Minjoo was having an awful day.

She had come back home, her house wasn’t even that far from college, but she expected to be able to relax more and take her mind off of… Whatever was going on between her and Chaewon – it wasn’t working quite like she planned. Her family was still busy with her own things, her loving parents had given her plenty of hugs and kisses, but they still had to on a business trip over the weekend, and her sister wouldn’t come until next week, what meant she would spend her first free weekend by herself at home.

It wasn’t that bad really, she could just chill out watching TV and eating all the strawberry ice cream she could find – but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Sitting down to watch a movie reminded her of how she used to cuddle with Chaewon back in her apartment and the strawberry ice cream reminded her of the smell Chae’s hair carried…Calling Yuri to rescue her from her loneliness, only to hear her being adorable with her own girlfriend, made her miss Chaewon even more.

She was sounding like an annoying teenager after a breakup and she hated it.

However, that wasn’t the reason why she thought her day . Minjoo had actually left the house to try to take some nice pictures, hoping it would be enough to distract her, but she was welcomed only by a dead looking park and rain – a heavy one, to be more specific. She had to run for cover, holding her precious camera for dear life, only to realize later on that she had dropped her phone on the way there – great, now not only she missed Chaewon like crazy, she was also sharing some of her bad luck. Like this, Minjoo had to buy a cheap umbrella in a convenience store, and try to track back her own steps to look for the phone, hoping it would still work when she found it.

She was cold and tired when she made her way back home with a drenched phone in hand – it seemed to be still working, miraculously, maybe the only sign she wasn’t as unlucky as Chae – and her umbrella barely covering her from the heavy rain that was quickly turning into a storm.

The moon was high in the sky now, her steps quickly leading her to her house, hoping she wouldn’t have to deal with a thunderstorm now – her steps stopped as soon as she noticed a figure seating at the sidewalk, hugging herself under an umbrella that could barely stand the wind.

“Chaewon?” She called, her voice getting carried away by the wind as she stood a few meters away from the brunette.

It took her a moment, but Chae eventually lifted her head, a worried look in her eyes as she finally noticed Minjoo. She stood up quickly, her umbrella waving precariously in her hands, as she made her way to the girl. “Minjoo! I tried to talk to you, but you wouldn’t answer, and then I came here and you weren’t home and…” She started, her words rushed as her gaze took in every detail of the younger Kim, looking for anything off. “I…I was worried.”

It was more than just worry. Chaewon was done with her test the morning after she spoke with Hyewon, barely able to focus on it – in no moment she could stop thinking about everything that was happening, and especially about Minjoo. She was still afraid of making the wrong decision, of hurting herself and Min even when she was trying her best, afraid there was no way she could win against this curse…Still, no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t deny Hyewon was right. Chae tried her best to not be selfish, but in the end she was – she didn’t allow Minjoo to make her own decisions on it, to choose whether or not she wanted to stay and face the risks. It wasn’t only about her and she wasn’t being fair to act like it was.

Chaewon was determined to speak to Minjoo, to open her heart and tell her everything now – but when she looked for her in the dorm, she was long gone, and when she texted her, all her messages were ignored. At first, she thought Minjoo was just, rightfully, mad at her and she had decided to be the one keeping her distance now. But as the day went by, a new, uncomfortable feeling made itself present in her chest. The pain wasn’t a strong one, a discomfort that made her chest tight every once in a while, weak but always there.

She wasn’t sure if it was her own heart or Minjoo’s, but she couldn’t stay still and before she knew it, she was walking all the way to her house. Needless to say, her heart sank on her chest when she found an empty house and Minjoo was nowhere to be seen. She kept texting and trying to call her, to no result. Sitting in front of the house, attracting the passerby suspicious looks and getting hit by the merciless rain, she just stood there and prayed nothing bad had happened to her girl.

Seeing Minjoo now, safe and sound, even if she looked a little paler than normal, was enough to make her want to hug her forever – she would have, if the taller girl’s look wasn’t so unreadable at the moment.

“Are you okay? The storm…” Chaewon asked tentatively, ignoring the wind blowing her bangs out of her face and the rain right into it – she was too worried about Min’s silence to mind it now.

