Sumin sighs tiredly. Another day has finally ended. Another day filled with work, work... and work. Surely, her life has changed a lot ever since Sieun has come back. She's turned her life upside down, in fact, if she had to try to put it in a way —in any way. She was living with somebody else, so her apartment wasn't empty and quiet as it used to be. She would often return back home to a Sieun busy studying but she would return even more often to a Sieun busy working on a project with her classmates and friends or them just simply hanging out.

Sometimes Sumin would get a little annoyed by all the noise around her apartment that didn't used to be there before. But she knows how to deal with that, and if anything, she starts to think lately that she's even getting used to the loudness as well as living with another person. Ever since she and Sieun decided to try to be friends she comes back to somebody waiting for her, she has lunch with somebody else, she takes breaks, and she even has days off because of that somebody. Days off that didn't used to be a word in her dictionary before. And now she arranges her days off however she wants, she rests more, sleeps more and hangs out with her friends, having fun as she should as she's only a young adult after all so she surely has to enjoy her life. And she is. Thanks to Sieun.

She can say she's pretty happy with the new change in her life. Lately, she's starting to adapt. It wasn't that easy at first. She was very awkward, uptight and wasn't talking much. It was way easier for her to bicker with Sieun rather than talk as they used to. But slowly slowly she's adapting to it and if anything she's even looking forward to returning home after a tiring day to find Sieun and tell her everything that has happened throughout her day. She hasn't realized how much she's missed sharing things with others because she's surely closed up to herself ever since Sieun left. It was all about work and nothing else and when she would return home there was no one to talk to. She could always talk to her friends but when she would try, she would realize that she doesn't have any interesting or worth sharing news like theirs that were always related to college or new people they would meet around campus.

She surely is looking forward to sharing about her tired day to Sieun tonight as well. She really wants to let it out and the mere thought of Sieun's cute pout and frown once Sumin would tell her about a complicated customer or about her accident that caused her to spill a cup of coffee on herself makes Sumin unconsciously smile to herself.

She quickly stops herself as soon as she realizes as she pushes her tired body and drags her tired feet, forcing them to take the final step of the stairs. As soon as she does though she's met with her apartment's closed door —which is obviously no news to her. She also hears faint chatter coming from inside which is also no news to her. Sieun would have probably brought company over and even though Sumin wanted to share her news, she knew Sieun's friends were important to her —definitely more important than herself she thinks— so she would simply wait in her room until they would leave to have a talk with Sieun. She was fine with it, she's done it before a lot of times.

Only this time things are different. The moment she unlocks the door of her apartment she's met with a pair of shoes that seem a little too familiar for her to belong to somebody around her age and specifically to one of Sieun's friends. She quickly walks towards the kitchen, wherein in chattering is heard, a single thought locked at the forefront of her head.

The moment she steps inside the kitchen —the voices having already gotten louder as she's gotten there— she's faced with no other than Sieun and-

"Mom? What are you doing here!?" Sumin couldn't help herself but let out, sounding definitely not pleased upon meeting the other older female figure.

The figure turns towards Sumin's direction upon hearing her calling out for her and Sumin is unmistakably faced with the familiar face of her mother. That one warm face, with light beautiful and cheerful expressions that hasn't aged at all since the last time Sumin saw her. That face that lots of people said Sumin took after ⏤after all nobody has ever seen Sumin's father to say the opposite anyway⏤, those cheerful expressions and humor Sumin took after, that lightness and bubbliness that are gone from Sumin's cold and always grumpy figure nowadays. Or at least until very recently because Sumin is starting to think that Sieun is slightly shaking up her cold world and turning it into a beautiful garden that used to be once and she's so afraid of that. It hurt too much when that garden started withering and everything nice and beautiful that was once there started dying down along with it...

Bae Suzy is a woman just like Sumin. Only a little older. They look very similar, they have the same height, the same silhouette, the same facial characteristics, even their voice and laughter sounds the same, only that Suzy's is a little hoarser because of her age but Sumin is pretty sure hers isn't as soft as it used to be anymore after the hard kind of life she's living the past few years, with the very little rest she's taking, the few meals and all the smoking...

The oldest among the three immediately smiles brightly, her cheekbones raising as her lips curve up in a huge soft smile, her eyes half closing out of how much she's smiling.

