CROCODILE TEARS - CORTIS X FEM!READER
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CHAPTER 6: FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT - a proverb meaning that the better you know someone or something, the more likely you are to find faults, lose respect, or become bored.
SYNOPSIS: A new girl is plunged into the playground for the rich, meeting 5 boys whose intentions are stained with manipulation and lies. What if this new girl isnât as innocent as she seems to be?
WARNINGS: profanity, multiple love interests at once, reader isnât a good person but the boys are worse, no one is good in this school, manipulation,, murder, gaslighting, obsession, infidelity, overall wickedness, pure revenge, throwing up, James is a year older than the rest, drugs [this is NOT how I view CORTIS as individuals, this is purely for the story]
WORD COUNT: 4K (4,000 words)
A/N: We are nearing the end of the series! Things are about to get serious x
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You didnât go to school the next day. Or the day after that. You needed time to think. Uninterrupted time. There are so many ways to ruin peopleâs lives. What you needed was a meticulous plan and process for each of them. A way so devastating that they will never recover from it. And so you wracked your brain. Who should go first? How should I do it? Flashy? Quiet? Explosive?
You had been sat in the hallway of your house, a glass of untouched water always beside you and a pen in your hand that you never used. Every two seconds, you would click. Click to find inspiration, click to replan, click to decide. You hadnât slept and you hadnât eaten. Some things become a little bit less important when you have more pressing matters.
You guessed it was getting late. Or that was what you guessed. There were no clocks in the hallway and your phone was in your room. The less distractions the better. You clicked your pen a couple more times. The doorbell rang twice. You ignored it. No distractions. No distractions. A voice on the other side of the door called your name. What was Na-bi doing here?
âPlease, open the door!â
No distractions. No distractions.
So you sat it out.
You waited for her to leave.
The same thing happened over two days. She would call, ring the doorbell, knock on the front door but you sat there in the hallway, clicking.Â
âI brought you some kimchi-jjigae. Homemade.â, she called.
Click. Click.
âYou wanna know something?â
Click. Click.
âAra used to love it when I made it for her. She would always eat loads.â
Click.
âI know you miss her. I miss her too. Whatever you are planning, do it well. Iâll leave the food on your doorstepâŠGood luck.â
Silence.
You heard her footsteps recede. Pulling yourself up, you slowly approached the door. Sliding the chain, turning the door knob, a little pot of kimchi-jjigae sat timidly. A yellow post-it note adorned the top. Inhaling the fresh air, you grabbed the pot, kicking the door shut.Â
It smelt heavenly. You placed it down on the heat rack in your kitchen, grabbing the post-it. It read:
You can do all the planning you want, but you need to eat well. Enjoy! :)
~N
You decided.Â
Decided everything.
You were going school tomorrow.
________________________________________________
People turned their heads as you walked through the hallway. You lookedâŠwell. They had speculated many things. Death. Hospitalised. Pressured. Pregnant. Their thoughts were the least of your problems. You had a goal. Whoever got in your way will suffer and perish.Â
You were getting close to your form room, when you bumped into Ms Kim.Â
âGood morning. I havenât seen you in school since our last maths lesson. Are you feeling well?â, she asked. Her tone was full of concern.
âIâm better now, thank you. I was just a little bitâŠunder the weather.â, your eyes were soulless as you spoke.
âI am a mother myself. If you need anything, please find me immediately. I would be more than willing to help you.â, she assured.
âThank you, Ms Kim.â
âKeep healthy.â, she urged as she continued down the hallway to her form room.Â
âHey.â
You continued walking.
âIâm talking to you.â
You sharply turned. Juhoon. Fuck him. He wasnât worth your time.
âLeave me alone.â
âDonât walk away.â
âWhat are you going to do about it?â
He lunged for your wrist and dragged you.Â
âLet go.â
He pulled you into an empty classroom and drew the blinds.Â
âWhatever bullshit you are getting up to, you need to stop.â, he hissed.
âI donât know what you are talking about.â, you made a move towards the door but he stopped you.Â
âNo. You will not run away.â
âIâm not running away. Iâm giving you time. Time before things get a little bit worse for you.â
He froze.
âYou are deeply mistaken,â, he whispered harshly. âThis is my territory. You are in my corner!â
You had never heard him yell. There js a first time for everything.
âCorner, huh?â
You stepped closer, not breaking eye contact.
âJust like how you cornered Ara?â
He looked incredibly uncomfortable. He turned his head to the right in shame.
âNow you feel shame?â, you chuckled dryly.
He couldnât look at you. Of course he couldnât.
