A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading this story. I appreciate the support!
glorialopezgl534.03: Thank you for your review. I am glad you enjoyed the chapter
Special thanks to my beta Vnillachamomile for helping out with this chapter. Enjoy, guys!
"Monalisa?" asked Jae. "Knowing Yi Jeong, I thought it'd be someone like Ariana Grande."
"Yi Jeong was a sucker for her smile," said Woo Bin.
She stifled a yawn.
He glanced at his watch. It was nearly midnight. "You want to go to bed?"
"Nah, I'm not that sleepy. We can talk."
Normally, he'd hang up. She sounded a little tired, but he hadn't seen her for a week. Now that they were two months into the new semester, she was swamped.
"So, who was yours?" she asked.
"Princess Peach."
"Mario?"
"There was something about her that captivated my six year old heart. She was sweet, cute and really smart. Even while captured—" His phone beeped.
"I think you're getting another call."
"It's Jun Pyo again. I'll just call him back."
An hour later, when Jae finally surrendered to drowsiness, Woo Bin called Jun Pyo back.
"Finally," said Jun Pyo. "I've been calling for hours. Who were you talking to?"
"A friend."
"A lady friend? Because you know you can tell me anything."
If Woo Bin made a list of the number of times Jun Pyo put his foot in his mouth, it'd be two feet long.
He told Ji Ah how much Woo Bin must like her since he took her on a hot-air balloon. He invited Da Eun into the F4 lounge after they broke up(She smashed three of Yi Jeong's pots, massacred Ji Hoo's favorite pillow and broke Woo Bin's gaming station). He told Ha Ri how sure he was that Woo Bin loved her. They'd been dating for a month at that point. Casually.
This time Woo Bin would play it safe. Jun Pyo wouldn't find out about his relationship with Jae until they'd been dating for a year, at least. "Sorry to disappoint you, bro, but I'm still single."
"But you've been smiling at your phone a lot. And—"
"Is this why you're calling at this hour? To inquire about my love life?"
"Ji Hoo and I are having a movie night at the F4 lounge. Could you make it?"
While that did sound like fun, Woo Bin knew Jun Pyo. He'd spend the entire movie marathon grilling Woo Bin about his love life.
"I'll pass."
_oOo_
The second Woo Bin entered her apartment, Jae greeted him the way she usually did: by engulfing him in a hug.
He smiled. He secretly loved it. It showed how excited she was to see him.
"Sorry for canceling yesterday," she said. "I screwed up the question paper for Prof Chung and had to redo it."
"Don't worry about it."
He glanced around the room. A scattered pile of books crowded the couch. Clothes spilled out of her laundry basket. An assortment of loose paper, pens, and guide books littered the center table.
She shuffled some books aside. "Sorry about the mess. Been meaning to clean all that up. It's just Ga Eul's back home, and I've been working crazy late hours."
"What happened yesterday? With Prof Chung?"
"He thought the question set was too easy. So, I had to redo it."
He sat beside her. "You prepare his lesson plans. Make the tests. Grade the papers. Is there any part of his job that he actually does?"
"Sure. He constantly keeps everyone on their toes," she said with a smile.
"Jae." Wrinkled clothes, her usually neat hair matted, bags under her eyes—she looked two-steps away from dropping dead from exhaustion.
"We've been over this. He pays more than the other professors. Besides, he's gotten much better. He almost never yells any more."
He shot her an incredulous look.
She slipped her fingers into his. "It's not forever. Once I'm twenty-two I can access my trust fund. Not that my parents wouldn't lend me money now. Of course they would, if I ask—but they might start the whole Su Jin conversation up again. Not that they'd force me or anything. They aren't like that. It's just, if I take their money—then—you get it, right?"
He took a second to decipher her words. "I'm sorry, who is Su Jin?"
"Su Jin Kim? The son of my parents' business partner? I told you about him."
"Does this seem like the face of someone in the know?"
"Well, he's a family friend." She fussed with her sleeve. "My parents tried setting us up in the past."
"I see."
"Just light nudges. Nothing to worry about."
"Right. And were you going to tell me this before or after the wedding invitation came through?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I would've told you before the engagement party at latest," she said with a lopsided grin on her face.
"Hilarious."
