"I'll tell you if you tell me" I try to make a deal.
"Tell you what?" she eyes me suspiciously.
"Tell me about who the Royals are" I challenge her.
Every time I tried bringing up the topic to anyone, everyone shuts down. It's like a taboo topic to discuss them. And I have been repeatedly told to stay away from the students in leather jackets but I don't even know how many of them are there.
Till now I have only seen 5 of them sporting the leather jacket. I wanted to know who else wore them and what was their significance.
Why was it such a big deal to sit next to them and why do people always eye me when I am talking to Soobin and so many more questions?
"We are Royals. The students at Royals High" she smiles.
"You know what I mean. The Royals. The one with the leather jackets instead of the blazers" I counter.
If she wants to know information from me, I need something from her.
And I know if anyone's willing to give me any information about the Royals, it would be Saehi. If I said San was weary of the Royals, Saehi is wearier.
"What's there to know about?" She feigns disinterest.
"People treat them differently. And I am not sure how many are there like them. And why do they get different treatments? I mean I know one is the future inheritor of the Choi Group but who are the rest? There's always so much animosity about them" I throw my hands up in exasperation.
Saehi sighs. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just they are not that interesting people."
"See it's like everyone knows but there's this unspoken rule about not speaking of them like they are Voldemort. What is going on?" Saehi opens her mouth to say something but I raise my hand to stop her.
"You might be a lot of things but you're not a good liar" I call her out on her bullshit. She smiles at me.
"You know, for a smart girl, you're really stupid but who am I to judge you?" she shrugs and gets up from her seat.
I am offended by her statement and I think she understands it from my expression.
"I don't know how much you know about them, if at all but any sane person would run the other way given how many rumors surround them" her laugh floats in my direction as a whisper, mocking my stupidity.
I would lie if I said, my gut feeling didn't scream to get me away from Yeonjun again and again, and yet somehow, I have been interacting with him the most out of all the Royals I have encountered as of now.
"Come on, let's take a walk. I'll give you your answers there but on the way, you tell me your story" she promises.
I don't question her and quickly pack up my things in the library and follow her lead.
She looks at me expectantly as we start walking in the direction of the student activity centre.
"Why do you have a key to the locked terrace of this building?" I ask when she expertly turns a key hidden on top of the door frame into the keyhole, opening the door to the terrace.
We are at the last building in the activity centre. I have never even been to this building before so I wasn't sure what sports or activities were allotted here.
However, the view from the terrace here gave a complete overview of the school. The building was at the end corner, giving me a clear look at every other building on the campus.
It was really something.
"Do you really want to know the honest answer or just enjoy the view?" Saehi challenges and I shake my head.
Yeah, I didn't want to know where she got it from.
"We won't have prying eyes and ears here, so, spill the beans" she folds her hands in front of her chest and waits for me to explain.
I sigh.
I had to tell her.
As promised, I tell her bout my interaction with Soobin and spilling the coffee on him, omitting the part where I cried and him giving me another set of uniforms, followed by the conversation with Beomgyu and Soobin at the lunch table and him inviting my parents.
I contemplate telling her about interactions with Yeonjun but then thought against it because there wasn't a way I could explain my interactions with him without revealing details that would invalidate our truce.
Till now, he was holding his end of the bargain.
I needed to do the same.
"Shut Up! Did he go there himself? As in he went to your house to give the invitation?" she asks, her eyes wide as she opens the door to what I assume to be the terrace.
"Yes, that's what I said. And why do you have the keys to the terrace of the student activity centre?" I ask my own question.
"Honey, you sure your family does not have big connections?" she asks me genuinely curious.
I roll my eyes at her and do not answer her.
I look ahead and see students coming out and into the buildings. There is a strange harmony I feel standing here watching over them even though there is so much chaos when I am actually there, experiencing it first-hand.
The in and out of students indicated that the period was over and it was lunch break.
I needed some answers from Saehi before I went out.
"I mean yeah, you're pretty but too simple for his liking. He dates models and actresses. Not that he would be dating anyone right now, given his situation" she is having an inner monologue, lost in her own thoughts.
"What are you talking about?" I ask about to burst into frustration.
I told her my part, now I needed her to tell me about them.
"You don't think it is odd that Soobin came to your house in person to give you an invitation? Did he ask you to come to the party? I mean that's why he went to you in person right?" she fires her questions rapidly at me.
"Wait, wait, hold up. One question at a time" I plead. I cannot keep track of the conversation if she keeps firing questions at me.
"First of I thought he went to everyone's house to give out the invitation since he is in charge of the event. And even if he didn't, he looked guilty that I didn't get an invite so I just put him coming to my house on his guilt" I shrug as if that is a valid explanation.
At least in my head, it is.
But given how Saehi is looking at me like I have three heads attached to my shoulder, I know maybe I am missing a part o the puzzle.
Hell, I feel like I have only one piece and the entire puzzle is scattered somewhere and everyone knows where except me.
"Girl, you're crazy" she laughs and indicates me to continue with her hand.
"And Soobin didn't invite me to the party. Beomgyu did. I think. I am not sure" I mean Beomgyu did mention the party and ask me to join but I am not sure whether it was more meant as a courtesy or not.
"Choi Beomgyu invited you to the party? How did you meet him again?" she asks and I sigh.
I quickly go over our first interaction and Saehi is holding onto the railing of the terrace laughing so hard that her eyes are tearing up.
"Oh my god, all your interaction with the Royals is epic. Don't tell me your interactions with the others were catastrophic as well" she wipes her eyes.
I look away from her.
If she is laughing about Soobin and Beomgyu, I can only imagine her reaction when she hears about my first interaction with Yeonjun.
Yeah, I don't need to tell her that.
"But, no seriously, You have both the Chois around you like bees to a flower. Beomgyu inviting you to their parties and Soobin going to your home to deliver the invitation personally... You're really something" she pats my back but it feels strangely uncomfortable.
"What are you talking about?" her expression falls and her eyebrows knit together as she notices the confused expression on my face.
"You basically have the future successors of The Choi Group wrapped around you" my blank expression makes her smile fall.
"You don't know" she states more than asks.
I just keep staring at her.
"Choi? Does it ring a bell?" she asks as if I should know.
A bad feeling returns to the base of my gut, twisting my stomach in knots.
It is a similar feeling that returns every time I am near Yeonjun, it is the impending feeling of bad news.
"They are brothers Yuri. The Choi brothers, as in the successor of The Choi group"
I feel the ground beneath me shift and my head spins.
A/n: Who saw that coming?