c h a p t e r 28
Another thunder.
Or was it Seungmin that dropped his book?
Or was it Felix's low 'shit'?
Or was it Hyunjin's gasp followed by his hands that covered his mouth with a smack?
Or was it Jeongin falling out of his seat?
Or was it Jisung loudly chewing on his popcorn?
Those were the questions to be asked since Gyeoul's ears seemed to ring, almost deafening her. Too much had happened in those five seconds which made it difficult to pin point. One thing's for sure was that she felt Areum's arm around her. She hadn't realized that she took a step back and almost bumped into the lamp next to them.
"Aria." Minho broke the silence with a stern, almost warning tone.
Aria had her eyebrows raised in confusion. "What? You said we'd talk about it soon." She said softly before coughing and hugging the blanket tighter around her body.
Gyeoul let out a noise that was neither a scoff nor a laugh. She felt the younger's hands squeeze her arms in support. It was meant to be comforting but nothing would soothe her in that moment, especially with what she had just heard.
Miso, confused with everyone's surprise, decided to chime in. "I didn't know there was something between you two."
Aria gave her a smile. "Of course there is." She reached for Minho's hand. To which he avoided by standing up.
"Obviously, something wrong." Gyeoul heard herself say with a curt nod. She met Aria's glare which she returned by raising a brow, taunting her.
Changbin attempted to lighten the mood by laughing and throwing finger guns at Gyeoul. When no one followed, he blew on the guns before fake tucking it to his imaginary holster.
"Is this some twisted Taylor Swift reference about marrying each other with paper rings?" Jisung began with a cynical smile. "If so, I'm letting it pass." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"You're letting it pass?" Areum asked incredulously.
"Hey, Minho and I have a relationship too deep to be destroyed by pop star references."
There was the unmistakable sound of facepalming from everyone in the room.
"Minho, would you care to share with the group?" Chan began with an easy smile serving as a poor attempt to calm the growing tension.
Everyone turned to look at the boy who was spacing out, seeming to be deep in thought. As he chewed on the corner of his lip, he stood up. "Let's talk." The slight tilt of his head downward indicated that he was talking to the damp dog--girl next to him. Much to certain people's delight, he did not wait for her to follow and immediately disappeared into a corner. Aria made sure to meet Gyeoul's eyes before disappearing as well.
"Sheesh." Felix broke the silence with his unnaturally deep voice.
"Are you okay?" Areum asked with a small frown. The younger seemed to be as bothered as she was.
Gyeoul sucked in her cheeks in annoyance before forcing a nod. Suddenly the room shrunk twice its size, making it a little too stuffy for her liking. She decided she needed some air and excused herself. She went straight for their veranda and sat on one of the stone benches. She hugged her knees close to her chest and immersed herself into the view that is the mansion's ridiculously large yet well-kept garden. It was only drizzling then. Fortunately, there was a roof over where she sat.
Although she didn't quite appreciate the drizzle because the wind was bitterly cold, she still managed to find a measure of comfort in the soothing sound of raindrops falling. It provided a gentle distraction, momentarily diverting her mind from the marriage bomb. Yet, she knew deep down that the rain could never fully drown out the magnitude of her concerns. Still, she felt a sense of gratitude for the rain's presence, as its gentle patter kept her company amidst her swirling thoughts.
Her mind spun with a jumble of questions, each one piling on top of an equally jarring one. Yet, in the midst of the confusion, one question stood out, leaving her utterly bewildered: Was he really going to get married? And why on earth hadn't she been informed? Did anyone know? Did Areum know? But that seemed unlikely since the younger was as shocked as everyone else was. The whole situation left her feeling disoriented, like stumbling around in a fog of uncertainty. But what struck her most was the fact that they had just kissed literally half an hour ago. It stirred up a mix of emotions that only added to her already muddled state. Was he playing with her? Maybe she gave him too much credit than he deserved. As she grappled with all the swirling questions and tangled feelings, she couldn't help but feel like she was wandering in a maze without a map. Maybe a maze without an exit.
It angered her.
She seethed with anger, unable to pinpoint the exact cause behind it. Maybe it was the confusion that left her feeling lost and disconnected. Or it could be just the sight of Aria's stupid face. It made her angry that he did not even offer any explanation. The betrayal stung, intensifying her fury. All she knew was that she was boiling with anger, even if she couldn't explain it fully.
Yet, buried beneath the anger, fear took hold. Deep down, she couldn't deny it. She was scared. Scared of letting someone in, scared of tearing down her walls. What if it all ended in disappointment and heartache? Just when she's about to, shit blows up. She couldn't afford to take that risk. She made up her mind. She wouldn't allow herself to be vulnerable. She would keep her guard up, protecting her heart from potential pain. She had reached this far all on her own. Who's to say that she couldn't go any further?
She felt something roll down her cheek. She had just wiped it off with her sleeve -believing it was the rain- before hearing footsteps behind her.
"Damn, it's freezing ball sacks out here."
It was Jisung.
Gyeoul was not able to hide the sigh of exasperation. There were two things she craved at the moment. Solitude and hot cocoa. Two things that Jisung is incapable of. Before she could tell him to leave her alone, her words died down her throat when he draped a cozy blanket over her shoulders. It wasn't exactly gentle, the way the blanket even hit her cheek in a rough manner. Despite knowing each other for a brief span of time, the simple act spoke volumes, silently conveying his care and concern. It was a tender gesture, a tender moment, as if he understood that sometimes, solace could be found in the simplest of gestures. Maybe he was capable of one thing.
She mumbled a quiet 'thank you' before hugging the blanket closer. She hadn't realized that the temperature dropped a lot lower than when she had just stepped out. How long has she been there?
Jisung remained stood, silently watching over the garden as well. Just when Gyeoul thought that he was there simply to accompany her without words, he sucked in a breath. "So, who you taking to the wedding?" He asked casually.
Gyeoul immediately shot him with a deadly stare which was met with a laugh. "It was a joke!" He raised his arms in mock surrender.
"How amusing."
"I know. My humor's one of my greater assets." He brushed his hair up with a nonchalant shrug.
Gyeoul found no point in the conversation. "That's one way to describe it, I suppose."
"I'm kidding! Lighten up." He nudged her by her shoulder.
She scoffed. "What if I told you that Areum was about to get married as well? Let's see you crack jokes then."
"I don't know. Making jokes as I do the vows seems inappropriate." He was actually thinking about it.
It was actually endearing how Jisung saw himself as Areum's husband but Gyeoul was simply too troubled to gush. She resorted to sighing, burrying her face over her arms that hugged her knees. She heard Jisung sigh as well.
"Listen, I know the whole situation is shitty but I want you to know that Minho doesn't do things without a reason." He said with an eerily serious tone.
Gyeoul raised her head to look up at him and was surprised that there was not even a hint of mischief in his expression. "Did he tell you that?" She found herself asking.
Jisung crossed his arms over his chest before leaning on a podium. "No. He doesn't really need to tell me anything. I wasn't kidding when I said that we had a deep relationship. I've been friends with him for a long time and I know he's not the type of person you probably think he is right now." He said, brows furrowed. Possibly confused at Minho's actions as well. "You probably think he's an ass right now, but he has his reasons."
"Still an ass."
"With reason." He pushed himself off the podium. "Now get inside, there's hot cocoa."
(a/n: hellooooooo ~ two updates in one month??????? who is she???? short chapter but better than none, no? stay safe and healthy everyone! <3)