Minjeong was sitting atop her suitcase, her legs astride the edge, hands on the handle, and for the what felt like the hundredth time, Jimin felt her heart stop in her chest. She was looking at her with a quirked smile, bright eyes and a face that was far too awake and fresh for six o'clock in the morning.
"You're late," she said.
Jimin scowled at her, her eyelids at half-mast. "I don't understand how you're awake."
"Sheer will-power," she said, "and lots, and lots of coffee. Speaking of-" she reached down beside her, pulling up a paper Starbucks cup, and holding it out to her
"You're an angel, and I could kiss you right now."
Minjeong grinned. "Save it for your parents."
Jimin was fast asleep.
Despite the full cup of coffee she'd chugged that morning, she was sound asleep in her chair. After they'd checked in, been felt up in security, and discovered that – of course – their flight was delayed, they'd sat down and Jimin had promptly fallen fast asleep. Then she'd started drooling. Her head slung back, mouth wide open, and drool dribbling down her chin. People were starting to look.
Minjeong sunk down in her seat, covering her face with her hand. The more I'm-not-with-her vibes she could give off, the better.
It didn't work. People then started to stare at her.
"Hey, Jimin-shi," she muttered.
No response.
She poked her a few times, shook her shoulder, blew in her ear: all to no avail. Finally, as a last resort, she opened up her water bottle and tipped the contents over her face.
Jimin's eyes snapped open, spluttering what back up. "Wha-" she said, her face priceless, half way between shocked and utterly confused. Minjeong doubled over, clutching her stomach and laughing.
She wiped her face off with her sleeve. "What was that for?"
"You were drooling," Minjeong said, still giggling, "and people were starting to stare."
"Could've just shook me."
"I tried," she said. "You sleep like the dead. Is it really that hard for you to get up at six?"
Jimin frowned. "Didn't sleep very well."
Didn't sleep at all, more like. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her mind to shut off, and she'd spent most of the night, rolling over, twisting this way and that in her sheets, until finally she'd given up. At about three o'clock in the morning, she got out of bed, and sat on her kitchen counter, eating nutella out of the jar and letting Jax lick the spoon.
She'd been thinking – endlessly – about the month or so to come. Four times during the night she'd had to stop herself from picking up the phone and telling Minjeong it was a mistake. She was getting anxiety in ways she had not had in a long time:the feeling that someone was taking a wooden spoon to her stomach and stirring her insides up.
Minjeong's smile faded, her head tilted, eyes filling with concern. "Is everything okay?"
"It's fine," Jimin said, quickly. "Just got myself into a bad sleeping pattern, that's all. It'll fix itself."
She narrowed her eyes as if she didn't believe her, but nodded anyway. "Plenty of time to sleep on the plane."
**
"Jesus, Jimim, I knew your parents were, like, minor celebrities, but this is just excessive."
Maybe she should have prepared her for this. Jimin hadn't taken a flight in years, and she'd forgotten that there was only one way her parents liked to travel: in the upmost comfort and style. Minjeong had followed Jimin into in the cabin and taken one look at the plush, leather seats with miles of leg room, the big televisions, and the food trolleys full of expensive looking things, and her eyes had bugged out.
"I've never flown like this before," she said, her jaw dropping. "I've always ended up in cramped cabins sitting next to a crying baby."
She flung herself into her seat, her legs splayed out in front of her. "So much space!"
"My parents like to travel a certain way."
"Y'know, Jimin-shi," Minjeong said, popping a complimentary sweet into her mouth, "If these are the perks of dating you, maybe I'll do it for real."
Jimin coughed. "Ha," she said. "Yeah."
Minjeong didn't seem to notice the change in her expression, giggling as she fell back in her seat. "I feel like a movie star!" she said.
She paused, a flash of inspiration flying across her face. Then, she bent down and began scrabbling through her hand luggage, pulling out a pair of large sunglasses, covering her face with them.
"No, no, no, George this simply won't do. I ordered my own private jet and I expect nothing less," Minjeong said, her voice in an over the top posh falsetto.
Jimin doubled over, her shoulders shaking as she laughed. "And I expect the finest bottle of wine and your best caviar," Minjeong said.
"We can certainly do that for you, Miss Kim."
The air hostess had appeared at their sides, an amused smile on her face. Minjeong spluttered and knocked the sunglasses off, while Jimin had to press her hand over her face to stop herself from laughing too loudly.
"Fasten your seatbelts, stay upright until take off, please read the safety booklet and look into the aisle for a demonstration of what to do in an emergency," the hostess said, finding it hard to keep the smile down.
