Desire - ATEEZ Mingi

32

Yeeun's POV

The sun was just beginning to rise when I awoke on Monday morning. I groaned, wishing I could sleep for a couple more hours. However, I knew that wasn't an option when the blinding orange of the rising sun hit my face, making me squint my eyes.

Rolling over, I slowly got out of bed and trudged over to my window, about to close the blinds when the beauty of the sunrise stopped me. The sun looked like a big gold ball, resting on the horizon and painting the sky pink and orange and purple and blue.

A wave of tranquility came over me as I took in the calmness of morning. A tiny smile tugged at my lips as I wondered when the world became so...beautiful. I was in awe of all of the colors in the sky and how calm the world outside seemed to be.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt so at peace. Dealing with Mingi the past year gave me no time to feel peaceful. Even on my best days, there was always a small part of me worrying and doing everything I could not to get hurt.

Every moment of my life felt like walking on thin ice. Once wrong step could have drowned me.

I blinked a couple times, removing those thoughts from my head. That chapter of my life was over now.

Hopefully.

"Yeeun, you'd better be up!" My mom called from downstairs, snapping me out of my thoughts. I sighed, taking one last look at the picture perfect sunrise before making my way to the bathroom and dragging my newfound tranquility with me as I hopped in the shower.

I sat in class, tapping my pencil against the desk, in perfect rhythm with my shaking foot. I wasn't sure why, but I was feeling anxious and antsy. Sitting through an entire 30 minute lecture was torture.

Finally, Mr. Choi quit talking and gave us our assignment for the day. I almost wanted to thank him. I didn't think I could bear another moment of sitting in that desk.

Once I received the assignment, I hopped out of my seat, hurried to the front of the room and asked for a bathroom pass. I didn't actually have to go, but I needed to walk off some of this restlessness that was building up inside of me.

I emitted a long sigh of relief as I stepped into the vacant hallway. It felt so good to be on my feet and moving.

I made a couple laps around the same hallway before I got bored and turned down another corridor. My legs brought me left and right and left again before I came a a screeching halt and gasped.

Before me, Mingi had a girl pinned up against a row of lockers.

And that girl was Soyeon.

"Mingi!" I exclaimed, grasping both of their gazes. Soyeon looked frightened while Mingi looked like a deer in the headlights.

My first thought was that Mingi was about to make out with another girl right in front of me, just like he did before. But Soyeon looked too frightened and I knew that look like the back of my hand.

Fear was an emotion I was a little too familiar with.

"What are you doing?" I asked, clenching my fist as I marched towards the two of them. "Baby," Mingi was the first to speak. He released Soyeon's wrists and stepped away from her. "It's not what it looks like, okay?" He said.

I looked from him to Soyeon. She was still up against the lockers, tense and looking terrified, but a look of relief pooled in her eyes.

"Soyeon, are you okay?" I asked her gently. She blinked a couple times and nodded. "Y-yeah."

Turning back to Mingi, I let my anger boil over. I knew he was trying to hurt her and that infuriated me.

Any peace that had remained from the morning was gone.

"Baby," he said, reaching out to grasp my waist and pull me towards him. I flinched and immediately pushed him away. "No. Don't you dare touch me right now." I spat.

"Yeeun--" he began, but I was quick to cut him off. "Mingi, hurting me was one thing. But don't you ever hurt my friends." I let the anger in my voice drip off of every word, clear as day. He frownd, a bit of anger creeping into his eyes.

"Yeeun, I didn't even hurt her!" He exclaimed, sounding exasperated. I glared at him. "Then why did you have her pinned against the lockers, Mingi?"I shouted right back at him.

Clenching his jaw, he took one step towards me. Out of instinct, I stepped back, closer to Soyeon, almost protectively, but mainly because I was afraid of what Mingi might do.

"Soyeon, we need to go," I said to her, peeking over my shoulder at her while my body still faced Mingi. His face dropped and once more, he tried to reach out to me. "Baby, no," he pleaded, sounding desperate. I stepped back once more, shooting him one last glare before taking a hold of Soyeon's arm and pulled her away from the lockers.

"Yeeun! I didn't do anything to her!" Mingi called after me as Soyeon and I started walking away. His words almost brought me to a stop, hearing how desperate he sounded. But I forced myself to keep walking, trying desperately not to look back.

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A/N

What do you think happen between Mingi and Soyeon?

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