before & after ‣ 엔하이픈

011 ; present

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AERI

"Your phone is ringing, asshole." Aeri said, never tearing her gaze away from her food that she bought just moments ago.

Aeri was once more out and about in the middle of the night and as though her neighbor was always out from his own home to have a cigarette, she was caught again. And even worse, Sunghoon decided that it would be best if he joined her because apparently it was safer if she went out with someone rather than going out alone. She would be touched but with the mischievous and teasing tone that paired with such declaration pushed her into a state of disbelief.

With a glare, Sunghoon picked up his phone and pressed answer all while he placed the phone to his ear. "Hey, what's up?" He says, taking a sip from the soda he bought alongside her.

"No, I can't go to your party. I'm busy with something right now." Sunghoon said, sounding less guilty by his lack of participation in a so called party. "I'm not in the mood to interact with a bunch of strangers right now, Jae."

She remained quiet while Sunghoon continued to convince his friend that he was in no mood to go to a party that this Jae was supposedly holding. But her attention was stolen by his gaze making his way to her direction. "Aeri's number? You want me to give you her number?" He had a playful smirk on his face as he spoke words that she did not want to hear.

"Why do you want her number?" He asked. "Ah, you want to call her and personally invite her there." He says, keeping his gaze at her all while the smirk only continued to grow in size.

Before he could utter the next words, Aeri had elbowed him on his side as she threatened him not to do it. He winced in pain that his friend from the phone had to ask if he was alright or what had just happened to him that he would abruptly make a sound of pain. She had fought the urge to laugh because the smirk was nowhere to be found anymore and instead, all she got was a lethal look of someone who has already planned her death.

"I can't give you her number, Jae." Sunghoon says, earning himself a triumphant smile from Aeri. "Because that woman is scary and I really don't want to be on her bad side. Just ask her yourself next time. Alright, see you tomorrow at soccer practice." He said before dropping the phone. "There. I protected your phone number."

Aeri scoffed. "The number that you almost gave some guy I don't even know." She answers, finishing the last of her food and proceeding to her soda. "Also why the hell did you join me tonight if you have practice tomorrow? You're not going to be able to play properly."

It was his turn to scoff. "I can play stoned, surely I can play without sleep— Ow! What was that for!?" He asks as he winced in pain once more when he earns himself another elbow.

"You really are dumb, are you? Why the hell would you play while stoned?" She scolds him like how a mother would. "Just go home so you're prepared for practice."

He laughs. "How about this, little Aeri? You come to my practice tomorrow and I go out there without sleep. There I'll prove to you that I can play whatever the situation."

"What's in it for me if I do prove you are going to not play well without sleep?" She asked, raising an eyebrow out of interest.

"I'll treat you to good food for one week straight. And I'm not talking about convenience store food, I'm talking about your favorites like shaved ice. If that's still your favorite. I remember how much we used to eat those when we were kids." He offered.

She felt her stomach sink again upon the realization that he still remembered how much the two of them used to hang out in one of the restaurant near them so they could eat shaved ice. It wasn't a choice they made together, but his nanny has always been fond of her and would spend some of her salary treating them shaved ice. That was one of the many things she used to miss when his family left for another country. The anticipated dessert they would get every month where most of the time, they would just fight over which between their orders was the best. When Sunghoon left, she never got to have shaved ice anymore, not even on her birthdays because of how tight the money was for their family with her brother barely putting her to school.