╰┈➤ ❝ [ Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke ] ❞

ANGER COULD NOT BE THE ONLY WORD USED TO DESCRIBE HOW KIM JI-AN FELT. She felt frustrated, hurt, and beyond all betrayed. There were tears building up in her eyes from the rage she was experiencing coursing through her veins. After coming home from school, she noticed that some of her stuff were not in the usual spot she had left them. Initially, she didn't think much on the matter figuring Chin-sun had maybe cleaned her room. But that had not been the case at all. Ji-an actually wished that was what happened.

The girl had a small box inside one of the drawers of her night stand. Inside that wooden box, she had placed basically all of her savings. She's had the box since before she left Korea and all her earns from her hard work were placed inside it. Kim Ji-an has always been a very independent person and although she comes from a family of money, she liked to have her own stuff and her own money. Her family has never liked her and so she wouldn't be surprised if one day they decided to randomly kick her out of their life's and leave her on the streets to fend for herself.

So she needed to have a good amount of money saved before that could happen. And even if that didn't occur, after finishing high school she was planning on renting her own place to live very far away from her family. At first, she wanted to place her savings in a bank account, but she knew how her parents were and they would definitely find a way to get control over it. Which was why she opted for saving the money on cash and have it with her.

What the girl did not anticipate in any way was half of her savings to go missing. They were no where to be found. Ji-an searched everywhere inside her room but the money was not there. That was months and years of her hard work completely missing. And Ji-an could only think of one person capable of doing such thing.

Her older brother.

In looks, he could be Ji-an's twin but personality wise he was the polar opposite. Ji-an was hardworking and Ji-hun was lazy. Ji-an was generous and Ji-hun was greedy. Ji-an  was humble and Ji-hun was arrogant. At the end of the day, they were siblings so of course they shared some similarities, but that was it.

Kim Ji-an walked out of her bedroom and charged to her brother's room. She didn't even knock on the door, barging in. She looked around but Ji-hun was not there. Quickly, she made her way downstairs and made her way to her father's office. The girl had always been told to knock when going there but she was far past formalities. She couldn't care less about what they thought right now.

"Where is Ji-hun?" Ji-an asked, looking at both of her parents. Her father was sitting behind his desk, his attention on the papers in front of him and her mother was sitting on the small couch close to the window with her laptop on her lap.

"Kim Ji-an, I thought you knew better than to just walk into the office like that." Her father reminded, barely sparing her a glance, which only angered the girl more.

"What do you want your brother for?" Her mother questioned, her focus on the laptop screen.

Ji-an balled her hand into a fist, her parents usual attitude towards her only adding to her frustration. "Could you two at least give me some of your attention for just a moment?!"

Her father let out a sigh and took off his glasses, finally looking at his daughter. "This better be worth our time."

"Do you guys know where Ji-hun is at?" Ji-an went straight to the point.

"Your brother left not too long ago. He didn't tell me where he was going. Now, tell us why you want to know where he is." Her mother, Hae-won, said.

"Oh, I'll be more than happy to tell you why." Ji-an replied, smiling falsely at her parents. "Your dearest son, stole money from the savings I have stored in my room."

Hae-won narrowed her eyes at her daughter, her full attention now on her as she closed her laptop. "How dare you accuse Ji-hun of such a thing?"

Ji-an let out a loud chuckle, almost in disbelief at her mother's blind love for her brother. "I'm sorry to break it to you mother, but Ji-hun is no saint. He might have you wrapped around his finger and have you do and believe everything he says but he's no better than any of you." The girl said, pointing a finger at them to get her point across. "Ji-hun stole from me and he better pay me back or I swear I will let everyone at Lee Joo-heon's party know the big piece of scumbag you both raised."

Her words caused Hae-woon to raise to her feet and walked over to her. The woman had a dangerous look on her face, her red colored lips pressed in a thin line. "Watch your mouth."

Ji-an's father also raised to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. "What makes you so sure that Ji-hun was the one that took your money?"

