Chapter Text
Yoo Jimin arrives at the rooftop of the school with heaving breaths and sweat dripping down her head. She can feel the heat of the weather burning the back of her uniform and seeping into her skin. She had just finished volleyball practice and when she got a text from her friend, she immediately booked it without saying goodbye to her team.
She lifts her head to find Kim Minjeong leaning against the tall railings of the rooftop. Her long black hair gets blown by the warm wind of spring— a reminder that Jimin is going to graduate soon in a few days. Her knees wobble a bit at the endearing sight of her friend smiling at her and beckoning her closer.
Minjeong is a year younger and has completely opposite interests from her— despite it all, they still get along well. Minjeong has expressed before how pitiful it is that she gets to graduate early and Jimin has to move to Seoul to attend college— possibly find a job there too.
“You should follow me!” Unknowingly, Jimin’s lighthearted response evoked something within Minjeong. But the younger girl always likes to keep her thoughts to herself so Jimin never figured out why she acted so serious about it.
Jimin approaches her with tired feet and plops herself on the bench next to Minjeong. “Why do you always want to meet up here? It’s so exhausting going up those staircases.”
Minjeong laughs at the hint of annoyance in her breathless voice. “What? Is the star athlete of our school complaining about being tired?”
“Anyone would be when your coach told you to run 10 laps across the field and your friend made you go through those annoying staircases to meet here.”
“But you still did it.” Minjeong teases as she brushes her hair down when it gets too tangled up by the wind. “You’re just that dedicated and kind to refuse anything.”
That earns her a grumble from the older girl— a cute pout making itself known on her face.
“Any last words to your senior? I assume this meeting is about that?” Jimin looks up at her with expectant eyes.
Minjeong stays quiet for a minute as if she has forgotten that that was the purpose of this rendezvous. Jimin can see her expressions morphing from amusement to solemnity and she gets nervous herself as to what her friend is about to say.
The younger girl finally speaks after what seems like forever— albeit softly and delicately like the warm breeze of spring.
“I-“
Suddenly, the bell rings loudly and Minjeong quickly shuts her mouth with a wince at the piercing sound. Jimin is also startled by the sound as her shoulders jump and curses at the timing of it all.
Jimin looks back at her friend again. “What were you going to say?”
Minjeong looks hesitant this time as her resoluteness from before dissipates when another gust of wind blows towards them.
“Good luck on your future, unnie. I’m sure you’ll do well.”
Jimin furrows her brows with suspicion, knowing that’s not what the younger girl was about to say. But the sincerity in her voice almost fools her and she lets herself get convinced this time.
To make this atmosphere lighter, Jimin throws her a grin and pats her back. “And you’ll follow me through it all, right?”
Minjeong’s face cracks into a smile but it’s more shy this time.
“We’ll see about that.”
It’s been 15 years since she last saw Minjeong— that’s the first thing she thought of when the new day arrives and sheds light into her bedroom. Jimin sluggishly smacks her hand on her phone in hopes to shut up the alarm. After a few attempts, Jimin is able to silence it and she throws her body off the bed.
When she finally wakes herself up in the bathroom after getting washed up and dressed for the day, she recalls her dream and wonders if it’s her brain reminding her of simpler times. Her school life with Minjeong was always something she missed dearly. She would sometimes dig up old photos of her friend and reminisce about the days where they used to have fun during the weekends.
It was either going to an arcade, playing games in the park, visiting each other’s houses or even sneaking out of their homes to go to the playground and talk endlessly about anything. Jimin sighs as she looks to the mirror and puts on her earrings.
“Come here, stupid cheese cat.” Jimin coos at her cat named Rina, who perks up at the nickname and trudges towards the voice of her owner.
Jimin fills up the auto-feeder and sets up the time of when Rina is going to eat. Rina greets Jimin with a slow rub of her furry body against her ankle before eating up her food.
She looks over at the grocery list pinned on her fridge and sighs at the thought of doing them at night again when she’s going to be too tired. Jimin discards that responsibility for later and gives Rina a kiss on the head, laughing when a lipstick mark imprints on her fur.
It’s routine at this point— she gets in her car at seven in the morning and drives up to her workplace. After getting accepted into this renowned fashion company, Baephrodite, she has been constantly busy to consider other factors of her life. Her coworker and dear friend, Uchinaga Aeri or known as Giselle, who she was only able to befriend because they spend almost everyday working beside each other, worries that Jimin is going to stay single forever if she keeps up with this workload.
Jimin remembers recalling Minjeong’s words about being too determined and kind to refuse anyone. Even those damned adjectives are becoming a blessing and a curse to her current life. But with those sacrifices, she has been receiving a lot of praises from her superiors due to her hard work. She was even recognized by the CEO herself, Bae Irene. Jimin— no, Yoo Karina wasn’t going to let that fire burn out just yet, she is young and she has many things to achieve.
“Oh finally, you’re here!” Giselle drags her as soon as she steps out of the elevator and they arrive at the meeting room.
Not everyone is here yet so she isn’t sure why Giselle is acting all nervous and excited all of a sudden. Well, everyone seems to be in the same mood as her friend as never ending whispers buzzes within the room.
Karina sits on her designated chair and lays down her folders. “What’s all the noise about? Did we finally get that list of celebrities we’re styling?”
Giselle’s eyes light up and Karina can’t help but feel excited herself. This is her second year in the company (a total of almost ten years in the fashion industry), which means it’s her second time helping out in the Blue Dragon Film Awards. At first, she was overwhelmed being tasked with such a heavy burden as a newcomer. But since she got praised last time for styling some popular celebrities in the media, she has gotten used to the nervousness coursing through her body.
Not only that, her superiors have given their commendations when they saw her résumé. It’s only thanks to her previous experience in another company that she was able to build a formidable and unique portfolio. Before this, she has worked with B-list clients and articles have mentioned her name a couple of times. It’s already amazing enough that they accepted her as an assistant fashion designer for Kang Seulgi— an incredible designer that’s been showered with endless praise for her several works and runway shows.
Karina was given the privilege to work with her during last year’s fashion week and that was one of the most stressful yet rewarding experiences in her entire life.
“Oh, you have to see the list. We got some new rising stars here and there but there’s a name there that everyone is raving about.” Giselle shuffles through her binder before pulling out the papers.
Karina’s eyes scan through the list of star-studded names. She sees the usual A-list celebrities but then Giselle gets too tired of her sifting through the documents at a snail’s pace and points at the name Giselle is talking about.
Kim Winter . Karina’s eyes go wide and look back at her friend with the same astonishment as everyone.
“You’re joking, right?” Karina’s jaw slacks open.
Giselle is practically bouncing in her seat. “Not joking at all . You are reading that right.”
“But I thought her whole concept was being anonymous? Didn’t she say in that one interview that she doesn’t want to ever show her face to the public?”
Giselle simply shrugs as she takes the papers back. “I guess she is discarding that image of hers. Maybe her agency is changing up her mysterious concept into something else. They probably want to market her differently.”
Karina has listened to a few songs of Kim Winter. Actually, it’s hard not to listen to her songs when she always tops the charts and plays at almost any kind of establishment like shopping malls or restaurants. It isn’t wrong to say that she’s a fan since her beautiful voice has always captivated Karina.
But because of her anonymity, the public have always wanted to know what the famous singer looks like. Paparazzi have tried to track her down but her agency is surprisingly excellent at concealing her identity. There are many rumors as to who the mysterious musician is and people have even put up a list of multiple faces on the internet as if they’re suspects. So far, no one is able to confirm what she looks like.
So to see Kim Winter in the guest list is more than shocking— this could very well flip the entire entertainment industry upside down and that’s an opportunity that Karina wants to get
Everyone goes to their seats once the CEO arrives in time for the meeting. Everyone starts preparing their proposals and ideas, including Karina who is getting judged more often by her colleagues. The production of their textiles have already reached completion a few days ago and the CEO is eager to bulldoze through the work for the upcoming award show. All that’s left is for the designers, marketers, retailers, and a few other minor roles to do their jobs well.
Once everyone concludes their presentation, they all seem to be in high spirits since Bae Irene has approved most of their ideas— even Karina’s concept designs of gowns are praised. This is when Irene starts assigning people into groups to handle each client.
