7MoH 2.6

Just then, Madison Wilkes, who was pacing the corridor with an anxious expression, entered his line of sight. He  was always attached to Vivian like a shadow. Madison, who had been fidgeting with his  hands and looking around, froze in shock when his eyes met Chase’s.

“Ch-Chase! Hi!”

“Where’s Vivian?”

Madison’s expression froze for a moment. With an awkward smile while rolling his  eyes, he  hastily replied,

“Uh, what? I don’t know. I haven’t seen her…”

Behind her, standing as if on lookout, was a door leading to the terrace. Chase was certain Vivian was beyond that door. He could roughly guess who she was with. A fine wrinkle formed between his eyebrows.

“Can you move? I’d like some fresh air.”

At Chase’s words, Madison blocked the door a bit more firmly and stammered,

“Th-that’s a bit difficult…”

Chase exhaled deeply. A low voice mixed with irritation and coldness echoed in the corridor.

“I’m sorry, but this is my house.”

He gently pushed Madison aside and pulled the door handle. As the door opened, the night air from the terrace coldly brushed against his skin.

In the atmospheric space, what he encountered were the silhouettes of two people entangled as if they were one.

Chase already knew who Vivian’s companion was. His voice, low and deep, called that name.

“Evan.”

Only then did the two clinging figures separate from each other.

Chase felt his temple throb with pain. The blonde man emerging from the dark shadow smiled slyly at Chase.

“Evan? You should call me uncle.”

“As if, when you’re only a year older.”

He was Evan Prescott, the son Albert Prescott had brought in from outside. The Prescott family spent a lot of money controlling the media to hide his existence, but it was questionable how long they could tolerate him.

Evan Prescott was a tremendous scoundrel. He had been sent to a strict private school deliberately, but even there, he was expelled for distributing illegal drugs to students.

But that was just a small part of the incidents that had surfaced; his misdeeds were far more numerous and much more serious. It was almost miraculous that he hadn’t gone to juvenile detention.

Chase glared at him with an irritated gaze and said,

“What brings you here? Run out of money?”

Evan smiled and swept his hair back. The blonde hair, symbol of the Prescotts, flowed down leisurely with his smile.

“No way. Why would I run out of money? I’m from the Prescott family, where money comes out if you dig the ground.”

Evan, who had smiled cheekily, passed by Chase with a swaggering gait.

“Have a good night, nephew. Don’t be so prickly.”

The last mocking remark lingered long in Chase’s ear.

As soon as he disappeared, Chase raised his voice as if he had been waiting,

“Vivian!”

Vivian shrank back in surprise, then immediately faced Chase with an aggrieved expression.

“You startled me. Why are you shouting?”

“Do you really need to ask?”

They had grown up together in the same neighborhood since childhood and had considered themselves like siblings in their own way. But at this moment, that relationship seemed meaningless.

“What’s wrong with your head?”

At Chase’s words, which sounded as if he found his  pathetic, Vivian shouted back defensively,

“It’s my business.”

“Your business? I clearly told you not to see that drug dealer!”

“Don’t call him a drug dealer, don’t talk so carelessly!”

“Do you actually like him?”

“And what if I do?”

“Vivian, seriously!”

Finally, Chase’s voice rose. Vivian retorted, feeling a surge of emotion,

“Whether he’s a drug dealer or illegitimate, Evan Prescott is still a ‘Prescott.’ I want to be a Prescott too!”

Vivian had always wanted to be a ‘Prescott.’

The value of the Prescott name wasn’t just about money. The Prescott family had a centuries-old prestigious reputation in America. They were a family that had built a financial empire, a name deeply rooted in American history, politics, and economy.

They existed in a dimension that couldn’t be reached through self-made success. It was a world firmly fixed by ‘class,’ not money.

Of course, the most suitable partner was Chase, but she knew early on that Chase wouldn’t consider her. The two could be nothing more than official sweethearts at school.

Then Evan Prescott, Chase’s uncle just one year older, appeared before Vivian. It felt as if she had finally found a ladder to climb into the Prescott family.

“They say the Prescott trust fund activates when you turn twenty?”

Chase’s expression hardened instantly.

“How do you know that?”

Vivian smiled bitterly.

“You know what? The trust fund that a twenty-year-old will receive exceeds several times the money my father has earned his entire life while being called nouveau riche.”

Chase responded with a weary expression, as if he was tired of having to say such things,

“So. What if you get married? Do you think my grandfather would approve of you?”

