Chapter Text

ORDER 01:

~ 10 mg of Smells Like Teen Spirit ~

The flashing, multi-coloured lights of the secluded karaoke room flickered across the faces of three stoic figures. They were clad in black hoodies and face masks as they watched the girl across from them furrow her facial expression in confusion and panic. She was about early university age, likely a first-year, and she frantically rummaged around the contents of her bag.

"I swear, I-I had the money," she stammered out, her hands shaking from drug withdrawal. "I really need those pills, I promise I have the payment!"

The first figure sighed, "We're done here." He raised a hand to silence the girl as she began to utter a frantic offer. "You know how to contact us if you find the money. For now, it wouldn't hurt you to cut down," he continued. His voice was curt and clear. There was no room for argument.

The second figure gave her a short nod. "Get home safely."

With that, they stood and left the girl, who was still shaking, in the booth. They pulled down their hoods as they exited the room but kept their face masks on for discretion. Face masks were not uncommon, although they had been less frequently worn in more recent years.

They were silent as they walked down the hallway of the private karaoke place they had set the meeting up at. They took the stairwell, as the cameras in the elevator would have been on them long enough that a security guard could have been able to make out their faces. Besides, they took the elevator getting in. They didn't need to be on camera any more than they already were.

The second figure, the shortest of the three, pushed the door open and stepped out into the chilly night air. Her two companions followed her out, and the three of them walked down the street and for a few blocks before reaching a bus stop.

They were early. They had expected the girl to have brought their payment in exchange for a new round of study pills, and without the deal having properly taken place, they had about 10 extra minutes to spare before the bus was scheduled to arrive at 1:30 AM. For those 10 minutes, they stood in silence. The first figure leaned against the pole with the bus sign, while the other two sat on the bench.

The bus would take them from the district of Seoul they were in to their own district. Any normal person would take the subway, as it was faster and more convenient, but they weren't normal. Far from it, in fact.

Besides, the subway was much too visible, anyway. The bus was more discrete, less crowded. They could get back home relatively unnoticed on that bus.

It was only after the bus arrived and they had taken seats at the very back that they pulled their masks off, putting them in the second figure's over-the-shoulder satchel bag. The bag wasn't particularly big, being one of the smaller kinds of satchels. But it was affordable and it was usable. That's what mattered.

The bus was nearly empty. There was just an old man sitting at the front. He was asleep, and snoring softly.

Over the next 20 minutes, every so often, he would jolt into a state of being half awake, indicated by the snoring being abruptly cut off. But it would start back up just as suddenly as it would stop, so they broke their silence, albeit quietly.

"So, Byeongjin," the second figure huffed, sliding the leather strap of the satchel flap into the metal buckle and back out after pushing the prong through one of the holes. She slouched down in her seat. "What do we do, now that we don't have any money coming in this week?"

Byeongjin sighed, running a hand through his hair, "We make do, Seulgi. We've still got some left over from last week so we just need to ration it for now. And she'll probably reschedule for next weekend, so we'll have more by then."

"You're right," Seulgi stated. "We'll start sorting out rations when we get home."

With that, the discussion was over. Seulgi and Byeongjin continued to chat, louder now that their conversation had turned to more casual topics. Ones that wouldn't be risky if they were overheard. Things like the weather, clothing, the current political climate, and the like.

Meanwhile, the third figure, who hadn't yet spoken, continued to stay silent. She was leaning her head against the cool window pane with her eyes closed. Her legs were pulled up to her chest and her feet rested on the frontmost part of the seat. Her arms were wrapped her legs. She wasn't asleep. She was just listening.

She was normally the liveliest, the loudest of the bunch. She liked to make jokes, to tease, to absolutely exude sarcasm. She was outgoing and forward, and she always had something to say.

But in recent months, she had been feeling down. She had nothing to say.

It had started in February, right before her 19th birthday. She and Seulgi had just graduated high school halfway through the month. She remembered the sight of Byeongjin, who had graduated two years prior, smiling proudly in the audience as she and Seulgi were called up at their graduation ceremony.

Since they hadn't had any school for the past several months, they were able focus more on helping Byeongjin deliver the orders. However, about a week before her birthday, she had seen an online news article that sent chills down her spine, rattling her to her core. The headline read:

"'AHM-TECH' deCM BIOINK PATENT MAKES ITS FIRST BILLION AFTER JOO LABS PARTNERS WITH J MEDICAL CENTRE [OWNERS PICTURED]"

She had frozen completely, just sitting on the couch in the apartment, staring at the wall. She had been completely unable to get out of her own head. Her face had contorted into anger every time she thought of the name Joo on that headline. It had been a long time since she had been one of them, or even seen one of them, but thought of her family made her blood boil.

Could she even call them her family? She didn't want to.

She didn't remember when, but at some point during that day, she snapped out of her trance. She needed to fact-check it.

And so, she did.

She spent the rest of that day fact-checking the many, many articles centred around such a monumental event. She scoured through each of them, begging for it not to be true. Alas, no such luck. All she found were confirmation after confirmation, and even photographs of the two groups shaking hands, sealing the deal.

Later that night, Seulgi and Byeongjin had found her curled up in the top bunk of the bunk beds she shared with Seulgi, facing the wall and quietly crying with her arms wrapped around herself.

She wouldn't tell them what was wrong, she refused to. She didn't like to be so vuknerable around others. Of course, her companions were somewhat of an exception. There was no one else in the world she was closer to, but still, she as though she were being examined by scrutinising gazes instead of being observed by two concerned friends.

She was yanked out of the memory at the sound of Byeongjin attempting to get her attention, "Helloooooooo, earth to Yeri!"

Yeri jumped, her spine going stiff. She was startled by the abruptness of it all. She rubbed her face. "Sorry, I was just thinking," she mumbled, leaning back in her seat. "What were you saying?"

Seulgi, with the same concerned look on her face that Yeri had been on the receiving end of since February, was the one who responded. "He was asking if you were okay, but we all know that's a stupid question because the answer is clearly no," Seulgi said, ignoring an offended huff from Byeongjin.

Of course, Byeongjin wasn't actually offended, but that was a part of the routine they all did. They laughed, they joked, they teased. That was what kept the darkness of their reality from sinking in any more than it needed to. You couldn't live like they did and not feel at least a bit of dread towards the whole situation, but they didn't need to think about it during every moment of both day and night.

