Chapter Text
Minjeong all but skipped into her house, a smile tugging at her lips despite the throbbing behind her right eye and tightness in her cheekbone. Nothing could dampen her mood. Well, maybe her mother who was startled and appalled at seeing her daughter in such a state could.
"Minjeong!" The elder woman dropped the dish rag in her hand, scurrying to the young brunette before she could slip away unnoticed. "What happened!?"
"Mom . . ." Minjeong sighed as hands pushed her hair out of her face to assess the damage. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. "It's nothing."
Taeyeon frowned at what looked to be a black eye forming on her only child's face and a red scrape on her cheek. "It is most definitely not nothing, young lady. Tell me who did this? Your mother and I-"
"Really." Minjeong put on a reassuring smile as she grabbed her mom's hands and took a step back. "I'm fine. I promise. Jimin took care of it."
Amber eyes that resembled Minjeong's narrowed as they searched her daughter for more damage. Her shoulders were tense until her eyes landed on a flower in Minjeong's hair. "I suppose I should have figured that out from the flower. Thank goodness for that girl."
"Yeah." Minjeong mumbled.
"Knowing that Jimin handled it, now I'm worried for the other person." Taeyeon chuckled to herself as she recalled Jimin's fierce loyalty to her daughter. She was all too aware of the scuffles Minjeong's friend got in over her. She didn't know where Minjeong would be without the older girl. "Should I send flowers to a hospital room or perhaps a funeral?"
Minjeong shook her head with a scoff. "No, they're fine."
"I doubt that." A smile started to pull at the corner of slightly wrinkled cheeks. "She has always adored you, you know."
"Mom." Minjeong blushed at the statement. Her mood was rapidly beginning to dampen due her teasing mother.
"Oh, don't mom me." Taeyeon laughed as she swatted her daughter's shoulder. "I can't believe I didn't know she was in town."
"She's just visiting for the summer." Minjeong rolled her eyes as she took a step back. "Now, if you don't mind-"
"Fine, fine." Taeyeon waved her daughter off. "But I want to hear what happened when you come down for dinner."
Minjeong's blush intensified as memories that were still fresh flooded her mind. She reluctantly nodded in acceptance before she went to the stairs, but stopped halfway up when she heard her mother from the kitchen.
"Oh! And invite Jimin and Ningning over for dinner!"
Minjeong groaned in response. "Okay mom."
Without any further disturbance, Minjeong was finally able to make it to her room where she promptly plopped down on her bed. A goofy smile formed on her face as she laid on her back and pulled the white rose from her ear to gander at it. Despite the black eye, today had been one of the best days of her life and it was all thanks to Yu Jimin.
/
She remembered the fateful day her neighbors down the street moved in quite vividly. She was six years old when her family moved to America and two years later, the Yu’s followed suit.
Since she had trouble making friends, due to the other children constantly making fun of her accent and her no-filter tendencies, her parents saw a golden opportunity. On their drive home from work, they saw the newcomers unpacking with two little girls looking to be about Minjeong's age. Surely, they would need someone to play with and their daughter, whether she would admit it or not, was in desperate need of friends and socialization.
True to her stubborn nature, Minjeong huffed and puffed the entire way to her new neighbor’s house with a plate of cookies in hand. Her parents insisted she bring the treats to show how good of a neighbor she was. It was the polite thing to do. Minjeong, personally, found it to be pointless and embarrassing.
When they knocked on the door, they were greeted with a stunning couple. The woman was tall with long raven locks, her wife had wavy brown hair, and both had kind onyx eyes. Minjeong didn't pay much attention to the adults conversing, but her ears did perk when she heard the couple yell something in a familiar yet foreign language followed by feet scurrying on hardwood flooring.
The first to make their appearance was a girl Minjeong's height hiding behind her mother, bright onyx eyes peeking around legs curiously.
"This is Ningning." Joohyun laughed at her daughter's shyness, ruffling her hair playfully. "She is eight."
"How perfect." Taeyeon almost jumped for joy at the revelation that their kids were the same age. "So is Minjeong."
"And this is our eldest." Seulgi nodded her head to another girl coming down the stairs behind them. "Jimin. She is nine."
A smile lit up Jimin's face as she waved at the newcomers. Being the social butterfly she is, she approached the new girl that was blushing as she looked down at the cookies.
"Are those for us?"
Once more, that foreign language was spoken, but by Jimin this time attempting to speak to her neighbor.
"Here." Minjeong mumbled as she shoved the cookies into Jimin's hands.
"Minjeong." Tiffany scolded her daughter, but Joohyun and Seulgi waved it off.
"It’s fine." Joohyun smiled. "Maybe we can arrange a playdate. Be patient with them though." onyx eyes twinkled, looking down at Minjeong. "They haven’t been given much time to learn English."
Taeyeon looked at the raven girl still grinning at Minjeong. "Our Minjeongie is familiar with Korean but she’s sadly not fluent anymore after moving here. So, I'm sure she’ll excel at helping your daughters speak English more."
A week later Minjeong was standing awkwardly in the front yard of the Yu's house while the two girls kicked a ball around. Her mother was sitting on the porch with Joohyun, lost in a pleasant conversation, leaving Minjeong wondering what she was supposed to do. She wasn't particularly interested in sports, but the other girls seemed very active, happily chatting in Korean.
"Minjeong, dear." Taeyeon spoke up when she saw her daughter making no effort to try to play. "Why don't you join? You know how to play football."
