serein || park jimin

03

"Daeun-ah, are you free this afternoon?" Seulbi ran up to me the moment I stepped out of my classroom.

I shook my head and flashed her an apologetic smile. "You know the usual for me, I can't dare skip afternoon school classes and then I also have cram school,"

She pouted in response and then turned her attention to the side where Boyoung and Minae were approaching us.

"SEULBIIIII, DAEUNNN!" Minae over-excitedly ran up to us and instantly clung onto the two of us. "You two are coming along with Boyoung and I right?"

I put on a confused look at Minae's sudden actions but instantly realised she must be acting this way to get something from me; like always. I sighed and flashed her an apologetic look, rejecting her offer.

"Sorry Minae, I have afternoon classes and cram school,"

Minae pouted and gave me a pleading look. "Can't you skip afternoon classes with us? And then you can go to cram school, pleaseeeee?"

If there was one thing I hated most about myself, it would've been saying 'no' to requests like this. It was especially harder when it came to Minae because she gave off this aura around her that made you agree to whatever she said.

What do you need from me this time Minae?

"Minae, there's always next time," Boyoung pried her arms off me and gave her a small smile.

"But you said you wouldn't come unless Daeun comes!" She pouted.

I let out a soft sigh before tapping Minae's shoulder gently. "I'll ask my mum," I mumbled whilst pulling my phone out then dialling my mum's number.

"Yeobosaeyo?"

"Eomma, is it okay if I skip afternoon classes just this one time?"

"You know what my answer's going to be, why bother asking?" She sighed over the phone.

I crossed my fingers together and bounced on my toes. "Just this one time, please? I'll stay up an extra hour today at home,"

My mum repeatedly sighed as she told me she'd let me go this time, but never again from now on. I thanked her and hung up.

"Eeeee!! Let's go go!" Minae exclaimed loudly and clung onto me tightly to the point where my arms actually hurt. I didn't know whether she was doing it on purpose or not, but it was extremely uncomfortable for me.

"Yo Minae, where we going though?" Boyoung questioned as she naturally unlatched her off me.

"Karaoke!!" She jumped up and down excitedly. "Ah crap, I think I forgot my purse today," her expression faltered as she looked at the three of us with hopeful eyes.

We all knew that she was lying. Minae came from a very rich family with a high reputation, and even if she forgot her purse, she'd always have some emergency money inside her phone case. I could see Boyoung secretly roll her eyes at her and Seulbi awkwardly smiling.

"Yeah okay sure, the three of us would divide it. But promise to pay us back tomorrow, okay?" Boyoung sighed, knowing that she couldn't expose Minae like that without sounding like a dick.

"You guys are the best!" Minae happily clapped her hands together before clinging onto Boyoung once more. "Let's go now!"

Sometimes I didn't understand how Boyoung actually liked Minae.

The next hour flew by with a lot of ear-splitting shrieks and deafening singing by the Minae and Boyoung duo. Seulbi on the other hand just sat on the couch with me with a bored face. She was never the type to go sugar high in karaokes and actually found them pretty uncomfortable.

Minae giggled whilst stretching her arms out as we walked out of the karaoke building. "That was refreshing and fun wasn't it?"

Seulbi and I just flashed her an awkward smile unlike Boyoung whom started a new conversation with Minae about how out of tune she was in the karaoke. She was interrupted mid sentence when her phone started ringing.

"Yo Sanghyuk," she answered. "Right now? Oh sure, I was craving for bubble tea anyways," We all looked at her with curious faces as she hung up on her boyfriend. "Gonna go now, bubble tea date with Hyuk!"

"Oh speaking of boyfriends, I just remembered that I have a date with Jinyoungie oppa!" Minae gasped with a fake surprised expression. "I'll go too, bye bye!"

Minae and Boyoung went separate ways and Seulbi and I were left alone in the comfortable silence. We walked towards my cram school since her house was on the way accompanied by the usual childish talks that the two of us had when we were alone. I bid her goodbye when we arrived in front of the tuition building and went inside, a sudden strange feeling knotting up in my stomach.

"Daeun?" I heard a familiar voice call my name out and immediately recognised it.

"Jimin?"

Jimin stood in front of me with a slightly confused expression. His light brown locks were tousled up as if he had run a long distance, and it suited him very well somehow. He flashed me his eye grin and ruffled his bangs with his small fingers.

"Didn't think I'd see you here," he chuckled lowly, his grin not seeming to disappear anytime soon.

I pulled my mask up higher and gave him a small eye smile. "Neither did I, are you attending here now?"

"Yep, Tuesday's for English, Wednesday for science and Thursday for math," he nodded at my question. "Hope that I'm not in the same class as you," he joked.

I flashed him a small glare as I punched his arm softly. Jimin exaggeratedly held onto the spot where I had hit and yelped in pain. "Why are you so mean Daeunnn?"

"Says you,"

"You bully," he pouted before smiling again as he flicked my forehead gently. "I was joking, Eomma actually made me take the same classes as yours and made sure I was in your class,"

"Oh," that was all I could say.

"Well then, let's go to class shall we potato?" He grinned like an idiot as he skipped joyfully in front of me.

"Why am I friends with you Park Jimin?" I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

"Dunno, I question the same thing with you daily," he shrugged.

"You little-"

"Merongg!" He stuck his tongue out at me before jogging up a few steps ahead, making sure to keep a distance away from me just in case I chased him.

Instead of chasing him like before, I sighed and held my backpack straps tightly. I've tried my best to act normally around him, but I just couldn't. Negative thoughts started to invade my mind once again, and my heart clenched in pain at that.

"Daeun? You okay?" Jimin approached me with a worried look, noticing how I hadn't reacted to his last joke.

I gave him a smile that only made my eyes turn into slight crescents, but not reach my lips.

"Yeah I'm fine,"