Chapter Text
“Hey Babe, I’m heading off to class!” Min-Jae waved at her boyfriend who was rolling cigarettes at the coffee table.
“Don’t come back late.” Was all he said, not even looking up at her.
“Class goes until 10:10. I’ll be back as soon as I can after that!”
She was closing the door when she would swear he’d cursed at her. She knew he wanted her to move to online classes so she didn’t need to leave the house, but she was starting to feel smothered. She knew he loved her, but it was a little much.
Min-Jae didn’t have very many friends here, or really at all, having been shuffled between family members since her mom died, and then coming back to Korea for university. She was just grateful to finally be an adult and able to make choices for herself. Meeting Lee had been a godsend, she’d moved in with him when she started college, and their love was like a dream. Until it wasn’t. She could really use a girlfriend to vent to about her boyfriend and his possessive streak. That always seemed to be the fix in the books she read.
“Early as usual.” The TA commented, practically deadpan, as Min was the first one into the lecture hall after the previous class let out. His look was definitely notable, with his green-blue eyes and bleached hair.
“Better here than at home.” Min said absentmindedly and settled into her front-and-center lecture seat. Once she was ready to take notes, a full 27 minutes before class was due to begin, she opened her book. Min tended to get lost in her fiction, and didn’t pay any mind to the concerned and somehow intrigued look the TA gave her at what she’d said.
Class was class. Programming class was usually learning a lot of concepts and hoping you could remember what you needed when you were actually in front of a computer. Today was the day they got to learn who they were grouped with for their final project, and then spend half the class getting started. She was excited, and hoped she got someone who complimented her style. Maybe she’d even get one of the other girls in her class. Sure, there were only three of them out of the hundred-something students in the lecture, but there was a chance fortune would smile on her for once.
Alas, when the group assignments went up on the projector, not only was she not with another girl, but she didn’t even recognize the names of the two partners she’d gotten. Well, they should be able to find her, she was a girl after all. Down the row to her left, she heard a sharp intake of breath, and laughter.
“Good thing you’re smart, Dae, we got a girl.” One boy said.
“Too bad you’re dumb, then? Besides, it’s the mixed girl. She likes writing tests, we’re golden.” The other, presumably Dae, said.
Her group mates included a Daeseong and a Ryung… she’d just pretend she hadn’t heard them and wait for them to come to her. It would be less than 30 seconds before a shadow fell over her notebook.
“Hey, I’m Dae, this is Ryung. You’re in our group.” She looked up and put on a smile. Ryung looked like a punk, but Dae looked like your classic nerd, with messy hair and thick glasses.
“Hi, I’m Min-Jae.”
“Yeah, we know.”
They laughed, and Min was sure this group was going to be fine. Especially because these two were already friends, and given what she’d overheard, they seemed to be willing to let her work her way.
The rest of class went surprisingly well, they had a plan for their project worked out and had exchanged contact info with little difficulty. It wasn’t until she saw others packing up that she realized class was over. It was already 10:15. If she didn’t hurry, she was going to miss the late train home, and she didn’t have the cash for a taxi on her. Min cursed.
“Sorry boys, I need to run or I’m going to miss my train, and gods help me if I’m late.” She shuffled her things into her bag as fast as her hands would move, and willed herself to stop shaking.
Ryung reached out and grabbed her arm. “Min-Jae, it’s raining. We drove, can we drive you home?”
She stopped to consider. “Y’all live together?”
Dae snickered, repeating ‘y’all’ under his breath.
Ryung blushed. “Yeah, well, we’re dating, so.”
Oh. OH. They were gay. That explained so much. And Lee couldn’t even be mad at her for getting in a car with other guys then!
“I.. You know, I think that’s a sweet offer, but I don’t live close and..” Min just trailed off, worry knitting her brows together.
“Nah, it’s good. I like driving, and Dae’s just gonna sleep in the car even if we go straight home. He’s like a toddler.”
“Am not!”
“Mmhmm, honey.” Ryung said, and she laughed at their dynamic.
Dae paused, and looked at her as if in a new light.
“Wait a second. Min, you just got told we’re gay and didn’t even react? Are you a robot?”
She felt herself blush.
“It’s not that, it’s just that your friendship made so much more sense. You’re closer than just nerd bros. And I’m not a robot.”
“Wait are you saying we’re obvious?”
She shook her head. “Nah. Just fun. But.. Can we go? I don’t want to get yelled at if I get home too late.”
“You still live with your parents?”
“Oh, no, my boyfriend. He’s just protective.”
As expected, they laughed it off, and went off to the car.
The TA, however, was watching the exchange with narrowed eyes.
