track 05 - Moment

miyeon woke up with a sweet peach fragrance massaging her nose. her face was buried in minnie's neck. instead of the usual cold, other side of the bed was warm. and this pleasant warmth squeezed her heart with joy. she was still sleepy, and thus a few minutes passed till she figured out she was sleeping with god knows who. as soon as she realized that, she screamed and jumped. minnie easily woke up from her deep sleep with this sudden powerful cry, and she got up from the bed really fast, her heart was in .

"huh? what? why? where? who?"

"oh my god, minnie? what are you doing here? in my bed?"

minnie dazzled and tried to grasp what was going on. she took a look around and remembered the last night.

"you, you were so drunk and i drove you here..." she rubbed her forehead and continued, "and i was gonna go back, but you know, you didn't let me and snuggled up to me."

"wait, d-did we...?"

"eh? no, no, no! i just happened to accidentally fall asleep right afterwards. that's all."

"oh well... sorry for being trouble, i'm not usually like this."

"it's okay. but are you okay though?"

"yeah, i'm good, i just have a headache."

"i mean... do you remember anything?"

"a few things, like flashes. why?"

minnie wanted to tell her about the fight, but when she looked at the clock she saw that there were only 2 hours left to work.

"oh, i gotta go. but please talk to soojin, okay? you two have some unresolved issues."

"what do you mean?"

"sorry, i really have to go, but i'll see you later."

"okay"

soyeon and shuhua were eating rice and kimchi with scrambled eggs for breakfast when minnie got home. after minnie washed her face and changed, she joined them and sat next to soyeon. soyeon looked quite sleepless and tired.

"is soojin still sleeping?" minnie asked.

"yes in my room."  soyeon replied. she was playing with her rice in the bowl instead of eating it.

"you look so tired, haven't you slept well?"

"i was feeling sick. i couldn't sleep much."

"unnie, you know if you want to talk, we're here. you don't have to deal with everything by yourself." said shuhua.

"but there's nothing to talk about."

"oh really?" shuhua said, arching her eyebrows. then she and minnie exchanged glances with each other. minnie rubbed soyeon's back afterwards.

"it's okay, as long as you're good, it's really okay even if you don't tell us anything... but if i see you're not getting better, i'll step in, understood?"

"mhm"

"by the way shuhua, not that i'm complaining, but why did you stay over?"

"what, we're not friends?"

"come on, you know very well what i mean. i personally have never seen you leave your comfort zone and and stay here. you always prefere that large spacious house of yours."

"she stayed once, though" said soyeon, "and it was because she was scared. remember that time we went to a horror movie?"

"that's right, i forgot. anyway, you get me now, shuhua?"

"fine, i stayed here to help soyeon unnie. okay?"

"yah! don't use me as an excuse for your evil purposes." soyeon whined.

"okay, i'll pretend i believe you." said minnie.

they must have made so much noise that soojin woke up and came in.

"good morning, where's the toilet?"

"morning! down the hall, first door on the left." replied soyeon, showing the way with the spoon.

silence dominated everyone as soojin went to the restroom. after that, shuhua lowered her voice and asked, "do you think she remembers?""

"miyeon doesn't remember anything, she screamed in the morning and made me jump out of the bed as she thought i was a ert or some."

“hmm, then maybe-… wait a minute…” soyeon stopped, turning slowly towards minnie.

"unnie, did you two...?" shuhua asked before soyeon.

"oh my god, why does that have to be the first thing that comes to mind? i just fell asleep, nothing more."

shuhua repeated minnie's last words with a funny facial expression and said, "how can you fall asleep in someone's bed?"

"listen, i'm telling the truth."

"okay guys, eat up, we have an important meeting in a few hours." soyeon remarked.

soojin came back, smiled politely and bowed her head.

"i'm sorry for imposing on you like this."

"no, that's fine. there's really no need to be sorry."  soyeon said. she put the spoon and got up, "come, i'll take you home while i still have some time."

"thank you, but i called my driver, he will be at the door soon."

