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A/N: No thoughts, only good (though somewhat chaotic) vibes™ inspired by my very chill and relaxed visit to a friend's place.

**btw, they go from kids to teens to somewhere along the early cusps of adulthood in this story.

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᠁

 

It was boring. Pointless, really, to be lying in bed and staring blankly at the ceiling out of sheer boredom when they could be out at the mall sharing an ice cream or sitting in Tim Hortons together while waiting for their friends. So, Yuqi makes sure to express her displeasure by complaining.

 

“Unnie,” The Han girl groans. “Why do I have to be here again?”

 

Minnie, in her underwear of all things, pauses in her search for a nice outfit to spare a glance at her whiny partner.

 

“What, you’d rather stay home alone in the middle of summer than be with your amazing girlfriend while her parents are out on a weekend trip to re-enact their honeymoon days?”

 

She playfully teases before turning back to her huge wardrobe, where she rifles through the vast array of clothes hanging inside while Yuqi just smiles at her sarcasm. Years of having grown up together have made them capable of handling each other’s jokes and antics really well. Minnie’s cheek defines her, just as wit defines Yuqi.

 

Minnie then takes out one of the many hoodies that she has stolen from Yuqi’s own closet and throws it in her direction, a smirk playing on her lips when a faint “oof” conveys that she has hit her mark.

 

“Well, baobei… If I knew what you needed assistance with, maybe I could be of actual use around here.” Yuqi grins underneath the hoodie as she removes it from her head, tossing the article aside where it joins her reject pile accumulating on the floor.

 

The Thai just sticks a tongue out at her and returns to ransacking her now-disorganized closet. Yuqi shakes her head in amusement as she lays back on the fluffy pink sheets and tries to blow away the rogue strands of hair that have fallen over her face. But the defiant brown tousles seem to have their own agenda of staying in place, just like Minnie with her mission of stripping her entire wardrobe as the heap of clothes continues to grow across the floor.

 

Ah, unnie…

 

With a defeated sigh, Yuqi lets her eyes wander across the pink and white-themed bedroom. Most of Minnie’s belongings have remained in the same spots as she had remembered when the young girl first stepped into the elder’s humble abode.

 

The wide bulletin board that’s hanging above her cluttered work desk is loaded to the brim with stickers, pins, polaroids that are slightly faded from age, travel collages from her many vacation trips, photo cards of her favorite K-Pop idols, as well as colorful post-it notes and pieces of scrap paper that have Minnie’s favorite song lyrics quoted on them.

 

Overhead, the fairy lights are still strewn above the headboard in a zig-zag pattern (though, a couple of the bulbs have been busted from overuse) as the wall adjacent to it has a few posters of Troye Sivan and Billie Eilish taped on its pastel-pink surface. And in one corner of the room, Minnie’s treasured electronic keyboard is set up between the bookshelf and the small cluster of plushies that didn’t have enough room to sit on the twin-sized bed. Which is equally packed with some of the newer and more beloved toys from her youth.

 

Save for the sizable amount of Yuqi’s trivial belongings that Minnie had graciously pilfered from her own room (so, that’s where my bucket hat went!), the place barely changed at all.

 

Yuqi has only ventured inside Minnie’s bedroom a handful of times. Five, if she wasn’t mistaken, and they were nearly as pointless as her lying on the bed while Minnie didn’t know what to do with her. She couldn’t exactly complain, however, since Yuqi enjoyed being in the older girl’s presence during those rare visits to her room.

 

And for what it’s worth, each of them had been quite exciting and memorable in their own right.

 

᠁

 

The first time Yuqi was in her room, Minnie had just moved into the apartment across hers after departing from Thailand. Her dad had been promoted and was offered a position at an overseas branch in Seoul, so he brought his family along with him for a fresh start in a different country.

 

By then, Yuqi had been living in South Korea for almost nine years and was eager to meet her new neighbors. She remembers thinking that she would have another buddy to play with when her father mentioned their ten-year-old daughter and how it would be great for Yuqi to befriend her. It also helped that Minnie was rather well-versed in both Mandarin Chinese and English thanks to the language classes back in her old school, so communicating wouldn’t be a major barrier between them.

 

Of course, the social butterfly was more than ecstatic to make a new friend within her age group. And while Yuqi wasn’t China-born nor raised there, she knew how tough the adjustment process could be on foreigners. Yeh Shuhua, her Taiwanese best friend since nursery, had an exceptionally hard time learning Korean in the beginning. So much so that she would only speak in fragments throughout most of her early childhood with a heavy accent. Fortunately, she improved over time and can now speak the language fluently with their other Korean friends.

