Make Me Love You

An untold story of Soojung's past romance with Mijoo, which all didn't go as smooth and lovely as the previous chapters depicted.

The thrill of being liked by someone, getting asked out and showered with unconditional love. Soojung experienced it all for the first time by a girl. Name had to be Lee Mijoo. Tall, pretty face and good body! Being next to Mijoo, Soojung felt so small (that fact though, no one can deny), ugly and insecure. Soojung was just ordinary, plain, boring and had no outstanding visual like Mijoo owned.

How Lee Mijoo fell for someone as close to no good as Soojung was absolutely fascinating and thrilling. Thus without much contemplation Soojung agreed when Mijoo asked her out for a date.

It wasn’t official at first as they started off slowly as friends and at getting-to-know-each-other stage yet. They had gone out for refreshing drink like juice and smoothie at a café initially to alcoholic drink at a club. While Mijoo appeared outgoing and wild, strangely she wasn’t into alcohol while Soojung was right the opposite.

Although they were so different from each other, Soojung could feel how they actually complemented each other. Mijoo filed in the hole within Soojung’s life and the latter completed the former’s lacking world.

Also then, it couldn’t be helped that Mijoo sometimes annoyed the hell out of Soojung.

“Midget unnie, how did you even survive being alone most of the time in this huge campus?” They were at the school’s cafeteria to eat lunch and Soojung was hungry as hell, but Mijoo just had to halt her appetite.

“What the heck?” the shorter glared at the taller. “What are you implying?” She obviously despised the nickname Mijoo just had given her.

Mijoo munched in her egg sandwich. “Yeah this place is big and always so crowded so I wonder how did you still manage to be around and alive, not get trampled on by others?!”

Ouch, that definitely hurt Soojung’s pride. Mijoo just poked fun of her short height. “That’s such an insult!” she scowled. The younger just laughed at her reaction. “How do I even agree to go out with you?”

Mijoo dropped her hand from and quickly put on a serious mode. “Because you like me the same!”

Oh that gorgeous gummy smile of hers… Soojung froze for a second.

"In your dream!"

*
*

At some point, Soojung knew the crush she had on Mijoo wasn’t normal anymore. Initially agreed to go out as friends, she admitted the process had made Soojung fell head over heels for Mijoo.

Her charms easily captivated Soojung’s heart, luring the latter in to love her more while it’s no secret that Mijoo had already into Soojung from the beginning.

Unlike how Soojung saw herself as plain and ordinary, Mijoo viewed her as someone who had a lot of hidden charms and attractive. Despite appearing awkward and timid, Mijoo found herself slowly trapped into Lee Soojung’s world full of charms, and there was no way out to escape. Not like Mijoo wanted to anyway.

Mijoo’s former lover was definitely a visual, and everyone admired him for it. But she didn’t want to fall for looks anymore, because the heart was what mattered, although Sungjae actually played a big role in running Mijoo’s life before.

Mijoo was right! Soojung actually loved Mijoo the same. In her end, Soojung was the first to initiate official date. No more as friends, but lovers as what Soojung wanted to declare their status.

Over not-so-romantic proposal and teary eyed, Mijoo agreed to be Soojung’s first girlfriend.

*
*

If Jihyo thought Soojung and Mijoo were all sweet and never as tragic as their current relationship, it was not the truth.

To be fair, Soojung felt exactly the same way how Jihyo felt whenever Sungjae's name slipped from Mijoo's lips, making their hearts clutched and stung with pain. Only was that Soojung was too ignorant to realize Jihyo chose the safest reaction she could give - like the old Soojung would do in order to not let it harm her relationship and get her gut down.

Well, Soojung learned Mijoo and Sungjae’s past relationship wasn’t just a fling and definitely not to be forgotten easily. The image of their romance life in high school couldn’t be erased from Mijoo’s mind, Soojung could see but the former was too hurt to look back at her past.

Soojung actually experienced the pain Jihyo felt whenever the past (that should never be brought up for goodness sake) lingered around the present. It would be a lie to say Soojung wasn’t taking things seriously, because the truth was she bottled in her feelings every time Sungjae’s name slipped from Mijoo’s lips easily. And it stung her like hell!

