Bonus One

Inner Beauty
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It’s the annual alumni gathering at Korea University. Sehun walked towards the table filled with rowdy and loud boys and when Johnny noticed his arrival, he started to clap and cheer.

“Our famous and handsome captain is here!!”

Some things don’t change. Even though everyone has aged and matured, the basketball boys still behave like as if they were in high school whenever they meet one another. Sehun joined the boys as he shook his head at their enthusiasm. The basketball court would always be part of his fond memories, he spent lots of time there practising, having fun together with his peers, and competing against other schools, which they took the glory home under his lead. He has literally poured his blood and sweat into that activity that he hasn’t had the time to do for really long, especially now that his priorities have shifted. Everytime Sehun sees those familiar faces, he would recall the good old times.

“Though you wouldn't be able to make it!” Chanyeol gave Sehun a light punch on the shoulder, “Our gathering wouldn’t be completed without you!”

“Yeah, we are never complete without our captain!”

The juniors all roared in agreement. Even though it has been six years since Sehun stepped down from the captain position, his legacy was passed on and no one in the team wouldn’t have heard of him, including the newly-joined members. Thinking of it, Sehun finds it too exaggerating that the current teammates know about his existence because it has been so long since he left.

“Move on already, it has been so long since we left school,” Sehun snorted, but his mood lifted when he heard mumbling from Rose, who is being held in Chanyeol’s arms. He reached for the baby girl and carried her over to his lap instead.

“Man, Rose started crying when we tried to carry her!” Johnny complained when he saw how happy Rose is when Sehun played with her.

“Sehun is a child magnet because he is a baby himself,” Jongin poked fun, earning a frown from Sehun.

“Hey boys!”

The cheerleading girls from their batch walked past and stopped by to greet the basketball boys. Jongin tried to spot for the girl that he hasn’t seen for a year in the group but to his dismay, he was only greeted with disappointment, which Sehun noticed.

“You okay bro?” Sehun asked in a hushed tone.

Jongin smiled and nodded but Sehun could tell easily that Jongin was forcing himself. Sehun felt bad, there were many times that he tried to convince Jongin to look for Soojung and explain his difficulties to her but he failed to listen. He still can’t forget Soojung and he can't move on from that relationship because it was the best he has ever had and he hates himself for letting go of Soojung so easily, but it was too late to salvage it.

“Sehun, help me look after Asher for a while!”

Before Sehun could even say a word, Joohyun dumped Asher with Sehun and fled towards the direction of the washroom.

“What? Is Sehun a nanny now?” Baekhyun, who just joined, teased as he saw Sehun struggling with baby Rose and Asher on his lap.

“Awww, baby Rose really loves uncle Sehun,” Sulli cooed as she saw how comfortable her baby is resting against Sehun’s arm.

Chanyeol pecked Sulli on the lips, earning disgust and groans from the rest, before carrying baby Kyle from his wife. While everyone told them to get a room, Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “You guys are jealous that I am happily married with my wife and kids,” He boasted, planting more smooches on Sulli’s cheeks to annoy the boys again.

“Wow, everyone is here!”

As everyone was busy laughing and chatting, they turned their direction to the intruder and Jongin’s heart skipped a beat, all over again, when he came face to face with the girl he can never forget for the past one year. She still looks as beautiful and flawless as ever, which makes it hard for Jongin to take his eyes off the girl. Everyone at the table knew about their break up but they knew better than to mention it explicitly in front of the ex-lovers to make things awkward.

“Hey Soojung, you are here!!” Seulgi gave her friend a big hug, “Who is that?” She pointed her chin at the guy whom everyone has never seen before standing next to Soojung. Jongin frowned seeing their interlocked hands.

“Oh, his name is Minho and he is my boyfriend.”

Jongin could feel his world collapsing when he heard those words escaping from Soojung’s mouth. She was flashing the loving smile that is only reserved for him to Minho as she introduced him. Sehun took a quick look at Jongin for his reaction and he saw was lost looking Jongin in daze.

“Babe, isn’t he-”

Before Chanyeol could complete his sentence, Sulli told him to keep quiet, leaving him puzzled.

“Nice to meet you guys, I am Minho.”

The annoyance in Jongin grew as he watched the couple interacting with each other. He hates the fact that this guy is good looking and he seems to have a nice personality, and most importantly, he seems like someone that would treat Soojung better than he does. He would have felt better if Soojung looked for a less superior guy because then he could get her back easily, but of all men, she chose someone who is close to perfect and he hates it.

Soojung made brief eye contact with Jongin and she smiled to him out of basic courtesy, while Jongin continued to stare at her, as if burning holes on her face with his intense glare. He really hates himself for being a coward. He loves her, yet he can’t face his own problems and he ended up losing the love of his life. Regrets sank in. Soojung is happily in love with another man and there is nothing he can do about it. If she is happy, then he would let her go.

“I am going to use the washroom.”

Jongin couldn't stand the sight anymore so he stood up and walked away from the group. Instead of heading to the gents, he went to the school garden to have some time alone. Neither did he know that Soojung followed behind him and greeted him, surprising him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Can I sit?”

Jongin nodded and Soojung sat next to him and the two of them remained in silence.

“Where did you meet Minho?”

“Work.”

“He seems like a nice guy.”

Soojung smiled, “Yeah, he is. Minho is caring, thoughtful, kind, and charismatic.”

It irritates Jongin to hear the girl he loves complimenting another guy, but he masked his annoyance. He didn’t want Soojung to hate him for disliking her new boyfriend. Soojung is an amazing girl and she deserves the best.

“That’s good to hear. You are nice and sweet, you deserve happiness.”

“If that’s the case, why didn’t you want to marry me one year ago?”

Jongin has never thought that he would have to deal with that question a year later after he ended his relationship. He wishes he could remain mum but the hopeful look in Soojung makes him weak. Maybe he should let her know, as a proper closure to their relationship.

“You have met my mum before, right? She is actually not my birth mother. My parents divorced when I was really young because my father caught my mother cheating behind his back. We were a happy family, you know. My dad had a stable job and my mother was a full-time housewife. But one day, things changed and everything just went downhill. My father and his friend decided to venture and start up their own business but they failed and we had to declare bankruptcy. My mother couldn’t take the sudden change in lifestyle, so she cheated on my father with a richer man and she abandoned me, she abandoned the family. I can remember the events vividly even though I was only 10 and those were the most painful memories. I saw my father berating himself for being

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Comments

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vanillavanilla
#1
Chapter 23: How deep were you for Sehun that after you were treated like for all sides, you still want to be with him. Lol.
staypotato
#2
Chapter 57: this was soo good...one of my favorites for sure...I love that both Sehun and Areum got their happy ending!!!❤❤❤
Baekhyunsoul
#3
Chapter 57: I’m so happy Areum evolved! And she got her happiness- much deserved.
Baekhyunsoul
#4
Chapter 2: Note to self: you will be in your feelings for Areum
Baekhyunsoul
#5
Chapter 1: Oh this is sad! I feel so bad for her!
3aby3lue
#6
Chapter 57: Just found this story and read it at one go... love the storyline... indeed in this world some people just focus on the outer beauty and miss out on looking on the inner beauty...
Cloudysnow__ #7
Chapter 41: Favourite ff ever
Cloudysnow__ #8
Chapter 41: I always comes here again and again just to read some certain parts😭