Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Minju had one goal when she entered Yonsei university- become a lawyer. It had been her dream since she was a kid watching K-dramas about people who’d defend the weak and seek the truth. Add that to how her parents were both also in the profession, and it just felt like something she was destined to do. The job just resonated with her.

When she received her acceptance to the university, Minju was ecstatic, but she knew it was only step one of her journey. She needed to do well in her four years there, so she could be accepted into the Yonsei’s Law School afterwards. With that in mind, she wanted to make sure that from the start, she was all business, drowning out as many distractions as possible.

Throughout her whole freshman year, Minju didn’t go to any parties, preferring to spend her time in the library. She made some friends, but she never accompanied them on long trips away from campus. And the one thing she avoided like the plague was dating. Minju had never considered if she was attractive or not, but it seemed a lot of people did. Countless guys and girls would ask her out, and she would reject them all without a second thought. It earned her the reputation in the Sociology department as “The Ice Princess”. Not exactly the label you want in a course about understanding people, but Minju didn’t really care. She was there because she knew it would be a good pre-law course. Nothing more, nothing less.

Entering her second year, Minju expected it to be much of the same. Little did she know how wrong she would be.

~~~~

From the second Chaewon stepped into Yonsei University, she was the center of attention. Guys and girls alike would stop and gawk whenever she passed by. Her good looks and bright personality made her someone everyone wanted to be with. As if she couldn’t be more perfect though, Chaewon was also very diligent when it came to her studies, always doing her parts in group assignments and taking leadership roles. There may have been people who were smarter and people who looked a little bit prettier, but she had the best of both worlds. Her reputation had spread so quickly that she had been coined as the Business Management department’s Angel.

Despite her popularity though, Chaewon was very frugal and down to earth. Sure, she’d go to the occasional party and drink with friends, but she never went overboard. She didn’t want to get distracted from her goal of graduating and providing for her family. Not many people knew about Chaewon’s background as it was something she kept close to her chest, but the reason she chose Business Management as her course was because it was a quick way to get a solid paying job right after college. It was the least she could do for her parents who spent the whole year saving money to pay for her tuition after seeing how devastated she was for missing enrollment the year before due to lack of funds.

This fixation with her financial situation is what ultimately kept Chaewon away from dating. While she would sometimes flirt back with her many suitors, she never took any of them seriously. Chaewon knew that being in a relationship would cost a lot of money she didn’t want to spend.

Entering her second year, Chaewon expected it to be much of the same. Little did she know how wrong she would be.

~~~~

“So, Chae, you figure out which elective you want to take?” a Japanese girl with puffy cheeks, Honda Hitomi, asked as they walked through campus. While Chaewon got along with everyone, her circle of friends was small, and Hitomi was one of the few people she considered to be very genuine.

“Hmm, maybe accounting?” Chaewon said after skimming through a brochure the upperclassmen were handing out.

Hitomi stared at her blankly. “Yah, are you serious?”

“I hear accountant salaries aren’t bad. Maybe I could pivot if I can’t find anything in corporate.”

“Unnie, you’re supposed to choose an elective you find fun. Something ideally outside of your current specialization,” her friend said with crossed arms.

“Hii, I told you not to call me ‘unnie’ on campus,” Chaewon chided. It wasn’t that she was self-conscious about being a year older than her peers, but that she didn’t want to explain the reason she was delayed over and over.

“I’m going to keep calling you that if you keep thinking like a boring adult,” Hitomi huffed.

Realizing she wasn’t going to win the argument, Chaewon sighed and opened the pamphlet again.

“Something I might find fun…” she thought as she traced her finger across the many options.

Eventually, Chaewon saw something that caught her eye.

“Alright, Hii, I’ve decided,” she announced.

“What is it?” Hitomi asked expectantly.

Chaewon smirked. “I’ll tell you later. The orientation is happening right now.”

The short-haired girl then bolted away like a cheetah.

“Yah, don’t forget about dinner! We’re eating with one of my friends!” Hitomi yelled as the short-haired girl ran.

****

“Minju, how many times do I have to tell you that there is a life outside of law? Surely there’s a more interesting elective out there than business law!”

“Nako, that elective could help me understand the motivations behind work-related crimes.” Minju argued back to her much shorter friend. The two were coursemates who met in freshman year. Minju had actually been the one to approach Nako to learn about the differences between Korean and Japanese law. As time went on though, they eventually became proper friends… at least most of the time.

“Yah, it wouldn’t kill you to live a little, Minju. All you do is study and watch true crime shows. Maybe, just maybe, you should look for a hobby outside of that.”

Minju groaned. “Will you get off my back if I do?”

Nako shrugged. “Depends, just give it a shot for this semester. If you really hate it, you can just shift out.”

“Ugh. Fine. You still have one of the brochures?” Minju was incredibly stubborn, but she did have a soft spot for Nako, who she knew was always just looking out for her.

Nako handed her the one they’d been given by the upperclassmen and started reading through.

“While we're young, Minju,” Nako commented.

“Yah, you told me to get a new hobby, and now you’re rushing me?”

The Japanese girl chuckled as she began to walk away.

“Wait, where are you going?” Minju asked.

“To my elective. I trust you to take my advice.” Nako replied before turning around. “Oh, and don’t forget we’re eating dinner out, okay? I’m meeting a friend. Maybe you’ll finally expand your circle this year.”

“Very funny…” Minju replied without even looking back, her eyes focused on the elective brochure. Eventually, one of them made Minju pause and think.

Well, this one seems interesting.

Chapter Text

When Chaewon arrived at the lecture hall, the orientation had already started. There were a lot more people in the room than she expected. With this, she figured she could just sneak into an empty seat, but she was easily spotted by the professor.

"Excuse me? You in the back. We started over fifteen minutes ago. Did you misread the schedule?"

Chaewon internally cursed herself. The students turned around and seemed surprised to see her.

"Yah, isn't that Kim Chaewon?"

"She's way prettier in person."

"Why would a business major want to take a film elective?"

"Good question," Chaewon thought to herself. When she saw the cinematography elective in the brochure earlier, she was intrigued. One of the few hobbies she would invest some money in was movie watching. She liked all genres from horror to romantic comedies. It felt like stepping into a different world from the one she lived in. A part of her was always curious how they created those scenes.

"Hello? Miss Late-for-Class? Did you not hear me?" the professor asked again, snapping Chaewon out of her thoughts.

"Ah, sorry, ma'am! I just... got lost on the way."

"Well, I can tell from your lie that you're not here for the acting elective. Take a seat on the left."

"Yes, ma'am. Apologies again for the intrusion," Chaewon said, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, and it only got worse when she almost stumbled getting into her seat.

"Settle down, everyone," said the professor after several students in the crowd laughed. When the noise died, she cleared her throat.

"Now, where were we?"

The professor, Jung Somin, went on to describe what they would be expecting in this elective. Chaewon found out that the reason there were so many people here was because it was a joint orientation for both the cinematography elective and the acting elective.

"These two professions must work in harmony for any film to get off the ground. Any miscommunication from either side could be disastrous. As such, throughout this semester, we will be looking at both sides of the coin and explaining how each lesson applies to them. I wouldn't call this elective a focused one. If you wanted that, you would have taken those classes. No, this elective will be about seeing each other from different lenses," she explained.

Chaewon gulped. Maybe she'd been just a little too over eager and skipped this part in the brochure. She still hadn't officially registered, so she could very well back out and tell Hitomi she tried.

When the lights dimmed for Professor Jung to show an example film, Chaewon made her move. She tried to be even more careful this time, not wanting a repeat of her special entrance.

Just as she was about to reach the front door though, she bumped into something... or someone given how they grunted in response.

Suddenly, the lights at the entrance flipped open, shining a spotlight on Chaewon and... the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen.

****

As she usually did for classes, Minju arrived at the lecture hall fifteen minutes early. It was important, so she could get a good seat. As people started to pile in, she wasn't surprised to hear her name being whispered among them.

"What's the Ice Princess doing here?"

"Who cares? She's beautiful enough to be an actress, isn't she?"

"Why would an aspiring lawyer want to take a film elective?"

After reading about the acting elective, Minju had become interested. She always wondered how the actors and actresses in the crime dramas she'd watch could get into character so easily. She wouldn't say it to Nako but learning that skill could be beneficial for her to put herself into someone else's shoes when dealing with criminal cases.

She was listening attentively to Professor Jung's explanations, taking down a bunch of notes, when the professor paused and called out someone in the back.

Minju chuckled. That's what happened when you were late. She could see the student's red embarrassed cheeks from where she sat. She loathed people who thought they could just show up whenever they wanted.

After the commotion, Professor Jung went back to describing the course. Minju nodded along until she got to the part about the requirements. For the cinematography section, they would have to make a series of short films to be checked by actual directors. For the acting section, they would have performance tests with real actors as judges.

Minju didn't usually get nervous, but she was beginning to feel how out of her depth she was. Sure, she expected those types of assessments, but she thought there'd be at least some written exams based on theory that she could use to lift her grades.

The sign-up book had been outside. Maybe she could sneak out and erase her name. Nako would be upset, but she'd probably understand.

When the lights dimmed for Professor Jung to show a sample film, Minju made her move. It was a bit hard from the seat she was in, but she made it pretty far. She was just about to open the door when someone bumped into her, causing her to land on her butt.

Soon after, the exit lights flashed open, isolating her and another student, the same one who had tried to sneak in earlier.

"What is it this time?" Professor Jung asked with a tone of slight irritation.

"I-I was just going to the restroom, ma'am," the girl said quickly, stealing the excuse Minju was going to use.

Professor Jung pinched the bridge of her nose, not seeming convinced at the slightest. "What's your name?"

"Kim Chaewon..." she replied. Professor Jung then grabbed a familiar looking folder from her desk and opened it.

Minju quickly realized it was the sign-up sheet. She must have brought it inside before class started.

"Seeing as I don't see your name here, I'm assuming you wanted to run after hearing about what this elective was really about?"

The girl, Chaewon, immediately stiffened. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"N-No, ma'am! I... was just going to check where that sheet was, so I could put my name," she then said with a nervous laugh.

Professor Jung raised an eyebrow. "So you wouldn't mind me locking you in right now?"

"Of course not! Please go ahead!"

Minju rolled her eyes. This girl just let the professor walk all over her. There was no way she would let the same thing happen-

"And you? What's your name, and what're you doing all the way back here?"

"Kim Minju, ma'am. I just got an important call! I didn't want to disturb the class by taking it here," Minju immediately lied. She had been prepared to be blunt and say she wasn't interested in the elective after all, but the intense look on the professor's face and the judging eyes of all the people in the room got to her. Minju was a prideful person. She could be known as cold and a killjoy, but one thing she hated doing was admitting she wasn't cut out for something.

"I'm sure you do. Are they still calling?"

"Ah, looks like they just sent a text instead," Minju replied.

"Alright then! I guess you can both go back to your seats. I'm hoping we don't have any more interruptions for the rest of the class. " Professor Jung said.

Minju sat back in her chair in annoyance. Sure, the signup sheet wasn't outside after all, but she just got humiliated because of that girl.

Kim Chaewon, I hope I don't run into you again.

~~~~

"Sooo, how was class?" Hitomi asked when Chaewon arrived at the campus' exit.

"You do not want to know..." the older girl muttered. Chaewon was used to getting attention, but this was not the type that she wanted. Given that she'd dug the hole too deep already, Chaewon figured she'd see the class through even if Professor Jung said that they still had till the end of the week to withdraw if they really weren't feeling it. Given that she had announced that while staring right at her, Chaewon took it as a challenge.

There was one other thing that made her decide to stay though. That girl she'd bumped into, Kim Minju, had been running through her mind since she sat back in her seat earlier. She'd never seen the girl on campus before. Chaewon knew she said she wasn't interested in dating, but Minju almost had her reconsidering.

"Cinematography though? That was an interesting choice. It makes sense since you're one of the only people I know who goes to movie premieres alone," the Japanese girl said.

"That's only because you always eat popcorn so loudly in theatres. Are you sure you weren't a squirrel in your past life?" Chaewon teased back.

"Aish, you better not say anything like that at dinner, okay?" Hitomi warned.

"Why not? Didn't you say you were meeting a friend?" Chaewon asked confusedly.

"Well, yeah, but she said she was bringing someone else, so I figured I'd bring you along too."

"Hii, don't tell me you have a crush on whoever this friend is."

Hitomi's silence was all the confirmation she needed.

"Yah, if you needed a wing woman, you could've just asked!" Chaewon said. Hitomi was one of the nicest people she'd met. She would've offered to help her out in a heartbeat.

Her friend chuckled. "Thanks... unnie."

Chaewon flinched at the honorific, but seeing as though Hitomi was clearly nervous, she let it slide.

****

"You sure you don't just want to quit, Minju? You still have time to pick a new elective," Nako said as they walked to the cafe where they would be having dinner.

"Quit isn't in my dictionary, Nako. I made the decision, so I'm going to see it through," Minju replied calmly. Internally though, she was still kicking herself. She had a long way to go if she wanted to ace this class.

"Didn't you just say you were planning to erase your name from the logbook?"

Minju grimaced at her friend's reply. "Okay, quitting in front of a crowd of people is not in my dictionary."

"Still though, acting? What if they give you an energetic role!" the shorter girl teased.

"Yah, do you want to eat dinner without me?"

"Aish, learn to take a joke, Minju. Besides, I'm also doing this dinner for you. My friend is bringing someone else. Maybe you two will hit it off."

"Didn't I say I'm not interested in dating?" Minju said.

Nako tilted her head. "Who said anything about dating? Minju, you need to worry about finding more friends first."

"You're just saying that because you're tired of me, aren't you?"

"You caught me red-handed," Nako replied with a laugh, raising both hands in surrender.

"Just give it a shot, Minju. Who knows?"

Minju huffed. "Fine."

"Good, because we're here!" Nako announced. The La Vien Rose Cafe. Minju had never been here, but it looked pretty nice.

Two people were already seated at their table when they entered, and Minju paused when she recognized one of them.

"You???" They both said at the same time.

Sitting in front of her was Kim Chaewon.

Chapter Text

“Sorry if things were a bit awkward, Hii,” Chaewon apologized after they left the cafe. While Nako and Hitomi were trying to liven up the conversation, she and Minju spent most of the time simply staring at each other. Every time Chaewon did try to ask a question to get to know her better, Minju would reply curtly, not saying more than a few sentences. She figured she was probably still upset about being caught up in that incident during class.

Hitomi could only shrug her shoulders. “It’s fine. I’ll find a way to hang out with Nako again some other time. Let’s talk about you and Minju though. When and where in the world did you meet her? Neither of you would answer that question.”

“She’s in the film elective I joined. Not in the cinematography side though, the acting side.”

Hitomi stopped in her tracks when she heard that. “Kim Minju? In an acting elective?”

Chaewon looked at her friend curiously. “Why? What’s wrong with that?”

All she knew from their short conversation earlier was that Minju was taking sociology as a pre-law course and that her only real hobby was watching crime dramas.

“This is why you should pay attention more to what’s going on around campus. Minju’s pretty well known among incoming sophomores. They call her the Ice Princess,” Hitomi explained.

Chaewon laughed. “The Ice Princess? Because she’s cold?”

Hitomi nodded seriously. “She is the definition of a bookworm. All she does is study for law school. They say if you see her anywhere outside the library, the world might be ending soon.”

“A little bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?” Chaewon replied.

“That’s up to you to find out. For your sake though, I hope you don’t end up catching feelings for her.”

“Me? Catch feelings?” Chaewon said incredulously. “Hii, you know who you’re talking to, right? I don’t do that. Dating is too expensive!”

Hitomi rolled her eyes. “And yet the whole time we were at the cafe, you only asked questions about her and not Nako. You’re so obvious, unnie. I could see you checking her out. You’re not really anti-dating. You’re just waiting for the person you think is worth spending money for.”

Chaewon was stunned into silence. Was she that easy to read? Maybe she was a bit interested in Minju, but she didn’t think she had been that obvious.

“Don’t fall for her. You’ll only get hurt,” Hitomi warned. “At least you sometimes entertain your suitors. Minju will shut you down without a second thought.”

“I told you, Hii. I don’t have a crush on her,” Chaewon continued to insist. Inside though, hearing her friend’s words had lit up a small fire within her. Even if she didn’t go around dating people, she knew inside that she could get any guy or girl she wanted if she wanted to. Minju gave Chaewon a strange feeling she hadn’t felt with the other students who would flirt with her, and it was exciting.

Ice Princess, huh? We’ll see about that.

****

“That went well,” Nako said sarcastically as she and Minju walked back towards the dorm.

“You should’ve told me your friend was bringing her then,” Minju replied with crossed arms.

“How was I supposed to know you had beef with her? First, you never told me. Second, Chaewon gets along with almost everyone. It never would’ve crossed my mind.” Nako defended herself.

“Huh? So you knew her too?”

“Well, I know of her. Figures you wouldn’t know about the Business Management department’s Angel,” the short girl said with a sigh.

Minju scoffed. “Angel? She didn’t seem like a saint when I met her in class. She was late for the orientation then tried to sneak out!”

“To be fair, you tried chickening out too.” Nako pointed out.

“Not important! What matters is that she embarrassed me in front of the entire lecture hall. She better stay out of my sight from now on.”

“Well, that’s better than catching feelings for her at least,” Nako muttered just loud enough for Minju to hear.

The taller girl raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t she be the one afraid of falling for me?”

Nako shrugged. “It’s just that she has a longer list of rejections than you from what I heard. At least people stopped asking you out at the end of last year when your reputation became scary. Chaewon’s known as a friendly person, so people always think they have a shot with her, then, bam! She friendzones you.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t have to worry about that then.” Minju replied.

“I mean, she’s also very pretty, don’t you think? You never know where your heart will take you,” Nako teased.

“Ugh, you’re impossible. When we get back to the dorm, I’m going straight to studying. No loud television.” Minju said before stomping away, Nako whining as she followed.

****

Three days later…

Minju entered the lecture hall with a bit more confidence today. Since the elective was only twice a week, Minju made sure to use the days in between to study theory and good practices for actors.

As usual, she was one of the first people in the room, fifteen minutes early. She’d just finished laying out her notebook and pen when a familiar voice called out to her.

“Is this seat taken?”

When Minju turned, she was surprised to see Kim Chaewon. She was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants with her backpack slung on one shoulder.

“Woah…” she thought before shaking her head and putting on her serious expression.

“Early today, huh? Aren’t the cinematographers supposed to sit on the other side?”

Usually that level of snarkiness along with her emotionless face would be enough to scare off people she didn’t like (which was a lot of people), but Chaewon didn’t look daunted.

“Hmm? Don’t you remember? Professor Jung said that was only to get an initial look at how the students were split up. For the classes after, she encouraged us to sit next to people of the opposite elective so we could bounce ideas off each other.”

“Well, there’s still a lot of seats you could be taking,” Minju tried to say, but Chaewon had already plopped herself into the chair next to her.

“I never had a chance to apologize to you for what happened the other day. I’m sorry for that,” she suddenly said before giving a small bow.

“Oh, uhm, don’t worry about it. I ended up bumping into you as well.”

“Yah, Kim Minju. Get a hold of yourself,” Minju scolded internally. She didn’t know what was coming over her, but she didn’t like it.

Chaewon smiled. “Well, I hope we can get along. Hitomi and Nako are friends, so we’ll probably see each other more often.”

Minju steeled herself and went back to her cold persona. “That was a one-time thing. Don’t expect it to become a regular occurrence.”

For a while, Minju thought her defense had worked. A few minutes passed between them in silence until Chaewon spoke again. “So, why acting? I assume someone like you didn’t pick it solely for the sake of the arts.”

“If you must know, it’s because I was interested in how actors portray their roles. Since I want to take criminal law, I figured learning their mindset would help me put myself in the shoes of clients in the courtroom,” Minju decided to answer honestly, hoping the weirdness of her response would finally do the trick.

Unfortunately, Chaewon’s eyes only lit up more. “Huh, I never thought about it like that- how it could help you in your actual major.”

It looked like Chaewon was going to ask another question when Professor Jung entered the hall. Minju let out a sigh of relief. Chaewon was a lot more persistent than some of the other students who had become interested in her. She needed to shut her down quickly.

