CheongAh felt the butterflies suddenly disspating into a weird, bad knot in her stomach. "Seo HanByeol!" her heart that was beating against her chest turned to a weird feeling when she realised it wasn't the boy that she liked but rather some stranger whose whole attention was on HanByeol.
"Oh! Eungyeol!" HanByeol immediately made her way towards the boy as he did the same, them meeting in between. "What are you doing here?" The boy inquired to her, HanByeol responding with a proud grin. "I started working here!"
HanByeol had instantly rushed to the bookstore as she left school. The female had wanted to acquire a part-time job and according to her, no place could be better than this. A reading enthusiast, a bookworm, this place was heaven to her.
"OH!" Eungyeol flinched at her loud exclaimation, "Where did she go?" HanByeol searched between the shelves for CheongAh but she was long gone. "What's up?" "I met your mother today! She goes to my school"
Eungyeol's eyes were wide at her reply, "WHAT?" Immediately shushing him down, HanByeol dragged him out of the bookstore, her gaze scouring the streets for CheongAh but couldn't find her.
"She left" heaving a sigh, Eungyeol walked back to the store, HanByeol following him inside. "You're not going to walk in and out of the store?" The owner grinned at the pair, Eungyeol apologizing for his weird actions in the past. "You two know each other?" Nodding at the middle aged man's question, HanByeol replied. "He's a friend"
Eungyeol discerned a eccentric feeling in his chest as she named him a 'Friend' yet he pushed all the thoughts away, focusing on the things he was here for. "So he implied to your condition?" HanByeol was lending a hand to Eungyeol, to search books for Yichan to study.
"He was asking about you?!" It was a question presented as an exclamation, HanByeol knowing the boy for too long "What do you want to say?" "Nothing" He busied himself in grabbing books. "You two...just..seem close"
"Are you jealous, Gyeolie?" Eungyeol had turned red at her nickname for him but to appear cool, swatted her hands away from his face. "Shut up!" with that he rushed out the bookstore after buying them. "See you later!" HanByeol shouted after him, chuckling to herself.
It wouldn't take a genius to notice how different the pair had been around each other. With no one but each other, they had stopped bickering and arguing every other second and had started to rely on each other. They seemed to understand each other more these days, surprisingly enjoying each other's company.
All the males of the guesthouse were seated to eat the famous, Spicy Noddles made by Yichan' grandmother. "Can I join too?" a female voice spoke from the gate, Yichan immediately scrambling to his feet when he realised it was HanByeol.
Yichan' grandmother ushered the girl inside, taking her backpack away from her and making her sit between her grandson and Eungyeol. "Hey" Yichan waved enthusiasticly towards her, the female returning it with a bright smile.
It wasn't the first time the guest living in the guesthouse had encountered HanByeol but they were still whispering and murmuring about her beauty and elegance. "Are you sure he likes Choi Sekyung and not Han Jihyo?" MaJoo, mouth stuffed with noddles, mumbled to Eungyeol who screeched in response.
"NO WAY!" Everyone had immediately stopped eating, gazing at MaJoo wiping off the bits of noddles that flew from Eungyeol's mouth. "A-Alright" their manager stammered and continued digging in his meal.
"That's the bookstore I always visit!" Eungyeol heard Yichan exclaim, "I must visit it more often now" Eungyeol dreaded listening to their conversation, riveting his attention to the noddles but he suddenly lost appetite.
HanByeol hadn't even greeted him when she arrived but indulged herself in chattering with everyone around, except for him. "You'd walk me home, won't you?" No matter how much pissed Eungyeol was, he couldn't let her walk home alone.
Simply bopping his head, he walked outside while HanByeol greeted everyone goodbye, hugging Yichan and MaJoo before catching upto Eungyeol who stood there leaning with his back on the wall and hands stuffed his pants.
"You should not show up at the guesthouse" HanByeol stopped in her tracks, "Huh?" Question marks floating above her head. "Don't meet up with Yichan" His abrupt serious tone, caught HanByeol off guard.
"What are you-" "My dad, Yichan needs to fall in love with Yoon CheongAh and not Seo HanByeol or Han Jihyo" the curt words, stung HanByeol deeply in her heart. "Why are you trying to make Yichan fall for you?!"
Eungyeol was yelling at this point, "Trying to make him fall for me? WHAT BULLSHIT?!" fumes passed between them as neither of them broke their fierce eye contact.
"Just go and don't appear infront of me or Yichan." he frustratedly yanked his hair, "Act like we never knew each other" The corner of HanByeol's eyes burned with unshed tears that she was trying to hold in.
"FUCK YOU"