Ji-an looked away from her mother and turned to her father. "Right after I returned from Miami, Ji-hun asked me for money. I was already tired of his behavior so I said no. Ji-hun is used to having everything handed to him. And when you guys don't do what he wants, he turns to me. I'm not surprised he went into my room while I was at school and took half of my money."

"So you're telling us you have no proof of what you're saying and are only blindly blaming your brother for your missing money." Her father stated, not believing what his daughter was saying.

"You are so unbelievable." Ji-an shook her head, running a hand through her hair and resisting the urge to pull on it to release her anger. "My money is not missing, it was stolen. Just like there was money stolen from the company and I'm completely sure that was also product of Ji-hun's greediness."

Her mother raised her eyebrows. "Your brother is not the only person living in this house. Why haven't you thought of the possibility of that housekeeper friend of yours stealing your money? Isn't it weird that she's always so nice to you without wanting anything in return?"

"How dare you?!!" Ji-an raised her voice looking at her mother in disgust. "How dare you say that out of all people! Chin-sun is the only person in this house that actually cares about me. She's not like you that only remembers I exist when you want something from me. She's the only one, the only one, that takes time to make sure I'm okay. Chin-sun is more of a parent than either of you."

There was a loud smack as Hae-won raised her hand and slapped Ji-an across her face. "You do not raise your voice at me and let alone tell me who is a better parent."

Tears build up on Ji-an's eyes as she looked at both of her parents. "I hate you guys so much." She didn't wait for a reply and left the office letting the door close behind her with a loud bang. Making her way back to her room, she grabbed her phone. She wiped her tears trying to clear her vision and find Soo-ah's contact. Clicking on the girl's name, she called her. No way Kim Ji-an was going to stay in her house after what happened, she knew that if she stayed alone the thoughts of everything that was happening would eat her alive. All she needed was a distraction.

"Hey, Ji-an!" Soo-ah greeted over the phone. "Please tell me you made up your mind."

Ji-an cleared her throat, hoping her voice wouldn't sound too shaken. The girl could still feel her skin stinging from where her mother's hand had struck her. "Yeah, I'm going to the party. Can you send me the address?"

"Are you okay? You sound a little weird." Her friend asked.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now." Ji-an admitted as she began searching her closet for something to wear.

"It's okay, you can talk to me whenever you feel comfortable." Soo-ah said, "The party starts around nine. I'll send you the address to Min-gi's house now."

"Okay, I'll see you later then." Ji-an replied, her attention on a light green dress she found on her closet. It had spaghetti straps and it ended a little past her mid thigh.

"Great! See you soon. Bye, bye!" Soo-ah said, ending the call.

Ji-an placed the dress on her bed and took a long warm shower. Her thoughts still on her brother and what he had taken her money for. The girl was not even shocked at her parent's reaction. However, it didn't mean their words and actions didn't hurt her. Ji-an was only saying the truth and finally voicing out how she felt, and all she received in return was a slap to her face. She had parents but they might as well have been dead to her. They only used her as an object for their own benefit, they didn't care about her. Never asked about how she felt after Se-yeon's death or about her relationship with Lee Su-ho. They just wanted her to get back with him to fix their problems.

After Ji-an showered, she put on the dress and sat in front of her vanity. A faint red mark had formed on her left cheek, but it was nothing that could not be easily covered. For her make up, she didn't do anything extravagant just her usual routine. She left her hair on its natural form and styled it on a half up half down, her bangs framing her face. The girl didn't feel like using heels so she instead put on some cream colored sandals with long straps.

Ji-an knew how outgoing Min-gi was, hearing about how good his parties were so she hoped she could actually have fun and momentarily forget about everything. She was also thankful for the fact they had just done their exams, meaning they had a day off of school to rest so she would not have to worry about going to school the next day.

↶*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷

When Kim Ji-an arrived at the party it was already in full swing. Plenty of cars were parked around the property and there was people outside in the entrance. Soo-ah told her she and Tae-hoon were already inside so Ji-an made her way inside the big house to look for her friends. It didn't take long to find them as they were standing close to the front door.

