“You’re supposed to be watching Yerim, Sooyoungie,” Joohyun reminds as she peels herself from the younger girl. “Watch it, my uniform is going to ruin yours.” 

Sooyoung pouts as she lets Joohyun go. “Yeri is old enough to watch herself, she doesn’t need a babysitter anymore,” she throws back. She straightens out her green uniform. Joohyun isn’t wrong to say that she should be careful, the wool jacket is too expensive to simply get wet. 

Joohyun shakes her head. “Where is my sister?” 

“Right here!” 

The partition of the town car rolls down and Yeri appears with a bright smile on her face. Her pale lips looking pink with life today and her eyes twinkling with excitement. She is wearing the same green uniform as Sooyoung.

Joohyun balks at her younger sister. “Yerim! What’re you doing here? You should be home resting!” 

Yeri shakes her head. “I didn’t want you to get caught in the rain,” she insists. “So I asked Sooyoung unnie if we could come get you.” She smiles from ear to ear. “It’s raining out and it sounds so soothing! It’s also nice and refreshing that it’s cooling down!” 

Joohyun groans. “No, it’s cold and wet,” she scolds. “You could get sick. You know how your immune system is right now. You need to be responsible and take care of yourself when I’m not around!”

Yeri looks down sadly, fingers picking at the partition. “I’m sorry, unnie,” Yeri apologizes sullenly before turning around. “We’ll be home soon I think.” 

“Unnie, stop,” Sooyoung pushes at Joohyun quickly. “She only went out and came straight into the car. It’s warm and dry in here, no need to worry. Geez, you think I’d let your baby sister get sick?”

Joohyun feels her heartbreak making her younger sister upset. She can’t help herself. She can’t afford to let Yeri get sick. If something happens to her, she doesn’t know what she’d do. Yeri is all that she has left. 

“She wanted to make sure you were okay,” Sooyoung goes on, trying to relieve the tension in the car. “If anyone would get sick, it’d be you trying to get home in the rain. If you got sick, what would she do then?” She waves her hand carelessly. “I can’t babysit her everyday, don’t you know I have a life?” 

“Hiding from your parents isn’t a life, Sooyoung unnie,” Yeri remarks with little enthusiasm. Usually she’s more enthusiastic about teasing the older girl. 

“This kid,” Sooyoung raises her fist threateningly. Yeri still looks sad as she turns around, but she sticks her tongue out at Sooyoung before promptly turning back around. 

Joohyun sighs as she stares at the back of her sister’s head. She wishes that Yeri had sat in the back, so that way she could talk to her properly. But she knows Yeri must’ve wanted to sit in the front because she likes the rain. She likes seeing it fall and watching as it hits against the window.

When they pull up to the apartment complex, Sooyoung exits the town car with an obnoxiously large green umbrella for the three of them. Yeri still doesn’t look at Joohyun as they rush into the apartment, only tugging the hood over her head to make sure she stays dry. They get inside and Yeri makes a beeline for her room while Sooyoung steps back out to grab her bag and send off her driver. 

Yeri doesn’t say anything, reappearing from her room to rush into the bathroom. 

Joohyun’s shoulders sag. She rubs the back of her neck in frustration. She knows she shouldn’t have snapped at her younger sister like that. Instead of lingering, she goes to start cooking dinner for the two younger ones. 

Their options are limited because Joohyun hasn’t had time to go grocery shopping yet. There are no fresh vegetables or meat. Only fish balls, two eggs, and some ramyun. So she cooks some rice for additional sustenance and makes the ramyun. She finishes by the time Yeri’s blow dryer turns off. 

Sooyoung has exchanged her uniform for comfortable sweatpants and an oversized tee. She lounges comfortably on the couch watching tv. She smiles when she sees Joohyun and helps bring over the dishes and utensils, knowing her skills in the kitchen only revolve around burning it down. 

“Yeri, it’s time to eat,” Joohyun calls. 

