╰┈➤ ❝ [ I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you ]❞

ONE GOOD THING ABOUT HAVING ABSENT PARENTS was that Ji-an did not have to worry about them showing up to school for her progress report. Not only because they didn't care but they also knew Ji-an was one of the best in her class so there was no reason for them to show up and pretend to care. Ji-an stared down at the paper with her grades. Yet again her lowest grade was math class, which did not surprise her. Su-ho's explanation did help but it hadn't been enough to save her grade. She also arrived in the middle of the school year so it was hard to catch up.

Her lack of attention to her surroundings resulted in Ji-an bumping into a person. She let out an apology for her clumsiness, and looked up to make eye contact with the person. Her eyes widened at the familiar face, having a nauseating feeling at the sight of the man in front of her.

"Kim Ji-an is a pleasure to see you. It's been a while since we last saw each other." Lee Joo-heon, Su-ho's father said, the overly fake smile present on his face. The man held some papers on his hands, most likely Su-ho's grades, which made Ji-an almost roll her eyes. The difference between Su-ho's father and her parents was that Lee Joo-heon lived on putting up a front. The man loved to have everyone wrapped around his finger and make them think he was the reincarnation of an angel. He could do no wrong on the eyes of the public, but if only they knew how bad of a person he truly was.

Politely, Ji-an bowed and plaster a smile on her face for the man. God forbid her parents finding out about her treating Lee Joo-heon rudely. "It's a pleasure to see you too, sir. How have you been?" She actually couldn't care less about his well being, but again it wouldn't be a smart move to act anything less than polite.

"I've been well, busy as always but nothing out of the ordinary." The man responded, the smile never wavering. He lifted his wrist to look at his watch. "I'm sorry I have to cut our interaction short, but I really hope I get to see you next month at the party. Tell your parents I send my greetings. Have a nice day, Kim Ji-an."

With that being said the man left, leaving Ji-an to turn around to stare after him dumbfounded. A party? She could not recall her parents ever mentioning anything about a meeting, let alone a party. Later, she'll have to ask them about it, knowing them they would tell her a day or two before and expect her to just be okay with it. She hated going to those parties. It would be overcrowded with overly fake people who only cared about building more power for their companies and own self egos. Su-ho and Ji-an were always left stuck there with no choice but to pretend they were enjoying themselves when all they wanted to do was run far away form the place.

"Why are you staring at the empty hallway? You look like you've seen a ghost." Soo-Jin's voice pulled Ji-an out of her thoughts making her turn around to catch sight of Soo-jin and Soo-ah approaching her.

"Don't tell me you actually saw a ghost because that would mean Hyun-gyu was right." Soo-ah said, looking around with a worried face, almost like she was full on expecting a white flying creature to come out of nowhere and attack her.

Ji-an let out a sigh, using her unoccupied hand to pull a piece of hair behind her ear. "If the ghost has the name of Lee Joo-heon then yes, I saw a ghost."

Soo-ah grimaced, "Oh. Him."

"Why would Lee Su-ho's father be here?" Soo-jin asked, genuinely curious as to why the man was at the school. Of all the years she's known Su-ho, she has only seen Lee Joo-heon for about a total of six times.

"Probably making his annual appearance to make everyone believe he cares about what goes on in Su-ho life." The bitter tone on Ji-an's voice didn't go unnoticed by her friends. It didn't surprise them. They knew how much the girl disliked the famous man.

"Now that you mentioned Lee Su-ho, have you talked to him after what happened Friday?" Soo-jin asked, and Soo-ah nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm still confused about what happened that day." Soo-ah admitted, "You know, you had us really worried when you ran off after hearing Se-yeon's song. You looked like you were in the verge of a breakdown."

