to face Yerim properly, she rested a comforting hand on the, now detached, girl's shoulder.

"Well Choerry, the teacher for this class went away to have a baby. I'm just filling in for her till she's better."

"And when will she be better!?" Yerim's frown deepened, her eyes beginning to glisten as she awaited her teacher's response. Jinsoul didn't really have one though, when she signed up for the job there wasn't really a clear outline of when the teacher would be back. She hoped not soon since Jinsoul wasn't to eager to leave, especially with Yerim looking at her like that. 

"I don't know, Choerry," Jinsoul finally breathed out with a melancholy sigh. Yerim made a face Jinsoul had seen on Hyunjin before, it was a mix of determination, anger, and deep sadness. If the face meant the same thing on Yerim as it did on Hyunjin, well, Jinsoul sort of anticipated Yerim's next move.

"You're not leaving!" Yerim cried out, pouncing on top of Jinsoul's lap and reaching her whole body over to Jinsoul's laptop tapping away at the keys. Jinsoul grabbed onto the tiny girl's waist trying to pull her off but of course, the girl just had to have the strength of a grizzly bear on steroids who was she kidding? Yerim really could do anything she put her mind to...

"Yerim -- YERIM, WHAT THE--"

"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING!! YEOJIN, DO THE THING!!!" Yeojin had been watching the two scuffle with each other the entire time with an amused smirk playing on her lips. She snapped out of her trance when Yerim called her, taking a pitiful glance at her teacher before walking behind the desk and attempting to hold the very confused woman down. 

"KIDS, WHAT THE FLIPPING FLIP ARE YOU DOING!?!"

"SAVING YOU!"

"CURSE LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN YOU MOTHER TRUCKER!!"

"YEOJIN!! LANGUAGE!!!"

All movement stilled when the trio noticed another person had been at the doorway watching the whole thing go down with an adoring smile on her face.

"Sorry, did I interrupt you, kids? I just heard so much ruckus all the way from my classroom, I had to find out what was going on." Haseul smirked, a teasing glint in her eye when Jinsoul matched her gaze sheepishly. A chorus of awkward 'no's and 'sorry's were exchanged before the two students separated themselves from their teacher.

"We'll be quieter next time, Ms. Jo," Yerim promised, looking at her feet guilt-ridden.

"Yeah, we'll practice attacking your girlfriend silently, Ms. Jo," Yeojin smirked evilly, as she always did. Haseul laughed shaking her head, especially when she saw how red her aforementioned girlfriend had gotten when Yeojin . 

"Well, why don't you two kids go and enjoy recess with your friends. I need to have a chat with Ms. Jung alone." Haseul said, smiling at the two children. Yeojin made a face, pointing at and retching silently, while Yerim simply smiled back at the music teacher. Without another second to lose, Yerim grabbed Yeojin (who was still dramatically gagging) and pulled her out the door leaving the two adults alone.

"Hi..." Jinsoul finally let out when the two kids were out of sight.

Haseul giggled. "Hi," she said making her way over to Jinsoul's desk. "Now, what was that all about?"

"I think that was Yerim finding out what 'substitute teacher' means." Haseul hummed taking a seat on top of the desk, leaning on her hands for support as she stared at Jinsoul with a contemplative look. "Your sister, is she okay?" Jinsoul asked, concern in her tone.

"She says she's alright," Haseul sighed sounding skeptical. "I'll be checking up on her later after school." Jinsoul nodded, leaning her cheek in her palm. Haseul continued to observe her girlfriend, noticing the little quirk in her eyebrow and the small shy upturn of the corners of her lips as she stared back at her. Haseul was still learning how to decipher all of Jinsoul's many animated expressions. She wished she'd known Jinsoul for as long as Jungeun, then maybe she'd be able to tell what the older woman stored in her mind all the time.

"Can I ask you something?" Jinsoul hummed, her eyebrow lifting a little higher in curiosity. Haseul recognized that look. "What are you thinking about?"

"Right now?" Haseul nodded. "You," Jinsoul responded with a teasing smile. Haseul rolled her eyes looking at her feet with a bashful grin. She knew that look too. Jinsoul's flirty eyes, the quirk in her brow was back again, and her smile was lazy but wide nonetheless. Haseul had the "displeasure" of seeing it every moment they had together since the day they kissed in that small arcade a few blocks from Jinsoul's dingy apartment building. She wondered if Jungeun was familiar with that look too.

