𝐓𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆 Theme Song — 'Love The Way You Lie' by Eminem ft. Rihanna (Nightcore Version)
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊ ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
Diverted Boundaries
*Saturday, Seoul Province — 7:09 A.M
"Damn, bro! You need to tone down your jealousy if you don't want to come out as a living cave woman next!" Jeno cackle upon mentioning to the blonde girl that Beomgyu has been hanging out with the same girl today, "I'm not a cave woman as long as I'm not a cannibal like him who eats a freaking neck!"
"I dearly hope that he'll soon teach you how to." Her hands went on auto pilot as it punched his arm, "I'm not a cave woman nor a bear and I will never be! Keep that in your thick skull!"
"Okay, then at least be his cooked chicken legs or honey for him to eat. You don't wanna let your caveman or bear starve to death, right?"
Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits as she threw him a scornful glare, "Shut the fuck up! I was born as a human and it will stay as it is!"
"Uh huh! Tell that to yourself! Focus on our current goal and you can be with your bear later on!" The boy guided her to where her old Town is residing, where her mother wants to 'talk' to her, "Is this really necessary?! I'm wasting my time."
"Oh, shepherd! The destiny that you've been talking about lies in that mansion!" He dramatically outstretched his arms, referring to the huge mansion ahead of them that she failed to notice, "Since when did they bought themselves a mansion? To the money they earned illegally?!"
"Probably." He joked but he deep down he was not very fond of her family as well if it wasn't for his father being friends with them, "Well, screw that shit!" She sneered through her gritted teeth since they left Hanlim earlier that day
Jeno briefly took a glimpse of her raging expression as he walked behind her with cautious, "This is gonna suck so bad!" Ryujin snorted in mock, "You only noticed that just now?"
"Hey! Give me a credit for noticing!" The girl only rolled her eyes as she appeared to be unfazed by the gigantic mansion with banners and nature planted all around the entrance, "Hmm, do you think you know what she's going to tell you somehow?"
"How should I know? It should be you who knows everything between the two of us. I want to get out of this stinky place so bad." Jeno had to disagree with her though, "It looks so magnificent with the interior not gonna lie and the air smells like freshener."
"Typical." She commented with a roll of her eyes, "So, do I need to go with you or what?" The boy awkwardly asked, glancing at the maids working in the household in wary, "Nah, I think you should be fine here."
"Uh... Do you even know which way is your mother's room or perhaps office?!" The blonde girl shrugged carelessly, "I'll just roam around, see what kind of sorcery they're up to. Technically, I've been expecting something big from them since the beginning."
Jeno's eyebrows knitted in confusion, "What do you mean?" But he only got silence as an answer, "Maybe forcing you to come here was such a bad idea after all. I'm regretting my own decisions."
"Glad you do!" She shouted back, stepping inside one of the rooms downstairs but only find it as an spacious room, "You should check upstairs, you idiot!" Ryujin had the urge to roll eyes at Jeno's remark, "I don't need your noisy mouth to tell me what to do!"
Either way, she reconsidered his suggestion and headed upstairs, there are two separate hallways that leads into different rooms with no label on the door, "This is a company, not a mansion." She murmured to herself and stepped to the left to check the rooms
Until she heard a door creaking behind her before she could even step forward, craning her head behind, her eyes slitted like the Viper's eyes while watching a mid aged woman coming out of one of the room, "Ryujin?!"
The blonde girl scoffed at the greeting, evading her advances to hug her, the lady frowned at the gesture but still smiled nonetheless, "How have you been—"
"Drop the formalities already. Why did you called me?!" Her mother flinched at her daughter's harsh tone, "Let's go to my office." The elder guided her towards the room where she came from as two maids came rushing to their sides with trays in their hands
"Come have a seat." Ryujin suppressed her usual sarcastic remarks but it's not a day without her remarks, "Nah, thanks. It looks like insects are habituating it. Better sit on the ground instead."
The maids visibly gulped at her in wary, "Ryujin, there's nothing wrong with it. We'll discuss the matter beforehand." Her mother handed her a cup of boiling tea, "I'm good, it'll be much better if you actually hurry up." [(A/N: This is just a FF, respect your elders, y'all! Or I'll come with my Katanas—)]
Sighing in defeat, the lady proceeds to explain the reason for once, "Look, you have every right to be mad at us with your father after what we did, there's no excuse needed after all of those things we've done. I knew it wasn't right at the beginning but I still carried on with the wrong—"
"What are exactly you trying to say?!" She piped in, face blank, "We need your help, Ryujin." The blonde girl wasn't so certain if her own ears are deceiving her, "You... need my help?" Her mother frowned at her inflated cheeks, giving her an idea that she's holding back her laughter
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you don't give a shit or two about me when I was still young." She drawled in satirical tone, successfully shutting the elder up, "And now you need my help? For what?! You have everything you guys need, do I need to cite everything?!"
