underwater | hwang hyunjin ✓

22 | hopes don't fly too high

"No, I don't like Hyunjin."

The words kept repeating itself over and over in my head, and I've told it a million times to stop, it wouldn't listen and I still hear my voice echoing in the back of my mind, haunting my day. I can imagine a broken gramophone making itself comfortable in my head, making me want to rip it off but it's stuck like glue.

The seat next to mine is empty but my bright blue bag that's sitting there, preventing from other people to take a seat on it. Maybe, maybe I should have gone to Busan myself and I won't get bored from hours long of bus ride full of hyperactive teenagers.

But I couldn't do anything as I watch the school building fade further and further back until it becomes a speck in the horizon and then disappears. The day started off pretty sunny for a winter day, even though it's a bit warmer, it's still too cold to be out and about with only a sweater on.

Now, we are one and a half-hour into the trip and I've slept over three times already. I tell myself that I can sleep through the whole trip, but it's just too uncomfortable and too boring that sleeping couldn't even kill the time.

There are not exactly many things you can do when in situations like this, except for maybe looking through your Instagram feed on your phone - but I have carsickness which might not be the best idea for this trip.

Coach says we'll be arriving in Busan at around three in the afternoon, which is an hour from now. I've tried to call Minjee and Jisung many times, but I figured they would be preparing for Jisung's performance later and so now I have no other choice but to swallow it all up and try to kill my boredom all by myself. Jisung said that this performance is the most serious out of all of his other performances, it's a way to decide whether he'll debut as an artist or not, so I decide not to interfere.

Daehyun - my school mate that also got into the team - is sitting on the seat in front of mine, next to a pretty girl he's gotten closer to the past two months we trained. The boy and I hadn't really talked until we got into the same team, sometimes we'd go to practice together when Hyunjin couldn't make it because he was running late.

Daehyun's head pops up from the seat in front of mine and a lopsided boyish smile spread on his face.

"Yuri," he calls me, making me tear my eyes away from looking at the scenery outside.

"Hmm?"

Daehyun lifts his arm and shows me the screen of his phone, "I found a picture of Jisung and Hyunjin together!" His face is pulled into a grin and he proudly shoves his phone in my face.

My face twists into confusion, "the screen is black, Daehyun."

"Oh, right," he quickly unlocks it and shows me someone's Instagram page. "This is apparently today, at Jisung's performance venue! You know, from the company Jisung was accepted in!"

"What's Hyunjin doing there?" I ask him, taking the phone from him. The picture was zoomed in, I can tell, and I can see Jisung with his familiar purple-ish blonde hair fixing Hyunjin's earpiece. It was blurry, but it's them, no doubt.

But what's he doing there? I thought he had something to do?

"I don't know," Daehyun shrugs when I hand him back his phone, "but apparently―"

"―alright everyone! Toilet break for fifteen minutes!" Coach Lee calls out from the front of the bus, catching Daehyun's attention, making him cut his sentence.

When I look outside the window, we have stopped at a rest area in the highway. Sighing, I watch Daehyun shuffle out of his row and quickly jog out of the bus along with a few other people.

Maybe I should take this time to head out and get some fresh air as well as stretch my legs.

By the time I get outside, Daehyun is already walking out of the men's toilet with a relieved look. He heads to a ramyun stand sneakily, trying to avoid Coach Lee's eagle eyes to probably catch a snack to fill his stomach before we head back on our way.

My feet take me to the ramyun stand without realising, tapping Daehyun on the shoulder and making him jump in surprise.

"Omo!" he shrieks with his eyes wide, hands over his heart and when he finds out that I was the one behind him, his eyes wash over with relief. "Yuri! I thought you were―" he was out of words.

"I know," I laugh, patting his back, "order one for me too."

Daehyun mumbles a cheerful "okie dokie!" and orders two ramyuns. Not long after, we find ourselves gulping down our food behind the stands so that Coach Lee won't catch us eating 'unhealthy diet'.

"Just a question, Yuri,"  Daehyun says out of nowhere.

"What?"

Daehyun pauses for a bit before continuing. "How long have you guys been together?" he asks casually.

I choke on my noodles, burn my tongue and cough at the same time. "How long have I and who have been together?"

Daehyun gives me a smirk, "oh don't pretend you don't know who I'm talking about?"

"Seriously, who?" I say although I have a rough image of who the person is. Many have asked that question, and I know how to answer it like the back of my hand.

"Hyunjin, obviously," he tells me like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "So, how long has this been going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I honestly say, "we were never a ... something."

A voice at the back of my mind ferociously tells me that deep down inside, I silently want a something. But I push the thoughts out of my head, taking a deep breath.

"But," it's Daehyun's turn to look confused, "you guys just seemed too close to be 'just friends', and I thought..."

I smile bitterly, "I know."

Daehyun shrugs it off though, "well I hope that Hyunjin would man up soon," he says in almost a whisper, making me almost didn't hear it but I definitely did even though it was faint.

Looking at my watch, I see that it's been fifteen minutes and soon, Coach Lee would search the front and the back of the rest area, so I stand up and my now empty ramyun package into the rubbish bin. "Let's go, Daehyun," I say, shoving my hands in my pockets to conserve heat.

Daehyun follows behind me and we get back into the bus right on time. Coach Lee comes in soon after we settle back in our seats.

We have another hour on the road before we arrive in Busan. Coach Lee tells us that we'll be stopping at the venue first so that we'd get a general idea of tomorrow but I almost didn't catch that.

My head is spinning from what I heard from Daehyun moments before.

Well, I hope that Hyunjin would man up soon.

Sighing one last time, I lean my head on the window while resting my chin on the palm of my hand.

I can't lie, I hope so too.

But let's also hope my hopes don't fly too high.

•

hi everyone! how's your weekend? mine went okay-ish? partly because i have no homework due tomorrow eheuheu...

i hope you enjoyed this chapter! i have another update coming tomorrow so stay tuned;)

oh and...um...please look forward to the jeno story i'm starting very very soon♡

20201211: lol that jeno story never happened omg /sobs/