Chapter Text
The saying goes, it is rare to find two of a kind. However, Soyeon would beg to differ while watching her own two friends bickering endlessly over a shared ice-cream. These two are truly so similar that they can’t help but fight at every chance they get.
“Yah, I don't like strawberries.” Shuhua groaned loudly, glaring at the older girl sitting right next to her, maybe a tad too close, and also huffing like a mad dragon.
“And I said I don’t like red bean paste.” Miyeon retorted back, angrily pointing at the shaved ice cream flavour that Shuhua was about to order for them.
Soyeon looked at the waitress awkwardly smiling at them, waiting for their order for more or less 5 minutes now. She felt extremely bad for the poor part timer as her friends’ antics can seriously be a pain in the ass sometimes. (Not sometimes, every single damn time)
“How about Shuhua and I share one. Miyeon gets hers for herself.” Soyeon tried to pacify the unending argument but not to avail.
“No.”
“Never.”
There were both replies she got along with two very disapproving pairs of eyes directed at her for a split second before they refocused on the matter at hand : their shared shaved ice dessert.
Soyeon sighed before looking at the waitress who looked back at her, almost pleading with her eyes to save the situation one way or another. Which she did begrudgingly because it meant spending more.
“One strawberry and one chocolate. I’ll just get a coffee.” Soyeon ordered at last, finally freeing the poor woman from the torture that was Shuhua and Miyeon together.
The dessert arrived as the two hadn’t even stopped arguing, only brought back to reality when they saw their desserts placed in front of them, one each respectively.
“When did we order ?” Shuhua demanded in a very confused manner, eyeing the waitress who disappeared as fast as she could from their table.
“You didn’t, I did. Seriously though, I am inviting you both to eat dinner with me and you can’t even order properly.” Soyeon lightly scolded.
“But… we wanted to share one so the bill wouldn’t be too high for you.” Miyeon mumbled a little ashamed.
“I know it’s for a good reason, just eat up you both. I won’t go broke from paying for an extra dessert for someone.” Soyeon sighed before sipping on her coffee. Truth to be told, it did hurt her wallet a little since she was celebrating her very first pay as a self-working individual -Long gone were her days as a part-timer, now she had a real job-. She was already thankful that the rest of their friends couldn’t come tonight though they insisted on getting back at Soyeon and making her pay for their lunch some other day (which Soyeon will probably act like she never heard of to save her money from these hyenas called friends).
“Have some of mine-” the two said exactly at the same time before sending a glare at the other.
Soyeon prayed for it to be quick because she knew for a fact that when they start, it can last for a day. She knew she was in for a ride when she heard Shuhua speaking loudly in her broken Korean threatening to put a fist into Miyeon’s face.
There we go again.
____
Dinner ended (to Soyeon’s relief) on a brighter note. Well… not so bright but at least there were no threats anymore.The girls had taken turns to feed Soyeon a spoon full of their frozen dessert, almost making it a competition as the said girl could only wish for her brain-freeze to go away as she took yet another bite of the shaved ice. She may have eaten more of their desserts than they did themselves.
She’ll always be surprised at how peaceful they get once the competition is over. Usually with Shuhua claiming to win and Soyeon having to agree because she knew that out of the two, Miyeon was less of a sore loser. Moreover, it was also about time where Miyeon is reminded of her older age and therefore lets the younger win to avoid the big tantrum that would be incoming otherwise.
While sure, they had that bickering essence as the main defining trait, their loud mouth was a close second. Soyeon never felt as embarrassed before, especially when Shuhua had loudly wailed upon something Miyeon had said and the latter exclaimed just as loudly afterwards. Truly embarrassing.
Unfortunately, Yuqi -one of their friends- was just as loud or perhaps louder than them and therefore not making this as their common characteristic. Anyway, the newly working woman could only hope that her walking two steps ahead from the loud duo behind made it look like she didn’t know them. However a tug on her elbow and the younger girl running away from the older one’s grasp made her sigh… they were her two very embarrassing friends and she couldn’t hide it for the life of god.
“Soyon unnie ! Miyeon unnie is pinching my cheeks !” The younger girl had complained right in her ears, making her wince a little at the high number of decibels, probably ripping a hole through her ear drums. Her cute accent also came forth by the way she mispronounced her name, which Soyeon found unfairly cute despite the loss of her hearing capabilities.
“Miyeon unnie, keep your hands to yourself. I know you’re horny but no need to violate Shuhua.” And bam it was all settled. After a handful of years knowing both of them, she had learnt how to put the two under control as her sharp words were especially effective against the older girl who grew ten shades of red, sputtered a mess that should have been a coherent rebuke but ended up covering her face with her hands.
