☙✨💖✨❧

Saturday, July 11th, 2015

The next morning, Won Woo slept in pretty late since he didn’t fall asleep till nearly four in the morning because of his late-night talk with Ji Min as well as his late night thoughts afterward and game playing. His mind was too cluttered to fall asleep peacefully and he thought playing some games on his Nintendo DS would help but it just made it so much worse! He was definitely not awake when Ji Min texted him this morning asking if he wanted to have breakfast with her.

She mentioned how her brothers weren’t home and she could already assume his parents weren’t home either, a perfect reason to eat together, right? Plus she wanted to treat him because he was there for her last night when they were texting. She appreciated his comment about saying they had each other. It was so sweet, so she really wanted to express her thanks. But he never replied to her and she was quite disappointed. Maybe his friends got to him before me? She did think about going over and spamming the doorbell again, but she didn’t want to wake him if he was still sleeping.

Ji Min stared at her text message to Won Woo for several minutes until she let out a deep sigh and let her arm fall down to her side on the bed. It looked like she’d be eating breakfast alone this morning. Cereal and some milk, nothing fancy. Just give it a few more minutes… she thought and to her stomach. She stared at her phone and waited for it to light up, but nothing happened after five minutes. This is the worst! She felt defeated. Now she was determined to make more friends when she attends college, she hated feeling lonely like this.

She rolled off her bed to get up and make her way down to make herself a fancy bowl of cereal, but her phone suddenly buzzed on her bed and she made a leap for it almost instantly. She was expecting for it to be Won Woo replying to her but was met with a different name.

Soo Min: Hey girl! It’s me, Soo Min!

Some girl friends and I were going to go have brunch

in a bit and wanted to know if you’d like to join us?

Ji Min was honestly happy that someone was inviting her to eat with them and she quickly texted back an answer as fast as she could and accepted her invite.

Soo Min: Great! Text me your address and we’ll come and pick

you up at 10 am!

This was exciting, her first outing with some girl friends. Ji Min texted the girl her address and started to get ready right after. She was going to dress nicely for this little get together and make some good impressions! Despite already meeting Soo Min and her boyfriend Jeonghan, Ae-Cha, and her boyfriend Jihoon, she was a bit nervous knowing there were going to be other girls she hasn't met yet, but that's okay, she'll have to start meeting new people eventually. She just hopes it goes well is all.

She thought about what to wear even though she didn’t have much to work with, in the first place. Her final choices were a striped shirt with a black cardigan and a black beanie. Denim short shorts, knee-high white socks, and knee-high black converse. Black and white make up the majority of her wardrobe, but she does have some colorful outfits to balance it all in the end.

Once she was ready to go, she heard the doorbell ring downstairs and that’s when she noticed it was already time to go. Luckily, she had already put in some silver earrings and didn’t have any plans on doing her hair and kept it straight and loose. She grabbed her phone and wallet and put them in her small smartphone cat themed cross body bag and she was ready to go.

“Good morning!” Soo Min greeted with her bright and beautiful smile.

“Good morning!” Ji Min greeted back with a bright smile in return and gave a nervous look to the other four girls behind her.

“Right! Meet LiNa, Mei Yi, Bo-Young and Ji Ah! Girls, meet Ji Min!” Soo Min introduced. LiNa was average in height with light brown hair braided off to the side, a black beret atop her head to match the black and pink top she was wearing along with a skirt. She wore some stylish boots and even had a nice shoulder bag hanging off her shoulder. Mei Yi was a bit shorter than LiNa, her hair was black and cut into a medium bob hairdo. She was also dressed nicely, her color scheme being pastel colors accompanied with a white skirt and low heeled sandals. She was holding onto a pretty handbag with both hands in front of her. Bo-Young was stylish herself, her blue-black hair tied up in a high ponytail with a side fringe, her outfit was a simple summer outfit, a white blouse with denim capris, white flower sandals. She had a clutch instead of a bag she held in her right hand, it was glossy and black with silver. As for Ji Ah, her jet black hair was down and straight like Ji Min’s, she was wearing something comfortable, a basic t-shirt and skinny jeans, but she did have a cute little black and white striped backpack hanging off her shoulder.

Ji Min admired the four girls and their beautiful, yet different styles, they were even wearing and a touch of makeup, too. Wow… I could learn from them! When she glanced to Soo Min, she noticed how much of a contrast her style was to the others. She wasn't poorly dressed, but simply dressed in a large black t-shirt tucked into black shorts. She was wearing a pair of black converse to match her all-black theme. Her choice of a bag was a small black backpack hanging off of one shoulder. Ji Min was amused, she'd honestly wear the same thing too. She supposed that evening they met was date night and she dressed up for the occasion. She supports that wholeheartedly. Get you a girl who can do both! Ji Min felt like her style was a mix of Soo Min’s and Ji Ah’s and she didn’t feel so bad about her choice of fashion. She worried if she would stick out a lot among them, but it was clear she could fit right in.

“Are you ready to go?” LiNa asked when Ji Min stepped out so she could shut the door and lock it.

“Yes! Thank you for inviting me out, I’m ready to eat!” Ji Min chirped and earned a laugh from the other girls. She’s only realizing now she never ate dinner yesterday, so she was quite hungry this morning.

“Then let’s not waste any time.” Mei Yi grinned and gestured for them to follow. The five of them followed after her and they started down the sidewalk towards the city. “By the way, I love your outfit, Ji Min!”

“Thanks! I like yours too.” She replied sweetly before turning to LiNa and complimenting her on her outfit as well, Bo-Young’s, Soo Min’s and Ji Ah’s, too. “I don’t usually dress up when I go out.”

“Is that so? We would have never guessed. You dress like an ulzzang.” Bo-Young pointed out.

“I didn’t notice.” Ji Min said innocently and looked down at her own outfit before looking at theirs. Their style seemed more girly in a way and mature compared to hers and that was okay, at least they all didn’t wear the same thing at once. Though, there's a small chance she, Ji Ah and Soo Min might end up wearing the same thing someday.

“It suits you, don’t worry.” Mei Yi assured her with a kind smile.

