It's been two weeks since you started tutoring Jimin after school & it has become the only thing you look forward to every day.
Jimin has sneaked into your heart & placed himself firmly there. There's no point of denying it anymore, you like him. Well, maybe a lot more than like.
Your heart races every time you see him & one small touch from him is enough to send butterflies soaring inside your stomach. He makes you feel special, in a good way.
You've tried to suppress your feelings because let's face it, there's no way that a popular & cute guy like him would fall for an outlier like you. However, you just can't help falling for him more & more.

Today, as always, you're waiting for him at your usual place for lunch. It's been ten minutes, but he still hasn't come yet.
Where is he? He said that he was only going to the restroom for a while.
Then, you hear footsteps & excitedly turn towards the source, expecting it to be Jimin.
But it isn't him.
It's Nayeon & her friends.
"Well hello, my exotic friend. What are you doing here? Are you waiting for Jimin?" She smirks as she & her friends circle around you.
"What do you want now?" You glare at them.
"Oh don't worry. We won't hurt you. Actually, we're not the bad guy here. You are." She says with a sinister smile.
"What are you talking about?"
"I know you've been helping Jimin with math after school."
You're surprised that she knows, but you stay calm.
"So what? There's nothing wrong with helping a friend."
"Well yeah of course. If he really needs help that is."
"What do you mean? Just cut to the chase, will you?" You're getting impatient with her pointless nonsense.
"I heard that his math score was perfect when he transferred, but then it goes down drastically. Do you know why? He's pretending to not understand math so that you can teach him. Why would he do that? Because he pities you, a friendless orphan, an outcast. You know Jimin has such a pure heart, so he's willing to sacrifice himself to make you feel accepted. But don't you feel ashamed? Because of you his father is being called to the principal's office right now." She snickers.
"You're lying." You abruptly stand up, her words pouring over you like ice water.
"If you don't believe me, just go to the principal's office. They're probably still there."
You push her away & run as fast as you can to the principal's office.
Your feet screech to a halt when you see Jimin & his father standing outside of the office. His father looks mad & he appears to be scolding Jimin.
You quickly hide behind one of the pillars & listen in on their conversation.
"I'm so disappointed in you Jimin ah. I agreed to let you move back here because you promised that you would keep your grades up. I can't believe your grade goes down so drastically in a few short weeks. Especially math. You used to excel in math, you were  even the captain of your old high school's math team in the States. But you get a D now? What's happening to you?"
Your heart drops to the floor.
So what Nayeon said is true.
You quietly walk away & lock yourself in one of the restroom stalls.
"He pities you. Don't you feel ashamed?"
Nayeon's words keep repeating inside your head as you bite your nails thinking about what you should do.
And when the bell rings, you've figured out exactly what you need to do even though it pains you.

After school
"Y/n ah, let's go. Are you ready?" Jimin says to you as he puts on his backpack.
"Let's just stop. I don't want to be your tutor anymore." You grab your bag & swiftly walk pass him.
"What's wrong? Are you angry that I didn't show up for lunch? Look, I'm sorry ok? The teacher asked me to do something, that was why I couldn't come." He chases after you & snatches your wrist.
"I'm tired of teaching you. You never get it. I feel like I'm just wasting my time." You say coldly although your heart is breaking inside.
He looks stunned, his grip on you loosened.
"You follow me everywhere I go, it's truly burdensome. And God, you just can't shut up for a second. It annoys the hell out of me." You add cruelly, just to make sure that he'll hate you after this.
"You really think that?" Jimin's sad expression hurts you deeply, but you persist.
"I do. So, please stop following me. Good bye." You quickly turn around & walk away.
As you step further & further from him, you feel the sun in your world is slowly disappearing behind the dark cloudy sky again, leaving you cold & lonely. But you keep on moving, letting the tears flow quietly down your cheeks.

A few days have passed & you're still avoiding Jimin.
Nayeon & her friends seem to be delighted seeing you & Jimin not talking to each other.
Your heart hurts every time you have to avert your gaze whenever he passes you, but you hold all your pain in like you always have in the past.
You go back to eating your lunch alone in the restroom stall. This time the loneliness is harsher than it used to be because you've had a taste of happiness with Jimin.
After you finish your lunch, you walk out mindlessly out of the restroom. Someone suddenly grabs your arm & spins you around, taking you by surprise.
"We need to talk." Jimin says to you sternly, lips thin, brows furrowed.
"I don't want to talk to you." You release yourself from his grasp & begin to walk away.
"Y/n. Please." He pleads & you can physically feel your heart being squeezed until you're out of breath.
"Fine. You have 5 minutes." You turn to face him & cross your arms.
"Can we talk somewhere more private?"
"Ugh, alright." You feign annoyance & roll your eyes, although you're very nervous inside.
Both of you go to the place where you used to have lunch together.
"Now talk." You try to look & sound as cold as possible.
"After I think thoroughly about what you said to me that day, I've come to a conclusion that you were lying. You didn't mean it at all, did you? There must be a reason why you were suddenly so mean to me, right?" He presses.
"No. I meant everything I said." You avert your gaze, so that he won't see through your lie.
"Liar. Tell me. Is it because of Nayeon? Did she say something to you? If you don't want to answer me, I'll drag her here." He motions to leave.
"Stop! Please. I just- I don't need your pity. Just leave me alone." You shout at him.
"Pity? What do you mean?" He turns & look at you in confusion.
"I know that you failed math on purpose so that you had a reason to befriend me. Why would you do that? Why would you sacrifice your grade just because you felt pity on me? It made me feel awful." You can't hold back the tears anymore.
He looks stunned for a moment before he walks closer to you & wipes the tears from your cheeks with his thumbs.
"I didn't do it because I pitied you. I did it because I like you. A lot." He smiles gently at you, making your heart flutter.
"Don't lie to me. How can you possibly like an outcast like me? I'm orphaned, ugl-"
You can't finish the rest of the sentence because he's pressed his lips firmly against yours.
"Do you believe me now?" He asks as he slowly lets you go.
You cover your mouth & stare at him, wide-eyed, fingers trembling. Shiver runs down your spine & you can still feel the warmth of his soft lips on yours.
"I really like you Y/n. Since that day I saw you at the columbarium, I've always felt that we're meant for each other. You're on my mind all the time, that's why I risked my grade just to spend more time with you. So please stop pushing me away."
His confession touches you deeply. You're at lost for words so you just nod at him.
"Would you be my girl friend?" He asks as he puts a strand of hair behind your ear.
You think about it for a short while before finally succumbing to your feelings.
"Y-Yes." You shyly glance at him & say.
"Thank you. I promise I won't ever leave you alone again." He pulls you into a hug.
You snuggle into his chest & embrace his warmth.
The sun in your sky is back.