“Violet ?” Shuhua repeated confusedly, not knowing the intricacies of the language yet. Truthfully enough, it wasn’t the right term to use and Soyeon knew it but she didn’t find any better words to describe the obsession her older friend had to grope the poor Taiwanese girl’s cheeks and arms. Thankfully for them both, Shuhua, the innocent bean she is, was unaware of the implications behind Soyeon’s words.
“Oh, looks like we reached my place. Thanks for walking me home, I need to prepare for work tomorrow so I’ll leave now. Goodnight and get home safely ~” was Soyeon’s escape (she worked in her studio and didn’t need to prepare for anything, she was glad that the other two were too dumb to even notice that detail) as she awkwardly hugged Shuhua next to her and then Miyeon who was still red and probably rebooting the system that was her two functional brain cells.
____
It was surely a weird combo, they weren’t of the same age and all had different backgrounds yet they still found in themselves a semblance of family. How they met was a fortunate trick by dear Miss Destiny which thankfully brought together these 6 individuals despite their vastly different personalities and interests.
Of course what was the glue to their team, the force driving them together and the string tying them into a tight knit group : being broke asses needing money.
Soojin owns a bar in one of Kongdae’s many appealing streets, she had worked there all her life and it was as shitty as it sounds but it was enough for her to live a reasonable life. As the owner, she had decided not to work during the day, it being a bar made this decision easier since not many would get drunk during the day. The only time it would be open all throughout the day was during weekends or holidays. The bar was originally her cousin’s which he gave her full control of when he went to live abroad with his wife. So an 18 years old Soojin was in charge of the bar at night and also decided to become an instructor at a dance academy not too far during the day.
She obviously needed workers and she had plenty of part-timers under her care. During the first year of running the bar, a young music major flung the doors open and looked for Soojin who raised an eyebrow unamused. The bartender looked at the young intruder and gave a weird look at his boss before beckoning the young girl over.
“Are you of age to be in this place ? I can serve you orange juice.” The man asked, eyeing the short woman.
“Are you the boss here ?” The young woman questioned instead.
“Nope, that fine lady here is the boss though.” He replied while shoving a thumb towards a bored out Soojin wiping the counter.
The young woman approached Soojin and locked eyes with her, a determined glint in her gaze. Soojin didn’t falter however, firstly because she was exhausted and didn’t process most of the situation and secondly because she didn’t care much.
“Are you still hiring ?” The stranger asked while raising a paper, one that Soojin had stuck on a electric pole nearby when she was in search of a bartender.
“What’s your name ? I don’t hire strangers.” Soojin replied disinterestedly. She wasn’t in dire need for any workers but she didn’t mind taking in a new member to the crew.
“Jeon Soyeon, 18 and a music major. I’m looking for a part-time job.” The woman, Soyeon, introduced herself with a slight tremble in her voice and that was only when Soojin realised that the girl was gripping that paper a tad too tightly while sweating a little.
“I see…you can call me Soojin, we're the same age so no need for honorifics… But-” Soojin was about to speak before Soyeon cut her off.
“I’m sure I’ll fit well in this environment and will be an exceptional worker.” Soyeon reaffirmed her conviction and Soojin commended her determination.
“I’m sure of that, I just wanted to ask you why you want to work here of all places. I’m pretty sure the 7/11 next door is also hiring.” Soojin said with a small smile.
“Oh, I flunked the interview there. And I need to buy… books” Soyeon answered as if it were natural, trying to hide the fact that a tight knot in her stomach made it hard for her to speak loudly.
“I.. see. Well, I’ll give you the papers to sign which I would like to get back tomorrow, your shifts are from 5pm to 11pm and we’ll discuss which days you’ll work. I will see you tomorrow again at 5, so don’t be late.” Soojin finished and went to fetch some papers in the staff room. From her peripheral view she saw Soyeon raise her arms in victory while mumbling to herself with a smile.
“I will finally buy the next One Piece!” Soyeon muttered happily but soon composed herself when she saw her new boss walk back in and the bartender laughing at her under his breath which she returned with her infamous glare.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, have a safe trip home.” Soojin said at last while handing the few forms Soyeon had to fill.
__
Soyeon, despite her strong appearance, has a rather reserved nature to herself and has trouble taking care of the more chatty customers. However, she was a proficient financial manager and effectively thought of several marketing strategies to improve the bar's profits which worked to a tee. It was hard to tell if Soojin was the owner and not Soyeon. The real owner was pretty disinterested in all the marketing stuff and just thought of selling drinks while chatting with some of her customers, this was as simple as it gets. Her same aged coworker, however, didn’t think alike, Soyeon was oddly competitive and with her ideas and management skills she successfully made their humble abode an attractive place to the young passerby of the busy streets of Kongdae looking for fun and adventure.
