hey, best friend // treasure's kim doyoung

chapter 27

sixteen - 2020

the small shop only had tables for two, so the group of 6 had no choice but to split into pairs. and as expected, they had split into how they were walking earlier on. 

haruto and minji were still on the topic of what clubs to join while minah and jeongwoo were talking about the recent songs they were listening, and were currently in love with CIX's Numb. yedam and doyoung were no longer looking at minji and haruto, and instead talked about yedam joining council despite being even busier in high school.

after a while, it was already 6pm, and jihoon had arrived to eat dinner with minah. entering the pastry shop, he waved to everyone and saw minji with haruto. "minji, when will you be getting a boyfriend?" jihoon asked jokingly.

his question was loud enough to hear that doyoung and yedam immediately looked over to their table. "you do know i don't stand any chances right," minji shook her head.

haruto could only think in his head that in fact she had many chances, it's just that she was unwilling to grab any. except for the person whose surname is kim and name starts with a d.

"how can that be?" minah tilted her head in doyoung and yedam's direction and clung her arm onto jihoon's. she knew that both boys liked minji a lot. seeing minah's actions, jeongwoo woke up from his momentarily bliss where he had completely forgot that minah had a boyfriend.

shaking her head, minji said, "it's late, we should get going."

the rest of them nodded their heads, and doyoung went beside minji, "i'll bring you home." aware of minji's feelings for doyoung, haruto had wanted to let him do it at first, but thought against it and said, "i can bring you home."

doyoung brows immediately furrowed as haruto said that. he liked the guy but never thought that he would be so active in courting minji. minji shook her head, "the both of you don't even take the same bus as me. yedam, let's go."

the both of them walked out of the store as doyoung and haruto could only look at their backs. jeongwoo, minah and jihoon just did not know whether to laugh or face palm themselves by the scene in front of them.

doyoung then went back home with haruto. "do you like minji?" the older asked, "ah, why am I even asking, obviously you do."

haruto chuckled, "yea i do, and i got rejected."

"you did? i thought she would usually tell me this kind of stuff..." doyoung realised that minji no longer shared such things with him anymore. 

the taller shook his head, "she said she liked someone else?"

"yedam?" he was the first person that came to doyoung's mind. haruto could only sigh at how dumb doyoung looked. 

"i don't know, she didn't tell me," he lied. 

doyoung then remained quiet for the rest of the trip. was it finally time to finally accept that he was too late in liking minji? 

when he got home, he dialled minji's number. it rang for quite a while, so he thought that she would not be picking up, until he heard her voice on the other side. 

"hello?"

not knowing what to say, doyoung just asked, "did you reach home already?" 

"yea, a while ago. why?"

"ah, i see i see. just wanted to ask how you are these days?"

"i'm okay i guess? this is sudden."

doyoung hesitated before saying, "i just realised we haven't been talking as much recently. since handover?"

minji then remembered how she no longer had excuses to be with doyoung and did not want to come off clingy too, so she talked to him less. "oh... i must have been too preoccupied recently. i'm so sorry."

"you know? i just feel like i've been slowly replaced by yedam and haruto, that sometimes you no longer need me already," doyoung confessed. 

she felt so guilty that she had made doyoung feel this way, "young ah, i'm so sorry. it's just yedam has been in the same class as me and i thought haruto needed help getting around the school," but minji knew that these were just excuses. she wanted to be with doyoung too, but she was so scared that she will start being too possessive again. 

"it's okay. do you want to grab bubble tea after school tomorrow?"

"with the rest too?"

"just the two of us," doyoung confirmed.

"sure."

the two went quiet for a while before minji asked, "so how have you been?"

"not doing very well," doyoung chuckled. 

"hmm, what happened?" 

"i don't know. i just feel like the transition from middle school to high school is too big. like the learning style is completely different and suddenly everyone is a man for themselves and less dependent on teachers. it's just completely different you know." 

"ahh, i see i see. actually i feel the same too, suddenly there's two essays to finish everyday. it's insane." 

"SEE... that's why i went into science stream," doyoung laughed.

hearing his laughter, a slow smile worked a way to minji's face and to her eyes, "still better than learning about how manganese reduces."

"dude... manganese is a oxidising agent, you're really so bad at chemistry," doyoung laughed even harder. 

"dumbass, at least i know who eisenhower is."

"well, i don't! that's why i'm not in art stream, am i?" 

minji shook her head in defeat, "fine, fine, smarty. how is your class though?"

"please... they are too smart. even haruto? he says he doesn't study but he's a freaking closet mugger i swear. my entire class is so smart that i feel so dumb among them, and it has only been two weeks of school? what am i going to do when actual tests starts."

"don't worry okay? it's just the start of the year and we are still adjusting. it's okay to feel this way now," minji tried to comfort him. 

"haishh i guess?" 

the two continued talking for a while until they realised it was getting late. 

"wah, it has been long since we talked like this," doyoung said. 

"yeaa, i think we need to end soon. we've been calling for very long." 

doyoung nodded his head, "see you tomorrow then."

"see you!"

"rest well, love you."

"bye bye," minji then ended the call and realised what doyoung had said.