Mint Is Pure Love - Chapter 2

Cha Seokyung transferred on the first day of March, when the second year began. Not to our class, but to Class 2 next door.

His arrival was dramatic enough to reach even my ears—me, the official outcast of Myungwon High. As soon as the first period ended and the break started, the whole school was in an uproar. Not just the first years—by break time, even the third-year girls were crowded around the second-year corridor windows, buzzing with chatter.

On his first day, he completely overshadowed both the school’s popular dance team and Kim Eunho, who had an established fan base. Up to that point, it was a typical story. Nothing to do with me.

What caught my interest was Cha Seokyung’s reaction.

The boys in the dance club, who constantly practiced headspins and windmills in empty classrooms, were overly conscious of the girls’ attention. None of them were particularly impressive on their own, but together, they benefited from the bouquet effect and basked in the cheers as if they were genuine, strutting around full of themselves.

My ex-boyfriend (even saying it annoys the hell out of me), Kim Eunho, was no exception. He pretended not to care, but he clearly noticed all the glances and whispers directed at him—and took them for granted. I could always tell—his shoulders would tense subtly, or he’d act unnaturally. I caught it every time, sharp as a hawk.

But Cha Seokyung… he was different.

Even I had to admit—he had the kind of appearance that naturally stirred attention. A face and demeanor that made even strangers think, “He must be really popular.”

So even if he did act a little smug because of the attention, no one could blame him.

But he didn’t. There was no trace of pride or artificial behavior in response to all the affection thrown at him.

Not that I had any great interest in Cha Seokyung or spent time staring at him. We had hardly any interaction.

Then how did I know?

People are most defenseless in the smallest moments. I saw it in fleeting instances—passing her in the hallway or at the school store, or when we had music or science class in other rooms.

Cha Seokyung didn’t care about anything. Nothing seemed to matter to her. He was calm amidst chaos. If other boys were like swirling muddy water, he was a lake with a still surface.

People like to exaggerate even rice-sized events into potato-sized bragging rights—but not him. He was simply quiet.

Though the girls—especially Lee Hojung—raved about how cool he looked playing basketball during lunch, he never made a big deal of it. He never showed off.

He was understated. His delicate, ethereal face—like it had been drawn with a fine brush—always wore the same neutral expression. And when he smiled just a little, showing his even white teeth, it was a plus-one day. At least one more person joined his list of admirers.

If he knew that his aloofness only made the girls like him more and did it on purpose, then he should debut at my dad’s company immediately.

Anyway, I just found him a bit curious. That’s all.

Of course, I’d never claim to know him based on that alone.

As the end of the school day approached, the sky turned gray.

Maybe spring had a melancholy streak—lately, it rained off and on all the time.

“I don’t have an umbrella.”

But since it wasn’t pouring yet, I quickened my pace. I’d deliberately left class late, so most of the students had already cleared out. The school grounds were quiet, lacking their usual after-school commotion. Just as I reached the school gate, something hot gripped my wrist.

“Yeonseo.”

The voice alone made my irritation spike.

Ugh. Of course. Just when things had been quiet.

I twisted my wrist out of Kim Eunho’s grasp. His clouded eyes drew attention from nearby students. I could tell—if I said anything, he’d probably cry again. I jerked my chin, signaling him to follow.

Instead of the main tree-lined path where most kids walked, I headed for the quieter sidewalk along the back wall. It was a detour, but first, I had to deal with Kim Eunho.

Midway down the path, I checked the surroundings. The area had more factories than houses, so as expected, there weren’t many students around. Few cars passed on the adjacent one-way street either.

This should do.

I crossed my arms and looked up at him. He flinched like I’d slapped him.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Yeonseo…”

“Say it. What the hell do you want from me?”

His eyes trembled. The kind of expression that made girls swoon—he wore it well.

My ex-boyfriend, Kim Eunho, nicknamed “Myungwon High’s Celebrity,” was tall and handsome. Pictures of him, taken with phone cameras, were passed around on old messaging apps like BuddyBuddy.

