Facing Reality

After that situation with Junghyun, Hareum hasn’t talked to Haneul and it shows very much in the house like on breakfast, on free time watching TV, and else. Even Mr. Kang told her not to ignore her brother and solve the problem right away but she just shrugged. It was an awkward morning. The boarders didn’t know what to do so they just responded to the family if one of them was talking.

After breakfast, the boarders went upstairs and Sungwoo said it in a low voice and softly, “I hate this awkward situation.” The three just looked at him and he went to his own room which made the remaining looked at each other and just exchanged looks.

Hareum told what happened to Chaera before going to their morning class. She didn’t want to tell this to the boys because she thought it was uncomfortable and Chaera told her what Haneul said to her last night. “Oh yeah?” Hareum asked for a confirmation and Chaera nodded. Hareum smirked. “Let him find out. I want Junghyun oppa to explain it himself to my brother,” and Chaera just weakly smiled.

Hareum is still waiting until Junghyun contacts her or even tells Haneul the truth. Even though she’s tired of waiting but the truth, she’s not. Weekend feels so long and there are 4 days left until the Saturday comes, where Junghyun will come to Seoul again. But, will he? He might choose not to. Hareum sighs to think of the possibility.

The friends spend lunch time together, it’s Hareum’s idea and they all agree in order to make her mood better. At least, even though she just looks so fine in front of them. Chaera meets Dowoon on the way and they enter the canteen together. Hareum is already inside. Minhyun and Sungwoo come five minutes later. Chaera is annoyed once again because Sungwoo sits in front of her and Minhyun looks at this when Chaera doesn’t tell him to go away. “You guys are friends now?” Minhyun asks to Chaera and Sungwoo. Hareum looks at this. Chaera just sighs and shrugs but Sungwoo nods his head with a smile.

“Oh, what a good combination,” Hareum teases them and Chaera glares at her whom is sitting beside Sungwoo. “Sorry, sorry, Chaera-ya. But it’s a good news!”

Chaera complains in whisper. “What a good news,” and she rolls her eyes. She stands up, she’s ready to order. “I’m ordering first.”

“Me too,” Sungwoo says and Chaera folds her arms and rolls her eyes. Hareum laughs a little at this, Minhyun doesn’t know if he has to laugh or being silent so he just shows a half smile and Dowoon is frozen. “Let’s go,” without him saying that Chaera leaves already and Hareum laughs at this. Sungwoo sighs, “Why is it so hard to please her?”

“Won’t it be fun if we tease them, huh?” suddenly Hareum says a crazy idea, both Dowoon and Minhyun just exchange look toward each other. Dowoon is hesitant on this but Minhyun looks to Hareum right away.

“Yeah, sure. I’ve been thinking about it since like the first week,” Minhyun coolly says. “Finally I have my ally,” and they share a hi-five. Both of them look at Dowoon and Minhyun asks, “C’mon, Dowoon-a. Let’s plan something great!”

Dowoon’s eyes are wavering at them. He can see all the exciting expressions on their faces. “I’m not sure,” he says it carefully. “Chaera is my relative.”

“But you’re actually thinking it’ll be fun if something happened between them, huh?” Hareum shoots him right away and Dowoon nods. Both Hareum and Minhyun laugh which makes Dowoon laugh. “What are you waiting for?” Hareum invites him once again and Dowoon nods. “College life should be fun!”

Then, the victims come back without any knowledge about what they’re saying. “Oh, you’re ordering already?” Minhyun asks and both of them nod while going back to their seats. “Dowoon-a, let’s go.”

“I’m giving my order to you, Minhyun-a,” Hareum says and Minhyun nods as the boys are walking to buy foods. The suspects think to plan it naturally so neither of them will take notice because both of them notices thing so fast. The one is an observer, the one plays a lot of prank. What can they expect?

…

Yeonsoo is listening to Haneul’s concern right now. They’re having lunch in a small western restaurant and because Yeonsoo is a theatrical actress, she has free time a lot more than Haneul. Yeonsoo nods as she understands Hareum’s part. She says, “Well, I think it’s okay if your sister may end up with one of your friends.”

“Why?” Haneul asks while munching his food.

“You know,” she looks at him and moves her head closer a bit. She speaks in a low voice, “As an older brother, you have your own life. As a little sister, she has her own life too.” And Yeonsoo sits straightly, folds her arms and speaks normally. “She doesn’t involve in your love life, right?”

Haneul nods and looks to his food again. “You’re right,” and Yeonsoo smiles.

