Minjeong can't believe Yoo

Getting to Know Yoo

Mondays are always the most hectic for Minjeong.

 

Which is why she hates it.

 

Her classes start at 7AM that lasts until 4 in the afternoon. Upon dismissal, Minjeong would then bolt out of her classroom and run like her life depended on it for her shift at the diner at 4:30. She would then spend the rest of the afternoon until 12 midnight entertaining annoying customers and friendly grandmas who frequent the restaurant.

 

In other words, it means she would need a lot of energy in order to survive Mondays, right? Because her hectic schedule requires both her mind and body, right? And any normal person with an average IQ of 100 and comprehension of a sensible adult who is attending university just like her would understand her situation, right??

 

Wrong.

 

Everything she expected of normal persons and sensible adults with average IQs and comprehension are glaringly erroneous because here are her classmates, cramping her sacred space as if they’re invited, the life out of Minjeong at 8 in the freaking morning.

 

“So you saw her in person?? You are so lucky!”

 

“She’s so talented, no? And so pretty? Oh my god!”

 

“She’s looks like a god in real life, right? I envy her!”

 

Their professor is running late for this class and that rarely happens because he was always punctual.

 

That rarely looks like today of all days and Minjeong berates herself for not wearing her lucky underwear. Maybe that’s why her Monday is starting off with a substantial absence of luck.

 

“Yes, I saw her in person. I guess she’s talented. You can say she’s pretty. And no, I wouldn’t know if she looks like a god because I have never seen one before.”

 

Minjeong thought that upon exiting the concert hall on Saturday evening, she would finally be free from Karina Yoo and her clutches. But here she is, gritting through her teeth answering every damn question her nosy classmates are throwing at her about the woman.

 

This is all Yizhuo’s fault.

 

If she hadn’t tagged her in that post and announced to the rest of the world that they attended the celebrity’s meet and greet post-concert, she wouldn’t have this unsolicited spotlight.

 

No, scratch that, this is Karina Yoo’s fault for actually posting something in the first place. If her super famous hadn’t posted those pictures, the world would be at peace instead of being on Minjeong’s business at 8 in the freaking morning.

 

“Eyyy. Why do you look so calm? You just met the most famous person in South Korea, Minjeong-ah,” one of the girls told her.

 

The statement earned a creased brows from Minjeong because, “Is there a reason not to be calm about it?”

 

Duh,” the girl sassed, as if it was the most obvious thing, “If I were you I would let every single person know that I’ve met Karina Yoo. I would be so loud and proud. You should feel the luckiest because not everyone had the privilege like you did.”

 

P-privilege?

 

Did she really just say privilege?

 

Minjeong wants to laugh.

 

“Listen, she’s just a person. Like us,” she answered calmly even though she is anything but calm at the statement of the girl who had the privilege kink. “Maybe just a little richer and frequently seen on TV. Yey, good for her. But it doesn’t make her extraordinary to me. Besides, she’s just another one among the ocean of celebrities existing today. That’s nothing to go loud and proud.”

 

The girl and the rest of the classmates surrounding Minjeong were aghast at the declaration, gasping dramatically as if she just said the most horrendous thing in the world, like flunking this Economics class they’re in (which they may do if they continue to go crazy over a celebrity who basically doesn’t know them instead of spending their time doing something worthwhile like studying maybe).

 

“Yah. Did you—“

 

But just before the privilege kink girl could go louder and prouder, their professor thankfully walks in. This made her nosy classmates scramble back to their respective seats; but not without a judgmental glare thrown towards Minjeong that she replied with a spiteful scoff and challenging brow.

 

Lawrd.

 

Minjeong hates Mondays.

 

 

 

***

 

 

(“Minjeong-ah, was Karina Yoo really tall?”

 

“Tall. But not really.”

 

“Minjeong-ah, can Karina Yoo really sing?

 

“She’s a singer? Of course she can sing.”

 

“Minjeong-ah, does Karina Yoo smell nice?”

 

“Um, was I supposed to smell her?”

 

 “Minjeong-ah, does Karina Yoo really have a crocodile as a pet?”