Minjoo sighed and averted her gaze from the girl, her chest suddenly hot and heavy. All she wanted was Chaewon there with her and now that her girlfriend was in front of her, looking like a wet tiger cub in the rain, with those big chestnut eyes so full of concern, it was almost impossible to not involve her in the tightest hug and never let go. Still, she didn’t want Chaewon to be there for the wrong reasons, she wouldn’t be able to handle it if the brunette had come just to check on her due to some stupid sense of responsibility.

“I don’t really care about thunderstorms anymore.” Reaching out, she grabbed Chae by the hand, pulling her behind as she unlocked the gate and allowed them in, heading to her house. She didn’t say a thing as she dragged Chae to her room, leaving wet shoes and umbrellas behind, turning on the lights to have a better view at her – as expected, she looked even more like a lost cub now, with her forehead wounds still not completely healed and hair disheveled. Minjoo could only sigh heavily before throwing a warm hoodie to her.

“Change your clothes, you’ll get a cold like this.” She said in her best nonchalant tone, turning away from Chaewon to look for a new change of clothes for herself – the umbrella could only protect her so much, and her clothes were damp from the rain, urging her to slip into something warmer.

“I’m okay. I just lost my phone and had to go all the way back to look for it, took me a while to find it and I’m not sure if it’s working well.” She explained – more because she hated the weight of Chae’s concerned gaze over than because she really owned her an explanation –, before heading to the bathroom to get change. Usually she wouldn’t be shy to change in front of Chae, but right now there was an awkward, heavy air between the two of them and she was struggling to keep everything she wanted to say inside, afraid she would break down if she did so when she was still cold to the bone.

“Oh, I’m…I’m glad you’re fine.” The older muttered as Minjoo left. Chaewon was relieved that all her worrying was for nothing, but still, seeing the look in the younger girl’s eyes made her think Min wasn’t telling her the whole truth – or perhaps, it was just her fault.  Her chest became a little tighter with guilt. She needed to do it.

Taking off her damp sweater and putting it back on her always reliable backpack, she wore Min’s soft cream-colored hoodie instead – warmth and vanilla filling her senses, almost like her girlfriend’s hugs used to. She sat at the edge of the bed, her eyes darting around as she waited. 

Minjoo didn’t take long to come back.

She had slipped into her comfortable sleeping clothes – black shorts and a long-sleeved white shirt, the heater was on now and her room was warm enough for her to not bother get herself a hoodie. The nervous energy was still in her as she made her way back to the room, finding a small looking Chaewon waiting for her with a conflicted look – maybe she wasn’t the only one nervous here.

Slowly, she walked up to the older brunette, trying to keep her expression neutral as she stopped in front of her. “Did you come here just because you were worried?”

Chaewon shook her head slightly, her chestnut eyes looking for the much darker ones as she fidgeted with her fingers. “No. I was worried indeed, but it wasn’t the only reason.”

Nodding, Minjoo felt a small wave of relief, a hint of hope in her words as she asked. “Then why?”

“I miss you and I miss being with you.” It was easy to admit when Minjoo was so close she only had to lift her hand to touch her – she didn’t, respecting her space. She wanted Min’s decision to be sincere to her feelings and not manipulated by anything else. “I want to be honest with you, apologize and explain everything.” She said firmly, giving her a tentative smile that was more nervous than confident. Was she even ready to do it? Was she ready to face whatever decision Minjoo reached after she told her the truth?

Her thought process was interrupted by Minjoo’s gentle touch, the girl brushing her bangs away from her eyes, fixing her hair. There was care and affection in the touch, emotions that matched the usual look in the chocolate eyes, albeit it wasn’t quite there yet. “Are you going to tell me why your scar changed and why you’ve been avoiding me?”

The older nodded slowly, the soft touch distracting her from the task – it wasn’t big deal, her fingers barely brushing against her forehead, but there was so much fondness in this simple action that it was hard to not just close her eyes and enjoy this little moment. Blinking, she tried to start. “You know I was born with this thing and I always thought I couldn’t get rid of it…Until the day I met this girl and she told me that if I-”

“If you broke the heart of someone who really loved you, it would be gone forever.” Minjoo complemented before she had the chance, her expression calm as she continued to comb Chaewon’s hair softly with her fingers. She knew it, all of it, since the very beginning. Still, it never stopped her from trying to be by Chae’s side.

