A/N: TW’s for this chapter: bullying, offensive language, homophobia and swearing mainly in the final scene.

“Do you prefer salty or sweet?”

The little note slid to her table, one of Minjoo’s usual messages. It was a little random, but Chaewon was getting used to it. For someone who couldn’t speak, Minjoo surely loves talking – and she didn’t have the heart to ignore her, what meant that she had been answering an awful lot of questions these days. She would ask about her favorite things and the things she disliked too.

Which TV show was her favorite? Minjoo loved cartoons and cooking shows, but Chaewon didn’t really like watching TV anymore – she still agreed on giving Minjoo’s favorite Studio Ghibli movies a try. What was her favorite color? Mint green just like her sticky notes and her favorite mint-choco ice cream, very different from Minjoo’s favorite color, white, that was the very own mix of all the other colors and seem to match her calm, gentle personality so well. Her favorite book? Favorite animal? Favorite season? Minjoo knew it all now.

There were so many questions that Chaewon almost lost track of her own answers, still she never refused to answer – No matter how awkward she could be at times, she was getting used to being around Minjoo and talking to her, be it throw texts, notes or even sign language. Minjoo also made it very easy for her. Most of the time it was simple things, little bits of information to help them learn more about each other without ever making things awkward, or pushing a premature intimacy – Chaewon figured Minjoo was quite a thoughtful person, the type of considerate people that is so hard to come across.

“Huh?” Chaewon mouthed to herself looking at the note, before looking at Minjoo and writing down her answer. It was an easy question this time, and she was glad for the interruption from the teacher’s ridiculous long explanation about some historic event she would have to go over her books later to remember anyway.

Folding it two times, she passed the note back.

“I can eat anything. I’m not picky...What about you?”

Minjoo nodded with a smile, a glimpse of relief on her face – as usual, her emotions were so clear and transparent that by now Chaewon could tell every single small change in the girl’s feelings. It was almost funny how the slightly taller brunette couldn’t really hide anything, but Chae appreciate this trait on the girl more than anything else. For her, trusting people wasn’t easy, yet with Minjoo it was hard not doing it and she was starting to accept that maybe it wasn’t a bad thing.

At first, it was hard to tell where they stand, whether they were still just friends for the sake of Minjoo’s safety, or it had evolved into something more genuine, however she was becoming more and more comfortable around the other girl and the answer was pretty clear now. No, they weren’t best friends just yet, they still didn’t share that unique bond she had with her cousins or were like the friends in movies that could understand each other with a single glance. Still, they were definitely building something together.

Resting her chin on the palm of her hand, she let her gaze travel to the seat by her side, observing as Minjoo went back to taking notes of what the teacher was saying instead of giving her a proper reply – she knew the brunette took her studies seriously, but it wasn’t common for her to not answer properly. It didn’t bother Chaewon, although it made her a bit curious about the other Kim’s unusual behavior.

Chaewon was the observant type, even more when it comes down to her new friend. She watched as Minjoo’s slender hand gracefully held the pen as she wrote, her letters had a small quirk to it, going a little up and away of the guiding line, her round calligraphy colliding here and there – she didn’t know anything about the science behind handwritten, but she liked how cheerful it looked lately. Lifting her eyes to the brunette’s face, she noticed a calm, almost childlike smile on her full lips, her expression relaxed, making Chaewon wonder if she was paying any attention to the teacher or just randomly writing anything. Before she knew it, her own lips curved into a smile, as if Minjoo’s state of mind had infected her.

Tilting her head slightly, she tried to steal a glance at the girl’s chocolate brown eyes, in the hopes to see the same smile reflected on them.

Unfortunately, she didn’t get to do it.

She felt more than heard the snickers behind them, glares boring holes on the back of her head as whispers echoed. She couldn’t tell what they were saying, but by the way Minjoo seemed to tense up, a tug on her lips turning her smile into a stiff one, Chaewon knew it wasn’t anything good.

She was about to turn around, knowing very well from where the whispers were coming – of course it would be Boah and her minions, no one was as annoying as that girl –, however, she felt a gentle tug into her sleeve, Minjoo pleading eyes demanding her attention as the girl shook her head in a negative.

Nothing new, Minjoo was always one against any sort of confrontation and Chaewon had to sigh in annoyance, before complying to her request. She knew sooner or later, she wouldn’t be able to just ignore it.

