"Damnit..." Minjeong hunched over, leaning her forehead into her hands, hoping to find a position that might alleviate the sharp pain pulsating at the back of her head. "I'm never drinking again, that stuff is evil, evil I say," she groaned, hitting her temple against the side of the car door.

It seems that no matter what she tries, nothing is going to get rid of the increasing pain that continues to throb in her skull.

"You brought this upon yourself, Minjeong. Here." Shoving a small bag into Minjeong's lap, Jimin continued to gaze out of the window on her side of the backseat.

It was early in the morning, and the two women were currently on their way to Jimin's very important and very first American interview. It was an eventful morning to say the least, having to deal with the shock of Jimin's wrath first waking moment, as soon as Minjeong peaks an eye, hindering an hour or two of their planned routine, and now the two girls found themselves rushing to put on their shoes before dashing downstairs to meet their designated drivers for the day, assigned to them by the event planners.

"What's this?" Unzipping the small bag, Minjeong discovered an assortment of makeup, amenities, and...

"Pain killers, take two"

"You brought these with you?" The latter wasted no time popping two pill in her mouth immediately and washing it down with a bottle of water she brought with her from the hotel earlier.

"You should've brought them for me, you're my manager after all" The girl's words were carefully chosen, dripping with a deliberate hesitance that created a noticeable distance between she and Minjeong. ... However, despite the apparent detachment, her actions still portrayed an underlying concern for the blonde's well-being.

Still, Minjeong couldn't help but pout over the sudden coldness today. She understands that her not-so-sober self last night must have caused the taller woman an assortment of troubles. But come on, Minjeong had apologized profusely already, and Jimin wouldn't even budge an eyebrow at her.

She must still be startled from this morning as well... but it was a clear misunderstanding.

Trying to not think about it too much now, the blonde carefully placed the remaining painkillers back into the zipper bag, and pushed it besides Jimin. "Thank you... for everything... and you're right, I haven't been as hands on as I should've been the past couple of days, I'll make sure to do my best from now on"

Jimin didn't respond, but even from here, Minjeong could see the way the actress's shoulders had shifted, despite the woman still having her back turned towards her and was permanently staring out the window.

Outsiders wouldn't get it, but the blonde, over time, had learned to pick up on those subtle changes in Jimin's behaviour.

Jimin's shoulders had been slightly tense at first, suggesting that something had been bothering her and that she was feeling quite uneasy about something.

In this instance, it's quite possible that it's because Minjeong had gotten herself very drunk last night.. that she couldn't remember a single detail.. not even one after vaguely being able to picture downing four bottles. Despite her apologies however, Jimin still haven't commented on her regret even once... still giving Minjeong her signature cold shoulder...

However, seeing the older drop her shoulders and slightly relaxing them now, despite the coldness still being quite present, that subtle behavioural shift, had at the very least, meant the actress was slowly warming up to Minjeong again.

Which in simple terms means, the Jimin had forgiven her.

Which in further simple terms also mean that Minjeong is happy :)

So now relieved that her headache would dissipate soon and, more importantly, happy that her drunken escapade hadn't caused significant issues for Jimin to completely distance herself, Minjeong, with a small smile, gazed out of the car window on her own side..

Her thoughts did continue to linger on the possibilities of what might've entailed the previous night... however... were soon wavered when she was driven past a parade of red flowers with an symphony of people dancing, singing and laughing.. all together whilst holding hands.

It was clear to Minjeong that they were celebrating something.

With the main colours of the event being red and pink

Red... such a unique colour...

Just the shade alone was able to represent something special.

Something that enabled a days of festivities.

A colour that throws a party for the union between two people

A colour that represented an emotion as old as time.

It was a colour that celebrated love.

It was the colour of Valentine's day.

"Jimin! Look, a flower parade!" Minjeong had called out excitedly without thinking, turning towards the taller full of energy... expecting the older to also be intrigued with such a vast amount of roses everywhere...

But all she saw... was the latter being completely still...

Sitting... and just staring... as if in awe.

Minjeong couldn't exactly see properly, looking at the actress from the side of her face... but she was positive there was a very distinct emotion visible on the older's face...

