Hyerim

“I’m doing what?” I demand, my knuckles turning white as I grip the marble banister.

“You’re going the country club with Minseok this afternoon,” my mother repeats.

“I don’t think so,” I grumbled, prying my hands from the banister and turning away.

“Yes, you are, young lady,” she says dangerously. “Or do you want your father to suffer?”

“Suffer?” I scoff, throwing her a disgusted glance. “Father’s business has nothing to do with me.”

“You are going to the club and that is final,” she hisses. “Don’t make a fool of yourself in front of Minseok’s friends.”

I clench my teeth and stalk up to my room.

“You’re going to make my late for my lecture,” I mutter, throwing the door open to find a startled Jisoo.

“Miss?” she utters. “I mean eonni?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Sorry, Jisoo, I didn’t mean to storm in like that.”

“What’s wrong?” she asks gently, yet knowingly.

I flop down on my bed and Jisoo leaves the pile of clean washing that she was returning to my wardrobe.

“Mother’s making me go to the country club with Minseok later,” I drawl, putting extra emphasis on that small man’s name. I twitch my fingers as I wonder just how much of this attitude I’m faking, and how much I would actually loathe spending time with him.

“That sounds like it will be interesting,” Jisoo considers.

“Pfft,” I scoff, “Interesting indeed. Minseok will only be making polite conversation because he’s expected to. And mother said that his friends would be there, too…”

“Have you met any of his friends before?” she questions.

“I don’t remember,” I muse. Perhaps a fleeting introduction at some party or another, but I really don’t recall…

“Maybe they’re nice,” she suggests. I almost snort.

“Well, maybe,” I say, just to agree with her. “I’m going to be late, and it’s all stupid Minseok’s fault.” It’s Wednesday, so I only have one lecture in the morning, but I’d been hoping to get the afternoon to myself. I had planned to watch a movie, and maybe could have got Jisoo to keep my company. I haven’t seen Minseok since Saturday, when he brought the rice cakes, and it’s far too soon to have to deal with him again.

“It probably wasn’t his idea,” she argues. I look at her. “Sorry,” she says quickly, “But you know how both your parents and his parents are, and-”

“Don’t apologise,” I say, cutting her off. “You’re probably right, anyway.”

She gives a small smile as brushes down her skirt.

“Anyway, I should get going,” I say, running a hand through my long coffee brown hair. I adjust the collar of my pale pink dress shirt that I wear with straight-leg black pants.

“Enjoy your lecture,” she says. I throw her a smile as I pick up my bag and leave my bedroom.


Minseok

“Mother, you did what?” I almost yell down the phone. I twitch my toes as I stand barefoot next to the outdoor pool. It’s just gone twelve pm, and I was hungry before, but I just lost my appetite.

“Your father and I agreed that it was a good idea,” she says softly.

“But she probably doesn’t want to come-”

“Mrs Jung phoned me to say that Hyerim agreed to this afternoon,” says my mother.

“Then she was lying,” I snap.

“You seem to think you know exactly what Hyerim is thinking,” Mother observes. I can picture her knowing look even though she’s at home and I’m at the country club.

“Mother, Mrs Jung probably forced her,” I try to reason. Why else would she agree? She never missed a dinner at our place because both her parents attended. It was clear that Hyerim didn’t ever want to come; why else would she fake an illness or excuse to get away early?

“Either way, Hyerim will be joining you at one o’clock,” Mother says, and I can imagine her shrugging. “Please tell your friends to make her feel welcome.”

“Yes, mother,” I mutter, “But somehow I don’t think that will be an issue.”

“Well, enjoy this afternoon,” Mother says briskly, “See you at six for dinner.”

She hangs up before I can reply.I give a yell. A tanned figure raises his sunglasses to look at me from where he is lounging in the sun, his long legs stretched out in front of him. A youthful face breaks the glistening water.

“What’s up, Minseok?” he asks, his doe-eyes curious.

I clench my phone, contemplating throwing it in the pool.

“Sounded trivial,” the tanned guy remarks.I shoot him a glance as he runs a hand through his bleach blond hair.

“What did your mother say?” the other guy questions, treading water as his chocolate-brown hair drips water down his face.

I run hand through my hair. “Hyerim,” I say.

