Chapter: 52

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"Jeonghan, take another shot!" Nari called out to him, her voice light and teasing as she passed a shot glass in his direction.

Jeonghan shook his head, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "I’m done for the night," he replied, leaning back against the thick log of wood behind him. The firelight flickered across his face, casting soft shadows as he watched the group.

They were perched on a familiar hilltop, the same one they had visited months ago with Miyeon. The same one where, on a silly dare, their lips had brushed for the first time.

But Jeonghan didn’t count that as a kiss.

A real kiss, in his mind, wouldn’t be prompted by a crowd or forced by a game. It would be intentional, mutual. Something they both wanted. Something he wanted.

His thoughts lingered on Miyeon as a soft smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He could still remember the faint taste of her lips—just a whisper of a memory that stayed with him long after.

What would it feel like, he wondered, to kiss her again? To linger a little longer this time? Even the briefest thought of her had him smiling, as if her presence alone had the power to brighten his day.

"Dude!", Mingyu’s loud voice cut through his thoughts, dragging him back to the present, "It’s Yewon’s welcome-back party, and you’re just sitting there. Come on, enjoy it properly!"

Jeonghan blinked, startled, before following Mingyu’s gaze to Yewon. She was seated near Nari, her head resting comfortably on her friend’s shoulder. When she caught him looking, she offered him a small smile—one that held a quiet familiarity he hadn’t seen in a long time.

"Loosen up a little, Han," Yewon chimed in, her voice soft yet tinged with something he couldn’t quite place. "We all turned off our phones to avoid distractions, but look at you. You don’t even need that rule, do you?"

Her tone was light, playful even, but Jeonghan couldn’t miss the edge beneath it.

The phone rule had been Yewon’s idea. She had insisted that everyone power down for the night, claiming they needed to be fully present. But Jeonghan knew better. He could sense it wasn’t just about distraction; it was about control.

Yewon knew that if Miyeon texted, someone—maybe all of them—would invite her over without hesitation.

And that, was something Yewon couldn’t bear.

She had always carried her own grievances when it came to Miyeon. Miyeon, who had somehow become a constant presence in all their lives. Especially, Jeonghan’s life. Miyeon, who unknowingly occupied corners of his heart that no one else could.

The memory of seeing them together on the stairs months ago was still raw for Yewon, still enough to tighten her fists in quiet frustration.

"That wasn’t even necessary," Joshua muttered, his expression calm but clearly disapproving. Unlike most, he wasn’t one to cling to his phone, but the idea of cutting off contact in case of emergencies didn’t sit right with him.

"Exactly," Jeonghan agreed, nodding as he took a sip of his cold drink.

"You two need to loosen up, for real," Seungcheol laughed, breaking the moment with a hearty pat on both their backs. "Drink more, let loose a little." He turned toward Yewon with a grin. "I heard you made it back to the team, by the way?"

Yewon’s expression shifted, pride replacing the tension in her features as she lifted her head from Nari’s shoulder. "I did," she confirmed, her voice steady and sure.

The group erupted in congratulatory cheers, momentarily breaking the unspoken tension that seemed to linger in the air.

Jeonghan stayed quiet, watching Yewon as the firelight danced in her eyes. She had fought hard to regain her place on the team, and he respected that. But his thoughts kept drifting back to the hilltop, to the girl who wasn’t here tonight.

Miyeon.

Even with everyone around him, the party felt incomplete without her.

"Why didn’t Taehyung come?" Mingyu asked, breaking the flow of conversation. His gaze shifted between the group, expecting someone to answer.

Even though all of them were close, still each had someone they were just a little closer to. For Taehyung, it was Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and especially Joshua.

"He said he was busy tonight," Joshua replied after a moment, the other two also turning to him for an explanation. "He’s looking for another part-time job."

"Another?" Yewon asked, her posture straightening in concern, "Why would he need that?"

Joshua let out a soft sigh, his brows knitting together. "He didn’t really say. But he seemed tense, and it’s been bothering me. I think he’s dealing with something about his family again, but he’s not ready to talk about it yet."

A heavy silence fell over the group. Each of them cared deeply for one another, and the thought of someone in their circle struggling with personal issues hit them hard. But they all knew how stubborn Taehyung could be. If he didn’t want to share, no amount of pushing or coaxing would make him open up.

"We should give him time and space," Nari finally offered, though her voice lacked conviction. She glanced around the circle, her expression mirroring the quiet worry they all felt. "He’ll come around eventually."

But deep down, even she doubted her own words. Everyone in the group knew how impossibly stubborn Taehyung was. If he was determined to handle things on his own, it would take more than time and space to make him let them in.

