The window glass was fogged by the cold breeze of that winter night, making it a little harder to see the people passing by – Minjoo’s only distraction at the moment. She had been sitting in this booth for over an hour now, and the only reason she still had to not left this small coffee in one of the many alleys of that city, was the fact that she didn’t want to go back home and have to admit yet another one of her attempts at love failed. By now she should be used to it, after all isn’t it like this for everyone? Yet, she felt a little cheated on for having it happening to her in Valentine’s day out of all days.

It wasn’t like she was in love, actually it was just someone she had met on campus and they had exchanged a few messages before he asked her for a coffee date and a movie – the standard first date. But not only the dude didn’t show up, she also received a message from her friends group informing that the guy in question was actually seen on a date with someone else…Minjoo didn’t even bother cursing at him, she blocked his number for good. You can’t trust men, nothing new there – annoying, regardless.

Minjoo wasn’t expecting much anyway, maybe to have a little of a fun and maybe discover some unexpected chemistry – most of the time it didn’t happen and it would be just another awkward date. It was still worth the try, that was her motto for dating, although it hadn’t worked out so far.

Truth be told, she would rather to be back home just watching movies with her roommate and eat all the ice cream in the fridge – not Chaewon’s awful mint-chocolate flavor, maybe some strawberry or vanilla. It wouldn’t be too different from their usual nights, but she loved the simple, warm and nice atmosphere. She loved how comfortable it was, how she could just be herself and feel completely at home even in their cramped apartment; it was probably all because Chae was there and Chaewon always felt like home for her…But she wasn’t that kind of home.

Sighing, she took her phone out of her pocket, thinking if she should text her best friend or not – what if Chae was busy with her own date? What if she interrupted something? Still, it was her best friend and she knew Chaewon would nag her if she didn’t call her instead of staying there all by herself…She decided on just sending a quick text to see if she was busy.

Or she would have, if a body hadn’t occupied the seat in front of her, making her shot the newcomer a confused gaze.

“Chaewon!” Confusion gave place to a small smile on her face as she recognized her best friend’s face. It was almost as if her wishes were granted and Chaewon just materialized in front of her right when she needed the most.

“I don’t have a date for today, so I thought I could join you.” Chae explained with a shrug, her chestnut eyes on Minjoo’s face as if she was looking for something – what she found made her smile back, relieved. She wasn’t sure coming here was the best choice at first, but she couldn’t help but worry and her feet just dragged her to the coffeeshop ignoring her more rational side. Seeing Minjoo smile was worth all the long walk. “Any recommendations?”

Shaking her head slowly, Min rested her face on her hands, looking at Chaewon’s simple clothes that made it clear she had come all the way from their apartment just to check on her. Chae didn’t reply on the group chat, but she should’ve seen the messages and came here to pick her up – always attentive, reliable Chae. “You don’t have to. You don’t even like coffee.”

Chaewon fidgeted with the table cloth, avoiding her eyes. Of course, she hated coffee and she liked this place even less today when it was full of cheesy signs that included hearts and fat angels. “You’re right.” She gave in, before stealing a glance at Minjoo’s face. “But I like you.” It was the truth and they both knew it, even if the interpretation could not be the same.

Chae wondered if Minjoo noticed the change in her tone or not, the younger girl had averted her gaze before she could read the expression in her eyes.

“Just order some hot chocolate to go.” Ignoring the sudden words and the way her heart reacted to them, Minjoo just focused back on the original topic. She didn’t want to think too much, to look too much into what wasn’t really there and take Chae’s love as more than it really was. One love deception was enough for the night. “I don’t want to stay here for long.”

Containing a sigh, Chaewon forced a smile back to her face. “I wasn’t planning on staying anyway.” Standing up, she reached out for Minjoo’s forearm, gently grabbing it and prompting the girl to stand up as well. “Forget about the drinks. I may or may not have some special plans for us.” Before the girl could say anything more, she led the way to the exit. She had some plans of her own, and this coffeeshop didn’t have a place in them.

Slightly taken aback by the sudden change in Chaewon’s demeanor. Minjoo was expecting them to head home and just lazy around, maybe back to that movies and ice cream routine while she sulked about her bad luck, so tomorrow she could go back to her bubbly self – the determination in the older girl’s face made it clear it wasn’t an option though. “Where are we going?” She tried asking, following Chae’s quick steps.

The slightly shorter girl didn’t turn around, her hand just slipping from Minjoo’s arm to her hand, keeping a light, nice grip on it. “I’m no average date, you know?” It wasn’t the first time they held hands, nor the first time they went on a friendly date, still, there was something different about Chaewon today and Minjoo instinctively held onto her hand a little tighter. “I’m not going to disappoint you.”

There it was again, the small leap inside of her chest, that one heartbeat too fast for her own good. Biting on her bottom lip, the younger Kim stared at their joint hands and then Chaewon’s back covered by the grey hoodie and the brown hair. Yeah, definitely not an average date. “I know. You never do.”

