Chapter 8
So basically, all you've got to do is point and shoot," Sana explained to Chaeyoung while holding up a paintball gun. "Getting hit will hurt like a bitch, but you won't die or anything."
"Wow, that sounds so reassuring," Chaeyoung grumbled.
"You'll do fine," Jihyo assured.
The three were heading towards the previously agreed meeting place where Mina and her friends were waiting. Chaeyoung quirked an eyebrow when she recognized Twice Academy students.
"Ms. Son, I didn't know you enjoyed paintballing," Dahyun said gently
"I ran into Chaeyoung and invited her and her friends to join us." Mina said.
"Chaeyoung?" Momo blurted out. "Mitang!, since when were you on first name terms with Ms. Son?"
"I know her parents," Chaeyoung lied smoothly. Well, actually, that was technically true.
"You can call her Chaeyoung outside of class," Mina interjected, smirking when Chaeyoung shot her a look.
"And why would I allow that?"
"Because I said so," Mina said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Chaeyoung half smiled at her and help up her hands. "Okay, you're the boss."
Sana coughed out, "Whipped!"
"Bless you," a clueless Momo said.
A slender girl Chaeyoung recognized as Kim Jisoo smiled cheerfully. "I'm happy as long as we don't get graded for this." She bounded forwards and shook Jihyo's and Sana's hands energetically. Lalisa Manoban waved shyly. The two remaining boys, Jackson Wang and Park Jimin, tried to nod stoically, but faint identical blushes gave them away—being surrounded by gorgeous women was almost too much.
"Team deathmatch!" Momo suddenly shouted out. Chaeyoung winced; the bluenette was literally a walking bullhorn.
It turned out Mina and Momo were always the captains, although the competitiveness seemed to be mostly on Momo's part. Chaeyoung cursed that same competitiveness when Momo chose her to be on the team for her "intimidation factor" (aka: what sane student would actually try to shoot at the same person who graded their tests?)
In the end, Momo's team had Dahyun, Jackson, ,jisoo and Chaeyoung,while Mina chose Sana , Jihyo, Lisa, and Jimin..
Momo narrowed her eyes at Mina . "I hope you don't cry too badly when you lose."
Mina scoffed. "Remember, loser gets to be my slave for a day."
Momo whirled around and gestured her team to follow. Chaeyoung smiled wryly and turned to Mina . "Good luck."
Mina's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Keep your luck, you'll need it more." She laughed and blew a kiss at her stunned girlfriend before running off in the opposite direction.
Chaeyoung scowled. Oh, it was so on.
____
Chaeyoung crouched and took in her surroundings; the damn arena was literally a maze. She jumped slightly when her headpiece crackled to life, sheepishly looking around to make sure no one saw her fright.
"Come in, Simba. This is Jokbal, over."
Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. "What, Jokbal?"
There was a slight pause. "Ms. Son, do not reveal our identities or we will be compromised! And please end your statements with an 'over,' over."
"This is ridiculous." Chaeyoung paused. "Over."
"Be advised, there is a hostile in your area, over."
"Who?"
"Over."
"What?"
"You forgot to say over. How am I supposed to know if you're finished speaking if you don't say over? Over."
"I suppose the silence would be too much of a giveaway," Chaeyoung grumbled. She cleared her throat. "Who is it? Over."
"Your friend Sana . She took out Jisoo; we're the only two left on our team."
Chaeyoung nodded to herself. Okay, she could do this—she managed to get Lisa before, and that girl was fast. Besides, she had to win or Mina would rub it in her face.
She had barely taken a step when her headpiece crackled to life again. "It's a trap, abort mission! Sana is here; repeat, Sana is here, over."
Chaeyoung winced when she heard paintball shots on the other end. "Momo?"
She heard muffled curses. "I got her, but I got hit, too. I think Mina's the only one left."
Chaeyoung felt a trickle of sweat run down her brow and took off her helmet to wipe it away. This competition suddenly got a lot more intense. "You forget to say over," she tried to joke, but there was no response.
"Oh, don't tell me Chaeyoung is the last one left?" a voice purred behind her. Chaeyoung whirled around; Mina was standing behind her with her paintball gun aimed at her chest.
Mina looked smug. "Put down your gun, Chaeyoung"
Chaeyoung hesitated. She wondered if she could get her gun up fast enough to shoot before Mina could shoot her. She decided to risk it—
Splat splat splat.
"Ow." Chaeyoung stared in disbelief at the bright orange, blue, and green splats of paint all over her body. Mina burst into laughter. "Aha, Chaeng should've kept her helmet on; she got paint on her face."
