CHAPTER 29

 

Unlike most of his teammates who would snicker, Mark acts much calmer whenever he sees an Imperium Academy student. So when he sees Soojung entering the café with a guy whose name he can’t remember, but was so sure that he was from Imperium judging by the uniform he was wearing, he wasn’t sure what to say.

 

“Hey, Soojung!” Taehyung, who was also copying Youngji’s homework that day, greets her as soon as he heard the café’s door open. “Ugh, why did you bring Oh Sehun here?”

 

“Ah, that. Oh Sehun.” Mark mumbles to himself. Meanwhile Youngji already knows what this was all about. She sighs silently and goes back to her Physics homework.

 

“I thought you have a part-time job somewhere else?” Soojung asks him. She was pretty sure Seokjin has mention that to her once in a party.

 

“I got fired yesterday. So here I am copying our homework while I search for a new job.” He smiled awkwardly as he scratched his head. But as soon as he sees Sehun again, his expression changes to a bad one. “It’s not nice to see you.”

 

“It’s not nice to see you either.” Sehun returns the insult.

 

“Now, now boys. Sehun is here to behave. Am I right, Sehunnie?” Soojung turns to him, expecting him to say yes or even just nod but the taller one just had his face on.

 

“Actually, you didn’t even tell me where we are going. I came with you because I thought that you’re going to cheat on Jongin with me so I was like, okay.” That was kind of true. She didn’t really say anything about where they were headed but since he knows that it will make Jongin crazy jealous, Sehun just said yes. “Turns out you just wanted to do your stupid plan.”

 

Knowing that Youngji didn’t really agree when she told her about her plans on setting her up with Sehun, Soojung approaches her slowly with a weird smile. Sehun just followed her even though he himself didn’t like her idea that much, explaining that he doesn’t date ‘commoners’.

 

“Youngji, this is Sehun.”

 

“I know who he is.” Youngji finally looks up to glance at the boy who comfortably sat across her, not minding the glare Taehyung was throwing towards him.

 

“Let me do your homework.” Soojung says, grabbing all of Youngji’s materials.

 

“Do I really have to do this?” Youngji looks at her with puppy eyes. She hopes that her aegyo will work, but it doesn’t to Soojung.

 

“Yes, honey. Who knows? Maybe you two are the Romeo and Juliette of our schools? Now go and enjoy your blind date-”

 

“Blind date?” Both Mark and Taehyung says at the same time.

 

“Hold up,” Mark jumps out of the counter to approach their table. “They’re on a date?”

 

“Yes, unfortunately. What kind of employer sets up their employees on date?” Youngji sighs.

 

“A nice one, obvi.” Soojung grins and gestures Taehyung to follow her. “Come on, let’s leave them alone.”

 

“Soojung, what are you thinking?” Mark asks, following them to a much further table. “Jackson will flip if he finds out that you’re doing this. Literally.”

 

“Yeah, this is absurd! Youngji hates cocky guys like him!” Taehyung exclaims not so quietly causing Sehun to shout, “I’m right here!”

 

“If you two don’t stop scolding me, I won’t do this stupid Physics homework of yours.” She warns to shut them up, and it does work. Taehyung just sits beside her to copy everything while Mark goes back to the cashier. “That’s right. Ah, please give two cups of cappuccino to the future love birds.  It’s on me.”

 

 

When she was younger, Jessica always gets so excited whenever she travels. Whether if it’s a far place like America or even just in the neighbouring country of Japan, she liked going to different places. She remembers when she first arrived in Hong Kong – she immediately fell in love with its tall skyscrapers and its beautiful lights. She wasn’t surprised, after all her parents described her as a ‘city-girl’.

 

But that admiration quickly fades after her marriage. She hated every single second she spent there; smiling forcefully to everyone, pretending that she was having a blast. But she, unlike other people, wasn’t patient. She was a , she admits that, and she knew she just had to leave the city.

