Ever since Chaewon was young, she’s always been mesmerized by rivers. She thinks of her 5 year- old self going to a big river just behind her aunt’s house in the woods during the summer. The calm water would always flow down the river slowly. Logs and leaves that she would throw in the freshwater would flow along the stream. Everything she threw in would eventually leave and float down to a place she didn’t know. All she knew was that she couldn’t follow the stream or else she’d be lost too. 

Every day of that summer, she was curious about how the water always continued moving no matter what. One day she wanted to put her whole hand in the river, to see if she could get the water to stay still. She sat on the river bank and leaned towards the river, feeling the cool water graze her fingertips. She stretched her arm further in, feeling the water cover her knuckles. When she just had to submerge her hand a little further, a few more centimeters, she felt herself being lifted into the air. 

“Woah, Chaewon don’t do that. You’ll fall in!” Chaewon recognized her aunt’s voice before she saw her face. The cold air swirled around her own wet hand as she was being lifted into her aunt’s arms, making her hand freezing cold. Her aunt noticed the child’s hand and blew warm air to bring it back to its normal state. “Chae, you have to be careful. Remember what I told you, you can only throw things in the river.” 

The child pouts. “But aunty, all the things I throw in the water go away. I want them to stay in the river.”

“You want them to stay? Well...things you throw in the river must be too light. Have you tried throwing a rock?”

Chaewon just remains silent as she feels her aunt put her down to pick up a rock on the river bank. She watches closely as her aunt takes the rock in her hand and tosses it into the river, only to hit the surface of it once and sink. Surprised by the results, the child pouts even more.

“Aunty! It still floated away!” 

“It just sank Chaewon, it’s still there. Just under the water but, trust me, it’s still there.” 

“How do you know?”

The curious eyes and small head tilt of the child were enough of a sign for her aunt to sit down and invite Chaewon to sit in her lap. She waddles over and sinks into her aunt’s embrace, snuggling into the familiar flannel jacket. 

“Well, you saw it go in, right? You saw me throw the rock and it went into the water. Rocks are different from leaves and sticks. Rocks will stay wherever you throw them. They’re strong enough to not be swept away. That’s why rocks are so special.” Her aunt takes pauses as she takes a deep breath and exhales it, “Everyone needs a rock in their life.” 

The little girl watches as her aunt gazed at the river. Her aunt’s words spark curiosity in her but she still doesn’t quite get it. “What do you mean everyone needs a rock?” 

Still not making eye contact, her aunt answered the child’s question. “Chaewon, your life is like one big river. People will come to your river like sticks and leaves. They’ll stay for a little bit but then leave you behind or go on without you. The river will just keep going and forever flow no matter what you’re going through, just like life. Which is why you need rocks, people who will stay in your river no matter how hard you or life tries to get them to flow away.” 

The faint sounds of crickets chirping and the water flowing filled up the silent void when her aunt stopped talking until Chaewon broke the white noise with a question, “So are you my rock, aunty?” 

Her aunt finally broke her gaze from the river and focused it on the small child in her lap. The girl’s question was answered with a gentle smile, “Yeah, you could say that. I’ll be with you always. Even if you can’t see me and even if you don’t want me to be.” 

“Why wouldn’t I want you to be my rock?” 

“Because I’m not only your rock but also your tickle monster!” 

Besides the sound of the river flowing and the crickets chirping, the woods were also filled with Chaewon’s laughter and loud attempts to escape her aunt's rath. Another sound soon entered the woods, the sound of a car engine approaching from the front of the house. 

“Ah, looks like your dad’s here, Chaewon. Let’s go.” 

“But I want to talk more about the rocks and the river!” 

At this point, the child and her aunt were both standing. The aunt crouched down in front of Chaewon to look her in the eyes, “We can always talk about it later. I’m your rock, right? When will I be here?” 

“Always!” 

“Yep, always.” Her aunt patted Chaewon on the head before standing back up, reaching for Chaewon’s hand, and walking towards the cabin. Although Chaewon didn’t understand much back then, she knew that her aunt was her rock. And that rocks wouldn’t leave you no matter how hard the rivers flowing. 

After that day, her aunt taught her many things about rocks. Including how even rocks, no matter how strong they are, can eventually leave too. 

 

______

 

Chaewon shakes her head at herself as she decides to pull up on the side of the road. After putting her car in park, she groans and rests her head on the steering wheel. Driving in the woods after her aunt’s funeral service is not a good idea. Her 18-year-old self didn’t need her own 5-year-old memories with her aunt flashing in her head as she’s driving. If anything she didn’t need to be in the woods at all but she knew her aunt wouldn’t have wanted her funeral anywhere else. 

As much as she wants to reminisce about her aunt and think about all the wise life lessons she told her, she didn't have time to. She has 3 tests tomorrow and an obnoxious step-mother, who thinks she went to the library to study, waiting for her to get home. Letting out another deep sigh, she starts her car engine again. But before she drives back onto the road, she whispers out in the open to no one in particular.

 “You told me so many things about rocks and how I should depend on them and how they never leave and how I always need one.” She tightens her grip on the steering wheel as she continues, “But now you’re gone. And you’re right. The river still flows and life goes on.” A couple of tears flow down her cheek but Chaewon quickly wipes it away. “I know you’re still here with me and you're probably trying your hardest to let me know what you’re still here, but it really doesn’t feel like it. The whole rock thing just… doesn’t feel real anymore.” 

“I don’t need a rock anymore, aunty. I just need to flow in the river for a while.” 

With that, she drives back onto the road and heads back to her house, leaving her memories lost in the forest.

 

——— 

 

Chaewon didn’t bother to go into her house that night when she got back. Deciding to just camp out in her car and go to school immediately in the morning was a better decision than having to deal with whatever problem her stepmom had to throw at her. Grabbing her backpack and a slightly dirty hoodie, she heads to her 1st-period class to camp out until it starts. 

Her body feels heavier with every step she takes. It looks like she hasn’t slept in days but it’s just the effect her tears had on her eyes. She looks like a wreck, but she couldn’t care less. She would have not come to school at all, but she didn’t need more problems to deal with. 

Finally arriving in her class, she notices her professor silently grading papers and just heads down to sit in her seat. She should study for all the exams she has today, but she can’t even remember what the tests are about. Chaewon her head down to rest to just relax before the chaos of class. 

The sound of the classroom door opening and closing bother her but the sound of footsteps approaching closer to her makes her stiffen up. The footsteps stop right beside her. Before Chaewon could say anything, she feels a gentle tap by a hard object on the top of her head. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” 

The voice makes Chaewon lookup from her sulking to see a familiar figure holding a bottle of iced coffee towards her. “You look like you need this more than I do.” The figure taps her head with the bottle this time as Chaewon lets the sound of their voice linger in her head. The figure is probably the only person that can deal with Chaewon right now, she gets up from her position and accepts the coffee. 

