December 29, 2030

“It’s still her, right?”

Yujin heard a whisper beside her which made her flinch a bit, turning her attention away from Minjoo who was laughing and talking with Wonyoung and Eunbi to Jahyeon. The latter was sitting beside her on the bench at the corner of Eunbi’s backyard.

It was their annual new year hang-out and well, every former IZ*ONE member was always invited but unfortunately, this time — only a few of them could attend because other members like Yena and Yuri were still actively promoting as soloists and actresses. The Japanese line wasn’t able to come because they were all successful actresses in their homeland and also had schedules which was understandable.

There were some other visitors like the former groupmates of Yujin from Starship’s girl group like Dahyeon because Eunbi had gotten close to some of them. They were still actively promoting too, and even recently had a comeback, and it was their third comeback without Yujin in the group. Even so, the girls were still close and they all respected Yujin’s decision not to renew her contract years ago.

After her closure with Minjoo a few months ago, she stayed. She decided that running away was no use because the ghost of Minjoo and her feelings would follow her no matter where she went. After all, she got inner peace anyway, and she managed to collect herself up. This time, she felt better than ever — she could face Minjoo like this, without keeping something to herself.

To be honest, being around Minjoo casually like this was way better than running away from the feelings she couldn’t even escape.

Yujin eyed Jahyeon who was leaning to her closely, staring at her with expectant starry eyes. She was pretty — with her cat-like eyes and ocean orbs, tall nose, and plump lips. One could tell that she was part-American at one glance. Lee Jahyeon was a beauty. She also had a funny side but was very fierce.

At first, this woman really caught Yujin’s attention when they first met in Scotland, and when she later on learned that they were suffering from the same situation and literally sailing the same boat — they instantly clicked because both of them could relate to one another.

Much to Yujin’s amusement, Jahyeon gave her a deal. A deal that the both of them would help each other heal, and try to date while in the process of moving on. It was tough. Jahyeon knew that Yujin was so smitten in Minjoo, and Yujin also knew that Jahyeon wouldn’t be able to move on from her past either. But still, they tried.

They never judged each other. Although, Jahyeon was surprised to hear that she fell in love with her groupmate, and they never had a romantic involvement at all — Yujin fiercely loved her for more than a decade.

Yujin couldn’t comment on their deal’s progress. They do have some ‘dates’ but it always felt like it was just a friendly date — they would even cringe whenever they tried to hold hands, and for goodness sake, when Jahyeon asked if they could kiss both of them couldn’t do it — they already grimaced at the thought.

Both of them knew it was useless, and they saw each other as good friends only; nothing more, nothing less. They were just both attracted to one another because they see their own selves with each other — however, they weren’t really attracted romantically. They bonded greatly since they share the same humor and interests. But still, they were still trying, at least.

Useless hoping…

“You know my answer.” Yujin whispered with an apologetic, meaningful smile.

Jahyeon frowned, scratching the bottom of her lip. “I understand why you’re so into her.” responded the woman then, and Yujin was slightly amused, tilting her head. “She’s beautiful and wonderful. I think she’s a little bit bitter when you officially introduced me to her but I know she’s a kind woman.” She added.

Yujin giggled at that. Surely, she noticed that Minjoo was indeed bitter upon meeting Jahyeon but still, because she didn’t want to look like it — she suppressed her emotions. But her eyes, Yujin could tell. Minjoo might be good at her facial expressions but her eyes were always the windows to her real reaction and soul.

Minjoo was trying to be happy for them.

Hmm. Maybe, Yujin would tell Minjoo soon that she and Jahyeon were just really friends and wouldn’t work out as a couple. They weren’t pathetic and desperate to date each other because they were both hurting. Nope. Yujin wouldn’t officially date unless her feelings for Minjoo would fade. She was not cruel.

“You know,” Jahyeon said again, looking at Yujin seriously. “I think the deal is not working at all.”

Yujin gave her a pointed look. “You think?”

The other woman gave her a playful punch on the arm which made Yujin laugh out loud, “I’m being serious here, Ahn. I think it’s better if we stop this madness all at once. I just see you as a great friend.” She said, crossing her arm.

“I agree,” replied Yujin once she had fully calmed down. “I can’t even kiss you on the cheek, Christ. It doesn’t feel right at all.” She said, and exaggerated her expression, shivering at the thought.

Jahyeon glared at her. “Are you saying that I’m not attractive enough?” She hissed, pinching Yujin’s side, and the latter yelped — scooting away from the other woman, horrified, and hugged herself like she got harassed.

“I did not say that!” Yujin defended herself, chuckling.

Clicking her tongue, Jahyeon leaned away, and glanced at the other group of people huddling at the center before looking at Yujin again. “She’s looking,” murmured the woman, tilting her head a bit to the direction in front of them, and smiling meaningfully.

Yujin’s brow rose, turning to check, and instantly, she met with a pair of honey orbs from the distance that made her heart flutter a bit. Minjoo was looking at them, gawking at them with an unreadable expression.

She was just standing there with Eunbi, and the others while holding a glass of wine. She wasn’t talking with the others anymore and just staring at them from her spot but when she got noticed, she simply averted her gaze away and downed the whole glass of wine.

“That woman,” Jahyeon started off after a brief silence surrounded the both of them, referring to Minjoo, and turned to look at Yujin. She was wearing a very serious expression, and Yujin just hummed, still silently staring at Minjoo. “I don’t get why she chose to be stupid and marry a man when she’s obviously also into you.”

Yujin let out a small chuckle, although she was going to admit, her tired heart still started to beat faster at the comment. “She has her reasons.” was Yujin’s reply, smiling to herself as she recalled their talk a few months ago.

But damn, Minjoo really got her good. All along her feelings were actually reciprocated but the older woman decided to play safe and hid it nicely. And now, sometimes, Yujin couldn’t even calm down because Minjoo was obviously showing her buried feelings also after she confessed and blurted out her kept feelings for more than ten years or so too.

To her, knowing that Minjoo loved her back all this time was enough.

To Yujin, being a few steps away from Minjoo was enough. Close but couldn’t be reached.

***

March 27, 2031

Yujin grumbled something under her breath, holding five shopping bags in each hand as she struggled to trail behind. She was sweating despite the cool air conditioning around the mall. Huffing, she looked at the back of the woman who was walking ahead of her, striding like a model that she was — she was literally making the pathway her fashion runway.

“Did you seriously call me here to hold your items, and not to accompany you?” Yujin said with a huff, albeit playful. She was struggling a bit for real but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

The woman stopped walking, and gracefully turned around to face Yujin, and took off her sunglasses. Yujin was met again by those familiar warm honey orbs eyes. Her breath almost hitched.

Minjoo flashed her a smile. “Yes,” chirped the woman before wearing the sunglasses again then turned her back, continuing walking. Yujin blinked, taking a deep breath, and rushed to follow the woman with the big shopping bags dangling, and sometimes hitting the floor.

It seemed like Minjoo finally took pity on her and they stopped by at a cafe for a break. The both of them settled on the furthest corner where no people could see them much — despite Yujin being out of the celebrity industry, her face was still pretty familiar to the general public. She had been in the spotlight for almost a decade too anyway. Meanwhile, Minjoo was still active until this very day so they were careful not to get trailed.

They wanted to have a peaceful ‘hangout’. It had been a while since they spent time alone together.

Yujin eagerly sipped on her iced tea the moment the worker delivered their drinks on their table. She then grabbed the collar of her shirt with her index finger and started to repeatedly flap it horizontally, desperate for more coolness since she was really feeling hot and sweaty after roaming around the mall for hours with Minjoo and carrying those bags.

“Sorry for making you carry all of that,”

Yujin faced Minjoo who was sitting across from her, wearing a very guilty and worried expression. Her face wasn’t covered with glasses and a hat anymore, revealing her beautiful face. Unconsciously, Yujin’s stare lingered longer than usual. Minjoo was genuinely guilty for making her carry all of those items she had bought.

“It’s fine.” assured the younger woman with a smile, continuing to drink her iced tea. “I’m a strong woman after all, I can carry ten bags on each hand.” She boasted with a grin against the rim of the glass. The arrogant comment made Minjoo scoff from her seat, taking her iced americano, and took a sip before blurting out a snarky comment.

“Oh, really? I was about to call some helpers but it seems like you’re really enjoying carrying my shopping bags so I guess I don’t need to call them anymore.” Minjoo said, then continued drinking her americano while smiling mischievously.

Yujin’s face fell. “Please call them.” murmured the woman in a small, pleading voice.

Snorting, Minjoo placed her iced americano back to the table and whipped her phone, seemingly texting someone. Yujin let out a relieved sigh, and looked around the shop out of boredom. It wasn’t right to stare at Minjoo, even though she badly wanted to — it might be awkward.

She and Minjoo were close friends, hanging out like this was pretty much normal for them now, especially if Minjoo was free from her schedules and bored. Yujin was the first one she would call to ask if she could come and accompany her.

And well, Yujin would always willingly drop everything to be with Minjoo anyway. Plus, she didn’t have much to do anyway, she would usually just stay around her own cafe to help serve some customers and do some stuff. She sometimes produced some songs and worked with some companies. All in all, she wasn’t pretty busy in life.

Well, even if she was, she would make sure to make time for Minjoo.