Yeri is mid step out of the bathroom when she hears her name and pauses. She looks down at the ground, unwilling to meet Joohyun’s eyes. “I’m not really hungry… Can I rest?” 

Joohyun sighs. She rubs her eyes tiredly. “Yerim—” 

“Okay, I’ll eat, unnie,” she obediently concedes, making her way to the couch. 

Joohyun catches her younger sister as she walks by and pulls her into a hug. A small squeak comes out of the younger girl, who is growing taller everyday. Joohyun doesn’t remember when Yerim got to be tall enough that she’s almost at her eye level. She’s so happy to see her sister grow up. The thought makes Joohyun squeeze her sister just a little tighter. 

“I’m sorry for yelling, Yerim-ah,” Joohyun apologizes sincerely. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Yeri nods into Joohyun’s shoulder. “I’m sorry—” 

“Don’t apologize,” Joohyun interrupts as she pats the back of Yeri’s head comfortingly. “You like the rain. You must’ve been excited to see it.” 

“Mm hmm.” 

“I shouldn’t have been mad at you,” Joohyun goes on with a mischievous smile on her face. “I should’ve blamed Sooyoung for not being more responsible.” She teases as she pulls away from Yeri. 

“Unnie, what the heck?!” Sooyoung yells indignantly with a mouth full of ramyun. 

Yeri giggles as she clings onto Joohyun’s side. She sticks her tongue out at Sooyoung, while Sooyoung shoves more ramyun in her face. “Stop eating my ramyun!” she yells before letting go of Joohyun. 

“You said you weren’t hungry!” Sooyoung taunts as she shoves another bite in . Yeri roars playfully before going over to eat with Sooyoung.

Joohyun takes a breath of relief. At the end of the week, what she looks forward to the most is seeing her younger sister happy and healthy and a young giant chaebol daughter that hides in their tiny apartment for the weekend. 

It’s 9:30pm when Joohyun has to get ready. She throws on a black t-shirt and white button up on before she does her hair, pulling it free from the ponytail she put up when she left school. After putting in some product to make it look more voluminous, Joohyun puts on a light layer of foundation and blush keeping it light today before topping it off with red lipstick. 

 It’s unfortunately still raining and she hates that it is. Getting a ride in the rain would be hard. 

“Unnie, let me call my driver,” Sooyoung offers when she hears Joohyun come out of her room. She’s been watching a drama since dinner as she patiently waits for Yeri to finish her homework. 

Joohyun shakes her head. “It’s alright, Sooyoung, I can manage with the bus,” she grabs her raincoat and cap. “Besides, the last thing we need is your mother thinking that you’re going to the club.” 

Sooyoung laughs. “That wouldn’t be a surprise to her. She thinks all I do is go out and party anyway.” 

“If you just told her you were here instead of lying all the time, she wouldn’t think that,” Joohyun scolds as she knocks on Sooyoung’s head. “Why aren’t you studying with Yerim?”

Sooyoung frowns. “It’s Friday, unnie, a weekend. I deserve time off.” 

“Time off from what?” Joohyun chides playfully. “All you do is go to school, volleyball, and dance practice.” 

“Exactly, I need a break from all those things to catch up on my drama,” Sooyoung reasons. She seems rather proud of herself as she continues to eat her seaweed snacks. “YERI just needs to finish faster so we can play games!” 

“I’m almost done!” Yeri grumbles from inside her room. 

Joohyun smiles at the grumble from her sister. At times she feels bad that her sister has grown up more quickly than she’s supposed to, knowing that her education isn’t free and the only reason she has an opportunity is because of Sooyoung and her family, but there are times recently, that Joohyun is grateful that Yeri listens to her well. 

“Yerim-ah, I’m headed to work,” Joohyun says through the door. 

There’s no verbal response, but Yeri’s footsteps are loud as she approaches the door. Joohyun is startled when it swings open and Yeri jumps out to hug her really quickly. 

