Sweet Rejection | seongjoong

Ten

As Hongjoong's sitting down on the sand and looking up at the stars, he smiles. He was so tired and even had a headache from his long day at work, but now that he's here, he feels so much better.

"I see you're still wearing the necklace." Seonghwa tells him and smiles. "I thought you'd take it off, but it makes me happy that you're still wearing it."

"Yeah... it's really beautiful. Still, I don't think I should've accepted such an expensive gift."

"Oh come on, you're not planning on returning it to me now, are you?" He frowns. "Just keep it. You said you'll pay for our next date. It's tomorrow so just don't forget your wallet." He jokes.

'But of course, I'm not letting you pay anyway.' Seonghwa thinks to himself.

"Okay, I won't forget it this time." Hongjoong just nods.

Seonghwa smiles and looks straight ahead at the view in front of him. Hongjoong turns to look at him and notices a familiar looking necklace around his neck.

"Where did you get your necklace from?" Hongjoong asks him.

"It's pretty, right?" Seonghwa looks down at it and smiles.

'I made that.' Hongjoong thinks to himself and a small smile forms on his lips. "Did you buy it from a store?"

"No, actually the mom of my brothers classmate sells them. It's so pretty, I just had to buy it."

"You really think it's pretty?" Hongjoong tries to hide his smile. "Even if it's not a necklace from a luxury brand?"

"Yeah." Seonghwa nods and turns to look at Hongjoong. "But how did you know it's not from a luxury brand? This necklace looks like an expensive one."

Hongjoong mentally facepalms himself. What is he supposed to say now? Seonghwa just told him the mother of his brothers classmate sold them. But then again, Seonghwa's rich and has rich friends. That person could've owned a jewelry company for all he knew. The one reason he knows the necklace isn't an expensive one is because he himself made it.

"I just know." Hongjoong shrugs. "I like jewelry a lot. When I was younger I actually wanted to start a jewelry company."

"Really? That's impressive." Seonghwa tells him. "Yeah, this necklace isn't an expensive one, but it's still beautiful. I'm actually not the type to buy things from big and expensive businesses. I'd just rather buy from small businesses."

"Is there a reason in particular? I mean, you have the money to buy expensive things."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm aware that there are other people who aren't as fortunate. I know there are people who don't even know if they'll have enough food by tomorrow or money to buy it. So it makes me feel guilty if I buy expensive things for myself when I know others can't even buy food or others things they need. I only wear expensive clothes because my dad says I have to look 'rich'." He rolls his eyes.

"That's really thoughtful of you." Hongjoong gives him a small smile. "Still, it's your money, so shouldn't you spend it on whatever you want?"

"Well, to be honest... there's another reason why I feel bad about it."

"What is it?"

"I had a boyfriend a few years ago. He didn't come from a wealthy family, so my father didn't approve of us." He sighs. "His dream was to start a small business and get money so my father would approve and we could be together- but you're probably bored having to hear about my past relationship. I'm sorry."

"Oh no, it's okay. I asked anyway. You can keep going."

"Okay... well, I had to break up with him because of my father. My father's a scary man and for reasons I can't tell you right now, I didn't want to get on his bad side. So I broke up with my ex and well... he probably hates me and thinks I broke up with him because of money."

"Are you still scared of your father? Why don't you talk to your ex?"

"Because I'm not sure where he is. I met him when I went to study overseas. Ever since I moved back here, I've heard nothing about him. And to answer your question, yes, I'm a coward and I'm still scared of my father. I just know what he's capable of and what he'll do for money."

"Do you still have feelings for your ex?" Hongjoong asks him, curiously.

"It's been years and he probably forgot about me already. Who knows... maybe he already started another relationship and maybe he's happy. I hope he's happy. He deserves it."

Hongjoong looks down and feels his heart beating faster. So what will happen when Seonghwa finds out he's not as rich as him?

Will the story from his last relationship repeat itself?

Then again, why should he care? He's going to get rejected tomorrow. He has to.