Chapter 7
Deceit

MC awoke with a groan, her arms and legs splayed across her bed. With a long stretch she sat up and let out a yawn. Her clock on the nightstand read 7:13am. She felt strange. It wasn't very often that she woke up before her alarm had a chance to go off. picking up her clock she clicked it onto its second setting before setting it back down. She always needed another alarm just to make sure she wasn't late for work.

A tantalizing smell teased at her nose as she sniffed the air. So that must be why she was up so much earlier than normal. But where on earth was it coming from? A second sniff revealed another smell underlying the first. Was something... burning?

After quickly throwing on a pair of clothes MC ventured out into the living room. The smell from before was much stronger here than back in her bedroom. It smelled like eggs and chicken, along with something she couldn't quite place. The sound of a cupboard slamming shut rang through the room causing her to stare worriedly towards her kitchen. A thought suddenly struck her that Yoosung wasn't lying on the couch.

"Awwwww, no, darn it. Maybe if I..." she heard Yoosung's voice say as she walked through the kitchen doorway. He had his hair pulled back with a cloth and one of her aprons tied around himself. Two plates sat on the counter top in front of him with something yellow resting inside them. A bottle of ketchup stood beside them. Seeming to notice her presence, Yoosung turned his head to see her watching him. He smiled.

"MC! Good morning, I was about to come wake you up." He laughed, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I made you breakfast! I wanted to do something nice for you."

"Oh, Yoosung you didn't need to do that." Said MC, feeling rather flattered. As she got a better look at the plates she couldn't help but let out a small giggle. An omurice sat on each plate respectively with a crudely drawn on smiley face made of ketchup. The memory of a past chat room flashed through her mind making her smile wider. It seemed he still had trouble making this particular dish.

"Ah. Yeah they didn't come out as well as I wanted them to." He admitted.

"Nonsense, I think they look delicious." Said MC with a smile. Yoosung looked absolutely delighted.

"How long have you been up to make all this?" She asked as they sat down to eat. The omurice may have looked pitiful on the outside but the inside was better than MC had imagined. His cooking really was good, even if his presentation wasn't. However, she couldn't help but find the smile staring up at her from her plate adorable. No one had cooked her a meal like this since before her parents had passed.

"Actually, I couldn't really sleep." He said nervously as he took a bite, his eyes avoiding her curious stare. A soft shade of pink rose to his cheeks. "I was up all night thinking." MC raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What were you thinking about?" Inquired MC. She hoped nothing was wrong.

"Um, nothing really." He said dismissively. She couldn't help but find that suspicious.

"Are you sure? If something's bothering you you can talk to me about it." She insisted.

"Well... I was just thinking about how nice you've been to me." Said Yoosung. He smiled softly and looked down at his plate. "Ever since I came here you've done nothing but make sure I was okay. You took care of me when I was sick, helped me get a job, made food for me. You're so kind." MC flushed at the compliment. "You remind me a lot of my cousin Rika, actually."

Now that was something she hadn't wanted to hear. She had hoped he wouldn't do what she knew was happening inside his mind all over again. It seemed some things just never changed. Of course, she couldn't fault him entirely. She could partially understand where he was coming from. He hadn't had as much time to heal as she had. Even she sometimes had days where her past felt like it was going to consume her and drag her under never to resurface. But she fought through it. She only hoped she could help him do the same. She didn't want to be someone's replacement.

"Yoosung..." she started. He must have taken her word as one of endearment because he started smiling again.

"I feel so happy when I'm with you, just like back when she was around. I feel like, maybe I was sent here on purpose. Maybe this is where I was supposed to be. I find myself thinking sometimes that Rika must have meant for me to find you. I want to believe that." He said again, looking around at his food with a smile on his face.

"Yoosung... you're not trying to compare me to her are you...?" MC asked sadly. Yoosung looked alarmed at her question.

"You say that like it's a bad thing. Rika was the best person I ever met. It's a compliment that you're similar to her. She did a lot of great things back when she was alive. I looked up to her a lot, she was my role model." He said defensively. MC could do nothing but sigh. There was no talking any sense into this boy.

"That's not what I mean... Never mind." She said in defeat. There would have to be more talk about this later. This definitely wasn't something she could just sweep under the rug. If he was going to like her, and oh god did she want him to like her, she didn't want it if she was just a fill in or a shadow of someone else. She wanted something more genuine.

Yoosung looked almost hurt but dropped the subject. He couldn't figure out what he did wrong. Was it something he said? Why did she seem so upset? Rika was an amazing person, surely she would understand why he saw so much of her inside her. It was a good thing.

