The train station is as busy as always, people rushing on and off the trains to reach whatever destinations they had to go to. At 7 pm, rush hour is in full swing, with an onslaught of people racing to get home after work and the ones on the night shift clamouring to fill the seats they emptied.

Hyunjin sits at the half-rusted bench alongside Vivi, who is clutching a large bouquet of flowers, as they wait for Heejin and Haseul’s return from Seoul. The monitor above them flickers on to say that the train they’re expecting is delayed and Hyunjin sighs in impatience.

“Congratulations?” Hyunjin asks after a while, glancing at the small note attached to the overly large bouquet, “So you think they’ll get in?”

“The store didn’t sell ‘Congratulations if you make it in, but if you didn’t I’ll go over there to yell at them’ cards,” Vivi jokes. She opens the small card and shows her the writing scrawled inside. “So I just wrote that on the inside.”

Instead of laughing like she normally would have, Hyunjin merely lets out a little hmm before they return to a semi-awkward silence.

“I would have gotten a bouquet for Heejin too, but I assumed you’d want to do that.”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin says, monotone, blankly looking out at the sea of people trying to get onto the trains. “I guess I’ll have to congratulate her when she gets back.”

“You don’t want her to get in,” Vivi casually observes, noticing the unenthusiastic tone of her voice.

“I do,” Hyunjin counters immediately, before faltering a little. “I don’t. I… don’t know.”

“What does that mean?”

“She’ll be happy. That’s all I want, so I should want her to get in right? At the same time, I’ll lose her.” Hyunjin pauses, trying to find the right words to explain how she feels. “I want and don’t want her to get in at the same time.”

“You never really had her," Vivi says bluntly. "She isn’t yours to lose.”

“Maybe never having her is worse.”

Finally, the train pulls into the station. After the doors open, a swarm of tired-looking workers come out, with a smiling Haseul near the end. She bounds to them happily, eyes fixed solely on Vivi.

Before Hyunjin has the chance to say hello, Vivi wraps Haseul into a tight hug. Hyunjin almost feels like she’s interrupting something, the public display of affection right in front of her making her uncomfortable.

She clears to bring their attention to her. “Hey.”

Haseul doesn’t even turn to look at her, responding with a quick “hi”.

Rolling her eyes, Hyunjin asks “Where’s Heejin?”

“I don’t know,” Haseul replies, “she stayed in the city for a little bit after we went to get ice cream. Said she needed to get something.”

Haseul slips her hand into Vivi’s and murmurs a shy thanks for the bouquet. Hyunjin notices the almost-imperceptible way Vivi runs her thumb across the back of Haseul’s hand, the gesture being so intimate and sweet that Hyunjin feels an urge to look away.

“Good job on giving her the letter, by the way,” Haseul says to her, finally tearing her eyes away from Vivi.

“Oh, finally,” Vivi utters with a short sigh. “We were all wondering who was going to confess first. Jungeun almost started a bet about it before Jiwoo stopped her.”

“You all knew about it? This is personal!” Hyunjin’s cheeks warm at the knowledge that all of their friends had known about their situation, embarrassed that such a private matter wasn't as secret as she had thought.

“You two weren’t very subtle about it,” Haseul counters. “A bet is a bit overboard, though. I’ll talk to Jungeun about that.”

“I knew you were in love with her when you finished that ty lunch she made for us,” Vivi tells her, “and it was pretty obvious she only made everyone some because it would be weird if she only made one for you.”

So there’s a chance she loves me back, Hyunjin thinks before shaking her head, not wanting to get her hopes up. Best friends act like that right? 

By the time the last train pulls into the station, Hyunjin is practically alone at the station. The metal bench underneath her is uncomfortably chilled and she positions herself again to avoid direct contact.

The cold wind bites at her exposed skin and she chastises herself for not bringing more substantial clothing, having been unaware that she would have to stay at the station for so long. Her hands shake by her sides and she isn’t quite sure if the movement is due to temperature making her shiver or her own nerves.

As soon as Heejin steps onto the railway platform, their eyes meet. Hyunjin notices the letter clutched in Heejin’s hand, feels her heart race in her chest, feels her nerves worsening until she can’t move from her spot.

“Do you mean it?” Heejin says, holding up the letter. “Do you love me?” She walks towards Hyunjin slowly, taking her time, with an unreadable expression on her face.

“I do. I’m sorry.” Hyunjin casts her eyes downwards to peer at the ground, not wanting to look Heejin directly in the eye. Her eyebrows furrow together in anticipation for Heejin’s rejection, each passing second only adding to her ever-growing nerves.

Rather than the rejection she had been expecting, Hyunjin feels Heejin tilt her head up and capture her lips in a soft kiss.

Somehow Heejin tastes sweeter than the first time, the familiar watermelon chapstick sugared with a taste that is wholly Heejin. Hyunjin’s heart soars in her chest, glad that she had been wrong.

Unlike the first time, she allows herself to be enveloped in all that is Heejin, allows herself to enjoy the moment. Hyunjin’s eyes come to a close, and for a second she convinces herself all that exists in the world is the two of them.