"That's because I was." Ji-an leaned her body against the wall. The three of them unaware of Han Seo-jun rounding the corner and coming to a stop when he saw them. "I really don't know how to explain what happened. The only thing I can say is that there was a lot of crying. It really hurt me seeing Su-ho so broken. I knew he was hurting but I didn't know how much guilt he's still carrying. I have no idea where he got all those thoughts from but it's like someone has been constantly telling him the same mantra, over and over that everything is his fault. Though, I really hope that's not the case because if not me and that person will have to share some words."

From his spot behind the wall, Seo-jun clenched his jaw wondering if he should listen more or interrupt the conversation. Deciding for the latter, he walked towards them doing his best to act nonchalantly as if he hadn't been listening to them talking.

"Are you free tomorrow after school?" He asked, making Ji-an turned to look at him confused.

"For what?"

"The dinner I told you my mom wanted to invite you to." Seo-jun explained, placing his hands on the front pocket of his pants.

"Wait." Soo-ah pointed a finger at them. "You guys are going to pretend to be a couple in front of Han Seo-jun's mother?" Her voice was full of disbelief as she stared back and forth between them with wide eyes.

"You know that could either go really well or extremely wrong, right?" Soo-jin asked, using her are you even using your brain? look that she always uses when either Ji-an or Soo-ah were about to do something stupid.

"Blame Seo-jun, he's the one that decided to lie to her." Ji-an defended herself which made Seo-jun glare down at her.

"You know why I did it."

"Actually, I really don't. Why was it again?" The girl asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

Seo-jun shook his head. He actually didn't have a good explanation but he wasn't going to tell them that. "I'm not having this conversation right now. Tomorrow after the last bell rings meet me outside in the parking lot." Then he left leaving the trio to share an exasperate look.

"Why is he like that?"

"I've wonder the same thing for years."

↶*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷

Kim Ji-an was just walking out of school, the day finally being over when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. Once she turned around she was met with Jug-yeong standing in front of her, nervously clutching the straps of her backpack.

Taking off one of her earphones, Ji-an greeted, "Oh, hey Jug-yeong."

The slightly taller girl offered a gummy smile, shuffling on her feet as if she was unsure of what to do, which confused Ji-an. She could tell Jug-yeong was nervous but couldn't really understand why. The last few weeks they've spend more time together and in Ji-an's opinion got along pretty well. Ji-an has also never treated her in any way to make her feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. Above all, never in their previous interactions Jug-yeong looked like she was experiencing any discomfort.

Finding the courage to speak, Jug-yeong replied, "Hey, I was wondering if maybe you would want to go with me to the comic bookstore close to my house? Maybe we could eat something and talk? I just have some things I want to speak to you about."

Although, Ji-an was very perplexed at the sudden request and seriousness in Jug-yeong's voice, she agreed, "Sure! We can do that."

Jug-yeong let out a sigh of relief that didn't go unnoticed by Ji-an. "Great then! Let's go now before we miss the bus."

Ji-an nodded and so the two headed to the bus stop. Thankfully, the bus didn't take long to arrive, which was a relief considering the day was pretty cloudy and looked like it soon would begin to rain.

On their way to the bookstore, Ji-an decided to make some small talk. She didn't want to deal with any awkward silence. "Is the comic bookstore you're talking about usually managed by a man that's always eating ramen instead of actually working?"

Jug-yeong laughed, "Yes, but he's nice. He always gives me discounts."

"What?!" Ji-an asked, feeling offended as she looked at the girl sitting beside her with wide eyes. "I've been a loyal customer since I was a kid and he has never given me a discount. Not even to Lee Su-ho who reads more comics than me."

Through her giggles, Jug-yeong shrugged. "He said I am his favorite customer and that he finds me funny." Suddenly, she paused, realizing something. "Wait. Did he say I was funny because of the time I tripped over my own feet and lose a tooth? It can't be. Can it?" A blush formed on her cheeks as she felt her embarrassment begin to grow.

"You tripped over your own feet?" Ji-an did her best to contain her laughter not wanting to make Jug-yeong feel worse. When Jug-yeong slowly nodded, Ji-an couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, it's definitely because of that."

