Cousinhood, Blooming Friendship
"Hyori-ah, where are you going?"
I looked up to meet my parents' curious looks, letting a smile conquer my lips. "Jogging at the lake, Eomma."
"Why not go to the gymnasium? It's more convenient."
"I want fresh air." I simply replied, tying my shoe laces. "And I'll get breakfast once I return. It's still early."
"Well, be careful, Hyori." Appa reminded. "We're going to work after eating. Be sure to help your sister with whatever she needs."
"Of course!"
I went out of the house wearing my jogging shorts and a plain black shirt. My hair was in a high ponytail and a towel was on my shoulder, something for me to use once I perspire.
I planned to start the weekend with a clear mind - hoping that I wouldn't have to think about Eunhye, Jungkook, or even Jimin. I admit I had been experiencing an extremely good time with Jungkook the past two days, but I try not to get too attached, knowing it's all temporary.
We're friends, I know, it's okay to feel comfortable in each other's presence but hell, he doesn't know I like him and all of his gestures would mean something else to me.
Everything's not that bad, though. My parents found out about me winning second place and they were genuinely happy with the results. I guess I'm really not ready to participate in the Lion's Sketch Competition at all, and that's fine.
After an hour of jogging, I came back home for a cold shower. Afterwards, I changed into a pair of black leggings and an over sized shirt with my damp hair cascading down my shoulders.
I grabbed my art tools from the storage room and a plain canvas to paint on, placing everything into a small table I asked the maid to set up in the garden. I brought the canvas to its stand and aligned the brushes properly - from smallest to the biggest, as well as the watercolors I would use.
Our garden has the most relaxing ambiance. I always loved how the flowers and plants were arranged; how clean the pathways were - it gave me a better reason to enjoy my time here while painting.
I started to work on the portrait and with each streak of the paint brush, I smiled privately in satisfaction.
When I was younger, I was slightly envious of the kids who had the talent to sing, to dance, to act. They had such sweet voices while I could hardly even sing without cringing. It made me jealous of people like Eunhye, who was multi-talented. She may not be the best in singing or dancing, but she can pull off both. Plus, she had an astonishing passion for writing. She was great, simply amazing.
Not to mention, Soobin's area of expertise would be writing, too. She was also truly intelligent and it's sad how I always feel left out. Like I'm the least talented; like I'm the least important.
That's why I was so happy when I found my way - when I discovered arts. In my mind, finally - I had something to brag about, I finally had something to be proud of - but as time went by I realized that I really, genuinely loved arts. I didn't like it because I found out it was my talent. I loved it because it made me happy, it satisfied me very much.
-
"Whoa! Your work is awesome!" Eunhye was currently gawking over the paintings beside the announcement board with twinkling eyes.
"Wow Hyori, your work is the ugliest." Soobin crossed her arms. "I'm disappointed."
Eunhye shot her a look and lightly slapped her shoulder. "You're so mean, Soobin-ah."
I stifled a laugh. I wasn't offended whatsoever; Soobin is and has always been like that. I've gotten used to it.
The Art Club decided to hang our winning works. Mostly everyone gathered here to look at them right after the morning ceremonies. And finally observing the other two portraits, I kind of agreed with Soobin, my painting looked the ugliest out of the three despite the fact that I won second place.
"Your painting is impressive, Hyori!"
"They're so nice, I'm jealous! I should sign up for an Art class next summer!"
Still, my face was flushed upon hearing their unexpected praises. In my painting, you could see a boy and a girl dancing waltz with bricks as their background. However, at the left end of the concrete wall, a peeking girl could be seen - she was looking at the dancing couple.
A few moments later, the people in the area lessened and we came to realize that it was 10 minutes before the first period starts. Soobin was the first to know and she basically dragged Eunhye and I away from the announcement board.
We were on our way to the second floor when I heard my name being called twice. Instinctively, I turned and looked over my shoulder, only to see a familiar face with smiling eyes and bright grin.
My eyebrows rose before I tapped Eunhye's shoulder. "Eunhye, Soobin, you two go ahead. I'll catch up. I have to go to the comfort room."
"I'll go with you-"
"It's okay-"
In a blink, I found Jimin just beside me. Eunhye had a surprised expression while Soobin had no progress whatsoever, still having that same old poker face of hers.
