Chapter 14; Epilogue
Minjeong had taken her back in her arms and had kissed her. "I can't believe this." For the second time this night, she'd lifted Jimin up and had turned around in a small circle with her tightly in her arms.
"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, Yu Jimin."
"You're an idiot, but you're my idiot, Kim Minjeong."
They kissed again and again. Forgiving and reassuring each other of their feelings. Minjeong set her back on the ground but kept her arms wrapped and secured around Jimin, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder, nose buried in her neck, breathing in deeply, longingly, having missed her scent like air.
"Are you sure about this?" She whispered, pressing a kiss against the sensitive skin she found under her lips.
"We need to talk. Like really talk." Jimin pushed her head off her shoulder, locking eyes. "I've done things which weren't exactly ethical either, I'm really sorry and want to explain myself to you too. Yunjin told me how it all happened, but I really want to hear, how you've been and how you'd managed considering she told me you never wanted to do it to start with." She said whilst losing herself in the soothing, trusting light brown an inch away from her. "But to answer your question, I've never been surer about anything, than I am, about you and me." She kissed her softly to emphasize her words further.
"We have a twelve-hour flight next Monday. Think that gives us enough time to talk?" Minjeong suggested with a teasing smile on her face.
"And what are your plans between now and Monday?" Jimin sucked in her bottom lip, flirting back unashamedly.
"Making up for all the lost time." She let her tongue slowly travel over the bottom lip still deliciously trapped between the blonde's teeth, before she added in a breathy whisper. "And by making up, I mean thoroughly making out and more."
Jimin finally released the flesh and smirked suggestively. "I like your thinking. Let's get out of here." They finally stepped out of each other's embraces and linked their fingers together, when Ning and Aeri popped up from their right.
"Hi, lovebirds." Ning said, smiling. "Um, Minjeong. Do you have a minute?" She looked apologetically at the brunette, who nodded slightly. "Listen, I'm really sorry for slapping you and jumping to conclusions." She offered her hand and waited with a sincere look for Minjeong to react. The brunette's eyes danced from Ning's face to the offered hand and back up before she smiled warmly and closed her fingers around the outstretched limb.
"You didn't know better. I'd had slapped you too." Minjeong accepted the apology and offered her own at the same time. "I'm sorry for everything I've put you through."
"It's not really us you have put through some shit." Aeri stepped out of the shadow of Ning and hugged Minjeong, apologizing as well. "I'm sorry too."
"Really guys. You don't need to be sorry. You're great friends and besides being devastated and broken, I felt consoled knowing Jimin was with you."
"Minjeong." Jimin pulled her into her side, resting her hand possessively around her waist, and nuzzled her head into the crock of the brunette's neck. "Can we not talk about this for now?"
"We don't have to talk at all," Minjeong replied, pushing her index finger under Jimin's chin to lift it, before taking the blonde's lips once more between hers. "Mmmm." Jimin moaned and immediately deepened the kiss.
"Hey PG13 if possible."
Reluctantly Minjeong let go of Jimin's lips and faced the intruder.
"Yunjin!" Ning exclaimed happily upon seeing Minjeong's blonde friend strolling over. "Long time no see." She grinned.
"No shit. I can't wait for some Ning-free time." Yunjin shoved the other woman playfully.
"You love having me around." Ning shoved back.
"Um, someone mind telling me how you two became best friends?" Minjeong asked confused. The last time she'd witnessed any interaction between Jimin's friends and Yunjin had been at the gallery opening a month ago and to say the atmosphere had been that cozy would be a blatant lie.
"Well, you've been MIA and someone had to pick up the broken pieces for you and fix it." Yunjin explained nonchalantly and shrugged.
"After your article was published Ning and I went to see you, to ask, if your words were finally the truth, and Yunjin here explained everything to us and later to Jimin." Aeri explained further.
Minjeong's eyes wandered from the small brunette over to her friend with her mouth slightly open and her eyes full of gratitude. "You did that for me?"
"Well, don't sweat it. It was nothing really. Jimin was the one who made me realize I had to open my mouth. She can be quite convincing even when she's not speaking at all-" Yunjin explained, before her breath was pressed out of her lungs when Minjeong flung herself into her arms.
"Thank you so much." She said over and over again, whilst Yunjin just mumbled "Of course" and "No worries."
"You okay?" Ning stepped closer to Jimin, who had her gaze fixed on her girlfriend's form in her best friend's arms.
"Yeah. I am. Finally." Jimin nodded, quickly wiping away a stray tear. "I can't thank you guys enough." She said, and then wrapped her arms around both Aeri and Ning and squeezed as tightly as she could manage.
"It looks like congratulations are in order?" A deep, warm voice interfered the hugging and all five women looked up to the source of the interruption.
"Mr Wallace?" Minjeong, Yunjin, and Jimin said in unison at the same time and quickly looked at each other when Minjeong asked, "You know Mr Wallace?"
"May I explain the situation?" He interrupted and stopped further questioning. When all attention was back on him, he lifted his hand and gestured for the group to follow him out of the room.
