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minju can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
“so you did sleep around while you were with hwang! you sick bitch.” jimin snickers, corners of her lips turning up as the other girls seated around her start laughing. minju continues staring wide eyed at jimin, small smile playing on her lips. jimin leans closer, tips of their nose barely touching before she scoffs. “you’re a fucking weirdo you know that.” minju just smiles even wider at her words. “this shit funny to you?” jimin asks, pupils quivering slightly and minju doesn’t miss it, feels a sense of pride course through her veins knowing that she manages to leave the other girl unsettled. “a little.” minju answers honestly which earns a few chuckles from the girls surrounding her excluding one of them, who’s seated the furthest away from minju but minju doesn’t have to look to know that she’s listening. chaewon’s always listening.
minju contemplates taking a peek but she’s pulled out of her head when jimin grips her chin, making her face the dark haired girl. “freak.” minju has to hold back a yawn because she’s heard that over a hundred times and she honest to god is starting to think that jimin’s brain is just hardwired to say the most boring shit ever.
“no wonder hwang left you.”
biting back a scoff, minju (to this day) wonders what bullshit hyunjin had spread about their breakup. she wonders if he told them that she had caught him with his hands tangled in han jisung’s hair as they made out under the bleachers. mentally she shrugs. doesn’t matter anyways. she’d never out him, or anyone for that matter.
jimin shoves her away with a smirk, minju ignores the ache in her jaw and briefly wonders if there’s enough ice at home to heal the bruise that’s beginning to form. the bell rings, shattering her thoughts. its nothing new when minju hears jimin kick her bag that’s placed carelessly on the floor before she giggles and wanders over to her seat.
snorting quietly to herself, her eyes travel to the short haired girl sitting a few chairs away. without the group of girls blocking her sight, minju can finally see her. she feels her heart stutter when she finds chaewon already staring back, her dark brown orbs trained on her. she doesn't try to fight the grin that creeps up onto her lips as the other girl finally stands up with a soft sigh before walking over to her designated seat.
+
“see you minju!”
minju chuckles as yuri fumbles with unlocking her bicycle chain, wide smile on her face. “yeah i’ll see you tomorrow yuri. get home safely!” minju answers back, walking backwards a few steps still facing the other girl. “and don’t even 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 of stopping by choi yena’s house!” minju yells before completely turning around, smirks at the sound of yuri cursing her out before continuing her walk back home.
minju digs through the front of her hoodie, feels around for her lighter and smiles triumphantly before she brings it out of her pocket. the cigarette dangles on the edge of her lips as she cups her left hand over her mouth, feels the heat emitting on to her skin as she lights the end of the cigarette. as she tucks the lighter back into her pocket, minju hears a cough behind her and turns around.
it’s chaewon. “hey.”
minju grins and blows a puff of smoke out of the corner of her mouth, sees chaewon’s own twitch at the action. “hey.” minju says before tilting her head, gesturing them to start walking. they walk side by side, chaewon on minju’s left, shoulders brushing against each other. minju takes a drag of her cigarette, blowing the smoke to her right knowing that chaewon would click her tongue in annoyance if she ever tries to blow it in her direction.
it’s quiet for a bit before minju starts talking about her day like she always does.
it’s practically routine for them.
chaewon doesn’t talk much whenever they’re together, only speaks if she has to, most time she chooses to hum in response. minju really doesn’t mind. she rambles about everything and anything, knows that chaewon listens even when she feigns disinterest. the cool afternoon breeze makes their walk back home a little bearable compared to the occasional hot and humid weather that minju absolutely hates, always grunting under her breath about the heat to which chaewon simply shakes her head, stifling a laughter at the other girl.
as they round the corner and minju’s house comes into view, minju takes one last drag of her cigarette and quickly drops it to the ground before using her foot to distinguish out the flame. chaewon stares blankly, nose wrinkling slightly. “you shouldn’t litter.” she says as they continue walking. minju cant help but snort at the other girl’s words. “okay 𝘮𝘰𝘮.”
its quiet again as they reach minju’s house. “thanks for walking me back home.” minju says, lips turned into a small smile. she looks at chaewon who simply hums in reply. they share a knowing look before chaewon clears her throat, breaking the silence.
