Passion Meets Fear | JiMina

N I N E

"Oh, this is really good!" The satisfaction in Sonji's tone never failed to make Mina smile. It was such a pure thing, having to delight someone else. Making people happy was one thing to make Mina happy, too. She could only smile at the younger girl, as the latter continued on munching on the taco.

The weather had become fair by the time they were almost done eating their brunch. Though the heat of the sun was still there, unlike earlier it wasn't as intense anymore. The cumulus clouds, known and seen as 'cotton-like' in appearance, surely helped cool off the temperature of the environment by blocking most parts of the sun. The mildly cold wind at that moment was whistling. Overall it felt really peaceful and soothing, like all the rest of the balmy mid-summer days. Furthermore, the shades of the trees around them were such an advantage that everyone of them felt so grateful for. If there were little to no trees on that area, they'd be sweating bullets.

The two were sitting close to each other on a cemented platform near the street. They were completely covered by the shade of one of many huge camphor trees in the area. The sweet smell of caramel and fruits from a dessert stall right around the corner sent their cravings an invitation. Right after finishing the tacos they bought, the two immediately headed to the stall to buy salted caramel ice cream—and according to Mina, it was the best among all the other flavors she'd tasted—for themselves. 

A few people were strolling around, majority of them most likely lived just around that district as well. Mina noticed how they looked so comfortable walking outside, still on their pajamas and silk robes. Nonetheless, they looked extremely luxurious; from the looks on their faces to the sandals they were wearing. Glancing at the houses several meters away from them, she had her mouth slightly opened upon realizing they were mansions. Before, she'd never actually paid much attention to the neighborhood in this area. But now that she finally did, she almost couldn't stop pondering about it. She wanted to be rich, but at the same time, have a normal life.

To her, life was all about sacrifices, really. In order for her to grow, she had to sacrifice some things, even if they were her dreams. Pretty much like ballet. She wondered how good she must've already been at ballet if only she hadn't stopped and moved to Korea at such a young age. She'd probably be an instructor already, maybe teaching students at universities in Japan. Also, even when the girls would invite her to a place where they could all happily bond together, sometimes she had to refuse because she had a relationship to prioritize.

Were all her sacrifices worth it? Perhaps no, perhaps yes; depending on which way she viewed those situations. There were many times she felt remorse for not doing such thing, or not grabbing that remaining piece of opportunity. But disregarding regrets, her outlook in life stayed pretty much the same. Sacrifices had to be made for her to grow into the person she aspired to become in the future. She might have missed a lot of opportunities in her life, but she guessed that was part of growing, too. It fueled a motivation she never thought she would have.

For months she was in fathomless pain. Having a broken heart, she was wretched and unable to proceed life with the same level of happiness. She never would've thought breaking up with someone could burden her so bad. She gained something out of that though, a life lesson that she'd never forget. But there was always a tiny, glowing orb of hope in her heart. Her wings wanted to grow back, so she could finally ascend again up to the skies of pure exuberance. She was yearning for another chapter of her life to begin, but at that time she wasn't ready yet; not ready let go of the things that once made her lips tug into a wide grin. But now she was ready, ready to move on and become the best version of herself.

"Sonji," Mina called. The younger one quickly averted her gaze from her ice cream then looked at her, humming in response to the call. "Someday, when you grow older, do you want to be rich?"