 

She has always known that her husband was seeing other women. Yes, not just one. She grew tired of his bull that she stopped questioning him about it and just left him to go back to Seoul. It was no surprise to her that when she arrived in his office, she sees his secretary sitting on his lap as he plants kisses to her neck. The young woman was embarrassed about it that she wasn’t able to look at Jessica when she got dismissed. In comparison, Jin didn’t seem to mind that he was just caught dirty handed.

 

“Why, isn’t it my so-called wife?” He leans in to his chair, gesturing her to sit in front of him which she does. “This must be very important. Because I’m sure as hell that you’re not here to visit me.”

 

“That’s true. So you better listen carefully.”

 

“I am, Sooyeon.”

 

Her eyes automatically rolls after hearing her real name come out of his mouth. He was the reason why he hated her name. “I want a divorce.” She states, looking straight to his eyes.

 

Jin, who looked very uninterested on what she was about to say just seconds ago, now had all of her attention. He quickly shifts up on his seat so he could talk properly. “No.”

 

“No?” Jessica frowns. “What the do you mean no? Jin, this is bull. Your company is already doing fine here and in Korea even without my family’s name!”

 

As Jessica continued with her outburst, Jin stood up from his seat to walk closer to her. He has known that this time would come, he even thought she would ask her much earlier in their marriage actually. If she asked before, he’d probably say yes, but he has a reason to decline the offer now.

 

“You think I don’t know about your dirty little secret, Sooyeon?” He whispers. “You and Lee Donghae. You’ve been cheating since… October?”

 

She immediately stood up from her seat, shocked by what he just said that she was unable to speak properly. “How- You…”

 

“Yes, I may have done a lot of much horrible things but,” He grabs an envelope from his drawer and places the pictures that came from it in the table in front of Jessica. They were all pictures of her and Donghae in their secret dates laughing, kissing and holding hands. “I have proof.”

 

“You hired someone to stalk me?!” Her husband just smiles devilishly at her. “You have no right to do this!”

 

“How would the whole world react if the oh-so perfect Jung Sooyeon is actually seeing someone else? What will your parents do to poor Donghae?”

 

“You wouldn’t dare tell them!”

 

“I guess you really don’t know me, Sooyeon.”

 

Jessica was too scared to think about what will happen to him, knowing what her parents are capable of doing. But leaving Donghae was scarier for her. It felt great to Jin to see her looking all weak and miserable like that. While she kept on staring on the photos with teary eyes, he briefly sends a message to his assistant, telling him to get his private jet ready as he’ll be flying to Seoul tomorrow.

 

 

When Soojung found out that the boys are planning another birthday party for Jongin (even though his birthday has passed days ago), she got very eager that she forgets that her parents might probably freak out if they see her coming down from the stairs in her dark makeup and club attire. Being the helpful friend that he is, or should I say sneaky little bastard, Sehun suggests that she could just go to Jongin’s apartment and change there.

 

It was a little suspicious, if you ask Jinri. How the hell would Sehun randomly suggest for Soojung to go all the way to Jongin’s apartment when the club where they’re going to isn’t even close to his place? Her suspicions grew even more when she noticed the subtle little nudge Sehun gave Jongin when Tao half-hugged and half-lifted Soojung on the airport out of happiness when the gang picked both him and Kris up.

 

“I missed you!” Soojung states after the hug.

 

“Jongin certainly did not.” Sehun comments as he did the fist bump slash hug thing with Tao.

 

“So I heard you went out with Soojung last Saturday?” Kris asks when he approached Jongin, who had been really quiet despite all the secret teasing Sehun has been doing.

 

“Ah, yeah. It was fun.” He answers.

 

“Too fun. I wasn’t even there but I had fun.” Sehun laughs.

 

“What are you talking about?” Soojung glares.

 

Before he could even say anything, Jongin immediately changes the topic. “Shall we eat somewhere?” His friends all agree and split into two groups as there were two cars waiting for them. He waits until everyone are inside to smack Sehun in the head.

 

“You’re so ing noisy.”

 

“Don’t blame me. My tongue is really itchy to tell people how you told me your love for Soojung.” He winks and then later laughs.

 

 

It was okay for Jongin when Soojung told him to forget about their kiss, but that doesn’t necessarily means that he can’t kiss her again… right?

