Chapter Text
“baby, your cupcakes are amazing.” mina groaned, licking a bit of the frosting off the top of her cupcake. “what do you put in them? crack?”
jihyo laughed, tip toeing a little bit to plant a soft kiss on mina’s forehead. “sure babe, i put crack in it.”
“what flavor is this? i would say vanilla, but it’s a little different.”
“it’s the taste of your lips.” jihyo laughed, dodging mina’s playful slaps.
jihyo shook her hands, trying to stop them from trembling. taking a couple deep breaths, she closed her eyes, trying to get rid of her nerves. jeongyeon rubbed her back, gentle, but reassuring. after a couple seconds, jihyo opened her eyes again before shaking her head. there was no use getting nervous now, right?
jeongyeon opened her mouth, probably ready to spout some cheesy, inspirational pinterest quote, but before she could get anything more than a “you-” out, the host of the show, some gorgeous hollywood has been took his place in front of the camera. without a second thought, the rest of the crew scurried out of view after making a few last minute touches to the set, and the director silently counted down before signaling the host.
“bakers all over the country have competed to get to this point, and now here, we have the top five, chosen by our favorite two judges, sana minatozaki and momo hirai. As always, they will be joined by a special guest judge, but before we introduce this episode’s mystery judge, here are our competitors.” the host dropped his sparkly grin, massaging his cheeks while the editor’s cut in the preliminary interviews and videos they had filmed before hand.
on the director’s cue, the shiny host took up his wide grin again, “and now, our judges. sana minatozaki.” jeongyeon nudged jihyo’s hand, and the two of them applauded along with the rest of the set as a slender woman walked in. she was a famous pastry chef, known for her delicate cakes and sweet cookies, and jeongyeon’s long time celebrity crush. sana smiled at each contestant, sitting down once the clapping died down.
“and momo hirai.” another round of polite applause as momo walked in. she was a famous home baker, and a previous winner of the competition. jihyo smiled. she had learned a lot from momo’s youtube channel, including her favorite cinnamon roll recipe. before momo could sit down, the host had already moved on. “and now, our special guest judge: her bakery is famous internationally, and she was recently named ‘japan’s most famous baker,’ by forbes, mina myoui!”
and suddenly jihyo wasn’t shaking anymore. and it wasn’t until jeongyeon’s clammy hand squeezed hers that she realized she hadn’t even been breathing. she took a shaky breath before turning slightly towards her friend, “it’s. her.” jeongyeon’s eyes widened, but jihyo didn’t see, her eyes deadset ahead on the door mina was supposed to come out of. her grip on jeongyeon’s hand tightened. was she ready for this?
“are you ready?” mina called out shyly from behind the bathroom door.
“of course, babe.” jihyo laughed, trying to sound reassuring, but really, her heart was beating uncontrollably and her palms were sweating.
the door to the bathroom opened, excruciatingly slow, and jihyo held her breath in anticipation. and finally, finally, mina came out.
“...fuck” jihyo breathed, too distracted to form a coherent thought.
“that good?” mina twirled, the dress flaring out as she did so, and jihyo felt her mouth go dry.
“better,”
jihyo didn’t even blink, her eyes set on the door. and after what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened. her lip was bitten red, caught between her teeth, and no matter how much it hurt, she was too nervous to unclench her jaw. forget how she had felt earlier, this was real anxious energy.
and then she saw her. as beautiful as ever. she had grown out her hair, now up to the middle of her back, no longer just brushing the tops of her shoulders. and she looked healthy, happy even. her cheeks rosy, probably because she was feeling shy. she was always shy around strangers. mina’s eyes roamed the set, but jihyo’s gaze was constant, and it didn’t take long for mina’s eyes to find jihyo’s.
and suddenly, all the tension that was in her body was gone. her hand went limp in jeongyeon’s and her gaze fell. because when mina had looked at her, jihyo could see it in her eyes: hurt. what had she been hoping for anyway?