The two of them nodded, neither finding themselves able to speak. She turned to go, and as she disappeared down the aisle, they heard her break into laughter.
Jimin let her hand go and burst into laughter herself, wiping tears from her eyes. Minjeong smacked her.
Soon enough they were ready for take-off, the plane speeding along the run way. Jimin frowned then, bending down and sticking a finger through the mesh of the pet carrier at her feet.
Minjeong leaned over. "Is he okay?" she asked.
"He'll be alright," Jimin said. "He's just not used to this kind of thing."
Getting Jax into the pet carrier had been hell. The little thing was stubborn, and Jimin had found over the years that trying to get him to do anything he didn't want to do involved moving mountains and crossing seas. Trying to put him in the carrier had resulted in barking and scratch marks on Jimin's fingers. She'd tried begging - she was sure that her dog could understand human speech - but that had ended with Jax narrowing his eyes and chewing in Jimin's hat. Her last resort had been to put some of Jax's' favourite treats inside and gently coaxing her inside.
Bribery was the only way to train a dog, apparently.
The look of sadness and betrayal on Jax's face had almost been enough to make Jimin set him free.
"You know, it would have been simpler just to find someone to look after him," Minjeong said, seeing the look on her face.
"I didn't want to leave him behind," Jimin mumbled.
Minjeong rolled her eyes, but she couldn't keep the fond smile from her face.
The flight was long and bumpy. First class catered to a lot of things; but it couldn't stop the turbulence.
Jimin had been so preoccupied with Jax, making sure the little dog was safe in his carrier – he was, but if the yowling was anything to go by, he wasn't very happy – she hadn't noticed Minjeong turn a shade of white, her fingers gripping around the armrest.
It wasn't until her leg started drumming up and down that she started to take note.
"Jeongie," Jimin said, her eyes flickering up in concern, "you okay?"
"Just fine," Minjeong said. Her voice was tight.
"I thought you were okay with flying."
"When it's smooth." She swallowed. "Not so great when it's bumpy."
"Look at me."
Jimin put her hand over Minjeong's. She turned and looked at her, big doe eyes filled with fear.
"We're going to be just fine," she said, "I promise you. I've done this before. Take a few deep breaths."
She did so. Jimin smiled.
"That's good," she said, her voice full of encouragement. "We're going to get through this. When we land, we'll be laughing about it."
Minjeong nodded. Then, she turned her palm upwards, linking her fingers with Jimin.
They stayed that way until the plane landed.
When they had touched down, Siwon and Tiffany were waiting for them, wide smiles on their faces. They were dressed casually, just in shirts and jeans, and something about that made both Minjeong and Jimin feel more comfortable.
"Minjeong!" Tiffany said, opening her arms out towards the girl. "I'm so glad you decided to join us, it's so good to see you."
"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Y- Tiffany," Minjeong said, correcting herself with a smile. "So have the two of you met the real love of Jimin's life?"
Behind her Jimin groaned, while Siwon and Tiffany blinked in confusion.
Jimin lifted up the pet carrier and the two bent over it to take a peek at Jax.
"Oh, isn't he sweet?" Tiffany said, putting her fingers through the wires to scratch the dog's head.
"You brought the dog with you?" Siwon said gruffly, but he too went to look inside, a small smile on his face.
Jimin scratched the back of her head and shrugged. "He didn't want to miss all the fun. I couldn't leave him behind."
"I think she likes the dog more than me," Minjeong said. "She never wants to go anywhere without him."
Minjeong's hand had wrapped around her waist and Jimin felt herself still. She'd forgotten, again, that they were faking it, and with Minjeong's touch she'd felt shivers up her spine. Her mouth went dry, and she took a deep breath in. God, how was she going to get through two weeks?
They piled into her parents' car, Minjeong and Jimim squeezed into the back with Jax tucked at Jimin's feet. Minjeong hand was in hers, her slender fingers curling around hers. Her heart had sped up considerably, and she found herself unable to look at her, so she stared straight out the window.
Jimin wondered if she could tell.
"So how have you been the past two weeks?" Tiffany asked, twisting in the front seat to look back at them. "Honestly, it's been impossible to get you on your phone, Baby, how am I supposed to know if you're looking after yourself properly?"
"I had to get all of this work done for them to let me take these next two weeks off," Jimin muttered.
Tiffany looked a little guilty at that.
"Don't worry, Tiffany, I make sure she eats," Minjeong said, her tone bright. She never sounded like that when she was making sure she ate. She normally groaned and rolled her eyes like she was the biggest nuisance in the world. "I think she'd forget otherwise. I don't know what she'd do without me."
Jimin's reply slipped out so easily, she forgot that it wasn't supposed to be sincere. "Neither do I."
