[ PRESENT ]

 

How the cub could still sleep through the blaring alarm in the morning will always remain a mystery to the penguin.

 

“Chaeyoung...turn off the alarm..”, Mina groaned and nudged Chaeyoung who was still asleep beside her, one of the cub’s hand resting inside the penguin's shirt.

 

“Yah, Son Chaeyoung…”, the penguin turned her head to squint/glare at the younger who didn't even budge from her sleep.

 

“oh for ’s sake!”

 

Finally, she decided to reach over to turn off the device on the nightstand on Chaeyoung's side of the bed. She sat up and leaned over, hitting the poor alarm clock a little too hard which caused it to fall off from its place.

 

The already annoyed penguin groaned loudly and grabbed a fistful of her hair, trying to contain her calm.

 

“Hmm what's up?”, Chaeyoung stirred under Mina who was still hovering over the cub, mumbling as she shifted her position to lie down on her back and squinted hard to look at her girlfriend above her.

 

“What's up? What's up?? Son Chaeyoung, do you know how many times I've tried nudging you awake you so you could turn off the frigging alarm clock??”, Mina glared at the younger, one hand pushing her hair back and the other, still propped in the space between Chaeyoung’s side and arm.

 

“Uhm, no..”, the cub spoke softly, eyes still heavy from the sleep, “sorry”

 

“I'm moving the clock to my side of the nightstand from tonight”, Mina huffed. Chaeyoung only kept looking at the penguin above her with her brows slightly raised.

 

“...okay”

 

“Ugh”, Mina groaned again and plopped down on top of Chaeyoung, hugging her and pulled the blanket over them.

 

“Did I ruin your morning?”, Chaeyoung asked while her hands gently rubbed the other's under her shirt.

 

A heavy sigh left Mina's lips, “not just because of the alarm. I have to wake up to see your face sleeping peacefully through the screeching alarm clock. So ugly”

 

Chaeyoung scoffed, “Well guess who had to struggle dealing with her drunk girlfriend last night? It's not my fault that I only get to sleep about two hours ago”

 

The penguin snickered, “but you love me”

 

“I do”, Chaeyoung mumbled with her eyes closed.

 

Mina bit down on her bottom lip but the smile was uncontainable. She snuggled closer the the smaller's body.

 

“and ugly. You're also ugly”

 

“mm I love you, too”

 

Mina giggled, leaning up to quickly kiss Chaeyoung on the cheek.

 

“Are you excited for tonight?”, Chaeyoung asked.

 

“I don't know. You know I don't like parties much but meh”

 

“But it's your graduation party”, the cub spoke, dipping her chin a little to get a better look at the sleepy penguin on her chest.

 

“Mmm you're probably the only reason why I'm attending the party”, Mina mewls softly at the soothing sensation of Chaeyoung's soft hands on her back.

 

“Okay”

 

Mina giggled, “ah, also you have to accompany me dress shopping today”

 

Chaeyoung whined, “but you ALWAYS take so much time”

 

“but Chaeyoungieee”, the penguin whined back, looking up at the younger girl and repeatedly pecked her neck and chin in between whining.

 

“oh my gosh fine!”, Chaeyoung groaned but ended up smiling anyway.  

 

“yay!”

 

“okay but let's sleep for another hour or two”

 

“okay”

 

Their laughter died down eventually and after a few more seconds had passed, silence engulfed the room peacefully.

 

“I love you, Chaeng. So, so much”

 

“Mmh I love me too”

 

“.....”

 

“.....”

 

“What?”

 

“Why are you like this?”

 

_______________________________

 

 

 

[ How Chaeyoung and Mina happened ]

 

[ PAST ]

 

Morning wasn't carrying on with its usual monotonous routine for two things among the group of friends-

 

1. Chaeyoung had a new hairdo (unintentionally but looked handsome in it anyway).

2. A new member had been added to the group chat.

 

 

 

“Guys, who is this new person in the group chat?”, Chaeyoung looked up from the screen.

 

“I don't know”, Dahyun answered.

 

“Black Swan”, Tzuyu said, “That's all it said in the chat”

 

“Holy duck is this Jihyo's idea or Jeongyeon's? Because it's lame as heck!”, Dahyun spat in disgust at the name.

 

“That couldn't possibly be a real name”

 

The other two shrugged.

 

The said group chat consisted of 7 people, now 8, in which the cub was one of the members. The folks in the group chat are very close friends despite the age and grade differences.

 

They've been sticking around with each other since elementary-middle school.

