It had been yet another sleepless night for Jinyoung who ended up sitting on the balcony wrapped in his blanket while watching the sun rise. He had been in a state of daze and by the time he came to his senses, the outside world was already buzzing with life, the sound of morning commuters filling the air. Rubbing a a hand over his tired face, Jinyoung caught sight of Youngsoon emerging from their building, heading in the direction of the bus stop.

Like always, Youngsoon’s yellow Converse tapped along the pavements in large strides, her hair dancing along with the morning breeze. One thing Jinyoung noticed however was how utterly blank and stoic her expression was. Somehow the absence of her disciplined and trained smile that had initially instigated unease in Jinyoung was causing him to become even more unsettled. If the smile was a mask that hid Youngsoon’s real feelings, then her current blank expression made it appear as though she had no feelings whatsoever and Jinyoung did not know which one was scarier.

Jinyoung was so used to people wearing their hearts on their sleeves and actively showing their emotions that he was not quite sure how to register and process the persona Youngson had created for herself, especially when he had seen her earnest expressions and gentle smile. He knew that there was another side of her; so why was it hidden away so deeply?

As Youngsoon mingled with the other morning commuters getting on the bus, Jinyoung’s eyes wandered off towards the other small figures scattered along the streets; all of them walking with a sense of direction and purpose; everyone with somewhere they must go; everyone with something they must do. But what about Jinyoung himself? What was his purpose? Where did he have to go? What did he have to do?

More and more questions piled up on him, weighing him down like rocks, crashing down on his chest and forcing the oxygen out of his lungs. Gasping for air, Jinyoung’s vision started becoming blurry and the feeling of dread overcame his body. He did not panic however, having experienced this very same sensation in the not so distant past and knew that if left by itself, it would eventually pass.

It had happened on a hot and humid July evening, when most office workers had gone home for the day to reunite their their friends and loved ones already, but Jinyoung and his team members had been forced to stay behind and work overtime yet again. Under the pressure of his superiors and his team members’ clear dissatisfaction towards their working conditions, Jinyoung found himself unable to focus on the images and text displayed on his computer screen and suddenly it was like he had been trapped in a vacuum — all oxygen sapped out. Clutching his chest, Jinyoung ended up falling to the ground, unable to breathe, desperately clinging onto what remained of his consciousness until the world faded to black, the last thing he saw being his colleague’s faces that were scrunched up in worry and horror.

Stumbling back and tripping on his own feet, Jinyoung ended up falling backwards and inside his flat. The impact against the hard floor seemed to knock him back to reality and make him forcefully regain the ability to breathe. Panting harshly, Jinyoung stared at the ceiling as cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

・・・

Youngsoon walked along the familiar pavement that led towards Bukchon Hanok Village while staring lifelessly at her left foot stepping in front of her right foot, and right foot in front of her left foot and so forth. Going up the familiar hill, with each step she took the muscles in her face shifted slightly until her lips formed the shape of her signature civil, pleasant, and modest smile.

Being the manager of Gureum was no easy feat. However Youngsoon enjoyed the challenge; it gave her a great sense of fulfilment and purpose. The ambience of the teahouse was the epitome of warmth and comfort and Youngsoon had spent countless evenings gazing at the night sky while sitting by the corner window of the teahouse located at the top of the hill, feeling as though she was floating on a cloud. This was a job that she would not exchange for anything else in the world, for it was where she had found her own little corner of the sky.

Staring at herself in the small mirror of her locker, Youngsoon double checked that she had worn her uniform properly before smiling at the reflection she was seeing. The smile that she wore as an armour felt heavy and constricting. Youngsoon could not quite remember when it was that this trained smile had become her default expression, but by now it had been deeply engraved in her, it had become a natural instinct. Slamming the locker shut, Youngsoon pushed aside the unease she felt from seeing her own smile and readied herself for what was to come.

It was yet another day at Gureum dealing with Irene teasing Yoongi’s grumpiness and the latter retaliating with snarky remarks, resulting in an exchange that resulted in them disagreeing about Turkish delights — of all things — and threatening to expand into a full blown argument.

“The matcha lamington is being well received,” Youngsoon casually commented.

“Of course,” Yoongi huffed without hesitation.

“Of course,” Youngsoon echoed, satisfied at how she had managed to distract him long enough for her to signal Irene to leave before Yoongi declared war on her. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s special.”

“That reminds me…”

Snapping his fingers, Yoongi hurried back into the kitchen, the previous debate about Turkish delights completely forgotten. Shaking her head, Youngsoon readjusted the hem of her skirt. From the other side of Gureum, Irene brought her hands together to form the shape of a heart, sending them in Youngsoon’s direction, thanking the latter for the intervention. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Youngsoon gave Irene a soft smile before turning around to greet new customers.

Dressed in the modernised hanbok with the rich indigo skirt and carefully braided hair, Youngsoon had become the figurehead of Gureum, the fairy that resided in the clouds, welcoming all visitors with the most gentle and pleasant smile.

・・・

Jinyoung shrunk in his seat, his demeanour contrasting with that of the boisterous laughter of his companions. Tucked away in a corner of a restaurant, a group of young men were celebrating someone’s birthday, specifically someone who previously worked under Jinyoung. Thus, as former colleague and team leader, the invitation had been extended to Jinyoung and although he was reluctant to participate, he still showed up.

“Congrats Jae, you’ve managed to live for one more year!” Someone hollered while patting the birthday boy’s back with a bit too much force, causing him to spill his drink.

“Careful there Wonpil, we need him