Best Part (ChuuLip)

Longing and Yearning

The sun had just risen when Jungeun stepped into her small kitchen, her hair still wrapped in a towel after taking a bath. She hummed a song that has been stuck on her head for past the past few days. She found that the way to stop the looping in her head is to make a cover of it with her guitar, but she couldn't find the time to do so. Deciding maybe later after coming home from work, she would if that is she's not tired or had been dragged by her best friend someplace to have fun. Jungeun is sure Jinsoul and her friends will. It's like a routine every Friday, but she'll try to make an excuse so she can have the me-time that she hasn't got in so long. There's a reason for that, of course. Being alone only reminds her of her childhood when she would always arrive in an empty house, her mother busy at work and her father had left before she was even born.

Her eyes scanned the silver fridge for something she could cook. "Hmm... I need to do grocery shopping later," she mumbled to herself. Deciding to cook the last two remaining eggs and combine it with toast, she prepared one serving. That's how it's always been. It's been a long time since she had someone stay overnight to eat breakfast with her. Friend or more than a friend, she couldn't recall when was the last time she had slept with someone.

Her humming turned into singing as she cooks the eggs. The rays of the sun now washing her living room slash bedroom. The red sofa is bold among the neutral colors of the rest of her apartment. It was a gift from her mother and it's where she spent most of the time playing her guitar and a night of movie marathon. She had been staying at this apartment for the last three years after moving out of her mother's house down in Cheongju to a huge metropolis, Seoul.

Just as she had turned off the stove, her phone rang.

"I'll be there in 20," she answered.

JInsoul chuckled from the other line. "That's not why I called. Besides, you have a clean track record. Always so punctual. Anyways, I won't be seeing any of you today but tonight, well it's Friday... You know what that means."

Junguen placed her egg and toast in a plate before sitting down on the stool of the marble island surrounding one side of the kitchen.

"Can I take a raincheck? I have things I wanted to get done." She shoved a forkful of scrambled egg into her mouth then took a bite from her toast. Dusting off the crumbs that fell on her black hoodie.

"Oh? But what if you meet Ms. Right tonight."

"She should've shown herself for the last three years, I'm done looking."

"Boo... well, okay then I'll let you go this time. I gotta head out. You keep talking to me, we'll end up destroying your record. Hyejoo was on duty last night, playing an online game with that Pineapple Princess again. You need to talk to that woman, I think she might be a little too much infatuated with her online friend."

"Yeah, as if she'll listen to anything I say."

"You're right. Don't bother then," Jinsoul laughed. "Gee-Tee-Gee. See you guys later tonight."

Junguen had finished her breakfast by the time the call ended. She checked a few notifications on her social media accounts. One was a picture tagged to her. It's a candid shot of her intensely focused on her work. Jinsoul had posted it with a caption, "Maybe work is your Ms. Right."

Jungeun shook her head in amusement then cursed when a low battery warning popped up.

She met Jinsoul after getting her diploma in IT. She was rich but humble and Jungeun didn't mind a face that is easy on the eyes. A few coffee meetups, favor here and favor there, hang out in cool places, before Jungeun knew she's part of Jinsoul's circle of friends. Their relationship never went past the line of friendship even though many had pointed out they'd make a great pair. She loves Jinsoul, yes, but in a more of a sisterly way. And then one day during a coffee induced conversation, the blonde was telling her about her plan of opening a PC Bang. It wasn't where she hoped to see herself in the future but it's a good standing to be in for what she really wants to do. A stable job with a stable above average income. Jungeun had always wanted to be an artist but her mom never shared her enthusiasm and that's how she found herself taking a course she has little interest in. Nevertheless, if things went differently she wouldn't have met Jinsoul and their friends. So, maybe, just maybe, she doesn't regret anything.