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Jeongyeon is bored, her everyday monotonous routine veiled as a picture-perfect life. That seems to be the brunt of the issue, her life is relatively perfect. She's a top-ranking student in her university's psychology department. She has the unyielding support of her family, who provide her with unconditional love and financial assistance. More importantly, she has the same friendships that she's had since she was five years old, with Nayeon and Jihyo. She's just Jeongyeon. Protective, kind, and goofy Jeongyeon who will do anything for the ones she loves. Who is she to complain? Yet here she is, yearning for more, wishing for someone, something, anything that will make her feel a bit more alive.
These subconscious pleas for excitement have manifested in a bob haircut, blonde hair dye, and an insufferable crush on her best friend, Nayeon. Jeongyeon's tangible attempts at excitement were well-intentioned, but she realized it would involve a lot of her own courage to provoke any kind of change in her life. Unfortunately, Jeongyeon is a bit of a coward, so what did she do? Nothing.
Now here she is, waiting to meet up with Nayeon and Jihyo for their weekly cozy, coffee shop hangout. These meetings usually involve vent sessions, playful gossip, and a lot of stolen glances on Jeongyeon’s behalf.
But this meeting was different than the rest, there seemed to be a shift. Jeongyeon had an overwhelming week academically and now she is unsure of her plans for the future. She explains “Okay, so while I love psychology, I realized this week that I don’t necessarily want to treat people as a counselor.”
"Wait- what? I thought you specifically majored in psychology because you wanted to help people through counseling?” Jihyo interjects.
"Well, I was giving it some thought, and I've really fallen in love with psychological research. I'm still super passionate about clinical psychology, but instead of treating the problem, I want to discover the very root of it. Does that make sense? Am I crazy for considering this?”
Nayeon reaches for her hand and gives her a warm smile, she replies “Of course not, this is exactly what I would expect from you actually.”
“What do you mean by that?” Jeongyeon questions, genuinely confused because even she surprised herself for making such an unconventional decision.
“Well, whenever one of us is feeling down you never try to temporarily distract us or take the pain away momentarily. You do everything you can to understand why we feel like that and try to solve the problem from there. Remember when Tzuyu and Jihyo broke up? Everyone just understood it as Jihyo being sad because she was just dumped, but you took Jihyo out and asked her why she was feeling the way she did. You understood that sadness was caused by more than just the loss. By the way, sorry I’m using you as an example, Ji.”
Nayeon continues, “Turns out, she was feeling insecure, unlovable, unwanted, questioning all of the good in herself. You took the time to recognize that and remind her of all of her strengths. She came out of that break up stronger than ever thanks to you.”
Ah, this is why Jeongyeon can’t seem to get over this ridiculous crush. Some foolish part of her believes that there could be more than just platonic feelings between them. The level of comfort, understanding, and support that Nayeon gives her is unparalleled. Jihyo is great for advice and rationality, but Nayeon eases her soul.
Jihyo interrupts her dangerous train of thought, “One, Nayeon I totally get the point, but please don’t read me like that again. Two, Dr. Yoo sounds really hot. I think you’ll do amazing work in research.”
Nayeon then grabs both their hands, “Yes, and you’ll always have us to support you. But just so you know, I’m only sticking around so you can figure out why my brain loves you two losers so much.”
Both Jeongyeon and Jihyo simultaneously stick their tongues out at her, with a warm feeling in both of their hearts, taking comfort in knowing that things are exactly as they should be. For Jeongyeon, this is enough excitement. At least for now.
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That sense of acceptance lasted a total of ten minutes. Any sense that she was okay with her current, boring life vanished the moment Nayeon decided to invite her for drinks once Jihyo left for her night class. Of course, she agrees, but she's buzzing with nerves as they walk towards their local bar hand-in-hand. Jeongyeon doesn't understand why she's so nervous, it's just Nayeon. Except, 'Just Nayeon' is the best friend that she is casually crushing on. And although they’ve hung out alone more times then they could count, they’ve never gone out for drinks. Drinking is more sophisticated and more provocative. There's an unwritten risk if they're drinking alone. And the mischievous glint in Nayeon’s eyes supports her reasoning. The look she is giving Jeongyeon spells nothing but trouble, bringing on another bout of nerves and a wave of eagerness as well.
