3rd POV

As promised, Sua did receive a message from the mysterious woman a day later. 

Ms. Mysterious: 

-Good morning :). Will you be free today at 4pm?- 

Sua checked the day. Saturday. 4pm would be a suitable time.

-Morning :), i'll be free then.- 

Ms. Mysterious: 

-Great! Send me your address, I'll pick you up.- 

Sua feels anticipation stir within her.

-Hold on there, can you give me an idea of what we're going to do?- 

Ms. Mysterious: 

-Hehe no, it'll be a secret till we arrive.-

Sua could practically hear her teasing again through the screen.

-...you're not setting up something evil or anything?- 

Ms. Mysterious: 

-Of course not! I would even bet that you've experienced it before.- 

Sua paused in her reply. Something she's experienced before? She's experienced many things in her life...

Ms. Mysterious: 

-I won't take any guesses, wait until then okay?- 

Sua bit her tongue. It seemed like she didn't have a choice. She'll admit that the woman was fun to talk with though. 

-Alright- 

'What could it be?' Sua couldn't stop pondering about it...the woman sure knew how to make her anticipate. She still didn't even know her name! 

Her phone buzzed. 

Ms. Mysterious: 

-do you have any dietary restrictions?- 

Sua smiles at her thoughtfulness.

-That's very considerate of you to ask. Thankfully, I do not have any in particular...as long as they're not high in chemicals like mercury etc.- 

Ms. Mysterious: 

-Understood. See you later then~- 

-See you!- 

So she knew now that they were probably going to eat something, seafood maybe...but that was the least she expected. Though that didn't help with her guessing at all. She used a decent amount of self-control to not spam Ms. Mysterious with messages till she found out. 

Unknown POV 

“Two tickets to ****?” A man confirmed from behind the plexiglass.

“Yes, thank you.” A woman replies, her high cheekbones forming a polite smile. 

“Proceed to Gate 18 later.” 

Sua’s POV 

I got along with my day to pass time, re-sorting the files for books borrowed. Hongseok had begun studying the books vandalised with Geonwoo, Hyejoo helping them take notes and pictures. Turns out, there was a pattern in the vandalism, a perfect blue circle with a dot in the middle would always be there. Excluding the intentional neon marks that were always scribbled randomly- which supported Hongseok’s initial suspicion, the circle could only be achieved if equipment was used. A stamp, likely. 

Holding onto that idea, Hongseok suggests bringing a page to a stamp seller/specialist to test the ink if it is a typical substance used in stamps. Seulgi then sorted through the computer database to identify the previous borrowers of these books. 

I crossed my fingers, hoping hard that we’d find the culprit before the situation got out of hand.

My phone buzzes on the table for the nth time. I picked it up, ready to text a reply but it was instead a phone call from Seulgi. I picked it up immediately. 

-Hey Queen- This was a nickname used often by Seulgi when we spoke alone. Never fails to put a smile on my face everytime. 

-Hi Seulbear. What’s up?- 

-Up to check out a new chinese restaurant downtown later?- 

I checked the time. 12.46pm. There was still some time before my date with Ms. Mysterious but I decided to play it safe since Seulgi and I tend to get carried away when we were together. 

-I’m sorry Seul, I won’t be free later.- 

-No worries, we can go another time..what are you up to though?- Seulgi questions me warily.

I held my tongue. It would be alright to tell her right? I trust Seulgi. 

-I am going to meet someone.-

I played it cool, but then realised Seulgi would get that kind of idea…that romance was involved. I was right when she says: 

-Oh? Tell me moreeee- DETAILS, I need details!- 

She prompts me further, sounding more excited then when her favourite girl group released an album after a 1-year hiatus. 

I facepalmed gently. -I can’t tell you much…Seul, I don’t even know her name!- 

-You’ll be meeting a woman??- She sounded more surprised about that. 

-Yes.- I replied firmly, keeping a neutral stance to her reaction. After all, she had only known that all my past relationships were with guys. 

-That’s awesome, trust me, you’ll have a fun time.-

Seulgi was so sure about her words, I could tell. So I was assured that Ms. Mysterious didn’t plan anything out of the ordinary. I’d be totally satisfied too with just a lovely meal together. 

-Is that what you can promise after spending your time with Joohyun?-

I was teasing, but was curious to know too.

Seulgi nervously chuckles from the other side. -Well, actually yes, but we’ve been getting close now for a while and..she behaves like a total kid.- 

-Oooh I’ll tell her you said that!- I further. 

-NO! She’ll kill me!- Seulgi sounded so genuinely afraid, I burst out laughing. 

-I’m playing, I’m playing…- 

-Thank god. But she really is the kindest person ever.-Seulgi said one line, but the amount of daze in her voice was unmissable. 

-Alright, alright, I’ll tell you how it went when I come back.- 

-You better, otherwise I’m coming over to your flat.- 

-Ok, byeee- 

-Promise me you wil-- 

I hung up, not wanting to hear her rant about fulfilling her requests. The mountain of questions that I expected to hear from Seulgi tonight already made me shudder. I hope it goes well… 

:

‘Wallet, lip balm, headsets, phone, powerbank, cable…do I need to pack anything else?’ I questioned myself, examining the summer dress I was going to wear. I decided I shouldn’t bring too many things either or my bag will be too heavy. 

I wore the summer dress, adjusting the folded lower half so that it flowed till my ankles. I twirled slightly in the mirror, feeling a fresh emotion of excitement. I caught myself at that feeling. Was I getting bored all this time? It was the most unfamiliar yet familiar feeling I’ve felt in a while… 

‘Maybe because she’s a stranger.’ My subconscious replies. 

To be honest, the day we met at the supermarket was totally coincidental. Fate would be how Winter and Yeri would describe our...meetings. I’m not saying our meetings were meant to be romantic, but it was definitely a refreshing idea to meet someone new. Not to mention that she had only been helping me since the day we met…it makes me curious to know why she asked me out. I was now more curious about that than what we were going to do during the date.

My phone lit up on my dresser. 

Ms. Mysterious 

-I’m round the corner 🙃- 

I panicked for a hot minute. Did that much time pass while I was thinking of the whole situation?? 

