The crisp fall air and the changing color of the leaves from their verdant shades of green to the burnished shades of gold, red, and orange gave a small smile on Chaeyoung's lips.

It's finally autumn.

It is the perfect sweater weather as it is not too cold and not too warm and totally a nice time for cozy scarves and delicious pies.

She's always looking forward for autumn as it reminds her of her first and only love. The way her hair sways with the wind and oh, how lovely she looks as if she's sentimental during autumn.

She remembers her of those cinnamon, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, oranges, and carrots, as well as flannels, candles flickering, and fluffy feather beds, most importantly the scent of jasmine before going to bed.

It feels like everything about her first love is warm and soft and she loves everything about it.

Myoui Mina.

Even just mentioning her name gives tingling in Chaeyoung's system. She's the only person she's looking at with sparkles in her eyes—as if saying she's the only one she wants in life, as if saying she's the only person she will love, as if saying she's the brightest star in her own universe, and as if saying that she's her everything.

"Oh, you beautiful weirdo!"

Mina scoffed at her and stopped walking fast as she look back at the slow walker Chaeyoung who is trying to catch with her speed, but still hasn't caught her.

The girl then had a perfect timing again and as the wind blows in her direction, her hair sways with it that made Chaeyoung in awe because she did that again without any effort, as if the nature is agreeing with her beauty and letting Chaeyoung be amazed by her magnificence.

"Please just stop looking like that, Myoui Mina!"

"Looking like what?"

"Looking THAT beautiful. My heart can't take it!"

"Just say you have a crush on me, Son Chaeyoung. I'll gladly accept that fact."

"In your dreams, Myoui!"

Mina just keeps on walking until they arrived at a place where there is full of leaves that fell from the trees and it made a pile on the ground that she keeps on jumping and skipping and kicking the leaves while smiling and Chaeyoung just started filming her as if she's her special someone and she's about to make a film about her.

"Why are you so damn childish and making it messier?"

"It's so fun, please, try doing it, Chaeng!"

"I'm good here, Minari. I'll just happily film you"

"Come on, let's film together!"

Mina then switches the camera to the front view and they casually just smile and doing different faces as well as showing their background which is full of red and orange leaves that shows the full bloom of autumn.

"Wait, why are we even here? What are we doing here, Chaeyoung?"

"Us? Here? Nothing"

"Really? Okay, I have a thing to share, then"

"Is that so? Yeah, sure. I'm always all ears for you"

They went to an empty tent with an available bench and sat there as they enjoy the peacefulness of the place and the beauty of it.

"Do you know that autumn is my favorite season of all?"

"I've never heard of that. Tell me more"

"Stop. I know you know it since day one"

"Damn, why are you suddenly serious? Just continue with your story and I'm going to listen to you"

"And you know that the only constant thing in the world is change, right?"

"Yeah, and how is it interconnected?"

"It's because when the first day of autumn eventually came this year, I learned what makes me feel warm and safe."

"Really?"

"I thought it was my best friend all over the years because I was so comfortable with sharing everything—even my darkest and deepest secrets, as well as my failures and goals in life. I definitely owe it to you, Chaeyoung. I think that I have built myself over time because of your guidance, support, and appreciation you have given to me all these years."

"Okay? What are you trying to say, Mina?"

"It's essential to embrace the present so we can savor what we have before it's gone"

"And?"

"It's what autumn taught me. This is also the season for seeking comfort in the midst of dropping temperatures."

Mina then holds Chaeyoung's hand and hold it firmly close to her heart as she give her the sweetest smile she could ever give to the girl.

"I'm so comfortable around you to the point that I'm scared of losing you, Chaeyoung"

At that moment, Chaeyoung went back to that time when she's just staring at Mina doing nothing, but she's already adoring her and appreciating her existence, even just doing the bare minimum.

Honestly speaking, all throughout those years that Mina has known Chaeyoung, she has been her comfort person, the only person that immediately makes her smile and the only person that can make her talk in an unfamiliar environment.

She's been pretty close with the girl to the point that she gradually accepted her as someone that will stick with her through thick and thin, the person that will stay by her side until the end and she's beyond grateful she has found someone in her life like Chaeyoung.

And there comes a time when her heart beat unexpectedly fast when she's around the girl, making her anxious and sweaty that is not so Mina because she's always confident around everyone. And she was confused by that moment because why is she even like that to her best friend when she's close with her for a long time already?

She shrugged it all off, of course. She tried to convince herself that she's just consuming a lot of coffee than the usual, that's why she's like that for a few weeks, particularly when Chaeyoung just surprisingly act like Mina is not just a best friend for her, but something more than that.

Mina is also the main reason why Chaeyoung learned to love the autumn season more—it's because she's always reminded of Mina and everything about she loves about the girl.

The season made her reflect that it can be the meaning of the end of sorrow and start of new beginnings.

Or it may be the other way around because Mina's message feels like an implication that their relationship, or whatever anyone calls that, will eventually come to its end.

As temperatures drop to the tune of leaves falling, autumn illustrates the beauty of letting go.

It's what Mina also learned during the autumn season—to eventually accept that everything that she expects for her future will not always happen according to her will and it will eventually be okay as it's for their own good.

It was an autumn farewell, yet, Chaeyoung doesn't feel sad about it because it's still autumn and no matter how she will convince herself that she should eventually move forward and let go of the feelings she has for her dear best friend, she just can't, because she will be the first and last person that she will look at with sparkles in her eyes, as if she's the brightest star in her own universe, even if she failed to be Mina's safety and warmth in autumn.