Jo Yuri was never one to sit around and be patient. That was why she always had a new boyfriend every week. She couldn't stand the way they took things slowly, wanting to go on dates to ridiculous places and hold hands.

Why do that when you could just feel the pleasure of love? Love doesn't last forever anyways, so might as well taste all of it before it ends.

And with that mindset, Yuri entered an antique shop. She rarely ever entered gift shops, or antique shops. She rarely even ever shops, letting her family or friends do it for her. 

Yet, this antique shop captured her attention. Maybe it was because of its old, vintage look. Well, wasn't that every antique shop's look? Yuri couldn't quite understand the charm that the antique shop, but it was luring her in.

She entered casually, opening the door as a bell rang softly, alerting the cashier that somebody had entered. The antique shop was small from the outside, but once Yuri had entered, she noticed the big room that was filled with many items, varying from a simple typewriter to a huge, ancient bell with words engraved on it.

The cashier was a small girl, who was only a bit taller than Yuri, and had cute, ducky and pouty lips. She had blonde hair that was tied into a messy bun, with round spectacles. She also had white gloves on, which was a little sketchy, but Yuri didn't mind it. The cashier gave Yuri a smile as she went back to dusting the corner of the shelf behind her.

Yuri eyed the cashier. She was the only person in the antique shop. It didn't look like many people stopped by, yet the cashier had the brightest smile on her face, as if she was content with the loneliness and silence inside the shop.

Yuri explored the antique shop with curiosity. She noticed magazines, Christmas ornaments, cards and letters, toys, and so many unique items that could have been useful for many things. Or maybe they could've been good just being decorations and being used for aesthetics. Yuri then noticed a book, laying alone on a shelf at the back of the shop. Yuri hopped over the items on the floor to reach the shelf, and took the book with curiosity. She rarely ever reads, you would never find Yuri with a book, yet here she was, opening a dusty, old book in a place she would never go to.

The book had only contained history of the war that had only ended a decade ago. The war between androids and humans, which everybody had thought was the end of the world. Humans had created androids, who all looked so human, for many reasons, as humans are always despicable like that, and the androids had them. A war had broke out, for many years, and had only ended when the leader of both sides had agreed to live in peace, tired of the death and fighting around them.

Of course Yuri was a human, as she despised androids. They had ruined her family's lives, eventually ruining her father's business and making them go bankrupt and her older siblings had to help with restoring the family's fortune. 

Yuri clenched the book tightly and placed it back where it had been found. Yuri walks back to the front of the antique shop, and the cashier is now leaning against the counter, her head resting on her hand, as she stares lovingly and joyfully towards Yuri.

Yuri stared back at her with a blank face. She wasn't sure on how to react. She doesn't know why this stranger is staring at her as if she could read Yuri's every thought.

"I hope you enjoyed your time here!" the cashier exclaims happily, and a voice calls for her. 

Yuri raised an eyebrow. She didn't know that there were more people here. She shrugs, walking out the antique shop. She was never interested in unique objects with rich history anyways.

∙∙∙

Yuri had ended up back at the antique shop. 

Maybe it was because she had caught her current boyfriend making out with another girl, or maybe it was because she was just curious on how well the antique shop was doing.

And as Yuri enters the antique shop, it was as if everything had disappeared, and the only thing that mattered with the history surrounding each and every item in the antique shop. The wooden planks below creaked with every step, and that had only added to the appeal of the mysterious and empty antique shop.

It was like the shop had aged with time. It was so different from the gift shops nowadays.

And that same cashier was there again, greeting Yuri politely. "Oh! You're back!" the cashier noted, grinning at Yuri. "Are you still curious about the items in the shop? I can give you a tour!"

Yuri wanted to decline, but the girl was already beside Yuri, reaching for Yuri's small hand and taking her to the shop filled with items. Just going through the shop feels like an adventure, with the eye-catching items that had been abandoned and were all covered with dust.

"Seeing your innocent look, perhaps you'd like this music box!" the girl exclaims, shoving a music box in Yuri's face. The dust on it gets into as she turns to the side and spits it out. The cashier gasps and helps dust the dust on Yuri's cheek off.

