Groaning, Sunwoo tugged a handful of his hair. It shouldn't have happened this way but now it did, he knew something for sure. He'd messed up.
Out of all places, why must Chae Soobin run into him here - in front of the bar? Some more, she'd seen him with a girl. Out of many days, why must today she be with Kevin who was waving toward him? If only she was alone, there would be a possibility that she couldn't see him.
But, wait a minute. That's the point - why she was alone with Kevin?
Sunwoo was about to ask when he overheard the quiet discussion of the two. Kevin had a concerned expression plastered over his face while Soobin was calm for what it seemed like assuring.
"Are you sure? I don't want to be killed later," Kevin said which the girl then giggled.
"No worries. I'll be fine," Soobin smiled which soon faded when she looked at Sunwoo. "I'll get going now, boys."
Kevin beamed with another set of vigorous waves as Soobin walked away which somehow made Sunwoo uneasy. She couldn't leave, not after the guilt crept into his heart.
"I'm here!" It was then, when Sunwoo was about to follow the girl, Eric appeared, holding him back. "Let's go home, dude."
Panicking, Sunwoo whipped his head back and forth between Eric and the girl whose back getting smaller in view. His head worked way too hard to find just an excuse to let himself slip away from his best friend's grasp.
One excuse.
And that was when a bulb lit up next to his head.
"Eric," he held his best friend's hand that was grasping onto his arm, swiftly shoved it away. "You can go home with Kevin."
"Huh?" The latter was confused, it was then he glanced over his shoulder and found the older. "Oh! Since when you are here?"
"Long enough to see Sunwoo shiver." Kevin laughed, beckoning Eric to take a look at the opposite side in the process.
Kim Sunwoo was now sprinting. If he needed to thank the universe for giving him a fit body and high stamina, this was the perfect time. Well, he didn't know that it would be so useful when it came to him chasing after his love.
His arm shoved forward until he managed to grasp Soobin's arm and turn her around by the impact. The girl was startled, her breath hitched and her legs almost turned jelly.
"Oh my god, Sunwoo," By reflex, she let herself off from the boy's grasp and took a step backward. "I thought you were a criminal."
Still panting, Sunwoo looked into her eyes - they were furious. She was angry, that was so obvious.
"Why were you with Kevin?" He unknowingly asked which received such a bad response.
"Excuse me?" She scoffed. "Is it wrong for me to go out with my friend?"
"That's the point. He's Juyeon's friend."
Soobin's eyes softened out of the blue, she definitely, caught the point. She couldn't blame Sunwoo anyway, he was right. Things had changed, and she was walking on eggshells if it ever meant for her to be seen alone with Kevin.
"He's still my friend." Soobin exhaled. "We want to see each other but of course, Changmin and Chanhee can't know. So, you have to keep it from them."
Taking one deep breath, Sunwoo smirked before he teasingly scoffed. Who knew he would be seeing this desperate side of Chae Soobin? That was precious.
"That's why you weren't in the cafe earlier..."
"I do skip. So what?" She sassily retaliated. "I'm leaving. Bye."
Soobin took two steps forward leaving the confused demeanor behind but then her figure halted. Though Sunwoo was only looking at her back, he could tell that she was huffing to the sky as if she was doubting something. Or, she had a concern.
And at the moment she turned on her heels, Sunwoo could've sworn he saw a faint darkness inside her eyes. But, of course, he couldn't tell what it exactly was. Nonetheless, he could guess.
"That girl is nobody to me," he desperately clarified. His chest was suffocated for unknown reasons. "I-I just met her today and nothing happened."
Soobin frowned, and her head slightly tilted.
"I don't ask," a brow then raised. "Besides, I've witnessed how crazy girls' eyes are when they are looking at you. So, I won't say anything."
"Oh..."
There was a faint disappointment from inside Sunwoo's gut. It made him doubt that his efforts to get her for all this while were invisible. Didn't she notice how crazy he wanted her? Didn't she sense how different the way he was looking at her? Or the time he wasted to be with her? Didn't she see those?
Nonetheless, Soobin noticed this one thing - the changes on his face. Her breath hitched when Sunwoo wasn't bright like how she always saw him. The glowing was missing and she wondered why.
"C'mon, Sunwoo. I'll send you home," she said which the boy's mood suddenly lit up. Seeing the smile was about to appear, she threw her car key. "And you will be driving."
