Kim Minju is back from her late-night practice after getting a plastic full of gummy bears for Yuri. She stretches her neck as she is too tired. She practiced a little bit longer today(she was practicing for 3 hours, but let’s just say it’s just a little bit longer) and she can’t wait to meet her beloved bed. Putting the gummy bears into the highest shelf so Yuri can’t reach them, she walks to her room, wondering if Yuri is still there. She turns the doorknob and a pouting hamster-like woman greets her. She suddenly has a cool idea so she walks and throws herself on her bed, ignoring the girl who furrows her eyebrows after that. 

 

“You’re back?” Minju just hums as a response as she is too tired to even lift her head. “Change your clothes first, Min.” “No.” She holds her smile as she can hear the slow sigh coming from her best friend. Less than a minute after, she feels a pair of arms holding her shoulder before it turns her over, making her face the shorter girl. “Kim Minju.” Minju chuckles tiredly before standing up, obeying her. “Before that, I need to take my medicine first.” Seeing Yuri’s confused and shocked face, Minju acts as she frowns and looks away from Yuri, earning a glare from the slightly younger girl. “You are sick?” 

 

“Yeah…” Minju tries her best to contain her smile as she sees how Yuri looks at her worriedly. Not planning to put her act down just yet, she forces her lips to form a thin line, acting as if she is sorry she never tells the younger about her “sickness”. 

 

 

“I just don’t think I should tell you or the others about this…”

 

 

Yuri can feel warm tears start filling up under her eyelids as she stares at Minju confusedly. Minju has rarely fallen sick before. Gosh, she can even dance the last time she had bad flu and sore throat. Minju and medicine are such an unfamiliar and strange combination of words. 

 

“Wh-what do you mean you shouldn’t tell me?!” Yuri half-shouts as she grabs the hem of Minju’s long coat, holding it as if she will fall if ever she lets it go. “I’m your best friend, of course, you should tell me!” Yuri hangs her head down, hiding her tears from the taller. 

 

Minju never thought Yuri was getting swayed by her acting. Panicking, she pulls the crying girl into a hug, soothing her as he rubs the back of the shorter. “H-hey, I was joking. I’m sorry!” 

 

Minju then finds herself on the ground rubbing her hips while staring at Yuri fearfully.

 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ARE JOKING?!” Wiping her tears away harshly, Yuri sobs as she kicks Minju in frustration. “THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU SHOULD JOKE ABOUT !” 

 

Before Minju can apologize once again, the sound of the door being opened widely distracts them, forcing them to gaze at the source of the sound. There stand Yena and Chaewon with panics filling their faces. “What happened here?” Chaewon asks as she stares at Minju and Yuri. Yena, who realizes Yuri is crying, barges inside the room and holds the younger’s shoulder. “Why are you crying?!” Yena asks as she pulls the younger into a tight embrace. “Minju lied to me!” Yuri points her finger at the girl on the ground. Minju now regrets her choice of topic. She never thought Yuri would believe her. “I-” Never get to explain herself, Chaewon brings her out to give Yuri some space while Yena comforts her. 

 

“Mind explaining, Min?” 

 

Minju puts her head down as she fidgets her finger as nervousness comes washing over her. “I was joking…” “And what is that about?” “I told her I’m sick.” “What?” “I was trying to trick her to give me a kiss on a cheek so I said to her I need to take my medic−” 

 

“Min…” Hearing how heavy Chaewon’s sigh is, she keeps shut, waiting for Chaewon to speak. “You know how sensitive she is, right? Especially with you.” Confused, Minju blurts out “What do you mean especially me?” “Remember when you need to use that oxygen gas mask after we performed Buenos Aires?” Minju sure remembers that incident so she nods, giving a sign to Chaewon to continue. “She was so worried like, SO SO WORRIED about you.” Minju furrows her eyebrows as she attentively hears Chaewon’s story. “She needed to use it too but she keeps on staring at you from afar that she almost hyperventilated.” 

 

And now Minju is far from feeling guilty. She is worried about the new information she just took acknowledge about. Following her heart, she stands up, leaving Chaewon alone as she walks back into her room, causing both Yena and Yuri to stare at her. “Jo Yuri, come here.” Confused by Minju’s sudden demand, Yuri creases her eyebrows but is still standing up and approaching the said girl. 

 

All she knows is that she is being dragged outside while wearing her pajamas by no one else but Kim Minju. She doesn’t know where they are heading but since it’s Minju, she trusts her with her whole heart. They keep on walking and walking until Yuri recognizes her surroundings. 

 

It’s their secret hideout. Well, it’s just a simple grass field at the top of the hill near their home but many secrets and promises have been made there between Jo Yuri and Kim Minju. 

 

“Why did you do that?” 

 

Yuri can’t understand Minju’s behavior tonight so she stays silent while staring at the young woman, signing that she didn’t get her.

 

Instead of continuing her question, Minju emits another apology.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

“I thought you will know that I’m lying” 

 

“But seriously, take care of yourself first.”

 

Yuri notices the slight hint of sadness inside the astonishing brown orbs. She actually overheard the conversation between the two Kims but she just gets what Minju meant from her first question earlier now. 

 

“I can take care of myself so please don’t worry. Besides, I said there’s no secret between us, right?”

 

Yuri nods as she gets lost inside Minju captivating eyes. 

 

The eyes that always assure her everything is going to be okay even when it doesn't seem like it will be okay. The eyes tell her that Yuri will have Minju by her side until they are grandmothers. The eyes tell her that no matter what, Yuri is Minju’s top priority until the end of her life. 

