Chapter Text
It wasn't irritation at first sight.
Minji didn't automatically hate Hanni the second she saw her. In fact, she found her interesting, pretty, and… Just fine. It was all normal.
It was a simple, normal, uneventful encounter with the new girl before the first day of senior high school started.
But for Hanni, it was as if she found motivation to keep going in life again.
"Argh, I'm starving. I should've done the groceries a week ago." Hanni muttered to herself as she stared at the empty cupboard that used to be filled with food — well, junk food. Her parents couldn't care less, they're too busy anyway.
She put on a simple cotton hoodie, something to warm herself up from the freezing temperature of the middle of the night. Just a quick stop at the nearby mart, just cup noodles to fill her empty stomach and keep studying in advance, even if it's only the first day of school.
Hanni bowed and greeted the cashier, whose eyes were droopy, obviously tired yet still taking the night shift. "Hi, hello." She smiled, yet only got a simple tug on the side of the cashier's lip.
She shook her head the second she put herself in the middle of a stall, all the prices are high. She couldn't afford the noodles that she liked or found bearable, so she grabbed the cheapest ones in sight, even if she didn't like the flavor that much. After all, she just needed to fill her stomach.
"I wonder if I can buy a drink too." Whilst walking to the beverages, Hanni took out her phone after she heard a ping. She didn't expect anyone to text her; sadly, she's a total loser despite her fascinating grades. Even so, she checked it out, probably an interesting social media post that.
It might've been the worst decision she could've made.
But at that moment, it was the best for her.
"Hey! Watch where you're going." A click of a tongue followed after Hanni's gasp, startled by the sudden collision. "I could've dropped my drink."
"I'm sorry, so sorry." Hanni bowed, low as she could, as many.
Right after she lifted her head, she was met by an absolute angel in front of her — a goddess, heartstopping, drop-dead gorgeous!
The woman's skin was flawless. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, yet Hanni believed that she looked better than any model out there. Quite frankly, she does kind of resemble her favorite actress, Olivia Hussey. It made Hanni's eyes grow hearts even more.
Her jaw could reach the floor, and it made the taller woman chuckle, completely forgetting that Hanni had almost made her drop her bottle of orange juice. Which, by the way, was worth more than the cup noodle that Hanni's clutched onto.
"It's alright. Just be careful next time." She put her hands inside the pockets of her sweater. "Don't use your phone while walking."
Hanni didn't move an inch, yet her eyes watched the stunning woman walk to the counter and pay.
What she didn't know was that the woman found her… Endearing. Cute, even.
If only she had seen her walking out of the store with a small grin, she would've squealed on the top of her lungs.
Too bad she didn't see it, because she never will.
──── ☕︎ ────
"I hate her."
"Who now?"
"Hanni Pham."
"Uh, hate is a strong word, Minji."
"Hate is a strong word for strong feelings."
Danielle lets out a sigh heavier than the last time. "This is so stupid, Minji. Just let it go and focus on yourself. Hating on her won't do anything good for you." She scolds, reapplying her lip gloss as she stares at her hand mirror.
It's been a month since Hanni and Minji's first encounter, and Minji absolutely hates the overly optimistic and effortlessly academically smart girl.
The night she saw her, it wasn't anything that special for Minji. She thought the girl was cute, that's all.
But the day after, she saw her again. This time, on the first day of eleventh grade. Minji wanted to approach Hanni, wanting to introduce herself properly.
Yet the second her childhood best friend came up to her, it was like her whole world fell apart just from what she said.
"Oh, that's Hanni Pham. She's the consistent valedictorian from all of the schools she's been at." Danielle said, oblivious that her best friend was frozen as a stone. "She's pretty, right?"
Minji clenched her fists and jaw. She turned her heel and walked grumpily inside with Danielle following her, confused.
Until now, Minji has never spoken a single word to the new girl, even if Hanni spots her and gives her a beaming smile.
"That damn smile. I hate it." Minji mutters under her breath, each word spat out with hatred. "I hate her so much."
Danielle groans, snapping her fingers in front of Minji's face to divert her attention and stop her friend from sending burning holes at Hanni.
"Your irritation is bothering me. Why do you even hate her? She's just — oh wait. Yeah, my bad. I forgot." Danielle sighs, sarcastically saying, "You hate poor people."
Minji snaps her head to look at Danielle in disbelief. That's an absurd statement. She may not know how to relate to those who are in a different financial status than her, but she doesn't go throwing out dirt at those who are lower than her. "The hell, Danielle? No. I'm not like that."