Chae’s eyes grew wide in surprise, agape to ask how Minjoo knew about it, but she ended up sighing. Of course. “Hyewon.” Chaewon muttered to herself, knowing Minjoo probably had got the information from the older girl. “How do you know her?”

“I told you I have an older sister.” Minjoo replied with a small smile, watching as Chaewon squinted her eyes slightly, taking in the new information. If anything, she knew all too well about birthmarks and everything it comes with, having watched her own sister having to deal with it before – however, Chaewon was very different from Hyewon, in many ways. Both girls were born with marks, but the way the had decided to face life couldn’t be any more different. “Chaewon, I knew it from the start. Even before we met at the movies that night.”

Part of Chaewon was relieved, her shoulders lighter now that she knew Minjoo had decided to stick with her even though she knew about it all along. It made sense, from the start Minjoo never seemed to mind her scar, she was always so understanding of her situation and the insecurities and fears that came with it, always ready to stand up for her…Minjoo had chosen her regardless of it all. “But…You know what happened between Hyewon and her girlfriend.” Reaching out, she took Minjoo’s hand in hers, a serious look in her eyes as she inspected the younger girl’s chocolate brown ones. “Why would you risk it? We could’ve just remained friends and you would be safe.”

Minjoo’s smile only grew, her hand squeezing Chae’s lightly, a glint in her eyes. “Have you forgotten about the part where I fell for you at first sight?” Her question had a playful tone to it, but she didn’t proceed until the brunette nodded in understanding. “I was looking for you and I was glad to find you. So glad that you were just like what I remembered, that you were the only one I wanted.” She stopped caressing her hair to cup her face instead. “I was never worried you would use me because I knew you wouldn’t.”

Chaewon’s frown disappeared as a gentle kiss was placed on her forehead, finally allowing her to relax and do what she wanted ever since she saw Minjoo that morning. Her arms came to hug her girl by the waist, tightly, head resting against her stomach. She had so many questions on her mind, but right now all she wanted was to keep Minjoo close. “I’m sorry for hurting you again, I tried to push you away thinking it was for the best, but only now I realize it only made things worse.” Warm tears burned her eyes as she felt Minjoo hugging her back. She knew Min had forgiven her – her touch and gaze were enough for her to know. “I just got so overwhelmed and scared when I saw it starting to disappear. I was afraid something would happen to you if I stick around…I still am.” Her hands tugged on Minjoo’s shirt, her words muffled. Coming here was both a selfless and selfish decision, there was no way she could promise Minjoo to never hurt her again, still staying away hurt them both too. In the ending, it was all about taking the risk. “But I don’t want to lose you.”

“Then don’t. I won’t go anywhere unless you want me to.” Minjoo replied softly, her hands caressing Chaewon’s back, slowly comforting her. Just having her there was enough to untie the knots in , making it easier to breathe.

Even Hyewon was skeptical when she told her she had met Chaewon again and fell in love with her for the second time, her sister even warned her about the risks it could have and how hard it would be for both of them, but not even once she doubted Chae. It may be naïve of her, but she just knew, right from the start that Chaewon would never break her heart, that she would never do such a thing to anyone she loved – now she could feel her love in every word and on her tight embrace, just like she had felt it many times before when they were together and even through her awkward text messages. This love was the one thing that could protect them and she would cling to it until the end.

Cupping Chaewon’s face between her hands, she made her look up to meet her gaze, the chestnut eyes sparkling with tears. “You didn’t hurt me, if anything the people who mistreat you hurt us both. Yes, it hurt when you pushed me away, but I always knew you were trying to protect me, so you didn’t break my heart. If you did, you would have lost another line, wouldn’t you?” Her thumb brushed lightly against the two lines that were still marking Chaewon’s face, the tiny scars that were even harder to spot now. Maybe Chae would have missed another line if she hadn’t come today, maybe even both if she decided to ignore Minjoo for good and break them apart – but it was Chaewon and she knew she would come back to her. “Just stay with me. It’s okay if I get my heart broken for you, as long as you’re there to fix it again.”