~~~~

One week later…

Minju was tough. Chaewon gave her that. No matter how much she would try to initiate conversation, the brunette would ignore her. It was one of the first times in her life that someone didn’t appear to get along with her.

The logical part of Chaewon’s brain told her that she should just move on. There were so many guys and girls pining for her. Why should she suddenly start chasing someone who isn’t interested?

Yet, the other half of herself had become fixated for that very reason. Maybe it was a pride thing. Chaewon was usually the one who did the rejecting, so she was perplexed that the one time she actually felt interested in someone, they constantly shot her down.

Ever since they first met, Chaewon had been captivated by Minju. She was drop-dead gorgeous. From her wavy hair to her foxlike facial features to her deep brown deep brown eyes to her-

“I can feel you staring,” Minju suddenly said without even glancing at her.

“W-What are you talking about??” Chaewon replied, scrambling for her notebook to make herself look busy.

Minju sighed, putting down her pen and turning towards her. She was scarily beautiful.

“The more you pretend, the more embarrassing it’s going to be,” she deadpanned.

“Y-Yah, it’d be less awkward if you’d just hold a conversation like a normal person,” Chaewon argued.

“You still don’t seem to get it, do you? I.Don’t.Like.You!”

Chaewon’s cheeks were red.

So this is the Ice Princess, huh?

She was just about to give a rebuttal when the sound of someone clearing their throat caught her attention. Even Minju’s face went white, probably realizing she’d spoken too loudly.

“You two done yet?” Professor Jung asked as the entire class stared at them.

Both girls bowed, apologizing for disturbing the lesson.

“Now, before we end class, I’d just like to give everyone a heads up about the major project that will be submitted at the end of the semester to give you all ample time to prepare. Compared to the other assessments that will be more individual, this one is about working together. One cinematographer will pair with one actor or actress to create a short film about whatever topic you choose. The guidelines will be sent through email later today. Please make sure to choose your partners carefully. Your chemistry can make or break your final grade.”

~~~~

Minju left class without a word, leaving Chaewon to deal with all the people gossiping around her.

“Yah, seems like Angel Chaewon finally met her match.”

“A rejection in the middle of class? That’s cold, even for the Ice Princess.”

Chaewon sighed, knowing talk like that would reach around the campus soon. When all of her classes ended, she made sure to head back home right away. Hitomi had called, but she didn’t want to hear the younger girl say, “I told you so”.

She was only a couple blocks from home when she noticed a familiar figure across the street. It was Minju, probably also heading home.

Chaewon walked parallel to her until she entered the cafe they’d eaten at the week before, the La Vien Rose.

Minju may have rejected her, but Chaewon was stubborn. She hadn’t even given her a chance yet. The short-haired girl took a deep breath and followed her inside.

****

Minju was tired. On top of all her major classes, she was once again embarrassed by Kim Chaewon during the elective. She would usually head straight to the dorm, but she actually liked the drinks they had at this cafe the last time she went with Nako.

She took out her laptop and began to write her sociology essay while sipping an Iced Americano. Just as she was getting into a flow though, someone called her attention.

“Hey, Minju. Fancy seeing you here.”

When she looked up, she immediately rolled her eyes. It was Kim Yohan, one of the many guys she rejected in freshman year. He was one of her more annoying suitors who wouldn’t take a hint.

“What do you want?”

“Hmm? That’s no way to talk to a senior,” he chided as he sat in the chair in front of her.

“You make me forget sometimes because of your childishness,” Minju deadpanned.

“Ouch, you’re hurting my feelings, Minju. I just wanted to say hi,” Yohan replied.

“And I want to say goodbye,” Minju said before packing up her laptop and getting up. Just as she was about to walk away though, Yohan grabbed her arm.

“Yah, I was going easy on you because you’re pretty, but you’re starting to get on my nerves now.”

Minju tried to break free but couldn’t. She looked around, but no one seemed to notice their little commotion. That is, until a familiar voice shouted out.

“Yah! What do you think you’re doing?” It was Chaewon, and she was stomping her way towards them.

Yohan chuckled. “The Angel of Business Management is here too? Why, if it isn’t my lucky day.”

Chaewon shut him up real quickly though by kneeing him in the groin as soon as she got close. Yohan groaned, but before he could gather himself, Chaewon had yanked his ear.

“If you don’t want me to call the police right now for harassment, you’ll leave Minju alone. Are we clear?”

When Yohan didn’t reply, Chaewon pulled even harder. “I said, are we clear?”

“Yes! Yes! I’m sorry!” he yelled.

“Good. Now get out of here!” Chaewon yelled back. The senior turned around and ran out.

“You okay, Minju?” Chaewon then asked in a softer tone when facing her.

Minju was at a loss of words. She didn’t know Chaewon had that kind of side to her.

“I remember Nako saying she dorms with you. Let me take you there first.”

All Minju could do was nod as the short-haired girl led her out of the cafe.

****

Eventually, the two arrived at Minju’s dorm. She had expected Chaewon to make conversation like she did in class while they walked, but she had stayed silent the whole way.

“T-Thanks for that,” Minju finally said when they got to the lobby.

“Don’t worry. I’ve had to deal with my fair share of persistent guys and girls,” Chaewon replied.

“I’m sorry too, by the way, about yelling at you in class earlier,” Minju said, suddenly feeling guilty about the scene that morning.

“Heh, if you’re really sorry, why don’t you do me a favor?”

Minju was afraid where this was going, but she let herself ask, “And what would that be?”

At this, Chaewon smirked. “Be my partner for the short film project.”

Chapter Text

Minju was lost in her thoughts as she sat in her seat. It had been four days since Chaewon asked to be her partner for the elective’s major project. It was one of the first times in her life that she hadn’t been able to focus on studying. The image of Chaewon coming in and saving her kept replaying in her mind.

Come on, Minju. No distractions, remember?

“Hey,” someone called out to her.

“What?!” She yelled back, regretting it immediately when she realized it was Chaewon. She was in her usual casual outfit and had a couple of drinks in her hands.

“Oookay, sorry for startling you,” the short-haired girl said before placing one of the cups on her table. “Here, take this.”

“Sorry, I was just distracted,” Minju replied, picking up the drink and taking a sip. “Iced Americano?”

Chaewon nodded. “I heard you liked it, so I passed by the La Vien Rose on the way to campus. Not really my favorite though.”

Minju raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why not?”

“It’s just too strong. Iced tea is my go-to,” Chaewon replied, shaking the drink in her hand.

“Yah, that just means you haven’t had a good one.” Minju didn’t know why, but she felt the need to defend her favorite drink.

“Hmm, fine. I’ll try it.”

Much to Minju’s surprise, Chaewon grabbed Minju’s drink and took a couple sips herself.

“I mean, it’s nothing extraordinary.”

“Excuse me? Wasn’t that mine?” Minju asked in a flustered tone.

Chaewon shrugged. “You told me to try it out. Besides, I did buy that with my own money. But anyway, do you finally have an answer?”

“To what?”

“The project, duh.”

Minju went silent. Grades were usually her top priority. She could’ve easily found some film major taking this elective and asked them to be her partner, but there was something about the way Chaewon was looking at her that made her hesitate. It didn’t appear that she was suggesting this just for fun. Knowing Chaewon’s reputation, she could’ve just as easily asked to partner with an acting major, yet she still chose her.

I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?

“Fine, but I won’t settle for anything less than an A, got it?”

~~~~

“You look happier than usual,” Hitomi noticed as Chaewon walked up to her after classes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tomi,” the older girl replied with a grin.

“I assume Minju let you be partners for the project. Was it the coffee? Thanks for that, by the way. It gave me an excuse to message Nako.”

“You’re welcome~”

“Still, I don’t know why you’re so insistent with this. I can’t believe you’re this serious when she literally rejected you last week!”

“And who said it was serious?”

Hitomi raised her eyebrows before saying, “Chae, you bought her a coffee. For free. When’s the last time you ever treated anyone?”

“Yah, I got you mint-choco ice cream that one time!”

“After they said it was 50% off!”

Chaewon raised her hands in surrender. “Fine, you got me there.”

“I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Chae. Don’t expect too much from her,” Hitomi said worriedly.

“Trust me, Hii. It’ll be fine.”

****

“So, she didn’t chicken out after all,” Nako said as Minju approached her with her Iced Americano in hand.

Minju looked at her friend incredulously. “Yah, were you the one who told Chaewon?”

Nako tried to play innocent. “Well, no. Hitomi just asked me what your favorite drink was. I figured someone had put her up to it, but Chaewon? Very interesting. Did you accept her offer for the project?”

“... yes.” Minju said with a sigh.

“Ooh, sounds like you’re getting soft~” Nako teased.

“It’s not like that, Nako. She helped get rid of Yohan, so it was the least I could do,” Minju reasoned, but the short girl wasn’t buying it.

“Then why didn’t you just treat her to a meal? You usually don’t compromise your precious grades over things like this.”

“Aish, don’t look too deeply into it. This is just an elective. Besides, you said she was smart too, right? I’m sure the project will go fine.”

****

Three months later…

“A little bit more to the right, Min,” Chaewon said from behind the camera.

“Yah, how much more right do you need? Are you trying to push me off screen? And I told you to stop calling me that!” Minju whined.

It had been an interesting couple of months for Minju. The day after she accepted Chaewon’s offer to be partners for this project, the short-haired girl had sent a document file with possible topics and themes they could use.

The two would meet up often after class to discuss what direction would fit best and how they could achieve it. Minju had never met someone as diligent as her, so it was a welcome change of pace. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but working with Chaewon was enjoyable.

Still, she would’ve been blind not to notice the signs Chaewon was throwing her way. Nako mentioned Chaewon liked to flirt around, and she wasn’t kidding. From little things like pulling out her chair first whenever they met at the La Vien Rose and checking if she got back to the dorm safely to some more obvious things like calling her ‘Min’ and staring when she thought she wasn’t looking. She could tell Chaewon was interested in her.

A part of Minju didn’t want to let her down because it could affect the rest of their project. If things went awry, she wouldn’t have time to find a replacement partner. There was another part of her though that didn’t want to for a reason she liked to push down.

“Stop pretending, Minju. You think she’s pretty too,” a voice at the back of her head would whisper.

“Uhm, earth-to-Minju???”

Minju realized she had zoned out. Chaewon had put the camera down and went to check on her, waving a hand in front of her face. They’d been filming throughout the city for a couple days now that their schedules were a bit looser. There was only a week till it was due, so they needed to finish it today.

“S-Sorry. I was just a little tired,” she said as an excuse.

“Here, have some water. I’m the one who should be apologizing for having you redo this scene over and over.”

That was probably what stuck out most about Chaewon. She seemed to be very considerate of others. Compared to her style in groupworks to push ahead and expect everyone to keep up, Chaewon was more of a team player.

“Better?” Chaewon asked.

Minju nodded. “Thanks, now let’s finish this film.”

The two had agreed to create a story of someone experiencing color for the first time in their life. In the beginning, Chaewon would film scenes with a black and white filter; then, as the scenes would go on, parts of the screen would regain their vibrant colors. It was a fun concept, and all Minju had to do was focus on acting. Chaewon told her she’d handle the voiceover afterwards.

“Yes, Min! That looks great! Keep that emotion!” Chaewon shouted as she would walk around the park in silence with the camera on her. Minju didn’t think she was doing anything special, but Chaewon’s encouraging words fueled her to keep going.

It took the whole afternoon, but eventually, they got all the scenes they needed. Minju was exhausted in a good way. Compared to the grueling essays and presentations she had to do for her majors, this elective felt like a breath of fresh air. Still, her ultimate goal was still being a lawyer. Next semester, she’d go right back to the status quo.

Minju should’ve felt relieved at that thought, but as she spotted Chaewon walking towards her with a pair of drinks in her hands, a wave of melancholy washed over her. Maybe, just maybe, there was a part of Minju that would miss her.

“Got you your favorite~” the short-haired girl said, holding out an Iced Americano for her only to pull it back and take a sip first.

