Chapter 5
The Best Friend
I believe Sulli looks the prettiest when she is focused to reach her goal. With eyes concentrated on the finish line, fluffy hair blown by the soft breeze, and light but confident steps on the track, she looks like an angel with wings soaring from her back. When she ends the race in first place, a delighted squeal escapes me as I hurriedly stand up and clap as loud as I can. Victorious grin graces Sulli’s plump lips while her teammates flock around her and congratulate her on the new record. When she catches me enthusiastically waving a thumb-up while rushing to her side, she throws a cheeky ‘v-sign’ at my direction.
That was awesome!” I compliment her when I reach her and she replies with a hearty laugh. She takes the bottle that I offer her and drink half of it, before pouring the rest atop of her head, ignoring the cold weather around us. She shakes her head afterward, like a puppy that gets wet. How cute. Without warning, a fond smile is formed on my thin lips.
“Here, I make you some lunch,” I inform her as I hand her a lunch box. I know her favorites—octopus-shaped sausages, bite size rice balls, and beef kimbaps—and put them all inside of the box. It is already a habit of mine to make her lunch when I visit her Sunday practice—which is on weekly basis. I almost never miss her practice, heck, I will never miss it for the world because track team practices are when I can watch the coolest side of Sulli. It isn’t that Sulli isn’t cool in the other time—because she is—but seeing her running on the track is always special.
“Junghye, you’re the best! I want to hug you, but I stink really badly, so, yeah,” Sulli pats both of my shoulders awkwardly while still giving a space between our bodies. I laugh; the knowing smile on Sulli’s face tells me that she already knows what is inside of the lunch box. However, our little moment is interrupted by a certain poker-faced boy.
“Wet puppy, you’re called by couch Jung.”
“What did you just say?” Sulli asks with visible suppressed anger to Sehun, who has just come jogging toward our direction with his jacket on. The weather is pretty chill, which make a perfect sense why Sehun chooses to wear something over his shirt, but I still blush in his presence as the jacket makes him looks cooler.
“I said that you are called by couch Jung,” Sehun says monotonously while keeping a poker face. It surprises me that all of a sudden Sehun can control his expression well in front of Sulli. But then again, he never has so much of it in the first place. Sulli raises her eyebrows in disbelief but ends up scurrying away without saying anything else.
“Wet puppy.”
“I heard that!” Sulli exclaims without turning around, “But I don’t care, because I definitely beat your record today! Ha! In your face, sickly vampire! You are losing to a girl!” she hollers without halting her steps.
Sehun folds his arms in front of his chest in amusement as he watches Sulli’s figure drifting away from us. He doesn’t tear his gaze from her, sighing when she talks animatedly to the coach. I make my presence obvious by opening the can of carbonated drink that I bring with me. He snaps out of his reverie at the hissing sound coming from the soda, glancing at me with a cocked eyebrow.
“Junghye, you are almost like her girlfriend, making lunch boxes and stuffs. Are you sure the two of you aren’t gay for each other?”
I slap his arm playfully. He chortles while stealing my drink, lifting it up above his head so that I can’t get it back, given my short stature. Sehun is one of the few people who dares to tease me—although really rare so—since most people see me as a rather up-tight person who is too serious for any jokes.
“Don’t worry, I made one for you too,” I try to say it as nonchalantly as I can after I give up on the soda. I use the moment to hand him another lunch box that I have prepared. Although he obviously likes Sulli and I’ve sworn myself to not pursue him, a little lunch won’t hurt right? It’s only my token of gratitude for his kindness and a sign that there is someone who will catch him if he falls.
With Luhan’s confession is around the corner, he surely is going to be hurt.
Although it is difficult to differentiate between the expressions that Sehun made, it’s pretty obvious to me that he is surprised. He lets the soda, that he was about to drink, hanging in the midway to his lips. I can’t blame him as this is the first time I have ever presented him with a home-made meal, courtesy of me.
