Wednesday 23rd --------

Kim Jonghyun sighed deeply at the cafe as he thought of Lee Jiayi. He smiled at their conversation back at the DJ club VNT.

Jessica, the cafe owner, noticed Jonghyun in that lovey-dovey mood. She smirked and thought of teasing him because she was bored at the moment with barely any customers. She stopped cleaning at the countertop and leaned a bit closer to Jonghyun's ear.

"Awww~ looks like someone's been caught by Cupid's arrow!" she cooed in a high pitch voice. Jonghyun snapped out of his daydream and glared at her as he pouted in embarrassment. "Sica noona~!" he whined in a childish manner and hid his face in his arms above the countertop table.

Jessica giggled loudly (which was more of a cackle from Jonghyun's perspective) as she continued to . Just then, Jia walked into the cafe for tiramisu coffee cake. It was the only cafe she heard of that can sell that type of slice of cake along with a bottle of banana milk. She was all in smiles until she found Jonghyun sitting in front of the countertop, blushing and looking away from the waitress. The waitress, to Jia's perspective looked like she had been flirting with Jonghyun.

Ah, so he's a player. I almost forgot about that one chick in the car that one night.....and now this waitress. Jia sighed and removed the tension from her shoulders. Oh well, might as well enjoy my tiramisu.

Jia continues to maintain her posture and strode away from Jonghyun, sliding into one of the booths nearby the glass window.

Jonghyun dodged another look of teasing from his best friend and suddenly noticed Jia by the window. He couldn't stop the glee spreading throughout his facial expression and stood up from his stool, ignoring the sisterly tease from Jessica. Jessica raised an eyebrow at this sudden action until she saw where he sat at.

Her eyes widened at the cute girl sitting across from her best friend. Omo~! This must be the girl Jonghyun was thinking about today! SHE'S SO CUTE~ WAIT. SHE'S A CUSTOMER - S***! I gotta work. :(

Meanwhile, Jonghyun smiled at Jia. "Hey, Jia. Small world, eh?"

No response.

"Hehe~ do you remember me? Kim Jonghyun from the DJ club VNT?"

Still no response.

Jonghyun frowned and tried to look out where she was staring at. There was nothing outside interesting to look at. Is she ignoring me?

Lee Jinki walks into the cafe carefully before checking the close is clear. He nodded to himself seriously and walked in bristly, only to trip on the WELCOME carpet and fall face first.

Jessica and Krystal Jung laughed from behind the counter and greeted him nicely. "Welcome~ how may we help you?" and curtsied as they bowed formally.

Jonghyun & Jia heard the noise of the body gag and looked over at Jinki. Their eyes widened at him sprawled onto the floor.

"JinJin oppa?" "Onew hyung?"

Both Jonghyun & Jia glanced at each other weirdly. "You know him?" they both asked at the same time to each other.

By this time, Jinki rubbed his head and looked up to find his friends sitting near each other. He smiled brightly at them and waved as he got up on his own.

"WAH~ Jonghyun! And Jiayi? Small world, eh?" he exclaimed with glee as he hurriedly sped up to their table and sat next to Jia. For some reason, Jonghyun felt envious of Jinki sitting next to Jia. He was also a bit shocked to see Jia smiling when she was practically ignoring him a moment ago.

"Yeah! Small world~" Jia smiled brightly at Jinki. Jonghyun pouted at her. "Yah, Lee Jiayi, why does he get a smile and I barely get a 'hi' from you? That's rude..." He crossed his arms and looked out the window.

Jia looked over at Jonghyun and squealed, surprising Jinki and the Jung sisters behind the counter. She bent over the table between her and Jonghyun, reaching out and pinching his cheeks.

"Aigoo~ you're so cute like that!" she cooed, earning a slight nervous chuckle from Jinki and laughter from the Jung sisters. Jonghyun was shocked at the sudden behavior, but didn't mind the close skinship.

