193 DAYS BEFORE

                Minhae smiled as she finished writing her little letter, ending it with her mysterious signature that she put on every other letter. She tucked the letter into an envelope, humming a song, as she attached a flower to the envelope.

                She quickly ran out of the classroom, looking around for someone. As she walked, she was seen as pure and innocent, bearing child-like qualities. Not only that, but she was quite short as well, so she sometimes got mistaken as a child instead of a 16 year old girl. Minhae quickly spotted her friend, and enthusiastically waved her over.

                “Kim Hyoyeon, was it?” She asked, looking at Minhae with a small smile. She gave a nod to her friend, and watched as she looked around for the locker of Ms. Kim Hyoyeon. Her best friend, Seohyun, was not only the student body president, but she also happened to remember the names, faces, and the lockers of almost all the students in the school.

                Seohyun was really admired by the students, and the teachers all adored her. Minhae really loved her, but sometimes, she felt a bit jealous. Seohyun was a very feminine girl, especially due to her features. She had a beautiful and feminine face, opposite to Minhae’s baby face, and was just stunning in general.

                “Over… there,” Seohyun told her, breaking her train of thought. Minhae looked to where her hand pointed to, and gave her a small bow, thanking her. “No problem,” she smiled. “It’s a good deed, that you do anyways Minhae, so I don’t really mind.” Minhae giggled at that statement, before running over to Kim Hyoyeon’s locker, and slipping the envelope inside, making sure that no one saw her.

                “What did you write anyways?” Seohyun asked, while the pair was walking down the hallway. Students were starting to flood into the school, filling the hallways. Minhae quickly took out her whiteboard, accompanied by a marker and eraser. The whiteboard was a bit strange, the other students would say. But if you were mute, what other ways were there to communicate? She quickly scribbled on it.

                “I wrote that she was beautiful and she should never doubt herself! Oh, and that she’s a dancing queen and can beat anyone and everyone at it, no matter what they say. Also, that she’s a really outgoing and cheerful girl, and that her pranks are the best!” The whiteboard said, with a cute little ‘happy’ emoticon beside it. Seohyun laughed at Minhae’s face; it was a mix of happy and cheerful, but she just looked too cute.

                “I kind of want to write one for him…” The whiteboard suddenly read, courtesy of Minhae. Seohyun suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Minhae with a look of concern on her face. Minhae stiffened, knowing what was going to happen next.

                “Please, don’t Minhae,” Seohyun warned, looking nervous. “I’m worried for you. You know the consequences of doing it. I want to do everything I can to help, but the principal refuses to do anything, god knows why.  I don’t want you to get hurt, Minhae.”

                “But Seohyun,” the whiteboard read, the writing messy because Minhae rushed it. “It’s just a compliment. I won’t talk to him or anything, it’s anonymous, remember!?” She looked at Seohyun, raising her eyebrows, looking hopeful.

                “I’m sorry Minhae, but I know you. You’ll say that you’re ‘curious’ and talk to him, resulting in…” she didn’t finish her sentence. “You’re way too curious for your own good, you know?” Seohyun quickly looked around the hallway, and realized the time. “Anyways, I gotta get to class. Don’t be stupid!”

                Minhae watched as she sped off, trying to get to class on time. Minhae couldn’t blame her though; as student body president, she couldn’t be late and had to be the perfect role model for the other students. Minhae heaved a sigh; there goes Seohyun being perfect again.

                Minhae glanced over at his locker, trying to see if he was there or not. It was not creepy, but she just knew where his locker was; it was located right across from her's. She also knew what he looked like and what he seemed to like. But she had never heard the boy speak before; she knew that he was lonely and literally had no one to talk to.

               She had always dreamed of talking to him. Minhae wanted to help him so badly, to pull him out of the darkness and change things, but she just couldn’t. While thinking, she realized that he suddenly appeared in front of his locker and was in her view. Her eyes widened in shock and she awkwardly turned her back to him, not wanting to be caught staring at him.

           But maybe someone did catch her looking at him.

                Minhae popped a blueberry in , spinning around in her pink egg chair in her room. Her hair was messily put up into a bun and she was wearing shorts and an oversized white t-shirt. It was starting to get hot. It was the beginning of June and she already needed to pull out her fan. She suddenly stopped spinning and rolled back to her clear desk, looking at a piece of paper with many words and scribbles on it.

