LONG CHAPTER AHEAD!

Summer break had already started. If it was entirely up to me, I’d have locked myself in my house and would only face civilisation a day before school starts.

“Yah! If you don’t hurry, we’re gonna be late!” A girl shouted and banged my apartment door.

I looked at my phone and it was 40 minutes past seven in the morning.

“I’m coming. Don’t destroy my door!” I shouted back and held back my giggle.

I grabbed my shoulder bag and opened the door, only to be greeted by a fair-skinned girl with dark brown hair which reached her elbow.

“Goodness, it’s still early. Stop exaggerating!” I told my best friend and slipped on my black Vans before locking the door.

“We can’t be late on our first day. You’re lucky I even agreed to pick you up.” She said and rolled her eyes.

I think people would know (without a single doubt) that we were best friends. Both of us shared that habit–rolling our eyes, that is.

“Whatever.” I chuckled and threw my apartment key inside my bag.

“Okay. Let’s go.” She said and went for the elevator. She didn’t even wait for me. This girl, seriously.

“Yah! Park Yoora!”

— ✿ —

“Hello. Oh, hey, Sehun! No, it’s fine. I’m a little occupied but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

I put my phone between my ear and my shoulder while my hands were busy washing the dishes. I was in the middle of my part time job when Sehun called me. We hadn’t really talked much since the start of summer break but we did text each other, occasionally.

“Where? Nah, I don’t think I can, Sehun. I’m sorry. I’m having a part time job with my best friend, remember?”

Yeah, that was Sehun. He was always forgetful. Okay, maybe not always but yeah.

“It’s the coffee shop outside Seoul University. The one with the white fence and canopy. You’ll  know it when you see it. Yeah, okay. Call me when you’re here. Okay, bye.” I said and hung up the phone.

So Sehun wanted me to have lunch with his friends but I declined, saying that I was working. Well, that wasn’t an excuse because I really was working but, of course, there was more to it than what met the eyes. I kinda spent the past few nights thinking about Jongin. I didn’t do it on purpose but somehow before I went to bed, he always managed to creep into my mind and messed up my head. And in the middle of everything, Krystal’s beautiful face would pop up. My mood would go downhill afterward and the cycle repeated itself. My inability to go to sleep was the sole reason why Sehun and I kept in touch even till this summer break. Okay, I lied when I said that I texted him occasionally. We actually texted each other every night. His one-word reply was somehow amusing and it helped me through my insomniac nights. I always wondered how wonderful it would feel if I fell for Sehun instead but, unfortunately, I couldn’t control my feelings.

— ✿ —

“Hey, Kai. Sorry it took me a while. Have you ordered?” Krystal asked sweetly as she approached the guy at the corner of the patisserie shop.

“I have but I don’t know what you’d like so I didn’t order for you.” Jongin answered bluntly while his eyes were fixed on his phone screen. He was playing a game on his phone, you see.

A couple of seconds later he probably realised how cold and ungentleman he sounded so he quickly added, “Would you like Apple Crumble with Caramel Sauce? I heard they have one of the best Apple Crumble in town.”

Krystal frowned but she quickly hid it behind her billion-dollar smile.

“No, it’s alright. I’ll have something else.”

A good ten minutes later, their respective orders came. Over chocolate cakes and hot lattes, they started talking. Okay, mostly, it was Krystal who talked and it was a little clear to the audience that Jongin’s mind wasn’t totally in the conversation.

Until suddenly…

“Do you think Sehun and Haneul are dating?” Jongin asked and put down his spoon which he had been using to stir his latte in the past five minutes.

“What?” Krystal raised her tone. She was completely bewildered, and not to mention, a little offended.

“I mean, they are getting pretty close lately and Sehun ditched us for her. Can you believe it? We were supposed to have lunch this afternoon but he called in and said that he would visit Haneul at her part time job instead.” Jongin innocently voiced out his mind.

Krystal clenched her fist but remained composed. She took a deep breath and propped her arm on the table to support her chin, looking at Jongin as lovingly as possible.

“So you were supposed to have lunch with your friends? But why are you here?” Krystal sugarcoated her words, trying to allure Jongin to speak the truth.

“I don’t know. I mean, of course, I want to eat with you. I would definitely prefer eating with you than with those starving, meat-lovers boys.” Jongin answered with a couple of exaggerated hand gestures.

“Awww, that was sweet of you, Kai.” Krystal said before sipping her latte.

If Jongin was nervous and was looking elsewhere but the beautiful girl in front of him, Krystal was the exact opposite. She was eyeing Jongin very carefully and it was very hard not to assume that she was plotting something evil in her head.