Call it a premonition. Inside the dimly lit bar, they sit as close as they physically can to one another in a secluded booth, downing soju cocktails and beers one after another. Their faces rosy and conversations hushed, the air around them feels thick. The alcohol must have gotten to Jeongyeon because she whispers “Let’s head back to my dorm” into Nayeon’s ear.
“Yes.”
The question wasn’t unusual, Nayeon has been invited to Jeongyeon’s room numerous times. Except for tonight, Jihyo wasn’t with them, tonight they were the furthest they have ever been from sober, tonight was filled with lustful stares and discreet caresses under their bar-side booth, tonight nothing was the same.
And in just one night, everything and nothing changed. Jeongyeon takes Nayeon up to her room and before she can even take off her coat, Nayeon is ravishing her lips. Jeongyeon has never felt more alive, her body is humming in anticipation. This. This is the very moment she was born for. She was born to taste Nayeon’s lips, born to throw her onto the bed, born to undress her with the utmost care and delicacy, born to have her breath taken away by the girl before her again and again. When she and Nayeon are in the throes of passion, she feels the way she always does with her, complete.
Everything changed for Jeongyeon, as she realized that her simple, silly crush on her best friend was actually a soul-crushing devotion. She finally admits to herself that she is deeply in love.
Yet on the other side of the bed, nothing seemed to change for Nayeon. As if sleeping with a best friend was a very natural, very common thing to do. She softly giggled, breaking the silence in the room she whispers “Wow, that was fun.”
Jeongyeon looks over at Nayeon, she looks glorious with her long red hair splayed across the pillow, her makeup smudged, and her eyes bright. Jeongyeon wants to tell her, wants to hold her for a bit longer. Instead, she deflates at Nayeon's words, quickly recognizing that they were going to be casual about this “Yeah, that was definitely something else.”
“Don’t be coy, Yoo. I totally rocked your world.” If only Nayeon knew how true those words were. She more than rocked her world, she took Jeongyeon's universe and made it revolve around her. Jeongyeon doesn't know how to proceed from here. Luckily, Nayeon had an answer for her, “We should totally do that again sometime.”
With that being said Nayeon gives Jeongyeon a quick peck on the lips, throws on one of Jeongyeon's old hoodies, and walks out the door. Leaving behind a confused, but blissful Jeongyeon.
Things were finally changing for Jeongyeon, the excitement that she craved was now present in her life. She has now entered a friend with benefits relationship with the love of her life and that was more than enough for her, for now. But the universe heard Jeongyeon’s requests for thrill and decided to add another presence in her life, Myoui Mina.
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Myoui Mina is an enigma, mysterious and full of grace as she walks into the cafe with her arms linked to Jihyo. At first glance, Jeongyeon is taken aback by Mina’s beauty, long brown hair, an all-black ensemble, and moles scattered along her face as if the universe speckled stars onto her visage. ‘Wow, if I wasn’t so in love with Nayeon, I’m pretty sure this would have been love at first sight.’ Jeongyeon thinks to herself. And maybe if she wasn’t so in love and wrapped into her romantic introspection, she might have noticed how Nayeon’s breath hitched when Mina walked into the room.
Jihyo introduces the girl as a classmate, both Political Science majors hoping to become lawyers someday. She also threatens that if Nayeon and Jeongyeon don’t step their game up they’ll be replaced as her number one best friend. And both Nayeon and Jeongyeon understand why. Mina is quiet, observant, and always adds the wittiest and insightful comments to their banter. They’re delighted, and maybe if Jeongyeon had been just as observant as Mina, she would have noticed how the energy was especially charged between Nayeon and Mina.
They’re entranced as Mina explains that her closest friends, Momo and Sana, recently started dating. Although they did everything they could to make her feel otherwise, she was tired of feeling like a third wheel so often. So this semester she set a goal for herself- to make at least one friend outside of Sana and Momo. The girls noticed Mina’s distance, but they knew to give her space, and they were proud of Mina for making such an out-of-character decision.
