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Flashback | Jimin, Year 12

Minjeong's chin rests on her hand, eyes closed, attempting to sleep. She has already finished her meal, leaving her friends behind at the cafeteria to compensate for the all-nighter she pulled last night.

A normal occurrence for a thriving student.

She doesn't open her eyes upon hearing the chair beside her move. Minjeong knows the sound, has memorized it by heart.

Our little one is sitting beside the window, where the sun rays are nowhere to be seen. She feels the chair move again.

Minjeong only opened her eyes once the marching dies down. Her chin still rests on her hand, she questioningly looks at Jimin. "What do you need? You're disturbing my sleep," she asks one brow arching.

Jimin flips her wine-stained hair to her right shoulder, hands resting on the window sill. "I passed," she says, looking at her shoes. She'll miss wearing one after high school.

Minjeong hums, "Yeah. I know that already. You ace every exam, Jimin. You don't even need to prepare for them." Her forearm covers as she yawns.

She now stares at her friend, giving up her most needed sleep. Jimin is smiling at her, biting her lower lip. Minjeong takes her eyes further down, paying attention to how her friend was playing with her fingers.

And then Minjeong realizes, "," Jimin's eyes grew bigger. "Sorry!" the younger covers . The older laughs at this, walking towards the younger's seat.

Finally, she decides to sit on Minjeong's table now that the younger one is sitting properly. "Where did you pass?" Minjeong eagerly asks.

Jimin s her coat before smoothening the fabric, "Guess first. Where's the fun in telling you, Minjeongie."

The younger frustratedly runs her fingers through her blonde mane. She wants to know right away, but Jimin (oh dear God!) will never let her get the answer that easy.

So, Minjeong leans on the chair's backrest, taking the view of Jimin in. She begins to observe her, face down to Jimin's feet. Minjeong finds it hard.

Jimin giggles upon hearing the younger clicking her tongue. "Don't laugh! You're distracting me," Minjeong's brows are beginning to knit as she crosses her arms.

Then it hit her, she returns her gaze at Jimin's fingers. The older was playing with her rosary ring, constantly removing then placing it back to her pointer finger.

Minjeong knows Jimin was perturbed despite the good omen.

Then, she voices out her answer, "Out of the country."

Jimin smiles, leaning forward, "You have to be exact!"

By this time, Minjeong's already defeated, but she swiftly masks the emotion. This is not about what she feels.

"Oh, I know. It's in the West," the younger smirks. "Okay, you're getting there. But I need a name, silly," Jimin ruffles her blonde hair.

Minjeong scowls, "Wait! I'm trying to remember the universities you applied for."

And while she's thinking, Jimin goes through her lecture notes. Occasionally nodding as she reads the information written.

"Are you going to PRATT?"

Jimin puts down the notebook, a wide smile plastered on her face. "I am!" vigorously nodding. The younger stands up, arms wide open.

The red-haired launches herself there, in the comfort of Minjeong's arms. "Ah, no doubt you'd get there!" she pats Jimin's back, playfully hitting a little hard.

And when the older attempts to break free from the hug, Minjeong grips her tighter. Jimin knows how to untangle herself from this mischievous child; she tickles Minjeong on her sides, on her tummy.

The younger cutely laughs, her arms now loosely clinging on the elder’s body, "Stop!"

"Poor baby," Jimin comments, looking at how Minjeong fixes her uniform.

"Okay, so art school," the younger starts. Jimin nods, unconsciously playing with her fingers.

Minjeong reaches for it, tracing the details on the elder’s rosary ring. "You can call me whenever you're stressed with deadlines. I can be a source of entertainment," she proudly tells Jimin.

The red-haired laughs at this. "I'm not even done with year 12 yet," she retorts. Minjeong shrugs her shoulders, "The offer still stands, though."

Jimin shakes her head, "You'll just take more of my time." Minjeong doesn't know how she was able to laugh at the elder’s jest when she felt a prick on her heart the moment those words came out of Jimin's mouth.

They spent the next 20 minutes talking about the news. The younger helped Jimin think of answers to possible questions her family could throw at her once she informs them regarding this.

In the last five minutes, as they both lean against the windows, Minjeong asks the question that has been bothering her. "Why PRATT, Jimin? I mean, our country's good with arts too. Our universities perform well with the program you'd be taking. Why study abroad?" she asks in her sulking voice.

Jimin doesn't answer, she was busy tracing letters on the surface of the window. Minjeong sighs, watching the movements of her friend.

