Chapter 12 - The Cafeteria

  “I'm waiting...” Soojin tapped her fingers impatiently on the table. You ignored her and continued on eating your lunch. Seeing no response from you, Soojin's eyebrows furrowed. “Tae Rin.” She called again.

“What?” You looked up with a raised eyebrow at her.

“I said, I'm. Waiting.” Soojin crossed her arms over her chest as she emphasized the last two words she said.

You blinked a few times while you slurped the juice you had. “Oh, you were talking to me,” You murmured making Soojin raise her eyebrow. “Pardon?”

You just shook your head while your attention still fixed on your food. Soojin sighed, finally giving in. She understood that you were just too absorbed with your food that your conversation wouldn't go in sync if you kept on asking what were you two talking about now. She knew that you could be so ignorant when your attention was wholely occupied by something. So Soojin decided to just ask you after you finish your lunch.

“And there come the princes.” Soojin suddenly said, catching your attention. You stared at her questionedly when you found that she was looking elsewhere. You followed her gaze and there you caught a view of a strutting pole entering the cafeteria with its shorter friend heading to one of the tables that were unoccupied.

“More like dogs.” You commented after you knew what did she mean and finding out that it's not that necessary to watch the popular guys making their way to a certain table and join the Squeal Squad to fangirl over them. Soojin just laughed dryly when she heard your answer.

You took your headphones that were encircled around your neck and wore them before you choose a song that could distract you from the commotion. Thanks to your brother and Zelo for the disturbance they made.

Soojin gave you a judging look while you continued to finish the remains of food on your plate. That was when an envelope with a box of chocolate was put on your table. You looked up to see the sender and you met a girl that came from the same class as you.

“Please?” She tilted her head to the side. You had to turn down the volume of your headphones to finally could hear her.

“Why don't you give it to him directly? You can see him right? Over there,” you pointed the fork you hold to the direction of table where your brother sat. You suddenly felt your headphones being took off by someone and you turned your head back only to see Soojin placed them on the table while giving you a look.

“But Tae, it's too crowded here and I don't have the courage to go over there and making everyone stare at me,” She covered her face with both of her hands, “That would be so embarrassing.”

You rolled your eyes and shrugged, “Okay, okay, leave it here and you may leave.”

The girl looked up with a wide grin. She took your hand and shook it happily, “Thanks!”

Really, how old is she? You thought when she already left your table.

“Finish already?” Soojin asked lazily with her chin placed on top of her palm. By seeing her expression, you could tell that she wasn't satisfied with your habit on wearing headphones when you talk to people. She assumed that it's kind of disturbing and wasn't so respectful when you were having a conversation with a person with your headphones on. She always said that will leave bad impressions from people about you.

  And that boring expression of her also showed that she was a bit annoyed with people who approached you when you two were talking. Yeah, you two weren't really talking earlier since Soojin were still watching Zelo and Jongup silently while you were too distracted with your food and the music that covered your hearing from any voice in the cafeteria. But she was already getting used to it anyway. She knew that you were a little sister of a famous guy in school and she knew that the girl students often gave you gifts just to deliver them to your brother. But the timing they chose were wrong right now since she was still waiting you to tell her the story  between you and Zelo as soon as possible. And now having a gift to give to Jongup meant that she had to wait more.

  You only shrugged as a response while you streched out your hand to pick your dumped headphones. Soojin let her chin slip from her hand to the table's surface, showing that she'd totally given up. You eyed her questioningly, clearly didn't get what she was trying to imply from the start.

“Tell me the whole thing that happened between you and Zelo!” Soojin finally blurted out a little too loudly. The students around you turned their head to you and Soojin in unison making your visage turned red in shame.

“Look what you've done.” You muttered in a low tone while face palming yourself. Soojin looked back and forth frantically and quickly waved her hands in denial, “N-no! You heard wrong, everyone. Sorry for disturbance,” Soojin bowed to the staring students in her peripheral vision.

