SBB 2010 Entry #3 - (Fool Me, Fool Me) Say that You Love Me (2/2)
Title: (Fool Me, Fool Me) Say that You Love Me
Fandom/Pairing: SHINee, genderbent!2min (Taemin/Minho)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 17,391
-----
Their next date was something a little more uneventful: a movie outing. They decided on the latest thriller, a horror story about a psychopath who infiltrated an exclusive girls' school and brutally murdered all the students that discovered his secret. Armed with the largest bucket of popcorn and soft drink serving that the food stand offered, they settled comfortably somewhere in the middle row and tried to ignore the three girls and the sizable group of men that followed them into the theater.
"Maybe you should throw some of your popcorn at them," Taeyeon whispered, giggling when Minjung elbowed her lightly for her cheek.
Minjung shot her an amused warning look and returned her focus to the last of the trailers.
Finally, the lights dimmed, and a murmur of excitement swept through the audience before they fell into a hush, all of them enraptured by the unfolding story.
On Minjung's part, the movie was enjoyable enough. She found herself appreciating little things like the cinematography and the theatrical score, which made up for the rather predictable nature of the movie. Having an older brother practically obligated Minjung to sit through a number of thrillers herself; as a result, she could now confidently deadpan her way through most gory films (which was much more than she could say for Gwiboon, who screamed so loudly and so often that even the row behind them stared).
Taeyeon seemed to enjoy herself immensely as well. She often leaned over to whisper into Minjung's ear, poking fun at horror movie clichés and complaining about the idiocy of the main characters - "Oh, there, she just signed her own death warrant!" Taeyeon chirped when a blonde female side character announced that they were perfectly safe, and Minjung had to keep from snorting into her drink when the killer appeared just five seconds later.
The movie wrapped up predictably: the killer was caught, but he was revealed to have an equally deranged twin brother who was shown to consider targeting a similar school just before the closing credits. Minjung and Taeyeon filed out with the rest of the crowd, discussing the film animatedly.
"The forearm footlong was really creative, but I found the dismembering scene pretty unbelievable," Taeyeon chattered as they exited into the lobby. "And if you're suspended from the ceiling, shouldn't your organs fall all at the same time instead of bit by bit? You know, law of gravity!"
"They probably did it for dramatic effect," Minjung mused, pausing near a movie poster of an upcoming historical romance flick, "just to creep out the audience."
"Looks like it worked," Taeyeon stifled a giggle, waving at a pale-faced Gwiboon who had to be physically supported out of the theater by Eunsook and Junghee.
"Never again!" Gwiboon declared loudly, clinging weakly to Eunsook and Junghee's shoulders. "God, couldn't you have chosen a romantic comedy or something?"
"That's so boring, unni!" Taeyeon crinkled her nose in distaste.
"No one asked you to come, you know," Minjung reminded just a little smugly. "Besides, it's not like we didn't warn you or anything."
Gwiboon sniffed. "I swear, if I see another creepy psycho movie like that, it'll be too-"
Gwiboon's exclamation was cut off abruptly, her eyes widening at the sight of Minjung's suitors heading out of the theater. Eunsook squeaked as Gwiboon clung to her arms and hid behind the older girl, her face pressed firmly into Eunsook's back as she chanted something about creepy cross-dressing maniacs.
"I told you we should've watched something else," Junghee rolled her eyes. "You know how much you're scared of horror movies!"
Gwiboon shot her a ferocious glare over Eunsook's shoulder. "You didn't watch most of it, either!" she returned the accusation. "Always ducking out of your seat, talking to someone on the phone!"
"I'll have you know those were very important calls," Junghee said indignantly. "Oppa was asking if I could pick him up at the-"
Eunsook's face drained of color as a man passed by with a half-finished footlong laden with copious amounts of ketchup. "Excuse me," she said quickly, covering her mouth with her hand and pushing between Gwiboon and Junghee to run off to the restrooms.
Minjung and Taeyeon shared an exasperated look as Gwiboon and Junghee caught sight of the footlong and promptly hurried after Eunsook.
"Never again," Taeyeon mouthed at Minjung.
"Never again," Minjung repeated solemnly.
The effect was ruined when the two of them suddenly burst into laughter. Minjung bit her lip to stifle her chuckles, reaching out to take Taeyeon's hand and lead her ahead.
Taeyeon beamed so widely that she couldn't help but entwine their fingers together, swinging their joined hands as they left the theater.
-----
Their seventh date was one suggested by Minjung: a soccer date on the school grounds. Taeyeon liked the idea: it was unconventional, fun, and Minjung was more than eager to take care of the entire reservation process. Surprisingly, the older girls showed no sign of curiosity about their latest date, and Minjung wondered if they were finally calming down about the entire affair.
Minjung waited for Taeyeon at the large soccer field after class, already having taken the liberty of setting up the practice courses with a few rubber cones she had borrowed from the gym equipment. It was a blessing that the school strictly forbade outsiders from entering the school, and Minjung was determined to make this unsupervised date as enjoyable as possible.
The field was mostly deserted by now, save for the school cheerleading team practicing for the next pep rally. Minjung couldn't help but frown a little as she looked over at the team. She was pretty sure that Gwiboon was slated to take part in the next pep rally, but she was nowhere to be seen - an odd occurrence considering that Gwiboon was usually adamant about perfecting the moves and wouldn't miss practice for the world.
"Unni! Sorry to keep you waiting!"
Taeyeon emerged from the changing rooms clad in one of Minjung's old soccer uniforms. The shirt hung a bit too loose on Taeyeon's frame and the shorts slipped a little low on her narrower set of hips, but it would do for the day's game.
Minjung greeted her with an eager smile. "Ready to play?"
"Go easy on me, okay?" Taeyeon grinned back, tossing a teasing look at the almost possessive way Minjung's foot rested on top of the ball.
"Yeah, yeah," Minjung made a face, laughing when Taeyeon ducked to avoid the hand reaching out to ruffle her hair.
A chorus of giggles erupted from the cheerleading team. The older girls shot those knowing looks as they passed by, something that made Minjung feel oddly self-conscious about.
"Have fun, you two," Soonkyu called out, waving a pom-pom at them cheerfully.
"Don't tire Taeyeon out too much, okay, Minjung?" Sooyoung grinned with a bold wink.
"You too, unni?" Minjung huffed, eliciting a laugh from the girls.
"Alright, alright, that's enough!" The team captain, also named Taeyeon, blew her whistle at the cheerleaders. "Off to the changing rooms, all of you!"
"Yes, unni," the team chorused and moved off the field, chattering excitedly and casting interested glances back at Minjung and Taeyeon.
"Ah, Sooyeon-unni!" Minjung called to the blonde cheerleader as she passed by. "Have you seen Gwiboon?"
Sooyeon blinked slowly and paused, pursing her lips in thought. "She said she was meeting with someone today. Didn't say who, though, but unni let her off. She knows all the routines, anyway," she shrugged.
Minjung shared a confused look with Taeyeon. "Thanks, unni," Minjung said slowly.
Sooyeon gave a small smile and followed the rest of the team into the changing rooms.
"Meeting with someone?" Taeyeon echoed.
"I don't think I want to know," Minjung muttered, wrapping an arm around Taeyeon's shoulders. "Come on. Let's start with a few laps."
"I thought we were playing soccer," Taeyeon whined, but let herself be dragged along to the track portion of the field.
"Warm-up first," Minjung said patiently, starting Taeyeon off with a small push to her lower back and jogging alongside her. "Besides, you need more muscle in those stick legs."
Taeyeon nudged Minjung's waist with her elbow. "Says Miss S-line!"
Minjung reached out to return the jab, but Taeyeon shrieked and ran on ahead, giggling madly all the while. Minjung shook her head and increased her own pace, easily catching up because Taeyeon was laughing so hard.
Eventually, they got to the soccer practice. Minjung had Taeyeon practicing some of the basic moves like kicking and controlling the movement of the ball. Despite their jibing, Taeyeon was a fast learner and a bit of a perfectionist, and Minjung was patient enough of a teacher.
Once Taeyeon had mastered maneuvering, running circles around the plastic cones without having to chase after the ball, Minjung deemed it time for a practice game.
"Just try and get the ball into the net," Minjung said soothingly from where she had taken up position as a goalie.
"Easy for you to say," Taeyeon huffed, one foot on the ball to keep it from rolling away. "You've had years of practice, and all I've done is kick this ball around for an hour."
"If you score a goal," Minjung said loudly, rolling her shoulders, "you get to pick out our next date."
"And what if I don't?"
Minjung shot her an almost wicked grin. "Then we're going hiking. There's a pretty nice mountain trail just an hour away from here, and I've always wanted to go with someone."
Taeyeon looked horrified. "No way!"
"Then score a goal!" Minjung called out, and got into defensive position, clearly waiting for Taeyeon to start.
Taeyeon made a face, but she began to run, working the ball between her feet with impressive precision and control for a beginner. Minjung couldn't help but be proud of her - Taeyeon had the potential to be a decent soccer player, but she loved dance too much to give it up in favor of another sport. Still, it was more than a little exciting to see her day's protégé tear down the field and kick the ball towards the goal.
Minjung blocked the shot easily, and returned the ball to Taeyeon. "Too little power! The running was good, but the kick needs more power!"
Taeyeon nodded, her breathing a little harsh as she caught the ball and maneuvered it to the other end of the field. Minjung readied herself as Taeyeon began to run, picking up speed as she kicked the ball again and again until she could get a good shot at the net. Taeyeon's next attempt at a goal was better, but the angle at which she came from made for another easy save.
Minjung tossed the ball back, calling out suggestions and tips for better shooting. Taeyeon looked so cutely determined, and Minjung was impressed by the way she took her advice and worked on sneakier strategies that could almost give Minjung a run for her money.
"Looks like I'll have to save that hiking trip for another time, after all," Minjung mused aloud after a particularly difficult save.
Taeyeon blossomed under the indirect praise, visibly perking up from the other end of the field. "This one! I'll get you with this one, unni!" she promised fervently.
"Let's see you try!" Minjung answered back, grinning when Taeyeon pumped a fist into the air and began running. The next shot looked pretty sneaky indeed, a feint to the left with a last-minute diversion to the right. If only Taeyeon weren't so eager about the shot, she might have pulled it off without Minjung noticing.
Minjung smirked and prepared for the change in direction. There she was, kicking away at the soccer ball and closing in from the left. Minjung steeled herself, ready to slam the ball back from hitting the net.
"Oi, Minjung-ah, Taeyeon-ah! Look who's here!"
Gwiboon's loud, unexpected yell distracted Minjung from the game. Her eyes left the ball, sweeping over the field to find the small group of people working their way up the bleachers.
There was Junghee and Eunsook, negotiating their way across the narrow seats with a lanky-looking boy in tow. Gwiboon was a few seats below them, one hand cupped around her mouth and the other waving wildly in the air. And standing right next to her was...
"YES! Haha!" Taeyeon yelled out victoriously, immensely pleased that her strategy had worked out after all. She beamed at the ball, still spinning from where it had been kicked into the net, and gave into the urge to do a small victory dance. "No mountain trail hiking, oh yeah!"
Taeyeon slowed to a stop, realizing that Minjung had not said a word. "Unni?"
She turned a confused gaze to an unmoving Minjung, who was staring blankly at the bleachers. Following the line of her gaze, Taeyeon saw what had captured Minjung's attention so completely.
"Long time, no see!" the man next to Gwiboon waved from the stands, the same wide smile from years ago still on his handsome face.
Minjung swallowed audibly, her mouth suddenly feeling very dry. "Hello, Donghae-oppa."
-----
Dinner at the Kim household was a very noisy affair. Junghee's family had insisted on celebrating her cousin's arrival from London - a short vacation from where he had flown off to study under one of the most prominent dance schools in the country. Since Donghae had been allowed to invite guests of his own, Junghee managed to coerce her friends to come along for the meal, declaring loudly that she didn't want to spend the entire dinner feeling ostracized.
Not that she had to worry at all, Minjung thought somewhat bitterly, watching Junghee talk animatedly with the lanky boy that had been at the practice field earlier (Kyuhyun, she had heard Donghae introduce fondly as the singing major that he had bumped into during his studies). The two were currently exchanging singing tips, enthusiastically comparing vocal ranges and techniques and not at all being awkward with each other.
