Minju slips off her shoes at the door of her tiny apartment.

"You're home?" she hears her brother's voice and looks up.

Minju hums, putting her shoes on the rack. "Where's mom?" she goes to the kitchen, leaving some groceries on the counter.

"In her room." Minhee continues watching the tv, laughing.

Minju notices. "Ya, aren't you supposed to study? You told me you have a test this week." she goes towards her room.

"Don't worry. I got a perfect score."

Surprised, Minju goes, "Actually?"

The boy hums. "I have some of your genes. Just not the emotionally awkward part," he claims.

Minju takes a pillow and whacks his . 

"Noona!" he whines, protecting his .

Minju throws the pillow at him. "Did you do the laundry?"

"Was I supposed to hang it?" Minhee acts innocent. "I'm kidding. I did everything. You can sleep today."

"Really?" Minju wondered what made her whiny brother change this drastically overnight.

For someone who takes ages to do something, this is an improvement.

Minhee hums and chases her away since he wanted to focus on his show.

When Minju went into her room, his expression falls upon remembering what his classmates said.

And it wasn't anything great.

...

Once Minju finishes showering and settling down after a long day, she gets ready to consult her mother about her choices for university.

She takes in a deep breath and knocks on the door before opening it.

Her mother was seen doing calculations at her little wooden desk. "What is it?" the lady didn't really spare a glance but knew it was her daughter.

Minju closes the door and goes to her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I need to talk to you," she said.

And they did for a whole twenty minutes. It went well nonetheless.

Minju relaxed. She came in all tensed, afraid her mother might reject this proposal of hers. Fortunately, everything went well.

"I'll study hard." she softly says, standing up.

About to leave the room, her mother interrupts, "Are you dating anyone lately?"

"No." Minju turns around.

"Why not?"

Multiple question marks appeared above the girl's head.

"I'm just worried you won't find someone if you're just going to study for the rest of your life."

"Mom."

"Be honest with me. I'm not getting any younger, Minju-ssi." Her mother acts as if she were old when really, the lady just past her big 40.

Minju holds onto her forehead. "I'm not ready for all that and I have no time." she sighs. "I have more things to worry about."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Minju drops her hands beside her.

Her mother folds her legs together. "Then why are you back so late recently?"

Certain reasons went through the brunette's head, all leading back to one particular girl. "Part-time job," she said.

She's not lying. Being with Yujin could fall under her role of teaching her as a tutor.

"I heard you quit the academy. Don't lie to me. Is it what I think it is?" her mother lets out a playful grin, potentially scaring the girl.

"Who's the guy?"

Minju didn't want to entertain the lady, walking out the door.

"This kid." Her mother sighs and shakes her head.

Minju goes into her room and sits at her pathetically tiny desk. Removing all thoughts from her head, she does what she always does and that's study.

...

Glancing at her phone, she sees the only notification that appears on that screen.

Yujin: Supper?

Minju looks at the time. 11 pm.

"Who eats this late?" she picks up her phone to receive another message.

Yujin: I'm outside.

Outside? The girl was confused.

Yujin: Look out your window.

Minju lives in a small building. Her mother inherited this place so they don't really have a choice on where to stay. At least the view's nice.

She stood up and went to the window, opening it to see Yujin waving from below.

"Come down!" the latter shouted but immediately remembers people might be sleeping.

Minju closes the window and goes to the door. She grabs a jacket on the way out, putting it on as she walks down the flight of stairs.

When she sees Yujin with that bright smile of hers, she asks, "What are you doing here?"

She stands in front of the latter.

"I wanna eat. I'm hungry." Yujin takes her wrist and starts pulling the girl to walk with her.

"You came all the way here to eat?"

The taller girl nods, letting her go. "It only takes a few minutes to get here."

"Twenty minutes is not a few minutes."

"It is." Yujin looks at her. "And I found a place down there that serves hot eomuk soup," she said.

"Don't you have friends to eat with you?"

"You're all I can think about."

Minju breathes deeply and shoves her hands into her pockets. She can't stop the girl from doing what she wants.

The two girls ended up sitting in one of the tents at the roadside that sells street food.

Yujin pours some water, pushing it to Minju. "Do you still get headaches?" she asks, taking some utensils when she sees the lady coming to their table with their food.

Minju sips on her water. "Because of you, yes," she says.

"What did I do?" Yujin raises an eyebrow.

"Everything."

