The whole week went by in an unsettling rush. You occupied yourself with homework and helping Daniel with his, trying to distract your thoughts from the rumors surging in school - apparently you were already coming for Heeseung even when he's still with Yana.
The boy you were trying to dodge at every opportunity and he wasn't helping at all. He tried to get your number, but Hazel after the issue with Jay didn't give it, so is Violet who would rather see Ni-ki be with you even then.
Saturday was one of those days where you can just lie in your bed. It pleased you much more to know Daniel was grounded for the reason you explained to your dad what had occured with your secret letters. A part of you thought he had taken away Daniel's phone too, because upon opening your account in the school portal board, there's not any post from your insolent brother.
But it doesn't mean the damage was already fixed. Rather than discontinued, it had only been getting worse from there.
Imagine you were hoping to finish the equation for math assignment when your phone vibrated next to you in the bed. Everything was fine and peaceful in your day until you see the name of the caller, and considered your world is striked by a large meteor to end it in one blow, like the one that ended the dinosaurs.
It's Park Jay calling. It feel like you had not seen him longer than a day, and though you doubted yourself what is going to be like talking to him, you answered and closes your eyes as you listen to the clearing of a throat before he spoke.
"There you are", he says when you picked up and you couldn't help but wonder as to where he is. "I thought you would ignore me too even here"
You sighed. "I'm just having a hard time dealing with my problems", you mumbled, resting your forehead in your hand. "Sorry about that"
"Is it about that Heeseung?", he asked rather curiously. "The one insisting he is your boyfriend and you keep refusing it?"
You take a deep breath then wipe at your nose. Seeing that there was nothing wrong about it, you shared your thoughts to him. "His ex would be coming after me, I know. I knew that girl, she always liked to own Heeseung", another sigh. "What am I supposed to do? Run forever?"
"It's okay", he says, drawing a long pause out as your stomach lurches at the idea of Yana pulling on your hair in front of everyone. "I'll do my best to protect you, just call me in this number and I will be there in no time"
The words had your eyes widening and you reached out to smash your fist against the pillow. "Why would you do that? We're not even friends to begin with", and he lets out a low whistle.
"Because I care about you", he said quickly, too quickly that you gasped and you swear you could hear a grin in his statement. "Didn't I save you before from a creep? I'll do the same this time"
You closes your eyes and think about the time in Seattle, the first meeting with Jay who you had thought was certainly the last and here he is now, going to the same school - calling you now and perhaps the what if's isn't going be just that.
Your voice is very small when you replied, "Why do you even want to help someone like me who puts herself into this mess?"
There's a silence on the other end, and then Jay's voice comes back a bit softer. "I'd like to think I have good observation about people", he says confidently. "I observed you closely the day of Heeseung's announcement and I could tell you didn't agree with him. You don't even like him"
His surprising correct speculation had you struggling to find something to say. You even stuttered when you tried to make up words, the tone of your struggle drawing Jay's attention, making him chuckle lightly.
"I can be your superman against him and his ex. We'll fly away with my red cape", he teased gently, easing some of your nerves like he knew you would.
"Yeah, you would", you say, laughing over the image of a slender superman when he's supposed to be a muscular man. "You are the only hero I can see personally, but please be decent in the red underwear thingy"
In a voice that was much more confident than usual, he joked. "I wouldn't even bother with being decent if that means I can take you away from him"
By now, the two of you were giggling on the phone, neither of you and Jay able to complete a sentence between fits of laughter, and you give yourself to it, blinking back tears. It feels wonderful talking to him; after a long hard week, you're grateful for an excuse to laugh.
"Is there anything else you want to share to me?", he asks finally, catching his breath. It had been easy to laugh again after you hear him saying to someone else to shut up.
The phone beeps, and this time you hear a curse under his breath. "All you needed to know that you made my day with your superman joke", you say, and he laughs, but in this instant, there's something weary about it. "Thank you, Jay"
"You wouldn't be ignoring me again then?", he hedged quietly, and those words pierced through you. "I'd like to approach you even in school. Since Heeseung isn't your boy, it's only my right to talk to you"
"I'd like that too", you say, and then, almost as if it was plan, the line goes dead. You sit there like that, looking at the phone for another minute or so, and then return back to your assignment with a smile, and except for the faint beat of your heart, it was silent.
If you hadn't been so coward dog that day, maybe you wouldn't have done something as stupid as kiss Lee Heeseung in the quad and only for the boy to tell he's your boyfriend.
Daniel and Jungwon was talking about that in the other room next to yours, but from your closed door, you couldn't have possibly known this.
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One of the best thing about being the eldest child was being assigned with the responsibility of buying the grocery. It comes with a pocket money to buy a new book. And you knew that many teenagers would disagree with you, enjoying more to hangout with their friends at weekend.