In the opposite corner of the room, Eunsook was discussing the pros and cons of potential colleges with Junghee's parents and some of the older guests. In the living area, Gwiboon was valiantly trying to hold her own in an English conversation with Donghae's sister, Amber, much to the delight of the younger girls.
If there was anyone who had the right to say they were feeling ostracized, it was her. Normally, she would be out there, too, chatting happily with the older girls and perhaps trying to catch the eye of a certain handsome dance major. But not tonight - not after she had finally convinced herself that boys were only hindrances to one's own dreams and not at all worth the trouble of secretly pining over for ever since Junghee casually mentioned the letter from the London University of Fine Arts that had arrived at Donghae's mailbox.
Minjung swilled the glass of fruit punch, determinedly averting her gaze from a laughing Donghae as she took a sip. The overly sweet flavor filled her mouth and she grimaced at the sickening taste, searching for a place where she could dispose of the glass before someone forced her to down the entire drink.
She was so focused on getting to the buffet table without catching Donghae's eye that she completely missed the petite girl heading towards her until they slammed into each other.
"Unni!" Taeyeon exclaimed, reaching out instinctively to steady Minjung's hand. The fruit punch swirled dangerously, but did not spill.
Minjung swallowed, painfully aware of how some of the guests had focused their attention on them, including Donghae. "I'm fine," she bit out quickly, tugging her hand gently from Taeyeon's grasp and setting the glass down on the nearest surface.
She pretended to immerse herself in the buffet, taking a plate and piling on a couple of drumsticks and some sauce. Soon enough, everyone went back to their own conversations, and Minjung took the opportunity to quietly sneak out to the backyard.
Minjung made her way across the yard, balancing the plate of chicken in one hand as she negotiated her way past Roo's doghouse and the occasional plant. Upon reaching the large swing, she sank down on the seat with a relieved sigh and pushed at the ground with her feet, setting the swing into motion. She swung quietly for a few moments, occasionally picking at one of the drumsticks she had taken.
"Eunsook-unni's going to scold you if you don't eat that."
Minjung squinted out into the darkness of the yard, making out the figure of the person that had emerged from the house. "Taeyeon? What are you doing out here?"
"I should be the one asking you that," Taeyeon pursed her lips, deftly stepping over several of Roo's chew toys and plopping down on the swing next to Minjung. She added her own force to the swing, causing the seat to sway almost dangerously. "They're looking for you inside."
Minjung stayed quiet, her feet dragging along the ground instead of adding to the push. "I just needed some time to myself," she finally said, picking up a chicken leg and biting into the meat before Taeyeon could say anything.
Taeyeon watched her chew almost mechanically, her eyes shrewd and knowing. "This is about Donghae-oppa, isn't it?"
Minjung nearly choked on the newest piece of chicken she had popped into her mouth. "You have got to stop being so perceptive," she wheezed, allowing Taeyeon to pat her back softly.
Taeyeon held out her handkerchief, but Minjung waved it away, holding her hand to her mouth and waiting for the burning to pass. "... He's-"
"Yeah, I know." Minjung tried not to wince from the twinge of pain that came with acknowledging it.
"Oh." Taeyeon nodded slowly, still pushing idly at the ground to keep the swing going. "Then ... Do you still like him?"
Minjung sucked in a deep breath, pondering the answer herself. It was no secret that she had liked Junghee's cousin, but that was years ago, and no one really knew the true extent of her crush save for Taeyeon. She was, after all, the one who Minjung came running to the day that Donghae left for London, tears streaking down her face over the loss of a first love.
"I don't know," Minjung said honestly.
"Oh," Taeyeon breathed.
The two of them swung in the darkness, letting the sound of loud conversation from the house and Roo's occasional snuffles fill the silence between them.
"I'll get you a drink," Taeyeon said quietly as she slid off the swing, and left with the warm brush of her hand against Minjung's shoulder.
Minjung watched her disappear into the house and rocked herself slowly on the swing. Half-heartedly, she picked up the remaining drumstick and bit off a mouthful. The chicken had gone cold, but she felt bad about taking the pieces and not eating them at all.
Soon enough, the backdoor swung open gently, and the silhouette of a figure made its way across the yard. It was strange, though - this figure was much stockier than Taeyeon's, and held no sign of a drink in its hand. The deep muffled curse that the person made upon nearly tripping over one of Roo's chew toys confirmed Minjung's suspicions.
"Donghae-oppa?" she stared, making out the strong line of his jaw and the high point of his nose by the dim light of the moon.
"Good evening, Minjung-ah," Donghae greeted, managing to make it all the way to the swing without any more untoward incidents. He stood in front of her, a boyish smile playing on his lips. "Mind if I take this seat?"
Minjung wordlessly shuffled over, her back ramrod straight as Donghae sank gratefully into the swing. He braced himself against the ground and lifted his feet, causing the swing to rock back and forth, and he laughed almost childishly.
"I missed this." Donghae's voice was filled with wistfulness, and Minjung felt a coil of warmth bubble in her chest as it hadn't done in years. She prayed that the lack of light hid the flush that rose to her cheeks, an instinctive reaction that she thought she had already tamped down long ago.
"What are you doing out here, oppa?" The words came out before she could stop them, and Minjung felt horribly self-conscious when Donghae turned his thoughtful gaze onto her.
"Taeyeon was worried about you. She followed you out here, and I guess I got worried too when she came back without you."
"Ah," Minjung nodded dumbly, and moved to sit a little higher on the swing. "So ... How's London?"
Donghae returned his gaze to the darkness of the yard. "It's great! Really different from here. The food's a little weird, too, but you get used to it. And everyone speaks so quickly! Even I still have trouble talking with them."
Minjung was happy to swing there, just listening to the familiar cadence of his voice. She closed her eyes, held her breath for a few moments, and savored the way her heart fluttered a little like it hadn't done since middle school. It didn't thunder in her chest like it used to, threatening to burst out of her ribcage at the mere sight of him, but it was a bittersweet feeling; a nostalgic reaction to the first person she loved.
"Minjung-ah? Minjung?"
"Mm?" Minjung's eyes flew open. "Yes?"
"How's Taeyeon?"
"Taeyeon?" Minjung's brow furrowed, confused at the mention of her.
Donghae shot her a curious look. "Yeah. Is everything going well between the two of you?"
"Yeah, we're alright," Minjung nodded slowly, puzzled by the sudden interest in her relationship with Taeyeon.
The blood quickly drained from her face once realization hit. "Wait, did Junghee tell you about..." she trailed off uncertainly, unable to bring herself to say it aloud.
Donghae chuckled. "I guess late congratulations are in order! I was pretty surprised when Junghee mentioned it, but I'm really glad for the two of you."
Minjung silently cursed Junghee and her big mouth. "Thank you, oppa," she murmured, hoping that he would mistake the faintness of her voice for shyness rather than shock.
"Take care of each other, alright?" he bid, his smile growing at Minjung's hesitant nod. "I can't say I'm too surprised, honestly. After all, the two of you were always together."
This drew Minjung out of vague thoughts about Junghee's voice cracking on a high note at her next recital. "It's not a surprise?"
Donghae only smiled mysteriously and shrugged. "Not really."
"Oppa! Don't be like that!" Minjung pouted, tugging at Donghae's sleeve. "What do you mean it's not a surprise?"
Donghae only laughed and pushed harder against the ground, sending the swing into a longer arc. No amount of coaxing from Minjung could get him to say more, and they ended up swinging quietly, watching the warm puffs of their breath dissolve into the cool night air.
"She's good for you," Donghae said gently.
Minjung wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees thoughtfully. "Yeah. Yeah, she is."
-----
"Here's your drink," Taeyeon said as she pushed the glass of water into Minjung's hand. She met Minjung's glance meaningfully. Are you okay?
Minjung accepted the proffered beverage, taking a sip of the drink and enjoying the way the liquid cooled her throat and washed down the taste of chicken. Over the rim of her cup, she saw Donghae returning to Kyuhyun's side, murmuring something into his ear.
Her other hand reached down to entwine her fingers with Taeyeon's as Donghae looked across the room and flashed her a small smile. Her heart skipped just a little; her cheeks flushed just the tiniest bit. But that was all.
She squeezed Taeyeon's hand gently, taking comfort from the small warmth and the way Taeyeon squeezed back. I'm fine now.
-----
As promised, their next date was Taeyeon's choice: she did win the game fair and square, after all. Taeyeon only grinned when Minjung asked her what she had in mind, and left her with the mysterious clue that, while not as exerting as mountain trail hiking must be, she'd still get a good workout from their date.
Taeyeon's idea became obvious when she passed Minjung a note in the middle of Calculus, telling her to head to the dance studio on Friday once classes were over.
"Is this revenge for the soccer date?" Minjung asked Taeyeon dryly over lunch, but she only giggled and told her to show up in clothes you could easily move around in.
Minjung grimaced at her wardrobe and the lack of dance clothes it contained. For someone who exercised on a regular basis, you'd think she would have at least one set of dance-appropriate clothes. Borrowing from Junghee was out of the question-her limbs were much too long for Junghee's size-and Gwiboon refused to let her borrow any of her pants, claiming her butt would stretch out the fabric too much. In the end, she borrowed a thin sweatshirt from Junghee's older sister and a pair of Eunsook's old jazz pants from a brief stint in a school musical.
Although their school was quite well-facilitated and held enough room for most of its various clubs and extracurricular activities, one of the few rooms lacking was a proper dance studio. The dance club was currently aiming to convert one of the old storage rooms into a fully-equipped rehearsal room, but it would take bagging the grand prize of the next major dance competition to fund the renovations. As far as Minjung had heard, they were working furiously towards achieving this goal, and made do with hiring out the nearby dance studio a couple of blocks away from the school in the meantime.
Minjung adjusted the duffel bag on her shoulder nervously as she walked the distance from the school to the dance studio, painfully aware of the group of suitors following her. The downside of this date was that it took place outside the school grounds, meaning that her suitors were welcome to spy on the date if they so pleased.
Minjung heaved a defeated sigh and pushed the door of the studio open. The lobby area was empty, and sound was filtering in from the adjoining hallway. 'Right at the second corner and keep going till you reach the pink door,' the note had said.
She walked cautiously down the hall, turning at the appropriate corner and noticing how the noise grew louder and clearer as she progressed down the corridor. She came to a stop at an obnoxiously pink door that was slightly ajar, allowing a beam of warm studio light and the heavy beat of a recent pop song to filter out into the hallway.
Minjung snuck a peek through the crack in the door. Inside was the school dance troupe practicing one of their latest routines; she spotted Hyoyeon right off the bat, dancing at the front of the group, then Ga-in when the troupe changed formations and the senior moved towards the door, falling directly into Minjung's line of sight.
And then, when the song dipped into the dance break, Minjung saw Taeyeon slide cleanly towards the center. Her breath caught in her throat as Taeyeon mouthed the words to the song, effortlessly rolling her hips to the rhythm. Minjung was no stranger to Taeyeon's performances, but it was always fascinating to watch Taeyeon dance. The sweet, mischievous girl seemed almost non-existent during these moments, replaced by a vixen that could tear any man's heart out with a single snap of her hips.
Minjung didn't really know how long she stood there just watching Taeyeon move to the song, but eventually the troupe broke practice for the day and began filing out of the room in a large, chattering mass, and she only snapped out of her daze when Goo Hara nearly bumped into her.
"Ah! I'm really sorry about that," Minjung apologized quickly, reaching out to steady the girl.
Hara didn't seem to be offended at all - if anything, she seemed to be quite amused once she got over the surprise. "Hi, Minjung-ah," she greeted, shooting Yong Joo a not-so-subtle conspiratorial look. "Here for your date?"
"Uh, yeah," Minjung mumbled, and startled when the dance troupe burst into giggles. It was like the soccer date, but worse - at least the cheerleading team had headed off the field and stayed at a distance from where Minjung and Taeyeon played. Here, the entire dance troupe had crammed into the tiny hallway, and Minjung was close enough to feel more than a little unsettled by the several knowing looks shot in her direction. Even Song Qian, the foreign exchange student from China, was grinning broadly at her.
