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━━━  " 📂 " ‍..⃗. ༉

𝘾 𝙍 𝙔 𝘽 𝘼 𝘽 𝙔

! chapter thirty two ─── ʚĭɞ

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Chorong was glaring at her over the top of his bowl of noodles, 

It was easy enough to ignore. Despite the fact she had just been shopping, she spent the time waiting scrolling through her phone, skipping from one shopping app to another, before settling on mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, messaging Sooa about which pictures they should post from their shopping trip. 

It was truly a shame that it had come to this, especially given how Chorong kept angrily stabbing at the various meat toppings he had added to his ramyeon. He had never truly done anything wrong to warrant being locked in her father's convenience store, but funnily enough his visit there was just convenient for Yeori to sort out a few odd ends in her life. The worst he had done, really, was egg Seojun on in whatever he was trying to do and, well... it really wasn't that bad for him, was it? He got to eat his food without even going anywhere. 

"Seriously," Chorong grumbled, shaking his head as he scrambled around the broth to find any remaining noodles. "He's coming, can I just go home?" He whined, reaching for the portion of rice and getting up to warm it in the microwave. 

"You're in the middle of eating, I don't see what the big deal is." Yeori hummed. "If he could get here the other day before lunch, then he can get here now." 

"Aish." Chorong mumbled something and reached for his phone. 

Yeori didn't know he was making so much of a fuss. It wasn't like he was anywhere close to finishing his food - he was going to pour the rice into the broth, add more meat and a number of other toppings and tuck into that too. Why he had to keep asking, why he had to keep annoying her, she didn't know. Maybe that was why he and Seojun were such good friends. Both of them were annoying bastards. 

"Yeori!" The back door swung open with a certain ferocity, and Yeori looked up from her phone to see her dad storming through, his gaze shooting from his daughter behind the counter to where Chorong was hovering around. "Why are you holding Chorong hostage!"

"Why do you know?" Yeori asked, her eyes landing on the phone he was holding where she could clearly see the messages. "You texted my dad?" She rounded back to where Chorong was sitting. "How - what?... why do you have his number?" She asked, the disbelief at the entire situation evident on her face, and the confusion rampant. 

"So he can know when we get a shipment of those chips in that he likes," Seungwon replied as if it was obvious. "Did you manage to find them, Chorong?" Her dad continued, leaning around the corner so he could properly see him. 

"Yes, thank you, sir!" Chorong saluted, just as the microwave beeped and he hurried to get it back to his table, balancing it carefully as to try and not get burnt. 

They both watched as he sat down and scooped the rice into the instant noodle bowl and for a brief moment aside from the sound of Chorong blowing on his rice to cool it a little, the convenience store was quiet. Almost peaceful. 

And then her dad turned around. "What did this poor boy do to be held hostage by you, Yeori?" He asked, vhis oice raised only slightly. But still, it was louder than it usually was. But Yeori was going to stand her ground. 

"Well..." She began, and folded her arms across her chest, "First of all, he's not being held hostage, he's being held for ransom." 

"He's being held for ransom, really Yeori?" Seungwon continued, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're holding poor Chorong for ransom?" 

"He's hardly poor, all he's been doing is eating. I'm not breaking any laws, I just want that damn motorbike gone." Yeori nodded towards it, shaking her head. "Calm down, Dad, Seojun is on his way. I'll let him go when he gets here. Just go back to whatever you were doing and I'll free the prisoner when his ransom is paid." A sweet smile came to her face, the one she usually used to get out of trouble. "I'll work an extra hour for the trouble." 

Kwon Seungwon looked between his daughter and Chorong, and then back again, before letting out a sigh. There was nothing really all that wrong with his situation, save for the fact that he was locked inside the convenience store. He was warm, he was getting fed - it wasn't like he was tied up by some kidnapper somewhere. Yeori wasn't going to do anything to him. 

"Fine." He said, and cast his gaze around the shop once more. "Take another packet of those chips before you leave, Chorong, for the trouble of it all," Seungwon said, making his way back into the house behind the store. "And that's coming out of your allowance, Yeori." 