"I don't want to-"
Minjeong's imminent tirade was cut short when the ball rolled to her feet. She looked up, ready to berate the other girls when she saw Jimin running at her full speed. Dread filled her gut as the taller girl showed no sign of stopping until she got to the ball and started playfully maneuvering around the brunette, attempting to do tricks, as if Minjeong was actively trying to block her.
Ningning's giggles filled the yard as Minjeong stood there clearly confused as to what was happening. Then the older girl kicked the ball past Minjeong and proceeded to run in circles with her hands in the air, yelling, "goal!"
"What?" Minjeong blinked while the mothers chuckled to themselves. "I'm not even playing." She huffed as she crossed her arms.
Jimin continued, unbothered, smiling at how amused her little sister was by her antics.
"You're weird." Minjeong grumbled.
That statement was enough to make Jimin stop and frown at her neighbor. "Aniyo."
"Yes, you-"
Before Minjeong could finish, Jimin stomped off to the garden. Everyone watched, the adults equally perplexed as to what the older girl was doing. With a hard tug, Jimin pulled a white rose from the ground and returned to the short-haired girl while Joohyun shook her head with a smile. She understood now.
Jimin didn't know what the word weird meant. She thought Minjeong had used the wrong name and was correcting her.
"Jimin." Jimin spoke firmly, holding the flower out to Minjeong.
Minjeong raised an eyebrow at the action. "What?"
"Jimin." The raven spoke more earnestly. "Flower." She smiled, proud of herself for remembering the english word.
"Yes, I understand." Minjeong groaned. "Your name is Jimin and that is a flower."
"Jimin." The eldest's grin grew as she broke the stem, careful not to cut herself on a thorn.
Minjeong flinched away when Jimin brought her hand up with the rose, but it did not deter the Korean child.
"Jimin." She spoke one last time as she put the flower in Minjeong's hair, tucking the stem behind Minjeong's ear.
"Uh . . ." Minjeong looked helplessly to the adults quietly laughing.
"Her name means flower." Joohyun yelled out to Minjeong. "She had been obsessed with the roses and the word ever since she found out."
"Oh." Minjeong blushed at the attention and for not knowing that fact. "That makes sense." She looked back to the pleased Korean girl uneasily. "Uh . . . thank you . . . Jimin."
/
Over the summer, the girls became closer, playing a couple times a week. The language barrier was still there, but the girls were learning. Jimin was quicker than Ningning and it proved to be troublesome for the younger girl when they started school.
Not knowing a single person in their grade and knowing little to no english, Ningning naturally gravitated towards Minjeong. She was practically attached at the hip with the short-haired girl who had already been a bit of an outcast herself. Jimin, on the other hand, didn't have much trouble at all. She found a friend group she spent lunch with instead of the other two almost right away, but was always there to stick up for the more bashful girls.
During lunch one day, Minjeong was attempting to help Ningning with her English. Ningning seemed pleased that someone was at least trying to converse with her, even if it wasn't much. It was when she turned to Minjeong that she accidentally knocked into a boy with black hair and a buzzcut that was particularly nasty.
"jjajeungnada.” Ningning mumbled feebly when the boy turned around with a scowl.
"Speak english." He sneered, getting in the small girl's personal space. "No one can understand you, you little freak."
He went to tug on her raven strands, but Minjeong stepped between them. She had quickly become protective of the sweet girl and wouldn't stand for anyone picking on Ningning like they did to her. She didn't deserve it and was too timid to do anything about it herself.
"Hey." Minjeong scowled, pushing the boy away from Ningning. "Leave her alone. She's trying."
"Stay out of it, nerd." He shot back, pushing Minjeong back much harder, sending the girl falling down onto her butt.
He made a move to step forward as tears stung the brunette's eyes, but before he could get too far a taller figure stepped in front of Minjeong. With a rough shove, he went tumbling to the cold ground with a yelp. He looked up to see usual playful onyx eyes were steely as Jimin towered over him.
"Don't touch." She growled while her posse she had accumulated stepped up behind her.
Ningning, on the verge of tears herself, started speaking to Jimin in rapid Korean. She held onto her sister's arm, hiding behind the intimidating girl while Jimin glared down at the boy.
"You pick on my sister?" Jimin snarled as Ningning nodded her head.
Jimin's english was still very limited, but her body language said everything as she stepped over the boy. She grabbed him by the front of her shirt, lifting him off the ground a bit. "Don't. Touch."
"Okay, okay." He cowered away, flinching when Jimin raised her fist.
"Say sorry." She ordered coldly.
His dark eyes shifted to Ningning still hiding behind her sister. "S-sorry."
"Minjeong too." Jimin barked, still not satisfied.
"Sorry Minjeong."
With one final shove back to the ground, Jimin released the boy before turning to Minjeong and crouching down. She offered the tearful brunette a smile as she held out her hand. "You okay?"
The tears in Minjeong's eyes almost immediately diminished at the kind smile and hand Jimin offered. A sniffle left her nose as she gratefully took the other girl's hand and was pulled to her feet with ease. She felt a little safer now that Jimin was standing there, patting her shoulder. No one would push her around anymore. At least, not as long as Jimin was around.
/
After that day, no one really bullied Minjeong anymore. Even though Jimin wasn't always around, people were still careful with the girls and when they went into high school, Ningning and Minjeong spent even less time with Jimin. It was to be expected Minjeong supposed.
Of course, Jimin had grown to be gorgeous just like her mother and her sister. While Ningning got involved in theater, Jimin was captain of the volleyball team and on the dance team. She was easily the most popular girl at school, but that didn't mean she let anyone pick on her sister or Minjeong.
