( CHAPTER FOUR )

“Cut! Let’s take five!”

As soon as the cameras stopped rolling, Jinri had only one place that she wanted to go to – inside her van. It was freezing cold and despite wearing a wool coat, it was still not enough to keep her warm. Walking past the makeup assistants that were heading her way, she heads straight to where her van was to rest for a short while.

Once inside, the first thing she does was to search for her phone, of course. However, she notices that her Hermes bag was slightly , and even her driver was not around. Immediately panicking, she was about to go out in the cold again to tell it to her manager, but stopped when a hand coming from the back seat hands her her phone.

“Oh, thanks.” She says as she accepted her phone, but quickly shrieks upon realizing that there was someone behind her. It didn’t help her stop when she saw her dearest best friend, signalling her to shut up by putting up her index finger in front of her nose as she wasn't actually allowed to have visitors while filming.

Obviously not giving a , Jinri momentarily forgets about her phone as she threw it to pull her best friend to hug her, squeezing their cheeks together. Despite Soojung shushing her just seconds ago, she finally gives in, letting her leave lip marks at her cheeks as Jinri kissed them. After all, this was the first time they see each other again in months.

It was when they finally break free from their hug when Jinri noticed that Soojung was wearing a red dress and thought that she looked a little too formal to see her. She then remembered that she was supposed to be at Jongin’s party, in which she was invited to as well. Sure it was already midnight, but she was pretty sure that she had prepared a little something for him. “Darling, you don’t know how happy I am to see you but, aren’t you supposed to be at the Kims’ mansion? Didn’t you tell me that you’re going to see Jongin?”

“Let’s not talk about him for now, shall we?” Jinri noticed the fake smile that she does, and she already knows that whatever he did, it didn’t make her happy. “I’m here to see you-”

“What did the boy do?” She asked seriously, causing Soojung to sigh.

“I hate how you could read me so easily.” She mumbles. Soojung doesn’t reply immediately despite Jinri’s constant begging, it’s not because she didn’t want to tell her, but she doesn’t really want to talk about it at the moment. But after remembering that it might be a long time until she sees her again, she finally admits, “Jongin says that he doesn’t want us to date... not yet at least.”

“That little ! How stupid could he be?!” She frowns. She was about to cuss him out, but just bites her lips after realizing how hurt Soojung must be feeling. “Don’t worry, love. He’ll soon regret this-”

“That doesn’t matter for now, Jinri. I am here to see- to talk to you, rather.” Soojung cuts her off and seeing how serious she looked, Jinri raised an eyebrow. “He told me that you and Chanyeol broke up.”

This time, it was Jinri’s turn to look a little uncomfortable. Maybe it was because of that fact that she has been busying for the past few weeks surrounding herself with fellow actors and people who work in the film industry that once she hears Chanyeol’s name, she felt a stung on her chest, not that she was blaming Soojung for that.

She had promised herself that she won’t ever speak of him, let alone think about him. But the sudden mention of his name had suddenly made her nervous, and despite her not wanting to talk about their bitter breakup, she knew that she’d had to tell it to her best friend somehow.

After thinking and choosing the right words to start explaining, Jinri turns her gaze to Soojung only to see her pouting and already crying. Confused and taken aback, Jinri panicks as she didn’t know to do or what she has done. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one who should cry?”

“You tried to tell me, didn’t you? That one time you wanted to call me, I mean, when I told you that I couldn’t talk because I was in the middle of my class.”

When Jinri falls silent, she realizes that her intuition was indeed true. That particular day when she asked her if it was alright to call her was when she wanted to tell her what happened between the two of them. Her dreadful breakup actually happened just minutes before that and she was having panic attack that even when she was typing, her hands were shaking. Even though she did have other friends apart from Soojung, the only person that she’d want to talk with was her and nobody else.

Of course, she did try to tell her the following days but unfortunately, the timing of her post breakup happened at the same time when Soojung was having her exams. As she expected, her bestfriend was very stressed out, complaining about her school, and sometimes even crying when she calls her. Not wanting to distract her from her studies, Jinri had decided to just keep it from her since she was always stressed.

