Move. 

 

 

Just move, dammit. 

 

 

Minju slowly closes her eyes, the last view being of Yujin's face inching closer with drowsy looking eyes that never left hers. 

 

 

The voices in her head fail her. Her body bracing itself for what's to come. 

 

 

"It's flattering." 

 

 

Oh. 

 

 

Minju tries her might to not look too bashful as she opens her eyes. Yujin's smiling face (that's not inching closer to hers anymore) coming into view. 

 

 

"W-what is?" 

 

 

Stuttering was another way to channel her embarrassment. 

 

 

"Your honesty." 

 

 

Minju knew that Yujin had understood her slight confession. And all she wants at this moment is to shrink into a tiny ant. 

 

 

Or just disappear from there, take herself out of this timeline, away from the whirl that Yujin has created for her. 

 

 

Before she could brainstorm for more ways to appear less flustered, Yujin's phone rings. 

 

 

"Hello." 

 

 

Minju almost shivered from Yujin's cold response to whoever was on the other line. She quietly observes, the girl's back now facing her. 

 

 

She still can't quite figure out the latter. 

 

 

Was her real personality mostly this cold? 

 

 

Or did she catch a glimpse of the girl's rare side somehow, the gentleness behind those cold eyes. 

 

 

"Sakunie is in my room. No, I was not informed. Yes, she has a spare key to my dorm." 

 

 

Minju recalls the girl she'd met earlier. 

 

 

Her cheeks start to heat up again. 

 

 

It's in the blood, she thought. Yujin came from a gene that easily made girls like her feel flustered in any type of way. 

 

 

"Kim." 

 

 

Minju's mind start to mock her. Since when did she get so caught up with someone like this before? It was not like her to get easily bothered. 

 

 

"Minju." 

 

 

She snaps back to reality upon hearing her first name. 

 

 

"Has the paint dried? You're leaning on it." 

 

 

Oh for goodness sake. 

 

 

 

 

🌹

 

 

 

 

"You're making her uncomfortable." 

 

 

Uncomfortable? That wasn't it.

 

 

Minju tries to avoid gazing up to Sakura, the latter curiously staring at her from across the room. 

 

 

The girl had alluring eyes, she came to realize. 

 

 

It was almost dangerous to look straight into them for more than a minute. Nevertheless, she had a youthful face that was welcoming still. A charming yet peculiar combination. 

 

 

"Sorry, Minju. It's just that... Yushin has never let any other female other than family enter her flat." 

 

 

Yujin ignores the innocent tease and shifts around the chair to face Minju, her back now blocking her cousin's view. 

 

 

"The back side looks fine now. The front, however, needs a little more tending, there's still a few more blue paint streaked in there." 

 

 

"I-it's okay, I can do it since it's easy to see on this side." 

 

 

Minju flails her arms a little too much at that, and embarrassingly adjusts a non-existent weight on her chair after. 

 

 

Sakura chuckles understandingly and throws a crumpled piece of paper at Yujin. 

 

 

"Go take her home, it must be getting late for her." 

 

 

"What about you?" 

 

 

"I won't go anywhere, don't worry. I'm here for a reason after all." 

 

 

All of a sudden, the room got eerily quite. There was something about what Sakura said that made things a bit more serious for Yujin. 

 

 

Nonetheless, the stoic girl affirms with a nod without looking back. Minju stands up obediently at the silent cue to leave the room. 

 

 

"I'll be back before-" 

 

 

A knock stops all movements. 

 

 

Minju being the first one to shyly recognize the slightly screaming voice from the other side of the door. With the aid of her name being called, of course. 

 

 

"I texted my friend earlier to come pick me up." 

 

 

"I see. That's perfect then." 

 

 

Yujin's tone didn't match her own enthusiastic statement, though. 

 

 

She raises a brow upon opening the door to a girl in baggy black joggers. The girl had on a thin hoodie that was zipped open, showing a plain white crop-top underneath. 

 

 

"Hello." 

 

 

"She wasn't kidding, I'm impressed." Hyewon mindlessly uttered first thing, looking at Yujin's face. 

 

 

In other words, Yujin was pretty, and Hyewon was awfully transparent. 

 

 

Minju feeling even more embarrassed was an understatement. And so she scurry passed Yujin, their shoulders clashing slightly and pushes Hyewon out of the doorway with her, her voice echoing throughout the hallway. 

 

 

"Thank you for everything, I'll see you tomorrow Yujin-ah." 

 

 

Yujin was spun around from Minju's shoulder check, and was staring blankly at Sakura who's laying belly down on the bed, elbows supporting herself up. 

 

 

She mirrors Yujin's face. 

 

 

"If I heard right, she just called you Yujin-ah." Sakura made sure to emphasize the '-ah' at the end. 

 

 

"I don't see how that's pertinent." 

 

 

Yujin clicks her tongue at Sakura's smug expression. The older girl had that look whenever she somehow saw through someone. 

 

 

The smug grin turns gentle shortly after. 

 

 

"No one's holding you back. You can like whoever you want." 

 

 

Sakura knew that struck an old wound, but it was her way of checking if the younger girl had gotten better. 

 

 

Yujin understood it, and lets her face relax. She had been better these days, with the help of being busy; and distracted, too. 

 

 

"Even if I was, I won't have enough time to invest in it." 

 

 

Sakura nods in acknowledgement. 

 

 

"As you should. Off topic though, that girl at the door..." 

 

 

"What about?" 

 

 

"What'd she look like? I couldn't see her because of your broad back." 

 

 

"What did my pretty back ever do to you." 

 

 

"She sounded familiar." 

 

 

Yujin scrutinizes the way Sakura gives it a ponder, her eyes almost scrunching in deep thought, then smiles to herself in revelation. 

 

 

The way the girl's expressions changed was almost comical. 

 

 

"Hey Yushin." 

 

 

"Hm?" 

 

 

"Before I tell you my reasons for coming here. Mind if I stay a little longer this time?" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She loved Wednesdays, despite it being in the middle of the week. 

 

 

For Minju, Wednesdays consist of even shorter school duration (as her school electives are down that day), and early leave out of work. 

 

 

Wednesdays meant that you've made it halfway through the week, and the weekend is near. 

 

 

THUNK 

 

 

Immense pain shot through her forehead. 

 

 

"Jesus  %(#$$&^!" 

 

 

A string of more profanity left as she crouches down, rubbing her forehead that she thinks is probably sporting a good dent by now. 

 

 

She glares at the culprit after she's composed herself, it being the edge of a fairly low "garage sale" sign just outside the gates of the Camillia Dorms where she's been working. 

 

 

"This is the first time I've heard you curse." 

 

 

Great, she thought. Out of all the people to see her suffer rather pathetically, it had to be Ahn Yujin. 

 

 

She was ready to retort an equally smart response, but stops upon catching a clearer glimpse of the latter's face. 

 

 

Yujin's eyes formed into upside down crescent moons, her face becoming that of an innocent girl her age for once. And she wore a different school uniform; the blazer was dark blue, the undershirt white,  and the checkered skirt matching the dark red of her neck tie. 

 

 

It may have been just the day, or the perfect weather. 

 

 

But Yujin's smile might have become her next favorite thing, next to Wednesdays.