That Stupid List (A Seventeen Fanfic)

Chapter 65: The Last Time

Jin was afraid of walking out on campus alone now that Seungcheol was out there. She felt exposed and vulnerable as she walked the streets, afraid he would pounce at her at any moment. It was only then that Jin really understood how hard it must have been for Sena to live and study in the same area as Seungcheol.

No matter how scared she was of being outside alone, she sucked it up and left. She had a few things to do before the trip the next day, including getting Wonwoo a gift and talking to Vernon.

After she prepared the gift, she made her way to Vernon's dorm. The last time she had been on this path, she had been coming from Seokmin's dorm after having kissed him.

It was an unpleasant memory, because she recalled how hurt Vernon was because of it, and how hurt Sena would be if she ever found out. The very positive feelings she knew she had experienced during the actual kiss were almost completely forgotten. No matter how happy it made her feel in that transient moment, it was not worth the damage it had done. She found that she regretted it with everything she had.

When she entered the building, she was unlucky enough to encounter Seokmin before getting to Vernon's.

"I'm guessing you're not here to see me," Seokmin said when he saw her. Seokmin had bags of things in his hands, and she guessed that it was for the trip the following day. She offered to help him carry it without answering his question.

He handed her a couple of the bags. She could feel that his eyes were on her, inspecting her, and it made her feel anxious and exposed.

When they arrived at his door, she placed the bags on the floor and excused herself.

"Can we please talk?" Seokmin asked. "Give me five minutes."

"We'll have plenty of opportunities to talk tomorrow," Jin replied to him. She was doing her best to avoid his eyes. Somehow, his eyes were quicksand, and looking into them sucked her into desires she did not want to have. She did not want to fall for it again; she was not going to let the affection she knew she still felt for him hurt anyone else again.

Seokmin accepted that with a nod. She could feel his watchful eye on her as she made her way a few doors down to her actual destination.

She knocked on the door, self-conscious of his stare. She was relieved when Jun finally opened the door for Seokmin and he was out of sight. A second later, Chan opened the door. He smiled when he saw her.

"Hyung, it's your Frostbite!" Chan said before he even greeted her.

Vernon appeared suddenly at the door; he looked surprised, but not unhappy, to see her there.

"Come in, Frostbite," he told her, opening the door wider for her. He turned his neck towards Chan.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving," Chan said to Vernon before slipping out the door. Vernon rolled his eyes at Chan and closed the door after Jin came through.

"So what's up, Frostbite? What brings you here at this hour?" Vernon asked. It was quite late at night, and Vernon was already in pajamas. It was the first time Jin had seen him in pajamas, and she could not help but repress a smile. He looked so... cute.

"I just... felt that I wanted to talk to you," Jin answered him.

"Alright. Let's talk," he said, settling on his bed, and inviting her to sit down beside him.

"How is your mom?" she asked first as she took a seat on his bed next to him.

"She's not doing too bad, actually," Vernon answered, "I think she was kind of relieved when she found out that she was relocating out of Korea. She said that it meant I wouldn't waste my time visiting her or whatever."