The older girl wished she could promise her she wouldn’t ever bring her harm – consciously or not –, but she couldn’t. For as long as she carried that mark, people would still look down on her and luck wouldn’t be by her side, getting hurt was inevitable and their shared connection meant Minjoo would also feel some of her pain. All Chaewon could do was being there for her always. “I don’t plan on getting rid of this scar, so I won’t ever leave you alone again.” Chaewon promised, holding her gaze for moment before standing up to properly hug her this time. “I love you, Min. I’m sorry for taking so long to come to my senses.”

Chaewon’s lips come to meet her cheeks, right in the point where Minjoo’s dimples were shown now that she was smiling. The younger hugged her tightly, turning her face to try to steal a kiss – she missed her so much and all she wanted now was to make up for their lost time; thankfully, Chaewon was thinking the same, and when their lips met, it was more of just a peck, but a long, profound kiss with all their longing and love put on it.

Now Minjoo could feel her chest light, warmth spreading through her body as the mint scent of Chaewon’s perfume slowly surrounded her in the safety of her embrace. The kiss ended with gentle pecks, Chae’s nose slightly bumping into hers and bring a smile to face.

“I love you too, Chae.” She whispered softly, kissing the little scar above her upper lip like it seemed to be a tradition for them now.

The smile Chaewon gave her in return was worth all her love, it was genuine and fond, making her light brown eyes glint with affection. “I love you. I will repeat it many times, to make up for all the time I didn’t say it.”

“Then you might as well make up for the rest. You owe me a lot of cuddles.” Minjoo was quick to add, pulling her to the bed so she could hug her better, cuddling her girlfriend just like she wished for earlier – Chaewon still felt like her safe haven and she knew it wouldn’t ever change. “I will make sure to get every single one of them.”

“I will make sure you get plenty of spare ones.” Her reply came with a soft chuckle as Chaewon snuggled up to her, involving her in a loving embrace.

Minjoo was wrong about it earlier, that day wasn’t bad at all.

Later that night, after getting all the cuddling – and kissing – she missed, Minjoo found herself comfortably seating in between Chaewon’s legs as they watched a movie in her laptop. It was so comfortable that she was almost asleep now, her head resting against Chae’s shoulder, breathing in her scent and feeling all her warmth – she was genuinely happy now. Albeit, Chaewon still seem to have something in her mind.

The brunette hugged Minjoo closer to her chest using one arm around her waist, but her other hand was busy caressing the skin of Min’s right knee, tracing the scar on top of it with feather like touches – Minjoo breathed out, knowing what was going through her head.

“It’s not a birthmark.” She commented quietly, waiting for Chaewon to voice her thoughts.

Chae nodded slowly, she already knew it, she also knew the origin of the scar now. “You said you were looking for me even before that night…You were the little girl I found that winter, weren’t you?” Her voice was soft as she asked, a little distant as she tried to recall the events of an afternoon over ten years ago. For Chaewon that event seemed almost unreal, one of the rare occasions she met both good and bad people, one that left her with bittersweet memories. “Hyewon disappeared after that day too…You all left, now I can understand why.”

 It was the younger brunette’s turn to nod. “Yes. We were there for winter break, but nothing went as we had planned…” Minjoo trailed off, her mind focusing on the same memory as Chaewon, although it was much clear for her.

There was snow everywhere. More snow than Minjoo had ever seen in her nine years of life, and at first, she loved it – not so much now.

She was a bubbly and friendly kid, although a little bit shy at first, she had her fair share of friends back home. Spending a whole month without anyone other than her older sister to play seemed pretty boring, even if she loved Hyewon the best, the girl wasn’t really into making snowmen and playing tag in the snow. Therefore, when one of the neighbors told her mother to enroll her in an activities club for ‘young ladies’, she tried her best to fit in with the new kids and make some friends.

She regretted it now.

Some of the older girls insisted on playing in the woods behind the rented cabins, what was exciting at first, but got pretty scary quickly. Minjoo didn’t know the way around there, all the trees looking exactly the same and after the group separate to play hide and seek – in which she was the one in charge of seeking –, she was feeling more and more lost as she wandered around trying her best to not get too far away from the starting point, but it was hard to not do it when she couldn’t find anyone.