 

Minus the foreigner which is Sana. She joined the squad when she was transferred to South Korea in high school.

 

“Look at the way Black Swan types. Wow-”, Tzuyu stated, obviously back reading the chat since it's only the three of them online at the moment.

 

“I know, right? Who still types like that? It's like, the 22nd century now”, Dahyun shook her head, clicking her tongue.

 

“No, I'm actually appreciating. You guys are trash”, the cub defended, "also, it's the 21st century"

 

“Whatever you say, smol”

 

Chaeyoung continued back reading, taking a sip off her strawberry smoothie through the straw.

 

The way ‘Black Swan' typed was no joke.

 

It was so proper. The punctuation marks, the right spacings, the choice of sophisticated words, but it wasn't that overboard either to the point where it gets annoying.

 

Chaeyoung supposed that this person read books a lot, which would definitely explain her way of wording sentences in the chat.

 

But whatever the new member was doing with her words, it undeniably caught the cub's attention.

 

The idea of possibly having someone else who was sane in their group kind of excited Chaeyoung.

 

The cub opened the chat’s info in hopes to get more information about the mysterious new member, but all it showed was the nickname and her number.

 

Chaeyoung continued to back read further up the group chat and finally saw Jihyo’s message.

 

Jihyo : Guys, we have a new member. She was transferred to our school this morning from Japan and is in the same class with me

 

Jihyo : Black Swan because she does ballet hehe I've seen her dance it's really noice      ( TДT)

 

Jihyo : oh, her name's Mina y'all better talk to her and make her feel at home. I'm watching

 

oh, Chaeyoung eased, Mina. So you're Mina from Japan. She talked to herself under her breath.

 

I can't wait to actually meet you.

 

The thought of the new foreigner died down for the rest of the school hours until the cub walked with Jeongyeon to her car after their evening basketball practice.

 

Unlike other evenings, there was a new face waiting by Jeongyeon's car with Jihyo. Chaeyoung’s heart jumped a little.

 

Beautiful, Chaeyoung mentally screamed but kept her normal expression and wondered why she's never seen her around in school before.

 

How slim are my chances with her?, she thought to herself.

 

“I've heard about your new haircut”, Jihyo said as they approached the car, “You actually look good. Handsome”

 

Chaeyoung smiled and bowed her head slightly, “Thanks, unnie”

 

“oh, and guys, this is Mina”, Jihyo placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, “If you've checked the group chat, then I'm sure you already know”

 

oh, Chaeyoung said mentally. She ran a hand through her short, brunette hair trying not to show much reaction to the new piece of information.

 

“And Mina, this is Jeongyeon. The very owner of the car which we're about to hike”, she gestured towards Jeongyeon, who waved back at them as she unlocked the doors, “And this handsome little beast is our Chaeyoung”

 

Mina nodded, smiling at Chaeyoung, “Nice to meet you”

 

This is Mina this is Mina this is Mina this is Mina this is Mina this is Mina…

 

“Nice to meet you”, Chaeyoung repeated the sentence as a response.

 

The cub took a mental photo of that particular smile and saved it at the back of her head quietly before they all got into the car.

 

Since Jeongyeon and Jihyo lived nearby to each other, Jihyo usually waits for Jeongyeon after school. Being ½ of the mom friend, Jeongyeon always drives the cub home in the evening unless something comes up.

 

They've known each other way back even before they met the rest of the squad.

 

The drive home that evening was almost the same as always, just that Chaeyoung was riding shotgun while Jihyo sat at the back with Mina. It was usually the other way around.

 

The two loud moms sang along to the songs playing on the radio while Chaeyoung quietly sat back and looked out the window.

 

The cub couldn't help it. She kept stealing glances at Mina through the rear view mirror.

 

Mina was looking out the window, too. Her sitting composure was rather relaxed and comfortable as compared to how she stood when she and Jihyo were standing by Jeongyeon's car earlier. Maybe she was just a little nervous.

 

Chaeyoung took her time to carefully study Mina's side feature an best as she could from the mirror. The other girl didn't seem to notice.

 

They first dropped off Chaeyoung as usual. The cub waved them goodbye before stealing one last glance at Mina and walked into her house.

 

No matter what Chaeyoung did that evening, her mind kept racing back to the Japanese girl.

 

She threw herself on her bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling as her thoughts hazed with the picture of Mina during their short encounter.

 

Am I crushing on her?

 

Or I just have a thing for Japanese women

 

I mean, Momo was Japanese but-

 

AHH I'm overthinking things. It'll pass.

