The next morning, Y/N woke up on the edge of the bed. As soon as she opened her eyes, that pressure in her chest was present once again. The night before, after discovering Chase's message on Wooyoung's cell phone, an uneasy feeling ran through her body and, despite undoing all her moves and going back to bed, she couldn't fall asleep until an hour later.
Unable to ignore her thoughts, she took a seat and got up in a second, moving from the cup that rested on the cabinet next to her. Overlooking everything, really. She just wanted to get ready and get out of there.
As soon as she was ready, she left the apartment and headed to the university. She had barely traveled a few meters when she decided to take out her cell phone and make a call.
"Y/N!" Within seconds his voice came on the line.
"Hello, Sam," she smiled. "Are you already in college?"
"No, I still have a few blocks left, did something happen?"
"Can we meet in the cafeteria before the first block?" She asked. "I have something to tell you."
"Sure, I'll start running!"
And then the call ended.
Ignoring that pressure on her chest, she blocked her cell phone and watched the road again. However, within seconds her hand began to vibrate again.
Jung
Incoming call
Her gaze stared at the once again illuminated screen, not knowing what to do. She wasn't mad at the boy, but she didn't want to hear from him either. Even she couldn't fully fathom what she was feeling.
And answering him wouldn't help.
So, she put her cell phone away again and left it as a missed call. Then, she continued on her way, arriving on campus in a matter of minutes. Luckily for her, she wasn't the only one, because at that moment, Sam had just crossed to the building.
Their eyes met and a smile appeared on both of their faces. Wasting no time, they approached and entered the establishment, walking directly towards the cafeteria.
"What was it you wanted to tell me yesterday, Sam?" the girl asked as they passed through the corridors.
"Oh yes..." The boy was embarrassed for a few seconds and then he laughed. "I broke my record for gummies eaten in one minute."
Y/N was silent, staring in disbelief at her friend. It took her only a few moments to sink in that Samuel had tried to contact her the day before only to tell her that he now ate more gummies than before.
"Are you telling me that..." she asked slowly, "... now you can eat more than fifty in a minute?"
"Yes!"
"That's incredible!" It didn't take long to accompany the emotion of her best friend and they both burst out laughing. They had been together the day the first record was set; if she thought about it carefully, it was quite an achievement.
"But, well... what did you want to tell me?"
Sam turned all his attention to Y/N and her features, knowing that if something went wrong, there would be little details that would give away her lies. The girl looked away slightly, seeing that they were approaching the cafeteria. However, before she could get there, her eyes met Jung Wooyoung's across the hall. Y/N kept her eyes on him for a few seconds and turned away, without reciprocating his small smile.
"It's..." she turned her focus back to Sam, "...about college."
Then, she took the boy by the shoulders and they entered the place together.
[. . .]
"When are you going to tell him?"
Samuel's voice reached Y/N's ears in a whisper. The day had passed and, luckily for her, they both shared each of their classes. The girl woke up from her trance looking at the wall and looked at the boy.
"What do you mean?"
Samuel cocked his head slightly and gave her an obvious look.
"Y/N..." he looked at the girl's notebook, completely empty. "I don't know exactly what's going on between you two... but college isn't the only thing that throws you off, is it?" Y/N knew immediately what he meant, and she fell silent. "Haven't you told him?"
The girl sighed and shook her head.
"And what do you plan to do?"
Then her cell phone vibrated on the table, lighting up the screen. Her eyes went immediately to the new notification.
Jung
We need to talk. See you after classes.
Y/N swallowed heavily and took her cell phone to put it away, noting the time before:
"I guess I'll know in ten minutes."
Samuel studied her expression and then nodded slightly, unable to do anything about it.
As the minutes ticked by, Y/N went over and over her pending notifications. About three calls and five messages from Wooyoung that she hadn't answered. She couldn't help but feel bad about it, but she also couldn't deny that she needed her space before doing anything.
But what was "anything"? Was she going to face it?
Then his time passed and it was time for the day to come to an end. Unexcited about it, she collected her things and said goodbye to her best friend, walking towards the exit. For some reason, that anxiety with which she had been dealing all day, was now overshadowed by the strong beating of her heart that, despite being caused by the same thing, she knew well that its origin was in the nervousness that she felt to see the boy.
Her fingers moved incessantly and her gaze wandered restlessly around. However, Y/N knew perfectly well that she would not find Wooyoung waiting for her standing in front of the campus entrance. The girl took a deep breath and cleared her throat before starting to walk to the side of the university, where Jung's car was parked.
Once she got there, she concealed all her tensions and kept a blank expression. She then entered the vehicle.
Wooyoung watched her take a seat next to him, not even looking at him, and kept his eyes on her for a few seconds. Then, unable to come to any conclusion, he started the engine and they started for the house.
All the way, silence surrounded them. Neither said a word and their eyes were completely fixed on the road. Y/N was totally absorbed in her thoughts, while her feelings fought between them.
After a few minutes, the vehicle stopped in front of the big house, and the engine died. Still silent, they both headed for the entrance. However, as soon as she entered, Wooyoung's voice came from behind.
