Introducing Minho & Valerie.
These two original characters have been in my head for a while, and i wanted to start sharing them.This is a slow sapphic, character-focused story — mostly about connection, presence, and everything in between.
Chapter 1: 'The room that breathes
The apartment didn’t look like a studio.
A low couch pushed awkwardly to the side. A thin woven rug. A quiet air purifier humming like a second heartbeat, releasing a faint trace of eucalyptus into the air. The windows were cracked just enough to let the city breathe in without being loud about it.
Near the door, a row of shoes sat in disciplined pairs.
Inside, people moved differently.
Slower. Softer. Like they were trying not to disturb something invisible.
And in the center of it all—
Back straight. Eyes half-lidded. Presence sharp, like she could hear thoughts before they turned into words.
“Leave your phones on silent,” she said quietly.
No one argued. No one ever did.
Valerie didn’t turn immediately. She just inhaled once… and then—
Minho stepped in like she didn’t realize she had entered a different world.
Nifty jacket. Hair slightly messy like she forgot to fix it after thinking too hard about something else. Her eyes moved too quickly—taking everything in, not settling anywhere.
Then, instead of speaking—
Valerie stared at her for a beat.
“The rack is right there.”
A couple of people suppressed smiles.
Minho nodded like that made perfect sense. No embarrassment. Just… adjustment.
She slipped her shoes off, placed them a little off-alignment compared to the others.
Cross-legged. Immediately started fidgeting.
Valerie’s voice softened the room again.
“Let your breath fall into its natural rhythm.”
Her fingers tapped lightly against her thigh.
Her shoulders shifted every few seconds, like her body didn’t trust stillness.
Minutes passed. The room settled.
Except for one person who seemed louder the quieter everything else became.
“Is something uncomfortable?”
No hesitation. No filter.
Time passed slower for Minho than the most, but it wasn't her first time being the odd one out in a room feeling how times moves differently for her.
The room emptied in soft goodbyes.
The air shifted back toward ordinary.
She was now walking around the apartment like she had forgotten why she came but was curious about everything anyway.
Her fingers brushed the edge of a shelf. She peeked at a plant. Looked at the purifier like it might be doing something important.
Valerie watched her. Arms crossed. Already a little tired.
“You said your mind doesn’t stop.”
“I do fine. Like—life is fine. Good, even.” She shrugged. “But it’s never quiet.”
Her eyes flicked to a closed door down the hallway.
Then back. “And when I sleep… it’s worse. Dreams. Constant.”
Like she had never really explained it before.
Minho did. Immediately. No resistance. No ego. Just… compliance.
“Don’t try to stop your thoughts,” Valerie said, sitting across from her. “That’s the mistake.”
Minho leaned forward slightly.
“You just… let them pass. And return to your breath.”
Just guiding the rhythm with her hand.
Something… almost clicked.
“…it’s not supposed to happen.”
“Then how do you know it’s working?”
That question didn’t annoy her.
“We’ll keep going,” she said instead.
As Minho stood, she glanced again at the closed door.
“You always keep that locked?”
Valerie’s tone changed slightly.
“Next time,” Valerie added, “practice the breathing.”
Already halfway distracted by something else.
“I’ll pay you extra if it works faster.”
Valerie closed her eyes for a second.
“You’ll pay what everyone else pays.”
Just… recalibration again.
A memory. A plan. A question. A random image.
But she tried again anyway.
Because something about that room—
Felt like it should work.
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