Yeri sighed. Seulgi and Byeongjin still didn't know what had happened that day, but they knew it was connected to how she had been acting lately.

Yeri didn't like talking about her family, and her companions knew only that they were still alive. She never mentioned anything else about them, and they never asked. A similar form of this applied to the two of them as well, although they had shared just a few more details then Yeri had. She wanted to keep it that way.

She also just didn't want to think about it at all. That incident had her feeling down for months, as it had now reached September. Something that she noticed over the years of knowing her two best friends is that Byeongjin never particularly enjoyed hearing what their former families were up to. That was definitely something Yeri could relate to.

None of them were particularly lucky at all, but in a somewhat twisted way, Yeri sometimes thought that Seulgi was lucky enough in that she never had to hear about what her parents were doing without her.

Decaying. Passing off energy to the earthworms and the soil.

That was all a dead person could do.

She felt bad every time she thought it, though.

Regardless, it was obvious that her companions had noticed her behaviour over the past seven months, as she wasn't really doing anything to hide it. She was still silly and she still made stupid jokes. Of course, she also still teased Byeongjin when the opportunity presented itself. However, alongside all of that, she had been carrying a different air about her. A much heavier one.

It wasn't as though the moments of happiness were pretend. She didn't fake her reactions or her laughter. It was just that once the moments ended, she would feel…numb.

The complete absence of feeling. Or maybe she was just feeling so much that she couldn't feel it at all. She didn't know.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just pretty tired right now," she deflected, although it wasn't actually a lie. She knew that Seulgi knew it wasn't a lie. It wasn't like Seulgi was getting a full 8 hours a night either. Seulgi was a chronic sleep-avoider, as Yeri liked to put it.

Byeongjin on the other hand…well, Byeongjin could sleep through a hurricane.

But regardless of whether or not he was awake to see her not sleeping, the dark circles were impossible to ignore, although she did try to use her cheap concealer to cover it up. Her main strategy of avoidance was to call Seulgi out on her hypocrisy, as she also had quite dark circles under her eyes.

They were all exhausted. They often were. It's difficult to get a good sleep under so much stress. But Yeri, like Seulgi, was used to ignoring it, hence why Seulgi raised her eyebrow at her, clearly seeing through her deflection.

Seulgi sighed and agreed to table the discussion for the time being, although she made a mental note to corner Yeri later in the week.

As the bus reached their stop and the three stepped off, Seulgi and Byeongjin let her trail behind them in silence as they discussed the situation in hushed tones. After walking the last couple blocks, their apartment building came into view.

The building was old, but stable. Poor, but affordable. And it was home.

They entered the building rickety elevator that always rattled to much that anyone it it would worry that it was about to get stuck. Byeongjin pressed the button for the 25th floor. He liked being the one to press the button.

The elevator hummed as it carried them up each floors. None of them spoke, which is something that they were quite used to doing in public spaces. Well, as public as an apartment building elevator that no one else was in could be considered. They were used to needing to be discrete in their line of work, if it could even be called that.

There was a dinging noise as it reached their floor, the doors opening so that they could step through. Byeongjin led the way down the hall to their apartment, number 2507. It was at the end of the hallway, but not the absolute furthest one that was at the end wall. Rather, it was the ruthest one on one of the adjacent walls to the end one. The room was along the same wall as multiple other rooms and facing the other long wall.

Seulgi pushed past Byeongjin to insert her key into the keyhole. The sound of the lock opening as Seulgi turned the key sounded like a gunshot in Yeri's occupied head. Seulgi pushed the door open enough to grasp the door chain in her hand and undo it so her companions could step inside. She redid the chain and locked the door as Byeongjin and Yeri took off their shoes, and then she took off hers as well.

Yeri began to take off her coat as her companions did the same, sliding her arms put of the warm sleeves.

For a moment, once all of the coats were on the rack, the trio paused. They stood in silence. Each of them thought back on the days events. Then, Byeongjin clapped his hands together and said sarcastically, "Now, who's excited to sort out our rations for the week?"

~°˖✧˖°~

The remaining money for the week was spread out on the table as Byeongjin and Seulgi sorted it into 4 groups. In the end, 3 of the groups, which were the groups for each person, had about ₩30,000 each in it, while the fourth, which was to be added to an existing pool of money dedicated to the bills, had just under ₩60,000 in it. They would use their own piles to purchase food.

Whenever they got money, they saved a chunk of it for the electric and water. The apartment was all they had. If they couldn't pay their bills then they would get evicted. That couldn't happen, not if any of the trio could do anything to stop it.

The apartment really wasn't much, but it was home.

They normally had many more orders, but the rush to place orders right after summer break had come and gone, and it was now the end of September. That meant less money per week.

It would be back up at mid-October, which didn't seem to far off, but when you need to ration what you have just so you can keep the lights on, keep the water running, and keep everyone fed.

Luckily, their building had free wifi. It was slow, but it was usable. Although, they still needed to pay for data on their phones. The burner phones that they used to contact clients and suppliers on the other hand, were basic models with texting and calling features, so they only needed to worry about data on their "public" phones.

The "public" phones were low-priced phones that were older models, but for orders, they would use burners.

Yeri had been using Seulgi's shoulder as a pillow the whole time, leaning into her with her eyes closed. She really wasn't this introspective normally, but then again, nothing had been particularly normal for her throughout the past several months. She had found herself stuck in her mind far more often than she would have liked, constantly ruminating on almost every thought in her mind.

She had also felt a certain amount of paranoia in regards to her secret. Realistically, if Seulgi and Byeongjin had seen the articles, they wouldn't have made the connection. They didn't know what her last name used to be, after all, nor did they know what her parents looked like, but that didn't mean she wasn't worrying about it.

Logically, she knew that what she was afraid of was absurd. Seulgi and Byeongjin would never blame her for such a thing, and she knew this well. But the thought of them finding out about her parents making their first billion while the three of them were rationing money for bills and food…she frowned from her spot on Seulgi's shoulder.

"So, if we stick to the local CU for this week, then we should be good," Seulgi sighed. "Not the healthiest option, but probably the cheapest. Agreed?"

