a reason to smile // seo changbin ✔️

chapter six

leave me alone

moon jieun - sunday

"jieun— wait! don't run away again!" changbin calls out. of course, the moment i saw him yesterday, i fled, and thankfully, he didn't chase me. but i came back today, why?

i wanted to see if he would still be here.

no. i wanted to get away from my house.

"what do you want, changbin?" i ask, sounding annoyed.

"to talk." he answers. if my annoyance had bothered him, he wasn't showing it.

"i don't have anything to talk about." i shrug.

"i don't believe that." he takes a few steps closer to me, now standing right in front of me. "wanna sit with me?" he motions to the bench on our side. i don't reply. he chuckles. "well, i'll sit down, and if you so happen to sit next to me, i won't be upset." he says, taking a seat on the bench, leaving enough room for me to sit on either side of him. i stare at him, watching as he leans back, his arms crossed over his chest as he looks around. he looked peaceful.

"i'm only sitting here because i'm tired of standing." i tell him, sitting down on his left, making sure to keep some distance.

"that's fine." he hums, not let looking over at me. i clear my throat, pulling my gaze from him as i look down to the book. i brought it again. "you know, i hated that book too when i first read it." he speaks.

"i still hate it." i roll my eyes.

"then why do you have it?" he asks.

"i have to wait until tuesday to return it to mrs. cho." i shrug.

"so you're carrying it around until then?" he cocks a brow, voice slightly teasing.

"i'm hoping if i carry it around long enough, the ending will change." i joke. he smiles slightly as he drops his gaze to the book in my lap.

"i like the ending."

"how? it's insanely unrealistic." i scoff.

"how so?" he asks.

"no one lives happily ever after."

"it's been a while since i've read it, but i'm pretty sure it doesn't say they lived happily ever after." he shrugs, surprising me as he grabs the book from my lap, flipping to the last page. "yeah, see— it doesn't say happily ever after." he says, pointing to the last line of the book.

"thank you for giving me a reason to smile." it read.

"that's a happy ending." i deadpan, unsure of where he was going with this.

"if you look at it that way, i guess." he shrugs again, placing the book back in my lap.

"what other way is there to look at it?" i ask.

"it's open ended, there are over a million different ways to look at it." he smiles.

"right." i scoff. "they go on, get married, have kids, die old together, blah blah blah." i ramble.