“You have to go!”

 

“No.”

 

“But it’s Handong’s big day! We have to be there!”

 

“You have to be there. You’re her girlfriend, not me.”

 

“Siyeon, what the ? She’s your friend!”

 

Siyeon sighs, massaging her temple as she pushes herself up into a sitting position. “I have important things to do.”

 

Yoohyeon groans and throws a pillow right into Siyeon’s face. The girl almost falls flat into her bed again. “Watching Parasite for the tenth time isn’t important, supporting Handong is!”

 

“Hey, it is important!” Bora complains from the other side of the room. Yoohyeon gives her a dirty look.

 

“Thank you! Finally, someone who understands my needs.” Siyeon throws her arms in the air dramatically, only to receive a anything-but-intimidating glare from Yoohyeon.

 

“I didn’t say it was more important than getting your lazy out of your bed and being a good friend to Handong, though.” Yoohyeon’s eyes finally soften and she high-fives Bora, the two of them bonding over enjoying their friend’s betrayed expression a little too much.

 

Siyeon runs her fingers through her blue locks, sighing dramatically. She hates going to loud places, especially bars, but a sacrifice for one of her best friends wouldn’t hurt. It was a one time thing, after all. She would survive.

 

“Fine, I’m going!” Siyeon finally gives up, regretting her decision as soon as Bora’s yelp cuts through her sensitive ears. “But I’m only staying for two hours. Two hours and me and my car are out of that place. Understood?”

 

—

 

It’s midnight, the numbers on her phone screen let her know, which means four hours passed by since they arrived and she is still stuck in that stupid jazz bar.

 

She wants to kill Yoohyeon, and she knows the task won’t be that hard considering how drunk the girl is. But she’s been all over Handong since the performance ended, squeezing her girlfriend’s cheeks and showering her with all kinds of compliments, and Siyeon wouldn’t take the risk of accidentally hurting an angel like Handong because of her stupid best friend.

 

She often wonders how her best friend ended up with such an amazing girl like Handong. But then she remembers Handong once described her ideal type as tall and kind of silly when they first met, and she realizes that there was no way those two weren’t made for each other.

 

On the other side of the table there is Gahyeon — her younger sister — Yubin — the last member of their little group — and Bora laughing at some absurd story the latter just shared. She could try to persuade Gahyeon and leave with her, but unfortunately her little sister wasn’t a kid that could be bought with a promise of free ice cream for a month anymore.

 

Siyeon sighs. She is the only one who’s sober, also the only one with a car, so it isn’t like she can just leave them behind. Plus, she loves her friends and their company, even though they can be a pain in her sometimes.

 

(She enjoys it way more when it’s just the six of them going crazy in her apartment, though.)

 

Eventually, she gets tired of Bora’s explicit stories and decides to get herself something to drink. Sure, she couldn’t have alcohol, but after hours of talking — and of telling Bora to tone it down when her voice gets too loud, which is all the time — was practically begging for any liquid to go down.

 

So she gets up and walks towards the counter, bumping into countless shoulders until she finally gets there and takes a sit, not even bothering to read the menu before making her boring order.

 

“Excuse me, can I get a bottle of—“

 

Oh, .

 

She was expecting to see the same kind old guy from when they arrived when she looked up, not a smiley purple haired woman that looked way too pretty for her own good.

 

She was startled. But judging from the way the woman’s smile drops and hangs open for a few seconds, she wasn’t the only one.

 

The beauty in front of her narrows her eyes, tilts her head to the side and shamelessly analyzes her face for a few moments until the blinding smile finds its way back to her lips again.

 

“Do we know each other?”

 

Siyeon hates the fact that she isn’t drunk, because now she can’t even blame the alcohol for the things that woman’s voice is making her feel.

 

It’s Siyeon’s turn to narrow her eyes, and she has to admit the woman looks familiar. There’s something about those starry eyes, that beautiful smile that hits way too close to home — but she can’t tell why, no matter how hard she tries, and it’s making her frustrated beyond words.

 

She doesn’t let it show, though — she can’t embarrass herself, at least not in front of this oddly familiar purple haired goddess.

 

“I don’t think so.” Siyeon finally answers, and she mentally pats herself for not stuttering and managing to not make a fool of herself.

 

“Well, I’m glad we met now,” The woman smirks and Siyeon swears she almost dies on the spot. “What can I get you?”

 

Oh, right. Her boring order. She almost forgot she’s not here just to flirt with the pretty bartender. “A bottle of water, please.”

 

A knowing smile spreads on the woman’s face as she turns around to grab the order from the freezer. “Driving?”

 

“Yeah,” Siyeon sighs as she takes the bottle, taking a big gulp of water and automatically closing her eyes at the pleasing sensation. “I hate my friends sometimes.”

 

The bartender laughs, her eyes turning into two cute crescents, and Siyeon dies one more time. “You’re with Handong, right? The girl that sang here for the first time today?”

 

“I am,” Siyeon nods, resting her chin over her palms as she leans on the counter. “You know her?”

 

The woman hums. “We started taking some classes together this semester and eventually became friends. She freaked out when she found out where I work, and here we are now.”

 

Siyeon laughs, finding the story amusing but at the same time familiar. “Dongie is kind of shy but she’s not afraid to go after what she wants.”

 

“And it’s impossible to say no to her.”

 

“Right!”

 

The two of them laugh some more until another costumer comes and the woman eventually has to go, much to Siyeon’s dismay.

 

At least, she doesn’t forget to throw Siyeon a tempting look over her shoulders, the painfully breathtaking smile taking over her delicate features again. “See you around?”

 

Siyeon bites back a smile, grabs her pitiful water bottle and gets up from her sit. “See you around.”

 

—

 

“Oh my god, Siyeon— I missed you so much! You’re like, my best friend, you know that right? Oh my god! I love you so much! Not the same way I love Handong but’s it’s like— a lot!”

 

Siyeon rolls her eyes as she drives, focused on the road while she tries to ignore Yoohyeon’s endless love confessions.

 

“Handong, are you sure you can handle her alone?”

 

“Don’t worry,” The girl answers, lips curling up as she pats Yoohyeon’s head affectionately. “I’m used to it.”

 

—

 

“I feel like trash,” Yoohyeon announces as she makes her way into Siyeon’s apartment, Handong trailing closely behind her.

