before & after ‣ 엔하이픈

009 ; past

"Can't hurt to be curious." Aeri masked her own thoughts with mere sentences that spoke none of it. "Plus, it's not like your house is going to be unpredictable. It's so easy to say that you grew up in a mansion."

Jake chuckled. "It's not as big as what it's in your head, that I can say."

"Then I'll take your word for it." She smiled cheekily.

When they were near (as announced by him), she saw that where he lived wasn't that far from hers. She could probably go there through public transportation if she really wanted to since the commute didn't seem all so bad, and when she realized what she was thinking about, she quickly shook away the thoughts, especially when he made another announcement about finally arriving at his house. To say the least, her mind was exaggerating and his home really wasn't as big as she thought the jock's abode would be, but it would also be very wrong of her to call it small.

Aeri thought the game plan would be that he leaves her in the car as he went back inside his house to get his wallet which he supposedly left there, but she was caught by surprise when he turned off the engine and told her to join him inside as he search for his wallet.

"No way. What if anyone sees me and asks me what the hell I'm doing there?" She argued.

"Then you say you're waiting for me to find my wallet." He answered only to earn himself an even worst glare from her. "Look, it's going to be fine. My parents aren't going to be back until later tonight and the maids wouldn't even care. Waiting inside is better than here in my car."

Aeri frowned. "You promise no one will care?"

Jake smiled. "I promise."

With that, Jake was able to convince Aeri to join him inside his house where they were welcomed by his maids who took one look at her and immediately something within them registered as their confused stares molded into smiles. She tried not to mind them, not to think about what they could be thinking about at that very moment as they see this beautiful girl walk into Jake's home. While he headed over to his room, he had left her at the comfort of his living room where she was able to look at pictures of his childhood and if she wasn't by any means shy, she would have snapped a photo of one of them but she was afraid that behind her some of the maids could still be watching.

She could not help but to admire the beauty of the house. While it was close to the size of her own, it was nowhere near as breathtaking as this one. This, as from what she could see, was the very definition of wealth, the portrayal of what having money looked like. She was starting to think that if she started cleaning their house better or perhaps rearranging some of the furniture, maybe she would be able to achieve a same type of look. Yet her imaginations came to a pause when she heard an unfamiliar voice speak from behind.

"Excuse me but who are you?"

Aeri couldn't quite figure out what to do as she froze at that moment. Immediately she could tell it was not one of the maids because if it were, they wouldn't need to ask who she was because they all saw her come in with Jake, which only left his parents as the last remaining option of who would ask the same question. In hopes of not trying to seem rude in front of the parents of her new summer fling, she turned around and faced a couple who seemed younger than she imagined but older than her mother nonetheless. The resemblance to Jake's face and the way they carried themselves only gave away that they really were his parents-- and that she could possibly be screwed.

"Uh, good afternoon. I'm Min Aeri, Jake's friend." Aeri immediately bows, taking this as a chance to look at her clothes to examine its appropriateness. It seemed alright to her.

His parents' face morphed into a more relaxed expression as a contrast to the tense one from earlier when she still remained a stranger to them. "Oh hello, dear. I'm sorry for earlier, I believe this is the first time our son is bringing you here?" His mother's demeanor had changed drastically.