A mechanical humming whirred from the computer, the room illuminated by the soft blue glow from the monitor. Minji blinked before glancing over at the clock.
Midnight already?

She had lost track of time again. It was a pretty normal occurrence for her, once she started on a project it was difficult to pry her away. She'd get lost in a flow state editing clips and would forgo bathroom breaks, meals and sleep as she excitedly worked through a project. Most of her classmates worked late to cram at the last minute, bragging about how many all-nighters they pushed through to meet their deadlines. Minji frowned. She was excellent at time management, albeit a bit of a perfectionist about her art, but she only ever worked late out of love for what she did.

She leaned back in the computer chair and yawned, staring up at the dark ceiling. At least she was passionate about what she did. Minji rubbed at her tired eyes and groaned, it was probably a good idea to get some food and call it a night. In reality, she was grateful for the work. It wasn't just her love of animation that kept her up late tonight. She glanced at her phone, checking her messages before locking the screen again. Haneul hadn't responded. She tapped her fingers against the desk, staring back at her own reflection on the dark screen.

Things hadn't been great. Mincheol had torn Haneul's heart. She knew something was going on between them but she had no idea it had gone so far. Though she had worried that things wouldn't work out between them initially, it never occurred to her that he would turn her down in such a cold hearted way. She remembered listening on furiously as Haneul recalled all the details of the past few months through teary eyes and heaving sobs. She clenched her fist thinking back on the hurt in her friend's voice, then heaved out a heavy sigh as she unfurled it. If she ever caught that bastard she was going to pummel him to a pulp. Fortunately for him, the coward had been avoiding her. Just as well, she thought, he should be ashamed of what he did.

Haneul had been sleeping in her dorm room the past couple of nights, they'd curl up on the bed together and Minji would silently rub her back as Haneul cried herself to sleep, meanwhile she plotted new and creative ways to make his life a living hell. Minji wasn't interested in meeting boys at school, all it did was distract from her studies. She often turned down group dates, and most guys knew by now that she would just turn them down if they asked her. It would have been easier if Haneul didn't have such an open heart, she thought, her heart aching for her sensitive friend. She had been waiting for another message this evening without any luck, maybe some of the initial shock had finally worn away. Either way, she was prepared to stay up a bit later just in case she needed her.

Minji pushed herself away from the desk, stretching her arms above her before lifting her weary body up from the computer chair. She hastily stuffed her laptop into her bag, and slung the strap over her shoulder before heading down towards the convenience store. She really needed to get in the habit of eating a real meal before getting sucked into her work. Minji pushed her body against the door, it was heavy against the wind and she winced as the cold air rushed in around her. She silently cursed herself for not knowing better. It was that time of year when the sun set early, it had been much warmer in the afternoon but without the sun the temperature had drastically dropped.

She wrapped her light coat around her body and braced herself against the cold as the campus door shut behind her.

—-

Minji clutched the plastic bag against her, her body already shivering at the thought of heading back out into the cold night. It wasn't much of a dinner, but she knew if she added some spam the noodles would be more filling. Her mouth watered and her cold, weary bones melted as she fantasized about a hot bath and bowl of spicy soup before bed. Minji sucked in a breath and steeled herself with the new found courage of instant noodles on her mind as she took a step out of the convenience store.

"Hey, you"

Minji glanced around at the unexpected voice, before catching a glimpse of Jaehee. He stood leaning, one leg propped against the wall behind him. His face was shadowed in the dark, illuminated only by the faint glow of his lighter against a fresh cigarette. He took a long drag before stepping into the light.

Minji scowled. Though she wasn't the type to get dragged into school rumors and fangirl culture, it was no denying that his popularity was warranted. His hair, though tousled from the wind, somehow sat even more artfully over his face. The ember from his cigarette reflected in his dark eyes giving them a dangerous glint, and his cigarette hung lazily from his lips, almost like it too was melting in his presence. Minji turned and began walking towards her dorm, the wind battering at her. In two quick strides he was in front of her, his long legs outpacing her without much effort.

"Come on, I just want to chat for a second" he sighed, with his hands up defensively. He stared down at her, a look of concern now flashing across his face. "How is… I mean, is she… is she okay?" he struggled to form the words, the sounds seeming to catch in his throat.

Minji stared up at his twisted eyebrows, marveling for a moment at the expression that seemed so out of place on his normally aloof, easy going features. His eyes avoided hers, glancing about while his fingers wriggled nervously. It was strange to see him like this, the man she had grown to know always had a collected, cool air around him.

Minji pursed her lips, pushing them to the side in discontent before heaving a sigh. "I mean no, not really" Jaehee had been the first to find Haneul after the incident. She had been crying in the school square alone, in broad daylight, and he was the one who had thought quickly enough to bring her to Minji. For that she was at least grateful, and it had been the only reason she begrudgingly divulged information about her closest friend.

"I see…" She could tell he wanted to ask more, but he either couldn't form the words or didn't have the courage to push further.

The wind blew around them, rustling her plastic bag and blowing her hair in disarray around her face. Minji clutched at her coat collar, pushing it up against her neck for warmth. Jaehee blinked down at her and smiled.