 

Siyeon, not amused by the sudden intrusion, can only scoff from the couch. “Of course you do.”

 

“I don’t know why you had to drink so much last night,” Bora, the first one to arrive, complains in a motherly tone as she returns from the kitchen with a glass of water in her hands. She hands it to Yoohyeon and proceeds to wrap her arms around Handong’s waist.

 

“I was happy,” Yoohyeon whines, “But i’ll never drink like this again. Like, ever.”

 

“You always say that.” Siyeon protests and Yoohyeon ignores her, too busy trying to find a way to fit into the hug without dropping water all over the floor.

 

“By the way, where’s Yubin and Gahyeon?” Handong questions after she takes a look around the living room, missing the two familiar faces.

 

“They’re at Gahyeon’s dorm,” Siyeon says with a shrug, not looking much into the situation, but she narrows her eyes when she sees Bora is wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “What?”

 

“Come on, Siyeon,” Bora finally detaches her arms from Handong’s waist and moves to the couch, sitting beside her friend with a loud thud. “You can’t be that dense.”

 

Siyeon stares blankly at Bora, then at Yoohyeon and Handong, and she still has no clue where this conversation is supposed to go or what the hell is she supposed to know. “What?”

 

“Oh god,” Bora whines in disapproval, massaging her forehead with both of her hands. “You’re worse than Yoohyeon before she started dating Handong.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Just tell me!” Siyeon complains, successfully cutting the bickering that was about to start, crossing her arms over her chest like a child. “My brain doesn’t work properly at morning.”

 

“It’s 2PM!” Bora exclaims while pointing to her phone screen, growing more frustrated by the second. “Okay, it. We think Gahyeon and Dami have a thing. That’s it.”

 

Siyeon blinks once, twice, opens to protest and then she frowns. “Since when?”

 

“Three months, I guess?” Handong ponders, taking a sit at the other couch with a cuddly Yoohyeon on her lap.

 

“Three months?!” Siyeon gasps. “And none of you told me?”

 

“Siyeon, darling,” Bora takes a dramatic deep breath and places her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You do realize you’re Gahyeon’s sister, right? You should’ve realized something was happening before any of us.”

 

Siyeon wants to protest again, but no words come out of . She leans further into the couch, staring at the television without paying attention to whatever the characters of the movie were saying.

 

“She does get a little too excited talking about Yubin…” She mumbles, the gears in her brain finally starting to turn. “And they’re always at her dorm, too.”

 

“You’re finally connecting the dots!” Bora claps excitedly, followed quietly by Handong. Siyeon groans at the sound. “I hope we’re right, they would make a cute couple.”

 

Siyeon was about to voice out her frustration for not realizing the sort of obvious situation before when Handong yelps after taking a look at her phone, immediately apologizing with a peck to a hungover Yoohyeon.

 

“I’m sorry girls, but I promised to work on a project with Minji,” Handong apologizes as she tries to get up without much success, the girl on her lap becoming impossibly clingy after she announces she has to leave.

 

“Minji? Who’s Minji?” Bora asks and Siyeon turns to Handong with curious eyes.

 

“Oh, she’s a friend from college,” Handong explains. “She works at the bar I performed yesterday.”

 

Siyeon freezes. Right, the woman from yesterday. The beautiful, extremely familiar woman from yesterday that shook her world with just a smile. With all the chaos in her apartment the incident from last night completely slipped her mind.

 

Until now.

 

“I’ll see you guys later?” Handong asks by the door, and it’s only then that Siyeon realizes she’s probably been spacing out for minutes.

 

“Yeah, sure,” Siyeon answers without missing a beat, hoping she doesn’t sound as affected as she is.

 

The door closes and Siyeon’s back falls back into the sofa, a sigh escaping her lips.

 

Minji. The woman has a name now, a beautiful one at that. It fits her like a glove.

 

But it doesn’t help Siyeon understand the uneasy feeling inside of her chest, the voice at the back of her head telling her that she should know who she is.

 

Minji. It’s common, but she never met anyone with this name before.

 

At least, that’s what she thinks.

 

—

 

It’s ten o’clock when Handong returns. Siyeon, Bora and Yoohyeon are sitting on the floor with a bowl of popcorn in front of them, while Gahyeon and Yubin — who arrived holding hands a few hours after Handong left and almost gave Siyeon a heart attack — throw chips at each other on the couch, movie completely forgotten.

 

Yoohyeon almost drops the can of coke she’s holding when she notices her girlfriend’s presence, stumbling over Bora’s legs before she gets to the door and engulfs the girl into a bear hug. Siyeon bites back a laugh at her friend’s pained expression.

 

“Why are you so disgusting?” Gahyeon complains, pausing her current battle with Yubin to throw a chip at the couple’s direction. The other girl chuckles, clearly pleased with the scene, and they high five each other.

 

Yoohyeon leans down, grabs the chip and eats it, ignoring Gahyeon’s disgusted protests. “You’re just jealous of us.”

 

The younger girl snorts. “You wish.”

 

“Did the project go well, Dongie?” Bora speaks up, tired of her friends’ childish banter.

 

“Yeah, it took a long time but we did a pretty good job.” Handong answers with a proud smile on her face, taking a seat beside Bora.

 

Yoohyeon joins her girlfriend on the floor, snuggling to her right side while Bora hugs her waist from the left one. Siyeon snorts at the scene.

 

“Minji told me about last night, Siyeon,” Handong starts lightly, and suddenly every single eye in the room is stuck on Siyeon’s face. She gulps.

 

“O-Oh, she did?” She laughs nervously, scratching the back of her neck.

 

“What about last night?” Gahyeon sits up, an amused — and sort of devilish — look plastered on her face.

 

“Yeah, Lee Siyeon, what about last night?” Yoohyeon asks with an specific teasing tone that annoys the out of Siyeon, and she swears that if Bora and Handong weren’t between them she would’ve pinched her arm until it turned purple.

 

“Apparently they met when Siyeon got up to grab something to drink,” Handong explains, saving a clearly overwhelmed Siyeon from even more embarrassment, “She straight up asked me who my cute friend was — and at first I thought she was talking about Bora, but then she mentioned she was tall and I knew it was Siyeon.”

