Theme: School, Angst, Drama
Pairings: None  (Minkyung Centric)
Trigger Warning: Some Blood and Violence. Also, bullying is a subject delved on in this story. Read at your own risk.
Note: All additional names of people outside the Pledis Family are taken from the author's imagination. Any similarity to the real names of people/places are strictly coincidental

"Please... PLEASE... I'll do anything just... stop!" A male whimpered in pain, backing up at the wall of the campus alleyway.  Sunset streamed from the open gap of the two buildings and the rays shone down greatly at the highschool boy who was holding his cheeks in pain. Blood streamed down his nose as he pulled up his hands to defend himself from yet another punch, but to his dismay, a foot came down instead knocking off his defenses and going straight to his face, making him cry in pain. 

 

"This is how HE felt every time a filth like you forced lunch money out of him." A female voice spoke, and yet another swift kick made way to the whimpering boy's abdomen. He yelled in pain once again. The boy looked up to meet eyes with his assailant, only to find her glaring down at him with anger evident in her eyes. 

 

"Minky, I think he's had enough." Nayoung placed her hand on Minkyung's shoulder. The taller girl shrugged the hand off and turned at Nayoung with her foot still lodged against the boy's abdomen. 

 

"Nayoung-unnie, the kid he and his gang bullied was sent to the hospital to be treated. He suffered from a concussion, a broken rib and a broken arm. I think what I'm doing to this guy right now is mercy. He hasn't even broken anything yet." Minkyung raised a fist once again to beat the boy one more time.

 

"Kim Minkyung! Im Nayoung!" An authoritative female voice called. The taller of the two subjects groaned in annoyance as she ruffled her ash green hair. She clicked her tongue just as she snapped her head to turn towards the voice. Nayoung also turned her head, however, fear was more prevalent than annoyance.

 

It was Park Siyeon, the Student Council President of Pledis High. She held a clipboard on her left hand and the insignia of Pledis High's student council was placed on her right arm. 'Must be doing her patrol' Minkyung mused to herself.

 

Despite being a freshman, Siyeon is very well known around the campus as a diligent, intelligent and hardworking individual. These traits made the majority of the student body vote her as president despite her being just a freshman. 

 

Siyeon scrutinized the duo. Nayoung wore the complete Pledis uniform neatly and accurately. Complete with the white button up shirt, school jacket, black school shoes and black skirt, Nayoung was the epitome of a good, diligent student. She is also an honor student who got a load of medals each year at recognition day. If it weren't for Siyeon winning the Student Council election, she would have won the place.

 

Minkyung, on the other hand, was more on the rebellious side. Instead of a white button up shirt and school jacket, Minkyung opted to wear a colored shirt and a leather jacket, which she almost never takes off, over it. Her skirt is also shorter compared to Nayoung and instead of black school shoes, she wore pink converse shoes instead. The tall girl also wore makeup which was also against the school code. Despite all of her shortcomings, Minkyung was never reprimanded by her teachers, since she was quiet in class and generally minded her own business most of the time.

 

Siyeon also noticed how Nayoung and Minkyung stuck together like glue ever since they got into Pledis High. Nayoung was like an older sister to Minkyung, and she is also the only other person aside from Siyeon who could make Minkyung stop beating people up.

 

"Let the boy go." She directed the sentence to Minkyung, who was staring at her with an annoyed expression. The ash green haired girl took a glance at the whimpering boy, contemplating if she should let him go or not. When Nayoung elbowed her rib softly, she finally made the decision to stop and just let the boy go. With a huff, she lifted her foot off the student. 

 

Time and time again, Siyeon always reprimanded Minkyung of her misbehavior, but the taller girl could care any less and despite obeying her, she would see Minkyung beating up another person the following day. 

 

"Happy, pres?" She clicked her tongue when she caught the boy running away from them from her peripheral vision. 

 

Instead of replying, Siyeon wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Minkyung. 

 

'Detention.'

 

To Siyeon's dismay, Minkyung crumpled the piece of paper and dropped it on the floor, stepping on it. 

 

"What-"

 

"If there's someone who should be going to detention, it's the guy I was beating up."

 

"Really, now? You're trying to brush this off by just saying that?! You caused violence against him!"

 

"I was just doing what is needed to be done." Minkyung said calmly, crossing her arms.

 

"What the heck are you-"

 

Siyeon's sentence was cut off when Minkyung placed a hand on her head and patted it gently. 