“Be safe, unnie,” Yeri mumbles as she holds on tightly. 

Joohyun sniffs her sister’s hair to not ruin her lipstick and smiles. “I’ll see you in the morning. We have some errands to run in the morning, so don’t stay up too late you two,” she says to the younger girls.

The two of them say their affirmations. While Sooyoung insists on getting Joohyun her driver, Joohyun refuses, opting for the busride. She remembers to bring her umbrella this time .The last thing she really needs is to get sick. Joohyun has too much on her schedule to get sick.

Friday - school, after school with Seungwan, cook dinner, and go to Spark.

Saturday - buy groceries, clean apartment, do laundry, and other errands and go to the hospital.

Sunday - cook breakfast, take a nap, cook dinner, and go to the hospital.

Monday - school, take Yeri to treatment, bring Yeri home, and go to the convenience store.

Tuesday and Wednesday - school, after school with Seungwan, go home, cook dinner, and  then the convenience store.

Thursday - school, pick up Yeri, cook dinner, and then go to Spark.

In the midst of all this, Joohyun does her best to study. The moments she has alone, she takes her time to catch up on her work. Sleep has long since been a sacrifice for Joohyun but she makes sure she's strong and healthy to keep going. School is luckily only a temporary hurdle before Joohyun has one less thing on her plate, but she enjoys learning, enjoys studying, and enjoys being with Seungwan as an escape from real life. 

Luckily the busride isn’t too far from the apartment. A quick 20 minute ride and Joohyun ends up in a nicer area that is bustling with hotels, bars, clubs, and noraebang. The night is still early, letting Joohyun walk through the streets with ease to get to her destination. 

The lounge is emblazoned by a bright fiery sign, Spark. Even with the rain, the line is already halfway down the block as people are starting to make their way in. The VIPs moving in with ease. 

Joohyun doesn’t hesitate to avoid the crowd, moving along the side of the building to the alley entrance where parking for employees is tucked away. The back kitchen is bustling and the loud music is barely muffled by the door. 

The lounge is three floors with a mezzanine where the DJ is safe away from the crowds with small rooms where people can spend private time undisturbed. Women dressed in short skirts and tight shirts carry large trays full of shots on the first floor with men in suits guarding the area. The second floor has tables serviced by the large ground floor bar. The third floor almost stands alone for the VIPs, a floor blocked off by glass to peer over the crowd. Up there is significantly quieter and occasionally plays different music for the patrons. 

Joohyun is throwing her jacket into her locker when she hears the door to the employee lounge open. 

An older woman with fair skin and youthful face walks in. “Joohyun-ah,” she greets with a bright smile. “I was just looking for you.”

“Yo, Taeyeon unnie,” Joohyun greets as she tucks her white shirt into her slacks. “What’s up?” 

“I had a call out upstairs that I need you to fill,” Taeyeon gets to the point. 

Joohyun frowns. “You know what happened the last time you had me fill in. Is that really a good idea?” 

Taeyeon chuckles and throws her hands up in surrender. “I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate.” 

“You told them you’d fire me for what I did.” 

“But I didn’t, they don’t have to know that.” Taeyeon cheekily responds. “This time you can stay at the bar; you won’t even have to change your clothes. If someone gets handsy with you just slap the out of them again.” 

Joohyun crosses her arms. “Should employers be encouraging violence for their employees? Isn’t that bad for business?” 

Taeyeon shrugs carelessly. “They’re our usual regulars this time; I highly doubt any of them will be handsy with you. The workers that they bring on the other hand…” Taeyeon gives her a look. “What can I do about that?” 

Joohyun chews the inside of her cheek. It’s not unknown that the VIPs that come bring their fancy women and toys to Spark, but it’s extremely discrete. The workers who come with these VIPs are just for the night, to keep them company, entertain them, and at a very expensive price, sleep with them. Taeyeon makes sure they are in a safe space and if any of these workers’ clients act out, she steps in. It’s how the older woman found Joohyun in the first place. 