 

Gahyeon breaks into a laugh and Bora slaps her leg before the girl could tell one of her many jokes about her friend’s height. Or the lack of it, to be honest.

 

“Cute friend, huh?” Yoohyeon wiggles her eyebrows. “Did you flirt with her, miss Lee?”

 

“What? No— No, I didn’t.” Siyeon hugs her legs, resting her chin over her knees as if she was trying to disappear.

 

“I don’t know about that, but one thing’s for sure,” Handong starts, and Siyeon lifts her head up. “She looked oddly surprised when I told her your name.”

 

Siyeon feels her heart turn painfully cold. “Really?”

 

“Mhm,” The girl nods. “She looked… lost in her thoughts for a while?”

 

“That’s weird,” Bora shrugs, leaning her body even more into Handong’s.

 

“Not really,” Siyeon speaks up in a quiet voice, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. “She did ask if we met before yesterday.”

 

Yoohyeon frowns. “And why do you look so sad about it?”

 

“Because she looks familiar, but I have no idea why.” She groans, letting her back fall on the multiple pillows scattered all over the ground.

 

“She did look like she connected a few dots earlier,” Handong reasons. “You can just ask her about it.”

 

Siyeon groans again. “When?”

 

Yoohyeon’s face immediately lights up. “Handong has a performance tomorrow.”

 

No. No, no, no. A thousand times no.

 

“No, don’t even think about it. There’s no way I’m going back to that bar.”

 

—

 

Siyeon finds herself sitting on the same table, surrounded by the same people on the same bar again.

 

It almost feels like deja vu, Yoohyeon — not completely drunk and out of her mind yet — being all over Handong while the other three laugh at one of Bora’s ridiculous stories. Although this time, Siyeon manages to catch Bora glancing over to the overly affectionate couple a few times. It physically hurts her to fight the urge she has to snicker at the scene.

 

There’s the whole Gahyeon and Yubin thing, too. She watches with wide eyes as her sister caresses Yubin’s thighs from under the table when she thinks no one is looking. At least there’s no more room for doubt now, Siyeon concludes as she pretends to be focused on something in her phone.

 

But as much as Temple Run keeps her hands busy and makes her seem less awkward to other people, it does nothing to numb the wave of thoughts running wild inside of her mind.

 

According to Handong, Minji’s shift starts at midnight — which is very soon, and being aware of that is doing no good to Siyeon’s nerves.

 

“Calm down, Siyeon,” Handong speaks up, startling the girl. “Minji is harmless.”

 

Yeah, she might be harmless, but that doesn’t change the fact that Siyeon is anxious to know about how the woman knows who she is. That and the fact that Siyeon can’t help but being attracted to her, of course. It’s a dangerous combo.

 

“I’m calm.” She complains, finally letting go of her phone.

 

“Your bouncy legs tell me a different story.” Handong arches her eyebrows and Siyeon visibly deflates. There’s no use in trying to lie to Handong, she should know that by now.

 

“Okay, maybe I’m a little nervous. Just a little bit.”

 

Handong’s gaze softens and she pats Siyeon’s shoulder. “It will be oka— Hey, Minji!”

 

Siyeon nearly falls from her chair at the way Handong abruptly raises her voice to grab her friend’s attention, and then she nearly falls again when the person turning her into a nervous mess shows up at their table.

 

When she said midnight was very soon, she meant it in fifteen minutes soon. Not in right now soon.

 

Handong properly introduces Minji to each of them, starting from Gahyeon and ending it with Bora. When she turns to Siyeon, she makes a small pause and smirks before continuing with her speech.

 

“And this is Siyeon, but you already know that,” She says it in a teasing tone, but Minji just laughs it off, not seeming affected by it.

 

Siyeon wishes she could say the same about herself.

 

“By the way, can I borrow you for a second?” Minji asks shyly, playing with her fingers as she stares at Siyeon with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

 

Siyeon panics for a split second as she considers her options. Then she looks up again, sees Minji tilting her head to the side while patiently waiting for an answer, and realizes there’s no way she could say no to this woman. At least not when she looks this adorable.

 

“Uh, sure,” Her voice comes out barely above a whisper, and she’s surprised that Minji managed to understand her through the loud music and chatter.

 

Minji beams at her and gestures with her head for Siyeon to follow her lead, and she does it without looking back — not because she’s determined, but because she knows her friends are already being annoying about the situation and that Yoohyeon wouldn’t let her live if she saw how red her face was.

 

Before Siyeon knows, she finds herself inside a small room, one she assumes it’s for employees only. She frowns as she takes a look around the place, about to question if she’s even allowed to be there, but Minji beats her to it.

 

“It’s okay, you’re not the first person I bring here,” Minji giggles but the sound stops abruptly when she notices Siyeon’s face is becoming redder by the second. “No— My sister! I brought my sister here!”

 

Siyeon tries to suppress a laugh behind her fist at the woman’s evident panic, but a chuckle escapes her lips when Minji’s shoulder drops and the bartender lets out another giggle.

 

“People say I look like a casanova, but I swear I’m not!” Minji defends herself again and it only makes Siyeon laugh harder, to the point where her stomach starts aching.

 

When the laughter dies down and Siyeon finally looks up, she realizes Minji is looking at her in the same way she did earlier — but this time there was a nostalgic yet hopeful glint in her eyes, one that makes something flutter inside of Siyeon’s chest.

 

“So,” Siyeon clears , “You wanted to talk to me about something?”

 

“Oh, right,” Minji giggles awkwardly, finally taking a sit on one of the chairs. “Remember when I asked you if we knew each other?” Siyeon nods as she moves to another chair, and Minji goes on. “It turns out… we do. We know each other.”

 

It’s funny, how Siyeon already had an idea of what was about to come out of Minji’s lips, but she still finds herself taken aback by the confession. Maybe it’s the way the woman says it, with such conviction yet so softly, that makes Siyeon bite her lips in anticipation.

 

“When I first saw you I thought it was impossible, but…” She chuckles lightly. “You’re Lee Siyeon, from Daegu, right?”

 

“Yes.” Siyeon confirms weakly, looking down at the mention of her hometown.

