The radio is on, playing the latest hit of the week. Everything, rather everyone, else inside the car is silent. The dull sound of the blasting A/C served in place of conversation. In order to distract myself from the uncomfortable aura in the car, I inspected every single angle of the Birkin bag.
Meanwhile, my mind was racing.
This love triangle needed to end. I couldn't keep doing this. The cycle always began with me doing something wrong, followed by Wonho getting mad at me, and then subsequently ending with him forgiving me.
Would I need to move away from Seoul in order to stop this? Avoiding Shownu was my only safe bet. But we couldn't possibly leave the city where the Lee Conglomerate did all of their business.
I had to be more proactive about asking for forgiveness. If I apologized again and again, he'd keep forgiving me. So I just had to apologize.
I took a deep breath as we stood in the elevator and said, "Listen, Shownu is the one that followed me into the bathroom, I didn't mean to-"
"Just... forget about it," Wonho muttered, shaking his head, "This is what I get for taking you to a dinner with them."
'Was that an insult?'
If it was, I deserved it.
"Just listen to me!" I raised my voice, Wonho stared ahead at the wall of the elevator, shutting me out.
If I still had hope that my relationship with Shownu was possible, I'd be desperate too. But I knew there was no use. And I'm starting to fall out of love with him, though the process was slow.
The elevator doors opened and Wonho was the first to step out.
"I find it hard to believe you," he muttered.
"But I'm telling the truth!"
I grabbed Wonho by the shoulder, needing him to look at me while I spoke. He turned to face me, arms now folded over his chest.
He cocked his head to the side in defiance.
"You two are in love with each other, anyone can see it," Wonho growled, "So you're trying to tell me it was an accident that you two kissed in the bathroom?"
"Well it wasn't an accident accident..." my voice trailed off, he rolled his eyes and started to walk away, "But I didn't initiate it! Shownu came on to me."
"Just forget it," Wonho muttered, shaking his head in defeat, "I don't want to talk about him anymore."
He kept trying to stop the conversation from happening, but I needed to resolve this issue. We couldn't keep brushing our issues under the rug and staying mad at each other. Leaving our emotions bottled up wasn't healthy. If this arranged marriage is going to work out, then we have to communicate.
Wonho walked over to the couch, turning on the tv in an attempt to ignore me.
While I watched him, a grinch-like smirk spread on my face. I had a plot, I knew exactly how to make him open up to me. I set the gift bag on the counter, and walked sneakily over to Wonho. He was oblivious, staring blankly at the television.
It was apparent he was lost in thought, paying zero attention to the show before him. He didn't look up as I approached, which was perfect. It made my "attack plan" much more effective.
When it felt like the right moment, I straddled his waist, placing my hands on his wide shoulders. He tensed, sitting up out of instinct. My skirt rode up a little, which made me hesitate. But I had to push through the blush that was creeping up my face.
Wonho looked away from the TV quickly, his face starting to burn red.
His eyes widened in shock, "Uh..."
I ignored anything else he was about to say, leaning down to press my lips against Wonho's neck. He stiffed, sucking in a breath. As my lips latched onto his neck, I could feel his pulse racing.
Immediately, all of his anger or apprehension melted away.
"Yuri," he breathed, "What are you doing?"
I pulled away, looking down at the small bruise that was left behind. My hand skimmed over the mark, and he shivered. It was my first time giving someone a hickey, I was impressed with myself for not messing it up.
"You know exactly how to play me, don't you?"
'Yeah, sort of.'
Wonho took my hand and guided it down to his chiseled chest. Through the thin material of his button-down shirt, I could feel his heart racing in his chest. My mischievous expression softened in awe.
"This is what you do to me," he muttered, "No one has ever made me... breathless like you do."
'And to think, I probably broke this heart just a little.'
It made me feel even more guilty about my actions. How can I kiss someone else when this man loved me so much? I should have smacked Shownu, I should have pushed him out of the bathroom, I should have... but it was already done.
