The sparks of the chef's flame rose up high to the ceiling accompanied by cheers and then, like nothing had ever happened - poof! He disappeared like the culinary magician he was, leaving plates of mouth-watering beef in front of the four of them.

"And we may thank the Gods that created Sook's, the chain restaurant, as it is because of them that we eat this bountiful feas-".

"Hurry up Hyewon, I'm starving. I've been waiting for this all day!" Yena complained, already rubbing her chopsticks together eagerly. If she had gathered them any faster, another fire would have started. "Amen and all that, now let's eat".

"You wouldn't have any trouble eating if you didn't spend all of your lunch money on Yahtzee".

"No, Hyewon, listen to me. I was playing Yahtzee the other night and this bastard, pardon my French, but they stole all my coins! 1 million down the drain. I couldn't let them win so I bought more, which they took. And I bought more and more. You understand me don't you Sakura?"

"I don't understand at all. Maybe that's because I don't know what it means to lose" Sakura laughed. Yena's indignation disappeared to a sulk and she stabbed at a piece of beef before unceremoniously stuffing it in . Sakura's own laughter had disappeared too, turning into a curious twisting of her stomach. It must be the pesky butterflies again, she thought. They always began to take flight whenever Eunbi smiled at her. Just as she was now from across the table. It was sly, just a twist of the corners of as if she was privy to something Sakura wanted to know and then, as ever, it grew into something bright.

"You'll have to teach me some time. I'm quite useless at games. The last game I remember playing was Tekken for the PlayStation 1".

"Oh yeah? Do you remember the ZX Spectrum? Pong too?" Hyewon answered. Eunbi narrowed her eyes towards her and if looks could kill, Hyewon would have fallen to the floor. "Anyway, Eunbi, it's dangerous. You'll never sleep again. She had me awake at 2 this morning playing League of Legends. I promised that I wouldn't do it again bu-".

"You find it impossible to say no to me".

"That's about it I suppose" Sakura thought then of trying to get Hyewon up again, if she couldn't sleep that was but she wondered if she was beginning to push her luck. It was just that last night, Sakura couldn't sleep at all. With a hundred thoughts, all racing and none of them revolving around anything but the woman opposite her. Lips red as the rose, hair black as ebony...had the Brothers Grimm seen something all those hundreds of years ago in old Germany? Sakura certainly had in modern-day Seoul anyway and it kept her up all night. Hyewon's friends tended to have that effect on her. Sakura was sure she had a little black book with the numbers of all of the most beautiful girls in Korea inside and all of them passed by as quick as they came. All except Eunbi, that was. She had stayed.

"Sakura, is it true?" Eunbi leaned forward and placed her head on her hand. "Is it really impossible to say no to you?"

"Well, Hyewon never can".

"Don't say it as if I have a choice in the matter. I've named the bags under my eyes Miyawaki Sakura after you".

"Lies" Yena finally spoke. "You told me you were staying up last night in case Sakura messaged you. That's what I call true love if you ask me".

"Luckily nobody asked you".

"Yena's right. Just get in line with the others. Why don't you just cut to the chase, eh?".  Sakura held her head high and flipped her long, silver hair over her shoulder. Pain was etched in every line of her face, only she was trying to wink and failing miserably.

"If that's how you try to woo me, it's not going to work".

"No, you need to be a little more like Doyeon for that" Yena interjected again, her laugh so loud that a couple three tables over were concerned for the racket. Sakura wasn't the only one pushing her luck with Hyewon. Yena was well on her way to be looking for another apartment again it seemed. She had already been thrown out of Yuri's apartment (a break-up Yena insisted was still only temporary) and then out of Yujin's (which with Yena's vague clues was something to do with giving Yujin's girlfriend, Minju, too much of a hard time). She had found herself now with Hyewon but for how long? Hyewon twisted the chopsticks around her fingers, contemplated getting at Yena with the sharp end of one of them and then thought of the resulting gaol time.

"Oh my goodness" Eunbi laughed to herself. "Who will be called as the first witness. You or me?" Sakura didn't answer her. "Sakura?"

"Ah, oh, I'm, er, sorry" Sakura pushed her hair back over her shoulder, her back hunched again after that brief flash of confidence she had with Hyewon. Her voice quiet, she stumbled over her apology. Eunbi looked at her again, the sly smile rece she had tried to play cat and mouse with Sakura's roving eyes that went everywhere but the woman in front of her.

Sakura wished she wouldn't do it so much. She was even more intent on making her squirm this evening. What cruelty, what cruel beauty, Sakura thought.

"No worries, Sakura. But...is there something wrong behind me? On the wall? Ah, perhaps you want the drinks menu already?" Eunbi picked up the menu resting against the wall beside her and slid it over to Sakura. "Eager aren't you? You've hardly touched your drink and you want another".

Sakura looked to the steaming, cold beer sat next to her and reached for it, thirsty for it all day and finally ready for it. She hadn't eaten or drunk much either, preferring to pick gingerly at the bento Hyewon insisted she pack for lunch, whilst trying not to fall asleep at her desk. She sipped a little beer from the bottle, allowing it to finally intoxicate those butterflies but that sweet taste was moreish and before she knew it, three-quarters of the bottle had disappeared.

"At this rate, Eunbi is going to have to carry you home" Hyewon said. "Are you alright with that, Eunbi? Sakura is heavier than she looks, believe me".

"Don't worry. See" Eunbi rolled the sleeve of her white shirt beyond her elbow, the beginning of defined lines of her muscles showing. Whether or not everybody noticed Sakura's eyes widen to fix upon Eunbi was of no use to her. was agog too. "Well, they're not as good as before but I'm sure I can take you on".

