THEN.
The first time they meet, it's at Jeon Heejin's eighth birthday party, when Chaewon is eight and Yunjin is nine.
Heejin invites the entire population of their primary school, and a whole swarm of kids armed with brightly wrapped gifts pile into the Jeon's backyard that afternoon. Chaewon knows most of them; she and Heejin have lived on the same street their whole lives, Jiwoo has been their other best friend since kindergarten, and she recognises most of the kids in their grade, but there's one girl she sees by the snacks table, the one that Heejin's dad is monitoring carefully so nobody tries to eat the entire bowl of chocolate like someone did at Heejin's birthday last year, that she doesn't know.
The girl turns around, a paper cup of juice in her hand, and Chaewon's breath catches in her throat. Chaewon has never seen her before, she's sure. She would definitely remember her.
Chaewon's never really been the most outgoing or sociable of kids, preferring to draw or play about with her dad's old polaroid camera or hang out with just Jiwoo and Heejin rather than a large group of other kids, so she isn't sure what propels her into crossing the garden to talk to the girl.
Before she can second-guess herself, she's at the snacks table. Unfortunately, her shyness rears its head again in the face of a stranger, and instead of saying hello like she originally intended, she chickens out and pretends to be interested in the selection of juices.
The mystery girl, however, doesn't have the same problem as Chaewon, and smiles brightly at her as soon as she realises she has company.
"Hi!"
Chaewon just stares dumbly for a few seconds. The girl is a little shorter than Chaewon, she's wearing a blue jumper patterned with pink and purple fish, and she has the prettiest smile Chaewon has ever seen.
"I'm Yunjin," the girl — Yunjin — says, holding out her hand. "What's your name?"
"Chaewon." Chaewon shakes her hand after a moment's hesitation. "I like your sweater."
Yunjin's smile gets even wider, if possible. "Thanks. I like yours too."
Chaewon looks down at herself, at the plain red sweater she's wearing. If it were anyone else, Chaewon would think they're being sarcastic. But Yunjin sounds so genuine and so earnest that it's difficult to not believe her.
Chaewon doesn't know it yet, but inviting Yunjin to join the game of duck duck goose that's about to start feels like the right thing to do. So she does it.
Although she regrets it a few minutes later, when Yunjin pats Chaewon on the head and shrieks goose before taking off across the Jeon's backyard, promptly tripping over her own feet and falling over. The entire circle of kids bursts into giggles, Chaewon included, but her laughter stops abruptly when she hears Yunjin yelp.
Chaewon scrambles to her feet, rushing over frantically and crouching down next to Yunjin. "Are you okay?"
Yunjin groans and rolls over, and there's a small trickle of blood already leaking from the cut on her forehead, having caught it on a stray rock hidden in the grass.
A couple of the other kids notice and start crowding around Yunjin, who just looks more distressed at the audience. Her bottom Yunjinie wobbles visibly at the sound of more laughter, which is when Chaewon quickly takes her hand, helps her up and tugs her into the house in search of Heejin's mom.
Yunjin's hand is warm and a little clammy, but Chaewon refuses to let go of it as Heejin's mom fusses over Yunjin in the bathroom. After Yunjin is cleaned up with a little piece of gauze taped to her forehead, Chaewon tries to let go, but Yunjin just squeezes tighter. Heejin's mom mentions that there's cake, which Yunjin brightens up at, and when they've both got a slice of chocolate cake on the pink paper plates they go to sit under the big leafy tree in the corner of the Jeon's backyard, still holding hands.
Chaewon's mostly quiet, like she is around most people that aren't Jiwoo or Heejin or her parents, but Yunjin doesn't seem to mind, happily doing most of the talking. Normally, Chaewon grows tired of kids that don't shut up — Jiwoo and Heejin are quite enough loudness for her — but with Yunjin it doesn't bother her. Even though she technically is one, Yunjin doesn't really feel like a stranger to her.
Chaewon discovers that Yunjin is a year older than her, she used to live on the other side of the city but moved to the neighbourhood over summer which explains why Chaewon hasn't seen her at school before, she has a younger sister called Eunchae, and her favourite animal is a fish.
"A fish?"
Yunjin pouts at her. There's a smear of chocolate icing on her chin and Chaewon tries not to laugh. "What's wrong with fish? What's your favourite animal?"
"I like owls."
"Owls are cute. Very wise."
"What's your favourite kind of fish?"
Yunjin's eyes light up, and she launches into a very long and surprisingly detailed ramble about different breeds of fish. Chaewon hangs on to every word. She doesn't think she's ever met someone so honest and animated as Yunjin, and she hopes she'll get to see Yunjin again sometime soon.
They're still holding hands, and they only let go hours later, when Yunjin's parents arrive to pick her up, and Chaewon pouts long after the Jung's car has disappeared into the distance.
That's all it takes, really.
Chaewon barely remembers what they even talked about under the flowering camellia tree that afternoon, just that that one day set in motion something that has permeated her entire life. She's loved Yunjin since before she even really knew what love was. It's a certain fact, as sure as the sun will rise each morning and set each night, as second nature to her as breathing.
Never changing, never wavering, always there. Just waiting for Chaewon to wake up and catch up.
YOU ARE READING
all my nights taste like gold / purinz
Fanfiction#3 purinz "It's not like- it won't be the first time we've kissed," Yunjin says. Slurs, really, her voice lower and her sentences slower than usual, which is just another reminder that neither of them are really in the right condition to be consider...
