[EDITING]
When Jeon Jeongguk's sister gets engaged to his friend's brother, almost everything changes.
Desperate to hold onto a fragile friendship, Jeongguk is willing to get himself into sticky situations--even to the point of ruining his sister's...
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Chapter Seventeen: The Visitor
Jeongguk couldn't believe his eyes.
He was seeing the man in front of him as if he was looking into his own reflection in a body of water; he recognised him, yet he seemed, for some reason, completely different. The afternoon sun was setting behind him, basking him in a warm glow, yet still, he felt sharper than before. Before, his hair had been messy, falling over his glasses, he'd dressed in plain sweaters or t-shirts and jeans, not really thinking of a definite style, reminding people that he didn't need to improve his looks, his natural beauty alone was more than enough. Yet now, his glasses were gone and from head to toe, he was dressed expensively. His pants were tailored and black, he donned a tight button-up shirt, which showcased his broad shoulders and his shoes were glossed, black as well, and they shone like obsidian. His hair, which had been a chocolatey brown last time he'd seen him was now a darker, ebony colour. It was tame, among with everything else about him. He looked polished as if someone had sculped the rock he had been before into a statue.
And like a rock, his expression was sharp, and Jeongguk was surprised to realise that he felt more than a little intimidated by the man in front of him. So, for a while, he could do nothing but stare at him, as it fully set in that he was there in the doorway. And it seemed, the same could be said for Seokjin too.
But he was the first one to come to his senses.
"Jeongguk!" he exclaimed and brought him into a hug. "Wow, I haven't seen you in, what, four years?"
Jeongguk tried gathering his senses. But he couldn't believe it. Jin was here, in his doorway, he looked so, different, but the same. "Yeah ... four years," he then said.
"Is Jeongyeon home?" he asked.
Shit, he thought. Jeongyeon. He was looking for his sister.
"Uhh ... no," he said.
Should he invite him inside? He didn't know what to do. Jeongyeon couldn't come home to him. Should he call her? Or his mother? But then he would have to leave Seokjin alone at the door and that would be rude.
"Why don't you–" he said and looked at the man in front of him, thinking how surreal it was that he was there. "Why don't you come inside?"
Jeongguk stepped to the side, to allow the man entry and he walked right in, his hands in his pockets, and it was almost like he was carrying with him the heat from outside; the energy from him felt almost electric.
Jeongguk followed him, wracking his brain as to what he should do, not ever having had guests alone, except for his friends, which was a different thing entirely. What should he do? What was polite? He wondered whether he could sneak away to call his mother, but he didn't have it in him to leave him alone, even though he knew the house inside and out.
