Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The air in the dorm felt hotter for a reason. Minjeong thought it was because she had been moving nonstop all morning to unpack half of her life's belongings. Her parents had left earlier after she insisted she was big enough to move in on her own. In reality, she felt her eyes water and didn't want to cry in front of them. Hence, the "big girl" move.

"One more to go," she mumbled while looking at her last box.

She also felt relieved that her roommate had not arrived yet. It gave her time to deal with her emotions and unpack in silence. It was starting to dawn on her that she was finally here, in SM University, to pursue medicine. Well, pre-med for the next 2 years, but she would turn out as a doctor at the end of this. She could finally achieve what she had been dreaming of since childhood and maybe gain enough money to travel around the world. She could also bring her parents with her. They would be happy and proud of her. Just as she was thinking, a knocking sound came.

The door, half opened, revealed the head of a girl. "Excuse me," the girl timidly said.

"Yeah, come in," Minjeong nodded. She immediately stood up and went to help open the door fully.

The girl then entered the room rolling two suitcases while carrying a backpack and a purse. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she finally looked at Minjeong and grinned.

"I'm Ning Yizhuo. You must be my roommate," she said while extending her hand.

"I'm Kim Minjeong," Minjeong replied, shaking Yizhuo's hand. "And yes. Welcome, I guess," she chuckled while gesturing to her previous unpacking.

"I really hope we get along well," Yizhuo smiled. Only then Minjeong took an actual look at her new roommate. The girl had auburn hair with sharp, cat-like eyes. However, those eyes were currently tender. Like a doe. And she's still smiling genuinely at Minjeong.

Despite her extensive history of awkward friendships that didn't last, Minjeong felt somewhat hopeful for once. "I hope so too," she smiled back.

As Minjeong resumed unpacking, Yizhuo continued to exchange questions with her while also settling in herself. Through the brief conversation, Minjeong learned that Yizhuo was born and raised in Harbin, China. She came to attend SM University, here in Seoul, South Korea, as a music major. They were both the same age, with Yizhuo being 9 months younger than Minjeong. She also enjoyed singing (and songwriting) and was a fan of the girl group aespa. 

"Do you need any help?" Minjeong asked as she finished discarding the boxes.

"Nope, all good," Yizhuo replied. "So, when's your orientation?"

Minjeong took her phone and tapped on her schedule. "Tomorrow is the on-campus orientation at eight. Three days after that would be the off-campus one."

"Where would yours be held?"

"Just some resort in Gangwon-do. How about yours?"

"Jeju," Yizhuo grinned.

Minjeong could only whistle. "Sweet."

They continued talking for a few more hours until Minjeong realized it was starting to get dark. She still had her own agenda for today. She needed to check out the locations for the orientation tomorrow since she hated coming unprepared. So, she parted with Yizhuo and left the dorms.

The campus ground wasn't as crowded as she expected. Is it because it's the weekend? Minjeong thought to herself as she walked alone. Being born and raised in Busan, nobody from her high school attended the same major as her in this university. Not that she was also the type to reach out if there were any. She was okay with this. A start of a new journey.

Minjeong then took out her phone to confirm the locations she's headed to. Just as she was scrolling, her phone was suddenly flying out of her grasp and her front collided with a firm body.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The said body exclaimed, looking at Minjeong's phone on the ground. "Are you okay? Is your phone okay?"

Still a bit shocked, Minjeong took and examined her phone. There was a crack throughout the lower part of the screen. She immediately held it close to her, wanting to hide it from the person. She just didn't want more hassle.

The stranger was still rambling as Minjeong composed herself. "It was truly my fault. I was using my phone and not paying attention to where I was walking to-"

"No, I'm sorry, I was also doing the same thing," she chuckled awkwardly. "It's fine, I'm okay. My phone too. Are you okay, though?"

The stranger sighed and looked up at Minjeong.

That's when Minjeong felt her heart still. She could see the stranger was replying to her. She could see her lips moving, and yet Minjeong could not hear a single thing.

The girl was beautiful. 

Her hair was a bright blonde. She had sharp eyebrows, also dyed blonde. Her feline eyes were brown and soft. Her nose looked as if it were sculpted by the gods themselves. Her pink lips seemed so full and plump, Minjeong wondered if she should ask for her lip care routine. Her body was a bit taller than Minjeong with a posture straight out of a runway. No wonder Minjeong felt like flying earlier when they collided. She was bumping into an actual goddess.

Minjeong could feel her heart starting to beat slowly. She wondered why. Why she felt her body slowing down as she was looking at this beautiful person.

Some of the girl's blonde hair were blown by the wind and Minjeong had to physically hold herself back from reaching out. Because somehow, she just looked even more beautiful.

By now, Minjeong had lost count of how many times she said beautiful in her head when she felt a hesitant grab on her arm. She blinked, and suddenly the world was loud again.

"Hi? Were you listening? I'm really sorry. It's because of earlier, isn't it? Is your phone really alright?" The beautiful stranger asked a malfunctioning Minjeong.

"No, no, no, I promise you, it's fine. S-sorry, what were you saying?"

"Um... I was asking about whether you know the direction to the housing office?"

"Oh, of course." Minjeong then proceeded to give the directions as she had been to the office earlier this morning to get her dorm key.

The girl then sighed in relief. "Thank you, you're a lifesaver. It's already late and I really need to move in."

"No problem," Minjeong replied.

The girl then left after profusely saying sorry for Minjeong's phone. Minjeong could see her running into a car that's parked on the curb near them. Not wanting to linger, she continued her self tour for tomorrow's locations.

While walking, she was trying very hard to not let the blonde occupy her mind. She didn't even get to know her name. In the end, she gave up. Might as well let the girl linger in her mind before she gets replaced by the craziness of med school.

Minjeong spoke too soon. The beautiful stranger from two days ago happened to be sitting two rows in front of her in the bus right now. They were heading to their off-campus orientation site in Gangwon-do and Minjeong felt uncomfortable for some unknown reason.

Why did it have to be so unsettling? She didn't even know the girl. Minjeong certainly didn't mind the new crack in her phone screen so there shouldn't be anything else to deal with her. 

But when she saw a glimpse of the girl yesterday at the on-campus orientation, she tensed and ran the other way on instinct. She still couldn't understand why. It's not like I've never seen a pretty girl before. The bottom line was, she hated feeling like this and deemed the girl an unnecessary distraction.

And so Minjeong made it her mission to steer clear of the girl for the next three days and two nights at the resort. She didn't know whether it was possible, but it wouldn't hurt to try. 

The first day was a success, with Minjeong finally making new friends.

"Minjeong-ah, come here," Lia, her roommate at the resort, beckoned her over from one of the dining tables.

It was dinner time and Minjeong couldn't wait to go back and rest in her room after this. "Hi," she greeted the rest of the table.

There were Sumin and Yujin who smiled at her, exchanging introductions. The four of them immediately feasted on their meals in the middle of the dining hall's buzzed atmosphere. A day packed with lectures on the rules and curriculum had somehow left them starving. 

"So, Minjeong, you said you were from Busan?" Yujin asked after a while.

"Yeah," Minjeong nodded.

"I've never been to Busan. Must have been nice to go to the beach," Sumin said wistfully. 

Minjeong just smiled. "How do you guys know each other?"

"I just met them at yesterday orientation, actually," Lia said, joining in on the conversation.

"We were classmates in high school," Sumin answered, referring to Yujin.

"You're all from Seoul, right?" Minjeong asked.

They all nodded in answer. "Do you have anyone from your high school here?" Lia asked.

Minjeong only shook her head.

"Aw, don't worry! You have us. We'll see what med school is really about. Together," Yujin said reassuringly, which Minjeong replied with a grateful smile.

As they continued to talk about a bunch of topics, Minjeong felt her eyes silently drift into the corner of the hall. There she was.

Yu Jimin.

Minjeong had known her name from the name tag plastered on the girl's shirt. She certainly didn't know how to feel about finally putting a name on the girl.

Unbeknownst to her, Lia had noticed Minjeong's eyes staring. "Are you also a fan of her?"

"Huh?" Minjeong was startled, blinking dumbly back to the table.

"Yu Jimin," Lia clarified. As if Minjeong didn't know who she was talking about.

Minjeong shrugged, not trusting her voice to reply back. Her mind still occupied.

"She has always been that way. Yu Jimin," Yujin joined in.

"You know her?" Lia asked.

"She was in our high school too," Sumin explained. "A goddess then, and remains a goddess now."

"I could see why," Lia muttered. They were all staring at Jimin's table, flocked with never ending students, trying to get a moment of her attention.

"Well, she was honestly an angel. To not only be beautiful, but also smart and kind?" Yujin added. Sumin nodded in agreement.

Minjeong was silent throughout the exchange. She guessed that admiring Yu Jimin is inevitable, after all. Everyone did. That night, she drew a conclusion that whatever she had been feeling was purely admiration of a very deserving person. 

Yu Jimin had always been special. Minjeong's feeling was not.

It was the last day of orientation. The student council had set aside the whole day for club promotions.

If it weren't for the entertaining demos and delicious freebies, Minjeong would have left the resort since yesterday. She was strolling around the stands with her friends. In her hand was the brochure for the student council's upcoming recruitment. Having been the student council's vice president in her high school, Minjeong thought about continuing similar pastimes in uni.

Although now she was also looking forward to receiving more information regarding the research units. She had always wanted to dabble in doing research and publication (heavily influenced by her professor father, back in Busan). She knew that it could help tremendously on her growing career in medicine. She was separating herself from her group to walk towards the research unit in cardiovascular health when some conversations floated over.

"Jimin-ah, what do you think?"

Another girl, which Minjeong assumed was Jimin, hummed. "Not sure. But the newspaper club seemed interesting." Minjeong opted to just overhear silently with her back turned on them.

"Awesome, I was also planning on checking them out," the previous girl replied.

"Jimin-ah, we should really try out for the club together," Minjeong could hear a boy said.

The newspaper club. Noted. Not that it ever interested Minjeong in the first place. She felt lightened now that they don't share similar interests. The less interaction, the better. Minjeong then pushed the thoughts of Yu Jimin to the back of her mind as she focused on what was in front of her.

Maybe the gods were finally on her side.

You've got to be kidding me.

It had been a week since classes officially started and Minjeong had been loving it. She didn't mind the packed schedule when she got to have morning walks in the campus. The flowers were only starting to bloom and the crisp, chilly weather was perfect for brisk walks wearing a single jacket.

She had been perfectly adapting to each subject, only stumbling a little through Biochemistry. I mean, who doesn't? Apparently, even Minjeong wasn't immune to the mighty Krebs cycle. She loved these first challenges that came with the major and was excited for more. Until this very moment.

Minjeong was underlining her notes on the Ethics class while hearing Professor Park listing the names for the upcoming group project. She wasn't paying full attention when she heard her name.

"Nakamura Kazuha, Lee Jeno, An Yujin, Yu Jimin, Lee Heeseung and Kim Minjeong. Group Four."

What?

Professor Park only continued. "I want each group to look for any medical case that was in the news and review it from an ethical point of view. Discuss it over your group and present it in two weeks. Any question?"

Minjeong by now had tuned out the sounds in the classroom. She didn't notice that Professor Park had already dismissed the class. It was only when Yujin elbowed her that she realized Yu Jimin was standing in front of her desk.

"Earth to Minjeong?" Yujin waved her hand in front of Minjeong's face.

Shaking her head, Minjeong forced to clear her mind. "Yes?"

"Do you mind if I add your contact? It's for the project group chat," Jimin said.

"Oh, sure," Minjeong quietly replied.

"You already know mine, Jimin-ah," Yujin added. "Just add me and I'll invite the others."

"Thanks, Yujin-ah," Jimin smiled genuinely. "Guess I'll see you guys later."

Minjeong only waved back to Jimin as she watched the girl left. Yujin continued to ramble alongside her as they walked back to the dorms. She could only responded in half-hearted mumbles. Wondering why it felt as if the universe were so intent on making her and Yu Jimin cross paths.

The next day, the group chat had begun discussing the project.

Jeno [17:30]:
When are you guys available to meet?

Kazuha [17:31]:
I'm always free from 3 pm onwards.

Jimin [17:32]:
Me too. Except for this Thursday.

Heeseung [17:35]:
Just drop the place and time. I'll adjust.

Yujin [17:37]:
Library tomorrow? 4.30 pm?

Minjeong [17:38]:
Sounds good to me. 

The others reacted to Yujin's message bubble with thumbs up emojis. That's when another notification popped up on Minjeong's phone. A personal message.

Jimin [17:40]:
Hey, Minjeong?

Suddenly, Minjeong's hands were sweating. She immediately sat up in her bed, making Yizhuo raise one of her eyebrows from the bed across from her.

Minjeong [17:41]:
What's up?

Jimin [17:42]:
Would you like to walk to the library together tomorrow?

Minjeong was in the middle of reading the same question for the fourth time when Jimin sent another message.

Jimin [17:43]:
No pressure, though! You might have other stuffs going on so...

"Just say yes already," the sound coming from Yizhuo made Minjeong snap her head in her roommate's direction.

"How do you know?"

"How do I know what?"

"I don't know? Why are you answering with quest-"

Yizhuo rolled her eyes and cut her off. "Girl, they're waiting for your reply as you're five minutes into spiraling now."

As Minjeong looked back on her phone, she realized she had left Jimin on read for five minutes. 

Minjeong [17:48]:
Yes.

She felt her chest loosening for a while before she was jittery all over again as Jimin exchanged details about her dorm and their plan tomorrow.

The path to the library was a 20-minute walk from the dorms. Minjeong had always loved walking as she found it therapeutic in a sense. Today's schedule had been been a contrast to the other days. Lab work from morning until the afternoon and nothing else. It gave Minjeong a chance to go back and rest in the dorms prior to the group project. The ideal rest would have included lunch, a nap, some of social media and still ample time to prepare for the meeting. It would have been ideal if not for the girl currently walking beside her.

Jimin had earlier insisted to pick Minjeong up from her dorm room. If Yizhuo saw how restless her roommate had been since coming back from the lab, she didn't comment on it. Minjeong was even more grateful when Yizhuo only quitely observed the way she flushed crimson after opening the door to Jimin.

Beautiful Jimin.

She was wearing a dark brown sweater with a matching coat, which only complimented her blonde hair. The hair that was now in braids. Minjeong thought she couldn't get any lovelier.

"I like your hair," Minjeong heard the girl say. Yeah, I do like your hair. I think you're the prettiest blon- Wait, what?

Minjeong stared at Jimin, puzzled.

"Red and short," Jimin continued. For some reason, she looked mildly flustered too. "I mean- It looks nice. It fits you well. Have you always had it short?"

"Thanks," Minjeong replied nervously. "I just cut it before uni, actually. Wanting to start fresh, you know that kind of stuff," she thought this was the most awkward conversation in her life.

She gave credits to Jimin though. She appreciated how Jimin kept trying to make small talks with her. It wasn't Jimin's fault Minjeong was instead focusing on not humiliating herself every second they were together.

So, Minjeong tried to reciprocate the gesture. "How about you?"

"Oh, this?" Jimin referred to her blonde hair. "Initially tried it as a dare after graduation, but it didn't look too bad so I kept it," she chuckled.

"Taking care of it must take quite an effort, though," Minjeong tried to empathize while looking down at her feet. Making sure she didn't trip by herself while conversing with Jimin.

"Yeah," Jimin said quietly. "Do you... like it?"

Minjeong raised her head and looked at Jimin. "Like what?"

Jimin looked nervous as she answered. "My hair."

Of course, I do. Minjeong just nodded. "I think they're cool."

Jimin then smiled sweetly at her as they entered the library together.

Minjeong felt like patting herself on the shoulder. Two hours in the meeting and she had already done a lot for the project. They had agreed on a case and were now working on their own tasks as assigned. Minjeong thought they could actually be done by this week. The presentation slides included.

"Jimin-ah, can you help me look for this book?" Minjeong heard one of the boys said. Later on, Minjeong saw Jimin accompanying Jeno to a part of the library.

The only downside of this meeting was the fact that Jeno didn't even bother to hide his attraction to Jimin. Not that it should bother Minjeong in any way. It was none her business. Jimin (bless her) was just too kind to everyone that it made the rest wonder whether she was actually responding to Jeno or was just being... Well... Jimin.

If there was a boy that could stand beside Jimin, it would indeed be Jeno. Athletic, confident and handsome. Minjeong had heard a bit of him from Lia and the girls. He came from a family of surgeons and aimed to become one himself. Personality-wise, he had an approachable aura and easily made friends with a lot of people. He and Jimin would be perfect.

Everyone, including Minjeong, could agree. However, she felt her stomach twist for reasons unknown.

"Let me know if you need any help, Jimin-ah," Jeno said as he and Jimin joined back to their table. Minjeong just tuned them out for the rest of the evening and focused on the assignment.

The month passed by with lectures filled with projects and surprise quizzes. Unlike the others, Minjeong found herself quite comfortable.

"You should share some of your brain cells with me," Yujin said to Minjeong. They were currently lounging with Lia and Sumin on the campus lawn under a huge tree. Each of them scrolling their phones to check the latest mock exam results. In which Minjeong scored 96%.

"You're literally in med school with me. We basically have the same brain cells," Minjeong chuckled. 

"Minjeong-ah, what would you wanna be after all this?" Lia asked.

It was without a beat. "A cardiothoracic surgeon."

"See? She's practically Cristina," exclaimed Lia.

"Yang?" Sumin finally looked up at the group.

"Who else?" Lia said exasperatedly. "You're practically Cristina Yang, Minjeong-ah."

They continued talking about the past month when Yujin suddenly informed the group about an upcoming party for tonight. Minjeong felt her eyes wandering as she had no interest in joining. That's when she felt compelled to look for a certain blonde who just so happened to walk on the paved road across from them.

"Who's that beauty beside Yu Jimin?" Sumin voiced out the question similar as the one in Minjeong's mind.

Also looking at Jimin, Yujin comfortably added. "Uchinaga Aeri, her roommate. Humanities major." 

"A Japanese?" Lia asked. Yujin only answered in a nod.

Without warning, Jimin's eyes traveled and locked onto Minjeong's from across the lawn. Minjeong could feel her heart skipping a beat when Jimin smiled warmly at her before lifting and pointing at the phone in her hand.

Minjeong furrowed her eyebrows as she looked down at her phone. Apparently, Jimin had just messaged her.

Jimin [14:55]:
Library @ 5 pm?

She immediately lifted her head and returned Jimin's smile. She typed and sent her reply after Jimin had left the area completely.

With midterms nearing, Jimin and Minjeong had fallen into a new routine by now. After their successful group project together, they found each other's presence comfortable and decided to try studying together. (Actually, it was all Jimin who bravedly approach Minjeong.) After a few sessions, they found the arrangement oddly perfect. Minjeong's unapproachable nature made it possible for Jimin to study without being disturbed by others. On the other hand, Minjeong found her productivity increasing greatly with Jimin's presence. 

She also found herself getting better at interacting with Jimin. The episodes of stutters and mind blanks were decreasing. It might help that Jimin would occasionally sit beside her when they shared the same class. Or the fact that she frequently joined Minjeong's group during lunch at the cafetaria. Minjeong discovered that being around Jimin was surprisingly comfortable.

"Are you joining us, Minjeong-ah? Come on, you really need to tap into the scene more," Yujin whined, referring to the party tonight.

"Lia, you and Minjeong don't have any student council duties for a while, right?" Sumin asked, which Lia answered with a nod. "You're coming with us, Minjeong-ah."

"No can do, gotta go to the library tonight." The girls groaned in response.

"Ooohhh... Another library date?" Lia teased.

Minjeong just rolled her eyes, trying to suppress the corners of her mouth. "Shut up."

The group relented after a while, knowing it was close to impossible trying to convince her. Minjeong knew herself she would choose studying alone with Jimin over a party every single time.

The library was quiet as usual. There were only soft tapping sounds of the keyboards with hushed conversations in the background. Minjeong was reviewing her Biology notes when the girl beside her tapped her on the shoulder.

"Minjeong-ah."

Minjeong immediately looked up at Jimin and waited for her to continue.

"Hydrostatic pressure basically pushes," Jimin stated hesitantly while Minjeong nods along encouragingly. "Oncotic pressure pulls."

"Correct."

Jimin let out a sigh as her head fell on top of the table. "I think I'm done for now."

"Okay," Minjeong just quietly resumed her studying. It hadn't even been five minutes before a packet of chocolate biscuit slides near her laptop. Minjeong turned her head to Jimin in question.

"For helping me," Jimin explained quickly, her ears reddening. "I've seen you bought this from the vending machine a few times- Not that I was stalking you or anything, I just saw it in passing-"

Jimin stopped when Minjeong giggled to herself. "Jimin-ah, thank you. You do know that snacking outside of the pantry is illegal?" Minjeong said despite continuing to unwrap the packet. "Also, you're helping me too by being here." She was very fond of the smile Jimin gave her after that.

She took out the biscuit and snapped it in half. Offering one half to Jimin who gladly took it. They both munched on it, grinning as if they were naughty kids.

"What else do you like?" Jimin asked Minjeong after drinking some water.

"Snacks?" Jimin responded by nodding. "Anything sweet. I'm not very picky on snacks. How about you?"

"Same, I guess. What's your favorite food?"

"Any sweet pastries. You?"

"Pasta."

"Any place you recommend?" Minjeong indulged in the conversation as she was slowly closing her books and laptop. Maybe she should also end her studying now. It had been almost three hours.

"There's this amazing place. I think the chef was even featured in one of those shows on Netflix? We should go there some time. Their pasta tastes closest to what I had in Italy when I was younger," Jimin explained excitedly.

"Italy? Must have been amazing," Minjeong sighed. "I wish I could travel too someday."

"Scratch that pasta place, then. Let's go to Italy together, Minjeong-ah."

Minjeong looked at Jimin incredulously. "Maybe later when I have my own money. Like... 10 more years?" Minjeong laughed while shaking her head. "We were probably no longer friends by then."

Jimin suddenly fell silent, prompting Minjeong to look at her.

After a few seconds, Jimin took another snack out from her bag. Coincidentally another favorite of Minjeong. "I'd like to be friends with you for a long time, Minjeong-ah," Jimin spoke softly, sliding the packet to her direction.

Taking the snack reluctantly, Minjeong shared it with Jimin. "Then maybe let's start going to the pasta place first?" 

They continued talking about their favorites. Jimin liked the color blue, while Minjeong struggled to come up with one.

"What do you usually listen to?" Jimin asked. Her books now long forgotten.

"I could listen to everything as long as it's good. Although my playlists usually consist of songs from the 90s or early 2000s," Minjeong explained.

"How about K-pop?"

"Same as before.  If it sounds good, it goes into my playlist." It was true. Minjeong appreciated any music that was good. "How about you?"

Jimin thought for a while. "Sometimes I listen to pop, some indie bands. Or jazz. I've been listening to a lot of Laufey lately. I'm a fan of K-pop, though."

"Any group in mind?"

"aespa," Jimin grinned.

Ah. The popular group Yizhuo mentioned before. Even before that, Minjeong had known of the group. She even had some of their popular songs saved on her playlists.

"Oh, what are you favorites?"

"I like their title tracks, but I do have some personal favorites. Songs like Thirsty and Lucid Dream. The most recent one I like is called Flowers," Jimin said while showing the tracks on her phone's Spotify playlist to Minjeong.

Minjeong nodded as if committing every detail to her memory. They continued with Jimin constantly sneaking in more snacks to give to Minjeong.

"Jimin-ah, you're gonna get us in trouble."

"Guess I just like feeding you," Jimin replied playfully.

"I'll give all these snacks back to you on your birthday. When is your birthday, by the way? I'll add it to my calendar," Minjeong jokingly said.

"April 11th."

Huh. It was currently April.

Eleventh.

Minjeong's head snapped to Jimin faster than lightning. Jimin on the other hand looked like a deer in headlights.

"It's your birthday!" Minjeong exclaimed, earning glares from a few students nearby.

Jimin immediately shushed her. "Yeah, so what?"

"What are you doing here? You should be out there celebrating." Minjeong didn't get it. It would still be better if Jimin had gone to that party instead of cramming here in the library with her.

"I told you, it's fine. Besides, we're grown ups now. We have other... commitments."

"Don't you have somewhere to be, though? With your family?"

"They're all scattered around the world for some business trips." Minjeong was about to comment, but Jimin hastily came to their defense. "It's okay, trust me. They have sent me flowers and greetings since morning. We also video called before I got here."

Minjeong then went quiet for a bit. She later realized she hadn't even wished Jimin a happy birthday. 

She reached out for Jimin's arm. "Happy birthday, Jimin-ah," Minjeong smiled genuinely.

For a second, she felt Jimin stiffened. "Thank you," Jimin replied shyly.

"Wait, what year were you born?"

"2000."

"Huh. So you're an unnie," Minjeong grinned. "Happy birthday, Jimin-unnie."

Minjeong didn't know why Jimin had to suddenly face the other way or fussed over her hair to cover both her ears. Jimin then suddenly excused herself to the restroom. 

Left alone at the table, Minjeong started packing her things. Already thinking of walking back to the dorms together with Jimin. Should she make them pass the nearby bakery? It might still be open. She smiled as she thought of getting a slice of cake as a mini birthday celebration for Jimin.

Just as Jimin came back and prepared her things, her phone rang. Minjeong couldn't hear the exact conversation, but she could identify it was a male's voice. After hanging up, Jimin bit her lip as she turned to Minjeong.

"Minjeong-ah, I'm sorry. I forgot I promised Jeno dinner tonight," a shadow of unease passed over Jimin's face.

Oh.

That's great. She could at least have a proper celebration for today. 

"Cool. Have a great time celebrating. I'll see you at class tomorrow?" Minjeong's smile didn't reach her eyes this time.

Just as she started to leave, she felt Jimin's fingers grabbing her wrist from behind. "Would you like to maybe join us?"

Her stomach kept twisting and it really irked Minjeong. "No, thanks. I also have a thing with my roommate tonight," Minjeong came up with that on the spot. "So I really have to go. Once again, happy birthday, Unnie."

As she left a troubled looking Jimin, Minjeong found herself reflecting on the way back to the dorms. Am I disappointed? Disappointed of what exactly? Do I even have the right to feel this way? Her pondering ended as she entered her room and saw Yizhuo with a facial mask on.

"We're doing something tonight," Minjeong said.

Confused, Yizhuo turned to her. "We are?"

Minjeong only nodded and showered before getting ready for bed. She could see Yizhuo on her bed, still wide awake with her laptop in front of her.

"Up for a movie?" Yizhuo said while showing her Netflix home page.

"Yes, please," anything to take Minjeong's mind off whatever it was she was feeling.

They settled on Notting Hill. Minjeong went into her roommate's bed and slid under the shared blanket.

"Care to share what's on your mind?" Yizhuo tried.

If only. Minjeong didn't even know what exactly she was supposed to share. So instead, she chose the safe route. "What do you know about aespa?"

Yizhuo gasped as she turned to Minjeong, looking as though Minjeong finally asked the question she had been dying to answer.

This was going to be a long night.

Midterms ended on a good note. Jimin showered Minjeong with more sweets than she could safely eat as a thank you. Minjeong was just happy she could help Jimin in any way.

Seeing Jimin happy gave Minjeong joy.

Jimin unnie [09:05]:
Morning, Minjeongie.
Kinda overslept this morning. I hope Professor Lee didn't see me slipping into class just now. :(

Minjeong chuckled while being in her own Chemistry class.

Minjeong [09:06]:
*Laughing emoji*
I told you not to stay up too late reading those webtoons, didn't I?
I'll see you at lunch, Unnie.

She put her phone to silent and slipped it back to her hoodie pocket. 

When it was time for lunch, Minjeong did see Jimin. Seated at a different table, apart from her group. She was seating with Jeno today.

"Are they finally together?" Sumin asked while munching on some fries.

The whole table looked towards Minjeong as she was halfway through her spaghetti.

"What?" Minjeong asked the other girls.

"Is Jimin finally with Jeno?" Sumin said again. 

"Why would I know anything?"

"Maybe because you're quite attached to Jimin's hip?" Yujin answered.

"We're not," Minjeong rolled her eyes. "We just study together sometimes. We don't talk about those kind of stuffs."

No, they don't just study together.

Minjeong had started to learn about Jimin's favorites. Her habits of studying. The way Jimin would bite the tip of her pen when she was fully focused on something. Her interest to pursue ObGyn in the future. Her current activities in the newspaper club. The stories she was covering and editing, even before they made it into the press.

And Minjeong believed she shared similar glimpses of her life back to Jimin. She could feel a bond she felt quiet protective of. Borderline possessive. Something between her and Jimin only. Minjeong was a private person to begin with, but her growing relationship with Jimin felt more personal for some reason. 

In the midst of all these, they had never mentioned or discussed about Jeno. Minjeong didn't know whether to feel relieved or the opposite. She was glad that she didn't have to be talking about the boy as she was annoyed at him (for reasons Minjeong still couldn't find out). Even thinking about him and Jimin made her chest feel funny. The other part of her was wondering if Jimin said nothing because Minjeong was simply that much of an outsider to her relationship with Jeno.

"Hey, guys," Jimin sighed as she slid into the seat next to Minjeong.

"Where's Jeno going?" Yujin asked as the whole table saw Jeno leaving the cafetaria.

Jimin shrugged while quietly sliding a chocolate snack to Minjeong's direction. "Some meeting with the basketball team." Minjeong automatically took the snack for herself.

"Spill. Are you guys together now?" Lia whispered loudly.

Jimin looked puzzled. "Who?"

"You and Jeno, duh," Lia clarified.

"No?" Jimin then turned to Minjeong with a determined face. "We're not together."

Minjeong was unsure how to respond. "O-Okay?"

"Yet. Everybody here is waiting for the news, Jimin-ah," Sumin joined in. "He's not even hiding it anymore."

The topic went on for a while as Minjeong tried to contain her feelings to herself. She should be supportive of this as Jimin's friend. Jeno would be good for her.

Her internal struggle paused as she realized the whole table was now looking at her direction for the second time. "What?"

"What do you think, Minjeongie?" Jimin inquired lowly.

I feel horrible, Unnie. "I think you two look perfect."

Minjeong continued to smile and laugh at the group while pretending not to notice Jimin's lingering stare next to her. As the group finished their lunch, she was immediately distracted by the email notification from the research unit she was aiming for. Now that should remind her of her initial goals. She really shouldn't waste time on useless feelings.

While juggling through her growing extracurricular activities, Minjeong finally made it to the end of her first semester. She just needed to pass the finals in one go so she could take the first train back to Busan and spend the summer there. She really missed her family.

"Minjeongie," a voice softly called over. A voice she had grown familiar of.

Minjeong halted her Anki session to look at Jimin. They were currently at their usual spot in the library.

"Could you please explain this part to me?" Jimin underlined her notes.

Minjeong patiently explained every time. Afterall, she found that Jimin only needed some minor clarifications. Most of the time, Jimin already had a perfect understanding of the concepts but still needed to confirm with someone. Minjeong would gladly be that someone.

"Thanks, Minjeongie," Jimin smiled while squeezing Minjeong's arm.

During their walk back to the dorms, they started going over their plans for the summer vacation.

"When are you going back to Busan?" Jimin asked Minjeong.

"Assuming I pass on the first try," Minjeong could see Jimin rolling her eyes. "Probably the first morning train on Saturday. What?"

Jimin linked her arms with Minjeong. "You know you would definitely pass on the first try."

"And so would you," Minjeong said matter-of-factly.

Minjeong aced her finals. And so did Jimin. They could finally spend their first summer vacation in peace. Minjeong was walking back to her dorm with Yizhuo after having lunch together on the campus cafe when she heard someone calling her name.

"Minjeongie!"

She felt hands wrapping around her waist before she even registered who was calling her. Her face was suddenly inches from someone's neck and she immediately knew who it was from the perfume scent.

Jimin.

Realizing that Jimin was hugging her, she could feel her face burning. Her heart was hammering so loudly in her ears, she could only hope Jimin wouldn't find out. There was currently no reasonable etiology for a tachycardia.

Jimin pulled back with a grin. "We passed!"

Minjeong couldn't help but grin back, feeling her grips on Jimin's shoulders softened. "Of course, we do. You scared me, Unnie."

A cough sounded from behind them, reminding them both of another person's presence. They quickly jumped apart to face a smirking Yizhuo.

"It's okay, don't mind me," Yizhuo seemed somewhat smug while winking at Minjeong.

"Uh," Minjeong was still flustered from the hug.

"I'm Yizhuo, Minjeong's roommate," Yizhuo extended her hand to Jimin.

Taken aback, Jimin shook Yizhuo's hand and smiled warmly. "I'm-"

"Yu Jimin," Yizhuo said while nodding. "It's nice to actually meet you. We didn't get to properly meet last time." Minjeong could feel her face not cooling down for a while.

Jimin, on the other hand, seemed to fare much better than Minjeong. "Were you walking back to the dorms?"

"Yeah," Yizhuo confirmed. Inviting Jimin to walk with them.

"Minjeongie, there's a party tonight at Jeno's place. You should come," Jimin said. "The rest of the girls know already."

Minjeong sighed. "I'm not sure, Unnie."

She saw Jimin's face fell. "Well, it's okay. Don't force yourself," Jimin reassured her. "Yizhuo, you could come if you want to."

Yizhuo smiled in response. "Don't you wanna go together, Minjeong-ah?"

"I'd really like it if you'd come, though," Jimin muttered.

Minjeong sighed for the second time. Looked like she was finally having her semester's dose of partying tonight.

"Damn, Minjeong-ah. Save some for the rest of us," Yizhuo let out a low whistle as Minjeong opened their bathroom door.

Sumin came into view and scanned Minjeong from head-to-toe. "Sheesh. Let me take a pic real quick and send it to Jimin."

Minjeong knew she wasn't very hard on the eyes. She had been pampered with praises since birth. Not to mention the love confessions she received ever since she hit puberty. Maybe not as much as Jimin, but- Wait. Send what to Jimin?

"Wait, no. Why Jimin?" Minjeong tried to take Sumin's phone from her, but failed.

Sumin just pursed her lips. "Sent already, oops," she smirked. "Relax. Jimin was only asking about our prep."

Sighing, Minjeong felt herself being dragged to the vanity table. While Yizhuo and Sumin worked their magic, she let herself wonder what Jimin would think of her picture earlier.

She was wearing a dark purple fringe tube top she borrowed from Yizhuo, paired with a grey washed denim mini skirt. The whole look was completed with a cropped black leather jacket that she never wore. It was different from her daily baggy jeans and sweatpants. Especially the top that showed her waist, usually hidden underneath Minjeong's sweaters and shirts.

Minjeong didn't know why she wanted to look good in front of her dear friend.

When the three of them finished getting ready, they went down to the dorms' lobby and found a car waiting for them. They all had to use Yujin's car for tonight since Jeno's house is located off the campus ground. The girls were lively throughout the drive, with Yizhuo blending perfectly after getting acquainted with Lia and Yujin.

As they arrived, they were silently in awe of the gated residence. The car stopped when they saw other cars backing up to a certain mansion. They could see the throngs of people hanging out from the second floor balcony to the wide front lawn. Minjeong felt nervous, still not used to the crowded scene.

Entering the house, they immediately came face to face with the host.

"Girls, glad you could be here," Jeno grinned, gesturing for them to enter.

