Minjin and Minjun's favorite ice cream flavors

Minjin's taekwondo training had just concluded, and the students bowed their heads to Mr. Kim before dispersing. However, Mr. Kim called out to Minjin. "Park Minjin and Heo Yeong-hwan, come here," he instructed them.

Minjin and Heo Yeong-hwan walked toward him. "Why, saem?" Heo Yeong-hwan asked.

"I would like to ask Minjin if you would be interested in competing for our school," Mr. Kim said.

Minjin's eyes widened in surprise. "Me, saem?" she exclaimed, pointing at herself.

"I know you don't need sports for college acceptance, but we can all see that you're well-suited for actual competition. Right, Yeong-hwan-ah?" Mr. Kim continued.

Heo Yeong-hwan nodded in agreement. "Yes, I believe so."

"Heo Yeong-hwan has been competing for our school in the male division. You could be one of our female representatives for next month's competition. What do you think, Minjin-ah?" Mr. Kim asked.

Heo Yeong-hwan and Mr. Kim were staring at her, which made her feel pressured. She gave an awkward chuckle. "I'll think about it, Saem."

Mr. Kim nodded. "Alright, I'll give you time to think about it. But Minjin-ah, you have potential. You never know; you might become an Olympian someday."

Minjin smiled awkwardly. "I'll keep that in mind, Saem. Thank you for recognizing my potential." She then bowed her head.

"Araso. You can change your clothes now," Mr. Kim said as he tapped Heo Yeong-hwan's arm.

They both bowed their heads before leaving him.

Minjin and Heo Yeong-hwan walked together toward the changing room. Just as Minjin was about to open the door, Heo Yeong-hwan suddenly spoke, "Minjin-ah."

Minjin turned to look at him. "Think about it. I know you're already excelling academically, but as Saem Kim mentioned, you have the potential to become an outstanding taekwondo player."

Minjin managed to smile. "Araso." She said, before entering the changing room for girls.

###

Minjin took a shower before putting her uniform back on. As she stepped out and made her way to the training room, she noticed Heo Yeong-Hwan sitting in a chair. When he heard her footsteps, he turned to look at her.

"Why are you still here?" Minjin asked as she approached him.

Heo Yeong-Hwan smiled. "Let's go home together."

Minjin nodded in agreement. "Araso," she replied, continuing forward as Heo Yeong-Hwan rose to walk beside her.

They walked together on the school grounds, and Heo Yeong-Hwan kept stealing glances at Minjin from the corner of his eye. After a moment, he cleared his throat and looked ahead. "So, how are things between you and Kang Minjun?" he suddenly asked.

Minjin sighed without meeting his gaze. "We're not getting along."

Heo Yeong-Hwan couldn't help but smile a little. "Do you hate him that much?" he asked.

"I think he hates me even more," Minjin replied bluntly.

Heo Yeong-Hwan tried to suppress his smile again. "Would you like to have dinner at our BBQ restaurant now?"

As they were walking, Minjin slowed her pace when she noticed Bang Eun-Kyung standing outside the school building in his soccer uniform with a sports bag slung over his shoulder. Heo Yeong-Hwan followed behind her.

"Eun-Kyung-ah!" she called out.

Bang Eun-Kyung turned to her. "You're still here?" He asked.

"We're about to head home. Do you want to join us? We'll eat at Yeong-Hwan's BBQ restaurant," she replied.

Bang Eun-Kyung glanced at Heo Yeong-Hwan, who was standing behind Minjin. He noticed a slight smirk on Heo Yeong-Hwan's face. Although Bang Eun-Kyung saw the expression, he chose to ignore it and returned his attention to Minjin. "I'm waiting for my friends. Is it okay if they join us?" he asked.

"Ah, are they your teammates?" Minjin asked.

Bang Eun-Kyung was about to respond when he heard his name being called. "Eun-kyung-ah."

Minjin was surprised when she turned to see Minjun approaching with Mun Sara. They walked over and stood near them.

