Yerin was still smiling when she walked through the gate of her apartment building.
The night air felt lighter than it had earlier, and her steps were slower, almost dreamy. Her lips still tingled faintly from the kiss Dahye had given her before they parted ways. Every time she replayed the moment in her mind, the smile on her face only grew wider.
She pushed the door open quietly and stepped inside the apartment.
The living room lights were dim, and the television flickered softly across the room.
On the couch, Go Eunseo was lying comfortably with a bowl of popcorn in her lap, completely focused on the movie playing on the screen.
Without even turning her head, Eunseo spoke.
"Where are you coming from?"
Yerin kicked off her shoes and walked further inside.
"I'm coming from a deep meeting with Dahye."
Eunseo hummed absentmindedly, still staring at the screen.
"Oh."
Yerin stood there for a moment, her smile growing wider.
"Guess what?"
Eunseo grabbed another handful of popcorn.
"What?"
Yerin crossed her arms proudly.
"Today is our day one."
This time Eunseo finally turned her head.
"What?"
Her eyes widened.
"Really?"
Yerin nodded, trying to act calm even though she was clearly excited.
"Yes."
Eunseo immediately sat up straight.
"Wow! Did you confess?"
Yerin shrugged casually.
"Yes. We both did."
Eunseo stared at her for a moment before suddenly squealing in excitement.
"Oh my God!"
She threw a piece of popcorn at Yerin.
"I knew it! I told you to stop pretending you weren't jealous!"
Yerin rolled her eyes but couldn't stop smiling.
Eunseo jumped off the couch and grabbed Yerin's shoulders dramatically.
"I'm so happy for you!"
Then she narrowed her eyes playfully.
"Even though you made me listen to your 'I'm not jealous' nonsense."
Yerin laughed and pushed her away.
"Stop teasing me."
Eunseo smirked and sat back down.
"You would not believe what happened to me today."
Yerin blinked.
"What?"
Eunseo raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't even ask me about the interview."
Yerin immediately groaned.
"Oh! I'm sorry, babe. How was the interview?"
Eunseo grinned.
"I didn't do any interview."
Yerin frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"All I heard was 'You're hired,'" Eunseo said, mimicking the confident voice she had heard earlier.
Yerin blinked in confusion.
"Wait… what?"
"The owner of the restaurant just looked at me and said I was hired."
Yerin stared at her for a moment.
"Really? Wow… that's surprising."
Eunseo waved her hand dismissively.
"That's not even the important part."
Yerin tilted her head.
"What's important?"
Eunseo leaned forward with a mischievous smile.
"I met your love rival."
Yerin blinked again.
"My what?"
"Your love rival," Eunseo repeated dramatically.
"What do you mean?" Yerin asked, confused.
Eunseo smirked.
"I mean I met Hae Rin."
Yerin's expression immediately changed.
"…What?"
"Yeah," Eunseo continued casually. "Turns out we're working at the same place."
Yerin's eyes widened.
"Wait."
She pointed at Eunseo.
"You're working at Kwon Nari's big restaurant?"
Eunseo nodded proudly.
"Exactly."
Yerin leaned back in shock.
"What are the chances…"
Eunseo laughed.
"All I'm saying is… you should be careful."
Yerin frowned.
"Why?"
Eunseo leaned closer with a teasing grin.
"Because your love rival seems very determined to steal your girl."
She burst into laughter after saying it.
Yerin groaned.
"Wow… I can't believe this."
Then she looked at Eunseo and smiled warmly.
"You're a big girl now. I'm really happy for you."
Eunseo smiled back.
"I'm happy for you too."
The two friends looked at each other for a moment before both laughing.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Dahye was just arriving home.
The lights in the living room were already on.
As she stepped inside, she could hear voices coming from the couch.
"…she was such a beautiful girl," someone was saying.
Dahye raised an eyebrow as she walked in.
"What beautiful girl?"
Three heads turned toward her.
Kwon Nari and Cho Yu Na were sitting together, chatting comfortably.
Nari grinned the moment she saw Dahye.
"Oh, you're back."
Dahye dropped her bag and walked over.
"So," she repeated, sitting down. "What beautiful girl?"
Nari leaned back dramatically.
"My new worker."
Yu Na rolled her eyes slightly, already knowing where this was going.
Nari placed a hand on her chest.
"The moment I saw her… it was love at first sight."
Dahye blinked.
"You fell for your worker?"
Nari nodded proudly.
"She's gorgeous."
Then she continued enthusiastically, clearly unable to stop talking about it.
"I swear, she's the most beautiful girl I've seen in a while."
Yu Na sighed.
"She's been talking about this girl for the past twenty minutes."
Dahye laughed softly.
Nari ignored the comment.
"I'm serious. Her smile alone—"
"Okay, okay," Yu Na interrupted.
Then she suddenly turned toward Dahye.
"Speaking of smiles…"
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"You look unusually happy right now."
Nari immediately looked at her too.
"Yeah."
Yu Na leaned forward.
"Unlike this morning."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Where are you coming from?"
Dahye hesitated for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"I met Yerin."
The two girls immediately reacted.
"Oh?"
"And?"
Dahye shrugged slightly, trying to sound casual.
"We're together now."
There was a brief moment of silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
Nari practically jumped off the couch.
Yu Na clapped her hands.
The room exploded with cheers.
"Finally!"
"I knew it!"
Nari grabbed Dahye's shoulders dramatically.
"You two took forever!"
Dahye laughed as they began teasing her relentlessly.
"Miss CEO finally got the girl!"
After a while, Dahye looked at Yu Na curiously.
"What about you?"
Yu Na blinked.
"What about me?"
"Don't you have anyone you're crushing on?" Dahye asked.
Yu Na shook her head calmly.
"No one catches my eye."
Dahye stared at her for a moment.
Then she smirked.
"That's a lie."
Yu Na frowned.
"What?"
Dahye leaned back confidently.
"You thought I didn't notice the way you keep looking at Jiyeon?"
Yu Na immediately stiffened.
"I do not."
Nari burst out laughing.
"Oh, she definitely does." dahye keep teasing
Yu Na groaned.
"You two are unbelievable."
The three women continued teasing each other, laughing and joking as the night slowly faded into quiet comfort.
And somewhere across the city, two different homes were filled with the same feeling.
Happiness.