Moving her hand from Chaewon’s sleeve, to her hand, Minjoo gave it a quick, reassuring squeeze in the hopes it would make the girl calm down a bit – the skin under her palm was warm, Chae’s reliable hands were smaller than hers, closed into a fist now. The contact was brief, just a quick moment that was enough to bring her a light, warm feeling, but not enough for anyone else to see it.

Having Chaewon with her was a real blessing and she couldn’t thank enough destiny for somehow bringing them together. She always felt safe and comfortable with Chae around, for the first time since she lost her voice, she felt like she wasn’t alone and lost. Chae could understand her and cared enough to do so, of course she wasn’t perfect and sometimes Minjoo had a hard time reading the other girl and not making things awkward by saying – or writing – the wrong thing. Nevertheless, there were no words to describe how happy she would feel with every small step they took together, every time one of Chaewon’s protective walls would fall and allow her to get a little closer – how close could they even get? Was it too cunning of her to want more than they already had? Maybe, but she couldn’t help but wish for it. It may be a little childish and naïve of her, still, she couldn’t control this feeling of hope and excitement.

Or at least, she couldn’t normally. Of course, people wouldn’t allow things to be this simple.

Although Chaewon’s presence was enough to make sure Boah wouldn’t get too close to her, but it didn’t mean that the other girl couldn’t find ways to continue her daily ritual of making Minjoo’s life a hell. For the first couple of days she would only glare at them and throw some insults here and there, Minjoo had tried her best to just ignore it like Chaewon seem to do so. Chae wouldn’t react recklessly whenever Boah came closer, she would look at Minjoo and subtly signalize to her to ignore the other and not show her fears.

Her disregard for Boah’s attempts seemed to make the bully grow more annoyed, leading to her current strategy. It wasn’t as blatant as Boah’s usual insults, instead it was a different kind of thing. Minjoo’s sensitive ears would pick up small fragments of her conversations, words said only loud enough to make sure she could hear, but not clear enough to make sense. As the week progressed, she started to notice the stares over her and Chaewon becoming more frequent, as well as the snickers coming from the back of the class. Boah would even walk past them in the classroom and give them a disgusted look, before a single word was uttered under her breath.

It took a couple of times for her to be able to understand her words, and when she did, her stomach cramped in an unpleasant, painful knot. She was used to being insulted, but having Chaewon getting dragged into this was the last thing she wished to happen.

She knew from the start it was a risk, that Boah might direct her senseless anger to her new friend and try to break Chaewon’s confidence in the same way she had ruined Minjoo’s. However, Chaewon never seem to worry about such a thing, as if nobody else’s opinion mattered to her, nor she feared anything – Minjoo knew it was probably just a façade, Chaewon’s way of dealing with things, and it worried her that Boah could eventually get to her. Now her fears were becoming a reality.

As soon as the bell rang, the sound of chairs being pushed back could be heard as the students got up to leave for lunch.

“Dykes.” Boah whispered shouted as she pushed her way through the desks to reach the exit – she was too much of a coward to say it right to her face, but also mean enough to never forget to insult them before leaving. Her minion followed close behind, her annoying giggles attracting other students’ attention, including Chaewon who glared at her making the girl quickly shut up and run after Boah.

Minjoo could still some people staring at them, undoubtedly curious about what Boah had said. It was nonsense, a dumb, baseless rumor. She and Chaewon spend a lot of time together in school, but so did so many others, most were even more clingy and affectionate to their friends, without anyone doubting their relationships. Nonetheless, people loved drama and they loved even more gossip, they were an easy target for it and Boah knew it.

People could also be terribly judgmental and hold their prejudice against other easily, that’s why this kind of ‘joke’ had a special weight on them. Boah just needed to plant the seed of the doubt and now suddenly all eyes were on them, both curious, and some even displeased – displeased for what reason? She couldn’t possibly know, even if it was true, it wouldn’t be anyone else’s business but their own.

Once again, ignore it was the best thing she could do – easier said, than done. She didn’t really care about others opinions regarding this, after years of being ignored their attention was anything but welcomed, however, she cared a lot about Chaewon’s opinion and feelings.

Risking a hesitant look at her seatmate, she noticed the way Chaewon frowned with her eyes fixed on the door, her lips twisted in a humorless smirk – a very different one from the playful, almost soft one, she would sometimes gift Minjoo with.