"Huh?" The girl looked up. "What the hell?"

"And watch your language." He finished, before closing the door. 

Yeori frowned. "Dickhead." She said to Chorong. "Why did you text my dad - why do you even have my dad's number!" 

"So I can get my Orion Sun chips!" Chorong protested. "I would've joined the email list your dad has for all the special orders but nobody else comes for the chips!" 

"I don't care about that!" Yeori said. "I couldn't give less of a shit about the stupid chips or the email list! Why did you have to text him now? It's not like I'm torturing you or some shit like that. You're eating, you have the microwave and if you need anything else you can buy it!"

"I'm not buying anything!" Chorong argued back. "You're holding me hostage-"

"For ransom." Yeori corrected.

"Fine, for ransom, whatever. But you're holding me for ransom and I've already eaten some of the stuff I bought and I don't see why I should have to pay for anything else." 

"You've already got your free chips! And if my dad orders them especially that means you have to pay more for them, which means you're not getting any shit for free!" Yeori told him, her nose wrinkled. There was a knock on the glass of the door, and Seojun stood behind them looking slightly bewildered. "Sit still and eat your rice so you can leave." 

"Fine." Chorong begrudgingly accepted, although Yeori really didn't know what his big problem was. It wasn't like he could eat that sort of thing while he walked back home. Yeori gave him another glare for good measure before she unlocked the door and stepped outside.

"What took you so long?" She asked. 

Seojun swallowed, head turned towards the window and watching Chorong for a brief moment. "I wasn't at home." He shrugged.  "What are you doing, Yeori?" He asked, flicking his bangs back into place as he turned to look at her. "Wanted to see me that badly?" The corner of his lips turned up into a smirk. 

She pursed her lips and took a deep breath, remembering the previous conclusion she had come to. He had said just a few words to her and she could already feel the bubble of anger in her chest. "No. Not in the slightest." She replied in an oddly even tone. "Seeing as you refuse to listen to me, I had to take extreme measures."

"You locked Chorong in your dad's convenience store," Seojun said. 

"I don't know why everyone is so concerned about that!" Yeori shook her head. "He's eaten his noodles, he added rice to the leftover broth and he got his stupid chips! Chorong is fine." 

"I think it's more of the principles of the matter," Seojun replied in that awful, cocky voice. "You locked him in your dad's shop."

"He's fine. He's not going to be permanently scarred or some stupid shit." Yeori rolled her eyes. "Chorong is fine. If anything the five slices of cheese he added to his noodles will do him more harm than I have." 

Seojun grinned, shaking his head. "Fine." He said. "Chorong's gonna be fine. What do I have to do to get you to let him go?" 

Yeori dug around in her jacket pocket, holding out her hand before her. "Take your keys, and take your bike, or I'll actually slash your tires... or have it towed. Whatever will be more of a problem for you." 

"Ah," Seojun sighed and glanced towards the bike he was standing next to. "Can't do that." 

Yeori heaved in a deep breath. "Why not?" She asked, as calmly as she could manage. "I thought you were supposed to be doing everything I told you to." 

"I keep telling you, Yeori." Seojun replied, "I have some limits." 

Yeori frowned. Of course, he did. Nothing could ever be as simple as what it sounded like. He told her he would only do what she said, but when she asked him for something she actually wanted, like him to leave her alone, or for him to take his stupid bike somewhere else, all of a sudden he had his limits and couldn't do it. 

She sighed, shoved the keys back into her pocket, and in a moment she entirely forgot the decision she had come to and reached forward and flicked him square on the forehead. 

"Hey!" Seojun took a step back. "What was that for." 

"You," Yeori closed the distance and punched him on the arm, "are... such... a... dickhead!" Each word was enunciated with another punch, managing to get around the flailing defences Seojun attempted. "Why are you such a dickhead?" 

