“Are you crying?”

Her eyes were puffy and red, was dry and her head aching from the number of tears she had shed. The little girl, Minjoo, had black hair, eyes were filled with hopes, she looked up. The day had turned to night, and the cold winter breeze had turned to snow. In front of her was a younger female, her eyes filled with playfulness, a wide smile that showed her teeth and her eyes had turned into small crescents. The unknown girl sat down on the empty swing set next to the crying girl, Minjoo roughly wiping away her tears. 

 

“W-Where are your parents?” Minjoo questioned as she stared at the younger girl curiously. 
“My parents?” the little girl’s lips pursed in as she seemed to be in deep thought, letting out a soft laugh, she stared at the female with her lips curled into another bright smile. “They’re busy working! So I decided to sneak out and play. Then I heard someone crying, so I had to check what was wrong.” 

 

Minjoo looked down at her feet, her lips pursing in as she let out a deep sigh. 

 

“So… today is my birthday right?” 
“Ah, is it really? Happy birthday!” the younger girl claimed, Minjoo looked at them a bit startled and taken back, she had never met someone with so much energy. 
“Well, today is my birthday and my parents invited everyone in my class to come over to celebrate… but no one came. We just moved here because my dad got a new job and…” 
“And so you don’t have friends?” 

 

Minjoo responded by giving the girl a short and small unconfident nod. Her hands were now resting on her lap. 

 

“Well! We can change that!” Yujin responded, a bright smile formed on her lips as she stepped off of her swing. Now, she was standing in front of Minjoo, and she extended a hand out to the older female. “Ahn Yujin! Four-years-old and now your new best friend! Nice to meet you!” 
“Kim Minjoo… six-years-old.” 
“Nice to meet you, Minjoo-unnie!”
 

From then on, the two were inseparable. If Minjoo went to the library after class, she would find Yujin there. Most of the time, the two would find themselves in the park, playing tag, hide-and-seek, or sometimes Minjoo would take a book from the library and read it to Yujin. Yujin was her best friend. 

 

Six months had passed just like that. Minjoo’s days where she was a shy child with no friends in a new area of Seoul was now filled with endless days of fun. Yujin was always an adventurous and brave friend. She could see the amount of confidence that Yujin had in herself, if one were to compare them to each other, they would definitely be seen as opposite from each other. Yujin had always been a happy girl, steaming with self-confidence and showing herself off to the other girl, trying to impress them whether it be trying to scare off an off-the-leash dog, or reading a scary story and pretending she was brave. 

 

The two sat down in the playground where they met, Minjoo looked over at Yujin who was coloring on the ground. She looked over at Yujin, giving them a soft nudge as she stared at them. 

 

“Yujin, when is your birthday?” 
“My birthday?” 
“Well, as best friends, I should get you a birthday present, right? And the year is almost over, so I figured your birthday should be soon!” Minjoo questioned as she placed her chalk down, her focus fully on the younger. She saw the younger girl’s lips pursing into deep thought. 
“What day is it today?” Yujin questioned the older female. 
“August 31st!”
“September 1st is my birthday!” 

 

Minjoo looked at the female dumbfounded. “Is it really? I need to get your birthday present soon then!” 

 

“Let me have a sleepover with you tonight then.”
“What about your parents?” 
“They’re overseas now.” 
“Ah… but I’m not sure if my parents would like that…” 
“That’s okay then, I don’t need a present or a cake!” 
“No, I’m sure my parents would love to have you over!” 

 

Minjoo and Yujin had arrived at Minjoo’s apartment. She opened the door to her apartment, pressing in the number combination into the number pad. Her feet were tiptoeing as she reached for the knob and opened the door. 

 

“Mom! Dad! I’m home! And I brought a friend with me!” Minjoo called as she bowed her head, entering the apartment with Yujin closely behind her. Minjoo took her shoes off and Yujin followed after. 
“Ah, you’re home already Minjoo? This early? What friend did you bring over?” a female voice called from the kitchen.  
“Minjoo is home?” another voice called. 

Footsteps echoed throughout the house and they grew louder as the adults came closer towards the entrance of the apartment. Soon Minjoo was approached by her father and her mother. 

 

“Hello, I am Ahn Yujin!” the younger girl stated as she bowed her head towards the two adults that approached the pair. 
“This is my friend Yujin! Can she stay the night her parents aren’t home and her birthday is tomorrow!” 

 

Minjoo’s parents looked at each other, a puzzled expression on their faces. Minjoo looked at her parents' expressions: unsure, worried, and concerned. The air was filled with awkward silence and became tense suddenly. 

 

“S-Sure baby! Did you two already eat?” Minjoo’s mother finally spoke up, breaking the silence in the air. 
“Yep! We had some tteokbeokki on the way home today! We’re going to my room to read now!” Minjoo stated as she grabbed Yujin’s hand, tugging them to her bedroom. 

 

Minjoo grabbed one of her favorite books, The Little Prince, and Yujin was on her bed. The two fell asleep after just a few pages into reading the story. An hour or so later, Minjoo was awakened by the voices that rang through the house. She rubbed her eyes into her hands and looked beside her, Yujin was no longer by her, but instead peeking through the door and into the living room. Minjoo walked over to the younger female, nudging them. 

 

“What is it…? Is it pre-birthday jitters you’re having…?” Minjoo questioned tiredly.
“Sshh….” Yujin responded as she placed a finger on the older girl’s lips. She motioned the female to look through the slit of the door peeking into the living room and both of her parents were sitting down. Her mother looked down and held her head and her father was pacing back and forth on the wood floor. 

 

“What are we going to do? I can’t believe what her teachers were saying is true. Should we take Minjoo to a hospital?” her mother questioned as she lifted her head and looked at her husband who was pacing the floor.
"No, we can’t. We really can’t, it would be bad to take a six-year-old to see a psychiatrist!” 
“Baby, our daughter is sick. What if these delusions continue on, we should stop it while she’s still young!” 
“You don’t think I know that? I want that for our child too.” 
“What was the child’s name again?” 
“Yujin, I think Minjoo said it was Yujin.”
“I wasn’t even sure how I should have responded when our child brought no one home. I was dumbfounded. How was I supposed to act?” 

 

Minjoo looked at the expression on Yujin’s face. For once, she saw that the girl who was always confident and happy had a frown on her face. It broke her heart. Minjoo took a deep breath, opening the door and walking into the living room. 

 

“What are you guys saying? Yujin is a real person! She’s right there! How can you say such mean things about my friend?” Minjoo questioned. Her eyes for the first time in her life were filled with anger. 

 

Her parents paused, a bit startled as they heard Minjoo raise her voice for the first time in her life. They looked at each other with concerned eyes before her mother finally spoke up. 

 

“Baby…” her mother’s lips pursed into a frown, Minjoo could see the tears swelling up in her mother’s eyes. 
“Minjoo, baby. I’m sorry, that Yujin girl… she’s not real, baby.” 
“What are you talking about? She’s right the--” Minjoo turned towards the door, and Yujin was gone. 

 

Minjoo’s eyes moved towards the clock in the living room, it was 12:00 AM, September 1st. It was Yujin’s birthday. Minjoo’s eyes welled up, letting out a loud sob as she sat down on the floor, bringing her legs to her chest and crying into her knees. 

 

Minjoo no longer saw Yujin after that. 

