Lip Balm | Wooyoung

3

Sunday

Hyunmi opens her eyes and the first thing that hits her is a stinging pain drilling through her skull. She groans while sitting up. At this point even the smallest of stimulation bursts her brain, and now she remembers why she really even stopped going near alcohol in the first place.

She groggily picks up her phone while clutching her hair with her other hand.

The students she tutors shouldn't be arriving for another two hours, it's only early in the morning right now. She flops back onto her bed and tries to force herself back to sleep to shut her head up but her plan fails. It feels like there are little tap dancers performing on a mine field in her head right now.

Finally giving in to the pain, she drags herself out of bed. She needs painkillers for this hangover. Her eyes light up when she finds the packet in her purse, but her heart drops when she opens it. Why didn't she remember to buy more pain killers before even though hers are finished?

She straightens herself up and slowly makes her way into the bathroom.

The shower didn't help at all. She quickly gets dressed and hurriedly runs her fingers through her damp hair, the migraine bothering her too much to care. She throws some shoes on and stares at her car keys. Is she even in the condition to drive right now?

She shakes her head and heads to the door. She'll just walk to the store, grab some painkillers and maybe some lunch too, and come back.

She throws the door open and steps out, automatically turning to lock it behind her. At the exact same time, her loud neighbour's door also flies open.

She turns her head automatically, curious to see her new neighbour for the first time.

To her shock, a woman with a tight, skimpy black dress comes stumbling out. "It's okay, I'll walk home!" she shouts into the apartment. Hyunmi's eyebrow raises. "Please allow me to drive you, it might be hard to walk after last night," a man's voice calls back from inside, inducing a shy giggle from the woman.

Hyunmi shudders and tries to lock her door faster. Why does the handle keep jamming? She should get it checked afterwards.

"Come on, just- oh?" the man's voice starts again, but he abruptly stops. He now stands outside the door beside the woman with the dress. Hyunmi turns her head hesitantly to catch a glimpse of his face and she nearly screams.

"Jung Wooyoung?" she exclaims in disbelief. He stands frozen with his jaw dropped open. He's wearing a slightly unbuttoned white shirt with smudged red lipstick stains on it along with vibrant hickeys trailing down from his neck to his chest.

"P-Park Hyunmi!" he yells out, still in shock. The woman that came from Wooyoung's apartment glances between the two uncomfortably. "I'll talk to you later," she mumbles before dashing away with a limp.

"Why are you coming out of that apartment?" she asks, hoping for her guess to be untrue. He blinks twice. "I...live here?" he admits. "I only moved in a little over a week ago but had no idea you lived beside me!" he now giggles, showing off his bright smile with his perfectly glowing teeth.

Hyunmi bites her lip as it dawns on her. He really wasn't lying last night when he said he just moved in after all.

Aside from that, her heart cracks a bit. Maybe she was starting to catch feelings, not realising that Wooyoung was that kind of person. He's been bringing people home every night, Hyunmi must be nothing to him.

All his sweet words from the night before must have been the same script he recites to every girl to get them into his bed.

Her heart sinks in disappointment. She guesses her desire to date someone loyal won't be fulfilled this time around. She looks back up to his confused expression and her eyes unconsciously flick to the marks on his chest, making her head pound harder.