Present time

After Sakura’s sudden departure, Eunbi sat down and frowned at the bubbling pot that’s heating up too much food for herself alone.

Just as she thought she'd gained some headway in the rocky start of their new relationship, her boss had retreated again.

Is it because she thinks that having a child will be a distraction to work? She touches the corner of her lips, where she had felt that searing graze from her former crush earlier in the office that night.

What was she thinking? Eunbi finds that she never understands...

She’s like a cat, fickle, finicky-- cold and hot at the same time. She attacks you when you are least aware, makes her way to your heart, and leaves you stranded with want just as you get attached.

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The next morning, she heads straight into the office for her daily briefing with Sakura. She just caught the tail end of Sakura’s conversation with Hitomi, with the former whispering something to the latter’s ear intimately, as she eyed her secretary coming in.

“And you said there is nothing between you two…” Eunbi found herself mumbling her thoughts out beneath her breath, soft enough for no one to hear.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” Sakura asks Eunbi as she dismisses her friend. “Hiichan, once you get it done, report straight back to me.” Her deputy regarded Eunbi warily as she exited the room. Eunbi saw the documents she dug out the night before closely guarded in Hitomi’s arms.

“I was saying…” Eunbi cleared and turned back to Sakura. “I’m surprised you have read the ledger already?”

“Ah--yes, they were really helpful.” She stares at Eunbi for a second, like there is something else she wants to say.

“You left me with a lot of kimchi jjigae last night.” Eunbi breaks the silence with a remark. “Those were your favorite.”

Sakura seems surprised that Eunbi remembers this kind of detail about her.

“Yes, they still are. Em...sorry about last night.”

“Why--” Sakura interrupted

“Sorry Eunbi, I have a call to take now, could you please excuse yourself?”

“There is?” Eunbi blinks and quickly checks her boss’ schedule. “As your head assistant, it would help immensely if you could--”

She got cut off again.

“Eunbi, I appreciate that, but I don’t have to tell you everything. Now if you could…” Sakura eyes her secretary coolly. In truth, there isn’t any appointment, but she is also not prepared to deal with everything about Eunbi, Wonyoung and possibly Wooseok at the moment.

“Okay.”

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Hasn't she played me enough? Eunbi thought as she exited the room. Just last night, she thought that things had fallen back on track, with the way Sakura showed interest in her--how she took down her defenses and all. For a second, it even looked like there was a desire in her eyes that reciprocated what Eunbi had (or still has?) in her mind years ago…

Grrr! Eunbi shrugs her head to untie herself from these tangling thoughts, almost bumping into Yuri on her way back to her seat.

“Sorry!” The hamster jumps in fright, almost spilling the two mugs that she’s holding in her hands. Luckily, as she was about to crash and fall on her back, she felt herself caught by someone from behind.

“Are you okay, Yuri?” Yena took one of the mugs from her hands and took a sip.

“I’m okay...but hey! That’s for Eunbi-nim!!” Yuri regains her composure and protests.

“Relax, relax, Hamster!” The mischievous girl from the president’s office answers instead. “I’ll bring it to her office now! Come on Unnie!”

She drags Eunbi away into the glass box of her tiny office, ignoring the infuriated expression on Yuri’s face.

“Yena-ya, you’re going to scare Yuri like that!” Eunbi complains as she sat down and took the mug mercilessly away from Yena, who was about to take another sip. “Blinds.” She gestured.

“But Yuri’s coffee is really good!” Yena protested again while she drew the blinds, and sat herself down opposite her unnie.

“If you really like her so much, go befriend her and ask her to make you your cup. Don’t come steal mine.” Eunbi can see through Yena’s antics. Yena pursed her lips like a duckie, knowing that she has no good comeback to her unnie.

“Hey, don’t be so grumpy. Look what I got you!” Yena diverts the conversation and puts a stack of documents down.

“Em, more...work?” Eunbi cocked an eyebrow as she took it into her hands and started flipping through the pages.

They are actually just nonsense--used paper--acting as a coverup for the card that’s stuck in between.

“See?” Yena smirks and leans back as Eunbi pulls out the card. “Don’t ever mistreat your messenger if you still want to get these love letters.”

Eunbi rolled her eyes at Yena’s remark, but a curve already began to form on her lips as she opened the card and saw a messy attempt of a drawing of two rabbits, with one that’s tinier but a little bit disfigured. Two tickets to Lotte World slipped out.

“Happy Mother’s Day! Here’s a little something for you and Wonyoung to enjoy this Sunday. Take care and be careful. You’re welcome back ANYtime. Suguru”

“Stop smiling like an idiot, Unnie, it’s disgusting!” Yena feigns a shiver as she rubs her arms. “But yeah, Boss really misses you.”

Eunbi didn’t say anything but she quickly scribbled something in the card and handed it back along with the folder to Yena.

“Tell him to be more careful too, and stop sending things like that next time.”

“Uh-huh.” Yena snickers at the insincere reprimand and rises from her seat. Her expression turns serious. “Unnie, you too..just take care of yourself, okay?”

Eunbi nods and sees her companion leave. She lets out a long sigh-- the empty office reminding her how lonely and untrusted she felt ever since she moved here.

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Flashback to three years ago

Eunbi went to all places she could think of. The university campus, the old dorms, the abandoned warehouse, the park across the river-- Sian was nowhere to be seen.

“Omo--please please pick up…” She dialed her number out of desperation again, but the hollow ring on the earpiece was giving her headaches. She shouldn’t have left the house last night. No. Not after the cruel things she said to Sian.

But she couldn’t help it. She just couldn’t---couldn’t return those feelings. And now, she’d left her. Her best friend had left her.

There’s one last place she could look. The bridge they always passed by when Eunbi used to pick up Sian from classes after work. Sian had stopped her one time, instructing her to pull over so she could watch a man sitting on the bridge, staring out in the dark waters.

“I wonder if he would jump…” She mused absentmindedly.

Eunbi widened her eyes in confusion.

“Sian! That guy’s just fishing!”

“But it looks so calm. Actually, it’s not a bad place to end one’s own life.”

“What weird thoughts are running in your head, Sian!” Eunbi gasped and forcibly turned her friend towards her. “I know it is tiring with everything that is going on, but let’s hang in there okay? Wonnie--think about our precious baby-- she needs you!”

“Relax, Eunbi-- I’m just making a comment about the scenery. I’m okay, don’t worry. Let’s go home now and have dinner?”

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