“What did she say?” The question took Minjoo by surprise, more than just for the questions, but also for the fact that Chaewon had said it through gestures instead of speaking. Her hands were quick, showing her determination and annoyance all at once.

The younger brunette averted her gaze, pressing her hands tightly on her lap. She didn’t want to rely such words, Chaewon already looked annoyed and she would surely get even more upset if she knew it. Moreover, it was hard to tell what her reaction would be. Would she feel only annoyed at Boah’s words? Would she feel offended and hurt? Or even furious? Or even…Regretful? They both knew Chaewon wouldn’t be the target for that kind of harassment if she wasn’t her friend, it might make her second guess decisions.

“Come on. Talk to me.” Chaewon insisted, this time using both her spoken and gestured words, piercing chestnut eyes focused on Minjoo.

Grimacing, the taller girl hesitated, before answering. “I don’t know how to say this word.”

Using sign language at school wasn’t something Minjoo felt comfortable doing, especially when she had such judgmental eyes on her, but she would do her best to push aside her fears and do it – “Why would you feel embarrassed for using your own language? It’s not your fault these morons don’t know it.” Were Chaewon’s words for her in the very next day after their conversation at the ice cream parlor, and now Minjoo was starting to agree with it. Making her uncomfortable to be herself was only one of the things the bully had done, she couldn’t let them control her life forever.

“It’s not a good word. She is trying to insult us.”

Chaewon’s frown became deeper as she urged Minjoo to write it down instead. Chae had a feeling about what it could be, she knew those stares all too well – it didn’t mean that she would stand being the target of such insults. Boah already proved herself a pretty ty person before, so it didn’t really surprise her when Minjoo hesitantly handed her the small piece of paper with a single word written.

It was her new strategy, a very childish way of trying to get to them. Boah didn’t seem brave enough to confront them, but it didn’t mean she was careful with her words – and apparently it was working. Minjoo had a nervous expression on her face, barely masked by her smile. Chaewon hated when her friend was in her ‘scared-cat’ mode and Boah loved to make it happen. She wouldn’t mind being coupled up with Minjoo, she was past the stage of pretending she didn’t enjoy the younger girl’s company, but she didn’t like at all to have such vulgar and degrading words being thrown at them.

Boah was testing them, seeing how far she could go with this before they gave her the reaction she has been denied for the whole week – an attention seeker, that was what that girl was. Always craving for attention, always craving for some illusory power over people.

Chaewon would for sure hear her the next time.

Kneading the paper on her hand, she let out a sarcastic laugh before muttering under her breath. “Coward .”

Minjoo bit down on her bottom lip, unsure of what to do to make things better. She had made plans for lunch break, but now it seems like Chaewon was on the verge of hunting down Boah and she didn’t doubt the girl would be successfully if she tried.

Gingerly, she touched Chaewon’s arm, demanding her attention. “Can we go now? I’ve something for you.”

The shorter girl glanced at her before sighing. Chaewon would love to go after Boah and shove her hand right into her face, it would undoubtedly make her feel less frustrated, but still, they were inside of the school and beating her up in the middle of the canteen would only get her a suspension, and she didn’t want to leave Minjoo on her own to deal with the bullies.

“Fine. Let’s eat on the rooftop today.”

It wasn’t the first time Chaewon visited Minjoo’s special place, still whenever they climbed the stairs up and opened the door to be received by the view of the city under the greyish sky, it always took her by surprise.

Minjoo introduced her to the place a couple of days ago, agreeing to share her peaceful paradise and allowing Chaewon to join her there instead of having to eat in the loud and overcrowded cafeteria.  The place wasn’t much, just like the image Chaewon had in mind, it was just a place where the school would leave the old and mostly broken chairs in a corner while no one came to pick them up. It was mainly grey, the concrete cold under their feet as they walked closer to the edge, the wind blowing and making the sunny day feel much colder than it actually was.

Chaewon leaned on the railing, watching the city below as she took in a long, deep breath. The view wasn’t that pretty, the city was too full of grey structures, tall buildings that didn’t quite match the much smaller, older houses that surrounded them; cars filled the avenues, anger drivers honking their horns as if it could make the transit move faster. Nonetheless, Chaewon liked it. She liked to see the small green spots that showed where the city park was at, to watch as the kids played in a playground nearby, to see people walking quickly, making the streets look like a big anthill. She liked how it made her feel small and put things into a new perspective, reminding her that there was a whole new world outside the school’s walls and that she still had plenty of time to discover it.