 

Her face is just… intriguing

 

And pretty

 

ok it'll be gone by tomorrow

 

Chaeyoung let out a long, draggy yawn before allowing herself to drift off to sleep.

 

The next morning came and Chaeyoung thought she was over the idea of the new Japanese girl who suddenly invaded her thoughts from such a short encounter the day before.

 

It wasn't until Chaeyoung stepped into the library that very afternoon to gather some books for her assignment that she got to confirm whether she was, indeed, crushing on Mina or not.

 

As she was strolling through the silent aisles of the library scanning for the required books, she peeked on a familiar figure sitting at the back of the room where it was probably the quietest.

 

Slowly, Chaeyoung decided to approach the figure from behind the shelves, kind of doubtful if she would want to see her or be interrupted if the person was actually Mina, that is.

 

When the girl looked up from her book to see the intruder, her eyes met Chaeyoung's nervous but excited gaze.

 

“oh hi, you”, Mina greeted, a little surprised at the unexpected company.

 

“Mina”, the cub breathed, “hi”

 

The cub was overwhelmed. It's barely been a day and everything was so damn corny, but Chaeyoung had to accept that she was drawn.

 

Very much drawn to the unearthly person in front of her.

 

okay. I definitely am crushing on Mina.

 

___________________________________

 

 

 

 

[ PRESENT ]

 

“That's like, the fourteenth dress you've tried on”, Chaeyoung complained, sitting down on one of the bean bags in the clothing store while waiting for her girlfriend to finally settle on a dress for the party later tonight.

 

“Thirteenth”, Mina corrected while struggling to undo the zipper on the back. Chaeyoung sighed and stood up to help the penguin, “I wanna look good tonight, Chaeng”

 

“It's just a graduation party though and it's not like you're allowed to flirt around”, the cub said, pushing the penguin's hair to one side of her shoulder and opened the zipper, “and you're always beautiful anyway”

 

Chaeyoung took a quick moment to admire the work of art that is her girlfriend and her milky smooth back through the thin opportunity of the (now opened) back zipper of the dress.

 

Mina cleared to speak, feeling suddenly flustered at the unconscious compliment from the younger and turned around to face her,“uhm, I mean- since I'll have to meet your parents..”

 

Chaeyoung lifted her gaze to meet Mina's, “you're worried about meeting my parents?”, the cub smiled at her. The penguin nodded with a pout.

 

“it's not like you haven't met them before though. And they absolutely love you”

 

“but still…”

 

“and you look absolutely gorgeous in whatever dress you decide to wear, baby. There's nothing to stress over”

 

The penguin blushed deeply and dipped her head a little, brushing some strands of hair away as she finally brought her gaze back up to meet the cub's.

 

“Thank you”

 

“okay okay let's just get this over with. Finalize a dress and let's go home quick”, Chaeyoung pecked Mina's lips before gently pushing her back to the changing booth.

 

Mina's head peeked out from behind the door of the booth, “Actually, there's enough space here for two people”, she slightly blushed, “...and there isn't much people around”

 

“Nah, I'll sit out here and wait- oh”, realisation finally hit Chaeyoung when she met Mina's expectant eyes and blush. The cub's mouth fell open but quietly broke into a grin after, “no no are you kidding me? I am too innocent for this..I- we are not doing it in a public place like one of those people no we-”

 

“It'll be fun”

 

“ok”

 

_________________________________

 

[ PAST ]

 

Surprisingly, Chaeyoung and Mina got along quite well despite their constant bickering.

 

It was no surprise that the penguin was soon well known around school and caught a lot of people's attention, unintentionally.

 

The 8 membered squad was sitting down on their ausual lunch table.

 

“Chaeyoungie, Momoring is in Seoul for the month. Have you heard?”, Sana, who was sitting next to Chaeyoung, said out of the blue.

 

“Who's Momoring?”, a voice said.

 

They turned their head to see Mina with a tray in her hands, settling herself down beside Chaeyoung on the lunch table.

 

“No one important”, Chaeyoung said nonchalantly, continuing with her food.

 

“It's Chaeyoungie's ex girlfriend”, Sana answered for the cub, “She was our senior here”

 

“ah, can I ask what happened?”, Mina asked, particularly looking at the cub for an approval.

 

“we broke up because she cheated on me. But it was a while ago and she's already graduated from here so”, Chaeyoung shrugged.

 

“oh”, was the only response from the penguin before she busied herself with her lunch.

 

“so I heard a senior asked you out for the school's dance and you actually agreed”, Nayeon, the eldest of the squad, pointed out, “that must be so nice”, she cooed.

