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It was hard to not know anybody at school, but it was even harder to not know anybody at home.
Jeon Heejin found herself staring face to face at the place she was going to be calling home, miles away from home. Here, she was to have a fresh start, at least for a little while.
Studying abroad wasn’t what she had planned for the third year of college, but it felt right. Things at home were starting to turn upside down in her life.
At least here, she didn’t have to worry about growing too attached to anything or anybody. Once the 9 month school year was over, she would say goodbye to this place forever.
And if that meant putting up with the bubbly, lively girl that was her new roommate, it would have to do.
The girl also came here all the way from South Korea, her family and friends and whole life also left behind. Her name was Kim Jiwoo. Heejin was pretty sure her own eardrum ruptured the moment the girl squealed out a hello. The most jarring part was remembering that this girl was the older one.
Jiwoo had arrived earlier, her side of the room already adored in a pink, fluffy aesthetic. It was soft and calm in contrast to the loud, eccentric disposition the girl carried.
Standing in the doorway, Heejin rubbed at one of the gym bags she was carrying. Their sporty outsides matched the type of items that were within. “Hi.” It came out quick and under her breath.
It felt a bit awkward to greet her, after all she was the one who came last and interrupted Jiwoo’s alone time. The girl fixed the bangs in front of her face before standing up and rushing over to her new roommate. A wide smile was across her face.
“You must be Heejin! I’m so glad there was another Korean in this group!” Jiwoo says with a bow. “I can’t wait to study and explore Paris together!”
Paris wasn’t exactly high on Heejin’s escape list, but it seemed interesting enough. It got her far away from the mess that was back at home. The more she could disappear, the better.
Heejin pushed those thoughts aside and showed a tight lipped smile. “It’ll be lots of fun!” she says with enthusiasm, groaning on the inside. Finding a nearby gym and working out all her thoughts was more what she was hoping for during her free time.
The younger girl then proceeded to put her things down and start the task of unloading it all. Meanwhile, Jiwoo was almost glued to her every moment, the smile still on her face. Heejin’s shoulders tensed under her sharp gaze.
After taking out the last items from her bags, Heejin turns around. She clears her throat from her crouched position on the linoleum floor. “Is something wrong?”
She starts to sit up, the sun from an adjacent window blinding her vision. A hand goes up to block it as she looks up at Jiwoo, blinking away the sun. Still, she was smiling.
“The sun is setting.” It comes out in a way that Heejin guessed she meant to take as an obvious answer to the original question. Instead though, it made her frown.
“Oh, yeah.” She walks up to their shared window that goes across both ends of the room. “It is.”
Outside, the sun was lowering itself below the horizon. The last streaks of daylight were shining their hardest against the city’s landscape. Everything was lit up with a bright, pink hue. The passing of cars rolled by the 4 stories below them. The city people were crowding the streets, getting home from work. In a moment that was hectic to be a part of, Heejin became aware she was holding her breath.
She shook the feeling away as she turned back to Jiwoo. “Nice place.” Is all she said, showing a brief smile. With swiftness, Heejin grabbed her black running shoes and her headphones. She sat on the bed, leaning over to tie her shoes as fast as she could.
“I’m gonna go for a run.” She stood up, hurrying to the door. “See you later.”
The door slams shut, leaving a confused and disappointed Jiwoo. She frowns, looking to the ground, heart sinking.
Did she do something wrong?
It was already the third week of classes, and not much changed. Jiwoo was starting to grow impatient with her roommate and her habits.
Heejin was the type to be in and out of the room, even with their lectures. After hours, while everyone went out to party and gawk at the expensive shops, the gym head was nowhere to be found. It concerned Jiwoo that this girl wasn’t going to make any friends or make any memories while she was here.
But, the worry stemmed from personal reasons. Not only was Jiwoo nosy and wanted to know what was up with this girl, but she found her to be gorgeous, and a total mystery. Jiwoo won’t lie that she liked to get peeks at Heejin doing her nighttime plankings on the floor.
It was a Thursday today, which meant that they all only had one class on the lawn outside of the University’s Foyer. Once class was dismissed, everybody was planning on heading to a nearby café for a bite to eat. Jiwoo was eyeing Heejin like a hawk, watching the girl be ready to make a beeline for the gym.
