Chapter Text
Chaeyoung was used to people staring at her whenever she walked through the hallways.
Everyone admired her. She was everything people wanted to be— pretty, popular, and smart, she's also charming without even trying.
Freshmans liked her, professors worshiped her.
Her friend group was basically royalty.
Myoi Mina? The total opposite.
Quiet. Weird. Always had messy hair and wrinkled clothes. She always carried this weird penguin keychain from her bag, always hanging sideways whenever she walked. She would barely talk to anyone and would mumble to herself often.
When they got paired up for a group project, Chaeyoung groaned loudly, which Mina heard.
"Seriously?" Chaeyoung scoffed.
Mina just turned her head towards Chaeyoung, blinked and then went back to her notes again.
Later that day, Chaeyoung drooped beside Mina's seat. "So..where are we doing this project?" Chaeyoung asked.
Mina didn't look up from her notebook. "My place. "
Chaeyoung raised a brow. "Not at the library?"
"I don't like people. Mina replied as she continued to draw something in her notebook. "But you're tolerable enough." She adds.
"Gee, Thanks." Chaeyoung frowned.
Mina ripped a piece from her notebook and wrote something in it. She then handed Chaeyoung a small ripped paper with a written address and a time. "Don't be late, I hate those." She sternly says.
.
Chaeyoung wasn't really expecting anything. Maybe a messy living room, or weird penguin-related stuff.
But what she definitely didn't expect was a clean living room, it being cleaned to the brim shocked her, but what shocked her even more was the girl that opened the door for her.
Chaeyoung accidentally choked on air when she was met by Mina— but it was not her at the same time.
Mina raised a brow, but ignored that and let her in anyways.
Her usual messy hair was gone. Now it fell into a soft, straight layer. She wore a fitted white shirt, showing off her collarbones and her vibes being totally cool and calm like she belonged in a magazine cover.
Mina checked her watch that was on her wrist "You're right on time." Mina says smoothly. "Good job."
Chaeyoung didn't even realize she was spacing out and staring at Mina. "What— Ah yes, I hate latecomers." she scrambled.
Mina couldn't help but let out a small smirk as Chaeyoung tried to keep herself together.
Mina guided Chaeyoung to her room, and it was even better than she expected. It felt cozy, and warm-toned. There were a few posters hung up on the walls, and a piano besides her desk.
It was way *too* neat for the awkward girl chaeyoung thought she knew.
As Chaeyoung stared at the piano, Mina said something. "Oh that's just a small hobby of mine." she pointed. "But it's not like you'll care anyways." she mumbled to herself which Chaeyoung heard.
Mina cleared her throat. "Let's start?" she says, approaching her desk with a few papers scattered, a laptop closed, resting and a small penguin plush sitting in a corner.
The whole time, Chaeyoung couldn't focus at all.
Everytime Mina leaned in to explain something, Chaeyoung felt her heart doing something stupid.
.
"Stop doing that." Mina says not looking up as she typed in her laptop.
"Doing what?"
"Staring at me as if it's your first time seeing a girl."
Chaeyoung scowled. "You look..different, okay?"
"Is that meant to be an insult or a compliment?"
Chaeyoung just looked away. "Shut up."
Mina leaned back. "Your friends say I'm weird."
Chaeyoung froze in her place.
"What? You don't think I hear you guys? .. 'What's with the weird keychain?', 'Does she even talk?', 'She looks like she just woke up'."
Chaeyoung hesitated. "I didn't say those things."
"I know," Mina said. "But you laughed." she added.
Chaeyoung felt her throat tightening. "I didn't mean to."
Mina smiled faintly. "It's fine, I don't really care about what they say, but you're acting.. different."
"I just didn't realize this was the real you," Chaeyoung mumbled. "It's like a loser trapped in a hot body.."
Mina raised an eyebrow "Hot?"
Chaeyoung felt her cheeks flushed. "Oh my god."
Mina chuckled. "It's like the school air messes my face up or something to be honest. "
Chaeyoung let out a giggle. "Yeah. It does that."
The next day at school Mina was back with her usual messy hair and wrinkled clothes. Still with the penguin keychain hanging from her bag.
As she passed Chaeyoung, she gave her a small wave. "Morning."
Making Chaeyoung almost lose her balance on her chair.
"Wait," Chaeyoung's friends giggled. "That weird girl and you are friends now?" They asked, raising a brow.
Chaeyoung glared at them. "Her name is Mina."
From then on, whenever Mina approached , Chaeyoung would get flustered. Blushing. Her friends didn't get it— but Chaeyoung did.
Because she knows that beneath her messy looks and awkwardness, was someone warm, kind, funny, and pretty.
A month later, as they were reviewing their project. Chaeyoung asked a question. "Did you always think I was tolerable?"
Mina smiled. "No."
Chaeyoung pouted. "Wow. Rude."
"I like you." Mina says unfazed, as she kept her eyes on the computer
Chaeyoung blinked. "H—huh?"
Mina looked at her in a way that made Chaeyoung feel naked.
"I said I liked you " she says with a smile that makes Chaeyoung melt. "Romantically." Mina adds.
"I think I fell first , " Mina said. "But you definitely fell harder."
Chaeyoung felt her face burning . "I hate you."
"No you don't" Mina smirked smugly.
And Chaeyoung couldn't even deny it. She leaned in and kissed the weird girl in front of her on her cheek.