Fragile | Seonghwa

11

"H-huh?" You stutter, feeling very flustered. Seonghwa doesn't wait for your approval as he glides past you to the door, quietly mumbling "let's go" without turning.

A million thoughts rush into your mind then. Seonghwa will be walking you home. You'll be alone with him for the ten minute walk between the building to the accommodation. Ten whole minutes.

Unfortunately for you, the man beside you doesn't seem to be in the mood to talk. The both of you uncomfortably walk in silence through the quiet campus. The sun is setting, painting the sky vibrant shades of pink and orange. The fluffy clouds look like decorations above you, waiting for the stars to take their place soon. You feel slightly less awkward while walking with Seonghwa with your surroundings keeping your mind occupied.

"...beautiful" You suddenly snap out of your daze and realise Seonghwa was saying something, but you only heard the last word. He's looking straight ahead so you assume he's talking about the sky. "I agree. I love the colours in the sky" you try to make it seem as if you were listening thee whole time.

You clearly failed at that as Seonghwa shakes his head.

"No, I meant-" he cuts off, thinking of what to say while cutely fidgeting with his fingers. "You playing piano..." he starts to go a vibrant red, complimenting the colour palette of the sky very well. "...I thought it was beautiful" 

Your mouth drops open in shock at Seonghwa's sudden but shy confession. For some reason, it meant so much more hearing those words from him rather than your other friends. You start beaming, relief washing over you. 

"Thanks" Now you feel like it's the right time to admit something too. "You're really good at dancing...could I watch you dance one day too?" You bite your lip as you see Seonghwa in deep thought. "It'll just be me! No one else knows anyway, right?" You try your best to reassure him. You've never been this brave while talking to people before, but standing beside Seonghwa gave you the confidence and determination you never knew you had.

After a few more seconds of consideration on his side, to your surprise, he agrees. "Okay but you can't let anyone know that you're going to see me dance. If you're free on Saturday then I could show you during the time I usually practice, which would be the morning. You know where you'll find me"

You smile happily at two things. You'll get to see Seonghwa dance again, and he's comfortable enough with you to let you watch him dance. You sigh out of relief and nod enthusiastically, ignoring the quizzical yet judgmental look on Seonghwa's face.

As you approach your front door, you decide to take advantage of your rare burst of confidece. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm sure Yunho would be delighted too"

You can't believe you just asked that to someone you barely know and you slightly start to regret it. You prepare to take back your words until Seonghwa shocks you once again.

"Okay" Is all he says, accompanied by a very small smile with a slight hint of friendliness present in his eyes. Very slight.

You nervously push open the door, suddenly remembering the state you had left it in. And surely enough, it was the same. Empty packets and crumbs were scattered all over the floor and there were blankets and pages sheet music thrown around the place. You hide your face in embarrassment as Seonghwa giggles beside you.

"I'll help you clean" He offers. Your heart flutters at his words but you don't get a chance to answer as Yunho comes screaming down the stairs. "DID YOU GUYS KISS?" You instantly burn up and notice Seonghwa react similarly beside you. As soon as Yunho notices him, he shrinks. "Sorry, I meant hi Seonghwa?" he raises his voice in a questioning tone and you decide it'd be the best idea to ignore what he had said mere moments ago, rather than threaten to beat him up like you normally would.

"Hi Y/n! And Seonghwa?" Mingi also comes trotting down the stairs, to your surprise. You suggestively look at Yunho and he tries to quickly explain. "I just invited him for dinner! Nothing else" You notice a blush start to creep up on his squishy cheeks. "Well same here with Seonghwa" You try to shrug nonchalantly.

You stare at your pasta uncomfortably, the awkwardness in the air causing you to lose your appetite. In front of you, Yunho tries to break the tension. "So... Seonghwa! You do Biomed too?"

Seonghwa does nothing to help Yunho in his situation as he simply nods. "Where do you live?" He throws another question out in hopes of getting a real answer. "I share an apartment with three other friends near campus" He finally opens his mouth. You silently wonder to yourself if the friends he lives with are the same creepy boys beside you in the lab...

"Let's finish up quickly so we can have the cake I just bought" Yunho smirks in your direction, and your eyes instantly light up at the thought of one of your favourite desserts. Seonghwa shoots you a puzzled look by your abrupt change in demeanour.

"You like cake that much?" He asks, still confused. "Yeah, Y/n has a huge sweet tooth and loves anything with sugar. She's an actual baby" Yunho giggles in your direction after seeing your bright eyes suddenly switch to a dark glare. "I'm not a baby..." You say with a pout, slightly playing along with Yunho.

After wolfing down your pasta and slowly savouring each crumb of the rich chocolate cake, you notice Seonghwa stand up beside you. "It's getting late so I should go. Thank you so much for the dinner and your little performance earlier on" He winks to you, causing you to hurl your eyes to the floor, hopefully hiding your baffled face.

After Seonghwa leaves your home with a friendly wave, Mingi also says his goodbyes a few minutes later before also exiting.

"I can't believe you just invited Seonghwa over for dinner! Since when did you get that close? How much did you even talk in those two minutes I left you alone? Does that mean you want to be friends with him after all?" Questions keep on tumbling out of your best friend's mouth and you don't know which to answer first.

"Fine, I'll just say it! Maybe, just maybe I like Seonghwa and-" Before you get to finish, Yunho lets out a high pitched squeal. "I knew it!" He excitedly roars at your face while grabbing onto your shoulders. You avoid eye contact as you say the next part. "I'll be meeting him on Saturday but I can't tell you what we're doing" You recall Seonghwa's anxious face from when you walked in on him dancing, and remember not to even accidentally mention it to Yunho.

Your words cause your friend to break down into a hyper celebratory dance and you have a small fear setting in that he might tease you now. "That's great! Let's sit down and you have to tell me more" He supportively ushers you to the sofa, and you're afraid you'll share too much but you talk anyway.

You've finally realised how you feel about Seonghwa and you don't know if you should accept an inevitable rejection or keep trying.

You might have a chance and it'd be a shame to give it up.