Love Wins All

Today, every student will receive their grades for their past exams held last month, and they are praying to the fullest, wishing for a good grade or to pass. For Minju, all she needed was to get the maximum score for each subject and become the top 1 student in school.

Simple, right?

But…

It wasn’t easy for her…

You’ll know why…

As the test papers were handed back, the room was filled with the usual sighs, whoops and whispers. Some celebrated, some were just in pain, regretting their purpose in life. That didn’t matter because the main topic of the school was the top scorer of the academic for this year and everyone were thinking of only 2 people. Either Minju or you. Usually, almost every friends of Minju and her simp boys were supporting her and wishing her to grab that number 1 spot.

Minju was confident and ready to walk and grab her paper because she knew how hard she worked and nobody could ever fight her efforts.

Minju had tuitions, studying 24 hours non-stop, teaching students as a way of revising, and do we need to explain that she once eat all exercises books as her breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Insane….

Abnormal…

and

Dilligent..

As her name was called, she immediately went to the teacher’s desk and grabbed her exam paper.

“Park Minju”

“Here”

The teacher praised her for acing the test. Her efforts were already paid with high marks.

She should be happy and everyone was clapping for her as she got 98 marks for her exams, which should be considered as the highest in the school. The grade that would send any student to the moon. But for her, the Student Council President, the girl who had been queen of first place ever since middle school, it was defeat.

Because her record was beaten by some random nobody(well, it was her classmate but she didn’t give a single fuck about knowing that person)

“Y/n L/n. Congrats! You got a perfect score and therefore, you are the top 1 student in our school. Everyone, give an applause to him!”

You got up from your seat and grabbed your paper with a smile on your face and a soft “thank you” to the teacher before returning to your seat.

You didn’t realize that Minju already stared at you too deeply like she wanted to kill you.

Well…

It should only happen once…

Right?

Surely Minju can steal his spot and claim her crown, right?

Nah…

Stop thinking that the luck is on her side…

It didn’t change anything.

You were too OP for this.

A year later…

Minju was looking at the fat red "2" at the top of her paper.

She held the sides so tightly they were crinkling. Ninety-eight.

Second place.

Again.

Her keen eyes gradually raised and fixed on the back of a certain head three rows behind her.

You

You were leaning in the chair a bit, earphones around your neck, as calm as ever. Your face was relaxed, almost bored, as if the test had been a small interruption in his world of fantasy.

Minju felt a sick knot in her stomach.

She took the test and stood up, her chair screeching on the concrete floor. Several students flinched. She didn't say anything to the teacher, but stood up and walked to the back of the room, her heels tapping aggressively against the floor.

You noticed her approaching. Of course you did. But you didn't react. You just took the earphone away and looked at her with those dumb eyes.

Minju threw the test paper on his desk.

“Second place,” she said, her voice low but enraged. “Second place again, because of you.”

The room fell silent. This was a common occurrence, ever since you arrived last year.

You looked at her, silently. You knew better. If you said anything, she would talk right over you. So you just listened to her.

And that seemed to piss her off even more.

“Do you even study?” she went on, her posh voice loud. Or do you just sit and twiddle your thumbs, like you don't care, and still manage to mess up my life? I did 100 hours of studying a day for two weeks. Two weeks!”

She pointed at your paper, where you got 100%.

“Look at this! You got all the questions right! Are you mocking me? Is this funny to you?”

You opened your mouth.

“No, don’t say anything,” she replied immediately, putting her hand up. “Don’t say anything. I don't want excuses. You always do this. You always play the 'I don't care' game, you always think you are above everything, but you keep taking first place away from me.

Minju’s face was flushed red. Some of her usually immaculate hair had fallen in front of her face. She was both angry and… adorable. Although not that you would ever admit it.

She bent down a little, staring hard into your eyes.

“I hate you. I really hate you. I'm going to come after you one day and you won't even dare look at the rankings. Do you understand me?”

You blinked slowly.

She waited.

You didn’t know what to respond. It should be a small matter to you but to her, it was like you took away her whole universe and you kinda felt guilty for her.

It’s not like you didn’t want to lose, but the questions were too easy for you to answer that you didn’t consider to hide yourself from being the top student and beating the school’s heartthrob, Minju.

Actually, you wished to be noticed by Minju but you didn’t expect her to being this angry at you…

“I’m sorry”

The words left your mouth before you could overthink them.

Minju’s eyes widened. The entire classroom seemed to freeze.

“What??”