 

“Wha—I don’t know?! Does she???”)

 

 

 

***

 

 

“This is so annoying.”

 

After hours of terrible lectures and nosy classmates asking whether Karina Yoo this, Karina Yoo that, Minjeong is finally given the break she rightfully deserves. Almost all of her classes this morning had at least one or a group of people shoving their questions about Karina Yoo into her face. It was as if spending a few hours in the concert made Minjeong discover the secret life of Karina Yoo and decoded her mysterious aura (not her words) that her classmates had been yapping about.

 

Surprise surprise. Minjeong doesn’t care about Karina Yoo and her crocodile pet or whatever.

 

“Who is annoying?” Yizhuo’s small face suddenly appears above her, momentarily blocking the view of the perfectly blue sky.

 

Minjeong squints her eyes. Ning Yizhuo, the cause of all the chaos in her life right now, had finally graced her with her presence.

 

“My classmates. You. That celebrity whose concert we attended last Saturday.”

 

Yizhuo chuckles at the grumpy unnie sprawled like a star fish under their usual oak tree. The weather was nice and fair so she decided to text Minjeong to have lunch outside. Contrary to the weather, however, her weird friend is anything but nice and fair.

 

“What did your classmates do to you? And why am I included? Also, Karina Yoo is her name in case you forgot.”

 

Minjeong lets out a mocking ‘Ha’ at the mention of the name she probably heard for a hundred times today.

 

“How can I forget that name?” she grits, huffing at the memory of her classmates asking her like excited pups eager to play catch, “I had Karina Yoo’s name shoved at my face all morning thanks to you.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

Yizhuo laughs at the glare thrown her way.

 

“Why are you so grumpy?” she asks, plopping on the grass next to the cranky star fish while munching on her favorite strawberries. “Is it really bad?”

 

Worst.” Minjeong grunts, “They asked me all sorts of questions from what she smells like to if she really has a crocodile as a pet like, how the heck am I supposed to know if she has an alligator as a pet??!”

 

Correction.” Yizhuo chimes in, “Alligators and crocodiles are two different kinds of reptiles. Alligators have U-shaped snouts while crocodiles are V-shaped.” Talking like a seasoned veterinarian all ready with her scientific facts flashed in a non-existent powerpoint presentation, “But yes, there are rumors that Karina unnie has a crocodile as a pet. It was a given that they will ask you that.”

 

All the whines that were at the tip of Minjeong’s tongue froze in their places because, “What?” her annoyance about the whole Karina Yoo situation this morning momentarily out of the picture and is replaced by the more absurd information being sputtered by her friend. “Where did you get all this nonsense?”

 

“Oomf.”

 

Minjeong blinks, “Oomf?” eyebrows meeting halfway because she’s never heard of that news outlet before. Maybe it’s a newly released tabloid?What’s that?”

 

Yizhuo looks at her like she just asked if the sky is indeed blue, “Are you serious unnie??”

 

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

 

Yizhuo bellowed a laugh of disbelief, “Cheesus, Kim Minjeong. Don’t you have twitter? It stands for one of my followers. That’s why it’s called oomf.”

 

Minjeong slowly nodded, mouth forming an ‘O’ at the newly found information. Forgive her for not caring about freaking acronyms.

 

“So that’s what it is. I thought you were choking on your strawberries when you said oomf..” earning a face-palm from Yizhuo.

 

But then, “Why would you believe anything that your followers are saying anyway? Are they reliable sources?”

 

“Yes of course.”

 

Minjeong squints her eyes at the categorical answer, “How reliable?”

 

“Very.” Yizhuo prides. “My followers are always up to date and they never lie. They’re my besties.

 

Minjeong sighed at the obvious delusion of her friend, “You do not believe everything that people on the internet says, Ning Yizhuo,” she warns, giving the other girl a what she attempts to be a stern glare. “You have to be careful of what you decide to believe in, example, your idol’s rumored pet crocodile.”

 

But Yizhuo is not having any of it. “The probability of Karina unnie having a pet crocodile is high unnie. Might as well consider it true.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Minjeong prods, raising a brow at the absurdity of everything that is coming out of Yizhuo’s mouth right now, “Do tell about this probability then.”

