╰┈➤ ❝ [ Maybe I've stormed out of every single room in this town ] ❞

"HEY." KIM JI-AN GREETED HAN SEO-JUN, HIS BACK FACING HER. At the sound of her voice, he turned around looking up from his phone. His heart jumped at the sight of her. The girl looked breathtaking. Her long dark hair was intentionally styled in two high messy space buns. The bangs that normally covered her forehead were pushed aside with some silver clips, and there were a few long pieces of hair left out to frame her face. Ji-an's make up was also different, heavier than usual. Doe eyes covered in a smudged eyeliner, making her gaze stand out more.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kim Ji-an asked, her question hanging in the air when Seo-jun failed to answer back. She bite the inside of her cheek, feeling small underneath his intense stare and his towering figure. "It's my make up isn't it? I knew I should've taken it off. The stylists were trying a new look for-"

Forcing himself back into reality, Seo-jun spoke, "No! Um- you look good. I like it." Actually, the girl looked more than just good, and if Seo-jun wasn't so speechless at the moment, he would've voiced out his opinion better, but that was the only thing that he managed to get out without making a complete fool of himself.

Ji-an let out a sigh of relief. Initially, she had been hesitant about going out with that new style, not used to the bold look on her. The modeling agency had called her, telling her about an audition that was going on for a comercial. The stylists decided to experiment a bit with her makeup, as there was a specific theme that had to be followed by all the models auditioning. After everything was done, the stylists insisted for the girl to keep the look as they had liked it a lot and didn't want to ruin their own work, so the girl agreed.

It hadn't been her original plan to come to the mall looking so different from her usual self but she had agreed on helping Seo-jun buy Go-woon a birthday present. This was a way of killing two birds with one stone as Ji-an also needed to buy something for the girl.

"Would you stop staring at me now?" Ji-an asked, looking at Seo-jun with a puzzled look.

The boy blinked a couple of times and looked away from the girl. "Let's go." He suddenly said and walked away from her, really needing to take a second away from her to compose himself.

"He's so weird." Annoyed, the girl moved to go after him, while her phone began ringing. She didn't look at the caller id as she took her phone out of her purse and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Kim Ji-an." It was Lee Su-ho. The girl halted in her step, shocked at the sound of his voice. "Are you home?"

Ji-an licked her lips, her gaze shifting over to Seo-jun's figure walking ahead of hers. "No, I'm at the mall. Why are you asking? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened." There was a small pause on the other end, Su-ho's voice now held a small hint of hesitance. "Are you alone? I wanted to-"

"Kim Ji-an!" Seo-jun yelled, having turned around when he noticed she wasn't walking close behind him. "Hurry up!"

Ji-an rolled her eyes, holding out her hand to signal him to wait a moment. Su-ho spoke again, his tone of voice changing. "Are you with Han Seo-jun?"

"I am." The girl told the truth, knowing he would not like the sound of it. "Look, I'll call you back later. It's kind of cramped in here." Ending the call, she placed her phone back in her purse. The mall was not even full but she didn't know what else to tell him. His call had taken her off guard, and now she couldn't help but be curious about what exactly Su-ho would have said if Seo-jun hadn't interrupted his sentence.

  ↶*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷

"So you said Go-woon has been trying to practice using make up?" Kim Ji-an asked, while walking side by side with Han Seo-jun. They made their way inside the store, directing themselves towards the make up section.

Seo-jun nodded, "Yeah, she said there will be a show at the academy soon." He made a brushing gesture around his face, a grin taking over his face as he talked about his sister. "She's practicing stage make up."

Ji-an smiled back, feeling a little bittersweet. "That's nice. She's growing up so fast."

"She is." Seo-jun agreed, sharing the same sentiment as Ji-an.

