SHATTER
"If you were watching her carefully this wouldn't have happened!"
"Oh, so I'm the only one at fault?! If you weren't so busy with WORK you could've been with her while I do the housework!"
"Be thankful that I'm the one feeding you two!"
"So work is much more important than your own daughter?! For fuck sake! She tried to kill herself! You know that she's different!"
Minjeong stood near the corridor, watching her parents argue with a blank expression. She couldn't understand what was going on, she couldn't understand the tension that emanated from their kitchen.
"What about you huh?! What's up with you and that coworker of yours?!"
Mr. Kim cornered his wife by the counters, causing the woman to sit on it just to back away more.
"We're childhood friends, you know that! Nothing is going on between us!"
"Is it?!"
The father wrapped his hand around his wife's throat, causing the woman to cough and choke.
"Are you on d-drugs again?! You're ha...hallucinating!" she managed to let her voice out.
COUGH COUGH COUGH
Not feeling any emotions as well as not wanting to watch the situation, Minjeong walked away and stepped outside of their home.
It was late at night, so she could feel the night breeze passing, rubbing her shoulders to cope up with the cold.
While walking around the neighborhood with no destination in mind, the little girl found a stick and picked it up. She started to play with it, swaying it around whilst skipping towards who knows where the road takes her.
When she arrived at this particular bridge, Minjeong approached the railings, standing on her toes, and curiously peeked down the river.
Standing up properly, Minjeong threw away the stick she had in hand towards the intensely streaming river in frustration.
The little girl tilted her head thoughtfully, still feeling the confusion because of the scene she just witnessed back at home.
"They always fight, most of them included me... is it my fault?" she mumbled to herself, sighing.
She sat down near the railings, passing her legs through the baluster as well as hands grabbing onto it firmly, feet swaying playfully.
"Huh? What's a kid doing here late at night?"
Minjeong slowly turned her head towards the voice, revealing a tall beautiful figure who halted her steps just to look at the little girl.
The girl sat down on her heels, "What are you doing here?" she smiled.
Minjeong stared at the girl without any expression, "Dad's abusing mom again." she said blatantly.
The girl widened her eyes, now looking at the little girl with worried eyes. She patted the latter's head before standing up, then reaching her hand in an offer to the little girl to stand up.
"Why don't you stand up there first? It's dangerous."
Minjeong subtly nodded her head and stood up, grabbing the beautiful girl's hand.
"What's your name?"
"...Kim Minjeong."
"Nice to meet you Minjeong, I'm Bae Joohyun. Shall I take you home?"
"Okay."
"Where is it?"
Minjeong pointed towards the opposite direction where she came, Joohyun smiled and began to walk with the girl.
"Minjeong, are you okay? You don't seem to display any reactions."
"Unnie I'm sorry, I just don't understand people."
"Meaning?"
"I'm not sure... but I did hear from my mom that I have alexithymia... maybe that's why they're fighting. But then again, there's my dad... he's messed up."
"Hmm, I see. Did you perhaps do something indecent?"
"Well, I made myself bleed with a knife to see if I could cry from the pain or not... turns out I couldn't. So I did it again... and again... and again."
Joohyun raised her brows, surprised by the little girl's answer. Though she maintained her calm expression and smiled at the girl, squeezing the latter's hand softly in comfort.
"That's serious, don't do that again okie?"
"Okay..."
~
"And so... I think that's when all of the shit in my life started happening."
Minjeong explained, sighing as she tucked her hands into her hoodie's pockets. She allowed her body to drop down slowly on the couch's handrest, laying her cheek on it.
The two girls except Jimin had their jaws dropped at the sudden revelation, the couple wouldn't have thought that the girl would have such a condition.
Ning frowned, "I've been your best friend and you never told me anything about this."
"I'm sorry," Minjeong apologized as her voice seemed to be down.
"Aw, it's alright Minjie... I understand your situation."
Aeri nodded her head, "There are things people need to keep a secret, and that's fine."
Minjeong smiled faintly, "You guys are good friends."
"Wait... you consider me as one now?" Aeri pointed at herself.
"Well, yeah? There's no point in treating you as an acquaintance since you're always glued to Ning."
"Finally!"
Aeri punched up the air in victory, causing everyone in the living room to chuckle.