hollywood host interrupted jihyo’s thoughts, “this week’s theme- ‘true love.’ you will be judged on taste, bake, and presentation. for this challenge, you will have to make 3 different cupcakes for our judges to sample, using natural aphrodisiacs. you have 75 minutes.... starting now!”
jihyo stood there for a second longer than she should have, but she shook herself out of it, and started planning with jeongyeon. she had come here for one reason- to win, and not to get distracted by some ex-girlfriend. still, she let her eyes linger a moment longer before diverting her attention to jeongyeon.
the ring sparkled under the light, and jihyo couldn’t stop looking at it. she was so caught up in the euphoria of it all that she barely noticed the front door open.
“baby! are you home?” mina pushed open the bedroom door with her foot, her arms full of tupperware. “my mom dropped off some food at my place, and god knows i can’t finish it all.’
jihyo snapped the box shut, shoving it under the pillow before mina could look up, but apparently she hadn’t been able to wipe the grin off her face because,
“what are you smiling at?”
“nothing.” mina scrunched her nose.
“okay, whatever you say babe.”
if there was ever a time jihyo was thankful for jeongyeon, this was it. she may complain about her friend daily, but one thing jeongyeon knew was flavor. jihyo always had to experiment to get her combinations perfect, but somehow jeongyeon knew which flavors would blend, and how to do it flawlessly.
“i’m thinking chocolate- famous aphrodisiac. we could do something simple like chocolate strawberries.”
“we could do more of a spicy chocolate. chili is on their list of aphrodisiacs, and you can do something like a fiery hot chocolate or something.” jeongyeon cut in, and the two brainstormed for a couple more minutes before rushing off to get their cupcakes started.
jihyo started on the batter, following her tried and tested chocolate cupcake recipe before handing it off to jeongyeon to add chili powder. the whole time, she felt eyes on her back, and she tried to shake it off. she had more important things to do now.
and before she knew it, all three batches were in the oven, and they were onto the buttercream. jeongyeon worked on flavoring the frosting, and jihyo started tempering the chocolate to make little toppers for their chocolate cupcake. once she started piping the design onto a piece of parchment paper, the ever talkative show host passed by.
“and in this corner, we have, representing ‘one in a million’ bakery, jihyo park and jeongyeon yoo. what are you ladies up to?”
jihyo looked up, wiping the sweat off her brow. she opened her mouth to answer the question, but nothing came out.
jihyo hummed softly. she didn’t want to wake mina up. god, if they could lay like that forever.
mina lay on jihyo’s chest, fast asleep, and everytime jihyo moved a little, the little gap between her eyebrows scrunched up like she was confused. it was moments like these that jihyo really remembered the velvet box she kept hidden on the bottom of her purse.
but even though she was so sure about the two of them, she was still scared. more than rejection, jihyo was worried about how she would support mina in the future. they had always planned to open a bakery together, but it was hard to make money. they would probably be in the red for several months, if not years, after they opened.
so the velvet box stayed tucked away. because no matter how much jihyo knew mina didn’t care, she couldn’t help worrying.
and when mina woke up and saw they worry written on jihyo’s face, and asked, “what’s wrong.” she couldn’t say anything.
jeongyeon rushed in, “i’m making the buttercream for our cupcakes right now, and jihyo is working on some chocolate decorations. and shit, i have to pull the cupcakes out of the oven now.”
slapping her cheeks lightly, jihyo followed jeongyeon to the oven, pulling the trays out after checking the center of one of the cupcakes, setting them onto a rack to cool. she lingered there for a second, trying to compose herself before going back.
jeongyeon pulled jihyo close, hissing out a “get yourself together, you idiot. there’s more at stake than some girl who makes you hot under the covers. i don’t care if she’s your ex, snap out of it.” jihyo nodded, and before they knew it, there were only thirty seconds left of the clock, and they were placing the finishing touches on their three cupcakes.
