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Chae In placed her hand on the door and stopped, taking a deep breath before walking in. She felt dizzy from all the fatigue piling up for weeks and her head hurt like hell. She was weary of this situation but she knew she had to keep holding on, just a little bit more, just a little bit longer. She couldn't give up. Not now, not yet. She just hoped it would soon be over, if not for her, at least for her brother.

She shook her head to come around and slowly opened the door of the hospital room. She instantly froze when the echo of her brother's laughter reached her ears. Intrigued, she narrowed her eyes before another voice was raised, satisfying her curiosity. When she realized whom it belonged to, she stormed in and slammed the door behind her. Her glance first landed on the silhouette next to the bed which jumped in surprise before turning to her. Chin Ho then popped out his head and blinked at her.

 

« Oh ? Noona's here. » he said with a smile.

 

Normally, she would have smiled back to him but she was too focused on the other person gazing at her. Everything was spinning in her head and she didn't know where to begin. When she finally managed to look away, she turned to her brother with a frown.

 

« What is he doing here ? » she tried to keep her voice down.

 

Chin Ho raised an eyebrow and looked successively at her sister and the man standing beside his bed, confused. What exactly had happened -again ?

 

« I was looking for you but since you weren't there, Chin Ho-

- Why did you let him in ?  »

 

Her brother bit his lip and gave her a sorry look. He didn't understand what he had done wrong or why she was so upset but he could sense the tension and he knew he had better stay quiet than risk pouring oil on the fire.

 

« I thought I had been very clear about letting strangers in. » she put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow.

 

The said person scowled at her and let out a nervous laugh.

 

« What ? Stranger ? »

 

She had struck a chord and he was starting to have enough. First, she was ignoring him and now, what ? A stranger ? How dared she treat him like this ? If she wanted to irritate him, she sure had won. He had no patience left with her, yet she kept messing with his head, making him go crazy over and over again.

 

« Yah, Im Chae In ! he yelled. Leave your brother out of this and talk to m-

- Shut up. I don't remember asking you anything, Bang Yong Guk. »

 

He blinked at her harsh tone as she was now glaring at him. At least, he had her attention now. But seeing how angry she was, he wasn't sure it was a good sign for what would happen next.

Chae In turned to her brother and pointed her finger at him.

 

« I'll deal with you later, young man. And don't even think for a minute that just because you're in a hospital, you can't get grounded. »

 

The boy widened his eyes and started protesting but one look from his sister was enough to make him stop. He knew it was useless to argue with her, especially when she was is that state. Powerless but secretly enjoying the scene, he shrugged with a sigh.

 

« You, she suddenly turned back to Yong Guk with a glare. Out. Now. »

 

The latter sighed as she was walking out without a further word. He silently waved Chin Ho goodbye before following her outside. He closed the door behind him and watched her pacing up and down as she was visibly trying not to scream at him out of anger. He hid a smirk, enjoying her tortured face. When she eventually stopped and looked up at him, a frown topped the fire burning in her eyes.

 

« What do you think you're doing ? »

 

She lowered her voice since they were in a hospital corridor and people would pass by from time to time, but he could still perfectly sense how upset she was. He sighed, putting his hands in his pockets.

 

« I told you, I wanted to talk to you but-

- I mean, why did you come here ? Can't we do that at school ?

- Are you kidding me ? »

 

He let out a nervous laugh and ruffled his hair in frustration. She had been ignoring him for days, how was he supposed to talk to her ? Of course, he knew he should have made the first move since he was technically the one at fault but his damn pride was always getting in the way. He certainly wasn't going to apologize for something he didn't regret.

He was right. Maybe she hadn't found the confidence to face him after what had happened. Maybe she had foolishly thought she could avoid him forever. But she couldn't. Because he would always come find her, one way or another.

 

« You had no right to come here. »

 

She felt uncomfortable, almost embarrassed. She hated that he had talked to her brother. She hated that he had infringed her private life like that, seeing her weaknesses. Once again, he had taken her out of her comfort zone and it wasn't fair.

 

« It was the only way to talk to you. You're quite an unreachable person, Im Chae In.

- And you're quite persistent. » she sarcastically said, crossing her arms on her chest.

 

Yong Guk raised an eyebrow and nodded with a smile.

 

« At least, your brother doesn't have your bad temper.

- Don't you dare bring him into this, she threatened with wide eyes.

- Why ? he smirked. Afraid he'll like me ? »

 

Chae In scoffed and shook her head.

 

« Not a chance. Unlike you, he has all his mental faculties. »

 

He rolled his eyes with a giggle before leaning closer to her, taking her off guards. She took a few step backs and blinked at him, confused.

 

« Don't be mad. It's not my fault I want to kiss you every time I see your face. »

 

She felt her heartbeat speed up and silently prayed for it not to show. Yes, he was irresistibly cute. And yes, she secretly wanted him to kiss her boldly, like he had done at the winter ball, like he would always do. But she couldn't yield now, not after her whole I-am-so-mad-at-you speech. She looked down to hide her emerging blush and put a finger on his chest to make him move back, clearing . Amused, he stood up straight and stared at her with a playful look.

 

« Then don't be surprised if you get hit a lot. »

 

He giggled and passed a hand in his hair. Chae In rolled her eyes and started to open the door to go back into her brother's room but Yong Guk suddenly grabbed her wrist.

 

« You still owe me a wish. Remember ? »*

 

She frowned. Why would he bring up that now ?

 

« Just don't forget that, Im Chae In. »

 

He winked at her with a smirk before turning around and walking away without a further word.