Byeongjin nodded and took his pile, while Yeri gave a thumbs up and released Seulgi from pillow duty. Seulgi's arms shot up in the air, "Freedom!"

Byeongjin snorted and Yeri batted her outstretched arm playfully as the three of them laughed. Despite feeling the way she did, Yeri was glad that these moments of laughter between them could still happen as they always had.

They always managed to make her feel at least a little better.

~°˖✧˖°~

Yeri didn't sleep that night. She didn't sleep that night because Seulgi didn't sleep, and Seulgi didn't sleep that night because, shockingly, Byeongjin didn't sleep. They were all quite bored, and Seulgi and Yeri were used to occupying the time they spent depriving themselves of sleep by playing games, so, naturally, they decided to play games. Anyone could guess how well that went.

"YOU DIDN'T SAY UNO!" Yeri slammed her hand on the table, making it rattle. "YOU HAVE TO PICK UP TWO CARDS!"

"WHAT?!" Byengjin yelled, raising his voice to the same level as Yeri's. "SINCE WHEN HAS THAT BEEN A RULE?!"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe just since THE CREATION OF THE GAME!" Yeri yelled back sarcastically.

Byeongjin snatched the playing manual from the card box and unfolded it. His eyes followed the lines of text until he stopped, eyes widening. He looked up to make eye contact with a smug Yeri, and then shoved the manual away with a huff.

He drew two cards from the pile for not saying Uno.

Seulgi sighed. It was going to be a long night.

She had already won the game 20 minutes ago, but Yeri and Byeongjin were fighting over second and third place as though their lives (or more accurately, their pride) depended on it.

It was genuinely the longest Seulgi had ever seen a game of Uno go on for, especially after one person had already gotten rid of all their cards. The deck had been reshuffled twice and she had won.

She sighed for what seemed like the millionth time, "Guys, seriously, this had gone overboard."

Yeri and Byeongjin snapped their heads in her direction at the time time, startling her.

"You don't get it Seulgi," Byeongjin explained. "Not getting first place is one thing, but not getting second place, just being dead last, is NOT a position I will be carrying, thanks."

Yeri snorted. "Like you're winning this, Jin," she said, placing down a +4 card. "Uno."

Byeongjin slammed his cards face-down on the table with an outraged yell, "OH COME ON!"

Yeri laughed, "That's what happens when you play the game right."

Byeongjin picked his cards back up and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he muttered under his breath.

The sound of Yeri and Byeongjin bickering was interrupted by a buzzing noise coming from beside Seulgi. Two heads turned to her to see that the noise was coming from one of the burner phones.

Yeri and Byeongjin exchanged a look before Seulgi picked up the phone. The phone buzzed again as she flipped it open and punched in the passcode to unlock it.

Yeri eyed Seulgi as the latter raised an intrigued eyebrow upon opening the message that had been sent to the phone.

"It's Beomsu," Seulgi stated. "She seems to have found the money early than we thought she would."

Yeri and Byeongjin put their cards down and leaned in, so that Seulgi could show them the message:

~

00:54

K. Beomsu: I have the money.

K. Beomsu: Can we meet tonight?

~

The three of them exchanged unreadable looks, and then nods. It wasn't as though any of them had something to do, and there weren't any upcoming things they needed to be well-rested for (as if they weren't already staying up to play Uno).

They had tried applying for a few jobs in the best, as last ditch attempts to get out of the world they were in, but none of them had ever been accepted by any place that was hiring. Mainly because their address used to be the orphanage, and was now a small apartment building in. Gwanak-gu. It really wasn't anything special to look at, but it was affordable and the security was decent enough to keep them out of trouble and out of danger.

Most of their customers were located in Gangnam. There were a lot of wealthy people in the Gangnam Region, as it contained two of Seoul's wealthiest districts. It was good for business. Especially when the customers were students in desperate need of a studying aid.

It wasn't something any of them were particularly proud of, but it was what they needed to do to stay afloat.

With the confirmation she received from her companions, Seulgi texted back:

~

00:56

Seller_W: Meet us at the café we first met at in 2 hours, 03:00 sharp.

Seller_W: You'll get a 5-minute grace period, and then we leave. Same as always.

~

00:57

K. Beomsu: Will do.

~

Seulgi flipped the burner phone shut.

"I guess we won't have to ration this week," Byeongjin said, quirking the corner of his lips up.

~°˖✧˖°~

Yeri stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, having just finished tying up her hair in a low ponytail. The door was open and through it, she could see Seulgi and Byeongjin having a sock-throwing fight in her peripheral.

Seulgi would win, she was sure.

Her arms fell down to her sides as her eyes travelled down her body. She generally tried to avoid looking at her reflection, because when she did, she couldn't stop.

She never really had the best self-image.

With a sigh, she squeezed her eyes shut. She clenched her fists so hard she could feel her fingernails cutting into her palms. She tried to breathe as best as she could, trying not to let cruel words echo through her brain.

She wasn't sure how long she stood like that before she felt warm and comforting arms wrapping around her. She sighed and melted into Seulgi's embrace, still feeling disgusting, but also feeling calmer. Thankfully, she could feel her breathing slow down to a more comfortable rate. Yeri buried her face in Seulgi's shoulder.

"I know you don't think this way about yourself and that you're not going to believe me," Seulgi said softly, stroking her hair with a comforting hand. "But you're beautiful."

After hearing a muffled whimper, Seulgi continued, "You're one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen and I don't want you thinking otherwise. I know it's hard, though."

Along with the relentless thoughts and the lack of sleep, Yeri's discovery of that headline had brought back some unhealthy habits of hers from when she was younger, leftover impulses from when she still had a biological family. She hadn't returned to those actions with the same intensity, but the thoughts were as bothersome as always.

Yeri took another deep breath and disengaged from Seulgi shoulder.

"Freedom once more," Seulgi whispered with a smirk, making Yeri giggle.

She smiled. "Thanks Seul," she whispered back.

"Anytime."

~°˖✧˖°~

Yeri and Seulgi made their way to the living room where Byeongjin was sitting on the old, patched-up couch. When he saw them, he stood, concern etched into his features. "You okay, Yer?" he said, using the nickname he and Seulgi always used for her in times like this.

Yeri nodded, "Yeah, I feel better now, thanks to Seulgi." He wrapped her into a hug. When they separated, Seulgi knew that it was time to get back to business.

