We were summoned to the hotel canteen soon after my heart was attacked by the sight of Chaeyoung’s bare shoulders, which thankfully distracted me from having a nose bleed.

My nose bleed-fits were incredibly hard to stop and if the trigger was Chaeyoungie’s bold appearance, I’m certain that I would’ve died from excessive blood loss.

 

I guess it wasn’t my time to go yet.

More time on Earth for me to fangirl about my little tiger then.

 

I was surprised that she actually chose to eat with me, since her stomach had been bombarded with sweets merely a few hours ago.

We eventually finished dinner in peace and decided to go for a walk.

The weather was perfect for a stroll, and the scenery surrounding our hotel was incredible to look at.

I felt blessed to have this opportunity to go on this trip, especially with Chaeyoungie.

 

While we were casually walking around in the peaceful silence, we found someone making her way over towards us.

She seemed a bit… intimidating. But I had nothing to fear.

I had my tiger by my side.

 

Surprisingly, the girl had her attention on me.

“Myoui Mina, can I speak with you for a moment?” she asked, somewhat baffling me from the unexpectedness.

Those words were very familiar to my ears, yet I didn’t expect to hear them during the trip.

 

I really hope it’s not what I think it is.

I thought this gave me the opportunity to take a break from my usual school life.

 

I saw Chaeyoungie reflecting the same expression as my own, but she simply looked back at me without a word, leaving me to decide on my approach alone.

“Yes?” I answered, but she revealed that wanted some privacy for the conversation.

I snuck a panicked-glance towards my crush, who merely shrugged from the student’s request.

I ultimately complied, hoping that it would help get things over with as soon as possible.

 

All I wanted was to spend as much time as I could with my tiger.

I did’t need anything or anyone else.

 

I followed behind the girl quietly, who led us onto the top of the cliff.

The view was still pretty, but I sensed a wave of uneasiness due to the awkward atmosphere.

I had no idea why she chose this location, and why her eyes were expressing coldness.

 

I was almost certain that she wasn’t an admirer of mine, but I really hoped that I was wrong for once.

It would be even more nerve-wracking to be alone with someone who dislikes you, and I wasn’t prepared for my death yet.

This wasn’t the way I’d like to go.

I’d rather die of blood loss caused by Chaeyoungie.

 

“Myoui Mina… the talk of the town.” she finally spoke up after the two of us had simply stood there in complete silence for almost a full minute. “You’re incredible, huh.”

“Y-Yes?” was all I could choke out.

 

The uncomfortableness made me struggle with my speech, and the new look of her eyes really didn’t help.

She was definitely someone who would poison my drink behind my back.

I gulped as I saw her open again.

 

“Look, I won’t waste your time. I’ll get straight to my point.” she huffed while fiddling with her long fingernails.

“When are you going to stop being an attention wh*re?”

 

I felt my heart skipping a beat from anxiety.

Was that how some people viewed me?

As a notorious transfer student who enjoys hogging up everyone else’s attention?

 

The new thought of how others may have perceived me made my legs grow weak from self-consciousness.

I really disliked being misunderstood, especially in such a negative manner.

 

I forced myself to give her any sort of reply.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Of course you don’t, you stupid foreigner.”

 

My eyes watered slightly.

Why was this happening?

 

“Have I done something to upset you?” I asked, wanting to figure things out, “I apologise for my ignorance, but I really can’t recall doing anything to upset anyone.”

 

It was really hard not to falter before such a fierce-looking person.

I watched as the girl roll her eyes in annoyance from my words.

She seemed to really, really despise me.

 

“Your existence itself is an annoyance, Myoui.” she snapped at me more directly now. “Thanks to your (BEEP)ing looks, which is the only thing people love you for, you snatched away one of my girl’s love interest. Of course, being the great friend that I am, I ain’t gonna let you go easily for that.”

 

Oh.

So that was the issue.

 

I knew I shouldn’t be guilt-ridden for something like that, yet I still was.

My existence subconsciously became a hindrance to who knows how many people.