âLook at me. LOOK AT ME!â
His dark eyes darted to yours immediately.
âWhen you threatened Ara for getting too close to me and you sent her away with a load of cash, you didnât feel shame then? You continue to harass me and I can tell you I have not seen an inkling of shame or regret!â
Your words shocked him to the core.Â
âShe loved you,â, you said, voice cracking slightly. âAnd thatâs how you treat her? You donât deserve happiness or love. You will die cold and alone and nobody, and I mean nobody will ever come to save you. You arenât worth saving.â
Your shoulder slammed into his as you left the room. Let him stew. Let him suffer. It was time.Â
________________________________________________
Juhoon was pissed. So, so pissed.Â
He stormed into the hangout room. Keonho and Seonghyeon were both lying sprawled out on the couch, Martin had his headphones on, bopping to a new beat and James was in the corner of the room scrolling on his phone.Â
No one looked up as he entered. He grabbed a glass, pouring himself a drink. In one gulp, he slammed the glass down on the drink cabinet.Â
âCareful, bro. Thatâs glass.â, Keonho mumbled.
Juhoon said nothing. He walked up to Seonghyeon, dragging him upright by his collar.Â
âWoah, hyung, what are you-â, Seonghyeon confusingly asked.
He was slammed into the nearest wall. The framed picture on the same wall dropped and shattered. Everyone was alert now. James had his head down still, but he had stopped scrolling. Martin had moved one side of his headphone off of his ear to hear better. Keonho sat up abruptly.Â
âI warned you. I warned!â
Juhoon never yelled.Â
Martin took off his headphones completely. Keonho stood up slowly. James was still as he was before.Â
âI told you to stay away from that girl! When you begged and grovelled at my feet to save her from KatĆ, I told you, I told you that she wasnât worth it!â
James and Martin never found out about KatĆ or how he was dealt with. Juhoonâs mouth was a bit leaky today it seemed.Â
âWhat?â, Martin whispered.
âShe is the devil. I donât know how you guys can be so blind! She is wicked and cruel and-and just a fucking problem!â
Seonghyeon shoved Juhoon off of him.Â
âDonât talk about her like that.â
âWhat? You donât want to hear the truth about her? She doesnât even want you!â
âNeither did Ara.â, Keonho said from behind.Â
âPaying your problems away doesnât always work, Juhoon hyung. You should know that by now.â
James had now raised his head.Â
âDonât act so high and mighty when she would never bat an eyelid at you, even if it killed her.â, he hissed mercilessly.
âStop.â
Silence fell immediately. All eyes went to James.Â
âYou seem to have outdone yourself here, Juhoon. We get it, you donât like the girl. But coming in her and disrespecting her like that when you know that she is now a friend of ours is rude. Iâm disappointed. Truly. Get out.â
âNobody is listening to me!â. Juhoon felt like he might go mad.Â
âI donât like to repeat myself, Juhoon.â
Juhoon stormed out of the room, leaving a tornado behind him.Â
Keonho immediately turned towards Martin and James.
âJames hyu-â
âSave it. Iâm not interested.â
The conversation was over.Â
________________________________________________
He sat in the conservatory. Sun filtered in through the glass, birds chirping. He dragged his hands across his face, his brain flooded with one, certain memory.
âYiseo.â
âJuhoon not now.â
âYiseo.â
âNo, Juhoon. No. Donât talk to me.â
âStop being dramatic.â
Slap.
âWhen I tell you to leave me alone, you listen. I am done with you, I am not interested.â
He scoffed lightly.
âYou are jealous, arenât you?â
âWhat is there to be jealous of? We were never a thing.â
That stung.
âDonât lie. All those nights you came running to me, showing you the love and affection that you need, we werenât a thing?â
âWe were nothing. We are nothing.â
A thick silence filled the air.Â
âSince we are nothing, how would James like to know that the love of his life is currently fooling around with his best friend? How slutty.â
âYou wouldnât dare.â, her voice was shaking.
âWhatâs the problem?â, he mockingly said. He stepped closer to her, nose brushing hers.
Pressing his lips to hers, he deepened the kiss, pulling her in by her waist.Â
âWe keep this up and it stays between us. No James. Just us. You know you want it.â, he mumbled against her lips.
âJuhoon, I canât.â
âYou can. You know you want me. I know that you want to be with me. Admit it.â
âThis isnât right.â
âDonât disappoint me, Yiseo.â
âIâm not trying to-â
âThen choose me. What does he have that I donât possess? Is it money? Popularity? What? I will give you anything, ANYTHING, you wish for. Just love me.â
He gazed into her eyes, searching for an answer that suited him. All he got back was regret.
