I'm growing up and doing big things for me.

You'll always be on my list,

Of all the good things that I miss.

You're all the good things that I miss.

“If you’d be given a chance to travel back in time, would you?” A little child – probably not older than ten, wearing an oversized black hoodie, eyes bearing a certain glint of curiosity – asks the young lady in front of her.

The lady simply stares back at her, unsure of the random question from this strange child she just met today. “Uhm…I think I’ll pass?”

“Ew, humans.” The kid answers, disapproval – and a certain degree of disgust, to be quite honest – written all over her small face. 

“We only regret the chances we didn’t take,” they’d say – such an awful quote probably taken from Tumblr or one of those cheesy blogs teenagers run when they are undergoing puberty. Kids these days have always been in a hurry to grow up, oh-so-hopeful of the future that lies ahead of them. They all have that inexplicable amount of foolishness within them that makes them think they are capable of doing everything – naively facing things head-on – as if they have everything figured out.

Spoiler Alert: They don’t. As they realize that, the enthusiasm that comes with youth slowly vanishes until they wake up one day……and their so-called rosy days are over.

As humans grow older, regrets pile up – a universal fact no one could ever deny, it’s not something up for debate. Regret comes in a lot of form, may it be working too much until retirement, not spending more time with your loved ones, choosing a practical job over something you’ve always been passionate about, living the life your parents wanted you to have instead of following your dreams, not standing up to your high school bullies, or maybe…..something as simple as not volunteering for that one role you’d like to play so much as a kid because you were too shy to raise your hand.

Oh, here’s a classic oh-so-cliché regret almost everyone could probably relate to – not having the courage to express your feelings for that one person.

“What’s so scary about confessing,” they’d ask. The jitters it induces just by merely thinking of it? The possibility of an embarrassing tiny voice crack as someone emotionally (cringey, yikes) spills their heart out? Or, maybe that awkward silence after a confession has been uttered? No, no, and that’s kind of close but also no. Those are inarguably part of it, but just nope.

Here’s something that encompasses all those aforementioned fears – the scariest thing about confessing – is what comes after. The consequences of their actions are what humans are truly afraid of….the likeliness of being rejected at all-time high because they tend to stupidly fall for those who would never look their way.

Oh, young love.

The thought of ruining the status quo is another worry that would plague young naïve hearts, then here comes the biggest hurdle – cowardice. It stealthily peeks from behind, whispering, “Why would you willingly hurt yourself? It’s never going to work, so why bother?” Not knowing any better, oblivious young souls listen to this annoying voice; just surrendering without putting up much fight. Unbeknownst to them that regret is mostly caused by not having done anything – so, so scared of crossing the line, they end up just staring at it until the person standing at the other side completely walks away.

TLDR: Unrequited love at its finest.

Not even Korea’s famous actress Kim Minjoo – pretty face adored by the cameras, good reputation backed up by a down-to-earth personality, several awards listed under her wiki page, ranked quite high (for consecutive years) on the survey which-actress-would-you-date – is exempted from the cruel curse that comes by the name ‘unrequited love.’ Otherwise, she wouldn’t be in her late twenties, six years in her career, and is still very much single except for the ridiculous dating rumors that would surface from time to time. (She did try meeting people several times for a while, it just didn’t work out. That’s all.) Her manager would sometimes joke, “Please date someone, I’d happily handle the backlash. Just……find someone and be happy. PLEASE.”

Of course, Minjoo’s older sister wouldn’t stop asking her about it as well. The Kim siblings barely meet each other at their family home due to being busy working in the same industry, yet Jiyeon would always ask her questions such as:

1. Are you dating?
2. Why not?
3. Do you want me to introduce you to someone?
4. No creepy dudes, I promise. Still a no?
5. WHY NOT?
6. Do you have……cancer? AND YOU’RE KEEPING IT FROM ME???
7. IS THIS WHY YOU DON’T WANT TO DATE ANYONE BECAUSE YOU’RE AFRAID YOU WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER ALL ALONE IN THIS HORRIBLE WORLD-

Most likely, the last questions brought upon by her older sister being equal parts frustrated and dramatic over Minjoo’s love life. (Or, lack thereof.) Jiyeon is also probably experiencing side effects from the acting roles she’s been getting lately – yeah, she should probably step back from melodramas for a year or two.

Once in a while, Jiyeon would ask her the question that silences Minjoo more than the ridiculous ones about being terminally ill or something – “Or, are you still not over her?”

Her.

“I want to sing for a living,” Chaewon casually says. She declares out of nowhere on that one lazy Sunday afternoon, a confident smile plastered across her face.

Minjoo could still vividly picture seventeen-year-old Chaewon in her head, a memory carefully tucked at the back of her mind – one meant to be kept, but always accessible on days she feels like going down the memory lane. She clearly remembers the light-hearted chuckle that follows, remembers the way the older girl pulls down her ponytail – lustrous black hair left unbound to tumble – remembers the way Chaewon’s dark brown eyes glint with an incredible amount of radiant enthusiasm.

What do they call it again? Right, youth is always filled with hopefulness. Chaewon’s eyes are so, so full of it, specks of light reflecting at the most appropriate time almost makes them seem golden. That’s how Minjoo would always remember her seventeen-year-old Chaewon unnie – golden.

“Unnie, go for it! You should give me an autograph,” Minjoo chimes back just as casually, supportive as always. “I’d auction it years from now, gotta get that money somehow,” she makes sure to add with a smug smile and a wink.

Chaewon bites back a smile, “What about you? What do you want to be?”

The other girl pauses for a moment, pretending to seriously think about it before giving another one of her usual playful comebacks. She gently Chaewon’s hair, “Hmm, your hairstylist maybe? Pay me well, okay?”

And that’s how Chaewon ends up with poorly cut bangs, courtesy of sixteen-year-old Kim Minjoo – saying that it’s her most anticipated debut as a hairstylist. Of course, the younger girl insists that it’s cute and everything went according to her plans. Except, (1) there are no plans to begin with, and (2) Chaewon goes home with choppy bangs that her mom had to do a double-take before she laughs out a bit too loud upon recognizing her dearest daughter.

As ridiculous as it sounds, Minjoo vows to be her Chaewon unnie’s hair stylist on that day.

“Her Chaewon unnie,” she says. Can…..Minjoo really call the girl “hers” though?

Hey, where are you?

"Close your eyes, breathe," Kim Minjoo wills herself. A soft sigh escapes her lips, taking in a few seconds to let the chattering of people distract her from the line of thought starting to form – it’s very rare for her to be free from schedules, and she wouldn’t want to waste her precious day off thinking about silly things again. 

Minjoo’s supposedly peaceful day is cut short by a yelp, “Ooh, Ouch!” Okay, maybe walking while your eyes are closed isn’t a good idea – certainly not when she’s walking amidst the busy streets of Hongdae on a Friday night.

She immediately opens her eyes, quickly apologizing to whoever poor soul she has bumped into, “I’m sorry-”

Said poor soul cuts her off before she could even finish her sentence, an excited squeal coming out. “Wait, aren’t you THE Kim Minjoo???!!”

Minjoo stiffens – slightly disoriented, panicking at the fact that someone has seemingly recognized her despite wearing casual clothes and a face mask covering half her face. If news goes out about her walking alone without any bodyguards, it would definitely cause a headache for her agency. Another thing, they would probably no longer give her permission to freely roam around for her own safety – actually, that’s what Minjoo is concerned most about. Her manager insisted on coming with her, but she has promised (insisted, quite desperately) that she’d be careful not to be recognized by fans.

So much for trying her best to not attract any attention. She reluctantly nods as she pulls down her baseball cap lower, “I’m really sorry, I should have been more careful.”

Fortunately, bystanders seem to be busy chatting among themselves to notice or hear what just happened. Glancing up, Minjoo sees the said poor soul she has bumped into – it’s a…..child? She has been too nervous to notice earlier that the voice is too high-pitched for an adult, but now that she’s out of her trance, she takes a proper look at the stranger.

The kid, probably not older than ten, wearing a lilac oversized hoodie that’s obviously too big for her size, greets her with a smile as bright as her vibrant purple hair – which is still very much apparent even though the sun has been long gone, and the city lights being the only ones illuminating the bustling road. The little girl wordlessly points at her ear, motioning for Minjoo to step closer. Confused, the actress simply follows through and bends down a bit to share the same height level as her.

As if realizing Minjoo’s fear of a commotion happening, the child murmurs in a softer tone, “Minjoo unnie, I’m a fan.”

“Time is a vicious troll,” they’d say. Here’s a secret unknown to most humans – rather than time being a troll, it’s actually more of the kids keeping track of time being too bored of their own existence. And sometimes, these children – twins, to be exact – just happen to enjoy making things more difficult for humans. Or more fun, they’d insist.

“Yerimie, aren’t you bored?” Triangle mouth jutting out in a subtle pout, the child mindlessly staring up the night clouds – throws the same question she has been asking her twin for the last few years of their stay on Earth.

“Hmm, not like we can do anything about it,” the older twin shrugs, bright purple hair being carried away by the soft blowing of the wind.

The grumpy child huffs, “It has been years! We NEED to do something fun!”

“Let’s play another round then!” Yerim chimes back, her smile being bright as always – a complete opposite of the frown that shows up on her twin’s face.

“Nooo. Let’s play something else!” The younger twin whines, pushing away the chessboard suspended in air. They’ve been playing the game for almost a decade, and she’s just so fed up with the boring checkerboard, boring chess pieces, boring countless days – and most of all, the boring humans they are in charge of watching every day.

