Winter Kim
She shouted so loud that now everyone was in our business. The argument spilled out of our room, quickly reaching the next door and from there, it spread like wildfire. By the time lunchtime hit, the whole building was talking about the story of how "ungrateful" Jimin was being.
"Egoistic Cinderella" "Poor Girl, Rich Attitude, "The Entitled Underprivileged" were tossed around like they were the latest campus gossip. Jimin had somehow become the talk of the academy but not for the reasons anyone would want.
"So you threw away a 21-million-won dress just because she didn't want it? You could've given it to me," Ningning said, rolling on the bed.
"I threw it away but the maids who picked it up are still dealing with nightmares from that shoes incident. They didn't dare toss my stuff out before double checking with me, so they kept it in their quarters for a few days. The dress is probably still there. If you want it, you can have it," I said, strumming my guitar nonchalantly.
"Oh yeah!" Ningning jumped out of the bed then stormed out without another word. The room was suddenly quiet. Jimin had left for training and I hadn't bothered to join. I wasn't in the mood, not that the coach would look for me anyway. A few minutes later, Ningning returned with a shopping bag in hand. She slipped into the dress and spun around in front of me.
"How do I look? How do I look?" she asked excitedly.
I put down my pencil and glanced up at her, "Well, very pretty. I'm surprised it suits you."
"What does that mean?" She pursed her lips, "You think I won't look as good as that girl when I wear it?"
I chuckled. "No, I meant the size. Jimin's taller."
Ningning scoffed, rolling her eyes before turning to the mirror. "I'm wearing this to the party. I've already sent invitations to everyone... well except some people. They all said they're coming. We'll have it at one of your family's villa, the one with that huge swimming pool. That's okay, right?"
"Yeah, no one's using it anyway," I replied, not really bothered by the idea, "Usually you'll host the party at yours, why not this time?"
"Oh, my aunt's using it for a pregnancy celebration," Ningning replied and waved her hand dismissively. "I don't get it. If I were pregnant, I'd just hide away from the world."
"There's no shame in it, though," I countered, glancing up from my guitar. Ningning was undressing now, slipping out of the dress, leaving just her underwear. She reached for her bra which she had discarded earlier because the dress didn't require one.
"Feels like you're announcing to the world that you just got knocked up. Like, no thanks," she grimaced. She sat down on the bed and turned her back to me then gestured toward her bra. "Help me buckle it."
I moved closer and secured the clasp.
"It's just weird. Like, suddenly everyone's all 'Oh, you're gonna be a mom!'" she continued, "I'd rather keep it low-key."
"Well, lucky for you, you are not the one pregnant," I smirked.
"Thank god," she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Couldn't handle that kind of attention."
"Don't worry, I doubt you'll get knocked up any sooner,"
Her eyes narrowed and in a flash, she jumped at me. I burst out laughing as she grabbed a pillow and shoved it into my face, straddling my lap with a grin, "Say that again," she challenged.
I couldn't help myself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, virgin princess," I teased, smirking as I watched her struggle to decide whether to laugh or punch me. Who would've thought, the popular flirty girl in campus was actually a virgin.
Her face froze for a moment then she pounced on me, tickling me. I let out a surprised yelp, "Okay, okay!" I wriggled beneath her as I tried to stop her but she was quick, her fingers attacking my sides.
"How about you have sex with me since you're such a pro, huh?" she laughed.
"Ew!" I retorted and pushed her hands away.
Before I could catch my breath, she attacked again, tickling me harder this time. I squirmed as I tried to shield myself, "Stop! Stop!" I gasped between fits of laughter.
Suddenly, the door swung open and both Ningning and I froze. Our attention snapped to the doorway, where Jimin stood, looking flushed. She had a habit of appearing unannounced. Her eyes quickly darted between us and without saying a word, she slammed the door shut with a force that made the room shake.
I blinked, suddenly aware of the awkward position I was in. Ningning was half-naked, straddling my lap, while I was still lying on the bed but that wasn't anything new, at least for us.
A second later, the door creaked open again. Jimin walked straight in, headed straight for her side of the room without so much as a glance in our direction. She grabbed a few clothes, shoved them into her bag and with no further acknowledgment, walked out again.
I glanced at the door, then shrugged and turned back to Ningning. "Well, that was awkward."
"Why? Does she hate it when people come over?" Ningning asked casually and stepped off the bed.
"Nope," I said, sitting up. "We talked about it. She said she's fine with it."
Ningning climbed back onto the bed to grab her shirt, pulling it over her head. "By the way, the party's next Sunday. Make sure you show up, okay? Everyone's dying to see you."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there," I replied, waving her off as I grabbed my guitar again.
"Oh wait, I have an idea," Ningning suddenly announced. She sounded way too excited for my liking.
"Oh no, you're still not done. What is it now?"
"Maybe I should invite everyone,"
"I thought you already did."
"No, I mean everyone," she emphasized, her grin widening like she'd just discovered the secret to world domination.
I leaned back on my hands, eyeing Ningning warily. "I don't like whatever chaos is brewing in your head right now. Keep it reasonable, okay? The last thing we need is another disaster."
"It wasn't that bad last time," she replied with a dramatic roll of her eyes.
"People ended up half-drugged and acting like extras in some post-apocalyptic survival movie," I countered.
"That wasn't my fault!" Ningning shot back defensively. "Jeno, that idiot, bought it and thought it was a good idea to put it in everyone's food. I kind of knew, but how was I supposed to know it would turn everyone into screaming lunatics?"
"It was weed, Ningning. Of course it would. The cops had to show up to stop people from climbing your neighbor's tree while singing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at 3 a.m. The chocolate fountain incident? The indoor fireworks? And don't even get me started on that weird cult thing that went down in the backyard."
