How To Be A Hoe

41 | Love Is

Turn around.

The door was polished oak, with an ornate knocker at the center in the shape of a coiled snake. It seemed new, and taken care of well, and was definitely the nicest door you'd ever seen in a dorm room.

Still hesitating, you gave in and knocked.

The pretty door swung open just a few seconds later, and you found yourself face-to-face with Lee.

There wasn't an ounce of surprise or anything close in her expression as she told you to come in. You stayed rooted to the spot, regretting your decision to come.

"It's fine," you said lowly, though the hallway was empty. It was hard to forget that this was the person you'd seen half-naked in your roommate's arms just a few weeks ago.

"No, it's not," she replied, pulling the door open wider and giving you a meaningful look. "You're privileged, living in your own place, but in a dorm, you never know who might be passing by. I'm pretty sure the janitor doesn't want to listen to your sob story."

Her direct words made you stand up straighter. Reluctantly, you stepped in, and Lee let the door shut behind you.

"You have a nice door," you said intelligently.

She stared at you. "I know you've come here to talk about something important, but I'm pretty sure it's not that."

"Um, yeah." Your hands were clasped together in front of you, and you stood stock-still, taking in your surroundings. Eyes flitting over everything that wasn't Lee, you tried to formulate a coherent-sounding sentence in your head, but failed.

After a few minutes of watching you in silent wariness, she sighed. "Is this about the time you saw me with Jimin?" You flinched, and her face fell into resignation. "Of course it is. Look, I didn't know about the two of you. I didn't mean for it to come off in the way you're thinking of. I would apologize—"

"No, it's not that," you said quickly, though it partly was. The tight grip of your hands around each other loosened, and you tried to relax your turbulent thoughts. "That wasn't your fault. I meant to...to ask about Taehyung."

Her eyebrows rose, and the expression on her face shifted from open blankness to guardedness. "What about him?"

"Well, what indeed?" You laughed awkwardly, but it wasn't exactly funny. Upon noticing her right eyebrow inch higher than her left, you backpedalled hastily. "When I slept with him a few days ago—I slept with him, by the way—he said something about not cheating on me." The next sentence sounded strange and intrusive in your head, and you bit your lip. "You know what? This is stupid. I'm gonna go now, I'm sorry—"

"No, no, stay." Lee's eyes were focused on you now, the intensity in them brighter than it had been a second ago. She had risen half from her seat on the edge of her bed, as if to stop you if you attempted to leave. "What did he say?"

"Uh," you started, frowning as you tried to think of the exact words. "'I didn't cheat on you, please believe me'?" It felt wrong to say it out loud to someone else, as if you were somehow betraying Taehyung, but that was dumb. "I just... I wondered..."

"That what?" There was a change in her manner now, a dryness and bitterness tinged with regret. She moved aside and patted the space next to her, and you sat down on it. "That he didn't really cheat on you?"

The question caught you off-guard. "You know," you started, "it actually does sound pretty stupid now that you say it—"

"I think he didn't."

You stared at her. "I was there." You didn't want to believe her, but you wanted to at the same time. "That's impossible. I saw him."

She shrugged, but her words were far from careless. "Have you ever heard of the term 'emotional cheating', Y/N?"