 

**************************

 

Fourteen Years Later… 

 

It was springtime, Minjoo sat down in the courtyard of her university. Minjoo was much older now. Her long hair was dyed to an ash brown, and she styled it so that it was a bit wavy for the day. She wore a white blouse and blue jeans. Her delicate fingertips pushed some strands at the back of her ear. She was sitting down at an empty table with a book in her hand, The Little Prince. The book was one of Minjoo’s favorites, she had read it so many times that it had become worn out at this point. She enjoyed the feeling of the spring breeze against her skin and a satisfied sigh escaped her lips. 

 

“Hey! Kim Minjoo! Will you be joining us today?” a voice called out. Minjoo looked up, seeing a group of people walking towards her.

The owner of the voice was Kim Chaewon, her best friend, who currently had a short orange-red bob-cut style. Next to her was a female with long brown hair. She was a year older than Chaewon and was known in the university as a pure-beauty, Kang Hyewon. Then walking beside Hyewon were two other girls who looked similar to Chaewon, except one, had duck-like lips and blonde hair, and the other was relatively shorter with long black hair, Choi Yena, and Jo Yuri. 

 

“I’m not sure, will I?” Minjoo joked as she set the book down. Her lips curled into a bright smile as she let out a soft laugh. The group made their way and sat down at the table. “It’s just the first day of the semester, shouldn’t we be studying?” 

“Studying can wait. The new curry restaurant is opening up today! Hyewon wants to go and try it out!” Yuri exclaimed with her unique Busan accent as she looked at Minjoo with innocent looking eyes. “You’ve finally got into Seoul National University, and you want to celebrate by studying?” 
“Unlike you guys, I got here on an academic scholarship.” Minjoo laughed as she tucked the book into her backpack. 
“I heard that the curry restaurant is really good. The critics at the pre-launched said it was the best curry in the world,” Hyewon responded as she gave a firm nod. 

 

Although Hyewon was known to be a beauty, among the group of friends, Hyewon was nothing more than a big glutton that played video games with a strong passion. 

 

“Plus! Your parents already left to travel, right? So you don’t have to worry if they catch you not studying, it’s just one day!” Chaewon leaned across the table. Minjoo could feel the pressure from the group.  But she felt even more pressure from Chaewon. The two have been friends since she was around seven-years-old.
 

“If I go, you guys will probably end up going to the PC cafe after! I don’t have the money for that right now.”
“As the oldest, in the group, I’ll pay for all of us,” Yena finally spoke up with a confident grin on her face.
“But you’re not the oldest, I am,” Hyewon responded almost immediately to correct the duck-lipped girl.

Yena looked at Hyewon, her duck-lips forming a big grin.

“Oh? Are you going to pay for it then Kang Hyewon?” 
“What I never said that--” 
“Hyewon is paying guys! Let’s go!” 

 

And like that, Minjoo was dragged along, away from her studies and spending her first day with her friends. The curry indeed was delicious. She took a picture of it, but she only got scolded by her friends for taking weird closeup pictures of her food. After their dinner, they went to the nearby PC cafe. She still was horrible at playing video games and Yena was yelling at her every time they lost. It was a fun day. 

 

**************************

 

Minjoo looked at her watch, she saw that it was already almost 9 PM, and she still had a few chapters to read for her music theory class that was scheduled for the next day. She walked out of the elevator tiredly, stretching her arms. She couldn’t believe that she spent almost three hours playing video games with her friends. As she exited the elevator she paused, there was someone in front of her apartment. It was a female. She had long black hair, leaning against the wall and was insanely tall. As Minjoo approached, she was taken back by the pure beauty of the female. Their lips were pretty as well and their skin was flawless. 

 

However, as she got closer there was one aspect that threw her off. Her eyes. The female had gorgeous brown eyes, and her eyes were filled with playfulness. Minjoo took a step back as a name that she never thought she would utter escaped her lips. 

 

“Y-Yujin?” 

 

The tall girl looked up, hearing her name. Her lips curled into a bright smile as she waved over at the female. 

 

“Hi Minjoo, it’s been a while, huh?”
 

**************************

 

She didn’t know how it happened, but right now, Ahn Yujin, a phantom of her past was sitting across from her. Minjoo had written Yujin off as her imaginary friend that she had made up at the time because she was a child who craved attention and companionship, so why was Yujin sitting across from her again? 

 

In front of Yujin was a glass of water and a bowl of ramen, although Minjoo was not sure why she placed those items in front of them, they weren’t real anyway, right? 

 

“Are you still…?” Minjoo finally spoke up as she watched Yujin slurping up the noodles. 
“Am I still not real? Definitely, 100%.” 
“Ah, then why am I feeding you? I just wasted a perfectly good packet of ramen…” Minjoo let out a soft sigh, hitting her head and mentally beating herself up. “Stupid Minjoo.” 
“Minjoo is at it again!” Yujin let out a soft laugh. For some reason, it was comforting for Minjoo to hear the laughter of the other. 
“So why are you here again?” Minjoo questioned as she looked at the female. “You left me on your birthday you know! I was worried sick, I looked for you everywhere for the following months!” 

 

Yujin remained quiet, her hand reaching over and taking a small sip of her water. She didn’t respond for a bit, and the room was filled with silence as the quiet slurping sound of the noodles echoed throughout the apartment. 

 

“I guess you just didn’t need me anymore, that’s why,” Yujin responded plainly. Her eyes met with Minjoo’s, Yujin’s dark comforting puppy-like eyes, meeting hers. 
“What are you saying? I needed you, I had no friends. I was still shy! I could barely speak up and talk to people!” Minjoo responded.  She could feel her eyes welling up in tears as the sudden memories of the lonely times she spent by herself for two years without her made-up friend Yujin. 
“You met Kim Chaewon after though, right? Then you made a lot of friends after? You even have a big group of friends that you can call your friends.” Yujin gave the other girl a small smile as she picked up the bowl of ramen, slurping up the soup once more. 
“So, why are you here?”
“Mmm… I’m not sure, to be your friend I guess? Your parents won’t be home with you for the next four years, so you’re probably just scared of being by yourself.” 

 

It seemed like a plausible answer, something that Minjoo could trick herself into believing, it was much better than thinking that instead, Yujin was a ghost that was attached to her or something of that nature. She really should have laid off the horror gameplay marathons with Hyewon and Yena.

 

Minjoo picked up the glass and the bowl of ramen that Yujin had finished, and indeed, the other girl was still not real. She could feel the weight of the ramen and the glass of water in her hand. A bittersweet smile formed on her lips. She dumped the ramen into the trash, pouring the soup and the water into the sink as she washed the dishes. She looked at the time, it was already 10 PM. She should get back to studying. 

She grabbed a bag of gummies from the cabinet and headed into her bedroom. Her room was only lit by her study lamp, Yujin was laying down on the bed, with a familiar book in her hand. The Little Prince. 

 

In front of Minjoo was her textbook as well as her notebook, a few highlighters, and pens. She color-coded her notes and highlighted parts in the textbooks that she thought was important. Her hand wandering over and reaching over for a few gummy worms, throwing it into as she chewed it, it helped her study and keep herself occupied. However, only ten minutes into her study session she heard a loud and exasperated sigh. 

 

“What is it now?” Minjoo asked as she looked over at the female who laid on her bed. The book laying down beside them and closed. “Do you not like the book?” 
“You were a lot funnier back when you were six-years-old!” Yujin exclaimed, letting out a deep sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. She began to throw her body around on the bed, tossing and turning as if she were throwing a tantrum. 
“Well, I’m an adult now, so I have to study you know,  I can’t be like you and live my life casually.”

 

Minjoo learned to tune out the other who was throwing a tantrum on her bed. Although, she couldn’t help but feel her lips curl into a smile. It was nice to have someone around with her again. It felt like home once again. 