I pick up my bag and walk out the door, assuring myself that if anything goes wrong, Seulgi and Hongseok were there for me.

3rd POV 

Ms. Mysterious pulls up in her chic Audi A8, rolling down the passenger window to whistle at an unsuspecting Sua who stood in front of her flat building, eyes darting around energetically. 

Sua whipped her head towards the whistle, catching the woman’s face through the window. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest when she saw the grin on her face. It was toothy, eyes curved so they were smiling crescents. Simply mesmerising.

Her baby must have sensed the ‘lovestruck’ moment her mother was having, kicking her belly gently to prevent her freezing in place. 

The pregnant woman glanced down at her stomach weirdly. This was the first time her baby kicked her belly without her hand being on her belly. Maybe the baby was having a wild dream like she does at night.

“Hey there Ms Bora," Ms. Mysterious greets Sua casually, despite knowing the fact that she was 2 years older.

“You better give me your name right now or I’m getting out of this car.” Sua left no room for play, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her face jumped in surprise at her feisty sentence. She backed down. “I’m 27-year old Lee Siyeon, it’s nice to meet you.” 

Sua took a second to register the new information. “Lee Siyeon..27..” The said woman gulps when Sua hits her with narrowed eyes. “Didn’t you call me Bora when we last spoke?!” 

Siyeon recalls that and immediately bows her as low as she could repeatedly. “I am very sorry Bora-ssi.” 

“I was kidding,” Sua fixes her messy hair from all the bowing, “you can call me whatever you’d like, so long as I can do the same.” 

“Deal!” Siyeon was onto this agreement quick. Somehow it felt like Sua’s humour matched hers well. 

“Just a small note, I do have another name, Sua. You’d hear it more at work though.” She explains.

“I like Bora.” Siyeon gives her a one-sided smile, “What will you call me?” 

“Hmm..I haven’t thought of one yet, I’ll come up with one by the end of our date.” Bora bluntly replies, unknown to what effect her reply had on Siyeon. Happy would be too simple to express it. 

“Fair enough. Are you ready?” Siyeon starts the car after Bora nods in reply. 

On the road, the question Bora initially had in mind was pushed back. She’d find out the reason why at the end. For now, it was time to find out the content of their outing. 

“Could you be so kind as to inform me on what we’re doing today?” 

“Woah what’s with the politeness suddenly? I was expecting a whole demand.” Siyeon teased, flinching to her right-side as a hand hit her shoulder. 

“Answer me!!” Bora fumes angrily in the most adorable way. 

‘That’s more like it..’ Siyeon giggles to herself inwardly. Even so she holds her tongue. “You will find out in just another 8 minutes.” 

“Siyeon!” Bora protests. But Siyeon only smiles, using her thumb & index finger to pull a zip over her pressed lips. 

Siyeon turns on a chill playlist. “Be patient..” she murmurs, her lips twitching into another smile when Bora only huffs cutely next to her. 

She gets nervous when Bora doesn’t respond to her question minutes later. Was there something wrong about asking her about her music taste? 

“If I sing for you, will you stop ignoring me?” Siyeon suggested. Revealing the plan she had for them lied at the tip of her tongue. But they were close to the surprise so she compensated for it this way.

It caught Bora’s attention. “You know exactly why I’m ignoring you.” Siyeon could tell she didn’t mean it. She was just being sulky. 

“So can I sing for you or not?” 

“Go ahead.” Bora turned her head to pay attention. She didn’t regret it one bit. 

Her jaw had to drop to the floor when Siyeon flawlessly hit the runs, and the high notes. Bora spiralled into a melodic daze when she harmonised with the original singer at the chorus. ‘Is she not a singer?’ It made Bora question herself.

Siyeon had to burst into laughter when she noticed Bora’s fascinated expression. 

“Don’t stop!” Bora requested.

“I’m going to have to BEcause we’ve arrived.”

Siyeon parks the car along the queue at gate 18. Bora whips her head round to see where they were. In front of them, stood an electronic banner:

*FERRY TO YOKJI ISLAND LEAVES AT 14:30*

“We’re going to Yokji Island right now?” Bora was taken aback. 

“Yeah.” Siyeon replies shyly. 

“Wah!! I’m more excited because I know I can look forward to the food.” 

Siyeon laughed heartily at her words. “I reserved a good place for us. I hope you like seafood?” 

“Like? More like love. The bill will be on me alright?” Bora inputs quickly, muffling Siyeon’s mouth with her palm when she could see her refusing her words. “No questions Lee Siyeon.” 

Siyeon pouted her lips behind Bora’s palm, which tickled her skin lightly. She retrieved her hand to see Siyeon’s expression. Cute. Bora only squishes her puffed cheeks with the same hand. 

“Why-” 

“Are-” 

They spoke simultaneously, stopping each other with an apologetic chuckle. 

“You can say what you want first.” Bora insists to Siyeon’s motioning hand gestures. 

“Okay, are you able to do physical activity?” She asks. 

Bora nods, “Up to 30-45 minutes of walking. I don’t actually walk that often since I’m a total homebody.” 

“I see. Me too though. I work an office job and my tailbone hates it so much. It’s always sore every day.” Siyeon complains with a dramatic expression that made Bora chuckle.

The car in front of them started moving so Siyeon swiftly shifted gear to keep in line. Bora bounces in her seat, eager to see the view of the island from the ferry. Siyeon hands the awaiting officer the two tickets, driving securely into the base of the ferry. 

“Do you want to go upstairs-” Siyeon didn’t even get the whole question out because Bora was already out the door. Siyeon grinned and quickly followed behind, entering the lift with her to the 2nd floor.

“Waahhh!” Bora exclaims as the wind blows into her face gently.

The mountain stood ahead majestically, fluffy clouds nestling on the peaks. Small villages were visible on the lower parts of the mountains. 

“Beautiful…” Siyeon’s reaction mimicked Bora’s, but the younger woman wasn’t referring to the island.

The ship was reasonably busy, with tour groups and families surrounding the area the two were standing at. The wind started getting a little stronger further in the waters..

