Learza

Chapter 12: Her Hysteria

"Hey, Minjoo~"

"Minjoo!"

Not getting a response from the latter, Jo Yuri approached the pink-haired girl who was absentmindedly staring at the window of their room, seemingly lost in her own little world. With her devious side taking over her, the shorter girl decided to yell the taller girl's name out loud just beside her ear, startling her victim.

"Kim Minjoo!"

The said girl flinched in shock before blinking her eyes a few times to gather her wits together and mutter a small, "O-oh, Yuri," before laughing awkwardly and scratching her cheek.

"You know what, you've been acting so weird these past few months but you gotta at least keep it together at school." Yuri stared at Minjoo with an unreadable gaze the taller didn't seem to catch before the shimmer in her eyes changed to that of concern. "I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine." Minjoo shot her a reassuring smile, only making the younger shake her head while laughing. "I'm really thankful for you, Yul."

"No need to thank me. We're friends."

At Yuri's words, the older girl beamed, the usual one she would give to people that could make anyone fall down to their knees. It made Yuri blink rapidly in succession before she laughed heartily, patting Minjoo's shoulder and urging her to stand up.

Unsurprisingly, the two had gotten along so well ever since they formally introduced themselves. It came to the point that everyone in their class got used to seeing them together, talking about mundane things that others would actually not even dare talk about. Although since the student council president's family filed a leave of absence for the senior, Minjoo seemed to have changed as she started being spiritless and distracted most of the time. Fortunately, Yuri was there by her side, helping her cope with whatever she was going through without even asking her why she was acting up and the worried students (mostly Minjoo's fans) were assured and grateful for that.

"Let's just go. Those two are probably waiting for us. It's already lunchtime."

"The bell already rang?"

The shorter of the two chortled. "It's been five whole minutes, hun."

"Oh... Sorry."

"What are you even apologizing for? Let's go."

Yuri pulled the taller girl to her feet as she proceeded to push and guide her absent-minded classmate till they saw Yena and Chaewon talking peacefully at the farthest table of their classroom where everyone left them inside alone.

Without (somehow) being noticed, the two approached the seniors. It seemed as if they were too invested in their conversation that they neglected their surroundings completely, rendering them defenseless from surprises. Once they were near enough, Yuri giggled to herself. She could clearly hear their exchange of words and Yena's helpless tone which was also laced with overflowing care towards her best friend unlike Chaewon who doesn't even have the intention of entertaining her due to her flat tone.

"—oesn't mean you can disappear just like that!"

"Yeah, I know but you can't blame me. I'm a teenager in a rebellious phase."

"Rebellious phase my ass!"

"What? As if you didn't go through the same thing."

"You—"

"Can't I be whimsical?"

"Look, I was so worried about you that I could barely sleep the entire time you were gone but you're here telling me you disappeared for two months just because you wanted to tour all around Korea?! Who would buy that excuse?!"