I'd recharged batteries the night before and found myself with full energy that morning. I had slept peacefully and woken up with enough time so I wouldn't have to swallow my food like a vacuum and run to school to make it on time; I felt like a whole new person.
Getting up from my bed, I went to the bathroom, undressed quickly and took a nice relaxing shower. The constant warm stream of the water falling in gentle rivulets against my skin felt like therapy, and it made my muscles stop aching from all the strenuous activities I'd been involved with, including fighting that annoying guy the night before. Unfortunately, water could only do so much to calm me down, and I quickly found myself getting angry at the sole memory of that sour conversation right before I went to bed.
To be honest, I wished in that moment that it had been a dream for I couldn't stand the fact that Irene had actually called to let me know they were back in town. God I hated that bitch. And the fact that she called herself family? Preposterous! Just because she's Suho's stupid girlfriend does not mean we're a happy little family by any means. That couldn't be any further away from the truth.
I really despise those two with burning rage within my soul, and every time I see them it's only to end up in stupid and pointless fights. He's a homophobic piece of shit who's been an ass to me ever since he found me with a girl all those years ago. Yeah, yeah, it was his girlfriend, but how is it my fault that they prefer my glorious bed skills over his limp dick?
And let's not even talk about Irene. She's a condescending rich girl who thinks she's hot shit just because she's got the looks and the money to have men eating out of the palm of her hand. From the very beginning she tried to pretend she was a nice person, but I could see right through her ridiculous façade. She's nothing but a manipulative gold digger and you can't convince me otherwise.
And what the fuck were they even coming back for? Don't they know they're not welcomed here? I just couldn't believe I had to deal with those two so soon. I was one-hundred and one percent sure that nothing good could come out of their visit, and that they'd make it a point of getting on my nerves. It was enough knowing that they were still alive after what happened, but having to see their faces again? Disgusting.
But whatever. When I came out to the shower, I put on my uniform, some makeup and made my way downstairs, stopping mid staircase when I remembered something tragic: Chanyeol oppa was fully recovered and wouldn't need my assistance anymore, so that meant I had to go back to painting duty. Sighing defeated, I walked back upstairs and changed into those uncomfortable and itchy coveralls. Fucking hell.
Finally downstairs, I found it strange how the house was in complete silence, so I made my way into the kitchen wondering if my siblings had left a note for me or something. But to my dismay, as I crossed the threshold, I found out all the noise was inside the kitchen in the most annoying way: Lisa was talking with a person we knew very little, yet we all despised to the core.
Short, curvy, with long, straight jet-black hair, Irene stood in the middle of the kitchen fanning herself with an arrogant look in her face as she spoke with my sister. I cleared my throat loudly to catch their attention, which startled her, and I immediately knew my day was ruined.
"It's about time you woke up, Jisoo" she raised an eyebrow and looked me from head to toe.
"And what the fuck are you doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest defensively.
"What do you mean?" she looked at me puzzled. "Did you already forget about my phone-call last night? Were you too drunk or something?"
The amused twinkle in her eyes and her cynical smile made me realize she was trying to get a rise out of me.
Game on, bitch.
"It's not like you're important enough for me to remember."
She frowned at that and I had to contain my laughter.
"Unnie, is that true?" Lisa turned to look at me bewildered. "Did she call you last night?"
"Don't worry, Lis" I scoffed. "She's not staying much longer."
"It's not like we want to, anyway" I heard that masculine voice behind me that immediately made me grit my teeth and clench my jaw.
"Suho" I said, turning around to meet his serious gaze.
There's no doubt that I'd contracted baby loser's bad luck like a disease, because what the fuckity fuck.
"I couldn't expect less from you, Jisoo" he laughed mockingly, as he took in my appearance. "Look at yourself. Don't you think you should spare these kids the humiliation of looking at you like this? Have some shame."
"Nobody asked you, asshole" I snarled in his face, growing angrier by the second. "You're not welcomed here, Suho."
"It's not like we came here to have a chit-chat with you" Irene intervened, standing next to him. "Although..." she trailed off.
"Although, what?" I was growing impatient.
"You haven't told her yet?" Suho asked his girlfriend, looking directly into her eyes.
"I almost forgot!" she exclaimed dramatically. "We should get this over with."
That mischievous smile and the look in her face made my skin crawl and my blood boil. My hands were itching to slap her and kick her out of the house.
"Will you just say whatever the fuck it is you came here to say!?" I yelled, my voice coming out as a strained growl. "Out with it already!"
"Your brother and I are getting married" she announced, holding out her hand where I could see the big and sparkling diamond ring staring right at me.