Subsequently, Mina meets Jihyo in one of their shared classes. Jihyo’s energy is warm and direct, the exact type of personality that she gravitates too. Mustering all her courage, she awkwardly compliments Jihyo’s pencil case as a sad attempt at friendship. Luckily, Jihyo is very perceptive. She had always noticed the shy girl in the back of the class furiously writing down notes. So she quickly realizes that Mina is trying to start a friendly conversation, in her own quirky way. Jihyo always thought Mina was nice, so she invites her to study. And eventually, through their incessant library dates, a genuine friendship formed. Mina’s dorky and magnetic personality instantly become a unique and irreplaceable presence in Jihyo’s life.
From playing video games during study breaks and going shopping, Jihyo and Mina’s friendship quickly grew into one of the strongest either of them had been in. Honestly, they are rarely seen without the other recently. This is why Mina has become a nearly permanent fixture to the weekly coffee dates with Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Jihyo.
During these visits, Mina always orders the same drink and pastry, an Americano and an almond croissant. During one of their more recent gatherings, before Mina and Jihyo’s arrival, Nayeon had already ordered her drink and snack. Jihyo immediately speaks up when she notices, teasing “Excuse me? Where’s mine?”
“Come on, you never order the same thing. Maybe if you had some routine like Mina I would’ve treated you too.” Nayeon bites back.
“Well, what’s gotten you into such a giving mood?” Jihyo is genuinely curious, while Nayeon is always kind and bright, she doesn’t usually surprise her friends with little treats or gifts.
“I actually remembered Mina telling us last week that she’s taking her driving test later today, so I thought it would be a nice pick-me-up beforehand.”
“Oh my god, since when are you so nice? I need to step my game up.” Jihyo says as she finally takes a seat. She is a little surprised by how sweet Nayeon is being to Mina.
While Jihyo completely understands how easy it is to be taken by the girl, all Jihyo had done to help Mina prepare for today was by constantly quizzing her on the questions for the written portion of the test. There is definitely value in that, but the fact that Nayeon had even noticed the details of Mina’s order did strike her as a bit odd.
As all of this is happening, Mina’s face has transformed from the lightest shade of bubblegum pink to a bright shade of crimson. She is flattered and embarrassed and so shocked at Nayeon’s kind gesture, that she is struggling to choke out a thank you- she eventually does.
Jeongyeon is quietly observing it all. She knew that Nayeon was planning to surprise Mina beforehand, and she couldn’t help but think that she is so lucky to be in love with someone as thoughtful and as kind as Nayeon. At the same time, she did feel an irrational pang of jealousy to not be at the receiving end of that sweet gesture.
After the snack debacle, they begin to share their hardships of the week, their weekend plans, and other casual conversations. Eventually, the conversation veers into a rather passionate discussion between Jeongyeon and Mina, debating which is better, DC or Marvel.
None of them had ever seen Mina so worked up or outspoken in the entire time they’ve known her, having a heated argument as to why Iron Man is superior to Bat-Man, “Iron Man is a literal genius, he’s snarky while not being a complete downer, like Mr. Bruce Wayne.”
“He literally saw his parents get murdered!” Jeongyeon defends.
“Well, I don’t know much about superheroes, but which one hasn’t seen their parents get murdered?” responds Nayeon.
“Yes, thank you, Nayeon.” Replies Mina, giving her an appreciative smile. Before she can continue her defense, Jihyo interjects reminding her that it’s almost time for her driver’s test.
“Good luck! If you pass we should all watch the Marvel movie of your choice, use that as an incentive.” Nayeon shoots Mina a bright smile, that forms crinkles by her eyes.
Mina replies with a simple “I’ll try my best.” and once again thanks Nayeon for her drink.
Jihyo then goes to her evening class, leaving Nayeon and Jeongyeon alone. Jeongyeon uses this moment to send Nayeon the best pout she could muster, while cutely whining “You never watch DC movies with me when I ask you.”
“To be honest, I’m kind of on Mina’s side, Marvel movies are just superior. But I’d watch a DC movie for you if you really wanted to.”
