for minjeong, every morning is special— a time of the day when the rising sun would greet her warmly, when she would quietly walk to ningning's room with steps so nimble and enter slowly.

 

and the moment her eyes land on the sleeping figure wrapped tightly in a soft duvet, quiet snores filling the room, minjeong would smile—small and fondly. the sight softens her internally, blonde hair in a wild mess on the cold pillows, plump cheeks begging her eyes for attention. the golden rays that snuck through the gaps of ningning's curtains spilled on her face, giving her thick hair and nurtured skin a brilliant warm glow.  

 

minjeong takes it all in, ingrains the cozy image in her mind, a moment she holds dear to her heart despite it being an everyday thing. she's certain she would never get tired of this.

 

she ambles over to the bed, sitting at the edge as she reaches out to brush ningning's hair out of her face. it causes ningning to stir from sleep, eyebrows creased, lips pouted when she feels something combing through her hair. she opens her eyes slowly, struggling to fight sleep, and when she sees minjeong, her annoyance instantly dissolves.

 

minjeong gives her a second. and then without a word, ningning clumsily sits up, drowsy, eyes squeezing shut again. minjeong chuckles at her bed head, smoothens the naughty blonde curls standing up on her head with her hand. ningning never wakes up pleased, detests the idea of having to.

 

minjeong told her one day that it's the best part of the day, because she gets to wake up to ningning. sometimes in her room, most times curled up in her arms.

 

"good sleep?" minjeong asks though she knew the answer, tone gentle. when ningning scoots closer, she automatically opens her arms.

 

"no, you weren't beside me." ningning grumbles, lazily latching onto minjeong.

 

her loose grip causes her head to slide down from minjeong's shoulder to her chest, sighing when she hears the soft heartbeat singing in her ear.

 

minjeong shakes her head, rakes her fingers through tangled blonde tresses. ningning preferred having company when she sleeps, and even specified one time that only minjeong would give her the best hugs and sleep. 

 

"at this point, we don't even need separate rooms." minjeong teases.

 

"that's what i've been telling you from the start." ningning murmurs against her chest, before tightening her hold on minjeong and pulling her back on the bed. 

 

minjeong squeals, startled at her sudden action, fails to pry herself from strong grip. ningning whines when she tries to pull away, her arms that wrap around her shoulder eventually loosens, minjeong hovers over her with hands beside her head. she laughs at ningning who's upset, before sitting up and pulling her roommate along with her.

 

"come, i'll carry your lazy ." minjeong says, turning her back to her roommate and pulls her arms over her shoulders before springing up from the bed with a sleepy ning on her back. 

 

she valiantly carries her to the washroom, tapping on ningning's leg once they reached to release her waist. ningning slackens her grip despite her protesting groans, trudging beside minjeong at the sink. she crinkles her nose when she looks at herself in the mirror, minjeong passing her toothbrush with a neat white line of toothpaste on it.

 

sometime in the midst of brushing their teeth side by side, ningning catches minjeong going in and out of sleep. she chortles at the sight, nudging the latter's ribs which effectively woke her up with a jolt.

 

"you're the one who woke me up and now you're dozing off." ningning moves on to wash her face.

 

minjeong scoffs at herself, toothbrush hanging in the corner of as she blankly stares in the mirror.

 

"never realised how tired i was until i completed a report yesterday." she says, muffled with all the toothpaste foaming in .

 

ningning hums in understanding, feeling a little bad. she turns her head to minjeong whose eyes were now closed, then leans her forehead on minjeong's temple.

 

"you feeling alright? maybe you could skip-"

 

"no, i don't feel like or anything," minjeong objects, then narrows her eyes at ningning in the mirror with suspicion. "and you're just saying that because you wanna skip, don't you?"

 

ningning draws back, lips curled on one end as she mindlessly shrugs.

 

"caught me. figure drawing class is getting boring." ningning admits, squeezing a bottle of moisturiser into her palm before rubbing it all over her face.

