Minkyeung is in charge of the girl's today while sitting a take-home assignment. Kyungwon needs to stop eating things off the floor. Idolverse dorm life. Minkyaebin

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Life in the Pledis hellhole was not easy. 

 

“AARRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHH” 

 

Only a few minutes after Nayoung had left for a schedule did a ruckus break out in their very own kitchen. Next in line as leader was Minkyeung who found herself watching their shortest member throw hands at her not much taller best friend. 

 

“I SAID IT WASN’T MEAN U DIMWIT LET GO OF ME.” Eunwoo shrieks. 

 

“THEN WHO WAS IT?” Yaebin shouts back. 

 

“I DON’T KNOW I DON’T LIVE IN THE KITCHEN WE SHARE A ROOM.” 

 

Yaebin lets go of Eunwoo’s hair and the two stare at each other puffing and panting. 

 

“I swear whoever ate my cookies, I wiLL ING KI-” 

 

“It was me,” Minkyeung interjects, entering herself into their conversation.

 

“-ss them. Were they good? Did you like them? Do you want me to buy more?” 

 

Somehow Yaebin appears right in front of Minkyeung, eyes gleaming as they blink innocently at her. 

 

“Uhhh,” Minkyeung looks past her to see Eunwoo sputtering in disbelief. “They were quite nice actually. How about I buy you them the next time I go out?” 

 

“Score!” Yaebin exclaims and throws her arms across her. Minkyeung pats the top of her head and Yaebin lets go. 

 

Minkyeung breathes a quick sigh of relief and returns to her own burrow when Eunwoo starts shouting again. 

 

“YOU! YOU TRIED TO RIP ME INTO SHREDS OVER SOMETHING I DIDN’T EVEN DO AND THEN THE ACTUAL PERPETRATOR FESSES TO THE CRIME AND YOU LET HER OFF SCOTT FREE?” 

 

“Do you want to finish that Sherlock film together?” 

 

“Yes.” 

_________________________________________

“Let’s make lunch!” 

 

‘Not me,” came a chorus from the living room. 

 

“I’LL make lunch with Kyla then.” 

 

Yewon opens the fridge to find it barren, as if they had been raided overnight.

 

“The fridge is empty!” she shouts to the two watching tele. 

 

“Ask Minkyeung unnie!” Came the response. 

 

Because why did Yewon even bother, of course it was ask Minkyeung. She scurries across the dorm as Kyla moves to stand behind the couch, catching a bit of whatever was on screen. 

 

Yewon knocks on the door, Kyungwon opens it. 

 

“What’s up?” She asks with one earphone out. 

 

“We have nothing to ea-” 

 

“NOTHING TO EAT??” Her eyes go wide. “Minkyeung, we have nothing to eat.” 

 

“Yes I can hear,” she says and leans back on her chair in exasperation. “Well, we haven’t gone out this week so there’s still money lying around near the entrance soooo” 

 

“So I’ll go get groceries!” 

 

Minkyeung smiles at her. “That’s a good idea, Yewon. Take another 2 or 3 with you, and try bring one of your unnies with you.”

 

“Okay. Kyungwon unnie do you wa-” 

 

Kyungwon slams the door on her.

________________________

Kyungwon enters the living room, taking a break from her so far unsuccessful attempts in writing lyrics. With a cookie in that she found in an almost empty packet under Minkyeung’s bed, she flops down next to the duo on the couch. 

 

“What’s popping, ladies?” 

 

“Who teaches you those words?” Yaebin asks. 

 

“You- OOMF” 

 

Suddenly tackled by Yaebin, Kyungwon finds herself pressed down on the couch cookie-less. 

 

“THOSE ARE MY COOKIES!” 

 

“Huh. I guess so then. It’s a bit stale” 

 

“You have some NERVE YOU LITTLE B-” 

 

“I’m older than you.” 

 

“Beloved Kyungwon unnie.” 

 

She pushes Yaebin off of her and sits upright, dusting the cookie crumbs onto the floor. 

 

“You’re gonna have to clean that up,” says Eunwoo who watched the whole scene.

 

“Nah, not when we have the human vacuum cleaner.” 

 

_________________________

 

“What a mess! Eunwoo, what did you do, shred a cookie here?” 

 

“It wasn’t me, it was Kyungwon and Yaebin.” 

 

“Yaebin is incapacitated on the floor.” 

 

“Yeah well this was before that.” 

 

 Kyulkyung moves on, for she doesn’t really care whether or not Eunwoo was telling the truth. She grabbed a dustpan and scooped up the crumbs.

 

“You’d think that Minkyeung unnie would hav-” 

 

Eunwoo flies off the couch and covers Kyulkyung’s mouth and slowly shifts her line of sight to Yaebin a few feet away. 

 

After a few seconds of unresponsiveness, Eunwoo unclasps her hand from . 