"You avoid me." The sound of the front door closing behind her, plus the boy's words, made Y/N stop her pace, tense again. "Why?"
"I don't."
"You do." He moved closer to her.
"I don't do that." She reiterated with a frown. "Can't you see I'm here?"
Sensing the girl's annoyance, Wooyoung grabbed her wrists and, in one motion, turned her around and pressed her back against the wall. They were instantly confronted. Y/N's eyes connected with his immediately. She had never felt that look. Not for her. Then, she averted her pupils from his.
"You ignore my messages, you don't answer my calls." Wooyoung's seriousness was felt in every word that left his lips. "You don't even look at me." He murmured. "What is it?"
"Why don't you ask Chase?" The girl looked back with a frown on her face.
"What?"
"I know you took the job," she murmured then. Jung's eyes looked at her with clear surprise, causing her suspicions to be confirmed. The girl nodded slowly, trying to assimilate everything as quickly as possible, accepting the situation. "Is that why you did it?" She continued. "Is that why you took me to the beach? That-..." Taking advantage of Wooyoung's surprise, she pulled hard on her wrists and then pushed him away by pushing his chest. "Is that your way of saying goodbye?"
The boy took a few steps back. It was the first time that he had that expression on his face; as if he wasn't in control of what was happening.
"Y/N..."
"Don't." She stopped it. Their eyes met again and her annoyance increased. "Don't try to fix it now, Jung. It's not worth it anymore."
"Isn't it worth it anymore?" Her words hit him immediately. "How can you say that n-..."
"I accepted the scholarship!"
Then they both fell silent. Wooyoung kept his eyes on her, even though her eyes were no longer on him. During the morning, Y/N had talked with Sam about her interest in the university and, after everything that had happened, she decided to accept her transfer and make the confirmation in the company of her best friend.
"I accepted the scholarship." She repeated, much lower now, as if she was trying to assimilate her own words.
Y/N's eyes were focused on the ground and her shoulders were down, as if all of her annoyance had suddenly vanished. She didn't know how to say that to Wooyoung, but she never thought it would be like that. And a part of her wasn't ready to go.
"That..." she heard him say, "...is great."
It's great.
Y/N never imagined that two words would hit her so hard. Much less said by him. She then let out a laugh, hurt and incredulous.
"The flight is tomorrow." She looked up. "Is it still cool for you, Jung?"
Wooyoung was silent for a few seconds, making eye contact with her, and replied:
"Yes... I mean-..."
"So that's all?" She interrupted. "It's done. You accepted it, it's great!" She said. "You're not even gonna try..."
"Y/N, I-..."
"Leave it, it's fine.
"Y/N, it is your future."
"But I was hoping you were in it!"
Her eyes filled with tears as her feelings were exposed. She felt fragile and vulnerable, and Wooyoung's words had only shattered the few illusions she had. The boy looked at her with wide eyes, and silence spread between them.
She no longer had anything to do there.
Y/N shook her head and looked down, starting to walk towards the door. Her chest ached and her vision was obscured by tears. But then, when she was only a few steps away from the exit, Wooyoung caught her wrist and stopped her way.
"Don't." She listened. "Don't go like this."
The girl was silent, looking at the door in front of her, and bit her lower lip, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Now you mind if I stay?"
"I've always cared."
"Don't lie, Jung, if you mind-..."
"I already lost you once!"
Y/N eyes widened and her tears stopped because of the surprise.
"I know how much your future means to you." Wooyoung let go of her wrist and she slowly turned around, until facing him again. "That's why when you came back to town and I knew you'd have to go back to your parents, I offered to help you. You are better here than there! But-..." The boy's voice began to lower his volume and his gaze fell to the ground, almost embarrassed. "But I can't compare it to New York, Y/N. The opportunity that you have in front of you is the one that you have waited for a long time, isn't it? If that university found out about you, it's because you contacted it... It's what you want, right?"
"J-Jung..."
"You are all that I want, Y/N." Wooyoung's eyes rested on hers again. A small bright gleam was in them now. "I told you once; I'm not going to give up on this, I don't want to. But I'm not going to anchor you to this life if you can go for something better!"
Then the girl burst into tears. It was the first time, in all those years, that she listened to Wooyoung's feelings. The first time she had to leave, it all happened without anyone saying what they really felt. She believed that she was reliving the past, but she wasn't. At no time was it like that.
The boy approached her slowly and wrapped his arms around her body, keeping her close. Y/N hid her face in his chest and returned the hug. Nothing mattered anymore. Even if they both had to go their separate ways, at that moment, she had everything she had ever wanted.
"Everything's going to be okay, love," he whispered then. "I promise."
The girl kept her eyes closed at all times, determined to feel only that closeness of him, his presence, his scent, his warmth, his touch... she knew he would never lie to her; he never did. Despite having omitted what happened with Chase, he never denied it; he wasn't like that.
And if Jung Wooyoung promised her that everything would be alright...
So that would be it.
- The end -