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NINE | A KOREAN DRAMA-LIKE
LOVE STORY

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SOO-JIN KNEW SANG-WOO feared her when she was seething.

Think of her temper as a volcano, ready to explode. Volcanoes are dangerous and no one can predict exactly when they will erupt. When they do, the lava they spew out will burn everything in its path. Soo-Jin was the type of person to keep it all in, let it simmer for a while, and when she had enough of their bullshit behavior, then she'll softly smile and advise them to run for the hills.

When she was still a child, many of her classmates called her a 'know-it-all' or a 'blunt bitch' since she would not sugarcoat her words. Her words often came out in a harsh way, but they were correct.

Such was the time when one of her male classmates bullied Sang-Woo and Gi-Hun, she retaliated by commenting about their poor performance in class which resulted in the kid bawling his eyes out.

Even her own bestfriend and former lover once commented that she can be scary, but they knew that this is just the way she was and that she was actually very nice. 

Wild inferno blazed in her eyes as she dragged her former lover inside the bathroom, slamming his back against one of the toilet doors with such force. A guard was supposed to follow them and stand in front of the entrance, but then backed away when she gave him an unforgiving, icy glare.

"You have no fucking originality."

Sang-Woo furrowed his eyebrows.

"You're using one of my advices to get ahead of the competition."

Her ex frowned. "Is that the only reason why you brought me here?"

Soo-Jin sighed, releasing her tight grip on his collar. "Sang-Woo, be honest with me..." spoke she, almost pleading for him to be truthful. "Did you know that the game would be honeycomb?"

He looked down at the floor. "I wasn't really sure, but as soon as 67 said there was sugar and I saw the shapes. I remembered the honeycomb game."

"Then, you should've mentioned that! I asked you about it, right? There was no reason for you not to tell them! It would've been safer for us all if we chose only one shape so we can together formulate a strategy!"

"I said, I wasn't sure -- "

The woman struck the door behind him, loud enough for it to resonate across the whole bathroom. "Bullshit! You knew! I even had the idea and I asked for you to confirm it! Sang-Woo, we were put in a game where we aren't competing each other! There was no need for you to leave them hanging immediately!"

Sang-Woo directed his eyes on her. "So, if the game required we compete against each other... you would leave them hanging?"

"Don't turn this on me." She deflected his question because truthfully speaking, she didn't want to answer it.

If given the chance, would she do it? Would she betray someone to save her own life? The old Soo-Jin would've said, yes, in a heartbeat. But, something within her changed during her years of hardship. It was like she had a new perspective about things.

"It's clearer than your eyesight that you want the others to get killed to increase the price pool for yourself." She spun around, finding her way to the mirror. Exhaling loudly, she gripped the edge of the white sink. "You want Gi-Hun -- our friend we knew half of our lives, dead? What the fuck?"

"Soo-Jin..."

"Do you want me dead too?"

"No." He answered with no hint of hesitation in his voice.

Soo-Jin scoffed. "You didn't even warn me earlier."

"Because you chose correctly." he argued, now advancing forward to stand behind her. "If you didn't, I would've persuaded you to change your mind."

"You honestly want me to believe that after what you just did? You want me to believe you care about me?"

Sang-Woo stared at her through the mirror, swallowing. It was as if he was fighting a conflict inside of him and in the end, he surrendered. "I care about you."

Soo-Jin looked at his reflection in the mirror, watching his actions and expression. Closing her eyes for a moment, she spun around and walked over to him. They stood very close just like many times before, their eyes fixated on each other.

"You want to know what I think?" She then jabbed a finger at his chest, snarling, "I think, you only care about yourself."

And with that, she left him in the bathroom to ponder about his action.

HONESTLY? SANG-WOO AND Soo-Jin's love story could be turned into a Korean drama.

For it all started when Sang-Woo's first girlfriend cheated on him during their first year in Seoul National University.

"What?" cried the brunette, standing up from her chair, outraged by what she heard from Sang-Woo. It was already midnight when he knocked on her apartment door, asking for her company. She was about to sleep already since her class the next day would be very early, but the sight of her childhood friend concerned her greatly.

It was as if the world collapsed on him. His eyes were filled to the brim with tears and when she wrapped her arms around him, gut-wrenching sobs tore through his chest.

"She cheated on you?" the young woman slammed her hands on the table, causing their glass and bottles of Soju tremble.

Her friend stared at the clear liquid in his glass, his expression neutral. "Yes, Hyun-Joo cheated on me... with Dong-Hyun."

This even increased Soo-Jin's already blazing fury.  "Dong-Hyun? Her bestfriend? That rich boy from our class?" She bellowed.

