Chapter Text
The wheels of the suitcase irritatingly scraped against the asphalt, occasionally bumping into the soles of her brand-new sneakers. The sun was already at its peak, warming people who had long missed it with the gentle heat of spring. Except Minnie didn’t feel that joy, because temperatures that low were a rare occurrence back home. In Thailand, the sun was much more brutal during this season. Even in winter, which had only just ended, the temperature could reach +25 degrees at night. And now she was walking through the streets of Korea, wrapped in a sweater and scarf to preserve her warmth at the beginning of the local spring.
And was it really worth it? Maybe she truly would have been better off finishing high school at home instead of moving to the other side of the continent while still underage, just like her classmate Lisa and her parents had advised her. But proving her independence mattered more. After all, she was already 16 years old. And someday, her father’s resort business would have to fall into her hands. Which meant she needed to become independent, so her parents would finally realize just how grown-up she was. Thankfully, Korean schools welcomed foreign students and even provided them with dormitories.
Those were exactly the thoughts Minnie used to comfort herself as she noticed the dormitory doors slowly getting closer. And then, just a few more steps before entering. Checking one last time that the building address and room number matched the information on the welcome sheet she had received from the administration office, Minnie slowly opened the door to step inside, as if she was afraid of scaring away her luck for the rest of this school year.
Behind the entrance door were several guys constantly pushing each other around, two girls running past toward the exit, a sleeping concierge, and an elevator with a "Under Maintenance" sign. What a warm welcome. It only made the girl let out a heavy sigh as she tried to figure out where she was supposed to go next by looking at the signs.
"You're way too tan for someone who's trying to pretend they know everything," a characteristically low female voice came from somewhere near her right ear.
Startled, Minnie jumped to the side as if she had seen a ghost. But it was only a girl, slightly shorter than her, with puppy-like eyes and light hair that had clearly been through many layers of dye. How could someone this cute possibly have a voice like that?
"Everyone here is obsessed with whitening cream. They're so funny," the stranger said with a smile, immediately holding out her hand. "I'm Yuqi, your roommate."
Looking around, Minnie noticed just how many eyes were wandering over her. Apparently, being Asian didn’t automatically mean you could blend in with every person who had similar-looking features. That was something she hadn’t really considered. However, she didn’t get much time to think about it, because her palm soon met someone else’s.
"And you're Minnie. Don’t get lost, bro, we’re gonna be living together. And if you’re mute, you better tell me right away," Yuqi laughed, placing her other hand over her new friend’s palm to properly shake her hand.
"Sorry, I’m just a little confused about how quickly you figured me out," Minnie laughed back, continuing their handshake on her own.
"No big deal. My qualification is knowing everything about everyone," Yuqi shrugged, then wrapped one arm around the girl’s shoulders while grabbing her suitcase with the other. "Alright, let’s go. Otherwise Soojin is gonna think I’m bullying you and start complaining. By the way, you’re late. Why? Mr. Kim was giving you a lecture like always, wasn’t he? He loves scaring new roommates."
It turned out Yuqi really did have a habit of knowing everything about everyone. During the few minutes it took them to reach the room, Minnie managed to hear the entire story about Mr. Kim, his favorite lectures, and why most students tried to avoid running into him after classes. Though, most of the story wasn’t made up of facts, but rather Yuqi’s comments, which turned serious situations into another comedy routine.
Minnie didn’t even notice when she stopped feeling like an outsider. Just a few minutes ago, she had been standing at the entrance of the dorm, trying to understand where to go and how to even begin her new life, and now she was already listening to someone’s jokes about the dean, smiling along.
It seemed that her idea of independent living as some mysterious solitude and complete freedom from other people was beginning to fall apart way too quickly.
They reached the door to their room just as unnoticed. The suitcase that had been rolling behind Yuqi the entire time finally came to a stop, but the moment Minnie was about to open the door, she was suddenly stopped by someone’s grip on her shoulder.
"We have a few small rules that I need to tell you about," Yuqi began after clearing her throat, immediately switching to an overly serious tone. "First, what time do you wake up? Second, how active is your nightlife? Third, do you have a boyfriend?"