Maybe Chaewon had lied a little bit – to Minjoo and herself too. She didn’t really have a plan, just a goal: to make Minjoo happy enough to forget about any idiot who dared to not appreciate her as much as she deserved. When she read Yena and Yujin’s messages – their close friends who were in a club with the same guy who was supposed to go on a date with Min – saying they had seen he going out with someone else, followed by Minjoo’s reply about how late he already was and how she would just ditch him, Chaewon’s first instinct was to come to her meeting.

Minjoo could keep a façade in front of their friends, playing it cool, but the older Kim knew better than believe it. She had seen her friend get hurt other times, more than breaking her heart, those deceptions broke Minjoo’s faith in finding love – and Chaewon just felt as if it was her job to be there and show her, she was worth all love there was. She was probably overdoing it, their friends would just agree in trash talking the guy for a while and call it a day. It wasn’t like Min was in a serious relationship with him, it was just another dumb guy that shouldn’t matter.

Still, Chae knew her best friend was just too sensitive to not get affected. Why else she would be sulking while eating her favorite pastry that Chaewon even paid for? Chae was trying her best to help Minjoo to cheer up – with very little success.

First bringing her to the karaoke room where she only chose the songs the girl liked, yet the other lacked the usual enthusiasm and they left after some terrible scores. Second, she brought the girl to the food stalls where they could pick all the street food Min loved; but they ended up with only a small bag of it, and only because Chaewon insisted.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she glanced at the younger girl with sharp eyes – some people would find this look intimidating, but it was just her concerned look. “What’s with the long face? I thought it was your favorite.” She pointed at the bag of fish-shaped pastry she had handed the girl a couple of minutes prior. Food usually was enough to at least bring a smile to Minjoo’s face, yet the woman had been chewing on the same piece of pastry for the last five minutes with a blank look on her face. “Or did I order the wrong thing?”

Forcing a smile, Min shook her head in a negative. “No, of course not.” There was nothing wrong with the food, it was as delicious as always, but she couldn’t ignore the bittersweet taste in . Having Chaewon around should make her feel better, but it was having the opposite effect today. One that only became stronger as she felt Chaewon’s chestnut gaze on her, so full of worry and a silent question. “You know me well.”

That answer wasn’t enough and they both knew it. Chae tried to refrain from grimacing, she shouldn’t push it too much, Min deserved her space and she should grant it to her. Still, she hated the feeling of powerlessness for being enable to help. “Yeah, but I don’t understand you now.” She admitted, averting her gaze to the streets that shone under the decorating lights for the stupid holiday she never quite understood the meaning. If you love someone, you don’t need a day and a cheap flower bouquet to make them feel special. “He was a loser and not good enough for you.” In her opinion, he was only good enough for a smack on the head and a well-placed kick, but she knew better than voice her thoughts about beating up random dudes on campus. “You don’t need to feel bad about it.”

“I don’t feel bad about it, really! I just…It’s not about him, it’s about me.” Minjoo almost sighed. Her failed date wasn’t the problem – she wouldn’t want to see the guy for a while, but she was more annoyed than hurt. The reason for her terrible mood was very different. Seeing all the pretty decorations, the couples walking together and the romantic songs playing anywhere they went…All this while having Chaewon with her was making her feel more melancholic than she should be. “It’s Valentine’s day, shouldn’t things work out? For once?”

This time Chae couldn’t help but grimace, damned it be that day and all those annoying couples that made everyone else feel extra single and unhappy, when in reality being in a relationship was far from the happiest thing most of the time. “It’s a capitalistic holiday, that’s all. There is no magic about it.”

“Capitalism or not, everyone wants it to be special. I know I do.” Min made her steps slower, looking at the pretty display of one of the restaurants in the area. Cliché or not, she wanted to have a special day with someone who really meant something for her. Instead, she only got ghosted by her date and had her friend ditching her own plans to come and pick her up. “You shouldn’t have come.” She was glad, but she also knew she couldn’t be selfish. Just because her night wasn’t a success, it didn’t mean Chaewon should deal with her mopping instead of enjoying her night. “I know someone asked you out. It’s not too late to go to them.”

“Way to say I’m failing here…” Muttering under her breath, the older girl tried to contain her frustration. Not only she had failed in helping Minjoo to feel better, it seems like she also burdened her with guilt – silly, nonsense guilt considering Chaewon never intended on going out today. She had no interest in anyone else and she made sure Minjoo understood it. “You know I don’t want to go out with them.” She reached out to take Minjoo by the hand again, eyes on the pretty face she knew so well, yet seem unable to read her feelings. “I chose to be with you.”

“You didn’t fail. You’re the best, always.” Min squeezed her hand back, shaking her head once more. She never meant for Chaewon to feel like this, if anything it was something wrong with her, not with Chae. She knew Chaewon was doing that for her, coming to her rescue like the good friend she had always been. Unfortunately, today it wasn’t enough for her and she couldn’t ignore this feeling. “But I am not the best company tonight.” Letting go of her hand, she hugged the bag of lukewarm pastry as if it was a precious thing, and gave her a weak smile. “Can we just go home?”

