Rain drops, cars passing through, the sound of rain and the two of them stayed there, lost in each other's eyes.
Minju looked down again and cried even harder.
"A-are you okay?" The latter stuttered and went to sit beside the woman. Patting her back, she's worried and she doesn't know why.
And she also wonders, why is she comforting someone? and.. when did she even learn to comfort when she can't even comfort herself.
"Here, please take it." She offered her handkerchief again and gladly, the girl took it.
Yujin stood up, she suddenly felt awkward. "I'm sorry, I'll just go now-" Must be weird for a person you just met to suddenly sit beside you and give you handkerchief then pat your back.
She was going to walk away, still feeling embarrassed and awkward when she felt the hem of her shirt being held. her eyes that instantly met the latter's teary eyes. "c-can you not.." the girl sniffed and can't find the right words to say.
She waited for a response but the latter didn't speak instead she hung her head low again without even letting go of her shirt.
Okay she knows what that means.
Yujin suppressed a smile and went to sit beside her again as she watched the rain pouring down, she can still feel Minju's grip on her shirt and next second, she felt a head leaning on her shoulder.
The girl has her eyes close but there's still tears in her eyes. Yujin of course didn't dare to move, she doesn't even mind.
Does she really fell asleep after crying? That's cute but I hope she's okay..
Yujin, she just sat there with Minju's head rested on her shoulder. Not that she minds or find it uncomfortable.. actually she likes it, she like the feeling.. also the feeling that her heart is actually beating really fast now.
Minutes later she felt the girl awake and seems that she was hesitating if she'll pull away, she just murmured 'it's okay' and Minju didn't move. She likes the feeling. They both did.
"You can sneeze on it, I don't mind." She suddenly mutters, okay she didn't purposely said that. But anyway Minju did sneezed on her handkerchief. It also seems like the girl is not crying that much anymore. I guess her little nap helped. Truth is, Yujin's presence was the one that helped.
Yujin doesn't mind waiting if it's like this.
She doesn't like the rain, the day her parents separated, it was raining and it reminds her of that. But somehow, she doesn't mind waiting for the rain to stop right now, rather she doesn't mind waiting and lend her shoulders for this girl to stop crying anymore.
-
"Thank you.. sorry for earlier, that must've been dramatic and such-"
"Are you okay?" Wow. Minju hated the fact of people cutting her off but why.. does the person infront of her seems worried, it felt so genuine. The fact that no others have been like this towards her other than her close friends and her mom.
They recently just met but why, does she feel so comforting?
Why do I feel happy that I have someone beside me right now, why do I feel glad that this girl was the one who saw me crying.
When I prefer to cry and carry all the burden alone?
"I'm.. alright, thank you. You brought my ID back earlier and then now, this. I don't know how I can return the favor back." said Minju while looking at the taller girl who's towering over her, she's waiting for the next bus. After all she missed the last one since she was crying.
"It's okay, no worries at all-"
Both of them stared at each other, one has her eyes widened with the loud sound that they just heard. Like a thunder.
Kim Minju, how embarrassing can you get?! The girl thought to herself as she looked at her tummy, great. It's rumbling, out of all the time it has to, it picked now.
She scratched her nape out of embarrassment, "I'm sorry I-" the time she looked at the latter and first thing she heard is a chuckle. A chuckle that made her heart beat faster, again.
Kim Minju, do you lack sleep? Why do I feel that my heart beats faster than usual. I seem so flustered and do embarrassing things accidentally whenever I'm with her? She thought to herself and just closed her eyes out of embarrassment.
"Do you want to eat dinner? My treat."
"W-what, no! I mean like yes! b-but like.. I'll treat you instead-" she stammered and all flustered again.
"You said you don't know how to return the favor back right?" Yujin asks, making the shorter girl nod. "Then just accompany me." And that made Minju more confused, what?
"Huh?"
"My treat and that's final. I need a company so if you wouldn't mind?"
Minju went mum, she wants to treat her to something somehow.
Yujin turned her back, hoping the girl would followed but then, she felt a grip on the hem of her shirt again. "I.. uh, can I treat to something at least?"
"then, I want to eat a cake for dessert." She answered with no hesitation, she was even smiling. If it would somehow make the latter feel better then why not? She wants accompany too instead of going home early to celebrate her birthday alone and it looks like this girl wants to give her something in return.
"Okay." Minju tried to suppress a smile but failed, gosh Kim Minju what's wrong with you? She mumbled.
it was just earlier she was crying hard and now she's smiling so bad because of this.. person she just met that has a very cute dimples that she wanted to poke.
In the end she couldn't hold her smile anymore, she has it plastered on her face and followed the taller girl who gestured for her to walk beide as they started walking towards somewhere.
-
Minju went to sit at the chair near the window, Yujin went to order for them since she insisted to pay for the food. She even opened the door earlier for Minju and went to match her pace when they were walking even though that tall girl walks fast.
Minju sat there, looking outside the window as her mind went off to many things rather problems she has.
6pm, it's quite early.
The fact that Minju finished her classes already but went out of her house again because of her.. father.
She has family problems. To be exact, she has problems with her father.
Her father that mentally and physically abuses her. Slaps or even punch her sometimes.