She wonders how Yerim seems to always be having fun, maybe it’s because her twin has always been her complete opposite. Even at this, the older twin enjoys watching humans – she finds them adorable, she’s even interested with “humanly things” such as dramas, movies, music, kpop idols, etc. – meanwhile, the younger twin finds them annoyingly boring. They just don’t pique her interest, no wonder she has nothing to do other than being grumpy all day long.

“What do you suggest then, Hyejuuuu,” Yerim purposely drags the name of her twin longer as she takes the wooden white queen chess piece – repeatedly tossing it in the air.

Hyeju’s ear perks up at the way her twin calls her name, she just knows Yerim is already curious enough to at least hear about the game she’d like to propose. A mischievous smile playing on her lips, she slyly asks, “What about having a small bet?”

Yerim confusedly tilts her head, unsure of what her twin is saying. She stops playing with her chess piece, then she clarifies, “What do you mean?”

The moment she asked about it, Hyeju smiles – knowing that she already got her twin on board with her plans. She explains the ridiculous (exciting, Hyeju would insist) game she had been wanting to play for some time now. Yerim starts tossing the chess piece back and forth again, she sighs, “Hyeju, you know we’re not supposed to play with humans. Who knows, we might even get punished for it.”

Hyeju snaps her fingers, causing the suspended wooden chess pieces on air to fall on the ground. She waves her pointer finger, commanding the white queen chess piece Yerim has been playing with to go towards her. In a split second, she got it on her hand – Yerim gives her a questioning look that silently screams, “Give. It. Back. Now. Or. Else. ((: ”

Surely, Yerim doesn’t have a single hate bone on her body, but……that doesn’t mean she’s incapable of being scary when needed. Of course, they are still twins – they do somehow share the same personalities, just in varying degrees.  This means Yerim is just as capable of being grumpy sometimes – she’s still the older of the two, and she doesn’t enjoy it when someone (even if said someone is her twin) interrupts her while she’s having her own sense of fun.

Hyeju fully knows this, and she’d definitely utilize this to make Yerim play with her. She throws a bait, “You would only need to do one thing, I’ll handle the rest.”

Unconvinced, Yerim just blankly stares back at her.

“Oh no, she’s starting to get annoyed,” Hyeju internally warns herself. She quickly scans their surroundings, thinking of anything she could offer as an additional bait before her twin gets pissed off for real. If she does, Yerim wouldn’t think twice about snitching on Hyeju’s plans – their moms would definitely punish her somehow, she can’t let that happen – it would be way worse than having to spend an uneventful day by watching humans.

Luckily, her eyes land on an advertisement being flashed on one of the buildings around them – it features one of the actresses Yerim has been interested with lately. She remembers her older twin crying while watching one of her interviews (?) or movies (?), or whatsoever before. Perfect.

“Kim Minsoo! You know, that actress you like….” Hyeju trails off.

Yerim immediately corrects her, “It’s Kim Minjoo.”

Hyeju gulps, quickly apologizing, “Okay, sorry. Yes, that Kim Minjoo. If you help me, you’d get to meet your favorite actress!”

The older twin’s cheerful demeanor comes back upon the mention of her favorite actress. She motions for the black queen chess piece to go towards her – a toothy grin plastered across her face, thrilled with the thought of meeting the aforementioned famous actress. She clinks her chess piece with the one Hyeju is holding, “Fine. Deal.”

“Minjoo unnie, I’m a fan! :D”

The child sounds genuinely excited, making Minjoo smile – she almost forgets that she’s still facing the risk of her identity being exposed. In other words, losing her right to freely roam around the city on her own; which is already a very rare occurrence in the first place. As if the kid was able to read her mind, she assures her, “Unnie, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

She starts walking, and Minjoo simply follows suit – don’t ask her why, she doesn’t know either. The kid seems nice and harmless enough, but Minjoo is also old enough to know she shouldn’t be blindly following strangers. As much as she doesn’t like bringing up or even acknowledging her celebrity status, she’s been in this world long enough to understand that some humans would take advantage of it and she needs to be wary of people at all times.

Oddly enough, the little girl really seems to have a knack for saying what Minjoo probably needs to hear. She chimes, “By the way, you can call me Yerimie. We’re no longer strangers then, okay?”

At this point, the older girl seriously suspects the likelihood of the child being able to read her mind…..which sounds equal parts creepy and amusing – just thinking about it is crazy enough. (Or, just weird-) Yerim halts on her track again, nonchalantly confirming Minjoo’s suspicion, “Yep, it sounds crazy. But yes, I can hear your thoughts. Don’t mind it too much, you’ll get used to it.”

Okay, now that’s definitely not normal. Now that Minjoo thinks more about it, there’s nothing normal about this whole encounter – (1) why would a child be at Hongdae all alone this late, (2) what kind of parents let their kid dye their hair purple at such a young age, (3) where is this child planning to take her, (4) is she part of some cult or something, (5) what does she want from her—

Before Minjoo could list more questions, Yerim looks back – crossing her arms to form an X mark. “Unnie, stoooooop with the questionsss,” she whines. 

Minjoo covers , softly asking, “Did I say those things out loud?”

“No, no, but please ease up with the questions,” Yerim sighs defeatedly. She begins answering the questions one by one, “For the record, I’m not exactly a child. I didn’t dye my hair, it’s just really like this. And my parents…..let’s just say they are busy with some stuff. No, I’m not part of a cult. I’m not gonna scam you for money or anything, I’m not planning to do anything shady. What’s the other question again…..”

Minjoo hesitantly answers, “Uhm….where are you planning to take me?”

“Oh, that? There!!!” The child triumphantly points at something, Minjoo follows the direction with her gaze and finds……a bus stop? Wait, it’s not just any random bus stop – it’s that bus stop.

Minjoo briefly removes her baseball cup to take a closer look, and Yerim could clearly see shock etched in every wrinkle of the older girl’s crinkled forehead upon recognizing the place. Yerim has always liked observing humans, she naturally notices the slight shudder and the involuntary eye twitch – the visible hint of sadness in Minjoo’s eyes that doesn’t even last for 3 seconds, yet leaves a deep impression with the little child.

She’s supposedly doing this for fun, but she couldn’t help but feel sad for the older girl. Out of pity, she softly blows on the wind – and slowly, drops of rain begin to fall, re-enacting a particular scene out of an oh-so-beautiful night.  A very warm memory Yerim finds hidden in between hundreds of neatly folded scenes, compiled at the back of Minjoo’s head – nearly forgotten, but Yerim doubts it’s possible for such a precious memory to be completely erased.

“Oh, you poor humans.” Yerim says it neither out of arrogance nor wanting to belittle humans, but out of utter, sincere, and heartfelt empathy – a compassionate smile lingers on her lips.

Rain.

For eight-year-old Minjoo, rainy days mean having to wait for her older sister to fetch her at school. There’d be puddles of water scattered around the street, walking home becomes a hassle, but it’s not that bad – not when Jiyeon would often come for her, greeting her adorable younger sister with a warm embrace, and a cute pink umbrella in tow. Of course, she also makes sure to buy Minjoo some snacks on the way home.

Even when Minjoo would sometimes be left alone at the gates of the school, all the other kids have long gone home while she’s still waiting for someone to come for her – it’s still not that bad. At least, they’ve never forgotten her, maybe they were just a bit occupied with their own lives and that’s totally fine. She doesn’t even mind it that much, because at the end of the day, someone would still come for her – for that, she’d always be grateful.

For fourteen-year-old Minjoo, rainy days mean having to go home early. Her family moves out of their old house, heading off to some place in the middle of a bustling city. Her school is a bit far this time, so rainy days mean she has to immediately go home before the sun sets – this time, all on her own.

Minjoo hates the rain. That’s a fact.

As two teenagers quicken their pace, a bunch of clouds begin to gather in the sky – slowly changing the gorgeous blue shade, beginning to paint it with a dreadful shade of grey. The atmosphere turns gloomy as large pillows of cloud form, engulfing the once warm golden rays of the sun, replacing it with somber darkness. Before the cloudburst starts, the two girls rush to the nearest bus stop – taking shelter from the impending rainstorm.

“Hey…….is something bothering you,” eighteen-year-old Chaewon asks upon noticing the silence that follows as the rain starts to pour.

Minjoo doesn’t reply, her eyes glued to the passing cars – lights on full beam, moving over the highway amidst the sudden sprinkle – she watches how the yellow bright lights seemingly play with the droplets, almost making them appear solitary. Chaewon subtly nudges her friend’s shoulder, just another unsuccessful attempt to take the girl out of her trance.

Chaewon frowns at the lack of response, growing impatient by each second – she decides to mess with Minjoo a bit. Yeah, just a tad bit. (She’s not that mean, she thinks. Sort of.) Imitating those creepy (or just weird, actually) sounds adults would make when scaring little kids in order to make them behave, she whispers, “Minjoo-ssi….help me….Minjoo-ssiii……”

Her friend still in a daze, Chaewon sighs, giving up with the joke she’s going for. Instead, she leans closer – so, so close that her lips are merely few centimeters away from the other girl, then…......Chaewon softly blows into Minjoo’s right ear.

