Chapter 17

"Hug"

The cold water hit Min Ji's face like a brutal awakening, and she continued to splash water onto her face again and again until her head had cooled down.

They're actors, she thought to herself while holding onto the sink with both hands and stared at her wet face in the mirror.

It was in the script, it doesn't mean anything, she tried convincing herself, but when she put a hand on her chest and felt her beating heart, she knew she hadn't been convincing enough.

With a deep sigh, Min Ji grabbed a few paper towels and wiped her face, but while doing so, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

Min Ji looked at her phone while wondering how she could respond without looking too suspicious. Even through texts, Jungkook could see right through her.

He is a scary man, Min Ji thought to herself as she put her phone back in her pocket. She wished to God the gym would be dark, because if Jungkook could see through her without seeing her face, she had no idea how she would hide her feelings when he was right in front of her.

To Min Ji's great luck, the lights in the gym had been dimmed almost all the way down and the music was blasting through the speakers, overshadowing even the worries in Min Ji's head.

After finding her way through the mass of people, Min Ji noticed a hand waving in the air not too far from her, and when she got closer she could tell it was Taehyung waving her over. Jungkook was there too, next to him Na Ri and next to Taehyung was a girl. A girl Min Ji soon discovered to be the lead female actor from the performance.

It felt like the veins around her heart twisted and turned into a knot and all she really wanted was to spin around on her heel and walk in the opposite direction. But it was already too late, if she hadn't already realized this, she did when the girl got up from the chair she was sitting on and started walking towards Min Ji.

"Min Ji-sunbaenim!" the girl yelled out excitedly and swung her arms around Min Ji which nearly gave her a heart attack.

"Hello... you..." Min Ji said while still in the girls' arms and out of the corner of her eye she say how Taehyung and Jungkook couldn't stop laughing from her awkward reaction.

"Ji Woo-hoobae, introduce yourself before you attack other people like that," Taehyung said and got up from his chair.

"You're right, I'm so rude," Ji Woo said and took a step back from Min Ji, "hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Yoon Ji Woo, I'm a first year in the Performing Arts department."

"Nice to meet you," Min Ji said and tried not to let her inner conflict interfere, "my name is Lee Min Ji, I'm a third year in the English Literature department."

"I already know who you are, sunbaenim" Ji Woo said and Min Ji widened her eyes, "Taehyung and Jungkook talk about you all the time."

"Really?" Min Ji said and laughed nervously.

"Don't worry, I didn't say anything mean," Taehyung said and Min Ji looked at him, "but now that we all know each other, why don't we go sit down and talk."

"Yes, I want to get to know you even better, sunbaenim," Ji Woo said as she grabbed Min Ji's arm and dragged her to the chair next to Na Ri. A rather big smile seemed to appear on Na Ri's face when Min Ji sat down next to her, while she looked almost scared when Ji Woo sat down. But Min Ji didn't blame her, a girl so full of energy was bound to startle most people.

The chatter filled the air around the small group, even though the loud music made it hard for them to hear each other and most of the time, they had to repeat themselves again and again. Ji Woo was quite the talkative one and she and Taehyung seemed to get along very well.

Jungkook looked at Min Ji who hadn't spoken for the last ten minutes. The same applied for Na Ri, but that wasn't something alarming. It would be more alarming if Na Ri suddenly started talking like a waterfall.

"Min Ji-ya," Jungkook whispered as he nudged Min Ji in the side while Taehyung and Ji Woo were busy chatting.

"Yes?" Min Ji said and tried keeping her composure.

"Are you okay?" Min Ji gulped as she stared at Jungkook, feeling hypnotized by his glare that made it impossible for her to look away.

"I'm fine," Min Ji said but the stutter in her voice couldn't go by unnoticed, "stop bugging me!"

"Something is wrong, you are so quiet," Jungkook said, "even Na Ri-ssi is worried."

"What?" Min Ji turned her eyes to Na Ri who seemed startled by suddenly being dragged into the conversation.

"I..." Na Ri said and looked at Jungkook for help.