Today was going to be different, if Jiwoo could help it.
The professor then signaled that everyone was dismissed. Jiwoo immediately yelled out and startled the entire 27 other students. “HEEJIN! DON’T LEAVE YET!”
The younger girl’s cheeks turned red at the outburst, all eyes on her. It was the last thing she wanted.
“What is it?!” She whispers with annoyance. Jiwoo crossed her arms. Everyone soon forgot them, walking away across the green lawn into the sunny, city streets.
“You haven’t hung out with me yet.” She states. “We are going to get coffee. Right now.”
Heejin almost scoffed at the demand. She didn't want to be too rude, she still had to share a room with her at the end of the day, so she thought of excuses instead. “I can’t skip a workout today.”
Jiwoo counters it. “You’ve gone every day. You need a break.” Heejin knew she was right, so she racked her brain for something else.
“I need to buy more protein powder though.” She looked around nervously, not sure why Jiwoo had taken an interest in her, when she tried so hard to lay low. “I haven’t had any today.”
Jiwoo sighs in impatience, grabbing Heejin by the arm. She starts to drag her towards the direction of the city shops and busy streets.
“This place has peanut butter cookies. That can be your protein for the day.” Heejin, being dragged by her arm, furrows her brows. Sweets are the last thing she needs. But, it looked like she had no choice.
She gave up, letting the older girl bring her along. When she stopped putting up a fight, Jiwoo took that as a sign to loosen her grip on her toned arm. Instead, she chose to wrap her own arm around it as they walked amongst the busy Parisians in the street. On the inside, Jiwoo was doing somersaults over the feel of the muscle wrapped around her arm.
Heejin’s face turns seven darkened shades of red at the gesture. Her body is stiff at the foreign feeling of being touched so gently, something she hasn’t felt in a long time.
Thankfully, it didn't last very long, as they reached a very modernly adorned café. It was not too crowded, but not empty either. Jiwoo sprints over and holds the door open for her, to which Heejin mumbles a small thanks as they enter.
“This is my new favorite place in the whole world.” Jiwoo says with awe, looking around the place with a smile. “It doesn’t seem like much, but you’ll see why.”
Heejin didn’t particularly care to find out why. It’s not like they’d ever see each other again once they parted at the end of the year. Jiwoo then took them over to a small table by the window.
Jiwoo knew that she wasn’t going to get anything out of Heejin, based on what she was gathering from her actions. So, instead, she proceeded to talk about herself.
She went on for a while talking about North Chungcheong, where she was from, and her family and friends at home. Heejin caught words here and there from her chatter.
After what felt like an eternity, Jiwoo extended her finger to playfully poke at Heejin’s toned shoulder. “So, what about you? Which province are you from? What’s your family and friends like?”
“Gyeonggi-do” Heejin states. Why was she here again? “They’re nice. I don’t really hang out with them much.”
Jiwoo shakes her head. This girl was not letting any walls down. “Do you have someone special at home you hang out with instead?”
Immediately, Heejin flinches, cheeks turning red. Her eyes darted towards the café door.”Do YOU?” the younger girl’s tone came out with a bite. Jiwoo, however, had no problem answering.
“Not anymore, no.” She shows a tight lipped smile. “I was with someone, but things didn’t work out between us. She-“ Jiwoo pauses, unsure how to gather her words.
“She… just wasn’t the right shade of color for me.”
Heejin’s eyebrows shot up, arms still crossed. She looks at Jiwoo and scoffs. “Right shade of color? What does that mean?”
Instead of answering, Jiwoo’s face drops down in surprise. She then excitedly points towards the large, open window of the shop, eyes wide. “Shh, this is it, the reason why I love this place so much!”
Heejin had never seen a sunset so beautiful.
The café sat on an open street, a straight shot view of the Eiffel Tower on the horizon. The sun’s last beams poked out through the architecture, casting out rays of light. They stretched across different directions in the pink sky. It looked as if there was a star sitting in the middle of the structure. Heejin had to admit that it was a breathtaking experience to witness.
