Faded // Bang Chan

Chapter 17 - Mystery Blonde

She hadn't gotten far from the school when she sensed a presence behind her, following her down a side street she was now regretting to go down just to be hidden from anyone who may report her. Na Ri's heart quickened as thoughts of her being stabbed came to mind. Her breathing became slower but heavy as she grew more conscious of her isolated surroundings. "One." She whispered to herself, her fists clenched with her nails digging into her pale hand. "Two." She continued while attempting to steady her breathing. "Three!" She yelled as she whipped around, ready to face whoever was there.

"You fucking scared me! Don't do that!" Jungsoo exclaimed, his large hands placed over his heart as he gasped for air. "I  scared you? I thought you were a murderer or something?" She laughed heartily at her own stupidity. "Why would I want to harm you? We're a team." Jungsoo replied with a warm smile. She chose to ignore his statement about being a team and instead questioned his motive. "Do you always follow teenage girls or am I just special?" She teased the flustered boy who looked everywhere but at her. "I just - saw you leave and figured I should follow in case you get in trouble somehow." His hesitant lie made her slightly apprehensive but right now he was the last thing on her mind. Na Ri couldn't shake away the constant thoughts of Chan that seemed to make her heart skip a beat until his harsh words replayed over in her mind, turning her warm heart cold.

Jungsoo noticed the flicker of hurt that flashed across her face but it disappeared nearly as soon as it happened.  She was vulnerable now and he knew it. He could see just how affected she was by whatever Chan had done at that party and for some reason, he felt his heart ache at the sight of her. "Don't look at me like that. It makes it seem like you pity me." Na Ri snapped at him, not enjoying his sorrowful appearance. Jungsoo couldn't deny her statement, he did pity her and all that she'd come to be involved in. Jungsoo knew all too well that Chan was nothing but extra baggage and no good ever came from him. His original plan to use Na Ri had changed. He no longer wanted her for his own selfish reasons, he wanted to help her too. Jungsoo felt protective over her ever since he saw her troubled state on Monday night.

"I think it's time you met someone." He took her arm and pulled her behind him, not even giving her a chance to respond. "Where are you taking me?" She protested. "Somewhere quiet to murder you." He joked with a laugh but she tugged her arm away and scowled at him. "Are you always this annoying?" Na Ri huffed but Jungsoo just smiled and continued walking ahead of her.

After what felt like an eternity of Na Ri's complaining and Jungsoo's constant mocking they reached their destination. "A graveyard..." Na Ri couldn't hide the nervousness in her voice. Who could she possibly need to meet here? Jungsoo sensed her uneasy aura and immediately moved closer, preparing his arm to swing around her shoulder but she dodged his touch and walked ahead, entering the unfamiliar place.She admired the pretty bouquets resting at gravesides and the soft song of the birds in the trees above. "Pretty, right?" Jungsoo softly spoke from beside her, following her gaze onto the tree tops covered in candle lanterns.

"So why are we here?" Na Ri questioned the boy who met her curious gaze. Instead of answering he beckoned her to follow him to the end of the graveyard. She kept her head down, watching the contrast of her black shoes on the green grass when suddenly she crashed into Jungsoo's back. "Hey! Why-" She yelled but he quickly placed his hand over her mouth. "Shhh!" He hushed her as he glanced over his shoulder to watch the blonde haired girl by In Ho's grave. Jungsoo was a frequent visitor to In Ho's grave site and yet he'd never seen any girl ever visit him, not even Bo Ra.

"Perhaps now's not the time." He muttered, putting his hands on either side of her shoulders and putting pressure on them, guiding her as she walked backwards down the grassy path. She opened her mouth to speak but the words that filled the air weren't hers. "I was just about to leave."

Jungsoo turned to face the blonde girl who spoke, deliberately blocking Na Ri's view of her. "That's fine. We have somewhere else to be anyway!" He lied to the stranger. "We do?" Na Ri deliberately said aloud, hinting to the girl that he was lying. She couldn't contain the curiosity towards this girl's identity. Why was Jungsoo so tense and on edge? Did he know something she didn't?

The girl leaned to the side, trying to get a glimpse at Na Ri who was hidden behind Jungsoo's body. He quickly turned around and covered Na Ri's eyes. "We need to go right now!" He demanded as he hurriedly shooed her down the path. "Jungsoo stop!" She swatted him away before side stepping away from him and laying her eyes on the girl.

A gasp fell from both the girls lips as they eyed one another. "You!" They both responded at the same time in disbelief.

"What have I done?" Jungsoo tucked his head into his hands before letting out a deep sigh. He regretted everything. Why did he look into Na Ri's past? Why didn't he warn her away from Chan? Why did he bring her here? He couldn't help but blame himself for the current situation. All he could do was stand in defeat as Na Ri faced her past.

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So, I debated on posted this for a while because I feel it's not my best work but this was as good as it was going to get since my minds a bit all over the place. I don't want to go too deep into it but a pupil at my school passed away this morning and it's really strange to think about, especially since I have very little experience with death.

Anyway, on a higher note...8K! Thank youuuu my lovelies! Not only that but I noticed the other day at school that this was ranked at number 2 in Bang Chan fanfics! That's pretty damn awesome. Thank you so much to all my readers, commenters and voters and welcome new countries that joined in!

This week's question is what is your favourite social media site? I think mine's Instagram tbh becoz I'm past caring about my snapchat streaks and I'm only on twitter for Stray Kids and BTS.