She got out of the car, trading spaces with the sleepy Dae who’d been curled up in the back seat.
“Thanks for the ride guys! I can’t believe you live so close!”
Dae yawned, and reflexively moved to give her a hug, as if they were old friends, not classmates. She knew he was still half asleep, so she just accepted the gesture. She needed friends, and she was perfectly happy making friends with her actual classmates.
She made sure Dae buckled up before Ryung drove off, and then turned to head inside. Lee was waiting for her just inside the front door, and he was livid.
“Min.” His tone was ominous. “Who. The Fuck. Was That.”
That was the first night he hit her.
It wasn’t the last.
Min avoided answering the text messages from Ryung and Dae any time Lee was in the room. Which was most of the time. As much as she wanted to respond to them, Lee was constantly glaring every time her phone went off, and she didn’t want to provoke him. She got her work done, but he’d been badgering her to skip class and stay home with him. She knew that she had to make an exit from this situation. She wasn’t strong enough to fight him off, but she had to be strong enough to get out before it got worse.
Tonight was her final presentation. She was really glad there wasn’t an exam for this class, because she never would have been able to focus enough to study. This was perfect. Lee couldn’t convince her to stay home, and she’d have to have her laptop even though she usually preferred to leave it at home. Decision made, she grabbed her makeup and did the best cover-up job she could do with her limited supplies. She felt like a primary schooler who got into her mother’s makeup, but at least she didn’t look as much of a mess as she felt like she was. She tried to act casual as she slipped her laptop, the little bag that held her switch and its charger, and her textbook into her bag. Luckily, as long as she was in sight of Lee he didn’t seem to care what she did. Unluckily, all of her usual overnight items were not in line of sight. She’d just have to get them some other time. Hoisting her bag up over her shoulder, she stepped out into the living room, calling out as she reached the door.
“Lee, I’m going to class.”
“Again?”
“Yes, It’s Tuesday..”
“No.”
“I have to present my final project tonight. I’m going.”
“Fine.”
Min was sure he hadn’t spoken more than one word at a time to her in the last week, despite her being barely out of his sight, let alone out of the house. It was unnerving. Before he changed his mind, she stepped out the door and shut it carefully behind her.
Once she got outside, she started walking purposefully but unhurriedly towards the train station. Lee had gone from problematic to unreasonable to terrifying in swift succession. The chance of him chasing after her and dragging her back home… best not to think about it. As she rounded a corner out of sight of home, she stopped walking and leaned against the cool brick wall of the building. Min closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself down. Think logically, Min-Jae.
A car horn honking startled her out of her thoughts with an embarrassing squeak.
“Yo, Min.”
Her head snapped up and she saw Ryung leaning out of the passenger seat of their little car.
“Want a ride?”
She glanced back in the direction of her house, and nodded. She didn’t trust her voice, she was too close to tears.
Ryung jumped out of the car and tipped the seat forward. He’d clearly been intending to give her shotgun, but she ducked into the tiny back seat before he could.
“Hey! I was gonna be all chivalrous! You let Dae do it!”
Min laughed, the tightness in her chest loosening just a touch.
“I have to keep you awake most nights, and Dae goes to sleep! I’m short, let me hide back here.”
She hadn’t considered the words before they left her mouth, but hiding was exactly what she wanted.
“So, gonna tell us why you’ve been basically ignoring us? You did your work. You obviously don’t hate us. At least, I don’t think so. Dae does.”
Min bit her lip. She couldn’t tell them about Lee. She needed to keep everyone else out of it.
“Oh. Um.” Good start there, Min. “I had a lot of homework so wasn’t really looking at my phone. I meant to text y’all more, I swear.”
The pause from the front seat was slightly longer than she was comfortable with, but then Dae spoke up.
“I don’t think you’re telling us everything, but then, you’ve only known us for a little while. But, we like you, Min, you’re neat. So stop being such a mouse and share.”
“But also, we know a thing or two about not wanting to tell everyone everything. Secrets suck, but sometimes they’re necessary.” Ryung added.
Min managed to choke out a thank you, but then spent the next few minutes wrapped up in her own thoughts. These guys were cool, and nice, and not a threat or a problem, which was good. But it was also bad because she didn’t want to get them hurt if Lee started to make an issue when she didn’t come home. Where was she going to stay, though? If she checked into a hotel, he’d be able to find her. She shook her head, and put on a smile. She had a presentation to give, and talking at people was something she did well. (Not to them, just at them. Talking to people was scary.)
Class went well. Their project was was well received. Dae and Ryung had decided a while back to scoot down the row and sit next to her in the center, which had been comforting these past few weeks. They’d been good friends even though she barely knew them.
