Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What did she get herself into this time? Yoohyeon feels awfully out of place in her current predicament for a naive young girl like herself! Maybe it is Yoohyeon's own fault for accepting her friend Bora's ridiculous, albeit mysterious (aka possibly rewarding), volunteering opportunity, but she’s definitely going to blame this one on Bora anyways. 

“It’ll be fun, she said! You'll gain unique experience, she said!! Well, this is surely unique!” Yoohyeon mumbles to herself as she changes into the clothes her new volunteer coordinator gave her: a prison guard uniform. At least she looks good with a tie. Otherwise, Yoohyeon thinks this is utterly ridiculous. What type of volunteer work requires you to guard and potentially defend yourself against criminals? Isn't this a literal job that requires at least two years of training and possible combat experience? Yoohyeon does not have either of the two. Hell, she's not even getting paid for this. Yoohyeon does blame herself for not reading the fine print before showing up. 

Yoohyeon buckles up her belt, the last addition to her outfit, and stares at her figure in the mirror. She's changed in this small storage room her coordinator shoved her in, which just happens to have a full-body mirror amidst the many boxes of supplies littered about. Well! At least I look good, she thinks as she fixes her bangs. Then she starts to recite a mantra. I can get through this. I am young, cute, pretty, and homosexual. Gay people can do anything! I can do anything— 

Her self-reassurances are interrupted by knocking on the door. Yoohyeon assumes it's the volunteer coordinator who goes by Siyeon. 

“Hi, Yoohyeon. Are you finished? Come out when you are.”

Yoohyeon quickly gathers up the clothes she was previously wearing off the floor and sends a curt “Yup, I’m done” before opening the door. 

“Follow me to the lockers where you can put your clothes down.” Yoohyeon trails behind Siyeon, who is slightly shorter than her but visibly more muscular. She is dressed similarly to Yoohyeon; only her uniform is adorned with a badge and a gun in addition. Yoohyeon hopes Siyeon won't need to use the latter of the two accessories. Siyeon starts explaining Yoohyeon's role as a volunteer as they swiftly travel through the halls. Yoohyeon observes her surroundings; she thinks it resembles a hospital, but just with way more keycard access needed everywhere and no windows. 

“Thanks so much for volunteering, Yoohyeon. We have been quite short-staffed as of late,” Siyeon expresses her gratitude.

“Uhm, isn’t this a high-security prison? Wouldn't more staff be, like, required?” Yoohyeon tentatively asks. 

“Actually, in prisons like these, the inmates usually have longer sentences, so it’s pretty rare for them to cause trouble. Most of them are just trying to pass their years by.” Siyeon dutifully explains. Yoohyeon empathizes with it and feels slightly less pressured by the job. 

“That makes sense.”

“Good.” Siyeon sends Yoohyeon a tight-lipped smile over her shoulder. “Normally days here are not that chaotic. We start the day off with escorting any new inmates into the prison if there are any. They usually come right from court or a temporary jail, so it is procedure to interview them to assess risk and then search them. Then we give them their clothes and supplies and send them off to their cells. Then the rest of the day is pretty routine, just giving them meals and then supervising! No biggie. you will just be helping out wherever we lack people.”

Yoohyeon nods along. She guesses that it doesn't seem that bad after all. Totally volunteerable! 

They make a turn around a corner, and Siyeon taps her keycard and lets Yoohyeon in. Yoohyeon puts her clothes into her newly assigned locker and is handed a nametag with her own name printed on it. she puts it on and follows Siyeon out of the room.

“Today we’re admitting a new inmate. She’s being assessed right now, but she should be out soon for the strip search.” Siyeon leads her into another room, this time a tiny one that can't be more than 2 by 2 meters wide, with a small bed taking up almost half the space. ”Here we are.”

“This is the—“

“Strip search room? Yup,” Siyeon finishes Yoohyeon’s sentence for her. Then she turns around, leaving a small Yoohyeon standing alone in the middle of the room.

“Wait—are you leaving me here??” Yoohyeon can hear the desperation in her own voice.

“Well, kiddo, I have some errands to run, so I’ll leave you incharge of this one. Your first task—how fun! I’ll come get you when I’m done.” Siyeon smiles again. This time Yoohyeon wants to smack it off her face, but unfortunately the coordinator has already left the room with the door locking behind her. Yoohyeon stays in place, mouth agape in shock.

 “What do you mean when, ‘I’m done’????? What about me?? Am I even allowed to perform a strip search? I don’t even know how that works!” she internally screams. “What the FUCK!” 

Her initial image of Siyeon being a respectful and professional woman twenty minutes ago has already taken a full 180. This is blatantly irresponsible! Leaving a newbie like Yoohyeon unarmed in a tiny room alone with a CRIMINAL to STRIP SEARCH her???? Yoohyeon could be killed both by the criminal and the strip search. Yoohyeon sits down on the bed in stress and takes her head into her hands, crashing out. What the actual hell is she supposed to do? Gay people can do anything. She repeats the phrase she believes in in her head. Once she's calmed down a little bit, Yoohyeon unpalms her face, putting her hands down on the bed. It's nothing more than a mattress wrapped with a thin sheet. Beside Yoohyeon sits a blue folder. Yoohyeon picks it up and opens it. Inside is what she assumes is the inmate's information. Only a name followed by a  picture, age, height, and weight, with no details of her crimes.

 Name: “Kim Jiu,” and the picture... Yoohyeon stares. Hard.  Damn, she is pretty. Gosh. she has to strip search... that?? Maybe because she's gay, she can't do this. Her mantra has betrayed her. Yoohyeon wonders what a beautiful woman like that did to end up in a maximum security prison. Then she remembers that she still has her phone on her, and curiosity wins her over when she types in the woman's name into a google search. Odd, there are no news articles, but she has a profile on a website of her area’s documented criminals. Kim Jiu has a profile on it with the same name and same picture and was charged with first-degree murder. She has no previous criminal record. But she's still a murderer. Yoohyeon thinks. Gosh, and first degree—doesn't that mean it was premeditated?? Yoohyeon has no idea how to interact with a conniving murderer! A dangerously pretty conniving murderer... Gosh, this is all Kim Bora’s fault. She scrolls down for more information on her page. A 25 year sentence. That’s a long time. Maybe she shouldn’t have let her curiosity take over and stayed blissfully unaware. 

Before Yoohyeon can stress any longer, she hears a few sets of faint footsteps approaching the room. She panics, shoving her phone into her pocket and slamming the folder shut and getting up onto her feet. 

The door unlocks, and in peeks the woman from the photos. She’s pushed in by a guard who undoes the handcuffs behind her back before leaving the room. The guard does not acknowledge Yoohyeon. Yoohyeon deeply gulps, not knowing what to do, and resides in staring at the other woman's face. She’s undeniably beautiful in person, putting her mugshot picture to shame. She seems to notice Yoohyeon's excessive staring as her eyes trail to meet hers. Yoohyeon blushes, eyes widening in embarrassment and maybe fear, which the woman notices and diverts her line of sight to the floor. Yoohyeon thinks she looks cute, almost sheepish, before realizing that the woman is probably waiting for her to speak first since she appears to be a prison guard. How was she supposed to do this? Lord help her. 

“Uh... you’re Kim Jiu, right?” Yoohyeon blurts out. She winces at herself. She's supposed to search her for contraband, not interview her, but at least it's a start. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Jiu says. She has a really nice voice, Yoohyeon thinks. Wow, Yoohyeon sucks at this. 

“Uhm, please don’t call me ma’am; I’m just volunteering here.” Yoohyeon says frantically, waving her hands out in front of her. Yoohyeon winces again. Does the inmate even need to know this? Maybe she should shut up. Jiu seems in slight shock at the prison guard's lack of sternness; her form relaxes a little. 

“Then what should I call you...” The woman’s eyes trail over to the other girl’s name tag, “Yoohyeon? Or Ms. Kim?” 

Yoohyeon quickly nods. “Yoohyeon is fine, thank you.” 

Yoohyeon opens her mouth to speak again before shutting it, contemplating whether to tell Jiu that today is her first day, but when she thinks about it, it doesn’t even matter because she should not be performing a strip search regardless, and she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Fuck it, whatever. Maybe Yoohyeon should just get it over with, and if she does anything overbearingly embarrassing, she will never come back to this establishment again. 

Jiu watches her think in amusement, a soft smile growing on her face. 

“Ahem, please take off your clothes. I’m supposed to perform a strip search.” Yoohyeon coughs and quickly spits out those words before she can hesitate further and make it even more awkward for the both of them. Yoohyeon nonchalantly closes her eyes and spins around because she has no idea how much clothing people usually take off during strip searches and does not really want to have to look at this pretty stranger and murderer she just met in the nude. “Please tell me when you’re done.”

Yoohyeon is met with a silent chuckle followed by the rustling of the prison uniform before a period of silence, then Jiu speaks up.

“You know you’re supposed to, like, pat me down, right?” Jiu comments, mirth sprinkled in her voice. 

“OH! Right…” Yoohyeon face palms, peels her eyes open, and reluctantly spins around. To her pleasure, Jiu is still wearing her underwear, and Yoohyeon releases a breath held in deep. 

“Like what you see?” JIu slyly asks, smirking. Panic immediately sets on Yoohyeon's face, the poor girl turning fifty shades redder than she already was. Jiu notices Yoohyeon’s explicit uneasiness and tries to comfort her. “I’m sorry, that was too much; pretend I didn’t say that.”

Yoohyeon nods, and either out of actually pretending she didn’t hear anything or still being in a state of shock and gay panic, she does not respond. Yoohyeon steps forward, not knowing where to start. 

“Ahahaha, you’re not hiding anything in your hair, are you?” Yoohyeon jokes as she brushes her fingers through Jiu’s long black hair and gently places it behind her shoulders. She gets a giggle out of Jiu. She starts awkwardly patting the woman on her shoulders and then down her arms, not maintaining eye contact because that would actually kill her. Yoohyeon thinks this whole thing is so stupid, like what is the point of patting down bareskin? And that fuckass volunteer coordinator did not even give her gloves. Isn’t that basic health protocol?

“...Cute,” Yoohyeon hears Jiu mumble as she places her hands on the woman’s waist. Yoohyeon freezes, contrary to her very red, heated state. The position they are in is really, really, mega gay. She collects herself and pats down Jiu’s hips and legs. That should be good enough.

“You’re good to go!” Yoohyeon relishes. She’s free! Well, Jiu’s not. Nevertheless, Yoohyeon is free from the double-edged blade of her homosexuality. She unhands the lady, and Jiu puts her clothes back on before asking where she is exactly supposed to go. 

“Oh shit.” Yoohyeon actually doesn’t know. “Let me get my boss.”

Yoohyeon reaches for the doorknob. Locked. Great. Now Yoohyeon is trapped in this tiny-ass room with this extremely hot woman, who she was forced to pat all over with her bare hands. Just great. And right. She’s a murderer too. Awesome.  

Rattling the doorknob a good few more times without it budging, Yoohyeon sheepishly turns around, facing the other woman in the room with a strained smile on her face to hide her uncertainty about what to do. Jiu looks just as confused as Yoohyeon is.

“Do you have a key?” Jiu expectantly asks.

“No… I wasn’t given anything,” Yoohyeon admits. God, she sounds extremely unprofessional right now. This is not her fault! “My boss said she would come get me when she’s done with her errands.”

“Oh.” 

Yoohyeon looks around the room and weighs her options on how she’s supposed to handle this. She guesses it’s a little awkward to stand around while waiting for Siyeon, so she takes a seat on the bed and pats the space next to her.

“Come sit while we wait.” Yoohyeon directs at Jiu. The woman nods and plops down close to Yoohyeon, the cloth of their baggy pants overlapping. Yoohyeon starts fidgeting with her fingers while she contemplates whether to try to make conversation or sit through however long it takes until the coordinator gets back in silence. Yoohyeon thinks small talk wouldn’t hurt, and she probably won’t get the chance to talk to Jiu again. Her thoughts go from one to another; Yoohyeon gingerly mourns the fact that the two of them don’t have the possibility of having a future with each other in it. Gosh, Yoohyeon, what are you even thinking? 

“You’re awfully adorable for a prison guard, you know,” Jiu says, interrupting Yoohyeon’s thoughts. She had been observing Yoohyeon as the other girl played with her hands, with her mind drifting elsewhere. She thinks it’s cute how every emotion Yoohyeon goes through gets expressed on her face. Jiu’s comment does its work on Yoohyeon, as the poor girl flushes and is pulled out of the engrossment of her thoughts. 

Sometimes Yoohyeon doesn’t think enough.  

