The festivities came with joy to the quiet neighborhood of the eagles, where cherry blossoms in broad daylight illuminated the heads of their visitors. It was a sensational thing to see but was ignored by one of the youngest members of the family who was crossing the street, the one with that beautiful garden that was lovingly loved every day.

One of the youngest daughters of the Kwon family was writing angrily in her notebook, with pristine sheets she went around the room in search of a good story. Her homework had been sent to her a week ago and was due to be delivered in three days but she just couldn't. She pinched the bridge of her nose with a certain obsession and snorted in frustration at seeing familiar faces parading around the place. As every year they spent any festive event occurring at their grandmother's house. She would never complain about being in that place but sometimes she was endearing.

She had to write a story, of any genre, but she chose the most difficult of all: romance. She must have thought better of it when she chose it. She didn't find any interesting stories in her own neighborhood or her parents. Yes, the typical movie scene where they are forced to marry and end up falling in love. Pathetic, those were her words and it cost her a day of punishment. She didn't care much for it.

Even if she had an envious imagination, it was enough not to write a cliche that she hasn't seen in a movie or read in a book that her older sister had in her room. That just didn't go with it. She curtly greeted her relatives and none were surprised that she was in a bad mood, even her mother joked about it.

"Do you have any interesting stories?" the pre-teen asked the first person she saw. Her aunt just shrugged and continued on her way as if she hadn't heard her.

Finally, she got to her uncle, her mother's younger brother, with whom everyone wanted to be because of his relaxed and friendly attitude although she didn't care too much. Maybe it was a box of secrets as her younger brother knew her.

“You don't have anything interesting either. Has anyone here lived life well? ” It was her demand and her uncle chuckled. He looked both ways before leaning a little toward his niece.

"Ask Grandma, I'm sure her story will surprise you," was her suggestion, and she walked away so quickly to join the hustle and bustle of her brothers.

The girl was silent for a few seconds, silently went to the door of the house. There she saw her grandmother the trees as she tended to do every time she saw her in the garden. She spotted her talking to a woman in a dark coat, but as soon as she reached her, the woman entered her home.

"Abu!" The girl called and the woman turned, gave her a sweet smile, and asked with her eyes what she wanted. "I need your help"

"Of course dear. What do you need?"

It was her daily question. 

“I have a project that I have to write about a love story and one of your children gives me the idea that you have a love story. If it's the story with the grandpa I don’t need your help anymore.” 

The grandmother laughed, it was one of the things that the girl adored about her. Compared to any adult, her grandmother was not bothered by her daring responses and premature maturity, instead, she seemed to be happy that her beloved girl was able to stand up for herself even though she didn't exhaust her from the occasional scolding. They entered the house and escaped to the kitchen.

"I guess Hyunjin send you with me"

You could easily mistake her for someone younger and you would never think of the years she said with pride. Her grandmother's eyes were always candid, and her hands were still that of a young person. She knew that her grandmother had her mother young and even she seemed older than the aforementioned. It was nothing new for her to admire her grandmother and the splendor that ran through her, although it was not always so. The girl nodded.

"Will you tell me?" the girl inquired with some expectation and holding the notebook tightly in her hand.

"But not here," her grandmother confirmed and motioned to her. In silence, they left the house toward the backyard and settled in the seats far enough away from the annoying noises and with the perfect view to warn some intruder. "Are you sure you want to hear it? It's not something I tell everyone, least of all talking about my first love."

The girl wanted to snap at her but was surprised to find something in the way she expresses herself, the way she has never seen in her grandmother. She nodded with some contained emotion.

"Yujin, do you promise not to tell anyone until I tell you?"

Her grandmother stretched her little finger and the girl tangled her little finger with hers.

"Well, I like that you're legit," the older woman applauded with a proud smile. "Aim as I tell you, okay?"

The mornings were getting thicker and at just ten years old, all she could do was curl up under her blankets. She got up and went to the other side of the room waking her trustworthy friend from fright.

"What happens?" the girl murmured, gently rubbing her hands over her eyes. She watched as she trembled and opened her blankets for her to lie down on. They huddled together and shared the pillows that the tallest girl's mother had bought for them. "It's so cold, unnie"

"I know," the other girl answered yawning. "I hate this time of year."

"At least we have each other, right unnie?"