 

“What was that for!” 

 

“Don’t say the M-word, you idiot. Why do you think she’s in that state right now?” 

 

“Uhhhh, someone ate her cookies?” 

 

“I-, you- how are you so close?”

 

“Good question. Lucky guess,” Kyulkyung says with a dustpan full of cookie crumbs in her hands. “Are we going to deal with this?” 

 

“Normally I would, but Yaebin strangled me when she let Minkyeung off, and since she did this, I think Minkyeung should reap what she sowed.”

 

Kyulkyung nods thoughtfully in mutual understanding from shared experience.

 

-----------------

The door clicks as Nayoung enters the dorm. She kicks off her shoes and places them beside the cupboard when she notices Yaebin sprawled out on the floor with her eyes wide open gazing off to nothing in particular.

 

Nayoung spots the rest of the 98 line watching another cartoon rerun. 

 

“Is she alright?” She asks, referring to Yaebin.

 

Eunwoo doesn’t even look up, her eyes glued to the TV screen. “Yeah she’s been like that for a few hours.” 

 

“That wasn’t my question.” Nayoung responds, walking over concerned. 

 

“Well she hasn’t died yet.” 

 

“Yeah, unfortunately,” Pipes Kyulkyung from the other side of the couch.

 

“Where are the rest of the kids?” She crouches down next to Yaebin. 

 

“We sent them out to get groceries, but Sungyeon is in her room. I think Kyungwon might be home too.”

 

“Right,” Nayoung responds after some time. Eunwoo was correct when she said Yaebin wasn’t dead, and she was still blinking so Nayoung assumed nothing was the matter.

 

She knocked on Kyungwon’s room, and Minkyeung answered. “Come in.” 

 

She pushed the door open, and life imitates art they say, for she found Kyungwon spread in the exact same position as Yaebin on her bed. Nayoung stares for a couple of seconds before looking at Minkyeung who was working on some papers in front of her absentmindedly as if nothing was out of the ordinary. 

 

“What happened while I was gone?” 

 

“Nothing, I planned to turn on the tele for them, but they did it themselves, and then I suggested that half of them go get groceries but made it seem like their idea, and then started working on my mid-terms.” 

 

“What about her?” 

 

“Who?” Minkyeung lifts her head up. 

 

“This one.” 

 

“Oh. I don’t know. 

 

_____________________

 

“Lunch is ready!” Yewon’s voice recocheets in the tiny dorm relative to the towering 10 girls. 

 

“This is where I draw the line, I’m starving.” 

 

“You’re always starving,” Minkyeung says without batting an eye as Kyungwon mutters her first words in the past hour or so. 

 

She stretches her stiff limbs before slowly sitting upright, rubbing her neck as she winces during the rebirthing process.

 

“That was so painful.” 

 

“Why were you even,” Minkyeung pauses, unsure how to describe her best friend’s past actions, “doing that.” 

 

“I wanted to see if Yaebin was capping and could actually last this long. I didn’t think it was possible, so I wanted to test it out myself.” 

 

“What do you mean, seeing if Yaebin could last that long?” She asks as they walk out of their room. 

 

Her question answers itself, as she shortly spots Yaebin still unmoving on the floor. 

 

“Is she going to eat or?” 

 

“No,” Nayoung responds from the dining table. “Eunwoo has enlightened me that she thinks you lied to her.” 

 

Minkyung scratched her head as she took a seat next to her. All the girls were were crowded around the table, grabbing bits and pieces from each dish into their plate. 

 

“Apparently, Kyungwon was spotted eating her cookie.” 

 

“It’s not like I knew it was HER cookie,” Kyungwon responds with a mouthful of food. 

 

Siyeon slaps her in disgust. 

 

“So what did I do then?” 

 

“You told Yaebin you ate her cookies,” says Eunwoo. 

 

“But Kyungwon had them,” continues Kyulkyung. 

 

“So Yaebin thinks you lied to her.” 

 

“But I did eat her cookies.” 

 

“Yeah well, you must’ve forgotten one because I found it under your bed.” 

 

“That’s disgusting, unnie,” says Sungyeon as she struggles to stab a cherry tomato. “Who knows how long that’s been there?” 

 

“It didn’t exactly taste fresh.” 

 

“None of this would have happened if Minkyung unnie didn’t eat in her room.” 

 

“Shut up, Kyulkyung. I know you do it too, just because you clean it up doesn’t mean I unhear crunching noises at 2am.” 

 

“At least I finish all my food.” 

 

“Isn’t it more like this wouldn't have happened if Kyungwon didn’t eat from the floor?”

 

“Well Minkyung shouldn’t have been eating in her room anyway.”

 

“I think that’s enough.” 