Eunbi had the question of whether or not Sakura wanted carrying in her arms or over her back but she too had been pushing her luck and instead, just laughed to herself. She had done enough for now. After all, Eunbi hadn't just come to Sook's for Sakura; beef sat waiting patiently.

But it was difficult not to take satisfaction in the way Sakura's face turned as red as the flames of the fire before. It almost matched the red beret that Sakura still had perched on the side of her head. The beret that she always seemed to wear whenever they all went out together.

"It's not the one she likes at all".

Eunbi remembered that night clearly, some months ago, as inconsequential as it seemed at the time and before all she had come to know from Hyewon. Especially as it had only been the third or fourth time of meeting Sakura.

Sakura hadn't noticed that everybody else had been watching her fiddle with the beret in the reflection of the bus stop whilst she waited for them. Her eyes narrowed, she tilted it to and fro, grabbed at it roughly and near threw it into the rubbish bin beside her. It was only once Hyewon had stopped laughing at her that she decided to put Sakura out of her misery.

"You know, with Sakura, if she likes something, she'll run it into the ground until she's sick of it. And if she knows you like something, she'll run it into the ground until you're sick too. Somebody must have told her they liked it" Hyewon later told her. Eunbi had, multiple times.

"Let her try" Eunbi laughed. "I don't get sick that easily".

The red beret, the sweet honeysuckle perfume that Eunbi said that she liked too - it was stronger now and Eunbi could almost drown in it. Drown in honeysuckle? A most divine way to go. Drown in Sakura? Eunbi became shy. She'd shut those thoughts away, for now. If she commended that Sakura would look good in yellow stockings, Eunbi wondered if she'd walk about Seoul in them. Malvolio looked a dandied fool, however and Eunbi was sure that Sakura could never look foolish.

"Why don't you take the beret off, Sakura? It looks as nice on the table as it does on you".

"Oh, it does? I suppose I should really" Sakura said, placing the beret against the wall. "Do I look alright?"

Eunbi let her eyes fall across Sakura's face briefly, her eyes giant and searching again for anywhere but Eunbi's gaze. They were like marbles, swirling in colours that didn't seem Earthly but instead found somewhere else far in some distant galaxy.

'God, where did this come from?' Eunbi thought to herself. It was most unlike her to be thinking of galaxies, marbles and whether somebody really would look good in yellow stockings, gartered and all. She had tried to think of other things too, of sealing wax, of cabbages and kings. And whether the sea was boiling hot...

Instead, Eunbi just hummed an answer before saying under her breath - "You look perfect". Then, Eunbi felt a gentle kick to her shin.

"Give it a rest will you?" Hyewon whispered in Eunbi's ear. "You'll give her a bad turn".

Eunbi huffed childishly and reluctantly rolled down her exposed sleeve. She supposed, if she tried hard enough to think a little beyond Sakura, she could ponder over whether pigs had wings too.

If anybody said Sakura had any sense, they had lied. Sakura would admit to that herself. A coat was surely the first thing to bring out on an October night but it didn't occur to Sakura at all as she rushed out of her apartment to try and get to work on time that morning. And she felt it now. From the heat of the restaurant into the frigid cold, it hit her hard. There hadn't even been the gentle warmth that a few beers gave - she had stopped at one, thanks to Hyewon. So, she did what she could and pulled the cardigan tighter around her as the four of them gathered outside Sook's Restaurant.

"So...Jasper's?" Yena asked. Jasper's was the dessert place nearby that Sakura was sure was still in business purely because of Yena. There was an audible groan from the other three at the sound of the name. They could taste the sickeningly sweet air on their tongues already, the rows and rows of cheesecakes on-top of cheesecakes and giant bottles of liquid sugar in all the colours of the rainbow.

"No. No way. You've spent enough of my money this evening don't you think? Anyway, I'm tired and I want to go to bed".

"I'm sorry about that, Hyewon" Sakura stepped forward to apologise. It hadn't been the first time Sakura had been the cause of Hyewon's near-sleepless nights. "I promise I won't do it tonight".

"Well, Sunday is the day of rest after all. And I do need it. Besides, haven't you got a new gaming partner, eh?" Hyewon said, playfully nudging Eunbi.

"Ah, once Sakura gets me up to speed. Before long, I'll be at those, what do you call them, e-sports convention things. They are really good those players. And they can win so much money. The world is so different these days isn't it?" Sakura was grateful for the fact Eunbi was standing next to her instead of sitting in front of her. She felt herself smile widely at Eunbi's awe at this new world. Though her first question about somebody was not perhaps their personality but their PC's processor speed, Eunbi being completely foreign to the thing Sakura loved most in the world was endearing in itself. And dare Sakura admit it to herself, incredibly cute.

"Okay, Miss 1850 here might not be the best choice".

"I'm not that old. I'm only 30. You'll be signing me up for the elderly bus next won't you?"

"1850? You could tell me all about late Joseon" Sakura added. Eunbi pouted and crossed her arms across her chest. Yes, incredibly cute didn't go far to show what Sakura thought.

"You as well, Sakura? You. I can't believe it".

"Don't worry, Sakura likes them ol-hang on, Yena, I know now why you want to go to Jasper's!" Hyewon turned around to face Yena and prodded Yena hard in her shoulder. She didn't dare to protest. "Yoojung has just started working there. It all makes sense now".

"I just want to know how Yuri is, that's all".

"You already know how she is. She blocked you after you called her after drinking too much at Yuqi's".

"Oh but she hasn't. This morning, she unblocked me".

"Wow. Such progress" Sakura sounded as insincere as she possibly could and then raised her hand to her ear. "I think I can hear the wedding bells".