Her words caused Jug-yeong to let out a groan, lowering her head to hide her face in her hands. "This is so embarrassing."

Ji-an patted the girl's back, this time not being able to stop her laughter from escaping her lips. "Looking at the positive side of the situation, at least something good came out of it." She leaned closer as if she was telling a secret no one else should hear. "You get discounts."

Jug-yeong laughed along, and like that the pair spend the rest of the way talking, until the bus finally stopped at the nearest station to the comic bookstore. Walking inside the small building, the two were greeted by the owner who smiled warmly at them and offered to make them two bowls of ramen which they both agreed to. Jug-yeong and Ji-an took a seat on a blue couch and placed their bags on the floor beside the table in front of them.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Ji-an asked, deciding to cut to the chase. Jug-yeong seemed to have been caught by surprise but she quickly recovered. She cleared her throat ranking her brain for a way to begin her sentence.

After a few seconds of silence, she began speaking. "Well, this uh past week we've been spending more time together and I've really grown to appreciate you as a friend, which is why I want to be honest with you so that there's no secrets between us." She explained, playing with the end of her skirt as she avoided eye contact.

Even thought the girl couldn't see her, Ji-an nodded along to her words, starting to grow anxious with anticipation. Despite the small amount of jealousy Ji-an felt towards Jug-yeong when they first met, with time Ji-an also began to grow fond of Jug-yeong.

After all, Jug-yeong is still adapting to the new school and the new environment which Ji-an knows by first hand that it can't be easy.

"On my first day of school, Lee Su-ho was assigned to guide me around the school," She paused, frowning. "He actually didn't do it, now that I remember. Then he just seemed to be everywhere I went to. Things led to another and he ended finding out about how I really look without makeup. I kept running errands for him because I was scared he'll spill my secret"

Jug-yeong let out a heavy breath, scared to say the next part. Confrontations always caused her stress. "Through the course of that, I began to grow a small crush on him. I thought that maybe because he wasn't disgusted by how I look underneath the makeup, maybe he could like me as time goes by."

Kim Ji-an listened intently. She shuffle on her seat slightly uncomfortably by where the conversation was heading. From the beginning, she noticed Jug-yeong's strange behavior, specially around Su-ho, and Ji-an didn't need to be a genius to know the reason why.

Jug-yeong continued. "But then, you came back and I found out that you're his ex and you two have a long history together that can't be easily erased. I felt guilty because I wanted to be your friend but I was also still holding on to the hope that Su-ho would pay attention to me. Yet, as time passed I realized you still hold a very important role in his life. I noticed on the way he looks at you and in the way he talks to you as if there's no one else in the room but you—

It made me accept that I don't really stand a chance and that my feelings for Su-ho were just a silly crush that goes by as quickly as it came. So, I just want you to know that I no longer have feelings for him and I hope we can put this aside and still be friends. I know you're dating Han Seo-jun but I still wanted to come clean about this."

Jug-yeong finished, feeling a sense of lightness now that the truth was revealed. Never before had she experienced what having a real friendship was like, and now her two best friends, Soo-ah and Soo-jin didn't know of her secret. Ji-an was the only one that knew and Jug-yeong just wanted to have someone to completely be herself with and that meant coming clean.

Jug-yeong knew she never did anything wrong but her feeling of guilt was inevitable. Since a young age she was raised to instantly apologize for her wrong doings and it's been something that has stuck with her throughout the years.

Kim Ji-an could appreciate Jug-yeong's decision to be honest even when she didn't need to. It showed who Jug-yeong really was as a person and friend. Now, Ji-an could understand the reason why Jug-yeong kept running off every day and bringing Su-ho his favorite drinks. She could understand why Su-ho was so adamant of stopping her from going inside the bathroom when Jug-yeong was there.

It all started to make sense in her head.