The best? Chaewon felt like anything but it. Her chest full with a heavy, cold feeling – frustration and rejection. “Let’s grab some ice cream on the way.” Minjoo wouldn’t be the only one to need it today. It wasn’t even a date, still she felt like she had just been dumped.

It was a bit ironic how both of them were so blind about each other’s feelings, even though they knew each other so well, there are times where voicing their feelings was the only way  – tonight was one of those times.

The way home was silent, the few words exchanged were just about which ice cream flavor to order and who would pay for it – they ordered the usual, a small bucket of mint-choco for Chaewon and one with the three classic flavors for Minjoo; Chaewon insisted on paying, but Minjoo was faster to do so and the older gave up on arguing.

Reaching home usually meant ordering some food and plumping down on the bed to watch whatever was on tv, today they even had good old ice-cream to make it a perfect way to marathon one of their favorite shows. However, the atmosphere felt awkward, heavy as if the unsaid words were weighting on them now.

They just stood there, in the middle of the living room, in a silent debate about what to do next. Chaewon even reached for Minjoo’s free hand, unwilling to end this night in such low note, opening to tell her maybe they could do something else together – the younger girl spoke before she could.

“Good night, Chae. Thanks for…For everything.” Min gave her another one of those weak smiles that didn’t reach her eyes, before leaning in to leave a quick kiss on her cheek. There was something in the chocolate-brown eyes, a gray tone to it that Chaewon wasn’t able to read.

She nodded slowly, letting her hand fall back before she could touch Minjoo, only muttering a reply. “Good night.” Once more, she felt as if she had failed terribly and she didn’t even know how it happened.

Minjoo disappeared behind the door of her room before she could say anything else.

Sighing, Chaewon faced the empty room and let herself fall back on the couch. Who was she trying to fool? She didn’t go there simply to ‘save’ Minjoo – Min was a strong girl, a smart and independent one, she didn’t need her help to get over a bad date. She went there try her luck, wanting to somehow show Minjoo that maybe they could work out together, as more than only friends. She wanted to turn that bad date into their own, perfect one. Instead, she only made things worse for Minjoo, dragging her around stupid places and making her feel ever worse.

Minjoo probably just needed a nice hug and some comforting words, not silly karaoke songs and cheap food. Chaewon should apologize to her, and try to be a better friend and actually listen to her and give her proper support. Glancing at the closed door of Minjoo’s room, she sighed once more, deciding to do it tomorrow.

Bringing a hand to her face, she felt a headache starting to form in her temples. Love was just too complicated – loving someone who couldn’t see her as more than a good friend was even more. Chaewon wasn’t even sure about when it started for her, about when she realized that Minjoo was more to her than just the clumsy kid she met in the first year of high school and with who she became friends so quickly, more than just someone she would have in her life for a while…When she noticed that she didn’t want to see Minjoo with someone else, but she wanted to be the one to make her happy.

Still, the feelings were there, strong as the wind blowing against the windows now pronouncing a storm. Strong enough to make her insist in a terrible idea like that and try to impress Minjoo in the silliest way, strong enough to make her feel like she could have a chance when she was so, so far from what Min really wanted.

Chaewon really hated Valentine’s day.

Sinking into the couch, she reached for the bucket of mint-choco ice cream inside the plastic bag she was still holding. At least she still had it to comfort her – or not. Instead of green, the bucket was colored in three colors.

She sighed once more, cursing herself.

She was okay with this, but Minjoo hated mint-choco, therefore she would have to go there and trade the buckets before it started to melt. “Just your luck, Kim-Chae.” She whispered to herself, standing up to head to the kitchen first.

Minjoo was under the blankets, having just slid into her oversized white t-shirt and sweat pants and deciding she would try to focus on the variety show on TV instead of her own feelings – a useless, yet valid effort. She felt awful, for herself and especially for the way she treated Chaewon. It wasn’t on purpose, she didn’t mean to downplay her efforts and create such an awkward atmosphere for them. Still, she couldn’t help it.

It’s been a while since she understood why her search for love wasn’t going anywhere – and it wasn’t only because of all the idiot guys out there. You can’t look for what you already had right in front of you, or better saying, in the room next to yours. Chaewon had always been special to her, from their awkward first meeting, to the connection that was slowly developed in between the two of them, the transition from schoolmates to friends, to best friends to life partners…Chae was a constant in her life, the one she could always rely on and the one who she could always run to. More than her safe haven, Chae was also one of her sources of happiness.

That’s why it was so unbearable to have her so close, yet so far today. When the older Kim just showed up in front of her in the café, with her eyes shining with nothing but care and concern, she could feel her heart jumping inside her chest – not scared, not surprised, just so, so happy that it was Chaewon. Her heart also betrayed her for the rest of the night, always skipping a beat whenever Chae held her hand or smiled, making it so hard to focus on anything but Chaewon. She felt as if her whole world was the girl and suddenly it was just too much.

