~ 십이 ~

 

Since she stayed overnight on some man's place, which she had no extra clothes because who ever thought she'll be getting drunk, Hayi went home to fix herself. Today's Wednesday and like any other weekdays she has classes to attend to. She had no classes the past two days because the medicine department staffs had gone to an orientation; last night was the time they have arrived and that also meant her classes will resume too. Hayi could only frown; she had enjoyed the very short vacation too much.

 

"Oh you're home. Where have you been last night?" A question welcomed her as her mother opened the door. She kissed her mom on the cheeks before answering: "Suhyun wanted to drink so I joined her, ended up getting drunk." She said frankly, leaving out the pieces that she slept on a man's bed. 

 

"So you were at her place?" Her mother asked again after closing the door and aligning the shoes she had worn to the shoe rack.

 

"Uh, yeah." Hayi said before gulping down a whole bottle of water. 

 

She lied; her mother doesn't know Jiwon's already home yet and besides, who wants to know that her daughter got so much to drink and needed to be aided by a boy? Yes, her mother permits that Hayi to drink and sleepover at her friends' place but only because the former knew that she could trust her daughter and Hayi was already in the right age to handle her own self.

 

"I prepared extra breakfast, do you want some?" Her mother asked while reading the documents her assistant sent to her.

 

"Shiro, I already ate." Hayi replied and went upstairs to her room. She quickly took a bath to freshen herself, and to remove her hangover. Jiwon's hangover soup was effective, she thought to herself while preparing for school.

 

In a matter of fifteen minutes, Hayi's already done. She checked herself on the mirror one last time before bolting downstairs.

 

"You have classes?" Her mom inquired, looking at her daughter who was busily putting in a shoe.

 

Hayi bid her mom goodbye before rushing outside. She won't run though, for she still has thirty minutes before her first class and the university was just twenty minutes if gone through a walk.

 

 

 

At last all of her classes were finished. Hayi fixed her bag and got her phone from her pocket. Tilting her head sideward, she wondered why Suhyun didn't make it on their shared class which was Humanities.

 

Was she too drunk? Did she have a painful hangover? Or was she just lazy and used her drunkenness as a pass to not attend classes? She figured.

 

She badly wanted to talk to Suhyun who wasn't putting an effort to reply to her messages throughout the class; good thing she was seated on the far end of the room which enabled her to text under the desk without anyone noticing.

 

Hayi grew impatient so she dialed her best friend's mobile number; it took a few rings before someone answered.

 

"Y-yoboseyo?" Suhyun said; her voice was a bit raspy as if she had just woken up from slumber.

 

"YAH KIM SUHYUN! EODIGA!? WHY DIDN'T YOU REPLY TO MY TEXTS!?" Hayi can't help it but to shout at her friend on the other line. The room was almost empty anyway; most had already gone out while the only ones who remained inside where either talking about the fresh rumors or cramming for the papers they needed to pass on their next subject's.

 

It was a good whole minute before a voice came out from Suhyun's line: "Mmmh... I just woke up. Why are you shouting? Bet people are already looking at you weirdly." She faintly chuckled.

 

Hayi glanced over at the others who were still inside, and yes Suhyun was right. She only raised a brow at them and began to speed off outside.

 

"Yah! You should shout back at me, like 'why the are you effing shouting at me I just got my beauty sleep damn you Lee Hayi' something like that." She said. It was true though, that would be most likely Suhyun's response if ever Hayi welcomed her with a loud voice. She would shout back and they will give and take shouts relentlessly and wouldn't be finished if no one butts in the scenario.

 

Hayi figured: "Suhyun... is something's the matter?"

 

Suhyun heaved a sigh and without any answer Hayi already went out of the university and grabbed a cab towards Suhyun's house. She knew Suhyun wasn't the type to be quiet like she was acting on the phone call a while ago so something must be really wrong. What was it then? Was it something that happened last night?

 

Hayi kept rambling on her memory last night but she was really drunk to even remember something. The last thing she remembered was having a conversation over many bottles of alcohol with Jiwon; she then paused and wondered, omg did I say something very very embarassing last night?