“you should um- you should take care of that.“ minju raises an eyebrow. “the bruise.” chaewon says, face exempt of any expression but minju isn’t stupid to not notice her eyebrows knitting together as her eyes skim over her jaw. “it looks bad.”
minju fights back the urge to roll her eyes, instead she grins at the other girl and starts walking backwards towards her front door. chaewon sighs exasperatedly. “minju please. i don’t like seeing you in pain.”
minju shakes her head slightly at those words, a bittersweet smile plastered on her face. how silly of chaewon, she thinks. “you see me getting shoved around all the time but this is where you draw the line?” minju asks as she reaches her porch. when the other girl is quiet for a few seconds, minju chuckles softly and shakes her head again. “get home safely chaewon.” she says before turning around. minju doesn’t have to look to know that chaewon’s still staring at the front door even after it shuts close behind her.
+
whatever’s going on between them is funny, minju’s aware of that.
she’s holding three cans of energy drinks and a cup of cheese ramen when they first meet outside of school.
chaewon stares at her blankly from behind the counter before she scans her items. the beeping sound echoes throughout the quiet convenience store. “a pack of dunhill too.” minju says nonchalantly, revels in the way chaewon’s eyebrow twitch slightly. she sees the gears moving in chaewons’s head before she lets out a small sigh and turns around, slides the glass casing open and places one pack on the counter. “6,000 won.”
minju hands the money over, her fingers brushing with chaewon’s cold ones for a fraction of a second. (minju ignores the flutter in her stomach at the contact.) she cracks open the tab of her drink and takes a sip as she steps out of the convenience store.
unconsciously, minju starts frequenting that particular store as the days go by. to her defence, it’s the nearest store that’s opened 24 hours a day, which minju’s thankful for. sometimes a breath of fresh air, away from her dad when he’s four cans of beer in, is what she needs. even if the breath of fresh air in question is the subtle smell of clean clorox emitting from the squeaky white tiles of the store.
they never talk, minju and chaewon.
minju simply grabs what she needs, chaewon scans them and they both go on their own ways. minju sits on the high chair that faces the outside of the store, earphones plugged in as she finishes up her homework. most nights, she feels the other girl staring at her all the way from the counter. they still don't talk at school.
but minju doesn’t miss the way chaewon gazes at her with something that looks a lot like confusion underneath the blank expression she has on, almost like she has something to ask minju.
she doesn’t look away when she peers up from her lunch tray and catches chaewon already looking at her from across the cafeteria, holds back a grin from making its way onto her face when the other girl is the first to break the eye contact.
when chaewon hangs back in the toilet long after jimin and the rest have left and carelessly tosses a packet of tissues to minju, she doesn’t really know how to process the whole thing. her lip’s split open, she can feel a headache slowly building behind her temples and she thinks she’s gone fucking crazy because chaewon is starting to look too pretty under the shabby bathroom light.
chaewon stares at her before she turns around to leave, door clanging shut, echoing in the empty bathroom.
one night minju shows up at the convenience store, pretends like she doesn’t feel chaewon’s eyes trained on the bruise the size of a baseball on her face, instead grabs the energy drink she needs and thinks about how quickly she can get the hell out of there.
she places the can on the counter, locks eyes with chaewon who for the first time since minju’s met her, has a questioning look on her face. if she squints, minju might even think chaewon looks worried.
“jimin didn’t give you that.” minju scoffs, eyes never once leaving chaewon’s. “yeah no shit.” she replies. the other girl frowns slightly, “then who did?” she asks, monotonous. minju bites back another scoff because there is no way this girl actually gives two fucks about what happened to her. this has be to some kind of fever dream and frankly, minju wishes she could wake up right about now.
