Serin untied her apron with a small sigh of relief, folding it neatly before placing it on the counter. The café lights were dimmer now.
Mia trailed behind her like an overexcited shadow.
"—and THEN he said he won't pay me back cause we are family! Can you believe it!?" Mia rambled while untying her apron too.
Serin bit back a laugh as she wiped the counter one last time. "Yeah family after dating for two days. Totally normal lol."
"It is NOT funny!" Mia pouted dramatically, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I mean, how can I trust men after this? He is unbelievable"
Serin burst out laughing, the sound echoing across the quiet café. "You're unbelievable for believing his unbelievable lies."
Mia grinned proudly. "It's part of my charm. It's like a new aesthetic."
As Serin grabbed her bag, Mia trailed behind her, still talking, now about some random story involving her neighbor's cat. Serin kept chuckling under her breath as she switched off lights and wiped the last speck of dust from the pastry display.
Finally, both stood by the door, ready to lock up.
Serin glanced at her phone.
8:30.
Mia stretched her arms above her head. "Phew! Today was crazy. Oh! Before I forget—"
She turned to Serin.
"Can you accompany me on weekends? Pleeease? Until the café closes? Weekends are a nightmare and Rin's leaving soon. I'll be all alone with my tiny arms and big dreams."
Serin blinked, surprised, then smiled widely. "Of course. I wanna stay here more!"
"Really??" Mia's eyes sparkled like she'd just won the lottery.
Serin nodded dramatically. "Yeah! And honestly… I don't mind working late on weekdays either. At least until exams start. I get bored at home."
Mia gasped, grabbing Serin's hands with both of hers. "My angel! My blessing! My employee from heaven!!"
"Mia. Stop before I change my mind." Serin laughed.
Mia only beamed wider, "Oh come on!!"
"But don't worry," Mia said, squeezing Serin's hands, "you won't have to stay this late on weekdays. Only weekends get ugly. For now, you're safe."
They locked the café behind them.
"Goodnight, Seri-meri!" Mia called, waving as she headed toward her bus stop.
Serin smiled widely, waving back. "See you tomorrow if I survive!"
Mia mimicked Serin in a mock-dramatic voice, "See you tomorrow if I survive~" before sticking her tongue out playfully.
Serin burst into laughter as Mia ran towards her bus stop. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and began walking.
"Now I should go see how Evelyn's doing. Why is she so careless about her health, gosh…" she muttered under her breath.
The night's soft breeze brushed past her as she made her way down the quiet street. Evelyn's apartment wasn't far from the café, so walking felt easier.
As she walked, her gaze drifted upward toward the tall buildings ahead.
"Demian lives somewhere in one of those buildings, huh…" she murmured, looking at the sky that had darkened. She pulled out her pink cardigan from her bag and slipped it over her shoulders, rubbing her arms as the cold nipped at her skin.
Her mind drifted again."I kinda knew Mia's café would blow up… but to think she made this much progress in just TWO weeks? That's insane." She huffed a soft laugh. "The afternoon was so busy we could barely breathe."
Serin took a long breath in, then turned into the road leading to Evelyn's building.
Evelyn had been living alone ever since her dad left for a long business trip. Technically, the apartment was supposed to be filled with maids. But Evelyn being Evelyn—had somehow convinced every single one of them to take a 'well-deserved break.' No one knew how she managed it. She was terrifyingly a good manipulator when she wanted to be.
Serin laughed to herself thinking about it, shaking her head as she stepped into the apartment lobby.
She typed the passcode into the door...
Beep—beep—beep—beep.
Before she could even push the door fully open—
Evelyn practically slammed into her. Of course Serin was the only one who knew her passcode so she knew who it was.
"SERIIIIUU!" Evelyn threw her arms around Serin's neck. Her voice was scratchy, nose stuffy, face warm and flushed. "You're hereee! I might die from this feveerr!"
"OH MY GOSH—EVE!" Serin panicked instantly, grabbing her shoulders. "I thought you weren't this si—wait, let me get water—no, sit first—NO WAIT—oh gosh I'll STAY THE NIGHT!"
She spun in a circle like she had short-circuited, almost tripping over her own feet. She was panicking more than the actual sick person.
Evelyn sniffled dramatically. "Seriuuu…"
Serin finally got her to the bed and helped her sit down gently. She handed her warm water and medicine, placing a hand on Evelyn's cheek to check her temperature.