The barrage of questions delivered with such a serious expression was completely different from the girl Minnie had met five minutes ago in the hallway, and because of that, it left her frozen for a few seconds longer than necessary.
"On school days, I wake up an hour before classes. On weekends, I can sleep until ten. In Thailand, we usually went out at night because the climate was too hot, but I don’t know anyone here yet, so I’m not planning on going to parties if that’s what you mean," Minnie explained, slightly shrinking her shoulders.
"Your schedule works for us. Soojin just doesn’t like waking up early," Yuqi nodded, as if she had approved the roommate arrangement instead of the dean herself. "And about parties, actually, I was planning to take you with me. I like nighttime adventures and parties. What else is youth for?!"
"Yeah, you’re right," Minnie relaxed noticeably, reaching for the doorknob again so she could finally enter.
This time, nothing stopped her. And what she saw was a small space divided by three doors. The first one was completely open, immediately revealing a kitchen set and a small table that were actually in pretty good condition. The second one was already slightly closed, but from the small glimpse of a bed, she could tell it was their bedroom. And the third one was completely shut, which could only mean one thing. Thank God, they had their own shower and bathroom.
"By the way, you still haven’t answered. Do you have a boyfriend?" Yuqi brought the conversation back, opening the bedroom door to roll her roommate’s suitcase inside.
But before Minnie could even process the question, she suddenly noticed a dark-haired girl standing behind Yuqi, with bright red lipstick and the expression of someone who was clearly unhappy with the situation. Crossing her arms over her chest, the stranger frowned and threw an annoyed look toward Yuqi.
"Stop bothering the girl with your stupid questions," the stranger scolded, lightly hitting the blonde girl on the shoulder.
"Ow, Soojin-a, I’m just trying to be friendly!" Yuqi immediately whined, pouting dramatically before pointing a finger toward her attacker. "Minnie, this is our supreme dictator and the local authority of these thirty square meters. Meet her."
With a tired smirk, Soojin rolled her eyes and held out her hand, immediately receiving a handshake in return. Satisfied that the introduction had gone without any incidents, Yuqi moved the suitcase aside and then pulled the girls toward the kitchen, where a kettle that had already finished boiling was waiting for them.
"Of course, it’s not exactly a luxury hotel, but we do have some benefits," Yuqi commented, immediately taking three mugs out of the cabinet.
"You have a really cozy place," Minnie nodded, looking around.
"We’ve just lived here for a while, so we managed to make it neat. You should’ve seen what it looked like before we came," Soojin shook her head, pulling tea bags out of the package. "If you ever want to put something here, just make sure it matches the interior. Well, in our case, this little hint of an interior."
Yes, this kitchen was clearly different from the one Minnie had in her family home. It was at least three times smaller, and there was no personal chef walking around here either. But somehow, there was much more warmth in this place. Especially with a mug of hot Chinese tea, one of Yuqi’s parents’ gifts from home.
"By the way, don’t be surprised if one day our tea suddenly disappears," Yuqi pointed out with a slight smirk on her face.
"Why?"
"Because Shuhua exists."
"She considers this kitchen her second home," Soojin added, though the corners of her lips still twitched slightly.
"Because love..." Yuqi started her philosophical thought, but immediately caught her friend’s threatening glare, making her straighten up. "Knows no limits when it comes to free tea."
The exchange seemed a little strange to Minnie, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. The girls probably had their own jokes and secrets that only they understood. After all, they had only known each other for an hour. So she simply continued enjoying her tea, listening to another funny story about the dorm.
"By the way, we all have first period tomorrow, so we can walk you to your classroom," Yuqi suddenly remembered, glancing at the wall clock.
"We’re in different classes?" Minnie asked, slightly surprised, because she had been convinced that room assignments were based on classes.
"You and I are in the same grade," Soojin explained, then glanced at Yuqi. "And this monkey is a year younger."
"So that means I’ll be alone tomorrow?" Minnie started worrying, remembering the huge size of the school and her long search for the principal’s office earlier that day.
"For about five minutes. Then we’ll find you," Yuqi waved it off.
"If you get lost, text or call. Better yet, just stay where you are. Yuqi will find you faster than you’d probably like," Soojin smirked, taking the last sip of her tea.
