Unconventional Lovers - Chapter 1 - Minjeongss (flowerpop) (2025)

Chapter Text

Yu Jimin never intended to show off the alarming-looking marks that stretched across her slender neck. Her friends commented about the sliver of a reddening handprint that peeks out of the collar of her shirt. Jimin didn’t try to explain it as her friends started throwing wild theories of how she acquired such marks.

Did she get into a fight or was attacked by someone? Maybe it came from her secret lover that her friends have been begging her to meet? They were careful when they asked her questions whether it was something that was done out of harm or it was something kinky that she’s been getting into. Again, Jimin didn’t try to correct them nor did she entertain their silly ideas.

She buttoned up the collar of her shirt afterwards since she still has a reputation to uphold. A popular girl like her can’t get into another headache-inducing rumors like the previous ones she had. The worst that they could escalate to was when people started spreading about this story that she bullied some junior in a bathroom. It got to the point that she was called in by the Dean to discuss it.

The teachers of this university have always been careful and intimidated with how they handle the Queen Bee of the student body— it certainly doesn’t help that her parents are one of the top elites of South Korea’s echelon. But they had to interrogate her or else the baseless rumor would spread outside and the worst case scenario is that it would reach her parents’ ears.

Thankfully, it never happened. She even talked it out with the victim of the rumor and everyone was told that it wasn’t true. Everyone was still wary of what Yu Jimin is capable of but it eventually died down as the next semester came.

But she knew one person didn’t take kindly when the rumors first started sparking out. Kim Minjeong was another student in the same school as her but she has always been known to mind her business doing God knows what. Similar to Jimin, she has rumors of her own but they aren’t as kind as the ones that were pinned to her.

They say Kim Minjeong is alone because she scares off anyone that tries to talk or argue with her. They say Kim Minjeong is secretly a child of a wealthy family and they want her to live a quiet academic life. They say that Kim Minjeong is a typical rebel which is why she always gets called down to the office. They even say Kim Minjeong is a drug dealer because she always seems to like hanging out in the dark alleys and secluded corners of the campus. At the end of the day, no one really knows what her deal is.

Well, everyone except Yu Jimin knows. In fact, the two women go way back to their childhoods. Although, Jimin doesn’t recall when or what exactly their first meeting was. Minjeong always knew but the troublemaker seems to enjoy keeping secrets.

And now back to that rumor that almost caused her reputation to go down the drain, Kim Minjeong is her protector— not in a way that her parents usually bribed people to keep guard of Jimin like how they did back then. But it was from her own volition that she decided to stick close to Jimin— or at least keep watch from afar where she could intervene at any moment if someone decides to do anything.

Who do you want me to deal with? It was the first thing she was asked when Kim Minjeong sneakily followed to the bathroom and locked themselves in a stall together.

I don’t know yet. I’ll let you worry about that once I figure it out. Jimin reassured her with a fleeting kiss to the corner of her lips before she slipped back to class with light skips in her steps.

No one has caught on to their secret relationship yet and both of them intend to keep it that way. It was mainly the issue with Jimin’s parents being just like any other overbearing and overprotective elite family— they have a line of suitors ready for Jimin to pick once she graduates and Kim Minjeong is not on the list.

However, they should consider putting Minjeong in that list. She can commit acts that are far greater and more effective than an elite could do. Minjeong was never afraid to get her hands dirty and when that bullying rumor was about to die down, she managed to track down the exact people who spread them.

Jimin got an urgent call from Minjeong just as she was about to head back to her dorm. She had to ditch Yizhuo and Aeri— they both shouted when she forgot to bring an umbrella with her. Jimin didn’t care when her overly expensive cardigan was getting soaked under the unforgiving rain— her mind was racing with thoughts that never failed to give electrifying sensations down her body.

She found Minjeong in their usual spot— it was far away from any campus buildings but it was still within the area. There’s a big recreational park that stands between the deep forest and the buildings. Jimin and Minjeong always met just near the forest where no security cameras could find them.

Jimin stops under a tree when she hears someone whimpering and crying for someone to stop what they’re doing. She doesn’t flinch when the next thing she hears is the clear sound of a fist landing straight to someone’s face.

Jimin trudges through the thick bushes and finally finds Minjeong crouching beneath someone. A baseball bat being held on one hand and her other hand holding up a poor girl’s hair. Her hand balling up into a fist within the girl’s messy hair that she hears a sharp cry slipping out.

Jimin immediately takes the bat away from Minjeong, who only stares back at her with a raised brow.

“That’s enough.” Jimin sighs as she looks down at the bat and sees streaks of blood being washed down by the rain. “I told you to go easy on these people.”

Minjeong doesn’t say anything but she eventually lets go of the girl and stands up— her hands rubbing down the dirt that stains her jeans and cheek. Jimin notices bruises on the corner of her mouth and at the bridge of her nose.

“You got hurt.” She points out.

Minjeong faces away from her— presumably to glare down at the girl that’s currently curled up in front of them. “She had people with her but I dealt with them.”

Jimin shakes her head. “You didn’t tell me about that.”

“I don’t have to. You wanted the culprit so you have her-“

Her hand acts before her mind does when her hand snatches her jaw and pulls her down. Minjeong hisses at the nails digging into her skin and looks up to see fire clouding Jimin’s eyes.

If there’s one thing Jimin truly hates is disobedience. She probably got that trait from her father or something. Otherwise, she wouldn’t feel this angry at the thought of Minjeong going against her words.

Jimin slowly talks as if to chastise a misbehaving dog. “I told you to stay put and let me handle it. Now look at what happened to your face.” She clicks her tongue.

Minjeong swallows at the rare show of anger burning within her voice and that tone causes her throat to close up. Jimin’s brow twitches when a hint of a smirk is presenting itself from Minjeong’s lips.

Jimin sighs and shoves her face away before she does anything drastic. Minjeong apologizes to her later on that night and makes it up for her in Minjeong’s apartment— a convenient home for Jimin as well whenever she wants to temporarily run away from her problems and responsibilities.

That same girl that Minjeong beat up was transferred to another school. Jimin had to pull some strings to get Minjeong out of trouble and found a way to compensate the girl like how she paid for her hospital bills. It was troublesome to deal with but thankfully, the school didn’t pay attention to that problem any longer since they were more worried about Jimin’s parents.

Jimin enjoys the thrill of hiding their romantic relationship and pretending that it’s as ambiguous as they like it to be (at the end of the day, Jimin and Minjeong are very serious about being lovers). She is glad that Minjeong doesn’t care about it either as long as she gets to be by Jimin’s side. Minjeong has always been trying to keep that selfless act for years but she knows better that Minjeong isn’t always like that.

In fact, she could be just as selfish when she wants to be. It rarely happens since she isn’t the type to express her emotions openly. Jimin is the same except it’s all an act to keep up normal appearances. But when she’s with Minjeong, both of them can let out any emotion they want— whether it’s negative or positive doesn’t matter as long as they are a form of outlet for each other.

“Fuck!” Jimin slams her foot against Minjeong’s back as ripples of pleasure violently shudders down her body.

Minjeong hums in delight at the whining noises before she pushes herself off and licks up the wetness that stains her lips. “Sensitive today, aren’t we?”

Jimin huffs at her before shoving her heel against Minjeong’s stomach— annoyed that her lover is still fully clothed. She winces at the harsh kick and then she silently watches the way Jimin’s foot rubs down her body until it’s pressed down between her legs.

“It’s not my fault you’re good at what you do.” Jimin husks as she sits up and hooks her finger around her jean’s belt loop, tugging the younger girl’s hips closer. “And don’t think I didn’t notice how desperate your mouth was tasting me.”

Minjeong chuckles as she watches Jimin impatiently unbuckle her belt and pull down the zipper of her pants. “It doesn’t erase the fact that your hands can’t keep to themselves.”

“Asshole.” Is all Jimin says before she returns the favor and feels triumphant at making Minjeong submit to her that night.

Minjeong doesn’t end up staying over since she has to study for an upcoming exam. Jimin hums a random tune as she watches her dress up and tidy herself in front of Jimin’s vanity mirror. Minjeong pulls down the collar of her white shirt and clicks her tongue in annoyance seeing the marks layered across her shoulders.

Jimin smiles at the sight. “I thought you liked it when I marked you?”

Minjeong gives her a halfhearted glare. “I never said anything about that.”

“But your face was begging for it a few minutes ago.”

Minjeong doesn’t fight against it and Jimin thinks the red that spills across her ears are adorable. To her surprise, Minjeong walks over to her and sheds off her coat before tossing it over Jimin’s naked body.

Jimin naturally snuggles up within the oversized coat and presses her nose against it. “Do you like it when I wear your clothes?”

Minjeong keeps quiet as she carefully observes Jimin’s coy smile. Her empty eyes waver and flicker down the bare skin that Jimin teases to show. The older girl laughs at how shameless she can be sometimes. She recalls the fading hand mark on her neck and she drags her fingers across it.

Minjeong’s eyes snap towards her neck at the gesture.

“I like it more when I’m the one who marks.” Minjeong simply says as she reaches out and presses her hand around her neck the same way she did a few nights ago. “Even if people don’t know it’s me, they will look at this and see that you still belong to someone.”

Jimin’s eyes flutter shut when Minjeong applies a little pressure. “You’re… making it hard for me to let you go tonight.”

Minjeong smiles at her words before letting her go and stepping back. “Sorry for leaving so soon. I’ll make it up to you.”

Jimin shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it. You always do.”

“Has your neck healed yet? You still haven’t told us who did this to you.” Yizhuo sulks as she hugs Jimin’s arm and tugs her out of the library entrance. “I know how bad your parents can get…”

Jimin feels an inkling of guilt for worrying her friend. Yizhuo has always been too good for her. The girl can be mischievous at times but she never fails to stand by Jimin’s side when odds are against her. She’s the one who always brings her food whenever Jimin forgets to take care of herself.

The older girl rubs her head with a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing bad or anything.”