"Minjung-unni? Is that you?" Taeyeon's voice called from inside the room. "Come inside!"
Minjung took that opportunity to gather her duffel bag very close to her and squeeze her way between Minji and Sohee to slip inside the dance studio, steadfastly ignoring the burning gazes that followed her inside.
Taeyeon looked up from where she had been rotating her ankles. "Oh, no, is it really that hot out there? The management just had the air-conditioning fixed, too."
It took Minjung a glimpse of her reflection in the large practice mirror to realize what she meant. "T-the temperature's fine," she cleared her throat, trying not to stammer and add to the redness already coloring her cheeks.
Taeyeon gave her a skeptical look, but Minjung shrugged it off and set her duffel bag down next to Taeyeon's in the corner. "So, what have you got prepared for us today?"
The unconvinced look on Taeyeon's face was quickly replaced with barely-suppressed glee. She hopped over to the music player, popping in a bright red CD marked with Minjung's name.
"Hey, unni, you've heard of samba, right?" Taeyeon asked conversationally.
Minjung's jaw dropped. "What?!"
With a push of the "play" button, the sound of unmistakable Latin rhythm filled the room. Taeyeon began to swivel her hips lightly to the music, tossing Minjung an inviting look, and the blood drained quickly from Minjung's face.
"Oh, no, I'm not doing this!" Minjung exclaimed, stumbling back to where her duffel bag lay.
Taeyeon's face fell. "H-hey! Unni, don't go!" she cried out, slamming her hand down on the stop button, and turning frantically to where Minjung was sliding the strap of her bag over her shoulder.
"Sorry, Taeyeon, not this time," Minjung said resolutely, trying to ignore Taeyeon's pleading gaze.
"But unni!" Taeyeon whined, sliding over to hold Minjung back from the door. "You promised we could do anything I wanted!"
"I didn't agree to samba!" Minjung struggled against Taeyeon's surprisingly firm grip around her waist. "Come on, Taeyeon, let go!"
Taeyeon clung to Minjung for a few moments more before abruptly letting go. The sudden lack of force nearly caused Minjung to slam into the door, and she quickly righted herself, glancing back at Taeyeon apprehensively.
Taeyeon stood there, fingers curled into the hem of her skirt. Her lips pursed unhappily. "Fine, unni, I won't force you if you don't really want to."
"... Thanks, Taeyeon," Minjung said cautiously. Her hand twisted the doorknob, cracking the door open.
"It's a shame, though. I didn't think you'd back down from a challenge so easily."
Minjung's hand froze on the doorknob. "What?"
Taeyeon shrugged. "The samba's a dance that takes skill, but it also needs confidence. I said to myself, 'Unni will definitely get this dance down in no time! She's one of the most confident people I know!', but I guess I was wrong."
Minjung's brow twitched, her hand clenching around the strap of her bag. Taeyeon was pushing all of her buttons, and the brat knew it. "Let's get on with it, then," Minjung practically bit out, dropping her bag back against the wall and moving to the center of the room with a scowl.
To her credit, Taeyeon did not rub it in her face, but the smug smirk that tugged at the corner of her lips as she rewound the track said it all. Once the music was set, she tugged Minjung forward a little and stood at her side so that they both faced the large mirror.
"It's not that hard, really," Taeyeon assured Minjung, tapping her thigh as the song started. "Just watch!"
All of Minjung's supposed confidence deflated as Taeyeon launched into a set of complicated hip swivels, leg tosses and enough twirls to make a gymnast proud. Even with all the confidence in the world, there was just no beating the natural talent that seemed to overflow from Taeyeon. Her passion for dance shone through with every effortless move, every sway and dip and stretch of her lithe body.
Minjung watched helplessly as Taeyeon wrapped the choreography up at the song's chorus with a clean split. She held her position, panting, and looked over at Minjung eagerly. Her clear gaze left Minjung feeling raw and vulnerable; away from crowds and watchful eyes, alone in the dance studio with just Taeyeon, Minjung was stripped away of all confidence. This was no competition.
"I can't do this, Taeyeon," Minjung mumbled, her heart sinking with the unfamiliar sensation of defeat. Her gaze dropped to her old sneakers, unable to meet Taeyeon's undoubtedly disappointed gaze.
"Of course you can!" Taeyeon said surely. Without a moment's warning, two hands fixed themselves on Minjung's hips and forced them to sway.
"Taeyeon!" Minjung squeaked in protest, batting at the hands guiding her hips.
"See? You can do it just fine!" Taeyeon retorted.
Minjung scowled at her reflection. "I feel like a robot," she said grumpily, wincing at the awkward jerks of her hips that were nothing at all like the smooth swivels of Taeyeon's hips.
"Good. That means you'll be able to learn quickly," Taeyeon chirped brightly, and forced Minjung to pivot on the spot without pausing in her swaying. Taeyeon giggled when Minjung's head automatically lolled back as she turned, and even though Minjung still felt ridiculous, she couldn't help but laugh along with her.
Just as Taeyeon had been an eager student to Minjung's patient coaching, so was Taeyeon an excellent mentor in teaching Minjung how to samba. Cheekily, Taeyeon admitted that she had put on one of the more advanced sets of choreography just to see how Minjung would react, earning herself a rough noogie from a disgruntled Minjung.
The actual beginner's steps were much easier to follow, and Minjung listened to and followed Taeyeon's instructions religiously. Taeyeon never laughed or teased Minjung too badly when she was having difficulties with a certain turn or a set of footwork, and Minjung was very grateful for it.
"Alright, let's start from the top!" Taeyeon declared, and hopped over to the music player, rewinding it back to the track in question. Minjung exhaled just a little shakily, eyes focused on the mirror as Taeyeon hurried back to take her position behind Minjung and curled small hands around Minjung's shoulder and waist.
The music started, and Minjung launched into a turn. To the left, and then right, and then left, and then right, Minjung chanted as her feet extended out to different sides, finally stopping as her hands clasped Taeyeon's.
Taeyeon pulled Minjung close and walked her around the room, her form enviously perfect as Minjung self-consciously counted each beat. She tried to keep her hips going in the swivel, following Taeyeon's lead. They paused as the song reached the chorus, tossing each other an amused grin before turning on the spot, keeping up the swiveling of the hips.
They separated, Minjung ducking under Taeyeon's arm as Taeyeon sent her into a spin. Taeyeon stalked towards her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to a stop, their bodies pressed flush against each other.
Minjung tried to catch her breath, her hand still grasped firmly in Taeyeon's. At this close distance, Minjung could see the sweat that beaded at Taeyeon's temple and slid down the sides of her cheeks, the stray strands of hair that stuck to her glimmering forehead, the lovely flush that colored her cheeks with the rushing of blood through her body. Minjung was certain that her own face was flushed, too, but not only from exertion.
Something in her felt unexplainably disappointed when Taeyeon pulled away first, slipping her hand out of Minjung's grip to pad over to the music player and stop the CD.
Minjung's breathing slowly wound down, but her heart continued to pound as quickly as ever. Her hand seemed to tingle where Taeyeon had grasped it, the warmth lingering on her skin.
Taeyeon seemed to be unsettled for some reason, too, if the way she kept glancing at Minjung's reflection in the mirror was any indication of that. Her hands came down to grasp at the hem of her large practice shirt and twisted the fabric between deft fingers - Minjung recognized it as a nervous habit, something Taeyeon did not normally do unless she was up for a major dance competition or it was finals week.
"Taeyeon?" Minjung called worriedly.
Taeyeon slowly turned to face Minjung, her t-shirt convoluted between her fingers. "U-Unni, I have something to-"
"Hey, you can't go in there!"
Taeyeon and Minjung jolted as the door banged open, and the room was suddenly filled with noise. The members of the dance troupe were yelling frantically, trying to push back Minjung's suitors as they fought their way inside.
Sadly, a group of teenage girls were no match for a horde of determined men when it came to brute strength, and Minjung's suitors managed to push their way inside and lock the door behind them. The girls banged on the door, but to no avail.
"Oh, my-" Taeyeon's hand flew up to her mouth in shock.
"What are you doing?!" Minjung demanded of the men. "How could you force your way into a private practice room like this?!"
"Wait! Wait, Minjung!" the eldest of the group, a middle-aged businessman with his tie askew from the small scuffle, held his hands up placatingly. "We only wanted to talk to you!"
"By overpowering teenage girls?" Minjung gestured angrily to the door. "If this is your idea of negotiation, then I don't want to take any part in it!"
"We have come to an agreement," the man announced loudly. "For the past few weeks, we have observed you and Miss Lee, and have determined that you were indeed truthful about your relationship with each other. Thus we have decided to cede all bids for your affection and leave you be with Lee Taeyeon."
Minjung was vaguely aware of her jaw falling slack as she gaped at the men. "Are you serious?"
Her suitors all nodded solemnly. "However, there is one condition we would like to pose before we formally cease our courting," the man said.
"What is it?" Minjung raised a brow.
"We have observed that on all of your dates ... While you may have showed affection towards each other, you have never exactly ..." the man coughed lightly, "... shown the physical signs we would have expected."
"What are you saying, Sir?" Minjung narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"What we are saying is that we need a verbal confirmation of your love."
"... What?"
"We need to hear you say, "I love you," to each other!" another suitor said quickly.
"What?!" Minjung nearly shrieked.
"We need the words, Minjung-sshi. Only this and we will leave you for good," the businessman said.
Minjung looked at her suitors. Some of them looked embarrassed, others clearly disappointed and upset, but all of them were resolute. They really did mean it.
"I love you."
Minjung whirled around to stare at Taeyeon, who moved towards her, reaching out to hold her hands. "I love you, Choi Minjung," she repeated, her voice so steady that it seemed like the truth.
Minjung could feel all eyes in the room turn to her. Even the pounding at the door ceased, and her neck prickled at the sensation of being stared at. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly as she tried to summon the words.
Just a lie. A single white lie that would grant her the freedom and peace she had been hoping for when she first took on this crazy scheme.
"I-I..."
Her heart pounded so quickly that it felt like it would shatter her ribcage at any second. Her grip tightened on Taeyeon's hands.
"I lo-... I ..."
Taeyeon's calm gaze turned just a little desperate, and Minjung vaguely wondered why.
"I looo-"
The room gasped.
Minjung dropped Taeyeon's hands.
Taeyeon stared at where their hands were joined only moments ago, and looked up slowly to meet Minjung's frightened gaze.
"I'm sorry. I-I'm... I'm so sorry. I can't-"
No one dared to move when Minjung snatched up her duffel bag. The members of the dance troupe silently gave way when Minjung slammed the door open and dashed out into the hallway.
In seconds she was out of the building, too far to hear Taeyeon slump to the floor.
-----
"Sweetheart? Sweetheart, are you okay?"
Minjung only curled up further into her blankets at the sound of her mother's voice. She still hadn't changed out of the old dance clothes and she really needed a shower from the day's practice, but she couldn't really be bothered. Not at a time like this.
"Alright, just tell me if you need something."
Minjung waited until she could no longer hear her mother's footsteps before she breathed out a sigh. She sat up in bed, unraveling herself from the cocoon of sheets and staring blankly around at the room.
She had messed up. Badly.
Not only the plan that they had formulated all those weeks ago, but she probably destroyed her friendship with Taeyeon as well, and that definitely hurt more than any failed plan to trick her suitors into giving up on her. She could live with the suitors - it was annoying, but she had learned to cope with them, to go through her daily life just ignoring and avoiding them.
She'd put up with a lifetime of overly persistent suitors just to take back what she had said. Or rather, what she hadn't said.
Her heart twisted painfully at that thought, and she briefly felt the urge to cry, but the image of Taeyeon's stunned gaze was branded into her memory, and she immediately felt like the biggest jerk in the world for even feeling like she deserved to be the one to cry.
The sudden ringing of her phone jolted Minjung out of her thoughts, and she gingerly picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Choi Minjung, how could you do this?!" Gwiboon's shrill voice blared out from the receiver. "After all that I've done for you two, you just go and ruin everything? HOW DARE YOU, you selfish twit! If you think you can just go out there and break people's hearts, you've got another thing coming, alien girl, because I'm going to head over there and-"
Minjung sighed in relief once the phone was back safely in its cradle.
