Jimin had always been what people commonly call a ‘perfect student’. Perfect grades, outstanding athletics. Everybody around her sang her praises, and was certain that she would get into any high school she wanted.
However, the cruelty of life gave her one fatal weakness. The commonly known and deeply dreaded flaw called anxiety.
In fact, Jimin absolutely cannot stand pressure. And because of this, as soon as she has to take an important exam, or anything that involves a potentially crucial change in her life, her insides get all jammy and she ends up messing everything up, crumbling under the heavy weight of stress.
Hence why, she unfortunately had to enroll in her backup choice. Her current high school wasn’t bad per se, but it still wasn’t what she had aimed for. And not what everybody around her had thought she could get either.
Jimin heaved out yet another sigh, wallowing in self pity and depreciation. But suddenly she felt a finger poking her back. Jimin let out a shriek from surprise, and whipped her head to the back, seeing that the culprit was none other than Ms Park, her homeroom teacher.
“Sorry for scaring you!” she brightly said, as if she hadn’t almost killed one of her students mere seconds ago. “I know that you plan on becoming the class representative, right? And since I honestly think that you deserve the position, and since no one else is running anyways, could you please do me a favor?”
Jimin hasn’t been in this school for long, but she already knows that her homeroom teacher, Ms Park Jihyo, is a menace for society, despite her scary looks at first glance. This woman is the embodiment of passion and excitement. A real human-battery!
“You see, there’s another student in your class who enrolled recently, but she hasn’t come to school yet! I’ve tried speaking with her multiple times, but she never answers.” Ms Park let out a deep sigh. “I completely gave up! But then, it hit me! Maybe she’ll open up to someone her age instead of a teacher like me?”
Jimin squinted, already knowing where all of this was going. And she was obviously against it! Hell, she had never tried to persuade someone before, let alone someone who never bothered showing up at school, and who is probably a delinquent.
“Ma’am I-”
“If you’re able to bring her to school, then I’ll write you a letter of recommendation to any university of your choosing!”
Okay, now they could talk. Not bothering to hide her interest, Jimin subtly raised a brow, nodding for the teacher to continue. Ms Park grinned, probably expecting this outcome.
“This is a trade, Jimin.” A smug. “And not a bad one, wouldn’t you say?”
Honestly, despite her crippling anxiety, Jimin is afraid to think that she may actually be more mature than her homeroom teacher. Because who in their right mind makes such a shady deal with one of their students? But at the same time, getting a recommendation letter would surely boost Jimin’s chances to get into a great university. It could be the perfect chance to redeem herself from her past failure.
So with a determined gaze, Jimin straightened her posture, her eyes boring into her teacher’s. “Alright. All I have to do is persuade her, right?”
She said, with an unfamiliar surge of confidence. And how wrong she had been! Because Jimin somehow forgot about her crippling anxiety!
And now, she found herself standing right in front of this mysterious girl’s front door, not knowing what the hell she should do to get her out of there! She tentatively raised a shaky finger towards the bell, and slowly pressed it. She waited for a bit after that.
“If she doesn’t come in five seconds I’ll-”
The door slowly opened, making Jimin’s heart jump in her ribcage. A tuft of blonde hair emerged from behind it, followed by, honestly, one of the cutest faces Jimin had ever seen. Chubby and fluffy-looking cheeks, doe eyes and a perfectly sculpted nose.
“Yu Jimin?”
Jimin’s eyes slowly widened, not quite understanding what was going on. Was she supposed to know this…
“Oh!” A flash of recognition passed through Jimin’s face. “Kim Minjeong! We went to the same middle school, I remember now!” Minjeong looked a tad surprised, but chose to stay silent instead, inviting the raven to come inside.
And that’s how Jimin found herself sitting down right in front of ‘mysterious girl’, who’s actually Minjeong, a girl she vaguely knew from middle school. Only from a distance though.
“I thought you’d have gone to a better school, Jimin,” bluntly said Minjeong, not an ounce of emotion on her face.
Ouch, that definitely sting. However, Jimin couldn’t falter, she had a mission here! “I just didn’t want to go too far from home,” she chose to awkwardly say, before deciding to just jump the gun and go for it. “I’m not here for that though! Since I’m the class representative, I don’t want anybody to be missing so… that’s why I came here to find you.”
Minjeong looked at her, her expression unreadable. It made Jimin immediately feel self-conscious. “I won’t force you though! I’m sure you have your reasons for not coming after all… But at least think about it?”
