Choi Giryang's song ended, and the screen flashed his score.
The numbers climbed
And stopped at 80.
"AAH~!!" He ran a hand through his hair dramatically. "I keep getting stuck in the 80s range. These karaoke machines are seriously so random… huh?"
Hong Aera wasn't even looking at the screen anymore.
Her eyes widened as she caught Park Gitae suddenly kissing the girl beside him not just a quick peck, but openly, shamelessly.
At the same time, Jang Jihoon leaned down and kissed the noona too.
Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
W-wh-what's going on all of a sudden?!
Her mouth fell open.
I-is this a zoo? Aren't you all even embarrassed?!
Beside her, Jung Seung-hyun coughed trying to get her attention.
"Ahem… yeah… what are those crazy punks doing, right? Hehe…"
But Aera wasn't listening.
She was still staring at the scene in disbelief.
What kind of high schoolers act like this…?
Giryang glanced back casually.
"What now? It's awkward there's a junior here, you know."
Hong Aera immediately looked at him.
"…Giryang oppa, you were near our school yesterday, right?"
Giryang turned his attention back to the screen, already picking another song with the large remote in his hand.
"Huh? Oh yeah. How did you know?"
"…Ah, that." Aera swallowed. "I was just asking if you saw me. I saw you across the street. I even called you."
Giryang didn't turn to face her.
"Did you? Sorry, I didn't notice."
Then, after a brief pause, he added
"But I have something to ask you."
Aera blinked.
"Oh… to me? What is it?"
"You know Hyorim, right? Seol Hyorim."
Hong Aera stiffened.
Why is he asking about her…?
"!! Ah… of course I know her. We go to the same school."
Only then did Giryang turn his head toward her.
Aera felt her breath hitch.
The way he was looking at her now
It was completely different from his usual gentle, smiling expression.
His eyes were sharp.
Cold.
Interrogative.
"Are you close with Hyorim?" he asked.
"…No," Aera answered carefully. "Just enough to recognize her face. But… why?"
Giryang didn't smile.
His gaze remained fixed on her, hollow stripped of its usual warmth.
Hong Aera looked confused but still answered him.
"...Yeah."
"I see~"
"...Why are you curious about that?" she asked carefully. "Ah… I was actually going to ask about her too. You were with her group, right? Are you close with them?"
Giryang turned his attention back to the screen, lazily fiddling with the remote.
"Me and them? Hmm~" He smiled faintly. "I'm not that close with her group… but I'm trying to try things out with Hyorim."
"Hyorim…? Try things.. what?"
What does he mean trying things out with her…?
He slowly turned his head toward her.
"Because I like her."
The words hit like cold water.
Aera went completely still.
The alcohol in her system was instantly gone.
"What…?"
But Giryang didn't explain further. He simply walk towards the door and left the room to smoke.
Aera remained frozen for a few seconds before suddenly grabbing a bottle.
She poured a shot.
Then another.
And another.
After a few, her head dropped forward, hanging low.
Jung Seung-hyun glanced at her and reached for a paper bag beside him.
He pulled out a pair of white sneakers.
"These are your shoes! You left them at that noona's house. I made sure to grab everything."
He turned to her with a proud grin. "I did good, right? Hehe."
She didn't respond.
Didn't even look at him.
"Aera? Are you asleep? You suddenly drank a lot…"
Across the room, the noona had her arms looped around Jang Jihoon's neck as they glanced over.
"Oh right," she said casually, "you wore my slippers. Either return them or pay me back."
Jihoon smirked and pulled her closer. "Come here."
"Kyaa~"
Seung-hyun stared at them in disbelief. "They're still going at it…? Seriously…"
After watching for a few seconds, his gaze drifted back to Aera.
-
Outside, Giryang was about to head back in when a girl approached him, holding a slider phone.
"Oppa! Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Huh? No, I don't."
"Then could you give your number to my friend?"
"Who?"
She pointed toward a corner where three girls were gathered. "The one in the middle. The prettiest one, haha!"
Giryang looked over.
The girl in the middle had wide eyes, chubby cheeks, fair skin, and her hands shyly covering her mouth as she peeked at him.
He gave his number.
"He gave it to you?! Kyaa!!"
"You're so lucky!"
Giryang turned on his heel.
Cute.
He opened the door and stepped back inside
"I said stop it, you jerk!"
"It.. it's not like that!"
Giryang's eyes snapped toward the commotion.
Hong Aera was standing abruptly, her hand still raised after slapping Jung Seung-hyun across the face.
"Don't touch me!" she shouted, voice shaking.
Seung-hyun trembled, a hand slowly moving to his cheek. "...Ha. Heh. You hit me?"
"You tried to kiss me!" she yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
The noona beside Jihoon shot up from her seat, glaring. "What's your problem?"
Jihoon frowned. "Is she insane?"
The girl sitting next to the already passed out Gitae slammed her hands on the table.
"This is what happens when you keep calling her pretty…"
Giryang quickly stepped between them. "Hey, hey. Calm down. Let's talk it out."
"I got hit…" Seung-hyun muttered, letting out a humorless laugh.
Aera was grinding her teeth, breathing hard.
Without another word, Giryang grabbed her wrist gently and led her outside.
-
Outside the building, Aera slid down the wall and sat on the floor, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.
Her head was lowered.
In front of her, Giryang crouched down, a cigarette between his fingers as smoke curled into the air.
Hong Aera walked down the street with her head lowered, her hair falling over her face.
A couple passed by her, their voices low but not low enough.
"Is she crying?"
"She looks like a high schooler… but she smells like booze."
They snickered as they walked away.
Aera wiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand, but the tears kept falling anyway.
Her vision blurred.
Her nose stung.
Why…? Why is it always her…?
She already has someone… and still…
Her chest tightened painfully.
Why does she get to have everything?
She pressed her lips together, but a small, broken sound escaped anyway.
-
Meanwhile, Seol Hyorim sat at her desk, textbooks neatly spread out in front of her.
A pen rested between her fingers as she leaned back in her chair, phone pressed to her ear.
"Why did you call?" she asked calmly.
On the other end, Yoon Seojin's lazy voice answered, "Nothing. I just wanted to ask how your studying's going."
"It's fine. I think I'll be okay for tomorrow's exam."
He laughed softly. "You'll do great. You're studying so hard."
"I hope so… What about you? What are you doing?"
At his house, Seojin was in the swimming pool.
Half his body was submerged in the water, arms resting along the edge as he leaned back.
His wet hair clung to his forehead, and he held the phone loosely near his ear.
"I'm swimming. I've got nothing else to do anyway."
Hyorim sighed. "You really don't plan on studying, huh?"
"Studying is for the weak. I'm not weak."
"What does that even mean…?"
He chuckled.
Hyorim absentmindedly pressed the back of her pen against her lips. "You just called to annoy me, didn't you? After the exam… can I come swim there?"
Before he could answer, her door suddenly slammed open.
"Hey. Come. eat." her brother called out.
Hyorim startled, quickly hiding her phone in her hands.
"Y-Yeah! I'll be right there!" she replied hurriedly.
When her brother turned and left, she brought the phone close again and whispered softly,
"Call me later. I have to go. Bye… love you."
There was a brief pause.
"Bye. Love you too."
Hyorim smiled happily at her phone before ending the call.
-
And somewhere down the street, Hong Aera stood under a flickering streetlight, crying uncontrollably, shoulders shaking, tears and snot running freely as she tried and failed to pull herself together.