Love Hurts [Johnny Suh]

Twenty

When I got home that day, I locked myself up in my room, only getting up to do what I needed to and to tend to Butterfly.

Jungwoo had called me and texted me several times, and everytime, I just watched the phone silently ring or ignore  him — and everyone else who tried to contact me.

After two days, he was at my apartment, and since he knew the code, he let himself in and found me snuggled up on the couch with a blanket covering me to my neck and two empty tubs of ice cream on the coffee table that I had pushed so that it was closer to the couch I was on.

"Scarlett?" He called out, confusion in his voice. "What's wrong? Why haven't you been answering your phone?" He continued as I heard his soft footsteps walk closer. "Ten says you've been AWOL and ignoring him too, what's wrong?"

He sat down on the couch and I silently shifted my position so that I was now laying my head on his lap. He ran his long fingers through my hair soothingly.

"Tell me what's going on, please. I can tell you've been crying, and you finished all this ice cream, you little addict." He joked, but I couldn't find it in me to smile. I felt so drained.

"Okay, come on. Now you gotta tell me what made you so sad." He softly demanded and I let out a small sigh.

"Johnny proposed to me." I said softly, deciding to get it all out there immediately.

Jungwoo paused what he was doing, as if trying to decipher what I had just said. "Come again?" He finally basked after a few moments if silence

"Johnny..." I stopped to sniff and rub my noise, "He proposed to me."

"What? When?"

I sat up, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders and crossing my legs under me as I positioned myself so that I was facing him. "A few days ago. We went out for some is cream and we were talking, all fine, when he suddenly just proposed." I explained softly.

He looked at me with soft eyes for a bit before speaking. "Is that why you were crying?" He asked softly as he brought a hand to my cheek and gently slid his thumb over my cheek.

I looked down as I felt my eyes start to sting and blur with tears. My lips turned to a thin line as I nodded. "I can't go through what I went through with Hyunjoon again... I don't think I'll be able to take it." I explained with a small voice.

With both hands now on my cheeks, he wiped my tears away. "Does he love you?"

I shrugged before saying, "He said he does..."

"Do you... Do you feel the same?" He asked wearily and I looked up at him.

"What?"

"Do you feel the same? Do you love him?"

"I... No..." I said softly. A small, soft smile made its way to his lips.

"You're lying..."

"I'm not!!" I whined and his smile got a little wider.

"You forget that I've known you for forever. You twitch when you lie. That's why I used to call you...?" He paused for me to finish his sentence. I rolled my eyes before I gave in.

"You used to call me 'A.I'." I said with another roll of my eyes and he chuckled, satisfied.

"Yes. My little glitchy, malfunctioning A.I... So you love him too, and obviously, you're scared — for obvious reasons, but I've known Johnny for a really long time — not as long as you — but, yeah. And as you've noticed, Johnny is the biggest idiot out there..." I giggled with a sniffle before he continued, "but as big of an idiot as he is... He's also a good guy. I think I know him well enough to know when his intentions are good or not. I can't say I'm a good judge of character — because we both know I'm not... But Johnny's legit."

"So what? Are you saying I should say yes?"

"I'm not saying you should do anything. I'm just saying don't let what happened with Hyunjoon get in the way of your happiness just because he ruined what should've been a beautiful memory... Who knows, Johnny might just be the one to change that memory and make it one of your best ones..."

"But... Don't you think that it's too soon?"

"Time is irrelevant, Scar. If you feel you're ready, then you're ready. Stop asking if it's too early or if it's the right time. Do what feels right and what makes you happy."

"Why are you so wise? You're supposed to be the weird one!" I whined and he chuckled.

"No one said I can't be weird and wise." I giggled before I leaned into him for a hug. "So, what will you do now?"

"I'll... I'll sleep on it."

"Don't think too long, now. You'll get wrinkles." He commented as he poked my forehead and I swatted his hand away.