Jimin clumsily got up, and waved goodbye to Minjeong who just sat there, looking at her with a… kicked puppy expression? Jimin couldn’t really read her face well, but the resemblance was striking.
***
The next day, as soon as Jimin arrived inside of the courtyard for her lunch break, Ms Park basically jumped on her.
“Yu! Statuts report!”
Jimin winced at her teacher’s abnormally loud voice, but still chose to indulge her. Anything for her recommendation letter!
“Well, I didn’t exactly succeed… but! She was someone I know, so I’ll keep trying.”
Despite the unlucky news, Ms Park still looked delighted. Actually, Jimin doesn’t think she has ever seen a frown on this woman’s face before. “Great! I’ll be waiting for good news then. Good luck!” she said, mischievously waving at her, as she retreated back inside of the building.
Jimin sighed. “I sure hope nobody heard this… that was embarrassing…”
“Jimin.”
Jimin let out a piercing shriek, feeling like her heart had just jumped out of her ribcage. She slowly turned her head, and realized who had called for her, and was just standing right behind her, looking equally as surprised.
“Minjeong!?” Jimin’s eyes widened at the sight. “You… actually came to school?”
Minjeong’s face looked as unbothered as usual. “You’re the one who said you wanted me to so…,” she said with a monotonous voice, before suddenly creeping closer to Jimin’s face, her eyes darkening. “Or… is there something in it for you?”
Jimin thinks that the shock was blatantly obvious on her face, judging by Minjeong’s now amused expression. She would have never thought that the first time she would see the blonde smiling would be during one of her most embarrassing moments! Can you imagine her, Yu Jimin, top student and class representative, getting found out by Kim Minjeong, the literal ghost of her class, casually making a less than socially acceptable deal with her homeroom teacher?
And this brat has the nerve to smirk at her? If Jimin wasn’t already overtaken by the stress of knowing that someone knows , she would probably have smacked the girl’s head or something.
But then, Minjeong did something completely unexpected. She softly (???) smiled at Jimin, her voice full of honey. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone, and I’ll even come to school.”
Jimin was completely confused about this whole situation, but was about to sigh from relief. Maybe Minjeong has some part of humanity in her.
However, she had talked too soon. Way too soon.
Minjeong dangerously inched closer to her, her eyes narrowing. “But in return…” She lightly shoved Jimin against the bench which was placed right behind her, and followed the raven in her small fall. Minjeong swiftly placed her fingers against Jimin’s chin, and practically straddled her.
“Let me kiss you.”
Jimin felt her face exploding, but she didn’t even have the time to process what was happening, before she felt a soft pair of lips hovering dangerously close over hers. However, the ghost of the touch was so fleeting that she barely felt it, and before she could do anything, Minjeong’s face was already far from hers.
“M-Minjeong!?” she stuttered. On the other hand, Minjeong looked as unbothered as usual. The blonde now practically kneeled in front of Jimin, and placed her cold hands against Jimin’s bare knees. Screw you school uniform, you really aren’t helping her case here!
“If you grant me a request like that every day, I won’t tell a soul about your deal with the teacher.”
Jimin’s heart jumped at the suggestion… no, at the weird blackmail. She had to grant her a request like that again? Every day? And with another girl at that? Because sure, Minjeong actually hadn’t really kissed her, and Jimin is glad because consent matters a lot! But she was actually close to doing it! And now she wants to partake in such activities every day in order for Jimin to keep her deal with Ms Park a secret?
Jimin obviously wants to refuse, because who in their right mind could possibly accept such an offer! But Jimin clearly isn’t in a great state of mind. Because what will happen if she loses this recommendation letter opportunity, and rumors of this deal spread around the school? She absolutely cannot let that happen.
“Okay,” she breathed, already regretting her choice. “I just need to do whatever you ask, right? For my recommendation, I’ll do it!”
Minjeong, who had looked like a patient puppy until then, softly smirked at the sight of Jimin proudly standing in front of her, her hand resting against her chest in determination. She nonchalantly got up, before taking Jimin’s hands in hers, and resting her nose awfully close from the raven’s.
Minjeong’s eyes delicately closed, forming crescent moons. “I’ll be in your care then.”
Jimin blushed at the sight. Because on top of being a brat, this girl had to be super cute as well! Just her luck…
“Only one per day, you got that?!” she said, her voice strongly lacking any punch.
What had she just gotten herself into…
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