Delayed Confession | DK of Seventeen

One

"I just don't understand why he can't just let me know?!" Bae Junhee ranted to her friends while grilling meat at their favorite barbeque place. "What's so hard about telling me you're in a meeting or that you'll call me back? It takes seconds." As she turned the meat, it felt as if she was venting her frustrations on it, imagining it was her boyfriend.

Yeeun reached for the tongs as the others started to look hungry, but Junhee swatted her hand away and started cutting the meat with more force than necessary.

Seokmin and Seungkwan arrived, noticing the foul mood immediately. Seungkwan mouthed "boyfriend?" to Taeyo, who nodded in response. Seungkwan just quietly sat down beside him, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile, Seokmin gently took the tongs from Junhee's hand, his calm presence soothing the tension. He began distributing the meat to the others, starting with Taeyo on his right. Everyone sighed in relief; only Seokmin could approach Junhee without triggering her further.

Junhee downed two shots of soju in quick succession as Seokmin took over. She was about to pour herself another when Seokmin fed her a piece of meat instead. She turned to him, about to protest, but he cut her off with a grin. "The meat you grilled is amazing. As expected, Bae Junhee is the best!" He gave her a thumbs up and took a bite himself. Junhee held back her protest, her anger momentarily deflated.

Even as Seokmin tried to keep her fed, Junhee continued to drink more than she ate. Seokmin could sense that she still had more to say, but she was holding back. Despite his efforts, she barely touched the food after her third bite.

The others had moved on to a different topic, laughing and chatting, but Junhee's heart wasn't in it. She tried to join the conversation, but her thoughts kept drifting back to her frustrations. Her face lit up when her phone rang, but as she saw who was calling, she quickly stepped outside to take the call.

When she returned, her mood had worsened. Though she tried to keep her voice down, they'd all heard enough of her argument on the phone to know what had happened.

"Did you just break up with him?" Taeyo asked, still munching on his food.

"And he agreed easily?" Seungkwan added, earning a sharp elbow from Yeeun.

Junhee nodded, staring at the grill's fire, her eyes reddening with determination. "That's it. I'm not going to forgive him." She took another shot, her hand shaking slightly.

"That's right. Just don't date for a while," Yeeun encouraged. "If you lay low, maybe you'll meet a better guy. We never liked him from the start, anyway. He never treated you right." Her voice softened at the end, the truth finally spoken.

Junhee heard it, and it stung. She hated that everyone had warned her, and she hadn't listened. She felt a surge of fury and took a swig straight from the bottle. Her friends clapped in support, fueling her rage.

Before she could finish the bottle, Seokmin gently took it from her. "That's enough," he said softly, but with a seriousness that made everyone fall silent. He wasn't joking, and now they noticed.

Junhee's usual reaction would have been to lash out at whoever tried to control her, but this was Seokmin. She couldn't bring herself to be angry with him. Instead, she grabbed her bag and jacket. "Just let me know in the group how much I owe you for tonight's meal," she said as she left.

Seokmin immediately grabbed his jacket and followed her out.

"I can go alone," Junhee said as Seokmin caught up to her.

"You're drunk. Just let me see you until you get a taxi," he replied calmly.

Junhee didn't argue.

They walked in silence, the quiet night pressing in on them. Only a few pairs of people passed by, their footsteps echoing down the alley. The road felt endless in the stillness, each of them acutely aware of the other's presence.