"Sumin! You're back home! I didn't believe Sieun when she first told me you always come home late because of work. I was pretty sure there was some other girl involved that kept you out until late at night." Suzy exclaims as she walks up to her daughter who frowns immediately, her eyes locked on her mother's figure before they flee for a brief second on Sieun who also stands up from her seat and looks at Sumin with a soft smile.

"Why are you here?" Sumin immediately asks, ignoring the weird, odd statement her mother has just blurted aloud. After all, she's used to all these comments. Her mother is always like that so Sumin has learnt to ignore all that overtime instead of bickering with her and explaining her position and how things had happened in reality and not in Suzy's head. Then again, Sumin is still shocked that her mother is in her apartment that she can't fully focus on the nonsense her mother is saying anyway.

"What a way to greet your mother! Sieun, I'm sorry darling. You were right when you said she has no manners. Last time when I left her I was sure she wasn't this rude." Suzy jokes as she turns to look at Sieun and Sumin can guess that the two must have been talking for a while now, sharing things about Sumin that Sumin would rather Sieun not to know.

"Do you know it's been a year since the last time I saw you, young lady? Where have you been at Christmas? You've promised you would pay me a visit! At spring? Summer? You didn't even show up at Thanksgiving and you always show up!"

"I did!" Sumin tries to reason with her only for her mother to reply,

"That was last year, Sumin. You didn't show up this year. Last time I saw you was at Thanksgiving last year, Sumin. Last year!" Sumin/s mother exclaims, sounding disappointed. She really has missed her daughter.

"I didn't want to come to visit you myself because I know how you always complain about me invading your personal space. You're a grown up now, I get it. But I missed you so much and you haven't visited me in a year! We barely talk on the phone or texts too! I had enough, so I showed up. Surprise!"

"Wow! That's... the best surprise you could ever do!" Sumin says, sounding sarcastic. She totally doesn't mean it. Suzy shakes her head, knowing her daughter very well by now as she walks closer to her.

"You won't even hug your mom?" She grumbles a little as she hugs Sumin tightly first anyway, making Sumin unable to breathe and yelp a little. Her hands hang awkwardly in the air, always being the awkward one that doesn't do skinship with others, not even for a hug and not even with her mother. She sees Sieun from behind them mentioning for her to hug her mother back and huffing when Sumin refuses to do so. Sumin, on the other hand, wonders what has she been doing at Thanksgiving that she didn't even visit her mother.

Right. She was with Sieun, thanking her for returning back to the city and messing up Sumin's life again...

"Don't you have work?" Sumin asks her mother as soon as she moves back and breaks the hug.

"I had a morning shift so I came here as soon as I was done. I wanted to surprise you but Sieun said you would take too long to return home. Why do you even work all day long? That's tiring!"

"That's what my job demands me to do and as a responsible person that I am ⏤boss as well⏤ I need to be working all day." Sumin replies almost robotically as she folds her arms to her chest.

"Right. I raised you to be a responsible one. My mistake." Suzy replies in a light tone and Sieun chuckles softly. Sumin stares at them both deadpan before she mumbles out loud,

"Looks like my problem just got doubled." Sumin's mother laughs at Sumin's statement, never taking it to heart while Sieun tries to protest and defend herself.

"Am I the problem you're referring to?"

"Do you see anyone around here who happens to be my roommate for the past two months?"

"Oh my gosh I hate you!" Sieun groans.

"Enough you two~" Suzy says softly as she wraps her arm loosely around Sieun's shoulder.

"I've been here for a couple of hours, Sumin. Sieun and I had a very nice conversation here." Suzy says as she smirks while side eyeing Sieun who smirks back.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm pretty sure I don't have the album with my baby photos here." Sumin immediately says, defending herself and knowing very well how much her mother could embarrass her with these photos. Suzy laughs while Sieun says,

"I've seen those way too many times, don't worry you've already been humiliated way too many times." Sumin scoffs as she glares at Sieun. Suzy on the other hand smiles as she sees them interacting before she comments,

"Aw! It feels like back when you were a teenager, Sumin! You two always fought!"

"That's not even something to feel in awe about. It's not even adorable!"

"As I was saying," Sumin's mother says, ignoring Sumin's statement as she walks further back in the kitchen, leaving the two friends some space though Sumin keeps the familiar well known to them distance of one person.

"I'll be staying around here for a week. I even took a week off from work so we're going to spend a lot of time together! Isn't it great news?" Suzy exclaims, sounding bright and hopeful.

