Genre: Angst, Drama, Fluff, Slice of Life, Suspense, Time Travel

Summary: yujin is a lucky charm- and she wants to make sure minjoo would never live a day unlucky.

Word Count: 10548

Hashtag: #JinjooFiestaS2_LuckyCharm

 

Lucky Charm

 

I’m sorry Minjoo- but I need to love you

 

I need to love you

 

One last time

 

Minjoo doesn’t expect to see Ahn Yujin on a Friday night in the cooped up subway station. 

 

And she shouldn’t expect to see Ahn Yujin.

 

But she sees her anyway, her hair is dark blue and she’s wearing a worn out leather jacket with her painfully thick glasses, and Minjoo is captivated by the stranger as the wind from the passing trains blow into her eyes, but despite the discomfort- Minjoo’s eyes are still focused on her.

 

She’s not sure if it’s her eyes, or her in general aura that takes her prisoner, but it was something about Ahn Yujin that made Minjoo feel as if this random stranger in the train station was worth all her time.

 

Minjoo doesn’t even know her name yet.

 

“Hello,” Miss Dreamy Eyes says as she catches Minjoo’s eyes piercing into her soul, sending her an awkward smile for the very first time.

 

“Long day at work?” she asks. “You seem lost,” 

 

Lost in your eyes if anything.

 

“Yeah,” Minjoo replies, and it wasn’t entirely false, Eunbi was stressing over their recent project at the studio, and Minjoo hates how much of a perfectionist her boss could be at times.

 

“Do you want a drink?” her new aquaintance asks, and Minjoo an eyebrow- how the hell were they going to get a drink in the middle of a subway station- from the vending machine?

 

“How?” Minjoo asks simply.

 

“My house is one station away,” the stranger says with a soft smile, and Minjoo, somehow, completely trusts her.

 

Here’s to the death of Kim Minjoo…

 

“I don’t know your name,” Minjoo states, and the stranger chuckles.

 

“I’m Ahn Yujin,” the stranger with a name now says, holding out her hand as she expects Minjoo to shake it.

 

“Kim Minjoo,” Minjoo says quietly as she shakes the outstretched hand, a small grin on her lips as the loud screeching of the train rings in their ears, the wind blowing their hair all over the place.

 

And it’s as if the world stopped just for them.

 

“So?” Yujin asks, tilting her head the slightest bit.

 

“Shall we?”

 

——

 

“I cannot believe you!” Minjoo cackles as she waves her drink all over the place, Yujin gently pulling her hand down before she made a mess all over Yujin’s apartment.

 

“Three drinks in and you’re already this drunk?” Yujin asks as she giggles at the actress, pulling the drink away from her grasp.

 

“I am- light,” Minjoo says groggily, and Yujin chuckles.

 

“I think I should send you home now,” Yujin says, holding Minjoo’s wrists to prevent her from flailing around.

 

“Yeahhhhhhh~ Chaeyeon will worry~” Minjoo says in a sing songy voice, a sheepish smile on her lips as she stands up- nearly tripping over herself- the only thing preventing her from becoming gravity’s next victim being Yujin, who steadied her with her own body, Minjoo practically cuddling the younger.

 

“Mhmmm,” Minjoo hums into Yujin’s shoulder, the warmth shocking Yujin a bit.

 

“World harsh and cold,” Minjoo mumbles. “Yujin nice and warm,” she says as she leans her head into Yujin’s neck, the new found friend pushing her away as a reflex.

 

“We definitely need to get you home,” Yujin chuckles to herself as she holds Minjoo by the shoulders, making sure the actress didn’t fling herself onto her once again.

 

“I’m home!” Minjoo says aggressively, and Yujin can only chuckle at the drunken Minjoo’s behaviour.

 

“I wish you were Min,”

 

——

 

The light shimmers through her blinds, illuminating the groaning figure on the queen sized bed. Minjoo’s eyes flutter open at the morning light- her slight movements accompanied by a pounding in her head- memories of last night flashing through her head like lightning, adding up to Minjoo’s newfound confusion.

 

Can I kiss you?