His fast reflex in catching moving things was his charm that Soobin hadn't known yet. And now she finally knew, it was a bit concerning. For, it was disturbingly attractive.
And again, to avoid any disruption of her heart, she turned on her heels, hoping that the boy would follow because she would never turn to check.
Sunwoo looked at the key of the white sedan he was in before in his grasp. Oh, how he was deluded again this time. She was trusting him to drive her car? It had been his dream for this while - to drive her anywhere she wanted.
A wish fulfilled.
"You know, I've been thinking that this car is too big for you." He said while tapping the steering wheel. Soobin who was looking outside turned toward the driver, her head pondered.
"This is not mine." She surprised him with an announcement. "It's Jacob's. He took mine away because he said there are some safety gears to be done."
She sniffled, one of the ways to express her confusion. Like most of the girls out there, she had zero knowledge about cars. But, it seemed like she would have some, thanks to Jacob.
It was then, that Sunwoo clicked his tongue as he stepped on the pedal. It was undeniably loud which Soobin couldn't help noticing. She pressed him to talk more but Sunwoo was playing with her, saying that he needed to focus on driving.
"Then, pull over." She sternly retaliated which shocked the boy to the core. He'd never seen this would come from her.
"Alright, I'll tell," the boy surrendered as he changed the lane, exhaled that sounded the heaviest in the process. "I think I just found out why your brother is your ideal type."
"Why?"
"Because he's protective, and caring and will put you first in everything." He smugly listed out. "Noona, that's easy. Even I... can... be like... him."
"Huh?" she pondered even more her head almost bumping against the dashboard. But then, she cackled - not really genuine but not fake either. It was questionable.
"Am I wrong?"
"So wrong." She wiped the dampness under her eyes with her finger. "It's simply because he is-"
She paused as she was getting dragged into the sea of memories. In that short period, her head had traveled back in time, recalling every tiny moment she'd shared with her brother.
Life savior - she intended to say that. It was the nickname she could come up with after everything they went through. Nobody knew about it and she didn't plan on telling either.
"Eyes on the road, bro. You don't want to leave any scratches on this car," she reminded with a scary expression on her face. "Jacob can kill you for that."
For a brief moment, the boy was scared. But, it didn't last long. Spending a little time with the older the other day, Sunwoo could say that a notorious killer wouldn't suit him.
"Nah... I think Jacob is scared of me."
Gasping, Soobin placed a palm on her chest, "I'm not gonna scare you but Jacob has a recorder hidden somewhere in here."
"WHAT?!"
Sunwoo almost stepped on the brake hastily, not caring if there was any car behind them. Now, he was scared but Chae Soobin was laughing on the other side.
And the laughter remained inside her system even after she arrived home. She kept thinking of Sunwoo - everything about him, which hopefully was for good.
And all died down when she heard the guitar strumming from the garden. There would be no one other than Jacob who played guitar in this house. But, why did he play it now - almost midnight?
"Aren't you supposed to sleep now?" She approached him in the garden and took a seat on the chair across from him.
"I'm waiting for you. It's late, Chae. Where were you?" Jacob had his big brother mode activated.
"Roaming around the town."
"With Sunwoo?"
At that, the girl squinted her eyes, "I... was with Kevin but then we ran into Sunwoo and I dropped him home. So, is that considered as I was with Sunwoo?"
Jacob scoffed before he shrugged. This was the bad trait of his sister. She would always find something to make him at a loss for words.
"My instinct kind of telling that he likes you. And the best part is you like him too." Instead, he said and Soobin had her eyes widened before she squirmed.
"God, what are you talking about?"
"Oh... Then explained about that," he pointed towards a direction, Soobin trailed and found the daisies. "You're trying to grow it now. Why?"
No answer, she had none. A few days after her birthday, the daisies were still in her room. Constantly looking at them, Soobin suddenly decided to grow them in their garden. Never once did she try to grow plants but the desperation to see them growing had kept her going with the help of their gardener.
She thought nobody saw them. Perhaps she had underestimated her brother.
"I'm going upstairs." Suddenly she announced, jolted up from the seat, and passed the car key to Jacob. "Good night Bae."
Jacob knew she was avoiding him. But, that was okay. Until the perfect time came, he wouldn't let her slip away again.