Proven Wrong

Chapter 9

Maybe I should have taken him to Coffee Shop, a more public place, to prevent anybody from having a meltdown. And I wouldn't be late to see Minjeong before she went away for a couple days. Another possibility that I had been considering since last night.

Though it didn't stop us from making a scene before, I was also against taking Hyunjin there so he wouldn't have to see the woman I had these feelings for.

In that short time, it didn't cross my mind either to take him to another place, it was early morning on Christmas Eve but it's Seoul. I should have thought more clearly next time.

Now, we were just here, sitting on the couch with a big unusual distance, mugs in hands, no words after five minutes passed.

My phone buzzed again. Putting my mug down on the table, I quickly opened it, grateful for the distraction.

Minjeong:

I will take you to the hospital myself.

Hyunjin must have seen me smiling because he cleared his throat, shifted in his seat and sipped the warm chocolate.

I glanced at him before putting back my phone into my pocket. "So.." I dragged out. "I'm sorry." I said. I knew exactly why I was apologizing. For hurting his feelings, for not talking it out, for now telling him what had happened for the past few weeks. And for sitting there, smiling at my phone while he looked so sad and exhausted.

"Me too." He said, slowly looking back at me. "I'm sorry for freaking out on you." I only nodded to him again, unsure what to say. The last conversation didn't anger me, then again I wasn't one to get triggered so easily by things like that. It did make me sad, afraid even, of losing the only close friend I had. But although I realized that it made me a bad person, I didn't feel his absence that much, since my mind was so preoccupied with another.

I was more annoyed, with him getting upset about his feelings that I couldn't return. I had made it clear from the start and nothing had changed. I didn't want anything to do with romance. With Minjeong, it was different. I didn't have that thought because it wouldn't even cross our minds or so I thought.

"And for forcing my feelings on you." He continued, "I.." he paused for a moment when I put my gaze on him. "I didn't mean to tell you." He sighed. "I mean, I thought I would if you gave me a sign that there is a possibility for us, but then we spent less and less time together, and Ryujin told me what she told you, so I thought I should."

Looking down, I played with my mug. The anger I felt about me already made it clear that we couldn't be anything more from the start, rose up again.

I could feel him staring at me intensively, "It was stupid, wasn't it?"

Signing, I leaned back to the couch, slightly tilting my head to look at him. "Didn't I make it clear from the start?"

His lips turned into a bitter smile. "Yeah." He nodded, but looked disagree. "But things could change." I frowned. I felt like he was blaming me for this. "Ryujin told me about what you have been doing."

My heart skipped a beat. Ryujin told him I had been spending time with the woman Hyunjin thought I was hating on?

"She said you were getting to know someone." My frown loosen, hoping the blue-haired woman didn't say anything more. "She didn't tell me who it was, only that you're acting a bit.." He winced. "Different."

Ryujin had said it to me too, but it wasn't about me.

"Since we became friends, I never heard you were getting close to someone." He laughed but it sounded more like a scoff. "I feel happy for you, but I also have this mixed feelings of hope and fear."