The Other Girl

Chapter 3 (Stop, Think)

"Are you saying he likes the other girl... or what?"

"No! I mean, I don't know. But the way he was trying to persuade me to actually dance 'sexily' for him was just... ugh."

Seo Hee and Soo Jin sat in a small restaurant sharing strawberry juice and a warm platter of dukbokki during one of their few free times they could obtain amidst hours of studying and staying late at school long after dismissal.

"But why would he ask you to do such a thing? Do you think that... that Hyo Jin girl did it for him?" Soo Jin asked.

Seo Hee looked up from her food, slowing down her chewing at Soo Jin's theory. "If she did, then I swear to God, I will cut her."

Soo Jin chuckled. "Chill out for a minute, Seo Hee-dong. I'm sure Taemin loves you more."

"Loves me more," Seo Hee repeated crossly. "Who's to say he doesn't like her as well?"

"You've got a lot going for you: you're smart, funny, charming. What does she got that you don't have?"

Seo Hee narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Fine, then I'll answer it for you: you have Taemin. You already have him, she clearly doesn't. Sure, she may have this big, annoying crush on your boyfriend, but he still is your boyfriend. Don't ever forget that. And don't let the fact that she's an SM trainee get to your head."

Seo Hee smiled at her best friend, feeling motivated and a bit confident at her best friend's words. It's true. So what if she didn't have the looks and talents that Hyo Jin possessed? If an average schoolgirl like her was able to obtain an amazing idol like Lee Taemin as her boyfriend, then she must have done something right.

Her phone buzzed for the umpteenth time that day, and finally, Seo Hee picked it up to text her boyfriend back.

***

There was a short silence between Taemin and Hyo Jin, as the two were cramped up in a small room, awaiting their next vocal training. To Hyo Jin, it was definitely luck that she had found herself sitting so close to Taemin in that room and going to spend an hour or so with him as they practiced their singing together. To Taemin, he just wanted to get on with this stupid vocal training so that he could take a good, long, and much-needed nap back at his dorm.

"Ms. Cho's running late," commented Hyo Jin, edging around in her seat next to Taemin to face him.

"I know," he replied placidly, his eyes staring at his phone. He was in the process of replying to Seo Hee's text, when he felt Hyo Jin lean over his shoulder, looking down at his phone. "Um, do you mind?"

Hyo Jin pulled away. "Oh, sorry."

The silence that was there before had increased with some sort of awkward tension. Of course, Taemin didn't care, as he was too preoccupied with texting his girlfriend. Hyo Jin decided to talk.

"So, who are you texting?" She asked him casually, though she knew perfectly well who he was texting because she saw Seo Hee's name pop up in his phone's Inbox quite too many times the whole time they've been waiting there.

Taemin finally looked up from his phone the minute he sent his text. "My girlfriend."

Hyo Jin nodded. "Ah, I see. How is she?"

"She's good."

"That's nice to hear."

And then there was silence again, except for the beeping in Taemin's phone, signaling that he had received another text. Without missing a beat, Taemin opened up the message and Hyo Jin, from where she sat, craned her neck ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of what his girlfriend had sent him.