Wendy wakes up with a headache. The sun blares against her eyes and she wants to grip it in her hands and just squeeze.

Her phone rings and she pats around her bedside table until it picks up.

"Hello? Seungwan?"

She brings it to her ear with a squint. "What? Who is this?"

"It's me, Wan-ah."

"Ah, Irene. Hey, why are you calling me?"

"S-Seungwan..."

"What? What is it?" Wendy rubs her eyes and sits up out of bed. 

She hears Irene clear . "There's breakfast in the fridge. There's enough for you and Sooyoung."

"Sooyoung?"

"Yeah, she...Stayed over, right?"

"Uh..." In a moment of realisation, Wendy looks around her room and rushes to find a mirror. With a sigh, Wendy inspects her reflection. She looks the same. But she doesn't feel the same.

"Seungwan? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I gotta go." She hangs up at that blunt response and immediately finds 'Joy' in her contacts. Four calls to Sooyoung goes to voicemail so she messages her:

joy we need to talk

right now

where are you

sorry unnie

I'm busy

your soul is weird

what does that mean

give it back

it hasn't even been a day

it feels weird

like I'm missing something

yeah your soul

no

i hate you

you have no soul

you don't have empathy or feelings

so you literally can't hate me

i hate you

Wendy huffs and goes to the kitchen for some food. She opens the fridge to see pancakes and hums. I'm not hungry, Wendy thinks to herself. Yesterday's Wendy would've immediately eaten anything Irene made for her but... Well, today's Wendy..? Doesn't need to care for it anymore.

Wendy thinks to herself; I have no soul. Does this mean I have no hunger? Do I even need to sleep anymore? 

It's a great realisation for Wendy. As a songwriter and overachiever with a relentless work ethic, she'd always fail to engage in proper eating or sleeping habits. Joohyun would not so subtly ask for food, to which Wendy would quickly offer up her skills and well, Wendy didn't want her to eat alone. It was an unspoken agreement of sorts. And Wendy's immaculate cooking ability was an unspoken thank you. 

Joohyun's a heart surgeon though, so she comes and goes at irregular times whenever she's needed. It's difficult for her to consistently make sure Wendy gets enough sleep. She's like my mother, Wendy thinks and scoffs. Why do I have feelings for her? Do I have mummy issues or something--

Regardless, she has no soul now. Her feelings won't be a problem anymore. She can finally have a decent conversation with the doctor without stuttering or doing something embarrassingly stupid. 

And now, without having to worry about eating or sleeping, she can prioritise her job. Right, yes. Music will always be Wendy's life. You don't need a soul to make good songs. You just need talent and grit. 

***

Joohyun's gotten used to the blinding white lights and piercing hospital noises by now. She's the head cardiovascular surgeon. She's had too many publications to cou