Winter Flame [Book 4] | Pentagon ✔

Chapter 14

I turned on the heater and turned to her, "Sorry, if my question flustered you."

Hyunjoo laughed. "Stop being sorry. It's alright. If we're going to be friends, we should be comfortable telling each other things like that."

A smile curved on my lips. "Okay." I got up and grabbed drinks from the fridge. "Orange juice, beer, or water? Or coffee?"

"Orange juice." She replied. I handed her the small bottle of orange juice.

I grabbed one for myself and drank.

She planted her elbow on the table and put her chin in the palm of her hand, looking at me with a mischievous smile. "So, what's the deal with you and Changgu?"

Suddenly, it felt like the juice went up to my nose. I coughed like I never did before, turning my back on her and grabbing a table napkin to wipe my mouth. I heard her laugh. "Are you okay?" she asked.

I nodded, sitting down and opening my laptop. "Uh... let's get working."

"You're avoiding my question."

I looked at her and sighed with a smile I couldn't hide. "We're friends. Happy now?"

She grinned. "Changgu does seem happy now." She said.

"What?"

Hyunjoo opened her own laptop and gave me a knowing smile. "When he was going through a hard time, you know, fresh wounds..."

"Fresh breakup?"

She nodded, "Yeah," She said. "I was there. I saw the way it broke him. Maybe I quite understood why. His ex girlfriend is my friend, too."

"Oh... really?"

"Changgu and Seungyeon, well, they broke up and it seemed like he didn't see it coming. They were alright, but then, suddenly they were going through a breakup. So, I saw the way it took a toll on him. Well, I've only gotten to know Changgu better when Hongseok and I started dating, but we were classmates for two years. He has always been the bright type."

A smile curled up in the corner of my lips. "I know, right. Sometimes, it's contagious. Like the way he waves his hand brightly when he says hello or good bye.

Hyunjoo looked at me, seeming to suppress a smile. "What I'm saying is," she said, "Lately, he's been back to his old self. I think you played a big part on that."

My eyes widened. "Why? How?" I chuckled awkwardly, "I'm sure he's just really moving on."

She nodded. "Yeah, maybe you're a huge part of that."

I looked away from her to the screen, willing myself not to smile. "Alriiiight, I think we should really get to work."

🍂🍂

[[ CHANGGU ]]

It's the night of YULS Grand Ball. I bounced on my feet as I waited for the time to pass before I pick up Jiyoo.

"Can you please calm down?" Yanan asked.

"How do I look?" I asked him.