The two girls couldn't help but cry in each other's arms, their longing for each other slowly fading with the weakening of their cries and sobs.
"If not... then why are you doing this 'errand' thing instead of spending time with your hubby?"
Minju felt all giddy when she heard Chaewon cutely asked her that question. And how serious her face looked made her giggle a little bit.
The younger just smiled at Chaewon and didn't answer her question. She pulled up Chaewon's mint green duvet and tucked herself beneath it, making her lay beside Chaewon and instantly embraced her again. Chaewon liked the non-existent space separating them.
"Are you fine with this? You might catch my cold." She asked Minju.
"Yeah, I am.", The younger's simple answer. "How'd you got this cold, though?" She asked and Chaewon tensed at the question, hesitating to answer Minju.
-----
"Did you really think you can surpass me in swimming with this 11 second record? Have you forgotten that I had a record of 9 seconds in it?!" Chaewon's father fumed as she just got home from swimming training.
"Chaewon, I thought you were my daughter. You definitely need to be in the National Team." He added that ticked Chaewon off but chose to stay silent.
"What is going on with you lately? Your record is not getting shorter, your teacher informed me that you've been spacing out in class... just what? Is it that Minju girl-"
"Never say her name ever again." Chaewon cut him off and ignored his shouts while putting on her air pods, entering her room.
As she got in, she changed into a blue tracksuit and sneaked out of their house, and into their school. She didn't really mind that it's near 7 at night, she just needed to escape before her father suffocates him in the four walls of their house.
The pink-haired girl walked to the girls' locker room, changing again but into her swimsuit. The swimsuit she used for training, inter-school competitions and for spending the night at school.
She showered first before she slowly downed herself in the cold water, colder than usual since it's past dusk right now and the crescent moon was illuminating an ominous light but that was how Chaewon liked it. She could just think of nothing but the stars shining from above, lighting the sky smudged in black.
Chaewon floated on the water, feeling a refreshing chill onto her spine and then, she tiredly watched the moonlit sky with a slight smile on her face.
It was at these times she would cry herself to sleep back then. She was grateful to her past self that snuck out of their house and had nowhere to go but their school's pool came to mind.
-----
Chaewon told Minju that she actually stayed the night at school, took a swim on the pool, but didn't shower after dressing herself and slept at the clubroom. Fortunately, they have a futon stored there.
But Chaewon didn't tell her about her situation with her dad.
"Are you stupid? Why would you do that?" Minju scolded the older, closing her eyes in disbelief.
"Well, I don't care. I'm glad I got a cold." Chaewon says as she scooted closer to Minju, laying her arm around her waist and the younger flickered her eyes open, only to see Chaewon closing her eyes.
"I really am."