"Finally, you're here. For a second I began to think you ditched us." Soo-ah admitted, nonetheless glad that her friend was there.

"I'm here aren't I?" Ji-an said admiring Soo-ah's red dress. "That's a nice dress. I like it, it looks perfect on you."

Soo-ah giggled. "You wanna know the best thing about it? It has pockets!"

"Oh, are you kidding me?" Ji-an gasped, wondering where she had gotten it. Finding dresses with pockets was unbelievably hard.

"Nope." Soo-ah said before her gaze shifted to something behind Ji-an. "We'll leave you alone. I'll go get you a drink." Soo-ah said and send a wink her way as she pulled Tae-hoon along with her.

Ji-an scoffed. "What? Why are you-"

"Kim Ji-an?" A deep voice came from behind her making the girl turn around to come face to face with the host of the party himself. Mingi had a grin on his face showing off his cute dimples, completely contradicting his deep voice. His hair was dyed silver, making him stand out from the rest of the crowd. The last time Ji-an had seen him he was very slim and a bit shorter, but now he looked way different. She could tell he had been working out by his broader shoulders and the muscles on his arms. He also grew a few inches taller making her have to lift her neck to make eye contact with him. Ji-an couldn't lie, Song Min-gi was a gorgeous man.

"Oh, hey Min-gi!" Ji-an greeted, grinning up at him.

"I never expected to see you here." Min-gi said, giving the girl a glance over. "You look as beautiful as I still remember." 

The girl couldn't help but blush at the comment his heavy gaze on her making her nervous. "Thank you. You look different from when I last saw you but in a good way. The silver hair is a nice touch."

The boy chuckled a playful glint shining in his eyes as he tilted his head. "Are you saying I was not attractive before?"

"W-what? No." She shook her head. "You've always been attractive." She admitted which seemed to be exactly what Min-gi wanted as a smirk formed on his lips. Ji-an had forgotten how much of a flirt he was. He was exceptionally good at making her flustered even when they were younger. And the girl was not lying, the boy has always been handsome.

"Do you want me to get you something to drink?" He asked gesturing with his head at the direction where the kitchen was.

"No, it's okay. My friend is already grabbing something for me." Ji-an dismissed his offer, making Min-gi nod and smile.

"It was nice seeing you, Ji-an. I hope you have fun. If you need anything don't hesitate to go find me." He said, holding eye contact as he took a hold of her hand and placed a kiss on it. "I'll see you around, princess."

Ji-an watched him disappear onto the crowd letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Soo-ah came back with their drinks a knowing look on her face and she handed Ji-an the cup. "That man totally has it out for you."

"You were watching?" She asked, taking a sip of her punch. Ji-an didn't like the taste of alcohol or the after effects of it.

"I obviously had to hear that conversation. I saw him looking at you the second you got here." The shorter girl admitted. "I also don't think he would've paid any attention to my presence. He seemed very occupied looking at you."

Ji-an rolled her eyes. "You're being dramatic. That's just the way he is."

"Whatever you say, princess." Soo-ah said, forcing her voice to go deeper to imitate Min-gi's voice. The two friends danced for a couple of minutes of, until Soo-ah left to go find her boyfriend who had stayed behind who knows where.

Ji-an turned around to leave the mass of dancing people when suddenly Ji-an felt a hand wrap around her arm. A little too rough for comfort. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Ji-an's blood ran cold at the familiar voice. She should've at least have the possibility in mind about him being there. He was friends with Min-gi at the end of the day. The girl turned around coming face to face with her brother. She removed her arm from his grasp, glaring up at him. Just seeing his face was making her blood boil all over again. "You. I was looking for you earlier."

Ji-hun ignored her comment. "I asked you a question. What are you doing here?" He repeated, emphasizing every word even if his speech was a bit slurred. He was a few drinks in, and Ji-an could smell the alcohol in his breath

"You have a lot of audacity to approach me and demand things after what you did to me." Ji-an said and with a finger she poked his chest with each word she spoke. "Who gave you the right to go steal money from me?"