"okay then," she sat back, "come and sit down and have something to eat."

soojin couldn't look at their faces and was very nervous. she just stood there and did not move.

"you can sit next to me, here." said shuhua.

soojin nodded and sat down finally. soon shuhua couldn't help but mention about what happened last night.

"i don't know if you remember, but you got beaten up very badly."

"shuhua!" scolded minnie.

"what? she'd have found out sooner or later."

"yes, i remember."

"do you know why that happened? did you say something wrong?"

"i honestly don't remember that very much, but it's okay, we're bound to have these little quarrels and conflicts."

"little..." soyeon muttered to herself.

"you were so cute though, with a hand mark on your face, heheh."

"shuhua!" minnie yelled again.

"what?"

***

on their way to the office in the car, minnie got a message from miyeon.

when they arrived the office, there was still time for the meeting. so shuhua headed to her office while the others went to their desks. then, hwasa came out of her office and clapped her hands several times.

"listen! everbody listen to me!"

after getting all the attention, she went on.

"some of you may have heard the rumors, so let me clarify it. as neverend magazine, we are now switching to a completely digital magazine in order to keep up with the era, offer many better features and do more with less time. no print magazines. after the meeting, it will be decided how our first digital publication will be. i want you to do your best and continue to work with enthusiasm. thank you."

after she had finished her speech, she went back to her office. minnie looked at soyeon from afar and saw that she was looking at her, too, in surprise. yes, rumors were circulating, but they didn't expect it to happen this early.

when it was the meeting time, everyone took their places in the meeting room. soyeon and shuhua sat beside each other, and minnie sat across from them. but minnie's mind was elsewhere, she was thinking of miyeon. wondering what she was going to say. before hwasa, lucas came into the room and sat next to hwasa's seat. seeing soyeon glaring at him, he mouthed the word "what". soyeon looked away without saying anything. then hwasa came and started talking before she sat down.

"okay, as you heard, from now on our editions will be completely digital. and this month's issue will be our first digital edition. it's a big event for neverend. before we start, let me tell what i want as a concept; time travel. yeah, what happened in the history of neverend magazine for 30 years, with whom we have collaborated, and so on. let's make an issue that symbolizes how our magazine took shape with the changing fashion from the past to the present and finally it became digital. also for this month's edition, the photo shoot will be conduct in collaboration with chanel. they will collab with young talented k-pop idol lia who has an upcoming new full album. any ideas can be helpful. so, let the meeting begin." she sat down.

"i got an idea," soyeon said, and everyone turned towards her.

"yes, i'm listening, go on."

"speaking of k-pop, we know that our magazine has collaborated with many k-pop idols in the past. it's obvious how k-pop fashion has changed over the years with music and how it affected the fashion trends, especially among young people like lia. it would be relevant and remarkable to write about the evolution of k-pop and it's fashion."

"does that mean for me to evaluate the fashion of the k-pop world from the past to the present? that's a great idea! i'm excited already."  shuhua agreed.

"i can also interview with former idols we've collaborated with in the past." soyeon added.

"hmm, fine, i like it. you write that article. and minnie, you also do a video interview with lia for our social platforms. you two get along very well, right? so that shouldn't be hard for you. and it'd be good if you can start interacting with her on our official accounts to give people hints."

"y-yes, of course."

during the meeting, ideas were offered and discussed. after it was over, they all fell apart, but soyeon and minnie continued to sit still.

"today my assistant is back from break, let me throw some unnecessary orders to de-stress." shuhua said before walking out the door.

"stop being hard on that girl."  minnie shouted after her.

"don't worry, i love her." shuhua said as she walked away.

then there was some silence. and silence was broken by both.

"why does it have to be lia?"

"why does it have to be lucas?"

they looked at each other when they whined at the same time. after laughing a little, soyeon asked what happened.

"you have a problem with lia?"

"no, actually... we had an intimacy at the party that i'm not so proud of. we both talked about and overcame it, but i haven't met in person since then."

"it won't be a problem, i think. you can handle it."

"yes, i guess. what about you? is there a problem with lucas that i don't know?"

