In the serene afternoon glow, Yujin found peace amid the architectural chaos scatted around her workstation—the school's workshop. The smell of timber mixed with the faint aroma of paint and glue created an atmosphere that brought calmness to her day.

She was engrossed in her assignment, as usual, meticulously moulding and shaping her ideas into tangible models that danced between innovation and tradition.

The workshop once reminded her of the endless, dreadful hours but now it seemed to remind her of Minju.

Minju doesn't remind her of everything, but everything reminds her of Minju.

As she delicately adjusted a miniature structure, her phone buzzed, a familiar, new name, flashing on the screen. She grinned when Minso appeared in a tiny rectangle, her beaming face filling the screen.

"Yujin!" Minso's voice chimed through the call, her eyes bright with excitement. "Look at this." She showed Yujin a page of the colouring book the girl made.

The older girl cooed softly, chuckling. "You do it better than me."

With an impish grin, Minso leaned closer to the camera. "I learned it from you," she said, giving Yujin a playful wink. "Can you make more for me? Like a princess edition. Rapunzel's my favourite."

Yujin chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. "I'll have to watch more Disney shows then," she said. "I'll include the princesses in the next one."

Minso's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she continued listing her favourites. The taller girl listened intently, sketching mental images of the whimsical additions to the upcoming colouring book.

"Where's my sister? I miss her. I thought I'd see her with you," Minso inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity when she expected the older girl to be with her.

Yujin paused, a wistful smile gracing her lips. "She's not here at the moment but I miss her too."

The little girl's expression softened, holding the phone close to her face, understanding the glint in Yujin's eyes.

—

After four hours in the operating room, Minju's legs have become used to standing for long hours. She watched the lead doctor, Dr Lee, focusing intently, his hands moving with practised precision.

"Minju," he called calmly, eyes leaving the patient for a second. "Do you think you can close him up?" He made sure he earned a confident nod before handing the patient over to the girl.

Minju took over, putting her days and months of practising on silicone into use. She completed the final delicate stitch, closing up the patient with utmost care.

"Cut, please," she requested politely, her gaze not leaving the task at hand. The nurse assisted with the cut, nodding when she was done.

Dr Lee checked the stitch. "Thank you, everyone. Good job," he announced, acknowledging the team that had assisted him throughout the surgery.

Minju, along with Gyuri, began to file out of the operating room after having their scrubs removed by the nurses. They both paused by the sinks, meticulously sanitising their hands, arms and faces to ensure that every surface was free from any remnants of the procedure.

Once done, they made their way down the sterile corridors towards the locker rooms. Each step felt like a release from the intense focus of the surgery. Minju swiftly changed into fresh clothes, her movements methodical and efficient.

Gyuri noticed her securing a thin, metallic chained bracelet around her wrist. "You've been wearing that very often recently. I thought you weren't a fan of bracelets." She grabbed her coat from the locker. "What made you wear this one?"

Minju glanced at the bracelet, a tender smile gracing her lips. "My girlfriend made it for me."

"Girlfriend?" Gyuri closed the locker, a look of confusion on her face. "You have a girlfriend?"

The younger girl nodded, a softness in her expression. Gyuri's eyebrows raised briefly as she said, "I didn't know that. Why didn't you tell me? I'm your mentor." She gently nudged her head.

Minju chuckled. "You didn't ask." She locked her locker as they both headed out of the room.

When the brunette checked her phone for messages, Gyuri noticed the girl she had been seeing so often on Minju's lock screen, "So that's who it is."

"Hm?"

"The girl on your wallpaper's your girlfriend. I thought she was some idol."

"Idol?" Minju was slightly surprised but didn't doubt that comment.

"She's pretty. Anyone would've thought that way."

The brunette nodded slowly. "She is quite pretty," she said softly. "And adorable."

Gyuri pressed the lift button, eyes examining the smile on her face. "This is the first time I've seen you smile this widely."

"Me?" Minju cupped her cheek.

"Yes, you," the senior said.

The brunette pouted. "I miss her."

"I'm sure you do." Gyuri started pulling her into the lift.

"I might die missing her." Minju put her hands into her coat pocket, mind finally able to swirl to places away from the operating room.

"You won't."

"I want to see her."

"We have a meeting."

—

After an hour of meeting to summarise the whole bypass surgery and delegating post-op duties, Minju found herself on the rooftop of the main building to get some fresh air.

Though the winds could potentially freeze her to death, she needed room to breathe. The moment she sat on the ledge, her phone started buzzing in her pocket.

Picking up the call from Yujin, she let out a sigh of relief. It felt like the heavens were answering her prayers to hear the girl's voice.

"Is it a bad time?"

"No, why?"

"You sound tired."

Minju smiled. "Do I?" She heard a hum from Yujin. "I just ended surgery."

"That's why," Yujin said. "Did it go well?"

"Very well. I even closed the patient up."

"You did?"

Minju hummed. "I did it so well, I'm confident that opening won't leave a scar."

"You did so well." The younger echoed her words as a form of praise. "I'm proud of you."

