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“It’s a crime how you have never brought me to your hometown.” Yizhuo has her arms spread wide open, letting herself get enveloped by the gusty winds of the sea. “How can you keep this beautiful view away from me?!”
Minjeong smiles, but it’s tinged with a bit of melancholy. She didn’t exactly want to come back home to Busan, but after graduating university, she felt like she owed it to her parents to pay them a visit.
“I’m glad you like it, Ning.” Minjeong wraps her arms around the smaller girl’s waist from behind. “I can’t wait to show you all my old stomping grounds.”
Yizhuo turns in her arms, eyes bright with excitement. “Your old school? Your all time favorite restaurant you never ever shut up about? The bowling alley you used to spend hours wasting away in?”
Minjeong nods. Don’t get her wrong, she was excited to finally be able to show Yizhuo the amazing place that she grew up in. What she wasn’t looking forward to was more of a who than a where.
She feels a nudge. “Are you nervous about seeing your parents?” Yizhuo’s expression is etched with concerned curiosity.
The sigh that comes out of Minjeong’s mouth is light and shaky. “Yeah.” She breathes, tightening her arms around Yizhuo’s waist and nuzzling her nose into her shoulder.
Yizhuo reaches up and pats her head. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be right here with you.”
~
Jimin, being too focused on snipping away at thorny stemmed roses, doesn’t notice the wary look her cousin Ryujin is giving her. She heard from a friend of a friend that Kim Minjeong would soon be back in town to visit her parents. Word traveled fast in their community.
But Jimin was never tuned into that kind of stuff. She would much rather put her attention on caring for the floral shop that they inherited from their mothers a few years back.
Ryujin fights with herself. A part of her wants to tell Jimin, prepare her for the inevitable. The other part of her wants to protect her from all the worry and grief it may give her.
“I already know what you’re going to say, Ryu.”
The younger girl pauses, eyebrows furrowing. “Do you? Because I don’t think you do.” She mumbles that last part with a grimace.
“I know she’s back in town.” Jimin mumbles back. She bites her lip, a nervous habit that just never seemed to go away no matter how hard she tried.
“How?” Ryujin is genuinely curious.
“Special order of white chrysanthemums came in this morning before you got here.”
Ryujin grimaces again. “Oh.” Then she realizes something. “Wait, and you weren’t going to tell me?”
Jimin shrugs, putting aside the freshly cut roses into a glass vase half filled with water. “It has to be delivered in a few hours. Do you want to come with me?”
“You don’t even need to ask.”
~
Minjeong lets her feet take her down a path she’s only walked once before, that somehow her body knew where to lead her. Yizhuo’s warm hand in hers is the only thing tying her back down to earth.
She stops in front of two tombstones. “We’re here.” She kneels onto the grass, briefly admiring the white chrysanthemums placed carefully around the space. Minjeong’s gaze moves up to the names of her parents. “Hi Mom, hi Dad. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Yizhuo joins her in kneeling, paying her respects. She turns to Minjeong, listening and waiting for her permission to speak.
“I brought someone that I want you two to meet.”
“Hello, it is nice to finally meet you.” Yizhuo bows deeply.
After a couple more exchanges, a comfortable silence welcomes them. Minjeong reaches her hand out to grab Yizhuo’s again, letting out a sigh in relief when it brings her instant comfort.
~
“Who is that with her?” Ryujin asks from the passenger side of the company van. Looking through the window, in the far distance, they could see two figures standing in front of the flower arrangement they had just set up.
Jimin knew the answer to her cousin’s question. But instead of responding, she starts the engine. “Let’s get out of here.”
~
It happened a week after Minjeong’s high school graduation.
An unusual freak storm wreaked havoc on the small boats that were out at sea collecting fish that day.
Her parents never made it back home.
After their funeral, she had made the decision to move across the country to a university that was her last pick. She was desperate to leave behind what caused her indescribable pain.
Minjeong wanted to forget. She wanted to start someplace new, somewhere that she didn’t have memories. Somewhere she could make new, happy ones.
