#2jin loona

Heejin woke up earlier than usual, having set up an alarm the night before. She’d placed her phone underneath her bed in an effort to mute the alarm enough as to not wake up her roommates. By the snoring coming from Jiwoo’s bed, she’d say she had succeeded. She minutely shook her head, wondering how such loud snoring could come from such a little body.

Shaking her thoughts away, Heejin quietly made her way out of the room. The morning sun that shined through the living room window plus the complete silence aside from the birds chirping created such a peaceful atmosphere that Heejin finally understood why Jungeun preferred waking up earlier than the other girls. While she loved the usual chaos that was their life, she could understand the need for peace and silence every once in a while. Although, to be fair, the ridiculously early time the older girl went to bed probably had as much to do with it as the need for peace and quiet.

A sudden noise coming from Sooyoung, Haseul, Hyejoo, and Yeojin’s room snapped her into action, moving towards the kitchen. She knew she had an hour at the most before the girls would be waking up and she wasn’t the best cook in the first place so it would take some time to get the breakfast in bed that she had planned for Hyunjin ready.

Heejin had been crushing on the other girl ever since they’d first met and she had decided that it was finally time to confess her feelings. Okay, it was more like Hyejoo had threatened to tell Hyunjin if Heejin didn’t, claiming to be tired of the “sad puppy eyes” she threw Hyunjin’s way on a daily basis but that was beside the point.

Besides, what better day to tell her long-time best friend she loved her than on Valentine’s day. Heejin poured some pancake batter she had made the night before into a pan and took out some strawberries from the fridge. She chopped the fruit into little pieces, all the while keeping an eye on the pancakes. She made a total of four, knowing Hyunjin’s weird claims of four being the perfect number of pancakes to eat. No more and no less. Heejin had learned to not question Hyunjin and simply go along with it.

Once she had the pancakes stacked on a plate and a bowl of chopped strawberries ready, she got out the large coffee cup she’d bought Hyunjin a few years earlier and filled it with the freshly made brew. Heejin starred at the breakfast, feeling like something was missing. She stared for a few seconds before realization dawned on her, leaving her feeling like an idiot for forgetting the most important part. She quickly opened the cupboard below the sink that no one ever used. She had sneaked out of practice the day before with the help of Chaewon in order to go to Hyunjin’s favorite bakery and buy her some of her favorite goods.

Taking out half a loaf of bread, she added it to the plate before smiling with satisfaction. A hand suddenly appeared in the eyesight and took a strawberry right out of the bowl, leading to a quick slap to the offending hand on Heejin’s part. “Hey”, Jinsoul complained, a pout on her face. Heejin ignored the older girl, carefully loading the plates into a tray to take to Hyunjin’s room. “Leave it. That’s for her girlfriend” Jungeun told Jinsoul, a hint of teasing in her voice.

“She’s not my girlfriend”, Heejin protested. “But she will by the end of the day”, Jungeun countered. Heejin blushed, not wanting to admit how much she wanted that to be true. “Come on, I’ll make you one of those smoothies you like so much”, Jungeun told Jinsoul. Jinsoul’s pout at having been denied food quickly turned into a smile as she followed her girlfriend to the counter.

Heejin rolled her eyes at their antics before picking up the tray. Without bothering to say anything else, she made her way back to the room she shared with Hyunjin, Jiwoo, and Yerim. Careful not to wake the other members, she sat down on Hyunjin’s bed, taking a moment to admire the sleeping girl.

“Aww that’s adorable” a voice broke the silence, making Heejin turn a glare on her member. “Get out”, she whispered furiously at Jiwoo who had just woken up and was already smiling brightly. Heejin was pleasantly surprised and happy at the other girl’s immediate compliance till the door was slammed shut behind her noisily. She winced at the loud sound, unsurprised to find Hyunjin blearily looking at her now.

“Hey, good morning”, she said, trying to set things back on track. Hyunjin silently sat up, eyes getting noticeably bigger at the sight of the tray of food on Heejin’s lap. “Is that for me?” she asked, voice still heavy with sleep.