When it’s time for Karina’s turn, she is suddenly pushed with another burden to fulfill— she’s assigned to a team that will handle Kim Winter.
“I trust that with everyone’s bright minds, they can make wonderful outfits for our clients.” Irene concludes the meeting smoothly before she departs with her secretary.
Everyone else also leaves to get started on their assigned duties. Karina finds her team already talking business with each other outside of the meeting room. She finds the Head Designer Kang Seulgi already giving out orders to her team. They meet eye contact and Karina tries not to get shy at the knowing smile she is given.
“Good to see you again, Karina.” Seulgi gives her a brief side hug. “Kim Winter, huh? How exciting yet troublesome…”
Karina understands where she’s coming from. They barely have any information on what the woman looks like and they only have a few months to execute this. It may seem like a long time for outsiders but in the fashion industry, everyone is on their quick feet and there’s absolutely no breathing room. They can't take any chances and make mistakes either or else Bae Irene will rain hell upon them.
A single mistake can land a major blow of distrust and mockery to Baephrodite— that’s just how cutthroat this business is and Karina is still getting used to it. She will never forget the harsh critiques she encountered in her life. Even now, she can still recall their voices easily and it only sends shivers down her spine.
She had good mentors in her life that helped with cultivating her fashion sense and critical eye but no one was as good as Kang Seulgi. Despite the woman’s friendly appearance, the workroom is nothing but metaphorical saw traps. If any of her team members makes a mistake, she will hound them and make them start all over.
“Our research team and trend forecasters are already getting to work. We have also booked a meeting with Kim Winter and her agency.” Seulgi signals for her to follow her to their workroom and Karina is already scribbling down notes on her notepad.
Her brain is practically running a hundred miles but she is still able to voice out her question. “When are we meeting with her?”
“Tomorrow and then we will do fitting with her afterwards.” Seulgi simply says.
Karina shouldn’t be surprised that it's tomorrow. Everything is always done in advance and Seulgi is the type to oversee everything from the beginning to the last minute details.
She should be grateful that Karina wasn’t forced to phone the singer’s agency as soon as the meeting ended— that happened to her just a month ago.
Seulgi checks her wristwatch with a frown. “Karina, I need you and the production team to send me details about our textiles. I have a meeting with Miss Winter’s marketing team in an hour.”
“Of course, you want it before or after?”
“Before, it would be best to show them our initial plan before we meet our client tomorrow.”
Karina nods her head and she doesn’t need to be told to leave because she is already sprinting through the building.
I’m regretting wearing heels today…
Karina arrives earlier than the expected time in Kim Winter’s company building. When she steps out of the elevator, she takes a second to look around the office. It’s about the same as Karina’s workplace since they also have images of celebrities and merchandise organized in their cubicles.
One of the staff helps guide her towards the meeting room and she finds that Seulgi is already there. Briefly, she wonders how in the world is this woman able to rest because she has never seen her let her guard down once. It seems Karina still has a lot to learn when it comes to maintaining a professional image.
Seulgi smiles when she joins her side. “Did you stop by the bakery I told you about?”
Karina nods her head as she presents the large paper bag of baked goods. The amusing thing about her boss is that Seulgi loves to snack at any time of the day so Karina is always sent out for errands. Everyone in the office will know it’s Seulgi’s lunch or dinner when Yoo Karina dashes past them with food in hand.
But this time, Seulgi specifically told her to order a specific item in this bakery’s menu. She doesn’t tell her why she made her order but Karina already knows the procedure— it’s to feed their client to help build that trust and relationship with them.
Seulgi swears it’s not bribery— it’s just easy to make small talk with someone when it comes to food.
Karina makes conversations with Kim Winter’s staff and comes to learn that one of them is her stylist, Ning Yizhuo. Seulgi immediately interrogates her about Kim Winter’s appearance and surprisingly, the girl is cooperative.
Maybe it’s because Seulgi is glaring down at her. Karina reassures them that it’s just how she is and she's nicer outside of work. Of course, they don’t believe her.
Yizhuo begins explaining to them Kim Winter’s fashion style versus how the management wishes to dress her up.
“I’m sure you recall her last concert, Butterfly Road. It was her first time making a physical appearance to her fans. The media talked about how we completely covered her face with a mask and we used stage lights and props to enhance her mysterious appearance.” Yizhuo quickly provides photos of her outfits and Seulgi stays silent with a scrutinizing gaze.
“Of course, concert outfits are completely different from what we’re currently trying to achieve. Elegance is the easiest way when it comes to prestigious events but knowing Miss Kang, it won’t be that simple.”
Karina nods her head as she remembers that famous concert being discussed yesterday by the research team and Seulgi. “And what about her personal preference?”
Yizhuo finally cracks a smile albeit awkwardly. “She likes to dress with comfort— stuff like baggy clothes and sneakers. She often wears a beanie or jackets that practically cover her body.”
Then, Yizhuo pauses and looks around. Karina is confused for a second until she leans forward and whispers at them. “And let me tell you about her physique, she is a petite and thin woman. It’s ridiculous how small she is when she always snacks.”
Karina is already brainstorming and reorganizing her initial impressions about the singer.
“Anyways, you’ll see for yourself soon. Her manager told me she’ll be here in half an hour.”
And so they proceed to the meeting room. The arrival of Kim Winter seems to also spark excitement within her own company when they see a few staff members snooping nearby. Karina stares at them with amusement until they get scolded by Kim Winter’s manager.
The manager extends her hand out to Seulgi and then to Karina. “Nice to meet you, my name is Son Wendy.”
“A pleasure to meet you as well. And this must be?” Seulgi gives a small smile at her before she gestures towards the figure behind the manager.
Wendy basically perks up with bubbling energy that’s rarely seen within managers as she puts her hands on the mystery woman’s shoulders and pushes her forward. For a second, the designers hear a faint complaint being whispered behind her face mask.
Karina takes a good look at her. Yizhuo was right— it’s impossible to tell what kind of person she is with how baggy her hoodie and pants are. She is dressed in all-white with a dark blue cap and sneakers to match the color. It seems the girl knows how to place some color accent points.
“Well, come on now! Show that pretty face of yours!” Wendy chuckles as she suddenly snatches Winter’s cap off and her hair that’s been concealed spills down her face.
Karina’s thoughts freezes at the sight. She almost drops everything she is holding by the familiar image of those puppy-looking eyes. Even when her hair has changed into a shorter haircut with a warm brown color that frames her small face and neck, Yoo Jimin knows that face all too well.
She doesn’t believe it at first. A million thoughts running through her mind but her brain comes up with nothing at the end. As if everything that she’s been expecting and worrying about has been pulverized to fine dust. Her ears can barely hear the teasing remarks being thrown towards the singer.
And good fucking god, Jimin cannot believe what she’s seeing. After all this time of missing this girl and listening to this singer’s albums, Jimin’s heart comes with a thunderous beat that rattles her consciousness. All she can focus on are those eyes that she hasn’t seen in 15 years.
And when her brain tries to deny the possibility, she pulls down her face mask and Jimin’s eyes light up with hope. Warmth spreads through her chest like wildfire upon seeing that pretty face once again.
“Minjeong?” Jimin finally utters and it’s like all the oxygen in her lungs was ripped out of her from simply saying her name.
Seulgi looks back at her with furrowed brows. “Who?”
Meanwhile, Wendy’s expression drops into disbelief. “How did you-“
Then, Kim Winter— no , Kim Minjeong steps forward with a shy smile. That same smile that greeted her when they first became friends in that crowded playground when no one wanted to play with her and Jimin was the only one who reached out.
She stretches her hand out to Jimin and all of her memories come rushing back like an unstoppable flood.
“It’s been 15 years, Yoo Jimin. I finally found you.”
Jimin finds a sulking girl sitting by her lonesome self by the swings. Every other kid runs around her as if she doesn’t exist. Her parents have told her to be kind and friendly to everyone so this won’t do at all.
She approaches the little girl with a big smile. “Hi! What’s your name?”
The little girl seems surprised by her cheerful appearance. “I-I’m Kim Minjeong.”
“Minjeongie sounds cute! You should play with me.” Jimin points at the work-in-progress sand castle sitting nearby.