“I can’t believe that changing the name of our cocktails would make such a difference.” Soojin had once said after Soyeon cleverly changed all the menus with more appealing names.
“What can I say, I’m a genius. You should call me captain.” Soyeon shrugged while looking at this month’s turnover. To her delight, the sales were 3 times higher than when she first joined the crew.
“Yes yes captain. However the boss is asking you to serve that man at table 3.” Soojin rolled her eyes and handed a glass of whiskey on ice to the grumbling shorter girl.
To their surprise, when it was almost closing time, the door opened showing a tall woman in a black hoodie with the infamous Disney character on it.
“Are you hiring ?” The woman said and Soojin looked at Soyeon’s guilty face.
“What ? We lost our last waiter and you know how much I hate serving people.” Soyeon shrugged, she really was a mastermind after all and if she could escape from interacting with people she would gladly do so.
“You do the interview then, captain.” Soojin said in a teasing manner, leaving a flabbergasted Soyeon to deal with her worst fear : human interaction.
And that’s how Nicha or more commonly known as Minnie joined the group. Her reason being that her parents told her to get hands-on experience before joining the family’s business. Basically, she was on her own as a broke university student having to pay for her living cost although coming from a fairly rich background which she didn’t mind strangely enough. She found the whole idea intriguing and felt like this was an adventure of her own.
This new addition to the team was a breath of fresh air for Soyeon and Soojin who both could live without having to interact with their customers, instead Minnie took care of all the social side of their job with glee and became a client’s favourite waitress as her amiable aura and easy going personality made the customers feel at ease. Something both Soojin and Soyeon had trouble with. She also opened social media pages and often posted on going sales, special limited prices and such which now attracted even more people to their small bar lost in Kongdae.
___
The fourth member to join the team was the loud and even louder Song Yuqi who was a year younger than Soojin and two years younger than Minnie. She was a student with an impressive record but just as impressive spendings. Therefore, she had decided to take on a part-time job to not only gain new skills but also because she thought that being a bartender in a famous bar was cool.
“Why do you want to work here ?” Minnie had asked her after both Soojin and Soyeon fled the place at the prospect of interviewing someone, leaving the newest member of the team to do all the talking.
“I needed a job and I always dreamt of making cocktails.” Yuqi had said with fire in her eyes which made Minnie chuckle.
“What is your experience with bartending ?” Minnie demanded next as the boastful girl in front of her flaunted her various skills such as singing, dancing, fishing and whatnot. So she expected her to have some sort of beforehand skills.
“I drank my first cocktail at the age of 3.” Yuqi had smiled proudly and they could hear Soyeon choking on her own saliva from the staff room as the other two were left stunned at the Chinese girl’s words.
“So am I hired ?” Yuqi inquired with bright expectant eyes.
“Uhhh…” Minnie looked over at the staff room and saw Soojin trying to pat Soyeon’s back as the latter was still coughing violently. But the energetic girl didn’t leave room for discussion.
“That’s a yes !? Oh my god, I’ll come tomorrow for work. Thank you Minnie-shi and see tomorrow.” Yuqi jumped up and down before gripping Minnie’s large hands in hers and shaking them while skipping her way out, leaving the girls dumbfounded. It was as if a hurricane had barged inside and exited the place just as quickly.
To their relief, Yuqi was a very friendly person though loud to no end. She indeed picked up the art of making cocktails quickly although god forbid she serves you one of her self made creations. Soyeon had drunk one of her concoctions before and, mind you, she spent the night in the restroom soon after. Apart from her cocktail creating skills that were left to be desired, she was the energy that the place was lacking and the bar became fairly animated with popular songs and several music bands playing there every now and then. She knew how to make a place lively and to turn up the music (and the amount of decibels too unfortunately). While regular working days were still the calm but fruitful shifts, weekends felt like a never ending party in the bar filled with young people unwinding from a weeklong pressure.
This was a change that wasn’t as bad as the rest thought it would be.
_____
On a rainy Thursday night, the bar was moving leisurely and it was what Soojin liked the most. It has now been 2 years since she became the owner of this place. The last customer today had left 10 minutes ago and she rejoiced in the feeling of emptiness surrounding her. Yuqi on the other hand has been pretty moody by the lack of action as the gentle and mellow sound of jazz music barely made it through the thick silence. She only gripped the broom in her hands tighter and imagined herself singing a rock hit song in the middle of a crowded stage.
Minnie had left earlier because of the rain and promised to take an extra shift the next day which Soojin had waved off and told her it was no use. After all, it was a slow day.
