Chapter 11 Lies and Slips

 

Ha Ni was idly waiting for her class to start when a pretty girl approached her. The glammed up girl sat next beside her, making sure Ha Ni took notice of her.

 

“Hi…” Ha Ni said politely.

 

Yoon He Ra smiled brightly at her, all too brightly for a stranger. “Hi. You are Oh Ha Ni, right?”

 

Ha Ni nodded and asked, “Yes. How do you know me?”

 

He Ra flicked her long hair and acted nicely. “I heard from Seung Jo’s friends that you are living with Seung Jo’s family? Is that true?”

 

Ha Ni nodded.

 

“Since you are Seung Jo’s friend, I want to be friends with you too,” He Ra said sweetly.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because Seung Jo is a friend of mine and you look like a nice girl. I like to be friends with nice people. By the way, I am Yoon He Ra.” She offered her hand which Ha Ni shook apprehensively.

 

Then He Ra gave her a paper bag. “This is for you. I hope you like it. And I hope we can get together sometime soon and have small chats.” Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. I should be careful with you, Oh Ha Ni.

 

“Okay…thank you.” Ha Ni checked the content of the bag and saw a small vial of designer perfume.

 

He Ra immediately left as soon as Ha Ni’s professor entered the room to start the class. Meanwhile, Ha Ni remained skeptical of He Ra’s motives for wanting to be friends with her. She was confused at the girl’s being overly nice. Is she one of the jerk’s girls?

 

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That same day, Ha Ni saw Jin Woo at lunch. She came up to him to thank him again for the phone he gave her the previous day and to apologize because the phone was gone already. Thanks to the jerk!

 

“Hello, Jin Woo.”

 

Jin Woo smiled brightly the instant he saw her. He stood up quickly and pulled a chair for her. He also offered her some food but she declined.

 

“Thanks, but I’ve eaten earlier with Min Ah. I just want to thank you again for the mobile phone yesterday.”

 

“It’s nothing, Ha Ni. How many times do I have to tell you that?” Jin Woo never stopped smiling while talking to Ha Ni.

 

Ha Ni looked down, quite uncertain on how to tell him about the chucked phone. She did not want to lie but she also did not want to further fire up any hostility between Seung Jo and Jin Woo.

 

“Jin Woo…”

 

Jin Woo frowned. “There’s something else you want to tell me…”

 

Ha Ni nodded. “Jin Woo… about that phone…Sorry, the phone’s gone.”

 

“Hmmm? What happened?” Jin Woo asked calmly, more concerned about what could have happened to Ha Ni than about the new phone.

 

“It slipped from my hand and it dropped from the balcony last night. Totally broken…” Ha Ni lied, trying to sound as convincing as she could. She was never really good at lying.

 

Jin Woo looked at her suspiciously for a split second. “Really? Is that all? Nothing bad happened?”

 

Ha Ni immediately shook her head. “No… nothing. I was clumsy, as usual. Sorry again…”

 

Jin Woo broke into a smile and patted her head. “Silly. It’s nothing. It’s just a phone. I’m just glad nothing happened. I thought something bad happened…”

 

Ha Ni gave him a small smile, guilt tugging at her conscience.

 

“I’ll give you another one tomorrow.”

 

“NO!” Ha Ni’s protest sounded a bit stronger than necessary, and this made Jin Woo crease his brows.

 

“I mean you don’t have to give me another one.” Ha Ni then slowly took out the new phone Seung Jo bought for her the previous day after throwing out Jin Woo’s phone. “Actually, I already got a new one.”

 

Jin Woo looked at it, inspecting its model. “Hmmm… good choice. That one’s a notch higher in specs than the one I gave you yesterday.”

 

“Yeah,” Ha Ni answered, apparently not wanting to talk about it anymore. She felt doubly guilty, first for not being fast enough to prevent Seung Jo from throwing the phone away, and second for lying to Jin Woo about it.

 

Sorry for lying to you, Jin Woo… but Seung Jo threw yours and he bought this one instead.

 

“So why are you living in Seung Jo’s house?” Jin Woo asked out of the blue. The new topic made Ha Ni more nervous.

 

“Ah…my parents and his parents are close friends. My parents  don’t trust me enough to let me live on my own… So there, I am living with the Baeks for an indefinite period of time.” Ha Ni recited her much practiced answer for anyone who might ask about it. This isn’t even a lie.

 

“So you and Baek Seung Jo have know each other for a long time, then? Family friends.”

 

“No. We’ve just met too. I just knew the Baek family after I moved to Seoul. My family lives in Jeju.” 

 

Jin Woo nodded, thinking about everything she told him. But he was uneasy with her answers.

 

“How about you? How long have you known Seung Jo?” Ha Ni asked slyly. She wanted to know why Seung Jo seemed to dislike Jin Woo so much.