"Were you thinking about me when you tried to kiss her?" Haseul said softly but Jinsoul heard anyway. Her smile dropped and her eyebrows furrowed in concern. 

"What do you--"

"--I think we should talk," Haseul cleared . "We didn't get too all that much last night." Jinsoul nodded, sitting up straight and giving Haseul her undivided attention. With a deep sigh, Haseul prepared herself, she'd done a lot of thinking since that night in her quaint living room and she couldn't keep it in any longer. It was far too much, and she wanted to believe a lot of her thoughts were just her overanalyzing, but it was hard to.

"I don't think I can trust you... Not like before at least." She breathed out, biting her lip to summon the courage to finally look at Jinsoul. When she did what she saw broke her heart a little. Jinsoul's eyebrows were still furrowed but now to the point where her scar looked a lot deeper than usual. was slightly ajar and her eyes were completely void of its usual glint. She was hurt.

"Oh?"

"Jinsoul, I...I have strong feelings for you. I do, but what you did--"

"--I understand..." Jinsoul smiled reassuringly, it was forced but Haseul tried to ignore it. "But what does that mean for us?"

Haseul hadn't thought of that. She didn't have enough time to. She'd never been the jealous type but she would be lying if she hadn't felt a bit insecure every now and again. If the obvious longing stares were anything to go off, Haseul had already known Jungeun had feelings for Jinsoul since the first day they met. She wasn't surprised to find out Jinsoul had tried to kiss her she just hoped it would never be the case because that would've meant Jungeun's feelings were reciprocated. She knew Jinsoul knew this that's why she'd been acting so strange the week before. Whether Haseul liked it or not, the two had unresolved emotions that they needed to figure out and call her selfish but she wasn't sure if she wanted Jinsoul to figure them out.

"I don't know."

'You don't know?"

"I don't, all I know is--" Haseul sighed again, trying to calm her nerves as she talked to her girlfriend honestly. "I'm sorry -- I just -- I talked to Jungeun. This morning, I talked to her, and I got upset. I got mad. I'm insecure, okay? I'll admit to that, and with yesterday... Jinsoul, I think you're amazing. I've never met anybody as funny, and sweet, and kind, and just -- but I can't just sit here and pretend like it doesn't bother me. Look, I know what I said yesterday, how I said it was okay, but it's not. I might be selfish, but I don't even think I'm comfortable with you being around Jungeun." Haseul finished.

A beat of silence went by before Jinsoul finally opened to speak.

 "Okay." She said placing a hand on Haseul's knee and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"What?"

"I'll stay away from her for a while. Until you think you can trust me again. I don't know, I'll take you out on more dates. I'll spend more time with you and Chaewon. Anything to prove that you can trust me because I want you, Jo Haseul." Jinsoul gave the music teacher a small smile. Haseul's breath hitched, left agape at Jinsoul's sincere words. Her gaze softened, a small amused huff leaving her nose as she smiled back softly at Jinsoul.

"Really?" Haseul asked shyly, biting her lip to prevent her from smiling too wide.

"Really. I mean it. You mean the world to me, Haseul, and I'd do anything for you." Jinsoul said seriously, finality in her tone. Haseul's heart skipped a beat, she took the hand on her knee in her own and squeezed it softly. Jinsoul laughed airily, bringing Haseul's hand up to her face to place a gentle kiss on it. They stood there staring at each other adoringly, Jinsoul pressing Haseul's palm against her cheek and her it softly. 

"MS. JUNG!! YERIM CUT YEOJIN'S HAIR WITH SAFETY SCISSORS!!"

"IT WAS YOU CHAEWON!!!"

. . .

The kids had all gone away and Jinsoul was about ready to head home. She decided it'd be best if she filled out her applications for teaching programs at the school since her wifi at home could get a little spotty. She was going to Haseul's place to spend the night later in the day and wanted to surprise her with the news. She filled out the final boxes left of the online form and sent it in, closing her computer with a long relieved sigh. She looked around her classroom, it was clean and nothing was out of place thanks to Yerim giving her a helping hand at the end of the day. With an almost pained groan, she crossed her arms on the table and buried her face in them. Her eyes closed immediately, feeling the fatigue hit her like bricks. She hadn't gotten a decent amount of sleep in a while and it was putting a toll on her body, she wondered if she was allowed to take sick leave. Would there be a substitute to cover for the substitute? Is that how that works--

"Hello?" Someone called, knocking softly on the door frame of the classroom. Jinsoul's had snapped up, rubbing her eyes harshly to get rid of any remnants of sleep.

