Jimin runs. She runs away from everything. Runs away from all of her inhibitions. Runs away to be free. 

"You! Kid! Come back here!" 

She huffs, pulling her beanie off her head before putting it back on, running away. She looks around and spots a building. Running towards the building, she jumps onto the old dumpster, holds onto the ladder and tries to kick it away really hard, groaning at the growing pain in her foot. Damn it. 

She hastily climbs up the ladder, praying that the police officer doesn't catch her. She looks back and doesn't see him trailing after her anymore. She wipes away a bead of sweat that rolled down her cheek and she continues climbing up the ladder. 

Once she reaches the top, she gets up on the rooftop, panting heavily and she winces when she feels her foot aching, swelling inside her black Converse shoes. Oh well, so much for running a lot around the town and kicking a huge dumpster down there. 

She s her black hoodie and lets out a sigh of relief when she feels the cool breeze hitting her torso. 

'Ah, this feels really nice.'

She slowly limps to the front of the building, looking back to make sure that the officer hadn't followed her up the rooftop and sits down on an old bench. (Jimin doesn't know why it's there in the first place but oh well, at least she gets to rest her on something comfortable) 

Right. Why is she even here, sitting on a dusty old bench on a rooftop, after running away from a cop who caught her strolling around past curfew time? 

Well, maybe Jimin just needed to clear her mind. She inwardly sighs when she remembers how her mother berates the LGBTQ+ community when the news reported about how they did a campaign against the 'eradication of the dykes and gays'. And of course, her mother's harsh words affected her. 

So Jimin had to do what needed to be done and managed to escape their house in the dead of the night and somehow met a cop while she was on her 'little adventure' and here she was now. 

She sighs. Why is the world just so, so cruel? Yes, Yoo Jimin's a lesbian. And she still thinks that it's a miracle how her mother hadn't caught her dating Kim Minjeong back then when it was pretty obvious that she was dating the younger girl. Or maybe Mrs. Yoo was too blind and dumb to notice it that even when Jimin and Minjeong broke up with each other, Mrs. Yoo still hadn't noticed a single thing. 

She shifts on the bench that she was sitting on and it was then that Jimin smells something from somewhere nearby. Something burning... like smoke coming out from a cigarette. 

She puts herself on guard, readying herself to fight the intruder but she winces again when she feels the pain in her foot ache even more. 

"Need help?" The stranger, who's a girl - Jimin assumes that they're around the same age - approaches her, cigarette stick poking out of . Jimin doesn't reply, still cautious of the stranger because who knows if she gets killed by the other girl? 

As if reading her mind, the girl chuckles. "Don't worry, I'm not a murderer." 

"And how would I know that?" Jimin asks in a hoarse voice. The other girl doesn't reply, pulling a small first-aid kit out of her backpack that Jimin hadn't noticed that the other girl possessed in the first place. 

This time, Jimin relaxes a bit though she's still wary of the stranger, who gestures for Jimin to sit back down on the bench, in which Jimin obeys. 

"I saw you kicking the old dumpster back down there and I'm pretty sure it hurts like hell and I may have happened to carry around my first-aid kit with me," the unknown girl explains, waving her first-aid kit in front of Jimin's face. 

"Right... er... thanks..." Jimin trails off, not knowing what to call the girl because it would sound rude if she called her 'my savior' or 'random but thoughtful girl who smokes'. 

"Aeri." 

"Sorry?" Jimin asks, confused. The girl chuckles. 

"Aeri. It's my name. I'm Uchinaga Aeri," the girl, Aeri, introduces herself, looking up at Jimin and Jimin notices that the girl was very pretty. 

"Oh... I'm Jimin. Yoo Jimin," says Jimin, holding out her hand for Aeri to shake. The other girl gladly accepts it, giving Jimin a smile and Jimin thinks that Aeri's smile is one of the prettiest things that she's ever seen. 

She's pulled out of her thoughts when the pain in her foot returns and she grunts. 

"Sorry." 

Jimin closes her eyes, biting her lip when Aeri takes her shoes off. 

"Right, hang on a little bit, I'll try wrapping a bandage around your foot. I'm not particularly good at first-aid stuff but I know enough to... to... like, y'know, wrap a bandage around your wounded foot." 

Jimin lets out a giggle at how the other girl was rambling then she lets out a yelp of pain. 

"I'm sorry, did it hurt?" 

"A bit," Jimin replies. 

Soon enough, Aeri managed to finish treating Jimin's poor foot. She did quite a clumsy job at doing it but still did a surprisingly good job. 

"Thanks, Aeri-ssi." 