For Chaewon it should just be a friendly date to cheer her up, but for Minjoo’s weak heart, that was the perfect Valentine’s day date she always wanted.

Therefore, she had tried so hard to push this feeling away. She tried her best to not delude herself, to not allow herself to fall into the trap of falling in love with her best friend in the biggest of the clichés. She didn’t want to ruin them by expecting something impossible. But why did it hurt so much? Chaewon looked at her in a way that hurt more than being ghosted ten times.

Hugging her knees, she rested her chin on top them. It was hard to not go to Chae even now, she just hated the feeling of them not being okay, of having to see Chaewon’s beautiful eyes opaque with disappointment instead of having the usual glint to them. Minjoo just wanted to involve her in the tightest hug and tell she was the only date she ever wanted.

For the second time that night, as if she could hear her thoughts, Chaewon just appeared right when Minjoo wanted the most. Two light knocks on the door, before her head appeared at the door ajar. “I think you got my mint-choco by mistake.” Chae informed with a voice that carried some hesitation, her face barely visible in the dim light.

Min opened her eyes wide, looking from Chaewon to the plastic bag she had left on her nightstand, completely forgotten. Reaching for it, she verified that she had indeed the horrifying green thing Chaewon loved. “Oh, yeah. Sorry! You can have it!” She tried to sit properly, ready to get it and bring it to its rightful owner, but it wasn’t needed.

Chaewon entered the room with soft steps, closing the door lightly as she gave Minjoo a shy smile before raising both hands to show in one of them the ice cream bucket and in other two spoons. “I thought you would need one.” She explained, coming closer to retrieve her bucket and offer Minjoo hers, along with a spoon.

With a surprised smile the younger accepted it, buckets of ice cream going from one hand to the other quickly. Chae kept her eyes in the ice cream, as if she was avoiding Min’s gaze – she was, but for different reasons than what Minjoo thought. Chaewon had her own conflicting thoughts torturing her mind at the moment, taking all her mighty to come there and complete this simple task.

The older Kim had the green bucket of ice cream in her possession, yet she didn’t leave the room. Changing the weight of her body from one foot to the other, she pressed her lips into a line, braving up to speak. “Min, I’m sorry about earlier.” She finally managed to say, her eyes still elsewhere, embarrassed. “I should have asked you what you wanted to do first, not just drag you to that stupid karaoke place…”

“No! I mean, it’s fine! You were just helping.” Minjoo interrupted, guilt hitting her again. How miserable she must have looked for her friend to think she was hating their date that much? Putting aside the ice cream, she reached out for Chaewon’s arm, pulling her closer. “I meant what I said earlier, the problem was me.” Reassuring, she gave her a smile that was as tired as sincere. She just wanted the smile back on Chaewon’s face, she wanted her to know her presence wasn’t only welcome, but wanted. “Can you just stay here tonight?”

Chaewon looked at her, narrowing her eyes as she pondered. She still felt bad about earlier, rethinking her actions and hating how it put them in such situation now. But Minjoo wanted her there and…And how could she say no? Even if she knew that being this close couldn’t possibly be good for her heart, planting the seed of hope once more only to cut it mercilessly the next time Minjoo found herself another love interest. “You always kick me in your sleep.” She complained, yet she already claiming her place beside Minjoo on the bed, glad she had already changed before gathering enough courage to come out. “Then come closer to get your cuddles.” She was falling back into the love trap, so it was better to embrace it whole hearted, how she had done so many times before – for one more time.

With no hesitation, Minjoo went right into her arms, clinging to Chaewon and ignoring the melting ice cream left over the nightstand once more. Chae was warm and familiar, her mint and strawberry scent filling her senses just like her existence filled her mind and the love filled her heart. She closed her eyes, her arms around Chaewon as she rested her head on her shoulder. She was falling deep, out of reach, yet she didn’t mind it

They were home, in more than one way. This moment was too precious to be wasted, a chance they couldn’t simply pass on. It reminded them of a moment months ago, that seemed to repeat itself over and over.

White Walls, white pillows and sheets. The soft sunlight invading the room, turning the white in warm gold, giving it a magical touch.

Or not so magical as Minjoo was still able to steal the covers and push her further and further to the edge of the bed, until eventually Chaewon found herself face first on the carpet.

They were cuddling in Minjoo’s bed, the plan was to watch a bunch of dramas and try to catch up with everything they couldn’t see during the week. However, halfway through the second episode of the new zombie drama Minjoo claimed to want to watch, Chaewon notice her grip on her arm getting lighter, soft snores following shortly after as the younger girl used Chae as her personal pillow – after spending the whole first episode clinging to Chaewon for dear life, she was once more abusing her kindness.

