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Chapter Text

Miyeon sat curled up on her couch, a blanket covered her like a cocoon. She hadn’t moved much in two days, only shifting from the couch to her bed and kitchen. She’d called in for work sick both days, 

The coffee table was cluttered with a couple of empty ramyeon cups, a half-finished bottle of water, few cans of beers and a tissue box that was nearing its end. She’d barely eaten anything beyond the salty noodles since Thursday, when Jung Jaehyun dumped her.

They were only four months away from their three-year anniversary. She’d been planning to surprise him with a trip to Jeju Island where they could celebrate their love. She’d loved him with her whole heart, the kind of love that saw a forever in him. Marriage. Kids. Now it was all gone.

Almost 3 years of laughter, arguments, kisses, hugs, mindless sex, promises, and dreams gone in just five minutes. He hadn’t even bothered to meet her in person. He’d ended it over a phone call.

“I’ve met someone else,” he said as if he were discussing the weather. “She understands me better, Miyeon. I don’t love you anymore. I got bored.”

Bored.

She’d rushed to his apartment immediately after the call, desperate for answers, for something that might make sense. But when he’d opened the door, she’d seen her answer standing right behind him. The other woman, the “someone else” who had replaced her.

“Miyeon, you need to leave,” he said. He hadn’t cared. Not about her heartbreak, not about the years they’d spent together, not about the way her knees had almost buckled.

She didn’t even know what had gone wrong. When had it started? When had he decided she wasn’t enough?

She buried her face in her knees, hoping the tears to stop, but they fell anyway. Her sobs echoed faintly in the quiet apartment.

The loud knock at her door startled her from her misery. She still foolishly believed Jaehyun might show up to explain, to take it all back. But the rational part of her knew better. There was only one person who would knock like that, 

Yuqi.

Her best friend. Her ride-or-die, the one who would march into hell and back if Miyeon needed her to.

She didn’t want to get up. She didn’t want to see anyone. She just wanted to drown in her heartbreak. But Yuqi wasn’t the type to leave just because she wasn’t wanted.

“Miyeon, open up!” It was Yuqi. Of course. “Cho Miyeon, if you don’t open this door right now, I swear I’ll call the police!” The knocks were loud and persistent.

Miyeon groaned, wiping at her tear-streaked face with the sleeve of her hoodie. She didn’t want to get up nor face anyone. But knowing Yuqi, the knocking wasn’t going to stop.

Dragging herself off the couch, she shuffled to the door, her steps sluggish. The state of her apartment wasn’t exactly guest-friendly. Tissues scattered across the couch, ramyeon cups, beer cans  and dishes piled up in the sink, and looked like a frat boy lived here.

When she finally opened the door, Yuqi didn’t wait for an invitation. She barged in, not even a hello. “Oh, my God.” Yuqi stopped mid-step, surveying Miyeon’s living room. A hell.

Yuqi’s gaze turned to Miyeon “You look like hell,” Yuqi said bluntly but there was no judgment.

Miyeon managed a weak glare. “Thanks.”

Yuqi sighed heavily as she closed the door and followed Miyeon inside. Without warning, Yuqi stepped forward and pulled Miyeon into a hug. She felt herself sink into Yuqi’s embrace. “You’re allowed to feel like crap, okay?” Yuqi said. “But I’m not letting you sit here forever.”

“I am okay.”

“You’re not,” Yuqi replied, breaking the hug. She didn’t argue further, she didn’t need to. Instead, she grabbed a trash bag from under the kitchen’s sink and started tidying up.

Miyeon sighed. She hated it when Yuqi did this. It wasn’t the cleaning itself, but the way Yuqi swooped in and took charge, as if Miyeon couldn’t handle her own mess. And yet, after ten years of friendship, Miyeon knew better than to fight it. Yuqi never listened.

Instead of protesting, she quietly joined her, moving to the sink to start on the dishes filled the by Yuqi’s commentary about how “this was a new low, even for you, Cho Miyeon.”

By the time they finished, the apartment looked less like a disaster zone. Yuqi sat at the dining table, eyeing Miyeon, who was still scrubbing the last plate in the sink.

“What are you doing tonight?” Yuqi asked.

Miyeon didn’t bother to answer, knowing exactly where this was going.

As expected, Yuqi continued before she could get a word out. “Why do I even bother to ask?”

“I don’t need company if that’s what you’re getting at. I’m fine being alone.” said Miyeon as her hands moving to rinsed the last plate. 

Yuqi shook her head, even though Miyeon couldn’t see it. “My girlfriend’s having a party tonight,”

Miyeon paused for a moment, setting the plate on the drying rack. “So?” she asked, her mind went to Soyeon. A party didn’t sound like Soyeon at all. It was probably Yuqi’s idea.

“You should come!”

“Yuqi, I…”

“I know what you’re going to say!” Yuqi interrupted, “You’re straight, and you don’t go to lesbian parties. Blah, blah, blah.”

Miyeon dried her hands with a dish towel, turning to face her friend. “Then why bother asking?”

“Because you need this. Good music, drinks, food, and absolutely no straight couple drama. Just a bunch of lesbians who might hit on you, but I promise they’re respectful lesbians!”

Miyeon didn’t respond immediately. It wasn’t that she couldn’t think of a reason to refuse, she had plenty, but the energy to argue simply wasn’t there.

“Come on!” Yuqi pleaded, standing and slinging an arm around Miyeon in an exaggerated side hug. “Fuck Jung Jaehyun, honestly! You deserve way better than that loser.”

Miyeon hesitated. She could already feel herself being dragged into this, the way Yuqi always managed to bulldoze her defenses. Saying no was useless. And maybe Yuqi was right, maybe a party was exactly what she needed. At the very least, she could get drunk enough to forget. And who knew? Maybe after a few drinks, she’d find the courage to swipe through some dating apps and distract herself with something or someone new. Miyeon had always been wilder when she was drunk, anyway.

Yuqi didn’t tell Soyeon that Miyeon would be coming to the party. She knew better than to bring it up. Soyeon wouldn’t have liked it. Soyeon had seen this happen before. A straight girl wanders into their circle, catches a little too much attention, and things get messy. Miyeon didn’t belong in their world.

Yuqi didn’t see a problem. Miyeon was her best friend, and she needed this. That was all that mattered to her.

When Miyeon arrived at the front door, she was already regretting her decision. The place was loud with edm music and the place was dim accompanied with colorful party lights mix with laughters and conversation.

“This was a bad idea,” Miyeon muttered under her breath as Yuqi opened the door for her.

“It’s not a bad idea,” Yuqi said as she stepped aside. “You’re overthinking it.”

As soon as Miyeon stepped in, she scanned the place, there were probably only 20 people here, far fewer than she’d expected. Yuqi had hosted parties twice this size before. She could only imagine the headaches they’d given Soyeon. Even with the smaller crowd, Miyeon felt out of place.

Yuqi nudged her as she closed the door behind them. “Take off your jacket,” she ordered.

Miyeon slipped out of her coat Yuqi took it immediately, giving Miyeon a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine,” Yuqi encouraged. “Go mingle!”

“Mingle?” Miyeon repeated. She glanced around the room which filled so many unfamiliar faces, “I don’t know anyone except you and Soyeon.”

“Exactly! It’s the perfect chance to meet new people,” Yuqi said, already heading toward the closet to stash their jackets. “Just relax and have fun!”

Most people were clustered in small groups, laughing and chatting with drinks in hand. A few were dancing in the living room. She stood awkwardly by the entrance, unsure of where to go or what to do. Yuqi had left her into the crowd. She thought it was asshole move by Yuqi. She wrapped her arms around herself. Why had she agreed to this?

Casually, Miyeon wandered into the kitchen, where the counters were stacked with food and drinks. There wass pizza, chips, sandwich and some kind of dessert she couldn’t name. Grabbing a can of beer, she popped it open and took a sip. 

She helped herself to a slice of pizza, the cheese already cooling. Gross. Leaning against the counter, she took small bites, her eyes wandering over the guests. Everyone here looked comfortable. They were laughing, flirting, kissing, leaning into one another, playfully shoving shoulders or holding hands.

Miyeon couldn’t help but admire how carefree they all seemed, how comfortable they were in their own skin. Being queer in South Korea wasn’t easy, she knew that much from conversations with Yuqi and Soyeon. Yet these people carried themselves with confidence.

She tried to imagine herself in their shoes and she knew she couldn’t do it. Her thoughts were interrupted when her gaze landed on someone nearby.

A girl stood with a small group with her dark, shoulder-length hair with a bangs. She leaned slightly toward one of her friends smiling. It wasn’t just her lips, it was her whole face. Miyeon caught herself staring, thinking that it might be the prettiest smile she had ever seen.

The girl wore a flannel shirt over a plain white shirt, and blue jeans. She didn’t realize how long she had been watching until, suddenly, their eyes met. Miyeon froze.

The girl smiled again, even when she’d caught Miyeon staring and didn’t mind at all. She quickly looked away, her face burning. She stared at the slice of pizza in her hand and took a bite. What had she just done? Why had she been staring?

She forced herself to take another sip of her beer, When she dared to glance back, the girl had already turned her attention back to her friends. She then focused back onto her sad-looking-pizza.

Then there was a voice, “Hey.”

Miyeon glanced up, startled. It was her. The girl she’d been staring at seconds ago now stood beside her, drink in hand, the other tucked casually into the pocket of her jeans. Up close, she was even more striking.

“You were staring,” the girl said smiling.

Miyeon’s heart skipped a beat, and her grip on the beer tightened. “I… I wasn’t,”

The girl raised an eyebrow, “You were. It’s okay, though. Happens all the time.”

“Happens all the time?” Miyeon repeated,

“Not to brag,” the girl said with a shrug, “but I get that look a lot.”

Miyeon blinked. She believed it. Why wouldn’t people stare at her? That smile alone was enough to disarm anyone.

“You’re new,” the girl said, leaning casually against the counter. “I haven’t seen you around before.”

“Yeah,” Miyeon replied. ”Yuqi invited me.”

The girl grinned, “Yuqi always drags the pretty ones.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“I’m Minnie,” the girl said, extending her hand.

“Miyeon. Cho Miyeon,” she replied, shaking Minnie’s hand.

“You’re straight, aren’t you?”

The directness made Miyeon startled slightly. She’d never understood how these gays could tell just from looking. “What makes you say that?”

Minnie smirked,“Well... you look like you’re trying really hard to be comfortable. You’re stiff…”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” she muttered and glanced away.

Minnie laughed “You do know this is a lesbian party, right?”

Miyeon turned her gaze back to Minnie and nodded, lifting her beer to take a sip.

“What’s your story?” Minnie asked, pushing off the counter and moving toward the other side of the kitchen. She opened a bottle of wine, pouring into her glass and another one for Miyeon.

“My story?” Miyeon repeated.

“Yeah,” Minnie said, walking back toward her and handing her a glass. “Straight girls don’t usually come to lesbian parties unless something’s happened. Am I right?”

There it was again, they always could tell. Impressive she thought. Either way, there was no point in lying. “My boyfriend dumped me,”

Minnie rolled her eyes. She knew it. “Classic,” she said, taking a sip of her wine. “Let me guess. You’re here because you got tired of men hurting you.”

“No,” Miyeon said quickly, shaking her head. “Yuqi just thought I looked miserable crying at my place and dragged me here.”

“Was he worth crying over?” Minnie asked, tilting her glass slightly as she studied Miyeon.

Miyeon took a sip of wine, buying herself a moment before answering. “I don’t know. I gave him three years of my life. I don’t think it matters if he was worth it or not. I still feel like shit.”

“Fair point.” Then, after a beat, she added, “Mind telling me why he dumped you?”

“He said he found someone better than me,”

“No way! There’s someone better than you?” Minnie asked. Her tone was playful.

The unexpected comment made Miyeon laughed. And it came from an attractive stranger. She realized it was the first time she’d laughed since the breakup.

As the conversation continued and the drinks flowed, Miyeon found herself relaxing more and more. Minnie was fun to talk to, quick-witted, easygoing, and unafraid to make jokes and never crossed the line. 

Meanwhile, across the room, Soyeon was in the living room, her eyes narrowing as she caught sight of Miyeon. Even in the dim lighting, she recognized her immediately. Soyeon’s brow furrowed. What the hell was Miyeon doing here?

“Yuqi,” Soyeon said, grabbing her girlfriend’s arm as she passed by.

“Hmm?” Yuqi hummed, turning with a drink in hand, her expression cheerful.

Soyeon tilted her head toward the kitchen, where Miyeon was standing beside Minnie. “Why is Miyeon here?”

“I invited her.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew you’d freak out,” Yuqi replied, rolling her eyes. “Relax, babe. She’s just here to have a good time.”

“She’s straight,” Soyeon pointed out the obvious.

“And?” Yuqi shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. “She’s not here to date anyone. She just got dumped. She needs this.”

“Song Yuqi,” called Soyeon. “You know how these gays are. They’re going to hit on her.”

“So? She can handle it. Not like she’s going to suddenly turn gay from a few compliments.”

Soyeon rolled her eyes, “That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

Soyeon crossed her arms. “She’s straight, Yuqi. You drop her into a party like this when she’s so vulnerable right now. You know what’s going to happen. These gays are going to hit on her, and it would get messy.”

Yuqi shrugged, “Miyeon’s a grown woman. She’ll be fine.”

“She’s talking to Minnie right now,” Soyeon pointed out, nodding toward the kitchen again.

“So?” Yuqi replied, raising an eyebrow. “Your best friend is the most harmless lesbian in this room.”

Soyeon scoffed. “Do I have to remind you about what happened with Minnie a few years ago?”

That gave Yuqi pause. Yuqi had only heard vague mentions of the story, half-formed details from Soyeon during a late-night cuddles and a few offhanded comments Minnie had made during conversations that Yuqi hadn’t paid much attention to. She’d never gotten the full story. “You’re overthinking it,” Yuqi said, ignoring Soyeon’s concern. “They’re just talking.”

Soyeon frowned and she glanced back at the kitchen, where Minnie was pouring another drink for Miyeon. Miyeon, for her part, looked far more comfortable than she had when she first arrived.

“Babe,” Yuqi said before leaning in to kiss Soyeon’s cheek. “You’re worrying about nothing. Trust me.”

Soyeon also knew there was no point in arguing with Yuqi. Her girlfriend meant well, her heart was always in the right place. Yuqi truly cared about Miyeon, and Soyeon could see that she was trying to help in the best way she knew how.

But Soyeon wasn’t just thinking about Miyeon. She was thinking of Minnie. Minnie had been through enough. Soyeon had seen the fallout from her last messy break-up with a straight girl who had no intention of staying. Minnie had been hurt badly. She’d been the one Minnie called at two in the morning, drunk and heartbroken.

Soyeon didn’t want to see Minnie go through that again. She knew her friend well enough to see the signs. Minnie wasn’t the type to fall easily, but when she did, she fell hard.

A few hours later, to be exact it was 1 AM,  the party had begun to wind down, though the living room was still a little bit chaotic. Most of the guests had left and Only a few remained, dancing wildly in the center of the room, Yuqi among them.

From the balcony, Miyeon and Minnie watched the scene through the glass door. Miyeon leaned against the railing, her fingers loosely wrapped around a half-empty glass of wine, while Minnie stood beside her, sipping water.

“They’re still going,” Miyeon said disbelief.

Minnie smirked, nodding toward Yuqi, who was now doing headstand “Yuqi doesn’t quit. She’ll dance until the sun comes up if you let her.”

Miyeon then glancing at the couch. “And Soyeon?”

Minnie followed her gaze, “Passed out, huh?”

Soyeon was passing on the couch, one arm draped over her face to block out the flashing colourful lights. 

“She lasted longer than I thought she would,” Minnie said with a chuckle. “But even Soyeon has her limits. She used to be a really heavy drinker.”

The breeze picked up and that made Miyeon shivered slightly. Minnie noticed immediately. Without a word, she shrugged off her flannel shirt, leaving her in the plain white tee she wore underneath.

“Here,” she said, wrapping it out around Miyeon.

Miyeon blinked, startled by the gesture. “Oh, no, I’m fine,” she protested, though she was clearly not.

“Stop being polite and take it. You’re shivering.”

“Thanks,” Miyeon said and their eyes met.

“Don’t mention it,” Minnie replied.

For a while, they stood in silence, she didn’t know how comforting it was to just stand in the balcony in a very expensive apartment of her bestfriend’s.

Minnie tilted her head slightly, studying her. “You’re quiet all of a sudden. What’s on your mind?”

“Just... thinking.”

Minnie turned her body angled slightly toward Miyeon. “Thinking about him?”

Miyeon sighed, “It’s hard not to. It’s like... every time I try to distract myself, my brain just loops back to him. Like some stupid, broken record.”

Minnie stayed silent, waiting for Miyeon to just unpack her feelings.

“It’s not even just that he dumped me,” Miyeon continued. “It’s how he did it. He didn’t even try to make it less cruel. Just... ‘I found someone better.’”

Minnie frowned. “I’m sorry that sucks.”

“He also said, ‘She understands me better. She’s better for me.’”

Minnie scoffed, shaking her head. “What a load of crap. That’s not about you, that’s about him. People don’t just decide you’re not ‘enough.’ He’s the one who wasn’t enough.”

Miyeon blinked, “I gave him three years of my life,” she said softly. “I thought he was my forever. Marriage, kids, all of it. And he just... walked away. Like I was nothing.”

Minnie shifted closer, her expression softening. “It wasn’t nothing. You mattered. He’s just too much of an asshole to realize that.”

“I keep thinking... what did I do wrong? Was I too much? Did I nagged him too much? Not good in bed?”

“I do know it’s not on you. You could’ve done everything right, and it still wouldn’t have mattered to someone who didn’t see you for who you are.” said Minnie softly like she meant it.

Miyeon turned to look at her, “Have you... been through this?”

Minnie nodded, “Yeah. A while ago. Took me a long time to stop blaming myself.” She paused, “But I learned that someone else’s choices don’t define my worth. And they don’t define yours either.”

“I don’t know if I believe that yet.”

“That’s okay,” Minnie said gently. “It takes time. But you’ll get there.”

Miyeon let out a soft laugh, “You sound like some kind of life coach.” she said before she finished her wine and was about to pour another one.

Without warning, Minnie reached out and plucked the bottle from Miyeon’s hand, setting it on the table behind her.

“Hey!” Miyeon protested.

“You’ve had enough,”

“No, I’m fine. I’m not even drunk yet.”

Minnie raised an eyebrow, “You’re clearly tipsy. Do you want me to call you an Uber?”

Miyeon shook her head, “No. I don’t want to go home yet.”

“Why not?” Minnie asked.

“It’s too quiet,” she admitted. “At least here. It keeps me from thinking too much.”

The music from the living room was softer. Minnie turned her gaze toward the living room. Yuqi was already on the floor, one hand clutching an empty bottle.“Typical,” Minnie commented.

She glanced at Miyeon, who was still leaning on the balcony railing, staring out at the bridge.

“Everyone’s left and passed out.” Minnie said, stepping closer. “So, I’m going to ask you again, do you want me to call you an Uber?”

Miyeon sighed heavily, “No. I’ll sleep here,” she pulled herself away from the railing. But as she took a step, she stumbled slightly, she was tipsy.

Minnie moved quickly, steadying her with a firm hand at her waist. “Easy there,”

“I’m fine,” Miyeon protested. “I can do this.”

They went back inside and Minnie grabbed some blanket to cover Soyeon and Yuqi. Then Minnie guided Miyeon through the hallway, her arm looped around Miyeon’s waist to keep her steady. Miyeon was giggling softly for no reason. 

When Minnie opened the first guest room door, Minnie immediately slammed it shut, her face flushing. 