 

Minji seems to notice her discomfort, playing with the hair tie on her waist as she considers her next words for a few seconds, but her lips decide to betray the tense atmosphere by breaking into a small smile as she finally says, “It’s me, Siyeon. Kim Jiu.”

 

The whole world stops as Siyeon tries to absorb the new information. She feels a pang in her head as memories of her early teenage years start to flood her mind, and even though she loathes most of them, she doesn’t hate the thought of Kim Jiu.

 

Siyeon hasn’t heard that name in forever. Ten years, to be more specific. It’s been ten years since she last heard about Kim Jiu, and now she’s right there, in front of her, looking at her with those same starry eyes from when they were younger.

 

She silently wonders how could she forget about them. Wonders how could she not recognize them the second she locked eyes with the woman in front of her the other day.

 

But as she suppressed all the unpleasant memories she had of her hometown as she grew up, Siyeon ended up forgetting about Kim Jiu and about everything she once felt for her, too.

 

Just as she came down from her shock and was about to say something to the woman glancing expectantly at her, a loud knock on the door made the two of them jump on their seats, successfully bursting the emotional little bubble they were trapped in.

 

“Minji, your is about to start!” A feminine voice shouts, making Minji gasp as she takes a look at the clock on the wall. 11:59 PM.

 

“, I have to go,” She winces, throwing her bag over the table and putting her hair up in a messy ponytail. “Can we continue this another day?”

 

They lock eyes one more time and Siyeon feels the urge to grab Minji’s wrist and beg her to not leave again, but she just closes her hand in a fist and nods, flashing the woman a small, weak smile.

 

“Sure.”

 

Minji smiles one last time before she’s out the door, her rushed steps on the wooden ground reminding Siyeon that she should probably go back to her friends now.

 

In a slower pace, Siyeon finally leaves the cramped room behind, too.

 

—

 

“How did it go?”

 

Yoohyeon is the first one to ask, moving her chair to sit closer to her best friend. Siyeon only offers her a tired, apologetic smile, “I don’t think we’re in the best place to talk about it.”

 

The remaining five share a worried look with each other and, without uttering a word, all of them start collecting their belongings and getting up from their sits.

 

Yoohyeon places a hand on Siyeon’s shoulder and flashes her an understanding smile. “Let’s go home, then.”

 

Siyeon couldn’t be more grateful for the amazing friends she had.

 

—

 

“Wait, so she’s that old friend you told us about?” Yubin questions, quickly connecting the dots after Siyeon explains the situation.

 

“Yeah,” Siyeon sighs, closing her eyes as she rests her head over Bora’s thighs. “That was years ago and we were drunk, how do you even remember that?”

 

Yubin shrugs. Handong clears , scratching her neck awkwardly.

 

“I probably wasn’t part of the group yet, so I think you guys are gonna have to tell me the entire story.”

 

Siyeon opens her eyes at that and Yoohyeon flashes her a worried look, but Siyeon lets her know it’s okay with an assuring nod. Handong is her friend and she deserves to know — all of them deserve to hear about it when she’s sober, not drunk and sobbing like a helpless child.

 

They’re her family, after all.

 

So Siyeon tells them. Tells them about how she met Kim Jiu at a park next to her school when she was fourteen, when she was crying on one of the swings because her dad acted like trash once again, and Jiu was the only person who stopped by and asked her if she wanted to talk about it.

 

It’s kind of funny when she thinks about it now, how the girl didn’t ask her if she was okay first, but just took a sit on the empty swing beside hers and offered her an ear. Jiu was different from everyone else she knew ever since day one.

 

Then she tells them about how much she hated the fact that they didn’t go to the same school, but that even with that obstacle, they got close and her life became brighter after the fateful day at the park. The four months they spent together were magical and, by far, the most precious memory Siyeon had of when she lived in Daegu.

 

But then, one day, Jiu disappeared from her life, leaving nothing but a small letter over the swing she used to sit on everyday.

 

I’m really sorry, Siyeonie, but I had to go. I wish I could tell you everything but it’s way too complicated. Please take care of yourself, okay? I’ll never forget you. Love, Jiu.

 

Siyeon tells them about how her life became even more miserable after her only friend left the city without a proper explanation, leaving a hopeless and worried little Siyeon behind at the empty park, holding the friendship necklace she was supposed to gift Minji that day.

 

What she doesn’t say — because there’s already a few tears falling from her eyes and because it will only make her chest ache more — is that Jiu, now Minji, was her first love.

 

It’s not like it was hard to fall for her. She was beautiful, kind, owner the prettiest smile Siyeon had ever seen and she liked her for who she was — an awkward, quiet little kid that carried way too much pain on her chest for such an young age.

 

For four months, the girl was there to hold her tight whenever her heart was broken into pieces.

 

Four four months, the girl was there to listen about her day and make it better when she had a bad one.

 

When she left, only sorrow remained.

 

Siyeon can’t even register the moment she stops talking and Bora engulfs her into a tight hug, followed by Handong and Yoohyeon, then by Gahyeon and Yubin.

 

They remain in a comfortable silence for a while until Gahyeon, who also shed some silent tears as Siyeon went through her story, decides to speak up.

 

“Even though I was young and we didn’t live together, I remember how hard that time was for you,” She sniffs, drying her eyes with the back of her hand, “But I’m glad you had her, even if it was just for a while.”

 

“Me too.” Siyeon nods tiredly, still lost in her own thoughts after digging up so many old memories that were too hard to bury in the first place. Gahyeon leans down and places a gentle kiss on the top of her sister’s head.

 

“Now all you have to do is listen to her side of the story,” Handong smiles, placing a supportive hand over Siyeon’s shoulder.

 

“I’m dying to know why she left, but I’m also…”

 

“Afraid?” Yubin completes the sentence for Siyeon.

 

“Yeah,” She sighs. “Exactly.”

 

“Let’s see things on the bright side,” Yoohyeon suddenly starts, clearing before continuing. “Now you have the chance to get a proper closure instead of just pretending that part of your life never happened. Trust me, it will be good for you.”

 

“Yoohyeon has a point,” Bora agrees. “And how crazy is it that the two of you met again after ten years in a completely different city? I don’t know much about this, but I think the universe is trying to tell you something — give you a second chance, I don’t know.”

 

“Wow,” Yoohyeon says it in an ironic tone, and Siyeon already knows that chaos is about to start. “Who would’ve known that Kim Bora is secretly a philosopher?”

