Chapter 7

Minjeong laid down on top of her bed, her arm pressed against her eyes. She couldn’t help but to replay the events from the night. 

After chatting for what seemed like hours with Jimin, the woman walked her home, and reluctantly let her hand go when they had reached her dorm’s entrance. They ended up staying outside for a good while. So much that around the end, Minjeong had started to freeze. But luckily, Jimin had lent her her jacket.

When Jimin had put it around the younger woman’s shoulders, Minjeong immediately warmed up. And she knows deep down that the cause of her sudden increase in warmth hadn’t only been the fluffy jacket.

If Minjeong had to be honest, their outing really felt like a date. But isn’t that just her wishfully hoping for it to be one though? 

She has yet to address her feelings for Jimin to herself, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize she feels good with her. Way too good actually. And the way she was currently hugging Jimim’s jacket was an obvious sign of it. 

Maybe Minjeong is a weirdo for indulging herself with Jimin’s lingering scent on the piece of clothing. But who could possibly blame her, it was right there! 

“Oh my gosh you’re actually so down bad…”

Minjeong let out a shriek, and immediately threw the jacket against the wall at the opposite side of her room. 

“Ning what the-”

And obviously, seeing the ridiculous and embarrassing stunt Minjeong had just pulled, Yizhuo burst out laughing.

“Minjeong… don’t tell me you were actually sniff-”

“Aah shut up!” Minjeong covered her ears, got up and pushed Yizhuo outside of the room, feeling her ears burning up under her hands. However, Yizhuo put up a great fight and somehow, the two ended up wrestling on the couch.

“Gosh you’re such a weirdo!” cackled Yizhuo in between dodging Minjeong’s angry hands. 

Minjeong was seeing red, but it was more from embarrassment towards herself than anything. “You saw nothing!”

“Girl I’m sorry but it’s too good of a thing for me to forget!”

Minjeong groaned, and decided to let herself roll down on the floor, finally deciding to surrender and give up. She was way too tired for this shit already, and Yizhuo was way too strong anyways. Do all drummers have such gorilla strength??

Fistfighting with her best friend after an exhausting afternoon of studying was not in her plans at all!

Yizhuo, who was still laughing and comfortably sitting on the couch after her successful victory, looked down at Minjeong. “For real though, what’s the deal with that?”

Minjeong sighed. Yizhuo already caught her in what was probably the most embarrassing situation of her life, so what else was there to hide really… 

It feels weird for Minjeong to admit it out loud though. Hell, she can’t even admit it to herself the safe confines of her head! 

But her evening with Jimin showed her that the older woman makes her feel so good and relaxed. But she also can’t find herself to stop thinking about her ever since she came home. The way Jimin gently held her hand, the joyous conversations they had, the hidden glances and timid smile. 

The sole memory of all of that was enough to make Minjeong’s heart beat faster. 

Long story short, she’s helplessly down bad for Yu Jimin. And the worst of it? She doesn’t even mind. 

“Well…” she started. “I bumped into her when I was exiting the library, so she walked me home and we got ice cream on the way.”

Yizhuo hummed. “So, does that explain your red cheeks and the jacket?”

“Wha-” Minjeong immediately put both of her hands on her cheeks, and realized how warm they actually were. “It’s nothing really, I’m just a bit cold.”

“Liar.” Yizhuo sent her a knowing look, and got up to make her way towards the kitchen. “I won’t force you to admit anything, don't worry.”

Woah, how uncharacteristically sweet of Yizhuo to do this. 

“But do you like her or something?”

Of course. Yizhuo does love a great gossip, and especially if it’s about her best friend’s relationship endeavors. Which is the very first time it actually happened, since Minjeong never showed interest for anyone in that sense. Or even showed interest in other people than Yizhuo before in general. So, expecting this, Minjeong could only sigh. 

“I guess so…” The words had spilled out of her mouth without her even realizing it. Crap.

And of course, it had lured Yizhuo back in the living room, her arms full of snacks. She dropped them on the table, and jumped on Minjeong, who was still sitting down on the floor. 

Well now, she was laying down more than anything. 

Yizhuo, who basically straddled her now, had literal stars in her eyes. “Wait for real? Like you’re not lying about THE Kim Minjeong finally having her eyes on someone? Is this a dream or something?”

“Woah, calm down,” Minjeong tried to appease her overly excited friend, who couldn’t stop herself from yapping about this newfound piece of information. 

“How can I!” Yizhuo suddenly came down, and engulfed her in a tight hug. “I’m so so happy for you Minjeong!”

Hearing this, Minjeong immediately softened. She knows how Yizhuo is actually protective towards her, despite being younger. 

She patted her hair, and eased into a small smile. “Thanks Ning.”

Hearing Yizhuo reacting so well to the possibility of Minjeong liking Jimin reassured her a bit. At least, Yizhuo indirectly approved. 

Approved what though? Minjeong had just, slightly and very much indirectly, kind of eluded out loud about the possibility of her maybe liking Jimin a tad bit. It wasn’t anything big! 

But nonetheless, something in her heart felt softer. Those were new feelings after all, and Minjeong wanted to treasure them as much as she could. 