The taller girl pouts, thanking the lady who served their food. "You must not like me a lot. I should've known that from the start." she shakes her head.

"I didn't say that." Minju quietly sips on the soup.

Yujin looks at her. "Then you like me?" her smile was on its way.

"Didn't say that either."

For sure, that smile hit a wall.

"You finished what I gave you?" Minju glances, biting on the fishcake.

Thinking she's talking about homework, Yujin nods. "All of it." She chews her food, tapping her feet against the ground.

Now that Minju knows, Yujin would be lying if she said she was patient. No matter how patient she is, or how she confessed to the latter out of the blue and wants nothing in return, she couldn't leave the part of anticipating an answer.

But she does wonder why Minju never brought it up again. Neither did she. It feels like her confession didn't get through.

But at the same time, she was the one who brought this upon herself.

"Do you like someone?" Yujin asks, nibbling on the fishcake skewer.

"Why?"

The girl tilts her head slightly. "Just asking."

"I don't have time for that. Liking someone." Minju puts a piece of radish into .

"Then what if you had time?"

The brunette looks at her, processing her question. Realistically, she has never liked someone. All her time went to her studies.

"I wish," she answers.

"So you do like someone." Yujin's words made her look up. "You like someone, that's why you wish to have more time," she said.

"I don't like anyone." Minju's tone raised as if she were defending herself.

Yujin's eyes widened a little, surprised. "Relax, why are you so worked up..." she scratches her temple.

Minju lets out a small sigh.

"Does this mean I have a chance?" Yujin made sure the latter was looking at her, putting herself in her view. "I really meant what I said the other day."

The brunette stops chewing her food.

"That I like you," Yujin said. "Not as a friend but as a person. You may be cold, expressionless or whatever, I still like you. You make me want to stay with you because I see things others don't. They approach you for things, but I approach you for you. It's just...when I'm with you, I don't think about anything else. I don't know how that works." she casually shoves the fishcake into , keeping her eye contact with the girl.

"Maybe I just like you too much without knowing."

Minju tries her best not to show it through her face. She inhales deeply, before sighing. "What do you want me to do?"

"I mean..." Yujin didn't find the need to hesitate but got held back when Minju didn't seem to like this whole topic. The mood just changes whenever she brings it up.

She didn't want Minju to feel as if she was forced to answer, or forced to return her feelings. That's the last thing she wanted.

Yujin shakes her head slowly. "There's nothing you can do. I'll just continue liking you." she shrugs, smiling, sipping on the soup.

Despite seeing where the latter was coming from, Minju could only stay silent for the time being. She didn't know what to say and actually thought if her words might hurt Yujin in any way.

It was her first time taking someone's feelings into consideration.





 

Minju sits out for gym class as usual. She doesn't find the need to participate, especially in winter.

So she just rests along the sides of the sports hall, watching students from her class and another play basketball.

She realises which class this was when she saw Yujin walking onto the court.

It's quite a big place.

Minju leapt out of her daydream when she felt someone sit beside her. She looks to see a girl who had hair almost to her waist, tied up.

A familiar face.

"Why aren't you playing?" Wonyoung looks at her, drinking from her bottle.

Minju felt a little awkward since they haven't spoken before. She shakes her head. "I can't...play basketball." she softens her voice.

Wonyoung pouts her lips, surveying the court. She sees who the brunette was looking at. "Do you like her?"

"Who?" Minju knits her brows.

"Yujin."

"No."

Wonyoung turns to her, reading her like an open book. Those subtle eyebrow twitches, eyes avoiding her gaze. "I thought you would." she leans back into the bench.

"Because I've never seen her talk about someone so much, I knew who it was even when I've never met them before." she looks at Minju. "Now I know."

The brunette watched as Yujin happily scores for her class. They were playing a friendly. She talks about me?

"She's a really good kid. Understanding, and kind-hearted, there really isn't one bad thing I can think of her. Knowing her for years, she'd do anything for the people she cares about. She'll say things that'll cheer you up, or do something weird just to make you smile. She's really something."

Wonyoung observes her best friend, thinking about the times Yujin has been there for her.

When things were tough, Yujin makes everything better. Yujin was someone who'd take the fall for things she didn't do just because she doesn't want to see others getting hurt.

All Wonyoung knows is that being happy was something difficult to achieve. But her best friend brings it to her effortlessly.

Ever since Yujin knew Minju, Wonyoung couldn't lie that she felt the drift in attention. But she well knows Yujin always tries to involve her.