The two stopped in front of the make up section. Ji-an searched the variety of products, looking for the stuff that would benefit Go-woon best. "For stage make up, it would be nice to get a color shadow with good pigmentation and a lip lacquer that is smudge-proof." The girl explained, as Seo-jun stayed behind her. There were some lip tints nicely displayed at the end of the shelf, instantly catching Ji-an's attention. She grabbed one of the shades. "This must be a new tint. I wonder if it'll be long lasting."

The girl opened the lip tint and leaned forward to look at herself in the small mirror they had placed on top of the tints. She applied it on her lips, frowning when she realized the tint had changed color because of the shade that was already on her lips. "I'm so stupid. I forgot I had lipstick already on. It's hard to tell over it."

Turning around, she looked up at Seo-jun. "Let me try it on you."

Quickly, the boy leaned away from the hand she had raised to his face. "No. You tried it on your lips."

"And?" Ji-an gave him a blank look. "We already kissed once. It's just a sample. You won't die, Seo-jun. Come here." She moved forward trying to get closer to his face.

"No."

"Come on!" Ji-an insisted, finally taking a hold of his arm to stop him from covering his face. Standing on her tiptoes, she began applying the color to Seo-jun's lips while the boy stood frozen in place. Her sweet scent flooded his senses as he watched her pout in concentration. The urge to just lean in and kiss her was strong. She was right there, so close to him but totally clueless about how her actions were affecting him. Just her mere presence had him like pudding in her hands.

"The color is nice." Ji-an smiled in satisfaction before shifting her gaze away from his lips and up to his eyes. "Do you want to get this one?" Her question was met with silence making her realize their position. Lowering herself back to her normal height, she called out to him. "Han Seo-jun!"

"Huh?" He finally took his eyes away from her lips.

"Should you get this one?" She waved the applicator emphasizing her point.

Seo-jun took it from her hands. "L-let's get this one." He tried to walk away but the girl stopped him.

"Wait no! Grab a new one, you can't buy her the sample." The girl said as she took the product from his hands and changed it for one that was sealed. "Also, we aren't done here. You can't just get her a lip tint only."

Seo-jun gulped, turning back to her. "Right."

"Come on, we have to find a good powder that will prevent flashback. She's going to be exposed to a lot of spotlights and flashlights so she can't have her face looking oily." She explained, unaware of the fact Seo-jun was barely registering her words until she turned to face him. "Are you okay? You've been acting weird today."

"I'm fine." Seo-jun said, trying to convince himself more than the girl.

After they finished shopping for Seo-jun's gift, they went to another store as Ji-an wanted to get Go-woon some jewelry as her present. Ji-an stared in astonishment at the options. A variation of necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets were covered by a thick glass where they were being displayed. There was a silver necklace with a shooting star that caught the girl's attention. She looked up at the woman in front of her. "Can I see that necklace?"

The woman nodded and took the necklace from where it was placed before passing it to the girl. Ji-an admired the necklace noticing the way it shined with the reflection of the light. She looked at Han Seo-jun, showing him the necklace. "What do you think? Will Go-woon like this?"

"It's nice." He nodded. "Honestly, I think she'll like anything you gift her."

Ji-an grinned and turned to the woman. "I would like to buy this necklace. Do you by any chance have some earrings that could match with it?"

The woman nodded and began looking through the options. Han Seo-jun shifted his attention to Ji-an. "I'm going to go to the cafe across. Do you want me to get you something?"

"An iced coffee would be nice. I don't care about which one it is. Just make sure it's not completely black and has some caramel or something." The girl said making Seo-jun nod.

Ji-an looked back at the woman while Seo-jun walked away. The woman placed a couple of different earrings on top of the glass for Ji-an to see. "This are the options I think will fit best."

Examining the options, Ji-an frowned. They were too extravagant. Go-woon was more of a simple girl. "I'm not really feeling them. Do you have some that are smaller and more simple?"

"Sure." Putting away the earrings, the woman gestured for the girl to follow her. "There's some other options over here. Maybe you'll like them more."