 

"You'll understand one of these days, kid." 

 

The student council president widened her eyes in shock at the delinquent's sentence and her uncharacteristically soft voice as she said so.

 

"Wha-" She snapped her head to look at Minkyung and saw the taller girl look at her over her shoulder before walking away. Nayoung bowed apologetically at her before jogging her way to Minkyung. 

 

Siyeon was left contemplating the meaning behind Minkyung's words, the sunset beating down on her. 

 

'I'll understand one day? What the hell does that even mean?!'

 

With a frustrated sigh, Siyeon made her way back to the student council room.

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

 

"I swear, Kim Minkyung will be the death of me one day." Siyeon flopped down the office chair with a growl, slamming her clipboard and pen on the desk at the same time.

 

The other student council members, Jieqiong, Kyla, Sungyeon, Yewon and Eunwoo looked at their president sympathetically. In truth, all of them had tried to get Minkyung to stop what she's doing, but they all eventually gave up after numerous attempts. They admired Siyeon's perseverance, however. 

 

Jieqiong rounded the table and stood behind Siyeon, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. 

 

"Well, we can't do anything about that... we also tried to stop her, but it didn't seem to work. All we can do is just provide a percentage of our school funds for Infirmary needs." Jieqiong squeezed Siyeon's shoulders playfully.

 

"Bad joke, Jieqiong-unnie." The president sighed. She leaned against Jieqiong nonetheless. The older girl was  gentle and a fun person to be with. She always tries to lighten up the mood of the office whenever one of the student council members are down by cracking jokes or preparing tea or hot chocolate. 

 

She was like a mother to them.

 

"Jieqiong isn't wrong though. We tried everything we can. Maybe it's time you gave up, Siyeon-unnie." Kyla, the First Year representative, spoke.

 

"Yeah... you're just gonna end of stressing yourself over a situation we have no control in." Eunwoo mused as she picked her nails. 

 

"I don't want you to get in trouble, Siyeon-ah..." Yewon stated as well. Sungyeon just nodded and propped her head up on the heel of her palm.

All of their sentences made Siyeon think about stopping, but Minkyung's last sentence before leaving earlier really made her think otherwise.

"You'll understand one of these days, kid." 

~-~-~-~

"Minkyung, you really went overboard this time." Nayoung closed the door of her and Minkyung's shared room. The latter threw her things on the bed and sat on it, pulling off her jacket and shirt over her head, leaving her in her tank top and skirt. 

 

"I didn't even get to beat him out completely unnie. I don't know why the hell you're even stopping me. That boy beat up one of our schoolmates and said schoolmate landed in a hospital." Minkyung plucked her water bottle from her bag and twisted the cap off. 

 

Nayoung sighed. Her adoptive sister was as stubborn as ever. 

 

Nayoung and Minkyung were orphans and they were raised in an orphanage in Daegu. Minkyung was sent to the orphanage as an infant and grew up there while Nayoung went in at age 5. When the two were assigned at the same room, they instantly clicked, what with Nayoung's quiet nature and Minkyung's studious personality. As time went on, they grew inseparable. They treated each other as sisters. 

 

One day, a woman named Kahi came to the orphanage and immediately took a liking to 8 year old Minkyung and planned to adopt her. However, after seeing how close the two little girls were, she decided it would be best to adopt them both. Despite being their adoptive mother, Kahi decided to let the girls keep their last names and leave the decision to them whether they would want to get Kahi's last name in the future.

 

Kahi is a good mother to them, buying whatever they wanted (although Minkyung and Nayoung were very simple children) and were very suppprtive of them. When highschool came, Kahi sent her daughters to Seoul to study in the prestigious Pledis High School, claiming it to be her alma mater. Nayoung and Minkyung have been living in a dorm there for a year now along with two more new roommates. 

 

"I know where you're getting at Minkyung, but violence isn't the only answer to everything." Nayoung sat beside Minkyung on the younger girl's bed. "If you always think about what happened back at the orphanage-"

 

"I don't wanna talk about that." Minkyung stood up and threw her trash inside the bin. Nayoung sighed. Her little sister always avoided this conversation but she figures it would come sooner or later. Just as Nayoung was about to reply, the door of the room swung open, revealing two high school girls, one tall and one shorter, carrying loads of grocery bags and school materials.

 

"Hey, guys." The shorter one said, placing the bags on the counter and sending a small wave to the sisters. 

