The atmosphere inside the shack was rather… awkward, to say the least. Neither Jongin nor I took the effort to make small talk; we just went on with our ways; he swept the floors while I did a silent inventory of the merchandise until I couldn’t bear the silence anymore.

“So, when did you come in yesterday?” I asked, counting the seashell bracelets on the rack. We were running low, so I went to the back to see if we had more in stock.
“I came straight here after school.”
“Oh, that’s nice.”
“Yeah.”

I struggled to find more to say. Jongin was so laid back, and him just being here made me nervous. There wasn’t a rule about talking to him right? Screw it, I thought. If I get in trouble with the stupid club they can kiss my .

“How’s the dancing?” I peeked over my shoulder in time to see Jongin smile wistfully.
“It’s great. I heard you used to be a dancer too right?” My mouth dropped open and I stared at him in surprise.
“How did you know?”
Jongin grinned mischievously and shrugged. “Word spreads throughout the years. What made you quit?”
 I shrugged back and continued opening boxes. “I guess I didn’t have that much time anymore with school. Maybe I’ll start back up again sometime.”
“You can always dance with me. It would be really nice to have someone to dance with instead of being lonely all the time.” Jongin and I turned to each other and shared a small smile. Three years have passed since we first met, but now we were finally getting to know each other and possibly become close friends.

Just then, the front bell chimed, and a group of chattering girls came in. “I hope Jongin can handle them,” I murmured as I continued to rifle through the boxes. I picked up a rather particular figurine of an ugly merman and shuddered before putting it back.

“Oppa we’re back,” I heard a sultry voice call.
“Oh, I see that,” came Jongin’s skittish reply. “What are you doing here?”
“We came to visit you, of course. We promised you we would yesterday.”
Finally, I found the box of jewelry in the back of the stock room. Creeping over to the door, I peered into the store front, where I saw four girls surrounding Jongin.
They all wore the same bikini, save the different colors, and frayed jean shorts. The girl standing in the center, with flaming red hair, lifted her hand and Jongin’s arm. He flinched at her touch but stood his ground. “Don’t you want to leave this place and go have some fun?”

“I can’t Gyuri, my girlfriend and I are working.” Jongin’s voice came out in a strangled choke.
Gyuri snorted. “Last time I checked, you’re here alone. I have yet to see your girlfriend. Let’s go out and play!” She her lips and inched closer to him, tracing her finger along his lips. “Unless of course you want to have some fun here.” The other girls oohed and laughed.

Oh, crap what do I do? I thought in a panic. Without thinking I rushed out. “Oh oppa, can you help me with these boxes?” I called out. I had never called anyone oppa before, and the word felt foreign on my lips. Jongin visibly jumped a foot in the air, but when he saw me, he slightly relaxed.

“Oh, yeah.” Jongin silently approached me and took the box out of my hands. I had never seen someone so scared, the look of fear in his eyes screamed for help, and it sent chills down my spine. What did they do to you?

Jongin walked over to the rack and set the box down. Feeling holes being bored into my back, I meekly followed him. “Thank you oppa,” I said before placing a kiss on his cheek. I could feel Jongin tense slightly, and when I pulled back, his eyes watched me; clouded with uncertainty and fear. I looked at him back, trying to send him an apology through my eyes. I’m sorry. Please trust me on this.

Turning around, I plastered a smile on my face and addressed four sneering girls. “Hi!” I said, extending my hand out while I was internally cringing. God my voice sounds so perky. “I’m Ji Yeon!”

The redhead looked down at me with a fake chuckle. “Gyuri,” she replied, taking my hand. “These are my girls: Seung Yeon, Hara, and Ji Young.” Each girl waved when her name was mentioned. “Welcome to The New World! How could we help you today?”

“Oh we’re just, looking around,” Gyuri answered, her eyes trailing to Jongin.
My smile broadened and I had to keep my voice from rising. “Okay then! If you need anything feel free to call either me or oppa!”

“Yeah, we might come back later.” Gyuri and the others turned back towards the entrance. Before they left, she turned around and blew a kiss to Jongin. “Bye, Kai. I’ll see you later,” she added with a wink. And with that, she twirled through the door, letting the door shut with an audible crack. The silence within the store was almost suffocating. Jongin paid little attention to me and went back into the storage room. I sighed and followed him. He shuffled through the boxes, not really looking for anything.

“Jongin, are you okay?” I asked tentatively, reaching a hand out towards his arm. Jongin whirled around and stumbled backwards; barely able to stop himself from colliding with the ugly merman statue. He glared at me with such an intense hatred, I lost my breath.

