┍━━━━━━━✁━━━━━━━┑
[5. Cheatolate popcorn ice cream]
┕━━━━━━━✃━━━━━━━┙
I had thought that I didn't know the people I heard in Jisoo's living room that day, that I must've just imagined it all. Now I believe otherwise. If Mark is Jisoo's brother — no, he is her brother — that means one of the voices I recognized was his. But the other, I swore that I've heard that exact giggle... and the brown locks I saw through the window...
I don't have more time to ponder about it as Yeeun waves her hand in front of me. "Hello? Earth to Y/n."
I examine her short blonde hair and sigh through my nose. One thing's for certain. It wasn't Yeeun. The thought unsettles me, but it doesn't have to mean anything. Two people can still be friends despite having different genders. I shake my thoughts away and return my focus to my best friend. "Sorry, I was just deep in thought."
She grins. "I noticed that. Got something on your mind?"
"Not really, just an assignment Prof Kwang gave us the other week." The lie slips out so easily and without me even thinking it through. Why did I just do that? I'm instantly wrapt in guilt. If I tell her that I might've seen her boyfriend talking to another girl, that sounds ridiculous. It's not like he's not allowed to talk to a girl that isn't his girlfriend just because he's in a relationship.
But then why do I feel so guilty?
"I get it. My teacher has been giving us these crazy tasks and I can barely keep up with everything. You know what, though?" She drags her cup of tea closer to her on the table and wraps her hands around it as if warming them up. I say nothing, waiting for her to continue. But she doesn't.
"What?" I ask, mentally rolling my eyes.
"The lecture hall is so big y'know, but when we got into the art rooms to start on the assignments I chose a table that's shared between four people and guess who came to mine."
She waits.
"Bob Ross?"
"I wish," she mutters, sipping her hot chocolate. "He's dead though. But one who isn't—Taehyung!"
I put down the cappuccino I was holding. "What?"
"Yep, he's an art major. Didn't you know?"
Well, I haven't really thought about what he's doing now. I knew he was starting uni, but...
I shake my head.
Yeeun tsks at me. "You should pick up the phone and call him sometimes. He's your brother after all."
I scoff, "Say that to him. He hasn't called me either."
"Y/n." She sends me a scolding glare. I turn my head towards the window, ignoring it. "It isn't too late to fix things. Look, no matter how much I fight with my siblings and how much I claim to despise them, it always turns back around. Our siblings are our blood after all. If we can't manage to stick together, what will?"
I want to scream at her, Your siblings are ten years younger than you! But I know that's unfair, so I keep my mouth shut. I don't know how to speak without saying something I'll regret later. And she doesn't even know the full story, so I can't blame her for imagining impossible things like me and Taehyung reconciling.
Yeeun sighs when she understands that she won't be able to say anything to sway me. I bet he didn't even mention me to her, or else she'd have tried to convince me to do something by using that, too.
She starts talking about some drama between some people in her social circle and I start drifting away again. Now my mind is filled with both thoughts of that brunette at Jisoo's house as well as my twin brother. It's all so frustrating that I wish I could just go back to this summer when I didn't feel much of anything at all. When the pain was so overwhelming that I couldn't feel anything but numbness. Returning to a daily life schedule has overstimulated my mind enough.
My eyes catch on the cashier at the other side of the coffee shop —Cups— and notice the absence of blonde hair. I don't know why I looked for him in the first place, and it's surprising enough to keep me distracted for a nice couple of minutes.
🧹
I unlock the door and step inside the small dorm room, releasing a heavy sigh. The scent of nail polish waft into my ears, and I turn my dead eyes to scour the room for the source. I find Sana sitting on her bed in an oversized t-shirt with her foot propped up on the bed post, painting her toenail a baby pink. She pauses and briefly glances up at me, "Long day?"
I nod, too exhausted to find the words. Then I add begrudgingly, "I've had three classes in row, all of them two hours long."
She winces, showing sympathy — even though I'm sure she has it worse as a med student.
"Did you eat yet?" I ask her as I put down my bag on my desk to the left of the door and slump down on my bed. The soft down covers engulf me in a warm hug. To my dismay, the hard mattress underneath ruins the sensation, though only slightly.
I don't hear a response, so I look over again at my friend and see her shaking her head, continuing to paint her second nail. She must've just started. "When did you get home?"
She shrugs. "I don't know, an hour ago?"
I squint my eyes at her. She's acting weird. Usually at this hour, she'd be asleep. Or studying. It's a Tuesday after all, and she has a strict weekday study policy she follows. No fun-time until the weekend! I can hear her sweet voice scolding herself if she so much as spends more than five minutes on her phone.
I reach over to open the mini fridge that's underneath my bedside table. When I open it only to find a half drunken water bottle inside, I whine loudly. There's nothing to eat.
Flashbacks enter my mind.
I shake my head to clear the memories.
Despite every atom in my body fighting against me, I raise my body up from the bed. "I'm just gonna head to the convenience store nearby. Want anything?"
Sana shakes her head quickly. "No I'm fine, you go!"
I frown at her. "Okay... See ya soon."
I exit the room and lock the door behind me, walking down the hallway past an abundance of other dorms. A red-brown carpet covers the floor, dirtied here and there with spots I don't want to know the origin of. Cream-white boring walls surround me, nothing special about them at all. I have to admit that though this dorm isn't the most clean and homely, it's livable. I'm relieved that Sana and I were able to get a room here. If we got an apartment outside of campus, it would take much longer for us to get to classes, and it would probably be a lot more expensive as well.
I drag my feet down the two sets of stairs and walk onto the street. Despite the late hour, the uni grounds are teeming with students heading home from classes or hanging out with friends. The sun has left the horizon, but now the moon is sending a cozy glow down onto the lawn where several groups are lounging around. I have to suggest that Yeeun, Sana and I have a midnight picknick out here soon, before it gets too cold.