"So, Byeong, you're staying here so we don't draw suspicion from the sight of four people meeting in the middle of the night," Seulgi started, receiving a nod. "And Yeri, you and I will take the bus back to Gangnam and make the exchange." Another nod.

The masks and hats were still in Seulgi's satchel. She pulled out hers and Yeri's, handing the latter her things, and then donning her own. She took Byeongjin's mask out and used his hat to wrap the plastic bottle of pills in. She placed the bundle in the satchel, sloed it, and slung it over her shoulder.

Byeongjin gave her a pat on the shoulder, "Good luck, you two. And be careful."

Seulgi and Yeri had done a few runs without Byeongjin before, but only when necessary. They knew what to do, they were prepared, and the client was only Beomsu, who had rarely caused issues before that day, so none of them were particularly worried. The warning was mainly there for getting there and back. He was warning them to be careful in case there was anyone sketchy on the bus or the streets.

They both nodded, and grabbed their coats off the rack. While putting on their shoes, Byeongjin gave a playful salute, which the both of them returned.

~°˖✧˖°~

The bus was empty. They were about 20 minutes into the approximately 30 minute bus ride to a stop in Gangnam that was just a few blocks away from the café where they would be meeting Beomsu. They didn't speak much other than to talk about the latest funny meme on the internet or random cat pictures.

Although there were no other passengers on the bus, there was still the driver, who could call the police if he realised what they were about to do.

Throughout the rise, they were holding hands, simply as a jesture of comfort that was initiated by Seulgi and eagerly returned by Yeri.

When the moniter in the front of the bus displayed their stop as being next, Yeri reached up to tug on the cord that lined the windows, indicating to the driver that he should stop there. They climbed out of their seats and stepped off of the bus without speaking to each other.

They took a moment to appreciate the cool night breeze before they began heading in the direction of the café. As they did, Seulgi flicked her wrist up, checking the time on her watch: 02:49.

By the time they reached the café, the watch face dispayed the time as 02:56. They took a seat at an outdoor table right under the awning that lined outer structure of the café. than covered a couple of tables. That way, the cameras along the awning wouldn't catch them.

That normally wouldn't be a problem for the café owners because those tables were right in front of the window, where the employees could look out and see them, but because it was nighttime, it was close. By 02:59, Beomsu arrived.

They didn't exchange pleasantries. Yeri and Seulgi were eager to get back home and Beomsu was eager to get her pills.

They went through the standard routine: Beomsu brought out the money, about ₩200,000, and pushed it to Yeri and Seulgi's side of the table so they could inspect it. After verifying that the payment was legitimate, Yeri held the it while Seulgi brought the hat out of her satchel. She grabbed the bottle out of the hat and handed it to Beomsu, who took it eagerly. From there, they went their separate ways, with Beomsu leaving in a hurry and the duo staying behind.

Seulgi breathed out, "I'm a bit concerned for her."

Yeri nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I am as well. I mean, we need the money, but maybe we should cut her off soon…"

They exchanged a look, thinking about how Beomsu could react to such a thing.

"Let's talk about it with Jin when we get back home," Seulgi decided, receiving a confirming nod from Yeri.

With that, they stood up from their chairs, tucked them out, and walked out from under the awning. They held hands and strolled slowly back towards the bus stop. Now that the deal had been made, they weren't in much of a hurry anymore.

However, as they were about to turn the corner, they heard hushed voices. They paused, gauging for discretion, however, a yell cut through the air.

"GIVE THOSE BACK!"

It was Beomsu. They both recognised her voice immediately. They hid behind the building at the corner of the street, hoping not to be seen so they could come up with a plan to intervene without jumping straight into what could turn into a physical fight.

"You don't need drugs, Beomsu, come on! They're not good for you!" said a sharp voice.

"I'm the one who paid for them, Jaeyi! Give them back!" Beomsu yelled.

The sharp voice, who they now knew belonged to someone named Jaeyi, refused, "No. I can pay you back for it, just don't take these! We're worried about you."

Another voice, gentler, joined in. "She's right Beomsu, we're just trying to help."

"Well, you're not helping, Kyung," Beomsu said frantically. "I need those pills!"

As the argument continued, Seulgi began slowly peeking around the corner, trying to see the conflict. What she saw made her let out a stifled gasp, which was drowned out over the sound of the yelling. In the light emitting from the streetlight closeby, Yeri could see that Seulgi's cheeks had taken on a blush.

Confused, Yeri peeked her head over Seulgi's to see what was making Seulgi blush, because that was unusual given the situation at hand.

Beomsu stood with her back to them. A taller girl was holding the pill bottle out of Beomsu's reach. Yeri assumed that was Jaeyi. Another girl stood beside Jaeyi, although her face was blocked by Beomsu. Lastly, a shorter girl stood off to Jaeyi's other side, looking as though she would have rather been anywhere else.

Beomsu addressed her next, "Ara, you rat! You promised you wouldn't tell!"

The girl, Ara, didn't respond, instead looking at the ground.

Beomsu looked rapidly between the three girls before running at Jaeyi, making a grab for the pills. Jaeyi held the bottle up higher as Ara began screaming and pushing Beomsu away.

When she moved, Beomsu revealed the face of the second girl, Kyung, to Yeri. Kyung watched in utter bewilderment as what was unfolding, and Yeri froze.

She felt her facd heat up as Seulgi's did, although she noticed in her peripheral that it was Jaeyi who Seulgi's gaze was on. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest.

That girl, Kyung, was the most beautiful person Yeri had ever seen.

It was when Beomsu got shoved to the ground by Ara that Yeri and Seulgi realised that it was a good time for them to start stepping in.

Chapter Text

ORDER 02:

~ 20 mg of DIVE ~

She wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but what she did know what that this was way too insane to be a situation she was actually in. She had to be dreaming.

And yet, she wasn't.

When Beomsu charged at Jaeyi, swiftly blocked by a frantic Ara, Kyung had stepped back, baffled at the intensity of it all.

Then, before she could even register the thought of stepping in, two figures shot out from the corner building. The shorter of them was yelling Beomsu's name, trying to help Ara drag her away. The taller one, having stopped running, was standing still, staring at her.

And she stared back.

The woman in front of her was, frankly, absolutely gorgeous. Kyung just couldn't turn her gaze away from her. It was as though she was stuck.