Of course, the worries of it spilling out in front of Jimin was absolutely terrifying to her overthinking brain. But at the same time, knowing that she was lowering down her walls to Jimin felt reassuring. 

Suddenly, Yizhuo got up, and plopped down on the couch. “Now then, you’ve got some studying to do!”

“What do you mean-”

Yizhuo grinned. “We’re gonna binge romance movies tonight to make you extra prepared!”

Minjeong groaned, but still sat down next to her friend. Yizhuo will never change, but will she… 

*** 

Before they knew it, the day of the performance finally arrived. And saying that Minjeong was excited was a severe understatement. She was practically bouncing from anticipation, excitement and fear. 

They worked really hard for this first concert, and Minjeong really hopes that everything will go well. There’s no reason for it not to though, right? They practiced almost every single day, and spent hours and hours perfecting their sounds together.

And Minjeong is proud to say that they managed to reach a perfectly balanced point, where everybody is able to shine in their own way, all while perfectly fitting together. 

When she thinks about it, all of this is kind of crazy. They had never played together before the whole band happened, but it still felt like they had been playing music together since forever. Is this what happens when you finally reunite and share your passion with others? Because clearly, all four of them are equally as passionate about music, and each in their own way. 

But one thing is very much common between them. They all love music to the moon and back. 

“Hey, how do you feel?”

Minjeong, who had been busy cleaning her guitar right before the performance started, raised her head and was met with Jimin’s usual caring gaze.

Minjeong gave herself a second to think about her answer. “Hm… I’m a bit stressed honestly…,” she sheepishly said.

Jimin flashed her a warm smile, and sat down on the chair next to Minjeong’s. “Same here…”

Minjeong directly looked at the other woman, and slightly raised her brow. “Really? I didn’t know feeling stress was in your DNA.”

Jimin playfully nudged her shoulder. “Hey now, I’m only human!”

Jimin’s cute reaction made Minjeong immediately giggle softly. The girl never fails to make her feel better, no matter how. Maybe her sole presence is enough to cheer Minjeong up, or to make her feel relaxed. 

“Oh yeah,” started an unusually red-looking Jimin. “Is it okay if we can talk after the performance? I have… something I want to tell you.”

Huh?

Minjeong’s heartbeat immediately quickened. What does Jimin want to talk about? Did she do anything to make the older girl upset? She looked more embarrassed than mad though, so what’s going on? 

Wait. 

Does Jimin plan on confess- 

No, that’s ridiculous. Minjeong has been observing Jimin for a while already (not in a weird way of course!), and she noticed how awkward she can also act sometimes with Aeri and Yizhuo. Like that time she practically begged to bite Aeri’s shoulder for some unknown reason, and felt embarrassed after getting rejected. Or when she would immediately look as red as a tomato whenever Yizhuo playfully joked with her. 

Sometimes, Minjeong doesn’t really get Jimin. How can a big loser, affectionately, be trapped in such an ethereal and gorgeous body? Minjeong already said it, and will repeat it all over whenever she’ll think about her friend, but life truly has its favorites… 

All of this to say that Minjeong is pretty much sure that Jimin doesn’t act any differently with her than she does with other people! During their movie watching session, Yizhuo did say that Aeri told her all Jimin talks about is Minjeong. And honestly, that made her feel a tad embarrassed, but also kind of proud? 

But still, it doesn’t prove anything! And she’s a hundred percent sure that she’s not the dense person Yizhuo paints her to be, and that she would absolutely see it if anybody was interested in her!  

But also, when did Aeri and Yizhuo get so close, to the point of gossiping about Jimin and her? What was there to gossip anyways!

“Minjeong?”

Minjeong did not even realize it but before she knew it, she had completely zoned out, leaving a worried looking Jimin hanging in the process. 

“Oh sorry!” Jimin’s face fell a bit hearing that, and Minjeong kind of felt bad for thinking it looked totally endearing and adorable. But she decided to not let the older girl worry too much for too long. She doesn’t really know what Jimin wants to talk about, but she’ll hear her out anytime. No matter the topic, as long as Jimin is there. 

So she offered her a sincere smile. “Of course I’ll hear you out.”

And just like that, Jimin’s face lit up again. “Thank you!” She got up, and extended a hand towards Minjeong. “Seems like our time to shine is there,” she said, looking behind her to the commotion happening on stage. The people who were seemingly holding some kind of play (Minjeong thinks it was Rapunzel) were rushing backstage, and people were already clearing the stage, making room for Yizhuo’s drums and for all of the wiring that goes with their instruments. 

Minjeong, who had been distracted by the commotion, finally met Jimin’s intense gaze. And without wasting a second, she grabbed the warm and familiar hand in hers’ and immediately squeezed it. 

Jimin grinned at her, and Minjeong’s heart skipped a beat. “Shall we go?”

As a response, Minjeong got up, and tightened her hold on her guitar. Both of them walked towards where Yizhuo and Aeri had been lounging, and they all huddled together, forming a small circle.

