𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋 | 𝑨𝑶𝑼𝑨𝑫

24 | Memories bring back you

"Gwi-nam, let's eat now~" the teenager whines pulling her friend that is sitting comfortably with all her strength due to its towering figure.

"You can go grab it yourself, why need to come with you?" the guy irritatedly complains before chilling back on the soft cream upholstered sofa and placing his foot on the glass coffee table.

"It's not like you're not gonna eat too! Come on, you know I never liked walking out alone except when going back home from school," she jabbers, standing still on the ground infront of the guy, palms rested on both sides of her waist.

"See? You can walk alone when going back home and now you can't go buy your food?!" He retorted.

"This is different! I don't want to go and buy food alone to a store. You know it," the girl babbles, excited to get a box of donuts because of hunger, "Come on now, you said I shouldn't starve myself but now you're the reason of my starvation."

The broad black haired guy 'tsked' her as he stood up seeming like he was taking great effort to have the will to get off the seat base on his sluggish movements before gripping her neck with his arm, getting Jae-won on a chokehold before he ruffles her hair aggressively as if she was some of his dudes.

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"Jae-won–– what the fuck?" The guy cursed when the first thing that greeted him were books and papers scattered on the floor of his bedroom but a sheepish grin plastered the girl's face, "What nonsense are you up to this time?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're studying," she shrugged, "Now calm your shits down and behave like a polite obeying student that you are not."

"Oh, wow rude," he mumbled, audible to her as he smiles with his eyes insincerely.

"Nope. It's not me that's rude, the reality is," she smiled with the popping sound of 'p', "For now, I will be your tutor."

"No way, I'm not doing this anymore. The last time you were my tutor the things you taught me were useless and it wasn't even right!" He spat remembering how many mistakes he did in class one time after Jae-won taught him.

"What?! It's your fault not mine! You weren't even paying attention to what I was saying so how are you supposed to get things right when not even a single word was stuck to your brain?!"

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"Yah, tell that so-called friend of yours to stop hitting on my Si-Mi you understand? And I think earlier was the third time he catcalled her!" She slapped his arm a little hard that made him feel a stinging pain.

"As if I cared? And your friend is undeniably pretty," the tall guy rubs the stop where Jae-won hit.

"Bitc–– of course she is, she's my daughter after all. But going back, catcalling was never okay! And being pretty isn't an acceptable reason to be catcalled!" She argues, couldn't believe what she heard from him, "What if that happens to someone close to you, huh? Won't you do the same thing?! What if that happens with me?"

He let out a sound of huff, pocketing his hands as they walk together on the pavements. He admits deep inside him, from Jae-won's last question, he would be furious too. He wouldn't want that to happen and is ready to throw hands to anyone if ever.

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"Oi! Take it," Gwi-nam approached his friend before throwing a small purple paper bag at her as soon as he spotted her at the cafeteria. She gave him a confused look but he just nodded gesturing her to open it.

"Uwaaa is this re– hfkwucjsnfdkcgigjs," a palm of the other girl covered her mouth feeling the embarrassment that Jae-won can't feel.

"Quiet down~" Si-Mi then retracted her hand, "OMG OMG! It's a Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!"

Jae-won sent her friend a glare when she told her to quiet down but she herself couldn't keep her mouth from shrieking when she saw the book. But her thought was wiped out when she realized Gwi-nam remembered her birthday and gave her a gift.

Gwi-nam now walked out of the scene still confused why his friend was so crazy over getting a book no matter how many times she had watched it. However, he felt a lift in his mood when she liked his gift.

The two was barely seen together at school and they mostly see Jae-won with Si-Mi. Jae-won also rarely see Gwi-nam around but she knew he's just around the school. She's aware of the group that her friend got in, and she didn't want him with them but she doesn't know how to stop him. Every school time, Gwi-nam would be out of sight and is expected to be with his 'friends'. They might not be seen together at school but they were good friends outside of it. She doesn't understand it either, why she felt like her friend is nearly distancing himself from her but would go back to how they were once they got out of school.

Everything between them was broke until one day, Jae-won accidentally discovered something that she couldn't believe her friend would do.

Bullying and belittling other students... He is aware how Jae-won hated bullies yet she'll find out that he is one of them? And to make it worse. Her two eyes witnessed him harassing an unknown girl together with his group in the girl's comfort room.

"Gwi-nam, I can't believe you–– how could you?!"

"I had to do it!" He fired back.

"For what, huh? To prove yourself to them? Prove what exactly?!" She raised her voice due to the rage in her broken heart.

"That I'm not weak!"

"Y-You're not. You don't have to prove them that you're not weak! Haven't you even think about it? Instead of proving your strength, you're showing them you're weak," her voice trailed off at the end of her sentence.

"Nonsense––"

"Exactly. This is nonsense. What you were doing is a complete nonsense. Can't you see? You're being weak by obeying their orders for their approval. That's weakness you are showing.... you're letting yourself get under them! If you're not weak you wouldn't let them get on your head," she looked at him in disappointment, her voice almost cracking but managed to keep it steady, "I'm afraid I will leave you completely if you continue doing this."

The sight of her glistening eyes visible to him, "You're cutting out our relationship because of this?"

"I'm giving you a chance, if you value our friendship, you'll stop this, because you already have me...yet you chose them. Am I not enough? if I am enough for you, you wouldn't seek for other people and try to show them what you are not," it took her effort to gulp the building lump in her throat that was making her breathings hard, "I'm doing this for you. I'm giving you a lesson for you to stop and reflect to your behaviors. However, if you still didn't....you just proved me that you don't want me anymore and that also means a goodbye..."

They manipulated her friend. A close one. But it was his choice to let them get on top of his head order him as if he was their gopher. A month later and Gwi-nam didn't really changed for the better. She thought what she did would help him let go of his bad desires, but what he did says everything that he sacrifice their friendship, by choice.

He's gotten even worst, that even feeling his presence felt unfamiliar to her. She attempted approaching him many times and help him but whenever she does, he seems different and made her feel like she's a stranger.