“Thanks.” Ji Min was glad, she felt nervous that these girls would have possibly made her feel ousted from their different styles, but they proved her wrong. “So, where are we going to eat?” She asked just as they passed Won Woo’s house. Ji Min stole a glance while they passed and she smiled softly out of nowhere.

“What is it?” Soo Min asked and she snapped out of it.

“Oh, nothing.” Ji Min shook her head and caught up since she fell a few steps behind when she did that. None of the other girls knew that Won Woo lived on this street, even after knowing him for three years. The girls don’t always hang out with the guys, that’s why, and Won Woo always rejected Soo Min coming over and met with her elsewhere instead. She could respect that he just didn’t want his friends coming by unannounced too often. We’ve seen that already happen with Soonyoung. It seemed like Soonyoung and Mingyu were the only ones who ever made it to Won Woo’s house without being rejected completely.

So, they ignored Ji Min’s weird behavior for now. The six of them continued on their path to the city while talking about places they could eat at and even talked about going shopping for a bit afterward.

Despite Ji Min wasn’t that fond of shopping, she thought it would be fun to shop with them and get that experience every girl has growing up, shopping with her girl friends. It didn’t take very long for Ji Min to warm up to the three girls on their walk to their first destination of the day, she wasn't sure why it was so easy, but she didn’t want to think about it, she wanted to believe that she was able to make new friends without having a special circumstance. They talked about fashion and KPOP for the most part before the topic of boys came up and they asked Ji Min about Won Woo.

She figured Soo Min told the other four about Monday evening when they bumped into each other at dinner. She didn’t mind, because she thought to ask about him as well and have them tell her how he was these past three years. “He never does much.” Mei Yi explained. “He sits out on a lot of things and keeps to himself.”

“He rarely ever got along with anyone at school and the girls at dance practice.” LiNa was next to explain. He was still dancing? I guess we haven’t really talked about that yet... “Most of the time he seems like he’s in a bad mood and unapproachable, I think it’s because of his sharp features, so everyone tends to be intimidated and never want to approach him.”

“I see.” Ji Min nodded. “That happened a lot back in Changwon. I was basically the only one “brave” enough to approach him in the end.” She made sure to make quotation marks when she said brave because she thought it was ridiculous how no one ever gave him a chance because of his cold appearance. No wonder why he always felt so lonely.

“We looked past that after he became friends with the other guys. We know he’s a warm and kind person once you get to know him better, though we don’t get to see that a lot since he’s still closed off most of the time. We only get to hear from Mingyu about the rare moments when Won Woo laughs or does anything that shows his sweet side.” Soo Min added on.

“Mingyu, huh?” Ji Min smiled, so Won Woo definitely made a good friend in her place, she expected it to be Soonyoung but she might have guessed wrong. It was a little… bittersweet to hear that.

“The friendly giant, he’s so nice and sweet, it’s no wonder Won Woo is comfortable around him.” Mei Yi cooed. “I’m sure one day he’ll open up with us more, we just have to be patient when it comes to people like him, right?”

“Of course!” LiNa was in total agreement and so were the other girls.

“I’m glad he has friends like you.” Ji Min was honestly happy at that moment. All her worries about Won Woo seemed to vanish now that she knew what kind of people he had around him while she wasn’t there, it was nice to know. “Wait, so do you attend Mr. Cha’s dance studio too?” She asked to LiNa since she was the one who mentioned dance practice first.

“Yes, Mei Yi and I both.”

“Really?!” Ji Min was excited once again to meet fellow dancing friends. “I plan to enroll in his studio this fall!”

“Dance practice just got more exciting and it’s not even started yet!” Mei Yi grinned. She was definitely hyped.

The rest of their conversation went on about dance practice and other friends that she would soon meet in time and Ji Min was surprised that there were so many of them! “Uhm, so I’ve actually met everyone already.”

“You have?” Ji Ah was shocked. “How? You only moved here this past Monday, didn’t you?”

“Wait, so you were the girl he came to the cafe with that night, weren’t you?” Bo-Young asked and narrowed her eyes at her. “That was you, wasn’t it?!”

“Yes, it was me.” Ji Min gave a sheepish laugh. “That night, I met Mingyu and Joshua. The next day, I met Hoshi and Jun. I met Soo Min and her boyfriend Jeonghan at dinner. Then I met Ae-Cha, Jihoon, and Minghao before the night was over. On Thursday, I met Seokmin, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Chan during lunch after going to the DMV with Mingyu and Minghao. Friday night, I met Seungcheol at a gathering my brother’s friends were having. I met many other people there too, like Sanghyuk, who mentioned Ji Ah to me. Today, I got to meet you other girls. And so… I have met everyone in the span of six days since moving to Seoul.”

“Wow, no wonder why you look so tired!” Mei Yi frowned. “It’s been pretty chaotic for you, hasn’t it? Our friend group is pretty large, it’s hard on Won Woo too when we all get together to hang out.” Ji Min didn’t realize she looked that tired to the others, but she wondered if maybe she could have hidden that better with makeup?

“If you feel overwhelmed, let us know!” Ji Ah pointed out with concern. “We don’t want you passing out from all the excitement!”

“Thanks, I appreciate you thinking about me. I’ll be fine.” She tried to assure them, but she was worried about that herself. “For a while, I was really alone back in Changwon. I didn’t have many friends after Won Woo moved away and it was difficult. It is pretty overwhelming to meet with so many people so soon, but I want to adapt sooner than later. I’ll be careful, I promise!”

“Awh, you’re so cute!” Bo-young cooed with the other girls. “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call us! We’ll help you as much as we can.”

Ji Min never knew she could have this many people willing to help her despite not knowing them long. She was on her own back in Changwon, but at least the city was familiar. Seoul is not. It would definitely take time to adjust knowing she had others to call on. But she felt bad, she may never call on them, simply because she’s so used to being alone. She would definitely try her best to change that, to change that mindset. She’s not alone, not anymore… she has Won Woo and she has a new family, willing to accept her with open arms. Everyone’s been so nice and she felt lucky. Won Woo has met so many wonderful people, I’m so glad. Despite he still had a bit of a rough time, she’s sure it’s changed over the years.