 

“Woah- what the- ,” Minjoo says word by word as she sits up in her bed, and she nearly throws up if it’s not for the bare minimum self control she has left in her body.

 

Kiss me.

 

It’s all I need.

 

Kiss me love.

 

“Dear God- what on earth did I do last night?” Minjoo runs her hand through her hair as she lets out a sigh of frustration, adjusting herself slowly so that her legs would fall off the bed.

 

“God what kind of alcohol did you give me last night Ahn Yujin,” Minjoo says groggily as she stands up, her feet a little wobbly before she realises—

 

Ahn Yujin.

 

“Chaeyeon!!” Minjoo hops out of her room, the headache near gone as she races to the kitchen where Chaeyeon was cooking pancakes for three unexpected guests.

 

“Oh hey Minjoo,” Chaeyeon chirps, and Minjoo is shocked at the visitors, because she looks like a piping hot mess- and she wasn’t exactly in the mood for company.

 

“Hi Minjoo,” the three guests turn to look at Minjoo, and her jaw drops.

 

Her manager, her co-woker and uptight boss are all sitting nicely at their little island, waiting for either her- or Chaeyeon.

 

“Feeling better?” Chaeyeon asks. “The girl who brought you back last night brought you back blackout drunk,” Chaeyeon chuckles to herself, Hyewon and Sakura following while Eunbi shook her head in dismay.

 

“What are you guys doing here?” Minjoo asks, blinking in confusion as she eyed each and every one of them.

 

“Chaeyeon promised to bring us out- no we’re not here to meddle in your weekend business,” Eunbi assures, and Minjoo lets out a sigh of relief, but her head was still buzzing with thoughts of last night’s rendezvous.

 

“Did Yujin- the girl last night- did she leave anything?” Minjoo asks, looking intently at Chaeyeon, who was giving her the side eye, trying to prevent her pancakes from turning into ash.

 

“She didn’t,” Chaeyeon answers quickly, and Minjoo sighs, turning back to her room- and she finds a hollow space in her heart, one she never noticed before.

 

Not a number? An address? Anything?

 

It was strange, she’d only met this woman for a few hours- most of those hours she spent drunk and unaware.

 

Yet it’s like there was already a space crafted in her heart, just for her.

 

Ahn Yujin.

 

——

 

She sees her again a week later, in the most unexpected place.

 

Her filming set.

 

“Ahn Yujin?” Minjoo almost screeches as she tilts her head, the director taken by surprise- distracted from the main actors trying to play out a scene in front of him.

 

“Lower your voice Kim,” the director whisper yells, and Minjoo bows apologetically, practically running to Yujin.

 

“How are you here?”

 

“I bought us some time,” Yujin says with a small smirk, and Minjoo tilts her head even more, Yujin extending her hands to correct Minjoo’s neck, making sure she was looking directly at her.

 

“What?”

 

“What time do you get off work?” Yujin asks, an excited glint in her eyes as she awaits Minjoo’s answer.

 

“I- um- well I-”

 

“You can leave now Kim!” The director says in a low, unamused tone. “All you’re doing is causing a ruckus,” he waves her off, visibly annoyed.

 

“Ah- yes sir,” Minjoo bows hastily, Yujin letting out a sigh of relief as she holds out her hand, waiting for Minjoo to take it.

 

Some things never change.

 

Minjoo swiftly turns, to Yujin, pushing her away from the bustling set, the two of them out of the cramped studio right before the director called ‘action’ again.

 

“So,” Minjoo says awkwardly as they find themselves alone together in the back alley of the studio. “Where are you taking me?” Minjoo asks, since it was Yujin who decided to come interrupt her acting gig.

 

“Anywhere you wanna go,” 

 

——

 

“Ah no~” Minjoo whines as the waitress chuckles, placing down the stack of pancakes in between the two.

 

They were in a classic American diner, in the smallest booth they could squeeze themselves into. Yujin, had absolutely insisted that they had pancakes for dinner- even before their main course, which Minjoo found absolutely ridiculous.

 

“A whole stack?! I don’t even eat a whole stack for breakfast!” Minjoo complains as Yujin drizzles honey and maple syrup onto the stacks at once, Minjoo only able to shake her head as she lifts her cutleries, ready to dig in into the sugar coated pans of flour.