"Thank you for telling me this Jug-yeong. You didn't have to do it but you still did it and it means a lot." It meant a lot. Specially, the things Jug-yeong said about the way Su-ho acted around her. Her heart fluttered at the thought of Su-ho still loving her. A part of her knew it, but sometimes it gets hard to cling to those thoughts with everything that's going on.

Ji-an leaned back, "Now that you mentioned Han Seo-jun, I also want to confess something. See it as a way of removing all secrets." A sigh left her lips, not believing what she was about to admit, "I'm actually not dating Seo-jun. I am but not really. We're having a fake relationship."

Jug-yeong's jaw could've been picked up from the floor. "Wait, what? Why?"

Before Ji-an could offer a response, the owner of the comic store approached them. "Ramen noodles hot and ready to eat." He placed the two bowls on the small table and offer them a smile. "If you two need anything else just call me."

"Will do. Thank you, it looks delicious." Ji-an said, her mouth watering at the sight and smell of the ramen.

"Enjoy your meal."

As hungry as the girls were neither of them reached for their bowl. It seemed both wanted to finish their conversation before eating. Once the owner was out of earshot, Ji-an resumed talking. "I'm fake dating Seo-jun because of Su-ho. I want to make him jealous and see if that way he'll admit he still has feelings for me. It does sound silly when I say it out loud but I didn't have much of a choice."

"What? Did Seo-jun force you?" Jug-yeong asked with wide eyes.

Ji-an laughed, "Force me? More like I forced him. Don't allow Seo-jun to fool you, he's not what he makes himself to be. He's actually a softie at heart."

"Then why did you say you didn't have a choice?"

The girl shrugged, not wanting to ruin things by talking about her parents. "Just my family doing their usual stuff, nothing new."

"Ah." Jug-yeong nodded, knowing it was better to not push the topic. "Is it working? I mean, making Su-ho jealous?"

Ji-an hesitated for a second. "I think? Im pretty sure he was the one that left an iced coffee on my lab table the other day. Though, last time we talked he never mentioned Seo-jun, so I'm not sure."

"I'm sure things will work out for the better." Jug-yeong smiled.

"I hope so."

——————— ↶*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ—————

—Joy

Yapping timeee!

Just gotta say, I don't like this chapter. My writing was so meh

I'm really sorry for the lack of idk events happening? I promise the next one would be A VERY good one. Yk the usual angst, cute moments, a little bit of everything.

When I tell y'alI I could go OFF about my plans on this story and explaining everything omg. But I can't do that for obvious reasons yet, BUT what I can do is clear some stuff out as best as I can without spoiling too much. Some of you were saying you felt bad for Seo-jun on the last chapter which makes absolutely no sense lol. Like, I get where you're coming from but no 😭

I wanna do this book right. I know all of you want her to fall in love with Seo-jun already, but this cannot happen until there's closure between Ji-an and Su-ho. The circumstances around the break up was bad. They broke up close after Se-yeon's death and neither of them were in the right state of mind. So, once there's a good closure, she will accept that she has to move on.

Also keep in mind that, they aren't just exes, if they were I wouldn't be making such a big deal out of it, they're basically each others first everything, and before that they were best friends that grew up together. That bond is hard to forget and never going away. Meaning for a good part of the book, Ji-an is going to still have feelings for Su-ho.

That being said, Seo-jun knew what he was getting into. He also didn't mind seeing Ji-an go after Su-ho because deep down he knows Su-ho needed the comfort. Seo-jun also takes a huge role on Su-ho's guilt. Like, yes he has a right to be angry, but that doesn't give him the right to treat Su-ho the way he does. So, just know I won't brush off over that.

I also said this is a slowburn, and I keep my word 🙂‍↕️

Sadly, there's no edit for this chapter. I don't have many edits, and I also don't have any that matches this chapter, so you'll have to wait for the next one.

Love you guys and see you next update!! 🥰❤️

PS: Demand for a another chapter every time u see I'm taking too long to update. Like full on yell at me pls. It helps 🤣