The city, although populated by thousands of people, is particularly soothing when you think about it. Especially at night when the moon is barely visible behind the buildings and the road is lit up with all the lights around it. The constant noise becomes silence, and hearing a burst of laughter from an open restaurant becomes a pleasure as the music is barely distinguishable in a haze of sound. Either way, a walk in the city remains nothing but sheer delight.

The weather was much better than the last time, or at least the little night wind was warmer as it blew through their hair loose on their shoulders. The student's voice slid with the breeze, and the young teacher smiled as she listened to the enchanting melody of a spring evening and a woman passionate about her knowledge of the beauty of justice.

They had not yet set a particular path for this second date except to walk where the breeze would carry them. Both appreciated the disconcerting simplicity that was taking place between them. No candlelit dinners nor broad meanings. Only endless words, laughter and the fresh air against their skin. It was a genuine moment of smoothness that increased their mutual attachment and gave them a world of good.

Minjoo slightly pulled up her beige cardigan's sleeve to grasp some flowers sprouting on a massive stone wall somewhere in Seoul. They didn't really know where, but the place was disconcertingly serene. Very pleasant, like the feeling of their fingers brushing against each other as a flower passed from one hand to the other. Like the sweetness of those smiles dancing on their lips. Like those evident stares going from an eye to the other before returning to the black concrete illuminated by street lamps, on which the shadows waltzed.

"What will always impress me is how easy it is for some people to still think that racist behaviour is tolerable," Minjoo spoke with large gestures, occasionally checking to make sure the teacher wasn't confused by her speech. "I think the penalties for racism should increase. And people should be more educated."

"Educated in what sense?" Chaewon questioned, genuinely interested in what the student had to say as she began to rant about some of the courses she needed to revise for her upcoming exams. "I think racists choose to be ignorant."

"Yeah, yeah, sure. But...Listen, I'm not trying to teach you your job, but in my opinion, children should be taught to respect foreign cultures and maybe inform them more about it," Minjoo continued. "For adults who choose to be ignorant, justice has to be more severe."

"Well for your information, I'm already teaching my students about foreign cultures," Chaewon cocked her head, and Minjoo chuckled, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "You're right, though. I organize the groups by continents and make little games according to the cultures. I find it fun to do."

"How perfect she is," Minjoo quipped, the teacher's hair as if she were a puppy. Sometimes being tall had its advantages. But anyway, Chaewon let her do. "Can I help you?"

"Pass your exams first," the teacher grumbled.

"I've already got lot of ideas!" beamed Minjoo, gently touching the plaster wall they'd already been walking along for a few meters.

A wood door intrigued them in the middle of the flowery alley. A handmade sign indicated a tiny painter's studio, and Chaewon tried to get closer to see if the interior was illuminated. Since the beginning of their walk, they had been venturing into ever more secluded and secret corners, entering every craft shop still open, commenting on the old artists' work who looked at them with pride and kindness. The sound of the camera made Chaewon smile, and Minjoo returned the tender gesture before slipping her phone into her pocket. Too bad, that shop looked closed.

"Now that I've filled your head with the mediocre legislative system, you can tell me about yourself," the student said jovially, attempting a glance at the teacher who was walking silently beside her.

"You already know everything about me," she giggled, adjusting the strap of her white handbag on the sleeve of her cropped shirt. It wasn't false in a way. Minjoo already knew a lot.

"Hmm, let us see. I know you're a teacher, that you have a sister and that you're afraid of dogs. I know you're a sneakers enjoyer and that you'd like to go to France or Spain..." the younger girl recited, walking happily on the unfamiliar concrete. "But! Tell me more!"

"That's a lot," Chaewon huffed.

"Why a teacher?" Minjoo then asked, still smiling and with a voice as light as the breeze.

"Already told you. To make the children suffer." Minjoo tapped on her shoulder, and Chaewon regained her seriousness. "I've always liked learning but never studying. I wasn't a diligent student, to be honest. Quiet hated school. But I grew up-"

"-Grew up, you said?" Minjoo paused for a second to compare their heights once more, and this time she was the one who received an offensive tap on the shoulder.

"I mentally grew up and reflected on myself. One day I got up then boom 'Hey, why don't I become a teacher?' so that kids wouldn't be disgusted with knowledge just like I was," Chaewon finished. "I promise I didn't get that speech straight out of a movie."

"It sounded like it, though," Minjoo chuckled as she moved a little closer to Chaewon, taking the opportunity to let their hands brush against each other a couple of times ."Was this your redemption arc?"

"Yeah. But I don't actually hurt kids," Chaewon gladly accepted the physical contact and returned the question. "How about you? You're always talking about laws and , but you never told me exactly why."

"I don't like injustice!" They turned into a small avenue and continued walking without worrying about the rest.

"Nobody likes injustice!" retorted Chaewon. "Then why do you want to be a lawyer?"

