Wheein grew up with cards. It was her first word, her grandma used to tell her with a wry smile. Except what she really said was something more like ‘cah’ which she liked to argue could have been anything. But who was she kidding though? They had video evidence of the event which has long been buried in the storage with the past everyone wanted to pretend never existed.

 

It all stemmed from her father’s penchant for playing poker, his favourite pastime. He played them all the time that even 5 years after he split her mom and Wheein would still find random cards turning up from out of nowhere. They promptly threw those out having some deep-seated resentment at the sight of them.

 

Wheein thought she hated cards just as much as she hated gambling. It had cost her an absentee father, a busy mother who hardly had time for her, and a forced eviction from her childhood home leaving them no choice other than to move into her grandmother’s small apartment.

 

She had no complaints about her grandmother's tiny home.

 

Except of how cold it could get during the winter season and Wheein missed having a room of her own. She was young, but even then she knew that ‘eviction’ had correlated with her father’s sudden departure and her mother’s previous gripes about his ‘gambling addiction.

 

So, when Wheein first saw Byulyi she didn’t think they would ever be more than strangers.

 

Byuyi was a year older, wore too bright a smile, and made friends left and right. She was much too showy and energetic for Wheein to keep up with. And what made it worse was the ever-present deck of cards she fiddled with everywhere she went.

 

“I have three cards, a jack, a queen, and another jack.” She announced to the small gathering of kids around the cafeteria table, showing everyone each card she enumerated before flipping them back to hide the glossy side as she lays all three cards on the table, a wide grin on her face.

 

Wheein resisted rolling her eyes. She knew this game- or was it more appropriate to call it a trick? Her father used to play this on her to get her to do her chores.

 

“Find the Lady, Wheein.” He would say, deftly shuffling the three cards on the table. “Keep your eyes on the prize.”

 

She never won and for so long she didn't understand how something so simple could make her distrust her own eyes. Not until her mother told her how it was all a trick, sleight of hand, she calls them. Cheating, Wheein concluded.

 

“If you can tell me where the queen is, I’ll give you a dollar. If you’re wrong, you owe me a dollar. It’s a simple game. Anyone in?” Byulyi announced, smile innocent, her eyes having the mischievous sparkle to them. Wheein’s mood soured, but she was also itching to figure out how the trick worked and decided she might as well study the shuffle from a different angle.

 

Five kids were made fools of that recess period and Byulyi left with 7 dollars more than when she came in.

 

Wheein still didn’t know how the trick worked.

 

 

 

Byulyi was often found fiddling with a deck of cards, practicing to perfect her craft. It didn’t matter if it was the three-card monte or just a very intricate card work, if it got her hands moving Byulyi was learning it. Once she got the hang of it she’d start going around, practicing with an audience, then two, then five. Before the end of the year, Byulyi had gone up on stage, just an ordinary girl with a regular deck of cards and a bad stutter that had confused the majority of the audience who was used to her extravagance and smooth-talking.

 

She exited the talent show with a bronze medal proudly glinting under the hot, white rays of the spotlight. There was a proud look on her face as she puffs her chest upon receiving the medal before humbly taking a step back for the presentation of the silver and gold. At that moment, Wheein thought that maybe she wasn’t so bad. But her eyes fall on the deck of cards clutched in Byulyi’s hands and she scoffs at the thought.

 

Wheein was so sure Byulyi was going to grow up into what her mom called were dirty, low-life scammers with the way she was easily playing people with just a deck of cards. She was good with her words, they flowed so easily, bar that one time she did the talent show in the auditorium. She had an easy smile too, one that made her look approachable. A dangerous combination, it would seem, as people fell victim to her wiles daily.

 

Wheein did her best to avoid the girl, always keeping her head down, staying away from the gathering crowd. Her little interest in figuring out the trick of the trade long forgotten as resentment of her father resurfaces. So it takes her by surprise when one day she’s into the spotlight with little preamble.

 

“Play with me.” Byulyi takes the seat across Wheein’s lunch table, ignoring the girls and boys around her who were getting excited at the prospect of watching a show. As expected, Byulyi had pulled the dreaded three cards from her shirt pocket, killing whatever hopes Wheein had that she’d grown tired of the craft. Wheein pulled a pout, staring between the cards and Byulyi’s expectant face to the crowd now staring at her, patiently waiting for her answer.

 

“I don’t have money to bet.”

 

“That’s alright. I want something else.”

 

Wheein pulls her lips tight, glancing around the table once more. She steeled her expression, shaking her head slightly in answer. “No thank you.”

 

“Hey, no, hold on. It’s just a game. Let’s do a couple of rounds to get this rolling.” Wheein represses rolling her eyes. She was sure this Byulyi kid took the phrase from a dumb movie. No one says that in real life. “I know you don’t play but just this once, play with me. I swear I don’t want cash.”

 

Wheein quirks a brow. Byulyi had totally ignored the kids volunteering, her attention set on her and no one else. Something Wheein thought was weird but she thought Byulyi was weird from the get-go. She feels a strong nudge to her side, wincing when the elbow dug a little too hard onto her ribs. She pouts, rubbing at her side but nods her head in defeat.

