"And then we kissed."
Chaeryeong's eyes widened. She looked furious. "You did WHAT?!?!"
"AH! Ryeongchae, wait!"
Yeji jumped over the couch, quickly ducking behind it. She expected a scolding, not an outright attack.
Chaeryeong chucked the pillow from across the room, then leaned over the sofa. Invisible steam fumed from her ears as she glared at the girl cowering below. She doubted this would un-complicate the situation.
"You can't try to kiss YOUR EX and then kiss someone else right after!!"
"Hear me out!"
"WHAT'S THERE TO SAY?! YOU'RE! AN! IDIOT!"
"I asked for help, not— CHAERYEONG!"
Chaeryeong took a deep breath and turned around. She sat on the other couch, waiting for Yeji to begin whatever mess of a story she had.
Yeji peeked her head over the edge. "Can I talk now? Preferably without you assaulting me with pillows?"
"We'll see."
She sighed and took a deep breath, ready to explain what happened after her talk with Lia. Nothing went as expected. It all messed with her mind more than she needed it to.
"Is that all?"
"It is." Lia glanced over at Yeji and then stared at the waterfront. They were downtown, not too far from the beach. It was Yeji's choice. She needed somewhere calming, where she could feel the cold breeze, even if it made her shiver. Talking to Lia wasn't exactly comforting, so she needed an environment to counter it.
Throughout the conversation, Yeji managed to reduce her attitude. Lia remained the same, though. She would grin annoyingly, especially when Yeji would choose to stay silent. Yeji noticed that the quieter she was, the more Lia would talk.
"Do you believe me?"
"Well... " Yeji lifted her chin toward the sky and closed her eyes. "I'm not sure."
"As expected."
Had Yeji not had her eyes shut, then she would've caught the smirk on Lia's face. Not that Lia lied about anything, but she sure as hell wasn't rooting for the latter to get back with Ryujin. Despite not stretching the truth, she told it in a way that she knew wouldn't sit well with Yeji. Word choice made a significant difference.
"I'm sure you want me to believe you."
"I would be lying if I denied that."
"And if I don't?"
"I know you enough to know it'll live in the back of your mind." Lia nudged Yeji, earning an immediate side-eye in her direction. "Ask Ryujin about it— "
"Hwang!"
Only one person ever shouted her last name when they saw her. Yeji shifted her attention over to Minnie, unsure if she was ready to talk to her.
"She's cute." Lia chuckled and lightly patted Yeji's shoulder, but Yeji didn't react because she was so focused on Minnie saying goodbye to another friend of theirs before coming her way. "Are you really willing to give her up for a liar?"