~
“Does she even know that we took over the shop?” Ryujin just can’t seem to let the topic go, much to Jimin’s mild dismay. “I mean, she wouldn’t order flowers from here knowing that you—“
Jimin deadpans. “We’re the only flower shop in town.”
Ryujin scrunches her nose. “You’re right.” Jimin busies herself with reorganizing the displays in the front of their shop. “I hope she has been well.”
“I hope so, too.” Jimin says, not missing a beat.
~
Yizhuo wakes up first, slipping out of bed as quietly as she can without waking Minjeong. She wanted to go out and surprise her with a gift. She just didn’t know what yet.
Clearly unfamiliar with the area, Yizhuo relies heavily on flashy signs. She turns a corner into an alleyway, noticing a small flower shop nestled in between a café and a restaurant.
Flowers for Yu
“Perfect.” Yizhuo grins. She browses the display set up in the front.
“Looking for something specific?” The sudden voice startles Yizhuo. “You’re Ningning, right?” This startles her more.
She swivels around to see a tall, dark haired gorgeous girl who couldn’t be that much older than her. Yizhuo wracked her brain trying to remember if she’s met this woman before, but she knows she would never forget a face like that. “How do you know my name?”
“You’re here to get Minjeong something, right? Does she still like yellow tulips?”
“You know Minjeong?”
“We only have pink tulips on display, but I might have some yellow in the back.” This girl did not answer a single one of Yizhuo’s questions. It peaked her interest even more.
She follows the woman into the store. “Who are you?”
The girl smirks. “The co owner of this shop.”
Yizhuo stomps her feet, coming real close to whining in frustration. “Stop that!” She halts at the counter while the strange woman disappears into the back. Yizhuo takes the time to look around the place.
Her eyes zero in on a cork board hanging on the wall. It was plastered with photos. She gasps when she sees Minjeong in quite a few of them. She looked younger with cute chubby cheeks.
The woman returns with a bouquet of yellow tulips. “It’s on the house.”
“You’re one of her friends, aren’t you?” Yizhuo is still staring at the wall, at a particular picture she’s never seen before. Minjeong in a graduation outfit, standing next to a younger version of the woman that was currently standing next to her.
The photo below was another variation, but with an unfamiliar girl standing on the other side of Minjeong.
They looked… happy.
“She’s never mentioned us to you, has she?”
“No, she hasn’t.” It brings a weird feeling to the pit of Yizhuo’s stomach. How much did Minjeong hide away from her life back home?
“She’s told me about you, though.” Yizhuo spins around in surprise. “It was a long time ago, but I remember. She sent me a picture of you two.”
This makes Yizhuo feel slightly better.
“You better get these back to her before she wakes up and notices that you’re gone.”
~
Jimin gets a text later that night.
you up?
She stares at the message, sighing, opting to call her back instead of replying. The line rings only once before it’s answered. “Hey.”
“What do you want, Aeri? I thought we were done with this.” Jimin says quietly. She was still at the shop doing some last minute arrangements that were due early next morning. Ryujin was in the back room helping out and she didn’t want her to hear.
There’s a pause on the other end of the line. “I’m not calling about that.” Jimin bites her lip, anticipating the other girl’s next words. “Has she come around to see you yet?”
“No.”
Ryujin bustles out of the back room carrying tubs of water and dead flowers. “If you don’t mind, I will be leaving now!”
Jimin jumps at the noise. “I got to go, I’ll talk to you later. I promise.” She quickly hangs up the call. Her cousin doesn’t even notice. “Are you taking those with you or dumping them out?”
Ryujin doesn’t respond, only offering a salute as a farewell before she leaves. What a strange girl.
Jimin still had one small arrangement to finish. She makes sure to close the front gate first before retreating back to the counter top.
Ten minutes into her work, Jimin hears fast footsteps coming from a distance. Her eyebrows furrow. She checks the time: eleven o’clock. Who could be running around at this time of night?
She hears the front gate rattle and it shakes her out of her thoughts. “Yu Jimin! I know you’re in there.”
Jimin’s entire body freezes. The peony in her hand falls to the ground.
