Jin did not change for her date. She stayed in her very plain attire and her usual bare face. She probably would have at least tried to look better if this was just a regular date, but she was not so comfortable doing so if Seungcheol was going to be there. She remembered how he had asked her to wear a dress, and how last time she did and he saw her, he eyed her up and down. She shuddered at the thought.

After she wrote her diary entry and prepared her bag, she came down to where Vernon was. He was waiting for her, and she found him engrossed with something on his phone.

“Just give me a minute,” he said as he continued typing something with a serious look on his face. She waited for him. When he was ready to go, he put the phone in his pocket and started making his way to the bus stop immediately. He didn’t tell her to follow him or even look back to see if she was.

Jin felt sidelined and ignored, but perhaps she deserved it for cheating. Well, according to Vernon is was not cheating, but she had thought that it was, and so it’s still just as bad. Maybe he was acting relatively cold right now because he thought she was not worth it anymore.

As they made their way to the bus stop, Vernon walked a few steps in front of her, and she just scurried behind him. She wished he would slow down, but he seemed to be in quite a hurry. He never stopped to acknowledge her or to talk to her or anything.

Seungcheol and Nayoung were there already waiting for them when Vernon and Jin arrived. Jin took a deep breath and tried to seem normal. It was hard to pretend like she didn’t know anything about Seungcheol, but she knew she had to until he is reported and Sena is out of his reach.

At the same time, although she felt that she hated him, she didn’t feel so scared of him anymore. On some level, Jin felt like she was just as bad as he was. Just like Seungcheol, she had done something terrible to Sena. Just like Seungcheol, she did something intimate with someone besides the person she was dating (even if that person did not care).

“I see you didn’t dress up like last time,” was the first thing Seungcheol said to her. He eyed her suspiciously, as if somehow deducing that her current normal attire meant she knew the truth about him.

“What the hell, Seungcheol,” Nayoung spat, shooting her boyfriend a disapproving glare, “a girl can wear what she wants, and you boys aren’t allowed question it.”

“Sorry,” Seungcheol raised his arms in surrender.

“How are you, Jin?” Nayoung asked Jin politely.

“I’m fine,” Jin replied, also smiling politely back at her.

Jin didn’t really know where she stood with regards to Nayoung. The fact the girl had such an intimate relationship with Seungcheol somehow made Jin not want anything to do with her. On the other hand, Jin felt kind of sorry for her. Something told Jin that Nayoung had no idea about what kind of person Seungcheol was. She was in a relationship with someone terrible, and she didn’t even know it. Jin wished she could tell her, but knew better to keep shut. Nayoung will find out when the police take him to jail.

When the bus arrived, Jin and Nayoung were made to sit in the only two seats that were free, and Vernon and Seungcheol rode standing. Vernon and Seungcheol were talking amongst themselves when Nayoung leaned in and whispered in Jin’s ear, “what happened between you and Vernon?”

Jin looked at her curiously. What did she mean ‘what happened’?

It was then that Vernon caught Nayoung’s eye, and Nayoung whispered quickly: “We’ll talk later about this.” She then raised her voice and said loud enough for Vernon to hear, “anyways, what did you think about the eyeliner I got you?”

Jin was surprised that Nayoung seemed to know something about Vernon she did not, and so she hesitated before answering the question: “I wore it on the first date with Vernon,” she told Nayoung. “Thank you for it.”

“No problem,” Nayoung told her, “may you go on many more dates together.”

Somehow, Jin wasn’t so sure that she would though.

-

The walk to the bowling alley was awkward to say the least. Jin spent the majority of it looking at the ground. She didn’t want to meet Seungcheol’s eyes, or even Vernon’s for that matter.

Jin noted that Vernon was trying to talk to Nayoung without Seungcheol and her listening in. And Jin, in order to avoid being isolated with Seungcheol, had matched her pace with either Nayoung or Vernon, which seemed to frustrate Vernon a lot, and it seemed to amuse Nayoung. Seungcheol, on the other hand, was eerily quiet.

Arriving at the bowling alley was a relief for Jin given the really strange dynamics of the walk there.

As Jin was changing into the bowling shoes, Seungcheol slumped down in the seat right next to her. Jin’s heart froze; she felt so terrified of him in that moment. There he was, right beside her, his arms against hers, his thigh against hers. He seemed to be doing it to irk her. He seemed to know what she knew, and he was just doing it to make her feel as uncomfortable as possible.