"You did what!? You're what!? Mom! No! You're not staying here!" Sumin immediately protests as she quickly walks around the kitchen, looking for the older woman's suitcase. Without them realizing she's already gotten the suitcase from her room, the umbrella and shoes that were by the door as well as the woman's coat from the hanger and pushed them on Suzy's chest saying,

"You're not staying here. It was nice seeing you again, but you have to go now. Bye!" She quickly says as she tries to push away her mother.

"Ya! What are you doing? Sumin, I came all the way here! Sumin, wait!" Suzy tries to protest while Sieun tries to get involved as much as she can.

"Sumin! Wait! Let her talk to you! Jeez! Stop kicking everyone out!"

"You were right, darling. She indeed kicks everyone out. First you, now me." Sumin sighs as she drags her own arms away, letting go of her mother.

"You do understand that this isn't some charity center that that gathers and accepts everyone in here right? It's my apartment for goodness sake and it's made for one, single person! And I can't even live alone in my very own apartment! First you" Sumin exclaims annoyed as she points as Sieun at the end.

"And now you! I don't even have space for you! Where do you think you're going to sleep huh?"

"I'm fine with the couch darling."

"No. No, I'm not letting you sleep on the couch."

"Why not?"

"It's not comfortable!"

"I'm not a guest Sumin.I'm your mother! I won't get offended by sleeping on the couch!" Suzy tries to reason with her softly and sweetly, having not gotten pissed at all by her daughter's behavior, having already expected it anyway. Sumin isn't easy to deal with as the years pass by. It only gets harder.

Sumin sighs heavily.

"Fine. Let's say I agree. Why did you take a week off from work? You're not going to spend more time with me anyway whether you work or not because I work no matter what and I can't take a week off like you. It's impossible."

"It's totally fine with me. I just want to be here, cook for you, help you clean because you totally need it. For me, it's enough to just spend the night with you." Sumin sighs again. She understands her mother. Due to the hard shifts her work always had she was always absent from home and left Sumin alone ⏤or with Sieun⏤ a lot of times so Sumin has ended up growing up alone, by herself. As adults, Suzy wants to somehow make it up to Sumin in her own way.

"Fine. You can stay." Sumin gives up and Suzy immediately thanks her with a tight hug following right after along with a kiss on the cheek, making Sumin yelp a little once again. Sieun smiles at the two as she does a thumbs up to Sumin who stares at her deadpan.

"I made dinner! Your favorite." Suzy immediately says cheerfully as she turns around towards the oven to get them their dinner and serve it.

"Really? It's been long since the last time I've had homemade food by you. I kinda missed it." Sumin says and Suzy smiles happily.

"Of course you did. Sieun told me you weren't eating much when she first came here. You even had an empty fridge!" Sumin glares at Sieun before she takes a seat at the table, Sieun following her, taking a seat next to her as well.

"What else has she told you? I'm curious."

"Oh, a lot of things. The one thing I'm the most proud of that she did while staying here is that she changed your schedule. Seriously, Sieun, I will always be thankful to you for that."

"You don't need to thank me, auntie. I did what I had to do as a friend who cares for her friend." Sumin scoffs.

"She totally ruined my life so I don't get why you're thanking her but I'll let it slide."

"Oh please! Sieun told me how thankful you are to her about it too but you're such a coward to admit it!" Suzy says and Sumin gasps, eyes widening, surprised upon the reveal of such deep and honest truth.

"Ya! That's not true! She made it up!" She tries to defend herself with no avail.

"She did not and we all know that." Sumin huffs. Suzy takes a seat across from Sumin as she serves them all a plate of food and soon they find themselves busy eating and catching up. Sumin surely dislikes the Sieun-Suzy duo the most. Her mother would just never stop exposing her or embarrassing her and Sieun would just laugh. Talking about real humiliation!

"You two surely caught up while I was at work." She says.

"We did. Do you mind?" Sieun says in a teasing tone.

"When it has to do with me, yes, I do mind."

"Well, at least Sieun is asking for you." Suzy says and at that Sumin pauses a little as she looks at Sieun who doesn't seem panicked by the reveal of the truth at all. If anything, she seems like she wanted it to happen.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't tell her much about the past four years she was away. You surely made progress by talking to her about your day but that's that. You haven't asked her about the years she's been away either and since you don't seem interested about that or willing to tell her yourself, the poor girl tries to find other ways in order to get to know somehow." Suzy explains. Sumin frowns a little. She does feel a little fluttered knowing that Sieun is asking about her but if it has to do about the years she was away then she totally prefers Sieun not to know anything about it.