 

“Right, let’s make a deal,” Yujin says. “Let’s get to know each other,”

 

“We’ve been doing that almost the whole day!” Minjoo exclaims, but Yujin presses a finger to her lips, shaking her head.

 

“Yes we do know general things about each other,” Yujin agrees, Minjoo cocking an eyebrow at her new friends behaviour.

 

“But let’s get specific,” 

 

“Let’s get- deep- so to say,” Yujin says in a serious tone, pulling away her finger, Minjoo still waiting for her to speak.

 

“What’s my favourite colour?” Yujin asks directly, and Minjoo is taken aback.

 

“I have to guess?”

 

“You have to guess,” Yujin says firmly. “If you’re wrong you eat one piece,” Yujin pulls out a single finger to indicate the one, and Minjoo sighs, but she nods in acceptance of the challenge.

 

Minjoo doesn’t know what comes over her, but her only one answer flies through her mind, and every fibre in her body tells her that her assumptions were correct.

 

“Blue,” 

 

“Oh?” Yujin says, obviously surprised by Minjoo’s spot on answer.

 

“I’m right?” Minjoo asks excitedly, and Yujin sighs, cutting a huge chunk of the pancake and feeding herself.

 

“You’re right,” Yujin says with her mouthful, chewing the pancakes slowly before downing them.

 

“What’s my favourite colour then?” Minjoo questions in return, and Yujin chuckles.

 

“White,”

 

“What? How’d you get that?! Nobody likes white?” Minjoo retaliates in defense, Yujin simply sticking out her tongue as she cuts out a large piece of pancakes for the older.

 

“Lucky guess,”  Yujin says with a grin, raising her fork to feed the reluctant actress.

 

“You are unbelievable Ahn Yujin,”

 

“You know? Sometimes I can’t even believe myself,” Yujin says with a chuckle, and Minjoo is confused, but before she can question Yujin’s phrasing, Yujin speaks first.

 

“What’s my favorite animal?”

 

——

 

“This is crazy!” Minjoo squeals as she wraps her arms around the giant dog plushie, cuddling into the warmth of her new “friend”.

 

“How the hell did you know the giant prize would be under that duck?” Minjoo questions as they walk on the boardwalk, away from the little carnival game.

 

“Lucky guess,” Yujin says casually with a goofy grin on her face, Minjoo only playfully rolling her eyes at the younger.

 

“You must be real lucky then Miss Ahn,” Minjoo says in awe as she continues to inspect the mega dog all over.

 

“I am,” Yujin says with certainty in her tone as she gazes at her new friend, smiling softly.

 

Luckiest to be here with you.

 

“Hey- do you wanna go on the ferris wheel?” Minjoo asks, tugging on Yujin’s palm.

 

“Sure!” Yujin agrees, knowing that there was going to be a firework show tonight- and there was no better view than from the top of the wheel with Kim Minjoo.

 

——

 

“Um- you guys can go first,” Yujin offers the couple before them- and their eyes widen in shock- then happiness.

 

“Seriously?” The man asks, and before Minjoo can protest, Yujin gestures for them to cut the que, the couple happily walking past them and into the tiny gondola.

 

“What’d you do that for?” Minjoo asks with her eyes wide in confusion, since they’d been queuing for nearly half an hour to get on the damn ride.

 

“Just trust me,” Yujin calms her down, rubbing the sides of her arms in an attempt to do so.

 

“I am your lucky charm right?” Yujin asks with a sly smirk on her lips.

 

“You’re a lucky guesser- but perhaps- you could be my lucky charm,” Minjoo shrugs at Yujin’s offer to become her symbol of luck, and Yujin smiles a victorious smile.

 

“I promise you you won’t regret it,” Yujin says with confidence oozing from her tone- and Minjoo wonders how this ex-stranger could be so confident with every guess and every assumption she made.

 

Yujin was so sure of everything- and as if she controlled fate, everything was so sure of her. All she guessed and wished for, it all seemed to come true.

 

Perhaps she was Minjoo’s lucky charm indeed.

