TIP #9: “Vous n’etes pas encore arrivés, mais vous etes plus porche qu’hier”

(You haven't yet arrived, but you're closer than yesterday)

Affinity usually comes better with strangers.

Ironic isn’t it?

“Are you In Hya?”

“Yes?” In Hya turns around to see who had called her but instead, a loud deafening slap was sent right across her cheek.

In Hya cups her throbbing cheek and sends a bewildered glare right at the beautiful yet fuming woman.

“Are you crazy?!”

“That’s right! I am!” Her painted red lips start moving, “Who wouldn’t be after her boyfriend has gotten stolen by a lowly ?!”

“? Miss, mind your words. I don’t even know who you are to deserve this kind of treatment from you.” In Hya gawks teary-eyes. She forces herself not to cry, not to cry, not to cry. Eventhough it really ing hurts to be labelled as if a vice.

Junghwa puffs the strand of fringe covering he eyes and puts it to the back of her ear, “You’re the woman that Baekhyun has been hanging around with. I don’t know what’s your motive, but stay away from him.” She warns with a high and mighty chin.

“Baekhyun?” In Hya scoffs, “Ah, that Ahjussi? Sorry, but I’m not even interested in a petty jerk like him.”

Junghwa rounds her eyes in anger, “Why you little—“

“Junghwa, what are you doing?” Her hand is stopped halfway by Baekhyun before she can give another slap.

Junghwa staggers back slightly, shocked to see Baekhyun beside her. He’s not wearing any expression, but his eyes are cold and static.

“I told you we’re over.” He deadpans.

Junghwa wriggles her wrist out of his grasp, “I don’t want us to be over!”

“Don’t lie to me. It’s my money that you want.” Baekhyun spits in disgust.

“N-No! Junghwa bursts and tries to win her way by hugging him, “It’s you! I’ve never loved a man like this!”

In Hya folds her arms in disbelief and rolls her eyes in exasperation, “If you rich people are going to argue, do it somewhere else will you? Why do you keep on bothering me?”

In Hya storms her way out of the pub and into the streets. She hisses as she rubs her swollen cheek.

Stupid Baekhyun! Toying with women like that, then she has to incur their fury. This is so unfair to her. Junghwa had totally made her look like some sinful adulterous.

“In Hya!”

In Hya rolls her head to the back in distress when she hears his voice.

Great. Now he’s following her.

She picks up her fast, resorting to sprint but Baekhyun’s fast stride soon catches up with her and blocks her path.

“What now?” She eyes him wryly.

Baekhyun bites down on his lower lip, eyes shifted to his shuffling feet, “About just now.”

In Hya looks past his shoulder and shoots a condescending glare, “That was not very nice of you back there.”

Baekhyun locks his jaw bitterly, “I only said the truth.”

There is a harsh firmness in his voice that In Hya can’t help but believe instead of fighting back. And it is a little sad as to how Baekhyun clearly states it without batting an eyelid, like as if he’s been used to it.

Noting her lack of response, Baekhyun sighs, “Look, I can explain okay?”

In Hya pushes her way past him, “Save it.” 

“Can you not be so mean?” Baekhyun walks by her side, not showing signs of giving up.

In Hya stops walking and so does Baekhyun. Wow, when did he learn to become her parrot?

“This.” In Hya points at her cheek, “Your girlfriend freaking slapped me and you said I’m mean?”

“Does it still hurt?” Baekhyun attempts to reach out for her cheek but she brushes his hand away.

“Don’t. I wouldn’t want your girlfriend to get mad again.”

She turns away and walks, leaving him behind. Hands in pocket, since the night is freezing cold.

In Hya lets out a puff of cool air which prickles her complexion.

It hurts a little when Junghwa said to stay away from Baekhyun because they are obviously different in social status. In Hya knows that. Baekhyun has everything; looks and wealth and a temperamental attitude which you can’t understand sometimes but to have Junhwa to rub it in the face.. It’s just..

“Sorry.”

In Hya perks up and stops moving.

“I said I was sorry.”

She looks back. Baekhyun seems apologetic and he’s not meeting her gaze.

Is he saying sorry?

“What did-d you say?”

Baekhyun narrows his eyes from a distance and pulls a long face, “You must be enjoying this.”

“No, I’m dead serious, did you just say sorry??” She provokes and steps forward to shorten their distance. Did the impossible just happen?

Baekehyun relaxes his shoulder and mutters in a calm voice, “I’m sorry. You got slapped because of me.”

