“Jimin, can I?”
Jimin shakily closed her eyes, as she felt Minjeong’s fingers gently rest against her chin. Her requests kept going with each day, but to Jimin’s surprise, it never got as ‘far’ as the first day. Usually, Minjeong would just ask her to walk home with her, to hug her, and the most she was asking for was to kiss Jimin on the cheek.
Just like she was doing right now.
Over the course of those past weeks, Jimin began to get used to the sensation of Minjeong’s soft lips falling on her flushed cheeks. She might be used to it, but her heart definitely isn’t. And the way it frantically races everytime she feels Minjeong against her cheeks is enough proof for it.
And she can’t help but to notice how long Minjeong’s eyelashes really are, the more she gets to see her up close. She also doesn’t miss the way the blonde always needs to stand on her tippy toes to reach Jimin’s cheek, and has to physically refrain herself from squealing each time. Who can really blame her though? She’s a sucker for cute things and creatures, and Minjeong is no exception, despite how bratty she can be!
However, part of Jimin, aside from those requests, couldn’t stop thinking about Minjeong. Well not her in particular, but her story itself.
It must be lonely to be all by herself like this. No friends, no family, nothing.
Jimin has always been very close to her family, and the concept of parents not caring enough about their children and leaving them all alone to fend for themselves is crazy to her. She should honestly be mad at Minjeong for basically making her her cuddling toy after this weird blackmailing of hers, but part of her mostly felt bad for the other girl.
She had only gotten such a small glimpse into the reality of Minjeong’s life, but already craved to learn more.
Jimin let out a big sigh, and plopped down on her bed. Even when she’s not here, Minjeong still manages to nonchalantly invade her thoughts.
***
The next day, Jimin was busy strolling down the mall with her friends. She felt so ecstatic to finally be able to spend some time with them after school. It had been way too long!
They did everything girls their age usually do when they hang out together. Laugh loudly, window shopping, and obviously, a mandatory ice cream break.
Their little tour eventually brought them to a bunch of claw machines, and one particularly stood out to Jimin. Inside, sat a ridiculously bored white maltese plushie. And its face gave Jimin an unsettling feeling of déjà vu.
It only took her a second to connect the dots. Minjeong and this stuffed toy looked awfully similar… like twins.
And it’s for this specific reason that Jimin absolutely needs it! Using what Minjeong had taught her, Jimin skillfully moved the joystick around, and clawed the plushie perfectly. In a single attempt, she was able to get it!
“Woah, I wasn’t familiar with your game, Yu Jimin!”
Jimin turned around, and saw Ryujin looking at her with sparkly eyes.
“Well Ryujin, you might be in the presence of a crane game master.”
Ryujin snickered, and took the dog plushie in her hands. “It looks so cute!”
“It really does!” laughed Jimin. “Doesn’t it totally look like Minjeong too?”
Ryujin tilted her head, curious. “Oh, since when were you this close to Kim Minjeong?”
“That’s right! Since when?!” chirped Somi, who basically spawned right behind Ryujin, followed by Aeri, who was smirking as usual.
“Well…” started Jimin. “I made her come to school and I’m basically tutoring her now so… isn’t it normal?”
The other three all looked at themselves, before breaking into laughter. Jimin groaned, and walked past them. “Anyways, let’s go!” The girls then resumed their outing, Jimin with the stuffed toy well secured under her arm.
About an hour later, they all parted ways, and Jimin was on her way home. Well, she was supposed to.
But instead, she found herself standing right in front of Minjeong’s front door, ringing the bell. It’s not like she wants to see her though! She just thinks that it’s normal to give her the stuffed toy. After all, Minjeong won one for her, so it’s only fair!
Just a simple and friendly payback.
The door opened, revealing Minjeong, engulfed under a dark hoodie.
“...What’s up?”
Jimin jumped a bit. “Um… I was out today, and saw this plushie at the crane game that reminded me of you. I… managed to get it so here you go!”
She pushed the stuffed toy in Minjeong’s arms, her mind racing. Had she overstepped their blurry boundaries? Was it too much to act like Minjeong’s friend like this and give her a present already? This is definitely weird, right!?
“Thanks…” softly muttered the blonde, approaching her face from the plushie’s. She looked at it with a quiet fondness, and for a second, Jimin lost herself in the sight of Minjeong looking so… soft and fluffy.
“W-Well, I’ll be going now then-”
Jimin took a step back, but was suddenly stopped by a hand tugging hers. Minjeong dragged her inside, and closed the door behind them, basically trapping Jimin against it. Although the view must have been hilarious, since Jimin is at least five centimeters taller than the blonde.
“Since you’re here… can I make a request today?”