"First of all, Ms Kim, I'm pleased you've listened to Ms Huh and used the chance to unravel the unfortunate web that had been spun around you and to detangle the lies, that had kept it in place for way too long." He then turned to Jimin and her friends, who came to a stop behind the blonde and continued. "I own Nib&Scroll. It is part of the Weather Corp Company." The blonde nodded in understanding, but her face showed pure confusion. He led them to an elevator, which took them up the building, whilst everyone exchanged curious or perplexed looks with each other. When they stepped out of the lift he turned and looked alternatingly between Minjeong and Jimin for a moment.
"Now Ms Kim." He finally focused on Minjeong, whilst handing her a set of keys and gesturing to a closed frosted glass door. "Will you do me the honor?" Minjeong puzzlingly eyed the keys in her hand, but nodded and walked the short distance to the glass panel, unlocking it, and carefully pushing the entrance open to reveal a large office space, with desks for at least ten people. Mr Wallace walked past a stunned Minjeong and gestured for everyone to follow. The women strolled slowly down the short corridor to another office.
"Ms Yu." He finally addressed Jimin. "At this moment I'd like to thank you for your creativity." The artist furrowed her brows entering the small room behind Minjeong, when a surprised gasp left her throat. The brunette followed her line of sight and her gaze fell onto two canvasses, hung close to each other on the opposite wall of the window. Both women turned back to the old man with more questions in their eyes, than words on their tongues.
"What?"
"How?"
"It was for here?"
"What is this?"
"Ms Kim, Ms Yu. Let me, please." He gestured for them to sit down on the small couch to give room for the rest of the group to enter, whilst perching one leg on the edge of the desk. "I met Ms Yu a couple of years back, when she had only just started working for Kang Seulgi, a very good friend of mine. She'd proven her incredible talent within a short amount of time and I quickly thought of myself as her biggest admirer. I've known Ms Kim for some months now, but only personally for about two weeks. However, she had impressed me with her dedication to the magazine and her eagerness for well-researched journalism. To say I was awestruck by both of these gifted women would be an understatement. When I was informed of the abusive misuse of authority, I felt compelled to set things right. I encouraged one to write her side of the story and I commissioned the other to create new pieces of art. Both things, I believed, would help them in some way. To ensure a hopefully bright future, I took it upon myself to offer both a secure job. Ms Kim is the new editor of the new subcategory of the Nib&Scroll magazine 'Modern Poetry and Fiction' and Ms Yu has recently signed the purchase and sale agreement to her very own gallery."
"Please don't tell me you've blackmailed Ms Kang into selling me the gallery because you wanted to make me happy?" Jimin deadpanned, half in jest and half seriously. "No, don't worry. Seulgi wanted out anyway, but I made it happen as quickly as possible."
"The paintings -?" Minjeong whispered into Jimin's ear, stopping mid-sentence as the blonde started nodding, but was silenced by Mr Wallace.
"Original Yu Art for Ms Kim's new office. I hope this fuels your creativity and helps you further come to terms with what happened." Mr Wallace finally stood up and offered his hand first to Minjeong and then to Jimin. "I'm incredibly happy the two of you have been able to find a way back to each other. I appreciate you as single individuals, but I'm excited to see what you two can achieve by being together."
"Thank you Mr Wallace." Minjeong said gratefully, but was waved away when he made his way out of her office.
"That's nothing. You two offer beautiful words and paintings, which make me happy in turn. Oh and Ms Yu? I heard you're off for some time?" Jimin nodded, confused at how he knew about it, and opened her mouth to explain her last-minute booking. "No worries. Enjoy the time and finish the commission when you're back." With that, he walked off leaving the five alone.
"I love this." Minjeong pointed to the canvasses on the wall, caressing them with her eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"Well I wasn't aware I'd be doing the work for your new office. He didn't let me see the space, so I went with instinct."
Minjeong blinked more tears away and looked back at Jimin. "You bought the gallery?"
The blonde smiled warmly, lifted one eyebrow suggestively, and purred. "You're now an editor?" They stared at each other, eyes flickering over features both had craved and missed for so long.
"Well you guys have loads to talk about, but can we go back to the party?" Aeri interrupted.
"Yeah, you have even more time together in the next weeks to talk about all this, when we're not with you. Let's celebrate the end of a nightmare." Ning piped up as well. "Yeah, Kim. You owe me a happy night for a change." Yunjin chimed in finally.
"I second that." Jimin laughed and affectionately caressed Minjeong's cheek. "Let's party then."
They returned to the celebration and enjoyed dancing the night away. Ning had called the rest of Jimin's friends and after they went through the story again, Minjeong pulled Jimin away. The music changed to a slow piano piece and Jimin let herself be wrapped into Minjeong's warm body, swaying from left to right, feeling their heartbeats syncing again.
"I'm incredibly sorry." Minjeong mumbled close to the blonde's ear. "I hope one day I can make it up to you."
