~ONE YEAR LATER~

“I can’t ing believe it... WE’RE DONE!” Jiwoo exclaimed, dramatically leaning against the wall once they exited the auditorium where their graduation was just held. It was officially the last, last day of their highschool life, and both girls were relieved to have finished. Sure, they were both planning on going to college the upcoming semester, so it wasn’t like they were done with school, but they both knew how freeing college would be for them. 

During their last year, Jungeun eventually forgot about her not so subtle crush she had. At first, she would still think about her, talk about her, even dream about her. That one was new, probably because she had her first actual interaction with the girl and couldn’t get her out of her mind. During the summer was the worst, as Jungeun felt terrible. She knew she wouldn’t be completely over her so soon, but she had no idea just seeing her smile and hearing her talk up close would have such an effect on her. However, about halfway through the year, her feelings died down. They figured it must be because she hasn’t seen or heard from the girl at all, which was a relief to Jiwoo, who was scared her friend would still be smitten by a girl that no longer existed in their life. It could’ve also been due to the extremely large amount of schoolwork they had to deal with. Maybe it was the pressure from family or maybe it was just their own desire, but both girls wanted nothing more than to go to a good university in the city, away from the small town folks they’ve known much of their life. So both Jiwoo and Jungeun focused all their attention on their academics, just so they could get accepted. Luckily, it paid off, and they both got full scholarships to a fairly well known school in Seoul. It was actually one of the top tier schools in all of Korea, meaning they could aim towards their dream careers and also still be together along the way. 

“Come on, my mom just texted that they’re at the front with your parents,” Jungeun said as she grabbed Jiwoo’s wrist, pulling her in the direction, “I really don’t want to be caught up in all these family photos. You can be dramatic once we’re there.”

It didn’t take too long to find their parents, and after a long session of congratulations and picture taking, they finally headed to the car, ready to spend their last summer before becoming city girls. 

While her parents drove home, Jungeun leaned her head against the window, looking at all her classmates, a soft, bittersweet feeling washing over her. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a tall girl with bright blonde hair, and although she couldn’t see her face, she noted that the color looked really, really nice. 

 ~

The break felt short, partly because they were excited, and partly because they getting everything ready for their next big step. Jiwoo and Jungeun figured that they’d get a small apartment right on the outskirts of the campus, considering the money saved from the scholarships. This way, they could be close enough to meet other people, but still have each other as comfort. 

It wasn’t long until the semester started and Jiwoo was scrambling around the apartment, already late for her first class. Why she chose a 7am class? No one knows but her, hell, even she didn’t know exactly why. Jungeun stirred in her sleep as she heard Jiwoo’s rapid footsteps. 

“BYE JUNGEUN! SEE YOU LATER FOR LUNCH!” Jiwoo screamed as she rushed out the door, slamming it with a loud thud, which woke Jungeun up completely. Grimacing for being woken up, she knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, so she got up and figured she might as well get breakfast and take another stroll through the campus before her 10am class. Unbeknownst to her, she took quite a long time getting ready, which meant she would have to change her breakfast plans and just get a coffee before heading to class. 

Walking through the middle of the campus, on the way to class, she couldn’t help but notice how lively it looked. Sure, she knew it was mainly due to it being the first day of the semester, but seeing all the students hanging around, signing up for clubs and organizations, chitchatting with almost anyone, it brought a smile to her face. She’d definitely drop by later to some of the booths to see what type of things this university offered, and made a mental note to bring Jiwoo as well, knowing the poor girl completely bypassed this area running to her class. 

“Ooh girl I love your hair color!” Jungeun turned her head towards the smiling girl pointing at her and blushed ever so slightly. “Thank you,” she muttered as she smiled back, suddenly feeling a bit more confident in her recent change. She was very happy to dye her hair, but still felt self conscious due to having never done anything to her hair before. Finishing her coffee and tossing the cup into a nearby trash can, she picked up her pace, now smiling wider, looking down at her phone to see the time. Shocked to find that she only had about 5 minutes before it started, so she placed her phone in her back pocket and began running towards the building. Jungeun barely got far before she collided into another person, sending them both to the ground. 

Jungeun was the first to her feet, frantically saying how sorry she was and reached her hand out to the other blonde to help her up. It wasn’t until the girl looked up at her that Jungeun stopped speaking. And stopped breathing. 

There, right in front of her, is the girl she thought she had gotten over. The girl that she’s been pinning after for years. The only girl who ever made Jungeun’s heart beat and mind race. The girl who knows exactly how Jungeun felt about her. There, right in front of her, was Jinsoul, except, now blonde. Jungeun could not, at all, look away. It’s only been a year but Jinsoul still looks as beautiful as before, even more so now. She took a mental note of how her new hair color complemented her skin tone and brought out the color in her eyes. Everything about Jinsoul was still so beautiful. It wasn’t until Jinsoul took her extended hand and stood up that Jungeun thoughts were interrupted. 

Although, all she could think about now was how soft her hands were. The second she felt her, a spark shot through her body. She definitely didn’t expect for Jinsoul to be soft and warm, even at her finger tips. Jungeun was still so completely in love with her. 

“Oh, hey there,” Jinsoul smiled as she saw the younger girl. She noticed how much the girl’s physical appearance changed, especially her hair. Maybe it was fate they both went blonde. She also noticed that she still had that cute, stunned look on her face like the last time she saw her. Jinsoul couldn’t help but giggle, as it seemed the girl still felt the same way as she did in the letter, and it made Jinsoul extremely happy. 

“Hello? Are we going to have to do the same thing as before?” Jinsoul joked. Jungeun finally snapped back into reality and pulled her hand away, sheepishly tucking them in her pockets. Half of her wanted to look away, but there’s something about Jinsoul’s face that she just couldn’t stop staring. 

“Hi. Uhh, Jinsoul... you look... nice,” Jungeun blurted hesitantly, not knowing what to do or say. “Oh ,” Jungeun gasped looking at her phone and realizing she just wasted 5 minutes just staring at her, “I’M GONNA BE LATE!” 

Jungeun looked at Jinsoul, muttered one last sorry, and ran as fast as she could, mainly to try to get to class on time but really to get away from Jinsoul. 

“HEY WAIT! I DON’T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME!” Jinsoul tried shouting, but the younger blonde was out of reach once again. Upset that she let her go once again, the feeling passed as she realized the girl attended her university. She was definitely sure she would see her again, and hopefully get her name.