“Even you moving around is loud.” Soyeon had grunted as Yuqi stopped dance-brooming around the place.
“What do you mean it’s loud ?” Yuqi asked and suddenly Soyeon regretted ever saying her thoughts out loud because now the real loud was about to crash on them.
“Just watching you feels like I’m in the middle of a rock concert.” Soyeon explained without backing down, to hell her social anxiety, she was about to verbally annihilate Yuqi.
“Yah-” The Chinese girl immediately fell into the trap, she had never won an argument against the wity Soyeon in the past, it wasn’t today that this would change as she was about to unload a bunch of nonsense as a counterattack like usual. Soojin only sighed since for some reason the captain has taken a liking to annoying Song Yuqi and then bickering until the latter would grumble and whine like a child. (But compared to another pair, these two were far from true bickering and Soojin will learn this the hard way in the future.)
The thunder rumbled which muffled the younger’s words as a light beam illuminated the empty bar in blinding white rays through the windows. Simultaneously the door opened in a loud bang which startled everyone present inside and even stopped Yuqi from yelling at their captain.
However, this short pause was quickly followed by several screams of terror as a dark shadow appeared in a flash. White dress, black hair, pale skin. Soojin's cry echoed loudly along with Yuqi’s and Soyeon who actually ran straight to the staff room in fear. The broom fell down in a thud startling its holder as Yuqi jumped and almost twisted her own ankle in the process. Meanwhile, the bar owner closed her eyes, still wailing for dear life.
The light soon dissolved into black pitch night again and Soojin took a tentative look at the ghost. The said ghost that had stepped inside and closed the door behind her, drenched in rain as her even darker hair clumsily clung to her pale face while her lips trembled… wait trembled ?
It didn’t take much longer for the bar owner to regain her senses and soon understood that the ghost was drenched and cold from the downpour, shivering like a trembling autumn leaf in the wind. She also had her hands covering her front as Soojin saw that the white dress was … well, wet. After the realisation had hit her, she dashed to the pale maiden and pulled her inside the warm bar.
“Soyeon-ah, stop hiding like a rat in a hole and go fetch me a towel upstairs.” She yelled her order at their captain who was heard trying to dial the police in her fright.
“Yuqi, go fetch that idiot and tell her to get a towel and a spare oversized shirt as well as shorts. You go make hot chocolate afterwards.” Soojin shaked a still dazed Yuqi out of her trance who saluted and went to slap Soyeon out of it.
Soojin leant over the counter to grab a few tissues and tried to dry that poor freezing girl’s midnight hair. Soon Soyeon appeared with a warm fluffy towel and a pair of clothes which she placed on the nearest stool. With the towel in hand Soojin dried the girl as best as she could and she finally had a glance at her face. The speckless pristine white skin, dark brown pool eyes and cute baby fat under her equally cute cheeks greeted her and her previous terror was quickly replaced by admiration.
“Are you okay ?” Soojin asked worriedly as the girl’s cheeks were ice cold to the touch. She wondered how long the girl had been standing in the rain.
“Yes, thank you.” She had said in a small voice that Soojin could barely make out through the overwhelming sound of raindrops hitting the windows.
“You see the room there ? You can get changed in there.” Soojin pointed at the said room behind her, missing the way the girl had frowned and tilted her head. Nevertheless, the owner pushed the spare change of clothing to her and she slowly made her way to the designated place.
Soyeon was looking at the pale girl with her mouth still hanging low, a large red mark on her left cheek from when Yuqi had probably and literally slapped her awake. On the other hand a much more reactive Yuqi had placed two cups of hot chocolate, one in front of the malfunctioning Soyeon and another on the counter. Soon after the stranger came back in a way too big black shirt and shorts. It made her look unfairly small and definitely less scary.
“Come here and drink this. It’ll warm you up.” Soojin beckoned the girl over and pointed at the hot chocolate drink that Yuqi made.
“T-thank you.” The stutter made her pale skin turn a light shade of pinkish-red which she tried to hide by taking a sip of the warm beverage.
“How long have you stayed in the rain for ?” Soojin carefully asked after seeing the young girl release a sigh of relief once the drink slowly warmed her insides.
“R-rain ?” The girl repeated under her breath and frowned slightly as the bar owner could literally phantom gears turning at high speed inside that pretty head of hers.
“Ah fuck.” Yuqi’s voice cut through that awkward moment when she tripped over the broom she had danced with earlier, curse flying out of her mouth in her mother tongue by accident.
“You, what does ‘rain’ mean?” The pale stranger turned around as if suddenly revived and immediately spouted words in an unfamiliar language to poor Yuqi who was massaging her knees that had taken the brunt of her fall.
