The Insider Ghost Ship: She Said, He Said

CHAPTER 22: He Said: About the Pact

"Annyeonghaseyo." Sun Jin, Je Shin and Min Hee greeted and bowed in perfect unison in front of the guys.

"Uh! Annyeonghaseyo!" Ik Jun returned with excitement. He was not expecting to see them again, especially without Song Hwa. As he was pulling the adjacent table towards theirs, the three other guys remained still on their seats. The girls pulled the chairs, Sun Jin placing hers beside him.

"Aah, what a showoff." Jun Wan commented, loud enough for all the guys to hear, before popping a sausage into his mouth.

Ik Jun looked at him. "Join in if you want. You're most welcome." He replied.

"Duaesseo...." He said, putting an end to the conversation.

He wanted to ask them where Song Hwa was, but he held himself back. Obviously, these girls enjoyed their company so much to make them return for more, even without their 'leader'. He would not want to spoil their party, so he received them politely, even if the other guys seemed to disagree.

The three girls began vying for his attention by telling their own stories, he did not know who to listen to first. They were competing so much it could end up in a wrestling match should it escalate any further. When Sun Jin deliberately flicked and toppled Je Shin's bottled water to stop her from interrupting her, Ik Jun knew he had to mediate.

"Girls, girls...We all want to hear your stories, but we need to understand it. What do you say? Gawibawibo? The winner goes first."

The three obeyed him as students to a teacher. They were shaking their fists at each other when Song Hwa arrived.

"Ya!" Song Hwa yelled. The three girls and the four guys, including the people from the tables at hearing range, turned their heads at her. "That's my spot!"

Sun Jin, realizing her position, turned to Ik Jun for help. Receiving none, she stood up to vacate the seat.

"Mian...." He whispered as she stood up. Song Hwa sat on her place. Sun Jin pulled another chair for herself and sat down beside her.

As awkward as it already was, the three girls remained seated, oblivious of the fact that Song Hwa might not want them to be around her friends. He, on the other hand, was enjoying the attention from the other girls, it was alright for him to let them hang around. He just could not say the same thing for the other guys.

This routine went on for the entire week, and the other guys were not so keen on it. That Friday night, during the band practice, before Song Hwa arrived, Jun Wan brought the topic up.

"Ya, Ik Jun-ah," he began. "You should stop letting the other girls hang around for lunch."

"Wae geurae?" he replied.

"I don't think Song Hwa likes it." Jun Wan answered.

"I agree." Jeong Won joined in. "She's just not saying anything. But I can see it in her face. She doesn't like it."

"Ya, Seuk Hyung-ah, help me out here...." He said in an attempt to win an ally.

"I don't like them either." Was the answer he got instead.

"Mwo? Dadeul michyeosseo!" He exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well...If you like someone and you want her to get jealous, that's one way of doing it." Jun Wan said, to Ik Jun's surprise.

"Mwo?!"

"Jamkkanman..." Jeong Won said, realizing something, and turning to him. "You like Song Hwa?"

Ye! And nobody else should!

"Ani...Geuge aniya...." He answered, trying hard not to be too obvious. "They're her friends, and they wanted to hang around, so I let them. What's wrong with that? Song Hwa was the one who brought them up in the first place. That means it's okay for her, right?" He explained, emphasizing his point and diverting the topic away from himself.

"I think it's okay once or twice." Jun Wan commented. "But more than that is already an intrusion."

"Hwa...I don't believe you, guys."

"Do you really like Song Hwa?" Seuk Hyung asked him out of the blue, almost throwing him off balance. He was being cornered and sooner or later, he would have nowhere to go.

Should I admit it? Ani...Ajik anda.

"Ibwa..." His tone changing, channeling in a serious persona. "Song Hwa is my...our friend. And she considers us the same. Looking at her more than that might be pushing it too far. I don't want to lose her that way, so I'm not taking that risk by liking her. Are you?"

"Aniya, aniya...." Jun Wan and Jeong Won answered at the same time, with matching hand gestures. Seuk Hyung, on the other hand, remained silent—perhaps contemplating about the risk he had already taken.

"Let's say we make a pact." Ik Jun suggested. The three eagerly waited for his next words, all their ears on him. He let the silence linger longer than necessary, the three could barely contain their anticipation.

"Aaah! Jinjja! Mwo? Malhae bwa!" Jun Wan exclaimed, about to go ballistic.

"Let's make a pact...That nobody among the four of us will pursue Song Hwa."

The three became silent after he said what he wanted to say. It took them longer than he had expected for his point to sink in on them. He went on stating his proposition.

"That means nobody among the four of us should fall for Song Hwa. She's our friend, and it should remain that way. So, if anyone of us is already thinking about getting involved with her romantically, should forget about that idea right about now."

"Call." Jeong Won answered without hesitation.

"Nado." Jun Wan second the motion.

"Geurae." Seuk Hyung followed suit.

"Call." He muttered after a heavy sigh, sealing the pact between the four of them. He then wondered if he did the right thing.

Ani. You just dug your own grave.

Why did you? How could you? Were the questions that his other self kept on asking his main self. He was already in bed, but until that moment, he still could not quite comprehend his own reasons why he proposed such a thing. It was a 'spur-of-the-moment' thought that he wished he did not entertain. He wished it had never occurred. But it did, and now, it is a part of his reality that he had to live by.

He would just have to look at it on the bright side. Nobody among the four of them could ever be romantically involved with Song Hwa, which means they were all equals. If Jun Wan likes her, he could not tell her. Seuk Hyung surely had no problem with it anymore. And Jeong Won could never be Song Hwa's boyfriend even if she herself confesses to him and he likes him back. And as for him...He would just have to forget about his feelings and let it go. Harboring it could do him more damage, he could end up ruined for life.

He would just have to be contented with what Song Hwa could offer to him—her loyal friendship.