description: the story of how jimin fell in love with minjeong—fearlessly and unconditionally, told through the lyrics of “you are in love” by taylor swift

- fluff

(February 15th)

I. 

morning, her place

burnt toast, sunday

you keep her shirt

she keeps her word

and for once, you let go

of your fears and your ghosts

one step, not much

but it said enough

Jimin didn't like Minjeong because she was perfect.

She didn't just like her because she was beautiful, didn't just like her because she was good at both singing and dancing, didn't just like her because she was funny, and most certainly, she didn't just like her because she was a great cook.

Because if she was being honest, Minjeong was far from being a great cook.

No, she was a horrible cook. 

But that never stopped her from trying.

Jimin liked Minjeong because of that.

“I'm so sorry! I swear, I tried– really tried my best to make it perfect, but this stupid toaster has a personal vendetta against me, and now your morning is probably ruined because our breakfast is ruined, and you probably wouldn't want to sleep over again because there's a ninety percent chance that I'd just ruin your morning too and–”

Yeah, she really liked Minjeong.

“Minjeong, hey.” Jimin stopped the girl from rambling by walking closer to her and cupping her cheeks. “Breathe.”

So Minjeong did. The forlorn look on her face was slowly dissipating as Jimin gently rubbed her cheeks using her thumbs, her tensed shoulders easing up little by little. Jimin tilted her head fondly when Minjeong just pouted and subtly glared at the burnt toast at the table. God, Kim Minjeong.

“I have pizza leftovers in my fridge.” Minjeong mumbled as she dejectedly looked down, and Jimin's gaze just followed her.

“What about your fried eggs on toast?”

“You mean overly fried eggs on burnt toast?” 

Jimin's lips quirked up, unconsciously letting her hands fall above Minjeong's shoulders. “What? I like burnt toasts.”

No, she didn't. But hey, at least she did like the fact that Minjeong made it for her.

“No, you don't.”

Damn Minjeong and her I'm-Your-Best-

Friend-And-I-Know-Everything-About-

You privileges. 

“Yes, I do!”

“Nope, I'm not letting you eat that abomination I created.” Minjeong crossed her arms firmly. “You deserve better than that.”

Jimin smirked at Minjeong's determination. “Hmm, do I?”

“Yes!” Minjeong started to move around her kitchen as Jimin just watched in amusement. 

What is she doing?

“Ah, damn it. I can't even find my pancakes.” The girl panicked, punishing herself by slapping her own forehead. “The only thing I know how to cook. God, I knew I should've asked mom for the recipe of her specia–”

“Minjeong–”

“Butter! There it is-”

“Min–”

“One, two, oh no, this one is–”

“Kim Minjeong.”

Minjeong stopped and stood still. Her arms were full, tightly gripping four boxes of different brands of pancakes, one even fell on the floor as she turned quickly to look at Jimin with her eyes wide.

When Minjeong remained unmoving, Jimin decided to saunter to her, then took the boxes away and placed them back inside the cupboard. 

“How about,” Jimin trailed off as she gently pushed Minjeong back to sit on the stool, the latter's eyes just watching her movements in confusion. “you leave the cooking to me, while you sit here and just be your cute little self.”

“But I'm the host-”

“And I'm the one who knows how to cook.” Jimin giggled as Minjeong frowned.

“Can I at least help?”

“I'm cooking pancakes, not Coq au vin.”

“Coke a what?”

Jimin shook her head, pulling away from Minjeong before pursing her lips so she could focus on her task. 

This should be easy. It's not like I'm trying to impress her, or anything. 

“My shirt looks good on you, by the way.” Minjeong spoke, most likely to be bored with herself now that Jimin was the one doing the work.

Jimin looked down on her shirt, and noticed that she was still wearing Minjeong's clothes instead of hers even if hers was already cleaned hours ago, just waiting to be worn by her back at Minjeong's room. “You think so?”

Minjeong nodded, unaware of the chaos she just caused in Jimin's heart and mind because of that simple compliment. She never really understood how Minjeong does that all the time, but Jimin didn't mind it. 

They did their own stuff in silence after that. Jimin's brain was no longer going haywire because of Minjeong's random compliments so she was actually focused on her pancakes, and as for Minjeong, she was just kind of…there. She was just there, watching as Jimin moved around her kitchen as if she was in her own home, asking silly questions from time to time whenever she noticed how invested Jimin looked with what she was cooking just to distract her. 

It was the domesticity that Jimin never imagined herself to have with someone else that wasn't Minjeong. 