If any of her friends made any remark about either of the girls, all Jimin had to do was send a cold glare in their direction and they promptly shut their mouth. Too many people had found out what happened when they went too far with her sister or Minjeong. Jimin had served many detentions defending the duo.
It wasn't to say that Minjeong and Ningning weren't well accepted anymore though. The accents that once got the girls made fun of were now what people liked the most about them. People enjoyed Minjeong's short blunt slang and Ningning's random outbursts in Korean.
In fact, Minjeong had become liked enough to get asked on her first date when she was fifteen. After school, Johnny from her math class asked her on a date. He had dark brown hair, green eyes, and was on the lacrosse team.
They didn't really have much in common, but that hardly mattered to a young teenage girl. She had her first date. She was taking her first step to being an adult. She would maybe even get her first kiss and she couldn't wait.
She wore her cutest top, favorite shorts, and even took her time with her difficult hair to make it look nice. She was so nervous, she waited in her living room for their movie date well before five, the time he said he would pick her up, while she anxiously watched the clock. It wasn't until an hour later that Minjeong realized she had been stood up.
She felt the acute sting of rejection when the clock struck six and he still hadn't called or even bothered to reply to any of her texts. While she wondered if he even gave her her actual number, her mother looked at her with sad brown eyes and it made her feel even more pathetic. She didn't know why she thought someone would actually ask her out. It had all probably just been a joke. Jock asks the nerdy girl on a date just to stand her up. Classic.
She held back tears as she stood from the couch while her parents apprehensively watched for what she was going to do.
"Sweetie, maybe-"
"I'm going to go see Ningning." Minjeong shrugged with her back to her parents. She didn't want them to see how pitiful she really felt. She just wanted to take comfort in her friend's company. Ningning was always good at cheering her up. Even though she had no problem getting dates and had one well before Minjeong had ever been asked, she knew her friend wouldn't put her down. She never made Minjeong feel bad about things like that or flaunted it.
"Okay." Her mom nodded. "You can stay the night there too if it's okay with her parents."
Minjeong nodded her head as she swallowed the lump in her throat and did the walk of shame all the way to the Yu's gorgeous house.
When Minjeong knocked on the front door, she expected Ningning to open it with an understanding smile, but instead she was greeted with a flushed Yu Jimin in shorts and a sports bra. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and she was covered in a light layer of sweat as her chest heaved. It would seem Minjeong interrupted her workout.
"Minjeong?" Jimin spoke between pants with a crinkled brow. "What are you doing here?"
Minjeong avoided that probing gaze, opting to look at the floor instead as she scuffed her shoe against the pavement. "Is Ningning here?"
"No." Jimin shook her head. "Mom took her to see a play."
"Oh." Minjeong nodded her head sadly. "Well, then I'll just go. I-"
"What happened?" Jimin frowned as she stepped out of the house towards the brunette. "You seem upset."
"No." Minjeong blinked back tears and put on a smile as she looked up at the taller girl. "Everything is okay."
Jimin narrowed her eyes at the nerdy girl. She may not hang out with Minjeong and Ningning much anymore, but she knew when the other girl was lying. There were unshed tears in those brown eyes that Minjeong was desperately trying to hold back. Something had definitely happened, and she came to cry to Ningning, but she wasn't there. She was and she wasn't going to leave Minjeong in a pit of despair all by herself.
She realized Minjeong might not be completely comfortable being with just her, so she did her best to make the introverted girl feel more at ease with a smile.
"I know I'm not Ningning, but why don't you hang out with me?"
Minjeong's eyes widened at the invitation. She seldom hung around Jimin for more than thirty minutes these days. It was always her and Ningning. Surely Jimin had more important or cool things to do than hang out with Kim Minjeong.
"I-I wouldn't want to intrude." Minjeong shook her head as she stepped back. "You look like you're in the middle of something."
"I just finished working out." Jimin waved off the other girl's concern. "And it's quite lonely in this big house when you're by yourself so your company would be nice."
"Oh, well." Minjeong rubbed the back of her head as she debated on what to do. She didn't really want to go back home and deal with her parent's sympathetic looks, but she wasn't sure about hanging out with the older girl by herself. She didn't want Ningning getting mad at her for spending time with her older sister. She could be a bit insecure at times when it came to Jimin. "If you don't think Ningning will mind . . ."
"Why would she?" Jimin scoffed. "Now, come on. I need to take a shower and then we can do each other's nails." She grinned as she grabbed Minjeong by the arm and steered her inside before she could change her mind.
Minjeong felt a bit awkward as she sat on Jimin's bed and looked at the light blue walls while the other girl showered. She hadn't been in her room before. Admittedly, it was nice. The bed was really soft, the room was neat, and smelled like light perfume. The walls were littered with pictures of Jimin and her friends much like Ningning's room was covered in pictures of her and Minjeong.
Minjeong's eyes drifted, taking in her surroundings when her eyes landed on a photo on the vanity of Ningning, Minjeong, and Jimin when they were just eight years old. A smile pulled at her lips when she noticed it sitting there. Who would have thought Jimin would keep a picture like that.
"What are you smiling about?" Jimin playfully asked as she breezed into the room. Her hair was wet and she wore just a pair of blue pajama shorts and a loose white t-shirt with two bottles of nail polish in her hand.
"Nothing." Minjeong shook her head, looking down at her hands as Jimin sat down on the floor.
"If you say so." Jimin shrugged as she loosened the top of the first bottle. "Now, come over here and try this new nail polish from my parent's company."
Minjeong raised an eyebrow as she moved to sit in front of the volleyball player. "Dipping into their stash?"
Jimin smiled impishly at the brunette. "Maybe."