It was clear to me that Wonho loved me much more than I loved him.
But this was the curse of our situation. He stole me from Shownu, and the remnants of love for him were still trapped in my heart. I wish I could kill that love for him, sadly it wasn't that easy.
I just smiled and leaned down to press my lips against his. When I pulled away, he smirked, "Your turn."
"Hm?" I was confused.
Wonho placed a hand on my neck and guided me down to him, pressing his lips against my neck. I shivered at the feeling, my hair standing up on the back of my neck. The strong and calloused hand on my neck juxtaposed the feather-like feeling of his lips.
Wonho other hand held onto mine, our fingers intertwined.
I winced when he bit down on my neck. He pulled away once the mark was made and admired it, smirking.
"What?" I squeaked.
"I just..." Wonho looked at the hickey like it was a prize, "I never thought I'd made it this far."
"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting back on my heels.
"Well," Wonho slumped back, sighing. "You hated me for so long, that I never thought you would like me, let alone love me."
Honestly, I never thought this would happen either. Every minute of this felt unreal, especially when Mr. Lee handed me a million dollar purse. But it became more normal and comfortable every day.
Although the sorrow and longing for Shownu still lingered, I was starting to move on. And it gave me relief.
'Why am I even thinking of him right now,' I chastised myself mentally.
Today, Wonho and I had an "appointment" with his father. It bonding time for us, and we were supposed to discuss our next move as a couple. The two of us walked down the halls of his mansion, hand-in-hand. I was still shocked every time I stepped foot in this place. I couldn't imagine living with this much house. I still hadn't seen all of it.
"I've never seen your room," I realized, squeezing his hand.
Wonho glanced over a me, a smirk on his face, "You want to see my room?"
"I mean.. yeah," I shrugged, "I'm just curious about how it looks."
He shrugged, leading me up a spiral staircase and through a maze of hallways. Eventually he stopped in front of a sleek door.
The door swung open, and Wonho led me in, his hand on the small of my back. I was stricken by how empty the room was. I'm sure he moved all of his stuff to the penthouse. But still, I expected to see some of his stuff remaining.
It was a big, modern room. Mostly oak and white marble.
Few pictures were strewn around the room, but abstract mostly art adorned the walls.
I walked through the room, Wonho on my heels, looking around.
"So?"
"Huh?" I turned to look at him.
"What do you think?"
"It's nice," I muttered, "Fancy. Clean."
"Yeah, usually it's not so clean," he chuckled.
"Like?" I pressed, taking a seat on his bed. I glanced over at his bedside, spotting an old picture of him. Wonho wasn't at all beefy when he was younger, and was far more adorable.
"Usually there are clothes all over the place."
"Just your clothes?" I joked, glancing suspiciously around. Wonho probably brought a couple of girls back to this very room in the past. It kind of ruined my mood to think of that.
Wonho leaned down, pressing his lips against mine. He pushed my shoulders, and I fell back onto his plush bed. Wonho hovered over me, massive and intimidating. The bed shifted under his weight, making me sink in further.
I opened my mouth to speak, but was silenced by his lips finding mine again. His mouth melded fervourously against mine, making me breathless. I pressed my hands against his chest, and he didn't even budge.
He eventually pulled away, propping himself up on his arms. A dark look in his eyes, "You're the first girl I've ever brought back to my bedroom, okay?"
I nodded, speechless.
'Damn.'
That was... kinda hot. Very wild.
Wonho was ridiculously unpredictable. I couldn't get a read on him, I couldn't predict anything he would do.
There was a firm knock at the door.
Wonho looked towards the door, still hovering over me. I examined his profile, admiring his high nose bridge and plush lips. An elderly female voice rang through the door, "Master Wonho, your father is waiting for you in the family room."
"We'll be out, thank you!" He called back.
