Mean to Me | Im Youngmin

Mean - 14

She already feels bad that she doesn't know it's his birthday today, but not seeing him on his special day makes her feel so much worse.

She lets out an exasperated sigh.

There is no way for her to greet him in person today because it looks like Youngmin really has no plans of coming to school since it's already last period.

Ji-hye can't seem to focus the whole day. She can't believe she almost picked a fight with Youngmin today, on his birthday, without her knowing.

Is it good that he didn't show up? Maybe. She doesn't want to make him, or anyone for that matter, feel bad on his birthday.

But it also seems unfair that Youngmin just left without even telling her anything?

She suddenly feels the need to slap herself to her senses.

Why is it unfair, though? It's his birthday after all. He has all the right in the world to do whatever he wants. He doesn't even have to explain anything to her. Who is she to him anyway?

She frowns at the thought.

"Pst! You've been floating around all day!" Donghyun calls her attention as she doesn't seem to notice that the class was already dismissed.

"Hey, Ji-hye?"

This time around, she snaps back to reality.

"Donghyun, do you know what kind of cake Youngmin likes?" She asks out of the blue.

The boy is taken aback by the sudden question but he is quick to respond. "He likes all kinds, but I think his favorite is chocolate mousse?"

"Okay, then. Thank you so much," she absent-mindedly responds as she leaves the room even before Donghyun can even ask another thing.

The next day, Ji-hye wakes up later than usual. She immediately scrambles out of bed, takes a bath and eats breakfast in less than ten minutes. She is such in a hurry that she almost forgets to bring with her probably the most important box in her life right now.

Before opening their gate, Ji-hye lowkey hopes to see a waiting Youngmin there. Okay, maybe lowkey isn't entirely accurate, because she is quite disappointed to see that like yesterday, no cherry-haired six-footer is leaning on the brick wall waiting for her.

"Don't tell me he's skipping today, too?" She mutters under her breath. She looks at the box she's carrying so carefully with both hands. "Aish, no it can't be!" She raises her voice all of a sudden.

Youngmin can't skip class again today. There's no way he can! She didn't stay up all night and lose all those precious hours of sleep to perfect a cake that isn't going to be received anyway. She sighs before making her way to school.

Her pace was slower than the usual because she's afraid she might stumble on something or bump someone, and these can absolutely never happen because there is no way she's giving a ruined belated birthday present to Youngmin. This is why when she arrives in class, it's barely seven minutes before first period.

"Good morning, Ji-hye!" Donghyun cheerfully greets her.

Seriously, how is Donghyun always this happy? She thinks before she greets him back.

"I see you're smiling again today! And for a good reason, I guess?" He teases her while looking at the box she carefully placed on Youngmin's desk.

She immediately feels her cheeks redden.

"How sweet of you!" Donghyun tries to take a peek inside but Ji-hye is quick to push him back.

She doesn't know why but she feels so shy all of a sudden. Is it too much? They're friends so it is but right for her to give him a small present, isn't it?

"I'm sure he'll like it." Donghyun winks at her.

She smiles at him. She sure hopes so.

"He hasn't arrived yet?" She starts to worry because it's almost time for homeroom and Youngmin was nowhere to be seen yet.

"He told me he'll come to school today, so don't worry," Donghyun explains.

And at that exact moment, a familiar figure enters the front door. However, there's something very different about him today.

He isn't sporting his tomato hair anymore.

Im Youngmin shocks everyone in class as his black-haired self makes his way to his seat.

Ji-hye can't stop staring at him because she already thinks Youngmin is good-looking with his red hair but now that he has his natural hair color back, he's so much more striking. Really, though. How is this possible?

"Yo, dude! Nice hair!" Donghyun compliments him as Youngmin reaches his seat.

However, Youngmin is busy staring at the box placed atop his desk. Ji-hye notices that he sees the card taped on top of it. Suddenly, her heartbeat becomes abnormally fast again.

Youngmin rips off the card, opens it and reads the note inside silently.

Ji-hye swears she didn't let out a single breath the whole thirty seconds he did all of these.

Without a word, he looks at her, and the way he does sends chills down her spine.

He then speaks in a low voice. "Donghyun..."

"Hmm?"

"I don't like chocolate mousse."

"Huh?" Donghyun and Ji-hye say in unison. Ji-hye then looks at Donghyun whose eyes are open wide.

Youngmin then carries the box to Donghyun's desk. Ji-hye, who can't understand what the heck is happening, follows his every movement.

"Here, you can have it. It's better you have it than I throw it away."

Suddenly, there's a loud ringing in Ji-hye's ears that she can't hear anything else. Or is it just her pounding heart?

It seems that it isn't only Youngmin's hair color that changed today.

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I'm so sorry :(((((((((((

Again, pls don't hate me TT TT