She looked over to catch Jiwoo looking at it too. The look on her face was as if she was seeing it for the first time too, even though Heejin was certain she had to be here every day for this view.
Her breath caught in her throat at the sight. Her eyes scanned over the girl’s face, now washed in a pink hue. The light made her eyes glint as they looked out to the sky. Heejin could feel her heartbeat quicken in her chest.
Then, like every other sunset, the sun let itself fall down, the pink light replaced with a darker blue. The day had ended, and so had the moment.
Immediately, Heejin looked down at her lap, cheeks inflamed. “Was nice.” She mumbled. “Thanks for… taking me here.”
Jiwoo’s eyes light up, a smile wide on her face. It looked even brighter than it did at the beautiful display they had just both witnessed. Heejin immediately flinched, concentrating instead on the wood paneled flooring of the café.
“What was that?” Jiwoo says dramatically, bringing a hand to cup her own ear. “Did you perhaps, enjoy our time together?”
Heejin slinks down in her seat, pulling her hoodie over her head. “I didn’t say that.” She grumbled, red face hidden from the girl across the table.
Jiwoo, however, just laughs, a sweet and loud one that seems to rip through Heejin and send a shiver down her spine. She lets out a low grumble.
So much for keeping to herself.
It was a Friday night, weeks after her first hangout with Jiwoo. Heejin was at the dorm, her head in her Biology textbook. Her brows were furrowed in confusion as she scanned the same page for the umpteenth time, totally lost as to what she was meant to be retaining.
She had tried everything to make the space comfortable to concentrate. There was soft music coming from her phone nearby, she was positioned cross crossed on her bed, and she even had a small cheat from her usual strict diet. A small bowl of popcorn was sitting across the way on the green bed duvet.
There seemed to be no point, as she threw herself backwards into her pillows in defeat. A harsh sigh escaped her lips. Her hands came up to press into her eyes, a groan of frustration and tiredness coming out of her throat.
She took a few breaths like that, letting her mind go blank. She then adjusted herself on the bed, picking the book back up and bringing it to her lap comfortably. She brings her eyes to the top of the page, determined to study the material before the test on Monday.
Instead, the dorm door burst open, making Heejin flinch backwards. The popcorn on the bed fell over on the floor. “Shit.” Heejin says in reaction. She goes to tidy the popcorn kernels that were all over her bed.
Jiwoo leans herself against the door, her face flushed a deep red. A lazy smile was present on her face, a giggle escaping her lips.``Heekieeeee~” She whined. “Heekie why are you in beddddd?”
The younger girl’s face turned pink at the use of the new nickname. “I’m studying.” She said plainly, bringing her attention back to the textbook.
Jiwoo giggles as she walks into the room, her movements sluggish. “You can just study on Sunday night like the rest of us.” She said with a huff. She went over to sit on her bed, facing Heejin with a smile. “Why aren’t you out?”
Heejin thinks Jiwoo should know the answer to that by now. Since their hangout several weeks ago, they’ve hung out another several times. All, to no surprise, forcibly initiated by Jiwoo. Heejin wasn’t sure what her issue was with that; she clearly had other friends to go out with.
“I’m busy.” Heejin murmurs. “That’s all.”
Jiwoo hums nonchalantly, not believing it. She then lets herself fall across her bed horizontally. A whine escapes her lips. “I can’t get in my bed unless I shower but I have no energy.”
Heejin ignores her, still concentrating on her Biology studying. Jiwoo proceeds to roll around on her bed in annoyance, her feet kicking up in the air.
“Heekieeee.” She exclaims, making Heejin let out a sigh.
“Yes Jiwoo?” She says calmly, her eyes glued to the book. She hoped Jiwoo would eventually give up and go to sleep.
“I need help getting to the shower.” She says with a pout, sitting up with all her strength. She lets herself slowly fall down in front of herself, propped up on her knees, as she rests her chin on Heejin’s bed. “What if I throw up and die?”
Heejin’s head snaps up. “Are you going to throw up?!” She quickly hops off her own bed, standing on the other side and away from her tipsy roommate. “Please don’t.”
