"You should stop your game now, Kim Minjeong."

Minjeong scoffed and slammed shut her locker before facing Jeno who was crossing his arms, staring at her with his smug face.

"I knew that you found out that I am going to pursue Yoo Jimin so you approached her first. That's such a low move."

"No, Jeno. I knew you found out that I've moved on from you and I got my eyes on her so you decided to come back to ruin everything again."

"Did you forget? You are obsessed with me from high school. It is impossible that you will like someone else. I know you will do anything so I can't be with Jimin."

"I wasn't. Never. You manipulated me, Jeno. Who says so? It is very much possible for me to like someone else, someone who is much better than you. And yes, I will try to do anything to prevent you getting Jimin because you know what? She deserves better."

Jeno clicked his tongue and stepped closer, staring down on Minjeong with his angry face.

"And do you think she deserves you?"

"Yes. I can be all hers even if she can't be all mine. I know I am not the best yet for her, but I also know that I am willing to do my best to be the better one for her."

"Let her go, Minjeong. If you are still upset with me for breaking up with you, then we settle our issue just between us."

"You have no right to interfere with my relationship."

"Oh, I have. You literally forced her to date you. I am sure of that. You are not as sweet as you seem to be, that's why I broke up with you. You are just a loser who hide behind-" Jeno couldn't continue with his words when Minjeong grabbed his collar.

"I never force her and you don't know anything about me. At all." Minjeong said through her gritted teeth.

Jeno only smirked when Minjeong's eyes burns with fire. Then Jeno glanced to their right and Minjeong frowned as she turned her head, her expression turned soft as soon as her eyes landed on Jimin.

"Are you sure you want to date a violent person like her, Yoo Jimin? You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Jeno said, faking a worried face to make Jimin find him believable.

Jimin's eyes caught Minjeong's hands that were gripping hard on Jeno's collar while Jeno raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders off. Minjeong hissed and pulled her hands before turning to Jimin again.

"Jimin." Minjeong whispered.

"There's so much about Kim Minjeong you didn't know. I am willing to tell you everything if you ask, just find me." Jeno said, bumping onto Minjeong's shoulder as he walked past them.

Minjeong clenched her fists, trying to control her anger at Jeno's provocation.

"You know where to find me." Jeno smiled at Jimin before excusing himself.

"Jimin?"

Jimin looked at Minjeong.

"Please say something." Minjeong's eyebrows furrowed as she watches Jimin's reaction.

"He's true though."

"What?"

"I don't know much about you."

"..."

"Not yet." Jimin added.

Minjeong looked down and awared of how all eyes were on them now after the small scene with Jeno earlier. She felt like punching something, she's angry. Jeno made her angry, but she doesn't want to show her anger. At least, not in front of the lovely Jimin.

"Then, instead of Jeno, you should trust her friends more."

Jimin and Minjeong both turned to look at Ning who just came out of nowhere, Jimin looked at her behind and there stood Aeri with a frown.

"I am her best friend, I know her inside out. I can tell you all about her. Her good sides, her bad sides. But Jimin, isn't it best for you to learn everything about her on your own? Am I right?" Ning asked with a smile.

"Yes, you are right." Jimin answered.

..... 

Ever since then, Jimin went out often with Minjeong as they need to get to know each other more but Minjeong could feel how the students now started to be suspicious of them after Jeno spread a rumor of Minjeong forcing Jimin to date her. It seems true because everyone knew how Jimin refused to date anyone and they all find it hard to believe that Jimin is finally in a relationship.

So Minjeong was thinking deeply about everything, she heard whispers and murmurs everytime she's around the gossip girls. How they couldn't believe that Minjeong would do such thing to get her revenge with Jeno for breaking up with her. Jeno and his friends spread another lie of Minjeong being obsessed with him too. 

However, Minjeong's admirers and friends always scolded those who dare to say it out loud that Minjeong was a bad person. Minjeong was keeping quiet, that's why people thought it was true. When truth is, Minjeong was just tired. She really like Jimin, but she feels like she shouldn't dragged her into this mess.

