Eight years.

 

It's too long. For some, it's too short. In a span of that time, you wouldn't even realize that much of time had passed by already until you think about it.

 

Time flies like birds in the sky, like wind blowing through the air during the rainy season, like Usain Bolt sprinting across the Olympic oval in 2008.

 

That is what Minjeong had felt.

 

For her, it felt euphoric and at the same time, somewhat melancholic?

 

Definitely, she’d feel elated with the people around her, especially her friends. But, who wouldn’t though?

 

Being friends with the same people back when you met in primary school does feel delightful knowing the right consistency of the friendship.

 

Every day back in primary school was just full of playing. The thought of lunch boxes, crying, teasing, drawing flowers, and innocence is just purely felt during this time of one's life.

 

Minjeong utterly remembered how she met her friends during primary school. Since the start of 1st grade, she’s been the friendly type.

 

Her parents enrolled her in an ordinary Christian school, alongside her closest cousin, Beomgyu, who also happens to be the same age as her. During the start of that school year, it was completely alright knowing she’d be in the same class as him.

 

They’ve been close since diaper days as their moms were close sisters and so, even beyond fine is an understatement.

 

As they entered 2nd grade, everything was a tad bit different as she wasn’t in the same class as Beomgyu anymore. However, she did make friends which was a good sign but not for Beomgyu, unfortunately.

 

Unlike little Minjeong, Beomgyu wasn’t the one who makes friends easily. So, she had to accompany him during those years. She had Ryujin and Giselle with her and as she plainly reminisces, they were just playing around until tiredness overcame them.

 

Back then, she was a bit more vertically challenged than her other two friends, which was a whole pang on her ego. Although, being short gave her advantages as people take care of her most of the time like a younger sibling.

 

Until mid-primary school came, everything was different.

 

There was this new girl in Beomgyu’s class. As she also has the need and urges to check on her cousin most of the time, she happens to stumble upon this new girl.

 

Minjeong would be lying if she said that this girl isn’t close to perfection at all.

 

This new girl is the epitome of perfection and innocence. She is too smart, talented, and attractive for a young girl.

 

The girl wasn’t the loner type, she also has friends (as to Minjeong’s light observation as a mere schoolmate). And to this, she knew she had to be friends with that girl.

 

She really had this feeling to be with that girl.

 

It’s like the universe telling Minjeong to be with her for eternity.

 

By then, she happened to find out the girl’s name.

 

Yu Jimin.

 

--

 

Minjeong didn’t exactly know what happened. She introduced herself to that Jimin girl and poof, friends. It’s like they immediately clicked with each other.

 

As for visiting her cousin in his class from time to time, it seemed to be Minjeong checking the girl instead of checking on Beomgyu. From a series of hi’s and hello’s, Minjeong thought they would just start and stop right there.

 

And as per observing Jimin for the rest of mid-primary school, Minjeong came to the conclusion that she’s really quite the genius. She's the top of their class and is quite the singer who also has the moves to be called a dancer. A really talented girl. Perfection built in a young girl.

 

Basically, their relationship is just schoolmates that knew each other’s existence. A friend of a friend. Nothing more and nothing less than that.

 

Yet, Minjeong grew a lot more curious about her.

 

Here comes 4th grade. A victory punch in the air. Nevertheless, not quite.

 

Well.

 

Beomgyu transferred schools and she was a bit unhappy with that information. But, she wouldn’t have to check on her cousin from time to time anymore. Though, Minjeong was already annoyingly comfortable going home with him all the time.

 

Regardless of being dejected on the first day of 4th grade, she’s in the same class as Jimin. A total victory punch in the air, you see?

 

And as she expected for the whole year, she really did grow close with Jimin. She also made more friends in her class and also grew close with Jimin’s friends.

 

Having to eat with Jimin in-between snack breaks and lunch breaks, sitting with her during class and having to chat with her while at it, and also having to go home with her every single day.

 

Perhaps the tall girl lives surprisingly close by and Minjeong was, too.

