CH. 6: Truth and Lies

Chaeyoung is sitting down on her bed with her notebook on her hand. On the notebook, a note is stuck, So hee's name and number. She's looking at it contemplating whether she should give her a message. She's quite embarrased with the Melona incident, afterall. 

"What's that?" Nayeon snatch the notebook chaeyoung is holding.

"So hee?" Nayeon reads the note on the notebook, "who's this?"

Chaeyoung's face turned beet red and Nayeon sat beside her, "ohh, did this girl gave you her number?"

"yeah," Chaeyoung says, "but quiet down, I don't want anyone hearing about this—and it's not what you think,"

"Not what I think?" Nayeon snickers, "what exactly do I think Son chaeyoung?"

"unnie," Chaeyoung sighs, "she's just someone I owe something so I decided to treat her coffee,"

Nayeon's eyebrows wiggled, "you sure?"

Chaeyoung bit her lip, "yup besides we're both girls,"

Nayeon laughs and sat on the bed beside her, "come on chaeng, we both aren't straight. Let's stop pretending already."

Chaeyoung's mouth opened wide, she can't believe she's hearing this," "w-what?!"

Nayeon's not straight either? That's news to her.

Nayeon shook her head, "I'm panual,"

Chaeyoung's eyes furrowed, "y-you are?"

"yup," Nayeon says, "which means I'm ually attracted to any gender. Including all the non-binary ones,"

Now that makes sense, how Nayeon and her would fan girl with female idols together. 

"okay," Chaeyoung smiles—relieved that she can open up to someone who she knows will understand it, "I'm bi."

"Bipolar?" Nayeon jokes.

Chaeyoung can't help but laugh. "Unnie!"

"Okay, Biual. I always knew anyway." Nayeon chuckled, "and anyway, who's this girl?"

"So hee, she's the one who made this tattoo." Chaeyoung says pointing on her shoulder, "something happened before that and I kinda embarrassed myself, and as an apology I promised to treat her, and she gave me her number,"

"oh, is she hot?" Nayeon grins, teasingly.

Chaeyoung looked down, "well- kind of,"

"aigoo, you're going on a date," Nayeon grins, "I'm glad for you- you're finally moving on,"

"moving on?" Chaeyoung stopped, "what do you mean?"

"c'mon chaeng," Nayeon says, "I was the one who got you that notebook right?"

Chaeyoung nodded and smiles remembering how Nayeon tagged her along to the book store and nayeon brought her this strawberry printed notebook.

"I know that you liked that," Nayeon says. "Because you don't usually say what you want, but you would always stare at it. You did the exact same thing when I brought you to the school supplies and looked at that notebook, couldn't help but buy it for you."

Chaeyoung looks stunned. She didn't know how nayeon knows all of this. But she is nayeon after all. They can't hide anything from her.

"you look at her the exact same way," Nayeon says. "Like you want her so bad but you can't say it."

Chaeyoung teared up, because she's been bottling these feelings that Nayeon says.

"who are you t-talking about?"

"come on, it's that penguin with 'ocean-like eyes'?" Nayeon chuckled, "I kinda knew in that eyes eyes eyes song you had a crush on someone."

"I am in love with her unnie," Chaeyoung confesses, "I want her to be happy—but everytime I see her with him, it just hurts so much."

"I know chaeng," Nayeon says as she rubs the makne's shoulder, "I'm here for you."

"Will this ever go away?" Chaeyoung asks.

"I don't know chaeng," Nayeon sighs.

Nayeon sighs and almost tears up. Chaeyoung doesn't usually ask for things, but when she does want something Nayeon knew.

She remembers that day when brought Chaeyoung into the school supplies store and Chaeyoung would always stop in front of that notebook, opening her wallet and staring at the notebook again. She would pass by it, with eyes bright staring. Chaeyoung's expression was like an innocent child filled with adoration and Nayeon couldn't help but to spoil her.

It's the same look she had when mina would laugh or would smile, and chaeyoung would gaze at her, eyes bright and loving.

But this one thing chaeyoung wanted the most,

Is probably the only thing Nayeon couldn't give her.

//

"Thank you for the treat," So hee smiles at Chaeyoung sitting in front of her.

Chaeyoung finally had the courage to message the woman. Looking at her, she had a white t-shirt on and only a pair of jeans but no one could deny the fact that she is gorgeous. Gorgeous enough to be an actress.

"Chaeyoung-ssi,"So hee coughs, "is there something wrong with my face?"

"ah n-no," Chaeyoung coughed awkwardly.

"You're staring very intently," So hee laughs.

"oh, sorry, I just like that mole in your nose bridge," Chaeyoung says. "it's very pretty."

