Because (present) 

Sometimes, Seulgi thinks she misses her.

She thinks about it, like it's a logical thing, nothing about the heart or feelings. Just the brain. It's her brain acting up. Because she has been conditioned to Joohyun's presence.

She misses the way Joohyun speaks slowly, a distinctive lull in her words and tone. She misses how Joohyun writes Kang Seulgi in her cursive handwriting, the slanted way her name always turns out when Joohyun writes it. She likes it better than the twenty something years she has been writing her own name.

And she likes Joohyun calling her name.

Seulgi.

Joohyun always drags the first part too long and ends it too abruptly. She likes to end it short.

Like how, they've ended up short.

Just short of everything they could possibly be.

And Seulgi thought she'd be bitter. But she isn't. She can't. Not when it's Joohyun.

She loves Joohyun so much, she started wishing that she didn't commit to loving her romantically. Because now she can't turn back time.

“Hi, are you done dying for the day?”

Seulgi turns to the uninvited snarky remark.

Joy, it's Sooyoung. Seulgi suppresses the sigh.

“Oh, Joy.”

“Yeah you definitely need some joy right now. Or a punch.” The sarcasm laden tone wasn't lost on Sooyoung as taps a finger on her chin. “Punch is more accurate. Ask and I'll deliver.”

Seulgi rolls her eyes at the younger girl. “What do you want?”

“For you to wake the up. Alternatively, I also want to pop by that new chicken place. I heard it's good. Pick one.”

“Chicken.”

“I knew it.” Sooyoung grins, but Seulgi can't stop herself from seeing that mildly sympathetic ‘you pathetic lost soul’ hidden in it. “Of course you'd choose to eat chicken over leaving your useless Irene induced waking coma.”

Seulgi turns away.

It is pointless to fight Park Sooyoung when she tries to hurt you because she cares. She has the weirdest way of doing things but deep down, Seulgi knows she is the only one who bothers now.

And she's grateful.

Grateful enough to travel almost an hour to that chicken place in that ty traffic.

The half and half plate of chicken lies before her and she eats one of each while Sooyoung devours the rest.

“You know what’s good about a depressed you? Now there isn't anyone to snatch this plate of heaven from me,” Sooyoung says while chewing. “I should say my thanks to Irene.”

Seulgi narrows her eyes. She knows that Sooyoung still talks to Joohyun, they are all friends afterall. Sooyoung isn't one to take sides. It's amazing, how she manages to stay out of the mess.

Seulgi is almost jealous.

“How is she?”

“Why