Chae had sighed to herself, a fake annoyance on her face as she glared at the sleeping figure but didn’t even try to wake her up. Instead, she had turned off the TV and – doing her best to not ruin Minjoo’s sleep – tried to find a more comfortable position to follow the brunette’s example and visit dreamland. As expected, it was very easy to fall asleep beside Minjoo – it always was, having her presence always gave Chaewon a sense of comfort and warmth, like Minjoo was the best human blanket in the world; she probably was.

She just didn’t expect to wake up on the floor, with a latent ache on top of her head thanks to the fact that she had hit the nightstand – luckily the pain was only a weak one, going to the hospital for having being kicked off of the bed would be pretty embarrassing.

Sitting down, she rested her crossed arms on the mattress, head coming to rest on her hands as she watched the villain who had just ruined her peaceful sleep – and of course the said villain had to be the most angelic looking creature ever. “Stupid frog and her long legs.” She muttered to herself, a frown of her face as her eyes inspected Minjoo’s sleepy face.

The younger Kim was in deep sleep, hugging a pillow to her chest, her cheek pressed against it and her lips slightly parted to breathe. She looked pretty dumb like this, Chaewon thought to herself. Dumb pretty to be more exact. Minjoo had her hair still tied in a loose ponytail – Chaewon had told her to not sleep with her hair tied, she would have trouble later to undo all the knots on it and Chae could already hear her voice asking for her help in that sweet and embarrassed tone she couldn’t simply ignore –, the soft brown contrasting with the pale skin, partially covering the smooth skin of her forehead, framing her face and making it look even smaller. She was probably dreaming, her eyelids moving once in a while, never revealing the rich brown of her eyes, a small line forming on her forehead instead – Chaewon wondered if it was a bad dream, but the frown was soon replaced by a small smile.

Unconsciously, the older girl smiled too. Continuing her inspection, she found Minjoo straight nose, pressed by her soft cheeks, half of her face disappearing on the pillow as she hugged it better. The smile from before only grew bigger, her full lips curved with easy, relaxed and satisfied. Whatever she was dreaming about, it was something good.

Chaewon's own smile became smaller as she adopted a similar posture to Minjoo, resting her head over her arms. She couldn’t tell exactly what, but there was something special about Minjoo’s sleeping figure, maybe it was how innocent and carefree she looked, making Chaewon envy her calm dreams; maybe it was Minjoo’s very own presence showing her effect over her again, involving Chaewon in this sphere of warmth that not even the winter outside could touch; maybe it was just because seeing her right now brought a different skip to Chaewon’s heart, creating  bubbles of light on her chest, fluttering and leaving her body to illuminate the room with her love…

Love?

Letting out a sigh – an honest one this time –, her smile faded away completely. Loving Minjoo wasn’t anything new, the feeling so deep in her heart and mind, guiding her actions and words.   “Why did I have to fall for you?” Her voice wasn’t more than a whisper, but as if it was just her luck, Minjoo moved in her sleep, catching Chaewon by surprise and making her jump back and hit the nightstand – again.

“Hm, Chae?” Minjoo groaned, her eyes finally fluttering open to face the other girl who was currently hugging her own arm – that damn desk was surely resilient.

With the sleepy chocolate eyes over her, Chaewon could feel her ears heating up, her chest tight as she tried her best to keep her composure. “You...You kicked me off of the bed!” Was the first thing she could think, praying Minjoo hadn’t heard her previous words.

“I did?” Her reply was an honest confused look, Minjoo trying to focus her glass-less eyes in the nervous figure on the floor. Her eyesight wasn’t the best, especially in the morning, so she leaned in to check for herself the older girl's state and seeing Chaewon so flustered made her forget about all sleepiness. “Oh my God! I’m sorry, Chaewonie!”

“I-It’s okay!” Chaewon managed to say, trying to avoid worrying the girl any further. Knowing Minjoo she would take it very seriously and in no time, she would have a first aids kit in hand – there’s only so much embarrassment Chaewon could handle. “I was just...” Just too in love to avoid staring and making a fool out of herself “Just surprised.”

Minjoo’s expression was still full of worry, hands coming to help Chaewon up, bringing her back to bed. “Are you sure you’re fine?” With a hand still holding to Chae's, her other one came to brush aside the older girl’s hair, carefully touching her temple to discover the small lump resulting from the Chaewon’s fight with the murderous nightstand. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

No, she wasn’t fine, would she ever be? Still, she forced a smile. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” She grabbed Min's hand, guiding it back to her lap. Minjoo’s hands were as soft as her gaze, but Chaewon tried to ignore the feeling. “I’m just fine.”

Minjoo didn’t reply right away, her intelligent brown eyes on hers, as if she was looking for something Chae wasn’t ready to present her yet. Slowly, she nodded, her lips curving in a small smile as she let go of Chaewon’s hand. “If you say so…” Chae nodded as well, ready to find an excuse to leave the room and try to calm herself – and find some ice for her forehead. But she never got the chance to do so. “Then come cuddle me more. It's cold!” Minjoo didn’t give her a choice, trapping her in a hug, pulling Chae to lay down with her.

