Chapter Text
Heejin stares at herself in the mirror, feels a lump starting to form in her throat. She looks like a walking disaster. She’s got bags under her eyes and a pimple starting to form on the bridge of her nose. How could she have let this happen?
Wiping the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes before they could make her look worse with the puffiness they bring; she forces a smile on her face. Her teeth are straight (Of course, they would be. Her parents didn’t spend money for braces if they wouldn’t be), hair cascading down her shoulders in small waves and she looks pretty.
Not perfect, though. She has the small imperfections of her eyebags and a pimple. She gets to work to cover up these blemishes with make-up. Even if she wasn’t perfect, she’ll try her best to seem like it.
Her mother was the one who taught her how to be like this, a proper lady as deemed by society. The one fit to be the daughter of the city’s mayor which so happens to be Heejin’s father.
Mayor Jeon was loved by many, no one in the city really had any complaints about him. He did his job excellently. He had a charming smile and the demeanor of a golden retriever. That’s what it seems like for others but not to Heejin, though.
She knew what her father truly was. He was a monster. If only the citizens knew he was beating the shit out of Mrs. Jeon almost every night. Heejin’s mother serves as her father’s punching bag for all his frustrations. And if that wasn’t enough, he was also bringing girls into their house and sleeping with them in the master bedroom while her mother slept in the guest bedroom.
Heejin is taken out of her thoughts when she hears an impatient knock on her bedroom door. She opens the door in irritation.
“What?”
“Mom said she needs to talk to you before you go to school.”
Her sister, Hyejoo, answers with a deadpan expression.
Hyejoo was wearing an outfit that Heejin would never be caught dead wearing. She was clad in all black with a spiky choker to top it all off. Sometimes Heejin envied Hyejoo, she could be anything she wanted, not only be their mom’s doll.
“Oh,” Her mom stops folding clothes as soon as she sees Heejin by the door. “There you are!”
Heejin pretends not to notice that her mom had a swollen cheek, most likely courtesy of her father, as a dress is presented in her face.
“You’re wearing this today.”
“But I’m already dressed.”
“That doesn’t look presentable to me,” Her mother eyes her crop top and jeans with distaste. “You’re wearing this.”
Heejin bites her tongue and forces a small smile.
“Okay, mom. Whatever you say.”
—
Hyunjin boards the school bus and sits on her usual seat at the back. No one ever sits beside the weird kid so she had the place all to herself. Others would be sad by this fact but she reveled in it. It gave her peace and quiet. Well, as peaceful and quiet as a school bus can get.
Hyunjin adjusts her hoodie as she notices another stain by the hem of it. It doesn’t really bother her anymore considering all of her clothes were either riddled with holes, full of stains, too big or too small for her.
‘Beggars can’t be choosers.’ is what she’d always remind herself.
Her Auntie would remind her in a different way, though. With a spiteful sermon of how she should already be thankful she was giving her a house to live in and food to eat.
She had learned to shut her mouth after that. Although, she was only eight, back then, asking for shoes without holes because it was always getting filled with rocks or water from puddles.
All of Hyunjin’s clothes were hand-me-downs from each member of her Aunt’s family. They’d only give her their clothes when it was too damaged for them to wear.
She learned quickly that in order to avoid any conflict, she should act grateful and in the ‘proper christian way’ that her Auntie wants of her. She never complained about the clothes, ever again. She participated in the praying of the rosary that they had every night diligently. She never talked back when her cousins would hurl insults towards her for no other reason but their enjoyment. She did all the chores.
At least, she had a bundle of blankets to sleep in the laundry room. That beats living in the streets. Her auntie was her only relative that took her in after her parents died in a car crash.
The bus slows down as it comes to a stop in front of BlockBerry High. Hyunjin waits for everyone to get off before she does the same.
—
“Did you get the text?”
Heejin closes her locker to take a better look at her friend. Chaewon was leaning on another person’s locker. Heejin assumes that the girl with her head down and her hands inside the pockets of her hoodie seemingly waiting for them to finish talking is the owner of said locker.
She takes a hold of Chaewon’s wrist and makes her stand up properly. She sees the girl send her a thankful nod in her peripheral.
“I don’t really know…” Heejin rubs her neck uneasily. “A party the night after the first day of school? Sounds like a recipe for disaster, to be honest.”
“Oh, come on,” Chaewon whines. “It will be fun and this week’s classes are all just going to be introductions, you know this!”
