“What are you doing?” Jeongyeon was leaning on the entrance to Chaeyoung’s room, watching her slump down on the floor with a bunch of papers scattered around her.

Without looking up, Chaeyoung responded, “Just making some study guides.”

“Prom just ended and you’re already thinking about that? Wow, you really are studious, aren’t you?” The older one went inside and crouched down in front of her, scanning the papers of various topics, from calculus to chemistry to English. “Don’t you already know these though? You studied them last time.”

“Yeah. They’re not for me. I’m making them for Mina. She wants to study with me for the upcoming exams.”

Jeongyeon looked at the mess in front of her and then at the younger one. All along she had avoided the topic, but since nothing was no longer tying her to Mina, she decided to be upfront. “Do you still like her?” Jeongyeon asked.

Chaeyoung looked up at her for the first time since she came in. “What are you saying all of a sudden… Just because I’m helping her study doesn’t mean I’m head over heels for her.”

“Don’t lie to me. I know how you feel. You think I don’t know you kept one of her photos from my box?”

The younger one stuttered, feeling panic rise up in her chest. “Y-you know about that?”

“Of course.” Jeongyeon chuckled,  “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice one of the pictures missing? I treasured every one of them after all.” She sat down on the floor and reached over the bookshelf to grab a brown, vintage looking book. Chaeyoung reacted immediately, her eyes widening and her arm reaching for it, but Jeongyeon pulled it towards her. It was a hard case book, or rather, a container. “You really shouldn’t leave your door open when you’re trying to be secretive, you know.”

The older one opened the faux book box and found inside various trinkets and papers and pictures that Chaeyoung kept dear. Among those was a photo she owned. Staring back at her, like a tornado of reminiscence, was a photo of Mina leaning over the railing to take a closer inspection of some penguins at the zoo. Jeongyeon gazed at it for some time, while Chaeyoung sat still, watching her.

“It’s my favorite one,” Jeongyeon uttered. “Of course, I’ll know it’s missing.” She turned to the younger one, waiting for her to explain.

But Chaeyoung kept quiet for a moment. She thought of a way out of it, of an excuse that would be plausible enough to trick her Unnie. But she knew it was futile. She bit her lip. “How long have you known?”

“Do you remember that time before you even moved, when I was going to introduce you to her during her dad’s restaurant anniversary gathering?” Jeongyeon carefully placed the picture back in the container and returned it to its rightful place. Chaeyoung nodded. “You didn’t know we were dating then. You saw her through the window and you said…..”

Chaeyoung remembered the moment well. Their mothers saw each other for the first time since college and like natural siblings, Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon got along the moment they spoke to each other. She told her all about baseball and Chaeyoung told her all about her art. They had different hobbies and interests, but their personalities matched quite well. It was the first time, as an only child, Chaeyoung felt like she had an actual sister.

They didn’t have to spend a lot of time together to know how well they got along. And because Chaeyoung felt a special bond with her, she didn’t hesitate to say yes when she invited her to her “friend’s” gathering.

They walked to the restaurant, laughing and talking about the most random things. As they passed by the window, Chaeyoung couldn’t help but stop to stare at the other side. Standing just on the other side of that glass window was Mina. Of course, she didn’t know who she was then, but there was something about her that made her stop. The girl was dancing in the middle of a small crowd. With soft, white dress and flats, she performed a small jeté. It was short, but it looked like she was flying in the air.

Chaeyoung reached her hand in front of her and lightly placed it on the glass. She released a breath that she must’ve been holding and uttered.

“.... Who is she?”Jeongyeon reminisced on the moment as if she could remember every detail of it. “You had that look on your face like how you would gaze at an art you absolutely love. There was that curiosity in your eyes, it was so intense that I felt scared to tell you who she was. My girlfriend. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you that. And when your mom called you for an emergency, I felt relieved that I didn’t have to. Sounds terrible of me, doesn’t it? Getting jealous without actual evidence.” Jeongyeon gave a light chuckle, a melancholic one that sent her heart shivering.

Jeongyeon continued. “I guess it was then that all the pieces started forming in my head one by one. I saw in you what I couldn’t see in Mina. That look of love, she never gave it to me, and from the looks of it, it looks like she never will. I was the one that asked her out, and I was very persistent about it. It seemed as if I got her into something that she wasn’t ready for.”

