faking you │ B.I.

► 23

I slowly lift my eyes up to Jooheon, trying to think of how to explain. Instead, I stare back at his hurt expression, my mouth slightly open. I know what I want to say, but the words won't escape my lips; they slowly crawl up my throat. Tears sit in the corners of my eyes, threatening to start a flood that won't stop. Jooheon takes his phone back, his questions answered.  

He backs away, out of the bathroom. "We're...over."

"Joo-" He leaves the bathroom, going to grab his things. I wrap a towel around my body, running after him.

I follow him out to the living room where he throws his shoes on. Then, he walks back into our bedroom, grabbing a few things from his dresser that I let him have in my apartment. I try to stop him by grabbing onto his arm, but he only pushes me away.

"Stop it, Soojin! We're done. No more worrying about trying to balance a fake boyfriend - if that's even what he is anymore - and your real one. Hanbin can have you."

"Jooheon, stop! You're not even letting me explain!" The tears slide down my cheeks.

"Because there is nothing to explain! You're clearly enjoying yourself in this photo. I don't need anything more than that."

"Joo-"

Jooheon swings my front door open, walking out. Then, he stops in his tracks and slowly turns back to me. His eyes still express how hurt he is, but he lets out a bitter laugh. "I guess everything about us sticking together really meant nothing, huh?"

Before I can get another word out, he leaves, slamming the door. I stare at it, hoping he'll come back in and tell me that it's all okay. That he forgives me and that he's willing to hear my explanation. I stare for five minutes. Ten minutes. By the time I've been staring at the door for twenty minutes, I grow tired. So, I grudgingly walk back to my bathroom. I start the bath water again, and I slide into the water. For the next hour, I let my body soak, trying to let the stress wash away.

❀ ❀ ❀  

Someone shakes my shoulders violently and I slowly open my eyes. I look around, only seeing a silhouette in a dark room. The person steps back as they see I've awoken. Then, they crouch in front of me and my surroundings start to take place.

"Soojin...are you okay?" A somewhat familiar voice asks.

I blink a few times and squint at the person. "Ara, what are you doing here? What happened?"

I look around. I'm lying on my kitchen floor in my apartment. Ara leaves me for a second and flips on the lights, illuminating the kitchen and living room. She comes back and crouches in front of me again. She wears a concerned expression.

"That's what I want to know. Thank God your apartment was unlocked. What's going on? Why were you passed out on the floor?"

I try to run back through the events of the day. After my bath, I had sat in bed for an hour or so, trying to text Jooheon. He never replied, so I tried to distract myself with chores around the house. "Ah, I went to make dinner and got a little tired..."

She lets out a small, relieved sigh. "Hanbin said he wasn't allowed to check on you, but he was worried about you. He's been trying to reach you for awhile. When you didn't respond he sent me. And it's a good thing I came because look at you."

I realize that I'm shivering, the windows in my living room letting in the air of the cool night. "I guess I just got really tired."

Suddenly, my stomach growls. Ara raises an eyebrow. "Hungry? Put something warmer on. I'll take you out and we can talk about what happened."

❀ ❀ ❀  

I sit across from Ara, staring down at the table. We stopped at a sushi restaurant for a late dinner. I slowly raise my head, looking at the clock on the wall at the front of the restaurant. It's just a little past eight p.m. I look back down at the table. Ara sighs and I glance up at her.

"You celebrities are so dramatic. What's going on, Soojin?"

I bite my lip, looking back down. "How much do you know about Hanbin and I's situation, Ara?"

She lets out a small laugh. "I know quite a bit, Soojin. I hear all of the talk behind the scenes. When I'm helping managers get ready for interviews or meetings, I hear all of the gossip. And I've happened to overhear a few conversations between Jinhyo and that witch of yours."

I raise an eyebrow. "You have?"

She nods. "Oh yeah. You know, Jinhyo is totally on your side. You and Hanbin's. He doesn't like this whole fake dating arrangement. The company really pushed him into it, though. And if he wants to keep his managerial position, well, he's got to comply with the boss's orders."

I pout. "I know. This whole situation just sucks. We were both dating people before. We should have just come out with our own dating news instead of this fake dating thing."

Ara nods her head, letting out another small laugh. "Yeah, well, it wouldn't work now."

I raise an eyebrow and look at her. "Why not?"

She looks at me, confused. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Soojin, Hanbin and Jihyun broke up. He called it quits last night with her. He broke up with her for you."