 

After a while, Minjoo finally finished her notes. She stretched her arms and her eyes wandered over to the bed. It was empty. Minjoo got up from her chair, looking around as soon as she took a step forward, she felt that she collided with something. Her gaze looked down, seeing right next to her seat was Yujin. A soft sigh of relief escaping her lips. She looked at the younger female with a brow quirked. 

 

“Ahn Yujin what are you doing?” however, Minjoo saw that Yujin’s eyes were glued to something else, not even minding the fact that Minjoo just bumped into her. Minjoo traced Yujin’s eyes to see what they were looking at specifically. Seeing their eyes were glued to the bag of jellies that were on her desk. 

 

“Do you want some gummy worms?” Minjoo questioned as she raised a brow as she reached for the bag of jellies on her desk. 
“Just… three...   no one bite! Please!” Yujin pleaded, her puppy-like eyes meeting Minjoo’s and she held up one finger next to her own cheek. 

 

There was just something about Yujin’s puppy-like eyes that made her give in. She reached over for the bag of gummies before jumping onto her bed. She made room for the other girl. It wasn’t like they could actually eat her gummies anyways. She patted the empty seat next to her and gave the younger a soft smile. 

 

“Just one gummy!” Minjoo exclaimed. The older saw that Yujin’s eyes grew big, and the other girl soon crawled into bed with her. Minjoo grabbed the familiar book once more, picking it up and giving the girl a soft smile. “Let’s finish this book.” 

 

Minjoo sat up, leaning against the wall. Yujin rested her head on the girl’s lap, holding onto the bag of gummies. Taking a deep breath, Minjoo began to read the story once more. 

 

“Once when I was six-years-old I saw a magnificent picture in a book…” 

 

Minjoo read the story, flipping through the pages. Her hand came down and petted the younger’s head as she read the story. She could hear the other chewing on the gummies, and occasionally, they would feed Minjoo a piece or two in between flipping through the pages. However, eventually, the gummies stopped coming, and Minjoo closed the book. She saw the younger female, seeing that they had fallen asleep. 

 

Minjoo couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. She grabbed a blanket, pulling it over the other girl. 

 

“As usual, so inconsiderate… sleeping on my lap like this. Even if you’re not real, how can I just move you…?” she questioned to herself as she let out a soft hum. 

 

Minjoo felt a small vibration on her lap. It was her phone. She reached over and grabbed her cellphone. Her lips almost immediately formed into a bright smile on the screen the name Chaewon, appeared. A new text had just come in. 

 

From: Chaewon 
To: Minjoo
Timestamp: 12:19 AM
Message: Minmin! Are you up? 

 

From: Minjoo
To: Chaewon
Timestamp: 12:20 AM
Message: What kind of question is that? Do you know what time it is Chae? What do you need? 

 

From: Chaewon
To: Minjoo
Timestamp: 12:20 AM
Message:  Haha, it’s prime Minjoo study time of course! Say do you have the answer to the math homework? Question #7? 

 

From: Minjoo
To: Chaewon
Timestamp: 12:21 AM
Message: I was going to get that soon. Something came up.

 

From: Chaewon
To: Minjoo
Timestamp: 12:22 AM
Message:  Ah, that’s okay! I’ll just ask Hyewon tomorrow! She’ll have the answer for both of us. Hahaha. I’ll let you copy! I’ll let Model Student Minjoo study well!

 

Chaewon was her best friend, and for a while, Minjoo had wanted their relationship to move forward. Her eyes wandered over to the sleeping female on her lap. Was Yujin’s reappearance a sign to take courage? 

Minjoo took a deep breath, placing her hand on her heart and finally texting back. Her fingertips gently pressing against the screen. 

From: Minjoo
To: Chaewon 
Timestamp: 12:30 AM
Message:  Chae. I have a confession. For a really long time, I think I like you. More than just friends. Do you think we could have a date later this week? Just you and me, no Yena, Hyewon, or Yuri. 

 

And she pressed the send button.  A deep sigh escaped her lips as she held onto her phone. She placed her phone down, she was too scared to see if the other female had sent a response or if they did, what their response was going to be. However, her eyes looked at the screen, curiosity had overcome the female. Her eyes widened as she saw the response. 

 

From: Chaewon
To: Minjoo
Timestamp: 12:31 AM
Messages: I would love that Minjoo. Should we start our first day as a couple today?

 

She looked at the message, feeling her heart racing and pounding. Her lips pursed in as she felt elated, but a soon as her eyes fell down on the girl on her lap. All excitement had left, was it perhaps the overwhelming feeling of guilt that was taking over her joy? Why would it be that way? Yujin was only a figment of her imagination anyways. Minjoo finally responded to the text, sending it to the female. 

 

From: Minjoo
To: Chaewon
Timestamp: 12:32 AM
Message: Sounds like a deal. See you tomorrow. Sleep well. 

 

While Minjoo was happy to have finally confessed to a long time crush, every time her eyes fell on the sleeping face of the female on her lap, she felt her heartbreak. What was this feeling? 

 

**************************

 

A month had flown by in what felt just like a few seconds. For once in her life, Minjoo felt like nothing could go wrong. She had an amazing group of friends, she was currently dating Chaewon, her long-time best friend, and whenever she got home, Yujin was waiting for her. The home had felt warm and cozy, despite the fact that her parents were out of the country. 

 

However, Minjoo felt an inner conflict with herself. She was sitting down in the lecture hall for Journalism. Sitting next to her on her right was Chaewon, and on her left, was Ahn Yujin. Like before, Yujin followed Minjoo everywhere she went, preventing her from being alone with Chaewon, on their extensive amount of dates. Minjoo’s eyes looked down on her notes, she had completely missed everything that was being said thanks to the girl on her left. 

 

Her eyes glancing over to the left where she saw Yujin resting her head on the desk. Normally, that was not what bothered Minjoo, rather, it was the gaze that Yujin was giving towards the girl on her right. A soft huff escaping Yujin’s lips, her puppy-like eyes almost growing big as her lips turned pouty. She sat back up, propping her elbow on the desk and resting her head on the palm of her hand. A soft huff escaping her lips as she looked over at Minjoo. 

 

“Really? This is your girlfriend, Minjoo? You’ve been dating for a month and you haven’t gotten passed the handholding stage!” 

 

“That’s because you’re always with us, you idiot.” Minjoo thought to herself before letting out a soft sigh. The sigh caught the attention of Chaewon, her eyes glancing over at Minjoo.

“Are you okay, Minmin?” she whispered softly towards Minjoo, however, her eyes looked down at Minjoo’s notes and saw it was empty. “I’ll let you copy my notes later,” Chaewon whispered towards Minjoo, giving them a sweet smile before turning her attention back to the lecture. 

 

“Minjoo, are you ignoring me now?” Yujin spoke up again, nudging the female again. “Minjoo! Minjoo!” 

 

Minjoo picked up her pencil and her notebook, turning to the back page almost in a rough and annoyed manner before scribbling into it to communicate with the younger female. 

 

What is it, Yujin? 
“Let’s go and eat after class!” the girl responded with a wide smile.

Minjoo could see the female’s signature deep dimple on their cheeks while they smiled so happily. If there was one thing that was her weakness, it would have been Yujin’s dimple. Normally, Minjoo would be okay with going out to get some food with Yujin after class. Especially since she found it to be cost-effective for the two just to eat together. It gave Yujin the illusion that they were eating with her, instead of having to make food when she got home only for Minjoo to throw it out. For some reason,  Yujin always insisted on eating, even when it was a futile attempt. However, she already made plans with Chaewon to study for one of their upcoming midterms.
 

