Chapter 22 The Summer Of Hannah #2
Longing after Wynter Andy Kwon in secret felt like reaching for a dandelion in the breeze, it was not mine to acquire, it belongs to the earth and everything in it.
It was like trying to find a bright red poppy in a field of evergreen grass, like trying to drink the ocean with nothing but a wooden straw.
It was impossible, but it was this very impossibility that had me so encapsulated by the idea of him. Of someday being close to him.
We lay there in silence for a while, the weight of her words settling around us.
I wanted to tell her that things would get better, that maybe Hannah would surprise her, or that one day, she’d find someone who would choose her, no matter what.
But all I could do was hold her hand and promise her that I’d be here, no matter what happened.
We stayed like that, imagining a world where she could be herself without fear, and I wasn't committing the ultimate act of betrayal by falling for her brother.
It was a pool day the day that Hannah decided to wreak havoc.
I watched as Wynter made his way out of the water, his skin honeyed from the harshness of the summer sun—it was nothing compared to the ivory.
It was at the start. The droplets cascaded down his body, and I tried my best not to gawk at him, and how unbelievable he looked.
The summer was different. His jawline was sharper, his shoulders brother.
He was not a boy anymore and would never be again.
I looked away, trying to compose myself, but Hannah was clearly watching him too, an amused smirk spreading across her lips.
She wore a sunset orange Victoria’s Secret bikini with rhinestones she kept raving about that she apparently got on a trip to Italy earlier that year.
She spoke about how for her seventeenth she tasted way more than just mimosas across Europe—that she’d adopted a taste for the boys too.
“Wow,” she drooled, not bothering to hide her fascination. “Wynter's quite the sight, isn’t he? He’s so hot.”
I bit my lip, wishing she’d stop talking, but she wasn’t even close to done.
Hannah leaned back on her lounge chair, taking a slow sip of her iced tea as if she owned the place.
“I mean, you know, some guys our age still look like boys,” she said, her voice dripping with that false sense of wisdom she always used to make herself sound older.
“But Wynter…he’s on another level. Definitely boyfriend material. ”
“You’ve never even had a boyfriend that lasted more than two weeks, Han,” Sydney groaned.
“Yeah well maybe I’ve had a change of heart…” She pouted then glanced back at Wynter looking him up and down like he was her next meal.
Sydney snickered, tossing me a sympathetic look. “You’re just saying that because he’s competing in the Olympics and you want a shiny new trophy, also he’s tall and doesn’t slouch like the rest of them.”
“No, I’m saying that because he’s confident,” Hannah replied, rolling her eyes.
“Confidence is everything. Boys our age don’t have that.
They have no idea who they are and aren’t self-assured.
Wynter has presence—he’s not trying to impress anyone.
That’s what’s so… mature and hot about him.
Honestly, I bet he’d be amazing to date. ”
I shifted uncomfortably, hoping the heat in my cheeks didn’t give me away. Hannah tilted her head, watching him with a knowing smile, like she already had him all figured out, like she thought she could see things in him no one else could.
And all I could think was: Jiwon was right, this girl thinks only of herself and what she can take. Or maybe that was the envy screaming.
“He’s single, right?” she asked, barely glancing at me. “We should find out.” Without waiting, she nudged Sydney. “Ask Cahya if Wynter’s seeing anyone. Or…if he’s interested.”
Sydney called over to Cahya, who came over, grinning as he wiped pool water from his face. “What’s up?” he asked, squatting down as Sydney grinned back.
“Does Wynter have a girlfriend?” she asked, lowering her sunglasses and quirking an eyebrow.
“Woah, Syd, and here I thought you and Jax—”
“This isn’t for me jackass. I’m asking for a friend. Just be honest before she gets her hopes up, yeah?” Syd suggested.
Cahya laughed, glancing back at Wynter, who was now floating lazily on his back, his toned body in full view, eyes closed. “Nah, Wynter’s single,” Cahya replied easily. “But he’s private about that stuff. He doesn’t really talk about dating or girls. Keeps it to himself.”
“Oh, that’s so cute!” Hannah chuckled. “God, would you look at that face, that body, it all belongs on the cover of Vogue.”
“Woah there, tiger.” Sydney gagged. “Spare us.”
“I get the sense I should leave now—but yeah, he’s not seeing anyone so you can tell your friend that last I checked,” Cahya sighed, standing up, “he’s fair game.”
