chapter iii. | ignite

part i.

Hayi slid a jewelled pin into her hair that winked at her from the vanity mirror. It was an extra touch she normally wouldn’t go for, but she hadn’t dressed up in a while and was taking advantage of it. She even curled the ends of her hair with an iron and felt proud of the results as it swished across her back.

After strapping her heels on, her phone chimed from her desk. Right on time.

Skimming over Hanbin’s message, she took her purse and was gone down the stairs.

“So what time am I expecting, Hayi?” her mother called from the kitchen.

“I don’t know. What do you want?”

Her mother was never too harsh with her when it came to these things. Especially if she knew Hanbin would be there.

“Not too late and definitely not drunk. As far as I know, you’re still underage,” came her mother’s light-hearted warning. She trusted Hayi enough not to cross borders and it wasn’t like her to do so anyway.

“Don’t worry,” Hayi reassured her. “You won’t even wake up when I return.”

The evening air was nippy as Hayi stepped out onto the threshold of her home. As her eyes landed on Hanbin’s familiar car parked in front of their gate, she bid another farewell at her mother before closing the door.

As Hayi seated herself into the passenger seat and put her seatbelt on, she felt heard Hanbin stare.

“Hey,” he almost sounded a little shy at first. “You cleaned up nice.”

Hayi opted for a chuckle to salvage the slight awkwardness. She even added a raised brow.

“Thanks,” she said despite the battering from inside her chest. “You too.”

The usual mop of his hair was pushed back in a manner that suggested confidence. Fitted in a casual blazer and jeans, Hayi couldn’t agree more that he was deserving of such description. He was devastatingly handsome right now.

Then she noticed the silver watch she had gifted him on his eighteenth birthday last year, glinting from his wrist. She swore it cost her entire savings that year but it was oh so worth it now.

“You’re wearing the watch I gave you.”

“Of course,” he merely said as they drove off.

Hayi scrolled through the playlist of his phone that was connected to his speakers. She played random songs as they drove, shuffling from hip hop to ballads. She giggled as she found Gee by Girls Generation and played it.

“I didn’t know you had this song.”

“Shut up,” he objected with a blush. “Jinhwan hyung made me download it for him.”

“Right, right.”

He gave her a glare from the corner of his eyes and she only raised the volume even more. She sang obnoxiously loud for the majority of the song.

“Oh, for god’s sake,” he groaned as they stopped on a red light.

The playfulness wasn’t lost on him as a smile peeked through what was supposed to be an annoyed expression. Still, that didn’t stop him from trying to get his phone back. She didn’t let up as she backed away with glee. Too bad, his arm was much longer as he leaned over. 

“Give it, Yi!”

A laugh rumbled from his throat. The sound made Hayi warm inside, the familiarity giving her a rush. Suddenly the phone was gone from her grip and he was back in his seat, just in time for the green light.

“You’re a kill-joy, Hanbin!”

“And you’re annoying,” he deflected as they began to move again.

Despite the grin on her face, she rolled her eyes at him and shifted her attention to the lights streaking past her window.

“How long now of this boring journey?”

“A few more minutes now, you big baby.”

The silence that ensued afterwards was comfortable, the music still playing quietly on the speakers. It was a tender moment that needed no words and Hayi treasured it. That was until he decided to break it.

“Why are you even coming, Hayi?”

A pinch of that betrayal she felt upon realising he had no intentions of inviting her returned. Talk about a mood-killer.

“Why not?” she folded her arms. “Bobby invited me, why can’t you?”

Hayi looked back at him in time to see a frown on his face before it disappeared.

“I thought you were busy. Plus, you don’t even know the people there.”

She scoffed. “How about asking me, huh? And secondly, if Bobby can invite Suhyun then I’m sure you can invite me too.”

Suhyun whined for an hour after Hayi told her that Bobby will be picking her up. She could’ve probably come with her and Hanbin but the older boy insisted. She only compromised with him because she was somewhat thankful that he invited her because a certain someone couldn’t.

Hanbin’s face turned blank as he said nothing. Hayi would’ve pressed the issue if something told her this was enough. For now.

When they arrived, Hayi got out of the car and slammed the door shut. She winced. She didn’t really mean to make such a noise but the disapproving glare coming her way was already firing her up too.

“Don’t be a brat, Yi,” he said as he walked ahead of her. She grudgingly followed.

The house was larger than hers and gave off a high-middle class sophistication. The white walls looked pristine matching its remarkable modern architecture. Various types of floras and shrubs sat neatly along the bricked pathway they were walking on.

Hayi ended up brushing past him. She harrumphed when she halted next to the door, waiting for him to catch up. Her annoyance did not wane just yet.

“Can you not?” Hanbin sighed as he rang the bell.

“Yo, Hanbin!”

The boisterous greeting came from another male with particularly handsome features that were more roguish than Hanbin’s boyish one. He was definitely older.

Both males bumped shoulders in greeting. They must be close but Hayi had never seen him before. And she knew most of Hanbin’s friends. Hayi couldn’t help but scrutinise him as they chatted. That was until he caught her gaze and Hayi looked away out of embarrassment.

“Oh, who’s this?”

“A friend of mine,” she heard Hanbin say.

Just a friend, huh? Hayi thought. Not even best friend anymore apparently.

“This is Lee Hayi. She goes to my school.”

The older guy stuck out his hand and she took it. She never realised how deep his voice was until he addressed her properly.

“Nice to meet you, Lee Hayi. The name’s Song Mino.”

She matched the strength of his handshake. “Nice to meet you, Song Mino.”

Hayi followed and observed as the two males caught up. There was a lot of people, bottles, snacks and plastic cups in hands. Judging from the collective behaviour of the crowd, she could tell the majority of the people were older than them.