"This is so good, oh my god I'm so happy I trusted you" Yongsun said stuffing with shrimps and crab meat, "You better eat faster or I will finish it all by myself".
They were sharing a portion of haemul jjim in a small restaurant by the sea, the pot in the center with the spicy seafood and bubbling sauce was calling to her and she took the older advice seeing how hungry the other was.
She put some shrimps and octopus slices on her plate, dipping them in the stew in front of her before taking a bite "Wah seriously, it's even better than yesterday".
The blonde thought about what kind of job the other had to be able to eat fish two days in a row and getting a month and a half of vacation on top of it.
"I need a beer with this" Moonbyul said getting up, "Do you want something to drink?"
"No thank you, water is fine" the older girl said raising her glass with a smile, watching the other woman reciprocate the action before walking towards a relatively small refrigerator to pick her drink.
Yongsun's eyes followed her and she couldn't help a smile looking at that tiny figure drowning in that over-sized shirt; the girl had taken off her bomber jacket earlier because of the place's warmth, and the blonde noticed just how cute she looked dressed simply like that.
The younger woman grabbed two beers and came back to sit in front of her "I took two just in case" she poured herself a glass and put the bottle back down.
"Thank you but I really can't" she started explaining "I have to drive later and I'm an awful drinker, the worst. Like, imagine your worst drinker friend" she continued, putting a shrimp in , "I'm worse than that, I get tipsy at the first glass and I'm out with the second" she finished the explanation smiling with closed because of the food.
- Cute - the younger thought, eating as well.
"I think you're exaggerating".
"I'm telling the truth trust me, you don't want to see me drunk" the blonde giggled.
"I'd like to witness it once though".
"I'm sorry but I have to protect my image" Yongsun said raising her eyebrows and shrugging.
"You know I've seen you run earlier right?" Moonbyul said looking at her quizzicaly.
"I'm not ashamed of that, I would run for miles if the food was this delicious" she said proudly.
"You're really something" the black-haired girl chuckled.
"Moonbyul-ssi do you drink well?" the blonde asked.
"I think so" the woman smiled hearing the other saying her name for the first time, "Wheein and I drink pretty often, together we can finish almost six bottles or more of soju before getting drunk, just the two of us".
Yongsun's eyes widened at that, "What? Don't you think that it's a little too much? Isn't it risky?"
"Well, we drink often but we don't always drink to the point of getting too drunk. I'm sure it's not the healthiest thing but we're perfectly fine, we don't smoke".
The other snorted at that, frowning, "That is a really weird logic, but if you're happy... just be careful, try to cut down a bit if you can. I know that I'm no one and I'm probably intruding too much but I'm saying this out of concern. Then again, I don't know you so I shouldn't b-"
"Unnie calm down" Moonbyul laughed, "Thank you for caring, I appreciate it, even if we still don't really know each other" she smiled sweetly trying to ease the other's worries.
Yongsun slapped herself mentally for ranting too much and her nervousness peaked again because she was afraid of having overstepped something; luckily it seemed like that wasn't the case since the younger girl kept smiling at her and continuing the conversation, so eventually she fell back into a strangely comfortable
atmpshpere.
Since her arrival in Busan the blonde couldn't really make friends: she had collegues and sometimes they scheduled something togrther, but she didn't think of them as friends, more as aquaintances. She had friends in Seoul but she didn't see them often of course and they could only contact each other through texts and videocalls when they weren't busy with work or with their children, as for a good amount of her friends.
That was why meeting someone out of the blue started to make her nervous, she had forgotten the feeling, but she could sense a really warm energy from the girl in front of her and that made her feel calm.
"Unnie are you thinking about something?" the other picked up her pensive state and Yongsun shook her head.
"No it's nothing, but actually there's something I'd like to ask if you don't mind" she said.
"Sure, what is it?" the black-haired girl slightly tilted her head to the side with an endearing expression.
"What kind of job to you have?"
Moobyul beamed at the question, "I'm a dancer" she answered and you could see her eyes sparkling, "I'm also a producer, but mostly a dancer".
Yongsun's eyes widened, "That's so cool! I want to know more, what kind of dancer? Also I was pretty close, as soon as I saw you I thought you were an idol or something".
"Really? Why?" the other laughed eyeing the blonde curiously.
"I don't know, just a vibe, you and Wheein have a very distinctive aura about you" the older girl said finishing the last pieces of octopus in her plate. She noticed that the pot was now almost empty except for the stew.
"Well, I'll take that as a compliment, thank you" Moonbyul giggled and Yongsun could see that she was a little tipsy, because her eyes were getting glassy and her cheeks red; she had drunk two bottles of beer by herself indeed.
"By the way I'm specialized in hip-hop Los Angeles style and modern, but I can dance other stuff as well" she continued and the blonde listened interested.
They talked for another half an hour before deciding to head out, and Moonbyul managed to pay the bill for the both of them despite Yongusn's complains.
When they walked out of the restaurant the blonde was still talking about how she was the oldest and she should've been the one to pay and not the other way around; Byul held the door open for her, smiling and rolling her eyes, when suddenly a light bulb went on inside her head. If she wanted to pay for something maybe they could see each other again and hang out.
