The Storm and the Sea (A MiChaeng Fanfic)

Chapter 37: Chaeyoung

"It has to be now," the storm thought. With a nervous resolve, it heads back to the sea for their final dance—for better or for worse.

***

Loud thuds on the door wake me up. I glance at the Hello Kitty wall clock: 2:17 a.m. Wow, it took them that long to get back.

"A little help?" Jeongyeon grunts as she tries to lift Momo and Sana off the floor. What the hell happened to these two?!

"You really took your time, huh?"

"Shut up and take Momo to the couch. I'll take care of this one," she says, putting Sana's arm on her shoulders.

As soon as we lay Sana and Momo to rest, we plop by the dining area.

"Isn't it a little too late for instant noodles?"

Jeongyeon scoffs, still tearing the flavor packet. "Whatever, carrying those two from the parking lot made me hungry again."

I wait for her to finish prepping her snack before asking, "So...how did it go?"

She looks at me, blowing her steaming noodles. "Oh! How did it go with Mina? Well, I must say, she looks pretty good," she says before slurping. Her gaze doesn't let go of me, probably gauging how I'll take it in, but I just nod. "We all fixed, somewhat, our friendship issues, which led to..." Jeongyeon now looks at Momo, who's snoring on the couch.

Okay, that's good and all, but I want to know if she even mentioned me. "Did anything else happen?"

"Yeah, the two of us strolled around her neighborhood and sat by the playground." She glances at me amidst her stirring her noodles. "We also sorted the past between us, I guess."

Fine, I'll cut to the chase. It's almost three in the morning. "Did she...say or ask anything about me?"

Jeongyeon playfully tilts her head from side to side as she hums. "Not really."

The excitement slowly dissipates from my body. Of course, why would Mina waste her thoughts on someone like me? Maybe it's for the best that she doesn't think about me.

"...But I did manage to bring you into the discussion," she adds with a smirk.

Better than any source of caffeine, her words make me feel like I've slept a full eight hours. "What did you say?"

She shrugs. "I just told her that you're still in love with her."

"And?"

"She said that she's in here, and you're not." Jeongyeon then resumes eating as if she just read something off a flyer.

I try to process the meaning behind Mina's words, but fail miserably. Would she give me a chance to speak now? I look at Jeongyeon, heartily sipping soup off her bowl, for further explanation.

Jeongyeon sighs after finishing her noodles. Closing her eyes, she mutters, "That's the sign, stupid."

***

I can't go to her empty-handed, not when she knitted a bag for me. Helping me on my quest to find Mina the perfect gift, as a "sorry" and "happy birthday", is Sana.

"Anything in mind?" Sana asks as we scour the stuffed toys section in the department store.

"I dunno, she just likes video games and vinyl figures." Truly, Mina is a person with very simple interests.

"But, of course, that won't cut it this time," she remarks and I nod in agreement. It has to be something well-thought-of and special. Something that'll make her see that I really love her.