‘Ah it’s getting kind of cold..’ Bora shivered slightly. She turned to ask Siyeon to go back to the car- 

“Wear my jacket.” Siyeon had swiftly removed her jacket, her sharp eyes having caught Bora’s shivering.

She held it open for Bora to fit her arms into. Bora gasps but wears it with an apologetic gaze, allowing Siyeon to give her a short backhug.

“You think I wouldn’t come here prepared? Keep it on, I’ll be fine.” Siyeon says with a kind smile. She was inwardly gushing over how adorable Bora looked in her jacket 2 sizes too big for her. 

“Your partner will be very lucky to have you.” Bora smiles sweetly. 

“I think so too.” Siyeon replies smugly, receiving an annoyed slap on the hip. 

Siyeon opened the camera app in her phone secretly. Just as Bora was admiring the view, Siyeon snapped away, admiring the person in her view. 

“Hey! Did you just take a picture of me?” Bora grabs Siyeon’s shoulder to look at her phone. But Siyeon was quick to switch it off, hiding her evidence. 

“No I didn’t.” Siyeon shifts her eyes elsewhere, holding her hands behind her back. 

Bora purses her lips and narrows her eyes. "Don't lie to me!” Bora shrieks so loud that Siyeon covers her ears with her hands, stepping backwards to evade her grabby hands. 

“Fine! I’ll show them to you.” Siyeon gave up when Bora finally got hold of her phone from her back pocket, but obviously failed to unlock her phone because it was password-restricted. 

“Ooh! It's so pretty!” Bora was undeniably delighted with the photos. 

“I know,” Siyeon’s eyes were on Bora, “The lighting out here is pretty decent.” She works out an excuse to hide her true thoughts.

“My turn to take some of you!” Bora gives Siyeon her phone back to use her own. 

“Sure.” Siyeon agrees, leaning onto the railing to pull off some poses for photographer Bora who was encouraging her with words. 

“You sure know how to pose.” Bora was impressed, showing Siyeon the photos she took on her phone.

“Hehe~” Siyeon naturally rested her head onto Bora’s right shoulder to check the photos. Bora felt this and smiled, patting Siyeon’s bangs down that was blown by the wind. 

“Ahem..we will be arriving in 5 minutes.” A man’s voice booms from the speaker above them. 

Bora and Siyeon look around in surprise, seeing the island get closer. “Let’s take a selfie, quickly.” They shifted themselves to a good position to capture the background. 

Siyeon had her arm round Bora’s small frame, since the latter wanted to lean her head against Siyeon’s. Bora gave a full, sunshine grin while Siyeon’s grin gave off a chic/cool vibe. As they went back down to the car, Bora forwarded it to Siyeon.

The ferry arrives safely at the dock of the island, Bora plastering her face against the window as Siyeon drives them out onto the road. Siyeon focuses on the sign to lead them to a short trail. It takes 5 minutes, where they see small tour groups or families gathering at the bottom of the trail, some solo hikers gearing up to trek. 

“So we’ve got two options eonnie, either we take the car up to the mountain where the restaurant is, or we use the trail and see the sights in-person.” Siyeon says as she stops the car right before the trail.

To turn right would be to park the car, to turn left would be a shortcut to the restaurant, but the sights will be missed. 

Bora doesn’t have to consider. “Let’s walk!” 

Siyeon replies with a salute, turning right to park the car. She picked up her bag from the backseat and held Bora’s arm before she could exit the car. “Mosquito patches.” 

“Oh wow, you really did come prepared.” Bora was impressed once again. “2 is enough right?”

“Yeah I usually wear 2.” 

Once set, the two make their way towards the beginning of the trail, wanting to check the map. 

“Ooh so the restaurant I booked is here,” Siyeon points onto the map, “so we should follow the yellow path. It’s not steep and takes about 10-15 minutes. That sound okay to you?” 

Bora nods confidently. “That’s manageable.” 

“Let's go then!” Siyeon offers her hand to the latter, and she takes it. "Let's go!"

The walk starts off well as the two take in their surroundings. Birds chirped from their left and right, a nice breeze encouraging them with every step. Bora couldn’t stop gushing over the view as they walked higher, while Siyeon was constantly aware of Bora not tripping over sticks or stones. ‘Luckily she’s wearing flat shoes.’ Siyeon thought to herself. 

“Siyeon-ah! Let’s take a picture here!” Bora pulled the said latter towards a platform, unaware of a kid scurrying past. 

‘Eonnie! Watch out-”

Siyeon lunged forward to catch her as she staggers backward, her reaction delayed. The kid continues running without a care which makes Siyeon shake her head. She keeps a firm grip onto Bora’s waist, helping her stand up properly. She only blinks as if she was in a daze. 

“Bora? Are you alright?” Siyeon remembers she could get easily dizzy being pregnant. 

“Yes I’m alright.” Bora replies calmly, keeping too, a firm grip on Siyeon’s shoulders. It seemed like she didn’t want to let go. “Thanks for looking out for me.” 

“No worries.” Siyeon softly smiles at her, “Let’s take that photo shall we?” Bora nods, still composing herself. 

“1, 2, 3!” They decided to make a heart with their hands.

“1, 2, 3!” Another with Siyeon’s hand on Bora’s head, so as to height while Bora made a cute-angry expression.

"1, 2, 3!” They took the last one normally, smiling contendly. 

“Now, let’s go eat!” Siyeon carefully led them back on track.

Bora noticed a sign up on a tree. “Look! The restaurant is 200m away.” 

Siyeon checks the sign, tilting her head back quite a bit. “Wah. The sign was so high up and you were able to see it?” She teased endlessly. 

“Yah!” Bora doesn’t hesitate to slap her shoulder with strength.

Siyeon grimaces and feigns hurt, grabbing her shoulder. She made that same dramatic expression which made Bora laugh again. 

“I didn’t know you could be very expressive.” Bora comments sincerely as they lock hands, walking up to the restaurant. 

“Haha, funny you say that because I’m usually the opposite.” Siyeon rubs the nape of her neck shyly.

“That's cute though.” Bora casually admits, which sends another strike to Siyeon’s heart. 

