F.R.I.E.N.D.S. [K.TH]

#43

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"So..." Heeseung sipped on his coffee, watching the girl in front of him poke her brunch with a glare on her face, "What I'm getting from this is that you struck a deal with Hale of all people, to stay away from Taehyun?"

"I'm a fucking idiot, aren't I?" She put down her fork, gripping her hair in her hands. "I played right into her hands."

"It's understandable." Her head snapped up, and he was surprised to see her eyes swollen red: perhaps from crying all day and night, locked up in her dorm. "Think about it. You probably haven't seen your dad in years, and you've been given a chance to be able to live with him again. Not only that, but a chance to study in your dream uni. And the only thing you have to do is stay away from Taehyun. Who, unfortunately– "

"Happens to be the man of my dreams." Haeri finished, and rubbed her eyes, her glasses on the table. "Really fucked up, huh?"

Heeseung looked at his coffee. "At least she gave you time?" He knew that it wasn't the best choice of words, and the deadpan look she gave him only solidified that. "Look." He put his hand over hers, and she looked at him confused. "Everyone knows that Hale is extremely obsessed over Taehyun, and not in a healthy way. Ever since they broke up– "

"Broke up? As in they were dating?"

"Back in high school. Taehyun caught Hale cheating on him with some guy. Ever since, she's been trying to get him back, and scaring any girls that were into him away. But that's old news anyway. Taehyun's had several girlfriends after that disaster, though none of them really stuck around for long. Most likely because of Hale." He shrugged.
"What I'm trying to say is that Hale's just trying to scare you away from Taehyun like she's done with all those other girls, and it's always worked. The best advice I could give you is to tell him about this."

"She told me not to tell anyone." She pointed out, and Heeseung sighed. Beomgyu had told him that sometimes Haeri was clever, yet sometimes she was clueless. Right now proved a testament to that.

"But here you are, telling me, when you're clearly not supposed to. Ask yourself why. You know what I think, Haeri?" He asked, and her silence made him continue. "You're actually not scared of Hale and her threats. You're scared of what this choice could mean for you and everyone else."

"Well duh–"

"What I mean by that is that you have a lot to live for. You have a tightly-knit group of friends, you have fun like any other girl your age, you're studying in a good university, and you even have a crush, childish as it may seem." Haeri rolled her eyes at him.
"You don't want to have your life ruined, and Hale can see that. So she obviously used that to control you. And there's nothing wrong with that. But you said it yourself earlier."

"Said what?" She asked, not really getting where he was going with this.

"That she wouldn't want to cross Taehyun's father, who's a lot more powerful than her own father. So she gets it even with those girls who liked him, especially the ones whose families didn't have as much power as hers.
Those girls of course, didn't have as much chemistry with him as you do, and anybody can see that he cares for you. So let me ask you this," Heeseung took his hand away, "would you be willing to throw all this away simply because his ex threatened you to?"

Haeri was silent, and anyone could see the thoughtful look behind her glazed eyes. Heeseung felt for her, and he fiddled with the worn friendship bracelet on his wrist. He thought about the owner of the other bracelet, and he wondered whether they were happy without him.