A/N: Italicized indicates thoughts in most cases. Keep in mind that, while this is based on "Blend S", I will be taking creative liberties and adding in some content :). Anyway, now telling Olivia Hye's (Hyejoo's) side of the story...the story of how all this began...

 

 

 

It's nighttime at the Son house. Besides the faint click-clack sounds made as the bamboo water fountain seesaws up and down, contacting the concrete foundation below, nothing else is heard. 

---

Employment Results

Miss Son Hyejoo,

 

Thank you for showcasing interest in joining our company.

Sadly, we are unable to hire you at this time

We regret to inform you that, according to your application for a hospitality position at our company, your cold facial expression is not suited for said position.

...

Best wishes,

CBB

---

There it is...yet another rejection. 

Pained and in disbelief, Hyejoo falls to her hands and knees in front of the letter.

This-this can't be happening again?! Why meeeeeee :( -- thought Hyejoo.

 

"Hyejoo? I'm coming in. Get ready. It's dinner ti-"

Before Eunseo could even finish what she was saying, a dejected Hyejoo turned to meet her older sister's eyes with a chilling gaze of defeat.

"H-Holy... What's wrong? What's with the concerned gaze?"

Without saying a single word, Hyejoo just lowers her head and points to the letter from CBB.

 

. . .

 

After quickly reading the letter, Eunseo sits down on the floor next to Hyejoo and places a sympathetic hand on Hyejoo's leg. Eunseo is the first to break the silence, speaking in a softer, slower voice than her normally energetic self.

"Another rejection huh? You didn't get this one either."

"Nope. Apparently they didn't like the look in my eyes..." Once again, after uttering those few words, it's as if Hyejoo's entire body droops in defeat.

"Hyejoo. You want to earn money so that you can have enough to go and study abroad, right? In that case, why not just ask our father for some money?

"No, I can't ask him and burden him again...I have to earn the money by myself. If I can't even earn the money myself and become too reliant, then I won't be able to do anything on my own once abroad."

"Ah, I see. Don't worry, it will all be ok. An opportunity will come sooner or later. I'm sure you'll be able to find one that suits you. Hwaiting! Now come on, let's go eat dinner."

"Thanks Eunseo eonnie. I'll do my best!"

 

. . . 

 

Hyejoo wakes up the next morning with an energized mood that matches the warm, breezy, and comfortable weather outside. Looking over at her alarm clock, the time reads 9:00 AM. Time to head out and go to another job interview! She has to at least get one of them...right?

Realizing that perhaps her killer facial expressions, paired with a preference for darker colors in clothing, created a somber look for her overall. Maybe it was time to lighten up and brighten the mood?

Fanning through her closet, a large majority of her clothes are black, gray, or white, with a few darker shades of red and blue. Besides the white outfits, nothing else really gave the vibrancy required. But just then, Hyejoo remembered the holiday gift that her brother, Shownu, had gotten her for her birthday. Walking over to a corner in her closet, she grabbed the gift bag off a shelf and looked inside. A bright teal colored jumpsuit and blazer were neatly folded and still in their sealed packaging. 

It's now or never...I got this!

 

. . .

 

Now wearing the brightly colored dress and blazer, Hyejoo feels foreign in her own body. It wasn't that she was unsatisfied with the look of the jumpsuit, oh no, it was definitely gorgeous...Hyejoo just needed some time to adjust.

Waving goodbye to Eunseo, Hyejoo stepped out of her traditional home and headed for the train station. The time now read 9:30. She had 15 minutes to walk to the station in order to arrive 5 minutes early for her interview. Everything was planned out perfectly and going according to plan.

 

After some time walking, she was nearing the station and 5 minutes ahead of schedule. Maybe she was a fast walker?

Given the beautiful weather outside, Hyejoo stopped for a moment to enjoy the refreshing breeze and marvel at the Choerry cherry blossoms fluttering in the wind. From just up head, a black Aeongie cat laid calmly on the sidewalk, cleaning its fur. Upon seeing the kitty, Hyejoo started cooing for it to come closer. Much to her surprise, the cat approached Hyejoo with affection, rubbing up against her hand with a gentle and prolonged purr.

"Where did you come from, little guy?"

