Archive of Our Own ^beta

I found you without looking, and I love you without trying.

It was already dark outside, and Minjeong was alone in a recording booth with her keyboard making her company, her voice could be hear through the walls thanks to the loud music she was playing, trying different melodies and lyrics to win some time, the night wasn’t that cold but she still could feel the cold air, the warm air coming from the AC was maintaining the chill feeling around her in the studio she was at the moment, she was proud of herself from bringing her sweater with her today after waking up that morning. She was so distracted by the piano that she didn’t notice the figure standing in the door, staring directly at her with a small smile. “I like that one.” The brunette jumped in place at the sound of the soft voice coming from the door, She raised her eyes to see Jimin waving at her from where she stood. “What are you doing here so late?” Minjeong asked after stopping playing and shutting the microphone in front of her. “Shouldn’t I ask you the same thing?” The tall girl said, walking closer to where the small girl was sitting, staring down at her.

“I was with a group, actually. We just finished practicing. I was walking towards the elevator when I heard your voice.” She explained while staring at Minjeong for a few seconds, a smirk adorning her face.

“I’ll leave you alone, since you don’t want my company.” The brunette grabbed the eldest's wrist, causing her to sit beside her with a strong stout. “I never said I didn’t want your company, you fool.” She looked at Jimin, who was still smirking at her with a glint in her eyes. “It’s dark in here. Why do you have the switch down?” The short-haired girl asked while stretching her body behind Minjeong to turn the light on. “I concentrate better in the dark,” Minjeong answered with a smile, seeing how the girl adjusted herself beside her at the piano.

“Did you enjoy the song I was playing? Well, the melody and lyrics I was trying to put together, if I’m being sincere with you.” The brunette girl asked.

“Could you sing it again?” She requested ignoring the question the small girl was asking, Minjeong raised an eyebrow a her. “I just want to hear your voice.” Jimin talked with a soft smile.

“It’s a great song, is it for the group that's going to debut? Why a ballad?” The older asked after the brunette finished playing the slow melody. “They requested a ballad at the end of the mini album, I guess they want to show the real color of their voices,” Minjeong answered while turning her eyes to the girl beside her. “That makes sense, I was with them by the way, they’re getting better in the choreography and their movements.”

“Really? I would like to see that.” The brunette said. “You can come any time into the studio, I’m sure they will love to see you, they are always talking about you,” Jimin said with a big smile. “I think you are lying, they are always talking about you, I’m pretty sure they all have a crush on you.” The short-haired girl raised an eyebrow. “That’s not true at all.”

“It is, wait until they find out you are just a silly little cat.” Minjeong chuckled at the face the older was making. “Yah, you are being mean to me.” The girl let out a full laugh after seeing the face of the older girl, sulking with her lips. “You know I’m not lying, Jimin, you have always been a silly little cat, an orange one, at least to me.” The girl said with a soft look in her eyes.

“Since high school, that’s how we met each other, you were late to your class because you were petting cats.” Jimin chuckled at the memory. “I loved that cat; he was so cute at the time.” Minjeong stared at the girl in front of her with now, a soft smile on her face, her eyes trailing down to Jimin’s collar, noticing the buttons of her jacket mismatched. “Were you so excited to go home that you didn’t notice your jacket was a mess?” The brunette girls reach over and unbutton the top four buttons and rearrange them button to button in their correct slots. Raising her eyes to look at the girl, she finds her already looking in her direction with a glint in her eyes and her ears red, feeling her cheeks flush at the look the older woman was giving her. “What?” She asked shyly. The older woman shook her head and smiled. “Thank you, and yes, I was excited to go back home, I’m tired right now”.

“Why are you here, then? You should go home and rest.” Minjeong said with a frown. “I wanted to see you and spend time with you, Minjeong, we haven’t seen each other in a while.” She answered with a shrug. “It hasn’t been that long, Jimin.” The girl commented. “To me, it is, I got used to seeing you almost every day.” Minjeong chuckled at the words of their friend. “That’s true, we were always together before having this job.” She talked while lying her face on the shoulder of the taller girl. “We need to hang out more, with Aeri and Yizhuo too.”

“We should try that this next weekend,” Minjeong said. “Let me text Aeri to see if they can, what do you want to do if we go out?” the older asked while laying her head on top of the younger one. “Maybe karaoke?”

“You sing every day, and you still want to go to a karaoke? To sing, to be specific,” Minjeong chuckled at the words. “You are right, maybe we should try bowling again, it has been a while.” The older hummed. “You want to win easily since you are the best of the four; you are taking advantage of it.” The older complained without moving. “It’s not my fault I’m good at it while you all stink.”

“Get off my shoulder, you prick,” Jimin replied wryly without actually moving an itch. “Since all I get for being a great person is ungratefulness,” at this, Minjeong laughs, turning her face bashfully into Jimin’s neck, and if the sight and sound of her laughter occupy the older brains for the rest of the night, that was only for her to know. “I will go back to my way home.”

“I’m sorry, I promise I will be good.” The small girl says with a smile on the couch while staring at the girl, looking smashing beautiful in the low light of the studio. “Do you need a ride? It's late for you to catch the bus like you always do.” The short-haired haired asked instead of saying what she was thinking, she stared at her bag beside the brunette's one at the door while waiting for an answer.

“Yes, I do. I would like that ride with you.” The girl said after a couple of seconds, staring at the side profile of the older person. “Thank you.”

“Any time Minjeong-ah.”

-

“You didn’t have to wait for me until this late, Jimin.”

“I wanted to, is not a toll to wait for you, Minjeong, I already told you this the other day.” The older woman talked without averting her gaze towards the street. “At this point, you will create a bad habit in me, I will always expect to see you outside waiting for me, or come into the studio to look for me, so I don’t spend the whole night working.” The brunette girl said with a smile, staring at the window, noticing the weather outside was chilly thanks to the season’s start, she could see the pretty neon light from the street, the cars around them moving to their destinations just like them, she also could see people walking in the pavement, laughing with their friends or loved ones while others were just trying to protect themselves from the cold outside.

“You said it like it's a bad thing, do you hate my company that much?” Jimin jokes, glancing at her way for a short moment before returning her attention to the road. “Do not start Jimin, it’s not a bad thing, but mostly of the time I get out late, and you are probably tired and want to go home,” Minjeong said, staring at the woman driving with a frown. “I get out late too, I don’t like the idea of you waiting for a bus at these hours and even less in this weather with you being so sensitive to the cold breeze, I prefer to wait for you and be tired but know you are safe in your house.” The taller shared with a small smile on her lips, causing a blush in the small girl at the words the taller was saying.

She catches sight of the dinner ahead of them when Jimin turns to go into the parking lot, she turns to the woman to find her already looking at her. “I haven’t eaten, and I know for a fact you haven’t either, so my treat.” Minjeong stares at the neon lights of Kim’s Diner before jumping out of the car, bouncing on her feet as she waits for the older girl to follow her towards the entrance. The younger girl takes a moment to stare at the girl walking to her, seeing how the neon sign lights up Jimin’s features, she takes her phone out of her pocket to shoot a quick picture of the woman without her noticing it.