Yujin was very fine with this set-up. She and Minjoo were close friends, and that was enough. It seemed pathetic to some people but this gave her inner peace and closure — they interact like normal close friends. Not very awkward at each other like they didn’t hold romantic feelings with each other.

Sometimes, Yujin would forget. But the ring wrapped on Minjoo’s ring finger would slap her back into reality. It hurt, but it was something that would make her remember her stand. Yujin was slightly grateful because that diamond wedding ring Minjoo was wearing was the most painful truth; that they couldn’t be, no matter how strong their feelings were for each other.

Minjoo was married to a man. A great man. And Yujin was just her mere friend.

Reality was painful but Yujin was too numb for that anyway. More than twelve years of loving Minjoo made her too used to feeling pain. Her heart was long shattered, and a little damage wouldn’t hurt much as before.

So close yet so far. There was a line, a boundary between them that both of them couldn’t cross no matter what. But still, Yujin could find herself trying to blindly reach for Minjoo at the other side.

And sometimes, Yujin didn’t really want to assume but… Minjoo could be caught also barely holding herself to not step in the line. That was normal. They had feelings for each other, and there were times that they sometimes got caught up in the moment.

However, before one of them could commit a great mistake — one would pull back, followed by the other one stepping away. And again, there was a painful distance between them. But hey, at least, they could somehow hold their own selves from succumbing into their selfish desires. Both of them weren’t that selfish, and they weren’t the kind of people that couldn’t control themselves.

Yujin was already an expert on controlling herself when it came to her feelings for Minjoo. While Minjoo, she simply couldn’t. The truth that she had a husband already chained her up, etched in her mind, and haunting her. It already felt she was cheating because she was also harboring feelings for the younger woman while she was literally married to someone.

So, here they were — close friends with feelings for each other, standing barely over the line, a boundary that they couldn’t cross — the line that stopped them from reaching each other. They couldn’t.

They shouldn’t.

“What’s on your mind?” Minjoo’s voice broke Yujin’s trance.

The younger woman silently turned to Minjoo who was devouring her chocolate cake slowly while staring at Yujin with a calm expression. She slowly reached for her side bang, pushing it away from her face, and tucked it behind her ear as she shoved a spoonful of cake into gently but her eyes remained glued on Yujin.

A smile formed on her lips. Beautiful. So ethereal. “You,” Yujin answered casually, like it wouldn’t ignite something between them. She then averted her gaze almost immediately, kind of regretting blurting something bold like that. Picking up the spoon, she took a spoonful of her cheesecake and ate it, chewing slowly as she looked outside the shop.

Minjoo chuckled from her seat which made Yujin glance at her. The older woman was still staring at her, a gentle smile plastered on her lips, giving her an amused look. “Still thinking about me when I’m literally in front of you? Hmm, interesting,” She answered smoothly, no trace of awkwardness or anything — teasing, even.

Yujin took her iced tea, consumed a very long sip hastily, and awkwardly shifted on her seat to look at Minjoo. “Just being honest.” Yujin responded instead, and started to play with her food, puckering her lower lip a bit.

The older woman’s smile softened, slicing another piece, and before she shoved it into , she responded. “I don’t know if I should be happy with your bold honesty or what.”

Yujin just smiled, eating her cake. After that, they had a light conversation as they waited for the helpers that Minjoo called. Once the helpers got the bags away, the both of them decided to stroll around at the mall once again; Minjoo insisted for Yujin to pick anything, and she would buy it for her as a ‘thank you’ gift for accompanying her today.

Of course, Yujin refused but Minjoo was more stubborn than her so in the end, Minjoo was the one who picked the gift. A nice blue hoodie, not just that, it was actually a couple hoodie. And what did you even expect? Minjoo kept the other pair.

That day. Yujin thought she was the only one who almost crossed the line. Minjoo also took another step closer to the line without even knowing.

***

September 29, 2031

“Minjoo, why are you putting peanut butter on the pineapple ice cream?”

Yujin was really horrified to see Minjoo grab a jar of peanut butter from the pantry and started to pour a generous amount on it on top of the ice cream that Yujin had bought from the convenience store. Minjoo had requested that Yujin should buy that when she told her she would drop by at her house for a brief visit.

“What’s wrong with it? It’s kind of delicious,” whined Minjoo, and started to mix it. Yujin could only watch in horror as the ice cream’s texture went soft and slushy; the original color of the ice cream was yellow but it turned a little bit of orange after the peanut butter was mixed in it.

Yujin was so bewildered. “Where the hell did you even know that combination? The ice cream is pineapple flavored, and you mixed peanut butter on it?” She asked. She was really disgusted and amused, she grimaced when Minjoo took a spoonful and literally moaned in delight after tasting that abomination of a food.

“I just thought of it. I’m craving pineapple ice cream and I’m craving for some peanut butter. Why not mix it instead? It actually tastes nice. The sourness and sweetness are well-combined. Yujin-ah, taste it,” Minjoo explained casually, and scooped a piece of the weird combination of food then offered it to Yujin who flinched.

“No thank you, I’m good,” Yujin refused, feeling her stomach churn just seeing the weird color of the ice cream.

Minjoo’s face fell, her shoulders went slump but she remained raising her arm, and offering the spoonful of ice cream when Yujin rejected tasting the ice cream combination she just made. Yujin blinked in confusion when she saw that Minjoo’s eyes were starting to get watery.

“Why don’t you want to taste it? I told you it’s good,” Minjoo insisted, her lower lip quivering, and she looked like she was on the verge of crying. Her voice also cracked. She looked like a toddler who was about to throw a tantrum and cry because her playmate refused to eat the apple-shaped clay she made and offered.

Yujin panicked, and out of panic, she immediately took the spoonful of the weird ice cream that Minjoo was offering her, forcing herself to swallow it despite the weird taste; the after taste lingered around . It wasn’t that bad, but it was definitely not good. Something that Yujin would never dare to eat casually.

Minjoo’s face glowed after that, and continued to eat her weird ice cream before settling on the couch, excitedly patting the space next to her, gesturing to Yujin that she should sit beside her as if she wasn’t about to throw a crying fit a few seconds ago after Yujin rejected to take a taste.

With a sigh, Yujin just shook her head, and sat beside Minjoo. The latter instantly scooted closer when she realized that Yujin left a respectful gap between them and literally sat on the other end.

Yujin flinched when Minjoo wasn’t even satisfied that there was no space between them anymore, and literally snuggled at her side, curling like a tamed fox beside her — resting her head on Yujin’s broad, stiff shoulder like it was natural (it was, it was still Minjoo’s favorite spot throughout the years).

The younger woman could only panic, and blush but she remained still until she relaxed, and let Minjoo do whatever she wanted. Her raging heartbeat turned calmer after a few seconds. It felt domestic — no, Yujin couldn’t think of something like that. She was in Minjoo and Jihyeok’s house for god’s sake.

Well, normal friends do this anyway. It was normal.

Although, Yujin noticed that something was quite off with Minjoo these days. Recently, she noticed that the woman was a lot more sensitive, and her mood swings were a lot more intense than before. And, ehem, she was clingier. Yujin was in absolute distress.

Minjoo kept calling her when Yujin wasn’t with her, sending her random messages, and memes. She would throw a tantrum if Yujin wouldn’t reply in five minutes. Yujin was getting confused because Minjoo wasn’t normally like this at all.

When Yujin playfully asked Minjoo if she was on her period because she threw a fit inside her cafe for not responding to her call (it was a busy day so Yujin wasn’t able to accept the call immediately) then literally became an angel to Yujin again after giving her a free hot chocolate — Minjoo answered, “No. That reminds me, I’m actually delayed. But then, it’s normal to have irregular periods sometimes.”

Yujin didn’t think much of it. But now, she felt something was really off. With a shrug, she decided to enjoy her time with Minjoo because in a bit, she would be going home.

However, in the middle of watching the show, Minjoo suddenly stood up from her seat and rushed towards the bathroom while covering .

Out of instinct, Yujin followed because Minjoo suddenly bolted like that and her heart really stopped when she heard gagging sounds from the bathroom. “Minjoo! Are you alright?” She asked, alarmed. She went to the woman, and caressed her back as Minjoo threw up the ice cream she ate earlier.

And once Minjoo’s stomach was empty, Yujin helped her go to the sink to wash and face, and flushed the toilet. She then supported Minjoo outside, making her sit back on the couch while she ran to the kitchen to get a bottle of water for Minjoo to drink.

When Yujin observed Minjoo worriedly as she drank the bottle of water, her heart suddenly ached. The older woman was pale, and her eyes were unfocused, and her chest was heaving.

“I should take you to the hospital,” Yujin offered. She was getting worried.

Minjoo firmly shook her head, “No,” She refused, and Yujin bit her lower lip, and kneeled in front of the woman. “I think my stomach just got upset… Yeah, that’s probably it.” She insisted.

With a sigh, Yujin finally surrendered. “Okay. But if you’re still feeling weird, I’ll take you immediately to the nearest hospital, okay?” said Yujin, and Minjoo just mindlessly nodded, seemingly in a deep thought.

Yujin shouldn’t really let Minjoo eat that abomination.

