SAME STORY, SAME YOU AND ME

"What made you say yes?"

It became routine really. Everyone knew what he was doing. Kris would show up at the exact time every morning with two cups of coffee in his hand and sit at the same couch in the lobby, in hopes of catching Sora. But everyone knew, including Kris that Sora barely shows up at the building. 

Kris watched the doors intently, but instead of Sora, he found something else to look at. 

“I’ll pick you up.” The familiar man kissed Jiwon and left. Kris knew right away who the man was. It was hard to forget. 

Kris scoffed at this guy’s audacity to show up with another girl at SM. And the second the man was out the door, Kris spared no time or remorse to block Jiwon with a glare. 

“He’s cheating.” Kris was blunt. He was also indifferent. Especially to people he didn’t care for. And he certainly didn’t care for Jiwon.

“What?”

“Cheating. With Park Sora Her.” Kris raised his eyebrows to one of the bigger posters placed at the entrance of the building.

“Park Sora?” Jiwon mumbled with a frown. So the girl dubbed the most beautiful girl in Seoul was the reason why Jiwon was slowly losing Kai. 

“So what are you going to do about it?”

“What?” Jiwon was still staring at the picture of the beautiful girl.

Kris glared again at the girl. He hated slow people. “He’s cheating. What. Are. You. Going. To. Do. About. It.”

Jiwon have him a face that clearly showed confusion considering how Kris-basically a stranger-began to pester Jiwon about her relationships. “Why are you-"

“Park Sora is my girlfriend and that means, you’re going to help me fix this.”

Jiwon was fixing Kris’s makeup to get ready for the photo-shoot while listening to Kris explains everything of his side of the story. It was weird to hear it because she wanted to tell Kris that it’s not worth it. But she knew it would be hypocritical to say so. Listening to Kris was like a narration of her relationship with Kai. And Jiwon just can’t seem to bring herself to say so.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Kris asked Jiwon who was quietly doing his eyebrows.

“I don’t know if I should say it.”

“You’re not going to offend me. I doubt anything you can say can upset me.”

“Not you. Me.” Jiwon smiled bitterly to herself. 

“Why?” 

“Saying it out loud would be me acknowledging it. I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“Just say it.”

There was a pause. Jiwon stared at Kris while biting her lips. Jiwon was nervous. And there was something about his stares that multiplied the feelings by million. 

“You should break up with her, she's not worth it... I kept thinking that. But telling you to do so would be me telling myself to do so too. And I probably won’t, I can’t so-“

“Why can’t you?”

“Why can’t you?” Jiwon glared at him, getting strangely defensive all of the sudden. 

“What? So if I do it, so will you?” 

“As if you-“

“Don’t test me. You know what, we should break up with those two. I’ll help you.”

“But I don’t want to.”

“And you think I do? But we both know that it is the better thing to do.”

“But I can’t.”

“I said I’d help you. And in return, you’ll help me.”

“Why does this sound so easy to you? You love her don’t you? I love Kai too. And wouldn’t you rather share than lose her all together?”

“She obviously doesn’t love me if the only way I can have her is to share. So that Kai guy probably doesn’t love you either.”

“I know he doesn’t”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“No. But what can I do?”

“And we’re back to square one. You can move on and leave him. You know new years resolution? They say that people are more likely to follow through when they have a friend doing the same with them.”

“Are we friends?”

Kris glared at Jiwon’s lame attempt to lighten the mood with a joke. Kris looked at the makeup table, saw his phone and shoved it to Jiwon.

“Give me your number. Call me whenever Kai does something weird or is not home. Think of this as the month to put it all out of your system and spend your last month with Kai. Anytime you feel like you’re going to back out, call me.”

“But I don’t-“

“Just call me whenever you’re alone.” 

Kris was as hesitant as Jiwon but out of the two, he knew he was going to have to be the strong headed one. Or at least pretend to. Kris loved Sora as much as Jiwon loved Kai. But Kris was sick of being so pathetic. The only reason why Kris was so keen on this break up was because of this big ego of his. He was sick and tired of having to wait on someone. He is someone others wait on.

Luhan had been hiding outside, trying to listen to the two’s conversation. But he was only able to listen to the last bit. And that got him angry.

…Call me whenever you’re alone?

Luhan knew that line. He said it all the time whenever he is trying to get a girl. The innocent types to be exact.

‘Isn’t t he with Sora. Is he messing with me?’ Luhan bit his lips.

No, Luhan did not like Jiwon. But he was interested. Interested in the way a child was whenever they’d get a new toy. And Luhan hasn't played with his enough yet to throw it away so it frustrates him that Kris snatched his. And sure, Luhan had tons of toys but someone taking something from Luhan just makes him want to shove back even more.