"This welcoming tea party is turning into an event for judging extroverts. We should end it," Yuqi commented with exaggerated offense. "Finish your tea and let’s go. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day. I’ll introduce you to our people."
The tea disappeared before they even noticed. The empty mugs were sent to the sink, Yuqi gave Minnie a set of bedding, and Soojin silently helped make the empty bed while explaining which shelves now belonged to her. There were no more long conversations, because the introduction and the upcoming school day had already exhausted all three of them. And a few minutes later, the lights in the room went out, giving way to silence and the nervous anticipation of the first day of school.
---
Morning came way too quickly.
It felt like Minnie had only just closed her eyes after the long journey, when sunlight was already slipping through the slightly open curtains, slowly filling the room with soft spring light. For a few seconds, she simply lay there, allowing herself to enjoy the moments without an alarm and trying to remember where she even was, until her eyes caught sight of the unfamiliar dormitory ceiling.
And suddenly, a desperate scream rang out.
"We overslept! Soyeon is going to kill me!"
Jumping down from the top bunk like an acrobat, Yuqi immediately started grabbing the clothes she had prepared beforehand. On the other side of the room, on the neighboring bed, Soojin continued undoing the braid she had made the night before to get soft waves in the morning, completely unfazed.
"We overslept?" Minnie asked sleepily while rubbing her eyes, then slowly sat up.
"Where’s my badge?" Yuqi interrupted her, looking around in confusion.
"It’s on your neck," Soojin answered with a completely calm expression. "And no, we still have plenty of time."
And she was right. There was still about an hour left before classes started. But Minnie genuinely couldn’t understand why her newly found younger friend was running around the room searching for her second sock as if she was about to miss a flight at the airport.
"Okay, I’m leaving!" Yuqi’s voice echoed right as the door slammed shut behind her.
But the door immediately opened again, and a blue sneaker flew into the room while another hand grabbed the red one.
"That one wasn’t mine," the girl added as her final words before disappearing behind the door completely, her footsteps echoing down the hallway.
With the face of someone completely unbothered by anything, Soojin simply shrugged, finished undoing her braids, and then started fixing her makeup. Following her example, Minnie began getting ready at her own unhurried pace, which, surprisingly, ended up being perfectly on time.
The campus was about a 15-minute walk away, and they still had enough time to take a small tour around the school. In the dormitory hallway, where the girls walked at a relaxed pace, life was truly everywhere. Voices of conversations, boiling kettles, and hair dryers filled the walls. Only one friendly concierge stood by the entrance, wishing everyone a good day at school.
However, as far as Minnie remembered, the way to the campus was actually in a slightly different direction, completely different from the route Soojin had chosen. But she didn’t really have a choice, so she obediently followed her toward some suspicious-looking kiosks and various bushes.
"Do you have asthma?" Soojin asked, stopping under one of the trees.
"No. Why?" Minnie frowned slightly, surprised by their strange choice of location.
Without saying anything else, Soojin reached into the pocket of her leather jacket and pulled out a small cardboard pack, followed by a lighter. Looking around, she took two steps to the left, then pulled out a cigarette and placed it between her bright red lips.
"That way the wind won’t hit you," Soojin explained, lighting the cigarette.
"You smoke?" Minnie’s eyes immediately lit up, causing a confused expression to appear on the other girl’s face.
"Yeah, why? If you’re going to give me a lecture, go to Yuqi, because she—"
"No, no! I spent the entire evening yesterday feeling restless," Minnie let out happily, immediately reaching into her own pocket for her pack of cigarettes. "I just didn’t know where people were allowed to smoke here. And you two were sitting there so calmly, you know, it felt awkward asking something like that on the first day."
Quietly chuckling, Soojin handed her the lighter and then took a few slow drags, looking somewhere in the direction of the dormitory.
"I just don’t have that strong of an addiction. A couple of times a day is enough for me," she explained her position, taking the lighter back. "Honestly, I was thinking about asking you about it yesterday."
"How did you figure it out? Did my clothes smell? I think I usually try to avoid leaving the smell on them."
"No, you just have this aura."