 

"boring? there are real models posing for you, i'd be having nosebleeds." minjeong pulls ningning's hair back, tying them in a low ponytail as she shamelessly responds. 

 

she sounded genuinely intrigued at the thought, either that or ningning thinks she's a ert. 

 

"not the case if you see them twice weekly and how you have to stand a whole three hours. i swear my posture gets worse everyday." ningning grouses, washing her face a little too aggressively.

 

minjeong merely laughs, patting her on the back before mirroring ningning's actions.

 

"even if you become a hunchback, i'd still love you." minjeong mutters under her breath with a gentle smile spread on her lips, rubbing the moisturiser on her palms.

 

"what was that?" 

 

"i want bacon and eggs."

 

"okay! i'll cook!"

 

.

 

breakfast is rather lively, with ningning singing to her heart's content while expertly flipping eggs and frying bacons, all the while minjeong stood behind her trying her best to dry her long blonde hair with a towel. 

 

and whenever minjeong recognises the song that comes out mellifluously from ningning's mouth, she would hum along, bright smile reflecting hers.

 

when they eat, it's in comfortable silence, each on their phones. if they'd catch the other smiling, they would return it with the same fondness. sometimes like today, ningning would settle beside minjeong instead of in front of her, head resting against her shoulder as she eats. so much could be said without exchanging words, they simply relish the quietude, savouring the warmth of each other's presence.

 

.

 

for ningning, her love language was easy for minjeong to grasp. it was physical touch, nothing out of the ordinary. when they walk to the train station, she would unsconciously loop her arm around minjeong's, and times when she feels brave enough, she would slip her hand in hers, fingers intertwined.

 

for minjeong, it was acts of service, simple or not. it ranges from the smallest of things, like doing ningning's hair or brushing a stray strand from her face, to buying all sorts of desserts and drinks that were ningning's favourites.

 

"let me carry-"

 

"no."

 

ningning rarely ever lets minjeong carry her things, she thinks it's a little too much, it makes her seem like a spoiled brat. however kind minjeong is, she would never take advantage of her. moreover, the girl was carrying a laptop in her bag so why would ningning add to her suffering by letting her carry the annoyingly long drafting tube where her newspaper prints and artworks were rolled in?

 

that aside, the train is always full during morning peak hours. on thursday mornings though, the cabins aren't that packed unlike the other weekdays. only the seats were taken, with barely anyone standing. 

 

if a rare opportunity comes where they were granted vacant seats, they would sit side by side, sometimes dozing off against each other. when they don't, they would keep close to each other, one of them would grab onto a pole while the other held on their elbow. 

 

and on days when the train is packed like sardines, they would be driven in a corner.

 

"what are you doing? sit." minjeong jerks her chin at the only vacant seat behind ningning.

 

she earns a frown in response instead, then a disapproving shake of her head. ningning walks past her, a little wobbly due to the turbulence, and eventually leans against the glass divider that separated her from the row of seats. minjeong sighs, following her roommate who pointedly looks at her.

 

when minjeong stands in front of her, she holds onto the pole beside her, trapping ningning who places her drafting tube between her legs. minjeong attempts to take it, gets flicked on the hand instead and then the blonde settles with hiding the tube behind her, away from minjeong's reach.

 

"i'm not sitting if you aren't." ningning affirms, she takes off her small bag and hugs it, back comfortable against the glass.

 

"you're carrying a-"

 

"quit treating me like a child, i'm not fragile." ningning whisper shouted, rolling her eyes at the taller girl. 

 

minjeong glances around, relieved that most of the passengers were dozing off. then she smiles helplessly at ningning, gently pinching her cheek to get her attention.

 

"i was just being thoughtful."

 

"then don't be," ningning grunts, grabbing the hand that pulled her cheek, bringing it down with a gentle tug. "be selfish for once."

 

minjeong pretends to think, holding her chin. then she glances down and smiles cheekily.

 

"no," 

 

ningning frowns,"uh, yes?"

 

"nope."

