one summer | winrina

➥ twelve

The evening dawned dark and warm, the sky perfect and cloudless for Minjeong's flight. She'd slipped into airy clothes earlier in the day, mostly because she hadn't wanted the heat to get to her before she reached the airport.

Everything was packed- her books, her papers, her clothes, her toiletries. She was ready, and she'd already said one last goodbye to Ning and Aeri, promising to keep in touch with them over the year.

The last goodbye, though- that was the worst one.

She and Jimin were still in that confusing state. Minjeong wasn't even sure if they were still friends with benefits anymore- Jimin kept saying things that confused her, turning her normally organized priorities upside down.

Honestly? She wouldn't mind letting Jimin confuse her forever if it meant that she could stay with her.

Jimin had expressed regret about Minjeong leaving, sure. She seemed sad enough, and that made Minjeong a little happier.

Just a little though.

Minjeong leaned her head against the glass of the car window, her bored eyes taking in the scenery whizzing past outside. Everything in Orlando was so different from everything back home in Yangsan- but it was the place where she'd fallen for Jimin, so she supposed it held some special value to her.

"You know, Minjeong," Haesun spoke, tapping her fingers on the wheel, "I'm so happy you've become close with Karina the past month. Her Orlando friends can sometimes be a bit much, you know?"

"Mom!" Jimin accused, and the adorable crease that appeared between her eyebrows caused Minjeong's stomach to do a backflip.

I'll miss this girl so much.

Haesun just laughed in response, and Jimin's lips pulled down into a pout- which only served to help remind Minjeong of how much she'd kissed Jimin. And then her heartbeat was off again.

She still spoke up, though. "I actually enjoyed meeting them all. They were all so nice."

Haesun smiled, looking at Minjeong through the rearview mirror. "Really? I'm pretty sure Rina had a thing with one of them- what was his name- Jeno?"

Jimin's lips pressed together tightly and she looked away, but Minjeong just laughed. "Maybe."

The silence in the car grew suffocating, and Minjeong was glad when they reached the airport to finally leave it. She was hit with a blast of cool air, and realized how much she'd gotten used to the heat in the past month.

It also brought her a little bit of nostalgia- airport air conditioning, in its own way. That had been when she'd first seen Jimin.

They'd met at the airport, Jimin tapping her shoulder and asking her name. Minjeong didn't think she'd ever forget Jimin's personality or cat-eyed grin after that day, and when Jimin reciprocated, it was like Minjeong's own personal cloud nine.

"Okay, so this is where we leave you," Haesun announced, stopping in the waiting area, security and check-ins a few meters away.

Minjeong gave her an awkward smile, but one that also silently said thank you. She accepted Haesun's hug, shook Kyunghoon's hand, and then turned to Jimin as the two adults stepped back.

"So this is goodbye, I guess," Minjeong mumbled, standing in front of the other girl, looking anywhere but her eyes.

"Yeah."

"I'll miss you," Jimin added anxiously.

"Me too."

And then Jimin pulled her into a hug, burying her face in Minjeong's shoulder. Instinctively, Minjeong's arms rose to hug her back, pulling her close as they embraced in the cool air. In that moment, Minjeong couldn't have cared less who was watching them- all she knew was that she wanted to stay.

Jimin's long hair covered them briefly from her parents' sight, so she pressed a quick kiss to Minjeong's cheeks and then pulled away, examining her at arm's length.

"This month was the best," Jimin whispered softly. Her dark cat eyes were wistful and sad, and Minjeong wanted nothing more than to be the one to cheer her up.

"Yeah, it was. I love-"

Jimin's eyes widened for a split second.

"-spending time with you. Keep in touch. I'll miss you."

Jimin nodded in response, and then stepped back fully, dropping her arms from Minjeong's sides.

It was right then that it occurred to Minjeong that she might never see this girl again. Their parents' friendship wasn't enough to bring the two girls across nearly seven thousand miles on the regular. Minjeong had a bright future in Korea, while Jimin's laid in New York. The two couldn't be more different- or far apart.

And the thought of losing her made Minjeong sick.

"Oh, and one more thing, Jimin?"

Jimin perked up at her Korean name, turning to face Minjeong, the eyes Minjeong loved so much bright and eager.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."