When she turns around to look back at it, Jimin gasps when a kid younger than her trips and falls on top of it. He starts crying for his mom who quickly scoops him away and dusts his clothes off.
Minjeong hops off the swing and takes her hand. “It’s okay. We can rebuild it again.”
Jimin beams at the idea and pulls the girl along with her.
They play for a long time until their parents call out their names. Jimin is surprised at how well she gets along with Minjeong who she learned is a year younger than her. She begs for her parents to play with her and they had to talk to Minjeong’s parents to exchange contacts.
Minjeong shares an excited look when Jimin tells her to come to her house so she can show off her toys. That’s when she knows that they’re going to be great friends in the future.
“Wait, you two know each other!?” Seulgi rarely gets surprised but this is the first time that the older woman looks flustered by the unexpected situation.
Karina buries her flushed face within her hands. She still can’t believe that she reunited with her childhood friend who is actually Kim fucking Winter— god, she even embarrassed herself in front of her boss. She had to remind herself after the awkward handshake that she’s still working.
Karina grunts as she lifts her face to face her boss. “Y-yes, we were close friends when we were kids. But I haven’t seen her in so long so it’s just crazy that I reunited with her like this.”
Thankfully, her boss is a kind soul at the end of the day so she understands how important and nerve wracking this is for Karina. “Must be fate that you two met again in this industry. This is something you would only see in movies about long lost childhood friends.”
“I’m sorry for my reaction back there. I just needed a moment and I can get back into my usual self.” Karina pats her chest to stop her heart from beating out of her ribcage.
Seulgi smiles at her. “No worries, Karina. In fact, this is good for us. It’ll be beneficial for us to start off with a good relationship and since you two are friends, we can skip the trust process and go to the next steps.”
Karina wants to tell her that it’s not that easy. But with how enthusiastic she is and how she is too busy fighting a mental war with her repressed feelings, she can’t bring herself to stop her boss.
“Are you guys good now?” Wendy approaches them with an understanding look, specifically towards Karina’s direction. “Winter wants to proceed with the meeting as soon as possible.”
Seulgi nods her head before ordering one of her team members to start the meeting. One side is Winter’s team and the other side is Karina’s. She tries her best to pay attention to the meeting but it’s hard when Winter is blatantly staring at her from across the table.
She can feel the heat returning back to her neck at the attention being given to her. Thankfully, she is able to convey her thoughts and ideas to the other team. While everyone including Wendy shows positive reactions, Winter maintains that stoic expression that Karina is unfamiliar with. Despite wearing that same face that has gotten prettier and more mature over the years, she can’t read her facial expressions at all.
But she doesn’t let that thought deter her— she will have time to catch up with the singer.
“Miss Kang wants to start with the fitting afterwards. Is everything prepared right now?” Karina looks over at Wendy, who looks surprised by the stern expression she’s given.
She nods her head. “Yes, we can move to the other room right now.”
“Great, let’s end it here for now. Karina and I will need some time with Miss Winter.” Seulgi claps her hands and everyone quickly gets to work.
And it’s as fast as Karina expects it to be. Before they know it, they’re already in the fitting room with makeup artists and stylists waiting for them to arrive. Winter has been keeping quiet and letting everyone else take the lead ever since this started. Karina tries to approach her with her usual attitude of showing neither warmth or coldness.
Karina takes the measuring tape and steps behind her. With practiced hands, she circles the tape around her waist, bust, legs, arms, and shoulders. She ignores the way Winter’s breath hitches when her hands grazes her hips and the tape closes around her to get the exact numbers. Seulgi notes down the measurements and asks Wendy about her dietary needs. To their relief and convenience, the singer naturally maintains this weight during Winter’s busy schedules and lets loose like any other celebrity during the break.
“If she was taller, her body would be similar to a model’s.” Seulgi’s playful comment causes Winter to snap her head up and give a halfhearted glare.
Karina makes a face at her boss, who only shrugs and gives a quick apology to the singer.
Karina signals for the photographer to do body shots of their client. “Bring in the fabrics and shoes too.” She snaps her fingers towards her team’s direction and they quickly roll forward a dresser.
They finish their first fitting session by the time lunch time rolls around. Karina already had someone call up a food truck before this so everyone goes downstairs to get their food. Seulgi discusses their schedules with Wendy while Karina is left alone with Winter.
She watches her slip her arms through her jacket. Karina is still trying to process the fact that her friend is in front of her and how she’s the elusive superstar of South Korea. She musters up the courage to find her voice and approaches Winter with small steps.
“I didn’t know you could sing…” Karina feels her throat close up when Winter lifts her eyes.
She gives a timid smile as she tucks her brown hair behind her ear— Karina takes a mental note of the amount of piercings she has. “I didn’t expect you to know. I always sang alone when I could and it took a lot of convincing for my parents to accept my dream.”
Winter’s expression finally goes from unreadable to a troubled one that looks too adorable in Karina’s eyes— it reminds her of the time the younger girl asked her to help with her homework. Her restless hands are fiddling with the sleeves of her jacket and Karina fights the urge to hold them.
“And I-I’m sorry for losing your contact. My agency told me to keep it a secret from everyone, excluding my parents.” Winter chuckles dryly.
Karina shakes her head. “I understand now. I knew something was off when I tried to contact you when I was in college. I even tried to talk to your parents and they were very adamant on keeping your little secret.”
“What did they say?”
Karina laughs at the memory now. “They told me that you went abroad and your phone got lost one time so you couldn’t recover your contacts.”
Winter bites her lip. “But you still could have asked for my info…”
“I didn’t— well, I felt too awkward reaching out to you. I know I should have but…” Karina’s voice dies down as she recalls hesitating in front of her parents to ask about her whereabouts and her information.
During that time, she didn’t have enough time for her friends and for herself. She was entirely focused on building her career path— to the point that she lost some friendships here and there. By the time she graduated and got accepted into her former company, she was just an awkward mess of an adult outside of her work.
She tried to reconnect with her highschool friends one time. But after one or two meetings, she was back to being a workaholic. That’s when she just gave up trying to form friendships.
But Winter— Minjeong is here now. There’s a spark of hope that has been embedded within her heart. Maybe it’s going to be different this time. Maybe she can maintain this one precious relationship. It’s good to be selfish once in a while, right?
Now that everyone else has left the fitting room, it’s only them now and the untouchable singer in front of her naturally transforms to the Kim Minjeong that she knows. Simultaneously, she lets her shoulders loose as she goes from her Karina persona to good old Yoo Jimin.
Minjeong steps closer and takes Jimin’s shaky hands, keeping them within her palms. “You told me to follow you and I fulfilled my promise. You don’t have to feel bad about losing me because I’m here now. We can still be friends, right?”
How can Jimin refuse when she is still too weak for her advances? She lowers her head as a relieved smile stretches across her face, watching Minjeong’s thumbs brushing over her knuckles.
“Of course, we can— one step at a time.” Jimin reassures as she squeezes Minjeong’s hands tightly.
Minjeong’s smile reaches her eyes and it's fascinating how much they resemble the starry sky they used to admire together. Jimin can feel those old feelings jolting awake within the deepest part of her heart and she tries her hardest to keep it down.
Not now— not yet. She isn’t ready for something that drastic.
“Then can I come over to your place after?” Minjeong suddenly suggests with a grin.
Jimin barely registers her request until the images of her messy house drops on her head as if someone dropped an anvil on her. She really, really needs to clean her kitchen sink and bathroom soon. Her parents would be horrified if they ever saw the state of her home.
Jimin scrambles to take out her phone to check her schedule today. “Y-yeah, sure. It’s just… I need to clean up before I even receive guests.”
Minjeong chuckles behind her hand. “I don’t mind. It’s good to know that you’re still messy. I bet you have ramen cups stacked up on your desk or something.”
“Hey! It’s not that bad. I throw them away when I can.” Jimin can’t help but laugh with her.
Both of them snap out of their comfortable moment when they hear one of the staff call for them to eat. Minjeong gives her a gentle smile before it disappears behind her face mask. Jimin tries to shake off the buzzing comfort coursing through her body— Minjeong just has that natural ability to pull that candid self within her.