Chaeyoung watched her unnie with sadness. She didn’t know how to comfort her, heck, she didn’t know how to comfort anyone. But it seemed like people were prone to cry in front of her, and she had gotten by with just sitting there and listening. So, that’s what she did. Chaeyoung rarely cried. Because she was raised by her mother to keep her emotions in tack, she learned to suppress them. But the moment that tear fell from Jeongyeon’s eyes and down her cheek, Chaeyoung couldn’t help but do the same.

Caught off guard by the younger one’s reaction, Jeongyeon eyes widened a little. “Dummy, why are you crying?” She wiped the tear from her face, not letting another one fall. Then she reached over to the younger one and wiped her tears. “That wasn’t supposed to be a sad story. I wanted to tell you that it’s okay. Whatever hesitation you have, throw it out the window. You feel it too, don’t you? That Mina feels something for you. If you’re stopping yourself because of me, don’t. I don’t need the pity, Chaeng. I’d rather have her be with someone she wants.”

“B-but… You love her. How can you expect me to just walk to her knowing how you feel?”

Jeongyeon scooted closer to her and placed her hands on her shoulders. She looked at her in the eyes and with clenched jaws, said,  “Because I told you to.” Chaeyoung met her eyes. It was so sincere and so kind that she wanted to look away for a moment. It reminded her of when they first met, at the market on a cloudy afternoon. Mrs. Yoo dragged Jeongyeon out of the house to help out with groceries, while Chaeyoung voluntarily accompanied her mother to help out.

She remembered wearing the white shoes her mom bought for her. She found it too simple so decided to draw on them for decoration. Most of the time, her classmates would make fun of it, saying that it looked childish. Her teachers would tell her to switch it to newer ones. It was the shoes that were now tucked in the back of her closet because it was worn out. But when Jeongyeon took a look at it, she complimented it. For the first time since she’s had it, somebody thought they were cool. And Chaeyoung thought then that this person was the coolest person she’d met.

“I’m fine,” Jeongyeon reassured her, gripping onto her shoulders tightly. She smiled at her. “I’m content. So, do what you want to do. I’ll support you.”

~

“How did you know I’ll be here?” Chaeyoung asked Mina.

The older one shrugged, “I didn’t really know. I just took a chance.”

The rain poured harder and without a second thought, Mina grabbed Chaeyoung’s hand and dragged her under the roof of the ticket booth. She purchased two tickets to the museum and they went inside without another word. Chaeyoung pulled down her hoodie, but her bangs got wet from the rain. She patted it and the water trickled down on her face.

“You have a hood but you didn’t even wear it all the way over your head,” Mina clicked her tongue. “Were you trying to look cool even in times of crisis?” She took out the handkerchief from her pocket and used it to gently pat down Chaeyoung’s wet hair.

The younger one scoffed. “Speak for yourself. Why are you wearing your lazy pants outside?”

Mina looked down on her black jogging pants and huffed, “Must I always look good for the public? I like them. They’re comfortable.”

“It’s okay. You look good with everything,” Chaeyoung said, so naturally that she almost surprised herself. She didn’t give her own comment any mind, but it seemed that what she said struck something in Mina, because the Japanese’s cheeks were redder than before. Chaeyoung chuckled as Mina slowly pulled her hand back from her hair and shoved the handkerchief back in her pocket.

They took a slow stroll around the building. Even though they’ve seen it all already, they didn’t mind looking through the familiar artworks once more. It felt nice walking around the almost barren halls, the rooms with nobody in them. It felt like they were the only ones there that they didn’t take much mind on their appearance.

Because Mina was in a rush that morning, she merely put on newly ironed jogging pants and a plain white tee. She never went out of the house without properly making sure she looked decent, but there was a sense of urgency in her from the moment she woke up.

Chaeyoung on the other hand, wore what she always did— black skinny jeans and a hoodie. If Sungyeon had been awake when she went out the door, the older one  would’ve for sure dragged her back into the house and changed her into something worth head-turning.

They walked to the last floor and sat down on the nearby bench in front of the Buddhist sculpture room that was occupied by a middle-aged man who was taking his time reading all the plaques in each sculpture. “You haven’t forgotten about our study deal, have you?” Mina asked.

“I know, I know. I made some cards for you already. Ah, are you done with the student council stuff?”

Mina nodded, “But I’ll probably end up visiting it every now and then. The whole incident with Nayeon got Jihyo shaken up. Tzuyu keeps asking me to help out.”

“Oh yeah, that was pretty surprising. I can’t believe she confronted her like that, in front of everyone. Courage really does come unexpectedly when alcohol is involved.”