Minjeong had to speak louder than usual in the middle of the loud music and atmosphere. "Hope you don't mind us bringing my roommate. This is Yizhuo."

"Of course, the more the merrier!" Jeno gave a friendly smile at Yizhuo. "Help yourselves. The food and drinks are in the kitchen. Turn right and go straight until you reach the second door to the left. You can use the bathrooms here and upstairs. Third floor is off limits."

And the party was on. Jeno was dragged back to join his rowdy basketball teammates, while Yizhuo went straight into the karaoke area with Yujin. Sumin and Lia were on a mission to devour the drinks in the kitchen. Minjeong decided to tag along, noticing how she hadn't seen Jimin ever since she arrived.

The kitchen was thankfully not as packed as the other areas. There were several people preparing shots to bring out. Others were lounging near the counter, including Jimin.

"Jimin-ah!" Lia called, immediately sidling up to Jimin. That's when the blonde turned her head to the group's direction and made eye contact with Minjeong.

Beautiful Jimin.

She was only wearing a little black dress with thin straps. The subtle stripes with alternating sheerness mysteriously drove Minjeong crazy. And then there were the ripped dark stocking which ended with matching leather boots. Minjeong thought she looked divine.

Jimin was next to the same girl she saw back then. Her roommate, who was now elbowing Jimin back to clarity. Was she drunk?

"Ah," Jimin cleared her throat. "I was starting to wonder where you guys are."

"We're all here. Can't miss the last Friday night of the semester," Yujin replied while eyeing the row of liquor.

The girl beside Jimin chuckled as she downed her own bottle of soju. That seemed to remind Jimin of something.

"Guys, this is Aeri, my roommate. Aeri-ah, these are my classmates," Jimin introduced them briefly.

As each of them greeted Aeri, Minjeong could feel Aeri's intense eyes on her. "I'm Minjeong. Nice to meet you."

Aeri smiled cheekily. "Yeah, I know. I'm Aeri. I've heard a lot about you." 

Minjeong raised her eyebrows in response. "Nice things, I hope," she chuckled.

"Oh, trust me, they are," Aeri continued, side eyeing Jimin's reddening neck and ears.

"Where are the rest?" Jimin asked instead.

"Yizhuo is probably into her second song by now with Yujin," Sumin snickered.

They all settled on their own drinks, with Jimin opting out since she drove Aeri here. Minjeong only took a Krush bottle, having no plans on drinking heavily when she had a train to catch tomorrow morning.

"Come on, let's go see your friends," Aeri invited the girls.

They were heading out of the kitchen when Minjeong felt Jimin grabbing her arm.

"Minjeongie."

She looked back at Jimin. "Yes, Unnie?"

The older girl took a second for herself. "You look beautiful tonight." Minjeong instantly felt warmth throughout her body.

Not expecting the compliment, the younger could only smile gently at Jimin. "Thanks, Unnie," she whispered. "You look beautiful, too."

They joined the rest of the party. To no one's surprise, Yizhuo was comfortably dancing beside the DJ with a mic in her hand. Minjeong decided to just observe on the side and laughed at the way the girls danced. She was later entertaining a pretty girl that was starting to get too close to her when she saw Jimin from the corner of her eye. Jeno was playfully pulling Jimin to blend with the dancing crowd.

Her chest tightened at the way Jimin laughed heartily with the boy, her hands perched on his firm shoulders. Minjeong felt like getting a second Krush.

They looked perfect.

Starting to get a bit tipsy, Minjeong let herself get dragged by the unknown girl. She could feel hands on her bare waist while swaying to the rhythm. It’s fine. She deserved to let go. For tonight, she wanted to stop feeling as she giggled to the ticklish whispers in her ear.

The sunlight streaming through the window glared at Minjeong's closed eyes, making her groan as she threw the blanket over her head. The pounding headache she felt only worsened with the sound of her phone's alarm.

After a while, the alarm went silent just as she was hoping for it. Is telekinesis real, afterall? She was about to continue her dreamless slumber when her blanket was stripped from her.

"Get up, Minjeong-ah. It's five already," Yizhuo said. "Your train's in an hour."

Minjeong's mind cleared for the first time. She slowly straightened up in her bed, wincing in pain while grabbing her head.

"Here," Yizhuo handed her a glass of water and a pill of Ibuprofen.

"Thanks, doc," Minjeong jokingly answered before taking the pain reliever. Yizhuo just shook her head at how ridiculous this was. "How are you even this normal after last night? At freaking five AM?"

If Minjeong remembered correctly, Yizhuo downed so much alcohol last night that it would be impossible for her to function the next morning like... This.

"Girl, don't underestimate me and my talents," Yizhuo calmly flipped her hair. "Now, go shower. You stink."

"Wait, how did we get back here?"

"As absurd as it may seem, Yujin was actually sober the whole night," Yizhuo laughed. "She drove us all back, safe and sound."

Huh. Remind Minjeong to thank that one friend of hers.

A look to the room's digital clock made her dash to the shower. It was a good thing she packed in advance. She was finally going to inhale the beach air she used to take for granted in her hometown. She couldn't wait to see her family too.

The whole group was going to be spread apart throughout the whole summer vacation. Yizhuo was going to stay for a while to practice and perform for her band's upcoming gig before flying back to Harbin. Yujin, Lia and Sumin had plans with their families to who knows where. Minjeong couldn't remember anything exactly about Jimin, though she heard plans of a trip to Japan with Aeri.

Minjeong was rolling her suitcase to the lobby after parting with Yizhuo, promising to stay in contact throughout the break. The lobby seemed appropriately quiet and deserted since it was early in the weekend morning and most people had gone for their summer break. She was about to order a taxi when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Minjeongie."

She looked up from her phone to a smiling Jimin who donned a pair of sunglasses and an oversized shirt.

"Unnie?" Startled, Minjeong immediately felt self conscious. Her hangover state might not be the best she had ever looked.

"Let's go," Jimin said, grabbing Minjeong's suitcase and rolling it to the black sedan parked near them.

Minjeong was confused as she fell into steps beside Jimin. "Jimin-unnie, you don't have to. How did you even know my schedule?"

"You said first morning train on Saturday, right?" Jimin just shrugged as she placed Minjeong's suitcase into her car's trunk. She closed it and turned to Minjeong. "Come on."

That's how Minjeong found herself sitting on the passenger seat of Jimin's car. She was surprised Jimin paid attention to what she had only said in passing before. Sneaking a glance at the older girl, Minjeong could see the dark circles under Jimin's eyes after her sunglasses were perched on top of her head. Nevertheless, she still looked too lovely for a hangover morning.

"Just play whatever music, Minjeongie," Jimin said, casually handing her phone to Minjeong.

Hearing that but not wanting to impose, Minjeong chose the first playlist she saw on the account. A smooth, velvety voice of a woman sounded through the car speakers accompanied with soft plucks of an acoustic guitar.

"Is this Laufey? The one you've been listening?" Minjeong questioned.

"Yeah. This is one of my favorites," Jimin answered gently.

Time's moving so much slower lately 

It's like the world's playing a joke

Laughing at me for falling foolishly again 

But something's different, with you

The car stopped on a red light. Minjeong could feel Jimin's eyes on her. As she stared right back, Jimin's eyes were warm and gentle. 

"I'm gonna miss you, Minjeongie," Jimin lightly said. "Don't you dare forget about me."

Minjeong tried to hide the warm feeling in her chest by rolling her eyes. "So dramatic. We're freshmen in med school. You're basically still stuck with me for the next five and a half years," Minjeong chuckled.

Jimin just smiled giddily in return, pressing gas as the traffic light turned green.

Arriving at the drop-off zone of the train station, Jimin immediately helped taking out Minjeong's suitcase. Before Minjeong could enter the station further, Jimin hurriedly went back to take a paperbag out of her car. She then gave it to a confused Minjeong.

"For you. Better if you open it after you arrive," Jimin grinned sheepishly.

Minjeong could feel the paperbag was heavier than what was supposed to be a simple gift. She still couldn't see what was inside since the bag was stapled.

She only sighed, knowing it was useless to say "you don't have to" to Jimin for the hundredth time. So, she stepped forward and silently wrapped her arms around Jimin's midriff. After a few seconds, she could feel Jimin's hands lifting and embracing her back.

"Thank you," Minjeong sincerely whispered. She reluctantly let go of the older girl. "I'll see you at fall, Unnie."

"Yeah," Jimin smiled softly. "Take care, Minjeongie."

The train ride back was uneventful, to say the least. Minjeong spent her time watching The Terminal on her iPad. She was still curious about Jimin's gift, though.

After arriving at her hometown's station and going home with her parents, she spent brunch with her mind finally off the older girl. Her family fed her so much food that she just munched whatever they gave her. She felt like going into a food coma when she finally settled in her room.

That's when she remembered the paperbag. She hurriedly closed her door and readied herself, as if she were going to open a hidden treasure of some sort. She slowly took out the staples, not wanting to ruin the whole bag. Inside, there was a box wrapped in colorful paper with a note pasted on the front. She took out the note first and read the handwritten message.

Minjeongie,

I'm not that good with words, so please bear with me. You might think I had forgotten. Well, I hadn't. In a twisted way, I got to know a new friend that I could hold dear to me. Thanks for sticking with me, Minjeongie. Med school is better with you and I know we were only getting started.

Have a nice break, Minjeongie. I hope we could go to the beach there together someday.

Yours,
Jimin

Now Minjeong was more confused than ever. What was it that she was supposed to forget? Tearing open the wrapping paper, she came into face with a box containing the latest product of her smartphone's brand. 

Gaping in shock, she immediately opened Jimin's contact in her phone. She then typed the overused phrase.

Minjeong [12:23]:
Unnie, you don't have to.

In a few minutes, she received a respond.

Jimin unnie [12:25]:
I want to. :)

Minjeong opened her eyes and saw Professor Lee explaining the fundamental principles of fluid dynamics. It was odd. She was viewing the whole world diagonally. When she felt a hand stroking her hair, she realized she was leaning her head on the arm of the person sitting next to her.

She was waking up from a deep sleep. Which was weird since Minjeong couldn't remember the last time she slept in a class. She tried to get up and get a good look of her surroundings, but she felt almost paralyzed. As if her body didn't want to leave the warmth of this other person.

As she finally looked up, she was met with Jimin's soft brown eyes. The eye contact made Minjeong felt calm for no apparent reason so she snuggled further into Jimin's arm. She sighed in contentment when she felt Jimin's fingers rubbing her back and chose to continue her doze instead.

Jimin's presence calmed Minjeong. She might be Minjeong's personal sedative at this rate. She was on her way to another sleep when the whole world suddenly started shaking. Minjeong tried to open her eyes again, but all she saw was darkness.

"Minjeong-ah," she could hear the sound of a man.

"Minjeong-ah, wake up."

Feeling her body got physically shaken, she opened her eyes to her older brother. Taking in the beach in front of her, she got reminded by what she was initially doing. Her brother, who was also having his summer break here, was planning on surfing with some of his friends at noon. Minjeong tagged along, wanting to lounge and rest under the beach umbrella. The weather was also perfect for continuing this book she had been wanting to finish. Jokes on her, she drifted asleep instead.

"Oh, Oppa. Are you done?"

Her brother nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

It's been a month since she came here to Busan. She had been having the time of her life before she had to go back to campus two weeks prior to the new semester. Her student council duties required her to take part in the membership training, especially as a freshman. And so Minjeong tried to use the best of her time here with her family.

She had also been getting occasional updates from her friends. Laughing at the silly holiday pictures shared in their group chat, while also sending some of the pretty sunset views taken from the beach. Between everything, her heart still got constantly reminded of Jimin. No matter how much she tried to busy herself, the older girl felt like a quiet presence residing deep in the back of Minjeong's mind. Never fading, only repressed.

Because Minjeong knew if she let her thoughts float to Jimin for a moment, she would have to admit that she indeed miss the girl. Longed for her. Her dream just now might even be the outcome of those repressed desires. She simply missed Jimin's warmth.

Without thinking twice, she opened her phone and scrolled for Jimin. She snapped a picture of the beach and sent it to the older girl before walking back home with her brother.

Minjeong [15:11]:
Unnie, I fell asleep while reading the book I told you about, haha.

She then turned her phone off to talk with her brother. A few minutes later, she felt her phone buzzed in her hand. Jimin had sent her a picture of a Maltese puppy.

Jimin unnie [15:16]:
Minjeongie, this pup looks just like you, doesn't he?
I was strolling with my mom when this cutie appeared.
Did you sleep well, Minjeongie?

Minjeong [15:18]:
Are you saying I look like a dog, Unnie?
Yeah, I even dreamed this time. It was weird, though.

Jimin unnie [15:19]:
I'm saying you're cute, Minjeongie.
Weird how?

Minjeong [15:20]:
You were actually in it.
It was Professor Lee's class and I was dozing in your arms.
And you just let me!
I remembered waking up for a minute and just going back to sleep immediately.
Weird, right? It's like a layered sleep. A double sleep?
...
Unnie?

Hundreds of miles from Busan, a certain blonde sat frozen in an Italian restaurant with her phone in hand.

"Jiminie, are you alright?" Jimin could hear her mother's tender voice.

Looking up, she could already feel her whole body flushed red. "Of course, Eomma."

"Drink first. Was today too hot for you? You're all red," her mother said while calling for the restaurant's waitress, ready to order.

Jimin gladly took the glass offered to her while fanning herself with her other hand.

She was definitely feeling hot.

Chapter Text

Fall arrived before Minjeong knew it. By the second semester, she had perfectly adapted to the relentless pace of college life. Lectures continued to pile up, with less parties in between and more study sessions.

Sessions with Jimin, who had permanently secured her position as Minjeong's study buddy. Though it seemed like the blonde deemed her importance in Minjeong's life far more than that.

They were walking back to the dorms after spending two hours listening to Professor Yoon going on and on about acid-base balance. "A bit clingy today, are we?" Minjeong glanced sideways to Jimin. The older girl had glued her entire side to Minjeong, making them almost joined at the hip.

Jimin just huffed. "Heaven forbid a girl gets comfortable with her best friend."

That made Minjeong pull away from her, eyes widened. "Since when are we best friends?"

The blonde had the nerve to actually look offended. "Ever since we started sharing my wired earphones at the library," Jimin pouted. "I'm actually hurt, Minjeong-ah."

By now, Minjeong had learned that Jimin, her newfound best friend, was an affectionate and caring person to her closest ones. Minjeong had no complaint and only relished in being doted on. She was starting to think of Jimin as the older sister figure she had always wanted.

Yeah, that should explain it.

"Sweetheart."

They both turned their heads back to see Jeno jogging in their direction.

Ah. How could Minjeong forget.

More Jimin also meant more Jeno. The couple, who allegedly still hadn't gotten official yet for unknown reasons, had the talent of making Minjeong feel like a side character in a romantic movie.

"Jimin-ah, my mom was just asking for you," he then turned to Minjeong. "Can I borrow Jimin for a sec?" Jeno didn't have to ask twice as Minjeong immediately let go of Jimin's grab on her arm.

She ignored the frown in Jimin's face. "Sure. Actually, I'll see you later at the dorms, Unnie. Yizhuo's already waiting for me," she said before walking away.

If there was one talent Minjeong knew she excelled at, it was of knowing her place.

Minjeong's freshman year ended on a random Friday. She waved goodbye to Jimin and Aeri who dropped her at the station. She was glad she could go back home for the second time, knowing time offs would gradually become limited with each year. Puffing out a white fog, Minjeong tightened her winter coat and boarded the train.

During winter break, she took the opportunity to work part time in a coffee shop near home. It was a refreshing change of scene, with a pay that would afford a little splurge in the upcoming semester. She could buy the gifts she had been eyeing on for her friends' birthdays next year, including Jimin's.

Especially Jimin.

She was wiping the counter when her phone rang. "Minjeong-ah, is your shift ending soon?" Her mother spoke through the line.

"Yeah, Eomma. Why?"

"I just sent you the list of things needed for the parties. We really need those candles. Can you drop by Uncle Cho's shop and pick them up?"

"Sure, I'll update you later, Eomma."

Minjeong went to the shop as soon as her shift ended. Entering the small building, she warmly greeted the middle-aged man she had known since little.

"Uncle!"

The man lifted his head from the register. "Little Kim?" He grinned wide, gesturing for Minjeong to come closer. "Is that you?"

They exchanged pleasantries as Minjeong was picking up the stuffs she needed. Her family was going to host Christmas and New Year's Eve parties in their house, attended by her father's whole side of the family.

"How's college treating you?" Uncle Cho continued to ask. "Can I pester you about my joint pains already?"

"It's still a long way to go for me, Uncle," Minjeong chuckled. "It's been okay."

"Any friends? Boys?"

The face that instantly came to Minjeong's mind was of a certain blonde beauty. A face that had no business making her blush in the middle of the shop. "Yeah, I've made some friends." Definitely no boys.

It was New Year's Eve and Minjeong's house had never been more lively. She had been doing the role of the perfect host, making sure everyone had something to eat or drink. She spent the day having small talks after another, trying to catch up about her second cousin's mother-in-law's brother's friend's butcher who, apparently, had a son going to her med school as well. With a promise to look more into that info in the future, Minjeong excused herself to the kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief. Her social battery was dangerously close to empty.

She wondered if anybody remembered her birthday tomorrow. Which was going to be in ten minutes.

Having a birthday similar to a New Year's Day had been a humbling experience for Minjeong. Her parents never failed to make sure Minjeong didn't feel forgotten or neglected every January 1st, but she could see how it was close to impossible to have her friends participate in the celebration. Everyone would rather spend time with their families, going back to their respective hometowns. She had grown used to the belated birthday messages that came when people finally remembered a few days after.

It was fine. She even knew of the birthday cake that her family tried to hide, currently covered behind the stacks of side dishes in the fridge, ready to be carried out once the clock hit ten minutes after midnight. She was surrounded with her family and she had no reason to be ungrateful of the situation.

That didn't stop Minjeong's heart from hammering as the whole house did the ten seconds countdown. As soon as it hit midnight, loudness ensued from the confettis and paper horns. Screams of "happy new year" were heard everywhere. Her mind went haywire with the loud atmosphere when her hand felt a buzz from her phone.

There was a message she didn't expect.

Jimin unnie [00:00]:
Happy birthday, Minjeongie
Hehe, I didn't forget, did I?
Have a happy celebration today and a fulfilling life ahead
I wish I could be there with you right now

Minjeong felt her hammering heart halting. Biting her lip, she typed back in the speed of light.

Minjeong [00:01]:
Unnie
Can I call you?

She immediately received an incoming call from the older girl. Minjeong quickly separated herself from the rest and walked until she was on the other side of the house. Entering her room, she opened the door to the balcony and answered the call.

"Minjeongie?"

Minjeong sighed. "I wish you were here too, Unnie."

For a few seconds, there was only the sound of fireworks in the background. 

Then she heard Jimin giggling. "Are you saying you miss me, Minjeongie?"

Minjeong had no plan in pretending. "I am," she quietly admitted. "I miss you, Unnie."

She could feel Jimin was taken aback. "I wish I could be there to wish you a happy birthday," Jimin responded softly.

"Well, I'm taking this phone call as you actually being here with me."

Jimin sounded as if she were grinning. "Happy birthday, Minjeongie."

"Thanks, Unnie," Minjeong grinned herself. "Happy new year."

"Ah, right. Happy new year too."

Minjeong instantly rolled her eyes, her cheeks hurting from how much she was smiling. "Where are you at right now?"

"Guess."

"The bathroom."

"Minjeongie. Do you have hidden cameras here in my house?"

Giggling, Minjeong felt herself relaxing for the first time. "It's the slight reverb."

"And what about you?"

"I'm watching the fireworks from my room's balcony."

"Don't stay outside for too long. Keep yourself warm, Minjeongie."

As if on cue, Minjeong shivered as she felt the cold breeze. "It's okay, it's still better here than Seoul."

Jimin hummed. "How's the work?" Minjeong had shared photos of her part time job earlier this week in their group chat.

She liked catching up with Jimin and hoped it wouldn't get interrupted by her scheduled birthday surprise in a few minutes. This conversation was such a calming contrast to the chaotic background in her house. "Not too bad. I mastered latte art a few days ago."

"Really? Show it to us the next time we meet."

"I will," Minjeong promised. "Don't you have somewhere to be right now?"

"Minjeongie, I'm not the birthday girl here. Don't you have somewhere to be?" Jimin asked back.

I prefer to be here, though. Talking to you over the phone. Minjeong checked the time on her watch. "Based on the past ten years of birthdays, it's now two minutes until the surprise."

Jimin laughed on the other end. "A routine, huh. Well, at least I was the first one to congratulate you this time," she sounded proud, in a way.

Warmth was all Minjeong feel right now despite the cold surrounding and she wouldn't have it any other way. "Thank you, Unnie," she hoped Jimin could feel how sincere she was.

"You're very welcome, Minjeongie. Now, what do you want for your gift?"

"Nothing," Minjeong sternly said. "Unnie, you just gave me a brand new phone this summer. That alone should ban you from giving me birthday gifts in the next five years."

She could hear Jimin groaning as she heard a knock on her door.

"Minjeong-ah, are you there?" Her mom called for her.

"Yeah, Eomma," Minjeong shouted from the balcony. "I'll be right out." Looked like it was finally time for her birthday party. "Unnie, I'll talk to you later? Birthday calls," she said to Jimin.

"Okay, Minjeongie. Have a great time. Eat lots of cake for me."

"You too, Unnie. Now go back to your party," Minjeong chuckled. "Don't you have people to kiss?"

The line went silent before she received a response. 

"I do."

Sophomore Minjeong was in the library with her whole group of friends. Despite it being a Saturday, everyone had locked in for once and decided to spend the whole day to cram. The reason being none other than the anatomy quiz in two days from now. From the corner of her eye, she could see Yujin literally trying to inhale the words from the thick first volume of Sobotta.

Minjeong herself was in the middle of preparing flashcards on the upper extremities anatomy when she heard her name being called.

"Minjeong-sunbae?"

Everyone at the table instantly stopped whatever they were doing to look up at the girl standing beside their table. A girl who was tall and too pretty to be true for everyone with eyes to see. Someone Minjeong recognized immediately.

"Oh, Wonyoung-ssi," Minjeong smiled politely at her. "Can I help you with anything?"

The girl sheepishly smiled back. "Can I have your number?"

Yujin choked on the water she was drinking from her tumbler. Minjeong could feel the whole table's eyes on her.

"Sure," Minjeong stood up and approached the girl. She opted to take a few steps away from the prying eyes and proceeded to exchange contacts.

When Minjeong returned to the table, everyone was already taking an impromptu break. Rolling her eyes, she reopened Anki on her laptop.

"Was that girl the first one to finally get your number?" Sumin said.

"The very exclusive number of our perfect Minjeong," Yujin added, her eyebrows wiggling.

Sighing, Minjeong closed her laptop instead. No chance in continuing the work until this interrogation was finished. 

"I met her at their orientation last month," Minjeong started to explain. "She was also interested in our research unit. This week she officially joined the team and I was the youngest, hence I'll be the one showing her around. Helping her get the hang of things, just like what Yeri-unnie did to me."

As part of the student council, Minjeong participated in this year's freshman orientation. She also promoted her research unit during the last day. That was when she met Wonyoung.

"Bummer," Lia sighed. "And here I thought you were finally hanging out with us mortals in the dating pool."

"Hey, that didn't mean something might not happen between them," Yujin said, still entertaining the possibility of Wonyoung and Minjeong together just from witnessing a minute of interaction. "I mean, nobody knows what's exactly gonna happen yet."

Minjeong cut the conversation short. "Well, I know nothing is gonna happen," she glared at the girls. Afterwards, she shifted her eyes to Jimin who had gone unusually quiet.

She wondered if Jimin would care.

Looking at the way the blonde seemed uninterested in the conversation just now, Minjeong didn't think she would.

"Happy birthday, Jiminie. Happy birthday, Jiminie."

Today marked the second time Minjeong celebrated Jimin's birthday.

Jimin's family had initially suggested to invite her friends over for dinner to celebrate their youngest's birthday. Seeing how their schedules were cleared for once, Jimin enthusiastically turned it into a whole weekend sleepover. Now the girls, including Aeri and Yizhuo, would be spending the night in the family's luxurious estate located in an exclusive hillside residence.

The birthday song continued and ended with claps from everyone sitting at the dinner table. Jimin was smiling after blowing the candles on top of the chocolate cake brought out by her older sister. Lia was recording the whole thing through the phone while the rest of the girls were cheering and clapping. Jimin's parents observed the scene fondly from the side while making space to let Jimin have her spotlight.

Minjeong was seated between Sumin and Jimin's sister, directly across from the birthday girl. She found herself enjoying the flow of conversations, including the way Jimin's eyes would light up during certain topics. She loved this for Jimin. Sometimes their eyes would meet, followed by shy smiles shared across their seats.

"How has our Jiminie been doing at campus?" Jimin's mother asked when they started to eat the cake.

The girls provided family-friendly inputs to Jimin's parents, purposely avoiding to mention their occasional wild nights whenever med school got too overwhelming.

"Ah, Jimin was also the main writer for the featured article of this month's newsletter issue," Minjeong added to the chat.

Jimin's father grinned at Jimin. "Really? That's great, Jimin-ah."

Minjeong could see Jimin's face reddening at the attention. The blonde then locked eyes with her for a minute, sending a grateful smile.

Unfortunately for Minjeong, the conversation shifted into Jeno after Yujin accidentally slipped his name up. The table eagerly teased Jimin, especially after the bouquet of 100 red roses Jeno sent earlier as an apology for missing the dinner tonight. Minjeong just boredly played with the cake in her plate.

"So, you're Minjeong, huh?" Minjeong's head turned to Jimin's older sister, Joohyun, who was now smiling warmly at her.

She had known Jimin was the youngest of two daughters. The sister was six years older and now busy working for the family's business. She often heard from Jimin how her sister traveled from one country to another to start managing the company's affairs under their father's wings.

"Yes," Minjeong smiled back while nodding politely. "It's nice to meet you, Joohyun-ssi."

Joohyun waved her hand at her. "Just call me Unnie. It's nice to finally meet you too, Minjeong-ah. I heard from Jimin that you've been helping a lot with her studies?" She continued, albeit softer and quieter than the main conversation of the table.

"We help each other," Minjeong shook her head. "Jimin herself is a great person to study with. I mean- She's a great person, overall."

The older woman tilted her head while staring at Minjeong with an indiscernible look in her eyes. Despite Joohyun's welcoming smile, Minjeong felt uncomfortable and bare for some reason.

"Well, it's nice to know that Jimin has someone she can go to," Joohyun nodded more to herself.

Sumin unexpectedly joined in. "Don't worry, she's Jimin's favorite dongsaeng."

Minjeong could only smile in response. 

They were all currently sprawled across Jimin's spacious bedroom. They had just finished opening the birthday gifts. Minjeong, Yujin, Lia and Sumin had pooled money to gift her an all-black edition of a Littmann stethoscope, complete with Jimin's name engraved on it. Aeri had bought her a perfume with notes she claimed Jimin had been crazy for lately. Sumin then commented about how the perfume might contain aphrodisiac useful to spice things up with Jeno, something Jimin responded with a blank face. Yizhuo, being roped into the sleepover at the very last minute, brought an assorted chocolate gift box and a box of Krush.

Yizhuo's gifts were perfect for tonight's movie as they chose to watch Love 911 together in Jimin's room. Minjeong was sitting on the bed with Jimin, Lia and Yujin while the rest sat on the carpeted floor.

Eating one of the chocolates, Jimin sighed while looking at the TV screen. "Han Hyo Joo is just so pretty, isn't she." Her head was currently on Minjeong's shoulder, rendering the younger girl frozen in place.

Not as pretty as you. Minjeong thought to herself as she heard a notification sound from her phone. On the lock screen was a chat coming from Wonyoung.

"Hey, no phone during the sleepover movie night," Yujin hissed, throwing a chocolate wrapper at Minjeong from the floor.

"No, just a sec," Minjeong replied halfheartedly, turning her back away from Jimin and the group. "It's the research unit."

It was as if she knew Yizhuo was rolling her eyes at her. "Just say it's Wonyoung."

"Ooohhh... Take your time then, Minjeong-ah," Yujin teased. 

Replying quickly to Wonyoung, Minjeong turned her phone off and focused back on the movie. This time, Jimin didn't get close to her.

After the movie had finished, they all tidied up the snacks and beer bottles before preparing for bed. Minjeong was sleeping with Lia and Sumin in the guest room while the others were sleeping in Jimin's room. Once their bodies hit the bed, her roommates for the night were immediately knocked out cold. Chuckling, Minjeong slipped in after them.

Finding it hard to sleep, she used her phone to kill some time. Out of the blue, another message appeared.

Jimin unnie [23:15]:
Are you still awake, Minjeong-ah?

Minjeong was surprised. If it were her in Jimin's place today, she would be long asleep by now.

Minjeong [23:16]:
Yeah
Why are you still up, Unnie?
Go to sleep

Jimin unnie [23:17]:
Minjeong-ah
...
I didn't know you were close with Wonyoung

Minjeong [23:18]:
?
Like I told you guys before, she's my junior in the team
Of course I'm gonna work closely with her

Jimin unnie [23:19]:
Okay

Minjeong [23:20]:
What is it, Unnie?

Jimin unnie [23:21]:
Nothing
Hey, Minjeong-ah
If you're up to it, I wanna show you something

Minjeong [23:21]:
Right now?

Jimin unnie [23:22]:
Yeah

Knowing it was impossible for Minjeong to ever say no to the older girl, she stealthily slipped out after Jimin told her to wait for her. Wearing a cardigan on top of her pajamas, she tiptoed outside.

The hallway was dimly lit as it was close to midnight. Minjeong was about to send another message to Jimin when she felt hands gripping her hips from behind. Her soul left her body for a second before she heard faint sounds of giggles.

"Unnie!" She whisper yelled to Jimin who was smiling goofily at her.

Jimin pressed a finger against her lips, gesturing for them to not make a sound. She then took Minjeong's hand and led her through the stairs to the dark third floor. They entered into an unfamiliar area when Jimin opened a sliding door previously covered in blinds. 

Stepping outside, Minjeong gasped when she looked up.

The sky seemed endless with more stars than she had ever seen in her life. They were in a rooftop overlooking the Han River and Seoul's night skyline. It was a beautiful sight.

"Unnie, it's beautiful," Minjeong said while still staring at the sky.

"It is," she heard Jimin whispered.

Minjeong turned her head to Jimin as she smiled. "Happy birthday, Unnie."

She could see it happening in slow motion. The way Jimin's eyes softened at Minjeong, her lips curling, some of her hair swept away by the gentle night breeze. Minjeong wished she could capture this moment and store it in a treasure chest forever.

Jimin silently took a step towards Minjeong and hugged her tight. Minjeong could feel Jimin's face nestled in the crook of her neck. For all she knew, she might be a boiled tomato by now, but she didn't care. Minjeong chose to surrender to this moment and sighed in contentment as she held the older girl's shoulders.

"I'm so happy you're here," Jimin's voice muffled by Minjeong's hair.

Minjeong quietly rubbed the blonde's back. "I'll always be here, Unnie," Minjeong said. And she meant it. Something inside Minjeong told her that she was going to be around Jimin for a long time.

That she had to.

Jimin sighed. "Good. I was starting to get afraid that Wonyoung might steal you away from me."

Looking down at Jimin, Minjeong frowned. "What?"

The older girl just turned her head the other way, refusing to look at Minjeong.

"Unnie, are you jealous?" She was answered with a grumble. Minjeong laughed instead. "Unnie..." This was something she didn't expect, but she loved the way it made her feel.

"No, it's just that you guys had been spending quiet the amount of time together," Jimin pouted. "We even took a raincheck for last week's study session."

"That's because I had something to do with the whole team, with her and the others," Minjeong didn't even know why she had to explain all this.

Jimin just looked down at the ground, arms still around Minjeong. "No, you're right. Sorry. Maybe I was just a bit sad that we've been spending less time together lately."

But that's been happening ever since Jeno came into the picture, Unnie. "If it makes you feel any better, I've missed you too, Jimin-unnie," Minjeong murmured the last part as she was a bit shy.

Hearing that, Jimin grinned and tightened her hug. That was when something fell to the ground from Minjeong's cardigan.

"Huh, Minjeongie. What's that?" Jimin asked, pointing at the object with her chin still resting on Minjeong's shoulder.

Realizing the secret present she prepared had decided to reveal itself, she slowly let go of Jimin. After taking it from the ground, she handed it to Jimin. "Your birthday present."

It was a dinosaur knit hat. A beanie. With dinosaurs knit on them since Minjeong remembered Jimin's love for the creatures. Based on the smile forming at Jimin's lips and the crinkles in her eyes, it was safe to say the gift was a success.

Jimin began to gush at the dinosaurs right away. "Is that-"

"A stegosaurus. Yep." Minjeong nodded, watching the girl light up like a kid on Christmas.

In that moment, she decided she really wanted to be around Jimin for a long time.

As it was nearing the end of the semester, spring festivals began to take place among campuses. This year, SM University's spring festival featured top artists, such as GOT the Beat and Big Bang. Minjeong herself took part as one of the representatives from her student council. It demanded a considerable amount of time and energy, but it still had its perks. On D-day, she had free access to the front row and backstage as the one of the organizers. Now, she had a precious selfie she took with G-Dragon in her phone's gallery.

Yonsei University, though, invited aespa to their spring festival this year. That was hot news to several important people in Minjeong's inner circle, specifically Jimin and Yizhuo.

Jimin unnie [16:20]:
Minjeongie
Where are you right now?
Are you busy?

Minjeong [16:21]:
I'm at the hospital
I was supposed to meet with Doctor Kim, but she's not here yet
Why, Unnie?

Jimin unnie [16:23]:
You know how aespa's going to be at Yonsei next weekend?

Minjeong [16:23]:
Of course

Jimin unnie [16:24]:
My sister gifted me the ticket, but she also bought an extra one
So
I was wondering if you wanted to go together?

Minjeong was more than ready to say yes. She could finally use her knowledge of aespa's lyrics to good use. Ever since Jimin told her about her favorite songs last year, Minjeong might have secretly spent hours on learning the whole group's discography. She was even confident she could sing the ad-libs to Flowers by now. Jimin didn't need to know that, though.

Minjeong [16:25]:
Unnie, I'd love to!!!
But let me check my schedule first

Opening her calendar, Minjeong's heart dropped as she saw her research unit's agenda at the same time as the festival.

"No, no, no..." Minjeong whispered to herself.

She frantically scrolled through the project timeline. It was indeed going to be their monthly team meeting.

Minjeong [16:30]:
Unnie...
I'm sorry :(

Jimin unnie [16:31]:
It's okay :)
Research unit?

Minjeong [16:32]:
Yeah...
I really wish I could come with you :(((
How about asking Yizhuo?
She had been dying for some tickets

Jimin unnie [16:32]:
It's fiiiiiine, Minjeongie
I'll go ask Yizhuo now

Minjeong just dropped her head in disappointment.

Don't get Minjeong wrong. She loved being in the research unit. The project she was involved in made her feel fulfilling, but she still sighed longingly at the pictures Jimin and Yizhuo sent in the group chat.