They rush to the ground level and join the other staff in front of the food truck. Once everyone has appeased their appetite, they go back to the meeting room to expand their discussion on how they will handle Winter’s anonymity from her. Wendy informs them that they will continue to hide her identity and then make a big reveal on the day of the award show. Karina can practically see Seulgi’s thoughts planning out a grandiose event.
Karina’s team leaves a couple hours later and rendezvous back to their company building to start preparations for their meeting with the production team. She manages to get Minjeong’s phone number and while her boss is busy berating someone, she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket.
She doesn’t check her phone during work hours unless it’s for business. But curiosity is killing her the entire time when it buzzes two more times. When they’re given a five minute break, Karina quickly fishes out her phone and goes to her messages.
Mindoongie: Hi! How is your work going along?
Mindoongie: I’m just texting to tell you that I can’t wait to meet your cat. You told me it was Rina, right?
Mindoongie: Can you send me pictures when you’re not busy?
Karina immediately pulls up her camera roll and taps into her collection of Rina pictures that she takes an obsessive amount. She sends her a couple pictures of Rina sprawled out on her carpet and her cute face facing the camera when Karina made her wear a little hat.
Yooji: [4 images sent]
Yooji: She's my stinky daughter. I’m sure she will love meeting you too.
She puts her phone on silent and pockets it back when break time is over. But instead of focusing on the meeting, Jimin finds her thoughts drifting to an imaginary moment of Minjeong playing with Rina.
“You came too soon.” Jimin pouts as she guides Minjeong through the door. “I’ll give you a proper room tour next time so stay in the living room and kitchen for now.”
Minjeong chuckles as she tips her baby pink hat up and looks around Jimin’s apartment. “You’re living quite well for yourself.”
Jimin quickly shoves the empty delivery packages on one corner while Minjeong trudges through the living room. Her curious eyes scan through the bookshelf full of figurines and novels sitting in it. As Jimin is about to sneakily take out a trash bag, she hears a surprised noise echoing in the room.
“You still have this?” Minjeong turns around with the little dog plushie that they won in an arcade together. It’s been slightly deflated due to age but Jimin always tries to take care of her belongings.
Jimin laughs shyly. “Of course I do. It’s the first gift you gave me.”
Minjeong hugs it close to her chest as she plops herself on the couch. “Do you remember how many coins we spent on that claw machine?”
“Yeah, my mom almost killed me about it.” Jimin carries a plate of snacks that she prepared beforehand and places it on the coffee table. “I hope you still like these.”
Minjeong’s expression practically glows like Christmas lights as she picks up a chip bag. “God, where did you get these? Everytime I visit the store, they always seem to be out of stock.”
Jimin feels a swell of playfulness grow inside her. “Maybe you just need to look harder.”
And the bright laughter that tickles her ears is better than the melody that her music could ever produce. From how cheerful their conversation is going, Rina finally wakes up from her slumber in Jimin’s bedroom and waltzes in the living room.
She makes her presence known with a whiny meow and Minjeong gasps in delight.
“Rina!” Minjeong squeals as Rina comes up to her and jumps on her lap.
Rina doesn’t waste any moment on appealing herself with more scratches and pets when she rubs her body against Minjeong’s stomach. Jimin clicks her tongue at the sight.
Both women start their onslaught of affection and attention towards the needy cat, hearing her whine and purr with satisfaction. When she is fed up with their pampering, Rina gives a small hiss before hopping off and laying flat on the carpet.
The night slowly settles between the calm ambience lingering in her home. Jimin usually feels lonely around midnight but with Minjeong’s company, time seems to pass by so quickly as they do catch up with one another. Minjeong talks about how she was scouted by her company because they heard her singing casually in a store.
“I swear I thought they were scammers because they didn’t reveal any info about themselves.” Minjeong chuckles as she swirls the glass of wine Jimin served to her an hour ago. ”They just told me to consider their offer and come to their building.”
Jimin remembers being approached by scouters from modeling agencies so she understands how confusing it is. “It’s either they are scammers or a legit business. You really never know how sneaky businesspeople can be.”
Minjeong leans forward and she notices that there’s a faint flush on her cheeks. “That’s when I decided to drop out of my last year of college and trained under them for… seven years, I think?”
“No wonder your parents weren’t quite accepting. It must have been shocking to them that you suddenly decided to be a singer after studying for that long.”
Minjeong pulls up her legs into the couch and Jimin almost jumps when she can feel her brush against her.
“They accepted it when I showed them how earnest I am about this. The company is very strict when it comes to leaking information about their artists and trainees so I wasn’t allowed to talk about my work to outsiders.”
Minjeong reaches out and plays with Jimin’s hoodie string. She finds herself leaning closer so that she can easily tie it in a nonsensical way. Minjeong cheekily tugs on the strings in a harsh way that causes the hood on her head to close up around her face.
When her lips are the only thing showing, she cheekily puckers her lips and Minjeong gives her a light slap at the amusing sight.
When their little play fight dies down, Jimin takes down her hoodie. “Well, that does line up with how we lost contact from each other. I was really convinced that you were in Europe or America.” She lets out a sigh.
“I’m still sorry about that.” Minjeong murmurs with a sad smile and Jimin is quick to reach out.
She puts her hand on her small shoulder and gently rubs it. “Like you said, you’re here now. I’m just relieved that I got the chance to see you again.”
The words sound cheesy coming out of her mouth but Minjeong doesn’t seem to mind as her face flushes red. Jimin feels a flutter in her chest at the adorable sight.
“So does anyone else know you’re Kim Winter?”
Minjeong shakes her head. “Other than my family members and my company, no one else but you. You and Miss Kang are actually the first people I’ve revealed myself to.”
“I should be honored then. I’ll make sure to protect your little secret until the event comes.” Jimin casually says to hide how embarrassed she is and coolly offers a bowl of bibimbap when she finds Minjeong staring at it.
Minjeong meekly accepts it with that blush still present on her face. “You’re still as cheesy as ever, I see.”
Jimin puffs up her chest. “Hey, I’m being truthful here.”
“I know.” Minjeong sighs as her spoon scoops up her mixed rice. “That's why I don’t know how to react when you say things like that…”
Jimin smiles. “Your reactions are too cute, Mindoongie.”
Minjeong rolls her eyes and tries to kick her off the couch. “God, it’s been too long since I heard that. Please never say it in front of others.”
“Like I said, this secret is staying between us.” Jimin laughs and the warm embrace of their heartfelt interactions never fails to break her walls down.
Thankfully, it seems the younger woman shares the same sentiment as she visibly loosens and opens up more to Jimin— who is more than willing to lend a shoulder as the night closes in on them.
It’s lunch time and unfortunately, she forgot to grab her lunch that her mom was yelling for her to get. Now, she is sitting in the classroom with a solemn look. One of her classmates offers a snack and she accepts it but it’s too little to appease her hunger.
But the gods must have answered her prayers when she hears someone yell out her name.
“Jimin-unnie!” It’s Minjeong holding something from the doorway.
Jimin abruptly gets up from her seat and follows the girl outside. “What’s up, Minjeong?”
Minjeong suddenly shoves a lunch box wrapped up in this baby blue cloth with little dinosaurs decorating it. Jimin stares back at the younger girl with widened eyes.
“No way…” Jimin feels touched, already feeling her stomach grumble at the faint scent of deliciousness inside.
Minjeong looks bashful than usual as she lightly smacks her arm. “You said y-you wanted to try out my mom’s cooking so I-I told her to make another batch for you.”
Jimin grins ear to ear before pulling the girl in a side hug. Minjeong sputters at the sudden close contact and she has the urge to poke those rosy cheeks.
“Thank you, Mindoongie! You actually saved me from starvation.” Jimin sighs in relief as she leans her weight on the shorter girl who starts complaining when they start stumbling.
Minjeong attempts to push her off. “Get off before I take your food back!”
Jimin laughs loudly as she gives her mercy and they decide to eat together in the cafeteria. As expected, Minjeong’s mom’s cooking is just too good to pass up. She asks Minjeong if she would cook for her someday and the only thing she receives is an angry kick on her foot under the cafeteria table.