 

Jin Woo did not reply immediately, thinking of the simplest answer. “Since highschool.”

 

“Oh. So you know each other well, then” Ha Ni said in an outwardly casual way.

 

“You could say that.” Jin Woo did not add anything else, much to Ha Ni’s dismay. She was actually fishing for more information.

 

Ha Ni then glanced at her watch and saw that it was already time for her to walk to her next class. She exchanged phone numbers with Jin Woo before saying bye and left.

 

Jin Woo looked at her as she walked away, a theory forming in his head. I hope it’s not what I think it is.

 

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“Baek Seung Jo!” Jung Yunho ambushed him in the hallway to Seung Jo’s next class.

 

“Oh, hyung…” Seung Jo smiled and greeted him. “Do you need anything?”

 

Yunho got to the point. “First assembly of our team tomorrow afternoon.”

 

“Can I pass? I’m not even needed there,” Seung Jo tried, uninterested to attend the usual orientation just intended for new and aspiring team members.

 

“You must come. You might have some priviliges as a special member but treat this as my special request…” Yunho was referring to Seung Jo’s special membership condition that allowed him to attend activities just when it suited him.

 

“Why?” Seung Jo asked, though he already had an idea why Yunho wanted him to attend.

 

“Come one… You know very well that we get unusually high number of confirmed applicants when you’re there. Let’s use your charm to our team’s advantage,” Yunho teased.

 

Seung Jo just smiled, acknowledging the truth in Yunho’s teasing. “Okay, hyung. I’ll be there.”

 

“Great!” Yunho jabbed him in the ribs and left.

 

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SMS exchanges that night

 

 Jin Woo: Hi! Busy? :)

 

Ha Ni: Hello. Not busy. Just finished dinner.

 

Jin Woo: Do you play tennis? :)

 

Ha Ni: Yes. Why?

 

Jin Woo (excited): Let’s go to the tennis club orientation tomorrow :)

 

Ha Ni: …

 

Jin Woo: Please? :)

 

Ha Ni: Ok…but I have a problem.

 

Jin Woo (worried) : What?

 

Ha Ni: I usually go home with Seung Jo these days, remember?

 

Jin Woo: Tell him you’re doing something after class. I’ll give you a ride home. :)

 

Ha Ni (unsure) : Okay, I’ll try.

 

Jin Woo (grinning) : Great! Good night, Ha Ni yah. See you tomorrow. :)

 

‘I need to make an alibi for Seung Jo tomorrow,’ Ha Ni thought.

 

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At school the following day

 

“So what did you tell him?” Jin Woo asked Ha Ni as they walked towards the tennis club meeting room.

 

“I just said I need to do something after class. He did not ask much, he just said he also needs to go a club meeting and he cannot give me a ride today.” Is it the debate team? Whatever.

 

“Good.”

 

Ha Ni stopped Jin Woo from walking and asked, “Wait, are we really signing up for the club? I haven’t had any practice playing in a while.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you.” Jin Woo reassured her.

 

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Ha Ni and Jin Woo sat inside the tennis club meeting room. It was almost crowded, with many applicants and resident members waiting for the meeting to start. Ha Ni noticed that the female applicants outnumbered the males. In highschool, not many girls wanted to play tennis because they did not want to get tanned, so Ha Ni mostly played tennis with boys. Lucky for her, her skin only turned pinkish whenever she got exposed to the sun and she never got tanned.

 

A good-looking young man entered the room and introduced himself as the president of the tennis club. He was happy that many people turned up for the orientation and he teased the girls. “I know what you came here for…or should I say who you came here for?” HE looked around the room and did not see the person he was referring to. “Looks like the brat is coming late.”

 

Most of the girls blushed, while some protested. Yunho and his team members laughed.

 

“So let’s start this session. Please sign up in the paper circulating around…”

 

Ha Ni and Jin Woo followed the SOPs and listened as the tennis club discussed about membership and rules and regulations. Suddenly, the door opened and revealed Seung Jo standing at the entrance. Some girls controlled their squeals but failed.

 

Yunho looked at the latecomer and smiled. “Baek Seung Jo, you are late.”

 

“Sorry, I was called to Prof. Lee’s office. But I came anyway so there shouldn’t be any problem. And it looks like your strategy worked, we have so many new recruits here.” Seung Jo smiled approvingly.

 

“Yes, thanks to you. Now take your seat and let’s have the self-introduction of the applicants.”

 

Seung Jo looked around the room to check new faces. He was startled to see Ha Ni sitting in one corner. His face darkened when he saw who she was sitting next to. Park Jin Woo.