“Pay me double,” Joohyun bargains. She has to swallow her pride. She has to swallow her bellicosity. She’s learned that all of these workers are here for a reason and she can’t fault them. She just never liked doing it and she only got lucky that she didn’t need to do it anymore. At least for now. 

Taeyeon chuckles and shakes her head. “Here, I was going to pay you triple and let you keep the tips.” She begins to stride out of the room. 

“Wait!” Joohyun chases after Taeyeon. 

Taeyeon ends up giving her triple because she’s the only bartender upstairs, which is why the owner was so desperate in the first place. The tips were a given and because she’s the only one it’s a fatter pay that she gets to go home with. 

Joohyun is exhausted by the time it’s 2am. The party downstairs is still raging and the VIPs upstairs show no signs of relenting. She’s gone through three cases of alcohol to mix drinks and at one point is backed up because all of her glasses have been used. The people in the VIP area seem to drink like fish tonight, but she forges through. She’s so busy, no one catches sight of her to comment on her face. But she knows she must look like a mess; she can feel the sweat on her brow and down her back as she does drink order after drink order. 

After Taeyeon announces last call downstairs, she makes her way upstairs to Joohyun. It’s almost 3am and a good half of the VIP rooms have emptied much to their relief. Some of them obviously going to the second floor, some of them are still canoodling in the VIP sections, but the work eases up for Joohyun. 

“Did you make out well?” Taeyeon asks as she sits down on a stool in front of Joohyun. 

Joohyun pulls the tip jar she’s been throwing money in and much to her joy it’s very much full of bills instead of coins. She won’t need to do overtime at the convenience store later this week with how much she’s made. 

Taeyeon is in awe. “Good job, you can buy me ramen tonight.”

Joohyun pouts at the older woman. “I earned this.” 

Taeyeon giggles and reaches across the bar to ruffle the younger woman’s hair. “That’s right, but I’m hungry. So let’s go.” She looks around the bar until she finds who she’s looking for. “Mark, I’ll leave you a bonus to clean up the bar.” 

Joohyun waves her hand. “It’s fine, unnie! I can take care of it. Just help me bring down the glasses.” 

Mark is in all black with a cleaning towel at his waist followed by a mop and bucket. He looks at the women and smiles. “It’s okay, noona, you always keep things neat up here.” 

Joohyun furiously wipes down the bar at least making sure that nothing sticks so Mark can polish it up. When she’s done, Taeyeon helps bring the other glasses back downstairs to get washed. 

Seohyun is in charge of closing and she gives Joohyun a pat on the back for a job well done. She lets Taeyeon leave with the younger girl. 

It finally stops raining and the night sky has cleared up for the moonlight to shine against the wet pavement. Taeyeon and Joohyun make their way to a ramen stand just before the main street. As they wait for their food, Taeyeon pulls out her flask and takes a sip. 

Taeyeon hands Joohyun the flask to join her. 

Joohyun refuses. “I have errands in the morning.” 

“It’s just a sip, you deserve it,” Taeyeon encourages.

Joohyun takes a shot and lets the warm whiskey slide down and warm her body. She hisses at the burn but enjoys the cool sensation that follows. She hands Taeyeon back the flask with a small thanks. 

“How is school going?” 

Joohyun shrugs. “It’s going fine? It’s a bit like riding a bike, once you get back on you just figure it out.” 

“I wouldn’t say that for everyone,” Taeyeon chuckles as she closes the flask to put away. “You were always really smart. Too smart to be working as an .”

Joohyun wryly smiles. “What can I say? It paid really well.” 

“Luckily, you don’t need to do that anymore right?” Taeyeon cheerfully claps Joohyun’s back. “Are the Parks treating you and Yerim well?” 

