Sycophants. Or in a more understandable but much less appropriate term: ass-kissers. People who never made Yeojin their target.
Until now.
Yeojin knew some of these people now crowding around her had been genuinely good classmates to her. Some she even considered good friends. Although, she couldn't help but to notice some other were only pretending to be friendly because they had come to know who she really was.
In Jaesan High School where kids of wealthy families gathered, making connections rather than making friends is an everyday game or unwritten rule. And she just had to be the wife of Kris Wu of the Titan Wu.
Kris Wu might be one of the most sought-after bachelors before; but now, Yeojin was one of the most sought-after prey for the sycophants in Jaesan. And she wasn't really sure how to drive these people away, so she could have her lunch. But this bunch of a dozen kept on following her as she walked to the cafeteria, talking with her as if they had been friends from the start.
"Jin," Sunhee suddenly called from behind her, looking even more timid than she usually was. "Can I talk to you?"
After three days of being ignored by Sunhee, that was an offer Yeojin could not refused. Besides, she had an excuse to get away from the bunch. "Sure!" She beamed and immediately jogged to her friend's side, locking their arms together and dragging her somewhere else.
They stopped at the empty stairway and Yeojin sighed in relief. "Finally!" She looked back over her shoulders just to make sure no one was following her. Then she turned to her best friend again with a pout. "Ya! Do you really have to ignore me for three days? What kind of best friend are you!" She crossed her arms to make a point that she was upset though not that much.
Sunhee kept her head low then sniffed. "I'm sorry," she mumbled as a drop of tear fell on her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she repeated, wiping the tear away. "I'm sorry," she said louder while suddenly bursting with sobs and hid her face in her hands.
Flustered, Yeojin stammered, "H-hey-hey!" She quickly moved to hold Sunhee's upper arms. "Hey, I was just joking." She heard her repeated muffled apologies and sighed before pulling her friend into her arms. "It's okay." She stroke Sunhee's back. "It will all be okay."
Yeojin gave Sunhee a bottled water and sat down across her. "You okay now?" She asked with a smile to which her friend nodded. She then silently pressed a pack of sandwich to her hand. Looking around the cafeteria, she was glad the classmates who had been following her had enough common sense not to crowd her again for now.
She was only guessing when Jongdae talked to her, but it felt unreal now that Sunhee had told her. She couldn't fathom what her friend was feeling, knowing that her boyfriend was arranged to marry someone else though it was set to happen next year. She wondered if Areum felt the same way Sunhee was feeling now when she heard Kris was getting married to someone else. The thought was driven away as quickly as it came.
"I'm really sorry, Jin," Sunhee quietly said.
Yeojin rolled her eyes. "Girl! You've been repeating that forever! Stop, alright? I've told you it's okay."
"Still..." Sunhee trailed and pouted. "I was so childish. I should have just told you. But out of frustration, I ignored you instead." She raised her gaze to Yeojin. "It's just that everything's going well with you and Kris despite how it was at the start. I'm scared Jongdae will fall for the girl too." Her shoulders slumped as she exhaled. "Maybe it would be different if my family is a little wealthier. I just hate all this arranged marriage thing!" She gritted her teeth then belatedly realized what she just said. "No offense to you," she added to Yeojin.
"No. You're right!" Smiling, Yeojin grabbed one of her friend's hands and gave it a squeeze. "This whole arranged marriage thing sucks!" Yeojin lightly chuckled gaining a smile from Sunhee. "Though in my case, I kind of get myself into this thing in the first place," she added as an after thought and her friend laughed a little.
"Have you talked to Jongdae though?" Yeojin wondered and Sunhee nodded weakly.
"He said he managed to postpone their engagement which was supposed to happen in two months." Sunhee lowered her head again. "At the cost of studying abroad. That was the only excuse he could use to persuade his father to postpone everything. Doesn't mean it won't happen though." She shrugged. "So I decided to let him go."
Yeojin's rounded eyes met her friend's glistening ones. "What? Why?"
"Because it's better to let go now than to hold on but get hurt even more later." Sunhee sadly tried to smile. "Time can change people. Who knows how we will feel for each other later if everything continues on keeping us apart. You know that saying about letting go of someone if you love him and if he comes back, you're meant to be, right?" Sunhee tried to laugh it off.
"And Jongdae agrees to break up?" Yeojin raised a brow.
