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“I think… I think what we… what we should do is…”
It’s not that Jimin’s a terrible speaker, but trying to get anything out while kissing is an uphill battle. A battle that she’s currently losing.
But Minjeong is definitely winning.
With a mischievous giggle, Minjeong breaks their lip-lock long enough to whisper, “You think what?”
“Minjeong,” Jimin reprimands once she’s gotten her bearings back. “You—”
Another bruising kiss to take her breath away. And, just like that, her train of thought is lost and Minjeong has won.
To commemorate her victory, the shorter girl wraps an arm around Jimin’s neck and pulls her even closer. There’s some stumbling in the dark to stay upright, but they manage not to fall and dirty their clothes. There’s no telling when last this supply closet’s been cleaned.
But it’s out-of-the-way and quiet. That’s all they’d cared about when they’d decided to slip inside fifteen minutes ago.
Right.
Fifteen minutes.
They’ve been here too long—
“We should go back,” Jimin whispers into the space between their lips.
“Or…”
“Minjeong,” she repeats with more finality this time. Jimin ducks her head down to pepper tiny kisses along the girl’s jaw. An apology of sorts, but also a way to keep her lips away from Minjeong’s continued assault. “We have to go.”
A frustrated huff. But it’s followed by a reluctant nod of agreement. And a whine when Jimin finally forces some actual space between their bodies.
“You owe me,” the younger girl petulantly insists.
Jimin scoffs, but allows her groupmate the illusion of another victory. “Sure.”
--
“You don’t think it’s weird?”
Karina raises an eyebrow at the girl seated across from her in first class. The company had spared no expense with their travel budget this time. An awards show performance overseas with barely an hour’s rest before they were back on the plane again. But at least they got to fly in relative comfort. They had something like a mini-suite in the first-class cabin—rotatable chairs, pullout beds and a cooler of sparkling cider to go with their meals. Fancy, but very much appreciated.
“What’s weird?” She asks Giselle who had spun her chair around to face her. NingNing and Winter are passed out in their own bed-seats across the aisle. Facemasks on, airpods in, practically dead to the world.
“The amount of money they’re spending on us,” Giselle says, almost under her breath. The girl glances past Karina’s shoulder just to be sure they’re really alone. “We’ve barely been active, what, three months now?”
Karina purses her lips. “Two months, nineteen days.”
“Exactly.”
“They like to spend on their talent,” Karina shrugs away the complaint. “That’s why so many people want to sign with them. Money makes people happy.”
“Money hides a lot of shit,” Giselle fires back with a meaningful look.
But Karina just shrugs again. “I like flying in first class. Don’t you?”
“Yeah… I’m just saying.”
“Any complaints?” Karina asks as she leans back into her seat. “Besides the money thing.”
Giselle looks disappointed when all she can say is, “Not really.”
“Then relax. Stop overthinking it and just—enjoy the ride.”
The other girl doesn’t immediately respond. Instead, she picks up her wine glass and carefully sips at her non-alcoholic cider. Her gaze shifts to the clouds outside the window for a long moment. Watching them crawl slowly by. And Karina watches her all the while, letting her sort out her thoughts. And then, finally, “If you say so.”
“Just have fun, Aeri,” Karina sings teasingly. She ignores the glare she receives in response. “You worry too much.”
--
“Alright, let’s do NingNing first.”
Said girl nods at the audio engineer as she walks into the recording room. Once she’s properly set up—headphones on, lyrics sheet propped up on the stand, legs splayed out in a comfortable stance that could potentially hold her up for an hour or so—the engineer starts the playback.
As the music fills both rooms, NingNing gets ready to sing and Jimin gets ready to cheer her teammate on. Except, Minjeong apparently has other plans. She slides across the couch to take over the space that NingNing had just vacated. And, in doing so, ends up pressed right against Jimin’s side. So close that even Giselle raises an eyebrow at the two from her seat in the other chair.
“Hmm?” Jimin hums in question to the girl beside her. But Minjeong just shakes her head.
“Nothing.”
It’s not nothing. But Jimin knows how to pick her battles so she lets her curiosity go. Instead, she tries to follow along on her own sheet to the lyrics NingNing is singing. Once the first take is over, Jimin nods her head in approval.
“That was great,” the audio engineer says, echoing Jimin’s own thoughts. “Let’s try it a few other ways so we have some options to choose from.” They don’t have their head producer with them today, so they won’t really know if the track’s good until after he’s reviewed it later. So for now: more takes, more takes, more takes. “Let’s try it with some more emphasis on hitting the beat.”
NingNing nods and readies herself for the second take.