Joohyun falls forward at the heavy hand of the older woman. She glares at her before they laugh. “Yeah, of course. Yerim gets to go to school, gets her treatments, and has a normal life.” 

“And what about you?” 

“What about me?” 

“Are you being treated well?” 

Joohyun pauses at the question. It’s a shame she has to think of the question so consciously. Are things going well for her? “I don’t know, unnie,” she honestly answers as she curls into her jacket. It’s colder at this time of night. “I never thought I’d go back to school, let alone SM high. I used to think about it all the time, but it became such a distant dream. Now that I’m there, I realize the people have only gotten worse, the schooling could be more advanced, and there is more to life than petty high school dramas. I feel like I’m just going through the motions.” 

Taeyeon hums and pats Joohyun’s shoulder gently. “The price of growing up too quickly and being unable to stop,” she notes. “I told you, you have always been too smart.” The wry smile returns to Joohyun’s face. “All that stuff at school, you’ll be able to leave behind permanently once you graduate. Then you can really do whatever you want.” 

Whatever you want. 

Joohyun doesn’t even know what that means. She hasn’t thought about what she’s wanted in so long. 

Taeyeon catches Joohyun’s glum expression and pats her head. “Now, now, save that for tomorrow.” She distracts Joohyun from her thoughts. “Tell me about school. Have you met anyone? Start more fights this week?” 

Joohyun shakes her head with a small chuckle. She’ll always be grateful for Taeyeon. She really has been her older sister for the last couple of years. “There’s this weird girl I met,” she begins, “but she’s really different. Kind of unexpected in a way?” 

Taeyeon leans in with interest and listens as Joohyun talks about Son Seungwan. 

Joohyun wakes up to the smell of something burning. It sends her into a panic as she clambers out of bed. “Yeri? Sooyoung?!” she yells frantically as she stumbles out of her room half asleep. 

There’s some smoke and a distinct sizzle coming from the kitchen. 

“I told you to flip it!” Sooyoung exclaims. 

“You told me to flip it too early!” 

“Well it’s burnt now!” 

“It’s your fault!” 

Joohyun feels her heart racing at a million beats a minute as she makes her way to the kitchen. “What are you two doing?” she demands as she rounds the small table to the stove where they’re hovering over. 

Both of them turn around like criminals caught red handed. They basically are.

“I was trying to cook breakfast,” Yeri says sheepishly. 

“Breakfast?” Joohyun asks before she looks at the clock. It’s 11:17. , she internally curses at herself for oversleeping. She didn’t even hear her alarm go off. All the errands she needed to do, groceries being number one priority. “I overslept. I’m sorry, Yerim-ah.” 

She makes her way over to the stove and sees the messy countertop of batter and cut up veggies. Off of the flame is a kimchi pancake that’s a bit burnt. “Where did you get the ingredients?” she asks in confusion upon seeing all the things. 

“I went grocery shopping,” Yeri admits quietly. 

“You did what?!” Joohyun exclaims in shock. Sooyoung jumps at the yelling and Yeri shrinks a bit.

Yeri quickly responds. “I masked up! I wore gloves even. I looked like a bundled idiot but I was safe, I promise. Sooyoung came with me.” 

“You should be proud of her,” Sooyoung chimes in thoughtfully. “I didn’t know how to pick any of those things. I told her that we could’ve just sent my driver to get everything but she said you wouldn’t like that.” 

“You didn’t wake up to your alarm, so I thought you needed more sleep,” Yeri reasons. “I saw your to-do list and I wanted to help. You have work at the hospital tonight, so you should rest.” 

Joohyun sighs as she pinches the bridge of her nose. Yeri isn’t wrong. She’s in fact the best for being so considerate of her, but she is her older sister. She’s supposed to be more responsible. 

“I’m sorry unnie,” Yeri says as she tugs at Joohyun’s elbow for her to stop pinching the bridge of her nose. “I was just trying to help.” 