“W-What?!” Jimin’s face violently flushed, and she messily waved her hands in front of her face, feeling all flustered. She hadn’t expected this at all!
But instead of Minjeong’s usual light touch, she felt something fluffy against her lips. Jimin, who had tightly closed her eyes, opened them and realized that she was kissing… the stuffed toy that looked way too much like Minjeong. And right behind it, Minjeong stood there, a mischievous smirk painted on her face.
“Just kidding, I’ll let you off with this for today.”
Jimin should really ask for a restraining order against this brat! Flustered, she took a step back, and slowly disappeared behind the door.
“I’ll… get going now. Don’t forget to study for the test!” And with that, she ran away, leaving a dumbfounded Minjeong behind her.
Minjeong looked at the puppy’s bored expression, and brought its face closer to her, softly landing a kiss on its nose, exactly where Jimin’s lips had been the minute before. Her cheeks were tinted in soft pink, and she shook her head slowly.
“What the heck am I doing…”
***
“Hey, how about we eat with Minjeong?” suggested Ryujin the following day, during their lunch break. “Can you go ask her, Jimin?”
Jimin’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected her friends to mention Minjeong again. Well, they’re a nice bunch so it isn’t really that surprising, but a small part of Jimin felt… reluctant to include Minjeong in their group.
“Huh, are you… trying to keep her to yourself?” asked Somi, dramatically gasping.
“Of course not!” quickly shot back Jimin, who was already standing up, ready to walk towards Minjeong’s seat. “I’ll go get her!”
When Jimin arrived there, Minjeong looked as bored as usual.
“H-Hi Minjeong,” she awkwardly started. “We were wondering if… you’ll have lunch with us..?
Minjeong merely nodded and stood up, before grabbing a chair and taking a seat right next to Jimin’s usual spot.
“Hey Minjeong!” greeted Aeri with a gentle smile. Minjeong looked at her and silently nodded, before resuming chewing on her piece of bread. It kind of amazed Jimin how unbothered Minjeong looked in such a situation. As if she kind of had been with them since the beginning.
“Now that we’re all here!” started Somi, standing up from her seat. “How about we go to the amusement park this sunday? To celebrate our new friendship with Minjeong!”
Aeri looked delighted. “Sounds fun, I’m in!” Next to her, Ryujin nodded in agreement as well.
Jimin looked at her side, and noticed a soft blush on Minjeong’s cheeks. Was she… showing excitement? The raven instantly cracked a small smile at the sight.
Red fits Minjeong pretty well.
***
Sunday came in a blink, and the small group found themselves at the amusement park. Jimin was so excited! She had been studying for so long, and today felt like some kind of reward for all her hard work.
“Come on Jimin! Make your choice!” Ryujin pointed in two directions. One was towards a huge roller coaster, and the other… towards a haunted house. Two extreme options that Jimin absolutely loathes.
“You have no choice!”
Jimin felt tears pooling in her eyes, and clutched to Aeri’s shoulders, in hopes of finding in her some kind of comfort.
“I’ll be right there with you whichever you choose!”
She had been a fool to think that Aeri would help her. Of course she’s making fun of her as well! Jimin, desperate, turned towards Minjeong, who just nonchalantly grinned at her.
She was without support.
“Let’s start with the haunted house!” cheered Somi.
Jimin wrapped her arms around Aeri’s, and tightly closed her eyes, preparing herself for the worst.
“C’mon, I’m right here!” laughed Aeri. Jimin whimpered, and took shaky steps along with her friend, looking left and right for any sign of danger. Even if she knows that, if any danger were to come, she would probably just hide behind Aeri’s back, despite being taller than the girl.
And as expected, the haunted house was… certainly an experience for Jimin. She would actually like to refer to it as a heart resistance training actually. Because in those few minutes, Jimin felt her heart jumping out of her throat at least… a good forty-eight times (she counted).
“Aah!” she yelped, when Aeri suddenly stopped right in front of her.
“Oh, I can’t see the others anymore.”
Jimin trembled at the thought. “T-They left us-” She turned her head around, just to see some kind of lady with long pitch black hair on her face right behind her.
An otherworldly encounter.
Jimin didn’t think twice before bolting away in the opposite direction. Sorry Aeri, but her survival is on the line here!
She doesn’t know how long she ran, but when she raised her head, she noticed that she went even further in the house… and is now completely alone, in an awfully obscure hallway. So much for survival, Yu Jimin!
She was about to just give up and pathetically sit down on the floor, when she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. Jimin felt chills running down her spine, and she thinks that she actually felt her heart stopping there for a second.
“I’m done with this!” she yelled, hot tears rolling down on her cheeks.
Honestly speaking, she was expecting to get killed right here and there. Or at least, for whoever was with her to try to scare her even more or something.