The blond guy removes his sunglasses to peer at me. “Ooh, now I’m interested.”

“She’s coming.”

“Sorry?”

“She’s coming here,” I reply.

“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” the swimmer asks.

“No, Luhan, it’s not good,” I say, rubbing my eyes. “Shut up, Tao,” I add.

“I didn’t say anything!” the blond guy complains.

“You were thinking it, so stop,” I snap.

“Well, someone’s not happy about this,” Tao remarks.

“Just get in here, Minseok,” Luhan says, rolling his eyes, “Worry about Hyerim when she gets here.”

Rolling my eyes, I comply. Tossing my phone onto a nearby sun-lounger, I peel off my white t-shirt and dive into the pool.


Hyerim
My fingers start to itch as I sit through my lecture. Who on earth thought it would be a good idea to have a lecture last two whole hours? I’m tapping my foot as I wait for the end. Ten minutes. Ugh, time is going so slowly, but part of me wants the afternoon to never arrive.

I pack up my things and drag my feet as I leave the lecture hall. I bypass the cafeteria as I simply can’t stomach anything right now. My heavy hand reaches for my phone. Something bumps my shoulder.

“Hyerim!”

I look up to see a familiar smiling face framed with mousey brown bangs.

“Baekhyun,” I sigh.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asks quickly.I stare at a green square on the collar of his patterned shirt.

“I have to go out,” I say absently, “I’m going to be late.”

He catches my arm.

“Yah,” he says.“Tell me what’s going on.”

I raise my gaze. “It’s nothing, really. I just have to go to the country club to meet Minseok and his friends.”

“I thought someone had died!” he yells, drawing the attention of passing students. He shoulders his satchel. “Hey, how about I come with you?”

I shake my head.

"But it'll be fun!" he tries. He frowns, ruffling my hair. “Hyerim.You seem so down.”

“An excellent observation,” I drawl.

“How about I meet you there?” he suggests, “I’ll need to grab some things from my house before I go, or get someone else to grab them for me. You look like you could use some moral support.”

I nod slowly.“Come with me for a second,” I say, grabbing his wrist.

“Where are we going?” he asks as I drag him to the front of the university. My car is waiting for me and I pull him into the back seat.

“I didn’t know we were this intimate,” he remarks. I hit his arm.“Sorry,” he says sheepishly.

“I would like to leave in a few minutes,” I say to the driver before closing the window that separates Baekhyun and me from the front of the car. And the driver’s ears.

Baekhyun’s expression becomes serious.“What is it?” he asks in a low tone.

“I think that my parents and Minseok’s parents might be setting us up,” I ramble, a little too quickly, “That is, to get married and, well, it wasn’t my idea, but Minseok said he had a hunch and now I have to go and hang out with him and his friends-”

“Hyerim,” says Baekhyun. “Firstly, calm down.Secondly, I think congratulations might be in order.”

“What?” I shriek.

“Did you forget the first point?” he mocks.“Honestly, you could do a lot worse.”

“You’re not helping,” I mutter, tugging on my hair. He pries my hands away.

“I’ll meet you at the club in an hour, tops,” he says, running a hand through his own mousey brown mop. “Try not to go insane before I get there.”

“You still have a pass, right?”

“Sure I do,” he says with a grin, “Still valid from last summer when we messed about and caused all sorts of trouble.”

“I remember,” I say with a wry smile. “I’ll see you later, then.”

“Yep,” he says, slapping my arm. “See ya.”

I give a sigh as he opens the door, giving a cheeky wink before closing it.

“Please take me to Sakura Country Club,” I tell the driver. The car pulls away. I find a bag that had fallen onto the floor in my haste to drag Baekhyun in here. Opening it, I find that Jisoo – it had to be her, she knows me well enough to have packed what I wanted and needed – has packed me a spare set of clothes and a swimming costume.

Well, time to face Minseok and whoever his idiot friends are.

Notes

Annyeonghaseyo~
Ah, I'm so sorry it has been nine days! I didn't get round to writing this chapter but it is here now! Hope you are enjoying so far ^.^
Like I said last time, please leave a comment saying which EXO member you would like to see in this story, I'd love to know so I can incorporate them as a character!
Updating soon, fighting~!