someone // jiyoo

xxvi

For a good amount of time Minji sat in her car, unsure of what to do next. She had a decision to make, and at last she let her intrusive thoughts win. She entered the residence with little difficulty - In fact, the guard barely spared her a glance as she drove through the gates.

The porch itself was nearly as big as her whole apartment and was, unsurprisingly, packed with people. She stumbled upon a group of drunk teenagers, who hardly paid her any attention as she squeezed her way past them. She had been worried that the front door would be locked, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she found it wide open. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.

It was even worse than she thought. The whole place reeked of alcohol and body odor, and Minji nearly choked. 'Yoohyeon!' She shouted, hoping that her voice would carry as far as she needed it to, but it was no match for the deafening music blaring from the speakers. She moved further into the room, stepping gingerly around a couple that was having a full make-out session on the floor. Barely ten seconds had passed and Minji already wanted to leave, to get away from the blinding strobe lights and back to the warmth of her car. Yoohyeon, she reminded herself. I have to find Yoohyeon.

Minji scanned the room in hopes of locating the younger girl, but she was nowhere to be seen. She grabbed the handle of a door which, according to the sign that had been hastily scribbled on the wall, would lead her to the kitchen. Maybe she could grab herself a drink before continuing her search-

'Fuck!' Someone shouted, prompting Minji to turn around. Curious, she joined the crowd of spectators forming in the living room, throwing out a few occasional 'Excuse me's as she elbowed her way through. Once she was upfront, she was finally able to see the commotion clearly. That was when she saw her.

Minji's jaw dropped as her eyes made out Yoohyeon curled up on the floor, shirtless and her face wet with tears. An unknown boy towered over her, shamelessly throwing punches as the crowd cheered him on.

Minji saw red.

'Get the fuck off her,' she roared, breaking into the circle. The boy jumped in surprise, yet remained where he was. 'I said get off her!' She repeated, shoving him away from Yoohyeon. 'Okay, okay!' He brushed himself off. 'Jesus.'

'Don't you ever touch her again. You hear me?' Minji snarled. 'Or else I'll knock your teeth down your throat.'

The boy raised his arms in surrender. 'Hey, that's not on me. I was just following Minsoo's-'

Minji silenced him by landing a hard kick in his stomach, prompting gasps and cries from the audience. 'Whoever dares to lay a hand on her,' she warned in a low voice, thrusting a finger towards the boy on the floor, 'Is going to end up like him. Do I make myself clear?'

The crowd murmured in both agreement and confusion. 'Who-' A girl started, and was quickly shushed by her friends upon seeing Minji's icy glare.

'Minji...' Yoohyeon's voice was weak, faint. Immediately Minji moved to her side, wrapping her in a tight embrace as she asked, 'Are you okay?' Yoohyeon shook her head, her eyes threatening to spill a fresh batch of tears. She looked so frightened that Minji felt her heart clench.

'Well, well, well.' Both girls looked up in alarm, and instinctively Minji tightened her grip on Yoohyeon's arm. The crowd parted for Minsoo as she strutted through with her friends in tow. 'Minji! What a surprise to see you here,' she exclaimed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. 'To what do we owe the pleasure?'

Yoohyeon opened her mouth to respond, but Minji beat her to it. 'What have you done?' She growled, moving in front of Yoohyeon protectively.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' Minsoo batted her eyelashes. 'Me and Yoohyeon were having a great time.'

'You know very well what I'm talking about,' Minji hissed. 'How could you?'

'Oh, Minji, you've always been kind. Always sticking your nose in other people's business as if it's your responsibility. But truth is, no one gives a shit about the things you do,' Minsoo laughed. 'And neither does Yoohyeon.'

'That's not true,' Minji argued. 'Yoohyeon is important to me, therefore she is my business.'

She placed a reassuring hand on Yoohyeon's shoulder, but the younger girl slunk away, leaving her slightly confused. 'Leave it, Minji,' Yoohyeon begged softly. 'You'll make it worse.'

'What a pity. Even your little girlfriend is pushing you away,' Minsoo mocked. 'You think you can help Yoohyeon? You don't even know the half of it.'

'I do, actually,' Minji stood her ground. 'Come on, don't you think you're taking this "revenge" thing,' she air-quoted with her fingers, 'A little bit too far? I'm sure you know quite well how it feels to be taken advantage of-'

Minsoo's face hardened. 'Shut up.'

'I'm sorry. That came out wrong.' Minji exhaled, closing her eyes. 'What I'm trying to say is, I think you owe Yoohyeon an apology. I know your past had been... difficult, but that doesn't give you the right to inflict that pain on someone else. Protecting yourself is fine, but harming an innocent person in the process is not.'

Minsoo scoffed. 'Who are you to tell me what's right and what's not?'

'Depends on who you see me as,' Minji shrugged. 'I don't know, lately I've been feeling this growing distance between us. I'm sorry if I haven't been there for you, it's just...' Minji sighed. 'We used to be inseparable, Minsoo. Now I feel like I don't even know you anymore.'

'And your point is...?'

'This isn't you,' Minji urged pleadingly. 'I miss the old Minsoo.'

'Well, it's too late for that. The old Minsoo is dead and gone,' Minsoo said through gritted teeth. 'For good.'

'Then I'm not sure if I want to be her friend anymore,' Minji admitted quietly, stepping back.

Minsoo stood there, dumbfounded. 'What?'

'I don't like the person you've become, Minsoo. No one deserves to be treated like that,' Minji looked her in the eye. 'Yoohyeon is someone I care deeply about, and the way you're treating her is unacceptable. She deserves to be treated with respect and care, like a proper human being.'

'Are we really going to do this right now? I think you're the one who owes me an apology, with the way you're turning against me now after all those years of claiming that you'll always be by my side. I thought we were a team,' Minsoo spat.

'Trust me, I'm not trying to turn against you,' Minji replied, trying to sound as calm as possible. 'But I don't think this is going to work out anymore.'

'I don't care,' Minsoo interjected, sounding pissed. 'It's either me or her. You better fix this, or this?' Minsoo gestured between them. 'Is over.'

Minji looked back and forth between the two girls, conflicted. Minsoo stared at her expectantly. Yoohyeon's eyes were glued to the ground.

Finally, she grabbed the younger girl's hand. 'Come on, let's get out of here.'

a/n
sorry for the long wait!
i've been working on something else, namely a jiyoo oneshot that i just published, titled 'rainy day' (its fluff :>)
it's on my profile, go check it out <3