Chapter 17

I was, so to say, relieved that while we played the game of truths, it looked like Jongin had forgotten to tell me why he even blew up on me the other night. It had been a mystery to me, and I definitely wanted to have answers, but as long as he wouldn't have to ask me questions as dangerous to the ones I had already asked myself—that I didn't want him to ask me—then I was fine with it. However, I did have my own suspicion that Jongin was trying to push away from the real reason why we began the game just like how I wanted to avoid it. And that was enough to fuel my curiosity and wonder what was his reason for fuming at me that night and evading the point of confrontation. But it wasn't enough for me to open my mouth and tell him those things because I knew it would jeopardize my own sanity.

So, like an unspoken oath, the dodging game began.

As a summary of our recent progress in the game, no one of us really asked the serious and hard questions.

I asked him what was his favorite color; black. He didn't need to ask mine because he knew it even if he were to go blind; blue, so he asked me what desserts I ate when I was depressed. I told him bingsu would be my lifesaver. I asked him what was his all-time favorite western movie; and I was surprised when he said it was Titanic. I didn't peg him for a hopeless romantic er for that kind, but here was the living proof. He asked me what was my favorite movie at 25; and I honestly told him it was 'The Theory of Everything'. A downplay to his sad romantic movie (or was it?), with a bit of a scholastic touch. Of course, he did not know the movie yet so I had the chance to brag again—being here had been a very good opportunity to do that a lot.

"When you’re old enough and you still remember this conversation, watch that movie when it comes out. And don't you cry." I pointed at him accusingly (because he was looking at me incredulously! He thought I was fabricating things! For crying out loud!)

"You think I'll like it by then?" He asked skeptically, raising a brow at me.

I grinned and said, "Of course, you will! You're smart and of course smart people would want to get to know one of their kind. The smartest even. That's Stephen Hawking's life you're going to see and it's an English film. For sure you'll love it!" I assured him this with much conviction, but he only looked at me warily as if I'd gone crazy already.

"Well, that's interesting." He said in an unenthusiastic way. "I just hope I won't forget it since Stephen Hawking doesn't ring a bell yet." He quoted and unquoted in the air with his fingers.

"Oh boy! He's probably not that much publicized at this time now, but you can search him!" I mused, laughing in undertone mockery.

He scrunched up his nose in irritation because he knew I was taking him for a fool. And he knew I had the upper hand because apparently I was smarter than him now. And he couldn’t really do anything about me because he didn’t know when I was just lying or not. Ha!

And then when it came down to this morning, as soon as he saw me at my balcony he grinned like a Cheshire cat and asked, "Do you like dogs or cats?"

"What?" I asked, still a bit disoriented because I was still sleepy after spending the whole night and the first four hours of this day quizzing with him.

"I said—"

"Ah." I interrupted, finally realizing that he was doing the game of truths, "dogs. I like dogs." I smiled at him. "They are really cute and I just love them, especially the small, furry ones." I motioned with my hands as I imagined I was squishing the face of a cute, little, brown furry ball of a puppy.

"Really." He said flatly, but kept a smile on his lips. "I didn't think you're a dog person."

I shrugged and leaned on my railing, rested my arms on it and smiled cheekily at him. "Well, how about you? Dogs or cats?" I asked.

He mimicked my position so we were looking at each other at eye level and said, "I'm probably a dog person too."

"Oh." I said. "And why?"

"You can't ask another question, Soo." He narrowed his eyes at me but I shook my head.

"That wasn't another question. It was a follow-up." I pointed out.

"It wasn't stated in the rules that—"

"Then let's make amends." I interrupted, not wanting to lose the argument. "Follow-up questions are allowed." I pressed my lips together, waiting for him to say something.

He stared at me long and hard. I could tell that he was a little irked I was making my own rules but as if it was just for me. I was making it to make the game more interesting for us. "Fine." He conceded. "But if I happen to think of a new rule of my own, you can't say no."

I frowned. "What if it's not possible?"

"What do you mean? Of course it will be!" He exclaimed.

"Fine!" I said, accepting defeat this time. "Just answer my follow-up and it's your turn."

The time before breakfast was spent like that, and without thinking, as we promised to meet outside the house (as per my order) I leaned towards him and kissed his cheek. "Have a great meal!" I called as I retreated back to my room, running straight to the dining room with a fast beating heart.

It was only then when I occupied my seat at the table that I realized what I just did. I kissed him on the cheek! He wouldn't take it for anything, right? It was just a friendly morning gesture that I did because it just slipped from my mind. I didn't do wrong. I didn't do wrong. No. No. No. Definitely not!

But the whole time mom was talking about this new store in town, I had tuned her out because I still kept wondering about the kiss. I reminded myself that it wasn't the first time. When we were younger I used to kiss his cheek too just to see him blush. But it was just a childish prank. A prank! Ha! Yes, that was it.

"Dad," I said, when I was finally feeling a bit more like me again. The whole family turned their attention to me so it was a little hard when I told him with a soft, cautious voice, "can I borrow your car?"

He gaped at me. "Why—I mean, you don't know how to drive. You don't even have a license, Soo."

"But I know how to." I jutted my lower lip to look pitiful. "Please? I just want to drive around town a little bit."

Mom exchanged looks with dad as if asking 'what has gone wrong with your daughter again?'. But dad just held her hand on the table and told me flatly, "no, you absolutely can’t."

