6 Months later

“Mi-Na-Ri!”

Mina smiled at the singsong voice. She was trying to savor the smell of spring--- eyes were closed, arms spread wide while she was trying to catch the falling cherry blossoms, which almost enveloping her by the falling tiny pink flowers. She rotated slowly as the Sakura rained gently on her. Strong hands stopped her from spinning and arms went around her waist. She grinned and opened her eyes slowly.

She always marvel on the beauty in front of her, and still couldn’t believe that they will be ending up with each other. The past year had been hard to all of them after what happened, and it took a long time before Mina smiled again. And it is because of the woman in front of her.

“You are prettier than the sakuras themselves.”

“Sweet talker.”

“It’s true!” Mina linked her arm with the girl and leaned on her shoulders.

“You ready to head to the hall?” The girl nodded. “As usual, you look so pretty today. Why did you have to wear that? I have to fight off other people who will look at you again.”

“I didn’t know Myoui Mina is also a sweet talker!” Mina smiled very wide and hug the girl back. Her girl. Half a year ago, she never thought she could be happy again after Momo had left them, and Mina learned a lot of things the hard way. She recalled how all of them were just crying for days, most specially Jeongyeon. The girl was so wretched that she didn’t eat nor looked like she was sleeping properly. She doesn’t go to her classes and just lie whole day on Momo’s bed, hugging Momo’s pillow and just forgot to exist. Ji Hyo had been very worried, and asked for Mina’s help to talk to her. So she did. She called Jeongyeonie to talk at her at the swing behind their apartment.
 

6 months ago

Mina didn’t expect that Jeongyeon would come, she probably would be angry at her after what happened at the kitchen that fateful night. Jeongyeon looked one of those zombies in Walking Dead, dark bags under her eyes, and she looked thinner. Her eyes looked blanked and she looked so lifeless. Mina felt sorry for the older, and she felt guilty. If only she listened to Momo, if only she gave her a chance to explain…Nayeonie wouldn’t react that way and they wouldn’t end like this.

Jeongyeon sat on the other swing—it seems like a déjà vu—and it seems so long ago since they sat there together. They sat in awkward silence before Mina softly spoke. “I can’t imagine Momo just left us like that.”

“Yeah…”

“Are you still mad at me, Jeongyeonie?”

Jeongyeon looked slowly at Mina, looking ethereal as before, despite the cloud on her eyes. “I am not mad at you, no never at you, MInari. I—it’s all my fault. I made it very complicated. From the start, it’s just me, you know. Who loves you very much.”

Mina looked at her at surprise. Jeongyeon, in love with her? But what—why was she kissing Momo? “Eh?”

Jeongyeon smiled. “Momo knew it from the start. She--she helps me, so I could spend time with you. Remember when we cooked and she said she went to Nayeonie’s? Yah, that’s her. Giving us time together.”

Mina clutched her chest, remembering how Momo makes excuses that’s she’s off to somewhere. That’s for Jeongyeonie?

Jeongyeon sighed before she continued. “Momo… she’s always been telling me to confess you know? And I haven’t had the courage to do so. You have always been so beautiful that every time I look at you, I melt.” Jeongyeon blushed and look at down at her shoes. Confessing had been difficult but maybe because this talk is not because of her, but because they’re talking about Momo that’s making it easy for her to say it all. She sighed again. Until this time, Momo is the reason why she had the strength to confess now.

Mina, still feeling shocked, blushed. So her unnie was taking care of her for a long time and she didn’t even noticed? “I—I don’t know what to say, unnie. I mean, of course I appreciate everything you’ve been doing for me, and you—you are special for me too. But, can I ask, how did you and Momo, became… buddies?”

Jeongyeon cringed. buddies? Were they just that? It sounded so shallow. And not what Jeongyeon is feeling right now. She inhaled deeply. “It was, it was because of Sana… When they kissed in Jeju and said it was platonic, something in me… I dunno. I guess I wanted to try…Of course, I wanted to do it with you but of course, I can’t, so when Momo got drunk and slipped that she likes me, and then she kissed me, it just went from there.”

Mina was silent for a couple of minutes that Jeongyeon had to look at Mina’s face. Mina’s face was unreadable; her emotions are in a rollercoaster. Jeongyeon stood and kneeled beside Mina. “Minari, I know I made a mess of things, but Momo knows that it is you who I love… always had. Momo had been a great friend, and I owe her a lot, but she knows that what we had, there’s no string attached.”