"This is bad," Serin muttered. "I'm calling your dad. He needs to send at least one maid here—"
Evelyn shot up like she'd been electrocuted."NOOOOO! Seriuu DON'T CALL HIM! My freedom will be taken away!"
"AHH—lie down!!!" Serin squeaked, pushing her back down by the shoulders. "Fine! I won't call him! Just—just stay still! You're so freaking stupid oh my god! AND I will stay the night."
Evelyn calmed down, sinking into the pillows with a small pout.
"Won't your parents give you an earful…?" she asked quietly.
Serin clicked her tongue, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed. "You don't have to worry your princess brain. They simply don't care, so they won't ask anything. I'll still tell them, wait."
She grabbed her phone and typed in the family group chat:
"I won't come home today. I'm at Evelyn's, she's sick." —Serin
Evelyn got up enough to peek at Serin's screen.
"…Only a 'like' reaction from your dad, huh…" she whispered before turning away and curling slightly. "They're worse than forceful parents sometimes."
Serin let out a small, breathy laugh and smiled softly. "Come on, I don't care anymore. Are you mad they didn't ask how sick you are?" she teased as she slipped under the blanket.
Evelyn stayed quite for a bit, "You know that's not the reason…"
Serin reached over and wrapped her arms around Evelyn from behind, pulling her close.
"I'm really okay…" she murmured, voice softening as her smile faded. She buried her face partly against Evelyn's back. Evelyn didn't say anything. She simply placed her hand on Serin's arm and held it gently.
The silence settled gently. Wrapped around each other, they both drifted slowly into sleep.
Serin didn't sleep properly at all. Every hour or two, she woke up to press the thermometer into Evelyn's mouth, or carefully shake her awake to give her the next dose of medicine.
By the end of the night, around dawn, Evelyn's temperature finally settled back to normal.
7:30 AM in the morning,
Serin blinked awake again, exhausted. She didn't want to sleep in her long dress anymore, so she went through Evelyn's wardrobe to find a comfy dress.
…And immediately regretted it.
All of Evelyn's nightwear looked like something out of a luxury boutique—or a secret romantic life Serin knew she didn't have.
Still half-asleep, Serin slipped into the one that seemed the least revealing.
It was wine red.
And somehow… still too much.
The straps were thin enough to snap if she breathed wrong, falling low and exposing the entire line of her shoulders and neck. The hem was dangerously short, revealing almost all of her thighs.
she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, Evelyn always had spare ones for Serin. She froze staring miserably at her reflection.
"Oh Eve, why do you have such tastes?" she grumbled through her toothbrush. "You don't even have a boyfriend to show all this to."
She rubbed her face with one of her hands in disbelief,"To think I picked the most unrevealing one… and it shows this much skin."
But then she ran her fingers over the fabric.
"…It's really comfy though," she admitted under her breath.
She stepped out of the bathroom and looked toward the bed, still sleepy. Evelyn was sprawled in the most chaotic position possible—limbs thrown in random directions, completely dead to the world after the fever broke.
"What is this position even called? HOW does she find it comfortable!"
Serin sighed, walked over, and gently fixed her position, tucking the blanket back around her.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell echoed through the quiet apartment.
Serin froze. "Huh? Did the groceries arrive? This fast?"
She had ordered a few things earlier. They were ingredients for something light and easy on Evelyn's appetite. Evelyn's fridge was a disaster. Nothing but junk food, energy drinks, and snacks that screamed terrible life choices.
Without thinking, still half-asleep and completely forgetting what she was wearing, Serin rushed toward the front door.
She yanked the door open—
"Bro, give me my guitar! It's the most expensive and comfortable one!" a familiar voice complained, eyes still glued to his phone. "Seriously, why did I even give—"
He looked up.
And stopped breathing.
"…my… guitar…?" Demian finished weakly, his voice cracking like it was fighting to stay calm.
His eyes widened—shock, embarrassment, panic, and something else all exploding at once.
"Huh? What guitar? Why are you here at this hour?" Serin blinked at him with eyes half closed from sleepiness, still confused and totally still not aware of her dressing. She rubbed the back of her neck lazily. "And why are you making that face—"
She slowed down her talking, removed her hands from her neck slowly.
Demian's eyes were wide open. His phone almost fell from his hands, notifications from his group chats chimed from his phone.
Her eyes drifted down.
His eyes drifted down too.
The nightdress. The thin straps. The short hem brushing her thighs.
They both snapped their eyes back up, meeting in mutual horror.