 

"Yooo. Sorry we got home just now. This little idiot's class ended late. Don't worry. I'll cook immediately." The taller one added. She sent a smile to Nayoung and Minkyung before disappearing into the kitchen. 

 

"Yah! I'm not short!"

 

"Hello to you too, Kang Yebin and Kang Kyungwon." Nayoung sighed exasperatedly before heading to the kitchen to make sure that the two Kangs won't set anything on fire. 

 

Kyungwon and Yebin are Minkyung and Nayoung's roommates. Like the latter pair, Kyungwon and Yebin are sisters as well. The four of them have been friends since their first year in high school. 

 

'Ugh... might as well take a shower first.' Minkyung stood up and snatched a towel from the closet. Before heading to the bathroom, she eyed her leather jacket sadly. 

 

'I wonder where you are, dad and mom.'

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

Two days have passed since the incident, and Minkyung was very much calm for the time, well, which didn’t last for a long time.
The bell rang, marking the end of classes for the day. The students dispersed one by one, but a certain ash green haired delinquent remained on seated, admiring the setting sun from her desk. Sunsets always had a calming effect to Minkyung. It was always during those moments that she actually reflected on what she had done for the past times.

 

Just this afternoon, Minkyung beat another boy up for almost hitting a girl in her class. Said girl was the boy's girlfriend. Minkyung really hated to interfere in lover's quarrels but she was more against the idea of seeing a girl about to be punched by her boyfriend. Just the memory of that made Minkyung sick. 

 

Minkyung clutched her prized leather jacket unconsciously.

 

"I never knew you had a moment of peace, Kim Minkyung." A familiar voice rang through the empty classroom, and Minkyung immediately knew who it was. 

 

"Hey, pres." She turned to Siyeon, who was once again holding a clipboard and a pen, staring down at her in amusement. At closer inspection, Minkyung saw the other student council members behind Siyeon. "And Hey to your Student Council battalion as well." She raised an eyebrow. The girls behind Siyeon glared at Minkyung. 

 

"What in the world do you want?" The delinquent asked with a bored tone. 

 

"I just wanted to talk." The president replied. 

 

"And what, give me another detention slip? Send me to the prefect because you're too tired of dealing with my already? Reprimand me for delivering justice?" Minkyung spat. 

 

"Justice? You call THIS-" Siyeon slammed three incident reports on Minkyung's desk. "JUSTICE?!" 

 

Minkyung turned her gaze to the papers. 

 

Incident report short summary. (May 13th)

A student named Jaein was sent to the infirmary for suffering a blow to the abdomen. 

 

Incident report short summary. (May 14th)

Lim Gayoung was found crying on the locker room holding her damaged foundation powder to her chest. Her hair was also disheveled as if it had been pulled out in a cat fight.

 

Incident report short summary. (May 19th)

Lee Yon-goon came to the infirmary with a split lip and twisted ankle. 

 

Incident report short summary. (May 28th - MOST RECENT REPORT)

Kim Dan came to the infirmary with a broken nose, bruised abdomen and a concussion. 

For more details of the aforementioned incidents, please read further.

 

Minkyung frowned after reading the reports, turning to look at the student council members again. 

 

"I'm assuming it's my fault again?"

 

"Of course. Why in the world would we be approaching you if it wasn't?" Jieqiong spoke, successfully gaining a stare from Minkyung. The taller girl glared, but Jieqiong remained unfazed by this, leveling it with her own glare. 

 

"Jaein pulled a prank on one of my classmates by pouring chocolate all over him. Said classmate has an allergy to chocolate and was attacked by the allergies. He had to take a lot of antihistamine to get better" Minkyung lifted the paper up and stood. 

 

"Lim Gayoung bullied another girl by bodyshaming her and calling her ugly. Said girl developed anorexia and didn't go to school for days. She needed to see a psychiatrist thereafter." She lifted another paper. 

 

"Lee Yon-goon tripped a girl down the stairs, leaving her with a concussion and a sprain that would've been a fracture had her fall had more impact." Minkyung stepped towards the student council members. 

 

"And Kim Dan?" Minkyung's voice cracked and was about to cry, but she held back her tears and bit her lip before saying "He bullied a boy every single day to get lunch money from him. When one day he wasn't given said lunch money, he beat the poor guy up until he was incapable of even moving a muscle! He was sent to the hospital, Pres! HE WAS SENT TO THE HOSPITAL, SO PRAY TELL, WHAT IS WRONG WITH FEEDING THESE PEOPLE-" She threw the papers down and stepped on them. "-THE JUSTICE THEY DESERVE?!" 