In the front seat, Tiffany cooed quietly, and she and Siwon shared a look. Minjeong was staring at her, her doe eyes alight in the darkness of the car, her expression unreadable. When Jimin looked back at her, she smiled.
"You'd cringe at the diet she had in university," Minjeong said, addressing Tiffany. "I'm not sure she ever ate even one proper meal."
"Don't tell her that," Jimin said, her voice slightly strained. "She'll make me move back home so that she can feed me properly."
Tiffany laughed. "Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of separating the two of you," she said. Then her voice turned sterner. "But I will be insisting on family meals more than once a month, young woman. If I can get at least one nutritious meal into you a week, I'll consider myself a successful mother. You're welcome to come too, Minjeong."
"I'd love to," Minjeong said politely, but she and Jimin shared a look.
They both knew it wasn't going to happen. After these two weeks were over, they would stop their little facade and Jimin's parents probably wouldn't see Minjeong again.
Not for the first time, the thought made Jimin's chest constrict, but she pushed the thought out of her brain.
"Now, you must see as much of the island as possible on your stay," Tiffany said, changing the topic. "It's such a beautiful place, you're going to love it, Minjeong."
"Why did you move away?" Minjeong asked, not impolitely.
"It was time for a change," Tiffany said. "Siwon's business was picking up - it was hard to manage from a small island. It was better for work. I'd love to move back here, sometime."
"When we're retired, my dear," Siwon said, putting a free hand on Tiffany's knee.
The two shared a soft smile, Tiffany's hands brushing Siwon's before she had to put them back on the wheel.
"Make sure you get Jimin to take you to the beach, Minjeong," Tiffany said. "It's really beautiful at this time of the year."
Minjeong couldn't help but think Yerim was right. She'd been looking out of the window as they drove along, and all she could see was lush green grass, wildflowers and, in the distance, the blue of the sea, sparkling in the sunlight.
"I can't believe you grew up here," Minjeong said, still staring out the window wide-eyed. "It's amazing."
Jimin scratched the back of her head and smiled. She hadn't been back here since she had left for university, and something in her heart had swelled upon coming back. Her memories were filled with her parents and their exploits and achievements - most of what she could remember of childhood was not being able to live up to Siwon and Tiffany's example and expectations. She'd actually forgotten how much of a nice place it was. Now she was here, her stomach twisted, a little voice in her head telling her that she hadn't appreciated the place for what it was. Some people would jump at the chance to live here, and she hadn't been able to get away fast enough. She was starting to think that maybe the eagerness to get away had been a mistake.
"Wait until you see the house, Jimin," Tiffany said. "I've been talking to Minho, and he assures me that he hasn't done anything to it, it's the same as it always was. Your room will be exactly how you left it."
Minjeong's eyes lit up at that. "I get to see what childhood Jimin's room was like?" she said, gleefully clapping her hands together. "Excellent!"
Tiffany laughed, while Jimin groaned.
"You don't know what you've done, Tiffany," Minjeong said. "Jimin will be searching for the embarrassing photos before we've even unpacked."
"Oh, I have plenty of those," Tiffany said, a grin spreading across her face. "I'll get Siwon to distract her, and I'll show you them, Minjeong, don't you worry."
There was a glint in Minjeong's eye. "I look forward to it, Tiffany."
In the backseat, Jimin's hands were pressed into her face while she let out a long groan and muttered something that sounded like "Noooooo."
"There are all sorts of things in the house I could show you," Tiffany said, and jimin found it remarkable how she and Minju had the same scheming grins. "She can't keep everything hidden."
"Okay!" Jimin said loudly, her arms in the air. "I didn't bring Minjeong here so that you could tell her all my secrets!"
Minjeong and Tiffany both laughed, and it was the same laugh - the two of them with their heads tipped back and their eyes squeezed shut.
"Have many secrets, do you?" Minjeong said, once her giggles subsided.
"I don't need you to have more blackmail material than you already do."
Eventually, the winding roads became more familiar, until they were driving through the town Jimin grew up in, and, eventually, arrived back at her childhood house, parking in the empty parking space.
"This isn't what I expected," Minjeong mumbled in Jimin's ear, low enough for Jimin's parents not to hear.
"What did you expect?"
"I wasn't expecting it to be so normal," she said.
Jimin's childhood home was much smaller than the mansion her parents lived in now. It was still fairly large, a red brick haven with a white window sills and a blue door - but it was much more average than Minjeong had been expecting. Compared to the large marble arches and floors of the house she'd visited at the reunion, this was much more comfortable.
"I didn't realize how much I've missed this place," Jimin whispered.
