» The Love Trap : Part 1 — ❝ Labyrinth ❞

Labyrinth : an intricate combination of paths or passages in which it is difficult to find one's way or to reach the exit..

Wednesday

August 28

9:45

Unmyeong

Skylar had known Sooji for as long as she could remember. She had been the daughter of her parents’ friends and they had lived in the same area for a really long time. That was until Skylar’s parents decided to move to the United States and she had to follow, of course. However, years of childhood friendship did not end that way because Skylar’s parents always pent their vacation in Korea, and Sooji’s parents happened to own a summerhouse right next to theirs, in the countryside. Both girls would keep in touch during the year and somehow always pick up where they left off every time they met. When Sooji had to learn English, she was sent to America to study and stayed with Skylar. And whenever Skylar would feel nostalgic of her old house, Sooji would go out in the street with a camera to tell her about everything that had and hadn’t changed. Their friendship was so precious it was as if they were family. That was one of the reason Skylar always liked calling her friend ‘unnie’, because it seemed to indicate closeness on a family-like level.

Skylar remember the times they would just lie on the grass together and watch the stars appear, something one couldn’t do in the city. And whenever they doubted their friendship, they looked at the stars to remind themselves that as long as they lived under the same sky, they would be linked.

There had been a third member to their little group of friends: Belle.

Moon Belle, always independent, always interesting and unpredictable. She was the self-appointed leader. She would make every game an amazing adventure and every time they were together the most fun they ever had. And maybe Belle, with her strong personality, had started wearing off on her friends. When her family, like Skylar’s moved to New York, the girls had been happy. But without Sooji to play middleman between the two hardheaded ladies, they quickly got on each other’s nerve and began slowly drifting apart, even though they both believed they remained friends. Neither parted with Sooji, though. She was always the reasonable one.

So when Skylar had learned of Sooji’s relationship last summer, she had been quite angry that someone as amazing as her friend could become so broken. That’s when she decided she had to do something. Had she been there for her friend, in Korea, she could have warned her about the guy. She could have been there to punch the lights out of him when he dared break up with the most amazing girl on Earth and she could have picked up the pieces of her best friend. She had missed so much being on another continent and it had been time for all of that to change.

And here she was, Unmyeong.

Wednesday

August 28

10:21

Sewing Clubroom

Sehun usually hated having long breaks between classes. However, Introduction to Space Sciences was Wednesday at 8 in the morning. And while the birth of stars was a really interesting topic, Sehun wouldn’t normally be so fond of the 3 hours break he had afterward. But today was different. It was soon going to be his sister’s birthday and he had already chosen the present he would give her: a handmade dress. That is the reason why, after his three-hour class of Space Sciences, he passed in front of the Sewing Club. He made sure no one was seeing him before knocking and pushing the door open without waiting for an answer.

“Sehun?” a girl said, surprised to see him. “What are you looking for today?”

“Sera,” Sehun politely bowed to the older girl. “I’d like some linen, please.”

“How much?”

“Enough to make a dress.”

Sera lifted a brow. “For yourself?”

Blushing, Sehun quickly waved his hands in front of his face. “No, not for me. For my sister.”

“So, would three meters be enough?”

Sehun assured her it was enough and she brought him to the place where they usually stored fabric. He chose a beautiful gold rose color that had an antique feel to it. He paid for his textile and although she gave him a discount because he was such a good customer, he still winced at the price. His sister better be happy.

Sera went back to do her own things after closing the fabric room. While most graduate students chose to pursue their dreams in university, some others felt a strong affection for their alma mater. And so, Unmyeong was often filled with past students that came back to help the clubs they have been in. A great way for some to accomplish the hours of voluntary service they were forced to do. Ryu Sera, being 26 years old was currently helping as the Sewing Club’s adviser and mentor. And she was probably the only one who knew of Sehun’s occasional presence in the room.

In fact, the Oh family followed a very fair system that meant if one tore up the dress of the doll of one’s sister, one would have to stitch it back up. And Sehun was often that one. Although at that time, it had only been mere payback for the tortures he endured as a child and that his parents knew nothing of, the long days spent dodging lipstick bullets. Sehun was definitely thankful for his growth spurt when he was 15 that made him shed his childish face for a more mature one. That’s when Sehun’s older sisters had stopped painting him with makeup every occasion they had.

Anyways, the fact he knew how to sew had to be a secret. Stuffing his new possession into a duffel bag, he exited the room, making sure no one saw him. People would be so shocked if they knew…

Wednesday

August 28

11:34

Classroom D-230

Skylar drummed her pencil on the desk, not paying attention to the teacher in front of the class. She subtly glided the paper under her almost empty notebook when the teacher was looking her way, only to get it back into visible-mode when he wasn’t around. On the sheet, she was listing all the ways she could use to get back at Oh Sehun.

1 – Drop a bucket of pink paints on him and make sure it’s non-toxic but permanent

2 – Smuggle some hair removal products into his shampoo bottle

3 – Release rats into his apartment

4 – Stuff his bags with ladies stuff (makeup and tampons)

5 – Cut holes into his pockets

Maybe some ideas weren’t exactly the best and maybe she could get arrested for them, but it was all her mind could think of. Sooji was the girl Skylar owed the most and she was the one who she could trust with her life. Someone who dated her but broke up with her only weeks later, that player, he couldn’t be nice. For what he had done, he was bound to be mean. And she was going to make him regret.

