CHAPTER SIXTEEN ; JAEYUN... AM I LIKABLE TO YOU?

"No."

"Mom–"

"Ask your father!" She huffed, hands on her hips. Sowon looked to her Dad for assistance, but just as he watched in horror and saw his youngest daughter's plea, he turned back to the stove, secretly adding more noodles to the pot for their guest. Jaeyun remained outside, holding the ice skates and the food and awaiting Sowon's call. Her mother swung around, pointing at her husband. "Are you going to let this random boy sleep?! What are you both anyway, Sowon!?"

"Friends!" She exclaimed, confirming it. "We're friends, Mom. You know that I've never dated a boy in my life."

"You–"

"Come on, honey," Her dad interrupted, massaging his wife's shoulders. "It's storming outside, and the boy doesn't have a car. He can sleep on the couch and stay for dinner. Haven't you always trusted your daughter's judgment? And it's the first time she's socialized in weeks! Let's be lenient, okay?"

"I agree. Mom, he personally came to find me," That didn't put out the fire. Instead, her mother glared, getting ready to speak. "Mom! Mom! Really, he's a good person. I promise you he won't–"

"Ryu Sowon!" Her sister roared, slamming the door open. Jaeyun followed in, cowering at Sohee's call. Their mother and father peaked around the older girl's shoulder, suddenly enamored by the handsome-looking eighteen-year-old. "Jaeyun's been waiting outside for so long. Why didn't you let him in?"

"I was just pleading with Mom and Dad to let him stay!" Sohee's jaw dropped, snapping her head back at him. The water droplets fell to their wooden floor, causing Mrs. Ryu to take action. She quickly grabbed a towel from their bathroom and jogged toward him, handing it to him. "Mom, what–"

"Hello. I'm Missus Ryu, Sowon and Sohee's mother. That's my husband back there," With their father's eyes sparkling, he waved slowly. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Mom!" Sowon called, getting off her knees. She sprinted toward Jaeyun and put a protective arm in front of him, taking the towel out of her hands. "Shouldn't you be helping Dad cook? No, wait–does that mean he can stay over?"

"Of course, he can!" Mr. Ryu answered for his wife, laughing dreamily. "He can stay over whenever he wants."

Sowon looked at him in disgust, swatting away her parents. Sohee remained beside them, trying to weigh the vibes. It seems that Sowon must've forgiven him, and by that big box in his arms, I think those are ice skates, Sohee thought, nodding slowly. Good. I don't have to sock him in his face. Very good.

"I didn't know it was you, Sohee," Sohee took the items out of his hands as Sowon swung the towel around his neck, allowing him to use it. "Coach has talked about you before, and you've come to our games, but I didn't think you'd be Sowon's sister."

"It's not much of a shocker when we're standing right next to one another," Jaeyun agreed, chuckling as he moved the towel through his hair. "I landed him the job."

"Yeonjun is the Coach of your soccer team?!" Sowon realized, making them both nod. "That's what Sunoo meant about his identity. Wow, small world."

Sohee hit the back of her younger sister's head. "Not a small world at all, idiot. I went to that school," Sowon mocked her sister, the two's quarrel causing Jaeyun to stifle a smile. "Now, take him to your room so that he can dry up. I'll help Mom and Dad with setting the table."

"Okay. Sim, follow me," Jaeyun nodded and followed her into her bedroom, the girl closing the door behind them. Then, she heard her mother yelling about privacy and left a crack. "Feel free to sit down on my bed or just, uh, look around."

But he already did that without her offer. Her room was filled with baby blue–from her covers to her keyboard. He went toward her desk as he continued moving the towel against his body, accidentally knocking the mouse with the end of the towel, the screen glowed, revealing the title screen for Overwatch. "You play?"

Sowon looked up from her nightstand and was immediately filled with terror at the title screen. She screamed and turned off the computer, causing Jaeyun to step back in her panic. "No," She lied, unable to face him. "No, I don't play."

"You just had it on your computer, idiot," Jaeyun laughed, teasing her. Her face flushed red, hiding it within the grasp of her palms. Groaning, she hated that there was another person in the world who knew about her secret, nerdy hobby. Jaeyun continued grinning as she turned around to face him, walked toward her bed, and fell onto it. "Why are you so flustered? I play it too."

"You do!?" She shot up, staring. "Who do you typically play as?"

"Echo or Genji," He said, causing Sowon to gasp. "I like playing as damage dealers. Helps me feel like I'm also playing soccer."

"I typically play as Doomfist if I feel like tanking or Pharah! Dude, that's so cool!" She hugged her knees, excited. Jaeyun took a seat next to her, enjoying the talkativeness of the girl beside him. "Do you play any other games? I also play Mario Kart, sometimes League..."

"I've been meaning to learn how to play League. Isn't Mario Kart a game everyone plays?" Sowon rolled her eyes. If they were alone, she'd go on a ten-minute tangent on how Mario Kart is the best game there is, even if it seems simple. "Oh, I get it. That's like your ride-or-die game, huh?"

"It is," She nodded eagerly. "Wow. I've been meaning to find someone to play Overwatch with because Narae and Sunoo don't play it. They'll only play Mario Kart with me."

"I guess that Mario outfit of yours at the party wasn't just a nonsensical idea. Turns out you're a loyal Nintendo fan," Sowon pushed him slightly at his teasing, causing them to laugh. "But, Sowon, you said that only Narae and Sunoo knew about this. Does that make me third?"