“Oh it’s like my name ! Yu just like Yuqi. It’s such a pretty name, I got it from my Mo- Wait ?! You speak Mandarin ?!” Yuqi had shrugged and started speaking mandarin until it hit her that… Well, she wasn’t speaking Korean anymore.
“Thanks. Rain, 3 hours.” The stranger turned back to a dumbfounded Soojin and showed three fingers while finally answering the previous question in a shyer voice.
“Song Yuqi bring your noisy ass here.” Soojin had said at last and left the stranger to speak with their Chinese worker.
“So basically, she comes from Taiwan and was visiting her future school nearby when the rain started pouring. She ran to the train station to get back to her hotel but her card was empty and she had no money on her… moreover everything was in Korean. Her phone died so she couldn’t do much but wait until the rain stopped. After 2 hours of waiting she thought it was all clear and she went to find somewhere to stay but well… it was still pouring so she ran around in search of an open shop.” Yuqi reported the tragic tales of the stranger who had now warmed up but still retained her very pale complexion. She was also pretty reserved and quiet, only talking short sentences to Yuqi’s unending ones.
“She has nowhere to stay ?” Soyeon demanded curiously.
“Apparently not. She has troubles with her university regarding the dorms and she has to check out from her hotel tomorrow.” Yuqi answered in a sad tone. She felt bad for her foreign compatriot.
“I’ll let her stay the night with me upstairs. I’m going to prepare a room for her so you two start closing here okay.” Soojin sighed and made her way to her small duplex just above.
That same night, little Yeh Shuhua from Taiwan earned a soft spot from the team as Soojin made her dinner and let her stay at her place despite Shuhua’s difficulties to communicate. Ever since that night, the Taiwanese often visited the bar on countless occasions and when she was in need of a place to stay (because her university didn’t have a room for her in their dorms) Soojin benevolently suggested she work part-time at the bar in exchange for a room in her duplex.
That’s how clumsy and quirky Yeh Shuhua joined the team and would start breaking a glass or two every now and then during her shifts. Despite all that, the others couldn’t help but grow fond of their little youngest even though she had an affinity to destroy everything in her wake.
___
Shuhua was 18 when she joined the crew and a year later she met her soon to be arch nemesis. The dreadfully beautiful Cho Miyeon with a charming smile. Soyeon had hired her out of compassion for a fellow broke student to which Miyeon couldn’t be more thankful.
Soojin had often questioned why that pretty girl even wanted to work in a bar when she was sure that the 7/11 next door was still hiring once again. Well, it turns out that Miyeon did work at 7/11 for a short time. Until she got fired for her tendency to trip over her own two feet and regularly messing up stuff with the cash register which she claimed was a complex piece of machinery to work with.
Nevertheless, Miyeon was a welcomed addition to the group and soon befriended the team… apart from the elusive Yeh Shuhua.
The young girl had developed a tight bond to Soojin after living together for a year now, she had improved her Korean drastically over time and was now a bundle of chaotic energy when excited. Yet, she would painfully avoid any interactions with Miyeon and it did break the poor woman’s heart.
Soojin had tried talking to her about at least being nice to Miyeon who did nothing to get this treatment out of Shuhua. The so-called ‘I don’t know you treatment’ that Shuhua was so adamant to give to absolutely anyone.
The Taiwanese was as social as a sea urchin and would not hesitate to show that she wasn't fond of you. On several occasions Minnie had to save Shuhua after the latter had upset a fairly rude client complaining about his drink or accidentally said something out of place.
“You know, Miyeon is kinda like you. Breaking stuff accidentally.” Yuqi had remarked once while watching the aforementioned girl collecting the pieces of glass on the floor from the cup she had accidentally dropped a few minutes ago.
Shuhua only spared a few seconds to watch Miyeon cut herself on a glass shard with a yelp before she made her way to the staff room. Yuqi only shook her head and decided to help Miyeon with the cleaning while Shuhua was probably huffing and puffing like the moody person she was.
It’s only after one night where Shuhua and Miyeon shared a shift together that the two actually started developing some sort of bond. It was a Tuesday night and the place was mostly empty apart from a few college students celebrating someone’s birthday.
“Three beers here !” One of the guys called and without a word Shuhua went to fetch three fresh bottles out of the fridge.
The younger one trudged her way to the table of 4 guys and 3 women all laughing loudly. She did like usual and opened the bottles with her bar blade with precise movements. She didn’t spill one bottle this time and she internally smiled at herself.
“Hey pretty, why don’t you join us ?” One of them had said as she was about to open the last bottle for them. His face was red and she recalled him drinking quite a lot before. Shuhua only stayed silent and threw a blank stare at the guy.
