“This is my favourite piece.” Chaeyoung goes up to Sana who’s been looking at a single painting of a girl, who’s silhouette was the same as Mina’s, sitting on the rooftop looking up at the moon. The thing is, everything in the painting has colour except for the girl herself, “I drew this after I first met Mina-unnnie. This was how I found her.” Chaeyoung begins to explain.

“Maybe it’s best if you just take some time away from painting, Chaeng. That’s what I did and it helped me find what I was missing.” Roseanne says over the phone.

“Not painting? I don’t know if I can do that.” chaeyoung sighs, “But I’m also not satisfied with any of my sketches to even get to the point where I want to put it on canvas.”

“Stressing about it won’t help Baby Chae.” Jennie chimes in from the background.

“Unnie this is a private conversation.” Chaeyoung whines, mostly because she hates how Jennie babies her just because she shares the same name as Roseanne.

“What did you say?” Jennie’s tone was scary.

“Nothing..” Chaeyoung pouts, “Alright you two enough of that. Chaeng just relax..I think the stress is making it hard for you. It’s okay to take a breather.”

“I’ll try..thanks Rosie unnie.” Chaeyoung hangs up the phone, finally making it up the rooftop of her apartment complex, “I just want to paint.” Chaeyoung sighs, opening the door she was met with a surreal scene of the night sky, the full moon shining down on a lone figure sitting on the bench looking up for a solution to her own problems. At this, Chaeyoung quickly grabbed her sketchpad and began to draw the scene in front of her.

“Tsuki ga kirei desu ne?” Chaeyoung hears the girl whisper softly to the moon. Making a mental note to look up the saying for later.

“I didn’t realise it until after I'd spent more time with Mina-unnie just how much that scene changed me.” Chaeyoung smiles at the memory, “It was like I saw myself that night. Sitting, trying to find whatever it is I was missing.”

“And? Did you?” Sana finally speaks up, her eyes still set on the painting.

“This exhibit speaks for itself does it not?”

“I guess it does.” Sana agrees.

“Tsuki ga kirei desu ne?” Chaeyoung says after a few silent moments pass and Sana finally peels her eyes away from the painting to look at the artist, “She said it that night in a soft whisper. And a few times here and there when I’d catch her on the rooftop again. I didn’t ask her about it, because it felt too personal..so I looked up the meaning myself.” Chaeyoung pauses, reaching out and tracing the silhouette with her index finger, “I’ve always wondered who her ‘I love you’ belongs to.”

“Chaeng.” Mina’s voice is soft, calling the artist back from her thoughts.

“Excuse me.” Chaeyoung excuses herself from Sana, who keeps her back to Mina. She couldn’t look at her best friend..not without breaking down.

“Do you like the exhibit unnie?” Chaeyoung beams a happy smile while they wander through the exhibit.

“Well as the artist’s muse, I don’t think I have the right to say no.” Mina smiles.

“Why is there a piece you don’t like?” Chaeyoung frowns, wanting to immediately take the piece Mina doesn’t like down.

“No..they’re all wonderful..I’m just in surprise, awe, shock..Why me?”

“Why not you?” Chaeyoung counters.

“Why that saying?”

“Why not that?”

“Chaeyoung.”

“Mina-unnie.”

“I’m serious here.”

“I know, but I am too. Why can’t you be my muse? Why do you have to doubt that?” Chaeyoung asks.

“There’s nothing special about me.” Mina says, as her eyes look around the room that’s quite literally filled with her.

“I find you special.” Chaeyoung says, taking Mina’s hand in hers, “You are special..not just to me but to everyone you meet. There’s no one else like you unnie. Through this, I wanted you to see how I see you. How just your presence alone can inspire someone. I wanted you to stop doubting your worth.” Chaeyoung pauses letting Mina take in her words and what she really wanted to show through this exhibit.

“Tsuki ga kirei desu ne?” Chaeyoung says and Mina’s eyes widen, “It was the first thing I ever heard you say. And it’s a saying I often found you saying…so I looked it up.” The artist smiles softly, “And now I understand.”