As soon as the war was over, it wasn't long before the places became calmer and mothers could have children without fear of someone attacking them from behind. It was 1960 when Eunbi met her other half, her partner in crime and the love of her life.

Eunbi remembers the day she met her and the day she began to see her differently, the way she was strictly prohibited at any risk. But risks were not only her only fascination.

"Eunbi unnie!" the singsong voice was heard very close and the dark-haired woman continued to curl up under the covers. "Unnie, we must go somewhere boring that our parents dictate to us!"

Despite the protests, Chaeyeon ended up giving up and warned them that they could not since one was sick and the other by default should take care of her.

"Thanks for lying," Eunbi said as she made room for her to join her. "I still can't believe your parents don't punish you for yelling in the middle of the house."

"According to them I have an illness since a lady could never do that," she mumbled imitating her parents' voices. "And I appreciate having falsified all the papers about it"

"You're welcome"

Eunbi left the pillow and hugged her best friend, snuggling close by the sudden cold that haunted her.

"Did you already think about the trip?"

"I don't know yet."

"But your parents have already accepted and I just want you to know where I spend almost every summer," Chaeyeon complained tenderly. She searched her eyes and made a small pout. "Wouldn't you like to know more about your best friend?"

London was beautiful, just like the movies and her friend's family painted it. They arrived at the house where they were going to be for at least three days and Eunbi was surprised to meet her aunt. The woman with blue orbs overflowed the same aura that her best friend gave off from anywhere. Despite not having children, she treated Chaeyeon as if she was and that led her to treat Eunbi the same way and with the same love.

"I see why you are so outgoing," was a gentle expression and since she arrived in London the only thing she could think about was why her parents would no longer let her come here. "You are just like your aunt."

"And I'll take it as a compliment, thanks," Chaeyeon smiled at her and kissed her head, "Now get ready we'll go to a bar that just opened"

"A bar? And what's so funny about that?"

"Bars in London were known at the time for being liberal and for people the only thing that was closest to someone in public was a meter away. She wanted to do it and I didn't object."

There were several screams and denials but Eunbi was holding hands with her best friend in an outfit that she never thought to wear waiting her turn to enter a bar that she didn't want to enter. But she couldn't do much, her best friend was excited and so was she.

The dark lights barely allowed people in the vicinity to see. Eunbi found herself squeezed a little in the crowd. She could feel the heat of the place and be grateful that Chaeyeon forced her to wear clothes that were strictly small so as not to die of heat.

"Let's Dance?"

It wasn't a question, but she didn't feel as uncomfortable as she first thought. She kept up with the music and tried not to lose sight of her trustworthy friend, she didn't want to be alone in that place.

Suddenly someone screamed and the lights suddenly went out. She freaked out for a few moments before feeling someone very close to her.

Eunbi only knew that she was kissing someone, she didn't recognize who it was but her hands reached for the other person's waist, then she realized that she was a woman.

Her mother's voice was not remotely close to muttering something to her but she sighed as the kiss deepened. She had never kissed anyone but she was sure that sweet kisses were not like that. The other girl didn't seem to have enough and held her close to her even when the lights went on. The familiar eyes she has been seeing for the past fifteen years have died of shame at the sight of her. Chaeyeon released her so fast that when Eunbi pulled her to hug her, she hesitated for several minutes before enveloping her in her heat.

They didn't speak about it at any time about the last three days that followed in London, they remained in uncomfortable silences even when they arrived in Korea, their parents seemed somewhat surprised but assumed that it was some pointless fight.

"London was a mistake," It was the third day that they didn't speak. Chaeyeon had suddenly come to her house and forced her to listen to her even though she didn't look her in the eyes, something strange about her. "Can we be best friends again from before?"

The one before disappeared at the same moment that they had tasted the taste of each other's lips. Eunbi nodded without much effort.

On one of their mid-afternoon walks, along the edges of the beautiful forest around it. Their conversations were now longer, to somehow fill the need that had grown little by little

They had hugged each other to try to find warmth in the bleak weather.

Chaeyeon leaned down and rosed her lips. The electricity felt in the air, the rose of their bodies, and the depth of their gazes. Honestly, Eunbi couldn't ask for a better scenario than that.