Jeongyeon can’t even be upset that Nayeon said she liked Marvel more, when she smiles so brightly and says things that pull at her heart, so she replies “Okay, then let's go to my room and watch Aquaman!"
They arrive at Jeongyeon’s dorm and like the numerous times over the past few months, they’re already undressed before the movie begins. After having their fun, Jeongyeon treating it like a sacred form of intimacy while Nayeon fools around, they decide to share a bottle of wine as they finally get around to watching the film.
They are cuddling on the couch as usual, but Nayeon interrupts the silence with an abrupt confession, she sighs, “I love you, Jeongie…” Jeongyeons heart soars “you’re my best friend.” and then it crashes. “I’d be lost without you in this mess.”
Nayeon’s words are sincere so Jeongyeon gives her a warm smile, “I love you too” and she hopes one day she’ll be brave enough to express just how much, brave enough to express that the love she has transcends all forms of friendship. But Jeongyeon is not brave at this moment.
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Days pass and Jihyo still can’t shake the strange vibes she was sensing the last time she, Mina, Nayeon, and Jeongyeon were at the coffee shop. Jihyo not being one to beat around the bush decides to invite Nayeon to meet at her dorm.
Nayeon enters like she owns the place, “What’s up cutie? Did you miss me or did you just want to hang out?”
“Actually, I wanted to ask you a question,” Jihyo gets straight to the point,” I thought you and Jeongyeon were two minutes from becoming official, so what’s going on?”
“Where’d you get that from?” Nayeon replies, not too surprised that Jihyo had caught onto her and Jeongyeon’s fornicating.
“I don’t know, maybe it was the matching hickies or the avoidance whenever I ask about your love lives. Hello, I’m not an idiot.” Jihyo defends herself, still, a bit stung that they hadn’t shared that new development in their relationship.
“Yeah, clearly.”
“Anyway, you’re avoiding the actual question”
“Which is?”
“What’s going on?”
“More specific, please. What am I? A clairvoyant?” This is not what Nayeon had expected when she had agreed to hang out with Jihyo today.
“Well, I didn’t want to come off too aggressive. But my question is what is going on with you and Mina?” Jihyo says, albeit, a touch aggressively.
“Nothing, literally nothing, where did you even get that from? You are literally with us whenever we interact. We don’t even text each other.” Nayeon quickly counters.
“Okay, then why are you being so defensive?”
“I’m not, I just don’t understand where you got this idea that there’s some type of involvement between me and Mina.” Nayeon was honestly shocked that this is where Jihyo had taken the conversation.
"You’d tell me if there was, right?” Jihyo now seems more concerned over anything else.
“Honestly, based on your reaction, probably not.” Nayeon earns a light slap on her arm from Jihyo, she continues, “kidding, kidding, yes, I’d tell you if I started smashing one of our friends.”
“You didn’t tell me about Jeong.” Jihyo pointedly reminds.
“We didn’t want to make you feel left out, plus it’s not like we have feelings for each other,” Nayeon shrugs as she explains.
“Are you sure though? Have you talked to Jeongyeon about it?”
“Nope, but there’s no need. When you’re as close as she and I, you kind of know what the other wants” and Nayeon couldn’t have been more wrong.
Jihyo wasn’t satisfied with Nayeons answer, which was a typical Nayeon non-answer. Jihyo is smart and Jihyo still can’t shake the feeling that there's more than meets the eyes between Nayeon and Mina. But she needs to be cautious in the way she brings it up to Mina.
One day after class Jihyo approaches her, “So Mina, anyone on campus caught your eye yet?”
“Um, not really, even if I had the time, I’m not really interested in romance right now,” Mina replies in a characteristically soft voice.
“So studious.” Jihyo jests.
“Says you.”
“Touché. But you do have time to hang out with me and the girls.” Jihyo reminds.
“Yes, I do. But that’s planned time! It's written down in my schedule as 'relaxtion time'.” Mina always has an answer to everything.
“Well, I'm glad you find us relaxing. Definitely not the word I'd use."