Ji-hun's expression morphed into slight worry before changing into annoyance. He took Ji-an's hand that was on his chest and with it he dragged the girl away into one of the guest rooms in the house, unaware of the two set of eyes noticing the action. Once the door was closed behind them, Ji-an took her hand away from his grip. Her gaze was strong as she stared up at her brother. "Don't make me repeat myself, Ji-hun. Why did you steal my money?"

The older boy ran a hand through his hair. "I needed it, okay?"

Ji-an let out a scoff, smiling in utter disbelief. "And that gives you the right to take my money without permission? What the heck is your problem, Ji-hun?! Seriously! Did you lose your mind?!"

"Would you just stop yelling?!" He exclaimed, growing more agitated by the second. "You just never understand, do you? This is not just me stealing money because I want to. I had to give it back today."

Ji-an shook her head. "No, you are the one that doesn't understand! Whatever you do and whatever problems you're in are none of my business! I don't care and I don't want any part on them!" She walked closer to him her voice lowering. Her vision was beginning to grow blurry by tears of pure frustration building up in her eyes. "You had no right to go into my room and steal my money. Money that took me years to save. Do you get that Ji-hun?! You probably don't because you've never worked for anything in your life. Your parents have always given you everything in hand and now look what you've turned into."

"My parents?" Ji-hun let out a laugh out of all things he could've done. "I always knew you saw yourself as more superior than us."

Ji-an couldn't take it anymore. Raising her hand, she slapped her brother across the face as hard as she could. At this point tears were running down her face. She pushed her brother back making him slightly stumble back. "Me superior? I've never been treated like an equal around any of you! You don't know what is like to struggle to even get to your own house because it has never felt like one!"

Ji-an tried to push him again but this time the boy was quicker. He took a hold of her smaller frame and turned her around pushing her back against the wall. Ji-hun didn't calculate how much force he was going to use causing the move to be rougher than intended. The girl let out a whimper at the impact of her back and head hitting the wall. Ji-an closed her eyes for a second feeling her head begin to throb in pain.

Suddenly, Ji-hun was pushed away from her by someone. Ji-an opened her eyes and to her shock she saw Han Seo-jun in front of her, his fist raising in the air as he punched her brother making him stumble a couple of steps back. "What the-" Ji-hun touched his bleeding lip looking up to meet eyes with Seo-jun. He let out a pained laugh. "Oh, it's you. Han Seo-jun was it?"

Before Seo-jun could respond, another person entered the room, the door having been left open by Seo-jun's quick entrance. "What the heck is going here?" Min-gi asked, looking between the three with a frown.

Ji-an ignored the pain in her head as she turned to look at Min-gi. "I'm glad you're here, Min-gi. This way you can know what type of friend you actually have." The girl said, glaring at her brother who avoided her gaze. "To answer your question, I was just confronting Ji-hun about taking half of my savings without my consent."

Min-gi raised an eyebrow turning to look at Ji-hun with a murderous look. "So, the money you payed back to me actually belonged to your sister?" He asked, his jaw clenched. Ji-an's eyes widened in surprise, she could tell he was pissed. "What is wrong with you? I thought we had agreed that you would pay me back with your own money."

Ji-hun let out a sigh. "You gave me a deadline what was I supposed to do?"

Min-gi took the shorter boy by the collar. "Anything, but what you did! Stealing money from your own sister? That's low even for you." Min-gi pushed Ji-hun away, almost like he was disgusted by him. The silver haired boy turned to Ji-an, an apologetic look on his face. "Don't worry, princess. I'll give you back what your brother stole from you."

Ji-an nodded, a thankful smile on her face. "Thank you, Min-gi." Han Seo-jun frowned at the interaction. Hearing the nickname made his stomach hurt. He did not like the way Min-gi looked at Ji-an at all.

↶*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷

Han Seo-jun sat beside Kim Ji-an until the girl had no more tears left to cry. There was no need for words. He knew that if the girl wanted to talk about it, she would bring it up. Min-gi kept his word and immediately gave her back the money Ji-hun had stolen which Ji-an was really thankful for. Seo-jun didn't like Min-gi but that was just his jealousy taking over. Min-gi was a nice guy. And by his reaction, Min-gi was clearly not happy with Ji-hun's actions. They were friends but he had way more integrity than Ji-an's brother.