"Of a smoker?"
"Of a troublemaker."
That last comment was enough to lighten the mood. For a few more minutes, the girls stayed under the tree, where Soojin explained the best smoking spots around campus, as well as how to avoid teachers while doing it. And finally, they continued on their way.
The first school buildings appeared only a few minutes later. The school grounds turned out to be much bigger than Minnie had imagined yesterday while looking at the map in the brochure. Several three-story buildings were connected by covered walkways, with neat paths, flower beds, and small sports fields stretching between them, where someone was already playing basketball even this early in the morning.
Students were everywhere. Some were rushing to class, some stood in groups of friends while finishing the kimbap they had bought on the way, and some seemed like they had no intention of going to lessons at all, sitting on benches with coffee in their hands.
"You’re going to get confused during the first week all the time," Soojin calmly noted, noticing how Minnie was looking around at the buildings. "Then you’ll get used to it."
"You got confused too?"
"On my first day, I somehow walked into the wrong classroom and sat through half a lesson."
Inside, the school turned out to be even louder than outside. Lockers lined the walls, announcements for clubs, schedules, dozens of voices blending into one continuous buzz. Minnie instinctively tightened her grip on her backpack strap, trying not to get lost in the flow of students.
"Don’t worry," Soojin said over her shoulder. "Everyone here is always running somewhere. If someone accidentally bumps into you, consider yourself officially a student of this school."
"Quite an initiation ritual," Minnie commented, continuing to look around.
There were so many different people around her. From Chinese students to Japanese ones. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who had decided to escape from her parents in search of an adult life. Which meant this place was probably going to be genuinely fun.
"My first class is one floor up," Soojin said, stopping by the stairs. "Yours is straight down the hallway, second door. After that, just follow the crowd. During the long break, everyone goes to the cafeteria. Yuqi or I will find you there. If anything happens, text me."
"Yeah, got it," Minnie said with a sigh, mentally preparing herself for the classroom door she had to enter.
"And one more thing... don’t worry. You’ll be fine," Soojin said with a small smile, squeezing her shoulder before walking up the stairs.
For a few more seconds, Minnie stood there, watching the fading silhouette of her roommate disappear into the crowd. Well, this was clearly the beginning of her adult life, and the first step was simply making it to the classroom. But the moment she started making her way through the stream of students, she suddenly felt something cold running down her body. Right on the white T-shirt she had ironed to perfection that morning, there was now a coffee stain.
"Shit..." slipped from the girl’s lips as she muttered a few more curses under her breath before reaching into her bag.
Finally snapping out of her frozen state, Minnie looked at her shirt once again, and then at the person responsible for the stain. Standing in front of her was a short girl with dark, slightly curly hair, wearing an oversized hoodie and ripped baggy jeans that looked huge compared to her. Was this style called "terrifying appearance of a small child"?
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was just in a hurry," the girl said while frantically searching through her bag, desperately trying to find some tissues.
"It’s fine, don’t worry about it," Minnie waved it off, not even sure she believed her own words.
"Don’t say stupid things. Consider that I ruined your first day of school," the girl replied, sounding more irritated this time. Then she closed her bag with a heavy sigh. "Come on, I’ll give you some spare clothes."
"How do you know it’s my first day?" Minnie asked in confusion, taking uncertain steps after the girl. Apparently, her dreams of worldwide fame were about to come true, because otherwise how did everyone in Korea already know about her?
"Yuqi."
After that, everything suddenly made sense. Apparently, nothing in Chuncheon High School happened without this girl’s involvement. However, Minnie also realized what kind of person was now walking beside her.
"So you’re Soyeon?" Minnie asked as friendly as possible while her companion opened the door to the radio room.
"Yeah. Did Yuqi say something about me?" It seemed like Soyeon was trying to pretend she absolutely didn’t care.
"She screamed this morning that you were going to kill her. And then she threw a sneaker at me and Soojin," Minnie smirked before following her inside.
The room was small, but surprisingly cozy. BigBang posters hung on the walls, and the equipment looked like it was in good condition. Though the same couldn’t be said about the couch, which looked like someone jumped on it at least a hundred times every single day.