Jihyo continues, "Nayeon and Jeongyeon really love you, I’m glad you guys clicked so well together.” and Jihyo really means it, it means the world to her that her closest friends get along so well. Which is why she’s worried about any potential threats to this new bond and she somehow can't shake off her suspicions.
“I love them too.” Mina has a forlorn look when she says that, too quick for Jihyo to notice and then she asks, “Hey, do you know if they’re involved?”
“Um, it's not really my place to say. Either way, I thought no one caught your eye” Jihyo wiggles her eyebrows teasingly as she replies.
“Jihyo you know that’s not what I meant! I’m just curious, we’re all friends.”
“Well if they were dating, I’m sure you’d know. That’s all there is to it.” Jihyo’s response is harsher than intended, but she doesn’t feel comfortable divulging the unclear details of Nayeon and Jeongyeon’s undefined love life.
“I guess you’re right.” Mina quietly accepts the answer, understanding where Jihyo is coming from.
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Months pass, Nayeon and Jeongyeon still frequent each other’s beds, they still all gather for their weekly coffee dates, and Jihyo still senses this unspoken chemistry between Nayeon and Mina. Especially now since Mina has been going through a bit of a rough patch. Although everything is fine financially, physically, and academically, Mina has found herself extremely irritable recently, and she can’t seem to figure out why.
In need of a break one evening Mina decides to grab dinner with Sana and Momo at this cozy soba spot that they often frequent because it reminds them of home. Mina, as usual, arrives early and is already seated when Sana and Momo arrive. Her moments of introspection were interrupted when Sana lunges at her for a hug, excitedly yelling “Mina! Mina! We have news!” at this point Sana is shaking her so much that she's practically on the verge of vomiting.
Mina pulls herself away and with a deadpan voice replies, “Let me guess, you’re pregnant.”
“Ha. Ha. Really funny. What's gotten into you?” Sana gives her a concerned look because the response was very un-Mina-like.
“Sorry, sorry. I honestly don’t know what’s been up with me lately.” And Mina truly means it, she’s never been so snarky with Sana and Momo who are basically her sisters.
Sana flips her light brown hair over her shoulder and throws her a mischevious glance “I bet it’s sexual frustration. Whose got our little Minari all wound up?”
“Sana, that is definitely not it. It might be the stress of school catching up to me.”
“Or maybe it’s because of Mercury in retrograde?” Momo chimes in.
“Well I hope it’s out of retrograde soon, I hate feeling like this. Anyway, what’s your news? I’m sorry for being rude before that was uncalled for.” Mina is overly apologetic at this point.
“Mina, you made a sarcastic joke, that’s hardly rude, you’re forgiven.” Sana grabs her hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
“Well the news is that Sana and I are moving in together, we just signed a lease to a new apartment!” Momo happily shares.
“No way! This is such a huge step. I’m so excited for you” and Mina is sincerely pleased for her best friends. When Sana and Momo first started dating it was hard for Mina to assimilate into their relationship. Constantly feeling like an intrusion instead of their friend, despite their attempts to prove otherwise.
“Well, we’re having a housewarming party on the 17th! Please bring Jihyo and her other friends, we’d love to meet the people that stole our Minari away from us,” Sana the social butterfly has been dying to them since they were introduced to Mina’s life.
“They’ll love it! I’ll ask the next time I see them!” Mina responds.
Sana and Momo are giddy, eagerly explaining the layout and the amenities in their building, which aren’t many considering they’re college students, but it’s enough to thrill them.
“Wait, there’s a communal rooftop terrace? That’s it, I’m moving in too,” Mina is so impressed with the real estate gem her best friends had found.
“You know you always have a place with us.”
“Yes, I know.” Mina’s heart feels warm because she knows that no matter what, she will always have a home in their arms (and their apartment too).
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During the next coffee date, Mina asks Jihyo, Nayeon, and Jeongyeon if they’d like to go to the housewarming party. She was met with an “Of course!”, “Did you say rooftop terrace?”, and an “I can’t wait!” respectively.