"I'm sorry. I thought you knew." She turned to face him. "But it's really not that big of a deal. They've been trying to set me up with someone 'suitable' since I was thirteen. I've got it all under control. Trust me." She drew circles around his knuckles. "Worst-case scenario, I'll just tell them about us."
"Worst-case? Hey! I'm perfectly capable of charming a parent if I wish to."
She snapped her head up to look at him. "Them liking you is not the issue, here. I'm sure you'll do great. In fact, you might be the only guy I've ever liked, who they'd actually approve of." She crossed her arms. "Therein lies the entire problem."
"You're going to have to walk me through this one."
"My parents have pushed me to date within my social class for years. They'd be a little too enthusiastic. It's well-meaning. They love me, and want what's best, but sometimes they can be—interfering."
Woo Bin disagreed. It certainly wasn't love that drove them, but he couldn't tell her that. "Point taken," he said instead.
Turning the movie on, she snuggled closer.
"Hey, Jae."
"Yeah."
"So, this Su Jin guy—will I've to duel for your hand someday? Medieval style."
"It's best that you don't." She took a handful of popcorn. "He'd win. Once he starts talking about hedge funds, you'd willingly jump on your own sword."
"I see your hedge fund and raise you Yi Jeong monologing about his favorite pottery carving technique for three hours."
"Okay. I miscalculated. Maybe you do stand a chance. Seriously, three hours?"
"'It's all in the division of spaces, Woo Bin.'"
They fell back into silence for a few minutes, refocusing on the movie. A high speed car chase started, at some point? The last time he checked, the protagonist was at dinner with his friends. How did they get here? He was completely lost.
Jae laid her head on his shoulder.
It didn't matter. Pulling her closer, he brushed the hair away from her face.
She looked up, startled. "Sorry. Fell asleep for a bit."
"Should we call it a night?"
"Nah, I'm okay. Let's watch the movie."
"When was the last time you slept?"
"The past few days have been a little crazy, but I'm alright. Promise."
"You don't need to run yourself ragged like this. Just let me help you."
"That'd be cheating."
"Jae—"
"Money complicates things. Even if you don't want it to."
Sometimes he hated her stubbornness.
"Come on, we haven't seen each other for weeks. Let's not get into all of this right now." She looped her arm through his. "I'm fine, okay? Don't worry. Let's finish the movie. My favorite scene is coming up."
They did not, in fact, finish the movie. Half-way through, she fell back asleep.
He kissed her hand. At least she'd finally get some rest. Careful not to wake her, he carried her to bed.
Contrary to popular belief, Woo Bin wasn't a complete idiot. Jae chose to work two jobs rather than return to New York with her parents. No matter how much she pretended otherwise, it wasn't only because she wanted to prove herself.
He recognized the signs. He'd seen it before—with Yi Jeong—with Jun Pyo. Her parents used money to control her.
He looked back at her sleeping form. So, it was a lost cause. She wouldn't take money from him. No matter how many times he asked. But that didn't mean she had to struggle alone.
He surveyed the messy house. Giving her money wasn't the only way to help. He'd start with the dishes.
_oOo_
The alarm shrieked like a banshee. Jae Kyung pressed snooze. A few more minutes. Just a few more minutes.
Not even a microsecond later, it started up again. She checked the clock on her night stand.
4:30 a.m.
She jolted awake. It was already 4:30. A two feet long list of chores waited for her. Might as well get to it. She dragged herself to the kitchen. The giant pile of dishes seemed like a good starting point.
The sink was empty, and the dishes stacked away. Strange. Did she do them last night?
Rubbing her eyes, she walked back into the living room. It was spotless. The books piled on the sofa yesterday, now sat back on the bookshelf. The pens, compass and other stationary had returned to the pen-stand. The floor was wiped clean, the trash from yesterday nowhere in sight.
But how?
Woo Bin.
She shook her head. Of course.
Yesterday was their first date night in weeks, and she'd slept through most of it. A small part of her expected him to be angry with her, regardless of how 'un-Woo Bin-like' that sounded.
Instead, he did this.
Sometimes, she didn't know what to do with him. It felt surreal, at times, to have someone care so damn much.
She returned to her bedroom. Looked like she had time to sneak in a quick nap after all.