Oddly enough, college was never brought up in their conversation after that, she was sure they would talk about it, but they seemed too occupied by other trivial topics and they left to do their plan on shopping. They got distracted easily with cute clothes and accessories.

Ji Min didn’t spend much, but she did pick a few items out for herself since her birthday was coming up, she thought it’d be okay to buy herself a few presents. She happened to see a few items she thought Won Woo would like and bought those as well. Two beanies, a red and black one, a plain black adjustable ring since she recalled he started getting into wearing rings before he moved, a grey knitted scarf for the winter season and a black stretchable beaded bracelet that came with a white one in contrast. They seemed like a pair of friendship bracelets and she thought it’d be nice to gift it to him. She hadn’t thought about the other girls while she picked those items out and the three were definitely curious about it but said nothing. They honestly thought those items were for herself but they’d soon find out they weren’t in time.

☙✨💖✨❧

Lunchtime quickly rolled around and it was time to eat again! The six girls picked another place to eat and it was at the mall’s food court. They had a fun time talking about more trivial things so they could get to know each other. She learned Bo-Young is really into fashion and wants to be a model. She really has the face for it and Ji Min encouraged her to work hard. Ji Ah, she’s really fond of art and the others praised how talented she was. Soo Min got her to show a few of her works and Ji Min was blown away. It was clear Ji Ah had a future as an artist and wished her luck. LiNa also seemed to be into fashion and art as well and plans to be a fashion designer. Mei Yi seemed a bit lost on what she really wanted to do, but the other girls assured her that she’d figure it out soon enough, she mentioned she does like photography at least. Soo Min plans to be a graphic designer and Ji Min shared that she wants to be a professional dancer.

They all were surprised to hear how long she had been dancing, they might have even been impressed. They mentioned she would get along great with Soonyoung and Chan for sure. Even Junhui and Minghao, they’re the four who dance the most out of all thirteen guys. Ji Min looked forward to watching and see how experienced they were when dance practice starts up.

It was nice to be able to talk with other girls about their talents and dreams without any of them being competitive or jealous of the other, instead, they all support each other to the fullest. Ji Min felt like she had nothing to worry about moving forward if she had supportive people like them in her life. But she can’t help but feel bad for not sharing her worries and troubles from her past that could possibly ruin her dancing career. We’ve just met today, I don’t want to just blurt that out and ruin the fun mood we have going on… she felt she could tell them later on when it’s more appropriate.

“So, Ji Min?” Soo Min asked.

“Yes?”

“Are there any guy’s you’ve noticed around lately since moving to Seoul? You know… like, have your eye on?” Despite only meeting a few days ago, she was sure jumping into personal questions.

“Oh? Hmmm… well.” Ji Min thought about that. “Ren.”

“... from NU’EST?” LiNa asked and Ji Min innocently nodded. The five girls broke out into laughter and she pouted. “No! We meant like normal guys, guys who aren’t idols.”

“Then... no. I don’t have my eyes on anyone.” She hesitated but didn’t think it was that noticeable, but she thought wrong.

“Oh, who is it? Don’t worry, it’ll be just between us!” Bo-Young whispered.

“I didn’t say I had my eye on anyone?” Ji Min pouted again, but she was starting to get nervous because she felt like maybe that was a lie and she did have her eye on someone. He always comes to mind whenever stuff like this happens! She was flustered now but confused.

“Ji Min?” Ji Ah asked when she noticed how quiet the girl got.

“I really don’t know.” She said honestly. “I guess I’m just not interested right now?” Being honest was always good but sometimes… she felt like a small lie wouldn’t hurt. She’s definitely not interested in other guys, but she might be interested in a particular person.

“Wow… that’s interesting.” Soo Min muttered and Ji Min felt like she was the odd one out now. Damn. Guess that’s not normal to say.

“You haven’t been here long, we’re sure someone will catch your eye soon enough! High school is over now and it’s going to get more exciting now that we’re adults if you know what I mean?” Mei Yi pointed out and winked. LiNa smacked her and the girl was honestly shocked she even did that, her look of betrayal was quite hilarious.

“Don’t think about it too much, you’ll know when the time comes,” LiNa said sweetly to Ji Min. “And for some, the time may never come because it doesn’t have to. Not everyone will experience life the same way and it’s okay! Your happiness is the most important, not what society tells you to do.”

“Right.” Ji Min nodded. She was nervous about that now… she knew her thick skin was thinning, she worried if that would conflict with meeting boys and falling in love if she’s more sensitive about it now, and the pressure of society and how everyone must settle down and carry on their family name, it makes it that much worse. It wasn’t something she’s thought of a lot while growing up, because she was so focused on her dancing career in the making. She didn’t have time to think about it. But here she is, having lunch with a group of girls, talking about boys. She has the time now but honestly doesn’t know what to say.  

“Well, what about you four? Do you girls already have your eyes on someone? Surely you do, right? Your friend Soo Min already has a boyfriend, even Ae-Cha.” She decided to turn the spotlight away from herself, she didn’t want to become an awkward mess trying to come up with what to say about it all.

LiNa’s expression brightened. “That’s true.” She didn’t really answer Ji Min so she looked to the other three and decided to ask them.

“What about you-”

“No.” The three girls blurted out immediately. “Not yet at least.” Mei Yi added and side-eyed Bo-Young and Ji Ah, even LiNa.

“Never,” LiNa said with a straight face.

“Never? Why?” Ji Min was a bit confused by her reply and glanced to Soo Min who only chuckled and grinned like she was amused.

“LiNa’s a bit of a tsundere when it comes to liking guys!” Mei Yi dodged LiNa’s sudden attack on selling her out. “I know who she likes, but I’d rather not get my head chopped off today.”

“I see.” Ji Min giggled at the reaction.

“Mei Yi likes Jun!” LiNa blurted out and the table became silent from the shock of the girl actually saying that.

“LiNa!” Mei Yi was not pleased. “How could you?! I didn’t say who you liked!” She added on and started to beat LiNa’s arm with light gentle punches. Bo-Young and Ji Ah were nervous, worried if LiNa would call out their crush's’ names too if they dared say anything about LiNa’s crush.

