The Orange Girl Arrives
Morning, 7 a.m. The alarm blares beside the bed in the master bedroom.
"Ughhh…"
Yeona groans as she drags herself upright. She brushes the stray strands of hair from her mouth and smooths down her messy locks, then smiles softly.
"…Today’s the day I see Suhyun."
She was happy. It had been so long since she’d last seen her friend. How much had Suhyun changed? Yeona could only hope it wasn’t too much from the Suhyun she remembered. If the friend she was meeting again turned out to be covered in wounds, she might actually cry.
"I’m a little nervous, though…"
She wasn’t only thinking optimistically. After all, Suhyun had said one leg was ruined. Yeona could guess how serious the situation must be.
"I’ll take better care of her this time… I’m not letting anything slide again."
It was like locking the barn after the horse had bolted, but hearts could still heal even if it was late.
"If I wash up, get ready, and do the shopping… I should reach Suhyun’s place around one."
Still smiling, Yeona flopped back onto the soft bed and sent a message.
[Orange]
[Me: Suhyun! I think I’ll get to your place around 1!]
She’d hoped for a read receipt, but none appeared. Suhyun had probably stayed up late again.
"Suhyun’s sleeping in more. That’s a relief."
Grateful that the always-tired Suhyun was finally getting more rest, Yeona headed to the bathroom. She put on an upbeat morning playlist that could’ve come straight from SNS and turned on the shower.
—Shhhhhh
Staring at the cascading water, Yeona’s expression turned resolute.
"…I have to get rid of every trace of cigarette and alcohol smell."
She brushed her teeth vigorously and scrubbed herself far more carefully than usual. Watching a friend convulse and collapse beside you was heartbreaking enough already.
"Don’t think about it, don’t think about it…!!"
She shook her head quickly. After a forty-minute shower, she stepped out.
"M-my body’s steaming!"
Hot water had left faint wisps rising from her skin. With no time to linger on the strange sight, Yeona threw on an orange sweater.
"Sniff… This one’s the least bad. Maybe because it’s my favorite?"
Smelling the fabric made her want to slap her past self for smoking indoors. Almost none of her clothes were free of the stench.
"Die, Joo Yeona."
She sprayed the sweater with deodorizer, tossed it in the washing machine, and ran a cycle. Only after stuffing the now-odorless clothes into the dryer did she fling open every window in the apartment.
"Ventilation is a must… It’ll fade someday."
With a long sigh, Yeona tidied up, put on the sweater, and then froze.
"Oh."
She still had a skirt reeking of cigarettes.
"……"
She lifted it quietly and took a sniff. She’d hoped it wouldn’t be true.
"Ugh…!"
The skirt was soaked in smoke too.
Exactly noon.
"…Haaa."
I stretched with a yawn and rubbed my sluggish left leg.
"Ugh… feels weird."
Still that strange sensation. A faint tingling. Even when I poked it with my finger, it didn’t hurt at all—like it was numb. The leg only hurt when cut or stabbed. Staring at it, I sighed and looked around the dark room.
"Just looking at it makes me depressed."
Environment really did affect people. Maybe being in a gloomy room was bound to make me gloomy. Still, I had no desire to fix it. I’d shouted that I wanted to change hundreds of times, but it still took more courage than I had to turn on the lights and step into brightness.
"…For now, being a little depressed feels better."
Sorry to the people who were rooting for me, but I was still a coward. Though if it were the old me, this mood would’ve spiraled straight into self-harm.
"Counselor, I don’t think today’s the day."
I simply cleaned and organized the cutter knife, channeling my gloom into that small act.
"…If I ever need it again, I’ll use it. Just watch."
I muttered to the best counselor in the world.
"Wh-what am I even saying…"
Embarrassment flooded in the moment I realized I was talking to myself. I tore my gaze from the cutter and picked up my phone to check the messages that had arrived while I slept. I never used to do this. Maybe this was proof I was getting a little better.
[Beloved Minwoo: Noona, hang in there today too. I’m always grateful… Yeah, I’m just slacking because I don’t want to go to my part-time job]
[Beloved Jiwoo: Unnie! I’m going on a blind date today! You’re probably asleep, but cheer me on!]
"M-Minwoo’s such a dork… Thanks. Jiwoo’s going on a blind date… Hmm, what if someone steals her away?"