The ringing began again. Minjung let the phone ring, watching it apprehensively from her bed. Finally, the answering machine was activated, and Gwiboon began her tirade again.
"You hung up on me. I can't believe you hung up on me! You are the most selfish, most arrogant, most heartless b-"
Minjung quickly unplugged the phone from the wall.
It wasn't long before her cell phone began ringing, and Minjung nearly dropped it in her hurry to silence it. She decided to get a start on that shower, hoping that ignoring Gwiboon would discourage her from further yelling at her through the phone.
She emerged from the bathroom half an hour later, fluffing her hair with the towel slung around her neck. She switched her cell phone open and winced at her inbox - ten unanswered calls, all from Gwiboon, and an onslaught of text messages filled with cursing and angry emoticons.
To her surprise, not all of the messages were from Gwiboon. There were five from Junghee, ranging from a biting, "I knew you were tall, but I never knew you could be such a huge bitch, too," to a pointed, "Taeyeon's sleeping over tonight. JUST SO YOU KNOW." Minjung deleted all of them along with Gwiboon's.
There was also a single message from Eunsook.
"I'm disappointed, Minjung-ah."
Minjung felt sick to her stomach and deleted the message hurriedly. She snapped her phone shut, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the picture stuck messily to the top cover of her cell phone.
It was a reprint from the Purikura escapade - one she had stuck on for "additional credibility" in case anyone else saw it. Now, it only served to remind her of possibly the stupidest mistake she had ever committed. Seeing her and Taeyeon's smiling faces so close to each other only made her stomach churn guiltily even more and she quickly shoved the phone onto her dresser.
Minjung threw herself on her bed, eyes shut tightly in an attempt to evoke sleep. The image of Taeyeon's smiling face blurred into her shocked, almost betrayed expression, and it took Minjung an hour of fitful tossing and turning before she could finally fall asleep.
-----
The sunlight filtering in from the curtains stirred Minjung from her sleep. She woke up sluggishly, feeling bone tired even though she was certain that she had gotten at least eight hours of sleep the previous night. A quick glance at her wall clock told her that it was just about time for breakfast.
She slid out of bed, her stomach grumbling noisily in protest of her slow movements. Briefly, she considered checking her cell phone to see if anyone had added to her inbox, but the phone wasn't beeping to alert her, anyway, so she figured they had given up over the night.
The house was oddly noisy for a weekend; normally her father would use the free day to catch up on sleep, and her older brother never woke up later than 10 o'clock during the weekend. The sound of the morning news from the living area and the smell of strong brewed coffee indicated that both of her parents were awake, and the rush of water from her brother's room was a clear sign that he was up as well.
Her father looked up from the morning paper when she entered the kitchen. "Ah, there you are."
"Good morning, appa," Minjung greeted, kissing her father on the cheek.
"Oh, Minjung, there you are!" her mother cried out, setting down her bowl on the table and throwing her arms around Minjung. "Listen, we have no problems with you sleeping over at your friends' houses, but please tell us next time when you do?"
Minjung patted her mother's back confusedly. "Alright, umma, I will?"
"Good," her mother nodded. "Now eat your breakfast while it's still hot, and I'll get your uniform ready."
"My uniform?" Minjung echoed, but her mother had already bustled out of the kitchen. "Do I need it today?"
Her father peered at her over the newspaper. "Of course you do. You're going to school, aren't you?"
Minjung stared back. "But... It's a weekend..." she said helplessly.
"What are you talking about, Minjung?" Her brother gave her an odd look as he entered the kitchen, adjusting the tie of his school uniform. "It's Monday."
-----
"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. This can't be happening. Oh, my God," Minjung chanted as she ran down the streets, one arm threaded haphazardly through the strap of her schoolbag. She nearly ran into a street vendor and called out a frantic apology over her shoulder as she weaved her way in and out of the other pedestrians.
"What the hell, Minjung, who sleeps for two days?" She groaned to herself, barely catching the go signal for the pedestrians as she ran across the road and thundered along the sidewalk.
The shock of actually having slept for over forty-eight hours straight had stupefied her enough to distract her from her usual morning preparations, and now she was running late for class. Instinctively, she skidded to a stop just before the last street corner and paused against the brick wall, trying hard to catch her breath.
She supposed it was back to normal now: running through her sea of suitors day in and day out, avoiding their grips and pleading and bribing and begging. They wouldn't give her the same berth they had for the past few weeks, because this time, there would be no Taeyeon waiting for her at the gate so that they could walk into the campus together.
Minjung closed her eyes against the burning sensation prickling at the back of her eyes and tried to tamp the feeling down in favor of steeling herself for the morning dash into campus.
Three ... two ... one!
She threw herself around the corner, arms raised instinctively to protect her face and body from the reaching hands of her suitors.
Only there was no one trying to grasp at her sleeve or push some expensive gift into her arms. Neither was there any frantic male voices calling her name, yelling out promises of eternal love and worship and luxury.
In fact, there was only one person standing there. Instead of the usual crowd of men that surrounded the entrance, a lone girl stood in front of the gate, clad in the school uniform and carrying a large bouquet of tulips in her arms.
Taeyeon looked up to meet Minjung's gaze and smiled.
"Juliette," she began to sing, walking forward to meet Minjung, "I would give you my soul. Juliette! Please accept me! Juliette! Sweetly, a bit sweeter, whisper my serenade."
Minjung gaped as Taeyeon held out the bouquet, and accepted the flowers dumbly.
"I hope you like them! I would have gotten roses, but they were really expensive," Taeyeon chirped, rocking back on her heels. "Oh! And I got you this, too!"
Minjung's eyes widened even further when Taeyeon hopped over to the large paper bag behind her and drew out a familiar monkey plushie. "I went ahead and named him Key, but you can change it if you like," Taeyeon offered, holding the monkey plushie out as well.
"But why?" Minjung blurted out, her grip tightening on the bouquet. "Even after I- You're still-"
Taeyeon peered at her over the head of the monkey plushie. "Well, obviously, all those dates weren't enough to convince you, so I thought I'd try out Eunsook-unni's suggestion."
"C-convince me?" Minjung echoed faintly.
Taeyeon set the stuffed monkey down and stepped up to Minjung, cradling her face in her hands. "Oh, unni, you really are dense," she breathed, an amused smile quirking her lips.
Minjung would have protested if Taeyeon hadn't raised herself on tiptoe and carefully touched her lips to Minjung's, pressing them together in a soft, chaste kiss. Minjung's lips parted under the light pressure, unwittingly deepening the contact. Her body seemed hyper-aware to the light flutter of Taeyeon's eyelashes against her cheek, the entire length of their bodies pressed flush against each other, the way her free hand came to rest warmly on the curve of Taeyeon's hip.
Taeyeon broke the contact with a soft sigh, her eyes sliding open as she smiled warmly at Minjung. "I really do love you, unni."
And everything clicked into place. The fluttering in her stomach, the pounding of her heart, the inexplicable happiness of simply being with her; all the things that everyone else had already seen.
"I can't be that dense," Minjung made a face.
"What?"
"Nothing," Minjung murmured, burying her face into the crook of Taeyeon's neck and breathing in her soft, sweet scent. "I love you too."
-----
"You'd better be thankful we didn't give up on you, Choi Minjung!"
Minjung shoved away Gwiboon's hand from where it was currently brandishing the dessert spoon at her face. "What was there to give up on?"
Gwiboon gaped at her in a scandalized manner. "Everything!" she nearly shrieked. "If it weren't for our timely and desperately needed intervention, you'd still be miserable over all those boys chasing you and completely oblivious to my darling daughter's feelings!"
"Unni, quiet down," Taeyeon tugged at Gwiboon's sleeve, blushing at all the other diners currently staring at them.
"Oh, my God, oh, my God," Junghee banged her hands excitedly on the table, ignoring how Taeyeon gave up and buried her face into her palms. "Did you know Taeyeon wanted to sing "Even I Loved the Sorrow"?"
Junghee and Gwiboon shrieked with laughter, and even Eunsook couldn't hide the small giggle that escaped her. Minjung gave Taeyeon an amused look, to which she only pressed her face into her hands harder, groaning softly in embarrassment.
"So you spent the entire weekend just plotting this out?" Minjung asked, taking pity on Taeyeon and rubbing her shoulders comfortingly.
"Not just this weekend!" Gwiboon flapped her hands indignantly. "I planned this out from the very beginning, you know!"
Junghee furrowed her brows. "Hey, I helped out, too, you know! I suggested the first date and everything!"
"But I came up with the idea," Gwiboon said smugly, flicking a pigtail in Junghee's direction. "If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened."
"You would have ruined it, too," Junghee scoffed. "Screaming in the theater all the time, stalking them on their dates-"
"I would not! Anyway, I distinctly remember you being right there with me when we followed them!" Gwiboon snapped peevishly. "And you didn't even help out that much! I didn't see you asking the other girls to help out or winning stuffed monkeys for Taeyeon-"
"And I didn't see you driving those crazy suitors away!" Junghee retorted, nearly slamming her hand into her frozen yogurt.
"Hey, I helped out, too!" Eunsook piped up, eager to share her own contributions. "Taeyeon-ah took my advice in the end, after all!"
Gwiboon and Junghee stared at the proudly beaming girl, and promptly went back to arguing amongst themselves. Eunsook's face fell and she slid over towards them, loudly protesting how they ignored her.
On the other side of the table, Taeyeon gave a small sigh, resting her head on Minjung's shoulder. "I did it all, you know," she whispered surreptitiously, looking up at Minjung with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
Minjung laughed and ruffled her hair. Her heart swelled warmly at the sight of her best friend, her girlfriend, pouting at her until she smoothed her hair back down and pressed a kiss into her soft cheek. "Of course you did."
-----
In the end, things didn't change that much. There were no more suitors waiting for Minjung at the school gate (not that she missed running away from them, but Junghee liked to brag about having more suitors than her now), so she could go back to comfortably studying and playing soccer whenever she liked. Her free time was cut down considerably, occupied with the obligations that came with having a girlfriend, but it was no skin off her nose - she loved spending time with Taeyeon, hanging around in each other's rooms and watching each other practice and occasionally going out to shop or eat dinner together or to check out the newest thriller, much to Gwiboon's dismay.
Her home life didn't change much, either. It was rather anti-climactic when Minjung finally worked up the courage to announce her new relationship, only to have her family ask why it took her so long to get together with Taeyeon.
"Did everyone and their mothers know?" Minjung groused at school the next morning.
"Pretty much," Junghee and Gwiboon said in unison, not even bothering to look up from the magazines they were flipping through.
"If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't sure until Junghee and Gwiboon told me?" Eunsook offered, and ran her fingers soothingly through Minjung's hair when the other girl groaned and buried her face into her hands.
Her wallet still held four pictures, but the line-up had changed considerably. There was a new family picture from her older brother's graduation day, the four of them squeezed into the frame together with her brother's diploma displayed proudly in her hands. There was a new Purikura picture as well; she and Taeyeon beamed from the front of the picture while Eunsook, Gwiboon and Junghee made disgusting faces behind them (Gwiboon called it "Beauty and the Beast and the Three Fairy Godmothers!").
Their first couple picture was still there, carefully preserved behind the clear plastic cover, and Minjung still wondered how she hadn't seen it back then, how things might have gone had Taeyeon not been brave enough to take the first step and knock some sense into her.
For one thing, she wouldn't have the last picture in her wallet. It was a candid Polaroid shot, one she hadn't even known Gwiboon had taken until it was presented to her on their first monthsary. At first, Minjung hadn't even recognized the people in the picture until she recognized the headband she had bought on their date at the shopping mall, sitting neatly on the taller girl's head as the two girls in the picture walked away from the photographer.
The background of the picture was out of focus, bright lights and busy people moving too quickly to be captured neatly by the camera. Their figures were a little blurry as well, save for their hands clasped together in the center of the photograph.