Joohyun hears the apology in Yeri’s voice. She stops pinching the bridge of her nose because she’s not mad. She’s just disappointed in herself. “I know,” she caves in to Yeri’s sweetness. Her sweet baby sister that’s trying to help her. “Thank you for doing that. Next time, just wake me up.” 

Yeri is dubious about that but she nods anyway. 

Joohyun throws her arm around Yeri’s shoulder. “Do you want me to teach you how to make the pajeon?” 

Yeri nods enthusiastically. 

“This doesn’t taste that bad on the not burnt parts!” Sooyoung points out, mid bite of the one she and Yeri made together.

Joohyun laughs and pulls both girls along, cleaning up the burnt crumbs from the pan and teaching them how to cook lunch for the day. It’s nice seeing Yeri enthusiastic to learn and to spend time with her. It’s rare moments when Joohyun doesn’t have to work so she can spend time with Yeri like this. 

After lunch, they do laundry together, Joohyun being very particular because there’s a perfect ratio of detergent and fabric softener that Yeri would forego and Sooyoung would know absolutely nothing about. Yeri tags along to the basement, wearing her mask, watching Joohyun organize the laundry and measure things out. Yeri talks about her week at school and the shenanigans that Sooyoung gets up to and reports back to Yeri. 

Joohyun hears the wistfulness in Yeri’s voice. She’s still not healthy enough to go outside for long periods of time without getting tired or being in the gym where there are a lot of germs, but Joohyun can tell that Yeri longs for that. She hopes that her treatment continues to work well for her and one day her baby sister can have anything that she wants. 

Usually on the weekends before work, they get to play games with each other. With Sooyoung there, they can actually play a few board games, but Joohyun had woken up late so Yeri insists that she goes to sleep. She ushers the woman into her room to take a nap.

When Joohyun wakes up, she packs some homework into her bag and comes out to a lunchbox made by Yeri and Sooyoung.

“The kitchen isn’t burnt down,” Joohyun jokes as she looks around. 

“We did a lot of youtoob to figure this out!” Sooyoung counters in offence. “We can’t guarantee the taste, but we made it sincerely!” 

Joohyun nods and hugs them both before leaving for work. 

On a twelve hour overnight shift, Joohyun often gets some homework done when the patients are all sleeping or no one is around. She stocks, cleans, and organizes charts for the nurses. It’s not a bad job to have on the floor. However, this weekend must’ve been a blue moon. The patients are demanding and unruly, the nurses and doctors are on edge, and Joohyun can barely breathe as she tries to keep up with work. 

She thinks she’s about to collapse by the time the sun starts to rise. 

“Ah, Joohyun-ah!” someone calls her when she leaves the floor to go home. 

Joohyun looks around until she sees a familiar woman with sweeping long black hair and a beautiful eye smile. She wears a pink blouse and tan pants with heels even in the morning. 

Joohyun quickly bows. “Dr. Hwang, how are you?” she greets. 

“I’m headed home,” Tiffany informs with a wave of her car keys. “Can I offer you a ride home?” 

How the doctor looks so lively after such a long night confounds Joohyun, but she is also inspired by the woman. 

Usually, Joohyun would refuse the ride, not wanting to impose but today, she can’t. Her body is exhausted and she’d rather a nice car ride than a long bus ride home. “I would really appreciate it, Dr. Hwang.” 

Tiffany smiles and leads Joohyun to her car. 

“I’m sorry about last night,” Tiffany says as she pulls out of the lot. “The admissions must’ve been brutal on everyone upstairs.” 

It isn’t necessary for Tiffany to apologize for doing her job, but Joohyun feels comforted to know that she’s thought of.

“It’s okay, you were just doing your job,” Joohyun says as she settles into the seat. “I’m sorry it was so busy last night.” 

Tiffany just smiles. “It’s the nature of the hospital. You never know what you’re going to get.” 