— ✿ —

“I hope you would stop bringing your tall guy friend over.” Yoora said as we were wiping the tables.

It was the start of our second week of our summer break and Sehun had been visiting me pretty often for the past few days. He would sit at the corner and ordered a cup of hot chocolate, spending the rest of his day here at the coffee shop. He would either watch movies from his laptop or did his homework or something. I didn’t know someone as lazy as him could actually be bothered by holiday homeworks.

“Hey, I didn’t ask him to come over. It was all his decision.” I defended myself, only to see my best friend rolling her eyes at me as if she was saying, “Yeah, right. I don’t believe you.”

“Maybe he was trying to see you and used me as an excuse.” I joked and winked at her.

“Oh, please.” Yoora snorted and both of us laughed.

I didn’t know what exactly happened but Yoora and Sehun were like Tom and Jerry every time Sehun came over. I had never seen my best friend running out of witty remarks until Sehun came into the scene. And as far as I knew, Sehun had never talked to a stranger. The fact that he was befriending me alone was a miracle and now he was even trying to outwit my best friend. Something is a little fishy, I thought.

I hadn’t even turned the ‘open’ sign over at the door when a customer rudely barged in.

“I’m sorry, but we aren’t opened yet.” Yoora politely bowed at the intruder who was decked in black jeans and matching ankle boots which accentuated her long legs.

Krystal was seriously the hottest chic I had ever known. I, even as a girl myself, acknowledged that.

“I need to talk to you.”

She pointed at me. Oh great, what did I do this time?

Yoora looked at me weirdly as if she wanted to ask what in the world was happening but at the same time she knew Krystal screamed danger.

“O-okay.” I stuttered and put down the cloth I had been using to wipe the tables earlier.

“How many times must I tell you to stop making a fool out of yourself?” She started.

I was a little shocked and lost, but she continued.

“Kai would never be yours. This world isn’t a fairy tale, sweetheart. And you aren’t Cinderella. You should know where you stand because, clearly, it isn’t next to Kai.” Krystal said through gritted teeth.

“Kai never likes you and, trust me, he would never do. I hate to break it to you but he likes me. I mean, who wouldn’t right?” She scoffed and smiled.

“If you were thinking you had a chance with him just because of what he did earlier this year, forget it. He was only playing with you because he thought you were just like any other girls who fell head over heels with him.”

I didn’t realise until now that with every hateful remarks that came from , she was taking a step closer to me. And now Krystal was standing in all her glory right in front of me. It was as if she was shining and bursting with rays of light. It stung my eyes.

“So my advice to you is stay away from him. He’ll never be yours.” She said and jabbed her finger at my left shoulder, pushing me a little.

If I looked composed a few moments ago, I was in a total emotion roller coaster right now. My tears were threatening to fall, but I braced myself and looked at Krystal right in her eyes.

“If that’s all you have to say, I think you heard my friend clear enough. We aren’t opened yet so get the hell out of here.”

Krystal totally didn’t expect my reaction but she left anyway. When I was sure that she was completely out of the shop, I didn’t bother to hold myself back. I let myself fall on to one of the chairs and choked back a sob.

“You have a lot to tell me, Jung Haneul.” Yoora said as she rushed to my aid.

— ✿ —

I didn’t have the mood to continue the day but I felt a little better after talking with Yoora. She was a little furious at this Jongin guy she had never met and she said I was in a deep trouble for falling for some cold-hearted, snobbish playboy-wannabe. I laughed at that, but I never saw Jongin as playboy because he never actually dated those girls. He only flirted back but when I found myself defending Jongin, I quickly scolded myself. Although what Krystal said hurt me to the core, she was right. And I needed to open my eyes before everything became worse. Jongin and I would never be together. I had to realise that because my life wasn’t a fairytale.

“A cup of hot chocolate, please.” A familiar voice snapped me back into reality.

“At this rate, you’d get diabetes in no time.” Yoora answered Sehun’s order for me.

“Oh, is that so? Would you care to recommend me a better choice of beverage then?” Sehun replied.

Wait, was Sehun actually flirting with my best friend?

I would love to stick my nose into their relationship but I was too affected by Krystal’s words this morning that I could only fix my eyes on the cup on my hand–which I had been cleaning over and over again.

“What’s wrong with Haneul?” I heard Sehun asked my best friend.

“Some hot chic barged in this morning and said that Haneul wasn’t good enough for this snobbish, demigod-handsome guy.” Yoora explained.