"You jest Sakura but one day, we'll be able to be in the same room as each other. One day" Yena stared wistfully out, the broken down neon signs of the takeaway across the road catching the glint in her watering eyes. If she hadn't tried so desperately to look as if appearing in a drama, one may have felt sorry for Yena. "I wonder what she's doing. If she's thinking of me, even a little bit. Can't we just go to Jasper's? Just for a drink, just one. Come on, Hyewon".

"No. Last time, Yuri told you to leave her alone. If you can't even do that, she's really not going to take you seriously is she? Ah, I better take her home before she gets us both in trouble. I'll see you both next Saturday, alright?"

"I'm not sure about that, Hyewon ".

"Kkura, it'll be fun. I know the owner of the noraebang. She'll slip us a few beers that have, you know, 'fallen off the back of the truck'. If you really don't want to sing, you can just sit in the corner, drink and laugh at Yena".

"Fine" Sakura reluctantly shook Hyewon's hand to seal the deal. Reluctant wasn't the word, rather, it was forced. Hyewon wouldn't let her out of it otherwise. Sakura learned a long time ago that it was useless to refuse Hyewon. After all, it was what their whole friendship had been based on and it had worked for these 8 years so far. 

"Shall we get on our way too? Unless you want to go to Jasper's?" The older girl asked, now standing in front of Sakura. Her soft voice pealed into the silence left behind by Hyewon and Yena's departure and woke Sakura up to the present.

"That's alright, thanks. I don't have a Yuri to be chasing after".

"Do you think they'll get back together?" 

"Certainly. I mean, it won't work with anybody else. I know Yena is always being thrown out but they go together like san-nakji and beer".

"San-nakji and beer? Not strawberries and cream? Or ham and eggs?"

"Never" Sakura scowled and it took all of Eunbi's resolve not to laugh. Never had she seen somebody take such offence at the suggestion of strawberries or an egg.

"I'll remember that" Eunbi smiled. She began to hum quietly to herself as they began walking towards the bus stop. 'How do you like your san-nakji in the morning?' she sang and stopped to leave the next line to Dean Martin. Suddenly a loud shout came from behind them.

"Eunbi!" It was Hyewon walking towards them. She beckoned Eunbi to come to her. So she did, leaving Sakura behind.

"Hyewon, there's no need to be that loud. I think the people in Jeju just about heard my name" Hyewon dismissed Eunbi and pulled her closer by her shirt collar. "It's like a film isn't it? Are you and Yena going to beat me up and throw me in an alley?"

"Yeah, then Sakura will come and pick you up and it'll be some cute love story. Don't be stupid. What can me and Yena do?" Hyewon let her go and Eunbi pretended to pat down her 'wounds' with the sleeve of her jacket.

"You won't make me laugh. Anyway, don't piss this up the wall, Eunbi".

"What?"

"You know what I mean. Don't ruin it. You and Sakura".

"We're just getting the bus home".

"Like always. I told you didn't I? I told you about what she had said about you".

"Yes, I remember" Eunbi grinned as she recalled the phone call with Hyewon last Tuesday night. Sakura had texted Hyewon at the same time to ask, for the nth time, if Eunbi really was coming to Sook's that Saturday. Something cracked in Hyewon to tell Eunbi everything and of all things to play constantly, it had been what Sakura had named her in her contacts.

"'Cute Eun-chan, Snow White Princess'. That's what she calls you. It's enough to make you sick".

Ever the anti-romantic, Hyewon agreed to disagree with Eunbi.

"And what about it?"

"Exactly. What about it? Sakura is a coward. A serious coward".

"I still don't believe you. I don't think anybody who looks like her can be a coward".

"You'd think so but she really is. I think she's lucky a lot of people have been brave otherwise I'm sure she'd become a Nun or something. I know she likes you Eunbi, that's enough. So, don't scare her".

"You keep saying that".

"You do though. You flirt like mad with nearly everybody. You've got to admit, it's a bit confusing".

"Okay, okay. I won't scare her or whatever you mean. Ach, if I say something and I look a total fool...I don't want to be a fool, Hyewon" Eunbi fumbled with the sleeve of her jacket and shifted her feet nervously. The unusual sight surprised Hyewon and Yena.

"What are you so nervous for anyway? The Kwon Eunbi, nervous. I can't believe it. You used to be like - 'I came, I saw, I conquered'".

"I'm no Julius Caesar. Besides, Sakura is different. She's not to be conquered. I think she's the kind of girl you win, if you're lucky enough" Hyewon held herself back from wretching, toeing the fine line between pretending and trying not to actually be sick.

"Eunbi...dear Eunbi, I think that's enough don't you? Eh, well, I've kept you for long enough. Text me in the morning. That is" Hyewon stepped closer to Eunbi and brought her voice to a whisper before leaving with Yena. "If you've stopped being a coward too".

Coward? Pah! Eunbi was no coward. She would have chased after Hyewon to refute it if it didn't dawn on her suddenly that perhaps she was right. She wasn't a Lothario and nowhere close to Casanova but women weren't some scary unknown to her. She had wined and dined, loved and, well, she hadn't quite worked out how to stop the loss. Still, it did nothing to make her stop feeling like a child. Or a star-struck teenager who'd scribble a name into the backs of her books or stare moon-eyed as they walked past. If they'd only turn to look, then, oh, the butterflies that'd fly.

And when Eunbi turned around to see Sakura leaning coolly against the wall, she suddenly felt like one of those star-struck teenagers all over again. '30 years old, seriously, come on now...' Eunbi said to herself and yet it didn't stop her smiling widely. Eunbi followed the spirals incessantly flying from Sakura's mouth up to the sky as if they'd travel all the way to the Moon. Then, swiftly, Sakura's eyes flew open wide to look up and Eunbi's own breath hitched in .

