You're The One I Want | Winrina

Middle School Level Bullshit

"Are you trying to set me up with someone?" she said, trying to keep her voice light.

Minjeong shrugged. "Maybe."

Jimin felt her throat go dry. How had the conversation turned to this?

"Trust me, I don't need to be set up with anyone," she said.

Unless it's with you.

The words bubbled up inside her – over the course of the day, any romantic tryst she'd had before had faded into the background; whenever she tried to bring forth an image of anyone she'd like to date, all she saw was Minjeong's face, shining like a beacon, and she had to forcibly put the thought out of her mind. Minjeong doesn't like you that way.

"Besides," Jimin said, casting a look over towards her again, a small smile playing on her lips. "What would my parents say if they found out I was cheating on 'that very lovely girl you brought to the reunion'?"

Minjeong grinned at that. "Yeah. I guess dating can wait for a month or two," she said, stretching her arms up in the air and letting out a long yawn, her head tipping back as she did so.

Jimin swallowed. "That's not... going to cause too many problems for you, is it?"

"Nah," Minjeong said, breezily. "I was thinking I should take a break from it anyway."

All at once, Jimin felt a mixture of relief and disappointment flipping over in her stomach, and then got angry with herself, her fingers gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Seriously though," Jimin said, wondering how many times she could say this and feel like it was enough – like she didn't need to ask again, just to make sure. "You don't have to do this."

Minjeong narrowed her eyes at her again, and Jimin felt like she was under scrutiny. "Did you have fun today?"

She didn't even have to think before she answered. "Yes."

"And do you want keep this up?" Minjeong asked.

"Only if you don't mind," Jimin said.

Minjeong rolled her eyes. "That wasn't what I asked. Do you want to keep this up?"

She hesitated before answering the question. "Yes."

Minjeong leaned back into the seat, her fingers lacing together behind her head, a satisfied smile on her face. "Then I'll do it," she said. "Besides, your parents are nice, and I wouldn't say no to a little break from work."

"I can't believe you would willingly want to spend time with my parents," Jimin said, shaking her head a little.

She raised an eyebrow. "Your parents are fine, Jimin-shi."

Minjeong was about to say more, but she was interrupted by a large yawn that rolled through her body, so instead she wriggled down into her seat, tucked her legs up by her chest again, and closed her eyes.

Not long after that, her breathing slowed and she was asleep.

It was quiet now in the car, and Jimin felt the absence of Minjeong's voice deeply, replaced with gentle breathing and the occasional snore. The hour's drive they still had to go to get back to the town they both lived in seemed to be taking forever now.

She couldn't help but keep sneaking glances over towards her. Her sleeping face was lit up by the gentle blue glow of the clock on the dashboard, and she could just about make out her features in the soft light, small and peaceful. She looked so calm.

Somehow, it soothed Jimin, and she found a small smile tugging at her lips. A stray piece of hair had slipped from Minjeong's bun across her face, and her hand itched to reach out and tuck it behind her ear, but she kept her hand solidly on the steering wheel, forcing herself not to move. She was not going to wake her, not if she could possibly help it.