Maybe that was why your dad trusted you the first time Daniel had exceedingly push the card with buying too much chocolates. And no responsible parents should take that risk repeatedly.
The mini mart is only a walking distance from your house and there was no complaint if you were able to see the usual hub bubs in the playground and beside the mart, you never stopped loving the view of the hamsters running in their rolling wheel inside the pet shop. The kittens even reminded you of someone before you ducked inside the mart and instantly headed over for the trolley.
When you finally pushed through the section of vegetables, you went up to the potatoes and picked up a large one, turning and twisting it with your both hand - so you could tell if it's passable. Frowning at some of the black spot, you put it down and pick up another bag. Once you were satisfied, you put it on the trolley and moved swiftly on. There were still many things you needed to buy in the list.
By the time you managed to cash all of the grocery out of the counter, your eyes refused to leave the ingredients for a mash potato and really, not being able to look away was simply asking for trouble.
Especially when the moment you walked out of the automatic opening and closing door, you bumped right into someone. It causes for the brown bags you were carrying to fly out of your arms, but you caught yourself quickly as you spouted up apologies.
"Whoa, careful", a voice said, holding you into the shoulders. When the person was certain that you were stable, they released you and you finally raised your eyes to see who it was.
Not in a million years, you'd expected to find yourself standing across Park Sunghoon and the way he was looking at you, he might be thinking the same thing.
"He - Hello", you greeted, hoping that you didn't sound awkward as you thought you did.
"Hi Y/N", he greeted back with a slight nod of his head. What is obvious, though, is that he's not alone.
Of all the person he could be with in all of ridiculous coincidences, it had to be freaking Jake. Were they friends? Although, now that you thought about it maybe it wasn't odd that this encounter seemed awkward. The two of them, both relatively a part of your drama with the letters and one of them was even your first kiss.
What even is the right thing to do at this moment? Stay or flee?
The last choice is what you had intended to pick, so you eyed your watch and make out a disbelieving expression with your mouth gaping as you muttered, "Shoot. My dad is waiting for the potatoes. I should go"
With one wave towards them and not waiting for Jake to say what it was that he was mumbling about, you carried on walking to the street and once again, refuse to hear the call from the two. But it seemed like you were destined to stay and spend an unnecessary amount of panicking as Heeseung rounded the corner suddenly. He was clearly in a rush, scanning the entrance and before he could even see you, an insane idea entered your mind.
"You're both an athlete, right!?", the exclamation had Sunghoon and Jake looking at each other then to their surprise, you were handing them the brown bags of groceries before you plead, "Please help me. Hide me now from him!"
The two of them immediately catch onto Heeseung's figure thundering down from his car and quickly enough, for your own sake, they both pushed you in front of them then discreetly gestured for you to follow them in the back parking lot. As you reached it eventually and had gotten out of your so-called boyfriend's sight, you frowned when the two began to laugh.
Sunghoon sent a curious glance from where the three of you had escaped from before admitting, "It was funny to see you practically ready to jump in our arms just to avoid him"
"Is he not your boyfriend?", Jake asked then, coming into the conversation. "Did you have a fight with him to ask us for help in spite of you avoiding us before?"
"He's not my boyfriend", you confessed with a small frown and they both doubted it by the looks in their faces. "It is a revenge because of what I did to him and maybe to get back at his ex"
After that statement, Sunghoon stopped at the sight of a wince from your face. Jake too had stopped still when his eyes settled on you and you swear, it came down briefly to your mouth. But that was only for a few seconds and then he was passing the other bag to Sunghoon's arm, and with a quick stride to your direction, he embrace you in a hug.
But even if you were startled at first at the unexpected affectionate gesture, you still returned it slowly with hesitation. When he pulled away, you looked towards Sunghoon who had gone rigid and he watched Jake with curious eyes.
Quickly, Jake leans down towards you and whispered in your ear, careful to not be heard. "If he isn't your boyfriend, does that mean we can continue what we had left after that first kiss?"
"W- what?", you stumble over your words as his breath brush your throat and he slowly smiled against your neck while he slowly leaned away from you. "What are you saying just now?", and you were glad for being able to control your emotions on times like that one.
Finally, you glanced up to Sunghoon's way and his expression was as blank and unreadable as it always has when he's caught off guard. "How did you know Park Sunghoon?", you asked.
"We lived in the same condo", Jake answered, clapping with glee as he remembered him. The world really was far smaller than it appeared, you guess. "We quickly become close for a reason we could understand one another easily"
You couldn't help but smile at the image it conjured up: two boys born in the same year, actually getting close in a flash because well, maybe it's really meant to be. Eventually, as if coming to terms of how their stay had been too long, Sunghoon approached the two of you and started to draw Jake away.