“Ugh, do you have to try it every time you buy me one? You might as well get one for yourself too!” Minju said with a laugh. She never understood it. Chaewon always talked about how she couldn’t handle coffee and yet, she’d steal a taste of her drink every single time.

Chaewon smiled. “I can’t just give up my iced tea, can I?”

Minju rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you sure you don’t need any help with the editing and voiceover? Wouldn’t it be better if my voice was in there too?”

“Don’t worry about it, Minju. Your job as the actress ends here. You can focus on your other finals’ projects now. Leave the rest to your director,” Chaewon said that last part with a wink, and Minju could’ve sworn she felt her heart skip a beat.

“I-If you say so. Just keep me posted on the progress, okay?”

Chaewon tilted her head at this response. “Hmm? I expected you to fight back more at that suggestion.”

Minju was surprised by her words too. She usually liked to handle the final stages of a group project on her own. After some thought though, she finally realized why it was different now.

“It’s because I trust you, Chaewon.”

~~~~

One week later…

“Okay class, I hope you had a wonderful semester. It was such a joy getting to know each and every one of you,” Professor Jung said to open their final day.

“You all displayed your unique talents and stories through how you filmed or acted. I couldn’t be more proud of the progress you’ve all made. Now, as we close this elective, I’ll be showing the short films I gave the highest marks to. For those chosen, you should be proud of yourselves, and for those who weren’t, take it as a learning opportunity. There’s no age limit to becoming a good director or actor. It’s a lifelong practice.”

Chaewon was nervous, she’d spent several sleepless nights editing her and Minju’s final submission. Given today was the last day of class, it also meant probably the last day being seatmates with Minju.

It happened. Chaewon had fallen in love with her, and if things went the way she hoped today, Minju would finally know too.

As the first few films played, Chaewon sank deeper and deeper into her chair. Theirs was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t exactly surprised, but she was definitely disappointed. 

Eventually, they reached the last film, meaning the one that got the highest grade. Maybe she was in over her head after all for thinking this plan would work. She looked over at Minju expecting to see the brunette upset, but she was surprisingly calm.

“It’s fine, Chaewon,” she said, seeming to notice her worry. “You can’t get an A in everything.”

“But you said you wouldn’t settle for anything less than that,” Chaewon replied, remembering Minju’s threat when she first agreed to be partners.

“I can make jokes too, you know?”

Chaewon smiled. It didn’t seem like much, but Minju had changed a bit over the past two months. It almost made her feel okay about not being able to see their film on the big screen. She’d have to go with Plan B instead.

“Alright, thank you Chaeyeon and Chaeryeong for that last one. The sibling connection you have really showed,” Professor Jung congratulated.

“Now, we move to the film that I thought was the best. You might all be surprised to see it, but I’m not. Both of these students have shown how far they’ve come from almost running out on the first day.”

At these words, Chaewon and Minju looked at each other in shock.

“Yes, the best film for this final project belonged to Kim Chaewon and Kim Minju!”

“Oh my god, Chaewon! We did it!” Minju said, grabbing and shaking Chaewon’s shoulder in disbelief. She’d never seen the girl so happy.

“Okay, settle down you two. Before I proceed though, I will have to ask Chaewon if you’re okay showing this to the class.”

The class was confused as Professor Jung hadn’t said this about any of the previous films. Chaewon knew what she was referring to though. After submitting the film days ago, she sent a little message to her.

For context, Professor Jung, Minju hasn’t seen the final product. I showed her a different version that I have also attached here for a reason you’ll see shortly. I hope you don’t mind. 

“Chaewon, what is she talking about?” Minju asked.

The short-haired girl took a deep breath before saying, “I’m fine with it Professor Jung.”

The older woman gave her a knowing smile and proceeded to dim the lights in preparation for the showing. The film’s name then flashed on screen,

“Colors”

****

Minju was filled with relief. Inside, she actually was not okay with being left off the top scoring films. She wanted to nag Chaewon about her being so secretive about the final product, but she was saving it for after class to not cause another scene.

So, when Professor Jung actually announced them as the best film, she was elated. Still, the professor’s disclaimer confused her. She’d watched their final video and didn’t see anything wrong with it.

Chaewon wouldn’t say anything more as the lights dimmed. She could just make out a hint of anxiety in the short-haired girl’s face.

The film started off very much how Minju remembered. The entire screen was black and white as the narrator, Chaewon, talked about how empty her current life felt. Minju watched as her character went through mundane actions like walking in crowded streets, studying in the library, and doing groceries. Then, the narrator talked about how one day, they met someone that started to bring color into their lives. Everything became more vibrant.

Those scenes were actually the more difficult ones for Minju to film because it involved a lot of smiling and laughing, a big departure from her usual disposition. She became a bit self-conscious as the class oohed and ahhed at those segments but hearing that also made her feel validated. They didn’t know how many times Chaewon had her reshoot those scenes.

Finally, near the ending, that’s when Minju noticed something different. Originally, this whole film was in the perspective of Minju’s character, which was why she was confused initially why Chaewon insisted on doing the voiceover.

“My whole life had been in black and white until I met you. Seeing you every day working on yourself made me want to do better.” In this scene, Minju remembered her character looking at someone’s silhouette, but now, the camera was aimed squarely on her.

“Your radiance lit up my world, and before I knew it, I had fallen for you.”

At this line, the camera was placed down, the entire picture now in full color. Suddenly. Chaewon walked into the frame and approached Minju who had taken a seat on a park bench. She remembered this, but she’d thought they were on a break.

“You’re doing great, Minju,” Chaewon said as she patted her on the back.

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” she replied, shoulders slumped.

“I mean it. You might not see it, but from my view…” Chaewon then turned to the camera and smiled. “...you’re like a star.”

The screen then went black, silence taking over the room. Minju’s cheeks were hot, the realization sinking in. She looked at Chaewon, but the short-haired girl wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“S-So… what did you think?” she eventually murmured. Minju looked around, noticing everyone was also staring at them with anticipation.

Minju sighed. “Not here.”

She then proceeded to grab Chaewon’s hand and pull her out of the classroom, the entire class teasing as they ran out.

~~~~

“You’re very sneaky, you know that?” Minju chided as soon as they were alone. Since most classes were still ongoing, the hallways were still empty.

“At least we got the top score?” Chaewon replied, trying to make the situation a bit more light-hearted. Hitomi had kept telling her how much of a stupid idea this was going to be, but she couldn’t help it.

“Still! How many times do you have to embarrass me like this?”

Chaewon met Minju’s gaze for the first time and realized her face was as red as a tomato. Oh, she was really upset.

“I’m sorry, Minju. I really am-” she tried to say before the brunette held up her hand.

“If we’re going to be together, I don’t want this to happen again. You could’ve just shown me the film in private,” Minju nagged.

“Fine, I -, wait, what?””

“What I mean to say is that… you brought a lot of color into my life too.”

Chaewon stared at her in bewilderment. “Do you mean what I think you mean?”

Minju nodded slowly before Chaewon engulfed her in a hug.

Her heart was doing somersaults. This had to be a dream.

“D-Don’t make me regret this,” Minju stuttered, struggling to speak with how tightly Chaewon was holding her.

Chaewon took a step back and smiled. “You won’t. I promise you.”

In the distance, two figures were watching the new couple in amusement.

“Pay up, Hii-chan,” Nako said, opening her palm in front of the peach-cheeked girl.

Hitomi sighed and took out her wallet. “I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about this. Chaewon owes me dinner.”

Nako chuckled. “Hey, at least they’re both going to be out of our hair from now on.”

Chapter Text

Two years later…

Minju had never been happier in her entire life. Chaewon just made things so easy. Throughout third and fourth year, the short-haired girl gave her memories she’d never considered experiencing during college. On top of that, Chaewon would give her presents and letters whenever she could too.

The thing Minju appreciated most about Chaewon though was how considerate she was. She understood her dreams of becoming a lawyer and how she had to focus on her academics. Whenever she’d call off or postpone a date because of an exam or project, Chaewon didn’t fuss. She was just the perfect girlfriend.

“Yah, Minju, you’re daydreaming again, aren’t you?” Nako said while waving a hand in her face.

“Ah, sorry. What were you saying?” Minju asked.

“Aish, look at you, so in love,” the short girl tutted. “What happened to the sassy Minju?”

“She’s still here when you annoy her,” Minju replied as she flicked Nako’s forehead playfully.

“You know you two got voted as the campus couple on all the forums, right? The journalism club wants to interview you two,” Nako said as she rubbed the spot where she’d been hit.

Minju groaned. “Ugh, don’t remind me.”

At this, Nako raised an eyebrow. “So you’re not doing it?”

“No, we are. Chaewon insisted.”

“She has to be the only person on earth that can make you do things like this,” Nako teased.

Minju wanted to fight back, but she couldn’t deny it. Chaewon had that much influence over her, and sometimes she laughed at how different she acted in freshman year. The reputation of the Ice Princess had almost completely melted away all because of an angel from the business management department.

~~~~

Chaewon wouldn’t trade the last two years for anything. Of course, people go into relationships expecting them to be enjoyable, but Chaewon didn’t expect the rush to feel this good. Aside from being the most beautiful woman on the planet, Minju’s personality was somehow even more attractive. Her dry humor and unique worldviews always kept Chaewon on her toes.

Of course, grades were still Minju’s top priority. Chaewon understood how important getting into law school was. She grinned as she recalled how nervous Minju was waiting for her admission response from Yonsei Law. When the email came, the younger girl had been ecstatic, hugging Chaewon so tightly she thought she’d lose her breath. As much as Minju tried to play tough, she was a huge softie. It was like the more Chaewon got to know her, the more secret charms she found.

“Yah, Kim. Stop daydreaming and get back to work!” a stern voice startled her.

“Sorry, boss. It won’t happen again!” Chaewon apologized.

One big adjustment Chaewon had to make once her relationship with Minju began had to be funds. She had been right in freshman year- dating was expensive. Minju had told her it was okay and that she didn’t have to keep spending on her, but Chaewon didn’t want her girlfriend to be the only one pulling her weight. If there was one thing Chaewon hated than using up funds, it was owing them to someone else.

That’s why the short-haired girl decided to take on a part-time job at a convenience store near her neighborhood. It wasn’t much, but it allowed her to treat Minju to dates and get her the occasional present.

After her shift, Chaewon walked out to see Hitomi waiting for her.

“Just one more week until you’re free from that prison,” the peach-cheeked girl said.

“Very funny, Hii. You act like we won’t have to get jobs right after college,” Chaewon replied as she pinched her best friend’s cheek.

“I mean, I get your situation, but don’t you think you can afford to take it easy for at least a month?” Hitomi asked.

Chaewon shook her head. “You know I can’t. My parents worked hard enough to pay for these four years. I want to be able to support them as well.”

“I’m just worried, unnie. You deserve a break.”

“Aish, look at you trying to act like the older one now. I’ll be fine,” Chaewon said with a smile as she ruffled her friend’s hair.

“Fine, let’s talk about something fun instead. You’re doing that interview with Minju for the Yonsei Chronicle, right?”

At the mention of Minju, Chaewon immediately brightened back up. “Of course! Who else would’ve been in the running for ‘couple of the year’?”

“Well, sorry that Nako and I couldn’t get as many votes as you,” the Japanese girl deadpanned.

“I'm just kidding, Hii. I think you two are really cute together! We should organize another double date to celebrate graduation.”

“Heh, you just want to split the bill four ways. Jokes aside though, I’m really glad you and Minju got together. You’ve been good for each other,” Hitomi then said honestly.

Chaewon smiled. All the troubles she had going on in life didn’t matter as long as she had Minju.

~~~~

“I still can’t believe you convinced me to do this,” Minju muttered as they waited for the journalist in the La Vien Rose, their favorite cafe.

“Don’t you want our love to be immortalized in school history, Min?” Chaewon replied, causing the younger girl to make a gagging motion.

“You are so corny, unnie.”

“Aish, you better not call me that when they arrive. It’s supposed to be a secret,” Chaewon said. It wasn’t something she could hide forever, so she decided back then to be upfront about it. Luckily, Minju didn’t mind. If anything, she seemed to relish it.

As if on cue, Minju pouted at her. “Aw, but you love it when I call you unnie.”

“Yah, where did you learn how to do that?” the short-haired girl replied with red cheeks.

“I’m just teasing, Chae~”

Chaewon sighed.

I love this girl.

A few minutes later, a student in a Yonsei bomber jacket entered the cafe and waved at them. When Chaewon had first gotten the message, she was flattered. Though, it was no secret that she and Minju were touted by many as Yonsei’s power couple. Chaewon thought the interview would be a fun way for both of them to look back on their college days.

“Hi, my name is Shin Ryujin. Thanks for making the time for this interview,” the student greeted when she arrived at their table.

“It’s our pleasure. I’m Kim Chaewon, and this is my girlfriend, Kim Minju,” Chaewon replied, extending her hand to shake Ryujin’s.

“Oh, I’ve heard all about 2Kim,” the journalist said.

“2Kim?” Minju asked.

“Well, you’re both Kims, right? That’s what people around campus refer to you two as.”

