BOLD AND ITALICS ARE FLASHBACKS

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Mina grabbed her phone quickly from the passenger seat in Jeongyeon’s car and didn’t waste time to immediately followed her girlfriend. She was about to enter but before she did,  Mina saw a familiar figure with Jeongyeon, so she hid behind the entrance and peeked to see who that person was since she couldn’t see her because Jeongyeon was blocking that person’s face. As soon as she peeked at the right angle, she immediately recognized that person. Mina felt her body gone rigid, scared to face the one person she had ever tried to hide from. She took a deep breath and entered the restaurant.

Mina squeezed her way into the restaurant as she tried to think fast what she would tell Jeongyeon or say to Chaeyoung or how she should treat her ex girlfriend. They locked eyes and she didn't know what to feel about it.

Before she approached them, Jeongyeon stood up and welcomed Mina’s presence by wrapping her right arm around her waist and introduced her to Chaeyoung. The whole situation was just ironically funny. At that moment, Mina decided to act as if she never met Chaeyoung in her life.

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People say that fate will be the one that decide your destiny, destiny to greatness and what you deserve. If so, fate must be playing tricks on me, I’ve been hiding myself for so long from Chaeyoung, my first love, the woman I loved more than myself, the girl who made me happy but who also broke my heart, the one who chose her pride more than me.

I was supposed to be her cure but instead she became my disease. I was supposed to make her a better person but instead she infected me with her ego. I was saving her but she was killing me. She ruined me, she destroyed me and she’s the reason I felt dead before. Now, I won’t let that happen again, I won’t let her come into my life again, after this I hope I never see her again. Not now that I’m happy with Jeongyeon.

.......

Mina went back to their table first, leaving Chaeyoung inside the washroom and sat beside Jeongyeon. She glanced at her girlfriend and Jeongyeon smiled at her, she forced a half smile not wanting her girlfriend to sense anything wrong. Chaeyoung came back not long enough. We acted like nothing happened.

“Hey, I already paid the bill, let me walk you guys to your car,” Chaeyoung gave a sad smile as she looked at me as if she was trying to make me feel guilty.

I avoided her eyes.

Jeongyeon and I stood up as she took Chaeyoung’s hand for a hand shake and pulled her in for a hug.

They broke the hug and Jeongyeon spoke.

“You know what Chaeyoung, it really feels like I’ve known you for so long, you’re like a dongsaeng I never had before. Tell you what, you can call me any time you want if you need anything.”

“No no no, you should be the one calling me if you need a favour, I owe you my life, remember,” Chaeyoung protested.

This is going to be bad for me.

“We can just exchange favors,”  Jeongyeon said as she patted Chaeyoung’s shoulder.

“I will agree to that, I won't want this to be our last meeting anyways, you’re my hero,” Chaeyoung said and looked at me again after that.

I felt nervous and awkward. I didn't want to see her after this.

She sent us to our car and we bid our good byes. Jeongyeon drove off to our home. I was completely silent trying to thinking, and it was starting to cloud my mind. How could she still affect me like this?

“You’re completely silent today, what’s the matter?” I woke up from my deep thoughts and glanced at the worried looking Jeongyeon.

I smiled at her, the person who loved me completely. 

“It’s nothing I’m just tired.”

The short haired girl nodded, she removed her hand from the gear shift, locked hands with me, and then kissed my hand.

“What do you say about Chaeyoung? She feels like my younger sister or something, we have a lot in common. You know, like we joke a lot and stuff. It feels like I’ve known her for so long. Did you know? She took fine arts when she was in college, you love arts, right? She’s a photographer, and you love photography too right? She also knows how to speak English and Japanese, maybe you guys would really get along too,” Jeongyeon continued gushing about Chaeyoung.

Yes, I knew that, both of you had a lot in common I agreed. You two made lame jokes; didn't know which needs to be fried first between rice or vegetable when making fried rice; loved coffee so much; enjoyed teasing me; loved to back hug me; didn't like mess; were both the only child and both of you hated onions but you guys were completely different people. Yes again, I knew everything about her too, she took fine arts because it was her first love ever since she was young; she loved photography, she used to always take photos of me, that was how she started doing photography, because I was her first subject. Actually, I loved photography first before her but ever since we got together, she started falling in love with photos the same way we fall deeper in love with each other. She spoke English and Japanese because I taught her that, she wanted to communicate with me in every language I knew.

But was she still the same Chaeyoung now?

.......

3 months later.

Mina ran as fast as she could to arrive in her office before her CEO did. She was running late, sweats coming out from her pores as she caught her breath from every step she took.

She arrived her office breathless, being unlucky as she was, her boss was standing outside her office crossing her arms and glaring at mina. It seemed like she was waiting for mina. In a very bad mood. 

“Myoui Mina! What the hell?! When will we start the photoshoot?! We are running late! We can’t afford another delay! We need our March issue!” Her CEO yelled at her angrily. Her boss wasn't that bad, just not when she was stressed out

“Ma’am, we’re doing everything we can to find Mr. Mark and Ms. Jennie’s replacement as our photographer for the March issue,” Mina answered apologetically.

“Mina, you’re the head of this project, you should’ve fixed this mess earlier. I’m going to give you one more day to find a legit photographer for our March issue or I will give this job to Pinky,” the CEO threatened.

“Yes ma’am, I swear I will do anything to find a new photographer within 24 hours,” Mina bowed.

Sht! 24hours!!!! How can I find a good photographer in one day??

Unless…..

No. Never.

It’s been 3 months since we met. I don’t