Minjin's sea change and Kim Aecha's bite the bullet

Kim Aecha was walking toward the doorway at the back of her classroom when she ended her call with Minjin. Her former friends—Lee Hani, Bang Chaeyong, and Choi Eun-hwa—had been gathered together and overheard her conversation while watching her closely. After she put her phone away in her pocket, one of her them spoke up.

"Aecha-ah," Lee Hani called out, prompting Kim Aecha to stop and turn. "Wae?" she asked casually.

The girls exchanged teasing glances and grins before Bang Chaeyong spoke up. "Are you friends with Park Minjin?"

Kim Aecha nodded. "Yeah, wae?"

Bang Chaeyong smirked. "Are you sure you're her friend? I mean, she's a genius."

Kim Aecha frowned quickly. "What do you mean by that?"

"She's sitting with Kang Minjun now. She'll probably be on top soon, possibly even surpassing him," Choi Eun-hwa added.

Kim Aecha chuckled, though annoyance flickered across her face. She placed her hand on her hip and approached them. "So? Do you think I'm dumb enough to be friends with her?"

Her former friends exchanged glances and laughed. "Yeah, do you think so?" Lee Hani said.

Kim Aecha deepened her frown. "Bo?!"

From his chair, Heo Yeong-hwan watched them with a smirk as they insulted Kim Aecha for being close to Minjin. Before the situation escalated, he stood up and walked over to them, positioning himself between them with his chin lifted defiantly.

"Ya, I'm also close to Park Minjin. Why aren't you mocking me since I'm supposedly dumb too?" Heo Yeong-hwan said to them.

The girls flinched, their eyes wide with fear. "T-that's not what I meant, Yeong-hwan," Choi Eun-hwa stammered.

He chuckled in annoyance. "So what if she's with Kang Minjun? Haven't you heard? They argue all the time. They're both incredibly smart, so they don't get along."

The girls exchanged nervous glances and backed away from them.

Heo Yeong-hwan turned to Kim Aecha, who was frowning and keeping her eyes on them. "Ya, don't worry about them. The important thing is, Minjin, don't look at us like that."

Kim Aecha sighed deeply and looked at Heo Yeong-hwan, trying to calm her nerves. "Araso."

"What did Minjin say?" Heo Yeong-hwan asked.

"She said she needed to stay for a self-study session," Kim Aecha replied.

Heo Yeong-hwan chuckled in disbelief. "We also have self-study sessions, but we have the freedom to choose whether or not to stay for them."

Kim Aecha sighed in exasperation. "We're in section 7, and she's in section 1. Unlike us, they have to stay for the self-study session since they're in section 1."

Just then, Minjin rushed into their classroom and stood by the back door. She called out to Kim Aecha. "Aecha-ah!"

Kim Aecha and Heo Yeong-hwan turned to her.

Kim Aecha's eyes widened. "Ya, why are you here?" she asked, exchanging confused glances with Heo Yeong-hwan.

Minjin awkwardly smiled. "Let's go. I need to go somewhere."

Kim Aecha's face lit up with a smile. "Okay!" she replied, running toward Minjin.

###

The autumn breeze brought comfort to Minjin. She felt relieved about not attending the self-study session, especially with Minjun sitting beside her. Walking along the road with Kim Aecha, who had wrapped her arm around Minjin's, she lifted her head to gaze at the night sky. She noticed a few stars twinkling and recalled the same night sky she had seen in New York. With a deep sigh, she realized that although she had left America, her feelings remained unchanged.

Kim Aecha felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out to check the notification, and her eyes widened slightly upon reading the text. After a brief chuckle, she turned to Minjin.

"Ya, Minjin-ah, it looks like you and Kang Minjun don't get along very well," Kim Aecha said.

Minjin snorted in response. "Yeah."

"Everyone's talking about it! You had the courage to confront Heo Yeong-hwan, and now you're going up against Kang Minjun," Kim Aecha remarked with a smile.

Minjin forced an awkward smile and looked at Kim Aecha. "I didn't realize everyone knew that Minjun and I aren't on good terms."

Kim Aecha chuckled lightly. "Come on, you know Kang Minjun is popular. This probably leaked from one of your classmates."

Minjin rolled her eyes. "I bet it was. A girl told you about it, didn't she?"

Kim Aecha smiled awkwardly and nodded slightly. "Yeah."

Minjin let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

As they approached the bookstore, Kim Aecha pointed it out. "Minjin-ah, this is the bookstore," she said, leading the way to the entrance.

Upon entering, Minjin inhaled deeply and smiled at the familiar scent of books. It brought her joy.

"What are you going to buy here?" Kim Aecha asked.

Minjin sighed in exasperation. "I need to find books related to chemistry that use Korean scientific terms with English translation."

She began to walk, reading the signs between the bookshelves.

"Why do you need those?" Kim Aecha asked, following closely behind.

"I'm struggling with my Korean," Minjin admitted.

Kim Aecha chuckled. "You seem fluent to me."

Minjin sighed again. "I'm still fluent in conversational Korean, but when it comes to scientific terminology, I'm completely lost."

Kim Aecha nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, so it's different from English?"

Minjin confirmed while continuing her search. "Yeah, Korea has its approach to teaching chemistry."

Once Minjin found the right section for the high school science books, Kim Aecha followed closely behind her.

"Minjin-ah," Kim Aecha called softly.

"Hm?"

"Am I an embarrassment to you as your friend?" Kim Aecha asked.