Yizhuo furrows her brows but she reluctantly accepts the cryptic answer. “So is it safe for me to say that it’s some kinky shit your secret lover has been into?”

“I suppose it’s something like that.” Jimin cups her mouth to suppress a loud laugh from disturbing the quietness of the hallway they’re in.

Aeri joins them later on after she is done with her morning class and suggests going out for lunch. Yizhuo excitedly rambles about this barbecue restaurant that she and her other friend has been obsessed with. But Aeri suggests that she wants to go to this new cafe that recently opened up near their campus. When the two girls look up at Jimin to decide for them, she decides to take out a coin from her wallet.

“Tails for meat. Heads for coffee.”

Yizhuo won the coin flip and the trio excitedly head over to the restaurant to fill up their stomachs.

As they are about to cross the street, Jimin spots Minjeong across from them— she is wearing a coat that Jimin gifted her a few months ago and she tries not to smile when they meet eye contact. Minjeong stares at her for a good minute before flickering her eyes down to her phone, swiping her thumb across the screen as her other hand slots in her headphones.

She blinks out of her reverie when she earns a light jab on her side.

“Hey, is it just me or is that Kim Minjeong?” Aeri, the one who has always been more vigilant and observant between them, talks in a hushed tone. “Why was she staring at us?”

Yizhuo doesn’t hide the concern on her face. “You know… I recently heard that she got in a fight with these dudes near campus and she knocked them all down.”

Aeri looks incredulously at her. “That’s ridiculous. She’s smaller than all of us— she can’t do that on her own.”

Jimin bites down a cheeky quip at her friend’s doubts. “Ignore her. She always looks at other people like that.” Not exactly a lie so she could say it.

Her two friends let out a relieved sigh when Kim Minjeong walks past them without a single glance.

Minjeong doesn’t know what to feel whenever she sees that smug look on Yu Jimin’s face. It’s nothing bad or anything but with the way she is being stared at as if she’s some fascinating subject of interest, Minjeong doesn’t know how to react to that.

“You’re here already?” Jimin doesn’t hide the surprise in her voice as she walks over to the sink and lets the faucet water run down her muddied hands. She just finished volunteering in the school’s garden.

Minjeong stands behind her and idly plays with the tie of her apron wrapped around her waist. “You suddenly called while I was in the middle of class. You’re going to ruin my attendance at this rate.”

“Oh, please. As if that was ever your concern.” Jimin turns off the sink and turns around to stare down at her lover. “Were you worried for me?”

Minjeong rolls her eyes as she takes Jimin’s delicate hands and uses her handkerchief to wipe it clean. “I have no reason to worry when you are more than capable of taking care of yourself.”

Jimin chuckles. “But I like it more when you take care of me.”

“Just tell me what’s wrong this time?” Minjeong let out a sigh.

Jimin can tell that Minjeong isn’t in a patient mood today so she spares her from the teasing. “Are you up for some fighting, babe?”

Minjeong gives her a look. “How exciting.” She deadpans.

She tries not to tease Minjeong about her once-in-a-blue-moon sarcasm. “It’s just some guys that are hitting on me. They’ve been rather persistent with inviting me to their house party this weekend.”

She doesn’t miss the dark look on her face. “You always enjoyed parties. Are you coming?”

“Of course, I am. I’m only going because I haven’t seen my other friends and they’re showing up.”

When Minjeong doesn’t give any reaction, Jimin takes this opportunity to tug it out of the stoic woman. She loops her arms around her neck and chuckles when Minjeong reciprocates with her hands sliding down her hips.

Minjeong finally spills. “You want me to show up there, huh?”

“I know it’s a roundabout way of inviting you but it’s hot when you get possessive.”

Minjeong allows herself to smile. “Nothing I haven’t heard before.”

“So, come with me?” Jimin’s eyes purposely soften as she brushes her fingers through Minjeong’s wolf cut hair.

Minjeong nods as she presses a kiss on her brow before pulling away. They already overstayed in this bathroom and if they stay any longer, Minjeong’s professor is going to get suspicious.

Aeri is a natural socialite that glows under a crowded room. She commands the attention of others with her witty remarks and charisma that rivals Jimin’s. She is friends with way too many people that she can’t even name them all. But her two most precious friends have always been Jimin and Yizhuo.

She is already tipsy by the time Jimin picks her up with her car and she is babbling about wanting to let loose.

Yizhuo grabs the vodka drink from her that’s hidden in a deceptive-looking water bottle. “You never drank this much before. Is your semester that bad or something?”

Aeri only gives out a groan before slumping at her seat. Jimin parks her car at the crowded parking lot and ushers her friends out. Apparently, Yizhuo has already drunk almost all of it.

Jimin is in the mood to drink as well but with how suspicious she is about the hosts of this specific party, she isn’t going to risk getting her and her friends drugged. She convinces Yizhuo and Aeri to run to a nearby convenience store to buy some beer. They don’t question her and even tell her to join the house party in advance.

People are dancing and laughing by the time she arrives. There are already wasted people laying on the ground and by the couches, couples making out in the open and on the verge of groping each other, the obvious scent of tobacco and weed that permeates through the air, and people are playing drinking games in the kitchen and living room. If her parents ever found out that this is what she does once or twice a month, they would definitely cut her allowance short and force her to move schools.

She hasn't found Minjeong just yet but that’s not surprising since she hates any form of gatherings. But Jimin is already getting hit on when one of the boys that’s been admiring her for quite some time joins her company.

“Didn’t expect the popular girl to actually join us.” He leans against the wall with an arrogant smile and a cup of beer in hand. “Do you want to drink now or…”

Jimin gives him an amused look. “Not yet. I’m waiting for my friends to get here.”

His eyes light up with recognition as he remembers him and his friends inviting them as well. But he seems more interested in chatting her up than worrying about one of his boys calling him up for beer pong. She doesn’t miss the way his broad body leans closer— he is practically leaning on an arm beside her head and towering over her against the wall.

She entertains him with mundane topics, knowing how to play the naive girl when she asks the rules of football or the kind of boy video games that he likes. She appears cheerful and innocent to people who are stupid enough to believe that. But to people who know any better, she is anything but nice .

“You smell so good, by the way.” He chuckles as he tries to press closer and place his face against her ear— she pulls away. “Don’t be shy now when you were all too happy laughing at my jokes.”

Jimin tries not to kick him off at the accusation but he can’t blame him for believing that. Minjeong has always complimented how much of a good actress she is.

“Excuse me for a moment.” Jimin gently pushes him by the shoulder when she spots her friends finally arriving with a box of beer in hand.

But she knows this guy is one of the stubborn ones. He grabs her wrist and tugs her back to the wall. Jimin pretends that she is that fragile little girl and lets him cage her. She gives him a challenging look— to her delight, he is annoyed at her avoidance.

He licks her lips as his eyes shamelessly rake down her figure. She can’t blame him for that either when she purposely dressed up with more skin showing and her collarbones and cleavage practically on view for anyone to admire.

“You look so good and tasty. How about you give me a little kiss, princess?” Goodness, he reeks of that overpowering cologne and sweat.

She shakes her head. “I’m not that easy, tiger.”

“Yeah, man! Listen to her and fuck off!”

The boy jumps away from her when Aeri yells at him and flips him off. He is fuming when she is snatched away by her friends— Yizhuo sticks her tongue out to him before looping an arm around her shoulder.

“You sluts are all the same!” He slams his hand against the wall, earning disgusted looks from other party goers.

Aeri huffs at his words and decides to focus on the amused-looking Jimin. “You okay there? Sorry we took so long.”

She can’t help but feel warm at her friends’ consideration. “I’m good now thanks to you guys. You should have done your thing where you kicked his balls like you did with that other guy.”

The trio sits down at a couch— Aeri rips open the box and hands the other two their beer cans. “Last time I did that, we were kicked out and I don’t really want our night to get ruined like that because one dude decided to be a prick.”

“How about I do it instead? He’s still standing there and throwing a tantrum.” Yizhuo playfully says as she cracks open her can.

Jimin laughs. “No, no. We want you to stay longer with us.”

Yizhuo beams at that before they clink their cans together and down their drinks in one go— a long-standing challenge they’ve been doing to see who gets to drink faster. Yizhuo always seems to win despite being the youngest.

Aeri is a lightweight so her face is already flushed red and talking silly at them. Yizhuo decides to entertain the tipsy girl with a drinking game of their own. They were dissatisfied when their first round ended too soon but eventually, their other friends joined them. Somi, Yunjin, Mark, Ten, and other unfamiliar faces join the fun.

Jimin played a couple rounds before deciding that she wanted to watch. She laughs and teases the loser while praising and celebrating the winner. She cheekily urges them to keep drinking more and laugh at how wasted they look.

Jimin excuses herself from her friends when the urge to go to the bathroom increases. She quickly makes her way up the stairs when one of the hosts gives her directions. By the time she relieves herself and is raring to go for another round of drinks, she is interrupted in the upstairs hallway by that same boy.

“I finally have you to myself.” He slurs out with a heavy look of intoxication and blatant lust. “How about you join me in the bedroom, huh?” He cocks his head to one of the rooms.

She can hear some moaning and laughing from the closed doors and laughs at his frowning face. “Sorry, I’m not the voyeuristic kind. I’m not the kind to join that kind of fun.”

He sucks in a breath and marches towards her with heavy steps. Jimin lets him get close and personal. “You’re going… to be a good girl and follow me. I promise you I can give you a good time.”

Jimin doubts that since only one person is able to satisfy her needs. Speaking of her little lover, she can already sense that overwhelming presence looming closer to their location.

Minjeong stands behind him with dark eyes as wild as a predator and grabs him by the shoulder. He shoves off the unwelcoming presence with a growl. When he tries to turn around, Minjeong catches his throat and slams him against the wall.

“Y-you! Kim M-Minjeong!” He chokes out as she tightens her hold on his neck. “What the f-fuck! Who invited your sorry ass!?”

