[CONTENTID1]07[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]PINK POLAROID[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]Word Count: 4.9k/ Published On Dec 13 2020[/CONTENTID3]

[CONTENTID4]

           “When I show stuff like this, everyone usually is like, ‘What the is this?’ and that’s the right way to react, you know? But do you know what your expression was? Ah, I’m ed. That kind of expression. What do you think? It’s really ing amusing, right?”

           “No.”

           “What?”

           “It’s not. It's not really ing amusing.”

           It was at that moment when Kim Minjeong grabbed the cold handle of the sedan.

///

           Minjeong had good judgment of people ever since birth.

           She roughly distinguished the good and bad aura, and it strangely matched that person's personality. She judged a person's aura by their first impression and actions that pursued that impression, and she tried not to create conflict with that person when she was dealing with them. The saying, “It's not enough to live by seeing only the good”; she always tried to ruminate and practice that saying. That was true until almost all the good things were gone from her life.

           After leaving the house, everyone around her had an ambiguous aura. They weren't all good or all bad. It was very different when the worries about making a living disappeared, and only the good and the bad were distinguished. When one was hit by life, those standards were blurred. In order to protect what was in front of her, she would be put in an inevitable situation and she will have to let that go. A person who was endlessly good was like a devil to some, or a person who seemed to come from hell acted like cotton candy to others. She didn't know it well before, but now Minjeong has learned that kind of logic. Therefore, Seunghyun’s appearance renewed those feelings from Minjeong for the first time in a long time. The sixth sense that she had forgotten responded sharply. Cha Seunghyun, that ing bastard, had a very bad aura that she hadn’t felt in a while.

           “I thought you looked familiar. I’ve seen you before.”

           “...”   

           “A long time ago. When you weren’t shabby like this.”

           Minjeong didn’t even blink an eye while Seunghyun was sarcastic. She had eyes that would cut someone if they touched and shut . Seunghyun was more certain when he saw those eyes. That this girl, Kim Minjeong, was correct. That someone he once saw at a social gathering, or somewhere in a common, boring dining room, who was the daughter of a large corporation and frighteningly picky. That distinct face overlapped exactly on this face. The indifferent and languid feistiness that came without her putting strength into her expression or eyes.

           “Just briefly tell me what you want. Why did you come all the way to school to show me that picture?”

           Minjeong, who sat in the back seat of the sedan and away from Seunghyun, spoke indifferently. She spoke informally and even confidently. Seunghyun crossed his legs as if he thought it was absurd. His expression expressed that he thought the situation was ridiculous and the corners of the mouth rose as if it was expressing the same thing. However, he also liked Minjeong's attitude. Either way, it was because he didn’t want to talk for too long.

           “That’s right, there should always be a reason to focus on troublesome things.”

           Seunghyun spoke while shaking his two fingers that were holding Baek Giseok’s picture.

           “You knew from the beginning that this bastard was gay, right?”

           “...”

           “I’m not sure if you’re pretending to date him or if you’re dating him even when you know.”

           Seunghyun threw the picture he had been shaking over Minjeong’s lap.

           “If you don’t want to brag about that to the whole neighborhood, then do me a favor.”

           ing favor? It’s blackmail. Minjeong picked up the picture and looked at it for a while. You should be more careful. You clumsy bastard, seriously. She cursed internally and raised her head. When his eyes met with Minjeong’s eyes, Seunghyun spoke with a peculiarly shy smile. Very carefreely.

           “Frankly.”

           “...”

           “I need Yu Jimin.”

           Yu Jimin. The name that Minjeong should not have heard here came out. From the start, she was curious why the bastard named Seunghyun was threatening her to get something and how their relationship was tangled. The reason was unexpectedly Jimin.

           Minjeong was flustered. How did he know what Jimin and Minjeong’s relationship was like and how they felt about each other, and that was why this snake-like bastard came to see her? Whether it was a fake relationship or not, did he come knowing that Minjeong couldn’t easily do anything if she was threatened with Baek Giseok? Minjeong didn't show it, but she was a little shaken. It was because she didn't know how much he knew or what he wanted.

           “Anyway. It’s because Yu Jimin’s focus is entirely on you.”

           “...”

           Even though she knew the words that would come after that would be more important, Minjeong unknowingly exhaled a long breath and closed her eyes tightly. She knew she shouldn't show this kind of reaction in front of a bastard like this. Nevertheless, it was inevitable. “It’s because Yu Jimin’s focus is entirely on you.” That sentence made her heart sink. Whether it was a good thing, confusing, or worrying. An unknown and complicated emotion enveloped her. The fact that Jimin cared about her was good enough to make her heart tickle, but it was also terribly frightening.

           “I want you to play along with that.”

           In front of Minjeong, who had vowed to only do the complete opposite of what he was asking for, the bastard gave her a condition in which she could not figure out his intentions.

           “Whether you play around with her or not, do whatever you want. For now, leave her in a state where she’s crazy about you.”

           “...”

           “Why? Is it difficult? It shouldn't be.”