Tell her things about the girl, what she does and who she really is. And eventually, tell her how she developed feelings for the brunette.

"She may look like she cares for everyone," Wonyoung says, glancing at Minju. "But she really only cares about you." she smiles gently.

"I'm not saying you have to like her. I'm not playing the role of a wingman or anything. Just accept her feelings. Don't leave her thinking you don't care about what she does for you."

From afar, Yujin looked their way, wondering what they were talking about.

Yena used her shoulder as a form of support, panting. "Can we take a break? I'm literally dying right here. These legs can't keep up." she complains, catching her breath.

Everyone paused the game as Yujin pushes Yena's hand off her shoulder. She held onto her arm instead. "Chaewon's here."

Yena stands up herself, energised all of a sudden. "Where?!"

Yujin used her chin and pointed next to Wonyoung. Yena immediately ran. She has a huge crush on the girl.

The taller girl snickers and shakes her head as she went to the benches. She sat beside Minju, taking the bottle of water that Wonyoung passed her.

"What were you guys talking about?" she curiously asked before chugging ice-cold water.

Wonyoung looks at Minju who had her gaze lowered. "About you."

"Me? What about me?" Yujin looks at them alternatively.

Wonyoung notices the little stare Minju was giving to her best friend. "About how you at basketball. How did you miss that shot and travel at the same time?"

Yujin turns so she faces Minju. "Was I that bad?" she points at herself.

"I think you should stick with art," she said.

Wonyoung laughs, never knowing a comment from Minju could have this much of an impact. She says it without any visible expression on her face and nothing stopping her.

Yujin's jaw dropped. Expected. "Wow." she puffs out in disbelief.

Minju sees how she was shaking her head. In all truth, she could see the girl play to her heart's content.





 

Minju was just lazing around in bed for the first time in forever. She didn't have the mood to study when exams are literally a week away.

All because something took away her ability to think. More like, someone has unintentionally made their way into her head.

She thinks about her a lot. It has reached the point of no return.

When she's in class, Yujin's always there, just outside. When she's having a break, Yujin's there with her. Tutoring? There was no way Minju doesn't see the girl most of the hours.

24 hours a day, and she sees Yujin for 16. The remaining 8 hours? Oh, they were the hours she couldn't stop thinking about the latter.

Yujin was the cause of her not being able to sleep. Not books and papers. But Yujin.

She jolts up, staring into blank space. "I can't do this," she told herself.

The more she tries not to think about her, the more Yujin appears in her head. "Stop thinking..." Minju lays back down and shoves her face into the pillow.

She might've screamed, who knows?

You're going to be the cause of my headaches, Ahn Yujin. Minju lifts her head before reaching the point of suffocation.

"I don't even like girls," she told the wall, heart clenching at the thought. "Why am I feeling like this..." she drops her head back down.

The door opens. "You like girls?"

Minju sprung up and faced the door. "Ya! Care to knock?" she brushes her hair out of her face.

Her brother narrows his eyes and scoffs. "Why are you talking to yourself?" he invades her room and sits on the swivel chair.

He nearly fell but who cares.

"What are you doing in here?" Minju spoke in a tone, wanting him to get out.

Minhee takes a pen and starts spinning it. "Thought you needed someone to talk to. It's been long since we've had a talk."

"What talk are you talking about?"

"Our two-hour-long, ing about other people and life. We didn't get to do that ever since I stepped into middle school."

He's 15 this year, and Minju's 18.

The girl wraps the blanket around her body. "There's nothing to talk about. You wouldn't get it." she claims, plopping sideways onto the bed.

Minhee scratches his temple. "I totally would. I have a girlfriend."

"You what?" Minju sits up.

"You didn't know, did you? This is why we need to talk. You've been missing out on my biggest moments." He said, leaning into the chair.

He still relies on his sister a lot. Not a usual sibling pair where they bicker constantly.

"I wanted to tell you about it. But it seems like you had your own worries." Minhee smirks, pointing at her. "You like a girl."

Minju blushes out of notice. "I don't."

"Nuh-uh. If not that, tell me why you were screaming in here. To add to my point, you've been on your phone whenever we're in the living room. You don't even study as much, although I think it's a good thing that you're getting some rest." he said.

The girl clears , pulling a pillow onto her lap.

Minhee stops fiddling with the chair and faces his sister fully. "Tell me about it. Who's this girl in your head?"

