The cold breeze swept past the trees, sending countless autumn leaves drifting to the ground. Mina shivered and squeezed Hyejeong’s warm hand. “Dongdong,” Mina started, using the pet name for Hyejeong that she came up with. “Have you ever wondered if all these trees feel sad after losing all their leaves?”

Hyejeong pondered for a moment. “I have no idea. Why don’t you go ask one of them yourself?” she joked. Mina pouted. “It’s like losing all our hair. I can’t imagine being bald like that.”

“Don’t be silly. That won’t happen even when we’re old,” Hyejeong reassured. She placed her hand on Mina’s small head and her hair lovingly.

“Well then, will you stay by my side and grow old with me?” Mina asked, looking up at Hyejeong with her big puppy eyes. “Of course I will. I promise!” Hyejeong grinned and leaned forward slowly, bringing her lips close to Mina’s…

BOOM!

The loud clap of thunder jolted Hyejeong from her sleep. Ugh another one of those dreams. Why does it always have to be her? She hurried to close the windows before the rain arrived and checked the time on her phone. 3 am. Which meant that she still had four more hours of sleep.

No more dreams please, I can’t take anymore.    

                                    *************************************

Mina. Her childhood sweetheart. They grew up together, looked out for each other and stood by each other through thick and thin. Despite their differences, Hyejeong never found anyone else whom she could be as comfortable with as Mina. It was that special connection that existed between the both of them.

Mina loved acting; she dreamed of being a movie star as a kid but later she discovered her love for theatre and subsequently for musicals. Meanwhile Hyejeong picked up dance and later found her talent in cheerleading. Hyejeong often took care of Mina; due to her weak digestive system she had frequent abdominal pains. In return, Mina helped Hyejeong with her wardrobe and make-up, for the latter was clueless about fashion and cosmetics.

Over the years their friendship blossomed into sweet love.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Mina and Hyejeong had to be separated after being accepted into different colleges. Their schools were situated far from each other and coupled with their heavy workloads and packed schedules, they could not meet regularly. As a result, they drifted apart gradually.

Initially Hyejeong found it very hard to adapt without Mina by her side. Luckily through cheerleading she met wonderful seniors like Mijoo who treated her like their own sister and she slowly made new friends among her classmates, which made the hardships of college more bearable.

         ************************

The final exams for this semester. I can do it! I will score well! Maybe if I… take a nap first…

Coffee was not working as well as she had hoped; Hyejeong was having trouble staying awake at her desk. She was on the verge of dozing off again when she heard a knock on the door, which swung open to reveal Jimin. “Hah I caught you sleepy-head!” she yelled, marching over to Hyejeong. Jimin grabbed her shoulders and shook her awake.

“Mmh… I was just taking a break,” Hyejeong lied, yawning tiredly. “Yeah as if I'll believe you. You're gonna flunk your papers if you keep falling asleep,” Jimin nagged. “Do you need me to get you anything? Coffee?”

Aww it’s so nice of her to ask.

Hyejeong smiled gratefully. At times she felt Jimin was babysitting her. “No thanks. Actually I could use a shoulder rub.”

“No problem!” Jimin proceeded to give her a painful massage, squeezing her shoulder muscles with as much strength as possible.

“OWW!”

“Deep tissue massage, perfect for waking you up,” Jimin cackled before leaving.

She's a sadist too, sometimes.

      **********************

The euphoria of her team’s victory lasted a few days and before long, things went back to normal. For Hyejeong it meant she had to catch up on a lot of work. However, there was one thing that was different: Seolhyun.

Hyejeong had been unable to forget the raven-haired beauty; it was hard enough to keep her out of her thoughts on a daily basis. Ever since Seolhyun popped up in front of her dorm that night, Hyejeong could no longer ignore the fact that she had already fell for Seolhyun's killer looks.

Staring ahead at the shimmering glass building, Hyejeong glanced at her watch. Good, it’s still early. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some work done, assuming my brain is still working.