“I don’t know.” Jiwoo says firmly. “You have to help me so that I don’t.” Her words were laced with a playful sass, a smile still on her face.
Heejin didn’t want to clean up someone else’s mess from her bed, or have to run out to get someone should something serious happen.
She walks around to the other side of the room and pulls Jiwoo from her kneeling position on the floor. She then guided them into the hallway to go to the shared bathrooms. Heejin was pretty sure the girl was letting out a whispered “Yayyy!” along the way.
When they got to the bathroom stalls, Heejin let out a small breath upon seeing they were empty. She then ushered the tipsy girl towards one of the stalls, before stopping in her tracks. “Oh, where are your shower things? I’ll get them for you.”
Jiwoo giggles, immediately taking her shirt off. Heejin flinches her gaze away, her face turning almost a matching shade of red.
“They’re under my bed.” Jiwoo says innocently. “Thank you for your help Heekie, you’re so sweet.”
Heejin’s face remains its red color, even while going back to get her shower things. She taps on the shower curtain, extending the small basket out. “Here.”
Jiwoo flings the curtain open, thankfully to Heejin, still in most of her clothes. Going to the gym should’ve made Heejin used to this kind of thing by now, but Jiwoo was somebody she shared a room with, and saw often. She didn’t understand how the girl was so casual about the ordeal. Though, she was pretty tipsy.
“Uh, here.” Heejin says, eyes concentrated on a discolored floor tile across the way.
Jiwoo claps her hands together excitedly, taking the basket from her roommate. “You’re a good roommate, looking out for me like this.” She says with a giggle. “Though, this could’ve been prevented, if you had come out with us tonight.” Her lip pouted. “I like when we hang out.”
Heejin chuckles nervously. “We’ll hang out soon.” She says quickly. She needed to get back to studying.
But instead of starting her shower, Jiwoo sighs, leaning against the side of the stall. “Do you like hanging out with me?” She looks down, her eyes sparking. “I don’t understand why you lock yourself in the room or go to the gym by yourself every day. Is someone being here mean to you?”
Heejin’s eyes darted towards the door. “I like working out.” She says nervously. “And I need to study to keep my grades up.”
But Jiwoo just shakes her head. “Heekie, I keep trying to spend time with you and be your friend.” She frowns. “What’s up? Really? Is it something at home?”
This is not at all how Heejin thought her night was going to go. She shuffled her feet back and forth, eyes glued down to the tiled bathroom floor. She then looked back up, seeing the concern across her roommate's face. She lets out a shaky breath at the sight.
“I’d really rather forget about home.” She says firmly. “Please, just take a shower so we can both go to bed, yeah?”
But Jiwoo doesn’t let her dodge the question. “What’s at home? Please, Heekie.” She steps closer, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Talk to me. I won’t force you to hang out with me anymore if you don’t want to, but at least give me a reason why you’re being so distant.”
It’s as if the world stopped in its tracks. Here was her supposedly tipsy roommate, her cheeks adorned in a pink shade, and her face soft and understanding. Heejin felt in this split second moment that she was safe.
“There’s a…girl.” She murmurs. “We were dating, but-“ She looks down at the floor. “She wasn’t very nice. I was pretty hurt from it.” She admits. “Let’s just put it that way.” She looks up weakly. “Working out is a great way to get my mind off it.”
Jiwoo nods in understanding. She has never seen the muscle head so vulnerable before, and she has to admit, she can feel her feelings growing twice their size.
“But-“ Jiwoo starts, trying to get her intoxicated brain to process correctly. “You can’t assume everyone is going to hurt you.”
Heejin shakes her head, the frustration with herself evident. “I know that.” She exclaims. “But-“
Jiwoo cuts her off, both hands on her shoulders now. “Heekie.” She says softly. “You don’t have to throw yourself into something else. You need to surround yourself with support and let those who want to help in.” She points at herself. “Starting
with me.”
The younger girl blinks in response. The two girls were close, the bathroom around them still empty and the only sound coming from the running shower head behind them. The closeness made Heejin’s chest lurch. It didn’t help that Jiwoo was just in a bra and her underwear.