âIâm sorry, Juhoon. What we had was convenience, not love.â, she whispered.
âYou are so cruel, Yiseo.â, he said softly.
âIt was never going to work out, you know that.â
âI wouldâve tried for you.â
âYou arenât capable of love. Your eyes speak more than your actions.â
She turned on her heel, walking off. To her, that was the end of her and Juhoonâs arrangement. To him, this was just the beginning.
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âHey!â
âHi, Seonghyeon.â
âYou okay?â
âFine.â
âI called youâŠyou didnât pick up.â
âI wasnât well.â
âYou feeling better now?â
âYes.â
âWeâve both got free periods. Do you want to grab something from the cafĂ©?â
âSure.â
In Seonghyeonâs mind, you were acting unusual. You werenât as responsive.
As you entered the school cafĂ©, he interlocked your hands together. He wanted to show you off. Funny.Â
As if it would be that easy.
âWhat would you like?â
âYou pick.â, you pulled out your phone, busying yourself with it.Â
For now, you would give him his liberties. Allow him a little bit ofâŠleeway.Â
He ordered you a drink and a slice of cake. You couldnât lie, it did look good. But you werenât here to eat the forbidden fruit, you could play around with your food a little.Â
He led you to a table in the corner of the cafĂ©. His hand was still in yours. You were still looking at your phone.Â
âDo you like it here?â
âItâs ok.â, you decided to spare him momentarily by putting down your phone.Â
âThatâs good.â
âButâŠ.â
He was actually hanging onto every word you said.
âBut?â
âI donât know. My personal life is a littleâŠboring.â
âOh, is there anything youâre into?â
âNothing interesting. Can you find me a hobby?â
Your eyes were fixed on his. A faint flush brushed his cheeks.Â
âUmmm, you take Music, right?â
âYep.â
âI can teach you how to play something.â
âThat would be nice. Any other suggestions?â
âI know some pretty good areas in town.â
âAre you asking me out?â
He was speechless.Â
âUmm- yeah? Yes, yes- I am?â
âYou sound a little unsure there. If you donât want to, then-â
âNo! I do. I want to go out. With you.â, his loud voice drew some attention.
Eom Seonghyeon was begging? You see all sorts of things nowadays.Â
âOk.â
âSo when would you like to go?â
âWhenever.â, you were now interested in your nails.
âOk, Iâll organise something for us.â
âCool.â
âWanna head back inside.â
âSure.â
He spent the next 10 minutes entertaining you like a jester does for his queen. As you walked down the hallway, you spotted a familiar face. Na Hajoon. The blonde guy who gave you shit on your first day? Yeah, thatâs him. Do you remember the time he offered to be the one for you rather than Seonghyeon? Now was the time to use it to your advantage.
âNa Hajoon!â, you yelled down the corridor.Â
He looked up at you, sending you a smirk.
Seonghyeon paused mid sentence. He couldnât get his attention, but Na Hajoon could? To describe him as hurt would be an understatement.
âWhatâs up?â, Hajoon asked.
âHave you chosen a presentation partner yet?â
âNah.â
âCan we partner up?â
Hajoon looked surprised but more than happy to accept your offer.
âStay after school to get it done?â
âSure. Down by the lake? There are some nice benches there.â
âIâll be there. Is your boyfriend going to tag along too or does he trust you?â
âBoyfriend? Which boyfriend?â
He nodded his head at Seonghyeon.Â
âSeonghyeon.â
You turned to look at him. He looked aghast at the fact that you actually wanted to meet up with Hajoon after school.Â
âHeâs not my boyfriend. He wonât be tagging along. We cool?â
âIâll see you tonight.â, he grinned as he walked past.
âWhat was that?â, Seonghyeon said to no one in particular.
âWhat was what?â, you asked. Your tone was sharp, clearly a warning for him to not tread any further.
âNothing.â, he whispered.
How obedient.
________________________________________________
School eventually ended. Instead of heading down to the lake, you went home.Â
Seonghyeon would definitely take care of Hajoon. It was so fun winding him up. If you pushed his buttons far enough, he would do anything to prove himself to you. Like now.
Winter time was fast approaching. Days were drawing closed faster. The night coming earlier each day.
The navy clouds blocked out the view of the sleepy sky. Hajoon was stood by the lake, phone in hand. You sure were taking your time.Â
Behind him, Seonghyeon was fast approaching. In his hand was a bat. Metal. Solid. Deadly.