At this, Sang-Woo lifted his gaze to her. "Lower your tone and sit down."

That was when the brunette noticed her audience and apologized, bowing her head down. Adjusting her shirt and returning to her seat, she leant forward. "Seriously? She did that?"

"Yes, I caught them five days ago. Turns out, they have been fucking behind my back for months now." he affirmed, imbibing his drink.

Soo-Jin's eyes bugged out of their sockets and she placed her hand above her gaping lips. She couldn't believe that someone would ever cheat on her childhood friend. Let alone Cho Sang-Woo, who she knew was very kind and caring to those important to him. He and his now ex-girlfriend were together for almost two years and she herself witnessed how much he loved and adored her. He was the type of man who preferred showing his love through acts of service over words of affirmation.

They were all in eleventh grade when Sang-Woo dated Hyun-Joo, the prettiest girl in their class. Her friend had been smitten with her ever since and through her and Gi-Hun's encouragement, he gained the courage to ask her out. In less than a month, they became a couple and the talk of their whole class. But, Hyun-Joo was a very jealous girl and to avoid any conflict with her, Soo-Jin distanced herself from Sang-Woo. It was helpful though since they were rivals in academics.

She aggravatingly scratched her scalp. "Aish, that bitch." She sighed, downing her Soju in one gulp. The woman had always noticed that there was something different with the way Hyun-Joo and Dong-Hyun stared at each other. One time, she even caught his hand on her upper thigh, but dismissed it as accidental. "I never expected she'll do it. She cheated on you... with her bestfriend! Very awful!"

"Neither do I. Tell me, Soo-Jin, what do I lack? Am I not enough?"

Soo-Jin reached out to him, squeezing his hand. "Ya, Cho Sang-Woo, you're more than enough, okay? You're intelligent, hardworking -- "

"She said it was my fault." Sang-Woo interjected, nonchalant.

"What?"

"She said it was my fault why she cheated."

"Okay, that's it!" the brunette raised her arms in the air, fed up. "Where do I get permission to beat her up?"

Sang-Woo massaged his forehead, exhaling loudly. "Now, I've got no date to go to that semester welcoming party."

Soo-Jin hummed, tilting her head in curiosity.

"We have a welcoming party this friday. She, of course, is supposed to be my date."

The brunette blinked twice. "You're only worried about that?"

"No, of course not. It's just that I'll be seeing her again there and this time, she'll be with Dong-Hyun."

As soon as she heard this, the woman's mind generated a brilliant idea. Taking another glimpse of the dejected visage of her childhood friend, she made a decision, but she didn't expect it would have an effect.

The day of the welcoming party came sooner than expected and rushing through the pathway of the campus was a breathless Soo-Jin who just finished her last class for the day. She bumped several walking students along her run, apologizing profusely before continuing. She had to get there in time.

Actually, she was supposed to be early, but her professor dismissed them late. Glancing at her watch, she cursed under her breath when she saw she only had seven minutes to reach the event.

Sang-Woo wasn't aware she was coming. He even had no idea what she was going to do. Soo-Jin took it upon herself not to tell him since she wanted to surprise him. As if on cue, she caught sight of the man she was going to help get revenge appeared into view. He was wearing a grey suit partnered with black dress shoes and navy blue necktie.

"Sang-Woo!" shouted Soo-Jin as she stopped in front of him, bending down to catch her breath.

"Soo-Jin? What are you doing here?"

Grinning, the woman stood up and rolled her shoulders. "Congratulations, Cho Sang-Woo. You'll be able to ruin your ex's day. Oh, won't you look at that? I'm free now. Aren't you a lucky man?"

The man knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "What -- "

She didn't let him finish his sentence. "Where's the comfort room?"

"Uh, third floor of this building."

"Third floor?" screeched the young brunette, scratching her scalp. She had to change clothes before they enter the building in order to capture the attention of the crowd -- or well, specifically, Sang-Woo's fellow business school students. She was only wearing faded jeans and a yellow shirt, no one would take her seriously as his date. Licking her lips, she stood on her tiptoes and caught a closed area where she can change clothes. "Come with me."

Seizing his arm, she dragged him along with her, bringing him to the shaded area of the building. There was no one around and there was enough bushes and tall grasses to hide her from view. Tossing her bag to Sang-Woo, she pulled out a white high heels and white dress that flaunted her curves and long legs. Opening the buttons of her shirt, she sauntered over to the back of the bushes.

"Turn around."

Reluctantly, he did so and Soo-Jin knelt on the grass, taking off her jeans and shirt.