Wonho got up, and I followed. He paused before we left the room, examining my face.
"What?" I asked, blushing under the ferocity of his gaze.
"Your lipstick, it's smudged," he murmured, reaching out and skimming his fingers under my bottom lop, "Better." he smiled.
Wonho took my hand again and we walked through the mansion to the "family room." It was a large room with chairs and a television. It looked more lived-in than the rest of the house. I assumed that Wonho and his dad would have movie nights here.
Mr. Lee sat on the couch, a baseball game playing on the television. He turned once we entered the room.
"Hello graduates," Mr. Lee beamed, "Come, sit down."
Wonho took a seat on the adjacent couch, and I sat down right next to him.
"How are you two? Does it feel different, now that you're out of high school?" he asked.
I shrugged, and Wonho nodded half-heartedly.
Leaving High School didn't change my life much. I still had the same problems, I just didn't have to worry about tests or turning in assignments.
"I think we should start spending more time together, since we'll all be a family soon," Mr. Lee smiled.
The three of us sat in silence, staring at the television. Intermittently, Mr. Lee would yell at the players on the screen. I guess they were messing up, but I couldn't tell. Because I didn't watch sports, I was lost the whole time. Soon, I came to the realization that baseball is the most boring sport.
The clicking of heels caught all of our attention. I turned around at the sound, watching a middle-aged woman walk into the room. She was tall and pretty, clearly had work done. Her cheeks were unnaturally round, elevated by filler. The stiffness of her face was a dead giveaway that she was addicted to botox. One eyebrow was constantly raised, radiating judgmental energy.
'Who is this?'
"Oh, Eunji, you're finally here," Mr. Lee smiled to the woman, patting the couch next to him, "We're watching the game."
The woman approached us, looking me up and down with a critical gaze.
Mr. Lee stood with a smile on his face. He hugged the slender and beautiful woman before clearly having an epiphany, "Oh," he declared, "you've never met." Mr. Lee and the mystery woman turned to face me, "Yuri. Allow me to introduce you to me wife, Eunji."
'Wife?'
"Hi mom," Wonho said lowly.
The woman's cat-like eyes fixed on me. She gave me a counterfeit smile and waved, "Nice to meet my future daughter-in-law."
What? But... Mr. Lee's wife is...
Memories of the private conversation Mr. Lee and I had flashed in my mind: "You see, Wonho's mother died under... bad circumstances She was very sick. My dear son stayed at her bedside and took care of her until she took her last breath..." Then the things he said about Wonho's mom came to mind. "Yes, his mother passed away a couple years ago. She was such an amazing woman. She was a little ball of fire, and yet most people hardly knew that. She was rather shy and kept to herself, but knew when to speak up."
My face went blank as I locked eyes with this woman.
'I thought you were dead.'
"Uh... nice to..." I couldn't even formulate a full sentence. I was in such utter shock.
Wonho and his father lied to me! He said his mother was dead, yet here she was, right in front of my eyes. I glanced at Wonho to gauge his reaction, but he looked just as unfazed as usual.
Mr. and Mrs. Lee sat down on the couch. He immediately got comfortable, while the woman sat straight with immaculate posture.
"I thought we should all get together, to celebrate our twenty-year anniversary," Mr. Lee said, smiling lovingly at the woman that sat beside him.
Twenty year anniversary?
This is most certainly his mother.
She is not dead. All of that was a lie. I guess that would explain why I never met this woman before. In order to trick me into feeling bad for Wonho, they held off on intruding us. Otherwise, their lie would be find out.
But why lie?
Why use some ploy to get sympathy from me?
The things Mr. Lee told me about his mother, that was all bullshit. Because here she was, right in front of me. Perfectly healthy, and looking like an utter bitch.
My first clenched in my lap, and I stood up suddenly.
Everyone in the room looked at me in confusion.
"Is everything alright-" Mr. Lee started to ask.
