14. betrayal

14:58, 27 January 2025

14. betrayal

"hey!" hojin greeted as he walked into yumi's office. "are we going to the reunion?"

"could be fun," yumi answered. "i'm not sure though."

"let's go!" hojin pouted. "it's going to be fun!"

"i hate drinking," yumi stated.

"we don't have to drink." hojin grinned.

"fine."

"yes!" hojin exclaimed, pulling her in a hug.

"okay, okay." yumi laughed, hugging him back.

she wasn't really sure, though. yumi never loved parties. she preferred staying at home, watching movies and doing nothing.

when hojin left her office, she picked up her phone to text joshua. they've been texting a lot lately, and yumi's never been happier. she kind of forgot he's an idol.

yumi: emergency :(

she waited for a minute, and then his reply came through.

joshua: are you okay? joshua: do you need me to come?

yumi: there's this reunionyumi: college reunion party yumi: hojin wants us to go... i'm not really excited about it :(

joshua: i could kidnap you...

yumi: i promised hojin :( no drinking though

joshua: you should go for an hour or something, meet up with your friends, see how they're doing. maybe i could pick you up later?

yumi: hmm... i'll think about your offer

joshua: how's work? did you eat?

yumi: not yet :( i have so much to do and i'm starving!

yumi waited for his reply. 10 minutes passed, and then 15, and then 20, but his reply never came. so she turned off her phone and went back to work.

about an hour later, she heard a knock on the door.

"come in!" she called out.

a colleague, nari, walked in, carrying a bag.

"yumi, someone sent you this." nari placed the bag on yumi's desk.

"who?" yumi questioned, feeling confused. "what is this?"

"i've no idea," nari answered. "just make sure it's not a bomb before you open it."

yumi laughed, thanking nari as she walked out of the office.

yumi opened the bag, and realized there's food inside. a few seconds later, her phone buzzed.

joshua: eat well <3

her heart was doing backflips. she couldn't stop smiling, and her face turned red.

yumi: you're the best! you didn't have to do this!

joshua: yeah, i didn't have to do it, i WANTED to do it <3

yumi, with a smile on her face, ate the food joshua bought her as she worked on her current project. she spent the next few hours working.

later, she went back home to get ready for the reunion. she decided to wear a white top, black jeans and a black leather jacket. she sent a picture to hojin since they decided to match. it was hojin's idea.

yumi didn't want to go at all.

a few minutes later, hojin picked her up, dressed in the same outfit as her. it was a 10 minutes drive to the venue where the reunion was held.

the music pulsed through the air as yumi walked through the crowd. so many people, some she recognized and some she didn't. soon, hojin left yumi to talk with a few friends, laughing and drinking together. yumi just stood in a corner, a glass of water in her hand, as she stared at everyone around her.

some people greeted her, and they had a small talk.

how are you? do you have a job now? are you married? do you still hangout with hojin?

the same questions being asked every few minutes, and she had to give the same answers every single time. she was really happy to see her friends, but she really hated parties.

after two hours of socializing with people and drinking so much water, yumi excused herself and stepped away from the noise. she made her way through a hallway, trying to find a bathroom to fix herself and her makeup.

she stood in front of the mirror, applying makeup to her face, and some lipgloss as well. as the bathroom door creaked open, she turned instinctively.

didn't i lock the door?

there stood hojin, his eyes kind of red, and a huge grin on his lips, as he swayed a bit on his feet.

"ever heard of knocking?" she teased.

"yumi," he slurred. "i've been looking for you."

yumi could smell the alcohol in his breath. she wanted to throw up. "hojin, we said no drinking. we need to go home, come on."

she was about to grab him, but he took a step closer to her, their noses almost touching.

"i can't keep pretending, yumi." his gaze darkened as he kept stepping closer to her. "i love you, yumi. i've always loved you. i hate seeing you with other guys."

yumi's heart clenched at his words.

"hojin, you're drunk," she said softly. "please, stop. let's leave, okay?"

but he wasn't listening. he reached out, grabbing her arm with more force than she was prepared for.

"i'm not going to watch anymore," he said, his eyes intense. "i'm going to fight for you. i'm going to be with you."

yumi tried to push him away, but his grip was too strong. "hojin, stop, you're going to regret this."

but he didn't stop.

"you belong with me, yumi."

before she could react, his lips pressed against hers, hard and insistent.

yumi's world shattered. she tried to push him away, as his hands ran through her body. tears started to well up in her eyes as he pulled her top up.

"hojin, stop!" with all her power, she shoved him away, causing him to fall down.

she turned on her heel, bolting for the door as tears streamed down her face. she didn't care if anyone saw her, she just wanted to get away from here.

she kept running, and running, and running.

until she couldn't recognize her surroundings.

her heart was racing, her body was shaking, as she pulled her jacket closer to her body. she didn't know what to do.

without thinking, she pulled out her phone and dialed joshua's number.

the phone rang three times before he picked up.

"hello?" his voice came through, sounding like he just woke up.

"please come to me." she cried. "i need you."

she heard shuffling on the other side, before she heard his voice again.

"send me your location, yumi. i'll be there."

as she sent him the location, she couldn't stop thinking.

hojin, her best friend, touched her.

he touched her everywhere.