“You have to face the reality with ease. It’s her decision, don’t you remember?” she continues.

“You’re acting like an older sister right now,” Haneul smirks and Yeonsoo nods.

“It’s for your own good, and Hareum too,” she simply says and Haneul nods as he continues eating. She swirls her fork to get her spaghetti and she says, “I ask you another one,” and Haneul looks at her. “What type of guy do you hope Hareum likes or be her boyfriend?”

“Why are you asking it to me?” Haneul laughs a little and shakes his head but Yeonsoo is still looking at him for an answer. “Oh, so that after this you’ll ask who is compatible with her? Among my friends, right?” and Yeonsoo smiles as she nods. “Hm, let’s say… Junghyun is okay.”

“Junghyun is okay?” Yeonsoo asks him one more time. She raises her eyebrows as she doesn’t believe what she just heard. “You said that it’ll be strange if you find her dating him, but Junghyun is okay?”

“Why? He’s better among the others,” Haneul says and sticks to his opinion. Yeonsoo nods and continues to eat her food.

“That means, it’s okay right if Junghyun is her boyfriend?” Yeonsoo asks once again and Haneul looks at her.

“Only if he doesn’t act like a rascal,” suddenly Haneul becomes serious.

“Do you think he’s a rascal?” Yeonsoo smirks. “C’mon! You’re his best friend and you know him better that he’s not even a rascal to girls,” Yeonsoo says the right thing. Junghyun is gentleman. He’s a tsundere, warm at the inside but he’s not that cold to girls. Haneul knew that from high school. It makes Haneul think once again. “So, right now,” Yeonsoo adds, Haneul stares at her. “You just have to know whom he is, one of your friends that likes Hareum or even loves her,” Haneul smirks and Yeonsoo chuckles as it’s fun to tease Haneul about Hareum. “You’re such a good older brother,” Yeonsoo now is just looking at him with her lovely eyes.

Haneul sees her and smirks. “But I’m not your older brother.”

“Who tell me that you are?”

…

“So, which club do you guys join to?” Hareum asks. They’re walking to the campus’ park to spend the last half an hour before the next class. “Until this day, I don’t even know each and every one of you.”

“Just guess,” Minhyun easily says. Chaera is quiet and Minhyun’s idea is better. She doesn’t want to tell them about her club until they find out themselves.

“I know where Sungwoo joined to,” Dowoon says and looks to Sungwoo.

Sungwoo looks at him back. “I know it too,” and he becomes so mischievous, changing his tone like a baby.

“Ew,” Chaera reacts right away. Sungwoo notices and puts his hand around her shoulders. “Get off!” she throws his hand strongly, almost pushes him. She walks beside Minhyun to avoid him. Every day, she just wants to push Sungwoo away.

“Whoa, Sungwoo-ya,” Minhyun comments. “You’re brave.”

“I have to overcome this situation,” he says while finding his balance and the others are just chuckling and Chaera is glaring at him. “This is the reality I have to face.”

“Then just give up already,” Chaera speaks in a low voice sharply, but they all can hear it. She leaves them behind. Hareum exchanges gazes with Dowoon and Minhyun, she quickly matches her step with Chaera.

Dowoon and Minhyun see Sungwoo whom is looking at Chaera. “What will you do, Sungwoo-ya? You’re making her mad each and every day,” Dowoon says the truth and Sungwoo just shrugs.

With his cute and forced innocent face, he simply says, “I don’t know.”

“I want to punch you,” Minhyun clenches his fist as soon as he sees Sungwoo acts cute and Sungwoo avoids him right away. But they can’t hate him even though he’s that cheeky.

…

“Hey, Chaera-ya,” Chaera is in class after the business introduction class and she’s visited by the popular girls in her class. Just by one look, she knows and everybody knows they are beautiful. They have the pattern of making a circle of friends who consists of another beautiful face. There’s smart student inside but there’s also student who just lives because of their looks. She knows this type, sometimes they’re more irresponsible. They like to order boys and stupidly, the boys like to do what they want just because of their looks. Chaera is not interested involving with this group.

“Hey,” Chaera replies friendly. She puts her books to her bag and looks at each of them. They’re giving her shiny gazes that she guesses there must be something they want from her.

“I saw you at canteen this lunch,” the leader says with her smile and Chaera nods with a smile.

“Why didn’t you greet me? I didn’t see you at all,” she says full of empty words. But the truth is right, she didn’t see them back then. “What’s up? It looks like there’s something you guys want to say,” Chaera cuts the chase right away and she can see some of them are wavering and hesitating.