He reached out and pinched her cheeks as well, causing themselves to be immersed into stretching each other's faces. Jessica walked over with a notepad and pen, still chuckling at the pair.

"Hello, my name's Jessica, but you can call me Sica if you want," Jessica introduced herself to Jia and Jinki, "I'm this dino's friend and also an older sister figure to him. So, if he does anything bad, you come and tell me, okay?"

Both Jinki and Jia nodded happily, more with a relief from Jia. Oh, they're like brother and sister? Phew~ With this fact, she smiled brighter but felt it hard to do so with Jonghyun pinching her cheeks. She let go of his and slapped his hands away from her face. Jia growled inwardly as she rubbed her cheeks.

Jinki chuckled and remembered something. Taemin mentioned that Jiayi likes tiramisu coffee cake, so..... maybe that's why she's here.

Jessica smiled and opened her notepad. "So, what would you guys like to order?"

Before Jia could say anything, Jinki beat her to it. "2 tiramisu coffee cake slices, please? Ah, and coffee for me & banana milk for the lovely lady here." he ordered. Jia blushed when Jinki referred her as a 'lovely lady'.

Jonghyun noticed the blush and tried to ignore it by wanting to order another thing in the cafe. He looked up and opened his mouth, only for Jessica to shove 5 Pocky sticks in his mouth.

Jessica glared at him. "Yah, you freaking hungry raptor, you already ordered 18 things here today! Save your money for the future, stupid dinosaur! Don't forget, you're a host now for a student!" she scolded him before grinning back at Jinki & Jia. "I'll be with your orders for a second, okay?" she asked sweetly.

The two nodded as she strutted back into the kitchen, then glanced at Jonghyun munching on the Pocky sticks in his mouth.

Jinki snapped his fingers and pointed at him. "Ah! That's right, you're letting that Minjoo girl stay at your house, huh?"

Jia froze at the mention of her new friend's name. Minjoo? As in Choi Minjoo?

"Yeah, Minjoo's a great kid. She's like a daughter I'd want to raise in the future," Jonghyun commented as he took the cup of coffee from Krystal (who had to get rid of it because her older sister wouldn't let her drink coffee and is watching her intensely at the moment) and drank it.

Jinki gasped and turned to Jia. "Hey, doesn't Taemin go to the same school as Minjoo?" he asked.

Jia slowly clenched her fist on the table. It is the same Minjoo. How come she never told me?

Both Jonghyun & Jinki stared at her fists and decided not to speak until the food arrived. By that time they decided to talk about a different subject, like music and chicken.

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next day ------

Minho couldn't take it anymore.

During college time, Choi Minho found himself in the same class as Lee Jiayi & Kim Kibum. How he got into the class in the first place, Minho will never know.

Tell me why I have to be here again? Minho facepalmed literally as he saw the scene right before him.

Right now they're in Fashion Design Unit 5 class because of Key's upcoming fashion show months ahead. It had been decided yesterday that Key gets to choose his models and that included Minho & Jia. To Minho's irritation, Jia tried hard to communicate with Key about her likes and dislikes of clothes to wear, but Key won't listen to her. In fact, he is ignoring her completely as he worked on the college students who will be joining the fashion show in his own designs.

Jia grew frustrated and threw a pink sash that was tied around her waist to the ground. "I can't work with a man like you! Go to hell!" she yelled and stormed off.

People around them paused in their work except for Key and looked at Key expectedly. Jia was not only a model in the show, but also paired up with Key as an assistant consultant to make sure things run smoothly. If they can't work appropriately, both Key & Jia will be marked down half of their grade.

Key never even acted like Jia existed and continued on with his work. Minho grumbled to himself and walked off the classroom to go find Jia.

Minho found Jia in the school cafeteria, chowing down on fried chicken. He slightly chuckled and bent down to her level. "Yo, Jia." he whispered in her ear. "I know how you can get the diva to talk again."