But facing him now, my voice came out cold as a breeze through dry grass.

“What, did we date for years? It was barely two months, Kim Eunho.”

We never even had a proper date. After school, he’d just drag me to hang out with his friends, fumble with my hands, and laugh stupidly. I stopped showing up after a while.

And before winter break started last year, I’d told him clearly—to that very face.

“I said, let’s break up. Did you think I was joking? You caused all that drama at school, and now it’s not enough? What, you want me to be the villain now? You know what people call me, right?”

“Yeonseo…”

There it is again. That sorrowful look in his eyes. It made me want to punch something. That expression alone gave people another reason to pile on more labels.

The cold-hearted b1tch who made Myungwon High’s Sweet Boy cry. The ungrateful, cruel, heartless—

“The Cold-Hearted Queen. CQ, remember?”

I guess everyone knew the full version sounded nasty, so they just abbreviated it. Thanks for that, I guess.

Kim Eunho, eyeing me to see if he could speak, eventually muttered, “That’s not because of me—it’s your personality, Ji Yeonseo…”

“Hey.”

I said lowly. He looked down with that same pathetic expression. A sigh slipped from my lips.

How many times has it been? Face-to-face, through texts, on the phone, in notes—I’ve told him more than ten times that we’re over. Was it my method? Did I ever leave room for misinterpretation?

Or maybe the real mistake was accepting his confession in the first place.

My mouth turned bitter.

“Tell me, Kim Eunho. Why are you doing this?”

“I want to get back together.”

“……”

“I want to hold hands, go to the movies, to the amusement park…”

“……”

“I want to buy you stuffed animals, get couple rings. I want to do better—make up for everything I didn’t do before.”

His voice was full of emotion. Regret lined his face—if I’d seen it months ago, maybe I’d have caved.

“I want to give you my best, Yeonseo.”

But I already knew what lay behind that face.

“You want to be a celebrity, right?”

His trembling expression cracked. I already knew. Had known, shoved it to the back of my mind—but hearing it aloud still felt gross.

“You want to join my dad’s entertainment company.”

“Following Ji Yeonseo around would make it easy to get his attention, wouldn’t it?”

He knew I had no one who’d relay that kind of message. I didn’t add that I’d heard it myself.

I’d always brushed off the reason for our breakup out of pride—but I was done with this exhausting back-and-forth.

Maybe realizing his begging wouldn’t work anymore, Kim Eunho straightened up and let out an annoyed sigh.

That’s when I heard the sound of wheels rolling along the pavement. A bicycle passed quietly down the road beside us.

And when I saw the broad back and black sports bag of the rider, I instantly recognized him—I’d seen him too many times not to.

Just as my eyes followed the bicycle, Kim Eunho, now completely composed, said in a clear voice,

“Yeah, fine. I’ll be honest. That was part of it.”

“……”

“I mean, come on. I’m too good-looking to just be a regular high schooler. Might as well get noticed by your fancy company.”

He probably would do well in acting or entertainment. Even thinking that, my gaze remained on the figure riding away.

The bicycle slowed near the crosswalk, where the sidewalk ended.

“Ji Yeonseo. What are you even looking at right now?”

“…So what? What do you want me to do?”

“Let’s date again. Sure, I had that selfish reason, but I did like you too.”

I looked up at him as he continued so shamelessly.

And I wondered—why, when we both dated and broke up, did he become the sweet boy and I the heartless b1tch?

The day after I said we should break up, at the closing ceremony, Kim Eunho knelt and cried—in front of the entire school.

After I rejected him there, my already-bad reputation sank to rock bottom.

The b1tch with no bl00d, no tears. The cold-hearted queen who relied on her face and her daddy’s power.

Then, rain began to fall—one drop, then another. As I felt moisture land on my nose, I asked,

“Kim Eunho, why did you ever like me in the first place?”

