"Truth"

The Pretty One II

L.Joe watched Chaekyung from the back, a feeling of dread rising from the bottom of his chest.

He didn't know what to do if Chaekyung still liked L. He wasn't sure if he could win her over with whatever charms he had, because he had to agree, L was certainly a better catch than him. Chaekyung deserves a guy from a better background, like the son of a principal of a school, instead of an orphaned rebel like himself.

He wasn't sure if he could give her up if it turned out that she liked L, but he didn't know what grounds he had to fight for her either.

Chaekyung was different from Jaekyung. For Jaekyung, she was some sort of goddess that seemed unreachable and an ideal girl. For Chaekyung, she was the girl he wanted to protect, the girl he wanted to cherish, the girl he wanted to love and spend every minute of her time with.

He had been infatuated with his little crush on Jaekyung because he thought it was a challenge to pursue her, but for Chaekyung it was different. He loved her for real, and he didn't want to do anything wrong to upset her.

Chaekyung on the other hand, was walking quietly, knowing that L.Joe was following her from behind. She was trying her best to appear nonchalant in front of him for fear that he would end their little fake if he knew she liked him. She kept reminding herself that L.Joe liked Jaekyung, but that did nothing to reduce her feelings for him, instead, it just made her hurt even more.

She tried distancing herself from him but it never really worked. When he reached out for her hand, she would lean towards him unconsciously. She wanted to leave for home immediately after dinner but she somehow turned soft when he tugged at her hand, wanting to go for a walk at Han River. The mood was strangely awkward because Chaekyung could hardly say a word without staring at L.Joe's face with a plain expression of affection that would definitely give her away.

They walked along the river for a long distance, both not saying anything. Chaekyung was curious as to why L.Joe wanted to stroll when he wasn't going to talk, and she glanced behind at him. She found him staring at her with an unreadable expression and she stopped in her tracks, cocking her head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

L.Joe didn't say anything immediately, and he took a few slow steps to close the distance between them. Chaekyung's breath hitched when the distance dwindled and she averted her eyes immediately, taking a deep breath. L.Joe caught her discomfort and mistook it for the lack of affection.

He swallowed and reached out to tug on a strand of her hair. "I want to ask you something, princess." he murmured.

Chaekyung didn't know why the way he spoke made her heart skip beats. It wasn't often that L.Joe spoke in such a serious tone. He usually took a slight playful, teasing tone around her, and rarely did she get to see him this serious.

The sight of him solemn all of a sudden was kind of breathtaking.

Chaekyung mentally shook her head and scolded herself. Since when did she turn into such a fangirl now!

She took a deep breath and looked up at him bravely, with a grin. "Yes Ariel?" The moment her eyes met his she was a goner, she softened and leaned towards him ever so slightly, not realizing how her nonchalant front was not at all working.

L.Joe searched her eyes and to his excitement, saw soft, feminine feelings clouding her eyes, which he desperately hoped to be some level of liking for him. Never had he turned so jittery because of a girl and the worst thing was that he didn't even regret it, because it was her.

"I want you to promise me that you'll be completely truthful, okay?" L.Joe muttered, his fingers outlining her jaw and touching her cheek. "Please don't lie to me because you have no idea how much I need the truth. Promise?"

Chaekyung blinked up at him in confusion, wanting to throw her arms around him. Why was her cool, confident faux boyfriend so hesitant and unsure all of a sudden? What was wrong? "I'll be truthful, I promise." she nodded reassuringly. L.Joe let out a short breath and gave her a half smile.

"I know it may seem weird for me to ask this, but just answer me." L.Joe's hand stopped at her shoulder. "Do you...do you still love L?"

Chaekyung's eyes widened. That was the last question she expected him to ask and her mind was sent in a whirlwind of thoughts as considerations popped up one by one. "L oppa?" she echoed, swallowing.

She knew that she didn't like L anymore. What she felt for L was nothing compared to what she felt for L.Joe. That didn't mean that she never really loved L before. She did, she really really did.

However in comparison to how L.Joe made her feel....it was nothing. The air felt charged between them even as they stared at each other right then. Whenever L.Joe touched her, it sent thrills of warmth down her spine which explained why she was okay with getting closer to him than other guys. He was unreasonable and rude at first glance, but the occassional sweetness and dorkiness that surfaced made her love him all the more.

So no, there was no way she still liked L when she felt this way for L.Joe.

The question came in here if she should be truthful for this question. She knew she just promised him the truth, but in her defence she never expected a question like this.

If she told him the truth, would he realize that she loved him instead? There was no hiding her emotions from her face, she knew, and once L.Joe ascertained the fact that she didn't like L anymore, it wasn't difficult to see who was the new guy in her life.

The thing was, did she want him to know? What would he do if he found out?

The only reason why they got the chance to be so close was because L.Joe fancied Jaekyung. He knew that Chaekyung liked L and thought it was optimum with their relationships to get closer to their targets. He didn't hesitate to show how much he didn't like her in the beginning, and even if he was much closer to her now, would the fact that she felt something for him change things?

