Work Text:
March 24th, to Go Yeongeun, is the echo of soft footsteps in her empty apartment, and lights she turns on herself once she gets home.
March 24th, in actuality, starts on the 23rd when Yeongeun goes to sleep at 10:00 PM in the night. She has work the next day and can't afford the sacrifice of a couple hours of sleep for the sake of celebration. This of course, means there is no reason, and no person to wake her at midnight when the moon is still blazing and the stars have just about come out.
When she wakes up, she is a year older, and yet it doesn't quite feel the case. She wonders, briefly: were Yeongeun still at Daydream, would her roommate wish her a happy birthday? The thought, as fleeting as a moment's breeze, vanishes just as quickly.
Yeongeun's phone remains silent for the rest of the day, not that she had expected anyone to reach out. Kim Soleum as kind-hearted as he seems to be, is entrenched in his own world of worries—actually, for that matter, does she know his birthday? Yeongeun finds, after several moments of thought, that the tidbit of information has escaped her memory.
"Go Yeongeun."
The murky waters of her thoughts are washed away by the presence of a new person in her field of vision. Yeongeun's gaze flicks up—a greasy haircut, wrinkled clothes—it's her disgusting coworker. One that's only her senior by mere months, but still chooses to flaunt this in her face whenever he can.
"I heard it's your birthday, what do you say we go out for drinks?"
"I—"
"Just," the excuse for human life interrupts, "the two of us, you know I get awkward around other people, haha."
He's likely referring to the coworker Yeongeun had drawn in as a sacrifice with her the last time this limpid sack of flesh approached her.
"I'm sorry," Yeongeun smiles as she apologizes, despite not being the least bit sorry, "but I already have plans."
His eyebrows shoot up, though they can not hope to reach his hairline with how fast it's receding. He coughs, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Plans? With who? You're not cheating on me are you~" When Yeongeun grimaces, not able to help it, he backtracks, "I'm joking, of course."
"Right." Her gaze drops back to the report on her screen, signalling that this conversation is over. But for the record: "I'm celebrating with my family."
"Oh. Haha," he chuckles awkwardly, desperate to pull himself out of the fire he's set, "I see, your family!"
Yeongeun can see him back away in her peripheral vision. "All the best, then. You should tell me all about it tomorrow!"
Yeongeun nods. The man walks away. She unclenches her fists. Yeah, she isn't telling him anything the next day. This is not just for lack of interest, rather, there is also a distinct lack of content. She continues working for the rest of the day. At one point, her phone does buzz, but upon a quick glance—a reading app has let her know she's receiving 500 free coins for her special day. A short exhale of air.
The night air is brisk, chilly, as Yeongeun steps out. The sun is well past setting, and in its place the moon has risen once again. The same moon that everyone, from wherever they are in Korea at the moment, are able to look at.
It's by pure coincidence that Yeongeun bumps into Kim Soleum as she's about to board the bus to her apartment, or rather, about to wait for it. Her eyebrows raise, eyes widen. For a moment, Yeongeun hesitates, waivering on how she's supposed to treat him now that they're outside the bureau.
She clears her throat.
"It's nice seeing you."
Kim Soleum nods, adjusting his glasses—Yeongeun finds that they suit him quite well, and tilting his head. "Yes, you too."
They wait together in silence, before, quietly:
"Happy birthday," she hears Soleum speak, almost a whisper. "I don't know what it is that you're working towards"—why she would need a wish ticket—"but I hope that you may acheive it this year."
Yeongeun leans back against the bench, her gaze turning up to the stars dotting the sky instead.
"Yes, I hope so as well."
"… It's not much." It's funny that despite all they've been through, it's now that she can sense the faint show of nerves. "But this is for you, I thought it would be helpful."
What Soleum hands her is not a supernatural item—that would be stupid, indeed—but a wrist rest, designed to increase comfort in typing. "You know," he continues, "your position… And the files." He doesn't say more—can't. "Yeah. I thought it could help."
Yeongeun smiles, perhaps the first one today, and takes the gift from his hands, bowing slightly. "Thank you, you didn't have to, truly."
It occurs to her, just as she can spot her bus hurtling down the road towards them. Yeongeun jolts, having already stood up, she turns to face Soleum. "Wait, how did you—"
He smiles softly. "There's a calendar up, it has all of March's birthdays."
Yeongeun lets out an "Oh," as she registers his words. "I see." She nods at the bus that's just pulled in. "Well, this is me."
March 24th is reaching home at 8:00 PM, tired as hell, but realizing that once she goes to sleep, the day will no longer be hers—it will no longer be Go Yeongeun's birthday. So she showers, rushing through the motion, gets changed into her most comfortable pyjama set, and settles on her couch with her phone.
March 24th is watching compilations of birthday fails and feeling better about her own; it's reading comments and liking the ones that echo her in her solitude. March 24th is falling asleep at 11:59 just before the day turns so that it can stay her day for another few hours.