pairing/s: florist! kim minju x high school teacher! gp! oc
summary: when batch '16 decides to hold a high school reunion, minju decides it was a good idea to tag along with her friends to attend the event, but a good decision before is a bad decision now if it means encountering her old high school sweetheart and first love, ahn hyunjae.
"you still like tulips?"
"yes, what about you? do you still love marigolds?"
"yeah, i still love them (the same way i still love you)."
tags... crack, fluff; angst; hurt; no beta we die like men; second chance romances; exes-to-friends-to-lovers; non-idol au, old high school sweethearts meeting again, straight-a troublemaker x straight-a good student, adult au, wlw
warning/s... angst; suggestive/smut themes; dark jokes; strong language, bullying (affectionately); multiple mentions of alcohol and its consumption; violence mentioned; idk anymore, i'll add more if i notice something;
posting schedule.... whenever a sense of motivation hits
featuring... izone, some nmixx members (mostly haewon & bae), some ateez members (mostly wooyoung & seonghwa), and many more idols that are either mentioned or appeared in some chapters.
status... will rewrite
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profiles. spawns of satan, the chaos within, the flowers in the meadow
chapters (number of chapters & some titles still unidentified)
a/n: jae can be interpreted as the reader or whole other person. it was supposed to be y/n, not jae but i find it hard to imagine if i pair minju to someone i can't imagine, so that's where jae is born.
disclaimer all images and pictures used in this story are not all mine. they belong to their rightful owners and i therefore give credits to their edits. i DO NOT CONDONE or ENCOURAGE the violence mentioned here.
summary: when batch '16 decides to hold a high school reunion, minju decides it was a good idea to tag along with her friends to attend the event, but a good decision before is a bad decision now if it means encountering her old high school sweetheart and first love, ahn hyunjae.
summary: when batch '16 decides to hold a high school reunion, minju decides it was a good idea to tag along with her friends to attend the event, but a good decision before is a bad decision now if it means encountering her old high school sweetheart and first love, ahn hyunjae.
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taglist (open!!): @awkwardtoafault
a/n: might be the only update for today since im attending ate gus' graduation, but i will still try to update more (no promises tho). have a good day !
summary: when batch '16 decides to hold a high school reunion, minju decides it was a good idea to tag along with her friends to attend the event, but a good decision before is a bad decision now if it means encountering her old high school sweetheart and first love, ahn hyunjae.
summary: when batch '16 decides to hold a high school reunion, minju decides it was a good idea to tag along with her friends to attend the event, but a good decision before is a bad decision now if it means encountering her old high school sweetheart and first love, ahn hyunjae.
summary: when batch '16 decides to hold a high school reunion, minju decides it was a good idea to tag along with her friends to attend the event, but a good decision before is a bad decision now if it means encountering her old high school sweetheart and first love, ahn hyunjae.
hyunjae didn't get a response from the crying student and bit her lip, thinking of several things to comfort the latter before an idea barged inside her mind and she immediately ran away in a hurry.
the student sniffled as she wiped her eyes and her gaze followed the troublemaker's leaving figure as she then fell to her thoughts, tears still running down her face.
"hey, i'm back!" the sniffling student jumped, startled before she turned to the tall figure in front of her and saw the latter holding several pink tulips out to her which looks like were freshly picked from the ground, more like a certain garden. "sorry for scaring you and probably interrupting you, but i was worried when i saw you out here."
the student knew the person. everyone in seoul high knew her, of course. ahn hyunjae, one of the most prominent troublemakers in their year. the latter is known for scheming pranks who she deemed deserve such treatment and seeing hyunjae in front of her with flowers in her hand makes the student feel something.
not sure what, but it's something.
"it's getting cold, you know. it's not cool to stay out here, toots. you're gonna freeze." hyunjae untied the sleeves of her school jacket around her waist before she carefully draped it over the unnamed student's shoulders, careful not to damage the flowers. she then sat beside the latter, putting a respectable distance between them. "i don't know you personally or anything, but...