“What the—”

Chaewon’s action causes the girl to let out a small yelp – Minjoo unconsciously moves away, her cheeks flaring up as she realizes what her Chaewon unnie just did. (She could blame the cold wind brought upon by the rain, of course.) The older girl simply raises her eyebrows in amusement, stifling a giggle as she sees Minjoo profusely blushing all the way to her ears. She lightly flicks the girl’s forehead, “I’ve been calling you for over a minute! I thought your soul left your body??? You’re lucky I feel kind today or I would have left you already!”

Like a little child who’s been deprived of her favorite treats, Minjoo pouts, “Unnie…..just thinking ‘bout something….”

Chaewon being her usual self – in other words, not ever letting Minjoo live a peaceful day (she’d insist it’s payback for all the chaos the girl had caused, and is still causing her) – she dramatically exclaims, “No offense, but…..Kim Minjoo? You? Can? Think???”

“Unnie!!! :((( ”

Chaewon bursts out – unable to stop the laughter she’s been trying to hold – she tries her best to answer in between light-hearted chuckles, “Okay, okay. I’m just kidding.”

As her laughter dies down, she trails off, “You know, too much thinking is bad.” Minjoo doesn’t say anything but gives her an expectant look, waiting for her to continue. With a placid smile – as calming as the pleasant pit-patters of the rain – Chaewon carries on, “When thoughts consume you, that’s when everything becomes overwhelming.”

Minjoo couldn’t believe that the older girl is actually capable of saying such serious and meaningful words, she can’t say that the idea of making fun of her unnie’s sappy words didn’t cross her mind – it undoubtedly did, but the atmosphere is too nice to ruin. And before she even gets the opportunity to utter some stupid joke that could potentially turn this rare moment into just another reason for their countless silly bickering, Chaewon intertwines their hands, “When it’s too much, close your eyes. For a moment, breathe.”

Chaewon adds, “And just listen.” Minjoo obliges, taking in every sound around her – the comfortable sigh from the girl sitting beside her, the occasional honking of the cars passing by, the rippling as water strikes the asphalt pavement of the road, and the soft whispering of the cold air amidst millions of rain droplets falling, blurred into a long whirring noise.

For a while, the world is louder than any passing thought that could possibly bother her.

When Minjoo’s eyes flutter open, the older girl greets her with a reassuring smile. With her other hand, Chaewon gives her shoulder a pat, “Let’s not miss the chance of having a good day today by thinking about a bad yesterday.”

Minjoo really wants to unnie for uncharacteristically saying such philosophical lines, but her eyes crinkle into crescent moons, and the corners of her lips unconsciously tug upwards. Oh….she’s smiling. At times like this, she doesn’t have the heart to make fun of the older girl. Not when said girl makes her unknowingly smile, may it be due to the cheesy lines or kind words – maybe both. Or, maybe it’s the familiar warmth that radiates from the hand intertwined with hers.

She wordlessly watches as Chaewon extends her arm towards the rain, just wanting to feel every drop that falls on her palm. Minjoo knows this happy picture would be forever painted in her memories – layered with hundreds of vibrant shades, with the brush carelessly yet skillfully tipped with acrylic pigment from tin cans of left-over paint probably found in one’s garage. Just the cheap ones they’d use for DIY projects they’d watch on the internet; because she’s never been one for fancy stuff, and Chaewon’s existence would suffice. She’s everything she could ever ask for – and more – but Minjoo cringes at the thought of saying those words out loud, so she settles for something that doesn’t offer her heart on a silver platter.

“Unnie, thank you.”

“I’m the best, I know,” Chaewon quips, a grin emerging on her face.

Okay, forget everything Minjoo has said – the smug look on Chaewon’s face almost makes her question why she has ever thought of having those complicated emotions and affectionate descriptions for the girl. Just almost. Oh, such a hopeless romantic. Nonetheless, Kim Minjoo fully knows that she wouldn’t have it any other way – not even tomorrow, and certainly not in the years that would follow either. Really, she knows.

She knows it when she just lets Chaewon drag her out of the bus stop, not minding the cold drops of water against her skin – it drenches her hair and clothes, and oh…speaking of cold….yeah, she’s definitely catching a cold after this. Even then, she knows she wouldn’t mind risking being sick in exchange for being part of such a beautiful scene. Knows it when Chaewon runs a hand through her equally drenched hair, sending a spray of black tresses all over her shoulder. Heck, it should remind her of a dark ocean wave on a stormy night? The type that sailors would – and should – avoid at all cost…..but Minjoo, oh-so-lovestruck Minjoo thinks it’s a perfect day to start a cruise, very much hopeful that she’d safely cross the line. Her brain merrily screams, “All aboard! Until next time, farewell, annyeong, sayonara, zai jian, paalam, selamat tinggal, adiosssss!”

Once they get tired of jumping all around the place – not minding the puddles of water ruining their shoes, and the fact that they do look stupid from a bystander’s point of view – Chaewon asks, “Do you know what’s a daylight?”

“Hmmm,” Minjoo hums, unsure of what the older girl is trying to say.

Surprisingly, Chaewon is still not done with her philosophical talks for today. Tilting her head upwards, she could feel tiny drops of water hitting her face – continuously, a pleasant sensation upbringing a notion of peace. “First appearance of light in the morning,” she muses.

This time, Minjoo doesn’t stop the laughter bubbling up her chest. Amidst laughing, she scoffs, “Light in darkness? Something like the stars? Something like a flashlight during a blackout?”

“The star one sounds poetic, but to be honest, the flashlight one sounds more accurate,” Chaewon shrugs – a laugh of her own ringing in the air as she genuinely finds the conversation hilarious. (1) There are no stars in the sky right now, (2) they are both drenched yet talking about random stuff again, and (3) what’s with flashlights…….just why? The analogy isn’t exactly wrong though, so yeah….it counts. Maybe. Sort of.

“Ooh, I think I get it,” Minjoo blurts out.

Chaewon being not-so-convinced with the younger girl’s answer, she playfully retorts, “You think?”

First appearance of light in the morning – bright?

Chaewon’s messy black tresses should remind Minjoo of a dark ocean, the sky is anything but bright – the street lamps scattered along the road being the only ones illuminating their surroundings. However, when she looks at the older girl, she doesn’t think of the ocean. (She doesn’t even know what an oceanographer does, let alone have any plans to be one.) She doesn’t think of the night sky either, not the countless stars, she’s never been into astronomy. Who cares about the stars?

Stars be damned, the girl in front of her reminds her of the crack of dawn – eighteen-year-old Chaewon who likes playing in the rain, her eyes just as bright as they’ve always been, still gleaming with so much hopefulness that Minjoo wants to unravel. Maybe it’s because she loves the rain, she loves music, and she loves a lot of things that make her sparkle so, so, bright – almost golden.

Everything she says and does, makes Minjoo think of all the good things life has to offer – and it makes her aspire to be just as bright. More than anything, she wishes that Chaewon never loses her spark.

And maybe someday, Minjoo would get to be just as bright -- a vow she'd hold closely for the years that would follow.

Daylight, huh.

“Yeah, something like that,” she whispers.

At seventeen, Minjoo becomes fascinated with the rain – if anyone would ask, she’d probably say those were the best days of her youth.

Once again, it’s raining. Hey, where are you?

Yerim yawns out of boredom, allowing the older girl a few minutes before she finally decides to interrupt her trip down the memory-lane. Yeah, she may have felt a bit of sympathy for the girl, but she’s already starting to get bored again – she wonders what Hyeju's been up to, maybe something much more fun? Yerim casually chimes, “Minjoo unnie, let’s say you are offered a role on a Time Travel drama. Would you be interested?”

As a melancholic feeling seemingly emerges at the back of her mind – burning, gnawing….almost desperate – Minjoo tries her best to swallow the words, because it’s not like she could spill her heart out on a random stranger. (A creepy child, even.)

Not-so-slightly offended, Yerim exclaims, “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that!”

A quick bark of laughter comes out, Minjoo repeatedly shaking her head – an attempt to regain her composure. She clears , and entertains the little kid’s previous question. “Time travel? It sounds interesting, I guess?”

“Okay, okay, let’s say you can hypothetically go back in time, how far do you want to go back? Just hypothetically.” Of course, Yerim already knows what the older girl would answer. Heck, she has done a lot of reading last night regarding Minjoo’s past – at this point, she probably already had every single relevant detail memorized. Hyeju has been mocking her for being too enthusiastic for someone who was supposedly forced into being part of this game, but Yerim claims she just wants to do her part properly.

Minjoo doesn’t even take a lot of time to think of a response, the hypothetical scenario being something she has considered several times over the years. Don’t get her wrong though, the famous actress is certainly grateful for everything she has ever achieved – however, humans are greedy. Despite everything – somewhere deep in her heart – she would always know that there are a couple of things she’d choose to do differently. Quite honestly, who wouldn’t? Everyone had those silly thoughts at least once in their life, right? Turn back time, alter the past, do a bit of cleaning for the mountain of regrets that’s been piling up – be happy. Is wanting to be happy too selfish? Is that….not okay?

She knows that said hypothetical question would remain exactly as that – just hypothetical. Nonetheless, Minjoo tolerates the stupid thought, twitching into a quick smile as saying it out loud makes her realize how absurd it truly is. She quirks up, “Around seven years ago? I need to find someone.”

Pleased with the older girl’s answer, Yerim blithely nods. However, she still needs to confirm something. “Unnie, you know how those movies usually go though? There are always consequences when changing the past. What do they call that again, pizza.…”

“…..you mean domino effect,” Minjoo calmly interjects.