Finishing her cup of iced Americano, Hyejeong dropped it into a bin before entering the library, heaving her bag which was full of books and notes. Can’t believe how much I am depending on coffee to stay awake. If only I could buy those caffeine pills I read about. Settling down in front of a table facing a window with a good view of the scenery outside, she pulled out her studying materials and began her work. She had barely started when someone sat down next to her without asking for her permission. This was rather normal as it was a popular spot and she did not mind sharing so Hyejeong ignored the person.

“Hey.”

Hyejeong looked up to see Seolhyun’s beaming face. “Fancy meeting you here. Working hard, eh? May I join you?” she asked sweetly.

No way! How the hell am I going to concentrate with you around?

“Uh- Yeah, take a seat,” Hyejeong replied, trying to remain calm. “Oh, and erm… Hi.”

Okay back to work, back to work! I have to get these done by-

“Are you free tonight?” Seolhyun inquired.

“Huh? I think so-”

“Great! Let’s have dinner together!”

Hyejeong’s jaw dropped and she stared at Seolhyun blankly, as though she had suddenly forgotten how to speak.

SHE WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH ME? No, I must refuse… I can’t…

Hyejeong nodded.

               ***************************************

Dinner was short and uneventful. However, it proved to be an opportunity for Hyejeong to shed her awkwardness with Seolhyun. Seolhyun was a first-year literature student and her dorm was close to Hyejeong's, but she had claimed her room to be very messy hence they returned to Hyejeong’s dorm.  They shared many common interests, including dance and baking, thus they had much to chat about.

Seolhyun was dangerously charming, as Hyejeong found out. With a pair of captivatingly beautiful eyes, a bewitching smile, a voice that was both coy and flirty, and a witty sense of humour, Hyejeong quickly fell under her spell of her charms.

“What's up this weekend? Wanna go out with me?” Seolhyun asked.

Exams are coming and I should be studying but…  What harm can a little time off do?

“Sure! What do you have in mind?” Hyejeong answered, already looking forward to spending her weekend with Seolhyun.

“Oh there's a place in town that I've been wanting to check out. After that… well we can think about that later.” Seolhyun closed her book. “And I think I'm done for tonight.”

She rolled onto her back and got off Hyejeong's small bed where they had been lying in the whole night. “Hey, take out the trash for me. Thanks,” Hyejeong said, looking up from her laptop. Seolhyun scooped up her bag and picked up the empty bubble tea cups and chocolate bar wrappers. “Goodnight, and sweet dreams!” Seolhyun winked and blew a kiss at Hyejeong.

Well, that went better than I expected.

**************************

“Going out? You really should be studying,” Jimin chastised. She spooned a mouthful of cereal into as she watched Hyejeong wear her sneakers.

“Nah, I'm going out with someone important today. I can always study later,” Hyejeong explained. “Catch you later!” She waved goodbye to Jimin and left.

Hyejeong paced around nervously. Where is she going to take me to? Why is my heart beating so fast? I hope I look okay. Damn I wish Mina was here to help me… Mina…

tightened unexpectedly at the thought of how Mina used to dress her up and applied makeup for her. A lump formed at the back of as Hyejeong tried but failed to clear her mind so she ended up staring into the distance, lost in her thoughts.

A pat on her back brought her back to reality and she turned her head around, only to find a finger poking her cheek. “Boop!” Seolhyun exclaimed. “Ready for our date?”

Her outfit is so… simple! And no makeup on at all? Well it's not like she needs it but…

“Of course! Do you dress like that all the time? Your clothes are a little too casual,” Hyejeong commented.

“Hmm? What's wrong with them?” Seolhyun said, glancing down at her printed Disney t-shirt and faded jeans. She grinned and swept her hair back with a careless flick of her wrist.. “I think this is sufficient. I’m not bothered about what I wear usually.”

“Seriously, you’re making me look over-dressed.”

“I do have nice clothes. Do you really want to see me in those?”

“Sure. I’ll be glad to wait here.”