I cleared my throat. "Jimin."
Eunhye glanced at me before returning her eyes back to Jimin, who had his usual soft smile. My cousin beamed. "Jimin, how's it going?"
I shook my head. My cousin had 'that' look again, with the teasing face and all. God, I can't believe she's still pushing me to Jimin even after throwing me away to join that Art Elimination. Jimin is officially a contestant for the Lion's Sketch and Eunhye might have never said it but I know she wanted me to join him. She probably thinks we'll get developed that way. Unbelievable. But well - a deal is a deal after all.
I snapped out of my reverie when Eunhye called my name. "Hyori, we're going ahead. You should accompany your friend." And before I could protest, she grabbed Soobin away and walked forward, leaving me and Jimin alone.
I sighed. "Sorry about that... my cousins are weird. The other one is hyper and the other is emotionless."
"Strangely though, they're entertaining, especially Eunhye." Jimin answered, placing his hands inside his pockets. "So it's fine, please don't be embarrassed."
The two of us started to walk beside each other, but of course with a decent space between us. "Eunhye is fun to be with..." I added. "Actually, both of them are really great companions, but Soobin is hard to, uh, be friends with at first."
He nodded. "She's an achiever. Wise and selective when it comes to friends, I assume."
"Hmm. You're right."
"By the way, your cousin mentioned you a lot when during our interview."
I furrowed my brows. "Interview?"
"I think it happened the other day? She was interviewing me for the school news paper. About volleyball, of course."
"Oh. I didn't know that. But she was quite busy these past few days." I nodded, letting his words sink in. My cousins are part of the Journalism Club and I'm pretty sure they're also part of the school paper team. "And may I know what kind of nonsense she told you about me?"
I'm starting to hate Eunhye, really.
Jimin snickered as he ran a hand through his hair. "She just kept telling me how much you love arts and painting. You and I actually have a lot in common. She told me you liked clothes, jogging, and your favorites are chicken, ramen noodles, and shrimp."
I don't even know if those things are supposed to be known by Jimin. All I know is that I'm blushing right now in utter embarrassment. Even my favorite meals? Really, Eunhye? "I don't usually... uh, eat a lot since I don't want to gain too much weight. Gosh, why did Eunhye tell you all those? That prick." I faked a laugh.
"Well, based from how I saw you in her birthday party, you were only eating slices of fruits." Jimin replied.
"You remember that?" I asked, slightly surprised.
"I think my memory is not that bad, Hyori-ah." He smirked. I quickly looked away and we stopped on our tracks. "Number 304. This is your room for the first subject, right?"
I nodded. "Yes. You should go ahead, too. You'll be late."
"Okay." Jimin suddenly raised his hand to get the door knob, opening the door gently. My eyebrows rose. I didn't expect him to be this kind; I know he's a gentleman but I never actually witnessed him do such a thing. "By the way, congratulations. Your painting was outstanding."
"You flatter me too much, it wasn't the best." I shook my head. "Please go ahead."
Jimin flashed me one of those smiles again before jogging up to the stairs to get to the third floor.
-
The next few days weren't exactly different. Eunhye would still hand me those expensive gifts and I'd travel to Seiho just to give them to Jungkook - not that I was complaining; I was actually having a pretty nice time with him. Additionally, I was slowly learning new things about him that I wasn't aware of in the past. And sometimes, we go for Nana's Ramen Shop for a snack.
However, today was different. Eunhye and Soobin were stressing with their club duties yet again - being part of the Journalism club, where they prepare the school news paper - and being the officers, of course. That's why when I found out that Eunhye couldn't buy Jungkook a present, I understood right away; she was busy with her other responsibilities.
It's not like she was forgetting about him. I'm at least 90% sure that Eunhye is texting Jungkook everyday, asking how he is and probably apologized to him for not being able to give a present.
I'm currently with Hanseol and her boyfriend - since I absolutely had no one to be with at the moment. I probably seem like a third wheel, which makes everything look awkward but thankfully, Hanseol's boyfriend isn't hard to approach. He's actually friendly.
"We're going to a cyber cafe. Taekwon has been persuading me to come," Hanseol laughed lightly. "You should come with us! It'll be fun!"
I smiled. "It's fine. I already called my driver, anyway. He's picking me up soon."