Stupid question, now—but I still wanted to hear it. What his initial feelings were. What it meant to be someone’s first choice.

Eunho answered without hesitation, as if it were obvious.

“You’re the only girl who isn’t outshone by my face.”

“……”

“Face and body—no one compares to you.”

He said it like it was some great thing, then grabbed my hand and toyed with it.

“Let’s date again. You know couple influencers are trending, right?”

I really should not have dated him.

“Let’s be honest—you’re starting your second year now. Are you gonna keep ruining your school life like this? When we were dating, at least people talked to you a little. You don’t want to stay a loner forever, right?”

We should’ve been nothing. Relationships with names don’t come from school. I knew that—stupid me.

“I just really, really like you.”

It stung. Pathetically so.

“Stop playing hard to get. It’s getting annoying.”

Even from him. Kim Eunho.

“If we date again, school life gets easier for you. I’ll treat you well, be good to you. My mom says, ‘good things are good,’ so let’s just—ugh!”

A thud rang out as I kicked his shin hard enough to knock him forward. Good thing I wore new sneakers with stiff toes.

He clutched his leg and groaned on the ground, glaring up at me.

But he should know by now—I don’t hit girls, but I will hit boys.

“I’m not some pet you can spoil. What’s this about treating me well?”

“Hey, are you trying to get expelled or what?!”

You’d think he paid my tuition.

I crouched to his level like talking to a kindergartner and spelled it out, slowly.

“Eunho. I’ll say this one last time. I am not getting back together with you. And if you cling to me again after this moment—I swear, you’ll never set foot in any entertainment agency. Not just my dad’s. Think I can’t do it?”

Of course I can’t. I’m only eighteen. I don’t even have that kind of relationship with my dad. He barely listens to me.

But it seemed to scare him enough. He flinched.

I left him sprawled on the ground and walked away.

Far ahead, the bicycle still stood at the crosswalk, now drenched in the intensifying rain. Like it was waiting for someone.

I heard Eunho calling behind me, but I didn’t look back. I just walked faster.

Now the rain was pouring. The bicycle picked up speed and disappeared around the left corner.

When I glanced back, Kim Eunho was running the other way with his bag over his head.

Only I remained on the rainy street.

Maybe it was relief—no one else around—my eyes stung.

I quickly covered my face with both hands. No one could see me, but still.

“……”

I told myself I’d broken up with Eunho because he used me—but in truth, I’d used him too.

I was so lonely.

Like he said, having no friends meant every school day couldn’t be completely bearable.

I always ate lunch alone. Even that became too much, so in the second year, I just drank strawberry milk.

On days I forgot my gym clothes or textbooks, it felt like the world was ending. I had no one to borrow from.

There was no physical bullying, so no official problem. And I told myself I preferred the peace. But that was a lie.

I was just lonely.

I regret ever forming a relationship, ever hoping for connection.

“…Ji Yeonseo just did what Ji Yeonseo does.”

While I thought that, the rain intensified.

Water splashed against my calves. My soaked uniform clung coldly to my skin. Of all days to run into Kim Eunho…

I wiped my eyes quickly. No one could tell if it was tears or rain—but still, I erased every trace.

I just wanted to go home. I hoped today’s bad luck would end here. Even if bad days kept coming, everyone has their limits.

Shivering in the cold rain, I remembered the walk home would take twenty minutes. The thought weighed on me.

I had just turned the corner when I saw it.

A blue umbrella, right in the middle of the sidewalk. As if waiting for someone to pick it up.

“……”

I looked around—maybe someone had dropped it?

No one. Not even a single car.

So maybe today wasn’t all bad.

One tiny miracle, in the form of a blue umbrella, broke the weight around my heart.

After hesitating, I picked it up. Pop—it opened with a satisfying sound, forming a small roof above me.

Bravely shielding me from the downpour.

I walked again. My body shook less than before.

It wasn’t until much later that I remembered—the only person who had passed this quiet street… was someone on a bicycle.