“That’s boring. Hyeju calls it pizza effect. Sounds more fun, she says?” The little girl explains, not minding the fact that the famous actress probably has no idea what she’s talking about.

Dots starting to form above Minjoo’s head, she finally asks, “Who’s Hyeju?”

“My evil twin,” Yerim shrugs. The older girl looks at her with visible confusion written all over her face, unsure whether the child is being serious or just messing with her.

Technically, it’s not exactly a lie. Hyeju is indeed Yerim’s twin, and she’s certainly much meaner than the older twin. See, she wasn’t lying – technically. “Anyway, that’s not important. Yepp, the domino, pizza, butterfly or whatever effect you’d like to call it. Are you willing to take the risks? :D ”

Yerim says it with a smile – swinging her arms back and forth, occasionally tapping her feet on the small puddle of water that has formed near them, not even sparing Minjoo a glance – acting completely indifferent with whatever answer the famous actress would give her. Time travel…..isn’t supposed to be treated as a casual thing? Not for humans, at least.

Yeah, everyone has probably thought of time travel at some point of their lives – that’s a fact. Here’s another fact though, it’s not that simple. Time on its own is already a vicious troll, messing with it wouldn’t exactly be a good idea. Wishing for a chance to take another shot is one thing, actually having that one chance to alter things is another. Time travel sounds cool and all, but would you really do it? Like…no second thoughts? Final answer? No reservations at all? Last call????

One’s life is built brick by brick with countless hours of hard work, frustration, and sleepless nights – not even talent would ensure success, but Minjoo was lucky enough that it did work for her. It wasn’t originally part of her plan to be a celebrity, but it did happen – she is very much successful with her career now, no one can deny that.

Question: Is she stupid enough to put everything in line, potentially losing it all?

“Yes. I will still do it,” a short and simple answer that showcases Minjoo’s strong will – firm, steadfast and unfaltering.

Oh, maybe she’s not stupid? Just desperate enough.

Yerim cracks up, clapping at the older girl’s resolute conviction for such a hypothetical question. She really gotta hand it to Hyeju this time, this is fun. “Okay, unnie. Got it.”

The kid knowingly adds, “For the record, I like pizza.”

Very fun.

Regrets, huh.

Minjoo is incapable of pinpointing when she has started to be such a hopeless romantic – or, just cringey – maybe she has always been like this, or maybe she has been watching too many romcom dramas these days. Yeah, she should probably blame her older sister – Jiyeon has started getting more lead roles, and she’s been urging (and not-so-lowkey guilt tripping) Minjoo to watch every episode of her cheesy dramas filled with corny lines. “Yaa! Do your ‘sister’ duties,” she’d say. 

Of course, she’s very proud of her Jiyeon unnie – after several failed auditions, months of convincing their parents to allow her pursue an uncertain career, and a couple more not-so-relevant acting gigs here and there – her beloved older sister finally gets the big break she deserves. As much as Minjoo believes that her sister is very much talented, the awfully cliché plots make it impossible for her to thoroughly enjoy the shows. Oh, Jiyeon acting timid and shy in her roles is very funny though. One time, Minjoo couldn’t help but burst out while they were watching an episode together with their mom and dad.

Well, her sister doing some ‘aegyo’ is a rare sight; much less when said affectionate act is directed towards a random dude. As expected, Jiyeon gives her a kick (or two…..maybe three?) with a snide remark – or, curse – “Let me remind you, you’re more likely to get tragically straight roles than me. And that says a LOT.”

“Huh? Who says I’d get into acting? No thanks,” Minjoo shrugs.

“Why not? Who knows, maybe it runs in the family,” Jiyeon insists. It’s just that she has always thought it’s something that would fit her younger sister – in other words, the actual reason she’s been urging Minjoo to watch her dramas just in case it piques her interest. Or, Jiyeon has seen the glint of curiosity and amusement on her sister’s eyes that one time Minjoo visited her on set. The older Kim has basically raised her sister, so it doesn’t take much effort for her to notice that Minjoo seems to be fascinated with the acting industry in general.

Oh, that’s the thing about her.

A bad habit – Kim Minjoo doesn’t talk about the stuff she likes or wants. As absurd as it sounds, she just wouldn’t say it when she really likes something. The girl has always been kind, too considerate of everyone to the extent that she would sometimes forget herself. The more she doesn’t want to let go of something, the less she talks about it – thus….leading to the things she likes becoming out of her reach. Still, she tries her best to work on it. That should at least count, right?

On Minjoo’s gloomy days – may it be due to the weather, getting a not-so-good grade at an exam, not getting enough sleep the night before, her favorite snacks running out of stock, etc. – Chaewon would always manage to cheer her up, a bunch of jokes in tow that would usually fuel their silly banters, making Minjoo forget whatever it is that’s been making her sad in the first place. Minjoo would always be grateful for being incredibly lucky; she may be young and naïve, but even her nineteen-year-old self understands that one doesn’t simply come across a person who’d know them so well – and would choose to stay regardless.

Sometimes, she brings songs with her too. Is this how it feels to fall for someone who loves music?

When the day breaks

I’ll sleep by your side again

I think I become an angel

When I sleep in your arms

As Chaewon’s soothing voice rings in the air, Minjoo takes the opportunity to look closer – perhaps closer than they could ever be? Oh…..it’s the freakin’ afternoon sun rays again doing whatever you call this fancy thing wherein they’d hit just at the right moment, emphasizing the older girl’s soft features, and her eyes…..they are supposed to be dark brown, right??? A tender smile is engrained on Chaewon’s face as her melodious voice continues to fill the atmosphere, and it takes everything within Minjoo to not interrupt the older girl with a complaint, “Your eyes…golden, huh? Since when???? That’s not fair!!!”

In your arms, the stars spill

And make the milky way, I can fly anywhere

It’s just not fair that oh-so-beautiful and oh-so-golden Kim Chaewon sings about the stars, milky way, galaxy, space, flying, astronaut, spaceship or whatever the song is about – forget that, all Minjoo could think of are bunch of quotes from Jiyeon’s cheesy romcom dramas. Oh-so-cliché lines that she used to make fun of, quotes that would supposedly explain what she’s feeling right at this moment. How come most unforgettable scenes could be so trivial, right?

Here’s the thing people tend to overlook; it was never meant to be about the events. To put it simply, maybe it’s about something humans would refer to as ‘consistency.’ No particular day, hour, minute, or second, just a bunch of oh-so-heartwarming little things slowly – and unknowingly – piling up piece by piece, sipping into one’s heart. One day, Minjoo wakes up with a sudden realization, “Oh, I love her.”

Kim Chaewon – just a twenty-year-old girl who recently finished her secondary education, and is currently preparing for her college entrance exams – shamelessly proclaims, “Enjoy it while it’s free. My voice would cost loads of money years from now. Not just wons, dollarsss!!!!!”

“Unnie, shouldn’t you be giving me free tickets by then??? Don’t be stingyyy,” Minjoo whines, quickly discarding the important realizations she may or may not have had in the past minutes. Chaewon ruffles the other girl’s hair in between bouts of laughter, “Enough about that, Minminn. How ‘bout you? What do you plan to do?”

Minjoo remains silent, she’s about to graduate high school in less than a year but she still pretty much doesn’t have any idea what to do afterwards. Worried with the lack of response, Chaewon deadpans, “Please don’t tell me you still want to be a hairstylist.”

Genuinely horrified with the idea, Chaewon takes hold of her hair – few years have passed, her choppy bangs courtesy of sixteen-year-old Minjoo have been long gone – hiding (defending works too) it from the younger girl. She gently reminds her, “You know, we’re all born with our own calling. I don’t know what’s yours, but I’m just saying that…..maybe you should go for something that doesn’t involve ruining my hair? No offense. I think.”

“Hmmm….” Minjoo trails off, trying her best to think of a decent answer – anything that’s better than ruining Chaewon’s hair. Hopefully. Please.

Oh! She finally finds a good one, “Perhaps I should learn piano? I’d play for you on stage. Sounds fun! Pay me generously, alright?” Minjoo’s smile widens into a grin as she pictures her future self – that’s it, she knows what she wants now. Maybe she’s a bit too old to start learning how to play the piano, but working alongside Chaewon doesn’t sound too bad.

“….what about something that doesn’t involve me? I wouldn’t want to deal with a dorky pianist….such a handful,,,” Chaewon retorts, kickstarting another oh-so-meaningful discussion (bickering, rather) about their futures. The older girl says it in a playful manner, but at the back of her mind, a familiar worry begins to knock. Amidst silly bickering, it murmurs, “Chaewon…...you should address this soon.” Chaewon inwardly berates herself, “I know…..I also wish she’d go for something she actually likes….”

At nineteen, Minjoo vows to be a professional pianist – one that would someday be good enough to stand on the same stage as her Chaewon unnie. Although she’d technically be sitting, (who plays the piano while standing???) but she doesn’t have to mind the details just yet.

Piano, huh. Hey, where are you?

Obviously, Minjoo didn’t become a professional pianist – for what it’s worth, she did eventually learn to play the instrument as a hobby.  And yeah, she’s also highly aware that a future with Kim Chaewon would remain as a forlorn dream – hopeless, impossible, pointless, far-fetched, outrageous, vain…..and it’s just never gonna happen. She’s not even sure if she still likes the girl, or it’s just the feeling of regret being stronger than any other feeling she had (or has?) for her.  Worse, she doesn’t have any way to confirm it either – Kim Chaewon is nowhere to be found, as if the girl had suddenly developed a passion for hiding – Minjoo tried her best to look for her, she really did. As morbid as it sounds, sometimes she wonders if the girl is still alive. She must be…..right? RIGHT????