Chaekyung knew that there were some guys who chose avoidance when confronted with someone who liked him. Someone they didn't know how to reject.

L.Joe would never like her. Not when there was her sister around.

So if she told him the truth and he sensed her newfound feelings, would he avoid her too? This faux relationship was the closest thing she had to being with L.Joe and she didn't want to lose it. Not even if she had to be her sister's substitute to do so.

"Do you still like him?" L.Joe's urgent voice broke into her thoughts and she snapped her gaze back at him. "Do you still feel the pain when you see your sister and L together? Do you still want him? Do you?"

Chaekyung bit her lip and forced a confident look on her face. "Of course I do!" she chirped fakely. "I still love L oppa if that's what you're asking, why would you think other wise?"

L.Joe tensed, a searing pain stabbed at his chest. He let out a shaky breath,  his eyes slightly defocused as he regained his composure again. How could she...why did she...but why...

L.Joe closed his eyes for two seconds, missing Chaekyung's torn expression. If he wasn't so preoccupied with composing his disappointment and heartbreak, he would have noticed immediately that she was lying. He knew her even better than anyone else did, despite the short time they knew each other.

"Oh I see." L.Joe's voice turned cold and he let his hand drop from her shoulder. Chaekyung nearly mewled at the loss of contact. "I was just curious. It's nothing much." L.Joe's great acting skills popped into play and he shrugged as if it didn't bother him. "Come on princess, it's getting late. I'll take you home." he nudged her and walked off, not waiting for her to follow.

Chaekyung squeezed her fists and sniffled softly. That was the lack of reaction she expected. Why would he react to her still liking L? He wouldn't.

 

 

 

 

 

From: Ariel

Go to school today princess, I overslept.

 

Chaekyung wrinkled her nose and sighed softly, picking her bag. She couldn't help but feel like something was wrong with L.Joe after their night stroll the previous night. She didn't see how he would be affected by her answer, but he remained unusually quiet the remaining part of the journey home.

He didn't even bother walking her to the door or saying hi to her parents as he always did, but just made sure she got to her bus stop and left without a backward glance. He didn't send her a text to confirm that she reached home, nor did he wish her good night as he did daily.

She hoped whatever it was, L.Joe would be over it by now. She knew it was ridiculous but she was disappointed she had to wait till she reached school to be able to see him. What a hopeless romantic.

Chaekyung sighed and rushed down the stairs, hoping to catch her sister and L for a ride.

-----

"Hey!' Chaekyung brightened when L.Joe walked into class. "Morning Ariel!"

L.Joe gave a curt nod and went to his seat. He flung his bag on the ground and reached for his phone, not looking at her. Chaekyung stared at him for a few moments, waiting for him to or give her a bit of his attention at least, but he wasn't giving in to her will.

He ignored her as if she wasn't there at all.

"Ariel, what are you playing?" Chaekyung moved her chair nearer, hoping that L.Joe would look over. He remained focused on his game even though he kept losing. "Flappy bird? I thought it isn't available in stores already." Chaekyung murmured.

"Downloaded it early." Came the short reply.

Chaekyung waited a few more moments while looking at him expectantly, hoping for him to stop playing the game which he obviously at, and to finally talk to her while looking at her in the eye.

He didn't.

Finally, the teacher came into the class and Chaekyung had to retreat back to her seat with a disappointed, hurtful sigh. L.Joe pocketed his phone and glanced at her from the corner of his eye, letting out a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry." he whispered to himself. "I really love you, but the only way I can survive this is to put distance between us."

He hung his head, swallowing.

He had to put the distance between them, even if he knew it wouldn't work. Even if he knew he would still love her. Even if he knew that it would only intensify the longing.

But he had to try something, anything. Or he would go crazy.

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Comments

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blondesakura
#1
Omg it's been so long. Just came back to this website to check if this has been updated but sobs. I guess it'll never be. But thanks to this author for raising teenage me lol
amicoolikethat #2
Still no update 😢
Scarlet07
#3
Chapter 33: Please continue 🙏 😔😔😔
amicoolikethat #4
It's been years :(
cheonchoni
#5
Chapter 22: I just had to scoff. Heh, I came here for jaesoo couple so I guess I'll stop here since the story isn't even completed anyway :( I might die from curiosity if I continue
cheonchoni
#6
Chapter 20: L.joe is such a hypocrite lmao. As if he's not whipped for chae! And both of them are so dense i just wanna bump their head together
cheonchoni
#7
Chapter 19: Idc if I'm being mean but at least chaekyung know her place ( ̄ヘ ̄)
cheonchoni
#8
Chapter 16: Ahhh jaekyung really deserve everything the world. I kinda hate chaekyung at first, but I'm glad to see her changing into a better person
cheonchoni
#9
Chapter 15: Look at that, at least he have some concience to apologise properly. And did he just ditched a time alone with jaekyung to go after chaekyung? I see improvement there