“Come on, have some fun with him. It’s pretty empty and your friend there can handle washing a few glasses.” Another one insisted but she was about to turn away and return to her place behind the counter when she felt a hand tugging at her wrist.
“Heyyy~ it’s his birthday and his girlfriend dumped him a week ago. Have some compassion.” The blonde man smiled drunkenly while pulling her closer to the bunch. The foreigner however didn’t back down and only slapped his hand away with her bar blade a tad too strongly, finally freeing herself from the rude man. This unfortunately didn’t help with the group's temper.
“Ouch you bitch !” He yelled, holding his hand in pain.
The whole thing escalated very quickly and Shuhua was now confronted with the 7 pretty mad customers. Oops …
“You dared to touch him ?” One of the girls, probably his girlfriend, said with anger.
“Well-” Shuhua was about to retort but she felt an arm wrap itself around her shoulder, pulling her into a protective hold.
“He touched her first, she had all the rights to remove his hands.” Miyeon replied, her voice drastically different from her usual sweet and princess-like tone. Shuhua looked at the girl that held her flushed against herself and to her surprise she was greeted with an ice cold expression adorning the normally smiley (and silly) face.
“He’s literally bleeding-”
“I advise you to exit this place if your goal is to throw a tantrum here. Pay and leave before I call the police.” Miyeon cut the birthday guy off while taking her phone out to prove her point.
“He is the victim here you bitch, call them ! Come on, let this crazy woman go to jail.” One of them stood closer, pointing his finger closer and closer to their face as he became redder by the second. He grabbed a glass from their table and threw it harshly on the floor, shattering in a loud clang that made his friends jump in slight fright.
“There is a camera here and I know the law, my parents have a law firm. If you really want you and your friends to celebrate in detention then sure, destroy another glass and we’ll see who’s the real victim between us.” Miyeon didn’t seem fazed by the sudden show of anger as she remained strong on her feet and didn’t even flinch. She only showed them the camera propped onto the wall that was directly filming their way.
“Hey, let’s go. These bitches are ruining the night. It’s not worth it.” One of the girls tried to be more sensible one of the group and pulled the birthday boy out while the others begrudgingly followed behind. The blonde guy being the last out and exiting while giving them a middle finger out of spite (how immature).
Shuhua felt more than heard Miyeon heave a sigh of relief, their bodies still glued together. It was the closest the two ever stood next to one another.
“You know the law ?” Shuhua had finally opened her mouth and for the first time she actually addressed her older coworker directly.
“Absolutely … not… But I can’t lie about the camera there.” Miyeon sheepishly answered while awkwardly scratching her neck.
“The camera has been dead since before I joined the team.” Shuhua deadpanned and had to suppress the chuckle threatening to leave her throat as she saw Miyeon’s face becoming sickly pale when everything downed on her. She was before all a true scaredy-cat.
“Oh my god I could have died and there would have been no evidence of it.” She heard the older one mumble out of belated fear and Shuhua’s walls cracked down just a little.
“I would’ve killed them if they even touched you. Nice acting though.” Shuhua offered her a grateful smile and a thumbs up which Miyeon immediately returned as a blush spread across her cheeks. Who would have thought that this clumsy and merry go lucky woman had it in her to confront 7 very outraged idiots.
Just then the door opened revealing the boss who had gone out on a family dinner. Soojin eyed them weirdly as they were oddly physically close, and by that she meant all over each other, and one was even suspiciously blushing for damn’s sake. The looks of deer caught in blinding headlights didn’t help their case either and Shuhua seemed to be the one to return to her senses first as she pushed a still dazed Miyeon who stumbled and almost broke her nose on the floor and broken glass shards.
“Okayyyy… so…what’s going on ?”
_____
After that, Shuhua was more inclined to interact with Miyeon through her favourite means of communication : physical contact.
It was obvious that the Taiwanese could be quite clingy as she often hugged Soojin or Minnie like a koala on a tree. Trying to kiss Soojin was also one of her favourite hobbies when bored and in the presence of her boss. However she was once again very different when with Miyeon. Everytime they shared a shift together, Shuhua would gladly push Miyeon around like a rag doll whenever she passed by her, which often sent the girl flying or stumbling. In return the older one would try to pinch her cheeks as a revenge.
Miyeon usually let it go quickly and even if she didn't get to pinch those cute cheeks, because Shuhua would put up a fight with her, she would almost always return to work as if nothing happened. This impressive feat had for sure impressed everyone. It didn’t mean that she was a monk though, and when she lost her temper it was like a cat chasing after a mouse. Shuhua running away from a fuming Miyeon who was so damn ready to squish her entire being became a common sight to the rest of the team. This often resulted in Soojin having to catch the younger one and scolding her while Minnie took care of her same aged friend that had gone wild.
