i'm yours to keep | winrina

- 5

"It might come as a surprise, but things are rough all over."

Minjeong looks up from her dog-eared copy of Tartuffe when she hears the iconic line, taking in the scene of Ponyboy and Cherry at the drive-in. When she was younger, she always thought the two characters should have ended up together.

Sure, Ponyboy was a little rough around the edges but what greaser wasn't? And Cherry Valance, Minjeong used to have the biggest crush on her. She was beautiful, kind, and yet could stand toe-to-toe with anyone who tried to put her down for being a Soc.

Now that she thinks about it, Jimin kind of reminds her of Cherry. She's definitely gorgeous, so much so that Minjeong doesn't know how she failed to really notice her in school. Sure, they ate in the same cafeteria and walked the same halls, but Jimin never pinged on her radar before.

And she definitely isn't intimidated by Minjeong, which is oddly refreshing. Most people outside her circle of friends tended to avoid her (or in the case of freshmen, cower in fear). It got kind of tiring after a while, truth be told. But Jimin's different, she had no qualms about throwing an acerbic remark or withering look in her direction.

And she wasn't afraid to hold her hand last night.

That had been the craziest thing of all, because that's definitely a romantic gesture, right? Though if she thinks about it, spending hours walking around a moonlit garden is also romantic, so what did that say about her?

A piece of popcorn sails towards her, making contact with her cheek.

"Earth to Minjeong, is anyone there?" Yunjin asks. She's lounging in her seat, lazily flicking popcorn into her mouth as she awaits Minjeong's answer.

Minjeong shoots her a playful glare. "Yeah, of course I'm here!" She stretches out across two seat cushions, glad they're spending some time at Yunjin's place— the Huh have the coolest home theater ever.

"The question had to be asked. You haven't read a single page in the last fifteen minutes." Yunjin points out, though her eyes are now back on the screen. Minjeong is one of the few people who knows her favorite movie is The Outsiders and will sit with her almost any time she has it on, even if her attention is usually elsewhere.

Yunjin fires another piece of popcorn in her direction, and she responds by pelting her with M&Ms. "You never did tell me how your gardening thing's been going." She says after successfully catching a piece of chocolate in her mouth.

"Does Princess Jimin have you working day and night?"

"Nah," Minjeong replies, shaking her head. "It's actually kinda fun. Except for the sunburn I now have." She frowns at one of her painfully reddened shoulders.

Yunjin raises a skeptical eyebrow. "So she isn't giving you any grief? I figured she'd be acting like a tyrant, bossing you around to do this and that."

"She's not like her dad." Minjeong says, idly flipping through her book. "She may not even like him all that much."

"Hmm," Yunjin responses, possibly a little disappointed Minjeong doesn't have any good stories to share with her. Minjeong doesn't intend on telling her about their visit to the botanical garden— it seems personal, special. Telling anyone about it might take some of that specialness away.

They're both silent until the movie finishes, though they occasionally fling snack food at each other when the moment calls for it. "My parents are going to be gone this weekend." Yunjin suddenly says.

"Cool." Minjeong grins. The words are code for 'I'm throwing a party'. Yunjin's parties were the best the Academy had to offer, and Minjeong sometimes wonders if her parents left the house specifically so she could throw them.

"And Aeri said she'd provide alcohol, so that's one less thing to deal with. Stop by around ten on Saturday night." She tells Minjeong as she stands up and switches off the movie. She changes it to display a fighting game Minjeong hasn't played in years and hands her a controller.

"Now, ready to get your ass kicked?" Minjeong sticks her tongue out at Yunjin.

"Unlikely." She boasts, scrolling through the character options and selecting a guy with tattoos and spiky hair. As her character squares off with Yunjin's, she can't help but ask her something that's been on her mind all day.

"What would you think if I joined the cross country team in the fall?"

The idea is a tantalizing one. She's always been brimming with energy, twitchy and eager to move. When she was younger, her teachers always complained about how much of a handful she was. They still do, just for different reasons. There's a pause, with only the exaggerated kicking and punching noises from the game being heard.

"Isn't that the sport where people run through mud?" Yunjin asks, distaste practically dripping from her voice.

Minjeong rolls her eyes. Despite being her partner in crime, Yunjin does tend to be a bit on the snooty side due to her upbringing. "Yes, Yunjin. That's exactly what it is." Minjeong deadpans.

"So wouldn't it be perfect for me?" Yunjin's character lands a killing blow on hers, and she hastily chooses to replay the match before Yunjin has a chance to gloat. "It doesn't matter to me." Yunjin answers, mashing her buttons with more force than strictly necessary.

"Go ahead and do it if it's something you'd be interested in. Though I am wondering why you're bringing this up in the first place."

"Well..." Minjeong hedges. "It was something Jimin said yesterday. I think she was joking, but she kind of suggested I try out for it."

Yunjin takes her attention off the game to stare at her. "You're thinking about taking her advice?"

And with that, Minjeong's character kicks her head clean off.

"Yep." She says simply, leaving Yunjin to sputter and pick a new fighter. "And I think I might invite her to the party. She's pretty cool." The words are said without a thought and she's about to take them back before she realizes that she means them. It would be fun to see Jimin at a party, even more so if she could get her to dance.

"Okay, what's your angle with Princess Jimin?" Yunjin asks, determined to win this round. "Are you planning on stringing her along and breaking her heart? Dating her to piss her dad off?"

"What? No!" Minjeong exclaims. But she takes her time to think her answer over.

"I think I just...like her." She slowly says, eyebrows furrowed.

Something settles inside her with the admission, and she smiles in relief. She likes Jimin. Not in a purely physical way, but she likes how riled up she can make her, she likes how easy it is to talk with her, and she likes making her happy.

Yunjin gives her a considering look before shrugging and turning back to the game. "Okay. Good luck then."

It's that simple— Yunjin has no interest in judging who Minjeong might want to date, and she's not going to be bothered by the fact that the person in question is the principal's daughter.

Minjeong knew Yunjin was her best friend for a reason.

She punches her gently in the shoulder, and if she lets Yunjin win the next round. Well, that's not something she needs to know about.

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