"Minjin-ah asked if we could join her for some samgyupsal at Heo Yeong-hwan's. Would you like to go?" Bang Eun-Kyung asked.

Minjin's eyes widened as she looked at Bang Eun-Kyung. Minjun glanced at Heo Yeong-hwan. "Is that alright? Can we join you?" Minjun asked with a smirk on his face.

Minjin was about to respond, but Heo Yeong-hwan answered first, returning Minjun's smirk. "Yeah, sure, why not? After all, you're all Minjin's classmates."

Minjin gave a slightly awkward smile and remained silent.

"Good! Let's go!" Bang Eun-Kyung exclaimed as he led the way, with the others trailing behind him.

A cold breeze from the autumn air suddenly struck Minjin's face, feeling like a sharp spike. The group walked along the pavement toward the bus stop, with Minjin and Heo Yeong-hwan lagging slightly behind. As Minjin's gaze shifted to Minjun and Mun Sara, who were walking side by side, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten that Mun Sara actually liked Minjun.

When they reached the bus stop, Minjin quickly averted her eyes from them as they all stood under the shelter. It didn't take long for the bus to arrive. Bang Eun-Kyung was the first to board among them. Minjun then gestured for Mun Sara to go ahead, and she shyly smiled and thanked him. After that, Minjun turned to Minjin and motioned for her to board first as well. Minjin simply followed his gesture and boarded the bus. 

Once she was on, Minjun and Heo Yeong-hwan both attempted to board after her. They exchanged glances and tried to enter at the same time, but neither was willing to let the other go first. They frowned slightly at each other until the bus driver sighed and called out, "Ya, hurry up!"

Heo Yeong-Hwan smirked and motioned for Minjun to get into the vehicle first, which caused Minjun to sneer back in response. Mun Sara was sitting by the window, with Minjin seated next to her. Bang Eun-kyung stood close to Minjin, while Minjun stood next to him, followed by Heo Yeong-Hwan.

"Minjin-ah, where is Aecha?" Mun Sara suddenly asked.

Minjin shrugged. "Mola."

"Are you and Heo Yeong-hwan-ah from your taekwondo training?" Mun Sara inquired.

"Yes," Minjin replied succinctly.

"Minjun-ah and I came from the library together after the self-study session," Mun Sara said, turning to look at Minjun.

Minjin attempted to nod. "Oh, really?" She then turned to face Minjun, who was gazing out the window. Following his gaze, she looked out the window, too.

###

When they arrived at the BBQ restaurant, a different ajumma welcomed them. Upon seeing Heo Yeong-hwan, she walked over to them.

"Yeong-hwan-ah, did you just come from school?" she asked.

"Ne, imo. These are my schoolmates," Heo Yeong-hwan replied, gesturing toward his friends. They all bowed and greeted her, and she returned the gesture before indicating for them to take their seats.

Heo Yeong-hwan turned to Minjin first. "Would you like some pork or beef?" he asked her.

"We could have both. Let me pay this time," Minjin offered.

"You don't need to do that," Heo Yeong-hwan said.

"Aniya, I can't always eat here for free. By the way, where is your mother?" Minjin inquired.

"She needed to take a rest," Heo Yeong-hwan replied.

"Why? Is she actually sick?" Minjin asked, a look of concern on her face.

Heo Yeong-Hwan noticed her concern, and that made him softly chuckle. "She's fine. She just needs to rest. Take your seat; I'll serve for us."

Minjun observed the interactions between Minjin and Heo Yeong-hwan from the table. He couldn't help but frown upon hearing how concerned Minjin was about Heo Yeong-hwan's mother. He was also surprised by how calm and gentle Heo Yeong-hwan seemed with Minjin. Bang Eun-kyung, who was seated across from him, noticed Minjun's expression. Following his gaze, he shook his head in response. 

Leaning closer, he whispered to him, "Ya!"

Minjun shifted his attention to Bang Eun-Kyung, who was shaking his head in a gesture for him to behave. Minjun smirked in response as he turned his body to face him, while Mun Sara observed his subtle annoyance at the casual conversation between Minjin and Heo Yeong-hwan.

