{ D - 63 }
Chan told Seohyeon everything.
He didn't leave out a single detail, from when he first met Emi to their special moment by the River. He wore a big smile on his face while talking about his short time with Emi. For that short period of time, Seohyeon could see true happiness in the boy's eyes. She continued to listen quietly as he told her about his past, giving him her undivided attention.
"Emi sounds wonderful," Seohyeon commented.
"She was," Chan agreed, staring blissfully at the water. "She was my everything."
Chan's cheerful gaze darkened, and his smile fell to a dejected frown. His hands clenched tighter into his knee caps as he recalled his very last memory of Emi.
"But the district took her away," he continued, "because she knew something they didn't."
"What did she know?" Seohyeon questioned, curious but concerned.
"About the room," Chan replied, resting his chin on top of his knees that were curled up to his chest. "The one we use for meetings."
"Where did they take her?" Seohyeon asked.
She immediately regretted asking that question as she watched Chan's eyes well up with sorrow and tears. The younger boy took a deep breath before turning to look at Seohyeon, a sad smile growing on his face.
"Elimination," Chan said. "They killed her."
Seohyeon's eyes widened with shock, her hand subconsciously covering her mouth that was gaped open. Tears streamed down Chan's cheeks, but he immediately brushed them away. As the tears continued to fall, the younger scoffed at himself bitterly, continually wiping away the water on his cheeks.
"I probably look pathetic to you," Chan chuckled pitifully. "It's been two years but I still can't get over—"
Chan paused mid-sentence once he saw Seohyeon sitting next to him in silence with eyes glistening with tears that were tempted to fall. With a shaky hand, Seohyeon reached out her hand and placed it on top of Chan's, holding it with care.
"You're not pathetic," Seohyeon disagreed. "And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. To lose someone you love...I can't even imagine what it feels like."
Chan gave her a weak smile before reaching out his free hand to wipe away one of her tears with his sleeve. She was startled by the gesture but allowed the younger to do so.
They both looked back in silence to admire the view of the River. The sun was setting, causing the water to be mixed with different shades of pink, yellow, and orange as it sparkled in the sunlight. The current was calmer than earlier, and the waves gently rippled along the path. Seohyeon found the sight beautiful; the sunset colors seemed to turn her surroundings into eternal bliss.
"You know, Junhui really cares about you," Chan spoke up, breaking the silence.
Seohyeon began to blush at the mere mention of his name.
"He's always been like that," Seohyeon said bashfully, "ever since we were kids."
"I'm sure," Chan agreed, "but I know for a fact you mean a lot more to him than you think."
Seohyeon turned her head to look at Chan, a little confused. Knowing Seohyeon didn't exactly understand what he was trying to say, the younger let out a sigh and turned his attention towards the girl, making serious eye contact with her.
"Junhui is in love with you," Chan told her.
Seohyeon's eyes widened and her cheeks once again turned to a deep shade of pink. She felt awkward making eye contact with Chan and started nervously averting her gaze from him. She didn't know what to do with that information.
Junhui... loved her?
"That's impossible," she chuckled nervously. "I mean... Junhui? Loves me? There's no way."
"It's true," Chan insisted, "I can tell."
"How do you know for sure?" Seohyeon asked, still trying to deny the fact.
"Seohyeon, I've been in love with someone for almost four years," Chan said, "I think I'd know a thing or two about someone's being in love."
Seohyeon grew quiet, still refusing to look Chan in the eye. A part of her wanted to believe what the younger was telling her, but a part of her felt like it was all a lie. She and Junhui had been friends since they were twelve, and she too deeply cared for the latter. However, her feelings for Junhui confused her, and she still didn't exactly know what love was.
"When you love someone," Chan began, "you think they're the most beautiful person on earth."
He picked up a pebble and began to fidget with it in his hands.
"Whenever you see them, you feel butterflies in your stomach. Your heart races, and you always feel so flustered by their tiniest actions. You can't take your eyes off of them; and you have this strong urge to touch them, whether it be patting their head, holding their hand, or hugging them. You're practically head over heels for them."
A smile grew on the younger's face as he reminisced on the memories from the past.
"You want to protect them from all chaos in the world and comfort them when they've had a bad day. You always want to stay by their side and make them happy. You want to enjoy your life with them, in happiness. Their smile makes you smile, and their sadness makes you sad. When they hurt inside, it hurts you too."
He looked back at Seohyeon, eyes sparkling like the water below them.
"That's how Junhui feels about you," he finished. "He loves you, Seohyeon. I know he does."
Seohyeon pondered on everything Chan had just told her. She began to recall all the compliments Junhui had given her, all the times she caught him staring, and all the times they smiled together while reading books in the secret room. She remembered those days when she felt frightened and hurt, and how Junhui was there for her every single time, trying to calm her down and comfort her in the midst of distress. She thought about the time when Junhui hugged her and the times when he would pat her head whenever she did a good job on something.
