New Year's Kiss

On the First of January

The new voice interrupting their almost kiss felt like someone had suddenly doused her with a bucket of ice cold water, prompting her to open her eyes and save herself from further embarrassment. She turned her head to meet the scrutinizing gaze of her ex-boyfriend, and her body's natural reaction had her heart plummeting down to her stomach. Jeong Hyeok was quiet, studying the silent confrontation unfolding in front of him, but kept one arm around her waist. It kept her steady and grounded, something she was immensely grateful for.

"Seri?" he hesitantly prompted when the silence stretched on uncomfortably.

She cleared her throat, hoping that her voice won't betray her anxiety. "Jeong Hyeok, this is Park Si-woo," she introduced, feeling sick at the mere mention of his name. Neither of them showed any indication that they noticed her wavering tone, too busy staring the other man down. "Si-woo, this is Ri Jeong Hyeok."

The two men shook hands, clearly a tad too tight, judging by the way Si-woo subtly flexed his fingers afterwards. The latter had pure suspicion written on his face as he studied the close proximity between the two of them, an expression that started a bubble of disbelief and annoyance within her, before he held up one hand in an apparent invitation to dance.

The nerve of him.

"You look beautiful, Seri-ah. I hope you don't mind too much that I will be stealing you away from your date for a minute. There is something I wish to speak to you about," he directed his words towards her, blatantly ignoring the other man as if he wasn't standing right beside her. "May I?"

Seri couldn't find the right words to express her distaste and tell him to piss off, and Jeong Hyeok misunderstood it as an indecision on her part on whether or not she'll entertain the man's request. She had mentioned earlier how uncomfortable she was with some of the guys who were a bit too handsy. Fortunately, he stepped in with the right response.

"Sorry, man, but I'm afraid her dance card is full for tonight," he spoke for her, his tone low and apologetic. "If you'll excuse us -."

"I wasn't talking to you," Si-woo rudely interrupted.

Seri stiffened, knowing his unpredictable temperament, and it didn't escape Jeong Hyeok's notice.

While subtly squeezing her waist in comfort, Jeong Hyeok still kept a calm demeanor and said, "I'd really prefer if we do not make a scene here."

Si-woo scoffed, turning to him in disbelief. "Did you not hear what I just said?" he asked, an apparent rhetoric since the man only seemed to be hearing his own voice. "And why do you care? This is between me and Seri."

"Because I care about her. Can't you see that you are making her uncomfortable?" Jeong Hyeok snapped, not bothering to hide his annoyance anymore at the other man's arrogance. The other guests who were within earshot of their conversation have turned their attention towards the mounting situation happening in the middle of the dance floor. "If she wants to talk to you, she will at her own time."

Her ex-boyfriend smirked, the action stoking the flames of the other man's irritation. "Why, Seri-ah, I didn't know you had your own spokesperson now," he mocked. "Let me hear that from her then."

In an attempt to diffuse the tension, Seri pulled herself from Jeong Hyeok's embrace and placed herself between the two. "That's enough," she firmly ordered, narrowing her eyes at Si-woo before turning back to Jeong Hyeok with a soft tone. "I'm really sorry. I'll take care of this. Just give me a couple of minutes."

"Will you be alright?" he asked warily. "I don't like this."

"It's one dance," Si-woo drawled with a lofty chuckle. "You'd think that you're her boyfriend now with the way you're acting. Ya, listen to me. I've been with her for over a year while you only had weeks since our fallout. If you have anything working up there, you would know that she's just using you to get back at me."