SON CHAEYOUNG’S POINT OF VIEW

 

“Oh? Looks like our Chaeyoungie is studying. Your tests coming up, huh?” Asks Sana unnie as she takes the seat right next to me. 

“Yeah and I’m obviously not ready.” I look at her and pout. She smiles and pats the top of my head.

“Don’t worry. You’re doing fine, short limbs.” She smiles and then she relaxes her chin on her hand, her elbow propped on the table for support. “I see you’re not the type to study in libraries or cafes.” she stares at my notes which are scattered all over the kitchen table. I just pout and look at her, hoping that all this studying would soon be over.

“I’m sorry. Should I study in my room? Are you going to use the kitchen table?” I ask her, worried that I might be bothering the girl who looked like a shiba-inu. 

“No, you’re not disturbing me at all, silly.” She chuckles. “I’m just amazed that you’re not the type to study outside.” She adds.

“I wasn’t in the mood when Tzuyu asked me to study outside.” I reply and I turn to focus on my notes once more, trying to highlight another important word that I’ve scribbled. “Don’t you have tests coming up, unnie?” I asked her, curious with what’s currently happening to her academe life. 

“Yeah, I do. I have a test next week.” She replies as tries to scan my notes.

“Did you study yet?” I ask her.

“I study during my free time.” She firmly says. She looks at me and then she smiles. “It may seem like I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but, I’m pretty lethal myself.” She chuckles.

 

I know you’re lethal. Everyone knows that. 

 

“You’re amazing. I should start getting my done.” I tell her as I continue to read my notes which make no sense. I sigh, I’m really disappointed at how I can't get my right. 

“Yah. Son Chaeyoung, take it easy.” She puts her arm around me. I just look at her, I feel glum. How the heck am I supposed to pass this test if I can’t get past reading the first page of my notes?

I just shrug, I can’t really do anything now, can I? The whole dorm was silent since it’s only me and Sana unnie who are around. The door knob  suddenly jiggled, the door opened and closed. We hear footsteps and we see it’s Mina unnie. Both Sana unnie and I stared at Mina who stared back, her eyes looked blank. I realized Sana unnie’s arms are still around me. 

“I’m home.” Mina unnie huffed. I feel sana Unnie’s arm slide off of me. 

“Have you eaten yet?” Asks Sana to Mina. Mina unnie just shakes her head. “Our Chayeoungie’s preparing for a test. Care to give her some encouraging words?” Asks Sana unnie. Mina just looks at me blankly, she lifts her hand up and ran her fingers through her hair.

 

Uhm, was that necessary?

 

“Good luck then.” She breathes out, then she walked toward her room and entered not really waiting for my response. 

 

She’s so moody all of a sudden.

 

What’s up with her? The last time we had a conversation she seemed really into whatever we were talking about. She even asked me to sketch her! And that gaze? Why the heck would she look at me blankly as if today’s the first time she’s encountered me?

 

“She seemed weird, huh?” Asks Sana unnie and I just nod as I try to focus on my notes once again. “Better get used to it.” she winks at me and then she stands up. 

“Get used to what?” I pretend to not understand whatever she’s saying.

“Moody Mina. Sulky Mina. She visits every now and then. Better get used to that.” She nods, as if trying to agree with whatever she says.

“Whatever.” I tell Sana unnie, I even smiled so that she’d think I wasn’t serious.

“I better leave you now. Good luck!” says Sana unnie, she ruffles my short hair and walks towards her room, leaving me all by myself. 

I continue my work and start reading and highlighting words that may come up during my exam. Words that did not seem like they were ever discussed casually came up too. Jeez. Why do I have to learn all these words? Should I just drop out or something? 

 

Should I just live my life as a beggar? 

 

Just as I was about to flip my notes to the next page, I see Mina unnie come out of her room. We both make eye contact but I was the one to look away first.I figured out she’s not in the mood so I’d rather not talk to her. I look down and pretend to read through my notes, only sneaking peeks when I know she isn’t looking my way. 

While reading through my notes, I notice that she’s walking towards where I am seated. As she was about to reach me, she turns right and goes straight for the stove. She’s completely facing away from me.

 

What’s wrong with her? Isn’t she going to talk to me? 

 

I just sigh. I try to discreetly look at her since it's only her back that’s facing me. She’s completely changed her clothes and her hair is now tied up. She’s probably getting ready for bed. She’s wearing an oversized shirt and shorts. 

As I continue to space out, I realize I had to read some more. My exams are still more than a week away but I just feel the need to finish reading everything.  As I continue to understand my notes,a shadow suddenly blocked the light that was supposed to help me in reading my notes. 