 

“Kim Yoohyeon!” Bora shouts as she flashes the girl a deadly glare and, before they know, the emotional atmosphere is gone and there are pillows flying everywhere around the living room.

 

It’s two in the morning, they’re all worn out after a long day, but it’s never too late to make each other laugh — even if it was all at Bora’s expense.

 

And in the middle of their little mess, Siyeon forgets about it.

 

Even if it’s just for a while.

 

—

 

Minji is the first thing on Siyeon’s mind when she wakes up the next day.

 

It reminds Siyeon of the old days, where Jiu’s smile was the only thing she would think about as she stared at the neon stars glued on the ceiling. She wondered if her friend was already up, if she had a nice night of sleep and what cute ribbon she would be using on the top of her perfect ponytail that day.

 

Ten years. She wouldn’t have imagined she would meet her old friend again even in her wildest dreams.

 

But now that they met, that they found each other, Siyeon knows she can’t risk losing her again. Maybe Bora was right, she realizes now that her friends weren’t around to make fun of Bora’s words anymore, maybe the universe is, indeed, trying to give their friendship a second chance.

 

Maybe it was too precious to end with just a letter. Or to end, at all.

 

With that in mind, she removes her phone from behind her pillow and types a quick message to Handong.

 

siyeon

hey dongie!!! could you give me minji’s number? :)

 

—

 

“So, did you text her?”

 

Siyeon, Bora, Handong and Yoohyeon are killing time at a coffee shop next to their university. The first three are sipping on different types of coffee while silently judging Yoohyeon, who had crumbs from the strawberry cake she was having all over her face.

 

Well, at least Siyeon knows she is full on judging Yoohyeon — she can’t say the same about the other two, their fond smiles doing an amazing job at betraying their teasing words.

 

“Not yet, Dongie,” Siyeon pouts. “And I don’t know when I will.”

 

“What do you mean you don’t know when you will? You have to do it! Quickly!” Yoohyeon protests, raising her fork to Siyeon’s direction and everything, and if it wasn’t for the pink dots coloring her cheeks, Siyeon would’ve probably taken her threat seriously.

 

“It’s not because I don’t want to, silly,” Siyeon rolls her eyes. “It’s because… I don’t know, she seems busy. She studies and works at the bar late at night, wouldn’t it be a selfish to ask for some of her time?”

 

Bora drops her head on the table. Yoohyeon groans. Handong is the only one that doesn’t show an exaggerated reaction, but Siyeon doesn’t miss the quiet sigh that escapes her lips.

 

“Didn’t she says she wanted to continue the conversation?” Handong asks. Siyeon nods. “So?”

 

Siyeon is about to give them another argument, but Bora cuts her before a single word could come out of . “She’s nervous.”

 

Siyeon deflates on the chair. She hates how well Bora knows her sometimes. “I am.”

 

Handong frowns. “You didn’t sound nervous when you asked me for her number earlier.”

 

“I’m bolder when I’m sleepy, you guys should know that by now.” Siyeon pouts, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

Handong squirms on her seat and Siyeon flashes her a questioning look. The blonde tries to play it cool by taking a sip of her coffee, but Siyeon’s gaze doesn’t drift away from her face for a second.

 

“Spill.” Siyeon narrows her eyes, and Handong sighs in defeat.

 

“Okay, so, I might’ve already given your number to Minji. Even before you asked me hers,” She smiles sheepishly, and Siyeon’s mouth falls.

 

“That means she can, like, text me anytime?” Siyeon laughs nervously, and she can sense Yoohyeon and Bora holding their laughs from their seats.

 

“Yes,” Handong bites her lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, I didn’t want you to get too anxious about it.”

 

Siyeon breathes in and offers Handong a gentle smile. It’s impossible not to be soft for Handong. “It’s okay, Dongie.”

 

“It’s okay, Dongie,” Bora mimics in a childish voice. “If it was me or Yoohyeon we would be dead by now.”

 

“Well, would you ever get mad at such a pretty face?” Siyeon questions while squeezing Handong’s cheeks with both of her hands. The chinese girl is clearly uncomfortable, but she doesn’t budge.

 

Bora opens to protest, but nothing but a defeated sigh comes out. “You have a point.”

 

Siyeon is ready to give Bora a nonchalant speech about how she always have a point, but then her phone vibrates and the words die on her tongue.

 

(She almost lets her coffee fall on the floor, too. But the shock from the sudden notification is so big that she doesn’t even notice.)

 

She grabs her phone in such an ungracious that it almost slips from her fingers, but she manages to keep it in place while holding it with both of her hands.

 

“Siyeon, you’re going to break your phone like that,” Bora hisses, hitting the blue haired woman’s shoulder. It only makes Siyeon lose balance again.

 

“If I don’t hold it tightly I’m gonna drop it,” She hisses back. “Will you buy me another one if that happens? Huh? Will you?”

 

“Jesus christ, just check the damn message already,” Yoohyeon says tiredly, bending her body to the side so she can rest her head on Handong’s shoulder. The older one can only pat her girlfriend’s hair in response.

 

Siyeon curses under her breath and finally unlocks her phone, fighting back a scream when she notices the message came, indeed, from Minji’s number.

 

kim minji

hey, it’s minji!

i asked handong for your number, i hope you don’t mind :))

 

“You don’t mind, right, Siyeon?” Bora teases, and Siyeon pulls her phone away from her friend’s field of vision.

 

siyeon

hey! and no it’s fine :)

 

kim minji

cool! so uh, about the other day…

i was wondering if we could meet tomorrow?

i don’t have work and my only class got cancelled, so…

only if you’re free, of course!!

 

Siyeon wants to smile at Minji’s cuteness, but she’d rather die than give her friends another reason to for the entire day.

 

siyeon

tomorrow sounds great!

where can we meet?

 

kim minji

there’s this new coffee shop next to my house...

[address attached]

but if it’s too far away for you we can always find another place!!

 

Siyeon fights back another smile. She’s still as considerate as when they were younger. It makes Siyeon curious about what else didn’t change about her in ten years.

 

siyeon

no it’s okay! we can meet at this coffee shop!