I heard Lisa gasping next to me, and her whole body becoming tense at the revelation.
"What?!" we both exclaimed in unison.
"You heard that correctly" Irene's wicked grin widened. "I will soon be Mrs. Kim; legally your sister-in-law."
I scoffed.
"I can't believe you let a bitch tame you, Suho" I smirked, looking up at him.
Suho had always prided himself on being "different" and not subjecting himself to all the banalities us common folk indulged, as he would put it, so I knew this whole marriage thing was probably not even his own idea and I had touched a sensitive point here. The way he frowned at me, how the veins in his neck protruded, and how he walked out of the kitchen without another word told me I was right.
Checkmate, idiot.
"What's with all this noise?" Haruto, who had just woken up and was still in his boxers, asked while coming into the kitchen.
"Irene and Suho are visiting to announce their engagement." I simply replied.
"Their what?!" his eyes widened in surprise as he looked frantically between the three of us.
"Whatever, it's not like I came here to invite you kids, if that's what you thought" Irene said, rolling her eyes. "We just stopped by to tell you, since you're on the way to my stepdad's house."
This time I was the one whose eyes almost bulged right out of their sockets. Another one of the reasons the vice-principal hates me so much is because I'm a reminder of the guy who took his precious daughter away.
"Mr. Yang? You're going to tell him?" I was stunned.
"Aw don't tell me daddy is still mad I ran away?" she cooed sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes.
"It's not like you care, anyway."
Irene laughed out loud this time.
"You're right. I should probably get going now."
I felt relieved at that, but her next words would freeze me to the spot.
"We'll come get you later, Jisoo."
I didn't even have time to process the information, let alone ask questions, because they were already gone. What the hell did she mean by that?
-
Hanbin and I were walking down the hall on our way to class. You'd think most of our conversations were about sex, girls and videogames, or even about how much I hate baby loser, and I honestly wouldn't blame you for that, but the reality is pretty much different. You see, this guy is not only my best friend, but he's like the male version of myself, and if there's one person that knows me better than I know myself, then that's him, which is why I knew I could trust him with anything.
Anyway, that morning I still hadn't told him anything about the earlier events because just thinking about it made my blood boil in anger, but the moment he saw my face, he immediately knew something was wrong and didn't hesitate to ask me. It was like his sixth sense.
"I can't believe your brother and that woman came back" he let out a whistle in surprise.
"Tell me about it" I said, shaking my head still in disbelief.
"And you say they're getting married?" when I nodded, he continued. "I see... but how are your siblings taking it?"
And there it was: he knew all of us so well. I knew Hanbin wasn't asking about the two of them – I knew his question was specifically about Lisa and her feelings for Suho, which was the reason she still didn't have a boyfriend. She was hopelessly waiting to have a chance with him, and the mere idea made my stomach churn.
"I think Lisa is still upset" I sighed. "I can't believe she sees him like that. She barely even knows him!"
"But if this is affecting her, then she's clearly not over him."
"I guess" I rolled my eyes.
I really just hated the idea of her having a crush on my older brother. It was disgusting, to say the least.
"Look, Sooya" he suddenly threw his arm over my shoulder, bringing me closer to his side as we walked. "I understand you're upset you saw them this morning, but –"
"That's not all" I cut him off.
He looked at me with a confused frown.
"What is it then?"
"Irene said they're coming back for me this afternoon."
"Coming back for you?" he repeated, incredulously. "What does that even mean?"
I shrugged.
"I don't know. But whatever it is, it can't be good" I said, pensively.
Suddenly, an idea popped in my mind.
"Hey Bin, do you have any plans with Jennie today?"
"Huh? No, I don't think so. Why?"
"Great. Maybe you can come to my house after class so I don't have to see Irene and Suho alone" I said with a relieved smile.
"I'm sorry, Sooya, I don't think I can."
I frowned and looked at him straight in the face.
"What the fuck do you mean you can't!?"
"Dude, calm down" he said, putting his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry but I have things to do today."
"Didn't you just say you don't have any plans!?"
"I don't have any plans with Jennie" he emphasized on the last words. "But I'm going out with my father this afternoon."
I rolled my eyes with a groan.
"You're useless."
During recess, I was lying down under the shadow of my favorite tree still feeling utterly annoyed and frustrated, and for the first time in my teenage years I found myself wishing the day wouldn't end for I was dreading going home. I desperately needed someone to go with me in case those two were planning something sketchy. Was it so much to ask for some peace and quiet in your own home? Aish.