Time skip
You've been together for about three months now.
Jimin has been a wonderful & caring boy friend.
You can't even imagine a life without him now.
One day, you're walking home with him after school as usual & suddenly he pops the question.
"You want me to meet your father?" You repeat his request in surprise.
"Yeah. I mean, it's not like I need his approval to date you, but it would mean the world to me if you can get to know each other. What do you think?" He hesitantly asks.
You've never met his father although you've been to Jimin's house quite often. Actually, you're kind of nervous of meeting him because of your identity & your ethnicity.
Would he reject me because of my background & skin color?
That question keeps lingering in you mind. But for Jimin's sake, you're willing to overcome your fear.
"Uhm.. Yeah sure, why not?" You agree in the end.
"Thank you so much Y/n. This really means a lot to me. I'm sure he'll like you." He exclaims happily as he hugs you & kisses your forehead.
You smile back at him, although inside you're skeptical about Jimin's statement.
Weekend comes.
You anxiously tug at your shirt & fix your hair in front of Jimin's house. You are wearing your nicest shirt & have paid more attention to your hair & makeup to make sure that you look presentable.
Do I look ok? Will he like me? Has Jimin told him that I'm not Korean?
After inhaling & exhaling several times to get rid of your nerves, you brace yourself & press on the doorbell.
"Hi! Omg, you look so pretty today." Jimin smilingly welcomes you.
"Really? You don't think my makeup is a bit too much? What about my shirt?" You nervously ask.
"Relax. You look perfect. Come in & sit at the table. He'll be out shortly. He's cooking in the kitchen right now." Jimin puts his hands on your shoulders & push you towards the dining table.
"Wait here, I'll go help him." He excitedly say before walking towards the kitchen.
You squirm in your seat, nerves flaring, heart pounding.
"He's coming." Jimin whispers to you as he puts a plate of japchae on the table.
You instantly stand up, waiting for his dad to come out of the kitchen.
"I'm sorry it's been a while since I last cooked up a mea-" His dad steps out with a pot in his hands.
But he suddenly stops talking as he lifts his eyes & see you.
His eyes scan you up & down, making you feel absolutely uncomfortable.
"Annyeong haseyo. My name is Y/n. I'm Jimin's friend from school." You bow awkwardly at him.
Without saying a word, Jimin's father steps towards the table & puts the dish on it.
"Let's eat." He sits down & says without looking at you.
Seemingly noticing the heavy atmosphere, Jimin squeezes your hand under the table & smiles assuringly at you.
"Y/n ssi, what do your parents do?" His dad asks as he puts a spoonful of soup in his mouth.
"My parents died in a car accident when they were on their way to the hospital. My mom was about to give birth to me that night, but someone hit their motorcycle, so I was the only one who survived." You explain cautiously.
The soup in his spoon spills onto his shirt upon hearing your words.
"아빠, 괜찮아 (Dad, are you ok)?" Jimin rises from his seat & helps his dad cleans up.
"When did that happen?" His dad asks again, ignoring Jimin.
"October 15, seventeen years ago."
His father's eyes widen as he abruptly stands up.
"Jimin ah, can you please talk to me for a moment?" His dad leaves the table & walks towards the bedroom.
"Sorry, please wait for a while." Jimin mouths to you & follows his dad.
Your heart sinks to the bottom, as you realize that his dad must not approve of you.
Clenching your shirt tightly, you try to suppress the tears that are about to fall.
You can faintly hear them arguing inside the bedroom. Curiosity has gotten the best of you, so you tiptoes quietly towards the noise & listens in on their conversation from outside of the room.
"Why didn't you tell me that she's not Korean? And an orphan? My goodness Jimin, how can you not tell me that beforehand?!" His father yells.
"I thought it wouldn't matter! You always taught me not to discriminate people based on their skin color or status. Why can't you practice what you preach?!" Jimin shouts back at him.
You bite your lip to muffle your sob. Your heart is breaking, although you've kind of predicted that something like this would happen.
"It's not that.. You don't understand.." His dad sighs deeply, voice full of anguish.
"Then tell me. What's wrong about being an orphan? What's wrong about not being Korean?"
"Because it was me who killed her parents!"