"i hope these flowers could cheer you up. i don't know any other flower anyone could be into, so i hope my favorite type of flower would be enough for you."
silence ensued between the pair before the student looked at the flowers being held out to her before she carefully grabbed them from hyunjae who was trying not to smile from the interaction.
the troublemaker saw the stranger's lips move but she didn't hear anything what the latter. "i'm sorry, but could you repeat it again? i didn't quite catch what you said."
"thank you." hyunjae smiled and nodded before the girl added, keeping her gaze on the tulips as a smirk gradually formed on her face. "it was nice of you to get me flowers as a way to cheer me up, although i have a feeling where you got this from."
the girl then met the troublemaker's eyes knowingly and the latter immediately got flustered, looking away in a haste manner with her ears turning red also. the girl then giggled and forced herself to look away from hyunjae who turned redder than before.
"well, you see... fuck— fineee, yes, i picked them from the school garden. i might get scolded by the principal again, but it'll be worth it knowing it made you feel better. so... did i make you feel better, even for a bit? or did i just earn myself a worthless scolding?"
"well, i shouldn't encourage you to picking the flowers from the school garden, but yes. you succeeded on making me feel better and i appreciate the thought of you putting an effort to do so. your action wasn't worthless, so thank you."
hyunjae shrugged, looking forward. "of course, you need someone and i don't know if you're relieved i was that someone since i'm not really the great person to be interacting with, but i'll try my best to at least make you feel better."
the student's eyes flickered to the tulips before looking back at hyunjae in curiosity. "why are you doing this?"
"well, if no one will be nice to you," hyunjae spoke and turned to the student. "then who will?"
the troublemaker then stood up and dusted her pants off before facing the girl and flashing the latter a smile.
usually, hyunjae always wears a mischievous smile on her face whenever the student see hyunjae and her friend group in the hallway, but now, it's a different smile. instead of mischief, it's filled with softness the student didn't imagine to see in her life (although she admit there might be instances that she could see hyunjae's other types of smile other than mischief).
"anyone deserves kindness, even to a stranger like you. we might not talk occassionally or belong to the same class together, but it shouldn't be a hindrance to show you some respect and kindness. it won't be the end of me if i just decided to show this side to you, especially when you need a friendly face at this moment."
hyunjae scratched her nape and turned away, hiding her flustered state. "although yes, i admit that my approach to you was kind of awkward and too sudden, so i'm sorry for that."
"it's okay. you were... uhm, kind of cute earlier."
hyunjae chuckled with a shake of her head and turned to the stranger before winking at her. "thanks for the compliment. i kept telling my friends that fact but they always say otherwise, instead of acknowledging it."
the latter shook her head while trying not to giggle, her fingers gently holding the tulips. "i definitely understand now why they did the opposite."
hyunjae whined and pouted, playfully crossing her arms. "you better take that. i'm cute, you already said it. i don't accept takebacks."
"wait, before anything else, i need to ask you something." the troublemaker nodded. "do... do you know me?"
"yeah." the student gulped and her hold on the flowers grew a bit tighter.
"oh, really?"
"yeah, you're kim fucking minju." the said student raised a brow at the sudden profanity. "one of seoul high's top performing students in year 8 and won several competitions. everyone knows that you embody the school pride along with choi yeonjun and are friends with five other students."
what?
"you know, you're probably the most mentioned student in our year by how much i kept hearing your name in the whole school, whether it may be in the hallways, classrooms, the gymnasium, or the library. heck, even mrs. yang talks about you to me one time i borrowed a book."
minju narrowed her eyes at hyunjae. "now that you met me, what's your impression of me after just seeing me at my lowest?"
hyunjae blinked at the sudden change of aura and tilted her head, meeting minju's eyes. "i still see you as a hardworking student, kim minju."
"why? perhaps you at least think of me as—"
"stop asking me more questions." hyunjae crouched down and looked at minju in the eyes.
