Love 101 || NewJeans' Minji

0.

"Thank you, please come again!" said Jun-seo, bowing to the customer as she left the convenience store. The smile on his face quickly disappeared following the departure. He sighed and placed his hands on the counter, lowering his head as he started wondering why he had agreed to cover for his co-worker for the night shift.

He sat on the stool provided for him and spun around a few times while staring at the ceiling, particularly, the faulty light that was flickering. Jun-seo got up from his seat and walked toward the light, still looking up while crossing his arms, "gotta replace it soon," he muttered.

Jun-seo looked at the entrance as it chimed. He put on a small smile while walking toward the counter, "welcome," he greeted the customer, who bowed in return. The customer was a girl wearing a dark blue windbreaker, and a pair of sweatpants.

"Um, excuse me, do you guys happen to sell paracetamol?" asked the girl, her voice muffled by the facemask she was wearing.

"We do. Please wait," replied Jun-seo as he turned around and unlocked the glass drawer with all sorts of over-the-counter medicines in it, grabbing a small pack of paracetamol before handing it to the customer. "If you don't mind me asking, may I know why you are buying this?"

The customer looked at him while raising her eyebrows, "what's that?"

"Ah," Jun-seo shook his head. "Don't get me wrong! I was just following the procedure that my boss had put out for us," he explained while scratching his head, afraid that she might get his intention of asking wrong.

The customer snickered softly and shook her head, "Ah, I see..." she said before clearing her throat. "My friend is not feeling well, so that's why I am running an errand for her," she added, explaining the reason.

Jun-seo nodded and scanned the item. "That will be $5."

"Sure, let me just..." the customer slid her hand in her pocket and pulled her purse out before handing him a few bills, which Jun-seo politely took from her. "Thank you," she continued, grabbing the pack from the counter and making her way to the door.

"Please come again!" thanked Jun-seo as he watched the customer walk out of the store. She looked over her shoulder and bowed to him before continuing to walk.

Once she had left, Jun-seo sighed and took the cap he was wearing off, placing it down before looking at the clock on the wall—he still had a few hours left before his co-worker took his place. It would've been a lot easier for Jun-seo if his co-worker had informed him earlier that she couldn't come to work today because of her college entrance exam.

Speaking of college, Jun-seo was a student entering his final year in college. The program he was taking wasn't anything noteworthy because he was studying hotel management, one of the least popular programs in the college he was in. He wasn't so bad as a student, but he wasn't the best either.

He was planning on taking a long break after graduating, but for now, he was focused on earning some money for college because he was a broke college student, living with two other students in a small apartment.

Jun-seo shook his head and looked outside, amused by a few drunk men dancing and singing on top of their lungs as they walked past the store. It turned out that that was the last bit of entertainment he would have for the next three hours.

—

Luckily, Jun-seo's coworker showed up rather early, so Jun-seo went home to his two other friends still in the living room, playing video games. "I'm home," he announced lazily while taking his shoes off.

"Oh, welcome back," greeted one of his friends without looking away from the game he was playing. "How was work today?"

Jun-seo sighed and lazily made his way into the living room, slumping into the couch while looking at his friends, "it's boring, as always," he whined. He took his phone out of pocket and saw a few missed calls from the person he least expected it from; Wonyoung, his ex.

He huffed and put his phone away before getting up, "I'm going to bed," he told his friends as he entered his room, closing the door behind him. Just then, his phone rang again, and he took his phone out, clicking his tongue at the caller ID.

As much as Jun-seo disliked phone calls, he still picked the call up despite it being his ex. "Jun-seo speaking."

"Oh, Jun-seo, you finally picked up... why weren't you answering my calls?"

Jun-seo sighed softly, "I was at work," he explained curtly before clearing his throat, "anyway, make it quick, whatever it is you wanted to say."

"Ah, here is the thing... I had a meeting with our head of programme, and she told me that we needed a new head for the international student council, considering that our seniors are graduating soon."

"And?" Jun-seo raised an eyebrow.

"And... as much as I hated to admit it, you are the only person I know that is suitable for the position."

There was a long pause before Jun-seo spoke up. He sighed and shook his head, not like Wonyoung could see him doing it. "No thanks," he said, short and simple.

"Wait, you didn't even give it much thought, are you sure?"

"As sure as when we broke up."

"An Jun-seo—"

"If that's all, I'm ending the call," he told her before ending it, throwing his phone onto his bed. He grabbed a towel and entered the bathroom, wanting to feel clean and comfortable before sleeping.

Meanwhile, Wonyoung pulled her phone away from her ear and stared at her screen, sighing. She shook her head and put her phone in her pocket before turning on her heels and entering the meeting room again.

"So, what did Jun-seo say?"

Wonyoung shook her head, "he declined the offer," she replied, taking a seat on a chair and leaning against it. "What do we do now, Dr. Kim?"

Dr. Kim hummed while staring into the distance for a few seconds. "How about..." she took her time before looking at Wonyoung, "you continue to offer him the position?"

"But Dr. Kim, An Jun-seo is not someone who can change his mind easily. Usually, when he says no, then that's it."

"That is exactly why I wanted him for the position," Dr. Kim replied, pointing at Wonyoung with a confident smile. "Trust me, what is meant to be, will be."

Wonyoung was still unconvinced by their head of programme, but she believed that if Dr. Kim believes that Jun-seo will come to accept the position, then she should feel confident that it will happen, too.

Dr. Kim cleared her throat and got up from her seat, "well, I think that concludes our meeting for tonight. You should head back to your dormitory, Wonyoung," advised Dr. Kim before grabbing her files and leaving the room.

"See you soon, Dr. Kim," Wonyoung bid her farewell before bowing, watching Dr. Kim walked out of the door before sighing. She straightened her back and looked at the table, grabbing her notebook before walking out as well, "what is meant to be, will be," she muttered, repeating Dr. Kim's words as she turned the light off and closed the door behind her.