It's just another ordinary day for Sana. And by the term "ordinary," I mean that nothing special is expected to take place. That would imply that she has no reason to grin or be excited, looking forward to something. Sana's aunt had seen the young lady's frowning demeanor since she awoke, but she couldn't inquire since she thought every time was the wrong time.

"Sana is frowning a lot," Shirou, the husband of Sana's aunt Sayuri, observed. Sayuri looked at him with a wrinkled brow as a result. The man's gaze was locked on the young lady as he placed the keys to the van over the cashier's counter. "Look at her face," he remarked, "she looks like she wants to shave the customer's head off."

"I think she has a problem," Sayuri replied gently, concerned about her niece. It's because the last time Sana smiled was yesterday morning, and she's been frowning ever since she arrived home. "I wanted to ask her earlier, but she's too quiet, and she only spoke because the customer asked her to do the bangs as well," she continued.

Sayuri and Shirou's main source of income is this little salon, where Sana also works while looking for long-term or permanent employment. It's just that the longer Sana works on something she doesn't want to do, the more upset she becomes. But she has high ambitions for herself. That explains why she applied for so many part-time jobs in town, including this one, being a salon hairstylist in the mornings, a woman behind the counter in a tiny town convenience store in the evenings, and babysitting/tutoring on weekends.

That is the awful reality of life. Even though they work really hard, some people are denied the same opportunities as others. Sana's daily earnings do not equal those of someone with professional and steady work. This is the source of her frustration, and if she could only do something about it in the most manageable way possible, she would.

"Should I talk to her now?" Shirou inquired after Sana had finished with a customer. There are still some people in the waiting line, but she can take a break for a while. In any case, she isn't the only hairstylist here.

"Try approaching her," Sayuri agreed, even nudging her husband with her elbow to give him the go signal. From the way this pair is acting, it appears that Sana is something to be afraid of.

Shirou suggested, "How about you do it?" "You two are both girls; I'm sure you'll understand her better than I do," he added, clearly apprehensive to make a move for fear of making the incorrect one.

"How come you're looking so scared?"

"You're acting the same way."

While the two were arguing over who should approach Sana, the latter walked straight in front of them. However, it seems that none of them noticed somebody looking. As a result, Sana had no choice but to slam the scissors down on the counter while clearing .

"What are you fighting about?" she asked Sayuri before turning her gaze to the perplexed Shirou. "Who's scared? Scared of what?" Sana asked, raising both of her eyebrows, leading the couple to gulp and glance at each other.

"Aunt Sayuri," Sana said, crossing her arms and looking the woman in the eyes. She sighed as she realized she wouldn't receive an answer. "Are you talking about me?" she questioned quietly.

"Ah," Sayuri scratched the top of her head, forced to be the one to speak out. "We just noticed you didn't seem to be in a good mood," she explained. "You didn't even smile warmly at our customers today, so we assumed something was wrong."

Shirou nodded, "That's right." "We were just discussing who should approach you because we are both shy," he explained before changing his look to his wife, who nodded eagerly.

"What do you have to be shy about?" Sana almost murmured, finally expressing herself through her gaze. The pair can now confirm exactly how the young lady felt. The melancholy expression and glint in those eyes were too definite. "The employment position I was so thrilled about..." she exhaled, "will no longer be available. Somebody else took it."

"W-what?" Sayuri couldn't help but be concerned when she heard it. The truth would be that the three of them were excited and even planned a celebration once Sana started working. So hearing this news is not only upsetting for her niece but also for their entire small family. "How did that happen? I thought someone especially influential recommended you? Why are you now unable to have it?" she said, making it even more difficult for Sana to respond.

"Why don't you ask questions one by one?" Shirou advised, but Sayuri didn't seem to mind.

It's understandable how they feel about Sana's misfortunes. They were unable to conceive a child, while Sana was raised without a mother, and her father was convicted when she was in secondary school. Those circumstances left the child with no one to cling to but herself. It's a good thing Sana's father contacted Sayuri and requested her to look after his kid while he was away.

"I don't really know," Sana could only mutter before putting both hands on her face, wanting to cry but knowing that this was not the right place to do so. "I have a feeling fate does not want me to find something that may last," she added. "Am I a cursed child?" Sana moved her hands away from her face to glance at the couple at about the same time. "Everything that happens in my life feels like a punishment for something."

"Hey," Sayuri said, shaking her head and reaching out to touch Sana's arm. "That is not true," she stated. "Since you arrived, our lives have brightened."

"But your fried chicken restaurant went out of business because you wanted me to go to a decent college. I should have gone to a government one because, see, even though I graduated from a well-known institution, life didn't get any better and easier."

"Look, maybe that's not the best job for you," Sayuri stated as Shirou stood by her side, just listening attentively and nodding in agreement. "I, for one, feel that a better chance will present itself to you; perhaps you won't even have to seek it. It may simply appear because you are destined to be with it."

Sana couldn't help but chuckle at that idea because it sounded absurd. "Do you think we're in a fairytale?" she questioned, lifting her eyebrows. "Should a prince charming come to save me too?"

"How can a prince charming come to you when you don't even like men?" Sayuri inquired, prompting Shirou to burst out laughing. He simply didn't see it coming, but it's true. The moment Sana approached them and told them she preferred a girl over a guy, it was still fresh in his mind. "Anyway," Sayuri shrugged, "we don't know what's going to happen." "It is not unlikely that what you truly desire will come to you at the ideal time."

