"You did it!" Ningning gushed while looking at Jimin's phone screen, displaying a few first Kakaotalk messages between her and her new friend from the History class. The younger's reaction warmed her heart because all she saw was genuine contentedness instead of a freak-out about having to clean up after their dorm room for the next two weeks. But of course, Jimin wouldn't let the younger do all the work despite the sealed deal, because she was a nice person (well, she sure wanted no one else to touch her stuff, but the point remains).

"Now, who said I was socially inept again?" Jimin mused as the Chinese took the phone from her hand this time, checking the Kakao profile of her new friend.

"Kim Minjeong." She spelled the name aloud, "This is legit."

That earned her a back smack from Jimin. "Of course it is."

"How did you get her phone number?" Ningning asked, but she seemed busier with checking Minjeong's social media rather than getting an answer out of Jimin.

So Jimin didn't answer the younger, safe from being judged or laughed at if Ningning knew how she got it.

(

"Since the first exam is approaching, mind studying it with me? We can share contacts to meet up outside of class... if you want." Jimin said, not at all confident in her tone. She just hoped her cheeks stopped heating up and changing her complexion out in the open for the grinning girl in front of her to decipher what she was feeling.

"Oh please! That'll make my life so much easier. I would love to, absolutely!" Minjeong said, almost squeaking out of excitement. Her eyes literally lit up at Jimin's suggestion, bouncing like she was the cutest penguin out there, and Jimin swore Minjeong could have hugged her if this wasn't their first encounter ever.

)

"See, if it weren't for me, who knows if you'll ever be able to get a new friend. A cute one at that." Ningning teasingly implied, finally returning Jimin her phone.

"You're right." Jimin agreed, "so right." She emphasized, not expecting the other to know how great it was to get to know Minjeong, how she would have missed out on a literal angel.

(

"From what I have seen so far, you don't seem to know my name?" Minjeong asked, a hint of amusement in her eyes as Jimin fidgeted in her spot, shaking her head to the former's guess. Jimin was aware that the class spent its first day for the students to introduce themselves, and not remember Minjeong's name was not the problem here. It was the fact that she wasn't even sure of Minjeong's nationality, was the thing that made Minjeong amused.

"It's Kim Minjeong." Minjeong continued, not at all seeming to be bothered by it as much as Jimin.

"I'll make sure to remember it." Jimin timidly spoke, trying her best to remain composed. "And my name is..."

"Yoo Jimin, nice to finally talk to you." Minjeong completed her sentence, much to Jimin's amazement at the other remembering even her last name.

Should she be creeped out? Probably not, because Minjeong looked so genuinely innocent- sometimes too much for Jimin to stare at her for too long.

"Don't be creeped out, I swear I'm not like that!" Minjeong threw up her hands, as though the look on Jimin's face was so obvious she caught on right away. "But for the record, how can someone not pay attention to someone as pretty as you?"

Her heart skipped a beat at the subtle compliment. It was hard to feel anything but flattered at that.

"I kind of ended up remembering my neighbor's name after signing on your behalf on the attendance sheet a few times. You know, since you are one of those who are frequently late to class." Minjeong continued, eyes crescent from her smile.

Jimin gaped at Minjeong for a good few seconds.

It was the sweetest gesture she could ever receive from a stranger, ever.

"That's really kind of you," Jimin cleared , trying her best to sound less excited, "but you should not, you know, you could get caught. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"Well, unless you can prove to me how it's fair taking points off people who come late just a few minutes after class starts, while not the ones who sleep during half of the lecture in attendance, I won't stop doing it."

Giggles ensued from both girls. Jimin had no counter-arguments, because Minjeong left her nothing but what she had been thinking, but never able to be bold enough to voice it out.

)

Jimin didn't know it was even possible, but she felt like Minjeong's charms would probably only fit in a Doraemon's Magic Pocket, because even after knowing her for two months, she would still discover something new from the latter.

Like right now, when she and Minjeong were studying together in the school library.

She started to feel more and more alarmed at how easily distracted she was while studying with Minjeong, and it was only getting worse.

Today, they weren't studying History together. They were no longer at a stage where the only reason for their meetups were for History. It was becoming a norm for them to meet up every other day at the library, to study whatever they were obliged to, now with each other's presence to keep company (which to Jimin's belated realization, was actually less efficient in obtaining the needed knowledge she intended she would be able to get out of the library at the end of the day).

