“It was a stupid bet, Minjeong. Did you really think she liked you?” 

The class fell silent. Their teacher was called out into the hall and ruckus immediately ensued once the door closed after him. Yizhuo glared hard at the boy leaning towards her best friend. 

“Shut up, Mark. This is none of your business.” 

The boy smirked, leaning back into his seat with his arms reaching behind his head in a lax way. “Oh, but it is. I made the bet and she agreed to it.” 

Minjeong sunk lower into her seat, staring at the chipped corner of her wooden desk. This was not news to her. Someone had already beat Mark to it. 

Yizhuo crossed her arms in defense, ready to spit insults at him, but Minjeong gave her a look that made her calm down. “Not worth it.” She whispered. Her friend nodded in understanding. 

The teacher strolled back in and it was like the interaction never happened, but it burned in the back of Minjeong’s mind. 

Did you really think she liked you?

~

“Heartless, even for you. I didn’t think you could do it.” 

Jimin shrugged, glancing over at her best friend Aeri. “A bet is a bet.” She held back the deep sigh that was fighting to come out of her. Jimin knew Aeri could see right through her facade, but the other girl left it alone. 

They walked down the crowded halls, boisterous guys whizzing past them and girls in groups gossiping in hush tones. The walls were plastered with flyers for their upcoming dance. 

She was supposed to go with Minjeong. 

Jimin patiently stood by while Aeri ruffled through her locker, trying not to let her eyes wander across the way to Minjeong’s locker. “I’m going to ask you one last time. Are you really not going to go to the dance? You know I have to go since I’m on the committee. Please be my plus one?” 

She thought up another excuse, again, something Aeri could see right through. “I got to help my parents with their garden.”

“At nine at night?” Her friend sighed. “Why don’t you just give me the real reason and not these bull excuses?” 

They moved onto Jimin’s locker nearby. “You know why.” She replaced the textbook in her hand with one from her top shelf. Her eyes lingered on a note shoved away into the corner of her locker. The locker slammed shut in front of her. “Ouch? What was that for?”

“For being a stubborn and not going to the dance with me.” Aeri teased. Jimin knew she was just trying to lighten the mood, but she just wasn’t feeling it. 

~

Another restless night and Jimin decided to sneak out via her room’s balcony. Her car keys jangled noisily as she tossed it down onto the grass before she climbed down. She reached her car and admired it for a moment. 

A gift from her parents on her sixteenth birthday, the usual spoiled brat cliché, but she definitely wasn’t complaining. She often took it for a spin on late nights where her thoughts bombarded her mind. Tonight was especially draining. 

She slowly drove through the neighborhood, fiddling with the radio stations to see what would be playing this late at night. Jimin glanced at the time; it was now half past midnight. 

Before she knew it, Jimin was turning onto a familiar street, filled with large fancy houses and cobblestone driveways. Like muscle memory, she idled in front of a light blue mansion towards the end of the private drive. 

All the rooms in the house had the lights out, except for one on the second floor. Jimin smiled softly to herself. Minjeong’s room.

Jimin pulled out her phone. She scrolled through her messages, past her conversation with Mark which she rolled her eyes at, past Aeri’s last message she never responded to, and landed on the girl she was looking for. 

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, their last conversation from July staring right back at her, mocking her, no matter how much she tried to ignore it. She let out a sigh, putting her phone down. This was useless.

Jimin felt dread pooling in the pit of her stomach. What has she gotten herself into? Mark set her up. 

She bounded up the spiral staircase and ran towards the last room down the left hallway. She pounded on the door and jiggled the handle. Of course it was locked shut. 

“Minjeong? Please open up! I need to explain.”

Total silence. She strained her ears to see if she could hear any movement going on inside the room. No luck there. She pounded on the door again. “Please, let me explain!” 

This time, she heard the sound of an object clattering onto the ground and a hushed groan. “I know you’re in there!” She was so distracted and desperate and focused, Jimin didn’t even realize Ning Yizhuo barreling towards her.