No wonder Minjoo liked it here, not only she was free from dealing with unpleasant schoolmates, she probably felt free up there – free from stares, whispers and questions.

“You never told me how you got the keys to this place. I’m pretty sure they said it was off limits for students.” She asked, turning to face the taller girl who had her eyes closed, head back, as she enjoyed the warmth of the sun after a long morning in class.

Opening her eyes to greet Chaewon with the warmth of her own chocolate orbs, she gave her a small smile. “The janitor leaves the door open for me. She told me I’d feel more comfortable here.” Minjoo left off the part where the female janitor had found her eating inside one of the cubicles in the girl’s bathroom, back then she had been so embarrassed and felt hopeless until the woman offered her the chance of coming to the rooftop instead. Ever since, the rooftop became her one safe place.

She didn’t feel lonely there, even though it was the first time she had company, the peaceful place represented an easy way to escape reality – even if only for her short lunch break. Now with Chaewon’s presence, it became a little cozier, almost like she was back home and not at school. Of course, Chaewon’s presence was very different from her mom’s, but both women had the talent to put her at ease, to make her focus on the moment rather than in the unpleasant things that happened before. Therefore, even after what Boah did to try and ruin their mood, she was determined to not allow it to happen.

In a gesture that was becoming so natural to her, she reached out to tug on Chaewon’s sleeve – she wished she was brave more often and could just hold her hand to feel that special, unique feeling that only the contact with Chaewon brought her, however she was always careful to not ever overstep their boundaries, especially now that Boah tried to taint their pure friendship.

Minjoo should know better that Chaewon wasn’t the type to let someone like that bully to mess with her head, much less to reject her friendly touches just to avoid getting into rumors. She would figure it out soon enough, though.

“Let’s eat.” She invited, pointing out their place under the shadow of a wall where she would lay a towel for them to sit comfortably.

Chaewon only followed her in silence, her eyes on the girl as she tried to suppress a smile – Minjoo’s childish excitement was back as she unpacked two small boxes that were probably filled with food. She wasn’t feeling really hungry, the back of her mind kept on replaying the annoying smirk Boah gave them earlier, still she was glad the brunette was able to focus on something else instead. She would try to do the same.

Leaving her own meal on top of the towel, opening the lid so they both could have access to the lunch her mother – Jiyeon, Luda was far from being a good cook – had prepared for her, she glanced at Minjoo’s plates. As usual, Minjoo’s meal box was bigger and more varied with plenty of vegetables all cutely adorning the rice, the girl told her that cooking was one of the things that she did as a hobby and Chaewon could see her personality reflected on the well prepared, tasty food. “Looks great. Thank you for the food.” She thanked in a quiet voice before starting to eat – she had learned that Minjoo was a pretty simple type of person, she would be affected by people’s words easily, what meant that a simple compliment could make her beam, while harsh words would easily break her confidence; Chae was working on making sure the latter wouldn’t happen, although she was always moderate with her words, trying to sound as casual as possible to avoid getting embarrassed again.

The taller brunette just smiled at her with that usual spark in her eyes, following suit. They always eat in silence since Minjoo would have a hard time gesturing, but it was a comfortable, relaxing silence.

Stealing a glance at Chaewon, the younger Kim observed her actions, noticing that indeed she didn’t seem to be the picky type and would just eat a little bit of everything. Ever since the beginning of the week they were having lunch together and she found herself putting more effort than usual in preparing the meals, however, Chaewon would thank her and compliment the food no matter what she brought. She also noticed she would always act in a similar manner whenever she did anything for her, be it helping her solve a math problem or simply to give back one of the pens she accidentally knocked off her desk, no matter how small the gesture was, the polite and sincere words were there. Minjoo was starting to think it was just part of her personality – a part she really appreciated. Different from her cold exterior, Chaewon was a warm person who was always mindful of others and perhaps this was the reason why she was willing to intervene and help her when nobody else was.

Finishing her meal, she grabbed the other small box she had brought and let it rest on her lap as she waited for Chaewon to be done with her food. The chestnut eyed girl may seem relaxed now, but Minjoo knew she was probably still upset about what happened earlier – she could tell by the way the chestnut in Chae’s eyes looked a shade darker than usual, a slight crease on her forehead as she chewed on her food silently, normally Chaewon would leave out a couple of cute, almost inaudible, pleased sounds as she ate something particularly tasty; today she was just chugging everything down with the soda she got from a vending machine.  

