Roundabout Way to You

31. Busted

So this is the yellow journalism that I only heard about on papers.

Look here! Click

Turn right, and go!

Do you know student Kim Tan well? Who are you?

I'm the third son of the Jeguk Group.

I'm the youngest daughter. Ho ho ho.

Let's go, Myun-shook!

Yes, Oppa!

Who the heck are they?

Mira giggled watching the K drama as she lazed around on the couch. It was the weekend and her day off. She could finally relax.

Suddenly, the screen changed from K drama to a cartoon channel. 

"P' Hit!!!" She groaned in irritation. "I was watching the series!"

"You have watched it a hundred times already. You won't die if you don't watch it again," Mihit slumped on the couch, making himself comfortable. 

"As if you haven't watched this episode of Phineas and Ferb. How old are you? Five?" She mocked.

Mihit made a face at her and turned to watch the cartoon.

She huffed in anger and lunged to grab the remote controller. "Give me that!"

Mihit, having longer limbs than his sister successfully managed to keep the remote controller out of his sister's reach. 

Mira could only give up and feel bitter inside. As always, her brother had won. She mentally swore that she would get back at him when she got an opportunity. 

"Ha ha ha ha ha." She imitated her brother's laugh mockingly as she left her room. 

The episode of the cartoon was almost over when Sarth walked into the house. Normally, he would be sitting with Mihit to watch cartoons but today he was late.

"Au? Why are you here? Aren't you on your 'date'?" Mihit was surprised to see Sarth come back home.

"Date, my ass!" Sarth sat in a comfortable cross-legged position on the sofa, sulking. He kept mumbling under his breath.

Since the cartoon was over, Mihit switched off the television and sat up. "Did something happen?"

Sarth frowned, wondering what had happened. He himself didn't know what had happened and why he was so irritated. He was supposed to feel good and happy. 

Ever since he changed his dressing style and got a new haircut, just as Anwit had told him to, women have been swamping him. Women of different ages, shapes, and sizes, married, and unmarried, everyone was interested in him, not just women.

There were more than enough options for him to choose from. It was as if he never got old, nor lost the charm he once had when he was in university. He was getting all the attention.

Sarth couldn't understand why he was not feeling happy when this was the outcome he wanted.

The thing that annoyed him the most was that every time they met, Anwit would ask about updates in his dating life, if there was any woman who caught his eye, or any woman making a move on him.

Under normal circumstances, he would feel proud and brag about the number of women who are eyeing him but nowadays, he feels irritated for some unknown reason. He didn't know why he couldn't just give the younger a straight answer than feeling annoyed like this.

"You fought with your baby boy?" Mihit probed again.

"Stop calling him that. He is not 'my' baby boy. He is your 'P' Yut's' baby boy." Sarth frowned, feeling annoyed.

"Oh, come on, Phi. Just admit it and ask him out on a date. How long do you plan on playing the 'be my fake boyfriend' game?" Mihit taunted.

"What the heck are you talking about? Stop trying to get on my nerves, Hit. I am already in a bad mood." Sarth grunts. "Plus, don't forget where we are. If either of our parents finds that I and Wit is faking our relationship, I am sure that I don't have to tell you what is going to happen next."

Mihit ruffled his hair in frustration. "P' Sa, you are slower than I thought you were. You have clearly fallen for him. Why don't you just admit it?"

"Ai Hit! Stop! Don't provoke me now!" Sarth warned.

"I am not provoking you. I am just stating the truth. The truth that all of us can see and you are unwilling to acknowledge. The truth is that you like N' Wit. No, love N' Wit." Mihit insisted.

"Ai Hit, are you out of your mind or something? How can I like him? He is a guy!"

"So what? What does love have to do with his gender?"

"Oh really? Love has nothing to do with gender?" Sarth mocked. "Then, does that mean that you love Yut as well?"

"Yes."

"What?" Sarth's eyes went wide in shock. 

"I love P' Yut. Not because he is RJ Spear but because of who he is. I admit that I was a bit prejudiced against him because of all the rumors going around about him. But now that I have interacted with him, and observed him, I find that he is a very beautiful person. Internally and externally. How can I not start getting feelings for such a person?"

"Hit, are you sure that it's love? Not some~"

"I am sure, Phi. I have never been surer. It's not a mere crush or infatuation, nor the admiration I had towards my idol. He is a very gentle soul and that's what I find most attractive about him."

"You must be out of your mind, Hit," Sarth mumbled in disbelief.

"Didn't you want me to like him as well, Phi?" Mihit narrowed his eyes. "Do you think that I don't know the deal between you and N' Wit?"

"What deal are you talking about?" Sarth feigned ignorance.

"I know you made a deal with Wit that in return for him acting as your fake boyfriend, you would help me and P' Yut become a real couple. Don't even try to deny it now."

"H- how did you find out?" Sarth was bewildered. He had done his best to keep the deal under wraps, yet Mihit had somehow found out about it.

"I have my own sources, phi." Mihit had actually overheard the conversation between Sarth and  Anwit the other day in the mall and was quick to grasp the situation without needing much explanation. "This is not the first time you are throwing me under the bus to get away from the trouble you are in, no?"

Sarth bit his lips, looking guilty. It's not that he wanted to use Mihit, but it was just a habit of his to use the younger as a shield every time he got into trouble.

"But this time I won't hold it against you. I love P' Yut, which makes us on the same side. And I do need both your and Wit's help to win P' Yut's heart." Mihit added.

Sarth's face lit up immediately. He was worried that Mihit might beat him up otherwise. "What do you want me to do?"

"Don't know for sure. But I do know that I would need your help in the near future." Mihit said thoughtfully. "Initially, I was planning on taking things slow and letting P' Yut take his time. But then I realized that there are way too many pests around him and if I don't take action quickly, someone else will steal him away from me."

He had seen how the new business partner of Omni who was also Ayut's senior from university had been trying to hit on him several times. He could see that Ayut was not interested in the senior. But he didn't want to take the risk.