“Well, I saw you sitting with Ong Sungwoo,” she says. “You know, the student from the Theater and Film major,” wow. Ong Sungwoo. I didn’t know your popularity is really known here.

Chaera smirks and shakes her head without them seeing. She looks at them and smiles. “So, you want me to introduce him to you guys?” she guesses and they happily nod. Oh, these girls… She wants to scold them one by one. “Sorry, but I should say that it’s better you guys come to him by yourself, without me as your medium,” Chaera refuses to help them with a smile and she can see that they talk bad at her. Chaera scoffs. She stands up and takes her bag, the leader also stands up. “You guys are beautiful, I bet he wants to talk to you if you guys do it yourself,” she looks to each and every one of them, kind of intimidating them. “Be brave and fighting!” she clenches her fist and cheers them up and leaves. The other students who look at this laugh a little, some of them think that that group should be taught and Chaera did it.

She sighs because she has to face this kind of thing again. Of course, what did you expect Chaera-ya? There are still those kind of people in the world.

…

Minhyun and Sungwoo are out already from their class and they meet Chaera on the way out from campus. “Chaera-ya!” Minhyun calls her and waves at her. Chaera finds him and walks to them. Again, Minhyun with Sungwoo but Chaera decides to not care about that. She’s with them now and Minhyun says, “Let’s go home.” Chaera decides to walk beside Minhyun, so Minhyun in the middle. Sungwoo tried to walk beside her but she moved right away and Minhyun blocked him and signed him to not to try this time. “Later, Sungwoo-ya. Later,” he says and Chaera can hear all of that but she won’t respond.

They talk along the way with Minhyun is talking to Chaera and Sungwoo wants to join but as usual, Chaera is ignoring him and responding to what Minhyun says. Sungwoo sighs and he becomes silent. Am I too much? She does think about it, a bit guilty if she hurts his feeling, but she tries not to care again.

Until they reach their neighborhood and they get off from the bus. Sungwoo becomes quiet and Chaera notices it but she doesn’t say sorry even though she feels guilty this time. Minhyun notices it too and he tries to bring up a funny topic and Sungwoo just laughs a little. “What’s up?” Minhyun asks and he stops which makes they stop.

Sungwoo puts his hands on his pockets and looks at Chaera with that serious face. It’s not the first time Chaera sees this expression, but this time it’s more intense and serious than before. “I’m sorry to say this, Chaera-ya,” he says and she faces him properly. Minhyun takes one step back as he’s going to watch, but he prepares himself if one of them breaks out. “Why don’t you respect people who want to talk to you or who want to befriend with you? Do you know how it feels? Do you have friendship issues, huh?” what Sungwoo says is right and it reminds her again to her school days. The friend who used her, ignored her, talked back behind her. Her tension is rising and she sees him with teary eyes that she holds very much.

“Yeah, I got issues. I can’t easily trust people. Why? Happy now that you know everything?” Chaera raises her voice and Sungwoo is taken aback by her words. “Don’t talk like you know everything about me,” and she takes a step ahead. But then, she remembers the girls, the kind of friend that uses the other to gain benefit for their own. “Oh yeah, I don’t know that you have fans,” she evilly smirks. “Tell those girls to stop using people, won’t you?” and she leaves. Sungwoo fights with her again by words and he doesn’t know that Chaera has a friendship issues. Then, it comes to his mind that Chaera used to be a bright person until she saw fakeness of people who wanted to befriend her. He imagines her feelings back then facing those people.

Minhyun is just watching them as he can’t say anything. He thinks it’s their problem. “I hope you guys solve it fast,” he says and pats Sungwoo’s back. Minhyun follows Chaera as he thinks she also needs a support or a peace of mind. Sungwoo sighs, dealing with this is sure hard.

…

It’s Wednesday and this morning the atmosphere is heavy around Chaera and Sungwoo. It’s like usual but it’s heavier and the friends notice it. Haneul just says, “Why are you so quiet, Sungwoo-ya?” and Sungwoo just gives him a smile and he starts eating. The breakfast goes quiet and Haneul hasn’t solved his problems with Hareum. She’s been ignoring him yesterday and this morning as well. She finishes her food first and goes to take a shower first before Haneul does. Sungwoo is the second fastest and he goes to the bathroom upstairs. The remaining follows behind.

Hareum is tying her shoes’ lace and Haneul is there also at the entryway to