Back at the apartment, Jaein rested on the huge beanbag chair while scrolling through her phone as she waited for Haechan to finish showering.
As he came out from showering and drying his hair, Haechan saw Jaein lying on the huge bean bag. He watched her placed her phone down on the night side table. Just then, Haechan decided to plopped himself next to her, but slightly on top of her too.
The two of them made comfortable eye contact with one another. Haechan pulled the girl closer to him with his arm while Jaein made her way to caress his face with her hand, lying there in silence.
"Are you feeling better?" Jaein stared into his soul as she used her free hand to lace her hands with his, which he gladly accepted.
"Yeah." Haechan leaned closer. Jaein's heartbeat was starting to speed up as well as his but clearly Haechan kept his cool and she couldn't. Well at least she tried to hide it. "You know...."
"Hmm?"
"It's nice to see you get better and better." Haechan looked at the girl who was shocked to hear that he's been paying attention to her as a whole.
"I was worried that I wouldn't. At one point I wanted to give up actually." Jaein started to reflect on her dark times but now that she's able to surround herself with who matters most, recovering was much faster.
Maybe Haechan was someone she needed to take that big step.
"I'm proud that you didn't and I'm proud that you made it." Haechan complimented her as she smiled in awe, thanking him in return. "You've also changed."
"I'm fully aware, Lee Haechan." Jaein rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Seems like you like this version more."
"I liked both because you're still Na Jaein."
Jaein was now blushing at his sweet remarks that she didn't even know what to do anymore and hid her face in his chest. "How about we go to sleep?"
"Okay, but only if you say so."
-
The next couple of days at school, Jaein and Haechan were sticking together like glue. Haechan stayed at the hospital for one night with his mother and learned that they're getting family therapy with Haechan and Taeyong showing up to some of the future sessions due to the respect of nature. Everything has calmed down and Haechan has been contacting his mother like everyday. With his father, he's still not in the best of terms.
Jaein and Haechan sat in their class together before class started. Jaein was working on editing the pictures from Doyoung and Jena's wedding while Haechan came in and sat next to her. He also decided to wrap his arm around her shoulder and peeked to see what she was doing. Obviously, mutters from their classmates were going around about the two but neither of them cared.
"How long will editing take for all of these pictures?" Haechan rubbed his hand on her shoulder to attempt to provide some comfort to the girl while he eyes were locked on the screen, clicking buttons.
"I don't know, maybe a day or two given the number of picture I took. I might have to stay up late if I need to get them done." Jaein took a deep breath and got a drink of her water from her water bottle and went back to editing.
"I can tell Doyoung and Jena to extend your editing time so that you can properly rest." Haechan whipped out his phone, texting in a group chat with the three of them. "They'll be flexible about it."
"Haechan, please it's fine. It's not professional if you do it." Jaein sighed trying to reassure him especially since this is her job and not his.
"Too late. They said you can send it in by the end of this week so that you get proper rest." Haechan slid his phone in his front pocket, leaning back against the chair and admiring the girl.
Jaein subconsciously held his hand which cause Haechan's heart beat to rise. His face didn't show otherwise. "Okay, but I have other gigs too that are coming up."
"None this week though." Haechan caressed her hand back, surprisingly she didn't flinch at all.
"So annoying." Jaein closed her laptop down and waited till the lecture started, still holding Haechan's hand.
-
"What's going on?" Jaein was hearing a commotion after walking out of class. Haechan had to go to the restroom so she was with Renjun at the moment.
"Maybe we should check it out." Renjun led Jaein to see what everyone was surrounding and turns out it was Hyunji and Miyoung were having a whole commotion.
"Why are you trying to hurt me so much Miyoung, I thought we were good friends in high school. I don't understand what happened." Hyunji confessed to the girl that she didn't know what was going on.