Kim Ji-an wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Her vision stung a little from the crying and her throat hurt from straining her voice while yelling at her brother. She felt so physically and mentally drained. The reason she even came to the party was to try and have a good time and instead she got the opposite. A little shakily, she stood up from the bed of the guest room. Min-gi had dragged her brother away after returning the money. He was basically fuming so Ji-an could only hope Ji-hun got what he deserved.

"I don't want to be here anymore." Ji-an announced, her voice hoarse. "My head feels like it's going to explode. I'm going to find Soo-ah and tell her I'm leaving."

Seo-jun walked up to her, concern in his eyes. "You seriously don't think I'm going to just leave you alone do you? I'm coming with you." He stated not having a no for an answer. The boy opened the door, motioning for her to go ahead of him. Having the girl out of his sight was a huge no for him. Ji-an didn't feel like arguing so she nodded. Allowing him to guide her with a hand placed on her back.

Finding Soo-ah luckily wasn't too hard. The girl was concerned at first, having been looking for her friend everywhere. Ji-an didn't tell her what actually happened, she just gave her a small idea of what went down. After Seo-jun reassured Soo-ah more than a few times that Ji-an would be in good hands, the two left Min-gi's house. Seo-jun turned to Ji-an. "I came in my motorcycle. I hope you don't mind."

Ji-an shook her head to show her lack of care, not feeling like talking at the moment. The ride was actually nice. Seo-jun didn't bring an extra helmet, not having anticipated leaving the party with another person. Ji-an should've felt unsafe but it was actually the opposite. The street lights looked pretty at night and the wind blowing around her face was calming in a way, like a lullaby. Now she could understand why Seo-jun drove away when things grew overwhelming, using it as a way of coping with his feelings. The rush of adrenaline was a nice touch. It momentarily removed the turmoil of emotions, letting you focus on what you were experiencing at the very moment.

Han Seo-jun knew Ji-an didn't want to go back to her house so soon. She didn't have to voice it out for him to know, it was obvious even before tonight. So Seo-jun took her to the convenience store in hopes to get some things to make the girl feel better. He hated seeing her like that, all he wanted was to see her happy and smiling. So that was what he would try to do. Kim Ji-an didn't say anything as they both entered the store. She watched Seo-jun grab one of the hand-held shopping baskets from the pile beside the door and make his way where the health care items were located.

He took a box of painkillers and threw it in the basket. Then he moved to the food aisle and turned to the girl, passing her the basket. "Grab whatever you want."

Ji-an frowned looking down at the basket and then up at the boy with a frown. "What?"

"I said grab whatever you want."

She shook her head. Ji-an appreciated the gesture but she didn't want him to that. "That's not necessary, Seo-jun. I'm okay."

Seo-jun gave her a look, letting out a sigh. "You're really going to make do all of it?" He moved deeper into the aisle, leaving Ji-an no choice but to follow after him. In the food section, he scanned the variety of ramen noodles the store offered before grabbing two packets from the bottom shelf. "This are your favorites right?"

The girl nodded, staring at the boy wide eyed. Either he didn't notice the look or he chose to ignore it as he placed them on the basket and moved along to the next items. Seo-jun grabbed a bag of chips he liked, and then scanned the rest of the options, trying to find the ones that met Ji-an's preferences. Not seeing the specific ones he was looking for, he turned to the girl. "They don't have the ones you like so grab your second favorite."

Kim Ji-an blinked a couple of times, wondering just how he remembered those minimal but still important details about her. It had been years since they had even gone to a store together, let alone talked about their favorite foods. With one last look at Seo-jun, Ji-an turned to the shelf, and after a few seconds, she grabbed the bag of chips that looked the most appetizing at the moment. Then Seo-jun walked up to the freezers with Ji-an slowly trailing behind.