Jimin lifted her head off Minjeong's shoulder and smiled at her lovingly. "Darling, there's nothing we can do to change the past weeks. I've hurt you too and I'm so sorry about it." Her eyes flickered over Minjeong's and she continued softly. "We can only promise to not repeat history and hurt each other again."
"Sounds like you're thinking about a future for us." Minjeong asked hopefully.
"I love you. Always have. Even in the darkest hour, when I'd read the first article I couldn't stop missing you, so much it literally tore me apart." Jimin answered honestly, pushing up to kiss her, but was stopped with a finger against her lips.
"I can't imagine being without you ever again. Your eyes are my sun I want to wake up to and your voice is my moon I want to be guided by. I love you so much." Minjeong breathed out and added in a very quiet voice, only for Jimin to hear. "Be my girlfriend. Once again."
Jimin chuckled at the familiarity of the words and nudged Minjeong's nose with hers, before answering, "Always", and kissing her softly.
Almost two weeks after they'd left their home, Jimin found herself relaxing at a secluded beach somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. She smiled and recalled the past two weeks.
They had traveled from Ton DC to Barcelona and had explored everything their colorful guide had advertised as a must-see. They went to see La Sagrada Familia, wandered Las Ramblas leisurely, got lost in the gothic quarter of the city with its labyrinthine streets, and hiked up the Montjuic hill. Jimin hadn't needed much persuasion to get them to explore the art the city had to offer. They enjoyed the Picasso museum and Gaudi's modernist park, with Jimin launching into her vast knowledge of both artists, leaving Minjeong more than once perplexed and enthralled. One evening they'd visited the Magic Fountain of Montjuic just in time to see the beautiful show of water, light, and music. They had cuddled up and had whispered sweet nothings to each other, whilst watching the spectacle in front of them. It had been a fairy-tale experience.
After five days they'd left Barcelona to fly to Corsica, a mountainous Mediterranean island. Minjeong had convinced her blonde lover to visit this beautiful place due to the breathtaking landscape from the ocean and beach, over picturesque villages and lively towns, to the striking mountain chain commanding the core of the island. Jimin had laughed at Minjeong's nerdy side and had made fun of her, but when they'd ventured out into the wilderness of the island she had quietly admitted that it was majestic and incredible.
They'd spent another three nights on the island before deciding to fly further to Rome. After adventurous days in the capital of Italy, both craved some downtime and traveled to Skiathos in the Aegean Sea belonging to the Greek archipelago. Both had been drawn to the island because of its tranquillity, small fishing villages, and underwhelming tourism.
Jimin sighed and looked up into the sky, whilst waiting for her girlfriend, who had gone to get drinks. They had rented a car and a small vacation home at a private beach and were self-sufficiently taking care of their needs. It was perfect. Minjeong was perfect, Jimin thought and turned around on the blanket spread out over the warm white sand, resting her head on her arms and closing her eyes.
After taking a little time to talk about the month they'd spent separately and the things that had led to the four-week split, the relaxed, natural flow of their relationship before the 'big bang' had returned and they enjoyed every second in each other's company. Jimin had never thought she would be happy spending so long with only one person. She was even more surprised that although most of their time, she had only Minjeong to talk to, as they were visiting places where English wasn't the local language, she never once had felt bored or tired, quite the opposite. She was just musing about what exactly intrigued her most about her girlfriend when she felt cold fingers tracing down the warm skin over her spine. She moaned at the sensation and tried to turn when she was stopped by a raspy voice close to her ear. "Don't move." She nodded and felt her body awaken suddenly and forcefully. Minjeong had that effect on her. She let her head fall back down on her arms and sighed in contentment.
Minjeong had been back for a few moments, enjoying the view of her stunning girlfriend basking in the sun before she joined her on the blanket. Although they had a private beach, which was not visibly accessible to anyone, Jimin wore one of her tiny bikinis. When Minjeong came closer she saw a sensual smile playing around the blonde lips, which affected her in a way where she bit back a moan. Her eyes were dancing over the sexy body and she slowly discarded the cold water bottle into the sand and lowered herself onto the blanket before letting herself experience the mind-blowing sensation of hot skin under cold fingertips.
She heard Jimin moan and bit down hard on her lips being completely addicted to the sound. She crawled closer and leaned over the tantalizing form when she felt her moving, to whisper her command into willing ears. Upon satisfyingly seeing Jimin's obedience, Minjeong slowly removed the bikini top and pressed lingering kisses starting from Jimin's neck all the way down to the small of her back. Minjeong then licked her way back up, collecting little drops of sweat, which had gathered in the depth of the valley of Jimin's spine. Another longer moan filled the air and Minjeong's body was on fire. She pushed off and turned Jimin on her back, removing the top completely and discarding it. She leaned over her girlfriend to shade her from the sun and started kissing her, deepening the kiss almost instantly when she felt Jimin opening her mouth slightly.
Minjeong broke the kiss to give them a chance for air when she quietly admitted. "I want you."