I was beginning to resign myself to the idea that I'd have to go back alone, when suddenly this person appeared right in front of me and for some reason I felt like my day had been brightened. Baby loser sat next to me on the grass and looked at me with a wide smile, which only meant she wanted something from me.
"Jisoo unnie, here" she said, handing me a small white box with a light blue ribbon on it.
"What's this?" I asked, taking the object from her hand.
"It's a small present for helping me with my ankle" she replied, the smile never leaving. "Plus, you've been my guide this entire month and today is the last day."
Those words made me smile broadly. Finally I was free from this weirdo.
"It's nothing" I shrugged while opening the little box.
I had to suck in a surprised breath. It was a small gold chain with a rose quartz pendant that looked very delicate and expensive and I wondered how much money she had spent on it and why. I couldn't find words to say as I kept staring at the beautiful necklace.
"If you ever need anything, just ask me" she suddenly said.
And that's when the lightbulb lit up in my head. She was the perfect person to stop whatever Irene's sinister plans might be; because when disaster meets disaster, you get chaos.
"You're coming home with me after school today!" I declared, taking a firm hold of her arm.
I didn't realize my face had gotten dangerously closer to hers until I saw the red tinge coating her chubby cheeks, the hopeful twinkle in her eyes and the way she gulped nervously while looking at my lips.
"W-why?"
There was a tremor in her voice while she unhooked herself from my grip and pushed me gently by the shoulder. She was looking everywhere but me and I thought the sight was cute.
"You just said you owe me a favor, so I need you to come with me later" I looked directly into her eyes and her entire face, neck and ears seemed to turn a bright shade of red.
"Okay" she smiled at me once more.
Irene would never be prepared for this girl.
And so the hours went by and I found myself waiting for baby loser at the school gate, wondering why she was taking longer than usual. I was getting impatient when she finally showed up and I realized I was the idiot who forgot the girl has using a cane to support her weight because she had a sprained ankle.
Without saying a word, I took her backpack and crouched down in front of her. This time around she didn't need me to say anything and immediately settled herself on my back for me to carry her, though I swear I saw the hint of a smile on her lips for a moment. What a strange girl.
Finally reaching home, I helped her back down on her feet and heated up some of Chaerin's frozen meals she left for us. For a moment I thought Irene and Suho had completely forgotten about me, which only made the situation with baby loser more awkward, since it was literally just the two of us sitting in silence, since Haruto had football practice that day, and I knew Lisa was still upset, so she was locked up in her room listening to depressing music.
After a while, baby loser started to do her homework at the table as I just sat on the couch watching tv. But just as I was getting comfortable naively thinking I'd won, the two people I hated the most showed up at the door, and I immediately knew shit was about to go down since it was Roseanne who greeted them when the bell rang.
It didn't escape me the way Irene's eyebrows shot up in surprise, nor the way Suho's face morphed into disgust, but it seemed as though baby loser was completely oblivious to their disdain.
"Jisoo, I'm sorry for interrupting whatever it is that you and your little girlfriend are doing, but we have to go now."
Out of the corner of my eyes I could see baby loser blushing madly at the comment.
"She's not my girlfriend!" I huffed, rolling my eyes.
"Whatever, let's go" Irene seemed to be in a rush, but her face told me she wouldn't budge.
"And where the fuck are we going?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Irene groaned loudly.
"You'll know it later. Just go change" she crossed her arms. "Don't take long. We'll wait in the car."
"And what about her? I can't just leave her here" I asked, pointing at Roseanne.
"Fine" she sighed with a roll of her eyes. "She can come too. Now hurry up."
When Irene and Suho got inside their car, I turned to look at baby loser, who was already looking at me confused.
"What's going on? Who are they?"
"That's not important; I'll explain later" I said, shaking my head. "Go upstairs to Lisa's room and ask her to let you borrow some clothes."
"O-okay."
-
Never in a million years would I have thought we'd be in this situation.
We had arrived at the biggest mall in Seoul to go shopping. Turns out, because Suho and Irene didn't have many friends, I was obligated to go to their stupid wedding, and for that reason we were buying appropriate clothes for the occasion – all paid out by them, of course. To make matters even worse, we also needed to buy a dress for baby loser who, apparently, would also be attending their wedding.
I have absolutely no idea when any of this was decided, but I didn't like it one bit. Not at all.
Suho and I both hated the idea of going shopping, but we weren't stupid enough to complain about it because, much like her stepfather, Irene could be quite scary when she wanted to be, so we just kept quiet and did what she said. To be honest, I never thought there would be any public wedding to begin with, so imagine my surprise when I realized that not only were they having an actual event, but that I also needed to be my brother's "best man".