“Besides,” Jiwoo continued, poking Heejin’s cheek lightly, “She probably wasn’t the right shade of color for you.”
There was that phrase again. Heejin tilted her head to the side in confusion. “What does that even mean?” She said with a chuckle.
But all the tipsy girl did was let out a playful hum. She then turned around to face the running water, taking off her bra and throwing it at Heejin. She turned to look back at the girl over her shoulder, her back exposed and her face in a teasing manner.
“You’ll find out if you let yourself get to know me, Heekie.” She says in a low manner, turning back around with a full laugh.
In response, Heejin immediately closes the curtain, letting Jiwoo shower while she robotically goes to sit on the floor. The girl sings to herself in a joyous manner, while Heejin steadies her own erratic heartbeat.
Jiwoo’s words dance around in her head, the moment unfolding around her like a wave crashing itself against the shore.
There was definitely no use trying to study tonight.
“So, like, do I have to worry about breaking a bone?”
Heejin stops in her tracks, her gym bag falling to her side loosely as she raises an eyebrow at her roommate.
The girl next to her was tapping her foot impatiently, decked out in black leggings and a red crop top, hair tied in a ponytail. She pouted at Heejin when the girl dressed in similar attire started to snicker.
“Hey, it’s a legitimate question!” She states, her hands on her hips. “I haven’t been to the gym in a few years. It could be very different.”
But Heejin just waves her free hand in the air, laughing as they continue to make their way to the downtown gym. She knew the way by now; after all, she's now been here a few months.
Jiwoo and Heejin had been spending more time together since the initial shower incident, which was weeks ago now. Heejin, even, had started initiating plans to hang out together. They had been to just about every local shop or café that was walkable, returning to Jiwoo’s favorite place to watch the sunset more often than not.
This time, after a long conversation on workouts that got Heejin worked up, she decided to bring Jiwoo to the gym with her. She wanted to show her how her routine went, since the girl was so curious.
Mainly, Jiwoo kept to herself, she just wanted to know how Heejin had managed to stay so strong and have those visible muscles she always swooned over. She may have all too excitedly agreed to go to the gym at the thought of seeing them pop out and tone right before her eyes.
“You’ll be fine.” Heejin reassures her, a small smile forming on her face. “I won’t let any of the five pounders crush your little arms.” She chuckles lightly, opening the door to the gym and gesturing for her to step in.
“Aw, thanks.” Jiwoo says with a smile, before letting it falter. “Hey!” She then exclaims, piecing together what her roommate meant. “I can lift more than that!”
A loud laugh escapes Heejin’s mouth, guiding them down a hallway and towards the locker rooms to put away their bags.
She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but Heejin was excited to have someone with her at the gym, more importantly, that it was Jiwoo. The more time the two spent together, the more Heejin found herself enjoying it.
Even though Jiwoo still scolded her for not hanging out with the others, Jiwoo was secretly happy that she got Heejin all to herself. Even though the shower incident made her blush furiously each time Heejin brought it up and made fun of her for it, she was glad it brought them to this point.
Their bags away, the girls find themselves in the middle of the semi- empty gym. Jiwoo was feeling self conscious, so Heejin opted to take her at the best time when it’s empty. It was late afternoon, just after dinner time. Everyone was out eating by now, leaving the gym to themselves and a small handful of others.
Jiwoo, as well, was unsure what to do. She stood lost, her eyes darting around the brightly lit room, many machines she was unfamiliar with surrounding her. This caused Heejin to laugh, stepping forward to grab her wrist and drag her over to one of them.
Once they get to a cable machine, Heejin sits Jiwoo down on one of the benches nearby. “Let me show you some upper body stuff.” She declares, putting a peg in one of the heavier settings on the . “It’s all about how you hold yourself.” She then grabs the bar in front of her, beginning her demonstration.
Their time at the gym consisted mainly of Heejin showing Jiwoo how to do an hour’s worth of workouts, with the information hardly being retained. Jiwoo spent their time ogling at her roommate, in awe at how much the girl was able to lift in different ways. She could feel her face permanently flushed at the blessing she was witnessing in front of her.