Over the years, it was only natural that they would increasingly spend time together but the bickering never really ended. It was like a game for them and none were about to give up to the other.
The two were truly unusual and peculiar individuals (this what their friend’s all believed to be at least) and while they cared for one another, it seemed like they would be the death of each other. Especially when Miyeon was once again sent straight to the wall after being shoved by the one and only Shuhua.
____
(Back to present time)
Three years later, Soojin could hear Shuhua grunting from their shared apartment above, probably revising for yet another exam. As expected, things have changed a lot over the years and most had quit their job at the bar. Soyeon was now working as a composer (just recently celebrating her first ever pay as a professional) and Minnie graduated in Fine Arts not so long ago. The Thai woman decided to pursue a career in film making and producing after she had refused to work with her family’s business, claiming that her two brothers would already suffice and that she wanted to try something new which they agreed upon after several serious talks. The loud Chinese girl on the other hand had become an influencer but still had a degree similar to Minnie’s. Her YouTube channel was one of the most popular ones these days and everyone knew who Song Yuqi was (which didn’t improve the girl’s already overwhelming ego).
Shuhua was now in vet school and had yet to move out from Soojin’s duplex, meaning that she would stay at night helping around the bar whenever she had some free time. Miyeon had also graduated and started her own business which was small but promising.
Even though they all went their own ways, Friday night was their mandatory reunion at the bar. Chatting over drinks and laughing at whatever things one had said about her day. They were a team and although they weren’t working under one roof anymore, it was hard to dismantle their well oiled group. They had become some sort of family.
“Welcome- Oh hey Miyeon-unnie.” Soojin greeted her friend who had appeared at the door.
“Hey boss ~ how are you ?” Miyeon saluted like she used to when Soojin or Soyeon were around back then. Old habits were hard to forget.
“Good. She’s upstairs and upset. Have fun.” Soojin said while eyeing the plastic bags the young businesswoman was holding in her hands, already guessing the purpose of her visit. The latter only smiled sheepishly when Soojin’s hunch was proven correct and only thanked her before heading to the flight of stairs at the back as she made her way towards the apartment.
Miyeon knocked on the door out of politeness even though she had her own spare key which she would use whenever Shuhua was in a terrible mood (and purposely locked herself inside, not accepting visitors apart from Soojin who lived there as well). Today seemed like a case of grumpy Shuhua and so she fished out the keys from her bag before entering the apartment. The first floor was deserted as expected but she calmly walked up the second floor into the smaller part of the duplex where she knew she would find her.
It was pretty minimal, two doors leading to bedrooms and one was the bathroom. As simple as that. She made her way to a specific door with wooden letters stuck to it that read the name of her younger friend. She knocked twice and this time a disheveled head poked out from its lair. Shuhua’s face was typical of a college student with dark circles dipping as low as her cheekbones and eyes that seemed to scream to get some much needed sleep.
“Hello beautiful~.” Miyeon’s cheerfulness didn’t falter at the sight however and she entered the girl’s room without further words despite the frown on the latter’s face. Shuhua wasn’t exactly known for being the cleanest person in the world and it reflected in the state of her room. Books were haphazardly laying about as several empty cup noodles littered the floor along with dirty clothes and crumpled papers.
Miyeon simply moved by pure instinct under the unfazed eyes of the tired Taiwanese woman, it was ingrained in her muscles by now. She pulled a folded low table from the gap between the dresser and the desk and kicked some of the discarded unwashed garnements to the side to make space. As she settled it down and placed her plastic bags on it she also moved towards the purple bean bag not too far in a corner and picked two pillows next to it before putting them around the table with a satisfied smile.
“I bought dinner. Come on, you must be famished.” The older beckoned the younger one to sit down on the floor as she unpacked the meals she bought for them.
“Thanks for the meal.” Was Shuhua’s only reply before digging in almost instantly. Miyeon only smiled as she watched Shuhua wolfing down the pieces of meat at lightning speed.
They made small banter, mostly Miyeon asking about school and how it was going while Shuhua answered curtly as she was too focused on filling her empty stomach to hold a proper conversation.
“Are you done for today ?” Miyeon asked while sipping from her soda can once she finished eating. The other girl however was yet to be done with her dinner.
“I finished my papers for tomorrow but I wanted to study a bit more for the upcoming exam.” Shuhua answered with her mouth full, almost choking on some rice to which Miyeon handed her a drink.
“I told you not to speak with a full mouth. Anyway, how much did you sleep last night ?” The older woman warned before questioning the girl again.