“…”

Struck at a weak point, Vivian flinched and stiffened.

Chase’s words pierced reality like a blade. Albert Prescott, head of the Prescott family, was a man who didn’t consider anyone human unless they were from a great family. To avoid falling out of Albert Prescott’s favor, Chase’s father and uncle had competitively married daughters from prestigious upper-class families.

Albert Prescott, in his 70s, was still going strong and firmly holding his throne. Vivian bit her lip and spoke, barely holding back the tears forming in her eyes,

“Who are you to talk like that? I’m having a hard enough time without you saying these things!”

Chase exhaled tiredly and spoke in a voice tinged with fatigue,

“I’m telling you to stop before you get hurt. This is advice as a friend.”

Vivian stared at Chase for a while, and finally, unable to suppress her anger, turned away. The sound of thin high heels echoing in the corridor faded away.

“Hah…”

A long sigh dispersed into the night air. Left alone, Chase roughly pulled off the bow tie at his collar and threw it to the ground.

Just then, a strange bag caught his eye. As if someone had hurriedly left it behind, an old backpack was sitting in a corner of the terrace.

Chase alternately glared at the bag and the direction Vivian had disappeared. His heart beat uncomfortably, wondering if someone had somehow witnessed this situation.

“…What’s this now.”

Feeling frustrated, Chase sat on the terrace railing and picked up the backpack. The bag was heavier than expected.

Ziiiip. He absent-mindedly opened the zipper. The bag was packed with workbooks and printouts. SAT materials, math formulas, exam preparation handouts. Chase rummaged through the bag to see if there was anything with a name on it.

Just then, a tacky red notebook caught his eye. Chase stared indifferently at the incomprehensible Chinese characters written in white lacquer on the cover and opened the notebook.

The pages, turning with a rustle, naturally stopped at what seemed to be the most frequently opened section. A title, pen-thickened through multiple overlays, caught his eye.

[Why We Hate Chase Prescott]

For a moment, Chase’s eyes narrowed at finding his name in an unexpected place. A subtle crack appeared in his previously indifferent expression, and soon an unidentifiable light began to spread in his eyes.

“What is this…”

A low voice escaped like a sigh. As he read on, his bored expression disappeared and the corners of his mouth slowly turned upward. When he saw the message apologizing to polar bears with a hashtag, he even laughed out loud.

[Chase Prescott’s sausage is presumed to be as small as a vestigial organ. It probably forms a perfect balance with his two shriveled nuts due to steroids.]

At that part, he was so dumbfounded that he automatically ran his hand over his face.

“Crazy…”

Chase shook his head lightly and picked up an SAT practice test score report that was next to him. Curious, he opened it and found nearly perfect scores densely written.

After confirming the writer’s intelligence, his gaze returned to the red notebook.

[Prescott Entropy

S=k log W

W: Number of women Chase Prescott has dated]

An exclamation of something close to admiration burst forth at the mathematical mockery. It was content suggesting that as the number of women he dated increased, the disorder of the world would increase exponentially.

“Ha…”

How could someone with such intellectual ability write something like this? Rather than being offended, it felt fresh and cute.

As he read the contents of the book, the weight pressing down on Chase’s shoulders faded. The burden of being the prospective heir to the Prescott family, the cracks in the family, and his childhood friend’s deviation. All of these lost their power and disappeared in the face of the light mockery on the pages.

No one had ever spoken to him like this. Rather than feeling bad, it was bizarre yet delightful. Like being singled out by a stand-up comedian and becoming the object of satire.

It was enjoyable. He truly smiled a genuine, not fake, smile for the first time in a long while. A small ripple rose somewhere in his chest.

Was it a trivial coincidence, or was it the beginning of something?

A notification arrived that a vehicle was ready to take him to the airport.

Chase, with a simple packed bag slung over his shoulder and about to head to the airport, encountered Dominic who was drinking whiskey at the bar in the reception room. He seemed to be celebrating after the successful charity event.

“It’s late. Where are you going?”

Chase just shrugged. It wasn’t as if his father had asked out of genuine interest anyway. It was just a formality.

“See you later.”

Casually greeting him as if he were a stranger, Chase was about to walk away when he paused at the door. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned back and asked,

“You know that kid from earlier? The one who goes to the same school as me.”

“Who? Oh, right. You mean that Asian kid?”

Chase’s brow furrowed slightly at Dominic’s indifferent remark.