Jimin had styled her hair in twin tails and Minjeong thought she looked too endearing. She felt herself smile at her phone screen as she saw her two friends happily posing with their aespa lightsticks at Yonsei.

Her meeting went on for three hours in the reserved conference room of their faculty building. It ended well, with promises of further progress. Minjeong packed her stuff and got ready to have dinner outside, treated by their principal investigator, Doctor Kim Taeyeon.

The team consisted of seven people. Doctor Kim, their PI, was a young and accomplished cardiologist who also taught as a faculty. She was helped by her co-investigators, Doctors Kang Seulgi and Lee Taeyeong, who were third-year cardiology fellows. Kim Dahyun, an internal medicine resident, contributed as the daily coordinator. The rest were Minjeong, Wonyoung and their senior in med school, Yeri. The three of them helped as research assistants.

"Minjeong-ssi, you don't have anything going on after this, right?" Taeyeong asked.

"No," Minjeong shook her head.

"That's good. Minjeong-ssi, you should come with my car," Seulgi gestured to follow her. "What about the rest? Wonyoung-ssi?"

And so Minjeong found herself sitting shotgun in Seulgi's car along with Yeri and Wonyoung. Taeyeon and Taeyeong went with another car while Dahyun had to go back to the hospital for her night shift.

"Do you guys like pasta?" Seulgi asked as she drove.

The girls bobbed their heads. "Are we having Italian tonight?" Yeri asked.

"Yeah, it's this viral place we still haven't gotten to try. It's a nice change to the usual tteokbokki and instant ramen, right?" Seulgi chuckled as the car entered the diner's parking lot.

Minjeong froze as she instantly recognized the place.

She had never been here before, but she remembered the name. Only because she was waiting to go with someone else.

This was the pasta place she was supposed to go to with Jimin.

They never got around to fulfill that promise with how life had been. Their schedules didn't always align. Even if it miraculously did, club activities would take their time. Or parties. Or cram sessions. Or Jeno.

Minjeong felt gutted as she walked into the restaurant. She had almost forgotten about this place. Now that she was here, she was reminded of her promise with Jimin. It felt wrong.

As they were looking through the menu, Taeyeon's phone rang. After hanging up, she quickly returned to the table and packed her bag.

"A woman just came in through the ER with STEMI. I have to go back for PCI," she quickly informed the table and asked for a waitress. "Please charge everything to my card later."

"I'll drive you there, Professor," Taeyeong stood up to leave.

After they both left, Seulgi returned to look at the table with a tired smile.

"Well, that's how it is folks. Now, let's continue. I'm in the mood for some pizza."

The food was great. The pasta was delicious. Did Jimin like this? Is this the one similar to what she had in Italy when she was younger? Minjeong's mind was a jumbled mess. It was as if her body was there and her soul was traveling to Yonsei.

Her inner turmoil paused when she saw a plate of cannoli being pushed in her direction. She looked up to find Wonyoung smiling sweetly at her.

"Eat up, Unnie. You like sweets, don't you?"

That was when Minjeong realized.

She wished it was Jimin here beside her instead of Wonyoung. In fact, she wished it was her and Jimin only at the table.

She really missed her best friend.

Minjeong wished she had a time machine to redo everything. She would do anything in her power to be at Yonsei right now and spend time with Jimin instead. It felt wrong to be at the place they promised to go to together, eating the pasta Jimin loved, without her.

It made her feel guilty, if that even made sense.

Seulgi by now had excused herself to go visit one of her patients in the hospital's ICU who was deteriorating. Yeri had left the table to go to the restroom, leaving Minjeong alone with Wonyoung.

"Minjeong-ah?"

She turned back to see Aeri standing with a group of people she didn't know. "Aeri-unnie?"

"Wow, I didn't know you were here. I was sitting on the other side the whole time with my friends."

"Were you guys leaving already?"

"Yeah," Aeri nodded, her eyes flitting over to Wonyoung.

"Oh, this is Wonyoung, my junior," Wonyoung bowed her head politely at Aeri who replied with a strained smile.

After they said their goodbyes, Minjeong felt uneasy. It already felt horrible that she was here without Jimin, but meeting Aeri worried her somehow.

She brushed the feeling off and forced her mind to focus back on the table.

That night, she received a message.

Jimin unnie [22:23]:
Minjeong-ah
Did you go to the pasta place?

Minjeong [22:25]:
Unnie
Yeah, I did
How was Yonsei? Yizhuo here just passed out from exhaustion

Jimin unnie [22:26]:
It was great
Minjeong-ah
Aeri told me she saw you there with Wonyoung

Minjeong [22:27]:
Yeah, we went there after the meeting
I wish you were there, Unnie
We promised to go together, right?

Jimin unnie [22:28]:
We did

Minjeong [22:28]:
The pasta was great too, as expected
Let's actually go there together some time
I still need to hear your reviews directly

Jimin unnie [22:30]:
Glad to hear you had fun :)
It's late Minjeong-ah
Go to sleep

Minjeong [22:31]:
Yeah, Unnie
Good night

For the first time since she had known Jimin, Minjeong didn't receive a response.

Minjeong had a hunch Jimin was avoiding her. She had a feeling it had something to do with the pasta place incident. They still hadn't gone to the damn restaurant. In fact, they were not and would not be going anywhere with the way Jimin had been acting.

"Was she really okay when you guys were at Yonsei?" Minjeong asked Yizhuo. They were currently having lunch at the art school's cafetaria.

"Uh-huh," Yizhuo nodded while devouring her jajangmyeon. "She was as happy and energetic as someone who drank three gallons of Gatorade. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume she was drunk."

That only made Minjeong feel worse. As she was slumping over the table, a girl slid into the seat next to Yizhuo.

"Hey, babe," Aeri pecked Yizhuo's cheek.

Who would have thought. While Jimin and Minjeong were having their own moment during the group's impromptu sleepover last spring, Yizhuo and Aeri were quietly smitten with one another.

"Jagiya, how's Jimin-unnie?" Yizhuo asked Aeri while sharing some of her food.

 Aeri pressed her lips together. "She's... fine. Why?"

"This girl right here is losing it over not spending time with Jimin for like-" Yizhuo paused to check on her phone's calendar. "Two weeks."

"We're in the same major for Pete's sake," Minjeong sighed. "I even saw her this morning at Biochem and she sat with Chaewon. She never sat with Chaewon. Or anyone else. She sits with me."

"Not anymore, I guess," Yizhuo muttered, earning an elbow from Aeri.

"Unnie, did she say anything after returning that night? She mentioned how you told her about meeting me and Wonyoung at the diner," Minjeong turned to Aeri.

The Japanese girl looked conflicted before finally responding to Minjeong. "Nothing," she shrugged. "I think she's just busy with the newspaper club stuffs, you know."

"Babe, you gotta do better than that. You don't know how hard it is to listen to Minjeong moaning like a dying cat in heat every night," Yizhuo said.

"I do not do that!" Minjeong burst out, face all red.

"Look, why don't you just go up to her and... talk?" Aeri tried to help. "If you do think something's wrong, just communicate."

"It's not that easy, Unnie. I'm so used to Jimin-unnie being all nice around me and now she's the exact opposite. I don't know how to deal with it," Minjeong said honestly. "I'm scared."

Aeri smiled kindly. "But you guys wouldn't go anywhere if you don't talk. You'd be here spiraling, wondering when you don't even know if there's anything wrong in the first place." The older girl placed a comforting hand on Minjeong's. "Go talk to her. You guys know each other better than we do."

Minjeong kept Aeri's words in mind as she walked alone to the dorms. Class was over and she had some time to herself. She might even work up the courage to contact Jimin today.

Minjeong almost reached the lobby when she stopped in her tracks.

In front of the door was the blonde, waving goodbye at another student. She looked happy. Or did she? Minjeong couldn't take her eyes off the way she laughed at something said by the student.

Minjeong terribly missed her.

As if on instinct, she walked straight in Jimin's direction. She took the older girl's hand by the wrist and led her to the second floor, ignoring Jimin's surprise. She unlocked her room and pulled Jimin inside without a word. The door wasn't even properly closed when she wrapped her arms around Jimin and buried her face into the older girl's shoulder.

"Minjeong-ah?"

Minjeong quickly blinked her eyes as she felt them starting to water. "I'm sorry."

"Minjeong-ah..."

The younger girl only tightened her hold.

"Minjeongie," Jimin softly called.

The familiar nickname rendered Minjeong helpless as she couldn't hold back the sobs anymore. She just missed Jimin.

Hearing the muffled sobs, Jimin pulled back. She cradled Minjeong's face in her hands and forced her to look up. "Are you crying? Baby, look at me," she urged gently.

"I'm sorry," Minjeong pouted. "I don't know if you're mad at me or not. And if you are, I don't know if it's because I went to that pasta place without you, but I'm sorry. I went there with the whole team and I felt bad because I remember I was supposed to be there with you. I wished you were there with me instead and I was so in my head the whole time that the pasta tasted bland. I can't even remember what pizza I ate. And now it's been more than two weeks we're not spending time together while the summer break's already next week. I just don't want us to leave things like this," Minjeong rambled. It was like her dam finally broke.

Jimin was silent the whole time. She nodded along, wiping Minjeong's tears with her thumbs. "No, I'm sorry, too," she said. "It was dumb. It wasn't your fault, I was just... a bit down. I'm sorry."

Minjeong hugged her again. "Never do that again. I missed you."

"I missed you too," Jimin sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Are we good now?"

"Yeah." It seemed like Minjeong had no intention of releasing Jimin any time soon. "Minjeongie?" The younger girl hummed in response. "Do you wanna eat somewhere with me tonight?"

"How about ordering in?"

"You wanna have a sleepover?" Minjeong nodded. It was Friday, afterall. "Your room or mine?"

"Well, you're already here."

They both decided on having the sleepover in Minjeong's room. Minjeong sent a quick text to Yizhuo, earning herself a thumbs up. Her roommate then said she would be spending the night with Aeri instead. 

After swapping roommates for the night, Jimin showered with a spare towel and changed into one of Minjeong's oversized sweater. Minjeong had to ignore the way she loved smelling the scent of her shampoo on Jimin. They ordered in some kimchi jjigae and side dishes. After they finished, they both settled into bed with Minjeong's laptop opened to show Netflix.

The opening scene of Spirited Away was unraveling in front of them when Jimin spoke up.

"Minjeongie."

"Hm?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

That grabbed Minjeong's whole attention. She turned to the older girl. "What is it, Unnie?"

Jimin took a deep breath. "Jeno asked me to be his girlfriend."

Minjeong only stared, mouth opened with no sounds coming out. 

"Minjeongie? I wanted to tell you first. He only asked me this morning," Jimin continued warily.

What was Minjeong supposed to do? Gush in excitement? Would you reject him if I say I don't like- "That's great, Unnie."

"Really?" Jimin's eyes were searching for Minjeong's and she hated it.

"Yeah, it's a long time coming. I've always said you guys look perfect together," Minjeong felt like vomiting sand. Jimin truly deserved a better friend. Minjeong wished she was better than whatever this unsupportive, cold self was inside of her.

"Oh," Jimin's shoulders slumped in defeat instead. "Okay," she whispered in a final tone.

Minjeong forced herself to watch the rest of the movie, but she knew she was only lying to herself. Even as they finally went to sleep, with Jimin's breath on the back of her neck, Minjeong felt restless.

The recent turn of events made her discover a tiny part of her. A part she was scared to admit.

A part she knew she would deny and throw away in a heartbeat if it meant making Jimin happy.

Summer break was a breeze. The following fall semester was more uneventful, except for the fact that everyone was excited by the news of the golden couple. If it was more Jimin and more Jeno before, now it was less of both. Minjeong didn't know how to feel about that.

At least Jimin still remembered their library study sessions. Now they were resting at their usual table with their books and laptops closed. They were listening to songs from Jimin's phone using her wired earphones. They had done this hundreds of times by now, but Minjeong's heart still skipped at the intimacy of the act.

You're my dahlia, tulips, and daisies

A slowly spreading fragrance

"This one's my favorite part," Minjeong whispered. The flowers had always reminded her of Jimin.

The older girl grinned at her. "Minjeongie, we might need to look into concert tickets from now on."

Minjeong rolled her eyes, trying to look indifferent. 

That night, Yizhuo entered their room excitedly.

"Minjeong-ah, Minjeong-ah."

"Yeah, yeah. What?"

"My band finally got booked for a gig at this great bar next weekend," Yizhuo raved. "You have to come. I might even do covers of some chill aespa B-sides there."

Minjeong perked up at that. "B-sides? Like what?"

"Thirsty, probably. And Flowers, too, definitely."

Huh. "I'll let the group know."

After sharing the details in the group chat, Minjeong immediately texted Jimin.

Minjeong [19:20]:
Unnie
Yizhuo said they're going to cover Thirsty and Flowers

Jimin unnie [19:20]:
What???
I really have to come then
This is a warm up, Minjeongie
Before our future concert dates

Minjeong ignored the butterflies in her stomach at the word "dates." On the contrary, Minjeong took this as making up for not being able to watch aespa together with Jimin last spring.

She wondered what the older girl would look like in her element. Captivated by the music she loved, singing along to the lyrics she cherished. Even with music playing through the wired earphones they shared, Minjeong always felt at ease just by looking at Jimin. She had always looked beautiful, especially with a soundtrack behind her.

It was finally the night of the gig and the girls promised to come support Yizhuo. Minjeong was sitting in the back seat of Aeri's car with Sumin, while Yizhuo was in the passenger seat next to her girlfriend. They were driving to the bar an hour earlier to help with the preparation.

As soon as they arrived, they went to a private room set aside by the bar manager as the band's waiting room. Sumin started to do touch ups on Yizhuo's make up while Aeri and Minjeong informed the group chat. The rest of the girls were supposed to come later with Yujin's car.

Five minutes to the band's performance, the girls arrived and began filing in to the mini-stage front. That was when Minjeong realized Jimin wasn't there with them.

"Where's Jimin?" She asked Yujin.

The other girl shrugged. "Not sure. She told us there was something last minute with her club. She'll join us later."

Minjeong frowned, a bit dejected. Her frown quickly vanished as Yizhuo started singing into the mic.

The band did a great job singing a few covers of well-known songs and everyone seemed like they had a good time. If only you were here... When it was time for a 10-minute break, Minjeong felt the need to pee and quickly went to the bathroom.

Washing her hands in the sink, she heard the sound of Yizhuo speaking, muffled through the wall. Looked like they were going to continue already.

"This one is a lesser known B-side of a group I love," Yizhuo said. "It's called Flowers by aespa. We rearranged it in our own way and we hope it gives the song justice. So, enjoy."

It was soon followed by the sound of the familiar guitar intro. It was her favorite song. Minjeong walked out quickly and sighed. What she wouldn't do to experience this with Jimin beside her.

As if her prayers were heard, she saw the beautiful blonde standing in her line of sight. Smiling warmly at the stage's direction, eyes closed, swaying to the rhythm.

Minjeong had to take a moment of pause. She had to keep her thundering pulse in check. She was giving herself an inner pep talk to walk up to Jimin when the older girl's head turned and their eyes met.

The world slowed down as the two of them stilled in the middle of the packed bar. With Minjeong's favorite soundtrack playing softly behind them.

You're my dahlia, tulips, and daisies

A slowly spreading fragrance

Minjeong felt the corners of her lips lifting as she walked towards the older girl. But then her smile dropped and her steps faltered as she saw a hand snaking around Jimin's waist from behind. She witnessed Jimin turned her head to look at Jeno, who was now embracing her with loving eyes. Who was now leaning in and kissing Jimin.

My Jimin.

Minjeong was stunned. That thought struck her more than what she was seeing with her own eyes. She stood there as she came into terms with her feelings inside.

She hated seeing Jimin with someone else.

She hated seeing her in another's arms. She hated seeing her choose another person over spending time with Minjeong. She only realized now how she never had a problem with Jeno to begin with. She only hated the fact that it wasn't her who had the right to be with Jimin. To know everything about her. To share late night calls with her. To dream about a future shared with her. To confidently hug her in public. 

God. To kiss her.

Minjeong felt like throwing up. Feeling helpless, she numbly turned to the stage. As if their minds were connected, Yizhuo's eyes met hers. Flicking them quickly to Jimin and her boyfriend, her eyes came back to Minjeong with a flash of understanding.

As soon as the gig ended, Minjeong had to withdraw from the crowd. She avoided bumping into the girls and went straight to the band's designated waiting room. Opening the door, she was met with Aeri and Yizhuo.

Looking at Minjeong's crestfallen expression, Yizhuo opened her arms. "Oh, sweetie."

Minjeong crossed the distance and instantly sank into them. She didn't realize she was crying until she received a tissue from Aeri. "It's okay, let it all out."

The silent tears continued to stain Yizhuo's shirt. The three of them didn't have to mention any name. It was apparently a fact well-understood between them and Minjeong would be a fool to keep pretending.

She might be in love with her best friend.

Chapter Text

Minjeong sighed as she leaned her head into the car's window. She blankly observed the way everything seemed to blur outside with the sudden rainstorm. As if the sky was crying along in solidarity with her tonight.

Aeri was silent throughout the drive and Minjeong was grateful for the much-needed lull. Aeri was driving her back to the dorm while the others continued to celebrate the successful gig with Yizhuo's band. As she had no energy left to be involved in any kind of celebration, the three agreed to let Minjeong quietly go home and have some time to herself.

The dorm building came into view and Aeri stopped the car in front of the lobby. For a while, none of them made a move.

Breaking the silence, Minjeong turned to look at the older girl. "Unnie." Aeri's eyes were attentive and patient as she looked back at Minjeong. "Can you guys, maybe- I don't know... Keep this from the girls? At least until I sort out my feelings."

The older girl smiled gently. "No worries, Minjeong-ah. Like I said, take your time," Aeri gave a comforting hand on Minjeong's shoulder.

"Thanks, Unnie. Really."

Aeri nodded in response. "Are you sure you don't need any of us to be with you tonight?"

Minjeong just shook her head. "It's fine. Go back, Unnie. You should be with Yizhuo right now. Thanks for driving me home."

After stepping foot in the lobby and watching Aeri's car disappear, Minjeong numbly dragged herself to her room.

Her chest felt hollow as she continued to shower and prepare for bed. While brushing her teeth, she stared at her own reflection in the mirror, noticing how her eyes were starting to swell. She sighed, knowing it would just get worse in the morning.

She put herself in the comfiest hoodie and sweatpants she owned. She was turning the lights off when she got distracted by the buzz coming from her phone. Squinting her eyes against the blaring lights, her heart helplessly skipped a beat at the sight of Jimin's messages coming through.

Jimin unnie [22:58]:
Minjeongie?
I heard from Yizhuo you were feeling sick
I didn't even get to see you tonight :(
Do you need me to come over?

And just like that, her eyes and nose started to burn again. She wasn't numb, afterall. Her chest tightened, as if her heart was actually in pain.

She had been blindly in love with Jimin for so long. Jimin who sounded ready to drop everything to be here with Minjeong, but was also another person's at the same time.

Minjeong shakily removed the notifications and pressed on the "do-not-disturb" icon. Wiping the tears running down her cheek, she curled up on her bed and silently cried herself to sleep.

The following morning felt oddly serene as Yizhuo brewed them some green tea. Sipping the drink, they found themselves staring at each other from across the room.

Yizhuo sighed and Minjeong knew she must've looked utterly spent. "Just say it," her voice hoarse.

"You look like you could use some more hugs."

Minjeong wordlessly got up and walked to Yizhuo's bed. She then found herself engulfed once again in her roommate's warmth.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Yizhuo said.

"What time did you guys come back?"

"Almost 1 AM."

"Was it fun?"

"Well, kinda. It didn't feel complete without you though."

Minjeong closed her eyes for a moment. She felt tired. Defeated. "I feel like shit."

Yizhuo snorted. "I left two spoons inside the mini fridge." That was how Minjeong found out her swollen eyes had turned her into a freaking panda.

Pulling away from her roommate, she walked to the fridge and took out the spoons. Pressing one on each eyelid, she returned next to Yizhuo.

"I didn't know it could hurt like this," Minjeong whispered. "I didn't know I was catching feelings."

She continued as she felt Yizhuo rubbing her back.

"I've always thought she was the most beautiful girl I've ever met. She's everything. Radiant, kind, smart, caring, thoughtful- I mean, I could go on and on about her for hours. I thought I was just-" Minjeong found herself unable to finish that sentence. Because even after all this, she still wasn't sure herself of her feelings.

Listening to Minjeong, Yizhuo was being a silent anchor to her struggles. She was quiet the whole time, giving encouraging nods. Making sure Minjeong knew she was being listened to.

"She's this... perfect person and I thought I was only one of the hundreds who  admire her. Who wanted to be her. I didn't realize I actually," Minjeong hesitated. "Wanted to be with her."

"Yup," Yizhuo muttered from beside her.

"Was it obvious though?" Minjeong turned her whole body to face Yizhuo now. "You and Aeri-unnie seemed to get it immediately last night."

Her roommate grimaced. "Honestly? Yes. At least to me. It was obvious since the day Jimin-unnie came here to pick you up during freshman year. I can't speak for her or Aeri-unnie, though."

Minjeong put down the spoons and groaned into a pillow. "What am I gonna do?"

Yizhuo herself knew she couldn't be of much help in this situation. "What are you gonna do?"

"I guess I'll just be here and decay with all these feelings. She's with Jeno and I'm never gonna come between the relationship. Hell, Yizhuo-yah, I don't even know if she likes girls."

Her wailing came into a pause as her phone vibrated incessantly on top of the night stand, drawing their attention.

Yizhuo got up and took the phone for Minjeong. As they both looked at the screen, they saw another message coming from Jimin after last night. Minjeong sighed as she turned to Yizhuo for help.

"It's okay. Reply to the poor girl. We'll figure out the rest along the way," Yizhuo reassured her.

Minjeong wrapped herself back to her roommate's side as she sent her reply to Jimin.

And so it began.

What was usually something she could brush off as fleeting had become permanent. This time, Minjeong knew her feelings came from a state of helplessness where she could do nothing, but endure the pain in silence.

Every time her eyes wandered and scanned through a room full of people, it wasn't just casually looking for a head of blonde hair. It was longing. Every time she scoffed whenever she had to witness Jeno smothering Jimin with kisses, it wasn't annoyance. It was jealousy. And every time she teased the way Jimin would blush at Jeno's antics, it wasn't harmless banter. It was hurt, masked in indifference.

Minjeong wished she could rip her heart out and replace it with a new one. Surely a heartache would be a good enough indication for getting a heart transplant, right?

As if. Deep down, Minjeong knew she would never trade away everything she had been through with Jimin despite the pain.

She loved the girl too much to do that. Maybe even more than she loved herself.

At the very least, Minjeong still had some self-preservation. She decided her study sessions with Jimin could not stay the same. Their sessions gradually became less frequent, thanks to Minjeong's suggestion to just study together with the whole group.

Sometimes, she would just go to the library without telling the blonde. Her heart truly couldn't handle being alone with Jimin for so long without feeling like combusting into flames. Their unspoken tradition of sharing Jimin's wired earphones had also been forgotten by now. 

Minjeong would study and study until her head started to protest. The accumulating hours of staring into the laptop screen would make her muscles scream all around her head, as if her head was being wringed in all kinds of direction. Feeling the start of another tension headache, she took an aspirin out of her bag and got up to search for the vending machine.

She was finally looking around the library, rolling her head in an attempt to relax her muscles, when she saw Jimin walked in with her boyfriend. Minjeong instantly went back, grabbed the thickest book she had on her table and ducked her head behind it.

What the hell.

Why am I even hiding?

Maybe she didn't want to third-wheel around the girl she loved and her boyfriend when she was already dealing with this steady pounding inside her head. She had enough of today. Peeking over the book, her heart dropped when she saw them settling into the nearest table from the door. 

Oh.

You don't even sit at our table anymore.

Minjeong let out a small laugh to herself and shook her head. She really couldn't believe this. She didn't know she could be so petty that she had a problem with Jimin sitting at another table.

Her eyes couldn't help but travel back to the couple. They were reviewing some materials together and her heart ached at the tender sight. She could recognize how Jimin was trying to memorize something by the way her lips were moving.

What's she trying to memorize? How did I not even know what she's supposed to be studying right now?

Her thoughts paused as she saw the way Jeno took a strand of Jimin's hair and twirled it around his fingers. It all went awfully better when Jimin ducked her head and smiled shyly, trying to focus back on her notebook.

Another table to sit at. Another partner to study with.

Feeling ridiculous and mortified of her own thoughts, Minjeong decided to go back to the dorms. She packed her things, covered her head with her jacket's hood, and walked out of the back door with her eyes on the ground.

Later that night, she continued to work on her laptop after dinner and a pill of aspirin. She was so focused in typing she didn't realize Yizhuo was taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Flashcards."

Yizhuo hummed while she munched on her Pepero snack. "What's it about?" She handed one stick to Minjeong's lips.

Taking a bite, Minjeong replied halfheartedly. "Antibiotics."

"I thought you covered that pretty well already?"

"Yeah, but Jimin-unnie mentioned yesterday in the group how she had some trouble memorizing some class and indications, so..." Minjeong trailed off, continuing to type furiously.

She pretended not to hear the way Yizhuo sighed. So what? Jimin being with Jeno shouldn't have stopped Minjeong from helping her, right? It wasn't even like Jimin had asked her for this kind of help. She wanted to do this. She wanted to see Jimin's smile whenever they passed those countless quizzes and exams together. 

Jimin was her best friend first and Minjeong would never let herself forget that.

They were all sitting together at the cafetaria, having their last lunch of the year. Finals were finally over and everyone couldn't wait to start the winter break.

"So, was it apoptosis or necrosis?" Yujin asked the whole table. They were doing the doomed ritual of reviewing the exam questions.

"Apoptosis," Minjeong answered, sipping her latte.

"Damn it," the other girl exclaimed.

Sumin was trying to be supportive as she patted Yujin's head. "Hey, it's okay. It was only one question."

Yujin huffed. "You're only saying this because you got that one right. What about-"

Lia was quick to cut her off. "You know what, forget it. It hasn't even been an hour and I don't need another minute of anxiety."

"Yeah, let's just relax for a minute. We've done pretty well this year, don't you think?" Jimin joined in, trying to placate the situation.

"Exactly. Now all we have to do is party the hell out of our brains tonight. Yujin-ah?" Sumin pointed to Yujin.

The other girl nodded, ready to have her car out tonight for the party.

"Minjeong-ah, would you still be here?" Yujin asked Minjeong.

Shaking her head, Minjeong distractedly answered while replying to Taeyeon's chats regarding their departure tonight. "Nope, I should be at the airport by seven already."

"Aw, shucks," Lia pouted. "Should we drive you there?"

"Wait, what? What do you mean by airport?" Jimin turned to Minjeong in the middle of opening a chocolate biscuit packet for the younger girl. Seemed like some old habits die hard, indeed.

Minjeong returned the blonde's stare, equally as confused. Shouldn't Jimin have known about this already? Everyone knew.

"For the conference in Singapore. The one I'm attending with Doctor Kim?" Minjeong answered questioningly. Looking at Jimin's face, it was clear the blonde had no idea what she was talking about.

"Yeah, she got her abstract accepted for the poster presentation. Right, Minjeong-ah?" Yujin added. Minjeong only nodded in response.

"How can I not know this?" Jimin was bewildered.

The girls just shrugged and went on with the conversation. Minjeong, on the other hand, reflected on what just happened. Because it didn't make sense.

Had they really grown that far apart?

Feeling eyes on her, Minjeong turned to look at Jimin for the second time. The older girl still seemed trouble by the fact that she was the only one in the dark about Minjeong's departure. 

Minjeong's smile didn't reach her eyes as she rubbed Jimin's arm. "Sorry. I thought everyone knew already."

"No, no, no, it's fine. I'm just..." Jimin was at lost for words. "Do you need a ride, though?"

"Nah, Doctor Kang is driving us there tonight. It's okay."

"Okay." Jimin sighed as she continued to stare glumly at Minjeong, unintersted at whatever was going on at the table. "Minjeongie."

"Hm?"

"We really need to hang out one of these days. I miss you."

Minjeong smiled genuinely this time. She missed Jimin, too. So much that the blonde had been appearing in her dreams lately.

She only nodded in answer as she knew the plan would never come through.

Minjeong closed her eyes and inhaled the dry air of Singapore as she landed in Changi. It was her first time traveling abroad. This was something she had always wanted, but she didn't realize it would happen this soon.

The weather was a stark contrast to the cold winter back home. Arriving at the lobby, Minjeong peeled her jacket off and fanned herself. She heard a chuckle coming from Taeyeon next to her.

"You wouldn't need that much layers here," the cardiologist said fondly.

Minjeong nodded as they entered a taxi. Her eyes were wide as she tried to take everything she passed into memory. Beside her in the backseat, Taeyeon was relaying the hotel address to the driver and making small talk.

When Minjeong tried her hand at doing a meta-analysis for a random idea she got from Twitter, of all places, she didn't expect to actually get to this point. Yeri and Wonyoung helped in the research and writing process, while Taeyeon and the rest of the team were very supportive in guiding them. 

Minjeong was already grateful to have something produced from her idea. Per Taeyeon's suggestion, she submitted the abstract to an international conference in Singapore. She was hesitant at first, thinking of the fees and expenses. Taeyeon herself was ready to cover everything for Minjeong, but thankfully they later got confirmation that the expenses would be fully covered and reimbursed by the university. 

Imagine her joy when she received an email from the conference, notifying her of the poster presentation. She was going to go to Singapore. Presenting the first thing she ever made with care. Watching others go on and on about the things she loved.

Her first immediate thought was to share the news with Jimin. Jimin-unnie, my work is appreciated somewhere and I'm traveling there to present it during winter. In the end, she shared the news via their group chat instead.

Minjeong sighed as she rested against the seat. She must had been really busy then.

Her mind cleared once again as she realized they had arrived at the hotel. Taeyeon made sure she settled well into her room before saying goodbye. Now that she was alone, Minjeong fell on top off the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. She still had to review her research for the thousandth time and practice talking in front of the mirror. She prayed for the next two days to be so busy that there would be no time to think about anything else.

And it actually happened. For two days, Minjeong had presented her research to physicians and researchers wanting to give her poster a chance. Some were more dedicated than the others. Overall, it felt rewarding.

The insights from the speakers were eye opening although some were admittedly too advanced for Minjeong's young, growing brain. But the rest of it? Minjeong wouldn't take this for granted. She had been getting the well-deserved rest she had sacrificed prior to finals on top of this great, fluffy mattress. She would wake up feeling so refreshed, she even went for a swim in the hotel's swimming pool this morning. Not to mention the abundance of food that was more than a broke medical student could ever ask for.

Minjeong was entering the hotel's restaurant to get breakfast after her swim. The whole conference had officially ended yesterday and she already had everything packed for the flight back home this afternoon. She approached the table Taeyeon was sitting at after she saw the cardiologist waving her over.

"How are you enjoying these two days?" Taeyeon asked after Minjeong had taken a few bites of her sandwich.

"It's a new experience. It felt thrilling, for some reason. It was my first time presenting something in front of people so I was kind of nervous, too."

Taeyeon smiled warmly at her. "Yeah, I remember my first time being like that. Well, you've done great."

"Thanks, Doctor Kim. I really couldn't have done this without you."

The cardiologist waved her off. "No, this was all you. Everyone might have dreams and ideas. But not all of them have the courage to actually do something about it," Taeyeon looked at her straight in the eyes. "You do. The only thing I did was give you a little bit of push. You would still get here, regardless."

Minjeong's chest felt warm for the first time in a long while. "I look forward to more of your guidance, Doc."

Taeyeon chuckled, patting Minjeong's back affectionately. "Aigoo... Ambitious are we? That's good. You do seem like someone who would get what you want once you set your mind to it."

The girl only smiled as they continued to have their breakfast. Minjeong's mind was quietly holding on to the last thing Taeyeon said.

It was true. Minjeong usually got whatever it was she set her mind on. If she didn't, it would be by choice.

After spending the past few days pretending, her mind hopelessly drifted back to her best friend. The one she ever truly wanted.

It had been a good five minutes since Minjeong felt her world was shaken.

She was walking outside the entrance of an amusement park as this was the long overdue trip that finally made it out of the group chat. They had planned trips during the holidays before but with conflicting schedules, especially with Yizhuo and Aeri, nothing had been done up until this day.

It was Friday morning before the start of the new academic year. They initially wanted to go on a Saturday, but then they chose Friday instead to avoid the weekend crowd. Minjeong personally thought the crowd wasn't much different from what she would expect on a weekend. She was just happy to be here, having some fun with her friends after being busy in the past month due to coordinating this year's freshman orientation.

Ten minutes earlier, Minjeong had arrived together with the others in Yujin's car feeling ready to be refreshed. She couldn't wait to go on the most extreme rides in the park. Something about being an adrenaline junkie and wanting to reset her brain before starting her junior year.

She knew Jimin and Aeri would come later in a different car as they were coming straight from the blonde's house where they stayed during most of the winter break. Well, more time for Minjeong to prepare herself. The last time she met Jimin was before she went to Singapore last December. They had talked over the phone, yes, on Minjeong's birthday, but that was it. Minjeong still chose to keep more to herself as a way of protecting her heart.

She also couldn't deny how much she missed Jimin along the way.

That was the only thought going in her mind when she suddenly felt her whole body being crushed and wrapped like a burito from behind in a span of seconds. Her blurred vision was still focusing on the arms around her when she recognized the familiar perfume.

Ah. She's here.

Turning around, she was stuck to the ground after she got her second surprise. Yu Jimin was no longer a blonde. Her hair was jet black, cut much shorter than before as it was currently shoulder length. It was layered, as if sculpted around her head in a way that made her seem... wolfish? And she had bangs. Gosh. Yu Jimin had bangs.

Kill me now.

Minjeong didn't realize she was spending actual minutes being silent in the older girl's arms while everyone standing around her was busy discussing their itinerary for the day before entering. She heard absolutely nothing.

Jimin. Jet black hair. Wolfcut. Bangs. Raven.

Jimin, Jimin, Jimin.

If Minjeong raised her hand and ran her fingers through Jimin's strands, she wouldn't remember doing such things if it weren't for the raven's chuckle waking her up from her trance. "Is it really that weird?" Jimin had a shy smile on her face.

And Minjeong was internally melting into a puddle. She would coo and pepper kisses on Jimin's face to make sure the older girl knew how beautiful she looked right now.

Seeing how Minjeong only shook her head, Jimin continued warily. "I mean... Jeno said he preferred my blonde hair. But I had no choice, it was getting too damaged."

I think Jeno can go to hell.

"No, Unnie. Sorry, I was just surprised. It looks good. I mean it. You look really beautiful right now," Minjeong said as honest as she could.

Liking the younger girl's response, Jimin grinned bashfully. "You know, I also really like your hair now that it's black."

"Anything I should change? I'm open to suggestions."

Jimin shook her head. "You look perfect." Cue the skipping heartbeat inside Minjeong's chest.

Damn Yu Jimin and her pretty jet black wolfcut.

After entering and trying on a few mild rides, they arrived at an intersection where a dinosaur-themed area was one of the options. Jimin and Aeri were two of the group who were scared of height in contrast to the five daredevils. Knowing it was also an area dedicated to her favorite subjects, dinosaurs, it was a no-brainer for Jimin to go there instead. Aeri was supposed to keep Jimin company, but she also had girlfriend duties to take pictures of Yizhuo (and the rest) despite not going on the rides.