Kris wasn’t the only one with an ego. 

“What are you doing?” a deep voice asked when he saw how suspicious Luhan was looking, standing by the door like that. It was obvious Luhan as up to no good. This kid always was.

“Ah, Chanyeol! Have you seen Sora?”

“No. You know how she likes to come in and out.” Chanyeol glared, finding it particularly strange Luhan was asking for Sora. When did they even talk to each other?

“Tell me if you see her.” Luhan smiled mischievously. It wouldn’t hurt to wait a bit.

Jiwon was fixing Kris’s outfit when her phone rang and interrupted. Jiwon knew how to be professional but when that ringtone reserved for Kai rings, she was quick to grab it. Only this time, Kris was there to take the phone from her and hung up.  Guessing by Jiwon’s face, Kris knew clearly who it was.

“You’re working. SM is strict with interns. Let’s try to not get fired today.”

Jiwon found it weird Kris was looking out for her when he was so mean before. “Thanks.”

“Mm. not a lot of girls get in as interns so you must be talented. I’ll be favorable for you to own me one.”

:Is this how you always treat people? Calculating if they would be advantageous to you in the future?” Jiwon laughed at how Sora could think of Kris as boring.

“You don’t get far in this industry without knowing who to open doors for. Say, what exactly are you planning to do?”

“Photography.” Jiwon said with a smile.

“Your face tells me your quite passionate.”

“Yeah. And you with modeling?” 

“It’s fine it pays the bills”

“I bet.” Jiwon continued to put on his complicated outfit and thought for a moment how great Kris must be paid to be plastered all over Seoul, “you must not know where to spend all the money you have,”

“It’s not what you think. Sure, I make a decent amount. But I don’t spend it expect on necessities. It all goes to my mother and rest in my savings.”

“That’s nice. She must be happy her son is so successful.”

“Sure, if she could understand me, being in a coma and all.

Kris definitely knew how to make things awkward. Jiwon looked up at him, not knowing what to do seeing the indifference on Kris’s face. Should she apologize?

“I’m sor-“

“It’s fine. At least she’s still alive.”

“Are you not staying?” Jiwon asked when she saw Kai not changing and heading out already. She thought he would be staying since he picked her up and all. She was excited all day to think Kai would be staying. 

“Not today. Sleep early though, okay?” Kai pecked Jiwon on the lips and walked out the door.

After Jiwon changed, she lied on the bed, hurting herself with the thought that Kai was with Sora. She wished that it were some other girls he was with. She wished Kai had more than just one girl. Because that meant Kai was just playing around with others-that Kai isn’t a tiny bit serious with anyone other than herself. Maybe though, Kai wasn’t with Sora. Maybe Sora was one of-

Jiwon looked to her phone. Should she call Kris? He told her she should in situations like this. But if she does, that would mean she would be committing to the deal they made. And she doesn’t know if she wants to. 

The fact that the phone rang scared Jiwon. It was Kris and it’s almost as if the universe is trying to tell her something.

“Did you eat yet?” Jiwon was greeted by Kris’s deep voice.

“No.”

“Want to meet somewhere?”

They didn’t go anywhere fancy. Jiwon and Kris had quite the different taste and they decided to just go to the supermarket and to buy something from the dessert counters. Jiwon was munching on ice cream while Kris was opening his pack of pastries.

It was could outside, but Jiwon liked eating ice cream in the cold. “When did you meet Sora?”

“Two years ago. At my first photo-shoot.”

“You started to like her since then?”

“Not really. It think I started to a year afterwards.”

“And her?”

“She confessed after a month of meeting so that must be when she liked me then?

"It was like that with Kai. He confessed to me first-a lot of times- and then I started to fall for him.”

“What made you say yes?”

“I don’t know.” Jiwon thought back and wondered why herself. Sure, Kai gave her flowers, pestered her with sweet remarks. But all she remembered was that one-day, when Kai offered to take her home on his motorcycle and she agreed. And before going up to her doorstep, Kai asked that familiar question she would hear everyday other day. But that time, she agreed. 

“I think I said yes because I was lonely when my mother got into an accident all of the sudden. Sora was there.” Kris thought back to how devastated he was when he heard the news and how he picked up Sora’s call for the first time that one day.

“You make her sound like a last resort.”

“To being lonely. Yes. She was the only resort but in a way, she still was the last. But now, she’s my first everything.” Kris took a bit from his bread and thought back to the memories all the good things that happened with Sora. How Sora acted as though Kris was all Sora could ever ask for. They were so happy. And now-

“Are you lonely now?” 

“Not at the moment.”