_oOo_
Jae slid in next to Hana with a huge smile on her face. She got two extra hours of sleep. Prof. Chung accepted the new question paper she prepared with little fuss. She even aced the economics test.
"You look happy," said Hana.
"Yeah, I finally have a free evening."
"Ooh, we should do something," said Yu Ri.
"Sorry. I'm meeting Woo Bin. Maybe tomorrow?"
"You guys going to that party that Joon is hosting?" asked Hana.
"No. Karaoke."
"Has he taken you to any Shinwa party yet?"
He hadn't. While she enjoyed the last party Joon threw, it was still loud and chaotic—not the ideal ambiance for a date. It hindered any opportunity for conversation.
She told Hana as much.
"Do his friends know about the two of you?"
Jae Kyung's grip on her pen tightened.
"Geez," said Yu Ri. "Quit being such a busybody."
"It's just, there is no trace of you anywhere on his social media. And you two don't travel in the same circles. All I'm saying is, keep your eyes open."
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted to keep things private?"
Surprise flickered across Hana's face.
Jae Kyung didn't mean to snap, but Hana had been making these little jabs for months now. "I asked him not to post any pictures of us. I'm not ready to tell my parents yet."
"But—"
"They've been together for three months, Hana. Give it up already," said Yu Ri.
"That's not that long." She turned to Jae Kyung. "Don't let all that charm distract you from the red flags."
"Red flags?" Jae Kyung pursed her lips. "Can you even name one bad thing that he's done since we got together?"
She took a second to answer. "He was wonderful to Ha Ri too, in the beginning. Until he got tired of her."
"Come on. That's not entirely fair," said Yu Ri. "He didn't mislead Ha Ri at all. She knew what she was walking into."
Hana shot Yu Ri an ugly look. "Jae Kyung, I'm only trying to look out for you."
"He's sweet, funny, caring, fiercely loyal, and by far the most interesting person I've ever met. I'm sorry about your cousin, Hana. I really am. Nobody deserves to have their heart broken. But I'm not breaking up with him because he mishandled a delicate situation when he was seventeen."
"It's dangerous to believe that you'll be his exception. Men like that never change."
Jae Kyung stuffed her books into her bag.
"I can't just watch you get hurt."
"Then don't watch." She slung her bag on her shoulders.
"The high isn't worth the heartbreak in the end, Jae Kyung. Just ask the others."
"Have a nice evening, Hana."
She marched out of there. At this point, she didn't care if she was making a scene.
"Wait up," said Yu Ri.
Opening her locker, Jae Kyung crammed the rest of the books into her bag. "We'll talk later, okay? Not really in the mood."
"Look. Hana was totally out of line, but she means well. I swear."
Maybe she did, but Jae Kyung no longer cared. "I've tried to be patient, Yu Ri, but—"
Woo Bin emerged from the hallway, cutting her off. He looked between the two girls. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No. Yu Ri was just leaving." Jae Kyung took his arm. "Ready to go?"
"Jae Kyung," said Yu Ri.
"We'll talk later." She turned back to Woo Bin. "Let's go dancing. I miss it."
"You okay? You seem a bit—"
"Grand," she said, leading him out of there.
_oOo_
Yu Ri returned to their clubhouse to find Hana fuming in a chair.
"Oh, don't start with me," she said.
"I did warn you."
"Have you forgotten how bad it was for Ha Ri?"
Yu Ri was tired of having the same conversation over and over again. "Jae Kyung is not Ha Ri."
"I was only looking out for her."
"It's all in your head. You've nothing to look out for." Hana opened her mouth to protest, but Yu Ri cut her off. "That ship sailed long ago, anyway."
Hana shot her a surprised look.
"You really don't see it? She's in love with him."
"It's the high of a new relationship. If I can just get her to see some sense—"
One of these days, Hana was going to give her an aneurysm.
"Stop looking at me like I'm crazy. He's got you wrapped in his charm ever since the scholarship incident. I am the only one who is seeing clearly."
Why she always insisted on retreading old grounds, Yu Ri would never understand. "Sure, I am the one with the biases."
"What? You don't feel like you owe him, then?"