 

Seung Jo’s and Ha ni’s eyes met for a second. Ha Ni knew she was in trouble.Seung Jo took a seat but his eyes shifted to Ha Ni and Jin Woo’s direction many times. Jin Woo, on the other hand, looked unperturbed by Seung Jo’s cold stare.

 

“Okay, let’s start with Park Jin Woo.”

 

Jin Woo stood up. “Hi everyone. I am Park Jin Woo, economics major.”

 

“Do you have any experience playing tennis?” Yunho asked.

 

“Yes.” He glanced at Seung Jo then continued, “I played in highschool. I also played a bit while I stayed in the US for a year.”

 

“What did you do in the US?”

 

“I was accepted as an exchange student for one year after I graduated highschool.”

 

Seung Jo snorted at Jin Woo’s explanation. Yeah, right.

 

“Okay. Thank you, Jin Woo. Now let’s continue with the next one.” Yunho read the name below Jin Woo’s name on the list. “Oh Ha Ni?” Her name sounds familiar…

 

“Yes.” Ha Ni stood up ready to introduce herself. “I am Oh Ha Ni, first year business major. I just moved from Jeju.”

 

Yunho suddenly remembered something as he heard Ha Ni’s introduction.

 

He looked at Seung Jo and asked, “Yah, Seung Jo… Isn’t she the girl the boys were talking about the other day? The family friend who is living in your house?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Did you invite her to join our team?”

 

“No… she did not even tell mention she’s coming here.”

 

Yunho nodded then looked back at Ha Ni who was blushing at the attention. “Do you often play tennis, Oh Ha Ni?”

 

“I used to play a lot in highschool. I will happy to be able to play again.” A lot of the boys in the room were more absorbed at admiring her cute and innocent looks than listening to her.

 

Yunho turned again to Seung Jo’s direction and joked. “Looks like our boys here will have trouble concentrating playing tennis because of Oh Ha Ni.“

 

Ha Ni was blushing more.

 

Seung Jo then unexpectedly said, “Sorry boys… but I heard Oh Ha Ni’s already engaged.”

 

Ha Ni’s eyes widened. Yah!

 

The room buzzed.

 

Jin Woo sat there poker-faced. Could it be…?

 

Seung Jo smiled at the corner of his mouth. Ha Ni glared at him.

 

“So who’s the LUCKY GUY then?”

 

Seung Jo shrugged. “Ask her. I don’t have the right to tell about her private life.”

 

All eyes looked at Ha Ni. “Oh…that’s not yet definite.”

 

“Not definite yet? I thought you said you want to marry that guy…” Seung Jo mocked her. Ha Ni tried to ignore him, aware that Jin Woo was watching them.

 

“Really? Oh well, boys… better luck next time,” Yunho said to the crowd then asked Oh Ha Ni to sit down and he continued doing the roll call.

 

The meeting ended after an hour. Ha Ni did not have a choice but to ride with Seung Jo as he was also about to go home. She said goodbye to Jin Woo first.

 

“I will go home with him… see you next time.” Ha Ni avoided Jin Woo’s gaze and walked fast away from him. She did not want to give him the chance to ask questions about what Seung Jo announced earlier in the tennis club meeting.

 

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“Yah! Why did you do that?” Ha Ni was not able to control her temper and burst as soon as they were in the car.

 

Seung Jo did not answer.

 

“Yah! Are you deaf?”

 

“I told you not to see him anymore.”

 

“My Rule 4: Don’t be controlling.” Ha Ni reminded him.

 

Seung Jo stepped on the accelerator and gritted his teeth. “It seems that I can’t really stop you from seeing that guy. But remember my Rule 4: You cannot go out on dates. Especially not with that person.”

 

“Is going to a tennis club meeting considered dating now?” Ha Ni was getting impatient with him. “And why did you have to tell everyone that I am engaged?”

 

“Because you already are. Just remember that.”

 

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SMS exchanges

 

Jin Woo: I don’t mean to pry but is it true? That you are engaged?

 

Ha Ni: I don’t want to talk about it.

 

Jin Woo: Why?

 

Ha Ni: I’ll tell just you about it some other time, okay?

 

Jin Woo: Okay. Good night, Ha Ni.

 

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The rest of the week passed uneventful for Ha Ni. The incident during the tennis club meeting was soon forgotten as Ha Ni smartly dodged questions. And although Ha Ni had not yet explained anything to him, Jin Woo also helped Ha Ni evade some of the rumor-mongers. Luckily, Ha Ni did not need to deal with her best friend because Min Ah had to fly back to Jeju in the middle of the week because of some family matters and she did not hear any of the school buzz.

 

Ha Ni was grateful for the first weekend since the classes. She felt like she needed a long rest. Her life was clearly not as easy as most students’. Aside from her studies, she also had to endure all the complications caused by the deal with CEO Baek.