 

“Great!” Byulyi chirps, looking around them to finally acknowledge the audience who actually wanted to see her tricks. She flips the top card, showing the queen of hearts, “I have two jokers and a queen. The queen is on the top.” She flips the queen face down in her hand. “If I move it to the bottom, where would the queen be?”

 

Wheein quirks a brow. Now, this was new. The game usually had the cards face flat on the table, but it looked like Byulyi had no plans of following her usual stint. Well, if she was going to be forced to make a fool of herself at least it’s with a new routine.

 

“The bottom,” Wheein responds drily, figuring Byulyi was going to pull a joker out of it.

 

“That’s right.” Byulyi flips the cards around, showing the queen, smiling wider at the chorus of ooh’s and ah’s. Wheein furrows her brows doubtfully, she wasn’t buying into it. “Now if I move it to the top,” she moves the card to the top, turning to the girl right next to her who was nearly jumping in place from excitement.

 

“It’s at the top!”

 

“Wrong,” Byulyi flips over a joker “Nice try though. How about you, my good man? Where do you think it is?”

 

“Middle.” Joker

 

“Oooh! Nope. What about you?” Byulyi turns back to Wheein, smiling brightly as she patiently waited for her answer.

 

Wheein squints her eyes at the grinning girl. “The queen isn’t there anymore, is it?”

 

Byulyi grins wider and flips her wrist around to show the bright red queen at the bottom.

 

“You’re using more than three cards.” Someone pipes up loudly, thinking they’ve solved the greatest question in life.

 

“Nope.” Byulyi places all three cards, facedown, on the table, brandishing her hand to show she wasn’t hiding any additional cards on her. “Now that we’re all fired up, how’s about a bet? If you.. uh..”

 

“Wheein!” Someone from the crowd supplies, much to Wheein’s disgruntlement. Byulyi quickly turns to thank them, shooting Wheein a toothy smile “Wheein, if you win I’ll leave you alone. If I win, you owe me something.”

 

“I don’t have money.”

 

“I don’t want money, but I do want you to do something for me. I’ll top up the stakes for me. You win and I’ll leave you alone and you can have…” She digs into her pocket, pulling out a crumpled ten-dollar bill. “this 10. One game. I’ll make it easy. I’ll flip the two cards” she flips up the queen and the joker, nods her head like she didn’t know what the cards were before the reveal. “now you tell me where the other joker is.”

 

Around her Wheein’s classmates cheer her on, goading her to take the bet. It was a sure win, they say. Take it, the answer’s obvious, they scream, getting even more excited than Wheein. Obviously, it’s that one, the girl beside Wheein whispers loudly into her ear, clutching and shaking her arm.

 

Wheein flinches at the noise, shoulders shrinking inwards as she shoots Byulyi a withering stare. Why did she have to pick her? Out of all the people in the cafeteria, out of all the willing participants, why her? Why now?

 

Wheein sighs, wordlessly reaching out to point at the remaining card. She knows it’s not the right one. It was going to be something else. But the noise was getting too much. She just wanted them all to shut up.

 

Byulyi pockets the cash, smiling like she won a million dollars as she flips the last card to reveal the jack of spades. Dissatisfied groans fill Wheein’s ears and she’s just about to walk out from all the noise when the group collectively quiets down.

 

The star of the show had gotten up, hands splayed on the table to help anchor her as she leaned forward to speak to Wheein. “Now, can I talk to you? Alone. You owe me this much.”

 

Wheein sighs but nods her head. Even though she feels like she was forced into it she wasn’t going to go back on her word and make enemies out of everyone. She follows Byulyi to a quieter corner of the cafeteria, just enough out of the tables and loud kids eating their lunch.

 

“I don’t want your money, Wheein.” She says soon as Wheein sticks her hand into the pocket of her jeans in search of loose change. “I want something more valuable than that.”

 

“What’s more valuable than money?”

 

“You’re friendship.”

 

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Wheein gives her a look of deadpan, waiting for the older girl to laugh and tell her what she really wanted. But a few more extended seconds of Byulyi’s serious expression make Wheein rethink her words.

 

“I’ve seen you around for the last year and a half and all those times, up until today, you’ve never talked to me more than a hello that one time. I don’t know if you’re angry at me or you just really don’t like me, but I don’t like having enemies, Wheein. My mom says there’s no point in creating enemies of anyone, so then I decided I’ll make everyone my friend.”

 

“That’s stupid.”

 

“It is stupid. But that’s why I need friends, to make sure my stupidity is kept in check. So, how’s about it Wheein? Want to be my friend?”

 

“You’re stupid, Byulyi.”

 

“You know my name. That’s a good start.” Byulyi says, patting Wheein’s shoulders proudly as if she was telling herself this was her most brilliant move yet. She doesn’t wait for Wheein to acknowledge what had just transpired, turning on her heels in search of her next target.