“You’re really warm,” Minjeong murmurs as the opening bass swells through the room. But Jimin hears her well enough. And she turns to face her with worried eyes.
“Are you cold?”
Minjeong shakes her head. “Not really.”
“Are you lying?”
The younger girl’s answering smile is a little sly, a little displeased that her act was so easy to see through, a little pleased that Jimin is giving her the attention she was clearly looking for. “… Maybe.”
Jimin rolls her eyes affectionately. Then she reaches for a nearby blanket and throws it over both their legs. But mostly over Minjeong’s.
“Better?”
The younger girl’s answering nod is less of an answer, and more of an elaborate exercise in movement. Because somehow a nod ends with Minjeong practically cuddled up into Jimin’s side. Sneaky.
Jimin doesn’t call her out on it though. She’s used to it by now. She even tilts her lyrics sheet in Minjeong’s direction so that they can both read from it.
The music stops. “Okay, that one was a bit weak, let’s try it again.”
--
“Hi.”
Jimin wipes sweat and dangling strands of hair away from her eyes. And she looks over at the girl who had just entered the practice room she’d been using.
“Oh, hi,” Jimin greets Minjeong in response, smiling at the bags of food in her hands. “Is it lunch time already?”
Minjeong scoffs, “No, that was two hours ago. This,” She holds up the food as she walks over, “is me texting you to ask what you wanted, not getting a response, and then deciding to come rescue you from your own stupidity.”
Jimin chuckles. “Oh, so I’m stupid now?”
“Always have been.” Minjeong’s smile is teasing, but not any less breathtaking for it. She pokes Jimin in the side when she reaches her, uncaring for the mock glare that’s leveled at her in return. “My big dummy.”
“Well… I guess I can take a little break.”
Minjeong’s face is victorious as she turns on her heels and leads the way over to the couch. Jimin joins her a moment later, grabbing her phone to turn off the music on the speakers. She’s about to reach for the first bag of food when Minjeong clears her throat expectantly.
Jimin looks up in question. “Yeah?”
“You don’t think I did this for free, do you?”
Jimin rolls her eyes in slight exasperation. “Sure, buy me food and then ask me to pay for it. What do you want this time?”
“Hmm… the standard payment should do.”
“Come on,” the older girl scoffs in slight disbelief. “I’m all sweaty and gross.”
“And?”
“And…” Jimin pauses to try and determine the seriousness of Minjeong’s request. “And… I mean, anyone could walk in.”
In lieu of a response, Minjeong just reaches over and grabs Jimin’s phone. She enters the pin, opens it and turns the music back on in the room. Just as loud, just as much of a deterrent for anyone who might be passing by in the hallway outside. And then she leans back into the couch, an expectant smirk on her face.
“You’re terrible,” Jimin tries. As protests go, she might as well have just said nothing.
“I always win.”
Jimin wants to roll her eyes—in fact, she does. But she also shifts closer to the other girl, brings a hand up to cradle her face, leans in. Minjeong leans up to meet her.
Their kiss is slow, but deliberate. Long and deep. Every parting only so they can take a necessary breath in, then find a new angle to press even closer.
Minjeong tangles her hands in Jimin’s hair. And that’s what breaks them apart for the longest moment—Minjeong’s sudden giggle into their kiss.
“What?” Jimin asks, confused but willing to smile just because the younger girl is too.
“You’re sweaty,” comes the complaint.
“I told you.”
Minjeong sniffs exaggeratedly and adds on a teasing, “And a little bit smelly too.”
“Minjeong…”
“It’s okay, we can eat food now and do a rain check on your payment.” The younger girl moves before any protest can come and starts pulling out the cartons of food. She turns to the glaring dancer and smiles disarmingly. “I’ll put it on your tab, don’t worry.”
“My tab?”
“Yeah.” But no further explanation comes.
So Jimin just shakes her head in fond exasperation. And she decides that she is far too hungry to belabor the point, so she pulls a box towards her. As she starts gathering noodles with her chopsticks, a sudden thought comes to her.
“You think you’re winning, don’t you?”
Minjeong scoffs. “You know the answer to that.”
“You’re not.”
“Mhmm.”
“I’m serious.” But even to Jimin, her own voice sounds unconvincing at best. Whiny at worst.
“Don’t worry about it,” Minjeong insists with a dismissive wave and a devilish smirk.
Jimin wants to respond, but she finds herself forced to take her own advice. So, she lets it go. She stops thinking and just… relaxes into the moment.
She’s got good food, a good job, and great teammates to share the load with.
And she’s also got Minjeong, so.
She might as well just enjoy the ride.