“Hello,” Yewon said, answering her phone.

“Good Morning!”

Just hearing Eunbi’s voice was enough to bring a slight smile to Yewon’s face.

“Someone’s happy this morning,” Yewon noted, a warm feeling spreading through her body as Eunbi laughed.

“Aren’t I always?” she quipped.

“Hmmm...yes, but you sound even happier than usual, which is saying something,” Yewon mused, standing up and fetching a folder off her bookshelf. She sat back down behind her desk and opened it, flipping through the pages with one hand as the other pressed her phone to her ear.

“Well, I just got the news that I go back to work on Monday!” Eunbi’s excitement was palpable through the phone and Yewon smiled.

“That’s great….wh- um...where are you going to be stationed?” Yewon asked hesitantly, her stomach filled with dread at the thought of Eunbi being stationed far away.

“It is! I’ll be stationed at Fort SouMu, so it’s just outside the city,” Eunbi explained.

“Oh, well that’s great,” Yewon agreed, “Does- uh...how- would you come home on your days off?”

“I won’t be living on base, it’s like a forty-minute drive so I’ll be staying with Eunha!”

She sounded excited at the prospect of staying in Nation City and Yewon was silently relieved. Not that she would ever want Eunbi to hold back from her career just because Yewon finally had a friend. Or maybe more than a friend? She was a bit confused about what they were doing.

“That’s….really great, Eunbi. We should go out and celebrate,” Yewon suggested.

“Well, that’s why I was calling actually,” Eunbi told her, “I was wondering if you were free on Sunday?”

Suddenly, Yewon was completely free. She would have Solar cancel all of her meetings and would skip going into the office. It was a Sunday anyways, so it wasn’t a particularly busy day for her. Yewon only worked weekends because she hadn’t had anything better to do until she had met Eunbi and now it was just a habit.

“Completely. Why, what did you have in mind?”

“Great! And it’s a surprise, so you’ll have to wait and see,” Eunbi told her, Yewon could hear the smugness in her voice. She rolled her eyes as she smiled down at the reports in front of her.

“Just make sure you wear something casual and wear comfy shoes,” Eunbi told her.

Yewon laughed, “Okay, I will. I’ll see you on Sunday then.”

“Okay! I'll message you tonight and give you some more information about it. Bye!”

~

~

On Sunday, Yewon was up early and ready way before Eunbi was supposed to be picking her up. Not knowing what to expect, she had put on a blouse and a pair of casual pants that she wore around the house, hoping that it was casual enough.

At nine, Yewon’s phone started vibrating. She eagerly picked it up, swiping right on the screen to answer.

“Hey, I’m outside! Do you want me to come up, or are you ready to go?” Eunbi’s warm voice came through.

“I’m ready, I’ll be down in a minute,” Yewon replied, smiling as she fetched her bag and hung up.

A few moments later she was outside her building, face to face with Eunbi, who was leaning against the side of a car. She pushed off it and smiled widely at Yewon, opening her arms for a hug. Yewon smiled as she walked forward and let Eunbi wrap her arms around her just for a moment.

“Hi,” Yewon smiled shyly, her pale cheeks turning slightly pink.

“Hi,” Eunbi smiled back, cupping Yewon’s cheek and pressing a soft kiss to the other one. She stepped back and opened the passenger door, gesturing for Yewon to get in. Climbing in, Yewon buckled her seatbelt and watched Eunbi walk around and get in the driver’s side.

“So, are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?” Yewon asked, arching an eyebrow.

Eunbi grinned as she pulled out into traffic, her eyes crinkling at the corners. She shot Yewon a look, giving her once over. “Not yet, it’s a surprise,” Eunbi told her, “But you might need to get changed.”

“You said to dress casual,” Yewon frowned, looking down at her plain outfit.

“I know,” Eunbi laughed, “And it’s cute that you think that's casual, but you look like you’re about to do my taxes or try to sell me a house. I packed you some of my clothes just in case.

Yewon blushed at Eunbi’s teasing; her life didn't have much room for graphic t-shirts and sneakers. She knew that Eunbi wasn’t judging her though and she was a bit surprised that Eunbi knew well enough to know that she would need a change of clothes.

“I picked up a juice too,” Eunbi said, fumbling for the cardboard tray holding her own frappuccino. “It’s carrot, celery, pineapple, and apple, I think? I don’t know what it’s like but it seemed like one of those weird healthy drinks I know you’re into.”