Minjin then sat down next to Bang Eun-Kyung.

Minjun bit his lip, resisting the urge to voice his observations and question Minjin about them. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried to exhale quietly. Mun Sara watched him closely, noticing his effort to manage his emotions.

A moment later, Heo Yeong-hwan fired up the charcoal and served the side dishes along with the meat. Minjin picked up the tongs to grill the meat, but when Heo Yeong-hwan arrived at their table, he sat down next to her.

"Let me do it," Heo Yeong-hwan said, taking the other pair of tongs and placing the meat on the grill.

"It's fine; I can do it," Minjin replied.

"Aniya, you are the customer," Heo Yeong-hwan said.

Minjin instinctively glanced at Minjun, but he was preoccupied with selecting side dishes for himself. Noticing this, Mun Sara reached over and placed some side dishes near Minjun's plate. Minjin's attention shifted when Heo Yeong-hwan added meat to her own plate. She then turned to Mun Sara and offered her the tongs she was holding.

"Sara-ah, you can take these," Minjin said.

Mun Sara smiled and reached for the tongs. "Gomawo, Minjin-ah," she said. After receiving the tongs, she quickly picked up some cooked meat and placed it on Minjun's plate. "Here, Minjun-ah," she added.

Minjin observed this interaction, and when Minjun lifted his head, she noticed him glancing in her direction. Feeling flustered, Minjin quickly averted her gaze and pretended to reach for some lettuce.

As Minjin tried to mask her awkwardness by wrapping pieces of meat and side dishes in the lettuce, Heo Yeong-hwan continued to add more meat to her plate. Minjun couldn't help but watch him until Mun Sara placed a whole wrap on his plate.

"Eat this, Minjun-ah," she said.

Minjun turned to her and smiled gently. "Thanks, Sara-ah."

Minjin also couldn't help but notice them from the corner of her eye. Deep down, she scoffed at the sight. Bang Eun-Kyung, who was eating alone, kept a watchful eye on both of them and suppressed a chuckle upon seeing that Minjin and Minjun were secretly observing each other.

Minjin was once again preparing a wrapper for herself. While gathering side dishes, she secretly glanced at Mun Sara, who was also making wrappers. Mun Sara placed one of her wrappers on Minjun's plate while he was still chewing the first one she had made for him.

As Minjin picked up a piece of kimchi to put on her wrapper, she lowered her head and realized she had been foolish to offer Mun Sara help in getting Minjun to notice her feelings for him. She snorted internally. Despite her wrapper not being properly wrapped, she aggressively stuffed it into her mouth and chewed it hard.

She thought about how Mun Sara had been with Minjun for two years now. She glanced at Mun Sara again, and she couldn't deny that she was indeed beautiful. She was also gentle, feminine, and intelligent.

Minjin shook her head at the thought that Minjun might have been dense for not falling for her. Then it hit her that Mun Sara had taken the Mensa test for Minjun because he had told her he wanted a girlfriend with an IQ higher than Einstein's. That realization sent a chill down her spine. She silently shook her head, trying to brush off the thought. 

Heo Yeong-hwan noticed her enthusiasm as she ate, which made him smile. "You seem very hungry," he said. 

"Because I am," Minjin replied, still chewing.

Minjun took the wrapper that Mun Sara had made for him and placed it in his mouth. His attention shifted back to Heo Yeong-Hwan and Minjin. He noticed Heo Yeong-Hwan's genuine smile as he grilled meat and placed some on Minjin's plate, while Minjin enjoyed her meal on her own. Minjun chewed hard on the wrapper, unable to hide his annoyance this time. In a sudden burst of frustration, he kicked Minjin's leg under the table.

Minjin felt the kick and quickly turned to look at Minjun, who was already grinning at her. "Mian, I didn't mean to do that," he said playfully. 

Realizing he was being sarcastic, Minjin frowned at him while he continued to grin. In response, she delivered a powerful kick of her own, causing the table to topple over.

