Creator || Lee Jaehyun

twenty-eight

"It's a miracle that we weren't late this morning," Yerin commented, sitting down on the bench and patting the space beside her. 

"If we were late, it would have been your fault. You distracted me," Hyunjae told her, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her close. 

"My fault?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him. "Sir, you were the one who started it." 

"Whoops," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "My mistake." He pulled away, taking her hand. His fingers gripped hers a little tighter than comfortable. "Yerin... I have a question-" 

"Hyunjae!" 

Yerin looked up to see Hyewon and Juyeon running towards them. A smile immediately came to her eyes when she saw them. Knowing the progression of their relationship, the tiny details that brought them together, the foreshadowing that she'd put at the beginning of the book that became important later on... it made her really happy to see them together now. 

Especially because she didn't feel guilty towards Hyunjae anymore. 

The realization hit her hard, and it surprised her. The whole ordeal had started because she'd felt so sorry for him. Because she felt guilty for not letting her sweet second lead win Hyewon's heart. Because she felt guilty for hurting him. 

But he was happy now. She didn't want to sound cocky, but he was happy with her. She knew he was. She could see it in his eyes, and his eyes didn't lie. And likewise, she was happy with him. 

Hyunjae scooted closer towards her, making room on the bench for Hyewon and Juyeon to side beside him. Hyewon took the seat next to him, and Yerin studied his face, waiting for a reaction. After all, she'd written his character to be incapable of getting over Hyewon. He was supposed to sadly stay by her side as a friend, always being heartbroken and never able to find love for himself. 

His expression didn't change at all until he turned to face her. 

When Yerin met his eyes, she watched his face light up. Just a little bit, barely noticeable, but there was a change.

"This wasn't a world I created," she said softly, squeezing his hand. "It's almost as if I just tapped into a different world, saw what was happening, and wrote it down." 

"Honestly, after everything, I wouldn't find that too hard to believe," Hyunjae said, half-joking. He turned back to Hyewon and Juyeon, and there was no pain in his expression. She was relieved. 

"I'm curious about something..." Hyewon said. "Do you mind if I ask?" 

"Go ahead," Hyunjae responded, and Yerin could tell from the tone of his voice that he suspected what the question would be. She could too. 

"Are you guys dating?" Hyewon blurted out, unable to hold back her curiosity. 

Yerin laughed, pulling her hand away from Hyunjae and covering her face with her hands as she laughed. She just couldn't stop laughing. She wasn't even completely sure why. 

Maybe because everything was so absurd. She was in her book, experiencing so many scenes that shouldn't have even been there. She was dating one of the characters. 

It was absurd, but in the best way possible, and she suddenly felt so happy. She was so happy that she couldn't stop the laughter that spilled out of her. 

She felt Hyunjae put his arm around her shoulders, and she looked up at Hyewon and Juyeon, trying to stop her laughter. They looked confused at her little outburst, and their expressions almost made her start laughing all over again. Almost. 

"Yes, we're dating," Hyunjae said. 

Yerin's heart swelled, hearing those words. 

"We should double-date sometime," Juyeon suggested, his eyes bright and happy. The love triangle with Hyewon had put a dent in his friendship with Hyunjae, and Yerin knew that he must be relieved at the idea of things not being tense anymore. 

"How about this weekend?" Hyewon suggested excitedly. 

"Sounds good to me... I think," Hyunjae said, glancing at Yerin. 

She nodded. "If I'm here, then definitely," she agreed, a piece of her heart shattering when she saw the sadness that appeared in Hyunjae's eyes when she said those words. 

"Are you leaving?" Juyeon asked. 

"I..." she trailed off, unsure of what she could possibly say. Of how she could possibly explain it. 

"Hey," Hyunjae said suddenly, his gaze on Hyewon and Juyeon. "Can you give us some time alone? We have some things to talk through." 

"Of course," Hyewon said, patting his shoulder. She got up and walked away, hand in hand with Juyeon. Yerin watched them go, her heart suddenly feeling heavy. 

Yerin cleared her throat. "So... um... what are we talking about?" she asked, trying to avoid looking at Hyunjae's face. She couldn't stand to meet his eyes. She was awful, wasn't she? She'd only entered into the book to break his heart yet again. And why did she have to mention leaving? Everything was going fine. It was a nice conversation until she went and ruined it. Stupid. 

"Let's not feel guilty anymore," Hyunjae said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It seemed to have become a habit for him, but she liked it. She thought it was cute. It made her heart flutter and chased any of her thoughts away. 

"I don't," she insisted, which may have not been completely true. She still felt guilty, but the reasons were different now. She opened her mouth to protest more, but he shook her head at her, cutting her off. 

"Every time we talk about you leaving, you look guilty and sad. Let's stop that. I'm sad too... honestly the thought of you leaving... I don't know how I'll live without you anymore," he said, giving her a small smile. "But let's not be sad. Let's be happy for any time we have together. Let's just be happy and grateful." 

"No more being sad," she whispered. "And no more being guilty. Let's do it," she said, smiling at him. "You're right." 

"Now... don't feel guilty when I ask you this question. Okay?" 

Yerin eyed him warily. "Okay..." 

"You said you entered by saying 'I'm sorry, Lee Jaehyun,' and touching your computer screen... and what? Then you just ended up here?" 

She nodded. 

"Do you think it'll work the other way? When you leave... if I do that, will it work?" 

"I don't know," she whispered. "I hope so." 

They stayed in silence for a minute, the air heavy around them. 

"I'll try it," Hyunjae promised. "When you leave, I'll try it every day. I'll try it until it works. I'm not giving up on you, Yerin."

***

A/N 

They're cute🥺