But I stormed off before he could get the full sentence out, not bothering to reply. If I opened my mouth to speak, I knew I'd say something very mean.
If I had known that they were lying to me, I would have probably never made it this far with Wonho. It was so manipulative that he would do this to me.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Wonho called after me, jogging down the long hall.
I continued to storm on before he grabbed my arm to stop me.
I whipped around angrily, "Your mom is dead, huh?" I growled, glaring at him.
He was taken aback, "Yes," he looked panicked, "She is."
"So who the hell was that?" I yelled, pointing angrily down the hall.
"She's my mom... kind of," He replied, although his facial expression was not convincing.
I rolled my eyes, shaking me head. I jerked my arm out of his grasp and yelled, "Don't fucking speak to me, you're such a liar."
Wonho was speechless, watching me in shock as I walked out of the mansion. I pulled out my phone and started angrily texting Minhyuk.
You will not believe what just happened.
He replied: I'm sure I'll believe it, since your life is so wild. But go on.
I was too angry to laugh: Where are you? We need to talk.
You're probably right. I'm at the salon.
While in the taxi, I started doing the math to calculate things.
Twenty year anniversary.
This means that Mr. Lee and Mrs. Lee were together since before Wonho was born. Now that I think about it, I had seen pictures of that woman hung up throughout the mansion. And I never asked who she was.
'I'm such an idiot,' I thought, facepalming.
My phone chimed as Wonho texted me:
Where are you?
Come back, we need to talk.
Hello?
I muted his contact just as the taxi pulled up to Minhyuk's salon. I stepped out, seeing the "closed" sign hanging on the door. But that didn't apply to me. I pushed open the door, finding the lights were all off and Minhyuk was sitting in a chair, staring at himself in the mirror.
He jumped a little when I entered.
"Minhyuk! You won't believe this bullshit," I yelled, "Wonho's mom..."
My voice trailed off when I noticed his mood was downtrodden, his demeanor was off. It was like his energy was drained out of his body. Minhyuk stood up and turned to me, his clothes disheveled.
Something was certainly wrong.
"Are you okay?" I asked cautiously, lowering my voice as I approached.
Minhyuk tried to force a smile, "Yeah I'm..." he dropped the act quickly, "Actually, no. I'm not. We need to talk."
I motioned for him to sit back down in the chair. He did, slumping over.
My heart sank watching him. I had never seen him so forlorn. Minhyuk was always upbeat and sassy. This was the first time I worried he might fall apart in front of me. My eyes were trained on his fluffy hair, I felt the urge to pat him on the head, he looked so broken.
"I'm moving back to Paris."
I was immediately taken aback.
"W-what?" I gasped. This was possibly the worst news ever, "But you're my right-hand man. We're a dynamic duo. I... I don't know what I would do without you."
I didn't have any friends, at all. Minhyuk was the best friend I had ever had in my life. He helped me through all of my hardest times. He was there when I thought Shownu was lying to me about Harin, he was there when Wonho arranged the engagement, he was there when I thought I had a one-night-stand with some stranger.
I couldn't imagine not having Minyuk by my side.
"I've gotten used to having you around too," he confessed. His head was hung, hair in his face, "I think I've gotten too used to it."
I flinched at the suggestion.
Was being my friend really that burdensome?
I guess I did rely on Minhyuk's help too much. I always came to him with my problems, and he was always ready to help.
Maybe I'm too much to deal with.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, brow furrowed.
"I need to focus on my career," he explained, "I've been spending so much time playing around. I went back to school, I've been hanging out with you. High school is over now. I need to focus on my brand and-"
'Does your brand mean more than me?'
That was a dumb question, I would never voice it, because I already knew the answer.
"You can do both!" I said, forcing a smile, "Korean needs an icon like you, you would dominate Seoul fashion week."