"I'm just playing." Danielle snickers, scrunching her nose as she giggles. Eventually, sighing heavily, her tone all serious now and she looks at her friend with her eyes quite narrowed. "But seriously, why do you hate her? I still don't get it."
"She's just…" Minji looks at Hanni again, who's sitting alone at the empty cafeteria table, munching her lunch whilst reading a book.
"Smart. Smarter than me."
"If I'm being honest, you're right—"
"Dani!"
The girl with curly hair raises her hands in mock defense, playfully zipping her lips to signal she’ll keep quiet for now.
"She's better than me, and I hate it. She comes to this school, and suddenly she's the top one." Minji's frustration simmers as she jabs at the meat on her tray, her brows knitted in annoyance. Danielle notices, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as she watches her friend ramble in irritation.
"I worked hard to maintain the first rank in this school for years. Yet that stupid — annoying — girl suddenly comes here and throws all my hard work away." Minji’s voice drips with irritation, and Danielle can feel the tension radiating from her friend.
Danielle purses her lip. She doesn't know whether she should throw some sense to her friend that Hanni's success isn't a personal attack — it's not like she came in here and the first and only intention she has is to ruin her friend, or should she just comfort her friend who's burning with rage?
Perhaps sympathizing with her is the best course of action for her right now. Or… maybe just some advice?
"Just… Um, compete with her." Danielle suggests hesitantly, "Sportsmanship. You know that, you do fencing, and that's important in every sport."
“I know.” Minji releases her chopsticks, letting them clatter down as her shoulders slump. She casts another glance at Hanni, her anger softening into something more complex. “It just makes my blood boil when it comes to her.”
"Err, why?"
"Because she doesn't even see this as a competition. I don't know what the hell is wrong with her."
"Huh?" Danielle furrows her brow, confused, but couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "What do you mean?"
"Just look at her."
Curiosity piqued, Danielle swivels around to see what’s caught Minji’s attention.
Hanni has set her utensils aside, stretching her arms and cracking her fingers, visibly shaking off some stress. With a sigh of relief, she catches sight of Danielle and, more importantly, Minji.
She smiles. Brighter than the sun.
Then she waves at them like they're her best friends that she hasn't seen in a while.
Minji immediately turns to look away and frowns, head low and hands in a fist. "Weirdo."
Danielle, on the other hand, can’t help but smile back at Hanni, who lights up even more at the response. Though she can't help but notice a little disappointment drawn on Hanni's face when she realizes Minji isn't returning the gesture.
"You're just so mean. She's so sweet." The Aussie says as her grin turns into a frown when she looks at Minji again. "But, strangely, no one sits with her; she's always alone."
"Please, you're Danielle June Marsh; You know everything." Minji retorts sarcastically.
"I'm not Gretchen from Mean Girls, Kim Minji. I just overhear gossip from here and there, but I don't know everything." Danielle reprimands, standing her ground.
"Yeah, right." The older one rolls her eyes.
Danielle crosses her arms. "Well, then, do you know why?"
"No," Minji says bluntly. "I don't care."
If you look at Minji for a brief moment, you'd think that she meant what she said from her tone and by the way she looks — completely unfazed.
But if you look even more closely, you might catch the fleeting glances that she steals toward Hanni Pham.
No, Minji doesn't care.
Of course, she doesn't… or at least, she tries to convince herself of that. Late at night, she still wonders if Hanni is actually really this bubbly or if she is secretly hurting deep down that nobody seems to want to befriend her.
"I don't care," Minji mumbles again, almost like a mantra, as Danielle prattles on about something that feels miles away from the emotional tempest swirling within her.
──── ☕︎ ────
"Maybe just one…"
Digging in her pocket for remaining money, Hanni stares at the one thousand won she has left. It's either one chocolate bar or walk home today because she wouldn't have enough to pay for the taxi fare.
"Chocolate is better." She whispers to herself, her hold on her money lingers for a moment before she uses it to buy herself a sweet treat. "Walking is good for your health anyway."
Hanni wishes she could live a simple and ordinary life. Hah, no. It's not what you think — she's not some rich and famous person who can't live a life without having to hear constant praises from people that it starts to get annoying, she's quite literally the opposite.
There's just one particular reason why she can't live a peaceful life, and it's all because of Kim Minji.
But she doesn't hate her for it, never, ever.
Kim Minji is the woman that she met at night before the first day of school became her sole motivation to keep moving forward in academics.
Yet ever since she met her, it was like everyone at school looked at her like some kind of infectious disease, and it's quite bothering her. What was their deal? She never did anything wrong to anyone. She always keeps a smile on her face, no matter what, even if her cheekbones are getting sore.
