Chapter 8

“And then there’s that cocky Chinese supervisor of mine. He name is Luhan. I had a feeling he always picked on me whenever he had the chance. But then bastard got fired by the manager after being caught red-handed making out with the part-time girl in the store room. Serves him right.”

The two of you were walking out of class together, well, not really. He was just following you to your locker. Surprisingly you’ve gotten used to his presence beside you every time you were in school. He’d always talk and you’d always ignore him. Of course there were times when the things he was talking about were interesting and you’d give little reactions like nodding.

But those kinds of stories were like once every blue moon. Usually he just goes on and on about his friendship with eyeliner dude. Seriously, sometimes the thought of them having an intimate relationship comes into your mind and you’d have to shake that thought out from your head.

“Wanna go to the café with me today? It’s my shift today and I thought I’d buy you a drink. Oh and don’t worry about Byunbaek. After what he said about you yesterday…well, let’s just say he won’t be saying anything mean to you from now onwards.” Chanyeol nodded to himself.

“I’m not interested.” You replied flatly. The two of you were already at your locker and you put your books in your bag. Chanyeol pouted and sighed while leaning against the locker beside yours.

“Oh come on! Why do you like to go home so early anyway? It’s not like you rich people have part-time jobs to go to.”

He said it again. ‘You rich people’.

 Why does he keep saying that?

You’re not angry of course. It’s just that the students from this school really do come from wealthy families. Why was there a need to have a part-time job? Wait…why does he have a part-time job?

Could it be like a family business? Does his family own that café or something? No it can’t be. You remembered him saying that café belonged to the Oh family, and that his friend was their son.

What was his name again? Siyoon? Sayoon? Oh wait, I think it’s Sehun. That’s sounds about right. Oh Sehun.

So why was Chanyeol having a part-time job anyway?

You wanted to ask but you didn’t want to seem like you’re interested in his life so you held yourself back. Besides, the two of you aren’t considered friends in the first place. He just follows you around, and you just ignore him. That’s all.

Chanyeol was still begging you to go to the café together when the last person you wanted to see that day appeared behind you, with a blank face.

You sighed and slung your bag over your shoulder while Chanyeol was already starting to have a glowering look on his face.

“Hello Kyungsoo-ssi. What can I do for you? I hoped everything went well today? Didn’t get lost or anything?” You tried to make yourself sound as sincere as possible but of course, you couldn’t care less. All you wanted was to get out from the school and just head home to your pool.

“Ha. Ha. Very funny Hae Ra-ssi. Fortunately, I have a photographic memory so I took the liberty of skipping lunch and walked around the entire campus. I know where all my classes are.” He had that proud look on his face and you only just smirked.

“Well then good for you, although I don’t know why you wanted to tell me that now since I don’t really care-“

“Our parents would like to have dinner together again tonight. So we’re supposed to go back to my place together.” He cut you mid-sentence.

You blinked and stayed silent for a few seconds while trying to process what you just heard.

“I’m sorry Kyungsoo-ssi my ears must be failing me. Did you just say that we need to go back…to your house…together?” You raised one of your eyebrows and folded your arms. Chanyeol just stood behind you, his eyes still focused at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows and nodded innocently.

You smirked and crossed your arms. “Well I think I might have to skip that dinner. As you can see I’m quite busy at the moment.” You wrapped one arm around Chanyeol, who seemed surprised at your sudden action and started to pull him along.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Kyungsoo said while pulling Chanyeol’s other arm.

You sighed and looked back. “I’m with a friend right now. Can’t you see?”

Kyungsoo chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, so the cold ice princess actually does have a friend in this school huh? Wow, that’s amazing.”

You could feel your temper rising. Just what does this snobby brat want from me?

Chanyeol, who seemed to be more confused than ever, shrugged both your hands off and crossed his arms. “Okay first you said you didn’t want to go with me to the café but after this shorty with the photographic memory asked you to go home with me, you changed your mind? And what, I’m your friend now? Are you using me?”