“Minah? Jin? Everyone please, I give up!” She called after ten minutes of it, feeling cold and a bit annoyed by their antics – she could hear muffled laugh, but there was no one in sight. “Jin! Minah! Come out, I don’t want to play anymore!” Once more her calls were answered by nothing, but the sounds of the wind carrying their snickering. Minjoo wasn’t a fool, she liked to try to see the best in people, but it would be dumb of her to not notice she was being pranked.

She shouldn’t have trusted Jin, the older girl had a smirk on her face when she suggested the game and appointed Minjoo as the chaser when she was the only know who didn’t know the place. Heaving a small sigh, she tried to keep a positive attitude and trace back her steps to the cabin – it didn’t take her long to notice it wouldn’t be as easy.

Everything looked the same, no matter where she looked at.

It had started to snow again, the white rain covering her tracks and making it harder for her to see. Minjoo had to take several heavy breaths to calm herself down, remembering her parents’ advice to always stay calm in this kind of situation. It would be fine, the other kids couldn’t be far and her parents would notice she was missing soon, even if she couldn’t find the way back someone would come to rescue her…In theory, it was all fine, but reality was that she could feel her hands shaking, anxiety making her breath hard as she took small, careful steps, trying to find the way back.

Damned be Jin and the other children, she would rather stay at home playing alone or begging Hyewon to join her, than to play with them again.

She was fidgeting with her fingers, squinting her eyes to see beyond the white curtain of snow, when she felt her feet step in something different – only took her a millisecond to realize she had gotten herself in a much bigger problem, as the ground gave in under her feet, sending her down with a scream. Min tried to reach out for something to grab, but there was nothing, she landed at the bottom of the hole with her foot hitting hard the ground, sending her on her knees. She let out a yelp, feeling the pain radiate from both, her ankle and her right knee that received the most of her weight when her foot gave in.

Hot tears filled her eyes as she looked up, seeing the grey winter sky above. The trap wasn’t very deep, maybe she would be able to jump and reach the edge of it, weren’t for the state her ankle was now. She wasn’t sure if the kids had purposely led her here or if it was just bad luck, but she was starting to feel genuinely scared, fear and panic prompting her to scream her lungs out even though she knew there wasn’t anyone around to save her. “Help! Help! Please!” She tried, as many times as allowed her, curling into a ball on the ground, holding to her wounded leg, the tears streaming down her face the more time passed and no help appeared. “Help! P-Please! M-Mom! Hye!”

There was no reply, only the sound of her sobs and the wind blowing. The snow slowly piling up on her shoulders, increasing the coldness as it was absorbed by her clothes. She was no longer mad at the other kids, she just wished for someone to save her.

As if on cue, a head popped up in the edge of the hole, bright chestnut eyes looking at her with concern. “Hey, I’m here now! Don’t cry, I will come down to rescue you, okay?” She didn’t expect for a reply, disappearing for a moment only to appear in her line of vision shortly after, carefully climbing down the hole.

Minjoo had stopped crying, blinking her eyes in awe, a mix of skepticism and pure relief filling her up as the girl took a place beside her.

“It will be okay. It’s not very deep, I can take us out. The old man, Yee, who lives down the street always tries to make traps for wild boars, but we don’t have boars here so it never caught anything…Until today.” The girl, someone who was only a few inches taller than her, was thin and almost drowning inside all her winter clothing, but the one thing Minjoo noticed was her gentle smile as she reassured her. She seemed to be trying her best to calm her down. “Are you hurt?”

The younger brunette looked at her in silence for a moment, her gaze falling over the point right above her lips where the skin stretched a bit in an unusual way, highlighting the three little white lines there – a birthmark. The girl must have noticed her stare, because she immediately looked down, kneeling on the ground to check her knee before Minjoo could say anything. “This looks bad…I mean, n-not, not bad bad just…I-I will help you clean it up after we are out of here.” She stuttered and Min could see the tips of her ears getting red – she was embarrassed, uncomfortable with her gaze, but still willing to help.

