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It was Winter's first day as a freshman in high school. She insisted, or should I say pestered, her parents to send her to the same school as [name] unnie. The two girls have been close since they were little kids. After all, their apartments are just beside each other.

Since it's just the first day, they were sent home early. Winter grabbed her bag, sent good byes to some friends she made that day and to her homeroom teacher.

When she was walking out of the room, she was surprised to see [name] waiting for her.

The girl is leaning on the wall. She looks like a lost, sad puppy, just standing there while looking at her feet.

"Unnie!", Winter calls out with a bright smile.

Having heard the voice a million times, [name] immediately looked up to see the girl.

Her sad expression quickly changes to a happy one upon seeing the girl.

"Minjeong!", [name] called back. She hurriedly run towards the girl. Winter wrapped her arms around the older girl's shoulder while smiling widely at her.

"You took so long. I've been waiting for you.", [name] complained with a pout making Winter laugh a little.

"I'm sorry, unnie. Is that why you look sad a while ago?", Winter questioned.

[name] looked away and pursed her lips. "Well... that's one reason.", [name] said making Winter curious.

She didn't want to give more information, but when she heard nothing from Winter, she looked back at her just to see that the younger was staring back and waiting for her to continue.

 Defeated, she sighed deeply and continued. "Well... Hyunjin and I are having some problems.", she confessed. Upon hearing the name of the boy, Winter's mood turned gloomy.

Hyunjin is [name]'s boyfriend.

They had been together since the end of the last academic year. The boy kept hanging out with them during the summer, and it made Winter upset because he kept taking [name]'s attention away from her.

Every summer it was always just her and [name], but then suddenly this boy came in and ruined everything.

"Oh.. do you want to talk about it?", Winter asked. Even though she doesn't like their relationship, of course [name] is still her friend and she wanted to always be there for her.

"Nope.. It's fine.", [name] dismissed, smiling softly to reassure Winter.

"You sure?", Winter asked, still worried.

"Yep! Let's go! The sun is setting and we have to go to the rooftop to see the stars!", [name] excitedly said. She runs while holding Winter's hand, making the girl run with her.

"You kept asking me to see the stars every day for 13 years! Aren't you getting tired of the stars?" Winter asked while running, taking pauses in between phrases to catch her breath.

"No! And never!", [name] said enthusiastically and glancing back at Winter for a second with her biggest smile, which made Winter smile as well.

Once they arrived on the rooftop of their apartment complex, the sun completely set. They picked up the blanket and pillow, which they hid in a wooden box at the corner of the rooftop. Their parents put it there when they were little, since the two just lay on the dirty floor and it made them worry.

The girls set down the blanket, laid on top of it, and shared the pillow. They are already too big to share one pillow, but they never thought of bringing another one because they love sharing it together.

"Look! The stars are so pretty!", [name] exclaimed while pointing at the sky.

Winter squinted trying to find a single star. "There's nothing, unnie! Where are you even looking?", Winter asked, because no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't see a single twinkle in the sky.

"There! There are so many of them!", [name] argued, pointing at the stars.

"I don't see anything!", Winter insisted.

"You blind kid! Are you wearing your contacts?", [name] asked, holding Winter's face so she could see her eyes clearly.

The younger got flustered, her face turning red, seeing [name]'s face so close. She blinked rapidly, snapping back to reality. Winter pushed [name]'s face and said, "Eyy, I am wearing them, of course.", Winter said. [name] makes a face at her, mocking the younger. "You're getting even more blind then.", [name] said sticking her tongue out at the girl.

The older laid back and looked at the stars again. "Look at that! That one is shining so bright!", [name] said pointing at a star. Winter tried to look at it but she couldn't see it. Winter looked back at the girl. 

She saw [name] smiling widely as she watches the stars blinking infront of her. Even though she sees them everyday, they never fail to make her feel amazed. While for Winter , even though she sees it often, [name]'s smile never fails to make her feel... warm... but at the same time it makes everything inside her chaotic, her heart is beating loud, butterflies are flying inside her stomach, but still... everything feels good. 

She likes the feeling.... the feeling of falling even more in love with the girl. 

'I guess the stars only shines for you. But, it's okay, you're the brightest in the universe. So please, keep shining for me.', Winter thought as she kept her eyes on the girl.

Winter sat up and looked for her bag.

"You're leaving?", [name] asked in a sad tone. The younger looked back at her. Winter saw how the moonlight shines in [name]'s eyes, and she really finds it beautiful.

"No, silly. Even though I can't see those stars, I will not leave you here alone.", Winter said which made [name] attack her with a side hug.

"You really love me don't you?", [name] asked cutely while looking at Winter .

The younger looked back at her. "I do. I love you.", Winter said in a serious tone. [name] didn't think too much of it, but it certainly made the atmosphere kind of heavy and awkward, so she broke out of the hug.

Winter, a little sad, but kind of relieved that [name] didn't took her confession as something romantic, just continued looking for her bag and rummaging through it. 

She pulled out a small notebook and a pen, then started writing something on it.

"What's that?", [name] asked curiously.

"Just... some lyrics.", Winter said and kept writing on her notebook.

"Ooh, who's that for?", [name] tried to peek but was softly pushed away making her pout.

"For you.", Winter confessed, as if it was nothing, which caught [name] off-guard.

"O-oh.. Can I read it?", [name] asked again.

"Someday I'll let you read it.", Winter said closing the notebook and putting it back in her bag.

"Why not now?", [name] complained.

'Because the song contains how I truly feel about you and it's not the right time for you to know it.', This is what Winter wanted to say but just kept it all to herself.

"Patience, unnie. Patience.", Winter said while pinching [name]'s cheeks.

[name] held Winter's hands to make her stop. "Then sing it for me once you're done writing it.", [name] demanded.

"I will.", Winter nodded in agreement.

"Here on the rooftop. Under the stars.", [name] demanded once again.

"While the moonlight shine upon us?" Winter chuckled,"Isn't that too romantic? What are we? A couple?", Winter tried to joke. But deep inside that's what she really wanted them to be... Sadly, it sounds impossible.

'A couple? I hope so.'

[name] thought.

[name] has had feelings for Winter for a long time. But unlike Winter, who's willing to accept those feelings... the feelings scared [name]. She wants to act on it, but she's scared that the other doesn't feel the same way, or even if she does, the relationship might not work out and will end up with her losing the person she cherishes the most. 

Not being with Winter is something she thinks she can't live with.

With those thoughts in mind, she agreed to be Hyunjin's girlfriend to push away her feelings for Winter.

But as time passed, Hyunjin kept having this feeling that [name] wasn't sincere with her feelings for him. 

This morning, Hyunjin confronted her about it, and that's what [name] meant when she told Winter that she and Hyunjin were having problems.

[name] couldn't be sincere about her feelings for him, even if she tried, because her heart only belongs to the girl she always shares the night with.... on the rooftop..... under the stars....

Kim Minjeong.