Minjoo took a deep breath as the rich sound of the piano waved through the air of the whole auditorium. It was her day off from the concert and yet she still found herself practicing for the next performance. In her life before Yujin’s disappearance, days off meant watching movies and eating tteokbokki and ice cream with her girlfriend—days off meant chasing for the hours to last longer because it was always never quite enough. Now, days off were equivalent to tiring herself by playing her piece again and again, trying to hold on to something, anything that could make her feel whole once more. And yet each time she found herself in the same spot, empty on the very same places.

            A tear rolls down her cheek; the warmth of its streak remaining long after it has fallen. Her fingers continue to press on the soft tiles, telling a story that words failed to convey. She hears the latch of the main door become unhinged, but she didn’t let it stop her from playing and pushing through, keeping her eyes closed tight. She felt footsteps approaching down the hall, nearer to her by each second as the piece came to a silent end. Minjoo kept her eyes shut, remembering how Yujin used to find her way into the auditorium during her practices. A thunderous clap dominated the air and in that moment Minjoo could almost see her lover’s wide smile and dimpled cheeks, eyes looking fondly at her. Instead, when she turned to look towards the direction of the applause, she saw a girl just as tall as Yujin but who was a completely different person. She saw Won Young, standing down by the edge of the stage.

            “You’re awesome!” The younger girl cheered, hands still coming together with her utmost excitement. A poignant smile emerges on Minjoo’s face as she tried hard to cheer up from the disappointment she caused herself.

            “What are you doing here, kid?” She asked the other girl as she approached the end of the stage where Won Young rested her arms. “I’m pretty sure you pulled some strings?” Her voice sounded assuming and the younger girl couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

            “I have my connections,” she answered initially, “besides, if I ever decide to become Professor Han’s student, I’d be attending this university too.” There was a mischievous tone in her voice, something that Minjoo would find annoying under different circumstances but somehow, Won Young sounded adorable doing it.

            She rolled her eyes jokingly at the younger girl’s remark, “Getting cheeky, huh?” She asked without waiting for an answer. “So, what brought you here?” Minjoo sat down and Won Young propped herself up on the stage so they were sitting side by side. Once again, she was reminded of Yujin and how the girl always used to do this whenever she’d come by the place.

            “You,” Won Young replied, pointing a finger at Minjoo. “I already told you that I have a lot of time on me and I won’t stop bothering you until you agree to teach me.” The younger girl puts on her best puppy eyes, certain that it would shake Minjoo somehow.

            “I already told you, kid…” her voice trailed, “I still have a few concert dates up on my sleeve. Besides,” she paused for a moment, “I have seen all forms of persuasion and no one can convince me better than my girlfriend.” She ruffled Won Young’s hair and stood up to walk down the stage. The younger girl quickly followed and Minjoo could hear her still talking behind, her lips began to curl at the corners with how charming Won Young was.

            “Come on, it’s not that bad. I promise, I’ll listen well to you. I know Professor Han said that I’m quite a lot to handle but I’ll behave myself if you agree. I swear I can make anything that you’d ask for come true. I told you, I have my connections.” Won Young continuously spurted the words, only taking in a deep breath through when Minjoo shot her a look over her shoulder. She was panting by the time she stopped speaking and the pianist merely gave her a gentle smile.

            “Would you like to eat ice cream with me?” The question caught Won Young off guard and prompted her to straighten her back and compose herself once more. “I’ll pay,” Minjoo added. It was the only way that she could think of which could appease the younger girl’s feeling with her second rejection.

            “I—” Won Young wanted to tell Minjoo that she could very well purchase her own ice cream, let alone a whole ice cream store, but decided to keep quiet and accepted the pianist’s offer. “Fine,” she replied, still determined to sway Minjoo into agreeing to teach her.

            “Great,” Minjoo remarked and walked out of the auditorium; Won Young walked closely and thought of her next move. If she can’t convince the older girl with the way she’s doing things right now, she might need to come up with a different approach.

            As they made their way to the convenience store near Minjoo’s university, the one that she always visited with Yujin, Won Young caught a glimpse of the older girl’s cellphone, catching a glance of a girl who wore a sweater of some sort with prominent dimples on both side of her cheeks. She opened slightly to make a comment on it, but eventually decided to pass up on the chance of starting on a topic that she thought might be too personal to be brought up out of nowhere. And so, Won Young walked alongside the girl with dreamy eyes, still determined to find Minjoo’s soft spot so she could stop rejecting her offer.

            “Have you ever tried convenience store ice cream?” Minjoo asked as she turned to see the younger girl absorbed in her own thinking.

            Won Young looked across with a bit of a dazed face which made the pianist smile, “I…” the word lingers in the air for a moment as she recollected and tried to make sense of what the older girl asked her. “What makes you think I haven’t yet?” She retorted playfully, in an attempt to draw Minjoo’s curiosity.

            She chuckled to herself, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t know,” she answered with a shrug. “I guess, when I thread things together…” her voice trails and she purses her lips, looking for a better way to construct her sentence without sounding judgemental. “You live in Framont City, said that you have all these connections multiple times in every occasion that you could, you attend operas— you seem rich.” Her statement met an abrupt end, not certain on how Won Young would take her words.

            A wave of relief washed over Minjoo when the younger girl let out a faint laughter, “I haven’t tasted convenience store ice cream,” she confessed, feeling a little shy. “My mom used to make homemade ones; she said it’s healthier like that. And truth be told, I haven’t really been allowed to be out that much.” She flashed a smile over Minjoo but the older girl was quick to notice a hint of bitterness in it.

            “Well,” she chimed, trying to lift up the mood, “today is your lucky day.” She beamed at the taller girl, “We’ll be eating unhealthy and irresistibly good cheap convenience store ice cream, guaranteed one hundred percent to turn your frown upside down.” Minjoo raised a thumb up towards Won Young.

            “You almost sounded like a brand ambassadress,” she replied in between laughs. “Alright, let’s see just how accurate the statistics are.” Won Young picked up her pace and entered the convenience store first; the door disturbed the bells by the corner with a push, sending it to jingle in a rhythmic pattern.

            Minjoo approached the kiosk, tapped in her order and proceeded to pay for it. After a while, she went over the ice cream machine where two soft serves have been made. Won Young walked over and took one of the cones in Minjoo’s hand.

            “It looks pretty good,” the younger girl commented, eyeing the wholeness of the food. On her first taste, Won Young was certain that the statistics were true. Aside from her mother’s version of ice cream, it sure is a close second.

            “It is good,” Minjoo repeated, emphasizing her words. As she took her first bite, memories came rushing by. Now that she thought about it, the last time she had ice cream was with Yujin. They swung by the store after practice, and then the next day her girlfriend was nowhere to be found. She bit her lower lip, using all her concentration not to fall apart in public. It was a hard task, given that every time she gets a taste of the vanilla soft serve, all she could remember were her days with her lover.

            “Should we sit outside?” Won Young asked, snapping Minjoo back inside the convenience store, in the year 2047, far from Yujin—or at least, far from the idea of her.

            She takes in a deep breath, “Sure,” she replied, and turned towards the door.

            They sat on one of the tables adjacent to where Minjoo and Yujin sat down when they officially became a couple. Those were fond memories that seemed to have happened a thousand years ago. As Minjoo directed herself to focus on the now, Won Young was dealing with a situation of her own. She just received a message asking her whereabouts—it was from her father. Without missing a single beat, she se