Growing up with a family like hers, Jimin wasn't trained to be carefree. She was raised to be firm and clear, smart and always should know her power, to never let herself get stepped over. She built up these walls to prevent herself from letting anyone else in, knowing that it would just add up to all the things she could lose. So she was alone.

But then she met Minjeong.

They weren't exactly opposites, but they were two sides of the same coin. She wasn't firm, but she knew how to speak out her mind. She wasn't always clear, mostly vague, but she would make sure that you'd get her main point in the end. She wasn't the person to always display her power, or what she could do, but she would make you fall on your knees if she wanted to.

But that wasn't it. Minjeong was…Minjeong. She was earnest, and had so much love to share that even Jimin's walls weren't strong enough to shield her from it. She'd say these simple yet meaningful words like (“You'll never lose me.”) and the next thing Jimin knew, her armors had come undone, walls were no longer tall, and finally, she wasn't alone anymore. 

It wasn't much, but she knew that it was one step closer to what she had always dreamed of. 

(July 24th)

II.

small talk, she drives

coffee at midnight

the light reflects

the chain on your neck

she says, "look up"

and your shoulders brush

no proof, one touch

but you felt enough

“How was your day?” Minjeong asked as Jimin deliberately put on her seatbelt by the passenger seat.

It was a Friday night, and Jimin just got out of work. Minjeong insisted on picking her up and going straight to her apartment since–again, it was a Friday night, and Friday night meant Cuddles With Minjeong Night. And mind you, Jimin never missed a night (she didn't really have a choice). It was an arrangement that Kim Minjeong herself had come up with because according to the Cuddle Experts™️ (her), cuddle deprived humans are most likely to commit murder with a wee bit of arson. And based on her studies, Yu Jimin was definitely one of said cuddle deprived humans.

So basically, Cuddles With Minjeong Night was definitely good for Jimin. 

("I'm doing you a favor, Jimin! I wouldn't want my best friend to get locked up in prison just because she doesn't get all the cuddles she needs in a day!”) The way she said those words was definitely engraved in Jimin's brain forever.

“Uneventful. Unexciting. Boring.” Jimin answered after a while.

“Ah, the usual then?” Minjeong smiled though she still had her eyes glued on the road. She was a great driver, she said.

“Mhm.” Jimin responded sleepily. It was already twenty minutes past eleven at night, and God, was she exhausted. 

I'm never working overtime ever again. 

This was her last straw.

“Tired?”

Jimin sighed. “Yeah…” 

“No Cuddles With Minjeong then?”

That grabbed her attention. Immediately, she opened her eyes wide albeit tiredly. “I'm good. I'm okay. Yes to Cuddles With Minjeong.”

Minjeong glanced at her before letting out a low chuckle. “But you're already sleepy.”

“No, I'm not. I'm perfectly awake. So awake. Very much.” Jimin retorted, but even she herself couldn't register what she was saying.

Although normal cuddles don't really require wide-awakeness as its main point was literally getting someone to sleep soundly, but Cuddles With Minjeong was totally different. 

Cuddles With Minjeong also consisted of late night conversations. It was an opportunity for the both of them to vent, and rant about how much they hated their jobs and all that while simultaneously calming each other down through light touches before one of them explodes. It was their healthy way of voicing out their feelings (“We shouldn't keep all the bad things inside. We might just die!”) said Minjeong as she engulfed Jimin's frame in a koala hug once. 

Cuddles With Minjeong was basically a necessity. Like Minjeong herself once said, they might just die. Especially if they don't talk about the things that are bothering them. 

Hugs were just as crucial as communication, said the wise one (Kim Minjeong, Initiator of Cuddles).

“Well, if you say so.” Minjeong shrugged then focused back on driving.

If Jimin fell asleep on the way home– which she most certainly did not (or maybe she just couldn't remember), Minjeong didn't say anything. 

Cuddles With Minjeong was still on.

Because Jimin wanted to, and she was not that sleepy at all.

Jimin was definitely sleepy.

They just arrived at Minjeong's apartment building, and all she wanted to do at the moment was plop herself down on Minjeong's bed and let its soft mattress hug her in the most comfiest way possible. The fact that it smelled so much like Minjeong was just a bonus she didn't specifically wish for. It was just a pure coincidence when it turned out that she was actually a little bit obsessed with Minjeong's scent.

Who could blame her? Minjeong always smelled good. 

“Okay, wait. This was definitely not on my Cuddles With Minjeong bingo card. Why are we here?” Jimin asked as Minjeong led the both of them to the building's rooftop.