And perhaps Minjung wasn't that dense after all. The feelings were there all along, and Taeyeon knew that all along, too. For all's well that ends well, and theirs was a war well-fought and won.
Fandom/Pairing: SHINee, genderbent!2min (Taemin/Minho)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 17,391
-----
Their next date was something a little more uneventful: a movie outing. They decided on the latest thriller, a horror story about a psychopath who infiltrated an exclusive girls' school and brutally murdered all the students that discovered his secret. Armed with the largest bucket of popcorn and soft drink serving that the food stand offered, they settled comfortably somewhere in the middle row and tried to ignore the three girls and the sizable group of men that followed them into the theater.
"Maybe you should throw some of your popcorn at them," Taeyeon whispered, giggling when Minjung elbowed her lightly for her cheek.
Minjung shot her an amused warning look and returned her focus to the last of the trailers.
Finally, the lights dimmed, and a murmur of excitement swept through the audience before they fell into a hush, all of them enraptured by the unfolding story.
On Minjung's part, the movie was enjoyable enough. She found herself appreciating little things like the cinematography and the theatrical score, which made up for the rather predictable nature of the movie. Having an older brother practically obligated Minjung to sit through a number of thrillers herself; as a result, she could now confidently deadpan her way through most gory films (which was much more than she could say for Gwiboon, who screamed so loudly and so often that even the row behind them stared).
Taeyeon seemed to enjoy herself immensely as well. She often leaned over to whisper into Minjung's ear, poking fun at horror movie clichés and complaining about the idiocy of the main characters - "Oh, there, she just signed her own death warrant!" Taeyeon chirped when a blonde female side character announced that they were perfectly safe, and Minjung had to keep from snorting into her drink when the killer appeared just five seconds later.
The movie wrapped up predictably: the killer was caught, but he was revealed to have an equally deranged twin brother who was shown to consider targeting a similar school just before the closing credits. Minjung and Taeyeon filed out with the rest of the crowd, discussing the film animatedly.
"The forearm footlong was really creative, but I found the dismembering scene pretty unbelievable," Taeyeon chattered as they exited into the lobby. "And if you're suspended from the ceiling, shouldn't your organs fall all at the same time instead of bit by bit? You know, law of gravity!"
"They probably did it for dramatic effect," Minjung mused, pausing near a movie poster of an upcoming historical romance flick, "just to creep out the audience."
"Looks like it worked," Taeyeon stifled a giggle, waving at a pale-faced Gwiboon who had to be physically supported out of the theater by Eunsook and Junghee.
"Never again!" Gwiboon declared loudly, clinging weakly to Eunsook and Junghee's shoulders. "God, couldn't you have chosen a romantic comedy or something?"
"That's so boring, unni!" Taeyeon crinkled her nose in distaste.
"No one asked you to come, you know," Minjung reminded just a little smugly. "Besides, it's not like we didn't warn you or anything."
Gwiboon sniffed. "I swear, if I see another creepy psycho movie like that, it'll be too-"
Gwiboon's exclamation was cut off abruptly, her eyes widening at the sight of Minjung's suitors heading out of the theater. Eunsook squeaked as Gwiboon clung to her arms and hid behind the older girl, her face pressed firmly into Eunsook's back as she chanted something about creepy cross-dressing maniacs.
"I told you we should've watched something else," Junghee rolled her eyes. "You know how much you're scared of horror movies!"
Gwiboon shot her a ferocious glare over Eunsook's shoulder. "You didn't watch most of it, either!" she returned the accusation. "Always ducking out of your seat, talking to someone on the phone!"
"I'll have you know those were very important calls," Junghee said indignantly. "Oppa was asking if I could pick him up at the-"
Eunsook's face drained of color as a man passed by with a half-finished footlong laden with copious amounts of ketchup. "Excuse me," she said quickly, covering her mouth with her hand and pushing between Gwiboon and Junghee to run off to the restrooms.
Minjung and Taeyeon shared an exasperated look as Gwiboon and Junghee caught sight of the footlong and promptly hurried after Eunsook.
"Never again," Taeyeon mouthed at Minjung.
"Never again," Minjung repeated solemnly.
The effect was ruined when the two of them suddenly burst into laughter. Minjung bit her lip to stifle her chuckles, reaching out to take Taeyeon's hand and lead her ahead.
Taeyeon beamed so widely that she couldn't help but entwine their fingers together, swinging their joined hands as they left the theater.
-----
Their seventh date was one suggested by Minjung: a soccer date on the school grounds. Taeyeon liked the idea: it was unconventional, fun, and Minjung was more than eager to take care of the entire reservation process. Surprisingly, the older girls showed no sign of curiosity about their latest date, and Minjung wondered if they were finally calming down about the entire affair.
Minjung waited for Taeyeon at the large soccer field after class, already having taken the liberty of setting up the practice courses with a few rubber cones she had borrowed from the gym equipment. It was a blessing that the school strictly forbade outsiders from entering the school, and Minjung was determined to make this unsupervised date as enjoyable as possible.
The field was mostly deserted by now, save for the school cheerleading team practicing for the next pep rally. Minjung couldn't help but frown a little as she looked over at the team. She was pretty sure that Gwiboon was slated to take part in the next pep rally, but she was nowhere to be seen - an odd occurrence considering that Gwiboon was usually adamant about perfecting the moves and wouldn't miss practice for the world.
"Unni! Sorry to keep you waiting!"
Taeyeon emerged from the changing rooms clad in one of Minjung's old soccer uniforms. The shirt hung a bit too loose on Taeyeon's frame and the shorts slipped a little low on her narrower set of hips, but it would do for the day's game.
Minjung greeted her with an eager smile. "Ready to play?"
"Go easy on me, okay?" Taeyeon grinned back, tossing a teasing look at the almost possessive way Minjung's foot rested on top of the ball.
"Yeah, yeah," Minjung made a face, laughing when Taeyeon ducked to avoid the hand reaching out to ruffle her hair.
A chorus of giggles erupted from the cheerleading team. The older girls shot those knowing looks as they passed by, something that made Minjung feel oddly self-conscious about.
"Have fun, you two," Soonkyu called out, waving a pom-pom at them cheerfully.
"Don't tire Taeyeon out too much, okay, Minjung?" Sooyoung grinned with a bold wink.
"You too, unni?" Minjung huffed, eliciting a laugh from the girls.
"Alright, alright, that's enough!" The team captain, also named Taeyeon, blew her whistle at the cheerleaders. "Off to the changing rooms, all of you!"
"Yes, unni," the team chorused and moved off the field, chattering excitedly and casting interested glances back at Minjung and Taeyeon.
"Ah, Sooyeon-unni!" Minjung called to the blonde cheerleader as she passed by. "Have you seen Gwiboon?"
Sooyeon blinked slowly and paused, pursing her lips in thought. "She said she was meeting with someone today. Didn't say who, though, but unni let her off. She knows all the routines, anyway," she shrugged.
Minjung shared a confused look with Taeyeon. "Thanks, unni," Minjung said slowly.
Sooyeon gave a small smile and followed the rest of the team into the changing rooms.
"Meeting with someone?" Taeyeon echoed.
"I don't think I want to know," Minjung muttered, wrapping an arm around Taeyeon's shoulders. "Come on. Let's start with a few laps."
"I thought we were playing soccer," Taeyeon whined, but let herself be dragged along to the track portion of the field.
"Warm-up first," Minjung said patiently, starting Taeyeon off with a small push to her lower back and jogging alongside her. "Besides, you need more muscle in those stick legs."
Taeyeon nudged Minjung's waist with her elbow. "Says Miss S-line!"
Minjung reached out to return the jab, but Taeyeon shrieked and ran on ahead, giggling madly all the while. Minjung shook her head and increased her own pace, easily catching up because Taeyeon was laughing so hard.
Eventually, they got to the soccer practice. Minjung had Taeyeon practicing some of the basic moves like kicking and controlling the movement of the ball. Despite their jibing, Taeyeon was a fast learner and a bit of a perfectionist, and Minjung was patient enough of a teacher.
Once Taeyeon had mastered maneuvering, running circles around the plastic cones without having to chase after the ball, Minjung deemed it time for a practice game.
"Just try and get the ball into the net," Minjung said soothingly from where she had taken up position as a goalie.
"Easy for you to say," Taeyeon huffed, one foot on the ball to keep it from rolling away. "You've had years of practice, and all I've done is kick this ball around for an hour."
"If you score a goal," Minjung said loudly, rolling her shoulders, "you get to pick out our next date."
"And what if I don't?"
Minjung shot her an almost wicked grin. "Then we're going hiking. There's a pretty nice mountain trail just an hour away from here, and I've always wanted to go with someone."
Taeyeon looked horrified. "No way!"
"Then score a goal!" Minjung called out, and got into defensive position, clearly waiting for Taeyeon to start.
Taeyeon made a face, but she began to run, working the ball between her feet with impressive precision and control for a beginner. Minjung couldn't help but be proud of her - Taeyeon had the potential to be a decent soccer player, but she loved dance too much to give it up in favor of another sport. Still, it was more than a little exciting to see her day's protégé tear down the field and kick the ball towards the goal.
Minjung blocked the shot easily, and returned the ball to Taeyeon. "Too little power! The running was good, but the kick needs more power!"
Taeyeon nodded, her breathing a little harsh as she caught the ball and maneuvered it to the other end of the field. Minjung readied herself as Taeyeon began to run, picking up speed as she kicked the ball again and again until she could get a good shot at the net. Taeyeon's next attempt at a goal was better, but the angle at which she came from made for another easy save.
Minjung tossed the ball back, calling out suggestions and tips for better shooting. Taeyeon looked so cutely determined, and Minjung was impressed by the way she took her advice and worked on sneakier strategies that could almost give Minjung a run for her money.
"Looks like I'll have to save that hiking trip for another time, after all," Minjung mused aloud after a particularly difficult save.
Taeyeon blossomed under the indirect praise, visibly perking up from the other end of the field. "This one! I'll get you with this one, unni!" she promised fervently.
"Let's see you try!" Minjung answered back, grinning when Taeyeon pumped a fist into the air and began running. The next shot looked pretty sneaky indeed, a feint to the left with a last-minute diversion to the right. If only Taeyeon weren't so eager about the shot, she might have pulled it off without Minjung noticing.
Minjung smirked and prepared for the change in direction. There she was, kicking away at the soccer ball and closing in from the left. Minjung steeled herself, ready to slam the ball back from hitting the net.
"Oi, Minjung-ah, Taeyeon-ah! Look who's here!"
Gwiboon's loud, unexpected yell distracted Minjung from the game. Her eyes left the ball, sweeping over the field to find the small group of people working their way up the bleachers.
There was Junghee and Eunsook, negotiating their way across the narrow seats with a lanky-looking boy in tow. Gwiboon was a few seats below them, one hand cupped around her mouth and the other waving wildly in the air. And standing right next to her was...
"YES! Haha!" Taeyeon yelled out victoriously, immensely pleased that her strategy had worked out after all. She beamed at the ball, still spinning from where it had been kicked into the net, and gave into the urge to do a small victory dance. "No mountain trail hiking, oh yeah!"
Taeyeon slowed to a stop, realizing that Minjung had not said a word. "Unni?"
She turned a confused gaze to an unmoving Minjung, who was staring blankly at the bleachers. Following the line of her gaze, Taeyeon saw what had captured Minjung's attention so completely.
"Long time, no see!" the man next to Gwiboon waved from the stands, the same wide smile from years ago still on his handsome face.
Minjung swallowed audibly, her mouth suddenly feeling very dry. "Hello, Donghae-oppa."
-----
Dinner at the Kim household was a very noisy affair. Junghee's family had insisted on celebrating her cousin's arrival from London - a short vacation from where he had flown off to study under one of the most prominent dance schools in the country. Since Donghae had been allowed to invite guests of his own, Junghee managed to coerce her friends to come along for the meal, declaring loudly that she didn't want to spend the entire dinner feeling ostracized.
Not that she had to worry at all, Minjung thought somewhat bitterly, watching Junghee talk animatedly with the lanky boy that had been at the practice field earlier (Kyuhyun, she had heard Donghae introduce fondly as the singing major that he had bumped into during his studies). The two were currently exchanging singing tips, enthusiastically comparing vocal ranges and techniques and not at all being awkward with each other.