I can’t, I have a study date with Chaewon after. 
“How about after? We can walk along the park?”
I have to study, midterms are coming up. 

 

Minjoo did not like to turn down the younger. She could see the bright smile that was once on the female’s face grow smaller and smaller. Their lips almost pursing in as if they were trying to hold it in, having just a small strand of hope before asking their final suggestion. 
 

“How about when you finish studying, could you read me a book again? It can even be The Little Prince again!” 
 

Minjoo could hear from just in the sound of their voice the desperation. However, she had a presentation first thing in the morning, she wanted to make sure that she would not oversleep.  
 

I have a presentation in the morning, I can’t stay up late. 
 

She waited for a response from the female, but it had become quiet, too quiet. Minjoo looked up from the textbook. However, she felt her heart fall once more when she saw that the girl to the left of her was gone. 

 

“Okay, and that concludes today’s class for today. Please remember that you have a report due next month. You all have already chosen your partners, I look forward to reading your reports. Remember that this grade is worth 30% of your grade.” the teacher announced, breaking Minjoo out of the trance, her eyes were glued to the empty seat to the left of her. 
 

“Where did she go now?” Minjoo thought to herself. 
 

To the right of her, Chaewon was packing up. Her eyes wandered over to Minjoo who seemed to be in a trance, looking over at the empty left seat. Her brow quirked up as she nudged the female, in an attempt to bring them back to reality. 

 

“Minmin. Is everything okay?” Chaewon questioned as she looked at the younger female. Minjoo was startled by the nudge, her body turning towards Chaewon, and her lips curled into a soft and clumsy smile. Her hands collecting all of her things and putting it into her backpack. 
“Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry, I was just… thinking?” Minjoo responded, an awkward laugh escaping her lips as she threw her backpack over her shoulder. 
“Do you want to go grab something to eat before we head to the library today?” Chaewon questioned as she began to head out of the classroom with Minjoo. 

 

The couple made their way to the cafeteria, fortunately for them, their other friends were either in class or at their part-time jobs, and with Yujin suddenly disappearing, it left the couple alone for the first time in their month of dating. When the duo had finally made their way to the cafeteria, Minjoo’s first reaction was to see if the tall and high-energy girl was in sight. Her eyes wandered as she looked around. Yujin was not in the cafeteria. 

 

“Ah. Whatever, she’ll be back later.” Minjoo thought to herself in frustration before she turned her attention to Chaewon. 

 

“What do you want to eat today?” Minjoo questioned as she grabbed a hold of the older’s hand, her lips curling into a soft smile as she squeezed their hand softly. 
“Bibimbap sounds good today?” 
“Really? I was thinking of getting some ramen.” Minjoo responded as she playfully nudged the older. 
“Ah, is that so? Good thing we’re two separate people then!” Chaewon teased as she looked at the other. “Don’t worry, if you get tired of ramen, I’ll let you have a bite or two of my meal!” 

 

A soft laugh escaped Minjoo’s lips as she squeezed the hand of her girlfriend, tugging them to grab their lunch. The two joked around as they grabbed their lunch and found an empty table, sitting across from each other. Minjoo ended up taking a bite or two of her ramen, letting out a few soft hums of delight. 

 

“Yep, this is what I wanted.” 

 

Chaewon let out a soft laugh as she heard their comment, their eyebrow quirking up as she looked at the female. “Really? Don’t you eat ramen all the time though?” 

Minjoo looked up at the female a bit confused, shaking her head. “No, I don’t, what do you mean?” 

Chaewon’s face had an expression of confusion on her face. “Ah, but whenever I text you at night you’re always saying you’re making ramen though?”

“Ah… that’s right, I made ramen for Yujin.” Minju thought to herself. “Well, you know! Day ramen and late-night ramen have two completely different flavors!” Minju tried to clear up the misunderstanding. 

 

She watched as the girl across from her ate their bibimbap. Maybe bibimbap would’ve been a better choice. 

 

The two finished up their lunch and were now studying in the library. Minjoo’s eyes were glued onto Chaewon’s notes from their Journalism class, which due to Yujin, Minju was unable to take notes in. Her complete focus was on the notes. She could feel her hand cramp from the extended period of time it took for her to finish the notes. As she came to a finish of copying it, Minjoo stretched, letting out a silent yawn as she picked up her notebook before her eyes met Chaewon’s. 

 

The two were in a secluded part of the library, there were bookshelves on both sides of them, and they studied in the art references book section since people often didn’t visit this part of the library, therefore fewer distractions. Chaewon looked at Minjoo and for a moment, Minjoo could feel her cheeks heat up, and her heart was racing. 

 

“What is it, Won?” 
“Minmin, could we… kiss?” 

 

The tips of her ears turn red, her cheeks already heated from just the gaze of the older female. Minjoo wanted to say yes, but she never imagined her first kiss to be in a library where she was supposed to be studying, and almost out of nervousness she responded, “No. I don’t think I want my first kiss to be in a library.” 
 

Her response caught Chaewon off guard, but the bobbed-hair female brushed it off, letting out a soft laugh in response. “Okay, let me know when you think it’s the right time for your first kiss then.” 
 

Minjoo grabbed her other journal and textbook out, putting her other materials back into her backpack. However, when she placed the textbook into her bag, a worn-out book caught her eye once again, The Little Prince. 

 

Minjoo’s lips pursed in, letting out a soft sigh as she put the book back into her backpack. She rethought about the last conversation she had with Yujin. How much it hurt Minjoo to see the usually positive girl just look as if she had been beaten down. “Okay, I’ll just go and buy her some chicken tonight and apologize.” 

 

She took out her math textbook and notebook, starting to work out some of the problems from the book, already working out in her mind the apology she would give Yujin. A box of fresh chicken, a bag of gummies, and a new book to read to them tonight. 

 

However, when she got home, with all of these prepared. Ahn Yujin was not home. 

 

**************************

 

It was one of the slowest weeks for Minjoo ever since the semester started. It felt like a slow week despite the fact that midterms were next week. For a week where it seemed like there was never enough time, for Minjoo, it felt like it was too long. For a week, Yujin was not there. She was gone. 

 

The thought that the younger girl was gone, as it raced through Minjoo’s mind, it upset her. The last words she said to her, the way she treated the girl, everything. She was surrounded by her friends and Chaewon when they decided to have a study group at a cafe or to simply go out to eat for lunch, but for the second time in Minjoo’s life, everything seemed bland again. The first time was when Yujin first disappeared. 

 

Minjoo sat down in her dining room. Taking small bites of her rice, kimchi jjigae, and rolled eggs. Her eyes wandering and seeing the empty seat across from her. In her mind, she was picturing Yujin eating and digging into the food. Asking for seconds on rice, or more servings for the rolled egg. A deep sigh escaping Minjoo’s lips, home just never felt like home since Yujin had disappeared. 

 

Even if she was surrounded by Chaewon and her group of her friends, as soon as she came home, she realized how lonely she was. The fun that she experienced with her friends, seeming a bit dull, without the younger’s witty and sassy comments that only she could hear. 

 

Minjoo remained silent as she ate her breakfast. Her eyes were glued to the table. In the back of her head, all she could think about was the smile on Yujin’s face growing smaller and smaller with every rejection she gave them, to the point that she could no longer see the female’s deep dimple. It broke her. 

 

Minjoo grabbed her phone, her fingertips gently typing into the phone. 

 

From: Minjoo
To: Chaewon
Timestamp: 07:51 AM
Message: Chae, could we talk later, after class?

