“Mina, isn’t that your luggage?” Sana points at the luggage covered with penguin stickers on the conveyor belt, but Mina doesn’t respond, just stands there in a daze. Sana huffs and grabs it for her, waving her hands in front of the girl to wake the girl from her daze.

“Huh?” Mina asks as she blinks and gets her senses back. She sees her luggage in front of her. “Oh thanks.”

They are wheeling their luggage out to the exit of the airport when Sana looks at Mina who’s unexceptionally quiet and has her head down. The girl has been in this daze ever since they met at the airport in Tokyo. “So, what’s wrong? Why are you so out of it?”

Mina shrugs it off. “I think I’m just tired, couldn’t really sleep well the night before.”

“Too excited to meet Chaeyoungie?” Sana teases, which only brings a sigh from Mina. Sana frowns, that wasn’t the reaction she expected. “Y’all fought?”

“No.” Mina looks even more depressed than she already is, if that is possible. “It’s just, she didn’t want to Skype for the past few days, and I’m just worried you know, that she… got sick of me.”

Sana stops pushing her luggage and turns to look at Mina with a stern look on her face. Her best friend always has had low self-esteem, but she is always there to help her see how amazing of a person she is. “Please Mina-chan, you have the mark here,” she squeezes Mina’s right shoulder where she knows is engraved with Chaeyoung’s name, “she won’t get sick of you. You guys are destined to be together. Besides, she might just be busy the past few days.”

“I hope so…” Mina mumbles unconfidently, and Sana clasps Mina’s hand in her own, and her gentle eyes meet Mina’s worried ones. “Don’t worry, alright? Everything will be fine.”

It might just be a misunderstanding, and Sana really didn’t want to interfere with their relationship, but if Chaeyoung was really taking her friend for granted, she is not going to hesitate to whoop some . They exit through the automatic doors of the airport terminal and are in the arrival hall where family and friends are waiting around for their loved ones. They spot Dahyun immediately, who’s standing on a seat and holding a banner that says “WELCOME BACK, THE LOVE OF MY LIFE”. She waves the banner frantically upon seeing them, and Sana laughs at her idiotic girlfriend, letting go of Mina to run towards her girlfriend who has caused quite a public nuisance.

Sana pulls Dahyun in for a kiss the moment she’s within her reach, and Mina is mostly grossed out, but also slightly envious. She wishes Chaeyoung could also be here to kiss her like that.

“Gosh, some consideration please?” A familiar voice calls out, and the owner appears from the crowd, having just squeezed through it to make it to them. She makes her way to Mina, standing in front of her and grinning at her with Mina’s favourite dimpled smile. “Hi.”

It’s been a few days since Mina last saw her soulmate (through video calls), and to say she misses her is an understatement. But here she is, right in front of her for her to kiss and touch but Mina is unable to move, shocked as she stares at Chaeyoung’s new look. Gone was the mushroom hairstyle, Chaeyoung’s hair is cut shorter revealing the ends of her ears, and she has gotten a fringe that peeks out from a cap and she looks so good Mina doesn’t know what to do.  

“Your… your hair…” Mina says as she twirls with a few strands of Chaeyoung’s hair. She sees the blackened mark behind her left ear more clearly now, and Mina resists the urge to kiss it.

“Yeah, I cut it. Do you like it?” Chaeyoung asks with a smirk, already knowing her answer judging from the enamoured look on Mina’s face.

Mina pulls Chaeyoung in for a deep lip lock as her answer, and she can feel Chaeyoung smirking into the kiss, causing Mina to bite down on her lower lip for being so smug.

“Gosh, some consideration please?” Dahyun mimics Chaeyoung’s words, causing the two to pull away from each other, both of them panting.

Chaeyoung grins as she winks at Sana and Dahyun. “You guys need to have a taste of your own medicine and we are right here to deliver it to you.”

Sana gasps as she finally takes a good look at Chaeyoung. “Chaengie you look so good! I would totally date you, soulmates be damned.” Sana walks over and fawns over her, earning some irked expressions from both Dahyun and Mina.

“Excuse me I’m right here?” Dahyun stands in her spot, with her hands on her waist. She is already familiar with Sana’s flirty words and actions, but to do it right in front of her? Dahyun huffs, “Wow I’m so speechless, really.”

Mina hugs Chaeyoung protectively, glaring at the snake. “She’s mine.”

“I’m just kidding, guys.” Sana coos as she walks back to engulf Dahyun in a hug. “I would still choose you even if I’m not marked with your name.”

The Sana and Dahyun couple walks ahead, and it’s only when Mina is certain that Sana is far enough to not touch her soulmate that she finally pulls away to look at Chaeyoung who is smiling at her with a contended smile. She smiles back, but it immediately drops to a frown when she realizes there’s a wound on Chaeyoung’s lower lip. “You are bleeding.”

“And whose fault is that?” Chaeyoung asks in jest, and Mina lets go with a huff and pulls her luggage, ignoring her soulmate and following after Sana and Dahyun.

Chaeyoung catches right up with her, taking the luggage from Mina and holding her hand instead. “Let’s go together.”

Mina misses this warmth, and scoots closer to Chaeyoung as they walk. Now that Chaeyoung is beside her, she finally feels complete. She sighs in contentment, “I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” Chaeyoung turns to look at her with a smile.

But Mina frowns, remembering how Chaeyoung avoided video calls with her for the past few days. She hits the younger girl on the shoulders. “That’s not true seeing how you avoided video calls with me!”

“I’m sorry, I wanted to keep my haircut as a surprise from you.” Chaeyoung smiles apologetically and squeezes her hand. “Forgive me please?”

There’s nothing to forgive Chaeyoung for because Mina isn’t angry at her in the first place, but she doesn’t say that out. She decides to use this situation to her advantage. “Only if you cuddle me to sleep. For a week.”

“I can cuddle you to sleep for my whole life.” Chaeyoung says easily, as if she’s not pledging forever and always and Mina blushes. “Why are you so good with your words?”

“Because I love you. A lot.” Chaeyoung tells her before they reunite with Sana and Dahyun at the taxi stand. They can’t speak as freely with their friends around, so Mina pulls Chaeyoung in and hugs her like a teddy bear as they wait for a taxi. It’s only when Sana and Dahyun are engrossed with each other that Mina gathers the courage to say it back.

“I love you a lot too.” She whispers to Chaeyoung’s ear, before leaving a kiss on her mark. She feels the younger girl shuddering slightly, turning to look at her with such hooded eyes that she knows they will be doing more than cuddling tonight.