Annoying // Na Jaemin

22

The rest of the week, Jaemin came up with excuses to either not hang out with Soyeon at all, or go to his house. He wanted to avoid Sora at all costs. He figured that if she stopped seeing him, she would forget about him and stop being weird.

The only thing even keeping him from telling Soyeon what happened was the fact that she had just gotten her sister back and he knew that was a big deal for her.

It was Saturday and Jaemin sat on his couch, waiting for his parents to come downstairs. They were going to head over to Soyeon's house in a little while for their barbecue, and Jaemin was excited for their families to get to know each other.

When they came downstairs, he agreed to drive them in case they wanted to drink, and they all made their way over to Soyeon's house. Jaemin texted Soyeon to let them know they were there, and then followed the sound of music to the backyard.

"Baby!" she shouted when she saw him coming in the gate. She gave him a quick hug and then bowed to his parents with wide smiles, very excited that they were there.

Jaemin took her hand with a smile as they walked into the crowd, everyone mingling and having a good time. He saw Sora sitting on the deck, and avoided the sight of her. Soyeon brought them to her mom to introduce them.

"Mom, this is Mr. and Mrs. Na," Soyeon said. Ms. Jeon turned with a smile.

"Oh my goodness hi! It's so good to meet you! Our kids just adore each other, don't they?" she said. Soyeon laughed at how awkward she was.

"It's quite adorable," Mrs. Na replied. They began talking about what their jobs were and basic small talk to get to know each other, so Soyeon brought Jaemin to meet other people.

They approached an old couple, and Soyeon smiled at them. "Grandma, grandpa, this is my boyfriend Jaemin."

Jaemin smiled and bowed to them confidently, wanting to make a good first impression. "It's so great to meet you," he greeted them. Soyeon's grandma reached out to pinch Jaemin's cheek.

"Oh he's so handsome!" she exclaimed. "Perfect for our Soyeon!" Soyeon and Jaemin both laughed as someone approached them from behind, putting a hand on Jaemin's back.

"I see you've met our Jaemin," Sora spoke from next to him. He swallowed and subtly shrugged out of her grip. Soyeon looked over at her, slightly confused by the term 'our Jaemin'.

Their grandparents nodded with big smiles on their faces, clearly happy to have Sora around again. Everyone was completely shocked to see her at the barbecue, but shrugged it off as a momentous occasion.

"Oh, come meet my friends," Soyeon said, pulling Jaemin over with her to a different location. Sora watched them leave, silently grunting to herself.

She desperately needed to get Jaemin alone.

"Doyeon, Seokmin, this is my boyfriend Jaemin," Soyeon introduced Jaemin to her other friends. "They're my friends from down the street. They go to a different high school than us."

Jaemin nodded. "It's nice to meet you. What school do you go to?"

"We go to SOPA," Doyeon answered, moving a piece of hair out of her face. Jaemin's eyes widened.

"Really? What are you studying?"

"I'm studying dance," Seokmin answered first. "Doyeon's studying to be a rapper."

"That's so cool," Jaemin gawked. "I do a little dancing but not training to be an idol. That's really awesome."

Doyeon and Seokmin smiled. "I like this one," Seokmin said to Soyeon. She laughed and turned to Jaemin.

"Thirsty?" she asked, wanting time to themselves. He nodded and she brought him inside to get a drink, where no one else was. She placed a small kiss on his lips, making him smile.

He took her cheek in his hand and placed the other hand on her hip, kissing her again. She leaned back against the counter while she tugged on his shirt, holding him close to her. The door opened from next to the kitchen and they pulled apart.

"Oh, sorry. I just came in to get a drink," Sora interrupted. Soyeon smiled awkwardly and Jaemin stood behind her with his hands on her hips. "Soyeon, do you know where my wallet is?"

Soyeon pursed her lips and nodded. "Yeah, you put it in my room last night and said something about how you were afraid since you didn't have a place to put it yet that someone was gonna take it. I'll go get it."

She ran up the stairs and Jaemin awkwardly poured himself a drink, trying to ignore Sora's presence. She rounded the counter and stood next to him, placing a hand on his arm.

"You can't avoid me forever," she spoke softly.

"I thought you said you were joking about stealing me from Soyeon," Jaemin mumbled, closing up the soda bottle. Sora smirked and shrugged.

"I guess I'm a pathological liar," she answered.

"Clearly."

Jaemin moved away from her touch and leaned against the other counter, pressing the cup of Coke to his lips. Sora faced him, licking her lips. "Why Soyeon?" she asked.

"Do we have signs on our backs that say 'Break us up'?" Jaemin asked, annoyed. Sora raised her eyebrows.

"I like you when you're mad. It's hot. When you came in the other day all sweaty..." She approached him again. He moved away, toward the kitchen door.

"Stop," he said. She looked at him with irritated eyes.

"Just let me experience you once! And then you can do whatever you want with my sister! I'll get tired of you after the first time anyway," Sora said. Jaemin backed up into Soyeon, who was gaping in the doorway.

Soyeon chuckled bitterly. "I don't even know what to say," she muttered. She put a hand on Jaemin's back as she looked at Sora. "We'll sort this out later," she said. "Until then, stay out of my way."

She took Jaemin back outside, leaving Sora inside looking white as a ghost.