 

 

 

Byulyi never forgot what she said. She sought after Wheein every chance she had, feeding her scattered thought process through Wheein to sort and assemble into a concrete idea or shoot down if it was too crazy. But the consistent riffling initially drove Wheein crazy and she often found her attention drawn to the cards shuffling and flipping with ease along with Byulyi’s deft fingers.

 

Why cards? Of all the magic tricks she could learn, why cards?

 

“I like the way they sound when I shuffle them. It’s calming. And I like the way people’s eyes automatically go to them. It makes it easier to talk when people aren’t staring at you.” Wheein took her eyes off the cards, her gaze meeting Byulyi’s blushing feature. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’m not really very good around people. The cards help a lot. That’s why I keep them with me at all times.”

 

Wheein nods her head, not really understanding how someone as loud and extroverted as Byulyi could have a case of nerves. The sound of shuffling draws her attention again and she looks, hypnotized, all the while listening to Byulyi drone on about anything and everything that comes to her mind.

 

 

 

 

Over the years, Wheein watched students, one after another, play into her hands and fall for her tricks every single time. People loved and hated her for her gift with the cards. They all thought what she did was amazing, even magical, but Wheein knew how the game went. It was a just manipulation in the hands of an expert. When Byulyi handled the cards there would never be a winner, not unless she wanted you to win. The person who handles the cards chose who wins and who loses.

 

When Wheein joined Byulyi in their local high school it soon became apparent that in the year that Byulyi had a head start she already made a reputation for herself. Wheein would have been surprised if Byulyi hadn’t consistently visited her home whenever she felt bored and needed an ear to talk off. She was mostly up to date in Byulyi’s activities.

 

By then, Wheein had filled in the role of Byulyi’s right-hand woman. She was privy to the majority of how the tricks worked, which tricks needed a second hand that Wheein provided acting as just another audience in the crowd. She blended in well enough not to draw attention when she subtly slipped duplicate cards into pockets or gave Byulyi the sign to what the card was. Years of Byulyi and her dabbling in the subtle art of pickpocketing had made Wheein a decent accomplice. But she never used it for her own means, still abhorred the thought of scamming people like what gambling did to her father. It was all just for fun and the occasional free food Byulyi got her made Wheein a little less uptight about her getting a few chump change out of it.

 

“Think of it as a small entertainment fee. We’re not even forcing everyone to pay up.”

 

At least, Wheein thought she was careful enough not to be noticed.

 

 

 

Byulyi and Wheein were at their usual spot at the back of the gym, behind the overgrown bushes that the school maintenance never found the time or energy to trim. Wheein was leaning against the wall, listening to Byulyi prattling on about the pretty boy sitting next to her in class when she came into the picture.

 

She came looking as approachable as a lioness on the prowl, her brows pinched in the middle, hard eyes staring right at the frozen Wheein, tacking her onto the wall as she emerged fully from the bushes with the elegance of a cat.

 

“I saw what you did Wheein.” She states, crossing her arms over her chest. Byulyi a brow at her. Wheein thinks she’s intrigued at the accusatory voice and was mentally praying Byulyi would not find interest in her to keep close like she did Wheein. If Byulyi had her sights set on her then there was no way for her to be swayed.

 

Wheein knows the girl from her class as the one kid who seemed unusual but not in a way that was bad per se, Wheein just couldn’t quite explain how unusual she was. She never said or did anything mean and she seemed normal enough during and after classes but most everyone steered clear of her. Even Wheein didn’t think it was a good idea to mix with the girl but, never the less, a name pops into her head and she nods her head in greeting. Wheein was, at least, polite.

 

“Are you angry?”

 

“No, this is just my natural expression. I don’t smile all the time, not like dopey here.” She had explained, throwing a rude thumb over to Byulyi who cackled hard enough to lose her balance.

 

Wheein spares Byulyi a quick look, schooling her features as she addresses the other girl “She’s older than us, you know?”

 

“And I don’t see the point where I’m supposed to care about that.”

 

Wheein pursed her lips. She didn’t quite like how rudely this girl was speaking, but there was another part of her that gave the girl props for not turning into a meek mouse over something as egotistic as seniority. Byulyi and Wheein never cared for it.

 

“I like her!” Byulyi finally chokes out, drying her tears with the back of her hand. “Hey, what’s your name? And how’d you know Wheein here.”

 

“Classmates.” They answer in unison, not breaking eye contact as they carefully scrutinize each other for the first time.

 

“Hyejin.” They say in chorus. Wheein hears Byulyi’s annoying oohing but she’s far more invested at the look of surprise softening Hyejin’s features.

 

“You… know my name?”

 

“Of course, I do. We had a class introduction just a couple of weeks ago.” It was also thanks to her impeccable memory that her tutor had her practice to enhance her brain’s capacity to memorize. Never helped her scholastic aptitude but it proved to be of some use.

 

Hyejin seems to think this response through, her brows knitting and bottom lip jutting out, finally shrugging her shoulder and moving her attention to Byulyi. The disproving look returns and she stands akimbo, hand on her waist to make her look bigger and meaner. Something Wheein thought was cute as Byulyi was visibly a few inches taller than her.

