CHAPTER 17

Really, Yeon? Did you really feel like this is the right moment for you to use your lame pick-up lines? You know damn well those words ain't got nothing on me now, don't you? So, quit trying to be the cool guy that every girl wants and help me pick out something to wear!" Bree yelled while watching Yeon slowly back up from her. He looked like he had seen a ghost or a demon.

"Jeez! Do you have to be so feisty all the time? I honestly don't know how I'm putting up with you up until now. You're terrifying, but at the same time, you're funny. So, I don't have a single clue on how to calm you down when you're mad!" he said, as a joke.

"Woah woah woah! Let's back up a little bit!" Bree had a confused yet furious look painted on her face. She slowly turned in Yeon's direction to face him eye to eye. Not long before she yeeted the "What does that suppose to mean?" question with an expression that read 'I'm about to kill you'.

"It just means that you're unpredictable, hun. That's all. Don't overthink it please!" he said while giving her the puppy eyes.

"Nuh-uh! Don't you dare give me that face, mister! No! Just stop. Focus on the bigger picture, please. We have a lot on our plate at the moment in case you have forgotten!" said Bree while trying so hard not to smile.

"Ugh! You are just a spoiler, you know that? I'm trying to calm you down and that's what I get? Aren't you supposed to pamper me or something?" Yeon was all sulky at this point.

That sulky behaviour wasn't enough to snap Bree out of her thoughts. She was too caught up on her issue with Qif. She wasn't sure if he would want her to be there on his birthday. She definitely didn't want to run into that little 'best friend stealer' either. Yeon noticed Bree was spacing out. He tried to enlighten her with his charm, which never work by the way.

"Hey! Don't think much of it, alright? I'm sure everything is going to turn out just fine. It's like you always say, remember? It's going to be perfectly splendid!" Yeon made his best impression of Bree's British accent. If Bree didn't know any better, she would've thought he was just learning how to speak.

"I just don't want to get shattered into a million pieces again, hun. That's all. I mean if he would've just listened to what I had to say that day, he would have-" before she could finish, Yeon cut her off.

"He would have behaved like a normal human being if he had listened to you! That is it. End of story, Bree. Don't stress yourself up for someone who isn't important!"

"That's where you're wrong, Yeon. That's where everyone was wrong, actually. He is important to me. In fact, he was and still is more important to me than myself! So, if you want to sit here and push that false fact into reality then, by all means, do it behind my back. Not in front of me!" Bree stormed out of the room in frustration, trying so hard to keep her tears in.

Yeon on the other hand was left feeling guilty for what he said. He had never seen Bree this frustrated before. Plus, he had certainly never heard her use that tone with him. Never! However, he knew her too well. If Bree is mad, she had to be left alone to sort out her thoughts. It might get nasty otherwise.

Bree, on the other hand, was battling her thoughts on whether or not she should meet her long lost best friend. For all she knew, he might have forgotten all about her existence. Qif was the first-ever friend she ever made.

Bree was the class nerd. She was always a few levels higher than all of her classmates, thanks to her father. She was the 'solo hope' of the family. Her father had very high expectations for her. Explains why she didn't have any friends while growing up. She was constantly told what to eat, what to wear and her friend circle had to be small. What kind of rule is that? No wonder she had a hard time finding friends.

It all changed that day. The day when he met him. Qif taught her how to socialize, how to start a conversation, he even taught her how to be like the cool kids in case she wanted to join them. She was closer to him compared to her own siblings. She saw him as a family member more than a friend.

To think that all of that got taken away from her overnight, breaks her every time. By the time she stepped out of her inner mind, she realised she was in the wrong room. She made herself all the way to the dining room.

"How the hell did I get here? Really, Bree? Get yourself together!" she was basically yelling at herself at this point.

Just before she could walk back upstairs, she heard her phone go off. She was shivering. She was praying so hard for the caller not to be who she thought it was. The same person who stole her normal life away from her. The person who got her living in fear of being arrested every single day of her life. The same person who took her loved ones away from her but mysteriously treated them well. Too well, actually. She walked towards the kitchen counter to check her phone. As she peeped at it, she saw 'unknown caller' instead of the usual 'private number' as the caller ID.

"Huh! That's strange. Now who could this be?" she picked up the phone and began to stare at it for a few seconds. "Should I answer it? If I don't, now that's going to be rude. But if I do and it's him then I might just cry my eyes out instead of crashing a party tonight!" she was debating with herself like a crazy person in the kitchen.