                On the piece of paper were a list of names who were students in her school; they were of both genders and in different grades as well. To anyone else, it might look random and confusing, but Minhae knew what it was. It was a list of the people she would give a letter to, like the one she put in Kim Hyoyeon’s locker that morning. The list consisted of many names; Kim Hyoyeon, Min Yoongi, Song Jieun, Song Minho and many more. Minhae hastily picked up her pen and crossed out Kim Hyoyeon’s name.

                Her attention then drifted to the name in the corner of the paper. It was his name, but it was separated from the rest, with a question mark beside it. She honestly didn’t know where to put his name, so he somehow ended up in the corner.

                Minhae heaved a sigh, thinking about him. She wanted to help him so much, but she couldn’t. She felt so powerless; just watching everything happen without stepping in to aid him—just watching. She understood how he felt; being alone, having no one by your side, and having air sitting beside you. She groaned it frustration. She wanted to help him, honestly, but her brain told her it was too risky. Minhae’s train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a knock on her door.

                As soon as she turned around, she saw her older brother’s head pop through the door, Yoo Youngjae. Her eyes were instantly locked on his cast; he gained it due to recklessness on the soccer field, and he had it for a while now. But apparently, it was almost good as new, and Youngjae didn't seem to be in much pain.

                “Dad wants to see you,” Youngjae told her, biting into his apple. Minhae gave a small groan, standing up from her chair. Youngjae chuckled, sensing her frustration. “One of his ‘weekly talks’, I bet. Anyways, he’s in his room. Good luck,” he finished with a smirk, before leaving her room.

                Minhae loved her dad, honestly. But he could be a bit overprotective and a little annoying. After the mother of the family died, their dad seemed to become paranoid. He would need to know exactly where you’re going, for how long, why, who you’re going with and when you’re going to be back, as well as calling you every five minutes to see if you’re okay. It’s normal to care about your family after the loss of a loved one, but it was starting to get on their nerves.

                Minhae slowly walked to her dad’s room, trying to stall time. As soon as she got there, she took a deep breath before knocking on the white wooden frame. Without waiting for an answer, she walked in, fiddling with the whiteboard and marker in her hands. She plopped down on the bed, waiting for her father.

                “Minhae,” a voice said. She looked up and saw her father. Minhae pressed her lips together, waiting for another lecture, another long talk about being careful and such. Her father crouched down in front of her. “How’s my little girl doing?” She held back the urge to scream at him. Taking out her whiteboard, she started writing a sentence down.

                “Perfect,” the whiteboard had written on it. “And you don’t have to crouch, dad. I’m 16 years old; I’m not a little girl anymore.” She expected him to be shocked, but when she looked at him, he just chuckled.

                “Ah, still playing your little whiteboard games again,” he laughed, grabbing a chair. Minhae’s fists clenched together; they weren’t just little whiteboard games. But he wouldn’t understand. “Seriously Minhae, when are you going to start speaking again?” She didn’t do anything but shrug, causing her dad to laugh again—she didn’t see what was so funny.

                “Ah, dear, I just want you to be careful,” he started talking, looking at her seriously. “Honestly, do you remember your mom?” He stopped talking for a moment, giving Minhae time to think. Of course she remembered her mom—she was so sweet and loving, a perfect mother in Minhae’s opinion. “It was so shocking and… sad. We don’t want the same to happen to you or Youngjae, you hear me?” She nodded, but didn’t say anything.

                Minhae waved her dad's stupidity away. Her mother had died from cancer, so how would she be careful? And be careful of what, for the matter? It’s not like you could catch cancer flying in the air, so she wasn’t necessarily worried.

                She still remembered her mom like she was still here yesterday. Many people have said Minhae and her mom had a striking resemblance, so it’s no wonder those two were so close. Not only was she a mother to Minhae, but like a best friend. She would be able to go to her mom for anything, and her mom would always help her.

                But cancer struck. It was building up for so long, and one day her mom just… shut down. She wasn’t there, so she had no details, but all she could remember was that it was a Thursday morning at school. During second period, she was called down to the office and was told of her mom; and she cried. The principal consoled her saying her mother was too young, and that Minhae was too innocent to go through such a thing.

                “You were only 12…” Her father said, breaking her train of thought, shaking his head. He stood up from his chair. “Anyways, I think we’re done for today. Sorry for the short talk today, I’m just quite busy.” She gave her dad a small smile and nod, before he left the room, leaving Minhae, alone, to think for herself.