A longing expression... full of want... hope and a glint of sadness...

It was envy... followed by a small wave of disappointment.

Shifting her gaze from Jimin to her window now... the blonde continued to peak outside on the other end as well, realising dozens of couples just among the busy street. Holding hands, hugging, kissing and just plain swooning over each other as they continued to walk around...

It was a normal site to see... especially on a day like today... yet the actress just seemed to be so fixated on those very acts...

"Jimin are you alright?"

The taller only responded with a short hum until the car has completely driven past the sea of people, prompting her to finally turn back around and lean her head against the backrest... the scenery no longer of interest to her.

"I have never celebrated Valentine's Day with anyone, not properly anyway," the woman finally spoke after a few minutes, as if lost in thought.

Never?

Minjeong's mouth formed a literal "O" shape, unable to believe that someone like Jimin had never, even once, had someone in her life to celebrate the times of love.

"Not even a single flower?"

"No"

"But you have like millions of fans.. surely they would've sent you something throughout the years?"

"The company doesn't allow gifts, if they did or didn't I never received anything"

"..."

Jimin's words were calm, straightforward, and direct, but they were also remarkably emotionless and nonchalant.

They weren't even cold...

It just sounded empty...

And the whole situation just didn't sit right with Minjeong one bit.

To put it simply... she couldn't comprehend the notion that the A-lister had never received anything on Valentine's Day.

Not a single thing

Not even a piece of chocolate.

Or a slice of red velvet cake...

It bothered Minjeong.

It bothered her a lot.

And that bother had persisted to follow the blonde all they way from where they were now to when they have finally reached their destination, where, upon arrival, the staff on set warmly greeted them and promptly invited Jimin and Minjeong inside to provide them with an overview of the show.

The persistent feeling stayed with her until she found herself seated in the corner of the trailer, quietly awaiting Jimin while the makeup artists worked their makeup magic on the said actress.

And it even did not stop as Minjeong waited in the staff area while the show went live. She found herself seated, silently observing Jimin as the woman smiled and laughed on camera, eloquently answering every question posed by the interviewer.

She just couldn't wrap her head around such a phenomenon at all..

Jimin... the Yu Jimin... one of the most beautiful actress in the world, never had a valentine... let alone celebrate the day...

It's almost unnatural, how much the blonde couldn't get that thought out of the head.

But the more she thought about it the more she couldn't keep still.

Her hands became fiddly as her legs, untouched from the ground began waving back and forth.

As if she couldn't leave that reality alone.

Like she wanted to do something about it

Like she needed to.

And screw it...

She will do something about it.

Hastily rising from her chair, she swiftly placed a few phone calls before bolting out of the trailer.

⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇

Jimin found herself in a state of uncertainty, unable to determine whether she was feeling angry or upset. In complete honesty, at this moment, confusion dominated her emotions more than anything else.

The message she received from Minjeong was more like a series of spams.

Obviously written very quickly because they were full of typo errors.

From Puppy Kim

Jimin!

And Puppy Kim

I gota go and do a thin!

Also From Puppy Kim

Don'y wair for me

Also From Puppy Kim

I organised everything so you'll be taken bac to the hotel straight away, don't worry.

Just what in the world was Minjeong up to?

It's not like the blonde to just go up and leave like that, especially not on an important day like this.

Definitely not when she's overseas.

And especially not when she was overseas in a foreign country where the main language was not her strong suit...

just what was so important that Minjeong had to get up and leave like that...

and more importantly...

What was so important that she needed to leave Jimin like that.

Whatever it is, it better have dinner involved. I'm starving

The actress sighs at her growling stomach.

Whether in her home country or in New York, the exhaustion from the constant talking and forced smiling felt the same no matter where she went.

That's just the price that came with the job I guess...

The two-hour interview session had taken the whole day. Now, as she was being driven past the bright city night lights, fatigue weighed heavily on Jimin, making her eyelids droop until a particular scenery filled her sight.

Couples....

Valentine couples to be more specific...

There were even more now than they were at the parade earlier today.

The very sight placed a bitter taste in Jimin's mouth.... watching chocolates being received, flowers being given out and the aura of pink the practically filled up every single block she was driven past.