Minjeong doesn’t get insulted easily so it’s a poor attempt at provocation. But the only way to anger her is if anything bad happens to her beloved. Jimin chuckles at the fury hidden within her eyes and has to suppress the urge to kiss her in this very hallway.

“I invited myself.” Minjeong simply says before throwing him to the ground and kicking him in the stomach.

She stomps her foot again and again until the boy is writhing in pain and is begging for her to stop. Minjeong usually gets carried away with these kinds of things but in a rare show of mercy, she steps back from him and turns towards Jimin.

Her face can be difficult to read to the untrained eyes but after being with Minjeong since they were kids, it’s easy to spot how disturbed and angry she is. Minjeong always had a harder time getting along with boys so she always treated them roughly and harshly without a care. So this boy is lucky that the only thing she did was kick his stomach until it bruises.

Well, she can also treat girls the same but not to the point that they are beaten bloody. And Minjeong isn’t the type to enact violence on anyone that ticks her off. It’s always with a purpose and both of them know what that is.

Minjeong walks closer and brushes her hand over Jimin’s hair, fixing up the wild strands sticking out of her neat hairstyle. “Did you really have to let him do that?”

“It’s fun to watch you beat up pathetic boys.” Jimin smiles all too happily at the attentive eyes being given to her.

Minjeong shakes her head but she can’t hide her delirious expression. Both of them can’t really hide that when they enjoy giving people what they deserve— they share that violent thrill.

“Y-you two!” The boy coughs out as he stumbles on his feet. “Since when do you two-“

Jimin doesn’t appreciate getting interrupted and her anger always flares up too easily when she is irked. She pushes past Minjeong and shoves the boy back to the floor. “Scram before I grab your fucking balls and rip it out of your body.”

She hears Minjeong snort behind her but at least the important thing is that the boy decides to be smart and runs back downstairs. Jimin’s anger simmers down as quick as it comes.

“What if that guy decides to spread rumors about you?” Minjeong grabs her hand and pulls her to the bathroom that Jimin was in just a while ago.

Minjeong pulls her up onto the sink counter, smiling when Jimin wraps her legs around her waist. “Then I’ll just dig up dirt and with boys like him, he will have plenty.”

“Oh definitely. That guy was going to force a girl under him one way or another tonight. You really should have ripped his dick.” Minjeong bites his lip when Jimin roams her hands all over her shoulders.

Jimin tilts her head with an innocent look. “With the way you kicked his ass, I doubt he can do anything. But for good measures…”

Minjeong’s breath hitches when Jimin unbuttons her shirt enough that it shows off her collarbones. She sighs when Jimin presses hot kisses down her neck, teasing her tongue to taste her skin. Minjeong grips her hips when she feels her teeth nipping her.

“You should deal with him tonight. Leave him bloody and battered in an alleyway so that he doesn’t do anything else to other women.” Jimin whispers against her heated skin and smiles when Minjeong groans at the command in her voice.

Minjeong swallows thickly and nods her head, letting Jimin do as she pleases as she watches her slip a hand under her pants. She moans against her ear, tenderly calling Jimin’s name like a chant.

It’s meant to be quick— Minjeong is disappointed when she doesn't get to return the favor. But Jimin complains how much her back hurts from sitting and leaning down to match her height from this counter. Minjeong helps her down and fixes up her appearance, huffing at the new bruise right under her jaw.

“Need to return to my friends before they catch wind of this. ” Jimin gestures between them. “Meanwhile, you do as you say and if you do well, I’ll stay at your apartment tonight.”

Minjeong straightens up at her promise and presses a longing kiss at her lips. She hums at the taste of alcohol as Jimin slips her tongue between her lips, teasing the hell out of Minjeong.

“Don’t go back on your word now.” Minjeong murmurs against her cheek.

Jimin laughs softly and nuzzles closer. “You know I always keep my word.”

“Hey Jimin, I saw you talking with Kim Minjeong earlier.” Aeri squints her eyes at her friend who is currently nose deep on her textbook. “Since when did you two know each other?”

Jimin doesn’t feel panicked that her friend witnessed them talking. It’s not like they were trying their hardest to keep it on the low— suppose it’s more surprising that it took someone this long to notice.

Jimin places her book down and takes off her glasses. “Nothing you should worry about. We shared a class together and she wanted help on something.”

Aeri sighs at her friend’s dismissive answer. “You always say that me and Yizhuo shouldn’t worry but we can’t help it when trouble seems to follow you everywhere. I was just worried that Kim Minjeong might do something to you.”

“I appreciate it, Aeri. But I am being truthful when I say that you shouldn’t worry about her.” Jimin places a reassuring hand over her hand. Aeri squeezes it as she tries to read Jimin’s face.

It seems that she’s satisfied by her answer for now when she detects a look of sincerity on her face. Jimin hopes that it wasn’t too soft-looking or else that would be a dead giveaway.

Aeri lets go of her hand and picks up her own book. “Well if something ever happens, you know what to do.”

“Yes mom, I will tell you.” Jimin teases, earning a light shove before they are told by the librarian to keep quiet.

She hasn’t seen Minjeong all day but that isn’t strange. There are times where she doesn’t get to meet Minjeong for a week and that only happens once or twice. Jimin doesn’t usually pry on people’s business but she can’t help but show a sliver of worry for Minjeong’s wellbeing.

She always assumes that it has something to do with Minjeong’s family— something about her brother getting into trouble in the streets. Jimin tries to offer her help but that’s the one thing that Minjeong hates. She doesn’t like asking for help— she’s not used to it. Even if Jimin begs her, she will not accept and it ends up in a huge fight.

Since then, Jimin trusts that Minjeong will come back to her safely— she always keeps her promises. In a twisted way, Minjeong is perfect for her. She is the only one who fulfills every request she wants and Jimin is insane enough to stick with her through the end of it. She wouldn’t give a flying fuck if Minjeong killed someone— as long as she did it with a justifiable reason. Minjeong is a reasonable lover and that’s what she loves about her.

After her classes, she goes straight to Minjeong’s apartment and fishes out the spare key she was given. Her apartment isn’t the prettiest but Minjeong always likes keeping a low profile. Unlike the apartments that their school endorses for students to house in if they can’t afford a dormitory, this apartment complex doesn’t have students living in them. It’s mostly people of any age who are barely scraping by or some sketchy people living in them.

Jimin tries to provide Minjeong with the basic essentials. She doesn’t want her lover to deal with a broken toilet or a barely working fridge. She remembers the younger girl complaining about how she gets spoiled with her money too much and how it makes her feel uncomfortable. It took some time for Minjeong to get used to Jimin’s spending but even now, she is reluctant to accept gifts.

Nevertheless, it's a good place for Jimin to lay low as well. It’s away from any busy streets but it’s close enough to the campus that she can easily go back and forth to. The landowner was dumbfounded the first time she was spotted visiting Minjeong’s home. Jimin gave him hush money just in case and the greedy man was all too happy to receive it.

He was at least loyal enough to keep his promises about not disclosing her odd visits late at night here— as long as he was getting paid, of course. One time, Minjeong made a joke about how Jimin is technically paying to get inside her house.

“Just one million won for my company. Is that how much I’m worth to you?”

Jimin responds with a sly smile. “I could pay him millions more if I want. But It doesn’t really matter as long as I get to see you.”

Minjeong called her romantic and she recalled laughing so loud that a neighbor next door banged on the walls to silence them. That's one thing Jimin hates about this apartment complex is that the walls are way too thin. There are so many instances where they get interrupted by screaming matches between a broken couple or loud music being played at 3 am.

Minjeong is used to it but she promised Jimin that she’ll find a better home for the both of them once they graduate. Jimin couldn’t help but let herself feel giddy about that domestic thought.

Jimin steps inside and shakes off her boots, sighing at how dark the apartment is— this girl never turns the light off.

She flicks on the single light switch and is pleasantly surprised to find boxes, opened and unopened, organized by the living room. She peers down at one of them to see that it’s Minjeong’s belongings— no wonder the apartment looks emptier than usual.

But Minjeong never told her anything about moving out. Jimin frowns at the thought.

She inspects the bathroom and bedroom to see if the apartment was truly empty. When she finds herself alone, she simply sprawls over the couch and turns on the tv. She doesn’t know how long has passed until she hears the distinct sound of the front door opening.

“Unnie?”

Jimin’s eyes widening at the blood being hidden by her leather jacket. In a blink of an eye, she runs up to her and rips the jacket off. Minjeong smiles at the worried expression contorting that pretty face.

“Did you get stabbed or something?” Jimin’s bluntness causes the younger girl to chuckle, earning herself a disapproving look.

Minjeong cradles her cheek and rubs her thumb gently. “Nothing like that. Got into a scuffle with my brother’s debt collectors.”

“You killed them?” Jimin peers up at her.

Minjeong stays silent and gives an unnerving smile. Jimin huffs at her before tugging up her ruined shirt.

“Get changed. We still need to talk about this.” Jimin points at the boxes piled up on the corner.

Minjeong obediently follows Jimin to the bedroom and changes into new clothes. She immediately gets interrogated about the purpose of the boxes. There’s a hint of restlessness that possesses the older girl— a rare sight to witness since she’s usually way too laidback.

Minjeong slumps against the couch and tilts her head with a yawn. “I’m gonna move to another apartment. I was going to tell you but as you witnessed by my unsightly appearance earlier, I was… preoccupied.”

“You want help or something? When are you moving out? Why do you want to move out now?”

Minjeong shakes her head. “This weekend, I’ll be moving closer to the campus and it’s a nicer accommodation too. That means you don’t have to keep bribing that prick everytime you visit.”

Jimin grins, feeling excited at the thought of Minjeong being closer than before. “Guess that means I’ll have to put up a disguise or else people will talk on campus.”

“Hmm, that’ll be hot. You looked good with that blonde hair.” Minjeong licks her lips as she admires the flirtatious look Jimin gives her. “But this hair too is really good on you.”

Jimin chuckles as she sits herself on her lap and wraps her arms around her neck. “Why the change of heart? I thought you wanted to keep it low?”

