fangirl | renjun

Chapter 18

"I really need to hear a proper answer from the two of you." Haechan looms over them.

It was now the next day. After that fateful encounter last night they were interrupted by Aera's parents who happened to have run into the four of them on their way home. This only saved Aera and Renjun a few more hours, but— just as they suspected— Haechan and Jinae pulled both Renjun and Aera away from where they usually spent their lunches.

"I can give you answers, but why is Jinae here?" Renjun looked over at Jinae, making him mentally cringe at the fact that he had to tell them that she was the reason behind such an irrational decision.

"Looks like you had something to tell her last night, didn't you?"

Haechan's comment made Renjun turn his head towards Aera, who was not moving and had her head down.

They were sitting on the bleachers, right beneath the exact same tree where Aera always sits during the soccer team's practice sessions. The heat of the midday sun could not compare to the head that Haechan and Jinae were giving them.

"I did—" Renjun stops talking all of a sudden as Aera just jolts in place. Instinctively he places his arms around her shoulders. Before he could think about the consequences of his actions towards the suspicious looks Haechan and Jinae were giving them.

"Are the two of you still faking this?" Haechan was no longer buying anything they were doing as if he didn't hear the part where Renjun said he no longer wanted to pretend— or maybe he completely forgot about it.

Anyone would if all they could think about was the couple that erupted out of nowhere to tell each other about the tomfoolery that they made of their friends.

Although the comment did make Renjun and Aera flinch. Both couldn't look back at Haechan, but they definitely couldn't seem to look at each other. His hands just resting around her but their heads turning the other way was not something that missed JInae's line of sight.

"Haechan—"

"I should have known something was odd when you came to the field that day— together!" Haechan runs his hand through his hair. "No," he shakes his head, "I want to hear it from the two of you. Why did the two of you decide to fake this whole thing like we're stuck in some sort of coming-of-age series?"

Aera sighs and finally looks up. "You're right."

Haechan's face was always so animated that even the shock on his face couldn't be hidden.

"But it's because you don't know Yuri like I do." Aera's voice was growing frustrated. "IF she knew that I was serious about liking Jaemin, she would have never acted on her feelings. Didn't you see it? Jaemin and Yuri didn't happen until I started "dating" Renjun." Putting air-quotation over the word dating. She turns her head the other way and towards Renjun, "I also realized that I liked him too late."

Renjun bites back a smile feeling warm in his stomach remembering the heartbreaking feeling it had to hold her crying in his arms— but it was warm that she was now able to laugh about it. He truly was neck deep into her.

Haechan sighs, catching the attention of both Aera and Renjun, before eventually taking a step back. He nods his head slowly understanding fully why she was so eager to put herself in the situation.

"Then what about you?" He looks over at Renjun.

He sighs, quite audibly as if he knew that the question would circle back to him. He looks over at Aera before looking back at Haechan and glancing towards the senior who was standing behind him as he intimidated the two of them with various questions.