Was it because she doesn't look as proper as they do? Was it because she's not Korean like most of them?
Oh, was it because every time Minji passes by, she lingers?
Hanni guesses it annoys others; it annoys others that Minji is annoyed at her.
She sighs and takes another bite of the chocolate bar, just a little; she doesn't want to finish it immediately because she'll crave more. So whilst she lets her feet walk on their own as it already memorizes the steps back home, she looks over the houses and trees — the sunset — and continues to let her thoughts cloud her head.
Back to what she was thinking about, it's not like she ever hurt Minji; that's far from her actual intention! All she wants is to befriend the girl; that's all she ever wants.
Or maybe because she has a little crush, can you really blame her? Kim Minji is gorgeous!
"Maybe I am too annoying." Hanni hums, her free hand on her chin as she starts to reflect on her actions.
She looks back at how she has been this past few months, ever since school started, and she met Minji. Yet all she can recall is her waving and smiling at Minji; she can't even hold a minute of conversation with Minji because she'd always say that she has something important to do.
"Does she hate it when people smile or wave at her?" She asks herself.
One small bite, another car passes, a stray cat in the alleyway meows at her, and she keeps walking — completely caught up in her thoughts. "But when Danielle smiles, she smiles back."
"Watch out!"
Before Hanni can even process the warning, she feels a firm grip on her arm, pulling her away just inches from colliding with a massive light pole.
"Holy sh—" she breathes, eyes wide with shock, still clutching the hand that saved her from a potential injury, a massive red mark on her forehead. That isn't pleasing to see and feel. "I didn’t see that! I’m sorry for—oh my gosh! Haerin!"
"You know me?" The girl, Haerin, asks, releasing Hanni's arm and letting out a relieved sigh. Her brows furrow, curiosity flickering in her eyes as she brushes off her uniform blouse, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.
"Of course I do. You're Minji's opponent in fencing — or more like, adversary."
Haerin laughs softly as she leans casually against the wall, amused. She and Minji aren't exactly the best of friends, but she finds her the best person to practice fencing with. "You know me just for that? I figured you might mention that I'm on the student council."
Hanni snaps her fingers, a grin spreading across her face. "Ah! Right! The student vice president! How could I forget? It’s pretty impressive! You've been part of the student council since eighth grade, right? I've heard about it."
She chuckles, tilting her head as she examines Hanni. As the vice president, she recognizes the possible next top student this first semester — she's heard about a pretty, Vietnamese transfer student who's constantly the highest in all of the schools she's been to.
But she's still going to ask. Because why not? She finds her cute; a bit of small talk wouldn't hurt.
"That's right. I can't even imagine not being part of the student council." Haerin hums, nodding. "Anyways, you are…?"
Hanni's eyes brighten, and she bows slightly, a sheepish grin breaking across her face. "I’m Hanni, Hanni Pham. Thanks a ton for saving me there. I really wasn’t paying attention." She scratches the back of her head, feeling slightly embarrassed that someone like her isn't paying attention to where she's walking.
"No worries. Were you thinking about Minji?"
"What?!" Hanni’s cheeks flush, her surprise evident. Is she reading my mind? She wonders. "How did you know?"
Haerin chuckles softly and raises a hand, signaling her to take it down a notch. "Easy there. I just guessed. Everyone knows you're currently Minji's biggest academic rival."
"Academic rival?"
"Yeah, of course," Haerin says, hands in her pockets as she leans forward. "She absolutely hates that you're better than her. Somebody finally got to humble her." She laughs, oblivious to the confused look written all over Hanni's face.
"Is that why it feels like she dislikes me?" Hanni mutters to herself, not loud enough for Haerin to hear and notice.
Haerin assumes silence means she doesn't want to talk about it. Hmm, I guess it's a friendly rivalry. I shouldn't start a fire between them, Haerin thinks. So she pushes herself off the wall and says with a warm smile, "You must be preparing for the midterms exam. I'll leave you to it. See you tomorrow, Hanni."
Watching Haerin walk away with a wave, Hanni only gives a small smile as she stands still, frozen. Was that the reason why she never gave her the chance to talk to her? Not even a smile, not even a single hi, or not even a friendly glance.
All this time, Minji has hated her because she excels more than her in academics. Hanni feels stupid that she only got to know now, and this is how she finds out.
But crying won't do anything, and being sad won't change anything. It will only slow down her process of befriending Minji.
So all she actually has to do is not be better than Minji.
"Alright. I can do that."