Jimin's pupils widened the same instant her hips bucked into Minjeong, whilst she let out a needy groan and managed past her rapid panting an "I need you." Minjeong didn't waste any more time and stripped her of her skimpy pants and settled between Jimin's legs to give her what she needed and to happily accept what she gave her in return. All of it. She took her into her mouth and moaned when the taste hit her senses. She'd never tire of Jimin's unique, maddening flavor.
She worked her relentlessly and let her reach the edge numerous times, before pulling her away again. She enjoyed seeing Jimin writhing in pleasure and screaming out in pure need for release. She abandoned her favorite spot to crawl up the tantalizing body when she heard her huffing out in frustration.
"Min, if you..." Jimin panted heavily, feeling her girlfriend's fingers entering her deeply, stimulating her in all the right places, just not for long enough. "I swear if you don't let me..."
She was silenced with a searing kiss and swallowed a long moan when she felt herself building up again. "Please just let me come." She begged when Minjeong had released her mouth and sinfully attacked her nipples. Jimin felt the skillful tongue stop moving at her plea and the mouth, which was driving her crazy, formed a big grin against her sensitive skin.
"You want to come?" She heard and eagerly nodded, pressing her center against Minjeong's hand, grinding down on the fingers inside her. "Then come baby." Minjeong demanded and increased the pace and quickly moved back between her legs to suck Jimin deeply into her mouth. It took a nanosecond for the blonde to process what was happening before she exploded and screamed out her pleasure. "Fuck." Minjeong guided her slowly down from her high and licked her clean, humming in delight at the sweet wetness.
"Fuck." Jimin repeated. "You just made me see stars." She chuckled and pulled Minjeong up her body. She needed her closer. Minjeong wrapped her arms around her and turned them so she was spooning Jimin. "Worth it, or?" She teased and softly bit the blonde's ear.
"Mmm... you're worth it." She pressed her back into the brunette's body and grinned at the responsiveness of her. "You're overdressed for the occasion, babe," Jimin whispered and Minjeong moved her hand over still-hard nipples and sprawled it out flat over the naked belly to press her further into her lap, grinding purposefully against the naked ass.
"And what occasion are we talking about?" She moaned breathlessly, faking innocence. "My revenge." Jimin rasped calmly, barely satisfied arousal obvious in her voice, and Minjeong tried to suppress a moan at the indication of lustful punishment. "Shit." She gasped when she felt Jimin sneaking her hand between them and cupping her sex through her shorts. "Definitely overdressed. Let me help you." Jimin finally rolled out of Minjeong's weakened embrace and moved to straddle her. Minjeong's hands shot up to cup the tempting full breasts in front of her face when Jimin pushed them off her body and made Minjeong sit up, to remove her shirt and kiss her passionately whilst unclasping the bra.
She let her hands skillfully roam over Minjeong's exposed skin moving the brunette slowly backward and once more lifting eager hands away from her naked body. "Don't move." She reused the words Minjeong had spoken earlier and received a drawled moan, which got sucked in when her warm tongue made contact with a pert nipple.
"Mmmmm... shit this feels so good." Minjeong breathed out and pushed her body more into her girlfriend's seeking the warmth of her skin. Jimin deliberately played slowly with each bud, sucked them into her mouth, licked them, and softly bit down on them. She then slid her naked hips over Minjeong's lap and pressed her wet core down onto the brunette's stomach, eliciting a primeval growl which she swallowed feverishly with her own mouth, moaning at the electrifying contact of their tongues. Their kissing became desperate and Jimin felt Minjeong writhing under her when she repeatedly moved her core back and forth over the hot skin of her lover's trained abdomen. She pressed down further, enjoying the friction, and repeated the motion whilst returning her attention to Minjeong's breasts. It didn't take long for Minjeong's moans to increase, feeling the release building up inside of her, with each contact of Jimin's slick center with her now oversensitive skin. She shuddered at the persistent licking and sucking of her nipples and before she could say any more words, the orgasm washed over her. Jimin felt her stiffen underneath her and realised at the same it happened, what had happened. She kept her movement going but slowed down her attacks on Minjeong's breasts to eventually release the slightly abused flesh with a questioning look. "Did you just?"
The brunette, still panting heavily, turned her head and nodded. "Never happened before." She admitted shyly, but Jimin turned her head to make her look at her and whispered. "That was amazing. I didn't realize that was even possible."
Minjeong laughed out shortly, raised an eyebrow whilst lifting her head, and looked down her body at Jimin's hips still pressed flat against her stomach. "Did you not see yourself just then? I'd been close already after I'd fucked you and if you had remotely felt what I'd just felt, you would have come too."
"Maybe." Jimin conceded with a smug grin. "But." She lifted her finger and traced it along Minjeong's jaw, down her neck, and over a still rock-hard peak. "However awesome and utterly hot that was, you've deprived me of what's mine." Minjeong inhaled to counter, but Jimin quickly put her hand over the brunette's mouth, effectively stopping her from talking. "I usually get what I want, Minjeong." She rasped with an even deeper voice and slipped off the tanned body and pulled down the loose-fitting shorts together with her pants and only stopped shortly to take in Minjeong's body, dripping, wet, and wanting.