“Thank you..” Siyeon gets shyer by her tone, unable to look at the latter in her eyes. Bora could see a blush travelling to her cheeks. “I think...you're cute too.” Siyeon stutters a little, her heart fluttering when Bora sends her a grin. 

“Welcome to Seaside Seafood, do you two have a reservation made?” A young adult assists them at the front.

“Yes, under the name Lee Siyeon.” Siyeon answers for them, while Bora’s eyes fly to the menu up on the wall. 

He taps on a tablet. “Yep we have your reservation. Your table will be number 12. Enjoy your food.” The young adult points to the table they were assigned to. 

Bora giggles when Siyeon pulls out the chair for her, and even takes out her jacket for her, using it as a blanket to cover the latter’s legs. Siyeon was dressed in pants so she didn’t have that issue. 

“Alright, let’s take a look at that menu.” 

“Seafood noodles is a must.” 

“Oh of course…let’s get seafood pancakes too.” 

“Ooo yess…grilled abalone with butter too.” 

“By the way, I don't like shrimps.” 

“WHAT?” 

“I’m sorry..” 

“That’s fine.” 

“Can you eat spicy stuff?” 

“Just a little bit of spice is fine.” 

“Okay we’ll tell them that later, let’s get the chilli scallops.” 

“And 2 bowls of rice.” 

“Yup that’s perfect.” 

“Is that too much?” Bora was the worried one. 

“No don't worry,” Siyeon was the relaxed one. “If you can’t finish it I will.” 

“What would you ladies like to have?” The waiter holds a notepad in his hands expectantly. 

“2 Seafood noodles, 1 Seafood pancake, 1 Grilled abalone with butter, 1 Chilli scallop but less spicy and 2 bowls of rice.” 

The two women noticed the waiter’s eyes grow wide with every word of order. Bora decided to ask. “Are the portions big?” 

“No…they’re decent sized…I just didn’t expect the two of you to order this much food.” The waiter sheepishly replied, causing the two to laugh.

The waiter leaves them to get their order through after dropping of a jug of water. Bora has the question she’s been longing to ask on the tip of her tongue but she was somewhat afraid that it would kill the mood? Because she didn’t want to sound rude. 

“Eonnie, I can see that you want to say something. Go ahead.” Siyeon prompts. Pouring both of them a cup of water.

“I -uh…” Bora still hesitates, but Siyeon’s gentle smile keeps her going. “I was wondering why you set this whole thing up for the both of us even though we’ve um..never really met properly before.” 

Siyeon had expected this question. Her answer comes from her heart. “You know I have an office job and even though I have close friends that I enjoy spending time with and talking with - I always feel stuck in place. I wanted to reach out, get to know ‘someone new’," She used finger air quotes.

“I'm usually shy but figured this could happen when we met, which happened all coincidentally but here we are now, waiting for food that we can enjoy together. I guess I liked the idea of getting to know someone outside of work so I didn’t pass up the opportunity to set this up.” 

Bora smiles throughout Siyeon’s little ramble, noticing how similar her thoughts were to her own. “Plus, it seems that we get along pretty well.” Siyeon adds, offering Bora a high-five which was received well. 

“To be frank, I have similar thoughts as you in a sense that I didn’t reject your offer despite not knowing what to expect because we were strangers and we had the most random meetings of all - but you did leave a good impression since the start so…I can’t complain can I?” Bora replies with a hearty grin. Siyeon returns one. “I too, like the idea of meeting other people. Thank you for planning this Siyeon.” 

“You're welcome but stop it with the heartfelt stuff, you’re making me blush.” Siyeon brushes it away, but did love it all.

“Hey, don’t act like you don’t like it.” Bora called her right out, resulting in laughter.

The waiter came back with a tray of side dishes and rice bowls. He placed the side dishes in one neat row on the table, placing one rice bowl each in front of them. 

“The rest of your dishes will be ready in a few minutes.” The waiter sounded apologetic, but Siyeon & Bora assured him that it was fine since they observed that the restaurant was busy. 

“If there’s one thing you should know about me when it comes to eating, I eat more rice than side dishes.” Bora tells Siyeon as she slides the side dish over to the latter’s side. 

“Oh really?” Siyeon believed her, nevertheless her face showed that she was surprised about that revelation. 

“Yes. So if you want, you can take all my side dishes.” Bora laughed at Siyeon’s face, but was serious about her words. 

“Haha, I should be ready to order more rice then.” Siyeon scooped kimchi into . “Yes indeed, hehe.” 

As promised, the waiter came back minutes later with a huge tray of food. 

“Here is your Seafood noodles, pancake, Abalones and Chilli scallops, please enjoy your food!” The waiter bows before running off. 

“Wow, this smell…” 

“This is the smell of a seafood party.” 

“Wah, It looks so good! Let’s eat the noodles before they get bloated.” Bora cautiously brings the piping-hot bowl close to her. 

“As expected, you know how to eat right.” Siyeon takes her own bowl, nearly burning her fingertips as the soup sloshes from side to side. 

They both transfer noodles onto a separate plate to cool it off quicker in small portions. “잘 먹겠습니다!”

They slurped up the noodles with their chopsticks, getting in a spoonful of the soup too. 

“Surreal.” 

“Delicious!” 

Siyeon was amazed to find squid, oysters, mussels and clams in the soup. The generosity of this restaurant was no joke. But the soup was the real star, the seafood flavour was mind-blowing. 

“Let’s try the abalone."

The two reached to pick up a huge abalone each, nearly the size of their palm. The sizzling of the abalone made them cautious to not burn their tongue. They quickly ate it off the shell. 

“Oh wow. That is fresh. That is amazing.” 

“This is the taste I’ve been craving all week.” 

The two try a slice of pancake, only to get hit by a third rush of seafood thrill. The pancakes were loaded with seafood, every bite was a different seafood. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside was the way to go. Dipping the pancake into light soy sauce also did the trick. 

“Ooo let’s try the chilli scallops, it’s cooled down enough.” Bora takes two pieces with her chopsticks while Siyeon takes three. 

"...” 

“This is it!” 

The two didn’t pause with their chopsticks, picking up more scallops into their mouths. 