           Stay next to Yu Jimin. Attract her attention and do as you please. Leave her in a state where she can only think about me. They were all conditions that Minjeong might have to applaud about. But somehow it didn't feel good. . She kept cursing internally. The instinct that protected her all her life spoke. Even if these words resembled her determination, they were not the same. I shouldn't listen. Minjeong closed her eyes and opened them very slowly.

           “ off. You son of a .”

           She didn’t hold it back and let it out. She opened the door of the sedan and got off. She walked without looking back. Wrrrr.1 Soon after, she heard the sound of a car window going down. And then, ominously the voice of Seunghyun, who was beaming, also rang in her ears at the same time.

           “Hey, think about it carefully. You have nothing to lose.”

///

           Jimin was banned from going out.

           It was the first time such a measure had been taken since she had always lived as a reliable daughter who did not know how to make her family worry for 19 years. The problem was that Jimin fell in love with Minjeong and gradually changed her daily life. She had always moved according to her planned schedule, but now she was constantly going astray. Weekend appointments were frequently canceled, and the time to go back home was delayed with a vague excuse. She often didn't answer her phone, she talked vaguely when asked where she was going, and above all, she often smiled to herself while looking at her phone. Her parents were confused and worried. They were going to ask if she had a boyfriend, but they knew that there was no male hanging out with their daughter from the spy they had planted in the school.

           Still, most of these small changes were ignored as a small concern. It was the night out that caused trouble. To think she stayed out without permission with lack of contact. That kind of deviation could not be overlooked. Looking at the inside story, she went to a party when she promised not to do so until June. Her parents thought that something should be done. So, their decision was a ban from going out.

           For a month, Jimin had to move strictly based on schedule, and she could not go anywhere else outside of school. Maybe the punishment was too long. Unlike her parents, who were getting soft hearted day by day, Jimin was indifferent. She thought it was a punishment worthy of her complicated feelings. She was no longer confident about controlling herself. If she was forced to be unable to see Minjeong like this, she thought she might be able to suppress these feelings.

           But of course, it didn't work. The 'control' that she was so used to was now nothing more or less than a catalyst that made the Kim Minjeong in her more poignant.

           “They said it was alright to go to the school festival after your regular classes today.”

           “Do they know that it’s a festival for all the high schools in this town?”

           They were on their way to school. Jimin answered while looking out the window with an indifferent face. The chauffeur spoke while nodding his head which was seen from the rearview mirror.

           “Yes, they heard it's a joint festival of four high schools.”

           “It’s not just in the school, but do they know that the entire neighborhood is the festival area-”

           “Yes. They heard that it is a festival where all the local governments in 1 dong, 2 dong, and 3 dong2 will cooperate.”

           The chauffeur spoke before Jimin finished her words as if he wanted to deliver the good news quickly. For the past two weeks, or specifically 18 days, Jimin's face gradually lost its vitality. Even as the chauffeur did what Jimin's parents told him to do, he thought it may have been a little severe. There was no other model student like Yu Jimin. It was possible for one to make a mistake at one point even if they had been doing well for their whole life. It was for only one day, but the chauffeur, who was given permission for Jimin's freedom, looked happier than Jimin.

           Nevertheless, Jimin was indifferent. Would something change if she went to the festival? Could she meet Kim Minjeong? But she hadn’t decided what to do yet. Still unable to answer, Jimin silently took out her phone. She opened the message app and saw the messages that Kim Minjeong had sent during the past 18 days.

           [Unnie…]

           [Why did you pretend not to see me when you saw me?]

           [Unnie, you really ]

           They were text messages that arrived at random intervals for the first few days after the party. Texts that went unanswered. She used to glare at her from time to time when she ran into her in the hallway after she ignored the first message. Maybe that was why she didn't send messages often. It had been quiet for a long time after these three messages. And then one more arrived a few days ago.

           [Unnie, let’s meet just once. Let me meet you. I have something to tell you…]

           It was a message sent quite formally. It was a request that Jimin, who had been tightly restricted to following her schedule, couldn't answer.

           “...”

           She couldn’t bring herself to erase it. She didn’t look at it for a while, fearing that she would waver. She felt bad again after seeing the messages after a long time. She felt like she was out of control again after barely finding her place again.

           She missed Kim Minjeong so much. She vividly recalled the sight and touch of kissing her in her arms, and even the sound of her breathing at that moment. As she did so, a small voice kept ringing in her mind. Couldn’t she just watch from afar without doing anything? It’s not like she was promising to meet her, and she was just going to the festival. She won’t avoid her if she does run into her. Just to look at her from afar.

           “Then, I won’t talk to anyone, and it’ll just be me alone…”

           A small voice that uttered with hesitation. The chauffeur responded energetically as if he had been waiting.

           “Yes. Of course. It doesn’t matter if you meet your friends after a long time.”

           “No. I’ll wander around alone.”

           She didn’t know what was going to happen. Nevertheless, Jimin's heart raced. She hoped Minjeong was not busy today. Just for today, she hoped she would forget her part-time job and enjoyed the festival. Opening the message