 

Already ressed up in a tight off shoulder black dress that her parents would surely burn if they see it, Soojung was looking at her outfit in one of the many mirrors Jongin had in his apartment. It was actually the first time in forever that she has worn something so short that she felt a little awkward. Even though Jongin was pretending that he wasn’t silently checking her out from a corner, she knew he was watching her so.

 

“Jongin.” She suddenly calls out, making him startled. “Be honest with me. Is my dress too short?”

 

“Are you comfortable in it?”

 

“Yeah, I am.”

 

“Then it’s perfect.”

 

Contented by his answer, Soojung finally stops debating if she should change her dress. She grabs her fur coat and hurriedly goes to Jongin’s side. 

 

 

Saturday is Jaejoong’s favourite day of the week, but Catherine likes that day more. It was the only day in the week where she and her husband would stay at home doing nothing. It’s also the day when she rests and Jaejoong does the chores. They could hire a maid for them, but they have decided that they would want to start a family without any help from a maid. They don’t want their future child to experience the feeling of not having the parents around much, just like how they felt in their childhood.

 

“Honey! Can you please open the door?” Jaejoong shouts to his wife when he heard the doorbell ring. If he wasn’t busy with the dishes, he would do it himself. But since there were still unfinished plates, he still couldn’t leave the kitchen.

 

He hears his wife say ‘okay’ but after that he didn’t hear anything else. He did try to listen to the man’s voice that just rang the doorbell, but he couldn’t comprehend anything. When he hears footsteps approaching, he thought it would be just Catherine, but got shocked to his brother-in-law Jin behind her. He immediately removes the pink apron that he was wearing.

 

“Good evening.” Jin bows. “Sorry for coming without notifying you.”

 

“Ah, it's alright.”Jaejoong smiles even though he was low key uncomfortable that he just suddenly came. He leaves the kitchen and heads to his office with him. “What can I help you? If it’s something about the company, then you should have talked to my father.”

 

“No, no. It’s you who I want to talk to. About your sister…” He smiled rather weirdly, Jaejoong thought. He was pretty sure Jessica went to Hong Kong o talk to him, so what was he doing there now?

 

Instead of continuing his sentence, Jin gives him a brown envelope, the same envelope that contains Jessica’s and Donghae’s pictures.

 

 

Before they could even enter the club, Soojung has already started dancing by hearing the music from the outside. Now that she thinks about, this is the first time ever that she’s gone clubbing with Jongin and their friends. She has always gone with the Ehra Kids, not because she liked hanging out with them more. It’s just if she went with her childhood friends, there will be more chance that her partying ways can get caught by her parents.

 

However when they finally entered inside, she freezes from seeing familiar faces from school. Why didn’t she think about the fact that she might see their schoolmates there as well? But she wasn’t the only one who was shocked. Her schoolmates were as equally surprised seeing her there and dressed like that.

 

“Damn, Jung Soojung?” Nam Taehyun approaches her with an amused grin. “You look hot-”

 

“Enough with the praises. She already knows that.” Jongin pushes him towards the bar as Taehyun’s eyes still stayed on Soojung. “Go get drunk or something.”

 

After accompanying Taehyun to the bar, Jongin looks for Soojung. He finds her standing awkwardly in the middle of a group of students from their school. She looks at him and took this as a chance to escape. She pulls him quickly in a corner to talk. 

 

“You didn’t tell me that the kids from our school are coming!”

 

“Well, I don’t really have some middle class friends to invite so I had no choice but to ask my school friends.”

 

Knowing that he was totally talking about her friends from Ehra, Soojung just sighs. She was too stressed out to punch him. “I’m dead, Jongin. After this party, they’re going to tell their parents that they saw me here, and their parents are going to tell my parents. .”

“Aye, don’t overreact, dummy.” He shoves her playfully. “If your parents find out, tell them that I forced you to come. You’re here to have fun, aren’t you? Now do it.” He wouldn’t even agree to this if he knew that she won’t enjoy it. “Jinri has been waiting for you. Go look for her.”

