Free Third Vampire Shadows (An Urban Paranormal Romance Novel) by Zhu Hsia

Park Juno coz you're still madly in love with him."
    Silence. Awkward silence .
    "And that's a FACT," Mun Oh added with a smirk.
    It's only a game... It's only a game... Shit! How the hell could he know something like that? Hyeon Jin thought desperately. What is he, a mind-reader?
    She managed to smile nervously. "It's... it's only a game, right? I mean..." She looked around. All eyes were on her. They all looked dead serious. "I mean, whatever I say... it's just... you know... it's a freaking game! Haha... umm, right..." she stuttered stupidly.
    "5... 4... 3..." Junjin started counting quietly.
    "Wait... Don't count..."
    "2... 2 and a half..."
    "Argh! Of… course!” she muttered furiously.
    "Oh..." Kim Junjin , Shin Erin and Ji Sun said at the same time.
    "What do you mean by 'oh?!'" Hyeon Jin snapped at them, crossing her arms.
    There was collective laughter. Even Park Juno laughed.
    Damn. This is stupid. Hyeon Jin thought.
    "Okay, that's enough for now. Mun Oh won this round. Let's eat! I think the baked macaroni's ready," Kim Junjin said, walking to the kitchen. Ji Sun quickly followed him.
    Hyeon Jin collapsed on the nearest couch, but immediately jumped up, tripped on her own foot and landed flat on her face on the carpet. Park Juno was still sitting on the same couch, fumbling with his cell phone.
    "What are you doing there?" Park Juno asked indifferently, not looking at her.
    "Nothing..." Hyeon Jin breathed out, struggling to get to her feet. Dammit! That was so embarrassing! She could feel her face flush. "What..." She cleared her throat. “What are YOU doing here? I mean, how come you know that pest— Mun Oh?"
    "He was looking for you in school."
    "And…?"
    Park Juno glanced at her, getting to his feet as well. "He said he was your cousin or something... So I brought him here. Well, I think he invited me here. Something like that." He started to walk towards the kitchen.
    "I... what I said in the game..." Hyeon Jin suddenly said, making Park Juno stop in his tracks.
    She sighed but never continued. "I know ... " Park Juno said over his shoulder and went on his way, leaving a confused Hyeon Jin in the living room.
    He knows? What the hell does he know? She thought, staring at his back. She recalled their short-lived relationship, thinking about how different she was when they were together. She was a better person. Still a bully, but a better person. Park Juno was the only one who truly understood her. He was the only one who accepted her and made her feel happy. That’s why he was the only one who knew the reason behind her bullying.

« CHAPTER 6 »
     
    "Our 100th day anniversary is coming... you have any plans?" Park Juno asked from out of the blue.
    "Oh, really? Well, yeah... sure..." Hyeon Jin replied, doodling on a tissue absentmindedly.
    "You mind telling me?"
    Hyeon Jin looked up. "Huh?"
    Park Juno shifted in his seat. "Perhaps you'd like to have dinner in the mountains at midnight or go skinny-dipping in broad daylight, anything you like..." he said with a hint of sarcasm.
    Hyeon Jin sat up straight and stared at him with wide eyes.
    "Do you... do you wanna break up or something...?" she croaked.
    Park Juno stared out of the windows. They were having lunch at McDonald ’s one rainy Saturday.
    "This... isn't working out..." he simply said.
    Hyeon Jin bit her lip but said nothing.
    "We've been together for like, two and a half months. For some reason, I never felt like you were having fun. I mean, you were having fun... by yourself. It seemed like this wasn't something really important to you."
    "So do you wanna break up...?" Hyeon Jin asked quietly, staring at her fingers.
    Park Juno gazed at her for what seemed like forever.
    Just then, a crewmember at McDonald ’s put a CD in the player just behind where they were seated. Both of them froze when they heard the song play. Hyeon Jin 's heart skipped. Park Juno smiled sadly. How ironic it was that the song that was playing when they first realized how