Who Are You?

“Ahreum, where are you?”

“Homeyyy, baby why? I heard from Jaehyun that your Mom collapsed again?”

“Yeah, that’s why I called you. Is it okay if you sleep here tonight? My Dad is still out of the town and I’m all by myself here. I will talk to your Mom, Ahreum.”

“No need. This is not the first time I sleep over though. Arrived in twenty minutes, Capt!”

Mingyu who just drove her home, left right after. He left Hyemi confused and also adding things on her mind right now. This girl haven’t even tell her Dad that her Mom just finished a surgery, and she didn’t even know how to start telling her Dad.

Ever since her Mom collapsed often; and her Dad was aware that he is often out of the town, he put some money on Hyemi’s bank account to pay the hospital once something happened to her Mom. But it’s been a while since the last time she collapsed so her Dad didn’t transfer the money.

Today, Hyemi just used the leftover money on the account, that’s why she couldn’t afford VIP room for her Mom. And she didn’t want Jaehyun’s family to help her either. She didn’t want to be a burden, her family is more than well enough to afford VIP room without Jaehyun’s family help.

It’s great that Jaehyun’s Dad is the owner and also the doctor there, but it’s also a burden for Hyemi’s family because his family kept offering help.

Her Dad might be angry because Hyemi didn’t tell him earlier, but it’s also for his best. Her Dad was going to sign a new agreement with a company, and how could she disturb him? The company isn’t his, and the agreement shouldn’t be failed just because of one person.

Ding Dong

She thought that it must be Ahreum who pressed the bell, then she ran downstairs to open the door. She thought that Ahreum arrived quickly because it hasn’t even been twenty minutes.

But she was wrong. Jaehyun was right in front of the door, still on his uniform. He was smiling, and she was never denying the fact that seeing his smile could heal her. While looking at her, Jaehyun was still trying to catch his breath, but still managed to smile.

“Why do you keep running, Jaehyun?”

His smile became wider, “Because I don’t want you to be farer than this.”

“Ugh, that ain’t working, though?”

They walked inside, and he was sitting on the sofa while Hyemi’s drying her hair with the hairdryer. They’ve been friends since a long time ago, and Jaehyun would never get tired to watch her. Everything about her is fascinating for Jaehyun, like his whole heart is already stolen by Hyemi; he doesn’t have any spot for anyone else.

“Stop looking at me.” she said, but Jaehyun kept looking at her. “Leave, Jaehyun. We have school tomorrow.”

“My house is right beside you. And don’t worry, Dad didn’t say anything.”

“You always said that all the time.” She put down the hairdryer after turning it off, “And what if you family hate me because I always caused a problem?”

Ding Dong

“Ugh, that bell saved you, Jung Jaehyun! Can you open the door? It must be Ahreum.”

He walked to the door quickly, because he didn’t wat to argue with Hyemi anymore. And he seems to be lucky because whenever anything happened, something always saved him. He could just casually laughed it off, because Hyemi would forget in the next day.

“Yah! Jung Jaehyun!”

A scream could be hear from the living room, and Hyemi quickly ran to the front door – just to see Ahreum who was screaming and hitting Jaehyun’s body. The boy couldn’t do anything because Ahreum didn’t let him move even for an inch.

She didn’t even let him talk.

“Yah! Lee Ahreum! Yah! Stop it!”

Hyemi was trying to stop Ahreum until,

“Why! Did! You! Broke! My! Pencil!” she said, each word with a single hit. “You! Damn! Trash! Boy!”

“I didn’t – aw! – I didn’t broke it – Argh! Help me!”

“But it was divided in two after you used it!”

“It’s just a pencil for Goddamn sake!”

Hyemi finally meddle in between them, trying to separate them before Ahreum killed Jaehyun on the spot. “Don’t fight in my place, can’t you?”

“I can buy you one hundred of the same pencil, because it’s just a regular pencil, for everything’s sake!” he said, emphasizing the last words while hiding behind Hyemi’s body.

“But Jeon Wonwoo just used my pencil so it’s not a regular pencil!”

“You will never get a single chance to date Wonwoo, though. He’s crazy over Sejong. End.”

“I have a chance! Sejong? Huh. God-Sejong? They are all overreacting. What’s great about her that boys are crazy over her?”

After hearing Sejong’s name, Hyemi suddenly looked to the ground then walked away from Jaehyun’s and Ahrem. “She has everything that the other girls don’t. Boys like them even though they already know that she only likes Wonwoo.” She said. “Even after she disappeared, the boy kept his heart for her.”

“Who? Wonwoo?”

“Not him.” Then she stopped before looking back to Jaehyun and Ahreum. “Ahreum you can sleep in my room, and Jaehyun you can leave now.”

“I’m going to sleep here, though?”

“Okay. Whatever.” She answered, soullessly.

