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In the meantime, I got up from the floor by
myself. "I really don't know what's your problem. If you're trying to protect me, it's not working like this. What the fuck happened to you during the time I was gone? You honestly aren't my brother anymore...".
I turned and left the field towards the exit, where Jungwon was casually chatting to Riki. They interrupted their conversation, as they noticed me coming closer.
"Can we please leave, Jungwon?". I asked the older one, who seemed surprised.
Riki pointed at my sore wrist in surprise. "Hey. Is everything okay?".
I quickly hid it behind my back and nodded. "Yeah sure. I just bumped against the barricade.".
After the two boys said goodbye to each other, Jungwon and I left the campus together.
"Um, Wonie?".
"Hmm"
"Would it be possible for me to stay with you for a few days?", I asked cautiously.
"Did something happen?" he stopped in his tracks.
But I just quickly shook my head. "I just need to get out of Sunghoon's way. I can't stand his behavior anymore.".
"For Sure!", he quickly agreed. "I'll have to ask my mom first, but I'm sure it won't be a problem.".
***
So it happened as it was planned. I moved in with Jungwon and his parents for about a week. His parents, of course, had nothing against it, because I was already almost part of the family.
However, his mom had told my mom about my bruises, which she had noticed. So I had no choice but to tell the truth, which led to my mother having a serious talk with Sunghoon. I dare to doubt, however, that this had any effect at all.
The second night, Jungwon and I chilled together in his bed. I watched my feet dangling up on the wall while my head rested on his lap. Don't think anything weird, though! That's a common state between us.
"Your birthday is in two weeks. My gift will blow your mind.", the redhead proudly flaunted.
"I don't need a gift. I just want to spend as much time with you as possible.", I looked at him from below and couldn't help but laugh when I saw his cute face upside down.
"You are so clingy. It's not like we're never going to see each other again.".
My feet flopped off the wall and I rolled onto my stomach. "What are you planning to do tomorrow, by the way?"
Jungwon shifted in his place, because I was obviously almost crushing his torso. "I will meet up with Jay, why?".
"Jay?". I propped myself up on my forearms. "Since when are you that close to him? He teases you in almost every sentence he speaks.".
"He isn't teasing me?".
"He calls you match...". I glared at my friend with my are you kidding me face.
"Shut the fuck up.". Jungwon tired to push me away, but I clung around his belly to prevent him from doing so. Almost choking with laughter, I stuck to him like a glue stick. "I'm not going to leave you. I'm gonna stay like this the whole night.".
A satisfied grin washed over my face when he stopped fidgeting and seemed to surrender. But the next thing I knew was, that he yeeted me over his body and my ass suddenly hit the hard floor. In puzzlement, I glanced up at his bed where he lay with a smirk and turned away from me.
"There's no way you're gonna sleep in my bed.". I heard him huffing through the blanket.
Petulantly, I crawled onto the mattress in front of his bed and curled up in the blanket. "You are so mean.".
"I know.". I heard him chuckle and could exactly imagine his proud face.
"Can I at least join you tomorrow?". I asked as Jungwon reached for the remote control to switch off his lightning.
"No way!".
Fine. I huffed and crossed my arms, while pouting at the black, plain ceiling.
"Although, maybe you can...".
***
I yanked my sweater over my body, my toothbrush still in my mouth. "Why are you suddenly rushing like this?". I complained to Jungwon, who probably couldn't understand a single word.
"Because...we need to catch this freaking bus.". He answered while rubbing his wet hair with a towel over the sink.
"You were the one that slept until 11 am!". I stepped next to him to spit all the foam out of my mouth.
"Yeah, but i didn't know the bus would be leaving at 11:45, he justified himself. "My mom texted me she left two croissants downstairs.".
"At least something great today.".
I was indeed a little annoyed. Since Jungwon told me yesterday I could join his meeting with Jay, I assumed that he planned everything beforehand. But now everthing was so messy.I didn't even have time to put on makeup and now had to leave the house as a pale rat, with deep blue shadows under my eyes, while Jungwon looked dazzling as always with his face cream. I hated this privilege that boys have...