***

October 11, 2031

Minjoo was hiding something from her. Yet again. But Yujin didn’t pry on it much. These past few days, the woman couldn’t be reached at all, and distanced herself from Yujin for some reasons that the latter didn’t know. She let her. Minjoo would reach out to her whenever she was feeling it anyway.

But for some reason, she felt very odd, and there was a weird sensation in her stomach. Like, she didn’t know something but everyone around her knew. It was a very annoying feeling but after wondering about it, finally, the news got delivered to her by Minjoo, personally.

After days of practically ignoring her, Minjoo called Yujin, and asked if they could meet. Yujin, of course, was happy to answer the usual ‘yes’. And after an hour, Minjoo arrived at her cafe, wearing a wry smile, and a nervous expression. Yujin led her to the private garden lounge of her shop. The space was really made just for the VIP customers who didn’t want to be distrubed. It was very essential specially that Yujin was friends with a lot of celebrities.

There weren’t any other important customers so they could talk there quietly, and peacefully. Yujin made them some hot chocolates to drink while they talked. And after placing Minjoo’s cup in front of her, Yujin settled on the other seat as she took off her apron.

“Do you want some cake?” asked Yujin, folding her apron, and placing it on the other unoccupied seat. Minjoo shook her head.

“No, thank you though.” Minjoo answered, then pursed her lips together. “I… have something to tell you.” added the latter, nibbling on her lower lip nervously.

Yujin just hummed, urging her to continue as she fiddled with her own cup of chocolate, patiently waiting for Minjoo to continue. Seeing her hesitate, it must be something very important. Yujin could see the terrified glint in Minjoo’s eyes, and the latter’s hands were trembling on top of the table.

With a smile, Yujin reached for Minjoo’s trembling, cold hand, and gave it a squeeze. Minjoo gave her a helpless look while Yujin gave her a reassuring, comforting smile. She caressed the back of Minjoo’s hand with her thumb. “It’s alright. What is it?” softly urged Yujin.

Minjoo took a shaky deep breath.

“I’m pregnant.”

Yujin froze a bit, blinking in bewilderment but she remained staring at Minjoo.

Minjoo looked away, gulping. “I’m five weeks pregnant. It explains very well why my behavior was off recently. The weird food combination of cravings, morning sickness, mood swings...” She added, as if she was almost embarrassed to break the news to Yujin.

The younger woman was stunned. She was still processing what Minjoo had said, and she was feeling thousands of different emotions. Minjoo… was pregnant? She was bearing a child inside her. Yujin felt her heart stop for a moment.

“When did you learn about your pregnancy?” asked Yujin after a few moments of silence. Not really knowing what to say at all once the information sunk into her brain but still, she didn’t know how to react.

Minjoo her lower lip, glancing at Yujin. “Just a week ago. When I threw up after I combined the pineapple ice cream and peanut butter… I think there’s really something wrong with me. I had a hunch. So, I decided to get a pregnancy test. The test was positive… I later went to the ob-gyn clinic to double check. And yeah, I’m indeed pregnant.” She responded with a small voice.

Yujin was dumbfounded for a whole minute before standing up from her seat, making Minjoo flinch a bit in surprise. “Then th-that’s a good news,” Yujin stuttered, still stunned before approaching Minjoo closer, the latter just watched her with fond eyes.

Much to Minjoo’s shock, Yujin suddenly kneeled in front of her, making her panic a bit but then, the younger woman poked her stomach that was barely taut, and still flat. Yujin looked up at Minjoo who was wearing a shocked, confused expression while staring down at her.

Her eyes were sparkling. “There’s a little Minjoo in there?” asked Yujin, her voice was somehow excited yet at the same time, amused.

Minjoo blinked, and her stiff shoulders relaxed — she smiled tightly at Yujin who was still kneeling before her, and looking up to meet her gaze while pointing at her stomach. “Yes,” replied Minjoo softly with a nod.

What Yujin did next really surprised Minjoo. The younger woman gently wrapped her arms around Minjoo’s waist, and scooted closer to carefully press the side of her face on Minjoo’s stomach while smiling brightly to herself then softly murmured after, “Hi there, little one.”

Minjoo almost bursted into tears. She bit her lower lip, suppressing her cry as she slowly raised her hesitant hands to place it on Yujin’s head and shoulder. Yujin’s reaction was totally unexpected, Minjoo had thought that the woman might feel betrayed or hurt but no…

Yujin looked happy that there was a ‘little Minjoo’ inside her. And her gesture was so heartwarming that Minjoo really wanted to sob like a baby at that very moment. Oh, Ahn Yujin…

“It can’t still hear you, you know? It’s not even fully formed into a fetus yet.” Minjoo decided to tease the woman but Yujin stubbornly stayed, holding Minjoo close, and still gently pressing the side of her face on the older woman’s stomach, as if she was trying to feel something.

Yujin answered, “I know. But there’s already something in there. An angel… a mini Minjoo.” It was a whisper, and the way Yujin softly whispered those words, it was so fond and loving.

A tear finally slipped from Minjoo’s eye, staring at Yujin softly who was still kneeling on the floor and holding her close, very gently as if Minjoo was a dainty, fragile glass that would break if she wasn’t handled with care.

Ahn Yujin was a wonderful woman.

***

July 11, 2032

“Oh my god, Kim Minjoo. What a stubborn woman you are,” Yujin nagged as she helped Minjoo get out of the car, supported her to enter the cafe, and led her to the garden while still scolding Minjoo for insisting to go outside.

Minjoo huffed, and carefully sat down to the chair with Yujin’s assistance, she was caressing her big, rounded stomach while pouting at Yujin who was standing in front of her with her hands resting on her hips and raising her brow at her.

“I got bored, okay? I was so bored so I decided to pay a visit. I’m alone in the house since Jihyeok is still in England for filming, and he won’t be back until tomorrow.” Minjoo explained, still puckering her lips, as she gave Yujin puppy eyes.

Sighing, Yujin scratched her nape gently as she looked at Minjoo with a pointed look. “You know you shouldn’t be going in and out of your house often. You’re due next week! It’s bad if you walk around and tire yourself.” She softly nagged Minjoo again, and the latter just gave her a sheepish grin.

“I want some apple juice and cheesecake,” Minjoo replied instead, which made Yujin roll her eyes, and shook her head gently. She glanced at Minjoo with narrowed eyes.

“Fine. I’ll get you some but don’t stand up and just stay still, alright?” Yujin instructed, and when Minjoo nodded eagerly like a puppy — the younger one went back inside the shop to make the drink and food Minjoo had wanted.

Minjoo was going to give birth next week, that was why Yujin was alert and careful more than usual. As much as possible, she was the one who usually dropped by Minjoo’s home to pay her a visit and give her the food she had been craving since it wasn’t good if Minjoo would travel often. All she needed to do was to rest in her house and watch some dramas, Yujin would willingly do the rest.

Throughout the months, Yujin took care of Minjoo well, especially that Jihyeok wasn’t around much because of his busy schedule. Yujin didn’t mind taking care of a pregnant Minjoo, even though she could be a handful sometimes — Yujin was patient, and caring. She did her best to help and tend Minjoo in as many ways as possible.

She was the one who kept an eye the most on Minjoo. Eunbi usually dropped by too and helped Minjoo since she was experienced already — and Eunbi was the first person Yujin would go to if she had questions about pregnant women.

It was too much, all of them knew that but Yujin couldn’t help it because she wanted Minjoo to have a smooth, comfortable pregnancy. Yujin never complained nor said a thing. She wanted the best for Minjoo, that was all she wanted.

Yujin went back with a tray in hand, placing the plate on the table, and a glass of Minjoo’s favorite apple juice (which was Yujin’s own recipe). The younger woman clicked her tongue as she watched Minjoo happily devour her cake then kneeled in front of Minjoo.

This time, the older woman wasn’t surprised when Yujin did that unlike when it happened for the first time, and even instinctively turned her body towards Yujin’s direction, fully abandoning the cake. The younger woman scooted closer, and held Minjoo’s waist before pressing the side of her face on Minjoo’s full, bloated stomach with a smile.

“Hey, Yujin-ie. Your mommy is so stubborn, I hope you won’t be like her. So hard-headed, always giving your Auntie Yujin a very, very hard time.” Yujin playfully joked, and earned a light slap on the shoulder from Minjoo who was scoffing and fuming already.

Yujin just laughed, and continued to snuggle on Minjoo’s rounded stomach, murmuring some words as if she was talking with a kid. Minjoo just watched the younger woman talk animatedly to the baby inside her with a soft, fond smile on her lips. It was a usual sight.

Yujin loved to ‘talk’ to Yujin — Song Yujin, Minjoo and Jihyeok’s child. It became a habit for Yujin to press the side of her face on Minjoo’s stomach then happily talk to the baby girl inside Minjoo. It was heartwarming, really.

Yujin was really the happiest whenever she felt the baby kick her from inside Minjoo’s belly, especially when she was talking to her.

And yes, Yujin was Minjoo and Jihyeok’s baby girl’s name.

At first, Yujin was confused when Minjoo suddenly told her one day that she wanted to name her baby — Yujin. Minjoo wanted to name her child after her. It was unclear why but Yujin did not ask, just grinning widely because she felt honored. Oh, to have a niece with the same as you? Well, that would be really nice.

Few hours had passed, and Minjoo stayed in the cafe — Yujin would sometimes go back inside the shop to help but would go back a few minutes later to check on Minjoo who was peacefully reading a book.

