//

why isn’t she home yet...?

sakura is late, awfully late. the clock is ticking— sounding like a synchronised, gentle lullaby. the hour hand is reaching ten in a few minutes and sakura should have been home, lazing on the sofa and habitually pestering minjoo three hours ago.

the empty space beside her — where sakura’s legs would usually occupy and occasionally disrupt her tranquility with playful kicks — is unusually vacant. moreover, the void, the deafening silence is almost alien to her. 

minjoo shifted her gaze from the tv screen to the can of soda she’s holding, drumming her fingers on the rim of the aluminium. her lips are pressed together in a thin line, musing regarding the whereabouts of a certain cherry blossom.

she’s come to realise how she’s used to having sakura around to such a great extent that the absence of her roommate then made her feel... lonesome. it feels simply anomalous when there’s an abrupt alter in their recurrent daily routine.

it’s not like she didn’t realise how things are starting to feel a bit different.  

and all it took was a stupid game.

before, minjoo constantly wished for her life to be different rather than having to relive the days every week. she was slowly growing tired of the repeating events, the days felt too common and dull.

too practised. 

pondering about it now, minjoo would rather stick to the usual times when she’s constantly plagued by sakura’s merciless jestering, lounging on the sofa on lazy afternoons and watching re-runs of old cartoons with the latter without a care in the world. 

she has acknowledged that since the arrival of the japanese as the new tenant and her roommate, her days weren’t as monotonous as before and her nights weren’t as lonely and quiet as before. 

sure she had times when she wished she was alone again, but then there would be no one to carve the blithe smiles on her face, treat her to smoothies and movies on her worst and wearisome days. 

there would be no one to turn uninteresting grocery shopping trips into rowdy yet mirthful ones. no one to begin spontaneous baking sessions just to wash her worries away.

no one to provide the warmth she truly needs for her solace.

only when that something is missing, would we then start to pay attention and eventually miss it. 

minjoo flinches and snaps out of her trance, startled by the sudden and continuous ringing of the doorbell. 

sakura.

“coming!” she calls out, frowning when the sound of doorbell doesn’t stop, as if impatient.

she’s the one who chose to come home so late and now she’s being freaking impatient? can’t she just punch the code to unlock-

her displeased thoughts ceased when she flung the door open, only to be welcomed with two unexpected guests struggling to hold onto what looks like sakura’s flimsy, drunken being.

the blonde has her head down, occasionally nodding off as her arms are slung across her friends’ shoulders. 

“hyewon? yena? is that- is sakura drunk?” minjoo quizzes, her voice laced with faint worry as she glances at sakura’s impotent figure.

“yeah, this idiot wolfed down unforgiving shots beyond her tolerance. she’s a lost cause. now uh, would you mind moving? gotta set her down.” yena imparts with a throaty voice, nodding to the redhead as a thanks when minjoo briskly moves to make way for them.

“she looks lean but she weighs a ton, argh.” hyewon grunts in discontent, floundering as she attempts to gently set sakura down on the sofa.

she releases a big huff when her shoulders are finally unrestricted, crinkling her nose when the ache starts to evolve. 

minjoo hurriedly takes the spot beside sakura, grabbing her shoulders to keep her steady. she recoils when sakura suddenly impels her head forward, only then the redhead was able to see her flushed features. 

“oh~ heyyy... i *hic* found a frog haha... *hic*. ooo do frogs smell this good...?” 

minjoo’s eyebrows furrow seeing sakura’s cherry-red cheeks, the tint already reaching the tips of her prominent ears. her eyes are half-lidded and wavering, lips curling up in a contorted grin as drowsiness took a toll on her petite figure. 

and then her head plummets onto minjoo’s shoulder, surrending her weight wholly against the redhead’s side. minjoo extracts a long sigh as she lets the giggly, tipsy blonde snuggle lazily into her.

“she usually doesn’t drink beyond her tolerance...” minjoo steals a glance at her drowsy roommate before turning to look at yena and hyewon, her eyes asking them an unexpressed query. 

minjoo arches her brows in curiosity when the two exchanged uncertain glances and she began to wonder if there was something she didn’t have to— or wasn’t supposed to know. nonetheless, she chooses not to question them, for she felt an unpleasant sensation arising somewhere in her guts; as an indication that she wouldn’t like what she would hear if she grills them.

so minjoo keeps mum until hyewon decides to speak.

“we know she doesn’t. we tried to stop her from downing too much but she never listened and... just blew up at us. it wasn’t like her at all.” 

hyewon avoids her gaze then, her face marred by compassion as she feels empathy for her dear friend.  

“kkura and i are often at each other’s throats, but she’s still my best friend. and seeing her drowning herself in distress and selflessness, wanting to escape from...” yena catches herself before she slipped, leaving the sentence hanging as she releases a deep, shaky sigh. 

like hyewon, yena avoids her gaze, hesitant to say something as if minjoo didn’t have the right to know. it frustrated minjoo, but knowing that she was possibly one of the reasons why sakura had wasted herself, she purses her lips and remains quiet.

she didn’t want to start any unnecessary conflicts. hyewon and yena were sakura’s best friends first before minjoo herself.

