It was reaching early morning when Chanmi was driven home by Jungkook. All the way, she felt uncomfortable in his company, there was silence between them until, stopping the car in the parking lot, he spoke to her:
- You'd better not know how much I feel like kissing you.
- I know it now, asshole - she replied, hastily unbuckling her seat belt. She got out of the car, taking one last look at his amused face.
Sick bastard, she thought.
Entering the apartment, she breathed a sigh of relief, as Rowoon was still asleep, and her friend had just begun to be awakened by the noise Chanmi had inadvertently caused.
- How come you woke up before me? Don't you have a hangover? - She asked in a weak voice.
She had no idea that the redhead had been out all night and had not slept at all, discovering the truth related to her best friend.
- In the end, I was able to win with you. You didn't believe the day would come when I woke up first.
Forcing a smile, she hurriedly occupied the bathroom to bring herself to order. Looking in the mirror, she nearly had a heart attack. She looked awful. Her mascara smeared around her eyes, probably when she burst into tears at the sight of Chansung. She looked like a panda the whole time, and no one made her realize it.
And this asshole still dared to say that he felt like kissing her?
She washed off her makeup, freshened up, then left the bathroom. She was surprised when her brother entered the apartment. The man could not hide his astonishment when he found two drunks in the living room: his girlfriend and his best friend, who looked like the seven woes. Surprisingly, his sister looked pretty good, if you could ignore her pale, sleep-deprived face and the bruises under her eyes.
- Nice of you to treat yourselves to alcohol - he declared in greeting, looking at them with amused eyes. - Jisoo, your eyes look feral, but don't worry. Even with a hangover, you look beautiful - he turned to the girl, leaning over her and giving her a kiss. - But I can't hide the fact that you reek of alcohol.
The brunette hastily picked herself up from the floor, making her head spin. She managed to keep her balance and, taking lop-sided steps, happily reached the bathroom.
- Brother, you've stocked up on alcohol, but the right glassware has not. Drinking from cups has brought us to such a state - Chanmi announced.
They both looked at Rowoon, who looked like a ghoul from an opera. He couldn't even raise himself to a sitting position. He lay sideways, half-conscious looking at his siblings.
- I think I'm going to peacock - he declared in a weak voice.
- This is why they say not to leave men alone with women. - Jin shook his head. - I promise my friend that I will never sacrifice you like that again. If you survive this day, of course.
- Screw you, Kim - he muttered.
Well... hungover people have never been polite.
Jin grabbed his sister's hand and sat with her on the couch. The redhead guessed that he wanted to see if she was okay, so he showed up at the apartment first thing in the morning.
- Didn't your parents ask where you were going so early before work? - She asked.
- I slipped out so as not to run into them. I'm afraid they wouldn't let me out of the house. I feel like a slave now. They follow my every move. They don't want me to have contact with you, especially not with Jisoo.
Chanmi's eyes became sad. She hoped that her parents' anger would pass, and they would be willing to accept her back home, but nothing seemed to be happening. Apparently, the final word belonged to Jieun.
- Doesn't it look like they finally want to get rid of me? Maybe Jieun's anger was just an excuse?
- It's only been a day. Your mother won't get over it quickly if she thinks you betrayed your sister. She treats you like a daughter. She is cruel, we both know that, but she raised you. Twenty years means something, doesn't it? - Seokjin squeezed her hand, and she smiled faintly.
- Seemingly yes, but Kim's blood doesn't flow in me. I am a replacement product.
Her brother sighed and squeezed her hand tighter.
- Regardless of what happens in the future, remember that to me, you are a real sister and I will do anything for you. I will never turn my back on you. You can count on my help in any matter.
Chanmi nodded, looking at him for a long moment.
- I trust you, Jin, that's why I want to talk to you about something.
- You can talk to me about anything. What's going on?
The girl swallowed her saliva harder, then looked into his eyes.
- In the past, you also tried to separate me from Chansung. You oppressed him together with Jieun. Was it because our father had an affair with his mother? After all, my friend did nothing wrong.
The young man lowered his face and pressed his lips together.
- I am ashamed when I think about it. It feels strange to explain to me now that I was young and stupid, so I let myself be manipulated by Jieun, who talked me into it. I believed every word she said, which is why I was getting mad when you spent so much time with that boy. I was worried about you.
- Why were you worried about me? After all, I was friends with Chansung. He wouldn't hurt me.
- When the truth about our father's affair came out, Jieun lied to me that Chansung would want to take advantage of it and hurt you. That's why I didn't want you to be in his company. - Chanmi looked to the side, and tears appeared in her eyes. - Why are you asking me this so suddenly?
Rowoon twisted to the other side, muttering under his breath about how terrible he felt.
- It's true what I said at home. Our mother and Jieun tried to kill Chansung. They left him in the burning house, condemning him to die an agonizing death. Probably the mother also got rid of the father's mistress and her baby daughter.
- How do you know about this, Chanmi? - Her brother looked horrified.
- They are sure that Chansung died in the flames that day, but was saved by Jungkook's father. He is alive. I met him. My childhood best friend is alive. Jungkook specifically approached Jieun. He wants to take revenge on our family for the injustice that happened to Chansung.
Seokjin looked deeply shocked. He stared at his sister without batting an eyelid, not believing what he had just heard from her.