Minjeong was seriously distracting her. She was sitting across from Jimin on their little round table. The attention she was giving to her Japanese-written book proved how much she was invested in her main courses rather than those compulsory general ones, like History. And that was admirable, Jimin came to learn about her belatedly, again. There were many assumptions about Minjeong, and each passing day, she would only find her more and more likeable as her so-called assumptions became bursted bubbles to the world that was Minjeong's charms.

(

"Are you sure you are speaking your mother tongue properly right now?" Ningning asked between her disbelieving chuckles.

Jimin pouted, fuming at the indirect insult from her Chinese friend. She was telling the truth. Minjeong was a wonderful person, but sometimes Jimin wished the other would just stop being flirtatious for once.

"You can't stop looking at Minjeong even unprovoked," Ningning elaborated as she leaned in, a brow raised as her eyes bored holes onto Jimin's, "can't you connect the dots or are you just trying to deny it?"

)

Though she didn't date much in the past, Jimin's been living long enough to know that her feelings for Minjeong were more than just platonic. Like, would you see the girl in front of you just a friend if you fix your gaze on her lips every other second?

Yes, Jimin's been fighting the urge to imagine kissing Minjeong for god knows how long, and it's just getting worse by day.

She knew she had to confess to Minjeong before she blurted out in the most inappropriate situations, lest she embarrassed herself.

"I really love studying with you." Minjeong said. They were strolling out of the university library for their study session that had to come to an end for the day, both headed in the same direction, one to her dorm and one to the parking lot. "It's peaceful and It motivates me to concentrate better."

To hear such a thing from Minjeong was more than enough to make her heart flutter, but Jimin gulped because she tried to bite down from telling Minjeong that she begged to differ. But that was a ‘her’ problem and she would never have the heart to say no to the other. Take it or leave it, it was her happiness if Minjeong was also happy, even though she would have to study a little bit harder in her alone, free time to make sure she kept up with the courses she was taking.

So then, could she ever confess? If she did, would Minjeong still hang out with her like this?

But really, could she confess?

Forget it. She couldn't even intertwine their fingers together when they were holding hands like this. And it was the hundredth time she wanted to do so, but just couldn't.

She was a coward.

They already came close to the dorms as Jimin was still thinking about how to intertwine fingers in the most natural way, and she almost cursed aloud.

But before she could let go of Minjeong's hand, the other tightened her grip on Jimin's.

"Unnie." Minjeong said as she tilted her head upwards to face Jimin, and Jimin looked down at the shorter female, brow raising because there was this tone Minjeong only used for when she's asking a favor. And even though Jimin knew she would do anything for the other, she was curious, because this time, the other looked a bit hesitant.

And maybe, maybe a little nervous? (She swore she could see a hint of nervousness because she wore that expression so frequently around her crush, around Minjeong.)

"Do you have plans this Friday night?" Minjeong asked, and boy, Jimin was not so dumb as not to see the younger was nervous, despite how much she seemed to hide it.

"Let me think..."

That's a fat lie she managed to say, because Friday night was when she was the most free, or less, the most-likely night where one would expect to see her in the dorms. She just said it so as to stop herself from saying no right away, for her excitement would probably freak Minjeong out.

It was the very first time Minjeong wanted to hang out at night, and even though there was no clear distinction to what the difference with the usual hangout timeframes of Minjeong's proposals are, it was different and Jimin just had a feeling that there was something going on. And that was enough reason for her to jump on her feet.

She managed not to, thankfully.

"Nope. I'm free Friday night." Jimin said. Maybe counting to three was good enough for her thinking session.

"Perfect! I have this place that I always wanted you to come with." Minjeong said, and she sounded half unsure of her words, half delighted.

Jimin was too busy feeling fluttered thinking about all possible scenarios for the upcoming meetup they had agreed on, so she forgot to ask about the conflicted expressions on Minjeong's face before they bid their goodbyes and Minjeong was already meters away, waving at her to usher her back to her dorm.

Friday night came like a breeze.

Jimin was debating what she should wear the other day and it was already Friday night. She was already sitting next to Minjeong in a taxi to wherever Minjeong was planning to go.