“Thanks, Minjoo.” Minjoo nods back in acknowledgment as she ties her hair in a high ponytail and takes the seat right next to Chaewon. 

“So, you look like .” The girl’s bluntness makes Chaewon let out a short chuckle. She knows Minjoo didn’t mean it in an offensive way; the girl wouldn't hurt a fly. 

“Hah… yeah, I feel like . I… didn’t study for any of the tests today.” 

“You’ll probably still do well though. You’re smart enough.” 

“I just have common sense, which I guess some people in our class don’t have.” 

“I can give you a 15-minute crash course on the types of phrases if you’re up for it.”

“Just lay it on me, Min.” 

Chaewon’s again grateful for Minjoo’s ability to make her forget about the crappy things in life. Listening to her ramble on about what the difference between a prepositional and gerund phrase is, is so much better than thinking about what will happen when she comes home. 

When the test does start, Chaewon does pretty well. Phrases aren’t that hard to understand so she didn’t really need to try as hard on the test. Although the crash course refreshed her memory a bit and made things more clear for her. Speaking of the crash course, the said “professor” of that course also finished her test early. Chaewon glances at Minjoo one more time before glancing at what her real professor wrote on the whiteboard before their test started.

“Partner Project: DUE MONDAY. Phrases Poem! No classwork time to work on it. (Pick a partner and tell me who they are @ the end of class)” 

She already knows that Minjoo will probably be her partner. They’ve been partners in most projects ever since they met in the last year of high school. Who would have guessed that the smart yet quiet girl in high school would end up going to the same university, picking the same major, and being in the same classes as her? No one really, Chaewon thinks. It’s just dumb luck. They don’t talk much out of school, yet just enough for Chaewon to consider her a good friend. They’ve had conversations about anything and everything without getting too deep or personal. Plus Chaewon can actually trust her to do her part of projects.

When everyone is done with their test, people mingle around trying to find a partner. Minjoo makes her way to her, “Partner for the poem thing?”

Chaewon nods in agreement before Minjoo continues, “When should we work on it?”

Chaewon didn’t really feel like doing too much work today or even at all this week. But she’s not going to let school start to stress her too much. Especially with everything going on recently, so she compromises. “Uhh, are you free Friday? We can head to my house, my parents should be working so no one else will be there.”

“Yeah that works, Friday it is.” Minjoo sends Chaewon her signature gentle smile as she goes to pack up her stuff, making Chaewon reciprocate it back. 

Chaewon silently hopes Minjoo will continue to help her forget about everything. Just for a little while. 

 

______

 

Every day leading up to Friday, she’s gotten a bottle of coffee and on some days a doughnut or even an apple all from Minjoo. Chaewon wasn’t really in the mood to hang out with her other friends that much, so having Minjoo’s company in classes was the only source of human contact she had. Besides her decent times at school, her stepmom or her dad hasn’t been home at all. Granted, Chaewon has been coming home at ungodly hours but she would’ve at least seen them a couple of times by now. They’re probably avoiding her, not that she’s complaining. It’s a lot better this way. She’s used to taking care of herself at this point. 

When Friday finally arrives, Chaewon feels antsy. It’s not that Minjoo bothers her or makes her feel uncomfortable, it’s just that she hasn’t invited any friends over to her place. Getting her mind distracted from her personal life is the number one thing on her to-do list and working on school work will do that. But the chances that she’ll find a way to embarrass herself in front of Minjoo is very high. That’s a problem for later though since Minjoo is already heading towards her car. 

“Hi, Chaewon.” 

“Hey.” 

Minjoo has her hair down and a smaller bag compared to her normal school bag. Chaewon never really pays much attention to Minjoo’s outfits but for some reason, it stands out today as she watches the brunette get into her car. A creme white tank top with black lining around the arm and neck holes are complemented by a pair of denim short shorts and simple sneakers. You could say it’s a stereotypical teenage girl outfit. What really catches Chaewon’s eye is a simple white and black flannel tied loosely around Minjoo’s waist. It’s not only the fact that Chaewon thinks it looks great on her but it just also reminds her of her aunt. 

“Uhh, Chaewon? Everything ok?” 

Chaewon always wondered why her aunt liked flannels. Maybe she was trying to achieve the “forest vibe.” Or maybe she enjoyed the flowy feeling of the-

“Chaewon!” 

The raise in Minjoo’s voice pulls her out of her train of thought as she realizes she’s been staring at Minjoo’s flannel silently this whole time. To put it in a better perspective, she’s been staring at Minjoo’s crotch area. Chaewon’s face immediately turns red as she tries to stammer and save herself. 

“Y-your flannel just, uh, It- It looks good! Yeah, I really like it. It’s a nice flannel. Great color choice. Anyways, you ready to go?” Chaewon quickly spews out her words and looks straight forward to start driving to her house. Refusing to look Minjoo in the eye, she spares short glances at her to ensure she has her seat belt on before she starts driving. 

Despite the embarrassing start of the ride, the rest of it was pretty normal. Common and pointless banter that filled the vehicle followed with small smiles and chuckles. Chaewon always admires how no matter what the situation is or was, they'll always seem to fall back into a comforting atmosphere. 

 

_______

 

“Your room’s really nice.” The two girls are now in Chaewon’s room. It’s messier than how she would usually like it. Sheets of paper scattered all over the small glass desk and a messy mint green blanket on her bed weren’t normal sights to see in her room. Like her aunt would always say “a messy bed meant a messy head.” 

Chaewon cringed and shook her head at the memory. She didn’t need to be thinking about her aunt right now. She had school to worry about. As well as a certain curious girl wandering aimlessly around her room. 

“You know, I figured you might be the type to have stuffed animals on your bed but to actually see it in person is a whole different feeling.” She watches as Minjoo sits on the edge of her bed softly and grabs her stuffed raccoon of her bed patting it gently on the head. Chaewon didn’t really mind it until she noticed Minjoo holding the small tag that wraps around the stuffed raccoon’s neck. “You bought a nametag for you racc- or I mean, Sammy?” 

Chaewon’s eyes widen and she desperately tries to grab Sammy from her only for Minjoo to raise Sammy above her head. “You’re going to have to try harder than that, Chaewon!” She tries to jump up to reach Sammy, only to be met with Minjoo’s soft chuckles again. Chaewon laughs a little too as she sits on her bed, trying to pull Minjoo’s arm down.