“And you’re awfully friendly for a murderer.” Yoohyeon kind of wishes those words never left her mouth. She watches Jiu’s face twist in shock, almost as if what Yoohyeon said was false. Yoohyeon reassures herself that what she said was uncalled for, yes, but ultimately factual! Jiu is friendly, and she is a murderer. Although she realizes it’s probably not the best idea to joke around with said murderer. 

“Right. Yes. I’m a murderer.” Jiu mutters to herself, almost as if she’s an actress reminding herself of her role. Yoohyeon doesn’t sense any guilt in her voice. Is she that cold-blooded and remorseless? There’s something about the way the woman spoke that Yoohyeon can’t quite put her finger on. It sounded like almost indifference. 

Before things could get any worse, someone raps on the door before it unlocks, and Siyeon comes in carrying bubble teas on a tray. 

“Hello, you two!” Siyeon greets the two on the bed in familiarity. Yoohyeon notices that Jiu doesn’t seem moved by the newcomer’s presence at all. “You guys finished?”

‘Yup,” Jiu responds for the both of them. 

“Do you two know eachother?” Yoohyeon skeptically asks, looking between the two. 

“Yea—No…” They respond simultaneously. Yoohyeon thinks this is rather suspicious. Why does a prison guard in a high position personally know a murderer? Furthermore, why are they hiding it? She diverts her attention to the tray of drinks in the coordinator’s hands, noticing an M scribbled on the only different drink on the tray, the tea lighter in tone. Oolong, perhaps? Yoohyeon guesses. The other two look like classic black milk teas. 

Siyeon notices Yoohyeon’s staring and hands her one of the black teas. 

“I didn’t know what you liked, so I just got you the same as me. Happy first day! Take it as a token of my gratitude.” 

“Thanks, you didn’t have to. Who’s the other one for?” 

“Oh—it’s for,” Siyeon takes the drink out of the tray and makes eye contact with Jiu, who subtly shakes her head side to side, widening her eyes. “My… coworker! Yes, that’s right.”

She starts shaking the drink in her hand in an attempt to mask whatever she was going to do with it before.  

“Just mixing it up for her, haha!” 

“Okay…” Yoohyeon thinks that this is weird. 

“Well, Yoohyeon! You are good to go for today! I will handle the rest.” Siyeon says, quickly dismissing the girl. 

“Okay, thank you.” Yoohyeon says. She pops a straw in her boba and stands up, heading to the door. She turns back to look at Jiu one more time. 

“I’ll see you around, cutie.” Jiu says and sends her one last smile before the door closes and Yoohyeon can no longer see her face.

Chapter Text

“I’m telling you, she was soooooo pretty!” Yoohyeon says as she and her friend Yubin walk from their university campus to a nearby cafe. Yoohyeon has been ranting about her volunteer experience the other day, as the pair head over to their regular lunch spot in between classes. 

“You do realize you’re saying this about the woman you told me you had to pat down naked that’s been charged with first-degree murder, right?” Yubin quizzically asks as she speeds up her walking pace to open the cafe door for Yoohyeon. 

“Well first off!! She wasn’t naked… That’s kind of irrelevant to the fact that she’s pretty! And there’s no news coverage of her case, so I don’t know; maybe her crimes were justifiable!” 

The door of the cafe rings as the two students step in, and they step in line to order. The cafe is bustling with chatter all around, as many students visit during school hours. 

“Sorry, I just mentioned the strip search part ‘cause, well, I find it pretty ridiculous that you had to do that.” Judging from Yoohyeon’s descriptions of her day there, Yubin is frankly worried for her best friend’s safety! The “high security prison” (if you could even call it that) does not seem that secure at all given their deficit of qualified staff. And it sounds like Yoohyeon’s already been seduced by a criminal. "I do think you’re jumping to conclusions too fast, though. I just don’t really know if it’s the best to fancy someone who has, like, killed somebody.” 

“She was friendly!” 

“You know she probably was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a reason, right?” 

“Well, I did some research, and 25 years is the minimum life sentence for first-degree murder!” Yoohyeon protests. Yubin looks at her dead in the eyes, puzzled. Her friend's reaction knocks the rose-coloured lenses off Yoohyeon’s face. “Okay, You’re right. I do sound kind of crazy right now.”

“Just looking out for you, man.” Yubin says. That’s what friends are for, right? If Yubin can protect Yoohyeon from potential danger, that’s what she’ll do. 

The line has long moved forwards. The worker at the cash register calls “next,” and the two girls scurry forwards to order. Yoohyeon gets her usual croissant sandwich with an iced matcha, while Yubin orders a ham and cheese pastry paired with an iced americano. Yoohyeon pays today, as the two always order together for convenience. They alternate who pays every other day. Yubin heads over to the seating area to find a table, while Yoohyeon walks over to the end of the cafe bar to pick up the food. 

“Order for Yoohyeon,” 

Yoohyeon approaches the counter to grab her food and stops dead in her tracks. The employee holding her drinks is wearing a cap and a mask, but those eyes… It’s Jiu; Yoohyeon’s sure of it.

“Uhm, order for Yoohyeon?” the employee repeats again. Her eyes slightly quiver under Yoohyeon’s stare. 

“Oh, uh, sorry.” Yoohyeon notices that her voice sounds the same too. Yoohyeon takes the drinks from the worker, glancing at her name tag. 

[Minji], it reads. Something clicks in Yoohyeon’s head. The boba with the M on it. This can’t possibly be just a coincidence, right? 

“What are you doing here?” Yoohyeon blurts out.

“Excuse me? Do I know you?” the worker retorts. Yoohyeon praises her for wearing a hat and a mask because she cannot see through any of her emotions right now, and she is unable to come up with a timely response. Well played, Jiu. Or should I say: Minji. “Here’s your bread.” 

After placing the two bags of bread onto the counter, the worker quickly turns around and starts making a drink, leaving Yoohyeon standing there stunned. She doesn’t know what to do. Why is the woman she met the other day working at a cafe when she’s supposed to be serving a life sentence in prison? As someone sort of employed by the prison, is she supposed to do something about it? But if she had just escaped from jail, why is she putting herself at risk by being seen in public? That doesn’t make sense. She guesses that the hat and mask do help. Maybe Yubin’s right, and this woman is potentially dangerous. Gosh. Maybe this is a big deal. A first-degree murderer has escaped and is in her vicinity.  And she’s preparing food and drink for a bunch of people! 

Someone taps her on the shoulder, breaking her train of thought.

“Yoohyeon, are you not going to sit down?” Yubin asks. She notices Yoohyeon’s state of shock and the look of deep thought on her face. “Did something happen? I’m hungry.”

“Yeah. Wait, let's sit down first, and I’ll tell you.” Yoohyeon says anxiously. 

Yubin leads her to a corner booth, and they put down their food next to each other. Yubin starts digging into her pastry, while Yoohyeon takes a sip of her matcha to rehydrate her mouth before spilling the beans.

“Okay, this sounds crazy, but Jiu, if that’s even her real name, is working in this cafe right now!” Yoohyeon whisper-shouts. Yubin’s jaw drops at this influx of information. “She’s wearing a cap and mask, but I know it’s her! My gaydar can feel it!”

“Wait, slow the freak down. First of all, that's not how a gaydar works, and secondly, what the fuck do you mean she's in the shop?!!” 

“I’m telling you, she’s right there!!”

Yubin looks around, stressed. She does spot a worker in a white ball cap and mask. 

“Gosh, what the fuck do we do? Call the cops?” Yubin suggests. 

“No… There are so many people here right now.”

“Don’t you think that’s the least of our problems?”

Yoohyeon puts her head in her hands, distraught.

“Ugh, I should have seen this earlier. That’s why the coordinator was being so chummy with her. They’re probably in cahoots! Working with each other. And when I strip-checked her, I wasn’t given any tools! Like, what’s that thing TSA workers have that they wave around, and it beeps if there’s something on you? I wasn’t given that! Maybe she was hiding stuff in her hair. Oh my god. This is probably also my fault. She was so pretty I probably didn’t search her properly. I was distracted!”  

Yubin watches Yoohyeon gradually squeeze her sandwich harder with each syllable spoken, croissant flakes coming loose and landing on the table. 

“Okay, Yooh, calm down. I doubt you had anything to do with it. Maybe you should start with something small, like an anonymous tip to the authorities?” Yubin proposes. 

“Good idea, actually.” Yoohyeon pulls out her phone and dials 911. “Oh Yubin, what would I do without you?” 

“You’d probably be in a ditch somewhere…” Yubin mumbles. 

Yoohyeon starts explaining the situation to the 911 operator.

“Alright, ma’am, we’ll check in with the staff at JYUKKO Women’s Correctional Facility to confirm if the inmate has escaped. Please stay on hold.”

The two friends sit through the grainy music in silence as they wait in anticipation for a response. The music pauses. Yoohyeon clutches her pearls.

“Sorry, ma’am, you’ve been mistaken. The staff at the facility have confirmed that Kim Jiu is still in her cell. Maybe you mistook the worker for her. Have a nice day.” 

The line cuts. 

What the fuck. This makes absolutely no sense. Yubin sips her coffee and shrugs.

“Maybe it is just a coincidence.” 

“I swear I’m not insane.”

Yoohyeon’s going to take this matter into her own hands.

＊＊＊

The next day, Yoohyeon clocks into her volunteering shift with a clear goal in mind; she’s going to get to the bottom of things and prove that inmate Kim Jiu—No, Minji—had escaped. She’s still mad at herself for not acting on the spot and just leaving the cafe with Minji still working there, but Yoohyeon thinks her current plan is the best course of action. How was she even supposed to get Minji arrested at the cafe if the police don’t believe her? However, she’s like 95% sure that the worker was in fact Minji. She doesn’t have any solid proof, but she could just feel it. 

Minji must have some real connections and power if she’s able to escape prison so easily under the radar like that, Yoohyeon speculates. She can’t let Siyeon know of her suspicions. Those two are probably working together anyways. This is genuinely so unjust—the prison staff working alongside a criminal? Such corruption! Yoohyeon’s moral compass is telling her that it is her visceral duty to recapture Minji and bring her to justice. 

“Is it okay if I handle passing out dinner for the inmates today?” Yoohyeon asks Siyeon. She had planned on volunteering earlier, but she didn’t get much sleep last night due to overthinking everything. She only managed to close her eyes after pledging to herself that she would personally send Minji back to jail if it’s the last thing she did. 

“Oh yeah, sure,” Siyeon absentmindedly answers. Something in the officer's pocket starts to buzz. She takes her phone out of her pants and visibly gulps after seeing the caller ID. “I have to take this call, kiddo. See you later! Just sign out when you’re leaving; you don’t need to let me know!””

The coordinator scurries off to answer her call, and Yoohyeon begins her mission. Yoohyeon still does a good job doing what she’s supposed to do, as she truly loves helping people. She makes sure to sneak all the inmates a little extra snack. Then she approaches “Jiu’s” cell, heart pounding in anticipation as she knocks on the door. 

“Excuse me, it’s dinner time; I have your meal.” Yoohyeon slides the food through the slit in the door and peers through the skinny window. A figure approaches the door, and Yoohyeon's heart races in her chest. The woman has black hair like Minji, but when she lifts her face, Yoohyeon’s heart drops. It’s a completely different person, not the Jiu she met before. Now she’s really confused. Yoohyeon stares dumbfounded through the window, trying to piece things together. What is going on? Is this a body-swapping type thing? Has the random lady in the cell been framed? At least this confirms her suspicions that the cafe worker was Minji.

“Pardon me, Miss, if you don’t mind me asking, have we met before? You’re Kim Jiu, right?” Yoohyeon nervously asks, attempting to find some type of confirmation to make herself feel less like the world is playing tricks on her. 

“Yes, I’m Kim Jiu, but I don’t think we’ve met, have you seen me on the news?” The real Jiu responds, without any hints of deception in her voice. Yoohyeon definitely feels insane now. 

“Uh, no, I haven’t; I’m…  just taking attendance. Enjoy your meal!” Yoohyeon scurries off into the employee locker room, growing increasingly uneasy. She thinks she’s going to be sick. 

Sitting down on the bench in front of her locker, something pops up in her mind. The website. She goes in her search history from her first day volunteering and clicks on the link which had Kim Jiu’s profile on it. It opens up, everything identical to how it was previously, except that the photo had been replaced with one of the lady who Yoohyeon had just seen in her cell. Yoohyeon stares at her phone in disbelief. No way… What is actually going on? 

Thoughts uncontrollably race through her head, trying to piece things together, but nothing makes sense. The discomfort in her chest grows, and Yoohyeon starts feeling incredibly light-headed. Before she knows it, her vision becomes dim and her head falls back, hitting the wall. 

