Chapter 6: (1/2)

“Hongbin! Oppa!” the very familiar voice yelled from across the store when she noticed us. I pushed Hyuk to get him to hurry and move back to the entrance as I wasn’t in the mood to talk to the girl who was yelling for me. Unfortunately, she caught up to us.

“Hyomi, what the heck are you doing here?” I asked frantically when she pulled us back to her table and made us sit down. She giggled lightly and clutched onto the large pink bubble tea on the table.

“Hyuk came back at last?” she changed the subject. Hyuk smiled brightly at her, finally recognizing who she was.

“Yep, seven years later!” he chuckled and Hyomi joined him in the laughter. My mood wasn’t as much filled with mirth.

“So, Hyomi, once again, why are you back in Ko--” I was cut off.

“Hyuk, did you like it in Japan?” she asked, leaning over to talk to him as if they’d been friends for years. She was avoiding the question, which seemed really suspicious.

“Yeah, it was great. I had a lot of fun, but it’s good to be back in Korea again.” Hyuk went over the same answer to the question as he always had. Hyomi smiled wide and continued on with the conversation, totally ignoring me and making sure Hyuk did too. I was growing angrier by the second. When Hyuk offered to go buy the drinks for himself and me, I finally got to ask Hyomi without being cut off.

“Like I said a million times before, what are you doing back in Korea?” I looked at her straight in the eyes. Her large smile wasn’t wavered.

“Vacation,” she said simply and sipped on her drink. I raised an eyebrow. She was lying; I could tell. I knew her well enough to notice the little movements that she made when she lied.

“Don’t kid around with me, Hyomi. Tell me what’s going on.” I demanded, tired of her shit. She just shrugged and once again took a sip from her drink. I’d had enough. I snatched the drink from her hand and put it on the ground beside my chair. She looked at me pleadingly, hoping I would give the refreshment back, but I wasn’t about to falter. I could tell she was about to say something but right at that moment, Hyuk returned. I mentally cursed Hyuk for being so fast with the drinks.

Hyomi took this chance and made Hyuk get her drink back. I was fuming. How dare she evade my question? She should know that I wouldn’t stop until she answered it—even if it took days, maybe even weeks, but, knowing her, it wouldn’t be that long.

Hyomi took out her phone and checked the time. She gasped (it was fake, might I add) and stood up quickly, bowing her head to us.

“I’m late for something—I have to go.” she said hurriedly and ran out of the café. I scoffed. Hyuk looked at me, confused.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“What?”

“That scoff.” he pointed out. I rolled my eyes.

“Couldn’t you tell she was avoiding my questions? She’s hiding something.” I commented, annoyed. Hyuk nodded slightly.

“Yeah, she wouldn’t answer why she came back.”

“I bet she’s still after Leo-hyung. We have to follow her!” I exclaimed and jumped out of my chair, pulling Hyuk along with me. The street was filled with people, but luckily, she hadn’t gotten that far.

“Why would it matter if she’s after Leo-hyung? He’s not dating Hakyeon-hyung anymore.” Hyuk said as we were walking, trying to catch up to my cousin. I didn’t respond immediately, as I didn’t totally know the answer myself.

“Well, I need to know what she’s hiding.” I explained. Hyuk nodded, understanding. I knew Hyomi couldn’t be trusted, so I figured that was my reason for chasing her.

Hyomi eventually led us to an apartment building. This is where we stopped.

“See, hyung? She’s just heading back home.” Hyuk patted my shoulder. I was thankful for him. He put up with this without complaining. We started to walk away when I realized that the apartment building was the one Leo lived at.

“I was right!” I shouted suddenly, catching Hyuk off guard. He jumped in surprise and turned to look at me. I had a very happy expression on my face; I was overjoyed because I was correct about Hyomi.