Jihyo has long memorised the shape and nature of it; she knows the exact collection of memories that make up the constellation of her first love. The thing is, she's always known and over the years, she's relearnt it again and again, what it means to be in love with Myoui Mina.
It starts when they're seventeen, on a cold winter morning, two days after 2013 shed its skin into a new year. It starts with shy introductions and awkward smiles half-hidden behind curtains of straight, raven hair.
It starts when they're seventeen, a simple fluttering in Jihyo's chest that has never stopped - only grown older and wiser, more sure of itself, even when she's loved other people enough for them to leave their footprints on the shores between her ribs.
It starts when they're seventeen, and has never stopped. Time and time again, Mina is the only constant - the only one she carries around in her heart wherever she goes.
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Her flight gets delayed, and Jihyo is exhausted by the time she exits the airport. It's strange to not be greeted by a swarm of flashing lights and voices calling out her name, be it for candid photographs or a quotable soundbite. It's strange but refreshing; a breath of fresh air that's a welcome relief from the heightened media scrutiny she's been under since that stupid Dispatch headline.
Jihyo finds a cab with no problems at all and shows the driver Mina's address. The polite small talk her driver shares with her lapses into an easy silence 10 minutes into the long drive. Jihyo spends the time watching Hawaii colour the world outside the car, losing herself in the sights because it's easier than thinking about her destination.
The drive gives way to stretches of road with surf shops and tourists in aloha shirts, then fades into glimpses of the bluest sea in between a row of colorful residential homes. The cab pulls up in front of a modest house: two floors painted a shade of calming white, bracketed by palm trees and surrounded by a stone fence and a wooden gate.
In the time it takes for Jihyo to pay her driver and help him unload her bags, the wooden gate slides open and then Mina is there, in a long oversized sweater and slippers on her feet.
Jihyo's throat is tight because there are only a few metres separating them instead of time folded into years and oceans of blue.
She thanks her driver again and lets herself watch the tail lights disappear before she turns to where Mina is waiting just past the gate.
"Hi," Jihyo says, as she approaches slowly, dragging her suitcase behind her.
Mina blinks, as if coming out of a daze, and then there's a hint of that familiar gummy smile. "Hi."
The house is gorgeous, cozy in a way that immediately puts Jihyo at ease. There's a soft-looking grey sofa in front of a fireplace, and the living room opens up to a large kitchen with white cupboards and an island that doubles as a dining table. There's an apron draped over one of the chairs, and Jihyo can see it immediately: Mina cooking in that apron, maybe humming to herself as she carefully measures out ingredients.
"Are you hungry?" Mina asks, watching as Jihyo takes everything in. "I can make something for you, if you are."
Jihyo shakes her head. "The flight exhausted me. I kind of just wanna nap for a bit."
Mina's eyes turn soft in understanding. She takes Jihyo's suitcase from her and leads the way up to the second floor. There's a television and some comfortable-looking bean bags on the carpet. Jihyo has to suppress a smile when she spots a shelf full of video games and consoles. She takes heart in the fact that no matter what, Mina hasn't changed and is still the same person she's always known.
Mina heads to the right and opens the door there, revealing a queen-sized bed and french doors that open out to a balcony overlooking the beach. Mina's right of course - Jihyo loves the room at first sight, just like Mina said she would when they spoke over the phone days ago.
"I'll see you later," Mina says, before she steps out and closes the door behind her.
Jihyo takes in a deep breath, smells the ocean, and starts to make herself at home.