 

Nayoung brings a hand to her head and sighs in frustration. Sure, putting Minkyung in charge was the best option of them all, and it wasn’t as if anything drastic had happened, unlike when they set their previous couch on fire. Still, big or little, these incidences of sorts still challenged every fibre of her body. The company never trained her for this. 

 

“So then what were you all hung up over, Kyungwon?”.

 

“What was she doing?” Sungyeon asks. 

 

“She was in her room with Minkyung unnie right?” Kyla recalls.

 

“Yeah, in the exact same position as Yaebin.” 

 

“Really? What happened to you!” Siyeon exclaims. 

 

“Uh well, you see-” 

 

Before Kyungwon could answer, Minkyung responds. “She wanted to see if Yaebin was ‘capping’.”

 

Kyla and Sungyeon make a face, cringing at the horrible slang. 

 

“What does that mean?” Nayoung sounds beyond it all. 

 

“Basically, if Yaebin was somehow faking her stubbornness? Stiffness? Whatever that is,” Sungyeon explains before Nayoung could lose it. 

 

“Right.”

 

Nayoung looks at Kyungwon, who chuckles awkwardly back at her. 

 

“Do you not have better things to do?” 

 

“You could have continued watching TV with us!” 

 

“No offense, but at least Kyungwon unnie wasn’t rotting away in front of the tele.” 

 

“Then what were YOU doing?” Eunwoo challenges. 

 

“I am why you have LUNCH.” Siyeon glares at Eunwoo who hesitates right before taking a bite upon hearing such.

 

“And me!” adds Yewon.

 

“Yes, thank you Yewon.” 

 

“Minkyung unnie, can you fix her? We’re meant to have a Just Dance Tournament later and I do not question her ability to stay there for even longer.” 

 

“Eunwoo’s right, I’ve been training for this moment. There’s no fun wrecking someone when they’re as good as dead on the floor.” 

 

“Don’t say that!” 

 

The plates clatter on the table at Yewon’s exclaim and hand hitting the table. 

 

“I mean, passed out like Yaebin is.” Kyulkyung corrects herself quickly. 

 

“Shouldn’t you be preparing for a comeback rather than Just Dance.” 

 

“Kyla, it’s Just Dance so it counts. Plus it’s not like we’re getting one.” 

 

Minkyung opens to speak but Nayoung uses this chance and shoves the lettuce she had in her hands into the large gaping hole. 

 

“Look, I agree with them on this. This wasn’t anyone’s fault, for once, but you might be the only person who can resolve it.” 

 

“Minkyung unnie has a hard life dealing with Yaebin and all,” says Siyeon. “If someone like her was in love with me, I think I’d throw her out the window. 

 

“Please don’t say that.” Yewon murmurs.

 

“I guess Yaebin is just lucky it’s Slim Jim and not this brat then.” 

 

“Please, you all know Minkyung doesn’t do charity work. Last night in our room in her sleep she was saying how much sh-” 

 

“Alright, I’ll talk to her. You all scram.” Minkyung butts in to put a sock into Kyungwon’s words. 

 

The kids scramble as they finish up their meal, some bringing the leftovers back to the living room.

 

“Those on wash-up don’t forget!” Nayoung shouts.

 

“It’s Minkyung and Kyungwon unnie!” They chorus. 

 

“What! They’re just saying that!” Kyungwon cries in disbelief. 

 

“Kinda serves you two right though.” Nayoung contributes, and Kyungwon finds herself unable to argue back. 

 

“But I’m doing my midterms,” Minkyeung mutters, knowing she can't really escape it. 

 

After a few minutes of silence, Nayoung stands up. “I’ll wipe the table and stove for you but that’s it.” 

 

Minkyung relishes in just the slight lifting of the burden of the shared responsibility of cleaning after 10 (9 since Yaebin hasn’t eaten) girls. 

 

“Also Kyungwon, can you stop eating things from the floor?”

________________

“Yaebin-ah, I got you some cookies.” 

 

Minkyeung quietly called out to the body in front of her, who didn't respond. 

 

“You’re hungry aren’t you? You haven’t eaten much today.” 

 

Racking her mind for ideas, which was pretty empty after finishing her assignments, she lies down next to her. “Let’s make out.” 

 

“Abjawhjhajsh,” Yaebin chokes.

 

Yaebin practically jolts up, wincing as she moves her body for the first time in too many hours. She holds the back of her neck and Minkyung leans forwards on her knees to place her hand on top of Yaebin’s. Yaebin looks away, but it’s much harder for the red on her cheeks to escape Minkyeung’s gaze. 

 

“Kyungwon took the cookies from under my bed. I didn’t realise I even had any left. I shouldn’t have taken them from you in the first place, too. Sorry, Yaebin.”

 

“It’s okay,” she whispers back, eyes still not meeting Minkeyung’s eyes. 

 

“Is your neck okay? How about you back?” 

 

“They’re a bit sore.”
 

“You’re so dumb, Yaebin. Don’t do this to yourself, next time just come to me.” 

