chapter two | you make me feel like i'm living a teenage dream
Jimin's class ended at three in the afternoon like the usual. By this time, she would be with Aeri in the dojang. But since she's trying to be a diligent student, she has no choice than to head towards the next building where the library can be found.
Walking along the hallway of the said building, it was unavoidable that the raven-haired would catch stares from the students. It feels like they're seeing some sort of ghost considering it's very unlikely for Jimin to be there, especially when they saw her standing by the front door of the library.
Internally, the raven-haired was starting to get annoyed, and if she wasn't afraid of the blonde seeing her lose temper (not like she cares about Minjeong's opinion, really), she would've yelled at everyone giving her a look right now.
"Where is she?" the raven-haired mumbles to herself, then she glances at the wall clock across her. Upon reading the time 3:30, Jimin felt dumb. Of course Minjeong would be late, her class ended at 4PM yesterday, my god Jimin. How did you not realize that? The raven-haired mentally scolded herself.
Few minutes had passed and she felt her stomach growling. Now, rushing to the library without thinking that Minjeong's classes ends an one hour later than hers was one thing, but skipping her supposed meal at this time is another. She didn't even realize she haven't had her lunch yet because she was preoccupied with the tutoring.
"This is already a disaster."
-
Their first meeting went surprisingly smooth, though they first had to go through a commotion at the library because of the raven-haired's sudden visit. Luckily for them, the librarian was fond of Minjeong like a daughter and warned them. The rest were fine, Jimin was unexpectedly attentive to the blonde that Minjeong felt stupid for overthinking the previous night. The raven-haired was able to follow through the discussion and even answer Minjeong's pop-up quiz with a decent score.
"Do you really need a tutor? You're doing good on your own." the two were still at the library, Jimin's focusing on the problem on her textbook while Minjeong is just killing her own time.
"I just happen to be listening to class earlier." the raven-haired lowly replies, just enough for the blonde to hear.
"Then why did you make me teach you about the formulas again when you could easily solve them?"
"I barely understood the discussion, you made things more clear."
The two continued having small conversations in between their homework, though it's just mostly Jimin clarifying formulas and asking Minjeong if her solution is right or where it went wrong.
After a couple more minutes of silence, Minjeong's phone vibrates. It's the alarm she set beforehand, telling her it's already half past five. She closes her book to tell Jimin that's enough studying for today.
But when she looked at the latter, Minjeong can't help but stare in awe. With her creased forehead, her parted lips, the strands of hair brushing against her cheek—She really has a face of an angel with a soul from the devil were what the blonde could only think about.
As if she could feel the pair of eyes gazing at her, Jimin looks up—and her eyes met Minjeong's. "Did you say something?" the raven-haired speaks, breaking the blonde's trance.
"U-uh, yeah," Minjeong stammers, thankfully Jimin was too occupied with the work at hand that she didn't mind much. "I wanted to tell you that it's already time, so you can skip the last problem."
Jimin lightly nods, "Oh, okay. Will we meet tomorrow as planned?"
"If this is helping you, then sure." the blonde responds as she started packing her own things.
"It is."
She looks at Jimin and offers a lip-tight smile. "Nice, then I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay."
"Well then, I'm going." the blonde flashes a timid smile before packing her own things in a hurry, "Bye!" she mumbles before leaving Jimin alone at the library.
-
On her way home, Jimin decided to pass by the dojang first, only to bump into a certain brunette whom she figured was just about to leave. "Jimin? Where have you been?!" Aeri, her best friend, exaggeratedly questions. Acting like the older has been gone for an entire century.
"I was just at the library—"
"LIBRARY?!" the brunette repeats, dramatically.
Jimin could only roll her eyes, "Quit it already."
Aeri then bursts into a fit of laughter, annoying the older even more. "Your father finally made you take college seriously?" She asks while they started walking home together. Jimin's father has been persistent on getting her to take her studies seriously as the only heir of their company, but the young maiden never complies. Instead, she gives more headache to the old man.
"Yeah, he's giving me something I can't say no to." Jimin simply explains, and Aeri knew it was a private matter she can't share for now, so she didn't bother to pry any further.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I heard you have a tutor?"
"Yeah, it's Minjeong." Jimin casually replies.
The brunette quickly turns her head at that. "Minjeong?!"
Jimin nods lightly as if it was nothing. "What the heck, how?" Aeri questions in disbelief. First of all, how did she get to make her say yes? Agreeing to be with Jimin is literally borderline insanity, she definitely expected more from the blonde!
"I don't know, go ask her." the raven-haired deadpans, making Aeri frown.
"Come on! There's no way she said yes that easily!" the brunette argues.
"Well, I'm sorry to inform you, but she did."
-
It's the second day for their study session And Jimin was early again. Like she never learned her lesson and still sprinted to the blonde's building without eating her lunch. She only realized that when there's only ten minutes left to spare before Minjeong would arrive.
"I'm hungry." Jimin mumbles to herself.
And when she saw the blonde striding down the hallway with her usual stoic expression, she knew she was done for.