"You talked about it earlier when we were waiting for Min Ji-ya," Jungkook said, trying to give her a helping hand, "you said you were worried."

"Is that true?" Min Ji asked and Na Ri looked at her as she slowly nodded along to her question.

"You... disappeared really quickly after the performance ended... You... looked upset," Na Ri said and wondered if she was overstepping her boundaries.

"I'm glad I have such good friends around me," Min Ji said and gave Na Ri's hand a quick squeze before letting her go again, "but I'm fine, really." Jungkook looked at her with a raised brow but Min Ji just ignored him.

She was going to prove nothing was wrong. She was going to prove him, Na Ri and even herself wrong.

"Ji Woo-hoobae," Min Ji said and interrupted Taehyung and Ji Woo's talk.

"Yes, sunbaenim?" Ji Woo said and looked extremely excited that Min Ji finally showed an interest in her.

"Are you really a first year? It seems unbelievable seeing your performance earlier."

"I know right," Taehyung said enthusiastically, "she's so talented." Min Ji looked at Taehyung but quickly turned her eyes towards Ji Woo again.

"You are all too kind," Ji Woo said shyly, "I'm just thankful for this opportunity, and I only did so well because I had a great co-actor." Ji Woo looked at Taehyung with a bright smile and he gently nudged her shoulder.

"Stop with the false modesty will you," Taehyung said, "just take the compliment."

"It's not fake modesty, I really did well because I felt comfortable acting with you!" Ji Woo exclaimed but Taehyung shot her down immediately and the conversation soon turned into a ping pong back and forth between Taehyung and Ji Woo.

"You see what I have to put up with everyday?" Jungkook said with a sigh, "thank you for not leaving me alone with them today."

"We can hear you, you know!" Taehyung said but quickly turned his attention to Ji Woo again.

"Did you enjoy the play, Na Ri-ssi?" Jungkook asked and Na Ri nodded with a smile.

"I think she was so scared she would miss out on something, she even forgot to blink," Min Ji said and chuckled while Na Ri tried hard not to blush.

"Really? I didn't think you would enjoy it that much," Jungkook said and looked at Na Ri, "what was your favorite part?" Na Ri looked at Jungkook and suddenly felt her mind going blank, all memories of the play gone.

"I... don't know," Na Ri said after a little while and felt her heart drop when she noticed the disappointed look on Jungkook's face.

"M... maybe..." Na Ri said and Jungkook's eyes immediately lit up again.

All the while Na Ri tried hard to get the wheels in her brain turning again, Min Ji couldn't help but feel distracted by the constant chatter and laughter coming from Taehyung and Ji Woo. She discreetly looked to her left and noticed how close they were sitting while the looked at something on Taehyung's phone.

"I think I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Min Ji said quietly so it only barely caught Jungkook and Na Ri's attention.

"Okay, we'll stay right here," Jungkook said with a smile. Na Ri looked up and noticed the dejected look in Min Ji's eyes and suddenly felt her body move on her own.

"I'll come with you," Na Ri said and Min Ji looked at her in surprise but the glow finally returned to her eyes and she happily gestured for her to follow her.

While washing their hands in the bathroom, Na Ri looked over at Min Ji, trying to read her poker face and Min Ji suddenly noticed her reoccurring glances.

"Is something wrong?" Min Ji asked after grabbing some paper towels to dry her hands and Na Ri's eyes widened, her throat turning into a knot and she simply shook her head in response.

After walking out of the bathroom, a crowd of people had blocked their way back to the others and for a while, Min Ji and Na Ri had to stay put while patiently waiting for people to move out of their way.

With people on each side of her, Na Ri wondered if this was how it felt to be a sardine in a can, and she slowly felt her hands become sweatier along with her heartbeat increasing. It was too cramped. She wanted space. She needed space. She needed air.

Thinking up every possible solution, Na Ri still came to the conclusion that she needed to get away from these people, and she turned her eyes towards Min Ji, but when she did, every worry disappeared and all she could think about was the look in Min Ji's eyes.

Staring into the distance with the same look she had worn when the play ended, Min Ji stood still like a statue and Na Ri quickly turned her face as well, trying to figure out what was causing this reaction in Min Ji.

