Jimin stared at the ceiling, hundreds of thoughts were running inside her head. It was already getting late and she was having a hard time with falling asleep. After Minjeong confessed to her a few days ago, the blonde girl never left her mind since then. Jimin hated herself a lot for hurting the latter when she, in fact, told her that she would never do it.

Minjeong was hurt and Jimin was sure of it. The blonde may be good at hiding her emotions, but the raven-haired girl was aware of how painful it would have been for her.

“A penny for your thoughts?”

Aeri, Jimin's most trusted best friend, was currently sitting on the other side of the bed while staring at the raven-haired girl who was so lost in her thoughts. The Japanese girl decided to come over to Jimin's house for a sleepover because her parents went back to their hometown in Japan for a sudden reunion.

“Riri, I did a really bad thing.”

The brunette just shrugged. She knew Jimin can be clumsy or reckless with her decisions sometimes so she wasn't even surprised of it. But still, she chose to listen.

“I'm all ears, Ji.”

Jimin heaved out a deep sigh before slowly getting up the bed. She rested her back on the headboard before speaking up, her eyes never leaving the other girl.

“You know about Kim Minjeong, right?”

“That gorgeous writer that you met on the same site where you publish your books?”

The raven-haired girl nodded.

“Okay, what about her?”

“I hurt her real bad and guilt has been eating me up ever since that day. I've been having a hard time sleeping because of it and I'm sure she is too. We've been a bit distant with each other too and it hurts me a lot. I didn't want to admit at first, but I miss her so much. I miss our playful conversations, I miss her virtual hugs, I miss everything about her. I don't know what to do, Aeri. I'm scared about the thought that she'd slowly drift away from me if I don't fix things up immediately,” Jimin uttered, both worry and pain was evident in her tone.

Aeri was still confused though.

“Uhm, care to tell me how this happened? I really want to understand you but I think you haven't told me the full details yet. You just told me that you're good friends and you talk to each other all the time.”

Right, Aeri doesn't know anything about us. Jimin thought to herself before deeply sighing.

“I really don't want to go in full detail about it but we kinda just.. started flirting with each other. We call each other pet names and other stuff like those too. We've been like that for quite a while now and.. well.. Minjeong confessed to me a few days ago. She told me that she was already falling for me and she even tried to keep it from happening. She failed eventually.”

Aeri nodded in response.

“Okay, she confessed. And what did you say to her?”

Jimin nipped on her lower lip before answering. The Japanese girl knew that it was a sign of the latter being nervous.

“I.. I lowkey rejected her.”

Aeri nodded again. Jimin expected that her best friend would lash out because of her not-so-wise decision but surprisingly, she didn't.

“Hm, now is the time for me to ask you a few questions. I want you to answer me in all honesty, okay?”

It was Jimin's turn to nod this time.

“What's she like?”

The raven-haired girl blinked a few times before answering fully. Minjeong was back inside her mind again and she couldn't help but to smile at the thought of her. 

“She's amazing, Aeri. She's hardworking and she has a lot of dreams and goals that she badly wants to achieve. She's kindhearted, soft, and so full of love. I couldn't even deny the fact that she looks so pretty too and her talents.. her voice.. everything about her is so amazing. She's literally the real definition of perfection and I couldn't help but to wonder why a person like her would fall for someone like me. It concerns me a lot, to be honest.”

Aeri paused for a while, clearly analyzing things. She then plastered a small reassuring smile before continuing with her queries.

“How does she make you feel?”

This time, Jimin couldn't keep herself from smiling. The sight was so new to Aeri and she made sure to remember every little detail of it.

“She makes me feel so happy in the simplest terms. Whenever she tells me that she loves me, my heart races so much and I'm having a hard time calming it down. She makes me feel so loved, valid, and appreciated. She makes me feel all sorts of things that I have never felt in my whole twenty-one years of being in this world. She makes love feel so magical and I couldn't get enough of it. I adore her so much, Riri.”

Aeri scooted closer to her best friend before pulling her closer for a tight embrace. The both of them stayed like that for a short while before Aeri decided to speak.

“If she makes you feel this way, why are you so scared to take the risk?”

Jimin huffed, tightening her hug onto the latter.

“I'm scared of what may come if we take the next step. The thought of losing her scares me so bad too. I love her so much. I just couldn't help but to overthink, especially because of the distance. I wouldn't be able to offer the physical presence that she deserves because I'm too far away from her. What if she gets tired of this kind of setup? A lot of things scare me, Aeri. It has been a while since I started to genuinely like someone and as much as I want this to grow, a lot of doubts still haunt me. You know it'll also be my first time if I ever enter a relationship with her. I'm scared I might mess up and hurt her. I will never be able to forgive myself if that ever happens,” the raven-haired girl stated as she felt her heart slowly shattering.

“Ji, if Minjeong makes you feel all these good things then I don't see any point of pushing her away. Why don't you guys give it a try? It could possibly work if the both of you walk hand-in-hand in this path, you know. Not all long distance relationships end in such a tragic way although most of them did at some point. What if she's worth the risk? You wouldn't know it unless you try. Based on your stories, I'm certain that Minjeong is a good person and she will never do anything that may cause pain and agony towards you.”

Jimin was about to speak when Aeri continued her words.

“Minjeong will take good care of you and I know you will do the same too. You deserve each other so don't be afraid to fight for what your heart really wants.”

That night, Jimin was able to sleep with a calm and contented heart. After her deep conversations with Aeri, the raven-haired girl finally made up her decisions. She knew her heart wanted Minjeong and no one else so she immediately composed the reply that the blonde has always been praying to receive.

Yooji : Hey, Minjeong. I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply. I had to collect my thoughts because they were literally everywhere. This was so hard for me to put into words so I hope you'd be able to understand whatever I'm about to write.

Yooji : To be very honest with you, I can't just keep pretending that everything's okay between us when I know it's not. I've talked things out with my best friend regarding this matter and that's something I normally don't do. I'm so nervous about this and I really have no idea what your reaction would be, but I know that the sooner I tell you this, the better. I just want to let you know that you deserve so much better– no, you certainly deserve the best. I'm scared of hurting you although I already did. I hate myself for that. I'm a realistic person, Minjeong. I try to look at everything and I have to admit, I overthink a lot. My best friend told me that I'm probably just making excuses. She asked me questions about you and how you make me feel. I guess it was so sudden when you confessed to me, I never fully thought it through. Well, I like talking to you. I would miss you so much if you were to leave. Of course, I also love being around you.

Yooji : What does this mean? It's obvious, really. I already know if you were near me I would say yes to being yours, no hesitations. I can't be cold to you. I've been more careful with how I type to you lately and I hate it.

Yooji : But Minjeong, I just want you to know that yes, I do love you and I'm so stupid. Why am I so afraid of the distance thing? And us? I'm honestly still trying to figure that out. I have so many shortcomings, I don't know why someone as amazing as you would be interested in me. But I'm willing to work this out and just give it a shot already. I'll try my best to only make you smile and feel loved. I only want you to be happy, baby. Always. 

Yooji : I love you so much, Kim Minjeong. I really do. I'm yours, forever.