 

Siyeon and the members momentarily lost their composure, staring blankly at the fuming tall girl whose hands were clenched so hard they suspected it might have bled already. Sungyeon, who was the first to recover from shock, stepped forward and came face to face with the 'delinquent', not minding their height difference.

 

"Unnie, I understand where you're coming from. These people in the incident reports have done wrong to innocent people. They've hurt them. You believe that what you're doing is serving them the justice they deserve, but don't you think you're just getting revenge on behalf of their victims?" Sungyeon stated as she held her gaze with Minkyung. 

 

“Yeah, and moreover, what if some time in the future those people seek revenge towards you? What would you do then?” Jieqiong added. 

 

Minkyung absorbed every word the girls said. Justice. Revenge. Since when had Minkyung last distinguished the difference between the two words? She sat down and  slouched against her seat and the room was suddenly blanketed with silence. Sungyeon and the other girls lectured her many times and she usually just ignored it, but this time, what she said shot straight to her heart and soul. Yes, Jieqiong also had a point. It isn’t too far to think that sometime in the future, the bullies would come back and seek revenge against her for ruining their faces, but at the back of Minkyung’s mind, she felt that she wouldn’t have any regrets knowing that she fought for those bullies’ victims.

 

The student council members looked at her with sympathy. They didn't see the delinquent in her as of the moment. What they saw was a girl with many pains and secrets. With what, they did not know as of yet, but something in them wanted to befriend the girl and tell her not to worry. Hug her and tell her everything was okay.

 

Siyeon was about to speak when the delinquent spoke instead. 

 

"I know you may be thinking that I should've told a teacher, but God..." She buried her face in her hands "Let me tell you. I tried. Several times. I really tried, but all the teachers and prefect said was I should have concrete evidence and they just got back to their own business afterwards. The victims didn't say a word to back me up. They were too scared to stand up and be brave enough to tell authorities. Heck, maybe those s even threatened them about it." 

 

The other girls remained silent, listening to Minkyung's confession. 

 

"They were crap, so I decided to take matters in my own hands and fight off the bullies myself. That way, they will learn their lesson and wouldn't be able to do it again." Minkyung wiped the tears forming in her eyes, which shocked the girls, not expecting this to happen.

 

"Minkyung-unnie…” Siyeon placed a hand on Minkyung's shoulder to comfort. She wasn't that good with words. Siyeon never was. 

 

Minkyung looked up at the younger girl and smiled. She did the same with the rest of the council.

 

"You know, they had a point." Minkyung pointed at Sungyeon and Jieqiong. "Don't worry." Minkyung stood from her chair and patted Sungyeon and Siyeon's heads. "I won't trouble the council any further. I won't beat anyone else anymore. You have my word."

 

After sending the girls a small sad smile, Minkyung left the classroom, leaving the student council members dumbfounded. Their emotions were stuck in between relief and guilt. 

 

Especially Siyeon. 

 

The younger girl now realized the meaning behind Minkyung's words that one time.

 

"You'll understand one of these days, kid." 

 

Tears started to prick the corners of her eyes.

 

She understood. She finally understood. 

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

 

Minkyung repositioned her bag on her shoulder as she checked her texts. 

 

Nayoung-unnie 
Sent: 4:28 PM

Go home without me. I'll have some errands I need to run. 

 

She sighed and pocketed her phone, proceeding to walk again.  Minkyung walked alongside her thoughts, the words Sungyeon said earlier reverberating in her head. 

 

Just as she was about to walk further, a voice made her stop in her tracks. 

 

"Hey, Kim Minkyung." The mentioned girl looked up and widened her eyes. 

 

"Jaein, Lim Gayoung, Lee Yon-goon... Kim Dan." Her gaze flitted at the four people in front of her. All of them sported the injuries she inflicted on them, no doubt. There was something different, however, in the way they looked at her. Their once fearful expressions replaced with a scheming one.

 

"An eye for an eye, Kim Minkyung." Kim Dan brandished a knife. 

 

An additional group appeared alongside the mentioned people, and for the first time in a while, Minkyung felt scared. 

 

However, she shoved down her fear and let her bag fall to the floor as she clenched her fists. 