 

"yes." 

 

"no- ack!" minjeong winces, releasing a silent cry as she brings up her poor foot which had been victim of assault. 

 

ningning huffs, red painted on her cheeks. minjeong inhales and exhales continuously, wanting the stinging to go away quickly.

 

"stupid." ningning mumbles meekly, leaning forward to place her head on minjeong's shoulder. the latter smiles, knowing it was ningning's peculiar way of apologising indirectly.

 

a little cold for the gesture, but minjeong gets the message nonetheless.

 

it's quite a long train ride, thirty minutes at most, so minjeong gladly lets ningning be, wrapping a firm arm around the girl's waist to hold her steady. she rests her cheek against ningning's head, eyes closed in content as she keeps her close.

 

.

 

"let me go, i'm going to die-" minjeong exhales a lungful when ningning releases her from her embrace, if you could call being wrapped in a death grip one.

 

they've arrived at the entrance of their campus, under concrete canopy. even though it was a usual occurence between them, minjeong feels as if her lung capacity had decreased from all the hugs she gets from ningning, especially goodbye hugs. being in different majors, they were bound to be separated by their assigned buildings after all and ningning would miss her a bit too much for little to no reason.

 

"ugh i don't wanna go, i'm so lazy." ningning starts to walk past minjeong but the latter sighs and grabs onto her bag.

 

"don't be like that, ning ah." minjeong calls out to her, voice soothing. she pulls her out of some student's way, smiling apologetically.

 

ningning reluctantly turns, hugging her ridiculously huge drafting tube. it almost made minjeong laugh seeing how small her roommate was behind it. it's almost as tall as her (it's not).

 

"we have lunch at the same time today, let's go with the girls." minjeong informs her, and for second she thought about literally sending ningning to her class right up the door.

 

ningning wouldn't be pleased though, not wanting minjeong to be late. eventually, they left for their respective classes.

 

minjeong's phone buzzed just as she entered the social sciences building. when she sees the sender's name, she couldn't hold back a smile, cheeks working their muscles.

 

 

'i miss you already'

 

                                                           'acting like we don't see 

                                                     each other every other day'

 

                                                           'we literally parted ways 

                                                                 for like five minutes'

 

'too long~'

 

                                          'ill let you hug me longer next time 

                                                      so dont miss me too much'

 

':DD'

 

                                                                       'just dont kill me'

 

'no promises <3'

 

.

 

the bell chimes when minjeong enters the café which was situated not far from their campus, courtesy of aeri who knew just about every branch of café there is. her eyes start to pan across the place, until she sees arms flailing.

 

ningning's about to fly off her seat as she ushers her over, grinning widely while squealing that jimin and aeri had to remind her that it was a café and that there were other  people wanting to enjoy their lunch in peace.

 

"minjeong!" ningning chirps just as minjeong approaches their table, bag hanging off one shoulder with a kind smile.

 

"hey," minjeong greets them, balancing herself when ningning suddenly throws herself at her in excitement.

 

"why does she always act like you just returned from the military?" jimin leans back in her seat, giving them an unamused look.

 

she runs a hand through her brown locks, gathering them up high to put them in a bun. aeri holds out a hair tie for her wordlessly, which she gladly took. minjeong watches them fondly, places a hand on ningning's head before settling down beside the younger girl.

 

"ning's just clingy like that. anyway, i'm hungry. what do they got here?" minjeong shifts her gaze to the menu which ningning was hogging, marvelling at the array of european dishes. 

 

aeri suddenly raises her hand, practically bouncing in her seat, eyes sparkling with joy.

 

"i! recommend their carbonara pizza! it's so freaking delicious, it's like it was cooked by god himself." aeri sighs dreamily, melting against the table as she looks at the dish in the menu.

 

it evokes laughter from the group, with jimin patting her shoulder gently.

 

"okay, calm down. hunger's really getting to your head huh." she giggles, playing with aeri's ear before pulling away.

