The soft morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow on the room. Yujin stirred, slowly becoming aware of the warmth beside her. As she opened her eyes, she found Minju curled up against her, their limbs entwined in a quiet embrace.

Yujin couldn't help but smile at the sight. Minju's peaceful expression, framed by tousled hair, filled her with warmth. Careful not to disturb the slumbering brunette, she shifted slightly, adjusting the blankets around them.

Feeling the need to let Minju rest, Yujin gently pressed a kiss on the girl's forehead and decided to slip out of bed. She quietly did a short morning routine before sliding her car keys off the desk, glancing back at Minju, who remained blissfully unaware.

Going on her tippy toes, she got out of the room and went to get her car. Knowing breakfast was something Minju skipped often while she was here because of the lack of time, Yujin decided to head down to the bakery she had been telling the brunette about.

The streets slowly woke as Yujin carefully and nostalgically navigated through her hometown, passing by areas she hadn't seen in a while.

Getting out of the car and entering the bakery, the delightful aroma of freshly baked goods welcomed Yujin. She carefully selected an assortment of pastries, some of her favourites she'd like the girl to try and some she knew Minju would definitely love. With how chilly it was, she decided to get two cups of coffee—a Hot Americano and a Latte.

To make things warmer, she stopped by a florist and looked around the interior, greeted by the fragrance of flowers.

This place being new, she was fascinated with the homey insides until the call of her name caught her attention.

"Yujin?"

Yujin turned to the source of the voice, seeing a girl by the side who paused whatever she was doing just to ask, "Yujin, right?"

Yujin narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched that polite smile spread across the girl's face. "Who..."

"You don't remember me?"

"Ah," Yujin recalled. "Sakura."

"For a second I thought you've completely erased me from your memories." She watched as Yujin settled the pastry box and the coffee on the counter.

"Why are you here? I thought you were staying for good." The last she saw this girl was on the last day of middle school before she left for Japan (Sakura's her senior).

The Japanese girl smiles softly. "Am I not welcomed back here?"

Yujin snickered, looking around, unaware of the affection the girl had in her gaze. "The girl group didn't work out?"

Sakura shook her head, reaching for a string to bundle up the bouquet. "What can I get you? There's no way you'd step into a florist without a reason."

"Why not?"

"You hate flowers."

Yujin watched her prop up the bouquet on a wooden stand.

"You said they die anyway so what's the point of getting them?"

"I said that?"

Sakura turned to face her, giving her a firm nod. "You rejected my flowers."

"Because you were giving me flowers people had given you," Yujin recalled that memory.

The older girl's eyebrows rose when she misunderstood everything. From receiving a bouquet from an admirer to giving the same one she personally chose to Yujin. "So that's why you didn't accept them?"

"It was a little rude." Yujin made her point. "And I don't hate flowers. In fact, I love giving them." To the only person who deserves them.

Sakura settled her palms on the countertop, now clearing that doubt that stayed with her for the past decade. "I'm assuming you're here for one. To whom will it be given?"

"My girlfriend."

Girlfriend. Sakura heard that word echo through her mind, not knowing why she had that speckle of hope chancing upon Yujin here of all places.

"She loves them," Yujin inspected the bouquet of baby's breath next to her as she imagined the look on Minju's face every time she received flowers.

Sakura reached for a small card. "You must love her a lot," she said. "If only you accepted my flowers."

Too busy deciding on which flower to get, she missed the girl's words. "Hm?"

The older girl hid behind a smile. "You want this one?" She snickered when Yujin nodded with a lovely smile. Sliding the card between the flowers, she asked, "I didn't know you continued studying here in Daejeon."

The younger's lips flattened, dimples caving into her cheeks. "My girlfriend's doing an internship here. I'm just visiting her."

"What does she study?"

"Medicine."

Sakura nodded slowly, arranging the flowers neatly. "You? Did you get into architecture?"

"You remember?"

"You wouldn't stop talking about it back then," the older girl chuckled, handing the bouquet to Yujin.

"I did get in, although I did fail one admission test. I retook it and passed. Everything has been going well so far." She tugged the ends of the ribbon, making them equal in length.

Sakura reached into her back pocket for her phone, unlocked it and handed it to Yujin. "I don't think I have your number."

The younger girl didn't think too much about it, punching her number in. When Yujin saw a red heart tagged under her number, Sakura took her phone back.

"Maybe I do have your number," she chuckled sheepishly.

Yujin narrowed her eyes, lips winding into a teasing grin. "What's that?"

"What?" Sakura slid her phone into her pocket.

"I saw it."

"Saw what?"

"You still like me?"