After digging through a cabinet for a few minutes, Soyeon pulled out one of her spare hoodies and handed it to Minnie. Of course, it was oversized, just like everything else in her wardrobe, but because of their height difference, it fit almost perfectly.
"I’ve barely worn it. I hope you’re not weirded out by that," Soyeon explained, glancing at the wall clock. "Class starts in a minute. You don’t have to rush anymore."
"My first day of school is going great," Minnie rolled her eyes, but then smiled, deciding not to bring negativity into a new friendship. "What time do you start work here? I’ll return it to you tomorrow morning."
After finally changing, the girls left the radio room, which Soyeon locked again while Minnie held the door steady. Apparently, a renovation really wouldn’t hurt this place. And right at that moment, the bell rang, announcing the beginning of classes.
"At least you missed the introduction. What could be better?" Soyeon pointed out, turning from side to side as she tried to remember which classroom they needed. "The radio starts broadcasting at seven in the morning, an hour before classes. Did you listen today?"
"No, Soojin and I kind of...got delayed," Minnie hesitated slightly, slowing her pace so she could walk alongside her companion.
"And here I was wondering where that familiar cigarette smell came from," Soyeon said with a smirk, then pointed toward the door they needed. "I was already about to blame her again for making my clothes smell like smoke."
Surprisingly, the teacher turned out to be quite understanding. Of course, he had long gotten used to student activists being late to class, so he only gave them a formal warning before letting the girls enter. And Soyeon was right, because he also canceled the introductions, which made Minnie feel relieved.
But they had only taken a couple of steps toward the classroom when a blonde girl from the third row immediately stood up, waving her hand with a bright smile to get their attention.
"Soyeon, over here! I saved you a spot!"
However, Soyeon’s reaction was not nearly as positive. Letting out a heavy sigh, the girl closed her eyes for a second, then obediently headed toward the mentioned seat at the back of the classroom, pulling Minnie by the sleeve of her hoodie so she wouldn’t fall behind.
"You didn’t have to save one. I’m perfectly comfortable sitting in the front row," Soyeon mumbled, sitting down in a way that left a spot for Minnie between them.
"But you won’t be bored with me!"
As she sat down, Minnie couldn’t help but stare at the girl. Blonde hair, neatly tucked behind her ears. Big warm eyes that looked like they always carried a smile. And she herself... she was just too bright somehow. As if the room became a little warmer whenever she was around. Beautiful. Very beautiful.
"Hi!" the girl whispered quietly when they finally settled at their desks. "You’re Minnie, right?"
Slightly confused, Minnie looked around as if checking whether that was really her name, then gave a small nod, offering the girl an awkward smile.
"I’m Sana, nice to meet you!" she smiled, revealing dimples on her cheeks. "If you ever get lost, ask me! And if you don’t get lost, I’m still open to any questions! Actually, I’m a very useful person around here."
"Don’t listen to her, she’s about to start advertising school life," Soyeon quietly snorted.
"Because it’s awesome!" Sana immediately protested. "By the way!"
And then she turned back to Minnie again, while Soyeon had already started chewing on her pencil out of hopelessness. They had lost another soldier.
"You transferred here at the perfect time. We have the Spring Festival in a couple of weeks! It’s the best event of the entire school year. You absolutely have to come."
"She’s coming anyway. It’s literally an event that replaces classes," Soyeon interrupted, rolling her eyes.
"No, but she has to come willingly," Sana leaned toward Minnie conspiratorially. "There’ll be a concert, a fair, games, food, tons of booths... And I’m on the organizing committee, so I can give you a little tour."
For a second, it seemed like Minnie froze, trying to process the flood of information, while Sana’s smile slowly began to fade and Soyeon’s amused smirk returned to her face.
"It sounded like you were trying to sell me this festival," Minnie finally said, quietly laughing. Then she looked at the organizer with a smile. "It worked. I’ll come."
"I’m glad our committee knows how to attract people. And I’ll also be happy to see new members join us. Well, if you ever feel like it," Sana nodded, slightly embarrassed, while continuing to look into her eyes.
"Well, there goes another victim of the Cho family’s charms," Soyeon sighed disappointedly, then placed her head on the desk. "Apparently, only Yuqi and I are normal here."