"I've always hated injustice, really, to the point where it was a bit of a mental burden, you know? After a while, it's more of a sensibility thing, and I had a rather rough period as a teenager that made me want to exploit that sensitivity by getting stronger," the student explained in a voice that was becoming more and more serious, even slow and low.

"So why a lawyer and not a psychologist or therapist?" asked Chaewon innocently. Nevertheless, Minjoo's slight frown caught her eye, and it didn't take long before she noticed an unfamiliar expression obscuring the young woman's familiar lively face. "You okay?"

"Yes. Yes. Let's say that I did think about it, but I once saw a therapist, and it was a terrible experience. See, we all have different redemption arcs!" Chaewon's heart clenched as she discerned the trembling voice try to appear cheerful. Nevertheless, her curiosity got the better of her.

"What happened?" she dared to ask as she gently slackened her pace, making the occasional brush with Minjoo's hand concrete, grasping her fingers, taking advantage of their physical proximity to make her sincerity sink through. "If it's not too intrusive."

"Oh? We're already getting to the dreaded part where we talk about our exes, aren't we?" the younger girl joked.

"I didn't know it was related to an ex, sorry," curiosity could be a nasty flaw, and Chaewon felt bad for having pulled the sensitive topic. Nevertheless, her intentions towards Minjoo were abundantly clear; she didn't want them to be her friends. Somehow a conversation about past relationships was bound to happen, and she had to face it. And Minjoo too.

"It's okay, it's okay. If I'm going to talk about myself, I have to talk about this," the college girl shrugged, keeping her eyes fixed on her feet. "I realized I liked girls at the beginning of High School, and it was really... complicated. I was feeling down back then in general. Like I told you, I was too sensitive. There was this girl who was always left out and insulted because she claimed her uality. I got close to her to...you know, give her some positive company. We ate together and saw each other during every break. I fell in love with her, and she, she- "

A pang of panic gripped Chaewon's lower abdomen as something in Minjoo's voice cracked, and immediately she stopped walking, alert to the younger girl's condition, who was already bringing her hands to her eyes. Nonetheless, she gently declined the help, smiling with a trembling lip.

"You don't have to -"

"- I want to," Minjoo reassured her, pulling the sleeves of her cardigan up over her wrists to wipe away the new tears that threatened to fall. "I want to. She ed me up. I thought I was living a dream because I was with her, then I realized I lost all my friends and everything else. She completely destroyed me. She made me feel like the worst person ever. She was unstable, and I was too naive. Thinking about it, I was just stupid for thinking her using me as her little toy was love. She would keep my phone at her place and comment on my weight to the point I stopped eating during lunches for her. Anyway. When she broke up with me, I was so bad my parents sent me to therapy and..."

"Hey, Minjoo, you don't have to tell me everything if it hurts," Chaewon paused again, this time mimicked by the brunette who couldn't hold back all the tears that were streaming down her rosy cheeks. "Hey, hey, hey, you okay?"

"Oh my God, sorry. I don't care anymore, don't worry. What makes me sad is remembering how sad and dumb I was at that time." She managed to articulate as she slowly regained her composure, continuing to avoid at all costs the worried and gaze of Chaewon, who tenderly ran a hand down her back. "I saw this therapist, and she outed me in front of my parents. Just like that, without minding me telling her I didn't want them to know. You don't do that, do you?"

"No, you don't," Chaewon shook her head, still the younger girl's trembling back as she regained her calm. "You were strong."

"I tried. Everything worked out fine with my parents. They were so understanding that- I was able to get back on track, kinda," Minjoo finished, finally daring to meet the teacher's gaze, before giggling nervously and hiding her face behind her hand. "Ah... What image of me are you going to have after this?!"

Chaewon could have laughed back, but she barely uttered a smile, only the most meaningful look she could offer, carefully following the brunette's every move as she fidgeted more and more nervously, shaken by this outpouring of emotion.

"This is the part where you tell me you're never going to treat me like this, right?" Minjoo tried another joke, and this time Chaewon grinned slightly, nodding her head sincerely, pulling the brunette closer. And she insisted, pulling her even closer when Minjoo would shake her head and back away. "Don't say it if you don't mean it."

"I mean it," Chaewon affirmed.

"You better," Minjoo scoffed as she finally allowed Chaewon's embrace, instinctively wrapping her arms around the older girl's neck as she was drawn against her. Chaewon ran an affectionate hand over the back of the brunette's neck, tugging her a little closer to her neck. "I want to believe you."

"You can trust me," Chaewon whispered with conviction, feeling with pleasure as Minjoo's body gradually relaxed against hers. She even felt Minjoo's arms tighten their grip around her neck, and a warm breath brushed against her ear, followed by another giggle. "Word of deer."

