Fourteen
Before All The Longings
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Although he already got the call informing of her coming to meet him, seeing her sitting there in person is still making his heart beating fast. Joonmyeon nods, walking cautiously when his presence finally being noticed as the woman waves at him. Why does she wants to know what happened so badly?
"Hey! Sit, sit."
He follows, pulling out a chair and sits across the older. The table is full with food and he looks at his front. "Are you waiting for someone else?"
Bella shakes her head.
"Then the food..."
"It is for you." She smiles at the confused face. "Well, I asked you to come all the way here when you could have your lunch inside the university ground so I ordered what I like and what I think you would like in advance so you can eat right away. Do you have class after this?"
Joonmyeon nods.
"See. You already lost twenty minutes for coming to meet me. If you be ordering now, you won't have time to eat. Now, let's eat. I am starving!"
He watches as the woman pulls a plate of pasta closer before starts to dig in. He already lost his appetite when the call came but he would be hurting her feeling if he doesn't have some.
Bella nods with full as the younger picks up half a sandwich and eats it. It really has been a while since she came here. When Yifan was still studiying, they would be having their lunches here instead of the many cafeterias in the campus. Outsiders are allowed to enter the common places but Yifan somehow doesn't want her to do so.
Joonmyeon eyes the few choices of drinks and picks up the fruit juice, earning a nod when his gaze meet with the other's. He swallows the last bit before sipping some of the juice, preparing himself for what to come as Bella is staring at him.
"Are you dating anyone right now?"
His eyes widen at the unexpected question before shaking his head slightly. The female went straight asking about the Chinese male to him last time so he was expecting the same thing too.
"How about Mr. Harit? You two look close."
"We are just friends."
Bella nods, jutting her lips as she scans the younger. The purple T-shirt caught her eyes the moment she saw him and she is still trying very hard not being giddy about it. By the tone of his answer, Joonmyeon is telling the truth but it is just from his side. It seems like he really didn't notice how Harit looked at him at the pre-opening the other day.
"How about you?"
She blinks. "Hm? What about me?"
"When is the wedding? It has been a while since the news broke out."
She lets out a small laugh. Of course. Being friend with Minseok that is also a friend of Yifan, it would be strange if the younger doesn't know about her and Yifan's 'arranged married'. Everybody who is anybod knew about it but she is thankful the fear of being sued by her mother in case they're spreading false rumors made it just a hush-hush thing on the side of her university. "I don't know either."
Joonmyeon notices the changed tone in her voice.
"The families just let us decide but I don't know. Maybe I should ask them to force us. That way, Yifan won't have a saying about it."
He watches as the older takes a sip of her drink before letting out a small sigh. It doesn't really concern him about what happen between the two but if a marriage is what it need for Bella to stop being suspicous of him and the Chinese male, then he hopes it come soon.
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"I can send it over after they are finished."
Yifan shakes his head, giving the younger a small smile. "It's fine. I want to take a break anyway." He sees the girl nod before continuing her work. It is almost fine and he can't help wondering about the girl's other job. "Are you..."
Sophia glances up, hands stop folding the paper box for the takeouts. "Yes?"
"Did you quit working at the club?"
"Ah, no. I still work there. I'll be going after this." She pushes the box aside, pulling the plate of freshly-made waffle in front of her and spreads the chocolate across the surface. "Why do you ask?"
"Aren't you tired working two jobs? You barely have enough time to rest." Yifan sees a small smile as the gloved hands working on his order.
"I'm this young, working two jobs is nothing. I should earn money while I still can."
He can sense something is weighing inside the younger's mind from the words she uttered. What Bella told him the other day flashes through his mind and he glances at the girl up and down. Does the 'big thing' that happened in the past has something to do with money?
"Mr. Yifan."
He fixes his gaze at the fair face.
"You are friend with Minseok oppa and Luhan oppa, right?" Sophia smiles at the small nod. "Then you must be friends with Joonmyeon oppa too, right? Do you remember how he was when you were still studying at the university? How did he look?"
"I'm... not that close with him. I didn't live at the dorm too so..."
"Ah, is that so..." Her hands slow down from rolling the stuffed crepe at the information. When Joonmyeon introduced Minseok to her at the housewarming party, she was thrilled as she finally has someone she could talk to about her brother but it got so busy that they never spoke a word after that.
"Shouldn't you know better than anyone else? He doesn't live at the dorm, right?"
She nods before letting out a small sigh. "But it was just recently. Oppa moved back in with us after mother died, around six months ago. He lived at the dorm the last two years."
Yifan's brows furrow. Many things don't add up. Even if the male lives away from his family, he must have come once in a while, during the holidays or the semester breaks. But from the way the little sister told him, it is as if she hadn't seen him for a long time.
Sophia sees the handsome face that is full with questions ant takes a deep breath, hands busy cutting fresh fruits to be put in the pancakes. Chanyeol and Baekhyun that are the closes to her brother don't seems to know about what really happened insed their family either so it is understandable that Yifan that is a friend of a friend of her brother is clueless about it. Everything is fine now so she shouldn't reliving the past.
"Your brother..."
"Miss Bella won't be visiting today?"
Yifan's lips pursee into a thin line at the cut of his words before nodding. "She went to meet a friend during lunch and still hasn't come back. Not even sure if she would return to the shop today."
"Ah... That is why you came here. And these takeouts are for your staff?"
He nods. The manager had offered to go after he ended the call with Bella but knowing the woman, he would get an earfull if the thing she asks him to do is being done by someone else. Being left along at the office was awkward for him too so he is half glad to go and buy snacks for everyone.