“It’s cute, isn’t it Min?” Chaewon said with a laugh.

~~~~

“So, let’s get right into it. When and how did you two meet?” Ryujin asked after ordering a drink, her notepad and pen ready.

Both girls chuckled at the question.

“It’s a long story,” Chaewon began. “In our sophomore year, we were both pestered by our friends to try electives away from our majors and just so happened to pick the same one.”

“Interesting, but I heard a lot of people took that class. Was it love at first sight?”

At this, Minju replied, “Maybe for her, but I hated Chaewon at first.”

“What made you change your mind then?”

“I guess it was her charm. She was very persistent, you know? Chaewon convinced me to be partners for the major project which was making a short film. Turns out she edited it to become her big confession.”

Chaewon smiled, recalling those memories. She honestly didn’t expect Minju to talk this much so early.

“How romantic! And ever since then, you two have been together?”

“Yup, and I couldn’t be happier about it,” Chaewon answered before looking at Minju lovingly.

“Let’s move on to that relationship then,” Ryujin said. “What do you like the most about each other?”

“Oh, that’s difficult. There’s so many things to love about Minju, you know?” Chaewon replied.

“Yah, don’t embarrass me,” Minju complained while smiling.

“Maybe focus on one area to make it easier.” Ryujin suggested.

Chaewon hummed before replying, “Probably how full of surprises she is. Everyone knew her in freshman year as the Ice Princess, the girl who was cold to the bone. Once I got to know her though, I realized how big her heart really was. She’s much more thoughtful and way kinder than people give her credit for.”

“And you, Minju? What do you like most about Chaewon?”

“That’s easy. Chaewon has to be the most understanding person I know. She’s never been demanding or high maintenance. I know I have my shortcomings as a girlfriend sometimes, but Chaewon has stuck by my side through it all,” Minju replied.

“That’s really nice to hear. If I may ask though, given that you are both from different courses, how do you manage to find time for each other? It must be difficult since there isn’t a lot of common ground.”

“It’s all about effort and understanding,” Chaewon said. “It takes two to tango, right? We make sure to set our dates on days where we’re both free. Sometimes, one of us will have an exam or test, so we agree to move it. It wouldn’t do either of us any good if our minds were focused on other things whenever we go out.”

Ryujin nodded in agreement. “Yup, sometimes being there physically isn’t enough. For relationships to flourish, your mind has to be present as well. So, about those dates, what do you like to do the most?”

Chaewon and Minju made eye contact with each other and answered at the same time.

“Movies.”

“Oh, like going to the theatre? Very classic,” said Ryujin.

“Well, sometimes it’s at the theatre,” Chaewon replied. “Sometimes, we just put on a movie or a drama at Minju’s dorm.”

“It started after our film elective finished,” Minju explained. “We were both interested in it for different reasons. I liked to focus on the actors, and Chaewon liked to focus on the surroundings.”

“You know, at first, Minju would only watch crime thrillers,” Chaewon said with a laugh. “It took a lot of nudging, but I finally convinced her to try other genres. You have no idea how much she cried watching Snow Drop.”

“Much less than you, though!” Minju fired back.

“But people already know I’m a sap,” Chaewon reminded her.

Ryujin snickered as the two girls bickered. “You two are just lovely. The way you two mesh, it’s like you were meant to be.”

The journalist then went on to ask several more questions regarding their relationship until they arrived at the final segment.

“It has been a joy to talk to you both. I can really feel your synergy. With that being said, I have one last request here. Can you both say a little message to yourselves ten years into the future?”

“Heh, isn’t that a bit much?” Minju asked nervously.

“Why? It’ll be fun to look back on,” Chaewon said.

“I-I don’t know. I don’t want to jinx anything. That’s all,” the brunette replied.

Likely noticing the atmosphere changing, Ryujin spoke up again. “Ah, if you two don’t want to. It’s completely fine. I have a backup question prepared.”

“Actually, no. It’s fine,” Minju suddenly said before gripping Chaewon’s hand tightly. “I believe in us.”

It was just then that Chaewon realized the weight of what they were being asked to do. If for whatever reason, they broke up-, no. She couldn’t think about that.

“I believe in us too,” she ended up saying.

Ryujin clapped her hands together, saying, “Alright, how about we go with Minju first this time.”

Before Minju answered, she looked at Chaewon and said, “Chae, you think we could do this separately? I don’t think I can say it with you here. We can read each other’s messages when the issue comes out.”

Chaewon nodded, understanding what her girlfriend meant. “Sure, Min. Just call me over when it’s my turn.”

****

One week later…

The day had finally come, graduation. Though it was only a step towards Minju’s dream, it felt good to get through it, nonetheless. All the sleepless nights studying led her here.

As she sat in her chair, she thought about all the things she could do with Chaewon now that they were both a bit more free. After today, she had a couple months till her semester at Yonsei Law started, so she wanted to make the most of it.

Given Minju and Chaewon were from different departments, their graduation ceremonies were held separately. Chaewon’s was a couple days ago, and Minju made sure to attend, even sitting with the short-haired girl’s parents. For once, she decided to be the one to embarrass her girlfriend, buying her a huge bouquet of flowers and taking her out to fancy dinner after.

By that time, their feature on the Yonsei Chronicle had come out, and people were eating it up. It was all over the forums with people asking how they could find a soulmate like them. The cover photo actually came out quite nicely too. Minju would be lying if she said she didn’t feel a bit of pride, but she still couldn’t get the worry out of her head, especially with the feature being titled, “Perfect Love”.

Ten years was a long time. After the interview, Minju actually made Chaewon promise not to read her message until time had actually passed. As much as she believed in their relationship, Minju was just as serious about not jinxing anything.

“You look a bit down, Minju,” Nako suddenly said from beside her.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” she replied, deciding to push those thoughts away for now.

“It’s Chaewon, isn’t it? I haven’t seen her around yet,” the short girl observed.

“She’s probably just running late. That or planning some surprise for me,” Minju guessed.

Nako chuckled. “You’re probably right. She always had a flair for the dramatic even if you told her to stop embarrassing you in public.”

That finally got Minju to smile. Today was supposed to be a happy day. She couldn’t allow her worries to run wild in her mind.

As the ceremony began though, Minju started to become anxious. Usually, Chaewon would text her whereabouts, even if it was a cover for some surprise. She wasn’t used to not hearing from her for this long.

Names of Minju’s fellow coursemates were called to the stage one by one until it was her turn. She hoped that Chaewon would be there at the end of the aisle with flowers ready, but her Cheetah was nowhere to be found.

It wasn’t until the entire event was over that Minju received a call from her.

“Chae, what happened? Are you okay?”

When Chaewon replied, her voice was shaky. Minju had never heard her like that before. “I-I’m sorry, Min. My dad… he got into an accident.”

Chapter Text

Two years later…

“I can’t believe Chaewon stood me up again, Yujin! Today was my only free day of the week and all she does is text that she has to work overtime today,” Minju complained as she stuffed her mouth with a lettuce wrap.

“Calm down, Minju. You don’t want to choke on that, do you?” the taller girl replied, trying to assuage her.

Back in senior year, Minju expected their life post-college to be much of the same, but that dream was shattered almost immediately. After getting that call from Chaewon about her father’s accident, the short-haired girl went M.I.A. for a week. Minju had tried calling and texting, but all she got back was a message telling her to give her some space.

Minju had decided to respect it. Chaewon’s father was such a nice person after all. He would always treat her well whenever she visited. Hearing he got into a car accident broke her heart too.

By the time Chaewon had reappeared, she told Minju that she’d gotten a job at a big consulting firm as a business development associate. Of course, Minju was happy for her girlfriend, but since she was slated to start immediately, that meant less time to spend together before her law school semester started.

Minju still accepted it though and decided to support Chaewon. After all, their relationship was always built on understanding one another, and to be fair to Chaewon, she would still make time for dinners and movie nights like they usually did.

The problems really started once she had to go back to Yonsei. This wasn’t like normal college where they could still see each other on campus. Chaewon’s office was located across town, past the Han River. On top of that, their schedules would rarely match. Minju’s classes would sometimes go into the evening, right when Chaewon usually clocked out. She thought the weekends would be fine, but she was sorely mistaken. The workload for law school was no joke. She had to go through mountains of case files in order to prepare for lectures and exams. Meanwhile, Chaewon would sometimes be given extra work to take home and was usually badgered by clients for results.

It was a nightmare. As their shared time dwindled, so did the frequency of messages. From cheerful support messages and daily check-ins, Minju would be happy just to receive a good morning text.

The only times they could really hang out and have dates were the holidays like Christmas and New Year, but even still, Minju could feel that Chaewon’s attention wasn’t completely on her the way it used to be. She’d constantly check her phone in case of emergency messages from work and sometimes even rush to leave early to head to the office

Minju tried very hard to understand. Given that Chaewon’s father was forced into early retirement and her mother had to stay home to take care of him, Chaewon and her older sister were the lone sources of income for them. Minju thought that eventually, things would get better, but when Chaewon was promoted to a senior just a year after she was hired, she became even harder to reach. Still, Minju wanted to be patient with her. Chaewon had done nothing but care for her throughout their almost five-year relationship after all.

The straw that started to break her though was seeing those posts with her coworker, Huh Yunjin. Minju had been scrolling through her social media when she saw Chaewon tagged in one of her posts. Minju had never been the jealous type, but seeing her girlfriend smiling next to another beautiful woman did not make her happy. She had brought it up a couple times since, which led to some small arguments, but one day, when Chaewon was once again late because of work, Minju lost her cool.

—---

“Hey, Min. Sorry, I’m late again. It was-”

“Work, again, right?” Minju cut her off, arms crossed.

“I know, I know. It’s happening more often, but it’s because I have more responsibilities now. I can’t control the amount of work they give me,” Chaewon replied guiltily, but Minju was still upset.

“Chae, can’t you learn to say ‘no’ to them every once in a while? You’re a senior now. You don’t have to keep volunteering for every task.”

“That’s like telling you to not go to the courthouse to observe a criminal case. I can’t do that, Min.”

“But you can spare time to give directions to Yunjin? I saw her story, you know?” Minju huffed.

“Yah, is that what this is about? She had somewhere to be near here, so I helped her out. I told you it’s been a while since she was in Korea, right? And why are you still stalking her socials? Do you not trust me, Min?” Chaewon said defensively. She seemed genuinely surprised that Minju would even insinuate that she was cheating on her.

“I do! It’s just… you don’t look as happy with me as you do in Yunjin’s work posts…”

“Do you expect me to look lifeless all the time?

“Well, I expect you to not look lifeless around me at least,” Minju snapped back.

Chaewon let out a big sigh. “Minju, work is really busy right now, and I’m sorry that I was late again. Can’t you give me a break?”

At that point, Minju had let her emotions takeover and something she regretted.

“How many more breaks do you need, Chae? I’m busy too, but I still show up on time and focus only on you. Can’t you do the same?”

Chaewon had stared at her in disbelief. Her eyes looked puffy as if she were about to cry, but before Minju could reach out, the older girl had fled.

—--

And that’s how Minju found herself at the Rebel Heart grill with one of her friends, An Yujin. She was a basketball player Minju met by chance last year in a bar when Chaewon had cancelled on her last minute. The old her would’ve just stomped back home, but it was nice for someone to listen to her worries without judgment. Soon after, Yujin got drunk and started calling for a girl named Wonyoung. It reminded her that everyone had their own problems going on in life.

“Unnie? Are you still there?” the tall girl snapped her fingers in Minju’s face to get her attention.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just… ugh! You know our fifth anniversary is coming up, right?” Minju replied frustratedly. What was she going to do about this situation?

“Let me ask you one thing, unnie. You still love Chaewon, right?” Yujin said after some thought.

Minju nodded slowly. The entire reason she was upset was because she loved Chaewon so much. It just didn’t show in her words, and she knew she was at fault for that.

“Then you have to let her know. You told me back in college, your relationship was built on understanding. I get it’s more difficult now that you are physically further apart, but if you really love her as much as you claim, you’ll make an extra effort.”

“You’re right, Yujin… I think I can drink to that,” Minju said as she raised her shot glass to clink with her friend’s.

The two continued to chat and eat for a while until Yujin eventually got drunk. This was standard procedure whenever they went out. Yujin talked a big game, but she was a lightweight when it came to drinking.

“You know, Yujin? For a national athlete, you have absolutely no tolerance for alcohol,” she muttered while carrying the tall girl out of the restaurant where her teammate, Gaeul, was waiting.

“Here’s the trash, ma’am,” Minju joked before letting go of Yujin and watching her stumble face first into the ground.

“Wonyoung-ah! Why did you leave me???” she slurred.

Gaeul could only shake her head in reply as she put away the phone she used to record that.

“Thanks, again, Minju-unnie. I’ll make sure to put her in the recyclables,” the short-haired girl said with a slight bow, picking up Yujin and taking her away.

“Hopefully, she sorts things out too,” Minju thought empathetically.

~~~~

Chaewon was tired of everything. The past two years have done nothing but exhaust her physically and mentally. Sure, she was earning a decent wage and was promoted after only a year of work, but she had almost zero free time because of it.

Being a business development consultant meant being assigned to a client and helping them pinpoint their areas of improvement. This required a lot of research and observation all with the client nagging her to speed things up. From being deployed to different cities in Korea for field work to spending entire nights at the office making process maps, a part of Chaewon questioned if this was all worth it.

Every time she did though, a stern voice in her mind would remind her that her family was counting on her. She didn’t want her older sister doing it all on her own, especially when she was actually earning more. That is why she continued to press on. However, doing so had consequences that she was afraid of that eventually came to fruition.

Minju had complained on more than one occasion now about her lack of presence during their dates. She couldn’t defend herself on that. Chaewon was constantly busy with work and rarely got off on time. What she could defend herself on was the insinuations that she was cheating.

Chaewon still loved Minju more than anything. Why else would she keep pushing on? It hurt her that her girlfriend was beginning to doubt her.

“You good, Chaewon?” a voice suddenly asked, shaking Chaewon out of her thoughts.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Yunjin,” she replied in a tone that definitely did not sound like she was okay.

“Maybe this will lighten your spirits,” the tall girl said as she placed a cup of iced tea on her desk. “I remember you saying you don’t like coffee.”

“T-Thanks…” Chaewon murmured before taking a sip. Yunjin had entered their company, EY, only a few months ago. She had lived in the United States most of her life but wanted to try working in South Korea instead.

If Chaewon was honest, Yunjin was a perfectly fine person. She was smart, friendly, and proactive. It was her extroversion that became a problem for Chaewon though. Yunjin liked to document her days a lot online, and since they were on the same team, that meant Chaewon would get caught in a lot of her photos and videos.

“So, tell me what’s really wrong,” Yunjin said after finishing her coffee.

Chaewon sighed. “You know I’m in a relationship, right?”

Yunjin nodded. “Mhm, Kim Minju? What’s going on now?”

“Now?” Chaewon asked confusedly.

“Well, unnie. It feels like every time you bring her up, your facial expression changes as if you’re more stressed.”

Chaewon was surprised, instinctively touching her face. “What? That can’t be right.”

“If I recall, you said she was a law student, right? I have friends taking their post grad studies too, and they’ve almost all disappeared from my radar. I’m surprised you still manage to talk with her often.”

“Yeah… but the problem hasn’t been her. It’s been me. I don’t think Minju’s happy about how often I’m late to dates and have to work overtime,” Chaewon said glumly.

“But that isn’t exactly our fault, is it? Consultancy isn’t exactly a carefree profession either. She should try to be more understanding.”

Chaewon shook her head, not wanting Yunjin to get the wrong idea. “She’s not wrong though. I haven’t exactly been the best girlfriend to her since college ended.”

“I’m just saying, Chaewon. If the problem is getting serious, something has to change. Whether that’s you or Minju isn’t up to me. Just know that if this continues, it’ll only get worse,” Yunjin advised.

Chaewon sat on that thought for a while. She kept telling herself she loved Minju, so why wasn’t she making the same exceptions she made back in college? Back then, she would schedule her classes around Minju’s just so they could see each other. Now, they could barely line up their free time to meet. Of course, there were more external factors than before, but that shouldn’t have stopped her.

Yunjin was right. Something had to change.

****

One week later…

Minju nervously tapped her feet as she took a seat in the La Vien Rose cafe. She’d been avoiding it for a while but figured it was as good a place as any to celebrate their fifth anniversary. She’d even prepared a bouquet of flowers and asked the cafe to make a special cake for them since they used to be regulars. She was determined to right their ship.

Thankfully, Chaewon was on time for once, but something felt wrong. While the short-haired girl was smiling at her, it felt like there was a bit of weariness behind it. She had also come empty-handed.

“Heh, just like old times,” Chaewon commented as she took her seat.

Minju let out a small laugh before replying, “What other place better to celebrate our anniversary than at our favorite spot?”

At this, Chaewon’s eyes widened. “Wait… oh my god.”

Minju’s face fell immediately.

“Y-You’re joking… right?” she said, gripping her flowers under the table tightly, something she probably shouldn’t have been doing since they were roses, but Minju had started to become numb. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Chaewon shook her head guiltily, not even looking Minju in the eyes. “I-I’m so sor-”

“Don’t say you’re sorry. I’ve heard that so many times. How could you forget our fifth anniversary?” Minju asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

That probably had to be the worst time for one of the cafe employees to come out with their cake.

“Happy anniver… sary,” the young woman said before realizing the situation unfolding.

Minju turned to apologize, saying, “I’ll make sure to pay. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

She then stood up, dropped the flowers on the table and stormed out.

****

“Min, wait!” Chaewon called out.

“Don’t turn around. Don’t turn around.” Minju chanted to herself internally, but in the end, she couldn’t stop herself.

Chaewon looked at her with those doe-eyes that always used to get her to change her mind.

“Min, your hand…”

It was only now that Minju began to feel the stinging sensation when she clenched her fist. It was dark, but the red blood dripping to the ground was unmistakable

Chaewon closed the distance between them, took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around Minju’s palm.

“We need to get you to the hospital,” the older girl said concernedly.

“I can get there myself…” Minju muttered before trying to leave only for Chaewon to grab her shoulder.

“WHAT?” she ended up yelling, the tears now streaming down her face. “I’m really curious to know how you forgot how important today was. Oh, let me guess, it was work? How much longer are you going to keep this up, Chae?”

At this, Chaewon went silent, letting go of Minju.

“I… I don’t think I can,” she said quietly.

“Excuse me?”

Chaewon looked up and met her eyes. “Minju, I’m sorry but… I think we should break up.”

Minju was stunned. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. Yes, she was mad, but she had never considered actually breaking up with Chaewon.

“C-Chae…”

But it was too late. Chaewon turned and bolted away, leaving Minju alone, clutching her bleeding hand.

Chapter Text

One week later…

“Yah, Minju, come out already! We’re gonna be late for class!” the voice of Nako called from outside the dorm room.

Ever since Chaewon had broken up with her, Minju had felt like an empty husk. She went through the past few days like a zombie, barely paying attention in class and getting called out by the professor on multiple occasions. It was something that surprised her classmates given how studious she usually was.

Minju would’ve gone to the bar and drowned herself in alcohol, but she was also still reeling from Yujin’s injury news too. She’d attended her basketball game the day before her anniversary with Chaewon and watched her friend go down badly. From what Minju heard, Yujin would be discharged from the hospital soon, so she figured she should visit some time.