 

When Yuqi and her father came over to visit their neighbors the following day, Mr. Song had all but pushed his daughter towards the door labeled “Min’s Room” on a piece of bond paper stuck to it.

 

“Have fun, kiddo.” He ruffles Yuqi’s hair with a cheeky grin before leaving to mingle with the other adults in the kitchen. “And remember, be nice!”

 

Little Yuqi rolls her eyes. She’s always nice to the other kids… Well, except for that one time she fought with Soyeon over a shovel in the sandbox of their kindergarten. (But that’s okay, they’re good friends now.)

 

Yuqi chuckles at the memory of that fateful afternoon. Recalling how Minnie wasn’t as outgoing, chatty, and sarcastic as she is today. In fact, the Thai had been so shy and reclusive to the point that she hid behind a large Mickey Mouse plush once Yuqi entered her room. Trying to cover up the perpetual blush that dusts her cheeks—a result of her innate shyness, which Yuqi finds to be rather endearing—with one of his floppy round ears as she eyes the other girl warily in her lone spot by a stack of unpacked boxes and a pink backpack decorated with white polka-dots beside her feet.

 

Needless to say, Yuqi had been boyishly curious about her strange behavior. Curious enough to succeed in removing the worn-out Mickey toy from her grasp with careful hands. And she later realizes that beyond her timid exterior, Minnie is actually an interesting and lively person.

 

Despite her young age, Yuqi’s developing mind was fairly observant as she studied the quiet girl. Taking note of her sleek, black tresses that fall past her shoulders in soft waves, those baby-pink lips that are pulled tight into a cautious frown, and a cute nose that looks so tempting to boop. Half of Minnie’s face is obscured behind a stubborn lock of hair, so Yuqi inches forward a step to get a better look at her eyes. Minnie averts her gaze immediately, but Yuqi moves quickly and goes straight into her line of vision again; light brown meeting dark chocolate.

 

For the first time in her life, the talkative Song Yuqi finds herself at a loss for words. And so is Minnie, who seems to be facing the same problem when her voice stutters as she speaks.

 

“H-Hi…” She nervously greets in English. A part of her wants to look away, but she maintains their eye-contact out of politeness.

 

Yuqi blinks a few times to gather her senses back, then promptly offers up a wave and a smile like they’ve known each other already.

 

“Hey there, I’m Yuqi.” She cheerfully says in the same language, hoping that her forwardness would coax Minnie out of her comfort zone as she sticks a hand out to her. “I live in the apartment across from yours. What’s your name?”

 

The older girl stares at her for a moment, inquisitive and uncertain, before she replies in the softest volume Yuqi has ever heard from a person’s mouth. Had Yuqi not approached her, she probably wouldn’t have caught it.

 

“Minnie.” Came the quiet mumble from her new neighbor when she goes to shake Yuqi’s hand, all the while trying to shrink back into her parka jacket like a timid turtle retracting into its shell.

 

“Nice to meet you, Minnie.” Yuqi’s smile remains intact, even though Minnie doesn’t return it. “I’m Chinese, by the way, but I grew up in South Korea ever since I was born.”

 

“Thai, and I’m from Bangkok.”

 

“Cool.”

 

They lapse into a semi-awkward silence after that as Minnie stays rooted behind her old Mickey Mouse plush. Yuqi doesn’t mind this and just wanders around examining the mostly-barren room while Minnie watches her silently. Full of awe towards this peculiar kid.

 

Even though she has done nothing to make the Han girl feel welcomed, Yuqi is still being friendly and patient towards her without complaint. Not that Minnie was being mean or unapproachable on purpose, but her outwardly shy demeanor had gotten her teased back in her old school, That, and the fact she was the daughter of a teacher. And although Bangkok is already a large capital by itself, it isn’t as huge and domineering as Seoul is.

 

This thought has Minnie wondering: Why is Yuqi being so nice? Aren’t people native to large cities predominantly apathetic and uninterested in each other’s lives?

 

In a surge of confidence, Minnie poses the question. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

 

Yuqi glances up from the family portrait sitting on her vacant desk and fixes the Thai with an inquiring look, sizing Minnie up for a couple of seconds until she shrugs. “My dad taught me to always be nice to people.” She turns back to the photo and adds. “Plus, you’re really pretty.”

 

Minnie’s deep-brown eyes widen at the sudden compliment before they squeeze shut as she hides her blush behind Mickey’s head. She says nothing.

 

A few more minutes pass until Mr. Song shows up in the doorway to find his daughter. It’s time to leave. “Yuqi, come on. We’re going home now.”

 

Yuqi nods and, with a kind smile back at Minnie, she exits the room with her father. Minnie moves to follow, but the loose threads from Mickey’s arm get caught by the door handle when she reaches the threshold. Separating it from the rest of his body with an audible rip.

