Chapter Text
Part 1
There were exactly three places Kim Minjeong liked to fall asleep.
Her bed.
The couch.
And Yu Jimin.
It hadn't started as an intentional habit.
Neither of them had ever sat down and decided that Minjeong would eventually become physically incapable of existing within a one-meter radius of Jimin without somehow ending up leaning against her.
It had simply... happened.
The first time, it had been innocent enough.
They'd been watching a movie after practice, all four members piled into the dorm living room. Ningning had somehow monopolized the blanket, Aeri had fallen asleep halfway through the film with her mouth hanging open, and Minjeong had quietly rested her head on Jimin's shoulder.
Not because she was sleepy.
She'd insisted on that afterward.
"It was just comfortable."
Jimin had believed her.
Mostly.
The second time, Minjeong had started the movie sitting at the opposite end of the couch.
By the halfway mark, she'd somehow migrated close enough that their knees touched.
Another twenty minutes later, she'd been leaning against Jimin.
By the end of the movie...
She'd somehow ended up halfway in Jimin's lap.
Neither of them had questioned how she'd gotten there.
It just... made sense.
Then came the hoodies.
One afternoon, Jimin had spent nearly twenty minutes wandering around the dorm looking for her favorite oversized black hoodie before eventually finding it on Minjeong.
"You stole it."
"I borrowed it."
"You didn't ask."
"I would've if you'd been awake."
"I was asleep because it was three in the morning."
Minjeong had shrugged with complete sincerity.
"I didn't want to wake you."
"...So you robbed me."
"I borrowed it."
"...You're literally wearing it."
"It smells like you."
Jimin had opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"...That's not a defense."
"It is to me."
That had been the end of the argument.
Mostly because Jimin had completely forgotten what she'd been trying to say.
Now...
Months later...
Jimin genuinely couldn't remember the last time they'd spent more than twenty consecutive minutes together without Minjeong finding some excuse to touch her.
Sometimes it was a hand brushing against hers.
Sometimes their knees bumped beneath the dinner table.
Sometimes Minjeong would quietly slip her fingers into Jimin's hoodie pocket while they walked.
Sometimes she'd absentmindedly play with the sleeve of Jimin's sweater while talking.
And if they were sitting down...
Well.
There was about a ninety-eight percent chance Minjeong would eventually end up leaning against her.
Or on her.
Usually on her.
Not dramatically.
Not possessively.
Just...
Like gravity affected her a little differently than everyone else.
As though, given enough time, she'd naturally drift toward Jimin until they were sharing the same space.
Jimin had never once complained.
Because the truth was...
She adored it.
Hopelessly.
Embarrassingly.
Every single time.
The dorm was unusually quiet.
Suspiciously quiet.
The kind of silence that immediately made Jimin pause as she stepped out of the bathroom, towel draped around her neck while she dried the ends of her still-damp hair.
"...Hello?"
No answer.
She frowned.
Normally, at least one of their roommates would be making enough noise to qualify as a natural disaster.
Ningning would be singing loudly from her room.
Giselle would be laughing at something on her phone.
Or both of them would be arguing over something completely ridiculous.
Today...
Nothing.
Jimin wandered into the hallway.
Empty.
She peeked toward the kitchen.
Still empty.
"...Did they leave?"
Almost on cue, her phone buzzed.
Aeri 🐻
grocery run!!
ning wanted snacks
don't burn the dorm down <3
Jimin smiled.
A second message arrived.
and don't be disgusting while we're gone
Her ears immediately warmed.
"...We are not disgusting."
Jimin rolled her eyes so hard they almost hurt.
She didn't even bother replying.
Some battles simply weren't worth fighting.
Besides...
It meant they had the dorm entirely to themselves.
A tiny smile tugged at her lips before she could stop it.
The living room smelled faintly of laundry detergent, cocoa powder lingering from yesterday's mugs, and the lavender candle Minjeong insisted made the dorm feel "cozier."
Soft evening light filtered through the curtains, painting lazy golden rectangles across the wooden floor.
The television was on.
Muted.
Some documentary played quietly in the background, forgotten almost as soon as it had started.
Curled into the far corner of the couch...
Was Minjeong.
A thick cream-colored blanket was wrapped around her like a cocoon, only her head and hands peeking out.
She wore loose gray pajama pants covered in tiny white clouds.
An oversized navy T-shirt slipped off one shoulder.
Her hair, still messy from an afternoon nap, curled in every direction imaginable.