"You didn't answer my question earlier. Chang Soo-Jin, what are you doing here?"

Wearing her dress, Soo-Jin replied, "If you go in there alone, she won't regret cheating on you with that douchebag." She then smirked, standing up from her position. "But, if you go with me, I can make her regret everything. That's my plan."

"I like it." proclaimed Sang-Woo, spinning around to face her and then looked away when he saw she hadn't zippered up her dress. He pushed his glasses up. "I'm sorry. By the way, why are you doing this?"

"You're my friend," she easily responded, closing her white dress. "I feel like I should do this for you. Plus, I'd really like to smack her in the face. Oh, by the way, do you like my battle armor?" As Soo-Jin spun and twirled, her dress billowed and rippled accordingly.

He didn't reply.

"Aish," She rolled her eyes and picked up her white high heels. "If I let my hair down and wear high heels, I'm tremendously pretty. More gorgeous than your ex."

Oh, Soo-Jin knew she was beautiful. She was confident in her looks. But, because she was a woman who preferred comfortable clothes, she wore jeans, shorts, and oversized shirts.

She let her hair down and arranged it to the side, letting it flow. Smiling innocently, she fixed her gaze on her friend. "What do you think?"

Letting out a breath, he finally anchored his attention to her and Soo-Jin caught his gaze cruising down her figure. His lips slightly fell open as if he was taken aback.

"You... you look..."

"I know, I know. I'm drop-dead gorgeous. Now, come on, we will be late, dearest boyfriend." She smirked, pushing herself forward to get her purse from her backpack. Now that her look was complete, she wrapped her hand around his arm and they made their way inside her building, but not before leaving her backpack in his locker.

"Ah, ah, wait," She suddenly paused in her tracks, causing Sang-Woo to be pulled back. Lifting her hands, Soo-Jin removed his glasses and tucked it inside her purse. "There we go, perfect! Aigoo, look at you! I like this appearance of yours. Let's go get back to your bitch of an ex."

And so, there they were, catching everyone's attention. Giving Sang-Woo's fellow students a dazzling smile, she conversed with them, kindly. It wasn't too long when Hyun-Joo and Dong-Hyun arrived, arms linked. They were very proud and Soo-Jin wanted to retch from how they paraded their relationship that started from lying.

After eating their dinner, Sang-Woo offered to get them both some drinks and that's when she noticed that he and his ex encountered each other on the way there. Releasing a breath, she stood up from her chair and sauntered over toward them, hearing their conversation.

"Don't make a scene here, Sang-Woo..."

"Why would I? I came here with my girl..."

She heard Sang-Woo utter and instantly, Soo-Jin wrapped her hand around his waist and arm. "Oh, nice to see you again, Hyun-Joo. It's been quite a while."

Hyun-Joo's eyes narrowed. "Chang Soo-Jin?"

"Thought I might need to say hello." Flashing a smile, she leant her head against his shoulder. "Thank you for letting him go. Your mistake is my blessing. Because of you, I realized that I have been so in love with him. I thank you so much for that."

"Is this true, Sang-Woo?"

"Come on, you don't believe me?" Soo-Jin clicked her tongue. "Why would he not date me?"

"Because you're..." She tried to explain, but she shook her head almost in disbelief. Soo-Jin's lips almost curled into a victorious smirk for she could see the glint of regret in Hyun-Joo's eyes. "Answer me, Sang-Woo. Is she really your girlfriend?"

At this, Sang-Woo spoke up, his voice firm and hopeful, "I have nothing else to say, other than that..." He unwrapped Soo-Jin's hand on his arm and slid it into his hand, entwining their fingers. "I am sure I will not be thinking of you anymore, Kim Hyun-Joo, thanks to her. I focused on you for so long that I missed this precious diamond I had all along..." He squeezed her hand tightly, glancing at her.

Soo-Jin felt a bit strange. There was something in his tone, but she couldn't tell what. Not letting the moment die, she softly kissed his clothed shoulder, smiling. This seemed to have confirmed -- at least, in Hyun-Joo's eyes that their relationship was not fake.

"So, live well, Hyun-Joo. I hope you'll be happy with your choice."

And with that, the two left a remorseful Hyun-Joo. They returned to their table, and no words were exchanged between them for a while. Soo-Jin then gently patted his thigh as comfort. "Do you regret it?" She asked him, lowly.

"No, I feel much better. You?"

"I feel good too."

"Great. How about we have some chicken and beer after this? Would you like that?"

Soo-Jin didn't know why, but suddenly, she felt like a new chapter of her life was being written. There was something between them that changed, perhaps it was a realization. She smiled.

"Why not?"