“Hm… I guess I just want a change of scenery. It’s too depressing here and school is already weighing on me as a senior. Maybe if I surround myself with friendlier faces rather than dealing with a drunk bastard next door, I’ll feel more… secure .”

Jimin mindlessly plays with her short hair, raking her fingers through her scalp. “Secure, huh. Never thought you’d be the type to seek out such a thing. What happened to being the bad girl resident who likes to cause trouble, hm?”

Minjeong feels up her lover’s body as her wandering hands drags down her waist and cups her ass. “What? Are you going to break up with me if I become nice and sweet to you?”

“As if that would happen.” Jimin teases but she knows better that if it weren’t for her brother, Minjeong would be a normal college student— that if she tells Minjeong to be nice, she might do it.

She gives a dirty grind over Minjeong’s lap, earning a low groan as the hand on her hips starts to squeeze.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad, Minjeong. As long as you treat me right, I’ll be with you.”

Minjeong doesn’t like to indulge people’s requests. Even if another student asked her for a spare pen, she can’t be bothered to give them a response. If someone asks her if they have a spare dollar, Minjeong is most likely to give them a dirty look. If a kid was crying in front of her and begs for her to buy some toy for them, she will pretend that she has no money. If someone asks for her phone number, Minjeong would give them a fake one and go about her day.

She’s selfish, rude and likes to keep to herself— that’s what others like to describe her as. Even Jimin would playfully agree since she is still feeling petty about that one time Minjeong didn’t share ice cream with her. But both of them know better that Minjeong can be caring and thoughtful if she wants to.

“Minjeong, give me your new apartment address.” She gave her spare apartment keys too.

“Do you have a jacket or something?” Minjeong gave in and risked getting sick under the cold weather.

“Give me a little smile for the camera.” This one was asking too much from her but Minjeong relented and gave her a small smile with a peace sign.

“Ah, that bag looks good. It would go well with my outfit.” It was meant to be a trivial comment that Jimin forgot to say but Minjeong remembered and gave her that exact bag the next time they met. It was so expensive that Minjeong had to live with rice balls and ramen for a month.

Minjeong should be disturbed at how overly accommodating she can be towards Jimin. But she’s the only one who compels her to do things she normally wouldn’t do. She accepted that fact when Jimin captured her heart and unknowingly made her this way.

God, she even feels bad whenever they get into heated fights and sees Jimin’s watery eyes staring at her. She really doesn’t care about the other person’s feelings but if she detects even a single hint of sadness from Jimin, she will drop anything and immediately help her through it.

It’s a bit of an exaggeration to say it that way but that’s what her heart feels sometimes.

“Hey, cutie.” Minjeong blinks when a manicured hand stops her and she looks up to see one of the popular girls of the school batting her eyelashes. “Where are you off to, hm?”

Minjeong tries not to hide her disgruntled expression. “None of your business.” She tries to walk past her but she is stopped again when the girl sidesteps and blocks her way.

She really, really doesn’t have enough patience for this nonsense. She recently volunteered to help out a club and she doesn’t want to be late for it. Jimin made her do it because she should socialize more and of course, she followed through with it. It was the campus’s band club that needed help moving instruments around— she knows that one of Jimin’s friends is one of the members so she doesn’t mind helping out.

She takes a deep breath through her nose when the girl smiles at her. “Look, I really have somewhere to be.”

“Oh, I know. People were talking about the mysterious Kim Minjeong helping out a club.” The girl giggles at the annoyed look being thrown to her. “But that can’t be more important when a pretty girl like me is stopping you and asking for your number?”

Minjeong scoffs before pushing past the girl. She hears an indignant gasp and angry heels following close behind her.

“Kim Minjeong! Don’t be an ass about it-“

Minjeong stops on her tracks, causing the girl to bump her. But she can’t really tell off the girl for having the audacity to touch her when Yu Jimin is standing in front of them with amusement playing on her face.

“Y-Yu Jimin?! Wow, what are y-you doing here?” The girl is right about that. This is the arts and cultural building and Jimin is usually found roaming the science or business buildings.

Jimin ignores Minjeong for now and throws the other girl a wave. “Oh, don’t mind me. I just wanted to see what all the commotion was about.”

Minjeong looks at her face closely and can see that smile is anything but friendly. There are too many eyes on them and she has half the mind to step away from the two girls.

Minjeong pretends to look annoyed before marching off. The last thing she hears is Jimin’s delighted laugh and the annoying girl’s grumbling about being interrupted.

It’s almost night time by the time she is done with her volunteer work. She talked to some of the band members here and there just to fill up the awkward air. She also meets Huh Yunjin, who is quite popular as well due to her talents. Minjeong had a decent time talking about random things with her.

Jimin would laugh at her face in disbelief if she ever told her that she was actually talking with other people. Never in a million years would she do it but here she was, throwing off jokes here and there.

But it seems like her decent day is short-lived when that same girl approaches her as soon as she steps out of the theater room. She doesn’t bother taking off her headphones and speeds up her walk in hopes that the girl could get the message.

But it seems that she is just as persistent as that guy that hit on Jimin when she follows her to the almost empty parking lot. When she tries to look for her keys in her bag, the girl skips in front of her and leans herself against the hood of her car.

Minjeong doesn’t hide the nasty glare and it seems that the girl is finally showing a reaction.

“So how about that number, huh? I promise that I’m actually good company. I’m better than the other girls around here, especially Yu Jimin.”

Minjeong raises a brow at the bold proclamation. But she isn’t here to defend her name like some knight in shining armor. Jimin doesn’t need that from her.

The girl smiles all too sweetly as she leans forward until she is within reach. Minjeong puts her hand up to stop her from invading any closer to her space.

“I’m really not interested. I couldn’t care less about what you could offer so it’s best if you run along now.” Minjeong keeps her voice low in hopes that the girl will leave her alone.

Thankfully, she does get the message and steps off of her car. She flicks her hair back and shoots her a pout. “Fine. You’re lucky that you’re cute or else I would have been offended by your words.”

Minjeong rolls her eyes before brushing her off. The girl relents and marches off somewhere she doesn’t really give a shit about. Minjeong opens the car door and throws her bag over to the passenger seat. She is about to step inside but she hears heels clicking against the ground.

She thinks that the girl is back again to pester her but as she was about to yell her ear off, her fighting words die in her throat when it’s actually Jimin. Minjeong feels her body sag in relief and let a soft chuckle slip past her.

Minjeong sits down and stretches out her feet over the running board of the car. “God, I was about to tell you to fuck off.” She laughs dryly.

Jimin giggles at her words and crouches in front of her. She has been wearing that same smile since this afternoon and Minjeong knows she is still bothered about it.

“You know that girl isn’t worth my time, baby.” Minjeong puts her foot down when Jimin begins playing with the laces of her shoe.

Jimin flashes a dangerous smile. “Exactly, I don’t understand why you had to spare your eyes and your mouth to her. She’s nothing , Minjeong.”

“Yes, yes. I know I shouldn’t have. But she was going to keep following me if I didn’t say anything.” Minjeong reaches forward to brush her hand over Jimin’s dark locks, admiring the pink headband that’s framing her face. “Don’t get too mad, unnie.”

Jimin leans towards her touch and closes her eyes. “Hm, I can’t promise that. I’m going to make her get expelled.”

Minjeong throws her head back with a short laugh. “Not going to be the first time.”

“You love me for it, though.” Jimin juts out her bottom lip as Minjeong’s thumb caresses her lips.

Minjeong presses her thumb on it and smiles. “Yeah, I really do…”

“Jimin-unnie! We need to talk!” Yizhuo and Aeri run up to her to whisk her away from the crowd.

Jimin blinks out of bewilderment as she is led outside and far away from others in the park. Her two friends sit her down on the bench and hand her a juice box. Jimin raises a brow at the random offer but accepts it anyway.

“So what’s all the commotion about? Do you guys have any idea why people were giving me looks today?” Jimin pops her straw on the juice box.

She pretends to not know— Minjeong called her about it the moment she woke up.

Aeri and Yizhuo exchange wary glances at each other spilling. “What really is your deal with Kim Minjeong?”

“I told you guys that we’re just classmates. To be more accurate, we’re on neutral terms.” Jimin hums.

“That’s not what people are saying.” Aeri crosses her arms. “I know you have your secrets and we let you keep them because we respect you. But these rumors…”

She notices the concern laced in her voice as it drops to a mumble. Yizhuo is anxiously playing with her hands.

Jimin reaches out and holds her friend’s restless hands. She squeezes them tightly and it somewhat eases the frown off of Yizhuo’s face.

“Are they that bad?”

“People are saying that you and Minjeong are…” Aeri can’t seem to say it because of how ridiculous it is. To outsiders, that can definitely be a jarring piece of knowledge.

Yizhuo finally squeaks out. “Are you two banging or something?!”

Aeri shoves her friend. “Yizhuo! What happened to being subtle?”

“I can’t help it! I’ve been worried sick all day and I’ve been dying to know what her deal is.” Yizhuo gestures at Jimin who is still maintaining that calm facade. “Look at how calm she is! Maybe it’s not what we think, Aeri.”

Aeri sighs at her friend’s panicked voice. “I know but we have to make sure. Well, Jimin?” They both turn to her for answers.

Jimin contemplates for a bit. It wouldn’t really hurt to tell them the truth, right? They have always been good for her— too good in fact that she almost feels bad for keeping a secret from them.

Jimin tells her friends to sit beside her and they do. “Don’t get too surprised, okay? You know how I get when my secrets get revealed.”

Aeri and Yizhuo know better than to do that. They aren’t the type to go behind her back— they have demonstrated how great they are over the past few years they’ve been friends.

“Kim Minjeong isn’t just some classmate. In fact, we’re childhood friends.”

Aeri’s mouth falls open behind her mouth while Yizhuo gasps. Yizhuo leans closer— she’s always been the most curious one between them. “Really? You’re not fucking with us, right?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you about that. She and I have known each other for as long as I can remember. She’s a good person unlike what most people say.” That’s another surprising fact being dropped like a bomb.