The temperature around them must have risen ten degrees from the chill it had been before, as Hyunjin feels so inexplicably warm and yet somehow she’s still shivering. Hyunjin wonders if Heejin can tell how much she’s shaking, hopes that even with Heejin’s arms wrapped around her Heejin doesn’t notice.

“I love you,” she whispers against Heejin’s lips, the weight in her heart growing lighter as she says the truth she’s always wanted to say, “I love you so ing much that it hurts.” It surprises her just how easy the words are to say, just how right it feels to have Heejin in her arms.

As she pulls away from the kiss, Hyunjin marvels at the beautiful way their warm breaths paint the air around them white, staving off the darkness. She can’t bear to be too far away though, her arms stay by Heejin’s side, not wanting to let go of Heejin’s warmth.

Maybe it’s pathetic to need someone as desperately as Hyunjin needs Heejin [she needs her like oxygen, like how fire needs to burn], but she doesn’t care. Hyunjin cares about nothing except for the girl right in front of her. And maybe she cares about Hyunjin just as much, the affectionate gaze Heejin gives her betraying a fondness that Hyunjin had never before noticed. How could Hyunjin have been so blind and not known that this girl, this beautiful and perfect girl, looked at Hyunjin the exact same way Hyunjin looked at her?

“I’m guessing that these kisses mean you love me too?” Hyunjin asks, her voice breathy yet teasing, smile confident yet shy. Instead of answering her question directly, Heejin presses another warm kiss into , her heart overflowing with joy as she feels Hyunjin smile against her.

“I love you. I love you. I love you,” Heejin murmurs into , bringing her hands up to cup the sides of Hyunjin’s face. “I’ve loved you for so long, you idiot.”

They stay like that for far too long, wrapped up in each other, ignoring the world around them. Hyunjin’s arms settle around the other girl’s waist as she breathes out in relief, finally letting go of the nerves that had threatened to swallow her up. Heejin’s hands warm her face, and although the cold is still biting, she’s content. Thankfully, there is no one around them to interrupt.

“What about that other girl?” Hyunjin asks, still slightly bitter at the thought of Heejin being with anyone else.

“It's you. It’s always been you. How could I kiss someone else when you’re all that matters?” Heejin whispers, “How can I forget your kisses when you’re all I ever think about?”

“In fact,” Heejin pulls away to pull out a piece of paper of her own and starts to read off of it. “I love how you can make me laugh when I’m about to cry. I love how sweet and affectionate you can be, and how you only ever show it to me.”

Hyunjin bites at her lip, trying in vain not to break into a grin.

“I love how you always make me feel safe and protected. I love how you always know exactly what to say to make me feel like I matter and make me feel loved, even when you tease me.”

“Sometimes you just deserve to be teased,” Hyunjin interjects, causing Heejin to let out a breathy chuckle and push at her arm.

“I love the silly faces you do to make me smile.” At that, Hyunjin pulls another face, widening her eyes absurdly, making Heejin laugh a little as she continues. “I love it when you point up at me during your games before you try to score a point, even if it’s embarrassing when you fail right after. I love it when you congratulate me after shows and tell me I’ve done a good job even if I was horrible.”

Heejin pauses before looking Hyunjin directly in the eyes.

“I love you, Kim Hyunjin.”

After Heejin hands her the sheet, Hyunjin can do nothing but pull the other girl in closer as her eyes skim the hastily-written lyrics located on the other side. Tears start to collect in her eyes as she realises just how much she had hurt Heejin by shunning their first kiss.

“You wrote this for me?”

“I think all my songs are about you, even if I didn’t realise it when I was writing them,” Heejin admits, leaning her head onto the other girl’s shoulder. “You’re very easy to write about.”

“Well, I’m glad you found that easy. Writing that letter was hell.” Hyunjin pouts exaggeratedly. “Waiting for your response was hell too. I was so sure you were going to reject me. I’ve been waiting here for hours.”

“Sorry for making you wait,” Heejin chuckles, gently wiping her thumb across Hyunjin’s lips to make her return to a smile. “I had to get something.”

She pulls out a small box from her pocket, opening it to reveal two matching silver rings. “For you and me.”

Just like the other sets of matching rings they had collected over the course of their friendship, Hyunjin takes her ring - the one with the 2H engraved on it - and wears it on her index finger. A perfect fit. Before she can thank Heejin for the thoughtful present, the other girl frowns and grabs her hand.

“No, these aren’t friendship rings.” Heejin pulls it off of her index finger and slides it onto Hyunjin’s ring finger. “These are something more. We’re something more.” Even though there is no longer a need to keep holding hands, Heejin’s remains there and Hyunjin can’t find it in herself to complain.

“Not friendship, huh?” Hyunjin asks, her lips curving into a fond smile. “So what are we, if we’re not friends?”

“I dunno. We’re Heejin and Hyunjin. Two girls in love. And that’s alright.”

“It sounds very much alright to me.”

Hyunjin takes the smaller-sized ring and slips it onto Heejin’s ring finger herself, admiring the way the silver shines in the faint light of the train station.