The New Girl | 𝘈𝘛𝘌𝘌𝘡

Not-Boyfriend

MINGI

"So..."

"So..."

That's about all of the conversation I've had with Jackson since we got to this restaurant. I don't even know why I agreed to come here except for Anna's giving me puppy dog eyes to convince me.

Damn that girl and her cute puppy eyes.

"What are you majoring in?" He finally asks.

"Dance..." I mumble, knowing a disapproving sigh is on it's way.

He chuckles and smiles (weird). "That's wonderful!"

"Seriously?" I scoff. "Where's the 'my son should be a doctor' speech?"

He just laughs and looks back at me in surprise. "I don't really adhere to the typically Asian dad stereotypes like that. I want you to pursue whatever you're passionate about. That's what I did, and I don't regret a minute of it."

"Weren't you in a kpop group?" I don't even pretend to hold back my laughter at the image of this guy dancing in skinny jeans with colorful hair.

"Hey! Yes, and we were cool!" He huffs, which only makes me laugh harder. "We were! And, I'll have you know, I got into the company with my dance moves, so you have me to thank for your dance skills."

"Well, thanks for the good rhythm," I smirk into my water glass in a weak attempt to hide my words, "...though I see I got my height from my mom's side of the family."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He swats his hand at me and crosses his arms. "You get your sense of independence from her too. Your mom had fire in her eyes when she put her mind to something, and she didn't care who told her no."

Honestly, it's kind of nice to hear about my mom from someone else's perspective. But I still don't quite understand how... "How did you know her?"

His smile softens a little. "She was my first friend when I came to Korea; my best friend. She was in the same company as me, and we supported each other through debut and even after I left the company."

I grimace. "She told me that when she found out that she was pregnant, she left the company. I always felt guilty knowing that my mom had to give up her career for me, even though she told me not to be."

"You shouldn't feel guilty. She was obsessed with the idea of being a mom," Jackson says gently. "She talked about kids all the time, not with me specifically but just wanted to have them in general. You were her dream come true."

That much, I am sure of. My mom never failed to show how much she loved me. I don't think there's anything she wouldn't have done for me. "Why did... how did...I happen?"

"There's no way to say this that doesn't make me look like an ass, so I guess I'll just come out and say it." He scrubs his face with his hands and let's out a deep sigh. "My marriage to Sue's mom was never good, but when we had Sue, I thought it would be better. But life got in the way and I acted like a coward, so I sought out comfort in your mom."

"You didn't even love her?" I look back at him with disgust, my usual feelings of resentment towards my father bubbling back.

"I did though," he insists. "I loved her so much, and I was always too scared to act on it. When I went to her, I—...I had to leave a few days later, and those days turned into weeks until she stopped returning my calls and I couldn't get a hold of her. I thought she simply wanted nothing to do with me after I went back to my wife."

"But why?" I clench my fists at my sides, using all of my restraint not to throw them in his direction. "You loved her but not me?"

"That's not it." He shakes his head. "She never told me that she was pregnant with you. She wouldn't see me after that night, and I knew that chasing her would mean leaving Sue."

"You left her to come find me though," I point out.

"I realize it was wrong to have been away from her for so long, but I'm sure you know she's been little miss independent since she was a kid. I didn't realize just how much I was missing even now that she's grown up. Besides, I didn't expect it to take me so long to find you," he admits. "When your mom passed away, your godmother contacted me and told me that you had emancipated yourself so you wouldn't have to be under anyone's custody. That was the first time I ever knew about you, and once I did, I had to find you. Losing your mother was bad enough..."

"You really loved her?" I stare back at him in question, but I feel more sure now that I see tears in his eyes.

"I always will, and I am so sorry for not being there... for both of you." He wipes his eyes on the hem of his sleeve. "I was a coward."

"Yeah, you were," I half-chuckle, "...but you came back, and I guess that counts for something."

"Mingi, I don't expect you to accept me as your father... but give me a chance to be a part of your life? I want to know you, however you'll let me."

My instinct is to pull away, but I know that my mom would tell me that everyone deserves a chance. "I can try."

ANNA

"Oppa, your hair is so long!" I run my hands through the shoulder length strands, noting the sandy blonde color. "And since when do you dye your hair?"

"You don't like it?" Johnny chuckles and shakes out his hair like a wet dog. "I thought it was a nice change up."

"You're not allowed to be a better blonde than me!" I huff, remembering the one time I decided to box bleach my hair and ended spending the better part of a year to get it back to black.

"I'm dying it back soon," he says with a half smile. "You know, for once, you could just tell me I look good."

"My parents told me lying was wrong," I tease, and I'm met with a flick on the ear.

"Korea has made you heartless," he huffs dramatically.

Even with the small bit of alcohol in my system, I'm very aware of the way that Seonghwa watches me and Johnny interact. So I give his hand a squeeze and lean into him to get him to stop scowling.

It partially works.

"So... hyung, how long are you going to be in Seoul?" Seonghwa asks Johnny.

"I haven't decided yet," Johnny answers casually. "Still have to figure out a few things."

Wooyoung pumps his fist into the air as we come up on the apartment where the party is beginning to pick up. Inside, there's a few groups scattered around drinking while music plays in the background.

"Let's go get a drink," Seonghwa says the moment we step inside.

"Maybe start with some water," Johnny adds while following us into the kitchen.

"Oppa, I'm fine." I rise to my tiptoes to hug his neck. "Don't worry so much."

"I'll be right back," Seonghwa says before disappearing into the crowd without another word.

"I don't think your boyfriend likes me very much," Johnny chuckles.

"He's not actually my boyfriend," I correct him. "I don't know why he said that."

"I have an idea of why," Johnny hints before handing me a cup that is disappointingly filled with water. "Drink, Annie, and then you can have something else."

"You're no fun," I pout.

"You and I both know that's not true," he counters with a wink. "Come and drink that so we can give your not-boyfriend something to really be jealous of."