Minji
I manage to calm down after spending over twenty minutes running so I decide to grab my things and head towards the canteen while I look at my phone to see a number of missed calls and texts from Rei and Usagi.
Minji where are you??? – Usagi
Is everything okay? Are you okay? – Rei
Why aren’t you answering your phone? Please, we’re worried. ☹ ☹ – Usagi.
Did Byung Hoon do something to you? – Rei
Min, I know you want to be alone but please let us know if you’re okay ☹ - Rei.
I smile, seeing their concern as I text them that I am on my way to the canteen. My phone quickly vibrates again as they tell me that they’ll see me there. I hurry through the place, trying to avoid everyone. My hair is in a messy bun after that run which I certainly needed. I enter the canteen and go to buy berry juice and a smoked salmon and brie sandwich which is one of my favourites. I pay and go over to our usual table which is in the corner. As soon as I sit down, I hear running footsteps and I look up to see Rei and Usagi out of breath.
‘Do you know how many times we called you? Why weren’t you answering your phone?’ Rei asks.
‘We searched everywhere. We went to the library, we went to the classes in gateway and we even went to the computer labs and all the gardens. Do you know how many gardens there are in this university?’ Usagi asks as she puts her hand on her side and groans, probably getting a stitch. The two of them finally sit down and I sigh.
‘I’m sorry. I just needed to be alone for a while.’ I say and they exchange a look and sit down. ‘I know you have a lot of questions and-‘ I say.
‘Damn right we do! What happened between Byung Hoon and you? When did you guys even star talking, let alone arguing?’ Rei asks.
‘Even more importantly, why didn’t you tell us that the hottest guy in our course is your friend?’ Usagi exclaims. My eyes go wide as I give her a glare.
‘Do we look like friends to you?’ I ask. She goes to say something but Rei elbows her in the stomach and Usagi doesn’t say anything. ‘You know how I’m usually always early and I’d usually be the first in class. He used to come a few minutes later and he’d sit next to me – sometimes we talk and sometimes he just teased me – calling me monkey and nerd and last Friday, I ended up alone so I went out to the beach and he came after me. We started talking and I thought he was being sincere but I guess he was just playing me like a fool because as soon as his friends came, he changed completely. I hate him.’ I say.
‘That’s too bad. You would make the perfect and hottest couple ever – the whole University would be talking about the newest it couple.’ Usagi says with dreamy eyes. Rei looks at her, blinking her eyes in disbelief.
‘Did you not hear a word I just said?’ I ask and Usagi pouts. ‘We are complete opposites. He’s the cool guy, I’m the nerd, he’s the rich guy and I’m not poor but I’m certainly not on his level – not to mention he’s an * and a * and the only one he cares about is himself.’ I say.
‘If you say so.’ Usagi says still pouting and I roll my eyes as I bite into my sandwich as if it’s the source of my anger.
‘Usagi!’ Rei exclaims and Usagi shrugs and gives us a sheepish look. Usagi doesn’t mean to be like this but sometimes she still acts like a teenage girl. She’s very smart and she’s kind and funny but she also loves the party life and one of her weaknesses is definitely boys she thinks look hot. ‘Minji, I’m sorry we left on Friday. We should have stayed with you and that wouldn’t have happened.’ Rei comments.
‘Nonsense. It’s not your fault. I’m happy you had fun and that’s why I didn’t want to tell you in the first place. I wanted to avoid this.’ I say and she nods.
‘So what happened after? I mean that scratch on your head.’ Rei says and I sigh as I remember what happened.
‘I, um, I was distracted and was almost run over by a car if it wasn’t for…’ I begin but stop.
‘For what?’ Usagi asks.
‘Um… there was this guy and he pushed me out of the way. He practically saved me life and in doing so I bumped my head a little. He was really the nicest person ever.’ I say with a smile.
‘Minji, you’ve got to be careful hun. You’re lucky he was there.’ Rei says.
