"I like you," Minjoo repeats it again, shuddering as she inhales deeply, yet her voice sounds steadier and clearer compared to her first confession. "I like you a lot. I like you too much, Tomi. I like you too much that I don't think it's platonic anymore."

"Minjoo," Hitomi tries to say, but Minjoo clasps her hand together as if pleading. It effectively stops Hitomi from talking. "Please," she pleads, when Hitomi tries to resume speaking, "let me finish this, alright?"

Hitomi is reluctant, but she closes , nodding after she lets out a breath.

"Thank you," Minjoo smiles sadly. "I think I've--known this for a while. Maybe since that day we crossdressed. Or maybe even before! But I always denied it, thinking it might be because it's some petty platonic jealousy because I'm not used to you being showered in affections that didn't come from me."

"But when I saw how Chaewon unnie kissed you. I swear I almost punched Chaewon unnie."

"And it's just holy , I like you. Not Chaewon unnie. I like you. And it scares me."

"Because we've been best friends for more than half of our lives. Sure, we had our fights, but this time it's different, Tomi. This will definitely change things. I like you so much that it hurts to see you being all lovey-dovey with someone else. It scares me how it will change how I will act towards you. You know how I can't hide my feelings well, don't you?"

Hitomi nods, smiling faintly when Minjoo does so herself.

"You said that there shouldn't be any secrets between the two of us."

"So I told you. I like you."

There's a tense silence following that confession, a silence that Hitomi reluctantly has to end with a remorseful apology. She is sorry, but what's more to be said? "I'm sorry," she finally says after that torturous silence, exhaling deeply as she does it. She opens to add something else, yet words seem to fail on her tongue, and Minjoo catches it wrongly.

"No, it's alright," Minjoo sighs deeply, looking awfully dejected and sad as she runs her hand through her hair. "It's expected, you know? You like Chaewon unnie, so you must have liked her back, even just a little, to be her girlfriend after just a date."

"Min, listen to me," Hitomi tries to interrupt to no avail.

Yet Minjoo doesn't listen. She doesn't seem to hear it, frankly speaking. "Wow," Minjoo shudders out a pitiful laugh. "It's not enough that my ex-crush likes my best friend instead of me, and then somehow I like my own best friend, who is now dating my ex-crush? Geez, my love life ."

"But well, at least you're happy with Chaewon unnie, Tomi," she earnestly says, again with that sad smile on her face and eyes that looks too tearful for Hitomi's liking. "You two look good. She's cute, you're cuter. You two make a good couple."

And Minjoo is about to add something else, maybe a joke about how pitiful her love life is again, or something else; but Hitomi stops it, not wanting to hear any of it, and surges forward to silence her best friend with a method she knows best.

A sharp gasp escapes Minjoo's lips as Hitomi grabs her collar, pulling her closer until her lips crashed to Hitomi's lips. It was just a meeting between lips to lips at first, but then Hitomi starts moving her lips, then boldly snakes her hand to Minjoo's nape, inviting her further into the dance she enacted. 

Minjoo's lashes flutter shut. She melts, surrendering herself to Hitomi's tune, tilting her head gently to the side to deepen their kiss, with her heart hammering against her ribcage and blood pounding on her ears. She embraces Hitomi, coiling her arms around the other girl's smaller frame, and just loses herself in Hitomi until their lungs burn in extortion, seeking oxygen they badly need after that breathless encounter.

This time, the silence between them is welcomed. Both are still catching their breath, eyes still wandering away in wonder, thinking about what just transpired between them.

Hitomi once again breaks the silence. "Min, you don't let me say anything," Hitomi whispers against her lips, with her arms still lazily around Minjoo's shoulder, her forehead resting against Minjoo and herself on the taller girl's lap. 

"That's," Minjoo hastily pulls away from Hitomi, a guilty expression on her face. Her face is entirely flushed, and she is still trying to control the rhythm of her breathing, much like what Hitomi is doing. "That is cheating. Both in this whole silencing me up context and you're dating Chaewon-unnie context."

