Chasing You

Chapter Ten

Just a little

“I'm the only one in love.”

-Park Ah Reum

....

"Hello, daughter-in-law."

The brunette was busy searching for some food in the fridge when Oh Shin Ae called her. She quickly turned around and closed the fridge, unable to find something to eat. Normally, that would have been an embarrassing move to be seen by the woman of the house but since the Oh residence was Ah Reum's second home, it wasn’t unusual. She waved at Oh Shin Ae, who was dressed in corporate attire, and she could easily tell that Shin Ae would be attending some business errand again. She was followed by her son, Sehun, who currently had an angered look on his face. Ah Reum was glad that she could, at least, have a short conversation with her beloved auntie before she left.

"Hello, Auntie. It's been so long. How are you?" Ah Reum asked politely, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Shin Ae kissed her back, gave her a knowing look and smiled at her. "Fine, fine. Sehun told me that Jiyoung has missed me, so I'm planning on going there tomorrow."

Ah Reum gave her a bright smile, "She would love that."

"Great. Is today the first Friday of the month?" Shin Ae asked with a huge grin on her face.

The brunette nodded. "Yes, it's Movie Night."

The traditions surrounding Ah Reum and Sehun's friendship were becoming ten times better because everyone around them was involved and agreed with it. They would hang out somewhere, and both families would express their gladness for it, one would eat dinner in another's house, and both families would see that as a sign of unending closeness, they would watch a movie every month, and both sides were ecstatic about it. But, of course, they never expressed their happiness openly in front of Ah Reum and Sehun because they did not want to control or pressure the two. The whole world agreed with their friendship despite how it started and what they were going through now and without a doubt, the whole world would agree with their love story if something like that happens. Everything seemed so right when they were together. Ah Reum's love for Sehun was something the whole world was aware of, and yet they managed to act like normal best friends. It would be amazing if the people around them would be asked about it.

Shin Ae glanced behind her back and saw her precious son as she smirked at Ah Reum, and said a little too loudly, "I knew it. Since Sehun cleaned his room last night."

Ah Reum giggled. "Wow. Who knew, right?" she teased.

Then the two females laughed. Shin Ae and Ah Reum always had a mother-daughter-like relationship. Maybe because Shin Ae and Jiyoung were alike in terms of caring for their children and Ah Reum seemed to notice this, for she became rather comfortable with her Auntie Shin Ae. The same went for Sehun, who considered his Aunt Jiyoung as his second mother, but since he was the independent type, he rarely consulted Jiyoung about anything. Everything was in their favor. Everything consisting of the Ohs and the Parks was connected. It was like they were bound to be close with one another and share everything with each other.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Sehun said from behind.

Shin Ae turned around and patted him on the shoulder. "Sorry about that, dear. I apologize if I intend to forget about you whenever my future daughter-in-law comes by."

She liked to joke about that sometimes because, for Oh Shin Ae, Park Ah Reum was surely the girl for her son. Sure, she knew that Sehun had not liked Ah Reum, but Shin Ae could not comprehend why, so instead of whining about it to her son, she just decided to help Ah Reum. She knew Ah Reum, and Sehun were perfect together, but her stupid son chose not to accept her dearest Ah Reum's feelings. So, to let Sehun know that she supported Ah Reum, she would express it by teasing but not always as it could get embarrassing on Ah Reum's side in rare times.

Ah Reum raised an eyebrow at Sehun. "You heard that, Sehun? Your Mom loves me."

Sehun smirked at her. "Wow. Who knew, right?" he teased back, and Ah Reum just glared at him.

Shin Ae looked at her watch and bid the kids goodbye. "Okay, kids. You two have fun. Don't do anything except for eating and watching that movie," she reminded in her motherly way.

Her son gave her a knowing look and drawled out, "Mom."

Shin Ae just laughed as she got her things. "Okay, okay. I have a dinner meeting. See you two tomorrow." She then gave Ah Reum and Sehun a kiss on the cheek as the two led her out the door and waved goodbye.

"I love your mother," Ah Reum exclaimed when Sehun was out of sight.

Sehun crossed his arms and looked at his friend. "Yeah, because she's in favor of you."

Ah Reum shook her head, "Not just because of that. It’s because she can still smile after everything that has happened."