“time is up in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. bakers, your work is done. please step away from your cupcakes. the judges will start with the first group. please come up to the table.” jihyo and jeongyeon stood back. they had done all they could, and now only the judges could decide.
the two of the dared not breath until they were called up, too nervous to even move. but once they were called to the table, jeongyeon sprung into action, bringing up the plates with their cupcakes.
they stood in front of the table, and as they watched the three women try their cakes, jeongyeon held her hand out, and jihyo grabbed it, both of them holding tight. and if jihyo had looked up from the ground, she would have noticed mina’s eyes lingering on their hands.
finally, sana spoke up “i really enjoyed your cupcakes. they were well baked- moist, but not too dense, and the buttercream was perfect and light.”
“you had some interesting combinations, but overall, your cupcakes tasted amazing.” momo added.
mina looked up from her plate, “i’ll admit, your cupcakes were technically perfect- in terms of bake and presentation, but your vanilla cupcake… is so ‘blah.’” jihyo swallowed hard. this was not what she had been expecting. “you had two unique cupcakes: chocolate chilli and strawberry basil, which i admire, which is why i was disappointed when your last cupcake fell flat.”
the two girls looked at each other before jeongyeon squeaked out a “thank you.” and pulled jihyo back to their station.
“i can see why you broke up with her.” jeongyeon sneered.
“she’s not being mean,” jihyo whispered, “she’s helping us.”
“babe, honestly?” mina looked at jihyo, “i know your chocolate chip cookie recipe is a godsend, but for a baking competition? i’m just not sure if it’s good enough.”
“what do you mean good enough? it’s not fancy enough for you?” jihyo glared.
“no, no. it’s a perfect recipe, you know.”
“exactly! so what is your issue with it?”
“it’s just boring?” mina rest her chin on jihyo’s shoulder, but jihyo shrugged her off. “it’s a great recipe, but you know, it’s basic.”
“i know.” jihyo sighed. “ok, what do you propose?”
“well…”
the two bakers walked back to their station, jeongyeon fuming the whole way back while jihyo kept her eyes straight. if she looked back, even for a half of a second, she was scared of what she might do, or worse, what she might feel.
as the other competitors presented their cupcakes to the judges, jihyo struggled to stay focused, try to think of their next move. but all she could think about was the cute little mole mina had, and the way she had bitten into the cupcake…
jeongyeon nudged her, successfully shaking jihyo out of her daydream. making a face at jihyo, she scrunched her nose and then laughed silently, gesturing towards the competitors who were being judged. they had taken a rather avant garde approach to the theme, and upon seeing “oysters” on the aphrodisiac list, they decided to make a rather predictably strange cupcake, which the judges seemed to have a hard time swallowing.
wincing, jihyo clenched her teeth. while she really wanted to win, this was televised, and one wrong move could really hurt one’s business. hopefully “ding dong” bakery would be able to survive this debacle. at the same time, jihyo let out a relieved sigh. she hadn’t realized it at first, but mina’s criticism about their “blah” vanilla cupcake made her think the worst. now, hopefully, someone had done even worse than they had. jihyo pushed that thought out of her head. that was too cruel, even for a high stakes competition like this.
“now that the judges have tasted all of your cupcakes, they will now leave the room for deliberation.” mr. hollywood host announced, and the judges left the room. the kitchen was tense; everyone held their breaths, unsure of the outcome.
jeongyeon tapped her fingers against the counter top, much to the chagrin of the two at the station next to theirs, but they said nothing, too nervous to really care.
