Far From The Same ~Joshua Hong~

Chapter 2

Joshua POV

When the door opened, his eyes landed straight on her. The one that he fell in love with but was too late. He never forgot her, though. She was always on his mind. He had wished that he had asked her sooner, but his roommate, Joong-Ki, had used his charm and big ego to win her. Jin-ah.

He probably shouldn't have brought her the flowers, but he couldn't help it. When he walked past the flower store on his way to his car, he saw them. He remembered that daffodils were her favorite.

When he handed Jin-ah the bouquet, he could feel the glare from Joong-Ki. He ignored it. He couldn't take his eyes away from her. It had been a few months since he got together with the group, mostly because he was busy with work.

Jin-ah looked beautiful. He could tell she had caked makeup on her face. Probably Joong-Ki's idea. He noticed redness on her cheek. The foundation didn't cover that one spot. He wondered why her cheek was so red.

Joshua always had a feeling something was off between the two. He had noticed how Joong-Ki had changed a year ago. Always around Jin-ah, attached to her wherever they went. He had noticed how she flinched every time Joong-Ki touched her. Something was going on, and he was going to find out somehow.

"So Joshua, how's work going? Seungcheol keeping you busy?" Mingyu asked as they all sat down around the table.

"Oh yeah. New projects here and there. Neverending meetings and stuff." He chuckled.

Joong-Ki smirked. "It's good that work keeps you busy. Not like you have a life outside of work."

Joshua just smiled at him. Mingyu downed a glass of wine. Jungmin rolled his eyes. Ever since Joong-Ki won Jin-ah over, Joshua had stepped back a little. Keeping himself busy. Heartbroken.

He had told Mingyu about his crush on Jin-ah and how he'd wish it was him and not Joong-Ki. Mingyu had listened and felt sorry for him. But there was nothing he could do. So whenever Joshua needed to vent, he was there to listen. Mingyu had noticed the change in Joong-Ki as well, but didn't say anything.

The four looked up when the three girls came in with the meal. Jin-ah was last, carrying the pot of kimchi stew. She set it in front of Joshua, not giving him a glance. He understood why, since Joong-Ki watches her like a hawk. She went over and took her seat next to Joong-Ki, his arm laying across the back of her seat, basically stating that she was his.

Joong-Ki knew that Joshua liked her when he first laid eyes on her at the bar. She was sitting with a few friends. When her friends left to go dance, she had stayed back. Joshua had kept an eye on her throughout the night. He was the one that stepped in when a guy tried to grab her, touching her inappropriately.

After that night, he and Jin-ah stayed in touch. Meeting up for coffee, studying for finals, or going for walks along the river. But then, Joong-Ki came into the picture and charmed her even more. It was like Joong-Ki possessed her into falling for him.

He tried to forget her, but couldn't. He really loved her. He told himself that he would always be there for her. That he wasn't going anywhere.

"You look pretty tonight, babe." Joong-Ki teased, sliding his hand down her back, eyeing Joshua.

Joshua saw the small flinch. He clenched his hands underneath the table but had a smile on his face. He wasn't going to let Joong-Ki bother him.

"I agree!" Yuri spoke up,  noticing the tension. Mei shook her head in agreement and started a conversation about fashion. Mei was a stylist.

When Joong-Ki was talking with Mingyu, Joshua glanced at Jin-ah. She was quiet tonight, taking small sips of wine and food. He looked closer and noticed a small bruise around the collar of her shirt. She caught him staring and placed her hand under her chin to hide the bruise.