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It all started in her freshman year of high school.
Mina was in an entirely new environment. Well, actually everyone was.. But this was kind of different. She had recently moved to an entirely new country meaning she had absolutely nobody. While others may have had some returning friends, she was just.. There.. alone.. with nobody to turn to. That was until Jihyo came around.
She and Jihyo happened to be lab partners which ended up in them becoming friends. After explaining how she had recently moved here, Jihyo did everything to make sure that she was comfortable and enjoying her time in her new home. Mina absolutely adored her for it.
Soon, that adoration turned into affection.
And then, Mina realized she may have a not so little crush on Jihyo.
Mina tried to deny it.
She had started to avoid Jihyo in order to show that she could definitely live without her. To show that this is just a minuscule crush that could go away with time.
…
She was wrong.
So, so wrong.
The more she avoided Jihyo, the more she was drawn to her. It just didn’t make sense! How could she fall for someone in just a short amount of time? Doesn’t this only happen in movies?
She notices how confused Jihyo is due to her sudden change in behavior. She notices how hurt she seems, but just can’t bring herself to approach her. How would she feel if she found out about her feelings? She doesn’t want to lose what they have.
…
But, with the way Jihyo keeps looking at her... The way her heart aches when Jihyo stops trying to talk to her… the way their friendship seems to be falling apart despite her hiding her feelings.
She decides she has to tell her.
There’s no other way.
She can’t keep avoiding Jihyo if she wants to continue being around her.
Mina doesn’t know how confessions work, so she just tried her best. During their lunch break, she approached Jihyo and sat down. She apologized about avoiding her, explaining how she was dealing with an internal conflict and how she didn’t want what she was thinking to ruin their friendship.
She takes a deep breath and says, “I don’t know why it happened this fast, but I like you.”
Jihyo sighs with a sad smile as she looks into her eyes. Mina swears she heard her heart break with her response.
“I’m sorry, Mina, but I don’t feel the same way. I have a girlfriend.”
It takes her everything to prevent the tears from falling. It takes her everything for her to not just get up and run off, and Jihyo realizes this. She hugs her and soothingly rubs her back. That just.. breaks her.
She cries into her shoulder, gripping Jihyo’s shirt.
“I’m sorry,” she sobs, “I’m so sorry.”
She feels Jihyo smile, “You don’t need to apologize for how you feel, alright? You’re amazing and I’m sure the right person will come to you someday.”
“Thank you,” she whispers, “For everything.”
“You’re very welcome, Mina.”