Lies and Secret

Chapter Three

Choi Hyun Soo’s point of view

Lee Seung Gi is getting really annoyed at his tangled headphones as he does not find the patience to untangle it, his frown creates wrinkle on his forehead and it made me snicker. I raised my head up from the desk, I took off the headphones and patiently untangled it for him before putting it back on his ear with a smile, the smile is returned by Seung Gi as he pats me on the head saying a small thank you

Min So Ra and some of our other classmates walks into the classroom that up to a moment ago was only filled with Seung Gi and I, we often were the first to arrive at school because Lee Seung Gi would reviews some of the subject already taught in class previously with me. He is way smarter than me and the best student overall in school, sure I am one of the top 5 students but Seung Gi is top.

He is number one

“So Ra” I smiled at my friend trying to charm her, I can tell that she is furious at me

“Seung Gi how was your night?” she ignores me, taking her seat in front of my desk.

“I’m sorry, something came up yesterday and I totally forgot about you” I explained as my mind went back to what had happened yesterday night. I was in a state of confusion yesterday and totally forgot that Min So Ra was waiting for me back at the party, my mind couldn’t process anything else than the fact that my mother lied about her real family but then again I totally understand why when she explained to me, my grandma from my father’s side is so strict and I see how she treats my mother. If she didn’t push my mother to the extreme I know mom would have never thought of hiring a fake family to fill in for her already dead one

“Wow, I must be really irrelevant for you to totally forget about me” she emphasizes on ‘totally’ missing the part where I said something came up.

Lee Seung Gi takes off his head phones “Sorry So Ra he was with me yesterday” he tries to defend

She smacks her palm against her forehead “Of course he was. Why did I not think about that?” Okay she really is angry “Did both of you happen to swallow your phones while you were at it or did you two forget completely how to use a phone and couldn’t call not even once or pick up? Or you” she points at me “At least you could have given me a heads up, we were literally sitting next to each other before you disappeared”

I stood up from my seat and sat on the empty chair besides her since no one was there and held her hand “I’m sorry” I apologize, pouting at her “I was wrong” if only she knew why I didn’t pick up, if only she knew what I had gone through yesterday

“We are really sorry So Ra, it will never happen again I promise” Seung Gi apologizes

Min So Ra glares at us, smacking my hands from hers as she crossed her arms across her chest with a frown sitting on her face. I sighed, there is only one way to settle this so I grabbed my car key from my desk and holds it up for her to see “You could use my car for a day”

Ever since my dad bought the car for me So Ra has been obsessed with it, she would ask me, if she could take it on a ride but I always refused. She’s a rough driver and let’s not talks about how she has her own car but would never use it. I never thought I would have to give her my precious car but here I was offering it to her for a peace offering

She grabs the car key from my hand before I could even finish speaking and that smile that I had been looking for is so visible on her face. “Two days” she bargained, the corner of her mouth turns upwards as her eyes twinkle staring at the car key

“What no!” I disagreed, the car will be done for by then

“Three days”

“Fine two day” I finally give in “Jesus Christ” So Ra jumps up and down on her seat before shoving the car key into her bag

“My car” I cried and Seung Gi laughed

The school bell finally rings and the student would were standing at the corridor moved into their respective classes “We have a new classmate though” So Ra said as brought out her books

“How do you know?” Seung Gi asked bringing out his book and textbook for the first period and sets it on the table, he brought out my book also and sets on the table for me

“I saw her at the principal’s office. She is a Korean Australian” So Ra replied

“You only saw her once and somehow know she is Korean Australian?” I questioned

“Why do you say it like I am making it up?” she rolls her eyes “anyways I heard the principal ask her why she choose to study here in Korean and not continue in Australia, so it is either she is Korean Australian or she is a Korean who studied in Australia” I shook my head standing up and returning back to sit with Lee Seung Gi

“Have you ever thought about being a secret agent? Like a spy or something?” Seung Gi teased

“I hate you guys sometimes” She rolls her eyes for the hundredth time “and I am being serious about the new kid”

“No one said you weren’t” I laughed

Mr. Cha, our Korean Language teacher walks in with a new student indeed, she stood short and would be the same height as Min So Ra if not taller and she had a short brown hair, a pixie cut that fell on her cheeks, the hairstyle was mostly wore by guys and if she wasn’t wearing a skirt I would have thought she was a guy like myself. She has a lazy expression on, I am curious about what kind of person she is

The class goes silent as Mr. Cha starts to speak “Good Morning Student. We have a new student all the way from Australia so be nice to her” he said then turns to the new girl “Please introduce yourself”

Min So Ra turns to me giving me the ‘I told you so’ look earning an eye roll from me

“Hello everyone” she said in English “My name is Rosaline Park, I was born here in Gwangju South Korea but was brought up in Sydney Australia” she continues in Korean “I have only visited South Korean a few times so my Korean is not that great I hope you guys can help me in areas where I’m lacking, I also hope we can all be great friends”

The class gives her a round of applause, a usual tradition after a new person introduces themselves, speaking of new person we have not had a new student in our class in a long time, they are mostly taken to the other senior class so it’s interesting to have here.