 

“Done staring at my face?” Yuri snaps to reality as she finds Minju staring at her back. She looks away and stands up, trying to hide her reddened face. “You know I can see you blushing hard right now, right?” 

 

“I’m going home!” Yuri changes the topic before walking away from the field, causing Minju to stand up and run to catch up with the shorter. She hugs Yuri’s shoulder with her long arm while patting the shorter’s head. “Have you forgive me yet or no?” Yuri looks away as the blush on her face isn’t disappearing yet. “I need compensation for this!” Yuri huffs, still can’t believe Minju successfully tricked her a few hours ago. 

 

“Okay, okay, what do you want then?” 

 

“A date.”

 

Minju didn’t hear it wrong right? Yuri is asking for a date right? Is this a fever dream? 

 

“Wh-what???”

 

“Don’t make me repeat it, Kim!” Yuri slips away from Minju’s long arm and continues running away, making the taller girl chase her, resulting in them running all the way back to their dorm. 

 

---

 

Now that the sight of her comfortable bed appears upon her, Minju can’t think of anything else except sleeping now. The exhaustion she was feeling before from the practice is doubled up after chasing her best friend. She quickly slams her body to the bed, sighing as her face hits the soft mattress. 

 

“Change your clothes, Min.”

 

Unlike a few hours ago, Minju didn’t even nod. Stepping near the taller, Yuri found Minju sleeping peacefully with her cheeks puffed since her face is turned sideways. She giggles softly while taking off the scarf Minju was wearing before putting it in its respective place. Thinking of letting the taller sleep peacefully, Yuri walks to the door before a slow voice calling her name can be heard.
 

 

“Yul…”

 

She turns back and stares at Minju, wondering if she is hearing things now since she’s tired too. 

 

“Cuddles…” 

 

Okay, now she is sure she isn’t dreaming and hallucinating. Without a second thought, Yuri climbs up on Minju’s bed before slipping under the taller’s embrace. She snuggles closer to Minju while tightening her hold on Minju’s waist. Both of them let out a satisfied sigh when they tighten their hold on each other. “Sing a song.” Minju’s low voice asking for Yuri to lulled her to sleep makes Yuri smiles softly. “Sure…” Yuri nods before her honey-like voice fills the room.

 

run with me

it seems like we need to go anywhere right now

cause you look like going to cry soon

it’s okay

 

Minju hums at Yuri’s choice of song. The song both of them shared with each other before, secretly giving them the same message. A message that conveys how important they are for each other. Despite their fights and quarrels every day, the members know how much they mean to each other. Minju swears she is going to do her best to stay by Yuri’s side for as long as she lives. 

 

let’s go

let’s put any worries down

let’s pack light instead

let’s laugh heartily and go back after that

let’s think nothing there

 

Minju is reminded by those three months she never wished to go through them again. She wasn’t okay, neither the other members were. But she wanted to be the hand that gives them warmth, just like how she wrote the lyrics of You and I. She constantly checked each members’ wellbeings while holding back whatever she is feeling; until her heart and mind can’t pretend anymore.

 

-Flashback-

She was sitting alone inside her room while scrolling her phone before a comment caught her attention. 

 

Kim Minju is the most suspicious ever. How the hell can someone like her gets to debut. She is obviously rigged! I’m sure the members have thought of this before. 

 

Minju closed her eyes and her phone before hugging her own knees, trying to get rid of the comment from her head. But it didn’t work. It didn’t work after the countless times of Minju doing the same things before. Her back met the soft mattress before she curled herself, trying to muffle her cries. Tears started flowing down her face as she buried her face into her own pillow. All the doubts and insecurities hit her the most that time. All those negative comments she had buried deep down her head are now climbing up to the surface again, trying to pull Minju down to her own darkness again. 

 

While she was muffling her cries and fighting with herself, a small body managed to slip into her room when the latter hears Minju’s slow cries. 

 

Soon enough, Minju was engulfed into a comforting hug that took away her doubts, caresses on her hair that took away her insecurities, and Yuri’s comforting words that took away those comments from her miserable mind. 

 

“You were reading the comments again right?” She didn’t give a response but Yuri seems to know the reason behind her breakdown. “Those comments, please ignore them Minju, for me…” Minju kept silent but she tightens her hold on Yuri as if she is holding to the last thread.  “You are destined to be one of IZ*ONE, one of us, Min. So whatever those heartless people are saying, please know that it isn’t true and never will be.” Minju sobs harder while her mind is full of her gratitude towards her best friend. 

 

“Why are you so nice, Yul?” That question suddenly slips out of . Then, silence fills the room briefly before Yuri answers Minju’s question. “Maybe because you are so nice too, Min.”  Though she can’t see it, Minju knows Yuri is smiling softly now. Her sobs die down before both of them fell asleep while hugging each other tightly, 

---






 

Snapped out of the sudden flashback, Minju just realizes that Yuri has finished singing and now is silently caressing her hair. She snuggles deeper which makes Yuri shivers at the sudden warm breath of Minju hitting her bare neck.

 

“Let’s go tomorrow.” Yuri hears Minju’s low and raspy voice. “The date?” “Hmm.” Yuri can feel Minju nods by the way she moves her head. “Sure.” “Goodnight, Yul” 

 

Warms filling her cheeks when she feels the kiss Minju gives on the crown of her head. She hides her smile when she feels the taller is looking down at her. “Goodnight too, Min.” She snuggles deeper before both of them drifting into the dreamland of theirs.