haechan waited in the same shed as myeong as renjun ran towards the parking area to get his car. side by side, neither of them talked, haechan was struggling with the load of bags he's carrying because renjun gave him his stuff for him to hold since he couldn't risk any of its contents to get wet by the rain. myeong heard the shuffling beside her and saw a haechan barely balancing the illustration boards on the top of his head. with her free hand, she grabbed the boards and held it for him. haechan mouthed a small thank you.
renjun honked and got the two's attention. as an act of gratitude, and worry, perhaps, haechan invited myeong to join the car, to which myeong was very much grateful of, and also, the three lived in the same dorm so they were all heading to one place only. renjun welcomed her inside and told them both to sit at the back seat while renjun played a chill song.
it was awkward. haechan just kept on taking glances as the girl faced the closed window of the car, clearly uncomfortable being stared at by a pair of eyes belonging to haechan's. she cleared her throat which made haechan momentarily stop. the ride on the way to the dorm was a good 15 minutes minus the traffic. the sun was still up but it was a little dark.
7 minutes in, she saw her mother inside the car of another man drive past them. to say that she was overwhelmed was an understatement. she never imagined seeing her mother in this area, she hadn't seen her in years. she wanted to cry, surely, it was her? she isn't blind, just mute.
haechan saw the change of expression in myeong's face but he couldn't tell exactly what painted her once blank, almost emotionless, face. one thing he is sure of, the girl seated beside him was hurt of whatever she saw outside the window.
the girl closed her eyes and calmed herself down. her grip on one of the bags tightened when she was faced with a concerned haechan. why won't he keep his eyes to himself, always checking up on me, she thought to herself. the music inside the car played a cheery song which did not make myeong any less better. how is he this annoying, i don't need his pity. myeong was being unreasonable to haechan.
one new message from myeong...
myeong: leave me alone
she had just texted him to "leave me alone" ?? leave her alone what? he couldn't possibly do that since they were both still inside the moving car.
"fine, i am sorry", haechan mumbled, giving her a sad look.
myeong felt guilty that she had lashed out on haechan. it was just too much for her.
she would have to text sorry to haechan once they get back at the dorm, her pride getting the best of her. she was added in the group chat by jaemin after he had added haechan yesterday. myeong directly messaged haechan and for what reason? anger issues?
renjun saw and heard the little commotion at the back. he drove safely to the dorms despite the slippery roads caused by the rain. clicking off the seatbelt, he told them that they had already arrived at the dorm. myeong cracked a small smile and bowed at renjun for taking them home safely. "you're welcome!" renjun told her. myeong rushed all the way inside, ignoring haechan, she was just too embarrassed to face him after saying all that through text. right, she really was being unreasonable.