She felt her face heat up, but for once in her life, she didn't care. She didn't pull her hands up to shield her red cheeks from sight. She didn't tuck her head down to avoid eye contact. She stood, head held high, staring into the woman's eyes with an equal level of intensity.

And time stopped.

There was no more intervention, no more Beomsu or Ara or Jaeyi. The other woman who was helping Ara did not exist. It was only the two of them.

But that moment only lasted about 4 seconds before a screech from Ara yanked them both out. The woman ran to the fray to help her companion and Kyung shook her head furiously to clear it before joining in as well.

The four of them, Kyung, the woman, her companion, and Ara, all pulled Beomsu back from Jaeyi, who was standing tall, holding the bottle up as high as she could, out of Beomsu's reach. Her face was stone cold.

As they all pulled Beomsu, the woman's hand brushed against Kyung's arm. She had rolled her sleeve up earlier, and when their skin made contact, they both startled. They didn't look at each other this time. They just continued to hold Beomsu as her screams turned to sobs.

Before any of them registered her moving, Jaeyi had swiftly grabbed Beomsu as she fell to the floor holding her as she cried. Kyung realised that the bottle was no longer in her hand, but then she noticed her discretely sliding it over to Ara behind Beomsu's back.

Kyung patted Beomsu's back awkwardly. She had never been particularly skilled at reacted to the emotions of others. Jaeyi was stroking the back of her head and whispering comforting words.

In the corner of her eye, Kyung caught Ara making a curt nodding motion towards the corner turn where the two women had emerged from. She looked at the two women as she did this, and then Kyung, motioning again. The four of them quietly made their way to the corner, out of earshot from Beomsu.

"So," Ara whispered, not wasting any time. "You guys sold her the drugs?"

Kyung froze. She had been so caught up in the chaos and…that woman. She hadn't realised that the streets were empty and that these women would have had to have been the who sold Beomsu the drugs. They had planned to do the interventention right after she picked up the pills, after all.

She had to get a hold of herself. Beomsu was more important. She couldn't…

This woman was a drug dealer. Who had dealt to her friend.

The two women exchanged a guilty look and the shorter one said, "Yes, although we were just discussing cutting her off before we heard the commotion."

The taller woman continued, hesitantly. "We don't know her too well, but we've been a bit worried that she's becoming too dependent on the pills. I assume you all had similar concerns," she said.

Ara sighed, "Yeah. She's been jittery and shaky for a while, but this evening she was…frantic even. We had a feeling she had been buying study drugs but we had no idea it had gone so far."

The shorter woman scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "We're really sorry about this. We only sell the drugs because we need the money, but we'll be cutting her off after today," she assured them.

Kyung finally manages to get herself to speak. "Y-yeah, that's good," she stuttered unintentionally, making Ara look at her with a raised eyebrow.

Kyung tried not to make eye contact with her friend. Ara hesitantly looked back at the two women and, to Kyung's surprise, she stuck out her hand. "My name Jo Ara," she said.

The shorter woman took her hand first. "Seulgi," she said.

The taller woman took her hand next and said, "Yeri."

So that was her name. Yeri. Kyung clenched her hands. She couldn't be thinking about this right now.

Kyung cleared her throat, "Choi Kyung."

Ara continued, pointing at Jaeyi, "That's Yoo Jaeyi. She's the one who first realised that Beomsu been taking pills. She was supposed to get them yesterday evening and she came back all frantic like I said., without the pills"

Kyung thought back on what had happened only a matter of hours earlier. She and Jaeyi had been studying in the study room of the latter's father's hospital. By the time they had finished, they both had multiple missed calls and voicemails from Ara.

Kyung watched nervously, wringing her hands, as Jaeyi brought the phone to her ear, waiting for Ara to respond to the call, which happened almost immediately.

Jaeyi jumped, pulling the phone away from her ear. Ara was yelling so loudly that even Kyung could hear her.

"ARA!" Jaeyi yelled into the phone, waiting for her to stop. When she did, Jaeyi continued, "Slow down, I'm putting you on speakerphone so that Kyung can hear you as well."

She pushed a button on her phone and told Ara to continue.

Through the phone, Kyung heard Ara's panicked voice clearly. "It's Beomsu. You were right, Jaeyi."

Both girls paused. Ara continued, "She's tearing the penthouse apart trying to look for something. Money I think."

Jaeyi gave her a look that contained many more emotions than Kyung could name. Quietly but firmly, Jaeyi said to Ara, without taking her eyes off of Kyung, "Keep an eye on her. If she finds the money, follow her the next time she goes out."

"She asked me to keep a close eye on her and to message her and Kyung the next time she goes out," Ara said to Seulgi and Yeri. "I didn't think it would be so soon after."

Seulgi confirmed, "She forgot to bring the money to the original meeting and messaged us a few hours ago that she found it."

Before anyone could say anything else, Jaeyi quietly called out Kyung's name. She turned to find her standing, Beomsu wrapped in her arms. Beomsu's eyes looked dull and tired, and her gaze stayed on the ground. "We should get her home now," Jaeyi said.

She continued, now looking at Seulgi and Yeri. "Thank you for your help," she paused, as if waiting for them to introduce themselves. They did, just as they had to Kyung and Ara.

Kyung could have sworn she noticed something shift in Jaeyi's eyes as Seulgi spoke. But it had been a long night. She must have just been seeing things.

With that, they parted ways.

Kyung and Ara walked on either side of Jaeyi and Beomsu as they made their way to the car. The driver was instructed by Jaeyi to park it a couple of blocks down.

When they reached the car, Kyung slid into the front seat, next to the driver, while Jaeyi, Beomsu, and Ara settled into the back, with Ara in the middle.

No one spoke on the drive to Beomsu and Ara's shared penthouse. Kyung closed her eyes and put her head against the window. She couldn't stop thinking about that woman. She knew that she shouldn't. She was a drug dealer, and her friend was hurt as a result, but…they were going to cut her off.

Kyung sighed. She was too tired to think about everything that had happened.

~°˖✧˖°~

The following morning, Kyung awoke from the sound of multiple notifications popping up on her phone. She groaned, prepared to turn her phone off, but she caught a glimpse of what the first two notifications were and paused.

