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it’s 11:39 PM in korea right now. the street outside has begun to swarm with noise. pet owners have already locked their doors to keep their cats and dogs safe.
as for jimin, her world has narrowed down into one single task: making sure her big sized baby named minjeong doesn’t feel too hot nor cold.
“is this temperature okay, baby?” jimin asks. she presses the back of her hand to minjeong’s cheek, then to her neck.
minjeong, who has a heating pad between her palms and a cooling gel patch on her forehead, could only nod faintly. minjeong is sprawled across the bed with her limbs loose, bundled under a comforter despite the cooling air.
she looks ridiculous. she looks perfect.
minjeong notices their proximity. “unnie, don’t come too close. you’ll get sick too.”
jimin climbs onto the bed anyway. she slips under the covers and adjusts them around minjeong’s shoulders until there’s no skin peeking out. she adjusts the pillow under minjeong’s head. minjeong shifts closer without asking, their legs naturally intertwining.
jimin still remembers how her morning started with concrete plans. she swore to do everything perfectly, because it was her baby’s birthday and the day they’d welcome the new year together.
she bought a carefully wrapped bouquet of flowers and a small cake to surprise her baby for later. she even purchased a box of fireworks as she imagined the two of them outside, minjeong squirming hysterically when the explosions were too loud.
that was until the call came through.
“unnie, i think i’m sick…”
that was it. plans folded in on themselves without complaint. jimin immediately showed up at minjeong’s place with warm porridge and medicine rattling in a plastic bag.
but now it’s nighttime, and the world outside refuses to be quiet.
“unnie, i can stay here for a while. you should go outside and watch the fireworks,” minjeong says before blowing her nose into a tissue.
jimin shakes her head immediately, like the idea offends her. she makes a face, exaggerated, childish.
“i’m not going anywhere without you.”
“ugh, unnie~ seriously…” minjeong whines. “you’re going to miss the countdown at this rate. it’s almost midnight.”
jimin only smiles and leans in closer till their knees touch.
under the covers, jimin presses her forehead against minjeong’s temple and stays in place.
“baby,” minjeong’s tiny, porcelain fingers are cold. jimin reaches for them, guiding minjeong’s hands to her face, letting them cup her cheeks. minjeong’s thumbs rest there.
“i don’t mind missing twelve midnight. when you feel better, we can just redo the countdown by ourselves.” jimin’s smile melts against minjeong’s skin. “my year doesn’t start until i’ve had my kiss from you.”
just then, minjeong’s phone lights up beside them, vibrating insistently. minjeong doesn’t look. instead, she watches how her lover’s eyes crease when she utters every word with sincerity. she reaches out, pulls jimin closer, and closes the gap that’s been bothering her all night.
12:00 AM.
the colors of fireworks flash briefly against their walls before disappearing. their lips meet, slow yet sure, because there’s nowhere else they’d rather be.
jimin is the first to pull away. “do you hear that sound?”
“do you mean the fireworks?” minjeong asks.
“no.” jimin flashes that familiar, loserish smirk, the one that always comes right before she says something ridiculous. “i mean the sound of my heartbeat. it just went up because of you.”
minjeong scrunches her face in disgust, shoving at jimin’s shoulder. “eugh… unnie…”
minjeong rolls her eyes, trying to hide the fact her cheeks are warming, and jimin just laughs.
minjeong finally says with a whisper, “happy new year, unnie.” her voice was barely loud enough to be heard over the distant fireworks.
“happy birthday, my love.” jimin answers, leaning in again, lips brushing against hers with the same tenderness.
jimin had made plans for the evening, but they’d all been ruined by sickness and circumstance. now, she’s letting go of the plans that never came to be and making new ones that she vows to protect forever, no matter what. jimin intends to start the year exactly how she wants to live it—kissing minjeong like the world has shrunk to the space between their lips, holding her close, and loving her until the very end.
“minjeong, you should make a wish,” jimin says.
unbeknownst to her, minjeong had already made her birthday wish earlier this day. she had tucked a folded piece of paper into her pocket before jimin arrived. her birthday wish wasn’t wealth or fame—it was jimin.
[지민아, 잘 지내고 있어? 이제 우리 동갑 친구니까 이렇게 불러도 안 혼나겠지…? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
(jimin-ah, how are you doing? we’re same-age friends right now, so i won’t get in trouble for this, right…? hehehe)
[오늘은 내 생일인 건 알지만, 갑자기 옛날 생각이 나네. 언니, 시간이 이렇게 빨리 지나갔어?]
(i know it’s my birthday, but i’m suddenly reminded of the old days. unnie, how did time fly by so fast?)
[그때의 나는 아이돌 세계가 어떤 곳인지도 모르던 아기였잖아… 그런데 벌써 우리가 함께한 지 10년이야. 우리 100주년까지도 같이 가자!!]
(back then, i was a baby who didn’t know anything about the idol industry… and now, it’s already our 10th year together. let’s stay together until our 100th year anniversary!!)
[언니, 내 생일 소원 궁금해?~]
(unnie, are you curious about my birthday wish?~)
[올해는… 주저 없이, 당당하게 당신을 사랑하고 싶어요.]
(this year… i want to love you loudly.)
[오늘 밤 들릴 불꽃놀이보다 더 크게… MY들의 응원 소리보다도 더 크게.]
(louder than the fireworks we’ll hear tonight… even louder than MY’s cheers.)
[이 모든 세월 동안, 우리는 서로를 얼마나 사랑하는지 세상에 제대로 표현하지 못했어요. 혹시 그게 언니를 작게 느끼게 했다면, 정말 미안해 ㅠㅠ]
(all these years, we haven’t really been able to tell the world how much we love each other. if that ever made you feel small, i’m really sorry ㅠㅠ)
[당신은 정말 아름답고 친절해서 항상 자랑받을 자격이 있어요. 근데 내가 워낙 조용한 사람이라, 그걸 충분히 해주지 못했어.]
(you’re so beautiful and kind, you deserve to be shown off all the time. but i’m such a private person, so i couldn’t always do that for you.)
[하지만 이제 준비됐어요.더 이상 당신에 대한 사랑을 숨길 수 없어요.]
(but now, i’m ready. i can no longer hide the love i have for you.)
[올해는 당당하게 언니를 세상에 보여줄 거야. 하늘을 향해 서로 이름을 불러보자!]
(this year, i want to proudly show you off. let’s scream each other’s name into the sky!)
[사랑해, 자기야!~]
(i love you, babe!~)
[세상에서 언니를 제일 사랑하는 사람,
김민정]
(the one who loves you most in this world,
kim minjeong)