“Oh!” LiNa suddenly looked guilty and Ji Min was shocked but amused by their antics. “There are many guys named Jun in the city, relax.”

“Too bad there aren’t many guys named Ming-” before Mei Yi could finish her sentence, LiNa shoved one of the cupcakes they were having for dessert into her friend's mouth to shut her up. Ji Min stared in shock. She didn’t expect that. LiNa proceeded to shove a cupcake into her own mouth before handing Ji Min one. She sat there and slowly reached over to accept it before looking to the other three girls, Soo Min was still entertained while Ji Ah and Bo-Young were nervous, they gave sheepish giggles.

“Th-Thanks.” She barely got out and accepted the cupcake. This was probably why Soo Min was watching with amusement a moment ago. She took a small bite while watching the other two girls chew and swallow and drank their waters to wash the deserts down. “So… was she about to say Mingyu?” Ji Min asked and another small silence fell upon them.

“N-” this time LiNa covered Mei Yi’s mouth with her hand.

“Yes,” LiNa said with a straight face, but right away Ji Min figured it was a lie. Why would she agree if she tried shutting Mei Yi up the first time? She couldn’t help but noticed Ji Ah looked a bit bothered when LiNa admitted that, almost like she was jealous. I suppose… there is a lot I must learn that comes with having such a large friend group.

“He’s really nice… and tall.” Ji Min said with a nervous laugh. She wasn’t used to this kind of situation, talking about boys with other girls. Especially if there might be some sort of secret crushes all around.

“He cooks really well, too.” LiNa pointed out. Mei Yi just looked at her friend with narrowed eyes. Ji Ah ignored it and focused on what was left of her food, stabbing the few pieces of lettuce from her salad with her fork. Bo-Young looked like she wasn’t sure how to fix the situation and was struggling to come up with a way to change the topic.

“Really?” Ji Min thought that was cool that Mingyu knows how to cook. She supposed it was becoming more common for guys to know how to cook these days. She wondered if Won Woo was the same? Did he learn anything from Mingyu? Why am I thinking of him again?

“Anyway, let’s go. They’re probably going to tell us to leave since we’re done with our food already.” Bo-Young finally blurted out, she gave LiNa a scolding look, but it was clear they weren’t that serious since LiNa only chuckled in response. They sort of reminded Ji Min of herself and Won Woo in a way. One always annoyed by the other. Cute.

“Let’s look around the mall a bit more?” Soo Min suggested when they left the food court. The other girls were in agreement while Ji Min had no choice but to nod in agreement as well. Then they were off.

☙✨💖✨❧

By now, Ji Min had been out with her new friends since late morning and it was nearing early evening. She was growing a bit tired of walking around while carrying the stuff she shopped for and wondered when they were going to call it a day. For some reason, she just couldn’t find it in herself to speak up and request to go home. That was until she got a text and it was from Won Woo. You could imagine how he reacted when he saw her missed text.

LOL

Won Woo: Fuq... What time is it?! Fuq!

Won Woo:

Won Woo: I slept in, sorry for missing your text.

Ji Min:

Ji Min: That’s okay!

Did you sleep well?

Won Woo:

Won Woo: I guess.

Did you eat something?

Ji Min: Yes, Soo Min and her friends

Invited me out to eat with them.

Ji Min:

Ji Min: We also

Did some shopping, too.

Won Woo:

Won Woo: How’d they find you?

Ji Min: Tuesday, when we bumped into your friend Jeonghan and his girlfriend.

Soo Min asked for my number and here we are.

Won Woo:

Won Woo: Oh. Got it.

Are you having fun?

Ji Min:

Ji Min: Yes.

Won Woo:

Won Woo: Your reply doesn’t look like it.

What’s wrong?

Ji Min:

Ji Min: Actually, I’m ready to go home.

But I’m not sure how to bring it up to them.

They still want to go to other places and I don’t

wanna disappoint them either…

Won Woo:

Won Woo: Guess you’re just gonna have

to deal with it.

Ji Min:

Ji Min: Jerk.

Won Woo: It’s not that hard to say you’re

done for the day. Relax.

Won Woo:

Won Woo: But since you’re in the city,

mind bringing me a cheeseburger on your way home?

I’ll pay you back of course.

Ji Min:

Ji Min: Hmm, guess you’re gonna

have to go out and get that yourself.

Won Woo:

Won Woo: Fine.

Good luck with the girls.

Ji Min:

Ji Min: I’m kidding! I’ll get it for you!

Just help me come up with a good

reason to call it a day.

Won Woo:

Won Woo: I need to go home and

feed my cat.

Ji Min:

Ji Min: My cat sounds pretty hungry, got it.

She chuckled to herself with that last reply and it caught the other girls’ attention. “What is it?” Mei Yi asked and looked suspicious of her just then.

“Oh, well, actually I need to go home now.” Ji Min tried to say without stuttering from getting nervous. “I need to feed my cat.”

“You have a cat?!” The girls’ face lit up with excitement. “Can we meet him or her?”

“Uh…” Crap. Crap. Crap, “he’s not a very social cat, but maybe in the future?”

“Awh, alright then! Thanks for hanging out with us today, it was really fun!” Soo Min and her friends beamed. “Let’s do this more often!”

“S-Sure.” Ji Min nodded when the five stepped forward and gave her a hug in parting. “Until next time.” She said with a small wave and took her leave before she could get delayed any further. That went smoothly... not. But at least she was free now!

Ji Min:

Ji Min: They wanted to meet my cat.

Won Woo: Really? What did you say?

Ji Min:

Ji Min: That he wasn’t a very social cat,

they can meet him another time.

Won Woo:

Won Woo: Wait, am I the cat?!

Ji Min:

Ji Min: Bingo!

Won Woo:

Won Woo: You have to get an actual cat now.

Ji Min: I want to but don’t you remember

I’m allergic!

Ji Min:

Won Woo:

Won Woo: You seem just fine around me!

Ji Min:

Won Woo:

Won Woo: Hurry up and bring the food back.

Or you really won’t have a cat by the end of the day.

