A Song For You (ft. aespa's Winter) [Fluff]

Tonight. Either it ends tonight, or something new begins.

“God, bless me tonight.” Clasp your palms together, your wish burning bright in your chest. You release a shaky breath, thinking of her. Tonight, you will get your answer. You smoothen out the creases on your shirt, nitpicking at your outfit to look your best.

Two hard knocks on the door break your train of thought. “Yah, slowpoke! Let’s go! We’re gonna be late~!” You smile. The whining of Kim Minjeong never ceases to warm your heart. “Fine, Winter. I’m coming.”

The sight that greets you when the door swings open is nothing short of ethereal. Minjeong stands in front of you, her hands clasped together, swaying from left to right, a slight smile gracing her perfect features. For a moment, there is nothing else in the world that exists, bar you and her. You wonder if this is Heaven. The angel that returns your gaze blows your mind.

Her silky hair is braided neatly, resting on her left shoulder, cascading down to her chest. You admire the dye job done to her hair—the top half dyed black, bottom half blonde. Her makeup accentuates her eyes, the brown pools hypnotizing, drawing you deeper into her soul. Pink, full lips, slightly open. What would it feel like to have her lips on yours?

Tonight, she dresses simply. A black crop top rests under a cozy grey off-shoulder sweater, and she completes the look with black track pants. Her boots compliment her style, and your heart pounds out of your chest. Minjeong has never looked this beautiful, and you nearly spill the feelings you hide.

“Hi.” You breathe out, taking in the view of the goddess that stands before you.

“Hey.” Minjeong smiles wider, revealing her teeth in a wide grin. You note the flush on her face. “You look… good.”

“Same to you.” The pounding of your heart never ceases. “Shall we?” You extend a hand to her, just like you have for the past decade. Winter’s hand slides into yours with ease, the action clearly practiced over the years both of you share with each other. Her touch ignites fire over your skin, and you yearn for more contact with her. The conflagration of hope in your heart never dims.

As you lock the door to your home, Winter holds onto your hand. Both of you leave for your car, and she lets go of you to enter your car. Regretfully, you let her hand leave yours. Deep down, you wish to hold her hand forever. Alas, both of you have a party to attend, and you need to drive.

—————

Both you and Minjeong arrive at a relatively tame party. Somehow, there is not much loud music, though you can hear the live band from within the sprawling mansion. Young adults mill about around the expanse of the mansion, and you wander towards the entrance.

“Winter! Hyunwoo!” Both of you turn to meet your best friend Chansik. The third of your trio, and your loyal brother to the grave. The three of you exchange fistbumps, and Chansik winks at you. Winter, thankfully, is distracted by a cute puppy that bounds toward her.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, Lucky!” Winter squeals in delight. The puppy jumps into her open arms, and Winter falls to the ground in delight as the puppy tries to lick her cheeks.

“You have it that bad for her, huh?” Chansik smiles at you, and you keep your gaze on the girl you love. You remain silent for a while, a soft smile slowly widening as you watch Minjeong play with the puppy.

“I love her. You know that.” Minjeong now chases Lucky around, and her unbridled happiness sparks your own. “I hope she loves me back.”

“She does. I know you don’t believe me, but she does.”

You sigh. “I hope so. It’s all or nothing tonight. I can’t die, I’m all-in.”

“Right, bro. Oi, Lucky, come here!”

The puppy Winter plays with sprints towards Chansik. Winter runs towards you, the widest grin on her face, ear to ear. Once again, you wonder if she was an angel sent from Heaven. Chansik gestures vaguely at the mansion. “Go enjoy yourselves, lovebirds. See ya!”

The nickname causes both of you to furiously blush, though neither is aware of the other. You look at your feet, scratching your head, while Minjeong freezes, suddenly deciding that the speck of black on the wall was very interesting. Chansik laughs, leaving with Lucky.

You pull her towards the bar. “Let’s go, Mindoongie.”

—–

As both of you enjoy the free food and drink, both of you sit in content silence. You gaze at your companion for the night, staring up at the night sky, under the glass of the ceiling. The marvel adorning her features under the sky only makes you fall harder for her.