Any conversation about Hana's unreasonable hatred for Woo Bin always ended with this accusation. "That doesn't matter, what matters is that if you keep this up, you'll lose Jae Kyung as a friend."
"She'll come around."
"Did she come around on Ji Na and Na Bi? The girl can sure hold a grudge if she wants to."
Hana looked like she'd reply, but ultimately decided against it.
Yu Ri left her to her musings.
Hana wasn't wrong, per se. Yu Ri owed Song Woo Bin her life, in a way.
In senior year of high school, Yu Ri fell ill right before the deadline for scholarship applications. Their greasy git of a dean refused to accept the late submission, even though she was only a day late.
She spent lunch break hurling curses at him from the terrace. That is where Woo Bin found her, and she was lucky he did. Because he made the dean accept her application.
She had no idea how.
He hardly knew her. That day was the first time they'd talked. He helped her out anyway. The funny thing was, he didn't remember any of it.
So, Hana was wrong. His kindness towards Ha Ri was just that: kindness. Not manipulation, not mixed signals, not him falling for her but then getting scared at the last second, just plain old kindness.
_oOo_
Jae's phone rang again, and for the third time that evening, she dismissed it.
"Telemarketers?" Woo Bin asked.
"Not important." She stuffed it in her purse. "You were saying something about armadillos?"
He tapped the table. Something was wrong. A week ago, he caught Jae and Yu Ri in a heated discussion outside her locker. When he asked about it, she responded with evasive, non-committal answers.
He'd written it off as plain tiredness. But now he wasn't so sure.
"I haven't seen that friend of yours for a while."
She looked up.
"The one that hates fun—Hana."
She fiddled with her pen. "We've both been busy. You know how it is."
His eyes narrowed. "Jae."
Her phone went off again. "We had a small fight, okay?" she said while dismissing the call once again.
"I knew Hana couldn't be trusted. I swear, if she attacked you again—"
"Chill—it's nothing like that. We had a disagreement. That's all."
He waited for her to elaborate. She didn't.
He drummed his pen against the notebook. Maybe she figured out how obnoxious Hana was and decided to cut her off. Good riddance.
"So, armadillos?" asked Jae.
"Up until losing a bet against Joon in high school, I thought that was a made-up, fantasy animal."
"Ah, I thought the same about chinchillas. In my defense, I was five."
By the end of the evening, he'd put his suspicions about Hana's misdeeds on the back-burner. As long as Jae wasn't in any physical danger, it wasn't any of his business.
At that moment, he'd really meant it, but then Yu Ri called.
_oOo_
Two hours later, what started out as a pleasant day turned into a complete dumpster fire.
Woo Bin looked up at Hana. "Comforting your date when she's upset is just common decency, a difficult concept for you to grasp, I'm sure."
"The last time I checked, Song Woo Bin, decent people don't string people along for their own amusement."
"Right. I totally strung Ha Ri along. I never invited her home, introduced her to my friends, or shared my problems with her. But you're right, I showed her basic kindness. No wonder she was confused. After all, 'I'm not looking for a serious relationship.' is such a vague statement."
Hana stabbed her plate. "See, Yu Ri. He feels zero remorse—for any of this. I told you this was hopeless. He hasn't changed one bit."
The audacity of this woman, acting like a victim after she'd spent the past three months trying to poison Jae against him. And for what? Because he didn't return her cousin's feelings three years ago?
"Hana, we talked about this. At least try," said Yu Ri.
"You know what I find interesting? That you'd buddy up to the one person in this school I'm genuinely close to. What a coincidence," he said.
Hana gripped her spoon. "Excuse me?"
"Am I wrong?"
"I was trying to save her, that's all."
"Are you usually this delusional? Save her." He let out a bitter laugh. "Like when you turned on her at the slightest provocation?"
"I wasn't the one who smashed her heart into a million pieces."
"What are you talking about?"
"Stop playing dumb, you know exactly what I mean." She gripped the table. "After leading her on for a year, you show up with a new girlfriend. The audacity…"
"I—what?"
"You really haven't figured it out yet?" asked Yu Ri. "Come on dude, you're a smart guy. Think."
"Did Jae tell you she had feelings for me?"
"She didn't have to. It was obvious. No matter how busy her day was, she always carved out time for you."