“What’s his name?”

“How would I know such a thing? I do remember his father asking for an investment though.”

“Investment?”

Chase turned around, put down his bag, and sat next to Dominic.

“Why do you ask? Have you already developed an interest in the family business?”

“Maybe.”

“He wanted me to invest some initial capital in a business importing used cars from overseas. Just pocket change, really.”

After a brief silence, Chase spoke quietly.

“Do it.”

Dominic, who was bringing his glass to his lips, turned his head in puzzlement.

“Hmm?”

“Give it to him. You said it was just pocket change, right?”

A somewhat bewildered expression flashed across Dominic’s face.

“Are you suddenly demonstrating investment insight?”

“Don’t you sometimes just feel like doing something?”

Dominic swirled the whiskey glass in his hand as if he’d heard something ridiculous. The ice made a clinking sound as it hit the sides of the glass.

As Chase picked up his bag to leave, he turned around once more.

“You’ll do it, right? The investment.”

“Sure.”

With his father’s smirking response, Chase nodded and finally left the house.

* * *

As the coach’s whistle blew, Chase focused his gaze on the receiver and steadied his breathing.

“Ready, set, hike!”

The moment the ball left Chase’s fingertips, cornerback Alex Martinez stuck to the receiver like lightning. Just as the ball was about to reach the receiver’s hands, Alex twisted his body and deflected it with his palm.

“Good, Martinez! Prescott, a little more precision! Get ready and let’s go again!”

The coach’s voice echoed loudly across the field.

During the brief pause, Chase picked up the ball and continued the conversation they’d been having.

“He says he doesn’t understand why she got angry when he was just acknowledging her  feelings.”

“Hmm…”

Alex Martinez, who appeared deep in thought, was like a neutralized version of Max and Bryan. He wasn’t overly playful, nor was he excessively flirtatious.

Chase had impulsively consulted Alex about his concern, talking about his own experience as if it were someone else’s.

Alex, who had been listening seriously, asked to confirm,

“Let me summarize. Your friend Nate received a confession from a girl named Caitlin, and he rejected her?”

“It’s not like he received a confession. But yeah, something like that.”

“And Caitlin is acting cold after he rejected her?”

“Yes.”

“And the problem is…”

“I told you already. Nate still wants to hang out with Caitlin.”

Chase threw a short pass. Alex caught the ball and bluntly asked,

“Why bother?”

“Because Caitlin is special. Apparently, she’s different from anyone he’s ever met before.”

Alex laughed as if amused.

“And he asks you about that? How dense is this Nate guy?”

“…Why?”

“It’s obvious that this Nate already likes Caitlin. How many times did he go to her house? From what I’m hearing, it sounds like love at first sight.”

That’s when it happened. From the edge of his vision, a defender lunged toward Chase, who was holding the ball.

WHAM! With a loud collision, Chase’s body was thrown onto the grass.

“Prescott! I told you not to miss the blind side!”

The coach’s voice echoed across the field. Chase slowly removed his headgear, trying to calm his confusion. He could hear his own rough breathing.

The blue sky spread out before his eyes. His eyes blinked vacantly as he stared at the clear, windless sky.

The blind side. If you overlook a gap that you failed to see properly, this is what happens, you get hit hard.

Maybe Alex was right.

From the moment Nate first saw Caitlin, his gaze was drawn to her. He wondered what her voice sounded like. Even after learning her identity at school, he continued to be concerned about him. When he found out it was her who wrote insults about him in a notebook that wasn’t even funny, he was strangely happy.

Only now did everything click into place clearly. Perhaps Nate had fallen for Caitlin at first sight.

The blind side he hadn’t noticed. All the emotions he had brushed past until now were finally approaching him with weight.

***

“He said, ‘Then let’s date,’ like he was doing me a favor. I almost hit him.”

“Ha! How arrogant.”

Justin scoffed with an incredulous face.

Now, Jeong-in had no secrets from Justin. Having nothing to hide made his chest feel lighter, and the feeling of being understood was comfortably warm. He almost regretted not having told him sooner.

Justin, who had heard about what had happened last night from Jeong-in, tapped his chin with his finger like a detective absorbed in deduction and said, “The claim that he never dated Vivian is 100% a lie.”

“Really? He didn’t seem like he was lying…”

“Look at those two. Do you think people that perfect would resist dating each other? People like them are genetically programmed to be attracted to each other.”