‘Did you see his face? Was he hot? Was it like the movies – like romantic and stuff with you landing on top of him?’ Usagi asks, her eyes lighting up like a bulb. Rei rolls her eyes once more and sighs as she facepalms herself at Usagi’s childish behaviour.
‘Yeah he was really good looking but I wasn’t paying attention to that Usagi.’ I say.
‘Too bad.’ She says as she takes out an apple from her bag and takes a big bite. Too bad indeed but not for the reasons you’re thinking Usagi – something about him felt special. I think to myself as I continue eating my food.
The day finally is finished and I’m on the bus back to work. I spent the whole day trying to avoid Byung Hoon but I didn’t need to worry much. After the morning lecture and slap to the face, he kept his distance. Well, good riddance. I pull out my phone and go onto Instagram while listening to Blood, Sweat and Tears. I bob my head as I scroll upwards. People are still posting stuff about the party on Friday calling it ‘throwback’. I shake my head, not understanding how they could call something from three days ago a throwback, I mean at least give it a week or two. I stop as I see a post from Mark of Byung Hoon’s face and the red mark from my slap. Damn – maybe I slapped him too hard – no Minji – he deserved it. I look at the caption and gasp.
‘Who would have thought that the great Byung Hoon would get rejected and slapped by the class nerd and what a slap!!’
Great! Now half of the girls are going to hate me for that. I look at the comments which mostly are defending him and wishing I was run over by a bus. I groan and I see the man sitting next to me look at me weirdly and I look away while I put my phone away. I wait till I reach my stop and ring the bell. The bus stops and I get off the bus and walk glumly towards the cafeteria. I push open the door and walk inside where Yun is. ‘Hey Min!!’ She greets with her usual smile. Come on Minji – you’re a happy person – don’t let this drag your spirts down – I tell myself as I put on a big smile.
‘Hey Yun. How was your day?’ I ask as I head to the backroom to put on my uniform.
‘Pretty good. Is it true you slapped Byung Hoon?’ She asks and I groan in response. So much for forgetting about it. ‘Well, the * deserved it.’ She says and I smile, glad to have my best friend support my rash actions. I walk back out to the counter, ready to start my shift.
Jungkook
My heart is racing as we walk towards the cafeteria that Minji works at. All day I could hardly focus on anything except the meeting. We still haven’t come up with a plan but that’s okay. We’ll figure something out eventually but tonight it’s just about meeting her. ‘You okay? You look nervous?’ Taehyung comments.
‘Wouldn’t you be?’ I reply and he smiles and nods. ‘I don’t even know why I am nervous. It’s not like I’m going to tell her anything today. Noona is just going to introduce us.’ I say.
‘And you already met technically. I mean, you did save her life.’ Taehyung points out.
‘Yeah, there’s that. I hope it doesn’t make it awkward.’ I say with a slight nervous chuckle. We reach the cafeteria and Yoona opens the door.
I hear the jingling of the windchimes and the smell of coffee and cakes fills the place, making it feel very homely. It’s a medium sized cafeteria and it’s very cute and cozy. The walls are white with colourful hand-drawn Mandala patterns. There are also a number of photos of the staff together doing different things such as karaoke or bowling. My eyes fall on one particular photo of Minji and Yun wearing their graduation robes but they have different coloured sashes. They’re both smiling as they are throwing the hats in the air. I can’t help but smile as well. If she’s my sister, I missed all her important moments – like graduation.
I continue to look around and I see three doors that show the backrooms – one for the staff, one for the bathroom and one for the kitchen. There is the counter which has the display of cakes and the coffee machines. Throughout the shop there are white tables with pink and blue tablecloths. Some of the tables are for two while others are for four and there is one long table for a larger group. Luckily for us there aren’t many people here today, probably because it’s Monday. There’s a couple sitting in the corner and two boys talking and working on their laptops. They look like students. There are two older ladies sitting at another table, talking and eating cake and another man reading the newspaper and sipping on coffee.
