203 The Reliable Friend Tattles (1/2)
An hour later.
Yeo Ri wanted to avoid the public eye so Jin Goo offered to go out and buy ice cream for her while she waited in the car. After he parked at a safe space and returned with two cups of gelato, the two sat in the car silently while finishing their respective treats.
”...”
”...”
Jin Goo watched the girl sitting next to him cautiously, examining her face to see if he could gauge what was wrong with her.
He observed her as she continued destroying the gelato in her cup with her spoon which was now looking more like mush than tasty ice cream.
Ever since they came back from visiting Yeo Ri's self-proclaimed grandparents, Yeo Ri's mood had soured considerably. He could not help but wonder what happened back in the house. He wanted to ask, but afraid of further aggravating the irate girl, he kept his mouth shut.
”Is it tasty?” He asked slowly as she shoved another spoonful of gelato into her mouth somewhat angrily. He doubted she could taste the flavour with the speed and force she was using to eat the frozen dessert, but small talk seemed like a good idea to ease the subtle tense atmosphere she was creating.
”Mm,” Yeo Ri replied half-heartedly.
”Eat slowly, or you'll get a brain freeze,” he advised, half-grimacing.
”Mm,” she repeated before proceeding to ignore his advice.
It was only when she ran out of ice cream to torture that her mood seemed to lighten.
”Done?” He asked, picking up the empty cup from her hands. He exited the car to throw it away.
Yeo Ri muttered a small thanks to him when he came back.
Now that both of them had finished eating, he got ready to take her home.
”Yeo Ri-ah?”
Jin Goo called out to the girl just as he parked in front of the Lee siblings' apartment building.
”Hm?”
”...” He wanted to ask about what happened, but he also felt he was being too intrusive. Her business was her business, he thought. Jin Goo mulled over his thoughts for a moment longer before finally saying, ”...nothing.”
”Call me again if you need any help,” he said instead of voicing his concern.
”Mm. Thanks for everything, Jin Goo-oppa.” Yeo Ri flashed him a brief smile. ”Ah, right. Remember to keep today a secret, okay?”
Jin Goo offered what he hoped to be a sincere smile towards the girl. ”Of course,” he nodded, lying through his teeth. After witnessing her sudden moodiness, Jin Goo had already made up his mind to tattle to his best friend, Hyuk, about the girl's weird behaviour. In the end, he had promised the guy that he'd look out for his sister, and he intended to follow through with his promise.
Jin Goo waved his hand while keeping his facial expression normal.
He watched the young girl enter the building, and only when she disappeared within the walls did he drive away. Instead of going home, he entered a different destination into his car's navigation system and set off according to the directions given by the GPS.
Almost an hour later, he arrived. He parked his car at the visitor's parking lot and walked into purposefully into the building to his right. As if he had been there before, Jin Goo went through the necessary procedures smoothly.
A couple of minutes later, the person he wanted to meet appeared in front of him.
”Hyuk.” He got up briefly to greet the man, and sat down as Hyuk reached his seat.
Hyuk, who had entered the booth somewhat excitedly, looked visibly disappointed once he realised that his visitor was not the person he had been expecting. He sat down and picked up the phone on the side, grumbling silently to himself.
”Oi, can't you act like you're at least a little happy to see me?” Jin Goo complained, rolling his eyes. He knew that Hyuk was probably expecting Yeo Ri, but too f*cking bad. He paid no mind to the other man's disappointment. Instead, he felt a sense of schadenfreude after seeing the other man's forlorn expression.