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The flight to Osaka was uneventful, save for the gentle nudging of their legs under the seats and the shared smiles over cups of lukewarm coffee. There was an unmistakable intimacy growing between them, a warmth that seemed to melt the chill of the airplane cabin.
Upon landing, they were greeted by the unforgiving rain of Japan’s summer. It was humid and stifling, the kind of downpour that made clothes stick to skin and hair fall flat, very unflattering. But Chaewon and Sakura didn't mind much. Holding the big umbrella together, they huddled close as they navigated the narrow streets, their laughter blending with the rhythmic patter of raindrops on the umbrella's canvas.
"Chaewon, do you remember the first time we were here in Kobe?" Sakura looked at her companion, her eyes reflecting the glow of the street lights. The rain blurred the colors into a dreamy haze, wrapping them in a cocoon of nostalgia.
Chaewon nodded. It had been a few years but the memory was still vivid like it was yesterday. They had been younger then, their dreams full of youthful optimism and excitement. They were in a different group, a group they thought would last forever. The world seemed bigger then, filled with endless possibilities, and Japan was their gateway to that crazy dream.
"Yes, Unnie," she whispered. She didn’t want to admit that back then she barely noticed Sakura amidst the noise of their first big tour. But here they were now, years later, tucked under the same umbrella as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Sakura took a deep breath, her exhale fogging up in the damp air between them. "I thought it was magical then, but being here with you now... it's different," she said.
"Kkura-unnie, why…" Chaewon paused, her feelings getting the best of her before she gathered herself. Her voice was soft under the drumming rain, as she finally confessed, "Why does it feel like... we're not just friends anymore?"
The words hung in the air, suspended in the humid summer night. Sakura didn't reply immediately, her eyes trained on the wet cobblestone under them. She knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, that the air between them would thicken with unspoken words and half-hidden glances. Somehow, she had always known that they were bound by something different, something beyond friendship. But admitting it aloud, hearing Chaewon put it into words, stirred a storm of emotions that she didn't know how to process.
"Always remember… you’re very special to me," Sakura leaned a little closer, her breath mingling with the rain and the night. She reached out, her hand brushing against Chaewon's in a feather-light touch.
Their eyes met, and Chaewon almost kissed her unnie if it weren’t for the two other members walking behind them. "Unnie, can we... talk about this when we are alone?" she asked, her eyes darting nervously towards their friends. The umbrella provided a sense of privacy, but it was not enough. She needed space to breathe, to understand these fluttering feelings that Sakura's confession had stirred within her.
"Of course," Sakura whispered.
A few steps behind, Yunjin and Kazuha were looking at their unnies knowingly, grinning to each other in silent understanding.
"Take a picture of them!" Kazuha urged Yunjin, ever the mischievous one, quickly whipped out her phone and snapped a picture of the two under the umbrella before they could react.
"Ehehehe…" Yunjin giggled, quickly pocketing the phone.
This is one for the memory book…