"No problem," mutters the girl, pulling out a box of cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket. Taking out a cigarette stick from the box, she lights it up and sticks it in , puffing out a ball of smoke. She takes another cigarette from the box and nudges Jimin, who looks at her questioningly. 

"You look like you needed one," Aeri says, shrugging. Jimin sighs. She takes the cigarette from Aeri and holds it out for Aeri to light it up. 

"I suppose you're right. I do need one," she mumbles. Jimin's no smoker. Well, she did try smoking back then under the influence of her best friend Hwang Yeji but she stopped almost immediately and never tried it again. But then she muses that it wouldn't hurt to try smoking again after several years, would it? And it would be quite rude if she refused Aeri's offer, wouldn't it? 

She inhales the smoke, coughing a bit at the strange sensation. 

"First time?" 

"No, I actually... used to smoke but then I stopped," Jimin replies. 

"That sounds lovely," Aeri says absentmindedly, gazing at the night sky. 

Jimin unconsciously nods, slowly getting accustomed to the smoke entering her lungs. The two smoke in silence, gazing up at the night sky. Jimin momentarily wonders if her parents are currently out, looking for her. She's got no idea if they were because she turned her phone off. 

She finishes her cigarette, stamping on it with her uninjured foot. Aeri's already on her fourth cigarette and Jimin might be a little bit concerned for the girl's health. 

"Tell me about yourself, Jimin-ssi," Aeri says, turning to look at Jimin. 

"I'm a boring person, I swear you wouldn't want to learn about my life." 

"Mhm, you're telling me a boring person would go out of their way to climb up a building, injuring their foot in the process because they tried kicking a huge dumpster?" 

Jimin chuckles at Aeri's words. 

"Alright alright, maybe I'm not as boring as I thought I was." 

Something about Aeri's presence takes Jimin's worries away. And so Jimin went on about her life and Aeri did the same after she did. 

Jimin learned that Aeri was half-Korean and half-Japanese and learned that the girl was younger than her, having been born on October 30 of the same year as Jimin was born. 

She also learned that the girl studies at the same school as her, is fluent in speaking English, knows how to play the guitar and the clarinet and carries around a mini pharmacy in her backpack. (Which kinda explains why Aeri had a first-aid kit with her) 

Jimin's currently ranting to Aeri about what happened earlier at home. 

"And then she said that we don't deserve any rights to anything because we're 'not normal' and it was just so annoying so I had to run away!" 

Aeri hums. 

"I can totally see where you're coming from. Homophobic parents really , don't they?" 

"Oh my God, yes they do!" Jimin exclaims, leaning back but she jerks upright when she remembers that the bench doesn't have a back. 

"My parents really don't approve of me being a dyke," Aeri says, closing her eyes. 

Jimin blinks, jaw dropping. Then she closes … and then she opens it again to speak.

"...You're a dyke too?" 

Aeri scoffs, crossing her arms and she turns to look at the older girl. 

"Jimin, who the hell would fall for a bunch of weird men who've got nothing to brag about except for their old, wrinkly that aren't even worthy of people's praises?" 

"I see that you're a fellow misandrist too," Jimin jokes, grinning. Aeri laughs at Jimin's words and Jimin swears that the sound is the most beautiful thing that she's ever heard in her entire life. And maybe, just maybe, she feels her stomach flutter at the sound. 

"I swear to God, if I hear another man confessing his 'love' to me, I'll chop his balls off," Aeri says, grumbling and Jimin laughs at the younger girl's words. 

"Say, what are you doing here anyways?" 

"What do you mean, do you want me to leave or someth-" 

"No!" Jimin exclaims, blushing profusely. It's her first day (night, more like) meeting Aeri and she's most likely messed it up already! 

"Jimin, don't worry, I was just pulling your leg," Aeri says, giggling. "And to answer your question, I come every now and then, which explains why this old, worn bench is here." 

"Ah, you built it?" 

"Kinda," Aeri replies, kicking a pebble on the ground with her white Adidas sneakers. "A friend and I built it a few years ago, you see. Well, I do think that she was the one who did more of the working and I did more of the supplying." 

"So you're telling me that I intruded into your tiny little safe space that you share with your friend?!" 

"Yah, silly," Aeri punches Jimin's side lightly, earning a chuckle from the older girl. 

"You're always welcome to set foot in my territory, Yoo Jimin-nim," Aeri says in her attempt to deepen her voice to make her sound 'threatening'. 

Jimin giggles again. Why is this girl just so, so adorable? 

Wait, adorable? 

Jimin checks her watch and her eyes widen at the time. 

"Aeri-ah, it's way past midnight, we should get going." 

Aeri nods, albeit a bit dejectedly. 

