𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻 | lee minho x oc

ch 3

Her heart skipped a beat with the news.
" actually i told him to come to my place. i wanted to bring him to the bus stop so you could meet him before the exam but when he was coming to my house, he got into a little accident. you don't have to worry ok?! i'm here with him. you go and give your best as usual. good luck " - he hung up the phone, however Ahri still stood with the phone pressed against her ear. She didn't know how to react at that point. And as she felt completely helpless, her bus arrived at the stop, opening its door open in front of her.

" who was it? " Minho asked Changbin as the doctor was done bandaging him on his arm. " oh just - you're okay right? i'm sorry man! it was all my fault ". Minho patted hardly twice of Changbin's back and said that it was okay.

They were just about to exit the hospital when the glass door opened, letting Ahri enter. She was a complete mess. Her hair was messy, she was showered in sweat and she was breathing like she ran a mile just to get there. " AHRI?! " Changbin screamed looking at her sudden appearance. She stood there for few seconds before running into Minho's arms with tears falling through her cheeks. Minho just stood still in surprise. " I- I got so scared. I got really really scared for you " she said and cried again with loud sobs. As for Minho, he wasn't understanding why she was crying so loud and was scared for him. " Yaah! don't you have an exam today? what are you doing here? " he asked as he freed himself from the tight hug. She sobbed hard to stop herself from tearing anymore. " i don't know. i just heard the news and came here running ". Minho glanced at Changbin who mouthed sorry as he realised his another fault.

" are you stupid? who told you to come here? you should be taking exam at this moment. why are you here? "

She broke into tears again. What was she even thinking when she decided to ran here instead of taking the bus? She isn't like this and she would never do this. But when it comes to Minho, her brain doesn't work - it's her heart only. It's her heart that told her to come here because it would not stay calm until she saw him fine. " don't scold her! it's my fault. i was the one who told her that you had been hospitalized "
" hospitalized? " Minho widen his eyes at the word. " yeah i mean.. you were taken to the hospital urgently.. so i thought " Changbin couldn't say anything further because he knew he misused a word and caused Ahri problem. He was about to say something but Ahri left them before he could say anything. She left without saying anything? Must be really upset after what Minho said.

" you shouldn't have scolded her. after all, she came here for you. she chose you over her exam which is completely rare. that means, you are really special for her. try to be a little nicer to her! " - Changbin said and walked out leaving Minho in his deep thought. Was she crying because i got hurt? His eyes got softer with the thought unknowingly. " stupid "

✦

The following day ; Ahri was a bit gloomy. Her friends tried cheering her up but nothing seemed to work. Minho didn't do anything - more like he didn't know what to do, to make her feel better.
Suddenly a teacher came in the class and called Ahri saying that her mother came to meet her. Yunjin's face turned pale as she heard the news. " i hope everything goes fine " she prayed and Jisung asked her why she said so. Ahri went inside the principal's office as she saw her mother sitting there in silence. She stood in front of her without saying anything, eyes fixed at her toes.

" It's her stepmother "

Ahri was shocked when her mother suddenly got up and slapped her face without a word. She looked at her with teary eyes. " are you out of your mind? why didn't you take the exam? your teacher called me and because of you, i and your father got embarrassed. i'm warning you for the last time! if i get another call from your school, you'll see the worst of me ". She said and picked her stuffs. But before she went out, she handed some money on Ahri's hand and Ahri couldn't do anything.

" Ahri's mother died when we were in middle school. Her father married another woman right after his wife's death and they treated Ahri like a piece of toy. " Changbin stated. " it was suffocating for her to live there, so she decided to move out. her aunt gave away her old apartment free of cost as she bought another house and since then Ahri has been living alone. she talks to her parents only if the schools helds meeting. " Yunjin added with a heavy sigh. She sincerely feels bad for Ahri, who had seen more than her age. Minho, who was also listening to them, got a little surprised with Ahri's story. He never thought that the girl who seems so strong, always smiles and have fun without regrets, has been hiding so many scars behind her smile. For the first time, he realised that she was more than how he sees her.

When he decided to go to her stepmother to clear things out, he saw the girl crying alone. Her face was as sad as the late winter's moon - pale and lack of shine. This was the first time Minho tried to look at her face that she hid with her hands as she cried sitting on the floor. He didn't like the sight.

" You know you're looking very ugly now " . Ahri looked up at the boy who was standing with a tissue in his hand. He gave her the tissue and hunched down in front of her. " you did nothing wrong. i know i also scolded you yesterday but i realised that you did that because you are a good person. " Minho's voice sounded like a lullaby to Ahri which slowly vanished all her sorrow. Did she like him so much that he could heal her heart with only his words? she wondered. Maybe. " I'll talk to your mother. She'll understand why you - "

" it's okay " - Ahri said with a smile although her eyes were teary. Minho didn't understand her at all and mostly thought that she was crazy to say it's okay after being misunderstood. " it's okay because... you are here! i don't care if she hates me. it's okay as long as you are not the one who hates me. " Minho kept on looking at the girl without saying anything. Her smile didn't fade this time and her shine was back on her face - as if she was waiting for Minho to console her.

When they got back in the classroom, Yunjin tried to comfort Ahri. But to her surprise, she wasn't as sad as she gets everytime she talks to her family members. Yunjin looked at Minho who was talking to his friends - i hope you won't break her heart after healing it yourself . " Yunjin-ah! sit down. Teacher has come already " Ahri said to her and she finally got out of her thoughts. The teacher cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. " Students! i have a great news for you. From the next week, your midterm exams will start ". Everyone whinned in unison. " what kind of a great news is that sir? " Changbin said standing up from his seat. Ofcourse he got scolded and was told to sit back again. " the great news is - we are planning to take the whole class to a camping trip right after the exam. "
A loud cheer filled the classroom and all the students started talking already, forgetting that their teacher was still there. The teacher clapped to stop everyone from making noise as he didn't finish talking yet.

" This will be the last school trip of your life, so it is compulsory for you to register your name.But before that you will have to give your best in the exam. ok? "

All of the students started discussing about the camping. A sudden excitement has planted in each of them. They were excited to make an eternal memory for their life, with the people they've spent their youth with.
Ahri was also excited to collect some precious memories with her friends and especially Minho. She wanted to remember this trip for a long long time, so does the others.