They shuffle their way inside, Jimin holding the door open for Minjeong to enter first, causing her heart to skip a beat, while outside the weather was chill and humid, inside the dine the aura around was lukewarm, really comfortable although the hours, the only noise around the place was the soft music coming from the speaker, filling the place with good vibes, looking around the place she noticed a couple of girls singing happy birthday and a group of doctors eating and laughing. They find a booth in a far corner of the diner and sit across from each other to see the menu on display. When the waiter comes to take their order, Jimin orders for both of them, winning a frown from the younger when she orders two coffees.

“Why coffee? It’s almost midnight, Jimin.” The girl says after they are left alone to talk. “It’s okay, I asked for two without caffeine, but yes, it’s good to drink coffee with the weather, it doesn’t matter the hour, and you should know that.” At the words of her friend, she rolls her eyes and lets out a low chuckle. When their drinks arrive, the younger reaches for the little pots of coffee creamer to put in her drink, she doesn’t notice the squint in Jimin’s eyes with a mischievous glint that sparks in them, reaching for the straws on the table. She doesn’t think anything of it, focusing on stirring the creamer into her coffee when it hits her.

Literally.

Minjeong looks up slowly, expression blank as the black-haired girl stares back at her, straw hanging loosely between her lips with a clearly happy expression on her face.

“Wow,” she says monotonously, surreptitiously reaching for the straw wrapper that had hit her and fallen next to her in the booth, “You know, I should have expected that behavior coming from you, always doing the same.” She scrunches the paper, wrapping up in a tight ball down the table, making sure Jimin’s eyes don’t stray from hers, “But here I am, believing you have changed,” she brings her hand up to rest on her lap, “Yet you do it again.”

“I’m sorr-” The older begins, but Minjeong chooses that moment to strike, throwing the paper ball and hitting Jimin right between the eyes, causing her to jump in her place and see how it falls in the middle of her coffee. The woman sits stunned, eyes flickering from the tiny paper ball that had landed in her coffee to the brunette, who sat innocently sipping her coffee, hiding her smile.

“Touché.”

Minjeong laughs at her expression, feeling a warn sensation in her stomach the moment she sees how the older just chuckled at their behavior, blushing at the moment Jimin’s eyes stared at her with a soft gaze and a smile, the light coming from the neon sign outside highlighting her eyes and the chain on her neck, bringing the memory how she gifted it a couple of years ago on Jimin’s birthday and how a matching one is hanging out in her neck at the same time. The light making her eyes look like they are sparkling, the blue color dancing around her cheekbones, and the red adjusting perfectly to her smile, displaying her with the softer sight Minjeong has ever looked on her, causing a smile to grow on her face as well.

 -

A couple of weeks later, they’re having Minjeong’s birthday reunion at the same time as the New Year’s celebration, so they can celebrate the two things together as they do every year since they became friends in high school. Aeri helps Minjeong set up her apartment while Yizhuo and Jimin are out buying the food and drinks they will be consuming later. After setting the big birthday sign behind the couch and above the one of happy New Year, Aeri walked away to appreciate the decoration they put around. “It looks pretty.”

“Thank you for helping again this year. I thought you were going to Japan with Yizhuo.” The smaller girl talked after following the older girl. “Jimin told us to come since it would be just you two, besides, we are going after this.” Minjeong’s attention perked up at the information her friend was sharing with her. “Jimin did what?” Aeri looked at her with whined eyes. “I see she didn’t tell you.” The older sighed. “She told us this year you two would be alone in your birthday and that made her sad because you deserve to spent it with your loved ones but you can’t travel right now so she asked us if we could hold our trip a couple of days so we could celebrate the four like we did back in collage.” The short-haired girl blushed at the words. “She didn’t need to do that, I was okay with spending it with her, even by myself, because knowing her, she delayed her vacations for me.”

“You know how Jimin is,” Aeri said with a smile while side hugging the short girl. “Since you told her you never had a birthday party because of the date, she made it her mission to spend it with you and wish you a happy birthday before wishing you a happy New Year.” Minjeong smiled at the memory of Jimin jumping around with the biggest smile on her face. “I guess she knows how to make one feel special.”

“Gosh, do you remember when Yizhuo and I ended up going to Seoul to spend New Year’s with her family since we couldn’t travel, and you went home to celebrate it with your family, and you thought we forgot about it? Just because we didn’t greet you early that day,” The taller girl asked, laughing at the memory. “Oh my god, yes, I was so upset even my mom noticed, she took me outside to buy an ice cream cake so I could feel better,” Minjeong said with a small smile. “Jimin drove for five hours straight, although I told her we could take turns; she was so happy to throw you a surprise party for you, she was so polite with your dad, it was funny to see.”

“I was surprised to see you guys in my house, didn’t expect that for real.” The short-haired girl said with a smile and soft eyes. “Hope you know you are the only one she does these kinds of things; I mean, she has always been like this with us because if Jimin isn’t like this, she might blow up.” Aeri chuckled at her own words. “But when it's about you, she goes beyond.”

“I know that,” Minjeong says while looking down at her hands while feeling her cheeks flush at the thought. “It’s the same the other way around.” Before the taller could go further into the topic, they heard the laugh of Yizhuo, causing a distraction in both girls.

“We are here and we have food!” Jimin's voice filled the room. “We brought a cake too! You are going to love it, Min, it has puppies on it, we found a lady who can do that.” The younger of the four talked, winning the attention of said girl who ran towards her to peek at the cake while Aeri helped Jimin set the food so they could eat before the end of the year. “What were you talking about?” The black-haired girl asked, looking at the blonde girl.

“About the time you drove five hours straight with us two in the back of the car just to wish her a happy birthday when we were in college.” The girl widened her eyes at the memory. “It was mostly about how you are a simp in love with her and she hasn’t even noticed it,” Aeri murmured so she could be the only one to hear it, noticing how Jimin’s shoulder tensed at the words of her friend. “I mean, you are like this for all of us, which I appreciate, but with her it's different, and you know it.” The taller girl stayed silent after hearing her friend. “Since the beginning, it has always been different, I’m surprised she hasn’t noticed how much in love you are with her.” The short-haired girl talked, looking directly at her friend after placing the last plate. “Thank you for delaying your flight, hope your vacation isn’t ruined for this,” Jimin said, changing the topic drastically. Aeri shook her head, noticing how her friend wasn’t going to talk about it today. “Don’t be silly, it’s the birthday of one of us, we wouldn’t miss it, you helped me.”

“With what exactly?” the taller asked with curiosity in her eyes. “With this.” The Japanese girl talked while showing a small red box in her pocket, causing a funny reaction from her best friend. “What?! Are you for real?” she asked with happiness in her voice while she hugged her friend. “Yeah.”

“But when? You didn’t tell me anything.” The raven girl asked. “It's recent, you are the first to know.” Jimin smiled at the words of her friend. “I was walking down the street after having lunch with some investors, and I came across this jewelry place, and I saw the ring, and I just bought it. I realized it after getting in my car.” Aeri chuckled at the memory. “That was two months ago, by the way, I had been waiting for the right moment, and I was going to propose to her today in Japan with the fireworks, but I was nervous, the moment you called me, I saw it as a signal, and I took it. I guess I just wanted to share it with you before actually doing it.” The blonde shared with a shy smile after seeing the wide smile her best friend was giving her. “I appreciate that so much, but why are you nervous? Do you think she’s going to say no?”