Nothing seemed out of the usual. People were busy talking, drinking and dancing. That's when Na Ri noticed two specific people on the dance floor, dancing awfully close as well and Na Ri quickly turned around to face Min Ji, but she wasn't there anymore. The spot she had been standing in was empty, only to be taken by some other student who were busy talking with his friends.

Na Ri looked around the gym and slowly started pushing her way through the crowds, completely forgetting the horrible feeling she had in her chest. It wasn't her own feelings which was standing in her way anymore, at this point it was the amount of people blocking her way, making it almost impossible to move forward no matter how much she tried to nudge them out of the way.

"Na Ri-ssi." Na Ri turned around and saw Jungkook standing behind her with a worried look in his eyes, "where are you going? And where's Min Ji?"

"I... don't know," Na Ri said after pushing the words out, "she left."

"What do you mean?" Jungkook asked.

"She left... I don't know... I can't find her..." Na Ri started breathing faster and her voice kept cracking while she went on and on like a broken record.

"Hey, remember to breathe," Jungkook said and looked at Na Ri, "don't worry, I will find her. Just go find somewhere less crowded and sit down, I'll be right back." Na Ri gave a small nod and before she had taken another breath, Jungkook disappeared from her sight.

Moving through the crowd like a bulldozer, Jungkook let no one stand in his way as he walked through the gym, scanning every corner until he came to the conclusion that she wasn't inside anymore. He continued his search outside, walking around the building and stopping every time he noticed someone, only to be disappointed time and time again. He had almost walked around the entire building, when he heard something like a silent cry and he stopped to listen. The lightning on this side of the gym wasn't very good and he had to rely on his hearing as he walked closer and closer to the source until he saw a silhouette of a girl crumbled up on the ground in front of him.

"Hey..." Jungkook said as he got down on his knees and gently patted Min Ji on her head, "why are you sitting here all by yourself?" Min Ji looked up for a second, checking to make sure it really was Jungkook sitting there in front of her and after confirming it she quickly buried her face again.

"Go away!" she said in between her sobs.

"Why?"

"I don't want to talk to anyone."

"Who said you have to talk."

"I don't want anyone to see me... I look ugly. My makeup is completely ruined."

"No it's not," Jungkook exclaimed, "look at me for a second."

"No!"

"Just look at me." Jungkook gently put his hand under Min Ji's chin and without much force, he guided her head up until she couldn't hide her face anymore. Both her cheeks had long lines of mascara and eyeliner running down on them, her nose was red as a tomato and her eyes and lips were puffy from all the crying.

"I don't know what you're talking about, you look beautiful like always," Jungkook said with a smile.

"Liar!" Min Ji said, "I didn't use waterproof makeup today, I know what I must look like."

"Who cares. I won't leave you when you're like this." Min Ji looked into Jungkook's eyes and felt her heart calm down a bit, but as her body started relaxing, her tears began streaming again and her quiet sobs turned into a loud cry.

"Come here," Jungkook said and wrapped his arms around her, "just let it out, don't hold back, it's better to just get it all out."

Jungkook didn't have to say those words because Min Ji already knew she didn't have to hold back in front of him. She didn't say anything and she didn't do anything besides staying in Jungkook's warm embrace while the tears kept streaming down her face.

"You know, I wish you would depend on me a little more," Jungkook said in a gentle voice as he held Min Ji, "when you get sad, come and find me. Talk to me. Tell me if something is wrong. I want to help you but it's hard when I don't know what's wrong."

"I'm... Sorry..." Min Ji stuttered in a hoarse voice.

"Don't be sorry, I know it's not easy to put your feelings into words," Jungkook quickly said and pulled her closer to him, "but I want you to know, even if you can't tell me what's wrong, I'll always be here as a shoulder to cry on. You don't have to explain anything to me, so don't hold back and just lean on me, okay?"

Hello everyone!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to stay warm and eat healthy and take care of yourself. Stay safe.

Also, don't forget to leave a comment down below.

Love, Annalise~