"What is it?" Minjeong tilted her head curiously as Jimin started carefully brushing the liquid onto her nails.
"It has specs of diamonds in it." Jimin held her hand up in the light, moving it left and right so Minjeong could see it sparkling. "See?"
"Looks expensive." Minjeong mumbled as she leaned back against the bed.
"It is." Jimin replied as she took her time applying it to the rest of her nails while Minjeong looked up at the ceiling, unsure of what to say once the quiet settled over them.
It was only a couple of minutes later when Jimin looked up at Minjeong with bright sapphires, holding out her hand expectantly. "Okay, I'm done. It's your turn now."
"What?" Minjeong frowned as Jimin grabbed her right hand and dipped the brush back into the nail polish. "Jimin, I can't. I don't want you to waste-"
"It's not a waste." Jimin rolled her eyes as she kept a firm grip on the other girl's hand. "Hold still so I can do your nails."
Minjeong just let out a huff as Jimin carefully moved the wet brush over her nail. Jimin shook her head with a smile in return at how stubborn the other girl could be. Minjeong always had to be difficult, but she found it cute even when they were little.
"Now . . ." Jimin spoke as she moved on to another nail, keeping her eyes on the brunette's hand so Minjeong would feel more comfortable. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"
A blush lit up Minjeong's cheeks at the question. It was hard enough admitting she had gotten stood up, but admitting it to Yu Jimin was something else entirely. Jimin was literally perfect in every single way. There wasn't a single person at their school that didn't want to date her. There was no way the older girl could relate.
"It's not a big deal." Minjeong mumbled as she pulled up her knees so she could rest her chin on them.
"Seems like a big deal." Jimin replied calmly. "Like I said before, I'm not Ningning, but whatever you say does stay here." She looked up to the nerdy girl avoiding her gaze. "I promise." She squeezed Minjeong's hand reassuringly.
Minjeong bit her lower lip as she sunk further into her knees. Talking about the situation would probably make her feel better. While Jimin wasn't her best friend, Jimin never did anything nasty to her. She was always so kind and stood up for her even though they weren't around each other as much anymore. Maybe telling her wouldn't be so bad.
"I um . . ." Minjeong cleared her throat. "I had a date tonight."
"Oh?" Jimin's soothing voice flitted through the room. "Had?"
"He stood me up." Minjeong spoke quickly and quietly into her own skin, hiding her face behind her knees from the sheer agonizing embarrassment of it all.
Jimin paused her movement, her posture stiffening when she heard the admission. "What?"
Minjeong let out a shaky sigh as she nervously opened her eyes and lifted them just barely above her knees to peer at the raven who looked absolutely livid. Her normally vibrant onyx eyes were that scary stormy color when the Korean girl was pissed off. Generally, Minjeong saw that look when the Korean girl was about to attack.
"I-I . . ." Minjeong gulped. "Got stood up."
Jimin narrowed her eyes, her jaw clenching. "By who?"
"Johnny." Minjeong squeaked out.
"Johnny?" Jimin scoffed. "The boy on the lacrosse team?"
Minjeong could tell Jimin was getting angrier by the second by the Korean accent coming out. It always happened when the older girl was infuriated. She had done so well getting rid of it, but it still slipped in these moments. Minjeong would never admit it, but she liked it.
"Yeah." Minjeong ducked her head, concealing her face behind a curtain of brown locks. "He was supposed to come by my house at five and he never even called or texted . . ."
"'He didn't call?" Jimin growled before she started mumbling rapidly in Korean. Minjeong could only assume it was nothing good.
"It's not a big deal." Minjeong tried to calm the other girl down with a smile. "Really."
"It is a big deal." Jimin huffed, glaring at the other girl. "Who would be stupid enough to give up the chance to go on a date with Kim Minjeong?"
The blush returned full force to Minjeong's cheeks at the compliment. "I don't think anyone wants to date me."
"Don't be absurd." Jimin frowned. "That isn't true. I mean, look at you."
"There's nothing special-"
"Don't say that." Jimin cut her off with a stern look before the bookworm could finish. "You're intelligent, kind, and very pretty."
Minjeong could feel the back of her neck heating up as she tucked some hair behind her ear self consciously. "You think I'm pretty?"
Jimin furrowed her brow as she finished up Minjeong's nails. "Of course." She mumbled as she brought Minjeong's hand up to her face so she could gently blow on the drying polish. "You're naturally pretty." Arctic black glanced back up with a quiet intensity that made Minjeong squirm and look away. "You don't need to wear a pound of makeup like every other girl at our school. Everyone's jealous of your natural complexion. I don't know what they would do with themselves if you actually put on the tiniest bit of makeup."
"I don't think it would do much." Minjeong laughed nervously.
"Don't believe me?" Jimin scoffed. "Watch."
Minjeong watched as Jimin got up and went to her vanity. She opened a drawer and grabbed some foundation, eyeliner, and lipgloss before plopping back in front of the younger girl.
"Come here." Jimin instructed and Minjeong dutifully listened.
Minjeong sat there tensely while Jimin carefully applied a minimal amount of foundation to her face, then followed up with a little eyeliner, and finished with lip gloss.
"See?" Jimin said softly, running her thumb underneath Minjeong's full lower lip, careful not to touch the shiny pink gloss above. "You just get prettier and prettier." She mumbled as brilliant onyx eyes clouded over and zeroed in on supple lips. Her thumb lingered, itching to move up a couple centimeters to touch and see if Minjeong's lips felt as soft as they looked.