Heejin sighs.
She already knows she’ll be going because Chaewon never takes no for an answer.
“Fine.”
She feels an arm rest on her shoulders.
“Hey, girls. What are we talking about?”
Heejin tilts her head up and sees Hyunjin, her boyfriend with a smirk on his face.
Chaewon rolls her eyes dramatically.
“Please stop flaunting your relationship in my face. It disgusts me.”
Hyunjin laughs. Heejin only manages a small smile.
“I think you’re jealous. Why do you keep turning down my boys, then?” Hyunjin asks jokingly as he then plants a kiss on Heejin’s cheek.
Heejin sees Chaewon eyes stare at someone momentarily. It was too far for her to see without her glasses on. She could only see a blur of black.
“None of your business.”
“Babe,” Heejin calls for Hyunjin’s attention. “We we’re talking about the party later, are you going?”
Hyunjin scoffs as if he had been mocked.
“Of course, I’ll be there. The party would suck without me.”
Heejin met Hyunjin at one of the get-togethers the elites of the city usually attended.
His dad is the owner of JYP, the biggest supermarket in the city. Their parents had set them up together.
Hyunjin was instantly enamoured by the girl but Heejin couldn’t say the same for him. Although, he was handsome, she had no interest in him. He had a bad case of god complex.
When Hyunjin asked her out, though, she had said yes instantaneously. He was the type of boy her mother would love for her to marry: rich and in the same social standing as their family.
Chaewon scoffs.
Heejin knows that Hyunjin thinks Chaewon’s only bantering with him but to her, it’s obvious that Chaewon truly dislikes the boy and his attitude.
“Are we going to go together, then?” Heejin asks.
“Uh, about that babe…” Hyunjin gives an apologetic smile. “I’m already going with the football team, you know how it is, right?”
“Oh,” Heejin almost lets out a sigh of relief. “ I guess I’ll just see you there, then.”
Truthfully, she was relieved she wasn’t obligated to be by the boy’s side as he boasts about himself to other people.
Another sloppy kiss to her cheek and the boy’s gone.
—
“Hey, baby cat,” Hyunjin hears a breathy voice whisper in her ear.
She tries to ignore the urge to shiver as she turns her head.
“H-hi,” She manages to splutter out. Jinsoul tilts her head and lets out a breathy laugh.
“I missed you.”
Hyunjin could feel Jinsoul’s hand rub her arm gently.
Don’t get Hyunjin wrong. She was a "good christian girl". The only thing truly "bad" about her is her feelings towards Jung Jinsoul.
They were seatmates in Chemistry last year and she would always be rambling to her about anything and everything. She was also very touchy, leaning her head on Hyunjin’s shoulder and clinging to her arm. She would always make Hyunjin’s boring and gloomy days much better.
The downside is it confuses her to no end as the church tells her that Adam and Eve were created not Adam and Steve, not Madam and Eve. So why was she feeling things only meant to be felt towards boys to Jinsoul.
Hyunjin opted to disregard her feelings once Chemistry class was over. It made her feel much better.
“Are you going to tonight’s party? Open invitation.”
“I-I’ve never been to one.”
“Come with me and my friends? We’ll take care of you, I promise.”
This isn’t the first time Jinsoul has asked her to hang out outside of class. She’s always been adamant of truly making friends with her, even once asking her to sit in their lunch table. Hyunjin had declined as she wasn’t really the best at socializing. Plus Jungeun and Sooyoung look really intimidating and judgemental. She can’t handle the scrutiny she could get from them about her appearance.
“I-I’m scared.” Hyunjin looks down, ashamed at her admittance.
“Don’t be! I promise I’ll be by your side and in case, it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll take you home.” Jinsoul flashes her a smile and it takes all of Hyunjin’s will power not to swoon.
For whatever reason, it may actually be the way Jinsoul’s holding her hand now and caressing it with her thumb to ease her that she nods and says yes.
Jinsoul withdraws her hand to fist pump into the air.
“Text me your address and I’ll come and pick you up.”
“I don’t have a phone.”
Jinsoul eyes widen, almost comically but she hides the baffled expression fast, most likely an effort to not seem rude and just gives Hyunjin a piece of paper to write her address in.
“I’ll pick you up at 8 and let you borrow some party clothes.”
“What are party clothes, exactly?”
Jinsoul smirks at her and Hyunjin feels a knot form in her stomach.
“You’ll see.”