Suddenly, Shirou's gasp snapped the conversation short. "What?" Sayuri inquired, her attention shifting from the man's face to the direction in which he was looking. "This isn't the ideal time, is it?" he asked quietly.

"Huh?" Sana pinched her brows as she noticed the couple had spaced out, gazing behind her. "What's going on with you two?" she said before deciding to check herself.

And it was absolutely overwhelming, not in a nice way, but also not in a bad one. After discussing destiny's plan and the proper timing, and then abruptly moving to this situation, Sana found herself in an awkward position. All she can hope for now is that the woman who has entered the place is not the "prince(ss) charming" who will save her from a life of misery.

Sana took a moment to process this figure approaching her, open as everything moved slowly around her. Yes, like in a movie, if not a fairytale. Nevertheless, if she's being honest, this moment feels like it is existing somewhere between a dream and a nightmare.

"...Lim Nayeon," she could only say after a while.

 

This morning, Dahyun was frowning as she opened the door to her office. The talk she had with her sister Nayeon is still to blame for her current temperament. She couldn't get all those words out of her thoughts; therefore, she couldn't sleep well or for long. So, I'd say this is one of the rare times Dahyun arrives at work on time.

"Good morning?" she heard from within, and it was only then that she realized two women were sitting on her office couches. Dahyun smiled slightly, attempting to make these people feel more welcome. "We already saw the look on your face when you entered, so we know the one you're making now is a fake," Chaeyoung discussed.

"What's wrong?" inquired the other woman across from Chaeyoung.

"Nothing is wrong," Dahyun said before walking up to her table and hooking the strap of her backpack to the backrest of the swivel chair. She then approached the two and sat in the single chair.

"How was last night's dinner?" Chaeyoung questioned, swinging one leg above the other. Dahyun's countenance returned, indicating that something had occurred during the small celebration. "There's something wrong then," she said.

"I just got pissed off," Dahyun replied. "It's natural to feel this way in the presence of Lim Nayeon," she explained, prompting Chaeyoung to nod in accord. "She just continues doing it, you know?"

"Doing what?" Chaeyoung went on to ask.

"Always acting the good person," Dahyun scoffs. "Whenever she's out in public, she speaks so respectfully; she wouldn't even defend herself from the rumors since it would harm her humble image," she said, shaking her head in utter disbelief. "But the truth is, Nayeon has a lot to say, and she speaks sharply, which is completely different from how she behaves to all others."

Chaeyoung could only respond, "Hasn't she always been like that?"

"That woman is only concerned about herself."

"That's true."

Dahyun exhaled and sat back, content with her decision to go about her day instead of getting infuriated by it. "But what brought the two of you here?" she wondered.

"We just came by to check on you, but we'll be on our way to Son & Art," Chaeyoung replied before looking at the woman she had come here together with. "We also have some news to share," she added.

"What is it?"

"Last night, when you were at dinner, Ms. Chou wrote an email to Lim Museum of Arts and Sculptures, confirming that she would be withdrawing from the collaborative project she had promised to them," Chaeyoung informed them with a smirk on one side of her lips. "Correct, Ms. Chou?" she inquired of the woman seated across from her.

"Yes, I did," Tzuyu replied, smiling slightly.

"By now, I'm sure they're getting a little rowdy in their company," Chaeyoung remarked. "Lim Nayeon should be upset about that."

"The truth is," Dahyun said, drawing the attention of the two others. "I mentioned it to my sister last night."

"How did she react?" Tzuyu queried, hoping that it showed the desired effect on Nayeon.

Tzuyu has been covertly acquainted with Chaeyoung and Dahyun since the beginning. They just created the show and a strategy to entice Nayeon into believing her museum would gain more engagements after Tzuyu signed with them. In the end, all they really wanted was to let the woman down.

"She did look disoriented after that," Dahyun replied, recalling what she had discussed with Nayeon when they were asked to wash the dishes. "I guess that's why she started speaking so rudely; she must have been upset that you chose Son & Art instead," she chuckled. "Nayeon sees you as a competitive edge over other art business."

Tzuyu could only smile as she was thrilled by the thought. "In any case, I am your ally, from the beginning to the end," she stated, looking at Dahyun and then Chaeyoung.

"But I have a question for both of you," Dahyun remarked as she leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. Her clasped hands touched her chin as she raised both of her elbows above her knees. "Am I acting as if I'm obsessed with Nayeon?" she wondered.

"Honest response?" Chaeyoung questioned. "Yes."

"Wow," Dahyun exclaimed, shaking her head with wide eyes. "Are you really a friend or what?"

"Didn't you want to be friends with me since I was your sister's toughest threat in academics back in college?" Chaeyoung asked, softly laughing. "My company was on the verge of going massively in debt when you approached me as an angel investor," she added, wanting Tzuyu to understand how she met Dahyun as well. "You said you saw potential in me, and I think I'll be the perfect person to outplay Nayeon."

"It's true," Dahyun said, nodding her head. "And Tzuyu as well," she added. "That's why I need you two to cooperate. Because from what I see now, we have the best chance of winning at the next awarding ceremony." "It's necessary for Nayeon to maintain her winning streak, and if the two of you become a stumbling block to it, she will become unfocused and directionless."

"You really want to ruin her career, don't you?" Tzuyu asked quietly.

"She just can't win all the time," Dahyun replied. "Think of it as a lesson for a proud narcissistic ."

"A.k.a. Dahyun's obsession," Chaeyoung remarked, drawing a groan from the paler woman.

"You should get out of here before I punch you straight in the face."