But despite the embarrassed reaction Minjeong gives her, the younger girl is secretly planning to give her another lunch box containing her own cooking next week.
Karina jerks her head up when she hears her boss shouting her name. She almost drops the coffee holder as she rushes to her side and looks over at the table filled with their concept sketches.
“Please tell me I’m not losing it or does this color look muddy to you?” Seulgi naturally takes a coffee from her hold and takes a frustrated sip.
Karina carefully looks over at the fabric that’s presented and frowns. “Yeah, maybe something a little lighter like…” she reaches out to another fabric that’s sitting among the pile and gives it to Seulgi.
She watches her stare at it and compare the new fabric to the darker one before nodding her head. “Yes, good. Tell the others to keep the colors in this tone. It would look good on her skin.”
Once they decide on the textile needed to construct their piece, the staff bring in the mannequins and other tools. In the blink of an eye, they have made significant progress and the workroom is already a huge mess. Karina almost trips on a huge roll of a plaid pattern and quickly places it on a proper place before someone else falls victim to it.
It’s been a week since their first meeting with Kim Winter and Karina feels proud by the amount of hard work everyone has placed in this project. It seems everyone is just as enthusiastic and brimming with passion when they hear that they’ll be giving new clothing to the singer. Despite her team doing an excellent job at maintaining the air of secrecy around Winter, it seems that doesn’t stop the rumors from circulating around the building about how pretty she is.
Karina can’t blame them— even though she had a few admirers herself, Minjeong has grown into a beautiful lady and it’s very difficult to feel normal about it. Giselle teased her one time that her obvious crush on the younger woman is resurfacing (on another note, Giselle is oblivious to the fact that Kim Winter and Kim Minjeong are the same person so Karina only talks about Kim Minjeong to her). Karina doesn’t deny it but she doesn’t want to acknowledge it either— she’ll deal with it after once she’s done with this project.
When the late afternoon sky greets her, Karina quickly contacts Ning Yizhuo’s number that she acquired after getting acquainted with the stylist.
“Miss Yoo?”
“Miss Yizhuo, did you receive our photos?” She checks her watch as she stands in front of her car.
She hears the clicking sound of the mouse and keyboard before Yizhuo hums.
“Yup! Me and the team are currently discussing it right now. We have a fair idea of how we want to construct Miss Winter’s look and it’s not too bad to go for a classy look.”
Karina switches on the ignition of her car and it rumbles to life. “Any idea will greatly help our progress over here. Expect me to swing by in about thirty minutes? It’ll be better to talk about this in person.”
“Of course! Miss Winter is also here checking in on the pictures.”
The mention of her name makes her smile. “Great, see you all soon.”
“Please don’t tell me my hair is going to be that color.”
So apparently, life can’t always go smoothly without obstacles. Karina expects this to happen when trying to appeal to her superiors and gaining approval from her clientele. But she doesn’t expect Winter to be so defiant of the majority of their ideas.
Yizhuo scrambles to pick up a different hair sample and Karina can see how Winter grimaces at the sight.
“Oh god, no no no. Absolutely not that color. And I’ve been trying to grow out my hair so don’t make me cut it again.” Winter consciously brushes her hands through her hair.
Yizhuo puts a hand on her hip— equally as stubborn as her artist. “I told you to not worry about that. By the time the event comes around, your hair will be long enough that we won’t need too many extensions.”
When Winter doesn’t respond, Karina steps forward to prevent the conflict from going further.
Karina looks over at Winter with a gentle look. “Do you really hate it that bad?”
Both of them look at the hair sample again and Winter’s expression morphs from disgust to conflicted. “I don’t even know. I haven’t tried that color before so it’s intimidating to imagine it on me.”
“Then you should branch out of your comfort zone and try out different looks. Besides, we have plenty of time to experiment here and there.” Karina knows that’s a damn lie since Seulgi says she has no time to construct different kinds of dresses and see which one fits her the most.
Too much resources are being poured on other teams already so they can’t hog it all to themselves and risk Bae Irene reprimanding them.
But the little lie seems to reassure the singer as she grows shy and looks back at Yizhuo. “Sorry about being difficult, Ning. I’ll try it out.”
“Are you sure? We’re not going to force you.” Yizhuo steps closer and rubs her back. “We can come up with something else—“
Winter shakes her head. “I’m sure. It probably won’t be too bad.”
Everyone in the room collectively relax once they see that Winter has been calmed. Unknown to Karina, they all silently thank her for stepping in.
Yizhuo is back to her chirpy mood once she receives the green light and begins showing pictures of a variety of hairstyles they want to try out. Winter takes the longest time to decide on this department but eventually, she accepts two or three haircuts. Karina quickly shoots her boss a text about the new development happening here.
“Great job, Karina. Just make sure to remind them to not go heavy on the makeup. Maybe putting tiny gems or a faint blush won't be a bad idea either.”
She relays the message to the makeup team and they get to work on painting their artist’s face. A variety of looks gets approved so she makes sure to take a picture of each of them as reference. They do a good job checking between the photos Karina’s team sent and incorporating it to her makeup looks that she’s sure they’re going to have a hard time deciding which one to settle on.
“Karina, cut down on the looks. We can’t afford to accept every look. I need at most two makeup and hairstyle looks before the day ends.”
She sighs at the scolding text she receives and eventually they decide to settle on two looks that they’re sure about. As she watches the makeup team work on Winter, she can already imagine the bigger picture and she hums to herself at the thought.
They finish at six in the evening once Seulgi approves the two looks she asked for. Karina makes sure to thank the staff member for their hard work before she makes her way to her car. What she doesn’t expect to see is Minjeong and Wendy following her to the parking lot. She thinks that it’s just a coincidence and that their company car is nearby but Minjeong stops her.
Karina turns around with a confused look and a hushed voice. “Anything else, Miss Winter?”
Not used to this professional side of Jimin, Minjeong blinks up at her for a few seconds until she laughs sheepishly behind her hand.
“Ah, I-I just wanted to invite you to this barbecue place that my manager and I are going to. Yizhuo is also going to be there.”
Jimin furrows her brows before checking her phone. “And when is this?”
“Uhm, 8 pm? You can come at 9 if you’re too busy.” Minjeong checks back at her manager to make sure she’s right. “Yes, that time will be fine for us.”
Jimin thinks about it for a second and it’s hard when her brain keeps freezing at the sight of Minjeong doing those stupid puppy eyes. It’s worse that she’s unaware that it’s a habit that she does when she’s trying to get Jimin to accept something— she doesn’t want to admit how badly it affects her.
The workaholic in her fights with her softer side for a minute until she releases a tired sigh. Fuck it, she can just do them early in the morning.
“Yeah, I can hang out with you guys. I’ll bring in my friend Aeri too.” When she receives a pointed glance from Minjeong, she is quick to add. “Of course, she doesn’t know what you look like so we can all pretend you’re just another staff member.”
Minjeong seems to accept those conditions and expresses how she feels bad for keeping it a secret to Jimin’s friend. She reassures her that Aeri isn’t the type to hold grudges about those kinds of things.
Jimin drives back to her apartment when Seulgi gives her the go ahead and assures her that she deserves to take a break before next week comes. Jimin knows that they’re going to be even more busy from here on out so she tries to keep her boss’ advice in mind before rushing back to her apartment to change into her casual clothes.
When she comes to pick up Aeri from their company building after finishing her own work, they make their way to the restaurant Minjeong told her about.
“Wow, I can’t believe I’m going to eat with the infamous designer Yoo Karina.” Aeri teases with a short jab on her arm as they make their way inside.
Jimin rolls her eyes. “Please behave before I second guess and drive you back home.”
Aeri doesn’t promise herself that and before Jimin can make her, they see Wendy waving them over to their table with a big grin. As they sit down with them, Jimin takes a short glance at Minjeong who is wearing a flannel shirt, graphic shirt inside and loose washed jeans. She tries not to stare too hard at the charming look, shifting her focus instead on Wendy and Yizhuo making conversation with her.
Jimin tells them that she won’t be drinking tonight as a designated driver and also because she has to go to work early tomorrow. Aeri warms up to them quickly as she introduces herself as Jimin’s colleague.
Yizhuo snaps her fingers. “You’re one of Baephrodite’s fashion journalists, right? I’m a big fan of your articles.”