"I suppose you're right. Where do you live?" 

Jimin gives Aeri her address and the two leave the rooftop, climbing down the ladder, though Jimin needed some help from Aeri due to her injured foot. 

Aeri asks Jimin to wait for her for a few seconds and Jimin wonders why Aeri has to leave her side and she feels her heart drop. 

But, as promised, Aeri returns, riding a bicycle and Jimin raises an eyebrow. 

"It would be unwise to let you walk on the way home so I was thinking of giving you a ride on my dearest bike," Aeri says, eyes shining with excitement and even if Jimin had the chance to say no, she wouldn't take that choice over seeing Aeri happy. And so she agreed, hopping onto Aeri's bike. 

"Hold on tight," Aeri says and Jimin's unsure what she's referring to. 

"Grab my waist and hold on tight," Aeri says and Jimin swears this girl could read minds. She does as she's told and she lets out a squeal when Aeri kicks off with a speedy start. 

Jimin swears she could smell Aeri's wood sage and sea salt perfume mingled with the small hint that gave away the fact that the younger girl was smoking a while ago. Jimin's tempted to bury her nose in Aeri's back but she decides against it, settling with closing her eyes instead as she feels the breeze wash against her face. 

--

"Here's your stop." 

Jimin moves to get out of the bicycle seat, wincing slightly. Aeri, noticing this, helps Jimin. The older is thankful for the action, silently thanking the younger girl. 

Jimin slightly limps towards the front door. She could tell that her parents were still asleep and she muses that she could sneak back into their house without waking them up. 

She looks back at Aeri, who's staring at her, hands shoved into her hoodie's pockets. The girl tilts her head to the side and Jimin swears she looks so adorable. 

"Guess I'll see you around, Aeri-ah," Jimin says, smiling. Aeri nods, returning Jimin's smile. 

"See you later, Jimin." 

--

"That would have been fun to watch." 

Jimin and Minjeong are strolling around the campus grounds and Jimin's retelling the other girl her story. 

Ah, you might be wondering; why are they still talking to each other? Weren't they old lovers? 

If Jimin heard you say that, she would have smacked the top of your head and scold you for approximately one hour. Because why have the mindset that ex-lovers could never be on good terms with each other again? 

Jimin would argue with you that before her and Minjeong were lovers, they were friends. Sure, they fell out of love for each other but why not just be friends? 

"Shut up, I got injured and it still kinda hurts!" 

Minjeong chuckles, shaking her head. 

"You say this girl studies in our school?" 

"Yes, Minjeong-ah. I'm just... bewildered at how she studies here but I never really noticed..." 

"What's her name again, unnie?" 

"Aeri. Uchinaga Aeri." 

"Hey," Minjeong suddenly exclaims. "That name sorta rings a bell, hang on, where did I hear that name before?" 

Jimin stops in her tracks, gaping at the blonde girl. 

"It does?" 

"I swear Yizhuo once mentioned that name to me before," Minjeong says, eyes softening when thoughts about her current girlfriend come into mind. Jimin, noticing this, chuckles. 

"You're really fond of her, aren't you?" 

"Why, are you jealous, Jimin-unnie?" 

Jimin laughs, hitting Minjeong's shoulder, who snickers. 

"Stupid." 

The bell rings and the pair quickly run back to the school. 

--

Jimin bangs her head on her locker's door. She's so dumb. She is dumb and she knows it. 

Why didn't she ask for Aeri's number back at the rooftop or when they were outside Jimin's home? What were the chances of them meeting each other again? What if they never meet again? Jimin would probably regret it for the rest of her life. 

Turning around, she leans against her locker, sighing heavily. She wonders why their paths have never crossed here at school. Or maybe they already have before but Jimin just hasn't noticed. She sighs again. 

She really liked talking with Aeri. The girl exuded friendly and chill vibes and Jimin likes that about her. She thinks back to what happened on the rooftop and she smiles. 

What a really nice person. 

Jimin gets pulled out of her thoughts when she hears a group of girls laughing at a joke that one of them probably told. She glances at the group and her jaw almost drops when she sees a particularly familiar someone among the group. And that someone is Uchinaga Aeri.

Aeri's walking with a group of unfamiliar people, eyes crinkling into small crescents as she laughs. Aeri looks the same yet so different at the same time. 

The girl's wearing a brown headband on her head, so unlike the dark blue beanie that she wore back on the rooftop. Jimin notes that the girl's smooth brown hair is combed back. She also notes that Aeri boasts her long legs as she gracefully walks in the hallways. She looks all too proper and prim, a complete contrast to the Aeri that Jimin once saw on the rooftop. 

And then their eyes meet. 