Ji Min:

Ji Min: Roger that yes sir!

Texting Won Woo oddly brightened up her day. Even though she enjoyed spending time with her new friends, spending time with Won Woo was different and probably couldn’t compare for obvious reasons. Now that she was free from the girls and done texting Won Woo, she managed to find the same burger joint they’ve been eating around the corner from where she was already. She was glad she could recognize where she was and where to go without the need of help this time. With that, she entered and placed an order for two and stepped off to the side to wait for it to be called. A moment later, she saw a familiar face enter the restaurant and when they noticed her, they greeted her.

“Nice to see you again, JiJi!” Mingyu smiled brightly. His companion was Minghao and he also greeted her with a small wave and she waved back.

“Nice to see you two again.”

“Are you alone?” Minghao frowned when he didn’t see Won Woo with her or anyone else familiar.

“Uh, I just parted from Soo Min and her group of friends.” She explained. She could see Mingyu seemed a bit confused by the small encounter between her and Minghao who looked concerned. She appreciated him looking out for her.

“If you run into any creeps, just elbow them, like this.” Minghao demonstrated on Mingyu’s stomach and he doubled over and groaned in pain, he actually did it for real!

“W-Why did you do that?!” Mingyu barely got out, his voice strained.

“I didn’t hit you that hard.” Minghao snickered and flashed a smile Ji Min’s way. “Don’t worry, he’s just a big baby.”

“Alright, I’ll be sure to remember that move.” Ji Min chuckled, but she gave Mingyu an apologetic smile. Just then, her order was called and she left to grab it before returning. “Sorry, I have to go now.”

“That’s okay, get home safely!” Mingyu said in such a caring way, she couldn’t help but smile, he was so nice! How could you not smile? Minghao also gave her a smile as well.

“Bye for now!” Then she was off and on her way back home moments later to feed her hungry cat.

“She’s so cute.” Mingyu cooed. “Like in an adorable way. I’m not interested in her.” He added on.

“I know.” Minghao snickered. “I just hope she doesn’t run into any scumbags on the way home.”

“Yeah, about that, did something happen before? You seemed pretty worried about her.” Mingyu was just curious.

“Tuesday night, I bumped into her and Won Woo while they were helping Ae-Cha find Jihoon in the city. An older man tried to her but I stopped him before he could. I’m sure she’s still shaken up about that, so I didn’t expect her to be out and about on her own.”

“Well, she did say she parted from the girls recently. She must be going straight home now?”

“Yeah, hopefully, no one is stupid enough to approach her in broad daylight.” Minghao was hopeful, he at least told her what to do if she finds herself in that situation again. Soonyoung should teach her some self-defense moves. He thought to himself. He’d bring it up to the star next time they meet for sure. “Anyways, let’s eat.” He mentioned now that it was time for them to place their order.

“I’m not sure I’m so hungry after you elbowed me in the stomach.” Mingyu pouted and rubbed his sore tummy. Minghao only rolled his eyes, playfully, and stepped forward to make his own order. Mingyu added onto it and told him he had to pay for his to make up for using him as a practice dummy.

Mingyu: No actually, let me elbow you in the stomach so it’s fair.

Minghao: No thanks, I’m good.

☙✨💖✨❧

Ji Min made it back safely to her neighborhood without a problem and she was glad. While the world could be a scary place at times, sometimes you had to enjoy mother nature without constant fear of something bad happening every time. When she made it to Won Woo’s front doorstep, rung the doorbell a few times and Won Woo didn’t answer. She wondered if he was on the toilet or something and waited a few minutes before ringing the bell again. She did a frustrated sigh and pulled out her phone to text him. “He better not have fallen back asleep!”

Ji Min: I’m here. Open the door!

Ji Min:

This time, the door opened a moment later and revealed Won Woo standing there with a black tank top and black gym shorts, they definitely had to be his pajamas and Ji Min snickered. “The least you could have done is got dressed when you know you have someone coming over.”

“Do I look to you?” He laughed and stepped aside to let her walk in. “Look at you, all dressed up to deliver cat food.” He thought she looked pretty.

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and waited for him to direct her to the kitchen. “So, I guess your parents work on the weekends too?”

“Yup.” Won Woo simply said and got out some plates from the cupboard near the sink and brought them over to the center island counter in the middle of the kitchen. He took the takeout bag from her and started to plate the food and that’s when he noticed the other bags she brought with her. “Are those your shopping bags?”

“Oh yeah, they are.” She nodded and set them up on the stool beside her since they were going to eat at the island counter together. “I bought you some stuff.”

“You bought me stuff?” He repeated like it was unusual.

“Yeah?” She frowned at him. “Your birthday is coming up, so I bought you some presents of course.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” He went back to plating their food and she could tell he looked excited about it, like a little kid and it was adorable. It made her smile.

“Well, I did and you better accept them, got it?” She pouted at him and he snickered at that. “I got you some beanies. I remember how much you like wearing those.” She pulled out the mentioned items to show it.

“You’re giving them to me now?!” He asked, shocked.

“Why not?” She laughed at his reaction. “Didn’t you used to hate surprises?”

“True.” He smiled. “You remember that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” She pouted. “I hate surprises too.”

“Right.” He chuckled. “What else did you get me?” He smiled when she handed them over and he instantly put the black one on his head and looked at his reflection on his phone’s screen to adjust it perfectly.

“This grey knitted scarf for when the winter season comes.” Was the first item handed over. He wrapped that around his neck to try it out while she pulled out the other two smaller items, the ring, and bracelets. “This looked pretty cool when I saw it, thought you might like it.” She handed over the black ring and he wasted no time on putting it on his left middle finger, it fit perfectly and he held up his middle finger to show it off. She quickly smacked it down and he laughed at her offended expression. “I don’t know if I want to give you this bracelet now.”

“Why?” He played hurt.

“Because you’re a jerk!” She complained and was about to put it away but he stopped her and took the pair of bracelets out of her small hands. “Hey!”

“There’s two of them?”

“Yeah, they’re like friendship bracelets I think.” She explained and Won Woo stopped for a moment and stared at the accessory until she snapped him out of it. “What is it?”