She slowed down her rough movements and deliciously spread Minjeong's legs before settling between them and finally lapping up her girlfriend's juices. With nowhere to be and no one to see they spent the rest of the day loving each other again and again.
They'd spend a few more days in Greece before they'd traveled back to Spain and had cruised along the coast for another week. Their vacation had come to an end after three weeks abroad. It was their last evening and they were currently enjoying a bottle of red wine and the sunset over a mountain in the distance. They sat close with Minjeong's arms around Jimin, who leaned against the brunette's front. She was humming a soothing melody, whilst Minjeong caressed her arm. It was peaceful and both wished it didn't have to end.
"Minjeong?" Jimin said turning to face her lover who'd looked at her in return, waiting for her to speak her mind. "I was thinking about home."
"Yeah?" Minjeong asked unsure of what was on the blonde's mind. "What about home?"
"Are you happy?"
Minjeong furrowed her brows and moved her head back. "I am incredibly happy, but what has that to do with home?"
"Well, the thought of not being able to wake up next to you each morning and fall asleep in your arms makes me sad," Jimin admitted bashfully. Minjeong smiled lovingly and pulled her closer. "I know. I'll miss you awfully."
"What would you say if I asked you to move in with me?" Jimin all but whispered the last words, and Minjeong had to strain her ears to get them at all.
"You want us to live together?" Upon a shy nod, Minjeong went on. "Where?"
"I don't know. What do you think about it in general?" She mumbled under her breath.
Minjeong was quiet for a moment, considering her options. She had been living with Yunjin for a couple of years now and they lived well together. It had taken them a while to get along with all their quirks and obsessions. Jimin and she were only reunited for three weeks after barely knowing each other and spending a month heartbrokenly apart. "Don't you think it's too early for us to move in with each other?" She finally asked tentatively.
"You don't want to, that's okay." Jimin replied, refusing to show her disappointment.
"Jimin, it's not that I don't want to," Minjeong pushed her up to be able to face her properly and continued. "I love being with you. Anytime, any day, and any night." She kissed her softly. "I just don't know if I'm brave enough to take the next step so quickly." She resumed and looked at Jimin, whose eyes widened in realization.
"You worry we'll end up like you and your ex?"
Minjeong shook her head adamantly upon hearing the slight irritation in Jimin's voice. "I do trust you." She whispered less than convincingly.
"You trust me I won't, but you worry I might cheat on you?" Jimin understood.
"Once bitten, twice shy." She mumbled.
"Minjeong, look at me." The blonde waited for her girlfriend to look up again. "I can't promise we'll never fight. I can't promise we'll never hurt. But I can promise I won't hurt you by cheating on you." Minjeong's intense eyes bored into her very soul, but Jimin didn't waver, voice strong and emphatic. "I promise."
"I want to believe. I really do." Minjeong inhaled slowly and held her breath for a moment, before exhaling and speaking at the same time. "But can we wait a little longer?"
Jimin's eyes wandered over her features, searching for something. Minjeong worried her bottom lip between her teeth and kept silent. They stared at each other for some time, before Jimin started to slowly nod. "Okay." Minjeong smiled gratefully. "On one condition though," Jimin added and the smile froze a little on lush lips.
"What is it you want?" Minjeong asked restrained.
"You have to promise me something in return."
"Fair enough. What?"
"No more secrets."
"I promise." Minjeong replied quickly and leaned in. "I promise, I'll never keep anything from you."
Jimin closed the distance and soft lips moved against each other in a well-choreographed dance, only interrupted by small smiles and excited moans.
When they arrived back, their old lives and routines swept them up quickly and efficiently and made them appreciate each moment they had together without pressing for changes.
Jimin had been busy finishing the commission for Minjeong's office. It had taken her a month and several fits of rage when the paintings hadn't come out as perfectly as she had wanted them to. Minjeong had tried to rationalize, had honestly promised that she loved all of them, but it had been to no avail. Jimin had set her mind on perfection in her own eyes and no one could stray her off of that notion. In the end, she had delivered artwork, which had blown everyone's mind and truly needed new words to describe the intense beauty and depth of them.
Minjeong had been so proud of each painting and hadn't been shy about telling everyone who Yu Jimin was to her. With the re-decorating of the magazine's office, press attention for her work had come along and the blonde artist had found herself more often on various art papers. New commissions and orders had flooded her studio and had postponed all plans for the redesign of the gallery. It had been almost four months later when Jimin had started to decline orders for new projects to finally focus on her gallery.