“does it really matter?” a beat. minju’s eyes catch the way chaewon eyebrows knit together for a brief second. “are you gonna ring my stuff up or am i gonna have to steal this?” minju asks, breaking the silence. the frown deepens. “you need to put some ice on it.” chaewon says and minju stares at her like she’s grown a second head. chaewon clears her throat, eyes dropping to the energy drink before she slides the can slightly towards minju. “it’s on the house.”
minju shrugs, too confused to process the whole interaction, simply picks the can up and makes her way to the exit. she can’t act like she doesn’t feel chaewon’s stare on her as she steps foot out of the store.
this is what gets the ball rolling, minju thinks.
it isn’t too bad. it’s pretty nice if she were being honest to herself.
some nights minju’s halfway through her math equations when a can of coffee is wordlessly placed beside her. by the time she looks up, she’s met with chaewon’s back walking away from her, cropped brown hair contrasting against the black hoodie she has on.
some nights chaewon takes up the seat next to hers, eyes peering over minju’s notebook. minju being minju, asks every single question under the sun, curiosity and boredom taking over her. sometimes, chaewon answers in short sentences, sometimes it’s radio silence. minju doesn’t really care, instead chooses to continue asking every question that comes to mind. sometimes, chaewon silently puts her hands to work, nimble fingers skimming over the bruises and cuts on minju’s skin and patches them up.
its nice when minju gets to crack a shadow of a smile or a stifled laughter from the other girl with one of her stupid jokes, shoulders pressed against each other as they sit side by side on the damp grass of the park.
( “take a break.”
minju stares wide eyed, slightly taken aback at the words that leave chaewon’s mouth. “what?” she asks.
“there’s a park nearby.” chaewon says, blinks a few times before she shakes her head. “we don’t have to go. obviously. i was just-“ a sigh escapes her lips. “you look like shit and i just think you deserve a break.”
minju mulls over it. it’s not like she’s making any progress on her essay. the only thing that’s progressing is the cramp she’s starting to feel in her right hand from nonstop scribbling on the corners of her notebook. with a shrug she sets her pen down.
“yeah sure.”
she feels her heart thrumming under her ribcage when chaewon’s eyes light up at those words. )
minju looks at chaewon and sees her smiling softly, cheeks dusted a light pink and feels her gentle touches while she tends to minju’s bruises, fingers brushing over them like she’s afraid minju could break from the slightest touch.
minju looks at chaewon and wishes this could last forever.
+
“fucking freak.” she hears before she’s knocked to the ground, tiny rocks piercing her knees and thighs exposed by the skirt she’s wearing. she winces slightly. minju barely has time to look up before yuri topples right on top of minju. this time, she lets out a grunt at the impact. her best friend isn’t heavy by any means but her weight adds pressure onto the bruises on minju’s body that haven’t had time to heal. internally she groans at the idea of having to ice them all over again. out of the corner of her eye, minju sees chaewon with her arms crossed, slowly making her way over.
minju’s spent enough time with chaewon to know that there’s anxiousness underneath the blank expression she’s sporting on.
“who knew the two washouts of the school happen to be dykes!” jimin scorns, venom seeping through her words. “does mommy know you’re fucking your best friend behind her back?” she asks, yanking yuri up by the arm, hands quick to come up and grip her chin. minju feels her gut twist at seeing yuri trembling in fear, both at the thought of her mother finding out and jimin hurting her.
“leave her alone.” minju manages to say, eyes fixed on jimin. the girl in question scoffs before shoving yuri away like a ragged doll. “yeah?” jimin walks closer to minju, almost like a wolf waiting to pounce on its prey. “you gonna protect your girlfriend? gonna kiss her better in the bathroom and get each other off right after?” she crouches down so that she’s eye level with minju who doesn’t falter for even a second and maintains eye contact. “bitch.” she spits out. minju sees the shove coming from a mile away but that doesn’t lessen the pain by any means. another wince leaves her mouth. “now we know why you and your little lover boy broke up huh?”
minju’s stomach drops when she sees jimin light up a cigarette and takes a drag from it. her arms prickle uncomfortably at the memory of the cigarette butt on her skin. her eyes flit over to yuri who’s sniffling quietly into the palms of her hand.
jimin steps forward. a hand falls on her shoulder, stopping her.
“come on jimin we don’t have to do this.” chaewon says, pleads almost. it’s silent, everybody taken aback by chaewon’s boldness and to yoo jimin out of all people. said girl scoffs in disbelief and pushes the hand off her shoulder. “if you’re gonna be a little bitch about it chae, by all means, fuck off and leave.”
chaewon sighs, defeated. her eyes flit over to minju who’s staring at her wide eyed.
𝘪'𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺
jimin strides over to minju, flicking the ashes from the stick resting between her fingers.
minju watches chaewon walk away.