It took a moment to regain the movement in her body. She tried to act normal as she continued putting on the shoes, completely ignoring that a was sitting right beside her.

When they got to their assigned lane, Nayoung excused herself to go to the bathroom. Vernon also excused himself a few seconds later.

Jin felt her heart beat out of control. She was tempted to also excuse herself, but that would be way too obvious. She tried to distract herself with her phone as to avoid trying to socialize with him.

Of course, Seungcheol sat right beside her again. She didn’t even know why she was startled. She put down her phone and took a deep breath, trying to be as natural as she could possibly be.

“So why didn’t you dress up?” he asked her.

“I didn’t have time,” she answered.

“I see. It’s too bad. You were really cute in that dress,” he said to her in a creepy whisper as he got closer. Jin had the resist the urge to push him away from her. The urge was even greater when his head came closer and closer to her ear.

“What are you doing?” she stuttered as he came closer to her and she leaned away from him.

“I know you know,” Seungcheol said to her, making her heart stop.

“Know what?” she asked him, hoping she was convincing enough.

“You know what you know,” he told her, “and someone is going to get punished for it.”

Jin felt more scared than she ever felt her entire life, but she did not want to lose herself now. He was trying to trick her into admitting it, and all she had to do was keep denying.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

“I’m sure you do,” he whispered in her ears. Before she could react, she felt his tongue on her neck and his hands rubbing her thigh, and she couldn’t handle it anymore. She pushed him away violently and rushed away from him, going to the bathroom where Nayoung and Vernon were. She found the two of them talking outside the bathroom, and when Vernon saw Jin, he stopped talking and approached her.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

She was also too stunned by what happened with Seungcheol to really give a proper answer. When she tried to articulate something to say, she started to tremble.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her with concern. He reached out to her, but she didn’t feel like being touched and so dodged his arms.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” she said quickly and dashed inside, walking right past Nayoung.

Jin went into a cubicle and locked herself in, taking toilets paper and wiping what Seungcheol had left on her neck. She tried to calm down, and cursed herself for blowing her cover. Did she make it obvious that she knew? Was he going to try and “punish” Sena?

She shuddered. She felt so shaken now after he only her, and that suddenly put in perspective just how hard it must be when he did so much more than that to Sena. Twice. And so heartlessly threatening the third.

She felt more than ever that she needed to save the situation. She wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt if Seungcheol did anything more on account of her failure to act. She had to pretend like she didn’t know.

He her; that’s weird and disgusting and creepy even outside of the context of what he did to Sena. Even if Jin didn’t know what he did, she would be majorly creeped out by him about now. And she needed to act like that.

After she felt calmer, she left the cubicle. She went and washed her hands and her neck. Taking a deep breath, Jin went back to face the situation head-on.

Nayoung asked her if she was okay when she arrived.

“I’m okay,” Jin said with a smile. She turned and face Seungcheol, “you just startled me,” she told him, trying her best to maintain a tame facial expression rather than one of disgust. Seungcheol narrowed his eyes at her.

Vernon turned to Seungcheol and asked, “what did you do?”

Seungcheol hesitated. He seemed surprised that she revealed it to everyone, “nothing,” he claimed quickly.

“What did my boyfriend do?” Nayoung asked Jin, shooting at Seungcheol with her deathly glares.

“He… umm… me,” Jin said hesitantly, “and then I pushed him hard.” She bowed to him, “I’m sorry if I hurt you. I was just really startled. I’m not used to things like this…”

“Why in the world would you her?” Nayoung frowned and crossed her arms.

“I was just playing around,” Seungcheol claimed quickly as he squirmed under her gaze. “It was just a little joke.”

“He’s always weird with his jokes,” Vernon told Jin.

Jin was disappointed that Vernon so easily believed him, and that he didn’t even reprimand him a little. His friend had just his date; he was supposed to be at least a little angry.

Nayoung turned to Jin and also explained, “he always does weird crap. You’ll get used to it,” she said.

Jin felt her heart sink, but she kept up the act and nodded. She bowed to him to apologize for “overreacting.” He bowed back and apologized for making her uncomfortable.

They started playing the game eventually, with Nayoung and Seungcheol in a team and Jin and Vernon in the other.