Mr. Cha continued “Go seat beside …” his eyes roams the class of twenty nine students and falls on Seung Gi and I who sat at the last seats at the end of the class “Choi Hyun soo. Lee Seung Gi how many times have I told you that the class arrangement is one girl and one boy? Why are both of you sitting together again? Are you dating?”

I roll my eyes, my original seat placement is with Min So Ra and Lee Seung Gi was with Ahn Ro Na, but Ro Na moved to another school and Seung Gi doesn’t have a seat partner so I decided to sit with him. “Mr. Cha” I whine

“Go back to your original seat Choi Hyun soo” he instructed

“It’s okay, we can always exchange after his class” Seungi Gi gives me a reassuring smile, I reluctantly stood up

I move by books and sat besides So Ra who welcomes me with a whisper ‘I told you she is Korean Australian’. The new student Rosaline walks pass me and sat in the seat that should be mine. I hate Mr. Cha, he is the only teacher that keeps moving Seung Gi and I, even our homeroom teachers doesn't do it

“Hi, Lee Seung Gi. Long times no see” she said to Seung Gi as soon as she sat down

Min So Ra and I turned to each other surprised that Rosaline knew Seung Gi.

“You know who I am? But I don't know you tho” Seung Gi’s voice is low like he wasn’t sure he has met her before

“It’s me Rosaline, you don’t remember?” she asked

“I don’t” Seung Gi answered

“It must be because I changed my hairstyle” she runs her hands into her hair “it’s me. I’m the red haired girl that you helped to the hospital”

“What?” he tilts his head “I’m not quite sure if I have taken anyone to the hospital before”

“You really don’t remember? I fell of a bike and came to the convenience store to buy a bandage, you told me the injury was too serious and even took me to the hospital because I didn’t know my way around”

“Oh. Oh. I remember now. How is your arm?”

“Thanks to you I’m still able to use it” she chuckles, I can’t help but sneak a peek at them through the corner of my shoulder “oh and by the way do you still work at that convenience store? I went there yesterday but you weren’t there”

“I still do” Seung Gi smiles

“What the hell… they know each other?” So Ra whispered to me speaking my thoughts out. Rosaline who has been to South Korea only few times just happen to meet Lee Seung Gi who has never left the country before? Seems like a Korean drama setting to be true but I don’t poke my nose into his business, even friends has to respect each other’s private space right?

The next hour was filled with reading, speaking and practice. The bell finally rang to indicate the end of Mr. Cha’s class and I am so glad “Lee Seung Gi come with me” Mr. Cha said at the end of the class before saying goodbye to the class, Seung Gi obeys and follows him. As soon as they were both out of sight the class is thrown into the usual noise making and I on the other hand turned to the new girl who just happens to know my friend

“Hi I’m Choi Hyun soo” I introduced myself

“I’m Min So Ra” So Ra turns around also

“Hi” Rosaline replied in English

“We are Lee Seung Gi’s friend he has never mentioned you before though” do I sound petty? I mean I am just letting her know the truth.

Seung Gi doesn’t have friends and barely even talks to people but he helped her to the hospital. Well of course he would, he is mister too good, something I liked and hated about him

“We are Lee Seung Gi’s best friends and we didn’t know he knew someone like you” So Ra adds

“Someone like me?” she questions

So Ra doesn’t go into much details neither do I but instead I stretch my hand, trying to be friendly. I mean she is someone Lee Seung Gi knows so we might as well be nice to her, who knows maybe we all could be friends one day. Rosaline doesn’t take my hand she only stared at it like she didn’t know what a ‘handshake’ was

I folded my hands back in as soon as my arms starts to hurt “Well Rosaline this seat is actually mine” I explained as nicely as I could even with a smile although she gives me a really weird vibe but I just smiled reminding myself to be nice, she is someone Lee Seung Gi knows, I should be nice to her

“This?”She points at the space like she was trying to question if I knew what I was talking about

“Yes this” I replied lazily. Seung Gi and I have been seat partners since the day we first met, everyone knew about this. They did try to separate us because of the seat arrangement but we never gave in even Ahn Ro Na would only sit besides Seung Gi when they was an important class check or during Korean language class as Mr. Cha was difficult to reason with but other times we sat together

“It’s not” she replies then continues to write in her notes

“Hey!” the class goes quiet and I feel like at this point they are all staring at me. I stood up not caring if anyone watched “When you came in did you or did you not see me sitting here?”

“Did you or did you not hear the teacher say the arrangement is one boy and one girl?”

