“Jeongyeon.” Mina’s voice was raspy. The time on the woman’s clock showed a bright three and the two letters; AM. At this point she was used to the drunken calls her friend would always dial her with.

“Nayeon!” The other line growled.

Mina could tell her friend was drunk once again. Every time she’d get drunk, she’d dial Mina accidentally, thinking it was someone else. Mina had learned that faking to be that person would often times be more beneficial than getting her to call that someone.

“Hey, Jeongie.” She sighed.

“Nayeon… You sound like Mina!” She heard the other girl giggle. She smiled weakly before saying anything again.

“Really?”

“Yeah!” The girl laughed again, “Anyways, I called you for another reason.”

“What is it Jeong?” Mina sighed heavily.

“It’s about my soulmate.” Jeongyeon sounded embarrassed. Mina smiled before asking her to go on with her story.

“I really love her, Nayeon… But I don’t think I’ll ever get the guts to tell her.” The older girl complained.

“her?” Mina wasn’t sure she was listening to things correctly.

“Yeah her. We spoke about this already!” Jeongyeon scolded her.

“Right, go on.”

“Today during my lunch break I went down to the coffee shop again, you know… just to see her. She was in her uniform, she looked adorable.” Jeongyeon paused, “I wanted to compliment her, but I panicked and just ordered the same thing I always do. I’m not sure how I got her number a while ago.”

Mina stayed silent. She wasn’t sure if maybe it was the lack of sleep, or maybe it was just a vivid dream, but something seemed odd.

The way Jeongyeon and Mina had met had been quite sweet honestly. Mina worked as a barista in a local coffee shop not too far from Jeongyeon’s modeling agency. Normally, Jeongyeon would go to bigger coffee shops, such as Starbucks or Havana. Though, that day when she was walking by the smaller shop, and noticed no one was in there. She paused in front of the glass and peeked in. There was a young girl behind the counter was rubbing her temples harshly. She smiled before going inside, startling the barista.

“Hey,” She waved at the nervous worker.

“Hey Ma’am! Or, uh… not if you don’t like that name- god I… let me start again.” The girl shook her head nervously and took a deep breath in, “Hello! Welcome to Park’s Organics, what can I serve you today?”

“Hi.” Jeongyeon waved again, “I’d like your recommended drink, please?” She smiled politely. The girl nodded and quickly got to work. Jeongyeon rested herself on the counter as she saw the young worker rapidly work around the machines. She was adorable to say the least. Captivating also. Jeongyeon could feel herself grinning at the timid beauty before fixing her posture, receiving the drink.

“There you go!” The girl flashed her an awkward smile as she almost spilled the drink, “Two ninety-one.”

“So cheap?” Jeongyeon scoffed. She looked in her bag and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. She examined the girl cautiously before asking, “It’s your first day here, isn’t it?”

“Yes… is it that obvious?” The girl covered her face with her hands.

Jeongyeon smirked before taking a sip from the drink. Delightful. She smiled at the girl before shaking her head, “Not at all, you seem like a professional already.”

“Oh, what a relief.” The barista wiped her forehead.

“Actually, I really liked this drink. Keep the rest as your tip.” Jeongyeon handed her the hundred-dollar bill.

“W-What!” The barista looked even paler than before, “I can’t take this!”

“Please, take it as a first-day gift!” Jeongyeon winked at her.

“Are you serious?” The girl’s jaw dropped.

“Yeah! Just take the bill.” Jeongyeon scrunched her nose.

“Oh, thank you! You don’t know how much this means to me,” The girl smiled widely at her, gently taking the bill.

“I’ll make sure to recommend this place as well.” Jeongyeon smiled, “Your hard-work shows!”

“Thank you.” The girl looked like she was about to cry, “What’s your name, ma’am?”

“Yoo Jeongyeon, but please… just call me Jeong.” Jeongyeon waved goodbye at her before leaving the coffee shop again.

That became their routine. The next day, Jeongyeon walked past the coffee shop again. There was a long line this time. Her recommendation had worked after all. She smiled as she kept on walking by. A few weeks went by before she stopped there again. The shop was almost full by then. She waited patiently in the line until a squeal startled her.

“Jeong! You’re back.” The barista pointed at her gleefully.

“You remembered my name!” Jeongyeon grinned shyly.

“How couldn’t I? Ever since your stop, the shop has had non-stop customers! Are you the president or something?” The girl joked.