 

Maybe she’ll  get me to finally make it big in this goddamned industry…

 

They finally hop onto their own gondola, their hands interlocked as the gondola began to move upwards, the stuffed dog seated across from them as Minjoo and Yujin peered out the little windows, in complete awe at the little city that they called home.

 

“How long have you lived here?” Minjoo asks, and Yujin debates on telling her the truth.

 

“It’s my childhood home,” Yujin replies simply, and Minjoo nods.

 

“Though I don’t think it’s ever looked this beautiful to me,” Yujin continues, and Minjoo yet again, is confused at Yujin’s way with words, but she let’s her off the hook, choosing instead to lean on Yujin’s shoulder as the ferris wheel slowly creaks to its peak.

 

“Minjoo! Fireworks!” Yujin yells right before the booming sound pierces through Minjoo’s ears, and she sits up, fully immersing herself into the multi coloured beauty of the fireworks.

 

“Oh wow- we’re at the peak!” Minjoo realizes. “This is the prettiest view i’ve ever seen!” 

 

“I- wow! If we’d gone earlier- we wouldn’t have gotten this view!” 

 

“Oh my god Yujin you’re the best!” Minjoo chirps excitedly as she hugs Yujin from the side, eyes still trained upon the bursting fireworks in the sky.

 

Minjoo looks at the bursting patterns in the dark sky, the slight orange glow on Yujin’s skin- and a wave of deja vu hits her, but instead of the eerie feeling that came with deja vu, a sense of serenity fell upon her, like she’d been lost in a daze- and she’d finally found home.

 

“Oh my god,” Minjoo says out loud, Yujin barely hearing the words.

 

“What is it?” Yujin asks, concern spelled on her face.

 

“I don’t know- it’s deja vu i think,” Minjoo admits. “It’s like we’ve done this before- like i’ve known you for my whole life,” Minjoo chuckles at how silly the revelation is, but Yujin just smiles at her softly, tucking strands of hair behind Minjoo’s ear.

 

“Perhaps we have,”

 

——

 

3 months.

 

3 months since they’ve met and so far- the two have been inseparable. 

 

“How’s work?” Yujin asks casually as they eat ramen at Minjoo’s apartment, the two not making eye contact with each other, choosing to focus on the bowls of food in front of them.

 

“Okay I guess- Eunbi is trying her best to get me a lead role somewhere,” 

 

“Ah- I’m sure you’ll get one soon,” Yujin says with a soft smile.

 

“How are you so sure?” Minjoo looks up from her bowl, cocking an eyebrow at how confident Yujin sounded.

 

“Lucky guess,” 

 

“Pft- of course my lucky charm would say that,” Minjoo rolls her eyes playfully, and Yujin chuckles at the now common nickname.

 

Her Lucky Charm.

 

That one was new.

 

A ding from Yujin’s phone causes the younger to jump a bit, pulling it out of her pocket and onto the table. Where it begins to flash with messages from none other than Choi Yena.

 

“Who’s that?” Minjoo asks with a glint of curiosity in her eye, peering over to look at the screen.

 

“Who else? Of course it’s Yena,” Yujin says with a chuckle as she slides the phone towards Minjoo, who swiped away from the messages app, taking a closer look at the wallpaper of Yujin’s phone.

 

“I meant this guy,” Minjoo points out, and Yujin’s mouth gapes for a moment, trying to form a proper answer in her head.

 

“My boy! Ahn Younghoon,” 

 

“Your- nephew?” Minjoo tries to confirm, her eyes squinting in the process.

 

“Yeah,” Yujin answers quickly.

 

“He’s so cute!” Minjoo chirps, pulling the phone closer to her face. “C- can I see him?” Minjoo asks shyly, swiping around the phone to take a better look at the boy’s photo.

 

“He’s not here,” Yujin says with a soft smile.

 

“Oh so he’s foreign- no wonder he’s got the looks,” Minjoo jokes, and Yujin laughs louder than usual, Minjoo shooting Yujin a questioning look.

 

“Oh he’s got the looks alright,” Yujin says, a giddy smile on her lips. “He gets it from his mother,” Yujin tells her as she takes back her phone, looking for the folder she created just for the boy.