"Sorry," she murmured before leaning down and resting her lips on hers. Eunbi closed her eyes and returned the kiss with intensity. The heat of the atmosphere was enough to forget about the cold that was felt in the environment.

The thin lips seemed to have something that begged Eunbi to try them again, to feel them again over hers. They didn't say a word when a single kiss turned into two, three, in sufficient quantity that when they arrived at their respective houses a punishment for being late was imposed on them for a couple of days.

"Did you like her?"

"I accepted that I liked her until a year later. You can't imagine her happiness when I said those words to her"

She was in a professorship, she was barely a couple of years in college when out of curiosity she went to a seminar in the large auditorium of her place of study. The prohibition in the human being was the title that corresponded to the session but as soon as the words of mixed feelings towards people of the same came out, she stopped listening. Lee Chaeyeon was all she could think of.

It was the first time they kissed, but not the last. Eunbi was smiling when Chaeyeon was dedicated to cross her face with her lips until finding hers at the end of the road. She found herself kissing her best friend when no one was around. They found themselves stealing goodnight kisses and hugs that meant more than just friendship. They knew it and only intensified the feeling.

"... and that's why you shouldn't fall in love with these people," said the exhibitor and was all she could hear before suddenly leaving the auditorium excusing her friends for some urgency.

"Sure I know that shouldn't happen," Eunbi muttered rolling her eyes, grabbing her briefcase tightly, and clenching her teeth. "As if I hadn't thought about it"

Few people could boast an emotional intelligence capacity like Kwon Eunbi, but how could she deny herself that she was in love with her best friend, knowing that she is a woman and that she does not want to do anything to make that change?

It wasn't long before she got home and shut herself in her room. If she did her homework she doesn't remember it, but she remembers the warmth she felt when her best friend appeared at her door with a contagious smile and hugged her.

"Bad day, unnie?" Chaeyeon questioned causing her to release her grip a little. "Do you want me to help you with something?"

Eunbi sighed, why did they say it was wrong to fall in love with that person but it felt so good to be in her arms.

"I just want to sleep."

Without accompanying the words she drew her until they were lying down and hugging, because of her size she managed to snuggle into her arms very easily and snuggled against the hollow of her neck.

"Chae ..." she softly called her name, a sweet kiss on her crown alerted her that she was listening to her. "...I am falling in love with you."

She didn't hear anything for long seconds that seemed eternal, little by little she raised her head and her lips lifted when she saw watery eyes in her field of vision.

"I tell you a secret?" Eunbi nodded without losing her gaze. "I am also in love with you."

"And how did you know it was love?"

Eunbi sighed and looked at her granddaughter. It was the same question she asked herself at that time.

"It is not about issues, I just saw her and knew that I loved her as something much deeper than my best friend"

The beginning of summer was the best part of the year and since Eunbi discovered that she liked to wear polo shirts that don't reach her wrists, she decided to wear them when no one but her girlfriend was around.

"Are you going to stop hiding?!" Her girlfriend's voice was heard near her and she covered to avoid laughing. "Boo!"

Eunbi breathed out and started to giggle at the sight of the younger woman with an extended laugh in the air. She put her arms around her neck and kissed her cheek before hugging her.

"I won, now you must bring that ball yourself," Chaeyeon hummed, taking advantage of carrying her and taking her to the small picnic they had organized. "But first you have to eat."

The sun was hardly caressing and that was a sign that it was a good day. When the meal was over and the laughter was still going on, they decided to drop the ball that Eunbi took from her sister's room.

"Tell me if you are coming!" Chaeyeon yelled, raising her arms a little more without caring about the weight in her hands, "Is that it?"

"Wait! It won't be long- now put me down"

The ball bounced off the ground and Eunbi would have done the same if it wasn't for her girlfriend grabbing her quickly and managing to lighten the fall, although that didn't save her from back pain.

"That hurt," the younger woman whispered but still hugging her girlfriend around the waist so she wouldn't get up. "But it was worth it."

"Don't play romantic and let's see if there is any injury."

"You haven't changed much, abu"

"Thus I was born and thus I will die"

No one had known about the relationship they had nor was there a slight suspicion of it. Eunbi's parents were only concerned that she didn't see any interest in their daughter getting married. But like every problem, there was a solution.

Eunbi came by the hand of her girlfriend after celebrating the