Ameliorate
v. | to make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better.
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She felt a hand on her knee, a thumb rubbing circles on it softly.
"What's this for?"
"You look like you need it."
As he was about to retract his hand, Mirae grabbed it, lowering...
"Let's go." Yuna was jumping up and down excitedly.
"Wait, jeez." Mirae packed her books away and followed the sporadic girl out the door.
"I hate that we have to go in our uniforms." Yuna shook her head. "But we have to since Mark and Donghyuck can't stay longer."
"Watch them make fun of us for looking so young." Mirae shook her head.
"Wanna bet?" Yuna reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a 10,000 won bill.
"You're on." Mirae nodded as they walked to their hangout spot: the cafe.
The two of them were the first to get there. They ordered drinks first and went to their usual corner, sitting in their usual spots. One by one, someone would arrive. First Nabi, then Mark, then Soo-ah, then Haechan and finally Jeno.
"Gosh, I almost didn't recognize you." Haechan sat down. "I've never seen you in uniform." He nudged Yuna. "You look like babies."
"Hah, I told you!" Mirae poked at Yuna. "Hand it over."
"Fine." Yuna reached into her pocket, handing the bill over.
Confused, Haechan watched the scene unfold. "What?"
"Oh, we just bet that someone here would make fun of us for looking so young," Yuna explained. "Thanks for making me lose my money."
"I- what?!" Haechan dramatically put a hand to his chest as everyone else erupted into laughter.
~*~
"Want a lift?" Jeno got up, following Mirae out the door.
"I'll be okay. You probably have to go somewhere anyway." She zipped her jacket up all the way, shivering as the cold air hit her.
"It's on the way to your house." He grabbed her wrist, turning her around.
Mirae cocked her head. "How do you know where I live?"
"Oh, well, I don't actually know where exactly. I've just seen you walking home a couple times. It's near to my workplace." Jeno took out his car keys, clicking the unlock button. "Let's go. It's freezing, don't want you to catch a cold."
"Uh, okay." Mirae followed Jeno to his car. She got into the passenger seat, placing her backpack on her lap.
"I should probably explain myself." Jeno started the car, backing out of the parking spot and began driving on the main road. "Do you remember the time you got bullied and someone kinda saved you? Yeah, that was me. And that time you nearly crossed the street when the light was still red? Also me. I had stuck around those days to make sure you made it across the street safely." He kept his eyes on the road.
"O-oh. Thanks." Mirae looked out the window. "I guess you're like a guardian angel then."
He glanced over at her. "It was probably just a coincidence." Jeno noticed her shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Are you okay? You look... almost scared of me."
"What? No, I'm not." She assured him. "I just... you know what, it's nothing. I'm just being weird."
"No," He stated firmly, pushing the brakes since they were at a red light. "What's up?"
"I'm just trying to figure you out." She didn't dare look him in the eye. "You do all these nice gestures without any reason for me and I have no idea why. It confuses me."
Jeno turned his attention back to the road. "I have my reasons." He muttered. Just as Jeno was going to say more, Mirae's phone rang.
"Sorry," Mirae took the call. "Hey, what's up?" She listened as the caller spoke. "I'll be home soon. Don't worry." Mirae pulled the phone away from her ear, shouting audibly from the other side. "I got a ride, Johnny. Please, I'm fine." With that, Mirae ended the call.
"Your brother?" He turns into Mirae's neighbourhood.
"Yeah." She paused. "My house is 127 by the way. Down that way." She pointed towards a road near a park. "Anyway, he's really protective of me. He was yelling cause he thinks I can't handle myself in the cold."
Jeno chuckled. "I don't think it's cause he thinks you can't handle yourself." He slowed the car down as he reached her house. "He just wants to make sure you'll be okay. He doesn't want to risk you getting sick or anything."
"Thanks for the ride." Mirae unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. "I owe you." She got out of the car, and shut the door.
Mirae walked by the gate, turning around to watch Jeno's car drive off before heading inside.
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a/n: this must be lame for y'all lmao, sorry. Let's speed this up a little
also, thank you to ArmyGirl2806 for reading and liking every chapter. I see your support and I'm so grateful!