Heejin nodded, holding back her urge to awe at the adorable look on Hyunjin’s face. Hyunjin didn’t need any more information, in a second, she was sitting up and eating the fruit on the plate. Both girls sat there for a few minutes, Hyunjin eating while Heejin tried to play off her staring by noncommittedly watching her phone screen.

In a matter of minutes, the food was all gone. Hyunjin threw back the little coffee left in her mug before putting down the glass. Heejin grabbed the tray and moved it to the floor, allowing Hyunjin to stand up and stretch. “Happy Valentine’s day Hyunjin”, Heejin said, answering the question she knew was about to come out of Heejin’s mouth.

Realization dawned on Hyunjin who hadn’t even realized what day it was. “Thanks, Heekie,” she said with a brilliant smile. She leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead before walking away, muttering something about going to get dressed. Heejin, meanwhile, sat there with a dumbstruck look in her eyes, thinking back on the feeling of Hyunjin’s lips on her skin.

She was still sitting there by the time Hyunjin came back out, this time dressed in her usual workout clothes. “C’mon Heejin, we’re gonna be late to practice.” Heejin stood from the bed and followed after her, internally cursing BBC for not giving them the day off. Unfortunately, Haseul had thought it was a bad idea to ask them to grant them a break because Heejin wanted to confess her undying love for her fellow member. Heejin personally disagreed with that assessment but she’d gone along with it anyway, planning around their schedule.

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A few hours later found all twelve members about to collapse. Sooyoung walked towards the music player which was currently blasting their newest title track for what felt like the hundredth time. “I think it’s time to call it a day”, she said. The girls noticeably perked up, Hyejoo even managing to get her head off the floor to look at the dancer.

“Really? So early?” Jinsoul asked, her confusion overriding her excitement. Usually, they finished around nine at the earliest, sometimes staying till early morning when it was getting close to a comeback. Today it was only around five. Jungeun slapped the back of Jinsoul’s head a few seconds later, ignoring the brunette’s complaint. “Shhh, don’t make her change her mind”, she whispered.

Sooyoung rolled her eyes at her member’s antics. “C’mon, we can stop at the convenience store for some snacks on the way back” Haseul added, quietly laughing at the way they all quickly grabbed their bags at the mention of food. With both girls hurrying them on, they all left the practice room. All except Heejin who grabbed Hyunjin by the wrist when she tried to follow the others. Sooyoung was the last to leave and she quickly shot Heejin a smile at the grateful look on her face before leaving.

Hyunjin turned to look at Heejin with a perplexed look on her face. “What are you doing? They’re going to leave without us”, she said. Heejin remained silent, avoiding Hyunjin’s eyes. Hyunjin’s earlier excitement turned into worry, concentrating completely on her friend now. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” she asked, worry coating her voice.

Heejin shook her head, grabbing her wrist again and pulling her towards the door on the far left. “I just thought we could do something together. You know, without the others”, she explained as she opened the door. Hyunjin stared speechless at the sight before her. A blanket laid out on the wooden floor, with a basket lying on top of it. A pitcher of iced tea sat next to it.

She remained speechless as Heejin moved her towards the blanket, gently pushing her down. Hyunjin took the queue and sat down, finally turning to look back at Heejin. “Wow, this looks amazing Heejin. What’s all this for though?” She asked.

Heejin started taking all of Hyunjin’s favorite foods out of the basket, quietly murmuring about how it was valentine’s day and she just wanted to do something special for her. Hyunjin smiled once more at her friend’s thoughtfulness, her eyes gazing directly at the plate of spicy noodles. Heejin laughed when she noticed the other girl’s gaze, handing her the bowl.

With that, both girls started eating and before long, they were retelling stories and anecdotes, laughter ringing around the empty practice room. Heejin couldn’t help but think about how this was why she loved the other girl so much. In an industry where they had to fight tooth and nail for everything they had, being with Hyunjin was just so effortless. It was as easy as breathing.

Hyunjin was just finished telling her about the time she got in trouble in school for stealing the bread from the cafeteria when she got a glimpse of her phone. It was nearing eight and they’d been there for three hours already. Despite the time passing in a blur, she wasn’t surprised. After all, time always seemed to cease to exist when they were together.