"You should stop asking about it. I've already told you. I wasn't doing ok because everyone else was enrolling to college while I wasn't. And then I decided to open the cafeteria and had been working ever since. There's nothing else there so you should stop asking more about it! And you! Don't tell her anything again! Especially when I'm not here! You're exposing me and my personal information without even my permission!"

"Don't worry. She didn't tell me something I wasn't aware of. She mostly explained why you're so grumpy now." Sieun says bitterly as she only looks at her plate of food now, definitely not having liked how Sumin scolded them instead of just opening up.

"I'm not grumpy!"

"You totally are!" Sieun replies with a deep glare in Sumin's eyes, making Sumin freeze for a couple of seconds. She hates how this happens lately. She swears it didn't happen before but before she wouldn't look much at Sieun to know how she was looking at her anyway while lately... lately Sumin's life is turning upside down all over again and again. Whenever they argue, Sieun has that deep angry stare that shakes Sumin to her core.

"I'm not! I have no reason to be! I only grumble at the girls at work because I want everything to work perfectly!"

"So it's not because..." Sieun stops mid sentence.

"Because?" Sumin edges her on. Sieun sighs heavily as she slams her hands on the table and stands up.

"Forget it."

"Sieun, please finish your dinner. Don't make me sad on my first day here." Suzy says softly and Sieun sighs heavily again.

"I don't think I can stay here longer auntie. I'm sorry." Sieun says as she leaves the kitchen and heads back to her room. Suzy sighs.

"Was this all that necessary? Isn't she your friend?"

"Oh please! I don't expect you to understand me! You always picked her side rather than mine!" Sumin says as she also stands up and heads to her room.

Maybe the first dinner with her mother in her apartment didn't go exactly how Suzy thought of it, but that doesn't mean Sumin isn't happy that she sees her mother after a long time. She also knows that she and Sieun won't act all angry around each other for long. That's how they always act. They get pissed and then they act like as if nothing happened. They surely don't talk about it and make up for it which is totally wrong but that's how they have been for many years now so changing that now is hard.

Then again, Sumin indeed thinks her problem is now doubled. Suzy indeed told Sieun a lot of things related to Sumin and Sieun asked a lot as well. They surely joke a lot and talk a lot which is something Sumin always hated ⏤not really but it pissed her off. They looked like best friends, never minding of the gap between their ages at all. Sieun always looked so much closer, softer and nicer to Sumin's mom which always made Sumin mad because Sieun could be on such good terms with her mother but not her. Then again, her mother pissed her off as well as she always adored Sieun way more than Sumin and treated her like a real daughter even if she wasn't. She always picked her side too which always annoyed Sumin, especially when Sieun was at the wrong anyway.

But these all are just Sieun and Suzy getting along and Sumin being jealous because Sieun can't be like that with her too.

That's exactly how it is, that's the real truth and that's the fact Sumin avoids to admit the most.

*

"How is it to live with your mom and Sieun, unnie?" Jayun immediately teased Sumin once she entered the cafeteria to start her shift for the day. Sumin scoffs, rolling her eyes, annoyed. Of course Sieun had told everyone about it. Apparently, Sieun couldn't keep anything to herself and talked a lot to their friends, so different from what Sumin does. The exact opposite actually. Then again, it's not a secret that she should keep to herself anyways so Sumin can't really scold her for that.

"Awful. My problem has just been doubled." She says and Jayun laughs along with Seeun who just follows her as the two pass behind the counter and enter the break room to get changed and leave their belongings.

"We should pass by to have a sleepover with you mom." Seeun says once she walks out again.

"No thanks. The apartment is already too noisy, I don't want more noise than the one I already have. Jeez, I'm starting to miss the era when I was living alone."

"She's just being overdramatic." Sieun's voice is heard as the girl has also now entered the cafeteria. Sumin turns around to face her, a little surprised to see her there.

"I thought you had morning classes." She says, all the irony and sarcasm that her tone would usually have when she would talk to Sieun is gone now.

"I do. But they got canceled for today. Not sure why but it's convenient for now." Sumin hums in response as she gets busy making orders again. Sieun has taken a seat by the counter as she watches her working, having already given her order to Jayun.

Sumin's eyes land at the window outside as she looks at the view. It's been getting colder and colder the past few days as Christmas is around the corner. It's even snowing outside and even though only the brave ones should be walking outside in such weather and cold, apparently that couldn't apply to people that had work. So here is Sumin, working anyway, even in this cold weather, as well as all those customers too, that badly need their warm caffeine boost before they start working.