However, something expected happened. Minjoo suddenly said that she was having stomach cramps, she felt little Yujin moving in her stomach. Yujin finally insisted that she would take her home and without being stubborn like she was, Minjoo just obliged.

But when Minjoo stood up from her seat, her water suddenly broke.

This caused everyone to panic, especially Yujin who almost fainted out of panic and shock when she saw a lot of fluids between Minjoo’s legs. “Oh my god! The car! The ing car keys!” She shouted to her workers as she tried to support Minjoo to the car who was also panicking when her water broke all of a sudden.

Yujin didn’t even care if she was above the speed limit. She needed to go to the hospital as soon as possible because holy crap, Minjoo was about to give birth! Yujin kept glancing at Minjoo throughout the fast drive, she could feel cold sweat forming on her temples because Minjoo looked like she was in pain and obviously uncomfortable while holding her stomach.

“Minjoo, hang on, okay? Oh god, little Yujin, don’t go out yet,” Yujin kept murmuring, and she was literally shaking out of panic and adrenaline.

They managed to reach the hospital quickly because there was no traffic. Minjoo was immediately assisted and Yujin couldn’t even calm down, still feeling icky and trembling until Minjoo was rushed to the labor room.

Yujin was left in the waiting room, contacting Jihyeok to relay the news that Minjoo was about to give birth. She also informed the others about what happened, and asked them to go to the hospital.

Little Yujin was born a week earlier than the estimated due date that the doctor gave.

When Yujin sat on the chair, she felt so exhausted. She was still nervous, and she couldn’t help but bounce her leg up and down as she chewed on her lower lip anxiously. She painfully waited there for hours with the others, praying that Minjoo would have a smooth delivery of Yujin, and there were no problems at all.

And after two hours of silence, the doctor finally exited out of the room. Yujin stood up, rushing to the doctor with an anxious expression, still playing with her fingers as she asked, “Are they okay?”

The doctor took off her mask, and nodded at Yujin, flashing a smile. “Yes. The mother and her baby are perfectly in good condition. Although Miss Kim fainted… it’s pretty normal, don’t worry, due to exhaustion.”

Everyone let out a relieved sigh, and Yujin almost dropped on her knees out of relief. Ah, thank god Minjoo and little Yujin were perfectly okay. She was so excited to meet the both of them later.

“Is the father not here?” The doctor then asked, and Yujin shook her head, telling her that he was out of the country. “Ah, I see. Can one of you come with me to see the baby girl?” said the doctor, looking at them with a smile.

Eunbi immediately pushed Yujin. “Her. Doctor,” She said, and Yujin blinked, giving her a look of disbelief but the excitement rushed over her, really anticipating seeing little Song Yujin for the first time.

“Great. Please come with me.”

And that was when Yujin saw little Yujin for the first time. A nurse was holding her, cradling the little girl wrapped around in a clean blanket. Yujin was speechless when she saw her for the first time, her heart literally swelled, and melted after. In an instant, little Yujin captured her whole heart.

“C-Can I hold her?” Yujin asked when she realized that she was staring at Minjoo’s child like that from the side while she was being held by a nurse. The nurse nodded at her, smiling before carefully and gently handing her the little child.

Yujin held the little girl in her arms, and cradled her like she was something more expensive than a diamond — well, little Yujin was priceless, and a diamond couldn’t even be compared to her. Yujin stared at the sleeping child on her arms, her lips parted in astonishment.

This child… she looked like Minjoo when she was a baby. She knew because she had a lot of baby pictures of Minjoo. She was a mini Minjoo, that was for sure.

Little Yujin was the cutest newborn in the world, she was the most precious and Yujin’s heart warmed. What an angel…

Tears formed on Yujin’s eyes, she ignored the worried stare of the nurse, and just pressed a light kiss on little Yujin’s forehead.

Yujin then shakily murmured while smiling and looking down at the sleeping baby wrapped in a blanket on her arms, “I will treasure, cherish, protect, care, and love you just like how I treat your mother, Yujin-ie. I will be the greatest auntie for you.”

***

January 09, 2036

“Auntie~”

“Hi Yujin-ie. Are you waiting for Auntie?” Yujin immediately cooed, bending a bit to get little Yujin, carrying her, and raised her into the air while giggling together.

“She had been asking for you nonstop.”

Minjoo walked out from the kitchen, tying her short hair into a ponytail. “And oi, Ahn Yujin. I told you not to do that with Yujin. You might drop her.” nagged the woman, approaching them.

Pouting, Yujin stopped lifting little Yujin up in the air, and just carried her; the child was also sulking. They had identical pouts in their faces which made Minjoo roll her eyes at them, chuckling in amusement as she wiped the excess chocolate on the side of little Yujin’s lips. “Stop it you two Yudings.”

The three of them finally went outside, and rode Yujin’s car after Minjoo grabbed their belongings. Minjoo sat on the passenger seat, little Yujin on the backseat with her dolls, and of course — Yujin was driving. The latter checked the both of them if they were ready before maneuvering the car away from the driveway.

It was another day to hangout. The three of them only, yes. It was a pretty common occurrence actually. They usually go out once a week or so since little Yujin always got bored a lot, and since she was always spoiled by Yujin who couldn’t say ‘no’ to her — she would take her and her mother out around. Plus, little Yujin frequently sought for Yujin’s presence since she had grown attached to her.

To no one’s surprise, Yujin was little Yujin’s favorite because ever since from birth, Yujin mostly lingered around and took care, spoiled, and loved Song Yujin. The two Yujins were so close to one another that sometimes, they got mistaken for a mother and daughter duo.

Although little Yujin inherited Minjoo’s obvious facial features and wit — little Yujin’s mischievous personality was greatly influenced by none other than her favorite auntie, Ahn Yujin. They spent a lot of time together so it wasn’t really shocking that Song Yujin, who was really intelligent and charming like her father and mother, got Ahn Yujin’s mischievousness and playfulness.

Yujin didn’t know if it was something to boast about but she and little Yujin spent a lot more time together than Jihyeok did for her daughter. Well, he was a busy man with an active career even after marriage and being a father. In the first year, Jihyeok was very close with his daughter but when little Yujin turned two, he started to accept a lot of projects that resulted in him not being around their home quite often.

Little Yujin didn’t even ask much about her father, she knew her daddy was working for them plus, her Auntie Yujin was there to play with her and her mommy anyway. She was never lonely.

Throughout the years, Yujin was pretty happy and content. She literally treated little Yujin as her child more than her niece, to be honest. She never spoiled, and spent a lot of time with Yooeun like this.

And well, she and Minjoo remained the same. Good close friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Still sometimes trying to blindly reach for each other along the lines. To Yujin, it was still Minjoo — well, it would definitely be Minjoo until the end.

She never even got to date or anything, she was too busy with Minjoo and little Yujin, plus she was pretty busy with her cafe since she was planning to expand. Her work was pretty demanding now, especially that she built a lot of branches across South Korea. She never got the time, and she was simply not interested.

Sometimes, Jahyeon would drop by to pay her a visit and try to force her to date since she was too busy with Minjoo and little Yujin but she would always refuse. Of course, the both of them were still close, and hey! Good news! Jahyeon got back together with her past lover, they worked it out again. Yujin was simply happy for her friend.

But even so, Minjoo was still a little bit wary of Jahyeon’s presence because the latter would sometimes purposely tease and make her jealous by playfully flirting with Yujin.

“She’s insufferable. I’m taking back that she can have you this lifetime.” Minjoo commented once. It never failed to make Yujin laugh sometimes because she could remember Minjoo’s cute frown when she said that.

Yujin looked at the rear view mirror and saw that the toddler was happily playing with her dolls, in her own world. So, she glanced at Minjoo who was oddly quiet beside her. By this time, the older woman should be already connecting her phone to the speaker of the car and jamming along but she was just simply quiet, and leaning against the window.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’re in a deep thought,” Yujin started off.

Minjoo turned to her, flashing a smile. “Hmm. Me and Jihyeok just had a little quarrel last night.”

Yujin’s brow shot up. “What happened?”

Letting out a scoff, the woman crossed her arm, and took a deep breath. “There was some rumor going on that I’m seeing this photographer from one of my Vogue photoshoots. Of course, it’s not true but he was flaming in jealousy and .” Minjoo answered, raising her hand to massage her temple before shaking her head. “Let’s not talk about it or him. It’s already settled, and I want to have a happy day.”

Without a word, Yujin just nodded, and silently opened the radio — one of IU’s old songs was playing and both of them immediately perked up. With that, Minjoo’s spoiled mood turned upside down.

They reached the amusement park soon, and the three of them spent their time there happily, riding some rides, buying random stuff, trying out different food. Thankfully, not many people bothered them — some recognized them even if they were wearing masks and caps. But they were respectful, and just greeted them.

The three of them took pictures and all as remembrance until night fell. They settled on the mini park and hired a mat, the three of them sat on the mat and played with one another as they waited for the fireworks display.

“Yey! Fireworks, fireworks! Mommy, you kiss Yujin-ie, okay?” little Yujin said while bouncing up and down on her auntie Yujin’s lap excitedly.

Minjoo laughed, ruffling her daughter’s hair, and nodded. “Of course, sweetheart.”