“Who the do you think you are,” he spat out venomously.

“I’m sorry, I panicked! I didn’t know what to do! They kept coming at you because Boram wasn’t here.” My face flushed remembering how I kissed his cheek. “I shouldn’t have pretended to be your girlfriend, I just wanted to help you.” I tried to reach out to him, but he immediately slapped my hand away.

“Don’t ever touch me again!” he shouted, leaning close to my face. There was practically no room to move in the closet, but I hastily took a step back as he stormed by, knocking my shoulder into the wooden shelf behind me. Jongin slammed the front door shut, leaving me alone in the storage closet. I hissed in pain as I slid down to the floor. Reaching back, I cringed and felt a stinging bite on my shoulder. There was no blood, thank god, but it was definitely scratched up and I would probably have a nasty bruise tomorrow.

“Ji Yeon? Jonginnie?” I heard the back door open and readjusting my vest to cover the cut, I scrambled to my feet and poked my head out.

“Oh Boram! Is your lesson done?” I called to her. Boram grinned and waved a stack of bills in my face.

“What do you think?” she looked around the store in confusion. “Where’s Jongin?”
“Oh he had to leave.”
“Is he okay?” I fidgeted under her stare.
“Yeah, he just had to go somewhere. I’m sure he’ll be back.”
Boram’s eyes clouded with worry. “Oh, okay.” Suddenly, her mood changed and she propped her elbows up on the counter, eyes sparkling mischievously. “Did you sleep well last night?” I nodded, absentmindedly wiping down the display cases. “I slept like a baby all through the night.”
“How were the waves?”
“They were amazing. I missed surfing so – hey!” Boram cackled like a madwoman. “I knew you couldn’t stay away from them. C’mon!” Grabbing my arm, she began to drag me from the personalized key chains and.

“Wait Boram! We can’t leave the store untended!”
“Why not? I’m done with my lessons and it’s almost closing time anyways!” Shocked, I glanced at the clock and noticed it was indeed, almost closing time. “Come on, Ji, I know you can’t resist the ocean.” Sighing in defeat, I pulled off my vest and shorts and raced her to our boards. We stayed out there for hours, doing daring aerial tricks, flowing with the waves, or just resting on our boards and catching up.

“Do you think Jongin is okay?” Boram murmured.

“Hm?” I lay on my belly across the deck of my board, watching all the waves roll by. Boram glanced back at the shore with concern. “He still hasn’t come back yet.”

“He’s probably busy, or he could be at home waiting for us,” I murmured.
“Should we head home and check on him then?” Boram asked hopefully.
“I guess so,” I replied quietly. The two of us paddled back to the shore. Gathering up our things and making sure the World was locked up, we headed back to our beach house. The lights were on, but the house was filled with complete silence.

“Jongin?” Boram called out, but there was no reply. Fear streaked across her face and she looked at me with panic. I immediately tried to soothe her.
“He might be in his room,” I whispered. “I’ll go check before I take a shower. If he’s not up there, he’s probably still out somewhere.” Boram nodded and I headed upstairs. “Jongin?” I whispered softly. It was completely silent. All the bedroom doors were closed. Creeping over to my old bedroom, I knocked softly on the door. “Jongin?” Nothing. I tried the doorknob, and the door swung open. I peered into the darkness, and blindly reached for the light switch. His room was empty. Everything was kept clean; the bed was made and his bags were lined up neatly against the teal wall. “Not much personalization,” I murmured. I flipped off the light and shut the door. Grabbing a change of clothes, I stepped into the bathroom and the shower head. The warm water loosened all my joints and I could finally relax. All thoughts of Jongin, Boram, Gyuri and the fanclub washed down the drain. If only I could stay in there forever.

Forever lasted only ten minutes. I stepped out of the shower and wiped down the foggy bathroom mirror. A spot of purple caught my eye and I turned slightly. A giant bruise had now formed. It was almost shaped like a boomerang. “I wonder how long it’s going to take to fade,” I muttered. Probably not long. If I kept surfing, the sea water should help with the swelling. I changed into a baggy t-shirt and pajama shorts before exiting the bathroom and tossing my clothes onto my bed. The kitchen light was still on so I rubbed my hair dry with a towel before hanging it up and going to check on Boram. I could hear soft whispers down stairs and tip toeing halfway down the stairs, I peeked around the banister. Boram and Jongin sat across from each other at the dining table, smiling and holding hands. A small smile tugged at my lips, thinking that Jongin was a little happier; especially since it was my fault he was pissed off last time.

