1996 | Y.Jw

| 19 |

"So like... where are you from?" a voice spoke, interrupting the conversation I was quietly having with Jungwon at the back of the class.

"Sorry?" Jungwon blinked a few times and looked at the girl that sat in front of us. She had turned around in her seat and brushed her blonde hair over her shoulders.

"You're transfers. Where are you from?" she questioned and I just looked over at Jungwon with widened eyes, slowly trailing down to look at his sweatshirt.

"Illinois," I quickly replied and she slowly nodded, chewing on something at the corner of her mouth.

"Where in Illinois? I have some family there," she persisted and I looked to Jungwon once again.

"Small town. In the middle of nowhere. I'm sure it's nowhere near your family," Jungwon quickly excused.

"Yeah... very far from everything else," I nodded in agreement.

"Are you both from there?" she questioned and we both slowly nodded, "ah then you're siblings!" she exclaimed and I only blinked a few times as she leaned closer to me, "you wouldn't mind if I took your brother out on a date, would you?"

"A date?" I questioned hesitantly and she let out a small laugh.

"Of course silly. He's quite handsome, isn't he?" she questioned and played with a bedazzlement that hung from her earlobe, "what? You don't have dates in Illinois?" she chuckled, "I want to go out with him and spend time with him, see if we can be in a relationship."

"We're not siblings," Jungwon slowly spoke and she looked at him.

"Well, then I don't even have to ask for permission!" the girl happily exclaimed and turned to Jungwon, happily extending her hand, "I'm Tiffany Davis."

"Uhm... she's my girlfriend," Jungwon quickly excused making me look at him in bewilderment.

"And you both transfered to the same school?" Tiffany questioned in shock as I just looked at Jungwon with the same bewilderment as before.

"Uh, yeah!" Jungwon exclaimed, "you see... our town was so small and then they closed the school. But we only wanted to go to school together, so we got both of our parents to move here... coincidentally. Yeah..."

Mentally, I facepalmed. It was obviously a lie to anyone, and everyone could see it. But Tiffany simply huffed and glanced me up and down before just humming and turning back in her seat.

"You're a fucking idiot," I pointed out to Jungwon who let out a deep sigh and almost banged his head against the table as he leaned down onto it.

"Give me a break, okay?" he murmured with exhaustion, "for a moment I saw myself kissing her... against my will."

"Oh you poor boy," I cooed before pinching his cheek, "what will you do with so many girls to kiss? First me, now her."

"I don't want to kiss her," Jungwon mumbled as he turned his head on the table, looking towards me as one of his cheeks squished against the desk, "it just... when she asked you if she could date me. It just flashed."

"Because you're too kind to say no," I reminded him and he immediately frowned, "you are Jungwon. You're a people pleaser. You're a people pleaser and I'm a nervous wreck around people, aren't we a nice duo. You talk for me, I freak out for you."

"How are you feeling so far?" he murmured and propped his head up on his hand, now just squishing his soft cheek against the palm of his hand, "too nervous?"

"I think it's alright when we sit in the back," I shrugged at him, "by a corner," I chuckled slightly and leaned against the wall beside me, "I might be feeling a bit nauseous, but it's fine."

"Do you need fresh air?" he questioned and I shook my head quietly, looking down at my hands , which I folded quietly on the table in front of me, "are you sure?"

"If I stand up my legs are currently too wobbly to carry my own weight," I nodded at him with a small laugh, "but I'd like it if we could wait for at least Lin and Emiko after school," I murmured and he hummed.

"I think you have to discuss that with Sunghoon. I'm moving into Soomin's house, remember?" he questioned and I nodded quietly, "will you do fine?"

"How have my nightmares been lately?" I excused and he simply shrugged in return.

"They don't wake me up much," he excused quietly.

"Then I'll be fine," I nodded in assurance, "besides... Sunghoon has promised me he'll help me as good as he possibly can, and I sort of trust him with that," I nodded before noticing his expression of doubt, "I'll keep you updated everyday. Okay?"

"Promise?" he questioned and I nodded at him.

"If it's not a promise I will let you hallucinate on me whenever you'd like," I offered and a small smile grew on his face, "deal?"

"Yeah..." he murmured as he straightened up once again as a teacher wandered into the classroom.

I quietly directed my attention to the teacher as she started the lesson. I had taken notes by doing the same thing as Tiffany had done throughout the first few classes. I'm not sure what I should write down, most of the things we had already learned at the lab.

Under the table I felt a careful poke on the side of my thigh, making me immediately look down. Outstretched in his lap, laid Jungwon's left hand, waving the fingers quietly as if he was waiting for me to do something. 

Once I glanced up at Jungwon he only raised his eyebrows at me as if questioning if I was gonna do something. Instead I just quietly laid my left hand in his with care. Immediately he softly grabbed onto four of my five fingers, excluding my thumb. Slowly his own thumb ran over my knuckles.

"Your hand is soft," Jungwon whispered quietly as I looked back down at my notebook, a small smile spreading on my lips as I just continued to scribble down things in it

For the entirety of the class Jungwon insisted on holding my hand, as if he found comfort in it. I know I found comfort in him holding my hand, it was like he assured me he was there. It was most likely because he knew that I didn't feel too good about this many people.