Every noise tamped down to white and blended into surroundings. Noticing the hoarse sound and whitened complexion, her friend must not be sober enough.

So it all comes down to doing what she knows best; focusing her attention on the battered knuckle currently buried in her chest with a deep frown, as if the pain had been transferred to her entirely. “We need to take care of this first—” Her words were rudely cut by a sharp sigh. Fully awake now, Moonbyul looks directly into her eyes with an intensity that she never knew the girl could incite before. With the starring contest going on for so long, any possible attempt to drop a dismissive joke falls short.

Tongue-tied is what Hyejin is now.

“You should take a rest first. That will give you some time to think.” The latter sentence seems to be highly debatable. Hyejin is this close to voice her opinion. “I will pick you up at 7 tonight. You better be ready by the doorstep. I will have to make some preparations first.”

Preparations? What preparations? Her stomach churns with mild anxiety as Moonbyul glares at her, rendering her completely speechless.

“You need to take care of that first. I have some bandages at the kitchen---”

“7 PM.” The sound of a zipped jacket accentuating the finality of that number. “I will have to drag your sorry if that’s the last thing I have to do.”

How Hyejin hates herself right now to admit that this authoritative side of Moonbyul is just turning her on so badly.

“And don’t blame the boys. I’m the one who volunteered to do this.” Moonbyul would have noticed the rare sight of flustered Hyejin if only she had taken a brief glimpse at the back, clicking the door shut.

Behind the closed door, guilt came again to Moonbyul, wondering if she was being too crass and demanding just now, soon dismissing the thought as she walks further from the house to a place she knows quite well.

--

Which one is more devastating: the regret after giving everything your all or the regret of not giving anything at all?

Wheein cannot relate to any of the sides. Of course, when it comes to appearance one would not want to look so indecisive so…

Her family is still complete and lives happily in the countryside. She should be grateful.

She has a decent job with decent pay and a decent look. She should be happy.

She is still quite young. She should cherish her youth and vitality.

There are so many things you can be happy about. So many blessings ready to be counted.

“Where’s the brekkie, Wheein?”

The sentence burst her bubble of thought as she perks up listlessly. “Huh? Oh. I don’t know when you will wake up so… Let me prepare a quick one right now ---"

A loud tsk slipped in as Wheein focused her attention on the most interesting floor in the world. “There’s no need. I can just grab a quick bite to eat at the cafeteria.” His words were met with thin air, so he snapped fingers directly in her face in quick succession. “Wheein. You know I love you, but you’ve got to be better than this. I’m working for both of us, and we can finally get hitched if I can save enough.” An audible sigh left his lips. “But you don’t even bother preparing a simple dish so I can get through the day.”

A surge of guilt crept inside Wheein. “I’m sorry, Minsik-oppa.”

A smile etched along the boy’s face as he reached out and cupped both Wheein’s cheek, inviting a growing smile from the latter.

“You know that no one but me can put up with you this much, right?”

--

“Welcome to RBW Café! Can I take your order---Wow, you didn’t look so good, unnie.”

Tinkering with her phone tirelessly for minutes on end, she decides to put it away ultimately with a raised brow. “Night shifts.” Her words stifled in a huge yawn. “Say, did you get any message from Byul?”

The younger girl shakes her head and asks what it is all about.

“That girl didn’t even reply to her message last night or this morning. Did she even check her phone?” Locking the device shut, Yongsun combs the golden tresses carelessly by fingers before scanning the menu board lazily. “What do you have for today?”

“Burger and a cup of coffee. It’s a strong Colombian cup. Goes very well with cream, too. Care to sample a cup?”

“I’ll just have it black. And a jumbo burger with a side of fries. Throw in plenty of cheese and pickles, but no tomato, okay?”

“Okie-dokie!”

Muffled gasps echoed from behind her and Yongsun could make an educated guess that it came from those fanboys sitting near the window. It's not like she can blame them. The dimples were guilty of drowning so many hearts six feet under and earning themselves a fan club of their own.

“Here you go unnie! Enjoy! It’s on me.”

“I can’t possibly---"

“Let me repay you for yesterday. Besides, I already put it in my tab so there’s nothing you can do about it!” Wheein blabbered while puffing her chest in a triumphous manner, if only it doesn’t look so comical, Yongsun almost chuckled. “Besides, this baby here is my new recipe, so try it and take it easy with the feedback!”

Wheein’s stare fixated on her in anticipation as the burger got its first lunch of the afternoon. Bracing herself for incoming critics, Wheein looks for any doubts in her face but is unable to find any. “This is good, Wheein-ah.”

“For real?!”

“For real for real.”

“I can tell, unnie. You don’t look constipated like you usually do when you finish that burger.” The last comment earned a look from Yongsun but Wheein broke into a fit of giggles which eventually brought a smile to the older women. “Assa! I can put this in for new s