                At night, Minhae couldn’t sleep; she kept tossing and turning and thinking. She really was lost, and didn’t know what to do. It was either tomorrow, she puts a letter in his locker, or Min Yoongi’s locker. Minhae suddenly had a thought that she could play rock, paper, scissors with herself, but discarded the idea, realizing that it wouldn’t work, as she would be controlling both hands.

                She tossed and turned the whole night, unable to fall asleep, which annoyed her a lot. A little after midnight, she got up from bed, and went down to the kitchen, making a warm cup of milk, but that didn’t work either.

                Minhae shortly gave up on going to sleep, and instead, decided to make up some compliments to write on Min Yoongi’s letter for tomorrow. She sat at her desk with her desk lamp on, trying to think, the pen tapping on the glass table.

                She first wrote that he was an amazing rapper, which was true. Minhae had accidentally stumbled upon Min Yoongi rapping with his friend one day, and she was awed by his talent. Though he was short and looked kind of young, he had talent.

                After the first point, she quickly scribbled down that he was very tall and that made him attractive. She nodded to herself, thinking that it was an amazing point because she heard he was self-conscious about his height. A few seconds later, she quickly erased it, her cheeks flushed because of her stupid mistake. It was he, who was tall, not Min Yoongi. Minhae groaned in frustration, calling herself stupid over and over again in her head.

                When a good ten minutes passed, she stood up from her chair, satisfied with the amount of compliments she’s written for Min Yoongi. She turned around, attempting to close the desk lamp, until she felt her elbow hit something. Minhae turned around and realized that she knocked her see-through star jar down; luckily it didn’t break, but all the paper rolls inside fell out.

                She dropped down to the floor, picking up the pieces, trying to remember what was even in the jar, and what was written on the pieces of paper. Deciding to read only the last piece of paper, she continued happily picking up the pieces that fell onto the floor.

                When Minhae reached the last one, she hesitantly opened it, not knowing what to expect. She stared at the paper for a few seconds, blinking at it; ultimately, she was confused. Before she knew it, a small smile broke out on her face, and she tossed it back into the jar.

                Putting the jar on her desk, she sat back down onto her chair, taking out a new piece of paper, working into the night.

“Follow your heart.”

192 DAYS BEFORE

                Minhae looked around the halls, as she discreetly walked down the school hallways. This time, she knew exactly where the recipient’s locker was, not needing Seohyun’s help. She glanced around, not wanting to be seen by anyone; friend or foe. Hoping Seohyun was still in the student council room, she approached the recipient’s locker.

                This time, she decided to dedicate the letter to Choi Junhong, the boy whose locker was right across from her; the one Seohyun didn’t want her to approach. The boy she wanted to help so badly, but just couldn’t. Minhae gulped, before dropping the letter through the little slot at the top of the locker. She quickly glanced around the hallways; luckily, she wasn’t seen.

                The letter this time was very cute and happy, and she really hoped it would cheer him up when he needed it. On the letter, she wrote about his attractive height, his mental strength to get through everything, and his perseverance. She ended it off with a cute ‘hwaiting’ drawing, before attaching a white tulip to the envelope.

                Minhae tended to randomly select the flowers she put; no thought involved. But this time, she decided to put a white tulip on the envelope. According to her book on flowers, the white tulip symbolized ‘apology’ and that’s exactly what she wanted to do; apologize. She wanted to apologize for not having the courage to talk to him or stand up for him.

                Her thoughts were broken when she felt a hand clasp on her shoulder, making her jump. She turned around and was face to face with her best friend. Minhae’s eyes widened, worried that she saw. Her nightmare became reality.

                “What was that, Minhae?” Seohyun asked, her eyes widened at Minhae’s actions. “Minhae, please, I told you. Why did you do that?” Minhae quickly scribbled a reply down on her whiteboard.

                “Please Seo,” the whiteboard read. “Just let me help him in some way… If it’s not approaching, it’s this. Would you rather I approach him instead?” Minhae looked at her friend, pleading her not to get mad.

                “No, but…” Seohyun started, letting out a small sigh. “Fine, Minhae, please, don’t do anything else.” Minhae just gave a nervous nod, a bit scared due to her friend’s anger. “And I’m already enough in a bad mood,” Minhae heard her friend mumble under her breath, turning away.