It had then taken another 3 months for all the changes to happen. Jimin had re-designed the gallery completely, including the move of non load-bearing walls to create some smaller spaces, which resembled differently styled living rooms. She had a modern version with quirky furniture, a temporary type, and a romantic one. All rooms displayed either art by local artists or herself, which fit the theme. The former main showroom with the beams and the couches remained but with freshly painted walls and new sofas. In the meantime, Minjeong had started work as an editor and had found it rewarding but very demanding. Modern poetry and fiction had been a wide-ranging topic and they had created a section as a stepping-stone for unpublished writers. Some authors who had submitted their work had been eager to implement her suggestions and had been keen to explain their thoughts, but some had been a pain in the ass and Minjeong had considered blacklisting them. In addition to her work with laymen writers, she'd had to guide her own team. Minjeong loved it though. She enjoyed it the most when she came back to her office following fruitful discussions, to sit down and recline in her chair, getting lost in the painting Jimin had made for her walls. She still marveled at the instinct her girlfriend had displayed by choosing to use two canvases and letting the colors flow into each other.
One month after her vacation she had received a copy of an email from another magazine asking to confirm a former colleague's letter of recommendation. Minjeong had had a field day taking apart the lies in the said document and pointing out the reasons why this woman had been a former employee at Nib&Scroll. Needless to say, Im Nayeon hadn't been able to find a job anywhere close to the distributing area of her former magazine. The last Minjeong had heard, she had moved to the other side of the country. The further away the better. Minjeong and Yunjin had celebrated hard and heavy and it had ended with Jimin picking them up. That was the same night they'd found out that Ning and Aeri were a thing. A happy thing, they had confirmed later but hadn't wanted to label it any more specifically.
Their lives had become more hectic and stressed until it peaked on the day of the reopening of the gallery.
"Jimin, relax. They won't start without you." Minjeong nervously played with the item in the pocket of her tailored suit pants, whilst staring at her absolutely stunningly gorgeous girlfriend in a tight red dress, currently busying herself with applying make-up.
"I know, I just... What if people don't like it?" The blonde answered restlessly.
"Why wouldn't they like it? It's a great concept, and it absolutely makes sense to combine the two." The brunette reassured when Jimin groaned loudly. "The sooner you open, the earlier you'll see for yourself." Minjeong added and stepped behind her, making eye contact through the mirror.
"You look positively edible." She whispered and kissed the teasing neck in front of her.
"Please don't start anything, baby." She turned in her arms and pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of her girlfriend's mouth. "I can't focus."
"You don't have to. I'll do the focusing for you." She shifted and pressed her lips onto full red inked ones, smudging the lipstick in the progress. Jimin moaned, but leaned back out of Minjeong's reach. "Not happening. I've just showered and gotten myself into this little number, you're not taking me out of it just yet."
"Fine." The brunette pouted and let go of her girlfriend's waist.
"God! Now I have to reapply the lipstick." Jimin huffed out in faked annoyance.
"You better not wear any. I can't be held responsible with you in that, how did you phrase it so eloquently, little number, I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of all those people."
"Smooth Kim. Get your cute little ass out of here so I can get ready." Jimin kissed her once more and cleaned her mouth of lipstick residue. "Oh before I forget, did you pick up the flowers?"
"Did I..." Minjeong stopped leaving the room and turned deliberately slowly back to face JImin. "You're asking me now..." She looked at her watch. "One hour before the reopening of the former gallery 'ArkArt', now 'Art Café', if I've picked up the floral arrangements, which had had to be collected in the morning, to then have been transported back to the gallery to decorate it for the evening?" Minjeong stated cockily, with her trademark half smile on display.
"Thank you." Jimin smiled and kissed her again.
"You're welcome. I'll leave you to get ready."
"Give me another ten."
They arrived on time at the gallery, where Ning, Aeri, and Yunjin already waited to get started with the last tasks.
"I called Michael. They're on their way over with the food." Ning informed them and pulled Aeri along.
"I'll set up the coffee and tea machines." Aeri stated and went to the bar.
"What do you want me to do honey?" Minjeong took Jimin's coat and purse and waited to see if she was needed anywhere. "Distract me." The blonde whispered.
"I wanted to earlier but you wouldn't let me take you out of that dress."
"I've changed my mind."
"Babe, you're just nervous. It'll be alright." Minjeong tried to soothe the artist's nerves. Truth was she was nervous herself, nervous on behalf of Jimin and her success. She wanted this evening to be a highlight in Jimin's life. "Just relax. Shall we walk through each room and check everything again?" She offered as a distraction.
"Uuugh, okay. Are you sure, you don't want to sneak out?" Jimin grinned mischievously at her girlfriend but followed her lead over to the showroom. "Come here." Minjeong reeled her into her arms and pressed their body's flush against one another. "Have I told you, that I'm so incredibly proud of you?" Jimin smiled but shook her head. "Not today."
"Right." She grinned. "Well, I am. You amaze me every day. I'm in awe of your talent and aroused by your limitless energy." The brunette admitted. "Are you aroused right now?"
"What do you think?"
"Jimin? Can you come over? Joe and Michael are here." Ning's voice boomed through the gallery and both women groaned in irritation.
