Chapter 12

No place like home

“Why are you holding on to me?”  Hyuna asked, looking at Junhyung in confusion.  She didn’t mean for Junhyung to get the wrong idea.  Yes, Hyuna would admit that Junhyung was handsome and she could see why girls would be chasing after him.  But that didn’t mean that she wanted this to happen.

“I’ve realized something,” Junhyung said in return, his gaze still on her.  “At first I just thought it was fun to tease you a bit, but you have made me more interested.”

Interested in what? Why was Junhyung looking at me so seriously? Was he just making fun of me again?  Hyuna thought.

“Can’t you let go of me first?” Hyuna asked in an attempt to avoid further awkwardness between them.

She could also see that they were getting strange looks from onlookers, who probably found it strange how she and Junhyung were holding hands together while their arms high up in the air.

Junhyung hesitated, but he let go of Hyuna.  He didn’t mean to restrain her like that.  He just wanted her to know that he wasn’t joking around.

But before Junhyung could say anything more, Hyuna quickly suggested, “Are you hungry?  Let’s get something to eat at the food court.”

Junhyung knew he had missed his chance, so he let it pass and said reluctantly, “Ok, let’s go.”

Doojoon was surprised at the sight he had saw.  Hyuna and Junhyung together.  Ok maybe he wasn’t that surprised. He did have a hunch that Junhyung may have been interested in Hyuna.  After all, he did catch Junhyung smile at times when Hyuna did something clumsy.  In a way, he was happy for Junhyung getting over Gayoon. 

He really thought that the way Gayoon just broke up with Junhyung over the phone was too heartless and cold.  After that incident, no one had seen Gayoon.  He had only heard from Jihyun later on that Gayoon had her own circumstances and had transferred schools to study abroad.  He didn’t understand why she didn’t tell Junhyung beforehand, but Jihyun had insisted that it was the only way.  Doojoon sometimes had no idea what girls were thinking, even if they were his good friends.

Doojoon felt like he should give his friends some time to figure things out without everyone else jumping over them.  He thought to himself, Don’t worry Hyunah, Junhyung.  I won’t expose the two of you. Hwaiting!

Jiyoon, who hadn’t known why Doojoon had suddenly walked to the front of the shoe shop, came up to him when he was deep in thought.  She then waved her hand in front of him in an attempt to get his attention, “What are you doing?”

 “Oh nothing.  I just thought I could hear someone I knew walk by, but I was just mistaken.”  He laughed awkwardly, hoping Jiyoon didn’t notice anything.

Jiyoon tilted her head, slightly puzzled by Doojoon’s behavior.  “You’re weird.”  But she didn’t question it and instead she turned back into the store.  “Come on, are you going to buy some shoes or not?”

Since it was getting dark, after they rode the bus back to their initial meeting point, Junhyung had insisted on walking back with Hyuna to her house.  But when they did reach her house, Hyuna realized she didn’t take her keys with her.  If her grandma was at home that wouldn’t have been a problem, but there was no one at home.

“You can go first, you know,” Hyuna said as she began to dial her grandma’s number to find out where she had gone.  She really didn’t want her grandma to bump into Junhyung.

“I’ll wait with you until your grandma comes back.”  He said.  The words Hyuna was dreading to hear.

“I’m not a little child.  You don’t have to stay with me.” 

“I never said you were one.”  

Hyuna knew that talking Junhyung to go was going to be useless, seeing how stubborn he was being.

As her grandma finally picked up her call, she could hear a loud array of laughter in the background.  Hyuna already knew that her grandma was probably busy playing go-stop at Aunty Lee’s house, whose place was just a few streets away from theirs. 

“Hi grandma.  Where are you?” She asked.

“Hi Hyuna, are you at home already?  I’m at Aunty Lee’s place playing go-stop.”  Her grandma replied.

“I forgot to bring my keys grandma.  Will you be home soon or should I come over to pick up the keys?” 

“You forgot your keys?  Why are you more forgetful than your old grandmother?  Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon Hyuna.”  Her grandma answered.

“Do you just live with your grandma?”  Junhyung asked curiously.  Hyuna looked over and saw how Junhyung was sitting on the doorstep, playing around with a piece of long grass that was growing on the side of the house.

“Yes just my grandma.”  She answered.  “My mum’s too busy to look after me.  How about you?”

“My mum’s already passed away.  She passed away when I was younger.”  Junhyung said matter-of-factly.

Hyuna didn’t know what to say.  She knew that in these situations, people would apologise for making the person bring up uncomfortable topics like these but Hyuna never thought it was appropriate to say sorry. 

“Well I guess that makes two of us with single parents.  My dad’s no longer around either.”  She said instead. 

Although that wasn’t quite true for Junhyung whose dad had remarried, he didn’t say anything back but he smiled sadly back.

At this moment, a taxi stopped in front of the house.  And Hyuna mumbled to herself, “Why is she here so fast?” 

Hyuna quickly went to open the door of the taxi and helped her grandma get off the