"Not gonna lie, it would hurt my ego to cry for a girl who wears deer pyjamas..." the younger girl giggled, gently rocking their two bodies together.

"Okay, but I managed to pull you while wearing that deer onesie," Chaewon smiled against the fragrant brown hair that tickled her lips.

And she shivered when a wet kiss her neck so softly. Her body clenched, and an even more burning breath landed directly against her ear, "Maybe."

"I'm sorry this happened to you," Chaewon whispered anyway, trying to make her voice sound sincere. It was nerve-wracking to try to be so transparent with someone, but she suspected that it was indeed harder for Minjoo. Now she had a certainty; no more hesitation about the seriousness of their growing relationship. She really wanted her. "And I'm proud of you for getting through it."

She felt two more kisses on her cheek, and then Minjoo broke away, taking the path through the almost deserted alleys of this part of town on her own. Chaewon watched her walk for a moment, then hurried over to her, placing an arm around her shoulders with amusement, pulling her closer again as they began talking about shoes, kids and Frozen 2, which they both think was far less good than the first. Except for the music that they sang together as if the city belonged to them.

Love, although the most universal feeling in the world, remains a mystery, right? Unlike sadness, which can be explained, anger, which can be deciphered, and joy, which can be justified, love has no cause or consequence that we can perceive at first sight. It makes us happy, just as it makes us troubled. And if it were a game of choices, of being faced with three identical closed doors, one leading to happiness, the second to sadness, and the third to unique love, then love is, in fact, an open door. And Chaewon was not afraid to open it. With Minjoo. 

-

Two days later, and by a bit of luck and mostly laziness, Minjoo managed to leave her class earlier than expected, changing her Japanese tutoring time to the morning instead of the late evening. Because of this, she only had time to swallow an apple as she moved from one lecture hall to another, but the slight concession was worth it.

Chaewon's car smelled her perfume even more strongly than she did, and that's to say something. The seats were spotless, beige leather so comfortable that Minjoo could have fallen asleep in them. The sun was beginning to fall on Seoul's skyscrapers, and the traffic made it impossible for the car to make its way through the imposing columns full of gigantic ads streamer.

Mechanically, Chaewon shifted gears, slowing down again as a red light cut through the traffic for the umpteenth time. They were moving at barely 10 metres a minute, and if they didn't see this as an opportunity to chat a little more, they would have found the time long. But no, on the contrary. Chaewon let go of the gearstick to change the music on her display board.

"That song reminds me of that trip to London I made with my parents a few years ago," the older girl stated, rocking her head slowly to the beat, letting her fingers tap on the shiny black steering wheel. "Everybody wants to rule the world, like it?"

"Yep, yep," Minjoo beamed. Her heart was light from the little musical exchange. What better way to get to know someone than to find out what they like? And why? And what it reminds them? And the multitude of memories that went with it? For Minjoo, it was the perfect way to get to know the person driving the car she was in a little better. "Love the old school vibe."

"It's actually from the 70s. My dad listened to it loudly to fit in," Chaewon recalled, pressing the accelerator, then running a hand through her long brown curls. "It used to annoy my mum, so we'd alternate between that and her nostalgic grandma music."

"Nostalgic grandma music?" Minjoo raised an eyebrow, lips stretched into an amused smile that Chaewon caught a brief glimpse of before resting her attention back on the road, although the situation wasn't much better. What was the idea of venturing into town at such an hour, after all?

"Yeah, you know the kind of thing old ladies listen to feel young and fashionable?" Chaewon glanced another time at the college student, only to catch her confusedly grimacing. She left the gear stick for a moment to slap the younger's thigh. "Aye, stop! I know your grandmas are jamming to Amor Fati like their life depends on it."

"You're the one sounding old talking like that," Minjoo defended herself between two laughs.

"I'm only six months older than you," grumbled the -almost older girl, this time without taking her eyes off the road. "You're so irritating."

"Half a year," mocked the brunette. "And my grandma taught me Adult Ceremony once. I guess it counts as nostalgic grandmother music?"

"You'll have to show me," Chaewon smirked, already thinking about the brunette showing her dance moves to this song. She spent hours of her childhood watching the music video on repeat, little did she know, and couldn't help but let her thoughts think.

Minjoo sneered, "and you'll have to pay for it."

"This is why you should never date college girls..." the teacher sighed falsely, running her hand through her hair again, resting her elbow on the slightly ajar windowsill.

A small comfortable silence followed, then Minjoo regained some calmness, the words swirling around her tongue a few times before she addressed them, "Speaking of dating... when was your last relationship?"

"Serious relationship?" Chaewon gave her a quick glance, turning onto a new avenue and slightly frowning as traffic prevented them from moving forward.

"What do you mean by that?" the younger girl asked.

"Well, the last one was...three weeks ago? And serious one, six or seven months," she answered honestly, not trying to make excuses or anything.