 

The worst realisation was that it was something out of my control.

I’ve never meant to meddle with anyone else’s love life, nor would I ever purposely seduce someone else’s romantic interest.

All this time I had my heart focused solely on a single person, and based on what I’ve experienced myself, her friend’s crush shouldn’t be the one I was talking about.

 

Chaeyoungie was the type who gets flustered easily from being teased, but I highly doubt that she had any feelings for me.

I’ve honestly tried many times to seduce her with my penguin-charms, but none of my attempts have succeeded so far.

All her reactions were the same: she’d blush furiously before pretending it never happened, and continues on with whatever she was doing prior.

 

It was pretty frustrating to be unable to get her to understand my earnest feelings, yet I had decided to settle with whatever I already have.

I told myself to be content with our current relationship despite wanting more, since I should be grateful.

To be able to have her in my life and to spend our remaining high school days together, I’m already blessed.

As long as we remain best friends and she’d still accept my affection, I shouldn’t have much to complain.

 

 

The girl’s sudden movement snapped me out from my thoughts.

I found myself automatically moving backwards as she began approaching closer towards me.

I sensed danger from the smirk on her face.

 

“I came up with a simple solution, Myoui Mina.” she exclaimed as we ended at the edge of the cliff.

My heartbeat pounded violently within my chest.

I felt so hopeless, and all I wanted to do was scream for help. To scream for Chaeyoungie.

 

 

“You’ll be nothing without that face of yours, so why don’t I just (BEEP) it up?”

 

 

As soon as I heard that phrase, I felt myself being violently pushed backwards.

I immediately closed both of my eyes tightly and braced for whatever that was coming my way-

Though what I had imagined didn’t occur.

 

Instead of free falling down the cliff I felt my arm getting tugged hastily, and before I knew it I had returned safely back to my original spot.

I lifted my head up, only to feel my heart crash straight down to my stomach.

 

Right in front of my eyes, Chaeyoung had flung herself down the cliff after pulling me to safety.

Before I could even reach an arm out, she was gone.

 

“CHAEYOUNG-AH!!!” I shrieked on top of my lungs. It was the first time in my 18 years of life that I had been so loud.

I found my whole body frozen in shock, my head thumping from trying to process everything that had happened within the past few seconds.

It was due to the sound of the girl’s cries that brought me back to reality.

 

“W-What have I done?!” I saw her crash onto the ground, trembling. “I-”

“Go get the teachers, I’ll call 119!” I cut her off after finally returning back to my senses, dragging her back up onto her feet.

 

Every second mattered now.

 

We both sprinted for our lives, eventually separating our paths.

I had my phone placed next to my ear as I spotted the sight of an unconscious Chaeyoungie at the bottom of the cliff.

I forced myself to run until I was by her side, completely out of air.

 

Kneeling myself down beside her, I placed a hand in front of her face to check if she was still breathing.

My own breath trembled as I let out a relieved sigh, while my call got picked up a second later.

 

“119, what’s your emergency?”

“M-My friend has fallen from a cliff.” I tried to answer as calmly as I could. I quickly stated the location of our hotel and gave them my phone number.

My whole body shook as I observed her body for any injuries while the dispatcher noted down the information.

“An ambulance is on its way over. Please don’t move the body and answer the following questions. How old is the injured?”

“She’s 18 years old…”

“Are they conscious?”

“N-No, but she’s breathing. I can’t tell whether she has broken anything but she has a few scratches on her arms and face…”

“Okay ma’am. Please remain by their side until help arrives, and remember not to move the body. Our medical staff will stabilise it and proceed with the treatment upon further inspections.”

“Understood, t-thank you.”

 

As my phone call ended, the girl came back with two of our teachers.

She also knelt down onto the ground beside us, still weeping from guilt and fear.

I found myself comforting her despite the fact that she was the one who caused the accident.

How was I supposed to scold a person who was showing extreme remorse?

 

Thankfully we didn’t have to wait for long before the ambulance arrived.