Little did you know, Zelo and Jongup actually heard all of what Soojin uttered,

“A little play won't hurt right?” Zelo smirked. Jongup only rolled his eyes as he took a sip on his soft drink, “Stop making such a scene.”

Zelo eyed his best friend with a slightly protruding lips.

“You're no fun,” Jongup only gave him a slight warning look but Zelo only brushed it away.

He got up from his seat and shuffled casually to your table's direction. “I heard that someone has an interest in me, even she's willing to tell her friend about our  little moment?” Zelo placed both of his palm on the edge of the table you were at.

You only rolled your eyes, especially when you saw the students in your vicinity looked back at you—no, at Zelo actually.

“Like I said, you heard it wrong, s-sunbae.” Soojin stuttered at the word 'sunbae'. It felt awkward to said it though. Zelo pulled on grin on his face as he chuckled, “No need to use the formality, I'm okay with just Zelo though.”

“Ah, sure Zelo...-sshi.” Soojin said timidly while forcing a nod when all she felt was screaming in both joy and disgust. She also aware of the students that still watching the 'little scene' that included a popular student directly interracting with her.

“So, care to tell me too? Because I feel kinda curious about your oh-so-interesting experience too.” Zelo smiled at you.

You kept your mouth shut as the straw of your juice still didn't leave your mouth. Zelo frowned a little when he heard no response from you. He leaned in so he was by your ear and whispered, “Are you scared to tell them?”

You quickly ducked away and scowled, “Don't go near me,” You warned him. “And mind your own business.”

“Zelo, do you like her?” One of his friends asked in a loud voice from the table he was at. Zelo looked at him and shrugged while his lips still tugged upward in an annoying way.

You could heard some girls around you gasped and started whispering. Now that the attention from everyone in the cafeteria on you already decreased, you faced Zelo.

“This is not your business so please go back to where you belong.” You said, still in a cold manner as usual.

“Oh it really is.” Then Zelo looked at Soojin again, “Because she was about to tell you her story when she was with me right?”

“I... don't know?” Soojin spoke.

“Lying is not good you know,” Zelo showed her a pout as he fiddled the box of chocolate your friend gave you earlier. “Wait, whose is this?”

“His.” You answered and pointed your finger to your brother. Zelo looked to the way you were pointing at and spotted your brother, he seemed not convinced enough, “You sure?”

“Ask him.” You replied.

 “Not yours?” This time you decided not to grant him an answer. You got up and took your tray with you as Soojin followed your movement. You side eyed Zelo and spoke up, “If you really that curious, you can bring those to him and ask him as many question as you want.”

And with that, you left the table with Zelo still had his hand on the chocolate box there. She still not annoyed enough. He thought. So he grabbed both the envelope and box and speed walked to catch you up. He grabbed your shoulder and flashed you a fake smile.

“Make sure to tell your friend the whole story about us okay?” Zelo emphasized the word 'whole' purposely. You cringed and your gaze wandered around only to find the students were looking at both of you, again.

“Go away,” You shook your shoulder in purpose to make Zelo's grip fall and he did let go of you anyway. Zelo made his way back to his table, whistling. Then he placed the gifts in front of Jongup.

“This is yours?” Zelo asked.

“From Tae Rin?” Zelo just nodded as Jongup opened the envelope. He scanned through the letter and placed it back on the table. He opened the box and handed it to his best friend, “Want some?”

Zelo took it before he ask another question, “Why did this person give the chocolate to her instead of you?” He queried.

“Because... you know, they're.. Kinda lacking in collecting their guts to give these to me directly. I guess,” Jongup lowered his voice so the students around couldn't hear him.

“So they are some sort of cowards?”

“Well that sounds quite rude, but kind of.” Jongup shrugged, feeling a bit sorry to his so-called fans.

Jongup stared at Zelo whose head shook because of his movement of laughter. His brow rose in a confused way, thinking what so funny about what he told before.

“Why are you laughing?”

Zelo patted Jongup's head and said, “No, you've become a man, kid.” and of course it irked him when Zelo started to treat him like a kid. He resent the fact that he was shorter than Zelo, but the thing he hated the most was how Zelo always bring that issue and like acting like he was older than Jongup just because of the height difference.