"I-- uh, yes! Who's there?" Jinsoul asked, scurrying out of her seat and brushing off her pants. For a second she thought she'd been caught by the principal but instead, when she turned to face the door she was met with a very awkward-looking Kim Jungeun. The doctor cleared , Jinsoul had to have been in the classroom for a long time since Jungeun's usual lab coat and pencil skirt was instead switched out for a hoodie and sweatpants.

"Sorry if I woke you. Yerim just left her gloves here..." Jungeun spoke, not a single emotion decipherable in her expression. Jinsoul nodded her head, motioning to the lost and found at the corner of the room.

She watched as Jungeun awkwardly drifted to the small box, sifting through the collections of lost toys and various articles of clothing. Jinsoul sighed looking around the room. She wanted to say something to Jungeun, maybe apologize for her behavior and be honest with her but the words got stuck in . When Jungeun finally resurfaced from the pile of junk with a pair of bright purple gloves she stashed them in the hoodie of her pocket. Without another word, she headed for the door barely giving Jinsoul enough time to bid her goodbye.

"Jungeun!" Jinsoul finally spoke up, cursing under her breath when she realized how desperate she sounded. She turned around, an annoyed expression coming over her facial features.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I-I mean no! It's just... I wanted to apologize for how I acted. For everything, I'm-- I was just angry, like, really angry and I blew up on you. So, I'm sorry for it." Jinsoul tried to send her smile but it faltered when Jungeun's flat expression hadn't changed in the slightest. She didn't know if it was the draft but the room was starting to feel a little cold.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"What do you want me to say?" Jungeun rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest. Jungeun was angry, furious even, and when Jungeun was angry it was very hard to make it up to her. "Do you even remember what you said to me yesterday? What the hell is a simple apology gonna do?"

"Absolutely nothing, I know, and you can be mad at me as long as you want I deserve it. I was a --"

"--A big one."

"A ginormous one, yeah. I just thought you should hear my piece. I didn't mean a lot of things I said yesterday--"

"--When did you become such a huge liar?" Jungeun sneered. Jinsoul held in a gasp left speechless by Jungeun's harsh demeanor. The doctor clicked her tongue, turning on her heel to walk past the threshold of the classroom. With her back turned to Jinsoul she stopped and said one last thing before leaving.

"I don't think we should continue being friends anymore."

. . .

"Ha Sooyoung! Open this door immediately!" Jiwoo yelled, banging on the older woman's apartment door. Within moments, Sooyoung had swung the door open, a very puzzled look on her face when she saw a smiling Jiwoo in front of her holding a box of cake.

"Do you not work, woman!?" Sooyoung guffawed looking at her watch to check the time. The school had officially been out for less than 10 minutes meaning, Jiwoo abandoned a classroom of children just to come or there was an early closing and she might've been missing a meeting. Both answers were a lot more plausible than Sooyoung would've liked but instead of grilling her further, she pointed at the cake and rose her brow.

"For my birthday!"

"Your birthday isn't until a few weeks from now."

"I wanna celebrate early with you!" Jiwoo smiled brightly once again. Sooyoung blinked, blocking the shorter woman's path when she tried to push through her to get into the super model's apartment. Before Jiwoo could protest she paused, furrowing her eyebrows and leaning her face in to get a better look at Sooyoung. "Did you dye your hair?" Jiwoo questioned, a calculating grin on her face. Sooyoung in all her suddenly-short-hair glory scoffed, shyly shoving Jiwoo's shoulder.

"You're absolutely ridiculous."

"It looks good on you, I like it," Jiwoo winked, smiling at the blush spreading across Sooyoung's cheeks and reaching her ears. "Now, let me come in before all the icing melts off." She urged pushing through Sooyoung with all her black belt might (which was a lot actually).

"Jiwoo, I have a guest--"

"--Is there someone at the door, Yves?" A cute brunette woman called out from the corridor of the older woman's apartment. Jiwoo furrowed her eyebrows, turning her head to face Sooyoung and then back to the woman who was smiling brightly at her.