“You’re such a child!” The older Kim tried to protest, her voice muffled by Minjoo’s shoulder. Yet, she didn’t try to escape the embrace, her hands naturally coming to hug Minjoo back, wanting her closer. Minjoo was lying, it was too warm, so hot it could melt Chaewon’s heart in the best way. She tugged the girl a little closer.

With a light chuckle, Minjoo snuggled up to her. Closing her eyes as she rested her face on Chaewon’s soft hair, inhaling the familiar scent. Chaewon couldn’t possibly know, she couldn’t see yet, but the room was also filled with Minjoo’s own lights – the ones born from a very similar feeling. “And you still love me.”

There was a moment of hesitation, Chaewon’s chest heavy with untold words and trapped fears. So heavy that she couldn’t help but admit, her voice small and full of meaning: “Yes. I guess I love you.”

The tension Chaewon hadn’t notice on Minjoo’s body before, left the girl, allowing her to be a little bit bolder, prompted by Chaewon’s words: “Good. Because I surely love you!” Leaving a kiss a little too close of her lips, Min gifted her with a smile before diving back in the safety of Chaewon’s arms.

The older Kim was very much confused at the moment – but it didn’t matter, the fluttering feeling on her chest had taken over the heavy one, the lights of her affection adorning the room and making it as bright as the sky outside.

There were lights tonight too, different ones.

The love and affection was still there, but also the tension of something that was about to happen. The tension built during the last months, due to all untold words and small, yet meaningful clues that were left, yet they had never been brave enough to read. This night wasn’t like the other ones.

Chae allowed the younger to snuggle up to her, arms coming to caress Minjoo’s back and hair, just like her eyes showered her with an intense gaze, that was both heavy and loving. Minjoo was still pretty as ever, her heart still reacted to her making it so hard to control the words, so hard to control her need to show all her love. Still, she couldn’t see her eyes, she couldn’t see the message she needed so bad to allow herself to take this risk.

Would she ever see it?

A hand came to touch the gentle line of Min’s jaw, a silent request for her to leave the safety of Chaewon’s shoulder and face her. Opening her eyes, she was met by Chae’s dark ones, the dim lights only enough to give them an alluring shine. The owner of those pretty eyes had a serious expression on her face, lips coming to meet Minjoo’s forehead, light and a little too long. “You know I will always be here, holiday or not.”

The reassurance wasn’t really needed, Minjoo already knew Chaewon would always be there for her – she was just afraid of ruining this, the mundane, simple yet so pleasant life they shared; of ruining this connection and making it just another awkward friendship that couldn’t withstand the pain of an unrequired love.

But keeping her feelings hidden would ruin them all the same, if not more. This fear pushing them apart, breaking everything she loved about their friendship. It was a risk, but one she should take before it was too late, before Chaewon found someone else and gave up on choosing her – confessing wasn’t a guarantee of having her feelings returned, but maybe it could be a chance for them to try and maybe Chaewon could develop the same pure, strong love she had for her.

“I wasn’t upset about the date, I didn’t really care.” She started, her eyes fixed on Chaewon’s, dry due to the nerves. It wouldn’t be a pretty confession, it was too rushed and clumsy, but it would be an honest one. “You came to pick me up and I was happy to see you but…But it wasn’t a date.”

Chae’s arms around her became a little looser, her expression becoming darker. “I’m sorry. It was silly to think I could replace your date.” There was a hint of bitterness in her words, one born from defeat rather than frustration. She felt like she had to embrace what reality really was and not harbor anymore dreams.

“No, you really could not.” Minjoo could see the way Chaewon’s face fell even more, her eyes dull as she heard these words and Min just knew it was time to be completely honest. “Chae, you’re so much better than any date I ever had.” She would take a leap of faith on them and hopefully it would pay off. “I wanted it to be our date. A real one.” She clarified, a nervous smile on her face as she tried to read the reaction on the older girl’s face. “I couldn’t enjoy it if it wasn’t real, so I just felt so…So sad because I couldn’t have you like that.”

The reply didn’t come right away, Chaewon just staring at her for a long moment, the sharp eyes growing softer. “You…You didn’t hate it?” The question was asked in a whisper, but Minjoo still nodded in confirmation, her smile still hesitant. Chae just took in a deep breath, realization hitting her as strong as Minjoo’s familiar scent, making her body so light and warm all of sudden. “But you could.” Simple words didn’t seem enough, Chaewon’s hand caressing the soft skin of Minjoo’s face and a smile growing on hers to show how she truly felt about it. Now she felt like a fool for thinking about giving up, a fool for not seeing that all the feelings that affected her so much, were the same ones Minjoo carried – she needed to make sure she wouldn’t regret it. “You can have me anytime you want, Minjoo. I told you before, I chose you.”