She was wearing a bright red sweater and a maroon skirt (not too short but it's barely covering half of her thighs while she was sitting and she kind of regretted wearing it because she felt all the more conscious of herself; she could feel Minjeong's eyes on her occasionally and god, was it a torture figuring out what those stares meant).

Despite all that, the thoughts of her choice of outfit for the night got thrown out the window the moment she laid eyes on Minjeong. The younger female picked a plaid shirt over a measly camisole top (dear god, Jimin never saw her cleavage nor her collarbones out in the open like this and it was driving her insane; Kim Minjeong was out for blood tonight), paired with short jeans and (freaking) combat boots.

Minjeong looked so hot compared to her usual comfy style, and Jimin thought, maybe there was something special tonight after all.

Then the confirmation came when the taxi stopped in front of a—

Jimin's eyes became big as saucers as she looked back to the driver seat, wondering if the engine stopped working for some reason and it was only pure coincidence because god dammit, they didn't stop at—

"Enjoy your night." The driver said kindly yet rather robotically and Jimin snapped back to reality; Minjeong had already paid and unbuckled her seatbelt, waiting for Jimin to do the same.

Right. Let's just pretend she was completely normal and get out of the car first.

"A gay bar." Jimin said once Minjeong came next to her; the taxi was already leaving them. "We're hanging out at a gay bar tonight."

"Yep." Minjeong confirmed, her smile got a tiny bit smaller as she looked at Jimin with a tinge of uncertainty, "that okay?"

No. "Yes."

No, that was not okay. She was everything but okay. Minjeong just indirectly revealed to her for the first time since they became friends that she was lesiban.

A burden fell off her shoulder; Minjeong was lesbian and that was one step closer, one mile easier to confess to the other and not having to worry if she would be judged for being in the minority besides being rejected.

And on top of that, she dragged Jimin with her.

Jimin wanted to text Ningning to ask if she had connected the dots right this time, but Minjeong already held her hand and dragged her towards the bar entrance, and there was no time for her to do that anymore.

The bar was crowded on a Friday night as one would expect, and Jimin never liked crowded places but she figured having Minjeong with her made tonight an exception. The sponteneous random hysterical laughters were not that noisy tonight. The smell of bodily sweats mixed with unpleasant colognes and cheap perfumes were not that suffocating tonight. It was alright, no, it didn't matter. What mattered was Kim Minjeong sitting beside her at the bar now, grinning and chatting away with her, giving full attention to her and only her.

She silently hoped no one looked at Minjeong.

They would be so, so jealous of her, for having the privilege to talk with the most captivating woman of the night.

She meant it.

And she was a tiny bit alarmed when a girl appeared from behind Minjeong, tapping at the latter's shoulder to get her attention.

They spoke for like a few minutes and there was some tension in the air as they continued exchanging words in (if Minjeong learned no other languages for her degree) Japanese.

She had no idea what they were talking about. Great.

"Who was that?" Jimin asked as soon as the apparently Japanese went back to her seat at a table just a few feet away from them, feigning nonchalance in her voice.

"Let's not talk about her for now." Minjeong only winked at her as her hand got back to grip at her The Zombie cocktail (Jimin was no expert in drinks but she deadass knew from the giveaway expression of the bartender that this cocktail was deadly; well, if Minjeong's gradual redder cheeks wasn't obvious already). "Talking about her will just ruin my day."

"Okay." Jimin nodded, feeling all the butterflies forming in her stomach as Minjeong was giving her that bright smile of hers again.

The night was going great.

It surely was going great, because whenever she enjoyed something, she lost track of time.

Minjeong had finished her cocktal, since when Jimin couldn't even know, because they talked and talked about all the silly things they thought about. She didn't know what the bartender put in her Mojito (she was sober, yes, she was freaking sober and aware of what she was doing) but she found herself let loose and dance like a maniac with Minjeong a feet in front of her, swaying her head and doing funny dances and they both were laughing harder than anyone else in the packed dance floor (she knew it was the truth because all she heard was their laughters against the loud, heavy bass-filled music).

She lost track of time until everyone around them stopped jumping and yelling, and each of the couples started to step closer to each other, some hugging, swaying ever slowly to the rhythm of a sultry kind of song.

