kim took her phone out to reread the message from zee two hours ago, making sure she got the correct room number before buzzing the door.

she presses an ear against the wood and listens. she hears muffled female voices inside and could make out conan's voice who's laughing out loud.

yup. this is the correct room.

she presses the buzzer button and holds it for three seconds.

the people inside the room scream in excitement. she wonders why.

finally, the door opens ajar and kim notices the dim light inside. a woman with long blonde hair juts her head out.

"captain? what are you doing here?"

"jai? wow. you're here too!" says kim, surprised.

jai cranes her neck around as if looking for someone else. she turns back to kim. "are you the one they sent?"

"sent? who?"

jai eyes the suit and tie attire kim is wearing. "the stripper?"

kim gets horrified. "what!"

before she could finish her sentence, jai pulls kim inside the room and closes the door right away. with her eyes still adjusting to the dimly lit room, kim could get a glimpse of several females in the area, all looking at her.

"sorry, girls. false alarm." jai drapes an arm over her shoulders. "but guess who's here?"

"captain!" they say in unison.

kim then realises it's the former sau troop c inside. they all hug and greet her.

"oh, my god, kim!" conan, who's wearing a white casual shirt and a crown on her head, came over to hug her too. "i thought you won't be able to make it? and what's with the suit?"

"i have a meeting with a lawyer today about a contract for one of my investments," says kim, tucking her hands in her pockets. "but he cancelled the last minute so i swung by here instead. i'm not really into bachelorette parties but since zee said most of the troop will be present, i thought why not go here?"

"i'm so glad you came..." conan smiles drunkenly, putting an arm around kim's shoulders. "come. some of my guests will be thrilled to see you."

"are you drunk?" kim asks as conan leads her to the other people in the room. "and why won't you turn on the lights?"

"not yet drunk... and they said a surprise is coming over, so they wanted it dark..." conan approaches a figure. "hey, nam. kim's here."

"hey!" nam hugs her excitedly. "wow. i was sad when conan said you weren't coming. glad you made it!"

kim pulls away from the hug. "yeah. haha. didn't know you were coming either."

"well, she forced me and threatened me." nam glances at the bride-to-be. "she said you weren't coming and she can't afford another friend bailing out."

"i will be really mad," says conan drunkenly. "my wedding is next week and i'm too stressed. i need to relax. i need a moment to get away from wedding pljaiing shenanigans and this party is the key. but what's the use of having a bachelorette party if my friends won't come, huh?"

kim and nam chuckle.

"she is drunk," says nam.

"i know." kim lifts her head upon noticing another figure approaching. her eyes widen. "jane? you're here too?"

"whaddup, kim." jane hugs her. "of course i'll be here. i'd want to document how wasted conan will get tonight. it'll be a perfect show on her wedding day, right?"

conan scoffs. "yeah. that's what a loyal friend does, jane."

kim's smile grows bigger the more she realises how this bachelorette party serves as a mini-reunion with the people she considers important in her life. it's not every day someone can fill a room with people who could touch their life and kim's just happy her schedule got cancelled today.

a beam of bright yellow light from the corner of the hotel room catches kim's attention. a figure came out from what she assumes to be a bathroom due to the sound of the toilet flush inside.

kim thinks she's having another déjà vu as this person is sporting the same image of the woman who keeps recurring in her mind lately.

but kim knows it isn't déjà vu because the woman looks back at her with the same surprised expression, wearing that very familiar face kim still memorised.

conan pats her shoulder and speaks in her very drunken tone, "oh. forgot to mention. pie's here too."

---

it's been almost two years now since she'd last seen the woman; two years since that painful talk they had.

she never thought they would see each other again. she thought it was the last time she will lay her eyes upon this beautiful human being.

a lot has happened since then. a lot has changed.

and kim couldn't understand how this woman can still make her heart skip a beat.

she still can't fathom how this woman can still look perfect in that skirt, sneakers, and semi-formal blouse combo. kim feels like a kid who's developing her first crush all over again.

pathetic, yes. but despite the continuous changes happening around her and the globe, this woman seems to be the only constant thing in her life--the untouchable part in her heart.

kim asks herself if it could be the same for the other woman. she wants the answer to be a 'yes' but reality hits her again when she sees the wedding band on pie's finger.

