"Good morning, sweetheart," I greet her warmly, pulling her into a hug. She pulls back slightly, her eyes scanning me from head to toe with a concerned frown.
"Vaii, are you sick?" she asks, placing her hand on my forehead to check my temperature. Her sharp gaze narrows in suspicion. She may let me have my freedom, but skipping lectures without an explanation is a red flag for her.
"Yeah, mentally," I reply with a dry chuckle. She nods thoughtfully, probably remembering what happened yesterday. I still have no idea how I ended up back in my bed after falling asleep on a bench.
"Chae, your friend’s here," my father’s voice breaks the tension. My mother looks like she’s about to launch a full investigation, but he saves me from the spotlight.
"Good morning, sir," Riki greets, looking unusually at ease in the midst of the family chaos.
"Ah, yes, good morning, son," my dad says with a casual wave. Wait, what? Did he just call me son? I glance at him in disbelief, wondering if I’ve missed something major here.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask, my confusion rising as my father gives me a knowing, slow roll of his eyes.
"A thank you would’ve been nice," Riki responds with a playful grin. "Anyway, the project is due in three days, so we need to get started."
"But why the hell does it have to be with you here?" I ask, still baffled by the situation.
"Rude, just rude," my mom mutters, facepalming at my bluntness, clearly frustrated. "She’s gone on you, hasn’t she?"
"Yeobeo, why am I here?" she calls out to my dad, the expression on her face somewhere between exasperation and confusion.
Riki holds up his hand with a small post-it note stuck to it and, before anyone can say anything else, breaks into a fit of awkward coughs.
"Jinni’s outside," he says, trying to sound casual.
No, I mouth silently at him, but his face contorts into an expression of confusion and disbelief.
"Sir, do you mind if I take her out?" Riki asks, turning to my dad with an odd seriousness.
My dad, who has been quietly observing all this time, straightens up, his eyes narrowing in that way I know means he’s analyzing the situation.
I immediately realize what my dad must be thinking and feel a sudden wave of panic.
"No, Dad!" I shout, standing up quickly. "He meant ‘out’ as in outside the house!"
Riki laughs, his head falling back dramatically, and even my father joins in with a chuckle.
What? Why am I not in on this joke? They’re laughing at my expense, but it doesn’t seem like the moment to call them out.
"Yeah, kid," my dad says, still chuckling as he looks at me.
Surprisingly, I do want to meet Jinni. It’s not like I’m excited to see her, but part of me wants to hear her out before I jump to conclusions. The anger I feel is still raw, but I can’t accuse her of anything without hearing her side of the story. So here we are, sitting in awkward silence, waiting for one of us to speak.
Riki, ever the bystander, sits a few feet away from us, scrolling through his phone, trying to act like he’s not fully invested in the drama unfolding before him.
"Uh…" We both start to speak at the same time, then quickly fall silent again. Neither of us knows exactly how to begin. I don’t want to accuse her of anything just yet, but I can’t ignore what I saw.
"What, are you going to say something, or do I leave?" she asks, startled by the coldness in my tone.
"I’m sorry," she mutters, her voice trembling as she looks down at her feet, clearly unable to make eye contact. "I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have let him in. He just planned it, and I don’t know why or how it happened. I should have stopped it—shoot, I’m rambling."
Her words rush out in a frantic blur, and I’m left trying to process the whirlwind of emotions they bring. My stomach churns, but I try to keep my voice steady.
"Why were you kissing him?" I finally ask, the question heavy in the air between us.
She takes a deep breath, her shoulders sagging as if the weight of guilt is too much to bear. "He said he wanted to apologize to you, so I let him in for water. But as soon as the door opened, he just pulled me in and kissed me. I didn’t know what to do—I didn’t expect it."
She looks up at me now, her eyes filled with regret. I can see the sincerity in her expression, but it doesn’t erase the fact that she allowed it to happen.
I stay silent for a long moment, absorbing her words, trying to figure out what to do with all of this information. I want to be angry, but there’s a part of me that understands. I want to be upset, but I don’t know where to direct my frustration.
"Let’s get going, now," Riki says, his voice suddenly breaking through the heavy silence. He’s clearly trying to lighten the mood, but I can tell he’s also trying to move things along. He feigns wiping away a tear for dramatic effect, hoping to make me laugh—or at least distract me.
"Come on, Chae," he adds, offering me a grin. "We’ve got school, remember?"
I nod slowly, unsure of how to feel or what to do next. I can’t process everything all at once, and I know I need time. But for now, I’ll follow Riki, because it’s easier to move forward than stay stuck in this moment.
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