[CONTENTID1]Ice Cream[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]10[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Miyeon was the epitome of femininity and her family was a cookie-cutter definition of a nuclear family.

Miyeon was raised in the suburbs—where a metaphorical glass dome covered the sea of cream-colored houses, each paired with a meticulously well-kept green lawn surrounded by unweathered white picket fences and protected the town from anyone and anything that could poison the picture-perfect ruse of a happy bunch. It was a place where everyone knew everyone, yet no one at the same time

In her neighborhood, there were unspoken rules that everyone followed. Each wife mingled with one another, catching up on the latest gossip while keeping smiles glued to their faces, pretending that the person talking across from them didn’t exasperate them. Each husband was forcibly entered into a contest of pride in which the male who came home with the biggest paycheck, was bestowed an invisible crown that demanded respect from all the other residents. Miyeon's parents followed the rules to a T and expected Miyeon to do the same. Consequently, she mirrored her mother's actions. From the way she combed her hair to the way she stood with perfect posture, absent of any signs of a slight slouch; from her demure nature to her lack of decisiveness; Miyeon inherited it all. Unfortunately, the only thing she didn't adopt from her mother, was her dexterous touch in the kitchen. 

Every family who lived in their neighborhood followed the same rigid structure, finding comfort in the tradition of antique gender roles. Therefore, saying that Miyeon had a sheltered upbringing was an understatement.  

Sure, by residing in Seoul—a cosmopolitan, urban city that was home to people from all walks of life—for a handful of years, she had heard of individuals who were attracted to the same gender, but she had never witnessed it herself. Yesterday's events revealed to her that knowing and seeing were not synonymous in the slightest. Miyeon had no idea how to describe how she was feeling other than weird—eloquent of her, she knows.

Although seeing Soojin and Shuhua together shattered the image of a perfect family that her parents had ingrained in her brain, the foreign sight didn't disgust her. Rather, she felt as if it had opened a box of unanswered questions about herself. Miyeon had spent so much of her life under the influence of her conservative parents, she never bothered to wonder about her own identity when there was already one conveniently laid out for her. 

Today, they had to attend another festival and perform a cover of "Hot Issue". Even after finishing promotions, the company wanted to prolong the amount of attention their new girl group would get from the media. It was somewhat of a compromise between the member's health and profits that extra publicity would generate for the company. They would have to attend festivals to get their names out there. However, the performances would be short. Short enough that they wouldn't tire themselves out too much, but long enough to make an impact on the people who watched it. It was their last performance before they would be able to rest and the waiting room the girl group occupied was a mess.

Soojin and Shuhua were sitting next to each other on a couch that was situated far away from the mirrors that the rest of the members were near. Even after performing the dance multiple times prior, Soojin's body was mercilessly shaking from the routine anxiety she got before every performance. So, she reached to hold on to Shuhua's arm to distract herself, like she always did, keeping in mind what Soyeon had told her earlier this morning. 

"I know that you are probably more than careful but, just make sure to be mindful of our managers and stylists. Dating rumors start from the people that work closest to us."

The only people who knew about her relationship with Shuhua were her group members and Soojin had no intention of revealing her relationship to anyone else, not even her family. Especially not her family. For now, Shuhua was a close friend.

By the mirrors, Soyeon was teaching Yuqi how she created fierce facial expressions on stage because the younger was adamant that she did not want to be perceived as the "cute" member. Despite Yuqi's efforts, it was physically impossible for her to not be cute—whether she saw it as a curse or a blessing, that was just a fact. Soyeon didn't have the heart to tell her that she still looked cute even when attempting to mimic her expression. Instead, she offered Yuqi praise and a quick pat on her head.

Miyeon was running through the choreography one last time before the performance, trying to prevent any mistakes from tainting their final stage while Minnie was next to her imitating her dancing in the most exaggerated fashion. It took a while before Miyeon noticed the dancing figure next to her, focused on her own reflection. When she did, Miyeon pouted at Minnie who was currently making fun of her nervous-fueled, impromptu dance practice. Minnie grinned and poked the pouting girl's cheek. "You'll do fine, you big baby."

And she did. In fact, every member finished their performance flawlessly, showering their charms at the multiple cameras that surrounded them while making eye contact with a few lucky screaming fans. 