-
Unbeknown to the raven-haired, Minjeong was observing her from a distance as she approach the library. Jimin's subtle caress on her stomach didn't go unnoticed by the blonde.
Did she not eat...again? The blonde thought to herself as she recalls yesterday when she would hear faint sounds of someone's stomach growling. And since their seat was secluded and far from the crowd, she knew it could only be Jimin's stomach making such noise.
As soon as she was settled next to Jimin, the blonde didn't hesitate to scold the older. "Did you skip lunch again?"
Jimin gave her a baffled look, "What do you mean?"
"You're obviously hungry."
"I just forgot to."
Minjeong sighs at that. Then she speaks, "I figured. Let's go."
Jimin fixes the strap of her bag and was about to enter the library, thinking their conversation would end there but then she realized the blonde was walking the other way around. She immediately caught on and halts her steps. "Wait, where are you going?" the raven-haired questions, completely confused.
"Outside." Minjeong simply replies.
But the older didn't buy such excuse. "Aren't we supposed to study inside the library?"
"We can study outside."
"No, let's head inside."
"Let's—"
"Don't waste my time, Minjeong. Lunch can wait." Jimin snaps.
So did Minjeong. "Do you want to die?" the blonde turns to look at Jimin sharply in the eyes. They're starting to gain attention from a few students but Minjeong couldn't care less, for now.
"What?"
"You're being grumpy, are you sure lunch can wait?" Minjeong asks sternly.
Maybe it was the light-headed feeling starting to get into her, but Jimin could see a hint of concern on the blonde's expression despite the piercing gaze she's giving.
"It's none of your concern." Jimin deadpans, "I'll eat later, let's go back to the library. My dad might get mad if he finds out I'm not there—"
"It's fine, I'll tell the dean." Minjeong quickly cuts off. "And you shouldn't study with an empty stomach." she adds, giving the raven-haired one more look.
Upon seeing how the older would no longer protest further, she grabs its hand and drags them to the nearest fast-food chain she could find.
What a troublesome woman. They both thought to themselves.
-
"Do you always eat lunch after class?" the blonde tries to initiate a conversation in attempt to break their silence. She just doesn't like eating in complete silence if she has a company.
"Yeah." Jimin timidly responds, busy eating her meal.
"But you still have one hour before our study, that should be enough time for you to eat." Minjeong remarks.
"I eat at home. And...I didn't want you to wait for me if ever." the last words were whispered by the raven-haired, and when Minjeong saw Jimin's eyes avoiding her, she can't help but chuckle.
"Are you nervous around me?" the blonde jokes, trying to lighten the mood. But to her surprise, Jimin responds honestly with a small "Yes."
"Stop laughing." the raven-haired quickly adds, forehead creasing at the sight of the blonde in front of her.
"You're nervous around me, wow." the blonde teases, enjoying the death glares she's receiving from Jimin a little too much.
The older quirks an eyebrow, "You're just too intimidating, it's not like I'm afraid of you."
That's a lie alright, but Jimin would never admit in a million lifetime that she's a little afraid of Minjeong.
"Oh, really?" the blonde challenges with a smirk on her lips, staring straight into Jimin's eyes.
The latter quickly avoids eye contact. "Stop trying too hard, it's not working." she reasons, diverting her attention back to her food, leaving the blonde laughing at her own antics.
-
It was past six when the two finished studying, the lessons were a little too hard that Minjeong paid extra help to the raven-haired. They really get along easily when it comes to solving math problems, don't they?
After packing her things, Minjeong excuses herself like always, leaving first.
Yet soon after Jimin was ready to step out of the coffee shop and head home, she finds the blonde standing by the nearby waiting shed.
The raven-haired decided to approach her.
"What are you still doing here?" the sudden voice made Minjeong flinch, she didn't notice that Jimin was beside her.
"Waiting for the bus." the blonde replies, turning her head back to her phone.
"It will take another hour before it arrives." Jimin points at the signboard above Minjeong, making the latter look up as well. She's right, the next bus won't arrive till another hour and she can't wait that much longer.
Exhaling a deep sigh, the blonde could only facepalm.
On the other hand, an idea pops up on Jimin's head. "Want me to give you a ride?" the raven-haired suggests, the exhausted look on Minjeong's face made her think back of the younger's help earlier.
The blonde contemplates for a second, thinking about her safety being on Jimin's hands. It's not like she has another option, right? Either wait for another hour or swallow her pride and accept the offer.
She chooses the latter. "You have a car?"
When Jimin hears the question, she can't help but grin. "I only have a motorcycle, if that's okay with you."
Minjeong has never ridden a motorcycle before, but being the bookworm she is and believing in the thrill of it as every author would say, she decided to give it a go and experience it for herself. "Alright."
-
The rays of the sun beaming through the city of Seoul surely is a sight to see. As the blonde wraps her hands tightly around Jimin's waist, clearly for safety purposes only, Minjeong took her time to adore the sky painted with shades of pink above her. It was calming and everything she needed right now. She closes her eyes for a second and Jimin, who happened to be looking at her through the side mirror, foolishly smiles upon glancing the blonde's serene face.