 

Chaeyoung's ears immediately perked up and looked at Mina.

 

“Uh, yes”, the penguin shyly answered, her eyes focused on her tray to avoid the playful stares from the squad.

 

“omo you're finally agreeing to go out with someone”, Sana squealed.

 

“but only for the dance”, she corrected, “nothing more than that”

 

Jeongyeon, Jihyo and the two fellow maknaes lowkey flashed a look of sympathy at the evidently broken hearted cub who tried her best to hide her feelings.

 

Only about a week left till the dance and Chaeyoung tried her best to distance herself from the penguin.

 

Maybe it's better this way, Chaeyoung thought.

 

Maybe Mina had always been straight in the first place.

 

Maybe she's been looking at me only as a friend all these time, nothing more.

 

I'm so stupid to have had my hopes up. tsk

 

They've been doing so well as how Chaeyoung saw it. She had gotten really close with Mina and would even spend time together at random beaches out of town during the weekends.

 

One of the things she'd learned over their bonding time- Mina loves the beach and yes, the penguin actually loves reading books.

 

Mina was different from the people she had met. She was almost like a paradox.

 

While people are usually quiet and conserved to the people they don't know well, Mina was the opposite. She was rather loud and talkative to the people in school but quiet and talk less around Chaeyoung with whom she spent most of her time with since her arrival in Korea.

 

You'd think you know her, but then you'll realize you don't. 

 

But it was safe to say that Chaeyoung was probably the closest to Mina amongst the squad members.

 

Mina could stay in the open no matter how cold or how long she'd been there if it was a clear night and the stars are clearly visible.

 

It somehow worked on Chaeyoung’s favor, too, because the cub was into Greek myths, and every here and there, she could throw in a myth or two while the penguin gushed over how pretty the night sky looked.

 

Eventually, Chaeyoung made it a point to stay back in line and just be there for the penguin since it was kind of hopeless. She stood by the penguin’s side and listened to her problems when she had one, let the penguin take care of her when Mina insisted, go out on their usual platonic dates and geeking out about the stars and random novels.

 

It was fun, but Chaeyoung only found herself falling deeper.

 

Chaeyoung was woken up from her train of thoughts when her phone rang in her pocket.

 

Mina.

 

Why would she call me this time of the evening?

 

“Hey”, Chaeyoung answered.

 

“Hey, you”, the penguin replied from the other line, “What're you doing right now?”

 

Chaeyoung looked around at the mess of a surrounding she was in at the garage and chuckled.

 

“Thinking about you”

 

The penguin snickered, “How creepy. I'm deeply touched”

 

“Yeah yeah. What's up, ugli?”

 

“Nothing much. I was reading a book and it somehow reminds me of you,”Mina breathed and Chaeyoung could hear the sound of fabric ruffling on whatever the older girl was either sleeping or sitting on, “and stressing out for the school's dance”

 

“oh, that's… nice?”, Chaeyoung didn't want to jinx it so she decided to avoid feeling hopeful, “What's bothering you? I thought you'd be excited about it”

 

“I feel ‘meh’ about it”, Mina yawned, “but yes, having to dress up for the event and having to dance stress the hell out of me”

 

Chaeyoung was rather taken aback, “Dance? But you're good at dancing though”

 

“Yeah but”, she sighed, “I've never….tried slow dancing with a partner-”

 

“oh”

 

“it's gonna be weird, isn't it?”, Mina asked, sounding stressed indeed.

 

Chaeyoung hummed, looking around again before an idea struck her.

 

“Hey, I know it's late but do you suppose we could meet up at the usual park in 20?”

 

Mina lived in a condo unit alone nearby Chaeyoung's place.

 

“uhm, I suppose so… why?”

 

“okay great! See you in 20 mins”

 

With an old ‘90s boombox in her hands, Chaeyoung found herself in the said park, breathing out smokes from the cold. She was welcomed with the sight of a restless penguin pacing up and down the lot.

 

When Chaeyoung finally came into view, the penguin raised her hands dramatically with hung open.

 

“What?”, the cub asked as she placed the item down on the ground.

 

“What?? Son Chaeyoung, it's been 22 mins. You said 20 mins!”

 

“it's just two frigging minutes calm DOWN”, Chaeyoung laughed while Mina glared.

 

“it's not ‘just two minutes’ in this temperature, you ugli”, the penguin grumbled.

 

Chaeyoung didn't give any response and only busied herself with the boombox while crouching down.