 

The two look behind them and see a flurry of white stuffing scattered by Minnie’s feet as her mother comes rushing to her side in an instant.

 

“Aw, sweetheart. That was a present from grandma.” Mrs. Yontararak says while her daughter’s hair comfortingly. Minnie gives a nonchalant shrug as she stares at the carpeted floor with an unreadable expression, but Yuqi sees a hint of water in those eyes that has her feeling concerned.

 

She must really like that Mickey plush…

 

Minnie’s father appears in the hallway upon hearing the small commotion and comes over to gather all the stuffing back into the tear of Mickey’s now armless side. “Ah, well. It had a good run. The fella’s been around since Min began to walk, so it was bound to break eventually. Guess there’s nothing else to do except throw it away now.”

 

Mr. Song holds his hand out with a courteous smile. “There’s a garbage disposal near the elevators. We can throw it out for you since we’re heading out anyway.”

 

Mr. Yontararak thanks him, and the father-daughter duo turns to take their leave once more with the Mickey Mouse plush and his detached arm. Yuqi peeks over her shoulder to offer one last smile at her (hopefully) new friend.

 

“Bye, Minnie! I’ll see you around!” She exclaims with her typical optimism. “I hope we can play together soon!”

 

The Thai half-heartedly waves in return, but she doesn’t acknowledge Yuqi’s worried gaze as the latter departs.

 

As Yuqi and her father step into the hallway between their neighboring apartments, she makes a split-second decision and grasps Mickey’s only arm before the man could head down to the garbage shoot.

 

“Hey, dad? Can I… Can I hold onto this for a bit longer?” She asks in a surprisingly small voice. Not like the loud, boisterous one that he has grown accustomed to.

 

A knowing expression surfaces on his face as he hands the dismembered plush with a crinkly-eyed smile.

 

“I figured you’d want something to do with it, kiddo.” He remarks when they enter their home, ruffling Yuqi’s hair as she gets flustered by his chuckles resonating through the foyer.

 

“Dad!”

 

᠁

 

Yuqi rolls onto her stomach with a sigh. She can still remember all of the teasings she had to endure that afternoon. From her own father, no less.

 

Peering up, she glares at the very same Mickey Mouse plush sitting innocently by the headboard.

 

“The things I do for her…” Yuqi shakes her head with a fond smile as she turns to glance at Minnie, who’s currently sitting at the huge vanity table to try and tame her unruly hair with a curling iron.

 

Indeed, Yuqi would do anything to make her happy.

 

“How much longer, unnie?” She asked while propping herself up by the elbows to observe her pretty girlfriend. Even from this angle, Yuqi can see a hint of a smirk playing on Minnie’s soft, pink lips as she peeks at the former through her reflection on the mirror.

 

“You know, sweetie. Normal people actually take their time to get ready when they’re going somewhere, instead of just throwing on a hoodie and wearing perfume to hide the fact that they haven’t showered yet.”

 

Yuqi would’ve pouted at the harmless jab (even though Minnie isn’t entirely wrong there), but then she puts on an impudent grin like a Chesire cat about to commit mischief. She thinks about the consequences of her next words before deciding that it was too good to pass up.

 

“Aw, come on, unnie. You don’t smell that bad when we go out.” Yuqi says in jest.

 

As expected, Minnie scowls as she grabs a beauty blender and launches it at the sniggering girl. Yuqi thinks that it’s worth it, though, and just mindlessly rubs on the spot where the blender has hit her on the forehead with a dumb smile. Minnie goes back to curling her hair while Yuqi rolls onto her back again to resume her musings.

 

Teasing her girlfriend is such a joy.

 

᠁

 

The second time Yuqi came into her room was about three years after the first, as the two only ever hung out at Yuqi’s place because she had the most toys and a stash of video games for them to play with.

 

It was Christmas Eve, and the Songs were invited by the Yontararaks to join them in celebrating the holiday. Their parents, as Minnie and Yuqi would come to know, were in the living room laughing with the rest of their drunken friends as they watched corny Christmas specials for hours on end.

 

(Yuqi sometimes questioned whether or not they were more mature than the adults in these situations…)

 

The Han girl has perched herself on the window sill overlooking the city ahead. Just high enough to get a perfect view of the sparkling water fountain that basks in the moon’s lunar glow, the elaborately decorated Christmas tree glimmering its many colors and baubles just a few feet behind it, and the various lights adorning the many buildings and shops where a stream of people can be seen rushing about. Either to do some last-minute Christmas shopping or acquire a good gift before it’s too late.