“Siyeon, try this out.” Bora takes her spoon, scoops some rice, dips it into the seafood soup, then uses her chopsticks to place scallops onto the rice. Siyeon follows her every move, understanding what she was trying to do. 

Seafood heaven. 

The two simultaneously leaned back onto their chairs in satisfaction, both gushing over the taste of the combination. 

“Genius.” Siyeon tapped her chopsticks against Bora’s floating ones. 

“I’m gonna have to put this onto my go-to seafood place list.” 

Since the dishes were served, there was little talking, and more refuelling. They figured out it was time to get to know each other properly with half of the dishes gone. 

“What should we start with..work?” Bora suggests, knowing that it couldn’t get awkward.

“Sure. You go first.” Siyeon replies. 

“I’m a librarian assistant at ChungMyung Library, mainly dealing with records of visitors and borrowers. I work with two other librarians, Hongseok and Seulgi. We’re all same-aged so we get along well. We also have some post-graduate kids who are working part-time at the library while looking for a better job and explore their passions. Sadly, money is always an issue.” Bora was bittersweet when talking about HyeGeonRiWin, “They’re great kids and have such bright minds but..that’s not enough.” 

Siyeon nods understandingly, holding the latter’s hand to comfort her. “I hope they achieve their aspirations.” 

“Yeah..I hope so too. Geonwoo is applying to Naver since he’s interested in computer engineering, Yeri and Winter are trying for auditions since they want to be in the Kpop Industry while Hyejoo is still figuring whether to choose to be an idol like Yeri and Winter or follow what her parents want her to do.”

“I see…they must be active outside the library too then?” 

“Right, Geonwoo has online courses and the girls get dance and singing lessons weekly.” 

“Wow. They’re so hardworking. I’d love to meet them.” 

“They are.” Bora says fondly as if she were their mother. “Just drop by and I can introduce them to you.”

“Great! Uh it’s my turn I guess. I work at MinTech, a tech company, as an assistant to the CEO-”

“CEO?? Must be tough.” 

“Not if the CEO is your friend of 6 years.” Siyeon responds with a chuckle.

"The CEO is Kim Minji. Though she has a work name like you, called JiU and is same-aged as you. Her work ethic is simply work hard, play hard. But in her case, the word play is not that…clean.” Siyeon stops to see if Bora got what she meant or not. Her furrowed brows showed that she didn’t.

Siyeon decided to be clear about it, “She parties a lot and sleeps around basically.” 

Bora’s mouth forms an ‘o’ but doesn’t think of it negatively. She could imagine how hard it was to maintain such a position in a competitive industry, much less be a female CEO. 

“Now, where do I come into this? Just like a normal assistant; I take care of the meetings, calls, major projects, flights, receive reports and stats from the different departments to give CEO JiU a summary of it all at the end of every week." Siyeon takes a needed sip of water. 

"She isn’t necessarily mean, but she does come off apathetic as she’s always cautious of her employees because we’ve found moles breaching confidentiality before. Only those that have been working for us for a long time know how Minji usually is.” Siyeon sounded a little sad at the end, “She still treats everyone well though, occasionally celebrating with company dinners and allowing a pretty flexible work schedule.” 

Bora listens intently, finding Siyeon’s work fascinating in a sense that she was working for/with her friend of 6 years, so their teamwork would be efficient in growing the company. Yet, there would always be ups and downs in every workplace. 

“What kind of technology do you guys focus on?” Bora wasn’t sure if she was asking the right question.

“Security. Something like VPN.” Siyeon didn’t want to get too technical, since it may be confusing.

"Ohhh…” Bora understood the 'VPN' part, “Especially since technology’s been evolving quickly..” 

“Right. I’m thankful to be part of an ever-changing industry but..it that I have to take care of the CEO too when she gets wasted…like am I her mother?" Siyeon rolls her eyes, half-joking, half-serious. Well, more like 80% serious. Bora only laughs. 

“You two must be very close for you to talk behind her back.” Bora added. 

“Aish she won’t care…even though we get along well, I am quite the opposite. I don’t like partying, drinking or living in a huge house…” Siyeon trails off when she sees Bora looking away at the words ‘partying’ and 'drinking’. 

“Do you like drinking and partying?” She questions, trying to catch the latter’s eyes behind the steam of the food. Bora sips on her water, “Yes. Before I got pregnant it was 2 to 3 times a week.” 

Siyeon palmed her forehead in disbelief. “You & Minji-eonnie will get along just fine.” 

“Haha, I think so too.” 

‘I should make sure these two don’t meet..’ Siyeon thought to herself.

Checking on the dishes, they were left with only a few bites of each dish.

"I hope your child enjoys the food.” Siyeon comments as she watches Bora finish her soup.

The latter nearly chokes from laughter, patting her belly to feel for her child. No response. 

“She’s probably in a food coma.” Bora blurts out, extracting laughter from both of them this time. “Digest the food well darling.” Bora whispers to her child and Siyeon watches her in awe. 

“I’ve eaten my fill.” Siyeon leans back, patting her stomach in satisfaction. 

“Me too,” Bora stacks their bowls so it’s easier for the waiter to collect them. “I will go ahead to pay.” She waves her hands in the air. 

“The bill please.” 

“Ok!” The waiter collects their plates & bowls, with an impressed expression. The two laughed for the nth time that night. 

They slowly made their way out of the restaurant, taking their time to head back down the trail. Siyeon made sure she was always holding Bora’s hand or vice versa, to prevent any falls. 

As darkness gradually took over the sky, the full-moon emerged. With the lamps switched on, Siyeon's vision became sharper than ever, her awareness levels so high she was alert of any debris from nature rolling their way. 

Bora was going on about her pregnancy pains, which made Siyeon wonder about her story. She didn't want to make assumptions but she knew how conservative people were about pregnancy before marriage. As Bora had told her, she was single. Siyeon figured that a past relationship was a key aspect of her story… 

“Ow my leg!” Bora starts yelping mid-sentence, and Siyeon reacts swiftly, supporting the latter as she leans on her. 

“Cramps?” Siyeon questions, only needing to receive a nod of confirmation to gently scoop her up in her arms. They were still a bit away from their car so she figured it was better to not make it worse. 