But, beyond that, Jiwoo also felt a stronger sense of admiration for her roommate. Heejin was really committed to strengthening herself, fully immersed in what she was showing Jiwoo. Her heart couldn’t help but grow triple in size at seeing this side of Heejin.
“...and that’s how many sets of shoulder presses I do.” She wipes off her hands, face glistening with sweat. Her breathing was a bit heavier, as she went to put her hands on her hips. “Why don’t you try something I’ve shown you?”
Jiwoo snaps back to earth, despite staring at Heejin the whole time. “Um,” She starts, looking around. “It all looks very advanced.” She admits with a nervous laugh. “I wouldn’t-”
Her words cut off, Heejin grabbing her by the wrist again. “Come on! Just try one thing. I’ll even help you.”
Unable to protest, Jiwoo is taken to a rack of medium sized weights. Heejin looks them over and settles on one that’s at the lowest weight of twenty pounds. She hands it to Jiwoo, and the girl blinks down at it. “Uh-”
“Here.” Heejin says cooly, standing behind her. She leans herself forward, her palms on top of Jiwoo’s hands. She pulls the girl’s back towards her front.
“Just do some bicep curls.” She suggests. She pushes Jiwoo’s hands holding the weight in the correct motion towards herself. “Like this.”
“You must love this so much that you’re doing my workout for me.’ Jiwoo giggles, causing Heejin to roll her eyes and fail to suppress a laugh herself.
“Shut it!” She jokes. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself!”
Heejin knows that she’s been here too long, lifting the weight with her body pressed up against Jiwoo’s own. But while she did not want an accident to happen, she had to admit that it felt nice. She’s happy that she had Jiwoo to hang out with, and even happier that she wanted to come to a place she frequented often.
The sun started to set. The sky lit up in its usual pink hue, seeping through the large windows that led to the outside world. Passerbys paid no attention on their way home, but that wasn’t the case inside the gym. Heejin and Jiwoo had stopped moving the weight, letting it rest in their joined hands, their mouths open in awe. It never got old.
“You never told me this was the best sunset view in the city.” Jiwoo whispered, her eyes never leaving the window. “It’s the best one of all.”
Heejin then looks over, realizing their close proximity. She swallows a lump in her throat, the girl next to her bathed in a pink light. Her eyes glistened against the light, and a new feeling unearthed itself inside of Heejin.
Their hangouts were always more than just that. Their shared attachment to watching the sunset, too, was beyond that just casual roommate things. Their time together had always been something more special than what Heejin had imagined it to be, becoming more serious right in front of her eyes. What was between them was the beginning of a deep and meaningful connection, one that Heejin had slowly, over time, become fond of.
Heejin immediately takes a step back, breaking apart the moment. Jiwoo turns around, looking at Heejin with concern. “Heekie?” Is all she says.
But Heejin had taken the weight in her hands, looking frantically around the room, striding over briskly to the rack to replace it in its empty spot. Jiwoo had followed right behind. “Heejin, what is it?” It came out a bit more stern.
The younger girl’s hands were shaking as she lazily placed the weight back on the shelf. This caused the small rack of them to shift.
The heaviest weight fell off its bottom rung, softly knocking itself into Heejin’s shin.
A noise of surprise and hurt leaves her lips, her hand going to her leg immediately. Jiwoo, too, runs over, concern written all over her face. “Heekie? Are you okay?”
The girl’s soft touch sends shivers down Heejin’s spine. She looks up to meet her even softer gaze, only to look back down, cheeks red in embarrassment and alarm. “Y-yeah.” She rubs at her sore shin, wincing. A bruise was definitely going to form in the morning. “I just- I need to go home.”
“Does it hurt that bad?” Jiwoo asks, reaching out to see it.
But Heejin knocks her hand away. Not only had she embarrassed herself, she had realized just how far she had let Jiwoo into her life. This was never supposed to happen in the first place. After all, she came here with the sole intention of escaping the bitter feeling of what eventually happens when you let someone get too close.
“You should go meet up with your friends.” She says defeated, hiding her face in shame. “I have to get this checked out.”
She gets up and slightly limps her way towards the exit, her head down. Jiwoo calls after her, but is met with no response.