"What’s the Cho family?" Minnie asked, turning toward Soyeon.
"That’s me and my sisters," Sana interrupted, then slightly narrowed her eyes while looking toward her longtime classmate. "And actually, your best friend is dating my younger sister."
"I’ve always questioned Soojin’s mental abilities," Soyeon commented without lifting her head, then glanced toward Minnie. "Seriously, they’re all way too hyperactive. Or almost all of them. I don’t know, it’s complicated. You have to see it with your own eyes."
"Just like Yuqi?" Minnie pointed out with a smirk. "You two are dating, right?"
"What?!" Soyeon suddenly lifted her head from the desk, shouting the question way too loudly, which immediately earned her a stern look from the teacher.
"Oh no, that word is taboo for them," Sana whispered to Minnie again, leaning closer. "But they’re so cute."
And after the quiet echoes of laughter faded, the class finally settled into studying. The scratching of pens was accompanied by the breeze of fresh, slightly cold early spring air, while the teacher’s calm voice explained the new topic. Minnie genuinely tried to write down every word, and Soyeon helped her navigate through the notes, while Sana continued whispering compliments about her language skills.
Two lessons passed by without her even noticing. Soon, the long-awaited bell rang, announcing the beginning of the big break. Students immediately started getting up from their seats, hurriedly gathering their belongings from the desks to enjoy their free time.
"Let’s go to the cafeteria. We need to get a table before Yuqi and Shuhua bring a whole crowd of friends," Sana said, dragging the two girls into the hallway.
The corridors filled with noise again. Streams of students flowed toward the stairs, discussing tests, weekend plans, and what was being served for lunch today. Minnie barely managed to keep up with Sana, who somehow managed to walk ahead while greeting almost every second person they passed.
"Do you actually know everyone?" Minnie couldn’t hold back anymore.
"No," Sana smiled carefree. "I just pretend I do."
"Don’t believe her," Soyeon snorted. "She knows even more."
Sana simply shrugged proudly, as if she had taken it as a compliment, then continued leading the way. The cafeteria greeted them with the familiar sounds of trays, voices, and the smell of fresh food. Almost all the tables were already taken, but the moment Sana raised her hand, someone from the far corner immediately waved back enthusiastically.
"There they are!"
"Finally! I thought you forgot the way to the cafeteria in your old age," a bright voice called out before the girl even reached them. "Seriously, unnie, how long are you going to make us wait?"
"Did you miss me already?" Sana’s face immediately lit up with a bright smile, and her arms wrapped around the younger girl’s shoulders. "I knew I was your favorite older sister!"
"Don’t embarrass me in front of guests," the girl waved her off with a grimace, then shifted her gaze toward the new person in their group. "So this is her?"
"Shu, don’t start..." Yuqi tried to stop her, but was interrupted by a wave of her hand.
"So you’re the one living with my Jin. Listen, she’s my girlfriend. So no... unnecessary moves!" the girl said, making a vague hand gesture while throwing a threatening glare at the new girl.
"I wasn’t planning to," Minnie shrugged, looking around at the others as if searching for a way to escape the situation.
"Well, that’s great," the girl’s expression immediately changed from threatening to a smile, and she held out her hand for a greeting. "Nice to meet you, I’m Cho Shuhua."
"I’ve heard a lot about your family," Minnie replied with an amused smile before shaking her hand. "By the way, where’s Soojin herself?"
"Oh, she and Miyeon are working on a project over there," Shuhua waved in their direction, pointing toward one of the far tables by the window. "Once again, our boring sister is stealing my girlfriend."
"Hey, don’t talk about your older sister like that! Only I’m allowed to treat her that way," Sana warned, squeezing her younger sister even tighter in her arms.
"Technically, she’s only older than you by twelve minutes. So no, you can’t," Shuhua shrugged, then stuck out her tongue.
"Welcome to our little chaos..." Soyeon sighed, sitting down at the table near Yuqi.
"Our elite little chaos!" Yuqi proudly exclaimed, raising one finger into the air.
And at that moment, Minnie realized that these next one and a half years of high school were going to be fun.