She shivered a little when Seo-jun opened the freezer's door, the cold air hitting the skin that was not covered by her dress. She rubbed the arm that wasn't holding the basket to get rid of the chills while she stood beside the boy.

Seo-jun did the same thing again. He grabbed a pint of his favorite ice cream and then grabbed Ji-an's favorite which was cookies and cream. Dumbfounded, Ji-an stared down at the basket that was beginning to fill up with hers and Seo-jun's favorite snacks. She was starting to wonder if Ji-hun pushing her into the wall had affected her more than she had previously thought. She shifted her weight a little, using her two hands to hold the basket better.

Seo-jun took notice of the action and without a word, took the object away from her hands. "I'll hold it."

Ji-an shook her head, going after Seo-jun as he moved around the convenience store. "I was perfectly fine holding it. Give it back." She grabbed the part of the handle Seo-jun's hand wasn't covering and tried taking the basket.

"Sweetheart, I saw you struggling." He gripped the handle harder. "Also, I don't want you doing more work than you should. So I'll hold it now."

Ji-an rolled her eyes. "I got into an argument, Seo-jun, not got my blood drained. I'll survive if I hold a basket."

"Sure. Whatever you say, sweetheart." The boy said, but didn't make any move to give her the basket as he started looking at the shelf full of candy.

"Are you okay?" Ji-an asked, feeling mixed emotions towards his new behavior. "Did you drink something you shouldn't have at the party?"

"No." He responded as he began to fill the basket with a variety of chocolate bars and other treats. "I'm more than okay. I should be the one asking that to you." He said finally turning to face the girl.

Ji-an raised an eyebrow looking at the selection of things he had grabbed. "What's with all the snacks?"

Seo-jun copied her expression. "We're having a movie night."

"What?!"

The tall boy let out a sigh. "Did your hearing get affected? I said we are having a movie night, sweetheart." He said, and placed a hand on Ji-an's back to guide her to the register. "Now, let's go before the ice cream starts to melt. And don't worry about not holding the basket, you'll have to hold the bag on the ride back."

Ji-an let out an excessively fake laugh, making a smirk form on Seo-jun lips. "I never agreed to a movie night."

"Too bad you don't have much of a choice." Seo-jun said, looking down at her with a smug look. "Or do you want me to take you back home? Where your lovely parents are at?"

Shaking her head in disgust, Ji-an said. "Don't ever put lovely and my parents in the same sentence." She sighed. "I guess a movie night doesn't sound too bad. Can I chose the movie?"

"Fine, but if you chose something lame I'm kicking you out of my house."

"Yeah, right." The girl scoffed, knowing he wouldn't do that. Seo-jun was just bluffing. He couldn't easily let her know he'll let her do whatever she wanted just as long as it made her happy.

↶*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷

"So where is your sister and your mother?" Kim Ji-an asked, as she cooked the noddles Han Seo-jun had bought. Her favorite noodles to be exact.

"My mom wanted to visit some family member that got recently sick so my sister offered to go with her. They aren't coming back until tomorrow afternoon." Seo-jun explained, finishing emptying the grocery bag.

Ji-an hummed as a response and turned to face him, as Seo-jun moved to throw the bag on the trash can. "I'm surprised you were at the party. I didn't expect to see you there."

"It was a last minute thing. Cho-rong told me about it and I was bored so I decided to see what the hype was about."

Nodding, Ji-an turned back to the stove. "I'm sorry about that. I ruined it for you." She apologized, lately everything felt like it was on her.

"Don't apologize, sweetheart." He said, walking back to her to stand close behind her. All at a safe distance, obviously. He didn't want to push his luck and make her uncomfortable. Seo-jun couldn't afford to mess up this time. She gave him one chance to prove himself and that's exactly what he would do. "Stop feeling sorry for stuff that isn't on your control."

He was right, she knew it. But it was still hard not to feel some sort of culpability. Seo-jun took the box of painkillers he bought, opening it he took a pill and filling up a glass of water, he passed it to Ji-an. "Here, drink this. I know your head is hurting."

