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minjeong keeps her worms in labeled containers.
that’s the first thing jimin learns about her.
not her favorite color, not her hobbies, not even her name, just the fact that the quiet girl in the back of the classroom is currently transferring a very small, very wriggly earthworm from one container to another with the utmost care, like she’s holding a bag of gems.
jimin stares.
“…is that alive?”
the girl doesn’t look up. “yes.”
“why?”
now she looks up.
her eyes are clear, calm, completely unbothered.
“because it’s a worm.”
jimin blinks.
“…….rrrright.”
-
they get paired together for biology lab the next day. being forced into university by her parents was the LAST thing jimin wanted thrown at her this year. all she wanted to do was to go rogue on her motorbike with her cat post-high school.
jimin groans when the professor calls their names. not because of minjeong, but specifically because group work means effort, and effort is something jimin prefers to avoid AS MUCH as possible.
still, she drags herself and her stuff over, dropping into the seat beside minjeong with a sigh.
“heyyyyy partnar.” the words roll off jimin’s tongue with an accent, followed by the click of her tongue and a very poorly performed wink.
minjeong nods politely. “hello.”
jimin waits.
nothing, no follow-up. no attempt at conversation.
just silence.
jimin narrows her eyes.
“…are you not gonna ask me what my name is?”
“i know your name,” minjeong says, already flipping open her notes. “you’re yu jimin.”
jimin leans back in her chair, arms folded behind her head, mildly impressed. “oh? i’m famous?”
minjeong purses her lips.
then, very seriously;
“you’re very loud.”
jimin bursts out in laughter.
“wow ok. that’s my reputation?”
“yes.”
“…i kind of love that.” jimin says as she unfolds her arms and flexes them.
minjeong just looks at her like she’s a little strange, like she’s a weird specimen, an anomaly in the human species.
-
at first, jimin thinks minjeong is boring.
too quiet, serious. too… focused?
she answers questions before the teacher even finishes asking them. she takes notes like her life depends on it. she spends lunch planning on her calendar and drafting routine feeding schedules for her collection of little critters.
she’s really weird. and a loner, and a loser.
jimin decides, almost immediately, that she’s going to fix that.
“hey,” she says one afternoon, plopping down across from minjeong in the cafeteria, arms crossed. “what are you reading?”
minjeong glances up. “field guide.”
“to what?”
“local invertebrates.”
jimin pauses.
“what the fuck is that? is that real?”
“yes. we’re studying this. are you not paying attention in class?”
“….”
“do you have friends?”
minjeong blinks at her.
“yes.”
“name three.”
“you are rude.”
jimin snickers. “you like me already, don’t you?”
“no.”
“liar, liar, pants on fyaaa.” jimin exclaims childishly as an attempt to establish ‘friendly’ grounds with the girl sitting opposite her.
minjeong sighs, but there’s a softer glint in her expression now, and jimin notices.
of course she does.
-
it happens slowly.
so slowly jimin doesn’t realize it at first.
minjeong starts showing up more.
not physically, she’s always been there, but in jimin’s life.
in the way jimin starts saving her a seat without thinking, in the way she starts asking questions in class. not because she doesn’t know the answer, but because she wants to hear minjeong explain it.
in the way she starts noticing things. like how minjeong hums quietly when she’s focused, or how her brows scrunch together on the upper part of her face when she’s confused.
or how she always, ALWAYS smiles at the smallest things, like worms.
“ok,” jimin says one day, crouched beside her in the campus garden. “you NEED to explain this to me again.”
minjeong gently lifts a small caterpillar onto her palm.
“isn’t it cute?”
jimin leans in.
it’s… small. green and fuzzy.
she squints.
“…it’s a bug.”
“it’s a caterpillar. scientists call them Actias luna, but they’re more commonly known as luna moth larvae.”
“minjeong the encyclopedia eh? it’s still a bug.”
minjeong shoots her a disapproving glare. “SHE is going to become a very beautiful moth.”
jimin scratches her head.
“…ok… that’s kind of impressive.”
“i know.” minjeong says with sparkles glistening in her eyes.
jimin watches as she carefully places it into a small container, adding a leaf and 2 sticks beside it.
“you’re keeping it?”
“temporarily,” minjeong corrects. “i’m keeping her safe.”
“from what?”
“it fell from a tree.”
jimin presses her lips together, trying not to explode into laughter.
“you’re so weird.”
minjeong glances at her.
“and you came here just to watch me collect worms.”
jimin shrugs.
“…maybe i like weird.”
minjeong looks away a little too quickly.
and jimin?
jimin notices that too.
—
“yea, i’m failing. NO way in hell i’m passing this module.”
“you’re not failing.”
“i feel like i’m failing.”
minjeong sighs, swiping to another page of her notes in her ipad, on display for the two of them to see.
“you just need to study. look at this.”
“that’s what i have you for.”
“i am NOT doing the test for you.”
“you kind of are.”