"We should get going", he said quietly as if he knew Jake wouldn'st stop talking if he let him to his own devices. Raising his eyes to yours, he said with a smile, "Nice to see you again, Y/N"
It was impossible to know what was going on in their minds and whether Sunghoon and Jake was thinking of similiar thoughts but they certainly seemed connected. You almost utter a thanks to their help. Instead when you turned to receive the groceries back, you found yourself caught off guard by the way the two of them were looking at you.
You knew that kind of look and it certainly shouldn't have been directed towards you from such both equally pretty boys.
"It's good to know you don't have a boyfriend", Sunghoon said after a moment, his voice low but why did Jake smile? Does he know? "I'm glad you see me as a beautiful one among the human beings from your letter"
Eyebrows raising incredelously at his reminder, you struggled to think of a response. Not that you could have said anything anyway. Jake had also heard his words and turned to you with a different smile from the one he had given you before.
He was silent for a while as you found yourself watching him apprehensively, and he declared right there, "About the letter for me? I think it's not the end for us after all"
Thinking quickly before you melt in front of them, you said. "Thank you again. Thank you for your help but I should I really go now before my dad kills me. Bye bye!", then they watched you practically striding out of sight with your legs shaking at their burning stares.
Sunghoon and Jake held you in their mind, your pleading gaze because of seeing Heeseung lingering for a moment.
Eventually, they both smiled and headed for their way home before proceeding to talk to each other.
If they were going to admit that they were not talking about you then they would be lying.
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When your dad has a day off in Sundays, he cooks spaghetti with a mash potato as a side serving and it was your favorite along a fried chicken. It's not exactly as delicious like your mom's but it's better and more edible than what you and Daniel had attempted before.
When it's finally time to eat, your dad has everything laid out on the dining table and he was taking pictures of it when you and Daniel sat, "I'm sending a pic to your mom, for her to be reassured the two of you were properly fed by me", he said.
"What time is it over there in England?", you asked. Because there's no Jungwon for once, he'll be attending church with his mom, you don't bother changing from your pajamas.
"It's already 11 pm there, but she's still up to see her babies", your dad says, snapping away a photo of Daniel salivating over the chicken. "She wants know if her giant son had done something again to his big sis"
Seeing the opportunity, you immediately scrambled up to your feet and snatched his phone, "I'm gonna tell her how Danny had been too good to me this week", you smiled triumphantly as you typed it down
Daniel only makes a face. "Just try and I will only get worse because that's how I show some love to you, noona", he said as he starts soaking his chicken with the gravy.
"We have to pray first. Will you lead us, Y/N?", your dad is saying over his son's words and you nodded, smiling at this chance to tease Daniel.
Those were your first shots fired in what turned out to be a pretty ugly war between siblings.
"Thank you, God, for this food you have blessed us with. Thank you for my beloved parents and please watch over our Daniel, for we knew one day, all his sins to me would come to bite him back", you said and you think you could feel your brother glaring at the side of your face. "In Jesus's name we pray, amen"
Dad and Daniel echoed at once in the same time, "Amen"
Out of a sudden, your phone buzzes on the table. It was a text from Jay asking if you were available to talk to him in personal. Daniel as always is concern over your well being. "Is that Heeseung hyung? Will he finally let himself be known to the family?"
"No!", you set down your phone and it buzzes again. This time, Daniel left his food to snatch it from you and he reads it, his eyes blinking at the person he didn't expected
He perked up, looking to your dad with a naughty smile. "Dad, your good for nothing daughter is seeing another boy and his name is Park Jay!"
Across the table your dad makes a shock face and stuffs a piece of chicken in his mouth. "What does he looked like?", he asked more to Daniel.
With his mouth full of mashed potatoes, Daniel continues. "Tall, blonde and handsome. He is everything Noona could only ever dream of"
"How did you even know him?", you asked quietly, taking the phone back and see that he already did the blessing of replying to Jay with kissy emojis and hearts.
Park Jay:
Can I meet you today? I'm bored in our new house
You:
Of course, just tell me the place to meet 😙😍💜
The corner of Daniel's mouth pulled into his signature smirk as he leaned across the table, bringing a hand to his mouth as he asked, "I thought you were loyal to my bestfriend. Who's that?"
"My future if that's what you want to hear", you deadpan and threatens him with your fork. He backed away instantly. "Now let me eat in peace"
Drawing back from you, he focuses on his food, acting unaware of the phone's another buzz. Ignoring the look of askance from your dad, you let out a deep breath when you see the text of Jay and loudly curses your brother's name for him to hear.
Park Jay:
At the mall. I see that you liked books. I would buy you some. Deal?
Daniel was always causing so much trouble for you, except in this one, it's not a regrettable decision to agree if a book is what you will be gaining from this deal with the devil.
You:
Sure! Why not?
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Just imagine this two helping you from hiding to Heeseung and them gazing at you like this after, what would you do?
Wait for Jay's time to shine!
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