---

"come here, pie!" conan calls. "kim's here!"

pie, who is still in shock, blinks and forces a slight smile. she ventures forward to their direction and kim swear her heart could have jumped out of her rib cage.

"hey..." says pie.

"hey," says kim.

"'hey'? c'mon. hug each other!" conan demands. "stop being awkward!"

kim awkwardly stares at conan. she turns to pie. "don't mind her. she's dr--"

pie suddenly leans forward to envelop her in a quick hug.

"--unk..." kim couldn't think straight anymore as pie's scent already filled her senses.

"it's nice to see you, kim." pie pulls away. "you... you look amazing..."

kim presses her lips together, nodding. "same... you..."

she wasn't able to continue as the door suddenly buzzes and the other women in the room squeal in excitement. jai opens the door and turns back to them.

"they're here!" she signals for conan. the girls drag the bride-to-be to sit on the chair at the centre.

jai opens the door wider and two masked figures in suit and tie comes in.

kim laughs, realising why jai thought she is the stripper.

jai closes the door and locks it. "let the party begin!"

the women scream when a piece of sexy music plays in the background. the two guests strip their suits, revealing a kinky outfit underneath while sexily dancing towards conan who's a screaming and laughing mess now.

one dancer takes the mask off and throws it away. the girls scream again.

"what the fuck! it's zee!" kim covers her mouth in shock.

that catches the attention of the taller dancer who walks towards kim sexily. jane and pie steps back when the said dancer loops her arms around kim's neck.

"well, hello there, captain. you look dashing tonight."

kim's eyes grows wider. "yam!?"

yam laughs. "yes!" she pushes kim's chin up to close her mouth. "why you look so shocked? jessica doesn't want us to hire actual strippers so zee and i thought we'll just play the roles. ain't bad, right?"

"yeah. conan is having the time of her life." kim nods at the still-squealing conan with zee dancing on her lap. she turns back to yam. "and you, you look really hot."

"well, you look hot yourself, cap." yam smirks. she loosens kim's tie. "why are you in this hot suit? you're here to perform too?"

"haha. no. i was--"

"captain!" it was zee who approach this time. "wow! you're here!" she hugs kim tight and yam skips back to conan to entertain her.

"yeah. i didn't know you and yam are working as strippers now, huh?"

"only for conan." zee winks. "why don't you join us? you seem to be in the attire too."

zee is already pulling but kim shakes her head. "no. i can't..."

zee turns to the other women. "sau squad troop c, have you seen your captain dance before?"

they all shout, "not yet!"

kim's worst fears came true when the horde of women helps to drag her in.

---

kim is sitting on a stool, nursing a can of soda, when she a hand grasps her left arm. it was pie who held onto her for support to sit on the tall stool beside her.

"hey..." says kim, watching the other woman settle down.

"hey. that was quite a show," says pie who's holding a bottle of an alcopop. "i didn't think you'd ride along with them."

"there was nothing i can do. they were already stripping me off my coat, and they were too hard to resist. i hope i didn't make a fool of myself out there."

pie shakes her head. "you were great. never knew you have the moves."

"same. i never knew about it until today." kim stares at jane who's singing along with nam, conan, and the other ex-sau girls.

"you missed them, don't you?" pie asks. "your troop?"

kim nods. "yeah. it's just funny how we came to realise the bond we have only after our dismissal. we weren't hanging out like this before. it's fun to see their other side."

pie hums and takes one gulp from the bottle. kim noticed how the other woman's hand is glued to her lap to stop her skirt from riding up. kim reaches out for her coat and gives it to pie.

"hmm?" pie looks at her, asking. kim nods towards the location she intends the coat to be placed on and pie gets it. "oh."

kim holds the bottle of alcopop for pie while the latter puts the coat on her lap.

"thanks," says pie, taking the bottle from kim.

"i don't recall you fancy drinking alcohol before."