While muttering, I noticed one more unread message.
[Orange: Suhyun! I think I’ll get to your place around 1!]
"…!!"
Yeona would arrive in about an hour. Startled, I carefully slid off the bed and began gathering the trash that had started piling up again.
"U-ugh… you idiot, she said she was coming today…!!"
I had to hurry and clean the room, then shower. Limping around on my bad leg, I swept every bit of trash into a pay-per-use bag. With what felt like a slab of meat attached to my body, sweat beaded on my forehead.
"C-can’t let the house smell like sweat…"
I sighed and rushed into the bathroom before the odor could spread, turning on the shower.
A relatively cool summer day, yet Yeona was wearing a sweater. Desperate not to sweat, she held an ice cream in her mouth while carrying armfuls of heavy bags into the villa.
"…The address matches. Which floor was it again?"
Yeona double-checked the unit number she’d saved from Discord.
"Okay, Yeona, you can handle a few flights of stairs. Even loaded down with daily necessities, supplements, and frozen food, you’ve got this."
Even if cigarettes and alcohol had weakened her body, she encouraged herself that she could do it. After one deep breath, she gritted her teeth, arms full of massive bags, and climbed floor by floor, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Huff… Of all things, the only clothes left were sweaters."
Grumbling, she reached the door, exhaled, and rang the bell.
—Thud-thud-thud!!
A loud crash came from inside. Alarmed, Yeona forgot her exhaustion and pounded on the door.
"Suhyun!? Are you okay!?"
"Y-Yeonaaa…"
Suhyun, sounding pained, opened the door. She peeked out shyly and greeted her.
"…H-hi…"
A face Yeona hadn’t seen in ages.
‘…She hasn’t changed as much as I feared.’
Relief flickered across Yeona’s face—only for it to shatter the next second. Seeing the bandages wrapped around Suhyun’s arms and leg, and the new scars, felt like her chest was being torn open.
"Ah… hi!"
The greeting came out awkward. Suhyun simply smiled, eyes crinkling.
"C-come in…! It’s probably hot outside, b-but our place doesn’t get any sunlight, so it’s cool."
"Y-yeah! Excuse me, haha…"
The air was painfully stiff. Yet the small Suhyun standing before her made even that stiffness feel precious. Seeing her limp, Yeona’s heart burned.
Yeona had shown up at my door loaded with bags.
"…Wh-what’s all this?"
"Housewarming gifts!"
"Housewarming?"
"Yeah, it felt weird coming empty-handed on my first visit, hehe."
Yeona scratched the back of her head with an embarrassed laugh. She had changed a little. Her smile wasn’t as bright as before, and her hair had grown from a medium bob into long waves. But she was still Yeona—just a little brighter than before. It didn’t bother me much.
What bothered me more was…
‘…Did she really spend a million won at the mart?’
An enormous amount of food and daily necessities.
"Y-Yeona… Do we really need all this?"
"Of course. To protect my precious friend, it’s absolutely necessary…!"
She looked at me with eyes that seemed to blaze. I couldn’t help averting my gaze.
‘Y-yeah, bright people are still too much for me…’
Haram felt easier because her motherly vibe was obvious, but facing Yeona—especially after what I’d done—felt painfully awkward.
‘I want things to go back to how they were…’
"There’s frozen stuff too, so I’ll organize the fridge!"
"Ah, o-okay!"
Yeona headed for the fridge, which was basically empty. Watching her back, I sniffed the diffuser she’d bought.
‘Ooh, orange scent. Nice.’
"…Why is there only kimchi in the fridge?"
"Ah…"
"Oh! Sorry! I didn’t mean to say that."
She apologized quickly, saying she hadn’t meant anything by it. I smiled at her.
"I’ll help… with the fridge."
"N-no! Your leg’s hurt, just rest!"
She tried to stop me. I stared at her blankly for a moment, then lowered my head.
"…I-I called you here as a friend… N-not as a servant…"
"…!!"
She flinched, then came over and hugged me tightly.
"That’s right. We’re friends."
"…Yeah."
"Want to do it together?"
"……Yeah."
When I nodded, she said okay and squeezed me again. Only then did I notice.
"…Y-you smell like smoke."
"Ah!!"
I could smell cigarettes on her.