Complexity

So tell me which way to go

Xinyu POV

"What are the worst possibilities ever?"

"I don't know. What things are usually related to Chaewon? Only martial arts, like I already explained."

"But why? She can learn from me," I said, flopping down on Nien's bed. Honestly, Nien's bedroom was basically mine too, if I could say so.

Me and Nien had been good friends for a while. Her parents knew me, and Handong and Ningning knew her. We were just... basically twins. She knew what happened in my past, though I didn't know much about hers. All I knew was that her house was full of fruit trees.

"Have you ever told Sohyun that you actually can do martial arts?" Nien asked while she played with my phone. Only she and God knew what she'd do with it.

Then it hit me.

I never told her.

The silence in Nien's room was suddenly so loud. I didn't say anything, and that already gave her the answer. I never realized how many things I'd never told Sohyun.

"See? You never told her," Nien said, breaking the silence.

I wanted to reply, but what could I say?

"I mean... do I really need to?" I asked, doubting whether that question even made sense.

"Geez, Zhou Xinyu. Are you dumb? Of course you need to. If you don't want jealousy taking over just because Sohyun's learning martial arts from Chaewon and not from you, then tell her. It's that simple."

Nien handed my phone back. On the screen, I saw a picture Chaewon had sent. Before that, there was a message bubble, from my side. Meaning Nien had texted Chaewon using my phone.

The photo showed Sohyun doing basic martial arts moves.

"Sohyun really is learning martial arts. YOU ACTUALLY ASKED HER!" I exclaimed.

"I just didn't want you to keep doubting it," she said.

"Using my phone?"

"Well... yeah. If I use mine, Chaewon would start teasing me — asking if I like Sohyun too."

"'Too'? What do you mean 'too'? Is there someone else who likes Sohyun?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"You really need to ask that? A lot of people like her. But the 'too' she meant was you, dummy. You like Sohyun, don't you?"

Do I?

"The cat got your tongue again, Zhou Xinyu?" Nien teased. "I wouldn't blame you if you like her. I won't judge. You guys are cute together."

"Do we really look like one?" I asked.

Nien nodded aggressively, already busy scrolling through her phone again.

Do I really like her?

Whatever it is, I need to ask Chaewon if Sohyun's really learning martial arts from her. If she is, then I'll just help Sohyun get the courage to train properly. I want to make sure she's learning for self-defense, not because she wants revenge or something else.

Thinking about how Sohyun had been going home late lately, I figured she must've been practicing after school. But where? Chaewon usually trained indoors. So either it was at the school gym, another gym, or...

"Chaewon's place."

I ran as fast as I could toward Chaewon's place. I remembered her private gym. Large, polished, and aesthetic. The only problem was... I'd kind of forgotten exactly where it was.

I walked through the streets that felt familiar, trying to recall the way. Every gym looked the same. But then, I saw a familiar figure pass by.

"Park Sohyun?"

It was Park Sohyun. She was running in sportswear, clearly already in the middle of training. Sohyun, who usually hated running, was now doing it, with weights on her body. How intense was this training?

I followed the direction she was running toward, and there it was. The gym I'd been looking for. Chaewon's gym.

"Excuse me," I said, catching my breath as I walked in.

"Xinyu eonnie? What are you doing here?" Chaewon asked, surprised. Not scared, just confused.

"Just walking around," I replied casually.

"You sure walk around pretty far. Your house isn't even in this block," she said, crossing her arms. Then she added something that made my heart skip a beat.

"Just be honest with me. You came to see Sohyun eonnie, didn't you?"

Before I could even open my mouth to answer, the door behind me opened.

"Xinyu?"