"Wait, what's alexithymia?" she asked.
"Jeongie has difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions," Jimin answered.
Aeri nodded her head in understanding, "Oh... so that explains her wanting to be invisible."
Minjeong sat up, snickering at her friend's conclusion, then reached out for the bowl of chips to take a handful, putting it inside her mouth.
"Yeah, sometimes I'm afraid of myself... I'm not like everyone else, there's something wrong with me."
Minjeong laughed at herself whilst munching on the chips inside of her mouth, the couple looked at each other before landing their eyes on the girl with concerned eyes.
Jimin on the other hand scooted closer next to the shorter and patted her shoulder, "Jeongie, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just unique, that's all."
The couple nodded their heads in agreement.
Minjeong nodded her head and nudged the taller, "Thanks for the thought."
Jimin smiled, returning the nudge. "Always."
BZZT
Feeling the buzz, Minjeong took out her phone and excused herself from the conversation for a moment to open her messages.
Turning off her phone, Minjeong suddenly felt a familiar close presence next to her.
There she forgot to leave the room and realized that Jimin was next to her, seemingly seeing the chat she just had with a friend.
"Winwin huh?"
Minjeong sighed, sliding her phone back into her pocket. "That's his in-game name."
"Winwin?" Ning questioned.
"She was exchanging messages with Sicheng in Kakao," Jimin answered as she laid her back on the backrest, her expression quickly turning expressionless.
Minjeong promptly felt the weird pressure between the space that separated her and Jimin, causing her to release a huge sigh.
"Ohoho~ You two seem closer," Ning wiggled her brows.
"Ning hello? I don't understand feelings... Moreover, I'd like to stay alone and stay married to my games."
"Well, that doesn't change the fact that maybe deep inside you might have feelings... you just don't notice it~" Aeri said as she grabbed the tv remote to turn on the tv, "Like me, I didn't notice my feelings for Ningie until I saw her getting all touchy with this guy."
Ning embraced her girlfriend, "And I'm glad you confessed." she giggled.
"I don't think I'll ever like anyone." Minjeong displayed a disgusted look before standing up, "Anyway I'll go to the game room and play there."
As the girl was just about to walk away from the living room, she remembered that she needed someone to fill their team.
Thus, she sighed and turned her back to face Jimin who's tapping on her phone, somewhat the girl was pouting and Minjeong couldn't understand.
Shrugging it off, the shorter gently shook the taller's shoulder to get her attention.
"...Will you come with me?"
She asked faintly though was still heard by Jimin who immediately turned her head to look at the girl who had her head lowered, gazing at the floor.
Minjeong found it difficult to ask the girl somehow, and it was a peculiar feeling. But of course, she shook her head to throw these thoughts away and kept her poker face.
Thinking the shorter's request was dainty, Jimin smiled.
"Why?"
Minjeong cleared her throat, "Well, you saw our conversation right? Would you fill the slot?"
"But I suck."
"Then let's play now so I could teach you some stuff before the audition starts."
Jimin tilted her head cutely, "Yeah?"
Minjeong could only avert her gaze at the gesture and nod her head, "Well? Are you going or what?"
The taller swiftly put her phone into her pocket and stood up, linking her arm to Minjeong's with delight.
"I'm going."
Minjeong allowed the girl to link her arm to hers and didn't flinch. However, she is a bit annoyed since the taller did it without warning.
Why?
Well, it's because she suddenly felt weird and anxious— as usual, she didn't understand anything and assumed it was nothing but the fault of her condition.
"Are we missing something...?"
Ning was looking at the two girls in front of them, with a complex look. Meanwhile, Aeri was doing the same yet she didn't have a complex look... instead, she had a grin displayed on her face.
"Weird, they're being unusually touchy!" Aeri called out, "Something is going on between you two, isn't it?"
Ning furrowed her brows, "I mean that's fine but... isn't Jimin with Kai?"
Minjeong huffed, "There's nothing-"
Jimin interrupted, sliding her hand to clasp the shorter's as she looked at the girl with sincere eyes. Minjeong stared back, confusingly.
"I don't love him, father forced me to be with him."
"WHAT?" "Eh?" The couple yelled in unison.
Jimin tightened her clasp, "You understand... right Jeongie?"
"...I don't."