Dahyun's focus was on her phone, as she needed to send a text message to Mr. Chun, informing him that she might not be able to make it to the hospital tonight. While she was typing a message, she noticed Sana staring at her face repeatedly, as if she wanted to say something. Thus, as soon as Dahyun had it sent, she slipped the device into her compact body bag, in hopes of capturing Sana's gaze this time.

"Sorry," Sana responded, realizing she was being somewhat obvious.

"Yes... no, don't be sorry," Dahyun stammered, leading her to chuckle softly. She was never an awkward person, but with Sana, there is something that leads her to be a little inept at handling interactions. "Is your friend... will she..." "Did you also invite her?"

"You mean, right now?" Sana inquired, prompting Dahyun to nod. "No," she replied. "I don't think it's a good idea to invite people and not give them enough time to prepare," she continued. "You get me, right?"

"I do," Dahyun said simply.

"I'm still ashamed that I invited you to come here by accident," Sana chuckled meekly, grasping her nape in embarrassment. "We don't even know each other — well, we do, but not in such a way that..." she groaned, unable to express herself clearly.

"I know," Dahyun had to intervene to keep her from rambling. "We don't even know each other's last names, and you only met me because I'm an antique dealer, and you're my client, so I understand how strange it is that we're suddenly here, clanking glasses of beer," she continued before chuckling. That did make Sana's atmosphere feel a little lighter. She felt relieved that she wasn't completely misunderstood. "It's quite strange," Dahyun muttered, gently bobbing her head, "but strange is fun."

"Yes, I would agree," Sana said, her lips pursed as she continued to stare at Dahyun. She couldn't figure out how this pale-skinned woman could be so eye-catching when, in fact, she didn't find non-Japanese girls to be this damn, overly interesting and attractive in a way.

That could be what prompted her to say, "You look young," and then quickly regret it. "Oh, that was random," Sana said quietly, feeling a rush of heat in her cheeks.

Dahyun couldn't help but giggle, and it took her a few seconds to answer. "I'm twenty-four," she revealed casually.

"Well, yeah, you're young."

"Does that mean you're older than me?" Dahyun inquired, having come to the realization. "I'm sorry, I've been speaking to you far too informally," she acknowledged, rubbing the end of her brow.

"It's alright," Sana answered in a quiet voice, smiling. "I'm twenty-eight," she said, observing Dahyun's surprised expression.

"You look just about my age, for real."

"No way," Sana replied, shaking her head, "you look much younger."

Sana was able to rapidly save the conversation before it dwindled down. She said, "You know what? I'm very comfortable talking to you more than I imagined I'd be."

Only hearing that made Dahyun's heart giddy. She couldn't have been happier knowing that Sana appeared to be a reserved woman, yet she was at comfort with her. Having said these things is a huge compliment. "That's fantastic," she whispered.

"Did I sound rude?" Sana inquired, becoming concerned. "I didn't mean that in the sense that you don't look like someone I'd get along with," she said, pursing her lips. "But even so, on the contrary, I do think that way, a bit; I'm just not the type to make everyone my friend." "Sorry for talking too much," she chuckled sheepishly, "I think it's the alcohol."

"No biggies, really," Dahyun replied earnestly. "People have differing thoughts, you know. I understand that very well." "And I do get the impression that you are the self-effacing type."

"I'm relieved you understand."

"I told you it was no biggie."

For a while, no words escaped their lips. They sipped their beers and nibbled on their large platter of fish and chips. They both appreciated the song since the performer was undoubtedly talented.

"You're Japanese, right?" Dahyun remarked abruptly, not looking at Sana. The latter woman's lips parted in surprise as a result. It was a really good guess, she thought.

"Yes, my family name is Minatozaki," Sana shared, recalling how they had missed each other's ostensibly basic information. "...But how could you tell I'm Japanese? Most people think it's not obvious," she explained.

"I know a lot of Japanese people."

"A lot?"

Dahyun pursed her lips and mumbled faintly, "just one."

"Just one?" Sana puzzledly arched her eyebrows.

"Well, yeah," the other woman replied, dreading the need to elaborate further. "My ex-girlfriend was Japanese," she explained. "I've seen her relatives and friends, but I've never spoken to any of them."

"Anyway, I could tell because there are a few features on your face that don't look Korean at all," Dahyun stated, needing to re-examine Sana's face. "Or maybe it's just a feeling," she reasoned, not being brave enough to stare at Sana for whatever reason.

Sana giggled, unsure how to react to Dahyun's obvious gay panic right there. "So, you have a Japanese ex-girlfriend," she continued, "that's amazing."

"It's not, believe me," Dahyun said, shaking her head and sighing.

"Mhmm, bitter past, is it?"

"Yes, I would have erased that memory if I could."

"It wouldn't kill to tell a stranger," said Sana. "I think that telling a story to someone you don't know is preferable to telling it to someone you know very well." "Less judgment and all that," she explained. "They wouldn't blame you for something you didn't want to happen as well."

"You're actually right," Dahyun agreed with a nod of her head. "Well, I've never told anyone either, so I guess now would be a good time."

"Let it out," Sana advised.

"I was twenty-three when we split up... barely a year ago."

As Dahyun began to recount her story, Sana leaned back in her seat, keen on not missing any details. After all, she knew a part of her was curious about who Dahyun was on the inside. Sana had the impression that this woman was more than just tough and smug as she appeared.

"And before you laugh and say that what I did was really stupid, I want you to know that I know about it as well; I was young and dumb, I admit it," Dahyun remarked before continuing the story. "I met my ex-girlfriend a few years back when she was just graduating from a college-preparatory school." "She needed to do an interview with a young person who handles business, or in any way associated in one. Later, she approached me in the shop with Mr. Chun and asked if I was available."

Dahyun sighed and hesitated for a moment, evidently imagining that day. "That's how we met," she continued lightly. "It was like an instant spark for us both, and she felt it as well, and it didn't take long before we realized it wasn't just a silly infatuation."

"But as soon as we got to the following level of a relationship, she had to fly to the United States and attend college there." "We didn't break up, though," Dahyun wanted to clarify, so Sana didn't get lost in the whirlwind of occurrences. "Being in a long-distance relationship had no effect on us." "We had little to no communication, but it didn't matter until things went south on my end."

"Mrs. Chun's death?" Sana speculated, prompting Dahyun to respond with a nod. "We should skip that bit, Dahyun."

"No," the woman replied, casually shaking her head. "That wouldn't really change anything," she sighed, "even if I tried to hide from that fact, it would stay the same." "It's a memory, and memories don't go away completely," she said.

"I'm sorry, it's still a fresh wound," Sana could only say in hushed tones.

"I assume that's when my ex-girlfriend started to consider things through," Dahyun explained, completely deciding to continue the story. "She may have considered that things were too complicated to get in between." "Because a year later, Mr. Chun was found to be suff