"Care to explain what Choi Yeonjun was doing here?" San fired his questions as soon as he was in the close enough vicinity for me to hear his voice.
"Wow, great to meet you too. You killed it at the competition today. Also, I got to see how many fan girls you have. Woojin did you know San has fangirls?" I direct the conversation to Woojin and he just stares at both of us with a raised eyebrow and a million silent questions.
"Do not change the subject Yuri" San warns and I hand both of them half melted icecreams.
Both of them grumble a thank you and we are stuck in an awkward silence.
I don't want to bring up Yeonjun and my conversation with San in front of Woojin but I am not sure if it is the right thing to talk about with San either.
But then again Yeonjun did say that everyone knew about it. So it technically means I can ask San about it but will it be right to talk in front of Woojin?
Woojin is our closest friend and both of us have shared everything but I don't know it feels like letting someone outside our school know is kind of betraying whatever little trust Yeonjun has built for me.
"Who was that anyway?" Woojin asks while licking his ice cream.
"No one," I say before San can speak and he widens his eyes in shock at me and Woojin looks at me quizically.
"Oh I don't think he is no one" San shakes his head and I hold my head in my hand to stop the throbbing.
All of this cannot be happening in one day.
"San can we just not talk about this right now? We three were supposed to hang out here, like old times, remember?"
"Yuri, I warned you against him. I warned you against them. Getting involved with them is dangerous. You're not only jeopardizing your future but also your life" San yells and I feel the anger rearing his head.
"What do you mean? I know who they are, no thanks to you. And when did you cross over from being my friend to my mother?" I attack him and he flinches.
"Yuri, I want what's best for you" San reasons and I scoff. I am too mad at him right now to reason with him.
"Now you really sound like my mother" I counter and he lets out a strangled noise and grips the back of his neck to calm himself down.
"Okay guys, I think this calls for a time-out. This is getting out of hand. Both of you take a breather and calm yourself down and then we can discuss this" Woojin tries to act as the buffer between us.
"San can you please give it a rest? Can't we just hang out like old times without having to involve the Royals in every conversation?" I plead because I really would like one night without having to discuss either of the Royals.
"Wait, I thought you guys are Royals. What is going on here?" Woojin asks a little confused and I don't blame him. I would be confused too if I was in his place.
"I am trying to Yuri but it is you who bring them up, into our lives, again and again" Now it is my time to flinch at his words. He sees my reaction and his harsh features soften a bit.
"San, believe it or not, most of my encounters with the Royals have usually led to a series of unfortunate events but it has been coincidental. Trust me, I am just as weary of them as you are. But one thing leads to another and I am in the middle" I throw my hand up in frustration.
Woojin mimics my frustration and jumps in "Before this conversation goes any further, do either of you care to explain what you guys are talking about? I am feeling really lost out here."
"Why don't you ask Yuri since she has been their best friend" San throws his words at me at it really hurts. I have never had San fight with me like this.
"San that's not fair and you know it" I warn and I feel the tears stinging my eyes.
"What is going on here? Who are these Royals you guys keep talking about? I thought you guys were supposed to Royals since you're going to that school" Woojin yells and looks back and forth between San and me.
I stay silent. After all, I do not want to discuss this in front of Woojin because I feel like that is an invasion of privacy for both Soobin and Yeonjun.
And I am not even sure whether I can discuss all of it with San because I know he is also hiding a few things from me.
Hell! He didn't even tell me about who the Royals really were.
I got that information from Saehi and it helped me understand a lot of things more clearly than I ever would have.
"Sure, I'll tell you. The students at Royals are called Royals by the outsiders but when you become a student there, you get to know that there are the Original Royals. What do you mean you ask? Sure, I'll tell you" San taunts.
"The originals are the descendants of the founding fathers of the school. Four founding fathers established this school and all their descendants have attended the same school" Woojin is quiet as he listens to what San has to say.
"You know the four families, they are royalties, not just in Korea but also the world. The Heuning family of artistic directors and actors, the Kang Electronics, and of course, the brothers of the Choi group." Woojin's eyes widen at the names of the families.
