I usually don't write a note before a chapter, but i'll make an exception this time around! It's going to be 2kim heavy, but don't worry there is kkubi progression (sorta?) too! and i hear your request on the sisterly interactions so enjoy the read! but one more thing, I really like this comment and thought 'Sakurapetals39' summarised the love triangle quite nicely so i wanted to share it before we start. 

Sakurapetals39 
To be honest, I've never been a fan of love triangle story, especially between bestfriend. More often it ends up messy and makes my mood down. But, this time I'm not even choosing side, I can understand Minju and proud of her even for being mature and giving a fair chance for Hiichan. She can be selfish if she wants to but she respects her bestfriend's feeling, good girl Minju.

I can't be mad at Chaewon, in other story character like Chaewon usually portrayed as indecisive. But, that's not the case in this one. She's not indecisive, she's very clear about her feeling since the very beginning and at the same time she's also very considerate of Hiichan affection. Yes she agreed to go on date with Hiichan, but she didn't lead her on.

And my precious Hiichan, my heart hurt for you, but this is better. This is the part which I love so much from this story, you make it as realistic as possible. I mean, you didn't make Hiichan as super perfect understanding bestfriend who just go happy and all when the love of her life chose Minju over her. She's hurt, heartbroken. So, when she said to Minju to give her time before she can meet her again I thought "yeah I would do that too" it's not easy to act like everything is okay when it's not.

Okay, let the chapter begin!

For her annual visit to the orphanage for Children’s day, Minjoo makes sure to always bring along gifts but she always thought a little personal touch is good. That is why every year, she spends a day at Kim Corp’s famous patisserie making macarons. The kids loved it the first year she made them so this naturally formed into her tradition.

“Time of the year again Minjoo!” The head pastry chef, Joy, welcomes Minjoo to the place.

“We have a lot more to make this year unnie, I heard there are more kids.” Minjoo naturally goes for the apron since she is familiar with this kitchen.

“Where’s Hitomi? She always helps you every year. Busy?” Joy gets the ingredients out and lays them on her metallic countertop.

“Yeah, she’s busy.” Minjoo simply says as she ties her hair up, trying to distract herself from the sadness associated with her friend. Given the content of their phone call just now, Minjoo didn’t think it was right to ask Hitomi either.

“Well good thing your two trusty agents are always here.” By now, even Yena and Chaewon are familiar with the apron and automatically subject themselves for macaron making duty like every year.

“I am trusty, not too sure about Chaewon and her scary looking macaron last year.” Yena sticks her tongue out, mimicking Chaewon’s creation resulting in an unamused look from her. Joy laughs at the memory, “Alright kiddos, you guys gotta start otherwise you would not be able to finish. I have to tend to the customers now, shout if you need anything.”

Before she starts, Minjoo glances over at Chaewon at the other end of the kitchen separating the egg whites from the yolk. After the phone call, Minjoo immediately had to get ready to come here so she has not really processed the implications yet. She suppresses the tingles in her chest that now comes with seeing Chaewon. Can I really try now...
 

“Urgh, every year I forget how tiring it is to make these macarons. Pretty to eat but so tedious to make!” Yena stretches her body in front of the oven, waiting for the nth batch to come out. Minjoo giggles while squeezing the filling onto the shell.

“Go and take a break Yena unnie! I’ll take that out for you.”

The agent visibly brightens up at the offer. “Alright! Time for a coffee break! Need me to bring coffee in for you guys?”

Minjoo nods gratefully and Chaewon smiles too so Yena heads out of the kitchen, leaving the two alone for the first time in a while. Naturally it gets quiet save the sounds of them working. Minjoo knows quiet Chaewon wouldn’t start any conversation and especially since Minjoo is the one purposely avoiding her - she is pretty sure Chaewon noticed the oddity - Chaewon’s considerate nature would not do anything to make her uncomfortable. 

“Unnie… if you like a break too, you can go ahead. I will be alright on my own.” Minjoo nevertheless doesn’t want Chaewon to overwork given that this is a project she herself chose to start. 

But the agent shakes her head before resuming piping the fillings.

Minjoo lets out a small sigh; she isn’t deserving of a person like Chaewon and it beats her up that it took her so long to realise the agent’s unconditional love. You can never take a constant for granted. Minjoo did say to follow how things flow and now things are flowing her way. She puts down the whisk she is holding onto and inhales deeply before walking over to Chaewon on the other side of the kitchen.

Chaewon is taken aback to see Minjoo coming over. Minjoo’s pensive expression after taking the mysterious phone call awoke all her protective instincts but she had to dial back because she remembered how Minjoo was trying to avoid her in school yesterday. It is a mystery after another and she hates it because Minjoo has never been one to her. These mysteries are frustrating and confusing and it is causing Chaewon to not know how to act - like now when Minjoo suddenly comes over after being at the other end the whole time.

“Oh, the macarons look really good.” Minjoo comments while smiling brightly at Chaewon’s creations. 

“Thanks. How are yours going?”

“Not too bad, though I don’t think I can eat macarons for a while.” Minjoo stifles her giggle. 

“You always have specific food tastes anyways.” 

“That’s a really nice way to say I am picky.” Minjoo observes Chaewon as the agent looks away sheepishly from her witty retort. She then carefully considers Chaewon’s words. “Why am I still surprised to know that you know me so well?” 

