Status: Awkward

Chapter 17

Her eyes landed on his broad shoulder as he leans forward at the counter upon reaching the guard's station. After he saw her with Junghoon, Seokjin gave Byulyi the cold shoulder and silent treatment again.

"Have you done your council duties today?"

"Why? Do you expect me to let you talk to him again? Is Junghoon's company much better than mine?"

Byulyi never thought Seokjin would still think of last day's incident. Well, she was also disturbed at the thought that someone might have threatened to hurt her, yet Seokjin was more concern about Junghoon getting close to her.

Though both have confessed to each other, Byulyi asked Seokjin to stay modest for the sake of peace, to which he agreed. This hidden affair between them is much more favorable to Seokjin as he knew that a public relationship between him and the girl he likes will never work out. It will clearly start a chaos among the girls, his fangirls. This is the only way for him to protect Byulyi from his fan girls who might attack if they knew he is paying suit for her favor.

The pair even changed the courting to flirting label just to hide the improved status of their relationship.

From strangers, to classmates, to what? ... to flirts? It might sound awful, yet their peculiar minds think alike and accepted it as the safest word to disguise their infatuation for each other.

Truthfully, Seokjin initially didn't want to tell her his feelings. After he witnessed Junghoon's rejection at the rooftop, he very well thought that he Byulyi might be someone who is not interested in boys. He fairly knew how charismatic and attractive Junghoon is, yet he fell into the rejected list. This fear confirmed his attraction towards the young girl. And instead of shutting off his feelings, his friends chose to mingle with Byulyi just to get him closer to her. 

"How will your fan girls react if you get caught in a flirting scandal with a poor transferee?"

"If the poor transferee is Moon Byulyi? I don't mind a flirting scandal." he said still sulking.

Scandal. It suddenly reminded her of the book Yoongi took from the library during the black mail investigation.

"By the way, the book, 'Do you want to start a scandal?' I think you read it wrong."

"Why?"

"The protagonists were not the ones who had a tryst at the library but another pair."

"I actually didn't finish reading the book. I might take a look at it later."

Seokjin lied. Initially, he was not keen on reading the book but was forced to do it after the black mailing incident. He knew that the book was nowhere near their situation and that it must be a threat to Byulyi's peace.

The scandal. Seokjin thought hard.

What else is bigger than Byulyi being an illegitimate child? If that person is trying to downgrade her by attacking her private life just because she likes someone as popular as Seokjin, then that person already failed big time.

Seokjin already knew her secret. Though it is controversial and might cost her stay at school, he believed that it might be his own, open secret that this black mailing is aiming for, making him warry of Junghoon who might have an idea of his past.

"Yah!" She almost punches him but contemplate as they are in public.

Seokjin has a new habit of leaning on her every time he puts his arms on her shoulder. "Don't lean on me like that." Byulyi complained. "And get your hands off me!" As she try to kick him away, hardly restraining her violent reactions at the confidence Seokjin exude.

"Wrong move." after he dodge her attack. "You are kicking the person with a black belt in taekwondo." as he blew her a flying kiss. "See you later." with a wink.

His shape slowly fades out as he entered the entrance of the tennis court followed by two middle school females looking at Byulyi, whispering at each other as they go after Seokjin's path.

'Ah. Fan girls. How can I avoid them when Seokjin grows on me a little more everyday?'

Yet she also felt the stinging look of the students who witnessed Seokjin's playfulness towards her.

______

It was getting dark when they started the game organized by the male and female football team coaches. It was at first fun and games for the younger players but when they saw how Byulyi initiated a showdown by playing tricks on her footwork with the ball, they all became serious.

All eyes were on her the moment she took a score out of an outside kick. The older players and coach on the bench stood up in amusement. She knew how to play and was just doing it as if it was natural.

"Your noona is really good." Jungkook said as he eyes the girl on the field. "I'll ask her to play with me one day."

"Yes, she is. But please don't."

"Why? I just want to have a friendly match. Why are you worried about her?"

Junhui could not help but bitterly smile. The last time he went home to his parents and left school for more than a week, it was to protest about Byulyi's situation.

"You know Taehyung's brother, right? He is close to my sister. He told me that his brother likes a transferee in his class."

"So, you think it is Byul-noona?"

"Are you acting up or you're just stupid? My sister is the only transfer student in second year."

"Oh, yeah." Jungkook said nervously.

"I am not comfortable with him acting silly around her. I am starting to regret not pushing her to train for self-defense."

Jungkook swallowed the huge lump in his throat. He has not shared with Junhui that he met Seokjin and Byulyi at the high school campus which caused her library work for a week. If he is to spill all the things he did, he would have to be prepared to take the beating, judging by the seriousness of Junhui's expression. He never saw his friend this serious not even during their martials arts training.

"Hey! Don't stress yourself out. Sisters are designed to be stronger than what you think."

"Not my sister."

"What do you mean? She has a really tight grip." as Jungkook remembers how Byulyi snake on his neck and cover his mouth on his thirty-minute visit at the high school campus.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." he quickly retorted. "I mean, she looks fine on the field." Jungkook noticed how Junhui's head turn to his side with his piercing look.

"She's fine, huh?"

"I mean she is tough." he clarified in panic. "Do you think that I like her that way? No. Of course not. She suits well with Sir Kim Seokjin." he frantically blabbed.

Jungkook felt the relief when Junhui brushed off his words. He knew the boy is serious when talking about his sister. Protective is not even a word that would describe his actions.

"She must be a good sister to you."

"We didn't have the time." Then he paused, putting them in an uncomfortable silence. Jungkook tried to decipher his words and came to no conclusion.