“I don’t know? It can happen, she could not be ready to get married and just say yes because she feels the pressure?” Aeri shared while looking at her hands. “Please, Yizhuo was ready to marry you since your second anniversary back in college, that woman loves you so much it’s sickening.” Aeri smiled at her words. “I guess is normal to feel nervous about taking that big step in your life, but you two have been together since you were twenty-three years old, that’s four years together as girlfriends, I think its right to take this next step with her,” Jimin said placing a hand in the Japanese girl shoulder. “And you have me and Minjeong by your side.”

“Yeah, you are right, but I still feel nauseous about it.” The blonde confessed. “Completely normal to be honest.” The Japanese girl nodded her head, hearing the laughs from the girls in the kitchen. “Will you be my maid of honor?” Aeri suddenly asked, causing a wide smile on the taller girl. “Of course, I was going to kill you if you didn’t ask me.” She embraced her friend in a warm hug. “Let’s separate those two, they surely are destroying Minjeong’s kitchen as we speak.” The Raven girl said with a big smile in her face while hearing how the laughter of both women was just increasing inside the kitchen.

Dinner’s a relaxed affair, full of amazing food and great conversations, with laugh echoing the entire living room, Jimin in a moment catches Aeri wiping Yizhou’s face with a napkin and chuckles at how cute they both look, especially with the soft look the younger was giving to her girlfriend, with sparkling eyes. Turning her attention to Minjeong, she catches the girl trying to strike up a conversation with the young girl about their jobs, but laughing at the sight in front of her, making her ears red. “We should head out right now if we want to see the fireworks.” Aeri's voice brought the raven girl back from the sight. “I think I saw a birthday hat in your kitchen Min. Let me get it for you while you all take the cake and the blankets out.” The brunette spoke while standing out and walking deep in Minjeong’s apartment.

The short haired girl was the first to walk out, being followed by Aeri who was carrying the cake, placing it in the small table she has there for decoration, after a couple of seconds she felt a warm but soft blanket being place in her shoulders, turning her attention she saw Jimin standing behind her with a shy smile. “It’s freezing and I don’t want you to catch a cold.” She explained with a flush adorning her face. “Thank you.” She said softly. Seconds later, she felt something being placed on top of her head. Yizhuo laughed and a flash from a camera.

“Cuteeeeee.” Aeri said with a big smile adorning her face while showing the picture to her, she saw herself surprised as she could read ¨Pretty birthday girl¨ in the tiara she was wearing. “Where did you buy this?” she asked while laughing. “It was Jimin here who thought it would suit you well.” The raven girl just shrugged her shoulders with a funny face.

Before anyone could speak, the sound of people around counting distracted them and caused a yelp from Aeri, who rushed to light the twenty-six candles in the cake being followed by Yizhuo trying to hold the camera in her hands to record the moment before the count could be finished like years before.

Three, two, one HAPPY NEW YEAR

The fourth heard the screams, but Minjeong could just focus on how Jimin turned the light from the tiara she was wearing while their friends sang the birthday song with smiles on their faces. “C´mon, Min, blow the candle and make a wish.” The brunette girl said while holding the camera, zooming in on the face of their dear friend, and shearing after the candle was turned out, turning around and hugging her girlfriend, wishing her a happy new year.

 “Happy birthday, Minjeong-ah, and happy new year. I hope we can be together again for the next one.” Jimin's voice was soft beside her with a huge smile and sprinkles eyes. “Happy New Year to you, too.” The short-haired girl answered without drifting her eyes from the older girl, hearing the cheers from their friends and the people around. They get distracted by the clatter of the sky coming to life and the groan of the detritus around them. Minjeong peeks around the balcony as the first pop goes off and stares with wide eyes and a big smile as the colors adorn the sky. Bright greens and oranges bounce off the ground around her, and Jimin stands still to watch the show. The midnight sky stretches out in front of them, lit only by the lights exploding. like stars. They dance above the building as the four girls stare deeply at the sight in front of them. “Wah! They’re so bright and voluminous, I never noticed since I always watched it on TV, but they are really pretty.”

The raven girl hears Minjeong's voice beside her, and starts to turn towards her, her mouth opening to comment how they were more colorful this year, but the words she has caught in her throat.

The younger girl's face is tilted up to the sky, mouth partially open in awe, and she looks freer and happier, with the colors adorning her features, face flashing pink and blue as the light changes thanks to the fireworks, and each burst shines bright against her irises and cheeks. Jimin’s breath hitches, and she knows she’s staring. But then, Minjeong is the most beautiful creature she has ever laid eyes on, how could she not stare? The fireworks fade into the background, and the short-haired girl is the only thing the raven girl can see. She can feel her face warm, probably from her flushed cheeks at the sight of Minjeong.

“Yeah, really pretty.”

-

“Come and take a picture here, Jimin!”

The raven girl strides towards her older sister after hearing her calling for her name, separating herself from her parents, the thick bush of her hag not being able to cover her hair properly from the snow, and her clothes white from the snow falling in the moment, while her hands are screaming for heat. Her sister laughs at her red cheeks and nose and helps her secure her hair in her head in a better way. “Do you realize these things are created to protect your head from the freeze? Wear this properly.” Jimin rolls her eyes at her words but stays still while her sister is busy with the camera hanging around her neck.

“There, now stand in front of those vending machines, I feel you will look handsome.”

Jimin complies with the words, taking her beanie a couple of pictures later, laughing at the whine her sister made.

“I don’t want to hear you later if you catch a cold late on,” Joohyun says with a frown. “Your hair is now going to be all wet from the snow. The minute we reach the house, you are taking a hot shower; I don’t want you to ruin my vacation.”

Before she could answer her, she saw her mom taking the camera and pushing Joohyun towards her with a smile. “I want a picture of you two together, and don’t fight over this, you know your sister resists the cold more than we two, she’s just like your father.” She simply says when her sister turns to her with her eyebrow raised, catching sight of her father with his jacket and a hat. “And if she ends up catching a cold, I will scold her and she will have to stay in the house for the rest of the vacation.” The whine the youngest made after hearing her mother's words caused a laugh in the whole family.

The Yu family has been spending their vacations in Sapporo since the youngest loved the last time they came to visit, in a small house they always rented, whichever they wanted, since it was cozy and warm at this time of the year. It is a place the family holds very dear to heart since they have been coming here since the older of the Yu was born. The plan they have is that they will continue to spend time there until early February, right after the Lunar New Year, and it’s time to go back to their adult lives. She thinks about it while she stands still while freezing with her red nose peeking, her sister clinging to her arm for warmth, while their mom snaps photos of them together with the sweetest smile ever. It’s simple, like them, but it is the one thing that brings serenity to her soul, mind, and heart.

And while they strode inside some chocolate shop because the four are now freezing to death and are hungry, she thinks in Minjeong, wondering how she in her vacations and if she misses her like she does.

.

Okinawa is warm. Sun-kissed is what her brother described to her the first day they arrived. Which is the chance of peace the red-haired girl needs, the swell of warmth radiating her pale skin, and the nice sound of the sea on the beach. It’s a family vacation slash a birthday trip like they always do in January for her, since they never could throw her a party. She feels fortunate enough to know her vacations last until late in January, her brother, Youngwoo, being like her, can use the break her work gave to him as a writer and teacher.

