Work Text:
Byulyi hated Wednesdays. Not Mondays, Wednesdays. Mondays give you the feeling of new beginnings.
Wednesdays, on the other hand, give you the feeling that you are going to the same damn things you did yesterday. But this was no ordinary Wednesday. This Wednesday was the day when new employee Jung Wheein came to work.
Who starts work on a Wednesday?
Jung Wheein sits down at the cubicle next to her own, which formerly belonged to the office Tangerine Lady. She looks
around, and catches Byulyi staring at her. Byulyi flushes and looks away. They spend the next six hours in awkward silence.
The next day, Byulyi tries making conversation. All she gets are short, one-word replies. She offers Jung Wheein coffee,
but she declines. So Byulyi gets herself coffee(iced), and gets back to work. Between sips of coffee, she catches Jung Wheein
looking at her. So, she chokes on her coffee and spills it all over herself,
as one does. Jung Wheein lets out a cackle.
Thank God I wore black.
‘Are you okay?’, she asks, handing her tissues, unable to hide her smile. The smile presses a dimple into
her right cheek.
‘I’m fine’, Byulyi says despondently.
‘I have a hoodie in my bag, you can change into that’, Jung Wheein offers.
It smells like paint.
‘I’m Wheein.’
‘Byulyi.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Byulyi returns the hoodie, washed and ironed. She gets a dimpled smile in return.
They fall into a conversation about weather, and the dramas on air; which isn’t as awkward as it sounds.
Twenty-three conversations, and four public embarrassments later, Byulyi asks her out. She says yes. And asks if she
can bring her sketchbook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Byulyi finds Wheein waiting for her at the park, which is surprisingly, mostly empty. They talk about work. Byulyi asks
her what kind of art she does, pointing at her sketchbook.
‘Mostly portraits and abstracts.’, she replies.
‘Can you draw me?’, Byulyi asks.
‘I don’t draw people I know.’, Wheein says.
‘Why not?’
‘It’s awkward.’
And that’s that.
Byulyi learns, even though Wheein brings her sketchbook on their first date, that she’s really private about her art.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More dates follow, and on a particularly late night, Byulyi stays over at Wheein's.
Byulyi does not anticipate waking up to a cat staring at her. She startles, the cat startles, and Wheein laughs. Byulyi does
not like the cat.
She's wearing my shirt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wheein formally introduces her to Ggomo, who is very protective of his owner.
Byulyi then makes it a point to take Wheein home and introduces her to her own babies. All four dogs pounce on her,
burying Wheein in a pile of puppies. It’s Byulyi’s turn to laugh.
Byulyi then meets Ahn Hyejin, Wheein’s best friend. Hyejin threatens to kill her. You know, normal best friend stuff.
They go on a double date with Byulyi’s best friend Yongsun and her girlfriend, Joohyun.
They go to work together. Byulyi has to move desks, and Wheein is so far away now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Byulyi takes lots of photos. Of their intertwined hands, of sleeping Wheein, of awake Wheein, and one photo of her somewhere
in between. She takes photos of Ggomo, who proves to be the world’s brattiest model.
‘I thought you didn’t like Ggomo.’
‘I changed my mind. Only for you.’
Wheein groans.
It’s only a temporary truce.
Several workweeks, many dates, and a few fights later, Byulyi moves in with Wheein. She brings Janggu too. The cat and dog get
along surprisingly well.
Ggomo still hates Byulyi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s Byulyi’s birthday, and there’s a party. A “confetti in food, clothes, and hair” party. It ends with Yongsun screaming,
Seulgi and Hyejin in a giggling fit and a very exasperated Joohyun.
Her gifts include office supplies, phone cases, and mug cozies. Byulyi loves her friends, but not their gift giving skills.
After shooing all of them out, Wheein brings out a rather large package from the closet. Byulyi opens it.
It’s a portrait of Byulyi.
And it is so much more beautiful than what she actually is.
‘I thought you didn’t draw people you know’
‘I changed my mind. Only for you.’