“So tell me the truth,” Jongdae leaned forward, giving me a small heart attack with his sudden proximity. “How did you two really meet?”

I swallowed hard, gluing myself to the back of the sofa. “What do you mean?”

“Even Sooyoung didn't know so I'm very curious,” he smiled widely, showing his white teeth as he placed his chin on open palm. I noticed him glance quickly at the bar to check how much time he still had to interrogate me before Baekhyun would be back with our drinks, and my eyes unconsciously followed his movement.

Baekhyun was third in the line to the bartender, casually looking at his phone with one of his hand currently raised, the hair at the back of his head as he was deep in thoughts. That pose made his shoulders look much wider than I remembered them to be and the shirt tightened dangerously around his biceps. He didn't seem that muscular at first glance but my eyes seemed to notice more details about his body now.

I quickly looked back, boring eyes in my laps now as the sudden, unexpected revelation crashed my chest in an unpleasant manner. Why was I paying so much attention to him? I knew Baekhyun was handsome. I knew he was very charming and pleasant for the eyes. But he was still an immature boy that liked to fool around with girls. So when did I start seeing... a real man in him?

This is bad... this is--

“Auch!” I yelped, massaging the throbbing spot on my forehead as I looked up at the harasser who had the guts to hit me. “Jongdae, are you out of your mind?! Why did you do that?!”

“Because you are ignoring me,” he said back, his voice slightly raised in annoyance. “I've been talking to myself because you're too busy undressing that Seoul guy in your mind.”

“Wha-- I did not!” I yelled as the blush crept up my face, brushing my cheeks with an embarrassing red. “Stop this nonsense, we aren't even a couple!”

“Who says you need to be a couple to undress someone?” Jongdae chortled and I covered my ears, yelling in annoyance.

“Seriously, I'm going to strangle you if you don't stop it this instant!”

“I will face the death like a real man,” he commented cheerfully, taking a sip of his beer, not even bothered by my threats. “This is just too good to just sit in silence and watch.”

“Jongdae, stop.” Sooyoung finally interrupted us, quite annoyed with our friend for being so immature. She pushed me back to my seat as I was about to lunge forward and beat the living crap out of that guy. “You are making everyone uncomfortable with your babbling so do everyone a favour and shut your trap.”

Jongdae only shrugged nonchalantly, pointing his finger at the bar counter, „I'm doing her a favour with my babbling. Sitting here all embarrassed won't be enough to keep him by your side.”

Not quite sure what he meant by that, I followed the direction he motioned at and found a girl chatting with Baekhyun as he was waiting for his order to be done. My blood ran cold as I stared at the long, exposed legs and a very tight black dress that hugged her curves in the right places. We were sitting quite far from the bar counter but it was close enough for me to notice how pretty she was with her big eyes, red lips and smokey makeup. It also didn't take a genius to realize that the girl was flirting with Baekhyun, listening in fastination to whatever he was saying with a small smile as she played with the ends of her hair.

„They look good,” Jongdae commented and I barely stopped myself from pouring his beer on his head. I knew he was doing it on purpose, to provoke any action on my side, but I wasn't willing to play according to his rules. After all, I didn't have the right to be mad at Baekhyun for talking to another girl.

„He's attractive, of course he will have girls approaching him.” I said nonchalantly, forcing my pitiful heart to calm down and end the sad march of sorrow it was performing in my chest now.

Jongdae thought, didn't seem satisfied with my answer. He scoffed, folding his arms across chest as he studied my face with brows furrowed in confusion, „And you are okay with it?”

„It doesn't matter if I'm okay or not okay with it.” I barked back, mimicking his pose. „We are not a couple and he has a very right to chat with whoever he wants.”

„But you like him.”

Startled, I looked at Sooyoung who said it. She wore that small, sad smile that infuriated me even more than Jongdae's interrogation, and I found the unimaginable urge to deny whatever she was insinuating in that moment.

„I don't.”

„You're lying.” Jongdae said right away. My heart pounded hardly in my chest as if to agree with his words but the quiet voice at the back of my head screamed to stay reasonable. I didn't like Baekhyun. He was a womanizer, a person that wouldn't treat you like a lover should; a mystery that wouldn't let you close to him.

I wouldn't do that to myself and fall in love with that kind of a person.

Right?

„I need to cool down,” I stood up from my seat, feeling my entire body shake in anger. „Please don't follow me.”

„Mira, wai--”

„Just give me five minutes,” I cut Jongdae off the moment he stood up after me. We stared at each other for a long moment, having the silent argument as I pleaded him to leave me alone for a short moment. When he finally sank back onto the sofa without any further protests, I mustered a faint smile in return.

I wanted to get out of the pub without lo