Saturday mornings were always the same for Yoohyeon. She would wake up early, have breakfast, text her friends good morning and get ready to go to the local arcade. Not many people would wake up early on saturdays since they were all wasted from the usual friday night parties, so Yoohyeon decided to play as much as she wanted on an almost empty aisle.
That's how she met Kim Minji.
Popular in school for being a rebel along with her friends Lee Siyeon and Lee Yubin. Typical badass with intimidating looks that always got whatever she wanted and however she pleased but barely expressed any emotions besides distaste.
Except she was now raging very hard in front of a pinball machine.
"This fucking sucks. This game is stupid! I'm wasting my money for nothing!!!!" Minji let out a sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. Her lollipop almost falling out of her mouth. "How can this 'YH' person have over 50.000 points on the scoreboard when I can barely score 50. I am so d-"
"Uh... You know you can't keep pressing the buttons on lightspeed and expect to win any points, right?"
"Sorry?"
Yoohyeon smiled. She was at the top of the scoreboard and she took pride in it.
"This game has a mechanic like every other. Press the buttons only when you see the pinball approaching the flippers to push it forward and score something while hitting the bumpers. Do you know what the bumpers look like, Minji?"
"Not really..." Minji's eyes widened "Wait. How do you know my name?"
"Figured. Here, let me show you."
Yoohyeon could feel Minji staring at her while she approached the machine.
"Everyone in school knows your name. So, bumpers are those round and colorful things you can hit with the ball, along with the ramps. But be careful not to get it trapped nor accidentally down the drain. This game can be tricky sometimes."
"So… We go the same school? What's your name?"
"I'm Kim Yoohyeon."
Minji extended her hand and smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Yoohyeon. Oh? So the highest score in this belongs to you?" Yoohyeon grinned."
"Yes and I am very proud of it"
'Cute' Minji thought.
"Well, sorry to break it to you but your #1 soon will be #2" Minji said with a smirk heading to play on the pinball machine.
"I would like to see you try." Yoohyeon answered with the same smirk plastered on her face.
"Is this a challenge, Kim?"
"Give me your best, Kim."
-x-
"Go out with me" Minji blurted out while watching Yoohyeon play Pac Man. They agreed on taking turns.
It has been almost three months now since both girls got close. It became their thing, every saturday morning they would go to the arcade and sometimes Minji would even end up going to Yoohyeon's place to play video games, watch movies and have sleepovers.
"Aren't we going out already?" Yoohyeon answered without blinking while playing. Minji rolled her eyes. ‘Is she really that dense?’
"I mean as a 'more than a friends' kind of date" The tall girl stopped playing and stared into Minji's eyes to see if she was being serious or not. They stared at each other until the sound of Yoohyeon's character dying on Pac Man was heard, snapping both of them out of the trance.
"More than friends."
"Yeah? You know, that kind of date when people that like each other go together" Minji resisted the urge to facepalm herself. The shocked look on Yoohyeon's face quickly turned into a smirk. A smirk that Minji didn't know if she wanted to kiss or punch away.
"So you like me?" The older girl saw that coming but this didn't make the blushing that spread through her cheeks stop.
"Shut up, nerd." Minji said while avoiding eye contact.
"Pick me up tomorrow at 3." Yoohyeon said while putting another coin on the machine.
"Ok" Minji said while smiling from ear to ear. "Hey!" She snapped when she paid attention to what was happening. "It's my turn!"
"You distracted me. It wasn't a fair move."
“Oh? So I have the power to distract you?” The red haired girl said while smirking. It was Yoohyeon's time to blush.
"Shut up, unnie."
-x-
Six months later
Now, it has been exactly six months since Yoohyeon and Minji started dating… secretly. The rebel girl turned out to be the softest and most caring person Yoohyeon ever met, but she was also one of the most popular people in the school. She had a reputation. And that's why Yoohyeon decided to keep their relationship just between them and their families for now. Once when they were making out in the kitchen Yoohyeon's mom walked in, embarrassing the two of them. Thankfully, their parents were very supportive of their relationship. Yoohyeon and Minji felt lucky because they knew things like that don't happen to everyone.
It was hard to hide it in school, none of their friends knew and they weren't in the same circle of friends, which means more people to hide it from. The closest person between them was actually Yoohyeon's best friend Bora, who is one year older than her and also attends the same class as Minji, but the rebel and the short girl never exchanged more than a few words.