She was just about to speak when Yongsun cluelessly stole the words from , "Let me at least offer you something, what about a coffee tomorrow? If you can of course" the older woman said looking expectantly at her and the black-haired girl couldn't contain her satisfied expression.
"Well I was going to decline, but since you insist so much I think I'll concede" Moonbyul said smirking and the blonde saw the playful glint in her eyes.
"You know what? If this is the case then forget it" she said picking up her pace and waving a hand dismissevely, "It's been a pleasure, bye Moonbyuly-ssi, thank you for the meal".
"Hey I was joking! Unnie serioulsly slow down that my head kind of hurts" she laughed reaching Yongsun who had stopped to check on her.
"Weren't you a good drinker? What happened to 'my friend and I can drink 6 bottles of soju'" the blonde mimicked her words from earlier, raising an eyebrow, "Let's sit for a minute" she continued leading the other to sit on the little wall which separated the sidewalk from the beach.
"I have a different tolerance for beer, I can really bear high quantities of soju, but with beer is harder" the tipsy girl expained, "And I'm far from being drunk, so my reputation still stands" she continued, puffing her chest.
"Look at you, all proud for ruining your liver" Yongsun shook her head dramatically, laughing when the other elbowed her arm faking annoyance.
"Are you a doctor or an engineer? 'Cause I was told engineers were funny, did I find the wrong one?"
The blonde snorted loudly at that, bursting into laughter, "Who told you that? That's the fakest sh-" she didn't even finished the sentence because she was laughing so hard that her voice started to make weird high-pitched sounds. The black-haired girl couldn't help but grin widely at the scene: something about that laugh was so endearing, be it the resemblance with dolphins' noises or how cute it sounded coming from that woman.
"We are not funny at all, half of us are depressed and the others have a really strange sense of humor, the exceptions are rare" Yongsun continued pulling herself together.
"You're funny though" Moobyul said looking at her with a smile.
"I'm not, you're just easy to talk to" the other replied reciprocating her expression, "And you're tipsy so it doesn't count" she finished, deflecting her gaze to look at the sea in front of her, yawning a second after and shivering slightly.
The black-haired girl clocked that and without thinking twice she took off her bomber jacket and she put it over the older girl's shoulders, once again not listening to her complaints.
"Are you tired? I feel guilty, I asked you to keep me company when you were already drained" the younger one said with sincerity.
Yongsun looked at her watch and widened her eyes a little; it was pretty late actually, it was already past midnight and she had to wake up early to go to work the day after.
"Honestly I'm exhausted, but you have nothing to feel guilty for" her eyes were soft as she spoke and she tugged a little at the collar of the bomber jacket, "I haven't felt this carefree in a while, so thank you for showing me that restaurant and spending time with me tonight".
Moonbyul wanted to ask so many things but she decided to keep the questions to herself, "Anytime" she said instead, looking happy.
The older one stood up, stretching her back, "I do have to go though, I have to wake up early tomorrow".
"Yes of course" the taller girl said standing up too and putting her hands in her pockets, chills on her arms were visible but she tried to not think about the cold, "Then I'll go too... I really enjoyed tonight, thank you again" she finished taking a step back like she was about to turn and leave.
Yongsun looked at her puzzled, "Where are you going?"
"...At the hotel?" Byul said confused.
"I would never let you go alone, tipsy and without your jacket. My car is right there" the blonde pointed to a black Kia K900 parked near the sidewalk, "If it's not a problem for you getting into a stranger's car of course" she chuckled.
The younger girl stared at the car surprised, "That's your car? Nice, I'm starting to think that I should've chosen engineering too"
"Trust me, you're job it's for sure ten times more fulfilling than mine" Yongsun took her car keys out of her pocket, "So, would you like a ride?"
- ​​​​​​Hot - Byul thought but she said, "I don't want to bother..." 
"It's not a problem at all, c'mon let's go, tell me the adress" the blonde said with finality and Moonbyul noticed that she could be pretty authoritative sometimes.
They got into the car and Yongsun quickly put the coordinates in the GPS, starting the engine and shifting gear.
"A manual?" the taller girl noted.
"Yeah I don't really like automatics, I like to drive with a hand on the stick-shift and one on the wheel".
Moonbyul stared at the other woman focused on the road ahead, driving with the posture she just depicted and she had to look away because her mind was starting to run wild on her own.
She composed herself, "I'm the same, I like to change gears, it relaxes me" she dared to look again and she saw the other turning the radio on and immediately starting to bob her head along with the music.
"I love this song" she said tapping her fingers on the wheel and even though the pose was the same the athmosphere completely changed as she started to hum the melody, followed shortly after by Moonbyul who joined with a lower register. The harmony came out unexpectedly well and they briefly looked at each other grinning.
They kept humming and harmonizing for the rest of the road, until Yongsun pulled up near the hotel and switched to neutral.
She unbuckled her seatbelt and took off the bomber jacket Byul gave her, "Thank you for this, I know it's not that cold anymore but you were just in a shirt, make yourself something warm when you get in or you'll get sick" she exhorted and the taller girl smiled at her concern.