"Serin…" Damian gulped, ears turning bright red. "Who… did you think would… be at the door… for you to dress like... this?"
Serin's soul left her body.
She screamed in the quietest, most strangled whisper possible so she wouldn't wake Evelyn. "Ayshhhh—WHAT KIND OF DRUGS AM I TAKING?!"
She slammed the door shut right in his face.
Demian stumbled back from the force, blinking rapidly.
He could hear Serin cursing herself to death inside the apartment.
"Holy shit, Serin…" he muttered, pressing a hand over his nose as a sharp blush flooded his ears and cheeks.
He dragged a shaky hand through his hair.
"Evelyn… you freaking did this on purpose...." he whispered at the closed door. A tiny, disbelieving laugh escaped him.
Serin practically jumped away from the door the moment it slammed. She sprinted across the apartment like a cat caught doing something illegal.
She clutched at the ends of the nightdress as if that would magically make it longer.
"OH my god oh my god oh my god—" she hissed under her breath, nearly tripping over her own feet.
She ripped open Evelyn's wardrobe, grabbed the longest coat of a nightdress she could find, and wrapped herself in it like a burrito, tying the belt three times in a panic.
She marched back to the door, cleared her throat, and opened it with the most unconvincing clam expression.
"Ahem. So. For what reason were you here?"
She stared at his chest and everywhere around him.
Anywhere but his eyes.
Damian stared for a second. He shoved his hands casually into his pockets, then bent down a little so she'd have no choice but to look his way.
"Yeah, so…" He bit his lips in an attempt to not laugh. "I came for my guitar. Mind giving it back to me?"
Serin's soul threatened to leave her body again at his sudden bending.
"I—I mean… she's sick. Evelyn. I don't know where your stuff is so just—just come later."
She went to slam the door again, desperate to escape the humiliation.
But Damian stopped it effortlessly with one hand.
"Oh, come on," he said, leaning slightly closer. "You managed to find those dresses in her wardrobe, didn't you? My guitar is kind of a big thing. It shouldn't take you that long."
Her jaw dropped but she still tried to pretend to be focused on closing the door.
"Damnit! Why are you so strong?!" she whispered, pushing with all her strength.
He laughed under his breath. "This is wasting both of our time by the way.."
Serin finally gave up and stepped back with a frustrated sigh.
"…Fine. Get in."
Damian walked inside, "your realization skills are bad but good haha."
That made Serin want to disappear into a wall.
"W-wait here," she said, pointing at the couch. "Sit. If you're tired."
She blurted the words so fast they tangled together. She rushed toward Evelyn's room immediately tripping over her own foot. She caught herself against the wall at the last second, and continued walking like nothing happened.
Demian watched her go, lips pressed together in a fight to not laugh out loud.
Evelyn, now half-awake, beamed the moment she saw her.
"WELCOME BACK, MY FRIEND!" she said dramatically, smiling like an angel who had been lovingly nursed all night.
Serin stared at her with the most murderous, embarrassed expression imaginable.
"My friend my ass."
Evelyn gasped in fake heartbreak, sitting up straighter. "My friend, that hurt. Why is my friend being so rude?" She reached for the glass of water on her nightstand.
"Oh, by the way," Evelyn added casually, "Demian will come pick up his guitar! I forgot to tell you, ahaha! Since I didn't know you'd stay the night, ahaha—"
She froze.
From the living room came Demian's voice, speaking on the phone with someone.
Evelyn slowly turned her head toward Serin.
Serin slowly turned her head toward Evelyn.
Serin's expression screamed, "You have five seconds to explain yourself before I commit a crime."
"MY FRIEND…" Evelyn whispered in horror, hands trembling around her water glass. "Don't tell me your horrible expression has ANYTHING to do with him?? I am SOOOO sorry I forgot to tell you he was coming!"
Serin glanced toward the door to make sure Demian couldn't see inside.
Then, without a word, she opened her overcoat revealing the nightdress.
Evelyn choked on her water.
"No no no no no MY FRIEND—" She slapped a hand over her mouth. It didn't take a single word from Serin for Evelyn to understand what had happened.
"DID YOU FREAKING OPEN THE DOOR LIKE THAT?!?!"
Before Serin could answer, Evelyn launched herself out of the bed like a missile and sprinted toward the living room.
"HEY, FUCKFACE!" she screamed at demian.
Demian, who had just ended his call, looked over with an annoyed frown. "Huh?"
"WHAT TIME DID I TELL YOU TO COME?!"
"Uh… at eight?" he said, confused.