Minjun winced in pain. "Ya! Park Minjin!" he exclaimed as he tried to rub his leg.

Minjin smiled sarcastically at him with her mouth full. "Mian, I didn't mean that either."

Bang Eun-Kyung chuckled softly. "What are you two arguing about now?"

Minjin swallowed and pointed at Minjun. "He started it."

Bang Eun-Kyung sighed. "How is it that the two of you can still argue without saying a word?"

Minjin frowned at Minjun, who was glaring back at her. Heo Yeong-hwan observed them silently as he paused from grilling the remaining meat while Mun Sara also watched the tension between them. They both noticed that Minjin and Minjun couldn't take their eyes off each other, prompting them to speak in unison.

"Just eat, Minjin-ah," Heo Yeong-hwan said as he placed some meat on her plate. While, Mun Sara said, "You two need to stop arguing all the time," while preparing another wrap for Minjun.

At that moment, Minjin and Minjun finally looked away from each other, but Minjin let out a snort while Minjun smirked to himself.

After their meal, Minjin paid for their dinner. She then thanked Heo Yeong-Hwan's aunt. His aunt also thanked Minjin for eating there with her classmates. 

As they exited the restaurant, Minjun turned to them and said, "How about we get some ice cream? My treat this time."

Mun Sara's eyes widened at his unexpected offer while Bang Eun-Kyung chuckled. "I like that idea." He said.

Minjun then looked at Minjin with a grin. "Would you like some ice cream?" he asked her, playfully.

Minjin frowned at him and observed his persistent grin. "No," she bluntly replied.

Minjun smirked and added with a teasing tone, "Oh, come on. I know you like the idea."

Minjin snorted in response. "But I'll buy it for myself," she said, turning her back to him.

Heo Yeong-hwan watched them intently before he followed Minjin behind. But Minjun could not help but smile upon seeing Minjin's reaction, and that made him shake his head while Mun Sara watched him from the sidelines.

Minjin was the first person to enter the convenience store, and others followed her inside. She went straight to the ice cream freezer and opened it, wondering for a moment what she felt like eating. Mun Sara stood beside her and quickly picked up a plastic tube filled with chocolate ice cream that needed to be bitten and chewed to get out.

When Minjun stood next to her, she handed it to him. "Here's the one you like, Minjun-ah," Mun Sara said.

Minjin's eyes widened when she saw it. She stared at the chocolate ice cream and then glanced at Minjun, who was already looking at her. Realizing he was watching her, she quickly averted her gaze and pretended to search inside the freezer again.

Minjun noticed her sudden avoidance and couldn't help but smirk. "Thanks, Sara-ah. You know exactly what I like," he remarked as he reached for the ice cream. 

Mun Sara also picked the same ice cream. "I'll have this too," she said, holding it tightly. 

Minjin chose to ignore Minjun's sarcastic tone, but she couldn't suppress her feelings anymore as slight disdain crossed her face.

On that side, Bang Eun-Kyung bent down to pick up an ice cream. "I'll take this one," he said, pretending he hadn't noticed her reaction. He smiled at her while Minjin slightly frowned, which caused Bang Eun-Kyung to shake his head as he moved away.

Mun Sara and Minjun turned to leave, while Heo Yeong-hwan stayed by her side, searching inside the freezer. "Why aren't you picking one?" he asked her.

Minjin sighed and picked up the vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry syrup and white apple sherbet that she usually enjoyed. "I'll take this then," she said.

Then, they both approached the counter where Minjun and the others were waiting. Minjun turned to her and extended his palm. "Let me pay for it," he said.

Heo Yeong-hwan handed over his ice cream to Minjun, while Minjin hesitated for a moment before sighing and giving hers up as well. Minjun noticed her choice of ice cream and smirked. "It took you a while to look through all the options, but you ended up choosing what you usually like."

Minjin snorted in response. "You're the same."

Minjun smiled at her reaction. "At least it didn't take me a second to decide because I know exactly what I want."