“Oh, I wish. I’m just a model, I invited some coworkers here… that’s all.” Jeongyeon winked. She looked around the full shop. It filled her with joy. She could tell the nervous barista was thankful. She turned around once again smiling.

“So, what would you like today?” The girl smiled.

“Your name.” Jeongyeon scrunched her nose.

“Huh?” The barista tilted her head.

“You heard me,” She chuckled, “What’s your name?”

She noticed the barista blush slightly before replying, “Mina.”

“Adorable name for an adorable girl!” Jeongyeon giggled, “Well Mina, I want another recommendation.”

Mina gave her a thumbs up and quickly went back to work. Once again, Jeongyeon felt captivated by the girl’s rapid movements. She enjoyed watching her work, she was charming. In a matter of seconds, Mina turned around and handed her an iced drink.

“This one is on me, this time.” Mina smiled, “As a thank you!”

“How charming.” Jeongyeon joked, “Thank you, Mina.”

“No problem, Jeong!” Mina waved her goodbye as she made her way back outside.

At first Jeongyeon started going in weekly, and then slowly twice a week, thrice, until she was going on the daily. She didn’t really like coffee that much, or at all… but the barista made it passable. With each visit she’d ask her something about herself. She learned a lot about her in the span of two weeks.

She was a Japanese college student, working in the coffee shop as part-time. She had a dog who she treasured deeply back in Japan. She’d spend her free-time on her building’s roof staring at the city, she was a hopeless romantic, and she loved making coffee.

It was the little things that got them to bond over time. It had probably been around a month when Jeongyeon finally worked the courage of asking for her number. She had been planning to do so for weeks now, but she had always backed out one way or another. One morning she simply woke up confident and went to the shop earlier.

“Good morning!” She waved at Mina.

“Jeong! You’re early today!” Mina flashed her a gummy smile. That same smile that started winning Jeongyeon over little by little.

“Yeah… Cause I wanted to ask something a little more personal today.” Jeongyeon rested on the counter.

“Go ahead!” Mina wiped some of the machines as she listened.

“What’s your number?”

“My what?” Mina tilted her head.

“Your number. As in phone.” Jeongyeon clarified.

Mina smiled before swaying herself to the napkins and picking up a pencil from her pocket. She scribbled the numbers rapidly and handed the paper to her.

“Thank you,” Jeongyeon smiled at her.

“It’s no problem.” Mina waved at her.

Jeongyeon called her whenever she couldn’t stop by that day. They’d chat together until one of them fell asleep on the phone. Slowly, Jeongyeon found herself liking the friendly barista. There was so much to like about her. How passionate she was about her studies, how shy she could be at the start, how her cheeks would get redder than cherries with small compliments, how she’d write poetry whenever she missed her home. Small things she shared with Jeongyeon slowly started winning the girl’s heart. There was one problem though, she had mentioned a boyfriend more than once.

A Thai guy from her music class. She’d mentioned him a few times. They were still quite new in the relationship. Jeongyeon was happy for her friend, but she couldn’t help but feel a sting every time the latter would mention his name. It was understandable though, not everyone she met was automatically going to be interested in girls. She had learned that with the years.

 Although it hurt, she still liked talking to her. She was a great listener, and advice giver. She still remembered the time when she was suddenly needed in Paris and Mina helped her calm down before the flight. It was small things like those that drove Jeongyeon’s heart wild. The way she was so selfless, and caring with her.

They could’ve kept on talking like that if Jeongyeon hadn’t gotten drunk one evening. She was sour over work and decided to drink her pain away. It was a bad decision. The last time she had done that, she had accidentally dialed her ex to… well- talk badly about her. She was a mess while drunk, she already knew that. The first time she did it, Mina was confused.

“Hello, Jeong?” The softer voice answered with a croak.

“Dahyun! How are you?”

“Jeong… are you drunk?”

“Hey! Only Mina can call me Jeong, remember?” She hiccuped.

“Jeong, it’s me… Mina. You dialed me instead of your friend.” She giggled softly.

“Ah! My bad, I can barely read while drunk.” Jeongyeon face-palmed, “Goodbye Mina!”

“Take care, Jeong.”

She laid quietly on her bed, her head spinning faster now. She felt like crying, so she called Dahyun again. She waited a few seconds before someone finally picked up on the other line. She sighed before going directly to her problems.

“Dahyun… My dog died.” She sobbed softly into the phone.

“Oh, Jeongyeon… I’m sorry for your loss.” The voice sounded different.

“Dubu, you sound different.” She pointed out.

“You must be dreaming, Jeong.”