 

“Yeah, but you were doing your essays and I didn’t want to disturb you an-” 

 

“So you lied down for an entire day and skipped lunch?” 

 

Yaebin scoffs, and Minkyeung knows that she has nothing on her now. She oftens her gaze at touch of Yaebin’s stiff shoulders, pushing away the ridiculousness of Yaebin’s actions. 

 

“Besides, I have time for you.” 

 

Yaebin tears her eyes away from the walls for the first time and looks back at Minkyeung. “Really? Do you mean that?” 

 

“Of course, I wasn’t terribly busy. Nayoung put me in charge for a reason too. You could have come in any time. I had Kyungwon trying to write lyrics the entire time.” 

 

“I know, but-”

 

“And anyway, you were watching Sherlock with Eunwoo, weren’t you?” 

 

“Yeah, but Kyungwon and everyone, I mean, if the rest of us, then what about me?”

 

Minkyeung blinks. Though the words her ears were presented to her made no sense, she got the general gist. Lots of experience you could say. Minkyeung did just complete her university mid-terms, of course. One could say she was trained for this. 

 

“You know you’re my favourite, right? I wouldn’t mind the other kids disrupting my task for questions, but really, you could’ve come in for no reason. Really. So long, of course, I could still work.” 

 

Minkyeung panics a little when Yaebin looks away again, but relief finds its way back to her when she hears Yaebin say “I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions again. And concerned a lot of people.” 

 

“They weren’t that concerned, per se, but they were thinking of you?” 

  

“I know, I know, but you know what I mean.” 

 

Minkyeung smiles. “Yeah. I know what you mean.” 

 

Minkyeung lightly squeezes Yaebin’s shoulders which causes the girl to look back at her. Yaebin smiles shyly back and Minkyeung finds herself feeling a bit warmer than anticipated. She awkwardly continues to massage Yaebin’s shoulders, who parts and closes her lips several times before not saying anything back. 

 

“Yaebin?” 

 

“Y-yes?” 

 

“Don’t do that again. It does worry me.” 

 

“Of course,” she mumbles. “Sorry, unnie.” 

 

“Let’s go shopping tomorrow then. My treat?” 

 

The girl leaps in excitement and, as if all the pain had evaporated all of a sudden, she throws her arms around Minkyeung. Hands in the hair surprised, it takes a couple of seconds for Minkyeung to reciprocate the action.

 

“Thanks, Minkyeung-unnie.” The girl beams brightly back at her, looking at Minkyeung in the way  that never fails to make it seem like she was the only star in Yaebin’s universe. 

 

Minkyeung smiles and laughs in surprise as Yaebin grabs a hold of her and plants a kiss on her cheek. Yaebin sits back down, still grinning but with a brighter tint of red on her cheeks. 

 

“So, um, just us two tomorrow?” 

 

“Yeah,” Minkyeung responds. “Just you and I.” 

 

“Hey what about the rest of us?” 

 

Minkyeung and Yaebin turn to the kitchen, where Kyungwon was popping open a soda. She takes a sip and looks back at the two, waiting for a response.

 

“Can’t you tell we’re having a moment here?” Minkyeung sighs, exasperated. 

 

“Yeah, well, I’m having a coke.” 

 

“Okay, but why does it have to be n-” 

 

“I’M having. A. Coke.” 

 

Kyungwon stares back right at their eyes. Both of them. At the same time. They’re both a little jarred.

 

“Right,” Minkyeung responds, not exactly sure what else to say. 

 

“So are you gonna make out now like you said you would?” 

_____________

Sungyeon closes the door when she hears a loud crash, and Yewon and Kyla whine in protest. 

 

“It was just getting interesting!” 

 

“Yewon, if we see Kyungwon die this evening, that makes us witnesses. Accomplices even if we don’t step out. Nayoung may interrogate us later, and we can just say we didn’t see anything aside from Kyungwon having a coke.” 

 

Kyla slowly nods in agreement. “I suppose you are right. At least Yaebin-unnie is up now.” 

 

“Took her long enough. Minkyeung too, actually.” 

 

The three walk back to their beds and sprawl themselves next to each other. 

 

“By the way, are they together?” 

 

“No,” Yewon and Sungyeon chorus.

 

“But my bet is that it’ll be soon.” 

 

“That’s what you said last month.” 

 

“Okay, look all they need is a label now, everyone KNOWS they’ll end up together.” 

 

“It’s been years of this.” 

 

“Soon, I’m telling you.” 

 

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And that concludes my first one-shot (it was meant to be a drabble but I got carried away) I don't really know if there are any pristin readers out there anymore but oh well, I've relapsed into my pristin phase once more. TBH it's probably gonna be exclusively Minkyaebin bc they're my OTP not just in pristin but every kpop group soooooo

 

Comments are much appreciated !