Chapter 31: unexpected acquaintance

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I remained silent, staring ahead of me.

"I just think you shouldn't  lie to Sunghoon about it. It won't make it any better.".

I finally exhaled to say something on the subject. "That wasn't the plan at all, either. I was going to tell Sunghoon about it earlier, but somehow...fucking hell, I don't know.". I slid down in my chair.

"You are scared, right?" he laughed.

I chewed on my lower lip. "It's just, I didn't expect it to happen. That I would really start to like her. And I don't know how Sunghoon will take it if I tell him. Like, he's definitely not that type to simply accept it.

"No, he really isn't", agreed Jake. "This dude has a huge aggression problem, if you ask me.".

"It's not aggression. He just has an overprotective instinct. He's always been that way, it's just never really been as present as it is now.", I explained.

I knew my best friend now for almost 19 years and even back then in elementary school he would have fought with other people to protect his sister. Although he insisted again and again that this wasn't true and that he had practically freed her for all the boys in the world, we all knew that this was a lie.

This was probably due to the fact that for years in his childhood he witnessed his father abusing his mother and treating her badly for years. Sunghoon never wanted the same thing to happen to his younger sister.

"I've never understood this kind of thing. If he's your friend, then he should also trust you.", said Jake and reached forward to grab a bowl of snacks that was still sitting in the middle of the table.

But I shook my head. "That's not the point. I think in this case, he just doesn't want Hyeo hanging out with us all the time.".

This time, the younger one nodded. "And romantic relationships within the friend group change the relationship between each other. That's a fact.".

"What would you do in my place.", I asked him and leaned my head back.

"Hyeona is important to me, you know. So I would ask her what she wants. Sunghoon is her brother and she can best judge what the consequences would be if the thing between you two become public.", I nodded slowly, understanding the point he was trying to explain. "I mean, for you Hoon is just a friend, but for Hyeona it is her own brother.".

***

[Hyeona P.O.V]

Kathy glanced over at me in wonder, as she noticed me staring down at the display of my phone for a good 20 minutes now. "Are you waiting for it to jump up and walk away?".

I only hummed in response, my feet swinging in the air.

"Oh riiiight! It's 20 past 11.", her face contorted pitifully. "Did you try to call him?".

"Two times. He ghosts my messages. He read it 2 hours ago.", I mumbled incomprehensibly, almost half asleep. "And 20 minutes ago he read the second message and didn't reply again.

"He is probably just busy and forgot about it. Don't worry.".

I unlocked my phone slowly and opened Snapchat, but nothing again. Only a single purple dot that popped up in the app and represented a video that had been sent. Unimpressed, I opened Jay's video and was amazed at what I saw.

Tense, I propped myself up on my elbows and replayed the video again. Actually, I never did that, because a notification is sent to the person. But at the moment, I couldn't care less.

„What's wrong?", Kathy wondered, as she noticed my frozen, focused face and hurried behind me to check what I was watching.

On the video before my eyes showed the guys as they sat together in a garden, meat and beer on the table. Loud music played in the background and between them sat sporadically some girls involved l conversations.

„Do you know them?", she asked me.

„Some of them.", I explained. „This is Siu.", I showed her the girl dancing next to Beomgyu. „And the blonde one is my brothers girlfriend.".

But I have never seen the other girls before.

My eyes were stuck on the one next to Heeseung. Her chin was propped up on the palm of her hand, and she didn't take her eyes off him for even a second.

„Did he seriously stand you up for another slut?", Kathy backed away in confusion and faced me pityingly from behind. „What the heck. He seemed so nice.".

But I ignored my friend.

Damn, it hurts. Sitting here in a different country and not having any influence of what's happening in Korea. But I know shouldn't feel this way. I told Heeseung more than once that I moved back because I wanna get over him and he should start dating other girls and find the love of his life.

That's still everything I want. And I wouldn't come back before I finally got rid of my feelings for him. As harsh as I sounded.

„You should try to call him again.", advised my friend, but I shook my head.

„You know, there's something I haven't told you about your relationship.".

Kathy tilted her head in confusion.

„You know, I booked the plane ticket a few months ago, when I noticed I'm kinda crushing on Heeseung. My intention was, and still is, to get over my feelings, because my brother wouldn't accept a relationship between us."

„You wanna break up with him?".

I buried my face in the pillow with a sight. „I don't know. Kinda?". I mumbled. „Of course I don't want to, because I like him. But it limits me. I think only of home throughout, and am so incredibly homesick this time. I just want to be as free as I was last year. Have fun, go to parties, meet new people and not have to think about him all the time.", a sad smile settled on my lips. "It's nice to see that we're one step closer to our goal, and he's spending time with other girls. It helps me to let go.".

„Our goal?", Kathy repeated my words. „Girl, what if this shitty idea is just your goal? He probably honestly likes you. You shouldn't play with someone's feelings like that.".

„I'm not playing with anyone. I told him a few times that we can never be a dreamlike couple".

„Why do you think so? You look so happy every time you FaceTime with him. I can clearly see you like him, as well as he likes you.".

I rolled over and sat down on the couch. „It's not up to me, Kathy! My brother hit one of his best friends and me as well because we get along well. He would never accept it if I were in a relationship with his best friend.".

„He probably just needs to get used to it."

„No! Sunghoon isn't that type of guy. He would never get used to it. He would forever reproach me for destroying and interfering into his life".

„You are so dumb, Hyeo.".

„Then maybe call me dumb if you want to.", I got up in a huff and left Kathy behind.

***

Stressed, I hurried from the gym back to the locker room and stuffed my sweaty clothes into my big shoulder bag. The longer I went through this crap, the more I regretted that I had to rush to my job at the movies every Monday right after cheerleading practice, without a break and without eating.

Just today, when my boss told me to break in a newcomer, my group of course had to go over the top mercilessly to try out new formations and lifting figures. For sure, I would be late for the first time today. After not even two weeks, I'm going to endear myself to everyone. I love it.

„I'm sorry for being late!", With beads of sweat on my forehead, I reached the cinema and apologized to my boss, who was standing behind the entrance talking to our manager.

With a short nod, she interrupted her conversation. „Hello Hyeona. Could you change quickly, our intern is already here.".

Of course, I nodded and disappeared into the locker room to change into my red and white uniform.

After less than two minutes I had finished changing, and even though I might smell like a polecat and my face was as red as a tomato, I was proud that I had made it behind the counter exactly one minute before opening.

It didn't take long for the first guests from the box office to line up at the snack counter.

I was serving a customer and filling up two large cups of Coke when the door to my boss's office opened directly opposite.

Behind her was a person dressed exactly like me.

That must be the intern.

Curious, I stretched my head a little to the side to have a better view, but a customer suddenly blocked my vision with a friendly grin.

Of course, I also served him. As it seemed, it was the father of a large family, who wanted to watch a movie with all the children and wife. After I had pushed the popcorn bags over to the children, who were waiting with sparkling eyes on the other side of the counter. I wiped my sweaty hands on the apron.

Damn, now I had lost sight of them.

I turned around to take a sip of water, as my boss approached me from the side. „Hyeona?", she tried to get my attention, and I immediately closed the bottle again. „As already announced, today you are to give our intern a little insight into your work routine, so that he can become familiar with it.".

A tall guy appeared next to her, and only now I realized I knew him a lot better than expected. „JACOB?".

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