Sehun just stared at her, thinking that what she said was correct. "Yeah, you're right."

"It would be so not cool if you are like your mother," she said, wrinkling her nose, imagining Sehun acting that way, so sociable, so approachable.

Sehun dismissed the thought. "I can't imagine myself being like her. She's too friendly and not to mention a martyr."

"You and Seo Ah are so much like your father, minus the negative part."

"Don't worry. I'm aware of that."

Ah Reum seemed surprised at what she said so she made a quick but honest recovery. "But your Dad is cool too."

"He used to be," Sehun said.

The topic seemed to be getting serious and personal. But it was not uncomfortable for Sehun since he liked talking about his problems with Ah Reum. He knew that they could relate to each other since they both had problems with their fathers and Sehun knew that Ah Reum would just understand him because she was always like that. Sehun was glad to have Ah Reum here tonight. He was feeling heavy for the past few days since Ah Reum was avoiding him but the moment they made up, he felt relief and joy although he would not admit that to her.

"What are we going to watch tonight?" he heard Ah Reum asked.

"Does it ever matter to you?" he asked, making her pout.

Ah Reum seemed to get what Sehun was trying to say. "You're right. I only care about the food."

"I had your favorites cooked," he informed as he went inside his house.

Ah Reum cheered. "For dinner? That's awesome."

Sehun smiled secretly at her reaction even though he already expected it. "Right after that, we'll start the marathon."

"Any movie is fine as long as it’s not scary," Ah Reum said as she followed Sehun’s trail.

He turned around to face her with an evil smirk on his face, "Now, that you mentioned it."

Ah Reum panicked, regretting that she had to remind her best friend that simple fact. "No, Sehun! Don't even try."

He dismissed her panicking with a look of disapproval, "Yeah, yeah, as if I will listen to you."

With that said, Ah Reum just puffed her cheeks. "Don't be shy. Admit it. You always listen to me."

"Says who?" he asked, frowning.

"Says the whole world," Ah Reum answered with a huge smile on her face.

"Whatever," he mumbled.

They finally reached Sehun's room with Ah Reum stepping inside first. Indeed, Sehun cleaned his room since it looked tidier than usual. Sehun rarely let someone inside his room because he wanted to keep his privacy and with that, the maids were not allowed to enter his room. His family and Ah Reum were the only ones who could enter his room. The family thing was a normal one but as for Ah Reum, it was one of those best friend privileges. In Sehun's big room there was a small entertainment area where they hung out on the first Fridays of every month.

Movie Night was not always in Sehun’s house. The location was alternating; this month it was in Sehun’s's and next month was going to be in Ah Reum's. It could have been awkward for a boy and a girl to be alone in one room especially in their adolescent years, but it was all normal as long as that boy and girl were the best of friends. Although Ah Reum loved Sehun, she never considered Movie Night as a fascinating thing because she knew better than that and she knew very well that this is one of those moments that she shared with Sehun that was strictly for their friendship only.

They sat on the carpeted floor filled with pillows and Ah Reum looked around, feeling excited. She felt Sehun sit beside her, and she immediately asked, "Do you think ten years from now we can still do this?"

"Why not?" Sehun asked; he could not come up with anything that could stop Movie Night from happening.

She faced him. "Won't we be busy by that time?" she asked.

"I'll be busy taking over our business, and you'll be busy eating?" Sehun teased.

Ah Reum quickly defended herself. "No way! I’ll be working."

"Sure," Sehun continued.

"Do you want that? To manage your family's business?" asked Ah Reum in a serious and concerned tone.

Sehun shrugged. "I love drawing, but I have to be practical. Besides, Mom had already asked me to do it."

She encircled her arm in his as she leaned on his shoulder. "Unbelievably, you are such a good son."

"I'm not. I'm just doing my part. I don't want to wreck this family anymore by having conversations about my future. I'm sick of all the shouting since it is unnecessary."

Ah Reum looked up at him. "But still, be yourself."

He poked her on the forehead with a smile on his face, "I will. And you, too."

She released her grip on him. "I want to study Medicine but that sounds too ambitious," she said uncomfortably, thinking if the genius beside her was the right person to say it to, but he was and always will be.

Sehun merely shrugged his shoulders. "It is but so what? No one's going to stop you, and no one said that wanting to take Medicine has prohibitions."

