✓ sorry, i love you || hwang hyunjin

[31] can i be your boyfriend? (bonus chapter)

3 years ago;
Canada.

~~~

"Jisu, I'm telling you, he likes you," Eunchae whispered to me as we walked to our lockers. 

She was my first— and one of the only— real friends I had in Canada. Most people only hung out with me because I was quote-on-quote 'popular'; meaning I was pretty enough that everyone wanted to be my friend. She was also the only one who called me Jisu— most people found it easier to call me 'Lia'. 

"Manchae," I replied, referring to how she was younger than me. "Jay doesn't like me. He just wants to be my friend."

Eunchae raised an eyebrow at me. "I'd think not." 

"Girl, he literally told me 'You seem cool, wanna be friends?'" I replied, recalling the time he had first approached me. I unlocked my locker, pulling out the textbooks I needed. 

Eunchae pouted and rolled her eyes as she opened her locker, too. "All men do is lie," she muttered, and I laughed out loud. 

I told her, "Manchae, even if Jay did like me, you know I wouldn't go out with him." 

"Oh, yeah, because you like that guy with neon hair," she replied, wiggling her eyebrows. "Mark." 

"Well, actually," I started defensively. "He dyed his hair back to black." 

Eunchae laughed, her soft giggles dancing in the air along with the many other voices in the crowded hallway. "Of course you know that." She must have noticed someone walking towards us, because she murmured, "Speak of the devil." 

I elbowed her to shut up and turned around, only to find myself face-to-face with Mark. I felt my heartbeat pick up as I tried to pretend we weren't just talking about him. 

I smiled at the boy and greeted, "Hey, Mark. Fancy seeing you here!"

I almost facepalmed myself the way Eunchae did. Seriously, Lia? I scolded myself. Who actually talks like that?

Mark laughed, and I joined him. "Fancy seeing you, too, Lia."

"Why are you here?" I asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible. My face felt hot but I decided against admitting to it. 

For the first time since I had known him, Mark looked nervous. "I—uh, well," he started nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "We're close, right?"

Talk about random. 

"Yeah, we are." 

I felt Eunchae poke my back, but I ignored it. It probably wasn't important anyways. 

Mark continued, "Do you maybe wanna, like, oh, I don't know, like go out—"

He was interrupted by a loud, yet familiar voice. "Lia," the voice spoke, and I looked to my right to see... 

"Jay? Why are you here?" I felt Eunchae pinch me at what I said, and although it came out ruder than intended, I definitely didn't want Jay here right now. 

Jay spoke, "Will you go out with me?" 

The second those six words tumbled out of his mouth, everything stopped. Literally. Most people in the hallway heard and turned around, curious to see if I would reject Jay or not. I felt hundreds of eyes on me, but I could feel one the most. 

Mark's. 

Only, he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Jay, and he seemed furious. 

I wonder why.

I turned my attention back to Jay and responded as politely as possible, "I'm sorry, Jay, but I don't like you that way." That came out wrong. "What I mean is, you're, like, a good friend to me."