~

13:01

Y. Jaeyi added W. Seulgi, J. Yeri, and C. Kyung to a group chat.

Yoo Jaeyi named the chat "This is totally reasonable of me to do, no matter what Seulgi says about it."

~

Kyung sighed. What had Jaeyi started this time? It hadn't even been twelve hours since they had all met. Was Kyung the only one who had even tried to sleep?

She opened up her phone and opened the app the messages came from. There had already been a number of texts in the chat, so Kyung scrolled through them.

~

13:03 - This is totally reasonable of me to do, no matter what Seulgi says about it.

Y. Jaeyi: Okay, so Seulgi knows this, but I tracked her down online last night and we've been texting for hours

Y. Jaeyi: This chat is a way for us to discuss the Beomsu thing, and Ara isn't going to be added because she and I agreed that Beomsu might try to go through her phone to get more pills

W. Seulgi: Sure, this was totally for Beomsu. That's believable, Jaeyi.

Y. Jaeyi renamed W. Seulgi to Princess

Y. Jaeyi renamed herself to Knight in Shining Armour

Princess: Seriously.

J. Yeri renamed Princess to seul

seul: Thank you, Yeri.

J. Yeri renamed Knight in Shining Armour to try-hard

try-hard: Hey!

J. Yeri renamed herself to yer

yer renamed C. Kyung to does she know this exists

~

13:05

does she know this exists: Hello, Jaeyi and people I met yesterday.

seul: Hello, Kyung.

yer: hiiiiiii :)

does she know this exists: I just woke up.

does she know this exists: Have you really been texting all night?

try-hard: Yes!

does she know this exists: Good call on the username, Yeri.

yer: thanks!

try-hard renamed does she know this exists to dickhead

dickhead: Are you fucking serious, right now?
read 13:06.

~

Kyung turned her phone off with a huff. She had a feeling that she would be stuck with that name for quite a while.

~°˖✧˖°~

Throughout the day, Kyung had been focusing on her studying. She hadn't gotten into Law School for nothing. She was always studying.

The same was holding true that day until she took a break and turned on her phone, only to see a notification from about an hour earlier that stood out amongst the numerous others from Jaeyi's new group chat.

~

17:22

J. Yeri has requested to chat with you

~

Kyung paused. She mentally debated whether she should respond. She had been trying not to think about Yeri, to little avail. She hadn't even been focusing on her work enough to actually get anything done. She had just been thinking.

After twisting her pencil in her hand repeatedly for an amount of time she didn't care to try and figure out, she accepted the request.

~

16:28

C. Kyung accepted the chat request

C Kyung: Hello, Yeri.

J. Yeri: hi!

J. Yeri: seul and jaeyi have been getting to know each other, so i thought maybe we could do that too

J. Yeri: cause i have a feeling that we'll all be seeing each other quite a bit in the future

~

Kyung's heart jolted, and she almost dropped her phone. Fumbling around with it in her hands, she tried to ignore the way her face heated up. Yeri had only meant that in regards to helping Beomsu, nothing else. She had to get a grip on herself.

~

16:33

C. Kyung: Yes, does sound reasonable.

C. Kyung: Would you prefer to do this over a call, or would you like to continue texting?

J. Yeri: a call works for me!

~

It was only when Yeri sent her response that Kyung realised what she had just proposed. A phone call. With Yeri. She must have been insane to suggest such a thing. She could barely even handle a misinterpreted text from her, let alone a phone call.

Nevertheless, she clicked the accept button when Yeri's call request came through, and she put it on speakerphone as her parents wouldn't be home until later that evening.

Yeri's voice came through the phone, sounding cheery. She sounded different from how she did when they met. Last night, her voice had sounded quiet and subdued. "Hi!," she said. "As you know, I'm Yeri, you're Kyung and…oh my god, where am I going with this?"

Kyung laughed. " Well, you're right. I am, indeed, Kyung," she said. "So, how should we get to know each other?"

Yeri hummed in thought. "Well, Seulgi was complaining that Jaeyi wouldn't stop sending her pictures of her dog? Do you have any pets?" she asked.

Kyung responded, "No, although I am quite familiar with Jaeyi's dog."

Kyung felt something warm and fluttery in her chest while talking to Yeri. Something softer than Jeyun's fur. She liked it.

They spoke about many things, such as the classic dogs vs cats debate (Kyung chose dogs and warned Yeri never to tell Jaeyi that she preferred cats), favourite foods, preferred music, and even Kyung's friendship with Jaeyi.

"Well, we met in middle school, where we became academic rivals and also friends. We quickly became best friends and we began to even spend studying time together," Kyung said. "You see, there's a study room in Jaeyi's father's hospital, the J Medical Centre."

Yeri paused. When she spoke again after a few moments, her voice was low. "Jaeyi's dad owns that hospital?" she asked.

Kyung, now a bit confused, continued, "Yeah. Have you heard of it?

When Yeri confirmed, her voice still lows but now hesitant as well, Kyung began to wonder, although she didn't voice any of those thoughts. Instead, she asked, "What about your friendship with Seulgi?"

Yeri's voice turned lighter at the mention of Seulgi. "We met when we were young. Along with another kid, Byeongjin, we all got really close. Since then, we've been sisters, and Byeongjin, our brother," Yeri explained.

The call was interrupted by a few notifications from the group chat.

~

18:49 - This is totally reasonable for me to do, no matter what Seulgi says about it.

try-hard: LISTEN UP, EVERYONE!

seul: I'm so sorry, I tried to stop her.

try-hard: ALL FOUR OF US. KARAOKE. TOMORROW NIGHT BECAUSE SEULGI WOULDN'T LET DO IT FOR TONIGHT.

seul: Because we were all up last night and karaoke won't be fun if we're all sleep deprived, Jaeyi.

~

"Wow," Kyung said. "Jaeyi's always been a bit eccentric when she gets passionate about something but this is…"

"Overboard?" Yeri suggested.

"Exactly," Kyung confirmed.

Yeri hummed again, "I think we should go. Jaeyi's probably going to drag you there and Seulgi won't let herself be publicly humiliated if I'm not also going and also being publicly humiliated."

"I figured," Kyung said with a laugh.

