Her Voice / han sanghyuk (#14)

Episode 17

HakYeon

Friends, it always comes and goes whenever they want. I never had friends that stayed longer than a year as they will start to find fault in me and eventually talk bad about me, telling my flaws to other people thus betraying me as a result. This had happened multiple times in middle school and I got hurt so much that I decided to keep my heart shut to the others and live in my own world, at least I won't get hurt by people who are close to me.

They only know how to look for flaws in other people and think that they are the best and no one is more superior than them when in fact that they are the ones who are insecure with themselves that they have to make fun of others to feel better about themselves. Those people are the worst to exist on this planet and I don't get why it is still increasing up until today. I kept myself away from these people which eventually became the entire student body, I avoided all conversations that were around me and only listening to my music. That keeps me calm and soothing, it is far more intriguing than having to deal with such hypocrites on a daily basis.

A tap on my shoulder ended all that and it changed my entire life with just that, I remember it very vividly how it happened and the person who did that. It was in the second year of high school, I was cleaning up the drama club room when I got so fed up with all the dust that had accumulated in there during the course of the holidays.

No one volunteered to clean up but me, so I volunteered myself to clean up since I have nothing to do. It is not like I have to wait for my other friends who are not in the same class as me after class and have lunch together in school or outside where the cool hipster cafés and restaurants are at, sometimes they will have their weekly arcade games battles and they will compete against each other.

She tapped me on my shoulder asking me if I was in the dance club, I said no of course and stared at her thinking that she might be stupid for not noticing the big letters in front of the room that read the 'Drama Club' and not the dance studio. I was not only thinking of her being a fool but I was attracted by her looks as well.

That innocent facial features looked good on her, those big twinkling eyes, small nose and pink pouty lips made me fall in love with her at first sight. I gave her the wrong directions and she didn't try to tell me that I was wrong and instead started coming to the drama club every now and often, then we started dating as an official couple a few months later. She was Seo Joohyun, the previous club president of the dance club and my ex-girlfriend who broke up with me because she was offered to join the new friend group that the entertainment company that she was in and she is going to debut soon. I thought that she would stay with me by my side for as long as possible, she was my only friend and girlfriend and I couldn't imagine life without friends again when she was the one that brought me back into the real world and not my own world which involved me and only me alone.

"Have this, I don't like to drink milk." I turned towards the two and my head registered a red signal, Han SangHyuk is giving the carton of milk to JooEun. The school always gives out a carton of milk as part of a package in addition to my meals that are served on a good tray and it is one of the only drinks other than orange juice.

JooEun tilted her head in confusion and I took the carton of milk away from her, Han SangHyuk glared at me. "It's not yours!"

"I know but JooEun never even said anything to you giving away your carton of milk to her," I argued. How can he be so close to JooEun that quickly? What the hell happened between the two of them?

JooEun shook her head and grabbed the carton of milk that I was still grabbing onto. "See? JooEun wants it! You want that carton of milk right?" Han Sanghyuk asked her and she nodded.

He then looked over at her food tray and took the small bowl of seaweed soup and onto his food tray. "You don't like eating seaweed right?" I feel like arguing with him again but Jooeun had a surprised face but then smiled.

"You don't like seaweed?" I asked Jooeun and she nodded.

"Because it is slimy right?" Han Sanghyuk confidently answered and she happily nodded, making me feel weird inside. I don't like them being so close together, I have to separate them or they will get even closer.

I cleared my throat. "We have to finish our lunch quickly or there will be not enough time--" He cut me off. "Got it, Grandpa... You don't have to remind the two of us about it, we have our watches to look at the time but thanks for telling us anyway." Han Sang Hyuk cut me off with a rude remark which made Jooeun giggle. She has never laughed when she is around me, she is either just smiling or her eyes would sparkle a little but not giggling. What the hell did Han Sanghyuk even do to make her giggle?

They have been arch enemies for the past weeks, always avoiding each other when they see each other. I have only not met JooEun for 3 days and she is already friends with Han Sanghyuk whom she hated a lot. I don't like them being so close to each other, I'm the one supposed to be friends, not him.  There is no way that a bully can be friends with the one that he had bullied. If this is a drama, I might've believed it but not in real life, there must be some hidden agenda.

We finished our lunch and Han Sanghyuk was walking next to Jooeun, probably telling her about some inside joke that I don't understand. ''Jooeun, can you go back on your own? I have something that I have to talk to Sanghyuk about."

Sanghyuk looked at me with a suspicious gaze and Jooeun just acknowledged my request with a nod before walking off, leaving the two men behind. "Come with me for a while."

"What for?" He immediately declined. "I'm sure that we have nothing to talk about."

"Can't you just listen to your sunbae for once? Unless you don't respect me as one." I replied and he swiftly walked past me.

"What are you still standing there for? Remember, we only have 5 minutes left."