The rest of the morning was spent tidying up the apartment. With another person living with her MC noticed things tended to get messy twice as fast. There had been so many things on her mind that she hadn't given a second thought to cleaning. Yoosung, of course, had offered to help her. He seemed awfully happy about something as boring as cleaning. She really didn't have any reason to reject him so before she knew it he was following her around, helping clean whatever she set her sights on. He really did remind her of a puppy more times than she'd like to admit.

Once the place was thoroughly clean of mess MC checked the clock on the wall. It was already almost 8:30. They'd have to leave for work soon if they were going to get there on time. She sighed as she thought of the money it was going to cost her for a taxi. Perhaps she should invest in getting a couple bikes when her wallet could allow it. Living with barely pennies to her name was getting to be a real pain.

The taxi ride hadn't been that bad, other than the constant worry of how much exactly it was going to cost her. Of course it's not like she really had a choice. Her job was much too far for her to even think of walking. They had even had to get a ride back from the park the previous night. Even if she had wanted to walk last night things weren't safe at night to walk such a long distance. Sure she had Yoosung with her, but that didn't mean she wanted him to be put in possible danger either.

After handing her card to the driver she felt a pang in her chest. There went another twenty bucks down the drain. She had never felt more relived that pay day was only a day away. At least she could get the battery in her car replaced. It was a shame Yoosung wouldn't get paid until the following week.

As she got out of the car a strange feeling overtook her. A prickling sensation ran up the back of her neck and she turned to look behind her. The only thing she could see was the entrance to the restaurant. Why had she felt as if someone had been watching her? Shaking off the feeling she walked over to Yoosung who was exiting the opposite side.

"Ready for another day at work?" She asked with a false sense of cheer, swinging her arm with a thumbs up. Yoosung gave a small laugh as he mimicked her gesture.

"Of course." He smiled.

After they both clocked in at the back computer they headed towards the kitchen to check the spreadsheet for the day, laughing all the way. Being at work didn't seem so bad when you had a friend to go through it with you. Especially if you happened to like that certain friend. A lot. It had definitely been a good move to get him hired in here with her.

"MC! Hey, how's it going? Who's your friend?" Came a voice from behind her. The face she had dreaded seeing the most popped up between her and Yoosung. She shivered involuntarily when she felt one of his arms wrap around her shoulder. It seemed Kyle had pulled both her and Yoosung into some weird group hug as they walked.

Yoosung seemed confused only for a moment before he accepted what was happening. He only figured it must be a friend of MC's. Though that didn't stop the knot in his stomach from tightening painfully. He didn't know where this sudden emotion had come from but he didn't like it. Not at all.

"O-oh, hi Kyle." Faltered MC. "This is Yoosung, he's new here." Something inside her had stopped her from mentioning he was her friend. Was she really that afraid of how he'd react? The gesture wasn't lost on Yoosung, however.

"Yeah I just started yesterday. I'm MC's friend." Said Yoosung. The way he stressed that sentence made it sound as if he was trying to hint at something more but Kyle didn't seem to bite. A cold sweat broke out over MC's brow. It was out in the open now.

"So that's why I didn't recognize you! I had the day off yesterday." Said Kyle, stepping in between them to stop in front of Yoosung. "And that's funny, I haven't heard about you before. Anyway, the name's Kyle. Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking over as the new guy, man, it was getting exhausting." He finished, sticking out his hand for Yoosung to shake. Yoosung looked a little insulted at first but composed himself, gripping Kyle's hand tightly. MC swore it looked like both of their knuckles had turned white.

"Well hey, I'll see you around the place then! I gotta get back to cleaning up the backroom. Duty calls and all that." He laughed. MC couldn't be more relieved by the time he was out of sight.

"Who was that exactly?" Asked Yoosung once the other man was out of earshot.

"Oh, him? Uh, he's no one. No one really. A friend of Rachael's." She lied. Yoosung watched her eyes shift and frowned slightly. He felt as if something was off about her but didn't press it. She had been acting strange earlier as well. Maybe she was just having a bad day.

The restaurant seemed much busier than usual that day. Yoosung found himself practically having to dash between tables to ready them for the next set of customers. This was turning out to be a little harder than he thought. On the bright side, at least, he got to see MC a lot more throughout the day. He couldn't help but steal glances at her every so often.

As he watched her he could've sworn he heard a faint pair of giggles somewhere behind him. When he had turned around there was no one looking at him. Waitresses were busy taking care of their customers while the customers ate and chit-chatted at their tables. He hoped all of his last few years of gaming hadn't somehow damaged his hearing at all.

A tightness suddenly pulled at his stomach which had nothing to do with the butterflies currently fluttering about. He needed to go to the bathroom. Like right now. Heading to the back he dropped off his tray of dishes and rag by the sink before making his way to the bathroom. Hopefully it wouldn't get too bad while he was gone.