“Wah!” Bora squeals, hooking her arms around Siyeon’s neck at the new position. ‘She’s so strong..’ She admired her sharp features from below, finding her attractive in a different light. 

“Does it feel better?” Siyeon asks before continuing to walk. 

“Huh?” Bora looks up to catch the younger's worried gaze. “Yeah it feels better..” She leans her head against Siyeon’s shoulder to assure her. 

Siyeon started softly singing a song which Bora recognised as Tayeon’s ‘Fine’, so she closed her eyes, relaxing completely. The younger woman felt this and didn't stop the singing, as she wanted Bora to relax properly.

‘Click-Click!'

Siyeon unlocked her car, settling down a sleepy Bora in the passenger seat. But she woke up the moment she was out of Siyeon’s arms. Her hands gripped in Siyeon’s shoulders in panic as she was unaware of her surroundings. 

“You can sleep.” Siyeon soothes the latter, smoothening her hair down. 

“O-oh..” Bora realises she was back in the car and loosens her grip, thanking Siyeon then buckling up.

“You’re welcome.” Siyeon buckled up and the two set off to catch the ferry back at 6:45pm. “Have you come up with a nickname for me?” 

“Actually yes,” Bora lists her top two, “Either Singnie or Sing-Sing because your singing is that memorable.”

Genuine laughter is heard from the younger woman. Siyeon admits it though, “I like it.” 

“I’ll pick Singnie for now, but will definitely be calling you Sing-Sing too.” Sua smiles cheekily. She thought it had a very cute ring to it. 

They enjoyed listening to some stand-up comedy on the way back, finding out that they’ve been following the same comedian for a while now. It only showed how similar their humour was. 

“I love these kinds of jokes.” Bora refers to the jokes with styles of exaggeration and imitation.

“Me too! I think that has influenced me quite a bit in terms of my expressiveness haha.” They exchange a knowing glance. 

“That is unavoidable since he releases many episodes a week, you’d naturally be influenced.”

“Crazy how much effort he puts into this, with barely any support from the public. The passion is real.”

“Yeah, that makes his show so valuable. A hidden gem.” 

“I would like to attend his show one day.” 

“Yes...we should go together then!” 

-In the ferry- 

“Wanna play 20 questions?” Siyeon reclines her chair. 

“Why not.” Bora does the same. 

S: “Favourite colour?”
B: “Red." 
S: “Mine’s blue.” 

B: “Coffee order?”
S: “White Choca Mocho."
B: “Eh? Do you mean White Choco Mocha?”
S: “Ah yes yes." -giggles-                                                 B:“Haha, iced Americano for me~”                                   S: “I sometimes drink that too~” 

S: “Dipping or Pouring?”                                                    B: “Dipping.”                                                                      S: “Me too~” -fist bumps-

B: “Favourite makeup item?”                                            S: “My custom perfume! It's called ‘My Jonquil'."             B: “Oooh~” 

Siyeon pulls out a clear rectangular bottle with a shiny, silver cap.

S: “It’s a mix of bitter scent and a soapy scent.”              B: “Mhm~ Smells nice, wait..there’s a flowery scent here too?”                                                                               
S: “You know it. That would be daffodils.”                      
B: “Cool~ For me it’s this concealer powder.”

She pulls out a classic-shaped circular tub. IOPE was the brand.

S: “Looks like it gets the job done.”                                  B: “Indeed it does.” 

Ref. https://m.tv.naver.com/v/5444495 

S: “Favourite alcohol.”
B: “Oh that's hard...I drink everything though.”
S: “Choose two then~ For me it’s beer or makgeolli.”      B: “I’ll choose beer or wine.” -sad tone-                          S: “Haha~” 

B: “Hidden talent?"                                                           S: “Singing heh.”                                                              B: “Of course, dancing for me.”                                         S: “Really?”                                                                       B: “High school years.” 

S: “Weird hidden talent!”                                                   B: “Isn't that basically sam-”                                            S: “No it’s not.”                                                                 B: “Fine...um..I can make goat sounds?”
S: “Show me.”
B: -BleAAaaAT-                                                                S: “HAhAaHAA~~”                                                           B: “Yah.” :<                                                                      S: "Sorry." -bows head-                                                    B: “Share yours!”                                                              S: “I’ll imitate pikachu.”                                                     S: -pikA piKA ChU!↗️↗️-                                                 B: “Isn't this just aegyo?” :o                                               S: “Haha no it isn't~”                                                         B: “Adorable.” -pats Siyeon's head-

B: “Late night supper, yes or no?”
S: “Yes but I’ve been trying to control it…”                       B: “I understand.” 

S: “Seasoned or normal chicken?”                                   B: “Hm...seasoned. Messy but tasty.”                              S: "For me normal, but with dipping sauce.” 

B: “Text or call?”
S: “Video call."                                                                 B: “Good answer hehe.” 

S: “Pancake or waffle?"                                                    B: “Wow that’s hard...mhm.”
S: “I’m #teamwaffle.”                                                        B: “I’ll choose pancakes then.”                                        S: :<                                                                                 B: “HAHA↗️~"

B: “Bus or Subway?”
S: “Bus! I’m scared of taking the subway…”.                  B: “Oh really? I didn't expect that from you.” -teasing tone-

S: “Winter or Summer?"                                                  B: “Summer.”                                                                    S: “Me too, but snow is nice.” 

B: “For sleep: lights on or off?”
S: “Dim light on.”                                                             B: “I can do without, but I don't mind with.” 

S: “Kdramas or movies?”
B: “Mhm...Kdramas.”                                                         S: “Agreed. I am a fan of the Avengers though.”              B: “Awesome, so am I!” -high fives 

B: “Working alone or in a team?”                                      S: “I feel a bit attacked.”                                                   B: “Haha, just answer truthfully.”
S: “Nowadays...a team. But in school I was always alone.”                                                                              B: “I hate working alone. Living alone too. I make sure my friends visit often heh.” 

