‘Hyung, no matter what happens, don’t get close to Go Ara. She’ll just fall in love with you and take advantage of you…’ Kang Ha Neul started to say. Ara grumbled and aggressively tried to cover his mouth but he swatted it away. ‘…that’s what happened to me. She’s mean to me now because I couldn’t accept her heart…’
‘YA!’ Ara hit his arm. Min Ho laughed and stole another glance at Shin Hye. This time, her back was leaning on the couch as she stared at her drink. He wanted to pull her aside and talk to her but he couldn’t.
‘Shin Hye,’ he called her. Everyone stopped talking and looked at her. She looked up, dazed, as if returning to her senses after spacing out.
‘Wae?’ She asked, blinking innocently as she stared around.
All eyes were on Min Ho now. ‘Are you okay?’ He asked.
It took a while for her to answer. ‘Me? Yeah, of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?’
‘You were too quiet. You’re never quiet,’ he smiled.
Shin Hye looked around at her friends who now stopped everything they were doing to observe their awkward conversation. ‘No, it was just… everyone was talking so you know, you shouldn’t be talking when someone else is talking… ha ha ha,’ she lifted her glass and gulped down her drink.
Wow, she’s really bad at this.
For a while, no one said anything so Ha Neul cleared his throat and broke the silence. ‘Ya, let’s play a game.’
‘What game?’ So Eun asked.
‘It’s a drinking game called ‘I’ve Never’. Each one of us has to take turns saying a statement that starts with ‘I’ve Never’, like ‘I’ve never… killed a person’. If you’ve done the opposite of the statement, then you have to drink,’ Ha Neul explained.
‘What?’ Ara looked at him incredulously. ‘Are you sure you know what you’re talking about?’
‘For example, I’ll say – ‘I’ve never…stolen money from my parents’ – if you have stolen money, you drink. If you haven’t, you don’t drink. It’s like a version of truth or dare, except it’s all truth, and we all admit to the same thing. The most important factor in this game is honesty. And everything we find out about each other stays in this circle. Do you get it now? Or do I have to spell it out for you one more time?’ Ha Neul glared at Ara.
‘Arasso, I get it now,’ Ara nodded. ‘Did you guys get it?’
Min Ho nodded along with everyone else. ‘So who starts first?’
‘I’ll start since I suggested the game,’ Ha Neul declared. ‘I’ve never… had the hots for Kang Ha Neul.’
No one moved.
Ha Neul turned to Ara, ‘YA! You have to drink!’
‘AISH!’ Ara threw a straw at him.
So Eun rolled her eyes. ‘You wasted your turn. My turn. I’ve never…been jealous of another actor or actress for getting a part I wanted.’
Everyone drank except for Kim Bum.
‘Ya! You can’t possibly make us believe that you’ve never been jealous of another actor,’ Ha Neul said to Bum. ‘I know you’re nice but no one is that nice.’
‘But I really haven’t experienced that,’ Bum smiled. ‘Your turn, hyung,’ he told Min Ho.
Min Ho looked at Shin Hye who was looking down, trying to avoid his eyes. He bit his lip and thought of a statement. ‘I’ve never…dated secretly.’
They all looked at each other and hesitated, but drank anyway. Everyone except for Shin Hye.
‘You can’t be serious,’ So Eun told her as soon as she put her glass down. ‘Shin Hye, you have to be honest!’
‘I am! I… really haven’t dated secretly.’ She replied, fanning herself.
‘So does that mean you haven’t dated at all?’ Bum asked, squinting his eyes. ‘That’s not possible. I mean, you’re… you.’
‘It’s true, guys. Shin Hye here, is afraid of men.’ Ara told everyone.
Shin Hye turned to her. ‘YA!’
Ara ignored Shin Hye. ‘She puts this wall up, and no guy has ever broken it down. I can tell you how many guys have tried, but she just won’t. They end up being friend-zoned. It’s really odd because, trust me, some of those guys were very hot.’ Ara looked at Min Ho, as if trying to send him a message.
His attention was on Shin Hye now and even if it was dark, he knew she was blushing and still trying to avoid looking at him. It was just right for her not to drink to keep their secret, but somehow, he felt a little hurt.
‘Chincha? I really thought you dated Yong Hwa,’ Ha Neul said. ‘You used to hang out all the time, right? When you stopped, I thought you broke up.’
Shin Hye frowned, ‘I haven’t dated anyone okay? Let’s move on. It’s your turn, Bummie.’ She looked at Min Ho briefly and looked away again.
‘Hmm. I’ve never…regretted not confessing my feelings to someone.’
Ha Neul and Ara drank. They met each other’s eyes as they did, and Ara almost spluttered in her glass. Everyone else was laughing.
‘Oooooohhhhhh,’ they all teased.
‘YA! CHINCHA!’ Ara hit Ha Neul’s arm.
‘WHAT DID I DO? I wasn’t pertaining to you, babo!’
‘I wasn’t either, but you’re making them misunderstand!’
Ha Neul and Ara bickered some more, while everyone listened in.