“Hmm, it can come unexpectedly when you’re sober too. Like when you asked- I mean, when you told me to dance with you.” Mina chuckled at the memory.

“Ahh, let’s not talk about that,” Chaeyoung covered her face in embarrassment. It wasn’t like her to act like that and thinking about it only made her wonder what she was even thinking. “Oh yeah,” she turned to her with a curious expression. “Does Tzuyu like Momo?”

“That’s a very random question.”

“Well, it’s just that I noticed she kept looking at her like she wanted something. While I was looking at you, I noticed her staring back at our table, then she stopped looking when Momo got up to go to the restroom. And the next thing I knew, the two were dancing.”

The Japanese grinned and leaned towards her, “You were looking at me?”

Chaeyoung slightly pulled back her head. “T-that wasn’t the point...” After staring at each other for quite some time, she playfully pulled her away. Mina gave a light laugh.

“You sure are perceptive,” she said. I wonder… Can you tell me my feelings too? Just then, Mina’s stomach grumbled ever so slightly. Her cheeks turned flushed, forgetting that she didn’t even eat before she left. Chaeyoung laughed, but then the younger one’s stomach grumbled as well. Mina laughed as well. “Did you have breakfast?”

Chaeyoung shook her head, “I went here as soon as I woke up.”

“Oh? Me too! Then, do you want to eat somewhere? I don’t really have anything at home for me. It’s quite lonely there at the moment.”

The younger one looked at her. Ah, this is it. Took you long enough to ask. She smiled and nodded. “Your treat?”

“Wow, you’ve gotten quite bold, haven’t you? Only if I ace the exam.”

“It’s a given then. You’re Myoui Mina, a B isn’t in your vocabulary.”

Mina chuckled, “Now you’re just up. Fine. I’ll treat you.”

In front of them lined up a variety of snacks. From boxed kimbap to sweet potato chips, snacks of different kinds were opened by Mina one by one. She popped the top of a yogurt drink with a straw and handed it to Chaeyoung who only looked at her with disappointment.

“Are you kidding? This,” the younger one gestured to the whole place as they sat at the convenience store table. “...is your treat? Convenience store food? A millionaire who owns 4 cars and a whole restaurant and this is the best you can do? Wow. I mean, I know we’re not dressed for fine dining experience, but the jajangmyeon place across the street would’ve done a better job of impressing.”

“I was curious of what these tasted like. But if you don’t want to eat it then,” Mina started pulling the snacks towards her side, but Chaeyoung quickly stopped her.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t eating any. Geez.” She pulled apart her chopsticks and ate the packaged ramen, blowing on the noodles before every bite. Mina opened the snacks first, her curiosity getting the best of her. “You’ve never eaten convenience store food?” Chaeyoung asked.

Mina shook her head. “There aren’t many snacks at home. If we do, it’s mostly fruits and cookies my mom bakes. Seeing students eat these, it made me curious.”

“Wow. We always have a lot of stored snacks at home. Jeongyeon-unnie eats a lot of them. You should come over once in a while.”

“Okay,” the older one said casually, opening a bag of melon pan. Chaeyoung watched her. She didn’t expect her to agree so fast. It was an impulsive suggestion, an empty one that she didn’t expect anything out of. “Should we study at your place then?”

Chaeyoung nodded and kept eating, but Mina kept staring at her as if she was waiting. She turned to her with the chopsticks still in and tilted her head. Mina smiled. “You mean now?!”

“Why not?” The Japanese looked at her watch, “It’s barely 4. We have plenty of time.” The truth was Mina just really wanted to visit her room again. The last time she went, it left a memory she didn’t want to happen, a breakup that shouldn’t have been hurtful to begin with. She barely got to absorb the room she was in and see precisely what kind of person Chaeyoung was at home. She was curious.

“But you don’t even have your notebooks...”

Mina pointed at her head, “I have all that I need right here.”

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, “I get it. You’re a genius.” She quickly reached forward just as Mina was about to hold the bread to , pulled her arm close and took a huge bite out of it. “It’s good! You’ve never had one of these before either?” Mina shook her head, still frozen at what the younger one just did. The Japanese stared at the half eaten bread where Chaeyoung’s lips just touched. “That’s surprising. It’s Unnie’s favorite.”

“Is it?”

“Yup. We have loads of them at home. She always packed it for practice. Gives her energy, she said.”

“Huh...” Now that she thought of it, she couldn’t even remember Jeongyeon’s favorite food. Did she even know it in the first place? Mina furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember. She recalled them eating at a restaurant af