Chapter 14
Seoul, South Korea
~Phoebe~
That really just happened.
I just had dinner with that guy.
Was that a date? Did he consider that a date? Did I?
He was so hot, he made me feel seen. But he's also so controlling and demanding. I didn't want another keeper.
Plus, he's rich comes from a fancy background and I come from a drunk who was fired from his professor position for drinking in class. I know how those drama's go.
Walking back in the dorm, Cherry was sitting in her desk chair staring at the door.
"Waiting for me?" I asked the obvious question.
"Ugh, duh, you disappeared and then reappear with one of the richest hottest guys in the entire school, shit the whole damn city. And you're gone they whole rest of the day. Of course I'm fucking up waiting, bloody hell." Cherry practically yelled at me.
"Okay, okay. Listen, I had a moment, I'm not scared of crowds, but there was a lot more people in close proximity than I'm used to. And I got overwhelmed and ran away like I'm used to doing. Mouse would just wait by her car for me until I was done having my moment." I confessed. I wasn't ready to talk about the real reason.
"Why didn't you warn me, and how did you end up being out so late? It's almost 9p. you were gone for like 4 hours. What were you doing with a boy alone for four hours, hmm?" She accused me. "And why are you wearing his hoodie?"
Damn, she got me. "This looks a lot more suspicious than what happened, I swear. We hung out in his uncle's office, which he's one of the professor's by the way. And then we went to dinner." I tried to downplay the dinner.
"You had a date! With Kim Taeyung! Oh my god! Girl, do you know what this means?" She was screaming now, stomping her feet.
"You're totally dating now." She dropped those words like it was the easiest thing ever.
"No, we are not. It wasn't like that. I promise. We were at each other's throats the last time we saw each other. He was just being nice." I tried to convince her.
"Kim Taeyung is not a nice guy. He is cold, indifferent and domineering. He doesn't date; he has girls he sees and then dumps. He never takes them out for dinner. Ever. But he did you!" She was practically jumping up and down in her seat.
"Shut up. You're crazy. Plus, we are from two different worlds, it wouldn't work. And I don't date. Boys have cooties." I squeezed my eyes and stuck my tongue out her.
"You're the crazy one. Uninterested in, like, the hottest guy in school." She spun around in her chair, drooping her body like a soggy overcooked ramen noodle.
"Oh, stop it, you're being extra. I'm going to get in the shower." I grab my stuff and hop I the small shower in our shared bathroom.
"Whatever you say. But I'm still not letting this go!" She shouted to me as I shut the door.
Taking off his hoodie and sliding out of the dress, I looked at my naked body in the mirror.
I wasn't pale like a lot of the Asian girls here, but I had a smooth light caramel color, which I got from my mother. My breasts weren't big, but they weren't small however my rib size was small. My hips were pretty wide; I had a slightly pear shaped body. When I turned to my back, my mood soured, the disappointment I felt stung harder this time.
I couldn't wear such a pretty dress because of the belt scars across the middle of my back.
I stepped inside the steaming hot shower and bent down hugging my knees, letting the hot water cascade over my back.
It was amazing to have such hot water here. Our water heater back home was broken, only lasted a few minutes. But this one lasted a long time.
I let the water wash away the feeling of shame that came whenever I looked at my scars.
After the shower, I felt so much better and climber into bed, Cherry had a TV and was watching Scream 2.
In my cute teddy bear pajamas, I crawled into bed and watched with her.
When I woke up the next day. The first day of school. I was so excited I couldn't sit still; I moved through my morning routine with near inhuman speed.
"Oh… My… God… PHOEBE!" Cherry yelled coming from the bathroom. "You're trending. All over the internet!"
"What?" I put my hair dryer down and looked back at her bright wet orange hair, she was wrapped in a towel, dripping water all over the carpet.
"Pictures of you and Kim Taeyung at dinner last night, even in just his hoodie, you look like a goddess." She rushed over showing me the pictures of us walking through the restaurant.
The pictures of my face were blurred out, but still I felt naked and vulnerable knowing someone shot secret photos of me.
I pulled out my phone and saw I had 2 messages from Kim Taeyung.
[Kim Taeyung: Why haven't you messaged me?]
["Yeobo, I will see you at lunch."]
"What the hell?" I shouted loudly.
I texted back:
[Me: I went to bed. And then I woke up to us being all over the internet. If anyone ask, please don't let them get the wrong idea.]
I instantly got a response.
[Kim Taeyung: What would the wrong idea be? And your face is blurred, relax.]
[Me: That we're together. Don't make things difficult.]
[Kim Taeyung: But we were together.]
[Me: Kim Taeyung, come on, it looks like we are dating.]
[Kim Taeyung: We are, you just haven't accepted that fact yet.]
[Me: WTF! WE ARE NOT DATING.]
[Kim Taeyung: Like I said, you just haven't accepted it yet.]
[Me: No. I'm blocking you now.]
[Kim Taeyung: I'll find you at lunch.]
"You've got to be kidding me, he's so insufferable!" I yelled throwing myself on my bed.
"What?" Cherry's words were muffled, when came out she had her toothbrush in her mouth
"Kim Taeyung! Who else!"
"What did he do?"
"He… he… ugh…" I threw my hands up; I didn't even want to say it out loud.
"You're being vague. Spill it." She crossed her arms and leaned on her left.
I tossed my phone to her.
"Wait your dating Kim Taeyung now! And you didn't tell me?" She jumped up and down. "I'm so jealous."
I scoffed, "You can have him, he's yours. We are not dating. Ugh!" I searched through my clothes, deciding on cute loose fitting pastel green knitted top with puffy cuffs tucked into a short white flowy skirt, with a pair of off white boots that matched my purse.
"You look so cute and trendy." Cherry geeked at me "I wish I looked as good as you."
She was wearing a blue sweater with clouds and a matching blue shirt and a pleated white skirt and white Filas sneakers.
"You look cute af, what do you mean?" I insisted.
"Yeah, not as good as you."
I put on some light make up and checked myself out in the mirror. I did look good.
"What's your first class?" She asked me.
I pulled out my schedule; "I have Foundation of Game Engine Design for first class."
"Boring. But not as boring as mine. Anatomy and Physiology of the Cardiovascular System." She scoffed.
"If you don't like it so much, why are you doing it?" I was curious.
"I love it, but it's boring to learn about from most lecturers, I prefer learning about it firsthand. I like surgery and the heart is fascinating to perform on, the pay is good, and the demand is high. It also makes my parents happy." She half smiled with a shrug.
"Let's go so we can grab campus coffee before class starts." She adds grabbing her laptop bag.
I did the same.
Walking around campus so many people were looking at us.
"Why is everyone staring at us?" I whispered.
"They're looking at you." She smiled, wrapping my arm in hers.
"Me? Why?" I couldn't fathom getting all this attention.
"Because you're, like, the prettiest girl on campus, I keep telling you this." Cherry teased me.
I rolled my eyes "You're crazy."