Jimin is relieved to see that they quickly click together and seem to share the same humor. As expected of Aeri’s natural candid charm, everyone always tends to gravitate towards her.
Compared to Jimin, everyone mostly knows her as Yoo Karina and assistant designer of Kang Seulgi. While she tries to keep humble about it, there’s no denying that she has made many iconic clothes that people come to respect her as a trustworthy designer. But this also makes people find it difficult to approach her. It doesn’t help that her facial expression looks icy and sharp (Giselle’s description). This year’s fashion week proved that she was someone who has a lot of potential to make a big name for herself. Everyone expects her to host her own runway shows like her predecessors and Jimin dreams of that day to come true.
She spills that fact to others on the table when asked about her future plans. Minjeong has been relatively quiet the whole dinner except when she’s throwing quick and sarcastic remarks to join in on the fun. But every now and then, the both of them exchange eye contact. Jimin doesn’t get the shy smile being given to her and she isn’t going to complain about a cute thing like that.
She feels someone under the table nudge her shoe and she knows it’s Aeri from the way her eyes are sparkling with mischief.
“So… that’s Kim Minjeong, huh? Must be fate that you two met at Kim Winter’s agency.”
Jimin is slightly glad that Aeri has no fucking idea because she can’t wait to make fun of her once the big reveal happens. But she tries to calm herself down when Aeri keeps poking fun at her to the point that she has the urge to actually drink.
But her self-control is something she’s proud about so she doesn’t give in to her teasing remarks and maintains her composure. She can’t afford to embarrass herself in front of these people, especially Minjeong.
But she should have known that Aeri isn’t one to back down. Her eyes widen when her attention is turned towards Minjeong.
Aeri leans forward with her beer in hand. “Can you tell me anything about Miss Karina’s childhood?”
Jimin is silently praying for Minjeong to see the way she is silently asking for help from her disgruntled face. But she should have known that her friend isn’t one to waste an opportunity to tease the living hell out of her.
“Actually—“
“Kim Minjeong.” Jimin clears her throat.
She only receives a raised brow before she continues. “There’s this one time Jimin—“
And the rest of that night was history that Jimin wants to forget (she actually enjoyed it and promised that they’ll go on another outing like this).
“Should I grow my hair out?” Minjeong asks as she looks at herself in front of the vanity mirror.
Jimin lifts her head from her textbook and hums in thought. “What makes you think that? I thought you liked having short hair?”
Minjeong cradles her locks of hair in her hands. “I don’t know. You said you were curious what I would look like with long hair because you've never seen it before and now I’m kinda considering it.”
“Well, it’s your choice either way. Don’t let my opinion sway you.” Jimin closes her textbook and approaches the younger girl from behind.
Minjeong stiffens when she feels her hands drift under her scalp and brush through her hair. Jimin hums as she stares too close at her face that’s slowly growing red from the close proximity. Jimin plays with her hair for a bit before chuckling at the shy look on her face.
Minjeong tries to compose herself as she stares back at the mirror. She ignores the way Jimin is looking at her with those fond eyes— it’s almost suffocating to know that Jimin is unaware of how she is looking at her. It’s just so unfair that she’s the only one who gets flustered.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself! I’m n-not doing this for you…” Minjeong huffs under her breath as she brushes off Jimin’s hands.
The older girl tilts her head with a curious smile. “Whatever haircut you have, you will always look so pretty.”
Minjeong makes a flustered sound at her words before shoving her back to the bed. “G-go back to studying!”
“What? I’m just stating the truth. I still remember the amount of people that gave you gifts during Valentine’s.“ Jimin picks up her book again and opens it to the section she was reading on.
Minjeong only grumbles at her. “You were also getting a lot of them, Miss popular girl.”
Jimin shakes her head. While she does enjoy the attention she’s getting, nothing comes close to how Minjeong gives her attention. In fact during those days where friends or couples give each other gifts, she always looks forward to Minjeong’s gift. It’s just so fun to tease her when the younger girl likes to pretend to be upset when she’s enjoying it too. Of course, she tries to keep that to herself or else she’ll get kicked out of Minjeong’s room.
For the rest of the semester, Minjeong decides to grow her hair out and she can’t forget the way the younger girl proudly shows it off to her. Jimin tries to hide how affected she is by her pretty appearance and projects her feelings through endless teasing and compliments.
Unbeknownst to Minjeong, Jimin is genuine about them.
“Would a lip ring be too much?” Seulgi huffs as she looks at the accessories splayed out on the wide table. “Is that something she would be willing to wear?”
It’s been a month since they started this and they have managed to decide on what kind of dress to construct for Kim Winter. They have somewhat decided on what kind of accessories she’ll be wearing. Something that’s not too big or heavy but it should still be eye-catching.
Karina is inspecting one of the necklaces. “Miss Winter told me that she’s fine with anything as long as it’s comfortable to her face.”
“Then it should be a subtle one then.” Seulgi nods her head after picking up a specific lip ring and ordering one of her staff to get more lip rings that’s similar to what she’s holding.
Karina gets called again when Seulgi is having a difficult time holding a bundle of fabrics together on the hip of the dress. She puts her hands to work and follows along the subtle flowery imagery on the bow.
Seulgi crosses her arms as she steps back from the mannequin while Karina has tied a fabric around the bust area.
“Backless would look so gorgeous and accentuate this hip area more.” As soon as Seulgi comments that, Karina lowers the back of the fabric so the back of the mannequin’s waist shows.
Seulgi claps her hands. “Yes, yes. That’s good. We’ll just tie it down and put a casing that’s kind of like a corset underneath the fabric to show off her curves.”
Karina tries not to think too hard of the backless image of Minjeong. She has seen it before during their fitting sessions but it still causes her ears to burn at the thought. Thankfully, her boss is oblivious to her incredibly unprofessional thoughts— she needs to get a hold of herself.
“How about the long gloves I told you about? We still need to decide if we want it satin or laced.” Seulgi rubs her chin as her hand reaches out to brush down the dress.
Karina hums. “Definitely black satin. I checked the lace and it’s a bit too excessive.”
Seulgi nods her head at her, trusting her judgment. It’s still a surprise to Karina that Seulgi can just easily accept some of her ideas sometimes without double checking herself.
In just a month and half, they’ll be done with the outfit styling and Kim Winter will make a big reveal at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. To Karina, it’s still surreal that the singer is making a big decision like this after staying away from the public eye for so long. Soon, she’s going to see her walk out of the red carpet with the dress that she contributed on and sing on the stage with it.
They decided to keep her face covered during the red carpet to create anticipation and buzz with the media and the public. Winter is looking forward to that moment as well and everyone who is involved with her has their excitement building up to the max.
Even though it hasn’t happened yet, she feels incredibly proud of her for making it this far in the industry. It’s difficult to maintain stardom as a celebrity and even more so when one is a faceless singer. But despite the challenges and doubts some people had on her, Winter and her agency have done a terrific job on keeping the spotlight focused on her and trust that her music will touch people’s hearts.
After another productive work day has passed, Jimin receives an invite via text message from Minjeong. She wants her to visit her while she goes to record a song for her new album that’s coming out after the award show. As someone who is secretly a fan of her best friend, she immediately accepts the offer and comes rushing to her company with takeout food in hand.
The staff members look at her with curiosity with a mix of fear upon seeing Yoo Karina taking long strides with her still dressed up for work. She would have changed into normal clothes but she learned her lesson from her superiors to never dress too casually in public, especially when she is slowly getting into the limelight herself. People trust designers like her if they show that they have a good sense of fashion.
The weather has been getting colder so she wore her irregularly-designed suit jacket over her turtleneck and a loose pantsuit. But she changed her footwear from heels to these all-white sneaker platforms that she recently bought, pairing up with these tinted designer glasses. It’s meant to be a business casual look but to her dismay, people are still whispering about how scary she looks.
At least Minjeong complimented her look when she sent an OOTD mirror selfie to her earlier. Embarrassingly, that’s the only reason why she kept this outfit.
She takes a pic of her face sulking and sends it to Minjeong.
Yooji: [1 image sent]
Yooji: I’m getting lost in your huge ass building. Can you meet me in the lobby instead?