 

minjeong nods, stomach growling already. her eyes constantly dart to the door, people slowly surging in and filling the seats in the café. now she understood why aeri was so adamant on coming in early.

 

"sounds good. i'll take whatever ning gets." minjeong says, stretching past ningning to place her bag beside her that situated in the corner of the cafè where the latter's bag was also placed.

 

"every time." jimin's lips curved up, rolling her eyes at the same answer she gets every other day. then she turns her attention to aeri who grabs her shoulder and points at yet another mouth-watering dish.

 

"what? i'm lazy to pick. ning fits my taste." minjeong cluelessly says, placing her elbows on the table.

 

"oh, we know." jimin silently cackles while giving her a sly look, it was then minjeong realised the way she worded herself, cheeks turning crimson red as she glances at ningning.

 

she sighs in relief when she notices ningning too busy drooling at the desserts section. then she glares at jimin who constantly, she'd back with aeri as her trump card but ultimately, minjeong couldn't really be bothered. 

 

she's saving jimin from pure embarrassment, knowing how messy the girl could get when abashed. to put it simply, like wifi or a signal with one bar. 

 

"i want this pomodoro pasta! and the chocolate crunch sundae! oh, and the sparkling pink lemonade!" ningning enthusiastically points out, minjeong holding her shoulder down the more she rises.

 

"amazing beverage choice, i was going for that too! the sodas here are next level." aeri gasps sharply, clapping her hands before exchanging a high five with ningning. 

 

minjeong laughs airily, jimin already calling out to the waiter. when he finishes taking their orders and takes away the menus, minjeong glances at ningning, feeling a warm hand over hers. she's talking animatedly to aeri, with jimin looking at them to and fro, amused by their engaging conversation. 

 

minjeong smiles to herself, rubs the hand on hers with her thumb, cheek resting on her other hand. she yawns, earning a look from ningning, who then pulls her hand into her lap, flashes her an encouraging smile.

 

enough to get her through the day.

 

.

 

two hours later, they bade goodbye to jimin and aeri who went for their next class. now they're walking through the campus' garden, a common shortcut.

 

"sure you don't want me to wait for you?" ningning asks, for the third time that minjeong sighs hearing it again. 

 

they stop when ningning proceeds to take off the varsity jacket which minjeong had lent her, then holds it out for minjeong to take.

 

"don't, an hour is long." minjeong says, grabbing the jacket and placing it over her shoulders.

 

"but i can wait. it's just an hour." ningning juts out her lower lip, whining when minjeong shakes her head and pinches her lips to stop her from talking.

 

"i don't like making you wait outside, just go home and i'll be there right after class, okay?" minjeong smiles warmly when ningning nods in defeat, the latter fixing her jacket for her.

 

she notices the little smile that appears on ningning's lips after, hands still holding onto her jacket. then she looks up to meet minjeong's gaze. 

 

"dinner at home?" ningning's voice comes out soft, it causes knots to form in minjeong's stomach.

 

minjeong beams at her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear. ningning catches her hand, leaning into her touch.

 

"dinner at home."

 

.

 

it's five in the evening when minjeong's class ends, she's the first to walk out of the lecture hall. when she reaches outside campus grounds, her hands rummage in her bag to fish out her phone. and when minjeong looks at her messages, her heart bounces seeing adorable selfies of ningning wearing their shared apron kindly sent to her.

 

"minjeong! wanna have dinner together?" jimin appears behind her along with aeri, calling out to her.

 

minjeong pockets her phone, grinning at them. then she looks up at the darkening sky and purses her lips.

 

"can't sorry, ning's waiting for me at home." she reasons, giving them an apologetic look.

 

"no problem, don't like to make your wifey wait right?" jimin chortles, eyes glinting slyly when minjeong grows flustered and sends a light punch on her shoulder.

 

"bye lovebirds!" minjeong starts to speedwalk towards the train station, sticking her tongue out playfully at jimin who froze.

 

aeri realises this, glances at minjeong's dwindling figure in the distance then back to jimin. she takes off her airpods, looking at her questioningly. 