And once the fireworks exploded in the starry, night sky everyone was in awe. Little Yujin kept yelping and clapping her hands excitedly as she watched the beautiful fireworks above the skies then turned to her mommy, asking for a kiss. The adults didn’t know where the child learned about kissing while there was some firework show happening in the background but no one said a thing.

Minjoo pressed a kiss on her daughter’s cheek then pinched her nose lightly while giggling. Little Yujin grinned happily at her mother before turning to her auntie. “Kiss.” She said to her, and Yujin laughed, pressing a kiss on her niece’s forehead.

The child giggled, clapping her hands then went silent for a few seconds, as if she was waiting for something. She blinked in confusion then turned to her mommy and auntie alternatively who were also looking at her, also confused why she was being like that.

Little Yujin frowned as if there was something not right, and said, “Mommy and Auntie too. Kiss.”

Minjoo and Yujin froze at what the little girl just said. The both of them turned to each other, and when their eyes met briefly — they looked away, blushing.

Yujin cleared , ready to refuse and create some excuses because she didn’t want to make Minjoo uncomfortable when suddenly, she felt a hand cradling her chin and holding it to steady her.

It was followed by something soft dampening on her jaw. It was just brief but it sent thousands of electric bolts throughout her whole body. Yujin was beyond shocked, and she couldn’t even move — her heart even stopped beating, and her world came to a halt.

Little Yujin’s happy, satisfied squeal broke her into her trance. Yujin shyly glanced at Minjoo who was refusing to meet her gaze after pressing a kiss on her jaw, trying to focus on the fireworks display but the tips of her ears were red.

Yujin grinned secretly, holding the part of her jaw where Minjoo had kissed her, feeling her skin tingle. It was sweet. It wasn’t much but that action really made her heart explode like the fireworks in front of them.

***

April 24, 2037

The door of the dance studio opened, followed by a familiar squeal from an approaching child that surprised Chaeyeon a bit, almost choking on her water.

“Auntie Chaen~ Auntie Eun~”

Chaeyeon and Eunbi turned to the source of voice, and instantly smiled when they saw the kid running to them with a big smile, one of her front teeth was missing but it made her look even cuter.

“My, my, if it wasn’t mini Minjoo.” Eunbi said, and crouched to meet little Yujin, giving her a ruffle on the head and not insisting for a hug because she was sweaty, same for Chaeyeon. “Hi there, Yujin-ie. Who are you with?”

Little Yujin beamed, turning to the door of the dance studio that was opened again, a tall figure entered. “Hey, Chaeyeon-unnie. Eunbi-unnie.” Yujin greeted them with a smile, approached them and handed them some drinks.

Chaeyeon whistled, taking the drinks and thanked Yujin. “What’s with the sudden visit?” asked the woman, putting the drink on the side, and gesturing to the dancers present inside the room to take some.

Yujin shrugged, looking around the wide, spacious dance studio. “Yujin asked me if we could visit you. Minjoo dropped her off in the cafe since she had some urgent meeting with her agency and well, as usual, little Jinjin here insisted on being with me.” She answered.

Chaeyeon’s dance studio was just actually near the main branch of Yujin’s cafe, where she usually stayed at — so, sometimes Yujin would visit the dance studio and bring some drinks, sometimes Eunbi and Chaeyeon would drop by after their work.

“You two arrived at the exact time, we’re having a break~ Yujin-ie, let’s dance!” Eunbi said, and grabbed her phone, playing some random songs as they danced in the middle with little Yujin bouncing along while giggling. Chaeyeon later on danced along while the other dancers hyped them up.

Yujin just watched from the side with a smile, filming a few bits before sending it to Minjoo. After that, she went to the exit since she wanted to use the bathroom. She opened the door, and was ready to walk when someone bumped into her.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” “Sorry.”

The both of them apologized to one another. Yujin immediately said, “It’s fine.” in a polite tone.

When the stranger looked up, Yujin was met with an unfamiliar pretty face. She was definitely one of the dancers, must be new because Yujin never saw such a face before. She was pretty, those innocent doe eyes that screamed purity, tall nose, and bow shaped lips — she wasn’t that tall either but she held a nice charismatic vibe. She was wearing a bonnet, crop top, track pants, and sneakers but her appeal was overflowing.

Yujin didn’t even realize that she stared at bit but then, the other lady was also stunned when she looked at her. Yujin was just simply stunned while the dancer was really starstruck, letting out a gasp when she recognized Yujin’s face, pointing at her even that made the taller woman blink.

“Oh my god, you’re Ahn Yujin!” She exclaimed in shock and happiness.

Yujin was used to those kinds of reactions but that was before. Seeing someone so starstruck to see her was really heartwarming again. She flashed a smile at the dancer, bowing herself a bit. “Hello. And yep, that’s me.” said the woman.

The dancer also bowed too, a little bit deeper than Yujin’s though. Her pretty eyes were still wide, and mouth agape, looking at Yujin as if she was a god. “It’s an honor to meet you here! My name is Kim Joorim! A new dancer in LightFeather Dance Studio!” She introduced herself.

Yujin noted the name, well, this dancer looked intriguing and her whole existence was very impactful. “Nice to meet you, Joorim-ssi.” She said with a sweet smile, offering her hand for a handshake.

Joorim gasped, hesitantly holding her hand, she was contemplating but Yujin just smiled at her amusedly. It took Joorim a few moments to even decide whether she was worthy enough to shake hands with Yujin but in the end, she gently took Yujin’s hand and they shook hands briefly.

The dancer looked like she was about to explode and let out a small squeal, Yujin shot her brow up in amusement. Joorim probably noticed her action and blushed in embarrassment, bowing to Yujin. “I’m so sorry for acting like that. It’s just that, oh my god, I’m such a big fan of yours since your IZ*ONE days up until now. You were my number one pick and favorite idol since Produce48 and I cried when you got in! You’re also my inspiration why I tried to be an idol—” She started to blabber and covered when she realized that she was rapidly speaking.

Yujin caught everything though, and she was amazed. “Oh?” She exclaimed, very, very amused.

But before the both of them could say another word to each other, “Joorim-ah~ Let’s start our practice.” Eunbi called from the other side, the dancers were already in their formation and Joorim was the only one missing.

Yujin gave the dancer a nod, gesturing to her to go there now, and Joorim did, giving her an apologetic smile before rushing inside. Yujin could only smile and look before walking to the bathroom. It felt nice to meet a huge fan again.

After that, Yujin and little Yujin stayed in the studio until they were all done. Once the practice had ended, the dancers went out and the other two visitors did too after bidding their goodbye to Chaeyeon and Eunbi.

When they exited the building, it was already night. The two Yujins were about to walk back to the cafe when Yujin spotted Joorim rushing towards them — she was wearing a jacket now.

“Yujin-ssi, I’m really sorry for blabbering stuff like that earlier. It’s pretty embarrassing.” Joorim apologized, still panting after running.

Yujin just shrugged it off, it wasn’t a big deal anyway. “It’s fine, really. It’s actually heartwarming to hear that anyway.” She replied, ruffling little Yujin’s hair who was watching their interaction silently.

Joorim bit her lower lip, throwing a shy smile. “Hehe. It’s all true, what I’ve said earlier. Oh god, I’m so nervous. Anyway, please. I just want to apologize. It’s really nice to meet you.”

Yujin smiled, “No problem. Likewise.” replied the taller woman.

And with that, the three of them started to walk — only to realize that they were walking in the same direction. Yujin and Joorim met gazes again. “Going in that direction too?” Yujin couldn’t help but to ask, and the dancer meekly nodded. “You can walk with us. And while we walk, can you tell me about your story~?”

Joorim blushed because of that. But the three of them continued walking on the sidewalk, and Joorim was pretty talkative. Yujin learned something about her. She might be the dancer’s inspiration on pursuing the idol career but unfortunately, she didn’t debut at all and decided to give up, and work as a choreographer instead — Yujin felt sorry but Joorim just laughed it off, telling that it was already years ago.

Joorim was just a year younger than Yujin, just the same age as Wonyoung which shocked Yujin a bit because she looked younger. They continued talking about stuff, and Joorim was even shocked when she realized that the kid with them was Song Yujin — Minjoo’s daughter. Well, it looked like she was really a WIZ*ONE after all.

The dancer talked about how she worked in this dance studio as a teacher for years but decided to quit because she was not being paid quite nicely. Thankfully enough, LightFeather accepted her almost immediately and Lee Chaeyeon herself personally contacted her after she watched her application video. It was really an honor for Joorim to work with two former IZ*ONE members since she was a huge fan before and they were the reason why she wanted to be an idol.

“Sometimes, it felt like I was just living in a dream~” Joorim exclaimed, sighing dreamily which made Yujin chuckle.

Joorim also talked to little Yujin, and the latter was instantly comfortable with the woman. Yujin noticed that Joorim was great with kids because she immediately earned Yujin-ie’s attention and could make her giggle already. Not with kids only but Joorim was naturally bubbly and friendly, despite her intimidating dancer aura — there was just a warm vibe from her that made Yujin very comfortable around her.

Soon, they reached the cafe, and there was a familiar white car parked in front of the cafe. Minjoo’s car.

“Alright. This is our stop,” Yujin joked, and Joorim looked at the cafe, smiling.