The younger girl rolls her eyes at her brother beside her, who is insistent and complaining to her about the amount of path they have been walking since the morning, with their parents staying at the beach since they didn’t want to walk. “How long will this ramp last? I swear to God.” Youngwoo grumbles, his white long-sleeved shirt he picked this morning now drenched with sweat. The place she wanted to see was up in the ramp, which was thirty minutes away from the hotel they were staying at, according to Google Maps. They were now fifteen minutes into the ramp.

“We should’ve gone with the taxi like the receptionist told us.” Youngwoo walks closer to her, seeing how well she was taking the walk. “We would have probably arrived some time ago and taken pics.” He looked at her. “How are you not sweating or tired at all? I feel like I’m dying here with this heat and the fucking sun.”

“It’s because I’m not like you, I do know how to walk in the sun,” she answered without looking at him. “I always have enjoyed a longer way home, the breeze hitting me in the face, the scenery around me, you know that because you were the one who taught me that.” She said while remembering the long walks she does with her brother every time they are together at home, enjoying their sibling quality time together, since now they don’t get to do it so often.

But she knows, with or without the endless ramps, the sun and the sweat, her brother enjoys the time with his little sister, whom he doesn’t see much since she moved to Seoul some years ago. He’s the one who actually suggested walking instead of going with the taxi the receptionist recommended; she appreciates the thought of the idea. Since it is a good way to spend some quality time with of the person she loves the most.

“Look,” Minjeong points at the sign in front of them. “The viewpoint is right there.”

Youngwoo huffs a breath of relief, thanking the Gods numerous times. Minjeong chuckles at the attitude her brother shows before he smiles down at her with his camera in his hands.

And while she’s snapping his photos, she ends up thinking about Jimin, how she would love to walk up here with her and would be amazed by the view and the colors around, and a small smile flees her lips, going unnoticed by her brother.

.

Jimin sits down on one of the couches just at the front window of the long cabin, with her phone in her hands and a distant look in her eyes. She doesn’t care the way the cold seeps through her clothes to her bone since she was the window open, seeing how the snow falls and form snow mounds around the patio and think about her last talk with Aeri, wondering if the girl proposed, but since the group chat was death silence she didn’t want to ask.  And also, about what the Japanese girl told her about her situation with Minjeong, whom she hasn’t been talking to for some days now. She feels a warmth in her cheek, disturbing her bubble. Spinning around, she sees her sister offering her a hot chocolate with a small smile.

“How’s your girlfriend?” Joohyun nonchalantly asks. Jimin chokes at her chocolate, from her peripheral vision, how she laughs at the mess she’s in right now. She kept mum, but her mother, now beside her, nudged her shoulder to encourage her to answer. With her father smiling at her from his place on the other couch.

“Minjeong’s not my girlfriend.” The raven girl wipes her mouth, She was so startled that she drooled a bit. “I didn’t even say her name, Jimin.” The girl blushes at the words, feeling exposed in front of her family, so she groans. “I know you are talking about her, since you always ask me the same thing.”

“Is to see if you finally got your shit together, and to see if I can call her my sister-in-law and not the girl you have been pining for half of your life.” The brunette girl says to her, acting surprised when the youngest pushes her. “Don’t listen to your sister, sweetheart. Although I want to know how Minjeong is doing.”

“She’s fine, she’s in Japan actually, with her family on a trip, but we haven’t talked that much.” Jimin said to her mother with a smile. “That’s lovely, tell her we send greetings to her and her parents, and we hope she’s enjoying her time with them on their vacation.” Her mother squeezed her shoulder after saying those words and walked towards the kitchen, being followed by her father, leaving the two sisters alone.

“Is this the solid reason why you are in this mode?” Joohyun asked, scooping closer to her sister, who stared at her, ready to deny the words of the older, but the look the brunette threw was enough to sigh. “Yes, I guess, I just keep thinking about something Aeri told me back in the birthday celebration we did to Minjeong,” the younger says while looking at the snowfall in front of her. “What did she say?” Joohyun asked with curiosity in her tone, not stirring her eyes away from her sister. “About her not noticing how much I am in love with her.”

“So, are you finally accepting the fact that you love her in that way” The older asked with a spark in her eyes, Jimin sucks in a breath at the thought and she sees the small girl in her mind, and she feels light about it.

“I do.” She answers with confidence. Her sister was smiling with pride. “A long time ago, in fact, but it’s easy just to ignore these feelings.” The raven talks again after a couple of seconds of silence. “At the end of the day, I’m her best friend, nothing more.”

“You don’t know that Jimin, for all we know, she could feel the same thing but thinks like you, afraid to ruin what you two have, it’s scary to love your best friend, but it’s also the easiest thing to do in the world, just like breathing.” Joohyun side hugs her, and the younger girl smiles at the warm feeling her sister shares with her. “Maybe she’s waiting for a green light or a signal, it’s worth the shot, I do believe she won’t walk away from you. And you already tried dating other people, and it didn’t work out. So, it’s worth the shot to try this time now you two are finally single.”

“What should I do then?” The raven asks, turning her head towards her sister. “First at all, call her, she sure misses your voice as much as you do.” The brunette passes her phone and ruffles her hair after standing from her place, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.

 .

The warm sea breeze immediately passed through Minjeong’s hair, pushing her red strands towards her eyes. She quickly raised her hand to clear her view, taking in the serene ambience which now surrounded her, and not too far from her brother, who was still taking pictures around. She stared at the saline-scented air, palm trees, and teal sky offered an amazing change of scenery from the one she was accustomed to in Korea. She took a breath and smiled at the serenity around her.

“Was that Jimin? Over the phone, I mean” Her brother’s voice brought her back to reality, snapping her eyes towards him to see he was beside her with a smug smile adorning her face. “Yeah, why are you looking at me like that?” she asked while pushing him to the side, feeling her cheeks warm. “You talk in baby voice to her; did you know that?” He sees how her sister blushes more at his words. “Gosh, you are a lost cause; you are deep for that woman, and all you do is nothing.”

“What are you even talking about?” Minjeong asks him, with her ears warmed as the breeze around her moves her hair. “You know damn well what I’m talking about, I’m a little tired of ignoring how much you want her when is this obvious, more since you accepted the feelings you have for her because back in collage you were a pain in the ass.” The red-haired girl stares at him, seeing how the sun brings out his freckles more. “It’s more surprising if you think about how everybody must know about it, too.”

“Maybe that’s the reason I haven’t done or said anything, it’s so obvious for her to not know, she probably can tell and does nothing because she feels bad for me.” The red-haired girl says, with her eyes now fixed on the path they were walking. “Now you are saying incoherencies, she didn’t notice first because you were dense back in the time, and because you were dating that girl in college when she did the same. Now, that girl is as oblivious as you are. I saw you two back when I was in Seoul for my job last year, remember?” He waited for a nod to talk again. “You two looked like so much like a couple that day, I even though you two resolved the tension you always have around each other, but you did not.” He chuckled at the memory. “She feels the same, I’m so sure about it.”