 

“I’m so dead. .” He hears her cry after he pushed her towards the crowd.

 

 

As the night passes, Soojung forgets about her worries as she danced and laughed her off with her friends. Meanwhile Jongin was all over the club, entertaining the guest and making sure that they are having a good time. But he hasn’t actually talked to the person that he wanted to talk and dance with the most.

 

“Dude, we’re going to play Spin the bottle. Wanna play?” Chanyeol asks him when he was in the bar drinking with some of his seniors that he had last year.

 

“Nah, I’d rather not.”

 

“Soojung’s going to play.”

 

By the mention of Soojung’s name, Jongin finishes his glass of Martini in one gulp and excuses himself from his seniors. When he and Chanyeol arrived at the table, almost everyone in his clique was there: Jinri, Sehun, Tao together with Song Mino, Kang Seungyoon, Son Seungwan and then Seulgi and Soojung in the end, giggling like little girls. As soon as she saw Jongin, Seulgi immediately moves a little space for him to sit beside Soojung.

 

“Hey, Soojung looks super hot tonight.” Seulgi says when he sits beside her. “Did you bring some condoms?”

 

“Wow. You sound like my family.” He shook his head. But then he turns to her seriously, “Do you have one you can lend me?”

 

“Taehyun probably has one.” She laughs. “That kid is always ready.”

 

“I was joking, Seulgi.”

 

“Or are you?”

 

“Can we kick these two out?!” Jinri frowns when Sehun pulls out a cigarette from Tao’s own pack. Tao has actually started smoking before Sehun asked for one.

 

“Ew, Oh Sehun you smoke?” Soojung asks in disgust. She already knows that Tao smokes, and she also knows that Chanyeol and Jongin are prohibited to smoke because they were football players, but she never knew that Sehun smokes.

 

Offended, Tao asks her, “Hey, what do you mean by ew?”

 

“I didn't know you smoke.” She looks at him in disgust. “Stop that! You’ll die early.”

 

To response, Sehun just shushes her. “Soojungie, you’re a very dear friend to me, but if you don’t stop scolding me, I might say something you probably won’t like. I think.”

 

Thinking that the ‘something’ he was referring to was the fact that she likes to party, and not knowing that he meant about Jongin’s confession, Soojung immediately changes her expression.

 

“What’s this? Are you hiding something?” Mino asks curiously.

 

“The only secret Soojungie is hiding is the fact that she secretly loves me.” Sehun jokes, blowing a kiss at her direction from across the table. It was obvious that the guy is already tipsy from the drinks that he drunk from earlier. He glances at the uncomfortable Jongin beside her who mouths him to shut up.

 

“Of course, I do!” Soojung throws him heart signs.

 

The game couldn’t start as everyone was disturbed and was arguing because of the smoke coming from the cigarettes Tao and Sehun were smoking. Eventually, Tao listens to the complaints. He stood up from his seat to smoke outside, and of course he didn’t forget about Sehun.

 

“Goodbye losers. I’ll be back.” He dramatically puts up a peace sign.

 

“You don’t have to!” Jongin shouts.

 

“Ah, we can finally start!” Chanyeol puts his hands up excitedly and then spins the bottle after. “Me first!” It stops at Seungwan, who was just smiling nervously. “Truth or Dare?”

 

“Wait, I thought we were going to play Spin The Bottle?” Jongin suddenly asks.

 

“We’re playing with a little twist.”Jinri smirks. “I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”

 

Jongin has already a feeling what it was.

 

 

“I choose dare.”

 

“, Jongin stop choosing dare!” Jinri explodes in anger. It has been the nth time that the bottle stopped at Jongin when Jinri spun it, but yet he hasn’t pick truth. Not even once. “That’s unfair!”

 

“What can you do, I’m the ‘birthday boy’. This is my party.” He smiles cheekily. He was about to get away again, but this time the whole group disagrees. “Okay, fine. I choose truth.” When it was taking her long to answer, Jongin waves his hand in front of her. “Hurry up and ask me a question!”