 

Who else would it be? Minari.

 

Mina placed something in front of me. It’s a cup of tea. I look up and I see her smiling at me. Not a gummy smile, but a more subtle one. I just look at her, not really knowing how to respond. To be honest, It even felt like my jaw dropped a little.

 

“I couldn’t help but notice the amount you’re supposed to read.” She starts.

 

I just stare at her and nod.

 

“Tea has caffeine in it, it’ll help you to not fall asleep.” She smiles at me. I didn’t even notice it at first but I found myself smiling too. Jeez.

“Thank you Mina unnie.” I shyly reply, still looking at her. For some reason, I can’t take my eyes off of her. She nods.

“Take it easy.” She says and she walks off as if nothing happened, and because I am an idiot, my eyes followed her. As she was about to reach her room she turns back and looks at me. She’s caught my lingering stare, I quickly pretend to read my notes.

“Good luck, cub. Please drink it while it’s hot.” I look up and I see her smile slightly and then this time she gets inside her room.

I just look at the cup of tea she brewed for me. What the hell? Did she just brew me a cup of tea? I thought she wasn’t in the mood? I thought she’s tired from school, but she somehow managed to change her clothes and actually make me tea.

 

Ah, Myoui Mina, you’re really something. 

 

Days have passed and my exam day came. I just finished my last examination and I guess I did well. I was confident with my answers. Reading and taking notes does the trick. As I exit my examination room, I spot Tzuyu waiting for me outside. She’s leaning on the wall just checking through her phone.

“Hey demon tree, what’s up? Did you wait for me?” I ask her.

“I sure did, short-limbs. How did your test go?” she asks and we both start walking. I look at her and give her a beaming smile. She smiles back and she nods. “I can see you did well. Way to go, smol bean. Keep it up!” she pats my head and I just smile since I feel like I deserve to be praised by the demon tree. 

“How about you? You did well too, right?” I ask her, still walking. The giant just nodded. “Any plans for tonight?” I ask her, trying to maintain our conversation. She looks at me and she shakes her head.

“I just want to go home and rest.” She plainly replies as we reach the ground floor, our feet shuffling towards the University’s main entrance. It’s already night time, probably around quarter to 9 pm. I understand her, everyone in this university are always sleep deprived. 

I was about to ask her a follow-up question when all of a sudden my phone buzzed. I turned it on and it was a notification from Jung Min Woo. He’s sent me a message.

 

[KAKAO TALK]

Min Woo:  Hey! Do you have any plans for tonight? I heard all students who are majoring in fine arts finishes their periodical test today. Want to celebrate?

I look at the text message blankly. I don’t really have anything special to do. Everyone in the dorm seems busy. I look at Tzuyu and she seems adamant of staying in the dorm, it’d be such a waste to just sleep tonight. Besides, I’ve met up with Min Woo more than three times since meeting him. He seems okay. 

[KAKAO TALK]

Min Woo:  Hey! Do you have any plans for tonight? I heard all students who are majoring in fine arts finishes their periodical test today. Want to celebrate?

Me: Sure, that’s a great idea. 

Min Woo: I’m currently here at the main entrance. Want me to come pick you up?

 

I look at the text and turn my gaze to Tzuyu. . I don’t want her to know about Min Woo. I mean, not yet. She might get the wrong idea. So I halt and tap the giant. She looks at me with her tired eyes.

“Tzuyu, I’m so sorry. I forgot I have to go someplace else. Would you mind going home alone?” I ask her. She just shook her head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just text Sana unnie to come pick  me up.” I look at her, surprised. Is Sana her personal maid or something? 

“So, I’ll see you at home. Okay?” I tell her and she just nodded and then she walked off. I smile and quickly texted Min Woo back.

 

[KAKAO TALK]

Min Woo:  Hey! Do you have any plans for tonight? I heard all students who are majoring in fine arts finishes their periodical test today. Want to celebrate?

Me: Sure, that’s a great idea. 

Min Woo: I’m currently here at the main entrance. Want me to come pick you up?

Me: No. I’ll be right there in a minute. Wait for me, okay?

 

Jung Min Woo waited for me outside of the University gate with a bouquet of flowers. I’ll be honest, a bouquet of flowers is a little weird. What’s up with him? Isn’t this too much? Jeez. 

Honestly, he seems like a nice guy. He’s well dressed, his hair looked good, he’s tall, and he’s very well spoken. The more that I hang out with him more, the more I realize that he Looks like the actor Kim Ji-Soo. He’s pretty cute if I were to be honest. However, I just don’t see him that way. 

