07

Kai acted like that conversation — no, that whole day — never happened. At least, in public and around our friends. To them, he was still Kim Kai with a rich and powerful father, a submissive mother and a younger brother that wanted to outdo him. He was Kim Kai, the multimillionaire playboy who went through girls like I went through tissues during Marley & Me. He was Kim Kai, the jerk that was hard to get along with and made feel people feel low.

To me, he was Kim Jongin, the boy who lost his real mother on his birthday and was left with an abusive father, an unwitting half-brother and a clueless, useless stepmother. He was Kim Jongin, the multimillionaire playboy that used girls to drown out his emotions and bullied his peers so he could feel better about himself. He was Kim Jongin, a little boy with daddy issues and I was Kim Nara, the friend he bullied more than anyone else because he feared I would spill his secrets.

One day, they almost came out. But not from me.

Little did any of us know, that same day, something else would be torn from us.

Not just our secrets.

—

“What do you mean you’re not going to prom!?” Jongdae exclaimed just as Kai scored another goal on the foosball table. “! Dammit, Kim Jongin. Why are you so good at everything?” He kicked the foosball table and stepped away from it. “Not fair.”

Kai smirked and shrugged arrogantly, “What can I say? I’m a beast.” I snorted and he glanced at me. “Shut up, Chipmunk. You’re just jealous you can’t do anything right.”

I rolled my eyes, “Whatever, Kai.” He opened his mouth to say something, probably something insulting, but Baekhyun spoke first.

“You have to go to prom,” he said, “it’s tradition. We’re graduating, it’s, like, an unofficial law that you have to attend the prom.”

“I don’t know, it’s not really my scene,” I sighed, shrugging a shoulder. He made a face at me and I felt like I had to explain myself. “I’m not really the kind of girl to dress up…for any occasion.”

“Obviously,” Kai snorted but his remark went by ignored.

“Just do it this one time,” Baekhyun pleaded as he plucked out his earphones and moved to sit down beside me on the red sofa. He scooted closer and battled his lashes at me, his black-rimmed eyes begging me to comply. “Please, Nara-ya~~~ For oppa? For Baek oppa?”

“Baek—”

“Please~~~~”

I sighed, “I don’t even have a dress to wear and it’s next Friday.” I picked up my drink and put my straw in my mouth before adding, “And I don’t have a date. You all do, I don’t want to show up alone.”

"It's actually in three weeks," Sehun corrected me, before adding, "Just sayin'." I shot him a glare, to which he responded with a blank stare.

“We’ll ditch our dates for you,” Baekhyun shrugged. Jongdae and Kai snapped their heads in our direction, their eyes wide.

“Wae, wae, wae!?” Jongdae spluttered, rushing over to us. He sat down on my other side. “Why should we ditch our dates?” He glanced at me apologetically, “Mian, Nara-ya, but you’re not worth dumping Bang Minah for.”

Kai added, “And you’re definitely not worth dumping Bae Suzy for. I mean, have you seen her? Talk about ridiculously hot. I can’t wait to—”

“Yah, Kim Jongin!” I barked, cutting him off from whatever sleazy thing he was about to say. “I don’t want to hear about your…ual desires and whatnot.” He smirked and shrugged uncaringly. I turned to Jongdae. “Chen oppa,” he loved Chinese movies and one character that had had an uncanny resemblance to him was called Chen, “I’m not asking you to ditch your dates. Of course not. I’m just telling you why I won’t go.”

“Andwae~” he whined, dropping his head on my lap. “Nara-ya, don’t leave us. We need you…pretty girls always come when you’re around us.”

“It’s because they worry I might try to steal you from them,” I told him. He blinked a few times before laughing out loud. “Wae? What’s so funny?”

“You can’t steal us from them,” he chortled, “if we don’t belong to them in the first place.” He snuggled my lap and I smiled sheepishly. “Kim Nara, you’re more special to us than any of those girls.”

“N’aw~~” I cooed, batting my lashes at him. He flashed me a smile. “Yet you can’t ditch your dates for me.” I scoffed and shoved him off my lap, making him yelp in surprise. Baekhyun sniggered and shuffled closer to me, sliding his arm behind me. 

“Kim Nara,” he said, “do you really not want to go?”