 

“Well for one, Karina unnie likes animals,” Yizhuo starts, “No, she loves animals. She said that her goal is to fill her house with more animals than people so you could really see that she is invested in them. She also said in one behind-the-scenes footage that she wanted to raise a dinosaur if only they aren’t extinct. So, a crocodile as a pet would be like housing a cat at this point, which she also really likes by the way,” explaining as if she is reporting the weather, all factual and informative. “Karina unnie likes all sorts of animals so her petting a crocodile is not far from reality. I rest my case.”

 

Kim Minjeong going insane is not far from reality, that’s what it is.

 

With everything that transpired in the morning to this, her very friend Ning Yizhuo (whom she entrusted her whole life with until this very point) believing that her idol Karina Yoo could pet a crocodile and raise a mother frapping (not to mention extinct) dinosaur, Minjeong and her last straw of sanity are just on the verge of dissipating.

 

“Ning..” she tries to explain calmly, “..crocodiles are not pets. You have to understand that they’re animals intended for the wild. Not as house pets.”

 

“For Karina unnie it is..”

 

“It’s a rumor Ning.”

 

“Which may be true.”

 

“Which may also be not.”

 

“What if it’s true?”

 

What if Minjeong kicks Yizhuo in the face?

 

It’s isn’t true, Ning..”

 

“It’s true unnie. Reality is what I say it is.”

 

Minjeong had enough of the stupid conversation, “You know what, fine,” tiredly acceding before she could go bald if she engages any longer, “Karina Yoo has a crocodile as a pet. Maybe even ten of those reptiles happily roaming her backyard as we speak. She really loves them and takes care of them like they’re her beloved children. Happy?”

 

Yizhuo visibly lights up at her friend’s declaration of defeat, “Very,” grinning when Minjeong rolled her eyes at her.

 

“What will I do with you Ning Yizhuo..”

 

“Care me and give me your strawberries, that’s what you will do.” says the Karina crocodile enthusiast, pointing to the box of strawberries beside Minjeong that was left uneaten by the girl who remains sprawled on the ground. “They’ve been lying there all alone and sad. They need some caring unnie. Give it to me if you’re not eating it.”

 

Minjeong would gladly give Yizhuo all the strawberries in the world if it would get her to shut up about Karina Yoo and her crocodiles.

 

“It’s all yours.” She sighs in exasperation, sighs even more when Yizhuo happily shrieked her unearthly screech upon reaching out for the box beside her.

 

Ghad.

 

Minjeong hates Mondays.

 

 

 

***

 

 

Jimin loves Mondays.

 

Especially Mondays after Saturday concerts.

 

Mondays after months of preparation for a concert that has concluded on a weekend feels akin to a vacation for Jimin. She always made sure to let her manager know that she doesn’t want any kind of disturbance whatsoever whenever it’s Mondays post-concert. It’s the only day she would have time for herself after going all out in the past months. One day of being selfish won’t bankrupt her label, anyway.

 

Which is why, here she is, dozing on and off from consciousness for the past hours with the blinds of her huge windows still closed and the buzzing of the AC on a medium filling up her room. It is the definition of relaxation and Jimin wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

A loud grumbling sound of her stomach pulls her out of coziness, however, and poor, relaxing Jimin isn’t relaxing anymore.

 

She doesn’t want to get up and feed herself. It’s her lazy day and that includes her food consumption (her manager unnie doesn’t need to know that, not ever). But her stubborn stomach seemed to have sensed Jimin’s reluctance to feed herself because it protested again, grumbling a little bit longer and louder than the previous one that Jimin is convinced it has a mind of its own for it to be such a brat.

 

“Aish…” she grunts, pushing the sheets away from herself and grudgingly pulled herself up. “Just why are you so loud?”

 

As if in response to her question, her stomach growled again, making Jimin scoff.

 

“Brat..” she mumbles, begrudgingly making her way towards her kitchen.

 

Jimin made it to her relatively large kitchen and lazily opens the cupboards, only to find nothing but a lone box of empty cereal. When she moved to search for something in her fridge, only bottles of SM water and Lipton iced tea welcomed her.