Jia's eyes widened as she dropped the chicken on her tray and turned to Minho. He grinned in accomplishment and whispered,"Write this: You're a top notch!"

At first Jia got confused, but nodded along and ripped a random paper from her notebook, writing the note on it. She then looked up at Minho once more.

He nodded to the 2nd floor. "Go give it to him now." he commanded. Confused yet understanding, Jia stood up from the cafeteria table and walked back to class, with Minho trailing behind her.

When they both enter the classroom, Key was laughing and engaged in a conversation with his other fashionist colleagues. Jia took a deep breath and walked up to him, giving Key the note in front of his face.

Key was caught off guard with the letter and turned to to glance at Jia. He looked back at the paper and took it, analyzing what it says. His eyes widened to the message along with his other colleagues. There was a mix of reactions to the note.

Confused and naive, Jia turns to Minho. "Why are they reacting like that?"

Minho shrugged, but deep down inside he held a grin from surfacing onto his facial features. Just then, they both hear erupted laughter from the group as Key's cheeks flush in a mix of emotions. "Haha~ top notch!" was all they call out.

Key left his table and the note to go towards Jia, who was standing next to Minho by the doorway. "Lee Jiayi, I demand to know where you learn this from." he stated.

Jia quickly pointed at the guy next to her, shocking him and glancing at Key. "It was his idea." Jia admitted.

Key looked at Minho with a sternly gaze. I had a feeling it was him...

Key shakes his head and now gazes at Jia. "Just shut up, Jia, and I'll forgive you. Okay?"

Jia nods innocently, but then snaps back at Key once she realized what just happened. "Yah, you don't tell me to shut up!" she yelled.

Key rolled his eyes. "Aish, you annoying pig, just go stand over there with my classmates and stand still!"

"How dare you call me a pig, you mouse!"

The diva gasped and gaped at her. "Me?! A mouse?! Ewww~ I'm not a filthy rat!"

"Oh really? Because it doesn't look that way to me~!"

Minho giggled silently as he watched his 2 best friends yell at each other. Ahhh~ life's back to normal.

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

2 days later ------

"Is she ignoring me?" Choi Minjoo asked Lee Taemin during Advanced Drama class.

Taemin shrugged as he continued to jot down notes from the teacher. "Shh~ the teacher might hear you... maybe she's just stressed is all," he whispered to her.

Minjoo nodded and continued to pay attention to the class. Before she knew it, class had ended and Lee Jiayi steps into the room automatically and pulls Taemin by the arm.

"Come on, school's over, we have to go." "But Jia - " "NOW!" Taemin pouted as he let himself be quickly dragged by his stepsister. Before Minjoo could stand up and say anything, the door had been slammed shut.

Now Minjoo was the only person in the drama room, even though there's still people hanging right outside the class. She pouted as she felt hurt and lonely all at once. The overwhelming emotions collided into her body slowly.

Why is she ignoring me? Minjoo shook her head and gripped her hair a couple of times. The familiar feeling is getting back into my system... no! I promised my family I'd get cured here!

She couldn't take it anymore and ran out the room, unnoticed by all her classmates and teachers in the hallway. No one cares about you because you're a loser... Minjoo ran up the stairs and into the soutwest wing of the school, where detention is usually held. Your new friend even thinks you're an attention w****... NO! SHE DOESN'T!

Then why is she ignoring you? Look at you! You're not like the other girls, you're ugly!

Minjoo broke down and cried on the ground in a solitude area, where she assumed no one can hear or see her. All her pessimistic thoughts traveled back into her brain, triggering her trauma of depression. It doesn't hurt to cry, right? I deserve to cry, right?

You're pathetic! .......I am a pathetic person...leave me alone!

Meanwhile, Choi Minho happened to hang out in the detention room because frankly, no one even goes there anymore. The place was filled with graffiti paintings; too inappropriate for school regulations, so it had been neglected. He skipped school to get away from Key's pestering in fashion prom show as a model. It was peaceful and quiet.........until he heard a soft cry.