Chaeyoung wiped the paint off her face and reluctantly grinned. How ironic; for the second time in her life, she was covered in head to toe with paint, thanks to a Myōi. She didn't mind this time quite so much, though. "I got paint on my face? Don't you mean you did?"
Chaeyoung shrugged innocently. Chaeyoung narrowed her eyes and walked towards Mina . "Well, why don't you wipe it off for me?"
Mina giggled and tried to bat away Chaeyoung's paint-covered hands. "Go away, you're filthy—"
"And you love it." Chaeyoung grabbed her and planted a kiss on her lips, laughing at Mina's annoyed expression.
____
Momo frowned at them when Mina and Chaeyoung finally walked out of the maze. "Who won?"
Dahyun pushed up her glasses. "Well, they're both covered in paint, so I would assume it's a tie."
While Lisa and Jimin tried to pacify Momo's ranting, Sana sidled up to Mina and Chaeyoung. "Hey Mina , you got some paint on your face that's weirdly the same color as Chaeyoung's"
Chaeyoung scowled at her while Mina self-consciously tried to rub it away. Sana continued mischievously, "You know what else is weird? The paint splotches on your back that are, funnily enough, shaped like hands—"
"Shut up, Sana !" Chaeyoung growled. Sana opened her mouth to fire back a retort, but blinked when Mina laid a hand on Chaeyoung's arm and whispered something in her ear. Chaeyoung's scowl immediately dropped from her face as she turned to acknowledge Mina
Sana frowned. "Chaeyoung just refrained from yelling at me. Is the world ending?"
"No, she's just in love." Jihyo commented delightedly.
Sana blinked. "But that means commitment."
"Mina would probably appreciate that."
"But Chaeyoung never commits."
"Chaeyoung's been in relationships before."
"But they never lasted long! Chaeyoung never cared enough to actively participate in a relationship and she always got irritated by the other person in the end. She never did that with anyone else." Sana pointed.
Jihyo turned to look at the couple. Chaeyoung licked her thumb and playfully tried to rub away the paint on Mina's face, but Mina dodged her attempt and stuck her tongue out at Chaeyoung's.
"Aw, that's cute," Jihyo cooed.
"That's gross," Sana deadpanned.
Neither of them noticed Dahyun staring pensively at Mina and Chaeyoung.
Jihyo shook her head. "Chaeyoung should tell Mina about Mira,though, if she's planning to be with Mina for a long time."
"Huh, I forgot about that. Is that plan still a go?"
"Unfortunately."
Sana frowned. "No no, Chaeyoung should keep her mouth shut. Mina's going to flip out."
"Yes, but it's better for both of them in the long run."
"We're not sure if there's even going to be a long run," Sana stressed. "Mina is a flirtaholic and Chaeyoung is a serial heartbreaker."
"Would you like to hear my theory?"
"By all means." Sana gave an exaggerated hand wave.
"Mina acts that way because everyone expects her to. She has looks, money, and friends—people probably think she has no reason to act unhappy. Chaeyoung hates commitment because she hates exposing herself. She used to be teased for what she didn't have—looks, money, and friends. She's afraid that if she lets someone in, they'll find her inadequate, so she leaves them before they leave her. The end." Jihyo gave a little bow.
Sana gaped at her. "Are you secretly a love guru?"
Jihyo rolled her eyes. "No. I considered being a psychologist before deciding to be a chef."
"I guess your theory is plausible. So when is Chaeyoung going to break things off with Mina? It's too bad, I rather like her. She's cool."
"I don't know, but Chaeyoung seems to really like her. I hope Mina sticks around; they make a good couple."
"Well, it can't be that serious; Mina hasn't even met Shio yet!"
An unholy gleam entered Jihyo's eyes. "That can easily be fixed."
Sana laughed uneasily. "Who do you think you are, the fairy godmother of relationships?"
"Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo."
"I'll miss you when Chaeyoung's kills you."
"Just wait, you're next."
"Nuh-uh, it's impossible to tie down the Sanazilla. It's proven fact."
"…Seriously? You did not just call yourself that."
"Believe it, baby, 'cause Osaka is my playground and everyone screams my name."
"Do you ever think before you speak?"
"No. I want everybody to hear all my brilliant thoughts."
While Sana and Jihyo argued quietly, Chaeyoung looked at them suspiciously from afar. "They're up to something."
"Hmm?" Mina looked over. "Chaeyoung's being paranoid."