Aeri shakes her head out of denial. “No way. That girl has been staring daggers at anybody who crosses her. She was being rude to you last week when you accidentally blocked her path.”

Jimin laughs at the memory. Minjeong always had to pretend and she quickly apologized afterwards about bumping her. “Her face is just like that. But it is true that she gets annoyed at those kinds of things.”

Aeri and Yizhuo exchange looks again as if they are sending each other telepathic messages. But they reluctantly trust Jimin’s words for now.

“Do you trust her? You speak so nicely about her.”

Jimin looks at Yizhuo and lets herself smile shyly at the thought of Minjeong. Her friend looks surprised by the impossible sight. “Yes, you two can trust her. In fact, she likes that I’m friends with you two.”

“She said that? You’re not actually pulling my leg and making me befriend Kim Minjeong.” Aeri jabs her side with a smirk, feeling that lighthearted mood simmer between the trio.

“Of course, you can even try to talk to her. You’ll be surprised at how friendly she can be.” Jimin shrugs at the shocked expressions on her friends as if she has said something blasphemous.

They continue to ask more questions since they have become fascinated with the fact that she’s actually friends with Minjeong. She tries to answer as best she can without revealing too much of what they actually are. Even if they do figure out that they’re not just friends, Jimin wouldn’t mind it.

Minjeong furrows her brows when she spots Jimin approaching her. She thinks that they’re just going to ignore each other as usual but no, she is actually walking towards her with that cheeky smile. She isn’t alone either with the way Ning Yizhuo and Uchinaga Aeri are trailing behind her.

She doesn’t get to speak up before Jimin grabs her arm and drags her off. They hear whispers from other people as they witness the spectacle of Yu Jimin and Kim Minjeong interacting. She was told before this that Yizhuo and Aeri know that they are friends but nothing more than that.

Minjeong is fine with it as long as Jimin is. After all, the only reason why they were keeping this a secret is because of Jimin’s parents.

When they find an empty classroom for them to occupy, Yizhuo and Aeri are quick to interrogate her.

“How come we haven’t seen you two talk to each other? Do you even consider Jimin as a friend?”

“Please tell me that you’re actually nicer than what the rumors say.”

Jimin places her hands on their shoulders and pulls them off of Minjeong. “One at a time, guys. She hates it when she gets berated.”

Minjeong isn’t used to talking openly to Jimin’s friends like this so she doesn’t know how to act. She looks back at Jimin and sees that the older girl is enjoying this. Suppose that she should keep it cool as well.

“Yes, I’m good friends with Jimin-unnie. And it’s not like we are avoiding each other. We sometimes hang out outside of school to catch up since our schedules don’t match up.” That’s half the truth Minjeong can spare for them.

Aeri and Yizhuo nod their heads as if they are mentally jotting this down.

Yizhuo looks at her with a grin. “When you say that you two are good friends… are you guys, you know?” Yizhuo raises a curious brow as she shoots Jimin with a mischievous look.

Minjeong snorts at the question. “I don’t know. What do you think, Yu Jimin?” She deflects the question to her secret lover who is caught off guard.

They all look back at the older girl and she clears her throat. “It’s not wrong to say we’re good friends-“

“Are you two fucking or what?” Aeri blurts out before they could go back and forth with each other.

Yizhuo smacks her friend. “And you scold me for not being subtle.”

“Well, there is clearly something more going on between them! It’s already unbelievable enough that we are talking to Kim Minjeong.” Aeri smacks her back and the younger girl whines at how strong it was.

Jimin’s friends continue to drill questions that she understands are for the sake of deciding whether Minjeong is good for Jimin. She hears from Jimin often how protective they can get since she always gets herself in troublesome situations. Aeri jokes about how Jimin seems to be a magnet that somehow magically summons inconvenient issues.

Minjeong agrees with that comparison. She can’t even count how many times she has helped Jimin get out of a situation and vice versa. Their relationship is rather beneficial like that but they don’t need to know what they secretly do. Otherwise, they would second guess their friendship about Jimin and she doesn’t want to risk that happening to her.

They part ways after that since the two friends have other things to do. Jimin and Minjeong step out of the classroom to find people are still gossiping about them.

Jimin doesn’t seem to care at all as she leads Minjeong outside and to the parking lot.

“You’re coming with me today.” Jimin simply says as she fishes out Minjeong’s car keys and unlocks it.

Minjeong stares at her excited lover with a smirk. “What’s the occasion? It’s not even our anniversary yet.”

“Nothing like that, silly. I just want to go shopping with you. You’ve been cycling between the same clothes for a while now and that’s unacceptable.” Jimin clicks her tongue as she jabs her finger at her chest, pointing out her favorite leather jacket that has been worn down for years now.

Both of them enter the car and Jimin quickly forces Minjeong out of her jacket and throws it to the back seats as if she can’t stand looking at it.

“Care to explain why you want to buy me clothes again? I told you I was fine with what I have.”

Jimin frowns at her words. “Well, we aren’t actually going to buy you new clothes…”

Minjeong tilts her head. “Then what is it? I don’t recall having anything special happening today.”

“It’s not like that. Now that everyone knows that we’re more or less friends. It’s about time we buy matching items.” Jimin looks determined about this and Minjeong can’t help but laugh at her.

“Really? We already have matching toothbrushes and mugs back in my apartment.” She doesn’t want to admit that it’s cute they have that unless she wants to get teased.

Jimin shakes her head. “Not like those! I want matching rings, matching necklaces, matching bracelets, matching phone cases, matching-“

Minjeong calms her lover down with a pat on her thigh that’s been shaking ever since they got inside. “Alright, alright. We will do all of that if it will appease you.”

“But you have to like it too. I can’t be the only one who enjoys it.” Jimin fastens her seatbelt as Minjeong starts up the car. “You do like it when we buy stuff together, right?”

Minjeong can’t help but give in when Jimin looks at her like that. “Of course. Just like I said, I like showing people that you’re already taken.”

Jimin gives her a light shove and orders her to just drive to her favorite mall. Minjeong doesn’t even need directions because she knows exactly what she's talking about.

The gossip eventually dies down after a month or so since everyone is too busy preparing for final exams. That also means Jimin and Minjeong don’t have time to meet up. That’s fine by them since they don’t feel the need to always meet up after school every single day.

That doesn’t mean that Jimin doesn’t get agitated at the thought of missing Minjeong. It makes her feel weak and pathetic knowing that she can’t live without seeing her once. She didn’t have this problem before they started dating but now, she craves her affirmations and touches if she is deprived of it for too long.

Thankfully, time passes by quickly when everyone is as busy as her. With their finals out of the way, Aeri and Yizhuo with a few other friends invite her to a barbecue place. They even suggested inviting Minjeong over but when she sent her a text about it, she was told that she’s still busy.

So here she is, trying not to pout at the thought of Minjeong missing out on this fun time with her friends. She drinks more than she usually allows herself and when Yizhuo tries to pry some secrets out of her about Minjeong, she does a good job holding back.

Aeri is the designated driver for all of them so she helps out everyone into the car. They all stumble and babble about random things. Someone is crying about how horribly they did on their exams while another is giggling to themselves about their new crush. Jimin still has her wits as she drags her sluggish body inside. She is offered a bottle of water when she complains about a headache.

God, she doesn’t even recall how many drinks she had. At least she has a day off tomorrow to deal with it. She takes a nap inside the car in hopes that the headache would stop. By the time they arrive back at the dorms, she is shaken by her shoulders.

“Come on, girl. Get your ass up.” Aeri laughs when Jimin whines at her before weakly pushing the car door open. Yizhuo is just as wasted as her as she almost trips on herself.

Aeri had to manhandle the both of them to their rooms. Jimin thanks her past self for making the school dorm together with her two friends. It makes it convenient to help each other out, especially when Aeri has to deal with two wasted girls fighting for the toilet seat to puke on.

Jimin doesn’t remember what else happened but next thing she knows, she stirs awake to find herself in her pajamas and laying haphazardly on her bed. She faintly hears Yizhuo going into another bout of giggles next door and Aeri has to chastise her or else they’ll get in trouble again for being loud.

She clumsily grabs out her phone that’s been sitting by the nightstand and scrolls through her contacts. When she finds the one she wants, she taps on it.

It rings for a few seconds before she hears her sweet voice.

“What’s up, baby? Did you get home safely?”

Jimin is sure that she has a goofy smile on her face. She’s thankful that no one is here to see it right now.

“Y-yeah. I think I drank too much because this headache is beating my ass.” She runs her hand over her hair.

“Wow, that usually means you did well. You must have been so excited to drink.”

“Of c-course. But it would have been more fun if you had joined us. Yizhuo wanted to play this drinking game with you because she t-thinks you’ll lose.” Jimin pulls up her blanket when she realizes that her room is cold.

“Hah, then I’ll make sure to join next time to prove her wrong. But are you feeling okay? Did you drink water?”

So sweet of her. Jimin is definitely going to put a ring on her in the future, whether her parents would like that or hate it.

“Feeling much better now that I hear your voice.”

“Pfft, you’re so lame. Please never say that again.”

Jimin laughs at the fake puking sound Minjeong makes. They talk a little longer, catching up on the past month. Minjeong mentions wanting to meet the day after tomorrow and Jimin makes sure to mark that on her phone calendar.

When Jimin feels her eyes getting heavier, she makes a kissing sound to her speaker. When she begs Minjeong to do the same, she hears a quiet kiss before the call suddenly cuts off.

When Aeri comes to check on her, she is confused to see Jimin giggling under the sheets.

Minjeong shoves the man against the dumpster and wipes down her hands over her jeans. These debt collectors have been getting more pesky the more her stupid brother continues to gamble all the money their parents left for them. At this point, she is just waiting for him to end up dead on the news with how reckless he’s being.