“Hey Hyunjin, I almost forgot about this last part”, she said. Hyunjin’s eyes widened noticeably at the chocolate cake Heejin pulled from the basket. “Damn Heejin, you really outdid yourself there”, she stated. “Is this how Hansel and Gretel felt when the witch was trying to fatten them up?” she teased.

“Please, I’m sure my company is a million times more enjoyable than hers”, Heejin replied jokingly. Hyunjin laughed at that. Her laugh ignited a warm feeling in Heejin and she decided to finally just go for it.

“Look Hyunjin, there’s something I wanted to tell you”, she said, voice suddenly serious. She reached out to grab the other girl’s hands, trying to ignore how sweaty her own now were.

“I lo-

“Oh my god, you’re dying, aren’t you?”

Both girls spoke at the same time. Heejin froze in shock at the other girl’s words.

“That’s why you’ve been so uncharacteristically nice and nervous all day, isn’t it? I knew something was wrong the moment I saw you huddled in a corner talking with Sooyoung and looking so serious. Why didn’t you tell me?”

The sadness and tangible anger in Hyunjin’s voice finally snapped Heejin out of her shock-induced daze. “Wait, what? I am definitely not dying”, she quickly exclaimed. She silently cursed herself for apparently not being as subtle as she thought she’d been. Although in her defense, she and Sooyoung’s conversation had been about how she’d just finished setting up the picnic in the other room and she’d accidentally dropped the cake so really, it had been a situation of life or death.

Luckily, the older girl had managed to send Yerim to the bakery next door to buy another cake in time for their surprise picnic. “I swear, everything is okay,” she said, trying to continue to reassure her. “It’s more than okay.” At Hyunjin’s confused look, she took a deep breath.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, I love you Hyunjin. I’ve loved you since the moment we first met and I’ve loved you every moment since then.”

Hyunjin looked a little confused at her admission and Heejin couldn’t help but feel anxious. Her nerves settled down moments later when Hyunjin started smiling, looking touched. She held her breath as she waited for the other girl to reply. “Wow, Heejin. I don’t know what to say. I love you too. How could I not? You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.” And just like that, Heejin felt her heart shatter.

In an instant, all the happiness she’d been feeling was sucked away from her and she was left trying to hold back her tears. Hyunjin was still looking at her with such a gentle smile and Heejin had to do her best not to ask her to hold her as she cried.

She couldn’t help but feel humiliated. Here she was so sure that her feelings were reciprocated only to find out that Hyunjin truly only saw her as a friend. And not only that but also, she’d put her in such an awkward position that she had retorted to acting like she didn’t understand just to let her down gently. She couldn’t help but wonder how long had Hyunjin known the confession was coming and if she’d been trying to avoid it. She’d been so stuck in her daydreams to realize the other girl trying to warn her.

“Heejin? Is everything okay?” Hyunjin asked, breaking Heejin out of her thoughts. “Do you want to cut the cake?” Heejin shook her head, knowing she wouldn’t be able to keep her composure if she had to stay there even one second more. “We should go. It’s getting late.” With that, she stood up and started packing everything back into the bag she’d brought, ignoring Hyunjin’s confused noises.

Hyunjin was lost at the sudden turn in her friend but she started helping her back everything back up, wondering why she suddenly felt guilty. The car ride back to the dorm was in complete silence.

It took everything in Heejin to maintain her composure till they were back in the dorm, barely even sparing a look towards the others who were hanging out in the living room before quickly making her way to her room. The only thing she wanted was to go to bed and forget about the last 24 hours.

Hyunjin, for her part, couldn’t be more confused by the sudden turn of events. They’d been having such a nice time and then, out of nowhere, Heejin had started acting strangely and she had shut herself away from her.

The noise of the bedroom door slamming shut had everyone immediately looking to Hyunjin for an explanation. Haseul took a step forward, concern clear in her eyes. “What happened? Is she okay?” she asked. Hyunjijn shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “I have no idea. We were hanging out when she all of a sudden just shut down.”