 

From: Chaewon
To: Minjoo
Timestamp: 07:52 AM
Message: Sure, what’s wrong Minjoo? 

 

From: Minjoo
To: Chaewon
Timestamp: 07:52 AM
Message: There’s just something I need to get off my chest… I’ll see you in the courtyard?

 

A Few Hours Later… 

 

The two sat down on the empty bench in the courtyard. It was particularly nice, the air was brisk and the temperature was relatively nice for March weather. There was a tree covering the bench, therefore protecting the girls from the harsh rays of the sun. Chaewon and Minjoo sat down in silence. She felt an overwhelming need to talk to Chaewon with a matter of the heart.

 

“Won, I don’t think I can do this.” Minjoo finally spoke up after a long time.
“Do what?” Chaewon asked as her face plastered with confusion. 
“All of it.” What was she saying? Minjoo couldn’t understand it herself, but it was almost like her heart was begging to pour out the truth, a truth she seemed to have been blind too. 
“So, what is it, Minimin?” Chaewon asked as she peeked over at the girl, finally breaking the silence. 
“Won… No, Chaewon…” Minjoo let out a soft sigh before gathering the courage once more. “I think, maybe, we should stop dating.” 

 

And then silence filled the air. Minjoo’s eyes were glued to the ground. This was her first time ever breaking up with someone, and she was not sure of what she should suspect. Would Chaewon scream, get upset? She took this silence as a time to mentally prepare herself for what was going to come. 

 

“W-What do you mean Minmin?” The silence was finally broken by Chaewon, who sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. 

 

Minjoo looked up and saw Chaewon’s face. The older female looked so disheartened by her statement. However, for Minjoo she felt for some reason a large boulder being removed from her shoulder. 

 

“I think we should stop dating.” 
“Did I do something? Or…? Is there someone else?” 
“No, no. Of course, you didn’t do anything wrong Chaewon. I was the one that wanted to go slow.”
 

However, Minjoo paused at the response of their second question, “Is there someone else?” In her heart at the very least, she felt comfortable and content with her relationship with Chaewon. However, when she was asked that question by Chaewon, for some reason, a particularly clingy and missing puppy appeared in her mind. Minjoo looked over at the girl. 

 

“Could you… elaborate on that?”
“Like… Is there someone that you feel more at home with?” 

Yujin. 

“Is there someone who makes you smile for doing the dumbest things?” 

Yujin.

 

“Is there someone, who you think if they left your side, you would be broken into a million pieces?” 

Ahn Yujin. 

 

“I’m sorry, Chaewon. I have to go.” Minjoo stated as she got up from her seat, grabbing her backpack and throwing it on. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? There’s a puppy I have to look for, and I think they might be really hurt.”

And like that, Chaewon was left alone, watching as Minjoo run faster than she’s ever seen the girl run before. 

 

“So there is someone else.” Chaewon let out a soft sigh, her eyes shaking and her lips quivering. She wanted to cry so bad, but in her heart, Chaewon felt like there was always someone else made for Minjoo. All she wanted now, was for the other girl to be happy. 

 

**************************

 

“Is there someone that you feel more at home with?” 

Ahn Yujin when she lays in my arms, and I read her a book. 

Minjoo made her way around the courtyard. Her eyes searching around the various places in the open space where there were trees and benches. Often, she would sit down on the grass of the courtyard and Yujin would lie on her lap as she read some of the most boring books, her textbooks, aloud to Yujin. Her lips pursed in as she made it to the gate and yet there was no sight of Yujin. Her feet naturally lead her to the next spots that came to mind. 

“Is there someone who makes you smile for doing the dumbest things?” 

Ahn Yujin when she insists on eating even though she can’t really eat. 

 

Minjoo ran through the shopping district, where there were multiple food stalls. Yujin often begged Minjoo to buy food, whether it be a small portion of tteokbeokki, cheese balls, a corn dog, or even a burger and fries. Her eyes wandered, looking at some of Yujin’s favorite stalls, and as she exited the shopping district. There still was no sign of the girl.
 

“Is there someone, who you think if they left your side, you would be broken into a million pieces?” 

Ahn Yujin, when she disappeared on her 5th birthday and when she disappeared again.

 

Minjoo grabbed her phone, looking at the time. It was already 8 PM, she left the school roughly around 1 PM, she spent the last seven hours aimlessly searching for Yujin. Her feet took her to a nearby park. Was she really gone? Again? Minjoo sat down on the swingsets. Rocking herself back and forth on the swing. She could feel the tears swelling up once more, and eventually, a flood of emotions had opened up. She buried her face into the palm of her hands, releasing all of her emotions as she cried. 

 

“Yujin, what am I supposed to do without you? It doesn’t feel right without you…” Minjoo whispered into the palm of her hands. “Home just isn’t home…” 

 

What seemed like endless streams of tears poured out from Minjoo’s tear ducts. It was suffocating, almost as she couldn’t breathe. The girl who had stuck to her just like glue for the last month, the girl who helped her home feel like a home, she was gone again. 

 

“Are you crying?” 

 

Minjoo heard the voice, and before she could lift her head up, she could feel an embrace. Her head buried in the stomach and feeling the familiarity of the individual’s embrace. The slender and delicate touch of the individual. Her head lifted up, and her puffy eyes met the familiar playful and confident eyes of Ahn Yujin. Minjoo almost immediately stood up and her arms naturally wrapping around the body of the taller female. 

 

“I’m crying because you disappeared, you idiot…” 
“Well… I thought you wanted some space, that’s all.” Yujin tightened her hold around the female, her arms almost comforting Minjoo. 
“Don’t leave me anymore…” Minjoo muttered in between the sobs as she tried to calm herself down. 
“But you have Chaewon, and all your friends, do you really need an imaginary friend like me?” 
“I broke up with Chaewon…” 

 

Almost immediately, the tall girl pulled herself away from the female’s hold, looking at them with a puzzled, shocked, and concerned look. 

 

“Are you okay, Minjoo?! Did she hurt you? Do I need to fight her?” 
“I broke up with her.” Minjoo roughly rubbed away the tears on her cheeks. 
“Why would you do that Minjoo?!” 
“Because I love you. The one that I love is you, Ahn Yujin.” 

 

And with that, Minjoo tip-toed just a bit to reach Yujin’s height, her own tiers capturing the tall female’s. The kiss was tender and soft, it was Minjoo’s first kiss and it was brief as she pulled away to finally speak up. 

 

“I love you, Ahn Yujin. Please stay with me, home just isn’t home without you.” 

 

There was a silence between the two, but Minjoo could already see the younger’s lips curling into a smile. The deep dimple, that Minjoo had missed so much, re-appearing. 

 

“So, you’ll read stories to me whenever?” 
“Yes.” 
“You’ll eat with me without complaining?” 
“Yes.” 
“Will you leave me for study dates with your friends?” 
“Absolutely not.” 
“Then I think it’s a deal.” 

 

And that’s when Minjoo had realized it, the park that she had just confessed to Yujin, was the park that they first met. 

 

**************************

 

And like that, another week had passed by in a flash, because Minjoo was spending it with Yujin. It was the weekend, and midterms had finally concluded. Although Minjoo could not spend time with Yujin during her study groups or independent study, she made sure to always make time for the younger. Taking a fifteen-minute break every thirty minutes, where she would either read the younger a few pages from a book she would rent from the library, or they would just cuddle, eating gummies together. 

 

Sometimes the two would simply scroll through Minjoo’s gallery, where Yujin took a particular liking to make fun of Minjoo’s food pictures, calling them weird, which was the current activity that the two were doing. 