“i’m not. lock in bro.”
jimin groans, dropping her head onto her bed.
they’re in her room, books spread out between them, the late afternoon sun casting soft light through the window.
minjeong had come over. again.
at this point, it’s just normal routine. tutoring sessions that turn into conversations that turn into hours passing without either of them noticing.
“explain it again,” jimin tilts her head with a mischievous smile before mumbling into her arms.
minjeong hesitates.
then..
she reaches out, gently flicking jimin’s forehead.
“pay attention and cut the ragebait.”
jimin lifts her head, blinking.
“…did you just flick my forehead?”
“yes.”
“…do it again.”
minjeong stares at her.
“….”
jimin’s mouth curves into a snoopy grin.
“coward.”
minjeong rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. and jimin feels something warm and fluttery settle in her chest. something new. something unfamiliar.
-
the first time minjeong comes over JUST to show her something, jimin doesn’t know what to do with herself.
she opens the door to find minjeong standing there, slightly out of breath, holding a small container.
“i found something,” she says. breath huffing as she holds the container shakily between the palms of her hand.
jimin blinks.
“…hi?”
“hi.”
“…you came all the way here for that?”
“yes.”
jimin steps aside, letting her in.
“…ok show me what you got.”
minjeong follows her inside, carefully setting the container down.
inside are 2 small, wriggling caterpillars.
jimin stares, hands placed firmly on her hips.
“…is this the thing?”
“it’s a different species,” minjeong says, eyes bright. “look at the color and the size difference. i found out they both prefer a more fragrant type of leaves as food.”
jimin leans in.
it’s… slightly darker than a normal caterpillar.
she looks back at minjeong.
minjeong stares back intensely at her.
not the creature in the container.
Her.
waiting.
excited.
like her opinion matters.
like She matters.
jimin swallows.
“…it’s cute,” she says.
minjeong lights up.
and jimin quickly diverts her gaze somewhere else.
-
it’s sundown when everything changes.
the rooftop of jimin’s house is quiet, the sky painted in soft shades of orange, pink, and blues. the air is just cool enough to make everything feel just a little more real. they sit side by side, legs stretched out, shoulders almost touching.
minjeong had come over again.
of course she did.
jimin doesn’t even question it anymore.
“…jiminnie.”
“mm?” her stomach clenches at the nickname minjeong has given her.
“have you ever liked anyone before?”
jimin freezes.
“like, like LIKE.”
the question is so, so sudden, so direct, that it knocks the breath out of her.
“…what?”
minjeong turns to look at her.
her expression is calm.
curious.
but there’s something else there too.
something jimin can’t quite put a finger on.
“i was just thinking about it,” she says softly. “have you?”
jimin’s heart starts racing. it starts beating out of her chest.
too fast, too loud.
she looks away, focusing on the horizon.
she could lie.
she SHOULD lie.
but—
“…yes,” she mumbles quietly.
that word felt heavier than it should.
minjeong hums softly.
“hmm. me too.”
jimin’s breath catches.
she turns—
and that’s when minjeong leans in.
slowly.
carefully. like one extra move could blow them both into smithereens.
she rests her head against jimin’s shoulder.
jimin goes completely still, arguably comparable to a statue’s nature.
every single thought in her head just-
stops.
she can feel the warmth of minjeong’s body, the soft weight of her head, the steady rhythm of her breathing.
it was all too much.
it’s everything.
“minjeong-ah..”
her voice is barely a whisper.
minjeong doesn’t move.
doesn’t pull away.
instead, she tilts her head slightly, just enough to look up at her.
their eyes meet.
and jimin feels like she’s about to melt into the ground.
because there’s something in minjeong’s gaze now.
something unmistakable.
something that makes her chest ache. so, so much.
before she can say anything,
before she can THINK—
minjeong leans in.
and presses a soft kiss to her cheek.
jimin’s whole world tilts.
it’s brief, gentle. but it lingers.
burns into the greaves of her soul.
stays.
minjeong pulls back just enough, her lips brushing against jimin’s skin as she whispers;
“i like you, yu jimin.”
jimin stops breathing.
actually stops.
her heart is pounding so hard it hurts, her mind racing, she’s about to throw up, trying to process what just happened, what that means, what she’s supposed to do-
but all she can focus on is minjeong.
on the way she’s looking at her.
soft. hopeful.
terrifyingly sincere.
“m-minjeong-“
her voice trembles.
she doesn’t know what she’s about to say, doesn’t know if she’s ready for this. doesn’t know if she can handle what comes next.
but she knows one thing.
she reaches out, almost hesitantly, her hands brushing against minjeong’s, fingertips caressing the micro-folds of her skin.
she holds them, tight, like she’s afraid to let go.
“i think,” jimin whispers, her voice barely above a decibel, “i’ve been in trouble for some time now.”
minjeong smiles. her dimples pressing into the corners of her face. sequins of light reflecting off her eyes.
“i know.”