"And then you apply this formula to this equation." 

Minjoo nodded attentively, one hand unnecessarily pinching her chin. "I see, I see." The younger girl made an 'o' with , still nodding her head. 

Chaewon smiled knowingly. "Did you get that?"

"Absolutely not." The younger girl slumped on the table. "I don't get any of this." She whined. Chaewon only giggled as a response. 

"Why don't we take a break?" Chaewon suggested, taking out bags of snacks from behind her. Minjoo gasped in bliss at the sight. 

Chaewon watched as the girl she had known since she was in diapers happily munching on the crackers she bought for Minjoo. Chaewon couldn't hide the smile on her face even if she wanted to. "You got crumbs all over the place." She commented, raising an eyebrow at the mess. 

Minjoo grumbled, finally noticing them. "Do you have a napkin?"

Chaewon was already a step ahead, placing a handkerchief atop the crumb filled table. "Be careful not to get them on the carpet."

She watched as Minjoo begrudgingly put down the crackers, wiping the table gently but not without some comments under her breath about how Chaewon unnie is a lazy potato who can't be bothered to help this damsel in distress. 

Cute. 

"W-what?"

"I said you're cute." Minjoo's eyes widened, her cheeks tinted pink. A noise of protest left shyly and Chaewon couldn't help but to chuckle again. 

"You're getting bold, Kim Chaewon." Minjoo pouted. "I miss the times when you can't even look me in the eye properly."

"Really now?" Chaewon recalled the last few months, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. 

"Unnie!" Chaewon jolted, turning around to see Minjoo with a wide smile approaching her. "Do you want to go rollerskating with us this weekend?" The taller girl asked, her eyes fully expecting Chaewon to say 'yes', the older noticed. "Yuri's mom will be driving us! In a mini van!"

Chaewon felt the familiar fuzzy feeling in her chest. How come someone can look so excited about riding a minivan?

"Umm, sorry Min," Chaewon let out before she could even think about what she wanted to say. She could see the excitement leaving the younger girl's eyes, and Chaewon could almost physically feel the pain at being the one responsible. "I-I already have plans this weekend." 

She averted her eyes, not wanting to see the disappoint in the latter's eyes. "Oh." No use. She could still hear them in Minjoo's voice loud and clear. "With who?"

"No one you know." Chaewon didn't know why she said that. Because honestly? Her only plan was to wallow in self deprecation, sulk around in her own room, and bawl her eyes out. Out of all things, why does she have to fall for her best friend? What kind of cliche movie was she in?

But, well, it's Minjoo. Who wouldn't fall for Kim Minjoo?

Minjoo let out a hum. "Well I guess we can go next time."

Chaewon only responded with a nervous chuckle - what is wrong with her?! act normal, will you? - before quickly leaving the scene. 

And this goes on for another 2 months. 

"You're telling me you would rather have me avoiding you like the plague?" 

Minjoo frowned, realising what she just said herself. "Okay, maybe not." She furrowed her eyebrows together. "I was suffering a lot, you know?"

Chaewon looked at the younger girl apologetically. "Sorry." She mumbled, her right hand moving up to caress Minjoo's brown hair. "For being such a selfish friend."

Minjoo only leaned in to the touch, humming under her breath. "You're here now. That's all that matters."

"Kim Chaewon, please." The younger pleaded, her voice straining, desperate. "Don't go."

"Min..." Chaewon nibbled on her lower lips. "I'm sorry." Her gaze was stuck on the hems of her sleeve, one Minjoo was tightly holding onto. "I-I can't-"

"Can't what?!" Minjoo was yelling. Chaewon knew she was furious now, because Minjoo hardly ever raise her voice at anyone. The younger girl was too kind, always with a heart of gold, to even consider being mad at people for long. "Can't this, can't that, what can you do then?! Oh wait, I know-" Minjoo scoffed. "Be anywhere but in the same room as me." Her voice was full of spite, like she was finally letting out the frustration she had been holding. 

Even in all that, Minjoo's hold on her sleeve had yet to loosen. If anything, she was grasping it even more tightly. "Chaewon unnie..." The said girl felt her heart ache, constricted. Minjoo's voice was soft, tired, and resigned. One wrong move and Chaewon knew the girl would cry. "Please..." A sob came out. "At least tell me why."

Every single cell in her body burned. Every single one of them told her to move away, to run, to leave if she knows what's best for her. Because staying means everything she had done was all for naught. Staying means she'll only hurt herself. 

But leaving means Minjoo will be the one hurting. 

She didn't know it before, but Minjoo was hurting just as much as she was, maybe more. While trying to save herself from the pain, Chaewon accidentally let Minjoo be in pain instead. 

Her eyes were shut tightly, jaw clenched, trying so hard to hold back the tears Chaewon knew she was holding. 

So Chaewon did the only thing she could do. 

"I'm sorry." Minjoo froze at the word, face red, seeming ready to yell at her again but couldn't when she felt Chaewon's arms wrapped around her. "I'm so sorry, Min." She whispered into the younger's ears. "I'm sorry."

At first it was only a sob, but not long after Minjoo completely let go, crying into the older girl's embrace, both hands gripping tightly at Chaewon's back. 

Chaewon stayed the night, taking care of the younger girl and talking to her all night, not leaving Minjoo's side even for a second. 

Chaewon stayed, because that's all she could do. There's no way she could leave Minjoo. 

So maybe she was in some kind of cliche movie. Chaewon never believed them, even though she liked watching romance movies and dramas. She always thought those were just movies and that they're not real. 

No one ever gets together with their best friend, the popular jock never bats an eye on the lonely nerd, the roommates never interact outside of good mornings and good nights. That's just how reality work. 

"Stop looking." Minjoo grumbled, pushing Chaewon's hand away from her. 

Yet there she was, staring at her childhood friend unabashedly, no longer trying to hide what she felt. And what she felt was the utmost happiness. 

"Why not? I miss you." Chaewon grinned at the blush the younger spotted. "Because of my ery, I couldn't get my fill of Kim Minjoo's godly visual for 2 whole months."

"Well that's your own fault." Minjoo huffed. 

"I know." Chaewon chuckled. "Let's get back to that homework you have to finish first."

"Fine~" The younger sighed, her right hand reaching over to take her pen. Her left hand? Well-

"Minjoo..."

"Yes?"

"Your hand..."

"Why?"

"They're on mine." Chaewon informed quietly.

"Oh really now? I must've accidentally held your hand." Minjoo grinned, enjoying the fact that she had turned the table against the older girl. 

"No one accidentally holds someone's hand!" Chaewon refuted, trying to take said hand back, only for Minjoo to grab onto it tighter. "Let go!" Chaewon was the one to whine now. "I need to do my own homework!"

"Well I just did." Minjoo stuck out her tongue, laughing at the older girl's offended face. "Incidentally, I will also accidentally kiss you." Her voice softened. 

Chaewon hadn't realised that Minjoo was slowly moving closer until she was just mere inches away. "No one does this on accident." The older countered weakly, already feeling the heat coming up her ears. 

"You're right." Minjoo giggled. Chaewon thought it wasn't fair that even Minjoo's giggle sound melodic. "Im going to kiss you because I want to."

And she did.