Beyond The Kiss | JoongDunk

Seventeen: New Man

"Did Joong see it?"

The question kept echoing in my mind as I paced frantically across the room. My nerves were shot, my anxiety building with every second. I couldn't sit still. My thoughts were a chaotic swirl, my heart racing in sync with my worries.

Pictures of Khaotung and me had exploded across social media. Twitter, Instagram-everywhere I turned, those photos were staring back at me, accompanied by a storm of accusations.

Joong's fans were calling me a cheater, claiming I'd betrayed him. Their words didn't get to me, but the thought of Joong seeing those pictures did. It terrified me.

I couldn't bear the thought of him believing the rumors.

"Please, Joong... answer," I muttered under my breath, staring down at my phone as I tried calling him again.

The phone rang and rang, but like before, it went straight to voicemail. I clenched my fists, frustration boiling over. There was no denying it now-he must have seen the photos. He was avoiding me.

Letting out a groan, I slumped down on the couch, pressing my palms to my temples in a vain attempt to calm the storm in my head. My mind raced through possible scenarios, all of them bad.

What if he's angry? What if he believes what everyone's saying? Should I go over to his apartment and talk to him in person? Would he even open the door for me?

I pulled at my hair in frustration, feeling the weight of uncertainty crashing down on me.

No. I can't let this end like this. I need to fix it. I need to explain.

Determined, I shot up from the couch and headed straight for the door. Before my hand even touched the handle, the door swung open, and I stumbled back, startled.

"Dunk? Are you going somewhere?" Milk stood there, panting, her face flushed and drenched in sweat.

"Milk? Why are you-did you run here?" I asked, confused, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. My mind was a mess, tangled with thoughts of Joong.

"What's going on? Why are you here?" My voice came out more impatient than I intended.

"I need your help to buy clothes for later!" she blurted out, sounding frantic. The sudden shift threw me off.

"For what? Is it your girlfriend's birthday or something?" I asked, trying to catch up with her urgency.

Milk gave me a mock glare and playfully slapped my shoulder. "No! It's Auntie Jane's birthday! First's mom, remember?"

Crap! "Oh my god, you're right! I totally forgot!" I admitted, running a hand through my hair in embarrassment.

I was supposed to buy her a gift after the study session and asked Joong to go with me, only if Khaotung didn't waste my time!

Milk laughed at my panicked reaction. "See? I knew you forgot! Now come on, we have to go shopping before we're late." She grabbed my arm, linking hers through mine, and dragged me out of the apartment.

Before I could even process what was happening, she locked the door behind us, and we were rushing down the hallway.

My head was still spinning, but not because of the party. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't shake thoughts of Joong from my mind.

As we headed toward the car, Milk chatted about her plans for the party, but I was barely listening.

My mind kept circling back to him-Joong. Why was I so worked up over this? He wasn't even mine, yet here I was, panicking over how he might react.

Why does it feel like I'm cheating on him when we're not even together?

"We're here!" Milk's excited shout snapped me out of my thoughts. We'd arrived at the mall, and I realized I hadn't even noticed the drive. I sighed, unbuckling my seatbelt and stepping out of the car.

As we walked into the mall, the cold air from the AC hit me, but it did nothing to cool the heat of my nerves.

At least I had my wallet on me-I could buy a new outfit for Auntie Jane's party. But no matter what, my thoughts kept drifting back to Joong.

We wandered through the stores, but Milk's odd behavior caught my attention. She kept glancing around, as if she was looking for someone.

Every time I asked what she was doing, she just smiled and shrugged it off, glued to her phone.

Is she waiting for Love?

I let it go and browsed through the racks, trying to focus on the task at hand, but my patience was wearing thin. Suddenly, Milk blurted out, "I'm going to the bathroom!"

"What? Why are yo-" I asked, confused by her abrupt announcement.

But before I could say anything more, she bolted off, leaving me standing there, dumbfounded. What the hell was going on with her today?

Why is this scene so familiar? Fuck, please don't tell me Khaotung is going to be here again. I swear, I'll beat that Milk!

I sighed and sat down on a nearby bench, tapping my foot impatiently. What's taking her so long?

"Is this seat taken?" a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Oh, ye-" I began to answer, but the words caught in my throat.

My heart stopped..... No, this can't be real.... Am I ... dr-dreaming?

I felt my body freeze, watching as the man sat down beside me. My eyes followed his every movement, and suddenly, I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

He turned to me and smiled, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Miss me?"

That was it. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I threw my arms around him, hugging him as tightly as I could, like I never wanted to let go. I buried my face into his shoulder, tears streaming down my face.

"I-I missed y-you," I sobbed, barely able to get the words out.

I felt a warm long arm snaked around my waist, patting my back, slowly comforting me. A sense of familiarity made me cry even more.

You still haven't changed.

"I missed you, Gem..."

•••

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It's been a while! Lesson learned: Don't push yourself to your limit! My body kinda gave up, so, I took some time to rest and stayed off my phone for a bit. But now I'm back and feeling much better!