off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ ten

Jiyeon was never too happy to go to university, but this time, she was relieved to see her friends. So many things had happened in the past few days, and there was really no one but them she could talk to about it. As soon as her break had started, she'd hurried up to the rooftop, where she and her friends would usually hang out. Without surprise, Hyunjin and Hiroto were already waiting for her. And it seemed they'd noticed she had a lot to talk about, because they looked at her expectantly.

Hyunjin lifted her chin, a curious smile on her face. "Welp, had a busy week, did you?"

Jiyeon chuckled nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You have no idea. You remember that party I told you I was going to?"

Hiroto snorted. "That rich people party? Let me guess, it was boring?"

"...Well, it was. But that's not what I was going to say. When I was there, I, um...I saw Jiwoong."

Both Hyunjin and Hiroto widened their eyes, their jaws almost dropping to the ground. That was about the reaction she'd expected. Ever since they'd broken up, Jiyeon and Jiwoong had been very good at avoiding each other. Jiyeon would ignore him when they passed by each other in the hallways, and Jiwoong had started skipping the class they had in common. Seeing him again at a party of all places had definitely been a bit of a shocker.

"What in the world was he doing there?" Hiroto finally spat out, arms crossed.

"That's the worst part," Jiyeon murmured as she leaned her back against the railing, exhaling to keep her composure. "He's actually friends with Yujin."

"No way," Hyunjin immediately commented. "Did he know that?"

"What a jerk," Hiroto mumbled under his breath.

"He said he didn’t, and I guess I believe him. He did try to talk to me, but...I wasn’t really feeling it. But then, he got me a really thoughtful gift and I'm kind of...Confused."

Jiwoong was so strange. After they’d broken up, after he'd completely played her, she'd thought he'd just move on to another girl as stupid as she'd been. And yet, he was trying so hard to explain himself to her. Did he...Actually regret what had happened between them? She couldn’t see another reason he would get her a gift, out of nowhere. Maybe she’d misjudged the situation.

"I don’t know what to do," she admitted, her lips pursed. "Especially now that I know he's friends with my brother."

Hyunjin shrugged, a hesitant smile and a bit of a frown taking turns on her lips. "It seems like he's trying to make up. Maybe it's time to bury the hatchet, at least for your brother's sake. Obviously, you don’t need to be friends with him. But you two should probably try and get along, for Yujin."

Hiroto, though, seemed to have a different opinion. He shook his head, eyebrows furrowed. "Hell no, this guy sucks. You should just ignore him." He raised his finger. "And you know what? I think your brother should know his friend is a giant idiot."

Jiyeon sighed, raising her head to look at the sky. "I'm not sure. I know he's really nice to Yujin. He actually holds him in high esteem. I wouldn’t want to ruin that. Our past relationship has nothing to do with their friendship."

"Hmm, I don't know if I agree with you. If Jiwoong hurt you, I'm sure that would bother Yujin if he knew." Hiroto suddenly stood straighter, and clicked his tongue. "Speak of the devil..."

Intrigued by his words, Jiyeon looked back down, only to notice Jiwoong walking towards them. Alone, his hands in his pockets, he looked a little melancholic. Or maybe he knew he wasn’t welcome there, and was just approaching shamefully like a dog with its tail between its legs.