"You know, best friends can hold hands too. Your bad acting is just so pitiful." Jeno told her when he saw her outside the library.

"I'm starting to believe that it's you who are obsessed with me, Jeno. Don't you have something else to do instead of bothering me?"

"I am helping you to get back to the reality, Minjeong. Jimin doesn't like you."

Jeno laughed and left without waiting for Minjeong to say anything back. Minjeong looked down on her feet and closed her eyes. I know that, bastard.

​​​​​​..... 

"Should I stop trying?"

"Nonsense!" Yuqi exclaimed, throwing hands.

"Give up is never in our dictionary." Shuhua said calmly.

"But it's true, Jimin doesn't like me." Minjeong said sadly, dropping her side head on her desk.

She was now inside an empty class with her friends as she told them about everything.

"Do you guys think that Jimin feels forced to be with me?" Minjeong asked.

"I don't think so." Ning said.

"Because Yoo Jimin is a smart person. She wouldn't just agree to date you if she doesn't like you even just a little." Ning said.

"Really?" Minjeong asked, lifting her head up.

"I think Ning is right." Mark said.

"Yeah, you should keep going. You've been doing well." Johnny agreed.

"Say something, dude." Johnny whispered and nudged Jaemin. 

"Don't give up. Like you said, Jimin deserves better. You shouldn't give up on her." Jaemin said and gave Minjeong a soft smile. Minjeong then smiled back at him and Jaemin's smile widened.

"Thanks guys."

...

"I really think Minjeong is avoiding me." Jimin pouted, sitting down with her shoulders slumped on the bleachers. Looking at her teammates practicing with sad eyes.

"Maybe she has alot in mind." Aeri said.

"Yeah, since Jeno always tried to provoke her too." Yuna said, frowning as she saw few times that Jeno kept trying to make Minjeong angry with his rude remarks.

"How about you do your practice first then we can think about it again later?" Yeji tried to stop Jimin from overthinking.

"But I mentioned to her about my practice, I was hoping to see her-" Jimin stopped when she finally saw Minjeong entered the indoor basketball court. Minjeong's step was careful and steady, She glanced at the team before searching for Jimin.

"She's here." Jimin whispered to herself then get off the bleacher to run to Minjeong.

"She's such a er for Minjeong." Ryujin commented and they all giggled.

Minjeong gave a small wave as she saw Jimin was running lightly towards her.

"I thought you said you'll be practicing." Minjeong said.

"Yeah. I was just resting first." I waited for you.

"Ah. Your friends are here too." Minjeong tilted her head to throw a smile to Jimin's friends and they all smiled back at her.

"Yeah, they are." Jimin looked behind shortly before looking back at Minjeong.

"Minjeong, may I ask if everything's okay?"

"Hm?"

"You seems distracted lately. Are we okay?"

Minjeong raised her eyebrows at Jimin's questions.

"Am I?"

"What?"

"I actually have something I need to talk about with you."

"Okay."

"Umm, I can wait until you finish your practice."

Jimin looked at her team and bit her lip. She thought about it, she wouldn't be able to focus on her practice as her mind have been filled with Minjeong and she feels like there's something they need to fix.

"We can just talk first."

"But uhh, your practice?"

"It's okay, I'm not in my best condition too."

"Why? Are you feeling unwell?" Minjeong asked and quickly checked Jimin's temperature by putting her palm on Jimin's forehead causing Jimin to gulp and froze.

"N-No. I- Uhh, no. Just, umm I preferred if we just talk first." Jimin stuttered.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah, haha." Jimin chuckled awkwardly. Minjeong nodded then asked to talk privately so they both left to go outside. Jimin brought her to her car to get her bottled water that she left in her car.

"Should we talk here?" Jimin asked as she opened her car door to get her water and drink first. Minjeong leaned her back against her own car that she parked just beside Jimin's.

"Yeah, can." Minjeong agreed as they were not much people at the parking lot.