 

Yuqi has a much better view of the lively plaza this high up, and so she’s opened the windows in order to situate herself on the wide sill without having to worry about falling off. The fire escape, although rusty and weathered, looks stable enough to bear her weight. That, and she enjoys the feeling of the cool December wind on her skin as it brushes through her freshly-dyed hair as blond as corn silk.

 

“So, Yuqi,” Minnie looks at her with a gleam in her eyes not unlike that of an expectant child. “What did you get me for Christmas this year?”

 

Yuqi chuckles at how straightforward she has become. When Minnie first arrived at their community school, she had to play the role of an ambassador and showed the new girl to her classes, Yuqi’s usual lunch table and group of friends, her favorite spots on the playground during recess, and (because it seemed mandatory) the best possible bathroom to use on the campus. It wasn’t long until Yuqi’s extroverted personality grew on Minnie, and she became more sociable and expressive as a result.

 

“Minnie-unnie, it’s not Christmas yet. We’ve still got fifteen minutes left.” She reminds her friend with a boyish smile.

 

Minnie just shakes her head vehemently, highlighting the purple-dyed ends of her auburn hair as they sway and tangle together.

 

“I don’t care, I wanna see it!” She rebels with her usual stubbornness. “I’ll show you my gift if you show me yours.”

 

Before Yuqi can stop her, Minnie grabs one of the two boxes settled by the foot of her bed and holds it out for the younger to take. The little box is neatly wrapped in a pastel shade of yellow with tiny prints of a mini giraffe all over it and tied in a brown satin bow. Yuqi’s present for Minnie is much larger, albeit not as pretty in presentation. It’s not that neatly wrapped together or even tied with a ribbon, but she compensates for it by covering the box in light pink wrapping paper with white stripes.

 

Yuqi notices the way that Minnie keeps glancing at the gift, wondering if the size was what’s so tantalizing to her, and she sighs at how adorable her unnie is.

 

“Alright, fine.” Yuqi concedes after taking the offered gift. “But I’ll go through yours first since it’s easier to open.”

 

She peels off the tape as slowly as possible just to aggravate the older girl, then laughs at how predictable Minnie is when she snatched the box and all but tore off the paper wrapping for her instead. Yuqi pulls out a shiny trinket from the packaging to study it under the light, and Minnie seems momentarily distracted as she worries her bottom lip.

 

The gift is a chain bracelet with a silver key charm in the middle.

 

“I know it’s not really cool or anything…” Minnie begins to explain, looking rather nervous of Yuqi’s silent reaction as she looks down and plays with the cuff of her sweater sleeve. “… but I figured it was sentimental.”

 

She glances up at Yuqi, who has yet to respond, and blushes upon seeing her confused expression.

 

“Do you remember that second day of school three years ago, when I’d just moved here? We stayed after school because you wanted to show me around with your friends, but then I got scared so I hid and kinda got myself locked inside the janitor’s closet. You found me there and even picked the lock just to get me out, and you nearly got in trouble for it too…”

 

Yuqi furrows her brows, deep in thought as the gears in her head turn to recollect the memory before she lets out a laugh. “Oh, yeah. And you came out crying too.” Yuqi adds with a simper.

 

The color on Minnie’s cheeks darkens as she scowls. “Shut up, don’t remind me.”

 

With a lopsided grin, Yuqi hops off the window sill to pull the Thai in for a hug. Minnie flinches from surprise, but then relaxes into Yuqi’s arms immediately as she returns the gesture.

 

“Thanks for the gift, unnie. I’ll wear it well.” She says sincerely with her breath fanning against the elder’s neck, leaving a faint tingle on Minnie’s skin even after they parted. “Wanna put it on for me?”

 

Nodding, Minnie takes the bracelet that’s handed to her and undoes the clasp locking it together before she encircles the chain around Yuqi’s wrist. Yuqi reddens slightly at the feeling of Minnie’s soft fingers brushing along her skin and lingering there even once the accessory is in place. And when she finally retracts them, Yuqi retreats to her previous spot on the window sill while Minnie resumes her place on the foot of her comfy bed.

 

Despite her initial enthusiasm to break open the large present, Minnie does nothing for a while until Yuqi coughs into her fist and she gazes up at her curiously.

 

“Aren’t you gonna open mine next?” Yuqi motions at the still unwrapped box waiting for Minnie on the floor, chuckling. “You were pretty excited about it a minute ago.”

 

In a flash, the older girl’s ecstatic smile reappears as she snatches the gift before ripping through the pristine paper with gusto. She opens the cardboard flaps and freezes upon seeing what’s inside.

 

“Yuqi, is this…?”