And So hee turned bright red and hid a smile forming on her lips. Chaeyoung looked down, remembering a certain beautiful woman with the same mole.

"are you always like these?" So hee asked.

"What?"

"are you really so good at flirting?" So hee snickers.

Chaeyoung turned red too this time and waves her hand, "n-no I'm not! I know it's disgusting I'm not flirting—"

"hey, I'm not homophobic," So hee smiles, "and besides I'm not straight either,"

Chaeyoung nods and smiles. "t-that's good. I just thought you're pretty, you could really be an idol or an actress"

"oh, I don't know about being an Idol but I do act," So hee says, "I act on theatre and sometimes do play writing."

Chaeyoung looks at her and this seems like it caught her interest, "You seem like an artist,"

"and you are too, right? I know an artist when I see one," So hee smiles.

"yes," Chaeyoung says, "I love people who are passionate on what they do, that what artist are,"

"what songs you wrote anyway?" So hee asked.

"oh just personal stuff," Chaeyoung says. "It's like therapy for me,"

"can I see them?" so hee asked.

"Well, I left my notebook on my apartment, I'll bring it next time," Chaeyoung says.

So hee smiles and they continued to talk. They found themselves talking about mutual interest into deep conversations. Chaeyoung felt comfortable with So hee who what you see is what you get. Very genuine.

Writing is a therapy.

That's what Chaeyoung like to think.

She wrote songs about her, afterall.

//

Mina sighs as she looked around in the apartment. Others are already on their bedroom while Nayeon and Jeongyeon are out. She sighs and scrolls on her phone.

'When will Chaeyoung come back?' Mina thought.

She had been finding herself looking for chaeyoung. She had done this before- way before, which is why she is so naturally stuck beside her. She enjoys her company, but now Chaeyoung's absence felt more evident.

'I want to see her,' Mina thought sighing. 'why do I feel this way? Mina you're stupid.'

It was then she a certain notebook on the living room table. It was the notebook she remembered chaeyoung always carry, the one nayeon brought her before.

She looked at it and read those things written, and saw the pretty doodles on the pages. Until she saw a song.

'Quiet eyes'

-son chaeyoung

Intro:

Your quiet eyes felt like home

Like the calm of the sea,

Felt like the salt air,

As the waves meet my feet,

Bridge:

Can I be the storm,

In your calm?

Can I be the rain

That You love?

Chorus:

You pull me in like

Mina stopped when the door opened and it revealed Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung pulled the notebook too fast that Mina didn't finish reading it. She looked- scared. And Mina knows.

Mina knows that it is about her. Can I be the rain you love? Mina loves the rain, and chaeyoung knew that.

"I-I just saw it in the table, sorry."

"it's okay, d-did you read it?" Chaeyoung asked.

Mina didn't talk for a second. "That love song... you were writing, that's about me. Isn't it?"

Chaeyoung then felt a sudden rage of fear.

"no, of course not." Chaeyoung says- too soon, almost too soon.

"Chaeyoung," Mina says, "Please tell me the truth, do you like me?"

Chaeyoung looked away and masked her face with an indifferent emotion, "This isn't about you unnie—this is about someone else."

Mina's expression hardened, "then why did you kiss me? That night when you thought I was sleeping."

"what are you saying unnie? I didn't do that," Chaeyoung says, "whatever you think. It's not true and I don't think of you that way."

It was then Mina's face turned pale. Like she heard something she didn't want to, "you're lying."

Chaeyoung sighs. But she felt her chest drumming with nervousness. She didn't want Mina to know, out of all people- she didn't want her to think it was disgusting. She didn't want mina to look at her with disdain and disgust in her eyes.

"I'm not, it's really about someone else," Chaeyoung says. "I-I'm dating someone else."

"I don't believe you." Mina looked disappointed, but her expression was hard.

She immediately walked away, and didn't accept anything Chaeyoung would say.

//

"Want to come over and had dinner again at my house?" So hee asked chaeyoung as they walk outside from the convenience store.

So hee and Chaeyoung has been meeting frequently after she treat her to coffee- there comes lots of time they meet again, maybe because they kind of get each other. They have mutual interest- art, music and literature.

"Yep, let's eat ramen and kimchi rice," Chaeyoung says grinning.

"you would make me do the cooking again, won't you?" Soo hee looked at her- glaring jokingly.

Chaeyoung nodded and laughs. She had been over to So hee's home lots of times, to have dinner- sometimes to take breathe when everything is overwhelming. For chaeyoung, having someone outside of her industry who can understand what she's going through can be such a relief. So hee is so easy to talk to. Unpretentious, and Chaeyoung loves those kind of people.