 

Minjoo and Yujin were on the couch in the living room, Minjoo holding onto her phone as she scrolled through some pictures in her gallery. Yujin was sitting down next to her and leaning over to look at the pictures and snickering softly to herself. 

 

“My pictures are not weird!” Minjoo interjected as she heard the snickers coming from the younger girl. 
“They are pretty weird if you think about it! Who needs to take pictures that close!”
“No, I take good pictures, look!” Minjoo exclaimed, her fingers frantically swiping left to get to a picture of a parfait that she had taken earlier. Although it really just looked like milk in a cup rather than yogurt. However, it was the picture before that, that caught Yujin’s eye. 
“Joojoo-buns go to the picture before this one!” 

 

The older girl looked at the other a bit confused, her finger although following their request and going back to the picture that was before the yogurt one. Within seconds, she could hear a loud eruption of laughter coming from the younger female. It was an up-close picture of the water that was in her paper cup. 

 

“That’s so weird! Why would you take a picture of water!” 
“Wait I have an explanation for this--” 
“You’re lucky that you’re pretty, your pretty face saves your own selca,” Yujin teased as she looked at the older girl, reaching over and playfully pinching their cheek. 

 

It was an early Saturday morning, around 6 AM, one of Minjoo’s few days off, and here she was, being teased by her girlfriend. Her lips formed into a pout as she let out a soft whine. “My pictures aren’t that weird! Don’t tease me like that! I’m better as a videographer.” 

 

Yujin only responded with a playful grin as she pinched the female’s cheek happily. Her lips curled into a bright smile as she repositioned herself to lay down on the couch, pulling Minjoo into her arms and to lay on top of her. “Yes, videographer Minjoo, just stick to videos for food now. Should we watch a movie now?” Yujin questioned as she looked at the older girl who was already resting her head on her chest. Yujin’s lips curled into a smile as she leaned down and pressed a soft and tender kiss on the female’s forehead. 

 

“What movie do you want to watch today then?” Minjoo questioned as she looked up at the younger after receiving the forehead kiss, her lips curling into a smile. 
“Mmm… I’m not sure, to be honest. I’m okay with anything! I just want to spend time with you.” 

 

Yujin ended up flipping through the channel, her eyes growing into a big grin. “Change of plans, we are binge-watching a drama now.” 

 

Minjoo let out a soft laugh, her eyes falling on the title of the drama that was going to have it’s re-run, While You Were Sleeping. “Ah this drama is pretty good I heard. The male lead is pretty popular.” Minjoo responded. Of course, the response got Yujin excited and built up her expectations. 

 

For Minjoo though, she expected that the other would be done with the drama after the first few episodes because she knew how they could not stay still for long periods of time. Boy was she wrong. 

 

They started watching the drama around 6:30 AM, and only stopped at 5:30 PM because Minjoo was insistent on not spending her whole day off at home. 

 

The two decided to take a walk around the park. The weather was relatively nice, and there were still lots of kids playing outside in the park. Minjoo stayed close to Yujin, their fingers lacing and Minjoo would send a reassuring squeeze every now and then. 

 

“See, this is nice, right? Going out on my day off?” 
“I need to know what happens next. How could you make me go out right when the drama was right on the ?!” Yujin let out a soft childish whine. 
“Who is more important, Shin Yi-joon and Jung Jae-chan, or your girlfriend Kim Minjoo?” 
“Definitely, Shin Yi-joon and Jung Jae-chan!” Yujin responded almost immediately. 

 

Minjoo looked at the taller girl with a dumbfounded look on her face. “Fine, go date them then.” She let out a soft huff as she pulled her hand away beginning to storm off. She could hear the taller girl calling her name from behind, but as normal, she decided to tune the girl out. 

 

During Minjoo’s small fit, she came across a group of children playing jump-rope. Her lips curled into a smile, she remembered that back when she was in elementary school she was good at individual jump roping, but because she didn’t have many friends, she never was able to do group jump rope. Yujin had finally caught up to Minjoo, whose gaze was still focused on the children playing group jump rope.

 

“Do you want to join them?” Yujin questioned, and the older was almost startled by the suggestion.  
“W-What? Of course not!” 

 

And almost immediately after Minjoo responded, one of the children who were playing jump rope walked over to Minjoo. Initially, it was because they thought it was weird for Minjoo to be staring at them as they played jump rope, but also because they were one person short for their team in group jump rope. 

 

“Noona, do you want to play with us?” the little boy asked. Minjoo looked over at Yujin as if she was asking for permission. 
“Go, go. I can’t stop you,” Yujin responded with her warm smile. 

 

Ten Minutes Later… 

 

“YAH! Kim Minjoo! Are you really bad at jump rope or something?” Yujin exclaimed as she stared at her girlfriend who was now sitting down on the park bench. Yujin was rubbing her temples, letting out a soft and frustrated sigh. 

 

Minjoo was looking down at the ground as she got scolded by Yujin. Although she knew she deserved to be scolded, at the same time, it was a bit excessive. 

 

“I mean, how could you mess up joining in? I was even in with you, telling you when to go in at the perfect timing to start jumping!” 
“Well… You know, there is a whole arm and leg difference between me and those kids, so you can’t give me that much sass!” Minjoo finally responded as she tried to justify her horrible skillset with a group jump rope. 
“Minjoo, you couldn’t get into the group four times in a row, it was frustrating for the kids too! and who cares if they were shorter, I was giving you the instructions of when to jump in!” 

 

Yujin was nagging the girl, although Minjoo knew this was just a part of the younger’s competitive nature. It was one of the unique features that Minjoo liked about Yujin. While she was scared of whenever Yujin would go into coaching mode, she enjoyed seeing the girl get passionate and fired up by her competitiveness. 

 

“Well, I’ll just do better next time,” Minjoo stated plainly, before she reached over for the female’s hand, lacing their fingers together before smiling. “Let’s go and see what’s happening to Shin Yi-joon and Jung Jae-chan.” 

 

And all of a sudden, the fire that was lit by her competitiveness, had died down. The playful and excited Yujin came back as she gave the girl an excited nod. “I can’t believe you had us stop at the ! If we hurry home now, we can finish the series by tonight!”  

 

Minjoo let out a soft laugh as she was dragged by the younger back to her house and followed behind the girl closely. She wanted this moment to last forever. 

 

However, when Minjoo looked at their reflections as they passed by the glass windows of the stores, she was reminded by one important fact. Yujin was not real. 

 

**************************

 

It was their first time meeting up alone since their breakup. For the last two weeks, Minjoo and Chaewon never met together in private. If they did ever meet, it was usually with their group of friends. Even in the classes that the two had with each other, Minjoo did not have the courage to talk to the female, because she felt like she did not have the right. Especially when she was happy with Yujin, and she could obviously see that Chaewon was being negatively affected by the breakup, even though the girl tried to conceal it. 

 

The two met up in the library, at the same place where they usually studied, but this time a pile of old articles and newsletters printed out and laid in front of them. Yujin was sitting down next to Minjoo as usual. Her eyes glancing over at the first few words of the newsletters and deciding that none of them really interested her. Minjoo and Chaewon looked through the articles, the topic that they had to cover in their co-authored report, was about child safety and they decided to research articles in which proper procedures of protection were not put into place whether it be the fault of the parent or the city. 

 

They looked through a few articles. Minjoo looked over at Chaewon who seemed to be concealing her emotions still. Chaewon had an article in her hand and leaned over towards Minjoo, the bobbed-hair girl had a focused expression on her face. 

