IT SEEMED THAT Isabel was wrong — very wrong.
Earlier on, when getting ready for Heeseung's end of Summer party, she was dreading it and even considered not going, debating on making up some lie to tell the boys that her period started and that she felt sick.
The constant worry that her brother would follow her around like a fly and taking the 'overprotective brother' role far too seriously just made her shoulders slump and her eyes roll. She'd been to many house parties with him before in the past and even then he was always making sure she was okay and restricting her freedom.
It wasn't that Isabel wasn't grateful to have someone care for her as much as he did, it only made her feel awful. She felt as if she was depriving Jay from enjoying himself to the full extent — so, when the group pulled up to the car-filled street and Jay told Jake and Sunghoon to keep a slight eye on his sister before being pulled away by a random girl, she couldn't help but feel relieved and shocked.
"Come on," The girl just about heard her best friend yell out to her over the music. "Let's go get drinks." He suggested, before Issy nodded her head in agreement and they weaved their way past plenty of intoxicated people.
Lee Heeseung's house was packed to the brim, flooding with people of all different ages, genders and races. The strong mix of scents of all kinds of alcoholic liquids and drugs were imprinted within the homes walls and carpets, and the loud, blaring sound of Heeseung's Spotify playlist boomed through the speakers that were nailed to the creme coloured walls. Disco lights danced through the rooms, brightly beaming through the windows and lighting up the front lawn, where some people sat around, taking gradual sips from the concoction in their red plastic cups. There were some people scattered out the back garden also, standing hazardously close to the lit up pool, just waiting to fall in.
It was rather easy to lose one another within the cramped home, and so that was why Issy kept a tight grip on the back of Niki's black, loosely fitted button up shirt, worried she'd lose her best friend in the flock of bodies.
Once arriving at the station of drinks, Isabel's face immediately grimaced at the sight of the display of alcohol. It was quicker than ever that flashbacks from the last time she attended one of Heeseung's infamous parties appeared in her mind, and a wave of embarrassment consumed her body, causing her cheeks to tint pink as she remembered the drunken state she'd gotten herself into.
She most definitely was not getting wasted tonight.
After taking a small sip of the Gin and Tonic Niki eventually poured for her, her attention was quickly grasped by a short girl who approached the two best friends and instantly pulled the Nishimura boy in for a hug.
Confusion quickly became apparent on Isabel's face as she watched as a wide grin shone on Niki's face as he hugged her back; the two conversing about how they thought they would never see one another again.
"Oh," Niki began, turning his head away from the short haired girl and over to Issy, who had awkwardly been chewing on her bottom lip. "Issy, this is Miso, remember?"
At once, Isabel's eyes lit up at the memory of her best friend forgetting to get a mystery girls number at the bonfire, and a wide smile grew on her lips as she introduced herself.
"It's so good to meet you too, Niki told me all about you at the bonfire a few weeks back. I'm glad I can put a face to the name now." The younger girl chuckled, and Issy couldn't help but grin at her cuteness. She seemed well suited to the Nishimura boy, and so Issy couldn't be happier for him.
"You don't mind do you?" Niki wondered as he nodded his head to the exit of the kitchen, a way of asking to leave with Miso - and it was without hesitation that Issy shook her head, shooing them away like a proud mother and reminding Niki not to forget the phone number this time.
"What's a pretty girl like you doing here alone?" Isabel Park heard a rather familiar voice question whilst she took a gulp from her drink. Looking up, the girls eyes widened slightly at the sight of the tall boy before her. His small, dark eyes met her larger ones and she was instantly reminded of the times she'd crushed on him - Sung Hanbin - when she was just eight years old.
Within the Park family, it was once a running joke that Isabel was madly in love with the older boy and that they'd end up marrying one another when they were older - however, that quickly fizzled out when Harbin stopped returning to Jeju Island one summer and became a distant memory.