~

18:53 - This is totally reasonable for me to do, no matter what Seulgi says about it.

dickhead: I'll be there, and Yeri will as well.

try-hard: Wait…were you guys chatting? ;)

dickhead: did

dickhead: did you just use a winking text emoji??

yer: LMAO JAEYI YOU SCARED HER OUT OF CAPITALISING

~

~°˖✧˖°~

The entire ride to the karaoke place, Kyung fidgeted with her hands. She was wearing something blue. She hadn't paid too much attention to what Jaeyi had chosen for her, or what Jaeyi had chosen for herself.

She didn't know why she felt so nervous about this. She had done karaoke with Jaeyi before. Even with Ara and Beomsu.

As the driver pulled into the parking lot, Kyung checked her phone. The time was displayed as 19:50. They had booked a private room for 8 o'clock.

When they got out of the car, they noticed that Yeri and Seulgi were already there, leaning against the side of the building and chatting.

Kyung was going to make their presence known, but Jaeyi beat her to it. Loudly.

"SEULGI!" Jaeyi yelled, quite literally sprinting across the parking lot.

Kyung stared in shock. Seulgi did the same. Yeri laughed hysterically as Jaeyi skidded to a stop directly in front of Seulgi, looking down at her with excited eyes.

"H-hi," Seulgi stuttered nervously.

Kyung facepalmed. "Seriously, Jaeyi?" she said, approaching the other three.

~°˖✧˖°~

In the private room, Kyung sat on the right side of the couch and Seulgi sat on the left side, which was closer to the door. Yeri was sitting in between them. Jaeyi was going through the song list on the stage, still excited and to Kyung's massive surprise, hyper.

She hadn't registered it originally, focusing more on the shock of her running and just pure exasperation, of course. But now, it was particularly hard to miss.

"Ah!" Jaeyi exclaimed, clearly having found the song she was looking for. She cleared her throat and clicked the song.

The room was illuminated only by the flashing, multicoloured lights. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yeri and Seulgi looking around the room strangely. She wondered what that could have been about. Before she could think any further however, Jaeyi, song started, and all three pairs of eyes snapped to the stage.

The lyric screen displayed the name of an English song, but Kyung understood the language quite well. A younger version of herself would probably brag about being more fluent than Jaeyi was.

She sang the first line of the song, her heavily accented voice low, but also airy and flowy.

I don't really give a damn about the way you touch me when we're alone

Kyung almost choked on her drink. Jaeyi was really starting out like that?

You can hold my hand when no one's home

Do you like it when I'm away?

Although Jaeyi's gaze was fully locked on Seulgi as she sang, Kyung had the thought that she would certainly enjoy being away from Jaeyi, the lovesick puppy.

If I went and hurt my body, baby, would you love me the same?

I can feel all my bones coming back and I'm craving motion

Kyung craned her neck to look at Seulgi, noticing that Yeri was doing the same. Her hand was frozen in midair, still holding her drink as though she had been bringing it up to her mouth before she paused.

Her eyes were locked on the stage and its occupant, and her mouth was just slightly ajar, her eyes just slightly widened, her cheeks just slightly flushed.

Seulgi and Yeri probably knew English as well based on their reactions.

Mama never really learned how to live by herself

It's a curse and it's growing

You're a pond and I'm an ocean, oh

Kyung raised a skeptical eyebrow. That analogy was way too confusing.

All my emotions feel like explosions when you are around

And I've found a way to kill the sound, oh

Kyung sarcastically wondered if Jaeyi realised how ironic that statement was, considering they were at a literal karaoke bar.

Oh baby, I am a wreck when I'm without you

I need you here to stay

Kyung's eyes almost burst out of her head. They had met two days ago. Two.

I broke all my bones that day I found you

Crying at the lake

Was it something I said to make you feel like you're a burden?

Oh, and if I could take it all back

I swear that I would pull you from the tide

She noted that this aquatic analogy was slightly more sensical than the last one.

Oh, woah, woah, woah

I said no (I said no), I said no (I said no)

Listen close, it's a no

Kyung noticed Yeri giggling beside her and felt her own face heat up. She shook her head, trying to snap out of it.

The wind is a-pounding on my back

And I've found hope in a heart attack

Oh, at last, it is past

Now I've got it, and you can't have it

It didn't work.

Oh baby, I am a wreck when I'm without you

I need you here to stay

I broke all my bones that day I found you

Crying at the lake

Was it something I said to make you feel like you're a burden?

Oh, and if I could take it all back

I swear that I would pull you from the tide

Kyung genuinely didn't know how Jaeyi wasn't embarrassed. This whole situation was, quite frankly, ridiculous.

Darling, when I'm fast asleep

I've seen this person watching me

Saying, "Is it worth it? Is it worth it? Tell me, is it worth it?"

Kyung scoffed. She didn't know Seulgi too well yet (who was going to tell Jaeyi that, though?), but she was sure that if either of them was going to stare at the other while they slept, it was going to be Jaeyi.

Oh-oh

'Cause there is something and there is nothing

There is nothing in-between

And in my eyes, there is a tiny dancer watching over me

He's singing, "She's a, she's a lady, and I am just a girl"

He's singing, "She's a, she's a lady, and I am just a line without a–"

Jaeyi's change of the pronouns in the lyrics stood out on the screen. Kyung 's thoughts shifted to something less sarcastic.

Oh baby, I am a wreck when I'm without you

I need you here to stay

Broke all my bones that day I found you

Crying at the lake

Oh, was it something I said to make you feel like you're a burden?

Oh, and if I could take it all back

I swear that I would pull you from the tide

When Jaeyi finished the song, Yeri cheered and clapped with Kyung, who didn't cheer, but did clap. Seulgi was still sitting frozen, drink on the table now, and with her jaw hanging open.

Jaeyi sauntered over and, with the utmost audacity, she pressed her finger against Seulgi's chin to close her jaw. "Your turn," she said in a low, husky voice.

Yeri snorted beside her.

Shakily, Seulgi stumbled up towards the stage as Jaeyi took her spot on the couch.

"Oh my god, that was insane, Jaeyi," Yeri whisper-laughed beside her.

Kyung just thought it was plainly insane without any humorous insinuations.

Seulgi went through the songs and quickly found the one she was looking for. As the name appeared on the lyric screen, Kyung noticed that this song wasn't in English like Jaeyi's was. Shaking out her hands, she grabbed the mic as the opening notes of the song came through.