“It’s kind of bothersome to only make one box,” I desperately attempt to explain myself, “ a-and my parents aren’t around, so I’m just… but if you don’t want to then I…”
“I’ll take it,” Sehun cuts my pathetic, unsuccessful lie with a chuckle and grabs the box from me in exchange of the canned soda that he places back on my grip.
“Thanks,” he said with a sincere smile—which makes my heart stops since he rarely smile, ”You’re such a great girl, Junghye. I’m glad to have you as a friend.”
He reaches out to ruffle my hair affectionately. My heart feels like stopping again, but for a different reason.
As a friend.
I force a smile on my unwilling lips.
“You’re welcome, Sehun.”
Later that day, I find myself being lost in the midst of the crowded street of Seoul. On top of being as clumsy as hell, I’m also not really good with directions. Which is why I end up in the middle of a district I’ve never known of when I’m asked to meet Luhan in a, quote, “cozy coffee shop named ‘Fluffy Coffee’ in the left side of the street right across the bridge that you’ll see after you took three left turns, a right turn on the second intersection, another left turn after the third stoplight. It’s only 20 minutes from the train station”. I scratch the back of my neck furiously. Who in their right minds give a coffee shop a name like that? That doesn’t even make any sense at all. I set aside my misdirected rage toward the innocent coffee shop to pick up a call, which, as expected, is coming from Luhan.
“Junghye-ssi, are you coming today?” His gentle voice is filled with concern, and the soft music at the background tells me that he has already arrived in our meeting place.
“Yes, sunbaenim.” Nervousness is clear on my soft voice.
“Thank goodness,” he breaths out in relieve, ”When will you be here?"
“Truthfully, I don’t know.”
There is a silence on the other side of the phone, before Luhan talks again.
“What do you mean with ‘I don’t know’? Where are you?”
“That… is actually what I’d like to find out too.”
Silence.
“… Junghye-ssi, are you saying that you are lost?”
“I’m sorry; I’m sorry; I’m sorry,” I apologize sheepishly while bowing repeatedly when Luhan reaches me in less than 10 minutes with annoyance written all over his handsome face, “I kind of lost it after you said to take a left turn on the second intersection. Or was it a right turn?” I trail off at the sight of Luhan massaging the bridge of his nose on my excuse. I’ve always heard that Luhan is a gentle and kind senior, so seeing him getting irked is probably a sign that I’ve been a real pain in the .
“There is no need to be sorry. You should have told me if you don’t understand my directions, Junghye-ssi. It’s really cold outside,” Luhan says curtly with a palpable hint of irritation in his voice. He rubs his palms together and blows them, forming faint white smoke around his hands, indirectly telling me how low the temperature is. I bit my lower lip nervously; I’ve just left a bad impression on my best friend’s future boyfriend.
“I’m sorry. I thought I got it. I’m pretty bad with directions, but I can read maps. Maybe next time, you can draw me the route, sunbaenim.”
“I think next time I should just pick you up instead. I was worried, you know.” He mutters, before he stretches out his right hand at me with his palm facing upward, leaving me puzzled. What is he asking me for?
Luhan seems to see the bewilderment in my eyes that he ends up explaining the aim of his gesture. He sighs, softening his features, before he forms a gentle smile on his pinkish lips in an attempt to make me more comfortable. “Take my hand, Junghye-ssi. The street is pretty crowded and I can’t afford to lose you again.”
I put my hand in his as he orders and walk by his side. I don’t realize it at first, but after seeing the looks people are giving us, my cheeks flush into crimson red color, my heart beats faster, and I unconsciously slow down my pace. This is so wrong on so many levels. Although I am not crushing on him and we are clearly not on a date—unlike what the passersby might think—but feeling his equally cold fingers in mine make me feel as if I were betraying Sulli, when in fact I am helping her crush in confessing to her.
Luhan, who seems to feel that I am lagging behind, turns at me with a questioning look. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head, smile apologetically, and hurriedly pick up the pace. “Nothing.”
This is for Sulli.
TBC
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