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

 

Siyeon finished arranging the student council documents and was now about to go home. The other girls sighed in relief. When Siyeon sets down the documents, they all take it as a cue to go home. 

 

"Hey, Pres." Eunwoo called Siyeon. The younger girl turned towards the girl's direction and made a gesture signalling her to continue. Eunwoo looked pensive and it's not a good sign. 

 

The girl handed Siyeon the phone and made her read the text. 

Kyungwon 
Sent: 6:56 PM

Hey, can we use the infirmary for a bit? Please unlock it? We have a situation. Our friend needs a little patching up. Just for a short while. We’ll take her to a hospital afterwards. 

 

“Kyungwon’s my friend from another school. Please pres, can we let them use the-“

 

Siyeon immediately raced to the key cabinet without second thought and pulled out the key, dashing out with the other members of her council. 

 

She felt something is not right. 

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

 

"Goddammit, Kim Minkyung. You have to stay awake." Yebin hissed as she repositioned the tall girl on her shoulder. Kyungwon also held Minkyung from the other side to support her. 

 

Minkyung felt dizzy and lethargic. Blood dripped down her forehead combining with sweat. Her cheek and right eye  was also swollen from the impact of the hit. Thank God none of her limbs were broken. 

 

~-~-~-~-
 

 

Flashback:

“Shut up. Don’t act like you know how to cook, Yebin. You almost burned down the house by leaving the gas stove open one time.”

 

“You’re one to speak, unnie! As if you’re a perfect chef yourself” Yebin scoffed at her sister. 

 

Kyungwon and Yebin were going home (and bickering along the way) from the convenience store near Pledis High when they heard a commotion from the alleyway. 

 

“What the hell is that?” 

 

“I dunno. Let’s check it out. Someone might be in trouble.” 

 

The sisters walked sneakily to the alleyway, nervousness creeping up their spine. When they reached the alley, they took a peek at the commotion. At closer observation, they saw a familiar color of ash green hair stand out amidst all of the people, moving in a blur as she fought off the people, both girls and boys who were throwing punches and blows left and right. 

 

“Hey, isn’t that… Minkyung?!” Yebin exclaimed, making Kyungwon widen her eyes when the group turned their gaze on her and Yebin, groaning in annoyance at their interrupted beat up.

 

“Yeb, call the police. I’ll help Minkyung beat these s up.” Kyungwon gave Yebin the grocery bags and cracked her knuckles as some of the girls and boys went to her to give her a beating. 

 

 

~-~-~-~-

 

 

Siyeon and Eunwoo stood by the gate as they waited for Kyungwon to arrive. The other members of the council were all currently at the infirmary preparing everything needed. The nurse, unfortunately, had gone home earlier than expected, leaving the council to be in charge of everything. 

 

“When are they arriving, Eunwoo?” Siyeon crossed her arms in front of her chest as she gazed at her Secretary. Despite the calm expression on Siyeon’s face, she was deeply troubled inside. 

 

“Actually, there they are!” Eunwoo pointed in the distance, and Siyeon’s gaze immediately followed where Eunwoo was pointing. Her eyes widened at the sight. The gruesome sight. Eunwoo’s face also visibly fell.

 

“Oh my God…” 

 

It was Kim Minkyung. The tall girl had a bleeding forehead, a split lip, swollen cheek and definitely a concussion. The worst thing was the girl’s swollen right eye that isn’t even open anymore. Her head was lolled against Kyungwon’s shoulder as she was dragged by the Kang sisters.

Minkyung was in a nearly unconscious state and that made both Eunwoo and Siyeon’s hearts clench. 

 

Snapping out of their stupor, the two girls immediately ran to the two Kangs’ aid and helped them carry Minkyung to the infirmary. 

 

“What happened to her?” Siyeon asked frantically, and she was a hundred percent sure she felt her voice break. 

 

“Got beaten up by a bunch of freaks from this school. Yeb called the police. They’re under control now so don’t worry about them. We have this big baby to take care of.” Despite the joking tone in Kyungwon’s voice, it was obvious that she was really concerned for her friend. At closer inspection, Siyeon saw a scratch on Kyungwon’s cheek and a bruise at the corner of her lips. 

 

“You helped her?” Eunwoo asked.

 

“Of course. I couldn’t leave this idiot alone. She doesn’t deserve it. We’ve been friends for years, and she saved me a couple of times from burning our dorm down.” Kyungwon laughed slightly, remembering the times the taller girl prevented the dorm from burning via fire extinguisher. 