Who would've thought that one look would soon spark a foreign feeling inside her chest?
-
By the time they reached Minjeong's home, it was starting get darker as the sun hides away and the glowing city lights lit up the neighborhood.
"Thanks for the ride." the blonde mutters as she takes off her helmet, handing it back to Jimin.
"It's nothing. I'll see you next week?"
"Yeah. I'll see you then." the blonde offers a fainthearted smile before heading to another direction, she was too shy to say something else to the older.
Yet Jimin's voice halts her steps. "Uhm," the raven-haired hesitates, but when Minjeong turned to look at her with expectant look in her eyes, she decided to just say it. "Thank you for today and I'm sorry for the trouble earlier."
Minjeong gave her a confused look, "Trouble?"
"I forgot to eat lunch before coming to see you. Again." the older mumbles, and the blonde barely heard what she said.
"Ah, that, it's nothing." Minjeong lightly laughs before continuing, "It's okay if you eat lunch before meeting me and be a little late." she adds.
Seeing how Jimin is too shy to come up with a reply, she decides to call it a day, "You should head home now, it's getting late." she reminds, and Jimin immediately realizes her place is still halfway across the city.
With a quick goodbye to the blonde, she turns her engine back on and ran off with her motorcycle.
To the blonde's surprise, her day ended peacefully just like the sunset she witnessed earlier.
-
It's Friday, last day of the first school week and Minjeong feels really drained. Aside from the upcoming due dates, she still has upcoming quizzes, and all this on the first week of coming back to school. Damn, she doesn't even have the appetite for her lunch now. All she could think about are the deadlines and papers she's yet to accomplish.
"Are you alright?" Yizhuo's voice snaps her out of her daze. They're sitting at the cafeteria along with Heejin and Doyeon, but it seems like the two are more busy gushing over girls from other tables.
"Uhm yeah, just a little tired." the blonde excuses, drinking the lemon juice she usually buys.
"By the way, I saw you with Jimin yesterday." Minjeong almost choked on her drink at what Yizhuo said. Everyone, even the two who weren't paying attention earlier, turns to look at the blonde who was coughing on her drink. Doyeon and Heejin looked at her with concern while Yizhuo had a sly smile on her lips.
"What happened? Are you okay, Min?" Heejin asks in worried voice.
Minjeong just gave her a light nod before regaining her composure. "Yeah, I'm fine don't worry."
"So, what were you doing with Jimin yesterday?" there was a teasing tone on Yizhuo's voice that Minjeong immediately caught on.
"I was just tutoring her." the blonde flatly replies, and now it's the trio's turn to be surprised.
"What?!" the three spoke in unison. "So, I was right?" Heejin adds.
Minjeong lightly nods. "The dean talked to me."
"You actually agreed?" the red-haired questions in skepticism, she knows Minjeong can't easily say no, but to agree to tutor Jimin out of all people? She was curious of what was the thought and process.
"There's no reason for me to decline." Minjeong calmly replies, confusing the three even more.
"Are you sure it's alright? To be around someone like Jimin?" just as the words slips past Heejin's lips, the talk of their group walks in the busy cafeteria.
"Speaking of the devil." Doyeon remarks as all of them turned their heads to the cafeteria door.
Everyone's eyes are on Jimin and her friends. As much as most students deem them as trouble next door, no one could deny that they are pretty attractive, especially Jimin herself. The leather jacket hugging her petite body compliments her domineering presence. She naturally draws attention to her even you don't want to. She's that attractive.
Well, she's appealing to almost everyone except a certain blonde, I guess.
Minjeong gave her one quick glance and brought her attention back to her food. "Yeah, it's fine. We're just talking about math lessons anyway." She speaks...to no one specifically. When she turns her head to her friends, they were still busy gawking at Jimin and its friends. My god why are they like this...Minjeong could only facepalm.
On the other hand, Yizhuo felt a shiver run down her spine once she saw a familiar face behind Jimin. It was the stranger she saw on the taekwondo tournament; she couldn't be wrong. She will never forget that aura and smug look on the stranger's face and how it irritated her so much.
The red-haired kept her eyes on a certain brunette until they took a seat on their usual spot. And as if fate was playing some tricks on her, the next thing Yizhuo knew, the brunette was staring back at her with a smirk on her lips.
The younger's cheeks instantly lit up in crimson red.
-
"Aeri." Jimin calls out to the brunette who, in her perspective, was smiling on her own. "Are you listening?"
It took another second for the brunette snapped out of her reverie. "U-uh, what were you saying?" Aeri tries laughing it off, mentally slapping herself for smiling like a fool in front of her friends.
"Somi's asking if you'll visit the dojang with her later." Jimin explains once more, turning her head to the brunette's previous line of vision. To her surprise, it was Minjeong's table not far from theirs.
"Why? You're not coming?" the brunette questions. And with her eyes still on the blonde, Jimin responds. "I can't, dad wants me to come home early."
"Hmm, alright."
In view of the fact that Aeri was smiling unconsciously earlier, Jimin thinks deeply and pieces things together, coming to a one possible conclusion:
Aeri has a crush on Minjeong?