 

“I was so happy when he was born,” Yujin says as she turns the phone back to Minjoo, where a picture of Yujin holding the boy as newborn was being displayed.

 

Minjoo has a sweet smile on her lips as she looks at the photo, the gentle and loving way Yujin was looking at the newborn as she cradled Younghoon in her arms making Minjoo’s heart melt into a puddle of mush.

 

For an odd reason, looking at the photo gave Minjoo another surge of deja vu, a sense of wanting to protect the child and care for him as if he were her own. But she brushes the feeling off, as she’s always had a thing for babies.

 

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Yujin says with a longing look on her face.

 

“It was a Thursday- November the 1st,” Yujin says. “His mom worked really hard to get him- so he really was a miracle of sorts,” 

 

“I was really proud of her,” Yujin tells. “It was amazing, to hold a proper newborn. He felt so fragile in my arms, like the slightest pressure could break him,” 

 

“It was scary, but I was so happy that day,” 

 

“You love him a lot don’t you?” Minjoo asks the obvious with a caring undertone, Yujin nodding at Minjoo’s words.

 

“Yeah, yeah I do- it broke me when I had to leave him,” Yujin sighs, averting her eyes from the older as the memories of Younghoon that Yujin held desperately close to her heart flashed through her head.

 

“How old is he now?” Minjoo asks, and Yujin ponders for a moment.

 

“Like- 6,” Yujin answers. “I sent him to his first day of school with his mom,”

 

“He was excited, he had this cool race car pencil box his mom got him,” Yujin gestures a small box with her hands, and Minjoo nods at the brief descriptions, trying her best not to outwardly coo at how much Yujin cared for the young boy.

 

“Why did you come here if you loved him and his mom so much?” Minjoo asks. “If you don’t mind me asking,”

 

“Oh- I don’t mind,” Yujin replies, wanting to make sure Minjoo knew she was comfortable.

 

“Parents wanted me back here,” Yujin replies, though she becomes a little stiff, and Minjoo decides not to push her anymore.

 

“Right- what do you wanna do after this?” Minjoo switches the subject, and Yujin shoots her a grateful look, taking a few seconds to ponder.

 

“Do you wanna walk in the park?” Yujin says as she takes a quick glance at her phone- seeing the date 30th September 2018 written in thin letters on the lockscreen of her phone.

 

“God! How do you always know exactly what I want to do?” Minjoo asks, cocking an eyebrow with genuine curiosity laced in her tone.

 

“You said it yourself,” Yujin says with a shrug. 

 

“I’m your lucky charm,” 

 

——

 

“I’m so happy,” Minjoo says softly as they stroll around the park, hand in hand while the autumn leaves began to turn into its signature auburn as they readied to fall off their trees.

 

“What?”

 

“I’m happy,” Minjoo says as she halts their walk, turning to look at the younger with those passionate yet kind eyes Yujin has grown to love through their time together.

 

“Just like this- barely talking,” 

 

“Just you and me and the crackling leaves and the autumn air,” Minjoo says as a single leaf falls from the tree, Minjoo catching it with her free hand.

 

“I’m happy,” Minjoo says as she extends her arm to put the leaf into Yujin’s hair, the new accessory making Yujin look like Peter Pan from certain angles.

 

“Me too,” Yujin says, using her free hand to adjust the leaf so that it would stick into her hair.

 

“I can’t believe I met you in a rusty, very stinky subway,” Minjoo chuckles as she recalls the memory that seemed almost like it’d happened light years ago.

 

“It feels unfitting,” Minjoo says. “Like I should’ve met you in a grand palace or something,” Minjoo states, and Yujin shakes her head at how far Minjoo’s imagination went.

 

“I think a wedding of sorts would be the more realistic option,” Yujin adds, and Minjoo nods in agreement.

 

“Yeah- you’re right,”

 

“The thing is-”

 

“I’m so happy that I met you,” Minjoo let’s the cat out of the bag, and Yujin replays Minjoo’s words like she were an actress with a script she was desperately trying to imprint into her mind.

 

“And, there’s this part of me, that wants to be with you- all the time,” Minjoo stutters as she fiddles with her fingers on her free hand, the hand holding Yujin’s tensing up the slightest bit.