“Are you out of your damn mind?!” Jimin felt herself being shoved out of the way. Yizhuo was now guarding the door like it was her life’s mission. “You’re the last person she wants to see. Do everyone a favor and just leave and never come back.” 

Jimin scoffed, defensiveness in her tone. “All I want is a chance to explain.” Yizhuo took an intimidating step forward, lowering her voice.

“Explain what, Jimin? That what you two had was actually real and the bet you made was a stupid idea?” 

Ice cold, her blood ran ice cold. Jimin bit her lip anxiously, not anticipating Yizhuo calling her out like this and making her feel utterly vulnerable and pathetic. She hated that.

She frowned and took a menacing step towards the shorter girl, jabbing a finger to her chest. “You know what, Yizhuo? You’re right. I should leave and never come back.” 

And with that, Jimin spun around and made her exit. 

The streetlight above her car flickered, snapping her out of the awful memory. Jimin put her car into drive and made her way back home, cursing herself for being so stupid. 

~

Wish you were at the dance! :(

Jimin clicked her phone off after reading the message Aeri just sent her. She parked her car across the school and fought her thoughts for a while. She smoothed out her red dress and fussed with her hair. 

God, what was she even doing here?

She looked over at the passenger seat where a masquerade mask gently lay. It didn’t fit the theme of the Homecoming dance, but she figured she could wear it anyway. Besides, she wouldn’t even be there for long. 

She in a deep breath and stepped out of her car, making her way towards the entrance of the gym. 

It was an hour into the dance and the floor was already packed. Tables filled with drinks and snacks lined up the edges of the gym and Jimin could spot Aeri’s dark purple dress even from this far away. Her best friend had been raving about this outfit for months now, it was hard to miss.

Jimin snatched a drink from one of the tables and peered over the heads of sweaty teenagers and their rambunctious dance moves. She held the cup up to , going in for another sip when the DJ announced he was going to shift the mood into something more romantic. 

A few groans of protest here and there, but the majority coupled up and started slow dancing to the next song. 

The first few notes played and Jimin furrowed her eyebrows at the familiarity of it. It was a stripped down, piano version of the original, but she recognized it instantly once the lyrics kicked in. 

And just like fate, the students on the dance floor parted for a split second where Jimin had a clear view. 

Minjeong. 

Minjeong slow dancing with Haechan. 

~

Jimin leaned back on the wet grass in her pretty red dress, not caring one bit about how dirty it was about to get. She walked herself to the park nearby and plopped onto the ground. 

The dance just ended and there was about to be a buttload of traffic coming out of the school’s parking lot. She figured she’d wait until everybody’s gone to go back to her car. 

“Yu Jimin. As I live and breathe.” 

She rolled her eyes at the voice. “Aeri? How did you find me here?” Her friend joined her on the ground, albeit in a squat position as to not ruin her precious dress. 

“I was on signal duty and noticed your car. Then of course I checked your location.” Jimin shut her eyes tight. Damn, location sharing ratted her out. “Come on, let’s go over to mine. Just the two of us, a pint of ice cream, and some new Netflix movies to binge.” 

Jimin was about to accept her offer when a truck with rowdy teenagers sped by. She straightened up when she noticed Haechan with his arm around Minjeong, the two sitting in the bed of the truck along with two other couples. 

And for a moment, just a moment, she locked eyes with Minjeong. 

“Yeah, Aeri. That sounds like a great idea.”

~

“Honey, this came out of the wash and I didn’t recognize it. When did you buy a cardigan?” 

Jimin’s eyes bulged as she snatched the piece of clothing away from her mom. A wave of embarrassment rushed over her. She cursed under her breath. 

It was Minjeong’s. 

She had borrowed it on a cool summer night while they roasted marshmallows over a campfire in Minjeong’s spacious backyard. She promised to wash it first before returning it. 

Jimin clearly never gave it back. 

