Minjin and Minjun and the orange foliage of petty fights

The autumn leaves danced in the brisk wind. Brown and orange foliage softly descended onto the ground as students hurried toward the school. The following day, Minjin dashed into her classroom, breathless from her sprint to arrive on time. She slumped into her seat, attempting to recover, as the classroom fell silent with the arrival of Mr. Yun, their homeroom teacher. 

"Minjin-ah, why are you here?" Mr. Yun asked, his tone indicating surprise.

"N-ne?" Minjin blinked in confusion.

"Stand up. I'll take you to Section 1," Mr. Yun said firmly.

"N-ne? Saem?" Minjin stuttered as she was still trying to comprehend what was happening.

"Come on, follow me. Class, read your lessons first," Mr. Yun instructed the rest of the students as he gestured for Minjin to follow him. 

Perplexed, Minjin rose and exited the classroom with Mr. Yun. Once the door shut behind them, whispers circulated among the students.

"I heard she has an IQ higher than Einstein's," one student whispered. 

Heo Yeong-hwan and the group exchanged puzzled glances. He lowered his head, clenched his fist, and struck the desk, his face contorted in a deep frown. Some people glanced in his direction, and with a fierce glare, he motioned toward them.

"What are you staring at?" he snapped.

Everyone quickly shifted their gaze to the front.

From her seat, Kim Aecha observed Heo Yeong-hwan's reaction. She turned back to the front and let out a deep sigh, her expression was heavy.

As Minjin and Mr. Yun walked down the hallway, she couldn't help but ask, "Saem, why am I being transferred to Section 1? My grades aren't good enough for that class." 

"You will hone your potential there," Mr. Yun replied confidently. 

"But I could do that here, too," Minjin argued softly. 

"Minjun will guide you with your lessons," Mr. Yun said. 

"Minjun? How can he guide me? I'm smarter than him." Minjin snorted.

Mr. Yun offered a slight smile. "We're all aware of that. But Minjun remains an exceptional student. Together, the two of you will excel." 

Upon arriving at the classroom for Section 1, Mr. Yun knocked on the door and was welcomed by Ms. Yun, the section's homeroom teacher.

"Thank you, Mr. Yun. You can leave her with me," Ms. Yun said kindly.

"Saem!" Minjin attempted to protest once more, but Mr. Yun just gave her shoulder a reassuring pat before departing.

"Come in," Ms. Yun urged her.

With hesitation, Minjin stepped into the classroom, keenly aware of the numerous gazes on her.

"Class, let's welcome our new student. Please introduce yourself," Ms. Yun said with a friendly smile. 

Mun Sara's eyes grew wide as Minjin entered their classroom. She quickly glanced at Minjun, her eyes widening even more at the sight of his grin. Returning her focus to the front, she realized that Minjun might have anticipated Minjin's transfer to their section. 

Minjin surveyed the classroom and saw Mun Sara, who gave a quick wave despite feeling a bit awkward. In the background, she spotted Bang Eun-kyung on the left and Minjun on the far right. Whispers floated around the room, and the students' faces expressed curiosity. 

"Annyeong haseyo," Minjin said, bowing slightly. "I'm Park Minjin. I hope we get along." 

"Take a seat beside Minjun at the back," Ms. Yun directed. 

Mun Sara gasped in surprise as her homeroom teacher instructed Minjin to take a seat next to Minjun.

Minjin's eyes widened in surprise. "N-ne?" 

"You heard me," Ms. Yun repeated. 

Minjin cast an annoyed glare at Minjun, whose grin revealed he was reveling in her frustration. 

Minjin approached the back of the classroom with hesitant steps. With a loud scrape, she pulled out the chair, attracting the attention of her classmates and receiving a pointed look from Ms. Yun. 

"Sorry," Minjin murmured, feeling awkward as she settled next to Minjun. 

"Okay, class. Please turn to page 108," Ms. Yun announced, redirecting the student's attention. 

Minjin, filled with rage, slammed her books on the desk, drawing several glances. She leaned toward Minjun and whispered, "Do you really think you can take me on? Let's see." 

Minjun took in her words, remaining unaffected as he kept his grin. "I believe I can handle it," he replied with a smirk. 

Mun Sara watched Minjin approach Minjun and observed their interaction. His grin made her think he was indifferent toward Minjin. She felt somewhat relieved that they didn't appear to get along, but her anxiety heightened at the thought of them sitting next to each other. With a sigh, she directed her focus forward as their teacher began the class.

###

Minjun attentively listened to the discussion while Minjin gazed out the window. Observing her distraction, Minjun deliberately nudged her foot with his, but she remained fixated on the outside. He attempted another nudge, which prompted Minjin to push back against his foot in irritation. In response, Minjun nudged her again, making her turn to him with a frown. He signaled with his head for her to focus on the lesson, but she simply rolled her eyes and went back to staring out the window. 

In the next class, Minjin dozed off with her chin on her palm. Minjun couldn't believe his eyes—she was actually falling asleep. He quickly slapped her arm, causing her head to lurch forward and crash onto the desk. The loud thud startled her awake, her eyes wide in shock, drawing the entire class's attention to them. Minjun was just as taken aback and didn't know how to respond. Suddenly, Minjin retaliated by slapping the back of Minjun's head, prompting him to exclaim, "Yah!" 

Minjin glared at him, rubbing her chin. She muttered, "Ow," as she attempted to touch the tender area.

"I didn't mean to..." Minjun stammered. 

"You two in the back! What are you doing? Why did you hit him, Minjin-ah?" the teacher suddenly noticed the disturbance.