“Minju, can you at least talk to me? I know it’s hard, but it’s even harder to bottle it all up,” Nako continued to pester, this time in a softer tone.

Again, Minju stayed silent, rubbing the scar she got from the rose that pierced her the day of the breakup. She knew their relationship hadn’t been going well as of late, but she couldn’t grasp why Chaewon would decide to do that. They had been together for five years. How could it all disappear in one night?

Out of habit, Minju picked up her phone and opened her chat log with Chaewon. She’d sent message after message asking for an explanation to no avail. They were all left on ‘delivered’.

Minju let out a sigh and began preparing for class. Because of the silence, she figured Nako had already left without her, but when she opened the door, the tiny girl was still standing there.

“Took you long enough,” she chided with crossed arms, but Minju brushed by her. She wasn’t in the mood to talk right now.

“Yah, I’m just trying to help, Minju. Why are you shutting me out?”

At this, Minju finally turned around and faced her roommate. “What would you get anyway? You’ve never been dumped before. How would you know what I’m feeling right now?”

Nako shrunk at her sharp comment, something Minju didn’t think was possible. She probably could’ve been more tactful, but she wasn’t feeling very stable at the moment.

“Alright, I’m sorry. I just wanted to hear you out, you know?” Nako replied quietly before walking past her until she reached the front door.

Then, right before slamming it shut, she spoke loudly.

“And for the record, outbursts like that are probably why Chaewon left you.”

~~~~

“You don’t have to keep getting me drinks, you know?” Chaewon said after Yunjin placed another cup of iced tea on her desk.

“Well, how else am I supposed to cheer you up when you don’t say anything for a week?” the taller girl replied.

“I prefer to have my personal life and work life separated. That’s all.”

“Of course, but once your work life is affected by your personal life and vice versa, then we have a problem. You’ve been really out of it recently, unnie.”

Chaewon sighed. Yunjin was right. Ever since she broke up with Minju, she hadn’t been able to function like she usually did. Given that she was usually one of the more diligent consultants on the team, it was very noticeable when her effort would drop.

Part of Chaewon was wondering if she made a mistake. She and Minju had been together for five years, and she threw it all away with six words. The younger girl had been spamming her inbox with messages over the past week, but she refused to read any of them.

“It’s for the best,” the other part of her head said.

It wasn’t just that night that caused Chaewon to break up with Minju. It was a culmination of the past two years after college. She just couldn’t give the attention Minju needed like she used to.

“Hello? Earth to Chaewon-unnie?” Yunjin’s words snapped Chaewon out of her thoughts.

“Y-Yeah? I’m here.”

Yunjin chuckled. “Evidently, you weren’t. Are you coming to dinner later? Kwon-sunbae is organizing one to celebrate the next project launch. Maybe it’ll help take your mind off whatever’s troubling you.”

Chaewon hummed to herself as she considered. She usually wasn’t a fan of attending events after work, but she found the offer appealing this time.

“Fine, free food is free food after all,” she eventually said.

****

Minju couldn’t handle it anymore. She caved and went to drink alone. Since Nako was mad at her and Yujin was still recovering, Minju realized that aside from them and Chaewon, she didn’t have many friends.

“Pft, who needs them. I can have fun by myself,” she muttered as she took another shot of soju. Not wanting to be spotted by anyone from campus, she had decided to go to a grill bar across town called the Hydra. It was on Chaewon’s turf, but she rarely went out anyway. What were the chances she’d see her here of all places?

The memory of their breakup kept replaying in Minju’s head. She thought she had been very patient and understanding of Chaewon’s situation. All she wanted was for her to be a bit more attentive. Was that too much to ask? The Chaewon she’d been seeing since graduation hasn’t felt like the one she knew back in college.

Minju continued to sit alone at her table, grilling meat and drinking alcohol. By her third bottle though, a big group of customers entered the restaurant. Minju didn’t think much of it until she heard something that sent chills up her spine.

“You been here before, Chaewon?”

When Minju glanced back, she saw her. It had only been a week, but she missed her Cheetah so much. Just as Chaewon turned towards her though, Minju hid, pulling her hood down low. She couldn’t afford to be seen here. It hurt her pride too much, especially when Chaewon looked perfectly fine.

Minju was about to pick up her bag and sneak out, but then a thought came to her.

What is she really like when she’s at work?

The brunette took a deep breath and settled back into her chair.

~~~~

“So, as everyone knows. Our client, Sinjenta, is a pharmaceutical company based on Jeju Island. They asked us to make a current state assessment for them and pinpoint areas for improvement,” Chaewon’s team leader, Kwon Eunbi, explained. She was only five years older than Chaewon, but she had already climbed the ladder and been promoted to manager. She was someone Chaewon really respected, which is why she agreed to come along to this dinner in the first place

“You had me at Jeju Island!” Yunjin joked, causing everyone to laugh.

“Heh, but enough of that. We’ll get into the specifics tomorrow. For now, let’s eat!”

The team went on for about half an hour, grilling meat and making small talk. Chaewon still couldn’t muster up the energy to enjoy herself. She wanted to go home as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the group had other ideas.

“I know, who wants to play a game?” Eunbi suddenly proposed.

“Oh, how about spin the bottle? Whoever gets picked has to answer a question or drink!” Yunjin suggested.

Chaewon groaned to herself, but everyone had already agreed.

Please don’t land on me…

The game went on as Chaewon expected, with a lot of relationship questions. Every time Yunjin would spin the bottle, she became anxious, the hairs on her arms standing up.

“Okay, next up… oh, me!” Yunjin said as the bottle pointed towards her.

“Oooh, I have a question. Do you have anyone you’re interested in right now?” one of their teammates, Changbin, asked.

Yunjin thought to herself for a second before giving a subtle nod, causing the whole table to erupt with more follow up questions.

“Who is it?”

“Are they sitting at this table right now?”

“Guys, you get one question per spin. It’s the rules, I’m sorry,” Yunjin said with a laugh. She really was a person who commanded everyone’s attention. Though she hadn’t been in the company for that long, Yunjin always stood out. She was really pretty too.

“Woah, what am I thinking?” Chaewon asked herself internally. She shook her head, trying to regain her focus. She needed to get out of here before-

“Chaewon! It’s your turn!”

Crap…

The bottle was pointing in her direction now because the universe decided she wasn’t tired enough.

“I have a question…” Yunjin said. Chaewon gripped her cup tightly, feeling slightly worried now.

“If you were single right now… is there anyone at this table who fits your type?”

Yunjin looked her right in the eyes, as if she were issuing a challenge. Everyone else was also staring at her expectantly.

She didn’t know if it was the alcohol or not. She could’ve easily said a simple ‘no’. Instead, she picked up her cup and downed the alcohol.

“Oooh, that means there is!” One of her teammates said curiously. “I wonder who it is…”

Before the game could continue, the sound of someone slamming their drink onto their table caught everyone’s attention. At another table, a woman had stood up, a woman that looked very familiar.

“Minju…” Chaewon realized when she turned towards them.

“Yah, Kim Chaewon! So that’s how it is, huh? Already looking for someone else?” she slurred, clearly drunk, before stomping out of the Hydra.

“Chaewon, who is that?” her teammates asked, but Chaewon ignored them. She stood up and followed Minju out.

****

Minju couldn’t believe it. Clearly, Yunjin was referring to Chaewon during her question. Then, she had the nerve to ask Chaewon if someone on their team fit her type? Her mind wasn’t moving as fast as usual because of the alcohol, but she was incensed.

“Yah, Kim Minju! Slow down!” Chaewon’s voice called from behind. It felt like a replay from last week, and just like last week, Minju couldn’t help but turn around.

“What do you want? I thought we broke up!” she yelled.

Chaewon stopped just short of her. “Are you really going to go back to the dorm like this? It’s far, let me book you a taxi.”

“Why don’t you go look for the person you said was your type at the restaurant instead?” Minju barked back.

“Yah, I didn’t even say yes!”

“But you drank when you could’ve said no. That’s basically admitting it!”

Chaewon sighed. “Ugh, you’re impossible, Min.”

“Oh, so now I’m the problem? After everything we’ve been through, it’s my fault we broke up?” Minju replied angrily. In her head, she could hear the words she was saying but couldn’t control them. She just kept saying what was on her mind.

“YES!” Chaewon suddenly yelled back. “It was your fault, and I’m tired of pretending it was mine!”

Minju froze. “Chae… what do you mean?”

“It was always you!” the short-haired girl said with tears streaming down her face. “When we were in college, I adjusted every time for you! You say we did it together, but everything always had to be on your terms!”

“Chae-”

“No, I’m not done! After college, I understand I had my shortcomings, but relationships are a two-way street, Minju. When have you ever adjusted for me?”

Those words hit Minju like a truck, but in her drunken haze, she continued to stand her ground.

“That’s not fair, Chaewon. I wanted to help you! When your dad got into the accident, you wouldn’t let me pay for the hospital bills. You got a part-time job in college when I told you I was fine providing for the time being. I didn’t ask you to do those things!”

“Does it always have to be about the money?” Chaewon asked in a much quieter tone. It was one Minju was unfamiliar with. She sounded so… broken.

“That isn’t what I needed, Minju. What I needed from you was emotional support. Instead of asking me why I was late all the time, why not comfort me after a long day? Instead of nagging me about why I’m always on my phone, why not give me an opportunity to rant about my problems? That’s what I always did for you. Do you think I work myself like this because I want to?”

That was the knockout punch for Minju. She had no rebuttal for that. All their meetings over the past two years flashed back to her. She kept saying she understood Chaewon, but she never did anything beyond that. Minju was present for those dates, but unlike Chaewon, whose mind wasn’t there, it was her heart that wasn’t in the right place.

“See, you know what I’m saying is true,” Chaewon said with a sniffle.

“Chaewon, I’m sorry…”

“No, I should be thanking you. I was doubting myself for a while, if I’d made a mistake doing this. But you only proved me right. It was never about us. It always had to be about you.”

Just like last week, Chaewon turned and ran like a cheetah. Just like last week, Minju could only stare at her silhouette fading into the dark night.

It’s all my fault…

Chapter Text

A few days later…

“Yeah, you definitely screwed up. I’ve heard of trainwrecks, but this takes the cake,” Yujin summarized after hearing Minju’s story.

“That makes me feel so much better,” the brunette mumbled back. She’d finally decided to visit her friend in the hospital, and though she knew she was in for a scolding, she needed to confide in someone.

“I’m not supposed to be making you feel better. I’m telling it like it is. You’re lucky I’m still in this bed,” Yujin huffed.

Minju chuckled sarcastically. “That didn’t stop you from causing that scene in the airport with Wonyoung a couple days ago.

“Aish, unnie. We’re supposed to be talking about you. Isn’t that what Chaewon said, 'it always had to be about you'?”

“I swear if you weren’t injured, I’d break your leg myself,” Minju grumbled.

Yujin then sat up straight, clearing her throat. “But on a serious note, unnie. That’s really sad to hear. Every time you described what your relationship used to be like, I thought it was too good to be true…”

“And maybe it was…” Minju said with a sigh.

“How are you feeling?”

“Terrible. I can’t believe how shortsighted I was. Chaewon was always so bright, you know? I couldn’t have guessed that she had those thoughts deep down.”

“And as her girlfriend, maybe you should’ve. You were together for five years.”

Minju groaned at that. The word ‘were’ didn’t feel good to hear.

“So, is this the end? Or are you going to do something about it?” Yujin asked.

“I don’t know… if I caused her that much pain, why would she want to see me again?”

“Because she carried that pain around for so long. That’s how much she probably loved you. I’m no expert on relationships, heck, I’ve only had a girlfriend for less than three days. What I do know about love though is that it makes you do the craziest things. I didn’t hear from Wonyoung for five whole years, and I waited for her. I told you this before, but if you really love Chaewon that much, you’ll try at least one more time, and if she really loves you, she’ll give you one more chance.”

Minju considered the younger girl’s words. She wouldn’t admit it, but Yujin was wise beyond her years. It was one of the things that made their friendship grow.

“I do love her, Yuj, but my stud-”

Yujin cut her off immediately. “Ah, ah, no excuses! I’m not saying she has to be your number one priority 24/7, but you need to give as much as you take. You can’t just meet up and rant about your problems without listening to hers. You can’t demand attentiveness from her when you don’t go the extra mile.”

“You’re right. I’ll try to fix this… I have to.”

~~~~

“Hm? I thought you hated Iced Americanos, unnie,” Yunjin said when she noticed Chaewon taking a sip of something that wasn’t her favorite iced tea.

“Just wanted to change things up a bit, that’s all…” Chaewon mumbled back as she swirled the drink in her hand. It was true. Chaewon didn’t like this drink or any coffee at all for that matter.

For some reason though, when she was at the cafe next to their office, she bought it on instinct. She still wasn’t over her last encounter with Minju. For the second time in two weeks, she had been the one to walk away, something she couldn’t have imagined doing before.

Chaewon had loved Minju so much, and deep down, maybe a part of her still did. The Iced Americano in her hands was a prime example of it. She’d been stealing sips from Minju’s cup for years not because she actually liked it but because that was her little way to show the younger girl she could make an adjustment for her. Looking back, maybe it was a silly thing to do.

She couldn’t keep compromising her happiness for Minju. While everything may have seemed perfect on the surface, Chaewon realized she may have just been looking at their relationship with rose-tinted glasses.

The short-haired girl took a deep breath and placed the drink down. She needed to move on.

“Chaewon-ssi, you free right now?” Eunbi suddenly called from her office.

“Y-yes, I’ll be right there,” she replied quickly, fixing her things and making her way over.

~~~~

“Chaewon, as you know we’re going to Jeju Island next week,” Eunbi said once they were both seated.

Chaewon nodded. “Yes, sunbae. Sinjenta, the pharmaceutical manufacturer.”

“Mhm. About that, I want you to lead the stakeholder interviews. Can you do that?”

“M-me? I appreciate the offer, sunbae, but are you sure? That’s a big responsibility.” Chaewon said with a puzzled expression. There were a couple senior associates with more experience than her, so why would she be picked?

Eunbi hummed to herself before replying, “Chaewon, do you know why I accelerated your promotion? You should know it usually takes a couple years for a regular associate to become a senior.”

“To be honest, no,” she replied honestly. Obviously, Chaewon wondered about it every once in a while, but back when it happened, she was more so just relieved that her salary was rising.

“You have a real talent, Chaewon. A talent for telling stories. You always have a unique way of framing our clients’ needs. It helps us look at their situations from different angles. That’s why I want you to lead this part of the project.”

Though it was meant as a compliment, Chaewon winced a bit at those words. She’d heard them before…

~~~~

Three years ago…

“Chae, you remember the film elective we took a couple years ago?” Minju asked as the short-haired girl laid on her lap. It was movie night, and today, they were watching Love Actually.

“What about it?”

“You ever wonder what it would be like to pursue that instead of what we’re doing now?”

It was out of the blue, especially for someone like Minju who had always had a one-track mind for law.

Chaewon sat up and looked at her girlfriend inquisitively, causing her to chuckle.

“I mean, it was just a thought. Your short movies back in that class were really good, and not just the one with me,” Minju said. After they got together, the brunette had actually demanded to see all of Chaewon's works during that semester and became very engrossed in them. 

“Heh, it would be nice, but you know how hard it is to make it into that industry. I can’t afford to do that right now,” Chaewon replied with a hint of sadness. She needed to help her family as soon as she could, and spending years trying to get a big break just wouldn’t be the way to go about it.

“That’s a shame. I actually think you would’ve done really well.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you have a talent for telling stories,” Minju said with a sincere expression. “The way your mind works to present things; it’s almost as beautiful as your face.”

At that, Chaewon grabbed a pillow and playfully smacked her girlfriend with it. “Yah, I didn’t think you’d become this cheesy.”

“I learned from the best,” Minju replied as she grabbed a pillow of her own and began chasing Chaewon around the room.

~~~~

“Chaewon-ssi. Are you okay?” Eunbi asked.

“Ah, sorry. I don’t know what came over me…” Chaewon apologized. When she touched her face, she realized a tear had fallen down her cheek.