In one corner there are two sofas coming in the shape of an ‘L’ and a small coffee table there. On the sofa there are a number of pink, yellow, blue and purple cushions. On the other side, there is a small platform, a keyboard and a microphone.
‘Yoona! It’s good to see you again.’ A familiar voice says. I turn to look and I see Minji there, with a bright smile on her face as she comes next to Yoona who nods at her. ‘And you’ve brought friends along. Awesome. You can take the bigger table and I’ll bring you the menus.’ She says.
‘Thanks Minji.’ Yoona says. Yoona leads us to the table and we all settle down. As we do, we take off our masks and hats and I try to calm down my breathing. Minji comes back with Yun and gives the first menu to Yoona and then goes to Hoseok but she freezes, her eyes going wide. Yun drops her own menus on the floor and Namjoon chuckles and picks them up, handing them to her. Minji looks at Yoona who just smiles. ‘Minji, Yun – I want to introduce you to the guys I work for. I’m their choreography teacher.’ She says.
‘Min – is this really happening or am I dreaming?’ Yun asks as she gulps. They both stand rigid for a moment, their eyes on us. I look at Minji who’s eyes divert to me. I give her a small smile and she seems to relax a bit.
‘Well, these are Jin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Namjoon, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook. Boys, these are Minji and Yun.’ Yoona says. The girls exchange a look and then bow down.
‘No, no please don’t bow.’ Namjoon says and the girls look at us. ‘Yoona said that this cafeteria makes the best teas, coffees and cakes so we wanted to come check it out.’ Namjoon says.
‘Then you’re going to need the menus for that, right Yun?’ Minji asks, smiling and getting back into focus. Yun nods as the two hand out the menus. Minji comes next to me and hands me one as well. ‘I’m really surprised to see you here. I thought I’d never will again.’ She whispers.
‘I wasn’t sure either so I’m pretty surprised how… um, how things have worked out but I’m glad to see you.’ I say with a smile. ‘Any recommendations for the cakes?’ I ask.
‘Hm well the chocolate cake is very good but today’s special is the cherry pie which Yun made herself.’ Minji says.
‘Min!’ Yun exclaims, her face going red, making her look pretty cute. Minji laughs and hits Yun with the menus. ‘We’ll um, give you some time to um, decide.’ Yun stutters as the two girls hurry to go back to the counter. I keep my eyes on them as I see Yun playfully hitting Minji who just laughs.
‘She seems like a really nice and happy person.’ Jin comments as he goes to look at the menu.
‘She is but she also has a bit of a bad temper. Once I saw this guy who was yelling at his girlfriend and he was about to hit her and she saw them. She held his hand firmly and practically shoved him out of the shop.’ Yoona says.
‘So practically you and her are two peas in a pod when it comes to temper.’ Hoseok says and she shrugs. ‘I think I want to try the cherry pie. I haven’t had that in ages.’ He says.
‘Me too.’ Taehyung says excitedly. Yoona gives Minji the signal and she comes back. She takes our order and then skips away to the counter. I watch as the two girls work together to do the order. Minji takes care of the drinks while Yun prepares the cakes and desserts. They work really well together as I see Yun throwing the plate at Minji who catches it with ease. I see Minji twirling the plate before she sets it down again. Soon enough, they both come carrying heavy trays but they carry them with ease which I guess comes with experience.
‘I’m really excited to taste the cherry pie.’ Jin says, offering them a smile. Yun’s cheeks go red again and Minji giggles.
‘Call us if you need anything else.’ Minji says, giving a slight bow before they head back to the counter. I turn my head back to the food so I don’t look like I am staring as we begin to eat.
‘Whoa! This pie is really good!’ Jin exclaims after having the first bite. I decide to dig in and I feel my mouth water at the wonderful taste. We continue to eat and every now and then I sneak a look at Minji who continues to serve customers with a warm smile. The door opens and I look up. I see Minji’s smile disappear and transform into an angry scowl.