"Wow, you have soft cheeks!" the girl notes as she starts squishing and massaging Yuri's cheeks. 

Yuri slaps her hand away, glaring at the poor girl. 

The girl only chuckles as she winds the music box, and a soft tune plays. It starts out slow and soft, then as it drags on, starts getting a little faster, and the tune becomes happier. It's pleasing to the ear, and the girl hums along with the tune that she knows so very much. And Yuri watches her, as the girl closes her eyes and has a soft smile on her face. Her hands were gripping the music box tightly, yet Yuri could snatch it out of her hands, but she doesn't. She watches as the tune ends and the girl opens her eyes again.

"Ah! Sorry about that.. I just love this tune very much and I've memorized it from the top of my head. I was thinking maybe you'd like it too. It calms me whenever I feel lonely," the girl rambles, a goofy smile plastered on her cute face.

Yuri doesn't think much of the muisc box, but the girl had appealed it to her in such a way that Yuri just wants to hold the girl in her arms and wind the music box softly for her until she falls asleep. 

Yuri chuckles. "You've got quite a big mouth there, talking like that to somebody you don't know," Yuri tells her, taking the music box in her hand. "How much do I need to pay for this?"

The girl grins. "Pay? Everything here is free! Just the fact that its here, accompanying me is all it needs to pay me. These precious items just need an owner!" the girl tells Yuri.

Yuri stares at the music box. It has a dark, blue color, like the color of the night sky when it's beautiful, and has stars painted on it. The tune comes into Yuri's mind, and somehow, it sparks something in her that she swore that she had forgotten.

The girl bids Yuri goodbye as Yuri walks out the shop with the music box in hand. Somehow, she holds it tightly, as if it was the last memory she had of someone precious. And somehow, her heart aches.

∙∙∙

Yuri hated the piano. She hated its existence and its image. She hated that she was always viewed as a shy girl, who preferred being alone, who only liked classical music. She hated how she had to compete with others with that image. She hated how whenever she failed, others would criticize her. 

She loves her family, she does. She knows their struggles and hardships, but she hates it when they push her to do something she doesn't want to do. She just wants to play the piano without pressure and expectations. She wants to make a mistake and laugh about it.

And when she felt isolated, when she felt like nobody knew who she really was and what she really wanted, she played that familiar tune from the music box. She turned the handle softly, letting the tune play, as she closed her eyes and listened. She hummed along, converting the tune into notes that she could play.

And as her feet led her to that same place that she had visited only a few days ago, she could see a perfectly clean piano sitting at the back of the antique shop. Perhaps it was an addition to the antique shop's collection.

The girl was there again, standing at the counter, wiping the dust off of a watch.

Yuri was tempted to go and sit at the piano, to play soft music in this already quiet place. 

The girl could see Yuri's eyes, as they were fixed on the new piano that had been abandoned in an alley not far from the antique shop. 

"You want to play it?" the girl asks. 

Yuri's attention turns to the girl, as the girl ties her hair up into a messy bun again. The girl then gives Yuri a mischievous smile. "It's fine if you do, it's not like anybody ever comes here anyway!"

Yuri's hands tremble. She wants to, but she could feel eyes watching her from around the shop. She could hear the whispers, dipped with judgement and criticism.

"Nah, I don't feel like it," Yuri tells the girl, gulping down her insecurities and disguising it with a cool attitude. Yet the girl frowns, as if she could see through Yuri's superficial attitude, and shrugs.

"You do you," the girl tells Yuri. 

Yuri sighs in relief. She could never go back to that instrument with a positive mindset ever again. 

The cashier hits up a conversation with Yuri as she stares at Yuri with a curious expression.

"So, what's your name?" she asks first. 

Yuri chuckles. This girl was truly scared of nothing. "My name is Jo Yuri. How about you?"

The girl grins that same grin. "I'm Choi Yena!"

And the two hit right off the bat, intrigued by each other's existence and meaning. 

"So why do you always stop by, Yuri?" Yena asks her, tapping the counter with her nails rhythmically. 