“Understand what?” Mina finds her voice again

“Why you always wore such a lonely smile.” Chaeyoung gives the girl an understanding smile while tucking the loose strand of hair behind Mina’s ear, “I hope that person realises soon just how lucky they are to have you love them.”

“Chaeyoung.”

“Ahh I’m so jealous.” Chaeyoung whines cutely, “To be loved by Myoui Mina-san…whoever that person is..it’s on sight.” She laughs lightly, “But seriously though, if I ever meet this person I’ll give them hell for hurting you for so long.”

“We would have never worked out.” Mina shakes her head.

“I know..that’s why I never asked for a chance.”

“Not you.” Mina clarifies.

“Oh.” Chaeyoung nods.

“I admit.” Mina says, “I did think that we’d work out, that we’d be really really good together.”

“But?”

“But..with her…” Mina pauses, “I’d risk going out in the rain again.”

“The rain?”

“Hmm..the rain.” Mina gestures towards the painting of her standing in the pouring rain.

“I see.” Chaeyoung understood what Mina was trying to say, “Didn’t peg you to be that much of a masochist unnie.”

“Son Chaeyoung.” Mina exhales through her nose.

“I’m kidding…well partly,” Chaeyoung holds up a peace sign, “But seriously though..are you ready to take the risk now?”

“No, but I feel like it’s time for me to just let it out, because I don’t want another chance to slip by.”

“Well.” Chaeyoung looks up and notices a familiar figure a few metres behind Mina, “I think now might be the time. I’ll go find Nayeon-unnie and your friend Momo-unnie.” Chaeyoung pats Mina’s head tenderly, “Good luck.” She smiles, walking away with her heart still in her hands.

“Mitang.” Sana says in a soft voice.

“We need to talk.” Mina turns around, offering Sana a small smile.

“Yeah..we do.” Sana nods, “But not here.”

“Alright.” Mina nods.

~

“Do you want something to drink?” Sana asks after the two dress in more comfortable clothes.

“I’m fine.” Mina shakes her head. The two have been friends for so long, so the awkward air around them was new and very much unwanted.

“Let’s sit on the balcony.”

“Why the balcony?” Mina asks, following Sana out to her balcony, “It’s cold.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s fine Satang. Let’s just..”

“It’s where I’d always find you.” Sana interrupts, “You’d always be there..whenever I would be looking for you at home..you’d be here instead of your room.”

“Okay.” Mina agrees, understanding the hidden message in Sana’s words, following the girl outside, making sure to bring the throw Sana keeps on the couch with her.

“I think maybe I should start.” Sana says as soon as Mina settles on the seat next to her.

“Alright.”

Sana takes a breath, “We’ve always been together. You’ve been the only person in my life aside from my parents that I trust with my entire being. And over time I got used to that. To always have you around, to always have you by my side. It wasn’t until after you left did I realise some things.” Sana begins to play with her necklace, a habit she formed when Mina left.

“Sana..look I know we’re friends and all now but you cannot be showing up unannounced like that.” Momo sighs, because of course Sana would show up while Momo was busy in the kitchen practically scaring her to death.

“Sorry..I thought you heard me call out to you.”

“It’s fine..I’m just glad I made extra for dinner today.” Momo looked at Sana carefully, the usually bright happy energizer was cloudy like the weather, “You miss her?” Momo asks softly, because Sana’s gaze was now focused on the rain outside.

“Even when she was here, I would miss her.” Sana turns her attention back to Momo, “So now that she’s 1200km away, it’s even harder not to. God I miss her so much it’s actually painful.”

“How’s Aiko-san?” Momo changes the topic.

“We’ve both been busy.”

“Not that busy if you spend every Saturday here.”

“It’s tradition.”

“Hai hai, at this point that’s your shared room with Mina, even if she isn't here.” Momo tries to lighten the mood.

“It’s weird right.”