Stuck With You// Kim Seungmin

12

Minju Pov

Winter is finally here, and with it comes the dreaded season of final exams. Everyone around me seems to be scrambling to study, stressing over notes and textbooks, except Kim Seungmin, of course. He strolls into the exam room with his pristine notes, never a hair out of place. It's as if he has every answer memorized without even trying.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are barely holding it together. My study group chat is blowing up with frantic messages about last-minute cramming sessions and sharing notes. My caffeine intake is through the roof, and my brain feels like a jumbled mess of information.

One cold, snowy day, as I was rushing to my next exam, the school compound was covered in a fresh blanket of snow. It was a beautiful sight, but the icy paths were treacherous. I was trying to balance my heavy backpack and a stack of notes when I suddenly lost my footing on a patch of ice. Before I knew it, I was tumbling down the stairs right in front of Seungmin.

He reached out to catch me, but the slippery conditions had other plans. We ended up in a tangled mess on the ground, both of us covered in snow.

"Are you okay?" Seungmin asked, offering me his hand.

"Yeah, just trying to regain my dignity," I joked.

As we tried to pick ourselves up, Seungmin realized he had been braving the cold without his jacket because he had taken it off in an attempt to shield me from the fall.

Over the next few days, Seungmin's mood turned sour as he dealt with his sniffles and sneezes. He glared at me every time he sneezed, clearly blaming me for this mess. I couldn't help but find it amusing, given how serious he usually is.

"Really?" he said one day, sniffling into a tissue. "Did you have to slip right in front of me?"

"Hey, it's not my fault you were standing there!" I retorted with a laugh.

Despite his cold, Seungmin remained dedicated to his studies, barely missing a beat. To make up for my role in his cold, I brought him some hot tea and extra tissues, which softened him up a bit. Though his annoyance lingered, I could see a hint of a smile when I handed him the tea.

"Let's just get through this exam season," Seungmin said, shaking his head at me. "And maybe stick to solid ground for a while."

"Promise," I replied with a grin.

When we all gathered for a study session later, Hyunjin, Jisung, and Felix couldn't stop teasing Seungmin about catching a cold. Felix smirked, "I thought nothing could take you down during exams, but it looks like a little snow did the trick!"

Seungmin shot him a glare and muttered something about it not being funny. Jisung couldn't help but laugh, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You must really care about Minju if you ended up with a cold just to save her!"

Hyunjin chimed in with a grin, "Yeah, Minju, you should be grateful. Seungmin put himself on the line for you!"

Seungmin rolled his eyes, trying to play it off like it wasn't a big deal, but I could tell he was still a little annoyed.

"Come on, guys," I said, trying to ease the tension. "It was just an accident. I didn't mean to make Seungmin catch a cold."

Hyunjin chuckled, "True, but you better take good care of him now."

Jisung laughed, "Maybe get him some more tea, Minju!"

Seungmin tried to ignore the teasing, but it was clear he appreciated the light-hearted banter. As the night continued, I made sure to bring him some hot tea and snacks to show my gratitude for his help during my little winter slip-up. It was a strange turn of events, but it brought us closer as friends and made the stress of exams a little easier to bear.