"So, how have you been little sister?" asked Jaehwa, sipping his coffee. Hyemin was a nervous wreck as she kept quiet in her seat. Her brother, Jaehwa, had asked to meet early in the morning before school to talk about some matters.
"Good. You?" She had a few ideas about why he wanted to talk to her but prayed it wasn't that particular reason. She was beyond confused why he was in Korea when he was supposed to be in the US to manage his companies.
"Extremely great. Although managing two different companies are tiring,"
"Get to the point. Why are you here?"
"You already know the reason, Hyemin," He smirked. "Dad wants you back in the US."
Those were the words she dreaded to hear.
"What? Why?" she asked, knowing the exact reason why, he wanted her to take over his company so he could retire. "Why can't you do it?"
"You already know I have two companies to manage."
"One more won't hurt, right?"
"You don't understand, Hyemin. He's letting you take over the company he built 40 years ago. He's giving you his company knowing damn well you are just his step-daughter."
She gritted her lips. "You can have it if you care so much."
Jaehwa calmly declared. "We're leaving in a week."
Hyemin felt her eyes swell with tears. She stood up hastily and left the Cafe.
♡♡♡
Hyemin turned in the opposite direction from school and headed home instead. This was too much for her. She didn't want to leave this place. She didn't want to leave Sunghoon.
All this started when her mom married Jaehwa's dad, Mr. Son, when she was 10. They planned to move to the US to expand their company but Hyemin strongly disagreed.
Her mother and Mr. Son agreed to let her stay with her aunt's family, with the condition that one day, she'd come to take over his company when he retired. 10-year-old Hyemin vigorously agreed just so she could stay here.
All this time, Hyemin thought she'd live here until her mid-20s, never did she think he'd retire this early. But now that this was actually happening, it all felt so surreal. She didn't know how to tell her friends, or most importantly Sunghoon.
She felt her eyes well with tears and she sighed frustratedly. How would he react? Would he be sad she was leaving? Would he dump her because of it? She mentally cursed at herself for falling for the boy. This all was never supposed to happen.
Her phone vibrated, meaning there was a new message.
definitelynotsunghoon : good morning 🌞
definitelynotsunghoon : i hope you're alright
definitelynotsunghoon : u didn't come school today so i got a little worried
highmin.xoxo : yep im alright
highmin.xoxo : now put ur phone away before it gets taken
definitelynotsunghoon : alright have a good day :)
She wasn't alright. She was far from it specifically. Tears began to roll down her cheeks and she clenched her fists. Why did this have to happen to her out of all people? It wasn't fair. Just when she was enjoying her life, something bad had to come and ruin it. It was like the universe held a grudge against her. Her quiet sobs filled the room as a wave of sadness washed over Hyemin. She cried for hours and hours on end, until she eventually fell asleep.
♡♡♡
With Hyemin being absent today, gave him time to think about what happened last night. Even though he was dead wasted last night, the only thing he remembered was the kiss.
The kiss never left his mind. He would smile like an idiot in love whenever he thought about it. Sunghoon wasn't dumb to notice he had fallen for the girl. He didn't know when, or how but he just did. He wasn't scared to admit that he missed her today. Especially her sarcasm, but mostly her.
That was why he planned to confess his true feelings for her, this Friday, as well as give her something he saved up for.
As soon as school ended, Sunghoon found himself sprinting to Hyemin's house. His excuse this time was to 'pass the homework' the teacher assigned today. Chaeyoung let him in and he headed upstairs. He knocked on the door rhythmically before entering.
"Helloo~" He greeted. The moment he noticed her red-streaked eyes and red nose, he asked, "Did anything happen?"
Hyemin chuckled. "Just allergies."
"Is there anything you need?"
She shook her head continuously.
He sat next to her on her bed and spoke up. "These are the homework we have,"
She thanked him briefly and put them on her table. Sunghoon couldn't help but notice how odd she was acting. She wasn't acting like her usual self, which got him a little bit anxious.
The silence took over for the next few minutes, but that didn't stop him from glancing at her every few seconds. He had the urge to ask her if she was okay but didn't want to come off as intruding, plus it could just be him overanalyzing it.
He bit his lip and played with his fingers nervously. He wondered if it was because of the kiss. Did she not like it? Should he not have kissed her? Did he just ruin everything with Hyemin? Was she feeling uncomfortable?
Sunghoon then spoke up to ease the silence. "Jake's party was a blast, right?"
"Yep,"
"Did you have fun?" He turned to look at her.
"A little," She forced a smile.
