Chapter 8

Minji's POV

My parents have always drilled into me the importance of being well-rested in order to set yourself up for a successful day, and subsequently, a successful life. Ever since I was born, I had stuck to a strict sleep schedule of 10PM to 6AM to hit the recommended eight hours of good quality sleep each night—and then I broke that schedule just for a boy. The worst part is I don't even care.

Hanni has given me her fair share of complaints about my bed time, yet here I am, throwing my morals out just to listen to Yuno's voice a bit longer. There's a certain roughness to his voice that I can't help but play over and over in my mind. The way he speaks so gently, and that awkward charming lilt in his voice when he's uncertain—I feel like a swarm of butterflies is about to burst from my chest.

But enough about that now. I need to stay focused on the task at hand: convincing my parents to let me bring a plus one to the banquet. Specifically, I need them to let me bring Yuno, the one person they told me to stay away from.

Like usual, my parents are on their phones, responding to emails and such over breakfast. I set down my utensils and inhale deeply, firming up my resolve as best as I can. "Um, Mother? Father?" I mutter.

They both look up at me. "Yes, dear?" Mother answers.

"About the banquet tomorrow—"

"Right, Ms. Park told about how excited Sunghoon is to finally see you again after so long. Isn't that nice?"

I bite my tongue to keep myself from cringing over how not nice that sounds. "Y-yeah, that's great!" I lie through a smile. "Actually, I wanted to ask if I could, um... bring a friend to the banquet."

My parents exchange looks that I can't quite decipher, communicating in that special telepathy that married couples seem to have. "Who did you want to bring, dear?"

"Um..." Here goes nothing. "...Yuno."

"Absolutely not!" Mother exclaims a bit too quickly. "We explicitly made it clear that we don't want you associating with that boy! Why not bring Danielle, or even Hanni would be more acceptable than him."

The grimace on her face makes my blood boil, but now is not the time for my feelings to get in the way. "Well, he... wants to learn more about the business!" I blurt out. Mother's expression remains unwavering, but I notice Father's  brow raising with the slightest bit of intrigue. It's not much, but I need all the help I can get.

"The topic of our family business came up, and he was so inspired by Father's origin story and how he managed to make a million dollar company from completely nothing." I put on a wide smile, hoping, praying that my father takes the bait. Please, I need this to go well.

Neither of them say anything for a while, so I continue. "I thought the banquet would be a good opportunity for him to get a foot in the door, maybe even do some networking." As a final act of desperation, I reach for my father's hand across the table and put on the best puppy eyes I can muster. "I feel like Yuno could really learn a lot from you, Father. You two are always emphasizing the importance of making strong connections to further my career, so why can't I be the connection that helps Yuno?"

Mother scoffs. "Do you really expect us to—"

"Hold on, dear," Father interrupts her. I hold my breath as he falls into a pensive silence for what feels like an eternity. 

"I believe we should give this boy a chance."

Fireworks go off in my head. My plan is actually going to work. I'm so happy I could cry.

"I've always had a firm belief in education, both in and out of the classroom," he explains. "This banquet could be an opportunity for him to better himself. He clearly has no plans for the future otherwise."

Mother opens her mouth to argue, but all that comes out is a sigh of defeat. "Fine, we will permit that boy to come to the banquet."

It takes all my self control to not immediately burst into cheers. "Thank you, Mother," I utter calmly.

"But," she adds, "If he causes any trouble whatsoever, we will personally ensure that you never speak to that boy again, understood?"

"Absolutely, I will make sure he stays out of trouble, and—"

"And I don't want you being alone with him. We'll have Sunghoon stay with you two the entire night."

She casually brings her mug to her lips as if she didn't just drop a huge bomb on my entire plan. All my efforts, dashed in the blink of an eye.

It's only morning and I'm already exhausted.

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Yuno's POV

As I wait in front of the convenience store, I can't help but notice how warm the morning sun feels against my skin. A small flock of birds fly overhead, whizzing this way and that in their own choreographed dance. An unblemished sky hangs overhead, the same blue as the ocean. Does the outside always look this pretty?

"Yuno!!"

Yujin sees me and bolts from across the street, a gleamy-eyed Winter following behind him.

"Good morning, Yuno!" she says.

"Hey guys." I greet them with a wave. They both suddenly stop in their tracks, eyes going wide. "...What?"

"You're smiling," Winter states as if its the most insane thing she's ever seen.

I turn my head away, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "So what?"

"Aw Winter, you ruined it," Yujin teases. "He looked so happy."

I sigh. "...Let's just go." The two of them laugh, taking their spots on either side of me like it's where they belong. 

Alright, maybe my mood has improved a little bit. A whole night spent talking to Minji over the phone will do that to a guy. In the quiet hours of the night, I felt like I had learned so much about her and the life she lives when I'm not around. She talked about her older brother, Minhyuk, a soccer prodigy that's currently studying computer science at a prestigious university, her memories of cooking food with her grandma during trips to Korea, how her and Hanni ended becoming best friends during freshmen year. All these memories and stories that make up who she is, and she shared all of that with me? How could I not be happy?

Part of me feels like all these good things could just be some dream. That I'll wake up suddenly and none of this is real. How could the sky look this blue? How could the air smell this fresh? How could the same route I walk to school every day suddenly seem more alive? 

But the way Yujin nudges my side to show me a drawing he's working on or the way Winter clutches my shoulder after tripping on a rock lets me know that all of this is real. All of these good things are real. The world that I used to hate waking up to is now a world that I can look at with a smile.

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The facade had to end at some point. Navigating through the halls of Evergreen, I can feel the familiar stares from others as I pass by, eyeing me like some kind of untamed beast that could attack at any moment. Even with everything else changing around me, I can always count on the student body to stay consistent. Although, something in their eyes feels a little peculiar. Instead of just fear, there's something else hiding behind it. Intrigue? Admiration?

"P-people sure d-do stare a lot, h-huh?" Winter asks, her voice shrinking to a mere whisper.

"Yeah, I guess they do." I glance back at them, both their gazes glued to the ground, clearly not used to the unwanted attention. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Yuno, it's not your fault," Yujin reassures me.

"Y-yeah, I'm sure w-we'll get used to it," Winter adds with a small grin. Man, what did I do to deserve these two?

The five minute warning bell rings, sending the students still left in the hallways in a hurry. I say my goodbyes to Winter and Yujin as we part ways, enduring the usual stares and hushed voices as I make my way to my seat in the back. Still, something feels odd about the way they're looking at me today. I try to meet their eyes to get a better look, but everyone keeps looking away, pretending like they weren't whispering about me to their friends. If this keeps going on for the rest of the day, I'm gonna be pissed.

"Yuno Lin to the principal's office, Yuno Lin to the principal's office. Now," the PA system announces, giving me a wave of deja vu. I have a couple guesses for what this could be about...

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