"Ani," Minjin replied bluntly, focusing on the books.

Kim Aecha chuckled awkwardly. "I know I'm not as intelligent as you."

Minjin quickly turned to her with a frown. "Wae? Did someone say something to you?"

Kim Aecha raised her hands in defense. "A-ani!"

Minjin snorted and returned her gaze to the titles on the books. "I believe that some people may think foolishly, but that's often due to the beliefs and customs they've been taught. But, as long as someone understands what is humanely, their intelligence level doesn't matter to me."

Kim Aecha's eyes widened as she realized that despite her title as a genius, Minjin was very grounded. She smiled afterward. "You seem mature. Why haven't you been accelerated yet?"

Minjin continued to search through the spines of the books. "My father declined the suggestion; he wants me to experience my teenage years." She picked a book from the shelf and opened it. 

"But, Minjin-ah, I'm just curious," Kim Aecha said.

Minjin kept her eyes on the book. "About what?" she replied.

"If you and Kang Minjun were childhood friends, why aren't you getting along well now?" Kim Aecha asked innocently.

Minjin paused in her reading and turned to Kim Aecha with a faint smile. "Aside from the fact that we've both gotten older, we've also changed over the years. I grew up in America, where I had the freedom to study whenever I wanted. Here, Minjun is taught using a more rigid approach to education."

Kim Aecha nodded. "Ah, so your approach to self-study clashes with Minjun's?"

Minjin smiled and nodded. "Yes, Minjun wants to keep me confined within the classroom to study. While I understand that he wants me to showcase my potential. But, he is pushing me too hard to study as diligently as he does." She then reopened her book to continue reading.

Kim Aecha chuckled gently. "You seem to know Minjun so well," she said with a teasing grin.

Minjin shifted her gaze back to the books on the shelf. "I'm not so sure about that anymore. As I said, he has changed."

Kim Aecha smiled slyly. "Are you just friends, or is it something more?"

Minjin's eyes widened for a moment as she paused her search. Kim Aecha noticed her reaction and chuckled. "I just guessed!"

Minjin smiled while continuing to read the book's binding. "But as I said, we both changed, so our feelings have changed too."

Kim Aecha smiled knowingly. "I understand. If that's what you say."

Minjin softly chuckled and didn't respond, prompting Kim Aecha to shake her head in response.

###

After Minjin had bought the books she needed, she offered Kim Aecha to treat her to dinner. Kim Aecha beamed with a smile and immediately nodded as she continued to hold Minjin's arm. They were walking on the sidewalk while Minjin was searching for a pizza parlor. Towards their way, there were two drunk men who walked unsteadily. The other man kept on hitting every girl he passed by, and then if the girl would react, he would immediately raise his hand, attempting to hit her, and if she would back down he would grin.

Kim Aecha spotted the two drunk men from a distance, and an unfamiliar tremor began to course through her body. As the men approached, she grabbed Minjin's arm tightly and pulled her aside in an attempt to avoid them. When one of the intoxicated men got closer, he caught sight of Kim Aecha's worried expression. She quickly averted her gaze from him and continued to pull Minjin away. However, the drunk man smirked and grabbed Kim Aecha's hand, causing her to stop and turn toward him.

"Why are you looking at me like that, kid?" the drunk man asked.

Kim Aecha quickly bowed her head in apology. "I'm so sorry, ajusshi," she replied, trying to gently pull her hand away as her nerves trembled and her heart pounded in her chest.

Minjin turned and grabbed the drunk man's arm. "Let her go," she said firmly.

The drunk man smirked, while his companion stood next to him. "This is perfect. There are two of us and two of you! How about having a drink with us, girls?" he asked.

The drunk man had turned to hold Minjin's arm, but she swiftly twisted his arm. The drunk man's eyes widened, and he was hurt. "How about I kick your ass, ajusshi?" she asked him.

His companion immediately intervened. "Hey, we're just joking. Calm down, agasshi."

Kim Aecha turned to Minjin. "Minjin-ah, let's go. We shouldn't get into any trouble." She spoke while trying to hide her panic.

Minjin smirked and pushed the arm of the drunk man before letting him go. Kim Aecha quickly pulled Minjin away from the two intoxicated men.

"Aecha-ah, are you okay?" Minjin asked from behind her.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Kim Aecha replied with a firm tone, despite the fear coursing through her body.

###

Throughout the night, Minjin read some of the books she had bought with Kim Aecha. The next morning, she rushed off the bus once again and headed for the school gate. The cold autumn breeze felt refreshing against her face as adrenaline coursed through her body. As she neared the school gate, she saw some students racing ahead of her. When Minjin finally entered the gate, she bent down to her knees, trying to catch her breath.

She tried to speak between heavy breaths. "This is good cardio." When the bell rang, she began walking on the school grounds.

When she entered the classroom through the back door, she instinctively paused upon seeing Minjun at his desk. She swallowed hard and tried to walk casually to her desk next to him. Once she reached her spot, she carefully moved her chair and quickly glanced at Minjun, who was immersed in his notes. 

After taking her seat, she prepared her school supplies on her desk and gently placed her backpack behind her chair. She attempted to catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. Anxiety washed over her because Minjun was quiet, which she interpreted as a sign that he was angry. Part of her thought it might have been better if he didn't talk to her at all, but she also felt that the silence was odd. She quickly dismissed that feeling as Ms. Yun entered the room to start their morning self-study session.