He lead me to his car and we drove to the nearest restaurant. Before going out of his car, I left the bouquet of flowers inside his car. I just don’t want people to give people the wrong impression. The restaurant, even though we hastily picked it, looked great. The food looked great too. 

 

“Yah. Min Woo.” I call his attention and he gives me this glance. I laugh and he raises an eyebrow, seemingly asking me why I called his attention. “Don’t you dare do this again, understand?” I chuckle as I look through the menu. 

“Do what?” He asks in a playful tone. I look at him.

“You know, texting me on the spot. Asking me where I am.” I tell him in a serious tone. 

“Don’t you like it?” he asks. I just look at him and shake my head.

“Yah. I had to make my friend go home all by herself because of you.” I was implying to Tzuyu. 

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen next time.” He smiles. When he smiles, his eyes smile too. I’ve noticed that about him. Jung Min Woo looks good, he really does resemble the actor Kim Ji-Soo. He’s got this mole on his lower left chin which makes him stand out. If I were to pick him out of a line with other suspects, I’d easily know it was him.

“And stop giving me flowers.” I tell him, my tone was slightly irritated. He looks a little bit hurt when I told him that.

“What? I’m just trying to mark my territory.” He tells me seriously. I just look at him.

When he said that, his mood ultimately changed. He did not seem like the easy going Min Woo that I’ve conversed with. He seemed off. It felt like I don’t know him at all. 

“Yah. Jung Min Woo, stop saying weird things.” I wasn’t sure whether I seemed to harsh, but whatever. He’s all grown now, he can understand. “And what territory are you marking exactly?” I ask him in a joking way.

“Well, you know what I mean.” Min Woo replies playfully. he had this look on his face which made me smile too. Rascal. 

“There’s no territory to mark, Min Woo.” I tell him the truth, I guess it’s better to just tell him this directly than to dilly dally. “There’s nothing between us, we’re just friends casually hanging out.” I jokingly tell him, trying to make the atmosphere a lot less heavy. He looked at me for a second and he just smiles. I sigh in relief. I thought he might take offense to what I had to say. 

“Yah. Isn’t that too much?” He pouts. I look at him seriously. “You do know that we’re currently on our fifth date. Right?” He asks.

“This isn’t a date. We’ve never been on a date.” I tell him. He looked at me, he seemed annoyed.

“What do you call this then?” He asks.

“It’s hanging out. Eating together as friends. Look, I just don’t see you that way.” I tell him gently, even though he’s starting to get on my nerves. Are men always like this? Do they always tend to assume things? Can’t they take ‘no’ for an answer?

 

As he was about to say something, my phone rang. It was Nayeon unnie. I excused myself from the table and from the look on Min Woo’s face, I can see he understood that I need  to answer the call. I stepped out of the restaurant and is greeted by the cold breeze of Seoul. I pick the phone up.

 

“Yes? What is it Nayeon unnie?” I ask her.

“Chaeng-ah. Where are you now?” The bunny asks. Her voice sounded like she’s in a hurry. I look around and try to figure out where exactly I am but to no avail. “Ah. Forget it. I’m currently at Teal Bar. You know where that is, right?” she asks.

Of course I know where that is. That bar is famous for its tequila sunrise. It’s the bar which is located nearest our University.

“Yeah. What about it?” I ask her.

“You need to come here. I need you to cover for me.” She says. What? Cover for what?

“Unnie …” I trail off, thinking about Min Woo. “I’m a little preoccupied at the moment.” I tell her in my most sorry tone. 

“Minari is here.” My eyes widen. 

 

Mina unnie.

 

“She needs help.” She sounded serious.

“What?” I ask her, obviously I wasn’t prepared for any of this.

“Come here, okay? We’ll be waiting for you.” Says Nayeon unnie and she hangs up the phone. 

I hurriedly walk inside the restaurant where Min Woo is currently seated. He looked at me, trying to figure out what the call was about. 

“Min Woo-ssi, I’m so sorry but I forgot I’ve got to be somewhere. Seriously I’m so sorry.” I tell him, I clasp my hands, trying to ask for an apology. He looked at me as if he didn’t understand what I was saying. I got a hold of my bag and turned to him. “I’m sorry I’ve got to go.” I tell him as I walk off, not really waiting for him to answer back. 

Just as I was to reach the front door, I turn around and tell him “I’ll pay you back next time! I’m so sorry. Something important came up.” I smile at him apologetically, this time he was standing up and he looked like he was about to say something. However, I cut him off by  bowing before turning my back and heading out.