"One sec." Jimin hollered over her shoulder and turned back to lean once more against Minjeong. "I'm not done with you." She closed the remaining distance and kissed her deeply, before leaning back and whispering. "Thanks for all your help. This wouldn't have been possible without your support."
Minjeong smiled sincerely, touched by Jimin's gratitude. "You're welcome." She whispered back and returned the intimate gesture. They parted but remained connected in a tight embrace, seeing the love for the other clearly written all over their faces.
"I love you."
"I'm so in love with you."
"Jimin!"
"God damnit." She groaned and gave Minjeong a peck on the lips before wriggling out of her arms. "Yes, I'm coming!" She yelled back, winking at the obvious innuendo. "Sorry baby. Later?"
"Definitely."
Minjeong decided to help Jimin by checking each styled gallery room, sorting the flowers to perfection, and picking up some stray petals before she finally joined the others.
Everything was set and ready, Jimin asked for her friend's attention. "So, before hell hopefully breaks loose, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your unlimited time and creative input over the last couple of months. I know I haven't been easy to be around." She looked at Minjeong and grinned naughtily. "I'll make it up to you." Minjeong blushed slightly and lowered her head, hiding an equally dirty grin on her face.
"TMI Yu." Ning interrupted with a laugh.
"Yeah, spare us, will ya." Yunjin chimed in, whilst the others nodded their agreement.
"Right, right. Never mind. Thank you guys. I'm incredibly blessed to have you as my friends. You mean the world to me." She stated and raised her glass. "To the best friends, new friend, and girlfriend one could possibly ask for."
"Hear! Hear!"
"Welcome."
"Anything for you."
The gallery opening was a huge success. Everyone they knew and everyone who liked art came and stopped by to have a look. Jimin received lots of compliments and grinned like a Cheshire cat almost all night long. Most of the people were already gone, just a few Jimin knew a little better were still lingering, enjoying the cozy atmosphere. She was just talking to a befriended artist when the door opened again and Ning and Aeri looked like they had seen a ghost, whilst Yunjin shared a confused look with Minjeong, who didn't seem puzzled at all. Jimin turned in her arms to face the newcomer and a similar shocked expression flooded her features.
"Mom?" She managed, her voice suddenly hoarse with emotions.
"Jimin." The older woman hesitantly stepped closer to her daughter, opening her arms for a hug, when Jimin had started to shake her head, eyes swimming in unshed tears. Yunjin leaned over to Ning and whispered, "I guess you weren't in on it either? That's Jimin's mother?" Ning nodded silently, jaw clenching in annoyance, and linked her hands with Aeri, looking for an anchor to hold her anger back.
"You don't get to do that. You don't get to come here and pretend you care." Jimin said, tears starting to fall out of her eyes.
Minjeong circled around and took her girlfriend's hand in hers. "I invited her."
"Why?" Jimin choked. "Why would you? I didn't ask you to."
Minjeong reached out to wipe away some of the tears, which had escaped, and pressed her mouth against the moist cheek. "I contacted her because I couldn't stand seeing you sad, whenever we talked about your mom. I know you miss her even though you might say differently at the moment." She led Jimin over to her mom and smiled warmly at the older woman. "Jimin, I met up with your mom a few days ago and talked to her about what had happened between you. I gave her the chance to explain her side of things and I learned that she's just as sad without you as you are without her. Did I overstep a boundary by inviting her here today? Maybe, but I did it with good intentions. Please give her a chance?"
Jimin shuddered, breathing in slowly not taking her gaze off of her mother's face. She saw guilt and worry and sorrow and heartbreak in her eyes and the tiny cold part of her heart Minjeong hadn't been able to warm up, crumbled and she nodded. "Okay." She turned towards her conversational partner and friends and added, "Please excuse me for a few minutes," and led her out of the backdoor into the little backyard.
"Jimin, I'm so grateful for having the chance to see you."
"What do you want?" She asked, emotions running rampant in her brown eyes.
"I want to apologize for abandoning you when you needed me the most."
"Ning and Aeri tried to talk to you ages ago. Why now?"
"I've only just come to terms with my past. After your father had died, I couldn't look at you because you're so alike. You have always been your father's image and I couldn't bear the pain." She released a sob and her trembling hands reached out once more. "I accepted a job in DC and I thought I could start over, but I couldn't forget. A few months back I finally went to get help and I learned how to deal with the loss of the love of my life."
Jimin's eyes widened at the admission, and she too suddenly understood how heartbroken, devastated, and utterly destroyed her mom must have been. She had only been apart from Minjeong for one month, knowing she was alive, and it had shattered her to the core.
"Mom." Jimin stepped closer and took the offered hand into her warm ones. "I understand now, but you should have told me."
"I could not bring myself to talk to anyone and you were so broken too."
"I was broken more than necessary because you rejected me and made me feel like I lost both my parents at the same time."
They looked at each other, tears streaming down their faces, hands clutching each other's.
"How can I ever make this up to you?"
"Love me unconditionally and be there when I need you," Jimin replied, tears running down her face.