Seolhyun wagged a finger. “Not so fast, my dear. Go out more with me and I might let you have a peek into my wardrobe,” she said with a sparkle in her eyes.

Ugh she’s playing hard to get. Damn.

Hyejeong grabbed her hand. “Okay, you win. Let’s go!”

**********************************************

The pair visited a dog cafe shortly after arriving in town and had a ball playing with all the dogs that were once strays or abandoned by their previous owners. Hyejeong fell in love with a pug named Jjujju, which also seemed to have taken a liking to her and her face non-stop. It was “ugly as hell” as Seolhyun described, but Hyejeong vowed to adopt it one day.

Lunch was at a small burger joint, after which Seolhyun brought her to what seemed to be a quaint cafe, except that no tables or chairs could be seen.

“What kind of a cafe is this?” Hyejeong asked, looking around curiously.

“It's not a cafe, it's a bakery school. And we’re not here to eat, but to bake our own cakes!” Seolhyun replied enthusiastically.

A man wearing an apron greeted them. “Welcome! Do you have an appointment today?”

“Yes we do, under the name Kim.”

“Ah yes, Ms Seolhyun! I will be your teacher today! Please leave your bags over there and put these aprons on.”

Their teacher guided them throughout the baking of their cakes but the two girls did most of the work, although they fooled around a lot. Hyejeong kept on adding the wrong ingredients and could not stop using her fingers to taste her batter while Seolhyun made a mess out of the place. Despite their silliness, they managed to complete their cakes successfully. Seolhyun was adding strawberries to complete her vanilla strawberry cake when Hyejeong brought out her piping hot applesauce cake from the oven, filling the room with a sweet aroma.  

“Good job ladies. Enjoy your cakes and don’t forget to take a picture first!”

“Thank you, teacher!”

The warm afternoon sun and bright, clear skies greeted them as they stepped out of the bakery school. “Ah the weather's perfect! Oh, what time is it? My phone’s dead,” Hyejeong asked, her brows furrowed. She had forgotten to give it a full charge and now the battery flat within half a day.

“It's only four. Let's just chill at the park next to the river and eat our cakes?”

“Sure, that sounds great!”

*******************

Blades of grass danced around them as a light breeze blew across the lush green field. A pair of birds flew past them, chirping merrily. Before them lay the great river, shimmering under the late afternoon sun.

The sweet aroma of honey mixed with apples wafted through the air as Hyejeong flipped open her cake box. Taking her first bite of the light and spongy applesauce cake, Hyejeong closed her eyes as she savoured its taste. Yummy! My baking skills did not fail me.

Hyejeong cut another piece with her spoon and held it out at Seolhyun, who motioned to Hyejeong to feed her.

“Ooh, what a delightful texture! Not too sweet nor too bland!” Seolhyun exclaimed, chewing away happily.

A warm glow spread through her chest upon hearing Seolhyun's praise.

“Feed me too!”

“Open up, say ‘ah…’ ”

The strawberries were fresh and refreshingly juicy, going well with the cream on fluffy cake. Both cakes were so delicious they were finished quickly.

The evening sun was hanging low in the sky when Hyejeong and Seolhyun finally packed up. They had been chatting away and enjoying the scenery, slowly sipping their drinks. Hyejeong did not really get a chance to spend a day out like this ever since she started college; she nearly forgot how good it felt.

“Ah, back to studying again,” Hyejeong complained.

“Don’t give up! See you soon,” Seolhyun replied, waving goodbye as she headed towards her dorm.

The first thing Hyejeong did was to charge her phone. She was changing into her nightgown when her phone vibrated several times.

Wow so many missed calls and messages? All from the same- Oh no.

Her blood froze as she saw the number. It was Mina’s.

The messages all bore the same sad, desperate tone.

“Where are you? You promised to come!”

“Hurry up I need to leave soon!”

“I’m still waiting…”

“Please reply me Dongdong!”

The realisation that she had completely forgotten her promise to send Mina off at the airport knocked the wind out of her and Hyejeong stumbled backwards, falling onto her bed.

What have I done?