Her voice cracked slightly, completely caught off guard. She leaned in closer without realizing, her face now only a foot away from yours.

“What did you say?”

You looked up at her properly this time. She was closer than she’d ever been. You could see the faint freckles under her eyes, the way her long lashes fluttered in surprise, and how her usually sharp, confident gaze was now trembling with confusion.

You repeated your answer and raised your voice a little to her.

“I’m sorry. My bad. I promised to let you win next time.”

A heavy silence filled the air.

This was the first time in your life the great Student Council President Minju was silent. Her cheeks flushed a gentle pink as she looked at your face, so close to her own - the quiet look in your eyes, the angle of your jaw, the way you looked at her without ridiculing her.

He's… really cute.

It suddenly dawned on her. Her heart suddenly started thumping so loudly. She felt her face and ears get hot.

No. No no no. What the hell am I doing?! This is the enemy! The guy who takes first place away from me!

Her tsundere kicked in.

Minju punched both her palms on your desk, leaning even further towards you, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.

“W-What the hell do you mean ‘let me win’?! Who do you think you are, you arrogant jerk?!” she hissed, voice shaky. “You think I need your pity?! As if I’d ever accept a fake win from someone like you!”

She was right up in your face with a whiff of strawberry.

“You better not hold back next time! If you dare lose on purpose, I’ll make your school life a living hell! I’ll have you assigned to clean duty every single day until you graduate! I’ll— I’ll personally make sure you regret ever transferring here!”

Her words were vicious, but she had bright red ears and could only look at you for two seconds at a time. Whenever she looked at you, she would immediately look away, embarrassed.

Minju quickly stood up, to try to look like her elegant self again. She tossed her hair back over her shoulder.

“Hmph! Don't get all ideas in your head because I talked to you. I still hate you. I really, really hate you.”

She whirled around to walk away, but stopped for a moment.

She turned around again, muttering to me one last threat.

“…And don't you ever try and apologize to me with that stupid face.”

Then she stormed out of the classroom, slamming the door harder than necessary.

You sat there quietly, still holding her strawberry pencil case in your bag.

A small, amused smile crept onto your lips.

She’s cute when she’s flustered.

Even after she left, the faint scent of strawberries still lingered around your desk.

After school, you couldn’t stop thinking about what happened.

The way Minju’s ears turned red. The way she avoided your eyes even while yelling at you. The way she ran away.

You were tired of this weird tension. Tired of being her emotional punching bag. So you decided to go to the Student Council Office and sort things out once and for all.

You knocked twice and opened the door.

Minju was sitting at the president's desk, going through some papers. When she saw you, she was utterly surprised.

“Y-You…?! What are you doing here?!”

Her voice instantly rose.

“You really have the nerve to show up here after what you said yesterday?! Are you here to mock me?! After you acted all cool and said you’d ‘let me win’ like I’m some kind of charity case—”

“Minju,” you tried to speak.

“No! You don’t get to talk! You always act so unbothered, like you’re better than everyone, and I—”

The argument escalated quickly. She kept firing complaints at you, barely letting you speak, just like everytime. But this time you didn’t stay quiet. You fired back. The both of you went back and forth for almost five minutes until you finally reached your limit.

You let out a long, exhausted sigh and ran a hand through your hair.

“I like you.”

The words cut through the argument like a knife.

Minju froze mid-sentence, her mouth still open.

“…What?”

“I said I like you,” you repeated, voice steady but soft. “I’ve liked you for a long time. That’s why I never fought back when you yelled at me. That’s why I studied so hard even though I didn’t really care about rankings. I wanted you to notice me… but I didn’t think you’d end up hating me this much.”

Minju’s face turned bright red. Her hands trembled as she gripped the edge of her desk.

“W-What… are you… Y-You’re lying… You’re just trying to mess with me, right?!” she stuttered, completely losing her usual sharp tone. Her ears were burning crimson.

Before you could answer, loud voices echoed from the hallway.

“Minju-unnie! Where are you?”

“President~ We’re here to pick you up for practice!”

It was her friends — Moka, Wonhee, Yunah, and Iroha. They were getting closer.

Minju’s eyes widened in panic. If they saw the two of you like this — her blushing like crazy and you standing there after confessing — the rumors would explode by tomorrow.

Without thinking, she shot up from her chair, grabbed your wrist tightly, and yanked you toward the small storage room attached to the office.

“Get in!” she hissed.