S: “Biggest pet peeve?"                                                   B: “Brats that don't listen.” -nostrils flare-                         S: “Ha, it sounds like you know a bunch.”                         B: “Babysitting jobs back then.”                                        S: “Fair enough. For me it’s when my close friends scare me.”
B: “Like a surprise scare..”                                                S: “Right, they know I’m so easily frightened yet..” 

B: “Loyalty or Generosity in a partner?”                          S: “That’s a good one...I’d have to choose loyalty.”
B: -nods- “Loyalty for me too.” 

S: “Leg cramps or headaches.”                                        B: “I feel attacked now.”
S: “Oops, sorry.”
B: “Well both but...leg cramps since they go away faster.”
S: “True.” 

B: “How has it been getting to know me?”
S: -surprised pikachu face- “It’s been lovely actually.”
B: “Haha I was playing, good to know that you like me.” S: -slight blush- “Great timing, we’ve arrived~” 

Bora didn't realise that time flew by that fast. That made her realise how carefree she had been feeling and how fun it was to hang out with Ms. Mysterious. She didn't quite want the date to end...

Siyeon taps her car’s screen to input Bora’s address but a hand is placed over hers, to prevent her from doing so. She sends the latter a questioning glance. 

“C-can I stay with you for a little l-longer?” Bora was never usually hesitant to say what’s on her mind. Yet she stuttered like she had no control over it. 

Siyeon’s gaze softens and she grins. “Of course, I’d love to spend more time with you too.” 

Her genuine tone made Bora’s heart flutter. She’s really amazed to have met a person who had almost an instant connection with her. 

“Have you got any room for dessert? I know a good bunggeopang stall.” 

Siyeon offers, suddenly craving for something sweet. 

“Yes,” Bora replies, “Hang on a little more sweetie.” She says to her belly, which makes Siyeon laugh. 

“Do you work on the weekends too by the way?” Bora asks, wondering if their extended night would impact Siyeon’s schedule in any way. 

“I do but just at home...occasionally I meet clients.” Siyeon replies, aware of Bora’s concern over her schedule from her question. 

“I see, me too. This is my first time going out to meet someone outside work for the past few months.” Bora admits. 

“I’m honoured to be that person.” Siyeon says proudly, earning a giggle from the latter. 

They arrived at the stall and there stood an uncle making the yummy desserts in a blue apron. Siyeon ordered for the both of them, shortly exiting the vehicle to do so. The uncle was quick to prepare them two freshly-baked goodies. 

“Is there anything you’d like to know about me?” Bora gets the ball rolling, seeing Siyeon tense up noticeably. “Don't worry, I am fine with anything.” 

“Uh…” Siyeon starts, still a bit hesitant but Bora encourages her with an assuring grin. “I would like to know about uh about how you got uh…” 

“Pregnant?” Bora finished her sentence, receiving a shy nod from the younger woman. She chuckles at her hesitancy. “It’s a long story so I’m gonna need all ears.” 

Siyeon saluted her instruction. 

“Jun was my former fiancé. We were together for a good four years. I had a stable job I loved, he had one too. But in the fourth-year, pressure on getting married by our parents pressured us both, causing fights between ourselves because he didn't want to get married while I did. At that point we fought over the littlest of things. I questioned if he loved me or not because we had been together for a long time so it was perfect to start a family but he kept refusing. I didn’t mind too much afterwards because I loved him.” Bora spoke neutrally when revealing her past but Siyeon could see the sorrow coating her face. 

“One night, I confronted him once and for all about our parents, our situation as a whole and about the great difference in our jobs - we both had to travel monthly, me within SK, him overseas, which we had managed well in the beginning. But soon neither of us were happy, his family wasn't, mine wasn't. And something had to be done.” 

“I should have expected it but I didn't. He broke down. Cried his eyes out that night. I wanted to break down looking at him but I needed to know if we were in it together or not. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be true. He was helpless and hopeless. It was the first time I saw the wrinkles on his forehead and eyes. How much he’s been worn down by our situation. It was time to put a stop to all of this.” 

Bora’s voice trembles at the end, so Siyeon takes her hand in hers, heart aching for the both of them even if she only preferred one of the two. 

“Jun wanted us to get away. Get away from his family. That was his resolution. After crying he went straight to the bar to drink. I chased him minutes later to pick him up before he caused trouble. Back at home...the tension was almost suffocating. I was mad over the fact that his solution to this problem was running away. That was unlike him. Jun usually stood his ground, using every resource at hand to solve a problem. But now it was so easy for him not to even try. That's when I knew we wouldn’t be together anymore.” 

“As for the how she came into picture,” Bora taps her stomach, “I was in so much pain from stress and heartache I impulsively turned to alcohol to relieve it with four bottles of soju in the kitchen. He wasn’t drunk either so he joined in, and before we knew it, we were jumping into hell together.” Siyeon nodded along. She sympathised with her right away. 

“When I found out days later, Jun had disappeared from the face of earth and I had no one. So I resorted to thinking it was a mistake, thinking that I was worthless and my parents would kick me out. They did. Disappointment, not even anger I received. They took everything from me and left me in the streets. Thankfully I had friends who took me in then.” The latter wipes a fallen tear away. Siyeon squeezes her hand in support.

“But it really was a blessing in disguise; getting pregnant was a meaningful beginning that got me away from the toxic environment I was living in. Occasionally I do wonder about Jun, how he is, where he is...but I’ve moved on and that’s what counts.” She recalls painfully. Though Bora knew she was extremely lucky to be where she was now. 

“Wow.” Was the one word that left Siyeon’s mouth. Bora chuckles in understanding. She’s gotten used to hearing flustered reactions. 

“You’re amazing.” Siyeon says, astonished. 

Bora laughed even harder. “Why do you say so?” 

“I wouldn’t have the will or mental capacity to handle that situation.” Siyeon replied honestly, squeezing Bora’s hand once again to express her amazement. “So then…it mustn’t be long since you’ve been here?” 

“Yes, I’ve been here for about 4 months.” Bora replies after some thought, “It sounds pretty short in words but when you’re here, you adapt quickly to routine.” 

Siyeon chuckles at her reply. “Welcome to Myeongdong. Where the town wheels you in faster than you can wheel out.” 