‘Byung Hoon what are you doing here?’ She says, her voice slightly raised. The guy, who apparently is called Byung Hoon approaches the counter. ‘Leave.’ She tells him. From our table, we can hear everything, even if they don’t shout. All of us stop eating as we look at them.
‘No, not before you tell me what happened to you.’ Byung Hoon says. ‘Look, Minji, I know you’re mad at me because I acted like a *…’ He says but she scoffs, cutting off his sentence.
‘You didn’t act like one, you are one. I don’t want to hear anything from your fake ass.’ She says.
‘No, you’re going to hear this. This morning, I wanted to come and apologize before you slapped me which by the way hurt a lot.’ He says as she crosses her arms across her chest. ‘I get it.’ He says.
‘No, you don’t get it Byung. You’re an * who thinks the world revolves around you just because you’re rich and just because half of the girls drool over you. You let your friends make fun of me and not only did you not stop them, you went along with them.’ She says.
‘You’re exaggerating now. They were just joking around and you took them too seriously.’ Byung Hoon replies and I stand up.
‘Good God - you really suck at apologies. I don’t want to see you here and I don’t want you coming to talk to me – now leave me alone.’ She warns him.
‘I came to apologize goddammit. Why do you have to be so damned stubborn, monkey?’ He asks.
‘I think she was pretty clear when she told you she didn’t want to see you.’ I say as I come up behind him. He turns to look at me. Either he doesn’t recognize me or he doesn’t give a damn.
‘Who the hell do you think you are? Why don’t you stay out of things that don’t concern you?’ He asks as he turns back to Minji. ‘Monkey come on! You said you believed that I care.’ He says just as Yoongi comes next to me.
‘That was before you hurt me, before you lied to me just to humiliate me and you let your friends ridicule me.’ She screams at him. I feel my anger starting to surface. Even if she is not my sister, she didn’t deserve that.
‘I really think you should leave.’ Yoongi says as I place my hand on his shoulder and turn him around to face me. He looks at me and at Yoongi and then at our table where the guys have all stood up as well, ready to intervene. He scoffs and shrugs my hand off.
‘I’ll leave but monkey this isn’t over. We still have classes together and you can’t avoid me forever. I’m really sorry about what happened on Friday.’ He says and I see Minji scoff. Byung Hoon leaves and slams the door behind him.
‘Is he the reason you were almost run over last time?’ I ask and she sighs as she runs a hand through her hair before she nods.
‘Pathetic right?’ She asks and I shake my head. Yoona comes next to us and looks at her.
‘I’ve got to say, you put him in his place even before these two came to help. How about we go for a drink after you finish your shift. I know it’s a school night but it’s just one drink and you look like you need it.’ Yoona says and I look at her. She ignores me and continues to look at Minji and I realize that she is doing this so we have an opportunity to talk more.
‘I guess but only if Yun comes along.’ She says looking at Yun who nods. ‘Okay then – we finish in an hour and then we have to clean up. Do you think you can wait that long?’ She asks, nervously.
‘Of course we can.’ I reply giving her a smile. We return back to our seats and I see Yoona smiling. ‘Noona, what’s going on in that mind of yours?’ I ask.
‘I think I know how we can get something that we need.’ She says with a sly smile. I look at Jimin who is sitting next to me who gives me a confused shrug as well. We finish our food and drink and Yun comes to clear the table while we wait for them to finish. We watch as the last customer walks out and Yun turns the sign to show it is closed. The two girls begin to clean up and I stand up.
‘Do you need help?’ I ask. They both shake their heads and I sigh as I go back to my seat. Within fifteen minutes they finish and I’m actually impressed at how quickly they manage to work. We walk out of the shop just as Yun switches off the lights and punches in the alarm code while Minji locks the shop. ‘So, noona, where are we going?’ I ask.
