Mina was still 16 when she would hang out with Jeongyeon every day after class ended. Jeongyeon would wait outside of her school whenever she had breaks or free time from her work. 

Mina had requested her driver not to pick her up whenever she decided to go out with Jeongyeon. She would tell her parents that her class had additional assignment or club activities she had to attend.

Jeongyeon and Mina would go to places Mina would have never dreamt of going. Her parents would never allow her to places like street market, amusment park, circus or even cinema. Some days they would also sit by a nearby park and talked about themselves.

Mina found out that Jeongyeon was great singer and Jeongyeon was blessed with seeing Mina dancing across the lush green field in her own elegant way.

Mina found out that Jeongyeon’s dad still hit her sometimes when she noticed a huge bruise around the latter’s neck one day. Mina thumbed the bruise gently and the latter jerked away in surprise while holding her neck.

“Does it hurt?” Mina asked while watching Jeongyeon pulled up her collar in an attempt to hide her bruise,

“Like a .” Jeongyeon had replied.

“Why don’t you go to the police?” Mina had placed a hand on Jeongyeon’s.

“If they put my old man in jail, I would be sent to some orphanage.” Jeongyeon shook her head and looked at Mina bitterly, Mina’s thumb caressed Jeongyeon’s hand, sending a wave of warm through her heart. “One day,” Jeongyeon breathed in heavily. “One day I will run away.” She placed her other hand on top of Mina’s. “When that happens, would you come with me?” She looked at Mina so earnestly Mina didn’t have the heart to break Jeongyeon’s.

“Sure.”

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Mina was 17 when she realized that she liked  her best friend. It all started when Jeongyeon had sneaked into Mina’s house by climbing up through her window.

“Old hit me again.” Jeongyeon said with a scowl as she held her bruised shoulder. Mina hugged Jeongyeon around the waist in an effort to comfort the latter. It worked. Jeongyeon sighed and patted Mina’s head.

“You can sleep here tonight.” Mina had offered and Jeongyeon smiled in appreciation.

“Thank you.” Jeonyeon reached over to squeeze Mina’s hand. Mina’s heart squeezed in an odd kind of way. It had been happening often these days whenever she was around Jeongyeon. Mina brushed off the feeling and offered half her king size bed to her best friend.

The girl climbed in and snuggled close to Mina. Mina’s heart sped up by miles and she was sure the latter could have heard it.

“Goodnight.” Jeongyeon had mumbled before drifting off to sleep shortly. She mustve been tired. Her dad took most of her money Everytime she was paid.  She had to work extra shift to feed her dad and herself.

Mina’s heart squeezed at the thought of Jeongyeon suffering. Jeongyeon working her off in the kitchen each day. Washing dishes and cooking for hundreds of guests. Jeongyeon getting hit by her dad. She caressed Jeongyeon’s purple bruise on her arm.

Her dad had probably threw a beer bottle at her this time. Her fingers slid up and caressed Jeongyeon’s tired feature. There were faint dark circles under the blonde’s eyes. Her fingers then travelled to Jeongyeon’s bleached hair.

Jeongyeon had once told her that the reason she bleached her hair was because her mother often did so when she was still around. Jeongyeon did it to irk her father and to reminisce her mother who she hadnth seen since she was 15.

Her fingers fluttered to Jeongyeon’s eyes, nose and finally her lips. She wondered how kissing Jeongyeon would feel like?

She had never kissed anyone other than her parents.

Her heart sped up as she leaned close to Jeongyeon’s face. Inch by inch, she felt Jeongyeon’s breath tickling her face. Her lips were almost touching the blonde’s, when Jeongyeon’s eyes snapped open. Mina jerked backwards. 

Her face flushed red in embarrassment. Why would she do that? Now she’d ruined their friendship!

She couldn’t look at Jeongyeon in the eyes. She slowly turned to get out of her bed when she felt a pair of arms sliding around her waist locking her in place. She turned and looked at Jeongyeon in the eyes.

Jeongyeon pulled Mina close to her until their faces were barely an inch away. They both looked right at each other without breaking eye contact.

“I’ve been wanting to do this.” Jeongyeon whispered and Mina’s stomach floaded with butterflies. She felt herself gravitating towards Jeongyeon and they both shut their eyes slowly.

When their lips finally met, Mina’s heart exploded. It was such a peculiar feeling to Mina. She had never felt something quite like this. Her heart was beating really quickly and her stomach was squeezing in a way that made her feel good.

She concluded that night when they slept cuddling each other.

She liked best friend. A lot.