“Let’s get her inside.”

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

 

Once Minkyung, Siyeon, Yebin, Eunwoo and Kyungwon made it inside, the student council members gasped in shock at the girl’s state. They lay the tall girl down the infirmary’s gurney, and Minkyung grunted in pain as soon as her back came in contact with the surface. She tried opening her eyes, but succeeded doing so with only one eye. 

 

Yewon and Kyla, who had been part of the school’s medical team for quite a while, rushed to get some first aid to patch Minkyung up. 

 

“Ugh… Wha…?” Minkyung groaned. Her left eye scanning the room. It was all white and she could barely move her eyelids, deeming it very heavy to do so. 

 

“Don’t move, idiot!” She heard someone hiss beside her. Stubborn as she was, Minkyung still turned her head to the side to look at the person who reprimanded her. It was Siyeon. 

 

“Hey, kid.” She weakly mused with a slight smile. “I didn’t start the fight this time.” 

 

“I know. Kyungwon-ssi and Yebin-ssi told us.” 

 

Minkyung smiled at the mention of her friends. She wondered what would have become of her right now had her friends not saved her from the dire situation

she was put in. 

 

‘I might as well be done for’

 

Yewon and Kyla started to treat Minkyung’s injuries, being gentle as possible to prevent Minkyung from getting hurt, but that didn’t mean Minkyung was okay. She squirmed and hissed all the while, and the two girls could only apologize to her. 

 

“WHERE’S MINKYUNG?!” The occupants of the infirmary were all startled when someone barged in and yelled. It was Nayoung. The tall girl burst inside and looked around frantically for her sister, and when her gaze landed on Minkyung and went to her side of the bed, her knees buckled and gave out, tears pouring out of her eyes.

 

“Oh my God, Minky… I’m so sorry… I left my phone in my bag and just got to check it five minutes ago…” Nayoung cried, holding her sister’s hand as she sobbed. Siyeon stood up to leave the two sisters to talk. 

 

“I’m fine, unnie. I’m fine…” Minkyung caressed Nayoung’s hand with her thumb to comfort the older girl. 

 

“Unnies, the ambulance is here.”

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

The 9 girls sat on the chairs by the hallway, waiting for Minkyung’s operation and checkup to finish. The doctor said she needed to have a few stitches on the head and a lot of bed rest. They would also need to run a few tests before they let her out, it seemed.

 

Kyla, Yewon, Sungyeon and the two Kangs seemed to be getting along well, although their personalities clashed, the younger girls found the two unnies funny and refreshing to be with. Eunwoo, Nayoung, Jieqiong and Siyeon were at one side engaged in small chatter and getting to know each other. 

 

“You know, Minkyung and I are orphans.” Nayoung said, sadness lacing her voice. 

 

The 3 girls around her looked at her in shock. They didn’t expect Nayoung, the perfect, diligent, honor student to say this. Nayoung took the silence as a signal to continue, and so she did. 

 

“When I was 5, I was sent into the orphanage when my parents went missing. Minkyung was already there since she was an infant. We were placed in one room together so we clicked instantly. She has always been someone to just keep things to herself, and I was similar. We were like sisters.”

 

Siyeon knew there was more to this story, but instead of butting in and asking, she let Nayoung weave the tale at her own pace. 

 

“Minkyung was always bullied when we were kids. They called her parent-less and unloved… So Minkyung let them. She ignored them, but one day, someone took her leather jacket and threw it in the bin. She snapped. She beat them up since the authorities just ignored her cries for help. Ever since then, she used her fists to defend others and also herself from the bullies.” Nayoung choked up at the memory of her younger sister getting bullied. Jieqiong moved to rub Nayoung’s arm to calm her down. She was successful. 

 

“The leather jacket she always wears belonged to her father… I don’t know much, but the woman who took care of us in the orphanage told me that Minkyung’s parents were very young when they gave Minkyung to her. She was wrapped in the leather jacket, her dad’s only prized possession. Up until now, Minkyung still searches for him.” Nayoung finished her story. Siyeon, Jieqiong and Eunwoo wiped away the tears from their eyes, feeling sorry for the person they called a delinquent. 

 

“I never knew she had that tough life…” Jieqiong sobbed. 

 

“I shouldn’t have been too hard on her.” Siyeon sniffled. Nayoung smiled sadly as she drew all three girls to her embrace to calm them down.