Mina’s heart clenched. How could Jeongyeon just dismiss Momo just like that? Her Momoring, poor Momoring. She loves Momo very much and yet, the person who Momo loves…Mina shook her head. “Unnie—I, please know I am grateful for everything you’ve done for me, for us. But I can’t. I—I’ve been in love with Momo since we were young. Like you know, it doesn’t just go away just like that.”

“But Momo’s not here anymore! Please just give me a chance Minari…”

Mina looked at Jeongyeon’s pleading eyes. She could get lost on those brown eyes. She tucked the older’s stray hairs behind her ear and smiled sadly. She looked up at the stars shining down on her, twinkling. “Did you know that Momo left me a voice mail, before she left? She, reminded me the of my answer to our Philosophy prof’s question: If you could choose, who would you prefer? Someone you love deeply but doesn’t love you? Or to love someone you don’t love but loves you very much. I answered to love someone who doesn’t love me, but she said that I should choose the person who loves me very much. It’s easier said than done, but she told me to find someone who loves me wholeheartedly and that I will be happier that way.”

Typical Momo, Jeongyeon thought. Selfless, loving, until the end. “You could give me a chance… Even if you don’t like me the same way now, but I am very willing to wait, to make you love me too…”

Mina shook her head. “Nayeonie’s had been in love with you since you were kids, I hope you give her a chance. She will be willing to give you everything…things that I can’t.”

“Why won’t you just…”

“How can I, Jeongyeonie? Everytime I look at you, I see Momo? I think of how Momo was willing to sacrifice for you, but not for my happiness? She knows how I love her, but she—she put your happiness first. How can I love you, when she loved you more?”
 

Jeongyeon fell quiet. She doesn’t have anything to say to that. Momo really did a lot for her, and she didn’t even give back anything, moreover she hurted the girl so much. She recalled if there were any thing she had done to make the girl happy, but she cannot think of any. She thought of Momo’s smile and her heart hurt again. How did she just hurt her like that?

Mina watched Jeongyeon as she processed what she said. Mina took her hand and entwined their fingers together. “It’s not me who could make you happy, unnie. You’re beautiful, smart, the kindest and the most caring. Whoever you love will be very lucky. But I know, deep in your heart, you know it is not me.”

Jeongyeon looked quizzically at Mina. “What---“

“Sometimes, Jeongyeonie, you just have to think of the person who makes you happy, giddy and smile like a fool and you’ll have your answer.”

Jeongyeon looked at Mina on the eyes and yet, she remembers that nose scrunch, dimpled smile and warm company. How the girl’s wide smile never fail to uplift her mood, how she always want to see her and how stupid of her to overlook the girls’ effort to be with her. Her eyes widened in realization and Mina nodded.

“Now go, chase that happiness. Whatever it takes.”

“But—how about you?”

“Que Sera, sera. What will be, will be, Jeongyeonie.” Jeongyeon smiled and kissed Mina on the forehead. “Thank you. And I love you.”

“I love you too unnie.”

Present Time

The graduations rites were already done and they just stayed to take pictures of each other at the stage. Mina posed near the stage where there’s a big Sakura tree and she took a lot of pics of Mina just being her dorky self with her big gummy smile. Her heart feels full seeing Minari smile, it just heals her heart. She just clicks with the camera, and Mina pouts at her. Cute, she thinks and continue to shoot with the camera when she heard familiar voices behind her.

“Mina-unnie! Momo-unnie!”

Momo froze and looked behind her, and before she could look at them properly, she was enveloped in a circle of hug, with her friends gushing at her all at the same time. She looked behind them and see Mina smiling. “Surprise.”

Momo laughed nervously, and looked at her friends one by one. Chaeyoung holding her on the waist, Sana and Dahyun on each arm, Ji Hyo on her shoulder and Tzuyu holding all of them in a hug. She had to admit that she missed them, she missed all her friends. From the time she left Korea, she cut all means of communication and deactivated all her SNS, thinking it was for the best for everyone. Until Mina came and surprised her by saying she transferred in her school here in Kyoto. It was an awkward meeting, but Mina just hugged her without saying anything and all her emotions just burst like a dam. She never knew how she needed to be hugged and be forgiven by Mina until that very moment. And from then on, she never left the girl’s side.

Momo was trying to catch up with what her friends are saying, since they are talking all at the same time, asking her how she was and that they missed her very much and was asking why she left until she heard two familiar voices that made her heart ache, even after half a year after.

“If only you didn’t make that turn we would have been here 15 minutes ago!”