Following an intense academic week, they all share their upcoming plans and upcoming assignments. Both Mina and Jihyo have to volunteer for a political candidate and are vying to intern at the same place. Jeongyeon shares that she's beginning to explore thesis topics she’s interested in. And Nayeon shares that someone names Sooyoung asked her out on the date.
Had Jeongyeon’s eyes not been so focused on Nayeon, she would have noticed that Mina’s eyes sharpened as much as hers did at the revelation. Jeongyeon speaks up first, “Well what did you say?”
“Of course I said no, I have my eyes on someone else.” Nayeon cheekily replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
Jihyo sighs, wondering if Nayeon knows the mess that she’s causing, wondering if Nayeon knows that there is more than one heart is being provoked at her teasing.
Jeongyeon gulps immediately, the thought of Nayeon speaking about any person other than her isn’t even fathomable. She is now certain that her feelings are returned, the glimmer of hope in her chest growing into a fire of confidence.
Mina sighs, disappointed, knowing better than to form some type of one-sided, unrequited tension with her friend that just so happens to be romantically involved with another. Complicated. Stupid. With a sour taste in her mouth, and an overwhelming sense of shame Mina gets up abruptly.
“Wow, look at the time! I completely forgot I was supposed to help Momo and Sana shop for some decor for their apartment! Sorry, to run out on you guys. I’ll send you guys more details about the party when I get them!” Mina runs out of the cafe as fast as her feet would let her.
She’s disappointing herself more and more each day. Feeling jealous over Nayeon’s revelation is deplorable, and it just confirms that she does feel something for the girl, whether it’s lust or like, she’s not willing to see it through any further. Next, she’s lying, running out of an uncomfortable situation. She doesn’t like who she’s becoming.
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A few weeks pass and the night of the long-awaited housewarming party has finally arrived. Mina is feeling down, and even worse now that her two worlds are colliding. Parties were never her scene in the first place. So she drinks to take the edge off, and she’s tipsy by the time Jihyo, Nayeon, and Jeongeon arrive.
“Well, well, well, it looks like someone started the party without us.” Jeongyeon teases.
“Yes, I did. My social skills needed tuning up, that’s all. Anyway, can I get you guys anything?” Mina was just about to write down what they wanted when she was interrupted.
“MINA!!! How could you not introduce us to your friends as soon as they got here? You know we’ve been dying to meet them” Sana exclaims, finishing it off with an impossibly cute pout.
“Don’t be too hard on her, we just got here. My name is Nayeon, I’ve heard so much about you and I love your place.” Nayeon’s charm is on high tonight, her eyelashes fluttering at the end of the sentence. Sana and Momo are sold, they all congregate in the living room, instantly hitting it off, sharing stories about high school and campus stories while sipping on bottles of Cass. Unfortunately, when more people started to arrive Sana and Momo had to go entertain their guests.
The number of people in the small apartment and the inebriation eventually got to Mina. Needing to distance herself, she heads into Sana and Momo’s room, with eyes shut, she lays down in the dark, millions of thoughts swirling in her head. She’s too preoccupied to notice that someone else walked in. “Hey Mina, are you okay?” Mina has never heard Nayeon speak so softly. She’s also never really had the opportunity to talk to her one on one.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” Mina says confidently, hoping to send Nayeon away.
“You’re hiding in a dark room in the middle of a party, let me be a little worried,” Nayeon replies in the typical caring way that makes it so hard for Mina to dislike her.
“Okay, I guess that’s fair.” silence envelops the room and Mina feels a dip in the bed next to her.
“You don’t have to keep me company. You should enjoy yourself.” Mina continues, feeling guilty for keeping Nayeon away from the party.
“Now, you don’t worry. I’m exactly where I want to be.” Mina’s heart skips a beat at Nayeon’s words and she hates herself for it. She doesn’t want to cry, but the alcohol doesn’t help- a tear slips out.
Nayeon interrupts her thoughts, “I know we don’t talk a lot, but you can tell me if something is bothering you.”
“As much as I’d like to, I really can’t,” Mina says defeatedly, quickly wiping away her tears.
“And why can’t you?”
“Because you’re the problem.”
