The boys froze.
"…The hell?" Suwon blinked, jaw dropping.
Daegyu leaned in with wide eyes. "Wait where the hell did you even pull that out from? You hiding bricks of cash in that shorts?"
Inseop groaned. "No way. This bastard actually loaded."
Park Dong slapped his forehead. "Damn, I forgot you're rich. Freaking Young Master Yoon."
I just smirked, popped the lollipop in my mouth, and shrugged. "Money's never really been a problem."
Suwon glared. "Tch. Must be nice, huh? Meanwhile, I'm broke as hell and I can only bought something if I starve myself for days."
Daegyu laughed. "This guy probably eating steak for breakfast."
Inseop leaned back, shaking his head dramatically. "No wonder Seolhyo's glowing. I'd be glowing too if my lover was as rich as this guy."
Park Dong snorted. "She probably fell for his face first. Then the cash is just bonus part."
I chuckled, not denying it, and said, "Well… it's her first birthday since we started dating. I want to gift her something special."
The group groaned in unison, their voices overlapping:
"God, shut up."
"Seriously stop rubbing it in."
"Someone drown this guy in the ice bath."
-
At Seol Hyorim's house, the three of them were sprawled across the floor, faces glossy beneath sheet masks, arms and legs tangled together like a lazy pile of cats.
Irina spoke first, voice muffled. "I saw on Cyworld that Lee Hyun-joo and Jung Min-chul are dating."
Seolhyo snorted. "Weren't they, like, totally ignoring each other back in Naguk Middle?"
"Right? It's ridiculous," Irina said. "They fought like they'd never see each other again and now they're dating?"
Jinkyung hummed, eyes closed. "You really never know with relationships."
Seolhyo let her eyes drift shut too, both hands resting on her stomach. "Jung Min-chul is super cold. Is that… supposed to be attractive?"
"I don't like the cold type," Irina replied without hesitation.
"Me neither,"
But Jinkyung's eyes flickered slightly.
Still… being cold can be kind of attractive too…
Irina suddenly sat up and peeled off her face mask, tossing it aside."Honestly?" she said. "Because of a certain jerk, I think I just prefer simple, friend-like relationships now. You know the kind of guys who act all sweet but clearly have something else going on in their heads the whole time?."
Seolhyo burst out laughing immediately."HAHAHA! Look at you, you're totally fired up.."
she teasingly. "A friend-like relationship, huh~?"
Still giggling, she glanced up to see Irina's eyes narrowing at her.
Irina asked suspiciously. "Why are you laughing?"
Seolhyo's phone buzzed right beside her head.
She grab it up instantly, heart skipping only for her excitement to drain a second later.
"Ughhh… I thought it was Seojin."
Irina leaned over, curious. "Who is it?"
Still Looking at her slider phone, Seolhyo said with mild irritation. "Some guy from Baekhan High. Says he wants to be friends with me."
She scoffed. "Friends, my ass. I don't even know what he looks like."
Irina rolled her eyes. "You're like a celebrity."
Jinkyung perked up. "Do you… reply to all that stuff?"
"Of course not," Seolhyo said quickly, thumbs flying as she typed a curt nope before hitting send.
She tossed the phone back onto the floor beside her. "I always politely reject them."
"Ignoring them would be better, lol," Irina said.
"HAHA, poor guy," Jinkyung added.
Seolhyo sat up and tied her hair into a low ponytail, clearly irritated. "There are so many guys like that. Why do they even keep getting my number?"
"Probably those kids from Naguk Middle School," Irina replied. "They still don't know you're already dating someone."
Jinkyung chuckled. "You think they'd stop even if they did know Seolhyo already has a boyfriend?"
"Ugh, seriously, I hate it," Seolhyo groaned.
"Idiots~" Irina said lightly. "Seolhyo's already head over heels. There's no way they have a chance."
Seolhyo flushed. "Ah lol, stop it…"
Irina and Jinkyung suddenly clasped their hands dramatically, eyes wide as if struck by realization.
"Wait," Irina said. "Isn't Seojin basically the perfect ideal type? Someone sweet?"
"And who only looks at you," Jinkyung added.
Irina smirked. "And he's handsome. Totally your type. Hehe."
Seolhyo opened her mouth, ready to argue then stopped.
She had nothing.
"…Seriously," she muttered, cheeks warm, "why do you guys know me so well?"
Irina and Jinkyung burst out laughing.