"Unfortunately," Sowon sighed. "I wanted to keep it a secret from everyone except Narae and my family because it just seems out of character for me. But Sunoo caught me, and so did you. Could you keep it a secret for me?"

"Of course," Actually, Jaeyun was thrilled that he was one of the select, common few who knew about her secret. It made him feel special. "If you ever want to play, let me know. We can play together."

"Awesome!" She squealed, clapping her hands. "Are you fully dried? I can go get you some pajamas from my parents' room."

"Almost. Do you see any part of me still wet?"

Sowon analyzed the boy, seeing the front of his hands, specifically his bangs, still slightly wet. So, she placed her hands close to it and brushed down, causing Jaeyun to freeze up. "You have water here."

"Oh," He stammered, inhaling sharply. "Thanks, Sowon..."

She hummed, and just as she stopped brushing, Sohee entered with a pair of pajamas, pushing up her blue light glasses. "Here, Jaeyun. You can get changed and join us for dinner. Sowon, come outside now before Mom blows a fuse."

"Coming!" She shot up and walked out, closing the door behind her. Jaeyun was left with the pajamas and the towel in his grasp, his thoughts finally being able to hear themselves.

"What the fuck am I doing here?" Jaeyun whispered, raking back his hair. "It's not like mom or dad will care since they're halfway across the world, but if anyone finds out, then..."

He paused. "Why do I care..." He muttered. "What other people think of us?"

"That was a good dinner, thank you, Mister and Missus Ryu," Jaeyun bowed one last time, causing their mother to dismiss his politeness. The parents had already decided that if Sowon were to date him, then they might as well be planning their wedding. He was already number one in their eyes. "And thank you for allowing me to stay here for the night."

"Thank Sowon," Sohee huffed as she laid down the blanket on the couch, moving their coffee table forward. Sowon was too busy washing the dishes to hear them, the water overpowering all speech. "I think she's decided to go back to school, so I'll take you home early so you can wash up."

"Thank you, Sohee," She hummed and beckoned to the coach, which he swiftly headed to.

"We'll be going off to bed. If you need anything, please ask Sowon!" Their parents said and dashed off, leaving Sowon and Sohee to remain in the living room. Sowon finished washing the last plate and put it on the rack, turning off the faucet.

"Where did Mom and Dad go?" She asked, but Sohee dismissed it.

"I'll be heading to bed. Sowon, you should too," Sohee said, waving goodbye. "Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight, sis!" Jaeyun and Sowon waved goodbye as she went down the hall, closing the door. "I wonder why everyone is in such a hurry to sleep today. Are you tired, Sim?"

"Not really," He sighed, leaning his head on the pillow. "Do you want to talk for a little bit, Sowon?"

"Sure!" The two sat next to each other on the sofa, a blanket lying over Jaeyun but not her. Sowon was the first to notice, but she didn't make a move–it was better that she didn't give him any odd signals. They just became friends, anyway. "Jaeyun, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Why do you..." She trailed off, trying to find the words. "Why do you like playing with girls?"

Jaeyun turned his head in her direction. She kept looking at the TV even if there was nothing on the screen. "I don't really believe in putting a label on things," Jaeyun turned to the TV as well. "I feel like that restricts things, and I prefer to experiment."

She snorted, covering it up by dropping her head. "Even with your women?"

"Yeah," Jaeyun knew he sounded stupid. "I look for girls who are looking for the same things as me."

"Natty wasn't one of them."

"Not at the time we dated," Jaeyun shook his head, chuckling. "A lot of the girls I dated early on wanted labels, and I'd get nervous and fuck it up by getting with other girls. I haven't dated a single girl since my first year–I just go on dates, and we end up making out."

Sowon chuckled. "You don't do anything more?"

"No. I've only ever done it o– remind me why we're having this conversation again?" The two laughed together, almost as if their filters had decomposed completely. "How about you, Ice Fairy? Did you do it with anyone? Kissed anyone?"

"Nope," If he was going to let it all spill out, then she might as well do the same. "Never kissed, never fucked. I'm a virgin in all ways. I've only ever had one thing going on with a guy, and it ended up in me swearing that I'd never love another guy. He embarrassed me to death when I confessed."

Jaeyun frowned–he probably had done the same thing, and now, hearing it from Sowon, that made him fill with regret. "But, I figure it's probably better this way. At least I don't have to doubt if someone has feelings for me. I don't have to risk falling for someone and them not liking me back."

"You're pretty likable, though," Jaeyun said mindlessly, realizing his words. "I mean, you're popular among girls and the men at Seoul High School."

"I know about the girls, but that's just because I have better relationships with women. Seoul High School men... that's a first. Typically, they just want pleasure, and I can't give that to someone," Sowon shook her head. "Jaeyun... am I likable to you?"

He blinked. He wasn't able to look her in the eye or muster any words.

Sowon took that as a no, her self-esteem unable to drop nor lift. She knew that there was no way he wouldn't remain a little disdained. "Seems like my cue to head to sleep, then," She groaned as she got up, acting as if she was a grandma. She walked to her room, only a few steps from the living room. Sowon pressed her hand against the knob and opened the door slightly ajar, turning her head back to a silent soccer captain. "Goodnight, Sim."

Still unresponsive, Jaeyun watched her enter and close the door, leaving him to think about their short yet meaningful conversation.

"Yes," He whispered, looking at the empty seat on the couch. "You are."