"Saem, check out my chin. Ugh. Minjun did this," Minjin exclaimed, grimacing.

The teacher approached, inspecting Minjin's chin. "It's turning purple. Minjun, what happened?"

Minjun struggled to respond, his mouth opening as he searched for words. The teacher sighed, shaking her head. "You need to take her to the clinic."

Bang Eun-kyung quietly chuckled from his seat. 

But Mun Sara's eyes widened as she witnessed their fight. Her mouth dropped slightly when she saw Minjin slap Minjun and noticed how, when their teacher asked him, he struggled to respond. A new realization struck her: Minjun had never before hit a girl. She felt a strange sense of satisfaction recognizing that Minjin and Minjun, despite their childhood bond, were now growing to dislike one another. Minjin's physical confrontation made her think that Minjun would resent Minjin even more, as he believed no girl could ever retaliate against him.

She smiled gently while looking ahead, understanding that Minjun had informed the principal about Minjin out of dislike for her, explaining his indifference toward her.

Minjin and Minjun walked out of the classroom together, with Minjin leading and Minjun following in awkward silence. He wanted to apologize but struggled to find the right moment. The atmosphere was tense until they reached the clinic. The doctor examined Minjin's chin, now a deep purple, and gave her a pack of ice to soothe the bruise.

Feeling guilty, Minjun stepped up. "I can hold it," he suggested.

Minjin glared at him. "Just go away," she replied.

"Mianhae. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please, let me help." Minjun blurted out.

Minjin's expression softened slightly. "It's fine. I can do it myself." 

Minjun let out a sigh as he settled onto the bed facing her. 

After a moment of hesitation, he remarked, "It's been troubling me." 

"About what?" Minjin inquired.

Minjun sighed once more before he spoke. "What happened to your father?" Minjin's eyes grew wide with shock. She paused before responding, "He passed away this year." 

"What happened?" Minjun asked worriedly.

"A heart attack," Minjin answered softly.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Minjun said compassionately. 

Minjin slightly shook her head. "It's okay." 

A brief silence lingered before Minjun finally asked, "And your mother?" 

"She's living with her new husband," Minjin replied flatly. 

Minjun felt a jolt of shock; he grasped that Minjin had endured far more than he had realized. 

Minjin sensed his concern. 

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," she assured him with a small, comforting smile. 

The bell rang, marking the start of lunch break. Minjin rose, stretching. "Let's go. I'm hungry." 

### 

At lunchtime, Minjin and Minjun headed off to their respective friend groups. Up front, Minjin and Kim Aecha were selecting food on trays, while Mun Sara, Minjun, and Bang Eun-kyung waited further back in line.

Leaning toward Minjun's shoulder, Bang Eun-kyung remarked, "I didn't expect you to be this foolish." 

Minjun shot him a confused look. "What do you mean?" 

As he followed Minjin with his gaze while she carried her tray, Bang Eun-kyung said, "You have a talent for expressing yourself in the most... sadistic manner." 

Minjun raised his hand as if to slap him. "Shut up." 

Meanwhile, Minjin sat down at a table where Lee Deji and Choi Ye-joon were already eating.

Choi Ye-joon immediately noticed Minjin's chin. "What happened, Minjin-ah?"

"She hit her chin on the desk because she was dozing off in class," Kim Aecha explained.

Lee Deji almost spat out her food while laughing.

Choi Ye-joon shot her a look. "It's not funny."

Lee Deji quickly swallowed her food. "Mian." 

"The news about your transfer to Section 1 is spreading fast," Choi Ye-joon said. 

Just then, Heo Yeong-hwan arrived, carrying his tray, and set it beside Choi Ye-joon. "Everyone's been talking about her IQ lately." 

They looked around and noticed some students were indeed staring and whispering among themselves. 

Noticing the bruise on Minjin's chin, Heo Yeong-hwan leaned across the table and gently placed his hand on her chin. "Boya? What happened to your chin? Are you alright?" 

Lee Deji and Choi Ye-joon shared confused looks. 

Minjin slightly recoiled. "I'm fine."

"Please don't say Kang Minjun is responsible for this," Heo Yeong-hwan remarked. 

Everyone's attention shifted to Minjin, who felt the intensity of their stares. 

"Aniya, it's my fault. I was half asleep in class." 

Across the cafeteria, Minjun watched Heo Yeong-hwan and Minjin while sitting with his tray. He couldn't help but smirk at Heo Yeong-hwan's look of concern. Bang Eun-kyung noticed where Minjun was looking and smiled knowingly.

"We always head to Heo Yeong-hwan's BBQ spot after Minjin wraps up her assignments," Bang Eun-kyung joked. 

Minjun shot him a fierce look, but Bang Eun-kyung simply chuckled nervously. "It's true! Isn't that right, Sara-ah?"

Mun Sara agreed with a nod. "Yeah. Initially, we believed Heo Yeong-hwan was a bad guy, but he's actually quite nice. It makes sense why he's so close to Minjun." 

This stirred Minjun's annoyance, prompting him to place his chopsticks down on the table in frustration. 

"What's wrong, Minjun-ah?" Mun Sara inquired, looking confused. 

Minjun attempted to steady himself, inhaling deeply. "N-nothing," he replied, but his irritation was clear. 

Bang Eun-kyung, still smiling, chose to provoke him further. "I'll take this meat," he remarked, snatching a piece from Minjun's tray and feigning delight as he pretended to eat it. 

Minjun observed him with increasing irritation yet made an effort to remain calm.