In the opposite corner of the room, Eunsook was discussing the pros and cons of potential colleges with Junghee's parents and some of the older guests. In the living area, Gwiboon was valiantly trying to hold her own in an English conversation with Donghae's sister, Amber, much to the delight of the younger girls.
If there was anyone who had the right to say they were feeling ostracized, it was her. Normally, she would be out there, too, chatting happily with the older girls and perhaps trying to catch the eye of a certain handsome dance major. But not tonight - not after she had finally convinced herself that boys were only hindrances to one's own dreams and not at all worth the trouble of secretly pining over for ever since Junghee casually mentioned the letter from the London University of Fine Arts that had arrived at Donghae's mailbox.
Minjung swilled the glass of fruit punch, determinedly averting her gaze from a laughing Donghae as she took a sip. The overly sweet flavor filled her mouth and she grimaced at the sickening taste, searching for a place where she could dispose of the glass before someone forced her to down the entire drink.
She was so focused on getting to the buffet table without catching Donghae's eye that she completely missed the petite girl heading towards her until they slammed into each other.
"Unni!" Taeyeon exclaimed, reaching out instinctively to steady Minjung's hand. The fruit punch swirled dangerously, but did not spill.
Minjung swallowed, painfully aware of how some of the guests had focused their attention on them, including Donghae. "I'm fine," she bit out quickly, tugging her hand gently from Taeyeon's grasp and setting the glass down on the nearest surface.
She pretended to immerse herself in the buffet, taking a plate and piling on a couple of drumsticks and some sauce. Soon enough, everyone went back to their own conversations, and Minjung took the opportunity to quietly sneak out to the backyard.
Minjung made her way across the yard, balancing the plate of chicken in one hand as she negotiated her way past Roo's doghouse and the occasional plant. Upon reaching the large swing, she sank down on the seat with a relieved sigh and pushed at the ground with her feet, setting the swing into motion. She swung quietly for a few moments, occasionally picking at one of the drumsticks she had taken.
"Eunsook-unni's going to scold you if you don't eat that."
Minjung squinted out into the darkness of the yard, making out the figure of the person that had emerged from the house. "Taeyeon? What are you doing out here?"
"I should be the one asking you that," Taeyeon pursed her lips, deftly stepping over several of Roo's chew toys and plopping down on the swing next to Minjung. She added her own force to the swing, causing the seat to sway almost dangerously. "They're looking for you inside."
Minjung stayed quiet, her feet dragging along the ground instead of adding to the push. "I just needed some time to myself," she finally said, picking up a chicken leg and biting into the meat before Taeyeon could say anything.
Taeyeon watched her chew almost mechanically, her eyes shrewd and knowing. "This is about Donghae-oppa, isn't it?"
Minjung nearly choked on the newest piece of chicken she had popped into her mouth. "You have got to stop being so perceptive," she wheezed, allowing Taeyeon to pat her back softly.
Taeyeon held out her handkerchief, but Minjung waved it away, holding her hand to her mouth and waiting for the burning to pass. "... He's-"
"Yeah, I know." Minjung tried not to wince from the twinge of pain that came with acknowledging it.
"Oh." Taeyeon nodded slowly, still pushing idly at the ground to keep the swing going. "Then ... Do you still like him?"
Minjung sucked in a deep breath, pondering the answer herself. It was no secret that she had liked Junghee's cousin, but that was years ago, and no one really knew the true extent of her crush save for Taeyeon. She was, after all, the one who Minjung came running to the day that Donghae left for London, tears streaking down her face over the loss of a first love.
"I don't know," Minjung said honestly.
"Oh," Taeyeon breathed.
The two of them swung in the darkness, letting the sound of loud conversation from the house and Roo's occasional snuffles fill the silence between them.
"I'll get you a drink," Taeyeon said quietly as she slid off the swing, and left with the warm brush of her hand against Minjung's shoulder.
Minjung watched her disappear into the house and rocked herself slowly on the swing. Half-heartedly, she picked up the remaining drumstick and bit off a mouthful. The chicken had gone cold, but she felt bad about taking the pieces and not eating them at all.
Soon enough, the backdoor swung open gently, and the silhouette of a figure made its way across the yard. It was strange, though - this figure was much stockier than Taeyeon's, and held no sign of a drink in its hand. The deep muffled curse that the person made upon nearly tripping over one of Roo's chew toys confirmed Minjung's suspicions.
"Donghae-oppa?" she stared, making out the strong line of his jaw and the high point of his nose by the dim light of the moon.
"Good evening, Minjung-ah," Donghae greeted, managing to make it all the way to the swing without any more untoward incidents. He stood in front of her, a boyish smile playing on his lips. "Mind if I take this seat?"
Minjung wordlessly shuffled over, her back ramrod straight as Donghae sank gratefully into the swing. He braced himself against the ground and lifted his feet, causing the swing to rock back and forth, and he laughed almost childishly.
"I missed this." Donghae's voice was filled with wistfulness, and Minjung felt a coil of warmth bubble in her chest as it hadn't done in years. She prayed that the lack of light hid the flush that rose to her cheeks, an instinctive reaction that she thought she had already tamped down long ago.
"What are you doing out here, oppa?" The words came out before she could stop them, and Minjung felt horribly self-conscious when Donghae turned his thoughtful gaze onto her.
"Taeyeon was worried about you. She followed you out here, and I guess I got worried too when she came back without you."
"Ah," Minjung nodded dumbly, and moved to sit a little higher on the swing. "So ... How's London?"
Donghae returned his gaze to the darkness of the yard. "It's great! Really different from here. The food's a little weird, too, but you get used to it. And everyone speaks so quickly! Even I still have trouble talking with them."
Minjung was happy to swing there, just listening to the familiar cadence of his voice. She closed her eyes, held her breath for a few moments, and savored the way her heart fluttered a little like it hadn't done since middle school. It didn't thunder in her chest like it used to, threatening to burst out of her ribcage at the mere sight of him, but it was a bittersweet feeling; a nostalgic reaction to the first person she loved.
"Minjung-ah? Minjung?"
"Mm?" Minjung's eyes flew open. "Yes?"
"How's Taeyeon?"
"Taeyeon?" Minjung's brow furrowed, confused at the mention of her.
Donghae shot her a curious look. "Yeah. Is everything going well between the two of you?"
"Yeah, we're alright," Minjung nodded slowly, puzzled by the sudden interest in her relationship with Taeyeon.
The blood quickly drained from her face once realization hit. "Wait, did Junghee tell you about..." she trailed off uncertainly, unable to bring herself to say it aloud.
Donghae chuckled. "I guess late congratulations are in order! I was pretty surprised when Junghee mentioned it, but I'm really glad for the two of you."
Minjung silently cursed Junghee and her big mouth. "Thank you, oppa," she murmured, hoping that he would mistake the faintness of her voice for shyness rather than shock.
"Take care of each other, alright?" he bid, his smile growing at Minjung's hesitant nod. "I can't say I'm too surprised, honestly. After all, the two of you were always together."
This drew Minjung out of vague thoughts about Junghee's voice cracking on a high note at her next recital. "It's not a surprise?"
Donghae only smiled mysteriously and shrugged. "Not really."
"Oppa! Don't be like that!" Minjung pouted, tugging at Donghae's sleeve. "What do you mean it's not a surprise?"
Donghae only laughed and pushed harder against the ground, sending the swing into a longer arc. No amount of coaxing from Minjung could get him to say more, and they ended up swinging quietly, watching the warm puffs of their breath dissolve into the cool night air.
"She's good for you," Donghae said gently.
Minjung wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees thoughtfully. "Yeah. Yeah, she is."
-----
"Here's your drink," Taeyeon said as she pushed the glass of water into Minjung's hand. She met Minjung's glance meaningfully. Are you okay?
Minjung accepted the proffered beverage, taking a sip of the drink and enjoying the way the liquid cooled her throat and washed down the taste of chicken. Over the rim of her cup, she saw Donghae returning to Kyuhyun's side, murmuring something into his ear.
Her other hand reached down to entwine her fingers with Taeyeon's as Donghae looked across the room and flashed her a small smile. Her heart skipped just a little; her cheeks flushed just the tiniest bit. But that was all.
She squeezed Taeyeon's hand gently, taking comfort from the small warmth and the way Taeyeon squeezed back. I'm fine now.
-----
As promised, their next date was Taeyeon's choice: she did win the game fair and square, after all. Taeyeon only grinned when Minjung asked her what she had in mind, and left her with the mysterious clue that, while not as exerting as mountain trail hiking must be, she'd still get a good workout from their date.
Taeyeon's idea became obvious when she passed Minjung a note in the middle of Calculus, telling her to head to the dance studio on Friday once classes were over.
"Is this revenge for the soccer date?" Minjung asked Taeyeon dryly over lunch, but she only giggled and told her to show up in clothes you could easily move around in.
Minjung grimaced at her wardrobe and the lack of dance clothes it contained. For someone who exercised on a regular basis, you'd think she would have at least one set of dance-appropriate clothes. Borrowing from Junghee was out of the question-her limbs were much too long for Junghee's size-and Gwiboon refused to let her borrow any of her pants, claiming her butt would stretch out the fabric too much. In the end, she borrowed a thin sweatshirt from Junghee's older sister and a pair of Eunsook's old jazz pants from a brief stint in a school musical.
Although their school was quite well-facilitated and held enough room for most of its various clubs and extracurricular activities, one of the few rooms lacking was a proper dance studio. The dance club was currently aiming to convert one of the old storage rooms into a fully-equipped rehearsal room, but it would take bagging the grand prize of the next major dance competition to fund the renovations. As far as Minjung had heard, they were working furiously towards achieving this goal, and made do with hiring out the nearby dance studio a couple of blocks away from the school in the meantime.
Minjung adjusted the duffel bag on her shoulder nervously as she walked the distance from the school to the dance studio, painfully aware of the group of suitors following her. The downside of this date was that it took place outside the school grounds, meaning that her suitors were welcome to spy on the date if they so pleased.
Minjung heaved a defeated sigh and pushed the door of the studio open. The lobby area was empty, and sound was filtering in from the adjoining hallway. 'Right at the second corner and keep going till you reach the pink door,' the note had said.
She walked cautiously down the hall, turning at the appropriate corner and noticing how the noise grew louder and clearer as she progressed down the corridor. She came to a stop at an obnoxiously pink door that was slightly ajar, allowing a beam of warm studio light and the heavy beat of a recent pop song to filter out into the hallway.
Minjung snuck a peek through the crack in the door. Inside was the school dance troupe practicing one of their latest routines; she spotted Hyoyeon right off the bat, dancing at the front of the group, then Ga-in when the troupe changed formations and the senior moved towards the door, falling directly into Minjung's line of sight.
And then, when the song dipped into the dance break, Minjung saw Taeyeon slide cleanly towards the center. Her breath caught in her throat as Taeyeon mouthed the words to the song, effortlessly rolling her hips to the rhythm. Minjung was no stranger to Taeyeon's performances, but it was always fascinating to watch Taeyeon dance. The sweet, mischievous girl seemed almost non-existent during these moments, replaced by a vixen that could tear any man's heart out with a single snap of her hips.
Minjung didn't really know how long she stood there just watching Taeyeon move to the song, but eventually the troupe broke practice for the day and began filing out of the room in a large, chattering mass, and she only snapped out of her daze when Goo Hara nearly bumped into her.
"Ah! I'm really sorry about that," Minjung apologized quickly, reaching out to steady the girl.
Hara didn't seem to be offended at all - if anything, she seemed to be quite amused once she got over the surprise. "Hi, Minjung-ah," she greeted, shooting Yong Joo a not-so-subtle conspiratorial look. "Here for your date?"
"Uh, yeah," Minjung mumbled, and startled when the dance troupe burst into giggles. It was like the soccer date, but worse - at least the cheerleading team had headed off the field and stayed at a distance from where Minjung and Taeyeon played. Here, the entire dance troupe had crammed into the tiny hallway, and Minjung was close enough to feel more than a little unsettled by the several knowing looks shot in her direction. Even Song Qian, the foreign exchange student from China, was grinning broadly at her.
