emotions | love alarm

27 ~

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Can you stop being sad?"

"I will never love again," Ae-ri speaks quietly from her bed, her hair sticking to her wet cheeks.

In-ho sighs and tugs on her ankle, "Get up, we have to plan for the banquet."

"Fuck the banquet."

"Ae-ri."

"I'm grieving leave me alone."

"All you guys did was make small talk."

"Are you gaslighting me right now?"

"You have ten minutes to be downstairs."

***

Ae-ri comes down the stairs in baggy jeans, a white cropped turtleneck, and her nude Air Jordans in precisely 9 and a half minutes, her eyes tired and her face expressionless. In-ho gestures to the seat next to him and before Ae-ri could sit down, their parents had already started talking.

The banquet was her family's annual networking event that she had been required to go to even before birth. She knew who would be invited from the jump and the thought of spending more than an hour in such close proximity to Sun-oh was making her short circuit.

Their conversation had sent a fresh wave of anguish towards her feelings and she hurt all over, a dull yet relentless pain that had her heart sinking at random points in the day. She hadn't talked to anyone for more than ten minutes in a week, and she could tell In-ho and her parents were getting increasingly worried.

"What do you think, Ae-ri?" In-ho asked her gently.

She zones back in from her thoughts and blinks once before shifting her eyes to In-ho who held a patient stare.

"Think about what? Sorry."

"Being at the front to greet guests," he smiles.

She immediately looks over to her mom, knowing that she would back her up, "No, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why is that?" In-ho's mom questions.

In-ho's mom, Yu-jun, was someone Ae-ri did not interact with and it was because she was easily the most boring person Ae-ri had ever interacted with. Something about that lady was mildly unhinged and Ae-ri would rather do anything else than engage in polite conversation with her.

Ae-ri exhales before meeting Yu-jun with a bored gaze that makes her parents tense up a bit. Yu-jun smiles.

"Because it would give off the impression that In-ho and I are in a partnership or that our families are close enough to share a business, or networking event with."

"Yes, and?"

Everyone stills as Ae-ri bites back a laugh, "And that is not the case. Therefore no; this is not negotiable."

Her mom nods, "I'm with Ae-ri on this one; I think we should wait a bit before making such a step."

Yu-jun peels her unsettling gaze from Ae-ri, who met the challenge without a single ounce of fear in her body, and gives Amara a soft smile, "You're right--better not to jump the gun."

Conversation resumes as regular and Ae-ri lingers on Yu-jun before looking over at In-ho who had turned somber.

***

"A penny for your thoughts?" In-ho smirks.

"I'd like to be alone," Ae-ri states as she grabs her bag from her couch.

"What's the fun in that sweetheart?"

"I'm not in the mood, In-ho."

In-ho had this little game of seduction he liked to play with just about anyone with legs and Ae-ri had indulged him with his playful banter a few times out of sheer boredom--but today was not one of those days and in fact his entire existence was irritating her.