Hell & Heaven | Yoon Jeonghan

XXXV. Stranger

Meanwhile

"And why is a handsome gentleman like you looking rather lonely in this crowded place?" She questioned, standing next to him, leaning her back towards the railings, watching the people gathered have a good time.

"I could ask you the same Ms Marino" He answered passively looking out to the view outside turned away from the crowd inside.

"Dodging the question, nice, and just so you know I'm not lonely" Alessia answered him pleasantly, She was getting bored and the male who retired himself outside to the balcony attracted her attention.

"Are you sure?" Joshua Hong finally looked at her, the brief eye contact send chills through both of them, maybe it was the cold. He just wanted to be alone and wished time to just go faster not until Alessia came up to him.

He did find her annoying at first, he knew who she was, the cheerful, social butterfly friend of Veronika who everyone knew. Half of the men in the room had an eye on her and she knew it too.

"Nobody keeping you entertained?" Joshua was coming off as rude but Alessia didnt care, she was much more curious now that he questioned her lonliness.

"You caught my eye, what's your name?" She asked him nonchalantly.

"Haven't you heard anything about stranger danger?" He commented as she let out a small laugh.

"Do I look like someone who goes by those rules?" She questioned him. "I do know you are one of Jeonghan's friends, he has a lot but which one are you?" She further enquired. Joshua kept on being quiet, looking at her, seeing that she is not going to back down, he finally accepted defeat.

"I'm Joshua, Jeonghan's best friend" He replied sighing, he felt like leaving and he was free to leave, he knew Jeonghan would understand but yet he stood there with a woman he just met who is also one of the closest friend of Veronika.

"Alessia, Veronika's best friend, nice to meet you" She tells him, she moves her glass to be meet the other's with a clink. She didn't realise he had mentioned her by her surname earlier, that he already knew who she was.

"You still didn't answer my first question" she picks up the conversation again, she noticed he was uncomfortable, was she bothering him? Her presence was making someone uncomfortable? A sense of confusion rose within her.

"Just had a bad set of days, sorry for being rude, I'm usually not like this" He finally tells her, giving her a slight smile which was enough to make her heart beat fast.

"Do you want to get out of here ?" Alessia asked him, making the latter look at her. " You look like you don't wanna be here that's why" she clarified.

"I'm here for Jeonghan and Veronika but yeah it's feeling a bit tiring" He says as he looked over to the happy couple conversing away with the others.

"Let's go then" Alessia holds her hand out for him to take.

"Won't your friends look for you?" He questioned.

"Won't yours?" She replied raising her eyebrows implying that they both have the answers.

Veronika turned to see her friend leaving with a man, hand in hand, Jeonghan trailed her gaze "Isn't that shua?" He mumbled enough for her to hear, they stared at the duo confused but again went back to greet the guests.