It's too draining.
It's okay for her if he's only hurting her but no.. since most of the time her mom tries to stop her dad, she gets hit too. More severe sometimes.
It's fine for Minju, sometimes she gets small bruises in her arms by the hit her father gave her or her face reddening because of the hard slap he gave. She's still grateful that he doesn't do anything other than slapping or hitting her by the arm but it's still hard knowing that you can't do anything against it when the time comes that he hurt them.
It's hard for her being pressured in her studies, hearing that she's a disappointment to her father and that he even hits them especially her mom.
...
Minju sighs multiple times as she watches the rain pouring down outside, she didn't even notice that the latter is already infront of her.
She flinched from the moment she looked infront. Okay, she didn't realize at all. She was deep in thoughts and thinking about her problems.
Yujin just chuckled and flashed a smile.
"You're Kim Minju, right?"
"Yes, you probably saw my ID.." Yujin just smiled, remembering something.
"Okay."
Wait, I'm dining in with a stranger right? No.. it's a stranger if you just met each other, we met a few times already.. but isn't it a stranger if you don't know even just their name? And her mind is fighting with her own thoughts again.
"Who are you?" Great. She regrets saying that, that came in more of a demanding way when she just wants to ask politely who she is or what department she is since she's wearing an ID from the same school.
"N-no I mean-"
Yujin just smiled before showing something "Since I saw your ID, here's mine." said the younger "I'm Ahn Yujin, 20, from the Engineering department, also the friend of your friend's friend."
"I'm no more of a stranger, Aren't I?"
She's even smiling and those dimples of hers are showing again. That's the first thing she noticed. It's so cute.
"The friend of I'm friend's friend?" Minju asked, confused. What?
"I'm one of Minjeong unnie's friends."
"Oh Minjeong! Rina's-" she cut herself off, realizing she almost said her friend's secret. And looked at Yujin after who's now anticipating what she have said.
"Haha.. Rina's friend, right I remember!" She awkwardly said and sipped on her drink that just arrived, it was too obvious though. Yujin knows, but she'll just ask more of a detail next time.
Their order quickly came by and they had talks, a talk like they're not strangers who recently just met 3 times. It wasn't awkward and uncomfortable at all. They felt happy with each other's presence.
-
Yujin lets herself be dragged to wherever Minju was taking her to.
The younger said that she wants a cake as a snack and Minju immediately took her wrist, pulling her here.
"Ta-da!" The shorter woman exclaimed while happily smiling as the both of them stood outside the door.
Instead of seeing the latter's smile, she has a blank expression plastered on her face that made Minju overthink.
"It's okay if you don't want here, we can just-"
"No.. I liked it here, I loved it here." She says with eyes still focused at the store name.
Where she and her parents go when she was a kid. Where they would buy her a cake.
Yujin, her parents actually had her when they were young. The thought that maybe they got married because they had a kid and they want a complete family for her but I guess they couldn't handle it anymore. That's what she always think.
This store reminds her of those birthdays, happy birthdays when a piece of cake is enough because in the past, her parents didn't have enough money yet. But they were happy back then, that piece of cake is enough to make her smile.
"Hey? You there?" Yujin blinked, looking at Minju who's waving her hand infront of her face.
"Y-yeah, sorry."
"It reminded me of something" she smiled before holding the handle and pushed it, gesturing Minju to enter the store first.
"What do you want? Anything will do, it's my treat so.."
"This one." She pointed at a particular cake, "a piece will do." The same cake she haven't tasted for years, the same cake they always have years ago. Does it still taste the same?
"You can order a few ones or even the whole, I don't mind-"
"That's more than enough, you can order yours. I'll find a seat."
Yujin gulped and after that she slowly took a bite, it still tastes the same. Still the best cake in this store, after all.
But hey, the happiness while eating it.. did it leave? She could remember the joy she has while eating this cake years ago.
She asks herself that and to answer it... Well, no.
She just found herself shifting her gaze to find those certain eyes of this certain person who's staring and smiling back at her.
She never expected that she'll also found herself feeling happy the moment she stared at this woman.
This person she just met..
Kim Minju, just why do I feel so happy about this right now?
-
"Thank you." Yujin uttered as they reach a certain street. Where Minju's house is.
Yujin insisted that she'll go and walk with her since it's already night time and that her unit is near which is clearly at least 15 minutes away from the girl's house. Not that near but not that far.
"Huh.. why? I should be the one-"
"Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me, also for buying and eating a cake with me."
"It was a fun day, really." Yujin started walking away after flashing her smile, how her dimples shows too and her eyes that smiles too. That left Minju standing there, confused. Huh?! It was her birthday?! what-
Minju went into full realization, "Y-you should've told me! I could've buy a whole cake instead of a piece-" she shouted since their distance are quite far already, she even saw Yujin faced her again while slowly walking backwards with a smile still plastered on her face.
"No worries! I liked it more that way! Thank you, see you next time! Have a good night!" With that, the younger ran away, leaving Minju in awe.
I'll just buy her more on her next birthday.
It was a much much better one than celebrating a birthday alone, Yujin thought.
She's very much grateful and wanted to get to know this person better who makes her heart beat fast and how she somehow feels happy and safe around her.
-