Usually, Hyewon does not give a about her environment when she is doing her work or anything related to her job. Usually, she has a focused mind that can never be distracted by any noise from her workplace or her own thoughts. Usually, it only takes about a minute or two of resting her eyes and mind before she gets back on track.

Usually.

But in this unusual circumstance where Hyewon was working on an important piece about a person which is beside her -- picking on her porridge that the reporter gave her -- Hyewon could not do anything but stare at her laptop screen, the blinking line in an opened document staring back at her. She wanted to groan out in frustration or curse the damned document not writing itself, but she could not. Not in the presence of this stranger who was stealing glances at her from time to time, distracting her big time. So instead of writing, she just pondered upon what she did for the day, and why she did it.

Why are you so conflicted?

The question Yena threw at her earlier resurfaced in her mind. Leaning back at the chair, she tried to implore this question using her usual way of answering things. As a journalist, Hyewon took it to heart to apply her profession in her life. Her top pick is by using the five Ws. By eliminating the why in the question and replacing it with others, Hyewon believes that she will come across an answer or a clue. And so she tried.

Who is making you so conflicted? Definitely Yuri.

What is making you so conflicted? Probably the whole situation. Please specify the situation. The whole saving-a-girl-in-the-middle-of-the-storm situation, or whatever.

When did you feel so conflicted? When my boss told me to interview her, or bluntly when my boss told me to snoop on her personal matters in the guise of an interview.

Pause.

Isn't that what journalists and reporters do anyway?

The sudden thought made her stop from her self-inquiry, making her lean towards the desk almost suddenly. The sudden movement startled Yuri, who was just sitting beside her but with quite a distance, a distance Hyewon was grateful for. A sudden awkwardness cloaked the entire room once again, the coldness brought about by the storm seemed nothing to the atmosphere in Hyewon's room. It had been silent for quite some time now, aside from the occasional clanking of the spoon against the bowl or the clicking noise of typing in the laptop from the two. Finally, someone decided to break the ice.

"Uhm, Hyewon. Are you okay?" Yuri asked in a low yet tender tone, a mix of wariness and concern waxed in her voice. Hyewon immediately nodded and explained, almost defensively, that she was just spacing out. After Hyewon explained, silence ensued once more. Hyewon was very much accustomed to silence, to awkward moments, to tense situations, and she knew Yuri wanted to say something, or perhaps ask something. But she did not want to lead her on so she stayed shut. Good thing Yuri herself spoke.

"Can you please tell me what happened after I..." Yuri started. "You know, the bridge..." Yuri paused as she bit her lip --which Hyewon observed to be a habit of hers when in an uneasy situation -- seemingly thinking of  what to say next. "...how did I get here? With you? In your room?"

Hyewon tried not to smile at how polite Yuri sounded, almost too sincere for her liking. She paused for a bit, gathering her thoughts before she turned to face Yuri at her right. Hyewon then went on to explain what happened when she saw Yuri on the bridge, sparing the details of how she saw how devastated the girl was, from the whole car ride to arriving at the inn. 

"I would have rented another room for you if there were more rooms available, but unfortunately because of the storm and the bridge people were stuck so here we are," Hyewon paused again, trying to gauge the girl's reaction but the latter was unmoving, deep in thought perhaps. The reporter wondered if the girl was spacing out or just processing what she has heard so-

"I also undressed you because you were soaked wet and you might get sick and all, but don't worry, I already asked for your clothes to be laundered..."

Hyewon paused once more, looking intently at Yuri, who was showing no signs of reacting at all. In fact, she seemed unbothered by that fact and kept on spacing out, not minding Hyewon a bit. The reaction amused the reporter but did not prod further. Instead, she just faced her laptop once more and tried her best to get back on her writing. Not until she heard the loud scraping of the chair against the floor and a certain girl almost stumbled as she sprang to her feet.