Minjoo was tempted to just pretend she didn’t notice it and move with her original plan, leaving the task of asking about it for later, when she could do it through text messages instead of having to face the sharp eyes that were so intimidating, yet kind. However, it wasn’t what a good friend would do and Minjoo wanted to be the best she could for Chae, even if it meant getting out of her comfort zone.

Touching her hand gently to grab her attention, she made eye contact with Chaewon. “Are you fine? I’m sorry, she just wants to mess with me but now she’s after you too.” It would’ve been easier to not assume her portion of guilt in this – because for her it was obvious that it was somehow her fault, even if not intentionally –, but she wanted to be honest with Chaewon and make sure the other felt comfortable doing the same. “She never said that before. I guess she just wants to make you feel uncomfortable around me”

Chaewon grimaced, she could almost hear the fear laced in Minjoo’s words, she probably thought that Boah’s pathetic attempt could affect their friendship. When in reality, it only increased her need to actually kick the bully’s and shut her up for good. She knew better than most how this sort of rumor could affect people, and she knew how dumb it was – they were in a different time where such thing shouldn’t be a problem, yet people insisted on using derogatory slangs to try and turn a healthy relationship into some kind of vulgar, unworthy thing. Growing up with two moms exposed her to a couple of unpleasant situations, and albeit her parents always handled things in the best way possible, she couldn’t help but feel bitter about it.

“Boah is an and a pretty stupid one.” She replied right away, letting some of her anger through her words. “She can say whatever she wants, it doesn’t change who you’re, or who I’m, nor it changes our relation.” Chaewon reassured, leaving her lunch aside to face Minjoo properly. Boah and her minions might be annoying, but she would never give in to their pressure and leave Minjoo on her own again, Boah was underestimating her if she thought so – being called names was far from being the worst thing that ever happened to her. “You shouldn’t apologize for it. All I ask is for you to stand up for yourself, in your own way.” She added the last part with a smile that hopefully would be enough to softening her words and make sure she was conveying the right message. Standing up for yourself could be done in many ways, although Chaewon was the type that would rather to confront people right away, people like Minjoo could do it by being more vocal about their hard time and accepting help, or even by just staying strong and refusing to let anyone drag her down – all of those, demanded a lot of courage, the kind that is hard to muster if you have no one to support you. Chaewon hoped her support was enough.

As usual, Minjoo seem to take in everything she said, that same greyish light covering her irises as she contemplated Chaewon’s words before nodding. The smile that followed was a smaller one, filled with uncertainty. “I’ll try my best.”

It was Chaewon’s turn to nod, returning her smile. She would be around to see it happen and hopefully it would happen soon.

“Minjoo.” The girl looked at her, attentive eyes on her face with the same expression they always have – curious, attentive…Fond. Minjoo always looked at her like she was something special and Chaewon would always avert her eyes, because Minjoo made her feel like it. “Why don’t you go to a more appropriate school? There are many special schools for hearing impaired people, and some others have sign language as part of their programs.”

Minjoo’s smile wavered a bit, before she shyly signalized a single word. “Expensive.”

“Oh, I get it.” Chaewon nodded, mentally beating herself for not thinking about such a simple answer to it. Of course, that kind of education was far more expensive, it would be hard to keep a kid in a school like this if her parents didn’t have the proper means.

She didn’t get to apologize for her lack of sense, Minjoo interrupted her first. “How did you learn sign language?”

“Oh, this?” Chaewon shrugged her shoulders. “One of my moms taught me, she is a speech therapist but she also studied sign language as part of her major.”

The taller Kim blinked, her sharp ears picking up Chaewon’s words with interest. “One of your moms?” She asked, trying to make sure she had heard correctly.

Chae’s chestnut eyes looked back at her, sharper than usual, wary. “I don’t have a dad, only my moms. They are a couple and I’m adopted.” Her words seem a little lifeless, as if it was part of a dialogue she had had many times before – she probably had. “If this is a problem for you, well, your bad. They are my family and nothing can change it.”