In Hya softens at the change of his tone. The man whom she had thought to be so proud, and never once admitted his mistakes is finally apologizing for the first time. It makes her happy, thinking that Baekhyun is slowly opening up to changes. Good changes. And she wants to selfishly assume it’s because of her.

She curls her chapped lips into a curve and Baekhyun squints at her, “Are you mocking me?”

In Hya shakes her head and beams a whimsical one, “No.”

Baekhyun can swear he felt his heart made a flip when he saw her smile. The creases next to her eyes fold, turning them into perfect crescents.

It’s a pretty sight.

“Wanna get some jjamppong?”

* *

“No one eats a heavy meal after 12 except you.” Baekhyun berates snidely watching the famished girl slurping her noodles like a cow.

In Hya had invited Baekhyun to eat in one of food stall by the roadside and she had ordered a bowl of jjamppong and generous serving of rice cakes as a side dish for herself.

“Aren’t you gonna dig in?” She prompts as she slurps the delicious noodles and exhales, “Yummy.”

Baekhyun’s sneer falters and he proceeds to pick up his pair of chopsticks to take up an egg roll and eyes it dubiously, “Is it even edible?”

“What are you saying? Of course it is.” She takes a sip of her cola, “No way, don’t tell me you’ve never eaten in stalls like this?”

“Shut up.” He cuts her off rudely.

In Hya titters and picks up one of the rice cake dressed in glistening slimy sweet spicy goodness before offering it to Baekhyun, “Go ahead, try it.”

Baekhyun looks unsure and unconvinced but In Hya jerks her head to taste it. Slowly, he parts his lips and takes a bite of the rice cake dangling from her chopsticks.

“How is it?” She asks Baekhyun expectantly and looks at his face as he chews on the cuisine, “Is it good?”

Baekhyun shrugs indifferently, “It’s fine I guess.”

He lied. It is so ing delicious that he had to restrict himself from asking for another piece. What is this simple goodness that almost brings his eyes to tears?

In Hya shows a lop-sided grin, “Ehh it’s nice, you just don’t wanna admit it right?”

She feels triumphant when she observess Baekhyun enjoying the simple fare, eventhough he’s still too arrogant to admit it. It’s good that she successfully taught him that things don’t have to be expensive to own a significant value.

“Won’t your boyfriend be angry that you’re dining with another guy?” Baekhyun suddenly asks, now willingly munching on his own egg roll.

“I don’t have one.” She casually laments and brings the bowl to to clear the soup.

“Can you please eat more femininely?” Baekhyun grumbles and thumbs the orange liquid found near the corner of her lip, “You are ruining your image.”

In Hya is taken by surprise by his sudden contact and almost drops her empty bowl. 

Warmth.

“What?” Baekhyun muses.

In Hya blinks profusely, “U-Uh nothing. Stop staring and eat your food.” She hastily before finding another rice cake to plop in.

“You really don’t have a boyfriend?” Baekhyun questions again, just to be clear.

“No. I swear I don’t.” In Hya raises a brow, “Why do you keep asking me that?” She closes in jokingly, “Are you gonna make a move on me? Sorry, but I’m unavailable.”

Baekhyun imitates her actions but then flicks on her forehead, earning a low curse from the girl in pain, “Never in a million years.”

* *

His mind has been troubled ever since the late supper. He tells himself to stop thinking about it but that takes more than sheer willpower.

Baekhyun slots in his keycard and tiptoes around the hall, careful not to wake Chunchun up. He kisses the crown of her head before heading to his room.

Baekhyun turns on the shower tap and lets the warm running water scald his skin as he lets her words sink into his mind.

No boyfriend.

Baekhyun kneads his wet face and combs his hair to the back while taking his time to exhale.

No boyfriend.

Water slowly trickles down his sturdy body as his chest heaves and falls rhythmically. 

No boyfriend.

If he turns off the tap, maybe he can actually hear the sound of his heart beating furiously out of its own capacity.

The who the hell has been texting her?

He finally gets out of the shower and wraps a bathrobe around his figure before turning on his laptop. He logs on to his personal account and let his fingers hover around the keyboard. He takes out In Hya’s handphone, relieved to see no new incoming message today and reads back that one particular unique text message.

It is a preposterous, senseless thought but it’s now or never. He just can’t let the coincidence between the news report and message slip.

‘Hotel Opal’

He hits the enter key and waits for the search page to load its results.

True enough, It only shows the mundane and relevant images of the hotel’s facilities, booking, infrastructure, just like what Baekhyun has predicted.

So he decides to tweak the search query again by typing ‘Hotel Opal murder’.