“What’s wrong?” Miyeon asked.

“Nothing,” Minnie muttered. “Just two naked people asleep in there.”

Miyeon laughed. Minnie then moved to the next guest room and she opened it cautiously, relieved to find it empty. “Finally,” she sighed.

They sstepped inside and Miyeon immediately threw herself onto the bed. Minnie lingered at the doorway, her hand resting on the knob. “All right,” she said. “You’re good now. Get some sleep.”

But Miyeon sit up, she looked onto Minnie’s eyes. “Why don’t you stay?”

Minnie blinked, “What?”

“Why don’t you stay?” Miyeon repeated.

“Why do you want me to stay?”

“You’ve been nice all night, and you’re a good company… I don’t want to be alone.”

“Miyeon, you’re drunk,” she said gently. “You’ll be fine tomorrow.”

“I’m not that drunk,” Miyeon replied. “There’s plenty of space here, and I’d like your company.” she said as she pat the king size bed.

Minnie shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t blind, Miyeon was beautiful and yes she was attracted to her. But Minnie had her boundaries. She would normally be okay with casual hookups but she thought Miyeon was different. On top of that, Miyeon was so vulnerable.

“Damn it,” she muttered. “Am i being needy and annoying right now?”

Minnie was about to say smething, but Miyeon pushed herself off the bed, stumbling slightly as she was tipsy and her legs weren’t strong.

“Whoaa!!!” Minnie said, moving quickly to catch her. She slipped an arm around Miyeon’s waist, steadying her as Miyeon gripped her shoulders for balance. 

Miyeon’s face was close to Minnie’s while Minnie’s arm tightened instinctively around her waist, her other hand lightly resting on Miyeon’s arm. Their gazes locked. And then Miyeon leaned in, her lips brushing softly against Minnie’s.

Minnie’s body responded before her thoughts could catch up, and she kissed Miyeon back. The kiss was slow but it evolved when Miyeon’s hands slid up to wrap around Minnie’s neck and Minnie’s arms instinctively moved to Miyeon’s waist.

Minnie broke the kiss, pulling back slightly, though their foreheads remained pressed together. Her hands still resting on Miyeon’s waist. “I can’t… I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

Miyeon didn’t pull away. She stayed close, as she stared into Minnie’s eyes. “You’re not taking advantage of me,” she whispered, “I’m the one taking advantage of you.”

“You’re drunk. You’re not thinking straight. And I… I respect you too much to do this. You’re not even gay.”

Miyeon’s brows furrowed, “I just want you to fuck me.”

Minnie’s eyes widened. The Miyeon she had met just hours ago was sweet, and suddenly she changed into the wilder and bolder Miyeon. “I’m asking you, Minnie,” Miyeon continued, her hands tightening slightly around Minnie’s neck, pulling her closer again. “No strings attached. Just… sex.”

Minnie had found herself in situations like this before, friends with benefits, casual hookups, it was a dynamic she was familiar with and had always handled without complication. She wasn’t the type to catch feelings. It would be a lie if Minnie said she didn’t imagine fucking Miyeon. This should have been easy for her.

“Just sex…” repeated Minnie. It was more like a mental note for herself.

Miyeon leaned in again and her Miyeon’s fingers found the hem of Minnie’s shirt, tugging it up and over her head, then Minnie’s hands slid to Miyeon’s waist, pulling her closer to kiss her. Their broke the kiss as Miyeon fumbled with Minnie’s jeans, pushing them down her hips, and Minnie kicked them off.

Miyeon took off the Minnie’s flannel shirt and her plain black shirt in such rush motion leaving them with their innerwear. Minnie pulled her back into a kiss, to her neck as she unclasped Miyeon’s bra. At that moment, it was just lust for both of them.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Miyeon woke up with her head throbbed, it was definitely a hangover, and her mouth felt dry. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the room around her. This wasn’t her room.

Everything here was too fancy, the expensive-looking furniture, the huge 50inch tv, the polished floors, the oversized comfortable bed. Then she remembered, she turned her body slightly, she froze.

Minnie was lying beside her, her back facing Miyeon, her naked body covered with blanket. What happened yesterday came flooding back vividly. She gasped softly as she was the one who started this, the kiss and how she reached multiple orgasm.

Minnie had been gentle with her. She couldn’t believe she had sex with a woman, but she also couldn’t deny how good it had been. She really enjoyed Minnie between her legs.

She barely had time to process it when she heard someone jiggling the doorknob. Her heart nearly stopped. The door didn’t open, thankfully, it was locked but the sound of voices on the other side also startled her.

“Soyeon-ah,” Yuqi’s voice called from the outside. “Someone stayed over.”

Miyeon’sheart dropped like a stone. She turned her head sharply toward Minnie, who was still fast asleep, she didn’t even flinch.

“Of course they do,” Soyeon replied farther down the hallway. “Check the other room.”

Her chest tightened as panic set in. She slipped out of bed as quietly as she could, the cool floor making her shiver. She crouched down, gathering her dress and underwear, tossing them onto the bed. Her fingers shook as she hurriedly tried to slip into her underwear. Then she heard a door creak open down the hallway.

“YAAAA!!!” Yuqi’s horrified scream rang out, loud enough to make Miyeon freeze mid-motion. “WHY DON’T YOU LOCK THE DOOR?!”

“GET THE FUCK OUT!” Shuhua’s voice shot back, followed by a dull thump as something hit the door.

“SOYEON-AH!” Yuqi shouted again. “SHUHUA IS FUCKING SOOJIN AGAIN!”

Miyeon couldn’t help but imagine her own name being shouted out like that, it would be really embarrassing.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Another thump followed and Yuqi’s footsteps had already retreated down the hall.

“WHY ARE YOU THROWING THINGS?! LOCK THE DAMN DOOR NEXT TIME!” Yuqi hollered back as she walked passed the hallway, passing the room Miyeon in.

Miyeon’s resumed her motion, trying to find her bra and then she fumbled under the bed, finally brushing against her bra. She pulled it out and slipped it on together with her dress. Her gaze flicked back to Minnie, who hadn’t moved an inch. She ran her fingers through her messy hair, she tried to make herself look more presentable. 

She pressed her ear against the door, listening intently. The hallway was quiet now, she thought for a second, she could slipped out unnoticed. She cracked the door open and got out. The coast was clear, she thought.

Her bare feet made no sound as she tiptoed down the hallway. When she reached the end of the hall, she looked at the large living room still littered with beer cans, crumpled napkins, and paper cups scattered across the tables and floor.

To her left, the open-plan kitchen came into view. There stood Soyeon over the stovetop, stirring a bubbling pot. Yuqi stood behind her, arms wrapped around Soyeon’s waist, her chin resting on Soyeon’s shoulder.

Miyeon could hear Yuqi murmuring something teasing into Soyeon’s ear and Soyeon let out a soft chuckle but kept her focus on the pot. The aroma of kimchi stew filled the house and Miyeon’s stomach growled.

“Can you not breathe down my neck while I’m cooking?” Soyeon said dryly, nudging Yuqi with her elbow.

Yuqi moved slightly but didn’t let go. “Nope. You’re cute when you’re annoyed,” she replied, pressing a quick kiss to Soyeon’s cheek.

“Be useful and chop the scallions. And properly this time.” ordered Soyeon.

Yuqi groaned but reluctantly moved to obey, said something about slave labor as she pulled the cutting board closer.

Miyeon hesitated at the edge of the hallway, watching the couple’s intimacy. For a moment, she was back in her own kitchen with Jaehyun. She used to tease him like that, poking at him when he cooked, stealing his attention when he was focused on his guitar. She missed Jaehyun. A lot.

Miyeon sighed softly, realizing there was no way to avoid being seen by Soyeon and Yuqi. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the kitchen, her footsteps got Yuqi’s attention.

Yuqi glanced up, her eyes widening in surprise. “Oh! Cho Miyeon?!”

Soyeon turned her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over Miyeon from head to toe.

“Good morning,” Miyeon said awkwardly, trying to sound casual.

“I didn’t know you stayed over. Were you in that locked guest room?” asked Yuqi.

Miyeon nodded quickly, “Yeah, I, uh... I was too drunk to go home last night. Thanks for letting me crash.”

Soyeon turned back to the pot, giving it a final stir. “Did Minnie head home yesterday?”

Miyeon’s heart skipped. “Yes,” she lied instinctively, surprised by how easily the words slipped out. She didn’t know why she felt the need to lie about it.

Soyeon didn’t press further, “Sit, come have some soup.” she said briskly. “It’ll help with your hangover.”

“I’m fine, really,” Miyeon replied quickly, waving her hand. “I was just about to leave…”

“It’s Sunday,” Yuqi interrupted. “Soyeon’s soup works miracles. You’ll feel like a new person.”

Before Miyeon could protest further, two figures appeared at the end of the hallway. Shuhua and Soojin, both wearing oversized shirts and she couldn’t tell if they wore pants at all. They walked over to the dining table, passing Miyeon who was still standing.

Soyeon glanced at them, “Are you two back together?”

Shuhua shook her head quickly, sliding into one of the empty chairs at the table. “No.”

“We don’t have to be in a relationship to have fun,” Soojin added casually, grabbing a glass of water from the counter before sitting down beside Shuhua. Her voice was calm, almost indifferent, as if the drama that always followed them before didn’t exist.

Yuqi, still holding a knife and cutting board, shot the pair a judgmental look. She had seen this play out too many times to count, and it never ended well. “When you fight later, don’t call me. I mean it this time.”

Shuhua leaned back in her chair. “Who says we’ll fight?”

“You two always fight,” Yuqi retorted, turning her attention back to the scallions she was half-heartedly chopping. “I swear, it’s like your entire dynamic is built on fighting and...whatever that is.” She gestured vaguely toward them with the knife.

Soyeon let out a soft sigh as she carried the pot of steaming kimchi stew to the table. When she started dating Yuqi, she hadn’t fully realized that it came with all the chaos of her friends, their drama often spilling into her world. Yuqi drained her energy sometimes, but at the same time, Soyeon couldn’t deny how deeply and sincerely Yuqi knew how to love.

Setting the pot down, Soyeon added, “Yuqi’s right. Don’t call me either. I’m not your emergency contact when this inevitably blows up.”

Soojin, unfazed, grabbed a spoon from the table, “Noted.”

Miyeon could only stared at the group. She was an outsider here, and she felt like she was out of place.

Soyeon turned to Miyeon, “Why are you still standing? Sit.”

Miyeon nodded awkwardly, knowing she couldn’t escape. She reluctantly slid into a chair. She prayed silently that Minnie wouldn’t wake up until she was gone.

Yuqi joined the table after sprinkling the scallions into the pot, handing out bowls to everyone. She took a seat beside Soyeon. 

Shuhua turned her attention to Miyeon. “Who are you? I haven’t seen you before.”

“I’m Cho Miyeon,”

“She’s my best friend from high school,” Yuqi replied, mid-bite. “I invited her miserable ass because her boyfriend dumped her.”

Shuhua tilted her head further, “Ah, I was wondering why a straight girl would end up at a lesbian party.”

The comment hit Miyeon unexpectedly, and unsure how to respond. There it was again, people could always tell that shes straight. She hated how these people said it like it was a sin to be straight.

Shuhua wasn’t done. She enjoying Miyeon’s flustered reaction. “Yuqi-ah, how did you end up best friends with such an awfully attractive straight girl like this?”

Miyeon’s face grew warm. Her mind flashed back to their first meeting in high school, the day Yuqi had transferred from China, all confused with a very limited korean.

and she opened her mouth to respond, but Yuqi beat her to it. 

“I did have a crush on her in high school,” Yuqi admitted nonchalantly, taking another bite of soup. “That’s why I talked to her in the first place. But then I realized she’s straighter than my uncooked spaghetti, but she’s actually a fun person to be friends with.”

Miyeon blinked, stunned. “Wait. You liked me?”

Yuqi shrugged. “I said i had a crush.” She grinned. “I got over it fast. You’re always throwing yourself into men anyway.”

“Shuhua, eat your soup before you start spouting more nonsense. The faster you guys eat, the faster you can leave my house. I’d like to spend the day alone with my girlfriend.” said Soyeon. It was too noisy for her.

Yuqi’s head turned toward Soyeon, her expression lighting up “Aww,” she cooed, leaning her shoulder against Soyeon’s. “Did everyone hear that? My girlfriend wants me around.”

Soyeon rolled her eyes but didn’t push Yuqi away, “Don’t make me regret it,”

The table fell silence as they ate the soup, curing their hangover. Then there was a sound of a door closing somewhere down the hallway. 

Everyone’s heads turned instinctively toward the noise except Miyeon, who froze mid-motion, her spoon hovering just above her bowl. That had to be Minnie.

Yuqi broke the silence, glancing toward the hallway. “What’s that? Is there anyone else inside?”

The faint shuffle of footsteps followed, and then Minnie appeared, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Yuqi was the first to react, “Oh, Minnie!” she exclaimed. “Where did you come from? Miyeon said you went home yesterday.”

Minnie paused as she briefly landing on Miyeon, who still hadn’t moved, she knew instantly that Miyeon wouldnt want anyone here to know. A part of Minnie didn’t either. She could already imagine the judgement from the group. 

“I, uh…” Minnie hesitated, running a hand through her messy hair as she searched for a believable answer. “I was too drunk so i crashed in one of the guest room.” she said. She had forgotten the guest rooms were full.

“Really?” Yuqi was genuinely curious. “All the guest rooms were full last night. Where’d you actually sleep?”

Soyeon’s sharp gaze flicked between Minnie and Miyeon. She didn’t miss the fleeting glance Minnie had thrown Miyeon’s way or the way Miyeon had gone completely still, her grip tightening on her spoon. Her intuition telling her there was more to this story.

Minnie shrugged nonchalantly, “I slept in the laundry room.”

Miyeon swallowed hard, silently praying for the conversation to move on. Her heart raced as if time itself had stopped. She wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor and vanish.

“Wait a second!” said Yuqi, leaning forward in her chair. “Did you hook up with someone in the laundry room, just like you did last time?”

Miyeon’s breath caught in her throat, and she choked on the soup she’d just swallowed. She coughed violently, her face turning red as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Whoa, are you okay?” Soojin asked, handing Miyeon a glass of water from across the table.

“Yuqi, stop it,” Soyeon interrupted.

Yuqi blinked, looking between Soyeon and Minnie with a pout. “What? I’m just asking…”

“Enough,” Soyeon said firmly.

Minnie took the opportunity to walk toward the coffee pot on the counter just behind the dining table, pouring herself a mug and taking a slow sip as though nothing had happened.  She glanced to Miyeon and she could see the discomfort written all over Miyeon’s face, the way her shoulders had stiffened, and the way she avoided looking at anyone, especially her. Minnie didn’t get it, Miyeon threw herself at her and said it was just sex and now they were in awkward position.

As soon as Miyeon finished the last spoonful of her soup, she stood up. Her knees felt weak, but she forced herself to smile. “Thanks for the soup, Soyeon,” she said quickly. “I should get going.”

“Already? Stay a bit longer, Miyeon-ah!”

“No, I really need to go to meet my Eomma. Thanks again.” she lied.

“Your eomma is in Seoul right now?” she asked. Miyeon’s family didn’t live in Seoul, and Yuqi knew she’d have heard if they were visiting.

Miyeon nodded quickly, not meeting Yuqi’s gaze as she bowed politely to the table. Without waiting for more questions, she walked to the front door.

“Don’t forget your jacket.” shouted Yuqi. 

Miyeon grabbed her jacket from the closet nearby the front door and left.

Minnie watched her go, her coffee mug held tightly in her hands. She didn’t care honestly. Miyeon’s just another one-night thing. She’ll go back to her life, and she’ll go back to hers.

“Minnie-ah, come over and eat the soup,” Shuhua called from the table.

“I’m good,”

Soyeon stood up from the table, picking up her bowl and utensils. She made her way to the sink, where Minnie still leaned against the counter, her coffee mug now half-empty.

The lively chatter at the table picked up again and that was where Soyeon started as she washed her dishes, “Did you sleep with Miyeon?”

Minnie froze for a moment, her grip on the mug tightening briefly before she lifted it to her lips for another sip. She hated how observant Soyeon was, how effortlessly she could read between the lines.

“Why would you ask that?”

Soyeon turned off the faucet, shaking the water from her hands. Her sharp gaze flicked toward the table where Yuqi, Shuhua, and Soojin were drowning in their conversation before she turned to Minnie. Then she leaned in slightly, lowering her voice even more.

“I was in the laundry room earlier, and no one was there,” Soyeon said. “Soojin and Shuhua were in one room. Miyeon was in the other. So, that leaves…” She trailed off.

Minnie sighed, setting her mug down on the counter with a soft clink. “So what?” she said finally. “It was just a one-time thing. We made a deal.”

Soyeon crossed her arms, “I hope you’re right this time.”

Minnie let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. “Don’t worry. We didn’t exchange numbers or write love poems or anything. I’ll be fine.” She paused. “I learned my lesson.”

Soyeon’s lips pressed into a thin line, her silence speaking volumes. She didn’t need to ask what Minnie was referring to. The straight girl who had pulled Minnie in with her mixed signals, only to leave her heart broken in the end, deciding that she was straight.

“I’m not that person anymore, Soyeon. I don’t do that.”

Soyeon didn’t reply immediately. Finally, she reached out and patted Minnie’s shoulder, “I just don’t want you to get hurt,” she said quietly.

Minnie didn’t respond, just smiled faintly as Soyeon withdrew her hand and turned back to the table, rejoining the lively conversation.

Left alone, Minnie tightened her grip on her mug, her mind went back to the memories she’d rather forget. Natty, that was her name.

Weeks had passed since that night at Soyeon’s apartment. Everyone had resumed their lives, no one looked back, and nothing about that morning was ever mentioned again. Miyeon had thrown herself into moving forward, starting with getting back on dating apps.

It wasn’t hard for her to get dates, men lined up for her, eager to win her attention. But no matter how charming or attractive the men were, Miyeon couldn’t seem to connect. None of them felt right.

Sometimes, Jaehyun’s face would flash in her mind, his laugh, the way he used to brush her hair out of her face when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. But the ache was not overwhelming as before.

It was during one of her lunch breaks, sitting at her desk with her phone. It was Friday, and Miyeon had lost interest in her work, instead she scrolled through Instagram mindlessly to watched funny vidoes, memes and that’s when she saw it.

A new post from Soyeon: Minnie, seated behind a massive soundboard in a recording studio, her head tilted back slightly. The caption was a single word: Work.

Miyeon stared at the picture longer than she meant to. She hadn’t known that Minnie and Soyeon worked together, let alone that she was a producer. The photo sent her back to that night a few weeks ago. The memory of Minnie’s lips on hers, the way Minnie had held her, and the way Minnie’s touch left her breathless.

Miyeon shook her head, snapping herself out of the thought. “What’s wrong with me?” she thought, setting her phone down for a moment as if the distance would help. She turned back to her work, trying to focus on the spreadsheet in front of her. But it was too late. Minnie lingered in the back of her mind.

A few minutes later, she picked up her phone again, her thumb hesitating over the post. Her eyes drifted to the tagged account, and there it was: @min.nicha. Minnie’s Instagram profile. She clicked on the tag, and her heart sank when she saw the tiny padlock icon. Minnie’s profile was private.

Then she thought back to how she’d left Soyeon’s apartment that day. She hadn’t said goodbye to Minnie. She hadn’t thanked her for making her feel good, for being kind when she needed it most. Instead, she’d treated Minnie like she was a stranger. You could have at least said goodbye, Cho Miyeon, she thought. 

Her thumb hovered over the “Follow” button. She hesitated, her mind screaming at her to let it go. But If she was being honest, she wanted to feel Minnie’s touch again. 