His footsteps were light and undetected. Even in Hajoon's last moments.
A solid crack from the bat connecting to Hajoonâs head was enough to kill him. One strike.
Without so much of a pause, Seonghyeon carried Hajoonâs slumped figure. All the way to his car, he laid him over the tarp covering the backseats. Then he drove. Drove and drove until he reached the cliff edge. Wrapping Hajoon in the tarp, he dragged him to the edge. Waves crashed against the rocks down below. Hajoon would never be found in such waters. With a kick, Hajoonâs body fell onto the rocks, the waves swallowing him immediately. As he disappeared, the guilt washed over Seonghyeon. He had just killed someone. Out of jealousy. He knew he liked you. A lot. But he had just committed murder because of one interaction that you werenât focusing on him in.Â
Without a second thought, he jumped into his car, driving to your house.
________________________________________________
Your doorbell rang. You were in the middle of warming up some kimchi-jjigae after boiling some rice. Walking up to the front door, you opened it.Â
At your doorstep, there was a distraught Seonghyeon. Eyes wide. Shaking.Â
Yep, he had just killed someone.
âIâm so sorry.â, he cried.
He fell onto his knees, hands finding your hips as he hid his face on your stomach. He sobbed. Hard.Â
Your left hand sceptically reached down to caress his soft hair. He sobbed harder.
âIâm a monster.â, he choked.
âYes, you are.â
You pulled his hair backwards, forcing him to look you in the eye.
âYou are a monster. Did you think I would openly comfort a person like you?â
His eyes shone with fresh tears.
âLook at yourself, Seonghyeon. You are grovelling on your knees before me. How pathetic have you become?â
He tried to form words, but nothing sounded.
âYou think so highly of yourself, yet you are here begging. Ridiculous. Did you think I would choose you?â
âIâŠlove you.â, he whispered.
âYou arenât capable of love. Leave.â
You yanked his hands off of you, slamming the door in his face.
Two down, three to go.
________________________________________________
âEom Seonghyeon!â
âWhatâs up, Yiseo?â
âNot much. You busy?â
âNo, not right now.â
âYou know what day it is today?â
âKeonhoâs birthdayâŠ?â
âValentineâs Day, silly!â
ââŠright.â
âStop moping! It doesnât suit you!â
âIâm not moping.â
âWhereâs Keonho?â
âGetting chocolates, signing things, being the star of the day, per usual.â, he mumbled.
âCheer up, Seonghyeon. Iâve got a surprise for you!â
âYou didnât need to get me anything, Yiseo.â
âDonât tell Keonho, but you are my favourite.â, she winked, nudging him playfully.
He blushed softly. Yiseo was his favourite, he was so glad that she hung around them a lot of the time.
âCome with me!â
She dragged him into the locker room and pulled out a bouquet with a box of luxury chocolates.
âI travelled near and far to find these chocolates. I got the last ones. Here.â
She slotted them into Seonghyeonâs hands.
âThank you, Yiseo. Really.â
âNo problem. Just because itâs Valentineâs or Keonhoâs birthday, doesnât mean you donât get any love today. Iâve got to look after you, you know. Youâre Jamesâ first child!â
They both laughed.Â
All Seonghyeon really wanted was love and affection.Â
________________________________________________
It rained the next day. When you woke up in the morning your mood was already dampened. Seonghyeonâs sobbing had left you irritable and the thought of seeing any of the others, itched you the wrong way.Â
As soon as you walked in, people whispered and giggled. What did they know that you didnât? You were lost in thought until a person jumped on your back.Â
âIâve missed you!â
âHey, Na-bi!â, you laughed.
âHow are you feeling?â, she fell in step with you.Â
âMuch better! That kimchi-jjigae was chefâs kiss.â
âYouâre welcome. I made it just for you. Did you do what you needed to do?â
âThe plan is in motion.â
âIâve got your back. Whatever you need, just give me a shout, okay?â
âIâm glad to have you by my side.â, you gave her hand a squeeze.
âWe only have each other now.â
âThatâs true.â
âWord is going around about two key things.â
âGood or bad news?â
âBoth?â
You sighed.
âGood news first.â, you said.
âHwa-young and Martin arenât together anymore. You know anything about that?â
âMaybe.â
âWell, Iâm sure I donât need to go into detail about the gossip.â
âOh, please do. I need something to brighten up my mood before a killjoy arrives.â
âHwa-young has been sleeping around. Not that anyone didnât know, but there was hard evidence. Martin didnât want that by his side so he jumped ship.â
âCrazy.â
âI know right. The bad news isâŠwell depends on how you view it.â
She looked around, before leaning in to whisper.
