Chapter 3 of Portrait
INDEX
Chapter 3
The next morning, when Junho had effectively put another dent into his alarm clock by throwing it against the wall and when he had fallen out of bed, he dug through a gigantic pile of clothes for his white sneakers.
Of course, he had had to put them in the laundry after all that dust from the walk with Hyekyung and back.
He grumbled to himself and wondered why he hadn't just driven Hyekyung to her home. It would have saved him a lot of physical exertion, time, and most importantly, he wouldn't have gotten his sneakers dirty.
Although he wouldn't admit it himself, he had enjoyed Hyekyung's company and was very much intrigued with the girl who called him Rumpelstiltskin. He knew that hormones had caused his failure to mention that he had a car. Walking equaled more time with the pretty girl. More time with the pretty girl equaled more of a chance to score.
He also had to admit to himself that this girl didn't work that way. There had been absolutely no progress on the romantic front, and he told himself that it didn't matter anyway, because she didn't have the necessary combination of looks and money.
Brains and personality didn't matter, really.
Yet in this case, those two traits outshone her looks and her (lack of) money. Junho didn't want to hook up with Hyekyung, no. Junho surprisingly found himself wanting to be friends with Hyekyung.
Okay, this girl has gotten to you. Junho thought to himself. Who has ever heard of being friends with a girl? Especially a girl like that. Friends with benefits only. But not with her. Just stop right there, Junho. You're losing your touch.
A clatter ended Junho's confused thoughts, and he looked around for the source of the noise. Several paintbrushes had fallen out of the back pocket of the pants he had worn yesterday.
So that's why sitting in the car had been so uncomfortable...
He examined the paintbrushes that he held in his hand. They weren't his, for he certainly didn't have the habit of keeping paintbrushes around. The bristles were splitting apart from overuse and there were bitemarks all along the wooden brush.
Bitemarks?!
Apparently, Hyekyung had a habit of biting her paintbrushes. Junho's knowledge of Hyekyung's little oddities grew all the time, it seemed.
I need to stop thinking about this girl...
Junho refused to actually think Hyekyung's name for fear that it would make him more interested in her.
Thankfully, the telephone rang to save him.
"Hey, Kyunghoon. Coffeehouse? Sure. Of course, I'm always up for looking for girls. 'Kay, see you there."
Junho heaved a sigh of relief and tossed the paintbrushes to the side.
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Hyekyung wondered at herself.
She sat stirring her hot cocoa and sipping it with an air of what she thought was sophistication. If anyone had asked what she was drinking, she would have answered, "Venetian Cappuccino" and then she would've turned to her Vogue magazine. The truth was that she loathed coffee, but "Venetian Cappuccino" sounded very romantic and high-class. Never mind that she was at a cheap knock-off of Starbucks and that she got her hot cocoa for free because her sister worked there.
Hyekyung looked up from her Vogue and stared at nothing in particular.
She prided herself on not being afraid to be unique, but even so, running down the street singing at the top of her lungs was not something she tended to do. Skipping down the school hallway with friends was a completely different matter from skipping down a street with a strange boy. She had let her guard down and sang her heart out, but then as soon as she realized what she was doing, she had saved herself by singing badly on purpose. Singing well brought her embarrassment; it was just so personal. Junho didn't have a right to hear her sing.
Truthfully, Junho had aggravated Hyekyung the whole walk home. She loved debating, but their "debates" were over the stupidest things. Being the boy that he was, Junho rarely backed down and always stubbornly went against everything she said. Hyekyung knew that she was always right and he was always wrong, but it bothered her that he never admitted that.
Hyekyung would show Junho that she could be stubborn, too. If she ever met him again, she'd get him to agree with her on something.
Just watch and learn. Someone needs to deal with stupid boys like him. It might as well be me.
Hyekyung finished her hot cocoa and waved at the girl at the cash register.
"Miss! I'd like another Venetian Cappuccino!"
Hyekyung's sister, Hyemin, rolled her eyes and slammed another hot cocoa on the counter. Hot cocoa spewed into the air and several drops landed on the Vogue magazine.
"Miss, you really ought not to treat customers that way. You've just spilled some Venetian Cappuccino on my Vogue."
Hyemin dropped some napkins on the counter and clenched her jaw, spitting out, "Look, Hyekyung. I'm your sister. I'm not going to wait on you hand and foot. And that Vogue is two years old. Quit putting on airs! You're drinking free hot cocoa, not Venetian Cappuccino and you are not a Duchess or a Princess or anything of the sort."
"I am too a Princess. Princess Hyekyung, loved by all the land."
"You are way too old to be playing make-believe, Hyekyung. Why don't you go off and go do something normal! Get yourself a boyfriend or a friend of any sort, for that matter!"
"I have friends! I've got Dongjoo and..."
"Well, then go paint with Dongjoo. That's all you two do, isn't it?"
"Yeah..."
Hyemin threw her hands up in the air in exasperation and went back to the cash register. Her day had been hard enough already and Hyekyung was just being annoying as usual. She looked to the door as three boys sauntered in.
Things are looking up already, Hyemin said to herself sarcastically.