 

For the whole year, they shared experiences and stories of themselves to create this special bond between the two of them only.

 

Minjeong knew a lot about her.

 

She’s from a well-off family. One hell of a religious one. Their genes make you go bonkers and it’s even unsurprising to find out that everyone in her family is booming with breathtaking visuals.

 

Schoolmates to friends to close friends and eventually, to bestest of friends.

 

They were insanely inseparable. It’s like they were twins, conjoined twins to be exact (as their friends call them so). Even Ryujin mentioned she couldn’t talk to Minjeong without Jimin tailing behind her and vice versa.

 

As for what Minjeong felt, she likes Jimin’s company. She likes the thought of being with her all the time. It was exciting.

 

So young as a 5th grader, Minjeong began realizing the young feelings growing inside her. She wasn’t technically aware of being that youthful to feel something.

 

"Gyu, I think I like someone." Beomgyu's ears perk up in interest as he sets his toy cars aside, "Woah, really?"

 

The 11-year old Minjeong nods, "Who is it?" Another line of questions from the little boy, "It's Jimin." She answered calmly.

 

The tone of slight shock was evident on Beomgyu's gasp, "Jimin? Yu Jimin from my class in 3rd grade?"

 

"Apparently," Minjeong heaves a sigh, "Yeah."

 

The cousin nods in understanding, "What do you feel?"

 

The little girl shrugs in full confusion, "I really don't know," She replies.

 

"I don't normally feel this with Ryu and Gi." Beomgyu felt the worried tone on his cousin's voice.

 

The young man listened to Minjeong's 1 hour gush over the tall girl. By that, for Minjeong, maybe having someone listening to you was quite alright even without any responses.

 

She decides to sweep this off under the rug and continues to be the tall girl’s close companion. It wasn’t a wrong decision, right?

 

Wrong.

 

Minjeong ended up thinking about it all day, every day. Too young to be thinking about it, yeah?

 

She, indeed, doesn’t feel this with Ryujin and neither with Giselle. Stress overcame her from so much contemplation that she had to shrug this thought once more.

 

Again, she had to drop this thought.

 

It was like that for a few years. Their friendship stayed the same. Jimin even had boys scurrying over her and Minjeong wouldn’t exactly know what she’s feeling over this.

 

She felt nothing over this. She’s supposed to feel nothing over this, right?

 

Best friends support each other and are happy with each other’s achievements, even if they would like someone else, right?

 

Right.

 

Nonetheless, Minjeong was quite happy for her best friend that Jimin was finally crushing on someone. She chuckled at the thought of Jimin finally having a life aside from studying and church practices.

 

Though, she still doesn't have the guts to tell Jimin about her growing feelings.

 

It went on like that for a while but as the tall girl tells her, she really isn’t into boyfriends as of the moment as they were still too young. Minjeong didn’t know what to feel and this information unexpectedly made her sigh in relief.

 

Jimin and that boy, Jaemin, went on liking each other for a while and sooner or later just ended the thing between them as she said they were still too young for dating and stuff like that.

 

For those years, they had been with each other for almost every single day. Celebrating each other’s achievements, birthdays, and also being with each other in times of downfalls and breakdowns.

 

Minjeong saw Jimin’s raw self. She saw her crying in devastation, laughing and smiling full of joy, and getting angry in full madness. Minjeong saw everything in her.

 

And Jimin saw everything in her.

 

Even the smiles that she only saw when they were together.

 

And something shifted by the end of primary school.

 

6th grade.

 

Minjeong was finally being self-aware. She’s finally letting herself feel these growing feelings inside her without shrugging it off anymore.

 

However, she knows it’s nothing but only a mere admiration over a best friend and she knows she has zero chance with her.

 

As months pass and finally getting the grip of graduating from primary school, Minjeong realizes that Jimin has been glowing up even more, getting even prettier than before.

 

Oh, for God’s sake.

 

It’s not a joke that Yuji (Jimin’s nickname that Minjeong only has the privilege to call) is already insanely pretty and is still getting prettier as she grows.