Jimin felt too out of place, so it was natural that she took a step back and left.

Then Minjeong stopped her by pulling her by her waist, closing their distance until their faces were maybe a hand apart.

This was the closest she ever saw Minjeong up close and of course her heart wanted to fly out of her chest if it could.

"Stay with me." Minjeong mumbled but that was enough for her rum-filled breath to escape her lips and brush on Jimin's nose, enough to remind her that Minjeong was inebriated, enough to stabilize her heart just a little bit, enough for her to tell herself that this meant nothing (yet, hopefully).

"Sure." Jimin muttered, too quiet for the noise around them but she knew Minjeong got the message clear as day, because Minjeong was keeping eye contact with her the whole time (she barely managed to keep her own gaze on Minjeong when she felt hands snaking around her neck, then she dubiously put hers on Minjeong's waist in return).

She didn't know if it was normal for friends to look at each other intensely like this, to hold each other like this, to dance to a sensual song on a dance floor of a gay bar like this, she just knew she wanted them to stay like this forever; she wasn't ready to confess. She didn't know what's the best time to do so. Should she confess tonight? But what would she say first? Just saying the three simple classic words?

No. That would be too out-of-nowhere. She needed to say something like—

"Could you give me a peck?"

No, that'd be too—

Wait, what?

She blinked once, then twice, then she snapped out of her daze.

Minjeong's face was just inches away from her (when had she been this close?), eyes pinning her as if she was searching for an answer before anything was to be said.

She panicked.

Maybe she had heard it wrong, maybe Minjeong was too drunk and there was no weight to her demand. (Or maybe she really meant it the way Jimin wanted, but pull yourself together, she thought, she's not sober and you should not do anything that would ruin your relationship later on).

Minjeong didn't back down but her eyes looked puppy-like as they were sparkling from the lights reflecting her water-filled orbs.

And Minjeong panicked. Again.

She didn't know what to do, or what to say.

She gulped.

"You're not—"

"Yoo Jimin?" A familiar male voice cut her off and she spun around immediately, more thankful than ever as whoever called her managed to pull her out of the dilemma she was having right there.

She was greeted with a face that she wasn't completely sure she wanted to see again, but it's okay. At least she was thankful that he showed up at the right time.

"I never expected to see you at such a place." He said, smiling in a bitter way.

Jimin knew what that smile meant, what he tried to imply. She never agreed to hang out with him in clubs or noisy places for that matter, because she simply didn't like them. Even though she came here uninformed, she knew she would still come and she knew why.

(

"I picked you at first because you seemed as nice as you looked pretty. But the more I hang out with you, the harder you are to please. Jimin, I don't want to keep dating you anymore. I'm sorry. This is our end."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Jimin said as tears rolled down her cheeks, genuinely feeling bad for him.

She had believed his words and thought she was nothing but a pretty face, that she was lacking so much.

She didn't know that she didn't like him back not because she was full of herself, but because she was just incapable of.

)

She was willing to do what Minjeong wanted her to do, but not for the ex that was standing in front of her now, and the reason was clear. She never loved her ex, he knew it, and she knew it a bit later, but she did come to know it some time after they broke up.

She came to know she was only attracted to girls.

"So you're biual too, huh?" He asked, glancing at Minjeong who seemed to be too close not to catch the conversation.

"I'm not..." Jimin trailed off, a bit bashful as it was the first time she let her ex know she was lesbian (she never got the chance to tell him so, not like it would matter anyway).

The ex only stared at her and after a few seconds of silence, he laughed.

It came as no surprise to Jimin as she felt unfazed by the slightly cocky relief her ex was showing her. She always knew what her ex was like, a bit self-centered, and as a result very much delighted that his ex didn't like him back not because he lacks appeals, but because she doesn't like boys.

After exchanging a few more words of greeting, he walked away hand-in-hand with his boyfriend and his mood seemed to be lifted after meeting Jimin.

She had no time to dwell on the mixed feelings she got from her ex, because when she turned back to Minjeong, the younger one looked grim.

"Are you alright?"

"Who was that?" Minjeong asked instead, ignoring her question.

"It was my ex-boyfriend." Jimin answered, hoping that Minjeong wouldn't press any further.

And she didn't.