 

kim minji

cool!!

see you tomorrow singnie :)

 

Siyeon gasps at the use of her old nickname, the one Jiu— Minji gave her right when they first met. It fills her with warmth, but at the same time it hits her heart with a pang of nostalgy.

 

She knows why it hurts — it’s because she missed it.

 

But after moving to Seoul, after so many years of suppressing any memory she had from hometown, she didn’t notice. At least not until now.

 

siyeon

see you tomorrow, jiu

 

—

 

Siyeon barely takes a sip of Bora’s milkshake before she dashes out of class, running towards the parking lot with her backpack almost slipping from her shoulder. She unlocks her car and throws herself in, yelping in pain as she ungracefully hits her hand against the steering wheel.

 

She checks the time on her phone for the nth time that afternoon. 3PM. She has to hurry if she wants to get to the place she agreed to meet with Minji in time. Still hissing, she presses play on her driving playlist, starts the car and finally heads towards her destination.

 

It will take at least forty minutes for Siyeon to get to the coffee shop, and although she’s exhausted after a day full of tiring classes, she knows it will be worth it.

 

She stops at a red light and rests her head against the window, humming to the slow song that just came on shuffle. She taps her fingers on the glass, completely absorbed in the melody filling the car.

 

It doesn’t take too long for her mind to drift back to the purple haired woman she was about to meet.

 

She thinks about the messages they exchanged and sinks on her seat, biting her lips to contain a smile, even though she’s completely alone and no one is going to make fun of her for it.

 

She also remembers what Bora told her this morning, when the realization that she was about to have a real conversation with her oldest friend hit her way too hard in the face after drinking two cups of black coffee.

 

“Don’t you think she’s nervous too?” Bora reasoned, stopping Siyeon from ordering yet another cup of coffee before she dies from a heart attack, “She’s in the same situation as you, and even though we don’t know why she left, the fact that she found you after so many years is probably ing her up too.”

 

Bora was right. Minji’s mind is probably a mess too — heck, maybe she’s having it worse than Siyeon, considering how much explanation the woman will have to do today. And even though she’s not fond of the thought of Minji having a hard time at all, she knew they would be there to listen, to heal, for each other, even if it was just for one afternoon.

 

After so many years apart, so many doubts, so much pain, she knows that’s exactly what they need — what they deserve.

 

The light turns green. Siyeon composes herself, checks the time once again, and drives.

 

—

 

Siyeon gets there after forty five minutes.

 

She admires the entrance for a while, taking in the yellow and pink flowers giving life to the edges of the windows, and if she didn’t know, she would have mistaken the place for a flower shop instead of a coffee one.

 

She checks her reflection in the glass, fixing her hair and her cardigan before finally pushing the door, hearing the bells ringing above her head as her heart starts to race.

 

Siyeon narrows her eyes as she scans the place for bright purple hair, until she finds it in a table hidden at the very back, right next to a window. She gulps and takes a deep breath as she takes slow steps towards the woman. It’s time.

 

Minji seems to notice her presence as she walks, turning around and flashing her a smile that almost has Siyeon freezing in her tracks.

 

Minji is just so, so beautiful. Painfully so.

 

Siyeon used to think Jiu was the prettiest girl she had ever seen, but nothing in the world would be able to prepare her for Minji.

 

That’s one of the reasons why she should’ve known, back then when they met again at the bar without knowing who each other were.

 

Her beauty, her smile, her aura — they were unmatched.

 

Siyeon returns the smile, as naturally as she can, and takes a sit in front of the woman she couldn’t stop thinking about from the moment she woke up.

 

“Hi.”

 

“Hi.”

 

Minji chuckles at their awkward greeting, and even though Siyeon could feel the nervousness in her laugh, she couldn’t help but to be mesmerized by the sound.

 

At the same time, a waitress comes to their table to take their orders. Minji goes for a cappuccino while Siyeon settles for a caramel macchiato, afraid Bora would read her mind and kill her if she had more black coffee that day. The waitress excuses herself and they find themselves staring at each other in an awkward silence, which Minji decides to break.

 

“So,” She looks down, playing with her fingers. Siyeon finds it adorable. “I’m sorry about the other day. About leaving, I mean.”

 

“No, you don’t have to apologize for that,” Siyeon’s voice raises sightly as she shakes her hands. “It’s your job. There was nothing you could do.”

 

“Still,” Minji winces. “I could’ve talked to you another day, outside of work, and not just drop a bomb at your lap and leave.”

 

“It’s okay, Minji,” Siyeon laughs, trying her best to assure the woman. “We’re here now, aren’t we?”

 

Minji finally looks up and her lips curl up in a smile. Siyeon takes it as a win. “Yes,” She hesitates for a while, then continues. “And I like it.”

 

Siyeon frowns. “What?”

 

“The way you say Minji. It’s the first time you call me by my name.”

 

Siyeon is at a loss for words, realizing that it is, indeed, the first time the name comes out of .

 

She likes it, too. She likes it a lot.

 

“It’s a beautiful name,” She says after a while, smiling back at the woman in front of her. It sends chills down her spine when their eyes meet again.

 

Minji nods, and before she can continue the conversation, the waitress returns with their drinks. They thank the woman and take their cups, taking small sips before putting them down.

 

The purple haired woman squirms on her seat, and Siyeon looks expectantly at her. She can see Minji is having a hard time finding the right words to say and, without giving it a second thought, she places her hand above Minji’s cold ones.

 

Minji looks up at Siyeon with her big brown eyes shining with shock and something else Siyeon can’t figure out what is, and she almost regrets her decision. But then Minji lets out a relieved sigh, her other hand landing delicately above hers, and she realizes she did the right thing.

 

“I don’t know how to start this but— I can’t believe it’s really you,” Minji squeezes her hand, a small laugh escaping her lips as she shakes her head in disbelief. “You’re really here.”

 

Siyeon laughs too, but she can already feel herself becoming emotional because of where this conversation is heading. And if the way Minji doesn’t dare to look away from her eyes means anything, the woman isn’t much different from herself.

 

“Trust me, it’s hard to me to believe it too,” Siyeon confesses, looking down for a second before finding Minji’s gaze again. “I missed you a lot, back then.”

