Winter was coming.

As in the season, it was beginning to get cold as the trees have lost almost all of their leaves. Everyone donned their long black padded jackets, while some looked as though they were wrapped under 5 layers.

Minjeong always loved this season. The white blanket of snow, the warm feeling during the holiday season, and especially her go-to hot cocoa. This was the season where she felt the happiest.

At least that’s what it used to be. Right now, her brain is scrambled from working on her statistics proposal. All she wanted was her bed and her precious hot cocoa.

Her parents have called on occasion to check on her well-being. They’ve sent her care packages every other week with all of her favorite snacks. However, Minjeong’s greedy hands can never have her snack packages last longer than 2 days.

She swears the only way she can finish her proposal is by having a bite of some lava cake. Minjeong has always had a sweet tooth, but after spending more time with Jimin she had to tone it down because the taller girl preferred savory flavors.

Speaking on Jimin, Minjeong has long realized that her crush on Jimin has turned into something much more deep. After the surprise kiss on the cheek, the girls’ physical touch has increased.

After their recitation, the girls would either cuddle in each other’s beds or go on a late night walk around the campus. It was clear that both of their love language was physical touch as the girls could keep their hands to themselves whenever they were together.

Whenever they would go out on walks one of them would reach for the other’s hand and interlock their fingers. Or when they’re hanging out with friends Minjeong had a habit of holding onto Jimin’s wrist or her bracelet. Jimin never minded as she had her own habits.

Such as her clinginess whenever they were in bed. Minjeong even has a short video of the girl cutely calling her name and pulling her closer to get more sleep after an exhausting night of studying.

It was almost as if they were dating. Almost.

As much as Minjeong wants to take their “friendship” to the next level she knew she had to be honest with Jimin before asking her out. Minjeong thought that her parents would be okay if only Jimin knew her real identity. She thought wrong.

Last week, she was picked up by their driver to get some last minute things from her room. She planned everything out as if she was presenting a business proposal to her parents. And it almost felt like that.

The three of them were eating their dinner when Minjeong finally brought the topic up to her parents.

Clearing , “There is someone I like in school.”

It felt as though time had stopped. There were a few seconds of silence, no one moved a muscle until her mom let out a light cough.

“Excuse me?” Her mom replied.

Minjeong looked at both of her parents in the eye and repeated, “I like someone and her name is Yu Jimin.”

Her mom froze while her dad tried to finish his last piece of lasagna.

“Do you have a photos of this young lady?” Asked her dad, trying to lift up the mood.

Minjeong knew that her dad would always be there to support her but she was scared to hear her mom’s reaction. Trying to ignore the awkward tension, she pulled out her phone and tapped onto the photo album that only had Jimin’s photos. Let’s just say there were quite a lot as the girl was just visual stunning.

She let her parents swipe through the photo as she squirmed a bit in her seat. Her parents have supported her relationships in the past but that was before their company became public. After a few minutes, her mom gave her phone back with a small smile on her face.

“She’s absolutely beautiful and I’m sure her personality is charming. I can see how much love you have for this girl based on some of the photos.” Her mom said, while her dad nodded in agreement.

Minjeong started to blush a bit once she heard the word “love” come out of her mom’s mouth. Now comes the tricky part of convincing her parents to tell Jimin who she truly is.

“Y-yeah, which is why I was hoping to tell her my identity before officially asking her out.” Minjeong replied back.

Her mom let out a soft sigh, “That I cannot allow you to do.”

“But why? I know Jimin she won’t tell anyone.” Minjeong’s voice slowly started to rise.

“I’m sure this young lady won’t te—”

“Her name is Jimin.” Minjeong cut her mom off.

Minjeong’s dad could sense that the conversation was getting a bit tense.

“What we’re trying to say is that it’s not that we don’t trust Jimin. However, a few days ago we got news that a certain journalist has been visiting your college trying to get information about you.” Her dad said, trying to explain their perspective.

“W-what? Who?”

Her mom spoke up, “Shindong from PINK BLD, he’s notorious for exposing private information to the public. Once he gets a whiff of a potential exposé he doesn’t stop. This is why we’