Justin’s words were strangely convincing.

Perhaps he knew intellectually that Chase’s statement was an obvious falsehood, but his heart didn’t want to accept it.

After being lost in thought for a moment, Jeong-in nodded with a bitter expression.

Justin carefully observed Jeong-in’s reaction before finally cautiously speaking up. There was something he had wanted to ask for the past few days.

“Um… I’m not sure if I should ask this.”

“Hm? What is it?”

Jeong-in blinked innocently.

“So, are you gay?”

At Justin’s question, Jeong-in’s face grew confused. That struggle had contributed to why his  adolescence was particularly difficult. He still couldn’t definitively state his sexual identity.

“I don’t know. But the person I liked before was a girl…”

“When?”

“Before coming to America. When I was in third grade, I think.”

“Hmm… then I guess you can go both ways.”

Jeong-in shrugged as if he wasn’t sure himself.

“Wow, then your chances of finding someone have doubled! Lucky you…”

Justin gave him an envious look. Jeong-in giggled at his unusual reaction, then his eyes suddenly lit up as he remembered something.

“Oh, and he kept asking who Justin was. When he came to the house, I thought it was you and went downstairs calling your name.”

“Anyone would think he’s jealous because he likes you.”

Justin clicked his tongue, then smiled as if he’d had a thought.

“Jay, don’t tell him.”

“Huh?”

“If he asks who Justin is again, don’t tell him. Just act like there’s something mysterious about it.”

“No way. I told him not to talk to me again.”

“Just in case he asks. Somehow, I don’t think that guy will give up so easily. That persistent… determined… handsome quarterback.”

Jeong-in firmly shook his  head as if that wouldn’t happen. But Justin smiled ominously, his lips twitching with some inexplicable premonition.

* * *

Justin’s prediction came true perfectly. A few days later, Chase Prescott eventually asked who Justin was again. However, the person he asked wasn’t Jeong-in.

Justin was just getting out at the drop-off zone. After exiting the passenger seat of his mother’s car, he awkwardly hugged two large poster boards. Various odd materials stuck out from between the white boards.

He had a bagful of styrofoam beads to represent DNA base pairs. He was planning to make a DNA double helix model.

As he was struggling to hold the bag while strengthening his grip on the poster boards, someone approached from the side and took the boards from him.

“Hello?”

A soft, low voice that Justin would want to use for his self-developed AI greeted him. Justin turned his head in surprise and his eyes widened. Incredibly, Chase Prescott was standing there.

“Let me carry these. You’re Jonathan, right?”

Jonathan? This time it’s Jonathan. Following Jacob and Jasper, Chase’s collection of wrong guesses was growing richer by the day.

If Justin denied it, he would have to reveal his real name. Unable to do either, Justin stared blankly up at Chase, speechless.

What was more perplexing was that Chase was giving him a bright smile. That seductive smile he usually reserved for girls was now unsettling Justin’s mental state.

Up close, he was even more handsome. How were his teeth so white? Did he use whitening toothpaste ten times a day? Ugh, the sunlight reflecting off his blonde hair was blinding. Unless he was deliberately trying to make others lose their eyesight…

“I saw you hanging out with Jay. You guys must be close?”

Justin could only nod with his mouth hanging open at Chase’s words.

“Can I ask you something?”

“W-w-what is it…?”

Chase casually put his arm around Justin’s shoulders. Simultaneously, people’s gazes turned toward them.

Unaccustomed to being the center of attention, Justin felt a thrilling shiver run down his spine. Just talking with Chase and walking side by side was drawing everyone’s attention. It felt like being the popular new transfer student on the first day of school.

“Do you know someone named Justin among Jay’s friends?”

“Gasp…”

“You know him?”

The relaxed smile on Chase’s face instantly turned cold. That look sent chills down Justin’s spine. He was about to confess the truth when Jeong-in came to mind. He couldn’t leak information to someone who had hurt his precious friend.

“Ah, yes, I know him.”

“What’s he like? Does he go to this school? Maybe on the varsity swim team?”

“No! He, he… g-goes to Midtown High School.”

Midtown High School was the name of the high school attended by Peter Parker, the protagonist of Spider-Man, one of Justin’s favorite comics. Justin furtively rolled his eyes, hoping Chase wouldn’t catch on.

“Midtown? Never heard of that school.”

“Of course not. It’s not in this neighborhood.”

“…What kind of guy is he?”

