Minju froze in place.
Wait- Did he really ask me that? Is he being serious? Or is he joking?! I can't tell since we joked about it so much in the past... What do I say?! What's going on?!
"MinMin?"
Minju turned red, shaking her head in a panic, "W-What?"
"Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Do you need time?"
Still somewhat distressed Minju nodded, "Give me a few moments."
"Take your time."
Minju took a deep breath in hopes of quelling her chaotic mind. But instead, the flow of oxygen caused her mind to only race faster.
Am I actually ready for this? What are my parents going to say? What if I don't actually want to get into a relationship? I don't want to reject him after everything we've said...
Y/n looked around the surrounding area.
It's pretty empty tonight. That doesn't make sense though... It's Saturday. I should be able to see at least some people, but the only people here are us two, and the other pair.
Y/n turned his head to the direction of the younger duo to see Jisoo looking directly at him, giving him a thumbs up with a slight smile on his face.
What is he trying to say to me?
Y/n turned back to Minju.
She's clearly distraught. Maybe this wasn't the right time to say it.
A feeling of uneasiness grew in Y/n's stomach as he began to second guess even himself.
"You don't have to say anything if you don't feel like you're ready."
Minju blinked rapidly, snapping back into reality.
"Huh?"
"If now's not the right time for me to be asking that, then you don't have to answer."
"But-"
"No buts. We shouldn't rush into a relationship like this. We haven't even known each other for a week. Your silence has caused me to wonder if I'm ready for a relationship."
Minju frowned, "Oh..."
"I don't think I'll be able to handle losing you. If that means we have to take things slower, then I'll gladly take things as slowly as I need to, so long as that means I get to see your carefree smile every day."
An overwhelming wave of emotions flowed through Minju as she processed every word Y/n said.
"I-I... I-"
Minju's breath hitched, causing audible shallow breaths to come from her mouth.
I can't think... What's wrong with me?? This is my chance!!
Tears welled in MInju's eyes as Y/n's words echoed in her mind.
'If that means we have to take things slower, then I'll gladly take things as I need to, so long as that means I get to see your carefree smile every day.'
Minju's tears streamed down her face, sparkling in the soft moonlight-illuminating her delicate skin. To Y/n's worry, Minju began to hyperventilate, visibly showing distress, causing that uneasy knot in his stomach to intensify.
No... I shouldn't have asked her.
Y/n grabbed Minju's hand with one hand, cupping her cheek with his other, snapping the latter out of her trance.
"Hey. Deep breaths. Are you okay?"
Minju pursed her lips in an attempt to hold back her emotions.
"No... I ruined the moment because I felt overwhelmed."
"If you felt overwhelmed, then that's not your fault. I shouldn't have asked you."
"No... That's not it. I would love to be your girlfriend, but I felt overwhelmed by everything, the atmosphere, your words, your tone, everything, that I couldn't think properly."
Y/n smiled as he slid his thumb across Minju's face, wiping the tear that slowly descended upon the girl's angelic face.
"That's okay. Let's take some time to think about it. I want to make sure this is the right decision."
Minju sniffled, trying to restore her composure.
"Okay..."
Y/n looked back over at Jisoo to see him nodding in approval.
Could he hear the entire conversation?
Y/n smiled once more as he watched Wonyoung stretch her arms, causing Jisoo to divert his attention back towards the giant baby. As Y/n watched Jisoo caress Wonyoung's head with great care, he began to do the same to Minju's hand with his thumb.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Yeah."
Y/n took his hand off of Minju's face, pulling out his phone.
"It's getting pretty late. We should head to your house so you can head off to bed. This is a lot to think about."
Minju nodded, somewhat reluctant to leave their spot.
"Okay..."
Y/n stood on his feet, holding his hand out for Minju to pull herself up.
"There's a pretty decent walk from here back to your house. Do you want to enjoy a slow walk? Or would you rather hurry back?"
"Let's take a nice walk. The weather is beautiful after all."
"Sounds good to me."
The pair interlocked fingers, waving towards the pair on the other hill before heading back to Minju's house.
As Wonyoung spotted this, she waved back.
"Oppa, are those two dating?"
"No."
"They're not? Then how come they're holding hands?"
"It's complicated. Actually- It's going to get even more complicated."
"Let's hold hands then!!"
"Shhh. Not so loud."
"Why? We're the only ones here now."
"Because you're going to ruin the ambiance of this place."
"Oh, okay."
Wonyoung stuck her hand out for Jisoo to interlock his fingers.
"Were you watching those two while I was sleeping?"
"Mhm."
"Does it look like they're going to get together?"
Jisoo shrugged, "We'll just have to see."
"Will they last?"
"That depends entirely on if the guy decides to reveal his secret to Noona."
"Secret? How do you know he has a secret?"
"Everyone has at least one secret. Whether it be a big one, or a miniscule one, everyone has one."
"Do you know what his secret is?"
"No."
"Dang it... I kind of wanted to know."
"That's an invasion of his privacy. His secret is quite important to him. One so important that he wouldn't even dare tell his parents."
"Is it that bad? Wait- I thought you said you don't know what his secret is."
"You could say that. All that matters is that the day he tells Noona his secret, is the day those two can truly be happy together."
"What if the girl doesn't like him after he reveals his secret?"
"Then that's just life."
"Do you think she would stop liking him if he revealed his secret?"
"I don't think so. Based on what I just saw, those two seem to be quite attached to each other."
"As attached as we are to each other?"
"Of course not," Jisoo smiled, "No one can beat us."
Wonyoung beamed a wide gummy smile as she closed her eyes.