“Ah. Mina- I called you again.” Jeongyeon sighed.

“Yeah… you did. Don’t worry about it, Jeong. You can talk to me if you want.” Mina promised her.

“Mina, I’m drunk. I can’t even understand myself right now.” Jeongyeon confessed.

“Yeah, I imagined you were… it’s okay though.” Mina giggled softly, “I’ll help you go to sleep so you don’t drunk dial anyone else, okay?”

“Sound nice.” Jeongyeon smiled.

“Here, what I like to do is watch cartoons… or play video games. Do you have any of those?” Mina asked her softly.

“Uh- I have Minecraft… but I like multiplayer only.” Jeongyeon shrugged.

“It’s okay! I’ll play with you. Let’s play on a world together?”

“Sounds awesome.” Jeongyeon smiled at the phone.

And so, they did. Jeongyeon clumsily built a dirt house while rambling on and on about diamonds to Mina. Meanwhile, the latter simply giggled and built a house for the two. Jeongyeon was surprised by how fast the girl could build and childishly clapped her hands for her.

“Wow! Mina, the player PenguinM is really good at building houses!” She excitedly told Mina.

Mina laughed softly, “Really? What did they build?”

“A huge house! The sign says our names! How cool!” Jeongyeon gasped as she entered the house. “Hey! Why are the beds separated? We should share a bed Mr. Penguin, body warmth!”

“Oh, Jeong.” Mina chuckled.

And that’s how their first drunk encounter went. Mina helped her sober up (just enough for her to go to bed alone) and then wished her goodnight. The next morning Jeongyeon could barely remember even talking to her.

The second drunk encounter? Well, she ended up accidentally inviting her to Paris with her. They did end up going together after Jeongyeon formally asked, but the drunk invite was funnier to Mina anyways.

“Yo! PenguinM!” Jeongyeon excitedly called her while in their world. Mina chuckled before following her. Jeongyeon had somehow managed to build a scale model of the Eifel Tower while drunk and was happily flying around it.

“Did you make this just now?” Mina’s jaw dropped.

“Yeah! My boss is sending me to Paris next week and I need to invite someone to accompany me… so I’m inviting you!” Jeongyeon clapped for her own speech.

“Jeong, are you serious?”

“Yeah, Mina! I mean you told me you wanted to be a designer when you graduated, and so I thought this would be like perfect for you! Watching not only my cute cat-walk but see other high-end fashion shows.”

“God, drunk you is something else.” Mina chuckled softly again.

The next morning, Mina got a paper letter on her doorstep. Signed by no one else, but Yoo Jeongyeon.

Good Day, Mina.

I’m writing you today because IM DESIGNS wants you to accompany me to an all-paid trip to Paris this coming week. All you need is your documents, and clothes for the trip. The rest is all paid. Please contact the number below if you agree.

Thanks for your time,

Your dear friend,

Yoo Jeongyeon (Model).

And so, the two went to Paris together. Jeongyeon was very excited the first few hours, until she remembered Mina was seeing someone. She stomped her foot on her floor before throwing herself on the bed. She was now going to the city of love with a girl who was straight.

The trip was, alright.

The start was, odd. Jeongyeon had never been good with planes and well, this long trip was no exception. Mina noticed the girl’s trembling and offered to hold her hand. Jeong observed her hand for a moment before taking it and squeezing it tightly. Mina giggled as she often did when she was with Jeongyeon and tried calming her down.

While in Paris, Jeongyeon got to hold her hand a lot. She saw that as an absolute win; dragging her around the crowded streets of Paris while laughing together. They even stopped for coffee together. Ironic. It was the first time Jeongyeon wasn’t seeing her behind the counter.

One of the nights, they sneaked away from the hotel and ran to the Eifel tower. The two ran around joyfully while tourist around them shot them dirty looks. They didn’t mind, they were having fun. They even asked one of them for a couple’s picture. Jeongyeon carried Mina bridal style while the latter kissed her cheek. The pose made her blush, but it was dark outside so it wasn’t noticeable.

The day of the fashion show Mina was left dumbfounded by the eccentric designs the models wore, and even more dumbstruck when she saw her friend finally model for her. Mina hadn’t realized how beautiful Jeongyeon really was until that moment. The way she walked confidently down the catwalk only proving the girl’s beauty. Mina couldn’t fight back her blushing when Jeongyeon blew a kiss her way. She hadn’t taken into consideration that her friend, the crazy, lovely, messy Jeong was a living breathing model.