The red-haired knows that Minjeong understands why. She doesn't have to say it out for her.

She was tracing the word summer with her fingers.

Jimin turns to look at Minjeong, affectionately smiling at the younger, "I'll come home every summer."

"That's the problem, Jiminie," Minjeong pouts. "We won't be able to celebrate our birthdays together anymore."

It's a statement the red-haired cannot counter, can she? So, Jimin looks at her wristwatch, "Break's almost over. I have to go."

Minjeong nods, pulling the elder’s hand. They walked off to the red-haired's classroom, and no one dared to talk. Once there, the younger smiles, sliding the door for Jimin, "I'd look forward to summer breaks from now on."

She lets go of the red-haired's hand, turning her back. She's going to be late if she doesn't hurry. But she stood frozen when she felt Jimin's arms on her waist, her chin resting on the younger's shoulder. "I'd miss you too."

---

Jimin never dialed Minjeong's number whenever she was stressed out. She knows that the younger would drop everything to accommodate her no matter when or where. And she hates when the blonde does that; she doesn't want Minjeong to think that she's only calling whenever it gets tiring, tedious, and hard for her.

So, Jimin only calls when she feels accomplished, to share the positivity to the younger. She likes it when she hears Minjeong giggling from the other line. Jimin knows Minjeong feels giddy at this kind of news.

Or perhaps, Jimin doesn't want to worry Minjeong.

For instance, Minjeong also applied for a university in New York the year after Jimin flew to Brooklyn. The result didn't surprise the older, but when Minjeong told her that she was considering studying there, Jimin immediately persuades her not to.

Saying that it doesn't match Minjeong's study principles, her personality even.

"The crowded streets would tire the hell out of you, Minjeongie. The garbage problem here? Gosh, it's unbearable."

Minjeong laughs, "You should've gone home by the first semester if that was the issue, Jiminie. You hate those things too."

"My dream, remember? How about you? Why do you consider studying here?"

"You're there."

"See? You lack motivation."

"You are the motivation," Minjeong whispers. "Besides, we can stay in one apartment. That would be cool!"

"What were you saying? I didn't get that. See how noisy the streets are? Cars honking everywhere! You'd grow old here, forming wrinkles on your forehead."

Minjeong laughs at Jimin's obvious attempts to stop her from flying to New York.

"Nothing. I'll stay here. I'm accepting the scholarship offered by SNU," she tells the older, finally giving up.

But the truth is, Jimin doesn't want to have Minjeong there because the younger would be one call away again.

If Jimin's a master in the field of arts, Minjeong's a prodigy of science.

The older knows Minjeong's schedule would be tight. She doesn't want to be another burden to her dearest friend if she decides to study there.

She heaves a sigh of relief when Minjeong drops the call.

---

Today, her last summer vacation in art school begins. She's been packing since afternoon with the help of her dormmate, Ning Yizhuo, one of her juniors at the uni.

"You're packing a lot for a month worth of vacation," the younger points out. Jimin stops folding her clothes, "I'm not bringing these back. I'm graduating, Ning. With this, I won't be packing a lot when I finally go back to South Korea to stay."

"Huh? You're not pursuing a career here?" kneeling on one luggage to zip it close.

"Nope. Not my audience," Jimin smiles.

"You've been consistent," the older turns, questioningly staring at Yizhuo.

"Hmm?"

"Going home every summer vacay. I've been curious, Jimin. Do you have a lover back home?" Jimin lets out a boisterous laugh.

But Yizhuo was having none of it. She thinks that the older was trying to evade the question, "Hear me out!"

Jimin wipes the funny tears, "Okay, go ahead. Why do you think so?"

"You're always excited to fly home. That's exhausting, Jimin! Packing and unpacking. And, you're on a call with someone every weekend. I have a hunch that you have a Korean lover back there in SK."

The older shakes her head, "I have none, Yizhuo. What are you even saying?"

"Give me your phone," confident that she has none, Jimin hands the phone at once.

Yizhuo promptly goes to the elder’s phone calls, and there she found none other than Minjeong's contact information.

She shows it to Jimin, smiling ear to ear.

The latter chuckles, "Are you talking about Minjeong?"

"Stop laughing!" Yizhuo strides to stand before Jimin.

"She's a friend back home."

"I refuse to believe that you'd be calling a friend every weekend. I don't even call my best friend weekly!"

Jimin scratches her nape, "Well, she's a friend since childhood. We have this kind of bond I can't explain."