Minjeong, however, only wanted to be around Jimin. That was how she currently found herself trying to catch up with the raven, who was in the middle of examining the giant T-rex skeleton replica.

Hearing the click sound coming from Minjeong's phone camera, Jimin turned to the younger girl and grinned wide. "Minjeongie, look at those teeth!" Minjeong, lovestruck, could only nod and smile fondly in answer.

When they were finally nearing the exit, Jimin gasped as she looked at the time. "Oh no, did I actually keep you here for so long?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Minjeong looked at Jimin questioningly.

"You still haven't gotten to go on the rides! Let's go," Jimin led Minjeong by the wrist, speedwalking towards the exit.

"Wait, Unnie, relax. It's fine, I really enjoyed looking at those dinosaurs."

"But look at the clouds! Many of the rides will stop if it's going to rain soon. Hurry."

"Unnie, it's okay. I'll just check with the girls," Minjeong continued while trying to match Jimin's pace.

They later got informed that the girls had been resting on the park's resto. Minjeong's stomach growled hearing that, already thinking of having lunch and being done for the day.

"Unnie, let's go join them and have lunch first. If it rains, I can just go another time," Minjeong said while pulling Jimin to the other direction.

"No, Minjeongie. I remember you've been wanting to ride the rollercoaster. At least try it on now that you're here," Jimin frowned, looking guilty. "You know what, I'm going to ride too."

"What? No. You're not riding on the rollercoaster."

"I am."

"Unnie, you're scared of heights. I'm not riding anymore, it's okay. Let's go eat instead."

"Well, you go to the resto first while I'll queue up alone for the rollercoaster and join you after."

Minjeong sighed. She didn't know why Jimin was doing this. It was no big deal. Minjeong had been having the time of her life listening to a thousand of dinosaur facts in the past three hours. She couldn't care less for the rollercoaster.

She knew the older girl wouldn't budge so they both went to the ride together. While waiting in line, she could see Jimin's eyes anxiously watching the cars going through the turns.

"Unnie, you really don't have to."

"I want to," Jimin's demeanor was suspiciously too calm for this. "Besides, I'll have you with me," the older girl said while linking her fingers to Minjeong's.

And so Yu Jimin rode the rollercoaster for the first time in her life. The girl took it like a champ despite almost crushing Minjeong's hand.

That day, Minjeong had an inkling feeling that Jimin might do as much for her as she would for Jimin.

Being a junior felt different. Minjeong finally dived deep into the pre-clinical subjects. It took her quite a while to adapt at the start of the year. There were so many labs, so many quizzes and so many things to memorize that Minjeong felt in awe of her own memory capacity sometimes. 

She just got back from the summer break and was a week into the fall semester when Lia proposed her with something that would probably mess Minjeong's day to day schedule a lot more.

"Minjeong-ah."

Minjeong hummed as she looked at the girl. They were sitting under their favorite tree in the campus lawn, trying to breathe some fresh air after spending an hour inhaling formalin from the cadavers they dissected.

"Have you ever thought of running for the election?"

Minjeong pondered for a while. "Sometimes, yeah. I'm open to the idea."

"What would be your focus?"

"Besides the occasional trouble with the dorms?" Her fellow student council member nodded. "Probably opening more opportunities for research. Enhancing more on the scientific skills, those kind of things."

Lia nodded, digesting everything Minjeong said. "I'm definitely thinking of running."

Yujin sat up, surprised of the seriousness of the conversation. "Really?"

"Yeah. I've also asked around with the previous execs from the past few years."

"So you're actually serious about this," Sumin said, more like stating instead of asking.

"I still don't have the candidate for VP, though" Lia shrugged, peeking at Minjeong who sighed.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Be my vice president?" Lia said sweetly, pouting while attempting her best puppy eyes.

Minjeong went quiet for a moment. Trying to list the pros and cons. As a freshman, she had joined the student council here knowing the possibility of participating in the election. She liked solving problems she observed around her. Sometimes those positions helped in making change for the better. Now that the time had finally come, she couldn't think of a reason to say no to Lia. The position of VP was also flexible enough for her research activities outside the campus (or even the country) as it was mostly about supervising.

There were still room for improvements in certain areas in her school and Minjeong knew what she wanted to do. With Lia, someone she trusted and had known for years now, she knew they would go in the right direction together if they were to be elected.

"Okay," she decided.

Lia was ecstatic. "Really?"

"Yeah. Looking forward to working with you, Prez," Minjeong extended her hand.

"Prez-to-be," Lia winked, shaking Minjeong's hand.

Sumin was already on the phone trying to search for pictures of Lia and Minjeong that were presentable enough for the upcoming posters. Yujin was notifying the group chat while preparing to open a dedicated social media account for the campaign. Minjeong wondered why they seemed more excited than her. Nevertheless, she felt grateful for their bond and support.

During the campaign period the following months, Minjeong was a bit stunned by the amount of times she saw her own face plastered on campus. She didn't realized the girls were that dedicated. Even Yizhuo performed once with her band in one of their campaign events. Minjeong especially took notice of how Jimin paid extra attention in choosing which picture of Minjeong was to be posted on their social media page. They would always wait for Jimin's approval until she pointed to a picture, saying "pretty," before finally uploading it to their account. Minjeong didn't want to think much of that.

Soon after, it was time for debates between the candidates. Today marked the first debate prior to the voting in December. Lia was ready for blood while Minjeong tried to keep her cool. She had done this before in high school. She had presented her research a few times to strangers in more conferences since the one in Singapore. And she had also led meetings and organized people in the council's successful projects. She got this.

They were both waiting for their turn to be called on the makeshift stage when Minjeong felt a pat on her back. Turning around, she saw Jimin gesturing for her to take a few steps away from the crowd. Minjeong was confused as she knew Jimin wasn't supposed to be here. The older girl was also running for her newspaper club's presidency and had her own meeting right about now.

Taking out something from her pocket, Jimin took one of Minjeong's hand and fiddled around the bracelet. "Here." 

After the raven was done, Minjeong could see her plain bracelet now adorned with charms of a dinosaur and... a puppy? "What's this?"

Jimin just shrugged. "Good luck charms."

Minjeong chuckled in response. "You're so weird."

The older girl just returned Minjeong's smile. "Now that's the smile we've been looking for. You'll ace it. I just know it."

"Thanks, Unnie. Shouldn't you be in your meeting though?"

"Uh, yeah. I told them I need to run to the toilet for a bit," Jimin scratched her head.

Sighing, Minjeong started to turn and push Jimin's body. "Then, go."

"Good luck, Minjeongie. Remember. What Minjeong wants, Minjeong gets," the raven said the running joke that became one of the taglines of their campaign.

Minjeong just rolled her eyes, shooing Jimin away with her hands.

What Minjeong wants, Minjeong gets.

The irony.

As everyone had predicted, Lia and Minjeong won the election. And as Minjeong had also predicted, her already busy life became busier. Something she didn't really take into account was how becoming a student council executive in college would impact her popularity.

She had expected the increased number of meetings, monthly evaluations with Lia, more people turning to her for decisions. Her phone contacts had been blowing up with more numbers than she remembered. She was involved in everything, whether directly or indirectly. She just didn't expect among those people she had to come in contact with, there were a lot who would come up to her for rather non-professional reasons.

Even so, Minjeong never responded to any of their advances. She simply had too much on her plate. Being a senior also meant she had to prepare for the start of her clinical rotations in the hospital for the next two years.

With that perfectionist mindset, Minjeong somehow made it through half of her senior year alive. She already had the projects under her supervision successfully conducted and her most recent paper presented in an international conference in Japan, all from February until June. Based on the finals result she got this afternoon, she could safely give herself a pat on the shoulder and a pass to drink her heart out in tonight's party.

"You okay?" Yizhuo asked as she was putting eyeliner on Minjeong. The other girl only nodded. "You should let loose, Minjeong-ah. You deserve to be silly, too. At least for tonight. You've done well this semester."

Minjeong was about to agree when she received a message on her phone.

Wonyoung [18:45]:
Minjeong-unnie
Are you coming to Jaemin's party?

Minjeong [18:46]:
Yeah
What's up?

Wonyoung [18:46]:
Wanna go there together?

Another thing Minjeong didn't expect was Wonyoung's attraction to her. When she first knew the girl, she had brushed off the constant teasing coming from the group. Unknown to her, Wonyoung might actually had feelings for her. It was around this year that the younger girl had the courage to start flirting openly with Minjeong who always tried to keep their interactions professional at best.

Wonyoung would cater to her everytime they drank after having meetings together that she was starting to get attuned to Minjeong's needs. Minjeong herself wasn't sure if she felt an attraction to the younger girl. She knew the girl was gorgeous. The kind everyone wanted to be or wanted to be with. The thing was, Wonyoung wasn't the girl Minjeong wanted to be with. It was Jimin.

Jimin, the newspaper club president. The beautiful raven. The basketball captain's girlfriend. Damn, when was the last time they saw each other again?

Minjeong [18:47]:
It's fine, thanks
I'm going with my friends
See you there

Minjeong sighed. "Is Jimin-unnie coming tonight?"

"Yeah, with Jeno," her roommate answered, hands applying tint to Minjeong's lips.

"Great."

"It's been... What? One and a half years? You've been so busy I thought you were faring pretty well."

Minjeong smiled wryly hearing that. "I did hear somebody mentioning how I'm hard to read."

Yizhuo sighed in turn. "Well, tonight, do everything you wanna do. Party, dance, drink, or hookup, whatever." Yizhuo paused for a second. "Or do you wanna stay in instead? Should we just watch a movie?"

"No," Minjeong shook her head, feeling grateful of her roommate. "I need this. I deserve to have fun once in a while," she pouted.

And party she did. For once, Minjeong felt like she had nothing to lose. She only had six months left until all her time was taken by the hospital and this might even be her last party. She laughed too much with the girls, already on her third bottle of Krush and her whole body felt weightless.

A sense of longing for the girl she loved, deep inside her, had been pushed to the back and  covered by her determination to simply not feel. Just for tonight. She had been doing so well in ignoring things she deemed unnecessarily distracting. 

However, that still didn't prepare her for finally seeing her best friend after it felt like the world had set them apart for so long. Jimin was still too beautiful for Minjeong's own good. Her eyes were locked in the raven's frame, their bodies a few feet apart amongst the crowd on the dance floor.

Jimin didn't seem to notice Minjeong's staring. The raven was too engrossed in her boyfriend, arms linked around his neck, her shoulder kissed with worship. 

Minjeong sighed. All these pent up feelings inside her were dying to be released. She felt compelled to seek some sort of outlet.

That was when her body got turned by a tall, beautiful girl.

Wonyoung.

The younger girl smiled invitingly, eyes glinting with something Minjeong couldn't miss. They were both probably drunk out of their minds, but Minjeong couldn't care less. She chuckled as she felt hands around her waist, drawing her in as their bodies started to press closer. Wonyoung's eyes lit up as soon as Minjeong placed her arms on her shoulders.

"You're too pretty, Unnie," Minjeong felt the younger girl's hot breath on her ear.

And she liked it. "You're not too bad yourself," Minjeong smirked.

It was perfect. Somehow, Minjeong could deceive her mind to only think of the girl she was dancing with. It might be the alcohol. Or it might actually be Wonyoung.

She was slowly losing her mind when she caught a glimpse of Jimin in her peripheral vision. The girl had her head down with her hand holding Jeno's. The implication was clear as Minjeong saw the love of her life leading her boyfriend upstairs.

Fuck it.

Minjeong couldn't remember how it exactly happened. The next thing she knew, hot lips were already trailing down her neck. She tried to look around for some clarity, only to realize she was in one of the bathrooms.

She gasped as she felt her hips gripped tightly by the same hands from earlier.

"Have I ever told you how hot you look tonight?" Wonyoung said between breaths.

If this was the outlet she had been looking for, then so be it. Minjeong didn't bother to say anything before pulling the younger girl closer by the nape and crashed their lips together.

The air felt hot as they lost track of time. Minjeong wasn't sure how she wanted this to end. She did have an idea in the back of her mind, but she wouldn't want to do anything here. She was not hooking up at a random toilet in the middle of an ongoing party.

She heard a whine as she pulled her lips away from Wonyoung. "Do you wanna get out of here?"

The younger girl nodded as if her life depended on it.

Taking the girl's hand by the wrist, Minjeong led her to the door. As soon as it opened, their steps halted as they bumped into a girl who had her hand raised and ready to knock at the door.

A girl with jet black wolfcut and a mole beneath one corner of her lips.

Jimin.

It felt like Minjeong was being drenched in ice water. She stood rooted to the ground, her hand still holding Wonyoung's behind her. For a few seconds, her mind blanked.

Jimin's eyes were wide open as they traveled to Minjeong's mouth. Immediately wiping her lips, Minjeong internally cursed as she saw red color on her fingers. She could only imagined the prints down her neck and shoulders.

"Unnie?" Wonyoung sounded behind her, reminding her of what they were going to do.

Minjeong braced herself to look at the quiet raven in front of her. She didn't know why she felt guilty, but it wasn't like she did anything wrong. She hated this feeling of self-loathing when she couldn't even pinpoint a logical reason why.

Suddenly, she caught a flicker of hurt in Jimin's eyes. Why should she feel any kind of hurt? Minjeong was shocked. Confused.

But thrilled.

A sinister, wicked part she didn't know existed in herself felt thrilled at seeing Jimin getting hurt by this. After years of living with the pain, Minjeong loved seeing Jimin experienced even an ounce of it. She knew she would only hate herself more in the morning. She was feeling happy to have hurt the love of her life. But she would deal with that later. Not when she finally could let go for once.

Minjeong didn't say anything and only nodded to Wonyoung. Taking a step around Jimin, she led the younger girl out of the house.

That night marked the shift in Minjeong's relationship with Jimin. She wouldn't admit that she was avoiding the raven. She was simply busy.

They did saw each other during the usual cram sessions with the girls, but there were some changes. Jimin never claimed the seat next to her anymore and the snacks stopped appearing. Minjeong never checked on the older girl's progress or offer her exclusive Anki decks. They were friendly. Best friends who were not that clingy anymore with each other, especially now that Minjeong spent a lot of her free time with Wonyoung.

When Minjeong woke up tangled in Wonyoung's blanket the morning after that one party a few months ago, she sighed a huge relief when they both apparently wanted no commitment. Stress release was all they needed and Minjeong took advantage of that opportunity.

Although what they had was far from exclusive, everyone knew Minjeong would turn to Wonyoung some nights for pleasure and vice versa. It warranted a few awkward interactions with Yizhuo, but that was it.

Yizhuo asked her one night after Wonyoung left to go home. "Are you sure about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Wonyoung. Are you guys being serious or is this just some no-strings-attached thing?"

Minjeong sighed. "We both knew what we were getting into. She's not my girlfriend and will never be."

Yizhuo was silent for a second and Minjeong wished she couldn't already predict where this was going. "What about Jimin-unnie?"

Minjeong's heart hammered. This was the first time someone had directly brought it up to her. "What about her?" Her avoidant response explained everything Yizhuo needed to know as her roommate went quiet instead.

The other girls, except for Aeri, still had no idea of what was going on. Hell, even Minjeong didn't know what was going on. Things just felt awkward for some reason. It felt impossible to go back to how comfortable she was with Jimin, as if they had reached a point of no return without even knowing why.

It had been going on for so long that it was already time for another election. Minjeong's tenure with Lia would finally be ending in a month. Last week, Minjeong had received information from the newspaper club that she would be getting interviewed for the year-ending issue's featured article. Something about sharing experiences and accomplishments valuable for her juniors. What she didn't know was that Jimin would be the one intervewing her.

She was sitting on her table inside her and Lia's shared mini office as she waited for the interviewer. They were supposed to come in 10 minutes, so Minjeong got up and prepared some drink first. The student council room was empty at this hour, everyone busy preparing for end of semester projects. Lia also had things to do with one of the professors, hence the empty office.

A knock sounded on the open door, prompting Minjeong to look up.

There, she made eye contact with the familiar brown eyes she'd missed.

"Minjeong-ah." Jimin greeted her.

Minjeong immediately stood up, surprised to see the club's president coming here. "Unnie. I didn't know you were coming, too."

"I'm gonna be the one interviewing you," Jimin said as she received a cup of tea from Minjeong.

"Oh, I didn't know that," Minjeong gestured for Jimin to sit on the chair in front of her. "Will there be anyone else?"

"Nope, it's just me," Jimin smiled.

"Didn't think this is something the club president should be doing."

"Well, it's a special article so I'm the one handling this."

Minjeong smiled. She couldn't remember the last time they talked in private like this. Looking at the time, she nodded at Jimin. "Should we start?"

The questions were pretty standard. Jimin started listing the awards Minjeong had received in the past four years as a medical student and asked about her journey up to this point. Some things were technical, especially tips regarding research and the projects Minjeong helmed during her time as the council's VP. Although at the last minutes, she could feel the questions starting to tread into a more personal territory.

"Any specialty you want to study later in life?"

Minjeong chuckled as she remembered Jimin also knew the answer to that one already. "Cardiothoracic surgery. That's the reason I'm here."

"Any specific reason?"

Well, this was something she had never really shared before. "When I was a sophomore in high school, I was much, much thinner than right now. I was at school when I suddenly felt pain in my chest and started getting out of breath. I was rushed to the ER and found out it was PSP."

"Pneumothorax?"

Minjeong nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't anything major, though. Purely spontaneous. Got treated immediately and was discharged at night. Unfortunately, it recurred the next year which resulted in me needing the surgery. Long story short, the cardiothoracic surgeon was very kind and reassuring that I felt inspired to do the same thing as he did."

Jimin fell silent for a long moment and Minjeong could see her hands had stopped writing the notes altogether. "I didn't know that."

There are still a lot of things you don't know about me, Unnie. Minjeong only shrugged. "Wasn't that important."

The raven blinked, trying to focus back on the questions. "Okay. Wow. Next question. Do you have an ideal type?" The question was already out in the open by the time Jimin realized it.

Chuckling at the way the raven facepalmed herself, Minjeong shook her head. "No."

"Sorry, this must be the ones my staff slipped without me knowing."

"It's okay. No, I don't have an ideal type."

Jimin sighed. "Care to elaborate?"

Minjeong hummed. "I'd like to think of myself as a romantic. I care more about feeling the emotional connections rather than what's external," she answered, hands gesturing to quote the last word. "Once I find someone whose presence I enjoy, who I feel safe and comfortable spending time with..." Minjeong nodded to herself. "I think that's enough."

Her best friend was as still as a statue. "And have you found them?" Jimin whispered, making Minjeong raise one of her eyebrows. Is this on the list?

The younger girl raised her head and looked straight at Jimin.

"I have."

The interview was a success and everyone had reacted well after it was published on the December issue. So Minjeong had no idea why she opened her room's door to Jimin's tear-streaked face on a random 5 PM. She immediately pulled Jimin inside the room and into her embrace. 

"It's cold outside. You shouldn't stay there for too long," Minjeong spoke into Jimin's hair.

The older girl only nodded with her head on the crook of Minjeong's neck as her shoulders continued to shake. Minjeong's mind went wild with every possibility, her hand cradling the back of Jimin's head.

Why is she crying? She never cried like this before.

Did anyone hurt her?

Did he hurt her?

"Unnie?"

Jimin pulled her head away and stared at Minjeong for the first time. Minjeong's heart was smashed into pieces as she saw the red and swollen eyes of the girl she loved. 

She couldn't help but stroke Jimin's hair, tenderly putting the strays behind her ears. "Unnie, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

The way Jimin tearfully shook her head only gave Minjeong more pain. If Jimin didn't want to talk about it, they wouldn't talk about it. Minjeong took her back into her arms and whispered sweet nothings, trying to soothe the pain as she walked them to her bed.

Yizhuo was out with Aeri so she had the room to herself. After making sure Jimin was comfortable sitting on the bed, she made them some tea. She offered comfort in any way she knew as this was the first time she ever saw the older girl this vulnerable.

Jimin cleaned herself on the bathroom and borrowed some of Minjeong's oversized clothes before settling into bed. She immediately wrapped herself on Minjeong's frame as if they had never been apart this whole time.

Minjeong had missed this. The warmth coming from Jimin's skin. Or just her presence. She felt at home after so long, but at what cost?

The phone on her nightstand notified a few incoming messages. She reluctantly separated herself from Jimin and walked over to look at the screen.

Jeno [20:13]:
Minjeong-ah
Is Jimin with you?
I tried to contact her but she's not responding to my texts

Minjeong's hand instinctively clenched into a fist.

Minjeong [20:15]:
What did you do

Jeno [20:16]:
We got into a fight, that's all
Please keep her safe, Minjeong-ah
For tonight

"Minjeongie?"

Minjeong's head perked at the familiar nickname. Jimin was making grabby hands at her from the bed. Turning off her phone, Minjeong sighed as she returned to the older girl's side.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Will you be mad if I don't want to?"

Minjeong frowned. "Of course not."

The raven buried her face on Minjeong's shoulder instead. "I'm sorry. I know you're with Wonyoung right now-"

"I'm not."

Jimin raised her head, looking surprised. "What?"

"I'm not with her."

"But I thought she's always coming here?"

"Well, yeah, we're in a situation where we sleep together sometimes. But that's about it. We're not together."

"Oh."

Minjeong turned off the light on the nightstand and pulled Jimin's head back to her shoulder. "Go to sleep, Unnie."

The next morning, Minjeong woke up feeling like she couldn't remember the last time she slept so soundly. She felt hot breath on her neck as she remembered she wasn't alone this time. Looking down, she could see dark hair splaying over her chest as Jimin snuggled further and tightened the arm around her waist.

Minjeong only felt powerless as she fell in love with the girl all over again.

The peaceful morning shattered when she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat from across the room. Looking at the source of the sound, she saw Yizhuo calmly sitting on Aeri's lap on the chair.

She felt Jimin stirring awake on top of her, raising her head to also look at the lovebirds. "Oh, you guys are here?"

Yizhuo nodded. "Yeah, there are some things we should discuss with you two."

After Minjeong and Jimin brushed their teeth and washed their faces, they all had this unspoken agreement to not mention the swollen eyes on Jimin's face. The four of them settled on the floor as they sipped on their morning teas and coffees.

"So," Aeri started. "As you both know, Yizhuo and I are graduating in February."

The rest nodded, remembering how they celebrated each of their final thesis earlier this month.

Aeri continued. "And despite me planning to go for law school here, the actual semester would still start in two more years."

"We've actually talked about this," Yizhuo said, gesturing to her and Aeri. "And we're currently in the middle of looking for studios or other places off-campus."

"Oh my gosh, you're moving in together?" Jimin gushed.

With her face as red as a tomato, Aeri nodded. "Well, yeah, kinda. But that's where it involves you guys. With no roommates, are you guys gonna room together or what?"

"Or if you guys wanna join us, that's fine too. We'll just look for places that could fit more people," Yizhuo added with her girlfriend nodding beside her.

Minjeong's mind reeled with the possibility of being Jimin's roommate. Would she survive living with her 24/7? She couldn't even handle waking up to Jimin's face this morning after so long.

"No pressure, though. We still have until late January to finalize things," Aeri reassured them both.

Jimin was in the middle of saying something when Minjeong's phone rang across the room.

It was Jeno.

"What's up?" Minjeong answered the call.

"Is she still there with you?"

"Yeah," she glanced at Jimin who was still talking with the girls.

"Please tell her to look outside the window." 

Minjeong hung up the phone and walked to the window which afforded them the view of the back parking lot from the second floor. And there he was, leaning on his car's trunk, with a bouquet of roses and a cardboard saying... 'I'm sorry.'

"Jimin-unnie," Minjeong called as her eyes continued to stare at Jeno. "Come here."

The other three joined Minjeong to look outside the window. She quietly observed the way Jimin smiled, shocked at her boyfriend's appearance. 

Yeah, Minjeong couldn't compete with that.

"Go, Unnie," Minjeong placed a hand on Jimin's shoulder.

The raven turned to her and hugged her a moment. "Thanks, Minjeongie," she let go and turned to the others. "I'll see you guys later. We'll talk about it in the chat?"

With thumbs up from Yizhuo and Aeri, Jimin left the room and ran down the stairs to go to the parking lot. The three of them looked out the window and watched the way Jimin ran to Jeno's open arms. All while still clothed in Minjeong's oversized sweatshirt.

It was her favorite one, too.

Her thoughts paused as she felt her back being stroked by Yizhuo. Looking around her, she chuckled. "This feels like deja vu, doesn't it?" Her friends offered some smiles in response as they walked away from the window.

A few nights later, when Minjeong was on the train to go back home for winter break, Jimin texted her after a while.

Jimin unnie [18:15]:
Minjeongie
Jeno asked me to move in with him

Minjeong [18:20]:
Unnie, that's great
I'm happy for you

She sent a screenshot of the text to Yizhuo.

Minjeong [18:20]:
*screenshot attached*
Do you guys still have more room in your new place?

Yizhuo [18:21]:
Minjeongie :(
*hug emoji*
I'm telling Aeri-unnie

Minjeong sighed as she closed her eyes. Repeating to herself that everything was fine.

Chapter Text

It wasn't Minjeong's first time stepping foot inside SM University Hospital, but the whole atmosphere felt different now as she started her clinical rotations. Just a week after celebrating Aeri and Yizhuo's graduation, she was immediately thrusted into the world of internal medicine for eight weeks. Luckily, she got Sumin as a familiar face to explore this new stage together. The rest of the girls were scattered among other rotations, with Lia in surgery, Yujin in pediatrics, and Jimin in ObGyn.

The group chat was still going strong, now more than ever, as they use it to dump everything that would help them adapt to the hospital. Minjeong was snickering at the latest meme Yujin sent when she got notified of a professor's incoming round in the ward. She glanced around the shared study room to see her fellow IM students standing up.

She then turned to Sumin who had her head down on the table beside her, sleeping like a log. The girl had pulled an all-nighter trying to do her homework from one of the professors. In fact, it was the same professor who was on his way here to do his rounds.

Straightening her white coat, Minjeong stood up and shook her friend's shoulders. "Sumin-ah, wake up."

The girl whined quietly, shrugging Minjeong's hand.

"Sumin-ah, it's Professor Lee. He's doing his rounds."

The sleeping girl opened her eyes and sat upwards in an instant. "Professor Lee's here?"

Minjeong nodded, taking her friend's arms to pull her out of the room. Arriving at the ward, she could see Professor Lee with the residents walking in the nurse station's direction. She also recognized Dahyun, a member of her research team, who was now a chief resident. They shared nods in acknowledgment as the medical students moved behind the residents.

At the end of the round, they all walked back to the nurse station to finalize some of the charts. That was when Professor Lee got reminded of their presence.

"Where are the med students?" Minjeong, Sumin, and the rest of the medical students walked to the front. "Which one of you is assigned to the DKA patient in 507B?"

Minjeong raised her hand. "It's me, Professor."

"Kim Minjeong-ssi?" The man read the name on her ID card. "Were you there when she came into the ER?"

"Yes, Professor."

"The patient initially presented with fatigue and hyperventilation. What was the type of breathing called?"

"Kussmaul, Professor."

"And why did it happen to the patient?"

"The lack of insulin, along with hyperglycemia, increased lipolysis and the amount of ketone bodies. It resulted in metabolic acidosis and the Kussmaul breathing happened as a form of compensation by expelling as much CO2 as the patient could."

"And what, from the data you obtained, do you think caused the sudden hyperglycemia?"

Minjeong flipped her notes to take a quick double look at the lab results she wrote. "A recent-onset pneumonia."

The professor smirked. "Good," he said before clapping his hands together. "Now, where's the one with my homework?"

Suppressing a grimace, Sumin walked to Minjeong's side and stood right in front of the professor. "It's me, Professor."

"Bae Sumin-ssi? The patient we discussed before had a history of taking short-acting and long-acting insulin daily. What's the primary side effect?"

"Hypoglycemia."

"What's another antidiabetic therapy, oral, with high risk of hypoglycemia?"

"Sulfonylurea?"

"Correct," the professor smiled, seemingly pleased. "Last question. If you got this one right, no more homework for you. What's another common side effect of sulfonylurea?" Sumin was about to answer when the professor spoke again quickly. "Excluding GIT symptoms!"

Minjeong could hear the sound of Sumin's brain working overtime to recall every diagram and list she could remember. As her friend was staying silent, Minjeong's eyes went to Dahyun who was standing behind the professor. While the man was signing a few papers on the nurse station, she could see Dahyun trying to mouth something to Sumin. Elbowing her friend, she gestured to the resident.

"Uh... Weight gain?" Sumin tried after.

Closing the folders and handing it back to the nurses, Professor Lee grinned at his residents. "Excellent. These students might be good. I'll see you tomorrow."

The medical students bowed to the professor as they watched him walk to the elevator with the residents trailing behind him. Sumin sent a grateful smile and another bow as Dahyun passed her with a thumbs up.

Going back to the study room, Sumin groaned. "Great. Spent all night reviewing everything from A to Z, only to be asked the one drug I barely reviewed. Thank goodness Doctor Kim was an angel."

Minjeong chuckled, enjoying the pace of everything.

Some days were better than the other. The same went for night shifts. Today, though, Minjeong failed her own expectations.

It was the individual case presentation worth 65% of her first rotation's score and she found herself underperforming. She failed to provide the data for one of the four important risk factors of gallstone found in her patient. She thought she had presented everything to Professor Lee, her last examiner in IM, only to realize her mistake after he asked one question.

"Any history of pregnancy?"

Minjeong went silent. She remembered the patient didn't have children as of now, but she didn't know whether the patient had been pregnant before. She contemplated whether she should give an honest answer or not. 

"I... I'm sorry, Professor. I'm afraid I still don't have the data for that."

The mistake certainly didn't make any sense in Minjeong's book. It was unacceptable. How could she not have asked such a basic thing?

She sighed as she saw the near perfect mark on her paper. Minjeong was distracted and, for the first time in her life, she let it affect her performance.

And she might know why.

Jimin was having the time of her life in ObGyn and Minjeong had seen it coming. She could remember the raven, back then a blonde, sharing her dreams of pursuing the specialty during their study sessions as freshmen. In the past eight weeks, she had less to no encounters with the girl, especially now that Jimin was living with Jeno. Their interactions were minimized to small waves in the ER or shared smiles across the cafetaria. Minjeong understood this was a change nobody could do anything about. However, she still secretly looked forward to the little updates Jimin would share on their group chat. Sometimes, it was also the occasional personal check-ups that made Minjeong's mornings felt lighter in a way.

A week ago, her best friend had shared how she swooned after seeing a loving husband taking good care of a new mother whose baby she assisted in delivering. She might have subtly expressed her own wishes to experience the same thing and the girls caught on like sharks. The ones unaware of Minjeong's tragic love for Jimin expressed how Jeno would probably be perfect for said experience in the future.

The image that came to Minjeong's mind as she read those messages made her want to throw up. 

In the end, she didn't despite actually standing in front of the toilet's sink. She managed to keep her monstrous feelings inside although, apparently, she did a bad job. The thought only lingered and distracted her through her final week when she was supposed to focus on her final case presentation with Professor Lee.

Disappointed in herself, she went back to her apartment feeling frustrated. She slumped into the sofa and basked in the silence as Yizhuo and Aeri were currently out of the country.

She tried to look for some sugar and opened her fridge to take a packet out of the row of chocolate biscuits. They were bought by Jimin last weekend when she slept over. 

Great. Even a damn chocolate snack reminded Minjeong of the raven.

Opening her phone, she dialed a number she couldn't remember contacting lately. The person answered after the third ring. "I thought you would never ask," Minjeong could hear the coy remark over the line.

Fast forward twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang and Minjeong opened the door. Munching on the snack, she offered a packet. "Want some?"

Wonyoung chuckled. "Want you," she huskily said as she lunged to Minjeong.

They both couldn't even wait to get into the room as their lips stayed locked while moving onto the sofa. Minjeong could feel hands roaming all over her body as she sighed in contentment. Sitting down, she felt the taller girl straddling over her. Minjeong let out a groan when she felt the girl grinding down her hips. 

Her tongue lazily battled for dominance against Wonyoung's before the younger girl sneaked a bite to Minjeong's lower lip, licking it afterwards. "You taste like chocolate."

Of course she did. That chocolate biscuit had become Minjeong's favorite for a reason. It was, in fact, delicious. She tried it the first time during freshman year and even Jimin took notice of that. She got reminded of the time she stopped buying the snack altogether from the vending machine as her best friend would always provide it to her during their study sessions.

But with the way things had been going on in recent years, the snack thing between them had stopped. Minjeong thought the raven had forgotten about it. Which was proven wrong during last weekend's sleepover.

Last Saturday, those in the group who didn't have a weekend shift slept over in Minjeong's shared apartment with Aeri and Yizhuo. It was a mini farewell party before the couple's trip to Japan. They had brought snacks to enjoy together, but Minjeong didn't expect the way Jimin brought extra and loaded a row of their fridge full of her favorite chocolate snack.

Jimin remembered, afterall.

"Unnie."

Minjeong blinked and she saw Wonyoung in front of her.

"Seriously?" The younger girl scoffed. "Do you know how much of a turn off it is to have your partner zoning out while we're doing this?"

Having no excuse, Minjeong shook her head. "Sorry," she tried to capture Wonyoung's lips once again, only for the girl to lean further away.

"I'm not in the mood anymore."

Well. This was awkward.

Minjeong didn't know what to say or do. Even having her hands on Wonyoung's waist now felt weird.

She could hear Wonyoung sigh on top of her. "This had actually been happening a few times already and I just can't..." The girl sighed once again. "This isn't working anymore, isn't it?"

"What? No," Minjeong tried to brush it off.

"I can't compete with whatever or... whoever it is that's always on your mind," Wonyoung started to get off Minjeong's lap. "I can't do this."

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay. I'm sorry, can we just try again? I mean- we've been great for each other," Minjeong took Wonyoung's hand. "My mind was just somewhere else for a sec."

The younger girl was silent for minute. "Unnie."

"Hm?"

"Is this all I'm gonna be to you? A stress relief?"

Minjeong froze. No.

No, no, no, no.

She tried to be as gentle as possible. Or as less of a jerk as she could be. "It is... what we had agreed on from the start."

Wonyoung let out a small laugh and shook her head. She stood up and straightened her clothes, looking down at Minjeong. "Goodbye, Unnie."

Minjeong was left astounded as the younger girl leaned down and pecked her cheek for the last time.

Hearing the sound of the door closing, she dropped her head down to her hands.

Fuck.

Minjeong huffed as she settled into her seat on the train. Thankfully, her IM rotation ended right before summer and the faculty set aside two weeks of rest for them. It was much different compared to the generous break from the years before, but Minjeong considered this now a luxury.

She sent a pic to the group chat before putting her phone on "do-not-disturb." Pressing play on her playlist, she closed her eyes as the music blared through the earphones. She wanted to shut herself out of the world as her mood was still not getting better. She had no one talk to about her late struggles, especially with her roommates not being present. Chatting through the phone was always an option, but Minjeong didn't want to burden the happy couple either.