Another night made things a little bit awkward between them, but it wasn’t too bad. Just, uncomfortable midnight conversations. The two sat in the balcony, staring at the tower from the hotel. Jeongyeon poured them both a glass of champagne as they sat down on the comfortable seats.

“City of love, huh.” Jeongyeon scoffed, “And to say I’ve loved only one person.”

“Really?” Mina was curious. Jeongyeon had always been reserved when it came to her love life, and she never really understood why.

“Yeah. We can talk about me some other time, though.” Jeongyeon’s expression dropped. She cracked her neck a few times before turning her attention to Mina once again, “How about you?”

“Well… I have my boyfriend, I guess.” Mina shrugged and took a sip of her drink.

“You don’t seem to happy.” Jeongyeon joked quite harshly.

“I- it’s odd right now.” Mina sighed, “I’m confused about a lot of things right now… and dating him doesn’t seem like a good choice now that I think about it.”

“Confused about what?” Jeongyeon turned her attention back to the tower as she took a sip from the drink.

“If I love him or not… is one of them.” Mina shrugged, “He’s a good guy, don’t get me wrong… but, I am not sure if he’s what I’ve been looking for.”

“And what are you looking for exactly, maybe that’s a step.” Jeongyeon asked.

“I- It’s going to sound cheesy,” Mina scoffed, “but a soulmate maybe.”

“Define a soulmate.” Jeongyeon spun the liquor in the glass.

“A best friend, but more than that. A best friend who I can feel like dedicating my whole life to, because they make me so happy. Someone who can really bring the best out of myself.” Mina rambled.

“Hm. I see.” Jeongyeon nodded slowly, “and why isn’t he that.”

“Well… he’s just a friend,” Mina paused, “Who I kiss and get intimate with I guess.”

“We think similarly then.” Jeongyeon pointed out.

“You also believe in soulmates?” Mina joked.

“Yeah… but not only that.” Jeongyeon finished off her drink, “We both believe you shouldn’t be with him anymore.”

Mina blinked a few times, trying to understand what her friend had just said. An awkward silence formed between the two and eventually Jeongyeon excused herself to sleep. Mina stayed outside for a few more minutes, trying to understand what the girl might’ve meant with such a message.

Back in Seoul, a few weeks went by before Jeongyeon popped by again. The first time she did, she carried a big bouquet of jasmines with her. She waited patiently for her turn in the line and then handed them over.

“Oh, thanks Jeong.” Mina chuckled awkwardly.

“It’s an apology, for acting kind of weird that last night in Paris.” Jeongyeon’s cheeks were red. Her now blonde hair not helping hide the red tone.

“It’s alright, Jeong. You were probably tired.” Mina sniffed the flowers happily.

“Yeah… I was. I remembered you like jasmines so I bought you some. Hopefully you can find a good place to put them.” Jeongyeon smiled apologetically.

“Thanks, Jeong. I appreciate them.” Mina sniffed the flowers one last time before filling a cup with water and putting them inside. “Can I get you anything?”

“A white mocha with a puff of coconut, please.” She said timidly. Mina arched a brow at her before going to the machines.

Odd. Jeongyeon asked every day for the same thing: her recommendation. For the first time in half a year, she asked for something different, and in all honesty? It pained Mina a little bit. The recommendation had been their thing for so long, seeing her switch it up stung. None the less, she prepared the drink with a smile on her face and handed it over.

Another week went by and no signs of Jeongyeon. Mina was starting to feel lonely (although the shop was full). The weeks went by and still, her favorite customer didn’t pop by even once. That was until that lunch break and third drunk call.

The description of her soulmate sounded familiar. Mina closed her eyes and thought onto how she should reply to such a statement. So many different things revealed all at once. Her uality, her true feelings, why she might’ve acted the way she did for the past weeks. Mina sighed and asked her to carry on.

“Nayeon, I’ve never felt this way before. Not even when I was with you quite frankly. She, She… She makes me so happy. Inviting her to Paris was honestly such a dumb and great idea at the same time. She mentioned her boyfriend a few times, but other than that? I got to know her so well, Nayeon! She also believes in soulmates; can you believe that? What are the odds.” Jeongyeon chuckled on the line.

Mina was trying her hardest not to cry. She felt so guilty of listening to her confession, but it was too late now anyways. She nibbled on her bottom lip and hummed.

“Anyways, I’ve been to scared to pop by again… I just remember the talk we had on the balcony and I get flustered. She seemed like she didn’t want to be with him anymore, but I can’t seem pushy about it. All I want is her happiness, Nayeon. All the times I’ve gotten drunk and she stays with me until god knows how late, or the times she’s made me the drink I really needed for a bad day… And not to mention how beautiful she is! Seeing her work the machines is honestly magnetizing.”