 

Yuqi’s hand reflexively shoots up to rub at her nape shyly, a nervous habit of hers, as she takes feigned interest in her scruffy, red Converse while Minnie lifts the repaired Mickey Mouse plush out of the box with a stunned expression.

 

“It’s nothing much compared to yours.” She starts almost frantically as if is running on auto-pilot, full of nerves as she purposely avoids meeting Minnie’s eyes. “But you just looked so sad when his arm broke, so I figured that I’d stitch him back together for you. Sorry it took so long. I didn’t know how to stitch, so I had to teach myself even though I kept getting it wrong and having my fingers pricked way too many times. But—auck!”

 

Yuqi’s anxious rambling is cut short when Minnie latches onto her, making the girl almost lose her balance and topple out the window until she balances them at the last second.

 

“Th-Thank you…” Minnie chokes out through the wet sobs and laughs, her arms engulfing Yuqi in a tight embrace as she tucks her face in the younger’s shoulder. “This really means a lot to me, Yuqi… Thank you so much.”

 

Flustered, Yuqi just hugs her back while patting her head awkwardly. After a moment of just embracing each other, she eases back slightly to see those glistening, brown eyes staring into her own. Yuqi puts on her trademark grin, but then frowns shortly after when Minnie doesn’t return it.

 

“Unnie, what’s wrong?”

 

Minnie says nothing and simply shakes her head before leaning in to kiss Yuqi’s cheek.

 

This time, from sheer surprise, Yuqi does indeed fall out of the window and onto the fire escape. The rusty old metal breaks under the pressure, and she falls another story before landing with a hard thud and a grunt.

 

“Yuqi!” Minnie exclaims as she rushes over to check on her friend. Down below, heaps of broken metal are strewn about and layered on top of the groaning Yuqi. “Oh my God, Yuqi! Are you okay?!”

 

The poor girl raises her head weakly and attempts to prop herself up on her arm, which collapses under her weight in a sharp jolt of pain.

 

“I’m good…!” Yuqi hisses through clenched teeth, but she tries to put on a convincing smile in hopes of alleviating the alarm on Minnie’s concerned face. Obviously, it doesn't work. “I think my arm’s kinda broken, though…”

 

“Merry Christmas!” Came the taunting cheer of thousands around the city as the clock strikes twelve. Ten minutes later, Yuqi is being hauled off the dilapidated fire escape and into the cozy apartment of the residents living directly below the Yontararak family. She sends them apologetic looks for ruining their Christmas party while they’re just worried that they might have done something wrong.

 

After Yuqi comforts a guilt-stricken Minnie from apologizing till kingdom come, Mr. Song comes in and drives his daughter to the emergency room for a tetanus shot and a cast. Of course, Minnie tags along and keeps Yuqi company by staying at her side all throughout.

 

Despite the mess that had happened to her and the sting of the needle being forced into her arm, Yuqi still couldn’t hate that Christmas day. She got a bike from her dad, a giraffe plush from Soyeon, an orange hoodie from Soojin, a cool beanie from Miyeon, a new comic book from Shuhua, and lastly, a kiss (plus bracelet) from her dearest friend Minnie.

 

Overall, it was a great holiday. And she loved her presents that year too.

 

᠁

 

Yuqi smiles at the memory as she stares at the very same bracelet around her wrist, prompting her to ask: “Yo, unnie. Remember that time you broke my arm during Christmas?”

 

There’s a beat of silence before she receives an answer. “No.”

 

Sitting up, Yuqi regards her girlfriend doubtfully. “You sure about that?” She queries with a cocked brow.

 

Minnie then faces her, hands on her hips as she turns away from the various articles of shorts she’s examining with a critical eye.

 

“Yes, I’m sure.” The elder insists with a straight face.

 

The corner of Yuqi’s lips pointed up into a little smirk. “Oh, yeah? Well, I certainly remember you kissing me and then throwing me out the window by accident. Or was that some other lucky girl?”

 

Minnie scrunches her nose in mock disdain. “You must have Alzheimer’s because that happened on Christmas Eve. Not Christmas day, Woogie.”

 

Yuqi merely shrugs as she lays back down on the bed. “Eh, same banana.” She says flippantly with a wave of her hand. “But I guess you’re right.”

 

Minnie gives a definitive nod and resumes checking herself out in the mirror, swapping between the many shorts in her wardrobe and deliberating on which of them fits with her top more.

 

“Of course, I’m right.” She states as a matter-of-factly, though her warm smile betrays her dismissive tone. “Now go back to whatever it is you’re thinking about and let me change in peace.”

 

Yuqi does a silly salute, beaming. “Yes, ma’am!”

 

᠁

 

The third time Yuqi has stepped into her room was another two and a half years. She was already bordering on fourteen by that time, and Minnie was fifteen.