 

Jimin almost laughed at the bareness of it all.

 

Did she really expect to find something in her cabinets when the last time she went out to buy her groceries was probably months before her concert preparations started?

 

She almost never lived in her penthouse; only coming home at the wee hours of the night after practice and then waking up as early as 4am to start her day and practice again.

 

She should’ve known better.

 

Empty cupboards and an unfilled fridge like this are just few of the prices, among other things, she had to pay for being the godly princess Karina Yoo. But today isn’t the day she will deal with that miserable fact.

 

Today is the day she will order take-outs and consume calories beyond her dietary restriction the way any normal adult her age would do in their free day.

 

Fishing out her phone, Jimin contemplates on what cholesterol-filled food she would like to eat when suddenly, her device lights up for an incoming call.

 

She could only blink when she saw the caller ID: the only person who will have the audacity to call her on Mondays post concerts other than her manager.

 

“Hey babe!” hollers the woman on the other line the moment Jimin answered her phone.

 

She’s always so stubborn with that endearment.

 

“I told you not to call me that.”

 

“Chilly.” the girl on the line answers in jest, “Are you still mad that I didn’t make it to your concert?”

 

Jimin rolls her eyes at the response. “You’re not that important, Kim Aeri. Don’t be so full of yourself.”

 

“Awww. Is that why you sent me 20 missed calls and 32 text messages that mostly contained death threats?”

 

Jimin doesn’t want to hear any more words from the girl. “I’m hanging up.”

 

“Wait wait! Jimin!” Kim Aeri frantically stopped her from actually ending the call, “Have you eaten? Where are you?”

 

“You know very well where I am, Uchinaga.” Jimin says as she walks towards her living room, drawing her curtains open and squinting her eyes at the sudden brightness that attacked her. “And you know very well how I do not want to be disturbed on a day like this.”

 

“Sorry to break it to you but I’m on my way.”

 

“What part of I do not want to be disturbed didn’t you understand?” Jimin reprimands with a small sigh, “I don’t like to interact with anyone on my day off you know that.”

 

“Yes I do. But I’m not just anyone, Jiminnie.” Kim Aeri answered, “I’m that anyone who is about to bring you food and feed you coz I know very well you have nothing but SM water and Lipton iced tea in your fridge right now.”

 

Jimin frowns at the accuracy of the woman’s statement, “How did you know that?” subtly looking around for any suspicious bugs or anything that would give away her current predicament, “Did you install hidden cameras in my house? Is that what this is all about?”

 

A loud cackle was heard from Kim Aeri over the line.

 

“I don’t need hidden cameras Jimin. You being Karina Yoo already told me that the last time you went to buy your groceries was probably a couple months ago.”

 

Jimin felt the corner of her lips tug up at the girl’s insinuation, shaking her head in amusement because Kim Aeri is definitely right.

 

“I’m not admitting or denying anything to you, Kim Aeri,” Jimin mutters, plopping on the couch with an oof, “Just get here faster and give me my food. I think I’m hungry.”

 

“On my way babe~”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“So tell me why you weren’t in the concert.”

 

Jimin says upon finishing her food. It wasn’t a question; it was a statement and Aeri chuckles at the seriousness laced in the sentence.

 

“I was in the studio,” she answers coolly, sipping the cup of coffee she bought together with the food she brought for the celebrity, “I was finishing some songs the company is nagging me about.”

 

“The song is more important than me then.”

 

Nothing is more important than you, Jiminnie.” Aeri coaxes, putting her cup down and reaching out for Jimin’s face when she saw a crumb of the tonkatsu on her lower lip. “But it was the deadline babe. I’ve been working on so many songs but they kept rejecting it so I had to double time before the president himself contacts me. You know how it works.”

 

Jimin felt Aeri’s thumb wiping something on her lips and catches her wrist before she could retract her hand back. “Yes I know how it works,” she mutters, tracing her own thumb on Aeri’s pulse point, “What I don’t know is how you cannot spare me a couple hours of your time just to see me on stage.”