 

‘Minkyung-ah. You will have more people who will have your back. Always.’

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

 

After a few hours, a doctor emerged from the room to notify them of Minkyung’s condition. The girls immediately stood up and approached the doctor, an expectant look in their eyes.

 

“Your friend is fine.” The man smiled, pulling off his mask. “She suffered a concussion and we successfully stitched her head. Luckily, there were no organ damages or bone fractures. Your friend is safe. Alive and kicking. She may be able to go home tomorrow.” The girls sighed in relief, especially Nayoung, who was the most worried out of all of them. 

“Can we see her?” Nayoung asked. 

 

“Yes. However, only two at a time, okay? I don’t think she couldn’t handle a crowd of people all at once.” The doctor laughed softly along with the girls. 

 

“Nayoung-unnie and Siyeonie should go first.” 

 

The two mentioned girls had no objections and just pushed the doors to the room. 

 

Minkyung lay there, head wrapped in a bandage and right eye covered with gauze. She seemed to be awake already. Nayoung and Siyeon approached the bed and sat on each side. Minkyung smiled at the two. 

 

“Hello.” She mustered, her voice weak but nonetheless relieved. 

 

“Hello to you, sister. I’m glad you’re safe already.” Nayoung smiled, doing a small fist bump with Minkyung. The sisters laughed softly.

 

Siyeon, however, just had her gaze directed to the floor, a guilty expression on her face. 

 

“Hey, pres.” 

 

“Uh, Yes?” Siyeon snapped her gaze to the injured girl. Her eyes widened when she saw Minkyung looking at her with a small smile. 

 

“I’m okay, kid. You don’t need to be worried.” 

 

“No… it’s not that.” Siyeon sighed, furrowing her eyebrows. “I treated you bad and said some horrible things to you earlier… I’m really sorry, Minkyung-unnie…” Minkyung’s eyes widened a fraction at what Siyeon called her since the younger girl never called her ‘Unnie’ before. 

 

“It’s okay, kid. In fact, I should be thanking you. You and your student council friends made me realize the wrong in what I did...”

 

“No, unnie!” Siyeon protested, bolting up her seat and looking directly at the older girl.  “What you did wasn’t wrong! It was-“  

 

“Justice. Yeah… So I guess Nayoung-unnie told you, huh?” 

 

“Y-yeah…” Siyeon said. 

 

“I’ll just head out for a bit, Minky.” Nayoung stood up from her position and headed out the door to leave the two girls to sort out their differences.

 

“Hmmm… until what part did she tell you?” 

 

“She told us that the leather jacket you always wear was given to you by your father.” 

 

“Ah… that.” Minkyung chuckled softly. “Yeah, it was given to me by my dad. I’ve had it with me ever since I was a baby.” Minkyung smiled sadly. 

 

“When I was about to leave the orphanage with Nayoung-unnie to get adopted, the woman gave me a letter from my father… Minkyung dug into her jacket’s pocket for a letter and gave it to Siyeon. The younger girl stared at her for a good second as if to ask permission, and Minkyung nodded. 

 

Siyeon flipped the letter open. The paper was yellowing, showing its age. She started to read.

 

‘Dear Kim Minkyung,

    If you are reading this letter, I know that you are now going to be adopted. I couldn’t be more happy that you have found a family capable of taking care of you…

    Minkyung, honey, I know that you may be angry at me or even hate me, heck you could even cast a curse on me and I’d let you… but I want you to know that I did this all to protect you… I am young. Your mother and I are so young, Minkyung. We are only 19 years old when we had you… What can a 19 year old do for a baby? Much less a delinquent, parentless man for that matter? I cannot take care of you when I’m broken… Your mother… she loved you so so much, Minkyung, but she… she’s gone. I was left to take care of you in her stead, but I can’t… I just can’t. 

    I cannot subject you to a life that I know would just destroy you… I quit being a gangster for you, but they are still after me… I don’t want you to be hurt, so I let you go… 

    I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there to hold you when you cry, I am so sorry that I cannot be there to drive your nightmares away, to teach you to ride a bike or fly a kite… I’m sorry I cannot be there to attend your graduation and cheer you on. 

    I’m so sorry I cannot be the father that you deserve. 

    The only thing I can give you is this jacket… Kim Minkyung. This is my favorite item, I hope you’d be able to wear it when you grow up. 

