Kim Minjoo

“Yujin, I’m going to the toilet for a while,” Minjoo told the younger girl beside her which the latter nodded in acknowledgment. She got up without wasting more time and began to walk away from the table.

She thought she’d be alone at the women’s toilet but she was wrong when she saw Chaewon washing her hands with her sleeves rolled to her forearm showing the older girl’s milky skin and absolutely thin arms. Although Minjoo’s concerned about the girl’s health for being too skinny, she couldn’t help but found the former to be attractive when she did that.

“What are you staring at?” Chaewon’s slow and honey-like voice woke her up from her daze and brought her back to reality.

“Uh, sorry,” she said sheepishly while tucking her strand of hair behind her ear. Minjoo wanted to use the toilet while Chaewon was done with her business and meant to walk out but the former turned around and stopped the latter’s steps. “W-Wait!”

They let the silence took over between them for a few moments before Minjoo could continue her words and sigh. “Are you and Wonyoung really getting engaged?”

The question repeated and Chaewon honestly didn’t know how many times she had to answer that for tonight. First was Eunbi, then Chowon nudged her arm, followed with Yena bothered her until she eventually got on her nerve. She had to remind them again and again the engagement news were real and that she and Wonyoung weren’t playing around. Of course they had to leave out the part that it was all gonna be a fake one. They didn’t have to know about that.

“Yes,” the older girl replied simply, her answers kept getting shorter and lazier.

“I see,” Minjoo bobbed her head and lowered her gaze. She didn’t know how she had to exactly react to that. Either accept the news well or protest against them.

“It’s the first time you’re actually in a relationship with someone, after that day,” she spoke, triggering their memories of the old day when they had that time. Chaewon gulped remembering her emotions back then and how she was wrecked. Minjoo’s words absolutely shook her heart.

“I don’t know how and since when you and her started to be in this kind of relationship but…” she stopped briefly, letting herself drowned in her emotions and took her breath. “I really hope you can be happy now!”

Unconsciously Minjoo’s tears fell that night as she turned away. And she failed to notice that once Chaewon spun around her own tears fell too.

***

Yujin was drunk when the dinner came to its end. She spent almost the entire time catching up with Wonyoung and how she was doing when her father passed away over their drinks. Minjoo had no desire to stop her since the two of them were best friends and she wanted to know the stories from Wonyoung  as much as Yujin too, only unlike them, she declined to drink because she would be driving.

Yena helped her carried Yujin to their shared car and Minjoo thanked her before the senior disappeared on them. She started the engine and drove off heading to their home.

Turning on the lights and brought the younger girl up to their room with so much difficulties exhausted her. Apparently Yujin was the type to move her body a lot when she was in someone’s arms in her drunk state. Minjoo could only finally breathe and heave out a long sigh once the other succesfully got in bed.

She used the bathroom to wash herself up, cleaning her make up, brushing her teeth and put on decent pajama. She got out once she was done and with the towel hung around her neck.

Yujin was still sleeping with her back faced the ceiling. Her little snore was heard and Minjoo sighed again for the nth times that night. “Yujin-ah, aren’t you going to wash yourself up?”

The girl must be sobering up a little that she actually responded to the older girl. “Hmm,” she hummed. “I’m not washing…” she answered sleepily.

If she acted like this before, Minjoo would have scolded her and forced the younger to change properly and at least wash her feet. But now she just shrugged and sighed. “Suit yourself!”

Yujin left so little space and filled the bed by herself whenever she was drunk so Minjoo would always just take her pillow and a spare blanket before eventually leaving the room to sleep in the living room. The sleeping girl’s dreamy voice however caused her to stop in her tracks at the doorway. “Wonyoung is finally back now...It feels so familiar with her around...I couldn’t believe she actually left…”

Minjoo chuckled and had to agree. “You’re right!” Wonyoung’s return made them felt like she never disappeared from their life. “Sleep well, Ahnyu!”

“Sleep well, Minnight…”

Minjoo wondered how Yujin could talk so much even when she’s sleeping in the bed.

***

It’s been a month since the dinner. Nothing changed much except Yujin had her bestie to talk and pour out her feelings to back. Minjoo couldn’t stop her from sparing too much time for Wonyoung and her intention was really far from doing that. Yujin could sleep over and do anything she wants with Wonyoung and Minjoo would just simply overlook them.

They ate breakfast separately with Minjoo  a few more minutes ahead from the younger girl and finished first. “I’ll start the car now. 5 minutes and we move!”

Yujin bobbed her head and ate her omelette sandwich. “I got it~” she sang song as Minjoo headed out.

The car ride was pretty much quiet except the songs from the radio were playing. Minjoo took her time driving on the road and Yujin could never relate with her since she loved to drive at fast speed. They always fought over this before but now they were too lazy to pick a fight from each other and were like “suit yourself!” kind of attitude.