 

“Not until Soojung arrives.” She looks at the exit, waiting for her best friend to come back. Soojung was doing her dare of singing a Disney song at the the top of her lungs outside and hasn’t returned. She was almost sure that she's singing ‘Let It Go’ since she loved Frozen a little too much. “She needs to hear the question.”

 

“You’re wasting time, Choi Jinri!” 

 

“Ugh, alright.” She looks at the entrance for the last time, and then back to him. “You better answer me sincerely!” Jongin just nods even though he was pretty sure he won’t. “Do you like Jung Soojung?”

 

He was right. Jinri was indeed noticing it.

 

“Ah, what kind of question is that? Are we in middle school?”

 

“Just answer!”

 

“Romantically, no.” He answers almost automatically. Jinri just furrows her eyebrow as Seulgi chokes beside him. “I mean, I do respect her and all. But we hate each other.”

 

“I don’t believe you, but whatever.” Jinri will surely get him someday. She has been noticing all these glances and the little blush he gets when Soojung’s around. Only someone as naïve as Soojung won’t notice that.

 

After more spins, Soojung finally comes back but with a lot drunker Sehun beside her. She figured that bringing him back to the table with his friends would be the best option for her as she didn’t want her friend wandering around the club.

 

But Jongin was thinking the opposite. Rather than being there with them, he wanted Sehun to leave the table because of the fact that he sat in between him and Soojung. He also had his arms swinging on both of their shoulders while shouting random things excitedly, annoying him.

 

“Oh, it’s my turn!” Sehun suddenly grabs the bottle to spin it even though it wasn’t really his turn.

 

“No it’s not you idiot!” Chanyeol was about to snatch the bottle back but Jinri stops him.

 

“Just let him so he would stop.” She tells him, which he does.

 

The whole group agrees with her so Sehun happily spun the bottle in the middle of the table. It stops at Jongin, making him very uncomfortable. He wonders if he should better pick truth, but then he was pretty sure he would ask something like Jinri’s question so in the end he chooses dare.

 

But what he didn’t know was his dare would be something related. In front of everyone, he dares him to tell one of his secret. And to make it more specific, Sehun mentions that secret that only he and Jongin knows, his confession for Soojung.

 

“How interesting.” Soojung suddenly pops out behind him with a cheeky smile.

 

“Super interesting.” Sehun adds.

 

“What is this secret and how come I do not know anything?” Chanyeol asks, frowning. “I am one of your best friends!”

 

“Shut up and just listen.”

 

Instead of actually saying his so called secret, Jongin just turns to Soojung and flashes her a fake smile. “Why don’t you go dance for a while, Soojung-ah?”

 

“Eh? Why are you asking me that so suddenly?” She questions not so happily. Their other friends were as confused as her. Seulgi, being the other person knowing his secret, decided to help him to avoid awkwardness by dragging Soojung to the dance floor. Even though she had no idea what was happening, Soojung just went with her just because she liked the song that was playing. As soon as they were gone, Jongin quickly frowns and turns to Sehun.

 

“Do you want to die, Oh Sehun?”

 

Sehun just puts up a peace sign, again. “I love you Jonginie.”

 

 

When two random boys started to flirt with her, Soojung knew that she had to leave the dance floor and go somewhere else. But when she did, the two didn’t stop bugging her much to her annoyance. She was even pretty sure that they weren’t from Imperium Academy and were just party crashers. God, why did Seulgi leave her there all alone?

 

“Listen, I have a boyfriend – wait, no. Actually I have a fiancé, so stop asking for my number!” She tells them annoyingly. She sits at the bar to order a drink, and hopes that they would go away after that, but no. They still stood there behind her.

 

“How come there’s no ring in your finger, eh?” One of the boys asked as he smirked.

 

“If you were my fiancé, I’d never leave you alone.” The other one says, putting his hand on her bare shoulder which she immediately pushes away.

 

“Don’t ing touch me, you jerk!”

 

“Ooh, she got mad.” They both laugh. “Don’t pretend like you don’t like it, babe. It’s obvious that you want it when you’re dressed up like that.”

 

“Uhm, excuse me? What the did you just say?”