It was finally time to go home. The moon had taken the sun's place hours ago. The sky was now pitch black with the exception of a few stars that were bright enough to make their presence known through the smoggy skies. Once they were all inside the van ready to make their way to their dorm, Miyeon soon realized that what she should've been nervous about was what came after the performance. There was no doubt that the crowds of people or that the cameras capturing her every move made her heart race. Nor was it a surprise that the loud music or the even louder cheering of their fans filled her veins with adrenaline. However, it did catch her off guard when one person, in particular, elicited these feelings from her. A person who she had no reason to be nervous around, was suddenly making her nervous.

Out of all the members, Miyeon would have to say that she was the closest to Minnie. Maybe it was because the girl seemed to be always looking out for her. Or maybe it was because of the similarity in age gave way to a comfortable relationship. Whatever it was, they were close and Minnie became much more affectionate, the more they got to know each other. Despite this knowledge, Miyeon was hyperaware of Minnie's affection tonight. She couldn't help but notice the number of times that Minnie's arm grazed against her own during this car ride—thirteen and counting. It didn't help that a few moments later, Minnie's hand was on Miyeon's thigh, using it to steady herself due to the bumpy car ride that resulted from the poorly paved road. At this moment, she supposes the sole purpose of potholes was to invoke the unprecedented jitteriness she was feeling around her fellow member. She shivered; her body reacted involuntarily to Minnie's hand.

"Are you cold?" Minnie asked after feeling the older girl shiver next to her. She rubbed at Miyeon's bare arms, trying to create warmth with the friction of her hands.

"N-no," Miyeon replied, stuttering at the unexpected contact. 

Minnie must have mistaken her flustered stutter for the chattering of teeth because she started to take off her hoodie to give to Miyeon. "Dummy, you should've brought a jacket. Here, take this," Minnie whispered, handing her the hoodie firmly. 

"It's okay, I'm fine. You'll be cold without it."

Minnie simply held her arm out. "My arms are getting tired!" Minnie playfully whined. "You would make my life a lot easier of you wore it, you know?"

Miyeon sheepishly took the large hoodie and slid it over her thin frame. The hoodie swallowed her figure, surrounding her with the leftover warmth from Minnie's body. Minnie smiled at the girl next to her. She looked so cute and small in her hoodie, how could she not?

"Thanks...But aren't you cold now?" Miyeon asked skeptically.

Truthfully, Minnie was cold. She probably got cold a lot easier than Miyeon did. Being used to the heat and humidity of Thailand left her body less equipped to weather the South Korean winters. However, Miyeon had been awfully quiet today and truthfully it made Minnie feel uneasy. Usually, Miyeon was cheery after a performance, riding out the adrenaline rush with laughter and relief. When she asked if the older was feeling okay a few minutes prior, she was met with a quick reply—I'm fine. She couldn't help but feel that Miyeon was hiding something from her, but she wasn't one to pry. Even so, Miyeon's dull disposition made her nervous enough to clumsily offer Miyeon her jacket and then proceeding to let this next line slip out of . "Well, if you're that concerned, you could hug me." A wave of embarrassment washed over Minnie as she thought over what she had just done. She had just offered Miyeon her hoodie. Then, proceeded to ask for a hug, when she could've just hugged Miyeon instead of making a big scene and taking off her hoodie. Why was she so dorky sometimes? Minnie felt heat creep up from her neck. Embarrassment surely was one way to keep herself warm during the winter. 

Despite Minnie's joking tone, Miyeon put her arms around Minnie's waist in a side hug not bothering to send a witty remark back. Her head leaned on Minnie's shoulder, which now was only covered by the fabric of a t-shirt. Embarrassment began to fade as Minnie realized that Miyeon had no intention of making fun of her. As she eased into the older girl's hold, Minnie decided that hugs were also a good option for warmth.

Meanwhile, everyone seemed to forget that Soyeon and Yuqi were also inside the van. If one squinted hard enough, Miyeon and Minnie could've been mistaken for Soojin and Shuhua, which prompted Soyeon and Yuqi to exchange knowing glances at each other as they were trapped in a van that had grown far too small in the threateningly large presence of pheromones. 

