11. The Cousin

Friday evening was cold and gloomy, and the wind was frightening people with its harsh blows and unpleasant behaviour. Rain was swiftly, like always at this time of the year, pouring down on the folks rushing back and forth in the traffic filled city, forbidding them from get going with whatever they had planned to. The coldness that came with the weather, caused emotions like deep displeasure and disapproval to reveal through frowns and other angry facial expressions, but in the middle of it all, were four students, recently introduced to each other, out to celebrate their new and interesting friendship.

Even though it was raining, the street was still beautiful, thanks to the significant lightening that made it possible to see clearly how raindrops settled on the ground and how the large branches of trees around moved back and forth, in an agonizing manner. Noises of horns and screams and yells across the cramped road were also indicating the busyness of the street, but it did still not stop the four who were out to socialize.   

First of them was a charming lady, in her twenties, dressed in a knee length dress with black tights underneath, holding an umbrella in white, her favourite colour. She tightened her trench coat around her waist, to prevent cold air from snatching away her body warmth at the same time as laughing hilariously at whatever her companions were chatting about. She is Kim Mira, the medical student who in despite of taking up such a big responsibility upon herself, knew how to have fun and distinguish between student life and life outside of it. Kim Mira’s talks are fascinating and alluring, and her charm captivates most, even two like Kim Kyu Jong and Kim Hyung Jun, who were living on with a façade, and hiding their true selves underneath it.

Kyu Jong doesn’t speak much, but when he does, he makes sure his words are sweet and honest, because that’s indeed how he is. Or at least when one ignores his lifestyle and the person he is outside of the university they all go to. With his brown-coloured hair that was soft as velvet, honest eyes and dazzling smile, can also he attract much attention, actually more than he intends to in the first place. He was walking so casually in plain jeans and jacket, but even this careless act of his mesmerized females around. Maybe was this because of the genuine smiles he shoots them or the fact that he doesn’t give them a cold shoulder, like others of his type would. Either way, he is seen as a gentleman.

And then there is Hyung Jun, from head to toe is he clothed in abbot-main ornaments. He admires himself, as much as others admire him. His inviting aura and flirtatious lines drive people to the edge, or better phrased, to insanity. He makes them believe things he never thought, and that is how people fall into his trap. In front is he the cuddly guy, whom every girl want as her boyfriend, but once backs are turned, he’ll smirk naughtily and pat himself for putting on such a good frame. That’s what he is doing now under Somin’s umbrella, but the difference is only that he is not intending on hurting the girl besides him, but rather challenging his hyung who is not present. For once does he have the chance to feel more superior to Hyun Joong, and that can he only do by connecting with his girlfriend.

Somin is walking hurriedly behind Kyu Jong and Mira, who aren’t at all considering her little frame and short legs, that can’t carry her fast enough and that are preventing her from keeping up. Hyung Jun chuckles to himself and slows down his pace, just so she too can be comfortable and so that her umbrella, which he is currently holding, can cover her. She smiles at him thankfully and at the same time apologetically, and he smirks, she is indeed cute.

“You are so short Somin,” He teases, to which she pouts and glares at him playfully. He reminds her of her brother, who also liked to and that’s why she smiles afterwards.

“It seems like that only because you are too long and large!”

“I guess I am,” He answers proudly, this was pure boasting, and his man- ego was very much happy to receive such a comment. It isn’t often he gets to feel like a man around his hyungs, since he is the youngest amongst all and also doesn’t have rippled muscles and broad chests like his three older friends have. One day, I’ll be there to, is what he often reminds himself.

“You remind me of my brother.” She mumbles softly, straightens out the flocks in her hair and brushes away the rain droplets clutching to her leather jeans.

Hyung Jun forgets to act like he didn’t know she has a brother, because he does- after all he is the one who peeled in her personal information and jumps right to the question he is curious about. “Why is that?” He can’t and he doesn’t try to hide the displeasure of her seeing him as her brother, because a brother was not what he wanted to be.

“Just….” She mutters, afraid that she has offended him.

“Come on, aren’t we friends? Just tell me.”

“Well…” She starts and locks her hands into a tiny ball “He likes to tease me and he makes me laugh all the time.”

He stopped abruptly, amused and raised an eyebrow “Do I also make you laugh all the time?”

Somin continues walking as a blush starts to creep on her face, that didn’t actually sound like supposed to. “Yeaah….. kind of when you are around.” She is honest; she can’t really deny it after laughing at the silly and childish, yet funny jokes he was cracking during dinner.