Chapter Text

“Excuse me, here’s a meal for the patient.” 

That voice. Yoohyeon stirs awake. The bright lights in the room cause her to wince. She groans. Ouch, where is she? And what type of establishment has such blinding lights when people are trying to sleep? She tries to remember what happened. Jiu. No. Minji. Ugh. She doesn’t even know what’s what anymore. Her head hurts. Well, at least she can presume that she’s probably in the hospital. 

“Oh, thanks. You can put it on that table.” 

Yoohyeon recognizes her friend Bora’s voice. She pries her eyes open a sliver, taking in her surroundings. It’s a pretty big white room, with a tall window across from her, with two seats next to it. In those seats sit her friends, Kim Bora in the rightmost chair closer to the door, and Lee Yubin in the other. Yoohyeon squints. Yubin is scrolling on her phone, and Bora has her legs crossed, watching something or someone in the room. Yoohyeon stiffly turns her head to follow Bora’s line of sight and lands on the woman in pink scrubs, setting a tray of food down on her bedside table. That’s why that voice was familiar. It’s Minji. 

“YOU!” Yoohyeon springs awake and grabs the woman’s wrist as she begins to walk away towards the door. Everyone in the room lets out a gasp. 

The woman turns her head around to see why this patient is gripping her, hopping in shock as they make eye contact. It’s the cutie from prison and the cafe. Said cutie has her brows furrowed, staring daggers into Minji’s soul. Minji thinks she looks like a kicked puppy. 

“You!” Minji responds tensely. Before either of them can utter another word, Yoohyeon’s friends interrupt. 

“Oh my god, Yoohyeon’s awake!” Bora exclaims. 

“Yooh! How are you feeling?” Yubin adds on, putting her phone away.

Minji takes it as her chance to escape.

“I’ll go tell the doctor she’s awake!!” She calls out as she yanks her arm from Yoohyeon’s grip and quite literally jogs out of the room. Yoohyeon reaches her hand out, arm outstretched. 

“WAIT! COME BACK!” Yoohyeon cries as she watches the door slam shut. She grabs one of the flimsy pillows from underneath herself and smushes her face into it. “UGHHHH!”

Yubin stands up and walks to Yoohyeon’s bedside, Bora naturally following behind. Yubin pats Yoohyeon, who’s still whining into the pillow, on the back, trying to comfort her.

“Yoohyeon, are you okay? Do you know that nurse?”

“YES I KNOW HER! IT’S THE INMATE FROM JAIL!” Yoohyeon rants. She lifts her head from the pillow, very disheveled, and gets hit with the puzzled look on her friends’ faces. Yoohyeon feels a migraine developing and plops her face back down. “Ughhhhhhh, I swear she’s messing with me.” 

“Yubin, what is she talking about?” Bora deadpans, slinging her arm over Yubin’s shoulder. Yubin makes a grimacing face and shrugs her shoulders.  Yoohyeon suddenly sits back up, turning her body to face her friends, crisscrossing her legs and propping her head up with her fingertips. 

“Bora, You know that volunteering job you referred me to? I went, and you didn't tell me it was at a freaking PRISON.”

“Well, you still went, right? Also, Siyeon was the one that got you to the hospital from there. She said she found you unconscious in the locker room.”

“That's past the point! I was set up!! Actually, this is also probably all Siyeon’s fault because she made me pat down that awfully beautiful woman half naked who escaped from jail and is now messing with me!! She was literally right in this room!” 

“Gosh, Yoohyeon, what are you actually talking about?” Bora laughs, but her voice is laced with concern. Yoohyeon doesn’t think her situation should be laughed about. 

“Basically on my first day volunteering there, Siyeon locked me in a tiny room with this really pretty girl and told me to strip search her, so I did, and then like a few days later she was at the uni cafe, which makes no sense because she should be in jail! Also, Yubin was literally there at that cafe with me.”

Bora has her mouth slightly open, brows arched, as she takes in the rush of outlandish information. 

“What—Yubin, you were there?”

“Yeah, Yubs, you should be on my side here; you saw her too!”

“I mean, I only saw the person you pointed to in the cap, like I didn’t even see her face. I don’t know what she looks like.” Yubin admits. She does want to believe Yoohyeon, but none of this really makes sense. And she feels slightly in charge of keeping Yoohyeon sane. “Also, when we called the police, they said the girl Yoohyeon claims she saw was still in her cell.”

“WAIT, THAT’S MY SECOND POINT! I went back to the prison, and when I went to her cell, there was a different woman in there!! And she claimed to be the same person as the pretty girl!” Yoohyeon thinks of solid evidence she can show to convince her friends she's not tweaking out. “Where’s my phone? Let me show you guys something.”

Bora takes Yoohyeon’s phone out of her purse and tosses it to her. Yoohyeon goes on the documented criminals page and shows them Kim Jiu’s profile. 

“See! They changed her photo too! Before the pretty girl’s photo was on the page!”

“Umm, do you have a screenshot of the page before?” Yubin asks. “This doesn’t really prove anything alone…”

“Well, no! But you guys saw that nurse, right? That was her!”

“Yoohyeon, the doctor said you have a mild concussion. Maybe you were seeing things?”

“Ughhhh, so that’s why my head hurts,” Yoohyeon groans.  “But no! I know what she looks like! That was like 100% her, I swear!”

“Okay, let’s say the cafe worker and nurse is her; what are we going to do about it?” Bora hypothesizes, trying to calm Yoohyeon down.

Yoohyeon had been planning this moment during her sleepless nights before. She sits upright and puts her hands on her hips, prepared to bestow her grand proposal upon her friends.

“Next time I see her, I’m going to knock her out and then kidnap her and force her to confess to her crime of escaping prison and send her back!” Yoohyeon exclaims, making a fist with one of her hands. 

“Yooh, that’s high-key insane.” Yubin does not want her friend to injure and kidnap a random girl who is probably not even a first-degree murderer. 

“Yeah, and won’t you also end up in jail for doing something like that?”

“Whatever! I’ll handle this on my own!” Yoohyeon proclaims. Bora looks at her in disbelief while Yubin stares in genuine fear. But whatever, Yoohyeon had been set on her plan since the day she went investigating at the prison. Wait—how long ago was that? “Umm, guys, how long was I out for?”

“Just overnight. Today’s a Sunday, it’s 12pm right now,” informs Bora. “The doctor said you should be good to go after you wake up and he gives you a checkup.”

As if on cue, the doctor enters the room with Minji following him a few paces behind, her head glancing down at the floor. Yoohyeon spots her but decides this is not a suitable place to knock out and kidnap a nurse. Even if she’s not really a nurse, she does look like one, Yoohyeon thinks solemnly. She’s still going to keep her eye on her, though. No funny business! Both Bora and Yubin greet them, then back up from Yoohyeon’s bed to let the doctor check on her. Minji flanks the doctor, standing near Yoohyeon’s friends. The friends in question glance at each other knowingly, both a little worried for the nurse's safety. 

The doctor gives Yoohyeon a checkup, flashing a light into her eyes while asking her questions. Aside from when a light was being blasted in her eyeballs, Yoohyeon had her eyes on Minji the entire time. Bora and Yubin definitely noticed. Yoohyeon claims she just has a headache, but Bora wonders if she should bring up the whole thing with the nurse as a symptom of confusion and memory issues, also possible vision problems. 

“Alright, Yoohyeon, you should be good to be discharged; just rest up, okay, and come back if your migraine gets worse.” The doctor states. He notices the tray of untouched food on Yoohyeon’s table. “You can check out after you’re done with your meal, if you want.” 

“Okay, thank you.” 

The doctor turns to leave, but Minji lingers for a bit and approaches Yoohyeon’s bed. Yubin tenses up. 

“Is Yoohyeon actually going to try to knock her out???” Yubin whispers to Bora, worried.

”I don’t freaking know, bro; let’s hope not.” 

“I know hospital food isn’t the tastiest, so I got you this.” Minji reaches into her pocket and pulls out a chocopie. She extends her hand out and offers it to Yoohyeon, who looks surprised and almost conflicted; she doesn’t move. Minji notices her tentativeness and just grabs Yoohyeon’s hand, placing the chocopie into it. She takes a step further by manually folding Yoohyeon’s fingers over the snack. 

Bora and Yubin make eye contact with each other, stunned, but they’re not as stunned as Yoohyeon is. Yoohyeon’s cheeks flush bright red as a small smile that she’s fighting against emerges on her face. 

“Thank you, I’ll cherish it.” Yoohyeon says, completely out of character compared to what she had been saying to her friends like ten minutes ago. 

Minji smiles at her before she too leaves the room. Bora’s eyes dart between the two throughout the whole interaction. Yubin lets out a deep breath and walks up to Yoohyeon, placing both her hands on the other girl’s shoulders. 

“Okay, Yoohyeon, I believe you.” Yubin states. That was definitely the same person as the inmate that Yoohyeon had been seduced by. Yubin could tell. 

Chapter Text

Yoohyeon spent the next day lounging in her apartment, playing Animal Crossing at her desk. She’s currently skipping Monday’s classes, as the doctor told her to get rest, and she was burnt out anyways. In the middle of catching a fish, Yoohyeon gets a notification on her phone. Siyeon sent her a text message. She puts down her Switch. 

[Siyeon]: Hey kiddo! Hope you’re healing up well! Lemme know when I’ll catch you at the prison! Miss you!

Yoohyeon grimaces at the notification. Why does Siyeon use her exclamation marks so excessively? Only God knows. Yoohyeon flips her phone over; not dealing with this today!  She is not looking forward to going back to the prison because everything there just reminds her of Minji. Yoohyeon does not know how to handle herself with this whole situation, especially after the chocopie incident at the hospital. Speaking of the chocopie, the snack sits on Yoohyeon’s desk, undamaged. She couldn’t bear to eat it. Yoohyeon eyes it on her table and picks it up, flipping it over and fiddling around with it while she thinks. 

What is she going to do about Minji? She knows she was set on the whole knocking-out plan before, but she doesn’t really want to do that anymore. Yes, Yoohyeon admits she might have developed a soft spot for the criminal. Bora had teased her endlessly after the chocopie thing.

“Thank you!! I’ll cherish this sooo special chocopie the pretty nurse gave me!” Bora mocked in an ear-scratchingly high voice. She probably noticed the disdain on Yoohyeon’s face, because in the next second, Bora had scooted over to sit on the hospital bed, trying to force-feed the other girl. “Don’t fret, child. I’m sure she likes you. Not even a cold hearted killer could resist your little cute face!” Bora pinches Yoohyeon’s cheek with her free hand which the other girl immediately swats away. “Are you still going to jump her?” 

Yoohyeon thinks back to that day. Yeah, Bora was right; she might be a little infatuated, but Yoohyeon’s ego refused to let her win. 

“I’ll jump her if I want to!” Was the only feasible response Yoohyeon could come up with at the time. Bora just laughed at her and stuffed a spoonful of hospital rice into her mouth. 

Yubin, on the other hand, had been more pleasant; the younger girl agreed to help Yoohyeon do research on Minji in order to gather information and ultimately send her back to prison. 

At the present time, Yoohyeon thinks maybe she should back off the jumping thing. But Minji’s still a criminal. It’s probably okay to go through with the kidnapping part if it’s for a good cause. Yoohyeon closes her eyes and maladaptive daydreams a fake scenario where she sees Minji and attempts to knock her out and kidnap her. Yoohyeon opens her eyes. 

Nope, not happening. 

She fears if she encounters Minji again anytime soon, she’ll panic in the gay way and fold. Yoohyeon should probably avoid her if she sees her for now. She also has no way to prove that Minji’s the inmate anyways. That’s what frustrates her the most. She just wants to figure out how and why Minji escaped from jail. And how she got a random lady in her place at the prison. Even if nothing holds in court, Yoohyeon just needs to know for her own sanity.  Maybe she’ll slowly gather evidence in secret and get her locked up eventually instead of directly taking action. With Yubin’s help it might be possible. Nodding to herself, Yoohyeon hops back on Animal Crossing. Sounds like a plan!

A few hours later, Yoohyeon gets hungry and decides to order takeout from her favourite local restaurant. Her doorbell rings. When she opens the door, she’s faced with a person around her height, wearing a flashy motorcycle helmet, clad in an unzipped leather jacket, a red button-up sweater, and baggy jeans. Yoohyeon feels underdressed in her baby blue matching pajama set even though she’s in the comfort of her own home. What type of delivery driver rides an actual motorcycle instead of one of those mopeds?

