Cynosure || Choi Yeonjun [ON HOLD]

✧ 29

Hyewon POV:

I spent most of the evening in an internet café, knowing Yeonjun would be at my house, carrying out his weekly routine of staying over on a Friday night; he had been doing it since we were eight.

Haru's words were engraved in my mind like carvings into stone, serving as a constant reminder that I had promised to stay away from Yeonjun, and I had no intention of breaking that promise.

It would, undoubtedly, be a lot more difficult if I was doing it as the result of a threat, contrary to the healthier motivation of doing it of my own accord. However, going against Haru's wishes would result in both me receiving a fresh load of hurtful rumours, and knowing that I was the same dishonest, shallow person so many people assumed me to be.

But, somehow, this certain restriction made it harder to stop myself from just wanting to talk to him.

By the time I had finally decided to return home, it was dark outside and the time read '00:18'. All but a few people had already left the café, and I considered staying a little longer to call a cab to remain safe from the probable drunks that were roaming the streets at this time.

Just as I had retreated away from the entrance, I saw a familiar face emerging from behind one of the monitors, picking up her bag and approaching me. Her thin-rimmed glasses glinted gently under the luminescence cast by the ceiling lights, as if trying to imitate the two hazel crescents that sparkled kindly behind them.

I quickly returned the smile, as well as a polite bow as I greeted her.

"Good evening, Miss Oh."

"Evening, Hyewon."

Her eyes flickered towards the door behind me for a second, the action seeming to pull her eyebrows a little closer together as her head slanted to the side slightly.

"Are you here alone?"

Although I was perfectly aware of the situation before she pointed it out, I suddenly felt a little more aware of the lack of safety I was setting myself up for.

Smiling in slight embarrassment, I nodded my head, to which Miss Oh's eyes swelled in a way that made her seem a lot more surprised than she probably was.

"It's past midnight! Who's the one that usually drives you lot..."

Knowing who she was referring to, my chest fell slightly with the reminder of my new forbidden fruit, and I felt obligated to speak before his name could return to her memory.

"Juyoung and them are busy tonight. If I'm being honest, I didn't expect to be here this long."

My voice had an underlying tone of guilt and embarrassment, probably being the first to be caught in such a situation with a teacher.

Miss Oh's head bobbed slowly, the look in her eyes making it seem like she understood my prolonged visit to the internet café as the form of escapism that it truly was.

She used her hand to lazily gesture somewhere outside, looking over in the direction for a second.

"Can I drop you off at home?"

=

Yeonjun POV:

Hearing a car pull up in the driveway, it was impossible for me not to check if it was Hyewon, desperate to cut the bloom of worry of her whereabouts at the bud.

Juyoung and Jeonghan's head's perking up interestedly just as fast as - if not faster than - my own at the rough gravel crunching from outside, Jeonghan and I didn't hesitate to use this opportunity to stretch our legs as we followed Juyoung to the front door.

The car was almost unnervingly similar to that of Miss Oh's, one of the teachers at school. However, upon Hyewon's emerging from the vehicle and temporary view of the driver's seat, it was confirmed that the driver was, in fact, Miss Oh.

Although, I could safely guess that no one took the energy to look at the driver, their attention more easily drawn by the passenger.

Juyoung rushed towards Hyewon the second she was visible, demonstrating far greater speed than he revealed during his basketball practices.

I couldn't hear a word of what he spoke to her about, but based on the lack of tears or yelling, it was easy to guess that Hyewon had some good reason as to why she stayed out later than her school night bedtime. Her calm and collected body language contributed to this conclusion; or she was too tired to try and argue.

As the two of them joined Jeonghan and I at the front door, I was met with the realisation that my efforted attempts at catching Hyewon's eye weren't failed, but ignored. I felt almost invisible, the usual glances you threw at faces new to your environment were complretely unaccounted for.

With a final wave to Miss Oh, Hyewon closed the door and instantly paved herself a beeline towards the stairs, without so much as a  glance for me.

I watched her ascend the stairs, knowing I was in too deep to go back now.

The book was waiting on her desk.

what you guys thinking?

a vote is highly appreciated <33