"I uh . . ." Minjeong's heart beat erratically from Jimin's gentle touch. She could feel that damned blush return when she saw how Jimin's gaze paused on her mouth. This was all totally normal. Right? "Can't see myself."
"Right." Jimin's eyes snapped back to Minjeong's and if Minjeong wasn't mistaken, the raven was blushing too. "Have a look in the mirror."
Minjeong stood up and went to look at herself and was impressed at the results of Jimin doing her makeup. Her eyes looked more feline like with the black eyeliner, and appeared to sparkle with the glitter eyeshadow, her pale skin seemed to glow, and her lips were perfectly moist and pink.
"Wow, you're great at that." Minjeong smiled as she turned around.
"I was just highlighting features that were already there." Jimin shrugged as she suddenly became very busy with putting the makeup away.
She was closing the drawer when her phone on the vanity rang. When she glanced down at the screen she frowned when she saw the number calling. Ironically, she was supposed to go on a date tonight, but suddenly, this felt much more important so she sent a quick text instead.
Minjeong shifted uncomfortably when she noticed Jimin's brow furrow as she looked at her phone. She would hate to think she was getting in the way of Jimin's social life. "Do you need to call them back?"
"No." Jimin tossed her phone onto the bed, plastering a smile on her face as she looked back at the brunette. "It's not important."
"Okay."
"Hey." Jimin tugged on Minjeong's wrist, a fun idea striking her that might lift the other girl's spirits more. "How about we go get ice cream? I think you could use it and I would love the excuse to take advantage of my drivers permit."
Minjeong raised an eyebrow at the dancer. "Don't you need someone with a license with you to drive?"
"I won't tell if you won't." Jimin winked at the bookworm who let out a laugh.
"Fine, but you're paying."
"Of course." Jimin put up her nose. "I would be an awful date if I didn't."
Minjeong almost doubled over at the raven's statement. "A date?“
"Yeah." Jimin grinned. "But no funny business." She waved her finger in Minjeong's face.
"Great." Minjeong shook her head as she rolled her eyes at the dancer's antics. Jimin always did have an odd sense of humor. "My first date is going to be with Yu Jimin."
"You could do much worse than me, Kim Minjeong." Jimin flipped her hair while Minjeong inwardly groaned. "You'll be the envy of the entire school."
Minjeong rolled her eyes fondly at Jimin’s light-hearted joke but she knew that it was true. Every boy or girl would probably kill for an opportunity like this with Jimin.
/
After getting ice cream and some light conversation, Jimin stood in her driveway, fidgeting with her car keys as she watched Minjeong start to walk away. She had offered to drop Minjeong off at home, but the brunette insisted she preferred to walk. Jimin didn't like the idea, but knew there was no use arguing with her.
She oddly felt disappointed as Minjeong slipped further away. She had a really fun time and didn't want the night to end. At least not on this note. It felt wrong.
She worried her lower lip with her teeth for a minute while she debated on what to do until she realized what was missing.
"Wait." Jimin called out, causing the younger girl to pause in her steps.
Minjeong furrowed her brow as she turned around. "What is it?"
Jimin jogged to her mother's garden, grabbed a white rose, and broke the stem before she approached the shorter girl. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she tucked some hair behind Minjeong's ear and placed the flower in the usual spot.
Minjeong's heart did an uncharacteristic skip at the action, but tried to push the feeling aside. It was probably nothing. "The flower again?"
"Yeah." Jimin nodded her head, taking a small step back. "Couldn't let you leave without it."
"Right, well . . ." Minjeong was at a loss for words, which made no sense. She could feel blood rushing into her ears and that familiar tingle in her cheeks again. What the hell was going on? "Thank you." Minjeong smiled timidly while Jimin avoided her gaze this time. "For everything."
Jimin swallowed the lump inexplicably lodged in her throat, nodding her head. "Of course. Goodnight Mindoongie."
"Night Jimin." Minjeong waved over to the older girl before walking back home with these unfamiliar feelings she didn't know how to identity coursing through her. She wasn't sure how to decipher them. All she knew was she definitely felt much better than when she left and was weirdly grateful it had been Jimin who answered the door instead of Ningning.
The next morning, Minjeong had all but forgotten about Johnny standing her up until she saw him approaching her and Ningning in the halls with a black eye and a slight limp. He looked nervous, his green eyes shifting to somewhere down the hall as he gripped the strap of her backpack.
"Hey, uh, Minjeong." He stumbled over his words while Minjeong crossed her arms and Ningning eyed him suspiciously. "Sorry about last night. I was a jerk for standing you up and it wasn't funny."
Minjeong raised an eyebrow in response. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"N-no reason." He shook her head. "Listen, I just wanted to say sorry and I won't be bothering you again. You're too good for me."
"Okay . . ." Minjeong furrowed her brow at the odd statement. Who says something like that?
"Well . . ." The boy stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Yeah. Later." He scurried away before Minjeong could even try to come up with a response.
"That was weird." Minjeong mumbled to herself as Ningning frowned, turning to her friend.
"He stood you up? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It wasn't a big deal." Minjeong shrugged. "I didn't fancy him anyway."
"Well, that's good I guess." Ningning sighed, hugging her books to her chest. "Wonder what happened to him though."
Brown eyes drifted down the hall to where Johnny had been looking and suddenly everything became all too clear when she saw a familiar head of raven hair. Black depths were glancing her way while Jimin leaned against the lockers with her arms crossed. She wore that damned smug smile, looking entirely too pleased with herself while her friends happily chatted around her.
Minjeong just shook her head at the athlete with a small smile. "I guess we'll never know."
/
"What are you reading, nerd?"