“How can you tell?”

“How can you not Mintyoring.” The red-haired girl smiles at the nickname. “I know it's scary to cross that path, more if the person you love is your best friend, believe me, I know, I passed the same thing with Byul a couple of years ago.” Her brother’s voice was soft and filled with love. “You have to do something about it, Jimin is a great girl, and I’m sure we are not the only ones to know that, maybe someone is willing to confess without fear.” The red-haired girl looked at him while he was speaking. “And maybe she got tired of waiting for a signal from you.” The small girls stare at the floor while playing with her hands. “I’m scared to ruin what we have.”

“It’s really bad for you, too, to keep these feelings hidden for so long; it’s been years now.” Youngwoo side hugs her, squeezing her shoulders. “I don’t know if I’m the right person to tell you what to do in this situation toltorie, but you deserve good things.” He says with a smile while looking down at the eyes of her little sister. “You are not giving your heart blindly, it's Jimin we are talking about, you know how that girl is with you. I don’t believe she would let this friendship die if she doesn’t feel the same for you. I think it's worth a try.” He laughs at how her sister throws herself into him to hug him with force, thankful for his words, he returns the embrace happily.

-

“Come on, they should have a table inside.” Minjeong takes the eldest by the hand, hurrying her along past those waiting in line, causing a chuckle out of her.  “I don’t see you this excited often.” Jimin laughs at the blonde's eagerness. “Well, they have barbeque, and I’m starving. I got stuck until this late in the studio recording a song with one of the girls.” The small girl answered while tugging at the hand of the taller girl, following a guy to their table. “If you feel like going home, please tell me, I know you will feel tired later,” Jimin says, seeing how the girl nods her head.

“Guys! Over here!”

Jimin, let’s Minjeong drag them forward, eyeing the long table with all their friends talking animatedly, unaware of their presence. in the back of it, they are received by a woman waving them over to come closer. “Seungwan, did you guys order yet?” The blonde asks, sliding into the booth and eagerly scanning through the menu, snuggling a little so Jimin could sit beside her.

“You should say hello first, kid.” The short-haired girl ruffles the younger girl's hair with a smile. “But, no, we haven’t ordered yet, we were waiting for you guys to arrive, when you’re ready, though, tell Woobin, he’s ordering for the group.” Minjeong nods, completely engrossed by the thought of food. The raven girl can’t help the smile on her face as she watches Minjeong practically wiggle in her seat. 

“How was your vacation, guys? You just returned for what I hear.” Taeyeon asked after both girls greeted everybody at the table. “Mine was great, Sapporo is wonderful this time of the year.” The raven girl answered while holding her drink, turning her attention to the blonde beside her. “Mine too, we went to Okinawa with my parents and brother, it was so pretty, I missed it already, is so cold right now.” She says with a smile.

Dinner is a relaxed but cheerful affair, full of amazing food, drinks, and great conversations, with all of the guests being loud and laughing at the different jokes and stories. Minjeong and Lia find themselves chatting amongst themselves about work while they laugh, while Jimin talks with Seungwan and Taeyeon about their engagement with the other, talking about the details of the wedding. After a couple of hours chatting and drinking, the blonde feels a familiar hand on her hip and turns around to find the raven girl smiling softly at her. “I didn’t tell you, but blonde hair looks good on you.” Minjeong smiles at the words of her best friend, feeling her cheeks warm. The taller girl just stares at her, noticing how Minjeong’s face is just slightly flushed while lying on her shoulder, her chest too, and with a weird smile on her lips with her eyes closed. “Kim Minjeong, are you lightweight?”

“No, I’m just sleepy.” The blonde girl tries to excuse herself. “I don’t believe you; do you want some water?”

“I’m fine.” Minjeong pulls away, but ends up grasping onto the table as the room tilts slightly, sensing the raven's hands around her waist for support. “Sure, you are.” Jimin hums soothingly, setting a cold glass of water in front of Minjeong. “Drink this.” At that point, a lot of the people had already left, with the few remaining now chatting quietly amongst themselves. She waited until the glass was empty to talk again. “Let’s get some fresh air.”

Once they reach the sidewalk, Minjeong takes a deep breath to clear her head, feeling a little dizzy, her support being Jimin beside her. After a couple of seconds, she feels a warm feeling in her shoulders. looking at it, she sees the eldest jacket. “You will catch a cold.” She says, still pulling her arms towards the sleeves and hugging herself in it, causing a smile on the taller girl. “It’s okay, I have a sweater with me.” The blonde hums at the words and lays her head in Jimin’s arm, hugging it. “Did you have fun?” she asks before a yawn takes place. “Yes, it's fun to get out sometimes.” She answered, seeing how the girl was yawning again. “Okay, I think it's time to take you home.” She says while squatting down in front of the small girl.

“What are you doing?” the girl asks with a little smile on her face.

 “I’m offering to carry you since you’re in no state of walking home on your own, because one, you are drunk, and two, you are sleepy.” The raven girl says, looking over her shoulder. “Quickly, before I change my mind.” Minjeong leans down and wraps both arms around Jimin’s neck, startling a bit when Jimin suddenly stands up and locks her arms underneath her thighs. “Comfy?” Jimin asks as she readjusts the girl on her back, turning her head slyly to see if the girl was comfortable. “Yeah, thanks.” Minjeong tightens her grip and settles her chin against Jimin’s shoulder, sensing the sweet smell coming from the girl. She buries her face in her neck, feeling the raven girl's hair graze her cheek.

Jimin walks them back to her apartment in silence as she listens to Minjeong’s clammy breath against her neck. When she reaches the lobby, she waves at the porter, who says goodnight at the sight of both girls. Jimin only put Minjeong down once they reach her room, the girl sighing at the feeling of her soft bed sheets, the raven girl goes to the kitchen after that to grab a glass of water to take to the small girl’s bedroom, along with pain killers, since she knows the girl will need them in the morning. When she walks into the room, she laughs at the sight in front of her. The blonde girl is asleep in the middle of undressing, lying on the mattress with puffy cheeks.

She gently finishes taking her jacket and shirt off and throws them on the pile of clothes Jimin left on a chair when she was getting ready early today. She then gets a clean shirt from the wardrobe and hoists the blonde girl up, struggling to fit her arms and head through the shirt, she doesn’t wake up from it, the eldest girl stands and walks towards the girl’s bathroom, seconds later she sits beside the girl and starts cleaning her face, removing her makeup, this seems to wake the girl up who stares at Jimin, seeing how soft her eyes are, the silence fills the room. “All done, now you can sleep.” She says with a smile, when she tries to stand again to let the girl rest, Minjeong grabs her shirt and kisses her.

It lasts a couple of seconds, but it has Jimin with her eyes wide and her lips parted in surprise as Minjeong pulls away, her lips feeling the ghost warmth of the blonde lips. She just stares at her friend, smiling, who lies down in her bed with her hand squeezing her wrist, not letting her go. The raven girl can’t decipher what’s that emotion glinting in Minjeong’s eyes, but her gaze feels like it burns, and it leaves her rooted in place. The blonde just smiles before closing her eyes, finally falling asleep, leaving Jimin with a heart beating and cheeks flushed.

.

