a/n: okay so i'm probably gonna go back to updating once in two or three days because i have work and like i might be too busy sometimes, you know? so i'm sorry for those who expect daily updates, i hope you understand :(( anyways, stay hydrated and take care of yourselves love you <3
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chapter 40: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
"hey," yeosang says, snapping jihyun out of her daydream. the two were now in treasure cafe, yeosang telling her to find a table for them while he buys their drinks.
school was over and yeosang was surprised that jihyun didn't ditch him even after what happened earlier that day. though she had been quiet the whole walk from school to the cafe, he appreciated that she didn't run away from him this time.
"i got your favourite." he smiles, pushing the cup of iced choco towards her, receiving a grateful smile in response.
"so," jihyun says, awkwardly playing around with her straw. she meets his gaze, biting her lips as she tries to calm herself down. "you're probably super mad and upset with me and i appreciate that you're not letting it show at all," he starts off. "but i can explain everything."
"i'm not mad at you, yeo. upset is an understatement but i'm everything but mad at you. but before i tell you anything, do you want to explain what i saw during lunch today?" she asks him softly, trying not to focus on the way her heart clenched at the memory of what she saw earlier today.
"hear me out okay? i know i said a bunch of stuff that i regret but it was in the heat of the moment, i knew i shouldn't have trusted mina. that morning, i saw you two alone in the music room but before i could see anything else, mina pulled me aside. i tried to get away but she told me she saw you two kissing prior to my arrival. i– i don't know why i believed her. i know, i know i'm stupid for believing her and i'm never forgiving myself for allowing myself to lash out like that without even giving you a chance to explain. i said so many hurtful things and i– i'm so sorry," he looked down, not wanting to meet the girl's gaze, embarrassed of his actions.
"a– and about what you saw just now, i swear to god i wasn't the one that kissed her! she forced herself onto me and suddenly kissed me. and when i saw that you saw it, i instantly knew she did it on purpose. mina– she's out to ruin everything we have, ji. she swore to break us apart and ruin everything for you. ji, you know i'd never hurt you." yeosang tries to convince the girl, eyes showing how desperate he was for everything to go back to normal.
"i– i know, yeo. i admit, i'm still upset with you but i'm not letting that affect how i saw what i saw. i know she was the one behind everything. but, really yeosang? that morning, the morning i had a breakdown infront of someone for the first time, you couldn't have just let me explain? and you really believed mina over your own friends and girlfriend? what happened to trust?" jihyun utters, disappointed in him.
"i know, i know. i'm stupid and have always been. i don't know what got into me. i can't believe i did that," he mumbles, wanting to hit himself for that. "but when my best friend is in love with my girlfriend, i couldn't help but think of all the possibilities." he adds.
jihyun stiffened at that. she inwardly sighed, knowing that she'll have to tell him about that soon. "yeosang, i have something to tell you." she lets out nervously. the boy raises his eyebrows, blinking profusely as he wondered what she could want to tell him. "i think we should take a break."
"what?!" the boy widens his eyes, almost getting up from his seat. "ji, i know i hurt you but i realise my mistake now! please, forgive me. i– i'll make it up to you! please don't leave me." he begs, placing both of his hands on top of hers on the table. jihyun looks at him apologetically.
"yeo, i love you so much, you know that? i forgive you but this year's an important year for us, we have a huge exam and i don't want to stress myself too much. and plus, what happened showed me that you didn't trust me enough and i don't think i can stay in a relationship when my own boyfriend doesn't trust me," she admits. yeosang looks at her guiltily. he didn't want to let go of the girl he loves but maybe she did have a point.
"and when i say that i don't mean just you. i– i can't keep things from you, i don't want to. and i think you should know that i–" she pauses, afraid to tell him. "that you?" he questions, wanting her to complete her sentence. "i– i'm scared to tell you." she confesses.
"ji, just tell me. i'll be fine, i think." he reassures her, his thumb rubbing circles at the back of her hand. "okay, maybe i overreacted when you said we should take a break. but i love you and if that's what you want then i'm fine with it." he flashes the girl a sad smile which made jihyun feel even worse if that was possible.
"thanks, yeo. thank you for the amazing memories you've given me the past few months. you've been nothing but the perfect boyfriend to me and i feel so bad for this and i–" yeosang then cuts her off.
"no, ji. don't feel bad. i'm just happy you forgave me and i totally understand that that you feel this way. it's fine, we can go back to being friends for now. maybe we're taking a break but i'm still not giving up on you, for your information. maybe after finals, maybe you could give me another chance and maybe we could get back together?" he looks at her hopefully.
jihyun gives him another apologetic smile. "that's what i'm worried about. one of the reasons i wanted a break was because i don't want to stay with someone when i have feelings for another person too." she shamefully admits.
"w– what?" yeosang chokes out. "yeo, i love you so much but at the same time i– i think i like san too." she looks down, trying to avoid eye contact with the boy infront of her. "so you're breaking up with me because you want to be with san?"
"no! i'm breaking up with you for so many reasons. but one of it is that i didn't want to hurt you if you ever found out. how would you feel if i was still in a relationship with you but i had feelings for someone else? don't get me wrong, yeo, i'd rather just like two people at the same time than be in a relationship with someone but have feelings for another too, you get me? it just feels wrong if i still stayed with you." she tells him honestly. his silence was killing her. she was afraid that in a few seconds he'd blow up and start cussing her out.
after a few agonisingly long seconds, yeosang spoke up but she didn't expect such response. "it's okay," he says softly. "w– what?"
"it's okay. that, you know, you like him too. i can't control what you feel and you're right, this is better than you liking him when we're still together. i did think of the possibility of you liking him again but why does it hurt so much now that i know," he chuckles bitterly. jihyun looks at him in pity. "but it's fine. i'm fine. i understand."
"we're still friends, right?" jihyun asks him cautiously. "of course, ji! best of friends. i'm going to overtake san in your best friend list!" he changes his tone, sounding much more cheerful than he did a minute ago. jihyun laughs at how quick he is to change moods.
yeosang smiles seeing jihyun laughing. "but just so you know, i'm not giving up on you just yet. i'm going to win your heart back and if i have to fight san for it, then so be it." he says determinedly. "hey now, he's your best friend, there will be no fighting in this household." jihyun warns jokingly.
"just a little friendly competition, you know? to win your heart, that is." he winks at her. jihyun smiles, glad that she's not going to lose the boy infront of her as a friend even if she already did lose him as a boyfriend.