    I love you so much, Minkyung. Daddy Loves you so much that I let you go. Have a good life. Live it to the fullest and fight for justice. Be your own hero.

                                Your father, Kim Minseo. 

 

After reading the letter, Siyeon started to cry, shoulders shaking uncontrollably and breath shortened because of her sniffles. The letter broke Siyeon’s heart into a million pieces. She cried and cried. Cried because of her sympathy for Minkyung, cried because of sadness. Minkyung reached out to caress the girl’s hand comfortingly. After reading it, Siyeon realized that Minkyung shared her love of justice with her father.

 

When Siyeon was done sobbing, she turned to the girl once more, staring her in the eyes. 

 

“Why did you show me this?” She asked, unminding of her nasal voice. 

 

“Well… you remind me so much of myself.” Minkyung smiled at Siyeon. “That sense of justice you have in you… I see my younger self in you... Before I started beating people up, I always kept tabs of the bullies in the orphanage and always ALWAYS told the authorities, but they didn’t seem to give a damn.”

 

Siyeon’s eyes widened. She never expected to be a reflection of Minkyung’s past self. She was shocked, to say at the least. Minkyung just sent a small smile when she saw the girl’s expression. 

 

“You know you can always talk to us when you have problems…” The President placed a hand on top of Minkyung’s. “We can be your friends.” She smiled sincerely.

 

“Friends, huh? I would love that. Thank you, kid.” Minkyung ruffled her “new friend’s” hair.

 

Not long after, their friends barged inside the room, uncaring about the “by two’s policy” the doctor gave them.

 

The girls bombarded Minkyung with lots of questions and “I’m glad your safe’s” as they gathered around the girl’s bed. 

 

Nayoung, Yebin and Kyungwon stood at the corner of the room overlooking their roommate who was flocked with new friends.

 

Nayoung couldn’t be even prouder of her sister. 

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

 

Two days have passed since the incident, and Nayoung and Minkyung sat at the dining room of their home in Daegu along with Kahi. 

 

When Minkyung and Nayoung stumbled upon their house, Kahi almost had a heart attack because of Minkyung’s battered state, but despite this, Kahi pulled the both of them in a tight hug. Minkyung then started to tell the tale of how she got the injuries. Not able to find any bad side in Minkyung’s reasoning, she hugged her younger daughter close.

 

“Minkyung, the next time you pull a dangerous incident like that again, I will personally add another punch on your face.” Kahi said before stuffing with a mouthful of  rice. 

 

“Oh please, mom. I made a promise to my friends that I would never do that again. Besides, one of my friends are planning to have an anti-bullying policy in our campus already, so I wouldn’t have to risk my blood and sweat again for that” Minkyung smirked at the thought of her student council friends setting up the said policy. They haven’t even been friends for a week and they already thought of having the campaign already. 

 

“I’m glad you finally made friends, Minkyungie. I remember the time when the only one you would talk to is your Nayoung unnie there. You’ve come a long way, sweetie. I am so proud of you.” Kahi smiled at Minkyung.

 

“Thanks, mom.” Minkyung smiled at her mother.

 

The family then engaged in small chatter around the dining table.

 

 

~-~-~-~

 

Back at the student council room, the members were all working on the Anti-Bullying policy they thought of after Minkyung’s incident. Everyone was quiet and the AC and occasional scratches of pen against paper were the only things that can be heard in the room. 

 

“ACHOO!” All the student council members sneezed at the same time. They stared at each other in horror. 

 

“That was creepy” Jieqiong mused. 

 

 

~-~-~-~-~

 

When Minkyung stated her love for justice that one day, there are is one thing that the student council members realized, especially the President.

 

Minkyung was once a villain, but not the type you usually see in fairy tale books.  It went beyond that. Minkyung was a hero. 

 
A/N:

It’s been a long time since I last wrote a story, so I hope you didn’t find the ending a little too rushed. I’m still adjusting again in writing lol. 

Anyway, this story popped up in my mind after watching the Get It MV several times yesterday. The MV gave off a bad girl vibe and I really think Minky suited the concept really well.  Then suddenly, I thought of delinquent Minky and came up with this. Also, stream Get It if you haven’t yet! Pristin V deserves all the love ^_^

Additional note:
The quote “Be your own hero” came from Supergirl, one of my favorite series. I really loved the quote and I thought it would suit well with the story.

Til next time, readers!! RikaHiraga out!