Where did that Minju go…

Eunbi sat back in her chair and looked at Chaewon curiously. “Does this have anything to do with that girl at the restaurant a few days ago?”

Chaewon’s cheeks reddened. “N-No. Of course not! I’m fine, sunbae.”

“If you don’t want to elaborate, it’s fine. Your personal life is your own,” Eunbi replied with a concerned look. “Just make sure to tell me if there’s anything you need to talk about. I’m also your work counselor after all.”

“Yes, sunbae. Of course.”

“Alright then. So, I take it you’re okay with my request for this project on your end? You can handle it?”

Chaewon nodded. “I’ll do my best, sunbae.”

“I know you will,” Eunbi said with a smile.

Chaewon tried to steel herself. This was a good opportunity for her that she couldn’t afford to lose. All thinking about Minju would do is hold her back.

****

“Nako, you here?” Minju asked after entering their dorm, hearing the sound of something playing on the television.

“I’m busy,” the voice of the Japanese girl replied. Minju approached the couch and found the short girl laying on it.

“You’re kind of blocking the way, Minju,” Nako said indifferently, waving Minju out of the way.

“I’m sorry, Nako. I shouldn’t have said those things the other day. You were right. It happened again. I met Chaewon while I was drunk and blew up on her,” Minju said after taking a deep breath.

Nako was silent for a few seconds, the only sounds coming from the Japanese anime playing on the television.

“Apology accepted,” she eventually said.

“Wait, what?” Minju replied in surprise. She hadn’t expected Nako to forgive her so easily. She already had a whole apology speech ready.

Nako sighed. “You may be a pain in the neck, but you’re my pain in the neck. Now, what help do you need?”

Minju then went on to spill everything that had been weighing on her the past week and a half, sneaking in the advice she’d gotten from Yujin earlier.

By the end of it, Minju hadn’t realized that there were tears streaming down her face until Nako moved closer and wiped her cheeks with some tissue.

“Yujin was already harsh on you, so I’ll move past that part. Don’t think that means I don’t think you were a selfish girlfriend though. Make no mistake, this is your fault.”

“I know…”

“Good. Admitting it is always the first step.”

“I heard that Minju’s team is going to Jeju Island for a project. You think you could ask Hitomi to find out if they’ve left yet or not?”

Nako raised an eyebrow. “What happened to taking accountability? Shouldn’t you try to find that out yourself?”

At that, Minju slumped her shoulders. “I would… but she blocked me.”

It pained her to admit, but after Minju had left Yujin at the hospital, she tried to text Chaewon if they could meet up. Unfortunately, when she opened her chat app, she realized her girlfriend’s name was gone. She tried calling Chaewon’s number after, but it went straight to an automated voice.

“Ouch… fine, I’ll see what I can do. Just make sure you have a plan,” Nako replied.

****

Later that night…

“She’s still at the office, but they’re leaving for Jeju Sunday night.” Hitomi had texted Nako.

With that knowledge, Minju did something she realized she’d never done since Chaewon started her job- visit her office. Their schedules just never aligned, and it seemed way more practical for them to meet halfway. In hindsight, that was a probably a major red flag on her end given Chaewon would sometimes fetch her from campus if she finished work early.

Now though, she was positioned right across from the entrance with flowers in her hands, special mint-green roses, Chaewon’s favorite. She got a few weird glances from employees exiting, but she didn’t care. Minju had to win Chaewon back.

She waited.

And waited.

It was almost 10 PM, but Chaewon was still nowhere in sight.

~~~~~

The next day…

“She’s here again? I heard she was here until eleven last night,” Yunjin said incredulously when she spotted a familiar girl from the window.

Chaewon sighed from her cubicle. She thought that Minju would’ve left on her own if she waited long enough, but after finding out she’d waited, Chaewon felt a pang of guilt for sneaking out the back to avoid her.

Minju… why are you doing this? Why can’t you make this easy?

“She’s the same girl from the restaurant, right?” one of their other coworkers asked.

“Yeah, Chaewon-ssi, is she your girlfriend? Did something happen between you two?” another questioned.

“It’s nothing. She’s not hurting anyone, so just leave her be. We should get ready for the meeting. Kwon-sunbae wants to go over our final agenda for next week,” Chaewon ended up saying.

“Still-”

“You heard her, everyone!” Yunjin suddenly cut in. “If that girl ends up causing a scene, security will handle it. Let’s head over to the boardroom.”

“Thanks…” Chaewon said quietly after everyone left.

“You have to figure this out soon, unnie. Didn’t I tell you? It will only get worse if you don’t,”

“I already did, Yunjin. We broke up. End of story,” Chaewon said before standing and heading to the boardroom herself, just missing the way Yunjin’s face perked up.

****

“Yah, Minju, class starts in a few minutes. Are you not coming again?” Nako said over a call.

“I’m sorry, Nako. Can you cover my recitation again? I’ll promise to make up for it,” Minju apologized.

“Ugh, you know Professor Kang is strict. Couldn’t you have cut another class??”

“I know, I know. I’ll buy you dinner tomorrow too if you want.”

“Make it a whole week and you-” Minju dropped the call.

Minju sighed again. As she stood in front of Chaewon’s office for the second straight day, she realized how difficult it must have been for Chaewon to race across town to make it to their dates. The commute from here was way more crowded than her route from campus. Maybe she had been too harsh on her for being late.

She couldn’t help but think of all the times she scolded her girlfriend who was only trying her best. Minju had taken Chaewon for granted.

Just when Minju considered just barging into the office and asking for Chaewon, she noticed a security guard walking towards her.

“Excuse me, we got a report about someone loitering on office grounds. I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he said once he arrived in front of her.

Minju looked at him confusedly. “Uhm, I’m not even inside the building. Does your coverage extend to the sidewalk?”

The security guard pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Please don’t make this difficult, Miss.”

“No, you’re the one making this difficult,” Minju argued. “What law are you invoking? I’m not doing anything illegal, am I?”

“Listen, I’m just doing my job. If our employees report that they feel unsafe, we have the right to kick people from the premises.”

“Unsafe? Who made the report?” Minju asked.

“I’m afraid that’s private. If you don’t leave now, we’ll have to call the authorities,” the guard said in a more serious tone now.

“Good luck with that. I hope your company is ready to get sued!”

The guard reached for his walkie-talkie, clearly calling Minju’s bluff.

“Front desk, can you call the police, we seem to have a crazy woman out here causing a ruckus,” he said, but by the time he turned back to where Minju was standing, the brunette was gone.

In the distance, Minju stomped her foot in frustration. Did Chaewon make that report on her? Did she really hate her that much?

“You deserve this for everything you did to her,” a voice in her head whispered, but Minju shook it off. She refused for things to end like this.

Chaewon may have fallen for her first, but Minju had fallen harder. She couldn’t spend another moment without her.

Chapter Text

Two days later…

“Hellooo Jeju!” Yunjin cheered while holding out a selfie stick. The team had just landed, and she had thought it would be nice to document their experience. “Look at that beautiful night sky! It’s much clearer than the one we get back in the big city!”

Chaewon sighed. She really didn’t want to end up on a vlog, but at the same time, she didn’t have much of a choice. It wouldn’t look good to be the only person killing the vibe.

She took a deep breath. At least here on Jeju Island, she could focus on work. Whatever personal problems she had, she left in Seoul for now.

“Chaewon-unnie! How do you feel about the project?” Yunjin suddenly asked, bringing the camera up to her face.

“Hmm, I just hope we do a good job for the client,” she mumbled awkwardly while giving a weak attempt at pumping her fist.

Yunjin pouted in response but quickly pivoted her attention to the other project members.

“You do know she’s going to be recording the interviews and taking notes while you ask the questions, right?” Eunbi said from next to Chaewon.

“Y-Yes, she’s got a knack for that sort of thing after all,” she replied. Usually on projects like this, senior associates would be paired with normal associates to help provide guidance, so when Yunjin was announced as Chaewon’s partner, she wasn’t exactly surprised. There was just a small part of her though that wished she’d been assigned someone else.

“I hope you work well together then. Is that personal issue of yours still affecting you?”

Chaewon shook her head. “No, sunbae. My focus on this trip is on work. I’ll handle my personal matters when we get home.”

Eunbi frowned, as if that wasn’t the answer she expected. “If you say so. Just make sure you and Yunjin provide your daily reports at the end of every day while we’re here.”

“Of course. You can count on us,” Chaewon said with a nod before running to catch up with the others.

****

The next morning…

“Yes, Nako. What is it?” Minju asked after answering her phone.

“I thought you had gone crazy last week, but this is ridiculous!” the Japanese girl immediately yelled.

“Weren’t you the one who wanted me to fix things?”

“Well I didn’t think you’d take a leave of absence this close to exams! Minju, you’re going to miss the review sessions!”

Minju sighed. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. What matters right now is finding Chaewon. You have any info on where she could be staying?”

“Yah, of course I don’t. I didn’t think you would actually go there!” Nako chided.

“Fair enough, just make sure to send me notes for the classes I miss, okay?”

“Ugh, you’re lucky I’m nice. You better come back with Chaewon, okay? That’s the only thing that will make this trip worth it. Don’t screw it up!” Nako said before hanging up.

Minju took a deep breath, contemplating to herself. She’d never done anything like this before. Even her parents didn’t know where she was right now. For the longest time, Minju’s academics were her everything. Now though, she realized she needed to go after what truly made her happy.

“Alright, Minju. Time to find their hotel.”

She then grabbed her bags and headed out of Jeju International Airport.

~~~~

Later that night…

“Good work today, everyone!” Eunbi clapped after everyone convened in the boardroom they were assigned.

Chaewon was exhausted. She felt like she had interviewed a hundred people today from different departments, and there would be even more to do tomorrow. If it weren’t for Yunjin jumping in at times during their end of day report, Chaewon would’ve been a mess. All she wanted to do right now was get back to the hotel and get a good night’s rest.

Unfortunately, Eunbi had other plans.

“By the way, Sinjenta wants to have a project kickoff party at a bar across from the hotel. You can let loose, but try not to do anything too embarrassing,” she announced much to the team’s excitement.

“You hear that, unnie? Free booze,” Yunjin said, playfully bumping her in the shoulder.

“Y-Yeah, can never turn that down…” she replied in a low whisper.

Noticing her down tone, Yunjin looked at the short-haired girl with concern. “You okay? I wish I could’ve done more to help. You did so much of the heavy lifting. The way you talked and connected with those employees was amazing.”

“No, it’s fine, Yunjin. You did a good job in your own right. I reviewed your notes after, and realized you got some points I missed. You also saved me a bunch during the report meeting,” Chaewon said after letting out a deep breath.

“Really? Thanks, unnie! This is my first big deployment, so I want to do a good job.” Yunjin replied, her eyes shining brightly at the compliment. Chaewon found herself staring at them for a moment too long, not realizing until one of their teammates called.

“Yah, Chaewon, Yunjin, you coming?” he asked.

Chaewon immediately looked away, her cheeks feeling hot.

What is going on with me? Yunjin’s just my junior…

“O-Of course! We’ll be right over!” Yunjin replied, her face equally red.

“C’mon, unnie. Let’s go!” she then said quickly before grabbing Chaewon’s hand and pulling her along.

Chaewon wouldn’t admit it, but she could’ve sworn she felt her heart skip a beat.

~~~~

Three hours later…

“I didn’t know your team had such lightweights on your team,” the general manager of Sinjenta, Mr. Kim, joked as he drank another shot.

“They’re just all worked up after the productive day we just had, that’s all!” Eunbi replied with a laugh.

Meanwhile, as Mr. Kim had mentioned, most of the team were either completely drunk or getting to that point. People on Jeju really knew how to hold their liquor.

Chaewon was the only one left standing, not because she was a heavyweight, but because she chose to be a bit controlled that night. Even if a large part of her wanted to let go and get wasted, someone on the team had to be sober.

“Hey, how about we play ‘spin the bottle’ again!” Yunjin suggested before letting out a hiccup. Chaewon could already tell she was out of it.

“Yunjin, I don’t think-”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea! It’ll help us get to know each other!” Mr. Kim replied, picking up an empty bottle and sliding it to the middle of the table.

Not again…

Just like before, different people would say different truths, revealing embarrassing information that Chaewon was sure they’d regret saying in the morning when they woke up. The positive this time was that there were more people since Mr. Kim’s team had come along, meaning less of a chance for Chaewon to be picked.

“Eunbi-sunbae! Are you dating anyone right now?” one of their teammates asked when the bottle pointed at their team leader.

“Aish, there’s no way she is. Kwon-sunbae basically lives at the office,” another teammate drunkenly replied.

Eunbi looked slightly irked at the comment, her eye twitching a bit, but eventually, she answered with a smile, “Why, yes. She’s taking law right now.”

The group oohed at the reply, but before they could ask more questions, Eunbi grabbed the bottle and spun it again.

“Yunjin!”

“T-That’s me!” the Korean American shouted, raising her hand up and causing everyone to laugh.

“Yah, Yunjin, sit down,” Chaewon whispered, tugging her shirt sleeve to keep her from doing anything stupid.

“You said you liked someone on the team, right? Is it Chaewon?” Changbin asked, following up his question from last week.

Chaewon froze, looking at her taller coworker nervously. Yunjin’s face was surprisingly calm, making Chaewon hope she hadn’t heard the question.

After a couple silent seconds though, Yunjin picked up her glass and took a sip while staring directly at her, causing the whole table to erupt with reactions.

“Alrightttt… I think that’s enough for tonight!” Eunbi cut in, probably realizing how chaotic things were getting.

“Aw, but we were just getting started,” Mr. Kim chuckled.

“Apologies, sir, but we have another long day tomorrow. Wouldn’t want anyone missing their assignments, right?” Eunbi replied as she called for the bill.

“Of course! I was just kidding around. I know your team will do an excellent job during this project. And don’t worry about the bill. I’ll handle it.”

~~~~

“Yunjin, you doing okay in there?” Chaewon asked from outside the restroom. Everyone had already gone back to the hotel, leaving her and Yunjin as the only ones left at the restaurant.

“I’m… fine…” she replied between the sounds of her throwing up.

“This is why you don’t overdo the soju,” Chaewon muttered. “Don’t forget we’re meeting their R&D team tomorrow.”

A few seconds later, Chaewon heard a toilet flush followed shortly after by Yunjin stumbling out of the stall and right into her arms.

“Yah, Yunjin. Wake up,” Chaewon urged, shaking her shoulders to no avail.

“Not yet mom…:” she mumbled in English.

“Aish, next time, I’m leaving you behind,” Chaewon grumbled as she slung Yunjin’s arm over her shoulder and led her out.

“Chaewon-unnie… I’m sorry,” the younger girl muttered while they walked to the hotel. It was right across the street, so Chaewon hoped that it wouldn’t be eventful.

“You’re not in your right mind, Yunjin. Don’t say anything you’re going to regret.”

At this, Yunjin stopped in her tracks.

“What is it now? We’re almost at the hotel,” Chaewon said, looking at her coworker in confusion.

“How long are you going to treat me like a junior? What are you trying to avoid, unnie? Didn’t you say you were single?” Yunjin slurred as she took a step forward.

Chaewon’s mind was now running a hundred miles a second, thoughts whispering in her ears.

She had broken up with Minju. Meanwhile, Yunjin had always been so supportive of her, seeing the struggles she could never show Minju. This could be the opportunity for her to finally move past her old flame.

Yunjin was now inches away from her. Chaewon knew she was pretty, but she looked even better under the pale moonlight.

“Would you g-give me… a chance?” Yunjin asked, taking hold of one of Chaewon’s hands. Just like when she’d grabbed it earlier, Yunjin’s touch was soft and gentle.

“Yunjin, I-I don’t know…”

“Stop overthinking and just feel,” Yunjin replied quietly.

Chaewon didn’t know what would’ve happened next because at that moment, the sound of a fallen branch snapping caught her attention. When she glanced towards where the sound had come from, she thought she was finally losing it. Standing a few feet away on the sidewalk… was Kim Minju.

She immediately distanced herself from Yunjin, shaking her hand out of the younger girl’s grip.