"still don't. i just want to relax for a bit. and this has like only five per cent alcohol." pie gestures at the can of soda. "you? not drinking tonight?"

"can't. driving." kim takes another sip from the can.

pie hums again. there was silence for a moment. "so... how are you?"

'here, still thinking about you,' kim wants to answer, but she keeps her mouth shut. there is so much vagueness in that three-word-question that everyone ignores and avoids by equivocating.

"just fine," says kim instead. "still trying to get used to my new life. you? how's your family?"

she regrets asking that, but she needs to push the conversation away from her, afraid that having this little talk would result in her building up new hope. as much as she doesn't want to hear about pie's happy married life, she had to ask.

"good," says pie indifferently. "i switched to a different hospital now. there were lots of politics happening in the hq hospital after aef got dissolved."

kim hums. "and your husband?"

pie stares at kim for seconds, maybe sensing if that was a serious question. "the changes don't affect him. he's a surgeon. he's affiliated with several hospitals."

"ahh. and katrien?" finally, a perfect topic to dive into.

pie relaxes and smiles. "she's fine. she's being a headache now as she's already seven, you know. mom's always cranky because of that kid."

"are you still living in your house in jeoswa?"

"yes, we do. but we're pljaiing to sell the house to peter's sister since he's mostly away while me and katie usually stays with my mom," says pie and kim feels a pinch in her chest at the woman's casual mention of her husband's name. "also, mom's getting emo lately and i don't want her living alone."

kim looks ahead, nodding. this conversation makes her heart shrink. the more casual the conversation goes, the more she's asking herself if the talk they had two years ago is still real.

pie asked her to not forget her.

pie told her how much she missed her.

pie said she still feels the same towards her.

are those still true until now?

"she wants to see you," pie's voice make kim turn to her. "katie. she always wants to see you."

kim smiles. "and here i was thinking she's already forgotten me long ago."

pie shakes her head. "she didn't. in fact, she keeps talking about you every day. it's like you've imprinted yourself in her mind. she had already associated you with the feeling of security and safety. even her dad is already jealous over it."

kim taps the can on her knee. "does he know?"

"about you?" pie asks and kim nods. "yes. i told him all about us when he asked me to marry him. but katie, she doesn't."

kim feels something with the 'us' in pie's words. but she shrugs the feeling off. "she's only a kid. she wouldn't understand it yet."

"but she's so fond of you. i don't know what you did to her. she's even excited to attend the wedding next week knowing you're attending too."

kim smirks. "i guess i understand now why your husband is jealous. don't you find it weird that your daughter has sort of developed an attachment towards your ex?"

pie laughs, that all-too-familiar laugh kim missed. "i don't. i understand why she likes you that much. i even have this weird notion that my kid has developed a crush on you."

a silly idea pops into kim's mind. "talking about weirdness, what if... what if katie grows up and falls in love with me, and then we became a couple?"

pie had a horrified look on her face. she slaps kim's arm. "yah! don't get any ideas! you're like twenty-eight years apart!"

"do age gap matters to you?"

"no. but she is my daughter. my daughter!" pie points at herself. "that's totally weird, kim!"

kim laughs. "i'm sure katie will grow up to be a beautiful woman like you tho."

another slap. "kim!"

"awe... i missed seeing you two like that..." conan's slurred voice echoes through the speakers as she speaks into the microphone. "you two could have been married too, you know..."

kim and pie were left speechless as they watch zee and jane try taking the microphone away from the very-much-drunk conan.

"and i'm sure... i'm sure you'll be able to make it work out..." conan continues, evading the hands in front of her. "this could have been your party too if you two weren't dumb enough to let each other go!"

"okay! okay! okay! that's enough drinking for you, conan," says jane who finally snatch the microphone away. zee leads the drunken bride-to-be to sit on the couch.

"i'm not giving up on the two of you!" conan yells as she lies on her back. "so don't you dare give up on each other!"

both kim and pie sit there in awkward silence, not sure of what to react.

despite the commotion, yam approaches them and points at pie.

"so, all this time, you were kim's ex?"