entanglement'jw

팔08

"For fuck's sake, stop staring at him like that!" You pseudo-shrieked at Nayoung, one of Haneul's many friends. By 'many', you meant exactly two and yes, that was 'many' for you, considering that you were the cliche rom-com girl with only one friend throughout your sub-par life.

The given situation was agreeably quite an upgrade from your previous standards, not that you were any ecstatic about it. Quite the opposite, really.

Much to your disdain, Nayoung doesn't bother even so much as glancing your way, too occupied in gawking at the gorgeous blonde aka the bane of your existence, uhm, Wooyoung, as though it wasn't you who had just seen him for the first time ever but she. If anyone were to ask you, she looked quite pathetic ogling shamelessly at the said boy.

Had you looked like her just a few minutes ago? You shudder at the possibility of having appeared even half as desperate.

You weren't sure if Wooyoung was giving her the time of his day, given that you had deliberately taken this seat, courtesy of which your back was facing him. Occasionally, you'd feel stares burning at the back of your head, creating a trail of goosebumps make their presence known on all the exposed surfaces of your skin, followed shortly by a squeal from the bane of your existence 2.0, Nayoung, who thought it was her who they were directed to.

How delusional, you mentally rolled your eyes. Or maybe they were in fact directed towards her and it was you who was being delusional. Ugh.

One thing you were sure of was that you didn't particularly like Nayoung. Oh, who were you kidding? Fuck 'particularly', you hated her guts. Who the hell did she think she was? Another thing you were sure of was the green monster of envy bubbling like hot lava within your chest, or maybe that was just your subconscious' way of taunting you, not that we'd know anyway.

Why would you be jealous of a girl like Nayoung of all people, in the first place? It wasn't in your nature to hold mindless grudges against people or judge based on first impressions. But then, why did you feel like gauging her eyeballs out with the straw she was callously twirling in her untouched milkshake as she stared at him like that?

What? You shook your head, screwing your eyes shut, trying to clear your mind of this crap.

'Look ____, you hate Wooyoung, Wooyoung hates you.' you chanted in your head and nodded to yourself. You should avoid him at all costs. It was the right thing to do.

But then, why did it feel so wrong?

'Shut up!!'

You weren't loving Haneul at the moment either. The girl had the audacity to bring you here to 'introduce' you to her friends but all she had done until now was type relentlessly with her obnoxiously long artificial nails on her phone, the screen practically up her nose.

Jisoo was the quieter of the other two, she hadn't yet uttered many words after she had briefly introduced herself half an hour ago. But the positive energy and homely vibes she radiated were enough for you to know that she meant well. Needless to say, you immediately took a liking to her. With her pin-straight dark hair that beautifully framed her oval face and a soft motherly smile always gracing her heart-shaped lips, who wouldn't? You dare say you liked her the best of everyone you had met in this place. The image of a certain blonde passed your mind but you were quick to shrug it away. Forget best, he had to be your least favorite encounter. That is, after Nayoung.

"But I don't understand," she finally turned to look at you, "Why would they ask you to sit with them?" Her tone was full of condescension and disbelief, "It just doesn't make any sense to me." she deadpanned.

"Maybe if you'd make use of your only three brain cells instead of gawking at anyone with a dick, it'll all start making sense. But that's asking too much of you, isn't it Nayoung?"

It took Jisoo's hand freezing mid-way in air as she was about to go for a sip of her macchiato, the ticking sound being elicited from Haneul's phone pausing as she tentatively glanced at you, and the sudden peals of laughter from the other end of the diner for you to snap out of your bubble and realize that you had actually blurted your thoughts out loud.

You pursed your lips when Nayoung's eyes turned into slits as she glared at you warningly. Of course, you both hadn't yet reached the point where you could casually insult each other in the name of friendly banter, but just mere acquaintances. And in all honesty, you'd much rather keep it that way. She didn't say anything, though the message was clear, 'Don't you dare talk to me in that manner again.'

You understood where she was coming from, you really did, but you just couldn't bring yourself to even tolerate her.

On a serious note, why had the boys laughed? Could they perhaps hear you? No... that couldn't be it. Maybe one of them just happened to crack a joke at the very time you bluntly spoke your mind. That must be it.

You needed to leave.