It wasn’t the words that alerted Chaewon to the deeper implied meaning but rather the tone Minjoo delivered it in. It rings so similar to Minjoo that night when she abruptly called her over. Chaewon still can’t comprehend Minjoo that night but at least she wasn’t avoiding her like the recent Minjoo. Perhaps this is the opening Chaewon needs to start solving this mystery.

“I don’t think I actually do.” Chaewon puts down whatever she is doing and looks up. “Not when I can’t figure out what has been bothering you lately.”

For two people who have been by each other’s sides for such a long time, Minjoo realised they never been in such a guarded scenario before. Chaewon always knew what to do with her but now it is strikingly obvious the agent is lost and holding back. Minjoo herself is consciously choosing her words, watching her actions so much so that it pains her now to see the effects of her choices. To see Chaewon looking back at her with a broken expression, how can Minjoo herself hold on?

“Maybe that is because I am trying to not let you know. Though obviously I'm not doing a good job.”

“Why?” Chaewon steps closer, eyebrows creased up. 

“You never saw it but I always knew Chaewon unnie is something special to you.” 

Hitomi’s words ring loudly in her head as Minjoo decides to be honest. “Because I made a mistake and I am embarrassed and… I don’t want you to think less of me.”

“I would never.”

“I know.” The look in Minjoo’s eyes is telling. Minjoo gulps before she exhales. “But it doesn’t take away the fact that I did something selfish just because I was afraid to lose-” She stops herself. Can she say it?

Chaewon is staring hard into Minjoo’s eyes trying to process everything that she is saying because something is different. Chaewon is no longer lost and confused, she can understand Minjoo again because she has seen this in Minjoo’s eyes before. The look she has when Minjoo is feeling like she is alone and reacting out of fear, Chaewon has seen before - when Minjoo begged her to let her leave home.

What is she afraid to lose this time? 

“You.”

There is silence in the kitchen as the macarons are left undone. The urgency to finish making them pales in comparison to the gravity of the conversation. Chaewon does not realise she has not blinked in a while as she checks if she was hearing Minjoo wrongly. Minjoo’s eyes reveal conviction as the girl heeded her best friend’s words. 

“So don't waste it. Don’t push her away anymore.”

“Did I hear you wrongly?” Chaewon forces herself to ask. She could’ve settled for what she heard but if she was wrong, Chaewon wouldn’t know how to deal with the consequences of that.

Minjoo shakes her head firmly. She can tell the agent is disbelieving and rightfully so. Her treatment of the agent for the many years they have been together was unjust to the selfless... Minjoo thinks hard but there is only one way to complete that sentence, which itself has been undeserving without her rightful acknowledgement. 

Selfless love Chaewon has for me.

Therefore, Minjoo articulates herself to be as clear as day. “I am afraid to lose you.”

As fast as her heart is pumping from hearing Minjoo’s words, Chaewon steadies her voice. “Minjoo, I’ll nev-”

Minjoo interrupts her with an expression that shows comfort. “I know. I remember.” 

“I don’t think I can ever leave you, Minjoo ah.” 

“You have no idea what it did to me when I heard you say that.” Minjoo continues on and Chaewon can sense that the younger Kim is speaking from a place of affirmation. “And also the realisation I had for all the signs that were there all along. That you mean your words.”

Now Chaewon’s heart pulses even faster in the instinctive reaction of fear. Why fear? That is because Chaewon is accustomed to Minjoo not being aware of the feelings Chaewon has been harboring and the idea of the opposite of that happening is repulsive. Suppression of her feelings is something of a habit now and anything threatening that habit is scary. 

But something is trying to calm Chaewon in telling her today there is no need for that fear. There is no need to fear in Minjoo knowing Chaewon is in love with her. And that something... is found in Minjoo’s eyes, in how soft it looks and it is as if…. 

She already knows. 

Minjoo puts on a small smile. “So it is not true that you don’t know me well. Out of everybody in this world, you are the only person who sees me for everything that I am and I have been stupid to see why. It was a painful way to get here, the selfish mistake I made but I guess there is a silver lining.”

Chaewon is still speechless at the confrontation that her feelings for Minjoo are out in the open. Yet she is more shocked to see how comfortable Minjoo is with that knowledge. This only adds to how lost Chaewon is with this entire conversation. 

“Then why are you suddenly afraid to lose me?” It doesn’t make sense because Minjoo being aware of her feelings for her should also assure Minjoo that Chaewon would all the more not leave. What is the selfish mistake Minjoo says she made? Chaewon has been here all along and surely she can’t miss a thing. Her schedule runs like clockwork and monotonous. The only addition being- 

“Is it because I went on dates with Hitomi?” Chaewon asks carefully. 

Minjoo keeping quiet is a definite tell-all. For the first time in a while, Minjoo casts her eyes away to the far corner of the kitchen.

It is affecting the younger Kim, Chaewon can tell. “You guys fought because of this, didn’t you?” She asks in a soft voice. “Then why a selfish mistake?”

Minjoo grinds her teeth, clearly in an internal debate. She inhales deeply before letting out a long sigh. “Because I didn’t want to let you go.” Her voice is equally soft but in a space