Alone on a deserted road

The reason I want to unbearably cry

The reason I love unknowingly

No one told me

Oh, so she was going with a sad song? Kyung thought about that for a moment and then came to the conclusion that a sad song was quite fitting for someone like Seulgi, not because she seemed sad, but because she seemed as though she enjoyed sad music.

Why is love so frightening?

Yet why is the sky so clear and high?

The sky wasn't always clear, Kyung thought to herself.

Why can't I forget you for even a day?

No one told me

They had only known each other for a day. Well, two. Kyung sighed. This was a reciprocation to what Jaeyi sang, wasn't it.

Should I come a little closer

Or should I just wait for this again?

Why, of all people, did I have to meet you?

Where should I look now as I go?

Kyung had heard of slow-burn romance before. As the instrumental bridge of the song played, she realised that if Jaeyi had her way, this was going to lead to a very quick burn. A firework, even.

Should I come a little closer

Or should I just wait for this again?

Why, of all people, did I have to meet you?

Kyung thought about this lyric. It seemed regretful on paper, but in reality it seemed more about not being able to get someone out of your head. Kyung definitely understood that.

Where should I look now as I go?

If where she was going was across the street, then hopefully both ways before crossing. Kyung internally scoffed at her own thought.

Why is love so frightening?

Yet why is the sky so clear and high?

Why can't I forget you for even a day?

No one told me

No one told me

When the song was over, Jaeyi jumped up on the couch, cheering loudly, and clapping wildly. Kyung wondered to herself just how passionately jamming ones hands together became the universal symbol for a good performance.

~°˖✧˖°~

At some point, Jaeyi said that she was going to check out the vending machines located in the lower levels of the building. For some reason that Kyung couldn't decipher, Jaeyi grabbed Seulgi's arm and dragged her out the door.

Kyung sighed. "Okay, I'm absolutely sure that she doesn't need a partner to check out vending machines," she deadpanned.

"Well, maybe we should take advantage of this opportunity," Yeri said with a smile.

Kyung's heart stopped and any air that happened to be in her chest left. Her face flamed.

"Because they were completely hogging the stage," Yeri finished, her smile turning into a smirk, clearly having noticed Kyung's reaction.

Kyung tucked her face down and sipped her ice water to hide it as Yeri went up to the stage.

She found the song she wanted easily and when the title and artist showed up on the screen, Kyung realised that she found it easily because the artist was the well-known K-pop girl group, TWICE.

Kyung felt her entire brain start activating when the song started. Focus-wise, at least.

We're in a great mood, everyone is

What I can see in between in your bored face

The rest of the world was dead to Kyung. During the other songs, she had been lost in her thoughts but now that it was Yeri singing, there was nothing else to focus on.

Your mischievous curiosity (Round and round)

The signal that lures your gaze

Kyung's gaze was certainly lured, that was for sure.

Flickering eye to eye (Hello, bae)

Kyung's face flushed intensely when Yeri winked at her.

That smile is the first expression you've shown

What was Kyung's expression? Was she being too obvious? She tried and failed to school her features.

If you open up (Just like that)

Immerse yourself, don't be shy

Kyung's brain was on fire.

Don't wait up, don't hold back

Now you can dive into me

Now her face was on fire too. She had to think of something else, like the weather or something boring.

Take a splash

Just keep sinking tonight

Instead, her thoughts consisted of:

- Why is it so hot in here????

- Wait, she looks a lot like one of the members of this group…

- OMG IS SHE WINKING AT ME AGAIN??!!!

And I know you'll be mine

Be bold, dive into me

Does boldness even exist anymore to Kyung? No, it was just Yeri existing in her brain.

As if to melt your heart

Slowly, you are falling

She definitely felt like she was falling when she realised that they were only at the end of the first chorus.

A moistened gaze, I like your eyes

Kyung thought that she liked Yeri's eyes too and then widened her eyes upon realising what had just gone through her brain.

An awkward escort isn't all that bad

Like it, you're so obvious

Oh no, she was being obvious. No wait, those were just the lyrics. She was still definitely being obvious, though.

Truth is, you like it don't you?

Kyung was very glad that she could barely hear her thoughts anymore.

Snuggle close, you and I

Now, in this moment, fall in love

Okay, now her entire body was on fire.

As your spirit guides you in my heart, yeah

A chance to swim, I'll grant you

With those waves of surging emotions

I shall colour, you, come on, don't be shy

Kyung had never been particularly shy, just introverted, but she definitely felt shy now. Well, maybe not even shy. More…

On fire, her brain supplied for her. On fire, then.

Don't wait up, don't hold back

Now you can dive into me

Take a splash

Just keep sinking tonight

She was certainly sinking. In what, she had no idea.

And I know you'll be mine

Be bold, dive into me

As if to melt your heart

Slowly, you are fallin'

Thank god, they were past the second chorus now.

Ayy-oh, ayy-oh

Gently dive in

Ayy-oh, ayy-oh

Into ever deeper depths

Your very first flow

Freely fallin'

As if to melt your heart

Slowly, you are fallin'

Kyung wanted to die, ascend, smile so wide her face hurt, and collapse all at the same time.

And kiss her.

Wait…WHAT?!

Two hearts spun together

As if by fate

Without hesitation, dive (Hey)

Kyung didn't need to be told twice…no pun intended, she thought to herself as she regained a bit of control over mind, and then she internally cringed at herself.

Once you are obsessed

She already was.

The excitement swells

Just dive in, baby

Don't wait up, don't hold back

Now you can dive into me

Take a splash

Just keep sinking tonight

And I know you'll be mine

Be bold, dive into me

As if to melt your heart

Slowly, you are fallin'

Ayy-oh, ayy-oh

Gently dive in

Ayy-oh, ayy-oh

Into ever deeper depths

Your very first flow

Freely fallin'

As if to melt your heart

Slowly, you are fallin'

As the closing notes of the song sounded, they locked eyes and stared at each other in silence. Kyung felt as though she were in shock. Neither decided spoke first.

Under the colourful, flashing lights, Kyung could have sworn she noticed the slightest flush on Yeri's face as well, and more poignantly, she noticed that her first instinct wasn't to rationalise that that. She found herself hoping it was true.

Kyung was so screwed.