➵ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓: 𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒 [𝐊.𝐓𝐇]

"So? You like him?"

But clearly, if the suspicious look Hana was blatantly shooting you was any indication, you still had a lot of explaining to do before you could get home.

"Don't you guys have to go right now?" you protested weakly, "Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"That movie can wait," Hana muttered (ingoring the very disgruntled sound Aurem let out behind her), leaning closer to you with a sharp, analyzing look above you that made you think she could mayyyybe look into your very soul. Yep, definitely still suspicious. "Right now, you're going to tell me what the hell is up with you."

"Please," Aurem added, a little more kindly.

Instinctively (even though it was pretty pointless in the fact of Kang Hana, but you still had to try, right?), you let out a scoff and looked down, trying another tactic. "What are you talking about?" you chuckled nervously, brushing imaginary lint off your shoulders, "there's nothing up with me! It's just... pre-exam jitters. Like you said, all the professors reminding me of proper test strategy is getting stressful, to say the least."

Hana gave you a very unamused look. "Bullsh*t," she snorted, slamming a palm flat of her thigh loud enough to make you flinch slightly, dangerous eyes making you grimace, "that's bullsh*t. You are the last person ever to get exam jitters— you always ace your exams, for god's sake! So I'll ask again, b*tch: what the hell is going on? Why are you moping like you're on a crack crash or something?"

You fell quiet for a minute.

Eyes falling to the carpeted car floor beneath your feet, you let out a long sigh, the fight in your leaving. But it was still so, so difficult for you to actually speak, to open your mouth and tell her.

Because you didn't want to believe it.

You caught the way Hana's eyes softened as she watched your mouth open and close, clearly distressed. For all her tough persona, she was actually a huge softy.

"It's about your boytoy, isn't it?" Hana said quietly, leaning over the towering space between you and placing her hand on top of yours, a rueful smile on her face as your head snapped up, caught her eye, "Taehyung. Kim Taehyung."

Goddamn it, even his name was making your heart skip a beat in your chest.

This was getting absurd.

When you didn't answer, defiant gaze dropping to the floor and defeat threading through you, both of your best friends looked at each other again, lips pursed.

"You know you can talk to me," Hana reiterated comfortingly, tersely, after a moment of silence comprised mostly of you working your jaw.

"And me!" Aurem piped up from behind her, peeking over the seats with an encouraging smile.

"I know," you replied instantly, because you did. Your friends were always there for you, they'd always loved you and would for as long as they had to. You did know that, and yet it was still so hard to force the words out because oh god.

"And...?" Aurem swung her hand around in a very impatient 'go on' gesture, making you snort.

"Okay! Fine!" you finally relented, a small, exasperated huff leaving you as you let your face fall into your hands, the distress and ambivalence you'd been feeling ever since last night truly surfacing for the first time today, "Fine. Since you're so insistent on having to know every odd detail about my life, Taehyung and I had a fight, alright? Happy now?"

Your slightly bitter and disgruntled tone didn't go unnoticed by your friends, who both frowned at you, but they let it go, knowing how sullen you got when you were forced into not having your way.