Summary: Minju confessed her feelings for her first love, only to face rejection. Her childhood best friend, Yujin, helps her move on.

Word Count: 4033

Hashtag: #JinjooFiesta_LoveBeginsWith

Love Begins with a Confession

How exactly would you define your first love? For graduating college student Kim Minju, it was not a hard question to answer. Whenever she was asked to describe her first love, all she would say is “Kim Chaewon”. 

The two met on the first year of college. Chaewon was one of the few hundred transferees in Produce University. One of the best performing arts universities in Korea that offers various majors for those students interested in becoming an idol. 

Prior to their meeting, Minju never felt any affection towards others. She was known to be very shy so she was not friends with a lot of people. The only person she was actually close to was her childhood best friend, Ahn Yujin.

Minju, along with Yujin, is taking dance as her major while Chaewon is taking vocal as hers. There were classes where both dance and vocal majors have to be in the same room, and coincidentally, Minju sat beside Chaewon that day. They introduced themselves and immediately found similar interests.

“Would you like to join us for lunch?” Minju asked Chaewon. Minju rarely asks people to join the two of them for lunch, so this surprised Yujin, who was sitting on her other side.

“Uh, yeah. Sure, if that’s alright with you two.” Chaewon replied. Minju looked over to Yujin, as if asking for approval. Yujin just smiled and nodded.

A few weeks of eating lunch with Chaewon every single day, Minju confessed to Yujin that she might be developing feelings for the transferee. Yujin knew that Minju wasn’t straight, but this is the first time she talked about having a crush on someone else. 

Though it might have been a very big change for Minju, it was bad news for Yujin. Almost everybody in the school, Minju excluded, knew that Yujin has a crush for Minju ever since elementary school. She was too shy to confess her feelings, and now she probably wouldn’t be able to after hearing the news of her childhood best friend’s little crush.

Yujin thought Minju’s feelings for the other will fade as time passes by but she was wrong. Years passed, and her best friend’s feelings just grew and grew for the vocal major. 

The two started going out on their own without Yujin. Minju knew Yujin would understand because she knew about her feelings, but the former did not know that Yujin had been hiding her feelings as well. Yujin did nothing to stop her, she thought that letting her friend hang out with the other would be the only way to keep her happy.

Until a few weeks before their graduation rites, Minju told Yujin that she would finally be confessing her feelings to Chaewon after four years of their friendship.

“Are you sure about that?” Yujin asked, in a careful manner. She didn’t want to hurt her friend so she’s trying her best in being careful with her words.

The other, who didn’t seem to notice, answered, “Yup. I’m sure about this. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, you know. I’m prepared for the worst case scenario.”

“When are you planning on confessing?” Yujin asked. If she’s planning on confessing on graduation day, she might just have enough time to convince her in changing her mind.

“I’ll do it tomorrow.” Minju answered with a wide grin, and Yujin almost choked on her own saliva.

“That fast!?” Yujin exclaimed.

“It’s not that fast.” Minju rolled her eyes. “I’ve been chasing after her for four years, don’t you think it’s time for a confession?”

“Y-yeah, right.” Yujin stuttered, finding it hard to find words to say.

“Plus, I read once that love begins with a confession, and I kind of agree. If I don’t confess now, I might regret it later. The reason why I’m doing it a few weeks before graduation, is because I want to see her a bit more after telling her how I feel, you get me?” Minju said, before laying on her bed. Yujin could only nod, still trying to find the right words. 

“Also, if she happens to like me back, then I’d still have a few weeks to spend time with her. If she didn’t, then that’s where you’ll come in.” Minju continued, pointing her finger at her childhood friend.

“Me?” Yujin asked, surprised. “What do I have to do with this?”

“You’ll help me get over her.” Minju grinned.

“Wow, you really planned all this beforehand, huh?” Yujin replied, amused with her friend’s positive outlook regarding the confession.