"How is it lately with that girl you like?" So hee asked swining her hand as she hold the plastic bag. "with that Mina girl?"

"It's alright, I guess- who am I kidding? She's not talking to me," Chaeyoung sighs, "Ever since she saw that song I wrote about her, then she confronted me asking if It's about her- and I told it's not, and she won't believe me. She's mad and won't talk to me,"

"that's a lot of problem there," So hee clicked her tongue, "what do you want to do about it?"

"well If this is this hard and I'd rather not say anything at all until she believes it," Chaeyoung says, "until she's finally comfortable again around me."

"She won't believe it until she finally saw you dating someone else," So hee sips on her juice box, " So you should get over her now and start dating around,"

"That would be completely impossible—until I can ask someone to be my pretend lover so she would believe me like those cheesy romcom movies" Chaeyoung laughs, "but that would be so stupid."

So hee can't help but chuckle too.

After dinner, So hee persist to accompany chaeyoung back to Twice's apartment. Both of them are calm when suddenly when Chaeyoung opened the door, all of twice members barged in front of them.

"who's this person?" Jihyo asked,

"Oh her?" Chaeyoung looked at So hee.

"NO THIS GUY" Jihyo then proceed to show Chaeyoung a picture of her in the phone. The article wrote something about she is caught grocery shopping with this guy. "The paparazzi caught you on a grocery shopping with this guy!"

"chimhwasa?" Chaeyoung gasped.

"Who is this guy?" Jeongyeon said, "why didn't you tell us you're dating someone?"

"changieee why didn't you tell us," Sana asked too with voice a bit sad and disappointed.

"is this really true? Is this why you don't have dinner here lately?" Dahyun asked.

"you should just told us," Momo says.

"okay everybody listen," Chaeyoung sighs, "Let me explain, That's person is just my tattoo artist and he has a kid already for godsake!"

"YOU'RE GOING OUT WITH SOMEONE WITH A KID?" Jihyo's voice is even louder.

"is this the person you told me about chaeng?" Mina asked with a calmer voice but a Face without any expression. Still though, her aura just tells everything.

Just great. Chaeyoung is cornered there- Jihyo with her fury rage(and wouldn't stop until she says who's this guy) and mina who she can't tell the truth to.

"a-actually" Chaeyoung swallowed. "The truth is---"

"I'm So hee," So hee suddenly talks.

"oh, Hi So-hee.. I guess?" Jihyo answered back awkwardly, eyes on the beautiful woman chaeyoung is with. Jihyo and the rest looks confused why she suddenly introduced herself. The others looked like they only just noticed her now (some are too engrossed with the sudden news)

"That's Chimhawasa. my brother, and Chaeyoung just accompany us to the grocery store. I was with them but the paparazzi didn't capture me." So hee explained. "I just asked her to eat dinner in our place with my brother and my niece last week."

So hee told them the truth though. It happened last week when Chaeyoung went over for dinner and they cooked buttered steak.

"oh thank God' Jihyo sighs in relief with the other members.

"this is all a misunderstanding okay?" Chaeyoung said.

"if this is a misunderstanding, then who's the person you told me you're dating?" Mina tilts her head, with a smirk on her face.

"wait—you're dating someone? But not this guy?" Jihyo asked.

"yep, chaeyoung told me so," Mina smirked again. Clearly trying to get the truth out of chaeyoung. Her face clearly indicating, 'I knew you're lying'

"well, chaeng, you gotta tell us, before the paparazzi does or our managers" Jeongyeon says.

Chaeyoung felt her chest drumming. I'm so dead. Her head floating elsewhere.

"a-about that.."

"I'm the person she's dating," So hee says.

And everyone is quiet, eye wide opened including chaeyoung.

"y-you're dating chaeyoung?" Jeongyeon's mouth is wide open.

"you swing that way?" Sana asked.

"What the—" Dahyun gasped.

Chaeyoung closed her eyes shut and decided to agree, to lie. "Y-yes. This is why I brought her here, she's so hee and we've been dating for a month already. I would be happy if you come to like her."

"woah, daebak!" Nayeon exclaimed giving her two thumbs up, "Chaeyoung jjang!"

Jeongyeon coughs awkwardly, "that can't be helped then. At least you're not dating a man with a kid."

"Nice to meet you So-hee!" Sana smiles.

"Nice to meet you," Jihyo says, "want to come in?"

Chaeyoung can only slapped herself,

Like a fly caught on her web,

Entangled between truth & lies,

She couldn't back down. 

//

a/n: Things about to go down lol thank your upvoting, commenting and always reading my updates. Hoping you would continue to do sooo :)