No, she wouldn't be a coward if she could help it and with some kind of wayward purpose, she walked back to Sakura singing once again -

"The sun was shining on the sea,

      Shining with all his might...

And this was odd, because it was

      The middle of the night".

"I didn't know you were such a fan of Alice in Wonderland" Sakura said as Eunbi arrived at her side.

"Hmm?"

"I heard you singing to yourself earlier too, I don't know if anybody was supposed to really hear".

"Well, keep this to yourself but Disney is a little guilty pleasure of mine. I can't blame it on my little cousin anymore now she lives in LA".

"You know, 'you're never too old to be young'" Sakura sung quietly. "That's a song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It was cut out of the final film though".

"I didn't know you were such a fan of Snow White either" Eunbi smirked, especially now as Sakura rushed to defend herself.

"Oh no, I'm not particularly. You know how it is, you can't sleep and there's that black hole to fall into. Curiosity has nearly killed the cat many times. The oysters were curious too, weren't they?"

"Ah, seriously, my Wonyoung would love you. If she still lived in Korea, I bet we'd have to fight over you. It's lucky I'm strictly a pacifist".

"There's enough of me to go around, you know".

"I said I'm a pacifist, Sakura. I never said I liked to share" Eunbi smirked again. Give her an inch with with to tease Sakura with and Eunbi would take a mile.

2236

Then every 20 Minutes until 0000

Eunbi dragged her nail across the frosted plastic timetable again, just to make sure. After all, in the 10 seconds since she had last looked, the timetable might have miraculously changed. There really was no need, however.

The 7400 bus was hers and Sakura's at most weekends, and all of it's twists and times were imprinted on her mind in the same way her parents' home address was. If the Caterpillar ever asked her to recite, it'd be something along these lines she was sure - "How doth the little 7400 manage to always be so late?"

It had been a blessing on these Saturday nights though. It was the only time Eunbi ever had alone with Sakura. The engines of the bus made sure to to cancel out any chance of conversation with it's ceaseless roaring, crying out to finally be granted mercy and be crushed in a scrapyard. By contrast, it was quiet at the bus stop. Cars passed through shallow puddles from the earlier rain, that was all. That and Eunbi's shuffling feet against the ground.

If Eunbi would just turn around and say everything she had wanted to say outright instead of going about the houses as a 7400 bus would, it would have been much easier. It was just that every time Eunbi turned around to say something, the dull lights of the bus shelter lit Sakura in an unusual way. With her head titled back against the glass, the glow caught the sharp line of her jaw; it reminded her of Marlene Dietrich in 'Shanghai Express' or something just as iconic. And it was that, amongst other things, that threw out silence from Eunbi instead of any words.

Again, Eunbi followed the smoky spirals from Sakura's mouth, further this time. Up to the roof of the bus stop and beyond the night sky. She closed her eyes tightly before she caught sight of the Moon and breathed out slowly.

"The Moon is pretty tonight, don't you think? I like full moons".

"You do?" Eunbi scoffed. "I don't like them at all, not since I was a child" Sakura's eyes furrowed together in confusion. If Sakura's objection to strawberries was something, then Eunbi's sudden objection to the Moon went beyond that. It seemed obvious to Eunbi that anybody else would say the same thing. "Werewolves, Sakura. And it makes people go mad. Or pregnant. Or both!"

"Werewolves, madness and pregnancy. Wow. That's some night".

"Are you laughing at me, Sakura?"

"No, of course not".

"It's not just that though. When I was very little, I saw a giant Moon. Nobody but my Mother believes me as she was with me at the time but I really did. It was enormous, like an orange and like it was going to crash into the Earth. It was terrifying".

"You might have seen a supermoon".

"It has a name?"

"It sounds like a supermoon but I can't be sure. Or a harvest moon, if they are the same thing. They musn't happen that often though, otherwise we'd always be talking about giant orange moons".

"Hmm, well, I'm glad about that" Sakura chuckled to herself as she got up to stand beside Eunbi at the bus stop. She wondered how many others had exhausted the word 'cute' when thinking of Eunbi - hundreds, perhaps. Maybe even thousands. She had, at any rate.

"It's the Earth getting in the way of the Sun and Moon. That's all a full moon is. No myths, legends or anything like that. And if you look in the puddle there, at the Moon in the water beside your foot, really, it's just cheese".

"Sakura, perhaps the Moon does do something to the mind. I think you've gone mad".

"Not at all" Sakura sat back down on the bench and stretched out her legs in front of her. "Not yet, anyway. The wolf or the fool may look in a puddle and think of the reflection of the Moon as a round of cheese".

"Right".

"Should I explain?"

"Please do".

"There are lots of folk-tales, fables and such things where the fool of the story thinks that the reflection of the Moon in a puddle or well is cheese. Or a wolf who has been tricked to think it is something to eat".

"How do you know these things?"

"I had my own thing with the Moon when I was little. I used to think it was made of cheese. But that was because of a short film I watched where they go to the Moon to get cheese for their breakfast so I had to find out for myself once I could. And, I admit, I've been a little bit obsessed with what's going on up there ever since" Goodness, Eunbi knows, despite only knowing Sakura for a short while, that her obsessions are obsessions. It wasn't quite right of Hyewon to say that Sakura would run things into the ground; it'd go beyond, through the core of the Earth and out of the other side before she went in search of something else. Gaming was her raison d'être and with that, cards, updates, upgrades, DLCs, Twitch and aim-bots, though Eunbi remembered quite clearly the venom spat from Sakura's mouth on that last point. There had been more though. Old maps of Japan, Red Velvet, a new anime she had found, crosswords, old Hollywood film noir, calligraphy and everything in-between that she spoke so enthusiastically about, when otherwise she'd remain so quiet. And in the Moon, Eunbi saw another chance to make her speak.