“I know. I went here a couple of times since I knew it was your cafe but I was not lucky enough to spot you in my visits.” Joorim revealed, and Yujin giggled.

“I’m mostly here on weekdays so if you want to spot me; weekdays around 8AM to 1PM.” Yujin replied, and the dancer beamed at that.

Joorim grinned brightly at her and eagerly nodded, even doing a salute gesture. “Noted, ma’am.” She playfully said, which made Yujin smile. She then gestured for little Yujin to go inside and meet her mom.

Little Yujin waved at the dancer, “It’s nice meeting you, pretty dancer unnie!” She said, and Joorim giggled shyly, blushing and did high-five with Minjoo’s daughter.

“You too, Yujin-ie. See you around~” With that, little Yujin rushed inside the cafe to meet her mom, leaving Yujin and Joorim outside. They were silent for a little while before Yujin decided to follow and bid her goodbye.

“It’s really nice meeting you, Joorim-ssi.”

“Oh, Yujin-ssi. You don’t even know how happy I am because I met you and managed to have a conversation with you. Teen Kim Joorim would faint if she ever learned about this.” Joorim joked, and the two of them shared a laugh before another pregnant silence formed.

Taking a deep breath, Yujin smiled at the dancer softly. “Well, see you soon then.” said the taller woman, ready to turn around and walk away.

“Wait,” Yujin stopped, turning again to Joorim with a raised brow. The dancer was hesitating, and couldn’t meet Yujin’s eyes at all while anxiously nibbling on her lower lip. “Uhm.”

“Hmm? What is it?” Yujin questioned, curious.

“This might be weird but… uhh, can I get your number?” The dancer asked, her whole face turning red as if she couldn’t believe she really asked that. “Oh my god, nevermind. I’m so sorry. I made you uncom—”

“Sure.” Yujin cut her off with a smile, offering her palm. “Phone, please? I’ll type it.”

Joorim was stunned for a few moments before scrambling to take out her phone from her pocket and handed it to Yujin. The former idol typed her number there, and handed the phone back to Joorim who was staring off from a distance, still couldn’t believe that she managed to get Yujin’s number.

“Here. Have a safe trip home, Joorim-ssi.” Yujin said, and gave her a genuine smile. Joorim nodded, and finally bid her goodbye and thanks before walking away while hugging her phone. Yujin watched the dancer, and chuckled when she saw that Joorim started to happily hop and skip at the alleyway from the distance, and once she couldn’t see the woman’s figure anymore — she finally turned around, and ready to enter inside her cafe but stopped when she spotted a figure by the entrance, leaning against the wall.

Yujin blinked, giving her a tight smile. “Minjoo,” She called, and approached her.

Minjoo looked at Yujin, an unreadable expression plastered on her face. “Who was that?” asked the woman. Her tone wasn’t cold, it wasn’t warm either.

Oh… Minjoo probably witnessed their interaction.

Yujin smiled at her. “Ah, Kim Joorim. Me and Yujin met her earlier at Chaeyeon-unnie’s dance studio. A new dancer, and well, she’s actually a big fan. She used to be a WIZ*ONE. Pretty amusing, right?” answered the taller woman with a chuckle but Minjoo didn’t even smile, just staring at her.

“You gave her your number?” Minjoo asked another question instead.

Yujin nodded. “Yeah, why? She asked for it and she looked harmless anyway. Very friendly towards me and Yujin-ie.” She responded. There was nothing wrong giving out her number like that anyway, Joorim looked like she could be trusted anyway.

It wasn’t too bad to make some friends again.

Minjoo looked like she wasn’t convinced for some reason. “Nothing,” She then just replied, turning away from Yujin, and entered the cafe without waiting for the taller woman.

Was Minjoo jealous?

Yujin didn’t know what to feel to be honest. Happy? Because Minjoo was still getting jealous over such stuff like that despite everything and couldn’t suppress her emotions because of it. Worried? Because for sure, Minjoo would be cold around her. Ah, Yujin was about to be stuck in the middle of a snowstorm once again.

She didn’t have anything to explain anyway since she already told the truth. Plus, Yujin gave her number without any malice, just a simple friendship because Joorim looked like she would be a great friend anyway.

Ah, Minjoo was making her frustrated again.

She was about to enter the cafe when she saw Minjoo and little Yujin walking towards the exit. Yujin went to the side, and let them exit first.

“We’re going to go home.” Minjoo said to her, not even glancing at her. “Thanks for taking care of my Yujin.”

Little Yujin waved at her auntie happily. “See you soon, Auntie Yuj~!”

Yujin couldn’t even bid her proper goodbye to her niece because Minjoo was rushing to her car. Taking a deep breath, Yujin followed, and stood by the side until Minjoo was done settling little Yujin on the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt.

Once Minjoo closed the door, and was ready to rush to the passenger seat, Yujin grabbed her arm — preventing her from running away. Now, now, Yujin wouldn’t let Minjoo go home acting like this. It was always better to settle things immediately. Yujin would be restless anyway knowing that there was something bothering Minjoo.

“What?” Minjoo asked when Yujin grabbed her, stopping her from walking further. Her tone was a little bit harsh and cold, her facade was finally breaking and her feelings were leaking out.

Yujin bit her inner cheek. “Let’s talk. What’s wrong? Tell me.” She insisted, still tightly gripping on Minjoo’s arm but not enough to hurt her, just enough to prevent her from fleeing away.

“There’s nothing wrong. I just had a bad day, okay?” Minjoo answered, her brows furrowed, and still refused to look back at Yujin.

Heaving a sigh, Yujin took a step closer, and tugged Minjoo closer to her until they were just a step away from each other. “You know well that I won’t let you ride your car until you answer me honestly, Joo-yah.” She softly murmured.

Minjoo finally turned to face Yujin, she was scowling and she looked frustrated. “I don’t have an answer, Yujin. Because I don’t know, I don’t ing know.” She answered, lifting her hand to cover her face — a little bit ashamed of herself that her emotions got the best of her, and was about to have a breakdown.

Yujin’s heart shattered, her shoulders went slump as she watched Minjoo try to suppress her cry and hold back her petty tears. It really hurt the most seeing her like this. Their stands were pretty confusing but still, it was painful to see Minjoo getting frustrated and breaking down because she was feeling something she shouldn’t feel.

Gently, Yujin took a step forward and engulfed Minjoo into a warm, tight hug. She heard the older woman’s breath hitched when she caged her around her arms.

“It’s okay, baby.” Yujin whispered, tightening her embrace until Minjoo melted into the hug. “We’re okay.”

“Stop it. You’re making me feel guiltier because of this, Yujin-ah. I should deal with this myself. You don’t need to say or explain anything. I’m the problem here.” Minjoo murmured, not even hugging back, holding herself back.

Yujin was alright with it though, she was willing to explain to give Minjoo reassurance she needed but she was also a little bit touched that the older woman was also trying to control these kinds of emotions — she was the married woman, a committed woman with a child.

But they were humans after all. Yujin was who Minjoo’s heart wanted all along.

With a sigh, Yujin pulled away from the hug, and Minjoo just awkwardly stood there, glancing at the younger woman. “I’m sorry I acted like that again. Too selfish.” She whispered, sighing frustratedly to herself as she slid her fingers along her short locks.

Yujin gave her a tight smile, “Be selfish. I will not stop you.”

Minjoo just gave Yujin a pointed look. “You’re not making me feel better at all, Yuj.”

The younger woman just laughed lightheartedly. “Drive safely. Text me once you’ve arrived. Have a good night, Joo.” She said, and turned to little Yujin who was patiently waiting for her mom inside the car then gave her a wave — the kid waved back from the inside.

Yujin stood there outside until Minjoo’s car finally drove away and couldn’t be seen anymore. After that, she went back inside her cafe and was ready to help her workers as she drowned in her thoughts as usual.

It was pitiful, really. The both of them were so hopeless and helpless. However, that was just the way it was. Standing across each other with a line separating them. A line that couldn’t be crossed.

Both of them were confusing. And Yujin was so used to it. She was a huge fool for trying to barely reach for Minjoo on thin ice but still, she willingly skated around like a stupid woman.

After falling in love with Minjoo, Yujin lost the ability to differentiate right and wrong anymore.

Minjoo was a slave of cowardice. Yujin was a slave of foolish love.

***

June 02, 2037

“She got jealous again, what?” Jahyeon asked after taking a long sip from her milk tea. Yujin shrugged, taking the trash and leftovers from the nearby table.

They were talking about what happened last week. Yujin shared about meeting Kim Joorim and how Minjoo witnessed their interaction that resulted into something not so unusual for the both of them but confusing for other people. Jahyeon didn’t say much since she was once like that for the one she loved so she understood her friend very well, and her situation with Minjoo.

She then took the tray, facing Jahyeon who was sitting on the seat like she owned the entire place. “I think so,” replied Yujin, and went to the kitchen to drop the dirty plates and dumped the trash into the bin before walking back to her friend, sitting across her while wiping her hands with a clean cloth.

Jahyeon let out a snort, nibbling on the straw of her drink as she gave Yujin a look. “And what did you do? You became a fool again?”

