Sweet Rejection | seongjoong

Eighteen

A/N: someone stop me from posting so many chapters in a day lmaoo!

When San gets to work the next day, he sees Hongjoong's already there.

"Good morning, Hongjoong." He smiles at him and gets behind the cash register.

"Good morning." Hongjoong smiles back at him, but San notices his smile looks forced.

It looks like Hongjoong had been crying.

"Are you okay?" He asks him after a while.

"Yeah, of course." He nods. "Why do you ask?"

"Look... I know we only met a few days ago, but you don't seem like a bad person. I'm not the type to get involved in other peoples business, but this is about my best friend, so of course I'm going to get involved... Why did you lie to him?"

"What do you mean?" Hongjoong looks away. "If it's about what I told him yesterday, I didn't lie."

"Yes you did. It clearly seems like you care about him. The look in your eyes just confirms that you're hurt right now. You're sad that you had to end things with him. It looks like you've been crying."

"I just couldn't really sleep last night. That's completely normal and happens sometimes."

"I don't expect you to tell me the truth since I know we don't know each other too well. I know you don't trust me yet and I respect that... What I do know is that you lied to Seonghwa. You were with him because you liked him, not because of the money." San tells him.

"How would you know that? Like you said... you barely know me."

"Because I saw how you looked at him yesterday... And I saw the pain in your eyes when you came back from talking to him."

"It's for the better anyway. He and my best friend were together and were forced to break up. Now that they met again, I can't take that happiness away from them."

"What happiness, Hongjoong? You're the one Seonghwa likes."

"But I think my best friend still likes him... maybe even still loves him. I can't do that to him." Hongjoong shakes his head. "He deserves to be happy after everything he had to go through back then."

"And you don't? You don't deserve to be happy? You like him too. There's nothing wrong with falling in love. It's not like you can choose who to fall in love with. Plus, you started liking him when you had no idea he was Yeosang's ex. Why should you feel guilty and feel like you don't deserve to be happy with him?"

"How would you feel if you were in my place?" Hongjoong looks up at him. "Wouldn't you want your friend to be happy instead?"

"Of course I would, but you also have to understand that Seonghwa wouldn't be happy with Yeosang anymore because he doesn't love him."
He tells him. "Trust me, I know what it feels like to like the same person your best friend likes."

"Huh? Who?"

"Don't worry, it's another best friend of mine." He lies.

"How did things go? What happened?"

"I know I'll sound like a hypocrite for saying this, but I did pick his happiness over mine." San looks down. "It turned out that the guy he likes is someone I used to like back in high school. I was too shy so I never even talked to him and he didn't know about me until recently."

"Oh..."

"I know they both like each other, so there's no point in trying." He tells him. "I know you feel bad that your best friend likes Seonghwa, but you should realize the feeling isn't mutual anymore. The one Seonghwa likes is you now. Shouldn't you take both of their feelings, plus your own feelings, into consideration?"

Hongjoong thinks about it for a while. He knows San is right, but for some reason, he still feels guilty at the thought of being with Seonghwa, knowing his best friend is in love with him.

-

"I said leave me alone!" Hongseok yells as his bullies keep bothering him. He doesn't understand why they care so much about what he wears. "I know I'm not rich as all of you, but I don't know why it has to matter!"

"What do you mean?! Of course it matters! You're different from us!"

"Oh, leave him alone already." Seongyoon steps in.

Hongseok look up at him with a surprised expression. Why was he standing up for him all of a sudden?

"Seongyoon..." The bully says, sounding scared. "Why are you standing up for him?"

"Because he's my friend... So I'd stop bothering him if I were you." He glares at the bullies before taking Hongseok's arm and walking away from them.

"Why did you do that?" Hongseok asks him. He's thankful he did that, but also surprised.

"Just because." He shrugs. "Now get to class." He lets go of his arm and walks away from him.