 

“You’re making her do the dirty work.”

 

“No, I don’t.” Byulyi is quick to deny, sliding up to Wheein to throw a friendly arm around her shoulder. “Wheein here is just helping me with my card tricks.”

 

“You’re fooling a lot of people.”

 

“That’s why they’re called tricks.”

 

“You’re basically scamming people out of their money.”

 

“I don’t force them to do anything and only take bets if the other party is willing to… ah.. separate from their money, which, again, is of their own free will. We like to think of it as a performance fee.” Wheein frowns at this, glaring at Byulyi which the elder simply dismisses with a flick of her hand.

 

“Oh yeah? How much do you get away with?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“How much money do you get away with?” Hyejin repeats, slower, as if she was talking to a child who just doesn’t understand. Byulyi takes no offence, rather the opposite as she chortles and clutches at her stomach as she sways from side to side in her giddiness. Wheein sighs as she shakes her head in second-hand embarrassment.

 

With tears in her eyes and two eyes staring down at her, silently judging her, Byulyi manages to choke out “I really like this one Wheein.”

 

That was how Hyejin joined their little operations.

 

It was awkward for Wheein at first. She hung out with Byulyi almost every day, but only for short hours at a time squirrelling away in their little hideout. It was different with Hyejin who was her classmate. Wheein had tried to keep their newfound connection on the down-low but Hyejin had other ideas. It took only a day after their official meeting for Hyejin to join her during lunch and physical education, and few more days until she managed to convince the teacher to have her transfer seats to the one behind Wheein’s desk.

 

“I see the board a lot better at the back. Farsightedness, it’s a thing.” Was her excuse. Never mind that she could read from her book or take the tests without the assistance of corrective lenses. From then on, classes felt a bit different, in a good way- though Wheein would never admit it. She gradually became accustomed to having Hyejin close to her for the majority of their days. There was nothing she can do anyway since the other girl seems adamant about keeping close to her. So she pretends to be annoyed, keeping her at arm's length if the situation permits because Wheein totally doesn't enjoy the closeness.

 

 

 

Wheein thought her life wasn’t going to get any harder.  As the years went by and they grew older things around them began to change drastically. Subjects became harder to understand, sudden cravings started to come out of nowhere, and puberty decided to drop the bomb on them.

 

Byulyi and Wheein grew a few more inches, it was mostly Byulyi as Wheein seemed to have drawn the (literal) short end on the gene pool, and slowly gained, then lost their baby fats. Byulyi being in a constant energizer mode shed more weight between the three of them, which was wholly unfair but then life never was. Their fashion sense, however, remained much the same, picking shorts and sneakers over skirts and heels.

 

"Less time worrying about looks and more time making a quick getaway exit if anything goes awry." Byulyi joked one day when her mother complained of her choice of wear. Wheein rolled her eyes and helped herself to more cake.

 

Then there was Hyejin who distributed those baby fats in all the right places that constantly had eyes on her for a more ual reason. It irked Wheein that Hyejin liked to dress up to show just how she filled up nicely, “make the people who teased me for being chubby back then take back their word.”

 

Byulyi thought it was petty, which meant it was cute and she totally approved of Hyejin’s thought process, “You show them Hyejin. Flaunt what you have!”

 

Wheein thought otherwise. She didn’t like the way boys leered after Hyejin everywhere she went. She felt her anger bubbling over whenever Hyejin decided to show up in more daring wear. Not because she was jealous, no, as much as she cringed at the thought, they have come to a point where she valued Hyejin more than anything to be jealous over boys giving her more attention. She was, however, steadily growing more protective when she saw the few confident ones strike up a conversation with Hyejin, their eyes showing a more malicious interest.

 

“I don’t like that guy you’re talking to, Hyejin,” Wheein growled, taking Hyejin by her elbow to eject themselves from the quiet kitchen where she had found Hyejin and said guy conversing before he had to excuse himself, and into the living room where the real party was at. “He’s been eyeing your too much.”

 

“Hm, well what did you expect Wheein. I chose this outfit for that exact reason.” Hyejin replied lazily, slipping her arms around Wheein’s waist to make sure they wouldn’t get separated with all the bodies brushing up against them at all sides. Wheein shoots her a glare, something Hyejin misses as she was too busy looking over the crowd for a familiar face or an easier exit.

 

“I expected you to come in less revealing clothes. There are erted drunks everywhere you know?” Wheein grumbles into Hyejin’s ear. She perks up when she sees the familiar shade of bottle-blond by the stairs and redirects them towards their ride for the night.

 

“It’s a dress. It’s not that revealing.” Hyejin argues, digging her heels to the carpet floor to stop Wheein’s tugging. Wheein sighs, turning around Hyejin’s embrace to see her pouting face properly.

 

“You know I’m just looking out for you,” Wheein says as loudly as she can with all the party noise around them. She feels someone brush a hand behind her back and she snaps her neck around, cocking a brow curiously at the woman drunkenly using her back as support. She gives the woman a hand, making sure she wasn’t going to fall face flat on the floor, all the while keeping one hand over Hyejin's that were clasped around her waist, making sure Hyejin wasn’t going to sneak off again.