"What? Come on, Hyori! I promise, you wouldn't be an awkward third wheel!"
I snorted, waving my hand dismissively. "You go ahead. I'll join next time."
"No fun, no fun." Hanseol mumbled - but still loud enough for me to hear - while shaking her head. "Taekwon, Hyori is not coming."
I glanced over to her boyfriend and flashed an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. Take care of Seol."
Taekwon gave me a nod, "Of course. Join us next time."
"I will."
The moment they set off, I sighed. I didn't call my driver at all and I still don't want to go home. Even though Hanseol reassured me that I wouldn't be a hindrance between them, I figured that the two of them planned to go to a cyber cafe ahead of time - and I shouldn't join. I feel like it's disrespectful, even if the two of them think it's not.
So I just continued on my own. My bag was hanging on my shoulder and I just walked continuously. At this time of the day, I'm usually in Seiho, waiting for Jungkook to come out from his practice. Well, not today. Sometimes I forget that I'm only doing that for Eunhye.
My feet took me to the almost empty cafeteria. Only a few students could be seen and it was silent. I decided to buy a bottle of water to quench my thirst and went to the benches in the field afterwards.
I immediately saw the volleyball team and of course, Park Jimin wouldn't go unnoticed. Even though he wasn't the tallest player, he somehow had a different aura.
The bench was empty and I sat there alone. My hands were slightly wet for touching the cold water bottle, but I kept my eyes straight on the team. My mind was drifting away for some reasons. I wonder what Jungkook is doing right now? Is he still in the practice? Maybe he's done?
"Hyori-ah."
I quickly snapped out of my thoughts and looked up, meeting Jimin's brown eyes. He was sweating; his hand was on his waist and the other was drying his hair with a towel.
"Jimin," I greeted with a beam. I then avoided his eyes and my vision fell on the water bottle. My eyebrows rose as I stood up, outstretching my arm and offering him the unopened drink. "Here."
I momentarily glanced and saw that one of his brows were raised. I heard him chuckle. "It's fine. I think you bought that for yourself."
"No, really. It's for you." I insisted.
"Uh, alright then." He reluctantly accepted the bottle and our fingers slightly touched in the process. "Is everything okay?"
"Huh?" I faked a laugh. "Yup. Why?"
"Well, you seem nervous. I mean, you can't even look at me straight."
I was taken aback by his response. Even when I was younger, I wasn't particularly good with eye contact. It made me feel uncomfortable for some reason. The only people I can look straight into the eyes would be my parents, Hyomin, and Eunhye.
"Do you want to go for a snack?" Jimin suggested. "I'm on break."
"Sure... thank you." I replied and walked beside him towards the cafeteria again.
-
"Thanks to your cousin, I found out that you like noodles." Jimin said as he placed a cup of instant noodles in front of me. He then pulled a chair and sat immediately.
I chuckled. "Yeah, but she went overboard and told you things you shouldn't have even heard."
"You shouldn't be embarrassed," he laughed lightly as he saw the misery in my face. "You're cute when you are, though."
I immediately glanced away as I felt my cheeks turning warm. I pressed my lips together and decided to shift the topic. "By the way, thanks for the noodles. Uh, I'll pay you-"
"It's no problem, really." Jimin shook his head. "I thought you went home already, though. You usually go out of campus right after class dismissals."
"I had things to finish today." I lied, looking down on my food. In all honesty, I don't even know why I'm here when I can just head home and rest. I want diversion though, I'm sure of that. I'll probably just think of Jungkook if I go home right away. It's too quiet in the house.
"Oh, I see." He nodded quietly. "By the way, I haven't been seeing Eunhye's boyfriend recently..."
My eyebrows rose. Why is he suddenly curious? But I guess - because of Eunhye's popularity, people already noticed that Jungkook hasn't been picking her up lately but most are afraid to ask why. Well, it's not their business to know.
"Oh. Her boyfriend was really busy these past few weeks..." I replied shortly.
Eunhye and Jimin aren't exactly best of friends but they're well-acquainted. I heard they have one class together and I guess that's the reason why Eunhye is also confident about our deal - she's friends with the guy she believes I like, and I'm friends with Jungkook.
"Sure hope they're doing well."