Nayoung went up to bowl first, and when she did, Jin felt Seungcheol’s eyes on her. She avoided them as much as possible and felt like she did a good job pretending she did not hate him. Sometimes he would sit next to her randomly, but he thankfully didn’t touch her or try to talk to her.

Both Nayoung and Seungcheol were very good at bowling, often getting strikes and spares. Jin did okay, but Vernon, on the other hand, almost always got gutter balls. Seungcheol and Nayoung about it and laughed, but he didn’t seem as receptive of their teasing as usual.

When it came to Jin’s turn, she grabbed one of the balls and walked up to have her turn. Before she threw, she felt someone approach her from behind. She prayed that it was not Seungcheol, and thankfully for her, it was Nayoung.

“I’ll help you losers because I feel sorry,” she said out loud enough for Vernon and to hear, Nayoung put her hands and Jin’s shoulder and helped position her. She instructed her on the position to take, but then suddenly, she started saying things in Jin’s ears that were not bowling instructions: “I sense that something is really wrong with Vernon, and I’m sure you sense it too. Maybe you should help him loosen all that anger by teaching him how to bowl in his next turn? Touch him. Whisper things to him. Encourage him,” she suggested. Jin blushed.

Nayoung then continued to give instructions, and Jin bowled according to those instructions. She got eight pins down.

When it came time for Vernon’s turn, Nayoung pulled Jin up and pushed her towards him. Jin, feeling compelled to oblige, shyly approached Vernon before he launched his ball.

“I’m usually better than this, Frostbite, I promise,” Vernon told her. Something about his body language when he said it reminded Jin of the time she saw him crying when he said goodbye to his mother. His shoulders seemed heavy, and no longer was his head up like it usually was. He was embarrassed; she rarely saw him embarrassed.

“Nayoung wants me to help you,” she said and she took a few steps closer to him and raised her arms to try and position him the same way Nayoung had done to her.

Vernon huffed in amusement, “no thanks,” he told her.

Jin felt rejected by that. She nodded, lowered her arms and turned to sit back down, but Vernon called her back again.

“Come, teach me. My pride isn’t worth the face you just made,” he told her with a weak smirk that ended up looking like a small smile.

And Jin tried to do what Nayoung did to her, positioning him. She felt kind of stupid doing it, because she herself couldn’t bowl properly let alone teach someone else to bowl. She knew, though, that the reason she was doing it wasn’t to teach him to bowl or anything. Something was definitely wrong with him, and she want to spend some time away from the ears of Seungcheol and Nayoung to see what’s wrong.

“Are you okay?” Jin asked him.

“Is it that obvious?” Vernon groaned when she asked.

“You’re quieter than usual.”

“I just have stuff on my mind,” Vernon admitted.

“What kind of stuff?” Jin asked.

He leaned in and kissed her cheek without answering.

“What does that mean?” she asked, blushing at the kiss.

“It means you’re cute,” Vernon replied cheekily. “Now are you going to help me improve my failed bowling skills or do you want me to get a gutter ball again?”

Jin let the question be avoided and continued giving him the instructions.

Just as he was about to launch, he asked her: “hey Frostbite, if I get a strike, will I get a kiss on the cheek?”

She nodded without any hesitation, causing him to smirk.

As the ball was rolling down the aisle, she found herself praying to God that it would be a strike.

He got one pin down.

“Hey, at least I improved from last time’s gutter ball,” Vernon said optimistically, but Jin could see he was slightly embarrassed about it.

-

The game was over, and Seungcheol and Nayoung won by a long way. Neither of them really celebrated or looked too happy about it. Both of them seemed done with this date which had definitely been quite the failure for various reasons.

“Bro, what’s up with you?” Seungcheol asked Vernon as they were returning their bowling shoes.

“Nothing.”

“No, clearly something is wrong,” Seungcheol said with a frown on his face. “Did you talk to your dad again?”

“No,” Vernon replied.

“Is your mom not doing well?”

“She’s fine.”

“Then what is it?” Seungcheol asked with a frown. When Vernon did not answer, Seungcheol grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side, and so Jin was not able to hear what they were saying. She was able to see them though, and Seungcheol seemed to be comforting Vernon. His hands were on his shoulders supportively and Vernon did seem to be responding to Seungcheol and accepting that comfort.

It was eerie seeing a friendly side to Seungcheol. He had always just been the epitome of evil for her, and so seeing him as a good friend to Vernon was confusing to her. It didn’t fit the image of evil creep she had of him.