Regaining some energy from the crisp night air, I reach the convenience store which is situated just outside campus. It's my favorite one to go to since it has my favorite kind of ice cream, chocolate and popcorn. It's a strange combination, which is why it's really hard to find.
I pick up a basket by the entrance and start rummaging through the shelves, picking out some easy to make and fast foods like cereal, ramen and some fruits. The dorm room doesn't have a kitchen, though there's a shared one for our entire floor. No one really uses it though, and definitely no one dares use the fridge and freezer there. Stuff gets stolen immediately, and I have no trust for my fellow dorm mates. Which is why I have a mini fridge in mine and Sana's room.
It doesn't really bother me. I've never been one to cook a lot or eat healthily besides the occasional fruits, but for Sana it's torture. She's always on a strict diet, and wouldn't dare to eat ramen. She complains that her face will get puffy the next day and she won't be able to go to classes like that. I always try to reprimand her that she shouldn't bother so much with her looks all the time and that she's gorgeous no matter what, but she doesn't listen to me.
So she often buys takeout in forms of salads and vegetable stews. Her family has a fair amount of money so she can eat like that every day despite the long term cost of it.
I am almost by the register when I spot the ice cream freezer. I can't help but glide towards it, peeking inside. They have the chocolate and popcorn tub.
It's Tuesday, Y/n.
Yes, but today was a very exhausting day.
Every day is tiring for you.
I know that, but today is a special day.
Because?
I didn't even have time to eat lunch today. I can have an ice cream.
A whole tub?
I would continue to bicker with myself, but then I hear a familiar voice.
"Oh, Y/n!"
I look up and see Jisoo. My eyebrows skyrocket. "Jisoo, hi."
She's wearing a pair of sweatpants and a casual t-shirt. It looks like she just got up from bed. Why would she be in a convenience store near the dorms at this hour when she lives in a mansion a whole car ride from here?
She seems to read my thoughts on my face. "I'm here to pick up my idiot brother. He's with a girl - as usual - and doesn't have a ride. I owe him for when he picked me up at Cups though, so I came. Was just craving some snacks as well."
I nod hesitantly, reminded of Mark being her brother. Yeeun doesn't live at the dorms, so I suppose he's with a girl friend. With a space between the words.
But the memory of the girl giggling in the living room with him resurface, and I can't help but ask. "Does he have a girlfriend?"
Jisoo bursts into laughter. "My brother? Definitely not. Not a real one, anyway. If you count all the girls he's playing with at the moment, there's a whole bunch of them. Can't say I'm proud to call him my brother when it comes to behavior in this." She points at me sternly and narrows her eyes at me in warning, "So don't make the mistake of getting involved with him, if that's what you're asking for."
I gulp, and then force a chuckle. "Of course not, was just curious."
Unease starts to rise in me. Yeeun is not going to be happy. In contrary, she'll be devastated. This is her first boyfriend, her first love. I'm not sure if they've used the L-word yet, but I'm sure of the fact that he took her virginity.
I have to tell her. Shit. Why did I have to be the one to find out? I don't want to see the look in her face when I give her the news.
So Mark's close by, probably at the girls' dorm, most likely getting it with a girl as I speak.
But is Jisoo positive? What if he's changed since he met Yeeun, and isn't like that anymore? A player.
Wait.
...I find Sana sitting on her bed in an oversized t-shirt...
An oversized t-shirt...
Sana never wears oversized clothes. She doesn't even have any, proclaiming it does no good for her figure.
The shirt isn't hers. It's probably not even a girl's shirt.
She ushered me out of the dorm room, not hesitating to let me go alone to the convenience store late at night. Usually she'll accompany me when it's dark outside.
Another memory flashes in my mind.
...A female giggle captures my attention. Those voices... they sound familiar. I stop by just outside to hear them again, but it's quiet....
When I was at Jisoo's house, the giggle I heard...
...On my way out, I can't help but look back at the mansion, seeing the warm glow emanating from the lit up rooms inside. In the window to the left of the front door I can see a living room, and as I squint my eyes I swear I could glimpse a head of brown locks...
The brown locks in the window.
Shit.
Sana was at Mark's house.
"Do you have another class?"
"Yes."
Are you gonna do anything special after?
"No."
"You wanna-"
"I'm gonna sleep after."
Going to sleep, huh? With someone?
How long had this been going on? Since Yeeun introduced us to him or before?
I don't know whether to be angry or sad, disgusted or scared. Scared of this ruining our friendship, disgusted by her actions, angry at her for doing this to Yeeun, sad that this will probably be the end of our four year long friendship.
I thought if anyone was going to break this friendship, it was going to be me. It almost happened last year. I never thought it would be Sana who'd do this to us. And I know this is a direct hit towards Yeeun and that she will suffer most of it, but it will effect me too.
Unaware that I've been running, I arrive at the girls' dorms. Jisoo must've thought me crazy to leave the convenience store like a madman, but I can't even remember the leaving part. I can't recall whether she called after me or if she maybe even left before I did. All I know is that I want to catch Mark before he leaves the room, catch the both of them redhanded. He's not going to slip away.
And neither is Sana.
But all my angered thoughts halt as I'm about to reach the front door and see a couple standing close to one another just to the side of it. I recognize the girl with her slender waist and wide hips, long straight wine red hair and big, black eyes. But it's the boy who snags my attention, and the utter betrayal I feel at seeing him with her.
The girl I was always worried about when we were in a relationship, who he swore was only a friend and that's what she would always be; but when she talked to me personally she'd say otherwise.
And now he is kissing her.