Chapter Five: Love Me or Leave Me

“Hyesoo! You’re here.” Yoongi beamed once he opened the door and saw Hyesoo, holding a box of present for him.

“Yes, this is for you.” She smiled.

Yoongi took it and gestured her to get inside. Yoongi’s new studio is nice because there is an area that looks like a living room, where his possible customers can stay in while waiting, or just a lounge where he can stay to. The living room mainly occupies the first floor, while the second floor and the basement are both soundproofed recording studios. The third floor is an empty room that will possibly be another studio, but for now is where Yoongi sleeps on when he doesn’t feel like going to his apartment. For now, the living room turned out to be a party room, where there are flickering light and cute stuff around, something that Yoongi isn’t really a fan of.

Everyone were already there, including Jaemi who has been pouting as she followed Jimin. Inhye and Eunmi were talking to Jimin as if they were bargaining for something, so I decided to join in. “What are you guys arguing about, huh?” I asked.

“Ah, unnie!” Jaemi immediately wrapped her arms around me quickly then continued to pout as she pointed at Jimin accusingly, “Jimin oppa is being mean to me, he wants me to go home.”

“What?” I laughed, looking at Jimin.

“She’s been nagging a lot, I told her to just stay in my apartment because there is a bucket of ice cream there.” Jimin defended.

“That is basically childish, right?” Inhye said.

“These two are like you and Jungkook back in the days.” Eunmi added, “By the way, where is Jungkook?”

I shrugged as I took my phone, “He said he’s on his way.” I glanced at Jaemi, “I’ll ask him to buy ice cream.”

Jaemi clapped her hands together, “Yay! I want the vanilla one.” She glanced at Jimin and gave him a mischievous smile, to which Jimin laughed in disbelief.

“This girl, seriously.”

“Hello?”

“Jungkook, are you driving?” I asked after Jungkook answered his phone.

“Well, I’m on the parking lot now, why?”

“Ah, I was going to ask you to buy ice cream for Jaemi, but then you’re already here and—”

“I brought ice cream!” a female voice shouted.

“Jungkook?” was all I got to say until the phone hang up. I was looking at my phone with so much suspicion when I realized who the owner of the voice was.

“Did you get Jungkook to buy ice cream?” Jimin asked.

“Uh, Hyeji brought ice cream.”

Jimin gave me a confused look, “Hyeji?”

“Guys, Jungkook and Hyeji are here.” Namjoon announced. I turned to them and saw Hyeji happily skipping with her arm clinging onto Jungkook. I am not supposed to get jealous by this, right?

“Where should I put the ice cream?” Hyeji asked as she looked at everyone, while raising the plastic with the bucket of ice cream. Yoongi kindly took it from her and he went to the hidden part of the living room, which is the kitchen. Of course, there will always be a kitchen or a pantry. Jungkook smiled at me and waved as he asked Hyeji something, while taking the girl’s arm away from him. He then walked to me with all smiles and I did the same thing. I mean, why would I frown at him, right? “Hey, love.” He said as he pulled me into a hug and quickly peck on my lips, to which my eyes widened.

“That was smooth.” Taehyung laughed, “Get a room, though.”

“Shut up.” Jungkook rolled his eyes at him then smiled at me. “I missed you.”

“Shut up.” I grinned as I imitated him. Jungkook only laughed with me as we pull away from each other. Everyone then gathered around the small table in the living room, totally neglecting the couch as we comfortably sat on the floor. Nothing much happened at that moment, just all of us eating peacefully and laughing, talking about how much Yoongi has become a successful man in his field. We also talked about Namjoon and Inhye’s wedding plans further, as they planned to do the wedding either here in Seoul or in Jeju, once they knew that I stay in Jeju, they immediately said that Jeju Island would be the best possible place for their wedding.

The normal pace of the night suddenly changed when Namjoon raised the empty soju bottle, “Let’s play a game!”

“Ah, I love games! You like games too, right oppa?” Hyeji clapped her hands as she looked at Jungkook, who is in between the two of us.

“Yeah.” He replied.

“We’re aren’t playing Truth or Dare, are we?” Taehyung asked in a rather unclear voice because it was him who downed that bottle of soju. “Let’s play Truth or Shot, instead.”