It was weird seeing him in front of her after so many years of him being MIA and she couldn't help but feel even more awkward as she stiffed out a laugh. It had been quite a while since they last spoke - the last conversation they had, Hanbin promised they'd continue their annual summer bike rides the following year (which never ended up happening.)
"Hanbin?" Issy quietly spoke his name in surprise. "What're you doing back in Jeju? I thought you outgrew the area six years ago..." She half heartedly joked, taking another sip from her red cup as a way of filling the awkwardness between them.
A small laugh escaped the boys thin lips and he lowered his head ever so slightly and took a few steps towards the girl, habitually fixing his zip up jacket. "I guess I got bored of visiting my Grandmother the past six years," He simply shrugged, biting his bottom lip and brining his hand up to move a strand of hair out of Isabel's face. "And I guess you could say I also missed our bike rides."
It appeared that Issy had yet to realise how close the older boy was stood in front of her as she made no signs of backing away - however, their close proximity didn't go unnoticed by the boy who had his back leaning against the door frame of the kitchen, glaring daggers at the two.
"Jay said to keep a slight eye on her," Park Sunghoon pointed out, glancing between Isabel and Jake. "Not burn holes into her." He huffed out in annoyance, swilling the liquid around in his cup out of boredom.
"So?" Jake shrugged, adverting his attention to the taller boy in front of him. "I don't know who this dude is - he could be some weird pervert and I don't want her getting hurt by him." He explained, his tone filled with protectiveness and predatory, which only made Sunghoon's brows crease with confusion.
"Because Jay would be up my ass about it, obviously." The Sim boy quickly cleared up, standing up straight as he threw his empty cup into the trash bin, a hint of panic racing through his body at the thought of his and Issy's relationship being found out.
"Whatever dude," Sunghoon shook his head, a quiet, breathy chuckle falling past his red lips. "Just try and wipe the possessive look off your face before speaking to Jay about his sister, alright." He stated, though at the same time the words left his mouth, Hanbin had rested a hand on Isabel's waist (visibly making her uncomfortable which Jake took notice of.)
"Yeah, whatever, man." Jake nodded his head with furrowed brows and a clenched jaw as he soon began to make his way over to the two - irritation and displeasure filling his body.
"Leave her alone." The boy stated loud enough so that he could be heard once making it over to the two. It felt as if a ton of bricks had been taken off of Isabel's shoulders as soon as Jake interrupted her and Hanbin's 'moment' and she could't be more grateful.
She knew she should of just told the Sung boy that she wasn't interest in him like that, however it seemed he had her in a suffocating chokehold, leaving her no room to but in as his hands latched onto her body and he towered over her like a giant.
"And who are you exactly?" Hanbin squinted his eyes in a mixture of annoyance and confusion as he let his cold hand rest on Isabel - which Jake had been eyeing the entire time, making him bite his bottom lip in anger.
"None of your business," Jake revealed, shaking his head slightly and taking another step forward so that he could take hold of Issy's hand and gently pull her away from the situation, however it wasn't that easy. "We're leaving, come on, Issy."
"Bro, does she look like she wants to leave?" Hanbin asked, nodding his head towards the girl that was chewing her bottom lip whilst he moved his hand from her waist and up to take hold of her other hand.
The Sim boy narrowed his eyes at the taller boy and couldn't help but feel dumbfounded by his reply. It was obvious Isabel was uncomfortable and didn't want to be there, so he couldn't quite understand how Hanbin couldn't grasp that.
"Yeah, she does." He deadpanned with the nod of his head, a sarcastic scoff escaping his slightly parted lips as he licked them.
"Just leave us alone bro, we were fine before you became such a bother." Hanbin rolled his eyes. "Quit being a cockblock and hop off my dick." He declared and turned his attention back to Issy, who had an expression filled with disgust spread across her features.
"Listen, Hanbin," She went to speak up, planning on rejecting him nicely, however before she got the chance to finish her sentence, Jake had turned the eldest back around in fury, and before anyone knew it, a hard hitting punch was thrown across Sung Hanbin's face.
no hate to hanbin lol!! love him really 😆😆