Almost perfect (or so I thought)
Chapter two:  ‘Mr. Almost Perfect’

“Hmm, they call him ‘Mr. Almost Perfect’ here at our school.”

Mirae almost thought Nari was lying — almost. How could someone actually have such a nickname? Why would everyone call him that? She had so many questions running through her head, she didn’t even notice Nari tapping her arm, urging her to move. She was holding up the line.

“Oh, sorry,” she mumbled, turning to the people behind her — and there he was again. Minjae.

She couldn’t help but take in his features: tall, slim, semi-thick eyebrows, and slick black hair. As she continued walking, her gaze drifted back a few times without her even realizing it.

Eventually, she reached the snack shop and bought herself some stir-fried rice cakes. But before she could even sit down, Nari grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to one of the tables — the one Minjae was sitting at.

He wasn’t as alone as she thought.

Two boys sat beside him — one calm and collected, the other practically bursting with energy.

“Eugh… what is he doing here?” Nari muttered, pointing at Choi Taeyang. He immediately shot her a death stare.

Taeyang was Nari’s self-declared rival. The two had a chaotic bond — somewhere between frenemies and bickering siblings.

“What? Me? What are you doing here?” he snapped, standing up and practically hovering over her. “You have no business here, Kang Nari.”

While the two argued back and forth, Mirae found herself completely distracted — her eyes drifting back to Minjae again and again. She didn’t complain about her seat at all. In fact, she was secretly glad to be near someone who actually knew him.

She gently nudged Nari and whispered, “It’s fine, really. Just sit — I don’t mind.”

“Hmph!” Nari crossed her arms. “Anyways, why don’t you all introduce yourselves to Yoon Mirae?” she said, motioning to the three boys at the table.

“I’ll go first then.” Taeyang smiles at Mirae. “My name is Choi Taeyang, I’m good at many things as you can tell.”

Nari shot back. “Sorry to ruin your pride but we can’t tell that you are good at anything. Not even your physique says so.” She rolled her eyes and turned to the other boy.

“My name is Park Jiho.” He smiled at both of the girls. He looked the most well put and the friendliest. “I hope we can get along well!”

Mirae smiled the whole way through their interactions. The way they all spoke described their personalities well without them mentioning anything. She was happy to find amazing friends already.

“Okay lastly, Minjae!” Nari gives Mirae a wink as if she could read her mind “You’ve already met him before but it wouldn’t hurt for him to introduce himself.”

Minjae looked up as the others glanced his way. He cleared his throat and spoke briefly.

 “Lee Minjae.” His voice was calm and steady as he looked at Mirae. “Nice to meet you.”

Even his words sounded soothing. Mirae smiled back, already feeling like this mystery boy might be the start of something new.

“You haven’t introduced yourself yet. I’m still unfamiliar with your name, you know?” Jiho spoke up as everyone curiously looked at Mirae, including Minjae.

“Oh right.” Mirae straightened her back as she spoke. “My name is Yoon Mirae. I’m excited to get to know all of you.” She smiled and glanced at Minjae who was focused on his books.

“Hyung.” Taeyang tapped Minjae. “You can’t be so focused on studying while someone is speaking.” 

*Hyung is how younger males address older ones. That doesn’t  apply for Minjae though XD

Mirae wondered why Taeyang had addressed Minjae as hyung. Was he a senior at the school? Or maybe so smart that he skipped a grade?

“Taeyang,” Minjae said sharply, shooting him a glare. “We’re the same age. Stop calling me hyung.”

“Yeah. The only person you should call hyung is Jiho,” Nari said, nudging Jiho with a smirk. “After all, he’s a year older than all of us.”

That was new information for Mirae. Each person in her friend group had their own personality and their way of speaking. She loved the uniqueness of everyone, including the ‘Mr. Almost Perfect.’ 

She didn’t really like the whole Mr. Almost Perfect thing. In her eyes, he was already perfect — no almost about it. She’d come up with a few nicknames for him in her head, but Minmin was her favorite. Of course, she’d never say it out loud. To him, it was always just Minjae-yah. 

——

After school couldn’t have come any faster. Mirae rushed to her locker, grabbed her backpack, and got ready to head home.

In the distance, she spotted Minjae doing the same. The weather was perfect for biking — cool breeze, soft sun — but of course, Mirae had forgotten both her bike and her bus pass. The walk home was going to feel extra long.

As she made her way toward the bus stop, she noticed footsteps behind her. At first, she thought it was just another student… until every turn she made, the steps followed.

She picked up her pace, heart thudding. She was too scared to look back — and yet too curious not to.

Stopping dead in her tracks, she spun around, shut her eyes tight and blurted out, “Stop following me or I swear I would scream right now! I’m not afraid to!”

She slowly opened one eye — and gasped in horror. It was Minjae.

For a moment, everything froze. Her heart pounded loud enough to fill the quiet street. What was he doing here? Why was he walking behind her? And why was he being so suspiciously quiet?!

Before she could even think of what to say, he looked at her calmly and spoke—

And just like that, Mirae knew this was only the beginning of their encounter.

**END OF CHAPTER TWO**

*book inspired by 'When I fly towards you'*