karaoke machine | p.js

3.09

"Should I have just said yes?" Naerin hugged the pillow close to her chest as she lay on the couch in Sowon's apartment. Her feet were sprawled out across Kangdae's lap as Sowon came back with a few snacks.

"Maybe," Kangdae shrugged.

"Gee thanks, that's a lot of help," Naerin rolled her eyes and sat up properly. "What if things don't work out again? What if we break up and the whole soulmate thing doesn't work out?"

"You could always just try," Sowon suggested as she squeezed herself into the armchair next to Sungchan. He grumbled about there not being enough room but still wrapped his arms around his soulmate's waist to hold her close.

"Jisung's a pretty simple guy," Sungchan said, "He'll overthink every interaction the two of you have but still manage to pick the wrong way to go about things. He's got the right initiative now though,"

"And what would that be?" Naerin asked.

"He wants to be with you," Sungchan smiled, "As clumsy as he may be I think he's starting to realize that he has really strong feelings for you."

Naerin sighed and stared off at the TV as Sungchan and Sowon fell into their own conversation. Kangdae dug into the snacks, glancing at Naerin for a moment as she fell into deep thought.

If what Sungchan said was true, then there was a chance that things would be different this time around. But Naerin had tried so hard to convince herself that she and Jisung wouldn't be able to return to how they were. It left a gaping hole of doubt that clouded her trust in him.

"How about this," Kangdae said, "Go on the date with the poor loser and if you find that you feel the same way as before, give it a try,"

"That's a horrible idea," Naerin gave an incredulous look to her friend.

Kangdae was never one to give absurd suggestions but by the way that Naerin looked at him, one might have thought that he said something like eating Oreos with orange juice instead of milk.

"It's not about if the feelings are there," Naerin refuted, "It's about repeating old mistakes. If we end up breaking up again I don't think I could mentally handle that again."

"But you also don't know what will happen," Kangdae said, popping a few chips into his mouth casually, "The reality is that you guys are soulmates, do you really think you can stay apart forever?"

Naerin bit the inside of cheek, her mind racing as she tried to come up with an answer but her mind came up blank every time. Finally giving up, Naerin groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"This is so annoying," Naerin mumbled through her hands.

"I kind of agree with Dae on this one," Sungchan said, "You guys are soulmates, it wouldn't hurt to try and reach out,"

Naerin chewed on her lip before letting out a sigh. She stood up and turned around in a confused circle for a moment before her eyes found her phone falling into the crack between the sofa cushions.

She picked it up and started at it for a moment before groaning, "What am I doing?" she rubbed her eyes tiredly before looking back at her phone, "What if he's busy?"

"Oh my god, Rin," Kangdae groaned while Sowon sighed at her friend.

"He's not," Sowon said.

"But what if he's at the company," Naerin looked down anxiously at her phone.

"He's not," Sungchan said again, "Jaemin says he's at home,"

"But what if-" Naerin started to say.

"Please just call him," Kangdae sighed, "Please call him, I can't stand your mutual pining anymore, just put me out of my misery, oh god," Kangdae grumbled as he stood up to leave the living room.