"That's just friendship."
She ignored his protests. "She saved your little love notes in a special box."
"Those weren't love notes."
"Okay, tell me this: after you broke up with Ji Ah, how long did it take for you two to get together?"
His face dropped.
No, no, no, no.
He told Jae that Ji Ah was drop-dead gorgeous. That he loved her company. That he liked her more than he'd ever liked anyone in a long time. He even took Jae along on their date.
He forced her to watch him be with someone else.
Oh god.
Oh god.
Oh. God.
How could he be so stupid?
He lost sleep over the way he treated Ji Ah. He let her hurl curses at him. He ignored her friend's jabs. If she resorted to throwing things at him, he'd let her get three solid hits before he ducked.
The shame was so strong that he still couldn't meet her eyes. But realizing that he'd also hurt Jae in the process. Well. That made him want to crawl up and die.
"What's the matter?" Yu Ri held his gaze. "You never lied to Jae Kyung. It's not like you promised her a relationship. This is on her, right?"
"No, of course not. I—" he looked at the satisfied glint in Yu Ri's eyes. "I'll apologize to your cousin, Hana. If you think that would help, that is."
Hana's startled face stared back at him.
"Whether I intended to or not, I did hurt her. The least I could do is offer her some closure."
"Yu Ri was right: Jae Kyung really is your exception."
_oOo_
Woo Bin sunk into his favorite bean bag in the F4 lounge game room. An insurmountable amount of schoolwork waited back home, but after spending most of yesterday with a woman who despised him, he deserved a treat.
He hit right, narrowly avoiding a land-mine.
"Ooh, close call," Jae said.
When did she get here?
"Can I play?"
He handed her the other controller. "Thought you'd be at the porridge shop."
"It was mostly empty, so wrapped up early."
A landmine lay two inches ahead of them. "Turn right."
"Die! Die! Die!"
They jumped over the landmine and landed straight on top of a boulder.
She bit her tongue. "Sorry."
He suppressed a smile. She had zero idea how to play, but her enthusiasm was simply infectious.
"Come on, let's do something else. Karaoke?"
She grabbed her coat from the rack. "I'm more in an outdoorsy mood."
They settled on walking around the neighborhood. Except for the crunching of leaves underneath their shoes, the night was silent. With the chill of early november upon them, most people chose to stay indoors.
"Woo Bin," Jae said. "I spoke to Yu Ri."
He stopped. "Look. I wasn't meddling. They called me."
"That's not—you didn't have to do that." She intertwined their fingers together. "Thank you."
He studied her face. "I can sort of see Hana's point of view."
She looked at him as if he'd declared Jun Pyo his lord and savior.
"I still think she has a stick up her butt, don't get me wrong. Her concern for you seemed genuine, though."
"You think I should make up with her?"
"Hey, if you want to never speak to her again because she's a huge killjoy, go right ahead. Just don't do it on my account." He played with the buttons on her coat-sleeve. "I might not have meant to, but I did hurt her cousin. I can't say I would've acted differently in her position."
She met his gaze, her expression conflicted. "Well, she did apologize, even gave you a begrudging endorsement."
"Endorsement, huh? Knew she'd come around eventually. I'm just that charming."
"Yep. I predict we'll be cat-fighting for your affections any day now."
Her laughter felt light and breezy, something that was distinctly missing from their last encounter.
Yesterday had been worth it, in the end.
"Hey, a park." She pointed a few feet ahead of them. "Is it open?" She ran towards the swing, twirling it around. "It's been ages."
He took the one next to her. Swinging was never on his list of beloved childhood activities. Jae, however, felt differently. Few seconds in and she was lost in her own world, spinning around faster and faster.
The ensuing silence forced him to confront a problem that festered since yesterday. Now that his encounter with Hana was out in the open, he could ask Jae directly. But would it be better to let it go? Let bygones be bygones.
She pushed her feet against the ground. "It's like launching yourself into the sky."
He looked back at her. No, he had to know. "Jae. When did you realize you liked me?"
"I don't think I can pin-point the exact moment. It was gradual."
"Sure. It's just that we started dating a month after I broke up with Ji Ah."
She halted to a stop. "This isn't a casual question, is it? What did they tell you?"