Before she could overthink it, her thumb pressed down, and the follow request was sent. Miyeon stared at the screen for a moment, her heart thudding in her chest. She just admitted internally that she enjoyed having sex with this particular woman.

On the other side of the city, Minnie sat in the recording studio of the label she and Soyeon had built from scratch. In the booth, Baek Hana stood waiting, her hands fidgeting with the edge of her headphones. She was Soyeon’s latest discovery, a busker that Soyeon had stumbled upon while she was on a date with Yuqi in Hongdae. Soyeon had been taken by Hana’s unique vocals and she got the face. She scouted her immediately. But with her plate already full of clients and coaching sessions, she’d passed the job to Minnie, trusting her to shape Hana into a star.

“Let’s retake the second verse,” Minnie said into the intercom.

Hana nodded, the instrumental track beginning to play again. She started singing but Minnie somehow felt like it was not enough. Minnie tapped her pen against the console. She pressed the intercom again. “Pause.”

Hana stopped mid-line, and asked, “Yes?”

“You’re still holding back on ‘I’d never love again,’” Minnie said, her tone even but insistent. “It needs to feel like you’re afraid to say it but can’t help yourself. Drag it out,let the words hurt.”

Hana nodded, her lips tightening into a thin line. “Got it.”

Minnie leaned back slightly, spinning her pen absently between her fingers. She barely noticed when the studio door opened, and Soyeon walked in, balancing two steaming mugs of coffee.

Soyeon placed one beside Minnie without a word and took a seat beside Minnie as she silently watching as Hana gave it another go.

“Better,” Minnie said into the mic after the take. “Take a ten-minute break, Hana. Good work.”

Soyeon watched as Hana exited the recording booth, “You’re being hard on her,” Soyeon said finally.

Minnie glanced at her, taking the coffee in hand. “She’s good, but she can be better. It’s my job to push her.”

Soyeon tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Pushing her is one thing. But you’ve been at this for an hour and a half, nitpicking like it’s life or death. What’s really going on?”

Minnie shrugged. “Her debut is next month, and we’re behind on recording. I’m just making sure it’s perfect.”

“You know what the staff says about us?” Soyeon asked, leaning back in her seat. “I’m the mean one. You’re the chill one.”

“It’s true,” Minnie replied flatly, sipping her coffee.

“Not today,” Soyeon shot back, her gaze studied her friend. “You’re unusually intense, Minnie. Did something happen?”

Minnie sighed, setting the mug down and rubbing the back of her neck. “Nothing happened, Soyeon. I’m just focused. This girl will be something.”

Soyeon’s eyes drifted to the production sheet lying beside Minnie. She picked it up and she read all the details and it was titled, ‘Dahlia’.. No wonder this song was familiar. She heard this song few years ago.

“Minnie.”

“What?”

Soyeon tilted the paper toward her, “This is that song, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Why let someone else sing it?”

“Hana’s great,” Minnie replied quickly. “She’s got the voice, the presence. She’ll make it big with this song. Why not?”

Soyeon finally pieced it together. She didn’t need to ask why Minnie had been so intense, she already knew. The song wasn’t just a song. It was composed after Natty left her. It was a song that carried Minnie’s pain, everything she hadn’t been able to say back then.

Soyeon reached over and gave Minnie’s shoulder a pat. “Step outside. Clear your head. Ten minutes.”

Minnie sighed heavily, pushing back her chair. She hated it when Soyeon got like this motherly, but she also knew Soyeon wasn’t wrong. “I hate it when you get like this,” she muttered, grabbing her phone.

“I know I’m right,”

Minnie stepped into the alley behind the studio. She leaned against the wall, pulling a cigarette from her pocket and lighting it. The first three drag of smoke was relaxing for her. She unlocked her phone, scrolling idly through her messages, watched a few memes that Yuqi sent, replying to a few from friends. Then she saw a notification from Instagram.

Her breath caught when she read the notification: MIYEON (@noodle.zip) has requested to follow you.

Minnie stared at the notification. Memories of that night came rushing back, the way Miyeon moaned her name with her hands squeezed the blanket. She locked her phone without accepting the request, and taking another drag from her cigarette. Miyeon had said no strings attached, why the hell she wanted to stay connected.

One week later on Friday evening, Miyeon showed up in front of Yuqi’s door as requested by Yuqi! She stepped inside as Yuqi opened the door.

“You’re early,” Yuqi said, stepping away to let Miyeon in. “I ordered Chinese foods for us. It will be here soon.”

“I left office early today.” she said slipping off her shoes and walked toward the living room. “Where’s Soyeon?”

“She’s in China scouting talents.” she said placing the water and sat

Miyeon nodded as she watched Yuqi brought some waters to the living room. “She’ll be back next week.”

“How are you two doing? What’s up?”

“I’m great. My parents will be coming next month. Soyeon has been really busy, life’s good.” She asked Miyeon back. “How about you? I should be asking about you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Cho Miyeon, you’re terrible at lying.”

“I’m not lying, I went on dates already.” she said defensively.

Yuqi’s face light up, she was happy for her friend, at she was moving instead of drowning in Jaehyun’s shadow, “That’s great. Any leads?”

Miyeon shook her head, “they all looked shallow, no qualities.”

Yuqi gave a disgusted look, “Not like Jaehyun was perfect. He’s a trash.”

Miyeon was about to defend Jaehyun because Yuqi wouldn’t know him like she was but sahe decided to let it go. She cleared her throat and she didn’t understand how the words slipped out like that, “Is Minnie going with Soyeon?”

Yuqi looked at her friend, “No. Why?”

“Nothing. Just curious.”

Before Yuqi could reply to Miyeon, the doorbell rang, “That must be the food!” Yuqi said excitedly. “Go pick a movie or something.”

Miyeon nodded, grabbing the remote and opening Netflix. She scrolled through the catalogue, her mind half-focused on the options. Then she stopped when Yuqi’s voice rang out, surprised from the entryway.

“Kim Minnie? Why are you here?”

Miyeon’s head snapped toward the door, her breath hitching. Though her view was blocked, she heard Minnie’s familiar voice. “Hello. I needed to grab a few hard drives from Soyeon’s studio,” Minnie replied.

“Come in,” Yuqi said casually, stepping aside.

Miyeon’s fingers gripped the remote tightly as Minnie stepped inside. Their eyes met the moment she slipped off her shoes. Time seemed to slow as both froze. Minnie froze mid-step and Miyeon stiffly seated, holding the remote..

“Hi.” Miyeon blurted out, bowing her head slightly.

Minnie’s heart raced, the coincidence of running into Miyeon here throwing her off balance. She returned the bow awkwardly, her voice quiet. “Hi.”

Yuqi frowned, her gaze flicking between them. “What’s with you two? You were glued to each other at the party.”

Miyeon’s cheeks flushed, her head shaking quickly. “We weren’t glued...” she mumbled, her tone defensive.

Minnie broke eye contact, turning to Yuqi. “I’ll head to the studio now,” she said, walking towards the studio.

As Minnie disappeared, Yuqi went to the kitchen gathering utensils. Miyeon, meanwhile, refocused on the TV, though her mind wasn’t on finding a movie. Her thoughts were thinking about Minnie. She had blame herself for making this awkward! She didn’t mean it, if anything she wanted to fix this awkwardness.

Minnie returned minutes later, holding the hard drives. She moved toward the door and was about to slip on her shoes, calling out to Yuqi. “I’ll be going now.”

“Hold on!” Yuqi’s voice rang from the kitchen as she rushed toward the door.

Minnie sighed, annoyed. She could feel Miyeon’s gaze again, which only made her want to leave faster. “What now?”.

“You haven’t eaten, have you?”

“I’m fine,” Minnie replied. “I’ll eat later. I’m busy.”

Yuqi rolled her eyes and grabbed Minnie’s hand, pulling her toward the dining table. “Kim Minnie, sit down. Soyeon told me you’ve been skipping meals. And you haven’t even replied to the memes I sent you this week! What’s your excuse?”

“I’ve been busy,” Minnie said, her tone flat.

“Eat, then leave,” Yuqi retorted, practically dragging her. “Come on. Miyeon, you too. Let’s sit at the table like normal people. It’s nice having friends around, you know I can’t be alone.”

Minnie sighed, setting her bag down as Yuqi brought utensils to the table. She sat across from Yuqi, while Miyeon took the seat next to Yuqi, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her shirt.

The doorbell rang again, and Yuqi jumped up eagerly. “That’s the food!” she exclaimed, leaving Minnie and Miyeon alone at the table.

Miyeon stole a glance at Minnie, who avoided her gaze entirely. The awkwardness was tense. Miyeon wanted to say something, anything, but her throat felt dry. 

Minnie tapped her fingers lightly against the table, her mind spinning. Why does this feel so awkward?  

Yuqi returned with bags of takeout. She began unpacking boxes of dumplings, fried noodles, and stir-fried vegetables. “Alright, let’s eat!”

The entire meal was only filled with Yuqi who started the conversation with Miyeon and Minnie responded to her simultaneously but never to each other. As Miyeon reached for the one and only left dumpling with her chopsticks, Minnie’s chopsticks moved toward the same one. Their gazes locked briefly.

Minnie was the first to pull back, her chopsticks retreating. Without thinking, Miyeon picked up the dumpling and placed it on Minnie’s plate. “Here, you eat” Miyeon said.

Once dinner was finished, Minnie immediately stood, grabbing her bag from the chair. “Thanks for the food, Yuqi, but I really need to get going,”

Yuqi frowned, clearly not wanting to let her leave. “Already? Come on, stay for the movie!”

“I can’t,” Minnie replied, slipping on her shoes. “I have a lot to do.”

Miyeon watched silently. She couldn’t let Minnie leave like this. This was her only chance to tell Minnie that she was thankful and she wanted to apologize for being bold and used her.

Quickly, Miyeon spoke up. “Yuqi-ah, I’m going to run to the convenience store nearby to grab some snacks for the movie.”

“I have plenty of snacks. Chips, chocolate, everything. Check the cabinet.”

“I just want something different,”

“You didn’t even check the cabinet.”

Miyeon was starting to get annoyed, “I just want to go, okay?” she said, raising her voice a little.

“Fine! Jeez, why are you yelling?”

Minnie, who had been silently slipping on her shoes, glanced over briefly but said nothing. She didn’t care but she had made a statement that Miyeon was a bad liar. She just wanted to go.

“I’ll walk with you,” Miyeon blurted out suddenly, moving toward the front door and she sliped into her shoes.

Minnie didn’t stop her. The didnt say anything and walked in silence until they reached the elevator. As they waited for it to arrive, Minnie broke the silence. “Did you really need to go to the convenience store?”

“I do,” she said quickly. “My kind of snacks are different from Yuqi’s.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

Miyeon ignored the remarks and she knew. When they stepped outside the building, Minnie was already walking without even looking back, but Miyeon called her. “Minnie, wait.”

Minnie stopped and turned, “What?”

“I... I wanted to apologize,”

“For what?”

“For being immature and taking advantage of you that night,” Miyeon began. “And for not saying anything the next morning. I just didn’t want anyone to know but It wasn’t fair to you. I’m really sorry.”

Minnie looked at her for a moment, finding words to say, “Don’t worry about it,” she said, her voice casual. She didn’t care honestly, “We agreed it would be no strings attached, remember?”

“Still….”

“It was one night, Miyeon. Don’t overthink it. We’ll never have to see each other again.”

As Minnie turned to leave, Miyeon blurted out, “Can we be friends?”

Minnie turned back and looked at Miyeon with a skeptical look. “What?”

“You’re easy to talk to,” Miyeon said honestly, stepping closer. “You’re good company, and I can tell you’re a good person.”

“Miyeon, look…you’re wonderful but i don’t think it is a great idea.”

“Why not?”

To be honest, Minnie didn’t have a solid reason why she didn’t want anything to do with Miyeon. Miyeon hadn’t done anything wrong. She only assumed that Miyeon felt something more than just a hook-up because Miyeon requested to follow her on Instagram,

The silence made Miyeon stepped closer, leaving only 5 cm between them. “I will be honest with you.” said Miyeon. She took a moment before she began to lay out her mind, and this was easy for Miyeon because she was a straight forward person, “I like having sex with you. It was amazing.”

Minnie blinked, caught off guard by the boldness. “What?” 

“It was the best I’ve ever had,” Miyeon continued. “And I think we’re both adults who know what we want. I’m not asking for a relationship or anything more than what we already had that night.”

Minnie’s lips parted as if to say something, but no words came out. Miyeon was realy bold and straightforward. She thought Miyeon was sweet, shy and just a complete opposite of this. Then she realized, it could have been because she was heartbroken that night.

“I just want to feel good,” Miyeon said with confidence. “And I think you do too.”

Minnie had no problem with casual hookups or friends-with-benefits arrangements, it wasn’t new territory for her. But she just never had it with a straight girl. Natty didn’t count because she fell in love with her from the first sight.

“You’re not even gay,”

“Does it matter?” Miyeon countered. “I told you, I just want to feel good. Sex is sex. It’s physical.”

Minnie looked away, exhaling deeply. What could go wrong? Miyeon had a clear sense of boundaries and she clearly just wanted sex. She respected Miyeon for telling her what she wanted. “I have rules.” said Minnie.

“What’s that?”

“No sleepovers,”

“Agreed,”

“No doing it at my place,” Minnie continued. “I don’t bring people there.”

“My place, then,”

“Once a week,”

“Twice,” Miyeon countered immediately.

Minnie gave her a pointed look. “Once. I’m busy.”

“One to two times, depending on how busy you are.”

“Fine. And if either of us wants to stop, we stop. No arguments, no questions.”

“Agreed,” Miyeon said with a nod. “I have one rule too. None of our friends can know about this.”

“That’s fair.” said Minnie and she pulled out her phone and handed it to Miyeon. “Save your number.”

Miyeon took the phone, quickly entering her contact information before calling her own phone. Minnie’s device buzzed, and Miyeon smirked as she texted her address to Minnie. Handing the phone back, she tilted her head slightly and asked, “Want to come over tonight?”

“Aren’t you supposed to watch a movie with Yuqi?”

“I can make up an excuse,” 

“You’re making me feel like I’m being used.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

Minnie chuckled and began to walk away. “I’ll be at your place in two hours.”

Chapter Text

Three months. That’s how long their arrangement had been going on, and so far, it was running smoothly. Miyeon and Minnie had mastered their boundaries. They stuck to the rules: no sleepovers, no  cuddles, no deep conversations and they were not friends. In a harsh truth, they were using each other for sex. Minnie always left shortly after they were done. Neither asked questions like, “How was your day?” or pried into the other’s private life. When they met, they would just straight to the point.

Miyeon would text Minnie, sometimes once a week, sometimes twice, depending on how Minnie felt. There was one night Minnie teased Miyeon, smirking as she slipped off her shoes. “Still can’t believe you don’t have wine. What kind of host are you?”

Miyeon had simply rolled her eyes and pushed Minnie against to the bed, her lips on hers.

Afterward, Minnie would get dressed, running a hand through her hair and said, “See you later,” before slipping out the door. It worked. It was simple. For Miyeon, it had become a routine.

One night early November, Minnie was already slipping into her jacket, her scarf already looped around her neck, and slinging her bag over her shoulder. She glanced at the clock, it was past 2 AM, and she was more than ready to leave.

Miyeon who was also getting dressed, moved toward the window to pull the curtains when she suddenly stopped. “Oh, it’s snowing!”

“What?”

Miyeon gestured toward the window. “It’s snowing. A lot.”

Curious and slightly annoyed, Minnie walked over. Outside, it was snow storm. “Great,” she muttered under her breath.

“This wasn’t in the news and it’s early November.” Miyeon said, her brows knitting together. “They usually warn citizen about stuff like this.”

Minnie gave a dry chuckle. “Have you heard about global warming? Weather doesn’t follow the rules anymore.”

Miyeon snorted softly but didn’t take her eyes off the snow. “There’s no way you’re driving in that.”

“I’ll figure something out.” said Minnie. She turned her body and then Miyeon grabbed her wrist. “It’s not safe.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Look at thow heavy the storm is.” insisted Miyeon. 

Minnie let her hand go from Miyeon’s grab. Minnie then refreshed her ride-share app out of habit, but the screen confirmed what she already knew, no drivers were available. She slipped her phone back into her pocket with a frustrated sigh.

“You can’t go anywhere in this. Just sleep here.”

Minnie shook her head. “We had an agreement. No sleepovers.”

“That was your rule,” Miyeon said, shrugging. “I don’t care about it.” She gestured back at the snowstorm. “What’s your plan, Minnie? Walk home? Freeze in your car? Catch hypothermia?”

“Very funny, Cho Miyeon,” Minnie said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“I’m serious,” Miyeon replied, her voice softening. “I wouldn’t want you to die out there. Who would have sex with me then?”

Minnie shrugged. “Wow, thanks for your concern. Truly selfless.”

Miyeon grinned, “Just saying.”

Minnie let out a resigned sigh, pulling off her scarf and jacket. “Fine. Where am I sleeping?”

“Here,” Miyeon said, pointing to her bed.

Minnie frowned. “Your bed?”

“What’s the problem?” Miyeon asked, tilting her head. “You’ve had sex with me in the same bed. How is sharing the same bed for one night a problem?”

Minnie had rules for a reason. She can’t explain it but sharing a bed felt like stepping too close to a line that they both shouldn’t cross. “I’ll sleep in the couch,”

“You could but I don’t have extra blanket.”

Minnie sighed and then defeated, “Fine.”

Minnie slipped her bag off her shoulder, placing it on the floor by the door. She unwrapped her scarf and shrugged out of her jacket.

“Do you want pajamas or a shirt?” Miyeon asked casually, already making her way to the closet. “It must not be comfortable sleeping in jeans.”

Minnie glanced at her, “Sure.”

Miyeon went through all off folded stacks of clothes, eventually pulling out a faded black Megadeth concert T-shirt and a jogger. She held it up, turned to Minnie and threw it to her. “Here.”

Minnie squinted at the shirt as she caught it. “You like Megadeth? Doesn’t really seem like your vibe.”

Miyeon paused, blinking before laughing softly. “No, it’s Jaehyun’s. My ex. He left it here.”

Minnie made a disgusted face, “Ewww…why do you still keeping his shirt?”

Miyeon frowned, “It’s just a T-shirt. What’s the big deal?”

“It’s your ex’s T-shirt,” Minnie repeated.

“It’s comfortable!” Miyeon argued. “He have a lot of comfortable clothing!”

Minnie let it go and changed into them anyway. She never understood people who still kept their ex’s stuff.

They both sliding into bed and Miyeon adjusted her smart light into a dim yellow hue. She then looked at Minnie who was staring at her phone,  “See? Was that so hard?” 

“Whatever,” she said locking her phone and placed it on a nightstand. “Good night.” she said, rolling to the side, her back facing Miyeon.

“Good night!” replied Miyeon. Then she closed her eyes trying to sleep but she couldn’t. It was probably because Minnie was next to her. This was the closest they’ve ever gotten beside the regular sex or when they met at the party for the first time. She always wondered why Minnie had a high wall around her and she was good at it. She wanted to know why the Minnie at the party was easy to talk to and the Minnie she had been sleeping with was different.

“Minnie,” Miyeon called softly. “Are you asleep?”

No answer. Miyeon waited for a second, then she continued, “What are you scared of?”

Minnie’s eyes finally opened.

Miyeon didn’t need a reply to continue. “I feel like there’s this….wall.”

There was no answers.

“I like the Minnie I met at the party,” Miyeon continued. “The easy-going, kind, fun person I talked to that night. I liked her. I liked talking to her, laughing with her. I wanted to be friends with that Minnie.” 

Still no answers.