                Minhae let out a sigh of relief when Seohyun disappeared. She noticed slowly that students were starting to enter the building, and started to walk towards her class. Minhae looked around for him but didn’t see him, smiling to herself.

                The only thing she didn’t notice was a boy looking at her in surprise.

                Minhae glanced at a nearby group of girls while walking to her table and her eyes widened in shock when she realized that one of them was holding an envelope with a flower attached to it; the one she wrote yesterday.  She looked up and saw the face of Kim Hyoyeon, staring at the letter in shock, as if it wasn’t real.

                “Open it!” one of her friends urged. Minhae took note of her petite stature and cute face, remembering her as Lee Soonkyu, otherwise known as Sunny. Minhae tried not to make it obvious as she watched the group of girls to see their reactions. Hyoyeon slowly reached to open the envelope, and pulled the letter out in a hurry. 

                “What does it say!?” a taller one exclaimed, trying to use her height to her advantage as she tried to look at the letter. She was Kwon Yuri. Minhae suddenly realized that Hyoyeon was one of the popular girls at school, and that maybe a letter wasn’t needed to make her feel happy. Hyoyeon skimmed through the letter, and a huge smile appeared on her face.

                “Honestly, who is this person?” she said aloud, knowing that an answer wasn’t going to come. “She seems like such a sweet person.” Hyoyeon tucked the letter back into the envelope and slipped it in her bag. “I’ll make sure I’ll keep this for a lo~ong time.” Another petite girl with gorgeous hair, Taeyeon, sat down at their cafeteria table with a frown.

                “I want one,” she whined, stabbing her salad. The other girls laughed, sitting down with her.

                “Well, there are plenty of students in our school,” Hyoyeon started, chewing on her food. “I’m just lucky enough to get one.” Taeyeon glared at Hyoyeon for gloating, and Hyoyeon just laughed. They started going off at another topic, meaning it was time for Minhae to leave.

                Minhae set her tray down at a table with Seohyun and looked around the cafeteria for any sign of Junhong. She quickly spotted him; he was sitting in the corner by himself, all hunched over. She would’ve thought he was crying if not for the letter in his hand, and an envelope and a white tulip on the table. She suddenly stiffened; knowing that he was currently reading her letter kind of scared her. How would he react? Would he keep it, throw it away or what? Minhae tapped Seohyun’s shoulder and when she was paying attention, she pointed over to Junhong.

                “You brought this onto yourself, Minhae,” Seohyun said, wiping with a tissue. “So you should deal with it, I mean, you’re the one who tried to convince me.” Minhae gave a short nod, but couldn’t tear her eyes away from Junhong and the fact that he was reading her letter.

                He suddenly sat up straight and put the letter back into the envelope, slipping both the envelope and tulip into his bag. That must be a good thing, right? Minhae gave a sigh of relief, happy knowing that he seemed to not dislike the letter or anything.  She looked up again when she heard trays being dropped onto the table and waved to her two other friends; Jung Eunji and Park Chorong.

                “Why it’s so quiet here?” Eunji questioned, plopping down onto her seat, Chorong beside her. Minhae shrugged, while Seohyun responded.

                “Because Minhae was watching him read her letter,” Seohyun told them, before taking a drink of water.               

                “Ahh…” Chorong mused, eating her homemade sandwich. “I think you’re a good person for doing that Minhae, I don’t know what Seohyun has against it.”

                “I don’t have anything against it,” Seohyun replied, pouting. “I just don’t want anything to happen to her.”

                “Aw, how sweet,” Eunji said jokingly, laughing as Seohyun playfully hit her. “Student Body President, you shouldn’t be hitting me! I’m telling the principal!”

                The four of them laughed together, all sounding happy and light, with even Minhae joining in. The laughter soon died down, the four of them eating their lunches between talking.

Author's Note: So, how'd you guys like it? Honestly, proofreading this was hell, there were so many tense changes, haha. I hope it wasn't tooo boring, it was just a glance of their 'normal' high school life before we jump into the actual story. And the two (or like SIX) new cameos got to A-Pink's Eunji and Chorong (and SNSD's Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sunny, and Taeyeon!), yaay. To be honest, I'm not really into much girl groups so, eh -shrugs-

I hope you guys subscribe, upvote, and comment, it makes me so so so happy c: The newer updates might come slower because this chapter was already written out from like a month ago, haha. Hope you guys have a nice day/evening/night/whatever~