My homeroom teacher allowed me to accompany him to the hospital since I was one of the witnesses and also Chaeyoungie’s closest friend. Everyone else including the weeping girl, stayed behind.

I didn’t know what was going to happen to her or the rest of their field trip, but all I want to focus on was my injured cub.

 

 

After arriving at the hospital, we waited outside of the emergency room while the doctors worked on Chaeyoungie’s injuries.

I wept actual tears of joy when the doctor informed us that she had only sustained minor injuries other than a single broken bone.

He reassured that she would be fine as long as she rests her arm well, and gave us the option to move her back home instead of spending the night at the hospital.

 

We managed to contact Chaeyoungie’s mother who ultimately chose to have her daughter rest in their own house, since she mentioned how Chaeyoungie would have difficulties with resting outside.

Her mother came to pick her up soon after, and I found myself sighing in relief once more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… But how on Earth did I end up here?

 

I must’ve been really out of it from the shock, since I found myself inside Chaeyoungie’s bedroom before I could even realise it.

Her mother was seated beside me on a wooden chair which she had brought in herself, as she let me sit on Chaeyoungie’s while we both accompanied her.

She was now resting peacefully in her own bed.

 

Mrs. Son was observing me curiously as we simply sat there in silence, and my heart was about to burst out of my chest from being so nervous.

I had never thought of meeting her family like this, and I was pretty flustered about the situation.

I was too concerned about Chaeyoungie to worry about making a good first impression to her parents-

 

Uh oh.

 

W-What if they dislike me?!

Did I already show a bad side of myself without realising?!

Have I done something stupid?!

I’m  S C R E A M I N G-

 

“Are you the new transfer student in Chaeyoung’s class?” the woman suddenly broke the silence, resulting me to flinch in my seat.

I timidly answered ‘yes’, embarrassed from my own skittishness. “My name is Myoui Mina. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Son.”

“Aww, aren’t you a precious one!” the lady surprised me by pinching my cheek as if I was her own daughter. “How I wish Chaeyoung had your manners. You’re so proper and polite!”

“T-Thank you, ma’am.” I gave her a shy smile.

 

I was expecting for her to be in a solemn mood due to what had happened to her daughter, yet she seemed undisturbed about it and instead I was the one going crazy.

How was she capable of remaining so calm?

 

“Our Chaeyoung has always been a crazy one, this rascal.” Mrs. Son pointed with her chin, subconsciously answering my previous question, “Always getting herself in trouble or hurt. Her behaviour got worse when she entered high school, but she seemed to have improved after you joined her class.”

“R-Really?” I couldn’t help but stammer from what I just heard.

“Yup, I’ve heard a lot about you, Mina-yang. She mentions your name at least twice a day.” she chuckled light-heartedly. “I’ve never seen my kid so interesting in another person. You must be a special one.”

 

I felt my cheeks burn up as I caught her wriggling her eyebrows teasingly, but I also felt thankful.

I would’ve never known that piece of information if it wasn’t for her.

Thank you for exposing your own daughter, Mrs. Son.

 

We proceeded to have a casual chat, and after a while Chaeyoungie’s mother got up from her seat as she let out a tired yawn.

“It’s quite late, so I’m going to crash before I regret it in the morning. Would you like a ride home, or are you planning to return to the hotel?” she asked after glancing at the clock.

 

“Um…” I hesitated to express my true thoughts, yet I was determined to do so; I’ve promised to improve myself for Chaeyoungie’s sake, thus I must be capable of speaking up for myself.

“Actually, I was wondering whether I could stay here and look after Chaeyoungie until she wakes up…”

 

I held my breath as we maintained eye-contact for a few seconds, the woman blinking blankly.

Was my request too weird, or was she simply too exhausted from work to process my words?

 

Unexpectedly though thankfully, she let out another chuckle.

“You’re an angel in disguise, aren’t you?” Mrs. Son gave me a sudden embrace as my face burnt hotter from shyness, “I was secretly hoping you’d say that. Her father and I will be busy working again soon, and I was starting to worry about leaving her at home alone.”

