Love In Convenience

6. A JEALOUS THORN

Hanni's POV

I was staring into Haerin's eyes, searching for some kind of reaction. Anything. But no, she remained as blank as ever. I felt a knot in my stomach, my chest tight with a mix of anxiety and embarrassment. The words had left my mouth, and I was desperately waiting for her response, but she just stared back at me without giving any indication of what she was thinking. My shoulders slumped, and I looked away in disappointment.

That's when I felt her hand on my cheek, gently tilting my head up. I lifted my eyes to meet hers, her cat-like gaze locked on mine. "Why say it when it's damn obvious?" she chuckled, her voice light and teasing.

I froze, feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I quickly looked away, the heat on my face now unmistakable. Despite my usual bravado, with Haerin around, I somehow turned into this shy, blushing mess. It was maddening, but at the same time, it made me feel more vulnerable than I ever wanted to admit.

She stood up from my lap, brushing herself off, and began gathering her things. I could feel her presence as she walked toward her bag, but my mind was still swirling from her teasing comment. How could she be so nonchalant about something like that? I had just confessed to her, and it felt like she was brushing it off like it was nothing. I wasn't used to this. Why did she have such an effect on me?

"Are you coming or not?" Haerin called out, turning her back to me as she started heading toward the door.

I blinked, shaken from my thoughts. "Oh, yeah, I-I'm coming!" I stammered, scrambling to grab my bag and follow her like some lost puppy. I couldn't help it—I was nervous around her, and I didn't know how to deal with it.

We were now at the convenience store. Mom wasn't here since she had some deliveries to take care of, so it was just Haerin and me for the time being. And, of course, some weird customers, which I honestly wished weren't there at all. Haerin was busy at the cash register, laughing and giggling with a guy who was making some... questionable jokes.

I stood nearby, pretending to check expiry dates on some random products, though my eyes were glued to Haerin and that guy. "What's so funny?" I couldn't help but think, glaring at the guy who seemed way too comfortable around Haerin.

Then, to my absolute disgust, the guy made a finger heart towards Haerin. She, without hesitation, made the same gesture back at him, grinning like a fool. I could feel the jealousy bubbling inside me, but I bit my lip to keep from reacting. He left the counter with his things, throwing me a look that screamed, What's your problem, bro? I clenched my fists, my jaw tightening glaring at him.

"You know you were being rude," Haerin said, her voice casually sharp as she glanced at me while still typing something on the computer screen.

"Being rude is better than being flirty with a random guy," I mumbled under my breath, pretending to check another product.

Haerin's eyes flicked up to meet mine, disbelief etched across her face. "Excuse me? I was not flirting!" she exclaimed, her voice rising in a mix of indignation and annoyance.

I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything else, focusing my attention back on the labels. Is she really this dense? I thought to myself. It's so obvious she was flirting with that guy. How could she not know that?

Before I could say anything else, the door to the convenience store opened, and a familiar figure walked in. Yunjin, the student vice president, stood at the entrance with a surprised look on her face. "Oh, this is something new," she said, eyeing me up and down. "I didn't expect you to be working at a convenience store."