“You wanted to give me one of these?” He asked like he was confused, but he was really touched and happy. He’s never really had something like it before.

“It looked nice and they weren’t selling them separately, so I bought it because I like the white one. Killed two birds with one stone, that’s all.” He could hear the nervousness behind her tone and figured she was making excuses now.

“I guess that makes sense. I like the black one, so I’ll take it.” He said calmly and separated the bracelets. He put it on his on his right wrist before grabbing her right wrist and slipped on the white bracelet for her. “Thanks.”

“S-Sure.” She muttered because it was so sudden for him to do that. “Happy early birthday, Won Woo.”

“Thanks, Ji Min.” He said and reached over to pinch her cheek in a teasing manner. “I’ll be sure to buy you presents, too.” Because her birthday was in three months, on September 13th, on a Sunday.

“Anything KPOP related will do.” She grinned in response.

“Of course.” He rolled his eyes but in a playful way. “Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

☙✨💖✨❧

After Won Woo and Ji Min were done eating, they hung out in the living room for a bit to pass time since they had nothing else to do when they were home alone. Ji Min felt like she was forgetting something but couldn’t quite remember. She let it go for now and they watched some TV for a bit before Won Woo got distracted by games on his phone. Ji Min didn’t mind and continued to watch the TV on her own until she got bored of it and moved over to sit closer to Won Woo to watch him play his game. She was impressed to see the level he was on, he must’ve been playing for a while now to get that far, but he started to struggle and fail. He was getting frustrated and she laughed at him when he cursed at his phone.

“You think it’s easy?” He pouted at her.

“Maybe?” She shrugged in reply. He held his phone over to her and she looked at him in surprise.

“You try it.” He said and put it in her hand. “You won’t be laughing when you fail too.”

“What if I succeed?”

“Thanks in advance, I guess.” He snickered before scooting over so he could watch her play the game now. She failed a few times because it was her first time playing, she wasn’t really aware of all the rules of the game and how it worked. He ended up telling her how it works and then she got the hang of it pretty quick. He was amazed when she beat the level that he spent the last twenty minutes trying to beat and she beat it in under seven minutes. “Damn.”

“Shall I beat all the other levels for you as well?”

“No way.” He scoffed and took his phone back and she just laughed at how bothered he was. Sometimes he could be a bad sport and pretty competitive. He probably thought she wouldn’t get the hang of it nor even complete the level but she proved him wrong, like always.

She recalled the old days when they’d play games on his game console after school and on the weekends. They’d have little competitions sometimes, the loser would have to treat the other out to whatever they wanted, Ji Min was always happy since she won most of the time. But there were times Won Woo would win and she’d be a poor sport about it too. Sometimes they’d even fight about it when one of them accused the other of cheating. It was pretty ridiculous and they’d end up laughing it off because it was just a game.

Ji Min returned to watching Won Woo play his game and he was completing levels left and right and he seemed pretty happy about it. It was nice to see… which was probably why she’d let him win sometimes, just so she could see his victorious smile, like he accomplished something and most of all, he was having fun. She wonders if his friends ever come over to play games with him? Even if it’s just Mingyu? There were a lot of things she’s wanted to ask him since Monday, but it all seemed too soon to ask. She’d have to be patient about it.  But there was one thing she could ask… “Did you get my jacket and umbrella from Mingyu last night?”

“What?” He asked, distracted by his game.

“My jacket and umbrella.” She repeated. He finished a level and took a moment to answer her.

“Damn. I knew I was forgetting something.” He facepalmed and she giggled at his reaction.

“You had one job!” She teased.

“I know! Next time, for sure!”

“That’s okay, he can always bring it to me since he has his license now.”

“I’ll get it, don’t worry.” He pouted but she noticed it didn’t seem as playful, almost like he was annoyed by what she said. No, that can’t be it, can it? She thought. Does he not like me meeting with his friends without him? It seemed possible.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard him suddenly shout in pain and she looked over to see him drop his phone and hold onto his left hand. “What is it?!” She panicked. “A cramp?!” She could see him nod and she let out a scolding sigh and scooted closer to his side so she could take his hand into hers. “Let go, I’ll massage it for you.” She swatted his other hand away and began to do as she said. He whimpered for a few minutes until the cramp started to go away thanks to the massage she gave him. “Were you playing games with your friends yesterday?” She asked and he stayed quiet. “You didn’t take any breaks, did you?” She gave him scolding eyes.

“You should’ve been there, I won against those losers SEVENTEEN times in a row.” He grinned.

“SEVENTEEN times?! Wow, that’s a new record for you, huh?” You could say she was impressed. “Don’t be so reckless next time.” It didn’t last long though.

“Got it.” He sighed and watched her hands work with his. Her touch was painful at first but slowly turned gentle and soft.

“Better now?” She asked and let go, he was disappointed, but he managed to hide that and made a grabbing motion to test it out. He felt fine but…

“No.” He shook his head and held his hand out for her to work on again.

“Really?” She frowned. “Maybe I should massage your wrist and arm. Like they said in therapy, it’s all connected one way or another.” She added and started to work on his wrist. Even if there was no pain, it felt nice and he enjoyed it. This went on for a few minutes until she was done again. “Better?”

“No.” He pouted.

“What more can I do?!” She also pouted.

“I’m kidding.” He chuckled. “It feels much better now, thanks.” He gave her a sweet smile and she paused for a moment before smiling in response.

“Good, I’m glad.” She really was.

“How about you?” He grabbed her right hand into his. He didn’t even try to pretend like he was going to massage it, he just held it. She paused for a moment to process what he was doing. He’s just holding my hand? Why?

“My hand is fine.” She shook her head and waited for him to let go but he didn’t. “But you know, my shoulder is kinda tight.” She pulled her hand away, her left hand latched onto the right shoulder and she tried to massage her shoulder herself and turned away from him. She could hear him snicker at her and she pouted. “You don’t do shoulders anymore, is that it?”

“Yup.” He teased. “I’m kidding.”