Yujin gave her a meaningful smile which made the Korean-American girl roll her eyes. “I became a fool for Minjoo, again? No, Lee Jahyeon, you know from the very beginning that I’m already a huge fool for that woman so why are you surprised?” She said, chuckling lightly.

“I mean, if I saw my girl giving out her number to a pretty woman who I don’t even know, I’d be flaming in jealousy too.”

After that, the two friends talked until a customer entered the cafe which made Yujin stand up, ready to help but she was slightly surprised by a familiar face entering her establishment.

It was Kim Joorim. She was hesitantly entering the cafe, looking like a lost child in the middle of a mall. When she spotted Yujin approaching, she immediately bowed a bit and greeted her. “Hello!”

“Hi, Joorim-ssi. Going to order?” Yujin asked with a soft smile, walking behind the counter, and ready to take Joorim’s order.

The dancer nodded eagerly, pointing at the menu. “Can I get an iced vanilla latte to go?” She softly ordered, and Yujin nodded, punched her order to the machine, and said the price. Joorim immediately gave her the right amount.

“I’ll just make it, hold on,” Yujin said and started to make Joorim’s drink. The dancer waited by the counter, checking her phone from time to time but most of the time she watched Yujin make her order.

“Going to the dance studio?” Yujin decided to start a conversation, and Joorim was slightly taken aback.

She cleared and nodded, “Yeah~! I have new students to teach.” Joorim chirped, and Yujin hummed in response, pouring the expresso on the cup with milk then vanilla flavoring. She then grabbed a pen from the counter and secretly wrote something on the side before giving the latte to Joorim.

“Have a great day, Joorim-ssi.” Yujin said with a big smile.

Joorim went red all over and bowed again. “T-Thank you, Yujin-ssi! You too! Hopefully, no customers will make your job harder.”

With that, the dancer finally went away and Yujin went back to Jahyeon who was wearing an amused smirk — the moment Yujin sat back on her previous seat, the other woman snickered. “Ah no wonder Minjoo feels threatened. She’s pretty,” She commented. Yujin glared at her but Jahyeon did not stop.

“Why don’t you try to date that girl? She seems very interested in you. You’re not getting younger, Yujin.”

“No, thank you. She’s too nice.”

“Just say you don’t want to hurt Minjoo. That married woman.”

“It’s not that, you dimwit.”

“Then what?” Jahyeon asked, finishing off her milk tea.

Yujin sighed, “You know I don’t want to drag somebody else in this madness of mine. You were enough, and you’re literally the proof that I’m unable to work things out with other people, romantically. I’m too smitten with Minjoo. I don’t want to give false hope. And you know that.” She responded, deflating.

Jahyeon shrugged at what Yujin had said. “It was just a suggestion but in the end, you know it’ll be your decision, Ahn.”

After that, they just mostly talked about little Yujin. Of course, Jahyeon knew little Yujin, and they somehow got along nicely much to Minjoo’s annoyance. She and Minjoo weren’t really close but the former just really loved to tease the married woman so much.

Jahyeon also told Yujin that she was planning to pursue her degree again in the States next year and kept teasing the taller woman that she wouldn’t be around that much anymore and she would miss her annoying presence greatly.

Fifteen minutes later, Yujin’s phone lit up, indicating that someone messaged her so she checked it — it was Joorim. She sent a picture of her cup, showing the short message that Yujin had written: Good luck, dance well! Don’t get injured.

Joorim’s message was, ‘thank you, yujin-ssi! i will definitely give all of my best~ and don’t worry much about that because i wont!!!’.

And it made Yujin smile a bit. It was the first time Joorim texted her after she got her number last week. Hmm, Kim Joorim was really a nice woman.

Jahyeon did not say anything, just staring at Yujin as she composed a reply for Joorim. She could only think, “You deserve someone who can make you smile like that but I also know Minjoo is the only one who can make you the happiest…”

***

February 05, 2038

 

It was Minjoo’s 37th birthday.

And as usual, she just had a small celebration with her friends; mixed — from the acting industry, from the idol industry, and some non-celebrities. But they were just few. They had a simple party at the VIP garden lounge of Yujin’s cafe. Minjoo loved simplicity.

Everyone was happy and enjoying themselves.

Little Yujin was playing with Yooeun at the corner while eating their candies, despite their , they still got along very well like blood related cousins — Eunbi’s daughter really took care of Yujin very well.

Yujin was helping the workers with the drinks and food, sometimes subtly glancing at Minjoo — who was the most beautiful in that party, by the way. She was wearing a red fitted dress with a black blazer draped across her shoulders, her short black hair was slightly curled, and there was a flower tucked on her ear.

Damn, Yujin almost spilled a drink on a visitor because she was staring at Minjoo too much.

A few moments after, her phone vibrated, and she took it out, glancing at the called ID first before accepting it, “Joorim-ah, are you here already?”

“Yes. Uhm, can you fetch me from the entrance? I’m too shy to enter.”

Yujin chuckled at that, and told Joorim to stay in her spot and she would fetch her. The cafe owner then walked out of the lounge and immediately spotted Joorim by the counter, fidgeting, and obviously nervous.

“Hey,”

“Yujin-unnie. Am I really invited there? I mean, the visitors must be really popular—”

“Yes. I’ve already told Minjoo about you. Come, I’ll introduce you to her.” Yujin cut her friend’s blabbers, and took Joorim’s wrist, dragging her into the lounge.

Joorim would fit in. She was wearing a very nice outfit, and she really got a strong aura like typical celebrities. She was just shy and thought she would feel out of place since she was ‘just’ a choreographer from Chaeyeon’s dance studio.

Yes, both of them were good friends after what happened last year. Joorim became a regular in her cafe, always dropping by to get her usual order in the morning before she went to work. And there was when their friendship blossomed. They clicked along very well, although they weren’t really close like Yujin was with Jahyeon — they were still good friends.

“Oh, pretty dancer unnie~” little Yujin greeted Joorim the moment she saw her entering with her Auntie.

Joorim immediately cooed, her nervousness fading the moment she saw the little one and ruffled her hair. “Hi there, Jin~” She chirped, and they did a high-five. Since Joorim was great at dealing with kids, she became really close with little Yujin since the latter was often lingering around the cafe whenever she visited.

“Ah, there’s Minjoo. Hey, Yujin-ie, we’ll be back, okay? Pretty dancer unnie will just greet mommy a happy birthday, alrighty?” Yujin said after spotting that Minjoo was alone and not talking with someone as of the moment, just standing there while holding a glass of champagne.

Yujin gently dragged the shy Joorim in front of Minjoo and the latter immediately noticed them approaching, throwing the both of them a small smile.

Of course, Minjoo knew about Joorim, well — she first learned about her when she saw the two interacting that night outside the cafe. And well, one knew what happened after. But then, Yujin and Joorim became good friends and the former sometimes talked about her to Minjoo so the older woman was aware.

Minjoo immediately agreed that Yujin should invite Joorim to attend her birthday party and meet her personally because they never got the chance to meet each other properly. She was a great friend of Yujin after all, and she seemed less insufferable than Jahyeon.

“H-Hello! Happy birthday, Minjoo-ssi. I’m Kim Joorim.” Joorim greeted shyly, stuttering as she bowed to Minjoo; her eyes sparkled as she stared at Minjoo who was standing a few steps away from her. She then immediately offered a small box to Minjoo, her gift.

Minjoo’s smile went broad, also bowing back. “Hello. Don’t worry, I know you. Yujin told me about you.” She said, and took the gift. “Thank you so much. Please, enjoy yourself.”

The gift was actually Yujin’s recommendation. Macarons. Since Joorim wouldn’t want to go empty handed and was panicking about what to buy as a present, Yujin told her that any gift would do because Minjoo would take anything happily. She then suggested macarons so that was what Joorim bought.

After that, Yujin led Joorim to the same table as Chaeyeon and Eunbi with little Yujin and Yooeun so she would be comfortable. The dancer was so excited that she met another former IZ*ONE member — well, she was still a huge fan before so she was starstruck. Even though she was closely working with Chaeyeon and Eunbi, and good friends with Yujin; she was still in awe.

Yujin also sat at the same table, just watching Minjoo talk with other guests and friends. And when she spotted that the older woman went to the corner, Yujin stood up and excused herself before following Minjoo.

She spotted the woman behind the wall of the longue, there was a small pathway in there. She saw how Minjoo sighed, and fixed her hair that was drenched with sweat already. The woman looked tired after socializing and tending some guests for hours. This particular space was really great for a temporary escape from the crowd.

“You good?” Yujin finally decided to reveal herself.

Minjoo wasn’t even surprised at her sudden appearance, just taking a handkerchief from the pocket of her blazer and gently wiped off the sweat forming on her head. Her moves were sluggish due to exhaustion. “Yes. Just a little bit tired. I’m really getting old.” She answered with a playful tone.

Yujin settled beside her, still taller than Minjoo despite the latter wearing heels. She smiled at her fondly, watching her wipe herself. Couldn’t even control herself, Yujin reached for Minjoo’s hand and yanked the handkerchief away from her hold.

Minjoo was a little confused from her action but flinched a bit when Yujin folded the handkerchief nicely before gently damping it to her forehead, wiping the sweat off. However, Minjoo did not even say anything and let Yujin do whatever she wanted, just shivering when Yujin lifted her other hand to cup her jaw gently to steady her as she continued wiping the beads of sweat forming on her forehead carefully and seriously — afraid to ruin Minjoo’s make-up.