 

They graduated from primary school with nothing but Minjeong admiring her closely (yet so far) and here, middle school starts.

 

A decision was made. Minjeong would be studying in Beomgyu's school as middle school starts.

 

This means, she would be a whole lot closer to her cousin all over again but a bit far from Jimin. Surely, Yuji was kind of disappointed with the news.

 

Otherwise, she had also thought that being far from Yuji helps her a lot in halting the growing feelings. New environment, a new start.

 

A huge distraction from everything she's feeling.

 

She shared the same class as Beomgyu in 7th grade. Minjeong had not expected this sudden change from him. He started growing taller and started making friends, far from who he was back then.

 

A whole year of distraction and grasping a whole new environment.

 

It was quite hard knowing she’d wish Yuji was with her as they go through middle school.

 

Speaking of the tall girl, Minjeong heard that Yuji had also transferred to another school. Ryujin and Giselle also transferred with the tall girl, in which she somewhat felt longing for the girls and the environment they had back in primary school.

 

She thinks it’s best for herself to be quite away from Yuji. It was going well that she didn't have to see her every day and think of her genuine feelings towards her.

 

Years were flying by so fast that she has totally forgotten the feeling.

 

It’s already 9th grade. She made friends and by friends, lots of them. Everything was just splendid and thrilling, just living life in the last year of middle school.

 

She also had a few crushes for the past three years in middle school but it was just mere crushes, nothing more that was growing, unlike what she felt for her.

 

Kim had liked a lot of upperclassmen girls in her school but was just a bunch of happy crushes. She had finally accepted her fate as that gay student.

 

Minjeong likes girls, obviously, and she knew that as she was going through puberty while in middle school. She also liked boys but she knew she liked girls more than them.

 

Now she had thought of liking girls, she immediately thought of Jimin.

 

Everything is just about Jimin, all over again.

 

They were still hanging out in between weekends during those three years of them studying in different schools, with, of course, Ryujin and Giselle.

 

They've had sleepovers together, strolls in malls, and celebrations. But the feeling wasn't entirely the same again.

 

Though, she treated them the same as she treated them back then. But thinking of it is just way far different.

 

She had thought of Yuji for some time but she would just brush off the feeling all over again, thinking of finally halting it at once.

 

She would never confess this matter to the girl knowing that it would just make their friendship a lot awkward and weirder.

 

Minjeong had liked Gaeul, a close classmate, for a moment sometime in 7th grade but in due course, she saw her only as a friend. She had also admired an upperclassman, Tzuyu, who was a contestant of a pageant in their school that may have caught Minjeong’s attention.

 

Why does she have this thing for tall gorgeous girls?

 

She hadn’t had boyfriends and girlfriends for the past few years too. Kim was just content in that setup and hasn’t thought of committing to a relationship with someone.

 

And there, Minjeong was blinded for a while due to the growing relationship between her and a classmate, Sungchan, in their last year of middle school.

 

Apparently, the guy is still courting her. Not forgetting to shower Minjeong with affection and gifts in their classroom every day.

 

Not bad trying it out with a guy, yeah?

 

She had heard Yuji has a fling. For Minjeong, she was quite happy that she did not feel something from that information. She's finally getting rid of her feelings.

 

Minjeong cheerfully shares this happy fling she has with Sungchan with her friends. The girls were so happy for her and immediately supported her on where she's content, even Jimin.

 

Although, she had some negative thoughts and quite overthinking between her and Sungchan. Minjeong thinks she's just someone Sungchan needs as of the moment after his breakup with Chaeryeong, one of Beomgyu's classmates.

 

She's forgetting everything. She’s getting blinded by everything. Even Yuji, as of the devastating moment.

 

Then a catastrophic pandemic occurs. Great.

 

Classes ceased and it felt like a blackout for a few months.

 

Minjeong started communicating again with her former friends, including Yuji, virtually, out of pure boredom.

 

Everyone was quarantined. Everyone was advised to stay at home as cases of the infected soar day by day.

 

Boredom also rockets day by day. Minjeong would spend all night watching movies on Netflix or playing online games with Beomgyu for some time.