So she took this small break as an opportunity to take a deep breath and touch some grass. Or maybe sand. She made a mental note of going to the beach as soon as she could. The sunlight would also be good for her, knowing how her life now consisted of going to the hospital before sunrise and back home after sunset.

Her eyes shone brightly as she boarded off the train and took in the familiar surroundings. Sometimes she wondered if she was being a bit too dramatic for someone who routinely went home almost twice every year. Again, luxury.

As her cab stopped in front of her house fence, her lips formed a smile at the sight of her mother standing in front of the door. One hand propped at the hip, another holding her phone. Minjeong chuckled as she saw her mother squinting at the cab, double checking with the info on her phone screen.

Minjeong stepped out and rolled her suitcase on the gravel. "Eomma."

"Minjeongie? Aigoo-ya, you're here already," her mother grinned wide with her arms open.

Stepping into the embrace, Minjeong tightened her arms around her mother for a second. "Here I am." Pulling away, her nose immediately caught the delicious smell drifting through the door.

Her mother snickered, looking at Minjeong's raised eyebrow. "I cooked your favorite. Come. Appa went to campus this morning, but he'll be here for lunch."

Minjeong felt her whole body relaxing for once. Yeah, she was home alright.

The Kim family had their lunch full of laughter in between scoops of hearty, home-cooked meals. Her brother wasn't with them as he worked in Incheon ever since he graduated from college. Minjeong missed him, but she couldn't deny feeling happy in the sole attention given by her parents right now.

"How's it being in the hospital?" Her father asked.

Taking a second to swallow her meal, she answered honestly. "Different. Tiring, though."

"Well, you're still trying to get used to it," her mom added while placing more meat on Minjeong's bowl. "Now every time I go to the market, I always say to the ladies that my youngest is all busy in the hospital now." Her mother laughed with her hands covering her mouth.

"Eomma," Minjeong whined. "I'm literally still in my third month."

"It's okay, she wasn't wrong," her father chuckled. "We're just proud of you, that's all."

Her mother nodded, her hand rubbing Minjeong's shoulder across the table. "You've been doing well, Minjeong-ah. Eat more."

For a while, Minjeong's previously sour mood was nonexistent. As she looked at her parents, she just wanted to do things right.

"Ah, right. We have the shine muscat," her mother clapped her hands together and got up to take the grapes out of the fridge. "Here, eat this up. We got this brought from Japan."

Her father wiped his mouth with a tissue. "Oh, is that the one Sana brought?"

"Yes, yes, she brought it last week when she came with Minsik," her mother answered.

Seemingly lost at the conversation, Minjeong spoke up. "Who's Sana?"

Her parents both turned their heads to Minjeong. As if they only realized something now, their demeanors changed as they faced Minjeong straight. 

Clearing her throat, her mother started speaking. "Minjeong-ah, your brother is currently seeing someone."

"And that someone is this... Sana person?"

"Yes."

"I thought he's always seeing someone?"

Letting out a cough, her father joined in the conversation. "Minjeong-ah, he brought the woman here last week to meet us."

Oh, wow. He never brought anybody to the house.

Leaning back to her chair, Minjeong raised her eyebrows. "It's serious, then."

Her mother nodded. "It is."

That didn't leave Minjeong's mind as she napped through the afternoon, ate dinner again with her parents and washed the dishes afterwards. She didn't know her brother was going home last week, let alone seriously seeing someone. Was this what growing up was like? Catching up once in a while after trying to live each of our own lives apart?

"Is she nice?" Minjeong asked her mother who was helping her dry the dishes. The light on the kitchen was dim and warm. It was only the two of them as her father had gone to his office to grade some papers.

She saw her mother smiled from the corner of her eye. ''She is."

Minjeong hummed. "Do you guys like her?"

It was instant. "Yeah, we do." Looking at Minjeong's face, full of thought, her mother continued. "Minjeong-ah, look. You can do anything you want in life. But if, along the way, you happen to find someone to make your days better and just... be there for you, your Appa and I would be glad to know that."

Not knowing how to respond, Minjeong only nodded.

"And if, someday, you choose to let us know that person too," her mother turned to her. "We would be even more grateful. Just know that we will always love you."

That silenced Minjeong. She returned her mother's smile and forced her gaze to focus on the dirty dishes. What if she didn't meet someone?

What if she didn't meet someone else?

Her troubled mind paused as she finished the last of the dishes. Handing it to her mother to dry, she carefully turned around and leaned on the counter. 

With bated breath, she braved herself to ask the question.

"Eomma." Her mother hummed with her back still facing Minjeong. "What if it's a girl?"

She could see her mother's hands pausing their action for a split second as they continued to be there in silence. Putting the plate back on the rack, her mother turned around and looked Minjeong in the eyes.

Something in Minjeong's eyes must have been caught by her mother, prompting her to look down at her feet. She had never felt this bare before and she didn't know what to expect.

Her mother's voice was soft. "Does she make you happy?"

Looking up, Minjeong's eyes glassed as the face of the girl she loved finally broke through the walls inside her mind. She didn't trust her voice as she could only nod in response.

Sighing, her mother smiled. "Then I'm happy for you, Minjeong-ah. I will love anyone who makes my daughter feel loved."

Minjeong exhaled a shaky breath. Her shoulders felt lighter and yet, she wanted to drop all of her weight on her mother's arms right now.

She wordlessly took small steps to her mother and wrapped her arms around the tinier frame. Her tears ran down when she felt her mother's hand gently rubbing her hair.

"Aigoo, were you worried, my dear?"

She only buried her face further into her mother's neck.

Minjeong's breath came out harsh as she did the fast compressions on the man's chest. Her shoulders were giving hints of fatigue, but she had no time to think about that as she stared down at her own hands. Her right hand pressing down on top of her left, centered on the man's bare chest. The man who was doing just fine this morning when Minjeong checked upon him.

Her knees were pressing down on the mattress, on the spare space she could get as she got up on the bed earlier and sat beside the man's body. She wondered if she was doing this correctly. She wondered if she was actually doing it around 100 to 120 times per minute. She wondered if people actually sang Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive inside their heads while doing this. Because she couldn't.

All she knew was to push. Compress. Pump.

A hand on her shoulder signaled her to stop. She paused as she and the rest of the code blue team stared at the monitor.

A flatline.

It had been that way for almost 20 minutes. Minjeong looked back at the limp body under her.

The first death she ever witnessed.

Her mind tried to understand as she walked back to her on-call room after being dismissed by the residents. The man was supposed to undergo his cardiac bypass surgery the next morning. Minjeong remembered as she was assigned to this patient. She had visited him in the ward for the past two days and was scheduled to observe the surgery tomorrow.

He was laughing just fine to Minjeong's bleak humor this morning. He was always nice to everyone. Minjeong liked him. Minjeong dreamed to help people like him. So why? What went wrong?

Were the knowledge and ability she spent so many years studying always going to feel this... limited?

As quiet as ever, she opened the door to the on-call room and heard someone.

"Minjeongie?"

Jimin-unnie. "Unnie."

Jimin sat up on the bed. "Are you on your night shift?"

Nodding, Minjeong sat on the bed across the room. "Yeah."

"Surgery?"

"Yeah."

The raven sensed Minjeong's mood. "You're finally in cardiothoracic this week, right?" Sighing, Minjeong continued to nod. "Are you okay?"

Minjeong sat with her head down. "The patient I've been following died just now."

The response was followed by a welcomed silence. Minjeong just wanted to lie down and sleep without a worry. She prayed there would be no more patients needing surgery coming into the ER for the rest of her shift.

Suddenly feeling fingers lifting her chin, she stared into familiar brown eyes in front of her.

"Minjeong-ah," Jimin said softly. "Can you hear me?" After Minjeong nodded for the hundredth time, she continued. "I said have some sleep."

"How about you?"

"I'm also trying to get as much rest as I could."

Only then she remembered Jimin must have also been on her night shift. Why else would she be here in the on-call room after midnight.

"Ah. You're in pediatric now, right?"

Chuckling, Jimin pushed Minjeong's body to lay down on the mattress. "Yeah, yeah. Now rest."

Minjeong thought Jimin would go back to her previous bed. She was surprised when the raven slipped into the sheets next to her and pulled her body closer instead. Not really aware of whatever she was doing, Minjeong put her head on the older girl's chest and closed her eyes.

"Thanks, Unnie."

Jimin's thumb rubbed circles on Minjeong's arm around her waist. "I miss you and I'm dying to talk to you again, but you need rest." Sighing, the raven put her chin on top of Minjeong's head. "Night, Minjeongie."

When Minjeong felt a bit of sunlight on her face flitting through the window blinds, she opened her eyes to an empty on-call room. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she saw a rice bowl on the table. There was a note too on top of it, with a handwriting she could recognize.

For Kim Minjeong (DO NOT STEAL)

If you're Minjeong, turn the paper around.

Minjeong chuckled as she flipped the small paper and saw a longer message.

Morning, Minjeongie.
Did you sleep well? Good for you, there wasn't another surgery patient in the ER (I checked).
If you're wondering where I am, I'm unfortunately pulled back into the crowded world of Peds.
I saw you still sleeping soundly this morning and thought you might want a breakfast.
Hope you like it.

Coincidentally, she heard a notification coming from her phone.

Jimin unnie [07:09]:
Minjeongie
Are you awake?

Minjeong [07:10]:
Yeah, I just got up

Jimin unnie [07:10]:
Oh?
Please tell me the meal wasn't stolen

Minjeong [07:11]:
*laughing emoji*
It's still here, unopened
Unnie
Thank you

Jimin unnie [07:11]:
Anything for you, Minjeongie

Minjeong sighed. She really, really, really missed Jimin.

It was the last surgery Minjeong would observe in her surgical rotation. Another eight weeks down and she was positive she was made for the operating room. As expected, she loved it. She still had little to no involvement in anything as she was still a med student, but everything was still very fascinating to her.

To only wear scrubs and gowns, working in an environment that was mostly cold but not too cold where you needed a sweater, doing procedures one by one with your own hands. Minjeong thought it was ideal compared to spending time sitting for hours in front of the computer in outpatient clinic. Not to mention the amount of talking and socializing she would have to go through. Minjeong didn't think her social battery was made for that.

Doing ward rounds and outpatient clinic still came with the responsibility of being a surgeon, but they were much smaller in portion compared to actually fixing something with your own hands inside the cool, calm, systematic environment of an operating room. They might even play Minjeong's favorite music in there! One of the nurses played Next Level last week based on a resident's cheeky request.

She walked out of the changing room and sighed. Well, she would be back in a few months for her anesthesia rotation but that was it for now.

Minjeong was sitting down on a couch to tie her shoelaces when she felt someone else sitting down beside her. She glanced sideways and saw Jeno.

She smiled at the boy. "Hey."

Jeno smiled back. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, what were you doing back there?"

The boy shrugged. "Not much. Just the usual C-sections. You?"

Ah. ObGgyn. "Surgery. That was my last time in the OR. Pediatrics."

"Oh? What's after this for you?"

"Neuro."

"Are you going back home now?"

Minjeong nodded as she had finished her night shifts for the week. She couldn't wait to go back home and spend the weekend lounging with Aeri and Yizhuo.

"Me too. I'm hungry though. Dinner?" The boy asked her, standing up.

"Down at the cafetaria?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Jeno was a friend. They never interacted much, but he was always in Minjeong's radar throughout med school. Now that he was with Jimin, he had been categorized in Minjeong's life as her best friend's boyfriend. Sort of a co-worker? A colleague. Someone also important in her best friend's life. Someone who admittedly had made her best friend happy.

They were eating together as Jeno ranted about how ObGyn opened his eyes to the responsibility that came with having a baby. How witnessing childbirth felt so profound he started thinking about his own future as a father.

Well, damn. Minjeong knew Jeno had always been a... lively presence. You would never catch an awkward silence with him so Minjeong thought he was only scraping at topics for small talks throughout dinner. She didn't expect the baby fever in ObGyn to actually catch Jeno too.

But then Minjeong felt the topic shift into something more permanent. Something he had actually spent quiet the amount of time thinking about. Something final. One that made Minjeong forgot to breathe for a second after realizing where this was going.

It was something she had no control over.

"Minjeong-ah. Can I ask you for a favor?"

Looking at the boy's solemn face, Minjeong had no reason to say no.

That was why she found herself entering the huge, private jewelry store with him a week later. Despite Aeri and Yizhuo ripping their hair out, trying to convince Minjeong that she didn't have to do this, she found herself unable to refuse Jeno's ask for help. Because if this was an alternate universe where Minjeong wasn't in love with Jimin, this would have been a great honor.

Deep in her heart, hidden beneath the layers of her shockingly masochist self, she wondered if this was the final blow she needed. Something concrete for her to simply let Jimin go.

I mean, she was never mine to begin with.

"Baby, can you wait for a sec? I'm in the middle of something here. I'll call you," she faintly heard Jeno speaking in a hushed voice to his phone.

Forcing a smile, Minjeong straightened her back and caught up to the boy that would be the one Jimin spend the rest of her life with.

This New Year's Eve was the first one Minjeong was spending in the hospital. Her birthday tomorrow would also be the first one that was uneventful, probably. After this night shift, she only planned to catch up on sleep tomorrow at the apartment. She was feeling more and more of an adult right now.

She knew something else would happen tonight but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she continued to follow her residents to their new patient in the ER. She was currently doing her rotation in pulmonology and she didn't know where this surge of patients tonight was coming from.

Spending time taking history, checking vitals, hearing lung sounds and committing them to memory, she forgot the time if it wasn't for the buzzing coming from her phone. Her group chat was excited for midnight, especially as Minjeong was the only one unfortunate to spend the NYE doing her night shift. She put her phone back to her pocket to continue helping this one patient with her nebulizer mask.

Suddenly, the vibrations in her pocket started going nonstop, notifying Minjeong of a call. After making sure the patient had no other complaint, she stepped outside of the ER and took her phone out.

It was Jimin.

"Unnie?"

"Minjeongie, happy birthday," Minjeong could hear Jimin's smile as she inhaled the air outside. She could see the TV screen inside showing the crowds and fireworks. Around the TV, people smiled and continued to save lives. Minjeong smiled herself.

"Happy new year, Unnie."

"Are you seeing the fireworks? Or are you still stuck in the ER?"

"I stepped outside for a second," Minjeong answered, looking at fireworks coming from a few blocks around the hospital. Hopefully, no firework-related injury for tonight. A girl could only hope.

Jimin sighed over the line. "It's not fair. You should've been celebrating tonight. Try swapping shift with someone else."

Minjeong giggled endearingly. "Unnie, who in their right mind would willingly agree to have a night shift on New Year's Eve?"

"Still," the raven huffed. "I'm sure they would understand. It's your birthday!"

Smiling, Minjeong shook her head despite Jimin not being able to see her right now. "No, it's okay, Unnie. How about you? Are you with the girls right now?"

"Um, no, I'm spending tonight with Jeno and his family." Minjeong knew that already.

"Okay, Unnie," she sighed. "Unnie."

"Yeah?"

I love you. Her words thankfully got caught in her throat. "Thank you."

"So suddenly?"

Minjeong looked up at the sky and blinked her tears away. "No, just thank you. For being my best friend."

"Minjeongie? Are you okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Minjeong calmed herself. "Of course. Why? Can't I be the sappy one for once?"

Jimin scoffed. "You're being really weird right now." The raven then got interrupted with sounds from the background. Ah, it's time then. "Minjeongie, I'm sorry to cut this short, but they're calling for me right now."

"Yeah, Unnie. I'll see you later."

"Of course. Happy birthday once again, Minjeongie."

And the line fell silent.

At 7 AM the next morning, Minjeong walked the short distance to her apartment and tried to brush off the sleepiness. She would sleep as much as she wanted to today.

"Minjeong-ah?" Yizhuo greeted her as she walked into the apartment.

"Have you eaten anything?" Aeri asked from the kitchen.

Minjeong shook her head. "I'm just gonna shower now and sleep."

Yizhuo tutted. "Eat something first. We also haven't had breakfast."

And so Minjeong ate the sandwiches Aeri made and fruits Yizhuo cut. The three of them were munching their breakfast around the kitchen counter when Minjeong spoke up.

"I'm gonna sleep and I don't know what's going to happen after I wake up," she checked their group chat on her phone to confirm.

Aeri tilted her head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Sighing, Minjeong stood up and brought her plate to the sink.

"Leave them there, we'll handle it," Yizhuo said from the counter.

Minjeong turned around and faced both of her dearest friends. Her inner circle. The one closest to the matters of her heart.

"Thanks, guys," Minjeong smiled at them. "I really love you two."

Aeri and Yizhuo watched Minjeong walk to her room with wide eyes, not understanding the situation. They would later understood everything when a few minutes later, while Minjeong was already dead asleep, the group chat was flooded with gasps in shock.

Jimin had sent a picture of her left hand, complete with a ring on her finger.

It was an unfamiliar building. Jimin had messaged her the location, asking to meet personally. Her best friend didn't tell her what it was all about.

Opening the door, she saw rows of beautiful dresses. A woman walked over and bowed to her in greeting, providing help if Minjeong needed any. After informing the woman that she came to meet Jimin, she was ushered to another area of the building.

There, she opened another door. It was a door with tall mirrors and nobody inside. The woman sat Minjeong down on the couch, making her confused as to what was going on. Just as Minjeong was about to ask her, she turned around to find the woman wasn't there anymore.

"Minjeongie."

When she turned back forward, she saw Jimin.

In an exquisite white gown. It was off-shoulder, all flowy and full of intricate details Minjeong couldn't point out one by one. It was a wedding gown.

Minjeong stood up and walked to her best friend.

"Unnie? You weren't here before."

The raven, her hair now styled up in a bun, complete with a veil, only smiled. Minjeong's heart was once again slowing down, pain seeping through her chest.

She was beautiful.

She briefly got reminded of the emotions she felt when she first laid eyes on her best friend that late afternoon on a Sunday a few years ago. She was as beautiful then as she was now.

Minjeong couldn't believe this was the sight Jeno was going to see walking up to him on their wedding.

"Minjeongie."

Entranced by Jimin's eyes, Minjeong continued to silently stare.

"Minjeongie," the beautiful raven called again softly.

"Yes, Unnie."

Jimin held both of Minjeong's hands and linked their fingers together. "I want you to be my maid of honor. I need you to be there with me at the altar."

Minjeong's ears started ringing, her world blurry.

The love of her life continued speaking as if everything was perfectly fine. "You're the only one who knows me, Minjeongie."

That was the last thing Minjeong heard as her chest started heaving. Suddenly she was aware of how heavy it was to breath. Gasping for air, she started to hear sounds from far away.

"Minjeong-ah."

"Minjeong-ah."

Her vision of darkness was immediately replaced with the worried face of her roommate as Minjeong opened her eyes. She took in her surroundings, realizing she was still in her room, on her bed.

"Minjeong-ah," she turned to Aeri who was now sitting on her bed. She took in the way Yizhuo was kneeling on the floor beside her, both hands on Minjeong's shoulders.

"Was it a nightmare?" Yizhuo asked her, wiping the tears on Minjeong's face. She was crying?

Her cloth felt sticky now that she was aware of the sweat. Trying to calm her breath, she shook her head. "It was Jimin-unnie. Apparently her asking me to be her maid of honor was more dreadful than being in a horror movie," she chuckled, her smile not reaching her eyes.

Nobody spoke a word after that as they realized how it was an actual possibility in the near future. Looking at their friend's expressions, she shook her head again and looked down. "You guys heard already, huh?"

"Minjeong-ah," Yizhuo started to get up and sat beside her too.

Minjeong's eyes watered as she couldn't shake off the lump on her throat. She continued to shake her head. "I can't," she whispered, feeling helpless. "I really can't." Her shoulders shook as her sobs started slipping out. "I thought I'd be able to finally let her go, but I can't. I just can't."

She looked up to her friends, as if asking for help. But there was nothing they could do as Minjeong continued to cry into the palm of her hands.

Aeri and Yizhuo scooted closer and wrapped themselves around Minjeong. Trying to be present for her.

"I don't think I can see her being married to someone else. I don't think I can live here knowing she's not mine. I can't," Minjeong wailed, her voice muffled by her hands.

The feelings she had been silently bottling up the past years came flooding out. She could even hear Yizhuo sniffling quietly beside her. It was grief of knowing she was probably sentenced to a life of heartbreak.

Minjeong didn't know how she was going to survive until the wedding. All she knew was that she needed to stop seeing Jimin or she would die.

She would even go as far as going out of the country if it meant keeping her sanity in check.

The news of the exchange program to the US fell onto Minjeong's lap like a heaven-sent gift. It gave her a purpose. A taste of running away.

Entering her final year as a medical student, Minjeong worked like a horse. She honestly couldn't remember being this focused since her first semester of freshman year. Every energy she got was spent either doing her day activities on the rotation, studying, doing night shifts, reviewing questions for KMLE, or preparing documents needed for her exchange application.

Another year also meant her juniors in med school were starting to do their first year of rotations. Minjeong already had her fair share of awkward encounters with Wonyoung, especially now that the girl wasn't a part of their research unit anymore. Every inevitable meeting started and ended with professional, polite smiles bordering on grimaces.

She was walking away from another awkward encounter when she saw Lia informing the group of her plan to study in the library. Now that the KMLE was nearing, they always tried to study together as much as they could. Anyone who didn't have anything else going on would always come. Sometimes they would study together in Aeri, Yizhuo and Minjeong's shared apartment.

It warranted more encounters with Jimin, but Minjeong had turned a year older last January first and felt herself maturing more about these kind of things. If it was something she couldn't help, so be it. Her life was already too busy with things she had to handle. It was like a switch had been turned off. Her feelings had been locked in a vault, stored and shipped somewhere Minjeong couldn't find. Someone could call her a robot at this point, but she really couldn't care less.

Minjeong went to the library as soon as she finished showering in the on-call room, not wanting to waste any more time by dropping by her apartment. Approaching her usual table, she could see Yujin and Lia being available for today.

"Hey, guys," she dropped her bag to the chair.

Lia waved at her. "Hey, we're thinking of cramming for the OSCE."

Looking at her phone's calendar, Minjeong got reminded of the time they had left. It was currently August. They only have three months left for the OSCE. Meaning it was also five months left until the written exam.

Minjeong nodded as she took out her notebook. "Cool."

They started reviewing cases together for an hour and a half before taking a break. Sipping on her water bottle, Yujin scrolled through her phone screen. "Oh, Jimin's joining us."

As if conjured from her thought, Jimin strolled in the library and went straight to their table. "Hi, guys. Sorry, the surgeries were piling up today."

"It's okay, we were only reviewing some things. We were going to try practicing now, is that okay with you?" Lia smiled at Jimin.

"Of course, you guys go first," Jimin said, settling into her chair next to a nonchalant Minjeong.

Yujin started first with Lia as the mock patient. Minjeong tapped her pen on her notebook as she and Jimin observed the other two quietly.

"And how about your period? Is it regular?" Yujin asked Lia.

The mock patient stared dumbfoundedly at Yujin. "I'm 72 years old, excuse you."

"Oh, right. Okay, scratch that," Yujin turned to Minjeong and Jimin. The two only shrugged, gesturing for them to continue.

It finally came to the part of therapy after Yujin diagnosed the patient with renal stones. "And I'm gonna prescribe Methimazole to you as a painkiller for your flank pain for now," Yujin continued as she scribbled the prescription on a blank paper.

Only then Minjeong cleared her throat. "Metamizole."

Yujin turned to her. "What?"

"Metamizole. A painkiller."

"What did I say?"

"Methimazole."

Yujin was silent for a while before her eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, shit. It's for the hyperthyroidism, isn't it?"

Lia nudged Yujin's shoulder to finish her case first. They continued to take turns afterward before finally stopping when they all felt hungry at 7 PM. Minjeong was scrolling through social media as she silently listened to the conversation at the table.

"Well, no offense, but actually what's the rush?" She could hear Yujin asking Jimin the question she never had the gut to voice out. Her friend was 100% referring to the engagement.

From the corner of her eyes, she could also see Jimin squirming in her seat before answering hesitantly. "'Well... Jeno's going straight into military enlistment after this and our family felt it was right to tie everything together since we're already serious about this from the start."

"And when's the wedding?"

Jimin shrugged. "I told them that my condition was to only start thinking about the wedding after KMLE next January. I wanted both of us to focus and pass first. If it weren't going to be next year, then at least we're engaged while he's away."

Lia shook her head, raising her eyebrows. Honestly, same.

Minjeong checked her emails as they started to get up to go to their favorite tteokbokki place. The mail at the top of her inbox was new and unopened. Reading the subject, she quickly tapped and read it.

Yujin noticed her grin and immediately asked. "What is it, Minjeong-ah?"

"I'm accepted."

"For the exchange?"

Minjeong nodded.

"Damn, you're really going to the US?" Lia whistled.

"Wait, what about KMLE?" Jimin asked, her brows furrowing.

Turning to look at her best friend, Minjeong appreciated the worry in her voice. "I'm going the whole December. OSCE is in November and I'd be back early January before the written exam. It's gonna be fine," she smiled reassuringly.

Yujin chuckled beside her. "Only you, Minjeong-ah. Only you."

As they walked out of the library, Lia sighed. "What Minjeong wants, Minjeong gets, indeed," she wrapped her arm around Minjeong's shoulder. 

The familiar phrase stung her for a minute. She then shook her thoughts away.

At least everything was going according to her plan.

Again, Minjeong spoke too soon.

It was nearing December. OSCE had already passed earlier this month and she would be flying to the US in two days.

Looking around the hospital's cafetaria, she started eating her meal with no one else at her table. Clinical rotations had been completed before the OSCE, but she came here today to meet with Taeyeon regarding plans of another paper. 

As she continued to people-watch, she recognized Wonyoung in her scrubs walking in her way, holding a tray of food. She knew the younger girl was going to pass by her and pretend not to see her by the look on her face. Minjeong didn't really like that, though.

"You don't really have to be a stranger," Minjeong said when the girl passed by her table.

Wonyoung stopped in her tracks.

Unexpectedly, the girl turned around and walked determinedly to Minjeong's table. Sitting down, she dug into her meal wordlessly.

Minjeong could see the girl was uncomfortable, but Wonyoung herself was the one choosing to sit right across from her. When she could see Wonyoung finally playing with her food, she sighed. "You don't have to do this either."

The younger girl's face dropped even further, reflecting some sort of internal debate going on inside her mind. Spending minutes not being responded by the girl, Minjeong stood up and was about to walk away.

"Unnie, wait."

Minjeong looked down at the girl.

"There's something I need to tell you."

Exhaling a breath, Minjeong sat back down. She prepared herself for whatever long overdue, uncomfortable conversation they were going to have.

But then the girl in front of her took out her phone and tapped through the screen. She reluctantly slid it over to Minjeong's direction.

Confused, she lifted her eyebrow in question. Wonyoung answered by flicking her eyes to her phone, gesturing for Minjeong to look at it.

And so Minjeong took the phone and saw what was on the screen.

It was a picture of a man and a woman.

"You could swipe further. There's some of them," she heard Wonyoung said.

Jeno? She swiped to zoom in the first picture. It was a zoomed picture of Jeno with his arm around a black-haired woman in a building's lobby. Jimin? Jeno's face was unmistakably visible as he was looking sideways, but the woman's back was facing the camera.

Minjeong looked up to Wonyoung. "So what about them?"

"I said there's still some of them." The younger girl seemed nervous.

Looking back down at the phone, Minjeong swiped through the next pictures taken from another angle. Ones where the woman's face was more visible.

A woman who was not Jimin.

She felt her heart dropped.

Her hands holding the phone was starting to shake as she tried to calmly breath.

There is no way...

This has to be a mistake.

Her whole body was shaking as she swiped to the final footage, a video where Jeno's lips were latched onto the woman's neck as their figures disappeared further into the building.

Wonyoung started to ramble. "I- I really didn't know who I was supposed to tell. I mean, I was also shocked. You're very close with Jimin-unnie, but we're also not on speaking terms right now-"

"When was this?" Minjeong's eyes couldn't leave the video as it replayed over and over.

"Last week."

"Where?"

"Do you know the motel near that one famous BBQ place we always go to?"

Wonyoung's shoulders jumped in surprise when Minjeong's clenched fist hit the table.

"Unnie?"

"Are you 100% positive it's him?" Minjeong leaned and lowered her voice.

The younger girl also leaned in, knowing the gravity of the situation. "I was with a friend and we're both positive it's Jeno-sunbae."

"Do you know who that girl is?"

"It's... Hyejin."

Who the fuck is Hyejin? "Who?"

"Hyejin. She's a senior now, a year below me. She's in debate club."

Minjeong was seething with rage as she tried to control her countenance. She was sure her knuckles were white, her hands shaking.

That bastard.

That fucking son of a bi-

"Minjeongie?" A quiet voice sounded from behind her.

Her hammering heart stopped suddenly as her whole body froze. She took a quick glance at Wonyoung's face and saw the girl's expression confirming her worst nightmare.

Minjeong slowly turned her head to face Jimin who was now standing beside their table.

"Unnie?" She forced a shaky smile. "How long have you been here?"

Jimin's face was unreadable. "Long enough."

Fuck.

"Why are you here, Unnie?"

"I also had some errands with Professor Yang and read from the group chat that you were having lunch here."

Both Minjeong and Wonyoung didn't know what to do when Jimin's eyes flitted over the opened gallery on the younger girl's phone. Jimin then calmly pulled out a chair next to Minjeong and sat herself down. Sighing, she looked at Wonyoung.

"You were saying?"

Wonyoung's panicked eyes turned to Minjeong, asking her what to do. Minjeong herself was as clueless as her.

As the younger girl warily recounted her unexpected sighting of Jeno and the other woman, Minjeong sat still. She couldn't think of what Jimin must have been feeling right now. If Minjeong felt this livid, how about her best friend?

Her eyes glanced down at the diamond ring sitting on Jimin's left ring finger. It glinted as if it was mocking her. Minjeong was the one who picked it when she went to the store with Jeno and now she absolutely couldn't hate the thing even more.

She truly felt like throwing up.

Minjeong tried to read Jimin's face, but it wasn't possible. Her best friend's face had locked up in a way she had never seen before. Her attitude was too composed for this situation that it got Minjeong worried instead.

The table was silent as Jimin slowly swiped through the media on Wonyoung's phone. Then, she handed it back to the girl. "Please send it all to me," she said before taking Wonyoung's hand. "Thank you," her whisper was low.

Wonyoung's face looked disheartened as Jimin now turned to Minjeong for the first time. The raven took a deep breath and stared right at Minjeong. "Minjeongie," she smiled, but her eyes had no light. "Can you come with me? Please?"

Her best friend didn't even need to ask.

Minjeong would do anything for her right now.

The drive to Jimin and Jeno's apartment was tense with silence. Minjeong initially asked Jimin whether she was in any condition to drive, but the raven wasn't in the mood to take anymore unnecessary question.

Stepping inside the place, Minjeong realized it was her first time coming here ever since Jimin moved in with the boy. From the corner of her eye, Jimin went inside a room she assumed was her bedroom. There, she watched as her best friend robotically opened an empty suitcase and fill it with as much clothes as she could from the closet.

Minjeong only stood without a word. Her heart felt heavy. She wished for a sign, just a glimpse of whatever her best friend was actually feeling right now. Jimin was holding it together inhumanely and Minjeong grieved for her.

Looking at the darkening sky outside the window, she saw it was already evening. How long had they been here?

Where was the damn bastard? 

As if her thoughts were heard by the gods above, the front door clicked opened.

A male voice filtered through. He must have thought the apartment was empty as Jimin and Minjeong didn't bother to turn any lights on beside the dim night lamp in the bedroom.

"Baby, I told you I'm still busy right now," Jeno spoke, probably with a phone in his ear. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Minjeong's fists clenched as she saw Jimin froze for a second before quietly zipping her suitcase closed. Footsteps approached their room as a male figure emerged through the door.

"Jimin?" The lights in the bedroom turned on as Jeno switched it on. "Sweetheart?"

Jimin continued to stand facing the other way. Jeno's eyes noticed Minjeong standing in the other corner.

"Minjeong-ah? What are you doing here?" He then noticed the suitcase beside Jimin. "Sweetheart, are you going somewhere? Are you girls having a trip?"

The raven turned around and walked the few steps toward Jeno. The bastard was sporting an easy smile as his hands were ready to pull Jimin closer when the raven shoved her phone to his chest instead. Surprised, he saw what was on the phone screen.

Then his smile fell.

He frantically looked up to the icy expression resting on Jimin's face. "Sweetheart, this was-"

"Explain," Jimin's voice was cold.

"I-" Jeno had the audacity to look accused here. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly to no sound. When he seemed to finally have the courage, he started to speak. "Sweetheart, it was one time. I was drunk, I couldn't even remember doing this," he gestured to the pictures on Jimin's phone.

Jimin only continued to stare at the pathetic excuse of a man. 

"Sweetheart, I swear I don't remember anything, I was only out with the guys then," he said, stepping forward to pull Jimin into his arms.

The raven stepped backwards, away from the boy's reach. "When was this?"

Jeno furrowed his eyebrows, pretending to look again at the picture, as if it was going to magically provide a brilliant excuse for him. "Last... Saturday?"

Minjeong quietly racked her brain. Last Saturday? Jimin was sleeping over at her apartment with the girls.

This bastard.

"Is this what you did every time I was out for the night somewhere else? When I was on my night shifts?"

The boy slowly shook her head, being as convincing as a thief caught red-handed.

Jimin scoffed instead. "How long has this been going on?"

"Sweetheart, I told you it was only one-"

"Don't you dare call me that again. I'm asking you once again. How long. Has this. Been. Going. On?"

Minjeong couldn't see her best friend's face right now, but that was the closest to an ounce of emotion she had seen coming out from the girl. Listening to Jimin's question, she thought back to Jeno's earlier phone conversation.

Something rang a bell in her mind.

Suddenly her memory took her to the time she went to the jewelry store with the boy last year. She remembered he had been on the phone with someone he called "baby". She assumed it was Jimin.

Apparently not.

This son of a bitch.

It had been going on for that long? Was he seriously shopping for engagement ring as he was on the phone with his side chick? Minjeong's face turned to look at the boy in horror. She truly couldn't recognize him anymore.

With the boy going mute, Jimin sighed. She raised her right hand and started to fiddle with the ring on her left hand. That seemed to wake Jeno up.

"Jimin-ah, no," Jeno stepped forward and held her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I said I'm sorry. Why are you doing this?"

Jimin looked up at the boy in disbelief. It only made her shake her head as she took the ring out of her finger and threw it at the boy.

"Jimin-ah, come on. We're perfect for each other."

The raven chuckled darkly as she looked down. "I'm sick of hearing that."

"I mean, ask everyone. I'm the perfect man for you. Who else are you gonna be with?"

Anything that came out of the boy's mouth was getting more ridiculous by the minute and Minjeong was sure Jimin thought similarly. "Jeno-yah. I'll ask you for once. Why do you think you're perfect for me?"

The bastard scoffed.

Scoffed.

"I mean, I love you! Whatever love means! And our families think we're great for each other. Jimin-ah, we're literally marrying each other."

Jimin turned back and grabbed her suitcase. Minjeong sensed the girl already wanted to leave and stepped forward too.

Jeno grabbed Jimin's arm. "Jimin-ah. Seriously, think for once." This piece of shit. "What would our parents say? What would people say?"

