“I heard you need tutoring.” Minjeong stops just in front of Yu Jimin’s desk as the girl packs up her belongings. She’s half asleep and most of the class has already left for lunch.

Jimin snorts, “Alright, who snitched on me?"

“Our math teacher, Mr. Lee, said you’re too weak in the subject.” Minjeong details. “He spoke to the basketball coach and he agreed that you would have to pass the next exam in order to stay on the team.”

Jimin pouts, and Minjeong looks down on her, not amused at all.

“Why do you know so much about this?”

“Because I was so enlightened to be pulled out of my class to be told about this. I’m also ranked first, if you don’t know.”

Jimin looks up at her classmate, contemplating.

“What do you get out of this?”

“It looks good on my record and helps me study as well. Is that a good enough answer, Yu?”

“Perfect. When do we start?”

—

Yu Jimin and Kim Minjeong are two individuals you rarely see together. It’s a sight to see them interact, but it’s easy to deduce when the town you’re growing up in is the size of a mouse’s home. Everything is interlinked and everyone knows each other, especially in a religious town where everyone attends church regularly. Parents, their parents, grandchildren, and just about anyone they can rope in has to attend church.

As reluctant and flakey as Jimin is, she’s there occasionally. For being the black sheep of the family, Jimin rebels quite a lot and only disappoint’s her family, but they rather not voice it out and pass it around in passive tones. They would rather Jimin learn how to focus and stay still in sermons on her own accord instead of having to embarrass themselves in front of the townspeople and treat her like a toddler. Jimin is very different from the expected girl in this area. She is tall, she’s crass at times, masculine, messy, eccentric in her choice of paintings, and she uses her voice on issues. She also plays basketball, and luckily, their town is inclusive enough to allow a girl’s team, however slightly lacking in people.  

Kim Minjeong is the opposite.

She’s the poster child for purity and the typical girl next door. She doesn’t voice out her concerns; she goes accordingly with everything, does not act out, follows rules down to the tee and stays on top of her grades.

She won’t dare act out against her traditional family or the town, even if she shares her own quiet opinions.

In short, Minjeong is a nerd and Jimin is the jock.

—

“You have paint on your jacket.” Minjeong tells Jimin once the taller girl has located her in the library.

“What? Dang it…  coach is going to kill me.” Jimin whines, looking at the blotch of dried paint on her expensive team letterman jacket. 

“You can try getting it out with acetone.”

“Noted.”

And they get to studying.

Surprisingly, Minjeong finds that Jimin is fairly easy to work with. She attempts questions and asks questions when she isn’t sure about the solution, which Minjeong is glad to explain to her.

It’s not distracting, but Jimin can rarely stay still, which is why she takes up quite a lot of sports and active things. She’s sitting there with Minjeong in the quiet library after school and she can’t stop bouncing her leg and tapping her pen occasionally.

Minjeong hasn’t said anything yet, but Jimin can feel her eyes on her erratic movements.

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“...Fidgeting.” 

“I never said anything.”
“But you’re looking.”

“It’s…it’s a bit distracting.”

“Sorry.”

“You don’t have to be. I know you’d rather be on the court with a basketball right now.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Minjeong sends her a sharp look and Jimin smiles sheepishly.

“I think we’re good.” Minjeong closes her textbook up and arranges her papers into her binder folder.

“Really?” Jimin blinks.

“Yes.” Minjeong is curt. “Same time next week, okay?”
“Yup.” Jimin nods.

She spares a glance at the clock and sees that it’s a bit past dinner time.

“How are you getting home?”

Minjeong stares at her.

They don’t do that.

They don’t really do conversation outside of studying for math. Minjeong has only ever seen Jimin in passing at church and school. Conversations are not their thing and Minjeong finds that this is the exact moment Jimin begins to bridge the gap between them, unknowing to her, right under her nose.

“The bus," Minjeong tells her.

