Every damn time Minjeong opens her door to head to work, Jimin was doing the same. Their encounters aren’t awkward. Mostly because Minjeong is always mad at Jimin, glaring or snarling as a greeting. While, Jimin on the other hand, seems like she lives to annoy the living crap out of Minjeong. 

 

“Good morning, Minjeong.” Jimin has a coffee in her hand, and a grin on her face. Minjeong rolls her eyes, making sure to lock her door, before practically stomping her way down the hall to the elevator. 

 

“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed?” Jimin is next to her again, staring at her through their reflection on the elevator doors. 

 

“No,” Minjeong says, “I just have an annoying neighbor, that’s all.” 

 

Jimin hums, sipping her coffee. 

 

Minjeong huffs, aggressively pressing the elevator button again. “Why is it taking so long?” 

 

“We’re pretty high up,” Jimin states, pointing at the floor number nailed to the wall. “Patience, Minjeong.” 

 

“Don’t tell me to be patient,” Minjeong grits, “I can’t believe you’re my neighbor. I can’t believe you’re one of my attending surgeons.” 

 

“Well, believe it, baby. I’m right here.” Jimin smirks. 

 

“Don’t call me that.” Minjeong says sharply. 

 

“Sorry,” Jimin clears , “force of habit.” 

 

A scoff comes from Minjeong, followed by silence. Jimin turns to glance at her briefly, a sigh leaving her lips. Maybe of relief or of guilt. Probably both. 

 

“Don’t let me ruin your day, Minjeong.” She meant it. It hurts to know when the only woman you’ve ever loved hates your gut to pieces, but even then, Jimin thinks it was better off this way. It was easier for both of them. That way, at least one of them has moved on. 

 

“That would only happen if I stop seeing your face.” Minjeong mutters under her breath, but Jimin hears it loud and clear. 

 

Minjeong hits the elevator button one more time, before cursing under her breath, and turning for the stairs. 

 

Before she could open the door, a warm hand stopped her from doing so. Minjeong turns to see Jimin looking at her with soft eyes, and she wonders why Jimin still looks at her that way. 

 

The elevator door dings, opening slowly. 

 

“I’ll take the stairs,” Jimin nods her head towards the elevator, “get on before it leaves without you.” She doesn’t let Minjeong argue, as she disappears down the stairs. She saw the surprise written all over the younger woman’s face, and her heart aches longingly. 

 

_

 

Weirdly enough, Jimin doesn’t approach her at all during her shift. Not that it upset Minjeong, but it was an observation. 

 

Yup, just an observation. 

 

Minjeong does constantly see Jimin at the nurses station, elbow on the counter, leaning forward with a flirtatious smile on her stupid face. 

 

Was Jimin dating that nurse that Minjeong caught her with in the on-call room? That’s what it certainly looked like. 

 

“Boo,” a whisper next to her ear startles Minjeong from staring. A hand to her chest, Mark appears at her side, a mischievous smile on his lips. 

 

“You're giving very creepy ex lover vibes, Minjeong. Stop staring.” Mark shakes his head in disapproval. 

 

“Am not.” Minjeong rips her eyes away after one final glance, turning to walk away. “I was not staring. I just… blanked out, I guess.” 

 

Mark scoffs, throwing his arm around Minjeong’s shoulder like an annoying habit. “Sure. That’s why you were glaring with your fists clenched at your sides. Were you perhaps plotting a murder scene in your head? Nurse Ryujin is nice. I know she stole your woman, but please don’t kill her. I like her.” 

 

A nudge to his stomach, Mark groans, holding his aching side. Minjeong scoffs, pushing away from him and entering the cafeteria as lunch break rolls around. 

 

“You assume too much.” Minjeong mumbles, grabbing a lunch tray.

 

“Are my assumptions far from the truth?” Mark challenges, grabbing his own tray as they wait in line for food. 

 

“Very,” Minjeong says sternly. 

 

Sighing, Mark shakes his head in disapproval again. “Didn’t know you were such a liar, Kim.” 

 

Minjeong glares at him, “I’m done with this conversation, Mark.” 

 

She leaves him and finds a seat where Shuhua and Soojin had already been sitting. Shuhua greets them brightly, while Soojin just simply continues eating, a banana at the side of her tray, and a suture kit right right next to the yellow fruit. 

 

“Does she ever like… chill out?” Mark blinks at Soojin who perfectly stitches up the banana peels. 

 

“Not really,” Shuhua answers, stealing one of Soojin’s grapes on her plate. “She’s kind of intense.” She shrugs and smirks at Mark and Minjeong, “but it’s also kinda hot.” 

 

Minjeong scrunches her nose, “oh, god.” 

 

Soojin doesn’t pay any attention to them, her focus unbreakable, even with a touchy Shuhua at her side. 

 

Minjeong admired her drive. It definitely was intense, and she could hardly picture Soojin as the kind of person to let loose when she’s not in the hospital. She probably studies while she’s at home too, but those were just assumptions. Another assumption was that Soojin probably hated her. Then again, Minjeong thinks Soojin probably hates everyone, but Shuhua. 