“To cuddle?”

“On this rooftop?”

“Yes.”

“Minjeong…”

“Didn't you say you like the night sky?”

“It's cold.” Jimin reasoned, wrapping her own arms around her body to warm herself up. “I can't appreciate the night sky when I'm cold. And sleepy.”

Jimin immediately regretted her words when Minjeong's expression suddenly fell. The look on her face was sad, and kind of disappointed– as if she had been looking forward to this for months, and it only made Jimin feel even more guilty. She was just about to take it back when Minjeong spoke before her.

“You wanna head to bed?” Minjeong's voice was so gentle and concerned, like she was so ready to pick up Jimin and bring her to bed as soon as possible so she could finally take a rest.

“No.” Really, she didn't. Not now, at least. She might be really sleepy, but she wanted to spend her night with Minjeong too.

Minjeong's pout disappeared as soon as Jimin said that. She just looked worried now, which was probably even worse. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Great!” Minjeong grinned excitedly, doing a full 180, “I'll go get us extra blankets then!” her eyes were smiling with her too. “Oh, and a coffee! Wait for me!”

Wow, her mood really did change that quickly.

Jimin was alone at the rooftop now.

It wasn't a big place, probably just about twice the size of her garage at home, but it was okay. She liked this one more.

And she liked it even more when she saw the stuff that Minjeong probably prepared beforehand. Just a few steps (four feet?) away from the edge was a blanket sprawled on the ground, though a bit messy from the wind. Had Minjeong planned a midnight picnic? There were even small pillows around it, and little lit candles that certainly set the mood (what mood? Jimin had no clue). 

All she knew was that her heart was so full. She could only imagine the adorable frown on Minjeong's face as she tried to concentrate in order to make this whole thing look perfect all afternoon, murmuring words to herself as an encouragement (“For Jimin!”). Maybe she even ran back and forth from her unit to here because if Minjeong was being Minjeong, she probably forgot a lot of things.

(She wasn't sure if that's how it went exactly, but her assumption turned out to be correct all along. She just didn't know).

“One coffee with cream and sugar for Yu Jimin, and one glass of water for Kim Minjeong!” Minjeong's voice yelled like a barista from afar.

Jimin turned around and had to stop herself from cooing when she noticed how cute Minjeong looks with a blanket around her shoulders, both hands occupied by Jimin's coffee and a bottle of water for herself.

“Just water for you?”

“A caffeinated body results in a caffeinated mind.” Minjeong walked to their ‘kind-of-picnic area’ and Jimin followed.

“What does that mean?” Jimin laughed and sat next to the girl on the ground.

Minjeong handed the coffee to Jimin and made herself comfortable by placing one pillow on her lap. “I don't know. It just felt right to say it. Want some snacks?”

Jimin craned her neck to look around and search for the snacks, but to no avail. “Where?” 

“When someone asks if you want some snacks, you don't ask where it is. You just simply have to respond with a yes or no.” Minjeong rolled her eyes.

“I don't see any snacks here.”

“I'll buy one for you.” Minjeong shrugged, her nonchalance filling the air. “So?”

Jimin popped her lips and sipped on her coffee. “Nope. It's already midnight. Besides, you're not allowed to leave me alone when it's Cuddles With Minjeong Night.”

“My favorite night.” Minjeong blurted out in acquiesce.

“Mine too.” Jimin let out a deep breath.

At first, it fell quiet. Just the two of them taking it all in for a few seconds, then…

Then cue Minjeong's sudden enthusiasm over the stuff she encountered in her day.

Just like that, Cuddles With Minjeong had officially commenced.

Jimin listened as Minjeong gushed about her neighbor who had this weird little lizard thing as a pet and how she almost stepped on it earlier because for some odd reason, said neighbor was actually taking the Lizard Thing ️for a walk. (“Who takes a lizard for a walk, Jimin? It's a lizard!”) (“It's her pet. Let her be.”) (“Weird neighbors, I'm telling you.”) 

Minjeong listened as Jimin ranted about how much she hated her job and how much it drained her (“Aren't you like, the boss? Why don't you just give your paper works to your employees?”) (“That's not how adult life works, Minjeongie.”) (“I'm an adult!”) (“Since when? Like six months ago?”)

Their topic wouldn't stay the same as it was minutes ago, seeing as that Minjeong had the attention span of a goldfish. Jimin would talk about how annoying her assistant was, always taking selfies every two seconds, and Minjeong would ask if there was a cactus on the assistant's desk and if it looked cute. Next thing they know, they were discussing the dangers of getting pr