"Okay, let's go.". We left the house not even 5 minutes later. At least i had gotten some color on my face from all the exertion.
As far as I knew, Jay and Jungwon had planned to go shopping, which was hardly a surprise for Jay, but for my best friend?
Usually it was his mother who had to force him to go shopping. Or me, hehe. Nevermind, I'm not complaining. After all, I also benefited from it, because I could steal his sweaters whenever I wanted.
I was chewing on my croissant when I noticed that we were walking in a different direction than usual. "Isn't the bus station to the city center this way?", I stopped in my tracks and turned around to face the street.
"Yeah, but we agreed that I'm picking up Jay at first.".
I put in a short sprint to catch up with Jungwon. Wasn't Jay's house in the other direction? Never mind. I shrugged my shoulders. At least I had something to eat. That was the most important thing to satisfy my bad mood in the morning.
The bus stopped in front of a large hall. "Jay hyung wanted to go work out first, so the gym was the meeting point," Jungwon explained to me.
"Does he know I'm coming?". I followed my friend up the stairs with a confused face. "And why exactly are you meeting here and not just in the city when he's done?".
"Can you stop asking questions?". He rolled his eyes in annoyance and pushed me through the first door.
We were now standing in a modern, black-furnished anteroom, where large panes of glass cut off the area to the sports equipment. Jungwon looked at his wristwatch. "It's 12:15. They should be done by now," he chewed impatiently on the inside of his cheek.
"They?". I repeated his words. "What do you mean, they?".
Not a second later, two people stepped out of the door towards the vestibule. I shrieked and rushed back to a corner of the room.
"I hate you! I really hate you Jungwon!", I complained to the older one, who just looked at me sideways with a cheeky grin.
"Come on, Hyeo.". He grabbed my arm to pull me out of the corner with effort as I resisted.
"I look like a corpse. Why are you doing this to me?", I whispered whining and finally gave in. I couldn't hide in this corner anyway.
"Oh hey, Jungwon, Hyeona? I'm surprised you came too.". Jay looked at me with the same grin as Jungwon. These brats...they had planned all this last night, or what?
I nervously fiddled with my fingers behind my back as my gaze drifted over to Heeseung. He was probably just as unenlightened as I was. But my eyes quickly dropped back to the floor after I noticed that Heeseung was also looking at me.
Why now? Why today? Why, of all things, after that ambiguous texting session we had a few days ago when I was chilling in the pool. Gosh, I just want to disappear into thin air right now.
But of course that wasn't possible, so I just silently followed the three to the car that was parked in front of the gym - clinging to Jungwon the whole way.
We walked over the crunching pebbles as Hee pulled a car key from his jacket pocket. I was confused. Would he come along with us now, or would he drive home?
"You wanna sit in the front?". Jay addressed me from behind, as he reached for the door handle of the black car.
"So we are not driving with your car?", I whispered to him in puzzlement.
He shook his head. "I convinced him to drive," he grinned as he ducked his head into the vehicle and closed the door behind him. Jungwon also just winked at me as he took a seat in the back seat next to Jay.
Ughh, I'm so close to killing those two.
"You're okay?", Heeseung's voice suddenly snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked over the roof to the other side of the car, "Get in.".
Without wasting any time, I took a seat in the car and saw Jungwon's mischievous grin in the rearview mirror, diagonally to the left behind me.
He seemed pleased that his master plan had worked. Well, not really plan. I was the one who wanted to accompany the two, but not if I had known that Heeseung would also come along.
"How does it feel sitting there...in the front?", I heard Jay ask behind me with a barely audible giggle. I buried my hands in the sweatshirt I was wearing and sank deeper into the seat.
Couldn't he just not expose me for once?
I didn't answer the question, because I knew I would only make it worse, no matter what I said.
"Do you both think we're stupid or something?". Heeseung answered in my place. "It just sucks and Hyeo doesn't feel well. So cut the bullshit!".
Immediately, the grinning faces of the two guys in the back seat disappeared. They must have realized that Heeseung was actually serious. And he could be really intimidating when he wanted to be.
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