“Me? Who was actually holding the map?”

 “It’s not my fault that their school is huge—“

The two stopped squabbling when they noticed that all their friends are staring at them. Nayeon stopped and looked awkwardly at Momo. Momo gave her a small smile and nodded and Nayeon ran to her and hugged her. She murmured that it’s ok and patted her back and hugged her tightly. After a few minutes, and Nayeon had been a crying mess, Momo looked up at the brown haired girl who had been the looking at them quietly.

After she assured Nayeon that she’s not angry at her, Mina had comforted Nayeon and she pulled Nayeon into a hug, freeing Momo’s arms. Momo, suddenly preferred that Nayeon is still hugging her, for now she felt exposed and butterflies seems to fly all over her stomach. She wrung her hands together and Jeongyeon saw Momo fidget. She slowly walked towards Momo, taking her time memorizing the younger’s face, how her hair had changed from last year, how face holds a blush that wasn’t there from the last time and yet she still feels the same.

“Momo-yah.”

One word. Only one word and Momo came undone. She was frozen on her place and a tear escaped her eye. She cannot talk, even if she wanted to, it is as if had constricted and as if she stopped breathing. The memories came flooding in, how she loved it every time Jeongyeon called her like that. She thought she already forgotten all about it, but now it hit her like an over speeding truck.

The feelings that she’s having right now is overwhelming her, and all she wanted to do is to run away. Away from these all. But isn’t it what she already did? She had been running from Jeongyeon for six months and nothing prepared her for this meeting.

Jeongyeon stopped a step away from Momo but didn’t move—cannot move. She wanted to hug the girl but she doesn’t know if it’s still proper, knowing that she and Mina are now together. Momo was just looking up at her, wanting to tuck the taller girl’s hair behind her ear, but hesitated. She doesn’t have the right, she gave up that right---that this girl is Nayeonie’s already.

Before she could speak, Ji Hyo shouted. “Group huuuug!” and they found themselves on each other’s arms and sandwiched between their friends. Momo bowed her head slightly to apologize and Jeongyeon just stared at her brown eyes. They’ve been standing so close that if Jeongyeon would move they would be able to kiss. Jeongyeon looked upward and counted one to ten and tried to glare at Ji HYo. Ji Hyo on the other hand, pretended to not know anything and squeezed them together tighter.

It has not been a minute but Momo felt like it was an eternity—she was able to smell Jeongyeon’s familiar perfume and the scent almost intoxicated her--- until their friends had let go and paired off to go to the restaurant Mina had booked them.

Momo looked embarrassed; she thought that the others could even hear her thoughts when she was standing so close to her former roommate that she had bowed slightly to Jeongyeon and ran after Mina. She slipped her arm around Mina’s waist and the other hand to hold the younger’s hand. Jeongyeon saw how Momo whispered something to Mina’s ear, to which Mina shook her head and later leaned on Momo’s shoulders.

Jeongyeon sighed. What was she even doing here? Chae was saying something to her but her mind is elsewhere. Nayeon entwined her fingers to hers and put her chin on Jeong’s shoulders.

“You alright?”

“Yeah. Just tired.”

“Tired or…”

“…or what?”

“I dunno. Surprised? Shocked? Because I know Momo is.”

“It was six months since I had seen her, of course it felt different. But I’m okay, Nayeonie. Don’t mind me.”

Nayeon hugged her sideways. “Of course you are. Now let’s enjoy spring here in Kyoto!”

***

“Is this some kind of test, Mitang?” Mina looked at Momo looking very troubled. They were outside the veranda on a hotel that Mina had booked for all of them and waiting for their food to be served. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to see our friends, but this felt like a test I need to pass. Like if I do something, or step out of the line I would fail?”

Mina bit her lip. As usual, Momo is very perceptive. Mina looked up and saw Jeongyeon looking away and pretended to listen to what Nayeon was saying. Mina sighed.

“It’s not a test Momoring. But we are all hoping that you and Jeongyeonie would talk.”

“About what? What is there to talk about Mitang?”

“I dunno. You both had just ended up in a very bad note and was never even given a chance to talk things out.”

“Couldn’t we just leave things as it is?”

“Do you want to?”

“I---“

“What is there to lose?”

My heart, Momo thought. Again. She shook her head trying to dispel the thoughts that are going through her head. She took Mina’s hands into hers and kissed the back of her hand. Mina blushed and their friends squealed and . Momo smiled fondly at Mina, touching her forehead with Mina's and try to convince herself that this is the best, again for everybody.