But she looked even grimmer, and they stayed silent until the song ended for another to come and Minjeong told her she would like to go home.

And then they were sitting beside each other in a taxi.

The foreign, odd tension between them had been suffocating Jimin and she wanted to do something about it before the taxi arrived at the university. Minjeong had never been this distant to her. Maybe she felt unwell from the strong cocktail, or maybe it started at the time Minjeong asked her to give her a peck.

Yeah, that's it. She had to ask eventually and she had been bugged about it beyond her limits to let it be. She had to ask.

"Earlier..."

"I asked you to kiss me earlier," Minjeong cut her off, as though it had been on her mind the whole time and she just waited for the right time to speak, "because I wanted to let her see."

"Her?" A dozen questions came up and she chose to ask it first.

"Aeri. She's the Japanese woman I talked to."

She felt like someone just dumped a bucket of ice-cold water on her whole body. "Okay."

"I'm sorry, that must have been a shock. I should have told you about her first."

Then why didn't you? "It's alright. You have been drunk."

"That's a relief." Minjeong whispered.

Then they dropped back to silence. And a moment later, she felt Minjeong's head leaning on her shoulder, and her mixed emotion of grievance and sorrow got buried by a surge of pleasure from the little physical contact.

She was that stupid, she knew, but she just couldn't help it. Everything happened too fast and she decided to digest them later, just not tonight, not when Minjeong was this close to her, not when she knew the buried emotions would resurface once her shoulder was free again.

And it shows.

They still hung out, Minjeong was still cheerful like usual, everything would have been the same if not for her awkwardness.

She tried hard to make it seem as though she was still the same, but at the end of the day, she knew Minjeong could see something change in her but the younger chose to not pick on it, until one day when she gave a strong reaction upon Minjeong inviting her out at night for the second time.

"It's a no this time. Sorry Minjeong." Jimin said, eyes scanning a sentence of her textbook over and over like it was written in ancient terms.

"When are you free then?" Minjeong asked, looking at Jimin now. She still had to decipher what that sentence meant, so she didn't look up.

"Just how many parties are you attending?" She finally asked, forcing out a chuckle to make it light-hearted enough.

"I'll attend any party I get invited to until you come with me." Minjeong said, childish and serious at the same time. Jimin could have smiled at the cuteness but she was getting anxious at where this conversation was heading.

"I don't like parties, you know that."

"Let's go to that bar again?"

"No."

"Why?"

Jimin's eyes widened at Minjeong's question.

Oops.

She slipped.

"Why do you say no when I haven't given a date yet?" Minjeong pressed on, and Jimin felt her cheeks get hotter as the younger bore holes onto her face with that fierce pair of eyes.

She had an answer, but she couldn't say it. She was that big of a coward.

"So you really hate gay bars that much?" Jimin looked up at the younger's assumptions, and she opened to speak, but the other continued as her voice raised, "then why did you still join me that night? You could have said no, and I would be cool. We are acting so distant like this because let's face it, you are not comfortable with someone like me, are you?"

Minjeong looked irritated, and Jimin was dumbfounded. It wasn't right that the younger was the angry one here.

"Would you be comfortable if the person you call your friend uses you to make her ex jealous because apparently you are the easiest friend to use?" Jmin finally gave out, fire in her eyes before water rushed up and the fire got replaced with  She's done with this bull. She had no other leeway but to face the harsh truth, that her friend was using her because she was easy, because her looks were more valued than her actual self and it freaking reminded her of the past with her ex.

And it hurts ten-fold that she was in love with the very said person.

"So that's why you are mad at me..." Minjeong breathed out, messaging her temples as she spoke, "I'm sorry, I didn't think it would come off that way. I never took advantage of my friends. I never used you. Hell, you would be the last person I would choose if I were to use anyone."

Jimin was dumbfounded, again. She just realized she was overreacting, and that she was primarily just bitter that Minjeong didn't ask to be kissed because Minjeong liked her in a romantic way.

"You don't have to say sorry." She said, tearing her gaze off the other's eyes and looking at her book on the table. "I was overthinking it. I should have told you I'm not comfortable with acting as your girlfriend."

Minjeong chuckled, a bit less lively like how Jimin usually heard her. "Yeah, yeah I got you, you and your straight-. I promise I won't ever bring you to a gay bar again."