“in first place, ‘jihyo park!’” jihyo couldn’t move, frozen in place. mina smiled from beside her, pushing her gently towards the stage. and almost thoughtlessly, jihyo stumbled forward to receive the bouquet and the large check they handed her.
looking out into the crowd, jihyo could only see one face smiling out at her- mina. and it was in that moment that jihyo thought,
“i love her.” the weight of it hit her hard. they had been dating for over a year already, and while they had long since exchanged the first awkward “i love you”s, this was different. because now, jihyo knew that mina was the one.
and for the rest of the night, jihyo couldn’t stop smiling. because after everything, she was finally sure. after months of mulling it over and restless nights, she was finally ready to do it.
so when she pulled mina out behind the bar, the velvet box weighing heavy in her purse, she could only smile.
“mina…” jihyo began, but was interrupted by the sound of mina’s phone.
“the judges have made their decisions. please welcome them back.” upon the judges’ return, there was a bit of light applause from the contestants, but most of them were too nervous to care much for manners and decorum.
“thank you,” momo smiled, “now, it was a tough decision, but we have come to an agreement. sana?”
“yup! everyone had tasty and ‘unique’ cupcakes, but unfortunately, we will have to eliminate one of you this round. so first, we’ll announce our top pick, and then our bottom two.”
“these two bakers had a moist and light bake, and interesting flavors throughout their cupcakes. not only did they come up with unique flavors, but they also managed to balance them perfectly between the buttercream, the filling, and the actual cake. our top pick is… ‘say yes’ bakery.” mina nodded towards their “top pick,” the set clapping in congratulations.
“unfortunately,” sana continued, “we will also have to announce our bottom two.”
“this bakery had a unique idea, but in the end, were unable to execute it. i’m sorry ‘ding dong.’”
“these bakers had amazing flavors, but their cakes fell flat… literally. their cupcakes were under baked, and their buttercream was runny. sorry, ‘jelly jelly.’”
“that means that ‘one in a million’ bakery is safe! the bottom two, please step forward.” mr. hollywood host called out, and while jihyo was relieved, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
“at least we’re safe,” jeongyeon whispered, trying to reassure jihyo. she took jihyo’s hand, and after a moment, jihyo squeezed back, trying to say ‘i’m fine.’
mina smiled, but jihyo knew it was the one she used when she was uncomfortable. “from the bottom two teams, one of you will be going home tonight.”
“it was a hard choice, but unfortunately...” sana lowered her eyes, “i’m sorry ‘ding dong’ bakery.”
the two bakers nodded, but as they walked back to gather their things, jihyo saw them wiping away tears. and as they walked past, the rest of the bakers approached. they could only offer a hug and a few kind words before the two were forced to leave the set.
taking a deep breath to calm herself, jihyo turned to jeongyeon, “this is really happening, huh?”
jihyo leaned against the wall of the bar, holding the ring box behind her back. mina was still on the phone, but jihyo wasn’t in a rush. they had the rest of their lives, after all.
“jihyo…” mina had hung up and she turned towards jihyo, “you know that pastry chef position i applied for?”
“yeah. what about it?”
“they said i have the job!” mina grinned, her excitement obvious.
“that’s great, baby!” jihyo exclaimed, but she slipped the velvet box back into her purse. maybe it wasn’t the right time yet.
“but…” mina hesitated, “they want me to go to their location in japan.”
jihyo kept smiling, but it felt empty all of a sudden. japan. japan?
“japan! that’s great!”
“really?” mina’s face dropped, but only for a moment.
“of course. i’ll support you wherever you need to go,” jihyo pulled mina close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. they weren’t in a hurry. they had the rest of their lives, right?
“the remaining contestants will be competing in a second challenge. continuing with the ‘true love’ theme, will be asked to make a swiss roll, taking inspiration from famous valentine’s day candies. you have 60 minutes… starting now!”
jihyo immediately went for a piece of parchment paper, quickly sketching out little templates to emulate the “love me” candies. she looked at jeongyeon, who nodded and started the batter for an easy sponge cake.