Yoohyeon and Minji would steal glances at each other when no one else was paying attention. They were always texting each other too, but it wasn't the same thing. They wanted to hold each others hands and kiss whenever they felt like it.
minji ♡:yoo
babe
i'm sorry for what i said earlier, you know i love you right?
more than anything.
puppyoo: i know
and i'm sorry too and i do love you so much too.
give me some time to think about it, okay?
minji ♡: okay
but can i still come over to your place later?
i miss you
puppyoo:you saw me today
minji ♡:yeah… but we had a fight… and we didn't kiss, besides i really want to properly apologize
puppyoo:okay, you can come
but only because i'm eager to see what you have in mind
minji ♡:it's not a what but a who
you're always on my mind rent free
babe, i have to go now. see you later
love you.
puppyoo:cringe
see you later
love you too.
Yoohyeon put her phone on the counter and sighed again.
"Are you and Minji fighting?" her mom asked without even glancing at her direction while she was chopping the vegetables for dinner.
"Huh? Fighting?"
"Yeah. You sighed 5 times already in the span of 3 minutes" her mom stopped what she was doing and stared at Yoohyeon.
"What is upsetting you?" She pondered if she should bother her mom with the issue or not.
"We're not fighting. It's… It's complicated? You see, me and Minji are kinda secretly dating?" Yoohyeon looked at her mom and the frown on her face got bigger. "I mean, her parents know and you and dad know too, but that’s all. Her friends and mine… they don’t know. And we interact in school just when it's necessary"
"Oh dear. I didn't know about this. I get why you're so upset. I'm gonna talk to Minji and-"
"It was not Minji's idea." Yoohyeon fiddled with her fingers "I was the one who said to keep our relationship secret. And it's not because I'm ashamed of her or anything. You see Minji has a reputation, she is THE Kim Minji. Everyone in that school knows her. Her beauty is out of this world? And I don't want people talking bad things about her. Like how is she dating a big loser like me that will never be as pretty as her. Or something like that" she said with teary eyes while staring down at her hands. She didn't realize that her mom dropped the knife and came to her side until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, sweetie. You're an amazing human being. You're very smart, kind and pretty. And I'm not saying this only because you're my daughter." She said softly while smiling at Yoohyeon. "Have you seen the look on Minji's face everytime she looks at you? She is totally whipped." Yoohyeon let out a small laugh while wiping her tears.
"Minji just has the looks of a badass, but she is a big softie" The tall girl said with a huge smile on her face.
"And she loves you. This is all that matters. Plus I have the feeling that Minji would kick the ass of anyone that dares to talk a bad thing about you two."
"Yeah, she definitely would" the brunette said smiling again and pulling her mom in for a hug. "Thanks mom."
"No need to thank me, sweetheart. Now go wash your hands and help me with the dinner."
-x-
The weekend passed by in a blink of an eye. Minji's proper way to apologize consisted of a lot of cuddles, kisses and letting Yoohyeon beat her on Mario Kart.
"I see that you're texting someone" Jinsoul, one of Yoohyeon's friends teased the girl. "You have that smile plastered on your cute face again."
"Are you really dating?" It was Bora who asked her this time. "I mean, I have all the faith in you, Yoo. I just can't believe that you're really loving someone that isn't one of your videogame characters." Yoohyeon rolled her eyes.
"You guys are annoying. And I told you already like ten times? That I'm indeed dating someone"
"When are you introducing her to us?" Handong asked while sipping on her juice. Yoohyeon pondered for a while.
"Soon."
"Well, at least give us a name?" It was Haseul to talk this time.
"Well-"
"Yo Minji!" A male voice said out loud making everyone at the cafeteria look at where it came from.
Minji, who was texting her girlfriend on the way to her friends' table, stopped in her tracks. Looking up she saw no other than Kang Jiwon and his group of imbecile friends a few steps away.
"Yes?"
"Long time no see."
"What do you want Jiwon? Get straight to the point" she said with annoyance evident in her tone.
"Where have you been? It's been a while since we last saw you at the spot" Minji never liked Jiwon nor his friends at all, they only frequented the same underaged pub when they skipped classes. But Minji stopped doing that since she started dating Yoohyeon.