“I feel so bad, Jinri. I should have been there for you but I wasn’t.” Soojung cries harder, and Jinri started to do the same. “I’m very sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Oh Soojung. You don’t have to. It wasn’t your fault. We could be really busy sometimes, especially you, since you’re in college. I’m just grateful that despite that, we still get to talk to each like we don’t live in two different countries.” The taller girl says, hugging her even though there was a seat between them. “Honestly, I’m not even crying because of Chanyeol right now, but because of you. You know I don’t like seeing you cry.”

When they finally stopped hugging each other, Jinri proceeds on wiping Soojung’s tears while Soojung pats Jinri’s cheeks, “You’ve suffered a lot, my Jinri.”

“Not as much as you, Jungie.”

Suddenly Jinri’s manager knocks on the car’s window, an indication that her 5-minute break was almost finished, startling the two girls. Jinri immediately tried to fix herself to make sure that it wasn’t obvious that she just cried with Soojung’s help.

“I suppose you’re not flying back tonight to Boston, are you?” Jinri asks before opening the car door. Soojung shook her head, though she did have a flight early in the morning. However, the look in her best friend’s eyes suggests that she might have to change that. “Wanna pull an all nighter and drink wine while watching The Notebook?”

“I would love to.”

It has been ages since they graduated high school but it seems like Jongin was still not used with the much harder subjects in college. Now in his second year, he has lost count on how many exams he has failed. Maybe it was still reasonable during the first months as he was still fresh from cancelling his engagement and it has made his concentration a lot harder, but now, he really has no idea what was happening to him.

He stares at his failed exam in disbelief that he has scored another low score. He does not understand it. He has been studying everyday, all night, but his grades were telling him otherwise. He did not enter a prestigious university for this to happen. He did not let the love of his life leave him for this to happen.

With shaky hands and his heart pounding, he proceeds to where his professor was to demand an explanation.

“You’re simply not studying enough, Mr. Kim.” His professor says in a poker face, lowkey annoying him. He would complain much more and raise his tone, but this professor was as old as his father, and he wouldn’t want to disrespect the older man.

So in the most polite tone that he could have, Jongin says, “But sir, I’ve studying really hard ever since the semester started-”

“Then study harder if you want to graduate. With your grades, I doubt that you could.” The old man states, grabbing his brown leather briefcase and leaves him alone in the empty classroom.

Stunned by what the last sentence that he said, Jongin stayed at his place, frozen. For the first time, he suddenly feels frightened.

Ever since Jessica was granted her divorce, she officially started her longing relationship with her sweetheart Donghae. She has moved back to Seoul, and he even joins her in their yearly Christmas vacations in London together with the whole Jung family and she hasn't never looked happier until he finally came along.

Painting her nails in her bed while the third season of Skins played in her Macbook, Soojung was busy in her own world but was still aware of the fact that the couple were standing in her door, lowkey arguing. Well, that’s what she thinks is the reason why they were whispering at each other quietly. Even when she was looking at them, neither explained what they wanted from her.

“It’s alright. I can babysit tonight if that’s what you want-”

“No, no! It’s not that!” The couple says at the same time before exchanging glances. Jessica then pushes Donghae much closer to where her bed was, persuading him to say it himself, whatever the it was.

“Uhm… It’s just-”

“What is it, oppa?”

“I… I don’t know how to say it-”

“Just say it oppa.”

“I can’t. I really can’t-”

“We’re engaged.” Jessica’s mouth slips, and she immediately bites her lips.

Sure, news like that was something to be celebrated, but Jessica and Donghae were quite sceptical of telling Soojung about their engagement, mainly because she was once engaged as well. Nobody can deny the happiness Soojung has, now that she’s studying in Harvard, but their mother knows that she was a little upset by the cancelation of her wedding, especially back in the early days.

Though unspoken in her family, her siblings and their mother knows that the youngest Jung have developed an unlikely feeling towards wedding ceremonies. It was quite obvious when they attended a wedding of a distant relative once, and Soojung wasn’t even paying attention. Jessica even swears that she was tearing up, even though they weren’t really close to the bride and groom.