Her class ended and Skylar gathered her things, packed her bag and slung it on her shoulder, blending through the flow of students exiting the classroom. She parted with the crowd in front of the cafeteria. Taking a tray, Skylar filled it with food, including the spicy chicken that was the meal of the day. Maybe she would tear up, but she would finish it and would learn to take it, one could trust her pride.

Setting her tray on a nearby empty table after she paid for her lunch, she sat down and dropped her bag on the ground. She straightened up and was about to dig her fork in her plate of chicken when someone slipped into the place in front of hers.

“Park Skylar,” he said. “You don’t mind me sitting here, do you?”

She took a glance around and noticed she had the only table with empty spots. Then, noticing he knew her name, she studied his face. Her eyes widened wen she recognized him.

“You are that guy!” she stated with surprise.

“Kim Jongin, but you can call me Kai. I told you but you seem to have forgotten. That really hurts!”

He dramatically puts his hand on his chest to emphasize how he was hurt exactly. Skylar was about to retort when he turned to wave to a friend. Said friend came their way and set himself next to Jongin.

“Hi, my name is Lee Taemin,” he introduced himself to the confused girl. “Are you Kai’s new girlfriend?”

“No!” Skylar’s protest came so suddenly Jongin burst into laughter.

“Oh, I forgot you didn’t date,” Taemin said as he rolled his eyes. He turned to Skylar who was still embarrassed and mostly staring at her plate like it was the most interesting thing. “Can you believe this guy? He has never dated! Though he is naturally flirty…”

Skylar ate, mildly interested by what the two guys were saying, though Taemin made effort to incorporate her in their conversation. Once she was done, she got up.

“Well this was fun,” she started although she really wasn’t having that much fun, “but I have to go. I guess I’ll see you next time?”

“Going so soon? It was nice talking to you Skylar. Maybe we could do that again?” Taemin smiled and she just slowly nodded, confused because this talk hasn’t really been nice or anything.

Jongin put his empty box of juice in her tray. “Mind taking care of that? Thanks.”

“Why should I?” she exclaimed.

“Aren’t you going to the trashcan anyway? Just do me this small favor, I saved you from dying. Remember?”

“Oh, whatever!”

She spun on her heel and walked to the trashcan to get rid of her junk. Placing her empty tray on top of the pile next to the trashcan, she went out of the cafeteria.

Wednesday

August 28

12:32

Cafeteria

Sehun dropped on a chair next to his roommates.

“Hey. Why are we eating here instead of back in the dorms?”

“It’s good to socialize,” Jongin explained.

Looking around, Sehun raised a brow. “Socializing with whom? We are the only one at that table…”

“Well, there was a girl sitting in your seat just a second before. But she must have known you were coming because she couldn’t bear to see your ugly face and bailed.”

Sehun rolled his eyes at Kai. He knew he was not ugly. In fact, he was pretty much good looking. The way the girls at the table next to theirs were looking at them was a dead giveaway.

“Someone you are interested in?” Sehun asked his best friend.

“More like he is the one interested,” Kai pointed at Taemin. “Aren’t you?”

Kai wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at his new friend. “Beside, you know how it is for me…”

“Yeah, I remember you don’t date because you think all girls are alike.”

“And what about you? When will we see a pretty girl by your side, Sehun?” Taemin joked.

“No one caught my eyes yet,” the tall guy shrugged.

“No one prettier than Sooji?” Jongin asked with a sly smirk.

Sehun stayed silent and went to get a lunch. “Whatever,” he whispered.

Taemin snickered, having heard him. “Seems like real déjà-vu.”

Wednesday

August 28

12:56

Library

Skylar figuratively flipped through the pages of the school’s student’s directory on her phone, until she reached the names beginning in O. When she finally clicked on his name, she wasn’t given any information other than his e-mail address. Now, she couldn’t really tell him to meet her because she wanted revenge. And she couldn’t be the one who seemed to pursue him. She had to make their meeting look normal. She had checked and they didn’t seem to share any class. That was not looking good. She could always bump into him in the corridors or in the Fate Café but who said he was going to want to keep talking to her. She had to learn his weakness in order to crush him.

That’s when she noticed a link to Oh Sehun’s personal page. It was the page the school gave the students. They were free to post pictures and comment on people’s status and basically everything a normal social network allowed. And while Skylar was starting to think she looked like a stalker, she really had to find a way to meet him. Asking Sooji was out of question. The page finally loaded and she was met with a picture of the guy. He was handsome, that was one thing, but Skylar also noticed how unexpressive he seemed, even in his profile picture. That wasn’t the face of someone who was remorseful at the thought of a broken-hearted ex-girlfriend. Finally being able to put a face on a name, Skylar saved the picture on her phone and went to her next class. She had also found the perfect way to get her revenge. She would win at his own game. She would seduce him, make him fall for her and them make him believe it was a perfect love story before dumping him out of the blue, the way he had done with her friend. Payback was looking sweet, the perfect love trap.

Author's Note :

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