Imperfectly Perfect 2

46 : Spontaneous (2)

"Son Chaeyoung?" A guy who just walked into the second floor cafe calls out to the smaller girl. "You're Son Chaeyoung, right?"

Chaeyoung slowly widens her eyes. "R— RM!"

"Wow!" The guy who the soccer ace called RM loudly chuckles. "It really is you! You're back!"

"Ye— yeah. You could say that."

"I can't believe it! Chaeryoung was right!" He walks closer to her. "I did not believe her when she said she saw our one and only high school soccer ace in the Collegiate League."

"Chaeryoung?" Chaeyoung innocently asks.

"Yeah. Lee Chaeryoung. She's one of the cheer girls who we occasionally hang out with during senior high. Don't you remember? She said she even got your number on the awards day of the Collegiate League."

"Ah— AHH. Now, I—" The soccer ace slowly glances at Mina who has been all silent and just watches her exchange of statements with the guy with an unreadable expression. "Just— Just a bit—"

"What? Don't tell me you already forgot about her?"

Chaeyoung then laughs awkwardly. "I— I think I remember Chaeryoung now."

"She actually said she was trying to contact you but you never answered her calls or even responded to her text messages."

"Umm— I—"

"What? Still not fond of her?" RM shakes his head a bit. "Poor Chaeryoung. She thought seeing you in the event was destiny and finally getting your number was a big step forward. I think that girl still has a huge crush on you. You know how she was during—"

Chaeyoung clears her throat, flashes a very fake wide smile, and looks directly into the guy's eyes. "Could you please shut up for a moment, RM?"

"Huh? Oh. By the way, what are you doing here?" He continued to speak, oblivious of all the signals that the soccer ace was giving her. "You were never a bookworm. Don't tell me you're here for the same reason that I'm here?"

"RM, please—"

"It's fine. We were best friends in senior high! Don't be shy." He wiggles his eyebrows at her and moves a bit closer in almost a whisper. He lowered his voice but people in closer proximity like Mina for example still heard it clearly. "Trying to spot some nerdy chicks here, are we?"

"That— that's not—" Chaeyoung is now in a mini panic due to her very chatty high school best friend. "I'm—" She heaves in a deep breath to calm herself. "RM. I'm actually here with someone."

"Oh? Who?"

"Just a—"

"Friend? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?"

"She's a—"

Mina then clears her throat, catching the guy's attention. She slightly bows to him while smiling. "Hello. I think I remember you from senior high school."

RM squints his eyes at the council president. "Who..."

"People at our class call me Mina."

"Huh? If I remember correctly... there's only one Mina in our..." He points a finger to her. His face in obvious disbelief. "Myoi— Myoi Mina? That nerd who was only interested in mystery books and went mad when Chaeyoung suddenly disappeared? Oh, come on!" RM faintly chuckles. "Quit joking! No way! There's no way you're Myoi Mina!"

Mina innocently asks. "What do you mean?"

"Hey, miss. You are one hot, pretty, sophisticated looking college girl. There's no way the Mina from our senior high class would be—"

"Minari!" Chaeyoung quickly cuts in. "Sorry, could you please take our food to our table first? I have something to talk about with this idiot classmate of ours first."

"O— okay." The council president gets the tray of food waiting to be picked up on the shop's counter. She faintly smiles at RM first before walking to an available table.

—— Ten minutes later ——

Chaeyoung and RM treads to Mina's side. The council president promptly smiles at them. The smaller girl has her arms crossed in front of her while the guy has his head down.

"You." The soccer ace signals to the guy with her hands. "Stupid guy. Do it now."

"I—" RM looks at Mina, then makes a ninety degree bow and almost yells apologetically. "I'm so sorry for my behavior!"

The council president quickly taps RM's arm. "Umm— wait, why are you— Please, don't do that!" After the guy has stood back straight again, she faces Chaeyoung. "Hey, Chaeng! What did you tell him?"

The soccer ace answers proudly. "I just lectured him how bad it is to judge people based on their looks. And how he shouldn't be blabbering about nonsensical and insensitive things that might hurt other people."

"But, seriously." RM butts in. "I did not know that Myoi Mina could be this hot as— AWW!"

Chaeyoung quickly pinches his ears. "Shut it, will you?"

"Sorry." The guy looks down at the ground and pouts for a moment. Then, a playful smirk slowly draws to his face. He grabs the seat in front of Mina and looks at her. "Hey, Mina. Do you want to hear something interesting about Chaeyoung?"

"What—"

"NO!" The soccer ace quickly cuts in, taking the seat right next to Mina on the small squared, four-seater table the latter chose to occupy.

RM immediately whines in response. "Oh, come on! Don't you want your girlfriend to hear it?"

"She's not—"

Chaeyoung wasn't able to finish her statement when Mina cut her while smiling back at the guy. "Let me hear it."

"See." RM glances at the soccer ace victoriously. "Your girlfriend wants to hear it."

"But—"

He didn't mind Chaeyoung's incoming protest and just faced the council president to start his spiel. "So here's the thing... Son Chaeyoung, the soccer ace of our senior high school's soccer team, actually has a huge secret crush that was never returned. It all happened when we were in junior high school." RM then looked at the ceiling, trying to act all dreamy. "It was Son Chaeyoung's young and unrequited puppy love."

"Minariiii! You shouldn't listen to—"

"Don't mind her." Mina flashes a confident smile to him. "I'm all ears."

"Great! Listen, Chaeyoung actually never told this to anyone except me." He gives her a smug look. "We are that close, you know. So... I'm only telling you this now because you are my best friend's girl and you are one really hot nerdy chick—"

"RM!" The soccer ace slaps his arm a bit harder this time.

"Sorry, sorry." RM loudly chuckles at the hit he just took. "Anyway, this story happened when we were in the last summer vacation of junior high school. That specific summer before we got into senior high school and have been classmates. So the story goes like this..."

"Ugh!" Chaeyoung dramatically rolls her eyes and comments in a mumble. "This is going to be a very long day."