“I can take care of her tomorrow, too. I’m not planning to go back to our school trip so I won’t have anything else to do for the whole day.” I added, which made the woman smile a little brighter.

 

I really like Chaeyoungie’s mother.

She’s so adorable, just like her daughter.

 

“If you can do that, that’ll be fantastic. But remember to inform your parents before staying for the night, okay? I wouldn’t want them to panic because another family was hogging their precious daughter.”

“Don’t worry ma’am, I’ll text them immediately.” I answered with a soft smile, to which she gave me a nod.

“Thank you for being such a great friend of Chaeyoungie’s, Mina-yang. I’ll leave my number on a piece of paper on the kitchen table just in case anything happens, okay?”

 

And just like that, she left the room with her chair after giving me a wave goodbye.

The room was engulfed by the quietness once again, and I found myself admiring Chaeyoungie’s room décor to kill time.

 

Her bedroom was a little messy, with lots of books and artworks scattered around her desk and floor.

She never mentioned about being an artist, but maybe she was too shy about her secret little hobby to tell me about it yet.

Her drawings were incredibly well-done though.

 

She had a few posters taped onto the walls, mostly of a K-Pop group called ‘TWICE’ or something, and more of her drawings were also on there.

There were fairy-lights hung across the walls too, which was a nice feminine touch to her usual tomboy-style.

It proved how different she truly was compared to the side she expresses in public.

I’m excited to get to know everything about her. And by everything, I also meant her body.

 

After observing my surroundings, my gaze returned back to the slumbering baby tiger.

She had agape slightly as she breathed slowly, her injured hand placed safely on top of another pillow by her side.

I found myself examining her facial features in detail, since I couldn’t do so while she was awake without instantly becoming a flustered mess.

Although her whole face was a masterpiece itself, what had always caught my eyes were her soft-looking, plumped lips- and the single decoration.

 

Oh my goodness, that mole.

They’re described as ‘beauty marks’ for a reason.

 

As I stared on, my heartbeat subconsciously sped up its pulse.

I tried to blink my feelings away, but it was no use.

My body’s temperature had already increased.

 

I was completely alone with her in her bedroom, and that realisation didn’t struck me until now.

I bit my lips as I looked away.

 

Myoui Mina, you better control yourself.

You can’t make a move. Not when she’s unconscious.

Remember kids,  c o n s e n t.

 

Yet, despite wanting to remain as a good girl, my mind had lost control of my body.

It found itself getting attracted to the other person in the room, and I guess I was too exhausted from the hectic day to fight against my urges.

 

Standing up from my seat, I approached my prey.

I found myself learning closer to her face, my own hovering slightly above hers.

A strand of hair fell as I lowered my head further down, making me tuck it swiftly behind my ears.

And with my heart screaming for action,

 

in a blink of an eye,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

as I let myself go,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I puckered out my lips,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and kissed her forehead.

 

I confess, I did start out aiming for somewhere else, but for the respect of Chaeyoungie I redirected it.

The first shouldn’t be like this. Definitely not one-sided.

I shall patiently await on for the correct timing.

Hopefully it’ll arrive soon.

 

 

I eventually returned to my seat and somehow felt my eyelids drooping themselves down.

It has been a chaotic day in general and I had used up all of my remaining energy on panicking during the accident.

It was probably due to that fact which made me capable of falling asleep while sitting up- though it didn’t last long as I literally fell out of the chair, gave myself a heart attack, and ultimately chose to remain awake with the help of the games within my phone.

 

I needed to be up anyways, just in case Chaeyoungie suddenly wakes up.

That was the main point of me staying over.

Get yourself together, baka.

 

Thanks to my gaming addiction, time flew right past and the sun had risen before I took notice of it.

Mrs. Son had dropped by the room and offered me breakfast before heading out for work.

I happily accepted and fell in love with her cookings.

 

Afterwards, other than spending some time organising Chaeyoungie’s room, continue playing mobile games until my phone died, and admiring her artworks on closer inspection, I honestly couldn’t recall doing much else throughout the day.