“white chocolate?” jihyo asked, and jeongyeon hummed in response. While they could decorate their roll with the conversation hearts, thir chalky taste left much to be desired, and chocolate was a common gift during valentine’s day. white chocolate would help preserve the design while still providing the chocolate taste everyone expected.
taking a quick glance around, jihyo realized that almost everyone was taking a similar route- a chocolate roll. honestly, there wasn’t much choice when it came to valentine’s candies, but hopefully they could stand out.
jeongyeon passed jihyo the batter, and she quickly poured out small portion into separate bowls, adding food coloring to get the soft pastel colors of the conversation hearts. once they were mixed, jeongyeon helped her put the batter into piping bags, and she piped the hearts onto the baking sheet as quickly as she could without messing up.
finishing up the hearts, jihyo placed the baking sheets in the oven to bake for a couple minutes, allowing the design to set, before pouring in the rest of the cake batter. as she walked back towards jeongyeon, jihyo absent mindedly licked at her lips, already red from how much she had been nervously biting it all day. this competition was definitely taking a toll on her. and not just the competition, but seeing… mina after so long was shocking to say the least. they hadn’t really had any interaction, but even being in the same room with her made jihyo antsy.
after all those years, jihyo had thought she was over mina, but being so close to her now brought back memories and feelings that she had long since forgotten. suddenly, it was like they had just broken up the day before, and not two years ago.
“when i come back,” mina smiled, her face wet with tears, “we’ll definitely open ‘one in a million,’ okay?”
“promise.” jihyo wiped away a stray tear, her thumb gentle against mina’s cheek. this was it. only a couple more hours and mina would be gone. “don’t have too much fun, hm?”
“i could never without you.” turning towards the growing line in front of security, mina took a deep, shuddering breath. “well, i had better go.”
“okay.” jihyo pressed a soft kiss to mina’s forehead, before walking her to the end of the line. she blinked quickly; she couldn’t cry now. she had to be strong for mina.
mina walked in front of her, slowly dragging her carry-on bag behind her. this was it. their last day together. jihyo lifted her hand one last time, a sorry excuse for a wave goodbye, but she hardly felt up to the task. but instead of leaving, mina took jihyo’s raised hand in hers, before pulling jihyo down into a firm kiss.
“now i can say goodbye,” mina gasped. “i love you.”
“i love you too.”
lost in her memories, jihyo was only pulled out by the host beginning the ending countdown. somehow, she had auto piloted her way through the challenge, and the two of the had successfully finished their swiss roll.
“...step away from your swiss rolls. the judges will start with the first group.” two girls approached the judges’ table, “jelly jelly” bakery. as the judges took their first bites, the two of them anxiously held each others hands, hoping for the best. jihyo watched mina chew her bite a couple times before making eye contact with sana and momo and nodding.
“well. there isn’t really an easy way to say this.” the whole set held their breath in anticipation. sana continued, “last time, we were disappointed by your under baked cupcakes. this time, your swiss roll… i have three words to describe it: light, refreshing, perfect.” the two girls exhaled, relieved.
“i totally agree.” momo cut in, “i didn’t expect a chocolate sponge to taste so light, but you guys pulled it off.”
“i noticed you adding espresso powder to the batter, and i can tell it really helped you guys out. the coffee and chocolate notes blend perfectly, without either element being too overbearing. congratulations.” mina smiled warmly towards the contestants.
“thank you very much!” the two bakers collected their swiss roll from the judges before walking back to their station, their happiness obvious. jihyo and jeongyeon shared a glance. they were happy for their fellow contestants, but this somehow added to the pressure. hopefully their roll could meet the judges’ expectations.
“‘one in a million,’ please bring up your swiss roll.”
“shit!” jihyo cursed under her breath. she picked up their serving platter, and made her way to the front with jeongyeon.
the judges took cautious bites, nodding or glancing at each other all the while, and in her anxiety, jihyo barely even realized she was digging her nails into the palm of her hand. her fists clenched tighter, and jeongyeon, realizing the situation, quickly grabbed jihyo’s hand to stop her. the two of them, too caught up in their worry, were too busy to notice mina’s eyes narrowing at the act.
but even thought jeongyeon could stop jihyo’s hand, jihyo couldn’t stop biting her lip, her teeth digging into the bottom lip. the pressure was excruciating, and the only thing worse was the waiting.
“just like last time, you two have brought us an exceptional bake.” sana smiled, and jeongyeon relaced, but jihyo was still unsatisfied. “not only is it tasty and baked well, but i see you put a little conversation hearts design on it, which i think is really cute!”
“when i saw you piping the hearts on, i was a little worried that you wouldn’t have enough time to finish everything, but you two pulled it off, and it looks and tastes amazing.”
“yes, your roll is very pretty, and it’s baked technically perfectly. however, the white chocolate flavor does not stand out enough. as i said before, it’s very ‘blah.’” mina’s words were the ones that hurt the most, and it took everything in jihyo not to object, but instead she bit her tongue, and respectfully choked out a,
“thank you very much!”
the last group was called up, and soon after, the judges left for deliberation. jihyo chewed on the inside of her cheek; even though she and mina hadn’t exactly split on amicable terms, there wasn’t really a reason to act like this, right? especially after so many years. or maybe it wasn’t about that, and her bakes were really just subpar. jihyo shut her eyes, shaking her head, like that could somehow knock all the negativity out.
“this user is unavailable.” the monotone voice called out, almost taunting jihyo.
jihyo sighed, putting her phone down before getting out of bed. having a long distance relationship was hard. besides the obvious difficulties of being apart of long stretches of time, there was also the matter of time differences and scheduling conflicts. all that combined meant that jihyo had barely been able to hear mina’s voice that week, just a rushed “hi,” and “i love you, bye!”
jihyo understood that this was a big move for mina. if she did well here, she would be set for life. the restaurant she had been hired by was highly prestigious, and many of their chefs were highly acclaimed. so of course, jihyo was happy, and supported her in her decision.
at the same time, was it so hard to pick up the phone once in a while? maybe jihyo was being a little bitter, but ever since mina had moved, jihyo had been the only one to really initiate any contact; every phone call, every text conversation was started by her.
“well,” a little voice in the back of jihyo’s head said, “it might not be mina’s fault. she must be really stressed right now, especially since she’s in a new neighborhood, in a new kitchen, and with people she doesn’t even know.”
so jihyo conceded, and picked up her phone again to type out a quick text.
“rest up. i love you.”
the three women walked back in, and the host addressed the camera.
“after a long discussion,” jihyo rolled her eyes- it had been a couple of minutes at most, but it seemed like everything had to be exaggerated for viewers’ sakes. “the judges have made their decision.”
“yes, and it was really hard this round. everyone brought their best, and honestly, it ended up being super close.” momo grimaced.
“i’ll be announcing our top pick this round.” sana grinned, and maybe it was jihyo’s imagination, but mina’s gaze seemed to be focused on their station. “these two bakers produced a swiss roll that was not only tasty and well-baked, but beautiful as well. their decoration reflected the childish nature of valentine’s day, but wasn’t tacky or immature. congratulations, ‘one in a million.’”
jihyo gasped, turning towards jeongyeon. the two of them embraced, too caught up in their celebration to care about anything else. they were safe for another round.
“sadly, there can only be one other team that will advance to the finals. this was a really hard choice for us, but the difference between these two groups was one small, but vital thing- balance. ‘jelly jelly’ had a delicious swiss roll, and was perfectly baked- a stark contrast to their cupcakes the round before.” the two girls from “jelly jelly” winced at mina’s blunt statement, “furthermore, they were able to use espresso powder to bring out the chocolate flavor, and they did so without drowning out the delicate chocolate notes.”
“‘say yes,’” sana continued, “paired chocolate with cinnamon, and it was delicious and perfectly baked. however…. they were a little heavy handed with the cinnamon, and this led to the taste being slightly overwhelming. so, i’m sorry ‘say yes.’”
the two bakers from “say yes” smiled, muttering their thanks to the judges before packing up their equipment and saying goodbye.