"What is the Moon made of then?" She asked.

"A lot of rock, basically. Aluminium, calcium, basalt. There's even granite-like rock underneath the surface that's miles and miles thick. Like up to 90 miles. And then it goes further! Hundreds and hundreds of miles.  All the way to the core. And imagine this - it's seriously boiling underneath all of that. Over a thousand degrees!" Then Sakura became quiet, almost embarrassed by her enthusiasm and held her hands tightly together. She carried on shyly - "I'm sorry Eunbi. Whenever I start, I can't seem to stop. I must be boring you to tears".

"It's impossible for you to bore me".

"Hmm".

"No, it really is" Eunbi came over to Sakura and sat down beside her. Her hands stretched out across the cold metal of the bench, her fingers searching for something, though she didn't realise much of it. Then, they came into contact with something almost as cold as ice itself.

Sakura cleared and looked down at her right hand. Eunbi had hooked her little finger around Sakura's. She thought to snatch her hand away at first and nestle them deep in her lap, far away from Eunbi. Was it just part of her natural cruelty? It wasn't enough to until beer had partly extinguished the flames that Eunbi gladly held the offending match for. Perhaps, it wasn't and Sakura wasn't sure if she cared all that much. She liked it, she finally admitted to herself. Eunbi's hand was soft and in contrast to her own, radiating only warmth. Of course they would, Sakura thought. It fit in with the pattern after all.

Sakura was a true realist - nothing could truly be perfect - but things could come close and Eunbi so often came close. Well, Eunbi didn't play games but that could be solved easily enough. And she had an aversion to being indoors, just like Hyewon but that too had been solved in it's own way. With the promise of being joined by Eunbi, Hyewon had managed to drag Sakura away from her computer and into various restaurants, theatres, bars or anywhere she took a fancy in going to and, since she was in the mood for admitting things to herself, she liked that too. Just for it to end this way as it always did, alone together, waiting for the same bus home.

Eunbi saw this all in silent, wide eyes. If Sakura did not speak, her eyes were often as loud as a shout was in betraying what she was thinking. And so, Eunbi slipped her fingers in between Sakura's and watched her face carefully.

"So, please carry on" Eunbi smiled up at Sakura to join Sakura's own small grin. "Like, what are the darker parts to it? They look like seas, don't they? But I know they aren't".

"Well, er, we-ll, a lot of astronomers thought that, you know. Ancient astronomers did. Because they do look like oceans, seas and lakes. And they're named like them, even though they're basalt, again. It makes them sound a lot more romantic, I think".

"Maybe they can still be seas in a way. Like how we say a sea of people. Anything large or expansive".

"It's true. And perhaps it makes it feel more real. Something is hanging in the sky, on strings it seems, and if you give human names for things that seem so unreal, you can imagine it. I...can tell you some names of them if you want".

"I'd love to hear them" And Sakura's eyes grew even wider, if they ever could. Brighter too, if they could do the same. It was as if Eunbi could see the millions of little cogs that whirred non-stop in Sakura's head turn even faster as they searched for the names of the lunar mare. 

"Ah, well there's lots of them. There's one Ocean, Ocean of Storms but there's more seas, lakes and things like that. Sea of Clouds, Serenity and Islands. And of Moscow and Knowledge".

"They sound like one of those concept albums. Or a suite of music".

"There should be suites of music about the Moon. There's only one I know about by a composer I think called Holst. It was about the planets though but there's enough inspiration in the Moon before going beyond it. It's not just a dull rock. Or something that inspires Werewolves or a miniature baby boom".

"You laugh at me now but when there's the next full moon and the Werewolves descend upon Seoul, don't call...dont call...ach, what am I saying? It'll be impossible not to help you".

"Will you protect me from the Werewolves?" Sakura asked, her tongue half in her cheek and half hoping to wrap itself around a reply to a 'yes' from Eunbi. Because Eunbi seemed like that kind of woman already, in other words, the kind of woman Sakura adored the most. Even if Eunbi seemed smaller than any of their friends, cuter than any newborn, with a pout that belonged to one and a whine that the same child would go at it's Mother with, Sakura had no other belief than that Eunbi consisted of hardened steel all hidden by a sweet baby-pink bow.

"Protect you from the Werewolves?" Eunbi moved closer to Sakura, her hand becoming almost vice-like, as if Sakura would let go anyway and hesitated briefly before resting her head gently on Sakura's shoulder. 'Don't scare her' Hyewon had said and Eunbi wondered if this was the kind of thing she meant. If being a coward meant that Sakura would run away if she came too close, too fast but it didn't mean that at all it seemed. She had felt Sakura relax against her arm and the great puffs of smoke that Eunbi had watched fly from Sakura's mouth before became smaller, slower and then, almost nothing at all. "Werewolves or otherwise. I'll protect you, Sakura".

Sakura wondered if it was possible for somebody to hear somebody's heartbeat through the waffle knit of a thick cardigan because she could hear her own, clearly. If Eunbi could hear or feel it too, if she could hear the song of the blood that sang in her Sakura's ears, it'd say too much and Sakura would be on fire from the embarrassment. She tried not to make it so obvious and choked out a small 'thank you', before adding as she looked out beyond at the empty road ahead of them -

"If the bus decides to ever arrive, that is".

"I don't mind if it doesn't arrive".

"It'd be really cold to stay here all night though. I wasn't told I needed to bring a sleeping bag with me".