Feeling like she’s teased the girl enough, she lowers her arm a bit allowing Chaewon to grab Sammy. Chaewon pulls Sammy closer to her chest, “Hmph, Sammy isn’t just a stuffed animal. He’s like… my friend.” She hears the girl chuckle at her response and Chaewon’s cheeks turn red in embarrassment. Minjoo see’s Chaewon’s reaction and wastes no time in reassuring her, “Oh, I’m not teasing you! I think it’s really cute to know you care about Sammy so much. It’s endearing.” 

Chaewon’s left speechless as she stares at Minjoo, trying to process her words. It’s not just the fact that she didn’t make fun of one of her stuffed animals that she got from her aunt, it’s just the sudden change in aura of the situation. Minjoo’s smile felt light like it invaded her chest and seemed to take her breath away. Accompanying the smile, her gaze is soft yet certain, which pulls her into Minjoo’s aura even more. The ambiance of her room and small shimmers of sunlight flowing through the window completes the innocent vibe. Chaewon didn’t want to say anything, too afraid to break the vibe that she wanted to last forever. 

“What’s with you and staring at me lately?” 

Minjoo’s soft voice immediately pulls her out of the innocent vibe and launches her into another state of embarrassment. “Uh, nothing sorry. Let’s just, umm, do our work? Yeah, I’ll get some drinks or something.” Quickly rushing her words out of , she bolts out of her room snuggling her deep red colored face into Sammu to calm her nerves. She’s not the type to care about what others think of her or feel embarrassed but she could only hope that this day didn’t end in her completely embarrassing herself in front of Minjoo. 

 

_______________

 

After a string of Minjoo’s apologizes and reassurance towards Chaewon, progress on their project was finally being made. Solidifying her spot in Chaewon’s bed and having Sammy in her lap, Minjoo reviews her notes, “So, I made a quick template of all the phrases we need to put in the poem. We just need a theme for it. The prompt for it is “A belief or vision of life.” 

The owner of the bed, who opted to just sit on the ground near the said bed, hums at the prompt,  “That’s a really philosophical and mental breakdown-worthy prompt.” Chaewon always thought these “meaning of life” questions developed unnecessarily long and complicated answers that made students have a life crisis. And she didn’t really have the time in her schedule or the emotional capability in her body to have one right now. 

“I was thinking this reminds me of that thing you told me in high school. The thing your aunt said about rocks or rivers. Didn’t you say that’s how you live your life?” Minjoo asks innocently, now knowing the impact the question would have on the room owner. 

“,” Chaewon thinks and visibly tenses up at the question. She totally forgot about the days where she would ramble to Minjoo about her aunt’s life lessons and her days in the woods. She doesn’t even remember why she did it but all that matters is that she regrets it at this point and time. Her fingers tap nervously on her notebook as she tries to form a coherent sentence in response. “Well, I don't really live by it anymore.” 

Minjoo tilts her head in questioning, “Oh? How come? It’s an interesting perspective on life from what I remember.” 

“I just think… I grew out of that mindset. You know we’re practically adults now, we don’t need to depend on people as much. Life goes on no matter what happens to you and all you can really do is keep going with it. Rocks don’t stay forever…” Chaewon whispers the last part, yet Minjoo still heard it. 

Sensing Chaewon’s mood going down, Minjoo scoots closer to her. “What do you mean by that?” 

Before Chaewon could even open , a loud door slamming open make the two girls jump in surprise. Sounds of keys and bags dropping on the ground echo throughout the house then heavy footsteps heading towards her room follow it.

“, why is she here? , , …” Chaewon immediately got up and thinks about what to do. Out of all the days, she chooses to come home the day Chaewon decides to have someone over. 

Minjoo has also stood up at this point, taking Sammy with her, “Chaewon, are you ok?” Visible distress is apparent on Minjoo’s face while panic is visible on Chaewon’s. 

“Just wait here for a second.” Chaewon quickly steps out of her room, closing the door. She didn’t need her step-mother seeing Minjoo. She herself didn’t need to see her step-mother, yet she didn’t have a choice. 

The heavy footsteps stop as she sees her step-mother turn the corner. Chaewon braces herself at the sight and listens to her step mom’s first words, “So you finally decide to come home, huh.”

Chaewon scoffs at the shorter woman, offended by her question. “I’ve been home, it’s you and Dad that haven’t been.” The older woman doesn’t respond, instead opting to stare at a picture of Chaewon and her aunt on the wall right next to Chaewon’s room. Chaewon’s eyes widen as she watches as the woman reaches towards the picture frame and take it off the walls. 

“What do you think you’re doing with th-”

“Why did you go to her funeral?” 

Chaewon feels her breath hitch in . Even then, she tries not to show weakness to the older woman, “What makes you think I went?” 

“Your father’s grandparents called a couple of days ago and said to check up on you since you looked shaken up at the funeral.” 

Chaewon silently curses in her head. She should have told her grandparents that she wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. But now wasn’t the time for regret since she notices how her step-mother is tightly gripping on the photograph. 

“So what if I went to it?” The question is more of a statement than anything. Chaewon tries to grab the photograph out of the woman’s hands as she replied, only for her step-mother to pull it back towards her. Chaewon wasn’t playing around anymore. “Give it back, that’s not yours,” she said sternly, making her point clear. 

“I told you not to go to the service.” 

“I can do what I want. There's nothing wrong with me going to my aunt's funeral.”

“Why can’t you just listen to me when I tell you something!” Her aunt’s sudden rise in her voice made Chaewon flinch in surprise. “Your aunt has nothing to do with this family!” However, the accusations from her step-mother about her aunt made her more pissed than anything.

Taking a deep breath in, she tries to stay calm, “My aunt has nothing to do with you and your side of the family. You don’t have the right to speak of her like that when you know nothing.” 

The calm yet commanding tone of Chaewon’s response wasn’t enough to change her step-mother’s mood, “You are my family whether you like it or not. All your aunt did was isolate herself up in the woods! Your dad says she’s been away from her family all her life. What makes you think she cared about you when she didn’t even bother to come down from her little fantasies up in the mountains!”

The harsh accusations and insults being thrown her late aunt made Chaewon lost her calm manner. It’s almost as if her step-mother's words have formed a bomb in her heart. “You know nothing about her! Dad knows nothing about her!”

“I know enough to know that your mom’s side is filled with a bunch of crazy dreamers that have no true grasp of reality. No wonder your aunt met the same fate as your mom.” 

And with that remark, the bomb inside Chaewon has gone off. “Shut up! Just shut up!” 

Chaewon rushes towards the woman, not with the intent to harm her but to just get the picture frame out of her hands. “Give me this!” Chaewon grabs the bottom edges of the frame, where the other woman wasn’t holding it, and yanked it hard towards her, pulling the woman along with it. 