"I will, don't worry" she replied putting on her jacket and opening the car door, stopping suddendly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "What's up?" she asked closing the door again.
She honestly knew what the other was about to say, she just didn't want to be the one to bring it up because she felt shy.
"Maybe we can exchange numbers to schedule for tomorrow, always if you still want to of course" Yongsun asked tentatively, nervous.
"Absolutely!" Moonbyul replied, maybe a little too eagerly. She was feeling kind of euphoric, she couldn't help it.
The blonde smiled brightly and pulled out her phone, saving the other's number and feeling relieved because the black-haired girl seemed keen on becoming friends just as much as her.
After that they said their goodbyes and Moonbyul closed the car door behind her, walking towards the entrance of the hotel and turning around to wave and smile at the other woman before going inside, seeing the car take off as soon as she crossed the glass doors.
She sighed and took the elevator to reach her room at the fourth floor, punching the code in and entering.
"Unnie?" the voice came from the bedroom and a second after she saw Wheein bolting and jumping on her, "Where have you been all night? I missed you" she said getting down and looking at her with a frown, waiting for an explanation.
Moonbyul beamed and was about to start ranting about her night when she noticed how distressed Wheein looked: she had the typical eyes of who had been crying and her hair was all messy, probably because she had been lying on her bed for too long.
"What happened?" she asked concerned, putting a hand on Wheein's shoulder, "Why didn't you call, I would've come right away".
The shorter girl looked down, "It's nothing unnie, really, I'm happy you stayed out or you would've just witnessed me eating junk food while ugly crying on the bed, at least it seemed like you had fun" she said smiling, turning around to reach the sofa and plopping down on it carelessly.
"I did have a good time, but now I'm here if you want to talk about it, I'll listen" the black-haired girl reassured, sitting on the armrest next to the younger's head.
Wheein was like a little sister to her: they met 5 years prior when they had both auditioned to become Sistar's backup dancers and they both ended up being chosen. They've been glued since then, helping each others through their hardships and celebrating their accomplishments.
Moonbyul saw the other getting up into a sitting position and laying her head on her right shoulder, looking up at her with those big brown puppy eyes, "It's Jiyho" she sighed running a hand through her short blonde hair,
"She called me tonight, asking me to forgive her. Again".
The black-haired woman had already an idea about what could've possibly happened and that confirmed her assumptions. She didn't talk, waiting for the other to continue.
"She said the same things; that she didn't mean to do it again, that it was just because she was tipsy and that what happened has nothing to do with the love she has for me. She asked me to give her another chance, but I don't think I can do it anymore honestly... I don't understand-" she started to sob quietly and Moonbyul raised her arm to circle her shoulders and hug her, "I don't understand unnie, if she loves me... why does she keep cheating on me?"
Hearing her friend so troubled broke her heart, not just because of their friendship but also because Wheein was genuinely one of the sweetest and most caring person ever, she wouldn't hurt a fly and she was always there if you needed.
"Wheein-ah, you don't have to forgive her if you don't want to, why do you feel the need to do so? If you want my opinion, she hasn't done anything to earn your forgiveness and I really don't want to see you suffer like this anymore, it happened too many times already".
"I know, but I can't do anything about it, I still care for her and it feels like I'm at fault because I'm not giving this relationship another chance" Wheein replied quietly.
"What?" the older girl was getting angry. She knew Jiyho and she perfectly knew that that was an idea that she had put into her friend's head, "How could you even think this? She is the one to blame. She threw your relationship out of the window the first time she decided to cheat on you... this is the fourth and she'll keep doing it 'cause she knows you'll eventually forgive her. It's not fair, she's taking advantage of you, this is not love and you're too good for her" Moonbyul said heated, but softened immediately when she saw the other hug her knees and hiding her crying face, "Do you know what gave me the idea of this trip? You. I saw you struggle so much this year and I wanted to do something that could cheer you up, that's why I bought a van, and that's why the van is totally white" she finished and curved into a smirk.
Wheein's confused stare made her chuckle, "Unnie I'm not following you" she said forrowing her brows.
"You can be slow sometimes" Byul adfirmed, rolling her eyes, "What do you like to do besides dancing?" she asked while her grin grew wider seeing the other girl catching on and her eyes shining.
"No you didn't" Wheein said standing up suddenly.
"I did actually, you can do whatever you want with it, it's your blanck canvas" she concluded, her smile wide. The older girl knew how passionate the other girl was about art and that seemed like something she would appreciate.
"I don't know what to say..." the blonde murmured, hugging Moonbyul tightly, "Thank you so much, you're the best".
"You're welcome" she chuckled, glad to have changed the younger girl's mood.
"Now" Wheein said breaking the hug and sitting on the sofa, facing her friend, "What did you do tonight?".

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Hi!

I think this chapter came out a little long but it got out of hand ahahahah btw Byul adopted an abandoned dog and I'm uwuing too much, he reminds me a lot of Jing Jing TT.

Hope you're having a great day, stay safe!

- Red