"No need" Eunbi mumbled against Sakura's shoulder. Her nose nestled into notes of honeysuckle, chased by orange and patchouli; if Eunbi opened her eyes and ignored the cold wind, she'd find it hard to believe Korea was in the midst of autumn because Sakura had all the sweet fragrance of summer. It had tried to beckon her before, across dinner tables and bus aisles but it seemed stronger now, drawing itself around Eunbi and pulling her closer. "It's all fine. Then we have all night for you to tell me more about the Moon".

"Aha...Eunbi, I've said enough".

"Go!" The command was joined by a flourish of Eunbi's hand. Sakura had learned that any request by Eunbi was guaranteed to be fulfilled in some way. It had just been difficult for Sakura to believe somebody would be so interested in something she was. It was enough to release even more butterflies into her already crowded stomach.

Sakura excitedly searched through the things she knew. Would Eunbi be interested in the temperatures? Perhaps there was some interest in how the Moon even got up there. Ah, what about the moons of Jupiter? If Eunbi had a dislike of a single moon, what would it be to think of 79? 79 moons in the sky would surely be terrifying - but it'd be like one of the better episodes of Doctor Who at least.

It was better to fall back on where she had been before, before Eunbi had rested her head on her shoulder and it had felt as if everything had stopped for a minute. Yes, back to the names of the seas of the Moon.

"There's a lot of seas but my favourite names are for the smaller lakes, marshes and bays. They're beautiful. There's a lake for all the seasons so nobody is left out. There's a Lake of Fear, Softness, Happiness and Solitude. A Bay of Love, Trust and a Marsh of Sleep. Ah..." Sakura sighed. A yawn had threatened to escape at the mere mention of sleep. "I'd like to go there".

"To which one?"

"The Marsh of Sleep. That or the Lake of Solitude. I'll not be fussy".

"What if you'd have to go the Moon to get them?"

"I would jump at the chance to go. Solitary sleep is a dream. Isn't there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Not to the Ocean of Storms, that's for sure. There's something about oceans and seas. They're too big, too...too empty. I like to see the end of something, you see. When I used to go to the beach, I'd stand right where I thought the sand ended and the sea began. I didn't want to end up where the sea ended on the other side. I still feel a little like that now. Gosh, don't I sound like a child?"

"Remember the Dwarves - you're never too old to be young~" sung Sakura again.

"Sometimes you have to grow up though".

"Not always. You can go to work, drink and pay taxes all you like but that'd all be terribly boring if our imagination grew up with it".

"That's true, I guess. Is there a Sea or Marsh or something of Imagination?"

"No but if they ever discover one, they should name it so in your honour". The werewolves were testament to that, Sakura joked to herself but there was a lot more to it. She recalled the first time she had met Eunbi. It had been another inconspicuous Friday some 8 months ago when Eunbi had first rushed into the restaurant, her beautiful, anxious eyes scanning every table until they brightened at the sight of where Hyewon and the rest of then were. Sakura had still been knocked for six by Eunbi when she had shown the sketchbook she had brought to work that day. Fantastic colours swirled into beautiful patterns, interspersed with sketches that Eunbi insisted were just 'quick, nothing much really' (when Sakura would have declared that she would have seen them in a gallery, if she was brave enough). Her fascination came out in splutters of words instead and she supposed that's where her own fascination began.

The bench of the bus stop was far too close to the ground and Sakura tried to stretch out her legs in front of her without moving Eunbi. She must not be moved, Sakura thought. Eunbi must stay as close as she had come to her. Sakura had looked in the direction of where the bus would come from and hoped that she'd never see it. They wouldn't stay there until morning like Eunbi said of course, but they could walk the long way home. A cab would not suffice. It'd be too fast.

If Sakura would let her own imagination free and let herself see her and Eunbi wandering home. To share a drink or two together from one of the late night convenience stores. A cider for Eunbi, Milkis for Sakura and a bag of Twix Pods to share. If it was possible to eat or drink with one hand, that is. The other one would be held by Eunbi and Sakura wanted Eunbi to be reluctant to let her go. That same hand would pull her into the little alleyways between shops and press flat against the wall that Sakura had herself been pushed against. Her fingers would be curled around the gentle waves of Sakura's hair and around the buttons of her shirt, only for it all to cruelly end with Eunbi's wicked smirk the only thing Sakura could make out in the dark.

"We really must get home, don't you think?" And Sakura, never much a person to like running, would leave Usain Bolt's legend in the dust in order to get Eunbi home.

'I have too much of an imagination myself' Sakura thought but it had been too tempting to carry on.

"Sakura?" The sudden loudness of Eunbi's voice against the comfortable silence made Sakura jump. "Did I scare you?"

"Just a little".

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" Eunbi didn't know what to do now. Sakura's name had come out in frustration and to try to force herself to do something, anything before the bus came. "Sakura, look at me" Eunbi lifted her head off of Sakura's shoulder and turned a little towards her. Sakura was reluctant to do the same, knowing how close to her she was and when she did, her eyes tightly shut and refused to open. "You won't?" Sakura stuttered a little trying to answer her but she was silenced by the tender touch of Eunbi's hand brushing along the shell of her ear, then the dragging of the backs of her fingers along the sharp line of her jaw.

Sakura opened her eyes to the pure beauty akin to the Wittelsbach diamond looking straight at her, smiling. Sakura could feel Eunbi's hot breath full and sweet against and her lips quivered a little in anticipation.

"There you are. Perfect" Just as Eunbi leaned in towards her, the loud rattle and racket of an ancient bus ahead of them made Sakura jump up from the bench.

"Ah! It's the bus, finally" Sakura said, brushing herself down. She jutted her hand out for it to stop, jostling about in her bag for her travel pass.

"Finally? Finally, eh? I'll be happy to never see that bus again in my life".