 

“I know that- relationships- aren’t meant to be all sunshine and rainbows, but-” Minjoo can feel the words choking up in , but she wants to say this, she needs to say this.

 

And Minjoo knows more than anyone that Yujin is one to listen to whatever Minjoo would say.

 

“I want that, with you,” 

 

“Sunshine and rainbows, rainstorms and all,” 

 

“Minjoo,” Yujin says, squeezing her hand as she reached out for the other, gripping it firm in her palm, like there was a lingering fear of ever letting Minjoo go.

 

“I’ll be that for you,” Yujin replies, completely sure, though her heart was trying it’s absolute best to hammer out of her chest.

 

“Sunshine and rainbows, rainstorms and all,” 

 

——

 

“Yujin,”

 

“Yujin wake up,” 

 

“Euh?” Yujin groans, pulling the blanket over her head as she curls up into a ball, trying her best to avert the sunlight pouring into their room.

 

“Yujinie~” Minjoo speaks in a sickly sweet tone as she slips her arms around Yujin’s stomach, trying her best to pull her upwards so they could eat a proper breakfast instead of a so-called ‘brunch’ at 1.00 PM. 

 

“It’s too early baby,” Yujin mumbles as she drags Minjoo back into the sheets, where Minjoo almost falls into Yujin’s trap of eternal slumber.

 

“We have to eat breakfast!” Minjoo complains, but Yujin shakes her head.

 

“Breakfast in bed is a thing baby,”

 

“You can’t have breakfast in bed if you’re sleeping!” Minjoo whines as she attempts to put the Ahn upright, but they crash right back into the pillows, Yujin turning to cuddle Minjoo even further.

 

“So let’s sleep instead baby,” Yujin says as she sloppily places kisses on Minjoo’s collarbone.

 

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Minjoo says as a sigh leaves her lips. “And don’t think I don’t know you’re just calling me baby to get away with oversleeping,” Minjoo says as she pulls Yujin upright, holding the younger in place so that she wouldn’t throw herself back onto the bed.

 

Yujin is wearing a sheepish grin as she lazily stretches her arms, her eyes barely open, looking at Minjoo’s playful glare, Yujin only capable of letting out a brief chuckle before she leans in to give Minjoo a quick peck on the lips, the grin not leaving her face once.

 

“Good morning,” Yujin says with her raspy tone, and Minjoo just shakes her head.

 

“Stay here any longer and it won’t be morning anymore,” Minjoo says as she rolls out of the bed, dragging Yujin out with her.

 

Yujin practically tackles Minjoo in a back hug, peppering kisses all over the side of her face, inhaling the soft vanilla scent of her perfume and the minty smell of Minjoo’s shampoo- a smell Yujin could never forget even if she tried.

 

2nd December 2018.

 

“Minjoo,” Yujin calls as she places a soft kiss on her ear, Minjoo adjusting the dining table as if there wasn’t an oversized puppy clinging to her from behind.

 

“I love you,” Yujin says softly, and she hears Minjoo’s breath hitch, the look of shock turning into a giddy grin as she turns to Yujin, immediately slinging her hands around Yujin’s neck.

 

“You sleepyhead,” Minjoo says as she pulls her head closer, allowing their foreheads to touch slightly.

 

“I love you too,” Minjoo says as she tip-toes upwards to place a long and loving kiss on Yujin’s lonely lips, erupting all those butterflies like it were the very first time once again.

 

They part after a while, breathing heavy as the oxygen filled their lungs, each other's warmth lingering in the tiny space between them, and Minjoo smiles her prettiest smile, and Yujin loves how contagious it was.

 

“The pancakes are cold!”

 

——

 

“Don’t you think 5 months is too long Ahn?” the older woman says as she lights up a cigar, leaning against the mouldy pipes of the subway station, the cold winter air hitting Yujin like shards of ice.

 

“I don’t care,” Yujin scowls at her company, who just chuckles at the naive little Yujin.

 

“If you keep going- it’s just going to end up the same again Yujin,”

 

“Remember, you’re doing this for her- not for you,” the older woman says, and Yujin sighs.