Imperfectly Perfect 2

7 : Inevitable

Dahyun and Mina are currently occupying a table at the school cafeteria. It is already a little over eight in the evening on Tuesday. The council girls decided to get dinner together after Sana had just been taken out by Tzuyu earlier.

"So Pres, where are you two going this Friday?" The council secretary starts while munching on an apple.

"Huh? Who? Where?"

"Ugh. What else do I mean?" Dahyun rolls her eyes. "Of course, I was asking about what you and Chaeyoung are doing this Valentine's day."

"Ahh." The council president nonchalantly answers after sipping her orange juice. "Nothing. We... didn't set anything different to do."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"

"Hey, don't yell!" Mina promptly looks around and nods in apology to a few tables who she caught the occupant's line of sight. The crowd usually pours over the place just until around seven so Dahyun's voice almost echoed throughout the nearly empty area. "And why do you look so surprised?"

"What the— Hey, Pres! You—"

"I already told you to not yell!" Ironically, the council president also started to raise her voice.

"What are you two girls yelling about?" Another familiar voice suddenly joins their conversation.

"Chaeng."

Dahyun loudly scoffs. "Speak of the devil."

The soccer ace sneakily walked to them and is now standing to the side of the council president, holding an opened strawberry milk carton in her hand. She simply raised her eyebrow at the council secretary, then turned to Mina in a wide grin. "Hey, miss beautiful. Can I sit with you?"

Mina failed to hide a cheerful smile. "Of cours—"

"No!" Dahyun cuts in, still yelling. "You can't sit with my beloved Pres!"

"Seriously, Kim Dahyun." The council president puts her cutleries down and glares at her. "Calm down!"

"Okay, okay." Chaeyoung awkwardly chuckles as she sits beside Mina. "What are you girls quarreling about?"

Mina answered while still eyeing the council secretary. "Don't mind her. She's just started being unbelievably irritable when Sana left with—"

"You!" Dahyun points a finger to the soccer ace. "Son Chaeyoung, you're clearly the problem here."

"Huh? What are you saying?" The soccer ace flashed a mocking smile and sipped her strawberry milk.

"Why in the world did you not ask Myoi Mina out on Valentine's day?"

Chaeyoung almost spit the beverage she had just drunk and was forced to cough a couple of times, obviously caught off guard.

Mina quickly held out a tissue to the girl beside her with a worried look. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh." Dahyun shakes her head, looking unamused at the scene in front of her. "Where has my uptight Pres gone to? Who is this crazy person in front of me fully blinded by love?"

The council president rolled her eyes and faintly chuckled at her. "I think that person would like to remind you that you have a long test tomorrow for your 7 AM class. You even said earlier that you should be out and about reviewing for it now."

"BUT, PRES—"

"Instead of talking too much, speed up and finish that apple of yours." Mina quickly rebuts in a threatening tone.

That is when Dahyun finally lets out a sigh of defeat and immediately begins taking large bites of her half eaten fruit. It didn't take long for her to finish her food and hastily exit the place after waving the two other girls goodbye.

"Minari." The soccer ace starts right after the cheer captain exited the cafeteria.

"Hmm?"

Chaeyoung has now emptied the canned coffee she is holding while Mina's glass of orange juice has still some sips left.

"Ab— about the... umm..." The soccer ace awkwardly clears her throat. "Actually... I was about to tell you something about my schedule on Valentine's day."

The council president slowly nods, acknowledging her to continue.

"The thing is... I— I actually have something to do that day. I have a family occasion I need to attend. Umm... Minari... I— I have a—" Chaeyoung heaves in a deep breath. "I will be having dinner with my fiancée that day."

Mina didn't say anything in response. She is just blankly staring at her.

"But it won't just be the two of us!" The soccer ace quickly explains further. Her voice is now laced with anxiousness. "Our families will also be there. We were just obliged by our dads! If— if we were just given a choice, I'm sure we will both choose to not go to that stupid meeting. The night has always been filled with business talk anyway. I never enjoyed it. I swear!"

The council president is still staying silent with an unreadable expression.

"Mi— Minari. Please say something." Chaeyoung looks deeply into her eyes, searching for any further reaction. "You're kind of freaking me out right now. Please, say something."

Another minute passed with utter silence.

Then, Mina looked down and consecutively wiped her eyes with her hands.

The soccer ace's eye widened as she was instantly put in a mini panic. "Oh my, gosh. A— are you crying? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Minari, I—"

"Wow." The council president inhales very deeply. She slowly looks at the restless girl beside her and faintly smiles. "So this is one of those situations where I don't have a say about it and just have to bear with it, huh? And here I thought the reason we weren't setting anything up on Valentine's day was because we will just be hanging out in the evening after your practice. You know, like our usual routine."

"Minari. I am so sorry. It's just—"

"It's okay, Chaeng. I understand. I signed up for this. We already talked about this." Mina pauses and looks down again. "It's just that... I didn't expect it would still hurt this much. Being reminded right now that I can't be your priority. And how I just assumed all this time that I was."

Chaeyoung gently reaches out for the council president's hand, not caring if there are other students around. "I'm so sorry if I can't do anything about it for now. I'm such a powerless fool who—"

"Hey. Don't speak like that." Mina looks deeply into her with sincerity. "I don't like it when you talk about yourself like that."

"Minari..." The soccer ace's eyes suddenly started to water as she tightened her grip on Mina's hand. "You were just hurt a minute ago because of me and here you are, still thinking of my own disposition. How in the world could you act like this?"

"I wish I had an answer for that, Chaeng." The council president glances at their connected hands, then stares back again at Chaeyoung with a pained smile. "Just how I really wish I had."