eight | salty.
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You stayed inside during the weekend. You were still trending on social media, your face seemed to be everywhere, so you weren't sure if you were ready to go out. Again, you were used to spotlight, but you were always hidden, and now you weren't.
You were drying your hair with a towel when your doorbell rang. "Come in!"
The door opened and shut, and you turned around to see Jacob. He smiled brightly and grabbed the towel from you, drying your hair for you.
"You're here early." Your voice was loud in the quiet house.
"I wanted to see you." He replied. "How's your shoulder today?"
"Still hurts, but I've got one week down."
He ran his fingers through your semi-dry hair, and you felt something grow in your chest. Behind you, he was hesitant, but decided to go for it. He wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his chin on top of your head.
"Does this make it better?" He whispered.
You didn't even try to stop yourself from smiling. You put your free hand on top of his and let yourself be comfortable in his embrace.
"It does, actually."
You felt his arms tighten around you, then he let go. You turned to look at him and saw how red his cheeks were.
"Are you ready?" He asked shyly.
You hummed. "Let me brush my hair, pretty boy."
"Kim Sunwoo!"
He turned around quickly and looked at you. "Did I do something?"
"Nope." You smiled and patted his arm. "Thanks for taking good care of my girl on Friday."
The twelve of you walked inside, only to be met by immediate camera flashes. You kept your head down, not making eye contact with anyone or their cameras. You didn't think they'd record you like you were some celebrity.
"Minji," a student called. "Look at me!"
You walked passed her and heard her mumble "rude." You turned the corner and walked into the seemingly empty music room. You were very glad that you knew who your real friends were. The guys must've gotten caught up, because they didn't follow you, so you were alone.
You sat at the piano, and with your one good arm, began playing with the keys. You needed something else to think about.
"What did I expect?" You thought.
Maybe you wanted to be treated normally after the reveal. You didn't think anyone at your school would care, but you were very wrong.
The door to the music room opened, and you looked up, expecting one of the guys. "Minji, my girl."
"What, Emiko?"
"Oh," she wagged her finger. "You're famous now, you have to be nice."
You stood up. "I'm not famous."
"Is that what you came here for? To do a stupid circus with all your freaky little friends and become popular?"
"Watch your mouth." You bit. "I run a business, Emiko. I don't do it for popularity, I do it because I enjoy it."
"Really? Because now you have the world's attention, Minji-"
"Why do you care what I do?" You snapped, tired of her attitude. "Okay, I have attention. If you want some so bad, go get some."
You tried to walk passed her, but she grabbed your fractured shoulder and dug her fingers into the skin. "I bet the guys aren't even your real friends. They're probably using you for fame at this point. I know I would."
She let go of your shoulder and tears sprung to your eyes. Attitude problem much. You put the sleeve of your jumper over your eyes to prevent any tears from falling.
"I shouldn't have done the reveal."
The boys were standing by Jacob's car when you approached them, and Jacob patted your head. "How was your day?"
"Really bad." You admitted.
He pulled you into a soft hug, which you returned. The guys had to stop themselves from squealing at the sight. You looked up at Jacob, then to everyone else.
"Will you guys come to my place and eat dinner with me?"
They wouldn't have said no in the first place, but you looked so sad, so they nodded enthusiastically. You didn't want to ruin the mood, so you tried to smile, but it still looked sad.
You rode with Jacob in comfortable silence all the way to your apartment. The boyz followed you into the elevator and stood behind you, not wanting to get too close just in case. You looked back and saw how far away they were, so you grabbed Jacob's arm, then Chanhee's and pulled them closer.
"You guys don't have to be like that," you told them. "I invited you to my place for a reason."
They took their shoes off at the door and you told them you'd go change. You put on another white muscle tee, your favorite, in order to let your shoulder breathe, and some comfortable sweats.
You were taking your sling off as you walked into the kitchen, and the guys gasped. "What?"
"Your shoulder!" Younghoon and Hyunjae pointed. "It wasn't bruised like that on Friday, was it?"
You looked down and saw the fingertip-like bruises and sighed. "Emiko grabbed my shoulder today."
"She did?" Sangyeon sounded angry. "We'll have to talk to her about that."
"Did she say anything to you?" Changmin asked.
"They're probably using you for fame at this point. I know I would."
"Not much, really." You lied.
You grabbed some ice from the freezer and put it against your sore shoulder. "Why did you have a bad day?"
You leaned against the counter next to Jacob and started answering Eric's question. "I'm starting to think that maybe I should've waited a few more years for the reveal. I didn't expect people to record me like that."
"I mean, you were a worldwide trending subject," Juyeon pointed out. "Still are. That doesn't make it right, though."
You fixed your hair, a nervous habit. "I get that much, but everyone was in my face today and being friendly. I'm glad that I know who my real friends are, because now everyone seems to like me."
Jacob put his arm behind you on the counter. You could feel his hand graze yours whenever you moved a certain way.
"I feel very vulnerable," you confessed, despite how hard it was for you. "I'm out there for the whole world to see and judge now, without any type of security like before."
"That's true, but you're not alone. You know that, right?" Jacob asked.
You nodded, and Kevin started pushing you out of the kitchen. "Go rest, Sunwoo and I will start dinner."
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