"Friends? Really Hyunji, friends? You were the one who decided to work with me to get the high school on exams, projects, and everything. But what, you were the one that got recognized. Boys were chasing you, everyone was your friend, but what about me? I had none of it while you ran with fame." Miyoung scoffed, whispers coming from the side about the whole commotion. "You're so fake for that."
"I didn't know that was happening to you. I'm sorry." Hyunji admitted, now realizing that she didn't take that to in account as a high schooler.
"Well sorry doesn't do anything." Miyoung threw a punch at Hyunji causing some gasps.
Luckily, Erin came to the rescue.
Jaein was getting angry as she saw her friend's tears started brimming but Haechan was quick to wrap his arm around Jaein, pulling her back against his front. "Don't get involved, love."
Hyunji then revealed her face again and realized she had a bloody nose. Erin then slapped Miyoung and took Hyunji straight to the bathroom. "You're a rat for doing that to my friend."
"I kinda agree." Chenle snickered on the side while Jisung just stood there, expecting this all to happen.
"I should go check to see if Hyunji is okay." Jaein was worried but she was eventually stopped by Mark.
"Don't go in. Erin has it. If anything she'll call us when she needs us." Mark told the younger. Jaein calm down as she was still in Haechan's arms, leaning her head on his chest.
"Hyunji got a nosebleed though." Jaein exclaimed but all of the boys reassured that she'll be fine. Eventually she turned herself around and now she was front to front with Haechan, leaning on his chest.
The guys obviously notice that and Haechan sent glares to them while they decided to shut up. They regained their composure, looking at Mark to explain.
"Erin just grew up with strict beliefs and basically when a friend got bullied in high school from a severe nosebleed, she makes sure she takes care of them cause the person would've died if Erin didn't help her. She had a revenge arc at one point and now that's why she knows all the 'tea' in the university." Mark briefly explained to Jaein. "She's a good person and Hyunji will be okay. It's pretty minor too."
"Does Jeno know about this?" Haechan asked the older and he nodded.
"He's on his way from the other side of the school to see if she's okay." Renjun added.
"What the hell happened to my girlfriend?" Jeno was panting, holding his legs as he was catching his breath.
"Miyoung punched her." Jisung responded quickly and it pissed Jeno even more.
"God I swear if I see that girl again I'm literally going to end her." Jeno was riled up at this moment while Haechan stood there forwarding his statement.
"You could."
Mark and Renjun rolled their eyes with Renjun speaking up towards Haechan. "A man is supposed to not hit a girl."
"I was just be honest." Haechan bittersweetly told him. Erin and Hyunji came out of the restroom and Jeno ran to Hyunji's aid instantly.
What Jaein saw was Hyunji's dried tears and a red face. She definitely knew that her friend was crying. While the boys were conversing their own with Jaemin coming by later, Jaein was in her own world analyzing the movements by Erin, Jeno, and Hyunji.
"What's gotten you thinking so deeply, love?" Haechan tapped on the girl's chin, tilting her head so that she was making eye contact with him.
"I don't know." Jaein blinked a few times and turned to the side, breaking eye contact with Haechan while his arms were still around the girl. "I'm just wondering what could've happened in Hyunji's life. I feel like if she was really the villain, I don't think she would've came crying."
"But then you also don't know what type of person Hyunji was in high school. Maybe she was mean and never admitted. Maybe she didn't even know about it." Haechan pressed a kiss to Jaein's forehead. "But then again, she's a different person now given the fact that she's trying to put the past behind. Don't think you should think about it too much."
"Yeah, I shouldn't. How about we go home? Kinda don't want to go to class." Jaein suggested.
"We? Home? You mean my place?" Haechan raised an eyebrow looking at the girl.
"My 'emergency' bag is still there and I kinda wanna bring it home." Jaein told the guy and he obeyed as she did, going to his place and taking Jaein's stuff, then driving her home to her house. "I don't think it should be living at your place at the moment."
One thing that needed to be cleared was their status of their relationship. And neither of them have brought it up. At least there was development between Lee Haechan and Na Jaein.