She’d usually catch a ride from her friends, but they’ve already left and she’s been staying behind to tutor Jimin. Her parents would be busy, probably only just getting back from work and Minjeong doesn’t want to disturb them. Her sister, Taeyeon, has only just gotten back from break in college and she doesn’t want to pester her tired older sister.

She decides on the town’s sketchy night bus—her only remaining choice.

“The bus?”

“Yes.”
“No way.” Jimin shakes her head.

“Why not?”

“Bus driver Tim’s a creep.”
“That’s an accusation.”

“And it’s true. He stares at girls for too long and his smile is too wide.”

“Right.”

“The bus also has no air conditioning, dusty seats, cracked windows, and I guess the whole vehicle is a growth spot for bacteria.” 

“Yu Jimin germaphobe? I never thought of it.” Minjeong smirks and Jimin rolls her eyes.

“Okay. I won’t take the bus. What do you suggest I do, then?”

“I’m going to take you home.”

“Fine.”
“After I shoot some hoops first, though..."

Minjeong sits patiently on the school bleachers at the inside basketball court, which is also their hall auditorium. She flicks through a novel she’s reading as she listens to the sounds of sneakers squeaking against the shiny hardwood court as Jimin runs laps, aiming the ball into the hoops, back and forth.

Minejong’s up to a part in her novel that calls for a feeling of heartbreak when a shadow looms over her.

“What are you reading?”

“A novel.”

“What’s it called?"
“Past lives.”
“Nice. Is it good?”
“Up until the point you interrupted me, yes.”
“Sorry.”

Minjeong places her bookmark on the last page she was reading and looks up at Jimin from under her long eyelashes.

Jimin blinks.

“Are you taking me home yet?”
“Have you ever played basketball?”
“No.”
“I’ll teach you.”

Minjeong doesn’t have time to process or even protest the sudden intrusion when Jimin wraps a hand around her wrist and drags her down to the court.

“Throw it.”

“I’m weak at throwing.”

“I’ll teach you properly. I just want to see you throw it first so I can correct your form.”
“You can’t laugh.”
“I won’t.”

“...”

The ball rolls across the court slowly after a terrible throw from Minjeong and the smaller girl blushes, feeling embarrassed at Jimin’s terrible attempt to hide her laugh.

“You can laugh.”
“I won’t.”

“You’re terrible at hiding it.”
“I have no idea what you’re on about. Now watch me.”

Jimin gets into position, standing a bit further from where Minjeong stood and lifts her arms in the air with the ball. One hand is near it’s base and one is near the top. She bends her knees slightly, her elbows bent near her sides and she shoots, pushing off the ground.

It goes straight into the netted hoop swiftly without making a sound.

“I see why you’re star player.”
“Thanks.” Jimin beams proudly, retrieving the ball.

Jimin stands behind Minjeong and Minjeong turns around to look at her, but Jimin nudges her forward.

“What are you doing?” 

“Look forward to the hoop.”
“Why?”
“I’m correcting your form.”

Jimin gently kicks apart Minjeong’s feet with her own and Minjeong follows. She hands Minjeong the ball and with her hands, she moves Minjeong’s arms by her side with her elbow bent and levelled with her gaze.

“Push off of your feet, like you’re jumping and land back on two feet. Push the ball with everything and look at the rectangle above the hoop. Aim there. Okay?”

“Okay.”

And Minjeong throws the ball.

It spins around the hoop and in a moment of silence, the ball stills and drops into the net.

Minjeong’s eyes widen and she spins around to look at Jimin, who’s wearing a bright smile.

“I did it!”

“You really did!”

Jimin and Minjeong share a victory together with boisterous laughter as they walk to the car park where Jimin’s car has been sitting for a while.

She drives Minjeong home and the car comes to a stop.

“Sorry for keeping you behind.”

“It’s alright. I had fun.”

“I’m glad. Thanks for tutoring me.”

“I have no other choice.”
“Ha-ha.”