The sad, croaking roar of the 7400 bus was deafening as it tried to make it's way through the little back streets of Seoul. At least it cancelled out the voice of Eunbi's Mother that rang in her ears threatening to wash out with soap if she carried on cursing the way she did. But she thought it was most deserved. They had been so close and yet so far.

Neither of them had spoken since they had got on the bus but it hadn't been the dearth of things to say or the fear of it either, rather, there was too much and no idea where to begin. There was no such teenage romanticism as Eunbi had once known on buses - no sneaking to the top of a double decker with one of her 'friends' to play with the blind spot of the security cameras behind the back seats. One of the last buses of the day was the last place for anything romantic. The new reality was wine-drunk office workers trying to make their way home and a man speaking loudly to his girlfriend on the phone, on the way to finding his clothes thrown out of their apartment window.

So, when something was going to be said, neither of them knew. And they had both hoped there was going to be something said because the truth was, it had taken way too long to get to this point as it was.

Sakura had spent the journey counting down from 21 as she often did. Between the stop outside Sook's and the stop Eunbi got off at, there were 20 others. Sakura knew that to be true. She had counted them often enough. And she had secretly tallied in the steam of the bus window. She hated this time of their nights out most of all and especially tonight. Though Sakura had jumped up from the bench seemingly in relief, she really wished she hadn't and she couldn't get rid of the feeling that she had, quite royally, ruined it.

17...18, the bus loops around the library, 19...20...

She looked over at Eunbi whose eyes were closed tightly and whose head rested against the window. It looked as if she was asleep.

"Eunbi?" Sakura finally spoke out loud.

"Hmm?"

"Your stop is next".

"Yes, er, thank you Sakura" Eunbi pressed the button for the bus to stop and stood up from her seat. Suddenly, her countenance became a little shy as she turned back to Sakura.

"You'll come next week won't you? To the noraebang?"

"Hyewon gave me no choice".

"It won't be so bad, you know. I'll be there. You can stay with me. I'll make sure you don't do anything you don't want to".

"Thanks, Eunbi".

"It's no problem at all. Thank you for a nice evening, Sakura. I'll see you next Saturday" Sakura watched her wander in and out of the poles towards the waiting door of the bus. A whole week, another 7 sleepless nights and then what? Perhaps, nothing at all. She didn't want to let the night get away from them just yet, especially now and without much thinking, Sakura got up from her seat, rushed towards the door just as it was about to shut and back out into the cold October air.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Sakura became quiet when she came face to face with Eunbi. She didn't know what she was doing and what she was going to say.

"It's late" She blurted out. She tried to straighten herself out a little and stood taller. In some way, she had hoped it would make her look less indecisive. "So, I'll walk you home"

"Thank you" Eunbi laughed. "But you know, my apartment is just about a minute's walk away".

"That's far enough".

"Then I should really think that chivalry is not so old-fashioned after all, eh?" And Eunbi began to walk the short distance to her flat with Sakura walking beside her, her steps a little lighter now too. Eunbi always thought herself to be a protector but she'd admit to herself that having Sakura insist on walking her home, even this short distance, felt good. "I know it's only a short way but I'm glad you got off of the bus after me".

"It's about paying it forward. I'll walk you home now so that you'll stay with me for the next full moon".

"You'll never let me live that down, will you?"

"Not yet. But it's because you're cute a-" She paused before she could say anything else but Eunbi's sweet laugh was enough to make it so she could breathe a little freely. They both could, any little tensions between them from earlier dissolving quickly.

"I'm cute?"

"Yes" Sakura said, suddenly emboldened. "I think so".

"Cute Eun-chan?"

"What? Who told you that? Was it Hyewon?"

"Of course".

"Hyewon, God, that girl can never keep quiet. Ever since we've known each other. How does she know these things anyway? What else did she say?" Sakura didn't know if the heat rising in her cheeks was due to the sheer embarrassment of it all or the anger.

"I'll be kind and spare you the embarassment but I should let you know, if you ever want to know if I'm coming out, you can just message me".

"Ach, seriously? When I get home, I swear, she's coming off of my team".

"It's that serious, huh? You'll break up with Hyewon in your game?"

"Eh, well, I'm not sure actually. You see, we need each other. I'll get her in some other way. I'll send her spoilers when she finds a new show to watch".

"I didn't know you could be so evil, Sakura. Hit her right where it'd really hurt. I might witness full-on warfare. Really though, you shouldn't worry" The bus had stopped by a row of small apartment buildings, closed off from the main road by a row of trees and over-grown bushes. There was a small gap in between them for a small staircase and Eunbi led Sakura past the small green outside the first building where Eunbi lived. "Granted, I thought I might be called something like 'Strong Woman Eun-bi' or 'Sparkling Eyes Kwon Eunbi'...".

"Like an idol?"

"Maybe. But I like the names you gave. I was happy Hyewon told me. Cute Eun-chan, Snow White. I'll like whatever you call me. Ah, here we are" Eunbi held Sakura by the arm to stop her from carrying on further and beckoned towards the little glass entrance to her apartment building. Above the canopy, it read 'Byeoksan Dream Power City - 1'. The names of Korean apartment buildings were getting more and more complicated and to Sakura, a Japanese native, it made little sense. At least it wasn't a name Sakura could forget, should she ever return.

"See, I told you it wasn't very far from the bus stop" Disappointment reigned supreme. Sakura had hoped that Eunbi's minute was nothing but an exaggeration but it'd been far too short a journey 

"It really is a short way".

"But I'm still glad you walked with me. Though we've hit a snag now. I'll want to walk you home from the bus stop. We'll have to have a rota otherwise we'll be caught in a loop going up and down the main road on a 7400 bus".

"No thank you. I quite like the idea of living beyond 27. I've seen the heater set alight more than once and had the breaks fail one morning".