The person says something that Yoohyeon can’t decipher while holding out a paper bag, which she assumes is her takeout.

“Sorry? I can’t hear you," says Yoohyeon. The delivery driver holds out one finger, which Yoohyeon presumes means “one moment,” and slips off their helmet. Yoohyeon gasps.

“Order number 17?” Minji says as she brushes her long hair out of her pretty face. Her eyes widen once she meets Yoohyeon’s face. Yoohyeon eats her up with her eyes. Damn, she looks good. Then she realizes it’s Minji who’s in front of her, so Yoohyeon panics and slams the door in her face. 

Yoohyeon catches her breath for a moment with her back against the door. Why is she the freaking delivery driver? Wow, maybe she should stop going outside if this keeps happening. Now Minji knows where she lives! Whatever. Aside from the fact that she’s a murderer, Minji’s been pretty harmless and even nice, in fact. She’s probably more of a danger to Yoohyeon’s mental well-being than anything else. 

Peeking through her peephole, Yoohyeon watches as Minji puts down the bag and walks away, glancing back a few times. Yoohyeon waits for her to completely leave her peripheral vision before opening the door again. 

How do these coincidences keep happening? Yoohyeon probably used up all her luck, if she could even call it lucky, bumping into Minji so many times. 

Yoohyeon takes back her words. If this was lucky, she’s probably the luckiest person in the world. A few days passed, and throughout the days Yoohyeon had seen Minji. Too many times. Minji just happened to be conveniently working wherever Yoohyeon happened to go. She had never found herself immediately leaving so many establishments before. How was this woman so employed? This was driving her mad. She needs a drink. Actually, probably multiple. 

Well, it's a good thing Minji decided for them to meet up here, Yoohyeon thinks as she stands outside a bar. 

Eight pm, right on time. Yoohyeon waltzes through the door.

Chapter Text

Tuesday:

Yoohyeon felt guilty for skipping out on school even though she technically had an excuse. She was feeling better, so she settled on skipping for one more day before attending classes again. She left the next day empty for some catch-up studying. She was so grateful for Yubin. The girl attended Yoohyeon’s classes for her to ask the professors what she was missing in the wake of her injury. In Yoohyeon’s mind, she had to make up for her own academic negligence somehow, so she decided to head to the gym first thing in the morning to get the day off to a good start. She threw on a tank top and a pair of grey sweats she had laying around and walked to her local gym. Her apartment was conveniently located a brisk ten-minute walk away from most amenities, including the school campus itself. 

Finishing up with her arm day, Yoohyeon decided to hop on the treadmill to get her cardio in. She felt that it would do her some good, as she had barely moved in the last couple of days anyways. 

Did the AC stop working? At the fifteen-minute mark of her cardio session, Yoohyeon was already drenched in sweat. She never considered herself the particularly sweaty type, but man, it was hot. She looked up to the roof, where normally, a fan would be blowing cool air down on the cardio section, but it wasn’t moving today for whatever unfortunate reason. That, combined with the mid-September summer heat, was making Yoohyeon sweat balls. She looked down; her top was literally sticking to her skin, becoming slightly see-through. Yoohyeon was parched. When she reached out her hand to grab her water bottle, it wasn’t there. She must’ve left it back at the benches when she was doing her shoulder press… Ugh, whatever, she’ll thug it out and get it later. 

Yoohyeon was at the last stretch of her workout, the treadmill speed almost maxed out on the highest incline. She was treacherously taking step after step with only the music blasting through her headphones to motivate her when someone tapped her arm. She looked up to see who it was and—

Shit. Minji. With her water bottle.

Yoohyeon jumped and let out a strangled sound, throwing herself off rhythm with her running. She was able to catch herself by holding onto the railings and placing her feet on the sides of the moving conveyor belt before she could get launched off the treadmill. She had to catch her breath for a moment before turning off the treadmill and looking up to face her next roadblock. A very pretty roadblock, who for some reason was dressed like a 50 year old car mechanic.

“Hi, Yoohyeon, sorry if I startled you, but—“ Minji was staring at Yoohyeon; actually, it was more like she was checking her out. Her words paused when she was very obviously staring at the other girl’s torso, abs exposed through the dampened cloth of her tank top. Yoohyeon definitely noticed. She self-consciously wrapped her arms around her abdomen as if she were giving herself an awkward hug in order to nonchalantly divert Minji’s gaze. Minji inadvertently started glancing at Yoohyeon’s arms instead, which had gotten a nice pump after her workout. 

“Ahem—“ Yoohyeon cleared her throat. Minji stopped in her tracks from doing whatever she was doing before and met Yoohyeon’s eyes sheepishly, cheeks dusted in pink, even though it definitely didn’t look like she was there to work out. 

“Sorry, I lost my train of thought…” Minji admitted. 

At least she’s honest, Yoohyeon thought. The flattery was making her heat up even more than she already was. Then Yoohyeon remembered that it was Minji, out of all people, and she didn’t know if someone who had escaped from prison should be considered honest. Now Yoohyeon didn’t know how to act. A gym was not a safe place to jump somebody. Too many dangerous things around: dumbbells and plates. One swing of a barbell and someone could get permanent brain damage. Yoohyeon has had enough brain damage for a week. Avoid, Avoid, Avoid. Right. She should bolt out of there. Yoohyeon still wanted her water bottle back, though. 

“Umm, I assumed this is yours since it says Yoohyeon on it, and there aren't that many Yoohyeons around,” Minji lightly joked, holding out the water for Yoohyeon to take. 

“Thanks, there’s not that many Jius around either,” Yoohyeon responded, raising a brow at the other woman before taking her water bottle and stepping off the treadmill. She maneuvered around Minji, with her free hand still covering her waist to block Minji’s view of her abs. The other girl just stood there frozen. Yoohyeon made sure she was completely off the gym’s property before dropping her hand at her side and finally drinking some much-needed water. 

Wednesday:

Yoohyeon was slaving away in her university's library, making flashcards, reviewing slides, writing notes, and doing practice tests. She thought she had made decent progress and decided to take a phone break. Siyeon texted her again. Yoohyeon felt a little bad for not responding the other day, so she opened the message. 

[Siyeon]: Hi Yoohyeon!! We will be extra short-staffed tomorrow, so if you’re feeling better, do you mind popping by to help out? 

She was free the next day. All she had planned was more studying, which she guessed she could delay if she did most of her work today. The only thing she had planned for the rest of the week was going out for a meal and bowling with Yubin on Friday. Yoohyeon insisted on taking Yubin out to repay her for the girl’s help. They also hadn’t hung out in a while. 

[Yoohyeon]: I’ve recovered, I think. I’ll see you tomorrow. 

Maybe if she got the chance, she’d snoop around Siyeon’s office for information on Minji… On the topic of Minji, Yoohyeon remembered something crucial. That blue file with Minji’s picture in it! It was solid proof that she was the murderer! 

[Siyeon]: 👍

Yoohyeon reacted to Siyeon’s message with another thumbs up and flipped her phone over. She opened up her laptop to finish studying when she spotted a figure coming her way. Yoohyeon squinted. It was Minji, pushing a cart of books, presumably to reshelve them. Again????? Why was she everywhere? Not dealing with this today. Yoohyeon gathered her things into her bag. She pushed in her chair and briskly turned her back to where Minji was approaching from and left the building. Yoohyeon decided that she would have to finish the rest of her work in the safety of her apartment. Next time I’ll study at the public library.  

Thursday: 

Yoohyeon found herself back at the place where this whole dilemma started. She had finished her classes for the day and headed to the prison like Siyeon asked. It was her first time doing patrol during the inmates’ social time, when they hung out in a dayroom. With Siyeon leading her to the designated area, Yoohyeon expected it to be a plain room with tables and chairs. Upon entering the room, Yoohyeon was shocked; this place was more like a lounge. The room was spacious, with around thirty inmates comfortably sitting on couches while socializing and hanging out with each other. There were even multiple big flat-screen TVs with game consoles. And snacks! Minji was stupid to escape from a place like this. 

Yoohyeon actually had a fun time watching the prisoners. She ended up just chatting with a few of them. They were all just nice people, trying to pass their time, like Siyeon had told her on her first day. She even ended up playing Mario Kart with some of them. She understood why people vote for focusing on rehabilitation for criminals instead of punishment. Although Yoohyeon wondered if the families of the victims would be super content about the inmates being treated so well… Two sides of the same coin, she supposed; that is a discussion for another day. 

Her shift was soon over, and Yoohyeon made her way to the employee exit, passing by Siyeon’s office. Yoohyeon stopped in her tracks, remembering the folder. She peeked her head through the window beside the door, looking for signs of vacancy. To Yoohyeon’s dismay, Siyeon was in her office. From her angle, Yoohyeon could see Siyeon sitting at her desk, which faced the direction of the door. She seemed to be talking with someone, or possibly arguing, judging by the uncharacteristically stern look on her face. Yoohyeon couldn’t see who the person sitting across from Siyeon was, only their armsleeve in frame. Those are some big hands. Yoohyeon could tell they were wearing a suit. Maybe it’s someone important.  

Yoohyeon began to pick up pieces of their conversation, causing her to grow increasingly alarmed. Wait… That voice. The other person had to be Minji. She was right! Siyeon was working with Minji. Yoohyeon pulls out her phone and starts an audio recording. The police are going to love this! 

“I’m telling you, she’s growing suspicious, and it doesn’t help that, one, I keep seeing her everywhere, and two, she literally volunteers at this prison!” Minji says.

“That doesn’t mean you should tell her everything! You barely know her! Tell me one thing you know about her that isn’t her name.” 

“Uhm… She likes matcha lattes?” 

Yoohyeon furrowed her brows. They were definitely talking about her. Were these two trying to get her involved with their possibly illegal schemes? 

“Minji, don’t joke around about this. You know how much trouble everybody would be in if this got out to the wrong people. Especially yourself.” 

Gosh, Yoohyeon had no idea what they were talking about, but judging by the scarily strict tone of Siyeon’s voice, maybe this was a big deal. 

“I know, Sing… I just think I can trust her, you know.  She gives me that good vibe. And I feel bad. She’s been running away from me. I think she’s scared of me or something.”

“Normally I’m onboard with everything you say, but this is not a situation you should be handling with “vibes”. And to be honest, shouldn’t you be the one running away? I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to interact with her when she thinks you’re a criminal.” 

“Which is why we should tell her! I don’t like that scared offended look she gives me every time she sees me. I don’t like how she sees me as someone else.”

“No, Minji, that’s a breach of information. If you do that, you’re putting everyone in danger. If you see her in public again, I advise you to avoid her and leave the premises. And you know keeping secrets is something you signed up for when you decided to do this.” 

“Ugh, fine!”

Had Yoohyeon opened Pandora’s box? What exactly were those two “doing”? She was not expecting this much information. This was definitely part of something bigger. Before Yoohyeon could gather more thoughts to come to a conclusion about what was going on, her phone rang. Loudly. Yoohyeon mentally slapped herself for not turning her ringer off. The two people inside Siyeon’s office definitely heard it too. 

“Who’s there?” Siyeon’s husky voice demanded.

Shit. Yoohyeon sprinted out of there as fast as she could. Never had she been more grateful for her long legs. The exit door slammed shut before Siyeon and Minji could catch a glimpse of her. 

Friday:

“Yooh, are you okay? You look ghastly,” Yubin asked, concerned for her friend due to her oddly paleish appearance. The two were in their first and only shared class of the day. Their professor, who had this undecipherable british accent, was going on this rant about causation or correlation or just something that no one was paying attention to, including both Yoohyeon and Yubin. Yubin was initially trying to focus, writing down notes on her iPad, but Yoohyeon had this stressed-out look on her face while staring blankly into the distance, which was heavily distracting. 

Yoohyeon was ultimately not super okay. Was she going to tell Yubin that? Well, that’s what she had been spending the hours when she was supposed to be sleeping thinking about. From what she had gathered from her eavesdropping, she was trying to figure out a few possibilities of what Minji and Siyeon were hiding. Yoohyeon spent the night relistening to her recording, writing down the dialogue, and annotating everything.

What was so crucial that Minji wanted to tell Yoohyeon but couldn’t because it would, quote, “put everyone in danger”? Who was “everyone”? By how Minji was wording things, it seemed like it was okay for Yoohyeon to know if she didn’t share anything with whoever Minji and Siyeon’s enemies were. 