Bingo, Hyung Jun screams in his mind before following her and making sure she wasn’t getting away from under the umbrella. “Do you like me then?”

“Uhhh……” She looks up at him and notices how he was pouting and giving her the puppy look, anticipating her answer. “Yeah, you are lovely.”

Did I just use the word lovely?

Err, that sounded…. A little to cliché, didn’t it?

Stupid Somin, stop searching for synonyms in the dictionary all the time! Nice would have sounded better!

His puppy look is removed instantly, and replaced by a teasing one. Oh how he loved her precise and beautiful use of words. This is exactly the first time somebody has called him lovely, and he is sure this somebody hasn’t even called her own boyfriend that yet. That makes one more point for him, and one minus for Hyun Joong!

“I’ll tell hyung you said that,” He smiled teasingly and looked at her when she placed her hand on his forearm to stop him from moving.

“Andwe, you cannot!” She whimpered embarrassed and hysterically. What would her boyfriend think of her if he gets to know that she is calling his friend lovely and stuff? He wouldn’t get the right impression and he would think that she is a tease!

“Why?”

“Just!”

“Alright, I will think about it.” He again and she growled and stomped away, with him trailing right beside her, shielding her from the rain.

“By the way,” she changes the topic, as if what she is going to talk about now is much more interesting than their discussion earlier “Now that we are talking about Hyun Joong, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” He replies, and she smiles comfortably. It’s very much comforting to talk with this man, compared to her boyfriend who seems to change moods hurriedly. One time he’ll be angry and scary, the other all lovey dovey, and then ignore her completely. He had no patterns in his behaviour, and she was confused how she should deal with him.

“Why do you and Hyun Joong have so similar names?”

“You think we have similar names?”

“Yes!” Her curiosity is taking the best of her. She had intended on directing this question to Hyun Joong, but since he wasn’t here, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I mean, Kim Hyung Jun and Kim Hyun Joong are pretty similar to me.”

“Make a lucky guess smart girl.”

“Ummm……” She taps her temple with her index finger, as if she is thinking deeply into the case. “Coincidence?” Somin asks with an awkward smile on her face.

Hyung Jun rolls his eyes before – without warning – flicking her forehead. “You aren’t that smart after all.”

“Hey, you baddie!” She rubbed her forehead in pain and remembered how both her brother and Hyun Joong had done that before too. Guys did indeed like to hurt her glanceful forehead. “Are you related then?”

He took a deep breath and looked forwards, they were soon approaching the cinema. “Yes.”

A shocked sound came out of , as if it was a sin to be related, but she soon composed herself and collected the new piece of information. “How?”

“Well,” He started and brushed his free hand through his hair “I’d say he is my long lost cousin.” In reality, it wasn’t Hyun Joong who was the lost cousin, it was himself. Kim Hyung Jun, the illegitimate child of Kim family, who was thrown away alongside with his poverty- stricken mother and his suffering little brother.

No one could make out that the two were related, because they didn’t share the looks, neither the manners. They didn’t act like family, neither did they intend to do in the future. They didn’t know each other until Hyung Jun enrolled in the East Coast family. When Hyun Joong got aware of a young boy named “Hyung Jun” entering their organization, he started to wonder why their names were so similar. That’s when he did a background check on the boy, and found out he was the son of his uncle whom he had heard likes to around. He didn’t tell him at first, but unfortunately Young Saeng spilled it to him in a drunken state. Hyung Jun was beyond happy when he got that piece of information, and started showering his hyung with lots of love immediately, as his mother had taught him, but when Hyun Joong didn’t respond to the affection, he too started to grow distant from him. In the span of a year, the admiration Hyung Jun had for his cousin turned into jealousy instead, and now he just wanted to defeat him. In any and every way possible. Although Hyung Jun acted like he didn’t care about his cousin, deep inside lay an old affection and care. For him blood was important, and he wishes he had somebody else than his mother and brother only.

Somin was shocked that they were cousins. If they were cousins, did he possibly know the activities of Hyun Joong? Did he know about his involvement in East Coast?  She couldn’t ask, she feared revealing something accidentally and hence angering her boyfriend.

“Oh hehe,” She laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the tension surrounding them. “I am glad you found each other then!”

“Yeah….” He mumbled almost inaudibly and sad, because he was indeed overjoyed at that time, but his cousin was not. It broke his heart.