 

They still didn’t spend much time at her place, really, but the sweltering heat of the summer months had forced them to stay inside and cool off in her apartment unit since Yuqi’s AC was busted that week. Mr. Song wasn’t home either, so Mrs. Yontararak promised the kids air-conditioning and iced tea while her husband lounged in the living room watching television with a bottle of cold beer. A rare luxury, it seemed, as it was the first year that not a single student in their batch had been required to attend summer school.

 

Yuqi slumps backward in the chair by Minnie’s desk, purposely avoiding the window thanks to that Christmas incident from years ago, while Minnie sits criss-cross applesauce on her bed.

 

“It’s so dang hot!” Yuqi complains as she throws her head back to let her long, ginger curls hang from the edge of the backrest while narrowing her eyes at the ceiling. Like it was the one responsible for the blistering temperature outside. “I think we should go to Busan and just throw ourselves into the sea.”

 

Minnie shakes her head at how one-track-minded the Han girl can be sometimes.

 

“And just how exactly do you suggest we go there ourselves, miss smarty pants?” She humors with a teasing gaze beneath the dark bangs that are curtained over her forehead. “The last time I checked, we’re both still minors who can’t go very far without any adult supervision.”

 

Yuqi groans as she lightly hits her head against the back of her chair.

 

“I know that, unnie. But it’s only three hours away by train, right? So, Busan isn’t really that far. And besides, we’ve commuted on our own since last year. I doubt they’ll think twice about two random teenagers boarding the train. Most of us are doing it anyway.”

 

“Yeah, but traveling to and from school.” The Thai reasons.

 

“It’s summer break. There should be some leniency for us to go places instead of just suffering in our homes.” A lightbulb goes off in Yuqi’s head then. “I heard that Jeju island is a great place for a vacation.”

 

“You’re really set on going anywhere with a beach, huh?”

 

“And an ocean!” Yuqi adds excitedly, prompting Minnie to laugh at her peculiar train of thought.

 

“Why don’t you just jump into a pool if you’re so desperate?” The Thai jokes. Not expecting Yuqi to take her rhetorical words seriously until the latter’s eyes widened all of a sudden. Oh, no.

 

“Unnie, you’re a genius!” She declares, shooting herself upright to give the befuddled girl a megawatt smile. “That sounds a lot more practical than a beach!”

 

Minnie smiles back, albeit a little lost and confused. “Err, thanks…?”

 

They both just sit around in silence for a minute longer till Yuqi suddenly stands before approaching Minnie’s spot on the bed. Without warning, Yuqi grabs Minnie by the hand and pulls her off with a lot more force than she intended. Their heads bump together, and their lips brush ever-so-slightly from the action.

 

“Ow!”

 

Minnie rubs her forehead while Yuqi begins to apologize profusely, their faces red and burning from the accidental kiss they had. And although this isn’t how she imagined her first kiss would be like, Minnie can’t deny that she wanted it to be with Yuqi.

 

“It’s fine, Yuqi. Calm down.” Minnie laughs again in an attempt to soothe her panicked friend. “Now, where are we off to in such a hurry that you had to almost give me a concussion and steal my first kiss in one go?”

 

Yuqi blushed faintly and stuttered another apology before saying, “I, uh… I just wanted to go to the convenience store downstairs and maybe get a milkshake or something. I figured that getting a drink makes more sense than hunting around for a pool. Plus, it’s way too hot to be outside anyway.”

 

Minnie giggles as Yuqi rubs her neck sheepishly. She allows herself to get dragged away by the black-haired beauty, and the two of them pretend not to notice how they held hands on the way to their destination. Even after they’ve gotten their drinks and sat together by the window to indulge in their cold beverages as neither of them wanted the moment to end.

 

᠁

 

“Unnie?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Do you remember our first kiss?”

 

Minnie tears away from the pair of frayed shorts in hand and glances at Yuqi, head cocked and her brows slightly furrowed. “The one where you walked with me along the Han river after we had dinner with my family at our favorite sushi place? Yeah, I still remember that. It was my birthday, and you said that you wanted to give me something special.”

 

Her affectionate smile, coupled with the dreamy look in her eyes, makes Yuqi feel a little bad for ruining the otherwise sentimental atmosphere with her next words. “No, no. I mean before that. The summer one.”

 

Her girlfriend seems lost in thought until she turns away with a scoff. “Oh, God. Please don’t remind me.”

 

Yuqi rolls onto her side and props her head up on her hand with a smirk. “The guy at the cashier thought I bumped my head somewhere ‘cuz of the red spot on my forehead.”