"No, Ryujin. It's about our business." The blonde girl couldn't fathom if she was being deliberately serious or not, "Your business! Not mine! Now, it's better if you actually mind your own business without involving me!" Her voice bounced off the white walls
The lady sighed, clearly exasperated, "Ryujin, I'm going to give you the details myself later and I hope you reconsider and I—"
"Don't bother! You're wasting your time for someone who is worthless... isn't that your quote to me?" Her mock earned her a scathing glare, "Ryujin, I may have done something unforgivable against you but this doesn't mean you can disrespect—"
"You?! Please, mother! Other people might respect you because of your wealth but don't get the wrong idea if you think I'll follow your loyal beings!" The whole statement was dripping with sarcasm, rendering her mother speechless
"You got the riches and money you want, what makes you think I'll just crawl underneath your skin because of that?" She spat, turning her heels to walk out of the door
Until her mother spoke which spiked her interest, "I've heard from Jeno you're seeing someone... Particularly, someone you like." Her eyes automatically shut at the sentence, "What does my life gotta do with you?!"
"And I understand if I told you to leave him, you wouldn't actually listen to me." Oh god! Is it possible to buy this brainless woman dozens of brains with her own money?!
"I'm not reiterating anything regarding the fact that you don't have the rights to indulge in my life!" The aged woman was cut short when the blonde girl slammed the door shut and heaved a heavy sigh
"That didn't end well, did it?" The boy himself mused, leaning against the wall plastering unfazed expression, "Oh, can you say it louder please?!"
Jeno chuckled at her sarcastic tone, "Should we go now?! I'm hungry for chocolate milk, glazed doughnuts, watermelon, ramen, fried chicken, hamburger, ice cream, slushies, dark chocolate, seafood soup, jjampong, and sour foods." Ryujin assessed his entire being
"Too bad you don't have that much allowance to buy all of those." The boy shook her head before grinning widely as he pocketed a golden credit card, "Not today, ma sister! I have acquired the gift of the Gods and I will treasure this gift in a lifetime."
The blonde girl walked right passed him, shaking her head in pure disbelief, "Hey! Don't you want free food from me?! I can buy both of us for another lunch!"
"It's only seven in the morning, Jeno." She dead pan, not once sparing a glimpse, "Then another breakfast?!" Who is she kidding to slip the chance of having free food but she felt like he's going to have a catch, "Yeah..."
"On one condition." I fucking called it!
"Never mind. I'm full." Something tells her gut that it's somewhat related to the bear and she'll be damn if Jeno's Hulk mind is in involve in the conversation
|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|
*8:43 A.M — Hanlim Dormitory
Early morning rose and the boys were preparing breakfast for themselves in the kitchen when the blonde boy barged into room with an unusual miffed expression, "Oh, Taehyun. Mind giving us a hand?"
The eldest motioned at the tupperware where they decided to placed the three slices of bread with a bottle of Almond milk in his other hand, "To whom?" Beomgyu halted his hands to slice another bread at his tone
"To Soobin, he might wake up this morning and who knows if he gets hungry for—" The tupperware and bottle were snatched from his grasp as Taehyun strode out of the kitchen wordlessly
"Well, that was easy. I had expected him to be sluggish today since it's the start of our Christmas vacation." The youngest boy hummed in response, munching his pizza with ease as he was smiling like an idiot the entire time
"You're creeping me out, Kai. What's up with your Jack the Killer smile?" Kai glanced at him to answer but Beomgyu beat him to it
"He's married." The youngest coughed out the pizza he was eating while the pink haired boy bumped his knee on the counter accidentally
"Hyung! That was completely off the charts! What are you saying?!" He exclaimed, widening his eyes in flabbergast, "Oh, come on. Didn't you confess to Yuna last Thursday? You still haven't given me the details, so you better start talking."
"Wait, what?! How come I didn't know about this?! I would've given you much better advice how to confess to your girl!" Kai pursed his lips into a thin line, "Well, Beomgyu hyung was the one who witnessed my struggles."