Jimin could feel her heart beating loudly in her chest when she sees that a flash of recognition passes through Aeri's eyes. The girl murmurs something to her friends before waving them off, stopping in her tracks. 

"Never thought I'd see the day where we'd meet again, Jimin." 

The older girl chuckles, nodding. Jimin doesn't know why Aeri looks a tad bit different yet the same all at once. But she's sure of one thing; Aeri is as beautiful as how Jimin remembers her to be. 

"Likewise. Why did you let your friends go ahead and... you know, leave?" 

"Well," Aeri leans back, smiling. "I wanted to talk to you." 

Jimin nods. "I wanted to talk to you too." 

Aeri holds out her hand, tilting her head sideways. "Come with me?" 

Jimin's taken aback by the younger girl's gesture. Nevertheless, she timidly takes the girl's hand. And it's just as soft as she remembered it to be. Their hands mold into each other and Jimin lets Aeri lead her to wherever it is that Aeri fancied her to be. 

--

"Shouldn't I be the one paying for that?"' 

"Nope," Aeri says, popping the 'p', handing Jimin her ice cream cone. Jimin wonders why Aeri is even doing this for her but she gladly accepts it anyways. Jimin thinks for a bit before opening to speak. 

"Listen, I wanted to tell you a lot of things."

"Jimin, I have a lot of things to say to you." 

The two look at each other before bursting into laughter. 

"Yah, you should speak first." 

"Nooo," Aeri whines and Jimin chuckles. She's so adorable, Jimin thinks.

"I insist, Aeri-ah. Go on." 

The younger girl rolls her eyes. 

"Okay, so uh, first of all, it's nice to see you again." 

Jimin nods, sharing the same sentiments as Aeri. 

"Second of all, is your foot completely okay now?" 

Jimin blinks, having not expected the question, although her chest feels warm at the thought of Aeri remembering. 

"It's feeling fine now, I suppose. Thank you for the concern." 

"Well then, I suppose that that's that," Aeri says, her mint chocolate ice cream. "It's your turn to talk." 

"Why does it sound like you're threatening me?" 

"Hey!" 

Jimin laughs again, one of her tiny hands trying her best to stifle her loud laughter while her other hand poorly holds onto her ice cream cone in which the ice cream is threatening to fall from its cone. Aeri whines again, pushing Jimin away and she pouts. 

"You're such a meanie!" 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Jimin repeatedly says, still snickering. "Okay, seriously though." 

"First of all, thank you for everything." 

Aeri remains mum, nodding as she continues eating her ice cream. Jimin ponders on what to say next, quickly eating the remaining bits of her ice cream cone. 

"Thank you so much for helping me out back on the rooftop. I probably won't be able to walk for God knows how long if it weren't for you. Ah, what would I even do if it weren't for the mini pharmacy in your backpack?" 

"You're so dramatic," Aeri drawls out, clasping her hands together after finishing her ice cream cone. 

"Who's the meanie now?" shoots Jimin at Aeri, crossing her arms. And for some reason, Aeri laughs at the action. "Yah? What's funny?" 

"You're funny," replies Aeri, snickering. Jimin is fuming. She isn't supposed to laugh at her being serious. This is outrageous! 

"No, I'm not! Say," Jimin suddenly says, diverting the topic to something else. "Do you still carry your tiny little pharmacy in your bag?" 

"Of course I do... why?" 

Jimin shrugs. "It might come in handy in case I injure myself again." 

"You're right. It might come in handy in case your clumsy starts acting up again." 

"Uchinaga Aeri!" 

"I'm kidding." 

"We're going off-topic again. So yeah, thank you for giving me a helping hand back there. And I'm sorry for burdening you that day." 

"No problem. It wasn't much of a big deal anyway." 

"It was!" argues Jimin. "Like I said, who knows if I would have been able to walk again if you didn't help me?" 

"Dramatic," mutters Aeri without a bite in her words, shaking her head. It was then that Jimin notices that Aeri has a book tucked between her arm and torso. 

"You read?" 

"Of course I do, we all read books, . But yeah. I do, sometimes. And this is definitely one of my favorite books," replies Aeri, waving her book at Jimin, who catces a glimpse of the title of the book. 

"'Roses'?" 

"Yep," replies the younger girl, briefly flipping through the pages of the book. "It's a pretty interesting novel though. The story goes like this..." 

Soon enough, the two find themselves outside of the school campus, walking mindlessly as they talk about stuff. Aeri Jimin's taken back to the time on the rooftop, remembering how Aeri is exactly the same as who she was before. 

"Mr. Park is the most annoying teacher ever." 

"Exactly!" exclaims Aeri, breathing heavily thr