Joohyun nods in agreement. She doesn’t hate being a nurse’s aid, but sometimes the work is tough and Joohyun feels like she’s the only one working. It's difficult to express to the nurses and doctors that she just hangs in there and keeps working, especially when they seem to rely on her as opposed to her other coworkers. The thought is exhausting and before Joohyun knows it, Tiffany turns on some light music and she falls asleep as the woman sings. 

When Joohyun wakes up, there’s a bag on her lap and she’s outside of her apartment complex. 

“I’m so sorry!” Joohyun immediately apologizes when she wakes up. She looks at the time and realize it hasn’t been too long but she slept through the majority of the ride. 

“It’s okay,” Tiffany reassures. “Taeyeon told me you have a lot on your plate with school. You must be exhausted, you slept right through the ride.”

“I’m okay,” Joohyun insists as she picks up her back. She looks at the bag on her lap and smells the fresh bread. Unsure of what to do, she holds it for Tiffany. “Uh…”

“It’s for you and Yeri,” Tiffany smiles brightly. “Eat it well and get a lot of rest. I know you’re back on tonight.” 

Joohyun hesitates. “I can’t–”

“Don’t be ridiculous, go ahead and take it,” Tiffany insists. She shoos her with her hand. “Go, go, Yeri must be waking up now.” 

Joohyun has the bag in one hand and her backpack in the other. She stumbles out of the car, trying to get her bearings. She bows, “Thank you for the ride and the bread!” 

Tiffany smiles, eyes turning into perfect crescents. She holds her fist up, “Fighting, Joohyun-ah! I’m back on tonight, I’ll come pick you up!” 

Before Joohyun can protest, Tiffany closes the window and takes off. She watches as the nice sedan goes off into traffic. She gets a waft of the bread and her stomach growls in response. 

When she gets inside the apartment, Sooyoung is snoozing on the couch soundly, long leg dangling off the edge like an animal. Joohyun smiles and goes to check on Yeri. She peers into her room quietly and sees Yeri in bed playing on her phone. The young girl hears her door open and sits up when she sees Joohyun. 

Joohyun brings the bag of bread in with a flourish. “Look what I have,” she whispers as to not wake up Sooyoung. She walks into the room waving the bag. 

Yeri’s smile grows. “You stopped at the bakery?” she asks in awe. 

“Dr. Hwang got it for us on the way here,” Joohyun answers as she sits down on Yeri’s bed with the bread. “Make sure you eat some, but not too much or your stomach will hurt.” 

“That was one time,” Yeri whines as she makes grabby hands to see what’s inside the bag.

“Because you ate a whole loaf,” Joohyun reminds playfully.

Yeri sticks her tongue out and starts going through the bag. “Wow, Tiffany unnie got us a lot,” she giggles. “She got you old lady bread.” She hands Joohyun a red bean bun, much to Joohyun’s dismay, and picks out a cream bun for herself. “Can we eat here? I’ll clean up my sheets.” 

Joohyun nods. Just this once. Yeri bounces on the bed happily before she opens the package. Just as they crack open the packages, there’s a thump against the door. 

Sooyoung sleepily hangs on the doorframe. “I smell bread.” 

“Oh god, you’re like a fly,” Yeri complains. 

“A hungry fly!” Sooyoung counters, too sleepy to care about the insult, before rushing onto the bed. 

Joohyun goes to sleep after eating bread and showering. After missing her alarm the previous day, Joohyun makes an extra effort to wake up early and cook the girls dinner and prepare food for the week. She packs her own food for work and even has a spare minute to get some studying done. When she leaves, Dr. Hwang is waiting for her in front of her apartment complex to take her to work. Joohyun does it all over again for a second night and mentally prepares herself to get a quick shower and nap before school. 

Unfortunately, the second night is just as bad as the first one and Joohyun resists significantly less when Dr. Hwang offers her a ride home. 

Maybe this week will be a bit different. Joohyun only ever hopes.