new friends

WHO ALLOWED SAN TO MAKE DECISIONS?

I don't know who gave San the authority to make decisions on everyone's part, but it was a terrible choice.

For prime example, when we ran out of fun things to do over the holidays (well, to be honest I was either lazing in bed or dragged shopping with my bestie + neighbour Renjun), San suggested we visit each others' houses.

"It's fun!" San said cheerfully. "Don't you think?"

No one agreed, but no one disagreed either, so somehow the decision passed because San was somehow the main decision-maker in this friendship square.

The first stop was San's house, since he offered with great enthusiasm. His sister was extremely welcoming, especially to a flustered Seonghwa who could only smile meekly as she offered to help him with everything- something that amused San if anything.

"Are you not going to do anything?" I mused, nodding at poor Seonghwa who was about to be suffocated by his own sister's affections. "What if he really ends up your brother-in-law?"

San snorted, "Better him than Yeosang."

The Kang boy lifted a brow, "As if I would want to be your brother-in-law."

"Why, because you want to be my step father? Homewrecker."

Our next stop was voted to be Seonghwa's house, and the whole procedure was a mess.

Seonghwa, who'd wanted to skip the awkwardness of introducing us to his parents, had chosen to let us visit when his parents were out. Little did he know that his brother Sunghoon had decided to throw a party at the same time, so guess who somehow got invited altogether for the party?

Yep, us. A turn-out that San was the only one happy with.

"What a disaster," Seonghwa slumped, deflecting another shot glass offer. "Never again, guys. Never again."

"But why?" San asked giddily, pumping to the beat of the clubbing music blasting from the speakers. "This is fun!"

Yeosang smacked him over the head.

The next house we visited was mine.

Since I was booked and busy, Renjun had to find other people to hang out with, and for no good reason, Yangyang happened to be the 'other people'.

"Oh hello," the Liu boy smiled wickedly, crashing my house with Renjun in the morning. "Didn't know you had other friends over today, Ji."

Yeosang, who was sitting by my left, rolled his eyes.

"I told Injun," I looked pointedly at the Huang boy who looked equally as obnoxious as his friend. "Three times."

"Did you?" Renjun feigned confusion, biting into a colourful doughnut my parents bought specifically for him after they found us squabbling over one last week. "Must have slipped my mind." He glanced over my Engineering friends, then inclined his head at San- who I'm convinced knows the whole University at this point. "Since we're already here, why don't you introduce us to your friends?"

Very suspicious. Especially suspicious since it's coming from an antisocial, introverted and exclusive Huang I-don't-want-anything-to-do-with-anyone Renjun.

"Yeosang, Seonghwa and San," I pointed at the boys respectively. "Meet my best friend Renjun-" I slid my eyes to Yangyang who was now eating my doughnut. "And his best friend Yangyang-" I kicked the Liu boy and he sniggered, chewing the last of my doughnut up exaggeratedly. "-Who everyone has already met."

Renjun pinned Yangyang with a gaze, "You didn't tell me you met her friends before."

Yangyang shrugged, "It was a short encounter."

"Not the point. I thought we tell each other everything," the Huang boy looked between us, scandalised. "What other secrets are you two hiding from me? Are y'all really together like Yeonjun said? Do you really like her, Yangs? Oh, this is awful. You've seen her in her edgy era! And you know her taste in men! There's only one person here who looks vaguely like he could pass in her standard and it's not you!"

Yangyang looked horribly offended, "That's insulting, but I know exactly what you mean."

"Well, I don't," I said, affronted. "One of you care to explain?"

Renjun gave me a bombastic side-eye. "No."

Anyway.

Our final destination was Yeosang's house. Or rather, Yeosang's summer bungalow.

It was just as prim, proper and neat as he was and there seemed to be a procedure for everything from walking through his gates to sitting on the structured ivory sofas in his living room.

"Is it just me or does it feel extremely cold here?" San whispered to me from my right side. He was sitting extremely rigidly in the seat, as if afraid any slump in posture would disrupt the eerie peace in the room.

We'd all been brought to a separate place to change into fresh clothes before we were formally allowed to step in and now we were served upon hand and foot, but under the scrutiny of Yeosang's hawking mother.

Since the Kang boy had severely understated how strict and traditional his parents were, both San and myself were currently on her 'disapproved' list. San because he didn't cover up his tattoo and me because I was in a crop top. Yeosang had attempted saving my ass by stuffing a hoodie into my hands when his mom turned to order one of the servants, but she caught us right before I managed to put it on and now thinks we have something going on.

"So," she smiled a brittle, spine-chilling grin. "The three of you are Yeosang's coursemates, yes? How is school?"

Seonghwa looked like he'd been force-fed a brick, "Good."

"Yeosang has never brought friends home. The three of you must mean a lot to him." She opened her arms, but somehow I felt no welcome from that action. "So tell me more about yourselves."

"Why do I feel like I'm in an interview right now?" San muttered under his breath, leaning slightly towards me when Seonghwa who was every parents' favourite friend took the L to get the ball rolling. "No, this is worse than an interview. I feel like I'm a piece of meat on a chop board about to be diced."

But surprisingly, San's profile had impressed Yeosang's mom best. The new money appeal of a lawyer mom and an entrepreneur dad, I suppose.

"Yeosang has made wonderful friends," she concluded after pretty much interrogating us for an hour. "Please continue supporting and looking out for him, boys..." she spared me a glance that said condescending in all languages possible, "And girl."

San side-eyed her.

"Of course," Seonghwa responded, always knowing how to bootlick parents. "We're all friends, after all."

His emphasis didn't go unnoticed by Yeosang's mother.

"Yes," her brittle smile grew. "I hope the three of you remain good friends with him."

After five working days, Yeosang texted the group chat, initiating conversation for the first time.

yeo: i just realised

yeo: did my mom think ji and i were a thing

san: you

san: just realised???

All in all, house-visiting was a bundle of chaos and new personalities.

Who gave San the right to make decisions for everyone again?

a/n: vote and comment!!
hallo folks its been some time