 

But she shrugged those thoughts aside because if ever she really said something, Jiwon would be very awkward with her but he wasn't; so end of topic.

 

Finally Hayi reached Suhyun's place and alighted out of the taxi which she almost forgot to pay the driver.

 

"I'm sorry. Here, keep the change." She said and knocked loudly on the door.

 

"Wait wait waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait!!" Someone screamed inside and opened the door; it was Suhyun's brother looking all pissed and confused as to why Hayi was right in front of him and looked like she ran a marathon.

 

"Dude do you even know how to wait? Jesus you almost broke our old door," were Chanhyuk's welcome words to Hayi. The latter did not bother greeting her friend's brother who was almost near her age (so no need for honorifics) and stepped inside.

 

"Is Suhyun here?" She asked and turned towards the laptop which was playing a drama. Chanhyuk remembered that he hasn't paused the video yet because the other was so passionate about knocking that he forgot to do so.

 

He went to his laptop and paused the drama he was watching; it was Blood, if asked. Told ya Suhyun's brother was a hopeless doctor wannabe.

 

"She's in her room," he said grinning and referring to his dongsaeng. Hayi went on the only colorful door inside the house and did not bother knocking like she did a while ago. After the guest left the scene, Chanhyuk began to play the drama that was halted.

 

"Yah! What's wrong?" Hayi asked after closing the door. Suhyun was on the bed, knees bent and on her chest, her gaze were on the window pane were the leaves are falling; it's already half of autumn and winter's fast approaching.

 

Suhyun noticed the noise inside her room and realized it came from her best friend. She looked at the other and a smile curved on her lips.

 

"Oh, you're here," was all she can say.

 

Hayi sat on the bed and maintained an eye to eye contact with Suhyun. "Yah! What's with your response? Aren't you at glad that I am here? I rushed all the way here and just 'oh you're here' is all I receive?"

 

"I smiled, didn't you noticed? And who told you to come here, I only sighed and you already cut the line and went here. God, you're too OA." Suhyun monotonously said without rolling her eyes and animated face reactions which made Hayi more concerned.

 

"OA?"

 

"Over-acting. You don't know that? Omg."

 

"You know omg right?" Suhyun added teasingly.

 

"Yah! Of course I do!" Hayi said and hit the other's arm accidently. Suhyun winced, "I'm just checking."

 

The whole atmosphere has gotten quiter after the conversation a while ago. Suhyun lied on the bed and grinned; Hayi wondered what the heck was wrong with her best friend today.

 

"Are you okay?" She asked; really concerned for her best friend. This was the first time she saw Suhyun like this ever since they met because whenever the latter has problems she says it to her right away, but now it looked like Suhyun keeping something wasn't good; it made her look weird in some way.

 

Suhyun inhaled and held her breath for a few seconds before exhaling it and answering her friend's question earlier.

 

"I'm dying."

 

Hayi could not believe what she just heard from her best friend; she stood up, fear and shock evident from her face.

 

"CHINCHA!?"

 

She got a pillow from the bed and threw it to Suhyun. "YAH! DON'T JOKE LIKE THAT IT'S BAD!"

 

Suhyun blocked Hayi's attack and hugged the thrown pillow as she sat on the bed from lying down earlier.

 

"I'm not kidding."

 

"WHAT'S WRONG? WHY ARE YOU SAYING THIS TO ME?"

 

"I feel--"

 

"SO THIS IS WHY YOU INVITED ME TO DRINK LAST NIGHT HUH? BECAUSE YOU'RE SICK??"

 

"No, I just--"

 

"YOU'RE SO UNFAIR DON'T YOU KNOW THAT!? I JUST LOST--"

 

"WHAT THE ARE YOU SAYING LEE HAYI? I'M NOT DYING LIKE LITERALLY DYING DEAD OKAY!!?"

 

"BUT WHY DID YOU JOKE LIKE THAT YOU KNOW IT'S BAD TO JOKE LIKE THAT!"