The only solid piece of information Yoohyeon got out of all this was that Minji was probably in fact not a criminal. However, Yoohyeon was not inclined to believe in her total innocence because nothing explained why Minji was admitted to prison as an inmate in the first place. She decided to be wary of Minji for now… 

What Yoohyeon was most torn apart about was whether she should delve deeper into whatever she had stumbled across or if she should just pretend she never heard anything at all. The uncertainty and possible danger of the situation made Yoohyeon anxious, but something in her was itching for her to find some answers. Minji said she trusted her; even if it was based on “vibes,” it still must be worth something.

Ah yes! Minji trusted her. 

“Hello? Are you seriously okay? Why are you suddenly giggling?” Yubin found Yoohyeon ’s behavior extremely odd. Did that concussion leave permanent damage? 

Yoohyeon started choking on her own saliva. 

“Uhm, yeah. I’m fine.” Yoohyeon responded after coughing a few times. She decided that she would keep Yubin in the dark about her recent discoveries. She was aware that Yubin wanted to help her, but Yoohyeon was afraid that this whole thing was something possibly dangerous that she didn’t want to drag her friend into. She’d tell Yubin the whole story after she figures everything out. 

After classes, Yoohyeon was at the library to get some studying in before going out with Yubin. Only that this time, she was at a public one to avoid Minji. She was doing her work in comfort and peace, thinking that she was totally safe, when a familiar figure entered her periphery. Who the fuck works at both the uni and public library??? This was genuinely nuts. Not dealing with this today! 

Yoohyeon began to start packing up her things when Minji noticed her. The other woman immediately turned on her heels and started speedwalking back in the direction she came from. Right, Siyeon told Minji to avoid Yoohyeon. Oh how the tables have turned. Yoohyeon wondered if Minji and Siyeon realized that she was the one eavesdropping on them. She assumed not, judging by the fact that Minji was running from her and not confronting her. Feeling like she had the upper hand, Yoohyeon realized this was her chance to get some answers. 

She left her notes sprawled all over her table and took off after Minji. She had some greater priorities at the moment. 

“HEY COMEBACK HERE!” Yoohyeon whisper-shouted, still aware that she was in a library.

Minji picked up her pace, noticing the other girl's presence. Yoohyeon realized that maybe she shouldn’t have made her presence known, because Minji was definitely using her knowledge of the library’s floor plan against her. Minji had Yoohyeon zigzagging between the bookshelves, the two getting weird looks from other people in the building. After chasing Minji for a solid five minutes, Yoohyeon believed her workouts were coming in handy, as Minji seemed to be losing stamina and Yoohyeon herself felt fine. Yoohyeon thought it would be over when Minji came to a dead end, but when they turned, there was an employees-only room, which Minji slipped into. Before the door could fully close, Yoohyeon caught up and stuck her arm in. She pushed the door open and followed Minji into the room. 

The room was small. There were just a few book carts littered around, but the room was ultimately quite empty. 

Raising her guard, Yoohyeon gingerly approached Minji, who was slowly backing up into the wall. Yoohyeon could tell that Minji was looking for ways to get out, as her eyes were darting all over the place. Suddenly, Minji gave it a shot, trying to push past Yoohyeon, who reacted quickly by grabbing both of her wrists. Yoohyeon impulsively pushed Minji backwards, pinning her back against the wall with her hands beside her head. Minji didn’t resist her grip. 

‘You...” Yoohyeon started. She didn’t really know what to say. They were awfully close to each other, sharing the same air. All of Yoohyeon’s senses were full of Minji. She smelled really nice. Like floral sweet peaches and lightly citrusy. Mmm. Her view was all Minji. Her perfect skin, big, beautiful boba eyes, pink, prettily shaped lips with cute mouth corners—

“Me…!” Minji breathed out with an awkward smile on her face. God, why was Minji like this? Yoohyeon was about to let a giggle slip out before she remembered the situation at hand. Right, she was only looking for one thing. Answers. Then she’d send Minji and her whatever secretive illegal business to prison. 

“Explain how you’re running free when you’re supposed to be in prison! And why are you everywhere I go!” Yoohyeon demanded. She watched as Minji’s expressive brows slightly upturned. Yoohyeon felt her palms heat up against Minji’s wrists, growing nervous in apprehension. 

Minji gulped before answering. Yoohyeon noticed something shift in her demeanor, though she couldn’t pinpoint it. 

“Okay, I’ll tell you,” she softly spoke, intimately looking into Yoohyeon’s eyes. “It’s a secret though, so you’ll have to let me whisper it in your ear.”

Yoohyeon nodded, easy to give into Minji’s requests. She leaned in, tilting her head to the side, anticipating the truth. Instead, she was met with a warm softness on her cheek. Yoohyeon froze, heart racing. Minji had given her a kiss. 

Minji took it as the perfect opportunity to escape, easily slipping out of Yoohyeon’s grip and heading for the door. Yoohyeon, still stunned, didn't bother to react and simply watched with her mouth agape as Minji waved bye to her and pranced off. 

“See you, cutie!” Minji whispered-shouted over her shoulder before disappearing behind the bookshelves.

“Yooh, why haven’t you touched your food?” Yubin questioned. They were at a poke bowl place getting their fill before heading to a nearby bowling alley. 

Yoohyeon responded with a grunting sound and continued to flip a cube of salmon around with her chopsticks. 

Yubin had known Yoohyeon for a couple of years, and normally the girl was only like this when something was deeply wrong. Like when she spent all her allowance on pokemon cards and did not get a single hit. The two met in freshman year of high school after Yoohyeon accidentally smacked a volleyball at Yubin’s face in gym class, giving Yubin a nosebleed. They quickly hit it off after Yoohyeon insisted on getting Yubin a drink after school as an apology.

She knew the situation with Minji had been bothering Yoohyeon, but it was significantly worse since this morning compared to the days before. Was there something Yoohyeon wasn’t telling her?  This moping, disengaged, desolate Yoohyeon was not the Yoohyeon Yubin knew! 

“Okay, I know you’re caught up with the whole Minji thing, but how about you take this time to relax and forget about it? Yubin suggested. She was putting her foot down and was not going to let her friend sulk about some woman while they were having their fun one on one time. “You can talk about it if you want to, though. I get it.”

Yoohyeon looked up at Yubin from her bowl.  Yoohyeon was just frustrated at how she was so close to the truth, but somehow Minji knew exactly what to do to get to her and escape. Ultimately, it was Yoohyeon’s own fault for panicking from a little peck, which infuriated her the most. But Yubin was right. This scheming woman was not worth occupying all her head space when she was spending quality time with her best friend!  She would leave Minji as a problem for another day. 

“I’m sorry, ugh, it’s just—” Right, Yoohyeon didn’t want Yubin to get involved. “I’m good, actually great. I haven’t seen Minjji in what? Since… the hospital, yeah. You’re right. I won’t think about her. Tonight it is just you and I!”

And smoothly did the rest of dinner go. Yoohyeon was able to forget about Minji, and the two downed their food while leisurely chatting and then Yubin drove them to bowling.

Yoohyeon had forgotten how hard bowling was. 

“What the fuck, that’s my fourth gutter ball!” She complained as she watched the bowling pins unnecessarily reset again because she didn’t knock a single one down.

“Bro, maybe try using a lighter ball.” Yubin laughed while casually rolling her ball straight down the middle of the lane, striking over half the pins down. She never understood why Yoohyeon always chose to use the heaviest ball when she could barely lift it with one hand. 

“No, I can’t. I’m training!” Yoohyeon grunted as she picked up her 16 pound ball with three fingers. “Owww…”

“That is like the equivalent of ego lifting, Yooh.” 

Yoohyeon wound up for her shot and the ball flew backwards like a failed shot in WII Sports. Yubin cackled at her. 

“Stupid ball!” Yoohyeon ran back to pick it up with both her hands and using momentum from both her arms, she catapulted the ball with all her strength. Strike!

“Hah! Take that, Yubin! You were trying to sabotage me by telling me to choose another ball.” 

“I am still winning.”

“Hmph! Next time I’m choosing what to do!” 

“Haha, okay.”

The two were getting close to the end of their game when Yoohyeon spotted someone she definitely did not want to see at the moment. Minji was strutting towards them, wearing a polo with the bowling place’s logo embroidered on it. 

“Umm, Yubin, I’m going to the washroom.” Yoohyeon quickly dismissed herself and ran away, hoping that Minji would not follow her. 

To Yoohyeon’s delight, she was safe and alone in the washroom cubicle while Minji addressed Yubin instead.

“Excuse me, do you know Yoohyeon?” Minji asked, politely smiling at the other girl. Yubin looked up from her phone, which she was scrolling on while waiting for Yoohyeon to come back. She was taken aback by how the cause of Yoohyeon’s recent distress was standing right in front of her. And since when were Minji and Yoohyeon on first-name terms? Wasn’t Yoohyeon literally trying to get Minji arrested? Should she sock her in the face on her friends behalf? 

“Uhm, yeah. Can I help you?” Yubin responded, unsure of what to expect. She decided against the punching Minji in the face part. 

“Yoohyeon left this at the library today,” Minji said as she handed Yubin a folded sheet of paper. Yubin received it and skimmed over it. One of Yoohyeon’s school notes. Wait, didn’t Yoohyeon say she hadn’t seen Minji since her hospital visit?? Yoohyeon was definitely hiding something from her.

“Oh, thanks, I’ll return it.” Yubin replied. Minji nodded and began to walk away before spinning around on her heel.

“One more thing, are you two dating?” Minji inquired, eagerness written on her face. 

“What? No… I’m her best friend actually,” stated Yubin, even more taken aback by that question. Did it look like the two of them were dating? Maybe it was a little odd to go bowling with just two people. 

“What a relief! Thanks!” Minji curtly responded before walking away with a little bounce to her step. 

"Well, that was weird," thought Yubin. She’d have to interrogate Yoohyeon about this later. 

Yubin ended up calling Yoohyeon to tell her it was safe to come out after she came to the conclusion that Yoohyeon ran away to hide from Minji. 

“Here,” Yubin passed Yoohyeon the piece of paper.

“What’s this?” 

“Minji said you left it at the library today.” 

“Oh.” 

Yoohyeon remembered that she cleared off the table she sat at entirely before she left. She unfolded the sheet and it was a page of her notes. Wait a minute, this page was in her binder… And it couldn’t have fallen or been ripped out because the holes were still intact. Did Minji go out of her way to steal a page of her notes? Yoohyeon found her answer when she checked over the page and found a small passage written neatly in the bottom corner.

Meet me at Sundown Bar at 8pm tomorrow. 

Come alone. I’ll tell you everything.

♡Minji

Chapter Text

Kim Minji knew who she was from a very young age. Born into the country's wealthiest family, naturally Minji was extremely privileged. However, her family's wealth only turned her into a very dignified young lady and Minji never took a day in her life for granted. Minji was only occasionally spoiled and grew up learning to respect others as her equals. She was raised with lots of love and was blessed, or perhaps cursed, with the most righteous moral compass. 

Being born into a prejudiced world like today’s, Minji learned one thing: how much power money held. Even as a young child, Minji noticed how unjust all the systems were: how men viewed women as lesser beings, healthcare systems not taking young women seriously about their problems, the justice system letting sex offenders off with a slap on the wrist, etc. But all the people contributing to these issues were spineless and were swayed by one thing: money. And money was something Minji had. 

Minji had her first taste of vigilante justice when she witnessed a quieter girl in her sixth-grade class getting picked on by the “class clown.” He would throw paper balls at her and try to get her to talk. Minji, being the girl she was, instantly confronted him and told him to stop. 

“Oooo, what are you going to do? Tell your rich daddy?” The boy mocked.

“Worse.” Minji didn’t need to bother her father about fickle things like this child. “You’ll find out.” 

When she got home, Minji called the largest bird petting zoo she knew and used her nepotism to find the boy’s address through the school records (her dad owns the school). Minji was aware the boy was afraid of birds and paid the bird trainers to order their birds to chase the boy everytime he left his house. Needless to say, the boy never came to school again. 

When reaching highschool, Minji came to the conclusion that she sucked at math and science wasn’t for her either. Her parents weren’t the type to force tutoring onto her or ensure that she got perfect grades. She wasn’t going to become a woman in STEM and that was okay! She was rich and there were other ways to help people other than being a doctor and saving lives. Minji turned to the humanities and ended up going to law school. She got a degree in criminal law and immediately got to practicing. In just a year, she made a decent name for herself and made a hefty amount of money for herself that wasn’t just from her parents.

One day, she was scrolling on her phone and came across a case where a woman killed her husband, who was assaulting their daughter and got sentenced to life in prison. 

Why should the woman be punished when she’s the one who served out justice she knew the justice system would never give? But Minji knew the law; murder is murder, to them it’s like black and white. If only there was something she could do… 

And with money, of course, there was something she could do! 