I shrugged nonchalantly, “I don’t know, it’s not really my thing. Don’t worry, Baek oppa, I won’t be upset if you go without me.” I squeezed his leg reassuringly. “I swear. Have fun and take lots of pictures so I can see who looked better between you and Chanyeol oppa.”

Jongdae’s eyes lit up, “Ah-ha! Chanyeol hyung, perfect!” We all looked at him quizzically. “Chanyeol hyung can be your date.”

“He’s already left school,” Kai reminded him.

“Yeah but that doesn't mean he can’t be your date,” Jongdae said. “Besides, the teachers love him so they’d easily let him come back for one night. Whatcha think?” I looked up in thought and pursed my lips. “Come on~”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” I admitted after a few more moments of silence. He punched the air in victory and grinned proudly. “Yah, don’t let it get to your head. One good idea doesn’t make you a genius.”

He pouted, “You’re so mean to me. I think I might cry.” I giggled and pinched his cheeks.

“Aigoo~~ our Jongdae is so cute,” I cooed. He put his curled up hands up to his face and did some aegyo, including ‘bbuing bbuing!’. I laughed and shoved his face away before standing up. “I’ll call Chanyeol oppa and ask.”

“Call Chanyeol oppa and ask him what?” A deep voice asked from behind us. We all looked over our shoulders and saw Chanyeol entering the chill pad, Krystal trailing after him with her arm looped around his. 

“Oppa!” I squealed.

“Hyung!” the boys exclaimed. I ran over to him and he retrieved his arm from Krystal. He caught me in his open arms and twirled me around. He set me back down and patted my head lovingly. 

“Our Nara gets prettier every day, doesn’t she?” he asked to no one in particular. I blushed and he poked my cheek. “Look at you, so modest.” He ruffled my hair. “Kyeopta~”

“Eyyy…hajima, oppa~” I said, blushing harder. He smiled affectionately and I almost told him, then and there, that I was in love with him. Instead, I craned my neck and waved at Krystal who stood behind him. “Annyeong, Krystal eonnie. You look pretty.”

“Komawo, Nara-ya,” she replied with a smile. “So do you but I’m sure you already knew that.” I laughed awkwardly and shook my hand at her. “Aigoo…don’t you dare say you don’t know it.”

“Know what?” Kai asked, glancing at me, “That she looks like a Chipmunk?” Baekhyun smacked him over the head and he flinched. “A-pa!”

“Pabo,” Baekhyun hissed. He then walked over to us and shared a brief but warm hug with Chanyeol. “Hyung, where do you keep disappearing off to these days? We’re seeing you less and less.”

“It ,” Jongdae commented with a pout. “We miss you, Channie hyung!”

“Ne!” we all shouted in agreement. Chanyeol laughed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. I took a moment to get a proper look at him. He was ever so handsome with those reddish brown curls —he’d dyed it recently, I think — and his soft features. But behind his smile there was something off, something that worried me for a reason I didn’t know.

“Hyung,” Baekhyun called out. I knew he felt the change in our best friend, too. “What’s up? Don’t lie.”

“We know you, oppa,” I added, folding my arms. He cleared his throat and glanced around. My heart skipped a beat — and not in a good way — when Krystal stepped forward and enlaced their fingers. She squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring look. “Chanyeol oppa…what—”

“Me and Krystal-ah….are engaged,” he blurted out. A blaring silence followed, everyone in the room being frozen in their place. My jaw had dropped and I was blatantly staring at Chanyeol. Baekhyun, too, looked shocked beyond words. Chanyeol cleared his throat again. “Um…” He chuckled nervously, “Come on, guys. It’s not that big a deal.”

“Of course it is!” Krystal chimed, “We’re getting married! It’s a huge deal. We have to celebrate and what better way to do it than with a party? Kai-ya, think you could get a cool band to play at the engagement party?”

Even Kai was shocked into silence. He stared blankly at her, his mouth hanging open. Sehun, who usually had on a bored expression, had wide eyes. 

Krystal laughed awkwardly, “Well then…huh. Okay, then.”

“You’re…engaged?” I asked, my voice quiet even to my own ears. Chanyeol went red and nodded hesitantly. Krystal grinned and nodded excitedly, dropping her head on Chanyeol’s arm. “You’re getting…married?” They nodded again. My heart shattered into a million pieces but no tears escaped my sore eyes. I was too shocked to cry. “But…you…I thought…how…”

Please log in to read the full chapter