 

"YOU JUST MISUNDERSTOOD THE WHOLE THING."

 

"AND THEN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING TO ME."

 

As the two kept shouting back and forth, they didn't notice that another person had already entered the room and was about to meddle between them.

 

"SHUT THE UP!"

 

Chanhyuk's voice boomed throughout the whole pink floral themed room, enough to make the two arguing hens halt their previous bickering and turn their gazes to where the voice came from, to Chanhyuk who was below the door frame, both his hands gripped the frame tight, his eyes shot the two with a glare which was very unusual of him; his glare was so intense that if it could actually shoot people, the two would have been dead and lifeless right now.

 

"Jesus," he sighed, "could you guys get any louder than that? Do you want our neighbor to hear you two shouting? My god! I can't even understand what I'm watching, okay? Please be considerate. Thank you."

 

He took a bow and closed the door afterwards, leaving the two statued, mouth wide open and brows arched.

 

Hayi mentally asked Suhyun what the hell did just happened and the latter just shrugged. It was no biggie for someone who had lived with him every day, yet Suhyun was still surprised to see her brother like that. Mental note: never bother oppa whenever he's watching, she thought to herself.

 

"Okay, please explain everything to me. Please?" Hayi asked in a more hushed tone and sat on the bed facing Suhyun.

 

The latter inhaled deeply before explaining everything to her best friend. "Uhm, you see..."

 

"Jinhwan and I fought. Uh, does that even consider as fighting? Hmm, we had a misunderstanding."

 

Hayi's eyes widened after hearing what the younger had said, "really? Well why did you fought?"

 

Suhyun could only sigh as she recalled the happenings. "It all happened last night..."

 

Strobe lights, loud music and a crowd of people filled the club a few kilometers away from the university. It's already late in the night and more and more people were entering the said premise. Girls wearing micro mini shorts and guys enjoying the view were normal. The mixed scent of alcohol and smoke enveloped the entire surrounding. Bodies grinding on the dance floor, group of friends having fun drinking and people who were just finding something to pass time were the entire population was.

 

Suhyun inhaled the faint mixture of cigarette, alcohol, and sweat all enveloped in the air and grinned. "Ahh, this is nice, very very nice. Don't you think Hayi? After weeks of studying it's really good to at least congratulate our hard works with a night like this. Gaja gaja!"

 

She said as she went straight to the bar counter and ordered a drink from the bartender who already knew her because she had become a regular. Not regular as in she went on a daily basis but perhaps the bartender just had a sharp memory.

 

"Here's your drink miss." The bartender slid the cocktail glass full of alcohol to the waiting lady in front of him. He smirked as he noticed that she was looking at him, well more probably at his name pin.

 

"T-thanks, Seungri-ssi," said Suhyun and sipped the drink given to her. She really wanted to drink and clear her mind about the things bugging her these past few days, things like Jinhwan.

 

Hayi followed suit and ordered the same glass she was having. Even though Hayi might be a little bit outdated with her fashion sense, she was up to date with these kinds of stuff; she had been together with alcohol the past three years, Suhyun could only shake her head in remembering those faint memories of before.

 

The two had their drinks and talked about anything under the sun. They haven't talked like they used to ever since the semester started; blame all the academics and hectic schedules they both had.

 

"And I have this classmate who was obviously eyeing Jinhwannie oppa and clings on to him whenever possible. Ugh, I swear I could straddle her and shave her freaking pigtails!" Suhyun shouted as she gulped on her third glass. Even though she was the one who always got drunk between them, she has a high alcohol tolerance and would take ten more shots before her vision starts to turn hazy.

 

Hayi gulped her own glass, it's her fourth and she's not really used to drinking much since she's the capable one. Chuckling, she suggested her best friend, "then you should have done it when you have a chance! She's stealing your oppa and that's very very bad."

 

Suhyun glared at the girl beside her. "Yah! He's not my oppa arachi? That girl is just frustrating!" Well clearly he's an oppa because he was technically older than her but, he's not Suhyun's oppa. Right?