With presentations and no lectures, class let out about fifteen minutes early, so Min started to pack up to go catch the train. Then, she remembered that she wasn’t catching the train, but also that she didn’t want her new friends to know what was going on, and if they tried to give her a ride home again, they were sure to figure it out. With one last glance at her space to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, Min headed for the door.
She got about two steps away from her chair and Ryung had reached out to grab her wrist. She winced and tried to pull away, and he let go instantly.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have touched you like that, are you okay?” he said, concerned.
Min shook her head, and nodded, and then shrugged. Was she okay? She wasn’t sure.
“Let’s try that again. Can I take your hands?” Ryung was determined to do things the right way, even though he’d managed to get her to stop walking away.
Min managed to get herself to nod slightly, and Dae looked on in concern as Ryung reached out again and took her hands.
“Hey there, Min. Snap out of it. Talk to us. We can’t be your gay best friends if you won’t talk to us.” Ryung said, and she laughed; a harsh joyless sound.
“You don’t want to be friends with me, I’ll just bring you trouble.” She said, but didn’t meet their eyes. She could feel her eyes start to tear up, and she willed them to be dry with every fiber of her being. She couldn’t cry here, in front of them. They’d know.
“Bullshit.” Ryung said, but Dae seemed to catch something he didn’t.
“Min. You’re wearing makeup. And long sleeves. We’re not as dumb as you think we are. Okay, maybe Ryung is.” He said, quietly but bluntly.
Ryung made a sound that was somewhere between confused and offended. “So what if she wore makeup? We had a presentation. Also don’t you always wear that hoodie, Min?”
Ryung had taken exactly the bait she hoped that they both would, but as usual, Dae was smarter than his partner.
Maybe telling them was a good idea? No. No, she had to keep them out of it.
“It’s my favorite hoodie, so obviously I wear it constantly. I wash it a lot though. It’s clean.” She still couldn’t look up at them, but she knew Dae was watching her. “I’m fine, Dae, really .” Min said, and tried to put on a smile.
“Okay then, push up your hoodie sleeve.”
She froze, then tried to take a step back, and Ryung let go of her hands. “Min?”
She sighed. “I’m gonna miss my train.”
“We drive home together. We’ll even drop you at the train station like the last couple times if you’re worried about… anything.” Dae said, and nodded his head towards her arm.
Min sighed, dejected. Of course they were too nice to just let this go. Of course. After looking around to make sure that the class was empty or at least no one was watching them, she set her bag down. She couldn’t roll up her sleeves though, because it hurt too much. So, she shrugged out of her hoodie, feeling like she was taking off her last piece of armor. She’d have worn a shirt with longer sleeves if she’d thought she might be taking her hoodie off, but she wanted to be able to keep it on, so she was just wearing a sleeveless camisole, which made everything so much more obvious.
She knew what she looked like. She was prepared for a reaction, but not the one she got. Ryung just froze, and Dae gasped before getting up and coming to wrap her in a hug.
“Holy shit, Min-Jae.” Ryung managed to spit out.
“Now I know why you were being such a mouse in the car.” Dae, next to her ear, added softly.
Not only was there bruising along her wrist, but what looked for all the world like a distinct handprint shaped bruise on her upper arm and a few smaller bruises that were healing faster than the big ones. Around her shoulder were some clear burns in various states of healing. There were also some cuts - small, but aggressive. All of this combined meant she looked like a kaleidoscope of regret.
Neither of her new friends said anything, but Dae’s careful hug sent tears streaming down her cheeks, washing away streaks of her carefully (if amateurishly) applied makeup.
“Let’s go get a coffee. I know a place that’s still busy at this time of night. Let’s go talk, and calm down and figure things out, okay?”
Min shook her head. “I can’t get you guys involved. You’re too nice. Too good. He… he might… I don’t know. It’s dangerous.”
Ryung almost barked a laugh. “I’m dangerous too. Let’s see him try it.”
Dae looked over the rims of his glasses at his partner. “Not helping, Ryung.” Letting go of Min, he took a step back. “But please, Min. Coffee? We’re keeping the TA from locking up.”
Min’s eyes snapped up to the place the TA usually sat at that point. He was watching them with a concerned look on his face. She might even say he looked angry.
“Shit.” She said, reflexively. “Okay, coffee.”
She put her hoodie back on over her shame, and picked up her bag, wincing slightly at the weight of it. “I wonder when he’ll notice that all of my devices are missing.” She said quietly, and allowed herself to be herded out of the auditorium.
Of course, her TA was waiting for them to leave, but if any of them had looked back, they’d have seen not impatience, concern, or anger on his face. In fact, he looked like a cat who just caught a bird.