red string | jay

twenty nine

"honey, your dad and i have to go to new york for two weeks to set up the new office. you're coming with us, right? we'll book the tickets tonight," ina's mom said, balancing the salad bowl as she set it down on the dining table.

ina glanced up from her phone, a slight frown on her face.
"i don't think i can come along. i won't get a two-week leave that easily," she said, walking over to help with the plates.

"you can't even ask? i'm sure your boss will agree," her dad chimed in, walking in with a bottle of wine.

"i took a month off when uncle and auntie were in the hospital, remember?" ina reminded, placing the cutlery down neatly. "if i ask for two more weeks off now, lucy will actually fire me."

her dad shrugged without missing a beat.
"so? then let her. come work in our company instead. you're going to inherit it anyway after i'm gone."

"don't say that," ina said, lightly smacking his arm, though her tone was affectionate. "and no, i like my job. you both go ahead, i'll be fine. i can live without you for two weeks... i think," she added with a teasing smile.

her parents laughed as they all sat down for dinner, the conversation shifting to travel plans and food choices. she watched them talk animatedly, and despite her words, a small ache curled in her chest at the thought of the house being quiet without them.

••••••••••

three days later, her parents were out of the country. they'd texted once they'd landed and sent her a few blurry photos of the airport, her mom complaining already about airplane food and the cold in new york.

ina, meanwhile, was enjoying the novelty of having the house to herself. it had been so long since she'd truly been alone. no clinking dishes in the morning, no calls from her dad echoing through the hallway. the silence was strange, but not unwelcome.

unfortunately, that didn't mean she could lie around all day. real life, and her job, didn't pause for her solitude.

she'd already skipped breakfast on the first day, half by accident, half because she wasn't used to having to fend for herself in the morning. maybe it was a glimpse of what the next two weeks were going to be like—barely surviving on caffeine and occasional ramen.

she walked into the office section, trying not to yawn as she dropped into her chair.

jay looked up from his screen and called her name.

"sorry i couldn't come to the airport. did they get on the flight okay?" he asked as she nodded, dropping her bag.

"yeah, they'll land in another ten hours, i think. give them a call later or they'll pretend to disown you," she said with a playful smirk.

jay chuckled. "duly noted."

"so," he said, leaning back in his chair, "what are the big plans for the next two weeks? gonna host a rager? throw wild house parties?"

ina raised an eyebrow at him like he'd lost his mind.
"are you crazy? i'm gonna be holed up in the house binge-watching netflix until my eyeballs fall out."

he shook his head, amused. "you and your binge-watching obsession."

"don't knock it till you try it," she said, already half-turning back to her laptop.

"so you both converse like normal people now, huh?" juwon's voice piped up as she leaned over ina's shoulder, eyebrow quirked.

ina gave her a side-eye. "yeah, he's tolerable these days."

juwon gasped, dramatically, and maybe a little too loudly. a couple of colleagues looked over before returning to their screens.

"you went from 'i hate him' to 'he's tolerable'?" she asked, grinning.

"yeah, so?" ina said, feigning indifference, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"so... my ship is sailing," juwon said, nearly bouncing in place.

ina rolled her eyes. "you read too many romance novels. i'm gonna have jake burn all of them."

"nah, he wouldn't. those novels are like a guidebook for him," juwon shot back as both of them burst into laughter.

"but seriously," ina said, after they calmed down a bit, "when do i get to meet jake? i wanna see the guy who's got my best friend all love-struck."

juwon's eyes lit up. "did you just call me your best friend?"

ina furrowed her eyebrows like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"of course. you're definitely more than just a colleague, juwon. i thought you knew that."

a soft smile bloomed on juwon's face as she wrapped ina in a tight hug, completely ignoring the curious glances from nearby desks.

"you'll definitely meet him at the success party this weekend. i'm bringing him as my plus one," she said, letting go.

"ah, right. the success party," ina groaned. "i almost forgot. man, i was gonna have a binge marathon this weekend."

"you can have it on sunday," juwon grinned. "but saturday? you have to come. it's going to be so much fun."

"oh, i'm definitely attending," ina said, tossing her hair dramatically. "free drinks and food? count me the fuck in."

juwon laughed, looping her arm through ina's as they made their way to the pantry.
they were both tired, overworked, and running on sheer willpower—but in that moment, everything felt just a little lighter.