That’s why when Soojung reacted positively to the news, both Donghae and Jessica were taken aback. She immediately stood up from her bed to hug both of them, but with difficulty as she has just painted her nails. “About time! I was expecting for oppa to propose as soon as unnie got divorced, but I stand corrected.”

“You’re okay with this?” Donghae asks her, still puzzled by her reaction.

“Why, of course I am! We’re talking about the happiness and the future of my sister here!” She explains as she turns to wink at her sister. “As long as you’re happy, I am happy, my dear sister.”

“Aww. I told you she’d be alright when she hears about this!” Jessica exclaims before hugging her sister. She was, in fact, the one who was more sceptical to tell her than Donghae.

After telling her their wedding plans, Jessica and Donghae eventually leaves Soojung alone again and as soon as she closed her bedroom door, her smile fades away. She then looks for a small black box that she had always brought with her, and when she finally finds it, she immediately opens it. Inside it was the two rings that Jongin had given her (the yellow plastic one and the real diamond engagement ring from Paris) that she has never returned. Putting both of the rings on her wedding finger, she looks at both of it firmly before planting a kiss unto it.

Despair and misery – those were the words that currently and perfectly describe Jongin’s feeling at the moment. Sure he may be living in a roof with four walls, he has the money and he is in one of the country's best university, but never has he felt so depressed in his life. His failing grades have reached the ears of his parents and not only were they not content about it, but he was also threaten to be replaced by his uncles as the heir of the company when that unfortunate time comes. Well, at least that was the rumors around the company said.

In a meeting with the company board, in which his own father was present, Jongin sat in between older men, mostly his father’s friends and the ones he calls uncles as they were the same ones who gives him extravagant presents on his birthdays and etc. In spite of the close relationship he had with them, he was not there in the best mood, since he was called to discuss his future within the company.

“We’re sure that you know why we called you here.” One of his uncles start off, and even if a minute hasn’t passed, he already hated being there.

“I don’t mean any disrespect, but why must we discuss my problems in front of them, father?” A frowning Jongin turns to his father. He was not even sitting at his chair properly. “Can’t we just discuss this in private? Just the two of us? Or with my mother, perhaps?”

But Mr. Kim does not reply. He just looked at his son firmly, an indication for him to shut up. Once quiet, the older man signals for them to continue.

“Your current grades are… quite inadequate, and they’re not really fit for being the next CEO of this company-”

“Are you implying that I’m an imbecile?” Jongin cuts them off once again.

“We’re implying that you’re not studying enough. You spend much time playing around-”

Tired of hearing the same thing from adults, Jongin rolls his eyes, “And how certain are you that I do not study and just play around the city, when you yourself spend much time at the casino wasting money instead of paying your taxes, dear uncle?”

“Kim Jongin.” Mr. Kim calls him out.

“Father, I may not be living under the same roof as you anymore, but you know so well that I’m very serious when it comes to my studies.” He turns to him once again, hoping that he’d say something to defend him. “I have never once lied to you-”

“Kim Jongin.” His father once again says, and though he was not shouting, his voice was loud and clear, another indication for him to shut up.

Jongin does not say any word once more, not because he was scared of doing so, but because he was frustrated by the fact that he was not saying anything in his behalf. He had lived with him in their mansion for 18 years and he knows how studious he was, and yet there he was, quiet as if he wasn’t there at all. His uncles must think that he was not doing his best.

Not wanting to hear any of the older men’s scolding, Jongin suddenly stood up from his seat to leave the room despite his father and his assistant calling his name. He didn’t even know why he had to be there when they won’t listen to his words. He just couldn’t believe that there’s a chance of them disinheriting him as the future CEO of his father’s company, when that is what he has been taught and what he expected to be ever since young.

The only good thing about all that was Soojung not being around and didn't know what was happening to him. It’s not like he didn’t want to see her in fact, he has started to regret everything he told back in his birthday party. He was just glad that she wasn’t there to see him suffering like that as he was almost sure, it would hurt her as well.

Since she was a designer herself, Jessica had decided to design not only her bridesmaids’ gown but her own wedding gown as well. Her only sister, who was the maid o