Ahreum followed her to the room since she thought something must be wrong with Hyemi. Her mood just dropped down so suddenly after they talked about Sejong. And it’s weird how she sounded like she was holding her tears.

Even after Ahreum sat beside her, she was still looking at the air without doing anything. She didn’t cry, she didn’t smile. Her face didn’t show any expression, like something must be really bothering her mind.

Ahreum and Hyemi has been friends since middle school, and they were each other’s first friend. They found out that both of them are really similar with each other, and both of them are the only daughter in their family, so they was like found a new sister.

“Is something wrong with Sejong Unnie?”

She nodded, “The problem is me actually. I want to be like her. Not to the point where people called me God-Hyemi, I just want to be Sejong Unnie. Because nobody hates her even when she has Wonwoo the high school text book crush.”

“Well people are still confused whether they want to be Sejong because Wonwoo’s extremely crazy over her; or to be Wonwoo because he someone like Sejong beside him.”

“Stop talking about the impossible crush Jeon Wonwoo and make me some ramen can you? I’m hungry.” Jaehyun suddenly peeking to the room. And since both Hyemi and Ahreum were also hungry, so they agreed to make ramen together.

Hyemi was never be good at cooking - or any little thing that she does – so in the end, it’s always been Jaehyun who cooked for her. He is not that good at cooking either, but at least he is a lot better than her.

Sometimes he questioned why someone like Hyemi could survive living in this cruel world. She is too kind to people that most of the time she’s being used even by her own friend, she couldn’t do anything properly, her hands break anything that she touches, and she cries easily.

“I couldn’t believe that you actually came back home by yourself after waiting for you Mom’s surgery.”

“Nah, I didn’t. Someone drove me home.”

“Who?” Jaehyun who was slurping the noodle stopped for a while, while looking at Hyemi seriously. He didn’t know that someone drove her home, he thought she took a cab or bus. And he didn’t want to hear that a guy drove her home. “Who?”

“The barista.”

“The barista? Just what the hell happened between you two that he even drove us to the hospital?”

Hyemi quickly feed Jaehyun’s mouth with a spoonful of noddle so he could shut up. It’s not like she didn’t want Jaehyun to talk, she just didn’t want anyone to talk about Sejong or Mingyu at anytime now.

Especially Mingyu. She was really confused at what he did, even his promise to buy her a coffee tomorrow. She could get it if he drove her to the hospital just because he wanted to help her, and waited for her to come out because he was worried. But a promise to buy a coffee?

She shouldn’t over thinking about everything, but nobody could stay calm when their crush just promised to buy them a coffee, though.

***

“One two three four five six seven eight!”

“One two three four five six seven eight!”

As usual, Apgujeong High’s cheer was practicing, sharing the field with NCT – Apgujeong High’s basketball team. The cheerleader and basketball team started to share the field ever since long time ago, and whenever the basketball team is participating in a game, the cheerleader team would always cheer for them.

It made the two teams couldn’t be separated. And luckily, Jaehyun and Hyemi is also part of the teams. Well, at least for Jaehyun he feels lucky because he could practice with Hyemi all the time, and she always cheered for him on the game.

She feels excited when the practice ended so she could leave to the coffee shop to meet Mingyu. Yeah, she was really excited until Jaehyun decided to follow her; and she couldn’t do anything since Jaehyun would do anything anyway.

“Why do you keep coming to this coffee shop? Is it because the barista? Huh?”

He kept talking, and Hyemi didn’t even want to hear him; because, hell, he was annoying.

Her excitement kept decreasing when she found out that the barista wasn’t Mingyu, but Sejong. No. she didn’t hate Sejong, it was just still awkward, and she didn’t know what happened between Sejong and Mingyu.

She couldn’t even tell Wonwoo because she was afraid that it might lead them to a misunderstanding.

“Mint chocolate flavor, right?” she said, before Hyemi even ordered. “I am the one who’s in charge today.” She talked like Mingyu already told her everything.

Hyemi finally understood the situation, “Oh, yes.”

“I thought you like vanilla latte?” Jaehyun, once again kept talking to Hyemi. But Hyemi still didn’t bother to listen.

Sejong gave her the drink as well as a post it, “You don’t need to pay since we are a good friend.”

Of course she knew that the one who paid was Mingyu, not Sejong. “Thank you, Unnie.”

She finally smiled after reading the post it, even when she had to hide it from Jaehyun.

‘I’m sorry for yesterday. Here, coffee to make it up. Hope your Mom is okay.’

Simple and short notes, but it was really special for Hyemi. Even though the note was basically just Mingyu saying sorry, but she felt like she got a love letter from Mingyu already. She liked it so much. She liked how Mingyu raised her hope.

***

a/n; #TEAMJAEHYUN for this chapter lol because i can't handle his cuteness. imagine him following you around and keep talking even when you dont bother to listen <3

a/n;