Chapter Twenty

“I don’t feel like going to school today.” Seohyun announced to the Nixon family over breakfast.
Yoona’s father, Alvin Nixon, her stepmom, Lorraine, and Chanyeol and Lay looked up from their food at once and threw odd stares at Seohyun.
Even Seohyun found her attitude odd. She had never skipped a single class before, even when she was ill. Education was very important to her and she preferred acquiring knowledge in school than lazing around at home.
However, she did not feel like going to school and facing anybody that day. She hated to admit that Myungsoo’s revenge affected her greatly. He was the first guy she ever got involved with and it had not ended nicely. Her emotions, both anger and sadness, had been building up inside her since last night, and she felt like she was about to explode. But she refused to cry. She promised herself that she would never cry over some boy.
“You can tell us if something’s wrong, sweetie.” Yoona’s dad, Alvin, gently told her, reaching to her hair.
Seohyun flinched at his touch. She was fine, though a bit revolted, when Lorraine did something like that; but when Alvin did, she could not hide her horror.
I don’t think I’d ever get used to a father’s affection. She thought to herself.
“Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t feel like going anywhere today.” Seohyun shrugged, thankful when Alvin retrieved his hands from her.
Seohyun asked Yoona and Luhan not to tell anything to anyone. Even Chanyeol and Lay did not know. Seohyun specifically instructed Yoona not to tell Jessica anything. She also did not want that clingy Kai kid to bother her. So, no one but those who saw knew what happened.
“Your Mom and I have to go. We have a flight to catch.” Alvin announced.
The couple had to attend to yet another business meeting in Tokyo and it left Seohyun thinking that she and Yoona somehow had the same family orientation – incomplete.
“We’ll leave you here then, sweetie. Make sure to call if you need something.” Lorraine told their daughter and kissed her forehead.
Seohyun forced herself to smile.

When everyone had left for work or school, Seohyun heard a knock on her bedroom door. She knew it was one of the maids since she had not other companions in the house.
“Seohyun, you have a visitor.” The maid said.
“I’ll be there in a minute.” Seohyun called.
It had not been an hour since Lay and Chanyeol left for school and she already had a visitor whom she assumed to be Yoona. She stood up from lying on the bed and stepped out of Yoona’s room, too lazy to change her fitted tank top and mini shorts.
She took her time descending the stairs, truly feeling all her interest to do anything leave her body. Her shoulders stooped as she dragged her feet to the living room where she thought Yoona would be.
But Yoona wasn’t there.
“Luhan?” Seohyun frowned at the boy. “What are you doing here?”
She was not in the right mood to be bothered by this persistent boy. Had she not made herself clear yesterday when she said she did not need his sympathy?
“Lay said you don’t feel well, so I came to check on you.” Luhan nervously said. He knew she would be mad at him but he still risked it, wanting to make sure that she was fine.
“Are you my doctor?” Seohyun scowled at him, taking a seat adjacent to the couch where he sat.
“You don’t look unwell, Seohyun.” He bluntly stated.
“Who said I’m unwell?” She scathingly asked him.
“After what happened, shouldn’t you be crying your eyes out, cursing everyone?” He was truly curious.
Seohyun thought about what Luhan said, but no. She could not bring herself to hate anyone. Myungsoo did that because he thought it would help his friend, Chorong; and Seohyun wondered, if the curse had not happened, would Myungsoo and I have an entirely different ending?
Seohyun could also not hate or curse Chorong. Seohyun was furious about Chorong’s vendetta; she found it childish and stupid but she could not truly hate her. Moreover, Chorong was not aware that she had directed her revenge to the wrong person.
Most of all, Seohyun could not hate Yoona. How could she? The heartbreak was supposed to be for Yoona, but then again, if the curse had not happened, Myungsoo and Chorong would have failed their vengeance. Yoona wouldn’t have fallen for Myungsoo.
It was only Jung Seohyun who was stupid enough to fall for Myungsoo’s sweet trick. Seohyun sighed bitterly.
“I don’t like crying especially over people who are not worth it.” She finally replied to Luhan. “I will not cry over a silly heartbreak. Over a boy.”
“But you’re keeping your emotions inside your chest. They’ll suffocate you, Seohyun. It won’t be good for your health if that happens. It won’t be good for you in general.”
“Luhan, I already told you I don’t need your sympathy. I don’t want it. I’m not used to people caring about me. I know you would not understand. I know you think I’m Seohyun Nixon, the Princess Charming who was loved and cared by everyone, who was sweet and fragile, who needed to be comforted all the time. But that’s not me. And you wouldn’t understand how that happened!” Seohyun exploded, standing from the couch as her face heated up in anger. I’M NOT YOONA! She screamed in her head.
Seohyun felt all the emotions she had been keeping rise to her head. It made her head ache and she wanted to cry but she stopped herself. She inhaled and exhaled to calm herself.
“I understand, Seohyun. I do.” Luhan quietly said, also standing up and moving toward her.
“How?” Seohyun challenged.
“I don’t know. I just do understand that you’re not what everyone thinks you are. You’re different and I get that. I know your feisty side, Seohyun. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been afraid to come here and comfort you because I know that you’ll push me away. But still, I understand you, Seohyun.” He gently said.
“What do you want from me, Luhan?!” She threw a fit to cover up the tears trying to build in her eyes. She pushed back the urge to cry.
Luhan carefully touched her shoulders and said in his most gentle voice, “I want you to stop being hard on yourself. Don’t fight it back, Seohyun. Just cry and then move on.”
As Seohyun stared into those pair of sparkling doe-eyes, she could not help but get swept away by her emotions. Those lovely eyes had stared at her with genuine concern. No one had dared show such softness to her, not even Jessica or their twin moms.
And then Seohyun felt it – the first drop of hot liquid falling on her puffy cheeks. And then, another came. And another, until she was sobbing.
Luhan gently pulled her to him, hugging her protectively. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other held her head, pulling to rest it on his chest.
In less than a minute, Seohyun was crying her heart out, sinking her nails on Luhan’s shoulders as her whole body, from her skin to the tiniest nerves, stung with pain – the pain of a heartache.

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“Are Luhan and Seohyun together? Why are they both absent?” Kris poked Yoona during their Mythology class, transferring to Seohyun’s vacant seat beside Yoona.
When Chanyeol had told Yoona earlier this morning that Seohyun did not feel like going to school, she planned to bolt for the gates and go to their manor, but Luhan beat her to it. She let him go without arguing because she realized that it was better if Luhan went to comfort Seohyun. Seohyun needed someone who would blindly run anywhere just to protect her; and that someone is Luhan. Besides, Yoona felt too guilty to even face her. She still blamed herself, though Seohyun warned her not to.
“I’m sure Luhan went to see her. He must have been worried when Chanyeol told him she’s not reporting to school today. But I’m not sure if they’re together.” Yoona answered Kris after a while.
“You said Luhan went to see her, so they must be together.”
“Well, we can’t say for sure…” Yoona trailed off.
She knew Luhan would go to her, but she also knew Seohyun. She did not like it if anyone went soft on her. She thinks that people pity her. She must have kicked Luhan’s out of the door. Seohyun could be rude to people she did not like, and she was not in a good condition at that moment.
“I just hope Luhan would come out of the Nixon Residence alive.” Yoona quietly said.
“I’m still confused how Seohyun got such monstrosity.” Kris was