Sumin smiles softly as a single memory of the past starts displaying in front of her eyes.

"It's so cold." Sumin's younger self had grumbled. In Sumin's eyes their figures change and now she's back to her younger self, to the one she used to be in high school, hair bleached as the top of her head had its familiar dark brown color because she hasn't dyed them in a long time.

She had buried herself deep in the covers of her bed, looking like a huge burrito as she only kept shaking out of how cold she felt. It was too early in the morning for any decent person to be awake yet again Sumin and Sieun had been awake for a while now, waiting for the very first snow impatiently as Sieun had seen in the news that it would snow early in the morning. She would get excited over the smallest things and would drag Sumin along with her, involving her in whatever new thing she was excited about and wanted to try. Sumin would only keep grumbling but never fully denied Sieun. It was pretty much like nowadays.

Sieun was lying right next to Sumin, on Sumin's bed, buried with her own set of covers as she would shake too, her nose and cheeks painted in a faint rosy color out of how cold she felt, her brown hair barely at display as the covers were even covering her head at this point. She was staring in Sumin's eyes and would giggle every once in a while along with her at how much of the idiots they both were, having woken up too early to just see the snow. Her eyes would then drift back to the window impatiently looking at it and would scold Sumin every once in a while as to why she wasn't looking at the window but had turned her back to it instead and was facing Sieun instead.

Sumin couldn't give away her secret. For her, the magical moment wasn't when it snowed. Sure, it was a very soft and beautiful moment, almost like a miracle as Sieun would claim. But for Sumin, the most wonderful moment was Sieun's happy and excited expressions when she would look at the snow, looking like a little innocent happy kid, getting excited and overjoyed by something as simple and insignificant as that. Yes, Sumin adored looking at Sieun's expressions way more than the snow. Snow was cold after all while Sieun was the warmest person alive.

"Do you think it will snow soon?" Sieun had asked Sumin at some point as she stared at her. Sumin paused a little, taking in the moment. Sieun's beautiful caramel brown eyes staring deeply into Sumin's as if Sumin was her whole world. Sumin loved looking deep into Sieun's eyes but she hated how misleading the girl's stare was, giving her false hope.

"No. I don't think so. I think the meteorologists lied as they usually do." Sumin had replied before she formed a cheeky smile. She giggled softly when Sieun groaned and hit her on her shoulder.

"They indeed said that there's a possibility of snow. They never promised you anything or said anything clear though, did they?" Sumin said, stating her point and making Sieun pout. The girl kept pouting and groaning until,

"Sumin! Sumin look! It's snowing! I knew it! I knew it would snow! Ha! I knew I was right! Loser! You didn't believe in it but here it is proving you wrong! It's snowing!" Sieun said as she immediately arose from her spot, sitting in front of the window now and staring at the snow outside, having quipped at Sumin for not believing that it would snow. Sumin had only smiled at that. She couldn't quip back at Sieun, not when the girl's expressions were filled with so much glee and joy, making her look like a bright star in the sky.

I love you.

There it was. In the tip of Sumin's tongue and lips, almost slipping past them but never doing so. Even when Sumin was the weakest or careless she would somehow still have some control over her feelings and never let those words slip past .

It was that deep already. Her love for Sieun. It had started with a simple fluttering in her chest, a simple crush, then a huge liking on the other girl and soon it evolved into deep, true, real love. One that Sumin had caught herself multiple times that she would do anything for. Sacrifice herself, or go over the world just to make Sieun smile. She would catch herself liking Sieun's skinship, something that she never did before by anyone. She would catch herself daydreaming about Sieun, wanting Sieun, wanting to hug Sieun, to spend more time with Sieun, to kiss her, to touch her, but even make her hers...

It was that deep.

That morning though Sumin hadn't realized that it accidentally slipped past her lips. It was a mere mumble, barely audible by anyone, even herself, but it was there, out in the open. She still doesn't know if Sieun ever heard her but she tells herself that she didn't or else she would have done something.

"What?" Sieun had asked as she turned to look at Sumin, expecting the girl to repeat what she had just told that according to Sumin she hadn't heard that clearly.

"I said I love it." Sumin said and pointed at the snow in the window, having already altered her position to a sitting one right next to Sieun. Sieun had smiled faintly at that before she said,

"It's really beautiful, how can you not love it!?"

"Are you even listening, miss?" Sumin is brought back to rea