 

“How about this article? It talks about how the school let a six-year-old child go home without confirming that there was a guardian to pick up and them.” 
“I think we can use that for one of our arguments, you should put that one to the side for now then,” Minjoo responded as she grabbed a few stacks of the articles. Her lips pursed in before she looked towards Chaewon. She was genuinely concerned for her childhood friend. “Chaewon… Are you okay? Are we okay?” 

 

Chaewon heard the female’s question. She placed the papers that were in her hands down before looking over at the owner of the question. Her lips only curled into a soft and small smile. 

 

“I’m good Minjoo. To be honest, when you asked me to date you. I was the happiest girl in the world because I liked you for such a long time. I think about the time we met, and it was all because the wind was blowing my homework away and into the water. And you saw it, diving into the water to collect a stranger’s homework. I thought you were weird, but at the same time, that’s when I knew I wanted to be with you forever.” 
“Chae…” 
“So when you told me that you wanted to take it slow, I had to control myself. I wanted to be your girlfriend for so long, but I convinced myself that you were the one, and I was okay with waiting.” 

 

Chaewon let out a soft sigh before shaking her head, her lips curling into a soft frown. 

“So when you told me that there was someone else, and you wanted to break up, my initial reaction was that maybe you just weren’t in the right mind. You were really depressed that past week. Anything I did to try to make you happy, it just didn’t seem like I had much of an impact. But, then I saw you the next day, you looked so happy. You were smiling again, and that’s when I realized… Ah, I can’t be hers. Because the one for her is not me.” Chaewon gave Minjoo a bittersweet smile as she let out a soft sigh and stretched a bit. 

 

“As your best friend, I’m happy for you, but as your ex, I am sad that the one for you isn’t me. So tell your boyfriend, or girlfriend, or whoever, that if they leave you, I’ll definitely steal you back! So tell them to never let you go!” 

 

Minjoo heard the last sentence, her head immediately turning towards Yujin and she could see the overconfident look plastered on Yujin’s face. 

 

“Don’t wait too long, Chaewon! I’m not planning on leaving my Minjoo!” Yujin exclaimed as she stuck her tongue out playfully and huffing to herself. Minjoo felt her lips curling into a soft smile, she held back her laugh, because she knew it was not appropriate for the atmosphere right now. 

 

“Chaewon, thank you for being my best friend and staying my best friend, even after all of this.” 
“Of course, Minjoo. Why would I do that? We’ve known each other for almost thirteen years you know.” 

 

Minjoo let out a soft laugh, looking at the newsletters in her hand. One headline, in particular, catching her eye. Chaewon looked over Minjoo’s shoulder before smiling to herself. 

 

“Ah, that article. It’s relatively new! But I think it’s like one of those articles that sort of bring a really old news headline from the past. I thought it was pretty interesting.” Chaewon responded as she went on about the case. Minjoo blocked out the girl’s comments as she read it herself. 

 

Fourteen years ago, on February 5, 2006, on her way home from the park, four-year-old Ahn Yujin had fallen into a river while she was leaning on the railing. She leaned too far across and ended up falling into the river, hitting her head on the rock and colliding with several other objects as she was being carried away by the currents. She was unsupervised, but due to the quick actions of another family that was at the park, they were able to save the girl before substantial damage was done. As of 15 April 2020, the young girl still remains in comatose. Her parents wait patiently every day hoping for their daughter to wake up.

The family has had positive hopes lately due to the increase of their daughter’s brain activity these last few months, which doctor’s claim as a miracle… 

 

Minjoo looked up from the article, stopping there as she looked beside her. 

 

Yujin was gone again. 

 

“Chaewon. I have to go.” Minjoo stated as she grabbed her backpack and headed out. Her feet naturally guided her. There was only one place that Minjoo could think of. The park where they met. 

 

Sure enough, she arrived at the park again. Yujin was sitting down on the swingset. It was Minjoo’s turn to comfort the girl. She took a few steps towards the younger who seemed so defeated. She hugged the female tightly, her fingers gently threading through their hair as her other hand gently rubbed the female’s back. She could hear the quiet sobs of the usually happy girl. 

 

“Are you crying?” Minjoo questioned in a comforting and soft tone. 
“Just a little bit…” 
“It’s okay to cry, I’m here for you.” 

 

And like that, Minjoo could hear the quiet sobs, gradually growing louder. her hand gently and soothing rubbing the female’s back. Although it broke her heart to hear the female crying, she knew that crying was the only appropriate response to this situation. The girl cried in Minjoo’s arms for an hour, but the time didn’t matter to Minjoo, as long as she was there for them. 

 

After Yujin had finished crying, the two silently walked back to Minjoo’s apartment. Holding hands tightly, Minjoo was scared that if she let go, the girl might disappear again. She didn’t want to lose Yujin. After showering and changing into more comfortable clothes, Minjoo and Yujin sat down in the living room. Yujin was laying on Minjoo’s lap. This time the two opted for reading a book before bed. Minjoo looked at Yujin, who was back to her old self, laughing and throwing sassy comments at her. Her lips curled into a smile as she felt comforted by the thought, but she knew the girl was hiding her emotions again. 

 

“Do you… want to go back?” Minjoo questioned as she closed the book, looking at the girl on her lap. 
“Go back to where?” 
“To your parents, to your life.” 

 

Yujin stayed silent, slowly sitting up as she let out a soft sigh. Her lips pursed in as she looked down. 

 

“I have a confession to make Minjoo.” 
“What is it?” 
“I… I actually knew that I wasn’t your imaginary friend.” 
 

Minjoo stared at the female dumbfounded looking at them with a shocked expression as she stared at them. 

“If that’s the case, how long did you know this?” 
“Back when we first met. I had my memories of everything. But it wasn’t until the eve of my 5th birthday that I realized that I wasn’t… I guess, human.” 

“Is that why you disappeared all of sudden then?”
 

Yujin shook her head before letting out a soft sigh. Her fingers clasping with each other as she gently squeezed them together. 
 

“No, I disappeared from your life at that point, because I didn’t want you to be cast out as a stranger at a young age. Your parents were already worried about you because you introduced me. I heard the comments that people made about you when you were hanging out with me, I wanted to make sure that you lived a normal life. So I left.” 

“So then, why did you try and disappear in the library just now?” Minjoo questioned Yujin, she was trying to process all the new information at once and her lips were pursed in at concern. 
“I was scared…” 
“Of what?”
“That you’d make me leave to go back.” 

 

Minjoo knew what Yujin was talking about. Indeed, she would have forced the girl to go back, in fact, she still wanted the girl to go back, she did not want them to stay forever, and Minjoo wanted to be with Yujin in real life as well. She wanted to show Yujin off to the world as her girlfriend. 

 

“Why don’t you want to go back?” 
“Because, I’m scared that if I do, I won’t remember you,” Yujin stated as she let out a deep sigh. She buried her face in the palm of her hands. “I’m scared. I know that if I go back, I can be with you and actually hold you, kiss you. Take you out on proper dates… but I’m scared.” Minjoo could hear the desperation and genuine concern that the younger girl had, but, she also knew what was right. 

“You should go back,” Minjoo stated softly, she could feel her own voice breaking, but she knew that Yujin had to go back. Minjoo reached over, grabbing their hand, and gently pulling it away from their face. She placed a loving kiss on their forehead, giving them a soft and bittersweet smile. “You should go back, you need to go back. Your family is waiting for you.” 

 

“I can’t just do that, what about you?!” 
“I’ll be fine, Yujin.” 
“But you’ll be alone again!” 
“I was never alone, even when you left me when I was six, right?” Minjoo gave Yujin a soft smile. Her hands cupping the female’s cheek. “You were the one who blew Chaewon’s homework away, right?” 