Minjeong wakes up and she rolls over, feeling a headache coming, thanks to the way she drank last night, she opens her eyes to see that she was in her bedroom, sitting too quickly has her touching her head while cursing, looking around she sees her clothes pile out in a chair, looking around she recognize Jimin’s clothes around, she smile seeing the glass of water beside the bed and a some pills, taking one and chugging the water down she tries to remember how they reached the apartment last night, a couple of minutes pass before she can remember what she did. Her eyes wide, remembering the light feeling of Jimin’s lips in hers, and she panics,

“Oh my god.” She whispers into the room, moving fast, she grabs her phone and dials a number.

“Minjeong, I love you, but its eight am in the morning and its Sunday, why the fuck are you calling me right now, better be fucking good.” Yizhuo's husky voice is what answers the phone.

“I kissed Jimin yesterday.” The other line of the call falls silent, the blonde hears the mattress moving fast.

“You WHAT?!”

The small girl moves the phone away from her ear after hearing Aeri’s scream. “Shut up! I have a headache.” Minjeong murmurs into the phone, hearing the girl’s apologies. “What do you mean you kissed her? Did one of you finally confess? Are you together now?” She hears the Chinese girl ask. “I’m in my house actually, but no, I didn’t confess.”

“I don’t get it.” Aeri’s voice talks back to her. “We went out yesterday with some friends from the company. I drank too much, so she ended up carrying me to my house. I’m sure I fell asleep in some moment, but I remember waking up to her removing my makeup with such delicacy it made my heart crazy.” She explains, ignoring the sounds her friends made at the antics of the older girl. “It just felt right to kiss her right there, I wasn’t in my right mind, but it was what my mind and heart wanted.” The blonde girl says, waiting for her friend’s opinion about it. “Where’s Jimin?” The Japanese girl asks.

“She’s in the kitchen, I think, I smell the burned toast.” The blonde girl answers. “Do you regret kissing her?” Yizhuo asks carefully. “No, well yes...” She stays silent for a couple of seconds. “Maybe? I don’t know, I thought it would be different, not like this.” The girls on the other side of the call stayed silent for her friend. “I don’t know how to face her; do you think if I snuck out, she would notice? I mean, I know it’s my apartment, but maybe she will not notice I’m suddenly missing”

“No, Minjeong, you are not skipping this, you need to talk about it with her, you kissed your best friend, whom I remind you, you have been in love with for over a decade.” The Chinese girl talked. “Get out of that room, you are hiding and face her, you already did the first step, well sort of it.” Minjeong sighs at the words coming through the phone. “What if she plays dumb?” she asks with clear fear in her voice. “I mean, you can take the easy way and don’t say anything, and knowing her, she will let it pass for you, if you don’t talk about it, she will not do it, the fool will prefer to suffer than to make you uncomfortable.” Aeri’s voice talks back at her. “Yeah, she would do that.” The blonde whispers. “If you don’t go out of the room and say you didn’t regret kissing her it’s going to cause problem in the future, it was okay some years ago when you two played fools in the tension and got into relationships but now you are grownups, talk to each other and if it ends bad you can always take time away from each other.”

“You can do it Min, we will be waiting for here for you here, bad or good news.” The blonde smiles at the words of the younger girl. “Hope when you call later is to tell us you two finally fuck-”

“What she’s trying to say.” Aeri’s voice interrupted her fiancée. “Good luck, and we love you.” She giggles into the phone, they talk a little more before both girls on the other side of the call hang up, leaving her with her thoughts and the smell of burnt toast and bacon.

Slowly, she gets out of bed and walks into the restroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before going out into her living room. When she looks into the kitchen, she finds Jimin standing in front of the stove wearing is one of the oversized shirt she owns and some shorts, her wolf cut falling into her shoulders, she noticed how it grew since the last time you saw her back in December, she stares at her for a couple of seconds, adsorbing the view of the girl in front of the stove with her tongue pecking out of her lips as she concentrates in the task. She notices how the sun peaks from the window, illuminating Jimin’s side, making it look like her skin glows, dyeing her features with a warm and soft appearance, her eyes travel to the raven girl's lips from where she’s standing, seeing how soft they look.

“Good morning.” Jimin turns her attention to the voice, seeing the small girl standing at the frame door, with her arms crossed over her chest and flushed cheeks, avoiding her gaze. “Good morning, Minjeong-ah, did you sleep well?” The older asked with a gentle voice, walking one step closer to her friend after turning the stove off. Noticing the blush on the girl’s face. “Yes, I did, thank you for helping me yesterday, and sorry.” Jimin frowns at the words of the small girl. “What are you saying sorry for? It hasn’t been the first time I've seen you drunk.” She takes another step towards her friend, finally touching her hand. The blonde girl stares at her, and stares at her and stares at her friend. Minjeong moves her eyes to their intertwined hands, the size being perfect in every way. “What are you thinking?” The older whispers, finding it cute how the blonde has to tilt her head to look at her.

“About how I almost regret everything I do but not what I did last night.” The younger says, stepping into Jimin’s space. She washes as the older nervous fiddles with her hand after hearing her words and her ears flush red, seeing how she exhales and step closer into her space, her eyes close in content when she feels lips press against her cheek, when she opens her eyes, she finds Jimin towering over her, with her ears pinker and a subtle smile in her face, she giggles happily as she feels the raven girls showing her face with kisses a couple of seconds later, her heart beating strong in her chest, she’s sure the taller girl can hear it if she concentrates enough. Jimin stops to look at her, seeing how her eyes sparkle with something dangerous in them.

“Hope that’s okay,” Minjeong smiles at her, nodding her head, tugging at the shirt the older woman has. “Yeah, although.” She pauses, searching for something in the raven girls’ that tells her that she should step aside, to stop whatever they are about to do, but finds nothing but adoration, so she lets her fears go for once. “That’s not where I wanted you to kiss me.” She sees how Jimin freezes in place. “What?”

She examines how flushed the older becomes at her words, so she leans closer, melting into her the moment she feels Jimin’s hands travel to her waist, and she just thinks about kissing her, kissing her.

Kissing her

“I said, that’s not where I wanted you to kiss me, Jimin.” The blonde eyes drop to her lips, and the raven girls knows that’s the signal she needs to close the gap between them, Minjeong’s arms wrapping Jimin’s neck, bringing her closer to her, sensing a sigh from the taller lips, gasping at how her hands grip at her waist, pushing her into the door frame, kissing her with force and love. After some time, Jimin is the first to pull away, breathing heavily and loving the sight of the younger in her arms, swollen lips, and dazed eyes staring into hers. The older girl finds it impossible not to be closer to the girl, so she just kisses her cheek, and Minjeong melts again into the girl, causing a smile.

“I have been waiting to do this for so long.” Minjeong says, with her voice hoarse, grinning at the girl in her arms. “Me too, I just thought you didn’t see me like this.”

“I think we have been stupid over this; it was obvious in a painful way.” Jimin chuckles at her words, squeezing her waist one more time. “Yeah, we can talk about that later after having breakfast.” She says, without moving an inch from her place, Minjeong just stares at her, knows there’s a question lying in those black eyes, and Jimin shudders thickly because she never imagined the girl in her arms could look at her with so much love and want.

The blonde girl hums distractedly.

