18. close knit

Han Seojun looked at his gang, more famously called as hooligans by the school teachers and twerps by Kang Soojin. They were all intimidating looking, not so smart and never the ones to aim for the best, yet Seojun knew that these weirdos were all for the long run. When he had no one, he had them and if Han Seojun treasured one quality above all, it was loyalty.

"Yaaaa.... Han Seojun...." Chorong was more so vocal than the others, he was a huge guy appearance wise but his heart was equally soft, "why are you betraying us all."

"Betraying?" Seojun glared at him, and the at the rest of the gang who stood close to each other. "How is this betraying?"

"You left school early, you didn't even inform us. And then, you're sitting with Kang Soojin." The other guy pointed at Soojin who was on her mobile. "Ya Han Seojun, are you dating the school bully?"

Han Seojun's jaw clenched, he didn't know why, lately anything against Soojin made him angry for no apparent reason.

"Ya!"

"Well then what are you two doing here?" Chorong crossed his arms across his chest, stepping up to face Seojun, the rest behind him. "I thought we were close sweet friends."

"You mean close knit?"

"Yaaaa, the emotions are more important..."

"Aish, jinja," Han Seojun chuckled, he couldn't help but goof around with the bunch of harmless hooligans, "you all can come in too. We're just having coffee."

They all froze instantly. Chorong eyeing the girl and then at Han Seojun for making such a ridiculous suggestion.

"Wae? What's wrong?"

"It's Kang Soojin." Chorong whispered like the girl would hear them from inside, "isn't she scary?"

Han Seojun laughed, looking at his friends and then at Kang Soojin, "scary?" He shook his head, "aigoo, you guys get scared of a princess, aigoo."

"Princess?" Chorong furrowed his brows, "she looks like a mafia queen to me."

Mafia Queen?

Han Seojun turned sideways to glance at Kang Soojin, again, this time she sat back in her chair, sipping her coffee while glancing at something to her left. Han Seojun noticed how intimidating her personality was, for someone else, she'd be a class A bitch, a no nonsense girl and someone to not mess with.

A mafia queen, like Chorong pointed.

But to him, he saw those dark bags under her eyes, the very sleepless gaze, the lack of will to live and survive and the miserable hands that needed help. For him, she was just Kang Soojin, the girl who hid layers of emotions underneath her skin and was afraid to let them out. Someone who was just acting, a drama, a charade, a ruse.

"I can feel her coldness crawl through my skin." Chorong dramatically showed his arms, not a single hair rose in goosebumps he wanted to show. "She's going to make you one of hers."

"Aish, Chorong, you need to tone down on all these kdramas you keep watching. And Kang Soojin is..." He paused, looking at the girl who had now held her head in her hands, "she is..."

"She's evil, that's what she is. She is a backstabber, she did it once, she'll do it to you too." Chorong got his attention back, Han Seojun however had enough of all of this. "She bullied Lim Jugyeong, on purpose, betrayed her, brought her spd..."

"Spd? Like the power rangers?"

"Ani, spd like the trauma."

"That's PTSD."

They all gasped at the sudden interruption by Kang Soojin herself who stood behind Seojun, hands folded across her arm and face, once again, expressionless. The gang instantly vanished, leaving Chorong and Seojun behind with an unfazed Soojin.

"Soojin-"

"I gotta head home," She replied, one might say she was truly a cold hearted person with the way she didn't bother about the name calling. "Thanks Han Seojun, for today, and we can get started with the project this weekend. It won't take much time." Han Seojun sighed, he was so close in being able to comprehend the girl behind her mask but just not yet there. She walked past the boys, took a turn towards the main road and was gone.

"Good job, idiot." Han Seojun yelled at Chorong, choking him with his arm. "Why couldn't you keep this spd thing with you."

"Ya Han Seojun, is this how you treat your bestest friend?" Chorong felt hurt by Seojun's words and got out of his hold, "mian-hayeo, I should not have bothered you."

Han Seojun cringed, pulling on Chorong's ear, "mian-hayeo, I should not have bothered you," he imitated the poor boy's apology, "ya, I swear, you are more dramatic than the entire school combined." Chorong frowned only to be hugged by Han Seojun again. "Ya, mian-hae, mian-hae, you know I love you more."

"No you don't. You like Kang Soojin now."

"Wait you really think I like Kang Soojin?"

"Why else would you be hanging out with her?" Chorong was confused, he looked at his best friend and the sly smile on his face. "Han Seojun, you're scaring me now."

"It's nothing, I just wanna get back at her for what she did to Lim Jugyeong. That's it." Han Seojun nonchalantly said, shrugging as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Plus isn't it better to be friends first and then betray someone, that way the hammer strikes well." Han Seojun motioned the striking of the hammer to which Chorong cheered up.

"Aigoo, who knew you were so evil, Seojun-ah. Aish, it's going to be worth watching the mafia Queen getting what she did to poor Lim Jugyeong. Payback is a bitch."

Han Seojun nodded, the sigh went unheard by the happy Chorong, "payback is a bitch." He replied softly to himself and the boys walked away from the cafe.

