The night was as deep as the dark blue sky. There was a prolonged silence between the two that was so deafening that the cicadas weren’t enough to distract Chaewon from the Minju’s question. She thought about it real hard.

She knew she liked the girl more than a friend, but for her to confirm that she was in love with her?

Sure, the girl made her heart race a couple of times, or that she made her cheeks turn in to the color of her hair, or that their short moments in the morning probably meant more that their daily morning banters, she thought of it as a greeting, a sign of good morning, looks like I’m stuck with you for the day, though left unsaid, made her look forward to another adventure with her.

Sure, the girl made her sing tunes of love dedicating every lyric to the existence of this cheeky girl who came barging in with a camera in her hand, not minding that she interrupted her sleep on the first day she met Chaewon. Heck, the girl even made her brave enough to confess on her bedside, in an attempt to place a chaste kiss on her lips, only to be rejected by finding out that she has HIV.

And sure enough, she heard her heart get crushed into tiny pieces, as she saw Minju and Hitomi together, basking in their familiarity.

Perhaps, in the short amount of time Chaewon had processed all thoughts about Hitomi in her mind, a subtle blush formed in her cheeks, as she became more and more sure about herself and her feelings, as the quiet girl beside her anticipated her answer.

“Perhaps, I am.” Chaewon answered. Silence followed. She wondered if Minjoo heard her answer. There was no reaction from the girl. She sighed.

“I am in love with her.” Chaewon said it louder. A smile formed from Minju’s lips, she suddenly stood up, baffled Chaewon at the irregularity of her actions, and offered Chaewon a beer.

“Why do you ask?” Chaewon looked at the beer at Minju’s hand, gesturing her to take it as she drinks from her own can with her other hand.

 “Because, me too. I never stopped loving her.” Minju answered. Chaewon took the can and started drinking hers.

“I thought, drowning myself in work would heal my heart.” Minju added.

“But you see, it didn’t.”

“Looking back, life was a little better, scratch that, way better, than what I have now. I was happier too. But I wasn’t honest enough. She wasn’t either.” She took a sip from her can.

“Up until today, we still owe each other out explanations.”

“But I’m not here for that.” Minju took a long pause, before finishing her can of beer and facing Chaewon once again. The tall girl towered over Chaewon’s small figure, slowly invading her personal space.

“I’m here for her.” Minju cornered Chaewon into the wall.

“Miss Kim Chaewon, you’re in the way.” Minju firmly said.

 “What are you trying to say?” Chaewon replied as she tried to stand her ground.

“I’m taking her back.” Minjoo enclosed all openings for her to escape in, trapping her in between. The thing with Minjoo’s eyes that made Chaewon falter was the emotions that escaped through the depths of her iris, burning into hers.

“She’s not yours for taking.” Chaewon took Minjoo’s arm, staring into her brown orbs.

“She’s not yours to stop me.” Minjoo declared as she yanked away her arm.

“Not yet.” Chaewon hissed.

The tension in the air was too much for the two girls to handle. Chaewon was a little shocked at the sudden change of character that MInjoo exhibited. Chaewon wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol that got the girl all riled up, but she could see the alcohol kicking in through the Minjoo’s flushed face. The girl was on her third can while she was on her first.

“I just want to make things right.” Minjoo said, almost in a pleading tone. There was sincerity in her voice. Streams of multiple mistakes, resulting to regret. Minjoo knew it all and she had this one shot to fix things.

“I broke her heart.” 

“But I’m gonna make sure I’ll be the one to fix it again.. and she will be mine again.” Minjoo declared accompanied with tears in her eyes. It riled something inside Chaewon. Kind of like a threat. The girl was gorgeous after all and they had history as well.

“Okay.” Chaewon nodded.

“I thought you were in love with her? You’re not gonna stop me?”

“Someone told me once.. You owe it to your heart to give it what it wants. I’m not stopping you from trying.” Chaewon paused. “But don’t expect me to just watch you try to win her over.”

“Miss Kim Minjoo. I am not going down without a fight.” Chaewon finished her beer and walked away.

+++

Despite the long hours of driving and staying in the car, Hitomi found the entire trip to be relaxing. With Eunbi on the wheel and the radio blasting to a tune from the 80s, the two spent their time getting away from the small village of Yuchiri to the big city in Seoul.

The two only stopped for meals and before Hitomi knew it, it was already night time. The city lights planted light kisses on Hitomi’s cheeks as she curiously looked outside the window, wondering where Eunbi would take her. Eunbi finally took a stop at a convenience store near Han River and bought snacks to the waiting Hiichan inside the car.

“Let’s go for a walk, Hiichan.” Eunbi opened her door, and with a bag of food on her one hand and Hiichan’s hands on the other, the two made their way by the river bank.

“Whenever I had a lot to think about, or had something to decide on, I usually take long walks and I prefer to do it here.” Eunbi looked at Hitomi, whose eyes were wandering around, basking in the night time seoul scene.