Jimin suggested paying them off one time but Minjeong tells her that it will only make her brother more prone to doing illegal activities. If he was let off the hook that easily, who knows what his sorry ass would do. Minjeong has already cut off contact and abandoned him when she knew that he was a lost cause. But that doesn’t mean the people that have been threatening him for money will let her go either.

Minjeong steps out of the alleyway and feels relieved to see a convenience store. She definitely needs to eat something after fighting five big men all by herself. Not only does Minjeong buy some snacks, but she also buys some bandages to treat her face.

She sits down at a nearby plastic chair and table near the store and opens up the bandages. Minjeong snorts at the sight of cute looking animals decorating the bandage. Damn, she didn’t look too closely at the package.

By the time she is done treating herself (it’s not really done well but it hides the small wounds), Minjeong pops open a can of beer and twirls her chopsticks around her ramen noodles.

This is what bliss is. Minjeong pretends that it is as she ignores the ache on her knuckles and shoulder. She blows on her noodles before slurping them up.

When she pulls out her phone, she blinks at the sight of her new phone background. It’s Jimin posing cutely while laying down on her bed and wearing her flannel shirt. Minjeong sighs at the endearing sight, wondering how she was able to figure out her phone passcode. She just changed it recently.

She takes a swig of her drink before relaxing on her seat. Minjeong calls up Jimin’s number before pressing it to her ear.

“Finally you called. Did you handle your business?”

“Yeah, I’ll be back soon so stay there. I’m just feeding myself.”

“Hey, buy me something too. You have nothing in your fridge.” She faintly hears the sound of her fridge closing from the speaker.

Minjeong casually taps her can on the table. “Sure, I’ll order takeout from that restaurant you like.”

She hears a chuckle. “I’ll let the owner know you’ll be swinging by. You know that he considers me like his second daughter from the amount of times Yizhuo and I eat at that place.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised you’re buddies with the owner. What can you not do, Yu Jimin?” She finishes her ramen and throws her finished food at the trash bin.

“Good question. I’m finding it hard to answer you.”

“Someone should humble you someday. You can’t act like a royal princess all day.” Minjeong jests.

Jimin makes a scandalized noise. “Hey, I thought you like it when I act like one.”

“I never said anything about that. Oh, stay with me on the phone. I’m getting your food.” Minjeong tidies herself up before she sets off.

By the time she comes back home, Jimin practically throws the door open and drags Minjeong inside. She thinks that the older girl is having one of those needy days but instead, Jimin snatches the bags of food and settles inside the kitchen.

Minjeong tries not to feel disappointed by the lack of attention she is being given. She tries to think about how her lover must have been starving waiting for her.

She follows Jimin and watches her eat. The older girl looks over to her appearance and makes a surprised noise. Oh right, she has these childish bandages on herself.

“Oh wow, those guys managed to get a few hits on you.” Jimin picks up a piece of pork belly and naturally, Minjeong lets herself get fed.

Minjeong sits beside her and rubs a comforting hand over her knee. “They sent out bigger men but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Jimin eyes her with suspicion, noticing how Minjeong is being way too casual about this. Minjeong can feel her scrutinizing gaze traveling up and down her body until Jimin pokes her shoulder.

She doesn’t react to the unharmed one but she does flinch when Jimin pokes her injured shoulder. Jimin sets down her utensils to take a closer look as she pulls up her shirt and gasps at the splotch of red and purple on her skin.

Minjeong gives her a nervous smile. “Don’t get too mad. I was ambushed and thrown against the wall. But other than this one, I’m good.”

Jimin doesn’t say anything as she quickly fetches an ice pack from the fridge and presses down on the bruise. Minjeong shakily hisses at the contact and grabs Jimin’s arm for support.

“See, you aren’t okay. You’re so terrible at lying.” Jimin grumbles with a deep frown and Minjeong can’t have that.

She scoots her chair closer so that Jimin can take care of her. She rubs her fingers across the exposed skin below her crop top and Jimin jumps at how cold they are. Sadly, Minjeong gets her hands taken away when Jimin orders her to keep the ice pack on her shoulder while she cleans up her bruised knuckles.

Minjeong tries to appeal for Jimin’s mercy. “Please don’t be mad, unnie …” She emphasizes on the honorific but she only receives a glare.

Once Jimin is done wrapping fresh bandages around her hands, she lets her hold her waist again while she busies herself with cleaning up Minjeong’s face.

“As much as I hate to admit how attractive you look with all these bruises and your messy hair, I also don’t want you dying on me.” Jimin murmurs at her— a soft tone that Minjeong can’t help but pay great attention to.

Minjeong cast her guilty eyes on the counter. “Sorry. I’ll try to be careful.”

“You better. Well, I’m done with your face.” Jimin sets down the first aid to the side and pushes their food towards Minjeong. “Come eat with me.”

There is one thing that she learned about herself after being with Jimin. She doesn’t actually mind all this pampering— she rarely lets her do it. Right now, it seems that Jimin is keen on taking care of her. Minjeong would usually fight against it but she is too tired for that. Besides, she doesn’t want to anger her any further.

“Cant eat.” Minjeong presents her bandaged hands with a grin. “It hurts when I move them-“

Jimin shoves the spare chopsticks to her hands with an annoyed look. “Shut up and eat. I’m not going to baby you anymore.”

Minjeong sighs at her grumpy attitude. Well, she is testing her luck too much. But Jimin slowly relaxes and acts like her usual self again as they continue to eat their early dinner.

Afterwards, they both fell asleep on the couch with her being spooned by Jimin. Minjeong doesn’t fight for her right to spoon her tonight— this too feels nice as well.

Jimin stops whatever she was doing when she receives a call of Yizhuo crying. She quickly gathers her belongings and runs out of their dorm. Thankfully, Yizhuo is not too far away as she finds her sitting on the park bench and sobbing into her hands. Jimin is relieved that she isn’t alone when she finds Ten rubbing her back.

“Oh good, you’re here. Sorry to leave all of a sudden but I really need to go to work soon.” Ten gives an apologetic look but Jimin shakes her head as she sits beside Yizhuo and gathers her in her arms.

When Ten leaves them, Yizhuo sobs onto her shoulder. Jimin coos and rubs her head, gently asking what caused her to be in an awful mood.

Yizhuo pulls away and wipes off her tears with her sleeves. “I-I was in this group project and got in a fight with s-someone in my class. He told me that m-my ideas were awful and how I d-don’t contribute anything useful.”

Jimin is already plotting her next move but her thoughts are interrupted by Yizhuo’s hiccups. Jimin hands her a handkerchief to clean herself up.

“Go on. What else?”

Yizhuo sniffles. “Those kinds of things usually don’t bother me but f-for some reason, he knew about more personal details and embarrassed me in front of everyone. H-he got in trouble for it but still…”

Jimin lets out a heavy sigh as she tightens her hug around the younger girl. “Good thing I was free when you called. Aeri is definitely not going to sit back once she hears this.”

Yizhuo half-laughs and half-cries at her words. “Y-yeah. Knowing her, she would demand him to get expelled or something.” Yizhuo pulls away and Jimin takes the opportunity to tidy her up.

“How about you join me and Minjeong? I was going to have a date with her.” Jimin doesn’t realize she lets herself slip up since she was too worried about the younger girl.

But it seems like not even sadness can take her mischief away when she gives the older girl a small smile. “A date, you say?”

Jimin flinches at her words. “Anyways… let’s go now. I’ll call her and let her know to wait inside the restaurant.”

Yizhuo doesn’t miss the way Jimin’s ears are flushed red. Oh, she will tell Aeri all about this later once she is done being all sad.

“You know, you two are so cute together-“

Jimin is quick to shut her down. “Alright, Yizhuo. Whatever you say.”

Jimin stands over the boy who is coughing and wheezing out blood and spit from her bruised mouth. Minjeong grabs his collar and slams him down against the floor for the third time.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Jimin pats her shoulder and the younger girl gets off of him, still wearing that same aggravated expression when Yizhuo first retold what happened to her in class.

While it is touching to see that Minjeong is growing close and is starting to care about her close friends, she really isn’t in the mood to beat this guy to the point that Yizhuo will get suspicious. Jimin made sure to tell Minjeong to only hit him where he can hide his injuries so nothing too extreme on the face.

Minjeong is tempted to stomp his sorry ass again but she holds her anger back.

Minjeong turns to her. “You really didn’t have to join me, you know. Sooner or later, people are going to start talking about how involved you are with my fights.”

Jimin crosses her arms as she stares down at the boy. “I really don’t give a damn right now when this dude decided to hurt Yizhuo like that. He deserves it.”

“Hm, do you want to leave now or…”

“Yeah, I’m tired.” Jimin sighs out as they both walk out of the secluded corner, leaving the whimpering boy behind.

Minjeong has already threatened enough times that he’ll keep quiet about it and she is not one to give away second chances easily. The last time someone challenged Minjeong and reported her to the school administrator, Jimin had to practically bail her out of trouble and made a whole case about how Minjeong’s victim at that time was some piece of shit that kept picking on her friends. He was a perverted stalker as well and broke into the girl’s dormitory late at night.

He was one of the more troublesome ones that didn’t back down without a fight. Minjeong got a warning from the school and if she ever gets caught breaking the rules, they will not let her off as easily as they did the first time.

Minjeong has always expressed how grateful she is of Jimin putting up with her. But then again, Minjeong also does the same thing for her so they are both equally difficult to deal with. And that’s what makes them so, so compatible.

Once they arrive, Minjeong gets odd looks from others. Not a surprising thing to see since she isn’t known to visit or make an appearance in the campus dorms. People have grown accustomed to seeing Yu Jimin and Kim Minjeong together but that doesn’t stop them from questioning the truth about their relationship.

People who don’t live in the dorms aren’t usually allowed to stay inside. While they do take attendance and check up on every room, it’s easy for Minjeong to hide when there are three people helping her.

“This is like the second time we are hiding her as if she’s some fugitive.” Aeri jokes as she hands the others hot chocolate mugs that she made herself.