Hugging Minjoo tightly, she allowed herself to just feel. Feel all the love she had to restrain herself from showing before, all the emotions she thought could break them apart, but in reality brought them closer. Hugging Min felt like she was embracing all those feelings now, all the little, wonderful emotions – from the quick beats of her heart, to the little pleasant chills running through her body and making her all giddy inside.

Pulling back just enough to face Minjoo, she gave her a smile as bright as she felt now. “I may not be your perfect Valentine’s day date, but I want to be your date every day.” Now the lights of her heart were definitely there, along with Minjoo’s, shining so bright over their heads that she didn’t even need to turn on the artificial ones to see Minjoo’s beautiful face. “As long as you want it too.”

Minjoo was expecting shock, maybe even a rushed apology as a rejection or in the best scenario Chaewon would on just giving them a chance – this was better than anything she could have imagined. It was almost too good to be true, almost. Now that she knew about it, it was easy to remember every moment they shared, the way Chae always looked at her and the way their hands naturally intertwined, the natural connection that could only mean one thing.

Her answer came in the form of a light, relieve chuckle followed by an infinite amount of kissed – on Chae’s cheeks, jaw and the corner of lips; light, quick kisses that made Chaewon laugh too, feeling it was a great way to start a new page of their story.

Cupping Minjoo’s face in one of her hands, Chaewon took the initiative of taking the final step in the right direction for them, crossing the line between friendship and love. Her lips found Minjoo’s easily, lips as sweet and soft as her personality, equally hard to resist. The kiss was slow, theirs lips brushing together a few times, getting used to this new contact and all the feelings it could bring, the warmth from before exploding in heat and spreading through their bodies. There was a smile on their face as the kiss became a little more intimate, their warm breaths becoming shorter and laborious as it continued and none of them dared to break it.

When it was finally time to regain the oxygen, Chaewon was gifted with Minjoo’s smile, this time a real one that could turn her chocolate eyes in half-moons, matching her adorable dimples just perfectly. Resting her forehead on hers, Chaewon smiled back, pecking her lips once more. “I meant it when I said I like you.”

“No, you meant it when you said you love me.” Min corrected with a knowing smile, remembering all the times Chaewon had told her those words, more than this, she recalled all the ways she had shown her love. Even now, she could feel love in every kiss and touch, even on Chaewon’s gaze. “I know because I feel the same about you.” And to attest it, she kissed her once more, this time a little longer and a little more passionate.

It was Chaewon, and with her, there were no first date jitters or anxiety. With Chaewon there was only the warm breeze of young love and the pleasant giddiness of experiencing for the first time something she knew would last for a very, very long time.

Relationships weren’t a simple thing, so much could go wrong and the chance of success was small. Life works in weird ways and some couples are just not meant to be.

Dating between friends was never easy. Some friends just were never bound to become lovers and this transition only resulted in tears and regrets, this was the one fear most had and a very real one. It was all a huge risk, one that wasn’t worth the try most of the time.

Minjoo had found out on her own if taking the chance was for the better or not.

“We are going to freeze to death.” Chaewon said, her nose scrunching as she made a face, sitting down beside her girlfriend on the ground outside their tent. It was indeed pretty cold, the sunlight disappearing under the mountains and taking with it all the warmth, giving place to the blue light of the moon and the cold winter breeze. The water in front of them was as dark as the night now, but Minjoo still thought the view was worth the low temperatures they would have to endure for the night – just like it had been worth taking the chance on her and Chaewon.

Without hesitation, she found herself a place inside Chaewon’s oversized coat, stealing some of her warmth as she snuggled up to her. “Not if we stay really close like this!” She gave Chae a tooth smile, hugging her closely. It was cold, there was no TV or decent WIFI connection, and she knew Chaewon would rather to be at home right now, but still Minjoo felt incredibly happy.

That night, exactly a year ago, marked a very important moment for the two of them – the revelation of their feelings, their first kiss and the promises of it being only the first one of many, the happiness of finally finding the one who seemed like her perfect match…She loved every single one of those memories, but she  loved even more the memories they had created after it.

Dating your best friend may not be the easiest thing, for some it’s not even a possibility, but for them it worked just right. Truth be told, things didn’t even change that much – they still would go to class at different times, but have lunch together and somehow always find a way to make go home together. As college students they couldn’t afford going on dates all the time, but Minjoo thought it was more than enough to just be able to cuddle with Chaewon every night and plan their budget weekend dates, that included the arcade and carefree picnics in the park near their apartment. It was simple and easy, their routines matching as well as their personalities did – not quite the same, but just the perfect fit.

Chaewon as a girlfriend was very much the same as she was as a friend: reliable, sweet and a little bit of a tease at times. Albeit now she seemed to be extra affectionate, not only accepting Minjoo’s clingy ways, but also being the one to take the lead sometimes; Chae was there for her, for the best and worst, and she always felt safe and comforted whenever she spotted her girl’s face no matter how bad her day was. Chae’s intimidating gaze was only warmth and fondness when directed to her, the glint on it whenever she greeted Min with a teasing comment before engulfing her in a hug and giving her a kiss – this new part of their routine was definitely a new addition she approved.

