CHAPTER 07
JUNG HOSEOK

"She broke mine."

"What?"

"Jin..." Jimin looked at him. "What are you, twelve?"

Jin laughed. "No, it all began when I was ten. Before we became friends, I actually had a crush on her. Because of that, I became friends with her. I did confess to her but she rejected me flatly because she's too young. I told her, we're ten. We can just relax and take time. So we did. And I confessed to her again, when we're sixteen. She still rejected me and she said, she never believed in love. So I was surprised that she got a job at Flinders under Namjoon because the person I thought that never believed in love said otherwise. So, just a little game to get back at her."

"Are you kidding me?" I gaped. "You had me going through a bet because you got your heartbroken at ten years old?!"

"Calm down, Hoseok."

"No," I shook my head. "What the hell man, you made me go through all that because of you.."

Jin smirked and looked at me knowingly. "It makes me feel that you had fallen for her huh?" I stared and found myself staying still. Do I? "The bet's off if you had feelings for her."

"She's not the same person whom you thought she was."

"And you knew her since young? Middle school? High school?" Jin argued, defeated my statement hands down.

I bit my lips knowing that anything I say would backfire me. I remained as it is as tension began to rose. Questions, curiosity began to whirl in my head, and the atmosphere around me grew heavy. Or rather it was just me. And then, just like everything around me began to lighten up when Jimin and Jungkook began to chuckle. Yoongi and Taehyung snickered, Namjoon smiled and I glanced to Jin who trying so hard to hold back his laughter.

What.

"Oh my God, I think Hoseok really likes her," Yoongi said.

"What?"

"I was just joking about her breaking my heart," Jin explained. "We're just messing with you."

I stared at all of them. "You're joking?"

"Yeah," Jin ensured as I stared at him. "I am joking. I think we're thinking how similar you two are. In a way."

"God, please don't joke around like that again," I groaned, earning waves of laughter from them. The conversation stopped there. I didn't know what it was but the fact that Jin joked and just lightly brushed away made me feel that there was something than meets the eye.

I didn't know what was the intention of the bet any longer or I should keep the bet going. In the first place, the bet was for fun, to prove them I could be the bad person for once but I guessed I had gone in deep.

*

I heard it. But I couldn't seem to wake up. The alarm clock. I heard it. I stretched my arms, eyes still closed when I knocked the clock accidentally. It stopped ringing. I groaned and sat on the edge of the bed as I buried my face into my palm. I couldn't forget what happened yesterday.

Saturday.

I had promised to meet my family today. It had been a while since I last saw them. Perhaps meeting them could make me forget whatever that was happening in my life for once.

But it was too soon to say because I had a feeling what the topic it would be when meeting them. "Ah, my Hoseok," My mother smiled as she patted my shoulders. "I hope you had been doing well."

"Of course."

"Did you went to the interview?" My sister, Jiwoo asked. "I swear that I got your profiling and ideals right," She giggled.

I smiled, "Yeah.." I stared at the coffee in front of me. "Can we not talk about it?" I said. "I just want this gathering to be just about us?" I chose to say when Jiwoo looked surprised. My parents had already suspected something happened.

"Did something happened, my dear?" My mother had already looked concern.

"I'm fine, it's just. Work has been hectic and I just needed time to bond with my family rather than talking about what I'm going through. Rather, I want to know how my family had been doing without me. Just that," I smiled through my lie, holding my Mother's hand, assuring her that I was alright. But my family understood they didn't bring up the question about Flinders, about matchmaking or anything else. The meeting with my family had been a good one when a coincidence happened in my life.

"Noeul?" Jiwoo spoke as I looked at where my sister was looking. "Song Noeul, right!" She beamed as she approached Noeul who was surprised as well. They exchanged hugs and for the first time, I saw Noeul smiled widely looking at Jiwoo.

My heartbeat skipped. It was a Saturday, she was in her casual clothes and she looked good. There was an undeniable attraction whenever I see her and I couldn't help but tease. Even though, I told myself not to mention a single thing about my love life, seeing her made my feelings clear.

"What a small world," I started and our gazes met. "You knew my sister."

Noeul's eyes widened and glanced back and forth from Jiwoo to me, "Your... brother?"

"Yeah!" Jiwoo giggled. "Oh my god, it has been a long time since I've met you! It's like five years since you left the last company?" Noeul nodded. "We should catch up real soon, let's exchange kakaotalk!"

"You really don't want to know how we met, Noona?" I asked when she looked at me in confusion. "And you don't need to really ask for her kakaotalk when I already know where she worked," I turned to Noeul who gave me a subtle shake.

I smirked as I reached out to Noeul's hand, intertwined my fingers together with hers and held it tightly.

"Hoseok-"

"Everyone, this is my girlfriend. I'm dating Song Noeul."

"Really?!"

"W-Wait, what?" She looked at me before pulling me away. "What are you doing?"

"What exactly, I'm doing."

"Stop it. I haven't even say that I accepted your bet."

"Oh, so you were considering?" I smirked.

Noeul looked frustrated, "Stop manipulating my words and why are you making it complicated?"

"I'm not making it complicated but you are. So stop acting so suspicious, because right now, you fussing over this had made them questioning what is going on," I said, leaning in closer to her ear.

"Play along, Song Noeul."