They fought, shouted and stayed away from each other, all due to Soojung’s overly jealousy upon Mijoo’s meet up with Sungjae in secret. Well, Mijoo did lie about not meeting Sungjae anymore but she made the choice to make up story so that it wouldn’t hurt Soojung’s feelings in any way. But her action was proven wrong when Soojung happened to find out the truth. The elder decided it’s best they took a break, and would give Mijoo time to think who she really wanted with her in the end.

The real thing was, Mijoo understood where Soojung came from and learned that she should not avoid relationship problem over a matter as petty as this. She remembered Sungjae didn’t come for her right after when they broke up, and her heart had become as cold as a frozen land since then. Thus she opted she should never treated Soojung the same.

In order not to lose her girlfriend, Mijoo came back to Soojung’s side just the next day post their argument and begged so they could patch back again. Thankfully Soojung wasn’t hard to be convinced and Mijoo promised to love the former unconditionally.

Until her last breath...

*
*

Mijoo was a blessing descended from the heaven born into Soojung’s life.

A touching and wonderful moment when Soojung was first brought home by Mijoo and met a new family she long dreamt for. To have someone to be called emmonim and abeonim - and not just aunty and uncle like the way she addressed Jiae's parents, was out of this world, making Soojung welled in tears.

Besides, Soojung also gained a new sweet and loveable dongsaeng - set the creepiness of "having crush on your sister's girlfriend" aside, Myungeun was indeed a reliable younger sister she'd want to keep with her for life.

“Yah you little punk, don’t you dare try on my girlfriend!”

The elder sister was obviously aware that Myungeun had a crush on her beloved small girlfriend, but Mijoo believed her sister enough to know that Myungeun wouldn’t actually try any funny move on Soojung. Hence, that made Soojung actually comfortable enough to breathe around the youngest.

Over a talk at the living room with Mijoo’s mother, her cheek was caressed gently by the motherly folk. “I trust my daughter on you, Soojungie. Take care of Mijoo well!”

Someone as hard heartened as Soojung broke into tears to have heard the older woman’s words. “I promise you eommonim,” and the mother had her words.

Mijoo watched them over a proud smile. “I’m so happy, Myungeunnie!” she softly whispered to her younger sister who snuck up by her side out of sudden. Feeling a head rested and weighed on her shoulder, Mijoo heard Myungeun mumbled. “I’m happy for you too, my dear unnie!”

It didn’t matter if they liked the same person, as long as Mijoo being with Soojung would not be hurtful to Myungeun nor to herself was beyond enough.

*
*

Got no specific store in mind to visit left after Mijoo accompanied Soojung bought new equipments that she needed, they strolled around the mall aimlessly. Over entwined hands, Soojung let her taller girlfriend led the moves.

"Midget look, it's music store!" Soojung rolled her eyes at the nickname Mijoo set for her. From 'midget unnie' transformed into just 'midget' was definitely not something good Soojung could stand with.

"Jjoo, stop insulting my height! Why can't you address your girlfriend with proper and nice-for-ear nickname?" the elder scowled, making herself be Mijoo's laughing stock. Her expression when complaining to her younger girlfriend was hilarious, Mijoo thought.

Upon the glare Soojung shot her, Mijoo stopped laughing. "Fine, I won't do it anymore. Unnie, let's go into that store!"

The pair was fascinated to see how classic the music store appeared, making them awed at the new lovely feeling seeping inside them. "Ahjussi, this store must be new since I've never seen you before," Mijoo blatantly talked with the store's owner - a middle age man Soojung believed around her uncle's age, like she had known him for a long time.

"Yeah my daughter Sujeong set it up for me, sweet of her, doesn't it?" Mijoo's eyes lightened up at the mention of the name.

"Your daughter got the same name as my girlfriend, how amazing!" she brightly said, proud for her girlfriend. Soojung sheepishly scratched her nape when the ahjussi threw her a look of amusement.

The older man beamed. "Really?" he stared at Soojung. "You must be younger or at least my daughter's age."

Mijoo cut in before Soojung could say anything. "How old is your daughter?"

"She's in the last year of high school!"

The youngest presented between them tried hard to conceal a snicker as she sensed Soojung's baffled expression.

"Ahjussi, I'm already over 20. In fact, I'm in my final year of college!" Soojung corrected the man's assumption with pursed lips and the ahjussi apologized for his mistake over a sheepish laugh.

"I'm sorry my dear. You looked younger than your real age!"