Rather Than

Rather Than Hurt (2Kim)

"You know what..."

Minjoo hummed in response.

She was busy blowing her already red nose and wiping her tear-stained cheeks after bawling her eyes out in front of her bestfriend earlier. She had just intruded Chaewon's flat without a warning before she dove and engulfed her bestfriend, who was peacefully sleeping, in a hug then started wailing like an idiot.

"Hey, look at me."

Minjoo sluggishly turned to look at Chaewon who called for her in a rather soft voice but she found the older girl staring at her, those infamous snarky eyes seemingly peering through the soul of the broken-hearted girl.

Normally, the girl's dark umber orbs, which others claim to be really intimidating that they'd shit their pants if subjected to that torturous scrutinizing gaze, don't look at her that way no matter what she does. Today, however, Minjoo felt that it was different, she could now see why others are scared of her, Kim Chaewon, her one and only best friend. Chaewon has been gazing at her irritably and Minjoo couldn't help but let her brows furrow in confusion at that realization.

"Why are you looking at me like that, unnie?"

"Don't you ever get tired?" The elder huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, her fringe softly gliding over her forehead when she tilted her head sidewards making her newly cut hair shift from the motion.

"Tired? Of what?"

"Being in a relationship and breaking up almost every week?"

"I'm so sorry, unnie." The younger of the two sighed. "I... I'll try my best to get some break from love. Sorry, I even disturbed you today."

Chaewon snorted. "I also heard that last week, and even the weeks before that, multiple times."

Minjoo pouted then jumped on Chaewon to hug her and bury her face on the older's stomach. They ended up lying on the bed once again from the impact with Chaewon's head slightly hitting the wall from the force.

"Holy f- I swear to God, Kim Minjoo."

Chaewon quietly groaned in pain with her eyes closed as she instinctively let Minjoo's lavender scent overake her senses. She was used to the minty lavender fragrance that lingers in her room whenever the younger visits and as expected, this time is not an exception as well. It was a comfortable mix of their colognes that she, somehow or another, often finds herself giddy whenever she gets a whiff of (for some unknown reason).

"I'm sorry, unnie."

Chaewon snapped out of her stupor. The younger's voice came out muffled but she could feel her shirt getting soaked from Minjoo's tears.

She felt her heart drop.

The elder sighed before lifting her upper body as she used her elbows to support her weight. She silently stared at the person hugging her, fighting the urge to pinch the younger's cheeks and tell her to just stop crying but Minjoo is Minjoo and Chaewon knows that things will get worse if she did that since she's pretty sure her best friend will end up wailing like some widow.

"Are you mad at me?" Minjoo slowly glanced at her, their soft gazes meeting.

Chaewon kept mum.

If she's going to be honest to the girl, she could admit that she's indeed a bit irritated, irritated about the fact that one; her sleep was cut short by a sudden tackle (lariat) just when she was finally able to close her eyes after finishing her schoolwork overnight, two; her best friend is crying at noon because of some boy or maybe some girl who she probably just started dating five days ago for the umpteenth time, three; the said girl's tears and snot got on one of the drafts of her work so she will need to redo it all over again, four; she still found Minjoo so pretty despite looking like some frog meme and crying, five; she can't truly get angry at the younger girl although she thinks that she should be.