𝗨𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘, ᴅᴏɴɢ sɪᴄʜᴇɴɢ

seventeen

Hyewon and Yuta walked hand in hand. Since they were on campus, they received many stares. Not entirely unexpected as Yuta was pretty well known between the students of their university.

At first Yuta was too scared to hold her hand. He was scared she wouldn't be okay with it, but after a lot of convincing, he finally gave in. Hyewon found it adorable how hard he tried to ensure that she was always comfortable around him.

It had been well over two weeks since they first started dating and Hyewon was a lot more happy about the relationship than she initially was. Yuta was a good guy and he treated her well. So, really what was there to be scared of?

She's tried not to think about that night at Sicheng's house too much. It really was just a silly thought and probably had no meaning behind it. She was probably just feeling unwell or something.

"I have about 5 minutes before my class starts. I could walk you to your friends and then make a run for it." Yuta suggested.

However, Hyewon shook her head. "No, you go ahead. I'm sure I know how to handle myself alone." She joked but Yuta still looked at her with uncertainty. "I'll be fine, Yuta."

He nodded and after giving her one last doubtful look, he pecked her cheek and left for his class. Hyewon watched him until he was completely out of sight. She sighed and started walking to her friends.

"I saw that." Hyewon was slightly startled at the sudden voice and whipped around. Aeri laughed at her shocked face. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine." Hyewon replied and Aeri fell in step with her.

"So..." Aeri began and Hyewon glanced over at her. "You two are cute together." She stated and Hyewon chuckled.

"Thank you... I guess." She sheepishly answered. How does one even respond to such a statement? "I'm sorry for keeping it a secret for so long. I just thought it'll be better if you all found out on your own rather than me boast my relationship while yours isn't in a good place."

"Hyewon." Aeri blankly said, "Just because Mark and I aren't on good terms, doesn't mean your happiness doesn't deserve to be celebrated. I mean, I was the one who wanted you together in the first place." Aeri lightly bumped their hips and Hyewon laughed.

"You're right... Still sorry though. About you and Mark, I mean."

"It's okay. I think we'll be okay or at least I'm praying damn hard that we will be." The dejected tone in her voice made Hyewon feel bad for the girl. They've been together for well over four years and they've always been happy, but the fact that they weren't anymore just broke her heart. If their love couldn't last, how was she supposed to still believe in love for herself?

"Are you still mad at him?" Hyewon asked Aeri and the girl shook her head.

"No, but we can't seem to have one conversation anymore without it turning into an argument. I know this sounds bad, but I overheard what Hyuck told you. If Mark really is considering breaking up with me, I don't know what I'll do."

"Aeri..." Hyewon started. She felt beyond regretful that her friend had to hear that. That's the last thing anyone would want to hear about their relationship.

"No, it's fine. At least, it's a heads up. I can probably prepare myself for the possibility." If there's one thing about Aeri that everyone loved was how expressive she was. You always knew how she felt from just one look at her face but now, as the girl stood in front of Hyewon, she was expressionless. She felt defeated and Hyewon could see it in her eyes.

Hyewon wish she had the right words to give the girl, but instead she pulled her into a tight hug. She felt Aeri relax in her arms while Hyewon rubbed small circles on her back. After they pulled away from each other, Hyewon caught a glimpse of Mark. The boy was looking in their direction but looked away the moment his eyes met Hyewon's.

She ignored him and shifted her gaze back to Aeri. "He loves you and I know you love him too. Hyuck didn't mean any of that, okay? You will work things out again."

Aeri hesitantly nodded at Hyewon's words, but as soon as she noticed Mark sitting at their table she froze. "I'll just head to class early. Thank you, Hye. See you later."

Hyewon went over to the others and plopped right in front of Mark. "Explain yourself." Mark stared at her, eyes wide in confusion. "Don't act dumb, Mark. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

The boy sighed, closing his notebook. "Look, I don't know what you want me to say. It's just not good right now."

"Don't bullshit me, Mark. You both love each other. All you have to do is apologize and she'll take you right back."

"Not everything is as easy as it is for you, Hyewon." Mark snapped. "You are the last person to be talking to me about my feelings when you're too fucking stupid to realize your own."

"What are you even talking about?" Hyewon asked. She was extremely offended by his sudden attitude towards her.

Mark huffed as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "Nothing. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off that way."

"It's okay. I understand you're going through stuff right now." She tried to reassure him but it was hard to act like he hadn't just upset her. "Just take a deep breath and calm down. You'll figure things out." She then got up about to walk away. It was better to remove herself from the situation anyway.

"Hyewon..." Mark tried to stop her but she didn't respond and left him again.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sicheng asked as she nearly walked right into him.

"Nothing. Its nothing. Want to walk with me?" She immediately changed the topic, plastering on her best smile.