Minjin's eyes widened at Minjun's unexpected implication. A sudden warmth spread across her cheeks, and she felt a tingling sensation in her stomach. However, she quickly concealed her reaction by shooting him a glare, thinking that Minjun must be crazy to say it so openly. She nearly blurted out her thoughts but stopped herself since their friends were nearby. Minjun merely smirked teasingly at her before turning away to pay at the cashier. 

Mun Sara and Heo Yeong-hwan were also surprised by Minjun's statement, while Bang Eun-Kyung struggled to stifle his laughter.

Heo Yeon-hwan watched Minjun as he paid for their ice cream. He then turned to Minjin, who continued to frown at Minjun. He swallowed hard, feeling a lump in his throat as he realized that a deeper relationship existed between Minjin and Minjun, which might explain their constant arguments. His heart raced as a wave of nervousness washed over him. 

###

Mun Sara walked into the house with slumped shoulders, feeling heavy with exhaustion. She noticed her parents having dinner together. When she announced her arrival, her mother turned to her.

"Sara-ah, have you eaten?" her mother asked.

"Ne, eomma," Mun Sara replied weakly.

"Come here for a moment, Sara-ah," her mother said.

Mun Sara moved sluggishly toward her mother and sat down across her while her father continued eating. Silence hung in the air for a moment as Mun Sara waited for her mother to speak again.

Her mother focused on her plate as she asked, "How are your grades, Sara-ah?"

Mun Sara's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly managed a faint smile. "I'm working on improving them, eomma."

"You don't look well, though. Take some supplements; I just bought them," her mother said.

"Ne, eomma." She sighed deeply for a moment before hesitantly turning to her mother. "Eomma..."

Her mother turned to look at her with a frown. "What is it? Are you struggling with your studies, Sara-ah? Be honest with me," she asked firmly.

Mun Sara's body started to tremble. "Eomma, can you enroll me in a hagwon?" She tried to hide her anxiety.

Her mother smirked in annoyance and put down her chopsticks. "Are you really that stupid that you need to attend a hagwon?"

Mun Sara's eyes widened again, and she slowly lowered her head. "Aniyo, eomma."

"Why do you need to attend a hagwon? Are you really having trouble studying? You're only in 11th grade. What will you do when you become a senior?" her mother asked.

Her father then spoke up, turning to Mun Sara. "Sara-ah, we are saving our money for your future college education. Just study harder this time. Maybe we can afford for you to attend a hagwon during your senior year. You've always done well on your own. Just push yourself a little more, or you could ask Kang Minjun for help."

Mun Sara let out a soft sigh as she was able to nod.

"Prove to me that you're smart. Don't make me angrier than I already am because you didn't pass the Mensa test," her mother said, giving her a firm stare. "Araso, Sara-ah?"

Mun Sara lifted her head to look at her mother. "Ne, eomma."

The table fell silent until Mun Sara, trying to hold back her emotions, spoke up. "I'll go first, eomma and appa."

Her mother nodded, her gaze fixed on her plate. "Alright, study harder if you're struggling with your studies."

Mun Sara sighed and nodded. "Ne, eomma." She then bowed her head before standing up and leaving the room.

She walked to her room and set her backpack on the chair at her desk. Then, she sat on the edge of her bed, bending forward. Resting her arms on her lap, she covered her face with her hands. It didn't take long before she began to sob quietly in her room. To avoid being heard by her parents, she covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut as she cried silently.

She finally allowed herself to cry after days of feeling utterly exhausted, both mentally and emotionally. Ever since Minjin transferred to her class, she had never felt so defeated, both academically and in her feelings for Minjun. She regretted meeting Minjin that day and wished she had never gotten to know her or become her friend.

It would have been better if she had met Minjun before Minjin when they were younger. She wished that Minjun hadn't discovered the truth about Minjin in that garden. She didn't want to feel resentment toward Minjin, but she couldn't deny that she had been hurting over the past few days because of her.