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Byun Ae-On's bags were already arranged in the narrow hallway—a silent testimony to her journey to Georgia State, where she'd arrived with three suitcases, an accelerated fellowship, and the quiet intensity of someone who'd already sacrificed too much for a future only she could envision. She'd left Ohio State immediately after the championship win, barely pausing to celebrate, while high street overflowed with red and white cheers. Now, away from that raucous triumph, Bao was finalizing her early placement in Georgia State's doctoral program in behavior.
Lena pushed open the door to their new apartment, her commanding presence immediately setting the scene. Standing at an imposing 5'10", her frame was both voluptuous and powerful, and as she surveyed the modest setup, her full, high-set bust, measuring an impressive GG 47 inches, seemed to fill the space. She took in the bare, unclaimed walls and furniture while her 33-inch waistline and 55-inch hips moved gracefully among Byun's belongings and the relics of her past journey, now blending with her own scattered things. Already halfway through unpacking, Lena had barely managed to get a grip on her space when a call from an old friend rerouted her first day into a whirlwind of tequila shots, rather than the methodical shelf-lining one might expect. Stepping over a neatly labeled cardboard box—"clothes"—she tossed her keys onto the kitchen counter.
"Hi! You must be Lena," came a bright voice from behind her.
Lena turned and found a delicate figure emerging from one of the bedrooms. The petite woman's black hair was loose in a casual ponytail, and her round, almond-shaped eyes, framed by the flash of purple plastic glasses, carried a quiet determination. "I'm Byun Ae-On, but everyone calls me Bao," she introduced, extending a helpful hand.
"Hey," Lena replied with a half-hearted handshake, then sank onto the couch with the ease of someone accustomed to claiming spaces without ceremony. "Hope my stuff wasn't in the way. Had to make a quick pit stop."
"Not at all," Bao assured her, glancing around at the living room chaos—half-unpacked boxes and a scattering of clothes. Her eyes lingered on the disarray but she chose not to comment. "So, you're from Houston, right? What brings you all the way to Georgia State?"
Lena shrugged, kicking her legs onto the coffee table. "Needed a change of scene," she replied, her gaze already shifting to the TV. "What about you?"
"Ohio, by way of Korea," Bao said, a quiet pride threading through her voice. "I just started my PhD program."
Lena gave a brief nod. "Cool," she muttered, scrolling through her phone.
Bao paused for a moment and then offered a small, sincere smile. "Let me know if you need any help getting settled."
Lena barely looked up. "Yeah. Sure."
Early weeks in the apartment revealed a familiar kind of comfortable disorder. Lena made herself at home like she owned the very air—dishes remained half-rinsed, her laptop and notebooks sprawled across the coffee table like wild moss, and boots were abandoned in every corner. Bao didn't complain; instead, she quietly adjusted, becoming the unseen caretaker of the space.
While Lena's presence dominated the apartment in bursts of careless abandon, Bao methodically kept order where she could. She wiped crumbs off counters, returned Lena's stray socks back to the mounting laundry pile, and restacked scattered papers. When Lena occasionally left the front door unlocked—twice, in fact—Bao took it upon herself to double-check.
Their apartment sat on the third floor of a dated walk-up where every sound—from the neighbor gaming through the night to the distant murmur of city life—seeped through thin walls. A faint aroma of incense mingled with the musty air, and the ceiling fan wobbled uncertainly as if echoing the soft instability of their new start. Lena, however, was
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