The Deal | MICHAENG

THE DEAL 45

"Hey Chaeng, do you... Chaeyoung?.... girl?... Son Chaeyoung!" At this, the short girl snapped out of her mind, wincing at the pain of being yelled at, directly on her ear.

"What the fuck, dude!" Chaeyoung punched Dahyun's shoulder before hissing at the continuous ringing of her ear. "You're literally just beside me, you don't have to shout on my ear!"

"Well, I tried using my normal voice to pull you out of whatever planet you're mind is, but it clearly didn't work. So you left me no choice." Dahyun says, putting the game controller on the table in front of them. "I was gonna ask your opinion in my chosen avatar, but you're not even paying attention. You're mind was obviously somewhere else."

"Yeah, what were you zoning out for?" Nayeon added, standing up from the floor to sit beside the short girl.

"It's about... Mina." Chaeyoung started.

"And? What about her?" Nayeon questioned.

"Earlier this morning, she seems... distracted and lowkey distant." Chaeyoung sighs. "I asked her what was wrong, but she dismissed it saying that she's just fine."

"Well maybe she is." Jeongyeon says.

"I know Mina when she's fine." Chaeyoung shook her head. "She's different this morning... It's like she's hiding something from me... Or... Maybe it's me... Maybe I did something wrong... But what? Yesterday we were great, she helped me win the talent show, had kisses here and there, we celebrated, and had a few drinks. So what could I possibly-"

Just then realization suddenly hit Chaeyoung with a gasp. "Oh no. Drinks. I had consumed alcoholic drinks."

The threee glance at each other in confusion before the latter spoke. "So?"

"You don't understand, I don't drink that much. I have low alcohol tolerance. But last night, I must've had tons, considering that I woke up with a massive hangover with no clue of the last night's memories at the bar we went to. Maybe my drunk self had said, or worse, done, some embarrassing things or anything cringe-worthy!" Chaeyoung exclaimed, dropping her face onto her hands in embarrassment. "That's probably why she's being awkward with me."

She felt a heavy arm on her shoulder, making her peek through her hands. "Oh, I'm sure what you did wasn't that crazy. I've seen you a handful times during your drunk state, and you're not that reckless, unlike Tzuyu and Dahyun."

"With the times I spent hanging with you guys, I agree with Jeong. Besides, I'm sure Mina had just something on her mind. Probably business-related. You know how she is." Nayeon reassured.

Releasing a sigh, Chaeyoung reluctantly nodded. "I guess you're right. Maybe I'm just worried over nothing."

"Good. Now that your doubts are cleared, can we now play Valo? I'm excited to use this new avatar of mine." Jeongyeon says to which the two nodded, attention turn to the PlayStation 5.

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One and a half hour of vigorous button-pushing on the controller, occasional yell and curses here and there, and consumed six cans of softdrinks, Chaeyoung left the gaming room and went to her room to try and talk with Mina, hoping that the rich girl would not ignore her.

As soon as she step foot inside, she caught sight of Mina by the terrace, leaning herself by the railing with a phone pressed on her ear. Chaeyoung watch as the rich girl proceed to pace the area, her eyebrows slightly furrowed together as she continue to talk to other person on the line. The rich girl didn't notice her as she walk back inside, plopping herself on the bed as she finished phone-calling someone. One leg raised up to her chest, resting an arm on it as Mina massage her temple.