Shaking her arm off Jeno's grip, Jimin started to walk out the bedroom. Minjeong was already on the door by then.

The bastard didn't know when to shut up. "Jimin-ah, please. What would you be without me?"

That made Minjeong froze in her steps.

"Everyone knows you're hot and the sex is great, but, I mean, that's it," the bastard had the audacity to fucking shrug. "You're only going to be complete with me, being my partner. My wife."

The second she saw Jimin's shoulders slumped, Minjeong strode across the room in exactly three wide steps and swung her fist to punch the bastard square in the jaw. Her whole body was shaking with contained anger as she watched him stumbling down, groaning in pain. All she saw was red at this point.

Grabbing Jimin's hand by the wrist and taking her suitcase, she led them out of the apartment. They were only a few meters from the unit when the bastard apparently still didn't know when to shut up.

"What about her, huh?" He shouted in the hallway.

Minjeong could feel the way Jimin's whole body stiffened.

"Don't think I didn't know about-"

His sentence were cut off as Jimin had already walked back to his direction and slapped the life out of him on the same cheek.

Jimin's frame was trembling for the first time. "Don't you dare bring her into this. This was all your fault and I regret every single second I wasted being with you. You are a failure and I dodged a hell of a bullet by not marrying you."

The raven was still composed as they drove to Minjeong's apartment. Not a single tear, not a raised voice.

Despite still fuming, the adrenaline in Minjeong's body were starting to wear off and her right fist was finally aching. She could see her knuckles were red and starting to swell.

As soon as they entered the apartment, Minjeong rolled Jimin's suitcase to the spare room they never used as Aeri and Yizhuo slept together in one and Minjeong slept in another. She went out to see Jimin sitting on the floor, her back leaning on the couch.

Wanting to give her some space, Minjeong walked into the kitchen area and brew her usual tea. Then without making any noise, she approached Jimin and sat down on the floor beside her. She handed a mug to Jimin and was relieved to see the girl sipping on the drink.

"Where's Aeri and Yizhuo?" Jimin asked lowly.

"They're still out after Aeri-unnie's interview for law school."

The raven hummed. "That was today?"

"Yeah."

They continued to sip the tea in silence until it was broken by Jimin.

"Minjeongie."

The younger girl turned to look at the raven.

For the first time in Minjeong's life, the older girl looked small. "Am I not enough?" Jimin whispered, staring back at Minjeong. Her brown eyes were filled with hurt and shame.

Inside, Minjeong wanted to drop on her knees and howl in agony. The girl she loved, someone larger than life, was reduced to only a shell of her former self.

Minjeong was twenty-four years old when she wanted to unalive a man for the first time in her life. She needed to torture the man for what he had done to the girl in front of her. She was horrified to realize how yesterday she was so ready to leave Jimin for a lifetime alone with that bastard.

"Unnie," Minjeong whispered back, desperate. She held Jimin's hands, trying to ground her.

Her chest felt even more pain when she saw the silent tears down Jimin's face. "Is that really all I have been? A pretty face? A trophy?" 

Minjeong shook her head, trying to ignore the constrict in her own throat. She had to be strong for Jimin right now. "No, gosh, no. Unnie, you're everything good in this world. You're one of the most brilliant person I've ever met in my life."

The corner of Jimin's lips lifted as she broke their stare. "Then why? Why am I still not enough?" She started to choke up.

"Unnie," Minjeong's whole face dropped in despair as she pulled the love of her life into her arms. It was getting harder to breath as her chest tightened when Jimin cried into her shoulder.

She couldn't even whisper any soothing words as she wasn't sure what to do. Jimin had changed tonight into someone she barely could recognize and Minjeong felt like she had to treat her with the utmost care.

It scared her. What if she lost her tonight?

Jimin's tears didn't subside for as long as she could remember. They both stayed seated on the floor, their tea had long been cold. Minjeong continued to run her hand through Jimin's hair, dying to be a source of comfort.

After what felt like forever, Jimin pulled away. She took Minjeong's hand, but it was apparently so injured that Minjeong hissed in reflex.

The raven's eyes widened as she saw the state of Minjeong's knuckles. "Do you have any ice?" Minjeong shook her head. "Any topical painkiller?"

"It's in my room."

Going inside her bedroom, Minjeong sat down on the bed as she watched the raven scanned through the cabinet. Taking out a tube of cream, she joined Minjeong.

Jimin's hands were gentle as she held Minjeong's injured one and applied the cream. She looked up when Minjeong hissed once again. "Sorry," she whispered. "You really didn't have to do that back there."

Minjeong looked her in the eyes. "I wanted to."

The raven just sighed. Her eyes then went to the suitcase beside Minjeong's door. "Is that for the exchange?"

Following her line of sight, Minjeong only then got reminded of her imminent departure. She nodded despite not even wanting to go anymore. She wanted, needed to be here for Jimin. There was no way she could leave her in this state.

As if she could know exactly what Minjeong was thinking, Jimin sternly looked at Minjeong. "No. You will go."

"Unnie-"

"No, Minjeongie. You're going."

Minjeong sighed and dropped her head.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be fine," Jimin gave her a watery smile. "I still have the girls here with me. You've been my lifeline through all this. You've done more than I could ever needed. Please go."

Staring into the brown eyes she loved more than her own life, Minjeong could only relent. 

Stepping out of the huge hospital, Minjeong zipped up her jacket. It was mid-December but the weather in California reminded her of the fall in Seoul. It had been one and a half weeks full of seeing her dream specialty up close. She was able to get insights and compare everything with how it was done back home in South Korea.

She was now traveling even further around the world, another step closer to her dream. And yet, her chest felt hollow. A huge chunk of her soul empty.

Half of her mind was constantly back home. Last night, she received a message from Yizhuo informing Jimin's move into their apartment. With the engagement officially canceled, Jeno had sent everything Jimin possessed in boxes as the raven spent her time isolated in her family home.

Her family was enraged when they found out the reason of the breakup from Jimin. The rest of the girls were ready to actually plan a murder for the boy. When it was time for Minjeong's departure, everyone was there at the airport, except Jimin. Her parents even took the morning train from Busan to see her off.

Now in a whole different continent, with time difference, Minjeong would sometimes get her updates from the girls during ungodly hours as the raven was taking her time off social media. Good for her, though. Rest was everything Jimin deserved.

Arriving at her room in the in-campus housing, she immediately took a shower, wanting to be as clean as possible. She laid down on the bed afterwards, taking out her phone to check her messages.

Minjeong then noticed a message from someone she didn't recognize.

Joohyun [17:30]:
Minjeong-ah?

Minjeong [17:45]:
Who's this?

She was about to tap and zoom in the profile picture when another message appeared.

Joohyun [17:47]:
It's Joohyun
Jimin's unnie?
We met at her birthday dinner a few years ago

Minjeong [17:47]:
Oh, Unnie
Yes, I remember
How did you get my number?

Joohyun unnie [17:47]:
Sorry, I asked Jimin since I heard you're coming to the States
I hope you don't mind

Minjeong [17:48]:
No, not at all, Unnie
Can I help you with anything?

Joohyun unnie [17:50]:
I'm also in the States right now
Since tomorrow is the weekend, do you have any time to spare?
I'd like for us to meet over lunch or dinner, maybe?

Minjeong [17:51]:
Sure, Unnie
I don't have anything going on over the weekend
But I'm in California right now
Where are you?

Joohyun unnie [17:52]:
Well, I'm currently in New York for business until tonight

Minjeong [17:53]:
Unnie, seriously
We're still thousands of miles apart

Joohyun unnie [17:55]:
Don't worry, nothing I couldn't handle
So, lunch or dinner?

Fast forward the next night, Minjeong found herself entering the fancy steakhouse near her hospital. As she mentioned Joohyun's name for the reservation, she was led into a table for two. It was located in a more secluded area from the rest, giving privacy. There, a woman was already sitting in one of the seats.

"Joohyun-unnie," Minjeong bowed in greeting.

The woman's eyes lit up and stood up to hug Minjeong. "Minjeong-ah, come sit."

After they ordered from the menu and the waitress had left, Joohyun smiled warmly at Minjeong. The woman was as stunning as Minjeong remembered. Her black hair reminded her so much of Jimin.

"Unnie, are you alone here?"

Joohyun nodded. "Well, I have my assistant with me but she's in the hotel right now. Appa and Eomma were still staying back home. You know, trying to be there for Jimin as much as they could so I'm handling things by myself for a while."

Minjeong remembered hearing the same thing from her friends' updates before. "Yeah. It must have helped Jimin-unnie a lot."

The woman sighed as she shook her head. "I still couldn't believe it. Which is why I'm asking to see you right now. I heard you were the one who was there with her throughout the whole thing. Jimin still wouldn't tell us much, but I'm still dying to know how damaging it was to my little sister."

After contemplating for a while, she told everything she saw and knew that day. As the story progressed, she could see Joohyun starting to tremble. By the time she finished, the woman carelessly dropped her knife and fork, the clanging sounds echoing through the room.

Leaning back on her seat, Minjeong could see Joohyun trying to hold her tears back as she took a huge gulp of the red wine. Her whole face was red, her fists clenched.

Minjeong just sat there in silence as she watched the woman taking it all in.

When she saw a tear slipping down Joohyun's cheek, she quickly snatched a tissue and handed it to the her. Joohyun continued to cry silently as Minjeong stayed still.

"That bastard," the woman's voice was shaking. "How dare he hurt my sister like that," she continued to dab her tears with the tissue. "Ugh, I knew from the start he wasn't the one. He seemed to care more about how those roses made him look. Jimin didn't even like roses, for heaven's sake."

That was new information for Minjeong.

The woman in front of her finally calmed down. She sighed, as if grieving for lost time. "And here I thought she was going to end up with you."

That made Minjeong's brain malfunction.

She looked up at the older woman. "Huh?"

"I mean, I remember buying extra tickets for one of those university festivals thinking she was going to watch her favorite group with you," Joohyun sighed as she held her head with her hand. "What went wrong?"

What?

The topic of the conversations shifted into everything they could think of. Joohyun asked her about med school so far and her exchange program. Minjeong would subtly tell her about how Jimin had been doing. However, her mind stubbornly refused to let go of Joohyun's previous words.

Were Jimin and her ever considered as an option? It was definitely considered by Joohyun, of all people.

But how? Jimin had basically been claimed by Jeno for as long as Minjeong knew her. Was there a whole other world she didn't know of?

That night, Minjeong tossed and turned as she tried to retrace everything she had been through with the raven.

It had been four weeks. Minjeong was supposed to go back home this weekend and she still haven't heard anything directly from her best friend. She laughed as it was already another NYE. She chose to spend her time locked in her room, isolated from everyone. The past celebrations had demanded her presence among crowds, but now she wanted to have a time to herself.

Would Jimin call her tonight? Wasn't it already late afternoon back home? She saw the new year messages earlier in their group chat.

She turned on her iPad to look for countdown livestreams. People around her were actually going out the balconies and forming a crowd down the lawns to watch the fireworks. She might also look out the balcony or she might not.

Was Jimin feeling okay? How had she been holding up?

During these lonely times, minutes to her birthday, she always thought of Jimin ever since the first time the raven texted her right at midnight a few years ago. Jimin made her feel seen and cared of. Ever since then, it was an unspoken tradition for them to talk over the phone the first minute Minjeong turned a year older. 

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Fireworks. Cheers. Horns.

Minjeong heard everything happening outside her room, but nothing coming from her phone.

She stared blankly at the wall and sighed in disappointment. She was about to turn off the light when her phone rang.

Reaching for it at a speed of light, she looked at her screen.

"Unnie," she sighed a breath of relief.

"Minjeongie," Jimin's voice was soft coming through the phone. Minjeong lied down again on her back. "Happy birthday."

"Unnie," Minjeong whispered. "How are you?"

"I've been better. I miss you."

Minjeong's heart skipped a beat at that. "I miss you too."

"I'm sorry I haven't been texting you."

"Unnie, it's okay. You're still talking to me right now."

"How's the States?"

"It's alright," Minjeong answered vaguely. Not really in the mood to talk about the country right now. "I miss you," she repeated Jimin's response earlier.

She smiled as she heard the sound of Jimin's low giggles. "I miss you too."

"How's the girls? Isn't it noon there?"

"Yeah, it's 4 PM right now. We're doing pretty okay. Would be better if our genius Minjeongie were here with us, though."

"I'll be back this weekend."

"Yeah. I'm coming to pick you up," the raven sounded determined. The thought of coming back home after a month and seeing Jimin picking her up made Minjeong blush.

"Okay," Minjeong cleared her throat. "How's the studying?"

Jimin sighed. "Well, I'm trying my best here."

"Can't believe it's less than a month from now."

"Yeah. Minjeongie?"

"Hm?"

 Jimin's voice was timid. "Can I- Can we study together again like before?"

Minjeong sat up and leaned on the headboard. "Of course, Unnie."

"It's just... I feel like we haven't been really spending time together again with... him being there back then."

The younger girl was holding on to every word the raven was trying to say. "Yeah."

"And I miss studying in the library with you."

Minjeong choked up, her head fell down. She hoped Jimin couldn't hear her over the phone. At that moment, she got reminded of how much time they had lost. Time they should have been spending together. 

She nodded to herself. "Yeah, Unnie. I promise we'll cram together in the library as soon as I get back. Be prepared," she tried to hide her shaky voice with a chuckle.

She heard Jimin exhaling a breath. "And I've been making these flashcards, too. You used to make them and I found them really helpful so I've also been making some. Maybe I could share them with you? If it would still help."

The younger girl only felt worse as she remembered the way she stopped sharing her flashcards with Jimin back then. "Yes, Unnie, please send them to me. We'll review it together after I got back, okay? I promise."

Jimin wasn't responding for a second before she voiced out her worry. "Do you think I'll make it?"

"What? Passing the written exam? Of course, you will, Unnie. We will. I'm sure of that."

"I'm sure if you're sure, then. Come back home soon, Minjeongie," Jimin's voice got quieter. "I really miss you."

Sighing at her hands, Minjeong promised the only thing she could. "As soon as I get back home, I'm all yours, Unnie. I promise."

And Minjeong meant it.

This time, she was going to love Jimin the right way.

Chapter Text

Incheon International Airport was the most crowded Minjeong had ever seen since it was still around peak season right after the new year. Minjeong tried to fight off the yawn threatening to slip out of her as she stood waiting for her suitcase at the baggage claim.

After making sure she got everything, she rolled her luggage towards the exit and squinted at the sunlight as she stepped outside. She took out her phone to send a text to Jimin when someone was yelling her name.

"Kim Minjeong!"

Her body jumped as she tried to locate the source of the sound. She was only processing the ecstatic face of Yizhuo when she realized the girl was speed running in her direction. Screeching with her arms flapping and all.

When her roommate's whole body came into contact with hers, she let out an oomph as her arms instinctively responded to the bear hug. She laughed at Yizhuo's antics, swaying their bodies left and right.

"You were gone for too long," Yizhuo whined. "I was starting to miss you."

Minjeong pulled away to raise an eyebrow at her roommate. "Aw, I missed you too. Didn't know I was that worth missing."

"We all miss you. Right, Unnie?" Yizhuo turned the other way around. Only then Minjeong saw there was another person behind her roommate the whole time.

Jimin's eyes crinkled as she smiled fondly at Minjeong. "Hi."

"Hi," Minjeong whispered back, breathless at the sight of the one she yearned to see the most.

The raven just opened her arms wordlessly as Minjeong immediately sank into her chest. "I missed you," Jimin's voice was low and muffled by Minjeong's hair.

The younger girl just nodded, sighing as she finally felt at home.

During the drive to the apartment, Minjeong discreetly took quick glances at Jimin from the passenger seat. The raven still looked as beautiful as Minjeong remembered despite the dark circles under her eyes that were becoming more prominent now. It was probably due to the increased all-nighter Jimin took in preparation for KMLE.

Minjeong had always shown her disapproval on that particular habit of Jimin's and would remind the older girl to at least take a few hours of sleep in between. However, Jimin would always think of sleep as wasting the time she could be using to study more. She would always say how she hadn't studied enough, how she hadn't read enough. With Minjeong out of the country the past month, she suspected the raven had been doing that exact thing without someone to nag her.

Well, guess what. Minjeong was here now. She was going to make sure Jimin got adequate rest every night. Especially after she came to realize how they were now roommates with Aeri and Yizhuo.

She was going to live with Jimin under the same roof. For how long, she didn't know.

Minjeong watched the streets passed by as she wondered how things would unravel going forward. She then took in the familiar appearance of the convenience store near their place as the car came to a stop.

Jimin looked at the other two. "I'm going to grab a few things. Do you also wanna come take a look or stay here?"

"I need to buy some things for Aeri-unnie," Yizhuo said, getting out of the car.

The raven turned to Minjeong. "Get some rest here, Minjeongie, leave the air con on. Do you need anything?" Seeing the younger girl shook her head, Jimin smiled before getting out. "Okay, I'll be quick."

With her sunglasses on, Minjeong closed her eyes again as she felt the jet lag starting to get to her. She leaned back on her seat for a few minutes before her friends came back.

Jimin then ruffled through her plastic bag before she took out a familiar packet and hand it to Minjeong.

"Here," she smirked, handing her favorite chocolate biscuit snack. "Welcome home."

Minjeong chuckled, taking the packet, opening it and splitting the snack into two. "Thanks," she smiled as she fed the other half to Jimin who took it happily. Minjeong wasn't aware of a crumb at the corner of her lips when the older girl swiftly wiped it away with her thumb, causing Minjeong to hiccup all of a sudden.

A sigh was heard from the back seat. "I'm seriously gonna have diabetes from watching you two," Yizhuo muttered. "Yeah, yeah, you both missed each other. Now hurry back home so Minjeong can rest," she rolled her eyes, tapping on Jimin's seat.

Jimin cleared her throat, the tip of her ears getting red, as she started the car and drove them all home.

The other two immediately helped moving Minjeong's luggage to the apartment. Still not in the condition to unpack the whole thing today, Minjeong took out her toiletries and showered instead.

After she was done, she saw Jimin in the living room still with her outdoor clothes. "Where's Aeri-unnie, by the way?"

"On a law conference in Thailand," Jimin said while turning off the TV and getting up.

"Oh," Minjeong now remembered reading about it from the group chat last week. "What are your plans for today?"

"We're studying in the library," Jimin answered, referring to the whole group. "You don't have to go now, it's okay."

The younger girl dropped her body over the couch next to a standing Jimin. "Ugh, I'm so sleepy right now."

Glancing at the clock saying it was just 9 AM, Jimin chuckled. "Yeah, I could tell." The girl took her bag and walked over to softly pat Minjeong's head. "I'm going now, call me if you need anything. Go sleep on your bed."

It might be the jet lag messing with her mind, but Minjeong was sure the older girl was full on baby talking to her right now. She hummed in response. When the apartment door closed, she took a minute to gather herself and sat up on the couch.

Minjeong then saw Yizhuo silently sipping tea in the kitchen counter from the corner of her eye. "Is this how it's gonna be from now on?"

Her roommate shook her head. "Go to sleep, Minjeong-ah. You need it."

Minjeong didn't see Jimin much during the next two days.

She took a nap after first arriving at the apartment, woke up, only to fall back asleep for a few more hours before feeling Yizhuo's hands shaking her shoulders. After having dinner together, she felt restless as she couldn't exactly fall asleep despite feeling tired.

Yawning repeatedly while pressing on the Anki cards opened in her laptop, she tried to be productive. She took another look at the clock and frowned as it was already 11 PM, but Jimin was yet to come home. She opened the group chat for any indication of where they might be, but it was silent since this morning.

Suddenly, she heard the clicking sound of the apartment door opening from her room. She could hear the muffled sounds of footsteps and another sound of a different door closing. Minjeong breathed a sigh of relief as she knew Jimin was finally home.

Her back hit the mattress as she stared at the ceiling, hoping for sleep to actually come. It took her a few more hours when she was finally dreaming away at dawn.

The next time she went wide awake, it was already lunch time and Yizhuo was eating chicken on the kitchen counter.

"Come here," her roommate waved her over. "You slept through breakfast."

"Where's Jimin-unnie?"

"Out with the others."

Minjeong sat on the stool and checked her phone. They were apparently studying together again at the library.

"Should I join them?"

Yizhuo snorted, handing the ketchup to Minjeong. "You're barely even here. Take your time."

"When's Aeri-unnie coming back?"

"Tomorrow night."

"How 'bout you?"

The girl smiled at Minjeong. "The preparation's doing well so far," she referred to the debut single she was preparing with her band from the past months.

Minjeong was glad to hear that. "Awesome."

They ate in silence for a while before Minjeong voiced out the thing she had been curious about ever since she went abroad last month.

"Yizhuo-yah," she paused as Yizhuo looked up at her. "How has she been holding up?"

Her roommate didn't answer immediately. "A lot better than anyone I would expect walking out of a failed engagement."

Minjeong didn't know what to make of that answer. Did that mean Jimin was fine? Is she now happy? Or is she faking it?

"Although," Yizhuo hesitated for a second. "I do think something has changed quite a bit."

Minjeong raised an eyebrow in question.

The girl only shrugged. "Or it could be just me, I don't know."

After finally having enough FOMO from the group chat, Minjeong gained the strength to join the study sessions on her third day back in South Korea. She was riding shotgun inside Jimin's car on their way to the campus' library.

"Unnie, what time did you arrive home last night?"

The raven stifled a yawn with her hand. "Uh, twelve?"

"And what time did you actually sleep?"

Taking a quick look at Minjeong, Jimin paused before answering. "I don't remember."

The younger girl internally sighed. Jimin had spent more than half of her days in the library to study with the group only to continue alone in the confines of her room for hours. Minjeong had always regarded the raven as one of the people who worked the hardest, but she didn't know what got Jimin so worried. She feared her best friend would drop limp before she could even get to do KMLE after neglecting this much rest.

Minjeong shook her head. "You're getting a minimum of five hours of sleep from now on until the test is over, Yu Jimin."

Jimin turned her head at the sound of her full name. "Minjeongie."

"I don't care. You need the rest, Unnie."

The raven sighed as she parked the car. "I don't- It's not enough, Minjeongie. I'm," she took another breath in between. "I'm still far behind."

Minjeong frowned hearing that. Jimin had never been far behind. In fact, she had always passed through everything with flying colors. She had been doing more than enough. "Okay, but you're never gonna digest anything if you're not resting enough."

"But what if I just waste any more time?"

"No," Minjeong said exasperatedly. "We'll review everything together, okay? Whenever you want to, as long as it's not the time to sleep," she squeezed Jimin's hand.

Jimin's hand squeezed back, her smile not reaching her eyes as they both got out of the car and walked into the library.

The day marked the start of the relentless grind Minjeong and the girls did up to the written test. There would be days when they were so fed up doing questions that they would run out of the library and cancel the rest of the day to take impromptu picnics in the park. Or when they would raid Minjeong's apartment instead and sleepover for a movie night.

These are the times Minjeong never wanted to take for granted. She had never expected to find company in the form of these kind and beautiful souls, but she was very grateful for them right now. Minjeong expected this process to be the loneliest she would ever have to go through if it weren't for them.

She chuckled as she saw Yujin sleeping with her head facing upwards, her mouth open and her limbs spread across her living room couch. Lia, not even the slightest aware of Yujin's hand on her face, continued to snuggle furhter into the throw pillows. The movie had long finished, the lights dim. Minjeong herself had fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of the movie and woke up with her head on Sumin's shoulders. 

Assuming Aeri and Yizhuo already went back to their room, she tried to look for Jimin who wasn't here. Based on the light seeping under her door, she knew Jimin wasn't asleep yet. Minjeong sighed as she grabbed her phone and saw it was well past midnight.

Tiptoeing to the older girl's door, she knocked on it softly, not wanting to wake the others up. A scraping sound from a chair inside was heard before the door opened, revealing Jimin with a messy bun, her stray hairs loosening around the nape. Minjeong's chest tightened as she saw Jimin looking too exhausted for her own good.

"Unnie," she looked up at her best friend.

"Minjeongie?" Jimin scratched her neck, surprised to see the younger girl being up this late.

"I saw your light's still on."

"Oh, yeah. I'm just reviewing some things," Jimin walked back to her room, opening her door further, a subtle invitation for Minjeong to come take a look at her desk.

"Unnie, it's past midnight."

The raven sat down on her chair, ready to continue studying. "Yeah, but I-"

Her sentence was cut off when Minjeong crept up behind her, dropping her chin on one of Jimin's shoulders. Minjeong had never been the one to boldly show her affection, especially with Jimin being with another person for a very long time, but tonight she craved for the raven's warmth.

Clearing her throat, Jimin picked up her pen again. "It's less then a week from now, Minjeongie. I'm- I'm still too stupid to take all of these in," she chuckled darkly.

Minjeong frowned. She didn't know where this whole stupid thing had come from and when it had started, but stupid, Jimin was not. Never. Suddenly she also got reminded of how Jimin would laugh and say something along the lines of "sorry, stupid question" every time she asked something lately. Minjeong did not like that one bit.

"Unnie, you're not stupid. You're, like, super smart, actually."

Jimin sighed and Minjeong knew this wasn't something they could resolve tonight. "Unnie, I'm sleepy," she whined lowly, leaning her head to Jimin's.

"Then go to sleep," the older girl cooed.

"I wanna sleep with you, though," Minjeong pouted. "Can I sleep here?"

Jimin's head dropped into her arms on the desk. Then she suddenly stood up and pulled Minjeong to slip into bed with her. The younger girl immediately clung to Jimin's body and snuggled as close as she could.

"Catch some sleep, Unnie. We'll continue again tomorrow," she murmured.

"You mean today," Jimin giggled.

Minjeong rolled her eyes in the dark. "Yeah. Night, Unnie."

The raven sighed into Minjeong's hair. "Good night, Minjeongie. I'm glad you're here."

And Minjeong fell asleep, into a dream where Jimin would worry less about everything in this world.

The campus lawn was bustling with energy as people started to walk out of the hall after the graduation ceremony. Minjeong held her cap in one hand while the other was linked tightly to her mother's. She then squealed as she ran to Aeri and Yizhuo who were waiting outside, making a trio hug.

They had all passed KMLE. Of course they had. Internship was starting in two weeks from now and Minjeong was on a roll.

"Yah, wear your cap, hurry," Yizhuo stood ready with her phone camera on. "Smile."

Minjeong posed for a few photos alone before pulling her parents beside her, Yizuo still committed to being her personal photographer. They finished when she saw her brother walking to her direction with a bouquet in hand.

"Oppa!" Minjeong ran to her brother who took her in his arms and spun her around a few times.

Setting his sister down, he teasingly pinched Minjeong's cheek, causing her to sulk playfully. "A doctor now, huh? Not bad, Jeong-ah." He chuckled once more at Minjeong's pout. "I'm proud of you."

Minjeong melted once again to her brother's hug before she saw a woman standing beside him.

The woman was smiling warmly at her, looking elegant in her smart suit. Her hair was straight brown, her eyes looked as if they could create actual sparkles out of them.

"Hi, you must be Minjeong. I'm Sana," she extended a hand once Minjeong let go of her brother. "Minsik has told me so much about you."

Minjeong smiled and shook her hand, bowing slightly. "I'm Minjeong. Nice to finally meet you. Can't say I've heard much about you, though," she threw a side eye at her brother, causing Sana to snicker at the two's dynamic.

"Nah, it's okay. We still have a lot of time. I just know we'll get along so well."

Well, who was Minjeong to deny this pretty woman who made her brother happy. She also introduced the woman to her roommates. Especially Aeri, who fell into a quick discussion with Sana about their respective hometowns in Japan.

Afterwards, they joined the rest of the girls who had been looking for them. In their graduation gowns and caps, they were grinning so wide to the multiple cameras raised by all their families. They didn't forget to take lots of pictures with Yizhuo and Aeri, too. 

Their families started to disperse and celebrate on their own, with Minjeong's looking for the restrooms before going back to the parking lot. She had just finished taking the last selfie with Sumin and was about to go back when someone gently grabbed her wrist.

"Minjeongie."

She turned back to meet the beautiful girl she had the honor to call her best friend. "Unnie," she smiled up at her.

Jimin closed their distance and engulfed Minjeong in an embrace by the waist. Minjeong could feel the raven's breath on the crook of her neck as she whispered. "Thank you."

Minjeong's hands held Jimin as they started rubbing circles on the girl's back. "We've done well, Unnie, and we're just starting." I can't wait to start another chapter with you.

Jimin nodded as they refused to let go of each other for what felt like forever. However, the serenity shattered when they heard the sound of a camera shutter.

Reluctantly pulling away from each other, they turned their heads to find Joohyun with her phone held up.

"It's okay, don't mind me. You're doing great, sweetie."

Jimin's hands only tightened their grip on Minjeong's waist. "Unnie," she exclaimed, surprised. "I didn't know you're here already."

"Yeah, sorry. My flight was delayed but I'm not that late, right?" The woman walked over to them both.

She gave them a side hug with how Jimin was still stubbornly clinging to Minjeong. "Congratulations, girls. Should I take a picture of the two of you now?"

Jimin nodded enthusiastically as her smile split her face into half, one of her arm still holding Minjeong's back. The younger girl could only smile shyly at the camera. 

"Beautiful," Joohyun commented once she swiped through the results. "I'll send them to you too, Minjeong-ah."

"Thanks, Unnie."

Surprised, Jimin looked between the two. "You guys text each other?"

Joohyun raised an eyebrow. "You gave her number to me."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you would actually use it."

"We met each other in the States."

"What?" Jimin's eyes widened as she looked at Minjeong who just shrugged.

"I thought you knew? Even they knew, right, Appa?" Joohyun turned to her parents. Turned out they had been silently watching the unsuspecting Jimin and Minjeong from the side.

"Appa!" Jimin gasped, her hands dropping from Minjeong's body. "Eomma!"

Jimin's parents walked over to the girls, with her mother immediately going up to Minjeong. The younger girl's eyes widened when Jimin's mother pulled her into yet another hug.

Minjeong didn't know a college graduation ceremony came with a lot of hugs.

When Jimin's mother pulled away, Minjeong was momentarily distracted by the uncanny similarities between her and Jimin. "Kim Minjeong, right?" The girl nodded quietly. "Come visit our house whenever you have time, I'm quite at my leisure right now. I need someone to practice my cooking skills on. Right, honey?"

Jimin's father appeared beside her and shook Minjeong's hand sternly. "Congratulations, Minjeong-ssi, for graduating with top honors. Yes, do come visit with Jimin some time."

Not sure how to respond to the family's welcome, she smiled with a promise to visit in the future. What she failed to notice was the crimson flush across Jimin's neck, up to her face and ears, much to Joohyun's entertainment.

Two weekends later, Minjeong was having chicken and beer with her three roommates in the living room. They would be starting their internship in the following Monday and they wanted to relax for the last time.

They were talking about the funny quotes in the graduation book when Minjeong mentioned how she hadn't gotten hers yet since she immediately went back home to Busan after the ceremony. Jimin then told her to just take hers from her study desk.

So Minjeong got up and went to the raven's room, immediately spotting the book on the desk. She was about to leave, not wanting to impose, but something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. Something that wasn't there before, based on her knowledge from prior sleepovers.

Her breath hitched as she quietly got closer to the night stand.

It was a picture of the two of them on graduation day, taken by Joohyun, framed beside Jimin's bed.

The walk to the on-call room was quiet, as it always was in this area of the hospital at night. Minjeong brushed her hair back and sighed. Her previous sleep had been disturbed by the ringing coming from her phone, notifying her of a patient from the psych ward having a sudden panic attack. Starting her internship rotation with psychiatry, she expected a calmer beginning before moving onto the heavier ones. Tonight had been an exception.

Entering the room once again, she turned off every lamp once she saw nobody else was there. She walked to the farthest bed from the door and climb to the top bunk, covering up until her head with the blanket. The rest of the night was uneventful, except for the occasional sounds of someone entering through the door. Even so, she was grateful none of them tried to turn on the light.

It was when voices of people conversing penetrated through Minjeong's dreams that she learned it was already morning.

"What are you in right now?" She heard a woman's voice.

"Surgery. It's my last day." The second one was soft, coming from someone Minjeong would always recognize in a heartbeat.

"Oh, who was your attending?"

"Professor Yang."

Minjeong didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she also wasn't sure whether she should let her presence be known by now. She certainly couldn't fall back to sleep anymore.

The other woman, who Minjeong still couldn't make out from the voice alone, tsked. "Well, that's a tough one."

Jimin only chuckled in response.

The stranger, though, was not finished. "But, of course, you'll be alright." There was a pause as Minjeong didn't hear a response from Jimin. "I mean, you're you."

From her bed on top, Minjeong froze under the covers, alarmed about where this conversation might be going as the woman continued.

"Everyone knows Professor Yang has a soft spot for pretty girls."

Minjeong's fists clenched as she realized what the woman was implying.

"Actually, I did the final evaluation with him already," Jimin's tone was hesitant.

"Really?" The woman gasped. "What's the final mark he gave you?"

It was silence before the raven answered quietly. "Ninety-five."

The other intern scoffed when Minjeong heard another voice. Apparently, there were more than two people under her bed right now. "Wow, that might be a record right there. It must be true then."

The woman from earlier chuckled. "You don't even have to study much, Jimin-ah. With a face like that, you're already set for life."

Minjeong then heard the other interns giggling out of the room while Jimin became silent.

How long had this been happening? Did this happen to her often?

She felt angry for Jimin as she knew how hard the raven had prepared for that final evaluation. Jimin always prepared for everything meticulously, regardless of the rotation and the professor. She would study silently with her head down, going the extra mile, simply because that was how everything was supposed to be. Every accomplishment Jimin had, Minjeong knew it was because of the raven's own diligence.

So how dare those interns discredit Jimin's hard work just because of how she looked?

Was it a crime to be beautiful? 

Was it so impossible to be beautiful and smart?

Minjeong was so in her head that she didn't register the sound of Jimin going out of the room. She hopped off her bed and took a shower before searching for the nearest coffee machine.

She was yawning to the sleeve of her white coat, waiting for her latte to come out. A hand suddenly gripped her shoulder, blinking her out of her haze.

"Hey," Yujin smiled at her. "Night shift yesterday?"

"Yeah," she took out her coffee and stepped away to let Yujin use the machine.

Minjeong was taking her time, knowing she still got around an hour until her daytime shift in the outpatient clinic. She solemnly cherish these quiet mornings with her daily dose of caffeine where she could reset herself before listening to dozens of tragic life stories from the incoming patients.

"Yujin-ah," she turned to her friend who hummed in response. "Didn't you get assigned under Professor Yang back then?" She referred to their previous rotations as a medical student.

Yujin groaned. "Ugh, yes. Why are you reminding me of this again?"

"Does he really have a soft spot for the prettier ones?"

"Hm," Yujin took a while to consider her question. "I heard that before, but honestly, I'm still not sure."

"How was your final case with him?"

"I bombed it," the girl chuckled, taking a sip of her americano. "Actually, he was just very critical, overall. Personality-wise, well... He's okay, I guess. As okay as an attending might be. Although I'm not sure about that rumor of him being not as harsh to those he found pretty."

They both walked to the open garden in the center of the hospital and sat on a bench.

"Why do you ask?" Yujin curiously looked at Minjeong.

