Chapter Text
The cafeteria is really crowded, but they were able to get their usual table, thanks to Minjeong’s ability to sneak out from the class before the bell rings. She does that only before lunchtime, though, just to make sure that her and her friends won’t have to eat while sitting on the floor. It actually happened before, and Minjeong didn’t like it even a bit. She shook her head, trying to forget about that one time when she had to eat her lunch like that. It was truly an embarrassing experience.
“Hey, besties!” the girl dropped her bag on the floor and took a seat next to Minjeong. “Sorry, I got here late, my teacher was scolding me for being late for his class.” she rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“That’s fine, Ningning.” the girl with short black hair said. “This dumbass always gets us the table, so no need to worry ‘bout being late.” she laughed, pointing at Minjeong. Ningning giggled, looking at her friend's scandalized face.
“Yah, Shin Ryujin!” Minjeong exclaimed, trying to hit the girl. She couldn’t reach her because of sitting across the table, tough. Ryujin just stuck out her tongue to her friend. “Next time you’ll be sitting on the floor.” Minjeong narrowed her eyes threateningly.
“Dang, y’all so loud! And for what?” another girl eyed them with a frown on her face. “I’m trying to concentrate on this stupid assignment that I have to do ‘till my last period.” she sighed heavily, seemingly frustrated.
“Aw, Chaeryeong-ah, don’t be angry at us.” Ryujin smiled, poking the girl’s cheek. Chaeryeong just glared at her. “Wow, wow, easy, babe, no need in killing me with those pretty eyes of yours.” Shin got her hands up in the air, showing she’s backing off. Minjeong and Ningning were watching their friends bickering in amusement, trying to hold back their laughs as the blush slowly crept up on Chaeryeong’s cheeks.
They’re hopeless, Minjeong thought. One is hopelessly in love and another is hopelessly dense. She wished she could help them, but Ningnig once told her that they should figure everything out by themselves. And well she’s right. As she was thinking about her friend’s misery, her eyes got stuck on a specific raven haired girl sitting a few tables away.
Yu Jimin.
The popular girl that always somehow gets Minjeong’s attention. She doesn’t know why, but whenever that girl is around, her eyes always find their way to her. Minjeong doesn’t really control it anymore and, to be honest, there’s no need to do so since basically everyone at some point in their life were staring at her.
At the end of the day, Yu Jimin is hella beautiful.
“Yah, stop staring.” Minjeong heard Ningning whispering to her. She visibly cringed, making her friend giggle. Minjeong hates being called out.
“I’m not staring.” Minjeong hissed, but deep down she knew she’s lying. In a moment she finds herself looking back at Jimin as she curses under her breath. “Shit, I swear I’m not.” she said, trying to convince not only her friend but also herself.
“Your crush is showing, Min.” Ningning teased, and that brought the other two’s attention to her too. Ryujin looked like she was also about to throw some teasing at her as she was wiggling her brows, but instead she heard Ningning again. “So cute, our Minmin is growing up so fast.”
Minjeong stood up and just growled loudly in response, what made pretty much every student to turn around and look at her. She didn’t mean to growl THAT loud. For a second she felt lost because of all the attention and then next second she dropped herself back on the chair with a thud mumbling of how embarrassing and humiliating it was. She wanted to disappear, as much as her friends found it funny.
“Shut up.” Minjeong looked at her friends, who were laughing their asses off. “It’s your fault, you tease me too much.” she pouted at them, her eyes drifting from her dumb friends to the gorgeous girl, only to find her looking back at her and smiling faintly. “Oh shit. I… I think I’m g-gonna get out of here. See ya later.” she hurriedly said, picking up the bag and then storming off the cafeteria. The last things she saw was Yu Jimin frowning at her.
“Did she just for real yeeted herself out of here?” Chaeryeong asked no one in particular, looking at her friends dumbfounded.