MC sighed as she walked back to the kitchen with one of her orders. She felt more tired today than usual. Waking up early all on her own had been a pleasant treat but the it seemed the extra 20 minutes was taking a bit of a toll on her. Or maybe it was just the stress from everything falling apart in her life. She reasoned it as probably the latter, unfortunately.

"Hey, MC. Come here." Whispered a feminine voice a little ways from where she stood. She turned to see a few of the waitresses standing in the corner of the kitchen.

"What is it?" She asked but was subsequently shushed. They urged her to come over closer to them.

"What?" MC asked again now that she was close enough to them. She didn't understand what they were trying to be so quiet for. Their giggling certainly didn't help her either.

"Hey, we like noticed something earlier and thought you should know." Said the girl she knew as Ashley. Her friend and coworker Carey snickered beside her.

"Yeah." Agreed Carey, covering her mouth as she laughed to herself. "That new guy has totally been staring at you like all day. He was doing it yesterday too."

"What?" Asked MC, her mind flashing to Kyle for a moment. He had been the new guy for so long she didn't even register anyone else under that title yet.

"Yeah, the cute blonde guy." Said Ashley. "I think he likes you."

"Or at least thinks you're hot." Said Carey tactlessly, earning a painful nudge from her friend. MC's face darkened. Why on earth were they talking to her about this?

"So like, we were wondering if you two were a thing or something. 'Cuz if not, Ashley totally was gonna try to steal him." Said Carey. MC's cheeks reddened considerably more.

"We-we're not a couple. But, I don't think you should really-" She started, trying to defend herself.

"Aw man, Ashley bad luck she totally does like him." Laughed Carey as MC's blush all but consumed her face.

"Eh, it's whatevs. There's plenty of other guys here." Said Ashley, her eyes suddenly locking on something somewhere behind MC. "Like him. Hiii Kyle~."

"Oh look what you did, you scared him away Ash'." Remarked Carey. "Hey, MC? You okay?"

MC felt mortified. Had he heard what they were just talking about? That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all. She turned to see where he had gone off to but he was gone. The only sign of movement was the men's bathroom door swinging closed over by the corner.

Yoosung gave a contented sigh as he zipped up his pants. That had been a close call. Who knew running around so much would make you have to go to the bathroom so badly.

A sudden slam of the door caught his attention and he turned from the sink to see Kyle had barged into the bathroom. He felt the knot in his stomach tighten again. Even if he didn't want to, this was his new coworker and he should at least say hello to him.

"Oh, hey." Said Yoosung. It came out a bit colder than he intended. Part of him hoped he hadn't come across as rude, though he found another part of him didn't care nearly as much as he thought it should.

"Hey. I got some words to say to you." Said Kyle suddenly very seriously. Yoosung took a step backwards as Kyle walked up on him. He hadn't expected him to get quite so close. They were in a bathroom after all, this was a bit uncomfortable.

"What's this I hear about you staring at my girl?" He said angrily. Yoosung's face scrunched in confusion. He hadn't the slightest idea what he was talking about.

"What are you talking about?" Said Yoosung, voicing his thoughts. The anger seemed to intensify in Kyle's eyes at his statement.

"Don't play dumb with me. I know you've been checking out MC behind my back. I don't know what you're trying to pull but you better cut the shit." He warned. "Stay away from what's mine."

Yoosung's eyes widened in surprise. Where was this coming from? And why was he acting as if MC was his property?

"What? You can't just claim someone like that. You sound like she's some object you own. What, is she your girlfriend or something?" Said Yoosung with a bit of venom.

"Yes, actually, she is." Said Kyle matter of factly. Yoosung's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. "So stop looking, she wouldn't want someone like you anyway. I don't care who she's friends with but don't go trying to sweep her off her feet or nothing or you'll have to deal with me." He threatened.

"Don't make me tell you again." He said as he walked back out of the door, leaving Yoosung behind.

Yoosung stood in shock. Had he heard that correctly? MC... was his girlfriend? Then... what was he to her? His heart shattered. A sense of betrayal hit him as he clutched at the sink. This couldn't be happening.

The later half of the day seemed to slow down as fewer and fewer customers showed up to the restaurant. With less people to clean up after Yoosung unfortunately had even more time to think. Those words kept echoing in his head over and over. Girlfriend. He felt so used. They may not be together in any sense but it was the principal of the thing. What was he going to do? He was even staying at her house! What would Kyle think if he found out about that?

Yoosung's heart ached as he mindlessly scrubbed at one of the tables. He'd have to bring it up to her. But how was he supposed to go about talking about something like that? Regardless, it looked like tomorrow he'd have to start looking for another place to live. He didn't even know if he could stay at this job. Not with her here. It would hurt so much. Going home with her again was going to be painful enough. How could she have done this to him?

"Hey, Yoosung, you doing alright? You've been wiping that same spot for about five minutes now." Came her voice. He looked up to see MC with concern on her face. His attention turned back to the table. He couldn't bear to look at her right now.