“Yah, Park Yoora! I thought I told you it was just between us.” I screamed at the dark-haired girl.

“What? I didn’t even spill any details. Chill, dude.” She shrugged.

I only rolled my eyes.

“Pardon her. She’s having PMS.” Yoora whispered to Sehun.

“Yah, I heard that!” I threw my cloth at Yoora which she swiftly dodged.

Thanks to Sehun and Yoora, I was able to see through the rest of the day.

“I think you should take her home. I don’t want her to end up in the newspaper tomorrow morning.” Yoora nudged at Sehun secretly.

“What about you then?”

“I’m meeting my parents for a late dinner. I’ll be fine.” Yoora assured Sehun and pushed him toward me.

“I’ll get going first, Han. See you tomorrow!” I heard Yoora said before she disappeared into the night.

“I’ll get you home.” Sehun said.

I couldn’t even say no. I was too tired. Of work. Of Jongin.

— ✿ —

We were walking silently to my apartment. It wasn’t that far so I asked Sehun not to take the public transport.

“I want to tell you something.” Sehun suddenly broke the ice.

“Promise me it’s just between us.” He said and held up his pinky finger.

“Seriously, how old are you?” I chuckled but did a pinky promise with him anyway.

“I actually was interested in you early this year.” He started.

I was taken aback but I noticed that Sehun didn’t want him to be interrupted yet so I let him continue.

“I didn’t know why but when I saw you blushing at the library that day, I thought you were special. By then, I realised that you have your eyes on Jongin but I wanted to give it a try anyway. After I knew you better, I thought you were too good for Jongin. You were so innocent and gentle and kind and funny in your way. And I don’t think Jongin could handle that. You make me feel comfortable, but I realised something during our trip to Suncheon. I realised that I wasn’t the only person who felt comfortable with your presence.”

Sehun paused for a while and chuckled.

I was totally dumbfounded. Did he just admit that he had feelings for me?

“Jongin never, I repeat never, helps anyone. If there’s something you should know about Jongin, that would be that he doesn’t take order from anyone. He is the kind of person you would see standing with his arms crossed at the sideline while everyone was busy doing the chores. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He never even once went to the supermarket, but that day when we were in Suncheon, he went to the wet market with you. He even took his pride off by sitting at the backseat, holding fishes while you took the wheel. Just so you know, Jongin is a man of pride, and there’s nothing more hurtful to a man’s pride than having a girl took the wheel from him.”

Flashes of images when I was in Suncheon with Jongin popped up in my head. Sehun was still blabbering how Jongin looked different every time he was with me, etcetera, etcetera.

“That time when I saw Jongin laughed because of you, I knew I had to back away. Jongin is my best friend and I’ve never seen him that contented with life. So I knew you were special to him. I let you go because I knew he loves you. Although he hasn’t realised it yet, I knew he’s feeling something for you.”

I scoffed.

“What’s the point of telling this to me now?” I asked a little coldly as I kept my eyes on the road.

“He has someone so much better by his side. And I’ll never be good enough for him.” I laughed at myself. Seriously, who do I think I am?

“Don’t tell me you let what Krystal said get into your heart?” Sehun grabbed me by my shoulders and turned me so that I was facing him.

“It’s not about what she said. It doesn’t matter what she said, Sehun. But do you seriously think I was worth the fight? I am a nobody. I’m just Jung Haneul. What would make Jongin look twice at me? I have nothing.” I declared and paused dramatically.

“I appreciate everything that you’ve said to me but I need to face reality, Sehun.” I held back a sob and looked at him in the eyes.

“And who said I was in love with Jongin, anyway?” I asked rhetorically. I wanted it to sound funny so that Sehun would believe that I wasn’t in love with his best friend but, dang it, I myself wasn’t even convinced.

“Okay, ‘Just Jung Haneul’. Whatever you said. But don’t make say ‘I told you so’ later.” He warned playfully and attacked me in a bear-hug.

That was when I let myself became undone. I sobbed and sobbed. I think his shirt became wet because of my tears. If you wanted to know why I was crying, you would have to be disappointed because I myself didn’t know why. I cried because I was happy that Sehun said that Jongin might have feelings for me. I cried because I saw the possibility that Jongin might not realise that he had feelings for me until everything was too late. But I cried mostly because I looked pathetic.

That was when I realised that sometimes feelings could be too heavy to carry that we had to put it aside. And maybe I had to put these feelings for Jongin aside.

Don't you think Krystal is fiercely beautiful?

After reading this chapter, some of you would think "What is this author thinking?"

But, hang in there, sweetheart.

Sending you off with precious SeKai~