"I heard something this morning," Minjeong answered before recounting what she heard in the on-call room earlier.

Her friend scoffed, seemingly as disturbed with what the other interns had said to Jimin. "Well, if that was the case, then why did Jihyun-sunbae get a 70 from him?" She mentioned their senior in med school, currently a resident in surgery, who had always been considered as one of the top "visuals" in their campus.

Yujin frowned as she continued. "I bombed mine too because I know I didn't prepare well at that time. Saying that to Jimin was simply wrong and tactless. She doesn't deserve that, especially since she was only starting to get better after Jeno." Her friend mentioned Jimin's ex who was currently away for his military enlistment.

Good riddance.

"Yujin-ah, what exactly happened after Jeno?"

"Girl, she was broken. It was like she felt worthless of herself. I think Jeno said something hurtful at that time, you should know better than me. But even after she moved in to your place and started hanging out with us again, it was like she lost her spark. In the years I've known her since high school, I've just never seen her so... insecure?" Yujin's voice trailed of as she shook her head.

Minjeong nodded along from the side. Her mind drifted to wonder about everything she might not know about her best friend this whole time.

"Yeah, Eomma. I'll call you again later once everything's settled, okay?"

Minjeong hung up her phone and sat on the living room couch. Jimin then walked in with a bowl of fruit and sat beside her.

They were watching a romcom movie together during one of those rare nights when they were both free from night shifts or anything else. Aeri and Yizhuo were currently out for a date night, so they had the apartment all to themselves.

The raven handed her a peeled slice of apple, just the way Minjeong liked it. "How's your mom doing?"

Minjeong's toes started wriggling as she tasted the sourness from the apple. "She's doing fine. So is my dad."

"How's the wedding preparation going?"

Minjeong found out earlier after graduation that her brother, Minsik, was apparently very serious about Sana when they informed her of their wedding plans for this summer. It was going to be an outdoor wedding in their hometown. Looking at the calendar, it was exactly one month from now.

"Eomma has been fussing about me bringing a plus one. Is she really forgetting that I'm a loveless intern who basically lives in the hospital right now?" Minjeong chuckled as she took another slice of apple.

Jimin took a grape for herself. "Do you have someone in mind, though?"

The younger girl shook her head, making a halfhearted effort to understand the plot of the movie playing in front of her.

"When's the wedding again?" Jimin grabbed her phone and started scrolling on it.

"June 8th," Minjeong had remembered it by now with the amount of time the date was brought up in her family's discussion. "It's a Saturday."

"Oh, I'm gonna be in derm at that time," Jimin casually mentioned. "I'll be flexible then."

A bit taken aback by what Jimin was hinting, Minjeong wordlessly looked at the raven.

Jimin continued scrolling through her calendar. "Yeah, dermatology in June. How about you? Would you be able to attend then?"

"Yeah, I'll be doing my cardiology rotation in IM. I mentioned this to Doctor Kim already and she gave me permission to swap the weekend shifts."

"Oh," the older girl returned her phone to the table. "Well, I think I can make myself available, too."

Minjeong's heart hammered as her mind already imagined Jimin being carefree, her hair swept by the wind at the beach back in Busan. Or Jimin meeting all of her family. Jimin in her family home. "Do you," Minjeong gulped. "Wanna go accompany me to the wedding, Unnie?"

The raven tried to suppress a smile as she shrugged. "Should I pack anything? Or are we just having a one-day trip?"

Trying not to look too excited herself at the thought of a weekend getaway with Jimin, Minjeong kept her cool. "Would you wanna stay the night? I mean, we can go to the beach the day after."

Jimin's smile was precious. "That would be nice, Minjeongie."

A week later, Minjeong found herself trying on different dresses in front of a merciless Aeri who was the only one available to accompany her shopping.

"Not sure of the length," the older girl commented as Minjeong turned around in another dress.

Sighing, Minjeong dropped beside Aeri on the fitting room's sofa. "Unnie, it's my tenth dress already."

"Actually, we both know which one looks crazy good on you," Aeri referred to the flowy chiffon dress Minjeong tried earlier that was perfect on her figure.

"Yeah, but it's in white. I'm not wearing white to a wedding. Ever."

Aeri walked away to look around the racks of clothes as Minjeong changed back to her previous outfit.

"Hey, Minjeong-ah," she called Minjeong once the younger girl was finished. "How about suits?"

"Suits?"

"Yeah, like that one," Aeri pointed to a three-piece suit on a mannequin, colored in tan.

"Huh." The blazer was oversized to the tailored vest and linen trousers. Minjeong ran her hand through the fabric, liking the feel of it.

"What's Jimin wearing to the wedding?"

"Not sure. She mentioned something about a dress."

Aeri was already looking for the set in Minjeong's size. "Here, try it on. I'll look for other options and join you after."

After trying on different suits instead, they contemplated between the tan three-piece and a black leather blazer to pair with Minjeong's other clothes. In the end, they decided to go with the first option for a more formal look, but with Aeri emphasizing to Minjeong to not wear any shirt underneath the vest. She insisted it would add a bit of a chic and casual touch to match the outdoor summer wedding vibe. Minjeong made a mental note about it.

Driving in Aeri's car to pick Yizhuo up from the recording studio, they fell into a comfortable silence. The search for the perfect outfit had never felt this exhausting before, but the fact that Jimin would attend as her plus one might be a factor.

"So are you guys going by train?" Aeri broke the silence.

"Yeah, Friday night. We're going back on Sunday night."

"How do you feel about this?"

Minjeong felt happy she got to spend quality time with the raven in her own hometown. But what would it change? She was still the one helplessly in love with her best friend whose heart seemed to be extremely fragile right now.

She was glad to be close to Jimin, yes. But, she would also be spending time quietly longing for someone just within her reach.

"Am I crazy for this?" Minjeong looked at her friend. "Am I just torturing myself even more? For temporary comfort?"

Aeri didn't give her a response as she focused on driving. It prompted Minjeong to share something that had been weighing on her mind.

"You know, I met with Joohyun-unnie back in the States," she started. "She told me how she thought Jimin-unnie and I were going to end up together," Minjeong chuckled in disbelief.

Aeri still looked straight at the road, her expression serious. "And what does that tell you, Minjeong-ah?"

"It just doesn't make sense to me," Minjeong shook her head.

When the older girl spoke, her tone was even. "I'm trying not to overstep anything since I don't want to come between you and Jimin. But, since she's not with anyone anymore right now," she paused before continuing. "All I will say is that Jimin has always considered you, Minjeong-ah. In fact, she considered you first."

Minjeong's world was spinning as she tried to wrap her mind around what Aeri just said.

"But she chose to be with Jeno the whole time."

The recording studio came into view as Aeri parked the car. "I've said what I've said."

"I'm the one here who's been in love with her."

Aeri sighed as she opened her car door and turned around before getting out. "But does she know that, Minjeong-ah?"

Minjeong was then left to herself as the door closed.

The weeks leading up to the wedding went by with Aeri and Minjeong pretending their last conversation in the car didn't exist. Or it could be just Minjeong being in her own bubble, spiraling to herself about the millions of "what ifs." The lost opportunities. Time.

But what could she even do? What could she do now? She glanced at the raven sleeping on her shoulder as the cab entered her house residence.

Feeling the car came to a stop, Jimin opened her eyes and registered the two-story house outside. The raven then followed Minjeong to the front door after they took their luggage out of the cab.

Minjeong was about to knock when the door suddenly flew opened, revealing both of her parents with matching grins and warm eyes. "Minjeongie," her mother cooed.

"Eomma," she hugged her mother for a while before moving to her father. "Eomma, Appa, this is Jimin-unnie. You guys met her at the graduation, I believe?"

Jimin took a tentative step out of Minjeong's shadow as she bowed deeply. "Good evening, I'm Minjeong's friend, Yu Jimin. Sorry to disturb you so late at night."

"Aigoo, we're glad you two are here instead," Minjeong's mother pulled Jimin down for a hug before letting her go. "You must be sleepy right now. I've prepared the guest room for you. Minjeongie, please show her around."

The two went upstairs to set Jimin's stuff on the spare room. "Go rest now, Unnie. We're waking up early tomorrow. I'm afraid this house's gonna be a bit chaotic in the morning."

Jimin sat on the bed and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Minjeongie. Good night."

As expected, the house was alive even from 5 AM. Minjeong's father knocked on her door, calling her to have breakfast. Minjeong, not wanting to leave out Jimin, woke her up. They both ate rice and seaweed soup, with Minjeong's mother never stopping to put more side dishes on Jimin's plate. She fussed about having an early breakfast so they would have more time to get ready later. The two girls couldn't argue with that as they took in as much food they could digest this early in the morning.

Good thing Minsik and Sana were staying at the hotel venue since the day before.

Showering immediately after breakfast and finally getting ready, Minjeong slowly took out her suit from the garment bag. She wondered what Jimin would wear. They talked about it vaguely before, but then agreed to surprise each other at the day of the wedding.

Minjeong slipped on her heels and checked herself out in the mirror. She decided she liked what she saw. She loved the perfect blend of feeling feminine and powerful.

Would Jimin like it?

Stepping out of the room, she held her blazer in one hand as she went down the stairs in her vest and trousers.

"Beautiful, dear," her father complimented her before planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks, Appa. You look handsome, too," she grinned as she appreciated her old man in his favorite tux. "Have you seen Jimin-unnie?"

"Yes, she's outside near the car already."

"Okay," she squeezed her father's arm before walking out of the house.

There, she spotted Jimin with her long jet black hair, standing in a mid-length dress, admiring the clear sky. The raven must have heard the sound of Minjeong's footsteps because she turned around and gave Minjeong a smile with her dimples on full display. The one Minjeong was not immune to.

Minjeong forgot to breathe as she saw the beautiful sight in front of her. Jimin was in a dress with floral pattern, tailored to accentuate her perfect silhouette, complete with a bow tie detail at the front. She looked endearingly delicate and soft. Minjeong wanted to spend the rest of the day admiring and holding her instead.

"Unnie," she whispered as she took the steps in the raven's direction. Now standing in front of each other, Minjeong realized how she didn't have to tilt her head up to the older girl for the first time. Her 5-inch heels had given her the added height to currently be at eye level with Jimin. Thank goodness for the chunky heel, though. Minjeong couldn't imagine walking on the grass with a stiletto.

"Minjeongie," Jimin's voice was hoarse before she cleared her throat. "You look stunning."

Feeling a bit bashful from the compliment, Minjeong looked down. "You too, Unnie. I mean, you look breathtaking."

Minjeong was sure her reddening cheeks wasn't cooling down anytime soon, but then she looked up at Jimin and found the raven's neck beginning to warm too. 

Her thoughts briefly went back to her conversation with Aeri a few weeks ago. About how she might not be the only one having feelings for her best friend.

Huh. "Unnie, you're all red. Are you feeling hot already?" Minjeong tested the waters.

Unexpectedly, the flush on the older girl's neck spread up to her ears. Minjeong tilted her head, feeling a flicker of confidence all of a sudden.

The raven stammered, fanning her face, looking anywhere else but Minjeong. "Well, you're red, too." Minjeong chuckled, still searching for Jimin's eyes. "Why are you trying so hard to look at me?"

Minjeong's voice was gentle as she smiled tenderly. "I guess I just like seeing you." I love you. "Heaven forbid a girl appreciates her best friend's beauty."

Jimin rolled her eyes, trying to feign indifference as she linked their arms together and walked towards the car. But with the way Minjeong saw the corner of Jimin's lips lifting, she knew her best friend liked what she heard.

The wedding was a huge success. Sana was a gorgeous bride in her exquisite gown and Minsik looked dashing for once. Minjeong chuckled as she saw her brother spinning their poor mother around on the dance floor at the reception. She then scanned the venue to look for Jimin, but her search was paused when she saw her mother walking to her.

"Nice moves out there, Eomma," she gave a glass of water to her mother from the drink station.

The older woman took a huge gulp. "I'm never dancing with your brother again. I might have vertigo right now, Minjeong-ah," she huffed.

Minjeong laughed, her eyes continuing to look for her best friend. When she suddenly saw a glimpse of the raven, her gaze was instantly locked at her frame, surrounded by Minjeong's cousins.

"Is that her, Minjeongie?"

Her body froze and her heart raced before she turned to look at her mother. Then she gave a small nod before staring back at Jimin from afar.

Her mother followed her line of sight. "She's beautiful."

"She's everything," Minjeong said softly.

They stood there, sipping their drinks while watching the party unfold when Minjeong saw a man approached Jimin. Her brows furrowed even further when she saw Jimin's shoulders shake from laughing at whatever the man said.

"Eomma, I'll see you around," she said distractedly before walking up to the raven.

Sliding a hand on Jimin's back, Minjeong felt her best friend stiffened before relaxing once she realized who it was. "Sorry, mind if I steal her for a second?" She said to the man. She didn't wait for an answer before she pulled Jimin away. "Hey."

"Hey," the raven looked delighted to see her. A win for Minjeong.

"How are you holding up?"

"It's been great, actually. Everyone's being so nice."

"I'm glad," Minjeong smiled.

As time goes by

I still love you

Their stare was broken when they heard the first few lines of Yoon Mirae's As Time Goes By being sung by the wedding band singer. Jimin raised an eyebrow at the questionable song choice for such a joyful occasion.

The younger girl only snickered as she knew this must be Minsik's doing. "My brother secretly liked this song. It was his go-to break up song back then."

"'Ah," Jimin grinned.

Minjeong didn't know what had gotten over her, but she held a hand out to Jimin. "Wanna dance with me?" She waited with bated breath as the slow music played around them.

The raven's eyes blinked in surprise before she put her hand in Minjeong's. "I'd love to."

Leading the love of her life by the hand, they joined the newlyweds and the others slow dancing on the dance floor. She was pleased when Jimin linked her hands behind her neck as she placed hers on the raven's waist.

They gently swayed to the slow rhythm. This song might originally be her brother's favorite break up song, but Minjeong had also listened to it a few times whenever loving Jimin felt too suffocating back then. She tightened her grip on the older girl, not being able to look her in the eyes.

As time goes by

I'm afraid that everything about me in you

Will be a thing in the past

Yeah. This song took Minjeong way back to her lowest moments.

She quietly sang along to the song, her breath right next to Jimin's ear. "When I close my eyes, you always look so vivid."

Jimin pulled away for a moment and stared at her eyes.

Minjeong smiled shakily as she sang the rest of the chorus. "I'm really afraid that you'll disappear at any moment."

The older girl only embraced her closer in response.

That night after dinner, a knock sounded on Minjeong's door.

"Come in."

Jimin's head peeked inside from the opened door. "Can I come inside?"

"Unnie," Minjeong stood up from her bed. "Of course."

She awkwardly watched Jimin taking a look inside her childhood bedroom. She was mentally relieved that she kept everything tidy.

Jimin ran a hand through Minjeong's 2NE1 albums on the shelf. "A blackjack, huh?"

The younger girl smiled cheekily. "I promise you I never slandered SNSD in my life," she said as she remembered Jimin's love for the other girl group.

Giving Minjeong a side eye, Jimin giggled lowly as she continued to look around. After she was finished, she walked over to Minjeong's bed.

"Minjeongie."

"Hm?"

"Can I sleep here tonight? It's getting a bit lonely there in my room."

Minjeong nodded, already making space for Jimin. "The bed's quite small, though."

"It's okay," the raven settled closer to Minjeong under the covers. She turned off the night lamp as she whispered. "Can we still go to the beach tomorrow?"

"Yes, we still have plenty of time," Minjeong answered.

"Okay."

"Good night, Unnie," Minjeong said as she yawned. Her best friend nuzzled further into her neck.

When the sunlight from the window hit Minjeong's eyes the next morning, she didn't feel Jimin's weight on top of her anymore. There were faint sounds coming from downstairs.

Stepping into the living room, she saw Jimin sitting down beside her mother on the carpet. Now that she looked closer, she could see many photo albums opened in front of them.

"This was our Minjeongie with her favorite puppy toy back then," her mother pointed to a photo.

"Oh my gosh," Jimin gasped. "This one looks so cute. Can I take a picture of it, Eomeoni?"

Eomeoni?

"Yes, yes," Minjeong's mother laughed heartily.

"Eomma," the younger girl announced her presence.

The two women looked up at her. "Omo! Minjeongie? You're awake already?"

"Eomma, why are you showing Jimin-unnie my baby pictures?" Minjeong whined as she stood beside them.

"Why? What's wrong with that? Jimin here looks absolutely thrilled."

The raven was nodding along as she took another picture of baby Minjeong with her phone.

Their conversation was cut short when Minjeong's father called them from the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready, ladies."

Minjeong propped her hands at her hips as she watched the other two put back the albums. When Jimin turned to look at her, she burst out laughing.

"Oh my gosh, you're exactly standing like in that one picture."

Knowing which picture Jimin meant, she sighed as they walked to the dining table. "I'll kill you if that picture reaches the group chat."

The raven looked smug as she settled into her seat. "I know you won't."

"What are your plans for today?" Minjeong's father asked the girls.

"We're going to the beach," the younger girl answered while scooping a fried rice.

"Take my car then," her father offered.

"Don't forget to apply your sunscreen," her mother added.

And so Jimin drove them to the beach. They opened the car windows on their way there, already excited by the clear wind blowing their hair around. As soon as the car was parked, they ran to the sand and dropped their bags on one of the available beach lounges that come with umbrellas. It was a miracle they were able to get one on a Sunday morning.

"Do you wanna go for a swim, Unnie?"

The raven shook her head. "Maybe I'll just dip my feet in the water. You?"

"I'm not swimming either," Minjeong took off her outer shirt and left only a tank top on. "Wanna go to the water now?"

The two girls left their shoes under their lounge and walked to the shore. Minjeong felt the water slowly, but surely soaking her feet and the sand around her. She smiled at the sensation, breathing in the fresh air.

Minjeong turned to Jimin and felt her whole body slowing down. The raven seemed relaxed with no worry in her face. An incoming wave caused her to squeal as she tried to ran away with Minjeong.

The light coming from the sun made Jimin's face glow in a way Minjeong thought wasn't possible. When another gust of wind swept a few strands of the raven's hair, Minjeong unconsciously walked over and gently ran her hand through them. Brushing the strands behind Jimin's ears, Minjeong replied the smile on the girl's face with her own.

I love you.

Feeling startled by the unexpected rush of emotions flooding her mind right now, Minjeong blinked her eyes quickly and looked away. She then splashed water to Jimin.

"Minjeongie!" The raven gasped.

Minjeong only laughed even further when Jimin retaliated by splashing more water to her. They played for a little while, making sure they weren't too soaked.

When their stomachs started grumbling, Minjeong led Jimin to her favorite diner there. Ordering takeaway, they brought the cold noodles and grilled eels back to their lounge.

"Delicious?" Minjeong chuckled at Jimin's satisfied expression.

"The best."

After they felt full, Minjeong laid on the lounge, while Jimin sat with her knees pulled towards her chest. They fell into a state of calm as they watched the families playing along the shore.

She then heard Jimin's voice. "Thanks for bringing me here, Minjeongie."

"Thank you for being here with me, Unnie."

Jimin smiled as she sighed wistfully at the gentle waves. "It was a beautiful wedding."

Minjeong nodded in agreement. What she didn't expect was the next thing Jimin said.

"I can't believe I almost got into that position too."

Not expecting this turn in the conversation, Minjeong let her eyes wander to Jimin.

They never went near this topic ever since the break up happened. Sensing the older girl's intention to finally talk about it, Minjeong laid a supporting hand on Jimin's shoulder.

I'm all ears.

"This is going to sound so pretentious, but I've been aware of people saying I'm pretty my whole life. I've read it from the love confessions and letters I received ever since I was... nine?" Jimin started, her eyes shaded with gloom. "And when I finally liked someone back, I would agree to date them. But then over the time, I realized they never actually made an effort to get to know me. So I'd break up with them and try with another person. But the same thing would happen all over again."

Minjeong sat straight, her hand still on Jimin.

"They would tell me they were happy and proud being with me. But then I would still wonder what is it that they liked about me? So I stopped expecting anything altogether. I thought, ah, maybe that's how it's gonna be. Maybe someday I'll be with someone long enough to the point where I'll marry them. And if I'm lucky, maybe I'll even get to fall in love with them. I mean, a marriage out of love is a luxury, isn't it?" Jimin smiled without actual mirth. "I thought it would happen with Jeno."

That got Minjeong's full attention.

"He treated me so well, Minjeongie. Everybody, even you, said we looked perfect. What more could I need?" Jimin let out a breath, her eyes full of regret. "I thought maybe I'd learn to love him as time goes by. I just... never expected him to disrespect me in that way."

Minjeong's heart broke at the pained expression on Jimin's face. "Unnie..."

"It's okay, I'm over it," Jimin attempted to sound reassuring, but failed miserably. "I just thought- Even after all those years, I'm still not enough for him. He still chose to be with another person."

Minjeong was ready to comment, but she was cut off as Jimin wasn't finished yet. "Back then I always wondered to myself. Without all this," she referred to her face. "Would the one true self inside me ever be enough for someone?"

The raven then shook her head as she casted her eyes downward. "Turns out even with this appearance everybody talks about, I'm not."

"Unnie, that's not true." The younger girl was ready to argue with her, but everything she said fell on deaf ears.

"I thought it would just affect my pathetic love life. But everything I've accomplished, everything I've achieved would always be shadowed by this," Jimin grimaced at the thought of her own face. "I would always strive for perfection, but it still wouldn't feel enough. Would I still get to this point without having this face? Would I still be the club president back in college? Would I still have the same grade I received up until now?"

By this time, Minjeong couldn't keep quiet. "Unnie, you know everything you've gotten now is because of your own work."

But the raven only shook her head even more. "Minjeongie," she then looked at Minjeong. "What if actually I was just a percent undeserving of all these?"

The younger girl was at loss for words as she found this all ridiculous. Just what kind of world had Jimin been living in?

Minjeong held both of Jimin's shoulders and made the raven face her straight. "Yu Jimin, listen to me. Anyone would be lucky to know you. You're a kind person. You're gentle, attentive and you actually show that you care. You have this big, sefless heart," she sighed before continuing. "Not to mention how responsible you are. I stand by this when I say nobody, nobody, learn as hard as you do in our school. You deserve everything you have accomplished until now and I know every patient would be blessed to be treated by you in the future."

For the first time since they started this conversation, Jimin gave her a genuine smile. "See, this is why I've always liked you."

The raven didn't give Minjeong enough time to register what she had just said. "All those doubts would disappear when I'm with you. From the first time we met, I never felt like I have to be perfect in front of you. I could make mistakes and you would never treat me any differently. Not any better or worse. For someone so smart, you just see me as your equal."

Jimin held one of her hand. "And you actually know me, Minjeongie. You care to listen," her eyes starting to water.

Ignoring the ache in her chest, Minjeong tried to push down the lump in her own throat and wiped the tears sliding down the raven's cheek. "Unnie."

"It's just that," Jimin hiccupped as her tears continued to flow. "I know I'm still never gonna be enough. I'll never be enough for you when I'm still not enough for myself."

Looking at her favorite pair of brown eyes, Minjeong could see that the light was all gone. She knew nothing she said would change anything. No amount of love coming from Minjeong would ever replace the love Jimin needed from her own self.

This was Jimin's own battle.

And Minjeong would never force her feelings on her. Not when none of them was ready.

After Jimin had calmed down, they forced themselves to fit in a single lounge and laid down together, watching the sky starting to darken. Minjeong held Jimin as the older girl stroke her hair silently.

"You know, I used to spend summers on the beach in Jeju," Jimin shared.

"Jeju?"

"Yeah, my grandparents live there."

"Oh."

"I've been thinking of going there after internship ends."

Minjeong pulled away and looked up at her best friend. "You're not continuing your residency in Seoul?" You're going away?

The older girl's hand didn't stop playing with Minjeong's hair. "Well, I think I'll like it there. I could spend time with my grandparents, maybe volunteer here and there," she paused before looking back at Minjeong's eyes. "I could quietly deal with everything too."

The younger girl held her stare. "Is that what you want?"

Jimin nodded. "It might be what I need," she whispered softly.

Minjeong was once again heartbroken at the thought of not seeing Jimin anymore, but then she saw the resolve in the raven's eyes.

For once, she saw a purpose. 

And who was Minjeong to be in Jimin's way of saving herself?

Internship came and went.

Minjeong found herself at Gimpo. It was now another February and she was here with all of her friends.

"Stop crying, gosh," Sumin hissed at an emotional Lia.

Yujin snickered. "I know you're saying that because you don't want to cry yourself." Minjeong could see the girl was also holding back tears, trying to look strong.

Aeri came out from behind the car and helped rolled Jimin's suitcase.

They were all here to say goodbye to Jimin who was leaving for Jeju.

Indefinitely.

Minjeong felt a hand squeezing hers. Looking at her side, she found Yizhuo giving her a supporting smile.

"Yah, seriously, don't cry," Aeri laughed. "She's still gonna be in South Korea."

"Yeah, but when are we even gonna see each other again?" Lia cried. Sumin had also joined her by now.

It was a valid reaction. The rest were all starting residency. The first few years were going to be brutal. A time to go back to Minjeong's hometown would be a miracle, let alone a time to take a vacation to Jeju.

Taking a look at the girl she had loved this whole time, she thought maybe this was the right decision all along. She wouldn't want Jimin to continue suffering in silence while constantly pushing her own feelings and struggles to the side.

If this would make her happy, then Minjeong would be happy too.

"I promise I'll still keep in contact, you guys," Jimin tried to smile.

She hugged them one by one, taking a particularly long time with Aeri. When they let go of each other, Minjeong could see Aeri dabbing her own eyes a few times.

When Jimin was finally in front of her, Minjeong wrapped her arms tightly around the the raven's waist. She couldn't even shed a single tear. She didn't want Jimin to ever doubt this decision.

"I'll miss you, Minjeongie," the older girl murmured.

The younger girl nodded into Jimin's shoulder. Pulling away from the embrace, Jimin gave her one last smile before she waved to the whole group and walked inside with her luggage.

After a while, the whole group walked back to the parking lot, visibly upset. They said goodbye to each other as Minjeong and Yizhuo followed Aeri to her car. However, there was a nagging feeling inside Minjeong's heart, tellling her she had to do something more.

She was terrified with the thought of a life where Jimin might actually forget about her that she had to at least let her know of her feelings. Something they could both cling to.

Minjeong knew she was being selfish, but she couldn't help it anymore. She was just ready to use her heart as a leverage.

"Guys," she stopped in her tracks.

Aeri and Yizhuo looked back at her.

"I think I forgot something."

Yizhuo smiled understandingly. "Go to her, Minjeong-ah. Call us when you're done."

And so Minjeong ran.

She ran back inside to the departure gate and took the escalator to go to the second floor. Reaching the check-in hall, she desperately tried to look for Jimin through the counters and everywhere else, but to no avail.

Was she too late already?

Minjeong felt her eyes sting as she walked to the bench nearby. She simply didn't want to tell Jimin through the phone.

She was about to sit when someone turned her around.

"Minjeongie?"

Minjeong faced a confused Jimin, standing with all her luggage around her.

"It really is you. I thought I was imagining things. What are you still doing here?" Jimin's face was concerned as she looked at Minjeong's expression.

"Unnie," the younger girl tried to hold herself together. "I know why you're doing this. But I just want you to know that I'm here watching you walk away," she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Because I love you."

The older girl stilled before Minjeong saw her eyes widening in realization.

"So, please," Minjeong choked up as the tears finally escaped her eyes. "Please, take good care of yourself."

Minjeong was instantly pulled flushed to Jimin's body. Her hands weakly gripped at the raven's jacket.

Jimin's own confession was quiet as she whispered in Minjeong's ear. "I love you too, Minjeongie."

The younger girl sighed as she tightened her arms around Jimin once again. The raven then pulled away to cradle her face and wipe her tears. Minjeong could only lean further to the gentle hold.

"I'll be happy," Jimin promised her. "I'll be happy for us. So, please, try to be happy too."

Jimin kissed the crown of Minjeong's head before leaning their foreheads together.

"I'll never ask you to wait for me, my love. But know that I'm doing this because you inspire me to be better."

Minjeong nodded tearfully.

"I'll text you once I land. I promise," the raven smiled, stroking Minjeong's hair for the last time.

And when Minjeong eventually watched Jimin walk away from her, she felt secure.

At last, she felt assured of the path they were taking.

Chapter Text

Jimin unnie [09:06]:
Just landed

Minjeong [09:06]:
Okay

Jimin unnie [09:06]:
I love you

Minjeong [09:07]:
Take care, Unnie
I'll miss you

Jimin unnie [09:07]:
I love you

Minjeong [09:07]:
I love you, too
Don't be a stranger

Jimin unnie [09:07]:
I won't

It was easier said than done. Minjeong liked to believe their hearts remained unchanged. The world around them was just unforgiving.

As much as she had expected it, residency was a whole other level of busy. As a first-year cardiothoracic surgery resident, Minjeong practically lived in the hospital. Internship was nothing compared to whatever was going on in Minjeong's life right now.

Sometimes, Yizhuo or Aeri would drop by the hospital to bring her some homecooked meals. Whenever Minjeong actually came home to their apartment, she would only shower and drop dead on the bed before being wakened up by another call from the hospital.

During a rare time off one Saturday, she tried to hang out with her roommates. They were having barbeque outside, even planning to get a bit tipsy with a few bottles of soju. The plan went down the drain when Aeri and Yizhuo witnessed Minjeong dozing off while sitting straight with her hand still holding the tongs. They both fed her exactly four lettuce wraps before Yizhuo lent her shoulder for the girl to sleep on.

The others weren't any better. Yujin chose the chaos that was pediatrics, Lia drank the kool-aid and chose to be part of the ortho bros, while Sumin surprisingly chose to pursue ENT. All demanding specialties.

Jimin?

Minjeong had no idea how she was doing. Not today, not yesterday.

The only saving grace of all this was their group chat that was somehow still alive. They kept updating each other of their whereabouts, ranting to let off some steam whenever things got to unbearable. There would be unplanned lunches or dinners whenever any of them had the time. Aeri and Yizhuo being in the chat also gave them a taste of the world outside the sterile, thick walls of the hospital. It reminded them of a life outside there.

A life where their friends were also thriving. While Aeri finally started law school, Yizhuo's band recently got invited to perform at their first festival gig following their successful single release. Minjeong was more than happy to see the first friend she ever made in college getting closer to her dream. Unfortunately, Minjeong could only give her support through the phone when she had to miss the performance due to her demanding activities in the hospital.

Jimin also showered Yizhuo with praises in the group chat that night. A rare sighting of Minjeong's first love.

Those scarce updates of the raven were all she could cling to. The last time they had texted each other was when it was the older girl's birthday. Even then, Minjeong had to hold herself back from showing too much emotions. Somehow, she didn't want to burden Jimin any further with her feelings, afraid it would affect the raven's mind out there in Jeju.

With Jimin being set on finding her own happiness, Minjeong herself had to cope without her. The busy life of residency had taken first priority in Minjeong's mind, keeping it occupied for the time being. She got redirected to her own goals while also trying to live a life where she could be complete even without having the one she loved beside her. Or as complete as it could be.

Minjeong knew that complete life would be immensely better with Jimin in it. However, that wasn't the case right now and it might not even be in the future.

So Minjeong tried to be happy as well, just as she had promised to Jimin. She smiled more to the morning sun while sipping her usual latte. She laughed more freely with the other doctors. She tried to express herself more, as much as the situation would allow her to, not constantly pushing her own feelings aside for the sake of others.

She would bow in apology and keep her head down to learn from every mistake, then give herself a pat on the shoulder after a successful step forward. And when the patients she took care of expressed their gratitude, she got reminded of the purpose of this life she had chosen.

The purpose that would help her feel complete. As a person, a daughter, a friend, and a doctor.

That became the constant reminder hanging on Minjeong's mind as she barreled through this ruthless time. She was far from perfect, but she wasn't aimless anymore.

Even so, Minjeong was still painfully human. As unbreakable as her mind looked like right now, she couldn't deny a steady undercurrent situated beneath all these chaos. Whenever things got to overwhelming, when she finally had the quiet time to lay under the covers at night, that would be the time when she would silently crave for Jimin's warmth.

She had to accept that this longing wasn't something that could be removed. It was part of her being human. Her world could be buzzing, her mind stout, her life complete, but this desire was the one thing that was for her alone. It was the one thing that made her feel. Something beautiful, no matter how bittersweet it felt like.

The thought made her sigh as she wondered if Jimin was eating well somewhere out there.

"Doctor Kim," a man's voice sounded in front of her. Minjeong looked up in alert at Professor Chen. "My OR isn't a place for daydreamers. Get out of here if you're not going to be useful."

Minjeong's eyes widened as she bowed her head, clad in surgical cap. "Yes, Professor."

"Suction."

"Yes."

She immediately blinked away her thoughts and zeroed in on the organs in front of her for the rest of the hour.

Minjeong realized she was getting closer to the end of her first year of residency when she got a call from Jimin.

It was another New Year's Eve.

The year ended on a random Tuesday and Minjeong was busy assisting an emergency thoracotomy for a patient coming in with a stab wound to the chest just an hour prior. She might be a first-year, but she had sucked and dabbed the hell out of the bleeding they were trying to control. Her eyes were wide open despite the ungodly time showing on the clock, adrenaline still keeping her awake and functioning like it was morning.

"Ah, there it is, there it is," Wonwoo, the fifth-year resident and the chief, said to the rest after identifying the damaged vessel.

"Clamp it first," ordered Professor Chen who earlier drove to the hospital after being notified of the patient's condition. "Ligation."

They proceeded to repair the vessels, with Minjeong attentively committing everything into memory. She actively controlled the bleeding, making sure the visions of her more experienced seniors weren't obstructed by the blood.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw there was no more blood leaking from the area. The nurse looked at Doctor Yoon, their anesthesiologist, who gave a thumbs up in return. The patient was stable.

Professor Chen stepped away from the operating table, taking off his gown and gloves. "Close the rest for me."

"Yes, Professor. Thank you," Wonwoo responded, taking the professor's place around the table.

Before he exited the door, the senior cardiothoracic surgeon looked straight into Minjeong's eyes. "You, Doctor Kim." Minjeong straightened her back. "Pay attention and learn a lot from Doctor Jeon. It's not everyday we perform this for a penetrating wound injury."

"Yes, Professor," Minjeong bowed, seeing him walk away from the OR.

She knew it was a privilege that she got to learn so much during this night shift. Previously, she only got to observe and assist in minor procedures. Who would have thought this case would come unexpectedly, demanding her participation in the presence of her chief resident and skilled professor?

Minjeong was grateful although she knew every precious knowledge came at the cost of a patient's misery. She prayed that this unfortunate man tonight would recover well following this surgery.

After what felt like forever, they finally got to close the outer skin layer.

"Cut," Wonwoo said.

Minjeong cut the last suture, signaling the end of the procedure. They took off the drape and cleaned the patient before watching him got transported by Doctor Yoon to the recovery room.

Wonwoo smiled at Minjeong as they walked out of the OR. "Good job tonight, Doctor Kim."

"Thank you for your guidance, Doctor Jeon," Minjeong bowed gratefully.

"I'd treat you for a cup of coffee, but I suspect you want to fall back into bed right now?"