Closing the window, Jimin leaned back her head and shut her eyes tightly... wanting nothing else but to cleanse her sense of sight and to nap as much as can before arriving back to her hotel room

...

...

...

Valentines day....

Must be nice...

⋇⊶⊰❣⊱⊷⋇

Eyes twitching at the two bags hanging on her arms she had to carry since Minjeong's sudden dismissal.

Now having some time to think about it, Jimin was getting incredibly pissed off at the way the blonde had handled the situation.

Here she was in the middle of an unknown city with the only person who spoke a word of her native tongue having ran away for reasons that weren't even explained properly to her.

Whatever reason the blondie did have for leaving didn't even matter anymore.

This was just plain unprofessional.

The actress whilst waiting in the elevator for her floor, began formulating all the words in the world she was going to use on Minjeong the moment she steps into the hotel room.

She even prepared a few extra sentences and reserved them for the possibility of if the girl wasn't inside the moment she steps in.

bonus if dinner wasn't prepared for her too.

Jimin was so ready to give her manager a peace of her mind, the exhaustion in her arms and legs were long forgotten as she slid her key-card into the electric lock and opened the door to her room...

only to surprisingly find... that her belly full of rage was entirely doused by the sight of a trail of rose petals leading from the doorway into the open area.

Is that.... cake...?

Following the trail of those rose petals she noticed the path led towards a table, originally positioned beside the wall but now occupying the centre of the room...

Removing her shoes, Jimin arched an eyebrow as she carefully examined the vanilla cream cake. Despite being a single layer, the craftsmanship and design were remarkable, with delightful dollops of swirls on top and an intricate pattern swirled along the side of the cake.

Inching closer, the actress finally noticed the chocolate sentence written on top as well.

Happy first-

"Happy first Valentine's Day!"

Jimin's eyes swiftly shifted towards the shorter blonde woman, who was holding a bouquet of roses and bouncing energetically towards the actress with the widest smile she had ever seen.

"I got you roses!" The blonde continued to beam; her eyes sparkling as she presented the beautiful modest flowers in front of the actress.

"you... you ran away to do this?" Jimin slowly accepted the flowers, her eyes unwavering from the bunch as she began to carefully scan through the beauty of each petal.

She's never received roses like this before....

It was far from extravagant, a bouquet evidently purchased from a supermarket rather than a local florist. It was evident that Minjeong had been in a hurry.

"Oh yeah... sorry about that.." The blonde scratched the back of her nape sheepishly. "I- uh, I wanted to give you a surprise."

"A Surprise?"

"Yes! Surprise!" She produced red streamers from her pockets, tossing them into the air with arms raised in celebration. As the festive items landed on herself, Jimin, and the ground. "Oh shi-" She hurriedly ran to the cake to remove a few streamers that had landed on it. Meanwhile, Jimin remained frozen, staring at her with wide eyes, too stunned to move.

...and too stunned to speak.

"Jimin... I know you never celebrated valentine's before" The blonde continued.. her voice, instead of the cheeriness from earlier, carried a smoother calm sincerity now "Honestly, this was a last-minute idea that popped into my head this morning .. so..." She turned around and faced the actress having finishing picking off the streamers from the cake "I know this isn't perfect... far from it actually... and I know you deserve so much better than what I have provided here.... Especially since this is all I can afford right now... " She mumbled out towards the end "but still... I hope you enjoy your first valentine celebration regardless... next year might be even better!"

"..."

Next year... even better?

...

...

Unbeknownst to Jimin, her hands around the small bouquet of roses had tightened...

She can't explain why... but her body wouldn't move... all she could do was continue to stare at Minjeong... and continue to listen... as if she was speechless... but it wasn't because her mind was empty at all...

no...

because in this moment...

she had so much she wanted to say...

so much that she had wanted to feel...

so much she is feeling...

she doesn't even know where to begin.

...

...

...

"Um," as the silence persisted, Minjeong couldn't help but feel more and more anxious, wondering why Jimin still hadn't said anything yet.

Was she being too much?