Somehow, her presence made Minjoo feel better, the pain on her leg was still there but it was easier to ignore it now that she wasn’t alone and hopeless. “T-Thank you! Thank you for helping me!” She said, using her hands to wipe away the tears of her face. “What’s your name?”

The other girl looked surprised with the sudden question, lifting her gaze to meet hers for a brief moment. “Chaewon.” She replied quietly, before standing up to help her do the same. “We need to move. I saw the woman on TV saying it would snow a lot today, it can get pretty hard to see.” Chaewon explained, her hands gently helping Minjoo to keep her balance as the younger tried to not grimace due to the pain – she didn’t want to cry again, but her ankle was swollen and sensitive now. “Just get on my back and you’ll be able to reach the edge, you can climb up if you grab onto the tree roots there.” The older girl pointed the opposite side, showing Minjoo what she should do before she flexed her legs to allow her to get on her back.

Chaewon didn’t look particularly strong, but her reassuring smile was enough to make Minjoo trust her words and try her best to do as she was told. Of course, it took them more than one try and she could hear Chaewon labored breath as she helped her to get out of the hole.

Min let out a soft cry of pain as she sat down by the edge of the hole, glad to finally be free of the trap, but all too aware of the pain in her leg. Once more, she wiped a stubborn tear out of her face and focused on helping Chaewon instead – unexpectedly, the girl was having more difficult to climb up, the roots breaking under her grip. Unlucky – she hated that word.

Making sure to grab onto the tree’s trunk with one arm, she offered Chaewon the other for her to use as support to climb. “Come on, Chaewon! I want to help you too!”

The older girl hesitated before accepting her hand, delicate fingers involving her palm – Minjoo noticed two things: first, they both had forgotten to wear gloves, and second, Chae’s hand fit right into hers, warmth radiating from it even in the cold weather. She opened her eyes a little wider, gripping firmly on Chaewon’s hand to help her up. One, two, three times until the older girl was able to fall beside her, free from the trap.

For a moment they both just tried to catch their breath, her hand squeezing Chaewon’s lightly. It would get dark soon and it was still snowing, but she didn’t feel afraid anymore.

“I will take you to my house. It’s not far from here.” Chaewon informed, standing up to help her to do the same again, holding her carefully to make sure she wouldn’t hurt herself more – gentle, reliable, trustworthy, caring…In such small gestures, Minjoo could tell so much about her already. “You…Maybe, you can get on my back?” Chae seemed unsure, trying to think in a way to help. “I mean, yeah do it! I will carry you!”

Minjoo shook her head firmly, denying her suggestion. “I don’t want you to get hurt too!” Stubbornly, she clung to Chaewon’s shoulder for support instead. “I can do it, just…Just go slowly.” The last part was added in a small, embarrassed voice. She didn’t want to harm her savior, but in the moment the pain in her leg starts to kick in, she may not be able to refuse a piggyback ride.

Chae’s chestnut eyes sparkled with unsureness, before she nodded, gingerly hugging her by the waist and helping her to support herself. “Okay. Slowly.” One tentative step – a small yelp of pain from Minjoo –, another two steps – muffled exclamations of pain –, a couple more – Minjoo was sweating in the cold weather, holding back tears as she stubbornly moved forward

Chaewon stopped, letting go of her and nearly making her lose balance. The girl just took the front, flexing her knees and gesturing for Minjoo to hop on her back already – of course she tried to refuse, but Chae turned around to grab her hands, pulling her closer to hug her by the neck, leaving her no choice but accept the offer.

“I’m sorry, Chaewon.” She said in the ending, now on Chae’s back as the girl took very slow, laborious steps.

It wasn’t pretty or magical like the dramas she had seen on TV, it was bouncy and once in a while Chaewon would step in the wrong thing and they nearly fall a bunch of times, the older girl wasn’t strong and it was easy to tell how much it was taking from her to keep going. Still, she never said a thing, never stopped, the only sound that could be heard was Minjoo’s soft “I’m sorry” every once in a while.

