51

                                    

                                          
As the days flew by, the calendar finally flipped to April. Jihoon hadn't given much thought to the upcoming events, distracted by the comfort of being with Jinhee and the newfound peace between them. But that was before the reminder came — the reminder of one of the most dreaded events in his life, the event that had caused so much tension between him and his family, and between him and Jinhee.
The grand ball.
Jihoon was standing by his locker, adjusting the straps of his bag and looking for the book he'd left inside. He was barely thinking when a figure passed by, and the faint sound of something sliding to the ground broke through his distracted state. He glanced down, only to see the golden-edged invitation lying there — the invitation to the ball, the one he had completely forgotten about until now.
Jihoon cursed under his breath. The invitation wasn't something he wanted to think about, let alone be reminded of. His family had been relentless in pushing him to attend, and it had always felt like an obligation to appease them and the upper-crust of society. This year, though, he'd had enough. He decided he wasn't going.
As he crouched to pick it up, Jinhee approached, her footsteps light on the hallway floor. She paused beside him, noticing the invitation before he could hide it. With a glance at him, she bent down and reached for it. As her fingers brushed the edge of the card, Jihoon couldn't stop the instinctual tension that rushed through him. He stood up quickly, his hand outstretched, but Jinhee already had it in her grasp.
"What's this?" Jinhee asked quietly, turning the invitation in her hands, her eyes scanning it carefully. Her voice had a quiet curiosity to it, but also something else — something almost wary.
Jihoon tried to offer a nonchalant shrug, but his chest tightened. "It's nothing," he said, his voice a little more curt than he intended.
But Jinhee didn't let it go. Her eyes flicked back to the invitation, her brow furrowing as she processed the details. "The grand ball?" she murmured, her voice a little too soft, almost as though she was reading between the lines. She looked up at him with something akin to understanding — a quiet recognition of what that invitation meant.
Jihoon had told her about the ball before. She knew it was important to his family, a yearly affair that was expected of him, a place where reputation and status were everything. It was more than just an event — it was a test of family pride. And it was also the event that caused everything to fall apart between them once before.
He didn't answer right away, his gaze distant. Jinhee swallowed, her own stomach tightening as she carefully asked, "Have you decided what to wear yet?"
Jihoon chuckled softly, the sound bitter. "I'm not going," he said plainly, his tone firm, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Jinhee's eyes widened in surprise, her breath catching in her throat. "You're not going?" she repeated, unable to mask the concern that immediately flitted across her face. She knew how much this event meant to Jihoon's family — the importance of it, the expectations, and how crucial it was to maintain their reputation. She knew this decision would make things difficult for him.
"Why?" she asked softly, her voice edged with worry.
Jihoon let out a deep breath, the weight of it all settling on him again. He looked down at the invitation in his hands, then back up at her. "Too many bad memories," he said chuckling. "Besides, my father won't let me in without a date, so what's the point of going there anyways.." His voice hardened as he said that last part, the frustration seeping through.
Jinhee's heart sank at his words. She knew Jihoon's situation well enough to know that those expectations weren't just about appearances — they were about control. The fact that Jihoon had been given an ultimatum felt so unfair to her, and she could see the exhaustion in his eyes as he stood there, holding the invitation as if it were a burden he couldn't escape.