 

“I know, and I appreciate it,” She feels Hyejin’s warm breath against her ear, her arms moving up to wrap around Wheein’s neck before Hyejin pressed her soft lips along the curve of her jawline that sent tingles down to the tips of her fingers. “But you know I can take care of myself just fine.”

 

Brushing the feeling away Wheein pulled her lips tightly, firmly holding Hyejin’s waist flush against her. She keeps her eyes on the woman whose friends seem to have finally found her inebriated and boldly flailing in the crowded living space turned dance floor. “I know, but it’s my duty to make sure nothing bad that I can prevent can happen to you. You’re too precious for something like that to happen.”

 

“Did you say something?” Hyejin says over the noise, twisting her body around to come face to face with Wheein.

 

Wheein forces a tight smile and shakes her head. “I said I just want to make sure you’re alright. Jesus, it’s loud here. Let’s just go home before the cops are called to this place.”

 

Wheein was not jealous of Hyejin grabbing the attention of the male population left and right. But she can’t help but feel the anger burn in her at the thought of anyone catching her best friend’s attention, more so if Hyejin reciprocates the attention. She was her best friend and protector and as long as she was alive she would look out for her, whether she liked it or not.

 

 

 

“I don’t think she likes me,” Byulyi glumly announces. She was lying upside down on the living room couch, staring blankly at the television where Wheein was busting boss-level . Wheein spares her a quick glance, not nearly long enough to understand what kind of face she was giving her. The boss fight was far too important at the moment. It was her fifth go at it and it was becoming increasingly annoying losing to the hulking beast.

 

“Who doesn’t?”

 

“Yongsun. I don’t think she likes me.”

 

Wheein snorts. It had been a while since the last time she heard of that name, almost three months ago if she remembered correctly. She mashes a few buttons, cursing under her breath when her avatar nearly takes a massive hit from the fight, momentarily forgetting Byulyi’s existence.

 

A prod to her side makes Wheein jerk and she nearly elbows Byulyi’s face from annoyance but the loud roar from the screen and the graphics slowly fading to black kills Wheein’s competitive mood and she drops the controller, turning on her bottom to fully pout at Byulyi who had successfully interrupted her game.

 

“Okay, great, now that you’ve made me lose, you want to get that by me again?”

 

Byulyi turns over the seat in record time, her face locked into a look of frustration and the sarcasm of Wheein’s voice going right over her head.

 

“She’s just! I know I made the mistake of thinking she was younger than me. You can’t blame me fully! That baby-face of hers is a trap! It was our first official meeting, how was I supposed to know she was older. And just by a year! Why is she all huffy about it? I was just trying to get their names, just being friendly. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m good at. And it was a year ago! How is it that she still has a grudge over me for that? I said I’m sorry already. How many more times does she need me to apologize?”

 

“Unnie, if she doesn’t like you then just forget her. Why are you getting your in a bunch over one girl?”

 

“I told you before, Wheein. I don’t like making enemies out of people.”

 

“You said that when we were in grade school. That was almost a decade ago. I’m pretty sure you made a few enemies along the way, so what’s so special about Miss Yongsun?”

 

“Well.. she’s cute, really nice, kind to people around her” Wheein shook her head as she watched Byulyi’s brows slowly furrow, eyes narrowing and her head tilting as if she was herself trying to comprehend something as she goes through her mental checklist. “And, she happens to be good with hyping up a crowd. She’s… she’s got a good aura about her.”

 

“Okay, I’m going to stop you right there, unnie. Aura? Now you’re just making stuff up. When did you ever care for things lik-”

 

“I like her, okay? I like that she talked back to me and don’t take crap from anyone. What I don’t like is that she’s angry at me for one mistake that I did. I’ve been calling her unnie for the last year and she still doesn’t like me. I made friends with all her friends and she still doesn’t like me. I’m pretty sure I’ve already impressed her older sister and her boyfriend with a few card tricks and yet Yongsun still doesn’t like me. What do I have to do to make her like me?”

 

“First of all, maybe stop trying to be all creeper-like?”

 

“I’m not being a creeper.”

 

“How did you impress her sister and the boyfriend.. wait? Yongsun’s boyfriend or her sister’s boyfriend?”

 

“I just happen to bump into them and I decided to humour myself. And it’s the sister’s boyfriend. Yongsun’s single.”

 

“That is… a weird fact to know if you’re not friends.”

 

“I told you, Wheein." Byulyi groans exasperatedly as she flings her body along the couch, grabbing a pillow to hug to her chest and bury her face. "I like her” was the muffled extension of her sentence.

 

“Yes. I gathered but”

 

“No, Wheein." She says, tearing her face from the pillow yet her gaze refuses to look Wheein in the eyes "I like her. As a woman.”

 

“Yes, bu-“ Wheein stopped short, the information finally sinking into her mind. Her jaws go slack and she stares at Byulyi’s blushing face for a good minute “Oh… Ohh! As a- as a woman-to-woman. Ooooooh!”