"I don't think my brain can handle that."

Sehun searched for her eyes and made her look at him. "Medicine? Do you doubt yourself?"

Ah Reum bit her lip and nodded sadly. "Yeah. I mean, if I can barely get high marks now, how can I even get into a medical school? How can I even handle the pressure? The thick books? The terms? The procedures and the rationales behind it. Just thinking about it now makes my head hurt. "

The raven-haired boy understood his best friend's worries, but he would not persuade Ah Reum if she didn’t have any potential and to add to that, a dream would always be a dream, no matter how or when, if you want it, nothing should stop you. "Grades are just numbers, and if you work hard, there is no way you cannot get what you want," he advised to her.

Ah Reum stared at him. "For real?" she asked in disbelief.

"It doesn't apply to everything, though," he said, referring to her feelings.

"I know that," Ah Reum muttered softly.

"I think you'll become a great doctor," Sehun said. "You may not have noticed it, but you are good at what you do. Don't let your insecurities drown you."

Ah Reum was touched with Sehun’s support for her dream. Just like her to him, he always believed in her. He believed in her capabilities, talents, skills, and whatever knowledge she had. Sehun was not the type to insult you or hurt your feelings without a concrete reason, he was insulting a person just for humor, and he did not mean it in any way. Sehun was the perfect best friend for her. Ah Reum smiled at him thankfully, thinking about all the good things they had been through together and his continual support. Moments like these, the genuine support, the overflowing living proof that you were indeed lucky to have a best friend in this lifetime was the very reason Sehun did not want to accept her love. He was protecting this beautiful friendship.

Calling her love for him selfish was true, somehow. Ah Reum knew it more than anyone else. She was willing to risk their friendship for her feelings. She was that selfish and yet Sehun called her selfless. As she looked at her best friend now, she knew that someone was waiting for him, someone that loved him and someone he loved back, and her? Sooner or later, she would be on the sidelines; she could not be able to do what she was doing for a decade. That day would come when Sehun would finally tell her to stop, and she was readying big time for that day. She suddenly remembered the timeline-like trail of photos plastered on the wall of her room where pictures of her and Sehun since they were little children were posted. In time, she would have to remove it but she just wished that she would remove it because it was time and not because of any other reason.

Many called her lucky to be the Sehun’s closest friend. The brown-eyed guy would sometimes contradict this statement, saying that he was the one lucky to have her. But, if only he could look at her now, he would see how in love she was and how lucky she felt every time they were together.

She nudged him on the side as she kept herself from sounding too excited, "Your exhibit is fast approaching. You have this Math Competition, and you are determined to win. You don't study, but you still get high marks. Your club acts like you are their secret weapon, always making you join contests, but what’s, even more, amazing is that you always win. You are one of the most sought-after guy in school even with your snobbish attitude. You are rich, smart, talented, and can do everything. Tell me, do you have some secret?"

If he had any secret, she could have known it long ago. He just smiled at her compliments and answered it, "Don't forget that my family is quite broken, and I'm not exactly thrilled about the Math Camp. The exhibit is putting pressure on my life but it's fine, it's normal. Winning is not everything. Sometimes, it's just a rotten title. But doing what you want to do gives you happiness more than winning any contest could give. The sought-after part is pretty stupid since I don't care about that. I don't have any secrets, Ah Reum."

"But, admit it, you are gifted."

"Maybe," he said just to annoy her.

Ah Reum frowned. "So unfair."

"Live with it," Sehun said proudly.

They heard a knock all of a sudden and Ah Reum immediately knew what it meant. "Oh, great. Dinner is here." She made her way to the door and grabbed the trays from the maid who delivered it. She then excitedly placed it on the little table in front of the television. She quickly commented the moment she removed the covers, "Wow, these look delicious."

"You and your stomach," Sehun said, smiling at her hungry look.

"Stop talking there and let's eat, Sehun!" she exclaimed, taking a bite of the soft bread that was for dessert.

"Silly, little girl as always."