I cleared my throat. "They are. You know, they actually love each other too much that I think they're ready to marry each other soon." I tried to joke, laughing lightly.
Jimin smiled. "Really? They must have a healthy relationship." He said before urging me to eat my food.
-
"You shouldn't have bothered," I gave him an apologetic look. "Please return to your practice, you're going to be late."
"It's no big deal. The field isn't so far from the gates." Jimin shook his head. "Anyway, you're going to wait for your driver here?"
"Yes. I'll text him. Thank you."
"Stay safe." He noted and suddenly pressed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair. I momentarily stiffened on my spot. "I'll see you tomorrow."
I breathed deeply once he was out of sight. Honestly, he can make any girl fall for him. And I wish he'd make me fall for him again because it sucks how every time I look at him, I just keep remembering Jungkook. I probably spent so much time with Jungkook that his face is all I can see.
"Hyori!"
A familiar voice rang through my ears. I turned and looked over my shoulder, only to find one of my cousins - Park Jisoo, Soobin's older brother.
"Jisoo oppa!" I waved, running towards him. "I didn't notice you here."
I shot me a look, an annoyed one that it almost seemed like a glare. "Of course you wouldn't, you were busy being all lovey-dovey with the shortie earlier. Who is he? Your boyfriend?"
My face turned beet red in embarrassment. His voice was damn loud that some people actually turned their heads and looked at us. God! Why do I get embarrassed everyday?
"You know what - I'll explain outside. Not here where students can here you," I groaned, grabbing his hand and trying my best to drag him away.
Thankfully, Jisoo wasn't being a bitch and gladly went out of the campus with me. I instantly got a good view of the car he usually uses to pick up his sister. "You're here to pick up Soobin?"
"Don't try changing the subject, Hyori!"
"I'm not changing it!" I rolled my eyes.
Jisoo and I walked towards the car and he opened the back door for me. I stepped inside with a scowl on my face. I was slightly surprised when I saw Jihoon on the front seat though, but my expression didn't falter whatsoever. Besides, he seemed like he didn't care about me at all.
In a few seconds, Jisoo was also inside the car. I crossed my arms when he turned to look at me. "Who's the guy?"
"No one. I don't understand why you're getting mad." I sighed. My cousins can sometimes - or most of the time, maybe - act overprotective over me, Eunhye, and Soobin. Even Hyejin unnie.
"I'm just asking, Hyo. You know that you're still not allowed to have a boyfriend."
I almost laughed. And where did he get that information? "Oh come on. Eunhye has a boyfriend and she's just older than me by two months. Nobody said I can't have a boyfriend!"
"So that shortie really is your boyfriend, is that what you want to say?"
"No - ugh, this is why you don't have a girlfriend, Jisoo oppa."
"This kid," he scratched his head. "Eunhye has a boyfriend because the whole family basically approves of Jungkook. Even our grandparents."
I sighed. "I won't even try arguing. Jimin is a friend, by the way. Don't call him 'shortie'."
"But he's short, though."
"He's taller than me."
"But you're short."
"I now understand why Soobin hates you."
-
I was quietly singing along the stereo while waiting for Soobin and Eunhye. Jisoo offered to drop me home so I'm currently stuck with the twins while my cousins are inside the school. Jisoo was outside the car because he was cringing every time he heard my voice (the car was quiet so of course he'll hear me) and Jihoon seemed perfectly fine because he had his own earphones.
"Finally!" The door opened and Eunhye and Soobin immediately joined me in the back seat.
"Sorry for keeping you guys waiting." Eunhye stretched her arms before yawning. "Geez! I'm exhausted!"
Soobin didn't say a thing and silently leaned on the window while closing her eyes. Jisoo stepped inside the car again and turned the stereo off. "Let's go get some cheese dog at Beehive's?" He offered happily.
"Yup! It's your treat, right?" Eunhye clapped her hands.
"I'm on a diet, though." I commented.
"No. Pay for your own food. That's a policy." He laughed. "And Hyori, you're already thin. You should eat some real food and not those leafy grass stuff."
Eunhye rolled her eyes. "She'll eat if you'd treat us. Come on!"
"Whatever." Jisoo clicked his tongue. "I'll end up paying anyway."
"Yes!"
I smiled. I guess I really am the luckiest when it comes to my cousins. They're my family. This is happiness.