“Min-”

“No, it’s fine, Chaewon,” the brunette quickly said in monotone. “I should’ve taken the hint…”

“Minju, it’s not what it looks like!” Chaewon tried to explain, but without anyone propping her up, Yunjin stumbled again, forcing Chaewon to catch her.

“You should help her to her room, unnie. She looks really drunk,” Minju advised, her gaze pointed at the ground, before turning around and walking away.

“Minju…” Chaewon wanted to rush after her, but she couldn’t just leave Yunjin here at the hotel lobby.

As her silhouette began to disappear in the distance, Chaewon wondered if that’s what she looked like when she ran away from Minju.

Chapter Text

“It’s really over…” Minju mumbled to herself before downing another shot of soju. After witnessing the scene at the hotel, she wanted to be as far away from Chaewon as possible, and the only way to get there was to drown herself in alcohol.

As Minju drank her sorrows away, the lyrics of the song being played at the bar started to fill her ears.

As if nothing happened, even if I try to pass the day~

After calling all night, waiting for you to answer~

But again, fail again, this feeling of being left alone, feel ashamed~

I know it doesn’t work, leave 27 missed calls~

“Yeah and look where that got me…” she muttered, thinking of all the times she gave Chaewon the benefit of the doubt. Of course it was Yunjin. Minju couldn’t help but feel bitter.

I still can’t believe that you’re not by my side, knowing~

Please pick up the phone, endless hanging, 1, 2, 3 again, call my name~

Don’t leave me alone, even if I shout, it’s only an empty echo you don’t get~

I’m still hanging on~

“Yah! Can you turn this music down!” Minju eventually yelled, the lyrics hitting a little too close to home.

“No! Play it louder!” another voice suddenly interjected.

Minju turned and saw a petite woman with wavy black hair drinking across from her.

“And who do you think you are?” Minju asked angrily.

At this, the mystery woman slammed her drink on the table and glared at her. It would’ve been intimidating if she didn’t look like a hamster. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“That’s why I asked, pabo!”

“Yah! Pabo? You don’t know who you’re messing with!”

“Then why don’t you tell me!”

The woman’s expression shifted to one of confusion. “Wait, you don’t know who I am…?”

Minju pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you some celebrity? I asked you three times already! Why don’t you just let me turn down that stupid song?”

“Because it’s my song!” the woman shrieked in finality.

Minju’s eyes widened. “You’re serious?”

****

It turned out that the singer, Jo Yuri, was indeed serious. She was apparently on Jeju Island for a music video shoot. Why she was at a bar this late though, Minju wasn’t too sure.

“Sometimes I just have to unwind…” she initially said, but Minju wasn’t dumb. There was obviously something troubling the singer.

“Aren’t you afraid of being caught? Being an alcoholic can’t be good for a singer’s image,” she probed.

“Aish, these bars are very isolated, and I can always pay people to stay quiet. For example, you. How much do you want to keep this encounter a secret?” Yuri asked lazily, the effects of her cocktail definitely taking effect.

Minju sighed. “Save it. I have bigger problems to worry about than keeping a celebrity’s secret.”

Yuri tilted her head inquisitively. “Someone who doesn’t want to blackmail me? Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”

“Whether you do or not is up to you. All I know is that we’re both sad sacks sitting in a bar getting drunk about something,” Minju said, bringing her glass closer to Yuri’s to clink before drinking again.

“I like you, Minju. You’re interesting,” Yuri giggled, but when she noticed Minju’s perplexed, expression she changed gears.

“Wait, I don’t mean like that! God no,” she said in a flustered tone, waving both hands.

“I don’t know whether I should be offended or not.”

“Heh, you’re pretty, I’ll give you that. Maybe you’d make it as an actress. You’re just not my style~”

“The feeling is mutual,” Minju chuckled before pouring herself another glass.

“So, tell me, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” Yuri asked.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Minju ended up spilling everything. It felt cathartic, similar to when she’d first met Yujin. By the end of her little spiel, Yuri stared at her with a blank expression.

“And I thought I had it bad,” she eventually said.

“Oh, you think?” Minju said sarcastically.

“You came all the way to Jeju Island. Cutting your classes a week before exams. And you finally found the girl who dumped you with another pretty woman.”

“Thanks for putting it so succinctly.”

Yuri then leaned in closer, a playful grin on her face. “All that… and you still love her, don’t you?”

Minju remained stoic, neither confirming nor denying it. Yuri, though, slumped back into her chair and let out a hearty laugh. She was definitely wasted.

“What’s so funny?” Minju asked confusedly.

“I’m just thinking about how great a song this could be~”

“Yah, don’t even think about it,” Minju warned. She was not about to have her breakup story be immortalized.

Yuri pouted. “Aish, I was just kidding. I only use my heartbreaks as inspiration, thank you very much. What I meant was that it’s very admirable that you showed this much effort after the breakup.”

Minju clenched her fists at this. What Yuri was saying hurt, but she wasn’t lying. If Minju tried this hard when they were still together, it might not have gotten to this point.

Before their conversation could continue further, Yuri’s phone suddenly began vibrating. The singer took one look at the notification, sighed, and put the device back down.

“You not going to get that?”

“Maybe in the morning. I’m not done here yet,” Yuri replied before finishing the rest of her cocktail in one go and ordering another. At this point, even Minju was starting to get worried.

“Okay, why are you really here?” she asked.

Yuri looked at her again with the faraway gaze. “To get someone’s attention.”

Minju sighed at that. “You and me both.”

The two then continued to drink and exchange stories until the store closed.

~~~~

“Oh god, Minju, where did you go?” Chaewon muttered to herself as she exited from the hotel. She had just carried Yunjin all the way to her room and plopped her onto the bed before rushing back out.

Everything had happened so fast that Chaewon even considered that she could just be hallucinating.

Why was Minju on Jeju Island?

How did she know where their hotel was?

These questions continued to run through her mind as she searched the direction Minju had run in.

Still though, a voice in the back of her head kept whispering to her.

Why do you even care where she went? Yunjin obviously likes you. Why run after someone who doesn’t appreciate you?

It was true. Chaewon was the one who broke up with Minju, not the other way around. She had been the one to walk away first. But for whatever reason, every fiber of her being still wanted to turn around and chase after her.

It was almost midnight now, and Minju was still nowhere in sight. Chaewon went into every bar, every convenience store, every hotel but found no sign of her anywhere.

It was like Minju had just vanished.

“She was definitely there…” she thought to herself. The image of her ex-girlfriend’s hurt expression had been seared into her brain.

Chaewon continued to search for another hour to no avail. She knew that there were some important meetings in the morning, but she didn’t care.

For the past two weeks, she had tried to convince herself that she was okay, that she had made the right decision. Their love that seemed so perfect was simply an illusion created by convenience, and they were better off without each other.

Now though, Chaewon had to admit it. She had also been a coward. Instead of trying to work things out, she kept quiet, only airing out her grievances after breaking up. Then, when Minju was clearly trying to fix their issues, Chaewon had shut her out.

She had said it herself- relationships are a two-way street. While Minju clearly had her faults, she wasn’t innocent either. They both played a part in how they fell out.

And maybe they both needed to play a part if they wanted their relationship to be salvaged.

Exhausted from the search, Chaewon found the closest bench and sat down, putting her head in her hands. The quiet night air was filled with the sounds of leaves rustling, cicadas buzzing, and a faint siren in the distance.

Maybe Minju just took the first flight back home…

~~~~

Eventually, Chaewon decided to make her way back to the hotel. She was kicking herself internally. That might’ve really been the last attempt Minju would make at reconciling with her. Part of her felt like she probably deserved it. She’d made a habit of being late to matters regarding Minju for the past few years after all.

As she approached the building though, Chaewon noticed a woman standing outside arguing with security, a woman who looked very familiar.

Now, she was sure she was going crazy because there was no way for her to explain how Kim Minju was, once again, right there in front of her.

“Yah, why can’t you just let me in? I need to see someone!” she demanded loudly.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’re clearly drunk. If you don’t have a room, I can’t let you in,” the guard said calmly, but Minju wouldn’t listen.

“I didn’t come all the way here to be turned away! Where is Kim Chaewon?”

The guard sighed and took out his walkie-talkie, likely to call for backup.

“Uh, this is the entrance, I’m going to need some help dealing with-”

“That won’t be necessary!” Chaewon interjected after stepping in between them and giving a 90-degree bow. “I’m Chaewon, and this is my room card. I’m really sorry about my… friend.”

The guard tentatively put his communication device away and stepped aside to let them through.

“Come on, Min,” she then said, taking the younger girl’s hand and pulling her inside.

~~~~

“What am I going to do with you?” Chaewon asked with a sigh as she closed the door behind her. The whole time, Minju was quiet, just silently following the short-haired girl.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“S-Shouldn’t you be the one explaining?” Minju slurred. “You said nothing was going on between you and Yunjin.”

Chaewon’s cheeks reddened as she recalled what happened a few hours ago. “There isn’t anything going on!”

“Suuure, you totally weren’t going to let her kiss you there, right?”

“Ugh, why am I even arguing? You’re drunk,” Chaewon said exasperatedly.

“Don’t pretend you don’t care. Why else would you bring me here?” Minju huffed. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were half-closed, but the brunette still looked as gorgeous as ever.

“I couldn’t just leave you out there…” Chaewon mumbled.

“Unnie, can’t you take me back then? I promise to be better…”

Chaewon’s expression softened. Unnie. Being called that by Minju always used to make her heart skip.

When she didn’t immediately reply, Minju closed the distance between them and gently took her hand. It felt so natural, something she’d done countless times before.

“Unnie… please?” she asked again before suddenly losing her balance, forcing Chaewon to catch her. The younger girl had finally passed out from the alcohol.

Chaewon carefully brought Minju over to the bed and laid her down. She looked so peaceful that Chaewon had to crack a smile. It reminded her of all the times Minju would fall asleep on her lap after studying for an exam. To think, this angel would have such a fiery spirit.

“Were things really ever that bad?” she asked herself internally.

“Don’t be naive. How do you know things won’t fall apart again?” the pessimistic side of her replied.

Looking at the clock, Chaewon realized it was almost 2AM. She took a deep breath knowing she now had a very important choice to make, and she needed to make it before dawn.  

Chapter Text

When Minju’s eyes fluttered open, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. She tried to remember what happened last night, but all she got was a bad headache.

“How did I get here…” she thought to herself before scanning the room. It appeared she was in a hotel, but she didn’t recall checking into one.

Eventually, her gaze landed on a covered bowl at a table by the window. Minju groaned as she got up and walked over to it. She made a mental note to stop drinking so much.

When she removed the cover, Minju realized the bowl was filled with hangover soup, and next to it was a piece of paper with something written on it.

“Meet me at Eoyoung Park at 6PM - Chaewon.”

Minju immediately dropped the paper, memories of last night finally rushing back to her. She had seen the short-haired girl with that coworker she was always jealous of- Huh Yunjin. In response, she had gone to a bar deep in the city and met a woman named Yuri. They talked for a while, getting drunk together until Yuri collapsed.

A few minutes later, another woman had shown up, but Minju couldn’t remember her name. All she knew was that she took care of Yuri and dropped Minju off at Chaewon’s hotel. Minju must’ve just replied with that when she was asked where she was staying.

Then, she remembered Chaewon arriving and taking her to her room. From there, her memories stopped.

“Wait… did we?” Minju muttered as she glanced back at the single bed that looked like a bit of a squeeze for two people. Looking down at her clothes, she realized that she was wearing one of Chaewon’s oversized shirts. Her cheeks suddenly felt hot just thinking about what could’ve happened.

Minju wanted to go to Chaewon right now, but the older girl had requested for them to meet at six, probably because she was still working.

Minju took a deep breath as she took a seat. Processing all of that information made her head ache even more.

“At least she’s still thoughtful…” she said before taking a sip of hangover soup.

Minju was filled with both excitement and anxiety at what could possibly happen later. She hoped to the heavens that it would be something good.

~~~~

“Chaewon, Yunjin, what’s happening with you two today?” Eunbi asked after calling the two employees to their assigned meeting room in Sinjenta headquarters.

Chaewon stepped forward and bowed apologetically. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I-”

“Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?” the manager cut in sharply.

Silence filled the office as both Chaewon and Yunjin couldn’t find the words.

“What do I always say? If you have personal issues to work through, I can give you the time. We can only be at our best when our minds are clear. The moment you start letting those things affect you during a project, we will have a problem. I got complaints from one of the project managers here that your interview sessions this morning were a mess. You two weren’t on the same page at all.”

Chaewon continued to hang her head. Now, she realized why Eunbi had frowned at her when they arrived the other night. Because she didn’t hash things out with Minju earlier, their issues followed her to Jeju, literally.

The short-haired girl then glanced at Yunjin who was also trying to avoid Eunbi’s gaze. The chemistry they had started to build had immediately crumbled because of what happened last night. They couldn’t even look at each other directly this morning when they met at the hotel lobby.

Eunbi sighed before speaking again. “I’m going to leave you two here to have lunch and figure it out. Don’t come out of here until there’s a resolution.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Both replied with a nod as their manager took her leave.

~~~~

The atmosphere was awkward to say the least. Chaewon and Yunjin ate their packed lunches in silence, not a word being said.

Being the senior associate and the one who really started this mess in the first place, Chaewon decided she should break the ice.

“So… Yunjin,” she began after clearing her throat.

“I remember everything, unnie, or at least, all of the important parts,” the taller girl said quietly.

“Yeah…”

Yunjin sat up straight and put down her chopsticks. “I take it I have your answer?”

“Listen, Yunjin, it’s complicated.”

“Then uncomplicate it. I like you, Chaewon. I’m sure I’ve made that clear, and from your response yesterday… it’s obvious your heart is somewhere else,” Yunjin said.

She hit the nail on the head. The only one who was making this issue more complex than it was… was Chaewon herself.

“I’m sorry, Yunjin. I think you’re a great person, a real moodmaker for our team. It’s just…”

Yunjin held up her hand. “I get it, unnie. Just answer me one thing. Did you and Minju make up?”

At this, Chaewon shook her head. “Not yet…We met up, but I plan to be clear with her later after work.”

Yunjin chuckled as she said, “Forgive me if a tiny part of me isn’t rooting for you two.”

“No offense taken,” Chaewon laughed back. “I hope you find someone for you too, Yunjin.”

“And I hope you can finally be happy again, unnie. That’s something I could really see you were missing the past few months. Don’t stay silent about your issues and don’t over-compromise.”

“I won’t,” Chaewon said with a smile.

Yunjin then extended her hand. “Friends?”

Chaewon took it and shook it. “Friends.”

“Alright, let’s get back out there and try to not get chewed out by Kwon-sunbae.”

****

Minju nervously tapped her foot as she waited at Eoyoung park. It was a bit out of the way from the hotel, but she could tell why Chaewon picked it. The scenery was one out of a drama. The sound of the ocean waves meeting the rocky coast past the fence line, the sunset marking the whole area in a glowing orange, and the magnificent view of the horizon were perfect for a romantic moment.

“Or a horrible breakup…” a voice at the back of her head whispered.

She’d tried to contact Chaewon earlier but was surprised to see she was still blocked. Minju hoped that it was just because the older girl was busy with work and not a bad omen for their upcoming meeting.

Minju still couldn’t remember what happened after blacking out in Chaewon’s room. Whatever happened in between then and the time she woke up could decide what the outcome later would be.

~~~~

Chaewon checked her watch, realizing she was running late once again. She did not know that Eunbi would send the team to one of the client’s production sites in the afternoon. Now, she was on a bus heading to Eoyoung park hoping Minju would still be there by the time she arrived.

“So much for talking while the sun set behind us,” she thought.

It was almost seven when the bus finally dropped her off. Chaewon ran towards the park as fast as she could and let out a sigh of relief when she saw a familiar figure illuminated under a lamp post. She looked as beautiful as the day they first met five years ago.

“Minju!!!” she called while waving her hands in the air to get the younger girl’s attention.

“Y-You came…” Minju mumbled after Chaewon had arrived in front of her.

“You waited…” Chaewon replied.

“Of course, don’t you think I’ve gotten used to it?” Last week, hearing that from Minju would’ve hurt, but the way she said it now sounded more like a joke than a sarcastic remark.