"Oh!" She suddenly remembers why the girl might be upset. "I know I left you alone to fend for yourself without much of an explanation... sorry... I just really wanted you to have a valentine celebration of your own.... Please don't be mad" The blonde pressed two hands together and held it in front of her face as she begged "Look! I got you a gift too"

Jimin's gaze followed Minjeong as she quickly ran behind the table and came back out holding a plushie covering the front of her head.

A plushie... that oddly resembled a type of candy...

"Is... that meant to be a blue gummy bear..?" Was the first sentence Jimin was finally able to squeeze out her throat...

"It's a blue sour patch kid!" The blonde corrected with a wide grin again as her head peaked out from behind the plushie. "Because you're like a sour patch kid, sour on the outside like a diva, but you're actually the sweetest person ever! Look! I even had your name embroidered right here" She points towards the bear's heart.

Jimin couldn't believe it...

Staring at the blonde still going on a tangent about the gummy bear plushie.... she felt like her brain was about to be set to overdrive...

The cake had a flat surface on the bottom corner where the cream had gone flat... having obviously been bumped on the edge somewhere whilst the blonde was rushing to get it ready.. even from here she could see a few smudges on the side of that bump... leading her to believe that Minjeong had tried to fix up that mistake earlier.

looking down at the bouquet of flowers as well, she noticed that not even the price tag had been taken off yet....

Her gaze then automatically locked onto Minjeong, who was still rambling on about how she was so surprised she found a Sour Patch Kid plushie and how the gummy bear just reminds her so much of the actress.

"Jimin I-" The blonde's eyes that held a lace of disappointment locked with the taller's "I'm sorry..."

"..."

Sorry?

"Honestly... I planned this all out so much better in my head... " Minjeong huffs out with her shoulder's slouched and holding the plushie below her waist now "But looking at everything now... it just looks pathetic... I wanted this to be a good day for you... and I wanted you to have fun but" A small sad smile made it's way to her lips causing Jimin's pupil's dilate as she continued "I guess it didn't turn out the way I wanted to... I'm sorry.. I just wanted you to have a good valentines... as your manager.. but also as your friend and.. -"

The bouquet of roses were dropped right onto the floor.

"Jimi-" Minjeong's words were completely interrupted as she felt stunned, with the taller's arms wrapping around her after dashing towards the blonde.

"Idiot..." Jimin's words came out like a whisper... beside Minjeong's ears

"Idiot..?"

Minjeong didn't understand...

But perhaps Jimin didn't understand a thing herself either... but all she can say for sure is...

The supermarket bouquet...

The bakery's cake....

The red streamers....

The birthday like celebration of a valentine's day as if they were celebrating Jimin turning one today...

all of it...

It was all...

Just so Minjeong.

"you're an idiot Kim Minjeong" The actress reiterated, showing no signs of letting go of the shorter... her embrace only tightening as the hug continued on longer.

"..... why..?"

"Because this is perfect" The blonde felt her eyes widen hearing that... a sparkle of happiness began sparkling in her chest... as it's beautiful lights began twinkling behind the woman's eyes... "I don't want a better one next year... I don't want to hear you sulk about it not being good enough.. because I love it Minjeong... I love everything about it... and-" Jimin's grip slightly claws onto Minjeong's back over her shirt "This.. this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me..."

The taller hid her face into the crook of Minjeong's neck... not wanting the blonde to turn her head and see what was going on...

But for the shorter... even without hearing the crack in Jimin's voice... the wetness on her skin gave the woman's emotions away....

"So... really, Minjeong... Thank you... just... thank you." Minjeong honestly didn't believe she deserved that praise. She didn't think she had done enough to make today special for Jimin, but she did the most she could with the short amount of time she had.

Running through the markets... picking out the best batches of roses she could find... begging people in line who were getting their plushies embroidered to let her go first...

She wasn't even able to get a bigger cake because everything was sold out, having arrived at the bakery last minute...

Honestly... Jimin deserved so much better than what she had provided here...

But seeing the taller like this...

Arms around her... quietly trying not to sob, whilst her grip on Minjeong's shirt was slightly shaking....

All from something as small as this...

She knew then... that Jimin had seen her efforts... and all of a sudden... Minjeong's tiredness from the day disappeared completely... if anything she wished she had worked harder...

