Truth Hurts

Professor Bahk subsequently got a phone call and had to step out. Minutes later, Minji watched him pace back into the class hurriedly.

"Hey everyone, something else came up. Another meeting...I'll have to leave for a while," He grabbed his messenger bag. "I'll be right back. But if I don't get back before our meeting ends, you're free to leave- don't forget to sign your names on the signup sheet."

The minute he exited, Minji watched as the rest of her committee members whipped out their phones and pushed aside their documents. Dea began watching a video online on her laptop. Only the hot guy in the varsity jacket still stuck to doing his pile. Minji just shrugged, ignoring the throbbing in her head while reaching for the unattended three piles of documents Soobin, Jiyoung and Geon were supposed to do.

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Minji could barely think at all...her head was hurting so badly, it felt like she'd been hit by a train.

And then a bus. Right after being hit by a car- with the speed of a rocket.

So helplessly, she reached into her handbag, praying that the bottle of painkillers she typically kept in it for situations such as this was still there. Her hand felt a cylindrical plastic-feeling object and all of a sudden, she'd never felt so relieved. Grinning from ear to ear and screwing off the lid, she popped three pills into her mouth and tossed the bottle right back into her bag. Then Minji wondered when the relief of the pills would kick in to stop her damn headache.

"Right," she mumbled to her self. "Let me just finish all of these stupid documents, then I can finally go home and take the longest nap ever in the history of naps,"

A few minutes later, her headache was fortunately gone- but now she could barely keep her eyes open. As she wrote on each document, her handwriting kept squiggling into an undecipherable mess. Her vision was beginning to blur against her control...

"Shit, I took too many pills. Come on...just let me finish up these documents...I can sleep later, goddammit..." Minji pleaded with her tedious brain. Why was everything working to make her life even harder lately?

A guy next to her was nonchalantly busy playing games on his phone, Balenciaga Speed Sneaker clad-feet kicked up on his table. Surprisingly, he was already done with his pile of documents. Actually, it seemed that everyone was done. Even while slacking off, they'd all finished before her. She on the other hand, still had so much to do...but she could do this!

"I can do t-this. I can d-do this..." Minji fought down the urge to rub at her drowsy eyes- it'd smudge the perfect glittery eye makeup she'd taken nearly an hour to do earlier that day in her apartment.

She gripped her pen tighter, scribbling down on several sheets of paper laid out in front of her, at an even faster pace.

"Come on...come on..." she gritted her teeth, her words starting to drag.

"Whoa...you guys, have you seen this video?" Some girl said, brandishing her phone at some other girl.

A guy answered, "What? Which video?"

Minji's eyelids fluttered drowsily.

"Ooh, let me see!" Another girl piped up excitedly.

"It's from last night's party..."

That was the last thing Minji heard before she passed out.

"Hwang Minji? Hwang Minji, wakeup!"

"Yes?" Minji's head shot up from her table, leaving a lipstick print and drool on the surface. "I'm up, I'm awake-"

She turned to find Professor Bahk at her side. He looked strangely confused and concerned. His messenger bag was placed ontop of her table and he had his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright? I just got back...and everyone's gone home, the meeting's been over for an hour now." he furrowed his eyebrows, peering at his wristwatch.

Minji couldn't believe it. Her eyes swiveled all over the classroom and sure enough, they were the only two left there.

"Hold on..." Professor Bahk frowned. "Why do you have so many piles of documents with you?"

Shit. Minji screwed up.

"You have one pile for you and three more-" he went through the documents.

Shiiiiiit. Minji really screwed up.

Instantly, the professor walked over to the desk at the front of the class and picked up the sign up sheet. Scrolling through it, he came to a realization. "Paek Soobin, Kim Geon, and Sok Jiyoung didn't come today...even after I stated it's mandatory to attend today's meeting and specifically made it clear we need to finish all these documents today-"

Great. Not only had Minji slept off before she could finish their documents, but she'd also forgotten to sign her friend's names on the signup sheet.

Shit. Shit. SHIT.

"And are you doing their work for them, Hwang Minji?"

"Sir...it's not what it looks like. I just-" she stuttered.

"That's it! Stop doing their work for them, right now!" He glared. "They must show up tomorrow to finish up their work themselves- I'll make sure of it. And I will have to terminate their positions in the committee."

Minji's heart dropped. She felt sick. "Please sir, wait...I promise, they came to the meeting! They just had to...um, well...leave early, for family emergencies. And they forgot to sign the signup sheet,"

"Is that so?" the professor rolled his eyes, sarcasm dripping off his tone. "That still doesn't explain why you're doing their piles of documents for them."

Shit. "Um...well, I just..." God, she was so dumb.

"You may go home, Hwang Minji. You've worked hard enough, you're free to leave now. However, I will not change my mind- your friends will be removed from the committee." He shook his head, walking away to his desk at the front of the class.

Feeling defeated and exhausted, she obeyed. Minji pulled herself together and stepped out of the class, pondering how she was going to tell her friends the bad news.

And dreading their imminent reactions.