“Still, I’m sorry… for everything.”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry, Chae,” Minju said in a more serious tone. “I should’ve been a better girlfriend. I only thought about my problems and made yours feel small. I never should’ve done that.”

“But I’m also to blame for that, Min. Our relationship only grew toxic because I refused to speak up. I thought that love was all about making your partner happy, that if I could lighten your pain, it would be better for both of us. On the other hand, I didn’t share my problems because I was afraid it would weigh you down,” Chaewon replied, her gaze focused on the ground, before continuing.

“Then, I realized that putting on this front that I was okay the whole time wasn’t just a disservice to myself, but a disservice to you. Love is about sharing your joys and sorrows. How can we appreciate our good moments when we don’t work through rough patches together? I shouldn’t have run away from you…”

When Chaewon looked up, she saw a tear rolling down Minju’s face.

“There you go again, trying to take all the blame for yourself,” she said with a sniffle. “The thing is, Chaewon, that I should’ve known. We’ve been together for five years, meaning I should’ve known you the best. Instead of using what I knew to comfort you, I only made you afraid to speak up.”

Minju then cupped Chaewon’s cheek as she said, “You’ve worked so hard, Chae. I’m so proud of how far you’ve come. Those are the words I should’ve been telling you.”

Chaewon couldn’t hold it in any longer. She buried her head into Minju’s shoulder and wept while smacking her other shoulder repeatedly.

“Yah, Kim Minju. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for that?”

****

Minju let Chaewon hit her, each smack getting less powerful. All the pent-up frustration was pouring out of the older girl, and Minju absorbed it all. It was the least she could do after Chaewon had done that for her for so long.

When she finally stopped, Minju hugged her tightly.

“I guess we can call it even?” she said with a chuckle.

At those words, Chaewon wiped her tears away and took a step back.

“Pabo-yah…”

This was the moment of truth- it being a new start or a painful goodbye would be determined by the answer to her next question.

Minju took a deep breath… and put her feelings on the line.

“Chaewon, I love you so much. You know that, right? I-I understand if you want to move on, but could we start again?”

Chaewon went silent for a period that made Minju worry about her answer. She was silently preparing herself for heartbreak when Chaewon finally spoke.

“Minju…”

“...”

“...”

“You really think I’d ask you to come out here to break your heart?”

A smile then formed on Chaewon’s face as she said, “I love you, Min. From then until now and into the future, don’t think there’s anyone else who will have my heart other than you.”

Minju let out a sigh of relief, putting a hand on her chest. “I won’t. Promise.”

“You were really scared there for a second, huh?” Chaewon seemed to realize.

“Aish, just be quiet and come here.” Minju commanded sarcastically before pulling the short-haired girl close and kissing her.

It was a feeling she’d missed so much, and she could tell Chaewon missed it too by the way she held onto her tighter.

Eventually, the two had to separate for air, their foreheads leaning on each other.

“So, what now?” Chaewon asked with a giggle.

“I took a leave of absence this week, so maybe we can make up for lost time?” Minju suggested.

“Yah, aren’t your exams coming up? Go home and study! I’m going to be busy with work anyway,” Chaewon chided.

“Aw, but I want to hang out more. Nako also said she’d kill me if I didn’t come back with you,” Minju pouted, hoping the older girl would reconsider.

For once though, Chaewon didn’t budge. “We’ll take a selfie that you can show her, happy? It’s only until next week, Min. Focus on your exams then we can go on as many dates as you want.”

“Ugh. fine, but if I ace it, you’re treating me, okay?” Minju replied, pretending to be annoyed.

Chaewon ruffled her hair as she laughed. “It’s a bet.”

Now that everything was good again, Minju couldn’t help but ask the other question that was on her mind all day.

“Anyway, Chae… about last night. We didn’t… you know?”

Chaewon’s cheeks went red. “Aish, no we didn’t! And you call me the childish one!”

“Heh, just checking because if I get on a flight tomorrow, that means you have to let me stay in your room again.”

“Very funny, Min. Now come on. Let’s have dinner,” Chaewon said before grabbing Minju’s hand. As they walked away, the brunette smiled wider than she had in months.

Their love wasn’t perfect, and that was okay. Minju was sure this wouldn’t be their last fight, but at least now, she knew that they’d always be in each other’s corner. They’d work through their problems now instead of running away from each other.

Maybe that was the point of love all along. It was never about hiding their imperfections or only focusing on the happy memories.

For love to blossom and grow stronger, you might occasionally need that adversity because that is where love shines the brightest.

Chapter Text

8 years later...

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we've shown enough evidence that my client, Park Jinseon, is not the murderer. You should be ashamed of yourselves for thinking that this man would do that to his own grandmother!" a lawyer in an expensive looking suit pronounced to the courtroom. Next to him was a middle-aged man in handcuffs and an orange prison uniform.

"What're we going to do, Yujeong? They fabricated some of that stuff for sure. That alibi contradicts everything we've been hearing," a man in a gray trench coat whispered to the policewoman sitting next to him.

"We have to believe in Yoonjin. I'm sure she has the evidence..." the woman replied as the noisy lawyer spoke up again.

"Well? What's the hold up? The opposition isn't even here. We're wasting everyone's time when the real murderer is out there doing who knows what!"

To his credit, the man knew how to work a crowd. Murmurs began to spread throughout the courtroom wondering where the prosecutor was.

Then, just before the judge was about to give a decision, the doors burst open to reveal a woman with caramel-colored hair. In her hands were several documents that she brought with her all the way to the front.

"Here is your evidence," she announced before handing it off to the judge's staff.

"Wait, those papers weren't in the initial submission! We motion to have them dismissed!" the lawyer said, sweat starting to form on his forehead.

The woman looked up at the judge expectantly, a serious glean in her eyes.

"I'll allow it, Yoonjin-ssi. Please proceed," the older man decreed.

"Thank you, your honor. Now, as we can see here, right before Miss Hwang Yonhee was found dead in her apartment, several insurance policies were settled under her name by her legal guardian."

A video then played, showing security footage from said insurance company, pausing right when the accused's face appeared. The courtroom gasped at the revelation, but Yoonjin wasn't done.

"That alone might not be enough to convict our criminal here, but what if a few days after his grandmother's death, he was seen at a bank depositing a large sum of money?" another video then played depicting what Yoonjin had just described.

"And his alibi? We also have audio recordings from a cafe near his place of residence where he talks about his sudden amount of wealth."

"Come on, I have the money now. Where'd I get it? Aish, that's not important. Just give me a time and place to deposit it," a voice that definitely sounded like the accused said.

Yoonjin then walked over to the accused and glared at him. "Face it, Park, you're done."

"AAAAND, CUT!" a voice suddenly shouted.

Immediately, stage crew members made their way into the room to prepare for the next scene.

Meanwhile, women who appeared to be make-up artists swarmed the lead actress to check on her hair and styling, peppering her with compliments at the same time.

"Oh, Minju, that was wonderful!" one woman said as she helped take off her prosecutor gown.

"Exactly! Your entrance was so powerful. You're a natural!" another said.

Minju chuckled before glancing at a short-haired girl checking all the cameras and speaking with the crew. She still couldn't believe she had an opportunity like this come to her.

After finishing law school like she'd originally dreamt, Minju hadn't felt as fulfilled as she thought she would. Sure, she earned good money, and it was cool to be able to follow her parents' footsteps, but it just felt like something was missing.

That's when her wife had brought up this role in an upcoming movie she was involved in that Minju could try auditioning for. She only had a few lessons she took as a hobby, but the production was desperate because the original actress had backed out. With how hard the director vouched for her, they had little choice but to give her a shot, and Minju was definitely putting their worries to bed.

Filming took place for a few more hours until sundown, and it was a thrilling experience for her. Minju was just putting on some more comfortable clothing in her dressing room when she heard a knock on the door.

"Minju-ya! Hurry up!" a familiar voice called, causing her to smile.

When she finally finished getting ready and opened the door, she was greeted by her loving wife.

"Great work today, Chaewon-ssi," Minju teased, trying to remain 'professional' on site.

"Heh, I should be telling that to you. Directing is so much easier when the subject is as beautiful as you~"

Chaewon had spent another three years at EY before leaving to pursue movie making. With her father's condition finally stabilizing and her older sister getting a promotion, her family encouraged her to finally do something she wanted to do for once in her life. It took a while since she had to go back to school to study film. She did that and worked on different production staffs as an assistant for the next five years. In the end though, as everyone had told Chaewon, she had a knack for telling stories and connecting with others. Her talent eventually stood out.

This movie was her first big break, and with production stalling because of an actress backing out, Chaewon used that as an opportunity to get Minju to do something fun again. It was a huge bet, but she believed in her partner's talents. It just so happened that the role needed some background knowledge on criminal law, and who better than an actual lawyer who was addicted to watching crime dramas to fill that gap.

"Let's head home, Love," the short-haired girl said before taking Minju's hand and pulling her to the car.

~~~~

"You remember we're moving to a bigger place in a couple weeks, right?" Minju asked over the dining table as the two ate.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to remind me."

When the two officially moved in together after getting married, they'd initially gotten a small apartment to save money. It was cozy, but they both knew they couldn't live there forever. Now after saving for a few years, they finally felt comfortable to shell out some cash for a room in the same complex Hitomi and Nako lived in.

The younger girl gave a small laugh. "I'm just saying, you've spent so much time focusing on the movie that you haven't even started packing."

"Aish, I didn't forget. It doesn't take that long to prepare anyway," Chaewon replied.

Minju proceeded to give her a doubtful stare.

"Fine, I'll start after we eat. Happy?"

"Only if you keep your word."

"For the record, that means you're doing the dishes tonight, okay?" Chaewon teased.

Minju sighed, but gave a small smile, nonetheless. "Still as childish as ever..."

~~~~

Chaewon didn't realize how much stuff she had until she entered the storage room. Each box would have one of their names on it and a majority of them appeared to be hers.

Minju had told her to focus here first to filter out anything she wanted to keep or donate, so she began opening the boxes and rummaging through clothes and old books.

The short-haired girl chuckled as she saw familiar pictures from high school and college, reliving old memories. To think that she'd come this far, finally being able to do something that actually made her feel fulfilled. She didn't hold any grudges against her old company. She enjoyed her time and learned a lot of things, but it just wasn't a field she saw herself working in long term. Eunbi and Yunjin even attended her wedding, the latter bringing her new girlfriend, a woman named Kazuha.

After sorting her things for around half an hour, Chaewon paused when she pulled out what appeared to be a magazine- the Yonsei Chronicle. Out of curiosity, she flipped through the pages, eventually stopping at a familiar picture of her and Minju.

"Oh my god, Minju-yah!!! Look what I found!" Chaewon called out to her wife.

After a few seconds, the brunette arrived at the storage room, still wearing her yellow dishwashing gloves.

"This better be good. I was almost done- wait, is that what I think it is?"

Chaewon nodded. "You remember that interview too, right?"

"Yeah, there was a gimmick question in the end. Sending a message to ourselves ten years in the future..."

"Well, would you look at the time- it has been around ten years, hasn't it? Let's open it up!" Chaewon suggested.

At this, Minju paused. "Are you sure? It might be really cringey."

"Aish, it'll be fun. Now, come on." Chaewon said, putting her free arm around her wife and nudging her towards the living room.

****
Minju remembered that time period very vividly. She was afraid of jinxing their relationship, and for a while, it looked like she did. They almost became another statistic for the amount of college relationships that didn't last. From the day they got back together, she'd promised herself never to take Chaewon for granted, and it led to a very happy marriage thus far.

"Alright, how about we start with yours, Min," Chaewon said after sitting down.

"Ugh, no. How about we open up with yours. It was your suggestion to do that interview in the first place, remember?" Minju replied flatly.

Chaewon gave a cute pout, but did as she was told, turning the page and tracing her finger on the paper until it landed on her message.

"Hey, Chaewon. It's me- the you from ten years ago. How are you? Right now, I'm really stressing about what the future holds. Life after college is scary, and I don't even know what I want to do yet. Are our folks still healthy? Is big sis happy with life?

Through everything though, there's one thing I hope hasn't changed in the future- our love for our goddess of a girlfriend, Kim Minju. I still can't believe I pulled it off sometimes. You better have kept her happy all these years! No matter what might've happened from now to then, as long as she was by your side, I know you would be fine.

Anyway! If you end up reading this in the future, I hope you found your dream and are living comfortably with our future wife. And Minju, if you're reading this, I hope I continue to prove you made the right choice by picking me to be your partner for life."

"Oh god, that was worse than I thought," Chaewon said after reading her message out loud, making a gagging motion for dramatic effect.

Minju, on the other hand, smiled at her wife and took her hand. "Yah, Kim Chaewon. If anything, I should be thanking you for picking me to be your partner for life."

After everything they've been through, Minju was surprised that Chaewon was the one who thought she got lucky. Minju was the one who made herself unapproachable and cold to everyone through college, and sometimes, she herself thought that she was lucky that Chaewon saw something in her amongst all of her admirers.

"How about we meet in the middle and say we were both lucky things fell into place?" Chaewon laughed, rubbing circles around her wife's knuckles.

"Heh, so fate is real after all," Minju mumbled.

"Alright, your turn. Let's see what the Ice Princess said that was so private she didn't want me in the room when she answered," Chaewon said, taking the magazine and handing it to Minju.

"That's a nickname I haven't heard in years..." the younger girl mumbled as she began to read.

"Hi, Minju. It's the you from senior year. I expect you've finished law school by now and work at our parents' firm?

Anyway, I won't bore you with talking about things I'm sure will happen. What I want to ask is... how are things with Chaewon? I really hope we didn't mess up somewhere along the way. Knowing us, I'm sure something will come up. We're stubborn to a fault.

Honestly, I'm terrified. Terrified that if she ever disappears, we'll return to the ice-cold girl who didn't care about anyone else.

So please, no matter what happens, promise to always fight for her. Don't you ever let her go, and if she runs, chase after her. Chaewon is just that special of a person, and I don't even want to entertain the thought of ever losing her.

Chae, if you're reading this, I hope that you continue to bear with me. I know I can be a handful but I hope you understand that my love has always been genuine. It just might not always show because even after being with you for two years, I'm frankly still unfamiliar with it.

I promise to continue working on it, and if after ten years, we're still together, I know it'll be because I finally learned what true love was."

Minju didn't realize she was crying until Chaewon wiped her cheek with a handkerchief.

"I get why you didn't want me to see it now," the short-haired girl said with a grin.

"Chae-"

"It's fine, Min. I never felt like you were a bother, and I always knew you loved me, even when we argued all those years ago."

And there went the water works. Minju cried hard and Chaewon let her lean on her shoulder the whole time.

Everything that she thought would happen, ended up happening. She had messed up. She had lost Chaewon. But in the end, she did get her back.

By the time she had calmed down, Chaewon tilted her head up so that they were both gazing at each other.

"So, Min, what was it?"

"What was what?" she asked back after blowing her nose.

"What is love?"

Minju thought back to that last line and realized the answer.

"You. Love is you."

In any relationship, you are bound to run into ups and downs, times when you question the point of it all. That feeling that makes you choose to stay by your partner's side is love, for being the person that they are for better or for worse.

Chaewon was Minju's constant compass. Everything she did, she thought not only for herself, but for her partner's sake as well.

"Heh, I think I just fell in love with you all over again," Chaewon said, her smile growing wider.

Their relationship was never perfect, even till today. At the end of the day though, the only thing that mattered was that they kept choosing each other no matter what.

All those answers they gave in the interview years ago didn't represent their perfect love, but how things worked out despite their flaws.

Suddenly, Minju got an idea and grabbed a red marker from one of their drawers before scribbling something on the magazine.

Chaewon laughed at the doodle, pulling the younger girl in for a kiss. As the two stumbled towards the bedroom, the magazine they'd read sat on the table, a new title on the issue.

Chapter Text

Hi everyone! With the completion of Imperfect Love, we now move on to our final pair in this IZ*ONE Anthology- Yulyen!

It’s called “Star Crossed” and the prologue is now out! Story is on my profile. Thanks again for giving this 2kim au so much love, and hopefully y’all check out how yulyen add doing in this universe. See you!