Warmth Unveiled | Michaeng

Chapter 44 - What's wrong with me?

"It's because of that girl, isn't it?" Her mother said, pacing around the foyer, hands knotted together. "She's not the one that Jeongyeon told me about, is she? The one from the bowling alley? She said she had tattoos. It must be her. Is she the reason why you've been acting up like this the past few days? Minari, why are you hanging out with someone like that?"

For a second, Sehun's image flickered in her mind.

'There's no way you could be friends with someone like that.'

Everyone says the same thing about her—this girl that she loves. They didn't know how she really was, how everything seemingly rebellious action had a reason. How Chaeyoung's façade of truancy was rooted in hard work behind the scenes, of late nights pouring drinks and early morning fixing cars. They didn't know that behind every punch was a gentle hug, a comforting, protective, Chaeyoung-like embrace. they only saw as deep as her tattoos, never further.

Mina's closed throat loosened as guilt swam inside her stomach like tadpoles about to morph into frogs, growing and building until they had burst free. She had clammed up in Principal Myers office, unable to bring her pathetic self to defend Chaeyoung, even after she defended her time and time again.

She's giving me so much, and what did I give her in return? An expulsion and a bad reputation.

Grasping her guilt, Mina looked at her mother, eyes firm.

"Chaeyoung isn't like that, mom. Don't talk about her like that when you don't even know her name," she said, voice biting. Her mother took a step back in surprise, startled by the razors in Mina's voice. Her shock soon withered into anguish.

"Mina, this isn't like you," the woman whispered, grasping Mina firmly on her bicep. "Is she bullying you? Blackmailing you? Mina, you can tell me. I can see that she's a bad influence, just look at her—"

"You can see that she's a bad influence?" Mina repeated, scoffing at her mothers words. Heat spread through Mina, her own 'last straw' falling into pieces. Shaking her hand off of her and biting her tongue to stop anymore angry words coming out, Mina turned towards the stairs, stones in her heart. "Sorry, mom, but considering your judgement with her in the past, and even with men, I can't say that I trust what you see."

She turned before she could see her mom's face, though she's sure from the way her body stiffened, it was a painful and ugly sight. Running up to her room and slamming the door, she threw herself onto the bed, limp and numb.

After spitting out those words that should have taken a weight off her shoulders, she only felt heavier and guiltier. She didn't have to see her mom's face to know that what she said cut deep. Her teeth hurt as she bit down heavily, burying her laborious sobs into her sheets. Not being able to say anything in front of Jackson, unable to find her voice to defend Chaeyoung with Principal Myers, but spitting out such hurtful words to her own mother?

Why couldn't I do anything right?

"What's wrong with you, Mina," she whimpered quietly, hitting the crown of her head with her fist. "Why are you like this? God damn it."

It took her a long, long hour to even move from her bed. Her stomach rumbled, acid burning with its emptiness, but she didn't want to leave to confines of her room. Not even bothering to shower, she pulled on her most comfortable clothes and crawled into bed, even though her clock hadn't clicked past four in the afternoon yet. Pulling her blanket over her head, like the soft fabric would shield her from everything, she finally checked her phone for the first time since everything unraveled. 28 messages, two calls.