Rent [Yeonji]

Chapter 037

[This photo is not mine; credits to the owner🥺]

>>>Happier<<<

"Have some of the bulgogi, you need to eat more," Yeji revealed a flustered smile as she accepted all the things her mother put on her bowl of rice. She got slightly pressured seeing it pile up at a rapid rate.

"Just eat what you can, okay?" Hyunjin hummed as he furrowed his eyebrows, already chewing on his meat as he looked at their mother who fussed about. Ji-won chuckled before ruffling Yeji's hair, sitting down next to Yeji.

The family met up after hearing of Yeji's success, to celebrate the occasion with a well-deserved homemade meal. It nearly made Yeji tear up, not had a homemade meal since she was 13 years old for her parents were busy running the school.

"Where's my dressing shoes? I swear it was-" Yeji looked to the spiraling staircase to see her father at the foot of the steps. He looked Yeji up and down, rolling his eyes.

"Tae-Kyung, I put them on the shoe rack in our closet." Ji-won quickly addressed the male as Yeji placed her hand on Hyunjin's, seeing his grip on his chopsticks tighten. Yeji shook her head lightly to assure him it was okay.

"Why is he looking for dressing shoes? He doesn't work on the weekends." Yeji furrowed her eyebrows, looking at the rest of her family. She looked at them suspiciously as they seemed to avoid eye contact with her.

"I've been meaning to tell you..." Yeji looked at her mother, who tugged a hair strand behind her ear as she cleared her throat. She looked at Yeji before straightening her back, smiling sadly.

"We've filed a divorce. Tae-Kyung's moving out of the house in a week." Ji–won bit her lip anxiously, awaiting her daughter's reaction to the sudden news of her parents breaking up.

Her eyes widened in surprise as Yeji pulled her into a hug. A small smile crept up on Hyunjin's face seeing Yeji's eyes flutter close, a smile growing on her face. She pulled back, holding her mother's hands in hers.

"I'm so happy for you. But...why is he moving out?" Yeji asked cautiously, afraid that it'd be a touchy subject. Her father was the one who bought the house after all.

"He made an agreement with our lawyer because Hyunjin will be staying with me." Ji-won ruffled Hyunjin's hair as she mentioned his name. A small chuckle left Yeji's lips at the cute encounter between her family members before asking another question.

"Then how about work? Will you still work together?" Referring to her mother's job as the vice-principal and her dad as the principal of their work, she was afraid that still seeing each other on a daily basis will make it uncomfortable.

Ji-won shook her head, scrunching her nose as she waved it off. Yeji looked at her mother in confusion as she got up and disappeared somewhere. She looked at Hyunjin for clarification, but he just offered a wait sign as a smirk played on his lips.

Yeji widened her eyes seeing her mother bring a laptop to the dining table, her classy rectangular glasses to help with her poor eyesight. Ji-won put the laptop in front of both of them, Hyunjin getting up from his seat to see what she had to show Yeji as well.

Yeji's jaw dropped in amazement seeing a whole website her mother had created, selling dresses with intricate designs as well as some casual wear. Yeji was shocked she didn't know if this seeing the number of dresses that's been sold already.

"I've always wanted to be a designer. After our divorce had been finalized, I drew some dresses and sewed them together, Hyunjin helping me with the website." Ji-won smiled softly as she talked about her interests.

A wide smile decorated Yeji's face as she scrolled down to see all the items on sale, cooing at the amazing designs which made her mother embarrassed. Yeji was proud, to say the least.

Yeji looked at her mother as she locked eyes with her. A breathy chuckle left her lips as she shook her head playfully before her mother entrapped her in a hug, Hyunjin joining in soon after.

>>>

Soobin's eyes fluttered open as he felt a few raindrops fall onto his face. He squinted at the sky, surprised to see the grey clouds that had grouped together, telling him it would rain soon. Without a second thought, he ran into the nearest store to hide from the rain for a while.

Soobin was taking a walk to let the deep talk he had with Kimi sink in. He had embarrassed himself that day, having cried buckets of tears in front of Kimi. But she didn't seem fazed, she seemed empathetic.

Soobin fixed his fringe as he observed the place he had entered, his hand lingering at his forehead as he froze in place, noticing the place he had entered in shock.

His eyes wandered to the cashier, where the familiar girl sat, bent over as she scribbled something onto a textbook. The cafe was practically empty, everyone having been served already.

"Jisu, right?" Soobin asked politely as he approached the counter, offering a friendly smile as Jisu's head snapped up to look at who was talking to her. Her blank face contorted to one of surprise as she stood up.

"Choi Soobin?" Soobin laughed as he nodded his head, surprised she had remembered his full name. Jisu offered a friendly wave as an embarrassed smile played on her lips.

Soobin's eyes strayed to the textbook that sat in between the two, noticing the foreign language.

"Are you studying English?" Soobin asked curiously, leaning in closer to study the words, only picking up a few words. Jisu chuckled awkwardly as she nodded her head, closing the textbook.

"I plan to move back to California, for university. I'm getting an English major." Jisu smiled adoringly at the mention of her birthplace, Soobin's eyes softening at the patriotism the petite girl showed.

"Anything I can get for you?" Jisu offered a polite smile, tightening her ponytail as she looked at Soobin anticipatingly. He offered an awkward smile as he wasn't planning to get anything, but decided to on the spot, not having the guts to turn down the nice girl.

"I'll get a mocha frappucino." He offered a smile as he pulled out his wallet, Jisu nodding as her eyes concentrated on the screen as his order flashed on the screen that faced Soobin.

He tapped his credit card, hearing the approving beep as Jisu nodded happily, grabbing a marker and plastic cup to write down his name before she prepared his order.

"Any requests, or should I put Soobin?" Jisu asked politely, letting the marker linger above the cup before she wrote the desired name he wanted to put. She looked at his scrunched-up face as he thought, her breath taken away by his ethereal looks.

"Actually, could you put Steve?" Soobin offered a cheeky smile, glancing at her English notebook. Jisu giggled slightly as she opened the marker cap and scribbled his name.

"Your English name?" Jisu asked curiously, walking toward the coffee machine before taking out the ingredients for his order. He nodded his head, Jisu biting back a smile as she found him adorable.

"Mine's Julia, if you wanted to know." A shy smile played on her lips as she averted her eyes, fixing Soobin's drink. He stared at Jisu as she worked the machine, her rolled-up sleeves exposing her forearms.

The duo talked for a while, getting to know each other as Soobin waited for the rain to stop. Once he figured it stopped raining, he wished Jisu goodbye with a promise of seeing her soon.

He walked out of the cafe with the half-empty cup of coffee. Soobin looked down at it, a small smile decorating his face. Let go.

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Might or might not be a prologue to book 2👀...

~Viky
☕🎶🌸