 

Siyeon feels Minji’s hand become tense after her confession. The woman looks outside and bites her lips. “I missed you too. I’m sorry I—“ A shaky breath escapes her lips. “I’m sorry I left like that.”

 

Siyeon knows Minji has more to say, so she gives her hand a squeeze to let her know she’s here, and that she’s ready to listen.

 

Minji finds her eyes again, and when Siyeon offers her a gentle smile and nods with her head, she takes a deep breath and starts talking.

 

“I didn’t tell you much about my parents back then, but they were very rich. I spent my entire life thinking it was because they worked hard, and considering how me and my sister barely saw them because they were always busy with work, it wasn’t really that hard to believe. But it turns out they only had money because they took it from innocent people. Basically, they were scams,” Minji laughs bitterly. “One day, while and my sister were still asleep, some guys broke into our house and started breaking everything. They ran away before the police got there, but when they did, they took my parents away with them.”

 

The more Minji talked, the darker her eyes became. It made Siyeon’s heart hurt, and as much as she wanted to say or do something to comfort her, she knew she had to listen to the story until the end.

 

“My aunt came a few hours later to take me and my sister to Seoul with her. I asked her for a piece of paper in the car, and that’s how I wrote you that letter,” Minji looks up, trying to stop any tears from falling. It doesn’t work for long, and soon her cheeks start to become wet. “We stopped by the park and I left it there. I remember being so frustrated— not only because I didn’t want to say goodbye to you like that, but because even though I wanted to, I couldn’t say much either. My mind just wasn’t working.”

 

At the sound of Minji’s first sob, Siyeon gets up from her seat and joins the woman at the other side, engulfing her in a tight hug without thinking twice. It’s only then that Siyeon realizes she started crying too, and she allows herself to rest her head on top of Minji’s as the woman buries her face at the curve of her neck.

 

Siyeon runs her hands up and down Minji’s back, heart breaking into a million pieces everytime the woman sniffles, and suddenly it feels like she’s fifteen all over again. Except, this time, she’s not the one being held.

 

It feels good to be able to take care of Minji after everything she did for her years ago.

 

“It’s okay,” Siyeon whispers to Minji, and she has to stop herself from pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s okay.”

 

Minji’s tears stop falling eventually, her breath becoming calm again, but she doesn’t let go of Siyeon. Siyeon doesn’t mind one bit.

 

“That’s basically it. That’s why I left, and how I ended up here.” Minji concludes.

 

Siyeon nods, slowly taking all the new information in.

 

She spent part of her teenage years wondering about what happened to her friend before she buried everything at the back of her head, but now that she’s here, with Minji, and knows the truth, she finds herself stuck into a hurricane of emotions — she’s relieved now that she knows, now that she heard it all from Minji’s mouth, but at the same time her heart can’t help but to be filled with pain because of what happened to her old friend.

 

She thinks about the bright little girl she loved feeling lost and helpless because of the harsh way her life turned upside down, and the thought alone is enough to make her feel sick to her stomach.

 

She fights back the tears and takes a deep breath, taking in Minji’s strawberry perfume before pulling away slightly, only to be able to look into her eyes. Siyeon takes in Minji’s red cheeks, puffed eyes and slightly disheveled hair and she wants to curse out loud because, even like this, she still makes her heart beat faster because of how ethereal she looks.

 

Minji looks away, slightly tilting her head to the side, and it’s only then that Siyeon notices she’s been staring for longer than she should. She blushes, a nervous giggle leaving her lips as she scratches her neck.

 

“So, are you going to say anything?” Minji teases, and Siyeon finally snaps back to reality.

 

“I’m really sorry all of this happened to you,” Siyeon’s tone is serious, but gentle at the same time. “I wondered a lot about what happened to you, but somehow this never crossed my mind.”

 

Minji nods, understanding. “I thought everyone in Daegu would be talking about what happened, but my aunt said the police covered the case pretty well.”

 

A comfortable silence falls between them after that. Siyeon doesn’t dare to break it, opting for resting her chin on her palm as she mindlessly admires the woman sitting beside her. Minji is too busy gathering her thoughts to pay attention to whatever Siyeon is doing, anyway. It’s a win-win situation.

 

I should probably go back to my sit now, Siyeon realizes as she stares at her forgotten coffee at the other side of the table, but when she tries to move, Minji wraps her fingers around her wrist. Siyeon blinks slowly, completely dumbfounded, and Minji giggles behind her fist.

 

“Stay,” She asks quietly, sending goosebumps down Siyeon’s spine. “I don’t mind.”

 

“Okay,” Siyeon breathes out, trying not to make it obvious how the butterflies had found their way back to her stomach after a long time. “I’ll stay.”

 

Minji smiles, so big that her eyes curl up and disappear into shiny crescents, and it’s impossible for Siyeon not to follow her.

 

Siyeon wishes she had a camera to register that moment — Minji smiling as her eyes stare back at hers with a glint of nostalgia, but with undeniable happiness and relief shining on them.

 

Siyeon is proud of Minji. She’s burning with pride because even though she knew more than anyone how painful scratching old wounds could be, Minji did it without giving it a second thought — because she trusted her, and just like Siyeon, she believed their friendship was worth fighting for, even now that they were no longer just two messed up teenagers against the world.

 

Siyeon squeezes Minji’s hand as if she was trying to let the woman know, for the second time that day, that she wasn’t going anywhere — she was going to stay.

 

Minji’s squeezes it back, caressing her skin with the tip of her fingers. Siyeon breaks into another smile, and takes it as an answer.

 

They leave after paying for their drinks, laughing at the fact that they paid for something they barely touched, both too immersed in each other’s company to remember about the lonely cups sitting at the table.

 

It’s already dark outside when they step foot outside of the coffee shop, and Siyeon frowns when she takes a look at the time. It was barely 6PM, but the dark clouds taking over the sky made it look like it was past midnight.

 

She’s about to comment on the unexpected weather when she notices Minji is shivering beside her, holding her arms around her torso in an attempt to bring her some warmth to her cold body. Fondness spreads over her as she watches the scene, removing her cardigan and placing it safely over Minji’s shoulders.

 

Minji is taken aback for a moment, staring at Siyeon with wide eyes as she shakes her hands dismissively. “No, it’s okay, I swear I’m not that cold.”