You reminisce about how both of you met. A little over ten years ago, Minjeong transferred into your school. She was so shy then, and you took a full month to slowly get closer and closer to her. When you finally broke her shell, she grew to become your best friend for the next decade or so. She is present for every milestone in your life since then, just as you are for all of hers—your first and subsequent wins in the basketball team, her ascension to Vice-President in the Student Council, graduation, joining the same college together, and now, graduating together once more. Somewhere along the line, the girl you were best friends with grew into the woman you fell in love with. You remember her awkward goth phase when she was fourteen, her incessant fangirling over Harry Styles over the last five years, and the moment you knew it was her.

You smile. The moment she jumped for joy when both of you entered the same college together, before leaping into your arms will forever be seared into your mind. Minjeong had knocked you over then, burying herself deep into your embrace, squealing in joy. At that moment, something struck you—there was nothing more you wanted than to hold on to her forever.

For her, you would do anything.

—–

‘Ting! Ting! Ting!’

Three successive taps of a spoon and a glass leads Chansik to get the attention of the standing crowd of partygoers. The live band slows, letting Chansik speak.

“Tonight, we gather to celebrate our graduation. We’ve worked hard these past few years, and tonight, we can finally cut loose before we begin life as working adults. So now, enjoy the live band, enjoy the food and drink, and enjoy tonight!” A cheer erupts out of the crowd, and Winter smiles. She turns to you, and your heart skips a beat. “Take some pictures of me! Come!”

Minjeong grabs your hand, leading you down a hallway in the mansion. Sometimes, you forget how rich Chansik truly is. However, that thought is immediately stomped out by the sudden weight in your heart. Your hand fits nicely in Minjeong’s. The smile on her features, and the wave of her other hand beckoning you floods your cone of visibility. You follow blindly.

“Here! Take photos of me!” You fish out your phone, and proceed to take photos of the woman you love. Each photo you take, Minjeong strikes a different pose. You know that you will cherish these photos for a long time to come.

When you show Minjeong the photos, she beams, before turning you to face her. “Thank you!”

What she does next is out of one of your wildest dreams. The smell of buttermilk shampoo, mixed in with the scent of almonds and sandalwood, envelops you. Something soft lands on your cheek. In an instant, Minjeong is back in front of you, chewing on her bottom lip, glancing at you and then to the floor repeatedly.

“Did you just-”

“Oh! Um, let’s go dance!” Minjeong tugs at your arm, and she leads you to the dance floor.

—————

The journey through the mansion to the dance floor is rather eventful. Both you and Minjeong are aware of your reputation within the graduating batch. This batch of students collectively recognize the both of you as the childhood friends who somehow still aren’t together. Hence, both of you get teased along the way by the friends both of you have made over the years.

You look at Minjeong as she pulls you around, and she takes the teasing in her stride. Sometimes, you see hints of a smile almost breaking through. Soon enough, both of you join the crowd on the dance floor, letting the music of the live band seep into your bones.

—–

“That was our last song. We’ve been The Other Side, thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen!” The vocalist of the band bows along with his bandmates, but before they leave, he raises the mic once more.

It is time. You prepare for the most nerve-wracking experience of your life.

“Before we take our leave, we invite up to the stage, our host, Park Chansik!” As the crowd begins to applaud, Chansik steps out from a hallway, his trusty acoustic guitar strapped around his neck. He takes the stage, thanking each member of the live band, exchanging pleasantries and thanks.

“This is a one-time only performance by yours truly, planned together with my bro-for-life, Hyunwoo. Come up on stage. This is your moment.”

You know Minjeong is confused. She grabs your arm, and you smile at her confusion. You bend to whisper to her, “You’ll know soon. Wait for me.” As you take the mic, Chansik gives you a thumbs-up. You raise the mic.

“I know you all have many questions.” You look across the crowd, before settling your eyes on the woman of your dreams. “I’m here for one thing, and one thing only. Tonight, I’ll perform one song, and this will answer every question.” You take a deep breath, and Chansik whisper-shouts, “You got this, bro!”

“Tonight, I will sing Rose, by EXO’s Do Kyungsoo.”

—–

Chansik begins to strum his guitar. The song begins. You focus on Minjeong, and Minjeong only. Nothing else matters to you.