“How’s Wonyoung? Has she started working yet?” These days the topic of their communications was always about Wonyoung and Minjoo wondered how she never got annoyed.

“They put her as one of the high ranking officers but not yet to claim the CEO seat. Her mom is legally still the temporary chief executive until the board of directors vote for the new CEO!” Yujin explained. “At least that’s what she told me and I could only understand that but the rest of them!” she gave up the full details that her best friend had actually told her last night because she couldn’t exactly remember or understand all that. They were something she’s not very interested in.

“How about Chaewon unnie? She’s gonna help her, right?” Minjoo urged another question that actually bothered her. She wanted to know that much, at least.

“She’s working with Wonyoung now and is undoubtedly smarter, more skillful in the business. I believe Wonyoung won’t have to worry that much since she earned herself a jackspot!” They had to cut their talk short when they arrived at the company’s building, unfortunately for her.

Minjoo fought off sleep when she was so drowsy while working by slapping the back of her neck several times. She was reading and checking the script handed out by the writer of the team and unconsciously having her eye-lids slowly drooped low until her colleague pointed that out. “PD Kim, why not you go out and take some fresh air for a little before you come back to read again? You worked until late last night so it’s understandable you’re still sleepy!” the kind writer said.

The young producer had no choice but agreed with the former’s suggestion. She started to stretch out for a little before going out and bought an instant coffee from the vending machine. She began to sip the coffee and felt relieved before moving her legs to the cafeteria.

On her way she saw Yujin and her team members who were a bunch of guys and only two or three were girls passing by while talking about the program they’re currently doing about. “Maknae writer Ahn did a good job handling the situation in the studio earlier! We all should learn from her!” the director complimented the young girl with his loud voice. Minjoo watched Yujin gave them small (or should she say fake?) smiles and said thanks for the compliments before she sighed out heavily.

***

A text from Yujin distracted her from focusing on the upcoming meeting. She had to look on her phone and read what her girlfriend had sent her.

From: Ahn Yujinie :D

Join me and Wonyoung for dinner :)

It was unfortunate she had a meeting at this hour or she’d be able to join them. She’d gladly eat with her two juniors together but her work obligations came first.

To: Ahn Yujinie :D

Sorry, manager wanted me to sit down in a meeting for my radio show tomorrow. Enjoy your dinner :)

She put her phone in her coat’s pocket back before she received another message.

From: Ahn Yujinie :D

Okay. Let’s have lunch tomorrow together instead, just the two of us!

Minjoo replied okay to the message before proceeding to the meeting. Her manager, director, assistant director, writers and other crews alike for the radio show they’re hosting included their DJs met up in the room and sat down together.

She never knew the next day incoming for her lunch date with Yujin was a break up request from the younger that ended their 8 years relationship.

***

Minjoo sat on the floor and hugged her knees. Her friends circled up around her and put their whole attentions on her. Hitomi put her arm around the former’s shoulder, comforted the broken-hearted girl with words of assurance.

“I knew it’d end like this since you said Yujin and you barely fight now!” Nako commented. She had been the couple’s friends for a long time to know that much about them. “All you did was avoid confrontations and you guys seemed really dull.”

“Stop it, Nako,” ao Miu was back in town to join the friend squad and shook her head at the short girl. “Minjoo is still broken about the break up.”

“Ahn Yujin really lost her mind! She let go of the girl she went crazy about years ago!” Yuri scoffed and complained about the younger girl in her Busan accent.

Minjoo was quiet while her friends did all the talk for her. The angelic friends like Hitomi and Miu were more careful but the rough ones like Nako and Yuri were being too honest about their words. She let them ranted out all they wanted while she’d just silently listen to them.

On the corner of her eyes she saw Moe nudged Yunjin and whispered about something while the giraffe-like tall girl was pushing the other. “No- you ask her yourself!” They were fussing and making noises between them that Minjoo was too curious to pass them over. “What is it you want to ask me, Moe, Yunjin?”

The two tall girls stopped their not so subtle bickering and they turned to her, guilty.

“M-Minjoo, did you tell Chaewon unnie about the break up yet?” Yunjin ended up voicing out the question on behalf of Moe’s curiosity.

Minjoo shifted her gaze and was shaking by herself. She gulped as she lowered her head unable to let her friends see her face. “No, I haven’t told her.” She grasped her phone which was beside her and unlocked the screen, revealing her screen wallpaper that was a photo of Yujin and her when they went to watch a baseball match together.

“I just couldn’t tell her,” she said while staring at the phone screen although her mind was actually filled with a certain manager slash her former senior instead of her now former girlfriend.

***I love IZ*ONE/PD48's 01 liner so I decided to include their little moments here hehe ^^