"There's no girl in my—oh god." Minju gives up and slams the pillow into her face, gradually lying on the bed.

"How dramatic." Her brother shakes his head.

"My head hurts." Minju whispers, curling her toes.

Minhee then had a flashback. "Is it that girl that drops you off at home every day?"

"She doesn't drop me home every day."

"The one that came for supper the other day?"

Minju sits up. "Wait how do you—"

"I have a window too. Plus, we're not too far from the ground level. I can hear everything." he says, confirming his stand when Minju drags her palm down her face.

"She seems nice. I don't know why you're thinking so hard for." Minhee swung his legs, crossing them.

"I can't." Minju blankly stares at the pillow.

"You can't? Why?"

"You of all people know why."

Minhee thinks briefly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The girl gives up. She's never been liked before, she doesn't know how to accept people's feelings, and she knows her mother won't like to hear about this.

Her concern is time. It has always been.

And she's unsure about her feelings. She wouldn't know how to love someone the right way.

Wasting another person's time was something she didn't want to do.

"If you're thinking about her, that means you like her. It's that simple. Why the need to contemplate? Does she like you?" Her brother asks so casually.

Minju puffs out a sigh, nodding slowly. "Then?"

"A girl?" she told the air.

Her brother got up and sat on the edge of the bed, right beside her. He pats her shoulder awkwardly. "I'll support you if mom doesn't. Don't worry. I just want you to find someone nice."

Minju looks at him with a hint of surprise, maybe even worry. Something's snapped in this boy's head.

"Don't look at me like that. I've matured, that's all." he smiles sweetly.

The brunette knuckles his head. "Matured my foot." she scoffs.

Trying to be nice, "It's time you worry less about us and more about yourself." he said. "Not saying we won't die without you, we'll need you around. But you should think about yourself more. I can handle everything."

"You have years before you graduate. How are you going to do everything?" Minju shakes her head.

"You'll teach me. And maybe I'll become a good boyfriend." he shrugs, thinking it's a win-win situation. "Do what you want. Mom and I will take care of everything, you'll not have to worry," he assures.

Minju has slight doubt about his words. But seeing how Minhee has been proactive in everything he does recently, maybe she should worry less about the house and more about herself.

She hasn't been able to live properly throughout her 18 years. Seeing couples walking down the street, and friends spending time in the photo booth. She has never done those, not even once.

"Really?" she double confirms.

He gives a firm nod. "So, when will I get to meet this girl of yours?"

Minju forcefully pushes his head, hearing him laugh.





 

It was the last gym lesson of the year and Minju was sitting on the benches as usual. She ran a little with the class, a casual jog around the basketball court.

The teacher says they shouldn't be exerting themselves too much since exams are in less than a month's time.

Like every other gym session, someone catches her eye. A girl who isn't the best at basketball but still tries.

She watched as they took a short break.

Instead of coming over, Yujin was called over by another student at the opposite side of the hall where the entrance was.

Minju squinted her eyes, not able to make out who it was. She decided not to care and did her own thing, letting some of Yujin's friends bother her.

Yujin wipes the sweat off the edge of her jaw as she approaches Kazuha. "Can we talk?" the girl asks.

Yujin didn't show her reluctance to nod as they went towards the empty benches at the side.

Kazuha passed her some water she brought with her. She doesn't have gym class today and it happened to be a break right after this. Her class got released early.

Yujin takes a few sips after thanking her. "What did you want to talk about?" she caps the plastic bottle.

The Japanese girl hesitates, battling with her inner conscience. After a few seconds, she builds up some courage to say, "The thing is..."

Yujin listens, waiting patiently.

Kazuha picks the edge of the bench with her fingertips, getting a little anxious as her heartbeats mimicked those of a drum.

"I don't know if it's okay for me to say it since I'm not sure of everything." she looks at Yujin.

The girl smiles when she sees her all anxious. But that smile probably caused a ruckus in someone's chest.

"Go on. It's fine, I won't be offended by anything." Yujin assures her, relaxing her posture in hopes it'll lessen the anxiety the Japanese girl felt.

Because she could feel the tension Kazuha was creating.

Kazuha then decides to shoot her shot.

"I like you."

Yujin's eyes might've widened a little.

"From the first time I saw you, I thought you were pretty. And when I got to talk to you, you were more than just pretty. You have a good heart. And...that's why I fell for you."

Yujin was the first person who stepped up to help her when Kazuha first enrolled on this school about three years ago.