Ji-an followed her, and took notice that the jewelry on that side of the store was higher in price. But she didn't care she just wanted to find something Go-woon would like. "Yeah, I do prefer these options more. Can you show me the pair on the far corner?" She asked, pointing at the one she was referring too. The girl stayed there for a while until she found one that she knew would match Go-woon's taste.

While the woman packed the stuff Ji-an had chosen, the girl's attention was caught by a bracelet placed on a three tier jewelry stand. The bracelet had cute silver charms of different shapes dangling from it. "Wow, that's really pretty. I've never owned anything like that." She whispered to herself, her eyes shining in awe as she examined the product with her hands. Ji-an continued admiring the bracelet until she was startled when Seo-jun returned.

"Here's your iced coffee, sweetheart." He said and he passed her the large cup.

The girl grinned, lightning up at the sight of the beverage. "Thank you, Seo-jun." She took a sip of the drink, the bitter yet sweet taste of the coffee filling her taste buds. Ji-an nodded in approval and smiled up at Seo-jun. "This is good."

Incapable of resisting her smile, the boy matched her expression. "Good, I wasn't sure if you'll like it."

After Ji-an finished paying for Go-woon's gift, the pair made one last stop at another store so Ji-an could buy a new box and lock to secure  her savings in. Once they were done with that, the two made their way to the elevator, each holding a bag with the things they had bought. Ji-an watched the number of the floors decrease as the elevator moved down. Removing the lid from her now empty cup of her iced coffee, she began eating the ice, enjoying the coldness of it.

Unfortunately, to the luck of Seo-jun and Ji-an, the speaker in the elevator announced that the doors will be opening to allow more people in. Ji-an sighed, "Great. A bunch of people better not come in."

Just when the girl said that, the doors opened, revealing two men and behind them a large group of men wearing neon pink shirts, some of them holding bags of chips in their hands. Cramming inside the small space of the elevator, the newcomers took over the whole space, resulting in Ji-an getting trapped between the corner of the elevator and Han Seo-jun as he had been pushed aside when the men entered. Seo-jun placed his hands on the wall behind her to support himself, his neck dipping down to stare at the girl with a deadpan expression. "You just had to say that."

Ji-an smiled bashfully. "Sorry."

The boy observed her, grateful that her bangs were pulled back, allowing him a good view of her face. One of the few strands of hair that had been intentionally pulled out from one of her buns, was trapped behind her head and the wall, so gently Seo-jun took a hold of it, fixing it back to where it was meant to be. Ji-an's breath hitched at the action, now aware of how Seo-jun's body was basically on top of hers. If any of them moved about two inches forward, their noses would be able to touch.

The speaker on the elevator spoke again. "The capacity is exceeded."

One of the men in the middle of the group, said to the one in front of him, "I told you to lose some weight."

"I'm sorry."

The man beside Seo-jun quickly instructed, "Everybody hold your breath. Two, three!"

Ji-an and Seo-jun held their breath along with the pink shirted men, but it was still to no use as the elevator speaker repeated. "The capacity is exceeded."

"I told you not to eat too much for lunch." The man wearing normal clothes told the others.

"Let's get on the next one." The group quickly got off the elevator making Ji-an sigh in relief as she and Seo-jun were able to move back to their original spots before the large group had gotten in. Seo-jun looked at Ji-an while the girl stared ahead, feeling a bit awkward after what happened. She didn't even know why.

Suddenly, just when the doors were about to close, a hand stopped them from closing, causing them to open back up to reveal Lee Su-ho on the other side. Ji-an's mouth opened in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Let's go." The boy walked forward and with a gentle hold took her wrist, almost pulling her out of the elevator if it wasn't because Seo-jun took a hold of her other hand and stopped them from leaving.

"What do you think you're doing?" Seo-jun asked, glaring at Su-ho. The doors of the elevator began to close again, and Ji-an was right in the middle of them. Su-ho quickly pushed the button outside the elevator to make the doors retract, making Ji-an to let out a sigh of relief.