"It's none of your business. Now move out of my way because I don't have time to spare with idiots" the girl said while trying to move past Jiwon and his gang. But he blocked the way. By this time, everyone at the school cafeteria and some people passing by had already stopped to see the commotion and were eyeing them cautiously.
"I thought we were friends." Minji couldn’t help but laugh.
"Like I would get down on your level and be friends with the shitty person that you are." Minji could see Jiwon clench his jaw in an attempt to calm himself down. She tried to move past him again but didn't succeed. The girl was about to push the boy when she saw Yoohyeon from the corner of her eyes approaching the scene to get a better look. She closed her eyes and counted to three, then turned her back to leave Jiwon and his group behind.
"I guess the rumors that you've softened are true, Minji." He said in a teasing tone, with a shitty smirk plastered on his face. 'God give me patience ‘cause if you give me strength I’ll kill this idiot.' "Who tamed you? Have you been a good pet?" She turned to face him again, this time ready to punch him in the face, but everything after this happened too fast.
Everyone in the cafeteria was still staring, but this time in complete silence, with widened eyes and mouths agape. Jiwon was whimpering on the floor with his hands on his - now probably broken - nose, and his shirt stained with fresh blood. Minji was confused, trying to understand what had happened.
"Don't talk to my girlfriend like that ever again. Do you hear me?" ‘Yoohyeon?’
The tall girl eyed the boys before holding Minji's hand and leading them through the sea of people to get out of that place.
-x-
"What you did back there… with Jiwon. That was hot ." Minji broke the silence as soon as the girls found themselves alone in one of the school hallways.
"Oh my god!" Yoohyeon said while stopping on her tracks. "I can't believe I did that."
"Yeah you did and it-"
"FUCK" Minji raised one of her eyebrows while looking at Yoohyeon, who was now having an outburst. "I think I broke my hand. Because it hurts. A lot." The brunette whined with pain plastered all over her face. "Shit, how am I supposed to play my games now? I am so, so, so dumb." She cried and Minji looked at her with amusement. "If my brain cells had functioned in the way they usually do I wouldn't be in this situation." Yoohyeon paused and looked at Minji. "Not that I wouldn't beat him up. Cause I would totally do it for you, a thousand times if needed. But instead of punching him I would kick him in the balls."
“Yoo-”
“In the balls. Yeah. I'm gonna keep that in mind for the next time.” The tall girl mumbled and Minji let out a laugh that finally brought Yoohyeon back to Earth. “Why are you laughing, Minji????” Yoohyeon exasperated. “This is serious.”
“You're cute” The black haired girl said with a grin on her face.
“I- what??? I'm not supposed to be cute when I’m on rage!” She frowned.
“Yeah, but you are.”
“Stop talking nonsense. I have fire in my eyes, you see? Not cute” She said while trying to show her angry face. ‘Adorable’
“Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that. Come here.” Minji said while pulling Yoohyeon closer to her and kissing her cheek. “That’s for what you did before, but now let's take care of your hand, ok?”
"Okay" The taller girl said and let her girlfriend take her to the school's infirmary.
-x-
"So…" Minji started softly. Both girls were walking hand in hand, after Yoohyeon got a bandage on her injured hand. Fortunately, the girl didn't broke anything - she only got a bruise. "You outed ourselves. Minji dating Yoohyeon is probably a trending topic in the school's forum." Yoohyeon smiled.
"I know."
"And are you okay with it?" Minji stopped in her tracks to take a look at Yoohyeon, concern plastered on her face.
"I'm more than okay with it." Yoohyeon put her injured hand on Minji's cheek and the older girl leaned in her touch. "I love you. I'm not insecure about what people will say. Actually, fuck them." Minji giggled.
"I'm not gonna lie, this new side of you… I'm loving to see it."
"You know what they say. When you love someone you start to look like them." the black haired girl let out a hearty laugh.
"Are you sure I am the cringe one?"
"Learned from the best!" Minji looked with nothing but pure love into Yoohyeon's eyes, the younger mirroring her. Like magnets, both leaned in to a kiss.
The kiss was soft and had every emotion that they wanted to convey without words. Minji's hands were on Yoohyeon's waist pulling her closer, at some point both smiled through the kiss. Everything was perfect - until a loud voice coming from behind interrupted the couple. Yoohyeon knew who it belonged to.
"YA! KIM YOOHYEON!! YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!"