“Or not?” Came the voice again, slightly quieter and defeated. “If you’re in there, I just wanted to thank you for my parent’s flowers. They looked beautiful.”
Jimin can feel a tightening grip on her heart. “Minjeong? Is that really you?” It’s a stupid question, Jimin knows, but she just couldn’t believe that the other girl was here right now, actually talking to her.
Out of sight, but always on her mind.
“Jimin! I knew you were in there.”
She reaches the front gate and finally sees her. After four long years, right in front of her. Just within reach through the gate.
Minjeong has her head down, hands gripping the gate. Jimin instinctively reaches her hand out too, grabbing the shorter girl’s attention. “How’d you know I would be here?”
“Ningning told me she saw you.”
“Are you two still—“
“No. We broke up a long time ago.”
“Then why—“
“She’s still my best friend.”
Minjeong’s words cut through Jimin in a certain way that reopens old wounds, but she tries her best to plaster on a fake smile. “That’s sweet.”
A silence washes over them. Jimin notes how Minjeong’s chubby cheeks have slimmed, looking mature, but still as cute as she remembers. Her hair is cut short, shoulder length with waves and a slight orange tint to it.
“It’s late, I should probably get back.” Minjeong averts her gaze.
“Let me walk you.” Jimin offers. “I was just about to leave as well.”
“No, it’s alright—“
Jimin cuts her off. “It’s not safe. You should’ve waited until morning to come out here.” She pulls open the front gate, letting herself out. She can finish her arrangement tomorrow.
Minjeong backs away, creating some distance between them. She fidgets with her hands, voice coming out in a whisper. “I’m sorry. I just had to see you.”
Jimin’s heart plummets. Every cell in her body is screaming at her to just wrap Minjeong up in a long awaited hug, but her mind was fighting back. Don’t. Don’t scare her away.
That’s what happened last time.
~
Jimin feels a shot glass being shoved into her clammy hands.
“Drink! The night is still young!” Aeri screams into her ear over the booming music. They were at a classmate’s graduation party, the biggest house on the block to fit what seemed to be their entire grade in attendance.
“Where’s Minjeong?” Jimin asks first.
Aeri throws back her own shot, grimacing from the burning taste. “I think she’s sitting on the couch with Ryujin.”
Jimin shoves the still full shot glass back into Aeri’s hand. “I’ll be around.”
“Party pooper!” She hears Aeri yell after her. Jimin smirks, heading out into the living room to find her cousin and friend.
Approaching the couch in question, she spots the back of Ryujin’s head sitting next to an unfamiliar figure. “Hey, where’s Minjeong?” Upon closer inspection, she recognizes the girl sitting next to her cousin.
Hwang Yeji, Ryujin’s longtime crush.
Jimin rolls her eyes at Ryujin’s lack of response. She smacks her shoulder, finally grabbing her attention. “Dude. Where’s Minjeong?”
“I don’t know! I think she went out to get some fresh air.”
“And you let her go by herself? Are you nuts?” Jimin smacks the back of Ryujin’s head. “I’ll be right back.”
Ryujin waves her off without so much as a glance her way. Jimin sets off on her search again, this time continuing up the stairs to the second floor where she knew there was access to the roof.
Jimin easily spots Minjeong by the tall ledge, standing alone, admiring the night sky. She wasn’t even buzzed anymore from the one beer she had hours ago (Jimin didn’t even like beer, but it was what Minjeong was having).
She wonders why she feels warm when it’s freezing outside. Jimin doesn’t think it has to do with the alcohol.
“What are you doing out here?”
Minjeong flinches. “Oh gosh, you scared me!” She turns her body and that’s when Jimin notices what’s in Minjeong’s hand.
Her eyes go wide. “Minjeong, what the hell!” She surges forward to swipe the cigarette from the smaller girl’s grasp. “Since when did you smoke?”
“I have never.” Minjeong shrugs. “Someone just offered me one and I couldn’t say no.” There was something in her tone, and for the first time ever, Jimin couldn’t quite pinpoint what.
Jimin flicks the stick over the ledge. “Good thing I caught you in time. That’s a nasty habit you don’t want to pick up, Minjeong.”