"Here hold this" before she could protest he placed the cigarette in between her lips, she frowned, the filter damp from his lips. Jaehee unzipped his coat and draped it over her shoulders. Minji cursed him internally, infuriated at his shamefully transparent actions. She had caught onto his little act pretty quickly, she wasn't so naive for an underclassman. An insult formed on her lips, ready to reprimand him for using her to get close to Haneul but she paused and thought better of it as she felt the warmth of his coat wash over her.

"Give me those" he gestured to her bags, hand outstretched towards her.

"Really, this isn't necessar-" she mumbled through the cigarette.

"Minji, I know you're cold. Just let me walk you to your dorm. Besides, it's late, what kind of guy would I be if I let a girl walk home alone at night?" he scoffed, his hand gesturing for her to hand over her things.

"Won't you be cold?" She looked up at him, although he was wearing a knit sweater, the wind was biting cold. She knew the breeze would be blowing straight through the fabric. Even so, her hands slowly handed over her bags. Shame burned momentarily through her, she hated depending on others, but more than anything she hated feeling like a helpless girl.

He grinned, satisfied with himself as he slung her bag over his shoulder before plucking his cigarette back from her lips "Don't worry, I'm like a heater"

The coat was heavy and made of sturdy leather, the inside already warm from the heat of his body. He wasn't joking about running warm.

The sleeves on his coat reached far past her fingers, and she fumbled with the zipper as they walked towards her dorm room. She absentmindedly nuzzled her face into the knit collar of the coat for warmth. The aroma of leather, cigarette smoke and a clean soapy scent rose up around her. She froze and immediately stuck her face back out into the cold. Choosing to save face with confrontation, Minji cleared her throat and glared at him from the corner of her eyes "I thought you were quitting smoking" she retorted, her voice icy.

"Oh is that so?" he blew out smoke and shrugged his shoulders, unfazed by her tone "It's a pretty tough habit to break"

Minji walked on in silence, biting her lip while deliberating whether or not to speak up about Haneul. Though she couldn't help feeling protective, she knew it wasn't her place to meddle in Haneul's life. She was hurting now though, and she knew having another guy chasing around after her would only make things more confusing. She didn't want Jaehee stepping in and messing with her head. Should she say something? What if he thought she was meddling? Or worse, jealous? She was weighing her options when she was suddenly interrupted by a heavy sigh.

"Minji… I'm not a complete scumbag, you know." She looked up at him. He frowned, raking his fingers through his long hair, his eyes distant. "I'm her friend too you know. I care about her, I'm not trying to swoop in and take advantage of her hurt feelings"

She eyed him suspiciously, then slowly nodded her head. "I understand, thank you" He gave her a weary smile before offering her his cigarette. She took a hit before handing it back.
They walked on in silence, the streets dark and bathed blue in moonlight. The wind still ripped around them, unrelenting, her ears pounded from the cold and she hastily brushed locks of pink hair from her face. She stole uncomfortable glances up at him, the crunching of their feet the only sound between them. For a moment she thought she noticed a shiver run down him, his shoulders quickly retreating down to a relaxed state as if he had been caught in a lie. She looked away, a secret smile on her lips. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy.

"I'm over here" she pointed at a glass door illuminated in a warm glow from the inside. It was one of the girls' dormitories. Though she had a feeling he was pretty familiar with all the girl's dorms given his reputation. She pushed the judgemental thought out of her head.

Minji and Jaehee stood awkwardly by the door as she fumbled with the coat zipper once more.

"Here, let me help, it gets stuck sometimes" Jaehee bent down to her level and gripped the zipper, muttering curses under his breath. He wriggled the zipper head until it gave way, his hands inadvertently tracing down the front of her body as he unzipped the coat. His hand flinched away to rub at the back of his neck, feigning interest in the dorm windows above them as she shrugged her body out of the oversized garment.

Jaehee handed back her bags, his ever present smile returning to his lips. "You know instant ramen isn't real food right" he teased, shaking the convenience store bag at her.

Minji ripped it out of his hands, rolling her eyes as she shuffled through her bag for her keys. "You can leave now"

"I'm just saying, I know Haneul is in a bad place but don't forget to take care of yourself too" he backed away slowly, hands up as if pacifying a wild animal readying for an attack. "Anyway, goodnight!" he waved at her, turning away lazily on his heel.

"Goodnight" she responded sarcastically, before shutting the door behind her. She watched as he stepped away into the darkness.

Minji raced down the hall and up the stairs, unable to stop until she closed the door to her room behind her with a heavy sigh. Her heart beat rapidly as she struggled to catch her breath. It reminded her of when she was little in her childhood home. She would sometimes turn off the downstairs lights and then race to her room, afraid that monsters would claw at her in the darkness if she didn't run fast enough. Her school bag dropped from her shoulder onto the ground. She leaned the back of her head against the hardwood, eyes closed, immobilized in the darkness.

She was exhausted. Frowning, she tossed her clothes around her carelessly in the dark, and dragged her weary body into her bed. It was strange, she was always cold, and in the winter she would often sleep with a heating pad as her body never produced enough heat to keep her warm. She reached a hand out to touch her cheek. Her skin was still cold from the wind, but she felt warm. She burrowed into her pillow and closed her eyes, the scent of leather and smoke wrapping around her.