"Who's this?" Jiwoo pointed an accusatory finger at the woman but she only kept smiling, the quirk in her brow suggesting she was as puzzled as Jiwoo was.

"My name's Elly, who might you be?"

"Sooyoung's girlfriend--"

"EX! Ex-girlfriend. This is Jiwoo...my friend, Jiwoo, and she was just leaving so--"

"--Oh look, Yves! She bought a cake, it's perfect, the water's already finished boiling!" Elly smiled, enthusiastically clapping her hands and seizing the cake from Jiwoo's hands. Before she could say anything more Elly had already left for the kitchen, leaving an awkward Sooyoung and a perplexed Jiwoo by the door.

"Who was that?"

"Elly, as she said..." Sooyoung chuckled, scratching the back of her neck in discomfort. Jiwoo rose her brow at her (ex) girlfriend and scoffed smiling weakly, feeling her stomach start to ache. Sooyoung pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "It's not what you think it is."

"I wasn't even thinking anything..." Jiwoo lied, her gaze shifting everywhere but Sooyoung's eyes.

"Gimme a break, Jiwoo--"

"--What are you two still doing by the door! C'mon, before the tea get's cold!" Elly exclaimed from the kitchen, Jiwoo took it as her cue to leave the conversation. Before Sooyoung could stop her she was already making her way down the corridor and into the open kitchen. Elly was there whistling happily to herself, looking very at home as she poured tea into three small cups. The cake had already been cut into even slices and was sitting on Jiwoo's favorite peach-colored plate in the center of the dinner table. Elly turned around and happily motioned for Jiwoo to sit. Sooyoung had joined close behind her, and already begun to take her own seat like it was second nature and not at all strange. Jiwoo didn't find comfort in how routine Elly and Sooyoung looked with one another, but instead of speaking up, she sat down across from Sooyoung.

"No sugar, like always, please," Sooyoung said, her gaze never straying from Jiwoo.

"And you, Jiwoo?" Elly asked sweetly, Jiwoo looked over to her tentatively.

"Two, please, thank you," she said softly, a small polite smile on her face.

Her phone chimed.

1 New Message From Sooyoungie: We should talk about this...

Jiwoo looked up from her phone to find Sooyoung looking at her expectantly.

Jiwoo: what is there to talk about?

Sooyoungie: I met her at the salon last week

Jiwoo: okay?

Sooyoungie: We were friends in high school

Jiwoo: why is this relevant

Sooyoungie: Because I know you probably hate my guts right now, Jiwoo

Jiwoo: ...how many dates?

Sooyoungie: None, I swear.

Sooyoungie: Only...

Jiwoo: only what?

Sooyoungie: She asked me on a date today... sometime before you arrived...

Jiwoo: what did you say?

Sooyoungie: I said yes...

Jiwoo clicked her tongue, looking up to make eye-contact with Sooyoung. She looked back at her guilty for a moment before looking down at her phone again and typing furiously.

Sooyoungie: We're not together anymore, Jiwoo

"Okay, tea's all done--"

"--I think I need to go actually." Jiwoo stood up abruptly, taking both Sooyoung and Elly by surprise.

"Jiwoo, please--"

"Sooyoung!! I've decided to rain on your parade today and show up unannounced!!!" A booming voice interrupted the trio, not a moment later an exhausted-looking Jinsoul had entered the kitchen with a surprised look on her face.

"Another ex?" Elly joked chuckling softly to herself.

"Actually, that's a funny story--"

"--No! This is my best friend, Jinsoul. No romantic affiliation." Sooyoung grumbled, rubbing her temples in an attempt to release her stress. "What the hell do you want, Jinsoul..."

"Well, I just wanted to ask for advice on how to get rid of fourteen-year-old repressed feelings for an angry doctor," Jinsoul smiled cheekily as if what she just unearthed wasn't the most plot-thickening piece of information ever. "But clearly, you have enough romantic struggles to deal with."

. . .

Doyumm: so what do you guys talk about in here usually?

Doyumm: ...

Doyumm: this chat is dead

BBcream: Yoojung told me to tell you ur chicken strips are on fire

. . .

hello...well would you look at that...long time no see. I had to use so many sentence breaks today can the crew learn not how to speak over each other? Who knows. Anyway I hope you had a good read! See ya kiddos!!