"J-Jeongie?"

" no, this isn't real."

I held my head, I can't believe this is happening. Just as when I thought something good would finally happen to me, guess not.

My glares are beyond the hatred I'm feeling right now, well I'm not technically mad. I merely hate the fact that I'm confused as hell, I think I'm going to get a headache.

I didn't even spare a glance to look at those two and left them.

Despite that, Karina ran after me and trailed me behind. Which resulted in the both of us ending up in their garden, she must've misunderstood that I was mad.

I'm not trying to avoid her or anything but, can't I just get a quick breather?

This is all so sudden after all...

"Wait! Jeongie, let me explain!"

"Rina, give me a break I'm just-"

"I have a good reason!"

Karina finally caught up to me and grabbed my hand which prevented me from walking any further, I sighed at this and turned my back to face her.

She was looking at me with full sincerity, looking scared, and her hands slightly trembling.

This made me remember that time... I wonder if she thought about that time while running after me, is that the reason why she's scared?

I couldn't be sure.

"Let me finish my words geez. I'm not trying to run away from you." Patting her shoulder softly, I spoke calmly. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"No... I'm not, so-"

"I'm not that dense recognizing other people's feelings, Rina." I chuckled at the thought, "And it's funny how I can't even recognize my own."

I coughed to clear my throat, then grabbed her hand to pull her with me on the nearby bench to sit.

I'm going to let her explain everything to me. Unlike those cliche things, I see in dramas where the protagonist walks their way away from the heroine due to anger, not even letting the latter explain.

Huh, I need to stop watching those and do something productive.

Anyway!

From my actions, of course, Karina looked surprised. She probably wasn't expecting me to be so understanding, I mean a lot of things happened and I learned a lot from it.

Some traumas here and there, yeah. Certainly, I despised it and it stressed me out like hell.

Thus, I need to think more rationally and hear her side of the story— hell I already have a lot of problems, and I don't want this to add up.

Better solve it now.

"Y-You're going to let me explain?"

"Yeah, this isn't some drama you know."

Seeing her looking so confused forced me to release a comforting smile, which at least I can do. Usually, I'd hug her, but I'm not in the mood for it.

I'm confused as well.

"...I'm sorry for hiding again, lying."

"It's fine." I laid my back on the backrest, "As far as I'm concerned, I think I'd rather know the truth. Even if learning the truth changed who I am."

And it really did.

"I told you Sicheng was bad news." Karina took a deep breath before continuing, "We're half-siblings, that's why we don't have the same surname, he chose his mother's. Not only that, I have four more brothers."

Four more...?

Now that she mentioned it, I do remember seeing four guys back at the apartment complex when we still hated each other.

Those four men must've been her brothers.

To think that I thought something indecent back at the time... Argh, I want to punch my past self seriously...

"Well, I didn't know you meant that kind of thing." I pursed my lips, "Why did you two act like you weren't siblings though?"

"We hate each other from time to time, a lot of things happened back in high school. So we just chose to treat each other as acquaintances, that was the easiest solution."

"I'm guessing if I asked about that, you can't tell me right?"

"...I'm sorry."

I huffed, "It can't be helped... Just like wine, some human relationships need time to mature and we're just in the process of that I guess."

When I was just about to sink inside my thoughts, I heard a faint snuffle beside me which alarmed me. Looking to my left, I saw Karina who had her face covered.

"A-Are you crying?!"

"I'm trying not to."

She turned her back to face the opposite direction, I couldn't help but curl my lips slightly by the sight as this situation felt so nostalgic.

So nostalgic that a part of me started to reminisce the good times we had— if only those unfortunate events didn't happen huh... would've we been dating by now...?

The , Minjeong? Haha, no.

What you're probably experiencing is admiration, nothing else. It's your mind messing up again, let's not easily get swayed by it.

The feelings were long gone...

"Jeongie!