"The black dress inside the shop window is very pretty. Did Miss Bella make that?"
He stares at the younger that is looking at him, giving her a small nod before watching her folding another paper box into shape. She doesn't seem to want to talk about what happened to her brother anymore and he can't help feeling a bit disappointed. It is all Bella's fault for putting ideas into his brain.
"I love to look at the dresses and clothes the shops around here put on their windows. And since I know Miss Bella personally now, I think her dresses are the prettiest compared to others." Sophia meets with the male's eyes to let him know she really means it. The timing was never right as Bella would come when the shop is at its busiest so she never really get to give the older her compliments.
"Thank you. I will tell her that."
She smiles widely as she takes a paper bag and puts the completed order inside it. "When I first saw you together with Miss Bella at your housewarming party, I was like, 'of course, a beautiful woman like her must be with an equally handsome man like him' and was awestruck."
Yifan doesn't know how to react to that.
"When is the wedding? Do you mind inviting me? I would love to see Miss Bella in a wedding dress. She would look so beautiful."
The words leave him speechless. He and Bella are treating each other like friends more than a spouse-to-be and it makes him forgot that they are to be wedded soon. He follows the younger as she brings his takeouts to the cashier counter and pays the bill, mind still playing the soft spoken words. Maybe he marriage will solve everything.
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The knock on the door makes him turn his chair towards the entrance as he's sure his father had gone to bed earlier and his eyes can't help widened at the sight of Sophia peeking her head inside.
"May I come in?"
Joonmyeon nods, watching his little sister taking a seat on his bed facing him. "Did you forget something?"
"I got a half day today." Sophia smiles at her brother's nod. "What are you doing not sleeping yet? Are you working on another project for Mr. Jirayu?"
"No. I already told him I'm not accepting any work until I finish my final project. And you. Shouldn't you go to sleep? Covering this week's lack of sleep?"
She stares at Joonmyeon. The older is still the same and she is glad. She was afraid that he would hate her because she couldn't do anything after they got separated but her brother isn't that kind of a person. "Oppa."
The small smile has disappeared and Joonmyeon's lips purse at the solemn face.
"Thank you for accepting us back."
His heart breaks when a single tear trickles down the pink cheek and moves to sit next to Sophia on the bed, collecting her in his arms. "Hey..."
"I am sorry... I am so sorry... I tried... I tried and dad... Dad... He... " She cries against her brother's shoulder, being careful not to wake their father up as she would just make him worry more when everything is alright now.
"I know you tried, I know. And dad too. I know you never meant to leave me alone but mum did what she thought was the best for the famly, and I don't blame her."
"You are her son. Who you like doesn't make you any lesser. You are still my brother."
Joonmyeon breathes deeply, one hand the trembling back up and down as what happened two years ago being rewinded in his mind. He wasn't going to keep it as a secret forever, he was waiting for the right time. But then the 'incident' happened and he couldn't control other people's mouth until the news finally reached his mother.
Sophia fists a handful of her brother's clothes and she tries to stop her tears from falling down. The talked she had with the Chinese male in the afternoon had brought up the feeling she had kept away deep inside her heart. Joonmyeon is her brother. It is obvious that she would know everything about him more than anyone else but how could she when she didn't her anything from him for the past two years.
The muffled sobs make him tighten his hold on the small body. He still can remember Sophia's relieved face when they finally met six months ago and he was for sure thought his little sister would cry right there and then because she is that kind of a sister but the younger just kept hugging him without saying a word. Until today. It must be so hard keeping those feeling inside. "It's fine. I'm right here. I won't go anywhere."
Sophia takes a few short breaths, trying to compose herself as her brother's warm hand never stop trying to calm her down. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She came to have a talk, about anything because she is Joonmyeon's family and family talk about their day and such. But she guesses her heart doesn't have enough room anymore that it made her burst out like this.
Joonmyeon pulls away and stares at the tear-stained face, wiping the rest of it with his thumb. He fixes the messy hir before cupping the chubby cheeks, pinching them a little and smiles at the whining of pain. "Are they all out?"
She inhales, holding her breath for a few second before releasing it slowly, head nodding as an answer. "I was going to brag about the waffle I ate today but..." She lets out a dry laugh. "Probably my period is coming."
"Probably. Do you still have supplies? Do you want me to buy some for you?"
"I have another pack unopen. Don't you worry about it."
The pretty smile lifts Joonmyeon's burden by a ton. He holds the small hand gently. "Do you want to go to the beach?"
Sophia's brow furrow. "Like, right now?"
"Of course not now. My exams are coming up and we can go after that. Or maybe you want to go to the mountains instead?"
"Beach! Definitely beach. I want to play in the water for a whole day instead of hiking up a mountain."
"Yes, yes. I will look for some beach places. No need to get mad."
Sophia puts as the older is poking her cheek. Joonmyeon had mentioned about the idea of going for a family vacation before and of course nobody objects it. Their family of four used to go on a trip but the only trip she had gone for the last two years was moving from one place to another. She stares at the older, inching closer little by little and wraps her arms around his neck.
Joonmyeon breathes out as he feels a chin settled on his shoulder, bringing on hand up and rubs the small back.
She basks at the warm touch. It was a night like this when she was woken up by their mother's voice and she ran outside to see their father trying to calm their mother down while her brother stood there across the street with his thin clothes and a bag near his feet. "Oppa..."
"Hm?"
"Mr. Yifan came to the shop today and I asked him about you."
Joonmyeon tries not to show too suprised at the information.
"He made me realized that I am not so different from him, that I don't know much about your university life because of what happened. But trust me, I will make everything better again."
He purses his lips. Sophia shouldn't know.
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