The Rival?

Could it be... I like you?
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‘What are you doing here?’ Shin Hye asked, puzzled. Her tone was a little harsh because she had been expecting Lee Min Ho at her door. She could do little to hide her disappointment, not to mention, her surprise at finding out who it was.

‘Can I come in?’ Lee Jong Suk asked, smiling.

Shin hye didn’t know how to respond. It was weird seeing him there, casually asking if he could come in. She considered Jong Suk to be a close friend, but not this close. As a matter of fact, he'd never been to her place before. ‘How… how did you know where I live?’ Her head was still a muddle, trying to process what was happening.

He winked. ‘I have my ways.’

Shin Hye sighed. ‘Park Se Young eonnie told you, didn’t she?’

‘I pestered her for days just so she’d give me your address. That noona can be very protective of you,’ he chuckled. ‘But I can also be very relentless,' he grinned mischievously. 'Are you not going to let me in?'

Shin Hye didn’t know what to do. She was still reeling from the fact that Lee Min Ho didn’t come back, and she had her hopes up just a few seconds ago. And now, another man was at her door and it just didn’t seem... right. But she couldn’t just drive Jong Suk away for no reason. She smiled faintly and stepped aside to let him in.

‘Gumawo,’ he told her warmly as he set foot in her apartment. ‘Keunde… were you expecting someone else? You called me ‘oppa’ a while ago. I thought you said you didn’t want to call me that,’ Jong Suk probed as he took off his jacket.

Shin Hye gave him an awkward smile as she received his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. ‘Anya, I thought it was my manager. I wasn’t expecting anyone else, actually. Especially not you,’ she replied, motioning for Jong Suk to take a seat on the couch.

‘I’m sorry if I didn’t tell you I was coming. But in my defense, you haven’t been answering my texts and calls,’ Jong Suk pouted and fluttered his eyelids a few times, displaying his famous aegyo. Shin Hye laughed. At least Jong Suk knew how to diffuse an awkward situation.

‘How can a grown man act all cute like that? It’s kind of dirty,’ she was still laughing when she took a seat. Jong Suk did the same.

‘You hate it? How come other girls love it?’ he tilted his head and gave Shin Hye another flirty smile.

‘I’m not like most girls,’ she replied curtly, snapping her fingers near his face. ‘So stop it and just tell me why you’re here.’

Jong Suk closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ‘I can’t believe it. I chose the one girl who can’t fall for my charms,’ he put one hand on his temple and shook his head. ‘Just my luck.’

‘Aish,’ she scowled. ‘Are you really not going to tell me why you’re here, because I can easily drag you out. I don’t care if you’re a top star,’ she pretended to stand up.

‘Wait,’ Jong Suk raised his hands to stop her. ‘I have to go get something first before you do that,’ he stood up and walked to the door. Shin Hye followed him with her gaze as he opened the door and bent down, seemingly picking something up from the floor. What is he doing? When he rose to his height, she noticed that he was already carrying a big basket of flowers. They weren't arranged yet and were bunched together by kind and color.

He approached her and put the basket on the coffee table. Shin Hye’s mouth was slightly ajar as her eyes darted back and forth from the flowers to Jong Suk.

Jong Suk scratched the back of his head. ‘Uhh, I follow your SNS and saw that you were getting into flower arrangement. I brought these just in case you didn’t want to let me in, or want to kick me out. Hehe,' he smiled shyly. 'A little bribe so you'd change your mind and let me stay.'

‘Huh?’ Shin Hye studied Jong Suk’s face. She was actually kind of touched. ‘You didn’t have to. I wasn’t really going to kick you out or anything,’ she replied.

‘I know that,’ Jong Suk took his seat again. ‘Still, I didn’t want to come empty-handed.’

Shin Hye smiled. ‘Thank you. They’re beautiful,’ she looked at the flowers again. ‘But you really have to tell me why you’re here.’

‘Ahh,’ Jong Suk reached for his back pocket and pulled out what looked like an invitation. ‘I came to deliver this in person. I called you several times last night, but you didn’t pick up so I just took my chances and came here.’

Shin Hye bit her lip. She had ignored Jong Suk’s calls because she was in the middle of dinner with Min Ho and Geun Suk. There was enough going on in her apartment last night to be bothered by anything else. She felt apologetic, but she wasn't going to offer an explanation. That would just make it even more awkward.

‘What is it?’ She asked as she reached out to receive the envelope.

‘It’s an invitation to the VIP premiere of Boiling Youth,’ he said as Shin Hye opened the envelope and took out the tickets. ‘It would really mean a lot if you could come,’ he continued.

‘Uhh, you could have just let your agency send this to mine,’ was all she could think of to say. Something about Jong Suk’s tone made her feel uneasy. ‘You didn’t have to bother coming all the way here. I can imagine how busy you are with promotions and all,’ she gave him an awkward smile.