 

Ommoni announced that she had to go out for the day. She had to visit an old friend who fell ill. Eun Jo was coming with her because CEO Baek went for a 3-day trip to Japan.

 

“Don’t worry, ommoni. I will be fine. I will just probably sleep the whole day.”

 

“Don’t sleep too much, noona. Your eyes might disappear completely.” Eun Jo liked teasing her about her droopy eyes.

 

Ommoni smiled at her. “The housekeeper asked for day-off today and Seung Jo will not be home anytime soon. He’s probably out with his friends again. You can have a complete rest. I left food for you in the kitchen.”

 

“Thank you, ommoni. Have a safe trip.” She bowed at ommoni and pinched Eun Jo's cheeks. The mother and son soon left.

 

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Ha Ni spent the whole day sleeping, like she predicted. It was almost dusk when she decided to walk out around the garden to stretch out and catch fresh air. The small swimming pool in the garden looked inviting to her and she decided to go for a short dip. She quickly returned to her room to change into her swimming attire.

 

 

Ha Ni chose a simple one-piece swimsuit and returned to the pool area. She was enjoying treading in the water so much that she did not notice Seung Jo’s arrival.

 

As the pool was adjacent to the house, Seung Jo heard splashes of water as he entered the house. He saw Ha Ni happily swimming and doing laps in the pool. He did not greet her and went directly upstairs to his room.

 

After changing his clothes, Seung Jo settled himself on the balcony to rest and listen to his Ipod playlist. He was busy choosing a song from his playlist when he heard a scream from below the balcony. The balcony was directly above the pool. He quickly looked down and saw Ha Ni lying on her back on the edge of the pool. Seeing her clearly pained face, he quickly ran downstairs.

 

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“Are you okay?” Seung Jo asked as he assisted Ha Ni to sit down in one of the benches.

 

Ha Ni cried in pain. “AWWW!” Her right foot was hurt when she slipped and fell by the pool side.

 

She held tightly to Seung Jo’s neck to support herself.

 

“Do you want to go to the doctor?”

 

Ha Ni shook her head. “No… my foot will get better later.”

 

“Sure?” Seung Jo sounded so worried.

 

“Yes. Thank you.”

 

It was already getting cold so Seung Jo grabbed Ha Ni’s towel from where Ha Ni hanged it and then wrapped it around Ha Ni’s shoulders. Then impulsively, he kneeled in front of Ha Ni and started massaging her right foot.

 

“Yah! What are you doing?”

 

Seung Jo ignored her and continued rubbing her foot to make it feel better.

 

“Yah!” Ha Ni grabbed Seung Jo’s hands to stop him.

 

“Yah! Stay still. It needs to be massaged a little and it will be better. It doesn’t look like a sprain so I am sure you’ll get better in a little while.” He continued what he was doing, careful not to look at her bare legs.

 

Ha Ni became self-conscious that she was just wearing her swimsuit and stopped Seung Jo. “I’m okay… get up.”

 

Seung Jo finally ended the foot massage. It was getting chillier and yet there were traces of sweat on his forehead. Yah! Seung Jo! It’s not like it’s the first time you saw a girl in a swimsuit.

 

Luckily for him, Ha Ni did not notice his cold sweat. Seung Jo sat silently with her on the bench, looking out and immersed in his thoughts.

 

“You’re really an accident-magnet.” Seung Jo joked to break his tenseness.

 

Ha Ni laughed. “That’s what my friend Min Ah calls me.”

 

“Well she’s right. But what really happened to you?”

 

“I slipped, as simple as that. I don’t know why I keep getting into accidents and other mishaps. Maybe I was just born this way.”

 

“Maybe.” Seung Jo laughed.

 

It was their first time to talk and laugh comfortably together.

 

“Seung Jo yah…thank you.” Ha Ni said earnestly. Despite her irritation at him for the entire ruckus he caused the past few days, she was not able to help but feel grateful for Seung Jo’s rescue.

 

Seung Jo looked at her and became aware of how close they were sitting together. No one spoke a word. They ended up staring into each other’s eyes for what seemed like eternity. The calmness of the area, the chilly breeze and their closeness made Seung Jo’s tensed feeling come back. Without thinking, he touched her cheek and his thumb slid down to her chin. Ha Ni seemed spellbound, too.

 

Seung Jo lowered his head and slightly lifted Ha Ni’s chin.

 

Ha Ni’s mind panicked and her heart pounded loudly in her chest. An inch away from her first kiss…

 

“Achoooo!” Ha Ni sneezed and immediately placed a hand over in embarrassment.

 

The spell broke.

 

“Hyung!” Eun Jo suddenly called from their backs.

 

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A/N: Another update. I am not too happy about this chapter. I dont know why.

As promised, this chapter is dedicated to Princemackaroo :D (I hope the chap did not dispaooint you, rain)