---

My dad always used to say: “Mina, you’ve got to fight fire with fire.”

My mom, on the other hand, disagreed, reasoning that: “Logically, you should fight fire with water, right?”

My mom’s solution is obviously the more sensible approach, but I have too much of my dad in me to go down that route. And besides, fighting fire with fire is far more fun. That’s why, when all of the members and I are sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch, my behaviour becomes extreme.

“Is everyone looking forward to MAMA?” Namjoon asks conversationally. There is a murmur of agreement and when he looks to me in question, I nod and smile.

Just my luck, though – I ended up sitting right opposite Suga, which is a situation that can never end well. I catch him staring at my food and I frown.

“Did you want some?” I ask, raising my eyebrows in curiosity.

He shakes his head. “No, I was just wondering if you wanted some salt with that.”

I am instantly reminded of the salty coffee and I scowl at him. “Funnily enough, no – I don’t.”

Too late. He’s already sprinkling it all over my lunch.

“Oops,” he says with what is supposed to be an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry.”

Sorry, my ass.

So I smile sweetly at him and take the salt shaker from his grasp... and pour it in his drink. “Ooh, sorry,” I say. “My hand must’ve slipped.”

“Mina?”

“Yes?”

I turn towards Jungkook was has just called my name, ignoring the redness of my ears. Nobody seems to notice mine and Suga’s table exchanges though.

“I’m sad,” says Jungkook. “You haven’t actually been able to see a proper awards show yet.”

“Mina can’t watch MAMA, Jungkook,” says Namjoon reasonably.

“I know that,” says Jungkook wryly, “But I wish you could see us perform.”

“It’s okay,” I tell him reassuringly, “I’m sure I’ll get the chance to sometime.”

We continue eating. Suga and I keep eying each other and I feel like he’s planning his revenge. I continue to eat around what isn’t covered in salt and my mind wanders to various things like burritos, EXO’s winter comeback, and obviously the kiss. As if I’d forget about that... thanks, Suga.

And then... searing pain goes through my right leg and I let out the loudest yelp.

The other members turn to stare at me, as I have now managed to break the bubble of friendly conversation that once surrounded the table. I fix Suga with a glare. He kicked me. Nobody kicks me. He avoids my gaze, and on his face is that... that... that smirk.

“Are you okay, Mina?” asks Hobi with concern.

“What?” I blurt.

“You kind of... yelled,” says Jin slowly.

I start to laugh nervously as I think of what to say. “Yeah... I think I... accidentally... kicked the table leg?”

It’s more of a question than anything else. And it sounds dumb.

The members seem to accept the strange explanation, however, and lunch continues as it did before. Only now I’m focused on how to get Suga back. And that focus lasts just a few seconds before I decide.

Yes, I’m unoriginal.

I kick him back.

Except... his reflexes mean I dodge his knee. But he doesn’t move quite far enough...

It’s embarrassing to admit. But yes: I kicked Min Suga in the balls.

But the look on his face: it’s priceless.

“Hyung,” says Jimin, noticing Suga’s expression. “Hyung, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Suga lets out a strangled croak.

“You are?” says Jimin sceptically. “It’s just; you look a little... pained.”

Suga swallows and takes a breath. Then he clears his throat. “Something must’ve gone down the wrong way,” he mutters.

That’s pretty much the same with my revenge, really.

We finish up lunch and I get up to head to the design hall. Mom wanted me to help out with something after I’d eaten, so I clear up after myself, say my goodbyes, and head on out.

However, when you’re locked in a game with Min Suga, nothing is really that easy. That’s why I find my foot catching on something and my whole body being thrown forward onto the waiting floor.

The number of times this has happened to me... well, it’s safe to say that I’ve lost count by now.

“Mina!” exclaims a chorus of voices from around the table.

I pick myself up dust myself off. “I’m fine,” I say, “Don’t worry. I’ll see you guys later.”

I smile at them, and then throw Suga another glare. I sure will be seeing you later, you little arse. I’m not letting him get away with this.

A new revenge plan must be created.

Later this afternoon, I come up with my plan of action. I download a suitable song onto my phone using Big Hit Wi-Fi, and then sneak up to the Genius Lab to do the deed. I press play on the song, put my phone by his door, and wait.

Taylor Swift’s ‘We’re Never Getting Back Together’ blares out of my phone speakers on full volume, combined with me yelling along to the lyrics. I thought it would probably annoy him, even if it isn’t completely accurate.

I mean sure – we weren’t together in the first place. But that’s hardly the point, is it?

It gets to the chorus and I raise my own volume about three billion decibels to chant: “Cause we~ are never, ever, ever~ getting back together!”