 

Hayi then finished her shot and planned to not take more since she doesn't know what would happen to her next, not until she saw a figure of three familiar guys walking towards them, the bar counter to be precise.

 

"Hmm.. speaking of," said Hayi and called the bartender to make her another glass. Suhyun looked confused at first but when someone approached her she almost spurted the drink inside to Hayi who was in front of her in surprise.

 

"Woah, annyeong girls." It was Jinhwan who greeted them first. He was beside Jiwon and Donghyuk who also greeted the two. Hayi was courteous enough to greet the three back unlike Suhyun who was still flabbergasted with the current situation.

 

"Yo Lee Suhyun are you still with us? Have you drink too much already? Yah, you aren't waiting for me huh." Jinhwan teased and sat beside Suhyun who was still not acknowledging his presence but took notice of the other two and greeted them. He only shrugged and ordered for the three of them.

 

"So, I never thought you'd be here." Jinhwan opened the conversation. 

 

"I never thought you'd be here too." Suhyun snapped back and ordered for her fourth glass.

 

Jinhwan was taken aback with Suhyun's tone of reply. "Hey hey, is something wrong with you?" He asked, not used with Suhyun having sour replies and not smiling at him.

 

"Ani, perhaps it's just the alcohol." She replied as she was about to drink the glass that was just given by Seungri in one motion, but Jinhwan stopped her halfway.

 

"Suhyun, are you alright?" He said, concerned of what's happening to his friend beyond his knowledge.

 

"Aish, I'm fine thank you for your concern. Now go away and mingle with every damn inside this bar and leave me alone!" She yelled but it only appeared as a whisper because the music was much louder than her.

 

Jiwon heard her and was confused as to why Suhyun was acting this way. "You're still not drunk but it seemed like you're starting to get tipsy. Stop it now; I don't get your point."

 

"Hah, my point? My point is you're such a chickboy! You entertain girls that swivel their arms around yours and show off their shining legs. Right? I am right, right?" Suhyun yelled yet again, but thankfully nobody noticed the forming commotion between the two because they were all too busy with their own fun.

 

"Woah woah," said Jinhwan and helped Suhyun manage to get back on her seat. "Calm down. It's not my fault they do that though, my radiant charm must be the reason why, can't help it." He chuckled and joked to make the atmosphere lighter.

 

But it seemed like Suhyun was in no mood to joke around, "Yah! I really don't get you!" 

 

She screamed and went to the rails of the second floor where the dance floor could be seen below. Suhyun was so enraged as to why Jinhwan was acting like a jerk and why was she acting like this too. 'It's not a big deal either! Why the are you so pissed Suhyun?' Her mental self scolded her but the alcohol flood away her conscience.

 

Meanwhile Jinhwan was still clueless about the whole damn thing and finished the remaining liquid in the glass before following the mad girl who just left seconds ago.

 

"Yah, yah, you know I really don't get you either. Could you please explain to me why are you so pissed at me?" He asked when he reached Suhyun, still calm about it.

 

Suhyun opted to avoid looking at Jinhwan in the eye and looked far away, to the dance floor where bodies are swaying, and people having fun. She saw a very familiar figure having the time of her life on the pole, laughing and grooving as if she's the only person there.

 

" that's Hayi." Suhyun came upon realization that it was indeed her friend. "Seriously she had drunken a lot! Aigoo..."

 

She needed to drag her friend upstairs, made her drink water to at least calm her down, and drove her home because both of them had enough for this night, but before she even made a step on the stairs a hand held her arm tight and prevented her from going down.

 

"Suhyun eodiga? We need to talk." Jinhwan was the culprit, his hands still held Suhyun and even if the latter shook it real hard for the grip to detach it wasn't effective.

 

"We have nothing to talk about. I need to go home," said Suhyun. Jinhwan concluded that Suhyun was only kidding because if she really needed to go home, she wouldn't come down at the dance floor because the exit was at the second floor.

 

"Hep hep, you aren't tricking me with that one. We're still sober enough; we could talk about it now."

