Stranger's Kiss ✔

56

F I F T Y   S I X

T h i r d   P e r s o n ' s

·

Haesoo went to school as if nothing happened. She wanted to see Yeonjun and apologize, but she knew about the fact that Yeonjun has been snubbing school since last week after the public scandal Joohan caused.

It should not matter much. After all, Haesoo has let all her feelings out to Beomgyu yesterday. She feels better—at least she could assume. The grief-like feeling was placed further from her heart now that she is certain of Yeonjun's innocence. He was not the bad guy everybody told Haesoo about. However, the puzzle shall remain incomplete as long as Yeonjun is not around Haesoo.

Haesoo went to the last exit of the university to lead herself to the parking lot. Her classes are over a little later than usual—class extension, as how her professor would call it. Her mom was supposed to fetch her, but her arrival seems to be behind of the expected. As she waited for her mom, she walked across the parking lot and to the other side, near the benches. Her steps were slow and calm, until she felt something behind her.

There were footsteps. The girl wanted to ignore the shaddow that made her certain of the follower's existence. She carried on walking as she tried to be calm. It probably is one of the crazy fans of TXT.

By the time she reached the dead end, the resting of her feet suddenly synchronized with the figure behind her. Both of them stopped. Haesoo wanted to confront the person, but she knew she wasn't as confident as she dreamed to be.

Haesoo closed her eyes before she reached for her pocket to get her phone, but she was already stunned before she could ever make a move, because of the voice she heard. "Haesoo..." The voice called her name.

Haesoo's shivering hands were incapable of going for her phone. Suddenly, Haesoo's eyes began to leak with tears. It was Yeonjun's voice—what she heard.

Yeonjun was there. He came to her, although she was uncertain of the reason. Haesoo could not turn around to face Yeonjun, for she didn't want to show him her tears that he last saw from that rainy night of revelations.

As she remained standing, she felt his arms slowly wrapping around her waist; Yeonjun hugged Haesoo from behind. "L-let me do this, please. Just for a minute, let me."

"Yeonjun..."

"I... I keep missing you."

Haesoo cried even more. It was a silent, quiet cry that is without a trace of even a moan or a sniffle. She could not move an inch, for she admits how much she longed for Yeonjun's touch and even his mere presence.

The way Yeonjun hugged Haesoo was similar to the embrace of a parent—so tight and warm, as if the arms that wrapped around her would never ever let go. Indeed, Yeonjun would not want to, but they lasted for a minute, exactly how he said. He did not want Haesoo to think that he would insist anything again, like he used to do.

Yeonjun's arms slowly let Haesoo loose. He took his arms off as he initiated three steps back. Yeonjun viewed Haesoo's hair for a moment before he turned away, ready to go once again.

But it wasn't enough for Haesoo. How can a hug as such last only for a minute, when she knew she had long for it probably even more than Yeonjun did?  Haesoo wiped her tears away and turned around to look at Yeonjun. "Y-Yeonjun!" She called.

By then, Yeonjun has only taken a few steps. The way Haesoo called his name that time left him no choice but to halt. "Yeonjun... Talk to me," Haesoo said.

Yeonjun thought that after he broke out from the backhug, his departure would be smooth-sailing. However, the only thing Yeonjun could do was to turn around to face Haesoo again, this time with a chance to see her face.

He looked at Haesoo's irises. I miss her, he thought. He could remember her fine nose and her fluffy cheeks. And of course, her pretty lips that he had felt ever since their very first meeting, and kisses that rose up to an amount he could not remember. He wanted to kiss her, but he didn't. "Haesoo, I can't. Not now," were the only words he could reply to Haesoo's request.

Yeonjun went forward to hug Haesoo again—properly, this time. Haesoo immediately wrapped her arms back around Yeonjun, and her face resting on his heartbeat. Yeonjun was wearing a gray hooded jacket that aided him on hiding his tears. "Why can't we talk?

"I am making a way. But soon, I promise, Haesoo..." Yeonjun responded.

Minutes have passed and Haesoo's mom arrived at the parking lot, heading out from the car to look around for the young lady. She called Haesoo's name, but she could not find her, until she went towards the end of the parking lot. She found Haesoo, alone, standing in the middle of a room full only of cars and echoes. She found Haesoo, staring at the empty floor.