Minjoo’s eyes grew wide, surprised at Chaewon’s defensive tone. She was quick to shake her head in a negative. “No! It must be nice…I only have my mother, but she is the person I love the most. Having two should be even better.” She stumbled a little on her words, her skills were not up to par with Chae’s sharp gestures, but were enough to convey her message properly. “My father left us a long time ago…Because of me.”

For a brief moment, the tense silence fell over them. Minjoo’s eyes wandering and Chaewon’s deep gaze focus on the wall opposite them – talking about such personal things was new and painful.

“Well, we’re the same I guess.” Shrugging it off, as if it’s wasn’t big deal, Chaewon gestured the box on Minjoo’s hands, giving her a curious look. “Now, didn’t you have something for me?” And just like this, she put aside the subject that was unpleasant for them both, bringing the conversation to a lighter theme.

Minjoo’s round eyes became even more evident as she suddenly recalled she still had the box in hand, and she was quick to offer it for the other girl to take. Biting her bottom lip nervously, she watched in expectation as Chaewon opened the lid to unveil the small, neatly cut, pieces of cake that Minjoo had placed in the box that morning as a surprise gift for her new friend.

Chaewon broke into a small, hearty laugh as she saw the content of the box, carefully taking one of the pieces to exam it better. It was light and fluffy, covered in white creamy topping and small pieces of coconut, just like one of the desserts she would see at the bakery near her house. She was so charmed by Minjoo’s little surprise that it was enough to take her mind off of their problems for a moment. “You know, I attended some cooking classes with my mother once, but we can barely make anything edible. But this is…Not bad at all!” She complimented in her usual way, the one Minjoo was getting used to by now. As to emphasize her words, she took a generous bite on the cake, savoring it, the taste as sweet as Minjoo’s relieved smile.

Chae insisted on sharing the dessert, making sure Minjoo wouldn’t just stare at her while she ate – her appetite was back now that she had this gift to enjoy.

“What would have you done if I said I dislike sweets?” She asked as soon as she finished her second piece of cake.

Minjoo took her time chewing before replying – it was almost funny how mindful of her manners she still was when she wasn’t even using spoken words. “I’d try to get you to try a piece and pray you’d like.”

Chaewon chuckled, before glancing at the girl. “I’d eat it anyway. I learned with my cousin that we should never refuse food.”

They fell in a comfortable silence as the girls enjoyed the cake and shared what was left of Chaewon’s soda.

After taking a long sip of the bubbly liquid, the older girl put down her bottle and risked a look at Minjoo. She frowned slightly, deciding to put into words one thing that had been bothering her for a while. “You know you don’t have to do nice things to me all the time just because we’re friends now.”

Minjoo blinked, confused by her sudden words. “Didn’t you like the cake?”

“I did, but-“

“Then I’ll keep doing it. The cake and the other things. Like you do nice things for me.” She gave her an easy, genuine smile. “Because we’re friends and I want the people in my life to be happy. This isn’t much, but as long as you like it, it’s okay.”

The shorter girl averted her eyes, a light, fluttering feeling filling up her chest and making it hard to control the warmth that was reaching the tips of her ears. “I…Thank you. I liked it a lot.” She was talking about more than just the cake, but everything Minjoo did on a daily basis – the caring messages, the encouraging notes on her workbook, the shaky smiles that had grown into genuine ones, even her unending questions…Perhaps ‘I like you’ would have been a more fitting phrase. Instead of saying it, she just passed the bottle, offering the last sip to Minjoo. “I want you to be happy too.”

They spent the rest of the lunch break eating and sharing small facts about their family lives. Minjoo told her about working with her mom baking and how she lived at a small, yet comfortable, house at the opposite direction of Chae’s house. While Chaewon told her about how her other mother was a prosecutor and how the woman would often drag her to all sort of classes as an excuse to straighten their bond – she would complain at times, but it was undeniably fun to have such present parents.

They arrived one minute too late at class, receiving an annoyed look from their teacher who didn’t even bothered scolding them.

Class ended earlier than usual, the teacher leaving the last couple of minutes for them to just chat and relax after a long day of lectures. Minjoo took this time to work on some doodles, while Chae was busy finishing early her homework – like it was becoming a habit of hers, Minjoo drew Chaewon, or better saying, a cute tiger cub with specs and a notebook in hand that looked an awful lot like her. Chaewon didn’t say anything, but there was a knowing smirk on her lips making it obvious she noticed the younger’s attention, albeit she didn’t seem to mind being Minjoo’s source of inspiration.