 

If Aeri noticed the hint of disappointment in Jimin’s statement, she didn’t show it. Instead, she smiled up at the girl, the light yet unpredictable smile Jimin always despised.

 

“You’re starting to sound like a moody girlfriend right now.”

 

Jimin rolls her eyes.

 

“Good thing I’m not, right?” letting go of Aeri’s wrist and placing her hand under her chin to stare at the girl, “It is one thing to sound like a girlfriend. It’s an entirely different thing to be one, in which case, you’re in no way ready to have.”

 

Aeri laughs and Jimin fights the urge to smack the girl in the face.

 

“I feel so attacked, babe. Why do you have to do me dirty like that?”

 

“I spoke nothing but facts, Kim Aeri.”

 

“Maybe.”

 

It’s not the first time they had this conversation. In fact, when Jimin realized what the two of them are getting themselves into, she tried to shed some light about it. Get to the bottom of whatever it was they were dancing around with.

 

But Aeri, the ever chill and cool Kim Aeri, would always beat around the bush so they always end up not properly discussing the matter. And honestly, Jimin is getting tired.

 

She could only go in circles for so long.

 

“You do you, I guess.” Jimin sighs, getting up from her seat and started putting away the litter in her table. “I won’t get in the way you want to do things.”

 

In her peripheral vision Jimin saw Aeri get up from her seat and move around the counter to where she was standing. Soon enough, she felt a pair of slender arms wrap around her torso and Jimin wants to cling unto the warm feeling she barely gets to feel these days, albeit fleeting.

 

“Do you want to hear the songs I made?” Aeri whispers from behind her, “It’s about you..”

 

“When was it never about me..”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Jimin scoffs but finds herself moved at the thought of the girl writing another hit song with her in mind.

 

“You have to stop making songs about a girl you don’t even date, Kim Aeri.”

 

“If you stop being amazing maybe I will, Yoo Jimin.”

 

Maybe Jimin should. Maybe she really should.

 

 

 

***

 

 

When Aeri left a couple hours later because she has places to be, Jimin was left in her solitary again.

 

It was yet another failed attempt of conversing with the girl and Jimin is not anymore surprised.

 

Is she sad about it? Maybe.

 

Does she want to deal with it? If Aeri doesn’t want to, so does she.

 

As if on cue to stop her mind from overthinking again, her phone lights up. This time, it’s her manager unnie who came to bother her on her day off.

 

“Jimin, I know it’s still technically Monday..” the message reads and Jimin could already imagine her Wendy unnie berating herself if she should really send this message or not. Jimin smiled pensively at the thought. “but you mentioned about wanting to visit Yeri’s diner last Saturday so perhaps you want to go there tonight? I talked to Yeri and she had been nagging me about it all day.”

 

“She says she misses your annoying .”

 

Jimin beams at the last text.

 

The last time she checked, her Yeri unnie said to never contact her again after Jimin didn’t show up during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of her restaurant, Jimin getting tangled up in a tiring meeting with her company’s big bosses the whole day which made her miss the important event.

 

Her Yeri unnie would probably cut ties with her for good if she doesn’t show up this time.

 

“Okay. Pick me up at 10PM unnie.” she types back as a response.

 

As soon as the message was sent, Jimin remembers the initial purpose why she wanted to visit the café, the image of a poker-faced and defiant blonde-head flashing across her mind.

 

Kim Minjeong.

 

The thought of the girl paints a mischievous smile on Jimin’s face.

 

She can’t wait to experience the sassy and cheeky attitude again, something that Jimin never actually tolerated before but somehow, for some reason, she finds really amusing when the smaller girl did it.

 

Jimin finds it weird. Really. But she also finds it fun.

 

And the combination of weird and fun had always been something that Jimin can never say no to.

 

Maybe that’s why there was a tiny skip in her steps when she made her way towards her room to change, the thought of Kim Minjeong and her unknowingness plaguing her mind.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Order for Table 6!”

 

“Got it!”

 

“Chicken Parmesan for Table 3!”

 

“On it!”

 

“Excuse me miss, can I get another fork?”

 

“Sure ma’am!”

 

“Minjeong can you get this to Table 1, Grandma over there made me reheat this.”

