Chaerin slouch in her seat listening to her friends come up with various kinds of ridiculous theories about her and Jiyong. How Jiyong secretly become her stalker, which is why he move across to her and how Chaerin kept it as a secret because she secretly loves the attention she’s getting from him.

‘If only they know how he has been blackmailing me all this while’

Yes. She still keeps it as a secret from her easily amused friends because she would want to keep at least this much from them. It just a matter of pride for her. The lesser people knew about it, the better.

“I understand you Dara, you’re an actress that’s why your theories are always ridiculous, you Bom… you’re an alien and a hopeless romantic, so I can understand why you come up with that kind of assumption… but you Mingkki? Even you?? I expect you to be the most rationale one among those ahjummas” Chaerin folds her arms while saying out flatly to her friends.

They stare at her for a while before continuing with their theories ignoring her.

“Yah yah…. Go home…. I need rest, my hand is injured….”

“Somebody is sulking~” Dara continues. The teasing doesn’t seem to end and it’s up to Chaerin whether she wants to continue entertaining them or not.

“Seriously, babe, why do even keep this as a secret? He’s been living there for almost a month now~”

“Almost 3 weeks Bom… 3 weeks…. Stop exaggerating and why you keep on saying it like that? You guys are the one who making this a big deal… and you even met him the other day, I thought you will immediately spill the beans to them”

“My mind was clouded by your y brother with his y voice and his y gaze that day, of course this Jiyong thingy will not cross my mind”

“Wow, stop… I’m about to vomit~” Chaerin covers her ears inviting giggles from her annoying friends.

“But….why Chae? Why didn’t you tell us?” it seems like this question will not be possible to be avoided.

“I don’t know…. I guess… it wasn’t important? Yeah you can say that…”

“Wasn’t important?? The man who at the mention of his name would heat you up in a blink of an eye is living in front of you and you say it’s not important???” Dara widened her eyes dramatically.

“Please, save it for your next film…” Bom rolled her eyes at Dara.

“I mean how weird is that? The guy you’ve hated is my boyfriend’s cousin”

“I don’t hate him you guys~”

“Yeah right! ‘Let’s not talk about that !’ ‘He is an !’ what was all that then?” Bom mimicked Chaerin and she just roll her eyes.

“I’m saying that, I don’t hate him…but he’s still an …”

“I don’t understand you” Dara pinched her nose bridge.

“Me too…” Minzy followed suit.

“Me three~” Bom joins in.

“You guys don’t have to.. Just drop it~”

“Wow…. It only takes three weeks for him to change your feelings towards him…” Bom squint at her.

“What do you want me to say? What can I do anyway? Move to another place just because he moved across my place? Yes, he’s an … but… we barely meet with each other so its fine…” of course she lied. What would she say anyway?

‘Actually every weekend I’ll be in his place receiving orders because he has my leaked wild picture where I’m exposing 2/3 of my body and it’s your entire fault Bom.’ Of course that will raise another 2 hours 48 minutes and 33.57 seconds of a whole new conversation with a series of questions, teasings and a bonus track of trying to connect everything with a fairy-tale ending.

“It’s fine???? I’m beginning to think that you and Ji have something going on~” Dara squint her eyes.

“Actually yes… we have…”

“What? Don’t tell me… you guys are… buddies?!”

“God Bom! Must it always be like that?” Minzy smack her exposed thigh.

“You’re lucky my wrist is injured, if not, I would’ve smacked some senses to your head” Chaerin glare at her and shrivelled up upon hearing the word ‘ buddies’

“What? What? What is it then?” Dara and her excitement.

“Didn’t Youngbae tell you? We worked together… we become his official photographer for his company… he’s a fashion designer by the way Minggki ah…” Chaerin realized she is the only one who didn’t know about it.

“Oh… wow… okay… let me clear the whole thing first.. That neighbour of yours….”

“Jiyong~” Bom chimed in cutting off Minzy’s words.

“Jiyong….whatever… he is cousin with your boyfriend~~~” she pointed towards Dara and she nods.

“And he’s a frickin fashion designer…. I’m guessing, he’s the GD in GDYB considering your boyfriend is a fashion designer as well, I’m assuming his partner with your cousin, am I right?? So weird we haven’t seen him before this…” Minzy is proud with her revelation.