"Three weeks?" Minjoo slightly raised an eyebrow, and Chaewon took advantage of the general slowdown to offer her a thin smile.

"Two-three days before I met you. Just a hookup. Haven't talked to anyone since you came into my classroom." She sensed the small feverishness in Minjoo's gaze, and she tried to calm her voice, speaking with conviction. "You're the only one. If..."

"If?"

"If there were to be anything between us..." Chaewon withdrew her hand from the gearstick and presented her palm to Minjoo, who considered it for a moment, waiting for the teacher's following words to intertwine their fingers. "I want it to be serious, and for as long as possible."

Minjoo dropped their joined hands on her thigh and bit her cheek to keep from smiling too stupidly, like a teenager in ecstasy over her crush. But she couldn't contain the chuckle that shook her shoulders when Chaewon heartedly insulted the car in front of them, bringing her and Minjoo's hands to the gearstick.

"You know that IU song?!" the younger girl exclaimed, turning up the volume on the speakers a little more, playing the singer's melodious voice.

"Of course," Chaewon shrugged, her eyes on the road. "We're here."

The two young women entered the restaurant that a colleague of Chaewon's had recommended for the decoration's originality and the grills' quality. They managed to find a seat next to an aquarium and spent the whole meal inventing conversations and lives to those fishes, doing footsie, laughing and pining for each other, eye-ing each other. But mostly comparing which fish would be the prettiest if they suddenly became human.

Once night fell, the traffic thinned out and driving through the different neighbourhoods was much more pleasant. This time the radio was kept low as their conversation was lively enough on the road. For the first time, they had found that one person with whom talking was so natural that they knew the slightest word would interest the other. And everything was mutual.

Minjoo knew a pleasant place that Yuri had suggested after going there with a boy she was talking to. In her opinion, it was the ideal place for a small evening stroll, especially if the two young women just liked to walk and talk. The GPS pointed the way as the driver laughed out loud at an anecdote Minjoo had just told, heart beating and her cheeks rosy with contentment.

They arrived there around 10 pm. Fortunately, everything still looked open to the public, judging by the multiple cars parked in front of the gigantic Dongdaemun Design Plaza building, a majestic silver arch rising several meters high. Minjoo frantically jumped out of the passenger seat, hopping like a kid on Chaewon's back as the latter just finished gathering her car keys, phone and purse. Perks of dating a college student, once again, she would've thought if she didn't find Minjoo so cute.

"Come on, come on! You'll see, it's so cute!" Minjoo grabbed her hand, hastily pulling her towards the entrance of the permanent exhibition that lined the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, bright flowers that vaguely reminded the professor of something.

"They go there in dramas, right?" she asked, gently squeezing the student's fingers as she nodded fervently. "I saw it on my first first love."

"You watched it?" Minjoo exclaimed.

"Yeah. I'm in love with Jung Chaeyeon," Chaewon confided, giggling as Minjoo glared over her shoulder, pretending to let go of her hand before pulling back. "You're competing with her."

"I better be winning!" the younger girl was still smiling, clearly happy under the DDP spotlight, her hair slightly shaken by the late-night breeze. "Because I stopped loving Rain and IU the second I saw you."

"Rain too?"

"Of course," Minjoo shrugged. "Who doesn't have a crush on Rain?"

"He reminds me I also like men," this time, Minjoo didn't just glare. She stopped dramatically in place, forcing Chaewon to do the same as the hand she was holding broke away from hers. A chuckle escaped her at the brunette's offended expression, and naturally, she threw an arm over her shoulders, kissing her cheek lightly and playfully.

Indeed, the exhibition was well worth its reputation. The thousands of white-lit flowers with walkways running through them were breathtakingly beautiful and engaging. Like a child let loose in a playground, Minjoo led the way, approaching all the cool little spots that lit up the asphalt floor, spreading out over several metres of a completely covered surface.

Naturally, it would have been an immense pity not to embrace the opportunity.

It would have been stupid, even, so Minjoo stopped in one of the aisles next to the main one, holding Chaewon's hand. Surprise crossed the latter's face for a second at the sudden stop, but then she understood and smiled like an idiot, gladly accepting to put her hands around the younger girl's neck, who was already holding her waist. Minjoo took the first step, leaning forwards, cupping the teacher upper lips into a first kiss, then a second one that lasted a little longer, until Chaewon's smile stopped them from continuing, and the younger girl pouted. Oh, that was ing cute.

A laugh escaped her, and she grabbed both of the younger girl's cheeks with her hands, kissing her again with more love, urge and desire that managed to send a thousand butterflies flying around Minjoo's stomach. And it was the best first kiss they both ever shared, crazily unforgettable.

Chaewon concluded with several pecks, and another light laugh left her lips as she discovered how much Minjoo had blushed, but the younger silenced her in the best way possible, kissing her as if they'd been doing it all their lives.