Minji hit up her friend from university, whom she shared a few criminal justice classes with back in the day and who was currently managing a prison, Siyeon. Minji told Siyeon her plan and Siyeon put her in touch with her boss, from whom she bought the prison under her own name. And that’s how JYUKKO Women’s Correctional Facility came to be. Minji established a law firm where she hired a few other criminal justice lawyers who would connect their clients to the prison if they felt their crimes were justifiable. JYUKKO’s was a place of rehabilitation but also a sanctuary for women to relax and have a comfortable life under the disguise of being a regular prison. Minji knew the feds would not like it, so that information was not known to the public. Minji had also specifically asked Siyeon to recruit feminist volunteers just in case. 

Minji found herself pretending to be one of the prisoners to be admitted to the prison after the real woman had a family emergency but was required to be institutionalized immediately after court due to the severity of the crime. Minji stepped up and thought of that as the simplest solution to the problem. It was like a minor Freaky Friday type thing. Siyeon quickly edited the inmate's file on Canva and put a random selfie of Minji's on it. 

Minji thought the whole process went smoothly and was amused by the cute new volunteer who was very adorably shy around her. Although she does condemn Siyeon for making poor Yoohyeon do such a task on her first day. Minji did keep on forgetting to stay in character, for which she found herself being grateful that she did not pick up acting like so many nepo babies do these days. Acting was definitely not for her!

The only thing Minji did not expect was that she would keep bumping into Yoohyeon every single place she worked. Now Minji did not actually work at any of the places she spawned in. Her dad just owned all the land and Minji decided to establish a healthy relationship with the tenants while giving a helping hand to the working class. So technically she was a volunteer. It’s not like she needed the money anyways. She had put her lawyer duties on hold and only started after the opening of her prison, hence why she only started bumping into Yoohyeon recently. And she forgot that Yoohyeon thought she was a prisoner. Now that was a problem.

Minji really did find Yoohyeon cute! Minji mourned the fact that if they met in any other circumstances, she probably would’ve asked her out at this point. 

So going against Siyeon’s wishes, Minji slipped Yoohyeon a little note and hoped she would show at the bar. 

Shit. Minji’s running late. She’s never late! This is terrible. But the traffic isn’t in her control, no matter how much money she has. She’s not the type to kill the environment by taking private jets everywhere either. Minji’s main concern is that Yoohyeon thinks she got stood up. Then that’ll make it worse for her when Yoohyeon attributes that to being tricked by the criminal she thinks Minji is. If only I could shoot her a text… Minji bonks her head against her steering wheel. Dumbass never got her number because of the whole prisoner thing. Oh well, she doesn’t even know if Yoohyeon even went or if she even saw the message on the paper. It’s not like she wrote it in a bright eye-catching pink gel pen (she did) or that Yoohyeon was obligated to show up. Minji face-palms. She could’ve written her number on the note! 

Minji annoyedly looks at the time, minutes ticking away. Gosh, what was holding up traffic? The cars haven’t moved in ten minutes. Minji looks around and spots a familiar baby blue convertible Volkswagen Beetle with a familiar pink-headed girl in the driver’s seat who’s arguing with this expensive-looking woman who’s gotten out of her Porsche to confront the girl over the window. The pink-haired girl is Minji’s baby cousin Gahyun. And it looks like she rear-ended the woman’s car. Oh no, this isn’t good. Lawyer duties are not on hold anymore, family calls. Minji huffs and gets out of her car. 

Minji hastily approaches the two bickering women, who don’t even notice her as they’re too immersed in their argument. 

“Gahyun… What happened?” Minji inserts herself into their conversation. She just wants to sort this out so she and everybody else on the street can get moving. She turns to her cousin, who looks at her with puppy eyes and tugs on her sleeves.

“Minji!”

“Oh, who’s this, your lawyer?” the other woman interjects after taking one look at Minji. Her attitude is paired with a stunning face and the office siren aesthetic. 

“Actually yes, I am.”

“Hmph! I will be seeing you two in court.” the woman struts back to her car and drives away without sparing them a second glance. Gahyun lets out a deep sigh that sounds like she’s been holding it in for days once the car is out of sight. 

“Well, she seems pleasant,” Minji comments. “What happened?”

“We were in the same lane and she signaled to turn but then suddenly stopped! I had no time to react so I bumped into her, but that's not my fault! She kept telling me that she’s going to sue me! Please save me Minji…” 

“Did you have your dashcam on? If you did send me the footage! I need to go now, but make sure to call your insurance, okay? Give me a call later, kiddo.” Minji quickly dismisses herself and speed-walks back to her car. Crisis averted for now. She checks the time and she’s almost thirty minutes late; she hopes that Yoohyeon hasn’t left yet. 

Minji finally arrives at Sundown. It is quite dim inside with a warm ambience, the decor having some semblance to a lodge. Minji looks around the space, walking deeper into the establishment in search of a certain brunette. There are very few people sitting around, as it’s not necessarily nightlife time yet. She spots a girl at the bar sitting on one of the high chairs, seemingly knocked out on the table, face buried in her arms. 

The barista spots Minji first, recognizing her as the bar is one of her father’s buildings. 

“Hey Minji, are you helping out today?” the barista asks while wiping a cup dry with a rag behind the counter.

“Hi, actually I came to meet someone,” Minji responds as she makes her way to the bar, standing behind a sleeping Yoohyeon. She places her hand on the resting girl's head and absentmindedly starts playing with her hair.  “How long has she been out for? I was supposed to meet her earlier but there was an accident on the road so I got held up.”

“Well, she’s been here for, like, forty-five minutes? She said she was waiting for someone but they never came. She ordered a few drinks anyways because she, quote, “needed a drink.” She only fell asleep like ten minutes ago. Seems like she's had a rough few days. ” 

A pang hits Minji’s heart; poor Yoohyeon probably thinks Minji stood her up… She glances down at the sleeping girl and pats her head. I’m sorry. 

“How many drinks did she have to get knocked out like this?”

“Just two beers; if I knew how badly she handled alcohol I would’ve stopped after the first.”

Only two beers?? This girl was a lightweight. At least Minji doesn’t have to worry about Yoohyeon throwing up on her later. Minji contemplates what to do. Although they did come here to meet up, Minji was planning to move to a more private secondary location to explain things to Yoohyeon. It’s probably best to get a wasted Yoohyeon out of a public space before more people start coming in to drink and party. The explanation can wait for another time. 

“Can I pay her tab? I’m going to take her home.” 

The bartender leaves to get the tab and Minji uses the time to wake up Yoohyeon. 

“Yoohyeon?” Minji gently nudges Yoohyeon’s shoulder. No response. She shakes the other girl a little bit, which seems to work. Yoohyeon slowly turns her face towards the direction of Minji’s voice. She groans and rapidly blinks a few times while gaining consciousness.

“Wow… you’re really pretty,” are the first words that Yoohyeon manages to get out.

“Umm—thank you.” Minji is taken aback. “It’s me, Minji. Remember I asked for us to meet here?”

“Nice to meet you, Minji. I’m Yoohyeon.” Yoohyeon gives Minji a big dopey smile. 

Minji was not expecting this at all. Well clearly this girl is delirious and has not sobered up one bit! Yoohyeon’s still sitting, sort of half-lying on the counter like she can’t handle her own weight, while reaching out one of her hands in an attempt to give Minji a handshake. She still has that stupidly cute smile on her face, to which Minji can't help but reciprocate. Though Minji realizes she should probably get Yoohyeon out of here before something unprecedented happens. 

“Likewise, Yoohyeon. It’s getting late so I’m going to take you home. Is that okay?” She takes hold of Yoohyeon’s outstretched hand and waits for a response. The other girl slowly sits up properly and softly clasps her other hand around Minji’s. Minji watches as Yoohyeon simply stares at their enclosed hands and starts playing with her fingers. 

“Okay, I will go home with the pretty lady.” Yoohyeon finally answers without looking up from their hands.

“Yoohyeon, do you remember how you got here?”

“Mmmm… I walked! Probably. I walk a lot.” 

Well, that’s a relief. She’s in no condition to drive anyways. The bartender comes back and Minji silently pays Yoohyeon’s tab with her free hand while the younger girl stays engrossed in fiddling with her other one. 

“Alright, Yoohyeon, let’s get going. I’m driving.” 

Yoohyeon finally stops playing with Minji’s hand and looks up for the first time at Minji’s face. She nods and immediately gets up like an obedient puppy. Upon putting all her weight on her feet—drunk or not—she stumbles. Minji tightens her grip on Yoohyeon’s hand and prevents her from falling. Needless to say, they walk to Minji’s car hand in hand. As they walk, Yoohyeon swings their intertwined hands, which elicits giggles from Minji.  

Minji escorts Yoohyeon into the passenger seat and opens up the GPS. Although she did deliver food to her apartment before, Minji does not remember where that was. And she had made a mental note to herself to specifically not remember it so she wouldn’t feel like a weirdo creep. 

“Yoohyeon, can you please type in your address?” 

“My mom said I shouldn’t bring girls home on the first date.” 

Oh. Was that what Yoohyeon thought this was? Minji laughs, and she can’t help feeling warm and fuzzy about it. 

“Yoohyeon, you’re drunk, if you don’t want to go home, where do you want to go?” 

Yoohyeon looks at Minji expectantly. 

“…” Minji has no thoughts staring into Yoohyeon’s big boba eyes. What is a safe place to take a girl who’s drunk in an amnesiac way and doesn’t want to go back to her own home? “My house?”

Yoohyeon nods with a polite smile on her face. Minji sighs, what a silly girl. 

They drive in peaceful silence. Minji hums as she drives while the sun sets behind her. Yoohyeon thinks it’s a beautiful sight, warm golden rays of sunlight highlighting Minji’s  ever-so-gorgeous face. Yoohyeon catches a note of the melody and starts humming along. 

Suddenly, just humming doesn’t suffice for Yoohyeon anymore and she bursts into song, belting the 2006 hit song Valerie by Amy Winehouse. 

“WELL SOMETIMES I GO OUT BY MYSELF AND I LOOK ACROSS THE WATER!” Yoohyeon sings with great clarity and technique for a drunk person. To the naked ear, one could tell she has a great aptitude for singing. Minji is astonished at her sudden outburst and quickly realizes that Yoohyeon’s a pretty darn good singer. She indulges in listening to Yoohyeon’s sweet voice before joining along during the chorus. 

“Since I’ve come on home, well, my body’s been a mess,” Yoohyeon sings with seething passion. 

“And I’ve missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress.” Minji enters and tenderly glances at Yoohyeon. Ecstatic that Minji has joined the vocal fray, Yoohyeon’s smile widens in excitement and sings the next lines with even more dedication. 

“Won’t you come on over!!! STOP making a fool out of MEeeeeeeeEEE!” 

“Why don’t you come on over, VAAAAALERIEE?” Minji matches Yoohyeon’s energy, the two singing so loud that passing cars can hear them through the windows. 

“Va-AAAAAAALErieeeeeEEEE!” Yoohyeon belts in perfect pitch. 

They meet each other's eyes as they sing the incoming advanced acappella arrangement. The two create a transcendent melodic harmony for the rest of the drive, huge smiles plastered on their faces lasting till they pull up to Minji’s driveway. 

Before getting out of the car, the two share a silent moment, exchanging glances in exhilaration from what they had just done. Minji doesn’t recall the last time she’s felt this way, so full of pure joy and happiness. And Yoohyeon, in her current state, for a matter of fact, doesn’t recall anything! She’s just happy to be there. 

Yoohyeon gives Minji a big cheeky smile, which the other girl responds to by endearingly reaching out to squish her cheek. Then, Minji’s hand gravitates downwards to hold Yoohyeon’s hand that’s resting on her lap, to which Yoohyeon naturally embraces. 

“Was that the Glee version you were singing?” Minji brings up. Yoohyeon’s eyes somehow light up even brighter than they already were at the mention of the show. Minji affectionately listens to her drunken ramblings while occasionally voicing her two cents. They talk for what feels like ages, but not long enough, smoothly transitioning from topic to topic before Minji realizes the sun has completely set. Their conversation comes to a natural slow. They reside in simply glancing at each other’s faces. Minji gazes at Yoohyeon’s twinkling eyes, while the other girl stares at her like she’s the brightest star in the world. 

“Come on, Yooh, let’s get inside. It’s late.” Minji suggests before she walks Yoohyeon to her front door, holding hands with warm faces and beaming smiles.

