Hate hate hate hate hate.
Those were the words Minjeong kept typing on her phone as she walk towards their hotel room, walking as fast as she could, to stay away from Jimin.
Arriving in front of their room, the girl immediately unlocked it.
SLAM
The door slamming was so loud that it echoed around the silent room, Minjeong released a huge sigh before gripping onto her arm to the point her nails dug in that caused it to bleed.
"Minjie?"
A figure suddenly appeared from the kitchen, and it was none other than her best friend.
Ning could only look at her best friend with confusion, though as soon as she gazed at the girl from top to bottom, noticing her bleeding arm.
She instantly approached the girl and distanced her hand away from its arm, grabbing a tissue from the nearby table and wiping the blood that dripped down from the arm.
"What happened?" she asked calmly.
Minjeong averted her gaze, looking lifeless like never before.
Ning sighed, "Let's talk about this." she grabbed her best friend's hand, pulling the girl with her to the balcony.
The moment they arrived, Minjeong swiftly shook the girl's hand off and stood frozen with no intention of speaking. Of course, her best friend noticed this and only sighed.
Ning rested her arms on the railings, turning her attention to her best friend. "The other two won't be sleeping here, so let's talk about it yeah?"
"I don't know what you're talking ab-"
"Minjie, I've known you for years. Come on, you know you can rely on me."
Minjeong sighed, "Then do you think you can listen to my story?" she sat down on the nearby bean bag.
Ning smiled, "Of course bud."
Minjeong closed her eyes, embracing herself for what's she's about to tell. "Alright... so..."
~
Breathless, Minjeong was laying down on the floor inside her school's gymnasium. The girl just finished doing her usual practice and is now resting whilst looking up the ceiling.
In midst of that, she suddenly felt a cloth on her forehead that's wiping her sweat away. She smiled at this and opened her eyes only to reveal her best friend.
"Don't you think you've been doing that more often now?"
Rina smiled, "What? You want me to stop?"
Minjeong shook her head, "No... actually, keep doing it."
Rina chuckled and continued to wipe her best friend's sweat. While doing this, Minjeong noticed a few bruises on the girl's left arm and neck.
So Minjeong sat up, causing the girl next to her to stop and gaze at her with complexity.
"Did you hurt yourself again?"
Rina flinched at the question, "No..."
"Really?"
Rina pursed her lips, "It was my dad."
"Again? Wow, he's a jerk."
"Yeah, but he's a good man... he just can't take off the drugs." Rina sighed, "I wish I could run away really but... I just can't. He's killing me more than I try to do it myself."
Rina displayed a bitter smile that left the shorter gaze at her dumbfoundedly. At this point, Minjeong certainly wished she understood emotions more to be able to comfort this girl in front of her.
Too bad she's still confused about it.
So in the end, she merely hugged her best friend and patted her back in comfort. Minjeong rarely felt any sympathy, so whenever something like this happens, she'd always end up hugging the victim.
It was the usual.
Rina smiled at her best friend's actions, returning the hug, then burying her face into the crook of the girl's neck.
"How about you?"
"What?"
"Are you alright these days?" Rina paused before continuing, "Especially when their death anniversary is coming...?"
"Ahh, I forgot that I told you about them." Minjeong softened her shoulders, "Honestly... I don't think I can visit them, I'm afraid I might break down into pieces... running away, how shameful of me huh?"
Rina tightened her embrace, "Jeongie, there is nothing shameful about running away. Some things are just out of people's hands. If you think you're gonna die, just run."
"Just run..." Minjeong repeated in a faint voice before chuckling, "I know you're just comforting me like you always do but... you're so dangerous for me."
The shorter pulled away from the embrace and stood up to pack her things. Rina on the other hand, couldn't help but tilt her head at the girl's words.
"Dangerous?" she laughed. "What are you talking about?"
Minjeong zipped her bag and wore it, then she crossed her arms to think of what she just said.
"Hmm... I think I love you," she said with no hesitation.
"Aww, I love you too!"
Minjeong shook her head, "No, not like that. I think it's something more than that." she said so bluntly, causing the girl to widen her eyes and stare at her in silence.
Rina stood up in a jolt, "I...I mean, we just met a few months ago. Aren't you a bit too fast? Furthermore, I don't think my family would be-"
"Don't worry, I cherish our friendship more." Minjeong laughed, "I'm not asking you to love me— No, actually, please don't love me. But please let me be in love with you."
Minjeong began to walk towards the exit without looking behind. Well, it's to actually evade the girl seeing her current flustered face as she wasn't intending to suddenly confess like that out of nowhere.
All she could do was scream internally and walk away with her expressions composed.
Rina who didn't even move an inch couldn't do anything but watch the girl walk away, she was still making sure if what she heard was a dream or not.
Therefore, she pinched herself and it hurt.
She didn't display any reactions, but she was red as a strawberry.
Unable to resist, she called out the girl's name.
"Jeongie, wait!"
Minjeong halt her footsteps, but still didn't look at her best friend directly.
"If you win this upcoming Olympics... then maybe!"
"W-What?"
"Let's date! And... I'll run away with you!"
"HUH?"