“You didn’t really have to go to this extent, Doctor… We could’ve just did it somewhere near.” Hitomi answered. “Nako and Sakura would be worried. Shouldn’t we call them?”

“They’ll be fine. I sent someone to pacify all of them there.” Eunbi winked. “And besides, I needed to do some thinking too..”

“Hmmm.. Is something the matter?” Hitomi asked.

“It’s about Chaewon.” Eunbi answered. “As her unnie, it is my duty to look out for her and besides, this is the least I could do..” Hitomi gave a questioning look.

“It was because of her that I am able to be here right now.. free.” Eunbi stopped at a spot near the bridge and placed a blanket on the floor. The two sat beside each other, as they both munched on snacks.

“Do you feel bad about it?” Hiichan asked.

“Sometimes. When I hear Auntie.. But now, I don’t regret anything about it..” Eunbi opened her can of beer.

“Her mom is a little… tactless… sometimes.. But recently, Chaewon’s been better.” Eunbi took a gulp from her can.

“She’s a whole lot different now. She looks better than before. Do you know why?” Eunbi asked.

“I’m not quite sure I understand you right now, Unnie. Chaewon always looks good.” Hitomi sneaked the compliment.

“Heh. Real smooth, Hiichan.”

“You know, ever since you three arrived, the air changed, the two are eager to work diligently again, Chaeyeon smiles more, and Chaewon… she finally started moving forward. She’s pushing herself again.”

“Hmm” Hitomi hummed. “Unnie, we didn’t do anything.”

 “No need to play humble with me. I just wanted to thank you three. For being there. I hope one day, I can do it properly without the need to kidnap you.” Eunbi chuckled.

“So, what are you gonna do about the two of them?” Eunbi asked. “You like Chaewon but you don’t know what to do about Minjoo and your feelings, right?”

“Yes.” Hitomi nodded.

“What do you feel when you see Minjoo?”

“I feel pain… but I can’t get mad at her.. I miss her and it’s confusing.” Hitomi answered.

“What about Chaewon?”

“I feel like exploding, all emotions in between. It’s a good thing I’ve trained to restrain my urges because me loving her would do the both of us no good.” Hitomi answered.

“Do you think Chaewon thinks the same? Don’t you want her either?” Eunbi added.

“I do, but I know it won’t end up good. You know what’s happening, right, Doctor Eunbi Unnie?”

“You should figure things out together, Hitomi.” Eunbi patted the younger girl’s head.

“I know Chaewon would understand.”

“Don’t shoulder it and plan it too much, be spontaneous.”

“And let your emotions do the talking.”

Hitomi wasn’t able to respond after that. She merely stared at the night sky, enjoying the breeze. Perhaps, rather than putting things into an intricate plan, maybe, just maybe, this time, she’ll lose grip and let another hand grip the wheel.

Maybe this was what she was waiting for. Maybe an escape plan wasn’t necessary and maybe all she needed was someone.

Inside the pocket of her coat, there was the peach rose given by Chaewon. She held on to it, allowing herself to dive into the emotions the girl made her feel. A tear automatically slipped from her ducts.

Eunbi was right, this was a good place for thinking, because right now, Hitomi’s emotions were talking to her.

Go get her. She hopes her determination at the moment doesn’t waive once she sees the two of them again.

+++

Eunbi was a calm driver, very accommodating to her passenger, Hitomi, as she often took glances at the girl, making sure she was comfortable. Hitomi looked warm, wearing her favorite yellow jacket and looked comfortable seated beside her, munching on a piece of bread. The past few days has been stressful for the young girl. It was a good that they stayed for a little while in Seoul, cutting ties from everyone in Yuchiri for a little while.

Eunbi parked her car at white building that brought a gush of nostalgia to Hitomi. Kang Medical Group. The building looked the same as from where she grew up, with a slight difference in geography, this being in Korea.

“For a second there I thought I was back in Japan.” Hitomi stated.

“The Kang Group is known to be loyal to their branding. Everything they have in Japan has been patterned with what they have here in Korea.” Eunbi explained.

“I figured, while we’re at Seoul, let’s have you checked and where else would be better than the best hospital in Korea, right?”

The two sat inside the car, as if waiting for one another to leave the vehicle. But no one did. Hitomi knew why Eunbi brought her here. It was just the right time to finally talk about the elephant in the room. Eunbi was tense, but she had to.

“So, when do you intend to tell the truth to everyone?” Eunbi asked.

“When it’s okay to say it.” Hitomi looked away.

“You can’t hide it forever, Hitomi. Not when everyone is caught up in the web.” Eunbi took Hitomi’s hand, rolling the girl’s sleeves, revealing her skin.

Bruises. That’s what Eunbi saw embedded on her flesh.

“Not when you’re like this.” Eunbi stared at her bare arm. Hitomi yanked her arm away.

“I’m just buying time. I’ll get myself treated after the plan