Kim Chaewon and Kim Minju.

Kim Minju and Kim Chaewon.

They were like a one plus one package. It amazed their classmates that despite being in different grades they still managed to find each other so easily like magnets. No one knew how and when their friendship started to blossom, but they became inseparable in the blink of an eye. Minju would go find her favourite upperclassman every lunch break, and Chaewon would always welcome her with the warmest smile.

The two would pass their time chatting about meaningless things and laughing at each other’s lame jokes. Sometimes they’d wonder what life would’ve been like if they never met each other. What if they didn’t go to the same high school? Would they be smiling like they were right now? Chaewon didn’t want to think about it at all. She couldn’t imagine a life without Minju. But maybe she should start imagining it.

“What are you going to do when I graduate?”

Minju frowned before Chaewon could even finish the question, “You’re not graduating yet so don’t ask that.”

Chaewon laughed, “Yah. I’ll be graduating in like three months.”

“That’s still three months of me not having to think about my life hitting rock bottom,” Minju argued back.

“Will you really miss me that much?” It wasn’t that Chaewon didn’t believe the younger girl. She just wasn’t sure if they’ll miss each other in the same way.

Minju looked almost offended by that question, “Are you really asking me that?”

Yes. Chaewon was serious about the question, and she wished she could be more honest.

Chaewon wanted to hear the words. She needed to hear the words, even if Minju didn’t mean it more than how any friend would miss one another. Even if Chaewon was going to be the one who would miss their time together more. She still wanted to hear Minju say the words out loud.

But Chaewon couldn’t say any of that, she simply laughed, “I know you’ll miss me.”

“I really will, unnie.”

Chaewon looked up from the snacks they had bought from the school cafeteria. Minju looked at her in full seriousness, and Chaewon had almost lost it.

“I really will miss you, unnie.”

The emotions had been bottled up so well up until now, but for a fleeting moment Chaewon thought that maybe it was okay to cross the line. Maybe they could be more than friends.

“You’re my favourite unnie,” Minju added quickly, “Of course I’ll miss you.”

Chaewon laughed, more at herself than anything else. Of course, she was just a nice unnie to Minju. Nothing more. She was the idiot to have thought that it could’ve been anything else but that.

“I’ll miss you too,” Chaewon confessed one-sidedly.

Minju would often wonder if it was a mistake that she never carried more courage with her for Chaewon. But no matter how much she regretted it now, it didn’t matter anymore. Chaewon graduated. She wasn’t here anymore to help her with homework, or walk her to the bus stop after school. Chaewon was probably making heaps of friends at university now, and found someone else to replace her. Would it have been any different if Minju took a risk? Probably not. Chaewon only ever saw her as a cute underclassman.

“What’s with the long expression?”

Minju looked over to see her good friend – Yuri – walking beside her, “Nothing… just thinking.”

“About Chaewon unnie?”

“What?” Minju’s face heated up within seconds, “No. Why would I be thinking about her?”

“Aye, we’ve all noticed that you’ve been a little down ever since Chaewon unnie graduated. Do you miss her that much?”

Maybe this was what she needed. Maybe if she just talked to someone about it, it wouldn’t feel so heavy on her chest.

“Yeah… I guess,” Minju confessed, “I mean I know we can still see each other but it’s just university is so different and a year is so long. What if she realises that there are so much more better people out there for her to hang out with? I’m just a kid.”

“Hey, don’t think too much about it. I’m sure Chaewon unnie would never think that way. Do you see the way she looks at you? We all thought for sure that you two were dating.”

Minju looked up from her feet, “Wait what?”

Yuri tilted her head, “What, what?”

“People actually thought we were dating?”

Yuri nodded as if it was common sense, “Yeah? At least our two grades did for sure.”

“Oh…” Even if it was fake and all based on assumption, it still made her heart swell hearing those words for some reason. Her and Chaewon dating. She smiled at the thought.

“Speaking of the devil,” Yuri nudged the girl beside her, “Isn’t that Chaewon unnie?”

Minju’s head shot up immediately and saw Chaewon standing by the school gates. She could feel her pulse racing already and they weren’t even within earshot yet.

“Chaewon unnie!” Yuri yelled.

Why did Yuri have to be so loud? Minju braced herself as she saw Chaewon turn around with the smile that she had missed so much.

“Oh, Yuri, it’s been a while!” Chaewon greeted as she walked up to them.

Yuri flashed a grin, “I know right! I’d really love to stay and catch up but I need to head home. Sorry!”

Chaewon shook her head, “No it’s fine. Be safe!”

Yuri excused herself, but not without throwing Minju a knowing wink. Minju shot her friend a glare, before it was just the two of them; just like before.

Chaewon turned back to face Minju and her smile widened, “Hey.”

Minju couldn’t even look at her. Did these few months away affect her this much? So much that she had forgotten how much Chaewon made her heart flutter, “Hi…”

“What’s wrong? Are you not happy to see me?”

“No!” Minju shot up, “Of course I’m happy to see you unnie…” her voice died down again, as she continued to avert eye contact.

“Then why aren’t you looking at me?”