Anyway, I was starting to get irritated really fast because Irene couldn't make up her freaking mind, and she'd go in several different stores without actually buying anything. It was like watching a little girl in a candy store unable to choose between lollipops and marshmallows. This was already a terrible situation, and I was dreading the idea of buying a suit, but that had to be better than a dress. There's no way in hell I was wearing a dress.
We finally found a store that we were actually going in. It was a very fancy and posh boutique, so I wanted to wait outside for them, but it turned out I wouldn't be able to. Why? Easy: Roseanne had looked at me with so much worry in her eyes, practically begging me not to leave her alone with Irene, that I didn't have much choice but to go in with them. I gotta say that looking at bride's dresses wasn't exactly something I wanted to do, but luckily for me, that was Suho's job. Those two are definitely not a conventional couple.
Even though I totally despise baby loser, I've always noted she's got these amazing legs, so being the one she'd model her dresses to was a task I was more than willing to fulfill. I sat on an ottoman and watched a very nervous Roseanne try on several different dresses waiting for my opinion, and I had a fun time teasing her when I noticed the blush creeping on her neck once more.
Once they had finally chosen their dresses and other shit Irene wanted to buy, Suho walked up to the cashier to pay as I walked outside the store holding the ridiculous amount of shopping bags on my arms. I don't know exactly what happened and it was probably because of her glasses again, but I saw baby loser bumping against the glass doors and falling on her ass with a high-pitched squeak of pain.
"These aren't automatic" I said, looking down at her and ignoring the giggles from the people around.
Right after that, we walked into another store that sold suits. Suho was looking for a perfect tuxedo while I was settling for a more casual suit – something decent, yet chic and feminine at the same time. The roles had reversed and this time I was the one coming out of the dressing room to show Roseanne the suits I was trying on, and she was always a nervous, blushing, blabbering mess whenever she'd see me. Weirdo.
None of this was out of the ordinary, but I knew it couldn't last long if she was around. And just as I had predicted, baby loser's first disaster came when her stupid glasses fell to the floor and she bent down to pick them up, unintentionally tripping one of the clerks, who fell down bringing all the mannequins with her. I lost count of how many times we apologized before we left.
The hours kept passing by and it was starting to get dark outside when we finally reached our last stop: it was a perfume store because, apparently, Irene simply didn't know any limits when it came to spending her money.
Roseanne and I were walking around the store with the sole purpose of staying as far away from the couple as possible. But obviously walking next to baby loser means walking with a magnet for disaster, and I don't know how I didn't think of that. Bringing a clumsy girl like her into a place full of glass? Terrible idea.
I don't even know how or when, but baby loser slipped and stumbled, effectively knocking several of the sample bottles on the floor that were thankfully empty, but still. Before I could react, the two of us had fallen on the floor, me with my back flat against it, and she on top of me with a heavy thud. I groaned in pain and so did she, and when we both opened our eyes, I sucked in a breath at the proximity of our faces, as well as the position we were in. Roseanne, on the other hand, became red as a tomato and she started stuttering nervously, trying so hard to apologize.
"Jisoo, you and your girlfriend better stop frolicking in public. Let's go" Suho's sudden voice startled the two of us.
When I looked up to meet his gaze, he threw a disapproving look our way and shook his head mumbling something unintelligible under his breath as he walked away.
"I'm really sorry" baby loser mumbled while getting off of me.
When she managed to sit up, she let out a loud yelp.
"Are you alright?"
"Don't worry, it's just my ankle" she replied.
But when she tried to get up, there was another high-pitched wail coming out of her mouth and she was visibly in pain.
"Here, let me help you."
Taking ahold of her arm, I threw it across my own shoulders and gripped firmly onto her waist, pulling her up slowly. Turning my head to the side, I caught brown eyes staring back at me and neither of us said a word for what felt like an eternity but was probably nothing but mere seconds. Baby loser was panting heavily as if she had run a marathon while my eyes were traveling everywhere in her face, taking mental notes of every little detail.
"T-thank you" she whispered softly.
Clearing my throat, I turned to the other side with a simple nod. We started to walk to the door with the intentions of leaving, when suddenly a very angry looking woman with an apron stood before us with her arms crossed over her chest and a menacing look in her face.
"Where do you think you're going?" she said with a scowl. "Who's going to clean that?"
Turning around again, we realized the mess was bigger than we had initially thought and we could only sigh defeated. Turns out we'd be staying in that store for far longer than we had intended.