Moving On With You, Jinjoo

13: Stars Are Prettier

The concept of night drives was something Minju loved. But being in a car she once wished she could often go on drives in didn't give her the best feeling. The silence she loved having with the person she adored became the silence she wanted to escape from. But she kept an open mind, knowing there were still strings tying them together.

Strings she had a hard time cutting.

Minju had her fingers laced, thumb rubbing against her knuckles. Her eyes followed the passing trees as the night view of the coast appeared, casting over the horizon.

Wonyoung glanced at the girl, knowing she had to say something. She lets out a small sigh, detesting the heavy atmosphere between them. She thought that not seeing the brunette would mean it disappeared but not at all. It still and will continue to exist between them. Nothing was going to change.

"I thought you said you were never going to see me again," Minju said.

Wonyoung looked at the girl briefly and back on the road. Her grip loosened on the steering wheel, taking a hand away as she drove a little slower. "I know." The weight in her heart tugged on her voice.

The brunette finally lifted her gaze away from the outside, letting them lie on Wonyoung. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss the girl who made her into a better version of herself. Those little pep talks in the morning and deep ones at night. Whenever a problem arises, Wonyoung never lets them sleep without resolving it. 

She missed those days when Wonyoung would go out of her way to appear at her school just to deliver homemade lunches. Even if it meant having the worst day, Wonyoung would make sure the brunette was eating well since she cram nights before exams. The first two years of med school for her were hell and so was Wonyoung's time getting used to a whole new world.

Down to every little thing she does, Wonyoung has set the bar for Minju. There wasn't anyone who could reach that. Minju didn't need to go out to meet new people to realise, Wonyoung was the girl she never wanted to lose. Whatever the girl did, she never fails to think about Minju.

The years they spent building something together came out to nothing when reality decided to pull them apart. It was scary.

One day things were so certain and the next second, everything was gone. 

It wasn't anyone's fault. Feelings weren't lost. But knowing there was no future with them together made them realise, it wasn't going to work out. Minju wants to think of it as they're from different worlds.

Wonyoung took in a deep breath as she pulled up to a small parking area near the end of the beach where they used to go. The place where they would meet since their universities were on the other ends of the city. But Wonyoung would be the one fetching her anyway.

The taller girl pressed a button on the dashboard, lowering the fan of the aircon, knowing Minju didn't like it blowing directly at her. She drops her hand onto her lap, turning to the girl.

There were so many things she wanted to say to Minju. Her mind wanted to let her live, but her heart didn't want to hold back. Not when she knows she'll probably never see her again. Not when she knows it was a decision they made. "I know I said I wasn't going to, but I missed you," she said. "That's why I came to see you."

Minju tried to ignore the way her heart clenched at those words that once gave her butterflies. Wonyoung saw those eyes that didn't look at her like they used to.

"How have you been doing these days?" One of the questions that can't go un-asked. "Have you been eating well?"

Minju nods slowly. "Everything's been the same." She lightly pushed her fingertip into the leather of the armrest.