Still, there wasn’t much else they could do but wait and hope that when he was ready, he would turn to them.

Mingyu leaned back on his elbows, staring at the flickering fire. After a few moments of silence, he tilted his head toward Jeonghan and Nari, this time.

"What about Miyeon? She didn’t come either. Did anyone ask her?"

The question caught everyone’s attention, though it had an unintended effect on Yewon. Her grip on the edge of her jacket tightened subtly, her lips pressing into a thin line. She masked her reaction quickly, glancing at Jeonghan out of the corner of her eye.

Joshua shook his head. "I don’t think anyone asked her. I just assumed she was busy"

"Since Yewon isn’t as familiar with Miyeon as we are, she didn’t want her here tonight," Nari said, her voice calm but her words understanding yet something more.

All eyes turned toward Yewon, confusion and curiosity etched on their faces. Nari’s tone wasn’t accusatory, but it wasn’t exactly neutral either. Jeonghan’s gaze lingered on Yewon a little longer than the others, his expression unreadable.

It was the kind of look that made Yewon uncomfortable—the one that made her feel as if he could see right through her.

Yewon paused, her drink halfway to her lips. Her throat felt dry as every pair of eyes seemed to demand an explanation. "I—", she began, faltering for a moment.

She caught Jeonghan’s gaze again, and the way he was studying her made her shift uncomfortably. It was just like before—back when he used to read her so easily.

"I just wanted tonight to be with my close friends," she finally said, setting her drink down with more force than she intended. Her voice carried a deliberate sharpness as she added, "Not with someone I don’t know or care about."

The word 'someone' hung in the air, laced with venom that didn’t go unnoticed. The atmosphere around the fire shifted, growing tense as Nari’s expression hardened.

"Yewon," Nari said softly, her voice a mix of warning and disappointment.

Yewon’s eyes widened slightly, realizing her mistake too late. The hostility in her tone had slipped out despite her effort to keep it hidden. She quickly tried to recover, leaning forward as if curious. "How come you’re so close to her? Isn’t she new to the group?"

She tried to sound casual, but her tone betrayed her. The question wasn’t innocent—it was loaded, and everyone could feel it.

Mingyu, Seungcheol, and Joshua exchanged subtle glances, their confusion evident. Jeonghan, however, didn’t look away from Yewon. His face remained neutral, but his silence spoke volumes. This wasn’t the first time he’d suspected that Yewon harbored some kind of grudge against Miyeon. Tonight, it felt more like a confirmation.

"She’s my childhood best friend," Nari said firmly, her voice brimming with pride as she crossed her arms. "The one I’ve always talked about."

Yewon’s expression faltered for a moment. She hadn’t expected that. "Oh," was all she managed to say, her voice lacking its usual confidence.

The group fell silent, the crackling of the fire filling the uncomfortable void. Yewon stared down at her drink, unsure how to salvage the moment. Nari’s pride in Miyeon stung more than she wanted to admit. Jeonghan’s unwavering gaze wasn’t helping either—it felt like he was piecing together her resentment bit by bit.

The tension lingered, heavy and unspoken, as if everyone was waiting for someone to say the right thing to clear the air. But Yewon knew she’d already said too much.

Seungcheol cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension that had settled in the air. Even Mingyu, usually the loudest in the group, was uncharacteristically quiet and confused. With a small cough, Seungcheol decided to shift the conversation, "Did you all hear about the business party this weekend?"

The mention of the party seemed to catch everyone’s attention, and all eyes turned toward him.

"The one by Mr. Park?" Joshua asked, his tone thoughtful as he looked to Seungcheol for confirmation.

Seungcheol nodded. "Yeah, that one."

Joshua sighed, rolling his eyes a little. "Then yes. I have to go with Vernon again."

Vernon’s father and Joshua’s mother were siblings who had started a business together. Later, Joshua’s mother handed over the reins to her son, but since Joshua wanted to focus on his studies for now, Vernon’s father took charge.

It was a trust-based partnership that worked well enough, but every so often, the cousins were required to attend such business gatherings to show their faces as the future heirs to the company.

"Same," the rest of them chorused, agreeing with Joshua’s situation.

Seungcheol sighed, rubbing his temple as if the thought of attending the event was a personal burden. "Then I’ll go too." He paused dramatically, knowing full well how this sounded. "I wasn’t planning on it, but now that everyone else is going, I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?"

There was a chorus of laughter from the group, all of them knowing exactly why Seungcheol had put it that way. He had a terrible habit of making everything sound far more dramatic than it needed to be, but deep down, they all understood.

The fear of missing out would gnaw at him if he didn’t go, and it was something he couldn’t ignore.