Then she looked up again, confused. "But I'm not straight?"

Minjeong blinked, mirrorring Jimin's expression. "Hold on, what? You told your ex— sorry I overheard you both talking back there, that you're not bi, then you must be straight or lesbian, right? You dated that guy so you must—"

Jimin giggled and Minjeong stopped mid-way, side-eyeing the older like she was on some type of drugs, but then she opened her eyes wide, then squinting them slightly, "are you aual?"

Jimin had to cover to muffle her laugh this time.

"I dated him because I hadn't realized I'm into girls back then." She revealed, smiling at Minjeong as the other's lips parted, nodding slowly as she took the information in.

Then Minjeong's face lit up.

"We're good now then?"

Not quite as I know now that I have no chance in your heart, but definitely a lot better. "Yes, we are."

They were back to being normal by the time they left the library. Everything was not as bad as it seemed once they communicated. Jimin was happy, and so was Minjeong. They were holding hands again on their way back to Jimin's dorm.

Even though the dangling sound of Minjeong's keyring had become something Jimin could ignore before, she couldn't seem to do so at the moment.

Maybe asking about it wouldn't hurt.

"I guess you're still not over Aeri?" Jimin asked, reaching her free hand to pick the keyring up on her palm, staring at it intently.

"Eh?" Minjeong looked stunned for a moment before she seemed to understand what Jimin was implying.

"That's not her gift. I bought it from a gift shop when I visited Japan a while back."

Jimin hummed and they dropped back to comfortable silence for a moment before she realized it didn't quite satisfy her curiosity. "But do you still have feelings for her?"

And Minjeong stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" Jimin asked, seeing the other had bit on her bottom lip as though she was contemplating something.

Then she finally looked up to Jimin and confessed, "She's not my ex. We were never in a relationship and we never will. She's a TA for my Japanese class and I actually want to choke her everytime I see because she messed up my assignment grades twice."

Jimin laughed at the 'choke' part. But her laughter died down as soon as she remembered something was wrong.

"Why did you lie to me about her?"

Minjeong sighed as stepped forward so they were directly facing each other now.

And Minjeong's cheeks were flushed in red.

"I slipped that night while we were dancing together. I got carried away. And then your ex-boyfriend came and I had to come up with something because I was afraid you would feel uncomfortable if you knew I liked you. And our friendship would be ruined because of that."

Did Jimin just hear 'like'?

Were her ears functioning correctly?

"Look. I know you are surprised to know this, but can you give me some time to sort this out myself? I know I have a crush on you and it may be awkward right now but I promise I won't do anything weird to you. I don't want us to stop being friends because of this." Minjeong said in one breath as she fumbled with her bag.

It was too much to take in for Jimin at once but she had to do what she needed to do.

She stepped a bit closer and took Minjeong's hands to calm the younger woman down. "I'm so glad that you like me."

And Minjeong's face perked up to look back at Jimin, blinking rapidly to prevent her tears from falling.

"I like you too. I've been meaning to tell you but I thought I had no chance because I misunderstood that you were still not over Aeri." Jimin continued, "this whole situation is bizarre. But we're on the same page now, aren't we?"

Minjeong nodded. Then a moment later, she finally broke into a huge smile, "I need a lot of time to process everything. Like how you came to like me, that sort of thing."

"The same with me." Jimin agreed. There was a lot of new information, a lot of knots untangled that day and it was too overwhelming, and there was a lot to talk about.

But they both had the same thing in their mind at the moment.

Jimin could finally intertwine their hands together, and Minjeong tilted her head up as the older closed their gap for a kiss.

And that kiss was there as a confirmation that they were not dreaming, that they were ready to be lovers.

Jimin got a girlfriend. And if someone asked her how she met that girlfriend, she would say it was because she looked to her right. Love always starts from the most casual exchanges, right?

A/N: i used parentheses so much asdfghjk idk what's gotten onto me but i love using them even though i don't know if they're correctly used help!???

i never expected this much attention after releasing the 1st part, i'm literally shaking to release this jfc i hope it's still somewhat entertaining, also sorry for the late update asdffhjk!

There's a reader survey thing just above the comment section, please do cast a vote even if you aren't subscribed (as long as you have read the story, you are my reader!)

Happy holidays!

XOXO