“Ugh, Tae, you’re obviously drunk.” Eunmi said as she flicked her boyfriend’s forehead.

“Let’s just do the game, if we ever get drunk, then let’s just sleep here.” Yoongi announced, obviously agreeing with the game that Taehyung suggested.

And so, Namjoon started to spin the bottle. I personally think this game wasn’t necessary for them, since we basically know each other. For me, though, I don’t think now’s the right time for revealing truths. So when the bottle stopped at me, I immediately took a soju bomb, that even if it’s too much for my liking, I drank it all, startling everyone in the room.

“Yah, Cha Hyesoo, are you alright?” Inhye asked.

I laughed at her, “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“This is unfair! I want to ask a question.” Jungkook pouted.

“Next time.” I winked.

“Eh, get a room!” they protested.

Hyeji, who was looking at me and Jungkook said, “Let’s continue the game!”

I looked at her, and she looked away from me. Honestly, the other reason why I wasn’t comfortable with answering questions right now is because of her. She is here and I barely know her, but what I know about her is that she likes Jungkook, which turns out to be even more complicated than it originally is. If it not for her existence in this story, we could be fine by now and happier than it is, but with her in this story, I don’t think the next things will end well.

And I knew it will not. By the middle of the night, when everyone else are drunk because of how adults couldn’t get off themselves with alcohol, the bottle stopped at Hyeji and Hoseok was about to ask, I know things is going to be much awkward.

“The questions is, why are you here?” Hoseok asked, pointing his hand with the glass of soju towards Hyeji.

Everyone laughed, I could even hear Jaemi say, “What kind of question is that?”

But the drunken Hyeji is up for the challenge, she literally stood up, grabbed her glass full of soju and said, “I’m here because Jungkook oppa is here.”

“Ah, but Hyeji-ah,” Taehyung said, “Do you like Jungkook oppa?”

“Yah, you shouldn’t ask questions like that!” Eunmi, one of the four sober survivors of the game, slapped his arm.

Hyeji, once again, looked at me as if she was challenging me for a battle. “I really like Jungkook oppa! I really like him that I hate Hyesoo unnie so much!”

Now, everyone went quiet. Jungkook stared at the girl as he regained his right state of mind. Honestly, Hyeji’s sudden confession made everyone go back to their normal selves. They were either looking at me, Hyeji, or Jungkook—there is no in between. Hyeji didn’t just stop there. She laughed, and walked towards me that she was already facing me and looking down on me. “I don’t really know why oppa still likes you, when you’ve hurt him so much already! You’ve left him twice, hurt him twice, and what are you exactly doing here? Why did you go back when already fell back into place? Jungkook oppa is already happy with everything he had! You shouldn’t have went back and shown yourself.”

I never realized that such an innocent looking and friendly woman would keep a secret like that, that she hates me. But what are the odds? I don’t think she knew everything, and she’s drunk, she’s basically drunk that she doesn’t really know what she was saying.

“Hyeji, let’s tuck you to bed, okay?” Inhye stood up as she tried to get the glass from the girl. But the girl wasn’t fazed. She kept her raging gaze at me as she said, “You don’t deserve to be with Jungkook, Hyesoo!” and splash! She swiftly threw all the contents of the glass she’s holding towards me, and she just looked at me with wide eyes as if she did it by mistake, that her hand did it against her will.

Jungkook stood up as he ragingly called Hyeji’s name. Hyeji looked at him and cried, “Oppa, what does she have that I don’t? Why do you still love her? Why can’t it be me?”

I stood up as I watched Jungkook look at Inhye,  “Inhye, please tuck her to sleep.” He said then turned to me, he was going to take off his coat when I stopped him, “N-No, I’ll just leave.”

“What? But it’s 3 am, Soo.” Jungkook argued. “I’ll take you home.”

“What about me?” Hyeji cried even more as she tried to fight Inhye’s grip on her. “Why would you choose her over me?”

“Do you realize—”

“Jungkook.” I coaxed him by placing a hand on his arm. “She’s drunk, she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“Just stay here, okay?” he told me. “I will help Inhye put her to sleep.”

“Alright.” I said, finally h