I felt bad leaving Min Woo but Nayeon unnie sounded serious. I couldn’t help but attend to whatever she needs me to do. I rode a taxi in order to get to Teal bar. Not more than ten minutes later, I’ve arrived. Teal bar is famous, but I personally haven’t been inside the place.

As I was about to enter the bar, I was stopped by the guard and is asked for an identification card. I looked at him, I couldn’t believe what was coming out of his mouth.

“What do you mean I look like I’m twelve?” I asked him, my voice boomed and I felt hurt.

“NO ID, NO ENTRY.” the guard insists. My pride was hurt, but of course I grabbed my ID out of my bag and presented it to him. The guard looked like he can’t believe what he was seeing. 

“Are you sure this isn’t fake?” He asked me. This is making me impatient.

“Hey, isn’t this too much? My roommate makes better drinks than your bartender. You really think I’d give that much effort just to get inside your bar? This isn’t even a club. How dare you ask me such stupid question?” Words came out of my mouth like bullets. I couldn’t help myself. This guy is accusing me of things that don’t make sense.

The guard doesn’t let out a word, he just looked at me and nodded. He handed me my ID back and motioned for me to get inside the bar. I gave him a dirty look before stepping inside the bar. When I got inside, the bar isn’t packed. Maybe it’s because younger people prefer clubs. Just as I was about to text Nayeon unnie I hear her call out to me.

“Chaeng-ah! Over here.” Calls out Nayeon unnie. I look over and see the both of them sitting in a table good for two people. Nayeon unnie walks towards me and she softly gets a hold of my hand. 

“What is this about, unnie?” I ask her. 

“Chaeng-ah. Unnie has somewhere to go. Can you please accompany Minari for me?” she pouts and I instantly flinch.

“What about the others? I ask her, implying about the other people from our dorm.

“Both Sana and Tzuyu are busy. Sana didn’t answer her phone and Tzuyu sounded like she was about to die. I just felt like she needed to rest so I thought about you.” Explains Nayeon unnie. I look at her and just sigh.

“Where are you heading to then?” I ask her. 

“Aish. Stop asking so many questions. Will you do me a favor or not?” She asked me. I sigh and look over to Mina who looked flushed. I look at Nayeon unnie and just nod. She squeals and then she hugs me. “I owe you big time!” says nayeon unnie as she gets a hold of my hand and drags me towards their table. She grabs all of her belongings and she taps Mina.

“Minari, our Chaeyoungie is here. You’ll be fine with her, right?” asks Nayeon unnie. Mina looked at Nayeon and then she looked at me. She looked flushed, and her movements looked a little clumsy. 

“Well, you know what they say! Beggars can’t be choosers!” Exclaims MIna. I look at her and gave her a dirty look.

 

Did she just call me a beggar’s option?

 

“Okay, whatever…” Nayeon unnie trails off, she’s obviously trying to hide her smile. “I’ve got to go now. Take care of the girl.” Says Nayeon unnie as she quickly walks off towards the entrance. 

I just look at Mina and take a seat in front of her. She looks at me and then she sighs loudly. I just stare at her, not sure how to handle drunk Mina. She rests her head on her hands, her elbows propped on the table. She  looked at me, her eyes, they aren’t piercing anymore. She looks soft and vulnerable. 

 

She looks like a drunk penguin.

 

“You’re not drunk, right?” I ask her. She looked at me and I see her bite her lower lip. Ah, she’s definitely drunk. She’s currently experiencing the ‘drunk twitch’.

A drunk twitch is a movement/s that people do unconsciously when they’re tipsy or drunk. Everyone has their own drunk twitch. I honestly don’t know what my drunk twitch is but I can see that Mina’s drunk twitch is biting her lower lip and saying rude things. I look at her, she’s definitely intoxicated.

“No. Do I look drunk? ” She asked and she pouted. Ah, another drunk twitch. 

“Good. Cause I don’t like taking care of drunk people.” I tell her directly. She looks at me and she seemingly snapped out of her drunken high phase. 

“I’m not asking you to take care of me.” She replies. I look at her, I was surprised. Wow, she’s definitely rude when she’s drunk.

“Fine, miss independent woman.” I and I see her smile. I smile too. “How many bottles have you consumed?” I asked her. She looks at me blankly.

“I don’t know. Who counts anyway?” She answers. Ah, she’s still smart even when drunk. I chuckle with what she says, so I pour her shot glass some more soju. She’s smiling. I give her the glass and she accepts by immediately drinking it. I smile, she looks really cute.

“Why are you drinking anyway? Are you celebrating or something?” I ask her and she just shook her head. 