The door opens to reveal a rather unimpressed-looking Suga.

“Your friends talk to my friends, talk to your friends, talk to me~”

He raises his eyebrows, and kicks my phone out of my reach.

“WE~ ARE NEVER, EVER, EVER~ GETTING BACK TOGETH-”

I am unexpectedly cut off.

“Suga, what are you-?”

He does something that takes me completely by surprise. I’m not sure whether to be pleased or offended. He picks me up... and tosses me over his shoulder. I didn’t realise I was so freaking short. It’s like he goes to no effort at all.

My pleased surprise is very short-lived and quickly gives in to my inherent shrieking.

“Min Suga! You put me down right now!”

I can’t see where he’s taking me since I’m backwards, but I manage to thump his back hard with my fists, demanding to be put down – this instant! I struggle to free myself, eventually tiring at the effort.

And all he does is laugh.

He laughs.

What an absolute-!

Don’t use the word ‘arse’ again, Mina. It’s overused by now.

No matter how much I try to break free from his grasp, his arms are tight around me, and he’s enjoying this too much to loosen his grip. It’s not fair. He’s not even that tall. Why does he always have the upper hand? Kicking him in the balls seems fairly satisfying right now.

“Suga!” I yell again.

“Oh, shut up,” he says.

I can tell he’s rolling his eyes.

He’s rolling his eyes, isn’t he?

I knew it.

We enter an elevator and the doors close with a ping. He presses a few buttons quickly before he loses grip of me, and then we head downwards. I finally end up resting my elbows on his shoulder, and resting my chin on my elbows.

“Can you put me down now?” I complain.

“You kicked me, hard,” he argues.

“And you tripped me up!” I counter.

He laughs when I say that, and I frown.

“I can’t believe you’re laughing at me falling over,” I mutter.

“You deserved it,” he reasons. “You have no idea how much that hurt.”

The doors ping open on the right floor and he steps outside. It’s only a bit further until he plonks me down on a couch – the couch in the design hall – and his ‘SIKE, I beat you and I won’ revenge prank is over.

And all he says before leaving is: “Bye, honey.”

And with that smirk.

Ugh, I hate him.

I spend the next hour or so thinking about what happens next. We’ve sort of come to a standstill. I got my revenge, but he got his revenge during my revenge. So who even needs to get revenge anymore?

All of this is obviously far too confusing for me. It has been since the start. But what I do now? I have absolutely no idea. But I figure I should probably go and get my phone back.

I stomp up to Suga’s Genius Lab, fully prepared to kick down the door to get him to give me my phone back. But when I get there, the door is locked and when I knock, nobody answers. Is Suga just messing with me again? Is he really inside? Maybe he’s trying to prank me. Maybe... he’s going through my phone right now...

“Min Suga! You open this door!” I slam my fist against the door, then pausing a beat. “Right now!” I add.

There is no reply.

I feel very small compared to the tall door that stands in front of me. And Suga’s lack of a response makes me both frustrated and anxious. The longer he does come out and the longer I keep yelling at a closed door... the more stupid I feel.

I swear he does this on purpose.

“Hey, Mina?” says a voice from behind me.

I jump and it’s Eun Ha.

“Oh, hey, Eun Ha,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck – feeling awkward to be caught in this situation.

“Were you looking for Suga?” Eun Ha enquires.

“Um, just my phone, actually,” I tell her. “I... left it here earlier.”

“Well, if you do need him, the others are all in the practise room, I think,” says Eun Ha helpfully. However, she seems unusually subdued, and almost upset.

“Thank you,” I say, throwing her a smile. “By the way... are you okay?”

“Okay?” Eun Ha repeats. She clears her throat and sighs. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” I ask. “If anything’s gone wrong, I’m always here if you want to talk.”

Eun Ha hesitates, her eyes cast downwards. “We’re good friends, aren’t we, Mina?” she questions, “And I can trust you... right?”

I get the feeling that she’s about to tell me something – something big.

“You can trust me,” I assure her. “What is it?”

Eun Ha takes a breath and looks me in the eye. “It wasn’t supposed to happen-” she begins.

But she is cut off by the appearance of a stern-looking man who marches down the corridor from the way that Eun Ha first came. He passes us by quickly, only slowing slightly to mutter in Eun Ha’s ear:

“Remember what I said.”

Eun Ha visibly swallows. “I will,” she says, and the man continues on.

When he’s out of earshot, I raise my eyebrows and ask, “Who was that?”

Eun Ha gives an even heavier sigh than before. “He’s just my manager,” she answers. “Look, Mina, we’ll have to catch up some other time. But... if you’re going to the practise room...”

