𝖷1 𝖨𝗆𝖺𝗀𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖲𝗁𝗈𝗋𝗍 𝖲𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌

22. Surprise Surprise

There's nothing worse than fighting with someone you live with. There's no avoiding them and tensions are high.

It has been a couple days since the whole breakfast argument happened and Minhee and I haven't talked much since then.

Actually we barely acknowledge each other.

After Seungyoun dropped me off I had hoped to make amends. I approached his room slowly, unsure if Minhee was still upset.

He had heard me come in.

"How'd your date go?" He asked with little emotion. Standing at his doorway, the two of us oddly uncomfortable with each other.

"It wasn't a date," I say softly. I didn't want to upset him. I was there to make things better not worse.

"Mhm," Minhee hummed in disbelief, "I hope you at least gave Seungyoun a chance."

I sighed. "What are you even talking about?"

I didn't know what else to say.

Minhee chuckles bitterly.

"Speaking as someone who's been in love with you for six years now, you are the most clueless person to exist on this planet. Now if you'll excuse me."

My brain is still processing as the door is shut in my face.

I just walked into room. Slightly shocked he openly admitted his feelings, in such a rash way too.

Like ripping off a bandaid.

In some way I was angry at Minhee. How could he just drop a bomb like that and then leave? Because he's too much of coward to face the consequences of his actions.

He didn't want to see my reaction.

But in another way I was, I don't know, exhilarated and curious.

No guy has ever felt that way about me. At least that I know of. I mean Seungyoun was clearly interested but the L word wasn't even in question with him.

'Speaking as someone who's been in love with you for six years now...'

Had he really meant that?

I kind of wanted to go over to his room and see where this all could lead but he didn't seem like he wanted to talk. And no moment felt right. So we went on with our lives.

Not interacting.

Walking into school on Tuesday, I already know something's wrong. Everyone got quiet as I made my way through the halls, staring. Though they weren't looking at me but past me.

Minhee was walking behind me.

He kept his distance ever since we left the house. He seemed adamant on leaving me alone.

I got to my locker trying to disregard the strange behavior of the other students. It could be nothing.

Except it definitely wasn't nothing.

There was no way I could know. It was just my gut feeling.

Seoyeon desperately made her way over to me. The same glint in her eyes she always has when she has a piece of gossip.

Good. Maybe she can tell me what's going on.

"Is it true?" She blurts out before I get the chance to say anything.

She looked frantic which was unsettling to me. What was she on about?

"Is what true?"

"The thing about Minhee."

It was almost as if she was afraid to say it.

"What thing about Minhee?" Why couldn't she just tell me like it is?

Seoyeon steps closer. "That he paid Mrs. Choi for better exam scores," she whispers.

I scrunch up my face in confusion and distaste. "That's definitely not true."

Minhee's smart enough on his own and he's a good guy and would never even think to do something like that much less actually do it.

"Are sure? Because there's video evidence that's being sent around." Seoyeon turned on her phone to pull up the video.

I was still dubious when she hit 'play'.

It was a video recording, clearly taken by cell phone due to the vertical orientation it was shot in, that showed Minhee and Mrs. Choi in what appeared to be the faculty area of the school.

The two were talking for a few seconds, you couldn't hear what they were saying but from their expressions it seemed serious. Then Minhee pulls something, a small stack of cash and hands it to the teacher.

She looks both ways as if to see if anyone is watching and hesitantly  takes the cash. The video ends with Minhee smiling at the woman.

Okay, that looked pretty damning.

Seoyeon looks up at me.

"There must be some kind of an explanation. Minhee would never do something like that." I state. Almost pleading to myself.

I knew Minhee.

I know Minhee.

That isn't him.

I'm 100% sure he didn't do it.

"Well, some of his non-fans certainly believe it," Seoyeon adds, "wouldn't want to be him today."

I should talk to him, especially after what happened in the locker room, but I still felt like I couldn't.

A/N: I think this story is starting to come to end. Minhee finally admitted his feelings. What do you guys think will happen?