 

“What's that?”, Mina soon joined and crouched down beside Chaeyoung, inspecting the device and gently ran her fingers on it.

 

“A boombox”, Chaeyoung answered.

 

“oh, I know them”, Mina said as she continued to scan the item further but suddenly retracted her hand when Chaeyoung pushed in a cassette and music started ringing from it.

 

The cub kept pressing the ‘next’ button till it came to the song she wanted.

 

I've found a love for me

 

Darling just dive right in

 

“Perfect?”, the penguin looked at the cub in pure confusion, “surely, Ed Sheeran didn't make a cassette version of his album”

 

“he didn't”, Chaeyoung said and stood up from her crouching position, “but I did make one in the garage earlier before you called”

 

Mina followed Chaeyoung's action and stood up as well, still confused, “Garage? What were you doing in a garage?”

 

The cub turned to face the taller girl, clicking her tongue, “you ask too many questions. But yeah, dad has this device which he keeps in the garage that helps in converting this whole playlist into the classic cassette version that works for the boombox. So here we are. We good now?”

 

“oh”

 

“and I'm here so we could help you with that slow dance”

 

“oh, wait what-”

 

Chaeyoung stepped forward and stretched a hand out, “Pretend I'm your boyfriend for the dance”

 

Mina was still surprised. This was completely unexpected but somewhat sweet.

 

Her heart fluttered and she had an idea as to why it did.

 

One of her favorite songs playing in the back and the weather was… really nice. Mina was lowkey digging it.

 

“Date”, Mina corrected playfully as she took Chaeyoung's hand and let herself be pulled closer to the younger one, “Those are different terms”

 

“Okay boss. Whatever you say”

 

Chaeyoung moved the other hand to Mina's hips and took the lead, soon, slowly moving to the rhythm of the song together without speaking much.

 

“Wow, you're so awkward this is actually funny”, Chaeyoung laughed at how stiff the penguin was during the dance.

 

Mina scoffed, “your height is funny”

 

“....”

 

“....”

 

“Was that necessary though?”

 

_________________________________

 

[ PAST ]

 

Chaeyoung had been trying to study, but kept glancing at the clock instead.

 

9:25 p.m

 

Minari must be having fun with the lucky guy right now

 

She was jealous over something she couldn't help. Mina wasn't hers and there was nothing that could be done.

 

They're only friends, after all.

 

Her inability to focus led her back to the spacious garage in the house, preparing to work on another cassette to rid herself of the thinking she'd been doing the whole evening.

 

The cub lost track of time till the door opened and her mom peeked in, “you have a company, sweetie”

 

“Minari?”

 

“Hi”

 

Chaeyoung found herself in the dimly lit space, working on a playlist for the cassette with the girl who had been occupying her thoughts the whole day.

 

No, scratch that. It's “the girl who had been occupying her thoughts since the day she first heard of her”.

 

“It's a little early for the party to be over yet. Something happened?”, the cub asked as Mina helped herself on the vacant stool next to Chaeyoung by the working table.

 

“Parties aren't exactly my thing”, Mina answered, leaning forward on the table, “plus my date passed out”

 

“ah”, Chaeyoung let out a chuckle.

 

Mina smiled in return and focused her attention on what the cub was doing, “so, is this the uh, cassette maker thingy?”

 

“Yes, it is”

 

“Cool”

 

“mhm what's your favorite song, Minari?”

 

“eh?”

 

“Favorite song?”, the cub repeated.

 

“oh umm currently, maybe.. Like we used to?”

 

“A rocket to the moon?”, Chaeyoung asked to confirm.

 

“oh gosh, yes! Them”

 

“okay gotchu”

 

“Why?”

 

“I'm gonna see if I can put the song in the playlist here”, the cub answered. Mina nodded.

 

“it's cool how you're into things most people aren't usually into”, Mina said, now resting her chin on her palm with her elbows propped up on the table, staring at the concentrated cub.

 

“Like Greek myths and lumberjack beards?”

 

They both laughed.

 

I like you, Mina.

 

I like you a lot

 

Chaeyoung confessed a hundred times in her head, but her eyes never looked at the penguin who was starting to catch feelings for the cub.

 

______________________________

 

[ PRESENT ]

 

“Baby, calm down, you look stunning”, Chaeyoung consoled her girlfriend on the backseat of Jeongyeon's car on their way to the party.

 

“Do you think your parents think I dress too inappropriately? I-”

 

“Hey hey, look at me”, the younger one cut off Mina and cupped her cheeks to make the penguin look at her, “You dressed beautifully and my parents definitely thought of the same thing too. So calm down now, alright?”

