college
HARBOREDthere were days when joohyun makes you feel like you're the most important person in her life.
like when you started as a freshman in the university, joohyun insisted that you room with her because she wants to spend her last year with you. she ended up switching rooms--and leaving her roommate of 3 years--to make that happen.
sweet, right?
however, as paradoxical as it may seem, there are some days when she makes you feel like you're just an ordinary friend of hers.
like right now.
maybe she's just oblivious to what you're feeling. perhaps she doesn't have a clue about it. because whatever she's doing now, it's hurting you like hell, and you want nothing else to do at that very moment but to punch bogum in the face.
bogum. her new boyfriend.
based on your analysis, joohyun's relationships don't last over six months. if you are going to be more accurate, the average is three months. and once the relationship is over, joohyun will stay single for about six months or so until she decides to accept another suitor who will eventually end after a few months.
right now, this bogum guy is already on his third month. you are seriously hoping it will end soon. you don't like the vibe of the dude. he looks at joohyun like some trophy girlfriend. he's too proud and arrogant. he treats you well--because joohyun will be mad if he doesn't--but you can feel he's faking it.
but as much as you want the separation to happen, bogum and joohyun don't look like they are breaking up anytime soon. they act sweetly like newlyweds--even borderline pda--and it's killing you.
damn. why did you agree to be here again?
ahh. yes. it is friday night. joohyun forced you to go out for some drinks. you end up hitting the bar with her friends, the couples byulyi and yongsun, heechul and boa, and her boyfriend bogum.
not wanting to seventh-wheel, you had to force seungwan--who also decided to study in the same university and take the same major as yours for her love of performing arts--to come with you.
mental note to yourself: learn how to resist joohyun's aegyo.
it's a good thing seungwan is enjoying the company of your seniors because you're having a bad night. you are sulking at the fact that joohyun is sitting beside you, yet her full attention is on her pretty boyfriend.
"are you girls together?"
you froze at byulyi's question, not sure if she's pertaining to you and seungwan or you and joohyun. but yeah, why would she think it's joohyun when the latter is busy flirting?
seungwan chuckled. "no! seulgi and i are friends, unnie. why would you think like that?"
joohyun turned to you this time, finally found something more interesting than her boyfriend.
"well, i'm just wondering why out of all the people seulgi could invite, she invited you to come," byulyi told seungwan. "i understand if you're really close. i just wanted to check if you're the same as me and my yongsun here."
"nah. it's just platonic between me and seulgi." seungwan leaned over the table to look at joohyun. "besides, joohyun unnie will surely kill me if i get any ideas."
"oh, i surely will, seungwan," answered joohyun, raising an eyebrow. "you'd have to go through me first before you date my ddeulgi."
"wohoho! possessive joohyun, huh?" heechul tapped his hands on the table, making a drumbeat. "what can you say about that, seulgi?"
you are enjoying the conversation as it finally pulled joohyun away from the .
"wannie and i may be goofy around each other, but she's just my closest friend. nothing more than that," you said.
"closest friend? closer than me?" joohyun pointed at herself. "oh, seungwan, you're so dead."
everyone laughed.
"seulgi, will you say something? save me. c'mon!" seungwan hit your arm.
you looked at joohyun, who rolled her eyes at you. "unnie, it's not like that. you're the one who's always on the top of my list, okay?"
"of course, i should be."
"kiss her now! kiss her now!" said byulyi. yongsun and boa joined in as well.
you looked at the three unnies in front of you, wondering if they meant what they said.
"kiss her now! kiss her now!" they continued.
joohyun is still acting like a jealous girlfriend, waiting for you to make a move.
you chuckled, knowing what exactly you need to do to soften her.
"come here, my little bunny." you slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer to you.
everyone squealed--heechul was the loudest. joohyun laughed as she wraps her arms around your waist.
"now that's the proper way to handle a jealous girlfriend." boa looked at heechul.
"huh? why are you looking at me like that? i still hold the boyfriend-of-the-year award, my dear," said heechul.
boa rolled her eyes and shook her head. she looked at you and joohyun. "anyway, can you two tell us why aren't you dating yet? no offense to bogum here, but i seriously think seulgi and joohyun should date."
"i second that motion, girl!" yongsun high-fived boa.
"wait! wait! i need to capture this moment!" heechul took a picture of you with his phone and showed it to you.
"awe. this is cute." joohyun looked up at you, smiling. "we're so cute."
you hummed. "kindly send it to me, oppa. i'll have it printed so i can display that in our room."
"relationship goals!" yongsun clapped.