Minjeong huffed when the book she was immersed in was abruptly pulled from her hands from behind. She had been patiently waiting in the living room for Ningning to finish putting on her bikini when Jimin showed up.
As usual, the raven immediately pestered her. One would think the elder Yu would have matured a bit more at the age of seventeen, but Jimin was still . . . well, Jimin.
"You won't like it." Minjeong tilted her head back on the couch, looking upside down at the stunning Korean girl wearing shorts and a black bikini top. When she stared a little too long at the athlete's toned stomach, she quickly averted her gaze back to the coffee table. She had to stop doing that. "It doesn't have any pictures." She finished with a smirk, earning her an eye roll from Jimin.
"Ha ha." Jimin replied sarcastically. "What is this anyways?" She asked as she jumped over the back of the couch. Being the pest she loved to be, she laid across the furniture, carelessly throwing her exposed legs over Minjeong's lap while she flipped through the pages. Minjeong tried not to think about the warm, soft skin touching her own thighs. "A romance novel?"
"Yeah, right." Minjeong scoffed, attempting to snatch the book back from her friend's sister.
"Nope." Jimin pulled the book back with a teasing smile, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "What's the magic word?"
Minjeong put on a fake sweet smile. "Piss off."
"Unfortunately, that is incorrect." Jimin tsked, pulling the book closer to her chest when Minjeong reached for it again.
"Jimin!" Minjeong whined petulantly.
"Now, now Mindoongie." Jimin shook her head, her grin widening. "Don't be so rude."
"I'm not the rude one." Minjeong grumbled to herself. "And you know how to properly say my name." Brown eyes narrowed at the amused girl next to her. "You've been able to pronounce Minjeong for a while now."
"Yeah." Jimin nodded her head as she sat up and tossed the book to the side. "But . . ." She pressed her lips to the shell of Minjeong's ear. "You love it when I pronounce your name like that. Min-doong-ie." She purred into brunette's ear impishly.
Minjeong blushed at the other girl's flirtatious nature. Ever since their 'date' last year, the atmosphere between the two of them had definitely shifted. Jimin used to be more scarce, but now she showed up more when Minjeong was around. She would often throw her arm around Minjeong's shoulders or find a way to be close and touch the girl.
It always left Minjeong feeling flustered. Her heart would flutter uncomfortably in her chest when Jimin's fingertips would graze against her skin on 'accident' when she was grabbing something from across the table. She made a habit of resting her legs across Minjeong's lap when she was sitting on the couch and despite Minjeong's squirming, she never moved. It seemed to please the raven to no end to put Minjeong on edge like that and Minjeong was left completely confused as to why it affected her so much.
"Mindoongie." Jimin repeated herself, evoking a shudder from the younger girl.
"Stop." Minjeong huffed as goosebumps ran up her neck and spine from the warm breath brushing against her skin. "That tickles."
"Oh?" Jimin raised an eyebrow, a coy smile pulling at her full lips. "Well, what about this?"
"Wha-"
Before Minjeong knew what was happening, Jimin straddled her lap and lithe fingers were assaulting her ribs and sides. Minjeong burst into a fit of giggles as she squirmed under the taller girl. She wiggled left and right as she tried to get away from the relentless assault, but there was no escaping Yu Jimin.
"Jimin!" Minjeong cried out breathlessly, her face turning red from how hard she was laughing. "S-stop!"
"Say please." Jimin replied in a sing-song voice.
"Never!"
"What are you doing?" Ningning's perplexed voice interrupted the pair.
Jimin stopped tickling the brunette to look up at her little sister with mischief playing in her vibrant sapphires. "Torturing Minjeong."
Ningning rolled her eyes in response. "You're so weird, unnie. Get off my best friend."
"I suppose you're safe." Jimin sighed as she rolled off to the side to sit next to Minjeong who was still trying to catch her breath and not think about how nice it felt to have Jimin in her lap. "For now." She added at the end, looking over to the witty girl with a smirk.
"What are you still doing here anyway?" Ningning asked as she made a point to wedge herself between her sister and Minjeong. She could tell Jimin was enjoying antagonizing Minjeong too much. It's all she seemed to do these days and it left her friend constantly fidgeting. "I thought you were going to hang out with your boyfriend."
"I am." Jimin stuck up her nose and as if he was summoned by the mere mention of him, her on again, off again boyfriend, Jeno entered the house.
A wolf whistle pierced the air as the boy entered the living room. Minjeong refrained from rolling her eyes at the sound the annoyingly handsome guy made. She could feel her mood rapidly dampening and he had only been there for all of thirty seconds. She couldn't stand him.
Jeno was the most attractive guy at school, but was, in her opinion, irritating. He had medium length dirty raven hair that always looked perfectly windswept. her onyx eyes rivaled Jimin's own, and his smile made almost every girl in their high school melt. He was captain of the football and baseball team so naturally, he and Jimin gravitated towards each other. They were a perfect match. Looks wise. Outside of that, Minjeong couldn't fathom why they were together.
"Oh, stop." Jimin waved him off, but it was clear she enjoyed the attention.
"You look good enough to eat." He growled playfully while Minjeong bristled and Ningning gagged.
The younger Yu scowled. "We're here, you know."
"Then I'm going to have to kidnap your sister and take her somewhere more private then." He wiggled her eyebrows before he charged and grabbed Jimin around the middle, lifting her off the couch while she squealed.
"Stop it." She laughed while Minjeong picked her book back up, pretending not to notice or care about the interaction.