She watches as the girl heads back towards their dorm. The very end of the sunset meets the horizon line, the pink in the sky turning itself to a bleak, light gray.
Jiwoo spends the rest of the evening thinking over what happened. She and Heejin had just gotten to such a sweet and fun part of their time in getting to know each other, and it all seemed to crumble in one strange moment.
One moment that Jiwoo could pinpoint the reason for in the dark.
The door to the shared dorm burst open. Heejin, however, didn’t flinch. She remained under her covers, a lump underneath her fluffy blankets.
“Heekie.” Jiwoo says softly. “How is your leg?”
“It hurts.” She says immediately. “I’d like to sleep it off.”
There’s a short silence, before Jiwoo walks over and throws the covers off Heejin. This causes the girl to jolt up in her bed, a frown on her face.
“What the hell??” She says with annoyance. “What is your problem?”
“Tell me what you were thinking.” Jiwoo states plainly, her expression full of concern.
“Thinking when?” Heejin asks in disbelief, attempting to grab at the blanket. Jiwoo, however, takes it off the bed and puts it on her own.
“When you were looking at me in the gym.” Jiwoo says. “During the sunset.”
Heejin didn’t realize Jiwoo had noticed her staring. Her face turned pink at the thought. “Does it really matter?” She asks defeatedly.
“Yes, it absolutely does.” Jiwoo crossed her arms. “Because I already know exactly what it was.”
Heejin freezes for what seems like minutes. Her gaze shifts towards the floor, afraid her eyes contained all her thoughts. How could Jiwoo know what was going on in her head? Everything felt so loud, all at once, and new.
Immediately, she stood up. Despite the light limp in her leg from her earlier bruise, she managed to briskly make her way towards the window. She kept quiet as her eyes looked out amongst the dark, Paris night. There were lights scattered all over the buildings, and there were still pockets of people out. The Seine was aglow with the reflection of the nightlife, donning the city of love in its usual attire. It had to be the middle of the night, and yet, everything was still awake.
That included what was stirring up inside of Heejin. She looked over and saw that Jiwoo had joined her at the window.
“Heekie-”
“I’m terrified, Jiwoo.”
Her words come out as a whisper. “I’m terrified because now every time I look out this window, I am met with the first moment of when we met.” She turns her body around, facing Jiwoo fully.
“I’m terrified that life repeats itself in vicious cycles, and that I am infinitely cursed. Cursed with living in a world where people come into my life and ruin it, over and over again.” She takes a step closer, her eyes staring hard at the ground at their feet.
“And I’m terrified because I understand exactly what you mean now when you talk about someone being the right shade of color.” She swallows a lump in her throat and dares herself to meet Jiwoo’s soft, understanding gaze.
“I will never see a sunset without seeing you there to share it with me. And I-” She takes a deep breath. “I want to see so many more with you, and I’m scared that time will run out and we will go our separate ways and I didn’t get a chance to keep you around for longer.”
Jiwoo grabs at Heejin and pulls her into herself, arms snaking around each other in a tight embrace. Heejin, sleep deprived and nervous, lets herself melt into a sweet, warm embrace.
“I will never see the color pink the same way ever again.” She continues with a whisper. “And I guess that means our time spent together has gotten really special to me and I have feelings for you.”
It seems as if the only sound that can be heard is the distant sound of the city outside, alongside the hard pounding that comes from Heejin’s heart. They stay locked together, frozen, as Heejin’s words wash over them both.
Then, Jiwoo lets out a small chuckle. Slowly, Heejin looks up at her, and is met with those adorable, blushing cheeks. “You guess?”
“Wh-what?” Heejin says, taking a step back. “That’s all you have to s-”
Jiwoo cuts her off with a giggle and soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. “You do get it now.” She says with a beaming smile. “Now, we are on the same page.”
Just then, dawn broke through the clouds. The sun started its slow rise back towards the sky in hopes of blazing throughout a whole other day. As it did so, the city’s lights started to shut off, one by one, and let the world blend itself in a new, pink light.
Heejin and Jiwoo took the opportunity to exchange glances, and let out laughter together. Had they really stayed up all night about this?