Miyeon rolled over to the side facing Minnie’s back. “Where is she?” pressed Miyeon, expecting Minnie to answer. She knew she was still awake.

Minnie then turned her body slowly and now she faced Miyeon who was already looking at her. “Why do you care?”

“I told you I wanted to be friends with you. Isn’t it nice to have friends?”

“I don’t befriend people I’ve slept with.”

“Why?”

“Because it might complicates things,” she said simply. “It’s always does.”

“Complicates things how?”

“It’s messy,” Minnie replied. “Feelings and expectations get involved.”

“That would not happen with me.” said Miyeon. “I’m straight, remember? It’s not like i will fall for you.”

“It’s not only about you, Miyeon,” she said finally. “It’s also about me.”

Miyeon was surprised by Minnie’s confession, and her thoughts drifted back to the fleeting moments when Minnie had hinted at being hurt before. “Are you saying you’ve done this before and it didn’t end well?”

“It’s not something I like to talk about,” she said softly.

Miyeon could feel vulnerability in her tone, shifted closer. Her voice was steady, yet warm. “You know, you helped me through my breakup. Indirectly. You were… well, the most amazing escape. And if I can do anything to return the favor…” she stopped. She was trying to find a better way to say it, “If being your friend means no more sex… I’ll take it.”

Minnie swore she could see the sincerity across Miyeon’s face. There was no hidden agenda, just a genuine offer. How stupid Jaehyun she thought. “You don’t have to do that,” Minnie said quietly. “I’m fine.”

“I’ll let you throw out all of Jaehyun’s stuff if you let me be your friend,” Miyeon said playfully.

Minnie chuckled. “How much of his stuff do you even have?”

“A lot,” Miyeon said chuckling. “T-shirts, hoodies, some records I don’t even like…even his guitar is still here.”

“Why are you still keeping them?”

Miyeon shrugged, her smile fading slightly. “I don’t know. I guess... I like holding onto the memories. What if I regret it?”

“He left anyway. You don’t need a reminder that he hurt you.”

“Would you help me throwing his stuff?,”

“Help you? You’re asking the wrong person.”

“Come on…You’d probably enjoy tossing his stuff out more than I would.”

The next morning, Miyeon and Minnie found themselves in the middle of a spontaneous decluttering session, went through the mountain of Jaehyun’s things together. Piles of clothes, stacks of records, random stuff as if he lived here. 

“Did he live here?” Minnie asked.

“No…He gradually left things here. And apparently, I never asked him to stop.”

Miyeon stuffed all of his t-shirts, hoodies, and jogger pants into a large cardboard box. Minnie, on the other hand, found a stack of vinyl records and started flipping through them. “Wow, he had good taste,” Minnie said with a hint of surprise. She thought Jaehyun was a boring and jerky guy. “The Beatles, David Bowie… Fleetwood Mac? He liked 70s music?”

“Not bad, right?” Miyeon said without looking up, busy folding one of Jaehyun’s oversized hoodies. “He loved his vinyls more than me, I think. I don’t know why he never picked it up.”

Minnie smirked but didn’t comment. As she continued flipping, her hand froze on one particular record. She pulled it out and turned it over, It was Taylor Swift’s Fearless. She stood and held it up. “Jaehyun liked Taylor Swift?”

Miyeon glanced at the record in Minnie’s hand and laughed. “Nope, that’s mine. I bought it for him because I told him I wanted a fairy tale.”

Minnie’s expression was amusedf. “A fairy tale?”

Miyeon chuckled, shaking her head at her own memory. “Yeah. Cringe, right?”

“It’s so cringe,” Minnie teased. She looked at the vinyl again, “Are you keeping this one?”

“No.”

I’ll keep it then. Taylor’s always worth saving.”

“I’ll let you have it if you accepted my follow request on Instagram.”

Minnie laughed, “Ah…you remembered!!”

“Wait a minute…you saw it and your ignored it?”

Minnie just nodded, “In my defense, i thought i didn’t have to see you anymore.”

“Wahhh….that’s harsh!”

“We’re friends now!” stated he obvious. Minnie was curious as she admired the vinyl, “What’s your favorite song from this album?”

“Forever & Always.”

Minnie let out a mocking laugh, “Of course it is. That’s adorable. Straight girls and their prince charming dreams… always hoping for forever and always.”

“Don’t mock me,” Miyeon said as she tossed one of Jaehyun’s jogger in Minnie’s direction. “Some of us actually liked the idea of a happy ending.”

Minnie caught the hoodie mid-air, “I’m just saying… forever and always? Bold expectations.”

“Leave me alone…” Miyeon shot back, laughing as she resumed folding another hoodie. 

Her eyes lingered on Minnie, she saw a glimpse of the Minnie she had met at the party, the easygoing, gentle, lighthearted person. Who had hurt Minnie so deeply that she didn’t believe in things like forever and always anymore? 

As the days turned into a weeks, Miyeon and Minnie had became friends. Their arrangement of casual sex replaced by movie nights, karaoke, and wine. Miyeon enjoyed Minnie’s company more than she had anticipated. Minnie was sharp, witty, and had a knack for making her laugh at the most random moments.

Minnie and Miyeon finally came clean to their friends about their friendship and how it had started. The confession came after Soyeon had accidentally met Miyeon in Minnie’s office one day where Minnie showed off her latest songs. 

She thought it was one-time thing. Soyeon’s instinct to protect Minnie immediately came back like Minnie was a child that needed guiding. She feared Minnie might be going down the same road. Minnie, however, had reassured Soyeon that it was different this time. There was no danger of her repeating past mistakes.

Yuqi’s reaction, on the other hand, was different. She had taken an absurdly long time to process the idea of Miyeon having slept with a woman. When the realization finally hit, she joked, and perhaps a little too excited, that she should have been Miyeon’s experimental partner. Miyeon found that creepy and Soyeon didn’t find that funny at all.

The new year had began, in March, Yuqi managed to convince Soyeon to take a short vacation before Soyeon buried herself at work again and again. Yuqi was worried about Soyeon working nonstop and she wasn’t just asking for a break, she was asking for Soyeon’s attention.

The tipping point came when Yuqi started noticing how much time Miyeon spent with Minnie. It wasn’t jealousy, Yuqi was happy her friends had found each other’s company comforting. But it was a reminder of how she should spent her time with Soyeon too and she hadn’t lately.

It took three days of playful guilt trips, and her best puppy-dog eyes for Yuqi to finally convinced Soyeon. “You’ll have me all to yourself.” she said.

As Soyeon and Yuqi arrived at the airport. Soyeon was excited to have a peaceful, romantic getaway, just the two of them. However, as they approached at the waiting room, Soyeon’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Miyeon, Soojin, Shuhua, and Minnie huddled together near the seating area.

“What the hell is this?” Soyeon asked, stopping in her tracks and turning to Yuqi, who was about to get killed.

“They’re… uh… joining us?” Yuqi said with a sheepish grin, already bracing herself for the fallout.

“You told me this would be a romantic getaway.” Soyeon’s voice was calm. “You said exactly, that i would have you for myself.”

“It is!” Yuqi insisted. “We’ll still have time together! But isn’t it nice to have friends around too? Look at them…they’re excited!”

Soyeon glanced back at the group. Shuhua was tossing a bag of chips to Soojin, who failed to catch it, sending it flying into Minnie’s lap. Miyeon was scrolling through her phone. Soyeon pinched the bridge of her nose. “This isn’t a vacation. This is babysitting.”

“They’ll do their own things and we’ll do our own things. It’s not like they would stick to us forever. You know Minnie and Soojin would be the first ones to be gone, remember when we went to Bali last year?”

It was true. Minnie and Soojin normally didn’t stick around, they’ll do their own thing.

“Come on, they’re not that bad!” Yuqi said, wrapping her arms around Soyeon’s waist to soften her up.

“I swear to God, Yuqi, if I have to mediate one argument between Shuhua and Soojin…” Soyeon trailed off as Shuhua turned, spotted her, and waved enthusiastically.

“You wouldn’t have to! I have told them to not bother us.” Yuqi said. “I have something for you tonight.” she whispered.

When they arrived at the luxury villa, they quickly figure out sleeping arrangements, the energy was already chaotic. Bags were thrown, everyone was talking over each other, and Soyeon massaging her temples. She was doing her best to ignore the fact that this “relaxing” vacation had turned into a circus.

“Okay,” Yuqi clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “We need to split the rooms. There are three bedrooms, so two people per room.”

“I call the room with the ocean view!” Shuhua shouted

“Not happening,” Soojin countered, arms crossed. “I saw it first.”

“You would not be here anyway,” Shuhua retorted.

Before Soyeon could intervene, Yuqi stepped between them. “We’ll settle this like adults,”

Soyeon blinked, hopeful for a moment, until Yuqi added, “Rock, paper, scissors!”

“Of course,” Soyeon rolled her eyes. What a bunch of children, she thought.

“Best two out of three?” Soojin asked.

“No, just one round. Winner takes all,” Shuhua replied.

They counted down. “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

Shuhua’s scissors lost to Soojin’s rock. She groaned dramatically, throwing herself onto the couch. “Fine, take your stupid view. I didn’t want it anyway.”

“Okay, next room,” Soyeon announced. “Yuqi and I will take the master bedroom. Soojin chose your roommate.”

“I’m not sharing with Shuhua,” Soojin interjected.

“Hey!” Shuhua exclaimed, offended.

Soyeon sighed. “Then who are you sharing with?”

“Kim Minnie!”

Miyeon immediately raised her hand. “I already chose Minnie as my roommate.”

Soojin didn’t care, she already chose Minnie and she had the right too. She won. The final arrangement was Shuhua with Miyeon and Soojin with Minnie.

As expected, Yuqi and Soyeon disappeared almost immediately after arriving at the villa, leaving the rest to settle into their rooms. Minnie tossed her bag onto the bed in her shared room with Soojin. She unzipped her suitcase and began unpacking, neatly placing her clothes in the dresser.

Soojin did the same, “Speaking of last year…” she started, her tone teasing. “We should do it again.”

Minnie glanced at her, “It was fun,”

“We’ve got a whole island to explore,” Soojin said with excitement. “By that  I mean…” Soojin didn’t finish her sentence, she knew Minnie got it. It was referring to their wild hook-ups.

Minnie turned, folding a sweater. “I’ll skip.”

Soojin frowned, she didn’t expect this. “What? Why?”

“Miyeon’s here.”

“So?” Soojin asked, clearly not seeing the issue.

“I can’t just leave her alone,” 

Soojin arched an eyebrow, now sitting on the edge of the bed. “She’s not a child. Shuhua’s here, isn’t she?”

Minnie crossed her arms, her voice steady but firm. “She’s only met Shuhua once, and you know how Shuhua can be. She makes Miyeon uncomfortable. Besides, Yuqi and Soyeon are off doing couple stuff, so that leaves her with no one else.”

Soojin tilted her head, “And that’s your problem because…?”

Minnie sighed, brushing a hand through her hair. She hesitated, clearly weighing her words. “I just don’t feel right leaving her. She’s…”

“She’s not a baby bird, Nicha Yontararak,” Soojin interrupted,.

Rolling her eyes, Minnie tossed a pair of sandals into the closet. “I know she’s not. She’s here because I invited her. It feels weird not to hang out with her.”

Soojin raised an eyebrow, a sly smile creeping onto her face. “Are you sure this isn’t something else? You sound pretty invested.”

Minnie shot her a pointed look. “Why don’t you go hang out with Shuhua?”

Soojin laughed, shaking her head. “Because you can’t exactly be friends with your ex. And she doesn’t do..hook up like that.  Her heart lives in her Vagina.”

Minnie stopped at what she’s doing. She didn’t even want to ask nor argue  with  Soojin, it was always complicated. She looked at Soojin and said, “Okay. Off you go.”

Soojin stood up and stretching dramatically. “Fine, go play babysitter to Miyeon.”

Before Soojin set off on her adventure, Miyeon had everyone gathered around the dining table. She had made a big pot of ramyeon, and none of them could resist that.

Shuhua, who had been slurping her noodles glanced at Minnie. “What’s your plan for today? Are you coming to the beach or what?”

Minnie instantly turned to Miyeon before looking back at Shuhua. “I’ll probably join Miyeon.”

Miyeon spoke up. “I think I’ll go to a museum or something.”

Soojin rolled her eyes and gave Minnie a look. “You’re skipping our adventure for a museum?”

“Soojin….” she said in a warning tone.

But Soojin wasn’t backing down, “Go enjoy being a babysitter.”

Miyeon blinked, her chopsticks paused mid-air. “Babysitter? For who?”

“For you,” Soojin said casually, pointing at Miyeon with her chopsticks.

Minnie groaned, rubbing her temples as if this conversation was physically painful. “That’s not what I said.”

“Pretty much what you said,” Soojin shot back.

Miyeon tilted her head, her expression somewhere between amusement and confusion. “I don’t need a babysitter, Minnie. I can hang out by myself or with Shuhua.”

Shuhua’s eyes widened, “Am I? I was planning to just lay down or maybe hit the beach solo.”

“It’s not like that,” Minnie said quickly and then she turned to Miyeon, “I just... I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“Seriously, go have fun. I’ll be fine.”

There was silence for a moment before Miyeon pressed again, “Seriously, go. It’s okay.”

Soojin leaned back in her chair, shaking her head with a grin. “See? Even Miyeon says it’s okay. You’re free, babysitter.”

Minnie shot her a glare but said nothing, while Shuhua gave a light chuckle. Miyeon went back to her noodles. Truthfully, Miyeon appreciated the concern and her company but she didn’t want Minnie to feel obligated to stay behind. Clearly, Minnie looked like she wanted to go.

A few hours later, Miyeon found  herself under a reclining beach chair under the shade of an umbrella. There was not much of a sun and it was chilly.  She had her AirPods in, her other hand holding a worn copy of a book she’d been meaning to finish. She didn’t really have a choice after  Shuhua dumped her after the  museum trip to the dreamland.

As she read her book, movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. The chair next to hers had been occupied. She turned her head and there she was. Minnie. “Oh,” Miyeon said, tugging out one AirPod. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

“Neither did I,”

“I told you, I don’t need a babysitter.”

“And who says I’m here to babysit you?”

Miyeon glanced at the time on her phone, it was just past 3 PM. “I figured you’d be out with Soojin until midnight, maybe longer. Thought I wouldn’t see you for the rest of the trip.”

Minnie leaned her head back against the chair, “What do you mean?”

“Shuhua said you usually spend your vacations finding local girls to… well, you know.”

Minnie let out a low chuckle, shaking her head. “That’s not true.”

Miyeon raised an eyebrow, “Yuqi said it too.”

“Fine. That’s… true..” She paused, glancing at Miyeon. “I just didn’t feel like hanging out with strangers today.”

“Okay.” Miyeon chuckled lightly and leaned back in her chair. She picked her book to continue reading it.

“I thought you’re going to the Museum with Shuhua. Where’s she?”

“We did go to the museum.” answered Miyeon as she put her book back  down again. “The entire time, she kept saying she was sleepy.”

“Classic Shuhua!” answered Minnie and then she glanced towards Miyeon’s book on her lap, “What are you reading?”

Miyeon glanced down at the cover and held it up for Minnie to see. “ The Notebook. ”

Minnie chuckled, “You’re really obsessed about  this one true love thing!”

Miyeon sighed, Minnie always made fun  of  her for believing in this thing. “What’s wrong with wanting to believe in something like that?”

“It’s just… unrealistic. Trust me, save yourself!”

“You don’t think it exists?

Minnie shook her head and her mind  wandered around,  “I don’t know. I’ve seen what happens when people say they believe in it but… don’t mean it. People get hurt.”

Miyeon’s eyes narrowed slightly, she remembered what Minnie mentioned something about her getting hurt. “Just because it hasn’t worked out for you doesn’t mean it’s not real.”

“How many people do you know who’ve actually found their ‘forever and always’? Even the ones who look happy, you never really know what’s going on behind closed doors.”

“Still…Isn’t it worth hoping for? Trying for?”

Minnie looked at Miyeon for a moment with a faint smile. “You’re braver than me, then.”

“You always talk like you’re so cynical,” Miyeon replied, tilting her head slightly. “But I don’t think you started out that way. You never talk about it.” Miyeon’s tone was careful and she hoped that Minnie would let her in.

“Maybe I just grew up,” she said with a small, humorless laugh. “People leave. That’s what they do.”

“Not everyone.”

“Jaehyun left, didn’t he?” asked Minnie as she turned  to Miyeon. She hadn’t meant to say it like that. The  words slipped out before she could stop them 

Miyeon froze. It was true. Jaehyun had left. He’d promised her forever, and then he hadn’t stayed to fulfill it. She thought for a moment maybe she was clowning herself. Maybe Minnie were right.

Minnie’s closed her eyes, realizing how her words must have sounded. “Miyeon… I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Miyeon broke their gaze, her throat tightening. She forced a small, tight smile and stood abruptly, “I’m getting thirsty,” she said. “Do you want to walk around and get some drinks?”

Minnie blinked, stunned as she watched Miyeon begin to walk away. “Miyeon,” she called but Miyeon didn’t look back. Instead, she kept walking. She hadn’t meant to hurt her. The words had just… slipped. She was trying to prove her point. Her body immediately moved to catch up with Miyeon. “Miyeon, wait!”

At night when Yuqi and Soyeon got back from their couple trip. Yuqi had mentioned that they should do a Korean barbeque for dinner. Yuqi, Shuhua, and Miyeon were in charge of making dinner and set up the table in the private beach outside. Yuqi, the self-proclaimed grill master, kept shooing Shuhua’s hands away whenever she tried to take over. Miyeon stood by, stirring a pot of soup on the side.

On one of the beach chairs, Soyeon sat with a beer in her hand, her shoulders slouched.  She gazed at the trio near the grill, Yuqi, Shuhua, and Miyeon making a loud fuss over something as simple as barbecuing. 

Minnie strolled over, barefoot on the sand, and dropped into the chair next to her best friend. She stretched her legs out, “Hey,”

Soyeon turned her head slightly, acknowledging her with a tired smile. Without a word, she reached into the cooler box by her side, grabbed a cold beer, and handed it over.

“Thanks,” Minnie murmured, twisting the cap off and taking a long sip. Her gaze drifted toward the trio. Miyeon was laughing at something Shuhua said and Yuqi were doing monologue.“Why are they so noisy over grilling meat?”

“Yuqi alone is already noisy. You add Miyeon and Shuhua  and this is how it is.”  she said exhaling.

Minnie let out a small laugh, taking another sip of her beer. “Why do you look like you’re dying?”

Soyeon exhaled, leaning back in her chair. “You try keeping up with Yuqi. The woman’s got the energy of a puppy on caffeine. She was all yappy and running like a kid.”

“Miyeon’s the same. No wonder they’re best friends.” said Minnie. Her gaze wandered back to Miyeon, who was now helping Shuhua plate the grilled meat. Miyeon’s laugh echoed again. She then realized she was staring again and immediately turned her attention back to her beer.

“Why aren’t you with Soojin?” Soyeon asked casually.

Minnie shrugged, “I didn’t feel like tagging along this time.”

Soyeon raised an eyebrow, “You didn’t feel like hooking up?”

“Why is everyone on my case about that?” Minnie asked mildly annoyed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I can have a chill vacation, you know. No hookups required.”

Soyeon smirked, “Sure.”

The two fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the sound of the waves and the trio’s chaotic noise. Minnie glanced at Miyeon again, she never realized she was addictive to Miyeon’s laugh and simply how much she enjoyed just watching her.

Soyeon broke the silence again, “What do you think about taking over as CEO of the label?”

Minnie blinked, caught completely off guard. “Wait, what? Why are you asking me that?”

“I think I’m going to settle down,” Soyeon said simply, as if she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.