I’ve caught myself falling asleep once in a while for a few minutes each, but eventually her mother had returned home from work without me realising it.

 

Despite a whole day gone, Chaeyoungie was still not awake.

 

Naturally, I felt scared.

I missed her voice and affection even though she had only been unconscious for less than 24 hours.

I believed in the doctor’s words, thus I tried not to worry too much.

Mrs. Son had asked me to take a break from being Chaeyoungie’s bodyguard, so I excused myself out of the room to wash away the tears that returned briefly, trying to keep it together for her sake.

 

When I returned, however, I was greeted by a bewildered Chaeyoungie.

My tears that I had just back up instantly returned while I went over and knelt beside her.

I squeezed onto her left hand, missing her warmth extremely.

She then worried about my well-being despite her being the one who flew off a cliff, and her mother left the room after scolding her for cursing in her sentence.

I felt her palm squeezing mine back as soon as Mrs. Son was gone and she continued to panic about me.

I reassured her that I was completely fine.

 

“I’m just glad you’re okay.” she sighed while caressing my face. I leaned into the touch, enjoying it greatly.

“That should me my line, baka.” I smiled, “You saved me, Chaeyoung-ah. I would’ve been the one with a broken arm if it wasn’t for you.”

“Totally worth it.” I caught her grin which blew my mind.

 

Excuse me- how was risking her own precious life for mine worth it?

Worth what, exactly?

I should be the one to risk my life for her since she had done so much for me already, yet she just keeps on doing more.

How am I ever supposed to repay her for her kindness?

 

As the guilt crept back, I removed her hand from my face and held it tighty with both of mine.

 “Chaeyoungie…” I mumbled lowly, still remorseful about what had occurred to her, “I’m sorry. I should’ve been more cautious.”

“What are you apologising for, pabo?” she replied light-heartedly as my gaze lowered to her lips.

I tried my best to reason with her. “If I could’ve protected myself better, you wouldn’t have to risk your precious life for me.”

“I’d throw myself off a cliff for you any day. Like, just yeet me right off buddy.” she actually argued back, continuing to baffle my mind.

 

I just couldn’t understand her.

Was that the extent she’d go for all of her friends?

Was she simply that selfless to be willing to trade her life for someone else’s?

 

I must know the answer.

I want to understand her.

 

“But why? Why would you go that far for me?”

 

For some reasons, my questioned brought an awkward pause into our conversation.

She wasn’t capable of replying instantly and was simply staring into my eyes with dangling half-open.

Was she just that nice of a person to sacrifice herself without the need of a reason?

Why was she struggling to speak?

 

She had sat herself up as she continued to hesitate.

“It’s because…” and that was all she said before going completely silent for another 2 minutes.

Her face had turned bright red by now and I noticed how embarrassed she seemed, thus I decided to put her out of her misery by giving her a helping hand.

I made sure to proof check my belief by taking her temperature with my forehead, and indeed she was burning up quite badly.

 

Aww, I’m sorry for forcing you to speak while you’re uncomfortable, Chaeyoungie.

Please forgive me. My curiosity was just killing me.

 

… You’re killing me.

… Why did you have to be so perfect?

 

“You’re struggling to speak right now because you’re burning up in discomfort, aren’t you Chaeyoungie?” I asked after retreating my head away, “Are you okay?”

 

Out of nowhere, she suddenly reduced the distance between our faces by pulling me closer by the neck.

I could only stare at her with widened-eyes.

She had a bold look on her face now.

 

“(BEEP) you and your oblivious as (BEEP), stunningly gorgeous self.” I heard purr with a grin, making my heart go insane.

 

I wasn’t expecting for it to happen now- but I am definitely not complaining.

The moment I’ve been dreaming about.

The sensation I’ve been dying to feel.

 

I did wish for it to happen soon.

And soon, it came.

 

Before I could even smack her cute twice for spouting two profanities,

oh, you know it:

 

 

Her soft, plumped, and delicious lips crashed straight into mine.