 

"what's up? did minjeong say something?"

 

"uh no, she just said 'bye losers'. the nerve, right? haha..." jimin trails off, wiping her clammy hands on her jeans, aeri's just giggling.

 

"look at her go, you can't tell me they're not dating." aeri says, a crooked smile on her face. 

 

when minjeong disappears in the distance, they turn towards the bus stop. 

 

"they're inseparable, i'm kinda jealous. like when can i have that?" jimin complains, hunched over her books, dispirited.

 

aeri raises a brow, pokes her playfully at the side.

 

"what are you talking about? i'm right here." aeri points to herself, then takes one of jimin's books in her hands.

 

she turns her body away when jimin tries to take it back, then looks at her knowingly.

 

"we're like them, attached to the hip but less domestic and less girlfriends-ish." aeri continues casually, staring at the cyclist ahead which rode past them like the wind.

 

"r-right..." jimin meekly chokes out, she grits her teeth, feeling heat crawling up her neck.

 

"but you know, i'm up for changing that." aeri says after a little pause, giving her a side glance.

 

"wait what..." but before jimin could continue, aeri's already running ahead, tips of her ears red. 

 

"ah- hey aeri! wait! what are you trying to say?!"

 

jimin chases her, and this time, aeri doesn't feel so out of reach. she runs with a growing smile on her face, engulfed with mirth.

 

.

 

it's a little past six when ningning opens the door to an exhausted minjeong, hands on her knees, panting as if she ran a marathon.

 

"what the- don't tell me you ran here?" ningning pulls her in and shuts the door, grabbing minjeong's bag off her shoulders.

 

she inhales deeply before letting it all out. ningning wipes her damp forehead with her sleeve, tutting at her recklessness.

 

"not really. the elevator's out of service, just my luck." minjeong kicks off her shoes, places them on the rack beside ningning's.

 

"huh, it was working when i got home. still, you could have taken it easy going up the stairs." ningning furrows her brows, leaning against the wall as she watches minjeong stretch her limbs.

 

"i'm fine... totally didn't leap through seven floors." minjeong shrugs, a tired smile appearing on her lips as she shakes off her hands. 

 

"jeez, the apartment isn't going anywhere you know." 

 

sure that's true, but the only thing minjeong looked forward to at the end of monotonous, weary days is who she came home to. she doesn't say it out loud though, leaves ningning's statement at that.

 

"oh yeah, something definitely smells good." minjeong gives a few sniffs, pleasant and delicious aroma entering her nostrils, enough to make water.

 

she follows ningning who places her bag on the couch, then saunters towards the kitchen, minjeong reaching out to hold her hand. ningning casts her a glance over her shoulder.

 

"wash up first." ningning tells her as they reach the kitchen.

 

but minjeong sinks to the floor when they do, first putting her chin on the counter, then body crumpling on cold tiles and eventually laying down with sprawled limbs.

 

"too lazy~ can't move." minjeong huffs, contemplating to doze off on the floor.

 

ningning nudges her feet, amused smile on her lips.

 

"you gonna take dinner down there?"

 

"if you'd feed me, then yes."

 

ningning throws her head back and laughs, then she pokes minjeong's calves with her toe.

 

"you're ridiculous, c'mon get up. wash up and you'll feel a little less ty, trust me." ningning squats, ruffling minjeong's bangs. 

 

just as she was about to stand back up, minjeong's hand wraps around her wrist.

 

"what's in it for me?" there's a teasing smile dancing on her lips. 

 

ningning chuckles, gently prying her fingers off. then she cups as if to whisper, albeit loudly.

 

"good food. and i'll brush your hair afterwards." ningning smirks playfully.

 

"deal!" minjeong shoots up from the floor in a second, delight etched on her face as she scrambles off to the bathroom.

 

it leaves ningning bewildered, now staring at the plain floor of their kitchen which was just occupied by her roommate a second ago, blinking several times at the blank space. then she rises and chuckles to herself, giving dinner one last stir. 

