FLOWER | Winrina

Chapter 7

Minjeong nodded. "He hasn't always been the best thing for her, and they fight a lot. They usually end up back together. It's not the healthiest thing ever, but neither of them can be persuaded otherwise when they're back together."

Jimin absorbed the information. As she learned more about these people, she found herself surprised that she actually continued to crave more information about them. She wanted to know how each of them had come to this friendship since it seemed like it was a place where people fell in together after seeming to have no other place to fall. She wondered briefly if Jeno, or even Joy and Seulgi, could ever fall into a group like this. She thought so, but she wasn't sure yet.

Jimin still hadn't said anything else by the time that Aeri came out from the locker rooms, looking ready as ever for a fun evening.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed, rushing them to the parking lot.

"Where exactly are we going?" Jimin asked, realizing that she needed to take her car. Aeri named the restaurant they had picked out, and Jimin said a quick goodbye to the two girls before heading to her car.

During the drive to the restaurant, she let her mind wander and for Minjeong to consume her thoughts. She wasn't sure how to act around her when they were also around the rest of the group. Jimin personally didn't want to be open about her shared kiss with the copper-haired, but that was mostly because of her current mental state. Thinking back to their conversation, Jimin recalled that she had admitted to Minjeong that liking a girl was new to her, but Minjeong hadn't reiterated that claim. However, Jimin didn't want to assume anything, so she decided to keep her public relationship with Minjeong as friends, and her private relationship with Minjeong as currently confusing.

Once she arrived at the restaurant, she met up with Ning, Aeri, and Minjeong, who had all gotten there minutes before her. "Hey, Jimin! I thought you were busy tonight?" Ning wondered, tilting her head.

"Plans got canceled," Jimin answered, keeping it short and giving the other brunette a smile.

"Well, happy to have you join!" Ning said. "Hey, Aeri, how were tryouts?"

"Awesome! Got on the team, of course," Aeri bragged as they entered the restaurant. Ning looked to Minjeong.

"Did you see her on the field? As in, did they pick her because of her skill or because of Yuu-"

"Hey!" Aeri growled, playfully shoving Ning. "I was amazing, okay? They didn't pick me because of Yuuto."

Jimin laughed as Ning smirked and Minjeong smiled. Aeri just shook her head and began speaking with the hostess, who led them to a table in the back of the restaurant. By the look on the woman's face, she knew that they were going to be loud, and wanted them to be as far as possible from the majority of the diners. Jimin tried not to snicker at the accuracy of the woman's prediction.

"So! How's everyone's first week of being an upperclassman been so far?" Aeri asked as soon as they were seated, looking first to Minjeong, probably because she hadn't spoken much.

"Pretty good," Minjeong answered, her gaze shifting to Jimin for a moment.

"Better than last year's start, right?" Aeri asked. Jimin didn't understand the reference, and her eyes jumped between Aeri and a startled Minjeong. She heard a bit of sarcasm in Aeri's voice as if the brunette knew that this week had definitely been better than the previous year. However, someone would have to be blind to not realize that Aeri was being very serious with the question.

"Yes," Minjeong answered, still looking rather caught off guard. Jimin kept her eyes on the copper-haired's dark eyes for a moment, but they were avoiding her own brown ones.