11. told you so

11. told you so

yumi sat at the kitchen table, sipping on her coffee while scrolling through tiktok. last night, she couldn't sleep. she couldn't stop thinking about her fight with hojin, and her conversation with her mother.

how was she supposed to deal with hojin liking her? she still wasn't sure about it. but what if her mother was right? what was she supposed to do?

her phone buzzed, jolting her from her thoughts. it was a message from joshua.

joshua: good morning, yumi! how's your day going?

yumi: hi! just trying to get through the day, i'm so tired :( what about you?

joshua: busy day? let me know if you need a break. we could get lunch together.

yumi: i'll let you know when i have a break :)

yumi smiled, her heart fluttering. joshua made her feel so many things. he wasn't just an idol.

yumi got dressed quickly and went to work alone. hojin always picked her up and they went to work together, but since they fought, he never called or texted, and she didn't either.

as she sat in her office, going through her emails, she heard a knock on her door and then it opened slowly, revealing hojin.

"yumi," he said, his voice low. "can we talk?"

"sure, what's up?"

he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"i-i'm sorry about last night..." he stuttered. "i didn't mean to snap at you."

yumi held her breath, her eyes softening a little. "it's okay. i know you were upset, i just didn't know why. what was it about joshua that bothered you so much?"

hojin hesitated, his eyes darting to the window before meeting hers. "it's not about joshua. it's about you."

yumi's heart skipped a beat. "what do you mean?"

he stepped closer, his gaze intense. "i can't keep pretending like i'm just your best friend. yumi, i really care about you. more than just a friend."

she stepped back slightly, her hands gripping the edge of her desk. "hojin... this is..."

"i didn't want to ruin anything between us," he interrupted. "but it's hard to watch you with someone else."

why did he have to confess now? she felt so bad. she didn't feel the same way, but she didn't want to ruin their friendship.

"hojin... i don't know what to say," she said nervously.

"i shouldn't have said anything, i'm sorry."

"no, wait!" she called him. "i don't wanna lose you..."

but he turned away, leaving her in her office. and she just stood there, not knowing what to do.

yumi spent the rest of her day at work thinking about her conversation with hojin. she tried to work more to distract herself, but nothing worked. she didn't go out with joshua, she didn't want him to see her like this. she was a mess.

later at night, she sat at the kitchen table with her mother as she told her everything that had happened during work.

"i wanna say i told you so." her mother smiled. "just give him time, yumi. he'll come around."

she spent the rest of her night thinking about hojin. she even thought of texting him, but she knew it wasn't the right time. she should listen to her mother. he'll come around.

her phone buzzed interrupting her thoughts.

joshua: missed you today :( joshua: no breaks?

yumi stared at her screen, her heart pounding. his message was a comfort, a reminder that she wasn't alone.

yumi: missed you too :( yumi: yeah, it was really tiring. i had so much work to do

joshua: i just hope you're okay. i'm here if you want to talk.

yumi: thank you <3 i'm fine. are you okay?

joshua: i'm okay as long as you're okay :)

yumi couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. for the first time today, she felt a small spark of hope.

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