Minjeong chuckled, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah."

"Go on then."

"I'll be in the on-call room."

Her senior nodded and pointed to the phone in his hand, as if saying he would call her later if something else happened.

Walking to the on-call room, Minjeong threw away her mask and finally got to look at her own phone. She yawned as she turned off the light and got into bed.

Her eyes squinted at the light from her phone screen when she saw a missed call notification.

From Jimin.

She quickly went into their personal chat room with bated breath.

Minjeong [00:31]:
Unnie?

She didn't have to wait long before she got a reply despite the hour.

Jimin unnie [00:32]:
Minjeongie
Happy birthday
Do you have time for a call right now?

Minjeong sat up against the wall, only now realizing that it was already her birthday.

Minjeong [00:33]:
Yes

It didn't take a few seconds before her phone rang with Jimin's name on the screen. Minjeong answered it immediately.

"Unnie."

"Minjeongie." The younger girl's shoulders sagged when she listened to the raven's voice calling her name softly. "Happy birthday."

"Unnie, thank you. I'm sorry I missed your call, I just got out of a surgery."

Jimin hummed over the line. "You must be tired."

Minjeong shook her head, pulling the blanket up to her chin, already making sure she was alone tonight in the on-call room. "Unnie, how are you?"

"I'm doing okay."

"What have you been up to?" Minjeong asked cautiously, actually desperate to hear more of the raven.

"Minjeongie," Jimin chuckled under her breath. "I'm sure you need sleep more than anything right now."

"No- I mean, yes, but," Minjeong paused. I miss you. "We haven't gotten a chance to talk to each other much."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. It's none of our fault." I just can't help but miss you. "I just really wanna catch up with you after a while. Unless you're sleepy already?"

"No," Jimin answered a bit too quickly. "Okay. I've been... doing okay."

"Your grandparents?"

"They're doing great, thanks for asking," Minjeong could hear the way Jimin smiled over the phone. "I've been taking things one step at a time, mostly volunteering stuffs. I've been busying myself at the Red Cross lately."

Minjeong nodded along. "That's good."

"Yeah, it was mostly free clinics, opportunities to educate targeted communities. Those kind of stuffs."

"How do you feel about that?"

"It felt great so far. Fulfilling, in a way? Makes me happy." The younger girl smiled hearing that. "How about you? You're finally entering your dream specialty."

Minjeong dropped her head. "It's brutal," she chuckled.

Jimin laughed at the honest response. "You know what you're entering into."

"Yeah, trust me, I do," Minjeong sighed.

It killed her to refrain herself from saying that she missed Jimin. That she felt like crying happy tears now that she heard the raven's gentle voice in her ears. But she wouldn't want to make it seem like there was someone demanding Jimin's presence back in Seoul, as if the raven's journey had a ticking deadline. She would just miss Jimin silently and-

"I miss you, Minjeongie."

Minjeong's mind screeched to a halt.

"Huh?"

"I'm saying I miss you," Jimin's voice was quiet, hesitant.

It made Minjeong's whole defense cracked as she looked up at the ceiling, feeling her emotions threatening to burst at the seams.

Fuck it.

"I miss you, too, Unnie."

She heard Jimin sigh at the receiving end. "Do you eat well, Minjeongie?"

"Mhm," Minjeong only hummed in response.

"Really?"

"Yeah, not sure about the amount of rest, though," she pouted. Minjeong was dropping all pretense now. This was the least she deserved after persevering through everything.

Jimin cooed. "It must be exhausting."

"How about you, Unnie? Do you eat well out there? Do you get enough sleep?" Minjeong mumbled as she felt her eyes starting to droop.

"I mean it when I say I'm doing great, Minjeongie. My Halmeoni feeds me too much food here."

Minjeong chuckled as she laid back down on the bed. Rolling to the side, she kept her phone close to her ear. "That's good. I'm glad, Unnie." She really was.

"You're half sleeping already, aren't you?"

"Mhm, how can you tell?"

"I know you, Minjeongie," Jimin reminded gently. It made Minjeong feel warmth all over as she snuggled into her blanket. "Go get some rest, baby."

Minjeong hummed again, her cheeks warming at the endearment.

"Minjeongie?"

"Yeah?" Minjeong's eyes were closed by now.

"I love you," Jimin said softly.

Minjeong sighed blissfully. "I love you, too," she mumbled as coherently as she could.

Jimin's words repeated in Minjeong's mind like a lullaby, bringing her into a peaceful slumber for the rest of the night as she turned another year older.

"Hey, no night shift today?" Aeri greeted Minjeong from the kitchen counter.

Walking into the apartment, the younger girl nodded. After showering and making sure she was clean of all things possibly infectious, Minjeong joined her roommates in the living room.

Yizhuo gave her the opened pizza box she ordered earlier. "What time do you have to go back tomorrow?"

Minjeong mentally recalled her schedule for the next day, which was a Sunday. "Seven."

"AM?"

"PM."

"Whoa," Aeri turned down the TV volume for a bit. "An actual weekend for once. That's nice."

They continued to talk with each other. Despite living in the same place, they always had things to do on their own. Aeri with her study, Yizhuo with her growing career, and Minjeong with her residency. Hence the dedicated catch up session they decided to have tonight.

"How's the second year so far?" Yizhuo asked Minjeong.

"Well, more responsibilities. Now, I have my own juniors so I've also been guiding them along the way," Minjeong answered, munching on a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Aeri placed her chin on her palm, eyes curious. "Have you actually operated on a heart?"

"I've participated in some of the procedures, yes. But I just mostly observed since I'm still considered a junior. This year I got to get more hands-on, though."

Minjeong also learned more about Yizhuo's rising popularity.

"What? Five hundred thousand followers?" She gaped in shock after hearing Aeri brag about Yizhuo's followers count on Instagram.

Yizhuo chuckled. "Crazy, right?"

Shaking her head in amazement, Minjeong grinned. "Yah, are you sure you can still live here? What if our neighbors start to recognize you?"

Her roommate just shrugged carelessly. "Well, it's been no problem so far."

"But you guys are not gonna live here forever, right?"

Yizhuo's face wordlessly expressed the word "duh". "Aeri-unnie's also still continuing her study. We'll figure it all out after her bar exam."

"Which is already next year," she turned to Aeri who had been casually lounging on the floor, actually tuning in to the TV news. "What happens after?"

"Well, I'll probably go back to Japan first," the older girl replied. At the same time, Minjeong could sense Yizhuo's body tensing beside her on the couch.

"Are you gonna work for your family's firm?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm studying law in the first place," Aeri smiled.

"But why study in South Korea if the firm's based in Japan?"

"There had always been plans about opening an international branch here in this country, so..." Aeri's voice trailed off as she shrugged.

"What's the name again?"

"Uchinaga & Nishikawa."

"Is it big?"

"Kinda, yeah."

Yizhuo snorted. "It's huge," she butted in, rolling her eyes.

Their talk went on until late at night, complete with a few glasses of wine they stored for nights like this.

Minjeong felt herself loosening up. In contrast, Yizhuo had gone quiet and started spacing out in deep thoughts. Minjeong's eyes quietly went to Aeri, checking if the older girl also sensed something bothering her girlfriend. By the look on Aeri's face, Yizhuo was indeed spiraling.

Later that night, when sleep wouldn't come to Minjeong, she got out of her room to make some tea. She was surprised to see there was still light coming under the door across from hers. There were some muffled sounds, but still clear enough for Minjeong to decipher.

"Baby, talk to me," a deeper voice, probably Aeri, sounded. "What are you worrying about?"

Minjeong chose to quickly walk to the kitchen and mind her own business instead. She got to work in the dark, boiling water and taking a bag of her trusted green tea. She was walking back to her room when the same voice could be heard from the door.

"Yizhuo-yah, every plan I make for my future considers you in it."

Not wanting to eavesdrop any further, Minjeong closed her door and got back into bed. Intending to doom-scroll while sipping on her tea until her eyes got tired, her mind latched on to Aeri's words instead.

Was that how a relationship was supposed to be? A future tailored for you and the one you love. Minjeong would like to think her plans for the future consisted of steps to achieve her dream career. Alone. And she was currently on track.

However, she realized she might always had a hidden plan B all along.

A plan flexible to changes that would happen if a certain raven actually became a part of her life. A plan that was buried deep down, culminating from dreams Minjeong was too shy to admit, even to herself.

How she was ready to look for a place suitable for them to live in together if her roommates also decided to have their own in the future. How Minjeong would finish her residency first and support Jimin if she ever decided to enter into one herself. How Minjeong would work for hospitals near the raven's so they wouldn't have to do everything long distance. How she would secretly save a part of her earnings, ready to be used to spoil Jimin and make her feel cherished. Maybe enough to book them a nice trip to Italy together.

The whole thought process stunned Minjeong. She had never realized how ready she was to give Jimin her whole world.

Minjeong laughed to herself, astounded with how utterly and overwhelmingly in love she was with the girl.

It even got her doubting whether she was living a plan A right now.

Minjeong's fingers typed rapidly at the keyboard, her eyes thoroughly scanning the words in the chart. Checking boxes, completing site markings, et cetera, et cetera.

"Here's how you order the pre med," she demonstrated to the first-year sitting beside her, both of their attentions on the computer screen inside the nurse station.

She was doing pre-op for the patients undergoing surgery tomorrow along with one of her juniors. Kim Minji, if she wasn't mistaken.

"Do you have any questions so far?" She turned to the younger resident who shook her head. "Do you wanna try with the next patient while I finish this one?"

Minji nodded enthusiastically before going to visit the other patient in his room. Minjeong, on the other hand, rolled her head as her hands continued working on the computer. It was already 7 PM and she still had another floor to go over with. She forced herself to focus amidst the buzzing atmosphere of the ward, only wanting to go home as soon as she could.

A cup of coffee appeared in front of her eyes, placed on the station. She looked up to see a smiling Lia, also still in her white coat.

"Hey," Minjeong smiled back before she went on to do the next chart.

"Here," her friend pushed the cup further in Minjeong's direction.

Taking it gratefully from Lia's hand, she took a sip, already feeling her nerves responding to the caffeine. "Thanks. What are you doing here?"

"Checking on the patient we're having a joint op tomorrow."

"Oh, the one with the multiple fractures?"

"Yeah," Lia replied as she also flipped through the said patient's folder in front of Minjeong. "Who's the new kid, by the way?"

Minjeong looked up in confusion. "Minji? She's our first-year."

"You guys look pretty chummy," a voice that didn't come from Lia sounded next to Minjeong's ear.

Minjeong's whole body jumped in surprise when she turned her head to see Yujin's sneaky grin right next to her face.

"Holy sh- When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago, actually," Yujin straightened as she stood to watch Minjeong work from behind.

"What's a pediatric resident doing here in the surgical ward?"

"I'm picking you up. I know you don't have a night shift today. Let's go eat somewhere," Yujin pouted. "You too, Lia."

Looking up from the folders, Lia nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna be free in a couple of minutes."

"I still have about an hour here," Minjeong sighed.

"It's okay, you can join us later if you want to," Yujin said, her tone hopeful.

Well, Minjeong also needed her monthly dose of friendship outing.

"Okay," she smiled at Yujin.

"I'll see you later then," her friend walked away.

When Minjeong's back hit the mattress that night, she was about to sleep when her phone vibrated on the night stand. It shouldn't be anything urgent since she wasn't the one on-call tonight, but still. She took her phone and opened it to a new message in the group chat.

Yujin [21:47]:
The new first-years are cute, aren't they? @You

Minjeong [21:48]:
I thought you're happy with Wonyoung right now?

Yes. For reasons unknown to Minjeong, reasons she had no interest in finding out, Yujin and Wonyoung were now an item.

Yujin [21:50]:
I'm talking about you!!
What's her name again?
Kim Minji?
Yah, help me out here @Lia

Lia [21:51]:
I'm not getting into this
She is cute, though

Sumin [21:52]:
*curious eyes emoji*

Minjeong [21:52]:
No.

Yujin [21:52]:
Girl, open your eyes
She was staring at you like you hung the moon

Minjeong [21:53]:
No.

Minjeong groaned as she place her phone back on the nightstand, huffing as she settled inside the blanket. She had no idea why Yujin was always so hellbent on setting her up with someone. Was it because of Wonyoung? Minjeong had told her countless times that it was fine. There was no harmed feelings, at all, simply because Minjeong never liked the younger girl in that way.

Now, she tossed and turned at the possibility of Jimin reading the messages in the group chat just now. Would she have thought that Minjeong had moved on? That there was someone else here in Seoul to keep Minjeong company?

She had this urge to check with the raven. To clarify. But what for? They were not together, as far as Minjeong remembered.

They did say they loved each other. But nobody had said anything about being exclusive. Or even a promised future together. As Minjeong felt her chest tightening, she realized they were in this ambiguous limbo.

And for the first time, she didn't like it.

Minjeong took off her winter coat as soon as she stepped off the plane, opting to only wear the thick blazer as her outer layer. It was December, but the temperature in Jeju was definitely warmer compared to Seoul.

The national society of her specialty was holding an international conference for one weekend here in the island. After much motivation from Wonwoo, who was now an attending in their hospital, Minjeong wrote her first case series as a resident. She also sought guidance from Professor Chen who was unexpectedly very warm and welcoming to support Minjeong's research endeavors.

Now, she got exempt from her hospital duties to take a morning flight to Jeju and give an oral presentation in the conference. Another win and refreshing weekend for Minjeong.

She then spent the day feeling like she was a kid holding the keys to a theme park. She geeked out over everything now that she had a much better understanding and actual experience regarding the specialty. Her presentation went well and she came out of the event feeling upgraded.

Now, though, she was feeling dreadful. Uncertain.

Her earlier confidence during the day vanished as she stood in front of a traditional-style house. She knew going to Jeju meant being in the same city as Jimin. The thought of going in and out of here without telling the raven left a sour taste in her mouth. So she was supposed to text Jimin about this. However, she found herself unable to.

Before her flight this morning, she quietly asked Aeri about Jimin's address in the city. Something she never bothered to ask before. Her roommate, sensing Minjeong's desperation, gave the information through text. It resulted in Minjeong standing here at 5 PM in front of what was supposed to be Jimin's grandparents' house.

What if Jimin didn't want to meet her? What if she was the one not ready yet to meet Jimin?

Did she want to meet the raven? Hell, yeah.

Did she know what to do when they finally meet each other after almost two years? Hell, no.

Minjeong came here without a plan. In hindsight, she knew she was supposed to text the raven first.

Sighing, Minjeong took out her phone, hand hovering over Jimin's contact. She was still in the middle of mustering up the courage when the front door suddenly opened, revealing an elderly woman walking up to the gate.

"Dear, are you lost?" The short woman looked up at a flustered Minjeong. "I'm sorry, but I noticed you've been standing here for a while already."

"I- I'm looking for a friend's house, actually. I think I got the wrong address," Minjeong tried to smile at the woman. "Excuse me."

She was about to turn around and walk away when the woman called out to her.

"Wait."

Minjeong wordlessly turned back in question.

"Why do you look familiar?"

The woman surprisingly opened the gate and went outside to take a closer look to Minjeong.

After she blatantly stared at the awkward girl for a few seconds, her eyes shone in recognition. "Oh, you're the girl from the graduation, aren't you?"

"Graduation?"

"Yes, my granddaughter has a photo with someone who looked just like you, framed beside her bed. You were smiling in your graduation gowns," the woman grinned.

Poor Minjeong was speechless.

She was standing in front of Jimin's grandma.

Her body instinctively bowed deeply in front of the woman. "Good evening. I'm Kim Minjeong, Yu Jimin's friend."

"Yes, yes," Jimin's grandma smiled warmly. "Do come inside, dear, it's cold outside."

Minjeong couldn't refuse when she got dragged by the hand inside the cozy house.

"Does Jimin know you're here?" The older woman sat beside her on the couch.

"Um," Minjeong grimaced. "No, I was only about to tell her, actually."

Jimin's grandma laughed heartily. "That's great! I know Jiminie would be very surprised later," she said. "I'm assuming you're also a doctor then?" 

"Yes, Jimin-unnie and I went to college together."

"Aigoo, that's nice," the woman cooed. "I've never met any of Jimin's college friends before. You must very busy, too, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Minjeong chuckled nervously.

"Are you here on holiday?"

"Oh, no, I'm here for a medical conference. The event took place earlier in the day."

The older woman nodded. "Jiminie's still at her clinic, but she should be here in an hour." That certainly didn't help Minjeong's nerves. Jimin's grandma suddenly stood up and clapped her hands together. "I'll cook you something warm. You're staying for dinner, right?"

By the look on the older woman's face, Minjeong knew she wasn't accepting any refusal.

Just how was this going to turn out?

Minjeong was looking around the framed pictures on the shelf. She had offered to help in the kitchen earlier, only to be kicked out of there immediately. Jimin's grandma insisted for Minjeong to sit pretty and look around instead as a guest.

So here she was, back in the living room. She could see pictures of Jimin's grandparents from when they were younger, earlier pictures of Jimin's family. There was even a picture of a young Joohyun, earning a chuckle from Minjeong.

Then there was a picture of Jimin when she was a toddler, held by her mother beside her grinning sister in front of the beach. Minjeong took the frame and looked at it fondly. She was moving onto the next frames when the sound of the front door opening was heard.

"Halmeoni, I'm home."

Minjeong's whole body stiffened.

It was her.

The footsteps were gradually getting near to the living room as Jimin entered the house. It came to a halt just as the familiar scent drifting from the raven hit Minjeong like a truck.

Jimin's grandma might have said something from the kitchen, but none of them seemed to care as Minjeong finally lifted her head, causing her breath to hitch in her throat.

The familiar brown eyes were widening in shock.

"Minjeongie?"

The younger girl took in Jimin's appearance. Her jet black hair was now much, much longer. Even longer than Minjeong's. Now she couldn't wait to run her hands through it.

Her eyes were no longer dim. They held so much light, Minjeong felt compelled to drown in them. The raven seemed glowing and Minjeong only loved her even more.

"Minjeongie."

Minjeong blinked as she saw Jimin had gotten closer in front of her. She then felt her wrist gently grabbed by the older girl's warm hand.

"Hey," Jimin called out to her softly. "Are you with me?"

Breathing out a shaky sigh, Minjeong nodded as she continued to search into the raven's eyes. All she found was calm confidence. A surety.

"Unnie," she voiced out hoarsely.

The spell broke when Jimin's grandma suddenly emerged from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready. Jiminie, go set the table for the three of us."

"Yes, Halmeoni," she cleared her throat, squeezing Minjeong's wrist for a second before walking into the dining table.

The dinner left no time for Minjeong to handle the wave of emotions running through her after finally reuniting with Jimin. The raven sat beside Minjeong while her grandmother fussed over them across the table.

"Here, Minjeong, dear," the woman scooped out a bowl of soup to give to Minjeong.

The younger girl was about to thank her when Jimin spoke up. "Halmeoni, Minjeong doesn't like bean sprouts."

"Oh?"

Minjeong looked up quickly. "No, it's okay, Halmeoni," she took the bowl out of the woman's hand and smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

She forced herself to take a few scoop of the soup, complete with the vegetable she disliked. She was about to dig in the side dishes when Jimin whispered beside her. "It's okay, you can give them to me."

Minjeong sighed as she let Jimin took out the bean sprouts and put them in her own bowl. "You didn't have to say that in front of Halmeoni, though," she whispered back.

Jimin pouted. "Sorry, I just remembered you don't like them."

The younger girl could only shook her head, trying to cool off the lingering warmth she felt in her chest.

It was nice. Being taken care of by someone still achingly familiar to her after so long.

"Minjeong-ah, when are you going back to Seoul?" Jimin's grandma asked.

"Tomorrow morning."

"So soon," Jimin commented from beside her.

"I have to go back to work in the afternoon," Minjeong explained sadly.

"Where are you staying for the night?" The elderly woman asked another question.

"I booked a room at the hotel venue."

"Oh, I thought you might want to stay here if you haven't booked anything yet."

Minjeong smiled politely. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense," Jimin's grandma huffed. "Jiminie, the night is still young. Why don't you take Minjeong somewhere before she goes back to the hotel?"

The two young women looked at each other. Jimin then raised an eyebrow in question. Do you wanna go out and spend the night with me? Minjeong answered in a subtle nod.

She tried to pretend the shy grin spreading on Jimin's face wasn't giving her butterflies inside her own stomach.

They walked the short distance to the beach, their hands brushing against one another.

Minjeong peered at Jimin from under her lashes, taking in the relaxed demeanor of the raven. She looked divine under the warm street lights lining up the road to the shore.

"Unnie," she said to the girl. Jimin attentively looked at her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Back then you said grandparents," Minjeong started, unsure but curious. "Is...?"

Jimin, who was always so attuned to Minjeong's mind, caught up immediately. "Harabeoji?" She continued when the younger girl nodded. "He's on a hiking trip with some friends from the community center."

Minjeong's eyebrows raised, impressed. "Wow. Halmeoni's not going too?"

The raven shook her head. "Nah, she has osteoarthritis on her right knee."

"Oh."

"No worries, it's under control for now."

Minjeong nodded, remembering the faint limp she noticed on Jimin's grandma earlier.

"How's the girls?" Jimin asked her, smiling as they finally reached the sand.

The sun had long set, the moon being the main source of lighting for both of them as they took their time walking near the water. They talked about everything, taking a picture to share to the group chat who responded in a speed second.

"How have you been doing, Unnie?"

They were now sitting on the sand side by side, staring at the night waves.

"I've been making myself more useful."

"Halmeoni mentioned something about you being in a clinic today?"

Jimin's eyes crinkled as she turned to Minjeong. "Yeah, I've been practicing as a GP at this clinic for a year now. You know the one near the station?"

"Oh, yeah. I think I saw it this morning," the younger girl sighed happily as she turned her stare back at the water. "Do you know this is my first time being in Jeju?"

The raven's eyes were surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah," Minjeong nodded. "I'm glad I got to spend it with you, though," she said softly.

Jimin's eyes softened as they stared back at Minjeong. "Me, too. I'm glad you're here, Minjeongie."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Minjeong felt Jimin moving closer, leaning her head on Minjeong's shoulder.

"Actually," the raven's voice was low. "I've been going to a therapist ever since I came here."

Minjeong only wrapped her hands around Jimin's smaller ones.

"I've been trying to separate what I actually do with what I perceive of myself. I've started writing journals, too."

Jimin sighed as she felt Minjeong's thumb rubbing circles on the back of her hand.

"I realize I'm not responsible for what others think of me."

Minjeong turned her head slightly to return Jimin's gaze.

"All I ever did was try to do good."

The younger girl nodded, smiling as she felt the telltale signs of a lump in her throat. She softly held the side of Jimin's face, caressing it. "And you have been good. I'm proud of you."

The smile on Jimin's face was all Minjeong ever wanted to see. It was a smile of someone who was assured of herself.

"Enough about me," Jimin huffed as she now scooted behind Minjeong. The younger girl tried to look indifferent despite the pounding in her chest when Jimin wrapped arms around her waist. "Let's talk about you," the raven whispered, her breath hot on Minjeong's ear.

"What do you want to know? My life is just all about the boring life of residency," Minjeong laughed.

"Still," Jimin pouted. "I wanna know everything. I feel like I'm missing out so much."

Minjeong's tone softened. "Ask me anything, then."

"Favorite professor?"

Pulling her head away from Jimin's nuzzling, she looked at the raven, baffled. "Is that really your first question?"

"What?" Jimin looked at her innocently. "I meant it when I said I wanna know everything."

Sighing, Minjeong returned her back against Jimin's front. "They're all great people. Although, I'm currently being under Professor Chen's wing."

"Really? I thought he's the killer one?"

"Well, yeah. But, he's a good person. He's just someone strict."

Jimin snorted. "Actually, you know what, I think you'll be just like him when you finally become an attending yourself."

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

The raven shrugged playfully. "Maybe."

Minjeong pretended to elbow her, laughing at the exaggerated groan coming from Jimin when there wasn't even any contact.

"You're also becoming a third-year in a few months, huh."

"Yeah," Minjeong sighed, thinking about how much time had passed.

"More juniors coming in."

The younger girl nodded along.

"Like Kim Minji," Jimin muttered so low, Minjeong could have missed it if she wasn't paying attention.

"Minji? What's with her?"

"Nothing. I just- Forget about it."

Minjeong was not letting this go. Not after Jimin had hinted at something she had secretly been wanting to hear. "No, no, no. What's up with Minji?"

The raven was looking at anywhere, but Minjeong. "No, I just remembered that one text from Yujin in the group chat," her lips forming a small pout. "People do look at you like you hung the moon. I mean, you're you."

The younger girl's brows furrowed. "Yeah, so what?"

"Never mind."

The calm beating of Minjeong's heart started going up again for the hundredth time today. "Unnie," she whispered. "Are you jealous?"

Jimin only tightened her arms around Minjeong's waist, nestling her head further against the crook of the younger girl's neck.

Then her voice was heard, timid. "Can I be jealous?"

Minjeong's heart soared as she tried to control the smile threatening to form on her lips. "Yeah," she whispered breathlessly. "You can."

"Then I am," Jimin responded, her voice still muffled.

By then, Minjeong couldn't keep her wide grin any longer. She giggled at the way Jimin still refused to meet her eyes.

"Don't tease me," Jimin said. It only invited more mirth from Minjeong.

They forgot to look at the time after catching up for so long. It was when Jimin gasped at her watch that they decided to head back.

The cold wind went past Minjeong, making her shiver. She had forgoed her jacket, afterall, only trusting her layers of shirts. Jimin chuckled affectionately, taking a step forward in Minjeong's direction.

The raven's eyes were shining as she looked down on Minjeong, completely engulfing the younger girl's tinier frame inside the long windbreaker she was wearing. Minjeong's hands wrapped around Jimin's midriff on instinct, her head facing up to smile at the older girl.

"You should've brought a windbreaker, baby," Jimin said softly.

Minjeong didn't want to be the only one blushing tonight, so she tried to one up her game. "But then you wouldn't be able to do this," she smirked.

As expected, Jimin laughed with her whole neck and ears reddening. After taking a deep breath to calm herself down, the raven stared back at Minjeong.

"Stay the night with me," Jimin whispered shyly.

Feeling helpless in the moment, Minjeong nodded, not even caring about her hotel room anymore. Thank heaven she packed light to only bring a backpack with her.

When they finally got to the house, they tiptoed around in the dark, not wanting to wake Jimin's grandma up. They giggled lowly when the raven's foot clumsily hit the sofa, making a sound as she led Minjeong by the wrist to her bedroom.

They slept soundly in each other's arms that night and said parting words in the airport the next morning. Minjeong's heart felt a bit heavy at the thought of not seeing Jimin again for an unclear amount of time.

"Take care, Unnie," she hugged the older girl tightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Minjeongie," Jimin said before dropping a tender kiss on Minjeong's forehead.

When they let go of each other, the raven seemed happier for a reason.

"I wish I could've stayed until Christmas with you," Minjeong pouted.

"It's okay, my love. I'll see you."

Jimin rubbed the younger girl's head for the last time.

"This is crazy," Minjeong muttered as she slumped on the locker room's bench, taking off her mask to breath more freely.

It was February and an unexpected blizzard had resulted in multiple motor-vehicle accidents. And just like what everybody had predicted, the amount of thoracic trauma were overwhelming. Today was a Tuesday and Minjeong hadn't gone home since last Saturday.

Being a third-year resident, she had taken over the few emergency procedures needed to be done in the ER ever since the patients came flooding in. It was phone call after phone call. She was sure her body was running full on caffeine right now. Not to mention the staggering amount of surgeries piling up for her department.

Minjeong just came out to take a breather after assisting Doyoung, the current chief resident, in another surgery. Just now, the man had immediately gone to another OR to perform yet another procedure with the other third-years. Minjeong was scheduled to handle the next one, another early rib fixations, before her seniors would join later after finishing their own surgeries in the other rooms.

She was chugging down water from the bottle she packed in her bag when her phone buzzed. Her next patient was already transported to the OR. She then sighed as she stood up. At least this patient would be the last one of the many victims from that unfortunate accident. She would make sure everything go smoothly as planned and return back home after this.

Entering the surgical area once more, she was tying up her mask on her way to the designated OR when a second-year interrupted her steps.

The girl shoved her phone to Minjeong. "Doctor Kim, I'm sorry, but Professor Jang needs to talk to you."

Minjeong took the call and leaned against the surgical nurse station, her eyes watching people going in and out of her OR. She could see the anesthesiologist preparing the induction agents for her patient as she listened well to her professor's instructions over the phone.

"Got it, Professor," she handed the phone back to her junior after the professor hung up.

From where she was standing, she could see another of her second-year junior, Yoonsang, in the middle of a heated conversation with another resident in front of the OR.

"You really shouldn't do this," she heard the young man said as he stood with his arms propped on the hips.

The other resident, a woman who had her back to Minjeong, bowed deeply in apology.

Seeing Minjeong walking in his direction, Yoonsang sighed exasperatedly. "Doctor Kim," he whined like a child. "ObGyn wants to use our OR for a C-section."

She knew ObGyn wouldn't dare to disrupt their schedules if it weren't for an emergency. The other rooms were already used for ongoing procedures, too, their OR being the only one in the middle of prep. Minjeong sighed as she nodded. "I'll talk to the patient," her eyes noting the fact that her patient wasn't under anesthesia yet.

Minjeong was about to enter the room, walking away from the other two when she heard Yoonsang continuing his rant. "I'll let this one slide only because I know you're the new batch of first-years," his tone condescending. "If this happens again, I'll-"

"Watch your tone," Minjeong reprimanded as she turned back, her eyes narrowing at the man.

She then dragged him away from the ObGyn resident by the arm, speaking in a lower tone. "Look, I know we're all exhausted and frustrated, but have you ever seen me talking to you like that?" The man only bowed his head in shame. "What, would you want the mother and child to die instead?" He shook his head. "If you really wanna go home that much, then go."

Yoonsang looked up at Minjeong with wide eyes. She was not tolerating this kind of behavior that could warrant a problem with another deparment. Her junior should know better that the ObGyn resident was also just the messenger, just like any first-year who readily took the brunt in this kind of situations.

"Go home now."

"No, Doctor Kim," he shook his head as he felt guilty, being dismissed this way. "I still want to help-"

"Then get your shit together," Minjeong hissed as he looked him in the eye.

"Yes, Doctor."

Minjeong sighed as she dragged her hand down her face. "Take a shut-eye in the changing room or go have some meal, whatever. I'll call you when it's our turn."

Initially reluctant, her junior finally bowed in apology and went away per Minjeong's order.

"Thank you, Doctor Kim."

Minjeong froze as she realized the first-year ObGyn resident was still there the whole time.

"Ah, yes, I'll go talk to the guys inside," she said as she turned around to look at the resident. "You can prepare your patient," her voice trailed off.

She could recognize those eyes anywhere, despite half of her face covered with the mask, her jet black hair covered in the surgical cap.

Standing in front of her was Jimin all along.

Minjeong stood still as she watched the raven bowed in gratitude and ran towards the transfer area, already busy preparing her own patient. The buzzing in her pocket woke her up from her trance as she got reminded of what she also had to do. She then proceeded to handle the delay in her surgery and took a break for herself with her mind half present.

What is Jimin doing here?

ObGyn?

Minjeong took off her mask and cap as she briskly walked out of the locker room and into the hallway. Standing with her back on the wall, she tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the line to connect.

"Hello," she heard Yizhuo's voice coming through the phone beside her ear.

"Speak."

"Ohoho, you guys finally met each other?"

"What do you mean? What's happening?"

"What do you think is happening?"

Minjeong sighed. "I don't have time for this, Yizhuo-yah."

"Okay, okay," Yizhuo relented. "Jimin-unnie is entering her residency."

The resident's mind malfunctioned for a second.

Jimin. Residency. Jimin. Residency. Jimin. In Seoul.

"And where's she staying?"

"Our place."

"What the- When did she even move in?"

"Last weekend. You were already busy in the hospital by then."

"But, still," Minjeong shook her head, bewildered. "I should've known."

"Okay, well, we did intend to make it a surprise. But, I thought Yujin already spoiled it in the group chat when she saw Jimin-unnie yesterday in the hospital?"

"I didn't get to read it yet."

"Yeah, I figured," Yizhuo sighed at the thought of Minjeong's ridiculous workload. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm trying to live."

"I'll make you some warm soup when you get home tonight."

"Thanks, Yizhuo-yah."

It only took an hour and a half before Minjeong was back inside the OR. She didn't see Jimin anymore when she got there, the whole ObGyn business already done.

She was on her way to fixate the last fractured rib, assisted by Yoonsang, when Professor Jang came in with both of his hands held up, wet from being washed.

"Professor," Minjeong greeted under the surgical lights.

"Doctor Kim, I'll take over from here," he said while the nurse helped him into his gown.

"It's okay, Professor, I can assist-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer," he walked up to Minjeong. "You've done a good job, but you need rest."

Seeing the resolution on the man's eyes, Minjeong bowed her head and stepped back from the operating table. "Thank you, Professor."

He nodded in response, already having his fingers palpating inside the open chest. "Have some sleep. You look like a walking corpse."

Minjeong didn't have to be told twice. She took off everything and washed her hands, walking to the locker room. Now that she was finally allowed to rest, it felt like the exhaustion she tried to suppress from the past few days came over her all at once.

She decided to take a nap on the on-call room first, not trusting herself to safely make it alive to her apartment in this state.

Minjeong was already near the room when she saw a shorthaired woman in a resident's coat going out of it, in the middle of closing the door. As Minjeong got closer, she collided face first with the resident.

"Minjeo- Doctor Kim."

Minjeong's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Jimin for the second time today.

Hold on a second. The woman with the bob was Jimin?

What was she doing in the senior CTS residents' on-call room?

"I'm sorry, I was just leaving something inside."

Minjeong was still stupefied, standing with her mouth opening without making a sound. Her mind had a hard time wrapping around the fact that Jimin was standing here. In front of her. With a bob.

Bob Yu Jimin.

She blinked back into reality when Jimin was about to walk away. Minjeong was having none of it as she pulled the raven by the hand inside the room without a word.

When she looked around the empty room, she saw a rice box on top of the desk, complete with a handwritten note.

For Doctor Kim Minjeong (DO NOT STEAL)

It made her chuckle under her breath, her whole body feeling light all of a sudden.

"I know it's stupid because I didn't even know if you were going to drop by the on-call room first before going home, but I thought you might need a meal. I mean, I heard from the girls you haven't gone home since last weekend and I'm worried you might get sick." Jimin was rambling behind her, unaware of the stupid smile on Minjeong's face. "Also I wanted to thank you-"

Jimin's speech got cut off when Minjeong turned around and slowly walked in her direction until her back hit the door, eliciting a small gasp out of the raven.

Minjeong knew she must have looked down bad for this bob haired, endearingly beautiful woman in front of her, but she didn't care. Not when it seemed like the love of her life cared for her just the same amount.

So she slowly wrapped her arms around Jimin's waist and buried her face on the older woman's chest. "Unnie," she whispered.

She sighed when Jimin's fingers started stroking the back of her hair, the raven's other hand holding her back gently.

"I'm here, Minjeongie."

She's here.

She's here to stay.

Minjeong melted even further in Jimin's arms, smiling as she finally had the comfort she longed for this whole time.