“Sorry again.”

Minjeong unbuckles her seatbelt and turns to look at Jimin, one hand on the car door.

“You don’t have to keep saying sorry, you know that?”
“Sorry. It’s a bad habit of mine, I know.”
“You just did it again.”

“Sorry. Oh, crap.”

“You’re going to have to find something to replace that.”

“Hm.”

Jimin looks at her, a strange smile blooming across her lips and Minjeong feels conscious suddenly.

“Is there—”

“Pretty.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you you’re pretty instead of saying sorry.”

Minjeong blushes suddenly, not used to the odd sensation in her gut from Jimin’s actions.

“Shut up.”
“Pretty. I won’t.”
“I wish you were sorry.”
“Pretty.”

Jimin isn’t surprised if Minjeong slams the door a little harder.

She grins when Minjeong runs into her house without sparing a glance behind her.

“Why are you home so late?” Her father is sitting at the dinner table, the bible open on the table.

“I was tutoring at the library. Lost track of time.”
“Who was it? Did they drive you home?"
“Yu Jimin.”  

“Yu? Pastor Yu’s kid?”
“Mhm.”

“Hm. Head to bed. We’re getting up early to head to church.”

“Okay.”

—

Minejong doesn’t really sleep well or go to bed like her father told her to. She’s standing beside her family, wearing a simple cardigan and a nice cotton dress with her bangs clipped to the side. She’s barely staying awake for the mass, if not for her sister’s continuous nudging.

Something pulls down on the hem of her cardigan.

She looks over her shoulder and sees none other than Yu Jimin.

She seems to be standing alone and not near her family. Her father is holding the mass and her mother is in the front row. 

Jimin must have come in late. She’s wearing a leather jacket over a band shirt and baggy jean slacks. However unlady, Minjeong thinks it’s very Yu Jimin like.

Jimin grins and Minjeong turns away.

It’s safe to say that Jimin doesn’t stop pulling down on Minjeong’s cardigan until the mass is over.

The adults mingle around and Minjeong stands off in an unpopulated area, which calls for Jimin to approach her.

“Did you have fun annoying me?”

“I was delighted.”

Minjeong can’t help but smile slightly.

“Oh. You just smiled.”

“I did not.”
“It was pretty. Do it again.”
“Shut up.”
 

“Minjeong, Jimin!” Their parents beckon them over and they share a look.

Minjeong moves first and Jimin trails behind, hand still holding the hem of Minjeong’s cardigan.

Her father’s hand curls around her shoulder and Minjeong stands upright beside her sister. 

“I hear you’ve been tutoring my daughter, Minjeong.” The pastor smiles warmly and Minjeong nods politely.

“Yes, father. I have.”

“I’m glad. Thank you for raising such a lovely young daughter. She’ll be a good wife.”

Her parents smile and laugh politely. “Oh, such kind words, father. Thank you.”

Minjeong hides the urge to sigh and roll her eyes. She takes in a slow, deep breath and Jimin watches her.

“We’ll leave you kids to mingle around.”

Jimin walks outside with a bounce in her step and Minjeong looks around, finding no one she’d rather mingle with except for the idiot outside. She sighs, following along.

Jimin leans on the bench in front of the church and Minjeong takes a seat.

“Wanna know something, Kim Minjeong?”
“What?”
“One day, I’m going to get rich and become someone so cool and then I’ll be out of here for good.”

“I wish you well.”
“What about you? What are your aspirations?”
“To be a good daughter.”

Jimin frowns and takes a seat next to Minjeong.

“You can’t be serious.”

Minjeong shrugs, looking up at the blinding sky. She closes her eyes and leans back against the bench rest.

“What else can I do?”
“A lot, Minjeong. You’re young; you have your whole life ahead of you!”

“Sometimes it feels like my life starts and ends here.”

“That’s no good.”

Minjeong hums and Jimin clicks her tongue in thought.