The brunette settled a palm on the cold gravel ledge, legs swinging momentarily. "Really?"

"I'm very proud of you. For all you know, there will be millions of people lining up to get under the knife you hold the moment that patient wakes up and heals without a scar." Genuine affection tainted Yujin's voice. "By then you'll be Dr Kim. Not just Dr Kim. The Dr Kim."

Minju sniffed from the cold yet her words were ever so comforting, it made her forget the exhaustion from one surgery alone. "What are you up to?"

"Dying in the workshop without you," Yujin said. "Usually time passes faster here but somehow my mind became conscious without you here."

"Have you eaten?"

"Later."

Minju heard paper flipping, realising it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. Before saying anything, she felt a tap on her shoulder which made her turn to see Taesung reaching out a bottle of banana milk to her.

"I'll finish this part and go eat. I'll not let you worry."

"Who's that?" Taesung mouthed.

"My girlfriend." Minju mouthed back.

He nodded understandingly and sat next to her.

"I'll call you at night," Yujin said, earning a hum from Minju.

Taesung watched her put her phone down when the call ended. "She must miss you."

"Her missing me only makes me miss her more," Minju said. "Thank you for this." She lifted the banana milk.

"I would've gotten something warm for you if I had known you were coming up here." He handed a straw to her. "Why are you up here anyway?"

"I've never been here before. Just wanted to see what it's like."

He squinted at the view of buildings and pinkish-blue skies in front of them. "Refreshing, isn't it?"

"Quite."

"If it gets too suffocating in the hospital, come up here. It helps clear your mind."

Minju lifted her lips off the straw, turning to look at him. "Do you have a lot in mind?"

Taesung exhaled a snicker. "More than you've ever lived to think," he said. "But at some point, all those thoughts will no longer matter."

"Why not?"

"Because thoughts don't bring people back to you." He looked at Minju as his words of wisdom rolled off his tongue. "I always tell children that wishes come true if you make them. But there's no point wishing when you're not doing anything about it, to achieve it. They'll always have the thinking that, if I wish hard enough, that thing will come to me, when it really won't. Sometimes people depend on luck too much, they forget the need to work hard." He sighed. "For me, there's no point wishing or doing anything because things will only get more complicated if I do something."

"Does she know you're here?"

"Who?"

"Your daughter," Minju said.

Taesung shook his head slowly. "I don't want to disappoint her more. I've done that all my life. Disappointing people. What good does it bring to tell her I ended up here? All I have and need to do is make sure she's living fine. That's all I want."

"You don't want to see her?"

"Every day," he said. "But I don't want to be associated with her. She's doing well now and my presence will just be an inconvenience."

"I'm sure one day you'll be able to see her again." That was all Minju could say.

Taesung looks at her, his eyes masking the weight on his shoulders. "I hope so."

—

Yujin held the phone to her ear, the soft hum of chatter and sizzling meats enveloping her as her eyes darted around the dimly lit barbeque restaurant. "I can't see you." She squinted and spotted Yena waving at her from the farthest corner.

Ending the call, she navigated through the labyrinth of tables adorned with an assortment of savoury delights. The aroma of grilled meats wafted through the air, enticing her sense. 

Hyewon took her bag off the seat for Yujin to sit on. "You had a lot to do?"

"I'm not even done but I'm hungry," the younger confessed, her gaze scanning the vibrant scene. The only missing piece was Minju. 

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she politely asked the staff for a cup. 

Chaewon shifted a plate full of cooked meat to her, earning a thank you. "Eat more," she insisted. "How's everything?"

"School or me?"

"Both."

Yujin, succumbing to the hunger, shoved a succulent piece of meat into . "Exhausting and exhausted."

The older girl snickered, pouring her some iced water. "Minju?"

Yena's voice interrupted, "Don't ask her too much. You'll only make her miss her more. You're not the one sleeping in the same room as her."

"What's wrong with sleeping with me?" Yujin questioned, furrowing her brows.

Yena, her cheek bulging with food, spoke with a playful tone, "One second you're laughing and the other you're crying. Why? I don't know why either but you're always watching something on your phone. If it isn't the same video replaying over, and over again." She rolled her eyes.

The younger girl pouted. "I didn't cry..." she mumbled, conceding, "But I miss her." She accepted defeat and sighed.

Chaewon cooed softly and patted her head, offering her some rice cakes. "Oh, how nice it is to have someone who loves you. My friend must've done something good in her past life to have you." She gently rubbed Yujin's chin.

"I don't just love her," the younger said with a hint of bittersweet happiness in her voice. "I worship her."

Chaewon chuckled, feeling a gentle tap on her arm. She turned to see Hyewon pointing at herself with the most innocent look, whispering, "I'm here. I love you."

Turning to Hyewon, Chaewon's gaze briefly lingered on her lips. "I know." The short-haired girl gave a kiss on her cheek that caused Hyewon's eyes to never leave her for the rest of the night.

—

As the minute hand inched its way towards midnight, Yujin found herself transfixed by the glowing screen of her phone, yearning to bridge the digital gap