 

“Oh. Okay sure.”

 

“Dear, can I get my bill please.”

 

“Yes ma’am. Will be back in a minute!”

 

Minjeong lost count of the number of times she ran around the restaurant taking and giving out orders, getting customers their forks and giving some halmeonis their most awaited coupons. Monday evenings are always the most hectic besides Friday evenings and Minjeong would be outright lying if she said she enjoys it.

 

Thanks to the the generous tips the friendly grandmas would always leave for her, Minjeong finds her work a little bit tolerable despite the frenzy during the said days.

 

“And that, my friend, would be our last customer for the night!” Mark Lee, their resident chef, shouted from the kitchen with a celebratory dance.

 

Minjeong almost believed him until their manager Yeri, who is also basically the owner of the diner, appeared from the kitchen, just as tired as her entire crew.

 

“Not yet, Lee.” She said, wiping her hands with a towel. “I’m expecting a visitor.”

 

Minjeong perked up at this, “A visitor? Tonight?”

 

“Yep.” Yeri nodded at her, “They’re close friends who owed me their presence since this restaurant opened a couple months back. But we have to close up before they arrive. They’re on their way.” Yeri gestured for the front, “Minjeong can you help Haechan roll down the blinds of the windows please. And if a new customer comes in, tell them we’re already close.”

 

Albeit confused as to why they had to close up before the arrival of their manager’s guests, Minjeong willingly obliged. She and Haechan started locking their windows and shutting the blinds, blocking the beautiful view of nighttime Seoul outside.

 

It was late at night but the streets of the city are still as hectic. Minjeong would never understand why people would still be out and about at these hours because if she has the choice, she would be cooped up in her apartment at this time, watching her favorite action movies while munching on her favorite snacks.

 

She was busy thinking about her favorite scene in American Sniper when the door suddenly chimed, an indication that someone just came in. Minjeong remembered the instruction her manager told them.

 

“I’m sorry but we’re clo—”

 

But her next words died in the moment she laid her eyes on the person who just walked in.

 

“Hi there.”

 

It is no other than the reason for her headache, the cause of Yizhuo’s obsession and the alleged crocodile owner that the entire Korea, except Minjeong, would sacrifice their first born to.

 

“We meet again Kim Minjeong.”

 

Karina freaking Yoo.

 

Dear god.

 

Minjeong abhors Mondays.

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sleepylashes
you guys are insaanneee!! GTKYoo just got featured omgsgdhdjd virtual hugs!! take care of yourselves sweets! miss u! 😘

Comments

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taenggo09 #1
Chapter 12: woahhh, this is nice
cute, fluffy, but also feel kinda real (like a real life simple relationship)
thank you for this story author
winrinasaurus
#2
Chapter 12: this was such a great read 🥺
Kpop_fan21 #3
Chapter 12: OMGGG THIS IS LIKE THE BEST FANFIC I EVER READ AND I HAVE READ A LOT!!! SINCE 2012 BUT THIS STORY HIT THE MOST! IT WAS FUNNY, SWEET, AND EMOTIONAL TOO...AND IT HAS NO LOVE RIVAL TROPE TO CREATE THE DRAMA, NO CLICHE PLOT THAT DRAGGED THE STORY. I LOVE IT. IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE SOMEONE CAN MAKE STORY THAT LEAVE ME GIGGLING IN REAL LIFE. THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK AUTHORNIM I LOVE YOOO WRITING SO MUCHI HAVE BECOME A FAN NOW
httpdaniyoo 11 streak #4
Rereading🤩
klaygalaxyzero
#5
Chapter 12: I love the story so so much!!! 💙
TaeSunshine
#6
Chapter 12: This was one of the most amazing fanfic ever of winrina for real
I loved it so much..they are ao sweet and thanks for not making this a sad one but a True happy one with this end!! 🥰
TaeSunshine
#7
Chapter 7: omg the end of this chapter....o.o
Wemon_ #8
Chapter 8: awwww:((
Wemon_ #9
Chapter 6: gayyyyyysss
Wemon_ #10
Chapter 5: nahuhulog na si ante