I can relate to Woojin because I was in his position a few weeks back when Saehi was telling me about them.
"You know the Choi group? The biggest conglomerate in Asia and probably the world? The group who owns the school Royals High? The guy who rode away in the motorcycle right now is the heir." San finishes and finally points his stare at me.
"So now my simple question is - what were you doing with him here?" San asks me and I still don't know how to formulate the sentence which will not frame Yeonjun.
I cannot explain Yeonjun being here with me without telling him that we drove here from the school. And I cannot explain why we drove from school without telling him we almost got caught by the guard. And I definitely cannot explain that without telling him that this all began because Yeonjun was smoking.
Why was I in this mess again?
I didn't want to defend Yeonjun. Especially when it meant a fight with San but I could not betray Yeonjun.
"Also, not just Yeonjun, Soobin as well. You were with Soobin and Beomgyu at the activity center. Why do I always find you around them or them around you?" San attacks me. I can't believe that we're even having this conversation.
"San what is wrong with you? I understand you're worried but seriously why are you attacking me like this? One thing leads to another and I was there. But you have to understand I was there to root for you" I defend myself.
"Yuri, they are dangerous. What part of that don't you understand?" San is up in my personal space, his face only a few inches from mine and I feel the anger resurfacing.
He does not get to attack me this way when he has only kept me in the dark and not helped me understand what is going on in that school to any extent.
"You don't get to stand here and act so righteous. Maybe, instead of just telling me to stay away from them you could have taken the time to explain to me who they were. You never did. I had to hear it from Saehi"
"And you keep saying they are dangerous and I get that. They are part of very influential families. But you did not tell me about any of it. I met every single one of them by accident. And one event led to another and I kept encountering them."
"Every time I went to you for advice or even to get some clarity, you just shut me out. What am I supposed to do with that? That is certainly not what friends do" I accuse him and I can see his nostrils flare as he glares at me with his jaws closed shut.
"Frankly, I don't even understand why you hate them so much! I would try to understand you more but you completely shut me out"
"I was trying to protect you so that you don't get involved with them! Do you want to know about them? And why do I hate them so much?" He yells at me and there is a side to him that I did not know before, a side of him and that I did not know he possessed.
I did not know the Royals could bring out such an ugly side of him.
"Remember last year, when I broke my arm during a competition? Who do you think was responsible for that? You think I was careless enough to hurt myself during my peak competition season?" He asks and I just stare at him for him to continue.
Don't like where this is heading and a dreading feeling blooms in the pit of my stomach.
"Taehyun was behind it. He orchestrated the whole accident which led to a broken arm for me and sitting on the bench for the entire season but for him and his group, it was just a harmless joke that went a little overboard" his eyes are cold and he is glaring at me.
I can feel his hurt and anger but I am left speechless.
"And that too for what? Because I was offered the position to represent the school before him. All because I got something that he thought he deserved. Now do you understand why I have been worried about your involvement with them?"
I am too stunned to answer.
There are so many things swirling in my head that I think if I stand here for another second, the floor might give out on me.
I stumble back and sit on the bench. I try my best to calm my mind from all the questions firing inside my brain like a mismatched pulse.
"Now can you explain it to me what were you doing with Yeonjun, here of all places?" San fires another question at me.
"San please, can we take a minute? And Woojin is here. Can we not talk about this now? Let's... can we change the topic?" I plead and it is then that San notices Woojin's presence.
"No, no. Don't stop on my accounts. It did not stop you guys before" Woojin sounds disappointed.
"I thought tonight we would be hanging out like before. I didn't think was going to be a first-row audience to rich school drama. I feel like I don't even know who you guys are anymore" Woojin shakes his head in disbelief.
"Come on Woojin. Don't be like that. We're friends" I hope I sound more convincing than I feel.
"Yeah, some friends you are" Woojin discards the ice cream in the polythene and walks away.
San huffs and takes off in the opposite direction.
I feel like a very shitty friend.
A/n: has there been times when you've felt like a shitty friend?