Minjeong turned her back to face the girl, only to see her who was looking down the floor, fiddling with her fingers in nervousness.
She softly smiled at the sight and pondered, "But why do I have to win to be able to date you?"
"Motivation!" Rina gazed at the girl with beaming eyes, "So you better win alright?! That's a promise!"
~
"Yu Rina was Jimin all along?!" Ning exclaimed, "I know we never really talked back in high school but... wow, she completely changed."
"I was just as shocked as you." Minjeong huffed, "...I think I'm ready to go home after this."
"Why? Shouldn't you two talk?"
"No, never... I'd rather hang myself and die. People change, as well as how I look at her right now." Minjeong clenched her fists, "Things wouldn't be like this if maybe... I was the one who left this world instead of unnie-"
"Minjie, please never think like that. There are people like me who'll be bound to be sad with your disappearance."
Ning gazed at the scenery in front of her.
"You're wishing you had died instead of someone else, but... isn't it wrong to think that way? No one can take the place of another. Each person has their own destiny," she added.
Minjeong snickered, "So it's my destiny to suffer like this?"
"No." Ning turned around to face her best friend, "It's your destiny to endure this lesson... there's no such thing as a painless lesson, there will be walls, and if you're brave enough to break through those walls and stumble—
then you'll be strong enough to stand up and breakthrough again... and again... and again."
Silence gradually filled their atmosphere as Minjeong began to consider her best friend's words, she couldn't contain herself but chuckle at this.
Ning has been there with her since day one of her treacherous breakdowns.
I'm thankful.
"I guess you're right about that one but, it doesn't change the fact that I hate her."
Minjeong rested her arms over her eyes, sighing.
"After all, there are some scars that never fade."
"Care to explain then?"
"Right..."
~
Minjeong just finished getting congratulated by her classmates for winning today's tournament, today is indeed a happy day for her. Let alone the thought of she's just one step ahead of her dream, times two to be exact.
First, she'll finally continue what she paused at what her unnies would've seen back when they were still with her.
Second, that is to date and take Rina with her and run away from her misfortunes.
Presently, she's waiting for the girl to arrive under a tree while seated on a bench. Rina requested the shorter to wait for her since she had to take care of something quickly.
However, it's been fifteen minutes and the girl still hasn't arrived yet.
This made Minjeong worry.
Nevertheless, she shrugged this off and thought that her best friend might've just stumbled upon trouble and is taking care of it; She hoped.
...
....
.....
......
.......
It's been almost three hours.
The sky was slowly getting darker and there was still no sign of the girl.
Minjeong was perplexed, she even attempted to call the girl multiple times but there was no answer.
"Minjeong? What are you still doing here?"
The girl's coach appeared in front of her with a worried expression, it was about time that the school gates get closed, and he can't help but wonder why his student is still here.
"Coach, have you seen Rina?"
"Rina? That girl who you're always with?"
"Yeah?"
"Huh, didn't she just transfer out?"
"...What?"
The coach furrowed his brows, "I just saw her getting inside a car with her father not too long ago... apparently they're going out the country."
"Oh... thanks for telling me coach."
"Not a problem." The coach gave the girl a spare key, "You seem down, you can stay here longer if you want. Just be sure to be home before curfew alright?" he patted her shoulder, then walked away.
Minjeong was left in silence, the girl couldn't even utter a word and sat in place like a statue.
Eventually, she gripped onto her gold medal and threw it away towards a particular tree in frustration.
~
"Repeatedly... I called her name again and again. And I learned that each time, nothing called back. I learned that no matter how much you want something—
how many times you scream to it, sometimes it's out of reach. I decided to stop calling out for someone who would never call back."
"Ohhh, is that why you never accepted the invitation to the Olympics? You hated her that you never wanted to win that promise and achieve it?"
"Half-half?" Minjeong stretched her arms, "I think I simply had no more motivation and it all fell down in the dumps... that time, I didn't feel that Kendo was fun anymore."
"Ah, so that's when you discovered art?"
"Bingo." Minjeong cleared her throat, "My talent went all to waste~ But that's okay, we humans can indeed lose again something we've lost already, that just how life is."
"Hooah." Ning looked up at the sky, "It's strange, isn't it. Who knew? Two girls, who looked like they hated each other, are now shining the same color as they vanish into the distant sky."
Minjeong rolled her eyes, "There you go again with your words." she snickered. "You know I'm thankful that you cheered me up, but could you at least speak in a language I can understand?"
Ning didn't respond and grinned at her best friend, this made Minjeong stand up and squint her eyes at the girl.
I'm not liking that face of hers.
"Aeri, bring her in!"
Ning called out her girlfriend's name which instantly stepped inside the balcony, pulling a particular girl with her.
There were now three people in front of Minjeong and of course, she hated this.
Now seeing the girl she hated in front of her, Minjeong groaned in displeasure and faced the corridor. She was just about to leave the area until Ning pulled her girlfriend inside the room, locking them both outside the balcony.
"We'll explain everything later! You two better talk!"
Aeri yelled behind the sliding door before leaving the two girls with her girlfriend. Thus, giving them both privacy.
In nothing but quietness, Jimin and Minjeong glanced at each other.
Kill me, please.