“...seeing kkura not being kkura... hurts me. a lot.” yena tweaks her statement, never completing her previous sentence as her face visibly fell musing about her partner in crime.

“sorry for the prattling, didn’t mean to... you know...” yena trails off, rubbing her nape as she looks away with cheeks beet red in embarrassment. 

minjoo was quick to shake her head, wanting to retort but sakura suddenly lifted her head and made grabby hands at her two best friends who gave her looks of disbelief.

“hyena... don’t leave me *hic* with this goddess. i’m shyyyy~ geh- my stomach doesn’t feel *hic* too good...“ 

it was fortunate that the sober trio were quick witted and swiftly dragged the blonde straight to the washroom where sakura spewed into the toilet bowl. after which yena practically forced sakura to brush her teeth (she had to do it for her) because of her rancid after-vomit-plus-alcohol breath. if it weren’t for their quick actions, the sofa would have been thrown away without second thoughts.

“you sure you can handle her? i can stay to help you with this... mess.” 

yena nods her chin towards sakura who leaned back against the sofa looking almost lifeless. minjoo, who stood in between hyewon and yena, sighs at the pitiful sight.

“i gotta get home though or else solbin would kill me.” hyewon stated, fishing out her phone to check for any notifications and grimacing when she sees a bunch of texts from her girlfriend. 

as much as minjoo would be grateful for the extra help, she didn’t want to trouble yena anymore than sakura already did. furthermore, the night isn’t getting any younger and it would be best if yena and hyewon head home now.

minjoo nods in understanding at the brunette and places her hands on both their shoulders for reassurance. she flashes them a grateful smile, thanking them for their assistance.

“get her to shower, jeez. girlie smells like trash. when she’s sober, slap her for me, yeah? see ya kim!” yena bades goodbye with a charming smile before disappearing out the door.

hearing yena’s request, minjoo could only smile to herself. maybe she could use the excuse to reprimand the blonde for her carelessness too. 

feeling a stare boring holes into the back of her head, minjoo turns around to find hyewon eyeing her weirdly. by weirdly, she meant that there was something more to hyewon’s hard stare. something amongst the line of an intent cautionary gaze. and minjoo would be lying if she said she wasn’t feeling the least bit intimidated.

abruptly, ran dry and she swallowed, feeling a wave of uneasiness washing over her like a tidal wave.

“i thought you would’ve been smarter. you should’ve known that agreeing to her request was an extremely foolish idea. kkura is more than just a ‘playful brat’ and certainly not someone to toy with or take for granted. and you should’ve known by now... that you are one of the reasons for her selflessness.“ 

if minjoo was pressurised before, she’s much more pressurised now listening to hyewon’s words. she’s aware that she’s walking on eggshells. with every single word, minjoo tenses up and guilt begins to engulf her whole being. 

minjoo isn’t able to meet her gaze... why? is she ashamed? because of the guilt? she trembles in her spot, clenching her teeth.

say something... anything!

but nothing came out of . 

“oi! kang slowpoke! hurry your up or i’ll drive off with your car!” 

with yena’s call, hyewon breaks her intense stare and clicks her tongue before yelling back at the annoying duck-lookalike. it was only for a moment, but the fact that hyewon’s mood changes almost instantaneously appals the redhead. hyewon is usually known for her composed demeanor and apathetic personality, but when it comes to the people she loves, she wouldn’t hesitate to take action. 

hyewon detests seeing her loved ones getting hurt; be it physically or mentally. and minjoo is certain that the brunette wouldn’t have second thoughts about throwing hands if ever she breaks sakura.

“minjoo,” hyewon calls out, causing her to raise her head slowly.

for a moment, minjoo thought that she would be met with that intense stare again. but right now, hyewon’s expression has softened as her eyes darted to the tipsy japanese. and then she locks her gaze with minjoo again, this time with an unreadable expression on her face.

minjoo wasn’t sure if she was dreaming, but she saw a brief smile flash across hyewon’s face as she spoke with a much lighter tone.

“take good care of her. she’s fragile.”

when the door closes with a click, minjoo balls her fists, her knuckles gradually turning white. she’s overwhelmed with irritation, disbelief and fury. she despises how hyewon had basically implied that she is taking sakura for granted. 

she may not harbour the same feelings as the blonde feels for her, but taking sakura — someone whom she considers as a priceless existence and is more than thankful for entering her life — for granted?

that’s the last thing minjoo would want to do.

//

“sakura... you need to sleep. you’re not thinking straight right now because alcohol is running in your system.”

“jokes on you~ that’s because i’m gay-”

“oh god, yena’s been influencing you too much- and wear your pants properly!” 

one of the reasons minjoo absolutely hates getting wasted is because of the side effects of the alcohol. the way that your conscience fades and pulls out the shameful side of you unconsciously, it affects one’s dignity. even if she would drink, she would consume no more than a single shot. so minjoo avoids getting drunk. 

she avoids it because she definitely does not want to be appearing as embarrassing as sakura right now. the latter is guffawing uncontrollably as she pulls up her sweatpants, face still looking as red as an apple. 

sakura coming home drunk isn’t an unusual sight, but she never comes home this drunk. during a few occasions when the blonde is out of her mind, minjoo would have to deal with forcing the blonde to take a shower or; if she