8 Letters | Catnipz

-CHAPTER 6-

It's been a day since the incident between Minji and Haerin in the Arcade, both of them seems in a crisis on how will they interact since they need to start their project, Haerin was zoning out on her room because of thinking on how she should contact Minji

"Ahhh, my head hurts" Haerin whin figuring out

Then there is Minji who is still bother by the incident in the arcade "What the heck did you just do Kim Minji, your fuck up" Minji said hissing and hitting her head. Both of them seem don't want to work together but they can't do anything since it was announced a few days ago.

Minji was thinking an idea on how then she realized that Karina is friend with one of Haerin's friend as she texted Karina immediately

Minji: "Rin, can you do me a little favor?"

Karina: "Sure, name it."

Minji: "Well, you know Haerin, right? as far as I know, you're friends with one of Haerin's close friends, right? Can you perhaps ask for Haerin's number?"

Karina: "Oh, about that... actually, me and that girl are not in good terms at the moment. We had a bit of a disagreement, so I don't think asking her for Haerin's number would be a good idea, but I do have Haerin's Instagram account if that helps?"

Minji sighed "Out of all her social medias, why the heck is it her Instagram account?" she thought to herself, but she didn't want to push her luck. She continued to text Karina.

Minji: "Come on, Rin, give me her @ then. Maybe reaching out through Instagram is better than nothing."

Karina: "Haha, alright, alright. You're lucky you're my long-time friend. Her username is @Kang_Hrin06."

Minji: "👍 Thanks, Rin. I appreciate it."

After that, she immediately searched up Haerin's Instagram profile. She hesitated for a moment before sending her a direct message.

Minji: "Hey Haerin, it's Minji. Look, I know it got awkward after the Arcade, but we have to work together. Sorry for anything that made you uncomfortable. Let's meet up somewhere neutral and talk it out? Let me know."

As Minji anxiously waited for Haerin's response, she found herself scrolling through Haerin's Instagram profile. It was evident that Haerin wasn't much of a social media person, as she only had three posts, and they were all from a couple of years ago. The posts were simple but heartfelt, showcasing Haerin's interests in art and a cute photo of her with her pet dog.

As she was scrolling, Minji accidentally double-tapped on one of the pictures, liking it without realizing. "Oh no, no, no," she whispered to herself, quickly unliking the post. She felt her heart race, worried that Haerin might notice the like and think she was being creepy. Minji cursed herself for not being more careful.

While she was still flustered from the accidental like, she couldn't help but notice something surprising. Despite Haerin being considered an unpopular nerd at their school, as Minji had heard from others, Haerin had a significant number of followers on her Instagram. "Over a thousand? How is that possible?" Minji wondered, genuinely surprised.

As Minji pondered Haerin's unexpected popularity on social media, her phone buzzed with a notification. Haerin had replied to her message.

Haerin: "I got your message. Fine, let's meet at the park tomorrow afternoon. But don't think it means everything is okay now."

Minji felt a mix of relief and nervousness about the upcoming meeting. At least they were going to talk, but she knew she had a lot to make up for. She replied to Haerin, confirming the time and place, and thanked her for agreeing to meet.

❀

Haerin was surprised to receive a message from Minji, and she was also confused because her phone screen showed that "@Kminjiiii liked your post," when her last post was from about 2 years ago.

"She's creeping me out. Is she perhaps stalking me, or is it just something innocent?" Haerin thought while opening her Instagram to reply to Minji's message. She was taken aback because Kim Minji rarely made the first move.

Thoughtfully, Haerin replied to Minji:

Haerin: "I got your message. Fine, let's meet at the park tomorrow afternoon. But don't think it means everything is okay now."

"Does it sound rude? This is not how I usually reply to this kind of message," Haerin thought, growing more confused about herself, but she decided to leave it as it is.

❀

The next day, Minji patiently waited for Haerin. She rarely waited for anyone, being an impatient person, but this time she made an exception. As she kept waiting, an idea came to her mind, but before she could think of it again, Haerin arrived.

"Hey," Haerin said, maintaining her usual tone with Minji.

Minji just hummed. Silence enveloped them, and Haerin couldn't help but feel annoyed by the awkwardness. But before it grew any bigger, Minji decided to break the silence.

"So, about the interview, who are we gonna interview?" Minji asked curiously, leaning in close to Haerin's face. Haerin noticed her closeness and instinctively avoided it, thinking, wondering if this was another prank on Minji. She then replied to Minji's question, "About that, my brother said it would be better to interview the basketball team captain since he has more experience and, well, he's good at answering interview questions." Minji's soft expression turned into a frown as she realized they would be interviewing Lee Heeseung, the boy who had been her rival since he came to their university. But she didn't have a choice and had to accept it.

After spending hours discussing how they would interview Heeseung, they both decided it was time to go home. However, before Haerin could leave, Minji approached her.

Minji leaned in, tucking Haerin's hair behind her ear. "Tucking your hair is better," she said. Haerin couldn't help but blush at the closeness. As Minji kept fixing Haerin's hair, she sneakily put some leaves into Haerin's bag without her noticing. After doing that, Minji left abruptly, leaving Haerin confused.

Then Minji turned around saying "Have a good day Kang Haerin, text me if you miss me" she said teasingly making Haerin throw up in disgust

To be continued