"I'll just be straight forward okay. Jimin, I want to apologise because I feel like I shouldn't get you into this mess between me and Jeno." Minjeong said. 

"What do you mean?" Jimin asked after closing the car door. 

"I-" Minjeong sighed and rubbed her face. 

"Jimin, it is not a secret anymore to you. That I really like you. But this- its one sided. And I don't think it's good if we continue-" 

"I thought you don't want Jeno to bother me." Jimin cut her off. 

"I don't. Yet, he still does. I can still protect you, I can try. I will try, for you. What I mean is that... I don't want to force you into dating me-" 

"Who says I was forced?" Jimin frowned. 

"I mean, yes you agreed to avoid Jeno-" 

"I didn't agree just because of that." Jimin frowned harder. 

"Huh?" 

"I... I want to try this. Dating you, getting to know you more. I want to try and work it out. That's why I agreed." And I like you, been liking you for so long. 

"I thought no dating until graduate for you?" 

"Yes but I can make an exception for you." 

"Why?" 

"Why can't I?" 

Minjeong frowned this time, she looked at Jimin. She's confused. At some point, she really thought that Jimin is feeling the same way but Jimin never say anything about it and Jimin kept telling her that she wants to get to know her, that's all. 

"Minjeong. Look-" Jimin inhaled shakily as she closed her eyes then opened them again to look at Minjeong seriously. 

"I don't appreciate it if you are going to end everything with me before we even get to begin anything. You're the one who approached me first, you gave me hope-" 

"I do?" Minjeong asked in surprised. 

"What?" 

"Give you hope?" 

"Yes. Yes, Kim Minjeong. A hope that I can finally be in a relationship, with someone decent." Someone that I've been wishing to be mine from the day I've set my eyes on you. 

"Don't get me wrong, Jimin. When I told you I like you, I mean it. But I don't want people to think that you're forced to be with me and it makes me feel guilty because you should be with someone you really want too." Minjeong said. 

"We can change that."

"Change what?"

"We can make the rumours stop. Make people see that I am not being forced at all to date you. And you shouldn't feel guilty, I want this as much as you do." Jimin said.

"But you don't like me." Minjeong frowned. 

Jimin gulped and looked down on her feet. 

"I..." Come on, just confess already. 

"It's not true." Jimin whispered. 

"What?" 

"You keep saying that I don't like you. It's not true." 

"Huh?" 

Jimin looked up and rubbed her nape as she struggled to find her words. 

"W-Well... It was actually such umm, dumb of me. I didn't get to make it clear to you." Jimin spoke slowly, looking everywhere but Minjeong. 

"I uhh- you see, I actually... Um, have this... Huge crush on you for a long time." Jimin paused to glance at Minjeong and she quickly looked away seeing Minjeong raising her eyebrows at her. 

"I... I like you too, Kim Minjeong." Jimin mumbled softly, eyes looking at the ground.

"I must be dreaming right now." She heard Minjeong said so she looked up again to look at Minjeong. 

"That's what I thought when you suddenly asked me to date you." Jimin said honestly. 

Minjeong stepped closer to put her palm on Jimin's cheek and Jimin froze for the million times. 

"You're real, it's not a dream." Minjeong whispered. 

"And you're really blushing." Minjeong added which make Jimin's cheek to become more red. 

"So, you like me." Minjeong said, eyes looking into Jimin's eyes with her amused expression. 

"Y-Yeah." Jimin kept blinking her eyes because she can't stand being stared at by Minjeong that close. Minjeong laughed at her before she proceed to hug Jimin as she's still laughing. 

Jimin only let her while feeling her heart pounded loudly against her chest as she felt Minjeong's warmth, her body went stiff before she felt Minjeong's hands rubbing her gently. 

"Breathe, Jimin." Minjeong whispered and so she followed her instruction and started calming down. 

"I think, there are even a lot of questions I have to ask you now." Minjeong said.

​​​​​​..... 

No, its not the end yet. We will see more of them in this mini series. Stay tuned!! 

And enjoy, my lovely readers! 

xx