Minhyuk laughed dryly, "Seoul fashion week doesn't reach worldwide recognition. My dad wants me to have an amazing legacy. He runs a modeling agency, and owns a few brands. He wants me to take over as the head designer. I can't do that from Korea, I need to move to Paris."
"But would that make you happy?" I whisper, hoping the answer would be no.
"I don't know yet," Minhyuk confessed, "A lot of things make me happy. Like running this salon," he looked around the room like it would be the last time, "But I love fashion. It's my life."
Minhyuk hung his head again, hands coming up to cover his face. He was clearly distraught, torn. I reached out to touch his head, wanting to comfort him.
Minhyuk's hand darted out and caught my wrist before I could pat his head.
"Don't."
"What is wrong with you?" I was taken aback by his abrasiveness, "Why are you acting like this?"
"Because I can't do this anymore!" He yelled, looking me in the eyes.
I couldn't read that expression. It wasn't anger, it wasn't truly sadness. Minhyuk was lamenting, and I couldn't understand why.
His grip around my wrist was tight, almost vise-like. He released my hand, face buried in his hands again. He croaked, "You're getting married. And we're friends. I shouldn't be feeling this way. I shouldn't be getting this attached to you."
"But, you need friends in your life, Minhyuk. You can't just be a lone wolf forever. Believe me, I would know."
"You just don't get it," he groaned, his hands falling in his lap.
"No, I guess I don't." I tried to formulate something that would make him feel better, "You're my best friend. There's no one else in the world I can trust as much as I trust you."
Minhyuk fidgeted with his fingers in his lap. I wondered if my words were working.
"I don't want you to leave, especially somewhere so far away..." Was it selfish of me to hope he'd stay? "But if you have to move to Paris, then I understand. I just don't want you to leave because of me. I know that I'm not the best friend," my eyes were watering as I considered the gravity of losing him, "I'm high-maintenance, I always have drama going on. And I always need your help with it. Maybe I don't tell you enough how much you mean to me-"
"No, it's not that."
We were in silence before I realized.
"Are you coming back for the wedding?"
Minhyuk is my fairy godmother, the source of my confidence. I dreamed of him being by my side while I went dress shopping. His critique was priceless.
He shook his head lightly.
My heart sank in my chest.
"What? Why?"
"I just... can't."
I pursed my lips. Anger was bubbling up inside of me.
Minhyuk wasn't telling me anything, just brushing me off like I was a nuisance. Maybe I am a nuisance, but at least tell me.
"Does my friendship mean nothing to you?" I yelled.
He sat there, not budging an inch.
"I've told you everything there is to know about me, I let you in on all of my problems. All of my secrets." I pointed angrily to my head, "I even let you bleach the hell out of my hair! And you can't even-"
Minhyuk made a sudden movement. He took me by the wrist and pulled me forward. I fell into him, clutching the arms of the chair that Minhyuk was seated in to catch myself. My heart raced after saving myself from face-planting into the ground.
"Why did you-" I looked up to see his face centimeters from mine.
"I'm sorry," he breathed before grabbing the back of my head and pressing his lips against mine.
'Now I did not see this coming.'
Minhyuk's kiss was wrapped up in contradictions. Of course, his lips were extremely soft, but his kiss was rough and unpredictable.
I didn't know how to react. I hadn't seen this man as anything but a friend. I sort of expected him to be gay. But the way he was moving my lips aggressively against mine proved me wrong.
I felt something in the pit of my stomach that was beyond curiosity.
Minhyuk pulled away suddenly, "Shit, I shouldn't have done that."
I was dazed, unable to reply.
"I'm leaving tomorrow," he continued, standing up suddenly. I did too, startled. "Goodbye Yuri."
Minhyuk brushed past me and walked out of the salon, the door closing behind him with a light thud. I was still frozen in shock, staring out into space.
'What the hell is going on?'
Today I had seen a new side of Minhyuk, one that I could never imagine. Through all the confusion and racing of my heart, I worried that I was about to lose my only friend.