“Maybe we should.”

And before the older girl could ask what she meant, she felt the girl’s arms around her, tugging her closer, proceeding to kiss her again.

-

Minjeong massages her temples, trying to focus on the music sheet she has in front. she has been trying to come up with a melody for the last hour again, but she has been stuck in this one for too long for her linking. She wishes the company wasn’t forcing her to come with a new song for one of the new groups, she twirled in her chair looking at the clock behind her marking pass nine pm, she wondered what could be doing Jimin since that was the time the older came to save her from plunging in work. She hears a sudden knock on her office door, followed by Yizhuo's head peeking in with a smirk and a glint in her eyes. 

“Hey, Min, are you busy?” 

“Uh, I-” Mina mumbles, completely taken aback by the woman’s sudden appearance and her question.

Yizhuo steps into the office without waiting for a real answer and sits on the couch she has in her office. “That was a trick question anyway, you’re coming with us!” She beams at her, and the blonde girl doesn’t understand what’s going on at all, or why the Chinese girl was there with her in the middle of the night, but there’s no resistance to what the girl has planned for her that night. 

 “We came to take you and Jimin out, it’s been a while since the four of us hung out, more now since it’s been months since you finally got together.” The Chinese girl talked with a smile. “Aeri is getting Jimin, so I came here to get you.” She stood from her place and walked behind her to peck at her work. “You can’t say no to this hangout; I will drag you out of this Officine if I have to.”

“You are tinier than I.” The blonde remarks to her friend with a chuckle. “But I’m stronger than you, so c’mon, they are probably waiting for us. Where’s your coat?” she sees her friend walking around her office while she turns off her computer and stands to put her things into her bag. when she’s done, she finds her friend waiting for her with the coat in her hands to help her put it on. “Thank you, by the way, I felt like I was dying here.”

“Come on, let’s go.” Her friend says after nodding and smiling at her, and the blonde girl finds herself following her out of the building, where Jimin and Aeri are already waiting for them. The raven girl grins at her the moment she sees her coming down the stairs, walking closer to hug her tightly. “I missed you,” she hears her say with her lips grazing her temple, causing the baby hairs on her neck to stand up. “We saw each other yesterday,” Minjeong says, tiptoeing in her place to plant a chaste kiss on her lips with a smile on her lips. “It's never enough if I’m being sincere with you.” She says, leaning again for another kiss.

“Okay, lovebirds! We’ll be late if we don’t hurry!” Yizhuo says, hooking her arm around Aeri’s. “Let’s go.” She murmurs as she starts walking, almost dragging Jimin with her. They are walking some steps behind the couple when she asks them. “Where are we going?”

“We are going bowling; we finally found the perfect place for it,” Aeri says, turning her face to see them. “We went a couple of weeks ago, and the food there was delicious.” The Chinese girl pointed out, winning a laugh from her fiancée. “Of course, you will point that out.” Minjeong sees them with adoration, seeing how they joke around. She feels how the raven places their intertwined hands into her pocket, turning her attention to her girlfriend, she finds her already looking in her direction with a smile. “How was your day, love?” She blushes at the nickname. “It was okay, I guess; I keep being stuck in the same song.” She answers, leaning a little more into the taller girl. “I don’t know why I find myself unable to write this concept, I guess I just need a little time.” She says, looking up to her girlfriend. “I’m sure you will do it, babe, I trust you.” The blonde smiles at her words.

They continued to walk while talking and laughing with their friends before the place they were headed came into live in front of them. While waiting to enter the place on the sidewalk, she feels Jimin’s lips on her cheek. “You look really cute today.” She whispers in her ear, causing a blush on her. She tugs her sleeve to kiss her properly, and when they part, she notices the red in the taller ear. “Thank you.” They both smile before heading in.

“We need to decide the teams.” Aeri says when they are finally inside. “I suggest to do it playing rock, paper and scissors because I know we all want to play with Minjeong.” The blonde girl smiles, seeing how they gather around to play with serious faces. “I will order while you are in that.” She speaks. After a moment she returns to their places she sees Yizhuo smiling and the other two sucking in place. “I see Yizhuo is with me.” The black-haired girl nodded, walking closer to her with a grin. “I don’t want hard feeling when we beat your ass.” She says to the other two girls standing in front of them.

“Yes, when Minjeong does all the hard work,” Jimin says, winning a glare from the small girl.

After that, the round of bowling quickly got started. Minjeong was up first, as usual, when they played together. She rolled the ball down, knocking down nine of the 10 pins. She turns around and looks at Jimin with the biggest smug grin adorning her face. She rolled the ball again and easily knocked down the last pin. “Beat that!” the Chinese girl said to the raven girl as she stood to play the next turn. As she rolled the ball, the first ball only knocked down three pins, and her second ball knocked down two. She walked back to sit down, not making eye contact with Minjeong or Yizhuo. Aeri just laughed at her friend. “C’mon, it was just warming up, cheer up. It's Yizhuo's turn.”

“I hear the tone, Aeri.” The black-hair girl stood up and held her hands out, “I’m just warning you all, I have some serious moves I’m about to pull on you all, so get ready to be surprised by me.”

They all laughed and watched as she picked up the pinkish-purple ball she could find, and with no hesitation or consideration whatsoever, ran up and threw it. It landed directly in the gutter, and Yizhuo made a very awkward grunting noise as she threw it. Jimin laughed at her friend, seeing how she blushed at her mistake. Her second chance was better as she knocked six pines, cheering with Minjeong, seeing how Aeri stood, the three girls saw how the Japanese girl made a strike, she celebrated with Jimin jumping in her place.

About eight frames and two plates of meat later, the four girls were nearing the end of the game. Jimin was just about to throw the second ball of her ninth frame, resulting in a spare. “Last frame, everybody!” Minjeong called out. “We are currently in the lead with a one-hundred and fourteen, you and Aeri have ninety, so last chance to win.” She said, seeing how the raven girl stood, picking a blue ball. “I have two chances, babe.” She winked before throwing the ball, bowling a strike. Yizhuo and Aeri stood from their places to see the next one. “Jimin, I swear to god if you make this one, I will kiss you in the mouth,” Aeri says, winning a slap from Minjeong and her fiancée at the same time.

“I got this!” Jimin said, turning on her heels back to the lane, and when the ball came back, she threw again, actually bowling another strike. Aeri rose from her place and jumped, kissing her face win enthusiasm. “Oh my god! Get away from me.” Jimin spoke with a laugh, filling the place. Minjeong was clapping happily at her friends while the Chinese girl was busy eating a little more meat at the table, ignoring the celebration of her fiancée and friend.

After returning their shoes and calling it a night, they were all walking out, together, Minjeong and Jimin holding hands, and Aeri had her arm around Yizhuo.

“Good night?” Aeri asked the other three.

“Yeah,” Yizhuo said, being followed by the other women's contented hum. “We should do this again sometime, maybe with other activities.”

Jimin nodded, “We could try the pool next time.”

“We all suck in that one” Minjeong agreed with a smile. They all walked out of the alley into the bright lights of the city.