Yizhuo snickers at the sight of Minjeong and Jimin huddled together in one blanket. “This is so scandalous, you know? What would your parents think when they find out that the infamous rebel of the campus is dating the Yu Jimin? This would definitely make headlines in our school’s newspapers.”

“When you say it like that, it seems like it came straight out of a movie trope.” Aeri joins in on the fun as she plops herself on the bean bag and sinks into it.

Jimin presses her hands against the warm mug and blows through the faint smoke, trying to hide her embarrassment by keeping up with her nonchalant look. Meanwhile, Minjeong isn’t as good at acting as she is so she awkwardly scratches the back of her neck.

Minjeong shifts from her cuddling position as her body slowly succumbs into fatigue. She naturally lays her head against Jimin’s shoulder and closes her eyes at the peaceful noise of idle chatter between the three friends.

The last thing she recalls was Jimin squeezing her hand under the blanket, silently telling her to rest.

“Minjeong, it’s time.” Jimin tells her as she smooths down her lover’s blazer lapel and pantsuit. “You look quite dashing like this.”

Minjeong let out an amused noise as she felt careful hands brushing down her hair— she recently got a haircut so now her wolf cut is shorter than it was. It’s all about keeping appearance today and Minjeong doesn’t mind it since she’s about to meet the big shots of this society— Yu Jimin’s parents.

“It was about time they found out as well. We haven’t been subtle with our affections ever since we got exposed.”

Jimin let out a deep sigh. “I know but it’s just annoying to argue with them. But I swear I will force them to accept you no matter what.”

“I’ll try my best to appeal to them then.” Minjeong chuckles as she rubs her back.

As the elevator reaches the desired floor, several bodyguards follow them behind with Jimin at the front waltzing in like she’s the owner of this building. Well, it’s not entirely long since she is the sole heiress of the Yu Enterprise.

Minjeong doesn’t get the time to pay attention to the lavish decorations until she is met with the big doors of the CEO’s office. Jimin pushes it open with confidence and holds Minjeong’s hand tighter as they walk inside.

Within, they find Jimin’s parents waiting for them. Her mother is seated on one of the sofas with a book in hand while her father is staring right at them with a permanent frown. Minjeong flashes them her charming smile despite the cold atmosphere threatening to weigh on them.

“Jimin, I see that you didn’t ignore my call this time.” Her father starts as he rounds his wide desk and towers over them. “And you brought your arm candy too.”

Minjeong bows her head despite the degrading term being thrown at her. She’s used to dealing with uptick rich people— she’s currently dating one right now.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. And Mrs. Yu. I apologize if we kept you waiting for too long.”

Jimin’s mother places her book down and crosses her legs. “You didn’t. Honey, let’s just get this over with.” She jerks her head to the papers that are currently sitting by the desk.

Mr. Yu grabs them and presents the papers in front of the young couple. “Sign this NDA.”

“No need. Me and Minjeong already did that before we started dating.” Jimin pushes it off and her father seems surprised at the extra precautions she has taken. “I made sure she will keep her mouth shut about how our family operates.”

“So this is actually serious? Are you willing to let go of all of these wonderful suitors for a nobody like her?” Her mother’s agitated voice rises up as she sends Minjeong a judgemental look. “What do you have to offer for my daughter?”

Minjeong is very confident in that department. She squeezes Jimin’s hand as she steps forward for them. “I have done countless things for Yu Jimin, before and after we started this relationship. I have done things no other partner is able to handle.”

There’s a sinister look in her eyes that surprises the parents. It’s an all too familiar look that they’ve seen from their own daughter.

“I’ve beaten up people for her— going as far as killing or torturing them as long as it secures Jimin’s safety. I bet I can even fight against your trained men if I wanted to.”

Mr. Yu squints at her and she isn’t sure if it’s a look of doubt or something else. He leans forward and inspects the younger girl’s face. It is silent for a while until Jimin’s mother gasps and interrupts the tense atmosphere.

She shakily points at Minjeong. “Y-you’re that family’s daughter. What was your name again?”

Jimin raises a curious brow— so they do know her? No wonder Minjeong was overly confident about all this. It’s not easy to fluster her parents to the point of them being speechless. Even her father looks more wary than usual.

“Kim Minjeong— Winter was what I went by in public.” She bows her head again as she reintroduces her real identity.

It's only at times like these that Jimin curses her poor memory. It seems like her parents have encountered Minjeong’s family before and she assumes that was how they first met. She isn’t sure if she’s remembering it right but she does recall a little girl with short hair and puffy cheeks playing with her.

Jimin’s father takes a step back and rubs his hairy chin. “I remember your family. You used to work for us until a fatal incident occurred and you lost all contact with us. Something about your father getting attacked by one of our enemies.” Jimin assumes the attack came from their ruthless business rivals.

Minjeong nods. “Yes, I was part of that family that served as your security detail. My brother and I were trained under our father's strict regime. It’s a pity that we didn’t get to continue our service.”

“Indeed, you were an irreplaceable bunch. I heard from your parents that we were going to get some talented hires. At least we got one of you back. Is it safe to say that you are dating my daughter knowing of our families' connections?”

Minjeong knows she is getting asked for any ulterior motives. “I’m a simple person, Mr. Yu. While it’s inevitable that I will work for your business in the future, all I ever want is your approval for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”

That’s the first time Jimin has ever heard marriage slip out of the younger girl’s lips. She tries to hide her surprise and subtly jabs Minjeong’s back out of reprimand— they will have this conversation later.

“You said you have… killed people before. Would you mind telling us what kind of people?”

Minjeong hums in thought. “Just the usual dangerous ones like debt collectors, nasty stalkers, gang members…” then she snaps her fingers. “Oh, I also dealt with businessmen who have sent people to hurt Jimin.”

That last bit of information finally warrants a harder jab on her side. “I told you to keep that one a secret!”

“Wait, my daughter was targeted before?” Mrs. Yu covers her mouth and sends an accusatory look at her husband. It seems Mr. Yu didn’t inform her about that.

Minjeong nods. “There was a time where I heard from Jimin that the Yu Enterprise had made a breakthrough with their technology and were proceeding to the next step. Your rivals hired people to kidnap your daughter and plan to hold her for ransom in exchange for your industry secrets.”

“Yes, I remember hiring bodyguards for Jimin to follow her around for a year until it all blows over.” Mr. Yu’s eyes change into shock as if there’s a light bulb above him. “Wait, you were the one who wiped them?!”

Minjeong shrugs. “Your men were doing an excellent job at guarding your daughter. It was a pity that I couldn’t hang out with her during that time so I took it upon myself to deal with the root of the problem. A few kills here and there with drops of death threats to their families then… they scurried off.”

The more Minjeong talks, the more impressed they are of what she’s capable of. Jimin expected this to happen but what she didn’t expect was their families’ personal ties with one another— all of those factors seem to weigh in favor of Minjeong.

“Well, you certainly exceed our expectations.” Mr. Yu rubs out the wrinkles on his forehead and sends an unreadable look at his wife.

The young couple stays quiet as her parents talk among themselves. It was an excruciating long time until Jimin’s mother brushes her husband off once they have made up their mind.

Mr. Yu stands in front of them again with a cold look. “Do you promise to take care of my daughter until the day you die?”

“Of course, that’s what I’m planning to do.” Minjeong brushes shoulders with the older girl.

He looks at both of them for a good minute before letting out a sigh. There’s a look of resignation that Minjeong finds entertaining to see on a powerful CEO such as him. Jimin was right— no matter how strict and sensitive they are, they are too much of a sucker to go against their daughter’s wishes.

“Then I accept you into the family. We were doubtful since we couldn’t find anything after doing a background check on you. But it seems you are more than capable of handling my problematic daughter.” He snickers at the offended look Jimin gives him. “You’re a deadly one, Kim Minjeong. Your parents would have been proud of you.”

Minjeong doesn’t like sentimentality so she tries to ignore his last sentence. “Thank you for trusting me, Mr. and Mrs. Yu. I promise that I’ll be good.”

“I’m surprised you’re accepting her sooner than I thought. I thought you were going to start interrogating her like a criminal or ask about her future aspirations.”

“We have more than enough money and power to take care of ourselves, Jimin. We provided that list of suitors for you just in case you couldn’t make up your mind. But since you two have shown us how serious this relationship is and how dependable Kim Minjeong is, we have no choice but to accept it.” Her mother confesses as she puts a hand over her chest.

Her parents have never shown their genuine smile to anyone before. Jimin doesn’t even remember the last time they showed any happiness. But she swears that for a second, she saw her parents look content with her. They have always trusted their daughter since she was an ambitious and scary girl from the beginning— a perfect candidate for the position of CEO.

But it seems like she has met her match in the form of a cold blooded and ruthless girl like Minjeong. Jimin was prepared to fight tooth and nail for her but she didn’t even have to say a single word— Minjeong did it all and she can’t help but feel proud of her.

When the couple are dismissed from the main office and they enter the elevator, Minjeong can’t help but kiss her cheek. Jimin gives her a confused look.

“What was that for?”

Minjeong simply smiles. “Nothing, I just wanted to.”

Minjeong attended a few family dinners after meeting Jimin’s parents. They continued to test her for obvious reasons since they are still in disbelief that a small girl like her is capable of taking down scary men twice her size.

Minjeong laughed it off when her parents secretly conducted a fake ambush where they grabbed Jimin away. The older girl wasn’t in the mood to act out a hostage situation since she doesn’t find it amusing to play with her parents’ tricks. But at least she got to watch Minjeong fight off the fake kidnappers— albeit too roughly that one of them had to be sent to the hospital.

Minjeong jokes about how Jimin’s family is operating more like a gang than some esteemed businessmen. It’s all due to the fact that they are too forgiving and accepting of any form of violence but that shouldn’t be a surprise since Jimin is the same way.

Once Minjeong has finally received their approval, it’s only a matter of time before they make it official to the public. Jimin’s parents were planning to hide Minjeong’s identity as Jimin’s lover for the time being— she prefers that anonymity anyway.