You were taken aback by the sudden tone Chanyeol was using against you. Why was he so angry now that you wanted to go with him? Wasn’t that what he wanted like a few minutes before?

“Yah, what are you saying? You wanted me to come earlier remember? Let’s go-“ You pulled his arm again and was about to leave but he pulled his arm back. You turned and sent him a look.

Just what is his problem? Can’t he see that I want to get out from the school and away from that brat?

“I’m not someone that you can use Hae Ra. And you were the last person I thought who would do something like that.” Chanyeol said before walking off.

You just stared at his back.

What the hell just happened? Did I…hurt his feelings?

Right beside you, Kyungsoo was sighing and cleaning the dirt from under his nail. “So, where’s that friend you were talking about?” He said, playing dumb.

You rolled your eyes.

Looks like I’ve got no choice but to go for this stupid dinner. Thanks a lot ChanDerp.

“Ah, the kids are here.” Mr Do’s voice boomed in the entire house.

“We’ve returned from school father, Mrs Kim.” Kyungsoo bowed politely to the adults.

You just stood there and rolled your eyes. Mr Do seemed to notice your behavior but laughed it off. “Well, the two of you should go and change before we start dinner. Your mother had brought your dress over for you Hae Ra. You’ll find it in the guest room right opposite Kyungsoo’s room. My boy, could you show her the way? We’ll see you in the dining room.” He said before gesturing your mother to follow him into the dining area.

Kyungsoo turned and smirked. “This way, your Highness.” He said sarcastically.

You just scoffed and followed him from behind.

Cocky jerk.

Dinner was of course, same as usual. Both your mother and Mr Do kept talking. Mostly about their own personal stuff of likes and dislikes than business, which you thought was the purpose of the dinner in the first place.

Kyungsoo kept giving you looks from across the table and you just ignored it. You barely touched your food. Everything that was served was of Italian delicacy. You hated pasta. You preferred simple Korean food, just like your father.

You glared at your mother who was happily talking to Mr Do then and noticed how every once in a while she’d playfully hit his arm. Was your mother actually flirting with him? Wait no…the both of them seemed to be flirting with each other. You noticed the way Mr Do looked at your mother. The same look your father had when he was alive.

So they…like each other?

Kyungsoo who seemed to notice how distracted you were, kicked your shin from under the table.

“Ouch!” You glared at him.

He then gave you a knowing look and nodded towards the living room.

Is he asking me to follow him?

You decided it was best to do what he says since you didn’t want to sit around and watch the flirting session going on the dinner table.

“I’ll show Hae Ra my room father. Please excuse us.” Kyungsoo said and signaled you to leave the room. The adults weren’t even paying attention and didn’t notice the two of you left.

Kyungsoo closed the door behind him and let out a long sigh.

“Any longer and I might’ve puked out the caviar we had. It would have been a waste.” He said.

“What would be a waste would be NOT seeing you puke. Would’ve been quite a sight.” You said sarcastically.

Surprisingly, instead of coming up with another comeback, Kyungsoo just chuckled and nodded his head. You laughed along too. He looked at you and raised his eyebrows.

“I think that’s the first time I see you laugh. Or smile for that matter.” He sat on the edge of his bed while you remained standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. You noticed how he was still staring at you and it was getting kind of uncomfortable for you so you pretended to look around the room.

“You should smile more you know, Hae Ra. It suits you better.”

“Wow so your eyes were big since you were a child too huh? I always thought you got them done or something.” You decided to change the topic and while looking through the picture frames on what you assume was his study table, you spot a picture of a little boy.

Kyungsoo noticed how you were trying to change the topic and just sighed. “Why don’t you want to be friends with me Hae Ra? What did I ever do to you? Okay maybe I did say mean things to you and made you mad but-“

“I just don’t like to be around people okay?”

Kyungsoo looked at you. “Why is that so?”

You didn’t want to answer him. That was exactly why you didn’t like to be around people. You’d have to talk more. You’d have to tell them your feelings, your opinions, your thoughts. It was all too troublesome. Just then the door to Kyungsoo’s room opened and Mr Lee entered.