 

“And we held hands all the way back upstairs, yeah. Way to woo me, Ms. Charming.” Minnie shoots back while blushing, except the smile on her face betrays the sarcasm in her voice.

 

“I have my methods, unnie.” Yuqi winks. “And may I remind you, you’re not that smooth either, Ms. I’ll-Express-My-Affections-By-Pushing-My-Crush-Out-Of-A-Seventh-Story-Window.”

 

Minnie’s cheeks turn a shade darker in embarrassment. “That was your fault, idiot. It was just a harmless peck, but you overreacted and had to go tripping over yourself!”

 

Yuqi rolls her eyes playfully. “Whatever. Point taken.”

 

They both return to their own business, and Yuqi goes to recall the fourth time that she has been in Minnie’s room. However, she can only remember bits and pieces of that memory.

 

᠁

 

It’s been less than two years since the events of their accidental “first kiss”, and fifteen-year-old Yuqi had finally worked up the courage to ask the older girl out. By then, Minnie was already seventeen and nearing her eighteenth birthday (which is when their second but real kiss happened).

 

The term break was about to end soon, and Yuqi—in her haste to reach their shared floor after staying late at school for her dance practice—skips her usual routine of just taking the elevator by climbing up the stairs instead with a pounding heart. She greets the Yontararak parents in a sweaty, panting mess as she asks to visit Minnie. They let her in without question, and Yuqi doesn’t think twice about knocking as she bursts into the room with a surge of confidence.

 

Any declarations of love and the prospect of a date dies on her tongue once she processes the view in front of her.

 

Holy Mother of Christ.

 

In the center of the room stands Minnie in all of her glory, dark hair wet and her hands gripping onto a flimsy towel that does nothing to conceal her spectacular figure. Yuqi is stuck frozen on her spot as she openly gawks at Minnie’s backside, bared for only her eyes to see. Eyes that would abruptly lock with a pair of scandalized ones belonging to her current source of affections as they widen instantaneously.

 

“Yuqi, what the Hell?! Get out!” Minnie screeches through a beet-red face as she tries (and fails) to cover up her body, but it’s already too late.

 

Yuqi has seen everything, and she’ll take this very image to the damn grave itself.

 

The young girl feels her legs become jelly as she slumps forward in a snap, her head gracefully meeting the stupid doorknob on the way down. She briefly hears Minnie shouting her name and blacks out completely once she has face-planted onto the floor.

 

Oh my God, that showed her all the stars. (Literally. She saw stars in her vision.)

 

Come the following day, Yuqi awakes on a hospital bed with a bandage wrapped around her slightly throbbing head. Musing at how Minnie seems to have a knack for sending her to the hospital quite often.

 

Yuqi is informed that she’s been out for only a brief period of time by the doctor stationed in her room. She feels the bandages on her heavy head and glances around to see her father and Minnie sitting in chairs beside her bed. Mr. Song smiles at his daughter and stands to hug her, but Minnie’s eyes remain focused on the floor with her face donning a perpetual blush.

 

After explaining that Yuqi has only a minor concussion and that the bandages are merely to stop the bleeding of a cut on her forehead, the doctor clears her to be released. But not without suggesting a few days off of school. Needless to say, Yuqi was thrilled with her head injury.

 

While Mr. Song leaves to handle the papers down at the lobby, Yuqi reclines in a rather awkward silence with Minnie still inside the room with her. Worried that maybe the Thai is still mad at her for what happened the other day, despite the glaring fact that Minnie has been holding Yuqi’s hand ever since she woke up.

 

“Unnie, I-I can explain…” She starts anxiously.

 

Minnie shakes her head, cat eyes disappearing when she smiles with her cheeks pushed up.

 

“If you didn’t have a head injury, I would have smacked you for barging into my room like that.” She says in an all-too-sweet voice that contrasts the threat in her words. However, Yuqi knows that she’s only teasing when Minnie’s expression softens along with her smile. “But I’m glad you’re awake now.”

 

Yuqi doesn’t realize that she’s grinning like an idiot until Minnie graces her with a small giggle as she gives the younger’s hand a gentle squeeze.

 

“I’m really sorry, Minnie-unnie. I just—I thought it was okay ‘cuz your parents just sent me to your room. And the door was unlocked, so…”

 

Minnie’s smile remains intact as she Yuqi’s hair with her other hand. The gesture feels a lot more affectionate in a way that she can’t quite put into words, but Yuqi doesn’t hate it. Not at all. As a matter of fact, it’s the total opposite; and she’s going to indulge in this surprisingly intimate moment for as long as it lasts.

 

“It’s okay, Woogie. I understand.”

 

Sighing in relief, Yuqi sinks back into the clean white sheets before inhaling sharply when Minnie leans over to whisper.