But that was just a small act of kindness. She didn't expect Yujin to remember who she helps.

As the days go by, she found herself looking at Yujin from afar.

In the teacher's office, cafeteria, gym room, or even times when she goes to different classes to evaluate the room's cleanliness. She has seen the latter help kids cross the road since there was a preschool nearby, or help someone look after their dog in the park while they head to the bathroom.

Yujin was always in her sight. She just didn't know how to approach her till that day.

Being the first in her cohort, Kazuha was used to having people come to her. For notes or just for a short conversation. But that was all a year ago when she was popular, her batch has long graduated.

However, she's the same age as Yujin, following the Korean age system.

Yujin's the first person who denies her help after she returns. Maybe that's why Kazuha found an interest in her.

Who knows, if the reason she sees Yujin around was because of herself? She wanted to be where the latter was.

Yujin thought for a while before letting out a placid smile, maybe even forced. But she prefers being called genuine.

"I don't know how I should go about this," she said and hummed. "I appreciate you for liking me. But...I already have someone in mind." she went straight to the point.

Kazuha nods slowly, smiling her pain away. "I see." she clasps her legs together, slightly rubbing her palms against her thighs.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Yujin apologises. "You're a nice girl, you really are. I'm just not the right person for you." she presses her lips together.

Kazuha fully understood where she was coming from and had no underlying intentions of forcing herself onto the girl.

Yujin glanced afar to see a certain brunette being interrogated by her friends, causing a smile to slip its way onto her lips. "So this is how she felt," she whispers and sighs.

Rejecting someone's hard but accepting what doesn't fit would be tougher in the long run.

"You like Minju?" Kazuha voices.

Yujin hums dejectedly. "But she doesn't like me." she looks at the Japanese girl. "Come to think of it, we're in a love triangle." she jokes. Her little chuckle depletes.

"Then why do you still like her?"

Yujin looks at her. "Do you still like me after what I just did?" she asks.

Kazuha didn't know how to answer but completely got what she meant.

"It's not simple to just unlike someone. But waiting wouldn't be any easier. I don't understand why I still like her after being rejected. Being with her just feels nice, I don't know how to describe it. It doesn't matter if she doesn't return my feelings. I just want her to accept them." she confesses, eyes gazing at Minju who couldn't keep her little smile to herself as much as she wanted to.

"Seeing her happy is something I want to see whenever I'm with her." Yujin smiles as she faces Kazuha. "She's been through a lot."

The Japanese girl sighs softly. "She's lucky to have you," she says, lightly punching Yujin's shoulder.

Surprised, the girl laughs it off. "Didn't know you could hit someone." Yujin rubs her arm.

"Don't worry. She'll see you the way I see you one day."

"You're talking as if you didn't get rejected by me a second ago." Yujin chuckles, liking how easy-going the girl is. Well, it's great nothing got awkward.

Kazuha shrugs. "I'll just have to live with it." She's cool.

Yujin suddenly extends her hand to her, wanting a handshake. "Friends?" she smiles.

The Japanese girl narrows her eyes. Part of her felt lost after admitting her feelings. But Yujin somehow makes everything better.

She gently slaps Yujin's hand away and shakes her head playfully.

The girl scoffs. "I'll take it as we're friends." 




 

As the year reaches its end, Christmas was a week away.

But students couldn't get that little bit of rest to celebrate since the exams start soon.

Yujin's quietly doing her little self-study in the school's library, at 8 pm at night. The school opens till midnight almost every single day.

Beside her was Minju. They were both minding their own business, wrapping themselves tightly with their jackets.

Yujin sniffs, being sensitive when the degree drops. Minju immediately shoves a few pieces of tissues into her palm without looking at her.

Surprised, Yujin smiles it away, using the tissues to wipe her nose.

When the taller girl was focusing on her work, Minju couldn't help but take a few peeks at her, going out of notice.

The moment Yujin glances at her, she lays her cheek on her palm, facing away. Yujin found it weird but went back to her papers, resting her head in her palm, fingers slipping through her hair.

Minju stops drawing circles on her paper, slowly turning to look at Yujin. Ever since she decided to accept whatever Yujin was doing for her, she realises how difficult it is to concentrate whenever she's around.

Never did she know a person could distract her this much to the point she puts her studies aside, even for a minute.

While she was busily dazing, Yujin softly exclaims, "This calls for a nap." she totally gave up on an ethics question.