“Stop messing with me!” She complained. He only laughed at her reaction and picked up his game again since she scooted away and focused on the TV again. That was strange and things got quiet between them, but she still wanted to talk. She wanted to know how he did during last two years when they weren’t speaking? She really wanted to ask about how he did in school and decided to speak up.

“By the way, college starts in September, are you nervous?” She asked.

“No, not really.” He simply replied. “What about you? You’ll be the new kid since the first half of the school year is already over.”

“Gee, thanks. You’ll be new too, isn’t that right?” She chuckled. “College is different though, isn’t it? It’s a new experience every semester. New classes, new classmates.” She pouted and he chuckled at her reply. The level he was on was over and he turned off the game so he could properly talk to her, he also didn’t want to screw up either since it was hard to talk and focus at the same time for him.

“Right.” He gave a sheepish laugh. He didn’t realize that before he said it and was slightly embarrassed. “You’ll be fine, you have nothing to worry about.” He assured her.

“I sure hope so. I’m going to be screwed if those girls from the cafe a few days ago attend the same classes as me.”

“If they do, just ignore them. Simple.” He shrugged. “If you think about it too much, you’re going to stress yourself out.”

“I know.” She sighed and dropped her head in defeat. “So, how did you do in high school? Do you still get into trouble like you used to?”

“And if I did?” His expression faltered, it was clear this wasn’t something he wanted to talk about.

“Why?” She frowned. “I thought after making some new friends it’d stop.”

“I don’t think me making friends has any impact on what I do…”

“It should! Especially if they help by correcting your behavior.”

“Are we really going to talk about this right now?” He was definitely annoyed now. “I didn’t get into trouble as much as I used to because I’ve gotten lazy, so you can relax and stop worrying about stupid things like that.” He didn’t really want to admit that things changed and he gave up on his parents. She didn’t need to hear that right now, especially after their small talk from that night.

“Good. I’m glad.” She did her best not to sound bitter, but it came out that way in the end. “What college will you be going to?” Because there were choices.

“Why? So you can come and make sure I’m not misbehaving there too?”

“No, it was just a simple question, jerk.” She sighed with irritation. She hated how quick they went to bickering about it. “Don’t tell me then.”

“You’re so annoying.” He muttered in a moment of pure irritation and she could hear the bitterness behind it. He probably had similar feelings as she does about going to school together. While she hated his misbehavior, he found her attempts of correcting his behavior extremely annoying. Did he really want to go through a repeat of that again? 

“I sure hope we’re not attending the same college,” her tone was sharp, “it’s bad enough we’re living on the same street. Seeing your irritating face every day will be hell.” She said before getting up from her seat on the couch. “I’m going home.” He could hear the hint of reluctance but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything about it. It wasn’t as easy as cooling down in a few seconds and apologizing when it came to him. He was usually bitter for a while and maybe even hours before he was okay. So maybe it was best she leaves. He didn’t say anything in reply to her and she left without another word.

Moments later, he let out a deep sigh and fell over onto his side in guilt. He didn’t plan on things ending that way or even starting like that. It was his fault for getting bent up about it when she asked and he felt horrible. He could probably fix it by texting her an apology, but he knew that would be the lamest thing to do, apologizing over a text message. He should be apologizing in person. It was too soon, though. He knew she probably didn’t want to face him at the moment, she was probably angry and upset by his harsh words.

He stared at the black beaded bracelet she had just gifted him earlier. Her comment about her thick skin thinning echoed in his mind and he facepalmed into his hand, he really was a jerk. I’m not used to this fragile Ji Min. He thought to himself and let his arm hang off from the couch. Damn.

☙✨💖✨❧

When Ji Min made it to the front gate of Won Woo’s home, she took a moment to calm herself down. She felt so angry at that moment but then she started to feel guilty just as quick. “I’m horrible.” She muttered. “I can’t believe I said all of that right to his face.” She turned and looked at the front door with a sinking heart. “I hope he didn’t take my words too seriously…” she really didn’t mean them. “I’m an idiot.” She sighed and ruffled her hair before heading back to her brother’s house.

“Oh, you’re finally home.” Ji Min heard a familiar female voice say when she came up to her brother’s house. She looked up to see familiar faces and then it finally dawned on her. She met them last night at the gathering hosted at Soonyoung’s palaceーplace! Hyuk and Junghwa. Crap!

“I’m so sorry!” She quickly bowed. “Were you waiting long?”

“Well, we were here earlier, but no one answered the door,” Junghwa explained with a worried smile. She just noticed she was taller than her and was quite pretty with her fair skin, a touch of makeup and long-styled dark brown hair. She was dressed very nice as well. “We left for a bit and came back. We were about to leave again but you showed up just now!”

“Ah, sorry~!” Ji Min apologized again. “Some new friends of mine took me out to eat and shopping, I didn't know you two were dropping by. I’m really sorry! Come in, come in!” She gestured for them to follow her into the house after opening the front door with her spare key. “I’ll make some tea!” She hurried off into the kitchen and prepared it as quickly as possible without getting hurt.

She returned to the living room where the other two young adults took a seat on the living room couch. She placed the tray on the coffee table before taking a seat next to Junghwa. The two thanked her for the tea before Junghwa pulled up the large envelope with some college applications in it. So that's why they were here.

“Thank you!”

“No problem. Hyung said they were too busy to go get it for you and sent us since he didn’t want you getting lost if you went by yourself.” Hyuk explained.

“That's fine! It's honestly better if I didn't go by myself, I would have definitely gotten lost!” Ji Min chuckled and earned a laugh from the two. But maybe they should have taken her with them, she could have seen what the schools looked like, or where they were at least. Perhaps they could take her when she goes to turn them in.

“Oh yeah, he told us to tell you about our campus, but there's really not much to say other then it's a college campus.” Hyuk shrugged and looked towards Junghwa in case she had something to say about it… and she did!

“Your typical college campus with all the cliché cliques from high school.” She said with a disapproving expression. “If you come across any trouble, please let us know. We're here to help!” Her bright smile was beautiful and Ji Min was a bit awestruck. “Even though Hyuk and I might have different schedules, we'll help you as much as we can.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it since I probably won't have any friends because I'm new.” She sighed and her expression dropped. She was thinking about her thoughts on Won Woo. Even if we bickered, at least we would have each other. Chances were, he and all his other friends might not even go to the same campus as her.