She trails off and takes a breath, seeming a little more upbeat than before. It’s almost as if she’s come to a conclusion, and that conclusion is a little dangerous, and a choice that could end in disaster. But she seems content with her decision, and finishes her sentence.

“...I don’t currently have my phone. And it’d be great if you could let Tae know. See you, Mina.”

So she walks off and I’m left frowning trying to figure out what the hell is going on here. Why is Eun Ha’s manager suddenly so threatening? And why would Taehyung have to know that-

Then it hits me. Oh...

I head over to the practise room anyway, fuelled with determination to get my own phone back – as well as the feeling that’s been stoking my flames all week, the feeling that makes me do crazy things and think about Min Suga.

“Hey, Mina!” says Jungkook upon my arrival. I pass on Eun Ha’s message first.

It seems that they’re just taking a break, sipping bottles of water and sitting down. I scan the room for Suga, and finally manage to spot him. He’s spread out on the floor on his back, staring up at the ceiling. So I head on over.

Folding my arms and leaning over his face, I say, “Hey, Shorty, where’s my phone?”

His eyes shoot open and he swears at me. Then he sits up.

“Well,” he says, “That depends on how much you want it back.”

“Stop being an arse,” I tell him in English. He seems to understand perfectly.

“Here,” he says, grabbing it from the side and holding it out.

I make a grab for it, but of course Min Suga is far too clever for that. He puts it well out of my reach, well above his head. I leap to try and reach it, and fail... multiple times. He’s enjoying this... far too much.

“Hey,” I say, trying desperately to reclaim my property, “Suga, give that back!”

“Why?” says Suga, seemingly uninterested, “Is it important? You’ve had at least six missed calls in the last twenty minutes.”

“Six?!” I screech. “Give it to me, now!”

“Hyung, give it back,” says Jimin, but he’s holding back a laugh.

Then the phone rings again, and my embarrassing EXO ringtone blares out with, “Chogiwa~” and the entire room falls silent. My face goes redder and redder the more surprised Suga looks.
I slightly want to die right now.

EXO’s Wolf continues to play from my phone and all seven BTS members are staring at me and I want the ground to swallow me up. Suga starts smirking, but everyone else is stunned.

“Chogiwa, danbeone neukkyeo, neol hannibe chijeucheoreom jibeoneoeul teda~”

Alternatively, the English translation which makes me want to die even more, especially because I’m standing right next to Suga:

“I get a feeling all at once, in one bite - I will put you in my mouth like cheese~”

The longer the song goes on for, the sooner I want the silence to be broken. So that’s why I shout:

“It’s just a ringtone!”

Almost as soon as I’ve said it, questions fire from every direction.

“You like EXO?” Hobi.

“Are you a bigger fan of them than us?” Jungkook.

“Who’s your favourite member?” Jin.

Now chuckling to himself, Suga lowers his arm and I take the opportunity to grab my phone. Wanting to cry with embarrassment, I answer the call and say in English a very meaningful – shut up and let me answer this, kind of meaningful – “Hello?”

“Mina!” It’s Jace. “Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

“Sorry,” I tell him, “I happened to... misplace... my phone. Is everything okay? You sound a little tense.”

Jace laughs and it freaks me out because something has happened and he’s hiding it. “Everything’s fine, honestly! I was just wondering how you are.”

“Right,” I say, clearing not believing him. “Jace, tell me really – what’s going on? You’re a bad friend to keep anything from me.”

“Okay,” Jace sighs. “Look, I just want to know why you haven’t been in contact with your dad.”

“Really, Jace? You want to talk about-”

“Yes, I want to talk about it!” Jace exclaims. “He’s your dad and you’ve been ignoring him for over a month!”

That’s when I get angry. “He has no right to bring you into this!” I say. “What happens between him and I is our problem. You don’t need to get involved!”

“I’m just worried about you, Mina! Is that too much for you? I just want you and your dad to get along. He wants to apologise.”

That’s when my heart plunges to the bottom of my stomach. “Jace,” I utter, “What have you done?”

“C’mon, Mina, just let him talk to you,” Jace tries to reason. “He’s here and he just wants to apologise-”

“No!” I yell down the phone, suddenly not caring that the BTS members are staring at me again. “Jace, how could you? This is none of your business!”

“Mina, I’m just trying to help-”

“Well stop trying!” I find myself suddenly all emotional and I can’t control my words as I blindly make for the door. “He already knows how things are. I never want to speak to him again!”