Minnie sat up straighter, turning to face her. “Jeon Soyeon, are you talking about retiring?”

Soyeon snorted softly. “No, I’m not retiring. I mean, I’ll still be involved, but... Yuqi thinks I work too much. She told me today she’s not sure how long she can keep doing this..me being out of the country all the time, always putting work first. She used you as an example, she wanted me to be just like you. Work hard but still have plenty of time to do anything else.”

Minnie stayed quiet, sipping her beer as she listened. It wasn’t often that Soyeon opened up, much less about her relationship. Usually, she was the one offering advice or playfully teasing Minnie for being the ‘soft one’.

“She wasn’t threatening me or trying to hurt me or anything,” Soyeon clarified. “She’s right. I’ve been so focused on work that I haven’t made enough time for her. She deserves more than that.”

“Wow,” Minnie finally said. “I never thought I’d hear you say that.”

Soyeon let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah, well, sometimes you need someone to remind you that there’s more to life than work. I mean, Yuqi’s my home. If I lose that because I couldn’t prioritize us, then what’s the point of all of this?”

“Go ahead if you want to make fun of me for saying  some cringe shit. Now’s your chance.” said Soyeon already chuckling.

Minnie responded by chuckling and shook her head, “Who would have thought?”

“Do you ever think about finding someone who feels like home?”

Minnie instinctively rolled her eyes, trying to dodge the question. “Let’s not make this about me. Are you seriously thinking about stepping back and making me CEO? Are you sure you trust me with that?”

Soyeon gave her a pointed look. “Who else would I trust? You’ve been with me since the beginning. You know how this label works inside and out, and you’ve got the vision to keep it moving forward.”

“I politely decline the offer,” Minnie replied, smirking. “I don’t need more responsibility. You just said you barely had time for anything else. Why are you trying to pass that on to me?”

“Fair point,” Soyeon admitted with a laugh.

For a moment, they both fell into a silence again, the only sounds coming was the waves and the trio. Then Minnie turned to Soyeon, a soft smile on her face. “I’m happy for you, Soyeon. Truly.”

“Thanks,” Soyeon replied shortly, but her tone was warm. She paused before adding, “Can I give you some advice?”

“Sure,” she said bracing herself. She was sure Soyeon gonna sounds motherly again.

“You can’t be scared forever. You can’t keep avoiding feelings just because you think it’s safer. I told you to be careful, not to shut yourself off completely. At some point, you have to let yourself feel something real. I mean, I never said anything about how you’ve slept with half of the lesbians in Seoul and how some of them hated your guts for breaking their hearts “

Minnie exhaled sharply, “You’re being so extra. They knew i didn’t do relationship, yet they think they can change me. Not my fault.”

“How long are you planning to keep this up?”

“I haven’t slept with anyone since Miyeon.”

Soyeon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Oh. Really?”

“Yeah,” Minnie replied flatly. “I’m busy, and I don’t have time.”

“Bullshit,” Soyeon countered. “You were always busy, and you always found time before.”

Minnie rolled her eyes, “Miyeon comes over a lot.  And always unannounced. Seriously, woman doesn’t know boundaries. Once she actually sat through a 2-hours recording session and forced me to all of her cooking.”

Soyeon tilted her head, studying her best friend with a look as if  she was trying  to connect the  dott. “Do you have feelings for her?” she asked. In her mind, Minnie’s routine with Miyeon sounded a lot like dating and that made sense because instead of adventuring with Soojin, she was here.

Minnie froze  for a second before glaring at Soyeon. She reached out and hit her arm repeatedly, “Stop asking nonsense! And why….” 

Before Minnie could finish and Soyeon could press further, Yuqi’s voice called them, “Hey!!!! Come on, dinner’s ready!”

They wrapped their dinner early because Soyeon was exhausted from all the noises. Miyeon found herself wide awake. She lay in bed next to Shuhua, who was snoring loudly. It wasn’t just the snore keeping her awake, though. Her mind replayed Minnie’s words from earlier about people leaving, she didn’t know why it bothered her so much.

Without consciously deciding to, Miyeon found herself standing outside Minnie and Soojin’s room. Soojin was out, which meant Minnie was alone. She knocked gently and Minnie allowed her to come in.

Minnie was sitting against the headboard and her legs straight out on the bed, her iPad in her lap and earphones in her ears. She looked up as Miyeon entered, pulling out one earphone. “Hey,” she greeted. “What’s up? You okay?”

Miyeon closed the door quietly behind her, “Sorry, did I bother you?”

Minnie shook her head, setting the iPad aside along with her earphones. “No, it’s fine. I What’s going on?”

Miyeon climbed onto the bed and slipping under the blanket. She leaned against the headboard beside Minnie, “Shuhua snores. Like… really loudly. I can’t sleep.”

Minnie chuckled softly, “I told you she snores like a chainsaw.”

“What are you doing?”

“Just writing lyrics for a song,” Minnie said, her voice casual but focused.

“Can i listen and read them?”

“Yeah.” answered Minnie as she took her iPad and the earphones and pushing one of her earphones into Miyeon’s ear and handing over the iPad. Miyeon took it, scrolling through the lyrics as the melody played softly in her ear.

Miyeon’s eyes skimmed the words, and some sections were empty and choppy. Then the chorus got her attention.

All I need is you, until we turn a hundred
I want to spend all my time with you
If we stay together like this now
How nice would it be?

Miyeon’s lips parted slightly. She turned to Minnie, “Wait… you don’t even believe in ‘forever and always.’”

“So?”

“It’s… kinda cringe for someone who thinks love doesn’t last.”

“It’s just a lyric. People love that stuff.”

Miyeon wasn’t convinced. She had always believed that songwriters poured pieces of themselves into their music. “Is it thou?”

“Lyrics don’t have to reflect real life, Miyeon.”

Miyeon studied her for a moment. The words felt kinda personal. They felt real. “Maybe you always had been craving for this. You just never realized it.”

Minnie heard her, loud and clear. And even when she wanted to deny it, a part of her knew Miyeon was right. It would be nice, wouldn’t it? To have this forever and always. But nice things never lasted.

The music continued playing in their shared earphones, but neither of them spoke. Then, unexpectedly, Miyeon let out a slow breath and rested her head on Minnie’s shoulder. She didn’t overthink it, it just felt right. “I wish one day you’ll meet someone who gives you ‘forever & always,’”

After a moment of silence, Minnie finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you earlier. I was just trying to prove a point, but… it doesn’t really matter. I should’ve respected your views instead of dismissing them like that.”

“It’s okay,” she said gently. “He left anyway. Maybe you’re right.” continued Miyeon and she pushed off the earphone and handed them to Minnie as the song had finished. Minnie took them and set her iPad away.

Minnie didn’t reply right away. She sat still debating if this was a right a moment to open up, “Her name was Natty.” Minnie exhaled, “We met through mutual friends. She was amazing, she was pretty, she always knew what to say. I thought I’d found my ‘forever & always’.

Miyeon stayed quiet, sensing that Minnie needed the space to speak.

“She was the first real person I fell for. I mean, really fell for. And at first, it was great. She told me she loved me. I believed her. And then one day, she said it was a phase. That she wasn’t into women. That she couldn’t do this anymore.”

Miyeon lifted her head slightly to glance at Minnie as she Minnie continued, “I let her push me away, pull me back in, over and over. I thought if I tried hard enough, I’d be enough for her. But I never was. And then one day, she just… left.”

A beat of silence passed before Miyeon spoke with empathy. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Minnie turned to look at Miyeon, their eyes locking. There was a warmth in Miyeon’s gaze. Had she always been this pretty? Miyeon hesitated for only a moment before her hand moved, her fingers finding Minnie’s cheek, thumb brushing gently against her skin. Slowly, she leaned in and Minnie met her halfway.

Their lips met and it didn’t take long before the kiss escalated. Miyeon shifted positioning herself in front of Minnie and her knees rest between Minnie’s legs. Minnie’s hands instinctively supported her, one steadying her upper back, the other resting low on her waist.

Without breaking the kiss, Minnie moved and guided Miyeon’s body until Miyeon’s back met the the bed. One of Minnie’s hand had began wandered around and it slipped into Miyeon’s stomach. 

That made Miyeon’s breath hitch and her hand reached out, grabbing Minnie’s wrist gently and they broke the kiss. “Wait…” Miyeon said as she tried to catch her breath. “You said we can’t have sex because we’re friends.”

“Would you like me to stop?”

Miyeon’s gaze softened, her eyes flickering down to Minnie’s lips. She wanted this. She’d missed this, the touch, the kiss, and perhaps most of all, the way being close to Minnie made her feel. “I don’t think I want you to stop,” she said pulling Minnie again.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Miyeon woke up lying on her stomach, her body half-covered by the blanket. She felt groggy, and she felt the warmth of Minnie’s hand resting gently on her lower back. She glanced her head and saw Minnie were still asleep sideway. Her face was peaceful and she was beautiful when she sleeps. Miyeon shifting onto her back and  the motion caused Minnie rolled onto the other side.

Miyeon took the moment to gather herself, her mind replayed what had happened yesterday. Last night hadn’t just been sex, at least for Miyeon. It was different that what they had. Miyeon sure she wasn’t hallucinating, the way Minnie’s lips had trailed along her body and most surprisingly the way she had held her afterward.

After the last wave of intense orgasm, Miyeon had instinctively shifted closer, burying her face into the curve of Minnie’s neck. It was second nature. She hadn’t even thought about it, it waas like her body moved by itself. And then, Minnie didn’t pull away.

She didn’t shift uncomfortably or push Miyeon off. Instead, she pulled the blanket over both of them, tucked Miyeon against her, and the worst part was, she had kissed her on her head. It was warm, soft and intimate.

It was a small gesture. Barely anything. But that was what got her. Miyeon’s heart twisted. What does this mean? It was something warming and how she felt safe at that time. It terrified her. She knew she was completely fucked even before she wanted to admit it.

Her fingers curled into the blanket. She should not be feeling this way. She wasn’t supposed to wanting more than just sex and the worst is fall for Minnie. She was straight…Wasn’t she? Her stomach clenched as her mind spiraled.

Miyeon sat up as she  was struggling to control her emotions. She needed air. She needed to get out of here. Before she could even process what she was doing, her body moved on its own. She climbed out of bed, quickly putting on her clothes. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to leave, to find space, to figure out what the hell she was supposed to do now.

But the second she opened the door, she froze. Everyone already gathered around the dining table, chatting and eating. Miyeon blinked. Shit.

If she could turn around and disappear back into the room, she would. It was too late, they had seen her. “Come eat. Soyeon woke up early to make breakfast.”

Miyeon dragged herself toward the table, desperately trying to act normal as if her mind wasn’t a battlefield. She slid into an empty seat which happened to be next to Soyeon. It was only when she looked up that she noticed Soojin.

Wait. Soojin? When did she even get back? Miyeon’s stomach dropped. She barely had time to process her presence when Yuqi spoke while chewing on a piece of bacon. “Why did you sleep in Minnie’s room?”

Before she could even think of a response, Soojin beat her to it. “Why did you sleep in my room?” Soojin countered. “I got back at 3 AM and found you very comfortable in my bed… so I had to sleep in your room instead. You have no idea what I had to endure.”

Miyeon blinked. Oh no.

Shuhua, who had been stirring her coffee, suddenly perked up. “Oh, right. My snoring.”

Soojin rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“You didn’t have a problem when you dated me.” shot back Shuhua.

Miyeon barely heard them. Her mind was spinning. If Soojin saw her inside… that meant…She turned slowly, meeting Soojin’s eyes who made a smirk. Soojin knew. “Shuhua’s snores and it was too loud. I can’t sleep.” she answered.

She glanced around the table, but no one else seemed suspicious. Just Yuqi being loud in the morning. Shuhua matching Yuqi’s energy, and Soyeon quietly eating her food like she had no energy to deal with any of them.

Maybe Soojin wasn’t the type to run her mouth. But then Soojin took a sip of her orange juice, her eyes flicking to Miyeon with a look that screamed I know what I saw.

As they focus on their breakfast. Soyeon casually turned to Soojin, “Why’d you come back early?” she asked, sipping her coffee.

“Got bored.”

Shuhua smirked. “The girl probably realized what a terrible person you are.”

“Or maybe I realized she wasn’t worth my time.”

Shuhua let out a mocking laugh. “Don’t kid yourself.”

Soyeon sighed, already sensing where this was going. Yuqi, seated beside Soyeon muttered under her breath, “Here we go.”

Soojin exhaled sharply, setting her cup down with a little too much force. “Oh, please. Do you have anything to say to me?”

“I have plenty to say. Unlike you, I don’t leave people wondering where the hell they stand.”

Soyeon rubbed her temples, already regretting asking Soojin in the first place. Yuqi simply took a bite of her toast, eyes flicking between the two like she was watching a reality show unfold in real time. No one understand their dynamic, one day they were fine, one day they were fucking each other and one day hell broke loose. 

Soojin scoffed. “Oh, right. Because you were so straightforward? Is that what you’re telling yourself?”

“I was straightforward,” Shuhua shot back. “I told you what I wanted. I told you what I felt…”

“And then you changed your mind,” Soojin cut in, “Over and over again.”

“Because you gave me every reason to doubt you.”

“I never lied to you.”

“No,” Shuhua said bitterly. “You just omitted the parts that mattered.”

Miyeon, who had just picked up her fork, froze. She had a very bad feeling about where this was going. She heard them saying that this might happened but she didn’t expect this.

Soyeon turned to Yuqi, lowering her voice as she leaned in. "If they’re coming on our next holiday, I swear I will break up with you, and I will never take you back, even when you beg me," she muttered.

Shuhua let out a dry, humorless laugh, leaning back in her chair as she crossed her arms. "You act like you're this emotionless bitch, but you're not at all. You only decided to care about me when I started moving on."

Soojin’s expression hardened. "That’s not what happened."

Shuhua raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly. "Really? Because from where I’m sitting, you always needed to be in control. You couldn’t stand it when I had the upper hand. You couldn’t stand it when you weren’t the one deciding when it ended."

Soojin's lips parted slightly as if she wanted to respond, but no words came out. Yuqi nudged Soyeon. "Are we just gonna let this happen?" she whispered.

Soyeon sighed heavily, "I already told you. I do not want to mediate them. You were the one who invited them. Handle them yourself."

And then, just when it seemed like things might settle, Shuhua continued, If she was going to say it, she might as well say it all. "You couldn’t even stand seeing Minnie happy," she accused. "So you dragged her away with you last night. You knew she wanted to stay and hang out with Miyeon, but you just had to take someone else down with you so you wouldn’t be miserable alone."

Miyeon, who had just taken a bite of bacon, choked on it, coughing violently. Yuqi, mid-bite, froze in place. 

Before Soojin could answer, a voice interrupted. "Why are you guys so noisy?"

All heads snapped toward the source of the voice. Minnie stood in the doorway, her hair still slightly messy from sleep, wearing a loose t-shirt and sweatpants. She looked like she had just woken up and was still trying to gather her thoughts.

Without waiting for an answer, she waalked towards the dining  table aand poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip and  she realized people had been staring at her,. "What?"

The silence that followed was almost comical. No one seemed to know how to respond.  Then, Soyeon cleared her throat, placing her cup down. "You," she pointed at Shuhua. Then she turned to Soojin. "And you, shut the fuck up."

Soojin scoffed, leaning back in her chair. “I didn’t even start it.”

“Could’ve ignored it,” Soyeon snapped.

“I could have,” Soojin admitted, “Didn’t feel like it.”

Soyeon inhaled deeply, visibly trying to keep her patience in check. “And you…” she turned to Shuhua. “Did you really have to say that?”

Shuhua shrugged, completely unbothered. “Was I lying?”

Yuqi shot her a warning look before nudging her under the table. “For the love of God, just drink your coffee and shut up.”

“What exactly did you say?” asked Minnie.

Shuhua looked directly at Minnie as she spoke. “Just that Soojin couldn’t stand you being happy. So she dragged you away when you actually wanted to hang out with Miyeon.”

Yuqi kicked Shuhua’s shin under the table. Hard.

Minnie who had been spreading butter into her toast, paused mid-motion. Her gaze flicked to Shuhua firs before settling on Miyeon. She didn’t say anything, but Miyeon felt it. Miyeon’s breath caught for just a second. And then, Minnie looked away.

“That’s true,” she said smoothly. “I wanted to hang out with my friend. I invited her on this trip, it’d be weird not to spend time with her.”

Miyeon felt something sink inside her. A disappointment she didn’t quite understand. That word ‘Friend’ hit her than she expected. She wasn’t even sure what she had been expecting. Maybe something  that acknowledged what had happened last night. 

Miyeon forced a small, tight smile and looked down at her plate, suddenly finding her untouched breakfast very interesting. Was she imagining it? Miyeon had felt something.

Yuqi cleared her throat, “Alright, let’s just eat, yeah? No more existential crises before breakfast.”

Soyeon let out a sharp exhale, massaging her temples. “Shuhua, Soojin, just stop seeing each other if you’re going to keep doing this. Handle it. Process your shit. Get therapy. I do not have the mental capacity for this first thing in the morning.”

“And you have the mental capacity to lecture us?” Soojin snapped back.

Before Soyeon could respond, Yuqi suddenly snapped, “Ya, Seo Soojin. Watch your tone.”

Soojin scanned the group before shaking her head, her expression darkening. “You know what? Why the fuck did you even invite us, then? This is fucking depressing.”

No one stopped her as she pushed her chair back, ready to leave. Soyeon inhaled deeply through her nose, visibly holding back her temper. Yuqi reached over and squeezed Soyeon’s hand.

But Soojin paused, watching them. Something about the way Yuqi clung to Soyeon pissed her off. And before she could stop herself, the words slipped out. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

Yuqi blinked. “What?”

Soojin folded her arms, tilting her head. “You invited all of us because you were scared.”

Yuqi scoffed, forcing out a laugh. “Scared of what? Watching you and Shuhua act like idiots? Trust me, I didn’t need to fly across the country for that.”

“You were scared of being left alone. Just like every other holiday.”

The table fell completely silent. Miyeon shoved a piece of toast into her mouth, pretending to focus on her plate. Minnie stopped chewing altogether.

Soojin leaned forward, eyes locked on Yuqi. “Soyeon always leaves, doesn’t she? Always working, always answering calls, always somewhere else. So you thought, ‘If I invite everyone, at least I won’t be alone.’”

Yuqi stiffened. Soyeon exhaled slowly, gripping her coffee cup a little too tightly. Because it was true. She had always put work first, always assumed Yuqi would be fine waiting for her. But she should have known.

“That’s the real reason we’re here, isn’t it?” Soojin pressed.

No one spoke. Yuqi’s jaw clenched. She wouldn’t admit it. She refused to. Then Shuhua stood up, grabbing Soojin’s wrist. “You’re way out of line,” she said, dragging Soojin toward the door. No one tried to stop them.

Yuqi exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples before pushing her chair back. “I need some air,” she said standing up and walking toward the balcony without looking at anyone.

Soyeon watched her go, her body tensed like she wanted to follow but didn’t know if she should. She sighed, “This was supposed to be a relaxing trip.”

“Why are you still here? Go after her.” ordered Minnie.

Soyeon blinked, as if the thought hadn’t fully processed.

“Jeon Soyeon, Go.” repeated Minnie.

There was a pause. Then Soyeon exhaled  before she rised from her chair and walking toward the balcony.

Two weeks had passed since the holiday. One random Tuesday, Miyeon sat in her cubicle desk, staring at her monitor and countless google sheets while her hands resting motionless on her keyboard, her mind far away from the work she was supposed to be doing. She knew she had deadlines but she her mind cant focus. Then she minimize her work and open a new tab and she stared at the Google search bar.

