Chapter Text
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Third-person narration*
Character age: 13–14 years old (Middle school Ji Jon)*
— Trust me, Play On ⋆.˚✮🎧: Roommates by Malcolm Todd*
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(Han Mihyun)
Dusty glass windows and a lingering smell of burnt sugar.
The donut shop had been closed for 3 years, but they still used it as a meetup spot.
She swung her legs like it was nothing.
Waiting for the inevitable.
It didn't take long for him to show up.
He dropped his bike on the ground without a second thought—like he was in a rush to fight. Or maybe just to understand.
—Explain. Is it true?
His voice came out rough. He'd practically rehearsed it on the way there, like, "It has to be a lie."
Mihyun just turned her head to look at him, unsurprised.
—You already heard from Lee Seo-Ah, right? That's all there is to it.
Kanghan let out a bitter laugh.
—Bullshit. There's gotta be more.
—We're talking about switching schools, not your damn favorite candy’s brand. —he didn't bother softening the blow.
She didn't know how to respond to that. Her eyes dropped to the ground, like that part hurt too.
But he wasn't there for apologies.
—So just tell me... What the hell is going on, Hex.
.
.
.
Hex...
It had been almost two months since she last heard that nickname.
And it wasn’t to be dramatic, but...
She was starting to think that maybe this time, she wouldn’t hear it again.
(Wasn’t even sure she wanted to)
Not after that fight with Kanghan.
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°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
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Tired, she blinked and got out of bed.
She was supposed to have slept for 10 hours—"restorative sleep"—but she felt like crap.
7:00 A.M. <no messages>
...
Well,
Time to attend the fancy school that (probably) destroyed years of friendship.
—Saja~ Where are you, son? —she called out, searching the room for an orange furball. —So weird waking up to an alarm and not a cat in my face...
.
.
.
The new school wasn't anything special.
White walls, massive hallways, and students who all seemed to know exactly where they were going. Everyone but her.
The letter with her homeroom info, schedule, and advisor? Destroyed. Courtesy of her cat.
Now Han Mihyun—with her perfect blonde hair and practiced smile—was lost on her first day.
'Great... sigh.'
Determined not to keep wandering, she stopped the first person who walked by without hesitation.
A wave of excited gasps echoed around her.
And Mihyun cursed her luck for the millionth time.
Pretty faces. Just what she didn't need.
—Do you need something? —the guy asked, freezing as she grabbed his arm.
Girls nearby were already throwing daggers at her with their eyes.
But Mihyun didn't care. That was tradition by now.
—Hey...~
'Ban Yeodan. 2학년... At least we're not in the same grade', she thought with relief.
—Yes, senior, —she said with a charming laugh. —Would you happen to know where the teachers' lounge is?
.
.
.
When the blonde girl disappeared into the crowd with the same energy she'd arrived with — direct, unhesitating, without looking back.
Yeodan stood still for a few seconds, his arm still slightly tense where she had grabbed it. She hadn't said anything unusual... and yet, something about her tone, the way she looked at him, had thrown him off just a bit.
Faintly. Not much.
Enough for two idiots to notice.
—I saw that. —Sunwoo whispered, appearing beside him with narrowed eyes, like he was analyzing a paranormal event.
—I saw it too. —Minho added solemnly, nodding like they were in the middle of some ancient ritual.— That microsecond when Yeodan furrowed his brows. It's happening.
Yeodan didn't even look at them. Big mistake.
Minho immediately draped himself over his shoulder with dramatic flair, while Sunwoo pulled out his phone like he was about to call a news station.
—Ladies and gentlemen, we have just witnessed the miracle of the century! —Minho declared.— The ice prince reacted to a girl!
Sunwoo chimed in immediately, with a high-pitched voice and a look of fake shock.
—Could it be?! He's not immune after all! The legend was false!
—Wow, so you're not untouchable, Mr. Nonchalant —Minho finished, pinching his friend's cheek mischievously.
Yeodan took a deep breath, still staring ahead, with the kind of patience only someone used to cheap theater like this could muster.
—And honestly... —Sunwoo crossed his arms, now speaking in an evaluative tone.— She was pretty. And she seemed absolutely uninterested in you.
Minho nodded, like an expert judge in a beauty pageant.
—I approve of her as a potential sister-in-law, —he declared with unnecessary seriousness.— She gives off a strong "I don't care about your stupid pretty face" vibe, and that's exactly what you need. Balance, Yeodan. Harmony.
Yeodan rolled his eyes.
Then, he simply turned around without saying a single word and started walking in opposite direction, with his hands in his pockets and that relaxed gait that hid his *slightly growing discomfort.*
—Oh no! He's leaving! The ice is melting and walking away! —Minho cried, pretending to weep as he followed a few steps behind.
Sunwoo had already started singing, inventing a sweet, cheesy melody in a mocking tone:
—"Is spring finally heeere~?"
—"Will it come today or maybe tomorrooow~?" —Minho added in falsetto, spinning around like he was in a school musical.
—"Flowers blooooming in our Yeodan's heaaaart~!" —they finished together in chorus, eyes gleaming like two proud Korean moms watching their son debut in a drama.
Yeodan didn't bother turning around.
He just raised one hand, middle finger fully extended as he kept walking.
Minho clutched his chest like he'd been stabbed.
—Rude! After everything Mom did for you!
—That's my boy! Dad's proud! —Sunwoo added, laughing.
And even though his face remained impassive, Yeodan couldn't help but feel a tiny flicker of curiosity linger in his mind from that brief exchange.
Because maybe, just maybe, spring wouldn't be so bad.
Just a little annoying.
Like them.
🩵
CAST
