Better Days // 좋은 날

6. The Calm

It had been a pretty uneventful week for Wheein, and with rehearsals, vocal practice and Yongsun taking up all of her time (not that she was complaining about the latter), she was looking forward to some quality time with her best friend, so when she turned up at Hyejin's house and was met with a welcome beer and warm hug, Wheein couldn't contain her happiness.

"What are you smiling at, creep?" Hyejin asked as she closed the door behind her friend and eyed her suspiciously. Wheein only smiled wider.

"I'm just excited!" Wheein said, taking a long gulp of beer and slipping her shoes off, only to be stopped by Hyejin's hand on her shoulders.

"Ok but you're gonna get more excited in like ten steps, so please calm down so you don't have a heart attack once you get inside, Wheein-ah," Hyejin said with a laugh and Wheein tilted her head like a confused puppy.

"Is this the secret Ahn thing you wouldn't tell me about?" Wheein asked and Hyejin nodded with a mischievous smile and took the girl's hand, leading her into her living room and giggling at the girl's disbelieving gasp.

"Jung Wheein, meet Ahn Onsoon," Hyejin said proudly, and Wheein looked up at her friend with a pout and wide, teary eyes.

"This was your emergency? You got a tortoise?" Wheein asked incredulously, letting out a hearty laugh of relief when Hyejin nodded and she realised that the time she had spent over the week worrying about the possibility of having more obstacles or difficulties to face because of Hyejin's secret had all been for nothing. "Are you crazy?"

Hyejin shrugged, then reached into the rather enormous tank and gently pet Onsoon's shell. "He's so cute," Hyejin cooed when the creature began to stretch out his neck in satisfaction, prompting Hyejin to scratch him softly.

"When did you get him? And why?" Wheein asked curiously, recalling the way her friend had always been adamant about not having anything other than plants relying on her for care or attention at home.

Hyejin stopped petting Onsoon and gestured for Wheein to move, then grabbed her beer as the two slumped onto the couch and Hyejin kept an eye on the tank in the corner of the room.

"Do you remember Mr. Son? From upstairs?" Hyejin asked and Wheein nodded, easily recalling her best friend's neighbour from the handful of times she had met the man when he was gifting Hyejin whatever homemade delicacy he had cooked that week.

"The man who made you like kimchi?"

Hyejin nodded. "His kimchi is still the only kimchi I'll eat."

"So what about him?" Wheein persisted when Hyejin sat quietly with a docile smile on her face, clearly reliving some kind of epiphytal kimchi experience she had had.

"Ah. Well...he knocked on my door the other night, the night before practice, and he was really upset. Like almost crying, Wheein-ah, it was horrible. So I asked him what was wrong and he said his nephew had decided to move him into a retirement home because he couldn't afford the rent anymore, and that he didn't know they didn't allow pets until a day before he was due to leave. So he asked me if I could look after Onsoon until he could find somewhere permanent for him, and of course I said yes."

"So you have to give him back?" Wheein asked, her lips jutted out in an exaggerated pout and Hyejin shook her head.

"I only spent an hour with him Wheein-ah and we just clicked. He's my style, we really vibe," Hyejin said dreamily as she looked over to where her little guy was sluggishly making his way to his bathing pool. "So I called Mr. Son and offered to have him permanently and he was really happy about it and so am I," Hyejin finished with two thumbs up and a goofy smile and Wheein threw her head back in laughter at her friend's dorky antics.