…

Dinner was fabulous. Ah Reum was not satisfied with the quantity of food delivered to Sehun's room so she asked for the maids to give them some more and her wish was commanded straight away. Her tireless mouth and growling stomach were all satisfied. She even ignored Sehun's rude comments about how she ate too much. Food at the Oh household was always delicious maybe because, they only hire people who were experienced at a certain dish, like fish, dessert, or anything edible. It always felt like eating in a fancy restaurant. The meat was soft, easy to slice, and savory. The vegetables were well-cooked and well-seasoned. Even the juice was fantastic especially the dessert that Ah Reum always enjoyed the most.

Sehun was satisfied watching his best friend eat in delight. She might have forgotten about her table manners tonight, but Sehun could not care less about it because as long as she was enjoying, he was feeling the same. He tried to steal some of her food just to annoy her, and he seemed to be successful on that part since she tried her best to protect the food against him. He wanted to let out a loud laugh that was so uncharacteristic of him when she did that funny pose while rice and the dish were around . He even wiped just to remove the rice spread over it, and she just laughed at him. Sometimes, it was like he was taking care of a small kid.

Ah Reum could barely stand after that heavy dinner. She certainly enjoyed the meal so much and later; there was more food to come. Oh, joy. The benefits of having a wealthy friend. Sehun was sketching her, smirking in the process maybe because her face was priceless.

"Sehun?" she asked, she could barely speak.

"Hmm?"

"Can I still come into your room, eat with you, watch you get out of the shower, and come to visit you on the weekends when you and Da Eun become an official couple? Can I still use your computer? Would you still sketch me?" she asked in one go.

Sehun continued drawing her in her satisfied-stomach glory. "This is the last time we are going to have this discussion," he said earnestly, wanting to get rid of Ah Reum's repetitive doubts.

"Okay."

"Nothing will ever change," he said firmly, his eyes focused on her.

"Okay," Ah Reum said again, even though she didn’t believe him.

He took it as her agreement and on a positive note and continued. "All your apprehensions, clear it all out. It's not like you."

"I will."

"Come on, let's start."

The film they had watched almost ran for two hours.

The movie was not horror or suspense one after all. Still, Sehun about being such a scaredy cat when it came to being exposed a little in the dark or being left alone in a large room. The movie was a romantic one with a sloppy ending. There was a boy and a girl who loved each other so much. It was shown in the film how their feelings developed and how their love was so deep. Everything was in place, in other words, perfect until the boy realized the adverse effects of being so in love with a person. They were becoming too possessive, too stubborn, and too jealous and with that he decided to end the relationship. He insisted that it was for the better, for the best, to find themselves again, but the girl was too blinded by her love.

They went their separate ways, lived a life without each other, and learned to survive. They met again with the boy having the same and exact feelings for the girl but unlike him, the girl finally moved on. He tried to become close to her again, but sadly nothing happened. Sure, the girl moved on but that did not mean that her feelings were gone too. She admitted to him that she was still in love with him but sadly, the right time for their love had not come yet, and if they could just wait for a little longer, maybe they would find themselves with each other again.

In the end, there was no conclusion.

"Now, that's stupid," Ah Reum paused and went on, "What are they waiting for? They are adults for heaven's sake and the right time was there, at that moment, at those exact seconds."

"Well, what do you want? For them to force each other to love one another just because they think time is running out?" Sehun asked warily. "They made the right decision and that movie just showed that not every ending is a happy one," he added.

"I know that but still! Love makes up things; it doesn’t break them!" she argued.

Sehun rolled his eyes. This always happened after every movie they finished, they argue. "It does not always happen. If it is real love, they will wait."

"If I am the boy, I will never let go of the girl." Ah Reum declared it with such passion and significance.

"What about development? Growing up would be limited if there are restrictions."

"Like what, pray tell?" she challenged him.

Sehun sighed and started explaining his side for a reason he did not know why. "The people around us, they change. They will go somewhere someday, and we could not stop that. We will never grow up if we are surrounded by the same group of people every day. Like the boy, do you want the girl to break up with him because of his possessiveness and change of attitude? Of course, not. He prevented it from happening, to save them all from unnecessary heartaches. Giving something up, sometimes, is the greatest kind of bravery."

The brunette was silent after that and started to get sleepy, so she laid down on the couch with Sehun. This could have been an intimate gesture but as friends, it was normal. Her pillow was Sehun's lean shoulder. The only thing illuminating the room was the moonlight. It emphasized Sehun's neat room. She buried her head on his chest and tried to get some sleep. Ah R