Just in time – before her mind spirals deeper, thinking of horrible situations that would explain Chaewon’s sudden disappearance – Yerim interrupts her inner monologue, “Chaewon is still very much alive. Trust me on that.”

Minjoo’s eyes widened – mouth agape, completely shocked.….and uncertain how to react – she hasn’t heard that name in years. Heck, she didn’t expect a random child to blurt it out of nowhere. Yerim sighs, “Yes. Kim Chaewon. She’s still breathing somewhere. I can assure you.”

Jiyeon’s sappy drama lines be damned, those overused quotes hardly change human’s view regarding love. Truth be told, fellow humans are the only one capable of changing a person’s view regarding this oh-so-famous topic – sometimes, someone would come, then they’d just make you re-evaluate everything you’ve ever known about love. 

Some would make you believe there’s still true love – maybe it’s worth trying, everything’s going to be okay, the sky is clear, the day seems brighter, and the air goes in and out of your lungs just like how those oh-so-romantic novels would describe it, complete with butterflies in your stomach and all – oh, you definitely got it right this time. (Or, at least that’s what you think.) And some…..would make you despise that word. TLDR: L*ve is stupid, and you’re more stupid for believing you can make it work.

What about Kim Chaewon? Well, Minjoo would say she’s just – is.

Daylight, golden, shining, bright – tonight is nothing of sort.

It’s not that the sky isn’t filled with stars, the wind isn’t too cold, and it isn’t raining either? If anything, it’s a perfectly peaceful night. (At least, it was supposed to be.) As Minjoo looks up, she sees the flickering tiny little glimmers – the countless oh-so-beautiful dazzling stars that are several light-years away from where she stands – oh, she’d finally get to take a glimpse of her own daylight today. It should technically be ‘tonight’, but she’s in too much of a whirl – a bounce in every step she’d take, merrily skipping as she hums a happy tune, yep, she has barely gotten any sleep…..just too excited – to  mind the details. Who can blame her though?

She has kept in touch with Chaewon through occasional lengthy phone calls amidst their busy schedules, but it wasn’t much considering that both of them are struggling with all the changes they are facing as they embark a new journey – this time, one that doesn’t include the other. She hasn’t seen the older girl for more than a year; nonetheless, they’ve tried their best to remain as a part of each other’s life despite the thousands of miles physically separating them.

At twenty, Kim Chaewon bravely left Korea – went ahead to chase her dreams, nothing but hopes packed in her suitcase. Minjoo was left with a promise, “I’ll visit every year, take care.” Chaewon sealed it with a tight hug, and Minjoo simply nodded – she didn’t say anything, she didn’t cry, and she certainly didn’t think of stopping her either – she just accepted the warm embrace, and didn’t dare to ask for more. Not when the older girl sounded genuinely excited – eyes b with hope, ready to take whatever challenge her life in New York would offer – Minjoo couldn’t help but feel so, so proud of her Chaewon unnie. She doesn’t have the heart to stop her, even though a year without the older girl doesn’t sound too fun.

There’s nothing to be scared of, right? She’d visit every year anyway, and it’s not like they wouldn’t talk to each other anymore. Truth be told, they’ve been talking way less these days. Not that it matters, not when Chaewon is here now. (At least, that’s what Minjoo would like to think.) “How have you been,” Chaewon greets her with a tired smile.

Wait. Huh?

Twenty-one-year-old Chaewon stands in front of her – wispy bangs framing her small face, soft black hair cinched with a yellow scrunchie on a low ponytail, donning a white dress shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of grey sneakers – she doesn’t look that different from before, but something just doesn’t seem right. Or, maybe Minjoo hasn’t seen her for a while so she’s starting to read too much into things. She shoves away the idea, greeting her back with a smile of her own, “Unnie!!! It’s been a while. Looking good today, huh. Something with New York’s water? You should have brought some for me!”

Chaewon tackles her into a hug, her arm clinging around Minjoo’s neck. She ruffles the younger girl’s hair with her free hand, “I knew it! You just want some souvenirs!!”

As always, they casually converse with each other for hours – just like that, they comfortably fill the silence of the night as if the previous year didn’t happen. They quickly pick up where they left off — as if Chaewon didn’t leave at all – as if they just spoke yesterday, regardless of how much life has probably changed for them. Just like a year ago, Chaewon’s laughter fills the air. If Minjoo isn’t looking close enough, maybe she’d miss it. (But she doesn’t.)

She doesn’t miss the dark bag underneath the older girl’s eyes, the hollow laugh she’d give, nor the fact that she’s avoiding any question related to her stay in New York. Minjoo decidedly ignores it at first, thinking that maybe Chaewon is just tired from the long hours of flight. “You said before you’re auditioning for a musical play? How’s it been going?”

When she sees her unnie flinching over the mention of music, Minjoo knows there must be something going on. Chaewon’s joyful expression has collapsed for a moment, then quickly rearranging itself back into a lopsided smile, “Ah….that. It’s fine.”

Her eyes don’t crinkle into crescent moons, nor lit up with the familiar radiant Minjoo has always been so, so fond of. Maybe it would be better if she finds traces of sadness briefly washing over dark brown orbs, but she doesn’t – just…..empty. Is she really just overthinking this??? Of course, Chaewon quickly redirects the topic to the younger girl, “How ‘bout you? You mentioned being casted by Jiyeon unnie’s company? Woow, would I see you on TV soon????”

Kim Chaewon has left everything behind to pursue her dreams, nothing but hopes packed in her suitcase. Over a year later, she comes back with an empty suitcase and an empty heart. Minjoo fumbles with her fingers, eyebrows knit in confusion, uncertain whether she should probe further – just what the hell happened in New York?

Minjoo’s own heart clenches – this isn’t the Chaewon unnie she’s been waiting for, it’s terrifying – how could someone so bright end up like this? There’s nothing wrong with asking, right? “Unnie….is everything alright?”

“Min, I’m tired,” Chaewon fesses up, no longer bothering to hide the dejected tone interlaced within those words. She hangs her head low, staring at the cold ground, feeling too ashamed of what she has become – three simple words were all it took for her to drop whatever ‘hey-I’m-fine-enough-about-me-please’ façade she’s been going for. Saying it out loud almost made her wince, as though the phrase physically pains her – it does.

Minjoo remains quiet – words seemingly stuck on , unable to think of anything that could make things better. Twenty-year-old Kim Minjoo may be a little naïve, but even her knows that the older girl isn’t talking about the kind of tiredness that comes from lack of sleep or long hours of flight. It’s much more than that, it’s the type of tiredness that makes her oh-so-bright Chaewon unnie turn dull – almost lifeless.

She really wants to comfort the older girl – give her a cheerful smile, tell her that she’s just overthinking (which is perfectly fine, it happens sometimes), there’s nothing to be afraid of, and things will eventually get better – but the truth is, she can’t. She doesn’t know what lies ahead, she can’t promise that everything will work out for she’s just another young adult who still has a lot to learn…..but she’s certain that she’d do her best to be there for Chaewon. Minjoo hugs her tightly – arms wrapped around the older girl, her face buried at the crook of her neck – a desperate attempt to keep the shattered pieces of the girl’s hopes and dreams from completely falling apart. “Unnie, I’m here. I can’t do anything, but I’m here. I’m always here.”

A year ago, Chaewon left with her suitcase full of hopes and dreams. Now, she stands here with an empty suitcase – it is what it is. Minjoo doesn’t ask for an explanation, she utters the exact words she’s been told years ago instead. “Close your eyes, breathe. That’s what you told me, right?”

“Please believe in yourself as much as I believe in you.”

At twenty, Minjoo vows to stay for as long as she could. Except, that’s exactly what Kim Chaewon couldn’t (and didn’t) do – stay.

It’s getting darker. Hey, where are you?

Years ago, Minjoo had those oh-so-wonderful moments – she felt like it’s “enough,” everything was so simple, she’s content and happy – good things and good times, really. For a while, she simply thought she didn’t need anything more; but nothing is ever simple, isn’t it? Being a famous actress adored by millions of fans was never part of the plan, all she ever wanted was to keep that feeling of contentment for the rest of her life – was that too much to ask for?

Yeah, maybe it is. And maybe that’s how their story went from being soulmates to being just a story she’d tell her friends.

Where did exactly everything go wrong?

Minjoo snaps out of her daze when Yerim nudges her, softly pulling the hem of her sleeves. Still as cheerful as always, “Unnie, thank you for accompanying me today!!! I’m actually just waiting for my twin.”

Minjoo couldn’t think of any suitable response, thus opting out with a short nod. As if Yerim knows what’s going on inside her head – yeah, she certainly does – she grins, “I have a gift for you, unnie. Consider it a thank you gift? Fan gift works too if you prefer that.”

“Close your eyes and open your hand,” Yerim adds. As weird as it sounds, Minjoo heeded the little kid’s instructions without raising a fuss.

With the sound of a bus arriving, Minjoo instantly opens her eyes. She finds Yerim climbing up the short steps of the bus, Minjoo watches as the kid heads to two people inside the bus – another kid she’d assume to be Yerim’s twin, and an adult accompanying them, maybe their mom or something? She couldn’t clearly distinguish the figures due to the distance, but she could make out Yerim waving her goodbye as the two unknown figures beside her simply stared back at Minjoo. The kid shouts, “Good luck, unnie!!!”