Trying to slip by unnoticed, I quietly walked down the wooden staircase, only to step on a towel strewn haphazardly on the floor. I ungracefully fell down the stairs with a loud thud. Jongin and Boram both turned to look at me in shock as I let out an unladylike groan and rubbed my sore . “Son of a , that hurt,” I cursed.

“Ji, are you okay?” Boram asked with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” I waved her off and scrambled to my feet and held the towel up in my hand. “I must have missed the towel on the floor.”
Boram knit her eyebrows together. “Oh, okay. Well be careful next time.”

I tossed the towel onto the railing and went into the kitchen to look for some food. There were pots and pans strewn across the counter, making my once spotless kitchen into a gigantic mess. “My god it looks like a typhoon came and threw everything all over the place!” I grumbled to myself.
 “There’s some jjajangmyeon* if you want!” Boram piped up.

I raised my eyebrow. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
Boram’s face heated and her ears turned pink. “I can’t. Jongin came home while you were taking a shower and made some for us.”
“Oh, that’s nice.” I turned to face Jongin and bowed slightly. “Thank you for cooking for us. I’ll clean up afterwards.” Jongin nodded coldly before returning to his food. I silently reheated the sauce and dumped the remaining noodles into the pot. There was no point in pulling out another bowl. That’s more for me to wash. I could feel Jongin’s glare burn my face, but I paid him little attention. Finishing what was left of the food, I set out for dish duty. Jongin and Boram brought their dishes over before bidding me goodnight and heading upstairs. Once again, I was alone. “Stupid Jongin,” I mumbled to myself. “I didn’t even do anything and then he acts like a total to me!” Suddenly the glass I was washing slipped through my fingers and falls into the sink with a crash, disappearing under all the suds and water. I gingerly fished around for the broken pieces, and instinctively pulled my hand out in pain when I sliced my fingers on one of the shards. “!” I put my finger in my mouth and on it to stop the bleeding. Jongin’s face flashed through my mind, when I had reached out and touched his arm. The look of complete terror clouded his eyes as he shied away from me. “Don’t ever touch me again!”

My eyes softened with sadness. “I shouldn’t have touched him or kissed his cheek, even if it was to save him.” I could hear feet shuffling on the floor above me. Maybe he’s still awake. I better apologize to him tonight. I washed the rest of the dishes and wiped down the dining table before patting my hand on my shirt and climbing up the stairs. The alarm was set and the lights were off, so I used my phone to illuminate the way through the darkness. Only a single light shone faintly from underneath Jongin’s door. I took a deep breath and knocked softly before trying to open his door, but it was locked. I sighed and called out to him. “Jongin? It’s me. I’m sorry for what happened in the store today. I shouldn’t have pretended to be your girlfriend, even though I only did it to make those girls go away. It was wrong of me to act like it was no big deal and to grab at your arm. I won’t… I won’t touch you again. Just please, please don’t be mad at me. I’ve always wanted to be your friend, ever since we met on the first day of school, but I didn’t know how to.” My eyes pleaded with him, silently begging for his forgiveness, even though he couldn’t see me through the door. “Please forgive me. I’ll do whatever you tell me to do, as long as we can somewhat be friends again.” There was no reply, and I bit my lip to hold back my tears. “Okay. Good night then,” I whispered. My hand dropped from the door knob and I trudged back to my room. When the door closed shut I finally let my tears fall; the guilt eating me up on the inside. It took me three years for us to finally become friends and I had ruined it within ten minutes. On top of that, I had hurt him; even if it was unintentional. The pain in his eyes was branded into my mind, appearing every time I closed my eyes. My one wish to be close to him; shattered by my idiocy. I lay down on my bed, trying to stifle my sobs, letting exhaustion take over and sadness pulling me into a fitful and dreamless sleep.

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*jjajangmyeon - a noodle dish with a black soybean sauce

A/N:

It's finally Spring Break and I'm supposed to actually relax... Haha yeah that'a a joke. xD I'm still busy as ever.

But I hope you like this drama-filled chapter! My poor Jongin, what happened to him to make him scared of a woman's touch? And why is he not afraid of Boram but of everyone else? I guess you'll have to find out! ;)

Please feel free to comment your feelings below or like and subscribe to my story! I LOVE feedback and I really appreciate your support!! ^^

- <3 Li Niao