 

a while later, minjeong comes fresh out of the bathroom, a towel draped around her neck as she uses the ends to wipe the tips of her short hair. it's entertaining when she spots ningning snapping pictures of their dinner, arranging the plates in different positions for variety.

 

placing her towel on a chair, minjeong comes up behind ningning and sets her chin on her shoulder, looking at her phone. something about ningning scrolling through her gallery— which she now found out were full of them both, tugs at her heartstrings. 

 

"you didn't have to cook you know, i was thinking we could order." minjeong says after ningning turns off her phone and slides it on the table.

 

she draws back when ningning faces her, narrowed eyes looking at her with incredulity.

 

"what, you don't like my cooking?" ningning brings her arms up to fold them, but minjeong groans at her random assumption and holds onto them.

 

"no~ it's not that." minjeong drags her words out, pulling ningning's arms over her shoulders, liking how they automatically envelop around her neck. minjeong places her hands gently on ningning's waist, smiling softly.

 

"i just didn't wanna tire you out." she adds, playfully blowing on ningning's forehead, who turns her head away and releases a small laugh.

 

they kind of forgot about dinner for a minute, just gazing into each other's eyes, completely captivated. then ningning releases her, pulling minjeong over to her seat.

 

"you never tire me minjeong," she says, then squeezes her hand. "besides, i like cooking for you." 

 

ah, crap... i'm so down bad. minjeong merely grins, internally, she's shrieking out of bliss. god, the things she'd do to keep this dynamic forever, to bask in all the tenderness, to encapsulate all these moments and cherish them.

 

"thanks for today's meals, i'll cook tomorrow?" minjeong offers, even if ningning declined, she'd do it anyway. 

 

ningning happily nods,"i'll be looking forward to it, michelin chef kim."

 

.

 

ningning spends the next hour brushing minjeong's hair as promised, lying on the couch after. at the moment, she's lying on her side, watching minjeong mindlessly who sat on the carpeted floor typing away on her laptop on the coffee table.

 

ningning's playing with her hair, fingers rubbing silky raven strands, occasionally she would rest her hand on minjeong's neck, and the latter would acknowledge her by holding it. it tickles her insides when minjeong would pull gently, then ravels their fingers, thumb rubbing her hand ever so slightly.

 

and when minjeong retracts her hand to continue working, ningning would immediately miss the warmth that the brief gesture brought. 

 

when she grew tired of waiting knowing how minjeong would easily forget the concept of time writing out reports, ningning opens to speak up gently.

 

"come to bed." 

 

"can't, got another case report to finish."

 

"you can continue tomorrow."

 

"can't, you go on." minjeong's utterly focused, eyes glued to the blinding screen in front of her. 

 

a short period of silence and minjeong starts to forget ningning was even there, engrossed in her report. doesn't even realise ningning's head hovering over her shoulder, hair falling like curtains. 

 

then minjeong turns rigid when she feels a pair of warm lips on her cheeks. ningning kisses her for a second or two, before pulling away to get off the couch, turning towards minjeong's room. 

 

she glances back and sees how minjeong is left stupefied, jaw slack as she clutches the spot where ningning's kiss lingered. ningning smiles sheepishly, becoming flustered herself.

 

"i'll be waiting."

 

minjeong came in the room five minutes later.

 

.

 

they share beds so often that the thought of turning one of their rooms into a guest room manifested. honestly, minjeong wouldn't have minded, but it's not like they were together together. and she valued ningning's privacy, so they left it at that. 

 

if ever one of them didn't feel like sleeping alone, or merely wanted to lounge somewhere else, they were always welcome into each other's beds anyway. 

 

ningning's ipad is propped on her stomach, netflix playing at a low volume. minjeong's beside her, an arm under her neck. when the blonde steals a glance and notices her at the brink of dozing off, it didn't surprise her that an hour into their movie night, minjeong would start to succumb to sleep.

