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Chapter 3: A Cool Rebuff – June 23, 2019

Yunseong sat back and stared at the computer screen.  She could not believe that Jungkook had just beat her.  No one had ever beaten her at a video game.  Her eyes swiveled towards him.  He was grinning from ear to ear, but his tongue didn’t move.  As she stared at him, she wondered if perhaps she had met her match after all.

His eyes slid her way.  “Are you ready to go to dinner?”  Just then, his stomach gave a rumble.

“You’re going to eat an entire pizza by yourself, aren’t you?”

He gave her a lazy smile.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll order – and pay for – my own.  Gotta feed these abs something.”  He patted his stomach but then he pulled his shirt away from his neck and peeked down at his tummy.  “Guys, are you still there?”

Yunseong giggled.  Jungkook emerged from his shirt and grinned at her.  

“Apparently, I still haven’t eaten too much.  They’re still there.”

“Do you spend a lot of time at the gym?”

He shrugged.  “About an hour each day.”

Her eyes grew wide.  “Just lifting weights?”

He nodded.  “But I go jogging outside every morning when I first wake up.  And then I do some calisthenics in my bedroom.”

“My sister loves to jog,” she suddenly murmured.  

Her eyes met his.

“Does she now?” A sweet smile spread across his face.  “That’s a very interesting piece of information.”

“Jungkook.”  There was a warning note in her voice.

“What?” He shrugged defensively.  “I couldn’t help but notice what a pretty girl she is.”

She sniggered.  “You mean, because she looks just like me?”

“Actually, she doesn’t.  Not upon second glance.”

She didn’t miss the sadness that glimmered in his eyes momentarily.

“Please, Jungkook.  Tread carefully.  She was really damaged by that guy.  She’s never even talked to me about it.”

He nodded.  “Maybe she’d be willing to give a friendship a try?”

She considered him.  “Maybe if she thought you and I were dating…”

His eyes brightened.  “And if Tae did too…”

“…then they’d both relax around us and get to know us…”

“…before discounting us.”

Her eyes lit up.  “It’s a brilliant plan!”

“Just perfect,” he nodded.  “But for now, let’s just act interested in each other.  It’s too soon to be dating seriously.”

“Maybe in a few days we can start holding hands?”

He nodded.  “Sounds like a plan…”

“C’mon!  Let’s go find my brother and head to dinner.”

Jungkook grinned.  He’d get to see Yunyeong again in a few minutes.  He couldn’t wait.  She was quite intriguing.  

A question niggled at the back of one corner of his mind. 

Just exactly what had that jerk done to her?

–– 

The bell above the door jingled in the tiny pizza parlor as Jungkook slid into the booth next to Yunyeong.  She glanced up sharply.  He stopped.  

“Is it okay if I sit next to you?” he whispered.

She stared at him.  Clearly quite uncomfortable.  She swallowed.

“I can move to the other side if you want.”

Something in his eyes called to her.  She shook her head.  

“It’s okay.”  She shrank into the corner as much as possible.

“Hey,” he spoke softly, “I swear I won’t hurt you.”

She glanced sharply over at him once more.  “What?”

“I — can I tell you something?” He leaned towards her in a conspiratorial fashion.  He looked away from her towards her sister who had stopped to speak to someone a few feet away.  “The first time I saw your sister, I knew I had to talk to her.  She’s stunning, you know?”

Yunyeong turned to stare at the beautiful boy.  Her heart sank a bit.  Of course, he was already falling for Yunseong.  Everyone did.  She was the spunky one.  The fun one.  The one everyone adored.  No one ever noticed quiet Yunyeong.  Except…

She shuddered.

Jungkook gazed down at her.  “Are you all right?”

Her eyes collided with his.  Hers were swamped by sorrow again.  She nodded.  

Jungkook felt so drawn to her.  He wanted to put his arm around her and pull her up close to his heart.   Lend her some comfort.  But, of course, that would scare her away at this point.  So he tried a different tack.

“Can I order you some pizza?”

Surprised, she glanced at him.  And inwardly sighed.  Why was this boy so beautiful?  She had noticed how gorgeous he was as soon as her eyes had found him sitting on the floor in her sister’s bedroom.  She’d frozen.  As she always did around guys now.  Especially ones she found attractive.

Men were dangerous.  Especially the beautiful ones.  All they did was lie.  And deceive.  And come for things that didn’t belong to them.  She had learned that the hard way.  But she had learned.  She was wiser now.  She knew she could not trust a single guy.  Not ever again.

No matter how beautiful his eyes were.  She stared into Jungkook’s enchanting, obsidian orbs, and her heart wept.  Was he already dating her sister?  Why couldn’t she have found him first?

But no, every man was a deceiver.  Untrustworthy.  No matter how soft his voice was.  Jungkook’s suddenly purred in her ear.

“I’d be happy to order you something.  My treat.”  

He smiled so sweetly at her.  If her heart hadn’t already been contained behind the walls of an iron fortress, she might have lost it to him in that moment.  But she was well-armed against such wiles.  No matter how sweet the smile, the heart beneath it could not be trusted.  Men were dangerous.

“No,” she spoke sharply.  

Jungkook sat up straighter.  Stung by her tone.  She really was hiding out in her ice castle.  

Why?  What exactly had that guy done to her?

“My brother will order the three of us a pizza,” she informed him a moment later.  “But thanks for the offer.”  

Her voice was cool.  She didn’t mean her words.  She was just being polite.  

His heart sank.  How would he ever reach her?