âHajoon is dead.â
âDead from what?â
âWe donât know. He just never came home, didnât answer his phone, people think heâs dead.
âTwo deaths and the year has barely started.â, you sighed.
âWhat a crazy year so far. I hope it gets better.â
âMe too.â
âWell, Iâll see you at lunch? Iâve got a stupid presentation to rehearse for the schoolâs anniversary assembly.â
âGood luck with that, Iâve got double Art.â
âI would put myself in solitary confinement if I ever had to draw for two hours.â
âItâs fun! When you have a free you should come along sometime.â
âYeah, no thanks. Iâll get going now, bye!â, she waved enthusiastically.
You grinned back at her before going up the stairs to the Art classrooms. ________________________________________________
When you got up the classroom, everyone had their headphones in, working away. There was never any chatter in here. People had their own things to be getting on with. Today you had to get your sketchbook done. You pulled it out of the drawer of your workstation, and began sketching the areas for your transcriptions.
âHey.â
Your soul sighed.
âHi, Keonho.â, you didnât even have to look up to know who it is.
âCan we talk?â, he whispered softly.
âHere? Do you even get any work done in these lessons?â, you questioned, fiddling with your pencil.
âI do do my work. I just need to talk to you.â
ââŠok.â
âCome with me.â
He took you to the hangout room. It looked messier than usual. Who has fought here?
âSorry about the mess.â
âItâs ok. What happened here?â
âThatâs actually what I wanted to talk you about.â
âOk?â
âYesterday, Juhoon came in here and he was really angry.â
âWhat does that have to do with me?â
âIâm getting there. HeâŠcalled you all sorts of things. He got really worked up about you. Did something happen between you two?â
âNo, nothing.â, you answered innocently.
âYou donât believe him, do you?â, you questioned.
âOf course not. Nobody did. We all stood up for you.â
âThatâs sweet of you.â
âIâm just looking out for you, you know.â
âAnd I appreciate it, Keonho.â
He shoved his hands in his pockets, playing around with something in his right one. Nervousness decorated his face. You were curious to see where this would end.
âAre you staying after school today for the anniversary prep?â
âYep. Are you?â
âYeah, I kind of have to. We can do some work together if you would like.â
âI would like that.â
âCool,â, he whispered.
You leaned back on the couch, eyes still trained on him. He was nervous to meet your eye. By the time you will be done with him, he will never want to look in them ever again.
âAre you nervous, Keonho?â, you giggled.
âNervous? No, no, IâmâŠfine?â, he smiled nervously.
âCute.â
He blushed deeply.
âWell, unlike someone that I know, Iâve actually got to get my artwork done, so Iâm going to head back now.â
âLetâs walk together.â
As you walked, you laid your hand on his arm. You could play him for a little longer. Keonho would be the one to react the worst to his own destruction. ________________________________________________
You really wondered why it was your duty to engage in unpaid labour for the school, out of hours. The day after the next would be the anniversary of the schoolâs opening. A day of celebration and remembering the gift of the Ahnâs opening the school to scholarship students. Scholarship students owed them their gratitude. Or at least thatâs what they want to believe.
âHey! I bought you a cinnamon swirl from the cafĂ©. Eat up before the work begins.â, Na-bi said. She was always trying to feed you one way or the other.
At lunch today, she made you eat two lunches because you were âstill recovering from your illnessâ. She had even tried to feed you! You were her top priority now, it felt nice to be loved by her.
âDo you need me to feed it to you?â, she questioned.
âNo! I can eat by myself Na-bi.â, you giggled.
âGood, good. I have to look after you, because you donât eat well!â, she scolded whilst waving the cinnamon swirl in your face.
You had to give it to her. It was really good.
In fact, it was so good that you didnât even notice the hushed chatter and whispers giggled behind you. A light tap on your shoulder spurred you to turn around. Keonho. You couldnât even enjoy your damn meal.
âHi.â, he said softly.
âHi?â
âCan I have a minute of your time?â
âYou have been asking for a lot lately, Keonho. Getting greedy, are we?â
He laughed lightly.
âI promise it wonât take long.â
âOk.â
âIâm not sure if you knew this, but I really like you. I really do. So I wanted to ask you: will you be my girlfriend?â, he pulled out a small jewellery box.
Everyone was looking. You had to play this right.
âKeonho, you are really sweet, but I see as a friend. A really close friend.â
His signature smile faltered.
Three down over the span of two days.
World star.
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