“Doesn’t it freak you out just how big your backyard is?” Jimin smiled at Minjeong’s soft giggle. They set up the fire pit on the back porch and laid back in their fancy lawn chairs, fully equipped with a foot rest too. They must have burned through twenty marshmallows within the first hour.

“Sometimes it’s freaky. But it’s nothing but open land past the fence anyway.” 

“An endless oasis.” Jimin shifted her gaze upwards. “The stars are super bright tonight.” 

“Yeah.” She felt a presence next to her, immediately turning to her left where Minjeong would normally be three feet away but now it was just three inches. 

They shared a soft kiss, one of many this past summer. A sense of shyness still crept up whenever Minjeong would kiss her unexpectedly like this. It nearly made her forget why she was here in the first place. 

The all encompassing, impending doom brought a frown to her face. 

“Something wrong?”

“Yeah.” Jimin deadpanned. “Your lips are sticky.” 

Minjeong whacked her with the bag of unroasted marshmallows, their laughter echoing throughout the backyard. 

“Honey?”

“Sorry, Mom. It’s a friend’s, I’ll give it back to them soon.” 

“You better. It looks quite expensive. Who is this friend?” 

Jimin rushed out the front door to avoid answering her mom’s question. “I’ll be back before eleven!”

“Sweetie, it’s New Year’s Eve!” She whipped around to face her mom again, this time with a desperate pout. Jimin was met with a dismissal wave. “I was just going to say that I’ll give you until one o’clock. Meet up with some of your friends and have some fun!” 

She thanked her mom profusely and ran towards her car, quickly dialing Aeri on her phone. “I’m coming to get you in ten minutes. We’re going to a party.” 

~

Aeri nervously glanced around the street once Jimin parked. There were crowds and crowds of people coming in and out of every single mansion lined up on this road. “Tell me we aren’t going to her party.”

Jimin shrugged. “We aren’t going to her party.” 

Her friend gave her a look. “Alright then. What’s the plan?” 

“We’re going to the party.” Aeri threw her hands up in defeat. 

“Just a reminder, we are walking straight into a mine field. Ning Yizhuo will have you tossed out the second she sees you.” Jimin grinned, as if an idea just hit her. 

“See, now that’s where you come in.” 

~

It was a quarter til midnight and Jimin managed to successfully dodge Yizhuo all this time thanks to Aeri. 

But it didn’t help that she immediately locked herself in one of the bathrooms out of extreme nervousness the second she spotted Minjeong smiling and laughing in the corner of her living room with some of their classmates. 

She spent the entirety of the fall semester imagining all the different ways this was going to go down. Jimin didn’t see herself actually going through with it ever, let alone on a big night like this, but seeing that cardigan earlier… 

Jimin must have thought up a million scenarios, ranging from utterly bad to utterly amazing. She liked the ones that had a happy ending. 

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket and she took it out, reading the message on her lock screen. 

Eek! Yizhuo is onto me!! She found out you’re here. Sorry!! Abort mission?

She checked the time and typed a response back. 

Hell no.

~ 

Jimin burst out of the bathroom, determined to find the one person that has made her feel the most happy she’s ever been in a long time. 

In the distance she can hear someone shouting two minutes until midnight! but she didn’t care. She just needed to find Kim Minjeong. 

She weaved her way through the living room and into the grand kitchen area. 

There she was, surrounded by all of her friends and Haechan. 

Jimin’s feet suddenly felt glued to the floor. 

“We got a party crasher!” Yizhuo’s voice rang out from behind her. Her eyes widened in fear, bracing herself to be snatched by the shorter girl. 

Jimin only felt a hand swipe at her before Yizhuo was apprehended and her voice muffled. “Hurry up, Jimin!” Aeri always had her back. 

“One minute until midnight!” The cheers of the partygoers shook the big house. Now was her chance.

“Kim Minjeong!” 

Everyone in the kitchen fell silent, staring at Jimin and giving her weird looks but she stood her ground. “Kim Minjeong.” 

The girl in question slid off the countertop and walked forward. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes blinked nervously but she didn’t show it in her voice. 