Su-ho tugged on the girl's wrist. "Come on, Ji-an."

Seo-jun did the same thing, not planning to let go. "If you seriously think I'm going to let you take my girlfriend away, you're wrong."

Ji-an let out an annoyed breath, ready to tell the boys a piece of her mind, but her expression quickly morphed to one of worry when the doors moved again, ready to squeeze her. Pressing the button a couple of times and seeing no result, Su-ho gave up and rapidly squeezed Ji-an and himself back inside the elevator before it could completely close on them. Now inside, Seo-jun and Su-ho continued glaring at each other, neither letting go of the girl.

Unexpectedly, the lights started flickering. "What's happening?" Ji-an asked worriedly. She looked up at the screen that before showed the floor number they were in, noticing the numbers were now replaced with words that said under maintenance. "Look at that! I think the elevator is stuck." She tried pointing at it but she couldn't because the boys wouldn't let go of her hands. Tired of their behavior, she looked at the two. "I'm not an object, so I would like for you two to stop treating me like one and let go of me."

Knowing she was right, the pair slowly let go of the girl. Seo-jun began questioning Su-ho. "What are you doing here?"

"To shop." Su-ho simply answered.

Seo-jun scoffed. "You? Shopping?"

"Can't I shop?"

"Why are you bothering us then? If you came to shop, then go shop. We were doing perfectly fine until you arrived." Seo-jun continued, none of the two boys realizing how unusually quiet Ji-an was being. In all honesty, Ji-an was barely registering what they were saying, as the need to go to the bathroom began taking over her body. Inside the elevator the air was uncomfortably cold and it did not help the fact she had drank a whole large cup of iced coffee.

"Could you two shut up for one second?" The girl asked as she fiddled with the strap of the shopping bag that was hanging from one of her wrists. "I feel like I'm going to lose it."

Su-ho immediately grew concerned at her pained expression. "What's wrong? Are you feeling okay?"

"Are you scared? The doors should be opened soon." Seo-jun reassured but the girl shook her head.

"I'm not scared!" She exclaimed, groaning a bit. "I just have to go to the bathroom. Seriously, Seojun, why did you have to buy me a large coffee?!" The girl pointed the cup at him with a glare.

"You're always drinking coffee! I thought you'll want a large cup." He tried defending himself but the girl was having none of it. If she didn't go to the bathroom soon, she won't be able to hold it in.

Ji-an fumed, directing her words to Su-ho. "You played with a perfectly fine elevator door and broke it!"

Moving forward, Seo-jun began hitting the emergency button. "Hello! Hello! When are you going to open this?!"

Lee Su-ho moved closer to Seo-jun and snatched the empty cup from his hand. Taking the lid off, he offered it to Ji-an. Her eyes widened, looking at him like he had grown two heads as she pushed his hand away. "Are you out of your mind?!" Ji-an turned to Seo-jun urging him to continue what he was doing. "Hurry! Hurry!"

Suddenly, some voices from outside spoke. "Are you okay?! We are about to open it now!Please don't move!" The doors were pushed open by two men making Ji-an sigh in relief.

"I'm out of here." She used the wall for leverage and jumped up to get off the elevator. Finally out, she ran to the nearest bathroom. Once she was back to normal, all the urgency left her body. She took a look at herself in the mirror of the bathroom still not used to the bold look on her. It actually didn't look bad. After washing her hands, she grabbed her shopping bag and walked out of the bathroom, almost bumping into Seo-jun who had been waiting outside.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Seo-jun asked.

The girl nodded a little embarrassed. She looked around seeing the lack of presence from the other boy. "Where's Lee Su-ho?"

Seo-jun sighed, placing his hands in his pockets, the shopping bag on his wrist making a sound at the movement. "I don't know. He just left after you got out of the elevator." He said, before deciding to ask the question that had been nagging him since Su-ho arrived. "Was he the person you were talking to over the phone?"