"You’re so extra, Cheol," Nari laughed, shaking her head.

Seungcheol just shrugged, his grin wide. "What can I say? You know me."

The mood lightened, and the conversation shifted as everyone began to joke about the party and what they could expect. The moment of tension between Yewon and Miyeon was momentarily forgotten, but none of them could shake the feeling that things weren’t entirely as they seemed.

And they were right.

Throughout the remainder of the evening, Jeonghan kept his eyes subtly trained on Yewon, watching her every reaction whenever Miyeon’s name was mentioned.

At first, he told himself he was imagining it—the tension in her shoulders, the way her jaw tightened slightly, or how her smile faltered—but as the night went on, it became impossible to ignore.

He wasn’t the only one who noticed. From her spot next to Yewon, Nari had been observing the same behavior. When her gaze met Jeonghan’s from across the fire, they both knew they were thinking the same thing.

Their connection was unspoken but clear. Just as Miyeon had Wonwoo as her confidant, Nari had Jeonghan. They understood each other in a way that didn’t require words, relying on one another when things didn’t make sense.

When the group was finally ready to leave, Nari casually broke off from Yewon, steering the group slightly ahead and leaving Jeonghan to fall into step beside her.

Yewon noticed immediately, her eyes flickering to him. She offered him a small, hesitant smile, but it didn’t last. The look on Jeonghan’s face made her stiffen, her earlier confidence faltering.

"Jeonghan?" she asked cautiously.He didn’t respond to her tone. Instead, he got straight to the point. "Do you know Miyeon from before?"

The question made Yewon stumble slightly, caught off guard by his directness. She quickly recovered, forcing her expression to remain neutral.

"What do you mean?", she asked, laughing lightly.

"I mean exactly what I asked, Yewon," Jeonghan said, his voice firm and his gaze unwavering. His sharp eyes searched her face, making it clear that he wouldn’t settle for anything less than the truth.

Yewon hesitated, feeling cornered. "I… I do," she admitted, her tone measured. "But not well. Just… in passing.", she lied.

"Then why don’t you seem to like her?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with quiet intensity and accusation.

Her defenses shot up immediately. "I never said that," she replied, her brows furrowing as if offended by the accusation.

"But your face did," Jeonghan retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm. His eyes briefly flickered to the group ahead before settling back on her.

Yewon clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She hated how easily he could read her. Miyeon was taking away what she’d once considered hers—again. The bitterness bubbled up inside her, but she tried to suppress it.

"Why are you so worried about her?" she snapped, her voice rising slightly. "You were never like this with me, Jeonghan. What changed?"

The words spilled out before she could stop herself, and she realized her mistake a second too late.

Jeonghan froze mid-step, his eyes dropping to the ground. Yewon’s heart pounded as she watched him process her words, regret already clawing at her insides.

"Jeonghan, I didn’t mean—"

"You left, Yewon," he said, his voice quiet but firm. He lifted his gaze to meet hers, and the hurt in his eyes was undeniable, "It wasn’t me. It was you. Just because I talk to you casually doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. So don’t you dare question my sincerity when yours was so questionable."

Yewon opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. His words hit her like a punch to the gut, leaving her defenseless.

"As for Miyeon," Jeonghan continued, stepping closer to her. His tone carried a subtle edge now, one that made her chest tighten. "Yes, I do care about her and a lot actually. And right now? Maybe more than I care about anything else."

The declaration left her stunned. She couldn’t mask the sting of his words, and before she could think, she whispered, "You’ll regret it, Jeonghan. She has a way of hurting everyone around her."

Jeonghan’s expression didn’t falter. If anything, her words seemed to solidify his resolve. "Stop worrying about my regrets, Yewon. You lost the right to do that a long time ago.", With that, he stepped past her, his figure disappearing as he caught up with the rest of the group.

Yewon stood frozen in place, bitterness and anger twisting in her chest. She was alone again, consumed by a familiar feeling she couldn’t shake: resentment.

Yewon’s fists clenched tightly at her sides as she watched Jeonghan walk away, his words replaying in her mind like a cruel echo.

Her heart burned with a mix of anger and pain, but beneath it all lay a simmering hatred she couldn’t suppress.

Miyeon.

The name itself felt like a thorn in her chest. Miyeon had a way of effortlessly drawing everyone to her, stealing the attention, affection, and connections that Yewon once held dear.

It wasn’t fair.

It never had been.

No matter how hard she tried, Miyeon always seemed to overshadow her, and now it felt like she was losing Jeonghan too. The resentment twisted inside her, bitter and sharp, growing harder to ignore with every passing moment.

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As promised here's another update.

Can you all guess the phone caller by now?

Happy Reading!📚🤍