 

So in the end Suhyun was left with no choice but to come with Jinhwan and talk about the whole 'I'm pissed off at you' issue. But Hayi needed to be taken care of, she thought. And in a snap she saw Jiwon drinking silently at a spot, all alone and seemed like he was thinking deeply. She went immediately to where he was and asked him to take Hayi home.

 

"Ah, so that's why I kept wondering why you haven't took care of me." Hayi in as she kept moving her head up and down as if she now understood the whole story why she woke up at Jiwon's place a while ago.

 

"Yeah, I had no choice you know." Suhyun raised her shoulders and shook her head. "Wait, you woke up at your home and still dressed right?" She could not help but to ask.

 

"Well... unfortunately I didn't," said Hayi which was the truth.

 

"OH MY GOD YOU DID NOT--"

 

"Please continue." Hayi cut her friend's 'about to' scream speech.

 

Suhyun pouted and glanced at Hayi with the 'tell me later soon' look and preceded storytelling.

 

"As I was saying..."

 

They got out and went to the parking lot where nobody was, if there were, the ones left would be couples making-out or people who were either leaving the club or just arrived.

 

Suhyun detached herself from Jinhwan's grip and looked at him. "Now what?" She asked.

 

Jinhwan heaved a sigh and his lips formed a thin line. "Please Suhyun, could you please explain why are you pissed please? I wanted to know what made you say that I am such a chickboy, please?" He requested corteously as if he was the dongsaeng and she was the older between them, with the excessive use of the word 'please'.

 

Suhyun scoffed at his remark. "What made me say that you ARE A CHICKBOY? Hmmm... let me think about it." She looked up and touched her chin, making her look like she was thinking. 

 

"Aha! You flirt with every girl with s and let them strangle their arms around yours and you don't even mind when they show their legs and all of their skin, and hmmm, what else can I add? Ahh, and you don't take girls seriously!" She encircled her arms to her chest and stood up, proud of her speech.

 

Jinhwan's mouth fell and he could not believe what he just heard. Those accusations are wrong! Indeed Jinhwan entertained his girl classmates but he was just being friendly. What's wrong with that? Could it be...

 

"Are you jealous?" He asked. A smile could not help but to form on his pinkish lips.

 

"Mwoh!? Me!? Jealous!? A-andwae!" Suhyun denied; her cheeks turning tomato red.

 

"Really you're not? But why are you acting this way, all pissed and angry about me flirting with 'every girl with s'?" He noted the last phrase, teasing her more. Jinhwan already figured out and he doesn't know why was he feeling giddy about it.

 

"Aish, I'm not, okay! Ani, I'm not jeal...ous" Suhyun still denied and covered her face. She needed to get away from him as fast as possible so that she could forget that this ever happened.

 

"Perhaps... do you like me?"

 

That question lingered in the air for a moment before the both of them could even realize what was it. Jinhwan mentally punched himself for asking such a ridiculous question while Suhyun was already burning red and wanted to get away like n o w.

 

"... and then I woke up today, I just absorbed every little thing that happened last night. Oh god, I think I'm gonna die." Suhyun ended her long story and lied on the bed, her hands covering her eyes.

 

"Ooohhh... Suhyun is in love!" Hayi clapped her hands and squealed at the thought. She received a glare from her friend afterwards.

 

"Aish! What now? How will I face him?" The other asked, desperate and embarassed at herself last night. She doesn't know what face would she show to Jinhwan when they see each other again that's why she decided to boycott her classes.

 

"Hmm... You and Jinhwan are classmates in almost all of the classes you have this semester so there is like a little chance that you'd be successful avoiding him so that option is already a no-no." Hayi said, her two arms forming an 'X' mark.

 

"Eottoke?"

 

"My, my, friend you have no other choice but to bump into him and talk about the whole 'darn it I was found out jealous' issue." Hayi concluded. She was in the same spot months ago; when she met Jiwon and wanted to avoid him. But as you all see, Hayi wasn't successful and they weren't even in the same department, so how about Suhyun's case where they were classmates?