A beat passes.
“Why do you care?”
Jimin feels the mood shift around them. Minjeong’s eyes are dark and swimming with emotion the taller girl isn’t used to seeing from her. She was usually calm and collected, never irrational.
“Why do I care? You’re my best friend. Of course I should care.” Something didn’t feel right, something felt off, and Jimin didn’t like it one bit. “Are you drunk? Why are you acting weird?”
She sniffs the air. Not a trace of cigarette smoke or alcohol lingering around them. They were both painstakingly sober.
Minjeong’s gaze drops to her feet. “I got accepted to this university in Seoul.” Jimin’s eyes bulge out of her head, she opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. “But, I’m not considering it, because… because—“
“Why not? That’s great news, Minjeong.” Jimin’s voice comes out weak. They’ve never been apart their entire lives and Jimin didn’t want to start now. As selfish as that may be.
She had plans to stay in town, go to community college, and take over her mother’s flower shop one day.
Minjeong was shy, reserved, but Jimin knew she sought after big dreams. She wanted to major in music and all the best programs were in Seoul, far from Busan.
“You should go.” Jimin croaks out. No matter how much it hurt, she needed to be encouraging. This was what Minjeong wanted, right?
Minjeong finally raises her head, staring deeply into Jimin’s eyes. “But I want you to give me a reason to stay.”
Jimin’s breath hitches in her throat.
~
It was all thanks to Aeri that Minjeong knew she felt something more for Jimin. Being close since they were kids, Minjeong had thought that all best friends were like this. That all best friends acted like this.
Aeri came crashing into them in middle school, smoothly integrating as their third. A duo becomes a trio. Like a missing piece.
That was when Minjeong realized that all best friends don’t act like the way her and Jimin do.
~
Jimin walks Minjeong to her front door and without another word, Minjeong throws her arms around Jimin’s neck in a tight hug.
“I missed you.”
She can’t get herself to hug her back. It felt like she didn’t deserve to, not after everything that’s happened. Tears threaten to escape from her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Minjeong. I’m so sorry.”
Minjeong pulls away, a sad smile on her face. “We’re here now. All we can do is move forward.”
~
Minjeong lays up in bed, staring at the ceiling of her old childhood bedroom. Her older brother frequently came back to tend to the house and pay off bills that she didn’t need to worry about. It was nice to still have a piece of her parents here.
“Can’t sleep?” Yizhuo rustles next to her.
She nods. “Just thinking about stuff. Being here brings back so many memories.”
Yizhuo stays mum, waiting for Minjeong to elaborate if she wanted to. Minjeong snuggles even further under their shared blanket before she speaks again. “I know it took me a while to bring you here, I’ve always wanted to and I knew we eventually would, but it was just so hard in the beginning.”
Yizhuo knows this. Minjeong was a wall when they first met and it took years for that wall to crumble just a little bit to let her in. Even then, Minjeong still held back a lot from her. Yizhuo didn’t blame her, though, how could she?
“She clearly still cares about you, you know.”
It’s quiet, with the illuminating moon spilling into her bedroom. Minjeong chuckles lightly. “Are you jealous?”
Yizhuo finds Minjeong’s hand under the covers. “I’m being serious. You have people here who still care about you and haven’t forgotten about you.” She squeezes her hand. “I want you to be happy.”
Minjeong turns to face Yizhuo, a small pout on her lips. “But I am happy. With you.”
“I am your person, yes, but these are your people.”
This makes Minjeong snort. “What kind of corny line is that?”
Yizhuo grins widely. “Just call me a poet.” Minjeong bumps their foreheads together, mirroring her grin.
“You’re so silly.”
~
There’s a knock on Jimin’s front door. “Ryu, can you get that? I’m in the middle of making breakfast.” She whisked at her eggs while her cousin grumpily answered the door.
“Oh hey, Aeri. Come on in.”
Jimin freezes her movements. She sends Ryujin a pointed look before plastering on a fake smile. “Hey Aeri! What are you doing here so early in the morning?”
Aeri offers Ryujin a polite smile before turning Jimin’s way. “We need to talk.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now. You’ve been putting this off for far too long now.”