Round glasses rested low on her nose as she read a novel with complete concentration.
Her brows furrowed every few seconds.
Her lips moved silently as she reread certain lines.
Completely absorbed.
Jimin stopped walking.
She didn't mean to.
She just...
Paused.
Because somehow...
Somehow...
This was the prettiest thing she'd seen all day.
There was no makeup.
No stage lights.
No carefully styled hair.
No cameras.
Just...
Kim Minjeong.
Curled up on the couch like a sleepy housecat.
Comfortable.
Safe.
Home.
As though sensing she was being watched, Minjeong glanced up from her book.
Their eyes met.
Immediately...
The corners of Minjeong's lips lifted into the softest smile imaginable.
"...Hi."
It wasn't loud.
Barely above a whisper.
Just warm.
Like she'd been waiting for Jimin to come back.
Jimin felt her own smile appear automatically.
"...Hi."
That was it.
One word.
One smile.
Nothing particularly special.
And somehow...
Her entire day improved.
It really wasn't fair.
Minjeong possessed some terrifying supernatural ability to brighten her mood without even trying.
Jimin wandered over to the couch.
She could've taken the armchair.
Or sat on the opposite end.
There was plenty of space.
Instead...
She settled beside Minjeong.
Not touching.
Just close enough that their shoulders were only a few inches apart.
She leaned back with a quiet sigh.
"...Good book?"
"Mhm."
"What's it about?"
Minjeong hummed thoughtfully, eyes never leaving the page.
"I've been trying to figure that out for the last hundred pages."
"...That's concerning."
"I think someone's lying."
"Only one person?"
"...Probably several."
Jimin laughed quietly.
"Sounds exciting."
"It is."
Silence settled between them.
Comfortable silence.
The kind neither of them ever felt pressured to fill.
Jimin reached for the TV remote and turned the volume up just enough to become background noise.
Not enough to distract.
Just enough that the room didn't feel completely still.
She let herself relax.
She'd barely gotten comfortable when she noticed movement beside her.
Minjeong.
Without saying a word...
Scooted a little closer.
Jimin hid a smile.
Three inches.
Maybe four.
She pretended not to notice.
Minjeong read another sentence.
Another tiny scoot.
Now their sleeves almost brushed.
Jimin bit the inside of her cheek.
Another page.
Another tiny shuffle.
Until...
Their shoulders met.
Just barely.
Warm fabric against warm fabric.
Minjeong visibly relaxed.
Like something had clicked into place.
Jimin glanced sideways.
"...Comfortable?"
"Mhm."
No hesitation.
No embarrassment.
Just a tiny nod while continuing to read.
Jimin shook her head, smiling to herself.
Unbelievable.
Exactly thirty seconds passed.
She counted.
Because she knew what was coming.
Twenty-eight.
Twenty-nine.
Thirty.
Right on schedule...
Minjeong leaned sideways.
Slowly.
Almost absentmindedly.
Until her head came to rest against Jimin's shoulder.
A tiny sigh escaped her.
The satisfied kind.
The kind people made after finally finding the perfect sleeping position.
"...There it is," Jimin murmured.
"Hm?"
"I was wondering how long it'd take."
Minjeong didn't even look up.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Really?"
"Mhm."
"You've attached yourself to me."
"I am sitting."
"...On me."
"Near you."
"Our shoulders are literally sharing the same job right now."
"I think they're doing great."
Jimin laughed under her breath.
She looked down at the book resting in Minjeong's lap.
"...You've read the same paragraph six times."
"I know."
"So?"
"I'm cuddling."
"...And?"
"I can't focus."
"Then why keep pretending to read?"
Minjeong finally looked up.
Completely serious.
"Because eventually I'll absorb it."
Jimin stared for exactly two seconds before bursting into laughter.
"You cannot absorb literature through proximity."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
"Have you tested it?"
"...No."
"There you go."
Jimin opened her mouth.
Closed it again.
"...Fair enough."
Satisfied with winning the argument, Minjeong smiled to herself and nestled just a little closer.
Jimin didn't miss the way her fingers unconsciously caught the sleeve of Jimin's hoodie.
Or how she gently rubbed the fabric between her fingertips while reading.
She always did that.
Whenever she was relaxed.
Whenever she was sleepy.
Whenever she wanted reassurance without asking for it.
Jimin never pointed it out.
She simply let her.
Because every time Minjeong reached for her...
Jimin felt chosen.
And she wasn't sure she'd ever get used to how wonderful that felt.