“That’s what I’m wondering.” Yizhuo mumbled before Aeri could slap her hand over again. 

“Babe, who is this?” 

Jimin can feel her heart rate accelerating. She needed to get this out before she passes out or something. 

Minjeong didn’t budge at Haechan’s voice, holding a steady gaze with Jimin. “What are you doing here?” She tried again. 

“I wanted to apologize! For everything that happened. The stupid bet with Mark and not being truthful to you from the start.” She gulped, not used to being this vulnerable in front of so many onlookers. “I just wanted to apologize.” And say that I’ve been in love with you since the summer. 

Her last words were drowned out by the sound of fireworks lighting up the night sky and the cheers and hollering from everyone around them. She watches as Haechan kisses Minjeong on the cheek and spins her around gleefully. 

Jimin’s heart plummets. 

Aeri appeared next to her in an instant. “Come on, let’s get you back home.” 

~ 

7.25.2021

J: I was too chicken to say this in person while we were stargazing… and I hate that I’m doing this over text right now but…

M: What is it?

J: I’ve never felt this way before.. I think that I..

Jimin blinked as Minjeong’s text bubble appeared and disappeared. Should she just come right out and say it or wait for her response? 

She flinched when her phone rang with a call instead. “What do you want Mark?”

“Time’s up. I won. You owe me twenty bucks.” 

Jimin paled. No way… She checked the date on her calendar. “Wait, that’s not fair!” 

She could hear Mark chuckle on the other end of the line. “Fine, I have another idea. You tell her the truth about the bet and I’ll give you twenty bucks. How about that?”

“Deal.”

She hung up the call and the feeling of dread overtook her. 

~

It was Jimin’s turn to water the entire garden on a Sunday morning. She had the hose in her hand, back facing the house as she sprayed away at a row of roses and hyacinths. It was finally spring and time for these flowers to bloom.

“Jimin! You have a visitor.” Her father shouted from the back porch. She waved him off dismissively. 

“Tell Aeri to go wait in my room.” 

“Actually, it’s me.” 

Jimin yelped in surprise, accidentally spraying the sudden presence with the hose in her hand. Minjeong’s entire shirt was drenched. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I’ll grab you something to wear.” 

She pulled Minjeong into her room and shuffled through her drawers. Her eyes landed on a top tucked away in the far back. “I suppose now is a good time to return this.” Jimin smirked, turning back around to hand Minjeong her cardigan.

“I broke up with Haechan”

Jimin paused. “Oh. Why?”

Minjeong shrugged, her cheeks in. A habit Jimin noticed the girl would do when she was holding herself back from saying something. “I liked him, but…”

She joined Minjeong on the edge of her bed, closer than they have ever been in months. “But?”

“He’s no you.”

Jimin closed her eyes, a sense of peace coming over her body. A smile took over her face as she laid back onto the bed. “He’s no me?” She teased, dodging Minjeong’s attempt to smack her shoulder. She laid back on the bed too. 

“You have no idea how long I waited for this moment.” Jimin breathed out quietly, staring at the ceiling instead, not trusting herself to look into Minjeong’s eyes just yet. “After New Year’s, I really thought that was going to be it for us.” 

She could feel Minjeong inching closer to her. “The day I told you about the bet, was actually the day it was supposed to end, and Mark had won. I had forgotten all about it. But he made me another deal, that if I told you the truth, I would win.” 

Jimin swallowed the lump in . “But it definitely didn’t feel like a win.” She felt a finger softly guide her to turn around. 

“You were stupid to even make that bet, but I had some time to accept your apology.” 

Oh no, this was it. Jimin gazed into endless pools of dark brown and felt herself drowning all over again. “What were you going to tell me?”

Her eyes flitted down towards Minjeong’s lips. She was distracted. “Hmm?”

“During our last text conversation. Something about how you’ve never felt this way and you think that—“ 

“I love you.” 

The two fell silent and the only noise was the sound of birds chirping outside her window. 

Then Minjeong smiled. 

“I wanted to say that first.”