"No, I know them. Sana looks perpetually suspicious, but Jihyo's face looks like that when she's plotting something that will undoubtedly interfere in my life."
"What happens when they plot?"
"Nothing good. The last time, Jihyo and Sana planned a surprise party for my 21st birthday."
"That was sweet of them."
Chaeyoung laughed cynically. "That's not what the Tokyo Fire Department said. I used to have my own apartment, but it was practically uninhabitable after that disaster."
Sana, walking towards the two, overheard Chaeyoung's last sentence and scowled. "Are you still going on about that? Ruining your apartment was the biggest favor we've ever done for you—the walls were thin, the hallways always smelled like cigarettes and cabbage, and I'm pretty sure your neighbor owned a meth lab."
"A meth lab? It was a University of Tokyo dormitory building!"
"Regardless, we learned some valuable life lessons from that," Jihyo agreed sagely.
"Like the fact that Bacardi 151, a book of matches, and a drunk Sana do not a good combination make?" Chaeyoung deadpanned.
"Precisely."
"I didn't know Chaeyoung went to UTokyo," Mina commented.
Sana smacked the back of Chaeyoung's head. "What's wrong with you? It's our responsibility as UTokyo alumni to recruit naïve students who don't know any better, and your own girlfriend doesn't even know we went there?"
"It didn't come up in conversation!" Chaeyoung rubbed her head in annoyance.
"Mina! We're leaving now! If you think I'm waiting for you, think again!" Momo loudly proclaimed. She was waiting impatiently by her car, an enormous yellow Hummer.
Chaeyoung did a double-take at the car. "Wow, it's so obnoxiously bright and in-your-face."
"The car or Momo?" Mina said jokingly. "I'll see Chaeyoung later."
Mina jogged over to Momo's car and held out her hand to the blonde. "Keys."
"Hell no."
"You lost, Momo—you have to do whatever I say, and I want to drive your car."
Momo's eyes filled with tears. She fell to her knees in despair and looked skywards. "WHYYY?"
Chaeyoung, Sana , and Jihyo watched Mina gleefully climb into the driver's seat while Dahyun led a sobbing Momo into the backseat. Sana quirked an eyebrow. "Cute bunch, aren't they?"
_____
The sun slowly inched over a slumbering Chaeyoung, dead to the world. The sun finally reached her eyes, causing her to unconsciously squint against the brightness. Chaeyoung grumbled and raised a hand to block out the light, but it was too bright and annoying and relentless to block out—it kinda reminded her of Sana .
She rolled over onto her stomach to peer at the clock—11:00 AM. An acceptable time to wake up on a weekend, she supposed.
Chaeyoung groggily rolled out of bed and shuffled towards the bathroom. It was looking to be a nice day—the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, her mother was sitting in the kitchen, the weather was warm—
Wait a minute. Chaeyoung backtracked and stuck her head in the kitchen. Shio was reading a newspaper and sipping from a cup of coffee, acting as if she belonged there.
Chaeyoung blinked slowly. "Mom?" Chaeyoung was obviously not too quick on the uptake in the morning.
Shio looked up. "Morning." She went back to reading the paper.
Chaeyoung sat down cautiously. "How'd you get in? Please don't tell me you broke in again."
Shio huffed. "For the last time, I was testing the security of the apartment! You needed a stronger lock for the front door!"
"Well yeah, since you broke the first lock." Chaeyoung yawned. "Anyways, I know you're not here just for coffee. Why can't you just use a telephone once in a while, instead of dropping by unannounced?"
Shio folded the newspaper primly and set it down. "Jihyo knew I was coming, so she let me in. I can't use a telephone because that'll give you too much time to escape."
"I wouldn't try to escape if my mother weren't so weird."
"Pot, meet kettle."
"I'm not weird." Chaeyoung pouted.
"Your friends tell me you're acting abnormally." Shio smirked. "Who's this Mina that has even Sana on her side? Sana always finds a way to mock your girlfriends."
"Trust me, Sana never shuts up about Mina's age." Chaeyoung rolled her eyes.
"But that's tame compared to the things she's come up with in the past." Shio shook her head fondly. "I only asked to meet one of your girlfriends once, and I'm never making that mistake again." Shio shuddered at the memory before continuing, "I'd like to meet this Mina , though; Jihyo said you're quite taken with her."
"Nosy, interfering redhead," Chaeyoung muttered.
Shio hummed. "Love is too scarce in the world to be hidden away."