"Thanks for driving me home," he said quietly.
"It's no problem."
Sunghoon then stood up. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable by kissing you and I understand if you start to dislike me because—"
"It's not because of that,"
He stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "Really? Then—"
She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. She faked a smile and sighed, "I'm fine, don't worry about it."
Sunghoon nodded, not fully convinced. He obviously knew she was lying, and he really wanted to ask her about it but didn't want to be seen as nosy or make her uncomfortable in any way.
"If you need anything, I'm always here for you, okay? Remember that," He ruffled her hair with a caring smile.
"Same here,"
Hyemin avoided his gaze and looked at the ground. She could feel her eyes well up with tears and she exhaled. She couldn't keep doing this. She was leaving in a week and she's already grown attached to the boy.
Throughout the following days, Sunghoon had noticed how distant and quiet Hyemin had become. It made him sad because he could see that something was bothering her but couldn't do anything about it. Whenever he asked her about it, she would lie to his face, making him think that she didn't trust him enough and eventually making him sad too.
"You know, he's really worried about you," Jake commented. He took some time off to go and talk to the girl himself. It pained him to see his best friend so unhappy and miserable as well as to see her like that.
It was currently lunchtime, but Hyemin decided to stay at the library instead. She didn't have the guts to face Sunghoon anymore. She had started to avoid him since she found out she was leaving. There are 4 days left until she leaves and she still hasn't told anyone yet. Not even Jiwon.
Hyemin just sighed in response.
"Whatever problem you're having, I think it's better to talk to him about it. He knows something is up and he's sad he can't do anything about it. He just wishes you could rely on him."
Jake then said, "He really likes you, and I know you do too. So please talk it out between you two, alright?"
Those words did not help her situation at all. It just broke her even more, knowing that he liked her too. And in order to not hurt herself and Sunghoon even more, it would be better to just end whatever her relationship with Sunghoon was. She didn't know when she was going to do it but it had to be soon.
♡♡♡
Before he knew it, it was already Friday. He contemplated whether to actually confess or not, but his friends ultimately convinced him to, telling him that maybe it would cheer her up. So as soon as school ended, he and Jake decided to go to the mall to pick out a small gift for Hyemin.
They headed to the shop where he and Hyemin went on their date and Sunghoon looked for that particular necklace she was interested in.
"Hello, do you still have that teddy bear necklace?" he asked the cashier.
"We do, but that man there is having a look at the last one," she pointed at the man behind them. The two scurried then towards the man.
"Great. I'll buy it," said the man. Sunghoon slumped his shoulders and blamed himself for being too late.
Jake, on the other hand, took matters into his own hands. "Hello sir," he grinned at the man.
"You see, my friend here, he wanted to purchase that necklace for his lovely girlfriend since she really wanted it but you may have just bought the last one,"
"If you could be so kind to give it up, they'd be so happy. We can double the price if you want?" Jake crossed his fingers and hoped this would work.
"I would really like to help but this is for my little sister. She's a little upset about having to leave this place," said the man.
"Oh..."
"But since I'm in a good mood today, you guys can have it. And I'll pay for it too," the man declared. He couldn't deny, that seeing the two boys look so sad and hopeless tugged his heartstrings a little.
"Really? Thank you so much really!" Sunghoon expressed his thanks and gratitude to the man about a million times.
"You really like her?" questioned the man.
"I'm in love with her," Sunghoon beamed, thinking of how happy Hyemin would be.
♡♡♡
definitelynotsunghoon : heyy, u awake?
highmin.xoxo : yeahh, why?
definitelynotsunghoon : that's good
definitelynotsunghoon : i wanted to tell u something
highmin.xoxo : same here
definitelynotsunghoon : can we meet at our treehouse in 10 mins?
highmin.xoxo : sure
definitelynotsunghoon : see ya there :))
definitelynotsunghoon : and don't forget to wear something warm, it's pretty cold tonight !!
"This is the time, Hyemin. Just end the relationship right here, right now. Or you'll end up hurting him and yourself even more," she whispered to herself, pacing back and forth around the treehouse.
"Hey," Sunghoon beamed. "Didn't I tell you to wear something warm?"
He approached her and handed her his hoodie. Despite him reminding her to wear something warm, he knew she was too forgetful to remember that. That's why he brought his own.
"Sorry, I forgot," she mumbled. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"
"You go first,"
"Are you sure?"
"Mine can wait,"
I'm really sorry, Sunghoon.
Hyemin deeply inhaled, "Let's break up."
how is everyone doing 😱??