"look, just because you showed your feelings to me doesn't mean i would change the way i see you. i'm aware that before you were a top student, the subject of several people's infatuations, and seoul high's pride, you were and are still a human first. it's not wrong to seek solitude and unpack the raging emotions inside of you, especially when it started to become unbearable to carry it every day. you're being human the moment i saw you, nothing else. end of discussion."
"how did you—"
"know?" minju nodded. "let's just say that i used to be in the same situation as you."
minju furrowed her brows and tilted her head, making hyunjae shake her head and wave her hand dismissively. "let's not dwell in the past anymore and just focus on the present. now come on, i heard that today's lunch is special. it's a shame if we missed it."
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"why?"
hyunjae held herself back from breaking down in the restaurant as she had a tight grip on the table, her eyes getting glossy each second pass by. she has her eyes focus on minju who was nonchalant at the statement the latter had told her. she still has the nerve to eat after saying the words hyunjae kept hearing in her mind like a broken record.
"why, minju? why are you doing this?"
"it's—"
"did i do something wrong? if i did, please tell me what it is. i can make this right, just don't..." hyunjae gulped and licked her lips, blinking the tears away. she whispered, putting the chopsticks down. "just don't break up with me, please."
"i'm sorry, jae, but i can't do what you want. i want to break up with you for a long time now."
"... since when?"
"a week ago." hyunjae flinched and her lips twisted in displeasure. she huffed out and shook her head in dissatisfaction, running a hand through her hair. "look, it's nothing personal—"
hyunjae immediately stood up and looked at minju accusingly, subconsciously raising her voice. "what do you mean by nothing personal? it's fucking personal, minju. it always has been. you of all people should know that. i thought you're fucking smart, but i guess that trait of yours went down the drain after several years."
"not my fault you're childish, hyunjae."
the woman felt herself stop moving as the rage in her eyes disappeared like a huge flame being vanished by fire extinguisher, replacing it with the shivering coldness and a frigid mask appearing over her face. hyunjae looked down at minju with disdain as she pursed her lips into a thin line before snickering with a shake of her head. "well, good riddance to you too, minju. expect my things to be gone when you came back home tomorrow."
hyunjae left her seat and grabbed her things including the flowers she bought for her now ex-girlfriend with her back facing the latter. she refused to give the latter one last look, thinking she might have a breakdown right there and then. she already had caused a scene, she doesn't want to further escalate the situation even more. "'bye, loser."
minju nonchalantly watched hyunjae's retreating figure walk to the front door and hop inside the latter's car, waiting for the latter to drive away before she looked back at the unfinished tteokbokki in hyunjae's side as tears began rushing up to her eyes, blurring the view she had of her ex-girlfriend's side of the table.
just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder and massaged the area, the sense of disgust immediately accumulating in her chest. she then heard a voice behind her, sensing the boastful tone in them. "good job, minju. i'm so proud of you for listening to me. you don't need that woman to get successful, sweetheart. you just need yourself."
minju remained unmoving, her mind being too tired and too preoccupied with hyunjae. she now felt tears freely rushing down her face with her shoulders sagging on each side, her thoughts mostly filled with apologies for the woman she caused so much pain the latter didn't deserve.
i hope you can find the courage in you to forgive me for what i did in the future, baby. i'm so sorry, hyunjae.
"minju, minju, minju!"
the said woman blinks and jerks her head back at the mention of her name before looking around to see the worried glances her friends are throwing at her. "are you okay? what's wrong? you left us for a moment there."
the florist then flashed her friends a smile and waved her hands dismissively. "i'm fine, i'm fine. it's okay, there's nothing wrong. don't worry, girls."
"okay, if you say so..."
how long can i keep this act up, especially now that hyunjae is back?
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summary: when batch '16 decides to hold a high school reunion, minju decides it was a good idea to tag along with her friends to attend the event, but a good decision before is a bad decision now if it means encountering her old high school sweetheart and first love, ahn hyunjae.
summary: when batch '16 decides to hold a high school reunion, minju decides it was a good idea to tag along with her friends to attend the event, but a good decision before is a bad decision now if it means encountering her old high school sweetheart and first love, ahn hyunjae.