Mindoongie: lol alright, stay put. I’ll come get you.
Jimin laughs at the animated emoticon of a little puppy running and obediently waits. She worries that the food is going to get cold. But fortunately, Minjeong arrives and drags her to one of the elevators.
“I should have done this sooner anyway since you can’t get access to some of the floors here.” Minjeong chuckles as she presses a certain floor number and presents her ID card to the scanner. They have a similar system in their own building and Jimin has clearance to almost every floor.
Jimin takes the time to check the singer’s outfit today. Minjeong has always kept herself simple and clean yet maintaining a youthful appearance so she isn’t surprised to see her wearing an oversized shirt tucked into her high-waisted jeans.
Minjeong pulls down her face mask and flashes a lopsided smile as she scans Jimin from head to toe. “I can’t imagine trying to look good in public all the time. I still remember when you didn’t follow the dress code of our school dance and decided to wear a shirt and jeans.”
Jimin gives her a halfhearted glare. “You’ll be doing the same thing soon enough once you show yourself to the public.”
The elevator reaches the floor and Jimin follows the singer through the hallway. She watches her greet the staff there and they get surprised seeing Yoo Karina visiting. She tries to appear amicable by bowing and waving but that doesn’t seem to work as they rush to get out of their way.
“But once that happens, you’ll be there to dress me up right?” Minjeong stops in front of the recording studio and Jimin can see that there’s a few people in there already.
Jimin stares back at her and there’s a hopeful look on her face as if she is actually expecting to dress her up after all this. A heavy promise that sounds too much like something else—maybe she’s just overthinking it.
Jimin smiles. “Sure. But I wouldn’t want to take away Miss Yizhuo’s job.”
Minjeong chuckles before opening up the door. She shakes hands with the producers while Minjeong transforms into her work mode self as she discusses the vocal direction of her new song. Jimin is excited to watch how Kim Winter records her songs and what kind of album she’ll be releasing.
Karina silently watches as Winter and the producer start their session. She feels goosebumps form at how she effortlessly hits notes and how she can easily bend her voice in certain ways. To her untrained ears, everything sounds perfect but she should have expected that Winter is a perfectionist of her work. The vocal director is there to guide Winter through it by giving her advice on how to show her emotion through the lyrics.
Karina can tell that this is on the more ballad side of her music. She usually prefers dance or pop songs so she surprises herself when she starts liking the slow song. Maybe it’s because it’s Kim Winter that’s singing it but that would be really embarrassing if it’s true.
When their recording session ends, Karina gives an exaggerated standing ovation to Winter who only throws her a look of feigned annoyance. Karina is glad that she bought enough food because everyone is starving afterwards.
“I shouldn’t be eating this because of my diet…” Winter murmurs but she is still eating a slice of pizza.
Karina is the same way since she’s also going to be dressed up for the day of the award show. But it won’t hurt to indulge in some junk food once in a while. Winter tells the others to keep this a secret from her manager and everyone laughs about it.
Winter and the staff talk a little bit more about their next recording session while Karina focuses on how attractive she looks when she has that serious expression on her face. It doesn’t help that she looks quite dashing with her short hair with that cap on. Yoo Jimin wonders if it’s really okay for her to admire her friend like this in front of everyone. When Minjeong shoots her an innocent smile, she decides that she should really stop it.
Minjeong and Jimin walk out of the building together. Wendy was supposed to pick her up but she told her manager that Jimin can drive her home instead.
“Oh yeah, this is my first time visiting your place.” Jimin turns on the engine and drives her car off the parking lot. Minjeong puts her address on the car’s navigation system.
Minjeong yawns as she snuggles into the passenger seat with her. “True, you haven’t seen what it looks like.”
“You must be living in a penthouse or something. The amount of hit songs you have are absurd.” Jimin snickers when she hears a groan beside her.
“It’s nothing like that at all.” Minjeong sighs as she rests her eyes. “All those rumors about me owning fancy stuff isn’t true.”
Jimin knows Minjeong isn’t a materialistic person despite how the media likes to portray her as such. “But it’s true that you have a lot of money. Probably more than me.”
Minjeong snorts at her. “No way. How could I ever compare to Yoo Karina?”
“Hey, you’re a bigger name than I am. I’m still an assistant.” Jimin stops in front of a red light and gives her a nudge.
Before Minjeong can fight back, she yawns again and she tries to hide it under the blanket. Jimin gives her a glance.
Jimin reaches for something behind them and offers a water bottle to her. Minjeong murmurs her gratitude before drinking it with big gulps. The coldness of the water somewhat wakes the singer from her drowsy mood and they continue their comfortable conversation throughout the car ride.
“Are you sure you can stay for the night? How about Rina? I don’t want to disturb your work again…” Minjeong is standing in front of her with a dangerously cute pout and matching pajamas.
Jimin is currently holding the other pair. “Rina is currently with my parents since I’ve been busy. Besides, as long as I sleep early then it won’t be bad. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
Minjeong doesn’t seem convinced but she relents and lets Jimin borrow the bathroom. Jimin is reminded of the times they used to hold sleepovers together and the familiarity makes her smile like a fool. She manages to calm herself down once she steps out and enters Minjeong’s bedroom.
Her home isn’t as big as Jimin’s but she can see that she has bought some high quality furniture. An unsurprising thing to see since Minjeong has always focused on technical and comfort stuff rather than aesthetic. Jimin is still fascinated by the smart refrigerator she owns and Minjeong jokes about how it’s there for bragging rights.
Jimin finds Minjeong writing something on what looks like a journal. Feeling incredibly nosy, she tries to approach and take a peek but the younger woman is quick to hide it from her.
Minjeong sends her a warning look as she shuts closed her journal. “This is supposed to be a secret.”
“Come on, I just want to see one page. I promise I won’t make fun of you.” Jimin tries to charm her with her own puppy eyes but it seems she’s still too reluctant to share.
She isn’t exactly impressed when Jimin starts annoying her with whining noises. She had to threaten the older woman that she’ll get kicked out if she tries to look at her journal and Jimin can tell that she’s serious about it.
Jimin eventually behaves and sits beside her on the bed. “Is it like a diary or something?”
“Kind of? I also write some lyrics in it whenever I feel inspired.” Minjeong hums as she stores her journal in her bedside drawer.
Jimin smiles at her. “Ooh, I didn’t know you also wrote lyrics. Have you written any of your songs?”
Minjeong gives her an amused look. “A few of them, yeah. I’m surprised you didn’t check when a little birdie told me you were a big fan of me.”
Now it’s her turn to feel embarrassed. She attempts to calm herself but she curses at the heat entering her face. Minjeong laughs at her flustered expression.
“Oh my god, I was just teasing you. It’s actually true!”
Jimin shakes her head and hides her red face with her hands. “That’s not- well, y-you're not wrong but- who t-the hell told you that?”
“Aeri-unnie told me that you frequently listen to my songs at work.” Minjeong giggles as she starts cheekily poking Jimin.
Jimin releases a frustrated groan and swears to kill Aeri next time she sees her. Aeri was probably telling Minjeong about how she has a celebrity crush on Kim Winter. “Since when did you two talk in private?”
“I got her number after eating barbecue together. We don’t text a lot but some of the things she shares about you is…” Minjeong snorts as the older woman makes a defeated noise and slumps against the headboard.
Jimin doesn’t even want to look at her. “Please tell me they aren’t bad…”
Minjeong hugs her knees in her arms. “They aren’t! It’s actually cute that you listen to my music. You should have told me you were a fan. Otherwise, I would have given you a signed album.”
“I’m going to kill Aeri.” Jimin grumbles under her breath. “What else has she told you?”
Minjeong pretends to think for a second. “Well, she told me how you also bought my merch and kept that Winter plushie in your room.”
Jimin feels her neck and face burning like hot lava. “I will kill that woman…”
“But unnie …” oh no, that tone sounds dangerous. Jimin looks at her incredulously. “I’m jealous that you tell these things to Aeri-unnie and not me. Doesn’t it make more sense if you confess something like that to me?”
Jimin swallows when Minjeong leans closer until their shoulders and legs brush together under the blanket. “I-it’s too embarrassing to tell you those kinds of things. You weren’t supposed to know that.”
