Jihoon's POV:
I leaned back in my seat, a smirk tugging at my lips as I watched Minji work. It was almost amusing—someone like him, so proper and timid, working in a place like Cheol's nightclub. I never would've guessed. As I watched him move behind the bar, his hands skillfully pouring drinks, I couldn't help but chuckle.
Minji turned, and for a second, our eyes locked. His entire body seemed to freeze, and I could almost see the panic flicker across his face. I raised my hand, gesturing for him to come over.
"Hey," I mouthed, motioning him over with a nod.
Minji's POV:
I felt a surge of anxiety shoot through me the moment our eyes met. My heart raced as Jihoon beckoned me over. My hands felt clammy, and I could barely think straight. Why was he here? After everything that had happened, the last person I expected—or wanted—to see was Jihoon.
But there he was, sitting at the bar, staring at me with that smug grin on his face, as if he hadn't ghosted me for weeks.
I wiped my hands on my apron, trying to keep my cool. He had already set the trap, and now I had no choice but to walk right into it.
Slowly, I made my way over to him, forcing myself to breathe steadily. "What would you like?" I asked, keeping my voice steady despite the storm of emotions bubbling beneath the surface.
Jihoon's POV: de
I leaned forward on the counter, resting my elbows on the bar as Minji finally approached. He looked tense, almost like he was about to bolt at any second. But I had to admit, there was something about seeing him like this—in control behind the bar, even though he clearly wasn't comfortable with me being there—that made me… curious.
"I didn't expect to see you working here," I said, my voice casual as if we were just two old friends catching up. "I'll take a juice, whatever you've got."
Minji's POV:
His nonchalant tone grated on my nerves. Like he could just waltz back into my life after disappearing without a word. But instead of showing how his presence rattled me, I kept my expression neutral and grabbed a glass.
"Juice?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow as I reached for the cold drinks behind the bar. "You come to a club for juice?"
Jihoon shrugged. "Not in the mood for anything stronger tonight."
I poured the juice and slid it across the counter to him, avoiding his gaze. "There. Happy?"
He took a sip, his eyes never leaving me. "I got your text form the two weeks I was away."
"Looks like a certain someone missed me." He grinned.
Before I could say anything he stopped me, "I really don't care about what you got to say, all that school shit is bullshit." He said.
"I know you like me, even though you don't want to admit but I can see through you. So since you like and care so much about a shitty person like me, why don't you make it your job to make me happy." He stated.
"After all it seems like you hate it so much when I'm angry, so how about you cheer me up tonight because this Juice won't do a thing." He remarked.
His words caught me off guard, what the hell did he mean by cheer him up. But from his words I probably know what he wants from me.
"What the heck to you mean?" I questioned.
"Don't act dumb, you know what I mean." He smiled.
"You must be insane if you actually think I'm doing that for someone I don't even like, are you delusional or something?!" I added.
He let out a slight chuckle, "you're not fooling anyone, anyone 100 miles away can spot that you clearly have something for me. You just don't want to admit it to yourself."
I clenched the towel in my hand, my knuckles turning white. Jihoon's arrogance was infuriating, and yet, there was a part of me that hated how he saw right through me. I wanted to deny everything, to shout at him and tell him he was wrong—but I couldn't. My chest tightened, and I knew he could see the truth in my hesitation.
"I don't owe you anything," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Whatever you think you know about me doesn't give you the right to treat me like this."
Jihoon leaned back, sipping his juice with a lazy smirk, as if my frustration only amused him. "I never said you owed me anything. But let's not pretend you didn't miss me."
My pulse raced, and I tried to control my breathing. He was baiting me, trying to get a reaction. I wanted to tell him off, but I was too shaken by how easily he played with my emotions.
"So what?" I shot back, feeling the heat rise in my face. "You think just because I care, you can walk all over me? I'm not some toy for you to mess with when you're bored, Jihoon."
His smile faltered, just for a second, but then he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Well it's your choice if you want to be a toy or not, I'm not forcing you. But if you don't want to be one then stop bothering me, I'm sick of that fake shit you do."
His words hit me like a slap in the face. I stood there, frozen, staring at him in disbelief. My chest tightened, and I could feel the heat rising from anger, but also from the sting of his casual cruelty.
"Fake?" I repeated, my voice shaky but steadying. "You think everything I did was fake? The way I tried to help you, be there for you, that was all fake to you?"
Jihoon took another sip of his juice, his eyes cold. "I don't need anyone's help. Least of all yours."
I felt the lump forming in my throat, but I refused to let him see how much his words were affecting me. I straightened up, pulling my shoulders back as I glared at him.
"You're right, Jihoon," I said, my voice firmer than I expected. "I don't need to be your toy, and I'm done trying to help someone who doesn't want it."
"Great, I hope that will do us better now." He said chugging down his drink got up and headed out the door.
I stood behind the counter, watching as Jihoon swaggered toward the exit without a second glance, his indifference like a knife twisting in my gut. I felt numb, like the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving me standing there alone with my thoughts swirling.
The noise of the club faded into the background as I stared at the door he had just walked through. Part of me wanted to run after him, to yell at him for how easily he discarded me.
—————————
2 days later on the school's rooftop:
As I gently closed the rooftop door I suddenly heard someone shouting, curious I walked over to see who it was and there Jihoon stood on the phone his hand covering his face.
"You fucking lied to me TaeHyun, I trusted you! You know how much I love you!" He sobbed.
"So why would you do this to me?" "Why can't you just let me go and let me forget you, it's obvious I'm just an object to you." He cried.
"Why are you putting all the blame on me, it's not My fault that I had to move 2300 miles away!" The other person on the phone exclaimed.
"So it's my fault now?" Jihoon sniffled.
"Yes, yes it is. If you haven't insisted we try long distance we wouldn't be here." The person replied.
"What the hell did you want me to do?! I also have needs okay!" They added.
Jihoon nodded even though the person couldn't see him, he wiped his face sighed. "Then let's end this for good Hyun, I don't want to hold you back from your full potential."
Jihoon's voice cracked as he uttered those last words, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the entire conversation was pressing down on him. There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and I could hear the faint murmur of TaeHyun's voice, but I couldn't make out what he was saying.
Jihoon stood there, eyes closed, gripping the phone tightly as if it was his last lifeline.
Finally, he spoke again, his voice quiet and resigned. "Yeah... I guess this is goodbye, then."
He hung up, his hand falling limply to his side as he stood motionless for a moment, staring at the ground. I had never seen him like this—completely broken, vulnerable. It was like all the walls he had built around himself had finally crumbled, leaving him exposed and raw.
My instinct was to turn back, to give him the privacy he deserved in such a painful moment. But something stopped me. Maybe it was the sight of his trembling hands or the way his knees buckled as he sat down against the wall, burying his face in his arms.
I hesitated for a moment longer, then took a deep breath and slowly approached. I wasn't sure what I would say, or if he even wanted me there, but I couldn't just leave him like this.
"Jihoon?" I called out softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
He flinched, lifting his head to look at me, his eyes red and swollen from crying. For a moment, he looked like he was going to snap at me, but then the fight seemed to leave him as quickly as it had come.
He got up wiping his face and walked past me without saying anything, "it's okay to cry you know, you cant just bury everything down." I said making him to stop.
"If you can't make it better then shut up, I don't want your fake sympathy." He said his voice cold and firm as ever.
TBC