“Of course. You know I never enter a war without preparations, right?” Minju asked, to which Yujin just nodded.

“Speaking of preparations, I wrote this letter for her. Would you mind reading this for me? I wanted to know if this is enough for a confession letter.” Minju handed Yujin a folded pink stationary.

Yujin reluctantly took the letter from her Minju’s hands. ‘Isn’t life too harsh on me?’ Yujin thought to herself. She had been hiding her feelings from her friend for years, only to find out that the other fell for a transferee, and now, she even has to read the confession letter.

Yujin sighed, which earned her a raised eyebrow from Minju. She just ignored the older and slowly opened the neatly folded letter.

While reading the letter, Yujin can feel Minju staring at her with anticipation. When she finished reading, she folded the letter as neatly as how the other handed it to her.

“How was it?” Minju asked, eyes full of excitement and nervousness.

“This will do.” Yujin answered half-heartedly. “You really plan on doing this as soon as tomorrow?” She asked, hoping she could at least delay the confession to give herself some time to think.

“Why, is tomorrow really that soon?” Minju raised her eyebrows at the younger.

Yujin wanted to tell the other that she should at least postpone it until next week, but she figured it would be too selfish on her part. ‘It was your fault you hid your feelings for so long, you don’t have the right to stop her from confessing to Chaewon.’ She thought to herself.

“No. It’s up to you.” Yujin replied, her eyes searching the room for distraction in order to avoid eye contact with the older, and maybe even escape the room.

Her eyes landed on her phone on Minju’s bed, so she immediately grabbed it and thought of an excuse.

“I forgot I have to accompany my mom to the hospital today, so I’ll get going.” She said.

“I thought her appointment is not until Friday? It’s only Tuesday now, isn’t it?” The older asked, confused. 

“W-well, yeah. Her schedule changed. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Yujin hurriedly grabbed all her things and left the room.

Once she was far enough, she sighed in relief but started hitting herself on the head.

‘Stupid’, she thought, ‘I really am a bad liar.’

She went home, and immediately went to her room after giving her mom a kiss on the cheek.

She laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she remembers the words written on Minju’s confession letter.

I never understood what love was really like, but I felt it for the first time looking in your eyes.

I’m glad it was you, and I’m hoping it would stay like that forever.

I’m not sure how today will end, but I’m sure I would be relieved to know that I’ve finally told you what I have been hiding for so long.

These lines are just a few from the long letter the older had written for her crush. Words from the letter kept spinning around Yujin’s mind the entire night, giving her a hard time sleeping.

And when she did sleep, it was a restless one.

♫

“Yujin-ah, you’re still sleeping? I thought you already left. Aren’t you going to school today?” Yujin’s mom woke her up.

“Huh?” Yujin looked around confused, before checking the time at her phone. It’s already 7:24, and her first class starts at 7 am, and it takes her 30 minutes to arrive at school.

She immediately rushed out of bed, washed her face, brushed her teeth and her hair, put on her uniform, before putting on her shoes and leaving the house. The bus arrives at 15 minute intervals, and fortunately, it was 7:42 by the time she reached the bus stop, meaning she doesn’t have to wait long for the 7:45 bus to arrive.

She cursed under her breath. She barely gets late at school unless for valid reasons, and the thought that she’d walk in the room with a late slip on her hands for unexcused late annoys her more than she had expected.

Thankfully, the bus arrived on time, with only a few people on board so she was able to sit at the far end of the bus. She relaxed as the 30-minute ride for her school starts, looking at the window while she hugs her bag.

After a few minutes, she decided to check her phone for messages. She received a message from her mom, saying she forgot her lunch bag at home, telling her just to buy food at the school cafeteria. She sent a quick reply to her mom, before checking the other messages.

There were some from the class’ group chat, with their class president reminding them the assignments and projects to be submitted within the week and the next. 

And then, there is the most recent text. From her childhood friend, Minju.