Good Friends

My Inevitable

Chaeyoung sneaks around the kitchen in the early morning hours, the sun is barely starting to rise while birds begin their morning songs. Brewing coffee, and mixing together the kimchi pancake batter. It doesn’t make up for running away from Dahyun yesterday, but it's a start at apologizing. 

 

It didn’t take long after the food was finished for two hungry women to come stumbling down the hallway, still rubbing their eyes and blinking slowly. The three of them eat quietly, Chaeyoung waiting for the right moment while the other two are just slowly waking up. 

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I should have, I know. I was scared of what you would say, but she’s the whole reason you’re here and I should have said something.” Chaeyoung finally speaks, as she washes the dishes. 

 

“It’s okay. I was really shocked when I saw her, but when I talked to Sana she helped me realize why you might’ve hidden it. I know I’m … pushy I guess is the word, when it comes to soulmate. I want you to be happy, but I haven’t been great at supporting you in the way you needed it. I’ll try to be better about supporting you.” Dahyun responds from the table behind her. 

 

“I’ll be more honest about her. It’s hard that she’s suddenly back and after so long, it feels strange. I won’t hide anything from you anymore, though.” 

 

“So, she’s your boss?” Sana asks. 

 

“She’s everyone's boss. She’s the CEO of the Korean branch of the company.” Chaeyoung sighs at the reality of her situation, hearing a cup hit the table harder than was probably intended. 

 

“She’s the CEO? So when you got that contract from the company, that was all her?” Dahyun half yells. 

 

“Yeah, she’s a generational CEO too. It gets worse though, I found out she was my boss when I went to the company after signing the contract.”

 

“Oh right, wait she was at the new employees party too? I guess that makes sense. Did she say anything?”

 

“Say anything?” Chaeyoung scoffs. “She cornered me and made sure I knew she was the CEO. And then when I went up with Nayeon to see the offices I found out that my office is conveniently next to hers.”

 

“Next to Nayeon's office?” Sana asks.

 

“No, next to Mina’s. It was fully decorated too, with art supplies and everything. Not to mention the-” She stops herself from talking about the sketchbook. She said she wouldn’t hide anything, but a steady pull at her heart makes her want to keep this to herself. For her eyes alone. 

 

“The what?” Dahyun prompts. 

 

“The way she keeps asking me to hang out with her. That’s what you saw yesterday. We ended up in the elevator together, and she asked me to go to lunch with her as soon as we got out.” Chaeyoung still didn’t want to think too much about the lunch appointment. If she hadn't been caught off guard, she would have said no. She was almost certain. 

 

“What’d you say? Are you going?” Sana asks as Chaeyoung finishes up the dishes. 

 

“Unfortunately. But it’s not until sometime next week.” 

 

*********

 

“You know you don’t have to hold my hand too. You can just hold hands. I'm not going to mind.” Chaeyoung says, her face flushed in embarrassment as the three of them walk down the paint aisle. 

 

“But then your hands would be lonely.” Sana responded, while Dahyun just laughed and squeezed the hand she was holding. 

 

Work had been normal, her soulmate hadn’t been in the office so she was able to focus. The only sign her soulmate might’ve been there at any time was the fresh flowers in the vase. She had tried her best to ignore them. 

 

When she came home afterwards, she told Sana and Dahyun that she wanted to go paint shopping specifically for the mural. They had happily agreed to come, and Chaeyoung was glad that she wasn’t going alone. But ever since they had gotten out of the car, the two soulmates had chosen to hold Chaeyoungs hands instead of each others. She found it incredibly embarrassing because people kept staring at them and giggling as the three of them walked around with her sandwiched between her friends. 

 

She kept trying to find an excuse to discreetly let go, but Sana had a surprisingly strong grip that she hadn’t been able to get out of. Dahyun, on the other hand, just kept invalidating all her arguments. Like earlier she had tried to let go to grab a paintbrush to look at, but Dahyun had argued that she could just grab it for Chaeyoung and didn’t see why they had to stop holding hands to look. It was slightly frustrating her, and was planning to make them carry the paint buckets into the studio later as punishment. 

 

Her assumption at the moment was that both of her friends used physical affection to comfort other people, and had decided that she needed comfort due to the whole soulmate fiasco. It’s not like she really minded holding hands with them that much, aside from the embarrassment, so she had pretty much given up by this point. 

 

“Just help me find the colors we need, we’re probably going to have to flag down an employee to get us enough buckets of them.”

 

*********

 

“Mina, you need to calm down. If you get on the plane like this I don’t think anyone is going to make it to Japan.” Momo tried to placate her. 

 

“Why should I be the one to calm down?! Work just started and already they’re calling me back to Japan. They know why I don’t want to leave! He swore to me Momo, he swore that he would fully support me with this. I’ve more than proven myself.” Mina spits out, feeling her fury course through her veins like liquid flame. 

 

She had gotten the call last night. She was told the head of her family and company, her grandfather, wanted her to come home to Japan to talk. As if I’m going to be doing any talking. If it was up to her, she wouldn’t even bother with the formalities and would just storm up there and remind him who it was that saved the company. She took a deep breath with her eyes closed and ran both her hands through her hair, attempting to calm down. It didn’t help that the closest airport was the one she left Chaeyoung behind in all those years ago. 

 

“Alright, it’s fine. I’m fine. It just irks me that they have this complete disregard for -” She stopped herself, letting out another heavy sigh. “No, it’s fine. I’m calm.” 

 

“I know it’s frustrating. Don’t worry so much, she’s not going to forget about you or anything. I also made sure no one knows that you left, and instructed Tzuyu about the flowers until we return.” Momo assured her. Mina really was grateful for her friend. 

 

“Yeah, you’re right. It’ll be okay, Next week I’ll make it up to her during lunch.” Mina said, now in her own head planning where she’s going to take Chaeyoung. A welcome distraction from the trip home.

 

AUTHORS NOTE: It's a little short this time, don't worry the next chapter is twice as long as this one. Hope you enjoyed :]

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Myrulesmylife #1
Chapter 12: Yes Chaeyoung..go with Mina
jungeunjifan
#2
Authornim, please update this fanfic...
No_looksies #3
Chapter 10: This story is so good!!! Thank you for writing this work author nim! It warmed my heart up!
Jensoo_
#4
Chapter 9: Hope you're doing fine author, hoping you'll continue this story because it's really beautiful.
Tokwa2x
#5
Chapter 9: Don’t worry about too much about updating late. School is more important m. Focus on your school works first. This can wait ok?
Anyways, thanks for the update.
Erika1987 #6
Chapter 8: I think the level of angst is good, it's good to see michaeng falling in love regardless of the soulmate bond
Myrulesmylife #7
Chapter 8: Oh Authornim...this angst itself is more..let them be happy..I know Chaeyoung is mad and I hope she can forgive Mina
Asianfanficreader1 #8
Chapter 7: wow author nim I really love it you fic TT, I'm waiting for more, keep it up <3
rurimatsumoto #9
Chapter 7: The story is now progressing. I wonder how they will interact now with each other. Looking forward for the next update and their date.