 

Yujin responded with a small nod. 

 

“Because of that, I was able to make a lot of friends… and to be honest, when I think about that incident, I’m sure there were plenty of other incidents when you didn’t leave my side at all, and you were just watching me because you didn’t want to see me cry. That’s why… for once I want to be there for you.” 
“What are you saying?” 
“I’m saying that I’ll wait for you, Yujin. Even if you don’t remember me, I’ll wait for you, and I’ll look for you. I love you too much, Yujin.” 
“I can’t do that to you, what if you can’t find me at all? What if I don’t remember you or--” 
“I’ll look for you and I’ll find you. I promise and if you remember me, you have to look for me too, okay?” 
“But, Min…” 
“Even if it takes me fifty years to find you, I’ll wait for you, because you mean that much to me.” 
“You’ll be old and wrinkly at that time.” 
“That’s okay, you will be too.” 

 

The two stared at each other, a soft laugh escaping their lips. Minjoo picked up the book that she set down and opened it up again. “Come here, let’s finish this book and then you can leave,” Yujin responded, giving them a short nod as they rested their head on Minjoo’s lap once more. 

 

For the first time in Minjoo’s life, she didn’t want the book to end. When the book ended the two fell asleep. The next time Minjoo woke up, Yujin was gone. 

 

**************************

Two Years Later… 

 

“Yah! Kim Minjoo! Are you going to eat with us?” a familiar loud and obnoxious voice catching Minjoo’s attention again. It was Yena.

 

Minjoo was sitting down in the courtyard, reading another book, and a soft laugh escaping her lips as she somehow felt she was experiencing deja vu again when her group of friends approached her. 

 

“I don’t know, what’s on the menu today?” Minjoo questioned as she tucked the book into her backpack. Her friends crowded the table once more. 
“Today, Hyewon said there is a really good barbecue place nearby. She said that their side dishes and the cuts of meat are the best for an affordable budget,” the girl from Busan responded with a playful smile. 
“I’m not sure, are we going to get dessert after today, or play at the PC cafe?” Minjoo questioned as she let out a soft hum. 
“Ah, we’re not playing at the PC cafe, Yena says that you’re messing up her win to lose ratio, or whatever that means,” Chaewon responded, letting out a soft laugh as she best friend. 
“I guess dessert it is today, but I can’t stay long I have to--” 
“We know, look for someone. But are you sure this person is real? We went to every hospital in the area, as well as every rehabilitation center, and we couldn’t find this Yujin that you described. It’s been two years Minjoo!” Hyewon responded. 
“Eh? No way, I can’t give up. I promised that I would look for them for at least 50 years. I have 48 more years to go!” Minju let out a soft laugh as she grabbed her backpack before looking over at her group of friends. “Should we grab some food now?” 

 

Indeed, it had been two years since Minjoo had seen Yujin. On her free days, she would travel to nearby cities, going to the various hospitals and rehabilitation centers, to see if she could find Yujin somewhere. However, as shown, it seemed like her attempts were futile. Minjoo’s lips pursed in. She longed for Yujin, she wanted to see them, but she knew that she had to act, because the other girl might not recognize her even if they did meet. The fastest way to be with Yujin again was to look for them, and if they didn’t remember her, it was to have the girl fall in love with her all over again. If it was for Yujin, it would be worth it. 

 

Anytime that Minjoo would go home, it just never felt right. The home that she desperately wanted, was filled with the loud laughter of the younger girl, and their childish antics. She missed their clingy and attention-demanding personality. The confidence of the female, their deep dimple whenever they smiled. Everything that embodied Ahn Yujin, because she had now become Minjoo’s home. 

 

As the group approached the gate, there was a loud commotion. Several of the students were gossiping about a girl waiting by the gate. They described the girl as a tall natural beauty. Some described the girl as young and probably the girl was a high school senior or a new student, the age of the student couldn’t be determined.

 

“I heard that she’s insanely pretty.” 
“Her eyes are really big too!” 
“And her proportion between her body and leg, it’s like the perfect ratio!” 
“Her skin is really nice too, should I ask for her skincare routine?” 

 

That was the kind of gossip that filled the courtyard. Although, it did pique Minjoo’s interest. It sounded too good to be true, all of those words described Yujin. She couldn’t help it when her feet gradually began to lead her back to the gates at a faster rate. If it indeed was Yujin, she wanted to see the girl, she missed her so much. 

 

Within a short time span of thirty seconds, which felt like an eternity to Minjoo, she finally arrived at the entrance of the school. She could feel her heart lift up as she saw a familiar height. The face of the owner of the height was being covered by students who were crowding the girl. It took some time, but through persistent positioning for the face reveal, she felt her heart drop. No, it wasn’t Yujin. The nametag on the girl’s uniform was written as Jang Wonyoung. 

 

A deep and defeated sigh escaped Minjoo’s lips. Will she ever find Yujin at this rate? Minjoo began to walk in the opposite direction of her friends. 
“Yah! Kim Minjoo!” Yena called out. “Are you not coming with us?” 
“No, it’s okay. You guys can go ahead without me. I suddenly lost my appetite.” Minjoo let out a deep and defeated sigh. 

 

Her group of friends all looked at Minjoo with a concerned look on their face. Something must have affected the girl so much. Only moments ago, Minjoo was steaming in happiness and excitement, but now, she seemed defeated. 

 

“Where are you going?” 
“I don’t know, home I guess.” 

 

That’s when Minjoo paused. The voice seemed all too familiar for her. Her eyes that were focused on the ground now moved up to look at the owner of the voice. Her eyes swelling up in happiness as she saw the familiar deep dimple that she missed so much that was accompanied by the sweetest eye smile and soon she could feel the touch of their soft and tender lips against her forehead. Tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks. 

 

“Are you crying?” 
“Shut up…” Minjoo whispered as she pulled the female into a tight hug, burying her face in their shirt as she wiped her tears away. 
“Did I make you wait long?” 
“You were gone too long…” 
“Sorry, sorry. I just got my release from the hospital today! You know, with a coma for 14 years, your muscles need to be exercised before you can move around properly!” 

 

She could hear the familiar laughter and for the first time, she could feel the touch of the tall female, Yujin. Their touch was warm. Minjoo looked up at the female. 

 

“Are you really… here?” Minjoo questioned with her eyes swelling up with tears again. 
“Yes, I am.” 
“It  feels nice…” Minjoo stated softly as she wiped her own tears away. 
“I love you.” 
“I love you too.” 

 

Minjoo turned her head just briefly, only to see her friends behind her who had the look of disbelief that Minjoo was in the arms of a stranger professing her sudden love to them. 

“Wait, she’s actually real?” Yena exclaimed as she looked over at Yuri. “Pinch me, someone, pinch me!” Almost instantly, Hyewon reached over and pinched Yena’s exposed skin, which resulted in the duck lipped girl to let out a loud yelp. 

 

“For once, in two years, it feels like I’m home.” 
“What are you saying, Minjoo? We’re right in front of your school.” Yujin responded laughing at the older’s strange comment. 
“Your arms, it feels nice to be in them. And… Home is wherever you are. Home is with you.” 

 

Minjoo stated as she stared at the taller girl, only to be met with their sweet deep dimple that she longed for. 

“I know, you’re my home too, Minjoo.” the tall girl paused briefly before she brought her hand down, gently pushing back some of the strands of the older's hair behind their ear and meeting their gaze with a loving one. "Welcome home, Minjoo." 

"Mmm, I'm home." 

 

~ Fin ~