Chaewon’s step-mother retaliated, pushing the frame forward and shoving Chaewon against a wall, “Get away from me!” 

Chaewon shoves the older woman off and gets her to release the grip on the picture. Just as she was going to check to make sure the picture was ok, a commanding yet soft voice broke the atmosphere. “Chaewon? Are you ok?” 

She looks back towards her bedroom door to see Minjoo standing in the door frame, tightly clutching Sammy in her arms. During the whole argument, she forgot Minjoo was even here. This was probably not the best first experience trip to her house. 

While Chaewon was distracted by Minjoo, her step-mother took the opportunity to grab the frame and shove Chaewon back hard against the wall. She distances herself away from Chaewon before even realizing Minjoo’s presence. 

“Who is she, Chaewon? Why do you think it’s ok to bring people in without my approval? Who do you think you are?” At this point, the older woman was shouting her questions at the two girls. 

She then stops to catch a few breaths before staring Chaewon down. “Maybe you’ll finally come to your senses when you realize who’s in charge here, Chaewon.” Without another second passing by, her step-mother takes the frame and throws it hard on the ground, smashing its glass cover into little pieces. 

Chaewon immediately bursts into tears and anger, “You psychopath!” Before she could lunge at the woman, this time with the intent to hurt her, her path was blocked by a shaken up Minjoo. In the most calming voice she could have in this situation, she says, “Chaewon, calm down!” 

“I can’t Minjoo, let me through. Let me ing through.” She tries to maneuver around Minjoo, only for the taller girl to stop her by grabbing onto Chaewon’s right forearm, pulling her closer,  and whispering in her ear, “Chaewon, please. It’s not worth it. She’s not worth it.” 

The hoarse tone of Minjoo’s voice broke Chaewon on the spot. Causing her to erupt into tears and bury her head in Minjoo’s shoulder. Minjoo changes her grip from her forearm to her wrist as she quickly leads the distraught girl out of the house, leaving Chaewon’s step-mother with the broken picture frame. While passing by the kitchen, Minjoo swipes Chaewon’s keys off the counter. With Chaewon’s wrist in one hand and Sammy and Chaewon’s car keys in the other, they leave the broken household. 

When out of the household, Minjoo leads Chaewon to her car, gives her Sammy to calm her down, and helps her get in the passenger seat. Getting in the driver's seat, Minjoo puts on her and Chaewon’s seat belt before driving away. 

It’s a silent yet comfortable drive as both girls try to calm down and process everything that just happened. Until Chaewon breaks the ice in a raspy voice, “Where are we going?” 

With her eyes still focused on the road, Minjoo responds, “Just rest for now.” 

Deciding to take Minjoo’s advice since she really didn’t feel like talking, she wraps Sammy in her arms and closes her eyes, allowing the presence of Minjoo and the soft vibrations from the car to guide her to sleep. 

 

_________ 

 

“Hey, you finally got the hang of it.” 

Chaewon hears her aunt’s voice approach her as she skips rocks across the river. Her aunt, wearing another one of her signature flannels jackets with her hands stuffed in the pockets, stood next to Chaewon, watching her skip some more rocks. 

Chaewon leans down and grabs another rock, watching it successfully skip across the river three times, “Yeah, it only took me 17 years.” 

“17? Wow, you’re old.”

“Says you.”

“Hey, respect your elders.” The light laughter and playful shoves coming from the two filled the woods once again with a delightful ambiance. Her aunt pats the spot  right next to her, signaling Chaewon to come to sit, “Let’s have an adult chat since you’re a big ol adult now, Ms. Kim.”  

Skipping the last rock, she goes over and sits next to her aunt before replying, “Eww, adult life.” 

“Yeah, eww indeed. It gets better though. You can make your own decisions, move away from your step-mom, do whatever you want.” The two look forward towards the river, letting the moment of alone time with each other sink in. 

Chaewon shrugs at her aunt’s reply. If only life was as simple as having freedom in making decisions with no consequences. “Mhm, not really. I’m still gonna live with them when I go to college.” 

The woman turns to the older girl, looking at her in surprise, “What? I thought you wanted to move away?” 

Chaewon’s aunt takes a deep breath before sitting down on the bank of the river. She pats a Still not meeting her aunt’s gaze, Chaewon focuses on her reflection in the water, “I did but… Dad wants me to stay.”

It was silent for a few minutes after Chaewon’s answer. The only sounds that filled the woods were the flows of the river and occasional crickets singing. A deep inhale and exhale of breath could be heard from the woman on Chaewon’s side, then a reply,  “Ah, that’s how it is. How’s your dad?”

“He’s the same as usual. Never really home and never says anything when he is. But he’s still trying to cope with what happened, I guess.” Chaewon’s words exit slower than normal as she makes sure not to say something alarming. 

“We’re all still trying to cope, Chaewon. Neglecting your own child and your own responsibilities shouldn’t be a result of it, especially in this situation.” 

She could definitely feel her aunt’s gaze on her. Chaewon could also feel the hint of venom in her aunt’s tone as she talked about her dad. “I can take care of myself, he doesn’t need to be there all the time.”

“Chaewon, do you think he’s been a good father ever since your mom died?” This time there was no venomous tone attached to her words. The tone being replaced with pure curiosity. Chaewon slowly turns her head to glance at her aunt, only to turn back to the river and answer is a low whisper, “I don’t know.”

Chaewon rests her head in her hands as she thinks about her father. He’s a good man, she’s seen him be a good man. But now, it’s different. She can’t let him go, not now. Another deep inhale and exhale escapes Chaewon before answering slowly, “He’s just all I have left, besides you of course. But I don’t have time to visit as much as I want to. He’s not the best, but he’s all I have.” 

It’s quiet after Chaewon’s reply. The natural sounds of the river filling the void until her aunt could reply back. 

“Remember the thing I said about rivers? My life philosophy?” Chaewon nods in approval. How could she forget? It’s what her aunt’s been teaching her ever since she was young. 

Her aunt scoots closer to Chaewon before starting. “You’ve probably met a lot of them already, but remember the sticks and leaves? Those are people that will stay in your life temporarily. Eventually, they’ll leave forever or they’ll change. Holding on to them or an image of them won’t work. You’ll end up hurting yourself in the end. I need you to know that before you keep adulting. Of course, I’m not telling you to do anything right now. Just think about what you want Chaewon and do it, ok? Don’t justify his actions for something you’re also going through. Find your rocks Chaewon, then you’ll be ok.” 

Through the middle of her aunt’s rant, Chaewon unconsciously stared at her. Her aunt’s words were always so raw and unbearably true. From being with her aunt and hearing her life lessons, Chaewon learned that the truth hurts. But at the moment, she learned that the thing that hurts the most is how you find out the truth.  