Before the actress could utter nor question anything, the bus leaves – leaving her all alone with this said gift (?) from the child. “Huh…...a chess piece? Wait…what’s this,” Minjoo wonders, taking note of the small piece of paper the little kid has left her alongside a black wooden queen piece. Disrupting her line of thought, her phone chimes as she unfolds the purple paper – yeah, here comes such a wonderful message from her older sister.

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: are u alive

Of course, her dearest oh-so-pretty older sister has changed her contact name again on Minjoo’s phone without telling her. She begins typing a reply, but her beloved sister starts continuously spamming her with her dramatic messages.

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: wer r u

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: why are u not replying

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: are u on a date

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: ya

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: are u ignoring me?????

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: if u don’t answer

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: YA

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: u are reading this aren't u?????

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: ARE U PURPOSELY IGNORING ME AGAIN

From Pretty Queen Jiyeon, September 22, 2021, 10:37pm: KIM. MINJOO.

Queen, huh? Speaking of queens, she has no idea what to do with the chess piece – she’s curious about the content of the note, but Jiyeon might kill her if she doesn’t immediately go home. Yeah, that would be an exaggeration, but Minjoo wouldn’t want to listen to her sister nagging her ears off again for roaming around the city without her manager. She hurriedly throws the gifts into her bag, then hails for a cab as she silently prays that there wouldn’t be a traffic jam.

“Your manager called, young lady. Mind telling me where have you been,” Jiyeon greets her on the doorstep of their shared unit with a stern look – eyebrows raised, almost making her look more intimidating than she actually is. Quite honestly, Minjoo would have been scared if not for the next words that came out of the older Kim’s mouth. Jiyeon being her usual dramatic self exclaims, “Are you…….secretly dating someone????!!!”

She hears another gasp from the living room, a rush of footfalls reverberating against the flashy wooden panels of their equally flashy shared unit. Another girl – comparably shorter than Minjoo and Jiyeon pops out, meeting Minjoo with a scrutinizing gaze, “You are dating? YOU??”

Minjoo simply sighs, paying no heed to the girls’ questions, “Good Evening, Luda unnie. It’s been a while. How are you?”

“…..I’m good. More importantly, you are dating?? Please tell me it’s not a dude….” Luda reluctantly trails off, genuinely horrified at the idea. “I mean, I’d respect your decision but I’m just saying…..that’s NOT a good decision,” she adds.

Luda guides Minjoo towards the living room as if she’s escorting a lost child – as if Minjoo isn’t way taller than her, and as if Luda isn’t actually the one crashing their apartment – making the girl sit on the sofa. She pauses for a moment, taking much needed time to ponder about what she should say to her fiancé’s younger sister without possibly hurting her feelings. She carefully starts, “You know how much I care about you, right?”

With a serious look on her face, she asks, “You know you’re already like a real sister to me, right?” Minjoo has no idea where this conversation is heading, but she simply nods. Luda continues, “We’re always here for you, we’d support your decisions. It’s okay if you want to date a dude. Jiyeon has done that before and that doesn’t make her any less of a person. Just a questionable one, and maybe being het runs in the family—”

Unable to listen any longer with her fiancé’s rubbish, Jiyeon slaps Luda’s arm just a bit too hard – yep, it wouldn’t be surprising if a bruise starts forming but maybe the girl does deserve it. Luda winces in pain, then quickly finishes off what she’s saying before her beloved fiancé accidentally hits her face with her elbow. (Which wouldn’t be the first time, of course.) She deadpans, “All I’m saying is you should raise your standards. For real. Why the hell would you date a dude….”

Minjoo shrugs, trying her best not to laugh at how ridiculous the girl’s accusations are. “Uhmm…no? I’m not dating anyone. Don’t mind Jiyeon unnie, ya know how she is.”

“Hi???? I’m still here????? I CAN HEAR YOU BOTH,” Jiyeon whines a bit too loud – borderline screaming for no reason (she's a bit dramatic, what about it?) at the middle of the night – but the two girls don’t seem to mind her that much, being too used with her antics. Purposely ignoring her oh-so-precious fiancé, Luda chimes back, “Ahhh, I get what you’re saying. I feel bad for whoever she ends up marrying someday.”

“WE ALL KNOW THIS TINY CREATURE WAS CRYING WHEN SHE PROPOSED TO ME—”

With Jiyeon's remark, Minjoo is certain that another lengthy discussion is about to start – one she’d rather not be part of. On normal days, there’s no way she’d let an opportunity to older sister pass – she’d call it payback for everything, and Minjoo only gets to do that whenever Luda is around – but she’d rather choose to sit this one out. As much as she enjoys watching the couple’s playful banter, she’s just not in the mood to third-wheel them tonight. Instead, she prefers to leave the bickering couple and to confide in the silence of her own room. It has been an eventful day; all she ever wants to do now is to catch some sleep. Minjoo carelessly tosses her bag on her bedside table, completely forgetting the wooden chess piece and purple note tucked within her other stuff – that could probably wait until tomorrow, right?

Time is relative.

If there’s one thing Minjoo vaguely remembers from her High School Physics class, it would be good ol’ Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity – the rate at which time passes depends on the frame of reference being used. To put it simply, time can be different for two people when certain variables are different – what do they call that again…..time dilation?

Well, it doesn’t matter because it’s too early for anyone to ponder about such nerdy Physics theories. At 6AM, time for Kim Minjoo comes in the form of an obnoxiously loud ringtone wreaking havoc on an otherwise serene morning. She cradles her pillow closer to her chest, determined to ignore the annoying ringing of her phone’s alarm. Oh-so-radiant Mr. Sun beams through her blinds, disrupting Minjoo’s attempt at resuming her peaceful sleep – just as if the continuous blaring of her alarm isn’t vexing enough. She groans when the first beam of sunlight hits her face, finally deciding to do herself a favor – she picks up her phone on the nightstand, shutting it once and for all.

She clearly remembers her manager telling her to not worry about anything and to just enjoy the weekends, so she wonders why she has even bothered setting an alarm last night. She plans to stay at home all day, watching random western series she’d find on the internet because she doesn’t enjoy seeing her own face (nor Jiyeon’s) on local television channels – oh, she enjoys her job as an actress, she simply finds it awkward to watch dramas with familiar faces. Wait…..that’s weird…she’s pretty sure she didn’t set any alarm for today? Did she….perhaps agree to go somewhere with her sister today? One that would require waking up this early???? Huh???

Minjoo’s eyes instantly flutter open, just staring at the white ceiling of her room for what felt like a whole minute. Still slightly disoriented, she starts counting the tiny glow-in-the-dark plastic stars stuck on her ceiling – the whole room is well-lit by thy great Mr. Sun, thus leaving those funky stars appear as nothing but a faded shade of neon green. Nonetheless, they surely make her plain white ceiling less boring – they kind of remind her of those cheap synthetic plastic stars she’d purchase and use as a room décor during her younger years. PAUSE. Uhmm…..since when did her room have those stars again? HUH????

She quickly sits up, pinching her own cheeks just in case she’s still dreaming or something. Minjoo hastily grabs her phone to check the time, horrified at the date boldly written on the screen: September 23, 2014. Sleep completely leaves her body – perhaps along with her remaining shred of sanity – her phone slips off her hand, filling the silence of the rather weird morning with the brief sound of it bouncing against the floor. Still in disbelief, Minjoo reluctantly crawls out of her bed to pick up her phone from the ground. As her shaking hand reaches for it, she notices the familiar wooden chess piece and the small piece of paper just lying around. She hurriedly unfolds the purple paper, completely forgetting the queen piece nor her phone – who cares about that, there are certainly more important matters at hand than her possibly cracked phone screen. For example, she may or may not have just travelled back in time???? And just like that, the oh-so-cute purple note confirms her suspicions.

Yerimie’s Cheat Code

1. Time travel is real. Congrats. Yayyy!!!
2. You’re in the past, it’s prohibited to mention the future. Believe me, just don’t. Pizza effect.
3. This is your chance. Good luck!!!! :D

A small ‘carpe diem’ is neatly written with some sort of fancy looking penmanship at the bottom right corner of the paper; Minjoo doesn't speak cursive or whatever language it may be, so she doesn't understand what it means. Quite honestly, she's just pretty confused over everything – in her defense, who wouldn't be????

Well, she did tell Yerim that she'd hypothetically want to go back in time – but again, can someone please emphasize HYPOTHETICALLY. Who knew that creepy (Sure, she seemed nice and all at first, but still??) little kid is actually some sort of deity (?) that could control time? Is this some sort of prank? Is she supposed to act normal until someone jumps on her and screams, "Surprise! Happy April Fools!" It's not even April though, it's already September yet Minjoo feels just as stupid – that's why she simply does her usual morning routine, as if everything is normal…..as if she didn't just go back to six years ago. Yeah, not weird at all.

Completely normal Minjoo greets her completely normal older sister in a completely normal manner, "WHY ARE YOU HERE? ARE YOU NORMAL??"

Sleep deprived Kim Jiyeon who hasn't gotten any decent sleep for a week straight due to her movie filming ignores Minjoo's ridiculous question, the older Kim doesn't even bother glancing at her not-so-normal sister. Instead, she simply continues doing her own thing – making herself a cup of hot coffee. (In other words, the only thing keeping herself relatively normal.)  She thinks Minjoo needs one as well, Jiyeon offers, "Want some coffee? Did you have a crazy dream or have you finally gone crazy?"

