Who Is The One?

Chapter 11

I called Minji that night. She was the only one who knew about my crush on Dujun. Not even Hoya knew. As I scrolled through the list of names in my phone, I saw Dujun's number. I shut my eyes and breathed in deeply. My heart was filled with an indescribable feeling. I didn't even know if it was joy or despair.

"What? You met him there with Dongwoon? And what did you just say? He turned out to be a total flirt? You know what just forget him Youngji! You'll suffer if you keep this on." Minji berated me.

I kept silent for a moment. I thought about what she said. She was right but why does it seem so difficult to let go?

"Hey, are you there? Say something." Minji sighed.

"Youngji, as your best friend, I don't want to see you like this. Promise me you'll be better tomorrow. I'll hunt you down to check on you." Minji warned.

I laughed half-heartedly. "Okay, okay. I'll try."

"There you go. But I don't want to hear you say 'try'. Say that you'll 'do' it. You have to Youngji. Only with initiative will you be able to move on." Minji advised.

I nodded. "Alright. Goodnight Minji-ah. Thanks for lending a listening ear."

"Don't thank me. What are friends for. Tsk. Goodnight. Rest well." Minji said.

After the call ended, I plopped onto my soft bed. I covered my face and screamed silently. I kicked my legs back and forth in frustration. Why did he have to appear again! I was doing well until he showed up! This is so stupid.

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The next day, I went to school with dark eyebags. I couldn't sleep a wink as I couldn't put my mind to rest. Even the make-up I wore couldn't conceal all the fatigue I was feeling. I nearly dozed off during the lectures.

When I got out of the lecture theatre, I saw Dongwoon standing near a pillar. He waved at me with an inviting smile. I smiled back and walked over to him. But as I remembered what happened the day before, my smile faded and my face turned hot in embarrassment. It was too late to run away so I headed over to him with heavy steps.

"Do you feel better today?" Dongwoon stepped closer to me.

I swallowed my saliva as I looked up at him. He was looking down at me and I realised how tall he was. I nodded uncertainly.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone about what happened yesterday." Dongwoon smiled.

"Yeah... but the thing is you saw the pathetic side of me. I don't exactly like people to see me cry like that." I looked down.

I was really disappointed in myself for not being able to control my emotions that night.

I looked up as I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Its okay. You don't have to be strong all the time. You're human too." Dongwoon said in a serious tone.

I stared at him. He was the first to ever tell me that. I was always taught to be strong, to handle everything without complaining. Dongwoon, he was the first to tell me that it was okay to break down once in a while.

"Thanks. That... means a lot to me." I smiled genuinely.

"Oh I gotta go now. I have a lecture. See you around Youngji." Dongwoon waved.

I looked at his retreating figure and turned around. I was shocked to see Hoya in front of me all of a sudden. I put my hand to my chest.

"You scared me. Where did you even come from?" I asked.

"Somewhere." Hoya replied with a certain coldness in his tone.

"What? Is there something wrong?" I asked.

He shook his head and took hold of my wrist.

"Come with me." He said.

He looked so serious that I didn't dare say a word but follow him. He wasn't normally that serious so I knew that something was off. He brought me to an area with little people passing by. He let go of my wrist gently and looked me in the eye.

"What happened?" Hoya broke the silence.

I furrowed my eyebrows in the lack of understanding.

"Minji told me to check on you because something happened. She wouldn't tell me so I want you to tell me instead. What happened?" Hoya asked again with arms on his hips.

I hesitated. Should I tell him? I looked at the floor as I thought.

"Youngji, you're always like this. You never tell me anything. Am I even your friend?" Hoya burst.

He slammed the wall with his hand so hard that I could have sworn that his hand was in pain. I was stunned. That was the first time I saw him so angry.

"H-Hoya. I didn't want to tell you because you're a guy and I found it awkward talking to you about it. Minji was a better choice to talk to." I explained.

Hoya looked up at me. "Youngji, I can't just go on checking on you without knowing anything. I may even be able to help you. Do you trust me?"

H sounded so desperate for my trust. I could see it in his eyes, twinkling with anticipation.

"Of course I trust you Hoya."

Hoya looked at me expectantly. I leaned back against the wall and explained to him about Dujun. Hoya's face turned to that of concern and even a slight hint of anger.

"Youngji. He doesn't even know you like him. Why would you waste time debating with your feelings for him." Hoya shook his head.

"You don't understand Hoya. These are feelings we're talking about. Its natural and sometimes you can't hold it back."

Hoya paused while looking at me. He was thinking about something.

"What's wrong? Are you thinking whether what I'm saying makes sense or not?" I scoffed in a joking manner.

He chuckled and replied. "Yea. I was kind of thinking about what you said. Now that I know whats bugging you, I can look out for symptoms of love sickness."

"What the... 'love sickness' sounds so cheesy." I pretended to vomit.

"Yeah maybe but it could be true, Youngji." Hoya poked me on the side.

Then Hoya's face got serious again. "Sorry for losing my temper like that. I just didn't like not knowing whats troubling you. It just made me feel that I'm an insignificant figure in your life. I will always try to understand your problems so you can share it with me too."

I nodded. I could hear the sincerity in his words. "Thanks Hoya."

Hoya slung his arm around my neck and grinned.

"Remember. I'm always here for you." He emphasised on the 'always'.

I nodded again and both us headed back for classes.

I had found Hoya's behaviour rather off that day. His reaction to not knowing about my problems was really big. I always thought that boys wouldn't usually care about their female friends' problems as they can be rather ignorant and slow at times. I was speaking out of experience with my own brother, Jackson. Hoya must really treasure me as a friend to be that concerned. I smiled to myself at that thought. I have friends who cherish me.