Aeri, who tacitly became their leader, looked at each one of them. “We’ve been waiting for this for ages…” She then put her hand in the middle of the circle. “Are you girls ready?”

All of them put their hands on top of Aeri’s, and shouted along with her. 

“Let’s go!”

Jimin’s hand, who had been on top of Minjeong’s, secretly tightened around her own while they had been shouting. And the small squeeze eased Minjeong’s nerves greatly. As long as Jimin… No. As long as those three girls are with her, she feels like she’ll be okay. 

She made her way towards the stage, and started setting up her guitar. She plugged it in, and adjusted the volume of the amp. Gladly, a long and thick curtain was acting as a protecting wall between the audience and the stage, so Minjeong didn’t feel her stage fright. At least, she didn’t feel it yet. 

Once they were all positioned and ready, Aeri signaled the students working backstage to lift up the curtain. And as the mechanism started to take action, the cheers on the other side grew louder.

And eventually, when the curtain was fully lifted up, Minjeong saw all of those faces, looking at her expectantly. Feeling their strong and insistent gazes made her legs immediately feel like some kind of pudding. 

She wanted to get out of here, now. 

But maybe she had noticed, or maybe it’s her 6th sense that was acting again but Jimin, who had been at the other side of the stage, sent her a reassuring glance, and mouthed her some encouraging words. “You can do it Minjeongie!” managed to read Minjeong. 

Using this nickname now? Sometimes, you’re way too unfair, Yu Jimin. Now, Minjeong has no choice but to bring herself back together, and get this shit done! 

For this performance, they had rehearsed a total of three songs. It was a quick gig, but long enough for them to showcase their combined sound. 

When Yizhuo started to hit her drumsticks together, announcing the tempo, Minjeong took a deep breath. She can do it. 

And as soon as the music started, she entered some kind of trance. The strings felt light and smooth under her fingers, and she managed to follow the tempo perfectly. She didn’t even need to look around her to realize that the other three had no trouble playing as well. Heck, it was the best way they had played until now! 

And without even realizing it, the first two songs had gone by in a blink of an eye. It was already time for the last piece of the day. Minjeong isn’t sure if she’s ready to let go of the stage yet. At first, it felt incredibly frightening. But the more time she spent there, the more comfortable she felt. It was just the four of them, surrounded by music. Of course, they were playing for an audience, but it felt like they were just casually playing between themselves. And it felt really good.

Their last song for the day was Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet, from Kessoku Band. It’s a Japanese band Aeri talked a lot about, mostly because of their interesting lead guitar, as well as their strong vocals. Plus, it’s a band that’s composed of two guitars, a bass and drums, just like them. 

So covering one of their songs was just a matter of time. And when Aeri showed them this specific song, Minjeong had resonated a lot with it. The lyrics are about a girl who desperately wishes to express herself, even though she physically can’t. And it hit way too close to home for Minjeong. 

Usually, they try to divide the singing parts between the four of them. They couldn’t really settle on a singular singer, and decided to just cut the pear in half and go with this setting. But Aeri, being the only fluent member in Japanese, was tasked with singing this specific song. 

Minjeong had wanted to fully focus on the guitar part anyways. She doesn’t know how skilled the guitarist of Kessoku Band really is, but damn she’s one hell of a good one! It had been the trickiest piece Minjeong had to learn yet, but the result had been very satisfying. 

Minjeong took another deep breath, and focused on the first notes. In fact, the song opened with a tricky guitar riff that she really didn’t want to mess up. But gladly, she flawlessly played the notes, and the others immediately followed with their own instrument. 

Aeri’s singing, Yizhuo’s skilled drums, Jimin’s smooth bass. And finally, Minjeong’s sharp guitar. All of their sounds perfectly merged together to create a melody only they could play.

And when the song came to an end, Minjeong finally released one last breath, before looking at the audience, and bowing. She had barely heard them during the performance, because she had been way too focused in her own bubble. She really didn’t want to mess this up!

But gladly, it seemed like they had a blast. At least, that’s what the almost deafening cheers conveyed. 

The four girls looked at each other, amazed. Yizhuo quickly got up from her stool, grabbed Jimin with her right arm and Minjeong with her left, and gathered them all around Aeri to form a tight group hug. 

For once in her life, Minjeong truly felt like she belonged. With these girls, on their side. 

Alas, this moment was only fleeting. A student backstage ushered them to come back backstage, because another performance was going to take place shortly after their own. 

So, all giggling at the amusing situation, they all retreated. Aeri and Yizhuo couldn’t help but to excitedly talk about their performance, saying how good it was and how stressed they had been before. And Minjeong and Jimin listened to them, both smiling warmly. Until Jimin eventually took her hand in her warm one, and swiftly whispered in her ear.

“Hey, is it okay if we-”

However, Jimin abruptly got cut by a feminine voice. And the second she heard it, Minjeong immediately stiffened. Its tone was icy, and familiar. Way too familiar.

“Minjeong?”

Minjeong slowly turned her head towards the owner of the voice, and was met with the person she wanted to see the least at the moment. Especially with her guitar in between her hands, and after a whole damn concert.

“M-mom?”