Hitomi resists the urge to smirk. "Because you don't let me finish, and this is how Chaewon unnie shuts me up whenever I talk about you too much. I'd say it's--" She freezes. "Min, I'm sorry."

"No, it's--" Wait, what did she say again? "You talked about me when you were with her?"

Hitomi almost smiled hearing the childlike amusement and disbelief lacing her question. "I know it's a move but," Hitomi bites her lips, looking away, hoping it will stop herself from smiling and her cheeks from blushing. "My life basically revolves around you, you know? I can't remember my life without you. Isn't it normal for me to talk about something that's been in my life?"

"...don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"You talk as if I have a chance," Minjoo points out, smiling sadly. "As if you like me back."

"I do like you, Min." Hitomi nearly cries out, "But I'm just... I'm not sure if my feelings for you are entirely platonic or if they are something more."

"Because since forever, you hold a special place in my heart. You're special, but I don't know how do I categorize that special as platonic, romantic, or something else altogether. I just know my feelings for you are special and that's that--please don't cry..."

"I can't help it," sobs Minjoo, again while wiping the stream of tears flowing down her eyes with her sleeves angrily. What are these tears? Minjoo doesn't know. Is it sadness, is it happiness? Or is it just a confusing mix of the two? "This , you know? It's worse than the time when I knew Chaewon unnie liked you instead of me." 

"I'm sorry," Hitomi tells her again, guiltily. "Minjoo... it's not that I don't... um... can you... give me two weeks to think about it?"

"...two weeks?"

Hitomi takes a deep breath. She looks down, her gaze fixated on her hands, playing with the fabric of her skirt. "It's true that I said yes to Chaewon unnie, but that doesn't mean I like her that way yet. As a friend, yes, I like her a lot, but more than that? I'm not sure." She forces out a burst of laughter, then embarrassedly ruffles her own hair until it's a mess. "That's why I agreed. She wanted a chance. So I gave Chaewon unnie a chance. For two weeks. If in two weeks my feelings for her didn't change, it's the end of us."

"You'll hurt Chaewon unnie."

"She wanted me to give her a chance, Min," Hitomi stubbornly says. "I gave her that."

"You'll end up hurting her, Tomi," Minjoo emphasized again. "That's not right."

"But she agreed anyways," retorts Hitomi, eyes narrowing when Minjoo snorts and looks away as if disappointed. "What I'm saying is... two weeks, Min. Give me two weeks to properly sort out my feelings. For her and for you." She takes Minjoo's hand, forcing the taller girl to look at her in the eyes. "I know it's selfish of me but I'm sorry, you'll have to wait for me to properly reject you or accept you."

"Two weeks feels too long," Minjoo admits, shaking her head. "God, why do I have to realize this when you're already taken."

Hitomi smiles, repeating Minjoo's words few hours prior: "The heart wants what it wants," and smiles wider when Minjoo snorts and looks away, this time with a small smile tugging on her lips. "I'm sorry I have to put you through this, Min... You deserve better. Chaewon unnie too. You both deserve better than someone like me."

"What are you saying? You're that someone better," the taller girl assures her, "It's alright, Tomi. I can do that. I'll wait for you. In the meantime, let's just act nothing happened between us. Play it off as if I was just disappointed because you didn't tell me first. You know how dramatic I am."

"If that's okay for you then it's okay for me." Hitomi nods. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing," Minjoo smiles. It still has that tinge of sadness, but it looks more genuine compared to her smiles before this. "I like you, okay? It's on me, not on you. Don't beat yourself about it even if you ended up not accepting my confession." And as if to prove her point, Minjoo opens her arm, then warmly welcomes Hitomi there, wrapped in her arms. "I promise, it'll still be okay. I'll still be your best friend."

"And I'll still be your best friend, too," Hitomi whispers, promises, to her, hugging her tightly, and is reluctant to let go.

"Now, how do we escape this room?"