Jiwoo didn't remember falling asleep but was awakened by soft pats. Opening her eyes, she was met with two warm browns belonging to her favorite person in all of Seoul. "Sooyoung-unnie? You're back already?" She said, still half asleep.
"Hey, Jiwoo. It'd be a bit overkill if I was still working at this hour, don't you think?"
Hearing Sooyoun's warm voice was enough to fully wake her up. The open area was dark, and Jiwoo noticed almost all the desks were emptied. A quick glance at the clock told her all she needed to know. "Eight pm? What are you still doing here?
Sooyoung had a soft smile as she looked at the redhead. "I thought I could take you home. It would be better than taking the bus, don't you think?" Jiwoo, still half asleep, nodded.
Together, they cleaned the clutter on her desk and were soon ready to go when Jiwoo sneaked a glance in the direction of Jinsol's office. Lights were still on inside, and for a moment the redhead hesitated on whether she should go and bid her boss goodbye.
After a few minutes of pondering, she settled on, at least, announcing her departure to the woman. She asked Sooyoung to wait as she walked towards the office.
"I'm not coming home nor meeting any of them!"
Once again, having forgotten to knock, she'd stumbled upon a phone conversation between an obviously, worked-up Jinsol and whoever was on the other side of the line. Jinsol ended the call with a little 'I'll call you back' as soon as she noticed her presence. She turned her attention to Jiwoo. She was understandably annoyed at the apparition of Jiwoo.
"What!" She'd asked rather harshly. Taken aback by the tone, Jiwoo apologized for the intrusion and asked if it was alright for her to head home. She half expected the older woman to refuse her request and was forced to work the whole night just to spite her, but to her surprise, Jinsol agreed.
Not wanting to give her a chance to change her mind, Jiwoo quickly left the room. She joined Sooyoung, who had been waiting for her by the entrance, Jiwoo's stuff in her hands. Jiwoo felt really thankful to be able to work with her. Despite having Jinsol as a boss, with someone as kind as Sooyoung there, she felt like she'd survive that job.
They left the building together. Once you get to the older woman's car. Sooyoung opened the door for her like the gentlewoman she was. A blushing mess, Jiwo thanked her before entering the passenger side. She thought Sooyoung would regain the driver's side directly after but saw instead how the older woman went to fetch something in her trunk.
When she finally sat in the car, Jiwoo noticed the box in her hand. "Here, As an apology for abandoning you on your first day." Sooyoung handed it to her.
Jiwoo peeped inside the box to see a row of mouthwatering donuts. They were the most delicious-looking donuts she'd ever seen. Looking back towards Sooyoung, she didn't quite know what to say. "Thank you, but you really shouldn't have gotten out of your way."
"Don't worry. The bakery which makes them was just outside where I had my meeting. And I thought you might like them." That made Jiwoo feel already less guilty.
With that fixed, they prepared themself to leave, but as Jiwoo struggled to put on her seatbelt with the box in her hand, she felt Sooyoung nearing closer. Suddenly, the two of them were in close proximity as the brunette reached for Jiwoo's seatbelt to fasten it. The moment was over as quickly as soon as it'd started but left Jiwoo as a blushing mess.
Once the car started, the discussion began between them. Jiwoo did most of the talking as Sooyoung focused on the road, quipping in here and there. It was their dynamic, and both of them enjoyed it. But sometimes things would be different, and it would be Jiwoo's turn to be a listening ear. It'd been like that the day they met.
She also got to learn what Sooyoung did that day.
Her friend had been lucky enough to meet a rising ballerina. Apparently, Sooyoung had stalked and bribed the girl's manager into getting her an interview with her. The man had relented and promised he'd try to get her a meeting with her, but Sooyoung still had to convince her to accept to be the subject of one of their issues.
"I really hope I can convinced before the the end of the play season. You should have seen her in Giselle, the way she moved and-" Jiwoo looked on as she went on and on about it. The redhead noticed the sparkle in the other woman's eyes and realized that she'd never seen her so passionate. Witnessing Sooyoung in her natural habitat was one of those things she knew she would cherish later.
She was mesmerized by how pretty Sooyoung looked in the dim light of the car and, not for the first time, wished she could just kiss her. She still couldn't believe they were friends. What had she done to deserve someone as perfect as Sooyoung?
"Jiwoo, are you okay?" Jiwoo was broken out of her daydream by Sooyoung's worried expression.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about what you were saying. I'm sure she will accept." She tried to answer as nonchalantly as possible. Sooyoung didn't seem convinced, but before she could say something more, the telltale sign of the restaurant caught their eyes.
They'd reached their destination, and suddenly, that conversation fell by the wayside. For a moment, neither of them moved. Jiwoo didn't feel like leaving yet. So they sat together in silence.
"I-"
"You-"
*phone ringtone*
Jiwoo shot Sooyoung an apologetic look before picking up the call. "Hello?"
Fifteen minutes later, they were in front of a convenience store. Jiwoo undid her seatbelt and turned to thank Sooyoung, but the older woman didn't seem that pleased. "Are you sure it's a good idea? You just had your first shift today. You must be tired."
The convenience store had been one of the longest part-time jobs she'd ever had. Even when she worked at the coffee shop, she still had nightshift lying. The plan had been to scale down to only work two days a week, but one of her colleagues informed her of an internship at her dream publishing house and begged if Jiwoo could overtake her shifts.
And, of course, Jiwoo had agreed. What would have been schedules on Wednesdays and Saturdays had now turned into Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
While it sounded counterintuitive, seeing that she was merely in a trial period, it wouldn't harm to have other income options lying around.
Sooyoung, on the other hand, didn't seem to see it that way. "It's going to be okay, unnie." Jiwoo tried to reassure her. "Besides, with this," she raised the donuts box. "I'll be able to survive the night."
Still appearing overly weary, Sooyoung relented. "Don't forget to text when you get home." Jiwoo nodded. Although she doubted she would. Her shift ended at 3 am, and she wouldn't feel comfortable waking Sooyoung that early in the morning.
After promising for the umpteenth time that she'd be careful Sooyoung finally left Jiwoo to her night shift.