Minjoo quickly strides across their kitchen, almost making her older sister drop her precious cup of coffee in surprise.  She suggests out of nowhere, "Unnie??? Can you try pinching me???"

"This brat—" Tired and caffeine-deprived (aka, grumpy—) Jiyeon clicks her tongue in disdain, summoning an incredible amount of willpower in order for her to not outright curse on such a fine morning. However, she couldn't stop herself from giving her crazy sister a forehead flick – a strong one which unsurprisingly leaves a faint red mark on her skin, of course. Minjoo winces, "Unnie!!!'

"What?? What do you want now? What’s up with you today,” Jiyeon chides, bearing a quizzical expression as she tries her best to comprehend what’s going on with her sister. She perfectly understands what lack of sleep could do to a person, but Minjoo is starting to sound way crazier than usual. The older Kim not-so-subtly shakes her head, sighing. “I swear I’m not getting paid enough for this.”

Fortunately, it appears like Jiyeon’s morning act of violence – forehead flick – has some sort of magical effect, making her sister finally regain her ability to think properly. Fully realizing the predicament she’s facing, a dreadful feeling begins to settle – it makes her restless, just too anxious and clueless on what she should do next. She inches back and forth from where she’s standing, eyes roaming around their kitchen as if she could find something that could save her from whatever this ridiculous situation is. Before her mind goes on overdrive, she turns to the only thing she could deem useful at the moment – sleep-deprived Jiyeon who’s quietly taking sips of her hot coffee as she spaces out, probably starting to re-evaluate her poor life decisions. Minjoo gives her an expectant look, almost pleading, “Unnie, do you know what carpe diem means??”

Contrary to her sister, Jiyeon doesn’t give much of a reaction – just too tired to think or care about Minjoo’s shenanigans – not even sparing her a single glance. She simply types away on her phone, searching for the foreign phrase mentioned by Minjoo. “Google says seize the day blah blah….” Jiyeon doesn’t bother to finish reading the article, directly passing her phone to the younger girl instead.

Carpe diem /ˌkärpā ˈdēˌem/

An exclamation used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future.

Minjoo has always regarded time to be cruel, she has read and watched enough stories to know that it’s something she shouldn’t carelessly play with. For the past years of her life, she has decided to leave everything up to fate – if it’s meant to be, everything will conspire to make it happen, right? Countless questions rise at the back of her mind, but before she could entertain any of those, Jiyeon’s monotone voice interrupts her – unexpectedly saying something so meaningful in the most casual manner, befitting of someone who’s in desperate need of sleep. “Carpe…diem,,,” the older girl sluggishly says the phrase out loud. She’s never been one to care much about pleasantries or anything, just opting out to say the first thing that her lazy brain comes up with no matter how ridiculous it may sound is Jiyeon’s way of living. Surprisingly, it ends up making more sense than she originally intended. “What dying carp are you even talking about? Just do whatever you want, it’s not that deep.”

Of course, Kim Minjoo forgets the most obvious thing – being philosophical is Chaewon’s trait not hers. She’s never been into those fancy sayings, she has always been stubborn – not as much as her Jiyeon unnie, but maybe it’s something that runs in their blood. Hypothetical questions and scenarios be damned, maybe there are no correct answers. However, the least regretful choice would nearly be the most correct one. She has no idea what could possibly happen, but she’s certain that she wouldn’t want to go back to a future without Chaewon – and if she’s lucky enough, maybe she’d be able to save the girl from the impending heartbreak that awaits her in New York.

Years ago, Chaewon came back with an empty heart – yet, oh-so-naïve Minjoo has believed that just staying by her side would be enough. Here’s what she should have done: (1) Minjoo should have stopped her from trying once more, (2) she shouldn’t have said those oh-so-encouraging words she could barely recall now which urged Chaewon to leave once more – her suitcase filled with false hope, courtesy of stupid twenty-year-old Minjoo, and (3) she should have done everything she could to let Chaewon know that there’s no need for a crazy idea, firmly thinking that things would magically work out for her as long as she continues working hard.

“Chasing after a lost dream was never a good idea,” that’s something she should have told her Chaewon unnie. In other words, she shouldn’t wait around for something that’s unclear, undecided, and gone. Funny enough, it’s exactly what Minjoo does – traveling back in time to desperately chase after a girl she hasn’t seen for years, how could any of that make sense? Spoiler alert: It doesn’t. The rational part of her knows way too well that it’s better to not do anything, she knows it when Jiyeon shouts for her name the moment she quickly runs out of their house – barefoot like some sort of crazy woman running around the streets amidst a beautiful autumn morning, and she certainly knows it even when she clumsily trips down the concrete steps leading to Chaewon’s neighborhood, scraping her knee in the process.

Not minding her disheveled hair nor the beads of sweat lingering atop her skin, Minjoo takes a deep breath before ringing Chaewon’s doorbell. Weighed down by a gnawing feeling of dread, she could almost feel her stomach clenching on every fleeting second she waits for someone to open the door for her. A bolt of panic hits her as she hears the door being opened, she briefly wonders if it’s too late to run away now. Before she could even take a step back to retreat, a half-asleep Chaewon pops out, “….Kim Minjoo?”

Twenty-one-year-old Kim Chaewon appears in front of her – the familiar shade of dark brown eyes Minjoo hasn't seen for years greets her – the older girl’s blank expression morphs into a confused one, probably wondering what the hell is Minjoo doing in her doorstep at seven in the morning. Chaewon squints her eyes, just trying to understand what’s going on……then abruptly shuts the door, leaving a clueless Minjoo all alone. Unsure of what just happened, Minjoo repeatedly knocks, “Chaewon unnie??? Can we please talk??”

Few seconds later, Chaewon appears again – slightly more composed this time. (Just slightly—) She muses, “What are you doing here?”

Afraid that the girl would close the door again – and possibly never opening it once more for whatever reason – Minjoo surges forward, tackling Chaewon into a tight hug. She could feel the tears starting to form in her eyes, just too glad to hear the girl’s voice again. Chaewon is here, she’s here.

Half-asleep Chaewon fights back her body’s natural instinct of pushing away the girl who unexpectedly lunged on her, almost causing both of them to fall on the ground. She buries her head on Minjoo’s shoulder, filling the air with her boisterous laughter as she gently taps on the girl’s back – she doesn’t know what’s going on, but she wouldn’t say this is a bad way to start her morning. Before anything else though, she urges Minjoo to enter her house, “I don’t know why you’re here, but let’s get your wound treated first. Okay?”

Minjoo was apparently in too much of a rush, she didn’t even notice nor feel the blood dripping from her knee – a product of her instantaneous morning run that may or may not have sent her tumbling down five steps of concrete stairs. She silently trails behind Chaewon, waiting as the girl rummages her things as she looks for the necessary items. “Wait, just sit here,” Chaewon instructs.

She comes back with a basin of water, a soap, a towel, and what appears to be some sort of First Aid Box filled with various ointments and bandages. As the older girl starts cleaning her wound, Minjoo winces in pain. Chaewon quips, “You should be careful. You’re old enough to take care of yourself.”

Minjoo nods – the corners of her lips unconsciously tugging upwards, a giddy feeling settling in as she silently observes the girl in front of her – she knows too well that Chaewon has always been this caring, no matter how much she tries to act indifferent sometimes. As the girl continues treating her wound, Minjoo takes it as an opportunity to look around Chaewon’s place. Almost everything looks just as she remembers, maybe except for the several cardboard boxes lying around – once again reminding her of the reason why she’s even here in the first place. Right, Chaewon is supposed to go back to New York tonight. Then they’d start communicating less and less until……Chaewon completely disappears, even her family would be unable to reach her, just receiving occasional calls from the girl to assure them that she’s still breathing somewhere. Yeah, that can’t happen. Not again.

Minjoo shatters the silence with a question she should have raised years ago, “Unnie, do you really have to leave?”

Chaewon doesn’t immediately respond, too busy with what she’s doing. Once she’s done covering the wound with a bandage, she stands up – ruffling Minjoo’s hair as if it isn’t messy enough already. (Of course, thanks to her oh-so-healthy morning run as well.) Her lips curve into a gentle smile, “Are you worried about me? I’m fine. Broadway has always been my goal.” As expected, Minjoo remains quiet – thus, the older girl further explains, “Julliard is a good place to start.”

“Nothing about that damn place is good,” Minjoo wants to say – she believes that if not for whatever has happened (or technically, would happen) there, she wouldn’t need to travel back in time just to find Chaewon again. Refusing to meet the older girl’s gaze – afraid she wouldn’t be able to hide her inner thoughts – she casts her eyes downward, acting like the floor has suddenly become very interesting. She opts out for something that doesn’t include cursing, “What about staying here? Korea isn’t that bad either, right?” Of course, Minjoo knows that she sounds silly, but it’s not like she could outright say, “Hey, I’m from the future. Spoiler alert, New York didn’t work out! Oh, Juilliard ain’t that great after all. Just stay here, and be with me. Easy, right? Deal? Deal. Okay, moving on—”

Chaewon lowers herself on her haunches until she’s eye to eye with Minjoo, “What’s wrong? You know this has always been my plan. Our plan, even. Weren’t you encouraging me just weeks ago?”

“Our plan,” her words loudly echo inside her head.