 

She leaned over and pecked the tip of the penguins nose and smiled.

 

Mina unknowingly smiled back at the cub, nodding, “okay”

 

“You guys are disgustingly sweet”, Jihyo commented from the front seat.

 

“Eh?”, Mina blushed and sneaked her arms around Chaeyoung's arm and squeezed, leaning against her shoulder.

 

Quietly, Mina and Chaeyoung looked out the window as they drove by the city lights in a blur. They've been travelling up and down this route for the past two years, to and from school together.

 

They were feeling a little sentimental now that the seniors are graduating. The trip to school and back will be a little lonely now.

 

It will just be the three maknaes, but that's better than being alone.

 

“It kinda how time has to change things”, Chaeyoung muttered.

 

“It just...occurred to me that I won't see you around in school anymore-”

 

“It won't be so bad, Chaeng. Things will be fine. You'll be fine”, Mina placed a kiss on Chaeyoung's cheek softly, “but yeah, I'll definitely miss everything about you and school”

 

“We can't help it, can we?”,Chaeyoung looked at Mina who shook her head.

 

The cub forced a smile and Mina laced their fingers together and kissed Chaeyoung again before resting back on the other’s shoulder.

 

“This isn't the end of our relationship though”, the penguin said.

 

“Definitely not”

 

“Unless you decide to hoe around”

 

“Please I don't hoe around”

 

Mina snickered.

 

“What? You don't believe me?”

 

“N o p e”

 

“Penguin I will slap you”

 

“hmm yes please”

 

“......”

 

“......”

 

“nasty!”

 

“I was just kidding!”

 

_______________________________

 

[ PAST ]

 

“Mina, why are you ignoring me?”, Chaeyoung said as she stopped the taller girl by grabbing onto her wrist.

 

“I'm not. Now let me go, Chaeng”, Mina replied bluntly.

 

“No, seriously. What did I do?”, the cub persisted, still keeping her hold on Mina’s hand.

 

“Nothing”, the penguin tried to free herself from the cub's grip and finally succeeded, “I'll see you later”

 

Chaeyoung huffed, watching the older girl walk away, clearly upset at the younger which the cub didn't understand at all because she can't think of anything she had done to upset the penguin.

 

Chaeyoung couldn't just let this go, so she ran after Mina and stopped her again, “Listen, I'm gonna continue to bother until you tell me what's wrong?”

 

Mina only glared at Chaeyoung.

 

“You can tell me anything. We're close friends, aren't we?”, Chaeyoung almost pleaded.

 

The penguin scoffed, “Close friends? Well, apparently, you and your little ex have been talking again and I have no idea that you are. I guess this is how being close friends work?”

 

“What?”

 

“Okay, I get it. It's none of my business but everyone else in the group knows about it and me, the person whom I thought is your closest friend, had no idea about it. Tsk”

 

Chaeyoung's tensed shoulders eased slightly. She ran a hand through her hair and opened to speak, “Okay, I'm sorry about that, but Minari-”

 

“It's alright. I guess we're not as comfortable with each other as I thought we were”

 

“No, Mina don't say that. That's so stupid of you to say that-”

 

Err Mina hates the word “stupid”. And the much hated word and the girl together in the same sentence didn't work very well.

 

By the time Chaeyoung realized what she had just said, it was too late.

 

“!”

 

“Three weeks. Three whole frigging weeks!”

 

“Have you tried meeting her in school?”, Tzuyu asked.

 

“or her place. Have you tried visiting her place?”, Dahyun added.

 

“Yes to both. She’s always away to take care of somethings after 7 in the evening and I can't make it earlier than 7 because of the basketball practice”, Chaeyoung answered, plopping down on the couch beside Dahyun who was hugging a bag of Doritos.

 

“Whoa careful there, my precious nachos!”

 

Chaeyoung sighed, “I apologized and though she said it's nothing, she doesn't act like it. I mean, you guys understand how that is, right?”

 

They nodded.

 

“I just don't know how or what I should even say to her anymore. I mean, obviously, she's not over it yet but I do want things to be okay between us already I.. I miss her”

 

“There there”, the eldest of the three said as she leaned over to feed the cub a chip, “I'm sure you'll survive the wave shh”

 

“Smol?”

 

Chaeyoung peeked from the couch to look at Tzuyu, “Yeah?”

 

“I'm not sure if this will help but”, she peeked down on her phone and read something, “Mina unnie is currently at Jihyo unnie's place right now”

 

Chaeyoung immediately got up from the couch.