She had typed the words three times already, only to delete them, her fingers hesitating every time. She sighed, rubbing her temples. Just type it. It’s not a big deal. No one’s watching. Her fingers moved on their own.

“Can straight women fall for other women?”

She hit enter. Bunch of reddit come up in the result. 

“Help, I thought I was straight, but I have feelings for a girl. Am I gay???”

“I’m a straight woman, but I think I’m falling for my best friend… what does this mean?”

“Is it possible to be straight but like one girl?”

Miyeon swallowed hard. She clicked on the last one.

u/confusedqueer99: I’ve identified as straight my whole life. Dated guys, found them attractive, all normal. But recently, there’s this one girl… and I like her. Like, I get butterflies, I think about her all the time, and I miss her when she’s not around. Bonus point, she’s amazing in bed. I’m not suddenly into all women. Am I bisexual? Or is this just a weird exception? Or is it because i liked having sex with her?

Miyeon stared at the post for a long time. Then, she scrolled down to the comments.

u/gaypanic_420: Sounds like you have a crush, babe. Welcome to the club. 🌈

u/women_are_magic: Labels don’t matter that much. If you like her, you like her. Sexuality is fluid. Stop overthinking.

u/chaoticbi: LMAO I was you three years ago. Spoiler alert: You’re not straight.

u/questioningmess: Lemme guess. You told yourself it was just admiration? That you were just really good friends? That you just liked being around her? Yeah, I said the same thing before I realized I was in love. Also, I”m married to her now.

Miyeon inhaled sharply. It felt like the words stared back at her. She leaned back in her chair, feeling crazy. She can’t explain that her mind was like roller coaster and the worst part she can’t share this with anyone. Not even to Yuqi. She should have be able to share it to Yuqi but she knew the moment she told Yuqi, Soyeon would heard in the next 5 minutes.

The last comment hit her hard because she done exactly that. Told herself it was nothing because she just liked  spending time with her. But friends don’t replay the feeling of someone’s lips over and over again in their minds.

One point she actually blamed Minnie for it, because she was sure she only started feeling like this only because Minnie had treated her differently that night, her arms wrapped around Miyeon and the gentle kiss on her forehead. It really wasn’t just sex for Miyeon.

Ever since the trip, Minnie had been distant, but subtle. She knew was trying to avoid her but tried to be subtle which also drives her crazy. Minnie still answered her texts, but it was short and impersonal. Minnie still picked up the phone, but only when she had an excuse to hang up first. She had asked to hang out. Minnie always had an excuse, said she was busy, tired or deadlines. 

Miyeon was not having it because she was the only one dealing with the aftermath. She wondered if Minnie feel the same and that was why she had been avoiding her considering her past with Natty. All of those replayed in her mind.

It was almost 8 PM when Miyeon heard the doorbell ring. She had called Yuqi to come and hang with her. She had told Yuqi to bring some wine even she knew Yuqi did not even drink that much. 

Yuqi entered when Miyeon opened the door and she kicked off her shoes and made herself at home, heading straight to the living room. “I didn’t expect you to call me.” 

Miyeon rolled her eyes, setting down the grill pan in the living room and plugging it in. “What’s that supposed to mean? I called you because I wanted to hang out with my best friend.”

Yuqi snorted. “You mean because Minnie isn’t free.”

Miyeon’s hands paused slightly, but she quickly resumed adjusting the heat on the grill. “No.”

“You’ve been ditching me ever since you hang out with her.”

Miyeon sighed. “I have not.”

“Oh really? Just before the trip, I texted you to grab dinner, and you said you were busy. Then I saw you and Minnie at that tiny ramen place near Hongdae.”

“That was because…”

“Then there was the time I asked you to come over and you said you were working late, but guess who was conveniently at Minnie’s studio the whole time?”

Miyeon opened her mouth to argue but quickly shut it. Okay, maybe Yuqi had a tiny point.

“See? You only called me because Minnie probably isn’t free.”

Miyeon sighed, pouring the meat onto the grill. “That’s not why…”

Yuqi held up a hand, dramatically cutting her off. “No need to explain. I accept this pity invite.” 

Miyeon just shook her head, placing the meats on the grill. “Whatever. How’s you?”

“I’m good.  Soyeon’s been acting weird.”

“Weird how?” she asked while she poured two glasses of wine for them.

“She hasn’t been traveling as much. She works less, she always home by 7PM. And she’s been initiating romantic gestures.”

Miyeon blinked, confused. “And?”

Yuqi gave her a deadpan stare. “She never does that.”

Miyeon chuckled, “What kind of ‘romantic gestures’ are we talking about?”

Yuqi counted on her fingers. “She holds my hand first. She compliments me. The other day, she told me I looked pretty, completely unprovoked. I normally had to beg for it.”

Miyeon tilted her head. “And that’s… bad?”

“No, but it’s Soyeon! You don’t get it. Minnie used to call her emotionally constipated for a reason. This morning she packed me a lunch box.”

“That’s cute.”

Yuqi pointed at her with her chopsticks. “No, that’s weird.”

Miyeon gave her a look. “How is your girlfriend loving you weird?”

“I told you…It’s just not like her, that’s all.”

Miyeon bit back a laugh. “So let me get this straight, you’re complaining because your girlfriend is showing you normal signs of affection?”

Yuqi sighed dramatically. “Yes! What if she’s dying or something? What if she has cancer and she only have 3 months left or finally snapped and this is her midlife crisis?”

“Wow. Life’s must have been nice for you. You’re terrified of your own girlfriend loving you properly. That’s a new level of stupid.  And  you should  thank Soojin then, Soyeon probably reflected a lot after what she said.”

Yuqi’s head snapped toward her. “Excuse me?”

Miyeon blinked. “What?”

“You think I should be thanking that bitch? Oh, hell no. If anything, Soojin should be thanking me for not throwing her ass into the ocean.”

“Okay, okay, calm down.”

Yuqi flipped the meat aggressively. “She humiliated me in front of everyone. She made me look like some needy, desperate girlfriend. And yeah, maybe I like attention, but who doesn’t?!”

“I mean…”

“Don’t ‘I mean’ me, Cho Miyeon,” Yuqi snapped. “I know I am needy. I just do not like to be humiliated like that in front of everyone..”

Miyeon exhaled softly, watching Yuqi aggressively flip the meat on the grill. “At least something good came out of it. I think it’s nice that Soyeon is making more time for you.”

“About time..”

Miyeon let out a small chuckle, but her thoughts were already drifting elsewhere. If Soyeon had been making more time for Yuqi, cutting back on work, then maybe that was why Minnie was so busy. “Is that why Minnie’s been so busy?” she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.

Yuqi blinked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if Soyeon isn’t working as much, maybe Minnie’s the one picking up the slack while Soyeon relaxes.”

Yuqi popped a piece of meat into her mouth, chewing lazily. “Ahhh… nah, I don’t think they’re that busy. Minnie was just at my place yesterday, hanging out with Soyeon unil late. I didn’t join them because I was exhausted..”

Miyeon stilled. Her grip tightened around her wine glass, but she kept her expression neutral. “So… she had time to hang out?”

Yuqi nodded, reaching for more lettuce. “Yeah. I mean, she wasn’t drowning in work or anything.”

Minnie had lied to her. She had said she was buried in work. Too busy to hang out. Too busy to even text back sometimes.  Miyeon forced a small smile and took a sip of her wine.

Minnie was just avoiding her. And maybe Miyeon had already known that, deep down, but hearing Yuqi confirm it made it real.

“Why are you asking?”

Miyeon shook her head quickly. “Nothing.”

For a moment, they were just eating and then Miyeon put down her chopstick and looked at Yuqi, “Yuqi-ah, how did you know you were gay?”

“What? Suddenly?”

“I mean… you’ve told me a million times about how you came out,” Miyeon clarified. “But I don’t mean that. I mean… how did you realize it? How did you navigate it? You were born in China, Yuqi.”

“It was… weird at first. I thought maybe it was just admiration, you know? Like, ‘Wow, she’s so cool. I wanna be like her.’ But then I realized, I didn’t wanna be her. I wanted to be with her.”

Miyeon tilted her head, intrigued. “But how did you know for sure? That it wasn’t just admiration?” She paused before adding, “Use Soyeon as an example.”

Yuqi’s lips twitched into a small smile at the mention of her girlfriend. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. “It wasn’t some big realization,” she admitted. “It was a series of little things. I’d get excited over the dumbest things Soyeon did, like when she texted me first or when she’d send me a song she was working on. And when she was stressed, I wanted to be the one to take care of her. Not because I had to, but because it just felt right.”

Miyeon listened intently, her fingers tracing the rim of her wine glass.

“And then,” Yuqi continued, her voice softer now, “there were moments when I’d catch myself just watching her and I’d think, ‘Wow. I really fucking love her.’”

Miyeon digested what Yuqi said and thought about Minnie, had she been doing that? 

“Why are you asking?” asked Yuqi.

“A female straight co-worker told me that she might be in love with her lesbian friend so I was wondering.”

Yuqi frowned, confused. “A co-worker? Why would a co-worker tell you that? You both wouldn’t know the answer!”

Miyeon gave a weak laugh, “Yeah, well…”

“Love is love, Miyeon. What you felt for Jaehyun is probably the same. It doesn’t matter who it is, when you’re in love, you’re in love.”

Miyeon froze. What she felt for Jaehyun? She hadn’t thought about him in a long time. Not since Minnie. She had loved Jaehyun. At least, she thought she had. Their love had been steady, predictable. Loving him was like checking off all the right boxes, he was handsome, talented, kind. The kind of love that made sense. She liked the way they looked together, the way people said they were a “perfect couple.” There was a sense of security in it, a comfort in knowing what to expect.

Jaehyun had never made her feel breathless with a simple glance. He never made her lose sleep replaying the way his fingertips felt against her skin. The sex was good but that was it. She realized that with Minnie avoiding her was already equally hurtful as Jaehyun broke up with her.

“Jaehyun never made me feel like that…” Miyeon murmured..

Yuqi, who had been stuffing a piece of meat into her mouth again, paused mid-chew. “Huh?”

“He never made me lose my mind over a single touch,” she said. “I never felt like I was going to combust just because he was standing too close. I never thought about him this much when he wasn’t around. And when he left…” She swallowed. “When he left, it hurt, but it didn’t…made me lose my mind.”

Yuqi slowly lowered her chopsticks, her chewing slowing down. She listened attentively not sure why this had turned into Miyeon’s issue. The last time she checked, Miyeon was miserable when Jaehyun left.

“Being with him…it was easy. It made sense. But with her….” She exhaled shakily. “With her, it’s frustrating, and confusing, and terrifying, and I hate that she’s avoiding me, but I hate even more that I care that much.”

She barely noticed the way Yuqi was staring at her now, eyes wide with realization. Then Yuqi suddenly gasped. Loudly. She slapped a hand over her mouth, “CHO MIYEON.”

“What?”

Yuqi pointed at her accusingly, as if she had just uncovered some massive conspiracy. “It’s you. You’re the straight co-worker!”

Miyeon’s stomach dropped. Shit. It slipped out.

Yuqi’s voice shot up, full of disbelief. “YOU. LIKE. MINNIE.”

Miyeon didn’t realized that she had spilled everything without even meaning to. She wasn’t supposed to admit this. Not even to herself.

“No…” Miyeon blurted, shaking her head quickly. “No, that’s not…”

“OH MY GOD,” she practically shouted. “YOU LIKE MINNIE.”

“Yuqi, shut up.”

Yuqi was still gaping at her, eyes wide in absolute shock. “My best friend, Cho Miyeon, the straightest girl I know, who used to cringe at the thought of two women making out in movies, likes a woman?”

Miyeon exhaled, “I am not even sure if i like her that way or…”

“Oh, please. Don’t even try to play that card.”

Miyeon let out a frustrated sigh, “I don’t know, Yuqi. It’s just… confusing.”

“What’s confusing about it?”

“I’ve only ever liked guys. I’ve only dated guys. What if this is just… I don’t know, admiration? Infatuation? What if I’m just attached to her because she was there when I needed someone?”

Yuqi studied her carefully before speaking. “Cho Miyeon, I get it. Realizing something like this about yourself is scary. But don’t you think it means something that she’s the one person you can’t stop thinking about?”

Yuqi leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Okay, let’s break it down. When you were with Jaehyun, did you ever feel this… uncertain?”

Miyeon shook her head. “No. Because men lined up for me.”

“Did you ever question whether or not you liked him?”

“No.”

Yuqi tilted her head. “But with Minnie, you’re questioning everything.”

Miyeon exhaled slowly. “Yes. That’s why I’m confused. You’re not helping.”

“Miyeon,” Yuqi said gently. “That’s not confusion. That’s real. If this were just admiration, you wouldn’t be freaking out like this. You wouldn’t care this much if she was avoiding you.”

Miyeon bit her lip. That was what scared her the most. That she did care. That she missed Minnie more than she had ever missed Jaehyun.

Yuqi reached out, placing a comforting hand on Miyeon’s arm. “You don’t have to figure everything out right now. But don’t ignore what you’re feeling just because it doesn’t fit into what you thought you knew about yourself.”

“But what if I’m wrong?”

Yuqi sighed, shaking her head. “Miyeon, listen to yourself. When you were with all of your ex-boyfriends, did you ever overthink like this? Did you ever feel this desperate for an answer?”

Miyeon hesitated before shaking her head. “No.”

“Exactly,” Yuqi said, leaning back. “You’re not confused because you don’t know what you’re feeling. You’re confused because you do know, and it scares you because this is entirely new for you..”

Miyeon stared at her, speechless.

“Look, I’m not telling you to slap a label on yourself overnight. But you like her, Miyeon. That much is obvious.”

Miyeon exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. “It doesn’t matter, does it? She’s avoiding me. She’s obviously over it.”

“Wait, wait, wait…please fill me in. Why is she avoiding you again?”

“I don’t know. Everything was fine before. Then after Jeju, it changed. She started making excuses, taking longer to reply, and now she barely texts me back at all.”

Yuqi frowned. “Okay, but why? What happened in Jeju?”

Miyeon hesitated, her mind flashing back to that night. “I don’t know,” she finally muttered. “We…” She stopped, unsure how much she should say.

Yuqi wasn’t having it. She narrowed her eyes. “We what?”

“We… slept together in Jeju.”

Yuqi blinked. “Okay? That’s not new. You’ve done that before.”

Miyeon swallowed. “It wasn’t just sex. She was present. She was softer, she was…”

Yuqi sat up straighter. “Oh? You had ‘feelings’ sex?”

Miyeon looked at Yuqi weird, whatever that meant, “Bottomline is, i liked it. I liked the way she held me after. I made it weird and i think she sensed it and now she’s avoiding me because she told me she…”

Yuqi’s mouth fell open slightly, then she let out an exaggerated gasp. “Oh my God.”

Miyeon winced. “What?”

“She’s avoiding you because she likes you too.”

“That’s not possible…”

“Minnie’s emotionally unavailable. She doesn’t do ‘feelings.’ She doesn’t do ‘soft.’ She doesn’t do whatever the hell that was in Jeju. She never lets herself feel too much because she thinks it’s easier that way. No attachments, no expectations, no heartbreak. You know that, right?”

Miyeon nodded.

“You said she held you after? That’s already a red flag for her. And now she’s avoiding you? That’s an even bigger red flag. That’s not her usual ‘one-and-done’ routine. That’s her freaking out.”

“How do you know?”

“Think about it. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t be running. I have seen this before.”

Miyeon stared down at the table, spacing out thinking of what had happened and what Yuqi just said.

Yuqi then continued again, “If this is bothering you this much, and if she’s avoiding you because she’s scared, why are you waiting for her to say something? Go. To. Her.”

The next night, Miyeon did exactly what Yuqi had told her, she went to Minnie. It was a bold move. She had spent way too long standing in front of her mirror, practicing what to say. Don’t be weird. Don’t be desperate. Don’t sound like a psycho. Yet, no matter how many times she rehearsed, everything still sounded wrong. Too casual. Too serious. Too much.

Minnie sat at the dining table with her family, her chopsticks idly pushing rice around her plate. She hated these annual dinners where her relationship with her family was never great. It was exactly why she had left Thailand for college in South Korea and never looked back.

Her mother, seated at the head of the table, sipped her soup before launching into any asian parents’ favorite routine: comparisons. “You know, I saw May’s mother last week,” she began, setting her spoon down. “She’s running the family’s export business now. They’ve expanded internationally, and I hear she just built a villa in Phuket.”

Minnie didn’t even bother looking up. “Good for her,” she replied flatly, shoving a small bite of curry into her mouth.

“And Phan,” her mother continued, ignoring Minnie’s disinterest. “Her shipping company is one of the biggest in Southeast Asia now. Just last month, he bought another warehouse in Singapore. Isn’t that impressive?”

“That’s nice,” Minnie mumbled. She stabbed at her rice, wondering why time always seemed to slow down during these dinners. She told herself to endure it, just a couple more hours, and she wouldn’t have to deal with this until next year.

“You should reach out to your childhood friends. You could learn so much from them.”

Minnie finally looked up, “Why?”

“They’re successful. “You could be like them too.”

Minnie leaned back in her chair. “You think I’m not successful? Do you think I’m living in this two-million-dollar apartment because I’m bad at what I do?”

Her mother didn’t flinch, casually dabbing at the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “Two million is modest,” she said. “Soyeon has a three-bedroom apartment worth ten million. Maybe you should learn from her.”

Minnie exhaled heavily. The truth is she only got a one-bedroom apartment sp none of her family could overstay their visits. “What does Soyeon have to do with this?”

“She’s in the same industry as you,” her mother said with a nonchalant shrug. “And she’s clearly doing better.”

“How many times do I have to say it?” Minnie said holding her annoyance, her voice rising despite her attempts to stay calm. “Soyeon and I built the label together. Half of her success is mine.”

Her father, who had been quietly eating until now, finally spoke. “Success in the music industry is temporary,” he said and paused for a second. “It’s not stable like the family business. You should think about coming back to Thailand. You’d have a secure future there.”

Minnie clenched her jaw, gripping her chopsticks tightly to stop herself from exploding. Just as she was about to fire back, the doorbell rang. The sound was a lifeline. She immediately left the chair, “I’ll get it,” as she stormed out of the dining room.

Crossing the living room quickly, she opened the door and froze when she saw Miyeon standing there, “Hey!”

“Why are you doing here?”

“I…I miss you. We haven’t hang in a while.”

Minnie blocked the door with her arm. “I can’t right now!”

“Why? Are you working?”

“No!”

“Then why?”

“My parents are here.”

“Sorry. I didn’t know.”

“You could have texted.”

Miyeon shrugged, “As if you have been replaying my texts.”

“Minnie, who’s at the door?” her mother called from the dining table

Minnie froze. “Just a friend dropping something off!” she called back, but her mother was already approaching. “Miyeon, go. I’ll call you later.”

“Well, invite them in! Don’t be rude!” her mother insisted.

Minnie groaned inwardly, turning back to Miyeon. “I swear if you…” But before she could finish, her mother appeared behind her, peeking over her shoulder.

“Oh, hello there!” Minnie’s mother smiling at Miyeon. “You must be Minnie’s friend.”

Miyeon bowed politely. “Hello! I’m Miyeon. Nice to meet you.”

“Come in, come in!” Minnie’s mother said, pushing Minnie out of the door and practically dragging Miyeon inside. “We’re just having dinner.”

“She’s busy,” Minnie tried to protest, but her mother waved her off.

“Nonsense! She’s here.”

With no way to stop it, Minnie resigned herself to the inevitable. Miyeon slipping off her shoes and following Minnie’s mother into the dining room. 

Minnie swore the night had become longer.