 

“Just give us a chance and tell us your number.”

 

Soojung rolls her eyes. She was so done with them that she doesn’t even think twice on punching them. They already annoyed her as soon as they approached her, but she was still worried what people might think if she does punch one of them, but now she doesn't care anymore.

 

But before she could even lift her fists, somebody already does what she wanted to do to the two boys. In just a blink of her eye, she sees one of them already in the floor with his lips bleeding, while one of them had his collar grabbed by Jongin. He punches him twice before throwing him alongside the first guy.

 

He steps on the chest of the guy who touched Soojung and states, “Listeeen, you er. Don’t you ever, eveeeer touch my girl! Don’t even talk to her or even breath the same air as her. ‘Cause if you do, you’ll get a lot more than this.” He then turns to the surprised Soojung and cups her face. “My loveeee! Are you okay?”

 

With that Soojung could confirm that he’s drunk. He looked so drunk, but yet he gazes at her affectionately.

 

Upon seeing what just happened, their childhood friends immediately rushes to the scene to check the boys out. They just couldn’t let an accident happen while they are partying since they don’t want to get in trouble. Sehun was just laughing as he poked the two boys in the floor.

 

“, he’s really drunk.” Kris shook his head when he removes Jongin from clinging to Soojung. “Hey Chanyeol! Could you drive him home?”

 

“Ugh, why does it always have to be me?” Chanyeol sighs, but does what the older one orders anyways. Soojung asks if she could come along as she left her things on his apartment and she had to change back to much more casual clothes before going back to her house. He gladly lets her tag along since he doesn’t think he could handle drunk Jongin alone anyways, knowing how he acts when he does.

 

 

Chanyeol was nice enough to drop Jongin in his bed when Soojung asked him to, but unfortunately, he couldn’t stay long enough and wait for her to get changed so he could send her home. Jinri has called him, saying that everyone had left when they left and now she was all alone. It made both Chanyeol and Soojung mad at their friends for leaving poor Jinri alone so in the end Soojung just lets Chanyeol go to pick her up.

 

“Oh, please tell Jongin that I’ll be using his car if he ever wakes up again!” He shouts from downstairs before leaving.

 

“Just hurry up and pick Jinri up!” She yells back at him. When she hears the door close indicating that Chanyeol has left, she automatically looks at the bed where Jongin was sleeping.  

 

Quietly, she approaches him by tiptoeing. When she sees a pen on his night table, an idea of drawing on his forehead pops out of her mind. She always had a thing on drawing on people’s faces when they fall asleep, being mischievous that she is, but she was hesitating to do so on Jongin because she wasn’t so sure if he was indeed sleeping.

 

To make sure that he was, she pokes him twice on his cheeks. When he doesn’t flinch, she smiles to herself evilly and grabs the pen. Before actually doing anything, Soojung got a little distracted for a second from staring at him.

 

“Tell me Jongin, what are we really?” She knows that he’s already sleeping, but this was the only time she could ask him the questions that she doesn’t want an answer to. “Are we friends? Are we still frienemies?” She brushes his fringe from his eyes, noticing how long his eyelashes are.

 

“You know, it’s really weird how I’m not in love with you yet.” She mumbles quietly. “I mean, you’re tall, tan and have been really nice to me nowadays, which is strange but whatevs. And now that I’m looking at you, I must admit that you’re also quite good looking. Your defined jaw, your fluffy messy hair and of course, your lips that are nice to kiss with are just one of my favorite things about you.”

 

Soojung doesn’t even realize that she’s smiling…

 

“Nothing’s perfect, but we could be a perfect couple.”

 

…that was until Jongin started giggling and slowly opened his eyes, much to Soojung’s horror.

 

author's note: 

Please ignore all the wrong grammars and spellings as I published this without checking it twice. I just wanted to update to see comments because I'm really super stressed out with all of my school works + I feel like I'm going to fail all of my subjects :(

Regarding SehunxYoungji, I am not sure what to do them. Soojung just wants her friends to be friends with her other friends lol. Also, I'm really sorry for Jessica unnie because the next chapters won't look too good for her. ORZ