Jimin’s lip twitches. “Ryu, can you watch my eggs?”
They move outside onto the veranda, away from Ryujin’s nosy ears. “I can’t believe you woke up this early in the morning just to come here.” Jimin mutters, glancing behind her shoulder to see Ryujin lurking around the window. She shoos her away, pointing her towards the kitchen where she should be watching her eggs.
“I’m going to see Minjeong.”
“Okay.” Jimin wasn’t sure of what to say to that. “Does she know that you’re going to see her?”
Aeri looks up at her, eyes narrowed. “She doesn’t.” She fully turns towards her. “But I’m assuming you’ve already seen her?”
Jimin nods, still averting her gaze from Aeri. “She came around the shop after you called me.”
“What interesting timing.”
Jimin sighs, feeling defeated. Exhausted from running around in circles with who she once considered her best friend. “What exactly are you going to say to her? What would be the point?”
Aeri slumps next to her. They look out at the view of the small forest Jimin had behind her apartment building. “She deserves to hear the truth. For us to be honest.”
“What happened between us was ages ago, Aeri. I’m not sure there’s any point in telling her what’s past.”
A silence breezes between them. “Sure, you make a good point, but what are you afraid of?” Aeri knows the answer to this, she just wants to know if Jimin knows the answer herself. Too many years had gone by with neither Jimin nor Minjeong surrendering to their true feelings.
Aeri wanted to give them a chance to start from an honest foundation. She wished for that for her closest childhood friends.
“Jimin?” She finally looks into Aeri’s eyes. She finds familiarity and comfort and consistency. Aeri had always been by her side, even after everything.
Jimin’s throat locks up, facade finally crumbling because… she knew what she was afraid of. “Aeri, I think she’s moved on.”
~
Minjeong still had one person to see.
She wondered when she would magically appear in front of her, but she definitely wasn’t expecting to run into Aeri Uchinaga at the town’s Saturday market.
“Actually, I knew you would be here. You never could resist a good bowl of noodles from this place. I remember.”
Aeri was right. It was practically tradition for Minjeong to come visit this hole in the wall noodle restaurant. There were countless times where she had dragged Jimin and Aeri out here. And now she was here with Yizhuo.
“Hello, I’m Aeri.” She introduced herself, hand stretched out politely. “You must be Ningning.”
“Does everyone know who I am already?” Yizhuo jokes, accepting the handshake. She recognizes her from the graduation photos from the wall at the flower shop.
Minjeong ducks her head, suddenly feeling shy. “Yes, I’ve told them about you.”
It’s on the tip of Yizhuo’s tongue, threatening to slip if she hadn’t caught herself. Then how come you haven’t told me about them?
“Should I give you two a moment? I can keep myself busy around here.” Yizhuo whirls around in awe at the local market. They had just finished their food before bumping into Aeri.
Minjeong opens her mouth to respond, but Aeri beats her to it. “Thanks! I would appreciate that.”
Yizhuo leans over, placing a chaste kiss on Minjeong’s cheek before bidding them goodbye. Minjeong watches her disappear into the crowd with a dumb smile on her face.
“She’s cute.”
Minjeong rolls her eyes. “Of course you think so.”
Aeri puts her hands up in defense, a playful twitch to her lips. “Don’t blame me for having eyes.”
Their feet take them down an alleyway to a café they used to frequent too. “It’s been too long, Aeri. How have you been?”
“How much time do you have?” Aeri jokes. “I need to catch you up on all the hot gossip from the past four years!”
They order drinks and settle into their favorite table in the corner of the coffee shop. Minjeong takes a good look at her old friend. The mischievous glint in her eyes from high school was long gone.
Minjeong shifts in her seat, the reality starting to sink in.
“First, I wanted to say I’m sorry.” Aeri starts. “For not keeping in touch as much and for not being there—“
“I’m sorry for that too. It was my fault for creating the distance.”
Aeri frowns. “We can’t fault you for that. You were going through something unimaginable. It’s our fault for not trying harder to be there for you.”
Minjeong pauses, confusion etched into her furrowed eyebrows. “We?”