- - -

When Miyeon chose to become an idol, she also made the choice to live with her parent's disapproval and it was a choice that she was fine with. Throughout her childhood, Miyeon began to notice that she harbored disdain toward her parents. Silently, these feelings grew increasingly stronger as she matured. It filled her with guilt every time she thought badly of the two people who raised her. She loved them for taking care of her, for providing her with everything she needed, but all the pleasant memories were hard to recall in a fond light when the bad memories were so blatantly difficult to ignore. She grew tired of the way her mother listened to her husband as if each of his words was transcribed directly from a god. Never did she take Miyeon's side. She only offered her daughter a reprimanding look, as if to silently tell her to agree with her father as well. She grew tired of the way her father passive-aggressively pitched remarks at her for being born a female—if only you were a boy or if only I had a son were some of his favorite critiques. At least he attempted to be subtle about his yearning for a son. To assuage the pain he caused, he gave her plenty of gifts as compensation. He always hid behind money, never using his words. Never offering an apology. She realized their relationship wasn't built on the foundation of love and respect. Rather it seemed to be built on obligation and hierarchy.

Miyeon wanted to be different from the people who raised her. She wanted to be loud. She wanted to be heard. She wanted to be her own person. She wanted to be someone people could look up to. That was her goal anyway—life was a work in process. Therefore, she actively tried to be outspoken, saying what needed to be said when she needed to say it, ignoring her mother's lecturing voice in the back of her mind reminding her that women were meant to support men—silently and elegantly. 

And right now, just a few days into their resting period, she decided it was a good day to practice being actively outspoken. In other words, she needed to say something to the Thai girl about her feelings or her brain would explode from the amount of contemplation she had to endure on her own during the past 72 hours. Admittedly, her rationality may have been muddled with the excitement that surrounded her feelings. She couldn't decide whether this decision was stupid or commendable. Was this impulsive or assertive? Maybe all the above.

With everyone in the dorm, Miyeon had to get Minnie alone. So, she sent her a text. Let's go for a walk.

Minnie, who was currently on her bed stared at her phone. Minnie loved going out, which most of the time, required walking. She had no complaints about walking in these instances because it was walking with a purpose, with a destination. Walking aimlessly was tedious and boring and Minnie didn't understand why Miyeon would ask her, knowing exactly how she felt about these types of walks. Soojin's probably free right now. Did you ask her yet, Myeon? Minnie replied, using the nickname she had accidentally given Miyeon after being sleepy and delirious from practice a few weeks ago. That night her pronunciation slurred all together into a string on unrecognizable words, but the name stuck. It made Miyeon want to keyboard smash every time she saw it appear on her phone screen. Minnie didn't know that, of course.

Miyeon sent another text. I want to walk with you though. 

Minnie pouted at the screen and stumbled out of the cozy warmth of her blanket. Her bare feet touched the cold wooden floors of her bedroom, causing her body to flinch in protest to the sudden drop in temperature. She slid on her slippers that would provide a barrier from her and the cruel, cold floor and headed to Miyeon's room, keeping the pout on her face. 

"Myeon," Minnie whined. "I don't like walking."

Miyeon smiled at the disheveled appearance of the Thai girl. "Please. Just this once," Miyeon whined back in a similar tone. Hearing no response from the Thai girl, Miyeon added, "Or should I just walk alone." Miyeon sighed dramatically before continuing, "Little me on the streets, walking all alone and sad...did I mention alone?"

Minnie rolled her eyes. She knew defeat when she heard it, and Miyeon had just served her an undeniable plate of defeat. "Just this once," she grumbled in agreement. 

So, they both put on a couple more layers to adapt to the winter weather and headed out the door to begin their stroll.

As soon as Miyeon was a few steps out of the apartment complex, she blurted out what she had been wanting to say for the past three days. "Minnie, I think like you," Miyeon said, trying to keep her voice firm. The freezing temperature incased her words in white clouds that dissipated just as quickly as they formed, carrying the words she spoke away with them. As soon as the words disappeared into the air, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders, now substituted by relief. Relief at the words she no longer had to keep in. 

"I know you do," Minnie replied indifferently. "How could you not after I so graciously agreed to walk with you," Minnie added with a theatrical sigh. 

Miyeon, realizing that Minnie didn't understand the weight of her words repeated again, a bit more surely this time like she had confirmed it for herself as well. "I like you, Minnie."

Minnie glanced at the older girl's face, searching for some form of explanation as to why she had said the same thing twice. "Oh," she replied upon realizing that the girl wasn't referring to platonic feelings. "You're...sure?" Minnie doesn't know why she asks, but she didn't know what else to say. 

"I'm pretty sure, yes," Miyeon replied seriously, already getting a sense of where this situation was headed. 

There's a silence between them and Minnie didn't know how to fill it. The sounds of their footst