He looked at her, his eyes soft. "After our hangout with Ji Ah, why were you avoiding me?"
Her answer was delayed and subdued. "Maybe I did feel something, on the hot air balloon."
"That means… Hana was right, then? God, I can be such a dumbass sometimes. Why didn't you say anything?"
"You were with someone. There was no point." She shuffled her feet. "Besides, we couldn't hang out the way we did if I liked you. So, I told myself it was just friendship. I know it was wrong, but it wasn't conscious, okay? I just didn't want things to change."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know, I swear."
"Wasn't your fault. And it's all water under the bridge now, anyway."
He tapped his foot. "There's still one thing I don't get, though. If you had feelings for me, then why give me relationship advice? Why get me to see her side of things? Why advocate on her behalf?"
"You said you liked her—more than you'd liked anyone in a long time—that she made you really happy."
For a second, he said nothing, only looked at the earnest expression on her face.
Ha Ri's words came back to him.
What does she have that I didn't?
He replied with some platitude about timing. But timing had nothing to do with it.
It was Jae.
He could search the whole world over and not find someone with so much heart. Woo Bin wasn't dumb enough to squander his chances with a woman like that.
He grabbed her swing's chain and pulled it closer, until their faces were inches apart. "Don't ever do something this stupid again." He brushed her cheek with his thumb. "You're impossible, you know that? Absolutely impossible." Angling her face towards him, he leaned in and kissed her.
_oOo_
"I thought the next item on your list was 'do something out of your comfort zone.'?"
"It is." Ga Eul adjusted the mic. "I've stage fright."
Yi Jeong gave the pianist the go ahead, and then took his seat. Ga Eul's first song was a solo.
"What's so great about the night sky?" she sang.
He froze. Ri Sa's voice reverberated through his head.
What's so great about the night sky?
Stars accompany the moon.
Do you like it, Yi Jeong?
Yi Jeong shoved the memories of his high school ex girlfriend away. Not today of all days. Today was supposed to be a fun day out with Ga Eul.
"Was it that bad?" asked Ga Eul, jolting him back into the present.
He schooled his features. "It was lovely. Brought back some memories, that's all. I know the singer from school."
"Oh, right. I read somewhere that Ri Sa Kim graduated from Shinwa. You were friends?"
"Sort of." He stared down into his glass. "We dated. Briefly."
She studied his expression, as if dissecting a puzzle. "The next item on my list is getting drunk. Up for it?"
After what happened in high school, Yi Jeong avoided alcohol when he could. The sleepover at Jae Kyung's house was the first time he drank in three years.
That was nine months ago, and he survived. One drink wouldn't hurt. God knows, he needed it.
"Sure."
Four shots in, he turned to her. "So, how are things with Joshua?"
"Good. He invited me on set recently. It was fun."
He downed two more shots. "You guys going steady, then?"
"What? No! That was just a friend-date. Between chef class, college coursework, and restaurant duty, I don't have the bandwidth for a relationship."
Another of Ri Sa's hits reverberated across the room.
Yi Jeong took three more shots, attempting but failing to hold back the assault of memories.
Risa threw Shinwa Weekly in his face. "I'm not blind, Yi Jeong."
He stared at the picture of him cuddled next to another woman.
"Nothing happened! We just went out for a drink."
Ga Eul grabbed his hand. "I'm—I'm g—glad you're in my life." She giggled.
"Me too."
The relief was temporary. The memories fought their way back to the surface.
The scene shifted to the debut party.
Yi Jeong entered, struggling to keep his balance. His clothes were wrinkled, buttons unevenly done, hair uncombed, and his breath still smelled of alcohol.
"Happy debut day," he said.
She looked away from him.
He clapped the music director on the shoulder. "This lady. She's tr—treasure."
Ri Sa's mother removed his hand. "Why don't you freshen up, Yi Jeong ssi."
"I'm fresh as hell," he said and then threw up all over the director's shoes.
"Yi Jeong," Ga Eul called out. "Let's dance."
He shot up from his chair, and fell face-first onto the floor.
"Sir?" the bartender asked. "Are you okay? Should we call someone?"
The rest of the night was a blur. He vaguely remembered waking up in his F4 lounge bedroom, Woo Bin sitting beside him.