This was it. “I talked to Jimin. I know you came to see her.”
“I—“
“It’s okay. I knew we would meet up eventually.” Minjeong looked slightly embarrassed and guilty. Aeri offers a lighthearted smile. “We’re soulmates after all.”
Minjeong playfully smacks Aeri’s shoulder, cringing at the old inside joke the two used to have.
Back in the day, they shared a surprising amount of similarities. They loved the same foods, the same shows, the same everything. Jimin would always quip that the two were soulmates.
“There’s something I wanted to tell you, Minjeong. And I have Jimin’s permission.”
She wracked her mind, trying to think of a scenario that would make sense of Aeri’s words. “Go on.”
~
“You’re going to burn a hole through the floor.”
Jimin stops her pacing to glare at her cousin. “Am not!”
Ryujin rolls her eyes, clicking the TV off. She was too distracted anyway. “Can you relax? I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Of course, Ryujin had listened in on her entire conversation with Aeri out on the veranda. So much for keeping her nosy cousin out of her business.
“How could you possibly know that!”
“She was my friend too, you know.”
Jimin scoffs. “Hardly.“
Ryujin points a finger. “I take offense to that. We all grew up together!”
Jimin settles down onto the couch, her legs bouncing at rapid speed. “I feel sick. What if she hates us, Ryujin?”
Feeling pity, Ryujin joins her cousin on the couch. “You know she won’t. She’s not like that.” Jimin knew that, but her worries were taking control of every rational thought that crossed her mind.
There’s a knock on the door and it startles both of them. “I’ll get it. Just stay here and chill out, alright?” Ryujin shuffles to the front door. She peeks through the peephole.
Minjeong.
Ryujin curses under her breath. She swings open the door and makes a break for it. “Jimin’s inside!”
Frazzled by the suddenness, Minjeong waves to Ryujin’s quickly receding back. “Bye?”
“Minjeong!” Jimin appears at the door, almost sounding out of breath. “What are you doing here?”
The smaller girl slips inside past Jimin. “Aeri told me everything.”
Jimin can feel her entire world start to shake. “Oh.” She really felt speechless in this moment. “A-And?”
“And?”
“Y-Yeah?”
Jimin can’t bear to look at Minjeong right now, doesn’t notice the smirk on her face. “It’s funny. Aeri is actually on a date with Ningning right now.”
This throws Jimin through a loop. “What?” She was beyond confused. Had she stepped into a parallel universe?
Jimin feels a warm hand wrap around her wrist and another lightly touching her cheek. Her breath hitches.
“Jimin?” Her knees buckle, hearing Minjeong’s soft voice. She still can’t get herself to look up from the ground. “Aeri told me everything.”
“Y-You said that already.” It made her feel anxious knowing that she knew everything.
“And I’m here right now, with you, aren’t I?”
That’s when it clicked for Jimin.
She slowly looks up, locking her gaze onto Minjeong’s. “W-What?” Jimin breathes out, still in disbelief.
“Do I have to elaborate?” Minjeong jokes with a lopsided grin. She wraps her arms around Jimin’s neck, pulling her impossibly closer. Her gaze drops down to her lips.
Jimin’s eyes widen, her gaze dropping down to Minjeong’s lips as well. “Yes.” She answers dumbly.
Minjeong pulls Jimin even closer. Closing her eyes, she can feel her soft lips lightly touch hers. “Well, too bad.”
Yu Jimin imagines that this is the closest thing to heaven, to finally be kissing Kim Minjeong, the girl she loved then and the girl she still loves now.
Minjeong pulls away. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to quite put into words how I feel for you.”
“How romantic for an anti-romantic.” Jimin leans in, smiling against Minjeong’s lips.
“You’re a loser.”
“I’m your loser.”
~
Minjeong stares at the sea.
The calm waves splashing onto the sand, the birds flying above, the scent of the water.
“I miss you Mom and Dad. Thank you for always looking after me.”
Arms wrap around her waist, hands slip into hers. Minjeong looks around her. Yizhuo, Aeri, Jimin. She’s surrounded by the people she loves.