Yizhuo flashes a mischievous smile, "What's her college program? How can the two of you allot these hours on call?"

"Sometimes, we don't even talk. We just kind of you know, breathe and do our own things," Jimin explains, motioning her hand.

"Her program?" Yizhuo reminds her.

"Computer engineering, why?"

"Yeah, you guys do share a very special bond." Yizhuo teases, tossing the phone back to Jimin. "She sent a message, by the way."

Mindeongie
Sorry, I missed your call.
Just got out of the uni!
I won't call tonight for you to miss me!

Yizhuo throws a shirt at Jimin, "You're smiling! Don't bite your lip, goddamnit, Jimin! Childhood friend my ."

Jiminie
As if!

Mindeongie
As if what?

Jiminie
As if you can bear the night
without dialing my number.

Mindeongie
Touché
Can I call now?

Jiminie

I won't answer.

Don't miss me too much!

---

Minjeong is laughing at Jimin's sleepy state. The 14-hour flight must be really tiring for the now raven-haired since she boarded the plane a day after her class.

"Well, that's a lot," she softly yells, enough for Jimin to hear.

The raven's eyes widen, "What are you doing here?!" She asks, practically letting Minjeong carry her weight as she jumps to hug the younger. "Who misses who now?" Minjeong kids, trying her best to balance the two of them.

Jimin lets go of the hug, arms draped over the younger's shoulders. She stares at Minjeong, "You look great."

The younger was clad in a black shirt, tucked under a pair of ankle-length denim jeans, and white chucks. "Straight from uni?" Jimin asks as they start to walk back to her luggage.

She hands Minjeong the smaller baggage. "Hmm, my last day," she smiles. Jimin even had to hunch down to see the younger's eyes under her baseball cap.

"I thought unnie would be the one to fetch me."

"Emergency meeting at their company. I got her message hours ago," Minjeong tells her before opening the car's trunk.

She tells Jimin to leave the luggage with her, and settle on the shotgun seat. The art student withdraws her phone from her pocket to message her parents that she has landed safely, and is now with Minjeong.

The younger open's the door, locking the seatbelt on the buckle before looking at Jimin, "Where do you want to go?" She looks at the time displayed on the infotainment, "No one's home yet."

Jimin removes the jacket she was wearing. Minjeong taps on the steering wheel as she watches the raven fold the garment on her lap.

Her friend was wearing a black cami top that reaches her midriff underneath the discarded jacket. It was paired with white high-waisted wide-leg pants.

"Take me somewhere we can eat? I'm famished," the art student pouts, rubbing her tummy.

Minjeong laughs at her gesture, moving the gear shift to drive, "Let me guess? You want something flavorful?"

Jimin winks at Minjeong, placing her feet atop the glove compartment. The younger doesn't prohibit her; instead, she presses a button to make Jimin's seat lean back.

---

Two hours ago

Minjeong is rapidly typing on her laptop when Aeri sat beside her inside a coffee shop in Gangnam. The younger was writing an email addressed to their professor.

"Where are you going after this?" the latter asks, placing Minjeong's drink beside her.

"Thank you," Minjeong removes the lid before sipping. "Incheon. I'm fetching Jimin."

Aeri meaningfully grins, "Jimin, huh?"

Nodding, "Why?" the younger asks.

"She's the girl who appears on your IG feed whenever we're on summer break, right?"

Minjeong nods, taking another sip from the cup. "Yes, is something wrong?"

"I don't know. You tell me, Min. Is something wrong? Doesn't anything bother you?" Aeri leans in to whisper, noticing that a crew member was eyeing the two of them.

"As far as I'm concerned, everything seems to be fine, Aeri."

The older shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know, but during summer it seems to me that you're in love," she nonchalantly reveals.

Minjeong places the cup back on the table, discerning what her friend just said.

She gulps.

Aeri was now laughing beside her, scrolling through the younger's Instagram feed. She shows the photos to Minjeong, "See how your bodies gravitate whenever the camera's pointed towards the two of you?"

Minjeong doesn't answer. Questions begin to flood her mind. Aeri's query surely flipped the hell out of her.

"This! Why are you even looking at each other like this while talking?! Like hello Jimin and Minjeong, notice us!"

---

"Do you have a flannel that has a thin material?" Minjeong reached for it at the backseat, placing the garment on Jimin's lap.

She checks her phone while waiting for the latter to get ready, "Do you still want to eat? Your sister just messaged."