Chapter Text

The brightness of the morning sun stirs Yoohyeon awake. She keeps her eyes shut, as they’re far too sensitive at the moment to handle the direct sunlight. Aside from the panging pain in her head, which she brushes off as side effects from her prior concussion, Yoohyeon’s quite comfortable. She doesn’t mind trying to get a few more minutes of sleep. She’s in a really soft and fluffy duvet surrounded by a pleasant floral scent of peaches. And she's hugging something warm, which also seems to be the main source of the nice smell. It's probably a plushie, Yoohyeon thinks. Yoohyeon snuggles her face against the plushie and breathes in the scent—oh. This is probably not a plushie. And is most definitely a woman’s chest.

Yoohyeon tentatively peels her eyelids open and her heart stops. She’s been cuddling someone in a pink pajama set that has this stupid looking bunny pattern all over it. Yoohyeon looks at her sleeves and realizes she too is wearing a yellow pajama set that matches with the woman’s, but instead hers has an equally stupid looking brown dog covering every inch of the fabric. Yoohyeon doesn’t move her arms from around the woman’s waist in an effort to not wake her up and slowly glances up to see who it is. Yoohyeon’s heart stops again as if it's the second coming of Christ. Minji. What the fuck. I’m cuddling Minji. In Minji’s bed.

Now how the hell did she get here????

Racking her brains for hints, fragments of last night start coming back to her. She remembers being at the bar… and then passing out. Embarrassing! And then being in Minji’s car… It was a nice car… Then they were singing?? To her relief, it seemed like Minji was having a good time. Maybe she didn’t do anything too destructively stupid. And then she remembers coming into Minji’s house.

Oh. She was acting like a little shithead.

The night before…

“There’s only one bedroom so I’ll take the couch,” Minji says as she opens the door and leads Yoohyeon into her house. It’s a bungalow, a very nice, luxurious, spacious one, in fact. There’s a modern vibe with pristine marble floors and the roof is super high for a one-story house. The house is decorated homelike, with family photos all over the entryway walls in various sizes and Minji’s personal touches can be seen in the cute pink furniture. “I live alone so there’s not much. The other bedroom was turned into an office.”

Yoohyeon nods along as she listens to Minji talk while looking around the home.

“Wow, you’ve been pretty like forever,” Yoohyeon off-topicly comments as she admires Minji’s childhood photos. Minji blushes and opens her mouth to utter a thank you but is suddenly cut off.

“WAIT! Did you just say YOU’RE sleeping on the couch?? NO WAY. I would never make a lady sleep on the couch in her own home! I’m taking the couch!” Yoohyeon demands after processing what Minji had said.  “Also don’t say that! Your house is beautiful! Like mother, like daughter—kind of! Well, if your house is a girl, that is…”

“Thank you, but come on, Yooh, it’s not safe for a drunk person to sleep on the couch. You might like… roll off…” Minji improvises.

“FINE! Then we’ll both take the bed!” Yoohyeon says as she stomps on the spot while crossing her arms. “I’m not moving until you agree!” 

“Haha okay, I’m not going to argue with that.” Minji does have a queen-size bed so space shouldn’t be a problem. She’s prioritizing Yoohyeon’s comfort anyways. Yoohyeon follows Minji past the entryway. The living room is on the left. Two huge couches along with a glass coffee table on a pink rug are angled around a large flat-screen tv. Minji leads her further into the house, to which they reach the kitchen. She gestures for Yoohyeon to sit at the kitchen island and hands her a glass of water. “Drink up. You’re probably dehydrated.”

Yoohyeon thanks her and gulps down the water like a thirsty puppy. 

 “Is there anything you need before bed?” Minji asks, trying to be as hospitable to her guest as possible. Yoohyeon’s eyes wander off and look around the house, like a child in a candy store. Her eyes land on a clock on the wall and realizes that it’s “only” 10pm.

“It’s too early to sleep! Let's do something fun!” Yoohyeon states. Immediately after, a yawn slips through her lips, betraying her, and Minji laughs at her with endearing eyes. 

“Hmmm, how about I put a movie on after we get ready for bed?” Minji suggests. Yoohyeon eagerly nods and quickly gets up on her feet. 

“LET’S GO!!! I’m sooooooo excited! It’s time to shower!! Uh—which way is the bathroom?” Yoohyeon politely asks. 

“Come here.” Without thinking twice, Minji takes Yoohyeon’s hand and leads her down the hall to the right of the main entrance into her bedroom. In Minji’s ensuite bathroom, she hands Yoohyeon a spare toothbrush and towel.

“Hmmm… What pajamas…” Minji contemplates as she peeks into her walk-in closet that's connected to the bathroom. “Yoohyeon, come here. I have some unopened pjs in this drawer. you can pick one you like.”

“Okay!!”  Yoohyeon walks into Minji’s huge closet and is astonished by the amount of clothes she has. Aside from the plethora of suits and formal clothing, she takes note that the girl really likes wearing brown and beige. Yoohyeon gently pries through the contents of the drawer, which is filled with an assortment of pyjamas with weird patterns that are still in their packaging. Were these gifts that Minji never bothered to use? 

A pink and yellow matching set catches her eye. Actually, it’s more like the silly looking animals printed on the pjs are what caught her attention. The pink set has this baby pink rabbit with sparkly eyes and the yellow set has a little brown dog with lifeless beady eyes that stare back at her. Although Yoohyeon is lowkey scared of the dog, something about it calls to her, and she thinks the bunny resembles Minji, so she settles on taking them. 

“Minji, I picked!” Yoohyeon exclaims. 

“Okay, you can use the bathroom down the hall right outside my room, and I’ll shower here,” Minji says as she walks into the closet to see which set Yoohyeon chose. Oh. Never did she expect that Yoohyeon would pick the matching couple set. Her little cousin Gahyun forced her to buy them when she took her shopping because they were the “stupidest looking pjs” she had ever seen and said Minji should wear them to match with her future partner. And upon Minji’s initial refusal to get them, Gahyun threatened to buy them for her herself so Minji gave in. And they’ve been in the pj drawer untouched since. #herstory

“Minji here, match with me! This is cute like you.” Yoohyeon hands Minji the pink set. Minji stares down at the garments in her hands, now unboxed from their packaging. The other girl carries the yellow set, hugging it close to her chest along with her towel and toothbrush, looking at Minji expectantly. Minji can’t possibly say no to Yoohyeon. 

“Alright, I’ll wear it. Go get on showering now.”

Yoohyeon complies with Minji’s words and finds herself in the shower. Mmmmm. The soap smells nice. Like Minji! This is probably Minji’s soap. Yoohyeon smiles at the thought. 

When Yoohyeon finishes showering and doing her skincare, she walks back to the bedroom to find a pink-bunny-pajama-wearing Minji sitting up in bed. She’s setting up the huge tv that sits on the wall across from the bed. Upon spotting Yoohyeon, Minji lifts up a side of the duvet and pats the spot next to her; the bed is already adorned with a second pillow. 

“What do you want to watch?” Minji asks as she scrolls through movies while Yoohyeon gets comfy under the blanket and snuggles next to her.

“Pitch Perfect!” the younger girl declares as she wraps her arms and legs around Minji like a koala. Minji, very flustered and surprised by Yoohyeon’s clinginess, can’t help but agree to her demands. 

They watch the movie in that position,  Yoohyeon hugging Minji with her entire being while her head is nuzzled against Minji’s chest. Every time Yoohyeon giggles from the movie, Minji can feel the vibrations through her chest, making her hyper aware of everything the other girl does. When the performance scene starts playing, Yoohyeon sings along. Minji ends up joining in and loosens up a little bit, letting herself wrap an arm around Yoohyeon’s shoulders. 

During one of the calmer parts of the movie, someone’s phone rings out. 

“OMG! That’s my ringtone!” Yoohyeon exclaims as she detaches herself from Minji and grabs her phone from the bedside table. Seeing who the caller is, Yoohyeon gets twice as hyper and jumps back into bed with Minji. “Minji, it’s Yubin! My BESTTTT FRIEND!! She’s facetiming me! I’m so excited, I’m picking up!” 

Minji has nothing to say against that, so she lets Yoohyeon hug her again and hold her phone horizontally in front of both their faces. She has no idea what to expect. Yoohyeon answers the call and staring back at the both of them with a shocked expression on the screen is a girl with silvery blue hair and a familiar, handsomely cute face. 

Wait—that was the girl that Minji impulsively asked if she was dating Yoohyeon the other day… Oh. This probably seems incredibly strange from Yubin’s perspective.

And Minji’s right, because Yubin is absolutely baffled. 

“Hi Yoohyeon, where the hell are you????” Yubin interrogates. Why is Yoohyeon seemingly in bed wearing matching pajamas with Minji, the MURDERER?? 

“BINNIE I MISSED YOU SOOOO MUCH! I’M AT MINJI’S HOUSE. WE ARE WATCHING PITCH PERFECT!!!” Yoohyeon exclaims and pans the camera over to show the TV. The confusion and skepticism on Yubin’s face are very clear and Minji can only smile and nod along. 

“Are you drunk??” Yubin rightfully questions, moving the screen closer to her face. Yoohyeon turns the camera back to the two of them and gets closer to the screen.

“Maybe! I don’t know! Minji’s taking good care of me though!” Yoohyeon then moves the camera in front of Minji’s face. 

“Uh— Hi! Minji here, nice to meet you,” Minji awkwardly greets as she’s put on the spot. She realizes that she and Yubin never had a proper introduction before.

“Umm, you too. I’m Yubin,” Yubin responds, still very much confused and worried about her friend. She cuts right to the chase. “Why is Yoohyeon in your bed?????” 

Before Minji can respond, Yoohyeon turns the camera back to herself, cutting Yubin off. Minji silently lets out a sigh of relief because she doesn’t really know how to respond to Yubin’s question. 

“Don’t worry, Binnieeeee, Minji’s a good egg!!” Yoohyeon says as she pulls Minji back into the frame with a tight hug. Minji only gives another awkward smile. “Anyways, why’d you call?”

“Oh, I was just cleaning my car and I found your airpods you lost like two months ago.” 

“WHAT OMG! Yubin, you’re the best!!!” 

“I'll give them to you on Monday?"

“Yupyup!!! Yes, please! Thank you so much!!!!”

“Yeah, no problem. I have to go now but call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Of course! Bye-bye, Yubin, I love you!!”

“Oh yeah, one more thing! Use protection—" Yoohyeon cuts the line before Yubin can finish. Yoohyeon puts down her phone and redirects her attention to Minji. 

“She seems to care an awful lot about you,” Minji comments. Minji took note of Yubin’s last sentence, but judging from Yoohyeon’s disposition, it didn't seem like the younger girl heard it. Well, that’s probably going to be a problem for sober Yoohyeon to deal with later. 

“Yup! That’s Yubin for you; she’s always looking out for me!” Yoohyeon smiles big as she talks about her friend. 

“Well, I’m glad you have someone like that in your life.” 

“I hope I can have you in my life too,” Yoohyeon boldly says, like it’s a thought she’s had lingering in her mind for a while. She searches for Minji’s hand under the shared blanket, which the older woman receives with a warm smile.

“Me too, Yoohyeon.” Minji gives Yoohyeon’s hand a reassuring squeeze. 

“Can… we cuddle?” Yoohyeon sheepishly asks. Minji laughs at the fact Yoohyeon was just asking this now when she had already been cuddling her for half of the movie. 

“Come here.” Minji opens her arms, inviting Yoohyeon in. The two eventually fall asleep to the ending credits, comfortably wrapped up in each other’s embrace.

Chapter Text

Back in the present time…

Yoohyeon grimaces to herself, recounting each event from last night. She probably seemed really, really down bad. Heaven knows why drunk her forgot that she was investigating Minji’s status as a possible murderer, and why Minji decided to ignore the elephant in the room and do whatever Yoohyeon wanted. However, it’s not like Yoohyeon doesn’t feel safe; she remembers how well Minji treated her last night. Now that she’s clear-headed enough to think about it, Minji was literally spoiling her. From that alone, she thinks she can confidently cross out the possibility that Minji is a bad person. Yoohyeon just has no idea how she’s supposed to act now. 

This is going to be so awkward when Minji wakes up, thinks Yoohyeon. Suddenly, as if she had manifested it herself, Yoohyeon feels Minji shift in her arms. And yes, Yoohyeon had yet to separate herself from Minji. She told herself it’s just to not wake Minji up, but truthfully, she’s indulging while she can. Yoohyeon feels a large hand rest on the back of her head and automatically closes her eyes, pretending to still be asleep. 

“Mornin’,” Minji mumbles as she strokes Yoohyeon’s hair. She adjusts her position in Yoohyeon’s arms and gazes down at the girl. The girl in question slowly opens her eyes, looking up at Minji. Yoohyeon thinks Minji looks extra cute with her hair slightly disheveled and groggy eyes squinting. “Surprised to see me?”