Minju flinches out of surprise, clearing . "What nap? You just started." she nags, making sure her face doesn't heat up from potentially getting caught with her stares.

Yujin folds her arms on the table and lays her head on them. "We started two hours ago. I'm tired." she looks at Minju, closing her eyes.

The extent of working her brain had her sleeping within seconds before Minju could say anything.

The brunette shakes her head in disbelief. She tries doing her work but fails terribly.

She gave in and looked at Yujin. Do I like you? She asks herself, tilting her head as she leans against her hand.

She was quite sure when she feels rapid beats against her chest. Looking at Yujin made her feel lighter.

She didn't know when it started, but being with the girl makes her heart flutter in the weirdest way.

Gone were the days she felt those. The last time her heart has beaten this fast was probably entering a new school years ago.

But that was out of anxiety. This wasn't.

Every pound of her heart sends tingles down her spine as she watches the girl who was sound asleep.

Maybe she shouldn't be afraid of what she feels on the inside. Maybe if she just put everything behind for a second. Will things be better than it is?

She gently nudges the latter's arm. "Yujin." It took her three tries before the latter hummed sleepily.

"5 more minutes." Yujin softly whines, hiding her face in her arms.

Minju sighs. She pokes Yujin's arm again. "What..."

"I need to tell you something," she whispers.

Yujin inhales deeply and tilts her head so she faces whoever was talking to her. Squinting, she asks, "What is it that you have to tell me in the middle of my nap?"

Minju sees her half-awake state, wondering if she had a heart disease with how fast her heart was beating.

"If you're not going to say anything, I'm going back to sleep." Yujin lifts her hood over her head.

"I don't want to be your tutor anymore."

The girl didn't reply, probably snoozing away. Minju scratches her head before tapping on Yujin's arm again.

When the girl didn't show any signs, she says, "I like you."

Yujin was suddenly awake, eyes opened under her hood. Her heart might've skipped a beat when she hears Minju's voice again.

"I said I like you."

Yujin lifts the edge of her hood above her eye, peeking at Minju. "Say that again."

A frown gradually appears on the brunette's forehead as her cheeks flushed pink. That little grin of Yujin's made her cover the latter's face with the hood.

Yujin struggled to get up when Minju held her head down out of embarrasment. What did I just do?

"Ya, Kim Minju. You're being a little too mean."

She laid there till the pressure lifts off her head. Yujin takes off the hood to realise it was Minju's turn with the table.

"Since when were you shy..." she mumbles and rests her head right beside Minju. A smile inevitably shone on her face as she recalls what she said.

Yujin pokes her forearm. "You dead?"

"No."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Can you look at me?"

Minju shakes her head, hiding her perpetually blushed cheeks from the girl.

"Why?"

"Because I'm embarrassed."

Yujin couldn't help but scream internally at the way she said that. She's adorable. Kim Minju is adorable. Kim Minju.

Her eyes winded into smiles. She waits till Minju slightly lifts her head to check on the sudden silence.

"Okay?" Yujin met with her gaze, seeing the girl freeze. "You're not angry this time, are you?" she asks when she sees how red Minju's cheeks were.

"What's with the not wanting to be my tutor anymore? I thought we had a deal. Does it have something to do with you liking me?"

Minju swallows thickly as she sits up, watching Yujin do the same, except that she was a little more at ease.

Yujin just stares at her with excitement lingering within. "Do you actually like me? And not because you felt like you had to?"

Minju swore she saw her eyes sparkle as if they were hypnotising her to nod once.

"Okay." Yujin picks up her pen, smiling as if there's no tomorrow. She knew Minju didn't like the suspense and figured, they shouldn't plainly talk without doing something.

"You don't want to be my tutor anymore?" Yujin spoke, glancing at her, hands writing down solutions as fast as her brain could process.

"That's alright," she said. "I don't want you to be my tutor either." she flips the page, moving on to the next problem.

When she finishes reading the question, she turns to look at Minju. "Why would you want to be my tutor when you could be my girlfriend instead?"

Minju chokes on her saliva and starts coughing.

"Is it that bad?" The girl wonders as she quickly gives a bottle of water to her. Minju carefully takes a sip.

Yujin tilts her head. "It sounded great in my head though."

"You should use your head somewhere else." Minju caps the bottle, wiping the edge of .

"As if yours is any better." Yujin takes back her words. Minju's smarter than her in every way. "You should use your head on me then. Why don't you ever think of me when you do things?"

