cool ◇ seventeen | mingyu {discontinued}

{ 03 }

The make-over was nothing special. Really, all Chaeyeon did was convince me to get contact lenses and put on a little make-up. Well, she told me to curl my hair a bit but I was too lazy to do that this morning. It's not like anyone would notice anyway.

At least, that was what I thought. Walking into class felt different this time. It felt weird without my glasses, and even weirder with cosmetics on my face. A few kids would sneak glances in my direction, maybe because I looked different. I don't know if it was a good different or a bad different.

So, what happened over the weekend was that Chaeyeon and Gyujin kept me hanging out with Mingyu. He didn't mind, letting me know he was going over to his other friends to hang out. Anyway, along with giving me a few (not really, it was more like a hundred) tips on how to properly put on make-up, I was also given confidence lessons. Not that it helped me a whole lot. I wasn't sure how I was going to fake confidence without them coaching me.

All the looks I was getting was not really helping my confidence at all.

Of course, it was worse when I came into class and sat down on my usual chair. I could see him from my peripheral vision. Our seats were on opposite ends of the room but he had walked closer to talk to me. At least, that's what I thought he was going to do. For a minute, he just stood there and I felt the awkwardness make its way between us.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"Dahye?" Shock. I looked up at him, giving him my signature awkward smile.

"It is you!" Amusement. I could feel the heat make its way up my neck. This was not going well.

"What did you do?" Curiosity. Was it just me, or did he sound a little disappointed? Or disgusted? I wasn't sure. I was avoiding eye-contact after saying hello.

All of that from the one guy I had, grudgingly, let my so-called friends give me a make-over for.

"I look awful, don't I?" I asked. Mingyu shook his head, sitting on the chair that was meant for my absent seatmate. That guy was usually always late so he wouldn't mind Mingyu being there. My best friend always did come over to talk to me every day before class started.

"You look great. Just a little different," he told me. "So, what inspired this?"

I shrugged. "I made a bet with Chaeyeon," I answered. There was no way I was telling him the truth behind this little make-over thing. He was going to laugh and then say that he couldn't like me like that, then I would have to wallow in despair as I attempt to get over this stupid crush. Not that I haven't tried getting over the crush before. I found it impossible to.

He laughed. "Did you lose?" he said, "You never really were that good with making bets. What was it about?"

I cursed myself for walking right into that one. Thinking quickly, I made up some story about saying that she couldn't go a day without being around her boyfriend. Mingyu seemed to buy it. Before he could question me any further, the teacher came in and decided to start the class. Mingyu went over to his assigned seat, just as my actual seat mate arrived.

The guy did a double-take before shooting me grin. "You look pretty today," he teased and I just thought that the floor couldn't swallow me up any faster.

That was the first day. I was stuck with the new look for a week, not that I minded any more as time went on.

It was halway through the week when I decided that I actually liked my new look. Well, I did go back to wearing my glasses but I could still hear people whispering whenever I would walk by. That would have made me uncomfortable, but it didn't.

Not when I was being invited to eat lunch with Lee Soomin and her friends. It was on the second day, and the first time I declined Mingyu's insistence on eating together. I don't know why I did, but I accepted Soomin's invite. Well, not right away.

It was after the second subject of the day, before our next teacher would come into the classroom. I almost didn't notice the presence looming over me, and when I did look up I didn't know what to make of it.

Lee Soomin and her friends were... cool. They were the very definition of popular; people want to be around them if only to say that they were noticed. And here she was, with one other member of her crew standing beside her, leaning on the wall by the window.

"Min Dahye, right?" she asked. I wasn't sure what I was more surprised at: that she was talking to me or that she actually knew my name. I nodded my head slowly, unsure how to react to the attention. The other girl smiled at her. "Wanna sit with us at lunch? We have space at our usual table," she said.

I looked over to where Mingyu sat, and found him staring. He was probably looking at Soomin. I looked back at the girl and, slowly, I shook my head. "I already have somewhere to sit," I said. For a moment, I thought I might offend her but she smiled warmly at me.

"That's fine," she said, "The invitation's open until whenever. You seem like a really cool person."

Her sentence repeated over and over in my head as I tried to dissect the meaning of it. Did she say it because she meant it? Did my sudden make-over make me seem cool? Or was it because she recognized me as Mingyu's friend? Maybe she liked Mingyu too?

Those were my thoughts even as I sat with Chaeyeon and Gyujin at lunch time. I had sat with Soomin and her friends at lunch the other day, and it was alright. They asked a few personal questions, none that had to do with Mingyu, but I was still weary. That was why I chose to sat with the couple today.

"We're glad to know you still remember us," Gyujin muttered when I sat down at their table. "We saw you yesterday with Lee Soomin."

"Don't mind him. He just wants attention," his girlfriend piped in, earning a half-glare half-pout look (I don't even know) from him. Chaeyeon continued, ignoring the look she was getting. "How was that, by the way? I'm curious about what they talk about."

I only shrugged. "They're really cool."

"Better than us?" asked Gyujin.

"No one can be better than you guys," I assured him.

"Except maybe Kim Mingyu," cut in said friend who decided to just randomly sit at our table. "No one can beat him at being your coolest friend."

I rolled my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to eat lunch with my best friend. We didn't eat together yesterday. I missed you."

I could sense Chaeyeon silently squealing in her spot and I nudged her to remind her to keep calm. She sent me a seemingly innocent smile in return, except that smile had a hint of smugness to it too.

"How could you miss me? You see me every day," I said to Mingyu. He shrugged in response, taking out two lunchboxes. I smiled, taking a random lunchbox and opening it.

"Hey, that one's mine," Mingyu pouted and switched our boxes. I frowned when I opened the one he had given me.

"I want that one!" I complained. He stuck out his tongue and kept his own lunchbox out of my reach.

Gyujin let out a groan. "Really, just date already. You already act like a couple."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the flutter in my stomach that his comment started. "I'm pretty sure people in a relationship treat each other well." Stabbing my thumb at Mingyu's direction, I said, "He's my own personal bully."

Mingyu scoffed. "I have to make you food every day. Who is the bully? I think you are."

And that was how we ended up bickering in front of my two friends until lunch time ended. It wasn't until a little later, as I walked to class that I realized Gyujin was right. I mean, Chaeyeon and Gyujin had a similar relationship, aside from the fact that they would make out right after a fight. I guess they were just that comfortable around each other, the same way Mingyu and I were comfortable with each other.

BUt I couldn't get my hopes up.