‘There’s this small pub. It’s quiet and quite private.’ Yoona replies. ‘It’s just ten minutes from here.’ She replies as we begin walking. I watch as Yoona and Hoseok walk next to each and Yun ends up between Namjoon and Jin as they start talking about food. I can’t help but notice how small she looks between them. Yoongi is walking behind them, hands in his pockets and behind him are Jimin and Taehyung who have a more springy step as they joke around. Minji and I stay at the back as we walk next to each other.
‘Thank you for coming to stick up for me earlier with Byung Hoon.’ She says and I nod. ‘It seems like every time we meet, I’m in some kind of mess. You probably think I’m weird now.’ She says and I shake my head.
‘Not at all. I don’t know the full story but I could see you were angry and it kind of makes sense now. I mean, what was distracting you on Friday. I’m sorry you had to go through that.’ I say.
‘It’s not exactly the first time.’ She says with a sigh before she smiles again. ‘You know I still can’t believe this is happening. Last time I was still under shock I guess and I didn’t tell you how much Yun and I actually love you guys.’ She says, her eyes sparkling.
‘Really?’ I ask, getting excited as well. ‘I’m really glad to have met you then.’ I say sincerely. Even if she isn't the same Minji I am looking for, she's still a sweet girl who I feel lucky to have met.
‘Me too. We’ve been fans since your pre-debut actually and we’ve come to your concerts but we never got the chance to go to a fan meet.’ She says.
‘This is better than a fan meet then.’ I say and she nods as she giggles. ‘The look on your face was pretty priceless, I’ll admit.’ I add.
‘Which one? This?’ She asks as she exaggerates in her facial expression making me laugh and nod.
‘I heard noona say it’s a school night, what are you studying?’ I ask, trying to get to know more about her. She nods excitedly.
‘I’m doing Masters in Teaching and Learning to become a primary teacher. This is our third week now and soon we’ll be given the classes we’ll be going to observe every Wednesday.’ She says.
‘Whoa - that's pretty cool! How do you manage to study and work every day?’ I ask and she smiles.
‘It’s not like you didn’t do it, besides I have to. My parents helped me a lot by paying for my education but I’ve got to give my share as well and after three years, I’ve gotten pretty used to balancing things.’ She says. We reach the pub and go inside. We settle at the bar and we order our drinks. She orders a baileys while I order a beer. The whole group talks more with them and the conversation is actually going pretty well. Yoona was right – they’re both really nice girls.
‘I need to go to the bathroom. Girls, care to join me?’ She asks. They nod as they leave the glasses on the bar. Yoona looks at me and motions for the glass and I smile, understanding her plan. I watch as the girls leave together and I reach for the glass which is empty now and place it in the pocket of my hoodie. Maybe this could work out.
‘Jungkook – I really do hope she is the one because she’s awesome. She’s fierce and cool and funny.’ Jimin says, making me smile. I realize that a part of me really wants her to be the one as well.
‘Me too hyung.’ I say. After a few minutes the girls walk back out, smiling together.
‘I was just telling them that it feels good to hang out with some girls. I’ve been spending too much time with just you boys.’ Yoona says. Damn – she’s such a good noona!
‘We can hang out more, if you girls would like that.’ Namjoon says.
‘Are you kidding? We’d love that!’ Yun says. I smile in surprise as I see Yun forgetting her shyness, or, perhaps the one drink she had is already having its effects. Then again, they warned us that their alcohol tolerance isn’t very good either.
‘Then it’s settled. We’ll come to the cafeteria more often and then when we all have some time, we’ll meet up and have some fun.’ Hoseok says.
‘I think we should take a photo to remember tonight as the start of new friendships.’ Jin says and I see everyone nodding. We all huddle in as Jin gives his phone to the bartender who takes the photo for us. I smile happily at the thought. Please, please, let her be my sister!