The brunette places the bottle on the table. She recalls the countless times she gave her jacket to Yujin while she naps in the library, got her favourite chocolate milk even when she had to go one big circle around the cafeteria, and dealt with her nonsense 24 hours a day.

Which part of thinking about Yujin did she miss out on? She doesn't know.

"What do you want me to do?"

Yujin pauses when she said that in the most gentle voice she has ever heard. "Just continue liking me." she slips her hands into her hoodie pockets.

"That's all you have to do." Yujin smiles adorably, pushing her shoulders into a shrug. She shivers when the cold got to her, sniffing.

Minju slowly nods and pulls a piece of tissue out of the packet. She twirls it, pinches the end and shoves it into Yujin's nose to stop it from running.

Yujin looked like a total fool smiling to herself with pieces of tissue stuck in her nose but that was the least of her concerns.

...

The two packed up when it was time to head home. Though the night was still young, they were still kids that need to be home before midnight.

"Why is it so cold?" Yujin puffs out a deep breath, smoke evident before her eyes.

She walks to the other side, keeping Minju away from the road.

"It's the end of the year. Of course it's cold."

"Is it?" Yujin glances at her with hands deep in the pockets of her padding jacket. She then reaches for Minju's chilly hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Keeping us warm." Yujin places their hands into her pocket where there were heat packs.

Maybe it's a bad idea to head home this late when it's freezing.

"Christmas is in a few days," Yujin said. "Do you know what would be the best gift?" she looks at Minju.

She intentionally nudges her shoulder. "You being my girlfriend." Yujin held back a small giggle when Minju looks up.

She follows her gaze towards their hands.

"You're already holding my hand," Minju said.

Yujin realises. "Ahh..." she nods as a grin appears on her numb lips. "You want to be my girlfriend?" she smiles teasingly.

"I mea—"

"Okay. You're my girlfriend starting today." Yujin happily announces, holding her hand a little tighter.

Minju looks away as a smile accidentally slips out the edge of her lips. When there were no objections, Yujin was basically on cloud nine, feet barely touching the ground.

She was smiling inside out in this wintery season, holding onto someone who'll always take the first place in her heart no matter where she goes.

Minju stops walking when they reached the junction of the streets.

"Why'd you stop?" Yujin wondered since the latter's house was a hundred metres straight from here.

Minju uses her chin, gesturing across the road. "Your house is there."

The taller girl pulls her to walk. "I'll just walk you home. It's late."

"But—"

"I want to walk with you." Yujin didn't want to let a second go to waste. Even if it means walking a little more at the expense of her catching a cold.

Minju looks at her. "You're not tired?"

Yujin chuckles. "I had a great nap and can walk for ages," she emphasises.

Drizzles of snow landed above Minju's head.

"It's snowing." Yujin smiles, using her free hand to put the hood over the latter's head. Even though she wanted to drag their little walk, she says, "Let's walk faster."

It didn't take long before they reached the front of the building where Minju stays.

Yujin takes their hands out of her pocket but hated the thought of letting go.

"I didn't expect it to be this fast." she chuckles lightly, rubbing her thumb against the back of Minju's hand.

The brunette looks up to see Yujin smiling like she always does. Yujin brushes the snow off her hood. "You should go now. It's getting cold."

Minju stood on her toes and snuck a small peck on the latter's cheek. Yujin froze as the tip of her ears turned red, not from the cold. She definitely didn't expect that coming from Minju. She stole the first move.

Before she knew it, Minju ran into the building all shy. She might've hidden behind the pillar to remind herself to breathe.

Yujin was all smiles, hands touching her cheek. "Good that she ran. I would've done something else if she didn't." She scares herself with an unannounced giggle.

Minju enters the door just to see her brother peeking from the dining table. He had a huge grin on his face as if he knew what was going on.

"What?" she takes off her shoes.

Minhee continues smirking. "I'm waiting." he plops a bundle of rice into his mouth.

"Where's mom?" Minju walks in, goes to her room and places her things on her desk.

"She's showering." Minhee answers and watches his sister come back out. "So?" He persists.

Minju didn't have the mood to be annoyed. "What do you want?" she goes to the fridge, still thinking about her actions a few minutes ago.

"You're seriously going to keep it from me? Come on," he whines, dead curious about the reasoning behind that interaction he saw downstairs.

Minju leans against the counter and sips on water. She hoped it could cool her insides down.

Knock knock

Minhee looks at the door. "Who?" he wonders who would be here at night.