"Wha—no. What are you talking about?" The older girl leaned away from the counter and went on to do her things. "I just forgot to change it." She blushed, watering the plants to hide her cheeks.

Yujin nodded slowly.

Long story short, the word Almost perfectly labelled her relationship with Sakura. An English word so short yet so powerful.

She was almost in love. They were almost together. She almost waited. And they almost made it.

However, time wasn't on their side. With one leaving the country and afraid of breaking connections, she held her feelings in. But the other almost felt it, her feelings that is. Too young was why she couldn't understand what Sakura was to her back then. An older sister was all she felt for Sakura and nothing more.

That love was so pure that it perfectly blended into kindness and unending care. Very much how Yujin felt around people older than her.

Sakura turned to see that little smile of Yujin's and let out a small sigh. "Go," she said. "I have a girlfriend too."

"Really?"

"Yes, so go. She's coming in a few minutes and she'll kill you if she sees you here."

"Me?"

"She knows about you."

"What does she—"

"Just go. I'm afraid your girlfriend might get mad at you for talking to another girl in a florist."

Yujin flicked her wrist. "She's not that kind of person. In my eyes, only she exists and she knows that," she assured and walked towards the door.

Opening the door, Yujin peeked her head in and announced, "I love her."

"Bye." Sakura chased her away, earning a wave in return.

—

Returning to the dorm, she noticed Minju still peacefully sleeping as a tender smile spread across her face. Yujin set the bakery goods on the desk, determined to keep at her surprise visit.

She took a moment to tidy up the room, putting all the books back onto its shelf and arranging the stationary on the study tables, making sure everything was neat.

Admiring the brunette's dedication at the hospital and constantly updating her, she understood the toll it took on her. Yujin's only plan to come here was to ensure that the morning went smoothly for Minju.

Just as she finished setting everything up, she heard floppy tapping on the door before it beeped open. Minju's roommate stumbled in, clearly recovering from a night of revelry.

Eunseo paused, blinking at the sight of the neatly arranged room as her nose picked up the scent of pastries dancing with flowers.

"Wow, did I walk into the wrong room? I swore I tapped—" She stopped when she saw Yujin, a face recognisable from a 16-inch screen. "You are taller than I—I really need to pee."

Dashing into the bathroom, Yujin stood there a little lost, looking back at Minju who tossed on the bed, curling her body into the blanket. The brunette used to be a light sleeper, but perhaps having a roommate made her a deep one.

With the flush of a toilet, Eunseo stepped out with fingers tousling her hair. "Oh, that felt good." She sighed in relief, gaze meeting Yujin's.

Eunseo grinned. "I didn't know I'd get to see you here," she said and firmly patted her shoulder. "But I kinda expected it coming from you. This all feels like deja vu. You coming here. But thank you for all this." She gestured at the neat room.

"I would want to stay and talk but my girlfriend's waiting for me—do you think you can slap me once? Do I look hungover?"

"Slap you?" That was the last words she'd expect from someone she had merely met.

Eunseo took her wrist, placing Yujin's palm against her face. "If not, just pinch me. She'll get mad if I look drunk. I need something to wake me up."

"How does that help—"

"Just do it."

Yujin gave a hefty smack to her back instead, hearing the older girl wince, stumbling to the door. "I'm sorr—"

Eunseo gave her a thumbs up, in pain yet it got her feeling alive. "You're stronger than I thought. Thanks." She went out of the room, leaving Yujin feeling slightly bad for using more strength than intended.

As the door locked itself, Yujin brought her attention back to breakfast but heard a deep inhale coming from the brunette. Minju roused awake, eyelids barely being able to keep her eyes open as a smile lifted the corners of her lips at the sight of Yujin walking towards her.

Arms raised for the girl, her fingers tugged on the hem of Yujin's shirt. As if the younger girl knew what she wanted, she climbed onto the bed and lay next to her, having Minju's arms going around her body.

She sprawled herself over the younger girl, comfortably nudging her face into her chest as she felt Yujin's hands running down the sides of her body, providing warmth. "You went out?" Her voice muffled into Yujin's sweater as the sensation of her finger gliding over her ear sent goosebumps past her bare skin.

Yujin pulled the blanket higher, making sure chills didn't get to the girl's body. "Why?"

Minju smiled softly, bringing herself to bury into the girl's neck and inhaling deeply. "You smell good."

"I smell good?"

"Mm." The older girl brought her hand to rest on the side of Yujin's neck. Breathing in the scent of her skin, her lips gently met with her jaw. Lying her head on her shoulder, she earned a tender kiss on her forehead and asked, "What time is it?"