 

“You're going?”

 

“What do you plan to do anyway?”

 

“I don't know”, Chaeyoung honestly answered, “but I'll figure something out on the way. I gotta end this nightmare!”

 

Chaeyoung decided to go home first and texted Jihyo on the way.

 

“Mina is at your place right now?” - Chaeng

 

Beep

 

“Yup. You're coming over?” - Jihyo

 

“Yeah. I need to talk to her” - Chaeng

 

Beep

 

“Well, good luck with that. She's whining about you planning to come over already” - Jihyo

 

“Oh gosh. I'm sorry but I need to clear things up with Mina as soon as possible. This whole ignoring thing is tiring me out” - Chaeng

 

Beep

 

“I'm rooting for you hehe I think she lowkey likes you tbh” - Jihyo

 

Chaeyoung's stomach turned a little, but she wasn't going to believe it, of course.

 

“no” - Chaeng

 

Beep

 

“okay, but just saying.. that she likes you and is definitely jealous of Momo. But of course, you stay there in your little corner of denial. Good luck!” - Jihyo

 

Chaeyoung looked around her room for a while, stuck in between feeling hopeful and feeling  hopeless.

 

She changed into a fresh pair of blue jeans and a grey coloured hoodie with a black T-shirt under. She roughly fixed her hair and grabbed her boombox along with her as she left for Jihyo's apartment.

 

“I also think you're dumb to think that she won't have developed any sort of feelings for you after all those time you guys spent together, ALONE :P” - Jihyo

 

Chaeyoung took a cab to Jihyo's place and arrived at her apartment in about 30 minutes approximately.

 

“Where is she?”, Chaeyoung asked, a little out of breath.

 

“In my room. She locked herself in since you're coming here”, Jihyo chuckled, stepping aside to let the cub enter the apartment.

 

“Mature”, the cub snickered, putting down the boombox from her hands to the ground and start getting busy with it, “but I think this will help”

 

“What's the boombox for?”, Jihyo asked, sitting down on the armrest of her couch and watched the cub.

 

“You'll see”, Chaeyoung said, pressing play and started with the never ending ‘next’ button again.

 

“Alright. Suit yourself, honey”, Jihyo flopped down on the couch and switched on the tv, letting the cub and the penguin mingle in their own world.

 

“Got it!”, the cub cheered to herself and took off her hoodie before picking up the old device in her hands and approached the closed bedroom door.

 

Standing in front of the red door of Jihyo’s bedroom, the cub pressed ‘play’ and held the boombox over her head with ‘Like we used to’ playing on the device.

 

“Jesu- how dramatic can you frigging get??”, Jihyo jumped up from where she was sitting.

 

Chaeyoung didn't care. She stood her ground (in front of the door) and continued holding the boombox with Mina's current favorite song playing.

 

“Chaeng, song's ending, and it's kinda loud..”

 

“No, give it.. a few more seconds”

 

Finally, the song came to an end but the door never opened.

 

Jihyo sighed, “Chaeng”

 

“huh”, Chaeyoung breathed, “well that was useless-”

 

Just then, the door clicked opened and a shy penguin peeked out from behind the red door, “hi”

 

Chaeyoung turned her head instantly, her smile unstoppable,“hi, you”

 

Timidly, Mina stepped out from the bedroom, both hands held together in front of her.

 

“Listen, Minari, I'm really sorry. About everything”, Chaeyoung said.

 

“Apology accepted”, the penguin replied, smiling with tint of pink gracing her cheeks as she looked away.

 

“Why didn't you come out sooner? I mean, it was your favorite song”

 

“Yes, I was waiting for the song to finish”

 

“oh”

 

It was awkward for a second but the cub suddenly remembered another item she brought along for the apologizing ceremony.

 

She ran back and reached inside the pocket of her hoodie.

 

“Ketchup??”, Mina squealed.

 

Chaeyoung nodded, holding the new bottle of ketchup out to Mina which the latter took it with much enthusiasm.

 

“Thank you, Chaeng. Apology so accepted”

 

They laughed, and Chaeyoung was happy. So happy.

 

Her heart was fluttering, and so was Mina's.

 

Chaeyoung could see the happiness when she saw Mina smiling widely. So wide and genuine to the point where her gummy grin was showing, and Chaeyoung's deep dimples could be seen.

 

“Be my girlfriend, Minari”

 

“.....”

 

“.....”

 

Jihyo stared at the cub in utter surprise in the heavy silence, jaw hanging wide open.

 

“...what?”