"You're always with us," Jinkyung said. "We probably know you better than your brother does. Hehe."
Irina tilted her head. "Anyway does Seojin even know you get texts like this?"
Seolhyo stared at her like she'd just asked something ridiculous.
"Of course not. I don't want him worrying over something so small."
"But…" Jinkyung said slowly, propping her chin on her palm, "wouldn't it be better if he did know? Like… wouldn't you want to know if some girl kept hitting on him?"
That made Seolhyo pause.
Her eyes dropped to the dim glow of her phone screen.
"…."
Irina shrugged, glancing at Seolhyo. "Knowing Seojin, he'd probably just laugh it off and then shamelessly show off his face."
Irina suddenly propped her chin on her hand, tilting her head and lowering her voice in a terrible imitation.
"Why would I worry," she said smugly, "with this face?"
She didn't even make it to the end of the sentence before breaking character.
Irina collapsed back onto the floor, laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach.
Jinkyung immediately lost it too, rolling onto her side, laughter spilling out between gasps.
"Oh my god stop," Jinkyung wheezed. "That was way too accurate."
Seolhyo groaned, covering her face. "You guys.."
Jinkyung wipe the tear on her eye and said. "But honestly, it's still better to tell him about stuff like this. It's not like it's a big deal."
She grinned. "If anything, knowing that even if he lets you go there are plenty of people lining up for you might make him cherish you more. HAHA."
Seolhyo pressed her lips together, falling quiet, the teasing finally giving way to real thought.
"Yeah," Irina added casually, "he needs to realize for like the hundredth time that you're seriously in demand."
Jinkyung laughed. "For real. He should know he hit the jackpot dating you."
Seolhyo pressed her lips together, falling quiet, the teasing finally giving way to real thought.
Irina stretched her legs out and added casually, "Well, I don't think you have to worry that much. Seojin's probably the same, you know getting a lot of messages too."
Seolhyo blinked. "Huh?"
Irina shrugged. "We don't really notice it because he's always hanging out with us, but think about it. He's insanely handsome. Like stupidly handsome. You know that, right?"
Jinkyung nodded immediately. "True. If he weren't already dating you, I swear half the girls in our school would be confessing. Actually, I heard that even before you two started dating, a bunch of girls already did."
Irina smirked. "Even now, I still catch girls from other classes trying to flirt with him. And now that he's growing his hair out?"
She clicked her tongue. "That just bad news for you."
Seolhyo's lips pressed together as a cold realization slowly crept in.
Jinkyung watched her carefully. "So… you don't ever wonder if he gets those kinds of texts too?"
Then she added bluntly, "Seriously, girl. Be mindful of your boyfriend. You know there are some real skunks at our school."
Irina's eyes darkened, fist clenching. "Don't worry, Seolhyo. I won't let that bitch get near Seojin."
Seolhyo hesitated. "I-I never really thought about it…"
she admitted softly. "I mean, whenever we go on dates, before we even meet up, I always see girls trying to talk to him. And he's not even doing anything."
Irina sighed, looking straight at her. "Seriously, Seolhyo, you're hopeless. If Seojin weren't so in love with you, he'd probably have been taken already."
Her tone turned more serious thinking of the face of some two faced bitch. "At least be mindful of your surroundings. You never know someone might act like a friend while stabbing you in the back."
Seolhyo calmly peeled off her face mask and smirked. "Why would I worry," she said lightly, echoing a familiar tone, "with this face? It's his loss if he ever leaves me."
Irina and Jinkyung froze, staring at her like she'd just said something illegal.
"…Seojin has really influenced you this much," Irina muttered.
Jinkyung squinted. "You're starting to become punchable, Seolhyo."
Seolhyo laughed, then softened, her voice returning to normal. "Relax. I get what you're saying."
She waved a hand dismissively."Don't worry about my relationship. Worry about yours oh, wait." She smiled innocently. "You're both single."
Jinkyung and Irina stared at her for half a second.
Then they pounced.
"Ever since you got a boyfriend, you love rubbing it in, don't you?!"
"Yeah, looks like someone needs a lesson, Seolhyo."
They grabbed her from both sides, fingers digging into her waist.
"S-s-stop HAHAHA okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Seolhyo squealed, laughter spilling out as she twisted helplessly. "I'm sorry! I won't say it again!"
The three of them collapsed onto the floor in a breathless heap, still laughing, the room echoing with warmth of their laughter.