GAUCHE, kageyama

四

chapter four!

GAUCHE

"Are you doing well, Mina?"

The girl hummed softly in reply, leaning onto her palm as a support. It was currently an hour after dinner on a Thursday, which meant a check-up video call from her mother. Light blared from the screen as it was the only thing that showed the faint outlines of Mina's room in the dark. Maybe she shouldn't have done thatㅡ she was getting a bit drowsy.

"Dad's not home yet?" She mumbled in her native language, noticing how there wasn't anyone who randomly popped up with enthusiasm and sang her name.

Her mother hummed. "There was trouble at the hospital so he went back again. Ah, Jeongguk and his family came by for dinner earlier. He was going to stay behind for the call as well, but Mrs. Jeon went off about his english grades dropping." Mrs. Lee chuckled, pushing a strand of hair away before tucking it.

Mina grimaced a bit as she remembered the boy. Jeon Jeongguk was quite the name around, especially in her previous school. A popular boy with the typical features and attitudeㅡ good looking, well liked by the population but terribly bad at studying. Unfortunately for her, being stuck in the same neighborhood and their mothers becoming close friends had definitely turned them into more than acquaintances.

They went to school together, went home together, became partners in classㅡ they were like peas in a pod. That was a peachy memory for her except the fact that Jeongguk was too well-liked by the female population in her school that it was almost a nightmare for her to go to school with him. The boy was oblivious, but she obviously wasn't. The sharp glares they sent her way horrified her.

Mina shuddered at the thought again.

"Gah, it's better if he doesn't," She grumbled. "It's a good thing Mrs. Jeon's keeping an eye on him or he'll run off to the arcade center again."

"Such a shame. And here I thought you two would end up," Mrs. Lee puffed her cheeks. "Jeongguk is a nice boy, it's a wonder why you two never got together. Even his mother was rooting for you two."

The two of them dating? Mina had never thought about that. It was almost too far from her mind that her mother bringing up something like that was a surprise she never expected. Jeongguk was also someone nice in her eyes, but she had never felt attracted to him whatsoever. It seemed like his childish ways set her to become somehow motherly towards him instead.

"We're not like that, Ma," She chuckled audibly. "Jeongguk's a friendㅡ nothing more."

"I guess so," Her mother pouted a bit. "Ah, did you get the package?"

Right, her mother sent her a package. "Yeah, I got it," She replied before pulling out the opened box from the side. The box wasn't too big, probably about the size of a microwave container. In there was the snacks she dearly missed, a few letters from her old friends, Jeongguk's suggested album she should listen to, a pile of her father's photos with messages on the back, and ending with her mother's charm bracelet.

"Where did you get this?" Mina raised the purple beaded bracelet with a cross hanging to it. "It's pretty."

"Father Kim was handing it in church last Sunday, so I took the chance to grab one," Mrs. Lee explained. "Exams will be coming soon, right? I hope my daughter does well. Take the bracelet with you and keep it close. It'll bring you hope and good luck. Lee Mina, hwaiting!"

SHE WAS GETTING a bit more anxious.

Where was Kageyama? The whole day, she hasn't seen him nor found him when she tried to. Mina waited for him by the vending machine to see if he was going to buy a milk, but instead, she bought it for him as a payment. The bell rang on her and reluctantly, she left the spot.

And now that the day was ending, she was losing hope on giving him his uniform back. Which class was he in anyway? Mina sighed, gripping the paper bag before she headed out of the room when suddenlyㅡ

"Hm?"

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Mina fished it out and eyed the caller, Jii-san. She swiped picked it up and placed it right on her ear as she continued to walk down the hall. "Ukai Jii-san?"

"Ah, Mina-chan, are you still in school?" The frantic and worried tone in his voice made her worried as well. It wasn't often she'd hear his laid back voice go worriedㅡ so what did happen?

"Still here," She cautiously replied before slowing her pace down. "Something bad happen?"

The man on the line sighed in relief, as if his life was spared on the last second. "Oh, thank the Lord. You mind coming to the gym for a second? Takinoue's probably pissed off that I haven't returned his magazine back yet. Would you bring it to him?"

If she could recall properly, Takinoue was the guy from the Electronics Store close by and is a close friend of Ukai. Mina often saw him visit and had met him by a chance when she was also watching the store, but never really got to know him that well. It was a vague memory for her, but she did know that both him and Ukai, along with a few people were in a volleyball team.

"Takinoue-san's magazine..?" She mumbled.

"Yeah, you remember his shop?"

"I remember," She nodded as if he could see her. "Please wait. Be there soon."

Mina immediately turned her heel around and quickened her pace a bit, passing by the other students in a jiffy. Looking back at it now, the hallway reminded her of the time when she encountered one of Jeongguk's admirers. She was quite pretty with all her makeup and uniform complimenting her looks, looking like the typical high-school sweetheart. And so she thought as well.

But under that sweet facade she put on, the girl was a bit of a psychotic one who admired her friend a bit too much. Due to the fact that they were friends, the girl constantly had warned Mina about being too close or being too friendly and that Jeongguk was better off without someone like her. Mina couldn't help but laugh at the thought.

It was absurdly amusing to remember it. It was like having your friend as a famous figure and she was just a simple commoner who broke the rules and became friends with him.

Yeah, right.

The sound of shoes squeaking and balls thudding on the floor snapped her back to reality. Mina was too engrossed in her thoughts that she nearly forgot about the volleyball team. She walked to the door and pressed her palms against the cool metallic surface of the door before slowly pushing it.

Here she goes.