“This is Miyeon,” Minnie’s mother announced. “One of Minnie’s friends.”

Miyeon smiled politely to everyone and answered their questions as the meal went on. She told them about her job and how she and Minnie had met. Of course Miyeon lied about it, how could they tell Minnie’s mother that they used to be a fuck buddy and then she had feelings for her. And then it wasn’t long before the conversation shifted back to Minnie.

“Did Minnie ever tell you how she used to perform in the living room as a child?” her mother asked with a fond laugh. “She was so dramatic. She’d make us sit and clap for her after every performance.”

Her older brother burst out laughing. “She would sulk if we didn’t clap loud enough.”

Minnie groaned, “Can we not do this right now?”

“Why not? It’s a nice memory!” her mother insisted.

Miyeon chuckled, “Did she play with the piano too?”

“Yes…she took after me.” her mother said proudly. “I think i have a picture on my phone.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Minnie cut in, glaring at her mother.

Her youngest of the twin brother added in. “I also remember that the time she cried in her room for a week after her crush rejected her!”

“She also wrote songs for her crush.” her older brother added.

“Who was that again?” the older brother asked, clearly amused. “Oh, what was her name? The girl from piano class?”

“Can we not…” Minnie barked, her patience snapping.

Miyeon chuckled, clearly enjoying this information about Minnie’s past. “I think it’s cute.”

“She wasn’t so cute during her angsty teenage years,” her mother added with a knowing smirk. “Always talking back, slamming doors.…”

Minnie rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed at how they fed unnecessary information about her to Miyeon and the worst part Miyeon was enjoying it.

“I think it’s nice, learning more about you.” she said smiling at Minnie.

By the time dinner ended, Minnie was barely holding onto her patience. She had spent the entire evening biting her tongue, smiling through gritted teeth, and pretending everything was fine. She counted the minutes, waiting for them to call it a night. The moment the dishes were cleared and the last round of drinks had been served, she wasted no time ushering her family toward the front door.

“Have a safe flight back tomorrow,” she said as politely as she could manage, forcing a smile as her mother adjusted her coat.

“We will,” her mother assured her before leaning in for a quick hug. “And remember what we talked about, hmm?”

Minnie tensed but nodded, knowing better than to argue. “Of course, Mom.”

Her father patted her on the shoulder, murmuring something about taking care of herself, and then finally exit the apartment. 

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Minnie exhaled deeply. The tension in her body had been building all night, and now, it left her feeling drained. She turned around and Miyeon had already started stacking plates, collecting empty glasses, and straightening the chairs.

Minnie sighed thinking of ways how to push Miyeon away. “Miyeon, you don’t have to…”

“I want to,” Miyeon interrupted, not looking up as she gathered the last of the dishes. “It’s the least I can do since I showed up unannounced.”

Minnie pressed her lips together but didn’t argue. Instead, she joined her, grabbing the used chopsticks and wiping down the table. 

After a while, Miyeon finally spoke. “How busy are you, really?”

Minnie stilled. “What?”

Miyeon lifted her head, meeting her gaze. “You said you’ve been busy. That’s why we haven’t hung out.” A pause. “But Yuqi told me you were at her place yesterday. Hanging out with Soyeon.”

Minnie looked away. “Miyeon…”

“I’m just asking,” Miyeon continued before Minnie could deflect. “Because Yuqi and Soyeon have actually been doing better. She told me that Soyeon’s been putting in more effort, spending more time with her instead of working late. So if Soyeon is working less… why are you busier?”

Minnie inhaled deeply before turning toward the sink. “You should go home, Miyeon. I can clean up by myself.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Minnie didn’t look at her. She just kept scrubbing the dishes.

Miyeon stepped closer. “You’ve been avoiding me, Minnie.”

“I’ve been busy,”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Miyeon…”

“You could’ve just said you didn’t want to see me. You don’t have to lie.”

Minnie stilled for a second but quickly resumed washing the plate in her hands. “I didn’t lie.”

“You told me you were busy,” Miyeon pressed. “Too busy to hang out, too busy to text back, too busy for anything.”

Minnie shut off the faucet abruptly, setting the plate down with more force than necessary. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

Miyeon’s heart pounded. “Why not?”

Minnie turned, finally meeting her gaze. “Because we’re not together, Miyeon. I’m not your girlfriend. I don’t owe you anything.”

It felt like a slap on the face. They weren’t  together to begin with, “I never said we were,” she shot back, “I just thought we were at least friends.”

“We are,” Minnie said quickly, too quickly.

“No, we’re not.” Miyeon stepped forward again, her frustration spilling over. “Friends don’t do this. Friends don’t shut each other out for no reason.”

Minnie swallowed hard but said nothing.

“You should tell me if you’re mad at me for something. Make me understand what happened.”

Minnie’s brows furrowed. “Nothing happened..”

“Then why?” Miyeon demanded.

“Just drop it, Miyeon.”

“No.” Miyeon’s voice was sharp. “No, I’m not dropping it. You think you can just do this after that night?”

Minnie’s grip on the counter tightened. She knew exactly what night Miyeon was talking about. The night she let herself slip, let herself feel too much, let herself want Miyeon in a way she swore she never would. She knew why Miyeon was pushing, why she needed to hear it. But that didn’t mean Minnie could give her what she wanted.

“Just tell me the truth,” Miyeon said with a little force of desperation, “Did you feel it too?”

Minnie shut her eyes for half a second, exhaling slowly. “Miyeon, I…”

“Say it.” Miyeon stepped forward, closing the distance between them, forcing Minnie to look at her. “Say it didn’t mean anything.”

Minnie inhaled sharply, forcing herself to meet Miyeon’s gaze. “It didn’t.”

The words landed like a slap. Miyeon’s entire body locking up. Her vision blurred, “You’re lying,” she said. She shook her head as she took a few steps back. “You’re lying.”  she muttered.

“It was a mistake. We both got carried away.”

“It wasn’t,” Miyeon fired back.  “And you know it.”

“What do you want from me, Miyeon? Huh?” Minnie snapped, her voice rising.

“I want you to tell me the truth.” Miyeon was nearly shouting now, matching her tone.

“I already did,” Minnie snapped back. “You just don’t like hearing it.”

“I know you’re lying.”

Minnie let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “I’m not. And if you’re going to keep this up, then just…” She exhaled sharply, her patience snapping. “Just fucking leave, Miyeon.”

“I HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU.” shouted Miyeon back. She couldn’t  believe  she said  it finally,   out loud.

Silence.

Minnie’s entire body stiffened, her breath catching in her throat. She looked away instantly, turning back to the sink, rubbing her temples like she could physically erase what had just been said. 

Miyeon felt her stomach drop, her own confession hitting her all at once. Her tears brimmed in her eyes, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Minnie said nothing.

“Say something,” Miyeon pleaded, her voice breaking. “Anything.”

Minnie exhaled, her tone suddenly cold, distant. “This is why I have rules, Miyeon.”

Miyeon let out a bitter laugh, wiping at her tears. “When are you going to realize that your rule is stupid? That in the end, it’s..”

“Don’t talk to me about my rules,” Minnie cut her off. “It’s worked for years.”

“FOR YOU!!!” Miyeon’s voice shook with anger. “It works for you because you push people away before they can love you!”

Minnie froze and Miyeon knew she had hit Minnie’s button. After a beat, Minnie began again with her cold tone. “You’re just confused, Miyeon. You’re mistaking the comfort I gave you.”

“Don’t tell me how I feel!” Miyeon snapped. “You don’t get to decide that.”

“What happened that night did not mean  anything to me. You just want it to be different.” said Minnie again like a broken record. 

“Then why are you avoiding me?” she challenged. “If it meant nothing, why won’t you even look me in the eye?”

“It was only in your head, you think i am avoiding you but I am not. I am just simply busy.”

Miyeon rubbed her temples, frustration bubbling over. “You know what I’ve been through these past two weeks? I miss you so much it makes me feel sick.” said  Miyeon and she was at the verge of breaking down, “Do you know how fucking humiliating it is to realize you’re in love with someone and have to ask the internet if it even makes sense?”

“And the worst part?” Miyeon continued, “Even after all of that, even after weeks of you pushing me away, I still showed up here. I still wanted to see you. Because no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop wanting you.”

“This is exactly why I don’t do this,” said Minnie, shaking her head.

“Do what?”

Minnie gestured between them, her expression unreadable. “This. This mess. This drama. The second feelings get involved, everything turns to shit. Now you get it, don’t you?”

“So this is my fault? Because I caught feelings?”

Minnie’s voice was firm. “I told you not to expect more from me.”

“And I didn’t!” she shouted. “I didn’t expect anything until you…” replied Miyeon but she stopped and  took  a moment before  she continued. “Until you made me think there was more.”

“That was all in your fucking head, Miyeon. You’re ruining our friendship over this?”

“Friendship?” she spat. “You already ruined it by ignoring me for weeks.” said Miyeon as sherun her hand through her temples  while her  body moving and she couldn’t believe  that Minnie had turned into a horrible  person, “Fine. I’ll take it. I ruined this. But at least I’m brave enough to feel something.”

“You did this to yourself, Miyeon. I never asked you to catch feelings.”

Miyeon felt the anger surged  at the way Minnie said it  like she was the only one who had felt  this. “I didn’t ask for this either,” she shot back, eyes burning. “I didn’t ask for you to hold me that night. I didn’t ask for you to make me feel safe, to make me feel like it is right just to be with you.”

Minnie shut her eyes for a second, like she was trying to block out everything Miyeon was saying, trying to will it all away. But deep down, she knew she was responsible too. Her voice was cold when she finally spoke. “It’s not real, Miyeon. You just want someone to fill the void Jaehyun left behind. Someone to make you feel safe. Someone to make you feel cared for.” 

A silence took over for a few seconds while Miyeon already on the floor crying, “You don’t want me. You like the  idea of  me. You just don’t want to be alone.” continued Minnie. “And I was there. I was easy. I was convenient.”

Minnie didn’t look at her. She kept her eyes fixed somewhere else. She knew if she looked at Miyeon, she won’t be able to say it. She shut her eyes for a brief moment before forcing the next words out. “It’s better if we stop being friends too.”

It felt like being punched for multiple times and Miyeon immediatelly lifted her head to search Minnie’s gaze. “You should go find someone who can give you what you’re looking for,” she continued. “Someone who fits into your world. Someone who’s not me. You don’t belong in this. With me.”

Miyeon swallowed the lump in her throat, but the pain didn’t go away. She really felt defeated. There was no way she could convenience Minnie and at one point she didn’t even know why she had listened to Yuqi.

Miyeon felt the tears falling freely now, “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I know how this ends.” She forced herself to meet Miyeon’s gaze, even though it hurt to see Miyeon cried herself out.  “You’re just like Natty. You were drawn to the comfort I gave you, and the second you realize what this really is, you’ll leave. Because this isn’t what you want.”

“I am not Natty!”

“Then what makes you different?” she challenged. “You think you’re special just because you had your little gay crisis? You think that suddenly makes this real?” 

“You’re a fucking asshole.”. Every part of her wanted to fight. To keep pushing. To make Minnie see what she was throwing away. But as she stood there, watching the way Minnie refused to even look at her, she realized she couldn’t win.

Miyeon started wiping away her tears and turned on her heel and walked toward the front door. She slipped on her shoes, her hands trembling as she reached for the doorknob. “For someone who said Jaehyun was trash… you’re worse. At least he was honest about not wanting me anymore. But you…Jesus.” stopped Miyeon, biting back a sob before forcing herself to finish. “You make people leave. Not because they want to, but because you give them no other choice.”

That hit Minnie harder than anything else. Because it was true. She had done this before, pushed people away the moment they got too close.

“I hope the next girl who opens her heart to you doesn’t get treated like this. Because, whether you believe it or not, Minnie…You are worth loving.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Minnie woke up slowly the next day, the apartment was silent except for the rhythmic sound of Miyeon’s breathing. She was still asleep, lying on her side, the blanket barely covering her bare back.

Minnie inhaled the familiar scent of Miyeon’s shampoo, creamy strawberry, sweet and subtle, mixed with something else that was just her. She smiled faintly to herself. It was intoxicating, in a way she hadn’t expected.

Without thinking, she shifted closer, slipping an arm around Miyeon’s stomach, pulling her in just enough so their bodies molded together. Her forehead rested against the back of Miyeon’s neck, feeling the warmth.

For a moment, she just lay there, letting herself enjoy this, the quiet, the closeness, the feeling of Miyeon right here in her arms. It had been a long time since she had a connection like this.

Her lips brushed against Miyeon’s shoulder, just a whisper of a kiss. Then another. And another. Small, lazy kisses trailing across warm skin.

Miyeon stirred slightly, letting out a sleepy hum. “Mmm… what are you doing?”

Minnie grinned against her skin, pressing another kiss just below her ear. “Waking you up.”

Miyeon groaned, “I wanna sleep more.”

“Don’t you need to go to work?”

“I’ll call in sick.”

“You can do that?”

Miyeon cracked one eye open and turned her head slightly, “Yes, Minnie. People call in sick all the time.”

“I thought you were a responsible employee,” Minnie teased, her fingers tracing slow circles on Miyeon’s stomach.

“I am. But I’m also very comfortable right now.” she said as she pulled Minnie’s arm tighter around herself, “You’re warm.”

Minnie laughed softly, pressing a kiss against her cheek. “So you’re using me for body heat?”

“Mm-hmm.” 

For a while, they just lay there, wrapped in each other’s arms. Minnie, however, couldn't quiet her mind. Her mind started  to spiral  about Miyeon, about what this meant, about whether things were truly okay between them and about the future.

"Miyeon…" 

"Mm?" 

“Can we talk?”

That made Miyeon stir. She blinked a few times before rolling over, finally facing Minnie. "Talk about what?"

“Are we okay now? Are you still mad at me?”

Miyeon held her gaze for a long moment before simply saying, “Why would I be here if I’m still mad at you?”

“You don’t hate me?"

Miyeon sighed, her fingers trailing lazily over Minnie’s arm. "No, Minnie, I don’t hate you," she admitted. But then, after a pause, she said, "I mean… when you outed me in public, that was pretty hurtful."

Minnie felt her stomach twist at the reminder. She knew it. She knew it was unforgivable. “I know,” she whispered,  “I’m so sorry, Miyeon.”

“It wasn’t just about being outed. It was how you said it. Like you wanted to hurt me.”

"I was an asshole  and I am genuinely sorry that i hurt you." she said genuinely as  she looked at Miyeon’s deeply.

“You might have to make it up to me.”

Minnie propped herself up on one elbow and her eyes directed at Miyeon who was comfortably beside her. She was beautiful. She raised a brow. “And how exactly do I do that?”

“Maybe…” she paused, “Ask me out on a proper date. You know, something classic. Dinner, flowers….”

“That’s it? That’s all it takes?”

Miyeon smirked right back. “Or…” she rolled sideway, “You could just spend the entire day with me… in this bed.”

Minnie blinked. Then she let out a laugh, shaking her head. “I have a job.”

Miyeon shrugged, “You asked. I’m just letting you know...”

Minnie sighed dramatically, as if she were actually considering it. “Tempting, but Soyeon would be livid.”

Miyeon huffed. “You’re the CEO.”

“You have no idea how terrifying she is at work.”

Miyeon rolled her eyes. “Come on, you can take a day off.”

Minnie leaned in a little closer, her fingers lazily tracing patterns on Miyeon’s bare shoulder before trailing downward, slow, teasing. “How about this… I take you out on a proper date tonight?” she suggested, her touch went lower to her collarbone, then drifting down to her chest. “I’ll pick you up, we’ll have a nice dinner, and then…” her hand continued downward, barely skimming over Miyeon’s stomach.

Miyeon inhaled softly, her body reacting before she could even think. “And then?”

Minnie leaned in and her lips ghosting over Miyeon’s jaw. “Then we can go back to my place…” she murmured, letting her fingers slip just a little lower.

Miyeon let out a soft gasp, but before things could escalate, she caught Minnie’s wandering hand, stopping it,. “You can’t buy your forgiveness with your amazing skills in bed,”

“You’re making me take you on a date and withholding sex? That’s just evil.”

“That’s called having standards, Kim Minnie. No one has sex on the first date.”

“Really?” she asked as she leaned in to close the space between them, capturing Miyeon’s lips in a slow, teasing kiss.

Miyeon sighed into the kiss, her fingers threading through Minnie’s hair, tugging her closer. Minnie’s hands sliding down Miyeon’s sides The heat between them grew quickly, effortlessly, like it always did.

A soft gasp escaped Miyeon as Minnie’s mouth trailed from her lips down to her jaw, then lower, pressing warm, open-mouthed kisses along the sensitive skin of her neck.

Minnie shifted and Miyeon was pinned beneath her. Miyeon’s hands roamed over Minnie’s back. And then, Minnie pulled away. She was breathless, her heart still pounding, but she suddenly sat up, reaching for her clothes.

Miyeon who was breathless, blinked up at her. “Why did you stop?” 

“I have to go to work.”

Miyeon’s expression instantly dropped into a deadpan stare. “You’re joking.”

“Dead serious.” answered Minnie as she gathered the rest of her clothes in one arm and she walked towards the bathroom.

This was the worst. Who stops in the middle of that? When things were getting that good? But even as she sulked, she couldn’t suppress the fond smile tugging at her lips.As she lay there, her fingers absently traced over her lips, still tingling from Minnie’s kisses. It felt right.

Just as she was about to close her eyes again, a loud, dramatic scream shattered the silence. “CHO MIYEON!!!”

Miyeon barely had a second to react before Minnie stormed back into the bedroom, completely naked. She was pointing a finger at her own left neck, “What the fuck is this?” 

Miyeon, still tangled in the sheets, propped herself up on her elbows “What?”

Minnie turned her head to the side, exposing a very obvious, very dark hickey just on her left side neck. “This!” she exclaimed, pointing at it.

Miyeon squinted at the mark before rolling out of bed and padding over. She tilted her head, reaching out to brush her fingers lightly over the bruise, “Oh.”

“Oh?” she repeated incredulously. “That’s all you have to say? Oh?”

“I… may have gotten a little too excited.”

“What are you? A teenager?”

Miyeon giggled,, “I didn’t mean to, but I was really into it…” she said as she took another step closer, pulling Minnie by the waist, “You could leave one on me to get even. You know… just to be fair.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Come on, it’s not that bad. You can just cover it with makeup.”

By the time Minnie was finished getting ready, she was still frowning at her reflection in the vanity mirror, eyeing the very obvious hickey on her neck. She had tried dabbing concealer over it, but it was not working.

Miyeon, still wrapped in the bedsheet, watched Minnie struggle with an amused smirk. She didn’t say a word as she casually reached for her discarded shirt and underwear, slipping them. Without hesitation, she grabbed a bandaid from the small first-aid kit on the nightstand, peeled it open, and gently placed it over the mark on Minnie’s neck.

Minnie blinked. “What are you doing?”

Miyeon smoothed the edges of the bandaid down, “See? It hides your hickey.”

Minnie stared at her through the mirror, unimpressed. “Miyeon.”

“What?”

“It is very obvious this is a hickey. No one wears a bandaid right there unless it’s covering a hickey.”

“Would you rather to walk on like that without the bandaid?.”

“No…” she answered as she stood up from the vanity and faced Miyeon.

“I did tell you, if you want to get even, we can.” said Minnie again, she tugged her closer by the belt loop, her lips just barely brushing against Minnie’s ear. “Go ahead. Leave one on me.”

Minnie inhaled sharply, her hands instinctively gripping Miyeon’s waist. “At this point, i think you want me to leave you hickey.” she said teasing and leaned in to kissed Miyeon’s neck.