Scotting closer, Chaewon rests her head against her aunt’s shoulder before asking her a question quietly. “Do you miss my mom?”

Her aunt reciprocates with a pat on Chaewon’s head. “I miss her all the time. After all, she’s the one who was so fascinated by the river so much.” 

Before Chaewon could ask what her aunt meant by that, she felt the said woman stand up. “Well, you should head back. It’s late. Come here.” Her aunt reached a hand towards Chaewon to help her up. When Chaewon grabbed her hand and stood up, her aunt pulled her closer, giving her a hug. And even though no one else was in the woods with them, she whispered something in Chaewon’s ear, “Visit me lots ok?” 

Hugging her aunt back tightly, she replied in the same tone, “Ok.”

____________________________

 

“Aunt!” Chaewon wakes up and shouts as she bolts up in surprise. Forgetting she’s in a car, she hits her head on the roof. “Ouch..” Rubbing her head from the pain, she tries to remember what happened. She just had another dream about her aunt, but that wasn’t exactly anything out of the ordinary. Neither is sleeping in her car or having dried up tears on her cheeks but having Sammy in her arms is weird since she never brings Sammy out of her room. 

Looking to her right, she notices a black and white flannel on the driver's seat, but no driver. Picking up the flannel, she slowly remembers what happened. She still doesn’t fully realize what’s happening until she looks out her car windows to see where she is. 

Big tree’s form together to make a large canopy, only allowing small cracks of light to peek through the cracks. Smaller plants cover the dirt ground, outlining small trails where people could walk. The familiar sounds of crickets singing and a very, very faint sound of a river flowing confirm the location. It’s the place she wanted to avoid yet go back to. It’s the woods.

Not exactly her aunt’s place since she doesn’t recognize anything or see her house, but it’s definitely close. “Why did she bring me her- where even is she?” Thinking out loud, she notices Minjoo isn’t anywhere to be seen. Getting out of the car, only taking Minjoo’s flannel, Sammy, and the hoodie she’s wearing. she looks around to see if she could find the other girl. 

She didn’t see any sign of Minjoo, but she did see a nature trail. Walking down the trail, a flash of white catches her eye. Stopping and staring closer, she notices that it’s Minjoo. She’s sitting against a big tree trunk. Running closer to her, she calls out softly. “Minjoo?”

The taller girl turns around in surprise, yet when she notices that it’s just Chaewon, she relaxes. “Oh, hey you’re awake.”

 “Yeah, I am.” Chaewon takes a seat next to Minjoo, putting Minjoo’s flannel and Sammy in her lap as she leans her back on the tree trunk. Not knowing what to say, Chaewon takes in the atmosphere. She always found comfort in the woods, and now it’s not any different. She thought the woods would heavily affect her since she hasn’t been inside since her aunt’s funeral, but it isn’t. Maybe it’s because she isn’t alone this time. 

Speaking of not being alone, she glances at Minjoo who’s sitting quietly. She notices how the girl is fidgeting with her hands, probably out of nervousness. Chaewon focuses more on the fact that Minjoos shivering alongside the fidgeting. It’s not that cold in the woods, to her anyway. Now looking at Minjoo’s outfit again, she totally didn’t expect to come to the woods today. Instinctively trying to protect Minjoo, Chaewon breaks the semi-comfortable silence, “Are you cold?” 

Minjoo meets Chaewon’s eyes from the sound of her voice, her own wide open. “Yeah, I left my flannel in the ca-. Oh, you brought it.” Minjoo grabs the flannel off Chaewon’s lap and makes a move to put it on until Chaewon stops her. 

“Wait, that’s not warm enough.” Chaewon removes the hoodie she’s wearing and moves to put it on Minjoo. Minjoo, however, grabs Chaewon’s wrist to stop her, “But then you won’t be warm.” 

Minjoo’s small pout almost made Chaewon want to put her hoodie back on, but she resists. “I’m used to being up here, plus you’re wearing shorts and a crop top while I’m wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants .” Minjoo sulks a bit, admitting defeat, “Fine, but you’re wearing my flannel.” Compromising with that, Chaewon scoots closer to slip her hoodie over Minjoo’s head. 

Holding the neck hole open for Minjoo, she waits as the taller girl slips her arms into the sleeves. While doing so, the shorter girl takes into account, again, how pretty Minjoo is. Not only visually, but personality-wise too. A kind soul in a kind body. Chaewon’s fingers accidentally graze Minjoo’s exposed stomach as she was pulling down the hoodie and her face becomes hotter. Waiting for Minjoo to be fully in the hoodie, Chaewon averts her eyes from the other girl and scoots back to where she originally was. 

Only for Minjoo to scoot even closer than Chaewon originally was. “Uh, hi?” Chaewon didn’t want to ask her why she was close or even tell her to go away. Although extremely flustered, she just silently accepted Minjoo’s presence. 

“It’s your turn.”

She forgot about the deal they made just a couple minutes ago but a deal’s a deal. Chaewon lets Minjoo slip her flannel on her, remaining as calm and collected as possible. Now wearing each other’s jackets, the atmosphere became comfortable as Minjoo made no moves to go back to her spot, opting to just stay close to Chaewon. 

The older girl racks her brain, trying to figure out what to talk about next. She should ask why they’re here in the first place? Minjoo definitely heard the fight. Should she talk about that with her? 

“Sorry if you don’t want to be here, in the woods. I just thought it would be a good place.” The quiet voice from the younger girl broke Chaewon’s train of thought. 

“Don’t apologize, I love being here… I just haven’t been here in a while cause of everything.” 

Minjoo nods at Chaewon’s reply,  “I’m starting to like these woods too. It’s the closest thing you can get to being away from civilization.” 

“Which is why I think a lot of murders tend to happen here.” 

Minjoo rolls her eyes at Chaewon’s joke, lightly shoving her as Chaewon’s chuckles filled the air, “Now is not the time for serial killer stories.” 

Slowly stopping her own chuckling, Chaewon looks at Minjoos eyes before asking, “What is it time for then?” 

Minjoo glances away for a second before taking a deep breath and looking back into the older girl’s eyes, “You’ve been through a lot of recently. Right now, being in the woods and away from everyone, we don’t have to worry about anything else right now.”

“Basically,” Minjoo rests one of her hands on top of Chaewon’s, “if you need to drop all your stress and on someone instead of dealing with it by yourself, I’m here, me and Sammy.” 

A little grin forms on Chaewon’s lips as she takes her free hand and pats Sammy. The grin slowly fades as she thinks about everything that's been going on. She trusts Minjoo, but this is all new territory for her, “I haven’t really ranted to anyone in while. I-I don’t know what to say.” 