“I hate this.” She looks at me. 

“What? You hate that I’m the one to accompany you here?” I couldn’t hide the hurt tone in my voice. She shook her head and looked at me.

“I hate that you get to see me like this, cub.” She pouts at me. I smile, what the hell?

“What? Drunk? Everyone gets drunk sometimes. It’s no big deal.” I chuckle.

“I hate that you get to see me so vulnerable.” Says Mina, she then motions me to fill her shot glass with some more soju.

 

Vulnerable? In what way?

 

“I think you look cool right now, unnie.” I tell her as I fill her shot glass. I smile at her and she just looks down. 

“I think you’re the coolest…” She trails off, her voice slurred a little. I look at her, is she really this talkative when drunk? 

 

It’s weirdly fascinating

 

“So you think of me?” I ask her jokingly. She looks at me and gave me a dirty look.

“That’s none of your business, baby tiger.” She clasps my face and I end up becoming frozen. What the hell is she doing right now? She smiles, her hands felt heavy. She’s definitely close to becoming drunk. “Why? Do you want me to think of you?” She asks and I just look at her. She smiles and lets go of my face.

I just look at her, I’m at a loss for words. How dare she cup my face like that? Without permission? I almost lost my cool. 

“I think I wanna go home, baby tiger. Please take me home.” she softly whispers as she buries her head on the table. I just look at her and sigh.

I stand up and pay for the drinks consumed. Good thing Mina is the type who can still walk properly when drunk, because if she isn’t? I would’ve left her alone in Teal bar. Hailing a cab was easy, but I worried that she might puke inside the cab so I had to secure a plastic bag for her. I had to make sure even though the travel home would only take less than 10 minutes by cab. I couldn't take the risk, really. 

Before entering the cab, I placed all our belongings inside the compartment. Good thing Mina unnie can stand all by herself. She looked like a statue though, she looked lifeless. When I made sure everything was already in place, I made her enter the cab first and then I came in second. I told the cab driver our address and he went on running. As the taxi started moving, I couldn’t help but notice Mina unnie. She’s so far away from me. I tap her shoulder and smile at her.

“If you feel sleepy, you can lay your head on my shoulder.” I tell her. She immediately scooted closer to me but she didn’t lay her head on my shoulder. She felt warm, maybe it’s because of all the alcohol she’s consumed. 

“Chaeyoungie…” she trails off. I turn my gaze to her and realize how close our faces were. Sober Mina would freak out about this, but apparently drunk Mina seems completely fine with it. I look away and face front.

“Yes?” I respond, not directly looking at her.I feel her breathe heavily, and then I feel her rest her head on my shoulder. I froze, my mind went completely blank. Should I breathe? Should I move? Should I just move out of South Korea? 

“I failed one of my exams today.” she sighs heavily. I feel her slowly slip her hand through the gap between my arm and body, she’s trying to get a hold of my arm. I decided to let her hug my free arm. I look at her and feel how sad she is. That’s why she’s drinking. I wanted to say something but I can’t seem to find the right words to say.

“I studied hard too. ” her voice broke and my heart broke too. Poor Mina. I wish I could console her. “Should I just quit law school entirely?” She asks, she’s still clinging to me, hugging my arm tightly. I couldn’t offer much words so i just lay my head on head.

“Unnie, I think you’re the best. ” I tell her.

She shouldn’t be this hard on herself. I never knew she was the type to get so worked up with failing grades. I feel bad for her.

“Thanks for picking me up, cub.” She looks up while hugging my spare arm. She smiles at me, her eyes disappear. When she smiles, her gums show, it’s like she’s got 70 % gums and 30% teeth. I couldn’t help but notice how cute she gets when she drinks. I chuckle and just nod at her. 

“Yeah. I had nothing important to do anyway.” I whisper to her and notice that she’s laying her head on my shoulder now. She must feel sleepy. I just lay my head on her head and sigh. Poor MIna unnie. 

“Precious girl.” I whisper under my breath as Mina dozed off. 

Minutes later we arrive at our dormitory. Luckily Tzuyu responded quickly when I sent her a text to come help me with Mina. Mina has completely fallen asleep and I couldn’t dare to wake her up. Tzuyu, our dearest demon tree on the other hand had no problem with waking Mina up. She even managed to make Mina walk from our gate to our dorm.I on the other hand was the one to bring all our things inside. Once inside, we were greeted by Sana unnie who woke up because of all the Ruckus. 

“Maybe we should dump her inside her room and leave her be.”  suggests Tzuyu as she lets Mina slide off of her onto the couch. I look at her.