Then Seohyeon realized that she too felt the same things.
Seohyeon's heart hurt whenever she saw Junhui cry, but she always felt overjoyed when Junhui smiled or laughed. She couldn't take her eyes off of him; his features were so irresistibly charming. She always felt lonely whenever the boy wasn't be her, and she always felt so excited to spend time with him. Holding his hand brought her comfort; she never wanted to let go. She remembered the feeling of when he hugged her. Thinking back, she wished she could've hugged him back that time.
There were sudden voices yelling at them from afar, snapping Seohyeon out of her thoughts. The two students turn around and look where the voices were coming from. Chan began to smile once he saw nine familiar people waving at them and hollaring their names.
"Chan! Seohyeon!" Seokmin shouted. "It's almost time for Third Meal!"
"We'll be right there!" Chan yelled back, standing up from where he was sitting and Seohyeon doing the same. They jogged towards the rest of the recruits and began walking towards the Dining Hall.
"Where's Junhui?" Chan asked.
"He's still in the Training Center," Jisoo responded. "He volunteered to stay behind and wait for you guys in case we couldn't find you. Turns out you guys weren't very far."
"Did you guys talk it out?" Seungkwan asked hesitantly, earning Chan and Seohyeon's attention.
The two exchanged the same look, and Seohyeon slightly nudged Chan in the shoulder with a grin.
"Yeah," Chan smiled.
"Great! We can all eat in peace," Jeonghan sighed with relief.
"I'll go get Junhui," Seohyeon said, immediately turning the opposite direction and walking back to the Training Center.
The team watched Seohyeon scurry down the gravel path, her pace becoming faster and faster until she was in a full sprint.
"Either she's really hungry or she really wants to see Junhui," Mingyu teased.
"Junhui," Chan and Jihoon said at the same time.
The two looked at each other with wide eyes, shocked that they said the exact same thing at the right time.
"You knew?" Jihoon asked.
"Of course I knew," Chan replied, baffled.
They raised their hands and shared a simple hi-five before walking together to the Dining Hall, leaving the rest of the team extremely perplexed.
"Did I miss something?" Seokmin asked.
___________
Seohyeon ran until she finally reached the Training Center. Once she reached the building she slid the door open and was greeted by the sight of a familiar individual aimlessly waltzing around the vast empty room.
Junhui was humming a quiet tune, his back facing away from the latter. His silky brown hair swayed with the gentle breeze that passed through. The rays of sunlight shined upon his skin, his eyes closed as he allowed himself to soak in the warmth.
Seohyeon was no longer confused about how she felt about Junhui. One look at him and she knew.
She was completely infatuated with him.
She walked over to where he was standing and immediately wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her cheek against his back. She felt Junhui flinch at her touch, but she only hugged him tighter.
"S-Seohyeon," He stammered, "You scared me!"
He tried to turn around to look at her, but Seohyeon wouldn't let him and kept her arms wrapped securely around his waist so he couldn't move.
"Were you able to talk things out with Chan?" Junhui asked, trying to ignore the fact that he was blushing like crazy and that his stomach was doing backflips inside him.
He felt Seohyeon nod with her forehead pressed against his back, making him sigh with relief.
"I need to tell you something," Seohyeon spoke up.
Slightly flustered, Junhui looked down at her hands that gripped onto each other as she hugged him from behind. He lifted up his hands and placed them on top of her little ones, stroking her knuckles with his thumb.
"I'm listening," he said quietly.
Seohyeon took a deep breath, sending shivers down Junhui's spine.
"Ever since I stopped taking my pills," she began, "I've been conflicted with my emotions."
"Conflicted?" Junhui asked, in which Seohyeon nodded.
"They were confusing whenever I was with you," Seohyeon continued. "At times my heart felt like it could burst."
She lifted up her head from his back and loosened her grip around his waist. Junhui turned around to face her, revealing his crimson cheeks. The two continued to stare at each other for a moment, not uttering a word.
"But I've realized that you're the most important person in my life," she finally confessed.
Junhui's eyes widened, welling up with tears of joy. Seohyeon brushed away a hair from his forehead before pressing her palm against his cheek, allowing Junhui to lean into her touch.
"I love you," Seohyeon smiled.
As tears streamed down Junhui's face, he smiled back at her and planted a soft kiss on her palm. Then he pulled her into a hug, embracing her with all his might. Seohyeon nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck as she wrapped her arms around his waist once again.
Seohyeon had said the words Junhui had been yearning to hear for years. They were only simple three words, but they meant the world to him when they were coming from Seohyeon. For a short moment, he forgot about the Training Center, about the escape plan, even about the district. In that moment of time, the only thing the he cared about was the girl he was holding in his arms.
"I love you too," Junhui whispered back.
___________
A/N i forgot to add pictures in like four of the chapters so just ignore that lol