If only she had run faster...

Had begged the other customer's in line harder...

had looked more thoroughly for another bakery....

She would've been able to make Jimin's first proper valentine's day evermore special...

"Jimin... " Minjeong voice was soft "It's really nothing... I really didn't do anything" She wanted to pull away to have a look at the actress, but the latter refused...

"Don't..." Jimin continued... her face was still hidden from Minjeong..."Just... let me have this...." but hearing that.. the latter too wrapped her arms around, leaning her cheek against Jimin's head comfortingly.

And just like that... the two woman stayed in each other's embrace in complete silence.

Words were not needed then...

The soft touch from Jimin... and the subtle breaths that escaped Jimin's lips.. slowly calming down as the sniffling went away...

They were enough for Minjeong...

She was convinced then... that that was the best payment... the best type of thank you she could ever receive.

"Come on... let's eat some cake alright? I can order us some dinner too" She tried to slowly push the taller away after a few minutes... but Jimin's grip only tightens.

"I'm not hungry"

"Really? But I heard your stomach grumble just then-"

"I'm not hungry!" Jimin's words were final "Just leave me like this a bit longer... I'm tired..."

"Then... did.. you want to sleep for a bit...."

To that, the actress nodded into Minjeong's shoulder, but with her arms still tightly wrapped around the girl, the blonde decided to lift Jimin up with one heave, so they could continue to remain within their embrace, and began wobbling towards the queen bed.

It was a bit of an awkward situation... since neither woman wanted to let go of each other... but the blonde somehow managed to get both of them plopped right on top of the mattress...

And from there... the two woman just stayed close to each other.... with their bodies pressed up.

Jimin rested her head on Minjeong's right arm, nestled beneath the latter's chin, whist the blonde gently stroked the back of Jimin's head with one hand, while her other arm enveloped the taller woman's body.

As the echoes of cake and dinner faded into the background, and the weariness of the day settled in, Minjeong remained steadfast, holding onto the actress until her breaths deepened, and her breathing followed a slower, more rhythmic pattern.

Having watched the girl like this today....

Minjeong thinks she finally sees it now...

Yu Jimin...

The way she behaves in the industry...

The way she seems so usually shut off...

Her cold exterior.. and her diva nature...

Though Minjeong couldn't fully grasp the events that transpired, in that moment, she became certain that something vital had been absent from the actress's life all along...

There was no denying it... Jimin had been missing something...

Missing the most tender... most delicate emotion known to mankind...

Yu Jimin was missing love....

She can't be certain, but everything from the time Minjeong had started working for the taller until now, indicated that one particular reason for the woman's underlying nature...

Jimin, throughout her life... must have not been shown love... at least not enough.... there were just too many subtle nuances in her demeanour and in the way she carried herself...

Especially now... with how the woman was behaving... it was just all added evidence that pointed to one thing and one thing only...

A dark history that was marked by a lack of affection and warmth...

As if there were unspoken voids and yearnings that echoed through the years, leaving Jimin with a sense of incompleteness...

Not even having the pleasures to enjoy something as small as Valentines...

Love...

There had been a lack of love....

And as for Minjeong, uncertainty lingered over many aspects of her life.

Yet, in this moment, there was a clear goal she wanted to pursue. Regardless of the challenges ahead, the young manager was determined to fill in all the missing pieces in Jimin's heart.

For all those years of lacking love, Minjeong aspired to be the one to provide it.

Even if Jimin doesn't know it yet...

So now, as she gazed at the peacefully sleeping figure beneath her, Minjeong couldn't resist the impulse to express her feelings. With a tender touch, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Jimin's forehead

"I know... you're not ready Jimin.. and I know you have your own reasons and reservations.. I won't pressure you... but I just want to let you know, I'll wait for you.. and while I do.. I'll make sure to do whatever in my power to bring you contentment.... I just... I just want to see you happy" She whispered... knowing the older woman wouldn't have heard a word.

They fell asleep in that position that night...

and when morning came...

Let's just say Jimin, for the first time ever, did not throw a tantrum when she woke up finding her legs deeply entangled with Minjeong's.