The boy next door

Part 28

'You know Haneul is next door right?' I asked as soon as Felix grabbed my wrist and entered his room. 'But I rarely see you now. When are you going to tell her?' he pouted. It was disgusting. 'When I find the right time. It's just been a week, there's no rush. And you see me always since I live next door,' I rolled my eyes. 'Alright maybe I see you,' he said and wrapped his hands around me, pulling me into a hug. I sighed deeply as I hugged him back. 

'There is another thing which I haven't told you,' I said as he retreated from the hug. 'What is it?' he asked. 'When I went to Allison's, I may have asked her about you. That's how I came to know about what happened. It's okay right?' I asked him, my eyes widening. He smiled softly giving me relief. 'Yes of course. You deserve to know... although you don't need to pity me okay?' he asked. I smiled at him and nodded. 

'But there is something I don't know,' I murmured as he raised both of his eyebrows waiting for me to continue. 'Why do you hate your name, I mean the name, Yongbok?' I finally got out the question which had been filling up the curiosity in me ever since I came here. 'It's a long story,' he smiled sadly. 'Well I am all ears,' I gave him a reassuring smile. 'There was this girl, Aeri, with who I went to elementary school. She kind of had a crush on me but we were too small to understand something as complicated as "feelings". We were friends, that much I remember until I got...kidnapped. I came back two months later.'

'She was really supportive when I came back and we went to middle school together. That's when I guess I realized that I had feelings for her too. I was already broken because of that "incident" and I broke down even more after she...died. She got into a car accident even before I could confess to her. And the thing is...she always called me Yongbok. Never Felix. She was a very sweet girl and she never spoke rudely towards me even if I did sometimes,' he sighed again deeply. After a mere second, his eyes lit up and he looked at me and smirked. Uh oh. A bomb was about to come. 

'She was nothing like you,' he said and smirked again.

'Oh! Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?' I asked him, my eyebrows raised. 

'A fact,' he replied with. Clever. 

'Even I don't know how I fell for you,' he mumbled. On realizing that he said that out loud, his ears and cheeks turned red. I did not notice that until later as I was busy covering up my own flustered face. 'I'll get going,' I said and got up. 'Bye,' he waved at me, his face still looking at his feet. 'Oh I forgot something,' I turned around and planted a small peck on his lips and quickly dashed out of his room. 

'What took you so long?' Haneul asked as I entered her room. 'I went to the washroom,' I replied, nervously rubbing the back of my neck. 'Oh okay. You must be on your periods then as you were gone for more than thirty minutes,' she said and smiled at me. I have to tell her. Soon. 

'Hey Haneul? Should we go out? I am getting bored,' I said and pouted. 'Yes sure,' she said and got up. We left her house as she turned around to ask me something again. 'Where should we go?' 'I know a place. It's a kind of market with many small shops. We can go there to buy something,' I suggested. She smiled happily and nodded at me. 

'How about this one?' I asked as soon as we entered a shop and noticed a black oversized sweatshirt. 'Black? Again? You already bought three black things today,' Haneul pouted. It was disgusting, yes. 'But this is different. I bought a black choker, black hairclips and a pair of black shoes. This is a sweatshirt, it's different,' I said and showed off my puppy eyes. I felt disgusted just by doing that. 'Okay okay, buy that,' Haneul said and moved to the hairbands aisle. Really? Hairbands?

'You did not buy anything today, why?' I asked as soon as we exited the shop. 'I am saving money, for future purposes,' she said and smiled slightly. Or I guess I imagined that. 'Oh!' I did not ask any further question as it seemed she always gave me an answer which wasn't true. 

'Hyerin? I was thinking about something for a few days. You know, friendships break and form again right? So, what if we make a pact? If anytime our friendship breaks, we have to give each other something valuable, so that we can expect to be friends again,' she asked me as I thought about it. 'Like if we go to different colleges and our friendship breaks, we have to give each other something to remind us to friends again?' I asked excitedly. She smiled at me and replied with a, 'Something like that.'

'What should we buy?' I asked

'What's your favorite fruit?' Haneul asked me. 

'Watermelon. I know yours's is a peach,' I said.

'So if our friendship ever breaks, I will give you a peach necklace and you will give me a watermelon necklace?' I went through it again. It was childish and stupid but it made sure that our friendship never breaks. 

'Haneul, I have to tell you something,' I said as my heartbeat increased. The last time I did this, something bad happened. I don't want that to happen again. But I have to tell her. 'I am dating Felix, Haneul,' I closed my eyes and said that in one go. No one said anything for a few minutes as my breathing speed kept rising. 'I know,' Haneul said as she chuckled. Wait, what the fuck? How did she know?!

I opened my eyes and saw her lightly chuckling, looking at the sky. 'How did you know?' I asked, my eyes widened. 'I am not stupid. I know you both have been dating for a week. Firstly, you both are very bad at keeping secrets. And tops everything is the fact that you went to Felix's room today and not the washroom,' she laughed again. 'So, you are not...mad?' I asked her. 'No. I am not. I don't want to ruin my friendship for such a small matter. I knew that Lee know would break your heart so I did not want you to be in a relationship with him. But knowing Felix, if he likes someone, he will like her all along,' she said and nodded at me. I breathed a sigh of relief. This secret relationship is finally over. 

'You are definitely not mad right?' I asked as we stopped in front of my house. 'No no. Get in. I am not mad,' she said and signaled for me to enter my house. 'Bye,' I said and entered. Only to see a lot of people and everyone being oppa's friends. Shit. Lee know was here too.