Despite trying to bury her nose in the book to block out the aggravating couple, she still heard the splash in the pool. Of course they would choose to have a pool date when she and Ningning had decided on doing one themselves. Jeno always made a habit of ruining her mood and plans.
"I don't know what she sees in that guy." Minjeong mumbled to herself when she heard Jimin giggling in the distance.
"Muscles and a pretty face." Ningning laughed while her friend actually rolled her eyes this time.
"He's a jerk."
"He is." The Korean girl nodded her head in agreement. "I'm sure they'll break up again soon. She can only stand him for a couple months at a time. He's too air-headed and possessive. Those are her words."
"That's putting it lightly." Minjeong scowled when the giggling stopped so she could only assume they were doing their favorite activity, which was sucking each other's faces off. How she loathed walking in on those two completely unprepared. She didn't understand why they couldn't find somewhere more private to do that. She didn't need to see their tongues practically down each other's throats. It was disgusting and infuriating. "Guess our pool day is ruined then."
"Forget them." Ningning waved off her friend as she stood up. "I want to get some sun. They don't own the pool."
Minjeong groaned as she begrudgingly got to her feet. She really didn't want to be anywhere near Jimin and Jeno. She detested how he would cling to Jimin. He constantly grabbed the tall raven's waist or was whispering something into her ear that made her giggle.
It set her teeth on edge every time she saw how Jimin shuddered at his touch. Surely, she could do better than him. She wasn't shallow like him. She was actually a kind person, smart, and driven. Jeno was just a typical jock.
When they stepped outside, Minjeong almost turned right back around when she saw the two doing exactly what she thought they would be doing. Their lips were locked while they stood in the shallow end of the pool. Disgustingly enough, Jeno had his hands on Jimin's ass, pulling her closer to him while he sloppily kissed the older girl.
Ningning cleared her throat loudly and Jimin promptly pulled away to look up at the younger girls. "Yeah?"
"Can't you do that somewhere else?" Ningning sighed as Jimin turned around, which in turn Jeno took as a chance to wrap her arms around her girlfriend from behind.
"Don't be such a prude." Jimin laughed while Jeno chuckled into her neck.
Minjeong pointedly ignored the bickering and the couple as she stripped down to her bikini and laid out on one of the tanning chairs with her book in hand. She had no interest in watching the two practically mate in the pool. She would be just fine reading in the sun.
With her nose buried in the pages though, she missed the way Jimin's eyebrows rose as she stripped down. The raven completely forgot about her boyfriend as she took in Minjeong's figure. She really did get more beautiful as each year passed, but that hardly mattered along with her growing clarity of her sexuality. Minjeong was off limits. She was her little sister's best friend. It could never happen. Right?
While Minjeong flipped through her book, she let the sound of the splashing water fade into the background. That is, until she heard the telltale sound of wet feet hitting the ground. By the sound of it, it was Jeno going into the house.
"You really don't do anything other than read, do you?" Jimin smiled as she sprawled out on the chair next to the bookworm.
Beneath her sunglasses, Minjeong subtly looked over to the stunning raven. Her mouth went dry as she took in Jimin's body glistening under the sun. Water droplets ran down her cleavage to her tight stomach, a true testament to how hard she trained for volleyball and dancing. One toned, slim leg was propped up as crystal onyx eyes locked onto her in a way that made her heart flutter.
'What the hell Kim? Get it together.' Minjeong inwardly scolded herself. 'Stop staring at her like that. Not that there's anything wrong with looking at her. It's not like you're into her or anything. You just, you know . . . like spending time with her because she's really nice, smart, pretty, has legs for days, a cute smile, and lips that you could just . . . Oh god.' Minjeong immediately put a stop to that train of thought. It was one that she found herself getting sucked into far too often these days.
She had started becoming painfully aware that she was attracted to the same sex. Ever since that night with Jimin, she had been looking at women differently and had been slowly putting the pieces together. A part of her had already accepted her attraction to the same sex, but still, Jimin wasn't an option. 'You can't like your best friend's older sister. That's just wrong . . . there's a code about that . . . right? It doesn't matter either way. You are definitely not into Yu Jimin. She's just trying to mess with you like she always does.'
"I don't just read." Minjeong feebly defended herself once she pulled herself from her gay panic. "I date around too you know."
"Oh, I'm all too aware of that." Jimin mumbled irritably. After their little date, Minjeong ended up taking to makeup and for some reason, everyone suddenly saw how attractive she was, but they didn't appreciate her beauty before so why should Minjeong give them the time of day now? It made no sense and irritated the older girl to no end.
Minjeong raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Nothing." Jimin muttered.
"And besides," Minjeong continued haughtily, choosing to ignore Jimin's statement. There was no need to try to decipher the athlete's tone. It would just further confuse her. "I just read when I have no interest in conversing with those around me."
Jimin let out a good natured laugh at the stubborn girl. "Oh, so I'm not interesting enough to entertain the amazing Kim Minjeong anymore?"
"I didn't say that." Minjeong grumbled as she tried to hide her blush in her book.
"Oh, come on." Jimin sighed as she stood up. "It's hot. Get in the pool."
"And risk getting some Jeno on me?" Minjeong scoffed. "I think not."
"Don't be difficult." Jimin pouted. "He's not that bad."
"What a great argument." Minjeong replied sarcastically. "He's not that bad."
Jimin ignored the comment as she stood up and stretched, trying not to think about the implications of Minjeong disliking her boyfriend so much. "Don't make me drag you into the pool."
"If I put my legs in the water, will you leave me alone?" Minjeong asked exasperatedly as she closed her book to meet twinkling onyx eyes.
"No promises."