“Oh, right, I met your cousin Ji Ah earlier.” Ji Min said to Hyuk who smiled. “She was really nice.”

“Of course, just wait until you get to know her better though.” He said with a small pout and Junghwa nudged him with a scolding expression. “I mean, I don’t think you have anything to worry about! Forget I said anything.” He chuckled and left Ji Min confused about it.

“Are you okay?” Junghwa asked and hesitated on resting a hand on Ji Min's shoulder. “You look… sad.”

“Sorry.” She snapped out of it and forced a smile. “Actually… I fought with my friend before coming home. I'm still bothered by it.”

“Oh no!” Junghwa looked so worried and apologetic, it was cute how animated she was and it was clear Hyuk enjoyed that. Ji Min started to wonder how many other people were getting together or had their eyes on others? Do they like each other? Maybe she could observe and learn about proper relationships from them.

“Did something bad happen?” Hyuk asked. “Don't worry, you don't really have to tell us about it.”

“It's okay.” Ji Min assured them. “It was just a stupid argument.” Lie. “I just didn't like how quick it escalated.” Truth.

“That's the worst!” Junghwa complained. “Hopefully you two can work things out, it's not fun being upset with someone like that.”

“It's not.” Ji Min agreed. “But it’ll be okay, he just needs time to cool off is all.”

“Wait, your friend is a guy?!” Junghwa’s eyes widened and she looked towards Hyuk who snickered at her reaction.

“I’m a guy and I’m your friend. What’s so shocking about Ji Min having a guy friend?”

“Oh, no! It’s just… I’m not used to other girls having guy friends!” She quickly explained herself and Ji Min assured her she felt the same. “Well,” Junghwan leaned closer to Ji Min and blocked so that Hyuk couldn’t see her whisper her next sentence. “If he’s anything like Hyuk, just buy him food and he’ll get over it quickly!”

“What was that?” Hyuk narrowed his eyes and she straightened up in her seat with a sheepish giggle and told him it was nothing. Ji Min thought they were adorable when Hyuk playfully rolled his eyes and snickered in response. They totally like each other, right? She felt like asking Junghwa about it, but not with Hyuk around… and maybe it was too soon. But now that her new friends asked her about boys and romance, she’s been curious about it ever since and would like to learn more. Movies and Dramas weren’t always so realistic, so she’d rather learn from the real world.

Ji Min chatted with the duo for a short while longer before they took their leave. They mentioned that they’d be around if she needed them. She felt better knowing she had them on her side. They said their goodbyes before leaving and then she was all alone again. Her brothers hadn’t returned home and she didn’t really know when they’d be coming home. At this point, she was starting to not care, not after what happened last night. They hadn’t responded to her texts she sent a while ago, so she assumed they were pretty busy this evening. She let out a deep sigh before heading upstairs and spent some time rearranging her room to distract herself.

☙✨💖✨❧

Won Woo had been texting Mingyu for most of the evening shortly after Ji Min left. He didn’t mention anything about his small quarrel with her and only talked about small things like how their days were. He said he slept in and then lied saying he played video games for the rest of the day. Mingyu believed him though and scolded him about it. He had to laugh, his friend was always scolding him for stuff like that but he didn’t mind. He did want to break those bad habits soon.

Eventually, he started to get bored since Mingyu stopped replying to him, possibly due to getting busy with preparing for dinner. Sometimes he’d disappear for a bit and come back apologizing saying his mother needed help with something or his younger sister needed help with her homework or other things, Won Woo envied his younger friend sometimes. He had a lot going for him and he admires that. Good grades, always surrounded by people and always had a reason to smile. I don’t seem to have any of that. He thought bitterly. He was always alone whenever he wasn’t with his friends. Why did it have to be like this?

He could recall a time when he did have something worth smiling for, and that was his dance partner. Things at first didn’t seem that way, but after time, he grew to appreciate her presence. She was someone who understood him and was there for him even at the loneliest times. She was there on his birthday when his parents worked late. She was there for holidays when their parents worked late. They had each other and things were fine that way until he had to move away. Those days when he’d wake up and smile, ready for his plans with her for the day had come to a stop. He had to adapt to waking up and smiling when he’d see her morning text. But it just wasn’t the same and soon he stopped smiling when he never heard from her again.

He lost her. So he thought. Even though he had his new friends, his heart just seemed empty without her and was unwilling to adapt a second time after losing a close friend like that. He closed himself off again just to avoid a third time, despite Mingyu knew how to get him to open up sometimes, he was really trying his hardest not to get too attached again. Now that Ji Min has returned to his side, he wondered if he should be getting closer again? What if she leaves a second time? That thought didn’t seem to worry him and his feelings didn’t seem to waver at it either. He realizes life is cruel. He’ll get hurt many times, but that shouldn’t mean he should stop living just to avoid it. Because he wouldn’t be living if he closed himself off completely to others, he’d be wasting his life away in constant fear of abandonment. He’ll have to take risks sometimes.

He knows now Ji Min didn’t mean the things she said, he, of all people, should know they have sharp tongues when irritated. He’s said harsh things before too, and he never means it. But he’ll admit it hurts a bit. I should be careful from now on. Because upsetting her is the last thing he ever wants. That’s not to say his feelings will never be valid, he will get mad in the future and express it, but he wants to be able to control his emotions better. Being angry is a waste of time. Being negative is a waste of time. He knows it. I’m sorry, Ji Min. I’m a jerk. He’ll admit it. Will you forgive this jerk?

Chapter Six~!

Won Woo: *Knows he ed up*

Boo: *Feels sorry for him this time.*

Jeonghan: Won Wow…

Jisoo: Well, I mean… I kind of expected it.

Soonyoung: You know, I would never think Ji Min was annoying, like EVER.

*BARELY KNOWS HER LOL*

Mingyu: *doesn’t know if he should be sad or mad.*

Won Woo: Okay, enough! We get it~! STAHP~!

LOL

P.S Happy Birthday to our Sassy Boo~!