“Well, how should I put it… He’s righteous. Can’t say he’s a world-class handsome guy like you, but… he’s good-looking! He’s also very flexible, good at climbing walls…”

“He climbs walls?”

“P-parkour! Parkour is his hobby. And also… he’s not that tall but has a toned body… and amazing abs…”

Justin was describing Peter Parker. He occasionally glanced at Chase to see if he was caught, but Chase just listened with a serious expression, showing no signs of suspicion. Justin inwardly laughed with relief. Muggles indeed.

“…Really? A good-looking guy… whose hobby is parkour?”

“Y-yeah. That’s right, but…”

Justin gradually began to feel a strange sense of discomfort in this situation.

Chase Prescott was always relaxed and confident. Justin, who always struggled with everything, admired Chase’s composure and at some point began to envy it.

But the Prescott before him now was far from relaxed, he had approached a nerd he normally wouldn’t care about and was trying to extract information, fake information at that.

“How did someone from another school get to know Jay?”

“Uh, what? Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

Strange. He’s acting like he has feelings for Jeong-in. Justin thought something was odd but continued to explain about Peter Parker.

“They met at an Academic Decathlon competition. He’s a representative from his school. M-Midtown High, I mean.”

The Academic Decathlon is a prominent academic competition in America where students compete in knowledge across various fields including literature, science, mathematics, and social sciences.

Chase’s brow furrowed slightly.

“…So he must be smart? To compete in that kind of competition.”

No way. Is Chase Prescott actually jealous right now? Over someone who doesn’t even exist?

Justin felt an urge to test the great Chase Prescott.

“You know, this is something even Jay doesn’t know about… Ah, never mind. It’s nothing.”

“What is it?”

“No, I shouldn’t gossip about others.”

“Jonathan, I’m sorry, but I’m not good at handling curiosity.”

Chase persisted stubbornly. Justin leaned in and whispered in his ear as if sharing a great secret.

“I think he likes Jay.”

That’s when it happened.

Justin saw it clearly. A flash of anxiety clouded those beautiful blue eyes of Chase Prescott, who was always so abundantly confident.

Goodness! Justin inwardly shouted.

Chase Alexander Prescott likes my friend! The varsity quarterback has fallen victim to a nerd’s invasion!

He felt like planting a flag and proclaiming victory with drumbeats. This was like Hannibal announcing that the Roman army had crossed the Alps. No, it was even bigger than that.

Justin carefully retrieved the poster boards from Chase’s still-dazed hands.

“Thanks for listening, Chase Prescott.”

“…No problem. See you around.”

The stares of people around them felt piercing. Just by having Chase Prescott carry his things and exchange words with him, Justin suddenly became the center of attention. The feeling was indescribably wonderful, making his round shoulders bounce with excitement.

That’s when,

“Jonathan.”

“Yes? Why are you calling me, Chase Prescott?”

Justin repeatedly used Chase’s full name, like someone deliberately using a celebrity’s full name to show off to others.

Somehow, he felt superior to the great Chase Prescott. If Chase Prescott was James Bond, then he was Q, briefing him on missions and handing over cutting-edge equipment.

Chase paused momentarily before speaking.

“I don’t know if Jay told you, but I think he’s angry with me.”

“What? Is that true? I had no idea!”

Justin spoke with exaggeratedly theatrical tones. Chase frowned briefly as if puzzled, then asked seriously again.

“Can you help me make up with him?”

“Hmm… I don’t know.”

Justin deliberately stalled, scratching the tip of his nose. Opportunities to mess with Chase Prescott were rare.

“Jonathan, can I get your phone number first?”

“Hiccup!”

Startled, Justin began to hiccup. Chase frowned again.

“What did you say, Chase Prescott? I didn’t hear you clearly. Did you ask for my phone number?”

Justin deliberately raised his voice. Students nearby glanced in their direction.

Chase looked a bit confused and cautious. He wondered if Justin might have hearing problems.

“…Can you not hear me well?”

“No! Hiccup. I’ll give you my number, hiccup.”

Justin entered his phone number into Chase’s phone and tried to return it. But Chase wasn’t paying attention to take the phone back. His gaze was fixed on the parking lot.

In the middle of the parking lot, the trunk of a silver Honda was wide open with colorful balloons floating above it.

Five students stood in a row, each holding a large card spelling out ‘P’, ‘R’, ‘O’, ‘M’, ‘?’. Then a male student appeared from behind them, raising a banner. The colorfully decorated card read, “Will you be my date?”