The older girl notices how the younger one’s eyes are filled with comfort and understanding. Like small galaxies that warm her up with safety and kindness. Minjoo squeezes her hand that’s on Chaewon’s hand a little tighter, “Just say whatever you feel… What was your aunt like?” 

Inhaling a deep breath in, Chaewon lets out everything in the next breath, deciding to focus on the ground below her before ranting. “My aunt… I’ve yet to meet someone else like her. She was so open-minded and wise. She’s been through a lot of obstacles in her life and she really spoke like it. I feel like no amount of words could describe how great she was. The way she viewed life through her own lens and shared it with me is something I can never forget. In her own words, she was my rock.” Chaewon’s voice returned to its hoarse state that it was in before. She feels tears form in her eyes. Taking another deep breath in, she continues. 

“I don’t remember how much I told you about her philosophy, but she told me that rocks don’t leave. Sometimes you can’t see them, but they’re always there for you. I always believed that, until she was gone. You never know how much someone leaving will impact you until they actually leave.” Her voice falters on the last line, memories flooding back to her. 

The way her aunt prepared her for the new world, the way her aunt gave her reasons to smile, the way her aunt protected her from anything, all those memories were desperately trying to escape from the mental chained box Chaewon put them in. It’s time to let go and let them hurt one last time. 

“I spent most of my life with my aunt, so adjusting to a life without her is hard. Finding someone to fill this void in me is even harder. Instead of filling it with someone, I’ve just been trying to ignore that need. You know, focusing on myself and school or whatever. I thought if I just keep moving on, the way life around me moves on, it’ll all be ok. But, I don’t feel ok.” Tears cascaded down her cheeks, like a wild waterfall. Chaewon’s words were barely understandable but Minjoo could hear her just fine. The younger girl let Chaewon rest her head in the crook of her head, still grazing her thumb over the top of Chaewon’s hand. 

Chaewon whispers the rest, “Moving on with my life isn’t as easy either. It's hard to enjoy living when your step-mother constantly puts you down and you have to wonder where your dad is 24/7 .” 

“Life’s just hard… and every time I reflect on it, the more horrible and unstable everything seems. Like I’m not controlling life, it’s controlling me.” Her frail voice falters at the end, letting the sobs consume her entire being. Her head snuggles in Minjoo’s shoulder, letting the tears soak up in her own hoodie. Her cries fill the forest, mixing with the serene sounds of the natural forest. 

Minjoo lets the girl cry and lets it all out. The way Chaewon shakes in her arms devastates her, yet at the same time, she’s so glad the other girl was able to let it all out. Comforting her silently, she waits until the girl is quietly resting in her arms. 

Minjoo thinks for a long time as the other settles. The reality of a few minutes feels like hours as she tries to think of something to say to the distraught girl in her arms. Taking a deep sigh and gently Chaewon’s arm one more time, she decides to just be herself. 

“Usually in fairytales, this would be the part where I reveal to have some tragic story in my life and try to relate it to yours to try to sympathize.” 

Chaewon lets out a short and breathy chuckle at Minjoo’s response. It’s strangely refreshing to hear her say something she didn’t expect. The shorter girl traces unidentifiable shapes on Minjoo’s arm as she lets the said girl’s voice calm her down, taking every word to heart. 

“But I don’t think I can ever understand the pain you’re going through and I don’t know if you want me to understand.”

Minjoo looks down at Chaewon, not meeting the other girl’s eyes and decides to look at the top of her head, “What I can do is be here for you and help you clear your mind. Sometimes you need people to pull you back down to reality when you got your head stuck in a few thunderclouds. When you come back down, we can talk about it more.” 

With that line, Chaewon finally looks up to meet Minjoo’s eyes. Minjoo can see how Chaewon’s tears left wet trails that cascaded down her cheeks. Besides the lingering tears, she also sees a sense of amazement in Chaewon’s eyes. 

Chaewon’s also staring at Minjoo’s eyes. Yet instead of seeing amazement, she just sees honesty. Slowly and quietly, Chaewon replies, “That’s… a really nice analogy.” 

Minjoo lets a smile slip as she replies back, copying Chaewon’s tone, “Thanks, I got it from a fortune cookie.” 

Chaewon can’t help but laugh at Minjoo’s ridiculous answer. Her laughter fills the woods, destroying the gloomy atmosphere they had earlier, “There’s no way that‘s a message on a fortune cookie!” 

“Yeah, fortune cookies don’t have that good of advice. It should be one though.” Minjoo also laughs along, content with seeing Chaewon smile again. 

To some, it may seem like Minjoo broke the atmosphere, but to Chaewon, the younger girl was just doing what she does best: helping her escape the ty things in life. 

Chaewon moves out of Minjoo’s arms and sits back against the tree trunk, only leaving a centimeter of space between them. “Oh god, I must look like a mess.” 

“Well, you’re the prettiest mess I’ve ever seen.” 

Chaewon quickly glances up at Minjoo to see her look at her questioningly. Then realizing the implications of her words, she turns bright red. 

“I-I meant like you don’t look like a mess!” 

Chaewon smirks and decides to not tease Minjoo right now (and to also hope the other girl didn’t notice her own cheeks turning red.) “Still, I should probably clean myself up.” 

Minjoo looks around, only to be reminded that there in the middle of nowhere. “Is there like a bathroom or something around here, Chaewon?” 

Chaewon tries to think of the closest bathroom or rest area, only to think of something else. “I… think I know of a better place” 

 

_____________

 

The two girls (and Sammy) returned to Chaewon’s car, Chaewon in the driver's seat this time. After a few minutes, they arrive. Chaewon grips the steering wheel tightly and takes in a deep breath before exhaling and turning off the car engine. She steps out to see Minjoo looking in awe. 

“Is this your aunt’s house?” 

“Yeah, this is it.” 

The wood cabin still looked as cozy as ever. Unkempt vines and weeds grew on the outside, yet they added more to the atmosphere of the building. The cabin wasn’t worn down, yet it’s not exactly state of the art either. It’s in the best condition an old abandoned cabin in the woods could have. Nostalgic memories of her childhood and her aunt came flowing back to Chaewon, but instead of ignoring them, she allowed herself to feel them one last time. 

“You know originally my aunt had this crazy vision of building houses for all of my family to live down in the woods. But she liked the idea of being isolated up here, so she never brought it up to anyone else, besides me.” Chaewon smiles at the memory of her aunt’s conversations. She would love to go inside but she didn’t have the key. She needed to ask her grandparents about that later. 