She shoved you inside and quickly slipped in after you, closing the door behind her just as her friends entered the main office. The storage room was small, dark, and quiet. Only a faint ray of light came through the gap under the door.

Both of you were breathing heavily in the tight space.

You could feel her body pressed lightly against yours. The silence was deafening.

After a long moment, Minju whispered, voice shaking.

“…Idiot.”

You looked down at her. Even in the dim light, you could see her eyes glistening.

“I… I don’t hate you,” she admitted, barely above a whisper. “I never hated you. I was just… angry. Every time you took first place, I felt like I wasn’t good enough. But the more I got angry at you… the more I kept thinking about you.”

She grabbed onto your shirt with both hands, refusing to look at you.

“I like you too… you stupid, handsome, annoying jerk.”

Your heart swelled so strongly it almost hurt. You gently lifted her chin with two fingers, coaxing her to meet your eyes. When she finally looked up, her gaze was glossy with unshed tears, cheeks flushed, and lips slightly parted in nervousness.

The moment your eyes met, the small storage room felt like the only place in the world.

You leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull away. She didn’t.

Your lips met hers in a soft, careful kiss. Minju’s breath hitched. Her grip on your shirt tightened as if she were afraid you might disappear. For a few seconds, the kiss stayed gentle — warm, sweet, and full of everything the two of you had never said.

But then she let out a tiny, shaky sob against your lips.

You cupped her face with both hands, thumbs gently brushing away the tears that finally spilled down her cheeks. You kissed her again, deeper this time, pouring every bit of longing you’d felt for the past year into it. Minju whimpered softly, rising onto her tiptoes to meet you.

One of your hands slid down to her waist, pulling her closer until her body was pressed against yours. Her hands slowly released your shirt and moved up to clutch your shoulders, then slid behind your neck, fingers threading into your hair.

You kissed her again and again — slow, lingering kisses that grew more emotional with each one. Between kisses, you pressed your lips to the corner of her eye, tasting the salt of her tears, then to her flushed cheek, then to her temple. Minju shivered in your arms.

When you pulled back slightly to breathe, her eyes were dazed, lips swollen and glistening. She looked beautifully ruined.

“…This is your fault,” she whispered breathlessly, still crying but smiling through the tears. “You made me like this… idiot.”

You smiled softly and leaned in again, capturing her lips in another tender kiss. This one was slower, deeper, and full of reassurance. Your hand gently stroked her back while the other cradled the back of her head, fingers lost in her soft hair. Minju melted into you completely, her body relaxing as she kissed you back with everything she had.

When you finally parted, a thin string of saliva connected your lips for a brief second. Minju’s breathing was uneven, her face completely red, and her eyes glassy with overwhelming emotion.

You rested your forehead against hers, both of you breathing each other in within the quiet, dimly lit room.

You wiped her tears with your thumb, caressing her cheek lovingly.

“I know. I’m sorry,” you whispered.

Minju let out a watery laugh and buried her face in your chest, hugging you tightly like she never wanted to let go.

“…Kiss me one more time,” she mumbled against your uniform, voice shy and still a little tsundere. “Just… one more. Then I’ll forgive you.”

You didn’t hesitate. You tilted her chin up again and gave her exactly what she wanted — a long, sweet, heart-melting kiss that made her toes curl inside her shoes.

After her friends eventually left the office, the two of you stepped back out. The room felt completely different now.

Minju quickly tried to compose herself. She crossed her arms and looked away, cheeks still pink.

“D-Don’t think that this changes anything,” she muttered in her classic tsundere tone. “I’m still going to beat you in the next exam. I’m going to take back first place and—”

“I love you.”

You said it so casually that Minju short-circuited.

She turned into a sulking, blushing mess instantly.

“…Y-You can’t just say that whenever you want!” she complained, voice getting smaller. “Idiot… Stupid… Annoying…Bastard…”

But even as she sulked, she slowly walked closer and leaned her forehead against your chest, hiding her face in your uniform.

“…Hold me,” she mumbled, voice barely audible. “This is your punishment for making me wait so long. You have to give me affection whenever I want it from now on.”

You smiled and wrapped your arms around her, gently rubbing her back.

“Understood, President.”

Minju let out a tiny, satisfied huff, but her arms eventually wrapped around your waist too.

You never realized that things could escalated too fast. You never wondered that Park Minju, the school’s heartthrob would cling into your arms and became your girlfriend…

Dreams come true and your dream was accomplished.

Now, you really have to let her win…

Otherwise, she would kill you to the death…