The girl who received a bouquet exclaimed delightedly,

“Yes! I’ll go with you!”

As the girl accepted, applause and cheers erupted from around them.

Whispers could be heard from the onlookers clustered together.

“What do you think of that kind of promposal?”

“It’s too common. I wish it was more romantic. If Danny doesn’t give me a proper promposal, I’m not going to prom.”

“It’s our only senior prom… I’d be so disappointed if someone asked me as casually as inviting me to dinner.”

When Justin turned around saying “Chase Prescott?” Chase had a troubled expression on his face. He ran his fingers through his shimmering blonde hair, messing it up. Then he cursed under his breath.

“Damn it…”

He was remembering the words he had so carelessly thrown at Jeong-in. That thoughtless proposal without any atmosphere or romance.

“If dating is what it takes for us to talk and laugh like before, then fine. Let’s date.”

Through his numbed ears, Chase heard Justin’s voice.

“Chase Prescott? Are you okay?”

“…No.”

A deep sense of dismay was evident on Chase’s dark face, which didn’t look okay at all.

* * *

Jeong-in arrived at his first-period math classroom earlier than usual. Though he shared this class with Justin, today he needed to submit a club assignment to Amy Williams, the teacher in charge of the Mathlete Society.

He carefully handed over the problem set he had meticulously solved and cautiously spoke.

“I’m sorry about everything.”

Williams studied Jeong-in for a moment, then nodded and spoke gently.

“It’s okay, everyone can lose their way during adolescence. That’s what this time is for. What’s important is finding your way back to your own path.”

Those words softly soothed Jeong-in’s heart.

Over the past few weeks, he had been swept away. Distracted by new people and new stimuli, he  had neglected the things that truly mattered.

But now he understood. He  knew where he belonged and what he should truly focus on. That realization calmed his turbulent mind like a wind-disturbed lake gradually settling.

“The competition is coming up soon. You know that, right?”

The state math competition semifinals would be held soon. Having narrowly missed the quarterfinals last year, expectations were even higher this year. Jeong-in nodded silently, steeling his resolve.

Just then, Justin burst through the classroom door with an unusually bright face.

“Jay!”

His cheeks were flushed as if he was terribly excited. Had he run into Hayley Simmons on the way? As the two sat down, other students began filing into the classroom. Most were seniors.

Justin immediately turned toward Jeong-in after putting his bag on the desk. He whispered softly so only he could hear.

“Jay. I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“What would you do if Chase Prescott liked you?”

Justin’s eyes sparkled with anticipation and curiosity, and his face showed traces of excitement. But Jeong-in was surprisingly calm. His voice remained as composed as ever when he  answered.

“I don’t know. I don’t think anything would change.”

“…Huh?”

It was Justin whose eyes wavered in confusion instead.

“I’ve been so stupid lately. This isn’t the time to be unfocused. I haven’t even started my essay, and I still haven’t decided where to do my volunteer work.”

Jeong-in quickly opened his workbook and gripped his pencil. Facing Jeong-in’s renewed determination, Justin swallowed hard and rephrased his question.

“What if those weren’t issues? If there were no career concerns? And if Prescott liked you?”

After staring at the end of his  pencil for a moment, lost in thought, Jeong-in finally spoke.

“He and I are too different.”

“Huh?”

“When I think about it, Mom and Steven fought a lot over things like that. Cultural differences, I mean.”

“Cultural differences…?”

“You know how we believe in things like fate. That’s why we also believe in reincarnation and connections between people. Like the red thread of destiny.”

“Right.”

This belief that one’s destined partner is predetermined was familiar in Eastern culture. The connections between people were never taken lightly. That’s why people often expect and hope for someone to be that person for them.

“I still don’t understand people who can casually meet and break up.”

There was a strange bitterness in Jeong-in’s tone.

Chase Prescott had Vivian Sinclair as his longtime girlfriend, but he’d been linked romantically with countless others. Jeong-in didn’t want to be just one of them, just another meaningless person passing through his life.

Understanding Jeong-in’s feelings, Justin couldn’t bring up Chase Prescott again and awkwardly changed the subject.

“Oh, Mom wants you to come over for dinner tonight. She says she’s making that stir-fried pork with chives you like.”

“Really?”

Jeong-in’s face brightened. Throughout class, Justin kept glancing at Jeong-in, unable to tell whether he was genuinely fine or just pretending to be.