“I can see why. It’s beautiful up here.” Minjoos still in awe about the atmosphere surrounding Chaewon’s aunt’s cabin. There wasn’t a single building to be seen or an abnormal sound to be heard. The diverse colors from native plants and the sounds of small bugs seem to have created a whole new world, one where she felt like she fit in easily. She took a moment to glance at Chaewon only to see the said girl smiling at the cabin, causing Minjoo to smile too. 

“This isn’t even the best part.” Chaewon grabs Minjoo’s hand and leads her to the back of the cabin. Minjoo squeezes her hand in return, forcing a smile out of the older girl. 

“Holy...crap.” 

Minjoo hears the river before seeing it, but when she does, she feels speechless. While the trees in the forest form a canopy that blocks the sunlight, the trees in this area are spread far apart, allowing sunlight to shine no on the water. The reflection of the light creates an enchanting aura around the river, along with the small stones surrounding the banks. The river wasn’t too huge, just wide enough for multiple fish to swim and deep enough for small aquatic plants to grow. Minjoo’s mouth hangs open, still in shock of the serenity of the surroundings. 

Finally able to muster some words, Minjoo speaks her mind, “It’s...really pretty.”

The younger girl turns around to see Chaewon’s expression, only to not see the said girl. Hearing water dripping from the riverbank, she walks slowly towards the sound to see Chaewon sitting down and washing her face.  

Minjoo moves to sit next to the older girl, letting her clean up in silence. Yet, the silence didn’t stop Minjoo from staring at her face. She watches as the river water droplets slide down on Chaewon’s cheeks, erasing the faint trails of tears. Chaewon’s face glistens alongside the river thanks to the sunlight. The light almost closed Minjoo’s vision, making her only focus on the natural beauty of the forest and Chaewon. The scenic view enchants Minjoo, like a distraction from reality. 

And almost makes her miss Chaewon’s response. 

Letting her face and hands get dried by the wind, Chaewon sits back and takes in the view before answering, “It is pretty. The view back here is ethereal.” 

“Yeah… ethereal.” Minjoo replies immediately but instead of looking at the river, her gaze is directed towards a certain girl right next to her. This doesn’t go noticed by Chaewon as she catches Minjoo’s stares before they both turn away, blushing in the process. 

The girls can only share nervous and faint giggles as they try to fill the silence. They both return to staring at the river, both lost in their thoughts and comfortable in each other’s presence. 

For Chaewon, she reflects on her aunt’s words. Everything from life lessons to mindless banter, she remembers it all and finds relief in reliving them again. A smile, one that’s made multiple appearances today, comes again but this time it stays as she thinks about her aunt more. 

For Minjoo, she quickly reflects on everything she learned about Chaewon today. She’s heard stories about her aunt, sarcastic remarks about her mom, and acknowledgments about her dad but never thought this the story behind all those people would be a depressing one like this. She wishes she could help, but she isn’t a professional. She hasn’t experienced anything like this before. She didn’t even know about any of this information before today. Yet, at the same time. Minjoo couldn’t leave her alone. 

Turning her head to look at Chaewon, Minjoo sees her faint smile as she stuck in her own daydreams. Her smile causes Minjoo to smile, and think. It makes her think about how she wishes Chaewon could see how beautiful her own smile is. 

“You know your smile is beautiful right?” Minjoo didn’t mean for those words to slip out of , but she doesn’t bother taking them back. It feels right to tell Chaewon the truth, to let her see what she sees. 

The blush forms back on Chaewon’s cheeks but she doesn’t turn away this time, “What’s with the compliment?” 

There were a million words running through Minjoo’s mind. So many words could be used to answer Chaewon’s question. But Minjoo knows what she has to do for Chaewon. The girl was honest to her when talking about her aunt and now she’s going to return that honesty.

“It’s ‘cause you’re really beautiful. Not Just your smile or your eyes but your entirety is beautiful.”

“You’ve been through such a ty time lately. With your aunt’s passing, your step mom’s nagging, your father's disappearance, and your mother’s memories and on top of school and just living in general, you’ve been through more things the past month than I’ve been in my entirety of knowing you.” Not meeting Chaewon’s eyes yet, Minjoo continues pouring her entire being into her own words, hoping they’ll reach Chaewon’s heart. 

“You’re so strong that you still manage to get out of bed every day. You’re so brave that you’re venturing a new path in life all by yourself. You’re so steadfast about what you believe in that no matter what crap gets thrown in your way, you still do what's right. And I think that’s so beautiful.”

Taking a quick breath of air, Minjoo looks at Chaewon as she says the next sentence, “But I need you to think that you’re beautiful. You’re blinded too much by what this situation defines you as rather than your actions throughout the whole thing. When you got your head stuck in rain clouds, people will change your perspective on life. They’ll call you selfish or blame you for things you have no control over, so much to the point where you think it’s true. When in reality, it’s ok to be selfish sometimes. I want you to know it’s ok to think for yourself instead of letting other people think for you.”

Minjoo notices how Chaewon’s eyes shake as they stare directly as hers, tears forming at the corners. She makes a move to grab onto Chaewon’s hand. Intertwining her fingers in between the other girls, she squeezes it reassuringly.  

“I’ve known you for a while yet we never really talk about things like this or even complement each other. But I want to change that.”

“You’re beautiful. I hope you keep your mind clear and realize how beautiful you are too. Stop punishing yourself for faults that other people see in you. They don’t define you, your actions define you. They are what make you beautiful.”

It’s quiet after Minjoo takes her final breaths when finishing her rant. Chaewon sits still. Tears have returned but she doesn’t bother wiping them off this time. The older girl just sits in Minjoo’s presence, absorbing her words. 

When Chaewon’s finally ready to speak her voice is quiet and frail, “I… god.” She squeezes Minjoo’s hand and feels the said girl squeezes back. Taking another quick gasp of air, she pushes her words out. 

“I’m… I think I really needed to hear that. And I’m so glad I did. I… I’m really speechless.” Minjoo just nods and rubs her thumb along the knuckles of Chaewon’s hand, giving the other girl more time to compose herself. 

“I want to believe in your words,” Chaewon replies in a confident voice, yet her voice wavers as she continues, “ But to think about myself like that seems like such an outlandish dream.”

“You’re not going to change overnight, Chaewon. When we go back to our regular lives, I don’t expect you to be a completely different person. If you’re ready to get better and prepare for the future, you have to let your past go. Then you’ll be ready to improve.” 

Chaewon remembers how she felt when reminiscing about her memories of her aunt. “Let my past go… I feel like I already started doing that. The memories of my aunt don’t hurt anymore now that I’m not pushing them away. They make me feel good like they’re supposed to. My dad and step-mother are a different story, but I’ll reach that chapter when I get there, I guess.” Chaewon’s internally surprised at herself for a moment, realizing those words come out of her own mouth. 