“Hm 3 hours ? I accidentally fell asleep at my desk earlier too for maybe 2 hours.” The veterinary student replied while taking large gulps of her soda.
“And you’re the one studying a form of medicine between us all. Soojin also told me yesterday that she caught you studying all night lately. You should rest more !” The business woman shook her head in disapproval before scolding her lightly.
“It’s my first year in vet school though, I can’t fail.” Shuhua rebuked but her words were ironically drowned in a loud yawn that escaped her lips.
“Enough of that, you study enough and overdoing it won’t do you any good. You should take care of yourself. Now go take a shower while I clean this up. You stink.” Miyeon slapped the other girl’s shoulder several times before sniffing her scalp while pulling a disgusted expression for her to see. To her surprise Shuhua leaned in closer as well and shut her eyes, inhaling deeply in Miyeon’s scent…
“You’re stinkier, unnie.” Shuhua opened her eyes, revealing that playful glint that Miyeon liked to see so much. Talking of which, that said girl now adorned rosy cheeks as it took her a few seconds to process what had happened.
One, two…
“Yah !” Miyeon screamed and it was Shuhua’s cue to stand up and run for her life towards the bathroom before she gets caught in a dead embrace.
Miyeon only laughed at their antics, the cheeky Taiwanese never failed to put a smile on her face. After she heard the door to the bathroom close she started cleaning up the room, careful not to displace anything important (because Shuhua would probably fight her for that) and only throwing the trash away as well as putting the dirty clothes in the laundry basket outside the room and down on the first floor.
Once everything felt a little cleaner, she went to throw the trash bags downstairs, walking by Soojin as the latter only smiled, grateful that someone was taking care of the little gremlin living in her duplex. Miyeon went back upstairs to check one last time on Shuhua and to her surprise she found the girl completely passed out on her bed.
“Aigoo, what are we gonna do with you?” Miyeon shook her head and trudged closer to the sleeping beauty.
As expected, the young maiden still had wet hair and to this Miyeon sighed. She grabbed the towel that was hanging for dear life on the bed and tried to dry the long black locks as best as she could before resorting to using a hairdryer.
She’d rather have a grumpy Shuhua who would be mad at her for waking her up than a sick Shuhua. This was something her and all the team feared, sick Shuhua was a different beast and lord knows they didn’t want to ever experience this again. Being the heavy sleeper she is, Shuhua barely even moved while Miyeon blow dried her head and even if it wasn’t perfect it was still better than the drenched mop of hair from earlier.
She pulled the warm duvet over the younger’s sprawled body and let herself stay sited on the bed for a few minutes, simply admiring the peaceful look on Shuhua’s face. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was fairly late and decided to call it a night.
“Goodnight Shuhua.” She mumbled while standing up and heading towards the door after turning off the lights.
On her way out she accidentally stumbled upon Soojin who had just closed the bar downstairs and was going to take a well deserved shower.
“Oh you’re still here ?” The younger of the two remarked.
“Yeah, that idiot fell asleep without drying her hair so I had to do it.” Miyeon explained but her voice didn’t match her words.
“Typical Shu. Want to stay the night ? It’s quite late.” Soojin offered but Miyeon politely refused.
“It’s okay, I have a meeting with investors tomorrow in the morning and I need to prepare my papers.” Miyeon told, which was true.
“We always have a room for you here, don’t hesitate if you need to.” Soojin reminded her, as that said room was once Miyeon’s after all, she had used it when she had several issues with her landlord a few years back. This place was her second home and she appreciated how Soojin would remind her that she was always welcome anytime.
“I’ll take up on that offer some other day. I have to go now, Goodnight Soojin. I will see you next time.” Miyeon smiled and when Soojin gave her a small goodbye hug, she finally made her way downstairs and out the three story building into the dark of the night.
Soojin looked towards the room where Shuhua was snoozing the night away with a short smile. She knew that the Taiwanese had been awfully stressed lately regarding her studies and even if she wanted to, it was hard to get a wink of sleep. While she doesn’t show it, Miyeon’s presence was like a remedy that always without a fail cured her from overwhelming thoughts and countless sleepless nights, something that even Soojin had trouble helping with. If Shuhua could sleep soundly tonight it was all thanks to Miyeon. And as much as Shuhua liked to say that Miyeon was her least favourite amongst their friends, they all knew that what they shared was on a whole different spectrum than mere friendship.
It was a sort of relationship that was as confusing as blatantly obvious to everyone. Both were so alike in their fondness for each other even if it was expressed in a way that often led to being at one another’s throat. A strange mix between profound care and playful hostility that was only made possible because the two sharing it were indeed Two of A Kind.