Jimin has always been the mousy friend, the girl that seems almost like a lifeless shadow, a paly ghost next to Yerin. Yerin who had always been the top of their class, a bright, funny and smart girl. A girl filled with emotions, ranging from fiery red anger to moody blue sadness. She was like a rainbow and next to her Jimin always felt colorless and boring.

It was surprising (but not really) when Yerin fell for Jaebum, their shared childhood friend and classmate. She didn't know why she liked him, why her heart started palpitating whenever he was close. His good looks and aloofness attracted many of the girls in their grade, even some older girls enjoyed looking at Jaebum and he often got confessed to by shy younger girls.

Jimin had thought that somehow she and Yerin were immune to Jaebum's charms, to his charming smile that he seldom showed and his characteristic bluntness.

“I like Jaebum”, Yerin said and her voice was clear and loud in Jimin's bedroom.

“I noticed”, Jimin said, because she had seen Yerin's obvious stares and the innumerable times that Yerin scribbled Jaebum's name into her notebook.

They lay in bed together for the rest of the afternoon, watching old movies on her old laptop. They didn't share any words and Yerin left before dinner and bid Jimin's mother goodbye before leaving.

*

Jimin put coins into the vending machine the next morning, impatiently punching the numbers for a chocolate bar into the keypad. The machine stayed still, unmoving.

Frustratedly, she blew against her fringe and kicked her foot against the machine. It didn't budge.

A hand appeared and stuck another coins into it, effortlessly pushing a button. Miraculously enough a spring pushed out Jimin's desired snack and it fell down.

She turned around and saw brown hair and an indifferent face. Jaebum.

She kneeled down to grab her chocolate bar, stood up and ripped open the wrapper.

Jaebum stretched out his right hand and opened it, looking out the window.

Jimin broke the chocolate bar into two, splitting it in the middle and laid half into his hand and bit off a piece of the other one.

“Yerin likes you”, she said, chewing.

“I know”, his gaze still focused on what's happening outside the building. She looks at him, his face, his hair, his adam's apple, his lips. Everything looks so familiar.

Jimin knows that he doesn't like Yerin but the cruel and envious part of her still wants to hear it.

“What about you?”, she asks. “Do you like her?”

Jaebum just smiles and then finally looks at her.

“You know I don't.”

 

*

 

“He rejected me”, Yerin said and her voice was full of bitterness.

“I'm sorry”, Jimin said, but it sounded flat. She tried to make her voice sound more compassionate and added: “You would have made a great couple.”

Yerin looks at her and her eyes are dark. “You like him, too, don't you?”

Jimin's denies it, but Yerin stays suspicious. They decide not to eat lunch together today.

 

*

Jimin asks her seatmate Jinyoung if she can eat lunch with him. He looks up from his mathbook and gives her a judging look, like he wants to say something, but then he just nods and goes back to his book.

When they arrive at the table Jaebum is already there, along with Youngjae and the Thai exchange student Bambam.

Jimin can see Yerin sitting with a group of other people, right in the middle, animatedly telling a seemingly funny story. The others are laughing hard, until Yerin stops as if she felt Jímin staring at her. She spots her and then Jaebum. She shakes her head in disbelief and gives her a sarcastic smile.

Bambam's eyes lighten up when he sees Jimin and he starts telling unfunny jokes.

Jimin gives him a polite laugh, but she's observing Jaebum. He looks unfazed.

When Jinyoung and Jimin stand up to leave for their next class, Bambam gives her a shy wave.

After they're out of sight, she snorts and Jinyoung looks at her.

“Did you have argument with Yerin?”, he finally asks.

“Quite obvious now, isn't it?”

She curses her shard tongue. He had just done her a favor.

“Don't worry, though”, she smiles sarcastically. “It's my fault, not Yerin's.”

“You should really stop with your inferiority complex”, he states calmly and Jimin can't help feeling like it's revenge for her snide remark.

“I'm just saying this”, he explains, “as a friend.”

“Now, that is something new.”