“See, you’re already doing it.” Minjoo gives her a smile small. Chaewon also now realizes how close they’re sitting. They’re just inches away from leaning on each other. While Minjoo’s presence and words fill her with hope, she can’t ignore the pang of doubt that fills her mind. “What if I stop doing it, Minjoo? What if I get my head stuck into those rain clouds again?” 

Minjoo scoots even closer before continuing, their shoulders slightly grazing each other. “Then there will be someone to pull you out of them. Someone to sink you back down to reality. It’s kind of like what your aunt used to talk about. You’ll have a rock in your life to be there for you.”

Chaewon’s eyes go wide as she processes Minjoo’s words again. Her aunt was her one and only “rock” throughout her life, the only person she could depend on to encourage her and be there for her. Chaewon’s never found someone to fill that gap that her aunt left but maybe things are different. Her aunt always used to tell her to always have a rock in her life, no matter what. 

Chaewon remains silent as she’s lost in her thoughts on what to do about having a “rock.” Minjoo tries to fill in the silence, “I know that might seem hard because your aunt was always your rock but-”

“Minjoo, can I ask you a selfish question?” Chaewon asks in the loudest and most confident voice she has spoken in ever since they entered the forest. The suddenness of it flusters Minjoo.

“Sure.”

“Can… can you be my rock? To be there for me when I need something to keep me going?” Chaewon swallows nervously and braces herself to see the look on Minjoo’s face. As she slowly turned her head to the side, she sees the younger girl with hanging slightly open. 

“You want me to be your rock?” The fact that Chaewon can’t read the tone of the usually transparent girl makes her even more nervous. She takes quicker breaths as she continues. She couldn’t take back her question, she needs to know. 

“My aunt told me one more thing about people who are your rocks. While they do help you or be there for you, you don’t always notice them. You never really know how much you depend on them until you’re deprived of them. I’m really learning that now, but this time in a different way.”

Chaewon took a quick breath before continuing. She spares another look at Minjoo, only to get lost in her eyes again. All the emotions, the memories, the feelings she could see in the younger girl’s eyes made her ramble endlessly, desperately trying to convey her feelings. 

“You saved me from fighting my stepmom, dragged me out to a random forest that I talked about when we were still teens, listened through all my emotional trauma, and you’re still sitting next to me now. You haven’t left my side or disappeared from my life ever since we met. Before this entire experience happened, we were distant. The idea of just going back to how things were when we were just classroom friends scares me because I’ll lose this feeling we have that I’ve never felt with any other person besides my aunt.”

“I’m not going to make the mistake of not keeping the people that help me so much in my life again, Minjoo.” 

Minjoo’s eyes flicker away from the other girl for a split second, only to look back with a shy smile. “You’re making me sound like I’m some superhero or something. I’m just here for you, you deserve that. I’m not anyone special.”

Chaewon takes Minjoos hand and intertwines their fingers, letting the joined hands rest on her lap, “The fact that you deal with my is already is a victory, making you even more special.” 

Minjoo leans in, whispering in Chaewon’s ear, “Well, I guess I have to keep dealing with your to show how easy and not special it is.”

Chaewon responds back in a whisper, “You’ll never know unless you try…”

Minjoo pulls back a little to look in Chaewon’s eyes, their faces only centimeters apart. Both girls search the other’s eyes for any negative emotions: Doubt, uncertainty, pain nothing of that sort could be seen in their eyes. There’s just trust.  “Then I’ll try…” 

The whispering continues, even in the quiet woods. They stay in their positions for a while longer, not moving back or forward, just enjoying each other’s presence.

That is until reality catches up with Chaewon and she realizes how close her own and Minjoo’s lips are from each other. Chaewon scoots back and lets go of their handhold a little to fast to be not noticeable. She turns away from Minjoo as she feels the blush on her cheeks coming back. Minjoo seems dazed at first, but after reflecting on their position she fake coughs trying to hide the obvious blush on her face. 

“So… You’ll be like my stone then,” Chaewon tries to steer the conversation back. 

And Minjoo is silently thankful for that. “A stone? What happened to rock?”

Chaewon didn’t really know where the whole stone thing came from, Minjoo just emitted more of that vibe. Like something small and precious, something that fits in her pocket, a stone. Of course, she wouldn’t say that to the younger girl. “Well my aunt was my rock and I wanted you to be something different…” 

Minjoo smiles at Chaewon’s cute reasoning, “Oh, well I like it. Stone Minjoo.” 

 “Well let’s make it official then.” Chaewon sticks out her pinky to Minjoo. “Promise you’ll stay to support me? You’ll be my rock?”

Mijoo laughs at how seriously the older girl is taking this, “Why does this sound like a marriage proposal?” Chaewon huffs, “It makes it more surreal when you promise it! Don’t tease me.”

Minjoo’s signature smile seems to shine brighter in little banter moments like this. She brings up her pinky to intertwine with Chaewon’s. “I promise to be your little stone.”

“Ahh, it sounds really stupid if you say it like that.” If she heard someone say that in a cheesy romance movie, Chaewon would probably gag but when Minjoo says it, it doesn’t sound that bad.

“I have a requirement for being your stone though.” Minjoo’s request made Chaewon a little nervous but the sly smile Minjoo has on her face says otherwise. 

“We already made the promise though.”

“Then I guess you’re legally supposed to follow it.” The sly smile is followed by mischevious eyes. 

“I get to borrow Sammy as my emotional support stuffed animal anytime I want.”

This wasn’t what Chaewon was expecting but it’s such a “Minjoo” thing to say. Of course,  she didn’t mind if Minjoo borrowed Sammy, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. “Huh? Hey, that’s unfair!”

“Only weekends then?” 

“I need him on weekends! What about weekdays for you?”

“Well, what about…” Chaewon watches as Minjoo gets up and sprint back towards the cabin, shouting behind her, “The first one to the car gets to decide who gets Sammy on what days!”

It takes Chaewon a second to realize what’s happening. but when she does, she gets up and sprints after the other girl, “Wh- hey! No fair!” 

She hears Minjoo’s laughter from far ahead, causing her to smile. As she tries to catch up, she thinks about how nothing necessarily changed. Once they leave the river, the cabin, the woods, everything will still be the same. Her aunt still died, her stepmom is still there, her dad is still the same. Her problems haven’t changed. However, the way Chaewon reacts and feels about them did. 

When she reaches her car, she sees Minjoo in the passenger seat cuddling Sammy and she gets that feeling again. It’s that feeling she felt back in her room before any of this started. The feeling that no matter what was going on in Chaewon’s life, no matter how much Chaewon is going through, everything’s going to be ok.