He grinned. ‘I’m not inviting Park Shin Hye, the actress. I’m inviting Park Shin Hye, my friend. It didn’t seem right to let the agencies handle it,' he paused. 'I really want to see you there.’

Shin Hye studied Jong Suk’s face. She knew when a guy was flirting with her for laughs, and Jong Suk was always like that around her. It was harmless and cute so she didn't really mind. But there was something else in his gaze that seemed different. She tried to figure out what it was. Sincerity?

Just then, her doorbell rang again. She and Jong Suk immediately looked to the door. Panic filled Shin Hye. Oh no, oh no no no no. Tell me it’s not who I think it is. A heavy feeling washed over her, nailing her to her seat and rendering her unable to move. She couldn't see herself, but she felt the blood drain from her face. Jong Suk turned to her and furrowed his brows. ‘Shin Hye, are you okay? Do you want me to answer the door?’ He was halfway up when Shin Hye grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

‘Anya, I’ll do it,’ she said. She stood up slowly and walked. The rings have become more impatient now. She braced herself and peeped through the hole. She’d been hoping Min Ho would come back, but right now, he was the last person she wanted to see at her doorstep. As soon as she’d confirmed who it was, she reached for the door knob and twisted it.

‘What took you so long to open it?’ Her manager complained and pushed himself inside. ‘He’s here, isn’t he? I told you that you should be careful about him coming in and out of your place…’ Shin Hye put her hand in front of his manager’s mouth to stop him from talking. He immediately reached for her hand and pulled it down. ‘Ya, what are you doing?’

Shin Hye’s eyes pleaded. She inconspicuously jerked her head to the side, a signal for her manager to look at the living room. He frowned and looked anyway. He gasped audibly when he saw a tall man, who obviously wasn’t Lee Min Ho, smiling widely at him.

‘Annyeonghaseyo,’ Jong Suk greeted, bowing low.

His manager’s face contorted into what can only be described as complete confusion. His eyes travelled from Jong Suk’s bent figure to the flowers on the table. Joon glanced at Shin Hye who could only shrug helplessly. For a moment there, Shin Hye was scared it was Min Ho at the door. After their fight, she wasn’t sure how he can calm down when he sees Jong Suk in her apartment with a basket of flowers. She couldn’t believe she’d see the day when she was happy that it was her manager who caught her with a man.

‘Oh, annyeonghaseyo,’ Shin Hye’s manager bowed back. ‘Lee Jong Suk-ssi, what are you doing here?’

‘I just came by to invite Shin Hye to my movie premiere. And to give her this,’ he replied, motioning to the table. ‘I hope you don’t mind. Uhm, I’ll actually get going now, she must be very busy,’ he walked to the door and stretched out a hand to Shin Hye’s manager. Joon shook it, smiling reluctantly.

Jong Suk turned to Shin Hye and leaned his body closer to hers. She squeaked a little when his hand reached over her shoulder and to her back. She held her breath as she tried to keep her balance and keep a considerable distance from his tilting body. She was going to tip over any minute now. He looked down at her tense face and smiled cheekily. ‘I’m just getting my coat,’ he said, his voice low.

‘Oh,’ Shin Hye stepped aside and muttered a curse to herself. She knew that she was blushing because when she looked at her manager, he narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head ever so slightly.

Jong Suk turned around and put his coat it on, his eyes never leaving Shin Hye’s face. Shin Hye was all too aware of his gaze that she continued to avoid his eyes. She was startled when she felt someone take her right hand. She wasn’t able to pull away in time and it was now firmly locked around Jong Suk's hand. He shook it playfully the way he usually does. ‘I hope you can come. It was really nice to see you, Shin Hye. Enjoy the flowers,’ he said warmly before letting go of her hand and giving her manager another bow. ‘Bye,’ he said to them as he opened the door and stepped out.

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Comments

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cheace73
#1
Chapter 51: Discovered this story only yesterday and I super loved it!
devine5miranda #2
Chapter 50: Came back to read this again... bcoz kim tan came to eun sang's wedding. 😭😭😭 i miss minshin. 🥰🥰🥰
ynnej525
#3
Read this 3 times.......it's so surreal.....Part 2 please, pretty pretty please.......
Planning to read it again to liven my mood. Cray cray for this......
ilma_rh
#4
I love this story <3
ynnej525
#5
Got addicted to this, this made my week. Is there a book 2 yet????? @Authornim.....
JiLin1998 #6
Chapter 1: That‘s a Cute start
azrina294a #7
Here i am.. re-read the stories.. Again & again
tessvmendoza #8
Chapter 40: I've read this several times as I've watched Heirs more than twice. Please write something about LMH & PSH again. You are daebak!