Shutters and Strings - MICHAENG

3

After parting ways with Chaeyoung, instead of heading over to the bakery to start her shift, Mina sent her mother a quick message letting her know that she wouldn't be able to show up later, and instead, turned in the direction of the house she shared with her other best friend.

As she walked, she caught herself taking multiple glances at her hand, where Chaeyoung had written her number. Her hand still felt the tingling sensation from where Chaeyoung had grabbed it. She tried to remember the feeling she had felt and she found herself blushing at the memory. She pulled on her sleeves and smiled. She didn't need her overcoat at the moment, since the memory of her conversation with Chaeyoung kept her warm.

Wait a minute...

The overcoat...

"Oh my god, don't tell me I left it with her." Mina nearly cursed to herself, stopping in place to look down at her outfit. She sighed as the realization hit her. She shuddered and placed both hands on her shoulders, trying to keep herself warm now.

"Sana is gonna kill me." She breathed out, placing a hand on her face in embarrassment. Sana. Her other best friend here in Japan. Sana has always been overprotective of Mina because she was the youngest between her and Momo, and it only seemed to amp up more once they both decided to live together. Just thinking of Sana scolding Mina for showing up to the house with no layers in this kind of weather made her wince with each step.

To keep herself distracted from Sana, Mina's mind started to slowly shift from her best friend to the small encounter she had with Chaeyoung, and now, she couldn't help but let out a huge quiet smile. She was both happy and excited to get the opportunity to know the short blonde. Mina even thought of it as a possible opportunity to pursue something else with the girl. She seemed interesting, carefree, fun, and Chaeyoung even had that hint of rebellion, which was a nice contradiction to Mina's typical shyness and will to follow the rules. She wanted to know more about her, and what the other would bring to her life. However, she knew she couldn't pursue anything at the same time. For one, she didn't even know if the other girl was taken and in a healthy and committed relationship, two, she didn't know if the other girl even had an attraction to girls, and three, would her career even let her? This made Mina slow down in her tracks at the thought. Chaeyoung had previously mentioned that she was from Korea and that they were only doing a few shows here. There would realistically not be enough time to form a real connection... so should she even bother? Mina shook her head. She was getting way too ahead of herself for thinking like this, which made her feel a small pang in her heart.

We could still be friends, right?

After a few more minutes of walking, she started climbing the few steps to their shared house. She fumbled with the keys and clicked the door open.

"Hey, I'm home." She announced, kicking off her boots and placing them by the door. She swung the camera bag around her body and took it off, carefully placing it on a table nearby.

"Home already?" She heard a distant voice call out to her from somewhere in their kitchen.

"Yeah, I was actual-"

"Mina... where's your coat? Don't tell me you left like that." Sana sighed, walking up to her and motioning a hand at her outfit. Mina rolled her eyes and was already mentally preparing herself for the lecture Sana was about to give her. But instead, Sana resorted to giving her a hug. After pulling apart, Sana gave Mina a small smack to the shoulder. "I can't afford to take care of you if you end up sick." She pouted, turning around to sit on their couch.

"Yeah right, knowing you, you'd tell your dad that you got sick as an excuse to take care of me," Mina joked sitting alongside her. Sana wrapped another arm around Mina and nodded, letting out another playful giggle.