- Are you sure it's Chansung?
- He's all burned up, but I have no doubt. He is my best friend. I'm one hundred percent sure of that.
Jisoo came out of the bathroom, and this was taken advantage of by Rowoon, who clumsily picked himself up from the floor and, half-crouched, ran into the room to throw up.
- I'm going to go see about him - Chanmi declared, rising from the couch. In her place sat Jisoo, as the girl immediately noticed that something was wrong.
- What were you two talking about?
- Chanmi told me that Chansung is alive, and our family tried to kill him. I am confused.
The brunette embraced his hand and put her head on his shoulder, hugging him.
- Your mother is cruel, so I won't be surprised at all if this is true.
- At least now I know that Jungkook approached our family on purpose. He wants revenge. - Jisoo played with his fingers, but stopped when the man added. - He wants revenge for his brother.
- Brother? So he's not the Chansung? - The girl looked confused.
- No, Jungkook's father took care of the maid's son. Chanmi met her friend, didn't she tell you about it?
Jisoo didn't understand any of this anymore. When did her friend supposedly meet the real Chansung, and why didn't she know anything about it?
- Chanmi, leave the puke and come here! We need to explain something to each other.
*
With a bag filled with resumes, the girl walked around town, finally taking the plunge to find a job. She was an adult, a college graduate, so she could no longer live like a parasite. For the moment, she could even snag a part-time job somewhere, as long as she had a salary.
She left the next building, already feeling tired. She looked in her bag and only then realized that she had already spread all the cards she had printed out.
She bought a mango-flavored juice from a nearby café and, sipping it through a straw, sat down on a bench. It was late September, and the sun was still blazing hard.
She unlocked her phone and, until she had drank all the juice, browsed social networks. A smile appeared on her face when she spotted a photo Rowoon had posted on IG from the day they drank alcohol. Sitting in the middle, the boy was smiling broadly and embracing the girls with his arm. Jisoo looked happy, only Chanmi at that moment had a depressed face, as her brother's friend pointed out in the description.
"I wish this girl would smile more. What should I do?"
The redhead tapped out an answer in a comment.
"It's enough if you tell her a funny joke."
Slurping juice through a straw, she looked at the people who passed by. A smile involuntarily appeared on her face when she saw a young couple with a child. A cute little boy was walking in the middle, holding his parents' hands.
This sight made her think about her life. She was twenty-three years old and would also already like to have a stable relationship. Was there a chance that Rowoon was her soulmate? They got along well with each other, but it seemed to her that there was, however, something missing between them.... there wasn't the spark that made their relationship potentially fantastic.
A notification from IG meant she got a response from her brother's friend.
"On the access road to Seoul, the navigation sounds off:
Stop in two hundred meters. I'm getting off."
A strange shudder ran through Chanmi's body. The girl shuddered because this was not funny, but scary!
"You were supposed to write a joke, not a horror story!"
"And what's scary about it, Chanmi?"
"Evidently, there was a ghost sitting with the driver!"
"Kekeke."
The redhead shook her head, drinking the rest of the juice. She threw the empty container into the trash can, which was next to the bench.
She threw the bag over her shoulder and headed toward the bus stop. She stood in front of a road that had no traffic lights. She looked around in both directions and, making sure there were no cars in sight, she headed quickly to the other side.
She had crossed half the street when a passenger car appeared from around the bend, speeding straight at her like a demon. It was happening so fast and unreal that it completely froze her. Her legs pressed against the asphalt, and if someone hadn't jerked and pulled her back, she would undoubtedly have ended up on the hood of the car, which didn't even brake. It disappeared from her sight so quickly, as if it had simply vanished into thin air....
Clutching her face to the chest of the man who had rescued her from under the wheels, she trembled with fear, unable to move for a long moment.
- You can't curse me forever, Chanmi. I just saved your life. - Knowing the voice, she raised her face and looked at Jungkook with wide-open eyes. This was undoubtedly the first time she was grateful to him.
- Thank you - she said in a whisper.
The young man led her to safety. He looked at her face with a caring gaze, seeing that she was still scared.
- Are you okay? - He asked, to which she nodded uncertainly. - Well, I guess not. You look like you're in some kind of amok.
- It's just... this car appeared out of nowhere.
Jungkook put his hands on her shoulders and smiled slightly.
- I saw it. It didn't appear out of nowhere, it just came out of a corner. If I hadn't been here, that tip would have smashed you. I bet he was not in his right mind. It's just too bad you can't react as quickly as I can. It makes me feel like protecting you twenty-four hours a day - he declared boldly.
The redhead did not react to his words. Probably in another situation she would have rebuked him and told him to drop, but at that moment she was simply grateful to him for his rescue. She had no idea if he had followed her or if he had found himself in the area by chance, but thanks to him, she was not injured.
A white sports car pulled over to the side of the road, and Jieun got out from inside. She took her glasses off her nose and clearly furious looked at the scene she had witnessed. Inside she was boiling with anger.
Was this why Jungkook wanted to meet her at the restaurant on this street? Did he want her to see how caring he was treating Chanmi?
She had to die, and as soon as possible! Jieun was excited about that day. She waited longingly for this parasite to disappear from their family, and that time was fast approaching...