Minnie sat nervously inside her car, tapping the steering wheel while she waits anxiously for a particular person to show up just across the street, their favorite song playing softly on the radio: Getaway.

She remembered how Miyeon loved this song a lot. It was always played on a loop in her phone or her previous car since Miyeon would always ask for the audio jack so Minnie could also listen and appreciate it. In all honesty, Minnie never liked it, but because of Miyeon, she started to get fond of it to the point that she created a piano instrumental version for the girl.

She smiled at the memory. It was actually the first time she saw Miyeon cry, and Minnie almost had a panic attack when the Korean doesn’t seem to stop. Only when Miyeon threw herself at Minnie did the Thai finally calmed down, her arms finding their way around the Korean’s waist while she inhaled her scent, closing her eyes at the familiar warmth she deeply craves.

Suddenly, Minnie's chest began to feel tight; her heart thumping loudly when a tall, slim woman went out of the tiny convenience store with plastic bags in both of her hands. She still looked like the same ethereal goddess three years ago, and perhaps even more beautiful now that she was smiling peacefully, unlike the forced, sad smiles that she left her with. Unconsciously, tears suddenly streamed down her cheeks, and she had to cover to stop the muffling sounds that continuously escaped. She gripped the steering wheel tighter, and soon enough, she broke down into a crying mess. Not out of regrets, but more specifically because of relief. She was just glad that Miyeon finally got back her life, even if it meant leaving and hurting her, even if the consequences indeed shattered both of their hearts and left if hopelessly devastated and destroyed.

Third-year.

Minnie stopped hanging out with the cool kids or even doing the vices that previously excites her. Instead, she would rather hang out with Miyeon to study or go home early to practice playing with her long unused and ignored piano in her house. She never had the motivation and inspiration to play ever since she went to Korea, but Miyeon finally gave her a reason. Her grades that were mostly built from bribery, were now created from her hard work and genuine studying. Despite it not being the best, nor at par with her brothers, she actually did great compared to most students. She finally got herself in the ranks, a few numbers below Miyeon, who never went down from the top five.

Surprisingly, Minnie’s nasty reputation slowly faded and swept under the rug. Her life indeed did a backflip now that she spends all of her time with Miyeon, either in the garden, the rooftop, or in their new favorite place, the private room of the library every weekend to study. The campus had this event where every weekend, the private rooms were open for students to reserve to focus on academics without the usual distractions from the library's public areas. It can accommodate up to six people, and the principal encouraged everyone also to tutor the freshman. Sometimes, they assign rooms specifically for first-year-olds who need help, and seniors could volunteer to book the same room with them.

Only those whom Minnie had a severe issue with on her previous years on the campus fought with her. Other than that, the rest of the students just treated her like a normal person. She also began to use ‘Kim’ as her surname instead of the ‘Yontararak’ to fully complete her transformation and erase the rebellious Minnie everyone knew. And it did work its magic! Everyone slowly moved on from her previous version, but she would still get nasty looks. Even so, she just blended eventually in the crowd, especially now that she never dyes her hair and just maintained its natural, raven color, along with her infamous bangs.

When Minnie told Miyeon about it during their private studies, she expected the Korean to laugh at her and tell her that her idea was ridiculous. But surprisingly, Miyeon only showed support and kindness, hugging the Thai tightly in her arms and whispering words of encouragement in her ear. And Minnie couldn’t help but hug her tighter, burying her face in the crook of her neck and inhaling her scent. It had been a habit of hers now whenever Miyeon would embrace her. Regardless if she would never admit it to herself, she never really cared if their hugs lasted longer and longer, even if Miyeon had loosened up her arms already, or even if Miyeon’s brows would meet at the middle inquisitively; Minnie would just tighten her arms around her, and Miyeon would pat her back instead since she doesn’t really know what was happening, or what else to do until Minnie removed herself willingly from her.

“Uhm, Minnie?” Miyeon called softly; the Thai was still hugging her. Minnie’s face was still buried in the crook of her neck, and her breath was softly tickling her skin. They’re currently inside the library's private room, books scattered on the floor while they sat at one corner. “Is everything okay?” she asked, but Minnie only hugged her tighter, causing her cheeks to turn pink slightly. The feeling of Minnie’s warm and soft body pressing against her was literally driving her crazy. At some point, she silently prayed that Minnie couldn’t hear the loud beatings of her heart.

“Just a few more minutes.” She heard Minnie mutter, and Miyeon just nodded, softly patting the Thai’s head instead before she ran her fingers through her straight, black hair. She smiled. She loves the natural color of it. It suits Minnie so well.

“Black hair suits you well.” Miyeon suddenly blurted out.

“You think so?” Minnie finally removed herself from Miyeon’s arms, though quite unwillingly, as she sat up to look at Korean.

Miyeon blushed harder, avoiding Minnie’s eyes as she lowered her head and allowed her hair to fall to cover her face. “Yes.” She mumbled softly. “I think I like you better in it than your previous colors. It’s my favorite.”

Since then, Minnie was never seen with neon or incredulous, bright, and eye-catching hair colors anymore.

If only Minnie had the courage to get out of her car and walk straight towards Miyeon right now, she would. But her heart felt heavy, and she couldn’t even feel her feet and hands as she watched the Korean assemble the vegetables on the empty stall outside the tiny convenience store. Soon, an older woman joined her, and if Minnie thought she couldn’t smile any wider, she was wrong. Relief certainly washed over as she saw Miyeon’s grandma, safe and healthy, unlike the bedridden, forlorn features of the older woman three years ago, with countless tubes connected on her weak body.

She recalled how Miyeon loves talking about her grandma during their high school years, being the only relative she grew up with most of the time. Not that her parents were gone, but Miyeon rarely felt their presence because they needed to work to provide food on their table. Miyeon’s parents were nice people, loving and affectionate, too. It’s just that they never had enough time for their daughter since they had to work day and night, getting every part-time job they could since they only finished high school due to poverty. Their only wish was for their daughter to complete her education and, perhaps, land an excellent job that would take her out of their impoverished life. So they were rarely home, and if they were, they were most likely asleep and would be gone before Miyeon could even spend time with them.

Nonetheless, Miyeon loves her parents so much, and it makes her happier when she spent even just breakfast with her mom and dad. Thankfully, Miyeon grew up just as loving, caring, and appreciative as her parents despite the lack of time. It was also mostly because of her grandma, too.

Minnie smiled softly at the memory, recalling how the Korean’s face would always lit up whenever she talks about her grandma and how excited she gets whenever she mentions that she would love to introduce Minnie to her. Minnie, despite changing already at that time, still felt ashamed of her previous rebellious actions. She doesn’t really think of herself worthy of being introduced and would most likely prefer to just stay unknown by Miyeon’s family. But at the same time, she would really love to get to know Miyeon more, and that includes her family, too. Later on, Minnie was treated like she belonged with the Cho’s, often visiting them. As soon as she met with Miyeon’s parents, she honestly felt like she only experienced being a daughter for the first time with loving parents, unlike her own, who mostly treated her as an extension of their achievement, if there would be any, that is.

When Minnie finally calmed down, she breathed a deep sigh, her gaz