Trivial Rival (Lookism Zack)

08: Under the same roof

The drive was brief, lasting only a matter of a few short minutes as their destination was only a short distance away, easily walkable from their old home.

The car's headlights flickered, illuminating the darkened street as it was parked in front of the Lee household. Iseul, peering out the passenger seat window, watched as her mother rang the doorbell. After a few moments, the door finally opened, revealing the familiar face of the same male Iseul had grown up with.

Zack greeted the elder woman in a polite manner. His gaze was quick to shift towards Iseul, who was looking at him from the car's open window.

His mother appeared by his side and immediately launched into a conversation with Iseul's mother. He took the opportunity to step away from the adults and made his way straight to Iseul. He bent down to peer inside the window, his forearm resting on the car's hood.

"Daddy issues acting up again?" the boxer asked.

"Damn right."

Seol strides back towards the car, placing a pat on Zack's shoulder. before looking at her daughter.

"Sweetheart, let's go in. Could you help us with the baggage, Zack?"

"Yes, auntie!"

Grabbing some bags of her own, Iseul can't help but feel warm and fuzzy as she watches the family assisted them in bringing in their belongings as if offering them with shelter wasn't more than enough.

As she entered the guest room carrying the last of the bags left in the car, Iseul was puzzled upon seeing only her mother's things on the floor, with none of her belongings in sight.

"Your bags are in Zack's room. Shoo!" Seol gently ushered the teen out of the room which elicited a grunt of annoyance from her.

The female's blonde hair fell into her eyes as she held three hefty duffle bags, making it difficult for her to maintain her grasp. She let out a grunt of frustration, attempting to better balance the weight in her arms before reluctantly using her head to knock on her friend's door.

"Come in!"

"Open the door for me, dipshit!" she bellowed with no regard of being heard by the adults.

Zack answered her call, opening the bedroom's door as she had ordered. He took the two duffle bags out of her possession and placed them atop the pile of her other bags on the corner.

"Did you really have to pack all of your belongings?" he asked with an unamused expression.

"Everything I own is valuable. If you were in my position, i bet you wouldn't have to worry about packing a thing or two, since your things have nothing of value anyway."

"Rude."

Iseul collapsed onto Zack's bed, face-first. She let out a deep groan as she buried her face into the mattress, seeking a momentary break. Meanwhile, Zack sat in the center of the bed, leaning back on the headboard in a relaxed position.

"What's the deal? This isn't the first time something like this has happened, but you and auntie actually brought your belongings with you this time. Are you not returning home?" Zack inquired.

The blonde let out a sigh, slowly propping herself up by her elbows before scooting closer to Zack. She laid her head on his lap, his hand instinctively reaching to play with her hair.

"I told him that I like Mira. To say that he was mad was an understatement."

"Unbelievable, he's got it all. The list of his attributes keeps growing longer with the addition of being homophobic." Zack exclaimed sarcastically, as the topic of Iseul's bigot father was always a sore spot for him.

"Indeed."

With her eyes closed, she allowed Zack to run his fingers through her blonde hair, relishing in the soothing sensation. She remained oblivious that he was quietly gazing down at her, taking in every facet of her visage. His eyes roaming over every feature, drinking in the details of her face with an awestruck expression.

The male flinched as he snapped back into reality, realizing that he had become absorbed in examining Iseul's facial features. He felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. He quickly looked away, trying to appear nonchalant.

'The fuck am I doing?'

Desperate to rid himself of his thoughts, he furiously shook his head, hoping to banish the intrusive notions from his mind. He glanced down at the female who remained unaware of his inner turmoil, moving his fingers from her hair to her forehead with a harsh flick that made her sprang her eyes open with a yelp.

"What the hell!" she glared up at him, retaliating by pinching his side which made him hiss in pain.

With a huff, she rose from her spot, her movement causing Zack to feel a twinge of disappointment but he kept it to himself. She brushed her blonde locks back with her fingers, a habit she had formed early on in her childhood to keep the stray strands from irritating her eyes.

From a distant room, the two teens could hear the faint sounds of laughter coming from the three adults occupying the same roof. As the chuckles grew louder, Iseul and Zack couldn't help but join in, finding the laugh of their parents contagious.

"Why the hell does your dad laugh like a broken engine? And even worse, you inherited it."

"Hey! My laugh is perfectly fine."

Iseul's eyes wandered to the nightstand, her attention drawn to the picture displayed under the glass frame. It was a snapshot of the three of them - her, Zack, and Mira - taken on their first day in Jaewon High School, sporting their blue winter uniforms and posing in the camera held by Zack's mother.

"Wouldn't it be awesome if we stayed close like our parents, having each other's back as we grow older and start our own families?"

She hummed in response in Zack's query, grabbing the picture frame with a small smile which was quick to falter when Zack decided to open his mouth once more.

"But I'm pretty sure that it's gonna be Mira and I who will be married and shit, just like my parents." he added with a glint of smugness present on his expression, nodding to himself.

Iseul raised her hand, preparing to slap the boy. He was quick to respond, putting both his arms up in front of his face to protect himself. However, he didn't have much time to brace himself before she managed to land a punch on his abdomen, causing him to let out a brief grunt in response.

"Jeez, no wonder why your dad calls me a bad influence." he exclaimed between his coughs.

She gently placed the framed photograph back onto the nightstand, settling herself on the bed with her back pressed against the pillow as the male did the same beside her. She stared up the ceiling, only to squint her eyes at the intensity of the illumination.

"Turn the lights off!" she commanded, kicking Zack off his own bed, causing him to shoot a brief glare but did as ordered nonetheless before returning to the comfort of the bed.

Iseul turned her gaze back toward the ceiling, sighing as her thoughts to the other brunette who was supposed to be a part of their circle.

"Would it really be just the three of us? Or would it be four just like it used to be?" she muttered.

As he lay on his back, Zack rotated his head to the side to get a glimpse of Iseul's side profile.

"If he did come back to us, you could marry Johan. We could have a four way marriage so you won't be left out with mine and Mira's."

She cast him a glare, kicking him under the cover before rolling to the side to turn the lamp off.

"Good night, Lee."

"Good night, Kang."