“Look at how pretty our Minari is when drunk.” Chuckles Sana unnie. I look at Mina and realize that she does look decent. 

“You guys have got to help me.” I tell them. I’m exhausted at this point. “She’s got to change her clothes, brush her teeth, and remove her makeup.” I tell them and they just stare at me.

“Can’t you just dump her some place and let her wake up and do all those things by herself?” asks Tzuyu, she’s obviously unamused. I look at her and profusely shake my head.

“No, are you some animal or something?” I ask her and she just shrugs.

“I can remove her makeup. Tzuyu can help her brush her teeth.” Says Sana unnie groggily. I look at her. 

“I won’t change her clothes!” I tell them as if my life depended on it. “I won’t do it!” I protest to them. They just looked at me and nodded.

“Then don’t. Nobody’s forcing you.” Says Tzuyu.

“You were the one who suggested it. You do it.” Says Sana unnie nonchalantly. “Besides, you’re both girls. What’s wrong with that?” asks Sana unnie. I couldn’t help but gulp.

What’s wrong with that? EVERYTHING. Tell me, how can someone like me, who’s into girls, undress an attractive lady? Really? I can’t even look at her directly and now you want me to freaking remove her clothes? 

“Fine. I’ll do it.” I replied coolly, I try to pretend that I don’t care. These people can’t understand what I am feeling since they’re all too straight to function! 

They both nod and Tzuyu started to wake Mina unnie up. The girl’s so obedient she woke up, even though drunk. She followed Tzuyu and Sana to the bathroom. Sana told me to go straight to Mina Unnie’s room and pick clothes for the girl. As I entered the room, I quickly open her drawer and pick sleeping clothes for her. 

As I wait for Mina, I notice a frame which was on her drawer. Inside the frame was the sketch that I had made for her. I just stare at it in disbelief, she actually framed it? I do not know why, but it made my heart happy even though it’s not much. 

 

Mina unnie loves my drawing.

 

Not more than fifteen minutes later I hear someone knock so I open the door and is greeted by a half drunk Mina. Tzuyu was behind her. 

“Our part is over. Time for you to change her clothes.” She smiles slyly and she closes the door. Mina unnie groggily walks towards her bed and she sits. Wow, even when drunk she still so graceful. She looks up and stares at me.

“Unnie, here are your clothes. Can you manage to change yourself?” I ask her, hoping that she can manage. 

“Um, here’s your underwear. You might want to change into some fresh new underwear.” I tell her shyly, I feel my face become hot.

She just nods so I immediately turn around and I start to hear her removing her clothes. I just try to look at the ceiling. “Do you feel a lot better?” I ask her.

“Yes.” She replies flatly.

“Are you almost done changing clothes?” I ask her. 

“Almost … and … done.” I hear her chuckle a bit, and I smile because of this. “You can turn around now. I’m not anymore.” Mina confidently says. I shudder with what she says but I obliged anyway. When I turn around I see how messed up her hair has become which made me laugh. 

“Unnie…” I trai off as I walk towards her. I picked the comb which was placed on the dresser and sat beside her. “You’re so messy when you’re drunk.” I chuckle as I start to comb her hair. She stays quiet until I finish combing her hair. 

“You should rest now, unnie.” I tell her as I guide her to her bed. Her eyes were already half closed which made me smile a lot. She looks really cute, I just wish I could look half as cute as her. “I’ll go now. Okay?” I tell her. As I was about to stand up, feel her hold my hand. I look at her and notice she’s directly looking at me now, her eyes, her piercing eyes, they were back now. They pierced through my soul.

“No. I want you to stay here with me.” her tone was serious.

I look at her blankly. I’m pretty sure it’s the alcohol talking. Right? 

“Please hold my hand until I fall asleep.” She whispers, her eyes starting to close. I just look at her and notice how beautiful she looks when asleep. I didn’t even realize I already am smiling. I hold her hand, gently rubbing it, hoping that it would soothe her. The girl’s been through too much, I just wish could make her forget what’s making her sad. 

 

Seeing her like this, breaks my heart.

 

The next day, I woke up just in time. I had classes in a while so I got ready. I went outside to the living room and discover Mina unnie standing by the kitchen sink, trying to fill the kettle with some water. Maybe she’ll want to drink coffee. She looked disheveled, not well even. I walk towards the refrigerator and grab a bottle of cold water. Good thing in our dorm, Nayeon unnie has prepared this medicine Kit found inside the cupboard, so I grab some hangover medicine as well and walk to Mina unnie. 