"YEAH! SO WHY ARE YOU SO EARLY?!"
Demian held up his phone and tilted the screen toward her.
8:10 AM.
Evelyn froze mid-tantrum.
"…Just say you're a dumbass," Demian muttered before she could reply. "Anyway, give me my guitar."
Evelyn vanished and returned in few seconds, practically shoving the guitar into his chest.
"SEE YOU NEVER!" she huffed dramatically at demian while he was getting into the lift.
"Yeah, can't wait to give my guitar to someone better next time," he replied dryly, eyes drifting away.
Just when the lift was about to close, he looked directly at Serin, who was hiding behind the door.
They made eye contact for exactly one second before Serin looked away so fast she almost snapped her neck.
Demian didn't react..
"As if hiding behind your best friend would make me forget what I saw," he murmured in the lift, eyes flicking toward the elevator's floor indicator.
Ding.
Ground floor.
He stepped out.
"At least be careful when you answer the door at someone else's apartment," he said over his shoulder, making a small scolding face before walking to his car.
The door closed behind him.
In the apartment,
Evelyn stared at Serin.
Serin stared at Evelyn.
Evelyn broke first. A tiny snort escaped her.
Serin pointed at her immediately. "Don't laugh or I'll cut your mouth like I'm kuchisake-onna."
She stood stiff and droopy at the same time, like a half-melted slice of cheese. That only made Evelyn explode harder.
"OH MY GOSH Seriuu! You and your Japanese humor!" Evelyn wheezed.
"I'm DEAD serious," Serin groaned, covering her burning face with both hands. "That was the most embarrassing moment of my entire LIFE."
Serin sank onto the couch.
Evelyn shut the door and walked over, trying to control her laughter but absolutely failing.
"Oh come on! Just think of it like when we were kids! All three of us played together with barely any clothes on!"
Serin's head snapped up.
"OH. MY. GOD. Eve! That was when we were like what!? FIVE?! And we were NOT naked!"
"Well, we were in our cute little underwears, lol," Evelyn laughed. "Although that jerk never took off his clothes. He was so dramatic even back then."
"HONESTLY!" Serin groaned, dropping her hands. "I'd rather let him see me in my bikini than THIS! This dress SCREAMS 'first night of the wedding' oh my looord…"
Evelyn clutched her stomach, laughing like she was about to faint.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell again.
Serin blinked, "Wait—how did he KNOW these were your clothes? He said 'you found those in her closet,' blah blah blah...how?"
Evelyn got up casually to answer the door. It was the delivery man.
"Oh that? I told him not to come yesterday when he said he'd pick up his guitar. Because you were coming over after work. He probably guessed you didn't bring clothes."
Evelyn opened the package, digging for snacks.
Serin snatched it from her. "Nothing unhygienic, right baby??" she teased with a dramatic pout.
"Come ON, who eats vegetables?" Evelyn complained as Serin carried the ingredients to the kitchen.
"YOU will eat them," Serin declared. "I'm making something light. NO junk food for at least two days."
Evelyn pouted but followed her anyway.
Then her eyes sparkled.
"Oh! By the way.. you know why he took THAT guitar? Even though he has like, a hundred at home?"
Serin didn't look up from washing the vegetables. "Why?"
"That guitar is the one we picked for him! Remember? He's performing at your school festival next week! We're all sooo excited. I get to go inside your school hehehe."
Serin froze.
"WHAT?!" Serin's hand stopped mid-wash.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME EARLIER??"
Evelyn blinked innocently. "Uhhh… I forgot?"
Serin looked at the ceiling like she wanted God to take her away. Serin slowly lowered the vegetables into the sink, her eye twitching. With a smile so painfully forced it looked glued onto her face, she asked,
"Evelyn Lin… do you know which department I'm helping in for the festival?"
Evelyn rummaging inside the fridge, snorted softly.
"Haha, Serin Marielle, you're funny. How would I know?"
Serin didn't blink.
"I'm in the performer assistance department."
Evelyn froze. Then her head snapped toward Serin like a broken robot.
"…That means you'll be helping Demian's band the whole time?"
Serin slowly looked over at her, the same cursed polite smile glued to her face.
"Yes."
Evelyn stood up straight, eyes widening. "That means you'll be with him for the entire festival?!"
Serin's smile stretched a millimeter wider, trembling at the edges.
"Yeeaah~."
Evelyn bit into the carrot in her hand with a loud crunch.
"…Fuck, Serin. You are hella cooked."