It happened the first time.

 

A quiz was about to start and Yoo Jimin was rummaging through her bag when she realized that she forgot to bring a pen.

 

She’s forgetful, alright, but she never thought it has become this bad.

 

“Shoot,” she mumbles, “So stupid.”

 

Kim Minjeong heard her.

 

“Uh,” Minjeong starts, “Is everything okay?”

 

Jimin snaps her head up because did her cute seatmate just talk to her?

 

“Um yeah I—” Jimin was dumbfounded at first before she collected herself. “I kinda forgot to bring a pen,” sheepishly sending a wary smile at Kim Minjeong.

 

“Ahhh.” Minjeong nods, finding her seatmate’s predicament (not her smile, of course not) really endearing. “I have an extra. I can let you borrow it.”

 

Jimin’s heart leaps at the offer, both of gratitude and something else. “You would do that?”

 

“Of course.” Minjeong beams, reaching for the extra pen she always prepared next to her favorite one. “Only if you want though.”

 

Jimin’s not the one to decline given her circumstance.

 

“Heck yes.” She says, already reaching for the pen Minjeong extends to her direction.

 

“Thank you so much.”

 

“Don’t mind it,” Minjeong drawls just as the professor claps his hands to get their attention.

 

“Okay everyone. You have 30 minutes to answer. Start now.”

 

Jimin sent a grateful smile at Minjeong’s direction before starting.

 

 

***

 

 

The second time it happened, Jimin was running late on their scheduled moving exams.

 

In her defense, she had to pull an all-nighter because of an article due the following day. If not for her bestfriend Aeri’s phone call asking her where she is, she would have woken up at noon.

 

“Oh my god.” Jimin was on the verge of cursing, “Are you for real Yoo Jimin?”

 

This is didn’t go unnoticed by her seatmate.

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

Jimin looks up from her bag, sheepish. Yet again.

 

“I forgot my pen,” she scrunches her nose. “Again.”

 

This earned her a cackle.

 

“Why are you so cute?”

 

Jimin tries not to blush, “You mean forgetful?”

 

“That too.” Minjeong chuckles, fishing out her extra pen from her bag. “Here you go.”

 

“Oh thank god for your existence.” Jimin breathes, reaching for the same pen Minjeong lent her before.

 

“I know right.”

 

 

***

 

 

The third time it happened, Jimin swears she placed a pen inside her bag the night before. But for some freaking reason, it’s nowhere to be found.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me...” She mutters, eyes shut as she tries to calm herself down.

 

Of course, Kim Minjeong noticed this.

 

“Hey,” she calls, “Same old?”

 

Jimin sighs, opens her eyes and sends and apologetic smile at Minjeong.

 

“Yeah. Can I borrow your pen again?”

 

Minjeong, kind, beautiful Minjeong grins at her like she was waiting for Yoo Jimin to ask just that.

 

“Of course.”

 

 

***

 

 

The fourth time it happened, Jimin was ready to pull her hairs out.

 

“This is ridiculous I know I’ve put it here somewhere!”

 

Unfortunately for her, it’s their professor who noticed her little situation instead of a certain blonde hair.

 

“Is everything alright, Miss Yoo?”

 

Jimin froze in her place.

 

“Ahh, yes sir.” She awkwardly smiles, glancing around at the students looking at her direction. “I—”

 

“She just dropped her pen, sir.” Minjeong chimes in, waving a pen up so the the professor could see. “That’s all.”

 

The professor gave the two women a look.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Jimin swallows a lump in , not used to the sudden attention from the professor. “Y-yes sir.”

 

She glanced at her seatmate, grateful. In return, Minjeong sent her a wink, a small smirk and the usual pen she’d been lending her.

 

Jimin just wants to disappear.

 

 

***

 

 

The fifth time it happened, Jimin couldn’t stop herself from cursing.

 

“,” she breathes, running a hand through her hair.

 

Of course, Kim Minjeong heard this.

 

“Did you just say ‘’?” the girl asks, mouth agape, eyes bright.

 

Jimin felt the heat flooding her face.

 

“I did,” meeting Minjeong’s eyes. “But you didn’t hear it. It never happened.”

 

“Sure,” Minjeong laughs, eyes twinkling. “Lemme guess, your pen again?”

 

Jimin groaned, “Great guess.”

 

Hearing Minjeong’s melodious laughter is probably the only silver lining to her predicament.

 

“Y’know, for a Journalism student” Minjeong drawls, “you sure don’t carry your pens a lot,” shoving a pen at Jimin’s direction, grinning.

 

Jimin takes it with a sigh.

 

“I swear I do.” She pouts. “I put four of them in my bag every night but they just disappear when I need them!”

 

“Or you actually don’t and just thought you did?”

 

Jimin’s jaw dropped.

 

“Are you saying I’m delusional?”

 

Minjeong’s laughter echoes again, “I’d say forgetful but hey, your words.” Making Jimin’s heart sing and her cheeks flare.

 

“Oh my god I can’t with you.”

 

 

***

 

 

The next time, it didn’t happen.

 

It didn’t because Jimin clutched a pen in her hand all the way to the lecture room where her next class is, where Minjeong is her seatmate.

 

Said girl immediately noticed this and gave Jimin a teasing smirk.

 

“I see you brought a pen this time.”

 

“Yep,” Jimin says, popping the ‘p’ for emphasis. “So I can prove to you that I am not forgetful.”

 

Minjeong laughed at this because, “Yeah, nice try.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Minjeong gave her a look.

 

“Seriously?”

 

“What?”

 

“It is film-showing day,” she reminds, “Mr. Han told us last time that we’re gonna spend this session watching Shutter Island, remember?” a teasing smile ghosting her lips because of course.

 

Yoo Jimin forgot about it.

 

“Oh my god,” Jimin face-palms, “I’m so stupid.”

 

“No, you’re not.” Minjeong scolds, serious but coaxing. “Forgetful. But not stupid.”

 

Jimin peeks through the gaps between her fingers. “You’re being too kind.”

 

“And you’re being ridiculous.”

 

Just when Jimin was about to retort back, Mr. Han comes in.

 

He assembled the projector in no time and soon enough, the whole class brought their attention to the movie.

 

Except for Yoo Jimin.

 

Well, the movie had her attention for a minute until she saw a paper subtly slide across her desk.

 

From Kim Minjeong.

 

She looks up at the girl, brows furrowed together. Minjeong simply pointed at the paper with her lips, convincing her to open it.

 

Jimin is one hell of a curious 20-year-old.

 

‘Hey’ the note reads.

 

She chanced a glance at Kim Minjeong, only to find the girl already looking at her.

 

‘What?’ Jimin decided to write back, just below Minjeong’s unhurried scrawl, noting the girl’s child-like penmanship.

 

‘Nothing’ comes the response ‘Just wanna put your pen to good use coz u didn’t forget it this time :)’

 

Oh my god.

 

Yoo Jimin almost laughed. Except she didn’t.

 

She didn’t because the entire class is too engrossed with the movie and Mr. Han is eyeing them, gauging their reaction.

 

(She doesn’t want to attract the professor’s attention just like the last time. She had enough of the prying stares, she hates it)

 

So instead, Jimin just pursed her lips (despite the tremendous amount of happiness coursing through her veins), uncaps her pen that she thankfully brought to class, and scribbles down a simple ‘You’re insufferable’ before sliding the paper back to the girl beside her.

 

Kim Minjeong’s twinkling eyes and gorgeous gummy smile was what she met when she looked up, making her head spin in a really good way.

 

Turns out she needed the pen all along.

 

Good thing she didn’t forget to bring one this time.