Ji-an nodded. "He was about to tell me something until you called after me." She admitted, her eyes beginning to sparkle with hope as she smiled. "This is good Seo-jun. It means my plan is working. He wouldn't have pulled off that stunt over there if it wasn't because he is jealous. It means this whole fake relationship has been doing its job."

Seo-jun's heart clenched at her words. Unable to say anything as he looked away from her. Kim Ji-an frowned, for some reason not liking the expression that took over his face. If she didn't know any better, she'll think he looked kind of disappointed. The smile slowly disappeared from her lips. "I thought you'll be happy about this. I basically almost forced you into doing this. If it works, it means this was not in vain and you didn't have to deal with my annoying self all this time for nothing."

Seo-jun shook his head, making eye contact with the girl. "Sweetheart, you're not annoying." He took a deep breath and tried to collect his thoughts. "And you also didn't force me into anything. I could've just continued using my spare helmet if you decided to not return the other one. I agreed because I want to get back at Su-ho, that's all."

That was in fact not all. Yes, part of the reason behind his agreement was because of Su-ho. But the other bigger part was because the idea of being around the girl sounded too tempting for him to deny. He hadn't seen her in almost a whole year, and the years before that their relationship was nowhere near good. This was his one opportunity to have her close beside him even if she believed he was pretending every time he did a loving gesture. That's the reason why the past week had been the best week he'll had in a long time. Finally, she was aware of the fact that his actions were truly genuine and that he truly never ceased to care for her.

Ji-an stared back at the boy, not really knowing what to say. Lately, this was becoming a recurring thing every time she was around Seo-jun. Getting to the point where she didn't know what else to think. Did she even know the real Han Seo-jun? It was hard to tell with the way he was acting the last few weeks. Constantly, he continued proving her initial thoughts wrong and this confused her to no end.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Seo-jun asked, changing the subject of conversation.

"No, it's okay. I'll just take the bus. I want some time alone for myself, but thank you." Ji-an said, making Seo-jun nod.

"I'll see you at school then." The boy responded, his stare never wavering as he observed her. Without giving himself any time to overthink, he leaned down, one of his hands coming to softly rest behind her head while he pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss. "Let me know when you get home." Not waiting for a response, he walked away leaving a speechless Ji-an behind.

Blinking rapidly, the girl gulped and touched the spot where Seo-jun's lips had been seconds before. "Am I going insane?" She whispered to herself completely unaware of the pair of eyes watching her around the corner.

When Kim Ji-an had gone to the bathroom, Lee Su-ho decided to leave, not seeing the point on sticking around, but then another part of him told him to stay. More than a few nights, had gone by where Su-ho could not sleep as he wouldn't stop thinking about Ji-an and her supposed relationship with Seo-jun. It bothered him to no end as he for some reason could not figure out if it was true or not. So, he decided to actually stay and watch how they interacted alone with no one around watching them. Relief was the thing he felt when he heard everything had been planned by Ji-an to make him jealous. Everything was an act to get back at him. He was content with the fact, as this meant Ji-an still loved him.

But this didn't last long, all because of Seo-jun's behavior and the one simple, yet meaningful action he did. It was small but it told a lot. Su-ho also saw the way Seo-jun stared at Ji-an. Years ago, he had noticed it but he decided to ignore it, thinking it was a product of his imagination. Then Seo-jun and Ji-an stopped being best friends and Su-ho completely forgot about it. But now it was that situation all over again, difference was this time Su-ho will not stay with the doubt.

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—Joy

And the plot thickens 🤗

I'm really feeding you guys with this quick updates.

What do you guys think so far? You like how the story is going? Any thoughts, theories?

The plot gets better and I have less and less stuff to say. There won't be any memes today as I didn't have time to make any and just wanted to update as fast as I could. So I'm sorry about that.

See you guys next chapter! Love you lots 🩷🩷