I slam the door behind me but it doesn’t stay shut. I barrel into the elevator and hit the button for the rooftop. I don’t know why but it seems like a good place to clear my head after I’ve hung up the phone.

There is a pause on the line. “Mina, you listen to me,” says another voice – the voice of my father.

“Dad, I-”

“No, you’re going to let me talk, and you’re not going to interrupt until I’ve finished,” he says. “Got it?”

I don’t answer. My mood is now all sullen.

“Okay, so I know sending the photo was insensitive,” says Dad, “But I just wanted you to meet your little sister. And she is your little sister, alright? I’m still your dad, no matter how many miles away you are from me.”

Tears start forming in my eyes as the elevator doors open and I step out onto the rooftop in the late afternoon sun. I still remain silent and let him continue.

“I know I messed everything up, Mina,” Dad sighs, “And I’m sorry. I just want you to know that I’m always here for you, and I never want you to hate me, or feel that I’m not your dad. Because I am.”

I lean against the wall around the edge of the rooftop. My throat is all choked up and tears streak their way down my cheeks. “I know that, Dad,” I whisper.

“I love you, Mina, more than you can know,” says Dad, “And I always will. You’re my little girl, aren’t you? Never cut me off again, or I’ll be getting the next flight over to South Korea, and you know how I am with timetables.”

I chuckle through my sniffles. “You can’t do that, Dad,” I tell him, “You need to look after your new little girl. My little sister.”

“Rosie,” says Dad.

I smile briefly, but then I take a deep breath. “This still doesn’t mean everything is okay, Dad,” I say sternly.

“I know,” says Dad a little ruefully, “But I want to make things better. Okay?”

“Okay,” I agree. “I’ll call you again, Dad. I just caused a scene back there.”

Dad chuckles. “You always used to make a scene wherever you went,” he says. “Always keep in touch, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I will from now on,” I promise. “Oh, and tell Jace I’m sorry, will you? I was harsh on him and he doesn’t deserve it.”

“That I can do,” says Dad. “Bye, sweetheart.”

“Bye, Dad.” I hang up on the call and wipe my eyes, looking out into the distance.

And I know he’s behind me before he even says anything.

“The sun is starting to set,” I murmur, knowing that he’s walking over without even looking.

“Is everything okay?” Suga asks, taking me by surprise. He never asks questions like that.

I nod slowly. “Everything’s just fine... I think.”

Suga leans on the wall next to me, gazing out at the view of the city. “Good,” he says. “Now, stop crying because I hate seeing it.”

I roll my eyes but obligingly wipe my face properly with the edge of my sleeve. But then he gently runs his thumb under my eye to wipe away any leftover tears, and my heart starts beating faster again.

“Thanks,” I mutter, glancing up at him. Then I sigh again.

“What?” he questions.

“I just don’t understand,” I admit, looking up at him again. “Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, you weren’t this morning, but that’s not what I’m talking about. You used to be horrible to me. Or you’d just ignore me completely.”

Suga shrugs. “People change,” he says philosophically.

I smirk then. “Are you saying you changed for me?” I ask.

He scoffs. “No, of course not. I don’t even like you.”

“Good,” I tell him, chuckling to myself. “I don’t like you either.”

He looks suddenly offended and frowns at me. “Hey, why?”

I smile sweetly at him and then stick my tongue out. “You’re ugly.”

“I’m ugly?!” Suga repeats. Then he grins. “Well, you’re ugly...”

And the way he finishes his sentence makes me smile.

“...but I like it.”

I slap his arm and laugh. “That still doesn’t make it a compliment.”

A smirk graces his lips and he slides his hand into mine. “I’m not really a compliment guy,” he says.

“That’s perfectly fine.” I meet his eyes and it’s like we’ve come to an understanding. It’s a risky understanding for sure, but it’s not impossible.

That’s when he reaches his other hand up to cup my cheek. He leans in, tilting his face to one side, just as the sun is setting beautifully in the horizon in purples and pinks and ‘Young Forever’ concept colours. (Sure, it’s embarrassing that he has to lean down so far – despite being short himself – but that’s hardly the point.)

His lips meet mine and we’re kissing on the rooftop of Big Hit Entertainment and everything is perfect – for once. And it’s because I met him.

---

Notes

Hey guys!
Aw this chapter was both hilarious and adorable to write ^.^
I hope you've been enjoying reading up until now, and I promise I will update soon.
I have a quick question if you wouldn't mind leaving a comment: if Mina was to make friends with an EXO member, who would it be and why? It may or may not be important later on ;)
Stay tuned for the crazy adventures of Mina and Suga and the Bangtan Boys!!
Thank you for everything
asterisk xx