“Coffee causes dehydration. Drink water instead.” I place the water bottle on the counter, she looks at me, her hair all over the place. “Here, you might need these too.” I tell her as I place the medicine beside the water. 

“Thanks.” She smiles subtly and she turns the water faucet off. I just nod and walk off, not saying goodbye. I didn’t have the luxury of time. I needed to hurry for school. 

My classes came and went, I was tired. I mean, I’m always tired. What’s new? However, even though there were new things to learn, my mind kept coming back to Mina unnie. How she became sad. Does she hate losing that much? Aish. How can she be so hard on herself? It’s not as if the world’s going to end.

“Yah. Smol bean. It’s almost 5 o’clock. Want to grab dinner nearby?” Tzuyu asks me as we walk through the corridor.

“Sure. Should we go to gangnam?” I ask her.

“We can go wherever. I’m starving.” Says the giant.

We increased our step’s pace. It’s for my own benefit. I don’t really like interacting with hungry Tzuyu. When she’s hungry, everything’s in chaos. So as much as possible I would I like to avoid making this girl hungry. Keep the giant well fed and things will be in order.

We were almost at the University’s main entrance when I receive a text. 

 

[KAKAO TALK]

Min Woo: Are you free right now? 

Me: I’m with a friend right now, I’m sorry. 

Min Woo: Maybe your friend would like to join us.

 

What did he just say? My friend could join as? The audacity.

 

I glance at Tzuyu, she doesn’t seem to be the nosy type. Should I invite her? I don’t want to leave her alone again. There’s nothing between me and Min Woo anyway. 

“Hey, demon tree.” I call her. She looks at me and wait for my response. “A friend wants to join us. Should I invite him over?” I ask her,genuinely hoping that she wouldn’t be nosy.

“Him?” She asks me. I just nod. “No problem. The real question is, am I the one who’s trespassing?” she asks me.

“Trespassing?” I ask her.

“You know, I don’t want to become a third wheel.” She winks at me. 

“Pabo. It’s not like that. Min Woo and I ---” she cuts me off.

“Ah, so his name is Min Woo. Interesting.” She slyly smiles at me.

“Nothing Is interesting about it.” I tell her plainly. Because honestly, there’s nothing there. “Min Woo and I, nothing’s there. It’s hollow. I’ve got no feelings for him.” 

“Has it been that long?” asks Tzuyu.

“No, I’ve met him a few months back.” I tell her as we walk towards the main entrance.

“I bet he’s the one who likes you!” She teases me. I look at her and just stick my tongue out. 

Honestly, if he likes me, I don’t think I’d really make a big deal out of it. Just as we get past the main entrance gate, I spot Min Woo. He’s leaning on his car. He spots me and he waves at me. Tzuyu looks at the guy carefully and she smirks at me. 

“Hey, I’m Jung Min Woo. Nice to meet you.” he approaches tzuyu, reaching out for her hand.

“I’m Tzuyu. I’m Chaeng’s friend. What’s up?” She casually greets him. They both shake each other’s hand. “Yah. Son Chaeyoung. Aren’t you going to greet your friend here?” the giant asks me jokingly. Min Woo shifts his gaze towards me and he smiles, like he always does.

I just nudge Min Woo, not really saying anything. He just nods and we all agree to get inside his car and head to Gangnam. Tzuyu and I sat on the back seat, Tzuyu insisted I sit beside the driver but I refuse. 

“Yah. Son Chaeyoung, you forgot to take the bouquet I gave you last night.” Min Woo suddenly mentioned something so unnecessary in front of Tzuyu. Tzuyu looks at me, wide open.

“Flowers?” She whispers and I just shake my head, implying it had no meaning to me at all.

“Yah. Jung Min Woo, you might give Tzuyu the wrong idea about us. Idiot.” I tell him and I just hear the both of them chuckle. What the hell? Is Tzuyu really my friend or is she my pimp?

“What do you think about us Tzuyu?” Asks Min Woo. I look at Tzuyu and give her a threatening stare. 

US? THERE IS NO ‘US’. THE AUDACITY.

“Honestly, I can’t tell just yet.” Replies Tzuyu coldly and she gave me a are-you-happy-now look. I smile at her, satisfied. 

I know Min Woo was just trying to joke around but he somehow comes off as pushy. Why is he acting this way? I never saw it before but, how the hell does he know where I am at the moment? It just seems like he always has the best timing when asking me out because when he does ask me out, I’m just nearby. Why is he trying too hard?