The line went silent for a few moments, as if Jeongyeon was trying to find the correct words.

“It’s kind of sad I won’t be able to tell her all of this. She’s happy in the arms of someone else, and I have to admit that. She’s most likely straight anyways, so I’d just end up breaking my own heart. Oh, if she did know how much she means to me… I think I’d stop drinking. I’d stop drinking my sorrows away, because with her by my side I know I can do anything and still be happy. Afterall, that’s what a soulmate is.”

At this point of the call, the tears were silently rolling down Mina’s cheeks. She couldn’t speak anymore, it hurt to. It hurt to know that Jeongyeon had accidentally shown herself so vulnerable to her. It hurt to know that every time she had mentioned her boyfriend she had ended up hurting someone who only wanted her happiness.

“Also, in the balcony… I wanted to be honest with her, but… How do I know if she’s okay with me not being straight? It’s still seen as taboo by many…” She sighed on the line, “When she said she was confused about some things, I had my fingers crossed that she’d say uality. It’s dumb, I know. There’s many other people way better than me, but somewhere deep down I wished that she might’ve felt the same way for me.”

“Yeah…” Mina tried her best to hide her croaky voice, “She seems perfect for you, Jeong.”

The line went silent again.

And the silence grew stronger, and stronger, until Jeongyeon simply sighed one word out.

“.” And the call was done.

Mina covered as she sobbed quietly. How could she have been so naïve. All the times that she had ranted about her boyfriend not caring about her, or not paying attention, or simply not treating her nicely Jeongyeon had been there to comfort her. Telling her that she deserves everything good in the world, because she made the world good. All the times Mina facetimed her late at night to talk about different ways of making a dress correctly and Jeongyeon had walked her through every step patiently. The way Mina had caught her giving away her drink to the homeless man a few blocks down, but still returning every single day just to talk to her.

Jeongyeon had been there, listening, when no one else had. The time she had a panic attack because she felt like college was suffocating her and Jeong drove over just to cuddle her and watch a movie with her.

So many small details that had completely flown over her head. Mina cried herself to sleep that night, because that’s when she realized something too. Ever since she first met Jeongyeon, her life had become better. Just like in fairy tales and every cliché movie. And all of that was because, well… Jeongyeon could quite possibly be her soulmate.

The thought of her soulmate, other-half, love of her life being the same gender as her hand never flown through her mind. She had been raised with the mindset that she needed to find a good man, not a good woman. She had been with countless caring guys, but none of them had impacted her life so beautifully in the ways Jeongyeon had.

The next morning, Mina took a day off. She rode her bike down to her boyfriend’s apartment and dumped him. She rode around the city and somehow found herself in front of a huge ad with Jeongyeon’s face on it. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind and kept on riding around the city.

There are times were things become so crystal clear you think, wow! I must’ve been dumb to have never seen this before and well, Mina was having that realization. She had zoomed past the same streets every day on her way to work, but today was the first time she noticed Jeongyeon’s ads pasted everywhere. And she was promoting nothing less than a fragrance called: faux amour (fake love).

The next few months went by and Jeongyeon didn’t stop by. Mina hoped that she would, because she could finally tell her how she had left her boyfriend. Or maybe simply talk. Days, weeks, months and even a year went by and still no sign of her.

Mina decided to stop by the woman’s office one day. She asked for her, and her heart shattered when her location was revealed.

Paris.

She had moved a while ago. That’s why she had stopped visiting. Mina nodded and thanked the receptionist before going back to her dormitory. She circled around the small bedroom, crying once again. She needed to do something. The chances of meeting someone made perfectly for you were so slim, she couldn’t let her go just like that. So, she visited the exchange programmer’s office. She practically begged for them to send her over as fast as they could. The old man examined her papers slowly before nodding his head. And in less than a week, she was moving to Paris. Being in the same city as someone is one thing, finding them… is another. And a whole other one is finding a well-known model. One quick stop at the bus stop and she already saw an ad with the divine beauty. She was working in an office not too far from her campus. So, the next day she zoomed off and asked for her contact information. The old French woman had a hard time understanding her, but somehow managed to give her exactly what she was looking for.

She sat on her bed and stared at the phone. She looked at the little contact card she held so tightly against her chest and closed her eyes. She moved to another country just for her, all that was left was talking to her. So, she did.