Saved by the butler.                                  

“I’m sorry to intrude Kyungsoo-ssi but it is time for the Kim family to leave. Young Master, your mother is already waiting for you in the car downstairs.” Mr Lee said while bowing politely to the both of you.

Kyungsoo sighed in frustration since he knew he wouldn’t be able to get an answer from you and ran a hand through his hair. “Very well. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow Hae Ra.”

He looked at you and expected a reply but of course you only nodded and went out of the room, following Mr Lee back to the car to your mother.

“Thank you Mr Lee.” You whispered to him from behind.

“It is my pleasure to help Young Master.” He smiled.

It was a silent ride back to the house. Well, not really. Your mother was the only one who did most of the talking. And she only talked about Mr Do. It was obvious your mother had fallen head over heels with that man, though she tried to not make it that obvious by trying to change the subject every few minutes. But she just went back to talking about Mr Do straight after.

You sighed and just stared out of the window. This was not new to you. Your mother had fallen in love with other men before. A few years after your father had passed away, when you were in third grade, she met a man working for the company they were partnering with.

Of course she invited him over for dinner a few times, using business as an excuse but you were smart so you knew it right away what they were doing. But all her relationships never really worked out. And you knew it wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t the men’s faults either. It was yours.

Your mother knew how much you loved your dad. She’d feel guilty whenever she invited those men over. She felt as though she was betraying your trust. She thought you didn’t want anyone else to replace your beloved father. So that was why she was the one who’d always end the relationship. And every time you’d ask her why she ended it, she just says they weren’t her type.

But you knew. You knew how lonely she was. Of course, she married your father because of love. Your father was her first love. And she loved him dearly. You could say she loved him more than he did. That was why after his death, your mother got into depression for a few years. It was hell.

She wouldn’t eat or come out from her room. Throughout your childhood, you felt as though you were raised without a mother. Maybe that was why you didn’t talk at home much. When you were a child, you had no one else to talk to at home. Your mother locked herself in her room, you had no siblings, and your relatives were nowhere to be seen.

But the only person that was there for you was of course, Mr Lee. He was your parent. He was the one that took care of you the most. He fed you, taught you, and even tucked you into bed. When you were a child there were times you almost accidentally called him your father. And you’d feel guilty afterwards and tried to shun yourself even from him. But despite that, Mr Lee stayed by your side. And you were thankful for that.

The car passed the street nearby your school and something caught your eye. It was the café. All of a sudden Chanyeol came into your mind. Your eyes stayed glued to the café until it was nowhere in sight. You sighed and leaned back in your seat while your mother continued talking about Mr Do and the company.

He seemed upset with me earlier. Did I do something wrong?

You shook your head and closed your eyes.

Why should I care anyway? He’s just someone that sticks around like a parasite.

The car pulled over in front of you house and Mr Lee helped to open the car’s door for you and your mother. Your mother walked into the house first but you just stayed behind. Mr Lee raised his eyebrows and looked at you with concern.

“Is anything the matter Young Master?”

You shooked your head and just sighed. “It’s nothing Mr Lee. Thank you for your concern. And again, I can open the door myself.” You looked at him. As usual, he just beamed.

“And like I’ve said a million times before Young Master, it is my duty to do so.” He bowed to you and escorted you into the house.

In point of fact, something was bothering you. You didn’t know why but throughout the whole ride back home, Chanyeol kept surfacing in your mind. You kept worrying whether you really did hurt his feelings. Now, even though you may seem cold hearted to strangers, Chanyeol was always by your side.

You didn’t want to admit it but, it was nice to finally have some company in school. And seeing that you actually managed to upset him, even though you thought it was just a small matter, it worried you a lot. No matter how many times you tried to eradicate those thoughts from your head, it just keeps coming back.

I’m not someone that you can use Hae Ra. And you were the last person I thought who would do something like that.

You were in your room and were on your bed trying to get a good night’s sleep when his voice suddenly rang in your head. You let out a frustrated groan and covered your head with your pillow in an attempt to block out the noises in your head.

This is going to be a long night.