Minjeong fiddles in her chair as she stares up at the analogue clock displayed at the top of the exit. The arrivals section is particularly empty at this time, it’s exactly 5am and Jimin is due to land in…

Minjeong looks over to the digital screen adjacent to her, squinting to read the small text. After the slide changes, she finds what she’s looking for near the top.

LAX - KOR EST 05:03.

Three minutes.

Minjeong’s heart begins beating faster in anticipation. After a whole two years of separation, a part of her wonders if everything will slip back into place as normal, as if she never left.

Minjeong and Jimin had been young childhood friends. As kids, Minjeong was quite quiet, a little reserved and soft-spoken on the outside, but Jimin being her bubbly and larger-than-life self really brought her out of her shell. Their parents shortly found out that together, they became nothing short of chaotic! 

Jimin was always there, serving as a comfort for Minjeong. Being slightly older, she always knew the right things to say when she was going through a hard time.

Jimin spotted her when she crossed the monkey bars on the playground for the first time. She remembered how scared she was when she tried, being frightened of heights she used to call out for her mum; but this pint-sized girl had no problem grabbing for the rungs, with a bright smile on her face. 

When they were tweens and awkward, Jimin went out to buy Minjeong’s first makeup palette. They ended up buying a cheap set, enticed by the variety of over twenty colours. News flash, if the price is the same as a palette containing four shades, there is definitely a problem. 

Jimin held Minjeong in her arms after she broke up with her first boyfriend, even if the relationship only lasted about ten days. She was heartbroken, sobbing into her macaron-shaped pillow. Jimin knew just the right thing to set her straight, feeding her spoonfuls of ice cream like a child.

Regardless of the importance of the event, it seemed like Jimin was always there for Minjeong, to tell her that everything was going to be alright. Jimin’s empathy and warmth felt safe, and made Minjeong feel like she could get through anything.

They officially got together when they turned 18 and 19 respectively. Jimin may have confessed first, but Minjeong has had a crush on Jimin since she was 13, a fact that the elder doesn’t let her forget.

What made dating difficult at this stage was not only were they not in the same cohort for university, but they also didn’t attend the same one. This was a hard change to make when they were basically attached at the hip during high school and would frequently spend time with each other every day.

Jimin then got an amazing opportunity to transfer to the US due to her stellar academic performance and overall experience. Although Jimin debated staying in Korea to be with her, Minjeong couldn’t let Jimin leave such an amazing opportunity behind. And so, despite the both of them being in the early stage of their romantic relationship, they had to learn to adapt to long distance.

Of course, Minjeong had stayed in touch with Jimin while she was away. FaceTime had become a basic necessity, and notification pings in ungodly hours became the norm. But Minjeong couldn’t lie that the experience just wasn’t the same as being together in person. After all this time, would everything be different between them?

The gates finally open and Minjeong pays dutiful attention to every person leaving. The first to get off have simple carry-on baggage and we’re often dressed in formal attire, likely here for business. 

Minjeong’s eyes widen and the corners of her lips instinctively are pulled upwards as she catches Jimin, who doesn’t spot her at first, looking around the entire hall. Once she catches a glimpse of Minjeong, she makes a B-line for her.

Wordlessly, she pushes her luggage cart to where Minjeong was seated. Taking the slightly larger and soft hands into her own (aptly named pink jelly), she pulls Minjeong into a hug.

It’s everything she’s wanted.

Minjeong closes her eyes and breathes Jimin in, feeling the air fill her lungs and travel down to her diaphragm. They stay in their hug for several beats, no rush to separate. When they finally do, Minjeong wipes the tear that forms at the corner of her eyes.

Jimin flashes a lovestruck smile, biting her bottom lip as she finds Minjeong nothing short of adorable. She gently cups the younger face, which only causes Minjeong to tear more.

Jimin lets out a little whine, followed by a light laugh as she coos, using her thumbs to swipe away at the warm liquid, before pulling in Minjeong again. Minjeong rests her head on Jimin’s shoulder as the taller slowly combs through her short hair, just like she used to.

“I’ve missed you,” Jimin whispers into Minjeong’s skin.

Minjeong pulls away, taking Jimin’s hand again. “Let’s go home.”

Minjeong helps Jimin load her luggage into the back of the car, with the help of the Uber driver.

Rather than both occupying a window seat, Minjeong sits in the middle one, staying closer to Jimin, grabbing hold of her arm. Jimin and Minjeong have always been extremely touchy, linking arms when they go on walks, holding hands, and even under tables. Something about that physical contact made them feel tethered and calm.

Jimin spots the sunrise through the window on the left, as the sky begins to take a bright orange-to-blue gradient, and the clouds a cotton candy pink. “Are you tired baby?”

Minjeong nods. “I couldn’t sleep all night. I was so excited.”

Jimin taps on her right shoulder, urging Minjeong to rest her head on it.

“Sleep. I’m here now.”

Minjeong gives Jimin a quick peck on the cheek before taking up her offer.

Jimin blushes. Although the girls initiate a lot of skinship, they don’t really kiss in public.

Jimin wakes Minjeong by squishing her cheeks. She’s still a little out of it, slowly blinking her eyes and letting out a soft yawn. Jimin takes the opportunity to put a finger in , which Minjeong instinctively bites on.

“Cover your mouth, silly.” Minjeong sticks out her tongue in response.

The couple awkwardly manoeuvre their luggage up a small set of stairs before entering an elevator to reach their flat on the 3rd floor. 

As soon as they finally stood in their living room and dropped their things, Jimin found herself reaching for Minjeong again. After years of being starved of each other's presence, the mere idea of being in close proxemics was enough to make her feel high. 

She gingerly moved her free hand towards Minjeong’s cheek, caressing it with her thumb.

Minjeong closed her eyes, her heart racing as she tilted her head up to meet Jimin.

Then their lips met in a soft, sweet kiss. It was a kiss filled with all the love and excitement of starting this new chapter in their lives together after being apart for so long.

Minjeong wrapped her arms around Jimin's waist, pulling her closer as their kiss deepened. She could feel Jimin's arms encircling her, holding her tight as they lost themselves in the moment.

Just as their embrace started to loosen, Jimin playfully leaned in and kabedon-ed the wall behind them, causing Minjeong to giggle. Minjeong was trapped in between the wall and Jimin’s piercing gaze.

“I got you all to myself.” Using her free hand sh