She still hated him though.

“Hey, Jin, put in your number,” Nayoung asked Jin, handing her a phone.

Jin complied and gave Nayoung her number.

“I’m going to call you tonight,” Nayoung said as she saved the number to her contacts.

“For what?”

“I need to tell you something. I promised Vernon I wouldn’t, but I think you should know.”

Jin narrowed her eyes curiously, unsure of what to expect.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Nayoung reassured her.

Jin nodded.

“Also, I can sense that you don’t like Seungcheol very much,” Nayoung said.

“No,” Jin denied, “it’s not that…”

“Listen, he may seem really weird at first, but he has a big heart,” Nayoung said to Jin.

“Does he?” Jin asked quite doubtfully, but Nayoung thankfully did not pick up on that doubt.

“He does. Look at how he takes care of Vernon,” Nayoung pointed to the two of them. Now, Seungcheol had sat Vernon down, his arms over his shoulder. Vernon looked slightly distressed, and Seungcheol seemed to be trying to cheer him.

“What’s wrong with Vernon?” Jin asked, feeling like Nayoung knew something she did not.

“I don’t know. Vernon never tells people what’s wrong with him. Except Seungcheol for some reason.”

“Really?” Jin asked, feeling slightly sick in her stomach.

“Yeah. They have an interesting relationship,” Nayoung said, “That's why I like Seungcheol. He’s someone who just wants to take care of people, you know. Sometimes he’s weird and sometimes he seems mean and cold, but he’s actually really warm.”

Jin pushed away all the new information she just learned about Seungcheol. She didn’t need or want to reconsider the image of him she had in her head. He was evil, creepy and disgusting. Sure there may be a warm side of him, but that warmth will never make up for what he did to Sena. Never.

She felt sorry for Nayoung. She seemed so deluded into liking him. Jin was tempted to tell her that her boyfriend was actually an evil person who psychologically and physically tortured her best friend, but she held back.

In just a few more days, she will find out. Vernon will find out. And justice will be served.

-

They all decided to end the date then. Seungcheol took Nayoung to a restaurant, but Vernon told Jin that he wanted to go home.

They took the bus together, and in the ride there, she asked him what was wrong with him again.

He answered with another question. “Next weekend, I’m going to visit mom. Would you come with me?”

“As Sofia?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out to be honest,” Vernon said. “Mom’s transferring to a city in the US. The hospital here doesn’t have facilities to deal with my mom’s illness. I found out right before our date. That’s why I’ve been so out of it. Sorry this date was a failure.”

“Oh,” Jin said sadly, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s life,” Vernon said with a shrug. “So, will you come with me?”

“I’m going on a trip until Saturday.”

“We’ll go on Sunday then,” Vernon said, “so? Will you?”

“Of course,” she said, without really thinking. It was only after that she remembered the nature of their relationship would probably be very different on Sunday: his best friend would (hopefully) be jailed because of her own efforts.

Vernon walked with her to her building. Jin wished he would hold out his hand for her to take in the same way he did for the last date, but he didn’t. The walk was silent and quite awkward.

When they finally arrived, Jin took his arm, stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, making him smile at her and ruffle her hair.

“I’ll see you later, Frostbite,” he said in response. “Oh… and also… I want to give you some advice. If you like him so much, and if he likes you: just go for it. It’s really hard to come by a person who reciprocates your feelings, so don’t let the opportunity slip. And if it does happen, just let me know so I don’t embarrass myself and ask you for anymore dates.”

“It won’t happen,” Jin told him.

“You’re too loyal,” he scoffed. “Just think about it.”

She nodded. He waved as he turned to walk back to his room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Diary,

I just came from the second date. I didn’t like it as much as the first. Actually, I didn’t like it at all. There were much less cheek-kissing and much less heart-fluttering in general. It was quite uncomfortable to be honest.

The discomfort sourced from so many different places: the presence of Seungcheol, feeling bad for what I did with Seokmin, and apparently Vernon’s mother was transferring to the USA, and it put him in a bad mood in the duration of the date.

Something else that I learned in this date is that Vernon and Seungcheol are very close. It drives me crazy that this is the case. I don’t know how Vernon will feel when he learns that I have been (rightfully) involved in taking him down and thus ruining his life. I don’t know what to expect. I never know what to expect from Vernon.

A/N: now stop reading fanfiction and go stream Pretty U!!!!!