“But it’s cute! Tell me if you want anything and I’ll give it to you.” Minjeong’s lower lip juts out and Jimin tries not to stare at her lips too hard.
As much as the offer sounds tempting, the thought of Minjeong aka Kim Winter giving favoritism and giving things away for free to her alone makes her want to disappear into the ground— she doesn’t want to take advantage of that kindness. Besides, she likes to keep her fangirl side and her friendship separate with Minjeong.
“You really don’t have to do that.” Jimin waves her off.
Minjeong chuckles and gives Jimin a pinch on her cheek. “Fine, fine. But I give away VIP concert tickets to my family and you’re not an exception, unnie.”
Jimin tries not to die at the thought of Minjeong considering her as familial. But there is also a disappointed part of her that thinks about how Minjeong might only see her as family and not… a potential partner.
“You know, I understand now why you like to tease me. You’re quite cute like this.” Minjeong nudges her shoulder.
Jimin suddenly gets up from the bed. “I’m sleeping on your couch.”
“Unnie, don’t be like that!” Minjeong laughs at the sulking woman in front of her.
Oh, she wants to take a picture of her right now. The impossible sight of Yoo Karina throwing a fit in those cute pajamas is something she wants to keep for herself. Maybe she can even use that kind of picture to trade information about Jimin’s secrets to Aeri.
But her devious plans are shoved to the side when Jimin seems serious about sleeping elsewhere. Minjeong begs for her to come back and Jimin curses herself once again for being weak for the younger woman.
Even though Minjeong wanted to stay up and talk until they passed out, she also wants Jimin to sleep early so that she won’t be late for work tomorrow. They lay down in bed together with their backs against each other. Jimin counts from one to hundred to make herself fall asleep but she is hyper aware of Minjeong shuffling behind her.
She hears her make a sleepy croak before whispering in the calm darkness. “Unnie, have you dated anyone before?”
The random question catches Jimin off-guard but she replies honestly. “I dated this girl back in college. It lasted for a few months, I think.”
She can’t see what Minjeong looks like but there’s a pause before she hears her hum. Jimin almost jumps when she feels warmth closing in behind her. A hand starts tracing mindless patterns on her back and she tries not to squirm away at how ticklish it is.
“That’s it? Just one person?” Minjeong genuinely sounds like she’s in disbelief. She can already imagine those cute eyebrows scrunching up.
“What made you ask tha-“ Jimin squeaks when she feels her arms suddenly wrap around her waist. “M-Minjeong?”
She can feel her breath tickling the back of her neck. “Just curious…”
Jimin knows that isn’t the whole truth but she’s currently busy fighting for her life trying not to jump away from Minjeong’s back hug. She can feel her heart squeeze when her arms tighten around her.
“Y-yeah, just that one girl. It wasn’t serious or anything which is why it didn’t last. I tried out blind dates but then either I didn’t feel connected to that person or I was just too busy to invest in a relationship.” Jimin whispers as she recalls getting texts about how disappointed her dates are about her commitment.
Jimin turns her body to take a look and Minjeong lets her do so but she’s still hiding her face on the pillow. The ridiculous sight makes the older woman chuckle.
She hesitantly places a hand on Minjeong’s hip, rubbing her up and down in a comforting manner. “Why are you hiding? This seems like it isn’t just a curiosity thing.”
Minjeong makes a whining noise. “It’s really… nothing.”
“I don’t believe you one bit.” Jimin pokes her cheek— unable to tell if they’re red or not because of how dark it is. “Sounds like you have something else to say.”
Finally, Minjeong lifts her face and she’s surprised by how close they are. Jimin tries to move away but the arms wrapped tightly around her waist prevents her.
She can almost see the pout. “Are you interested in dating someone now? Would you be open to that?”
Jimin is taken aback by how vulnerable and soft Minjeong sounds. There’s a slight shakiness in her voice as if it was the hardest thing to ask her. Jimin can sense something more going on but she doesn’t want to jump into conclusions. She needs confirmation that she isn’t the only one feeling differently about their friendship.
“I-I do have someone in mind.” Jimin surprised herself with how honest she is— maybe it’s because she is getting sleepy and the feeling of her comforting arms has managed to break her guard down.
Minjeong squirms beside her. “Do you mind… telling me who?”
“I can give you hints.” Jimin collects her remaining courage and shuffles closer, surprising the younger woman.
“She’s pretty, about the same height as you, looks good with short hair, has a beautiful voice, likes cute dogs, and likes to eat a lot of snacks.” Jimin nervously chuckles when she can feel Minjeong about to get up from her position. “But I’m not sure if she feels the same way…”
Minjeong lets a gasp slip through her lips and Jimin doesn’t know if she wants her to realize who it is or not. But from what she can tell, Minjeong is staring with wide eyes as if everything is starting to click in her head. For some reason, this makes her even more anxious about how she would respond.
There’s a possibility that she went too far and managed to scare her off— that’s the worst thing that could happen. These feelings can remain dormant all she wants as long as Jimin is able to keep Minjeong by her side.
But just when she is starting to feel the guilt creeping up on her, Minjeong suddenly tugs her close and fully embraces her.
“Minjeong?” Jimin stutters out as she tries to pull away and take a good look at her. But Minjeong shakes her head and nuzzles her face against her chest.
That's when Jimin stiffens her body at how warm and soft she feels against her. She can smell her shampoo with her face so close to the crown of her head. She isn’t sure how to respond to the sudden hug so she timidly wraps her arms around her shoulders and pats her back.
After doing that for a couple minutes, she can feel Minjeong visibly relax in her arms and release a deep exhale.
Jimin presses her cheek against the top of her head. “Want to tell me what this hug is about?” She already knows but she needs to make sure she’s right.
“I-I have someone in mind too…” Minjeong utters against her shoulder, pulling her impossibly closer until their legs are tangled now.
Jimin’s mouth suddenly feels dry— her brain running a hundred laps. “Y-yeah?”
She feels Minjeong nod against her. “She’s m-my childhood friend, likes to tease a lot, is scary-looking but is actually a s-sweetheart, has a good voice too, a big eater, and has a great fashion sense.”
Jimin can feel her world shift as if the stars above them start to align together. The closeness and intimacy of the night causes her heart to swell up that she’s afraid it will pop any second. Jimin releases a shaky laugh as she nuzzles Minjeong’s shoulder and breathes in the scent of her clothes— she can feel her doing the same thing.
It’s as if their hearts have connected and formed a special bond that they’ve been hiding from one another after all these years. Jimin wonders why she hadn’t done this before after remembering all the times Minjeong treated her— looking at her with such warmth and gentleness she found from no one else. Jimin wonders for a second if this is a dream— if she already fell asleep a long time ago and this is her mind playing a cruel joke on her. But the way Minjeong holds her tighter as if she’s afraid that she’ll disappear, it seems too real to be all made up in her imagination.
She knows exactly what this is but not yet . There’s still much to be done and then, she can properly profess her feelings out loud that she’s so afraid to commit to.
“Wait for me.” Jimin mutters with bated breath. “Everything f-feels so surreal right now, s-so…”
Minjeong seems to get what she’s trying to say as she nods her head. “Y-yeah, I can wait for us. We still have work to do…”
And this vulnerable moment makes her wish that she doesn’t have to wait. Jimin knows that if she pulls away now, she won’t be able to hold herself back from kissing her senseless. Even thinking about it causes her face to explode with heat— her hands are trembling as she clings onto Minjeong.
But there’s also a sense of relief that she isn’t the only one who is affected by this nerve wracking moment. Minjeong seems just as frazzled and tense about the whole thing. Jimin wonders if she’s hallucinating through it all but she thinks otherwise when she can feel her heart beating loudly.
God, she isn’t sure anymore. At least she knows for certain that Minjeong feels the same way and that’s still unbelievable to her. Now, she’s worried if she'll be able to sleep peacefully with this new revelation in mind.
Surprisingly, she is able to after she hears Minjeong say goodnight and fall asleep in her arms. Just this once, Jimin allows herself to be selfish and presses a fleeting kiss on her head.
She just can’t help it. She had to do it or else she’ll be restless for the remainder of the night.