"You're the worst." Minjeong spoke quietly as Jimin dove back into the water.
The brunette reluctantly moved to the edge of the pool, putting her legs into the cool water, which admittedly did feel really nice. It was definitely a hot summer and she was beyond grateful she had a friend that owned a pool. Otherwise, she would just be sitting in her own sweat.
"You're really not coming in?" Jimin frowned as she popped up from under the water.
"Leave her alone." Ningning pushed her sister. "You know Minjeong isn't going to do anything she doesn't want to."
"I don't know about that." Jimin grinned slyly as she ducked back under the water and swam towards the younger girl eyeing her warily.
When Jimin came back up, she was right in front of Minjeong who sat a couple feet above her. Minjeong just narrowed her eyes as Jimin pressed her hands to the other girl's inner thighs, spreading them open so she could comfortably stand between those lithe legs.
"Your hands are cold." Minjeong whined.
"Sorry." Jimin smiled sweetly, planting her hands on the ground next to Minjeong's hips instead. "Better?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh . . ." Minjeong stuttered on a response. It was unfairly difficult to think with a half naked Jimin so close to her, dripping water onto her thighs while probing icy eyes stared through her. "I-I don't know if better is the right word."
Jimin hummed as she pushed herself up on her hands. The words 'off limits' and 'danger' idly ran through her head as she leaned up a bit, but she had a bad habit of acting on instinct instead of reason when it came to Minjeong these days. She bit her lower lip as she tilted her chin up and brought her face closer to Minjeong's.
"W-what are you doing?" Minjeong nervously moved back while a devious smile took over the raven's countenance.
One second, Minjeong was sitting on top of the warm ground. The next, she felt cold arms wrap around her waist before she was pulled into the chilly water.
Minjeong struggled against her captor, but Jimin effortlessly kept her tight hold. Minjeong could tell the other girl was laughing even if she couldn't hear it by how her chest and entire body shook. Jimin was entirely too amused with herself.
When they finally popped back up for air, Minjeong pushed the older girl away with a scowl while Jimin continued laughing.
"That wasn't funny."
"You can be such a jerk." Ningning growled in Korean to show how irritated she really was with her sister. She moved past the taller raven, sending her a glare as she grabbed her best friend's arm to guide her away from the irritating dancer. "Why can't you just leave her alone? She didn't want to go in the pool."
An uncharacteristic frown took over the other girl's countenance. She was just having fun and if the bikini was anything to go by, Minjeong had planned to go into the pool anyway. She didn't mean to upset the brunette. She was just trying to play around, but now Minjeong seemed ruffled by her actions and refused to even look at her. It was honestly kind of hurtful.
"I was just joking." Jimin shot back, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, it was really funny." Ningning replied sarcastically for her friend.
Jimin opened her mouth to defend herself when Jeno came back onto the pool deck. "I found the liquor stash." He grinned, holding a couple beers in her hand.
"I could have directed you there myself." Jimin sighed as she got out of the pool to grab the beer.
"Leave me out of it." Minjeong replied as she ducked down into the water so only her eyes were showing. She tried to refrain from glaring at the couple now lounging and drinking on the deck, but constantly found her eyes drawn to the dancer. She would have to find a way to fix that and soon, because Ningning kept giving her odd looks. She wasn't being discreet at all.
Jimin didn't say anything to Minjeong the remainder of their time at the pool and eventually, the couple got up to go do activities Minjeong didn't really want to think about, leaving the pool deck open to lay on. Of course Minjeong did just that, silently brooding as the sun warmed her skin. She wanted to be relieved to have the area to herself, but instead she felt sick thinking about what they could be getting up to in there. It's not like it was her business and it really shouldn't bother her, yet it was all she could think about.
It was all too confusing. She wanted to throw up when she saw how Jeno grabbed Jimin. She wanted to scream when he made her giggle. She never thought much of these feelings until she started to notice how her heart raced around the other girl.
She spent too long admiring Jimin's figure, her smile, and those piercing eyes. She should be focused on other things than Yu Jimin, but she couldn't get the volleyball player out of her head. Why was it so difficult to concentrate on anything else?
Why was Jimin constantly touching her? She shamelessly flirted with her and found any and every excuse to be near her. Maybe she was just overthinking things though. Even if she was into girls, she doubted Yu Jimin would be interested in someone like her.
Before Minjeong could get too lost in those thoughts, she heard the sound of the patio door sliding open again. Then she felt her hair being pushed back behind her ear and something being placed behind it.
"Wha-"
She looked up to see Jimin standing over her with that damned knee buckling smile.
Minjeong sighed, pulling out the white rose she now knew was in her hair. "This again? Why must you insist on always putting flowers in my hair?"
"Don't take it out." Jimin huffed. "You look so pretty with it in."
"I'm fine without it." Minjeong bit back.
"Yeah, you are." Jimin winked at the younger girl.
Minjeong felt her cheeks heat up and not due to the sun shining down on her as Jimin breezed away. Yu Jimin was too smooth for her own good. She detested that the older girl could make her so flustered so easily and then walk away as if she hadn't just shamelessly flirted with her.
'It doesn't mean anything.' Minjeong sternly told herself as she eyed the flower in her hand.
"What is going on with you two?" Ningning asked with a furrowed brow, glancing from where Jimin departed to her friend who was clearly out of sorts.
"N-nothing." Minjeong put on what she hoped to be a reassuring smile while the Korean girl eyed her suspiciously.
"If you say so . . ."
Minjeong sunk into the chair, just wishing she could disappear and be away from this baffling situation. 'God, you really are in trouble, Kim.'