True Beauty - 2

3

"Ah Alina" Hannah said. "It must really be him"

"I know, the page was empty and after his signature his number was there. I know it must be him but - HOW!" I asked. "He is an idol and I am a nobody."

"Was he impressed by how you look?" Hannah asked. "You are a beauty"

"Girl, I am not...I think he got impressed by me returning the ring - but hey, many people would have done that if they were in my place - I-actually-"

"And his last message shows his frustration. You lost your lucky chance girl!" Hannah said hitting me on my shoulder. "I know" I said sad. Han seojun. He must hate me now. Argh.

"Ok-" I stopped when I heard my brother shout. I went out of the bedroom to find Jisung on the floor with my 'so called father' holding his collar. I ran to him and shoved him away from Jisung. Hannah held Jisung close to herself as my dad hit me on my face. I stumbled and fell. A throbbing pain on my chin. I stood up and hit him square on his face. This time it was his turn to wince in pain.

"YOU UGLY BITCH HOW DARE YOU!" he shouted at me. "YOU AREN'T ANY BETTER YOU ABUSIVE JERK!" I shouted back. Jisung was now crying as he hugged Hannah.

"We left you to live a better life and here you are...at MY friend's house, holding MY brother's collar as if you have all the rights in this world to do so! GET OUT" I shouted as I slapped him hard. In return I got pushed hard and slapped. Before I got slapped again, his hand was stopped by another hand. I turned slightly to see Bang Chan, Hannah's elder brother. The last time I talked to him he was in the states. Chan tightened his grip on my dad's hand and shoved him away. Then one punch on my dad's jaw, one punch on my dad's torso and a hard blow on my dad's hand. My dad looked too shocked to react immediately.

"How dare you! Who the-" my father asked but Chan stopped him - "I am Bang Christopher Chan - your daughter's best friend. Also Hannah's brother. Now if you want to save your sorry ass please drag it outside and never return. This is MY house."

My father left as he was intimidated by Chan. After my father left I hugged Chan - "Thank you Channie...I-I"

"Shh" Chan said. "Relax...he cannot hurt you now."

"Jisung!" I exclaimed as I went to hug my brother. He was shivering. Hyunjin - who had walked behind Chan hugged Jisung - "Sorry Jisung...I will never hurt you again. You already have a lot going on."

"Hyunjin...its okay" Jisung said hugging him too. I was glad Hyunjin was now sweet to Jisung. He'd seen my father hurting me and quickly changed into a new person. He realised his mistake. I hugged Hyunjin - "Thanks for being nice to Jisung"

I then turned to Chan again - "When did you return from the States!?"
"This morning, had to run some errands before coming here so I came late. I should have come sooner - I could have prevented these bruises" he said pointing at my jaw and hands. "You did help me though" I said. "Thank you Chan"

"Thank you brother." Hannah said as she hit him on his shoulder. He was bruised from the fight so he winced.

"Don't you dare hit my best friend" I said pulling him gently towards my side. We all had a group hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(at dinner)

"Hyunjin....have this" Jisung said passing some meat to him. Hyunjin smiled as he thanked Jisung by passing him the orange juice glass.

Chan, Hannah and I looked at each other and smiled. We all were happy Hyunjin stopped bullying Jisung. "Alina, you look taller now. And I saw you fighting off your dad-"

"Father. Not a dad" I said. "Not everyone can be a 'dad'. My father was never a 'dad'." I said as tears formed in my eyes. I had scars all over my body thanks to him. I felt Chan's arms hugging me and felt Hyunjin & Hannah's eyes on me. "Its okay" i wiped my eyes.

We continued eating in silence.

Then Hannah decided to tell this - "Alina has Han Seojun's number! He gave it to her"

"Oh..." Chan said quietly. This was not the expression Hannah had expected. When she asked him about it, he said - "Alina is famous on social media. She is known as the girl who gave him 'his ring'. # the girl who made Seojun's eyes look dreamy"

"Woah I am famous?"

"Kinda" he said as he smiled. "I kind of didn't expect him to give you his number"

"Me too" I said.

"Wait - Han seojun? The Kpop idol?" Hyunjin asked, shocked. I nodded. He stood up and walked up to me - "Really!? Noona!?"

"Yeah Mr. Hyunjin Bang, YES" Hannah said laughing. "The girls in my grade die for him! There is this girl who has his posters inside every academic book-" Hyunjin started but Chan cut him off - "Okay. Now don't go on about people of your grade. She'll get bored. Jisung, did you learn about any new bird?" Chan asked.

"The resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) emerges as one of the most iconic and revered birds in the world, gracing the cloud forests of Central America with its vibrant plumage and mystical presence. Revered by ancient civilizations like the Maya and Aztec, the Quetzal holds profound cultural and spiritual significance, embodying freedom, beauty, and divinity in Mesoamerican lore.

Named after Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent deity of Mesoamerican mythology, the Quetzal's ethereal appearance captivates all who encounter it. With its iridescent emerald-green plumage that shimmers under the dappled sunlight of the forest canopy, the male Quetzal boasts a long, trailing tail adorned with striking hues of azure, crimson, and gold. Its resplendent feathers, once highly coveted by indigenous peoples for ceremonial regalia, contribute to its mythical allure." Jisung stopped when he was out of breath. Chan gasped - "Your knowledge got better...I am shocked!"

Jisung gave a victory grin.

~~~~~

"Argh, our rooms are THIS apart...even my roommate in the States never left me alone." Chan whined as I went into my room. I turned to see him inside too - "Can't I just skip sleep?"

"No. sleep is important. Seriously, give me the number of your roommate now - he agreed to whatever you wanted? For how long have you skipped sleeping?" I scolded him. Like on cue - his phone rang with the name - 'Roomie 💥'

I snatched his phone and attended the call - "Hello?"

"Uhm is Chan there?" a deep, raspy voice came and I shuddered at how scary he sounded. "I am his best friend speaking. You are his roommate in the states?" I asked him.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" the voice answered back.

"First things first - what is your name?"

"Lee Felix" he answered. "Okay Felix, for how long he has been avoiding sleep?" I asked, sounding angry. "Like - always. Half the time he is writing songs on his diary and other time he REFUSES to sleep as he is terrified..." I frowned at his words.

"Okay, Thanks for saying. Bye" I cut the call and frowned at Chan.

"Chan, you are sleeping tonight. Just GO!" I shouted at him and even though he was older than me, he obeyed. I sighed as I threw his phone on my bed, locked the door and slept on the bed. God, I had to do something...else it would get serious. It could affect his health badly.