"I'm fine." He answered simply.

"Are you sure?" She inquired again.

"I said I'm fine." He repeated. She felt a bit taken aback at his sudden coldness. Had she done something to upset him? Maybe she'd ask him about it once they got home. Something was obviously bothering him.

"Alright... well, it's about time to clock out. I was just letting you know before I go get our stuff. Do you think you could call a taxi for us again?" Asked MC.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Yoosung answered in an uninterested voice. MC stared at him for a moment before deciding it was best to leave him alone for the moment. Whatever was bothering him must be really big.

"Hey, what's eating at you?" Asked MC as soon as they made it through the front door, more seriously this time. The ride home had been nothing short of unbearable. No matter what she tried he didn't want anything to do with her. Lately he had been so sweet and helpful. Where did that Yoosung go and where did this crab come from?

"What's eating at me?" He said, repeating her question. "You should know. I can't believe you didn't tell me."

MC was severely lost. She had been nothing but honest with him the entire time he'd been staying at her house. What had gotten into him?

"Yoosung I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't been hiding anything from you." She insisted.

"Don't lie to me... that just hurts even worse." He said, a pained expression clear on his face.

"I'm not lying, I really don't know what you're talking about. Please tell me so I can clear up whatever's going on with you." She said at a loss.

"You know what. Why else would I be upset? I really liked you... like a lot. I thought maybe you felt the same... I thought maybe we could... Whatever it doesn't matter." He said, brushing it off. MC's insides twisted. Had he just said what she thought he did. He liked her? Wait, why did he say that like he didn't anymore? What was happening?

"Yoosung, please! I really don't know what's happening here! I-I do like you!" She blurted, her face going hot. This wasn't the type of confession she had pictured happening but she didn't have a choice. "I like you a lot, why would I ever do something bad to you? Please, just tell me what's wrong!"

"KYLE." He said angrily. The heat from him words quickly died down being replaced by a look of anguish. "He told me everything."

MC was even more confused than she had ever been in her life. What, did he find out that he had been her friend for a short period of time or something? She really didn't understand what he was going on about.

"I don't understand, what did he say? What does he have to do with anything?" She asked desperately. There was only so much of this she could take before she lost it. She needed to know what was happening.

"Of course he has to do with everything! You let me... you let me live in your house when you have a boyfriend! That's right, he told me all about it. Do you have any idea how I felt when he told me? I feel so hurt, MC... how could you..." he said. "After all you said..."

"WHAT?!" MC shouted angrily, catching Yoosung off guard. "He is NOT my boyfriend!" She was absolutely seething. What was wrong with that guy, spreading rumors about her?

"What? But he told me-"

"No! Whatever he told you, no, it's not true! I don't like him at all! He tried asking me out on ONE date and I rejected him! Who does he think he is?" She yelled in frustration. She couldn't remember the last time she was this angry. Every ounce of fear she felt for that man completely escaped her as rage consumed her very core.

"So he's not your boyfriend?" Asked Yoosung, trying to collect what was happening.

"HELL NO." said MC forcefully. "He's just some creep who won't leave me alone!" Her teeth were bared as her hands curled into fists. Every part of her was burning.

"Oh thank goodness." Sighed Yoosung gratefully. He seemed to practically melt into the couch out of relief. MC plopped next to him, her nose scrunched in anger. They sat there in silence as she attempted to cool down. She didn't care what happened, she was going to let him have it. Intimidating her was one thing but the fact that he had gone after Yoosung made her blood boil. How dare he!

"Hey MC?" Asked Yoosung softly.

"What?" She snapped before shaking her head. "I- I sorry I didn't mean to... yes, what is it?"

"I just thought of something, and I wanted to ask you a question. But you have to answer me this time okay?" He insisted, sitting up and staring at her in the face. MC felt the anger subside and she took a deep breath, trying to let go of what happened only a moment ago.

"Okay, sure, shoot." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"You have to promise you'll answer me. You can't take it back. Okay?" He said, sticking up his pinky. A smile pulled at MC's lips at the sudden gesture. She really couldn't resist this man. Lifting her pinky, she curled it with his.

"I promise." She said sincerely.

"When you played that game on your phone... you picked me, didn't you?" He asked seriously, his eyes looking deeply into hers. His question caught her off guard and a strange noise erupted from her throat. It felt like all of the blood in her body had rushed up into her face all at once and she turned away from him.

She heard him laugh to himself and her face grew darker. Even though she promised she couldn't force herself to turn around. It was probably obvious by her reaction but she knew he wouldn't let her off the hook that easily. After a moment of struggling she managed an answer. If even a pin had dropped at that moment it would have been enough to drown out her response.

"...yes..." She admitted weakly. She heard him laugh again, this time sounding much softer than before.

"I knew it."