Minjoo expected Boah to try something again, taking advantage of their sleepy teacher, but the bully and her friends were oddly quiet throughout the whole afternoon. Her naturally optimistic self would like to think that maybe Boah had finally given up on messing with them, but it would be too naïve to think such a thing – even for her. Chances are that Boah was just preparing a new set of insults for tomorrow. By the way Chaewon would glance over her shoulder once in a while, she was thinking the same.

The bell rang signalizing the ending of another school day and Minjoo packed her stuff, waiting for Chaewon to do the same so they could head out together. She would feel uneasy at moments like this, but she was slowly getting used to rely on Chae’s presence and focus on it instead of worrying about what Boah and the others could do – maybe she was being too careless.

The girls left the classroom, Chaewon holding her wrist as soon as they reached the main hallway. “Wait, I have to take this call.” The shorter brunette informed with her gaze on her phone’s screen. “Excuse me for a moment, it will be fast.”

Minjoo just nodded, before gesturing the bathroom at the end of the hallway, informing that she would go there while Chaewon tended to her call. Chae seemed a little conflicted for a moment, doubt in her brown eyes as she looked at Minjoo, however the taller Kim just shook her head with an easy smile.

“It’s fine. Take your call, I’ll be right back!” Not giving the other a chance of responding, she headed to the bathroom.

It wasn’t fine.

She didn’t even intend on really using the bathroom, she would just fix her hair and give Chaewon a couple of minutes of privacy. She expected to find the place empty, but instead she came face to face with Boah and her loyal follower –  they were just there, smoking inside one of the bathroom stalls; Chaewon would probably said it was such a cliché, but Minjoo wasn’t in a good state of mind to have the spirit of making fun of the duo.

Her hands pressed hard against the soft fabric of her skirt, and she tried her best to turn back before she was noticed – needless to say, it was useless. Boah’s sharp, dark eyes were already on her and before she knew it the girls had stood up and came closer.

“Oh, look who is visiting us today! MinMin, my friend, long time no see, huh?” The sarcasm behind her sweet tone was all too familiar, and it was enough to make Minjoo tense up.

It was hard breathing when she could feel their eyes on her, so filled with senseless hate that it was almost palpable. She averted her gaze to her shoes, trying to take a deep breath and remain calm.

She had promised Chaewon she would try to stand up for herself, but all she could think about in the moments were all the occasions these girls had hurt her with their words and gestures. Now they had the perfect opportunity to make up for the lost time in the last days and she could feel Boah’s thirsty for blood.

“What is this? Are you perhaps a little less confident now that your girlfriend isn’t here to speak for you?” It was Sukyung, the girl had placed a heavy hand on Minjoo’s arm, her tight grip hard to ignore. “What is your guys deal? Does she have a for retarded girls?”

Minjoo flinched at her words, she hated it so much, she hated even more not being able to say anything back. She wanted to keep her promise and try to defend herself before things went too far.

In a desperate move, she tried to shake to take the girl’s hand off of her, pulling her arm towards her own body and taking a step aside – only to feel a much tighter, deadly grip on her shoulders, one that she knew all too well.

“Aren’t you becoming feisty now?” Boah said a little too close to her ear, her breath was too hot and it still reeked to the cigarette she was smoking before. “Tell me, MinMin, what’s your guys deal? She protects your pathetic and you let her you in return?”

Her crude, vulgar words hit hard, once more trying to twist the nature of her relationship with Chaewon. Minjoo tried to move again, pushing aside the fear that made her hands go numb and her heartbeat restless, pushing aside years of bad memories to try to combat the people that created them. She opened ‘Leave me alone!’ was on her mind, but nothing besides an inarticulate mumble came out.

The girls seem surprised by it, but only for a moment before they broke into laughter.

“So, you growl to her like this? Wild!” Sukyung mocked. “It’s a perfect couple indeed. The retarded and the snob dyke, they even have the same surname already!”

“Oh, how adorable! Her girlfriend came to rescue!” Boah said, her last words louder as noticed Chaewon entering the place with heavy steps and a cold look in her eyes. “Hey, dyke, does your retarded girlfriend moans in sign language?” The bullies exploded in laughter again, as if this kind of harassment was the funniest joke.