Sunhee slowly shook her head; her laughter turned into a tight smile. "We had our first big fight because of that." Sunhee softly scoffed to herself. "Right before we became a crying mess."
Sunhee was the one going through this but Yeojin could feel her own heart clenched. The friend might have sensed what she felt and quickly add, "It was actually amusing seeing him angry! And we agreed to be together until prom night! Don't look so worried. Why are you the one crying?" Sunhee reached a hand to wipe her friend's tears.
Yeojin didn't realize she was already crying and wiped the tears too. "Why only until prom? Not until it's time for him to go abroad?"
"I'm not going to see him off. I have to learn to adjust living without him and living for you again," Sunhee lightheartedly told her over giggles. "And he has to meet his soon-to-be fiancée anyway. That's one of his father's requirements. I don't want to get in the way of his feelings. That's why it's better for us to break up before all this. He doesn't have to feel guilty if he turns out to like the girl. Though I wish he won't fall for her," she whispered the last part and Yeojin smiled.
Sunhee waved a hand dismissively. "Enough about me now! Should we go to the mall after school?" Sunhee suggested. "Let's ask Lin join us too later. Where is she anyway?"
"She texted me earlier. Said something about meeting for a group project. And I'm so sorry I can't go to the mall later."
"Why?"
Yeojin didn't want to look too happy, but a grin she couldn't hold in broke across her face. "I have a date."
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Yeojin grumbled as she texted Kris back to tell him she was almost there. He had promised to pick her up and she had waited at the school for almost half an hour before he texted to tell her he got held up in a meeting. They agreed- or more like he instructed for her- to meet at the family restaurant instead.
Telling the waitress that she had a booked table under Kris' name, she was then escorted to the table. Yet she stopped dead in her steps when she saw Sehun, who was looking down at his watch, sitting at the table beside her booked one. Her eyes grew in surprise and she quickly turned away just when he looked up.
Walking briskly, she texted Kris.
[Sent 13.47]: Where are you? Let's eat somewhere else.
The answer came almost immediately.
Ice Block 1 [13.47]: I'm sorry. Still held up. We'll meet at home later, kay?
Yeojin groaned and was about to reply when she was pulled back by the elbow. Even before she turn to look back, she knew it had to be Sehun.
"Can we talk?"
Yeojin gulped. "We already did." She pushed away his hand from her elbow and turned to walk away but Sehun grabbed her hand this time.
"I know," Sehun told her. Yeojin couldn't stand the look in his eyes and averted her gaze while Sehun continued, "And I was wrong. I- Can we please talk again?"
Yeojin looked around realizing some people were eyeing them probably because they were making a scene. Sehun followed her gaze and gave her hand a light squeeze to make her look at him.
"Should we eat somewhere else?" He asked, then a small smile curled on his lips as he quirked a brow. "Street vendor perhaps?"
"What about your date?" Yeojin looked behind his shoulder to the empty table at which he sat before.
"Date? Ah! Date! Yeah. Umm. Not coming anymore." He cleared his throat. Somehow Yeojin believed he never had a date in the first place. Her gut feeling was saying it had something to do with her supposed date with Kris, and the suspicion was confirmed when he asked, "What about Kris?"
She never said anything about Kris. Though it's plausible for Sehun to think of Kris first, the way he asked sounded like he knew for sure that it was Kris she was waiting for. Yeojin didn't let him know of this supspicion nonetheless. "Not coming either," she answered while pulling her hand away from his.
"Shall we then?"
A part of her wanted to decline because she couldn't deny that she still had feelings for him. She was scared she would just fall deeper into a tangle mess of her heart. Yet, she thought that maybe she should give Sehun another chance to talk. Maybe that way she could finally let him and all her feelings for him go.
It's better to let go now than to hold on but get hurt even more later. She remembered what Sunhee told her earlier.
Yeojin nodded and walked ahead rereading the last message Kris sent. This was all planned, she was sure. Why are you doing this, Kris?
"Yeah, I'm on my way back," Kris told Suho over the phone and glanced at the restaurant's door just when he saw Yeojin and Sehun walking out and toward Sehun's car. "Alright. I'll see you there."
Ending the call, he watched them enter the car and heaved a breath. "I'm sorry I lied. I hope I'm doing the right thing for you, Jin." His lips curled into a tight smile watching the car go before he too drove away.
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Kriff! I thought I already posted this chapter. Didn't realize it's still saved as a draft.
How are y'all doing? You all good? Still patient enough for the slow updates? haha