"You're a reporter!" Yuri yelled out while pointing at the startled Hyewon who was just starting to get into the zone. "You! You are a reporter! I saw you before, that's why you look so familiar!" Almost accusingly pointing, the said reporter tried to calm down the girl by affirming the girl's statement. Hyewon tried to steer the topic away, but Yuri mentioned something that perked her ears up. 

"I'm a Journalism student, already in my third year," Yuri sort of confessed, suddenly feeling shy at how she acted in front of the journalist. "I, uh, well I was doing research, of course, searching for different broadcasting companies, be it big or small so, I...yeah."

Stunned, Hyewon sat there staring back at Yuri while the latter was slowly giving a shy smile. Hyewon thought that she must be thinking too much for her to see the young girl smile for the first time. And perhaps confusion was written all over her face that Yuri had to address her.

"You were proudly smiling, and it made me smile too," Yuri revealed, her face getting redder by the minute. Hyewon automatically clenched her jaw and cleared , sounding a little too arrogant for her liking, but she could not help but feel a bit ecstatic. For all her days of working as a reporter, today was the day that she was actually acknowledged by someone. Funny to think that it was also someone from a relatively remote province when she had been living in the city for all her life and had appeared on the television for quite some time. To be recognized in a place she least expected must have put a smile on her face unknowingly, warming her heart unconsciously. 

And just like that, the wall of tension between the two collapsed and a new bud of friendship blossomed in their midst. Like two long-term friends who found each other again, the two shared stories as if they had known each other for decades. Completely forgetting her work, Hyewon fully faced Yuri to talk about their chosen profession and shared interests. In the middle of a brewing tempest, perhaps Hyewon had gotten into the eye of the storm, finding some sort of peace.

---

Hours passed and the two had completely forgotten the time not until their stomach rumbled. Hyewon contemplated she should cook something for them, but Yuri was already up, grabbing her bag and pulling out her wallet. "I don't really know how hotels or inns work, but please, at least let me pay for our dinner. I already owe you a lot so let me-"

"Sure," Hyewon cut off the younger girl's words, thinking about how she would be apologetic once more. "It's on the company anyway," Hyewon jokingly added, subtly assuring the girl. Yuri looked like a weight was lifted from her upon hearing Hyewon's joking words, and out of nowhere, she tugged the older girl's hand into her own, leading her out of the room. Hyewon, who was clearly perplexed, could not help but follow along even though her mind was saying no to this sudden skinship as if she had not held the girl's hand before. The innocent Yuri, unknown to the older's resisting gaze at her, even scooted near her as the hallway welcomed them with chilling surroundings, leaving Hyewon with no choice but to cling, too. 

A few people were hanging out at the dining hall when the two arrived. It fits, Hyewon thought, it was already past dining time. She regretted not texting or ringing Seungmin before they went down, but as if godsent, Seungmin suddenly dashed towards them with his professional smile on. 

"Well, my favorite guests have finally decided to have dinner!" Seungmin started, navigating the two towards a table he reserved for them. Hyewon followed him but felt a sudden weight from her arms only to see Yuri clinging tightly to her. It was then that Hyewon noticed how uneasy Yuri looked, which is understandable due to her not knowing who the man is, and decided to clasp their hand together without second thoughts. As they walk together to where they were supposed to seat, Hyewon felt a sudden surge of being overprotective over the younger, as if she was a responsibility, her responsibility. The round table reserved for them had two seats available adjacent to each other and automatically Hyewon pulled one chair nearer to the other before they take their seats.

Just as the two settled, Seungmin brought in food trays for the two of them and naturally pulling out another chair for himself to join the two, placing himself adjacent to them. The young guy also had a meal for himself and was about to take his first bite when he felt a glare boring into his soul, belonging to Hyewon. The older girl was gesturing for him to introduce himself to Yuri, a look Seungmin immediately understood. Clearing his throat, he started to address the younger girl, who was still looking pretty uneasy around him.

"I forgot to introduce myself, sorry," the lad said, flashing an apologetic smile. He went on to introduce himself, stating how he was the manager of the inn and he and Hyewon were childhood friends. Seeing how Yuri was slowly getting comfortable around Seungmin, Hyewon found herself slowly relaxing too. The three continued to eat while sharing Hyewon and Seungmin shared stories while Yuri listened to them.