Yujin gently wiped the corner of Minju's eyes. "You can sleep a little longer."

"And waste the time I have with you?"

"If this is what wasting time is, I'd gladly waste my time forever with you."

The brunette had missed those kinds of words flowing through Yujin's lips. "Let's do something."

"What do you propose?" The younger entangles her fingers in the girl's locks, brushing through them. When her arms around Minju tightened slightly, her cheek pressing against her forehead, the brunette couldn't help but melt into her embrace.

"On second thoughts, we should just stay like this."

Yujin snickered, pulling herself out of the trance she didn't know she fell into while hugging the girl. "Uh uh, we're doing something. I got breakfast for you." She tried lifting Minju off, but the girl tightened her hug and shook her head.

Yujin rolled the brunette onto the bed and sat up. Seeing Minju smile dazedly, a fuzzy feeling greeted her chest as she refrained from staying in bed.

She pulled off her sweater, leaving her shirt on and flung it onto Minju before standing up. "I'll go toast it while you wash up."

The brunette smiled, pulling Yujin's sweater off her face. Before the girl could walk, she kicked the back of her thigh.

Yujin looked at her girlfriend who said, "Thank you."

Feeling her gratitude, she couldn't resist leaning over to give her a soft kiss on her lips. Patting her leg, she said, "Come on."

—

Sitting on the floor and having a quick breakfast, Yujin's eyes found the bracelet around Minju's wrist, unbeknownst that the presence of it had influenced a smile on her face.

"I can't believe she asked you to slap her."

Yujin escaped her thoughts and focused on the girl.

"I'm starting to think I attract weird people," Minju said, taking a bite out of the thin-crust pastry and humming for the nth time.

When Yujin caught on, she frowned but didn't disagree. "Weird is fun." She made it sound better, reaching over to wipe honey off the latter's chin.

Minju was about to hand her a napkin but the younger it off her finger instead. Her lips curled slightly. "So you agree that you're weird." She extended the pastry to Yujin, letting her take a bite.

"If that's what you like about me." The girl shrugged, ignoring the fact that her girlfriend thought she was weird. In a good way.

Minju wrinkled her nose, lightly touching Yujin's chin before grabbing the cup of americano and taking a sip.

The younger girl noticed Minju wearing her dark green sweater but before she could tease and inquire about it, a faint, unsatisfied look greeted her. "What's wrong?"

Minju shook her head. "Nothing."

Yujin watched her settle the cup on the table and knew it was the cause of that frown. She took it and swapped it out with her own. "Drink this instead," she said. "Latte."

"You don't like black coffee."

"I don't like things that make you frown. The latte tastes better anyway. You can have it." Yujin went on eating her sandwich, looking up to see that knowing look on Minju's face.

She settled her elbows on the table, fingers holding her sandwich in front of her as she aligned her gaze with Minju's. "Do you know you have a habit of frowning when you eat something good?"

"I do?"

Yujin hummed. "When you eat something out of this world, you go," she imitated the frown of satisfaction, dramatising it slightly and earning a chuckle from the girl. "That's the frown I want to see. But when you eat something bad, you go." She knitted her eyebrows, mimicking the way Minju frowned after drinking hot americano.

The brunette put her hand on Yujin's forehead, causing the latter's nose to scrunch, deepening that acting frown.

"I only want you to have the best things," the younger said as Minju released her. "So tell me if you don't like something or else I'll keep doing this." She frowned once more, teasing the girl.

Minju shifted the cup of latte to her. "If I get all the good things, what will you get?"

"I'm happy getting whatever that's left as long as you get, not the good things, but the best things."

"Thing," Minju said.

"Hm?"

"I already have the best thing."

"That's great."

"You."

Yujin bit on her sandwich halfway and looked at the girl.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me and you're the only, best thing, that I could call mine," the older girl said. "And we can share the coffee, but not you. You're mine not to share."

The younger girl melted into the widest grin with a mouth full of food, letting her words settle in as she forgot to chew. She never knew the possessive nature of the brunette existed. Now that she has felt it, she'll be yearning for it for as long as she breathes on this earth.

Minju gently drilled her finger into Yujin's dimple, reminding her to chew.

A mumble of, "I love you," came from the younger girl.

Minju chuckled. "All of a sudden?"

"Take it all. Take everything. Take me. You own me. I'm yours, I'm all yours..."

As Yujin continued, the older girl burst out in heaps of laughter, drowning delightfully in their little world.

Once they were done with breakfast, Yujin headed out of the room to throw away the trash. While Minju kept the table, she heard a few buzzes coming from the girl's phone, unconsciously looking over to see a few messages coming from a name she didn't recognise.

When the phone