When the cat lifted its head and looked into Hyejoo's eyes, fear immediately struck. To the cat, there was a sort of unexplainable ferocity behind Hyejoo's gaze. Something predatory, like that of a merciless wolf. With its tail between its legs, the cat scurries away.

A saddened Hyejoo wondered what she did wrong for the cute kitty to leave so quickly. Nonetheless, with a sigh, she had to move on and get to the station.

 

Late. The train was going to arrive 20 minutes late.

Out of all the days this could happen, why today? Why on a day when I'm rushing to get to a job interview? T_T  I guess I'll just call an taxi or something. I should still hopefully be able to make it on time, despite traffic. Ugh this is going to come out of my funds for going abroad T_T

Hurriedly weaving her way though seas of people to make it back to ground level as soon as possible, Hyejoo accidentally runs into someone, causing both of them to stagger backwards a bit.

"Please watch where you are going Miss," replied the stranger with a rather high-pitched, crunchy sounding voice.

"Oh I'm really sorry! Please excuse me! I'm kinda..."

Hyejoo raised her head and met the gaze of the stranger - correction: the dazzling blonde stranger - who unexpectedly met and held her gaze for a moment.

"...in a hurry."

Hyejoo noticed the stranger's blonde hair and foreign name brand clothes first, which initially made her think that the stranger may have been foreign. However, taking the young lady's facial features into account, the blonde stranger would be Korean-American at most.

Hyejoo stared at her for what was probably in reality only 2 or 3 seconds longer before the blonde spoke again.

"No worries. Please be careful. Have a nice day"

And with that, Hyejoo once again turned around and hurried along to her interview. Seeing the raven haired girl dash off, the blonde sighed, gave a small smile, and went on her way as well. 

---

---

A/N: Now telling Gowon's (Chaewon's) side of the story

 

 

 

After traveling around the world with her family, Chaewon has finally returned to Korea. Although spending time in other countries and experiencing different cultures is fun, she felt like she hasn't been back in forever, and there's just something so comforting about returning to familiar territory.

Today marks half a year since her return. Chaewon and her friend Haseul opened a theme café called café Lunar Blend. The café is holding up ok, which is great considering that Chaewon's parents bet her it wouldn't last up to 6 months. At this point, Haseul and Chaewon have met some truly wonderful people thanks to the hiring and working process, and one thing is for sure: Chaewon is glad she came back :).

 

Rummaging though her closet, she finds a random mix of clothes with European styling to wear. This outfit wasn't going to matter all that much anyways, since she would be wearing an apron over it later.

After freshening up and putting on the chosen outfit, Chaewon promptly runs a preemptive check, making sure she has all of her work and life essentials in her bag before texting Haseul that she's on her way to pick up some groceries before heading to work.

 

Though the café was 3 train stations away from where Chaewon lived, her family's house was relatively close to a station, so she was never late for her job as a co-manager. Even if the trains were late, she could usually get an Uber or taxi to take her there.

Arriving at the station, Chaewon swiped her pass and headed for the terminal with trains bound for the supercenter. Unfolding a small piece of paper, she looked over some items that needed to be restocked, trying her best to mentally calculate the amount of food she'd need to buy to last the remaining 2 weeks of the month.

Ok let's see...we always need flour for the deserts and morning treats...some fresh fruit would be great too...oh we definitely need more gelat-

 

Out of nowhere, someone runs into Chaewon and cuts of her thoughts. A bit angry, but also conscious that she had neither the time nor the desire to quarrel and cause a scene, she replied in the calmest way she could muster.

"Please watch where you are going Miss." Opening her eyes to get a better look at who ran into her...

"Oh I'm really sorry! Please excuse me! I'm kinda..." 

The lower feminine voice paused momentarily.

"...in a hurry."

... and Chaewon saw a girl who appeared put together, in a teal jumpsuit, with dark, captivating eyes and beauty staring back at her. Chaewon was taken aback by how pretty the girl was, but before she could get too carried away, Chaewon caught and composed herself, crafting a response.

"No worries. Please be careful. Have a nice day."

Despite intending to sound farm, the delivery of those words was awkward and somewhat robotic. None of the seemed to matter to the teal enthusiast stranger however, as the girl glanced at her watch and continued to weave through the crowd.

Chaewon simply sighed, grabbed the shopping list again, and headed on her merry way.