That afternoon, Minnie sat in her office, eyes glued to the endless reports on her screen. Soyeon left out this part of duties when she offered the role. She wished she could take it back and she genuinely just missed producing music. Suddenly the door swung open without a knock. No one did that except one person.

“Jeon Soyeon, what did I say about knocking?”

Soyeon ignored her, walked inside with a folder in one hand and an iced Americano in the other. She tossed the folder onto Minnie’s desk before flopping into the sofa nearby.

Minnie finally glanced up. “What’s this?”

“Q4 financial projections. Needs your approval,” Soyeon said, sipping her coffee.

“You can’t send this by email? Why do you need to print it out?”

“Because it’s easier to highlight what you want to correct then writing long ass emails.”

Minnie ignored her and kept focusing on her screen.

 “Also, I have some news.” added Soyeon.

“Good news or bad news?”

“Depends on how you take it.” answered Soyeon and she leaned back. “I’m taking two weeks off. Effective immediately.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“You can’t be serious. There’s policy about taking leave.”

“It’s unpaid. You can’t make me work when I’m taking unpaid leave..”

Minnie blinked, processing. Then, she narrowed her eyes. “Soyeon, you cannot leave me alone during the Q4 Financial Projection meeting with the board members. I barely survived the last one.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I will not be fine! You’re the only one who can keep them from grilling me alive!”

Soyeon smirked. “Well, consider it a trial by fire.”

Minnie groaned. “Where the hell are you even going that’s so important you’re abandoning me?”

Soyeon leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. “China. I have to meet Yuqi’s family. I have to formally ask her family for permission to marry their only daughter which also means I’ll steal their kid.”

“Okay fine, go then.” said Minnie and she focused back to her screen.

Soyeon leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, watching Minnie with something close to amusement. “Oh, by the way,” she said casually, “Yuqi told me you apologized to her this morning.”

“Yeah, I did.” she said nodded.

“She also said you made up with Miyeon.”

“News travels fast.”

“Of course it does. So, care to elaborate?”

Minnie gave her a flat look. “What do you want to know?”

“Did you grovel? Did you cry? Did she make you suffer?”

“She was ready to slam the door at me and then i was just being completely honest with her.”

“So… are you guys together?”

“I don’t know. We haven’t really talk it out. There was just a lot of sex.”

Soyeon made a face, “Ewww…”

Minnie chuckled by the response and she continued, “I’m taking her out on a date tonight.”

Soyeon smirked. “Look at you, character development.”

Minnie groaned, grabbing the nearest pen and chucking it at her. “Get out of my office.”

Soyeon dodged it effortlessly, laughing as she stood. “Have fun on your little date tonight, lover girl.”

Minnie just shook her head, but she couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at her lips.

Just as Soyeon reached the door, she paused, turning back with a smirk. "Oh, by the way, your bandaid on your neck. We know it’s a hickey.”

Minnie’s head snapped up. "What?"

 “The staff are talking about it.”

“What?”

Soyeon laughed harder, shaking her head. "Damn, she really likes you. She already marked you like a damn territorial girlfriend."

Minnie scowled. "That is not what happened…"

Soyeon held up a hand, backing toward the door with a teasing grin. I’m just saying that she made sure everyone knows you’re taken."

Minnie did take Miyeon out that night with all that classic moves and until it was their third date, they made it official. 

Six months had passed since then. They spent their time between each other’s places, taking turns waking up in each other’s beds.

They would find their clothes mixed in each other’s places, Miyeon’s hoodies somehow ending up in Minnie’s closet, while Minnie’s favorite shirts found their way into Miyeon’s drawers. Their scents lingered on each other’s pillows.

They had small arguments, just like any other couple. Miyeon would get annoyed when Minnie forgot to text that she got home safe, and Minnie would roll her eyes for the fact that Miyeon hoarded cooking seasoning in the cabinet.

They discovered habits about each other that annoyed them. Minnie found out that Miyeon had the habit of never finishing her drinks. Whether it was coffee, tea, or water, there was always a quarter left in the cup and she would never pick that up ever again and Minnie would end up washing it. 

Miyeon, in return, discovered that Minnie had an alarming amount of alarms set in her phone, all two minutes apart and she never wake up. She had asked one morning, after being rudely awakened by Minnie’s 7:02 AM alarm, followed by a 7:04, then a 7:06.

Then there were the little quirks like Minnie always left her socks in random places, Miyeon never closed the toothpaste cap. Despite the small annoyances, there were also moments of joy.

Like the way Minnie would play with Miyeon’s fingers whenever they were sitting next to each other. Or how Miyeon always pressed a kiss to Minnie’s forehead before leaving for work. At some point, everything started feeling like home.

One night, Minnie was laid out on the couch, one leg draped over the armrest, lazily flipping through channels without really watching. While Miyeon sat cross-legged on the floor, folding their freshly laundered clothes.

Miyeon held up a yellow hoodie, squinting at the overflowing wardrobe. “Where do you want this? I think you ran out of space.”

Minnie, still focused on the screen, responded without much thought. “Just put it in your closet.”

“My closet?”

“Yeah. You already took half of my closet, so… the right one is yours, I guess.”

Miyeon was shocked, she did took Minnie’s closet slowly. “You never said anything. I’m so sorry.”

That finally made Minnie turn her head, eyebrows raising as she sat up properly. “Why are you apologizing?”

Miyeon glanced around the apartment, her shoes lined up neatly by the door next to Minnie’s, her, a few of her books stacked on the coffee table. All the little pieces of her that had gradually found a home here, without her even realizing. “Because I didn’t notice how much space I was taking over. I just kept leaving stuff here, and you never complained.”

Minnie shrugged. “Because I don’t mind.”

“Still… you should’ve told me if it was too much. I don’t want to be inconsiderate.”

A small smile playing at Minnie’s lips. She pushed off the couch and moved to sit beside Miyeon, her fingers idly toying with the sleeve of Miyeon’s hoodie. “Miyeon,” she said softly, nudging her shoulder. “I like having your stuff here. I like seeing your toothbrush next to mine, or the way your skincare bottles take up all the counter space. And even all those cooking seasonings you hoard in the cabinet like we run a restaurant.”

Minnie watched as the realization settled in Miyeon’s features, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips. She leaned in slightly, “I’m just saying, if you decided to move in, you could.”

Miyeon’s breath caught slightly, her fingers tightening around the hoodie in her lap. Her eyes searched Minnie’s face, looking for any sign that she was joking. But Minnie just looked at her completely serious. “You know, normal people actually ask their girlfriends to move in.”

“I am asking you, right now!”

“No, you’re suggesting it. There’s a difference.”

Minnie cleared her throat, looking at Miyeon with exaggerated sincerity. “Cho Miyeon, will you do me the incredible honor of moving in with me?”

“I can’t afford your apartment.” answered Miyeon as she continued folding the laundry.

“I own this apartment. There’s nothing for you to pay.”

“What about utilities?”

“Sure, you can..” Minnie said, then immediately backtracked. “Actually, no.”

That answer made Miyeon even more suspicious. She squinted at her girlfriend before abruptly standing up and making her way over to the drawer where Minnie kept all of her bills. Minnie barely had time to react before Miyeon yanked it open and started going through the neatly stacked envelopes. The moment she saw the numbers printed on one of them, she froze. “Who the hell pays this much for maintenance fees and utilities? This is even much more expensive than my rent!”

“Rich people,”

“I knew you made good money, but this is obscene.” She shook the paper at Minnie for emphasis. “This is ‘I have a private chef and a second house in Bali’ levels of rich.”

“I actually do own a resort in Thailand.”

“Nicha, not the point.”

“Sorry.”

Miyeon exhaled sharply, “Can we move somewhere smaller? Like, somewhere we can afford together?”

Minnie raised a brow. “We? So you do want to live with me.”

“You literally just asked me to.” answered Miyeon flustered.

Minnie walked over to Miyeon. Without a word, she took the stack of bills from her hands, slid them back into the drawer, and shut it firmly. “Okay, I get that this is overwhelming, but I don’t care about any of that,” she said gently. “I do care that this doesn’t sit right with you. So let’s talk about it.”

“I want to live with you, Minnie. But I don’t want it to feel like I’m just moving into your space, living off your money.”

“Miyeon, if you move in, it is our place. That’s the whole point.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You own this apartment. I don’t have anything.”

“You have my heart.”

Miyeon immediately slapped her shoulder. “Not cool.”

Minnie laughed, rubbing the spot where she had been hit before reaching for Miyeon’s hands, lacing their fingers together. “Okay, how about this? You cover groceries and takeout since you do all the cooking.”

“That still feels like I’m getting the easy way out.”

“Living together isn’t about splitting costs like we’re roommates. It’s not about keeping score. It’s us, sharing a life. I don’t need you to contribute financially to prove you belong here. Besides, you like doing laundry, that’s a win-win to me.”

Miyeon’ heart fluttering at the way Minnie looked at her, so full of love.

“I just want you here. To wake up next to me. To leave your stuff all over the place and complain when I don’t wake up to my alarms.”

Miyeon felt a warmth spread through her chest, her grip tightening around Minnie’s hands. Her mind was racing, it was so deadly that Minnie was looking at her like that, like she was the only that mattered.

The following month, Miyeon officially moved in which made Minnie’s apartment feel even more like home. Minnie had cleared out space like emptying drawers, shifting furniture, making room for Miyeon’s clothes to hang beside hers in the closet.

They bickered over what to keep and what to toss and Minnie insisting that three different coffee machines were a necessity with different purpose while Miyeon argued that she should gotten all-in-one machine instead. After hours of sorting, debating, and making reluctant compromises, they finally finished.

Miyeon stood in the middle of their newly arranged space, taking it all in. Never in a million years had she imagined this, sharing a home with Minnie, building a life together piece by piece. She hadn’t planned for any of it, yet somehow, it had fallen into place so effortlessly. Like it was always meant to happen.

Minnie didn’t realize that she started lowering down her walls and let herself felt everything. It might had anything to do with Miyeon who never let Minnie leave for work without kissing her goodbye even if they’d just argued.

She started opening up in ways that even Soyeon had never seen. She talked about her childhood. About the first time she felt heartbreak. About the night Natty left more openly. She didn’t even realize she was saying those things aloud until she saw Miyeon’s eyes soften and wrapped her around.

The same with Miyeon. She hadn’t been sure about being ‘out there’. The idea of being seen with another woman was still new, and scary in a way she couldn’t always explain. One day, she found herself holding Minnie’s hand while walking down the street. It helped that she watched Soyeon and Yuqi did it. They would kissed in restaurants and Yuqi flirted shamelessly in front of anyone and everyone. Soyeon would roll her eyes but never stop her. Miyeon saw that, again and again, and she realized she wanted that confidence.

Until one night, while they were both brushing their teeth side by side in front of the mirror, Miyeon had said “I want you to meet my parents.”

Minnie nearly choked on her toothpaste.

“They’re visiting this weekend from Incheon. She asked where I moved so I thought might as well drop the bomb this weekend.”

Minnie wiped her mouth, turning to her with wide eyes. “Wait, are you serious?”

Miyeon finally turned to face her, toothbrush still in hand. She scanned Minnie’s face and she forgot to check with Minnie if Minnie was comfortable with the idea. “Oh my god, Minnie. I’m sorry. I should have checked with you first before saying anything. I just thought…"

Minnie, still wide-eyed and stared at their reflection. She looked stunned, but not angry. Not scared, exactly more like processing.

“I was thinking to invite them here and I will cook. They’re not even staying over! And I swear, my mom’s nice. My dad doesn’t talk much. He’s just a dad…typical. You know, protective and slightly terrifying. Oh god, I’m making this worse, aren’t I?”

Minnie placed a hand on her arm, gently stopping her spiral. “Cho Miyeon.”

“Yes?”

Minnie gave her the faintest smile, “I’d love to meet your parents as long as you’re ready..”

Miyeon put her toothbrush and wrapped her arms around Minnie’s neck, “If they’re disowning me….”

“They’re not going to disown you.”

“You don’t know that.” replied Miyeon as she leaned in, pressing a soft, brief kiss to Minnie’s lips. 

As they pulled away, Minnie blinked and scrunched her nose. “That is… very minty,” she said, stifling a laugh. “Rinse your mouth first.”

She gently pulled away from Miyeon’s arms, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek instead. “I might have something for you in bed if you are done within 5 minutes.”

The day finally  came and Miyeon had been in  the kitchen for the past hours. Her sleeves rolled up, hair tied back, and completely focused as she marinated the galbi that her father liked. A tray of uncutvegetables rested  in  the counter.

She was so absorbed that she didn’t hear the soft footsteps padding across the floor until a familiar warmth pressed against her back. Minnie’s arms slid around her waist, pulling her in close, her lips brushing against Miyeon’s bare shoulder before planting a kiss there. Then another. Then another, up the side of her neck, lazily and affectionately.

“What are you doing?”  asked  Miyeon.

Minnie’s voice was muffled against her skin. “I’m bored.”

“You said you’d help me clean,  did you clean the bathroom?”

“Nope.” Minnie replied, nuzzling her. “I’m bored.”

“You’re distracting,” Miyeon muttered, though she leaned into the embrace. “Go set the table.”

“I’d rather stay here and kiss you.”

Miyeon rolled her eyes.  She turned in Minnie’s arms, resting her hands lightly on her shoulders. “I’m just worried about tonight.”

“We don’t have to do this today,” she said softly. “I mean it. If you’re not ready… I can pretend to be your roommate. Your producer friend who just happens to leave socks everywhere.”

Miyeon was touched that Minnie would have done that for her.

“I can be whoever you need me to be tonight,” Minnie added, “Just say the word. We don’t have to rush this. This is your  journey…”

Then Miyeon’s hands rested in Minnie’s shoulder, “I think you’re so sweet but..I want them to know about who I’m dating and I haven’t  told them that Jaehyun dumped me.”

“You haven’t????”

Miyeon shook her head. “I told them we were on a break. That we needed space. I just didn’t want them to worry, or think I was some kind of failure at relationships. Especially since they liked him.”

Minnie pulled Miyeon into a hug, “You’re not a failure and everything will be okay.”

The evening came, and Miyeon sat across her parents at the dinner table, her posture a little too straight, her smile a little too forced. Next to her, Minnie smiled politely, even though she could sense the tension in every muscle of Miyeon’s body.

“Miyeon..” Miyeon’s mom began, placing a generous scoop of galbijjim onto her husband’s plate, “How  come i never heard of Minnie before?”

“Uh..yeah because  we just started being friends a year ish ago and this year my landlord increased my rent so Minnie said i  could move  in..”

Her mom smiled. “Well, I’m glad. It’s good for youn to have someone around.” she said and turned to  Minnie, “She gets lonely sometimes, you know.”

“Mooom,” Miyeon groaned.

Her father chuckled, sipping his soup. “Minnie what do you do?”

“I work in music,” Minnie answered. “I’m actually a producer and co-founder at a label. It keeps me busy.”

“Oh? A music producer? That’s exciting,” he said with genuine curiosity. “I’m sure you’re very talented.”

Minnie smiled softly. “Thank you.”

Her mom leaned in, “Miyeon, how is Jaehyun doing? It’s been a while. Any updates?”

Miyeon’s smile soon were gone and she looked at  Minnie. There was a pause. And then Miyeon spoke. “We broke up.”

“What?”

“We broke up,” Miyeon repeated, firmer this time. “A Year and half ago.”

“But… you said it was just a break…” replied her mother.

“I lied because I didn’t want you to worry.”

Her father lowered his spoon. “No wonder he’d been dodging my calls.”

Her mom leaned back, “I… I don’t understand. What happened? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I was scared, you really liked him. And I don’t want to disappoint you two.” admitted Miyeon.

“But he was such a good man. He treated you well. He had a good job, he came from a good family. What could’ve possibly gone wrong?”

Miyeon sighed and she knew this part was coming, the inevitable moment where her mother measured love against a resume. 

“Was it your decision?” her mother asked again.

“He cheated on me!” said Miyeon. There was only stunned silence at the table. Minnie stayed silent and her hand had found Miyeon’s under the table.

“But he seemed so..” her Mother said but cut off.

“He wasn’t,” Miyeon cut her off. “He wasn’t the person I thought he was. And I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to look at me like I failed.”

“You didn’t fail,” her father said firmly. “He did.”

Her mother, meanwhile, was still reeling. “You never said anything.”

“I had a lot going on, Mom.”

“I wish you  told us, it must be hard for you.” her father said.

“I just… I thought he was the one. You always looked so happy.” said her mother again, refused to let go.

“I’m okay now because I found someone who makes me happy.”

“You’re seeing someone?”

Miyeon nodded and she  glanced briefly at Minnie, then back at her parents. “Yes,” she said. “It’s Minnie. We’re together!”

Her mother blinked, like the words didn’t make sense at first. “But… she’s a girl,” her mother said.

“Yeah. She is.”

Her mother looked completely thrown, blinking as she tried to piece things together. “Miyeon, are you saying…?”

“I’m saying I’m in love with her.”

Her mother stared, mouth slightly open. “I… I don’t understand.”

Her father set his chopsticks down gently, his gaze steady but calm. “It means she’s found someone who makes her feel safe. Who treats her right. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted for our daughter.”

Miyeon turned to her dad, surprised by how calm he was. Minnie could only looked down at her plate, she wasn’t sure how to react. “You’re… okay with this?”

He nodded slowly. “You’re an adult, Miyeon. You don’t need our approval.”

Minnie was surprised at the calm reassurance in his voice. Miyeon blinked, unsure if she heard him right. She expected her mother to react that way but her father? Not in million years.

“And what about everything you said about wanting to start a family? A husband? Kids?” her mother continued.

Before Miyeon could form an answer, her father’s voice rised up, “Stop nagging your kid,” he said, setting his chopsticks down. “She’s an adult. She’s not asking for permission, she’s sharing something important with us.”

Her mother’s mouth opened, then closed again, as if she wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words.

“We raised her to be honest, didn’t we?” her dad continued.

Then, as if to signal the end of the conversation, her dad picked up his chopsticks again. He reached for a perfectly grilled piece of galbi from the center of the table, placed it gently on Minnie’s plate, and said without missing a beat, “Eat up. Welcome to the family.”

Minnie blinked, caught completely off guard. “Oh… thank you, sir.”

Miyeon stared at her father, warmth flooding her chest. She’d expected resistance from both parents, but this was enough for her.

After dinner, Miyeon had fallen asleep first, curled up in bed with her back pressed softly against Minnie’s chest.  However, Minnie couldn’t sleep  at all, not sure why, she  was staring at the ceiling. 

When the clock on her night stand blinked 4:12 AM, she gave up trying. Carefully, she slipped out from under the sheets and walked over to the balcony.

A moment later, Miyeon showed up behind   her, wrapped in one of Minnie’s oversized hoodies, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “Couldn’t sleep?” asked Miyeon.

“Yeah,”

“I’ll make some tea.”

A few minutes later, Miyeon returned with two steaming mugs, pressing one into Minnie’s hands. She leaned against the balcony next to her, their shoulders brushing. “You okay?”

Minnie nodded. “I think so.”

They stood like that for a while, sipping slowly, watching the dawn over the city. Suddenly Miyeon broke the silence, “What are you thinking about?”

“Us..” she answered honestly.

“What about us?”

Just a year ago, Minnie was sure she would end up alone  and avoided feelings. Thank God, Cho Miyeon stepped  into her life and the rest was history. The dinner was just confirmation that this was real. “Nothing….I just think about how much I love you.”

They both set their mugs down on the little table beside them. Minnie turned to Miyeon, “Thank you... for not giving up on me. For being patient. For seeing something in me worth fighting for, even when I didn’t.”

Miyeon stepped closer, wrapping her arms around Minnie’s waist. She leaned in and whispered against her lips, “I love you too.”