But instead, Jimin heard a familiar voice calling for her.
“Jimin!”
And before she could even react, she felt two thin arms wrapping around her neck, the person’s now familiar scent invading her senses.
When she realized whose body was pressed awfully close to hers, Jimin felt her cheeks heating up in an instant. She tried to move, but she got pulled even closer.
“M-Minjeong?”
Minjeong lightly squeezed the raven’s back, before burying her head in her shoulder. “Yeah?”
Jimin’s body reacted before she could realize that she was reciprocating the touch. “W-what are you doing here?”
Minjong ignored her question, and took a small step back, concern evident on her face. “Do you feel better?” Her face was so close. And from there, Jimin could almost count every single one of the blonde’s long eyelashes.
“W-Well… I do, thanks…” Jimin looked at her feet, and awkwardly shuffled, feeling an unfamiliar warmth in her chest. “...did you come here just to find me?”
“Yeah,” answered the girl with her usual nonchalance. “I mean… you went in the opposite way of the exit. So someone had to bring you back.”
For a second, Jimin stared at Minjeong’s bored eyes. It’s weird how she always looks so uninterested by everything. But to Jimin, it’s even weirder how Minjeong, who looks incredibly cold on the outside, can act with such warmth and in the most indifferent way sometimes.
Almost as if… she cared.
“Here.”
Jimin looked up, and noticed Minjeong’s outstretched hand right in front of her.
“Will it be less scary if we hold hands like before?”
Jimin’s heart jumped in her ribcage. But this time, it wasn’t because of terror. It felt sweeter… Quieter. She doesn’t think that her cheeks have stopped burning ever since Minjeong showed up. And after Minjeong’s proposal, she doesn’t think that it will stop anytime soon.
Still. Ever since that time at school, a part of Jimin craved to feel the other girl’s touch again. Because sure, Minjeong often kisses her cheeks or hugs her, but those are part of her weird requests. And aside from that one time, they never properly held hands before. It’s crazy though, because they even cuddled before, so they should be way past this first stage of intimacy. But for some reason, holding hands felt way more… intimate.
And the one time they held hands, it had nothing to do with requests.
Jimin shakily brought her hand closer to Minjeong’s, who wasted no time lightly touching Jimin’s fingertips, before gently lacing their fingers together.
You see, there are two types of hand-holding. First, there’s the warm and reassuring kind, where both palms are firmly clasped against each other, almost serving as an anchor.
And there is the more intimate and almost secret one, where the two parties softly entangle their fingers together. Not particularly to feel any kind of warmth and reassurance. But solely in order to feel the other’s touch.
“Let’s go.”
Minjeong started to march away, closely followed by Jimin who was… internally panicking. Minjeong’s fingers, despite the girl being smaller than her, were actually longer than hers. And even if her touch felt cold, it managed to make Jimin’s insides burn.
Gosh, Jimin hates how perfectly their hands fit together.
This is bad for her delusional self. She shouldn’t entertain such ideas!
She knows that Minjong is trying to distract her from the horrors of this haunted house. But Jimin fears that this distraction is working way too well. And this is not good for her heart at all.
Soon enough, Minjeong brought them back to the entrance, and there, their friends were already waiting for them.
“Are you okay?” immediately asked Aeri, walking closer to the raven. Jimin was about to answer, but suddenly felt Minjeong’s hand swiftly slipping away from her hold. It already felt like something was missing.
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine!” she stuttered, trying to hide her sudden distress.
“I successfully captured her,” deadpanned Minjeong. Somi and Ryujin immediately cheered at her, and began to aggressively pet Minjeong’s head, seemingly overtaken by an overwhelming cuteness aggression.
And Jimin gets it. Despite the girl’s brattiness and usual weirdness, in the end, she just looks like a lost and adorable maltese. But at the same time, she sometimes acts with such casualness that it makes her look almost… cool.
Jimin was lost, truly.
One time Minjeong acts like she cares about nothing in the world, and the other, she’s requesting her to hold her or to walk her home. As if, despite the indifference she shows to others, she actually craves for their attention and love. But why choose Jimin out of everyone to complete her weird requests?
Jimin is trying hard to not think she’s special. She really is. But at the same time, Minjeong gives her all of those weird mixed signals, which make Jimin’s head completely spin each time. Because one second, Minjeong is all over her, and the other, she barely even looks her way.
“I just don’t know…” quietly breathed Jimin, low enough for nobody around her to be able to catch her words.
After this odd experience, she tried to enjoy the rest of her day at the amusement park. And she’s glad that her friends are such bundles of joy and energy, because she didn’t even have to fake being comfortable for too long, when inside, she felt like something was off.