"Thank you." Putting the pill on her mouth, she drank a few gulps of water before passing it back to Seo-jun. Then she grabbed some bowls from the top cabinet as she began serving the ramen. Seo-jun went to his room to grab some blankets and other pillows. He also grabbed one of his hoodies in case the girl wanted to feel more comfortable. He placed everything on the couch including the unhealthy amount of candy and chips.

Once they were settled side to side on the couch, Ji-an couldn't say no at the offer of wearing Seo-jun's hoodie. The night was pretty chilly and the wind constantly blowing around her on the ride back had her shivering from cold. After putting it on, Ji-an chose one of her favorite comedy movies, hoping it could help her lift her spirits more. Although, shockingly Seo-jun was doing a good job at it. The two began eating, letting out a sound of happiness at their first bite. None of the two having eaten anything in hours. It also didn't take long for them to finish off the quick meal, so they began snacking on the other junk stuff Seo-jun bought.

Half way through the film, Ji-an couldn't concentrate on the movie. Her thoughts too occupied on the boy sitting beside her. She couldn't believe he had done all of that for her. It was one of the nicest things someone had done for her in a while. Ji-an turned to Seo-jun as he way form the ice cream tub. "Thank you, Seo-jun." The boy looked back at her, surprised at her sudden words. "For everything. I really appreciate what you did today for me. You didn't have to do it, but you did. So thank you."

Seo-jun cleared his throat. "You don't have to thank me. I'll do it a million times if necessary."

Ji-an stared at the boy in shock, a lump in her throat. It was such a change to his usual attitude towards her, different but not unrecognizable. Thats the exact way he treated her before he told her that their friendship was just an act. This was the Seo-jun that she used considered her best friend. Despite this, there was something different about him, she couldn't pin point what it was, but it was strange. The whole thing was weird.

Ji-an opened one of the chocolate bars to have something to distract herself with as she spoke. "You know, being honest with you, I can't believe you've never had a girlfriend before. I never really thought about it before but you would actually be a great boyfriend." She admitted, unaware of the way the boy beside her froze. "I don't know how you did it, but you managed to remember all the foods I like, and you've helped brighten my day after the horrible way my family's treated me today. That's not something a girl easily forgets about. So thank you, Seo-jun. I hope someday you find someone that treats you well and appreciates this type of efforts."

Seo-jun nodded, not trusting his voice in the slightest. How was he supposed to act normal when the girl he's loved for years is telling him all of that? He felt like his heart was going to jump out of its rib cage when Ji-an turned to face him. A genuine smile on her lips, brightening her face completely. She really was the best thing that had happened to him, and she didn't even know it. Seo-jun was glad for the lack of lighting in the living room because the way his cheeks were burning was seriously embarrassing.

Unknown to him, Ji-an was also a blushing mess. She was not planning on blurting out all of that stuff. The words just flew out of her mouth because she was telling the truth. Seo-jun wasn't actually so bad. She just never thought about it because she was with Lee Su-ho, but now she came to the realization that Seo-jun was her type. Weirdly enough, he had everything she liked on a boy. It almost felt illegal just thinking about it. She didn't even know where all of this new thoughts and conclusions were coming from but they were beginning to concern her. His change of attitude was messing with her train of thought and she didn't like it.

She just hoped everything he was doing was sincere. Because all of this also made her realize something else. If Seo-jun actually cared about her all along, then why did he say all of that stuff in the past? It made no sense.

——————— ↶*ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ—————

—Joy

That was longer than I anticipated.

And it has officially begun. She still doesn't like Seo-jun, she's just barely noticing the fact that he isn't too bad. There's no specific chapter, it would just happened gradually.

Kim Ji-an is just really that girl. We love her. For all of you who don't know who Min-gi is or how he looks like, this is him. This is why I had to obviously mention how handsome he is cause look at him. Of course he has to simp for Ji- an too 💅🏻

As a little gift for 50k reads, I made you guys an edit of Seo-jun and Su-ho. Hope you guys like it!

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Now, can we really blame Ji-an for wanting Su-ho back and then falling for Seo-jun?

Here are the memes.