"it's just, i don't trust him at all, he's a playboy. i'm scared he might hurt yuqi."

"he's not a bad guy, but i agree that he's a . still soyeon, we can't do anything. we must respect yuqi's decisions."

"i know, i know."

that noon shuhua went out with soyeon to eat. they had decided to eat hamburgers. waiting for their orders to be prepared at the table, shuhua received a call from her mother, who was living in busan. they had moved from taiwan to korea, busan, when she was a child because of her father's job.

"my mother is calling"

"so? pick up"

"i said i'd go to see them last weekend, but i didn't go. i'm a little scared to face her right now."

"don't be silly shuhua, pick up that phone."

shuhua took a deep breath and answered the call eventually.

"hi mom"

"hi dear, how are you?"

"i'm fine mom, you?"

"i'm fine too, and i'd be better if i could see you, dear."

"sorry mama, you know. i'm pretty busy these days."

"i understand, you are always busy, my daughter. but look, your sister misses you too. we miss you a lot."

"i missed you so much, too. i will come soon."

"you haven't forgotten your sister's birthday, right?"

"i'd never forget it. it's two weeks later."

"be here then, okay?"

"promise, mom. i'll definitely be there."

"ok my child, i'm hanging up now. wo ai ni, byebye."

"wo ye ai ni, bye."

soyeon took shuhua's hands. she was worried as she knew shuhua's mother's condition and couldn't help but ask if she was okay.

"better than before, group therapy seems to work. so i don't have to go at least once a week and check my sister's safety anymore. but i'm still aware that she drinks sometimes.

"she's been drinking since your father passed away, right? it's been a long time so it's very normal for it to take some time to recover. you have to be patient."

"yes i know."

while they were waiting for their orders, minnie was waiting for miyeon who just arrived at the bluebox cafe. she looked around and soon saw miyeon coming.

"hi"

"hi"

there was an awkward moment between them for a while.

"what'll you have?" asked minnie.

"ice americano would be good."

"okay, it's coming."

as minnie took the orders, miyeon sat at the table and checked the time on her phone. then minnie came a little after and handed the coffee. she had bought coffee for herself too.

"yes tell me, what's the problem?" asked minnie as she sat down.

"there's no problem. i just felt... i could trust you."

"about what?"

"i'm going to paris, i'll stay there for a while, and i don't know how long."

"eh? why?"

"my mental health is getting worse here. i feel like i need to spend more time alone."

"i see... but why are you telling me that?"

"i was going to ask you to keep an eye on soojin."

"me?"

"i know we just met, and it's ridiculous that i want it from you, but believe me, i don't know who else i could ask for. i'm just afraid that she'll feel lonely while i'm away. she doesn't have many friends, if it's not a lie. and she's an orphan, if that's not a lie either. and i saw her having such fun yesterday, for the first time in a while. generally she is cold and almost never laughs. but somehow this changed last night."

"you should talk to her. leaving like this would be very hurtful and ridiculous."

"she doesn't know that i'm going abroad. and if i tell her, she would never let me go, she would find a way to stop me. so please, keep an eye on her while i'm not here. oh, and let's keep this conversation between us, okay?"

"well, okay."  said minnie, sounded like she was breaking up with a lover. as she sipped her coffee she wondered when she might see miyeon again.

"can you give me your phone?"

"huh? uh, here."

miyeon took the phone and entered a number, "this is her number. if she asks where you got it from, tell her she gave it to you at the karaoke bar. she'd immediately believe it."

"all right. but can i ask something?"

"go on"

"do you still not remember anything?"

"i remembered few things. soojin said something, and i boomed. but i don't remember the details. guess i was so ready to blow up anyway."

"okay"

"will miss my flight time, i have to go." she said as she got up. minnie also stood up with her.

"see you later then."

"see you" said miyeon and headed for the exit. but she suddenly stopped and turned. she got closer back, then reached out and kissed her gently on the cheek. minnie's heart skipped a beat. miyeon pulled back, her face pink, looking down. she said "thank you for everything" and then quickly walked away, leaving minnie in awe.