Just as I was about to get deeper into my thoughts, the car halted and I realize we’re already in Gangnam. I hurriedly get off, dragging Tzuyu with me. We wait for Min Woo but he says he’s going to park the car somewhere and that we should just get going. He’ll follow us soon. We both obliged and start roaming around gangnam. Street food filled the place and honestly, they all looked great. 

We ate and laughed. It even seemed like Min Woo disappeared, I hope he does. Now that I think about it, this is probably the last time I’m meeting him. 

“Dahyun unnie!” All of a sudden Tzuyu hugs Dahyun who supposedly came out of nowhere. 

“You guys are here too?” asks Dahyun. I nod and smile at her. 

“Are you alone or something?” the giant teases Dahyun and the three of us laugh. 

Just as I was about to bring something up, I see Mina in another food stall. I was about to point out that Mina is also here and laugh about how we’re having a small gathering when suddenly, as stocky guy walked towards her. They were talking about something.

“Is that Mina?” I ask everyone, even though I’m pretty sure it was Mina.

“Yeah, it’s her. What a coincidence. Let me go talk to her.” Says Dahyun as she walks past me and Tzuyu towards Mina and the guy. I see Mina smile when she saw Dahyun. They talked and she even introduced Dahyun and the guy to each other. I turn my gaze to Tzuyu and notice that she’s also fixated on what I am seeing.

All of a sudden, Dahyun points towards our direction. Mina and the guy looked at us and Mina waves. We both wave back and decide to go to them. 

“It’s so nice to see you guys here.” Says Tzuyu as she greets Mina. 

“What are you guys doing here?” Asks Mina.

“We’re just hanging out and we bumped into Dahyun unnie. One thing lead to another, and we bumped into you too.” Replies Tzuyu. Mina Smiles and she looks at me for a second, she then took her eyes off of me. I notice the guy she’s with was just standing beside her, not really saying anything. 

“Oh, his name is Kai.” Says Mina as she points at the guy named Kai. I just look at him and smile. “Kai, this is Tzuyu.” Mina Unnie introduced Tzuyu first and the strangers shake hands and exchange greetings. Mina looks at me and she looked at Kai.

“Kai, this is Chaeyoung.” Mina introduced me. I smile at Kai and shake his hand. 

“Oh, Son Chaeyoung. Right?” Kai asks me. I nod and smile.

“Wow you know that much about me.” I chuckle. 

“Yeah. My younger sister told me so much about you.” Kai smirks and looks at Mina. My eyes widen, younger sister? I look at Mina and I caught a glimpse of her nudging Kai a bit.

“My name is Myoui Kai. I’m Mina’s older brother.” he smiles at me, I don’t know why but I somehow felt a breeze of fresh air when he formally introduced himself. Now I can’t stop smiling. 

“Wah. I thought you were her boyfriend!” Exclaims Tzuyu and all of us laugh. Kai laughed the hardest.

“Oh please. Her? A boyfriend?—” Mina suddenly cuts kai off by slightly nudging him. I can see the sibling tension between them. Kai chuckles and decided to keep quiet instead.

“Anyway, did you come here all by yourself?” Mina asks Dahyun. 

“Yeah. I wanted some alone time but ended up bumping into these idiots.” Dahyun was implying to us. 

“What about the both of you?” Asks Mina. “Did you guys come here all by yourself?” she asked again. I looked at Tzuyu and I’m pretty sure she was about to say something stupid so I answered for us.

“Tzuyu and I came here with a friend but I guess, that friend is having a hard time finding a parking space.” I reply.

“And who would that friend be?” Asks Dahyun, she seemed curious. I was about to answer back when a hand found its way to my shoulder. Tzuyu smiled when she saw who it was.

“Chaeyoung, I was looking all over for you and Tzuyu.” Says Min Woo.

Clearly everyone was taken aback, Min Woo’s hands were still on my shoulder. I moved away from him, I didn’t like that he’s touching me without consent. 

“He’s the friend.” Adds Tzuyu, practically introducing Min Woo to everyone. Everyone nods, even though they looked a little shocked. 

“Hello, I’m Jung Min Woo. It’s my pleasure to meet you guys.” He says and then he bows. 

“What type of friend are you exactly?” Dahyun asks. I look at Dahyun, she’s the one who seemed to be really shaken. 

 

What the heck is Dahyun trying to do now?

 

“He’s like the type of friend who buys her flowers and takes her to dinner.” Says Tzuyu. 

My mouth dropped with what she says. This giant’s got no mouth filter. Even Min Woo was taken aback. I look at everyone around me and I can tell, I wasn't the only one surprised. 

 

Damn you Chou Tzuyu, you Demon tree.