𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 | Song Mingi

五

A ringing sound echoed through the house, alerting Mingi to an unwanted visitor. He had been in a bad mood all day since seeing Suji and he couldn't stand to speak to anyone today.

Opening the door his eyes hardened upon the site of Suji. He glared at her as she sent him an innocent smile. She acted coy as if she didn't do anything earlier which angered him more. Did she really think he was joking?

"What now?"

"I know you're mad at me but I just didn't understand your love for her when she's already out and about with her new lover already. Shouldn't you be out and about with women too?" Suji sighed acting as if she was troubled by this information too.

"What are you on about?" He frowned, not following along on her new games.

"Have you spoken to Seonghwa today- Oh Wait!" Suji gasped, pretending to remember something. "You wouldn't have since he's with his new love interest. Who knew that his type was Yejin..."

"Wh-" Mingi became speechless at her statement. He thought back to the last two times he has seen Seonghwa... each time he was with Yejin. Was it a coincidence? "Stop messing around, Bae Suji!"

"I'm not messing around, you know she's actually quite loose. Maybe she's getting back at you." Suji pulled out her phone, tapping and wiping away for a moment before handing him her phone.

Mingi hesitantly accepted the phone, taking his time to observe the picture. He noticed Seonghwa's blonde hair, beside him was a girl who's face wasn't visible but he noticed one thing that conveyed it was Yejin.

The small red plaster with the cute characters on her hand.

"Slide across, there's more." Suji smirked, noticing how troubled he looked by the photos.

He swiped across to reveal several more photos where their faces were clear this time. His heart sunk at the sight of her, she seemed so...

Happy.

"I trust them."

"Really?" Suji raises her eyebrow at him as he sighed, dropping his arms to his side.

"Seonghwa is my friend, he'd never do something like that. He understands that I love her." He defended as Suji laughed in disbelief, whipping her hair over her shoulder.

"I trust them." He lied.

It hurt him to see both of them so close and happy but he had no right to say anything. Yeji was no longer his girlfriend yet his heart yearned for her. He didn't want to let her go but he did and he hurt her. Self hatred and guilt was what he felt whenever he remember that day. If only they had met in another universe where he wasn't so fucked up. Maybe they'd be happy.

Sighing, he pushed away the thoughts of Yejin and Seonghwa and focused on Suji. Why did she keep stabbing away at a fresh wound that still stung? Was she content with seeing him so unhappy?

"Why do you keep doing this? Do you get a rise out of ruining people's lives?" Mingi questioned as Suji's expression became serious.

"Because..." she gulped, leaning closer and placing a hand on his cheek. "This all started on a bet that you would win my love for you. Now you have. You won the bet."

"I don't need your love," Mingi denied. "I just want Yejin back. You may have ruined the best thing to ever happen to me."

"I wasn't the only one involved in the bet though-" she shot back almost instantly, becoming annoyed with the whole innocent act he was playing. Placing all the blame on her, yet she wasn't the one that had initiated it in the first place.

Mingi sighed in defeat.

Meanwhile, in Gangnam a small cozy restaurant lay buried in the corner of an empty alleyway, hiding itself away in secrecy.

The wooden interior and old fashioned vibes made Seonghwa gasp at the sight. The restaurant was dimly lit, just enough so people could see. Seonghwa found the ambience very warming and smiled to himself.

"How did you find this place?" He asked.

"I got lost before and I discovered this place. It's quite isolated but they do make the best food. Most are regulars here, probably accidentally stumbling across it like me." Yejin explained.

"It's really beautiful." Seonghwa mumbled, following Yejin to a table while admiring the place. It was unique and he quite enjoyed it.

Despite being empty, being there made him feel almost full. There was something so homely about it, which made it feel so comfortable.

"I should probably take notes for my bakery." Seonghwa suggested as Yejin chuckled at his fascination with the place. "I wonder if there's another place like this that I could buy. It would be really nice to do something less more and more hospitable that makes the customers feel warm and fuzzy inside. The feeling of comfort on a bad day..."

"I'm glad you like it here," Yejin sent him a warm smile to which he mirrored. "You seem real passionate about your bakery."

"At first it was just a way to avoid being a waste of space to my family but soon enough I guess I fell in love with it along the way. It's a great feeling when a customer enjoys my food. Seeing regulars makes me I don't know how to describe it but I just love it. It feels like a big family."

As their time together progressed, they felt bonded as they discussed their passions and life plans. Seonghwa couldn't understand Suji's hate for Yejin. She seemed like a generally compassionate and sweet woman overall.

Her voice grasped him out of his thoughts, he hummed in response and stood up, both of them leaving the restaurant after paying.

They took a quiet stroll back home, making small talk while admiring the dimming blue sky.

Seonghwa halted to a stop outside of the building, sending her an apologetic look. "I'd walk you up but I don't want Mingi to see us and misunderstand.

"Of course," Yejin nodded in agreement. "I don't want to ruin your friendship. You should get back to the bakery before the customers start to pile in."

"Visit me whenever you feel like discount bread," Seonghwa offered making her laugh and blush in embarrassment.

"I was drunk," she cringed as he laughed.

"I'll see you," Seonghwa waved her off as she entered the building. He waited until she was out if sight before leaving.

Yejin felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she expected to see Seonghwa but was instead met by the glum face of Mingi, who seemed partially drunk.

"Are you seeing Seonghwa?"