“Game is game.” Hannah smiled as Cahya nodded then dived back beneath, the still blue splashing us all.
“Cahya, you ass!” I groaned, chlorine all over my copy of The Night Circus. I glanced down at my strawberry print bathing suit, maybe it was too childish, maybe that was why Wynter didn’t look at me?
Hannah’s eyes glinted, and she gave an exaggerated, mock-sigh of satisfaction. “Interesting. Very interesting. Makes you wonder…” she leaned in closer to Sydney, voice dropping but loud enough for me to hear, “do you think he’s a virgin?”
“He’s a seventeen-year-old boy with the face of a Greek god, plus he said he’s kissed three girls already. I doubt it,” Sydney mentioned.
“Nah he has this look in his eye that I can’t quite explain…” Hannah contemplated,
“What look?” I scoffed,
“Like he’s never seen boobs in real life before.” She laughed to herself. “It’s adorable!”
The words hit like a slap, a twist of jealousy flaring up in my chest. The thought of her even considering Wynter in that way—of seeing him as a challenge or something to be conquered—made me grit my teeth.
I forced myself to keep my expression neutral, but every word out of her mouth felt like an invasion.
Sydney laughed, nudging her playfully. “Hannah, oh my God. Why do you care?”
Hannah shrugged, feigning innocence but clearly enjoying every second of the attention.
“I just think it’s…fascinating. Guys like him, they keep things close, but that just makes you want to know more, right?
” She looked right at me, a teasing smirk on her lips, like she knew exactly how much it was bothering me.
“Besides, who wouldn’t be curious about someone like Wynter? ”
Gold rush, and like I’d said, I was losing.
“He’s demisexual though, so he’s not gonna give you the time of day unless you’re his friend so forget about it,” I spat bitterly, much harsher than I’d intended to. “Just leave him alone.”
Hannah arched an eyebrow, her smirk deepening as she looked at me with a mixture of amusement and condescension.
“Oh, sweetie,” she drawled, her tone dripping with fake sympathy.
“That’s adorable. You really think that’s how it works?
Trust me, when someone’s actually interested, friendship is the last thing on their mind.
” She gave a little laugh, like she couldn’t quite believe I was serious then snapped the strap of her bathing suit.
“But I get it. You’re still young—just a baby in her strawberry onesie, you’ll understand someday when you’re grown up like us. ”
“Hannah, what the fuck? You’re always like this when it comes to boys, it’s gross honestly.” Sydney stood up, folding her arms in protest.
Hannah leaned back, tossing her hair over her shoulder, clearly pleased with herself. “Just because he doesn’t notice you, doesn’t mean he’ll be blind to everyone else, you know?”
I tried to laugh it off, but jealousy coiled tighter in my chest, my heart pounding.
I wanted to tell her she was wrong, that she didn’t understand him at all.
That his sexuality didn’t work that way and wasn’t a challenge for her to conquer or manipulate.
But instead, I just lay back, staring up at the sun, wishing Wynter would look over and see me—not Hannah, not anyone else—just this once.
The past two weeks had turned into a slow unravelling—a quiet, insidious change that made every corner of the Kwon house feel unfamiliar. Hannah’s presence lingered everywhere, slipping into the cracks of daily life.
She had made it her sole purpose in life to befriend Wynter—she sat next to him at every opportunity, she laughed at everything he said, she complimented him and played with his hair. She was determined to get what she wanted, whatever that was.
And Wynter? He thought she just wanted to play nice and make friends, he had no idea that she was out for blood—she wanted to take from him, she wanted his soul.
And perhaps I’m insane for describing her like a Disney villain but that was truly how it felt to me back then.
Each morning, whenever I had the chance to sleep over at the Kwon’s there was some new trace of her—a stray earring on the bathroom counter, a half-empty bottle of perfume in the hall, makeup brushes spilling out of her bag on Jiwon’s vanity.
She left a pair of shoes by the front door as though she’d been there forever, like she belonged there, taking up space that wasn’t hers.
Even her laughter seemed to echo in the rooms long after she’d left, weaving into the walls.
Jiwon had dared to question it all first, quietly, probably out of hurt that the very girl she’d been writing to all summer had turned around and forgotten her so easily for her own brother.
She was almost hesitant at first, as though speaking it aloud made it more real.
“She’s like a…storm,” she muttered one afternoon, her voice low as we sat around in her living room.
“She comes in, leaves everything a mess, and then just…goes like it’s no big deal. But I’m the one picking up after her.”