"Right, I need to really focus on getting my driver's license" Eunbi's voice was determined, serious and Sakura couldn't help but smile at Eunbi's earnestness. She had no doubt that Eunbi would get it with no problem. After all, Eunbi had a hand old alchemists would have dreamed of - everything she touched became golden. "Driver's license or not...Sakura, when can I see you next?" Eunbi asked, finally the question they had both been dancing around.

"This Saturday coming. At that damned noraebang".

"No, no, I mean when can we see each other? Just you and me".

"Well, I have the game to teach you. We could order something or...".

"What about dinner?" Eunbi interrupted. "Or to a bar? First, I mean. Then, you can teach me anything you like. Or we can watch Mildred Pearce, so we can make sense of the end".

"Really? You'd want to?" Twinkling eyes twinkled further, the street lamps paling in comparison with the sudden spark that came beaming from Sakura's eyes.

"Absolutely. So, how about Wednesday evening? We can say Wednesday for now and then sort it out later. What do you think?"

"I think it's a plan".

"Ah, great. I can't wait. Let me know when you get home, won't you? It's getting late".

"I will. As soon as I get home" The wind quietly blew by and in it's next breath, Eunbi held Sakura's hands in hers. They didn't seem so cold this time, once frigid fingers wrapped around Eunbi's warm hands and instinctively, pulled them closer. The soft honeysuckle wrapped itself around Eunbi again and she wondered if Sakura felt as light-headed as she did, even as she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of . When she felt Sakura smile, Eunbi kissed her again, this time on her waiting lips. Chocolate from the restaurant earlier was still sweet on Eunbi's mouth and her tongue too that roped Sakura in closer still. And she was glad of it. For the longest time, she had wanted to know how it felt to have Eunbi pulled close against her.

Lips red as the rose, without the pricking thorn but as gentle as they are, it was true. And Eunbi was gentle. Her lips were well-versed in the art. How could it be then that Sakura burned so much? The heat flamed in her chest, her cheeks, throughout her body. She became impatient and let go of Eunbi's hand so that she could wrap her hands in her silken black hair but as soon as she did so, Eunbi pulled away from her.

"Good night" Eunbi whispered, now satisfied, against Sakura's lips. And before Sakura could open her eyes, Eunbi had disappeared into her apartment block. If she knew the code, Sakura would have gone after her and asked to kiss her again. And again and again. She could leap in the air, laugh wildly, smile until the muscles around ached. Once her breath had returned, of course. All rationality and sense, all breath had been knocked out of her.

She could only smile and knock once on her heart, just to check it hadn't jumped out of her chest. There was nothing ahead of her when she turned around from Eunbi's apartment, the street-lights, the cars had gone and she saw nothing but Wednesday. It couldn't come quickly enough.

The red beret that Eunbi had been watching for some time from her kitchen window disappeared onto the 7400 bus. It had only been faint, a dot, from Eunbi's lofty position among the clouds but she had trained her eye to follow it. After all, she had to make sure Sakura had boarded the bus safely.

The Moon too could be seen from her kitchen window. It seemed a little brighter, like a small disc of celestial light whose glare streamed through the half closed Venetian blinds, only for her and when she returned to her front room, the moonlight was brighter still. It was enough to illuminate the whole of the small room. And for once, Eunbi could enjoy it. She'd not think of werewolves or the effects of the Moon on one's sanity, nor would she think of the great orange Moon that'd plagued her since childhood. She'd thank the Moon for it's sunny beams and she'd thank it for shining so bright. She'd hope too that it didn't shine sulkily as it had in The Walrus and the Carpenter. It had a lot to be happy for, Eunbi believed and she did too.

Eunbi sat down on the sofa, picked up the sketchbook she had left on the coffee table and turned to the page she had begun earlier that day.

There was a crude drawing of a cherry blossom tree and a silhouette of two people standing beneath it. There had been a great blank space that she had intended to fill with the rays of the sun to allow the couple there to bask in it a little, something to tide Eunbi over as the autumn cold had begun to set in. However, as she picked up her pencil, she sketched hurriedly as if her hand had been taken over. And there had the beginnings of the Moon. At least, she had perhaps drawn where the Lake of Summer was.

She imagined the couple's conversation like hers and Sakura's earlier -

"Where would you like to go?"

"I thought the Bay of Love or Sea of Serenity at first. But these are the things I'd want on Earth. And I don't think I'd care that much about where I'd go because I think I'm on the way to getting them. As long as you're with me, I don't mind where I go".

'Bay of Love...Sea of Serenity...as long as you're with me, I don't mind where I go' Eunbi mumbled to herself as she wrote the line orbiting her Moon.

Then, her phone began to ring. The silhouette couple would have to wait. She breathed out slowly before answering the phone, her heart immediately leaping over and over anyway when she heard Sakura's deep voice over the air.

"Hello Eunbi".

"Sakura! That was quick. You're home already?"

"Well, no. Not exactly" Her voice pealed off into the distance and Eunbi could just about hear a mumbled thank you.

"Where are you?"

"I'm still on the way home. I'm off the bus, I mean but I'm walking home now. And, and...I thought to call you anyway. I hope that was alright. You see, I didn't think I could wait until I got home".

"Sakura, if there's anything I can teach you after all you've taught me..." Eunbi said, leaning against the mass of pillows behind her. "It is to never apologise for calling me. There are few things better than talking to you".

Sakura had taught her a lot that night - all about the Moon was one thing but the other was that the Moon wasn't so bad. After all, it was only a round of cheese to the wolf or the fool if it was looked at in a puddle of water and to Eunbi, it'd be something she'd be eternally grateful for. No, it wasn't bad at all.