Jungeun squinted her eyes at her suspiciously. “By hanging out you mean going on your first date? Did something go wrong?” Hyunjin scrunched her nose at the word “date”, shaking her head. “What date? We were just hanging out like always” she explained. She couldn’t help but feel even more confused at the exasperated looks she got from her members, wondering if she’d said something wrong.

“Oh my god Hyunjin, you’ve got to be joking. What part of breakfast in bed and a romantic dinner on Valentine’s day seems platonic?” Sooyoung asked in disbelief. It was like her words had switched a button and suddenly, Hyunjin remembered how flushed Heejin had looked that morning when she’d kissed her forehead, the constant hand-holding, and how nervous Heejin had looked when she’d brought her to the practice room.

She closed her eyes and let out a groan as realization dawned on her. “I’m an idiot”, she said. Hyejoo let out a small laugh. “Yeah, you kind of are.” Her laughter was cut off a second later as Haseul’s hand made contact with the younger girl’s arm but Hyunjin was too busy focusing on her regret to pay them any mind. “I have to fix this.” She decided, determination in her voice.

Without waiting for her member’s reactions, she made her way to Heejin’s room, ready to fix her mistakes. The door was uncharacteristically closed and Hyunjin hesitated for a moment before slowly opening the door. The room was covered in darkness and it was only because of the slight light coming from the open door that Hyunjin could see the faint figure of Heejin lying on her bed.

Hyunjin walked closer, trying to check if the other girl was asleep. Her question was answered by Heejin turning on her side and facing the wall, leaving Hyunjin to stare at the girl’s back. With a small sigh, she sat down on the bed. Her hand hovered hesitantly over Heejin’s arm for a few seconds before she lowered it back down.

“I know you’re awake”, she finally said. A loud grumbling was the only answer she received and Hyunjin couldn’t help the small chuckle she let out. Only to quickly regret it when the other girl quickly turned to face her, hurt visible in her eyes. “So not only did you spend the whole day rejecting me but you also have to come to laugh at my misery?” Heejin exclaimed incredulously.

Hyunjin shook her head in amusement. “I didn’t reject you once though”, she countered. Heejin’s previously hurt expression turned to one of complete disbelief as she finally sat up from her previous position. “Hyunjin. I poured my heart out to you and you friend-zoned me harder than the time we first met Sunmi unnie at an award show and Sooyoung confessed her undying love for her.” She exclaimed, making Hyunjin laugh at the reminder of that incident.

“To be fair, she probably rejected her out of fear. I mean, did you see how hard Jiwoo was glaring at her from behind Sooyoung? That girl was not messing around.” Heejin’s expression remained unamused and Hyunjin straightened up, clearing her throat. “Look Heekie. I’m sorry, okay? I swear I had no idea you were trying to confess your feelings for me. If I’d known… well… let’s just say the night would’ve had a very different ending.”

Hyunjin waited for Heejin to reply, getting more anxious with every second that passed in silence. “Show me” Heejin finally said. Hyunjin stared at her for a few moments, confusion clear on her face. “Show you what?” she asked. “Show me how the night would’ve ended.”

Hyunjin didn’t say anything, wondering if the other girl was being serious. After seeing her expression, Hyunjin took in a deep breath, trying to steel her nerves. She gently lifted her hands to cup the other girl’s face, closing the distance between the two. She stopped inches away from her lips, her breath catching in her throat at the realization of what was about to happen. “Are you sure?” she whispered, so close to Heejin that the familiar scent of cherries was all she could smell.

Without bothering to answer, Heejin quickly closed the small distance, finally getting to taste the lips she’d dreamed about for years now. Neither had a lot of experience with kissing but kissing the other one simply felt natural. As though they’d been doing it their whole lives. The kiss didn’t last as long as Hyunjin would’ve liked but they eventually had to part to catch their breath.

Their foreheads remained touching and Heejin’s hand went up to cup Hyunjin’s cheek. The tenderness in both girl’s eyes was clear as they looked at each other. “So. You really are an idiot, huh?” Heejin asked, voice teasing. The moment was immediately broken as Hyunjin scoffed at her words, playfully pushing her away.