“Bonjour?” The familiar voice rung. Mina could feel her heart flutter as soon as she heard her again.

“Bonjour.” She bit her bottom lip trying to contain herself.

“M-Mina?” It was hard to forget such a delicate voice. Jeongyeon could feel her heart practically stop once she heard the simple greeting.

“Hi, Jeong.” Mina couldn’t fight her smile anymore.

“How’d you find my number?” Jeongyeon was perplexed. It was a French number, completely new.

“Well, I live in Paris now… it wasn’t that hard to track a model down.” Mina confessed shyly.

“YOU LIVE WHERE NOW?” Jeongyeon could feel herself struggling to breathe.

“Paris. I heard that you moved here a while back, and I missed you. So, I moved here too.” Mina explained timidly.

“Mina, your studies!” Jeongyeon scolded her.

“Don’t worry, I took an exchange program.” Mina giggled.

“Mina why did you do that… what about your boyfriend?”

“What boyfriend, Jeong? I’m single, didn’t you hear?”

“I’m not understanding.” Jeongyeon bit her fingers anxiously.

Mina chuckled, “How about we meet in my hotel room? It has a nice balcony like last time.”

It was a matter of minutes before someone knocked on her hotel door. She peeked out the little hole and saw a bouquet of jasmines behind the door. She smiled before unlocking the door. They stared at each other shyly before Mina invited her inside.

“It’s… great to see you again.” Jeongyeon said sheepishly.

“It really is, Jeong.” Mina took the flowers from her and put them in an empty flower pot conveniently placed on the balcony. The two girls took a seat and stared at the tower just like they had the first time.

“Why did you move here?” Jeongyeon sounded embarrassed.

“Well… Your confession was really an eye opener.” Mina admitted, “I- I also realized that I wasn’t happy with my boyfriend. I was happy whenever you came around, or called me, or texted me… You just made me happy.” Mina said timidly.

“I did?” Jeongyeon was surprised.

“You did… and you still do.” Mina giggled softly, “But we’ll get to that later.”

The two stared down at the city while Mina breathed in softly. Jeongyeon’s hands were shaking from how nervous she was.

“Anyways, I dumped him the morning after the call. And I did it because I realized that what you said was true. You’re my soulmate, as cliché as that might sound. And so, the next day I waited for you in the shop, and the day after that, and again and again… but you never did. A whole year went by and you never stopped by.”

“I’m sorry- “Jeongyeon began apologizing.

“It’s okay, Jeong.” Mina promised, “You couldn’t have known.”

“I could’ve called though,”

“Yeah, you could’ve… but I also could’ve.” Mina smiled at the stars, “My days didn’t feel the same without you, Jeong. I missed seeing you in the line, or your drunk calls, or your wise design help… I missed you so much.” Mina’s voice was beginning to crack, “so I stopped by your old office and they told me you moved to France.” Mina wiped her tear.

“Don’t cry…” Jeongyeon pouted as she too began to cry.

“I’m okay, these are happy tears.” Mina promised, “I realized that meeting someone that made me smile every day, and helped be the better version of myself is rare… So, I left everything behind and flew over here.”

“You did?” Jeongyeon smiled while teary eyed.

“I did.” Mina admitted.

“Why?”

“Because I realized how deeply I loved you. I couldn’t live my life happily without you anymore, Jeong. I need you, and I really do love you.” Mina her lips as she sighed heavily.

Jeongyeon spun her chair so she could face her, and grabbed her hands in her own. She smiled weakly before saying, “Mina, look at me.”

Mina obeyed while cleaning her tears away.

“I moved away because I thought you wouldn’t want to see me again. I didn’t want to make your life harder…” Jeongyeon chuckled, “I love you so much, it’s not even funny anymore. For a year I’ve cried myself to sleep because another day went by without greeting you in the shop. I almost passed out when I heard you say bonjour to me today.”

“Then we should be together, Jeong.” Mina smiled at her. She cupped a side of her face with her hand, rubbing the older girl’s tears away with her thumb. “We belong together.” She pressed her forehead against the girl’s and closed her eyes.

The two sat like that quietly, until Jeongyeon couldn’t help herself anymore. With only a slight tilt of her head, their lips finally met each other with the deep desire they had hidden for so long. Such a tender kiss, yet full of passion. Jeongyeon took in the girl’s soft Jasmine scent as she caressed the side of her face with one hand.

“I finally found you, huh?” Jeongyeon asked her once they pulled away.

“We found each other, Jeong.”