 

"sleepy? we could always continue tomorrow." ningning softly says, turning off her ipad, but minjeong stops her from putting it away.

 

"no no no continue, just... give me a sec." minjeong responds, words beginning to slur from fatigue, heavy eyelids insisting on keeping her eyes shut. 

 

"yeah no, you're gonna sleep on me." ningning chuckles, stretches over to the bedside table to put away her ipad. 

 

when she lies back down, minjeong curls her arm that was under her, reeling ningning within her hold. she murmurs a small apology, eyes giving up on staying open, lips barely parting. ningning smiles, laced with affection and warmth, tracing flawless features with her eyes.

 

"let's just go to sleep, you have morning class tomorrow." ningning responds, her reminder produced a long groan from her roommate.

 

"don't have to remind me..." minjeong grunts, ningning giggling quietly.

 

then she brings her hands up to slowly rub her thumbs just above minjeong's eyebrows, the latter frowning when she feels the tense veins pulsing. ningning continues massaging her forehead a little while longer, occasionally rubbing her temples. minjeong would sigh in between, relishing ningning's careful touches.

 

then minjeong lowers herself, tucking her head under ningning's chin, voluntarily pulling the blonde's arm over her neck. she pulls the blanket up until their torso, drapes a hand lazily across ningning's waist after.

 

"do you have work tomorrow?" minjeong mutters, clear enough for ningning to catch her words. her hand that rests on the blonde's waist starts rubbing languid circles on the strip of bare skin that exposed itself.

 

she jerks her head up gently, careful not to cause ningning to bite her tongue, silently telling the latter to comb her fingers through her raven hair. and ningning understood almost immediately, threading her fingers through soft locks, giving minjeong benign head scratches every now and then.

 

"yeah, the usual ten to four shift." 

 

"i'll pick you up." minjeong hums, moves even closer until her nose pressed against ningning's neck. 

 

she earns a giggle, the younger feeling ticklish from her touch and warm breath grazing her flesh.

 

"you would just be ending class then, you don't have to."

 

"mm, i want to."

 

"...okay, you stubborn maltese."

 

minjeong falls into a deep slumber with a small smile gracing her lips, ningning's therapeutic warmth enveloping her whole being. and tomorrow morning, she would wake up to the same loving sight again, to the same girl whom her heart belonged to. 

 

-

 

some days later, ningning finds herself being lectured in the cafeteria after class, by none other than her two best (not really) wingwomen. it started off with interrogation, then endless stream of morale-boosting words that became a jumbled mess in her head.

 

now? she's never been more flustered when they straight up laid down all the facts onto the table— right to her face, about all the obvious and allegedly 'suspicious' interactions between her and minjeong.

 

"does your head feel soft or something? she's always putting a hand there. let me- oh. it's fluffy!"

 

"and you're always reaching out to hold her hands first."

 

"don't forget all the times she gladly became your servant, carrying your stuff and all. sheesh, cheesy much?"

 

"she's like super caring towards you, she's not like that with me. and i've known her the longest!"

 

"you guys behave like wives."

 

ningning's shrinks further on the table the more they spat out, blushing upon aeri's last words. now that she thought back about their dynamic, realisation dawns upon her— they have been behaving like wives.

 

not even girlfriends?! that's a huge leap! ningning whines, covering her burning ears as she curved against the table.

 

jimin and aeri are relentless, and now that they're dating (thanks to minjeong), it seemed as though their synergy was through the roof. they would never have dropped the bomb on her like that before.

 

"there's no way you guys aren't dating." jimin deadpans after taking a sip of her chamomile tea.

 

"no, we're not like that." ningning whips her head up, face growing hotter by the minute. 

 

"just saying, if you were pinocchio your nose would have looped around earth."

 

"but i'm serious-" ningning's jaw dropped, tries to save herself from embarrassment by spilling the sad truth yet the merciless duo in front of her remained skeptical of their relationship.

 

"you can't fool anyone with how you guys are always so intimate with each other." jimin points out.