Instead of making a fuss, or heading towards their beds, the girls let their eyes go back towards the rising sun, the world still bathed in its pink light. Jiwoo let herself fall against Heejin, her head resting in the crook of her roommate’s neck. They watched for a short moment, before the sun had risen.
The rest of their time together in Paris passed by all too quickly. Every sunset, or rise, had been watched together when the moment presented itself. This continued on for the remaining months of the study abroad program. These months were filled with stress for exams, exploring new places together, and learning to fall deeper into their feelings.
But, just as Heejin originally feared, it could not last. Their goodbyes after the flight were overly dramatic, but well placed. Neither girl really had any idea when they’d see each other again. At least, they both thought, they were both within the same country and could easily visit. Nevertheless, it was still hard to date someone out of town, and being so busy, too.
Heejin had come back to the place she tried so desperately to escape. Yet, the anxiety inside of herself surrounding it and the people that she was leaving behind had melted away. Her time with Jiwoo had taught her to let go of the past and move forward; and she intended to do just that.
That included making amends with her friends at home, whom she decided to ghost for her time away. They were angry, sure, but they took her back in with open arms. Before long, her usual gang of friends were hanging out and having fun.
It was a good distraction from missing her girlfriend Jiwoo, but it wasn’t totally effective. “Would you quit staring at your messages?” Yerim scolds her. They were on their way out to get ice cream to fend off the sweltering heat. Heejin, however, was acting mopey, staring at her phone, and complaining of ruining her workout for the day with sweets.
“Jiwooming hasn’t answered me yet.” She pouts, causing Yerim, Jinsol, and Jungeun to collectively groan. The four girls made their way down a busy street, the late afternoon still hot and beating down on their necks.
“When did you get so soft?” Jinsol frowns in playful disgust. “It’s nice to see you happy these days, but my god, Heejin.”
This causes the brunette to jog forward on the sidewalk more, swatting at her friends. “Hey, quit it!” She yells at them, face turning red. “Let me sulk in peace!”
The group’s laughter died down as they pressed on. The temptation for a cold, refreshing treat was getting stronger for them all. The late afternoon sky was starting to get more orange as evening was crossing time’s threshold. As the sun went down, so did Heejin’s feelings.
They all made it to the ice cream spot, ordered their favorites, and sat on a bench outside. In quiet, all of the girls licked away at their cones, savoring each cooling bit. The sky was now almost at its pinkest.
“It’s funny.” Yerim breaks the silence between them all. “We were so upset you basically ditched us, but I can see now that you might’ve needed to.” Jinsol and Jungeun nodded in agreement. “I can see now that not only did Jiwoo show you that you can try again, but she also has made you more…open.”
Heejin sagged her shoulders at the mention of Jiwoo. “I just wish she was closer.” She admits. “When I was close to her, when we spent time together, the world around us felt like… well, this.” She gestures to the sunset that was active around them. “Only better.”
“Closer like…across the street?”
Jinsol’s question confused Heejin, only until she looked to her left. There, waiting at the end of the sidewalk, stood Jiwoo, grinning wide and giving a playful wave.
Without questioning a thing, Heejin drops the remainder of her frozen treat to the ground. She starts running straight at the girl she’s been missing. She buries her head in the crook of her neck.
“What are you doing here?” Heejin asks into her shirt, causing her girlfriend to giggle.
“Your friends begged me to come.” She says with a playful shrug. “They said you needed to stop complaining so much.”
She turned her head back towards her friends, who all were laughing and waving at them. She immediately flipped them off, but followed with a mouthed “thank you”.
The girls then faced each other, then at the sky above them. Just as they did so, the pink in the sky disappeared, leaving the gray bleakness of the beginning of night.
“We missed it.” Heejin says with a pout, causing Jiwoo to cup her face lightly. She then brought her to look back down and make them lock eyes. She shook her head, right before planting a soft kiss on her girlfriend’s lips.
“There will be plenty more to see.” She reassures her. “And besides,” Jiwoo wraps an arm around her girlfriend. She guides them back towards the group of friends who were waiting for them both. “The sunset might be a pretty pink, but you’re always my favorite color.”