There Kang Soojin walked slowly towards the gate of her house, the cab ride back wasn't easy. It's funny how people are tired from being out of the house and desperately want to come home and here she was, tired of thinking of entering her house. It was unfair how she had a father who was a supposed doctor, someone who is considered God in many religions, someone who's supposed to save lives and how he had easily destroyed hers.

Kang Soojin hated coming back home.

Because this wasn't her home.

"You okay?"

Soojin could recognise Suho's voice from anywhere, but the pinch of pain she got from it was still unbearable. Without looking at the direction from where Suho stood, she walked ahead only to be stopped by him.

"Kang Soojin," He said, this time his long strides helped him stand ahead of her and she had no other choice but to face him. Suho was still in his uniform, his long black coat over him and his hair nearly tucked, she always loved how prim and proper they were. "You cannot keep running away every time." He said, concern or something Soojin mistook for love was visible in his eyes.

But what does she know about love.

"What do you want?"

Suho was one of the very few who got to know the softer Soojin, the one who smiles and teases, the one who laughs and fights and the one who often cares and defends. So having a cold Soojin answering his question wasn't something he was used to.

"I want you to apologise to Jugyeong and be done with this stupidity. We both know that you-"

"We?" Soojin chuckled, running her hand over her hair, "we? Ya Lee Su," Her humorless laughter was irking him, "since when do you and I become we?"

"That's know what I-"

"I don't care what you say." Soojin pointed a finger at him, his expressions were just the same and she didn't expect them to change either. "Just stay away, Suho, just stay away, like you've done our whole life. Stick to whatever corner you can find with your girlfriend and don't pretend like you care even an-" she stick her thumb to her forefinger, "even an ounce about me. I gave up years thinking I was friends with you and that somewhere behind your cold facade, I'd find the Lee Suho I genuinely liked but you're just the same as all men. Just the same." This time Soojin found it difficult to keep her tears at bay. "All you guys do are control, order and plan. That's it." She was shaking by the rage she had in her and Suho stood frozen as always.

Taking a step back, Soojin withdrew her hand, "aish these stupid tears. Shib-"

"Kang Soojin."

That voice was enough to alter Suho's expression as he turned to face Dr. Kang who looked at the duo, especially his daughter with rage and discernment. "Is that the language you speak? Such filthy crass language? Where are you manners?" He yelled at her, even when there were people around, Suho too but Dr. Kang didn't really care much when it came to humiliating his daughter. He walked towards them and Suho felt Soojin shifting besides him.

"Apologise to Lee Suho right now." He pointed, at the boy and Soojin fisted her hands, jaw clenched and teeth gritting. "Don't you look at me that way, else you wanna sleep off hungry." He warned her, in a low voice, this he didn't want others to hear. "Apologise."

"Aniyo," Suho spoke up, ready to cool the matter, "it's actually-"

"Kang Soojin." He cut him off, standing right across the girl, looking at her like she was covered in filth. "Apologise."

Soojin looked at her father, and then at Lee Suho, and then at her hands which were now clinging onto each other. She hated everything about her life, her father who controlled her like a machine, her mother who never did anything about it, Suho who never really cared, Jugyeong whom she got attached too pretty quickly and Su-ah, whom she never troubled with her personal issues. She hated how helpless she was, she hated how it felt like death every second, she hated how she would have to spend millions in therapy and that she probably won't stay alive until then if this kept happening.

But moreover, Soojin hated herself.

"mian-hayeo,"

That's all Soojin said, eyes lowered and hands clutched, as she walked inside the apartment. Suho didn't even get a say in it as Dr. Kang watched the girl rush off.

"If I didn't have an important meeting right now, I'd definitely teach her some manners." He muttered under his breath and left as Suho just stood frozen, like he always did.

Dr. Kang passed by an bewildered Han Seojun who stood visibly disturbed at the events. Suho was astonished to find him here and when he approached Seojun, the boy was anything but calm.

"What are you doing here?" Suho asked only to be countered by Seojun with a, "what was that?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Seojun was furious, the way Dr. Kang was talking to his daughter, if anyone would have spoken to Go-woon that way, they'd be a goner. "How could he speak to her this way?"

Suho didn't want anymore complications in Soojin's life and calming Seojun was the only option available for him. "Han Seojun, we should not be getting involved in their personal matters."

"But-"

"Soojin wouldn't like that."

That worked and Han Seojun fisted his hand in frustration. He looked at the fading car and then at Suho's apartment in a fix.

"Why are you here?"

"Lim Jugyeong texted saying she wanted to meet here, so I took my bike from school and got here." He explained, still bothered by the ill-mannered doctor. "Didn't you get the text?" Suho checked his mobile and indeed saw a text for the same.

"Aaresso, let me go get changed, until then you can have a drink at home."

"Can I have soju?"

"Yes you can." Suho saw Han Seojun smile, "on your 19th birthday." That wiped his smile and in turn brought a smile to Suho's face.

"You're such a jerk."

"Best friend of a jerk."

Han Seojun chuckled at that as they walked towards the elevator, his mind completely stuck on Soojin, the one whom he vowed to destroy and in turn she was destroying his peace of mind. The door to Suho's house was adjacent to Soojin's, and while Suho entered the passcode and stepped in his house, Seojun kept staring at the shut door.

Some payback this was.

_

i loved SPD growing up lol. Ignore the reference.