“Thank you,” Yewon laughed, taking the plastic cup and taking a sip.

~

~

It wasn’t until they outside the city limits that Yewon unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the clothes at the back, She pulled Eunbi’s jeans and a Cloud-gray plaid shirt into her lap and Eunbi peeked at her from the corner of her eye, hoping that Yewon wouldn’t figure out that she had purposely picked the gray one so that it would bring out the color in her eyes.

Yewon ed her blouse, quickly stripping it off and replacing it with the shirt and then followed by the jeans. Eunbi kept her eyes on the road, but Yewon bit back a smile as she noticed the redness creeping up Eunbi’s neck.

They chatted the whole way there and Yewon listened as Eunbi told her about what kind of work she would be doing while stationed on the base. Basking in the warmth of the sun, she listened to Eunbi speaking enthusiastically, occasionally asking a question. She didn’t ask where they were going, she just watched the neighborhoods give way to endless trees and countryside.

Eventually, Eunbi turned off the highway and drove for another twenty minutes. Pulling over, she looked over at Yewon and smiled. “We’re here!” Eunbi brightly told her.

“Here? Where?” Yewon asked, glancing around at the tree-lined road. There wasn’t anything else around.

“We’re going on a picnic!” Eunbi declared proudly, a smug smiled on her face as she looked at Yewon.

“A picnic?” Yewon raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“Yeah, I just- I figured that you haven’t been on a picnic before,” Eunbi smiled hesitantly, trying to judge Yewon’s expression.

“That’s...really thoughtful, thank you,” Yewon smiled shyly, brushing her hair out of her face as she ducked her head.

Eunbi’s shoulder dropped slightly as she smiled with relief. She had been worried that Yewon would think it was stupid. Secretly, Yewon thought it was dorky, but the hopeful expression on Eunbi’s face made her happy to go along with Eunbi’s plans.

Besides, she really was touched by how sweet Eunbi was.

“We’ve got a bit of a hike, but it’s worth it, trust me,” Eunbi told her, opening the door and climbing out of the car. Yewon followed after her and watched as Eunbi pulled a picnic basket out of the trunk, as well as a backpack. Yewon took the basket off her and tucked it under her arm, the fingers of her other hand intertwining with Eunbi’s fingers.

They set off through the trees and Yewon trusted Eunbi not to get them lost as they followed a trail that she couldn’t see. The path got steeper as they walked up, listening to the birds chirping as sunlight filtered down through the canopy of the tree, sending fractured shadows to the ground.

After about half an hour later, they made it to their destination. All the air rushed out of Yewon’s lungs as she took in the view.

They stood in a small, half-moon shaped meadow dotted with pastel-colored flowers. The edge of the meadow fell away to a thirty-foot drop that hugged the sides of the river below. Yewon walked closer to the edge, looking out at the sprawling countryside spread out before her.

“It’s beautiful,” She whispered breathlessly, her hair whipping around her as a breeze of wind blew past her.

“I found it by accident one time I was hiking,” Eunbi told her, coming to stand next to her. She reached up to tuck Yewon’s hair behind her ear, her fingers brushing the side of Yewon’s face as she pulled back.

“Well, it’s certainly worth the hike,” Yewon laughed, backing away from the edge slightly.

Yewon set down the basket and Eunbi opened her backpack, pulling out a blanket and spreading it out on the grass. Just close enough to give them a spectacular view, but far enough away from the edge to set their minds at ease.

Eunbi opened the basket and started unpacking the food.

“So, I have a peach or raspberry flavored water,” Eunbi said, bringing out the bottles and placing them down. “I didn’t know what kind of sandwiches you liked so I made chicken and salad, so it’s kind of a healthy one because I know how you’re all about the healthy stuff. And I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, just in case you’ve never had one of those, in which case, you definitely have to try, because it’s like the childhood snack.”

Yewon sank back on her elbows, her legs extended in front of her as she watched Eunbi talk about the contents she packed in the basket with an amused expression on her face. After listing half a dozen more snacks she looked up at Yewon with a smile on her face.

“You didn’t have to go through so much trouble,” Yewon smiled back, “But it all looks and sounds delicious. You’ll probably be pleased to know that I’ve never had a…what are they called? PB & J? Well, I’ve never had one of those, so another first.”

Eunbi laughed, holding out the flavored water, “Which one would you like?”

Yewon picked the peach one, opening the bottle and taking a sip. She looked out at the view, basking in the quiet sounds of nature. The soft trickle of running