"Minjung-unni? Is that you?" Taeyeon's voice called from inside the room. "Come inside!"
Minjung took that opportunity to gather her duffel bag very close to her and squeeze her way between Minji and Sohee to slip inside the dance studio, steadfastly ignoring the burning gazes that followed her inside.
Taeyeon looked up from where she had been rotating her ankles. "Oh, no, is it really that hot out there? The management just had the air-conditioning fixed, too."
It took Minjung a glimpse of her reflection in the large practice mirror to realize what she meant. "T-the temperature's fine," she cleared her throat, trying not to stammer and add to the redness already coloring her cheeks.
Taeyeon gave her a skeptical look, but Minjung shrugged it off and set her duffel bag down next to Taeyeon's in the corner. "So, what have you got prepared for us today?"
The unconvinced look on Taeyeon's face was quickly replaced with barely-suppressed glee. She hopped over to the music player, popping in a bright red CD marked with Minjung's name.
"Hey, unni, you've heard of samba, right?" Taeyeon asked conversationally.
Minjung's jaw dropped. "What?!"
With a push of the "play" button, the sound of unmistakable Latin rhythm filled the room. Taeyeon began to swivel her hips lightly to the music, tossing Minjung an inviting look, and the blood drained quickly from Minjung's face.
"Oh, no, I'm not doing this!" Minjung exclaimed, stumbling back to where her duffel bag lay.
Taeyeon's face fell. "H-hey! Unni, don't go!" she cried out, slamming her hand down on the stop button, and turning frantically to where Minjung was sliding the strap of her bag over her shoulder.
"Sorry, Taeyeon, not this time," Minjung said resolutely, trying to ignore Taeyeon's pleading gaze.
"But unni!" Taeyeon whined, sliding over to hold Minjung back from the door. "You promised we could do anything I wanted!"
"I didn't agree to samba!" Minjung struggled against Taeyeon's surprisingly firm grip around her waist. "Come on, Taeyeon, let go!"
Taeyeon clung to Minjung for a few moments more before abruptly letting go. The sudden lack of force nearly caused Minjung to slam into the door, and she quickly righted herself, glancing back at Taeyeon apprehensively.
Taeyeon stood there, fingers curled into the hem of her skirt. Her lips pursed unhappily. "Fine, unni, I won't force you if you don't really want to."
"... Thanks, Taeyeon," Minjung said cautiously. Her hand twisted the doorknob, cracking the door open.
"It's a shame, though. I didn't think you'd back down from a challenge so easily."
Minjung's hand froze on the doorknob. "What?"
Taeyeon shrugged. "The samba's a dance that takes skill, but it also needs confidence. I said to myself, 'Unni will definitely get this dance down in no time! She's one of the most confident people I know!', but I guess I was wrong."
Minjung's brow twitched, her hand clenching around the strap of her bag. Taeyeon was pushing all of her buttons, and the brat knew it. "Let's get on with it, then," Minjung practically bit out, dropping her bag back against the wall and moving to the center of the room with a scowl.
To her credit, Taeyeon did not rub it in her face, but the smug smirk that tugged at the corner of her lips as she rewound the track said it all. Once the music was set, she tugged Minjung forward a little and stood at her side so that they both faced the large mirror.
"It's not that hard, really," Taeyeon assured Minjung, tapping her thigh as the song started. "Just watch!"
All of Minjung's supposed confidence deflated as Taeyeon launched into a set of complicated hip swivels, leg tosses and enough twirls to make a gymnast proud. Even with all the confidence in the world, there was just no beating the natural talent that seemed to overflow from Taeyeon. Her passion for dance shone through with every effortless move, every sway and dip and stretch of her lithe body.
Minjung watched helplessly as Taeyeon wrapped the choreography up at the song's chorus with a clean split. She held her position, panting, and looked over at Minjung eagerly. Her clear gaze left Minjung feeling raw and vulnerable; away from crowds and watchful eyes, alone in the dance studio with just Taeyeon, Minjung was stripped away of all confidence. This was no competition.
"I can't do this, Taeyeon," Minjung mumbled, her heart sinking with the unfamiliar sensation of defeat. Her gaze dropped to her old sneakers, unable to meet Taeyeon's undoubtedly disappointed gaze.
"Of course you can!" Taeyeon said surely. Without a moment's warning, two hands fixed themselves on Minjung's hips and forced them to sway.
"Taeyeon!" Minjung squeaked in protest, batting at the hands guiding her hips.
"See? You can do it just fine!" Taeyeon retorted.
Minjung scowled at her reflection. "I feel like a robot," she said grumpily, wincing at the awkward jerks of her hips that were nothing at all like the smooth swivels of Taeyeon's hips.
"Good. That means you'll be able to learn quickly," Taeyeon chirped brightly, and forced Minjung to pivot on the spot without pausing in her swaying. Taeyeon giggled when Minjung's head automatically lolled back as she turned, and even though Minjung still felt ridiculous, she couldn't help but laugh along with her.
Just as Taeyeon had been an eager student to Minjung's patient coaching, so was Taeyeon an excellent mentor in teaching Minjung how to samba. Cheekily, Taeyeon admitted that she had put on one of the more advanced sets of choreography just to see how Minjung would react, earning herself a rough noogie from a disgruntled Minjung.
The actual beginner's steps were much easier to follow, and Minjung listened to and followed Taeyeon's instructions religiously. Taeyeon never laughed or teased Minjung too badly when she was having difficulties with a certain turn or a set of footwork, and Minjung was very grateful for it.
"Alright, let's start from the top!" Taeyeon declared, and hopped over to the music player, rewinding it back to the track in question. Minjung exhaled just a little shakily, eyes focused on the mirror as Taeyeon hurried back to take her position behind Minjung and curled small hands around Minjung's shoulder and waist.
The music started, and Minjung launched into a turn. To the left, and then right, and then left, and then right, Minjung chanted as her feet extended out to different sides, finally stopping as her hands clasped Taeyeon's.
Taeyeon pulled Minjung close and walked her around the room, her form enviously perfect as Minjung self-consciously counted each beat. She tried to keep her hips going in the swivel, following Taeyeon's lead. They paused as the song reached the chorus, tossing each other an amused grin before turning on the spot, keeping up the swiveling of the hips.
They separated, Minjung ducking under Taeyeon's arm as Taeyeon sent her into a spin. Taeyeon stalked towards her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to a stop, their bodies pressed flush against each other.
Minjung tried to catch her breath, her hand still grasped firmly in Taeyeon's. At this close distance, Minjung could see the sweat that beaded at Taeyeon's temple and slid down the sides of her cheeks, the stray strands of hair that stuck to her glimmering forehead, the lovely flush that colored her cheeks with the rushing of blood through her body. Minjung was certain that her own face was flushed, too, but not only from exertion.
Something in her felt unexplainably disappointed when Taeyeon pulled away first, slipping her hand out of Minjung's grip to pad over to the music player and stop the CD.
Minjung's breathing slowly wound down, but her heart continued to pound as quickly as ever. Her hand seemed to tingle where Taeyeon had grasped it, the warmth lingering on her skin.
Taeyeon seemed to be unsettled for some reason, too, if the way she kept glancing at Minjung's reflection in the mirror was any indication of that. Her hands came down to grasp at the hem of her large practice shirt and twisted the fabric between deft fingers - Minjung recognized it as a nervous habit, something Taeyeon did not normally do unless she was up for a major dance competition or it was finals week.
"Taeyeon?" Minjung called worriedly.
Taeyeon slowly turned to face Minjung, her t-shirt convoluted between her fingers. "U-Unni, I have something to-"
"Hey, you can't go in there!"
Taeyeon and Minjung jolted as the door banged open, and the room was suddenly filled with noise. The members of the dance troupe were yelling frantically, trying to push back Minjung's suitors as they fought their way inside.
Sadly, a group of teenage girls were no match for a horde of determined men when it came to brute strength, and Minjung's suitors managed to push their way inside and lock the door behind them. The girls banged on the door, but to no avail.
"Oh, my-" Taeyeon's hand flew up to her mouth in shock.
"What are you doing?!" Minjung demanded of the men. "How could you force your way into a private practice room like this?!"
"Wait! Wait, Minjung!" the eldest of the group, a middle-aged businessman with his tie askew from the small scuffle, held his hands up placatingly. "We only wanted to talk to you!"
"By overpowering teenage girls?" Minjung gestured angrily to the door. "If this is your idea of negotiation, then I don't want to take any part in it!"
"We have come to an agreement," the man announced loudly. "For the past few weeks, we have observed you and Miss Lee, and have determined that you were indeed truthful about your relationship with each other. Thus we have decided to cede all bids for your affection and leave you be with Lee Taeyeon."
Minjung was vaguely aware of her jaw falling slack as she gaped at the men. "Are you serious?"
Her suitors all nodded solemnly. "However, there is one condition we would like to pose before we formally cease our courting," the man said.
"What is it?" Minjung raised a brow.
"We have observed that on all of your dates ... While you may have showed affection towards each other, you have never exactly ..." the man coughed lightly, "... shown the physical signs we would have expected."
"What are you saying, Sir?" Minjung narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"What we are saying is that we need a verbal confirmation of your love."
"... What?"
"We need to hear you say, "I love you," to each other!" another suitor said quickly.
"What?!" Minjung nearly shrieked.
"We need the words, Minjung-sshi. Only this and we will leave you for good," the businessman said.
Minjung looked at her suitors. Some of them looked embarrassed, others clearly disappointed and upset, but all of them were resolute. They really did mean it.
"I love you."
Minjung whirled around to stare at Taeyeon, who moved towards her, reaching out to hold her hands. "I love you, Choi Minjung," she repeated, her voice so steady that it seemed like the truth.
Minjung could feel all eyes in the room turn to her. Even the pounding at the door ceased, and her neck prickled at the sensation of being stared at. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly as she tried to summon the words.
Just a lie. A single white lie that would grant her the freedom and peace she had been hoping for when she first took on this crazy scheme.
"I-I..."
Her heart pounded so quickly that it felt like it would shatter her ribcage at any second. Her grip tightened on Taeyeon's hands.
"I lo-... I ..."
Taeyeon's calm gaze turned just a little desperate, and Minjung vaguely wondered why.
"I looo-"
The room gasped.
Minjung dropped Taeyeon's hands.
Taeyeon stared at where their hands were joined only moments ago, and looked up slowly to meet Minjung's frightened gaze.
"I'm sorry. I-I'm... I'm so sorry. I can't-"
No one dared to move when Minjung snatched up her duffel bag. The members of the dance troupe silently gave way when Minjung slammed the door open and dashed out into the hallway.
In seconds she was out of the building, too far to hear Taeyeon slump to the floor.
-----
"Sweetheart? Sweetheart, are you okay?"
Minjung only curled up further into her blankets at the sound of her mother's voice. She still hadn't changed out of the old dance clothes and she really needed a shower from the day's practice, but she couldn't really be bothered. Not at a time like this.
"Alright, just tell me if you need something."
Minjung waited until she could no longer hear her mother's footsteps before she breathed out a sigh. She sat up in bed, unraveling herself from the cocoon of sheets and staring blankly around at the room.
She had messed up. Badly.
Not only the plan that they had formulated all those weeks ago, but she probably destroyed her friendship with Taeyeon as well, and that definitely hurt more than any failed plan to trick her suitors into giving up on her. She could live with the suitors - it was annoying, but she had learned to cope with them, to go through her daily life just ignoring and avoiding them.
She'd put up with a lifetime of overly persistent suitors just to take back what she had said. Or rather, what she hadn't said.
Her heart twisted painfully at that thought, and she briefly felt the urge to cry, but the image of Taeyeon's stunned gaze was branded into her memory, and she immediately felt like the biggest jerk in the world for even feeling like she deserved to be the one to cry.
The sudden ringing of her phone jolted Minjung out of her thoughts, and she gingerly picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Choi Minjung, how could you do this?!" Gwiboon's shrill voice blared out from the receiver. "After all that I've done for you two, you just go and ruin everything? HOW DARE YOU, you selfish twit! If you think you can just go out there and break people's hearts, you've got another thing coming, alien girl, because I'm going to head over there and-"
Minjung sighed in relief once the phone was back safely in its cradle.
