Royals

Chapter 78 - Two Brothers

"Hi, Yuri. I got you a muffin from the cafeteria" Soobin approaches me with a dimpled smile as I leave the library.

He is wearing the school uniform, crisp and pristine, with not even a single crease on his entire outfit. I'd like to know if he wears the clothes only once before throwing them away and then wears a new set.

I don't think a shirt can look this white unless it is new, no matter how expensive the detergent you use.

But I can't ask him about which detergent he uses. That is absurd. Not like he would know it anyway.

"Thanks but I already had my lunch Soobin" I shrug. He has been trying to make an effort with me since that night at the shop but I am still angry.

We bumped into each other a lot lately. Sometimes in between classes, I had a 1-1 minute brake or in the library when both of us had free periods.

He always made small talk and offered me whatever snacks he had on him. I was cordial with him but his act lingered in the back of my head. It would take me some time to get back to normal with him.

My anger was not just bias from hearing Yeonjun's side but more so the fact that his entire act of coming over to my house unannounced felt like a violation of privacy.

He had the means to get my address, he had the means to get all sorts of information on me but that didn't make it okay for him to do it.

The entire ordeal kind of made me uncomfortable. And I just couldn't find a way to get past that.

"Are you coming to the weekend trip? I didn't see your name on the student list" he speaks up again, matching my strides as I try to walk away.

"Nope, not going" is all I say. The school organized a weekend trip to the beach for recreation since the mid-term was hectic for the students. San told me that they do it every year. After mid-term and end-term.

It is a way for the school to reward children for working hard and studying. Making sure the future of our Nation knew that achieving goals came with rewards and whatnot.

But the reward was not free.

Even after compensation, the price was too high for me to afford. I mean, the hotels and cottages booked were top notch and I hardly believe they would feed us convenience store food so the price made sense.

It was just too much for me to spend on a weekend trip.

San usually didn't go to these either but he saved up money from his pocket money and since this was his senior year, he wanted to experience it once before he left for college.

I can't blame him but it did bum me out a little bit.

"Why not? It is really fun. This will be your first school trip. Don't miss it. Here, take this itinerary. Don't share it with others yet. The official announcement will be by the end of the week. I am on the planning committee. I thought maybe a sneak peek at the activities will help you make up your mind" he shrugs and smiles hopefully.

'Thanks, Soobin but I am not sure if I want to go. I have the stuff to do and I can't just take three days from my work. But I'll think about it" I take the sheet of paper and the muffin from his hand.

"Do you want to hang out later, after school?" he asks hopefully.

"I can't. I have a tutoring gig and then closing shift at Hive" I answer honestly.

"Do you want to go see a movie tomorrow?"

"Same schedule as today. I am swamped pretty much the entire week" I make up an excuse. I would have said yes to the movie or even hung out with him but I was still angry at him.