“Hand off, brat.” Jongup spat. Fortunately, today Zelo wasn't being the super stubborn self like he always be. He dragged his hand away from the older boy even though he was still chuckling.

“Besides I'm older, I'm way more manlier than you anyway,” Jongup told him again.

“From what side?” Zelo asked mockingly.

“All,” he breathed out.

“I'm not a crybaby like you, I'm wiser than you, I'm cooler than you, I'm cuter than you, I'm—”

“Wait, what? Cute? Since when did cute could be counted on being manly? You fool.” Zelo couldn't suppress his laughter anymore and it ended up blaring in the cafeteria.

Jongup kicked his best friend's shin in return, making the latter yelp in pain.

“That's for interrupting me,” he folded his arm on his chest, ignoring Zelo whom muttering a train of insults directed to him.

“Tch, no wonder she is so violent. I'm certain that she got it from this older brother of hers,”

“Shut up.” Jongup glared at Zelo who just shrugged as he made a face.

“About Tae Rin, why isn't she as popular as you?”

“Is it necessary to be popular?” Jongup asked back.

Hell yeah it is. Zelo mentally agreed.

“But, aren't every popular dude in school always make their closest person become well-known too?”

“Excluding me, yes.”

“But she has the look every popular girl have,”

“Are you serious? That flat expression of hers like she doesn't have a willing to live, you call that a standard looks of popular girls? I don't think so,” Jongup sighed dramatically.

“You've gone a bit too far, hyung. She is your sister anyway,” Zelo jutted his lower lip in disapproval, “plus, her looks is totally fine.”

Jongup scowled, sensing that his best friend has took an interest on her little sister, he spoke up, “Whatever, don't come wailing to me if you got the coldest treatment from her. And also please don't treat my sister like you always do with your bunch of fangirls. I know you're an expert at flirting but don't flirt with her and throw her away afterwards like nothing's going on between you two.”

“So you're telling me to treat her kindly and never leave her side? So you're giving an approval for me to be his guy? Roger that, brother-in-law!” Zelo saluted with a big grin on his face.

“That's not what I mean you .” Jongup ruffled his already messy hair in frustation before getting up to leave the cafeteria. “I will tell you but promise me you won't tell anyone,” Jongup breathed in, “she had been bullied the time she attend this school because of me—may I remind you again, her brother—was being so close to her. And that made the girls furious and hating her so much. They kept putting pranks on her and even beat her.”

“Typical crazy fangirls,” Zelo commented, earning a nod of agreement from Jongup.

“She went through that torture for about a month without telling me until one day she came home with watery eyes but didn't really crying. She's the type to hide her emotion most of the time so that day she seemed like keeping her tears from falling but ended up failing. This angered me so much because, even though I hate her sometimes but she's still my only sister so I must protect her. I forced her to tell me everything and the next day I cleared the misunderstanding and tell everyone that she's my sister. Many of them were taken aback but I don't care, all I want is for her to be unharmed in this school. That's all. So from that day, she was treated really differently  by others, no more pranks nor bullies. Many girls even tried to get close to her to use her to get close to me. But her cold personality never changed, she's still the cold Tae Rin we know.”

Jongup looked at his best friend before pointing his forefinger to his face, “So don't you dare to make her feel again what she felt that time, okay?”

Zelo let out a small whistle before nodding once. “You definitely love her so much,”

Jongup lifted the right corner of his lips upward before he change his expression into a sour one, “Hell no!”

[A/N] I apologize for the late update.. Okay I know that I always say sorry whenever I post a chapter that are always late but I can't help but update even slower these days since life's been so hectic that I just couldn't find a time to update this fic. But I'll make sure to not abandon this story because I enjoy writing it:)

anyways, I hope you like this chapter and do subscribe, upvote, and please leave a comment, I'll try to reply them. Once again I want to say sorry for this suuuper late update and thank you for you who still subscribing and reading this story. Really, thank you!

oh, and thanks to my best friend who created the poster, it's really nice:)