***
Jimin was peacefully eating her salad and minding her own business when a loud growl swept through the cafeteria. She looked up and turned to the source of that sound. She noticed lots of students did that too.
There, a few tables away from hers, was a girl standing and pouting cutely. Jimin wasn’t going to lie, the short hair she has made that girl even more adorable in her eyes. The girl looked very familiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint where and when she saw her before.
A loud thud went across the cafeteria as that girl dropped herself on the chair. Jimin found that kind of funny, so she quietly giggled, receiving a questioning look from her best friend, Aeri. Jimin brushed her off, returning her gaze to the “growling girl” that to her surprise was already looking at her.
Their eyes met.
Jimin smiled a little, but the other girl looked away. She furrowed her brows and reached Aeri’s hand to get her attention and then whispered asking if she knows that girl.
“Ah, that’s Ningning’s friend. Kim Minjeong.” Aeri answered, looking at her best friend suspiciously. “Why are you asking, though?” She trailed Jimin’s gaze, only to realize she was looking at the said Kim Minjeong storming off the cafeteria, while tripping over the air. And then Aeri looked back at Jimin to notice the frown of her best friend’s face. “Hey, are you okay?” she asked, lightly squeezing her hand.
Kim Minjeong.
“I think she doesn’t like me.” Jimin said, now wearing a blank expression. That’s when Aeri knows for sure that her friend is not okay. “I think I need some fresh air.” she said, her breathing got heavy.
“Let’s go, darling, hold my hand and try to focus on breathing in and out slowly.” Aeri instructed, putting her bag on her back and picking up Jimin's, and then reaching for her hand. And like that, they left the cafeteria.
Jimin felt like the surrounding walls were moving, trying to close up on her. It was getting harder to breath with each step she took, but she tried to focus on Aeri’s hand, on softness of her skin, on warmth that they radiate. She tried her best to keep breathing.
She didn’t even know where they were going anymore, as she couldn’t pay attention to anything than the crawling feeling of losing a grip on herself.
Jimin hated it.
The sounds around were muffled, but she knew they still were around people, and she tried to look more composed than she is right now for the sake of her perfect image and also her mental stability. Jimin couldn’t let people know she has a really bad anxiety.
At some point, Aeri stopped (and so did Jimin), letting go of her hand and dropping the bags on the bench. “Rina, please, sit down.” Aeri used the nickname that made Jimin feel more comfortable. She did what her friend said and just looked at the stadium in front of her as the girl sat next to her and took her hand again.
Aeri is the only person in this damned school that knows about basically everything that’s going on in her life. She’s the one who’s always there for her. Not other friends, not her boyfriend and not even her parents. Just Aeri.
Jimin exhaled, turning her head to the side, looking at her best friend. She feels so grateful for this human being. She slowly leaned on her shoulder, while muttering a little “thank you” and getting “always” in reply.
***
As soon as Minjeong stormed off the cafeteria, she bumped into a person she would rather see in hell. Choi Jun, an infamous captain of basketball team, the first boy in their school and a boyfriend of a very popular and pretty Yu Jimin.
“Why, of all people, did I have to bump into his ugly ass?” Minjeong asked herself, disgust written on her face. She didn’t know when the hatred towards “the sweetest guy” had started, but she knew she despised him for whatever reason.
“Aw, hey, little baby, need something from me?” he asked, smirking. Minjeong felt like throwing up right on him. “What? Mesmerized by my handsome face?” she rolled her eyes and passed by him, when he grabbed her by the wrist. “Where do you think you’re going?” the guy scoffed.
“To class. Now let go of me.” Minjeong said firmly, looking angrily at him. Jun just laughed in response, not feeling threatened by the girl. Instead of letting go, he pulled her closer and tried to kiss her, but Minjeong, to his surprise, grabbed the guy's another hand and twisted it until she heard him whimpering. Jun let go, and Minjeong was glad she took self-defense classes before. And so she finally left, still feeling disgusted by this dude’s act.