 

“You see her?” Mark points at a woman wearing a white coat, “she’s the badass orthopedic surgeon I was talking about.” 

 

Minjeong squints her eyes, “Dr. Kang?” 

 

Mark’s eyes widened, “you’ve met her?” 

 

Nodding, Minjeong bites into her apple, rolling it in her hand. “Yeah, she’s the daughter of one of my mom’s colleagues in Massachusetts General Hospital.” 

 

“So, like,” Mark blinks, “you just know everyone then.” 

 

Minjeong shrugs, “no.” 

 

“I need to do a surgery with her, Minjeong. She’s my idol.” Mark aggressively shakes her arm, causing her to almost let go of her apple. 

 

“You should be smooching up to her, not to me.” She shakes Mark’s hands off of her. Minjeong catches Soojin’s eyes briefly, and she definitely knows the latter hates her. 

 

Mark slaps her arm in small taps, and he’s whispering, or attempts to whisper in her ear again. “That’s Dr. Jeon. One of the best Neurosurgeons in the nation.” 

 

Minjeong’s eyes widened, trailing after the said doctor. 

 

“I heard he’s been working and doing research on treatments for dementia, and that if he’s successful, he’ll get his own Nobel peace prize.” Shuhua pipes up from her seat. “He recruits new interns every year to work with him.” 

 

Soojin drops the sutures onto the table and eyes Minjeong. “You’re interested in neuro?” 

 

She gets a simple nod of response from Minjeong. 

 

“So am I.” 

 

Minjeong’s eyebrows bounce slightly, not from surprise, but because she could feel the intense competitiveness shooting at her. 

 

“Why not cardiothoracic? Like your parents?” Mark asks. 

 

Shrugging, Minjeong picks at her food. It’s not like her parents haven’t expected her to go into cardiothoracic surgery to carry on their legacy in the specialty, but Minjeong has only ever been so sure of two things in her life. One, her love for the brain, and two, her love for… well, maybe she’s only ever been sure of one thing.

 

“Not everything I do involves my parents… so…” Minjeong’s mood shifts, but no one notices, which she appreciates. 

 

Heaving a sigh, the voices of Shuhua and Mark grow distant in her ears. She looks up, gaze blanking straight ahead until it focuses on familiar soft eyes. 

 

Jimin. Stupid, Yu Jimin. 

 

She stands by the cafeteria doors, leaning against it as if she were waiting for someone. Minjeong holds her gaze, only because Jimin wouldn’t look away either. 

 

Minjeong releases another breath, blinking slowly, as she allows her gaze to take in the matureness of Jimin’s features after years. She was slimmer, the plump of her cheeks toned down and making her dimples more prominent when Jimin gave her a tender smile. 

 

Jimin’s eyes were the same. They will always be the same. The way they looked at her, how they shine when she smiles at her, how they looked at her like she mattered the most. That she was special. That she was enough. 

 

But Minjeong knew it wasn’t true. Jimin wouldn’t have left her otherwise. 

 

Look away, Minjeong. 

 

Look. Away. 

 

Jimin blinks out of their trance first, a hand touching her arm. She looks to her side and sees a grinning Ryujin with her own cup of coffee in her hold. 

 

“Ready?” 

 

Jimin opens to respond, but her eyes glance up first to find Minjeong again. 

 

She was nowhere to be found. 

 

Her heart clenches with disappointment, but soon recovers when Ryujin asks her what she was looking at. 

 

“Nothing.” Jimin breathes out, forcing out a smile. “Let’s go?” 

 

_

 

“Jimin, you’re distracting me.” Minjeong tries to pull her head away from the kissing monster, that is her girlfriend. A giggle leaves her lips when Jimin playfully bites her shoulder instead. 

 

“Play with me.” Jimin whispers, “I’m bored, baby.” 

 

Adjusting the textbook on her lap, Minjeong almost gives in, turning her head to meet Jimin’s lips in one quick kiss, but pulls away just as quickly. 

 

“When I’m done studying.” Minjeong taps her book, giving her girlfriend a stern look. 

 

“You’ve been studying for hours,” Jimin pouts, “your beautiful brain is going to explode if you don’t take a break.” Her fingers thread through Minjeong’s 

hair, the pads of her fingers massaging her scalp. 

 

“Fifteen more minutes.” 

 

“You said that an hour ago.” Jimin rebuttals. 

 

Minjeong simply leans into Jimin, telling the older woman that there was no debate over it. Sighing, Jimin feels disappointment, but settles into raising her white flag because she could never hold grudges with Minjeong. She places a kiss onto Minjeong’s forehead, fingers continuing her soothing massage on the younger woman’s scalp. 

 

Not even ten minutes later, Jimin feels the weight of Minjeong’s head against her cheek. She smiles to herself, hearing the soft, and might she say,  adorable, snores coming from the exhausted and now, asleep, Minjeong. 

 

Jimin carefully maneuvers their bodies, so that she could gently lower Minjeong on her bed. She tucks Minjeong in the way she sl