Not with them though. But with her. Like something weird clicked in her mind, and refuses to leave her alone.
“That was fun!” cheered Somi.
Next to her, Aeri giggled. “Really was! Wanna start heading to the exit now?”
Somi immediately pouted. “No! We haven’t ridden the best ride yet!”
And that’s how they found themselves standing right in front of the park’s ferris wheel. Honestly, Jimin thought that ending their day with a ferris wheel ride is the most cliché ever, but she loves clichés.
However, an issue rapidly occurred.
“Huh guys… there are only four seats in one cabin, and there are five of us…” said Aeri, looking at the ride’s instructions.
“Let’s just split up! Three and two,” replied Ryujin. “Let’s play rock, paper, scissors to decide!”
***
Jimin let out a big sigh. Why is she not surprised that out of everyone, she ended up alone in the cabin with Minjeong?
Feeling self-conscious, the raven looked around, desperately trying to avoid Minjeong’s gaze, which was already focused on the sights ahead of them.
“Thanks…” suddenly started the blonde, her voice filled with an unfamiliar shyness. “For inviting me to eat lunch with you.”
Jimin jumped a bit, surprised to suddenly hear her talk. And she couldn’t help a small rosy blush from lightly painting her cheeks. “A-Anytime…”
However, it seemed like Minjeong wasn’t done yet. “I didn’t have many friends in middle school so… I’m… happy you did. Thank you.”
Jimin softly smiled, her heart warming at Minjeong’s words. “I see, that’s really good then.”
“You’re very kind, Jimin. Always have been smart, cute… and liked by everyone.”
Embarrassed at the sudden praises, Jimin scratched the back of her head. “Hahaha… I’m not like what you’re thinking...”
Minjeong let out a soft giggle, and the sound made Jimin’s heart rate lightly spike up. “Hehe, maybe yeah. But even if you had something to gain from it, I was happy when you came to bring me to school.”
Minjeong slowly inched closer, and gently grabbed Jimin’s chin with her slender hands.
“Hey Jimin,” she whispered, getting closer and closer.
“... request?”
Jimin wanted to fight back, she really did. Because she can’t let this brat get away with everything!
But in the end, did she really want to?
Without even realizing it, Jimin slowly closed her eyes, and let Minjeong’s fingers guide her face closer to hers. It was the closest they had been ever since the first day Minjeong came to school, and started to make her requests. Jimin could clearly feel Minjeong’s warmth from where she was. She could feel her familiar scent of baby powder and lemon, which she’s slowly starting to get addicted to.
They were now so close that Jimin’s head began to spin, all of her rational thoughts escaping all at once.
“Can… I?” whispered Minjeong, her breath already mingling with Jimin’s.
All it took was a shaky nod from the raven for her to finally feel Minjeong’s lips on hers.
Jimin had never kissed anyone before but for some reason, it felt so right. Minjeong tasted like strawberries and sunlight, despite being such a cold girl.
And for a second, Jimin completely forgot that this was supposed to be a request, and that Minjeong and her were nothing but friends? Acquaintances? Classmates?
The kiss felt painfully tender. Minjeong’s finger softly grazed Jimin’s cheeks, holding her with so much care. As if Jimin would shatter in pieces with one wrong move.
At that moment, it felt like they were the only two people on earth. As if their friends weren’t inside the cabin right next to theirs.
However, too quick for Jimin’s liking, Minjeong shakily inched away, her hands still gently holding Jimin’s face.
“I thought I didn’t care if you didn’t like these requests…” she whispered against Jimin’s lips, the sensation simply driving the latter crazy.
“But when you agree with them… is it really just for the recommendation?”
Jimin’s eyes widened. She attempted to take a look at Minjeong’s face, and noticed something indecipherable on it. It was as if the blonde felt… confused about all of this. Almost pained. As if she wasn’t expecting Jimin to give in so easily.
Why was Jimin giving in so easily though?
Even she didn’t have the answer to this question.
But she knows one thing for sure. She doesn’t want to be the cause of such a torn expression on Minjeong’s beautiful face again, even if everything feels so confusing.
Jimin couldn’t bring herself to say anything back though, lost in her thoughts and what Minjeong had said. Had implied.
Because she’s right. Friends don’t do that kind of stuff. Friends don’t feel hot and flustered all around whenever they touch. Friends don’t cuddle like they do. Friends don’t kiss in such a tender and caring way.
The two of them stayed completely silent for the rest of the ride. And when they reunited with the others, Minjeong wordlessly walked beside her, acting as if nothing had happened, like she usually does.
Jimin felt all mixed up in her head, not even understanding her own feelings. What was wrong with her really? Why did something suddenly shift in her head?
It all felt so confusing.
Minjeong is so confusing.
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