 

*

 

When his sister walked back into his room, she looked less angry but not less perplexed. Chin Ho watched as she came closer and sat by his bed with a vacant look. She remained like this for a few seconds under the anxious look of her brother. He had rarely seen her like this and he soon realized that a single person was responsible for all that. And maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

 

« I leave you alone for a few hours and when I come back, Bang Yong Guk has appeared in your room. Would you care to explain to me what the hell happened ? »

 

Her voice was calm but she was glaring at him, crossing her arms. Chin Ho tilted his head and thought about whether he should tell her the whole story.

 

When he heard a knock on his door, Chin Ho raised an eyebrow. His sister usually wouldn't bother knocking and the doctor had already paid a visit, so who could it be ? Suspicious but curious, he ordered to come in. The door opened and closed and he saw a young man -probably the age of his sister- walking towards him with a gummy smile.

 

« Annyeong, Chin Ho. »

 

The young man narrowed his eyes. His voice seemed strangely familiar and he knew his name but he was sure he had never seen him before.

 

« Who... ?

- Ah, I'm... a friend of your sister. My name is Yong Guk, nice to meet you. »

 

Chin Ho bowed his head to greet him. It was the first time he met one of his sister's friend. He didn't even know she had friends, he never saw them.

 

« Noona hasn't come yet, but she will soon be here.

- Ah, really ? In that case, do you mind if I wait here ? »

 

The young man shook his head with a shrug. Yong Guk thanked him and grabbed a chair to sit beside him. Chin Ho watched him closely and narrowed his eyes. He was sure to have heard that deep voice somewhere but he just couldn't figure out when.

 

« You've probably heard it before but you really look like your sister. »

 

Chin Ho nodded with a proud smile and suddenly, it hit him. His eyes opened wide and he raised a finger towards Yong Guk.

 

« Ah ! Ajuhssi ? »

 

Yong Guk blinked and after a few seconds, he remembered their first conversation over the phone and laughed.**

 

« Yah, do I look like an ajuhssi to you ? »

 

Chin Ho scratched his head with a sorry smile and apologized. Yong Guk giggled and ruffled the boy's hair playfully.

So that was him, Chin Ho thought. The 'rude bastard' always getting on his sister's nerves and annoying her. Well, things had just got interesting and he was more than ready to enjoy every moment of the show. He smirked to himself and decided to torture him a little until his sister got here -just a little.

 

« Noona talks a lot about you, Hyung.

- Really ? his eyes opened wide.

- Yeah. She always yells and curses at you when she's mad, which seems to happen pretty often. »

 

Yong Guk's smiled vanished and he clenched his teeth, silently cursing her. Chin Ho hid a smirk of victory.

 

« I should probably hit you, by the way. For always making her angry like this.

- Don't worry, Yong Guk laughed. She does that perfectly well on her own. »

 

Chin Ho giggled then pursed his lips, not yet satisfied.

 

« What's your relationship anyway ? »

 

Caught off guards, Yong Guk scratched his neck and let out a nervous laugh.

 

« It's... complicated. Adult stuff. »

 

Chin Ho sighed with a pout. Had they passed the word around or what, why did they keep saying that ? He was almost a grown-up -almost- and pretty clever. What more couldn't he understand ?

 

« But you like her. Right, Hyung ? »

 

A sigh was the only answer he got, but he didn't give up.

 

« Why don't you just tell her ?

- It's not that easy. She's just so- argh. And I really at this, you know ?

- Well, you'd better find a solution to stop hurting her and quick. I'm tired of seeing her cry.

- I'll try, I promise. » he giggled.

 

He had passed the test, it was time to end the torture. Chin Ho could feel the sincerity in his words, he knew he wasn't pretending and it reassured him. He couldn't let his sister going with just anyone but with him, she knew she was in good hands. And the sooner she would realize that, the better.

 

« Hyung. I know my Noona is not easy, she has an awful temper and she always acts tough but... Inside, there's more than that.

- Believe me, I know. »

 

Instead, he opted for an accelerated version.

 

« He said he was a friend of yours.

- Oh, really ? So you let in anyone who claims to be my friend ?

- How would I know ? he started to get angry too. You never introduce me to anyone. »

 

Chae In sighed and bit her lip with a sorry look. He was right. She was always so protective towards him, she had never thought about how he would feel. She gently grabbed his hand and smiled at him.

 

« I will, I promise. I'm sorry I yelled at you, you did nothing wrong. It's all my fault. »

 

Chin Ho frowned, wondering what exactly she was referring to. He knew it wasn't his business but since finally meeting with the great Bang Yong Guk, he was getting interested in that new love story unraveling before him. And if he could have even a small part in it, why not play his role ?

 

« Noona. »

 

She looked up at him as he took a piece of paper on his night table and hand it to her.

 

« Hyung said to come to that address on Friday night. He said that you promised him, no excuse. »

 

Chae In grabbed the paper with a frown before realizing what he was talking about. She had completely forgotten about it until Yong Guk reminded her a few minutes ago. She sighed and repressed a curse. She didn't really have a choice now, did she ? A deal was a deal, and she would honor it. All she had to do was to show up and get all this over with, as simple as that.

But it was never simple when it came to Bang Yong Guk.

 

 

Hate is easier than ignorance...

Because it's still a form of love. (Her)

 

 

*see chapter 9

**see chapter 14

 

 

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» Ȧut hør’s nøte.

Dear readers,

here's the new chapter earlier than I expected but I felt inspired huhu~

I hope you like it and you look forward to the rest because there's not many chapters left  ;)

Please do comment~

Thank you ♥

 

 

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