"I love you so much. You're my daughter. My only family and I am so, so proud of you." Tiffany smiled through tears for the first time since entering the gallery and Minjeong, Ning, Yunjin and Aeri released the breaths they had held in, having watched the scene from afar.
"Fucking hell, that was intense." Ning muttered, still watching her friend coming to terms with her mother. "You've got some ovaries of steel to get yourself involved in this." She said nudging Minjeong.
"I wanted to give Jimin her mother back." She said softly, peeling her eyes off of her girlfriend to face her friend. "This was supposed to be hard, but I'm confident they'll find a way back into each other's lives. I've promised Jimin to help her heal, haven't I?" She asked rhetorically.
"You're too good for this world." Yunjin stepped over to her friend and hugged her. "Too good, but we love you anyway." She joked and released Minjeong when she saw Jimin and her mother enter the gallery again. Jimin stopped in front of Minjeong looking in awe at her lover.
"You did this for me?"
"I know how much it still hurts you." Minjeong replied in a soft voice, gauging the reaction. She was still unsure whether this plan had been a good or a bad idea. "You know me better than anyone. Hell, I think you know me better than I do. I didn't realize how much I've missed her."
"I take it the talk went well?" Minjeong asked tentatively when Jimin stepped into her arms.
"Thank you." She breathed against the brunette's neck. "Thank you for being you."
"Can't be anyone but me. You don't have to thank me. Just keep in mind how grateful you feel right now, whenever I screw up next time." Minjeong joked to lighten the heavy atmosphere. They were in each other's arms when Tiffany turned with a soft smile to address the two other people she had known for so long and had let down as well. "I'm so sorry girls for my actions. You were absolutely right and I should have listened to you."
"You should have." Ning answered, arms folded in front of her chest.
"I know you meant well, but I simply couldn't get myself to see beyond my pain."
"Tiffany, it's really not us you have to apologize to." Aeri turned around with a confused face. "I've got déjà-vu. I'm sure I recently said that to someone else." She grinned at Minjeong, who threw her a warning look.
"Let's not start with that again. It's in the past, just like this is with my mom." Jimin pointed out. "I feel a dinner is in order with lots of food and long talks to catch up?"
"Um, before you invite everyone to your place, I'd like to ask you something." Minjeong started and all of a sudden her calm demeanour fell and gave way to nervousness. "Baby, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." The brunette started, quickly exchanging a glance with Yunjin who nodded encouragingly at her. Aeri smiled at her as she put an arm around Ning. "I." She started and stopped again to collect her thoughts.
"Do you remember our last evening in Europe?" She waited for Jimin to search for the memory and smiled when a nostalgic curtain glazed her eyes and she nodded with a loving smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"You'd asked me a question." Minjeong lowered her head a little and met her eyes with Jimin's before she spoke up again. "Do you also remember what you had asked me?" She nodded slowly, understanding seeping into her features, but the restraint to believe what was happening was obvious with the hesitant reaction.
"Do you want to ask me again?"
"I think I'd asked you if you wanted to move in with me," Jimin whispered carefully, hopeful eyes fixed on her girlfriend's warm ones in front of her. "Do you want to move in with me?"
"No." Minjeong breathed out, as she watched confusion cloud over Jimin's features. She searched for something in her pants pocket before continuing. "I want you to move in with me." Jimin quickly glanced over at Yunjin, before feeling Minjeong's fingers on her chin softly turning her back to her. "Yunjin would move into your apartment if you're happy with coming to me."
"You guys talked about this?" The blonde faced her partner's best friend.
"Yeah, we thought it'd be the best solution. You guys can have the bigger place and I'll be lodging at your former abode until I might or might not decide to move further." She said.
"It's cool Jimin. You've got so much more room at Minjeong's and you don't have to search for anything new now that you're probably hyper-busy with the gallery café." Aeri pointed out sensibly.
"Besides, it's closer to mine." Ning grinned at Jimin, whose smile widened.
"That's true." She finally said and watched Minjeong lifting her hand towards her.
"Please move in with me?" She repeated and slowly opened her fist to reveal a single key. Jimin's eyes were focused on Minjeong's. She recalled the reason why they hadn't taken the next step already. Minjeong had been worried about Jimin cheating on her as soon as she had allowed herself to revel in the added security a shared apartment brought along. "I love you." She said quietly and accepted the key. "Only you."
"I know. I love you too." Minjeong placed a reassuring kiss against Jimin's lips and added after a moment. "So much."
"So? Dinner in a few weeks at Jimin and Minjeong's place?" Tiffany asked, clasping her hands in joy at her daughter's bliss.
''Fuck yeah!''
—
Wow, it's finished!
Thank you so much for reading, voting, and leaving comments. I will always crack a laugh or two when I log in to check notifications.
I hope you enjoyed it!
If you want more I will eventually publish more adaptations.
But for now, this is one of the two Winrina adaptations that I have out, fully.
Lastly, all credit to the original writer @/Jaansche