The jet black boy agreed instantly, "Yup and I'm an expert of that since we recruited a form of help with some professional." He elegantly dusted his shoulders, "Is that why you're two timing?" The pink boy widened his eyes at Kai's words
"You're two timing, Beomgyu?! Damn, I didn't know you're such a playboy now, huh?" The bear smacked the back of his head while glaring daggers at him, "Never mind, you're three timing already. Suddenly developing feelings for my nape from the past moths. But who are you two timing with, huh?!"
"I'm not two timing! Sheesh! Where did you even get that idea, Kai?" The youngest blinked innocently, "You were hanging out with that same orange haired girl at morning but after class you're cuddling with Ryujin noona. Isn't that two timing?"
"If Ryujin finds out about this, you are so screwed! You're lucky enough she's not here or else we would have told her if you don't confess your sins right this instance." Blackmailed the boy, "Really, hyung? Sins?" Beomgyu dead pan
"Why are you so calm about this?! Don't you have conscience for cheating on Ryujin?! How dare you, young man!" Beomgyu snorted at his dramatic acts, "Stop it! I'm not cheating on Ryujin and more specifically am not two timing."
Kai shot him a skeptical look, "That could be true since you guys are still not dating so you can actually hang out whoever girl you would like."
"Hey! Hey! The topic was all about you, Kai. Not me." But Kai only evaded his statement, "I wonder what will Yeonjun hyung would have said of I asked for his help regarding to girls."
"You could have just told me! Ugh! What happened then?!" The youngster frowned at the reminiscing thought before plastering the identical smile, "I can tell that she's happy and overwhelmed but she could still cope with the situation."
"Then, why is she still not saying yes? Are you planning on courting her first?" Kai heaved a dejecting sigh and crossed his arms on the counter, "Yeah, she's happy... but hesitant."
The two exchanged looks before sprinting to his sides and prepared their ears to listen, "I know she never had any boyfriend or experience like this and it's normal for her to be insecure and hesitant... but it's a different type."
"What do you think could be the reason?"
"I don't know, it's like she's restraining herself from something, as if suppressing herself from getting closer to me or let her feelings grow deeper and I don't understand. Is it because I confess all of a sudden?"
The elder's eyes narrowed into slits at Beomgyu, perceiving it as 'I told you, you need my help', "Maybe she have many petty doubts or probably wanting to improve herself for you that's why she's creating distance between the two of you for the meantime."
"Just for that reason? I don't think so, hyung. She's not that shallow and it's probably because after what happened... She still couldn't bring herself to trust me again." The jet black boy face palmed himself
"Kai, I thought Yuna already made it crystal clear that she had forgiven you—"
"But that doesn't mean she can trust me again that quick! Hyung, I was blinded from Wonyoung's lies for weeks and months ago. I didn't let her explain and the people verbally assaulted her for this. I doubt she's—"
"You still are actually." Yeonjun butted in with a mocking smirk, "You are being blind for the second time of the century, Kai. The girl obviously understands where you were going from the past. If she's having a hard time trusting you again, what do you think is the reason she confessed to you in the first place?"
"Oof, that's a good point." Kai remained silent after the conversation and the breakfast, Yuna is still sleeping soundly in his room as well as the other girls except Chaeryeong and Yeji who warmly stalked in the living with their pajamas
Lia had already eaten her breakfast much earlier than necessary and promptly went to Soobin's clinic room, "Where's Taehyun?" Was Chaeryeong's million dollar question, the cat girl swiftly made those fangirling noises
"Oh, hyung just went to Soobin's infirmary room just now. He should be back by now since he has nothing to do in there." The youngest one replied, "She's craving for his presence and affection~"
"Unnie, I'm not that clingy and unbearably seeking for attention. I'm just plainly curious where he is." She retaliated while yawning most of the sentence, "Yeah, I know you aren't but—"
The main entrance doors flew open and it revealed a panting Lia, "Are you alright?! Is Soobin awake?"! She glanced at Chaeryeong in raw bafflement, confusing the girl as well, "What?"
"What did you say to Taehyun?" The boys perched their eyebrows in perplexity, "Uh... Nothing? I haven't even seen him today 'cuz I only woke up. Why?"
Her eyes snapped outside where the passing students are staring at her with pity or a few with disgust, "Everyone knows already, Chae. Your secret and everything, I don't know what suddenly happened but they do. Who did you tell about this?!"
The boys are more confused at what they're talking about but the other party seemed to understand it well as the youngest girl just walked in from the scene, "No... I didn't tell anyone. What do you mean by everything?!"
Just then, the blonde boy marched his feet inside with the same expression, "Taehyun?" He ignored everyone's presence in the room as he only picked up his backpack and went outside again, "It's vacation. Why does he needs that?"
