CHAPTER 11: PRETEND

Eunji crouched, her stomach hurting as she laughed at Naeun’s priceless face. Happy tears streamed down her face, making her sniff and cough like she hasn’t laughed for years. The younger one, who noticed that she was being joked on, clenched her jaw and closed her eyes as she sighed before giving the latter a series of slaps on the arm.

“Stop it, stop it!” She begged as she started feeling the sting on her arm get more painful. The cackling was slowly replaced with hissing as Eunji tried to cover her already red arm.

“You.” Naeun stopped and called at the person who was still smiling even while enduring the discomfort. “Why are you like this?!” her tone raised, making Eunji raise her eyebrow and curious about the celebrity’s reaction.

She wasn’t sure, but the look on Naeun’s face changed from being blank, to something being negative. Scared? Annoyed? Disgusted? Eunji was really confused as she cannot decipher her reaction. “Calm down, okay? I was just joking!” she defended herself as she sat up and stared at her friend.

“I was scared—“She started off strong, but then her voice faltered after she realized the slip of her tongue. “Just…just never do it again.” Naeun stuttered.

“What are you scared of?” Eunji immediately responded, wanting to feed her curiosity.

“I wasn’t.” Naeun looked away as she felt her heartbeat racing rapidly. It was an obvious lie, but she still wished that Eunji would believe her and just dismiss the conversation.

Eunji on the other hand, wanted to avoid an argument on her birthday. Even though she was so intrigued with Naeun’s behavior, she decided to just drop the topic. She was never good with debating and besides, she was the one who started it, so might as well finish it herself. Her day was supposed to end on a happy note, and she still intends to do so.

“Fine.” She let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I promise not to do it again.”

Naeun felt sorry as she heard Eunji’s depressed voice. She had a reason as to why she reacted that way, but it wasn’t still an excuse for her to hurt the older one. It suddenly became awkward for the two of them, and she stared blaming herself for that. It’s Eunji’s birthday, for goodness sake. A red handprint isn’t the kind of birthday present that she wanted to give.

Only the sound of crickets can be heard until Naeun broke the ice in between them. “I’m sorry too.” She then faced the latter as she moved a little bit closer and reached for Eunji’s arm. “Does it still hurt?” Naeun examined the pain that she caused.

“Just a bit…” Eunji showed a gentle smile. “Don’t worry, it is fine.” She reassured.

She then smiled; letting her head fall on the side, leaning on Eunji’s shoulder as they both got quiet again. Naeun found her peace once again and closed her eyes, savoring everything that her senses can pick up at that very moment.

Eunji on the other hand, just let out a deep breath as she looked up to the sky and gave it a bittersweet smile.

Happy Birthday to you, Jung Eunji.

---

“So, how was your day in Busan?” Bomi sat down beside Naeun who was having her hair done. If only Naeun didn’t collapse on her bed immediately last night, she could have asked this already. “I need details, okay? I hope you didn’t get mobbed by fans.”

“It was fine.” Naeun’s voice sounded emotionless as she scanned through the magazine that she was holding. She hoped that Bomi wouldn’t ask her about it, but who was she kidding? And now that the question has been thrown at her, she had the choice whether to dismiss it or entertain it. The celebrity obviously chose the first option and answered it like how any other celebrity do it in any interview.

Bomi though wasn’t convinced, not even a bit. Being her manager for almost three years was already enough to memorize and get to know the girl in front of her. She can see through the façade that Naeun always put up every time that she’s feeling distressed, and this moment isn’t any different.

“Spill it, Son Naeun.” The manager snatched the magazine away and threw it on the couch.

“I said it was fine.” The younger one fought back. “It was nice meeting her family.”

“And…?”

“That’s it, basically.”

The older one let out a smirk. It was unbelievable that Naeun still tries to lie to her even if she knew that she really can’t. Her friend’s stubbornness is really on a different level, and she is quite not sure if that’s really a good thing. Bomi then placed her hand on the latter’s shoulder and gazed at Naeun’s beautiful dark brown orbs.

You tried. Bomi tried to send this telepathic message, and Naeun just sighed as she successfully received it.

“Well…Eunji kind of…confessed.” She looked down as she fiddled her fingers.

“Oh…wow.” Bomi muttered. She considered Eunji as someone that can be compared to a crystal; beautiful and transparent. It wasn’t really a surprise for her now as she can see through her buddy’s real emotions ever since they started hanging out. The way she asked about Naeun even before the two became close was already a sign for her, and maybe it’s just now that Eunji also realized her feelings for the latter. “You liked it, didn’t you?” She teased as she poked Naeun’s tickly spots.

“Stop it, Bomi-ah. I was scared, you know?” Naeun responded as she struggled and shoved away Bomi’s hands. “How many times do I have to tell you –“

Bomi just knew what she was going to say, and it was something that she never believed in so she decided to cut off the younger one. “How many times do I have to tell you that I know, Naeun-ah? We both know, so stop denying it to me.” She added. The statement landed like a punch on Naeun’s gut.

