-------------- c h a p t e r 3 - i don't hate her

⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ♥ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱

Hello there, Soojin.

I have invited you to my party which will be held on August __.  It's going to be a Masquerade Ball! I know that you like such parties, and it just made me think about you! Is it possible for you to come to my party? I hope so!

Love, Minseok.

⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ♥ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱

Soojin.

I smiled at the letter Minseok sent me. Just a few years ago, I discovered that Minseok was actually my cousin. We met in first year of high school, and became good friends because of our love for food. When I brought Minseok home, my mother pointed to him and said that she finally saw her cousin after a while. It became rather awkward for us after she claimed that, but we were back to good friends after that again.

“Mhm? Who send you that?” asked Sehun as he leaned over my shoulder to look at the letter. I stuffed the letter in my bag before he could see it. “Yah, why am I not allowed to see it?” Sehun asked and pouted. I chuckled and pushed his shoulder playfully. School had already ended and Sehun and I went out to get some bubble tea, Sehun’s favorite.

Sehun and I talked for a bit before Sehun got a message from his best friend Luhan, telling him to meet up at the Han River. I rolled my eyes. Sehun and I barely talk after school, because Luhan mostly asks him to come to the river, every day. Sehun looked at me with an apologetical look, before standing up and walking away, giving me a playful hit against my shoulder before he was out of my sight. I sighed and grabbed the letter again Minseok send me. For some reason, chills were going up my spine, and it did not feel nice at all. I don’t like parties... but it’s a masquerade ball, and those are my favorite! Well, I should go... I haven’t seen Minseok in a while...

I stood up from my seat, and left the bubble tea café. As always, I did not know what to do. Everytime Sehun left me for Luhan, I had nothing to do. All I would do was just stroll around and yeah, do nothing. I decided to go the park and sit in front of the fountain like I used to do, when my parents had time for me.

I walked away from the place where I was standing with a sigh and walked for a good fifteen minutes to the park. When I got into the park, I heard beautiful guitar playing. Being the childish girl I was, I wanted to find out where it came from; in a spying-way. I giggled when I started looking for the person who was playing guitar. I looked practically everywhere, but I missed one place, the bench in front of the fountain where I was about to go before I heard the music. I ran towards the bench, and saw a handsome boy playing guitar. I walked softly but closer to him, not wanting him to stop playing. Then he stopped, as if knowing I was behind him, and he did. He turned his head to look at me, and smiled.

“Hello,” he said. He shifted a bit in his place, making room for me to sit next to him. I sat next to him and scanned his face in a non-lover way. “My name’s Lay, what’s yours?” he asked while holding out his hand. I shook his hand and smiled.

“My name is Soojin, pleased to meet you,” I said. He chuckled for some reason, and looked at the fountain that was in front of us.

“You’ve grown a lot, Soojin-ah. I remember you always being the shy girl who would introduce herself,” Lay stated. “You probably can’t remember me anymore, right?” he asked, looking back at me. I tilted my head at this. I was supposed to know this guy. I looked closely at his features, trying to recognize him. Then it hit me. It was Yixing, my old childhood friend who moved away to China when he was accepted into a well-known music school.

“Yixing-oppa!” I exclaimed. I remember making a promise to him that I would call him oppa, no one else. “I missed you so much!” I said and hugged him. To be honest, I missed his touch. I don’t mean it ually, but it felt nice, hugging your childhood friend again. “You changed your name to Lay, why?” I asked as I let go of him. Lay shrugged and put his guitar next to him, leaning on his knees. He became so handsome...

“I don’t really know myself,” he said and smiled again. I never noticed the dimple on his right side of his cheek.

“How did you knew I didn’t remember you anymore?” I asked and played with my fingers in my lap. It was actually weird that Lay introduced himself even though he knew that we were friends.

“I saw it because of your face,” he said while pointing at my face. “When you’re with someone you hang out most of the time, your face seems relaxed. When you’re around with people you don’t know, your face seems a little stiffed,” Lay explained.

“Always the observer, aren’t you?” I asked with a grin on my face. Lay never really ‘talked’, he observed others more to get to know them. Lay chuckled again. He was about to say something when we suddenly heard footsteps behind us.

“You?” the voice asked. I turned my head, along with Lay. It was Kai. “Do you two know each other?” Kai asked while looking at me with a disgusted face. I wanted to punch him, but I held it in. Lay saw that, and frowned at Kai.

“She is my childhood friend,” Lay said, still not getting why Kai looked at me in that way. Kai said nothing, and returned his gaze on Lay.

“We better get going, the dance school is opening in a few minutes,” Kai said and turned around to walk away. I scoffed at the forever-rude Kai. Lay sighed and turned to me.

“I’ll see you sometime later, okay? I just happen to be friends with Sehun, so ask him my number, okay?” Lay said with a smile, and patted my shoulder. I nodded and smiled back. I gave him a hug before he picked up his guitar and left with Kai. Even though I had a crush on Kai, I had to admit that Lay looked incredibly handsome. He changed a lot during these years...

Eventually, I did not stay in the park, I quickly returned home. When I got home, I grabbed my diary, and wrote in it, like usually.
 

⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ♥ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱

 Lay.

“So, she’s your childhood friend, huh?” Kai asked me. I put my hands in my pockets and nodded. “You could’ve told me earlier so I didn’t have to see her,” Kai said with clear disgust on his face again.

“Why do you seem to hate her?” I asked. Kai rolled his eyes.

“I just can’t stand her. She’s so different from other people, and that’s what annoys me,” Kai replied while looking the other way. I smiled, knowing that Kai wanted to stand out from the people, but couldn’t because of his ‘reputation’ at school.

“You like different girls, don’t you?” I stopped walking with a smile on my face. Kai stopped walking as well, and turned to me with a confused look. “You don’t hate her, do you? You like that she always argues with you, that she is a lot more daring than any girl out there... right?” I knew Kai for a very long time, and I knew he liked such girls, even though he was in a relationship with Hyomi.

“I-I don’t like her! Geez, Lay... I have a girlfriend!” Kai exclaimed and glared at me. I tilted my head, and stared hard into Kai’s eyes.

“You don’t hate her,” I said again. “Don’t lie to me,” Kai ran his hand through his hair frustrated. He gave up. Whenever he did that, he gave up.

“Okay, I don’t hate her! Alright?! I like her actually!” Kai said, and noticed what he said. “Ugh... I have a girlfriend! I like her just because she’s different!” Kai said before stomping his way to the dance school. I chuckled, satisfied with the answer.

⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ♥ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱ ⋰ ⋱

 memorychains lonely corner   -------------

I hate it that Asianfanfics has ‘deleted’ my other chapter, and when I knew it wasn’t returning back, I literally pulled my hair. But, here I am with a new chapter ;_;

In the other chapter, only Lay was introduced, but now cute little baozi is introduced as well! In the summary it says that Soojin disappears after a party of her cousin. I didn’t even knew who her cousin would be o_o

But, I have successfully decided on Xiumin/Minseok! And, what Kai told wasn’t a confession. He just preferred Soojin’s personality over other girls and secretly over his girlfriend, Hyomi. Well, thanks for reading this and comment and subscribeeeeeee! Bye!