“Kinda… But I remember everything from last night—mostly,” Yoohyeon admits, her eyes straying from Minji’s gaze in bashfulness. “Thanks for taking care of me, and I’m sorry if I invaded your personal space or made you uncomfortable.”

“Well, I’m very comfortable right now, so don’t worry about it,” Minji says, continuing to pet Yoohyeon’s head while her other arm finds itself wrapped around her. “I should probably apologize too. Sorry for being so late, and I was the one who asked you to come too! I promise I’ll give you your long overdue explanation over breakfast.” 

“Okay,” Yoohyeon had been so joyfully cozy and warm in Minji’s embrace that the word of all the answers Yoohyeon had been looking for this whole time didn’t seem that appealing in comparison. She thinks breakfast sounds good, though. 

Minji hums at the girl’s response in acknowledgment and closes her eyes again, with an arm around Yoohyeon and her other hand still resting on the back of her head. Yoohyeon doesn’t know if it’s just Minji’s sleepiness taking over her, but she assumes that she doesn’t mind their close proximity for now. After digesting that fact, Yoohyeon allows herself to relax and follow suit in napping with her arms still around Minji’s waist.

Eventually they peel away from each other to freshen up for the day. While Minji’s using the washroom, Yoohyeon checks her phone to find a barrage of messages from Yubin. Yoohyeon tentatively opens them, as their call the night before was a blur to her and she has no idea what to expect.

[Yubin]: Hello are you safe

[Yubin]: text me in the morning

[Yubin]: also did you know YOURE NOT SUPPOSED TO DRINK WHEN YOU HAVE A CONCUSSION

[Yubin]: and how ??? and WHY are you sleeping with your opp bro 😨😨😨😨

[Yubin]: i collected evidence just in case you forget 

Attached is a screenshot of Yoohyeon and Minji sitting in bed smiling at the camera in their matching pajama sets with Yubin’s puzzled face in the corner. Yoohyeon notes that it’s actually a really cute photo and saves it in her camera roll. 

[Yoohyeon]: good morning beautiful best friend 

[Yoohyeon]: and yes i am safe ☺️

Yoohyeon takes a selfie showcasing her pajamas, lying down in Minji’s bed and sends it as proof she’s still alive.

[Yoohyeon]: dawg i forgot abt the concussion thing i feel fine tho!

[Yoohyeon]: but thats probably why i was tweaked out after drinking and how i got here 😛

[Yoohyeon]: and we did not sleep together! like yes we slept together but not like uh intercourse 😭 its not what you think 

Yubin’s typing bubble instantly appears.

[Yubin]: well good morning to you too then im glad youre okay 

[Yubin]: but what happened with the whole she’s a criminal murderer thing hello ???????

[Yoohyeon]: oh right about that .. 

[Yoohyeon]: she was gonna tell me the truth last night but yk i was drunk and crazy so that didnt happen !

[Yoohyeon]: shes gonna tell me over breakfast 🥰🥰 i will update you 🫶

[Yubin]: damn girl okay have fun 😭😭

“I’ll get started on breakfast, but take your time getting ready, okay?” Minji says as she walks out of the bathroom, still in her pajamas but with rejuvenated, glowy skin and tidied-up hair. 

“Okay!” Yoohyeon instantly brightens up at Minji’s appearance and gets off the bed. Before exiting the room, Minji spins around to ask what Yoohyeon wants to eat, unaware that Yoohyeon was passing by between her and the bed to get to the washroom. Upon turning around, Minji knocks into Yoohyeon, causing her to fall backwards onto the bed. Minji also stumbles but catches herself on the bed before she falls, trapping Yoohyeon between her arms. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Minji breathes out, hovering over Yoohyeon, who looks like a deer caught in headlights. Yoohyeon doesn’t know what to do with Minji’s beautiful face staring down at her. “I was going to ask what you wanted to eat!”

“Umm... Pancakes? Yoohyeon utters out, unbeknownst to her why Minji has not gotten off of her yet. Immediately after hearing Yoohyeon’s answer, Minji lights up and pushes herself off the bed, careful not to smush Yoohyeon. She extends a hand and helps pull Yoohyeon up. 

“Okay! I will be in the kitchen!” Minji announces and skedaddles off, leaving Yoohyeon to her own devices. 

Yoohyeon doesn’t take too long to get ready and by the time she’s walking into the kitchen, Minji is still prepping her ingredients, while city pop music softly plays in the background. Walking from the corridor to the kitchen on the far right, Yoohyeon admires Minji’s house for the first time sober. Large, tall windows allow the morning sun to shine through, brightly illuminating the space. Yoohyeon takes note of the furniture and decor and connects the dots that Minji is probably some form of rich. Rich, not in the overly snobby way but in a minimalistic but still aesthetically pleasing way. The pleasant ambiance causes Yoohyeon’s head to clear, urging her to breathe in the fresh air as if she's on a hike in the grand wilderness while doing a big morning stretch.

Minji spots Yoohyeon stretching in her periphery and smiles, thinking she looks like a cute dog when they stretch and spread their toe beans. True to the word, Yoohyeon prances over to the kitchen island the moment she notices that Minji has her eyes on her. 

“Can I help?” Yoohyeon eagerly asks, peeking her head over Minji’s shoulder to see what she’s doing. 

“Of course,” Minji hums. She pauses on adding baking powder to her bowl of flour and grabs a bigger bowl from a high cabinet and places it in front of Yoohyeon, who has maneuvered over to flank Minji’s side. “I’m doing the dry ingredients right now; you can work on the wet.” Minji points at the ipad in front of her. “Here’s the recipe.” 

Yoohyeon nods and turns to the fridge to get eggs and milk. She notices that the fridge is heavily decorated with pictures and stickers, mostly of Minji and who Yoohyeon assumes are her family and friends. Yoohyeon spots Siyeon in a few of them, where they both look a little bit younger. Another girl in one of the photos looks familiar. Maybe Yoohyeon’s seen her on campus? Her lips are prettily curved upwards, which makes them quite distinguishable. Another photo is one with Minji snuggling a little white pomeranian. 

“Minji, is this your dog?” Yoohyeon asks, pointing at the small polaroid. 

“Yup! Her name’s Cherry. I’ve had her since I was a kid.” Minji’s eyes instantly soften at the mention of her child. “She lives with my parents though, so I don’t see her that often.” 

“Do you miss her?”

“Yeah, but duty calls,” Minji resigns, whisking away at her dry ingredients, though Yoohyeon can tell her focus is not that much on the bowl anymore. Minji’s mixing pace slows down as if she thought of something and she looks up at Yoohyeon. “You should meet her!”

“And your parents?”

“Mhmm, Cherry likes pretty girls. She’ll definitely like you!”

“Haha, okay.” The sudden proposal leaves Yoohyeon flustered and she doesn’t really know what to say. She opens the fridge to get the ingredients and is shocked by the abundance of produce inside. “Do you cook a lot?” 

“Yeah, I love it! I’m really glad you’re here actually, because lately, I haven't really had the time to cook,” Minji says. “Do you mind grabbing the fruit? We should use them before they go bad.” 

Yoohyeon notices a pattern with Minji’s responses and thinks about how she’s seen her at her 5000 jobs. This woman was working herself to death! Was there some humongous debt she had to pay off? But judging by her house and car, Yoohyeon doubts it. 

Brushing her thoughts aside, Yoohyeon does as Minji asks and the two fall into a peaceful rhythm of baking. While Minji fries up their completed batter, Yoohyeon works on cutting up strawberries for topping. The scene is particularly domestic, with the sound of sizzling and Yoohyeon’s rhythmic chopping in the air, while the smell of fresh pancakes fills the room. The current song from Minji’s city pop playlist ends and a new familiar beat fades in. Yoohyeon recognizes it as Cherries Jubiles by Yukika. As Minji scoops another ladle full of batter into the pan, the lyrics naturally begin to leave her lips. 

♪ Thought I might just laugh it off

But seeing your serious face

I’m sorry, but I thought it was cute ♪

Listening to Minji’s soft voice, Yoohyeon continues to slice the rest of the berries when she realizes the lyrics are oddly parallel to their own relationship. 

♪ I like you. I really do

I like you. Quite a lot ♪

Although Yoohyeon knows that Minji probably just knows the lyrics by heart, she can’t help but to try to hide her flustered face when Minji glances her way. Minji only smiles and pays no mind to it and continues happily singing along while stacking another pancake onto a big plate. Soon, they finish cooking, and both start adding toppings to their respective dishes. 

Yoohyeon carefully decorates her pancake stack with neatly placed strawberries, while Minji takes a handful of assorted mixed berries and just tosses them on the stack. Then she grabs a canister of whipped cream from her fridge and puts a humongous dollop on top of all the fruit. Yoohyeon watches Minji do her thing with her mouth agape. 

“Want some?” Minji offers, holding up the can. 

“Yes, please,” Yoohyeon responds, expecting Minji to put some on top of her pancakes. Instead, Minji takes hold of Yoohyeon’s chin. 

“Open,” she commands. Yoohyeon can’t do anything but obey and lets Minji fill her mouth with cream. Then Minji, as the kind soul she is, prettily squirts a generous amount of cream between each of Yoohyeon’s strawberries. Yoohyeon watches with a stuffed mouth and red face while the Yukika song continues playing in the background, lyrics teasing her, as Minji decorates her pancakes with the skill of a pastry chef. The effort she’s putting into Yoohyeon’s pancakes heavily contrasts how the woman plated her own. 

After topping off their plates with syrup, Minji leads Yoohyeon over to her dining table, which is white to match the floor and is large enough to comfortably fit four people and perfect for two people to sit across from each other on. They get seated and both of them don’t pick up their forks. Yoohyeon stares down at her plate, not sure how to begin the oncoming conversation. Luckily for her, Minji starts first.

“Uhm, basically, I own the prison.” Minji states, getting straight to the point. 

“What?!” Yoohyeon was kind of expecting a story in the realm of prison escape or being framed. This was probably the last thing she would have thought of, though Yoohyeon thinks that maybe this was the best outcome.  

“Yeah,” Minji continues as she cuts a slice from her stack of smothered pancakes. “I was there posing as a prisoner because she had something urgent with her family, but the court ordered for her to be incapacitated immediately. It’s really only an issue if the government finds out.”

“Oh,” Yoohyeon takes a moment to process this. She still has some questions regarding why Minji owns a prison in the first place, but this wasn’t a big deal at all! “I guess this was kind of a misunderstanding then. I’m sorry for calling you a criminal. And running away from you. And chasing you that one time. And being ungrateful when you found my water bottle,” 

“It’s okay, that just means I played my role well,” Minji responds with a laugh and smile before stuffing a large bite of pancakes into her mouth. Yoohyeon watches her with a certain fondness before she realizes something. 

“Wait, was the strip search thing necessary then?”

The sudden question makes Minji choke on her food, to which quickly she composes herself after Yoohyeon hands her her glass of water. 

“Yes... And no. Siyeon was not supposed to make you do that.” 

“That woman! I’m gonna get her one day! Wait… you’re her boss, right?”

“Yeah, technically, but we’ve been friends since college so I don’t really see our relationship as like boss and employee.”

"Wait, if you're her boss, then why do you work at so many places? I was getting whiplash every time I saw you, no offense.” 

“It’s volunteer work technically. My dad’s like super gross rich so I just help out when I can.” 

“Oh,” is all Yoohyeon has to say to that. The rich parent part makes sense, but that means Minji was overworking herself for free?! This woman is too nice for her own good! “I—do you ever, like, take a break?”

Pausing her chewing, Minji thinks about it for a minute and realizes, “No, not since I started. I guess I kind of have a hard time saying no to people. Actually, today would be my first break, and I get to spend it with you!” 

“Then maybe I should stop by more often so you can have more rest.” Yoohyeon offers. There really was no reason for Minji to be doing this to herself and if Yoohyeon can help her that's what she'll do. 

“I’d like that. You know what, how about I take you out today? I know we got off on kind of a rough start because of the—you know,” Minji gestures with her hands, “—circumstances, but Yoohyeon, I really like you. I hope we can have a fresh beginning.”

“Yeah, I’d like that too.” Yoohyeon calmly says, masking her inner turmoil, as she had not expected a sudden confession. She composes herself and looks Minji in the eyes. “I think we’ve already started.”

The older woman gives Yoohyeon the most adorable tight-lipped smile with her cheeks full of pancakes. Yoohyeon feels like her heart is melting. She hopes she'll get to see this sight again for many more breakfasts to come.