“Joorim is cute, and she’s really great. I can tell.” Minjoo suddenly said, breaking off the silence between them. The murmurs from the lounge and the gentle music blasting off from the speaker could be heard and it felt stuffy and awkward.

Yujin hummed, moving her hand to wipe Minjoo’s neck after her face. The older woman stared at Yujin silently, her eyes roaming from her face and entire appearance.

The younger woman was wearing a clean white shirt with two buttons open that flaunted her neck and firm collarbones, the upper part of her black crop top inside was peeking already. The shirt was tucked into her black pants, and wearing sneakers — just simple but her appeal was overflowing. Her long black hair was also tied up into a bun which made her facial features appear sharper even more. What a goddess she was.

After a few seconds, Yujin was done and folded the handkerchief again, tucking it into the pocket of her pants. It was hers anyway. “Do you want some iced drinks to cool off?” Yujin then asked.

Minjoo shook her head, and just took a step closer to Yujin, her hands reaching for the collar of her shirt. The younger woman did not flinch, she just went tense because of their close proximity.

Slowly, Minjoo buttoned Yujin’s shirt — only the second one because she didn’t like that the clothing she was wearing inside was peeking out already, and straightened her collar. Yujin just smiled at the sweet action, staring at Minjoo like she was her whole world.

“You’re the most beautiful.” Yujin blurted out.

Minjoo wasn’t amused, still mindlessly fiddling on the collar of Yujin’s shirt. “You’re just saying that because it’s my birthday today.”

It made Yujin frown. “You’re always the most beautiful. What do you mean? I always compliment you, lady.” She replied, playfully rolling her eyes.

Minjoo’s eyes narrowed, halting her movements. “I better be the only one who you compliment like this.” She warned, finally retreating her hands and crossed her arms instead to prevent them from wandering around.

Yujin just laughed and nodded before dragging her back to the lounge.

Everything flowed smoothly as usual, however, in the middle of the party — an unexpected surprise suddenly happened.

“Happy birthday, darling.”

Of course, the husband, Song Jihyeok. Yujin tried not to have a sour mood when the guy suddenly appeared from the entrance, holding a huge bouquet of flowers.

“Jihyeok-ah? I thought you can’t come?” Minjoo was also surprised because she knew that her husband had some schedules but his presence wasn’t unwelcomed, approaching him quickly.

Jihyeok grinned at her, wiggling his brows as he handed the flowers to his wife. “I asked my manager to cancel the schedule since I want to spend my wife’s birthday. Thankfully, we managed to tweak some few things so here I am. Hopefully, I’m not too late.” He explained, and wrapped his strong arm around Minjoo’s waist.

Yujin chewed her inner cheek, pretending not to be affected but seeing the two acting like a married couple that they were — well, it hurt a bit. It stung.

The crowd whistled, and literally howled when Jihyeok leaned in to press a brief kiss on Minjoo’s lips. Yujin looked away immediately before she could even see their lips brushing together. She could feel Eunbi’s worried stare across from her.

“Oh my, they are so sweet. A power couple indeed.” Joorim commented beside Yujin, sighing dreamily as she watched Minjoo and Jihyeok. She then helped little Yujin stand up from her seat so she could greet her father.

Jihyeok’s face lit up when he saw his little girl, carrying her in his arms, and pressed a kiss on little Yujin’s cheek. The latter giggled, and Minjoo smiled at them — the others immediately asked for them to look at the camera for a family picture.

Yujin just took a sip from her wine, mum. What a happy family…

Another few hours passed, and it was already night. Joorim already went home because she couldn’t stay up late much. The other guests also went home too, and the ones who stayed were close friends, drinking wine.

Yujin finished off her fifth glass of wine before standing up, ready to clean up even for just a bit since she needed to get her mind off of the gutter. She wasn’t tipsy, a little light headed but could still perfectly function. She silently walked to the empty table, picking up some trash when suddenly, there was a person beside her.

When Yujin turned around, she was slightly surprised to see that it was Song Jihyeok — he was smiling at her. Yujin smiled back, “What can I do for you, Jihyeok-oppa?” asked the woman, pausing her duties first to face Jihyeok properly.

Jihyeok leaned against the table. “I just want to have a short conversation with you. If that’s okay?”

Yujin nodded. She and Jihyeok weren’t particularly close but they were friends. She spent a lot of time in Minjoo’s and sometimes, she would interact with Jihyeok. She wasn’t bitter, she didn’t hate Jihyeok — he was simply innocent from her and Minjoo’s mess. He was a good man too.

“Sure.” Yujin answered simply with a smile.

Jihyeok threw a smile at her before turning his back against Yujin, taking a bottle of wine from the other table and two glasses, placing the other glass in front of Yujin — he then opened the wine bottle, pouring a generous amount to both glasses.

Yujin took it with a small ‘thanks’, taking a sip.

Jihyeok also took a sip before speaking, “I just really want to thank you. I simply owe you a lot, Yujin-ah.” He softly said.

Yujin smiled at the man. “For what?”

Taking another sip from his wine, Jihyeok turned to fully face Yujin again, a small smile on his lips. “For taking care of my wife, and my daughter too.” He elaborated briefly.

Nodding, Yujin just waved it off, shaking her head. “Of course. That’s not a big deal at all, Jihyeok-oppa. Minjoo is… a close friend, and Yujin-ie is my lovely niece. I’ll do whatever it takes to give them all the best.” She answered, her lips lightly pressing against the rim of the wine glass — her gaze lowered down, feeling her heart swell.

“Thank you, really, Yujin-ah — for always giving them the best. I really owe you a lot. You make my wife and daughter happy.”

Yujin just smiled at him.

They had a short random conversation about that, even chuckling at stuff. Until Jihyeok suddenly said something.

“I want to give little Yujin a sibling,” Jihyeok mindlessly blurted.

Yujin froze at that, turning to Jihyeok. The latter then chuckled. “I know my beloved daughter has wanted a little sibling since forever — however, I don’t know if Minjoo can still bear a child smoothly since she’s getting old.” He added, shaking his head, then turned to Yujin.

“That would be nice, right? Another little kid running around. Another kid for us to spoil.” Jihyeok continued, chuckling after, and downed his wine.

Yujin was silent beside him, unable to respond to anything. If Minjoo still wanted another child — Yujin was out of it. For sure, Yujin would love that child of Minjoo’s like how she loved little Yujin. But even so, there was a sting in her poor heart.

The conversation was finally cut short when Jihyeok was called by his other friends so Yujin just continued cleaning so there wasn’t much to clean later.

Finally, the party ended when the clock struck eleven. Everyone finally went home, and Yujin carried the sleeping Yujin-ie in her arms since Jihyeok was getting the car. Minjoo was standing beside her as they waited.

Yujin glanced at Minjoo who was silent, just hugging herself. “Happy birthday again, Joo-yah.” She whispered.

Minjoo turned to her, smiling at her — even though her smile was a little bit strained because of exhaustion, she was still beautiful. “Greeting me again a minute before my birthday ends? Hmm. Just a great way to end it.”

Snorting, Yujin just went silent, softly patting sleeping Yujin-ie’s back. But then, she felt a weight on her shoulder. She took a peek, and of course, it was Minjoo — resting her head on Yujin’s shoulder.

“I still regret not choosing you. Up until to this day, Yujin-ah...”

Yujin froze at Minjoo’s murmur. With a sigh, she did not say anything. It must be the effect of the alcohol but obviously, because of it — her breath hitched. God, why was Jihyeok taking so long? Minjoo might blurt out something that would make Yujin cry again. Her knees already buckled.

“It’s still you. Not him. Not anyone but you.” Minjoo whispered with a hoarse, trembling voice.

Yujin did not say anything. She was already tired of this. Although after their closure years ago, the topic related to their deep feelings was rare to talk about since the both of them avoided opening the painfully healing wound.

But that night, it seemed like Minjoo was getting haunted by those things again, boosted by the alcohol — she couldn’t help but to spill some painful facts.

The corner of her lips slowly tugged upwards. Her numb heart was feeling that delicious ache again. The pain that Minjoo herself could only give her. “Hmm. For me, it’s also still you. No one else. Only you, Minjoo-ah.”

Yujin had already stopped asking the question, “When will this madness end?” to herself, to the universe, to God, to Minjoo — because she knew well and accepted the fact that it would never stop until the very end of her life.

***

A/N: soooo LMFAODOSADASHDAH how was the first part? yes. this will have three parts~ i hope i can update it once a week so please be patient. im pretty busy with my schoolworks so i can’t write as much.

anyway, imma open some scar again~ just kidding. i know some of you are so angry because of this frustrating story yeah yeah im here to fix that but please ig be kinder? i kind of got a few harsh comments because of tyac’s storyline pls this is just a fiction lmfao

i also want to continue this story even way before since i cannot accept that they won’t end up in this lifetime. i also know that ten years and counting is known because of its pure-angst and painful ‘ending’.

if you think that their story had ended even way before then so be it, you’re free not to continue reading if you think it won’t be good~ however, like i said, this story is a commission.

you can hate the characters, yes. but i do hope y’all wont be too harsh 😭😓

be safe yall~ and comments and upvotes are well-appreciated.