Chaeyoung choked on air. "Love? Who said anything about love? I'm not in love with Mina "
"Hmm? Oh, it was nothing—just your sentimental old mother waxing poetic. It has absolutely nothing to do with you." Shio examined her nails.
Chaeyoung shifted uneasily. "Mina's …different. Not in a bad way, but in a new way."
"Hmm." Shio nodded disinterestedly. She internally smirked when Chaeyoung took the bait.
"I mean, the circumstances are so complicated! She'll eventually leave if things don't change, but she'll leave sooner if they do." Chaeyoung buried her hands in her hair. "Why can't love be simple?"
Shio's lips quirked sympathetically. "Because simple is boring. The best things in life? You'll have to work for them—and they'll be worth it in the end." Shio stood and planted a kiss on Chaeyoung's head. "Take things one step at a time—bring Mina over for dinner. I'm sure you'll figure out the right thing to do soon enough; after all, you are my daughter."
Chaeyoung grudgingly smiled. "I guess my good traits had to come from somewhere."
"Damn right they did—those traits are patented by Son Shio. But you making me wait three hours for you to wake up…that laziness comes from your father."
"Damn him!"
Both Son's burst out laughing. Their small, dysfunctional family of two—plus Sana and Jihyo—suited them perfectly.
___
Mina was perched on a desk, idly watching Chaeyoung put away the microscopes after school. There was a companionable silence, broken only by Mina's light humming. Chaeyoung looked over her shoulder with a smile. "I hope you're having a good time just sitting there while I'm laboring."
"I hardly think organizing microscopes constitutes as laboring, but yes, I'm enjoying myself immensely."
Chaeyoung laughed and started to take off her lab coat, rolling her eyes when Mina began to catcall.
"Ms. Son, you turn me on like a Bunsen burner—"
"Quiet."
"Is that a test tube in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"
"Mina!"
"You make my cardiovascular system stop?"
"…At least you learned something in class."
"Nerd."
"Flirt."
"You love it."
"Only if it's with me." Chaeyoung ushered Mina out of the classroom and locked the door. "So what did you want to tell me?"
Mina bit her lip. "…Dahyun found out."
Light brown eyes widened. "About us?"
"Is there another secret that she could've discovered?"
Chaeyoung groaned. "We're fucked."
"It took me a while to calm her down, but she promised not to tell anyone."
"Of course she's going to tell someone! What we're doing is strictly taboo!" Chaeyoung was freaking out.
Mina narrowed her eyes at Chaeyoung. "You don't know Dahyun well enough to say that. I do, and she's the most trustworthy person I know."
"Maybe she is, but do you really think she isn't going to tell Momo ? She probably blabs to her girlfriend all the time!" Chaeyoung argued.
"Sometimes I wish you had the same problem," Mina grumbled.
Chaeyoung recoiled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I don't know anything about you, Chaeyoung! You never talk about your childhood, your family, your experiences—everything I know about you, I had to learn by myself or from your friends!"
"I like my privacy, okay?"
"I don't mind giving you privacy, but I do mind you shutting me out!"
Chaeyoung blinked. She had never seen the other girl so agitated before. "Mina, I'm not intentionally shutting you out; it's just the way I am!"
"Right, because you were born with your mouth taped shut," Mina said sarcastically.
Chaeyoung's admittedly-short temper flared. "You would learn to keep your mouth shut, too, if you were the poor, bastard child whom everybody made fun of!"
Mina automatically opened her mouth to retort, but stopped. "Is that why you never talk about your childhood?"
"Now is really not the time to talk about that, Mina ." Chaeyoung felt guilty when she saw the hurt hidden behind the sheen of anger in dark brown eyes.
"Fine, then." Mina turned and began to walk away.
Damnit. Chaeyoung grabbed Mina's wrist and shot her a pleading look when the girl turned around with a scowl. "I know that you're mad at me right now, but please don't ever leave without saying goodbye."
Seeing Mina soften, Chaeyoung pressed on. "I'm sorry. If you trust Dahyun then so will I, I'll work on the whole shutting-out thing, and my mother really wants to meet you."
Mina huffed. "Only Chaeyoung could summarize an entire argument in one sentence."
Chaeyoung smiled at hearing Mina revert back to third-person; it meant she was forgiven. "To be fair, that was a pretty short argument."
"I'm still mad at you."
"And I'll keep apologizing until you're not." All in all, their first ever argument went pretty well—the barest hint of raised voices, no tears, and no throwing of heavy objects at her head. This whole 'take one thing at a time' thing was turning out better than she expected.