Cheeks, Obviously

dream

Minjoo had a very memorable dream when she was eighteen.

She was an idol who fell in love with a person from their twelve-member girl group. She remembered the dream version of herself would always smile widely every time she caught a glimpse of the said member's blonde hair. The dream version of herself would always talk in this certain soft tone whenever she addressed this certain member—now with short hair and purple instead of blonde—and played with her soft, soft hair whenever they found themselves standing or sitting next to each other.

The dream wasn't only about Dream-Minjoo and her crush. There was a part about how Dream-Minjoo had a breakdown in front of her short-haired best friends who looked eerily similar to each other (Minjoo wondered if they were twins). It was heart-wrenching to see the dream-version of herself crying her heart out for some unknown reason. But at the end of the heart-to-heart session, the two were the ones responsible for what happens on the next glimpses.

Dream-Minjoo confessed her feelings to the love of her life in front of the girl's doorstep, when the purple-haired girl was preparing for a walk. Much to her joy, she felt the same—and their first date was them strolling around the neighborhood.

She dreamt of them having stroll-date every Saturday before Dream-Minjoo's work and Sunday after her beloved's radio recording had finished. She remembered dreaming that her members would call her cliché and broke because their dates mostly consisted of strolls and cycling together instead of eating and having fun together in other, money-consuming, ways.

Dream-Minjoo's girlfriend took it as an offense. She cooked Dream-Minjoo okonomiyaki, took her on a buffet that fits both of their tastes, and when she heard that Dream-Minjoo wanted some cheese—took her on a cheese date. Minjoo remembered how fun the literal dream date was, even if it was crashed by their bandmates and there were plenty of incidents where they embarrassed both her dream-self and her dream-self's girlfriend.

Now that she had time to ponder about it, Minjoo realized that it wasn't normal for the dream to be so vivid—almost like memories. Minjoo wondered if the theory of dreams is actually memories of your alternate universe selves is real. Because the memory of her dream persisted until she is twenty-five, even after she is happily married to the love of her life.

She is caught pondering over that vivid dream by her wife on one Saturday morning.

"What's on your mind?" Hitomi, her wife, asks her with a smile on her face. She slides down to sit next to her on the couch, her hand automatically grasping Minjoo's own. "I've been calling you for a while, now."

"I'm sorry," Minjoo smiles. "I was thinking of a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yeah," Minjoo nods. She pulls Hitomi closer until their shoulders bump. But she's not satisfied with that, and decides to haul her on top of her lap. Hitomi squeals, making Minjoo laugh as she snuggles to the crook of her neck. "It was the most vivid dream I ever had. Fun, too."

"I envy you," Hitomi says, pursing her lips forward. "I rarely remember my dreams."

"It's not a thing to be envious of," Minjoo purrs, lightly planting her lips on top of her wife's collarbone, giggling as Hitomi lightly shoves her head away from her. "Anyway, what's up? Do you need something?"

"Oh." Hitomi blinks rapidly for a brief moment before her hands reach up to twirl around her short brown hair. Again, she purses her lips so cutely that Minjoo almost can't stop herself from leaning forward and steals a kiss. However, knowing that her wife won't appreciate it, she holds herself back. "I was thinking of bleaching my hair and color it. What do you think? What color should I try?"

At once, the image of Dream-Minjoo's girlfriend with her cheeky smile and purple hair comes to her mind.

Now that she thinks about it, doesn't Hitomi have a similar cheeky smile as her, too?

"Try purple."