Curious, Minho walked out of the detention room and ran until he heard the crying get louder. Someone's upset....sounds like a girl....who could it be?

He ran faster for a bit until he saw what he was looking for.

At the edge of the hallway where the railing is and where you can feel the fresh air of the outside, Minho can see Minjoo sitting down crying above her knees, her head buried in her arms. Worried as ever now, he ran over to squat down in front of her and slowly patted her head.

Minjoo snapped her head up startled and gasped lightly at Minho's concerned face. He only feels sorry for you, don't buy in! She whimpered and tried moving away from him, but Minho wouldn't allow it and pulled her closer to his chest.

She continued to whimper and look away, which brought Minho to a realization. She stopped crying when she realized I was here....she shouldn't keep all these emotions in.

Minho bit his lip and scooted closer to her, slowly draping his arms over her on the floor as he comfortably sat down on the ground. "Just let it out, Minjoo. It's bad to hold your emotions in." he advised her. His smoothing voice relaxed her to comfortably pour her tears out into his chest, soaking his shirt in the process.

His heart ached upon seeing her like this. It hurts seeing her sad like this....

After a good 10 minutes of crying, she slowed down and wiped her tears away. Minjoo wouldn't speak and just continued to hold onto Minho's frame, which of course he didn't mind. But, to be mentally healthy, Minho felt Minjoo should speak her mind. He pulled away a bit and stared into her eyes, using one of his hands to tuck a strand of hair on her face behind her ear.

"Okay, tell oppa what's wrong. Ever since I met you, you've never been sad or upset over something."

No response.

Minho sighed and quickly thought of something. When he did, he smiled at her.

"If you tell Minho oppa what happened and why you feel this way, I'll give you a present..."

Still no response.

"Would Hershey's Cookies & Cream Chocolate suffice? I heard from Jonghyun hyung that you love this kind of stuff."

Jackpot.

Minjoo turned to Minho with full attention, expecting for a chocolate bar to appear. He rolled his eyes and pulled out the chocolate bar from his pocket. "Aish, you're lucky I even have these things..." he mumbled and gave it to her. Minjoo smiled in return and gave a nod while quickly opening the wrapper and chomping on a small bar.

"Mmmm~" she moaned quietly, earning a light-hearted laugh from Minho.

"Haha~ okay, Minjoo, tell Minho oppa what happened." Minjoo nodded and looked down to the floor, still chewing on the chocolate bar.

"I-I used to have this depression era back in America. No one knew about it, because I always held the feelings in and never broke down. Things were fine until stress elevated from my head and... I always think before I do things. By junior year in high school, people at school started bothering me once again, telling me to rethink my life plans. Even my parents keep telling me what I should do with my life, even though they told me they support me in everything I do." she explained. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ever since this scholarship appeared, it was a great miracle to me. I was on my hands and knees begging for my parents to let me go. I only got my father's approval, but I was able to go still. So now I'm here in Korea, trying to find true happiness in my life."

Minjoo finished talking and looked up at Minho's reaction. In his eyes were full of sorrow and love. "Minjoo, I'll be sure to help you with whatever I can to make you happy. Will you trust me?" he asked carefully.

The young girl nodded at him with a small smile on her face. Minho smiled back. "Now, what was making you depressed?" he asked.

Minjoo sighed and blew her cheeks up in annoyance. "Jia's been ignoring me definitely. I don't know why, but it just hurts when she doesn't talk to me and right after we became friends shortly, too. Does she regret ever being friends with me? I - "

Minho silenced her with his index finger pressing over her lips. He smiled sadly. "Squirt, no one regrets ever being friends with you. Even I know myself that I have no regrets being with you right now. Maybe Jia's in a rut and thinks about a lot of stuff. Don't think about the ignorance much." he told her.

They ended the conversation with a hug and a snack of chocolate bars.