Yuri shrugs in response. "The shop is just interesting," she replies shortly. 

Her answer doesn't satisfy Yena though, who is always curious about everything. "Seriously? This antique shop? Nobody ever stops by! Maybe you could tell your friends to stop by or something!" Yena rambles on, suggesting all kinds of ideas to help the antique shop gain attention.

Yena is childish, despite the fact that she's actually older than Yuri by two years. Her childish appearance doesn't add to her personality, only making her seem younger than she actually is.

"Maybe I will...," Yuri mutters, and checks the time on an old alarm clock on a shelf. "Hold on, is it noon already?!"

Yena checks the time on the watch that she had just been cleaning, and nods. Yuri gasps. "I-I have to go!"

And with that, Yuri rushes out the antique shop, leaving Yena alone once again.

∙∙∙

"Has there been any customers coming lately, Yena?" a mysterious girl asks as she comes into the front of the antique shop, viewing all the items that had been sitting there for what seems like forever.

Yena nods and flashes her grin again. "Yes! Well, just this one girl! Her name is Yuri and she's still in her first year of college! She always stops by every few days!" Yena exclaims happily. 

The girl eyes Yena. "And did she buy anything yet?"

Yena giggles. "Well, she did take the music box. I told her that it was free though!"

The girl face palms. "Yena, I told you that the music box costs around $70! How could you just let some girl take it for free?!"

Yena only giggles, not giving a response. The girl sighs. But then she breaks out into a fit of laughter. She could never get mad at Yena after all. Yena was her only companion and friend, as well as her only worker.

"I'm sorry Sakura... I promise I'll do better next time...," Yena mutters with a frown, her eyebrows raising up and her puppy eyes showing themselves.

The girl, identified as Sakura, only smiles. She pats Yena's head and gives her a soft smile that she rarely ever shows anyone. "It's alright, I'm not sad. But it would be nice to make money off this job too."

And Yena smiles, knowing that Sakura is somebody who she can trust.

∙∙∙

"God, why are you always so late, Yuri?!" Yuna exclaims, an irritated look on her face. "The boys had already left after seeing that you weren't here!"

Yuri apologizes, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry, I just had some things to do. It's not too late to take them back, is it?" Yuri asks, making up an excuse for her late arrival.

She was inside of a restaurant, a local but popular restaurant that was a tour spot for visitors. It was also a very popular place for couples and dates, and Yuri had always took all of her boyfriends here or was either asked to meet up here for a date.

Yeji scoffs. "Look, Yuri, you were late, they're gone, it's over. There's nothing we can do when boys don't have interest in us anymore."

Yuri could feel anger boiling up inside her. Why were these girls so difficult to deal with? 

Another person nearby had tried to interrupt the fight, but one of the girls, Chaeryoung pushed him away. "Go away, stupid android! You have no right to interrupt in our fight!"

The android trembled. He had a special mark on his hand, revealing that he was, indeed, an android. All androids had the same sort of markings on their hand so everybody could tell humans and androids apart. The android hung his head low in shame.

Yuri ignored the ashamed android. "Alright, that's enough. Why are you girls so y? I wasn't even that late!" 

Yuna scoffs. "You weren't even that late?! Talk about 10 minutes late!"

And suddenly, she was striked by Yuri. Yuri's slap echoed, leaving Yuna with a very red mark on her cheek. "Y-you–"

And the girls ganged up on Yuri. They scratched her, slapped her, punched her, bruised her. Yuri was outnumbered, and there were too many hands to dodge and block. Yuri was beaten down, as the girls were eventually stopped by some bystanders.

"What is wrong with you girls?! Fighting is not allowed here!" an old man yelled as he was punched by Lia. 

Others had to hold the girls back, as they kicked and screamed. Yuri laid on the floor bloodily, as she could feel tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. But she refused to cry.

And with all of her strength, she ran out of the restaurant and to a place where she found comfort in.

∙∙∙

Yena heard the bell ring, as a beat-up Yuri entered and fell to the ground. Yena gasped, running to the youn