 

But there's this bugging feeling she can't comprehend. It's irritating her to the core.

 

Sungchan was sulking over everything that even Minjeong doesn't know what is. Though, he’s been like that back then when they were still seeing each other physically.

 

The guy wouldn't even talk to Minjeong about it and would just ignore her for the rest of the day. In the end, she would have to woo the guy back just to get them back to normal.

 

Minjeong would also want to have time for herself but unfortunately, she couldn’t have it since Sungchan would want to talk with her all the time.

 

It’s like she’s courting the guy instead. Is the universe playing with her?

 

Kim was not really having it.

 

In time, she realized what that feeling is.

 

She isn't feeling Sungchan's old presence anymore. It’s not the same anymore.

 

It felt like their relationship wasn't going anywhere anymore. Minjeong called this out to Sungchan himself and apologized for it.

 

Though it's never a good idea to end things on text or chat, they had no choice and can't meet up due to the pandemic occurring at the moment.

 

They had ended the things they have between them and ended it probably on a good note.

 

And yes, it also meant rejecting the poor guy.

 

After this devastating failure of a growing relationship, Minjeong mentioned this to her cousin. Beomgyu understood it completely and just comforted her all throughout.

 

Minjeong the Midget

LOLOLOL GUESS WHAT

 

RyuGay

LOL WHAT

did you stay up til morning again

 

WonderGi

whats new about that ryu

she never learns

 

Smarty Pants Jiminie

Yeah, right.

 

Minjeong the Midget

CHILL OUT WILL YA

i ended things with Sungchan lol

 

RyuGay

woah

are you alright tho ?

 

Of course, they also comforted Minjeong. Though, Minjeong wasn’t that affected knowing she was kind of expecting this to happen. After their series of advice and comfort, they watched movies and chatted throughout the night.

 

Jimin also told them about her past fling which also went downhill just like what happened with Minjeong's.

 

They had to do a lot of catching up after months of not communicating. Minjeong wasn't surprised that Jimin was still doing well in school.

 

Even back then, Minjeong had this huge trust in her that she'd do well on everything. She believed in her no matter what.

 

Still, the pandemic goes on for a few more months, not showing signs of almost ending.

 

The girls still had movie nights. They were liking this setup as it went on. They also had the group chat active all the time, keeping in touch until God knows when.

 

As soon as Minjeong realizes, the feeling is growing back again. She had exchanged private messages with Jimin a lot more than in their group chat.

 

Being alone most of the time, she realizes a lot of things. The feelings she had for Jimin never went away. It was just covered with a bunch of distractions in the past years.

 

After a few rings, "What?" The other line finally answered.

 

"Gyu," Minjeong cooes. "I think I like Jimin again."

 

Beomgyu hums, "Is that so? Good for you then, Minddeongie!"

 

"No," Kim sighs dejectedly, "She's straight, for God's sake."

 

"And?"

 

"You're unbelievable." She deadpans. "What do you mean 'and'?"

 

Minjeong hears the guy letting out a chuckle, "Everyone's straight until they aren't, Minjeong."

 

She put a lot of thought on what her cousin had recently said. Well, he isn't totally wrong.

 

It somewhat gave her a little push to continue what she's feeling. It somewhat bloomed inside her even more.

 

It somewhat made her want to pursue her feelings.

 

It went on like that. She let it grow even more as she doesn't have the choice anymore.

 

High school came. It wasn't a whole lot different from middle school. Except for the online classes.

 

It was hell. Since it was the first time doing classes online, everyone hasn't fully adjusted to it yet. It became mentally exhausting.

 

Although, she was lucky enough to share the same class with Beomgyu again in the first year of high school.

 

There were a lot of assignments past due piling up everyday and she was getting mentally tired.

 

Of course, she had a full 30-minute rant about this on Jimin. Yuji understood well since she's experiencing the same too.

 

"Yuji, I'm hella tired," Minjeong whined in front of her laptop screen. They were once again in a video call.

 

Vi