Minju gestures for him to open it.

"But I'm eating."

"Go."

"Ugh." He stands up and heads to the door.

Twisting the doorknob, he opens the front door. To his surprise, it was a familiar face.

He knew who it was and went, "Noona. Someone's here for you." his voice was filled with tease as he held onto the door frame.

"Who?"

Minhee smiles at Yujin. "What do you like about my annoying sister?"

Minju saw who it was and quickly covers his mouth, pulling him away. Minhee hid behind the door, peeking.

Before the brunette could ask why she was there, Yujin held up a phone. Minju's phone.

"Did you intentionally put it in my pocket so you could make me come up here?" Yujin asks, tilting her head as if she were teasing her.

"You're so tall." Minhee gasps at her height and gets his forehead smacked by Minju.

"Only you would do something like that." She takes her phone back, recalling how the girl took it so she could fill her gallery with selfies.

Yujin smiles when she sees her all flustered. She stood there for five seconds, not wanting to leave just so she could see Minju up front.

"Do you want to come in?" Minhee invites. He wanted to know more.

Minju pinches his arm out of embarrassment but the boy felt nothing.

"Can I?" Excitement filled her tone.

Minju had second thoughts. She didn't want this brother of hers to spill things Yujin didn't know of.

Minhee nudges her aside and starts pulling Yujin in. "Come, come. It's cold out there. You should find another girlfriend. She doesn't care about you at all." he starts rambling as Yujin looks back at Minju who was closing the door.

Does this mean we're actually a thing? She smiles and all she could think of was maybe he knew from Minju.

Minhee made her sit on the couch. "How tall are you? Isn't my sister too short for you?"

Yujin chuckles, taking off her jacket. "Tall enough." She's 174.

The boy admires. "I want to be like you." he winks playfully and goes to the kitchen to get warm water.

Minju strolls into the living room, stopping to look at Yujin. "Your brother's cute." she smiles, watching the brunette come towards her.

"He looks a lot like you."

Minju sat beside her. "That's an insult."

Yujin follows her and laid back on the couch. She slightly leans towards Minju's ear. "Why did you run away?" she whispers.

The brunette glanced at her.

"You don't miss me? I missed you a lot. You didn't even say bye." Yujin pouts, gently punching her shoulder.

Minju didn't know how to answer. Her mind was a blur. Yujin being here, she couldn't think properly. It hasn't even been 10 minutes since the last time they saw each other.

Maybe there's a difference in timing when it comes to these things. A few minutes can feel like hours, and a few hours can feel like minutes.

"I hate saying bye."

"So that's why you kissed me? Is that your way of saying bye?" Yujin was amused.

Minju kept quiet when her brother came back. Yujin snuck a whisper, "You should aim my lips next time."

Minhee politely passes the warm cup to Yujin who thanks him. Minju couldn't keep her blush to herself as she looks elsewhere.

Yujin faced Minhee who was just in awe. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"You're just a kid then." she jokes.

Minhee playfully rolls his eyes but he liked the fact that there was someone new he'll be knowing about.

He looks at Minju. "Are you not going to shower?"

"Later."

"You can go now. You hate not showering when you come home. I can entertain her, don't worry."

Minju looks at Yujin who assures her without words. "You don't need to go home?" It was already 9 in the evening.

The taller girl pushes her to stand up. "I'll be fine."

Minju sighs as she made sure her brother won't do anything funny when she was not around.

The two waited till Minju went to her room before facing each other. Minhee was sitting on the stool beside the coffee table.

"Are you really her girlfriend?" he asks, genuinely wanting confirmation before anything.

"I thought you knew...?" Yujin became confused.

Minhee shakes his head. "I assumed. She didn't tell me anything. But are you? I really want you to be her girlfriend." he voices his thoughts.

Yujin held back a smile. Getting accepted by a family member of Minju's felt like a safety net to whatever that'll come next.

"Why?" she asks out of curiosity. Who knows what Minju has been thinking about when it comes to her? Maybe her brother would know.

"You're a nice person." he stretches his legs out front. "I want her to be with a nice person."

"What makes you think I'm a nice person?"

Minhee rests his arm on the table, cupping the corner with his palm. He hums. "You come around here a lot. When she got sick, you gave me medicine for her. I didn't know who you were but not everyone does that. There are times she's tired but still goes down when you called. She doesn't do that to anyone...not even me when I asked her to help with groceries. My sister doesn't have friends because she thinks there's no poi