Fate || PART 2 of 'Good Luck, Babe!' (Bbangsaz)

2. Perks of Being A Broke Medical Student

M I N J I

I lifted the weights one more time, feeling the burn deep in my muscles before finally dropping them with a loud thud.

Sweat poured down my face, dripping off my chin and onto the floor, pooling around my feet.

I sat up slowly, every muscle in my body sore and aching, but the physical pain was better than what was going on in my head. I reached for my water bottle, taking a deep gulp, when suddenly a damp towel smacked me in the face.

"Dry up, you soaking rat," Haerin said, laughing with her mouth full of chips, which only made her sound more annoying.

I groaned, yanking the towel off my face.

"Seriously?" I grumbled, wiping away the sweat that had soaked my skin.

The towel was cool against my heated face, but my heart was still pounding—not just from the workout, but from the thoughts of Hanni that kept flashing in my mind.

I wasn’t sure if I was working out to forget her, or because seeing her again had driven me to insanity.

"Who has you weightlifting for two hours straight?" Haerin asked, raising an eyebrow as she made herself comfortable, sitting on the floor next to me with her bag of chips in hand.

"Why are you here?" I asked, ignoring her question as I stood up. My muscles protested with each step I took toward the bedroom, but I forced myself to move.

"Rude," Haerin replied, crunching down on another chip. "I’m here to invite you to my wedding, obviously."

I paused for a second, my back still to her. I didn’t say anything. My mind flashed back to Hanni again. I could still see her face, her hesitant smile, the awkward way we stood there in that room. After five years, there she was, and it felt like nothing had changed—but everything had.

"You’re here because your girlfriend is with her parents, and you’re bored," I said flatly, pulling out a fresh set of clothes from my closet.

"My fiancée, you mean," Haerin corrected, flashing her engagement ring at me. "And yes, maybe, but also Busan is just way more peaceful than Seoul."

I sighed, rubbing my hand through my still-damp hair. "You both knew, didn’t you?" I said, my voice low, but I knew Haerin could hear me.

"Knew what?" Haerin asked, her tone changing as she noticed my mood shift.

I turned to face her, my jaw tight. "All about Hanni's whereabouts."

Haerin’s eyes widened for a second before she recovered. "Oh, fuck—" she muttered, standing up, her bag of chips now forgotten. "What happened? Did you see her?"

I tossed the towel onto my bed, the weight of everything finally settling over me. I nodded, my throat tight.

"Yeah. I'm the one handling her check-ups while Dr. Lee is away." I exhaled sharply, leaning against the wall. My heart was racing again, but this time it wasn’t because of the workout.

"Shit, Minji," Haerin said, crossing her arms, her expression softening. "You okay?"

I shook my head, staring at the ground. "No. How am I supposed to be okay with this? She’s married, Haerin. She’s pregnant. And I—I don’t know what to feel anymore."

I stood up straight and pacing the room. "I thought I’d moved on, you know? I thought I was over her. And now I’m stuck with her for a month, pretending like everything’s fine, pretending like she doesn’t mean everything to me still."