Silence fills the room once again, Mina feels the bed shift again. This time Nayeon’s voice comes out as a whisper “I’m sorry if I did anything to bother or hurt you, that was never my intention.” Her voice is so low and so close to Mina’s ear, that it sends shivers down her spine.
Mina feels desperate, she feels dirty as she shares, “Believe me, you didn’t do anything wrong. Quite the opposite.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“I’ve already said enough, you can see yourself out,” Mina says coldly, not wanting to take this conversation any further.
“Now, that’s not a nice way to talk to your unnie.” Once again there’s another shift in the bed, Mina can feel that Nayeon’s gotten closer.
Nayeon continues, “And now, tell me what’s going on, I’m sure I can help…” and by now Mina is almost certain that Nayeon is toying with her, but she won’t give in, won’t do that to Jeongyeon, won’t do that to their friendship.
“Really, it’s nothing, I’m drunk. I don’t know what I’m saying.” Mina tries to lie.
“You’re barely tipsy and you know it.” Nayeon is right, so why does she feel like her body is on fire. “You know what I think…” Nayeon says almost under her breath “I think you want me and you think I don’t want you back” every thought in Mina’s head comes to a standstill, ‘What?’ she must be imagining this. Should she admit to being caught, even though there are so many other levels to this?
“Actually, there’s more to it than that…” Honesty, it feels nice for Mina to speak her mind for once, “Jeongyeon.” Mina finishes.
Nayeon’s eyes are dark, her mind only focused on one thing “What about her?”
“Aren’t you two involved?” Mina truly wants to know, because through it all she still didn’t know if Nayeon and Jeongyeon were actually together.
“Yeah, we help each other out when we’re feeling a little lonely,” Nayeon replies bluntly.
“So you don't have feelings for her?”
And in the huskiest voice Mina has ever heard, Nayeon nearly growls “I said I had my eyes on someone else, didn’t I?”
Then Nayeon’s lips met Mina’s, it was a hunger like no other. Gasping and grasping towards one another, the chemistry was overpowering, overwhelming, stronger than anything they had ever experienced. There was no such thing as close enough. Nayeon’s tongue slips into her mouth, more, she wants more. Mina is trembling, her mind is blank, all she feels, all she knows at this moment, is Nayeon. Nothing could’ve prepared her for this.
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And nothing could’ve prepared her for this, is what Jeongyeon thought the moment she opened the door to Sana and Momo’s bedroom.
She had been looking for Nayeon, finally ready to confess. When Mina had shared that there was a rooftop terrace earlier, Jeongyeon couldn't help but think that would be the perfect place to tell Nayeon how she really feels. Overlooking the city, flushed in anticipation, it was perfect. Tonight was the night she was finally going to get the girl.
But nothing could have prepared her for this.
When she opened the door, she found Nayeon's hands tangled in Mina’s hair, her mouth attached to Mina’s neck, Nayeon’s eyes looking back at hers with nothing but innocent surprise. As if a stranger had walked in on them, and not her, Jeongyeon- her best friend, the best friend she’d been sleeping with for months.
So she closes the door, takes a few steps back, and runs. She stumbles into someone and asks for the restroom, she somehow finds it and crumbles on the floor. She can’t breathe. She can’t breathe. This overwhelming feeling of loss, of hurt. Nothing could have prepared her for this.
This pain is isolating, this pain is unique. Her heart was nothing but a placeholder. And through this indescribable pain, it actually didn’t feel like her heart was being ripped to shreds. Instead, it felt like it had completely disappeared.
How could Nayeon have done this to her? All those months they had spent together Jeongyeon was falling more deeply in love. Her mistake was not telling Nayeon sooner, but Nayeon should have known. They're best friends, they're soulmates, how could Nayeon hurt her like this?
The look Nayeon gave her when she opened the door plays over and over in her head like a recurring nightmare, that image won't leave her mind. There was no regret, no shame, the indifference may have hurt Jeongyeon more than the action.
Their entire lives Nayeon always made Jeongyeon feel complete, her missing piece. Now, she is hollow.
When Jeongyeon asked the universe to make her feel something, this isn't what she meant.