Chaewon marched towards the group, her hand grabbing Boah’s shoulder and pulling it without any delicacy, unleashing Minjoo from her grip. “Shut the up and leave us alone, .” She stood between Minjoo and the taller girl as a protective wall, her small stature looking fragile amidst that group, yet she didn’t even flinch as Boah came closer.

“Whoa! What I heard must be right, being raised by ed up people really makes you violent.” Boah faked a shocked expression, holding her chest in a dramatic way. Chaewon’s shoulders tensed up at those words and Minjoo tried to grab onto her shirt to pull her back towards the exit, but failed as one of Boah’s friend pushed her aside. “Chaewon, do you need me to help you? You know, if your dyke mothers abuse you to try to turn you into one of them, we can report them and…”

She never got to finish her sentence, Chaewon’s left foot meeting her face in such an incredible speed that it took Minjoo a moment to realize her friend had just kicked Boah’s face with precision.

Chaewon wasn’t really thinking. Her mind went blank in the moment Boah dared to talk about her parents and make such terrible accusation. She could deal with their pathetic comments about her, she barely stand their insults to Minjoo, but insulting the very own people who raised her with so much care and love like this was out of limits. She had no idea how Boah knew about her family situation, but she wouldn’t allow her to spread this kind of rumor around the school – even if she had to bury her foot in to shut her up for good.

Boah’s friend also seem shocked by the sudden attack but she was quick to try to strike back. She attacked Chaewon at once, punches and kicks being thrown around aimlessly, the smaller girl doing her best to avoid it at the same time she tried to hit them back using everything she had learned in the years of taekwondo classes she attended, the ones Luda always made her promise to not use to harm people unless it was an extreme situation – it surely looked like one now.

Minjoo watched in horror as the fight proceed. It was clear Chaewon knew where and how to hit someone, but they were two against one and every time someone hit the girl, Minjoo would gasp and wince, as if she was the one in pain. Fighting was against everything she was taught, however, watching her friend being attacked was making her question her personal rules. For years, she had to stand their abuse with her head down, believing it was the best, but in the end it only led to this.

Her legs were shaking, the numb feeling in her hands still there, as she risked a step closer to Chaewon. She couldn’t let her alone in this, it wasn’t what a good friend, a good person, would do.

Somehow, amidst all the chaos, Minjoo spotted Boah standing up only to grab onto Chaewon’s hair with all her strength, pulling the girl back and making her lose her balance. Kim couldn’t just stay still and watch as her friend was getting hurt – therefore she did the first thing she could, the one thing she never thought she would be braver enough to do.

She punched Boah right into the face with all her might if not with a lot of skill, if anything if only made Boah angrier, but it was enough to make her set Chae free and allow Kim to land another kick on her stomach.

Boah was on the floor in pain and her minion was resting against the door of one of the bathrooms, panting, while Chaewon had her hair all messed up and her breath heavy as she straightened her back and looked around as if she was searching for something. Minjoo was still standing, holding her own aching hand – thanks to the contact with Boah’s face –, she followed Chaewon gaze and soon realized what was going on.

A silent exclamation left as she watched Chaewon leaning in to get something from the floor, right in the moment one of the teachers busted into the place.

“What in the world is happening here?!”

The three girls just stared at the woman, no one daring to say anything – the fourth girl, Chaewon, didn’t even spare her a glance, too busy trying to keep her balance as she held something tightly in her hand.

Minjoo averted her gaze from the teacher to her friend, worry on her face. Even if only for a quick moment she had seen what Chaewon was holding now and it was enough for her to understand several things.

The thing Chaewon was holding was an hearing aid – the same one she had been hiding from day one.

A/N: Hello again, how you all doing? As I said previously, I left quite a few hints about Chaewon’s condition in the other chapters, so maybe some of you already knew about it. The next chapter will show us Minjoo’s story, while but we’ll get to see more about Chaewon’s past soon. This is supposed to be a short story and we’re already half way through it!

As usual, thank you a lot for reading/commenting/upvoting and being so patient. And also, thank you for all the subscribers, I don’t really make subscribing a mandatory thing because I like to know who really wants to keep reading my stories, so I appreciate your guys faith in me.

I’m really sorry for any mistakes, see you soon!

*And if anyone is wondering why Chaewon kicked the girl instead of punching her: I’m trying to follow the basic moves of taekwondo that is a sport that is mainly done through kicks not punches (and as previously mentioned, Chae was trained on it).