Doom took it’s sweet time getting to Wheein. Dinner carried on as normal. Conversation carried on as normal. Too normal. So normal that Wheein forgot what her fate is. Such a distraction stemmed from her mother sharing the fascinating stories from work today.

It was one such story that left her fighting for air as her body shook with laughter and giggles.

“I was going to be like ‘whose phone was that?!’,” her mother recreated her mad face before dissolving to giggles as she tried to tell the rest of the tale, “but it was MY phone!”

“You actually left your sound on??” Yong asked with a huge loving smile on her face. Despite all their time together, Moonbyul will always find a way, whether knowingly or not, surprise her in the smallest of details.

“That’s why I was irked at first! I immediately ruled myself out till it chimed again and then it was obvious it was me.” 

Her mother pouted with a defeated sigh. Embarrassed at the previous events that transpired. Normally Wheein would say it’s an overreaction to a simple mistake to leave one’s ringer on. But the next words out of her mother’s mouth explained the reason why Moonbyul was being all embarrassed.

“It wasn’t even a text,” Moonbyul covered her face with her hands. She knew her next words will leave a lasting mark on her family’s memory.

“It was….....Words with Friends.” 
The only noise that echoed through the house were the noises of the natural environment. Wheein stopped mid chew and stared at Moonbyul. Yong froze in place with a deadpan expression as she stared at her wife. Contemplating how in the world she ever fell for this hamster. Maybe it was the purple hair from their college days that blinded her to the truth of what an adorable little mess she can be. 

Wheein broke the silence first. 

“You have friends?”

Her mother’s betrayed face, coupled with how high pitched and squeaky her “Wheein-ah!” was, absolutely decimated Yong.

Her thunderous, boisterous laughter echoed throughout the house. Wheein just gave her mother a smug look. Moonbyul looked between her wife and daughter in disbelief.

“I come home to relax, and here I am. Betrayed by the love of my life and the twinkle of my eye.”

Yong’s laughter finally died down. Or at least died down enough to where she can actually speak coherently.

“At least tell me you won.” She gave Moonbyul a playful stern look. A look that resulted in Moonbyul giving a cheeky, proud smile.

“I decimated them.”

And so they continued. Eating dinner while Moonbyul told her stories of the day and all the bull she had to deal with. Then it was Yong’s turn.  Or so Wheein thought.

“Nothing really different happened today.” Yong started off.

“Oh come on, mom. Something always happens to you.” There. As soon as the words left , Wheein the calm but knowing gaze of the dragon on her. Thus she knew. Doom is finally here.

“Well, something interesting did happen today.” The dragon shot a knowing smile to Moonbyul. Wheein can see that the dragon was coiled and poised. Watching. Waiting. Wanting to know more. And upon meeting the cool gaze of the dragon, Wheein gulped and accepted her fate. 

Her mother on the other hand was the exact opposite of a poised dragon. Her mother was a smug hamster. If she wasn’t heading her way to an interrogation, Wheein would have a good giggle at the visual in front of her right now. A powerful, poised and collected dragon, coupled with a smug pipsqueak hamster. Truly a powerful, albeit mostly comedic, duo. 
A duo that is about to be her demise. 

“Ah, you did send me a mysterious message about our dear Wheenie. I wondered what that was about.” Moonbyul stated while giving Wheein a patient smile. 

“Yes, it seems like our baby has a new friend now.” 

Oh how Wheein wish she could chew her arm off right now. Or jump out the window and run to live under a rock.

“I--” Wheein paused, carefully selecting her next words. She doesn’t know what kind of information her mom gave so her next words will need to be tactful. Less she gives away more than they need to know and they start asking more questions. 

“A friend too? Wheein-ah, look at you! Your mom only told me that you have a lunch date tomorrow. I thought it was with that Ji Yeon girl.” Moonbyul stated matter of factly as she dug in into her desert. 

“Uh--” Wheein was truly trapped. Her mom gave a piece of information that was so vital that it exposed everything else. Well, time to bite the bullet.

“I, uh, do have a new friend now. Uh, her name is,” Wheein was fidgeting nervously. Even though there was no reason to be. It’s not like she’s introducing the name of a girlfriend. Eventually she continued talking under the gaze of a curious hamster, and a knowing dragon. 

“Ah, uh, her name is, uh, Ahn Hyejin. And I just became friends with her recently. Well not really. Actually I met her before. She’s that person I told you about in the alley protecting a puppy? Well, that’s her. Anyway, we just became friends like I said before, and uh, yea we are going to have lunch tomorrow. I guess she wants to learn more about the puppy though I think you can find that on social media. So I don’t know why she wants to have lunch with me tomorrow. But we are. Or maybe she wants to discuss the project over lunch break tomorrow and--”

And on she went.

In her nervousness, the floodgates opened, and out came her stream of consciousness. Moonbyul has long finished her desert and exchanged a look with Yong. Who was going to tell her? So, while Wheein went on her spiel of consciousness, Moonbyul and Yong waged a battle of exchanged looks and expressions. Eventually, a victor was decided.

“Uh, Wheein?” Moonbyul interrupted her daughter and gained her attention.

“Yea?” A look of a confused but alarmed pup.

“You know that tomorrow is Saturday, right?”

Doom is having a field day with Wheein today.

Wheein opened to say something but then it hit her. That tomorrow is Saturday. Her and Hyejin agreed to have lunch together tomorrow. Wheein doesn’t have Hyejin’s number. Hyejin doesn't have her number. So, what is she to do? Only one thing to do.

“Well, a duck.”

“Wheein-ah!!”