“I really don’t, okay?”

“More like you can’t.” Bomi emphasized on the last word, stressing the difference between don’t and can’t. “You wouldn’t feel scared for no reason.”

“Just stop it, will you?” Naeun felt frustrated. Bomi’s statements pained her, and that was when she knew that the older one was right. Even so, she just chose to rebut and take everything as a joke. “Besides, she laughed afterwards and said that it was just a joke.”

“And you’re still affected like that?”

“Excuse me, Miss Son…” A voice out of nowhere echoed inside the room where only the two of them are in. “It’s time for your make-up.” It was the make-up artist, and she needed to transfer to another room. With that, Naeun stood up and gave her answer before walking out.

“I am not, and I can’t be.”

---

Chorong groaned as her hand moved on its own, seemingly looking for the source of vibration and sound on her bed. Her eyes were still closed, and it doesn’t look like opening anytime soon. She stretched her arms further until she finally got a hold of her phone and immediately answering it without even checking who called.

“Why…”

“I’m in front of your door. Let’s eat breakfast.”

The older one groaned more. “Eunji-ah…”

“You open it, or I break it. You choose.”

The call got cut off, and the next thing that Eunji heard is Chorong’s loud roar, followed by some grumpy steps that got louder as the half-asleep woman got nearer the door. Finally, Eunji heard a click and the door swung open, revealing her friend in her usual loose clothing and messy hair. Chorong opened her sleepy eyes and managed to give a deadly glare.

“This better be good, Jung Eunji.” Chorong threatened as she went back in, signaling the latter to follow her inside. “Why this early though…” she whined.

Eunji prepared the table as the older one just sat down and waited for her food. She was actually going to be mean towards the younger one for a while but then she changed her mind upon seeing the Iced Americano that her best friend bought for her. Also, seeing the grays under Eunji’s eyes at this time of the school year where it’s not yet that hectic made her assume that the latter probably had a hard time sleeping last night because maybe there was something that bothered her.

“It has been a while since we talked, you know.” The younger one sat down on the other side of the table.

“You mean the other day? Yeah, it has been a while.” Chorong joked with a smirk on her face, sounding sarcastic as she can.

“I meant, seriously. Like heart to heart.”

Chorong raised her eyebrow and gave a quizzical look at the latter. “Did something happen yesterday?”

Whenever Eunji thinks about what happened last night, she feels like she deserves to receive the highest acting award that there is. She cannot believe that Son Naeun, an actress, believed her lie. She actually did confess at her, and upon seeing Naeun’s reaction immediately made her put out her defense which was pretending that she was just playing with her. It was also a lie when she said that it was fine, since she took it badly this time.

Despite all of those, Eunji thought that she’d rather pretend than have Naeun avoiding her like she’s some sort of a plague.

“As usual, I said it was a joke and she bought it so…” Eunji’s voice slowly went quiet as she ended her story. Just like what others say, sadness shared is halved, and she was glad that her best friend was willing to accept the other half at this time of the day.

“Do you regret what you did?”

“Not really. First of all, I managed to get this confession out of my chest and it made me feel lighter. Second is that at least, I already know that Naeun doesn’t swing that way so I still have the time to prevent this…”Eunji then pointed at her chest. “…to turn into something deeper. Besides, this is nothing new to me.”

“Are you sure?” Chorong held her best friend’s hand with a concerned look on the face. It has been a while since she saw the latter genuinely like someone, and it pains her knowing how nice the younger one is. She knew that Eunji was the type who would put her own being last in her list of priorities.

“Yeah, don’t worry.” The other one responded with a convincing smile as she held on Chorong’s hand tighter. “I’ll be fine. Thanks.”

“I’m just a call away, you know that. Even if I’m sleeping, you can ring me and I’d welcome you here.” Chorong tried her best to comfort her friend.

“You were not that welcoming a while ago.” Eunji teased, remembering the glare that she got from Chorong. “But really, thanks for listening. Ah finally, free from stress…” she then let out a deep breath, feeling a lot better than after she got back in Seoul last night.

Just then, a lightbulb popped above Chorong’s head as she suddenly thought of a random idea. “Eunji-ya, let’s skip class today.” She suggested which made Eunji furrow her eyebrows. “Come on, we don’t have anything to submit and we aren’t that busy yet. Just think of this as a part two of your birthday celebration.” Chorong grinned.

“Hmm…okay, but where are we going anyway?” Eunji finally agreed.

“Do you want to try archery?”

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A/N: Yes, that reference at the end x) I can’t help it. Jung Artemis just shot right through my heart today x) Anyway, sorry for making you guys wait and I know this chapter is short, not really that nice and bubbly but well, life’s not always rainbows and unicorns. ^^And I thank you for reading, subscribing, commenting and liking my work and I hope that you liked this update. ^^ AH, and I am going to shamelessly promote my latest ChoMi oneshot entitled Over The Edge. For those who haven't read it, please do so. For those who have read it, thank you for the time. ^^