 

“Oh my God.” Byulyi facepalmed “I knew Hyejin would have been the better person to talk to about this.”

 

At the mention of her name Wheein’s face screwed into a sour expression. She wanted to slam her fist into something, preferably a face, but Byulyi was the only one there and she would never do that to her, no matter how annoying she was. “Yeah, well Hyejin’s off to her date with boy number 14.  She’s not going to be back until after dinner.”

 

Byulyi’s expression flipped and she clicked her tongue, playfully wagging a finger in front of Wheein’s face. “Testy. I thought you said you wouldn’t in on who Hyejin decided to date.”

 

“I’m not.” Wheein managed to ground out between clenched teeth. She remembered the dumb look on the guy's face as she opened to door, scowling as menacingly as she could. Hyejin said she wasn’t all that scary even if she tried, but grabbing the guy’s collar and threatening him bloody murder if Hyejin came home even a little bit displeased by his actions seemed good enough to make the colour drain from his face. “What I don’t get is why you don’t give a rat’s as to whom she went out on dates? She could wind up with bad company you know?”

 

“You mean like our company?” Byulyi jokes. Wheein snorts a reply, grabbing her idle controller and returning to her game. Forget Byulyi, she was going to beat that boss no matter what.

 

“Hey, she knows what’s she’s doing. Most of the time. Give her some credit, she stuck by us through all our shenanigans and prides herself on how well she can handle people. I’m sure Hyejin will be alright.”

 

When Wheein doesn’t reply Byuyli falls silent and she sits back to observe the shorter woman angrily play her game. It takes her half of the time she played against the boss the first time to lose the fight and Wheein growls, nearly slamming the controller against the floor. She slaps the floor angrily, calling the boss every cuss word she could think of, going as far as being imaginative with the cuss words she put together. All the while Byulyi stares at her, a contemplating look on her face.

 

“Hey, ditch the controller. I’ll teach you how the three-card monte goes.” Byulyi bounces off the couch, grabbing her current favourite deck of cards from where she left them on the coffee table. Wheein gives her a funny look, gesturing towards the cards.

 

 

“I know how it goes, unnie. I help you fool everyone, remember?”

 

“No, I mean I’m going to teach you how to shuffle. It’s not super hard and it’s nothing like gambling. You can’t get addicted to it. You have complete control of how the outcome is revealed the whole time. All it takes is practice and patience.”

 

“Ah yes, the two things I can’t do.”

 

The controller in her hands is easily swapped with the three cards, the red queen of hearts looking up at her expectantly. Wheein voices out her displeasure but is quickly silenced by Byulyi sitting across her, a broad grin in place. Wheein knew that look and she quietly sighs, relenting to the storm that is Moon Byulyi.

 

 

 

The house party was loud. A little less wild than what they used to go to when they were younger, but it was still loud with the large speaker system blaring whatever song the self-proclaimed DJ deemed fit.

 

Wheein stuck close to walls, a red cup of God knows what clutched close to her chest. She hadn’t taken a sip from the cup and she doesn’t plan to, but having the cup on her made her feel like she blended with the crowd. It also stopped other people from shoving more alcohol in her face.

 

The cards in her pocket felt heavy, her heart pounding in her ears as she watched Byulyi perform her card tricks from a safe distance. Her ears were closed to the noise around her, eyes set straight at the crowd, watching carefully. She waited for Byulyi’s signal, her eyes shifting to their pick of the day before she pushed off her station with her hands already in her pocket. There was a showing of the card. Wheein riffled through the deck in her pocket, adeptly slipping an identical card into the fold of her palm. Gliding through the crowd was easy enough. She was short, giving her a disadvantage once she was swallowed up in the crowd, but that also served as her advantage. No one would suspect a random bystander to be in on the plan. All she needed was to get close, slip the card into one of the target’s pockets and slip out.

 

Exiting the suffocating mass of limbs, Wheein tilted the semi-crushed red cup to her lips, signifying her job was done and moved onto the next room. Sometimes it wasn’t easy assisting in Byulyi’s tricks but Wheein had gotten used to it. It wasn't as rewarding as it was when they were younger but Wheein had long been loyal to Byulyi to back out now. If it made Byulyi happy, and as long as they didn't harm anyone, then Wheein would do anything to keep the smile on her best friend's face.

 

The soft brush of cloth against the side of her face jolts Wheein out of her hyper-focused state. She brings her hand up to grasp the hand wiping the sweat off her temple, her expression softening at the grinning woman before her.

 

“Tough crowd, Wheein?” Hyejin voiced loud enough to carry just over the party noise.

 

Wheein her chapped lips, throwing the gathering a look before shrugging her shoulders. “They’re bigger.”

 

“Up here?” Hyejin asks, motioning with her hands around the shoulder before slowly running down to cup her own pelvic region. “Or down there?”

 

Wheein couldn’t help her eyes glancing down, tightening at the sight, before quickly tearing her gaze and lifting the red cup to her lips; this time taking a mouthful of the drink. The bitterness that she couldn’t quite describe flooded . It took Herculean effort not to spit the drink back into the cup and even more to keep her face neutral.