“Haha, good description. I’d assume though that most of the company’s development isn't based here?” Sua assumes since their town was unlike a typical city.

“That’s a good question, but actually no. JiU wanted to bring technology to the lesser developed areas of Seoul. She’s originally from Daejeon but had connections here from Uni to start business - that was the green light.” 

Bora chews on her last mouthful of pastry. She nods in understanding, “She sounds so ambitious. I’d love to meet her.” 

“We can make that happen, just nowhere near clubs.” Siyeon replies matter-of-factly, receiving a knowing smile from the librarian. “By the way, was it Geonwoo? The one who was interested in computer engineering?” 

“Yes.” Bora notices how much smaller her hands were to Siyeon’s as they interlock fingers. 

Siyeon smiles, “If his interview with Naver doesn’t work out, he can contact me. We’d love to have a computer engineer.” She hands Bora a business card from the side pocket of the car door.

“Waah! Geonwoo would like that very much. Thank you for offering.” Bora sounds touched as if she were Geonwoo’s mother. 

“No problem. I hope he will enjoy his field.” Siyeon humbly replies, “On a side note…is there anything you’d like to know about me?” 

“Is it too much listening to me?” Bora questions with a raised brow. 

“No no I-” Siyeon fumbles to apologise. 

"I was just kidding! You make it too easy for me to tease you.” Bora pushes Siyeon’s shoulder in laughter, the priceless expression of the younger woman caught in her vision. 

Siyeon scoffs in offence. “We only just met and you’re already teasing me like this? How rudeee.”

“Okay yeah that was a little mean of me.” Bora apologises. 

“I am definitely interested to learn more about you…but do you have that same interest in me?” Siyeon’s turn to fire her shot. 

“Yes of course. But with observations rather than questions.” Bora replies sincerely, “That’s just me.”

“Aaah I get it. Well then, what have you observed?” Siyeon was genuinely curious. 

“You’re naturally very mindful of others and also very unselfish. Many people showcase these characteristics but few to the extent that you do. That was the lasting impression I had of you during our...coincidental meetings. I realise that you knew how to balance between being mindful yet cautious, which is hard to sort of take control of. You are always before the line or in front of it, yet never crossing it…” Bora stops in her ramble when she catches Siyeon’s open jaw. “What?” 

“Eonnie, I might cry.” Siyeon holds her hand to her chest, mimicking sounds of sniffles and cries.

Bora grins heartily, ruffling the younger woman’s hair affectionately. “I’ll stop there then. But before I shoot you a question, do you agree with what I observed?” 

Siyeon pauses to ponder. “I can’t really confirm that because I’ve never looked at myself from other people’s point of view. Like I said in the ferry, I am the type to always be alone, despite having the same personality alone or not. What I’m saying is the times I’ve had a good impact on others or my surroundings never reflected back onto me? Only Minji-eonnie has reflected it back…” Sua picks up on the hint of loneliness in her words, deciding to change the topic.

“I get it. But for the question I have, it’s pretty simple. What kind of work habits do you have? If you do.” Bora replies, fairly curious. 

“Aha. A simple but good one…I think I have two mentionable ones; I don’t quite like talking to people without making eye contact,” Siyeon locks eyes with Bora as she said so, catching the twinkle of amusement in the latter’s eyes.

“If there’s a conflict at work between teams or myself and others, I will urgently resolve them. I can’t stand the burden of grudges or tension.” Siyeon finished.

“I see. This is a little irrelevant but I tend to get kind of...violent when I’m angry - HAHAHAA-!” Bora cut herself off when she catches Siyeon horrified eyes.

“No! Not actual violence, more like this,” Bora grabbed Siyeon’s shoulders, shaking her back and forth roughly.

The office worker’s eyes remained widened and horrified, her soul leaving her body with every shake. She made a mental note that she shall never anger the pregnant woman. 

“The sun’s coming down, you should get some rest,” Siyeon comments as she catches Bora’s yawn.

She reaches over with her left thumb to wipe off a spot of red bean sauce she didn’t see before, at the corner of the latter’s lips. She gave her a soft smile.

Bora smiles back at her, causing Siyeon’s thumb to slightly touch her lower lip. Siyeon returns to reality at the touch, quickly wiping the sauce onto a tissue paper, bowing her head to hide her flamed cheeks. 

The latter didn’t notice in the dimmed light and let go of Siyeon’s hand to silence the ‘spamming’ of messages in her group chat with the other two 94’.

“Wow I didn’t realise it's already 7pm.” Bora squints at the time indication at the top of her screen. “Time really flies.” 

“True, I haven't had this much fun in a while.” They share a grin at Siyeon’s words. “Let’s get you two home.” Siyeon murmurs, tapping Bora belly.

The woman grins wider, feeling her baby awake in movement. She excitedly grabs Siyeon's hand to the lower half of her stomach, to feel her baby’s kick. 

“Oo-wah!” Siyeon exclaims in surprise. “The baby has  woken up from it’s food coma.” She jokes.

Bora breaks into laughter as Siyeon gets the car going.

The 15-minute ride to Bora’s flat was filled with soft chatter and a lovely jazz song in the background. Both were very much under the impression that they would get closer in the future, which wasn’t far from reality… 

-At Sua's flat-

“Thank you so much for today!! I enjoyed it so much.” Bora spoke genuinely. 

“You’re very much welcome. I enjoyed myself thoroughly too.” Siyeon said farewell with a wave.

“See you next time Sing-Sing~~” Bora waves back, before walking away with a giggle to herself. 

Siyeon was left in the car, feeling a roller coaster of emotions. 90% positive of course. But one emotion she could very well recognise within herself was one of falling in love. She rested her head onto the steering wheel, sighing defeatedly. She had always been the type to get emotionally attached to someone…and Bora really charmed her, with every little thing she did, and every word she said. It stirred a sense of fear in her and she didn’t know why. 

Or maybe she did know why, just never wanted to admit it; she was afraid of falling in love.

 

~
 

Authour's Note: Hey everyone! Welcome to my new book. This is a long chapter but I hope an enjoyable one!

Edit: sorry that the dialouge part was uploaded messily. I have no idea how to fix it 😔