Hugging her by the neck, she did her best to not hurt hear by holding on too tight, resting her head on Chaewon’s shoulder and trying to see what was ahead – she couldn’t, only white snow covering everything, but she could feel the gentle fragrance of mint and strawberry, and it took her a minute to realize it came from Chaewon. It was weird, she didn’t like mint at all, still, the scent seemed so much better than the smell of her mom’s perfumes now. “Sorry, Chae. Thank you.” She repeated again, her small hand caressing her shoulder, trying to bring her any comfort.

“We….We are…Almost there.” Was Chaewon’s reply, panting evidently as her steps got ever slower. Carrying Minjoo wasn’t an easy task, but she ignored every request to put the younger down. “There.”

A house could be seen now, the wood structure partially covered by the snow, it was nice and welcoming and the sight seem to give Chaewon a new boost of motivation, making them reach the place quicker.

Chae barely catch her breath, leaving her at the upholstered seat under the covered porch in the back of the house. “I will get something to clean your wounds, wait here.”

And she indeed did it, coming back with a first aid kit that she seemed used to need, skillfully applying ointment to her swollen ankle before moving to clean up her knee – the younger tried her best to bit down on her bottom lip and not show any signs of pain, but there’s only so much you can expect from a 9 year old and Minjoo had tried way too hard today.

“I’m sorry, it won’t hurt soon.” Chaewon said noticing the tears in Minjoo’s eyes, she gave her a small, unsure smile. “I did my best for it to not leave a scar, but even if it does, you can just keep it covered so no one sees it.” The reassurance wasn’t needed – Minjoo didn’t care about the scar, she just wanted the pain gone.

Years later she would understand that Chaewon may have thought she was afraid of what people may think of her for having a scar, even if it wasn’t on her face, the kind of thinking born from her own experiences with prejudice.

Forcing a smile, she nodded. “Thank you. I was afraid no one would come…” Her lips quivered at the thought, she would still be in pain in that hole if Chaewon hadn’t appeared. “I’m sorry for giving you so much trouble.”

 “Don’t say that, I heard you and I couldn’t just leave you there.” Chaewon averted her gaze, lowering her head in embarrassment – for some reason Minjoo found it endearing. There, by the porch it was still pretty cold, but she felt warmth.

Shaking her head slightly, she reaffirmed. “Thank you, Chae. I guess my sister is right when she says people with scars are the kindest.” It was usually just her sister trying to brag, but she could see it now.

Chae seemed to get even more embarrassed, siting beside her and fidgeting with her fingers. “I should get you a phone so we can call your parents. Just wa-”

“Yo, weirdo! What are you doing with her?” Jin’s voice sounded, making Minjoo look at their direction with wide eyes. Why did the girl look so furious now? There was something in her eyes that made Minjoo wince, but it was directed to Chaewon, not her – despise, the same look Hyewon often got at school and just like she would do to her sister, she tried to stand up for her new friend.

“You are the weirdo! Why did you leave me there?” She counterattacked, her gentle nature giving place to her protective and angry side – she may be a nice kid, but she was definitely not allowing that girl to bully her or Chaewon again.

She would’ve probably have had a heated argument with the girl, wasn’t for the appearance of an adult – Jin’s mother –, who looked from her to Chaewon with a disapproval look.  “Jin made a mistake earlier and I apologize, I will take your back to your parents. They’re worried for you.” The woman climbed the short row of steps, coming to her side and taking her in her arms before she could protest – Chaewon was pushed aside, the woman not minding the mess she made by knocking down the small table where the first aid kit was placed, rushing down the stairs with Minjoo.

“Ma’am, no! Let me down!” She tried to argue, moving her arms to break free of her grip. “I didn’t say goodbye to Chae!”

“And you shouldn’t say anything to kids like her! You shouldn’t meddle with such people, kid, understand?” The woman gave her a cold look, tighten her grip around her, and forcing her to not move. The older woman’s steps took her to far away from Chaewon’s house, back to the white labyrinth of snow.

Tears were back to Minjoo’s eyes now, of frustration and anger making this time. “You’re the bad person not her!” She replied, receiving a furious look in return – she would have probably received a slap on the face, weren’t the sound of Hyewon’s voice.

Things went pretty badly after that. Her parents coming to get her and the older woman being downright hostile to Hyewon and now to Minjoo too. Her parents had a pretty bad argument with the woman and the others who supported her, but it never escalated as much as it could since they still had to take Minjoo to the hospital to check on her wounds.