"Yeah. No one can beat us."
As Wonyoung slowly drifted off to sleep, Jisoo stared at the moon.
So Y/n... What are you going to do? You can't hide it forever. Will you even be able to hide it tonight?
As the duo walked along the sidewalk, Y/n felt a warm feeling flow through his body whenever Minju smiled.
I'm glad she's back to normal.
"Y/n?"
"Hm?"
"You were spacing out."
"When am I not spacing out?"
Minju giggled, sending another wave of dopamine through Y/n's brain.
"You're right. Do you have ADHD or something? You never seem to be able to focus."
Y/n chuckled, "I might."
"You should get that checked out."
"I don't think I need to. It's just me spacing out."
As they turned the corner, Y/n a sharp pain on his cheek before spotting a shiny glimmer passing him.
The fuck is that-
As if his body moved on its own, Y/n reached out, grasping in front of him. When he finally processed the situation, Y/n found himself grabbing a man's arm, stopping a blade just an inch away from Minju's face. Registering this, anger engulfed Y/n prompting him to tighten his grip. A grunt by the man signified that he was in pain. Absorbing a different dopamine kick, Y/n squeezed harder, causing the man to drop his knife right beside Minju's foot, scaring the girl further.
"Y-Y/n? What's going on?"
A deafening silence filled the area, seemingly strangling Minju.
Was I about to die?
Minju gulped, looking at Y/n's arm.
He's definitely flexing his muscles... How hard is he gripping that guy's arm?
Y/n stared intensely into the man's eyes. Malice exuding from his eyes, and clouding his thoughts.
I'm going to kill you, you worthless piece of shit. You deserve nothing but pain, and suffering for the rest of your insufferable life. If it weren't for Minju, I would be bashing your skull into the pavement this very second.
Suddenly, a crack sounded through everyone's ears, followed by a few more, and a blood curdling scream in pain.
"Y-Ya, you're hurting him-"
Fuck this.
Y/n squeezed as hard as he could, severing the man's wrist from his arm. Rage still engulfing him, Y/n swung his hand to cover the man's mouth. With extra force, Y/n swung his hand downward, slamming the man's skull into the sidewalk.
"You degenerate bastard. You're lucky I didn't kill you on the spot like the trash you are. How dare you target her like that? Huh? SPEAK YOU PIECE OF SHIT."
Y/n lifted the man's skull, bashing it into the ground once more. Y/n squeezed the man's jaw in anger as he watched the man's eyes relax, signifying his loss of consciousness.
"WORTHLESS."
Y/n continued to squeeze harder, in hopes that he would be able to release at least a fraction of his anger. Instead, the only thing that released was the tension of the man's jaw as Y/n snapped the man's bones.
Minju nearly fainted as she flinched from the nauseating display of gore before her.
"Y/n! Stop!! You're going to kill him!!!"
Minju rushed to pull Y/n away from the man.
"Y/n! Please!! He's going to die!"
Minju closed her eyes, pulling with all of her might, as the sound of Y/n's heavy breathing echoed through her ears.
"Y/n!!!"
Y/n let go of the man's head, causing a faint wet splat to hit Minju's ears as the man's head hit the pool of blood below it. Tears flooded down Minju's face as she grasped onto Y/n's arm as hard as she could.
"Please, Y/n... I don't want to see you like this... I don't want you to have to live with yourself knowing you took someone's life..."
Y/n sighed as he finally relaxed his muscles.
"I'm sorry MinMin. Please wait around the corner for me. I'll be with you shortly."
"What are you going to do?!"
"I'm going to call an ambulance for him."
"No!! I don't trust you after that!"
Y/n gritted his teeth, "Don't worry. I'm calm now."
"Are you sure..."
Y/n held out his pinky.
"I promise."
Minju released her grasp before turning toward the corner.
"Don't waste your promises on something like this. You shouldn't have to promise that you wouldn't harm someone."
Minju's words struck Y/n's heart like a cold spear, sundering it on impact.
That hurt...
"Hurry and call that ambulance. I need to head home."
Minju walked around the corner, falling onto her knees as she began to break down.
That was so scary... Was Y/n the person that saved me from getting kidnapped that one night? They used similar amounts of force. There's no one else that could exert that much force so casually... There's no way right? Y/n wouldn't go that far right?? But he just did... He did on the day of the incident as well...
Minju jumped, as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"We should get going."
Minju continued to look at the ground, unable to look at Y/n.
"Go on to your house without me. I need some time alone. I'll deliver your backpack to you tomorrow."
"Min-"
"GO."
Y/n flinched, "Okay..."
Minju waited until Y/n's steps were inaudible to get on her feet, and trudge back home.
I can't believe this...
Y/n held his heart. It ached as if it were to burst at any moment, killing him on the spot.
I really messed up. I can't believe I lost myself in front of her... Does she hate me now? Did I fuck up again? There's no way, right? Surely I'll be able to talk it out with her. I've always been able to.
Y/n pounded on his skull, repeating the same words over and over again.
"Stupid... Stupid... Stupid..."
After his short episode, Y/n reached into his pocket, pulling his keys out.
Good thing I took these out of my backpack before we left her house.
Y/n unlocked the door, making his way to his bed without answering his parents' greetings. As he laid in bed, Y/n clenched the bedsheets that welcomed him with open arms.
I can't take this. This can't be happening again...
Minju held her hands out as she washed her hands. Not a single thought went through her head, as she couldn't believe what had just happened.
I need to sleep this off. I can't think straight right now. There's no way that just happened... Right?