 

“Up.” She managed to rasp out.

 

Hyejin chuckles, lifting the cup out of Wheein’s hand to dump the rest of the content into the nearest plant. “Don’t drink that crap. It’s just a load of alcohol, it’s almost toxic. Stick to the beers.”

 

“I can handle my alcohol Hyejin.”

 

“I know how you handle your alcohol. That” she throws the plant a disgusted look “is something even a dog wouldn't want to touch. Stick to the beer. You don’t know what’s in the punch.” Wheein rolls her eyes but accepts the bottle of beer Hyejin had been drinking from.

 

She takes a swing and leans her back against the wall. Hyejin folds into the area between her and the pillar, snuggling to garner body heat to which Wheein gladly curled an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

 

“So,” Wheein starts, softer now as she leaned to whisper into Hyejin's ear “our Hyejinnie all warm and happy?”

 

“Very.” Hyejin purrs, stealing the bottle back to take a drink.

 

“That’s what you get for dressing like that.” Wheein nods her head to Hyejin’s choice of dress, looking more like a nightgown than something for a college party. She’s nudged by her rib but Wheein only tightens her hold on Hyejin, snickering under her breath. “I told you to bring a jacket.”

 

“Now why would I bring a jacket when I have my very own personal Wheein to warm me up?” The mirth vanished from Wheein’s face, making way for a heavy blush, twisted gut, and an equally twisted tongue.

 

“I-“

 

“There you two are!” A familiar voice booms, saving Wheein from making a huge fool of herself.

 

Wheein sighs, partially in relief, as the bottle-blond chirped excitedly, one hand curling around Wheein’s neck to bring the duo into a group hug. “My lovable, best friends in the whole universe.”

 

“Hi, unnie.” Hyejin greets in her typical half-whisper. Byulyi seems to hear her over the thudding bass reverberating from the other room and squeezed her shoulder, leaning over to give Hyejin’s high cheekbones a firm peck. Wheein pulls a face of disgust but she’d quickly pulled by the neck and Byulyi plants a kiss to her cheek, just narrowly avoiding her lips. Wheein exaggerates sputtering and wiping the area with the back of her hand, making both Byulyi and Hyejin chuckle at her.

 

“So, how are you guys enjoying the party?”

 

Their contrasting answer makes Byulyi snort, though her eyes seem unable to settle on anything as she scoured their surroundings. It didn’t take a genius to know the reason why.

 

“She’s on the second floor,” Hyejin answered the unspoken question, her eyes lazily trailing up to the ceiling as if she could see through it. “She was alone, last I saw her. But you know how these parties are. Better be quick unnie, before you lose your chance.”

 

Her eyes lit up and grin widening, Byulyi gave the two friends pats on their shoulders before taking a deep breath, pulled her shoulders back, and strode confidently up to the staircase.

 

“Sometimes I kinda feel sorry for her,” Hyejin mutters, leaning back against Wheein’s side while the latter watched their friend make her way up to the second floor. Wheein’s arm automatically wraps around Hyejin’s hip, humming distractedly as she shifted to continue following the head of the blonde until she was out of sight. “She’s trying so hard for someone who’s playing hard to get.”

 

Wheein blinked, Hyejin’s words slow to process in her mind. She looked to Hyejin’s side profile, scrutinizing her face as if it could make her understand Hyejin better.

 

“Hey, want to get out of here?” Hyejin asks her, turning so she could wrap both arms around Wheein’s torso. “We can go back to the house, put on a movie or like your favourite show, have some popcorn and cuddle under the blanket.” Wheein mulled over the proposition for no more than a second before she grinned, jerking her head towards the direction of the exit. A movie night with Hyejin would beat any and all types of parties.

 

She let Hyejin drag her by the arm, looking up to the second story of the house, mentally apologizing to Byulyi for ditching her. She made a mental note to send the elder a text once they were at the house.

 

Of course, Wheein forgets Byulyi altogether once Hyejin pushes her to the couch and straddles her, making herself comfortable as she flicked through the shows available through their service provider. Wheein was far too content in their position, her hand firmly planted along the small of Hyejin’s back, falling asleep to the mixture of the show playing in the background and Hyejin’s soft chuckles.

 

She’s woken up in the morning by the loud jingling of keys, the not-so-subtle shutting of the door. The sore neck and back from sleeping in that awkward position held nothing against the euphoric feeling of waking up to the most beautiful woman on Earth snoring softly and drooling on her chest. A stupid-looking smile pulls at Wheein’s lips, not disappearing even as she watches Byulyi, who still had the same clothes from the night before float past her with a far-off look in her eyes.

 

She stores Byulyi’s questionable entrance to the back of her mind, to be brought up later when everyone was up and their stomachs filled. Currently, all Wheein wanted to do was admire the sleeping woman atop her and enjoy a bit of peace in the morning.