The ringing began again. Minjung let the phone ring, watching it apprehensively from her bed. Finally, the answering machine was activated, and Gwiboon began her tirade again.
"You hung up on me. I can't believe you hung up on me! You are the most selfish, most arrogant, most heartless b-"
Minjung quickly unplugged the phone from the wall.
It wasn't long before her cell phone began ringing, and Minjung nearly dropped it in her hurry to silence it. She decided to get a start on that shower, hoping that ignoring Gwiboon would discourage her from further yelling at her through the phone.
She emerged from the bathroom half an hour later, fluffing her hair with the towel slung around her neck. She switched her cell phone open and winced at her inbox - ten unanswered calls, all from Gwiboon, and an onslaught of text messages filled with cursing and angry emoticons.
To her surprise, not all of the messages were from Gwiboon. There were five from Junghee, ranging from a biting, "I knew you were tall, but I never knew you could be such a huge bitch, too," to a pointed, "Taeyeon's sleeping over tonight. JUST SO YOU KNOW." Minjung deleted all of them along with Gwiboon's.
There was also a single message from Eunsook.
"I'm disappointed, Minjung-ah."
Minjung felt sick to her stomach and deleted the message hurriedly. She snapped her phone shut, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the picture stuck messily to the top cover of her cell phone.
It was a reprint from the Purikura escapade - one she had stuck on for "additional credibility" in case anyone else saw it. Now, it only served to remind her of possibly the stupidest mistake she had ever committed. Seeing her and Taeyeon's smiling faces so close to each other only made her stomach churn guiltily even more and she quickly shoved the phone onto her dresser.
Minjung threw herself on her bed, eyes shut tightly in an attempt to evoke sleep. The image of Taeyeon's smiling face blurred into her shocked, almost betrayed expression, and it took Minjung an hour of fitful tossing and turning before she could finally fall asleep.
-----
The sunlight filtering in from the curtains stirred Minjung from her sleep. She woke up sluggishly, feeling bone tired even though she was certain that she had gotten at least eight hours of sleep the previous night. A quick glance at her wall clock told her that it was just about time for breakfast.
She slid out of bed, her stomach grumbling noisily in protest of her slow movements. Briefly, she considered checking her cell phone to see if anyone had added to her inbox, but the phone wasn't beeping to alert her, anyway, so she figured they had given up over the night.
The house was oddly noisy for a weekend; normally her father would use the free day to catch up on sleep, and her older brother never woke up later than 10 o'clock during the weekend. The sound of the morning news from the living area and the smell of strong brewed coffee indicated that both of her parents were awake, and the rush of water from her brother's room was a clear sign that he was up as well.
Her father looked up from the morning paper when she entered the kitchen. "Ah, there you are."
"Good morning, appa," Minjung greeted, kissing her father on the cheek.
"Oh, Minjung, there you are!" her mother cried out, setting down her bowl on the table and throwing her arms around Minjung. "Listen, we have no problems with you sleeping over at your friends' houses, but please tell us next time when you do?"
Minjung patted her mother's back confusedly. "Alright, umma, I will?"
"Good," her mother nodded. "Now eat your breakfast while it's still hot, and I'll get your uniform ready."
"My uniform?" Minjung echoed, but her mother had already bustled out of the kitchen. "Do I need it today?"
Her father peered at her over the newspaper. "Of course you do. You're going to school, aren't you?"
Minjung stared back. "But... It's a weekend..." she said helplessly.
"What are you talking about, Minjung?" Her brother gave her an odd look as he entered the kitchen, adjusting the tie of his school uniform. "It's Monday."
-----
"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. This can't be happening. Oh, my God," Minjung chanted as she ran down the streets, one arm threaded haphazardly through the strap of her schoolbag. She nearly ran into a street vendor and called out a frantic apology over her shoulder as she weaved her way in and out of the other pedestrians.
"What the hell, Minjung, who sleeps for two days?" She groaned to herself, barely catching the go signal for the pedestrians as she ran across the road and thundered along the sidewalk.
The shock of actually having slept for over forty-eight hours straight had stupefied her enough to distract her from her usual morning preparations, and now she was running late for class. Instinctively, she skidded to a stop just before the last street corner and paused against the brick wall, trying hard to catch her breath.
She supposed it was back to normal now: running through her sea of suitors day in and day out, avoiding their grips and pleading and bribing and begging. They wouldn't give her the same berth they had for the past few weeks, because this time, there would be no Taeyeon waiting for her at the gate so that they could walk into the campus together.
Minjung closed her eyes against the burning sensation prickling at the back of her eyes and tried to tamp the feeling down in favor of steeling herself for the morning dash into campus.
Three ... two ... one!
She threw herself around the corner, arms raised instinctively to protect her face and body from the reaching hands of her suitors.
Only there was no one trying to grasp at her sleeve or push some expensive gift into her arms. Neither was there any frantic male voices calling her name, yelling out promises of eternal love and worship and luxury.
In fact, there was only one person standing there. Instead of the usual crowd of men that surrounded the entrance, a lone girl stood in front of the gate, clad in the school uniform and carrying a large bouquet of tulips in her arms.
Taeyeon looked up to meet Minjung's gaze and smiled.
"Juliette," she began to sing, walking forward to meet Minjung, "I would give you my soul. Juliette! Please accept me! Juliette! Sweetly, a bit sweeter, whisper my serenade."
Minjung gaped as Taeyeon held out the bouquet, and accepted the flowers dumbly.
"I hope you like them! I would have gotten roses, but they were really expensive," Taeyeon chirped, rocking back on her heels. "Oh! And I got you this, too!"
Minjung's eyes widened even further when Taeyeon hopped over to the large paper bag behind her and drew out a familiar monkey plushie. "I went ahead and named him Key, but you can change it if you like," Taeyeon offered, holding the monkey plushie out as well.
"But why?" Minjung blurted out, her grip tightening on the bouquet. "Even after I- You're still-"
Taeyeon peered at her over the head of the monkey plushie. "Well, obviously, all those dates weren't enough to convince you, so I thought I'd try out Eunsook-unni's suggestion."
"C-convince me?" Minjung echoed faintly.
Taeyeon set the stuffed monkey down and stepped up to Minjung, cradling her face in her hands. "Oh, unni, you really are dense," she breathed, an amused smile quirking her lips.
Minjung would have protested if Taeyeon hadn't raised herself on tiptoe and carefully touched her lips to Minjung's, pressing them together in a soft, chaste kiss. Minjung's lips parted under the light pressure, unwittingly deepening the contact. Her body seemed hyper-aware to the light flutter of Taeyeon's eyelashes against her cheek, the entire length of their bodies pressed flush against each other, the way her free hand came to rest warmly on the curve of Taeyeon's hip.
Taeyeon broke the contact with a soft sigh, her eyes sliding open as she smiled warmly at Minjung. "I really do love you, unni."
And everything clicked into place. The fluttering in her stomach, the pounding of her heart, the inexplicable happiness of simply being with her; all the things that everyone else had already seen.
"I can't be that dense," Minjung made a face.
"What?"
"Nothing," Minjung murmured, burying her face into the crook of Taeyeon's neck and breathing in her soft, sweet scent. "I love you too."
-----
"You'd better be thankful we didn't give up on you, Choi Minjung!"
Minjung shoved away Gwiboon's hand from where it was currently brandishing the dessert spoon at her face. "What was there to give up on?"
Gwiboon gaped at her in a scandalized manner. "Everything!" she nearly shrieked. "If it weren't for our timely and desperately needed intervention, you'd still be miserable over all those boys chasing you and completely oblivious to my darling daughter's feelings!"
"Unni, quiet down," Taeyeon tugged at Gwiboon's sleeve, blushing at all the other diners currently staring at them.
"Oh, my God, oh, my God," Junghee banged her hands excitedly on the table, ignoring how Taeyeon gave up and buried her face into her palms. "Did you know Taeyeon wanted to sing "Even I Loved the Sorrow"?"
Junghee and Gwiboon shrieked with laughter, and even Eunsook couldn't hide the small giggle that escaped her. Minjung gave Taeyeon an amused look, to which she only pressed her face into her hands harder, groaning softly in embarrassment.
"So you spent the entire weekend just plotting this out?" Minjung asked, taking pity on Taeyeon and rubbing her shoulders comfortingly.
"Not just this weekend!" Gwiboon flapped her hands indignantly. "I planned this out from the very beginning, you know!"
Junghee furrowed her brows. "Hey, I helped out, too, you know! I suggested the first date and everything!"
"But I came up with the idea," Gwiboon said smugly, flicking a pigtail in Junghee's direction. "If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened."
"You would have ruined it, too," Junghee scoffed. "Screaming in the theater all the time, stalking them on their dates-"
"I would not! Anyway, I distinctly remember you being right there with me when we followed them!" Gwiboon snapped peevishly. "And you didn't even help out that much! I didn't see you asking the other girls to help out or winning stuffed monkeys for Taeyeon-"
"And I didn't see you driving those crazy suitors away!" Junghee retorted, nearly slamming her hand into her frozen yogurt.
"Hey, I helped out, too!" Eunsook piped up, eager to share her own contributions. "Taeyeon-ah took my advice in the end, after all!"
Gwiboon and Junghee stared at the proudly beaming girl, and promptly went back to arguing amongst themselves. Eunsook's face fell and she slid over towards them, loudly protesting how they ignored her.
On the other side of the table, Taeyeon gave a small sigh, resting her head on Minjung's shoulder. "I did it all, you know," she whispered surreptitiously, looking up at Minjung with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
Minjung laughed and ruffled her hair. Her heart swelled warmly at the sight of her best friend, her girlfriend, pouting at her until she smoothed her hair back down and pressed a kiss into her soft cheek. "Of course you did."
-----
In the end, things didn't change that much. There were no more suitors waiting for Minjung at the school gate (not that she missed running away from them, but Junghee liked to brag about having more suitors than her now), so she could go back to comfortably studying and playing soccer whenever she liked. Her free time was cut down considerably, occupied with the obligations that came with having a girlfriend, but it was no skin off her nose - she loved spending time with Taeyeon, hanging around in each other's rooms and watching each other practice and occasionally going out to shop or eat dinner together or to check out the newest thriller, much to Gwiboon's dismay.
Her home life didn't change much, either. It was rather anti-climactic when Minjung finally worked up the courage to announce her new relationship, only to have her family ask why it took her so long to get together with Taeyeon.
"Did everyone and their mothers know?" Minjung groused at school the next morning.
"Pretty much," Junghee and Gwiboon said in unison, not even bothering to look up from the magazines they were flipping through.
"If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't sure until Junghee and Gwiboon told me?" Eunsook offered, and ran her fingers soothingly through Minjung's hair when the other girl groaned and buried her face into her hands.
Her wallet still held four pictures, but the line-up had changed considerably. There was a new family picture from her older brother's graduation day, the four of them squeezed into the frame together with her brother's diploma displayed proudly in her hands. There was a new Purikura picture as well; she and Taeyeon beamed from the front of the picture while Eunsook, Gwiboon and Junghee made disgusting faces behind them (Gwiboon called it "Beauty and the Beast and the Three Fairy Godmothers!").
Their first couple picture was still there, carefully preserved behind the clear plastic cover, and Minjung still wondered how she hadn't seen it back then, how things might have gone had Taeyeon not been brave enough to take the first step and knock some sense into her.
For one thing, she wouldn't have the last picture in her wallet. It was a candid Polaroid shot, one she hadn't even known Gwiboon had taken until it was presented to her on their first monthsary. At first, Minjung hadn't even recognized the people in the picture until she recognized the headband she had bought on their date at the shopping mall, sitting neatly on the taller girl's head as the two girls in the picture walked away from the photographer.
The background of the picture was out of focus, bright lights and busy people moving too quickly to be captured neatly by the camera. Their figures were a little blurry as well, save for their hands clasped together in the center of the photograph.
And perhaps Minjung wasn't that dense after all. The feelings were there all along, and Taeyeon knew that all along, too. For all's well that ends well, and theirs was a war well-fought and won.