 

Suhyun nodded at her friend's advice; well like she has other options. "Okay you are right but do you really need to name the whole story like that?"

 

"Why? I like it."

 

"Tss nevermind," said Suhyun and went back to her previous sitting position.

 

She looked at Hayi like a young girl waiting for her grandmother's bedtime story which freaked out the latter.

 

"Uh, why the heck are you staring at me like that?"

 

"Come on. Your turn." Suhyun said and Hayi had no choice but to tell everything that happened to her when she woke up; from the time she knew she was at Jiwon's place to the time she got out from the house.

 

"OH EM GEEE!! I AM SO SHIPPING YOU GUYS!!" Suhyun squealed in entire delight. They heard a loud 'sshhhh' across the room afterward.

 

"Uh, yeah? But that was it." Hayi shrugged as if it was nothing but the truth was butterflies kept rumbling in her stomach ever since she started talking about it.

 

"So... is this an indication of progress?" Suhyun grinned, her brows arching up and down; Hayi only smiled and blush tinted on her fluffy cheeks.

 

They continued talking and gossiping for hours, not noticing the sun had already set and if it wasn't for Chanhyuk, the two would even forget to take their dinner and Hayi would also forget to go home.

 

*****

 

"Hayi dear, can I ask you to do me a favor?"

 

Her mother's soft voice echoed across the room where the only sound that could be heard was the ipod playing songs on shuffle. Days had already passed since the bar and getting drunk night, and everything was normal the day after that memorable night. What both Hayi and Suhyun freaked out that would happen between Jiwon and Jinhwan fortunately did not happen; the two men were acting as if no awkward scenario happened that drunken night.

 

"What's it mom?" Hayi put the song on pause as her mother's figure appeared on the door. She rose up from lying on the couch and peeked at her mother.

 

"Can you send these files over to this address? I have a meeting to attend later so I can't manage to send that. My assistant is sick, if you ask." Her mother said and dropped a large brown envelope on the coffee table in front of her. Hayi gazed at the documents inside and found nothing interesting.

 

"That's just company stuffs unrelated to what you like so you can't understand those." Her mother said as she went to her room to fix her things. "So could you help me with that one? Don't worry I'll give you enough money for a cab and your service fee."

 

Three paper bills each worth 10,000 Won each was laid on top of the brown envelope on the glass table by her mom; Hayi's eyes widened at the sight of the amount of her service fee.

 

"Okay mom, I'll deliver it right away." She said and began to speed off towards the indicated address.

 

The destination wasn't as far as she thought it would be; it only took her 45 minutes to get there and drop off the files from her mother.

 

"Annyeonghaseyo, I am the daughter of Mrs. Jang. She had a conflict with her schedule today so I'm tasked to deliver these to Mr. Han."

 

After she was successful in handing out the envelope, she pondered on where to go next. It's weekend and it was very ideal to spend it outside rather than stay indoors and watch chick flix all day.

 

In the end Hayi decided to take a walk around MyeongDong and buy anything that attracted her. There were many people as usual who was also like her, looking at the items for sale and seeing if she could buy those. With paperbags at her right, she also found the moment to eat live octopus again after god knows how long and she was very estatic about it.

 

Hayi got tired of touring the large shopping landmark so she moved on to another itenerary. It seemed like her feet has it's own mind as it took steps towards a place quite familiar to her; a park that has a playground, benches, trees and flowers, and a fountain at the center welcomed Hayi's sight. She sat down at the swing and inhaled the nostalgic air that took her years ago.

 

 

"This is the place where we first met."

 

---

a/n: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEHHH!! Yas I'm already turning older *cries* anyways, how was this as a treat for all of you lovely friends? This is really the longest I am serious. I was just writing whatever comes to my mind and viola! Hahaha! Somehow I just put this in as a filler chapter for thos who were curious about Suhyun x Jinhwan. I ship them too much ;;

I will earnestly try to finish the next chapter so that I can post it already~ I really want to thank all of you who upvoted and commented their thoughts. I love you all!~