Wonwoo's Protection

29. Eunbi's Bias

Eunbi was severely conflicted after Wonwoo's scandal broke out. She saw those low-quality photos with awe for some reason even though the idea of her bias having a partner didn't sit well with her as a fan. She looked at Wonwoo's happy expression and smiled involuntarily even though she felt jealous of the woman next to him who was the reason for that. Still, she couldn't hate on him for doing ordinary things that human beings do, after all he was a human being first, and a K-pop idol next.

She remembered the ring that she saw hanging around his neck when he came to the convenience store that night. It was so much like a wedding band and given what he purchased from the store, it very much felt like he was a new husband whose wedding was recent. It only pointed Eunbi towards reasoning that he is young and healthy and that it is his right to buy condoms, get married or do whatever he wants to do and that as a fan, her only job is to support him from the sidelines. That's it, that's what Eunbi is: A Fan. A CARAT among all the other CARATS who support and love the boys and that it's not really her place to be jealous. She thought that she might as well be a good and supportive fan rather than being a jealous one who types untoward things online or does things that a Sasaeng fan would do.

Eunbi sighed and closed her laptop because her headache was only getting worse upon seeing those pictures. She saw Inha who was asleep on her desk while they were on break between classes. Eunbi noticed that Inha was more tired than usual and was always napping in class which was quite unusual for her to do. Suddenly Eunbi's eyes chanced upon a flash of silver that fell from Inha's neckline of her shirt. Her eyes widened upon realizing that it was a wedding band hung from a chain.

Just like the one he had, Eunbi thought to herself.

It can't be! One voice kept on saying in her head while another was whispering Or can it be? By now Eunbi was lost. She saw that there was no sign of Inha waking up from her deep slumber. She knew what she was about to do was wrong, but Eunbi couldn't help herself as she reached out underneath the table and leaned forwards slightly to check the wedding band. And there it was, the 전원우 Jeon Wonwoo etched clearly inside the ring along with the date of their wedding. Upon witnessing that Eunbi went into a daze.

A part of her said that this couldn't be true and that Inha couldn't be Wonwoo's wife. But by now she didn't really know. Discreetly she checked the photos from the scandal and she found the unmistakable auburn hair that Inha had underneath her straw hat.

Anybody can have auburn hair. It's not her she tried saying to herself. But what if it is indeed her? She conflicted in her own thoughts. Then she went on to check if there were any photos of Wonwoo online wearing the ring around his neck. She thought maybe Inha could have merely copied his style based on any picture, but she hit a dead end in that pursuit as well. Although she noticed Wonwoo starting to wear a chain around his neck all the time in recent pictures, none of them showed a ring attached to it, as the chain was put underneath his shirts.

By now Eunbi wanted to pull her hair. Then she remembered the date she found in Inha's ring. She quickly made a search to see if the boys uploaded any post around that date and sure enough she found DK's and Hoshi's posts in weverse where they were wearing tuxedos. Eunbi thought that those photos were taken for a shoot or something and didn't think that far but now she remembered how CARATS jokingly commented that day that perhaps it was someone's wedding or something.

It was indeed a wedding and I had his wife next to me all the time! She thought to herself, looking at the sleeping Inha next to her. And now everything made sense to Eunbi. How someone who had zero interest in K-pop suddenly wanted to know very specifically about SEVENTEEN, how Inha blushed everytime Wonwoo appeared on screen or was mentioned, how she disappeared after the concert. It all made sense.

Those were genuine admiration and attraction that Inha felt for him Eunbi thought looking back at those days when she explained the group to her. Suddenly Eunbi grew embarrassed.

Ugh! I am so ashamed. I kept on calling him oppa in front of his wife! She thought burying her face into her hands and shook her head in embarrassment.

"Why, what happened, why are you shaking your head?" suddenly Inha's voice rang, effectively stopping Eunbi from her embarrassing motion.

"Umm.. it's nothing, really, '' she said, laughing awkwardly. She looked down at Inha's chest but the ring was long gone, now safely hidden underneath her shirt. Though Eunbi had a strange unsettling feeling in the pits of her stomach, upon seeing Inha now looking all concerned about her, all those I'll feelings were swept away because Eunbi now knows that she was the woman who made her bias happy. And that's all she needs as a supportive fan, to see her idol happy. Also, never once did Inha act all jealous and possessive regarding Wonwoo which according to Eunbi is a sign of security Inha felt in her relationship with her husband.

It took a long time for Eunbi to reach this state of mind. Her feelings of jealousy was just because Wonwoo was someone who comforted her from the screens. But it was wrong of her to equate those feelings with wanting to be a hindrance if he wanted to find genuine love with someone else.

However, Eunbi sighed, a sigh of satisfaction as she was quite content upon knowing that Wonwoo ended up with a sweet soul like Inha and that they were indeed a match made in heaven.

"What? Eunbi, you are scaring me. Is there something on my face?" Inha asked, looking back at Eunbi curiously. "Are you having a fever?"

"No! It's nothing, I am just happy. That's all. Now don't sleep and listen to the next class" Eunbi said smiling at Inha, patting her back as she resumed reading her notes.
.
.
.
.
.
A/N
Hi guys! You all thought I forgot about Eunbi didn't you? 😂

While creating this book, I wanted the friend character to be in the bad light, but as the story progressed I realised that Eunbi can be a sweetheart too. After all she was the one who brought Inha to her first concert 🥺. Also I didn't want to depict us, the fandom in a bad way. So I hope you like Eunbi's character arc redemption, because she'll be one of the important characters in the coming chapters.

Thank you for reading my book and for staying with me on this writing journey. Pls leave your lovely comments and vote if you like this chapter. Take care!

Love,
Aara.