GASLIGHTER // BBANGSAZ

29|date 🚭❗

Hanni woke up to the sound of birds chirping softly outside the window, the morning sun spilling through the curtains and bathing the small room in a warm, golden glow. She blinked, her body still heavy with exhaustion, but there was something different about this morning. The usual weight that sat on her chest wasn’t as suffocating. Instead, she felt... light.

She turned her head and saw Minji lying beside her, still asleep, her breathing slow and steady. Minji's face, in the gentle light of the early hours, looked so peaceful, almost innocent. For a moment, all of the tension from the past few weeks melted away. The arguments, the manipulation, the confusion—it all seemed distant, almost like a bad dream. In this moment, with the warmth of Minji's body next to hers and the quietness of the morning wrapping around them, everything felt... right.

Hanni’s thoughts wandered as she watched Minji sleep. Maybe, just maybe, this was love. Maybe all the doubts and the fear she'd been feeling were just her own insecurities. Minji had been there for her, through everything. She was the one who had kept them together, who had made sure they survived. If that wasn’t love, then what was?

As if sensing Hanni’s gaze, Minji stirred, her eyes fluttering open. When she saw Hanni looking at her, a soft smile spread across her lips.

“Morning,” Minji murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

“Morning,” Hanni replied, her own voice a little shy, but there was a warmth in her chest she couldn’t deny.

Minji reached out, tucking a strand of Hanni's hair behind her ear, her fingers lingering for just a second too long. "You’re beautiful in the morning," she said, her voice soft and sincere.

Hanni’s heart skipped a beat at the compliment, and she felt her cheeks heat up slightly. She wasn’t used to Minji being so gentle, so affectionate. It felt strange, but in a way that made her want to lean into it, to believe that this was the real Minji—the one who cared about her.

“You’re staring at me,” Minji teased, her smile growing.

Hanni let out a small laugh, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’m just... I guess I’m not used to waking up like this. It’s nice.”

Minji shifted closer, her arm wrapping around Hanni’s waist as she pulled her in. “We should have more mornings like this,” she whispered, her breath warm against Hanni’s skin.

Hanni’s heart swelled at the thought. She wanted that—mornings filled with warmth and quiet moments where everything felt perfect. Maybe this was what she had been missing all along. Maybe it had always been love, and she had just been too afraid to see it.

As if reading her mind, Minji suddenly sat up, her eyes bright with excitement. “Let’s do something today,” she said. “Just you and me.”

“Like what?” Hanni asked, surprised by the sudden burst of energy.

Minji grinned, that familiar mischievous glint in her eyes. “I’m taking you out on a date. A real date. None of this hiding or running around. Just us.”

Hanni blinked, her heart doing a strange little flip in her chest. “A date?”

“Yeah,” Minji said, already getting out of bed and stretching. “It’s long overdue, don’t you think? We’ve been through so much. I think we deserve one good day, don’t you?”

Hanni couldn’t help but smile at the idea. A date. It sounded so... normal, so unlike the chaos they had been living in for the past few months. And maybe that was exactly what they needed.

“I’d like that,” Hanni said softly.

Minji’s grin widened. “Good. Get dressed, we’re leaving in an hour.”

---

An hour later, Hanni found herself sitting in the passenger seat of a small, beat-up car that Minji had somehow gotten her hands on. The windows were rolled down, letting the fresh countryside air whip through their hair as they drove down winding roads, past green fields and small villages. Hanni leaned back in her seat, feeling a strange sense of peace settle over her.

Minji glanced over at her with a smirk. “You look happy.”

“I am,” Hanni said, surprising herself with how true the words felt.

They drove for about an hour before pulling up to a small, picturesque town nestled in the hills. It looked like something out of a postcard, with its cobblestone streets, quaint little shops, and flowers blooming in every window. Minji parked the car and turned to Hanni, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

“Ready for the best day ever?” she asked.

Hanni smiled, her heart warming at Minji’s enthusiasm. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

They spent the morning wandering through the town, stopping in small shops and cafes, laughing and talking as if the weight of their past didn’t exist. For the first time in what felt like forever, Hanni felt like herself again—like the version of herself she had almost forgotten existed.

Minji was different today, too. She wasn’t cold or distant or controlling. She was... sweet. Gentle. Thoughtful. She held Hanni’s hand as they walked, her thumb brushing over Hanni’s knuckles in a way that sent little sparks of warmth through her. She bought Hanni a small flower from a street vendor and tucked it behind her ear, grinning as she told her how pretty she looked.

It was like a dream, one that Hanni hadn’t realized she’d been longing for.

As the afternoon turned into evening, they found a small park on the edge of town, with a view that overlooked the rolling hills and the distant mountains. Minji spread out a blanket she had somehow remembered to bring, and they sat together, watching as the sun began to set in a blaze of orange and pink.

Hanni lay back on the blanket, her head resting against Minji’s shoulder as they watched the sky turn darker, the stars beginning to appear one by one. For a moment, she forgot everything—the fear, the uncertainty, the constant gnawing doubt that had been eating away at her for so long. In this moment, there was only Minji and the soft sound of her breathing, the warmth of her arm around Hanni’s waist.

“You know,” Minji said after a long silence, her voice soft and contemplative. “I never thought I’d get to do something like this. With you.”

Hanni tilted her head to look up at her, surprised by the vulnerability in Minji’s voice. “Why not?”

Minji shrugged, her gaze still fixed on the sky. “I don’t know. I guess... I didn’t think I deserved it. Or that you’d ever want to be with me. But here we are.”

Hanni felt a pang of emotion in her chest, something that felt dangerously close to love. She reached up, her fingers gently brushing Minji’s cheek. “I do want to be with you,” she said softly.

Minji turned her head to meet Hanni’s eyes, her expression softening in a way that made Hanni’s heart ache. “Good,” she whispered, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Hanni’s lips. “Because I want to be with you, too. Always.”

And in that moment, Hanni believed her. All of the doubts, all of the fear—it melted away in the warmth of Minji’s touch, in the softness of her kiss. For the first time in months, Hanni felt like she could breathe again. Like maybe, just maybe, this was what love was supposed to feel like.

As the stars continued to fill the sky above them, Hanni let herself fall completely into Minji’s arms, into the illusion of safety and love that she had longed for. She knew, deep down, that there were still cracks beneath the surface—cracks that she wasn’t sure she was ready to face. But for now, she let herself believe in the fantasy.

She let herself believe that Minji was her world, her everything. And for tonight, that was enough.