 

“I said, be my girlfriend”

 

“I- Chaeng”

 

“I know it doesn't make much sense but yes, be my girlfriend, Minari...”, Chaeyoung repeated.

 

“Chaeng, this is so sudden I'm-”

 

“So, no?”

 

“No no! I mean-”

 

“I like you a lot, Minari. Like, really. Since a long time ago and this is ridiculous, but be my girlfriend”, Chaeyoung finally confessed.

 

“Chaeng…”, Mina breathed, blushing profusely and flustered, “I-  what if I don't.. feel the same way about you? What if I don't like you back?”

 

“You'll eventually get there. Hopefully-”

 

Mina bit down on her bottom lip and looked at Chaeng.

 

“So, yes or no?”

 

Shyly, Mina nodded with a smile, “Yes. Yes, I'll be your girlfriend, Chaeyoung”

 

“What? That actually worked?? oh my GOSH”, Jihyo freaked out.

 

They both laughed before their gaze met each others’, Chaeyoung slowly approached Mina and took the taller girl's hand and gently placed a kiss on the back of it, “That was unexpected but hey, girlfriend”

 

Mina giggled, “You never gave me the opportunity to confess to you, you ugli”

 

“I- I didn't?”

 

The penguin shook her head with an amused look on her face, “no, you were busy being constantly ugly”

 

That was how the cub and the penguin got together. In the tiny apartment of Jihyo who freaked out in her living room while watching the whole scene in front of her on a chilly, nice evening.

 

__________________________________

 

 

 

 

[ PRESENT ]

 

The four soon arrived at the party and the couple entered the venue with their fingers intertwined.

 

Music was blasting through the speakers and teenagers screaming and the smell of alcohol filled the space.

 

But Chaeyoung was right. Mina looked good in whatever outfit she decides to wear, and that evening was no different.

 

She was always simply breathtaking without even having to try.

 

After hours of bumping into friends and chatting and drinking and dancing, Chaeyoung decided to drag Mina out into the open space for a while to take a breath.

 

They were still laughing when they stumbled outside into the grassy and less noisy backyard. Some kids were passed out by the pool and some were getting nasty, but the couple didn't pay much attention.

 

Mina said her feet hurt so Chaeyoung took off her heels for her and carried the penguin on her back to a more isolated corner.

 

When they got far enough away from the loudness of the party, Chaeyoung put Mina down on the grass. The penguin decided to lie down flat on her back and the cub took off her jacket, covering Mina's long legs with it before lying down beside her beloved girlfriend, too.

 

Chaeyoung took a hold of Mina's hand and intertwined their fingers as they gazed at the open sky above them in silence.

 

“Chaeng?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“What if this is goodbye?”, the penguin asked, suddenly sentimental probably because of the alcohol.

 

“It won't be”, she turned her head to look at Mina and smiled, “We'll both make sure it isn't”

 

“Let's elope”

 

They both chuckled, smiles lingering on their lips, “Sounds good. Where to?”

 

“Paris? Hawaii? Colorado? The hood? Honestly does it matter?”, the penguin said and rolled on her side to hug Chaeyoung.

 

“It doesn't”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really”

 

Mina hummed, slightly drowsy now.

 

“I'm fine with wherever, as long as it's with you”

 

“not practically true though”

 

“oh definitely not”, the cub replied and they both laughed again.

 

It was slowly getting quieter with each passing second. Mina's warm breath was getting steadier and the cub could tell that she would pass out soon.

 

“I love you, Minari. Whatever the three words mean to you”, the cub whispered as she gently kissed the penguin's forehead.

 

“I love you”, Mina muttered under her breath before drifting off to dreamland.

 

They didn't promise each other ‘forever’ or anything fancy. The offered their present self to each other and that was all they asked of each other.

 

It was the pinnacle of perfection.

 

Chaeyoung didn't ask for more than what Mina had to offer. Through the cracks and imperfections, Chaeyoung knew Mina was more than capable of holding her love, and she made sure Mina knew that.

 

For Mina, Chaeyoung was her resting place, her getaway. It was such a nice feeling to have someone love you the way Chaeyoung loved her, and it was more than what she had bargained for. She loved the cub for being herself, just the way she was.

 

They found their 'forever' in each other, and it was such a settling feeling for the both of them because deep down, they know that they would never stray far away from each other.

 

There's always the ‘push and pull’ in their relationship, but the force of the pull will always be stronger than their hearts trying to push each other away.

 

________________________________

 

 

 

 

you thot it was one shot but no, it's two shots. y'all heckin bamboozled huehue