赤い糸 - Red String of Fate | JeongSa - MiChaeng

Chapter 38 - I'm just her friend

It had been almost an hour, yet Jeongyeon still hadn't finished her shower. She did everything in slow motion, careful not to let water touch the part of her body covered with medication. She wasn't even washing her hair, but still, she took forever.

Sana, after scrolling through her feed until there was nothing left, grew restless. She wandered over to the bathroom and pressed her ear against the door. Silence—no sound of running water.

"Hey, can you even handle yourse—"

The door suddenly swung open, and Sana almost toppled inside.

"Yeah, I can handle it myself," Jeongyeon said flatly, hand still gripping the doorknob. Then she narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing? Eavesdropping on me in the shower?"

"Of course not! I'm not that kind of pervert, okay?" Sana quickly defended, frowning.

Jeongyeon smirked. "Strange, hearing that from someone who stole my first kiss."

"That was my first kiss too!!" Sana's pout deepened.

"Oooh, even more surprising~" Jeongyeon teased, dragging out the words.

"Yah!"

"ㅋㅋㅋ... excuse me? You're blocking the way. I can't get out," Jeongyeon said with a mischievous grin.

Flustered, Sana stepped aside, then hurried to the living room to unpack the dinner Mina had brought earlier. Two boxes of soft, mashed food sat inside the bag.

"What is this?" Sana asked, peeking inside.

"Not mashed potatoes?" Jeongyeon guessed.

"I don't think so."

Jeongyeon took a spoonful and chewed thoughtfully. "Sweet potato mash... and cauliflower? Not bad"

Sana tried a bite too. "Mmm, tasty. Where did she even buy this?"

"You can ask her tomorrow," Jeongyeon replied between mouthfuls.

Sana pointed a spoon at her. "Don't forget your medicine after this."

"Yes, ma'am," Jeongyeon replied with a playful salute.

Sana chuckled, shaking her head.

.

.

---

Mina had lied about having other plans. In truth, she chose to stay in her friend's room for the night. She was worried about Jeongyeon—she knew well that kind of bruise must be painful.

( "I kissed her just now." )

Sana's voice echoed in her mind, uninvited. Mina rubbed her cheeks, embarrassed at how warm they felt.

Didn't know you could make those kinds of faces, Jeong.

Well... guess the bruise doesn't hurt that much after all, huh?

Shaking off the thought, she sat down at her friend's desk, opened her laptop, slipped on her gaming headset, and launched Counter-Strike. Time to distract herself.

Jeongyeon's soulmate is Sana. That much is certain.

And me? I'm just her friend.
...And that's enough.

Mina clicked "find match" and focused on the game.

—

Back in 230, Jeongyeon and Sana had finished dinner and were lounging in the living room, the empty food boxes abandoned on the table.

"Jeongyeon-ah, take your medicine," Sana reminded as she walked past.

"I will. In a few minutes," Jeongyeon mumbled, eyes still on her phone.

"When I'm done showering and if you still haven't taken it, you'll regret it," Sana warned with mock severity, grabbing her pajamas and towel.

"Oooh, scary~" Jeongyeon teased.

"I'm serious. I'll beat you up."

"huuuu I'm scared" Jeongyeon answered with a grin.

Sana shot her a glare but ended up laughing anyway before disappearing into the bathroom.

Jeongyeon finally set her phone down, swallowed the medicine with a glass of water, then picked up her phone again to send a message.

Jeongyeon
thanks for the food! ( ' ▽ ' )ﾉ

Mina
ur welcome
GWS! (*'・ｖ・)

Jeongyeon
thanks!
anyway, sorry about earlier,
Sana was just joking around
don't believe her

Mina
okay Jeong, have a good rest

Jeongyeon
you too ^‿^

Mina's team lost their next match. She had gone AFK just to reply to Jeongyeon's message, and without her, her teammates didn't stand a chance. But Mina didn't care. She kept rereading the chat, replaying the brief exchange in her head.

So... they didn't actually kiss?

So they didn't... kiss?

But then why was she so flustered, face red, panicking, nearly choking on her coffee?

Mina sighed, shaking her head. Get yourself together.

I have no right to feel jealous. Jeongyeon's soulmate is Sana. That's the truth.

And me?

I'm just her friend.

Repeating the words quietly to herself, Mina forced a smile and queued for another match, letting the glow of the monitor swallow her doubts.