Of course, there were not-so-good days, as expected. But their not-so-good ones, weren’t enough to make them forget about all the others, motivating them to work together to overcome it. Most of the times their arguments were silly, be it about a different in preferences or just a result of the daily stress, and it was usually solved with quiet apologies and tight hugs. Maybe with time they would have to face bigger problems, but for now all was good.

“When you said you wanted something special for today,” Chae started, wrapping her arms around Minjoo to help her to warm up – actually, she was the one who gets easily cold between the two of them, but the younger girl was shivering thanks to her light sweater that was no match for such weather. Running her hands up and down her back, Chaewon looked at her girl with a questioning look. “I thought you were talking about eating in a fancy restaurant or going to an amusement park, not coming to the middle of nowhere to sleep in a tent.” She deadpanned, glancing at the tent that had taken them nearly an hour to put together – the things she didn’t do for Kim Minjoo adorable, yet reckless, self.

If someone told her she would be spending her Valentine’s day with Minjoo by this barely unfrozen lake, with a failed bonfire and a tent as their only companion, she would say the person was insane – but here she was now. She tried her best to resist, but saying ‘no’ to Minjoo was a thing she was still working on, and if this was what her girlfriend wanted for their special day…In conclusion, she loved her beautiful girlfriend and they might end up freezing to death. Okay, maybe not to death, but it wouldn’t be the most pleasant of the nights.

During this year with Min she had learned a lot of things, especially to embrace her softer side and to open up to her girlfriend, even if it meant following her in some weird program like this. It was about giving them chances, of making things possible. Having the chance of holding, kissing and seeing Minjoo’s smile up close was enough to make it all worth it, and she was planning on doing it a lot tonight – even if it was inside the huge sleeping bag she brought.

Turning her gaze back to Minjoo, she watched as her girlfriend chuckled softly, her pearl whites shining under the moonlight. Her heart grew a little fonder at the sight, a smile making its way to her face as well. “I’m glad you find it amusing, Minguri. But I’m still freezing, so enough fresh air for today!” Deciding it was too cold to be out, she stood up to drag her girlfriend inside the tent – they were more like a human burrito now, walking too close to keep the warmth, but Minjoo’s clear laughter showed she didn’t mind it.

“You know, I realized something in this year we’ve been together.” Min said once they were inside the tent and protected from the wind. There still was a grin on her face as she left a gentle kiss on Chae’s cheek when they sat down over the fluffy mint-colored covers. She decided on visiting that place not just because the view was amazing and they could take a bunch of pictures, or because the eight-year-old Minjoo inside her always wanted to camp; she chose that place because they could just be on their own little bubble without having to succumb to the holiday traditions Chaewon hated, enjoying each other’s presence without any interruptions. “I never really wanted a fancy Valentine’s day with flowers and serenates, or all those big gestures they show in the movies. I only wanted to spend it with someone I really loved.”

Min’s confession didn’t surprise Chaewon, she knew the girl well enough to know for Minjoo dating was never about having someone to show off, but about finding someone who truly completed her. “I guess your wish was granted then.” She was glad that for her girlfriend, having her around was enough – she would still gift her some flowers once they were back home, not because it was needed, but because it would bring that smile to Min’s face and there was nothing she liked better than seeing it. Capitalism or not, Chaewon didn’t mind joining the celebration if it made Minjoo happy. Giving her a sweet kiss, she mirrored Minjoo’s smile with one of her own, her eyes filled with love as she added, “I know mine was.”

Minjoo left another quick kiss on her lips before asking, a knowing smile on her face as if she already knew the answer she would get. “And what did you wish for?”

Cupping Minjoo’s face in between her hands, Chae kissed her forehead like that night a year ago, making the brunette close her eyes with a happy sigh. She kissed her face, slowly reaching her lips to kiss them for a long moment. Pulling away slowly, she caressed her face as she answered. “I wished for you.” Minjoo opened her eyes and Chaewon nearly closed hers, how big her smile was now. “You and a very warm sleeping bag, of course!”

The joke didn’t fail to make Minjoo laugh, but as the girl lightly hit her, Chaewon’s lips were already busy looking for Min’s again for a new and this time the contact didn’t end quickly – even if they both had the silliest smiles on their faces and every time they had to pull away to breathe, those smiles only grew bigger.

It might be cold outside, but inside the small tent, it was warm. Their hearts filled with the gentle flame of love, the same one that illuminated that night, making it all a little more magical – in their own way.

A/N: Hello! I'm sorry this isn't the best, I could blame it on being sick, but lately I just don't have my writer energy as usual and I wanted to give it a try. Special gift for my friends Guka who gave me the prompt, and Mint as a late bday gift. 

Thanks for reading, I'm sorry about any mistakes. Let me know what you think, you guys know where to find me if you need anything. See you next time!