Yi Jeong grabbed his arm. "Bro."
"Drink up. You'll feel better."
Yi Jeong took the glass, his hands still shaking.
"Woah, hold on." Woo Bin held the cup steady.
"Bro, do you think I'm a bane to women?"
Woo Bin put the cup back on the stand. "You're loyal, loving, hard working, and have beautiful, nimble Potter hands. While I personally don't see the appeal, women swoon. Apparently. Any girl would be lucky to have you. Now drink up."
_oOo_
Yi Jeong's F4 lounge bedroom flew open. Jae entered.
She glanced at Yi Jeong sprawled on the top of the bed, and then joined Woo Bin on the floor. "Ga Eul is sober, finally."
They'd put Ga Eul up in Jun Pyo's room. "I think it's best you guys stay here tonight," Woo Bin said.
"Yeah, it's late." She joined him on the floor. "You doing okay?"
He forced a smile. "Yep, just a blast from the past, that's all."
She said nothing, only intertwined their fingers together. They sat like that for some time, neither uttering a word.
"You keep saying how difficult high school was for him, but it must have been hell for you too."
"It wasn't his fault," Woo Bin snapped.
"I know."
He met her gaze, her eyes warm and soft. "Some days were hard. Ji Hoo tried, but more often than not, it fell on me. The guy isn't exactly Mr. Cuddles. And Jun Pyo, bless his soul, is terrible in a crisis. I'd tell him one small thing and then have to deal with his hour-long downward spiral." He paused. "Kiarra helped. Even though I couldn't tell her the specifics, she always found a way to cheer me up."
Jae squeezed his hand. "I'm glad you had someone."
"Shit hit the fan after she left. But I made it out. That's what matters."
Pushing the memories down, he focused on Jae instead—on her soft fingers, on the scent of her floral shampoo, on the tingling sensation as her thumb trailed down his arm.
"I'd wanted to ask you something—before we got interrupted by the Yi Jeong/Ga Eul situation, " He held her gaze. "Did you have questions about Ha Ri?"
"Not really. It's unfortunate what happened, but I don't think either of you were in the wrong. Sometimes things just don't work out the way we want them to. Sucks, but that's life."
"I did think about it, you know? Before I broke it off, whether we would work long term."
Jae didn't respond, only watched him with interest.
"We weren't compatible. She was way too pushy. Always trying to force me to open up. I get that she meant well, but it wasn't my problem to share. What was I supposed to say anyway? How I'm constantly terrified that Yi Jeong will end up dead in a ditch somewhere?"
She rubbed his shoulders. He leaned into her touch, the tension dissipating bit-by-bit.
"You don't have to know what's wrong in order to make someone feel better," he said.
"Well, that has always been your forte."
"I try." He rubbed his neck. "Anyway—the point is—maybe it was an unfair expectation, but what can I say? I've ridiculously high standards."
Yi Jeong groaned, reclaiming his attention.
Woo Bin patted his back. "Feeling better?"
"Water."
"I'll get him some," said Jae.
He watched her leave, a fond expression on his face. It was her forte too.
After handing Yi Jeong water, she rejoined Woo Bin on the floor. "You know, Ha Ri is not the ex I was curious about?"
The glint in her eyes scared him a little.
"Why Da Eun?"
"I didn't know she was bat-shit crazy."
"Come on, Woo Bin. You were in the same class together for years. You at least had an inkling."
"Ok, fine. I suspected, but—I like giving people the benefit of the doubt."
Her expression was both amused and not fooled.
"Fine, I thought she was really hot. But you've seen her, I'm only human."
She crossed her arms. "Is it wise—to talk about how attractive your ex is to your current girlfriend? You're lucky I'm not the jealous type."
He was stunned speechless.
"Relax, just messing with you."
"I knew that, of course. I was just playing along."
She grinned. "Obviously."
Before Woo Bin could respond, his phone went off, Ji Hoo's name flashed across the screen.
"Where is everyone? I've been calling for hours."
"I got caught up with something. What's up?"
"It's Jun Pyo—he's gone."
"What do you mean gone?"
"He left for New York. His father—he met with an accident last night. He's in a coma."
A/N I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! What was your favorite part? Tell me in the reviews!