“My parents didn’t want to stay at a place that treated people like that, so we left the next morning.” Minjoo wrapped up the story, a bittersweet taste in as she remembered the events – she would always be glad for meeting Chaewon, but the circumstances weren’t the best. “I always regretted not having told you my name and not coming back there. My ankle was actually fractured and I couldn’t convince Hyewon to take me back there the next morning. My parents didn’t want to come back there, so I could only look for you using the internet, but I never found anything.”

Chaewon nodded slowly. She could recall the cute little girl with big brown eyes and warm hands, the little girl who tried so hard to be brave and endure the pain, the only kid who didn’t seem bothered by her scar – of course it had to be Minjoo. She had thought Min was familiar before, but it was such a big coincidence that it was hard to believe – or perhaps it was part of fate, maybe the gods didn’t hate her so much. “I was alone most of the time back then, except for my parents, I didn’t have much contact with the other kids. So, I would go out on my own to explore and see if I could spot any animals. To be honest, I was a little scared of checking when I heard you, afraid it would be one of those kids trying to mess with me…I’m glad I did.” She hugged Minjoo better, leaving a kiss on the little mole on her neck.

“My parents scolded me for being so reckless, but I didn’t regret it. I even tried to check if you were in one of the rented cabins nearby, but you, just like Hyewon, were gone...” She remembered worrying about that kid for days, wondering about what happened to her and if she ever would see her again. With time, as other people rented the cabin and she never saw the little girl again, she had accepted they were never meant to be friends, their meeting was just a happy coincidence. “I never thought I would meet you again.”

“I’m stubborn, you know? I couldn’t give up so easily.” Minjoo remarked with a smirk, turning to face her girlfriend. Looking for Chae had become her personal project back then, pestering Hyewon to get any information – and failing –, checking social media and even looking for her face on the streets even though she was back home…With time she understood the chances were very small, but she still couldn’t help but look for her whenever she thought she had spotted someone similar, or she heard her name, silent praying she would bump into her someday. And she had, ironically with the help of a friend she had never said a thing about Chaewon – at least not until after their date when she had to thank Yuri for that.

Over ten years ago, without realizing, she had fallen for this girl. Minjoo had seen something special in the chestnut eyes that were so determined to help her, in the gentle touches and the determined steps – Chaewon didn’t look like the heroes in the books, some may even place her in the villain category due to the scar, still she was more noble and kind than anyone else Min had ever met. More than this, right from the start she had felt a connection, something her young mind wasn’t able to explain back then.

Chaewon had changed since that first day, still she would be able to recognize her anywhere. She had met several people growing up, but not one ever left such an impression on her, and now she knew she had made the right decision choosing Chae. “Even if you didn’t remember me.” She teased, winning a shy smile in return.

Pecking her lips in a silent apology, Chae looked into the onyx-like eyes that reflected Minjoo’s feelings so well. “Thank you, for not giving up…And for pestering me so much.” She added the last part in a playful tone, stealing another kiss before Min could protest. Thanks to Minjoo’s insistence, they were together now and she would have to thank her for the rest of their lives. “I’m happy we found each other and you chose me.”

That afternoon years ago, that night at the movies and that morning in class. All the times fate decided to bring them together and they accept the gifted – first through her decision, then Minjoo’s and finally from the two of them. She had almost ruined it, but from now on she would make sure it wouldn’t ever happen again.

How ironic, she always claimed to be unlucky, when in fact all her luck took form in Minjoo’s very own presence in her life.

Minjoo shook her head slightly, her eyes smiling as she kissed softly the little scar that played such a big part in their relation – for the good or bad. There was still a long way to go, one they had barely started, but she was sure she wouldn’t ever change her mind about. Not when Chaewon was with her.

She had searched for something like this for years, her failed dates with other people were the only result she ever got from it. Having found Chaewon again was no coincidence, and if anything, knowing she was able to help to erase her scar, proved they were more than just a mistake of fate. She didn’t know if she believed on Hyewon’s theory about soulmates and marks, but maybe Hye was right this time – at least regarding them.

“I’m happy you chose us.”