𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀 • 양정원

018

TWO WEEKS LATER :

Jiwoo hadn't turned up for a single day of school since her argument with Sooyun, finding out she was a bet and just everything else. She told her parents everything, and after a lot of tears and pleading from her and Yujin, they let her have some days off.

WITH JUNGWON :

"I don't get it, she hasn't been answering my texts either. I'm really worried about her, y'know?" Jungwon sighed, scrolling through the 284 messages he had sent Jiwoo which were all unread.

"She hasn't been online since two weeks ago, though?" Ni-ki pointed out the 'last seen' below Jiwoo's contact name on the screen.

"That makes it even worse, what if something happened to her?" Jungwon furrowed his eyebrows.

Sunghoon sat there quietly, the guilt had been hammering into him since that day he slipped up.

He had to tell him.

He had to tell him, before-

"Sooyun" Jungwon stopped Sooyun before she walked past their desks.

"You need something?" Sooyun replied, blankly.

"Do you know if Ji's alright? She hasn't been in school for two weeks." Jungwon asked, standing up.

"Uh, no. Why would I know?" Sooyun bluntly replied.

"Because you're her best friend?" Jungwon snapped.

"Why do YOU care so much Yang Jungwon? Huh? Who do you think you are?" Sooyun snapped back, "You're honestly a disgusting person, and the rest of your group. I never want to be associated with you."

Jungwon and his friends were quite taken aback by the sudden attack from Sooyun. Something about her response made them realise that she knew something.

"What..? I just want to know if she's alright, then." Jungwon tugged at her shirt to keep her back.

"She's definitely not alright after how you and your friend group think it's funny to play with people's feelings like they're toys." Sooyun coldly replied before leaving the room.

"Hold on, what?" Heeseung stated.

"Did she just defend Jiwoo?" Jay said, just to confirm if everyone else had heard the same thing.

"I think so" Jake nodded.

"Play with people's feelings like they're toys?" Sunoo repeated, "huh?"

"You don't think she.. found out, do you?" Jake said, almost in a whisper.

"That's the only reasonable explanation for what Sooyun's implying." Ni-ki hesitantly agreed, almost in denial that this could be true.

"But how?" Jungwon said in a shaky voice, "only one of us could've told her."

"It was me!" Sunghoon bursted out, "The guilt's been killing me since that day. I'm so sorry Jungwon, me and her were arguing and it just came out."

The six others looked at Sunghoon in pure shock.

Out of the seven of them Sunghoon was probably the last person they'd think it would be.

Jungwon took a deep breath before speaking again.

"What exactly did you tell her, Sunghoon?" Jungwon slowly said.

"I said, 'To me it seems like you're leading him on even though you were just a be-..' then I stopped mid word. It was too late, and she already knew what I was about to say." Sunghoon burrowed his head in his hands.

"It was stupid, so fucking stupid. I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have."

"Why didn't you tell her that I fell for her on my own account, not some stupid bet?! Or tell her that I didn't even take the money offered?!" Jungwon yelled.

"I tried but she ran straight into her house after that..!" Sunghoon replied.

"I am so sorry Jungwon. I'm really sorry." Sunghoon bowed 90 degrees to him.

"I need some space, I'm sorry." Jungwon said, leaving the room.

Jake tried to get up and go after him but Heeseung stopped him.

"Go in 10 minutes to check up on him, I think he needs some time alone right now." Heeseung calmly said