A warm conversation during a cold and rough night brought about by the rain still not showing any signs of stopping was shared in that dining hall. Hyewon smiled to herself at that pleasant thought, seeing the two getting comfortable around each other bit by bit. She did not know Yuri personally, but she felt that the girl was slowly getting at ease, more like she knew. Now that she found herself thinking about Yuri again, she backtracked her thoughts about those questions earlier. 

Where did you feel conflicted? That question did not make sense. At all. Pass.

How did you feel so conflicted? Hmm, now that's some question. Because I feel like a traitor, about to exploit this person's feelings or experience due to the nature of my job. Though it is not exactly exploiting. It's just my job. It's just a job.

Hyewon was once again immersed in those ideas until a tap pulled her out of her thoughts. It was Yuri, and for a second she thought she saw a hint of worry in her eyes but one blink and it was gone. The latter just informed her that she was going to the restroom for a minute to which Hyewon nodded.

When Yuri was out of sight, Seungmin asked the question he was itching to ask away. "Are you guys dating?"

Hyewon almost choked on the scoop of soup she was about to swallow, but she was shaking her head furiously, showing great denial because how the hell did Seungmin ever think of that when he knew they just met that day?! Seungmin sure was enjoying the sight of Hyewon getting caught off guard by his marvelous question, an amused look on his face which irked Hyewon.

"Get that grin out of your face," Hyewon berated the younger, after gulping a glass of water in one chug. "No, we are not dating, I just met her. Why did you even ask that ridiculous question? Are you out of your mind? That's absolutely ridiculous."

"Well, you two looked like it. Like you have been dating for years. She looks so comfortable around you, and you look so," Seungmin paused, trying to think of the right word as Hyewon looked at her with a deadly glare, which he nonchalantly avoided. "you were glowing." 

Hyewon had to laugh at that nonsense, thinking that maybe Seungmin was out of his mind because of the weight of his work. But she became quiet as fast as she laughed as she was reminded of her own job. And that job involved Yuri, the one Seungmin thought she was dating. Or maybe Seungmin was just teasing. But now, Hyewon was overthinking. Glowing? She was glowing?! Whatever did it mean, she did not like it. 

As Seungmin was about to ask another question, Yuri, fortunately, came back from the restroom. Hyewon thought it was her time now to go freshen up, physically and mentally since her childhood friend threw a rock in the heart of her mind, and now thoughts came rippling through. Leaving in a rush, not even waiting for Yuri to sit down, making the latter utterly confused. 

The two who were left in the dining hall just shared shy smiles, and in the end, Seungmin excused himself as he had things to attend to. With the two awkwardly exchanging 'thank you' and 'see you around', Seungmin left but with a cryptic message, at least for Yuri.

"See you around, Yuri. The storm still hasn't stopped and the temporary bridge still in the works so I assume I'll see you here tomorrow. And oh, thank you for making Hyewonie happier." 

Those words were dancing in Yuri's ears even as Seungmin was out of her sight. How can he say such a thing? What do those words mean? Yuri could not help but think of it. Maybe because Hyewon was glad she could her? Maybe because Hyewon was happier because she does not have to go back to work immediately? Maybe because Hyewon was happy with... Yuri stopped at that thought. And as she did so, a ring startled her. It was Hyewon's. Thinking that Hyewon would be back in a few, she just let the ringing die down. But when it did, another incoming call was prompted. Feeling anxious because of the constant ringing and the persistent light coming from the phone, she had no choice but to answer it. And a woman's voice welcomed her.

"Hello, Hyewon is not h-"

"Hyewon! Are you alright? How are you? What happened to you? Why were you not replying to my messages? I was so worried about you. What took you so long to answer my call?"

A parade of questions was launched by the caller. Out of curiosity about the caller's incessant query, Yuri tried to peek at the caller's name. But before she could, Hyewon arrived and immediately the younger gave the phone to her.

"Minju."