 

She motions to remove the piece and give it back to Siyeon, but the younger girl doesn’t let her, keeping the cardigan in the same place she put it with both of her hands. “Keep it. I don’t want you to get sick.”

 

Minji is about to protest again, but then a strong wind hits her face and she decides to drop it. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem,” Siyeon plays it cool, but inside she’s screaming at how cute Minji looks with her clothes and how the sight alone is enough to send a wave of warmth to every inch of her body. She even forgets it’s cold for a while.

 

She’s so lost in her feelings that she doesn’t notice the way Minji is staring at her with a playful glint in her eyes, only coming back to her senses when the woman decides to speak up again.

 

“Look at you,” Minji starts, voice filled with amusement, “You grew up to be such a gentlewoman.”

 

Siyeon snorts, trying to fight back a smile at the compliment. “I’ve always been a gentlewoman, haven’t I?”

 

Minji pretends to think hard about it, and Siyeon watches her expectantly. “Not really. You were too cute and too shy for that back then.”

 

Siyeon scoffs, placing a hand over her chest as she pretends to be offended by Minji’s words. “You mean I’m no longer cute?”

 

Minji bites her lips, her bright eyes exposing how much she was enjoying their fake banter. “You’re still cute,” She confesses, having way too much fun with the way Siyeon blushes at her words, “But now you’re cool too.”

 

Siyeon chokes at Minji’s words, looking away for her heart’s sake as she clears awkwardly. “T-Thanks.”

 

“Did you just stutter?”

 

“I didn’t!”

 

“You totally did!”

 

The discussion goes on, until the two of them are cackling so hard on the sidewalk that other people start to eye them like they have gone insane. It only makes them laugh harder.

 

Suddenly, it feels like all of those years never passed — like they were still Siyeon and Jiu, not bothering about coming back home after class, laughing at some stupid joke in an abandoned, quiet park.

 

“I’m really glad we found each other again,” Minji confesses in a small voice when the laughter dies down, and the fluttery, floaty feeling takes over Siyeon’s senses once again, stronger this time.

 

“Me too, Minji,” She sighs contently. “Me too.”

 

—

 

Siyeon finds it weird when she comes back to a peaceful apartment, frowning deeply as she doesn’t find a single sight of her friends in any of the rooms.

 

No, they don’t live together, but ever since Siyeon disappeared for twenty four hours after a party and had all of the girls worrying sick about her, they decided that having a copy of each other’s keys was extremely necessary.

 

“What the ? I didn’t disappear”, Siyeon had tried to reason as she opened the door for her exasperated friends that fateful day, “I was sleeping!”

 

As expected, they didn’t care about whatever she had to say, and now they had free access to get into her apartment whenever they felt like it — which was, for the lack of a stronger word, very often.

 

Siyeon shrugs and throws herself on the couch, not wasting a second before checking their group chat.

 

dongie

we’re not coming over today

and by we i mean me yoohyeon and bora

sorry :((

 

stupid

why are you apologizing? she’ll love not having us around

 

dongie

yoohyeon!!!!

 

stupid

sorry :<

 

tiny devil

these two...

anyways, let us know how it went later siyeonie :)

 

tiny devil but make it lee

we want the details!!

 

yub

don’t hide anything from us

 

Siyeon goes from suspicious, to amused, to excited as she reads all the messages her friends sent her. She wonders what the hell Handong, Yoohyeon and Bora could possibly be up to, and at the same time she can’t wait to gather all of them and tell them about how everything went well, perfectly even, with Minji.

 

siyeon

i’ll tell you guys everything tomorrow

for now, let’s just say bora was right about something for once :)

 

—

 

When Siyeon arrives at their usual meeting place the next day, the first thing she notices is that Bora isn’t at her usual sit, but between Yoohyeon and Handong — absolutely weird, Siyeon thinks, but doesn’t dare to utter a word — and that Gahyeon and Yubin, for once, decided to join them.

 

Gahyeon seems to read her sister’s mind and decides to be the first one to speak up. “There was no way we would miss your story time. Now spill, we don’t have much time before our first class.”

 

Siyeon eyes her suspiciously, but then giddiness takes over her as her mind goes back to the events of the previous day, and she decides to save the Gahyeon and Yubin are obviously fooling around with each other subject for another occasion.

 

The words fall out of with ease, a clear contrast to the previous days where she would think a thousand times before bringing up anything that had to do with Minji and her past, but now she finally felt free. All of the wounds she had to open were finally beginning to heal.

 

Her friends are staring at her with nothing but pure happiness in their eyes, even Bora and Yoohyeon who always had a snarky remark at the tip of their tongues were genuinely glad and listened to everything she had to say until the very end, and Siyeon felt like she could explode from pure joy at any moment.

 

“I’m so glad everything turned out fine,” Gahyeon cooes, squeezing Siyeon’s cheeks and engulfing her sister in a tight hug. Handong joins them from the other side, patting Siyeon’s head affectionately.

 

Siyeon almost forgets she’s older than the both of them for a second.

 

“I’m really happy for you, Siyeon,” Yubin leans over the table and gives her shoulder a squeeze. Siyeon flashes her a grateful smile.

 

“See, I told you she was going through the same as you!” Bora exclaims excitedly, the cake chocolate she was sharing with Yoohyeon long forgotten in front of them.

 

“She’s gonna brag about being right for a whole month,” Yoohyeon mutters under her breath, but Bora hears it and wastes no time before slapping the younger’s arm. Yoohyeon sinks on her sit and winces — way too dramatically — in pain.

 

Siyeon can’t help but chuckle at the scene, too happy to be able to fight back a laugh her friend’s usual bickering. She doesn’t miss the way Handong stares at them with something different shining in her eyes, a fondness that Siyeon wonders if it’s new or if it has always been there and she was too dumb to notice.

 

For Yoohyeon, yes, Siyeon thinks, and she has no doubt about that. Handong had always been a fool for the taller girl. But for Bora…

 

Siyeon shakes her head, bringing herself back to the real world. Maybe the entire Gahyeon and Yubin thing made her look way too hard into things that probably didn’t mean anything.

 

“Aren’t you going to order anything?” Bora asks, and it’s only then that Siyeon realizes that the topic already changed. Bora raises a threatening finger to her face. “No black coffee this time, miss Lee.”

 

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter