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I wasn't looking when I found you
The blonde girl heavily sighs as she reached the top of the lighthouse. It was on a very remote place, on the top of a steep hill just by the ocean.
Only God knows how many flights of stairs she had to walk on just to get where she is. And so saying that she's "tired" would be the understatement of the year.
"Yaaaah!" she shouted as she saw someone sitting by the railings, watching the ocean.
Her exhaustion instantly dissipates as the girl slowly turned around to face her.
The girl looked surprised at first but slowly her lips was tugged by a wide grin, exposing her adorable bunny teeth as she recognised her friend.
"Hey, Mina-yah." the mystery girl said softly. "What are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?"
"Nayeonie!" she called at the girl as she approaches her to sit beside her, still trying to catch her breath.
"I have been looking for you the entire day! Do you even have your phone with you? I've been trying to contact you..." she said with a pout.
"Jeongyeon-unnie told me about this place. I wasn't sure you would be here though but I really wanted to see you so I thought it's worth a shot."
the younger girl said with a proud look on her face.
"Ugh. Jeong is such a tattle tale. Maybe I should just get a new bestfriend." Nayeon huffed, pretending to be annoyed.
The truth is, the older girl went to the said place because she wanted to be alone.
But as she stares at the younger girl with the dazzling smile in front of her, she felt like as if her soul was flooded by sunshine and decided that the other presence is welcome after all.
The place they are in isn't a very easy place to navigate. Its very far from the city that even mobile phone reception is scarce.
She is just absolutely moved.
Just thinking about what Mina must have gone through just to get to her makes her heart swell with something she cannot point out yet.
"And here I am. You found me." said Nayeon as she put her hand on top of Mina's hand.
"Yup, here you are. I guess, I did." Mina answered as she intertwines their fingers together.
They both stayed that way for a while, both looking at the view; the smell of the warm sea breeze and the sound of the crashing waves surrounding them.
"So.." Mina finally spoke breaking the silence.
"Are you going to tell me why you are hiding out in a remote place like this, alone..?"
Nayeon lets go of the younger girl's hand and touched the back of her neck, scratching a part that's not even itchy.
"hmm.. Well... I'm hiding from you because you're getting clingy.." Nayeon responded in a teasing tone.
Mina rolled her eyes and pouted, faking annoyance. Nayeon is being playful, acting like her normal self.
And if Mina didn't pay so much attention she wouldn't notice the sadness in her eyes. But of course, Mina saw it.
After all, Nayeon is all she ever looks at, she notices everything about her.
The younger girl grabbed the older girl's wrist to stop her from scratching and intertwined their fingers once again.
"Unnie.." she started as she turned her head to face Nayeon.
"Why are you here?"
Nayeon release a heavy sigh and looked at the sky. Mina squeezed the other girl's hand to reassure her, to remind her that she's there, she's with her.
"It's silly..." said Nayeon, turning her head to Mina so they are now face to face.
"just.. you know.. This place contains so many beautiful things so sometimes I come here to look at them"
Nayeon added as she looked down with an unreadable expression.
"I know it sounds silly but it helps.." now slowly looking up at Mina.
"somehow it reminds me that not everything in my life is ugly.. even if most of the time, i feel like its the case.."
As they made eye contact the forlorn smile plastered on Nayeon's face did not go unnoticed. Mina's chest suddenly felt painful.
This person in front of her, the one and only Im Nayeon. the always smiling, always brave, the unbreakable Im Nayeon. the Im Nayeon who held her every time she broke down, the Im Nayeon who never runs out of jokes to say, this same Im Nayeon is looking so weak and vulnerable right now and its all new to her.
The older girl have always shown a strong facade that she never thought that sadness existed in Nayeon's world.
Seeing her like this breaks her heart that the sob she's trying to hold in is threatening to explode.
All she could think about is wrapping her arms around the older girl as tightly as possible as if it would halt the piercing pain in her chest.
But she decided against it. She knew that this time, she has to be strong for Nayeon.
She can't breakdown like a baby in front of her and have the older girl comfort her (again) when Nayeon is the one who's really hurting. It's here turn to be there for her.
So instead Mina put on the bravest and most encouraging face she could muster and urged her self to stop her tears from falling.
She briefly closed her eyes and breathed deeply,
"You are right, this place has so many beautiful things in it. But in my eyes, there's just one particular thing that stands out the most.."
the younger girl answered as she looks at everything seeming like she's absorbing the view.
Nayeon looked at the direction Mina was looking at, "What is it?" she asked curiously.
Mina chuckled, "Its not a "what", its more of a "who.."" she said shyly, almost in a whisper.
Had it not been for the silence of the area, Nayeon might have missed it.
When Mina's answer sunk in, Nayeon felt a wave of heat invade her face.
She took a mental note of how much her heart raced and how much butterflies suddenly went woohoo in her gut.
They were again hugged by a comfortable silence.
When Nayeon gained the courage, she peeked at Mina and saw the younger girl smiling with her eyes closed.
"Hey what are you doing now?"
"shh. I'm trying to make a wish" Mina responded.
Nayeon smiled softly, intrigued by the suddenness of the other girl's action.
"what did you wish for?", she asked.
Mina opens her right eye to give Nayeon a side look,
"I can't tell you or else it wont come true" she finished with a cheeky beam.
The older girl stares at the blonde girl in awe. The charm Mina radiates is just overwhelming that it was almost hard to stop her self from just staring at her all day.
"you know, I read somewhere that if you say your wish out loud on a lighthouse, it will come true."
"that's totally made up, unnie. And since when do you even read?" Mina chuckles.
"yah.. I'm not lying." she answered as she playfully hits her arm.
"Try it!"
"Okay then.."
The blonde girl took in a deep breath and gazed at Nayeon with a sparkle in her eyes.
"I wish that when you think of beautiful things, you will not forget to count yourself in.
I wish that one day, you will see yourself in the way that I see you.
You are beautiful. You are imperfect but you are always enough."
As there eyes locked, there was a connection.
A click.
As if they could see into each other's souls and all of a sudden words are rendered useless.
And in that moment Nayeon knew she no longer has to go to this remote place again, all she's looking for is already contained in this one girl.
Mina found Nayeon or perhaps it was the other way around.