Minjeong squeezed her hand.
Jimin felt the tension leak out of her shoulders as she entered the house. Unlike her parents' mansion, this place held nothing but familiarity to her; it was comforting to be in a place that was a little old, a little rough around the edges, but still clean and lovely.
Somewhere she used to call home.
Minjeong was still holding her hand and they kept holding onto each other as Siwon and Tiffany ushered them inside.
"You must be hungry, the both of you, we'll order some food and have it in the living room, do make yourself comfortable..."
Minjeong felt odd to be eating pizza out of the box in front of Jimin's parents. Her only Jimin's with them before had been very posh, very proper, to see Siwon and Tiffany licking pizza sauce off their fingers just as her and Jimin did at home made her feel more at ease. Jimin could feel Minjeong relaxing as she sat next to her, their shoulders brushing.
She was not going to get used to this.
Minjeong made conversation easy.
"So," she said, after taking a bite of the pizza. "How are plans going for the wedding? You stressed?"
Tiffany shared a knowing glance with Siwon. "Not especially."
"Not at all?" Minjeong said, licking her fingers.
"We've got a whole community to help us out," Tiffany said, with a smile. "Minho said he wouldn't let us lift a finger."
"Wait, Minho's planning the wedding?" Jimin said, a disbelieving grin tugging at her mouth. "Are you sure about that?"
"He's actually surprisingly good it."
"I can't believe you're cool with letting someone else handle it," Minjeong said. "When my Mum was getting married she went crazy with the plans. Wouldn't let anyone else help."
"Did it go okay?"
Minjeong's smile faltered, her hand hovering in the air, pizza still in hand. "Actually, uh, the wedding didn't happen."
Siwon and Tiffany froze. Jimin's eyes flickered to Minjeong before she looked back at her parents. "I thought you'd be planning it, Mum," Jimin said quickly, "Isn't that what you're famous for, the Yu parties?"
The comment alleviated the awkward air as Siwon and Tiffany quickly fell back into the talking about all the parties they'd thrown over the years. Minjeong smiled at Jimin gratefully, leaning over and resting her head on Jimin's shoulder. Jimin smiled back, and let her head rest atop hers, enjoying the contact.
Tiffany's eyes bugged when she saw them. "Oh my gosh," she said, "Here I am, just babbling away when you two must be so tired and I haven't even shown you your room yet."
"We're fine, Mum," Jimin said quickly, not wanting to move away from the position she was in. It was too late. Minjeong was already shifting up off her shoulder, and Jimin frowned inwardly at the absence of her. "Besides, I know where my old room is."
"Yes, but I'm sure you'll both want to unpack, and get some alone time," Tiffany said, smiling at the two of them.
Jimin frowned at the way she'd enunciated 'alone time'
"That'll be great," Minjeong said, wiping her fingers on a napkin and standing up. "Thank you for ordering food for us."
"It's my pleasure, dear!"
"I'll get the bags from the car," Minjeong said, disappearing out onto the porch. Siwon followed her out to help her.
Jimin made to follow them both, but Tiffany grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the room. Her eyes flickered shiftily up towards the front door before sliding back to Jimin.
"Just so you know," she said, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper, "I put what you-kids-girls use underneath the sink in the bathroom"
Jimin's brow furrowed. "You put what in my bathroom?"
"You know lube," Tiffany whispered, "and strap-ons."
Jimin's eyebrows shot up into the air, her mouth dropping. "Mum!"
"Well, you know-"
"I'm not listening to this."
"It's a conversation we need to have! I'm just trying to show you how much I support this relationship and-"
"I think it's a conversation we never need to have."
"Look, I just want both of you to be comfortable here and not restrict yourselves when you feel-" Tiffany said.
Jimin screwed her fingers in her ears. "La, la, la, la, la!"
"What's going on here?"
Minjeong had appeared in the doorway, suitcases by her side.
"Nothing," Jimin said quickly, dropping her fingers from her hair. "Just Mum ridding me of every shred of dignity I have."
Tiffany laughed, and ruffled Jennie's hair. Minjeong raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"I'll tell you later," Jimin muttered, low enough that only she could hear.
"Right," Tiffany said, clapping her hands together. "Have a good night's sleep."
Jimin took Minjeong's hand and lead her up the stairs to her room. She peeked over her shoulder to see Siwon and Tiffany standing together, offering her a thumbs-up. Jimin made a face. This was a mental picture that she was never going to be able to erase.
Luckily for her, it wasn't a thought she could dwell on for long, because as she opened the door, the two of them realised a very big glaring problem that had slipped both of their minds.
In the middle of the room, there was a big double bed.
One big double bed.