+
"𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘜 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵!" greets minju cheerfully as she steps inside the store, her white oversized shirt hanging off her shoulders, fingers running through her hair. she feels eyes burning holes in the back of her head as she sets her bag on to the high chair that she’s grown so accustomed to before heading to the instant noodle section. her eyes are scanning through the selection when a tug on her wrist forces her to turn around. chaewon’s eyes bore into hers. there’s an unreadable expression on her face but minju can tell by the way her eyes rake over minju’s features that she’s on edge.
she honestly doesn’t know what to feel about the way chaewon’s looking at her.
“you’re gripping too hard.” chaewon looks down, her knuckles turned white as she holds minju’s right wrist in an iron grip. her eyes zero in on the burn marks covering minju’s arms. flinching, she lets go and takes a step back. her eyes flit back to minju, worry evidently written all over her face and minju feels her stomach twist into knots at the sight.
“i’m fine chaewon.” minju starts which draws a sighs out of the other girl, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “i’m-“ chaewon sighs again, eyes downcast. “i’m sorry” minju doesn’t miss the shake in her words. “i- i should’ve said something.” chaewon’s voice breaks and she grabs minju’s hands. minju’s mouth goes dry.
“you did.” chaewon scoffs bitterly at her words. “well i could’ve said more! minju, just-“ one hand comes up to cup her face, calloused fingers resting on her cheek. “look at you.” chaewon’s voice comes out hoarse and rough. minju feels herself choking up and the elder girl is quick to notice, her thumb quickly moves to wipe the tears that start to fall. minju sobs even harder.
“its okay chaewon. please-“ she takes a deep breath, her eyes shut close as her hand comes up to rest on top of chaewon’s. “i’m okay.” minju finishes and hesitantly rests her forehead on chaewon’s. she doesn’t miss the way the other girl’s breath hitches at the contact.
when she feels chaewon leaning closer, minju’s eyes snap open, her pulse racing like a freight train. chaewon’s eyes ask for permission.
(it’s two hours later when minju’s laid in bed, fingers brushing over her lips as she stares at her ceiling when she thinks to herself that she wouldn’t have minded if chaewon had kissed her without asking. her cheeks heat up at the thought.)
minju closes the gap and presses their lips together. chaewon’s lips are soft and cold on hers and it leaves her heart beating out of her ribcage. minju barely manages to bite back a whimper when the other girl deepens the kiss, one hand coming up to rest on her waist. minju boldly steps closer, their bodies almost flush against each other and the sound that chaewon makes at the back of her throat has minju’s head spinning.
minju kisses chaewon right there in the middle of the store, fluorescent light above them flickering slightly and the coldness coming from the air conditioner nipping at their skin.
she kisses chaewon like she’s been deprived of air, like she’s just been pulled to the surface after being underwater her whole life.
minju kisses chaewon and thinks how could she have gone this long doing anything but it.
+
it isn’t perfect but it’s also everything minju could ever ask for.
having chaewon pull her into the empty bathroom stall in between classes, eager to kiss the watermelon scented lip balm off minju’s lips, hands dancing up and down each other’s sides but careful enough not to mess up their hairs too much. it ignites a fire inside minju, burns strongly in the pit of her stomach. the feeling intensifies when she manages to pull a whine out of chaewon as her head tips back, allowing minju to press kisses along her neck.
some nights, minju manages to sneak chaewon up into her room through her bedroom window, both girls careful not to make a sound, minju almost shoving her out once when she bumps her knee against the window sill which only draws muffled giggles from chaewon. minju gets used to feeling chaewon’s warm body pressed against her, her hands slipping under minju’s shirt as cold fingers trace random patterns on her lower back. on the bad days, chaewon threads her fingers lightly through minju’s hair, lulling her to sleep.
(minju feels the ghost of a kiss on her forehead as the other girl gets up to leave. chaewon doesn’t know that every time she creeps out the window, she’s taking a piece of minju’s heart in the palm of her hands along with her.)
and when they’re both seated on the rickety high chairs in the convenience store, chaewon silently treating minju’s wounds under the dingy light hanging above them, pressing a light kiss to each bandaged patch of skin, minju swears this is what being in love feels like.