So when the news broke out that Yu Jimin had formed an arranged marriage contract with an unknown name, it was inevitable to see reporters flocking near Yu Enterprise buildings and Jimin’s campus as well. They are quite eager to catch the juicy scoop of Jimin holding hands with her secret lover.

Students at the campus have a fair idea who it was since they have witnessed them hanging out together. But they were told by the school administrators to keep quiet about it. Of course, that doesn’t stop the ones who enjoy causing drama and sticking their noses to people’s business. They were tipped off by reporters and dropped some names, including Kim Minjeong.

Jimin was particularly upset about it and wanted to take action against the reporters that have been swarming her for the past few weeks. Aeri and Yizhuo had to help her brush the paparazzi away whenever they tried to get out of campus. There’s always at least one reporter tailing them in hopes that they can get a scandalous story.

That doesn’t really stop Jimin from attending parties either but she doesn’t visit the big and rowdy ones. Her parents have learned of her frivolous lifestyle and ordered her to stay put for now until the reporters lose interest. Almost a month has passed by since the announcement of her dating life was revealed and Jimin is in dire need of relieving her stress.

Thankfully, her parents are just as tired as she is about it and decide to come out with a statement that they will file a report on anyone that dares to stalk or endanger their daughter in some way. It somewhat helps take off the heat behind Jimin’s back but that doesn’t stop the rumors from circulating around the campus.

And Minjeong is always there to bring comfort to her life when life doesn't allow her to. Today, Jimin lets herself be pampered and taken care of in the safety of Minjeong’s apartment.

“You should have told me you were having a shitty time. I would have ditched my classes for you.” Minjeong pours her a shot of soju and presents a bowl of rice dish with all the ingredients Jimin likes mixed in.

Jimin downs her first shot of the night and releases a small grunt. “That’s exactly why I didn’t contact you. I feel guilty taking your time away.”

Minjeong cocks a brow at how downstruck her lover is. “Yu Jimin feeling guilty? Wow, did hell freeze over or what?”

“Oh, fuck off. I don’t want you making any smart comments right now.” Jimin repeatedly taps her chopsticks on the rim of her bowl to show her annoyance.

“Sorry, baby.” Minjeong coos as she kisses her head and rubs her sides up and down. “You want me to do anything for you?”

Jimin shakes her head. “I just want your company— nothing else. Maybe we can watch some movies.”

Minjeong squeezes her shoulder before she hops off of her seat. “I’ll go put something on the TV then.”

She continues to stuff herself with their takeout food until she is too full to take another bite. Jimin is eternally grateful for her lover’s considerate attitude— always so selfless and willing to do anything for her. Everytime these kinds of things happen, Jimin always has the urge to return the favor. It’s just how she operates in any relationship.

She tells her that they’re going on a date this weekend. Minjeong tries to hide her excitement since it’s been a while they went on one. As they cuddle inside a blanket and give half of their attention to the movie, Minjeong asks what kind of date it’s going to be.

Jimin doesn’t tell her any of it— it’s always more fun to keep it a secret.

“Would you please tell me what our first meeting was like? I’m going insane trying to remember it.” Jimin sulks as she gives a light shake on her arm.

Minjeong bows to the cashier before taking their drinks and handing the iced americano to Jimin’s hands. “Is it really that important for you?”

Jimin looks at her as if she’s insane. “Uhm, yes? Our parents knew each other. We were childhood friends and I can’t remember if you were that cute girl with the bob haircut and chubby cheeks or I’m thinking of someone else.”

Minjeong throws her head back with laughter bubbling in her throat. Jimin’s annoyance increases tenfold and she kicks Minjeong’s foot, causing her to almost trip.

“Alright, alright! Yes, I was that girl you met.” Minjeong tries not to tease at the way Jimin’s eyes glow with satisfaction.

“So you are that girl that would always chase me around my old home. I remember you were so small…” Jimin makes a gesture of the exact height she remembers little Minjeong had. “I can’t believe you grew up from being cute to… being this insane.”

Minjeong bumps shoulders with her with a pout. “Hey, I’m not that bad. You were worse— constantly picking on me and stealing my toys.”

Jimin doesn’t argue against the accusation. “That does sound like something I would do.”

“I remember visiting you during summer time and you had these ridiculous high pigtails.” Minjeong demonstrates by suddenly grabbing Jimin’s hair and pulling them up her head. Jimin swats her hands off and attempts to kick her.

Except Minjeong is prepared for the attack this time and dodges before she can hit her. “It was cute! Don’t be like that.”

“You said it was ridiculous, asshole. Don’t go back on your word now.” Jimin grumbles before taking a sip of her drink.

Minjeong wraps an arm around her shoulder and peppers kisses across her cheek. Jimin grunts at the onslaught of love and tries to pry out of her hold.

They continue to reminisce about their childhood and Jimin soon realizes that she does remember little Minjeong. It’s just hard to connect the cute face she used to have to the rebellious and dangerous image Minjeong currently has as an adult.

When they return to Minjeong’s apartment, she begs for her to find any baby photos in hopes for her to save a photo in her phone. To her dismay, Minjeong doesn’t have it nor does she remember her parents keeping them.

But Minjeong does show her an old family photo Minjeong stashed in one of the boxes she hasn’t unpacked yet. Jimin doesn’t want this to get any more sentimental from the way Minjeong suddenly becomes quiet so she comments on how awful those bangs looked on her as a kid.

Thankfully, Minjeong breaks out of her nostalgic reverie and they continue to make fun of each other.

Jimin’s small hands smooths down her baby yellow sundress as she waits for Minjeong’s family to arrive. She’s grateful that her parents are more lenient on her during summer time because that means she gets to do whatever she wants with Minjeong. She has been growing tired of all the homeschooling because not only are her parents unbearable but even her personal tutor is way too strict with her.

She can’t contain the smile on her face when Minjeong comes running off from her parents’ side and throws herself into Jimin’s arms.

“Let’s go to my room! Mom bought this new game and I want to play it with you.”

Their giggles and joyous banter echo through the summers they have spent together. They pass through her eyes like a kaleidoscope of innocence and naivety. But the nostalgic images slip through her fingers like fine grains of sand and before she knows it —

Jimin slowly breaks out of that dream with a few blinks and a yawn that resonates within the empty dorm. She forces herself up and gives herself a few seconds to recover from her grogginess. Once her mind has somewhat pieced her wits together, she quickly changes to a fresh set of clothes and hooks the strap of the bag over her shoulder.

She doesn't get enough time to think about her dream when she sees familiar faces outside of the dormitory.

“Look who finally showed up.” Aeri loops her arm around Jimin’s while Yizhuo does the same to her other arm. “There were a lot of giggling noises coming from your room.”

Oh, that is something that she doesn't want to hear first thing in the morning. “I must have had a weird dream.” Jimin dismisses it coldly.

Yizhuo pokes her cheeks and she realizes how hot her face feels. “It was about Minjeong-”

Jimin smacks her back before she can finish her sentence, causing the poor girl to stumble forward. But her friends continue to make fun of her until they separate for their morning classes.

Before the day ended, Yizhuo and Aeri treated her for dinner and Jimin lets herself forgive them this time.

Minjeong groans as she’s shoved against the wall and desperate lips seek her own. Jimin bites and licks until her lips are bruised— hands groping and massaging any skin she could touch.

“Baby…” Minjeong releases a strained noise when Jimin slips her hands under her shirt. “You couldn’t even wait until we get to bed?”

Jimin grunts as she presses her teeth across her neck, eager to bring pain and pleasure to her lover. “I finally have you all for myself…”

Minjeong slumps her head against the wall and lets out a dry chuckle. Jimin admires the flushed look that’s spreading across her face— she can’t help but bite down on her neck.

Minjeong flinches at the sharp pain and clings onto the older girl for support. “You can do as you please then…”

Jimin was starving for Minjeong and it lasted for as long as five hours. It’s almost dawn by the time they finish and Minjeong struggles to stand up without feeling an ache between her legs. Jimin is in a similar state but she is faring better than Minjeong is. They both help each other enter the bathtub and they sigh in content at the warm, bubbling water hugging their exhausted bodies.

Jimin leaves fleeting kisses across Minjeong’s nape, whispering praises behind her ear until she had enough. Minjeong lightly smacks her arm when she attempts to grope her chest. But they fall into fits of giggles now that Jimin has somewhat relaxed.

“Didn’t think you were going to be that tense, unnie.” Minjeong nuzzles her shoulder and presses her lips there. “Did you miss me that much?”

Jimin seems like she’s too tired to act as her prideful self tonight. “Yes, sorry if I was too rough.”

“Well, I always enjoy how feisty you can get.” That earns her a pinch on her cheek and they laugh again.

Jimin stares at her for a few seconds with a small smile. Minjeong can’t decide whether it’s a good or bad one. She leans to her touch when her soaked hair is brushed off of her face and Jimin tenderly kisses her face.

“I love you.”

Minjeong feels a tug at her heart that she hasn’t felt in so long. That’s the first time Jimin has ever said those words and she knows that it was difficult for her to say them. Jimin’s eyes lose their confidence when it drops down to the water, clearly worried if she pushed too far.

Minjeong tiredly laughs at her shy expression before cupping her face and lifting it up.

“I love you too, Yu Jimin.”

Jimin’s smile returns to her lips before she is pulled into a sweet kiss. It’s a slow and steady dance that causes Minjeong to melt for her.

They get out of the bathtub and change to their nightwear. Jimin shoots a text to Aeri and Yizhuo that she’ll be staying over at Minjeong’s home for tonight. In response, they give her teasing messages about their relationship and she laughs at all of them.

Minjeong slips behind her and places a gentle kiss on her neck. “What are you giggling at?”

Jimin shakes her head as she throws her phone to the side and loops her arms around her neck.

With the background noises of the television and the single lamp illuminating their blanketed figures, it’s easy to fall asleep in this relaxing and comforting place.

The last thing she remembers is Minjeong tightening her hold and whispering her love against her ear.