I frowned. "But dad! I won't be alone! I already promised Jongin that we will be doing that!" I whined, and that seemed to work because even if dad looked like he won't still allow me to touch his car, mom was already to the rescue.

She leaned forward, telling dad to let her take care of this, and smiled at me. "So, are you really going to take Jongin with you?" She asked, batting her lashes at me.

Like a conspirator I leaned closer to her and said with a cheeky smile, "Of course, mom." You don't need to know that that was partly a lie since it's going to happen as soon as you allowed me to use dad's car, I thought.

She leaned back, sighing in contentment. "Well then. We'll allow you." She said. I squealed quietly and fist pumped in the air—

"But in one condition." I frowned when dad interrupted. "Wash the car and you can borrow it today."

My spirit seemed to deflate by the second. Dad raised his brow at me, obviously expecting me to give up. But being the rebel, I forced a smile and agreed.

"Fine." Dad frowned. I won.

In exchange for seeing him lose the argument, I stuck to the end of our deal. I went outside and started washing his car even though it was obvious I was doing a sorry job at it. So when Jongin came out of their house, and saw me, I just knew what was to be done to make it quicker.

"Since when were you a car wash girl?" He asked, smirking as he circled me.

"You gotta stop making fun of me and help." I said, watching him.

He studied me like a hawk and shook his head. "No thanks."

I pouted. "Please?"

He shook his head again. "Why should I even?"

"Because I told them I'm going to drive you around. But in exchange, I have to wash the car. So, instead of letting me do all the work, why don't you help so we can get it done faster?" I told him flatly.

He furrowed his eyebrows as if in disbelief. "You drive?" He asked, looking back and forth at the car and me in utter astonishment.

I smirked and said, "Of course. Do you not believe?" I stopped spraying water on the car and let the water hose wet the cement.

"Oh." He said, still dumbfounded. "I just thought—I just can't believe—"

Then he wasn't able to finish what he was saying because I pointed the hose in his direction and let water spray all over him. "Ya! What are you—stop—sprayi—" He kept struggling, but every time he said something, I kept shifting the hose to his face so the water projected directly to his mouth, eyes, nose. His words muffled to inconceivable fragments that made me laugh, so loud so that some of the neighbors living across brushed their curtains aside and watched us in wonder.

"You look so funny!" I mused, still guffawing at him as I let him recover from the cold shower I made him take so abruptly.

Jongin was sneering at me as he brushed back his wet fringe that was sticking to his forehead. He removed his fogged up faux glasses and made sure to pocket it as he charged towards me, and with a surprise snatch of the hose and less enough time to think of a way out of his wrath, he hooked an arm around my waist—as I turned around to try a futile attempt to escape—and let the water hose spray freely to my face.

"Ya! Kim Jong—" my voice got drowned by the water as he continued to torture me with it. Our mixed laughter rang in the air as I tried to struggle free from his power grip on my waist. "Stop! Stop! Stop! I won't do it again!" I pleaded as I continued to struggle, kicking his leg with all my might.

Jongin groaned as I continued to abuse his leg, and in the process, he let the hose slip to the ground, and before I knew it, he was already lifting me on his shoulder, my head colliding with his back at each stride and my feet flailed as I continued to struggle.

"Jongin put me down!" I yelled as I slapped his back.

He hissed every time I slapped him, and locked an arm over my legs as he strode towards their house. "This is what you get when you do those things to me." He said flatly.

"What. So do you manhandle everyone when you get attacked?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest and letting my head collide with his back again and again. The world had long tilted upside down in an unsteady focus to me, and his damp shirt was what I could see mostly.

He snorted and said, "Not everyone. Just some people who thought playing with a water hose was going to force me to help her wash their car."

I groaned, slapping his back again on impulse, but instead of getting mad, he chuckled as he brought me down to my feet. I huffed, brushing aside locks that had stuck to my face. "Go up and change in your room." He said, opening their front door and going in.

I followed without complaining, drips of water covered a trail on the wooden floor even though I tried my best to take light and careful steps not to wet anything. We went to his room, and he tossed me a dry towel from his closet.

"Thanks." I said, drying my hair with the towel. "But now I won't be able to finish the car on time." I frowned as I thought of the car still partly covered with bubbles, the hose still spitting water on our side of the street.

"I'll help you wash it, so go back to your room now and change." Jongin said.

My eyes sparkled with admiration for him at the moment. The offer sounded very appealing, that relief immediately rushed through me. "Really?" I said, but on second thought, "I don't want to climb back to my room. It's such a hassle." I plopped down on his bed.

"Watch it. You don't want to be wetting my bed." He said in warning, heading for his desk and throwing the towel on his swivel chair. I whined as he crossed the room and motioned for me to move. "Stand up lazy kid. I'll just lend you some of my clothes so we can finish up quick."

I jumped up from his bed and made a beeline for his closet excitedly as soon as he said that, and rummaged for his old clothes. "Ya, Jongin, you don't mind me using your middle school PE t-shirt, right? And oh, the jogging pants look fine. I'm using this too." I chimed as I pulled the pair from a bottom pile in his closet.

"Go have it. Just change, Soori. And use the bathroom in the hallway, please. I need to change too." He said.

I hummed a reply and went out of his room. Joonmyeon was just about to enter his room when I saw him. He looked surprised to see me, but it wasn’t like it wouldn’t be normal for me to be there in their house, so I smiled and said as if it was nothing, "Jongin and I were washing my dad's car and this happened." I nodded at myself to show him what I was talking about.

He blinked at me, like