I nostril flair up in anger and I clenched my hands.

‘She is new, Hyun soo calm down’ I try to reason with myself, no student in this school would dare to speak to me in this manner because they knew who I was

“It doesn’t matter. I always sit here besides Seung Gi, you can choose any other place in this classroom to sit but here”

She looks up at me with the most laid back and relaxed face “I happen to like here very much”

“Hey you crazy b***h” I feel myself red in the face

“Oh god you’ve insulted me. Whatever shall I do? I’ll be mentally and emotionally scarred for years” She rolled her eyes; her voice is laced with sarcasm and it makes my blood boil more “Even if you go to the teachers they’ll be on my side” she smirked “You can’t do anything about it. This seat is mine”

I took a deep breath “Choi Hyun soo and Lee Seung Gi always sits together” Min So Ra explained

“Oh” she replied like she finally got what I was trying to say. She placed her elbows on the table, placing her head in her palm “Are you two dating?” she asked

“What?”

“You two, you and Lee Seung Gi” she asked staring at me

My stomach flips and my face flushed, who is this girl? I don’t know how to answer this question, I haven’t even figured out my feelings for Seung Gi and she throws this question at me like it was not a big deal

“Hyun soo?” Seung Gi’s voice saves me before I could say anything that could potentially cause any rumor. I turned to him

“Hi Seung-Gi” she waves at Seung Gi with a wide smile and it doesn’t take too long for the anger to be back. Seung Gi eyes her then his eyes falls on me

“Let’s have a chat” he said and walks out of the class, I feel the stare of my classmates as I follow behind him and we didn’t say a word till we got to a quiet place

“How do you know her?” is the first thing I ask as soon as we were on the rooftop of the school building. I mean I feel like I needed to know. I’m not jealous or anything but Lee Seung Gi never spoke of Rosaline before and all of a sudden they seem to be really close?

“I met her a few years ago” he replied, his hands in his pocket as he stares directly at me

“How long?” my hands are folded across my chest watching his every move

“Four five years ago I'm not sure” he shrugs

“Great! You even met her before you met me”

Seung Gi laughs.

Not a snicker or a scoff but an actual laugh, I’m standing here trying to figure what exactly was so funny about this situation. Was there a joke thrown in the air that I somehow manage to miss? Seung Gi laughing makes me more angry

“Ha ha, what is so funny?” I frowned

“Don’t tell me you, Choi Hyun soo is jealous”

“I’m what? Me Jealous? Over what exactly” I blinked, flustered at the accusation. What exactly would I be jealous of? The fact that Rosaline Park who lived in Australia and only came to South Korea a couple times coincidentally met Lee Seung Gi even before I ever met him? Or how they both happened to be in the same high school and now are seat partners?

What is there to be jealous about?

“I don’t know. You tell me, you’re the one who is about to grow a horn out of anger”

I huff in disbelief “She’s the one who wouldn’t move seats. Smiling ear to ear and waving to you like you’ve been friends since forever. Oh I forgot you’ve actually known each other for quite a while”

Seung Gi walks closer to me. He stops right in front of me and we are nothing but a breath away from each other, it didn’t help that I had some kind of feelings towards him and he was just straight up playing with me. The tension I felt from having him so close made my heart ache and my inside all jelly

“We are not that close Hyun soo” he assured “She just happened to come by the convenience store, I remember her vividly because she had this crazy bright red hair and had fell off a bike. She came in to buy a bandage and wanted to just bandage her wounds without having it properly checked out”

“So you treated her words and blew it for her?” my voice cracks

“No” he laughs. How is it so easy for him to laugh? Am I the only one feeling like my chest was about to explode having him this close to me? “I took her to the hospital. We never really saw each other after then. Well till today. I am even surprised she knows my name” he replied, this time our heads were touching

“Still doesn’t change the fact that she wouldn’t leave the seat” I pout

Seung Gi suddenly placed his head on my shoulder, taking me by surprise; I froze and stared at the emptiness in front of us. Seung Gi is getting a little touchy these days and I don’t think I can handle it. I mean I am usually the one who shows a lot of emotions and is touchy but all of a sudden Lee Seung Gi is in full touchy mode

“I’ll talk to her about it” he replies softly

Is he not scared that someone might see us like this?

Teachers could have us punished or worse students could start up another rumor; I mean there is already a rumor that we are romantically involved with each other, which isn’t true. We have flirted with each other but that was as far as we have gone, except you count sudden forehead kiss Seung Gi had done. I am still trying to figure out if I am attracted to men in general or I just am attracted to Lee Seung Gi and he wasn’t making it easy for me

“Good” I finally gain the strength to move. I place my hand on his hair, it’s so soft my fingers could easily pass through it “People could see us like this” I whispered

“I don’t care” he replied breathlessly