A Beautiful Lie || Jikook

t r e i n t a i t r e s

I push the door open, hearing some girl force herself to stop crying. She sounds familiar... Is she the same girl from before? Whatever... I need to pee. I enter a stall all the way to the side, far from the emotionally unstable girl. After peeing in awkward silence, I flush and wash my hands. The water was at a high power so the girl must of thought it was ok to start crying again. Turning off the water, I could hear her try to silence herself for the second time that day. I can't handle pathetic people. Just end this now. "H-Hello?"

She sniffles, speaking up. "H-i." Her voice cracks, hoarse from the amount of time she spent crying.

"What's up? Why are you crying?" I lean on the edge of the counter surrounding the sinks, eager to know why she has such a hard life. I couldn't help it that I didn't sound as sympathetic as I could have.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fi-" She breaks out in a sob, unable to finish her sentence.

"No, you're not. And that's ok, you don't need to be fine all the time." I try to offer words of wisdom, to lighten her mood. She ends up crying again and I sigh, standing up off of the counter and walk over to the stall next to her. "Tell me what happened? Please? I promise I won't interrupt or judge." She quiets down so I continue. "Everyone needs someone to tell things to."

"Well first off, I'm not a hoe."

"Okay..." I say, not really sure where she was taking this.

"I just felt like I was missing something, that I had a hole inside so I wanted to try out dating... And I did a lot of that..." She sniffles again, pausing to see if I really meant my word, not interrupting or judging. "But I didn't enjoy most of my time with them... They didn't mean anything." The toilet roll moves as she pulls out more paper. "The only person I truly cared about romantically was taken away from me by my best friend." My goosebumps rise on my skin. Could it be? "I mean, who does that? To their own friend?" No way... "But... that's not the point... *sniffle*... The point is, I have another friend and she told me that I should stop what I'm doing, that I won't like the end of the path I'm on. We had a... fight because she called me a lot of names and I threw some back at her. We didn't talk for a week but... in the middle of the night I..."

I strain my ear to listen to the rest. "What?"

"I've told you too much." Her voice was grim, less sobs flowed but still just as weak.

"Well, you might as well keep going. I don't know who you are so who am I gonna tell?"

"...I guess you're right... I had a nightmare about losing her so I called her without thinking about it. She answered and came right over, shoes barely on." She chuckles a little at the memory. "I told her what happened and she comforted me."

"So you guys made up?"

"N-not exactly..." Her exhale seems to fill up this whole room, a weigh on her shoulders about to be lifted. "She and I were hugging when... she pulls apart and kisses me." I gulp but let her continue, keeping my promise. "Right after, she confessed to me, saying it's no longer easy to hide her feelings... But I told her I didn't feel the same."

"Do you?"

"I-I don't know. I- I miss her so much!" She breaks out again, blowing her nose into the toilet paper. "She's always been there for me, even when she didn't like what I wanted to do. She's my best friend, I can't imagine life without her, without anyone in our group."

"So you can't go back to the way things were?"

"No. She doesn't want to be friends anymore." Her tone darkens, the crack in her voice returning. She can't keep crying. "She wants more."

Before she could finally crack again, I stand up and get out of the stall, knocking on her door. "Let me in." She gasped in surprise, to be honest I was too at my sudden actions. I feel for her, I want her to be happier, no matter who she is.

"N-No."

"Let. Me. In." She waits a minute before standing up and turning the lock. I hold my breath, waiting for the broken girl behind the door. I didn't even get the chance to see as she she charges at me, pulling me in for an embrace. Her hair covered my face, the distinct shampoo smell filling my nostrils. For some reason, it was then that everything clicked. "Chaeyoung?" My whisper barely came out but I knew she heard me as she tensed up around me. When she pulls back slowly, her eyes widen when she sees who I am.

"Jimin. Shit." Were the words she said before she shoved me to the counter.

My palms make contact with the ceramic bowl, I wince at the pain. "Oww."

"Shit. Sorry! Oh shit. Shit. Shit." I couldn't help but suppress the laugh at her fixation on that one curse word. "Why are you here?"

"I had to pee. And I wanted to help the girl crying in the stall."

Her eyes roll, arms now crossed in front. "Oh thank you Prince Charming." If only she knew. She didn't look the least bit demeaning even though she is taller than me, her eye makeup smothered, her lipstick a mess. I smirk at her and approach her as close as I could. She steps back until she's against the wall. "What are you doing? Get away."

"Chaeyoung, stop trying to act tough. Let's just... ignore each other from now on." She looks confused, her stance less defensive. "I don't get in your way, you don't get in mine. Deal?" She nods and we shake hands, moving away from each other. She moves to the sink, washing her face and quickly applying her makeup once again. "Wear less makeup."

She rolls her eyes but adheres to my advice, only applying natural tones. "Shut up. Don't talk to me." I laugh, my hand shielding my mouth. When she sees me, she holds back a smile, eventually laughing as well. "Let's get back to class." We walk out of the room and go to the classroom side by side. When we stop in front of the chorus door, their angelic voices surround and comfort us. "Jimin."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

My smile erupts and I look for hers but she's still looking at the small window in the door. "Me too." She nods but doesn't move to go inside, deep in thought. "Tell her."

Her head whips to meet my gaze, cheeks blushing. "Tell who what?"

I nudge her arm with my elbow, my focus back through the window. "You know. It's obvious that you feel the same. You just didn't know it yet. Make it happen." She smiles back, her hand finding the knob.

"I'll try." She was about to turn it when she looks at me again. "But this conversation never happened, I don't know you."

"Of course." I smile and she keeps her poker face until the last second, trying to hide her smile behind the open door.

"Where were you two?" Mr. Choi has his arms crossed, trying to look threatening but failing.

"The nurse." Chaeyoung answers for me and I nod, not wanting to contradict her statement.

"Fine. But now you guys didn't have the time for warmups!" He seems upset but I laugh at his cuteness. What a man.

Whatever happened after everyone left Hoseok's place is a secret... for now.

Ik I said it was gonna end soon but I keep enlongating it, adding as much as I can since I had too many loose ends in the beginning.

Gotta make sure EVERYONE is happy.

PS. I don't really have ships in black pink but that's kinda how this story played out in my head.