"seriously though, why aren't you dating yet?" it was byulyi who asked this time.
both you and joohyun seemed not to know how to answer.
"c'mon! don't just smile at us!" said seungwan. you know she's just pushing it because she's aware of your real feelings towards joohyun.
"unnie and i are practically married, guys," you joshed, pulling joohyun closer so she's leaning on your shoulder. "why are you still asking that?"
they squealed again.
"kidding aside though. didn't it occur to anyone of you that you can actually date? like date each other?" asked yongsun.
you felt joohyun tighten her hug on you. she seemed comfortable even with the current topic.
"you guys know how bad i am with relationships," said joohyun. "i'd rather have seulgi in this way than go over the line and ruin everything."
you and seungwan looked at each other.
"wait. you didn't answer the question, joohyun," said heechul. "so, it did occur to you that you and seulgi could date?"
before joohyun could even respond, bogum gently pulled her away from you.
"c'mon, babe. you're not bad at relationships. i can attest to that." he looked at everyone. "guys, instead of us talking about a love story that's never going to happen, what do you say about getting another bottle and hitting the dance floor? that's what we came for. let's have fun."
"i still hope the love story would happen though," said byulyi. "but yeah. let's have fun!"
---
you can feel he is planning something not good towards joohyun.
your joohyun.
not the evil-killer type, but the maniac type--the one that looks like he wants to score tonight.
joohyun, knowing you and her very much trusted friends are there, didn't hold herself back from drinking. bogum kept ordering drinks and filling everyone's glass.
soon after, you all joined the dance floor. it was easy to have fun with joohyun's friends because they are all crazy. however, you can't take your eyes off bogum and joohyun, who are having their own world.
they are whispering into each other's faces, hugging, and just being sweet. you are keeping an eye on bogum's hands, making sure they don't go to places they shouldn't be.
but your hunch was right. bogum is into something. you saw him whisper something to joohyun's ears, their bodies so close to each other. his hand went down to trail her hips--
that's it. you're done.
you were about to approach bogum when you felt a hand on your shoulder. it was heechul.
"seulgi, i think you should bring joohyun back to your room," he said, eyes at the couple.
so, the others are observing them too, huh?
"we'll talk to bogum, but you need to take joohyun out of here now, okay?" said boa.
you nodded and watched them approach the couple. bogum, who's clearly drunk, looked disappointed. you heard him say something like, "we're going to my room. she's not going back to her room tonight."
heechul shook his head. a little later, boa is guiding joohyun to you.
"okay. the princess is yours again, seulgi. please take her home now."
"seulgi-yah..." said joohyun, hugging your arm.
"yes, unnie?"
joohyun stared at you. her eyes were droopy. she bit her lower lip and blinked a few times, not saying anything.
"are you okay? do you feel like throwing up?" you asked.
she shook her head, still smiling at you.
"just take the damsel home, bear. that's just how joohyun is when she's drunk," said byulyi.
"okay. thank you for tonight, everyone." you bowed.
you put joohyun's arm on your shoulder and held her by her waist as you walk out of the bar.
---
"seulgi-yah..."
"yes, unnie?"
"seulgi-yah..."
you sighed. you went to check on her. "are you still feeling drunk? you were able to change your clothes and brush your teeth."
"seulgi..." she grabbed your arm this time.
"what's wrong, unnie?"
she tapped the space on her bed, asking you to sit. you obeyed.
"are you feeling cold?" you asked, fixing the blanket over her body.
joohyun shook her head. her eyes are still droopy. "can i ask you something?"
"anything."
joohyun's eyes roamed around the room first, then back at you. "did you... did you ever imagine yourself being with me...?"
joohyun sounded sleepy. if she asked this in her sober state, you would surely flinch.
you chuckled. "you're drunk, unnie."
"i'm not joking..." she whined, kicking her feet on the bed. "just answer the question!"
"why do you want to know? is it important to you?"
"i just want to know... c'mon..." joohyun's yanking your arm now.
you smiled. honestly, knowing she won't remember this conversation tomorrow, you are tempted to answer her question.
but you're not pathetic. you don't want to confess to her in this state.
"let's talk about that tomorrow, unnie, once you're more sober, okay?"
joohyun pouted, clearly disappointed. she turned her back at you.
you chuckled. "you're so cute." you fixed the blanket over her body one last time and kissed her temple. "sleep well, my bunny."
you went back to your bed, thinking that if joohyun remembers this tomorrow, you'll finally admit to her your true feelings.
---
as you've expected, the conversation was never brought up again. joohyun didn't even remember a thing and was laughing when her friends told her what happened.
the funny thing is she broke up with bogum the next day.
Comments