"I'm... not!" Seojun managed to get away and, ignoring the sight of Chorong laughing in the window pulled himself together. "Were they supposed to hurt? You're too-"

"Don't you dare, Han Seojun, I'll kill you." Yeori snapped. "What is wrong with you? I don't get it - why are you being like this? Why are you so confusing? It looks like we're about to be friends again, or at least civil, and then you come to school and tell me you're only going to listen to what I say. And since then you've just been so idiotic and confusing! I don't know why you're doing it, I can't figure it out." 

"Yeori..." 

"I don't get it. I thought we were going to be friends so we could stop having stupid arguments about everything but then you go and piss me off again!" She continued. "Why are you doing this? Sooa thinks you want to date me again, and I told her it's stupid but Gowoon said it too. She said that you're acting like you did when you were my boyfriend and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I just... do you want to date again, is that what it is?" 

He was staring at her, with an unreadable expression on his face. "No." He shook his head. "No, I don't think we should date again." 

"Good, because that would just be..." Yeori sighed and folded her arms over her chest. It was colder outside than she had anticipated. "That would be a nightmare." 

"A nightmare? Really? Would it be that bad?" 

"I can't get through a conversation without telling you I want to kill you, Seojun." Yeori told him. "I thought we were going to be friends. I can... I can deal with being friends, but..." And she didn't want to finish her sentence, face set as she stared down to the ground in front of her.

Seojun shifted on the spot. "But?" He asked, his voice soft. 

She didn't expect that, didn't want to think about what that meant, far too used to every word being teasing or sarcastic and that difference wasn't something she could deal with. 

"I can't tell you," Yeori mumbled. 

"Why not?"

"Because we've already argued about this and if we are going to be friends I can't keep dragging it up." 

"Come on, Yeori, you can tell me." Seojun nudged her. "I can take it, I'm pretty strong." She scoffed. "What, I survived your attack, didn't I?" 

Her tongue ran over her teeth, pushed against her cheek before she swallowed. He wasn't going to let up. "I'm still... I'm still hurt, Seojun." She admitted. "By what happened."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Yeori mumbled, still avoiding his gaze, really wanting to look anywhere but. "I... I just can't deal with the arguing all the time. I want to be friends, I do... just, not like this." 

"Okay." Seojun nodded, and for a moment neither of them said anything, the words hanging in the air between them. Then; "Give me the keys, Yeori." He said softly. "I'll take the bike. And... I won't only listen to you anymore." He added. 

She looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed. "Really?" Yeori asked. He nodded and held his hand out, actually pocketing the keys when she handed them over. "You're really serious?" 

"I am." Seojun smiled at the sudden light in her eyes. "I'll go grab my helmet from the storeroom and tell Chorong he can go." 

"Your helmet's in the storeroom?" Yeori asked. 

"Yeah, Chorong distracted him with the whole sun chips thing whilst I hid it." Seojun grinned as her jaw dropped. "Just stay there." He told her, and shockingly, she did as he asked, watching as he disappeared inside, shared a few words with Chorong before disappearing from sight. 

Now finished with his food, and armed with the plastic bag filled with the rest of it, Chorong ambled on out of the shop he'd been locked in. "Shouted at him then, did you?" He asked casually. 

"Yeah. Seemed to have worked though, finally." Yeori told him. 

"He'll only listen to you." Chorong hummed, teasing. "See you soon, Yeori." 

"See you soon, Chorong." At that, he began to make his way home, disappearing down one of the nearby side streets Yeori still didn't move, watching as Seojun came back from the storeroom, helmet in hands. "For your information, despite the fuss he made, Chorong didn't seem disappointed at all by the whole ransom thing." 

"No, he wasn't," Seojun said, swinging a leg over his bike. He held the helmet up, about to put it on, and paused. "Are you coming to the fair? Gonna support me at the basketball?" 

"Sooa'll drag me to support Taehoon. And I suppose Soojin will want to support Suho." Yeori shrugged. "But I'm going to support Gowoon at her recital. She's the lead, you know." 

"I know, she told me in between pestering me about the keys." Seojun rolled his eyes. "I'll see you there, then." 

"Maybe." Yeori hummed, arms folded. "Maybe."