track 15 - In the Novel

miyeon arrived at the park a few minutes early, dressed in comfortable jeans and a hoodie. she nervously scanned the area, hoping that minnie would show up soon. when it was around eight, she finally spotted her and felt a wave of thrill wash over her. minnie approached, she was also wearing a hoodie. they both stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure of how to break the ice.

minnie finally said "hey," offering a small smile.

"hey," miyeon replied, her voice soft.

they stood in silence for a few more seconds before minnie spoke up again, her eyes downcast, "i'm sorry about last week. i didn't mean to get so angry."

miyeon shook her head, "no, it's my fault. i shouldn't have kissed you like that."

minnie looked up, surprised. "but i thought you wanted to kiss me," she said quietly.

miyeon's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "i did," she admitted, "but i'm engaged. i can't just kiss someone else like that. i don't want to hurt him."

"don't fake your mind", minnie blurted out.

"wh-what do you mean?"

the possibility of the deal between hwiyoung and miyeon was lingering in minnie's head, and she wanted to speak her mind. but she didn't want to pry into her affairs like she did with soojin before. it ended up in a bad situation which she has to deal with later. so she held beck this time.

"nothing, nevermind," she said softly, "i'm sorry for putting you in that position."

miyeon bit her lip, feeling guilty for leading minnie on. in fact, she wanted that kiss more than minnie did. but it was a mistake for miyeon as she promised hwiyoung to get married so he would help her with soojin related matters and do things against her father to keep him in jail. she just need enough time to secure that he won't getting out. she never wanted to marry hwiyoung. she felt guilty for lying about that. she was just stalling him off. and no matter how much she wanted to tell minnie about it, she thought it was better for now that no one knew this and that everyone, including hwiyoung, believed she was going to get married so that she could achieve her goal. with these thoughts on mind, she only answered with "i'm sorry too, i didn't mean to give you the wrong impression."

minnie shook her head, trying to lighten the mood, "it's okay. we were both drunk that night. we can blame it on the alcohol."

"yeah, i guess we can," miyeon smiled, grateful for the attempt at humor.

then, they both fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company. they walked towards the swing set in the park. the park had seen better days, but it held a certain charm that made it a favorite spot for the two. minnie took a seat on one of the empty swings and motioned for miyeon to join her. they both kicked off the ground, starting to swing back and forth, the wind blowing through their hair.

as they swung, they felt a sense of freedom and lightness, as if they were kids again without a care in the world. it was a feeling they both desperately needed after weeks of tension and uncertainty. miyeon couldn't help but steal glances at minnie, studying the way her hair flowed in the wind and the curve of her smile. she felt a familiar warmth in her chest, a feeling she tried to ignore till the day she kissed minnie.

minnie broke the comfortable silence. "say, is there a deal between you and hwiyoung?" she asked, a hint of hesitation in her tone. she couldn't help but ask since she didn't believe what miyeon had said about hurting hwiyoung. she looked at miyeon, agitated.

miyeon paused mid-swing, unsure of how to answer. she knew minnie was starting to figure something out, but it didn't occur to her that she would directly guess they had made a deal. "what do you mean, a deal?" she asked, trying to buy some time to think.

"are you deep down inside helping soojin with hwiyoung involved?" asked minnie abruptly.

"why would i-"

"to harm your family in every way possible as soojin desires? and hwiyoung doesn't care about anyone but you, so..." minnie started to regret the second she realized she was being too much. but it was already too late as the words had already spilled out of .

"aren't you being intrusive?" said miyeon, getting surprised. and she wasn't quite sure what to say. part of her was annoyed that minnie was being so nosy, but another part of her understood that minnie had a right to know what was going on.

minnie nodded, looking a bit contrite, "i'm sorry if i'm being intrusive, miyeon. i didn't mean to pry. but you're about to get married even though you don't want to. i know you don't love him. i just care about you and i want to help in any way i can."

miyeon took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "i know you do, and i appreciate that," she said slowly with a small smile, "but please understand that there are some things that i can't share with anyone, even my closest friends. i want to be honest with you, but i also need you to understand that i can't just tell you everything right now."

minnie looked a little taken aback, but she nodded her head slowly. "okay," she said softly, "i understand. but can you at least tell me if there's really a deal? and if so, what it's about?"

miyeon hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. "yes, there is a deal," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "but not for the reason you think. it's... complicated."

minnie's eyes widened, and she leaned forward, "complicated how?"

miyeon steeled herself. she knew that she had to be careful about what she said next. "let's just say that there are a lot of moving parts," she said finally. "and that i'm doing what i have to do to protect the people i care about and to protect the company."

"you know you can trust me and tell me everything, right?" minnie really wanted to know and help.

miyeon looked at minnie and saw the genuine concern in her eyes. she couldn't keep hiding the truth from her any longer, "i made the deal with hwiyoung to stall him, so he wouldn't help my father get out of jail while i try to figure out a way to make soojin give up from this whole thing and trust me. i didn't want those two to hurt soojin. basically, it's just a way to buy myself time to protect both soojin and the company. it's not a permanent solution, but it's what i could come up with at the time. and also i wanted my father to pay for his crimes anyway."

minnie listened carefully, her eyes widening with shock as she pieced the puzzle together, "but isn't that helping soojin to get revenge?"

"maybe, yes. but i know she really loves me and values me. i will do my best to make things like before again."

"i see," minnie understood the gravity of the situation and how important it was for miyeon to keep it a secret from hwiyoung. she gently reached out to hold miyeon's hand, trying to offer her support and comfort, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "i won't tell anyone, i promise," she assured her.

miyeon felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she realized that she didn't have to face this alone, "thank you"

"i'm here for you, miyeon. we'll figure this out together," she said, a warm smile spreading across her face, and continued, "but we shouldn't keep secrets from each other anymore." then she gulped, "and to do that, we need to face the truth about our feelings first."

miyeon felt her heart beat faster as minnie's words registered in her mind. she turned to face minnie, gazing into her eyes with a mix of anticipation and uncertainty, "what are you trying to say?"

minnie breathed in deeply, summoning all the courage she had. "i'm saying that i'm falling in love with you, miyeon," she said, her voice full of emotion. "and i can't keep pretending like i'm not. at least, when we're alone, i want to be honest about how i feel."

without a word, miyeon leaned in closer to minnie. their eyes locked in a deep and intense gaze, and miyeon could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "then i'm glad you finally said it," she whispered, before closing the distance between them and capturing minnie's lips in a gentle kiss. they melted into the kiss, their swings slowing to a stop as they lost themselves in the moment.

after they pulled away from the kiss, minnie's head was still spinning from the rush of emotions. she looked at miyeon, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement, "so, um...what does this mean for us?"

miyeon smiled shyly, her thumb rubbing soothing circles over minnie's hand, "it means that i want to see where this goes, if you're willing to take that risk with me."

they both leaned in for another kiss, their hearts beating in unison. it felt like a new beginning, full of hope and love.