“cut! that’s a wrap.” the camera crew relaxed, and the four remaining contestants gathered in the middle of the set to talk. but before they could get a word out, one of the crew approached.
“don’t forget to come back again tomorrow, same time.” they would be filming the finals, and needless to say, jihyo hardly felt prepared.
“are you ready for tomorrow?” one of the girls from “jelly jelly” spoke up, a bubbly looking girl. she grinned, and jihyo knowing jeongyeon so well, knew that she must have been really holding back from poking at the girl’s dimples.
“hardly,” jihyo replied, but despite her negative response, her tone was light. the other girls seemed to understand her meaning, and the tall, quiet one let out a short chuckle.
“sorry, baby,” mina rubbed her eyes, “i was so tired after work the other day, i just passed out.”
“i understand. you have to stay rested, anyway. don’t want to fall asleep on the job, right?” jihyo laughed, peering at mina, her image pixelated and blurry on the screen.
“yeah, that would be,” mina yawned, “bad.”
“are you sleepy? i can go if you need to sleep.”
“no, no. you don’t have to. i missed you.” mina rolled over in bed, propping the phone up so she could lay on her side without holding it.
“me too. i missed you a lot. it’s been pretty hard without you, but once you come back, i know we’ll do everything we said we were gonna do. move in together, open our bakery… get married,” jihyo looked back down at the phone screen, smiling once she realized mina was fast asleep. “good night. i love you.”
jeongyeon left the studio before jihyo, eager to get back to their hotel room. so jihyo finished packing up their stuff, before carrying it out to her car. pushing it into the trunk, jihyo stood still for a second, trying to decide whether it would be easier to just keep it there for the night.
“it would probably be easier to just leave it in the trunk.” jihyo heard a soft voice behind her, and turned over her shoulder to respond.
“yeah, i was thinking the same-” her voice trailed off when she saw who was standing behind her. jihyo cleared her throat, “hi, mina.”
“long time no see.” mina smiled. jihyo kept a friendly expression, but inside her head, she was panicking.
“uh,” jihyo turned around fully, facing mina directly, “did you need something?”
“i just,” she swallowed hard, “i wanted to say ‘hi’ to an old friend.”
“well, that’s me. an old friend. so old.” jihyo blabbered, and while internally, she was yelling for herself to shut up, somehow her mouth kept moving.
“i, uh, saw you opened the bakery.” mina interrupted.
“yeah. we’ve been open for a year already.”
“you kept the name?” the two of them had always wanted to open a bakery together, and while they were together, they had picked out a name, “one in a million.” mina had said it represented them- even though they had been born in two completely different countries, even though they came from two very different backgrounds, they had still found each other in the end. now, jihyo thought back on it with a bitter taste in her mouth.
“yeah, it seemed to good a name to waste.” jihyo’s phone buzzed, and she checked it to see that jeongyeon had already arrived at the hotel. “mina…”
“you need to go? it’s okay. i just wanted to see how you were doing.” mina turned to leave.
“no, wait.” jihyo reached out, grabbing mina’s hand before she could leave, but letting it go just as quickly. “i know you’re doing well, and i know you have everything you could ever want not, but i really, truly hope you’re happy now.”
“jihyo…” mina looked like she had a lot more to say, but she just couldn’t push out the words.
“bye, mina.” jihyo turned away, getting into her car. resting her head against the back of her seat, jihyo closed her eyes. how long had it been? how many years had they been apart? and still, mina could make her feel this way with a couple words. slapping her cheeks lightly, jihyo put on her seatbelt and strengthened her resolve. but still…
well, she would have to let go eventually, but maybe she could hold on for a little while longer. glancing at mina in her side mirror, jihyo felt a little pang in her heart. or maybe it would be better to just bite the bullet and stop.