 

"i bet you guys kissed." aeri nods slowly, eyes squinted as a she lets out what almost sounded like a low cackle. 

 

"no! we haven't!" ningning's so close to ripping her hair out, head wanting to combust from all the heat that gathered there.

 

"...yet. not gonna lie, kinda disappointed. thought you guys would have kissed already. accident or not." jimin sighs, looking at aeri before they both shook their heads in sync.

 

"well, i did kiss her once on the cheek." ningning bites her lip, hiding behind her fingers just thinking about that one bold moment of hers.

 

aeri almost spits out her drink, jimin passes her a tissue to wipe the lone drip trickling down her chin.

 

"that's great progress! i think?" aeri tilts her head.

 

jimin rolls her eyes, "coward."

 

that had ningning frowning at her, wagging a finger at the older girl.

 

"i know you're not talking, ain't slick hiding your feelings for aeri huh." 

 

and that was enough to shut jimin up, the girl suddenly malfunctioned, eyes darting around anxiously while aeri guffaws beside her.

 

at long last, ningning sighs and tells them truthfully that minjeong and her knew that they liked each other. though they never said it in words, it was evident in the way that they treated each other. the issue was just that— neither of them made a move to progress their relationship into something more, they were satisfied with what they had now that the thought of being lovers never really crossed their minds.

 

"wow, all this time i've been witnessing mutual pining in real life." aeri says, pleasantly shocked, ningning pulls a face.

 

"that's literally what you guys have been doing too, what." ningning palms her face.

 

jimin leans forward, scoffing in disbelief after everything. it's a little silly to her really, yet she was amazed at how the two complemented each other so well, chemistry beyond description.

 

"you guys like each other right? so then... why not date? what are you waiting for? christmas? when the world ends? when i become president?" jimin raises a brow, finishing up the last of her tea.

 

ningning opens to speak, then she frowns, realising she doesn't have an answer for that.

 

"i'm... not sure either."

 

"gosh, you guys are idiots." jimin sighs in defeat, leaning against aeri.

 

"what are you waiting for then? go home. minjeong's probably missing you already." aeri makes a shooing motion with her hand, jimin merely laughs.

 

and ningning does, springing out of her seat and running off with a newfound desire, adrenaline rushing in her veins. 

 

-

 

when ningning comes up banging on their door, she hears rushed footsteps approaching, it made her heart leap the closer it came. 

 

and when the door opens to reveal a confused minjeong dressed comfortably in her usual checkered fit looking all cuddly, ningning purses her lips, before flinging herself onto the girl.

 

she crashes her lips into minjeong's, tastes faint strawberry milk as their lips molded against each other's. when minjeong starts kissing back, forgetting her initial shock, euphoria fills her up. she hears the door close behind her, minjeong pushing her until her back collides against the door with a gentle thud.

 

she pulls minjeong closer by the collar, presses her body against hers leaving no space in between until they curve into each other. ningning sighs into the kiss, minjeong's hands gliding on her waist is electrifying. she grins with pure bliss when minjeong surges for her lips again, shyly the first time, then softly, then she tilts her head to deepen the kiss the third time, with ningning's hand tangled in her hair.

 

they break apart with their forehead against each other's, lips moist and swollen, warm breaths mingling. the way minjeong's eyes kept flitting from her eyes to her lips has ningning's chest bubbling with ecstasy.

 

she finds the strength to chuckle, though breathless, she gazes into minjeong's eyes and locks her hands behind her neck.

 

"be my girlfriend." she tells minjeong, prodding her neck with her fingers coyly.

 

minjeong's lips stretched into a broad grin, then she kisses ningning soft and slow, before embracing her tightly.

 

"thought you'd never ask."

 

-

 

"minjeongie, i just realised we've been girlfriends all this time doing girlfriend things. there's not much difference now is there?"

 

"you're right, there's one thing different though."

 

"hm? what is it?"

 

"i get to kiss you everyday."

 

—

end.