"What did she say?"

"She's taking you to dinner."

"Are you coming?"

"Well, she's inviting me too. But I think I'll pass this time," she looks up, meeting Jimin's piercing gaze.

"And why is that?"

Minjeong swallows, "For you to bond with your family, what else?"

"You can always join us, Minjeong." The younger unbuckles her seatbelt, "Next time, Jimin," she smiles before unlocking the car doors.

"Alright. How about joining me for a walk?" Jimin tugs her arm. With her knitted brows, Minjeong looks at her, "All of a sudden?"

Jimin opens her door, and Minjeong immediately follows.

"Wait for me!" she shouts, locking the car.

They found themselves walking the streets halfway from Seongnam-si to Ansan. Jimin was leading them, as though assuring Minjeong that her 4-year stay in New York never broke her bond with South Korea.

As they pass under street lights and unlit city lights, Jimin starts a conversation. "How's university life, Minjeongie? Still no partner?" she asks, right arm draped over the younger's shoulders. Minjeong halts her steps, "Are you seriously asking this, Jimin?" an astonished smile is on her lips. She clicks her tongue, giggling at the question.

"It's a serious question, why are you laughing?"

"Because I should be asking you that," the younger looks at her. "I can hear people trying their way to get you, you know? Whenever we're on call." Jimin shakes her head, "They're not my type."

"Hmm? Has your type changed over the years?" Minjeong was intrigued with the answer. Does this mean she likes someone already?

"Ah, you're curious," Jimin pinches the younger's cheeks earning a groan from her. "Why do you like doing that?" Minjeong leers at the older, nursing her reddening cheeks.

"Oops, wrong, Minjeongie. I love doing that," eyes forming crescent moons before pulling Minjeong's hand.

Soon, Minjeong is greeted by the sea breeze of Tando Port. Jimin was taking pictures of her, caught in awe by the birds flying around them. And when she turns to look at the art student, Jimin instructs her to smile.

Minjeong immediately frowns. Jimin chuckles at this, pocketing her phone.

They found themselves walking down the stairs that leads to the sea. Minjeong tugs on the elder’s hand, "Let's stay here." Jimin smiles, giving up the last two levels before the sea could touch their feet.

Jimin stares at the view far away from them. She observes how the blades of the windmills spin. Then there's a hand in front of her, "Wear this," Minjeong says. The younger was wearing her own pair of sunglasses too.

"You came prepared, huh?"

"I told you to wait." Jimin laughs, getting the glasses from Minjeong's hold.

"What's more awe-striking, Ansan's sunset or New York's?"

"Depends."

"What a vague answer, Yu Jimin."

"In all honesty, Kim Minjeong, it really depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on who you are with."

Jimin rests her left elbow on Minjeong's right shoulder; she lets out a long sigh. Minjeong turns to look at her, paying attention to the sound she emitted. But there was a satisfied smile on Jimin's lips as she stares at the succumbing sun.

Minjeong hates the thought she was picking up from this scenario. Is Ansan more awe-striking today because you are watching it with me? Jimin, what the heck are you doing to my mind?

Too late, Jimin meets her brown orbs that reflect the scenery. "What are you thinking about?"

Minjeong shakes her head, now looking at the waiting sea.

Jimin stayed that way, fully resting her weight on Minjeong. She wonders for a moment as to why the younger never complains to her. As though every action she does, Minjeong would freely accept. Like she's waiting for Jimin to do all these things so she can start reacting to them, positively.

While the younger muses at the same time, contemplating whether to kiss Jimin on the lips as the sun kisses the sea too.

Jimin frowns when Minjeong suddenly smiled, shaking the thought away. "Silly," Minjeong whispers to herself.

The art student hears this.

Minjeong turns to look at her, both are now not paying attention to the beauty before them. "Jimin," the older takes a step down the stairs, making their height the same.

"Hmm?"

Then the wind blows as if telling Minjeong to have a brave heart. The younger ran her fingers through her hair. She her lips, biting the lower, "What if I tell you that I fall in love every summertime?"

Jimin smiles. Maybe I do know how your mind works, Minjeong. She tucks the strands behind Minjeong's ears. She looks back, the sun's halfway down the sea.

She returns her gaze to Minjeong, smiling as she leans in for a kiss.

“Why not make it every season?” Jimin asks, biting her lower lip after pulling from the kiss.

Minjeong was laughing before her, “Gosh, it really took us this long to realize, huh?”