Minjoo almost scoffs, wanting to laugh over the older girl’s remarks. Plans be damned, it takes everything within her to not sarcastically say that Chaewon’s disappearing act must also be part of their oh-so-amazing plan – she knows that would be too cruel, she couldn’t just blame twenty-one-year-old Chaewon who obviously doesn’t know anything about what’s yet to come. Hence, she wills herself to say something less confrontational, “Then let’s change the plan? Let’s start again? Right now, today.”

Astounded, Chaewon blurts out the first thing that comes to her mind, “Kim Minjoo, are you serious??” As if she doesn’t realize how serious their conversation is, she manages to crack a lighthearted joke – an attempt at easing the growing tension in the atmosphere. “Min, I know you’ll miss me a lot but don’t be like this. Come on.” She shakes her head, refusing to believe the situation at hand. “You can’t do this to me. Not you, especially.”

Finally finding the courage to directly look at the older girl, Minjoo clarifies, “Unnie, what do you mean?”

With a gentle smile, Chaewon utters words that are anything but gentle, “Didn’t you say you’d want my autograph? How could you let me give up on my dream? Just like that?”

Just like that? Oh, twenty-one-year-old Kim Chaewon probably thinks she’s simply being told to give up – forget about New York, forget about Juilliard, forget about Broadway, and forget about everything she has worked for ever since the day she has sworn to pursue music – can Minjoo even blame her? She has known the girl for years, has seen her go through the ups and downs of having a dream full of uncertainties, and has been part of the beautiful story they’ve been writing together….until she wasn’t. And just like Kim Chaewon, she also desperately clings to the idea of a bright future – one that doesn’t involve failed dreams nor failed love stories.

Minjoo tries to laugh it off, yet the intended lighthearted chuckle comes out as forced – grating even against her own ears, “I didn’t say that.” For someone who acts for a living, oh-so-famous actress Kim Minjoo isn’t performing too well at keeping her emotions at bay. “I’m not asking you to give up music. I can’t do that. You can’t do that. All I want is what’s best for you.”

Amidst muddled thoughts, words that are probably six years late for this conversation just keeps on spilling – wanting to be finally heard and acknowledged. “You are amazing. You always work hard. You are a really great person. I believe in you, I always do. I also believe you would succeed and achieve everything you’d ever wanted because that’s what you deserve.” A sudden surge of courage washing over her – she reaches for Chaewon’s hand, a hopeful – pleading – smile painted across her lips, “All I want is what’s best for you. Does it really have to be what, New York? Julliard? I just want you to be happy.”

Something in Minjoo’s resolute tone makes Chaewon quickly look up, racking her brain to find the right words to say – and she couldn’t, so she settles with simple honesty. “Min, I know you’re just worried and I appreciate you for that. Always.” Minjoo sighs in relief, thankful that her words were able to come through….or maybe not? With a placid smile, Chaewon adds, “….but I need to do this. I need to go.”

Minjoo doesn’t realize that her hand has started trembling until Chaewon gives her a light squeeze, the familiar warmth almost makes her forget the future she’d eventually need to go back to – one that doesn’t include a certain Kim Chaewon.  Merely thinking about it makes her heart plunge to the floor and if it’s going to be that way, she might as well willingly offer her heart to the other girl, ignoring the not-so-hidden possibility that this might just make things worse. ‘Is that even still possible,’ her stubborn mind whispers.

It has taken everything within her to finally confess, but her words come out as an anguished plea – the irrational part of her clouding everything she has ever known. “Kim Chaewon, I love you. I always did. Will you please stay? For me?” The words tasted bitter against her own tongue, immediately regretting uttering such desperate words – she wishes to take them back, yet foolishly continues with her nonsense. “Stay….for us. Let’s be happy?”

When she doesn’t receive a response right away, Minjoo swallows the ugly taste that has unknowingly risen at the back of . Quite honestly, she would have preferred it if the older would just quickly reject her – get mad, be annoyed, curse Minjoo for making her choose between her dream and whatever this thing they have going on – but Chaewon would never do that, she just can’t. Instead, twenty-one-year-old Kim Chaewon remains calm, her lips curving into a loving smile. “I’m sorry. I’m not cancelling my flight, I’ll still need to go. Thank you, really.”

“I know we’d live just fine. Someday, you’ll know that I’m right….and thank me for it,” Chaewon murmurs in a softer tone.

Hey, where are you?

Minjoo wakes up with a throbbing head, the darkness of her room greeting her with a deafening silence – she tries her best to hold it in, ignoring the bits of memories (?) flooding over her. She wishes that her bed would just swallow her, saving her from the stupid oh-so-vivid dream she just had about going back to the past. She cringes at the thought of how desperate she must have been for her mind to randomly start showing her such a silly scenario – one that doesn’t even have a happy ending. If she’s going to dream about six years ago, her brain should have at least given her a much more favorable conclusion – but nah, her dream is just as bad as her reality. (Maybe even worse?)

Despite saying such things, Minjoo reluctantly reaches for her phone to check the time: 3:43 AM, September 24, 2021. Oh, of course….what was she even expecting? She stifles a laugh, beginning to question herself (and her sanity) since when she had become so pathetic to the point of believing fictional scenarios – time travel, really?

Accepting the likelihood that it would be impossible to sleep again, Minjoo decides to head to their kitchen to grab a glass of water or whatever that could possibly help in getting back her grip with reality. Unsurprisingly, she stumbles upon her older sister – Jiyeon has always been more of a night-owl – Minjoo suspects that she must have been playing mobile games with Luda again until the ungodly hours of the night. Jiyeon stares at her with a puzzled expression, “You said you don’t have any schedule today? Why are you up this early?”

“Just because,” Minjoo shortly responds. She takes a seat on one of the kitchen stools, pouring a glass of water for herself. Fumbling with the hem of her shirt, she couldn’t help but notice a weird spot on her knee – ….a scar? Maybe it’s indeed too early for her brain to function properly, she can’t recall ever getting that scar in the past.

Before she could even say nor ask anything about it, her older sister speaks up. “What’s up? Did you have a bad dream?”

Minjoo unconsciously bites her lip, unsure whether she should tell her older sister about the silly dream she had. Jiyeon would surely make fun of her, but that’s nothing new anyway – hence, she decides to enlighten the older Kim. “Nope. Not a bad dream…..just a weird one?” Her older sister gives her a questioning look, urging Minjoo to explain further. “Something about a dying carp, carpe diem something. Just silly stuff.”

As if she suddenly got reminded of something, Jiyeon audibly clap her hands. “Ooh, carpe diem!! Seize the day,” she confidently utters without a hitch, the foreign word softly rolling as if it’s an expression she’s been using for years.

“…..You know the word,,,” Minjoo blurts out in disbelief, an oh-so-familiar feeling of dread starts to knock at the back of her mind.

Jiyeon couldn’t help but chuckle at her sister’s absurd question, “How can I forget about it? You literally ran out of the house barefoot after you made me google that few years back?? You even came home crying and all?”

The oh-so-familiar dreadful feeling swallows her whole, terror vigorously coursing through her veins – she almost drops the glass she’s holding if not for her older sister catching it just in time. The world seemingly stops for a moment – frozen – Minjoo clenches her fist, fingernails digging into the skin of her palm. Maybe she has been thinking way too much all along, she couldn’t help but laugh as reality slaps her in an instant.

“If I’ve done things differently, maybe Chaewon unnie would still be here,” Kim Minjoo has spent years of her life imagining the countless what if scenarios her own mind has knowingly conjured. After struggling, suffering, and maybe losing her way – heck, she even freakin’ went back in time, risking her current days – the answer she arrives at was so laughably simple.

Oh, no amount of time travel could make a person stay. Soulmates be damned, love is more than just a magical feeling or some cliché fantasy books and movies portray it as. It is a decision – one that Kim Chaewon did not take.

Not too far from Minjoo and Jiyeon’s place, two small figures wearing oversized hoodies stand in the middle of an empty park. The slightly shorter kid speaks, “Hyeju, I can’t believe you actually won. I thought I got this one for sure!!!”

Hyeju doesn’t answer, too busy about whatever she’s thinking to even pay attention to her twin’s statement. Yerim frowns, “Am I missing something? You don’t seem too happy about the result?”

Truthfully, Hyeju doesn’t understand it herself either – she has won the bet, this was her expected result all along. “Humans are stupid,” she’d always say – she should be celebrating for their demise, watching them try to change things even if they never could is definitely the most satisfying part. However……this game isn’t fun anymore, and she’s more annoyed than ever.

Hyeju chides, “That was awful. Yikes, how annoying….”

Yes, she would certainly need to do something about it.

‘Cause even when she’s next to me,

We could not be more far apart.

And she tastes like birthday cake and story time and fall,

But to her, – I taste of nothing at all.

A/N: Hello, everyone. Yes, this has a sequel. No, it will not end with angst. We only do fluff fluff here, I wouldn't want to be disowned. If anyone remembers my note on the fic Torrential Downpour, I've said this would be my last story -- my own way of saying goodbye properly. 
 

Thank you for reading! What do you think so far? I'd be happy to hear some comments or theories regarding how this is most likely to end. Leave some comments or maybe hang around on my cc. I want to hear more from y'all. Anyway, have a great day! Stay safe, always. 

@/drunkcatto on twt and cc: https://curiouscat.me/gimletrue

P.S: STAN TALENT, STAN GINNY41!!!!!!!!!!!!!