 

“But next time, you can just ask.”

 

Without even waiting for Yuqi to recover, Minnie presses a chaste kiss on her best friend’s bandaged forehead and then leaves the room with the excuse of wanting to grab a drink from one of the vending machines outside. She moves towards the door with a certain spring in her gait while Yuqi splutters incoherencies, but not before throwing a wink over her shoulder at the beet-red girl laying frozen on the bed.

 

If Yuqi hadn’t caught the pinkness of Minnie’s cheeks then, she would’ve thought she was dreaming.

 

That night, Yuqi hardly slept a wink – and her insomnia had nothing to do with the light throbbing in her head.

 

᠁

 

Yuqi is forced back to reality by the repetitive snapping of fingers in front of her face and the soft calling of her name. Blinking once, then twice, Yuqi’s head shoots up in her girlfriend’s direction to find the latter all dressed up and ready to go.

 

“What do you think?” Minnie asks, posing rather adorably to elicit a distracted chuckle from the young brunette.

 

The older girl has opted for one of her many oversized button-up shirts that hang down to her thighs and seem almost too big on the shoulders. If it were other people wearing them, it’d be like draping a curtain on a broomstick. Yet, somehow, Minnie always looks so good and fashionable in them. For shoes, Minnie is donning the black lace-up Chelsea boots that her parents got for her birthday a month ago. Still looking brand-new with their original shine still intact.

 

“Hey, Dora, are you done exploring? My eyes are up here.”

 

Embarrassingly, Yuqi was caught staring a few seconds too long at Minnie’s toned stomach that’s been left exposed by her top. And so Minnie approaches her in order to place two fingers underneath Yuqi’s chin and close her jaw shut before a fly gets into . Her eyes are pushed up into crescents again at the sight of her silly girlfriend’s expression, like a goldfish straight out of water.

 

“I’ll take your silent gawking as a yes, then?”

 

At last, Yuqi manages to find her voice. “Oh, yeah. Totally. Ten out of ten.” She blabbers out in a single breath. “You look good in anything, unnie.”

 

Minnie beams at the praise. “Smooth talker.” She jests with her usual playfulness and gives Yuqi’s nose a little boop. “Come on, we promised the girls that we’ll meet with them at the cafe in twenty minutes. I bet Miyeon’s gonna be late again, unless Shuhua managed to break into her house and force her awake like last time.”

 

Yuqi can’t help the laugh that falls out of her lips, musing over the memory of that one time Shuhua had climbed onto Miyeon’s bedroom balcony after charming the old lady who lived next door. Miyeon had the absolute fright of her life upon being rudely shaken awake to see Shuhua’s face hovering inches before her own and screamed at the top of her lungs. Loud enough for both Soyeon and Soojin—who were waiting out at the front door like normal law-abiding citizens—to hear very clearly. Followed by the usual shrieks and loud bickering that often came with having Miyeon and Shuhua in one room together.

 

“God help the poor ahjumma who’d have to hear all their screaming again.” Yuqi jokes as she takes Minnie’s offered hand, allowing herself to get pulled off the bed and towards the doorway. “Can we get ice cream on the way there?”

 

“Sure, but you’re paying for it.” Minnie smirks at Yuqi’s pout. “I want matcha, by the way.”

 

“You always want matcha.” Yuqi rolls her eyes. “Do I really have to share it with you? ‘Cuz you know I don’t like that flavor.”

 

“Oh? Do I hear someone wanting to sleep on the floor tonight? Because I can perfectly do that if you’re going to complain like this.” Minnie says with a challenging glint in her eyes, knowing full well that this would get Yuqi to acquiesce—which it does. A fool-proof tactic, indeed.

 

“You wouldn’t.” Yuqi looks aghast.

 

“I would. And you can say goodbye to your little spoon privileges too.”

 

“But, but… Unnie!”

 

The Thai lets out a hearty laugh of amusement before leaning in to kiss her girlfriend’s lips, their steps slowing down enough for Yuqi to return it before they reluctantly part.

 

“I’m just kidding.” Minnie puts on a soft smile before pecking Yuqi’s lips once more. They’ll have time to properly make-out later, in the privacy of her bedroom. “Let’s go, you big baby. We can get your favorite double-chocolate instead because I’m such a good girlfriend.”

 

If Yuqi wasn’t so whipped for her, she would’ve snorted at that. Just to annoy Minnie. But those words hold some truth to them that she can’t deny either.

 

As Yuqi is being dragged away to the elevators, she thinks back to her fifth and most recent visit to Minnie’s room. Her eyes drop to their interlocked fingers with Minnie holding her hand the entire way as Yuqi grins to herself.

 

Yeah, I like this one too.