 

 

 

Wheein looked over to the head of the table where Byulyi was mindlessly playing with her bowl of cereal. She couldn’t really get a proper read on the perfectly executed blank face and Byulyi hadn’t broken out of the daze she was in for them to properly grill her.

 

Her gaze switches over to Hyejin sitting opposite her, daintily sipping from her cup of tea, scrolling through her phone with the last bit of her toast forgotten. Wheein glides a finger over her bare feet resting atop her lap, chuckling when Hyejin gives her a warning glower over her phone and a pinch to her thigh with her toes.

 

She glances over to Byulyi, jerking her head in hopes Hyejin could understand her unspoken request. Hyejin’s brows furrow, her gaze shifting to Byulyi then back to Wheein and then, finally, back to her phone.

 

Figure it out yourself. Wheein could faintly hear Hyejin’s dismissal at the simple action.

 

Wheein scrunches her nose at Hyejin, sticking her tongue out when the younger spared her a glance before glaring down at her plate of half-eaten toast and egg as if it was the most interesting thing since the discovery of dinosaurs.

 

It's days later that Wheein finds out from Hyejin that Byulyi’s pinning would not be for naught. Yongsun, as it turns out, though had initially disliked Byulyi now thought her actions were endearing if a bit cheesy.

 

After years of watching Byulyi chase the elder like a lost puppy, Hyejin had taken the first opportunity to befriend the ever-growing mystery that was Yongsun. Having to intern under the same company naturally drew the two towards each other and Hyejin wasted no time casually bringing up Byulyi into their conversation.

 

“If she could just talk to her properly... honestly, it was like I was watching some dumb drama. Like, seriously, Byulyi needs to read the atmosphere better. If she did she’d have taken Yong-unnie out at least twice by now.” Hyejin declares as she swings her milk sodden spoon around, leaving a thin ark of milk on the table. Wheein scrunches her nose at the mess and reaches around to rip a sandwich napkin from the roll, chucking it towards Hyejin’s mess.

 

“How is Byulyi supposed to read the atmosphere when miss Yongsun is playing hard to get? Wouldn't all that playing hard to get make it even harder to see if she’s interested, right?” she asks curiously.

 

Hyejin clicks her tongue, waggling her spoon in the air. “Some people like to play hard to get, some like to lay everything out and step back to gauge how their prospects are. It’s a two-way street Wheeinie. The other needs to take the time to see what’s happening in front of them and take that leap of courage to get their answers and happily ever after. You follow?”

 

Wheein nods her head hesitantly, not understanding Hyejin’s thought process at all. One shouldn’t fault her though, it was 4 AM and Hyejin had decided it was the perfect time to have breakfast for whatever reason. Wheein’s head was still halfway in sleep mode. It was a miracle she hadn’t accidentally poked an eye out.

 

“So… Byulyi unnie needs to…” Wheein twirls a finger in the air, trying to grasp the concept of an idea that just seems to flitter in the air like a wisp of smoke quickly dispersing out in the open space. “try better to understand… something that she isn’t even aware of?”

 

“When you put it that way, it’s harder to understand.”

 

Wheein sighs as her slip further down the chair and she sleepily rubs the tiredness from her eyes “My brain’s not really equipped to work on just three hours sleep. Why are we having cereal at 4 in the morning?”

 

Hyejin shrugs her shoulder, dipping her spoon back into the bowl “I like having to talk to you whenever I can. Is that a crime?”

 

Wheein carefully assesses the woman in front of her, taking in everything from the way her lips were pursed, the dark bags under her eyes, to the lax grip on the spoon she was now using to listlessly stir at her soggy cereal. And for one silent moment, Wheein just stared.

 

Make-up was something Hyejin couldn’t come out of the house without. It was the vanity that came with growing up subjected to ridicule by their peers for something that was just genetically ingrained in them. Growing up, Hyejin had struggled with the ridiculous beauty standard that set her as the ultimate undesirable. But she had stepped up to the plate, head held high, ignoring the snide remarks and hate, and showed everyone they could stick their opinions up where the light couldn’t reach.

 

Right now, under the yellow light of their shared living space, Wheein just sat back and fully admired the natural look she was fortunate enough to freely view. If she had a canvass she would have loved to recreate the masterpiece that was before her – messy bed hair, haggard look and all – and keep it to herself.

 

She brushed the thought away, her chest pinching a little at the dismissal, and pushed her lips to form a teasing smirk. “Do you have an assignment you need help with?”

 

Hyejin, beautiful Hyejin, arches a brow at her as she squares her shoulder and turns her nose to the air. “I have something due in like 9 in the morning. I’m taking a break from my last-minute cramming.”

 

“Ah.” Wheein nods her head in understanding, dropping her spoon back into her bowl. “And I’m awake because..?”

 

“I’m hungry and I’m not having cereal alone at 4 am like some lonely nerd.”

 

“Of course.” Wheein nods then lean her head against one propped arm. She was content, Wheein tells herself, with watching Hyejin being her natural self around her. This was something that only a select few were privy to and Wheein was proud to be one of the few Hyejin let into her heart.

 

She should be content, she tells herself, but why does thinking this makes her heartache so?