-

The sound of the constant drops falling against her window is the first thing that Jimin is aware of when she wakes. Grey skies out in the late evening light covered the room she was in, a soft and dark environment. The smell of freshly washed lavender fills her head, and she presses her face into her sheets. As she exhales, she opens her eyes, she notices the raindrops in the window, she basks in the quiet space around her, enjoying the peace. She stares again at the window and sees the drops going down the pane of the window. As a harsh gust of wind rattles into the room, the raven girl burrows herself in her bedsheets, finding warmth, and as her eyes move, she finds the back of Minjeong, sitting at her desk, writing something.

She let her eyes travel the figure of her girlfriend for a moment, a warm night light and her white wired earphones on making her company, she noticed how she was probably bumping to one rhythm, her blonde hair somewhat disheveled, she was wearing one of the many hoodies she owned. She couldn’t help herself; the sight in front of her was really cute, causing a giggle to come out. The small girl turned her head, hearing her.

“Had a good sleep?” Minjeong greets her softly after taking out her headphones. Flashing her a tender smile, she stood for her place to sit beside her and plant a kiss on her forehead.  “Yeah, it was what I needed.” The girl answered, closing her eyes, feeling the lips of the small girl. “Were you writing?” she asked after a couple of seconds.

“Yes, I'm almost done. Inspiration came back to me.” She said with a smile and a glint in her eyes, Jimin stared at her, leaving her eyes studying her face, her eyes stopping on the mole just below her eye. She tugged the girl closer to her just to plant a soft kiss there. The rain being the only sound in the room and their breaths, after that Jimin moved her lips to the one in her cheek, leaving a chaste kiss with sound, causing a chuckled in the small girl, then the one in the corner of her lip, leaving a sigh, finally she kissed her lips, sharing a sweet kiss with the girl beside her. when Minjeong leaned back to look at her, she found a strange look in the raven girl, with so much in her eyes like she was trying to tell her something. “What was that?”

“I just felt like it, I like your moles.” Jimin simply says, with her eyes happy and full of love. “You want to ask something? I know you. What is it?” Minjeong asks, seeing how the raven girl smiles at her, staring deep into her eyes. “I’m just so in love with you, and now that I finally have you here with me, it fills my heart. You are still my best friend in the world, but I’m glad you are more than that now.”

Minjeong smiles at her words, throwing herself into the girl, connecting their lips again, like everything else they did together. Tenderly. They slid against each other to the rhythm of their racing hearts, quickening the peace as it went on, the raven girl grabbing the tiny waist of Minjeong and turning her around, so she could be on top of the small girl. they continued with the dance until they pulled back, breathless. As they stared at each other, they noticed how their eyes were black with desire and love. Wordlessly, gravity pulled them back towards each other until they connected once more, this time in a slow kiss, Minjeong's arms finding their way to Jimin’s shoulders, bringing her closer, flushing their bodies together. After several minutes, they parted ways without moving too far, with their foreheads touching, breathing harder than before. Jimin felt her heart was about to burst, she gulped the knot in her throat before speaking.

“Move in with me, please.” She said, with her voice husky for the kiss and her eyes shining, she stood from her place to walk to her desk and open her drawer, getting out a little box, returning to her bed where the blonde girl was, she gave it to her with a shy smile. She talked once she saw how she grabbed the golden key in her hands. “It’s the key for my place, so if you would like it, move in with me, Minjeong.”

Minjeong smiled at her words and nodded her head. “I would love to, Jimin.” She curls a hand behind the raven girl’s neck and brings her closer again, whispering an I love you before their lips collide together.

-

The venue— a magical-like garden in a fancy hotel —is beautifully decorated with white benches, a white carpet covering the aisle, and pink flower petals scattered around. The soft melody of the piano filled the air while the guests were talking animatedly around, waiting for the moment the bride came. Close the beautiful altar, Minjeong stood right underneath, her heart filled with love and pride, seeing how everything came into place. She left her eyes travel around the places to see both families of her friends talking with the biggest smiles.

Not too far from where she’s standing, Jimin stares at her, studying her with love in her eyes. She decides to walk closer to where she was standing and holds her hand while they wait for everything to settle down as time moves, “You’ve done well, Min. I’m sure Yizhuo is very happy with what you’ve done.”

“What we’ve done.” The blonde girl corrects her, interlacing her fingers with the raven girl. 

She smiles at her. Her eyes skirt all over Minjeong's face, making the girl gulp nervously. “You look beautiful.” She finally says, causing a blush in the small girl. “You already told me this, more than once.” She sulks at the older, causing a chuckle. “It's good to remind you.”

“You know, I’m really happy it's finally the day of their wedding. Yizhuo was driving me crazy.” Minjeong changes the topic, but the taller girl notices her pink ears and smiles. “You are right, I wanted to kill Aeri on more than one occasion, but everything turned out perfect.” Before they could talk more, the wedding planner caught their attention from the other end of the aisle and signaled that the two women were ready. Jimin walks back to her position on the other side of the altar, and then the doors open to reveal the brides.

The crowd buzzed at the sight with excitement, everything become silence when Aeri is the first to walk with her dad while the music swells, making them company, she smiles at her friends before taking her place right beside Jimin, seconds later they see Yizhuo walking down with her father beside her, walking down with the biggest smile and glow, and Minjeong can’t help the grin that spreads in her face as she sees her best friend reach the arm of her lover, noticing how the Japanese’s hands tremble when she lift her veil and smiles at her soon to be wife when she does the same to her, noticing how teary her eyes were already for the emotion she was feeling.

The ceremony goes smoothly, the brides exchange vows that make everyone laugh and especially, cry in the venue because of their love. Minjeong and Jimin give them their rings, and they slip them on their fingers with shaky hands and teary eyes. Their kiss is straight out of a romantic movie that has everyone clapping and whistling with happiness. The new married couple cheer and run down the aisle, jumping, unable to contain their excitement and cheerfulness for the new chapter of their life. Jimin meets eyes across the altar with Minjeong and smiles while at the same time, they reach for their hands, following after their friends together, laughing when they see how the women in front of them get rice rain the moment they step out.

The wedding reception is at the same hotel. After dinner, packed with delicious food, drinks, and a thoughtful yet embarrassing speech from the maids of honor filled with laughs, tears, and hugs from the couple, everyone moves to the dance floor for the first waltz. Minjeong stares at the bride slow dancing alone on the dance floor, how gentle they are with each other, moves slow and small, smiles on their faces as they whisper, clearly in their world. she turns her attention to her side when she feels a hand tugging hers.

“May I?”

She grins at her girlfriend before nodding. “You may.”

The blonde girl blushes when the raven girl pulls her closer by the waist, pressing their bodies together. “I saw the picture you have of me in the studio.” Minjeong's voice fills the silence around them. “That’s there because I want to get everyone around to know I have you as my girlfriend.” The taller girl's simple answer. “And since you looked so good in that picture, I wanted it in a special place.” Their noses bump into each other, and Minjeong feels breathless, eyes stuck on Jimin’s lips. they end the meeting in the middle with a sweet kiss, blurring everything around them. When they part away from each other, the taller girl smiles at the sight of red lips and eyes filled with love.

“Don’t play innocent, too, I saw the lyrics you wrote about us.” She whispers to the girl in her arms, causing a giggle on her lips.

“What can I say? I finally understand what historians and poets tried to explain when they described love.”