“My baby is so smart! And yes, we rarely seen him because he’s the shy one, he rarely comes out in magazine… But, you’re a model, it’s impossible that you don’t know….” Dara jump in and points to Bom.

“I only do international brands, not local” Bom joked and they roll their eyes at her statement. “Well, actually, maybe I’ve come across with him few times but I’m just too fabulous to care, I hang with my clique, they hang with theirs.. Youngbae was always there, I want to model for their brand, but Youngbae said my is too big, so it wouldn’t fit…”

“Damn that monkey” Dara squeal and the rest laugh.

“Chill… it’s normal, that’s why I model stuff like lingerie and more to international, because of my body type..” they all nod hearing this quick info about the modelling industry.

“Well anyways…. You guys first met at your dad’s party with a really bad impression, then you met the second time where you splashed him, then he became your neighbour…. And now, you’re working with him… That’s one big fat coincidence you have there….” Minzy lay out the chronology of their meetings and Chaerin nods.

“Then, you’ll fall in love, have lots of , get married and die together when you’re old….” Bom continues and Dara clapping like a seal fail to contain her feelings to herself.

“Yah yah ahjummas~ this is real life, not a movie… stop directing my life like one of those sappy drama you’re obsessed with”

“This is definitely fate Chaerinnie~” Dara press her cheeks making her look like a blowfish.

“Then fate must be having fun playing with my life” Chaerin rolls her eyes and pushes away Dara’s hand.

Minzy laughed observing her friend’s behaviour. Seeing Chaerin yawn and rub her neck couple of times, Minzy took that as a cue for them to let their poor friend rest.

“Let’s go Ssang Park, poor Chaerinnie needs her rest… help me bring those plates to the sink” she ordered them and Chaerin smile inwardly. She can always count on Minzy to neutralize things.

“I just did my manicure, I’ll do the dishes next time” Bom get closer to Chaerin and rest her head on her shoulder.

“Urghhh~ always with the excuse, ‘I just got my manicure’, ‘I got paper cut, it will hurt my fingers’, and the most ridiculous thing….” Dara is nagging from the kitchen.

“Hand photo-shoot” all three girls chime in together and laugh.

Bom pretended to not hear anything and get more cosy with her best friend.

“Please don’t lie to me again next time about anything” she becomes serious referring to last night event where she asked about her wrist.

“Sorry~ I know you would straight away send me home and I couldn’t afford to disappoint my cousin…”

“No more next time~” Bom link her pinkie to hers and she tighten it.

“Okay~~”

After sending them off, Chaerin finally get to rest and lay silently on her couch. Seeing the little white light on her phone blinks, she opened it to read the text she received.

From:

Have your minions left?

It was 20 minutes ago and she smile.

From: Wild Brat

They’re my best friends you .. they just left..

Jiyong is sitting in his veranda while smoking his ciggarate when he received her text. He had his phone in his hand, and frown when he sees her reply.

From:

How’s your wrist?

From: Wild Brat

You know you asked the same question a while ago…

From:

Just answer me!

From: Wild Brat

Still the same!

From:

Have you put the ointment?

From: Wild Brat

Not yet.

From:

WHY HAVEN’T YOU PUT THE OINTMENT?

Chaerin frown seeing his text in caps lock and she can imagine the tone he is using if he were to say it to her face to face.

From: Wild Brat

BECAUSE I’M REPLYING YOU! THAT’S WHY!

From:

Oh.. ok then..

Chaerin ignored his last text and throw her phone to the side and then another text came in.

From:

Rest well.

Those two words are enough to make the butterflies visit her stomach again.

**********************

Jiyong have become a regular at Chaerin’s front door for these past three days, every night without fail he will give her all kinds of healthy drinks, herbs, and he even brought samgyetang the other day. Saying that it was leftover from the office. Chaerin chuckles, if Jiyong wants to lie about it at least be smart a little bit, it was clearly still steaming from the pot. It will be absurd to say that he made it, but Chaerin is sure he bought it somewhere near their place. She remembers clearly last night Jiyong told her to be ready this morning because he will bring her to see the Dr.

Her doorbell rings repeatedly and she rushed off to the door grabbing her oversized Givenchy Pandora bag.

“Cominggg!!!” she yelled annoyed at the never ending sound of her doorbell.

“I said 8, it’s 8.30