"Unnie, what's going on?! How did the campus knows about this?!" Lia shook her head vehemently, "I don't know either, Chaer. But they say Yunkyoung is the one behind all of this. Are you sure you didn't tell anyone?"
Instead of answering her, she dashed in the hallways, down the campus ground to talk to Yunkyoung, but something caught her attention along the way. She skid to a stop upon spotting a piece of paper on the wall with her name stamped on it
"No..." She crumpled the paper and threw it behind her while her hands are shivering like a leaf and her knees are threatening to buckle, "Chae?" Her ears rang from the voice and only jumbled thoughts are running from her mind
"Hey! Deep breaths!" The familiar mop of blonde hair greeted her peripheral vision, but a different kind of hue. She felt a hand gripped her shoulder blades and the other one coaxing the strands of her scarlet hair that fell on her forehead
Her temperature is dropping drastically and her lips are turning pale than usual, "Chae, don't panic. Look at me! Hey, look at me!" Her blurry vision snapped at Yeosang's brown orbs that are accentuated with concern, "What do you see?"
Unable to think, she answered him automatically, "You." The blonde boy hummed then asked again "What's around you?" Her brown eyes roamed around her vicinity, "Walls, lockers, rooms." Her breathing began to even out
"How many things do you see?" She gulped before answering, "Many things." Her eyes are starting to see clearer to her surrounding
"What do you feel? Do you think someone's touching you?" Contemplating for a second, she murmured when she felt fingers tracing her knuckles, "A hand on my shoulder and on my knuckles."
The boy nodded his head slowly before motioning her to stand up, "Where are your friends?" He got an eerie silence as his response, "Where's Taehyun?! I need to see him, where did he go?!"
His lips formed a thin line, "Do you know where he went? Please, Yeosang! I need to talk to him!" The blonde boy sighed and pointed at the left corner of the hallways, "I saw him ran that way but I don't know where he's going. Chae, I think you should go back first in your dorm."
"But I really need to talk to him! This is important... Do you believe this?" She gestured at the crumpled paper with a frown, "Of course not, Chaer. Not until I've heard your story." She breathed a sigh of relief, "What about Taehyun? Did he believed it?"
His eyes casted down to his feet, "Yunkyoung was the one who told him but I don't think he's mad, Chaeryeong. Just you know, a bit disappointed that you didn't tell him."
She shut her eyes tightly before heaving heavy breaths, "I'll go talk to him."
But the boy quickly refused, "No, give him time. Or else you might make the situation worse, he's clearing out his mind and he'll talk to you eventually." He assured with wavering smile that compelled her to shook her head defiantly
"Chae, I can assure you he's not mad directly at you. What Yunkyoung told him was not enough to just blame or evade your presence. He loves you, right?! He won't leave you like that!" The girl stood like a statue upon hearing the 'word'
"What did you say?" Yeosang blinked in confusion, "Uh... I've said alot of things. Which one?"
"The L word." His eyebrows furrowed until realization dawned him before gulping harshly and acted as if nothing happened, "Oh! You mean that he won't leave you?! Of course he won't. Pfft! He likes you, okay?! Even though it's hurting my feelings but okay!"
But the girl wasn't so convinced, "No, Yeosang. The other L word, I'm pretty certain you said it!" Wait... Why am I so desperate to confirm this non existent word anyway?!
"Huh?! I don't know what you're talking about? Oh, god Chaeryeong I think your ears are having problems again!" And we're to back to square one! Typical Yeosang!
"You know, you should shower first before talking to Taehyun. He'll leave you for sure if he smells your stinky, foul odor." The girl rolled her eyes but she was etching a ghost smile, "Especially your breath. It will certainly kill him."
"Hey! What's your problem with my scent and everything?!" Yeosang kept teasing her until he compelled her to take a shower first because he will die any moment just being near him
|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|
"Why are we here?! Yeonjun, you do know I can't ice skate, right?!" Exclaimed the cat girl who was morphing into a mandrill as she clinged tightly on the pink haired boy who just chuckled at her reaction
"I'm very aware, that's why you have a professional skater to teach you." Her skeptical eyes looked at him in heavy disbelief, "Oh, really? Perhaps you have a different meaning of professional, like you are a professional of falling over."
The boy only cackle but proceeds to take her in the depths of her nightmares, "It's not that bad, trust me. You'll learn it within minutes without banging your head on the ice rink."
"Oh, so you're insinuating that I might bang my head and have the possibility of breaking my neck?" She dead pan, "You can say it like that but you have an agile Fox on your side so chillax for a bit."
"Not helpful!" She whined and attempted to escape from the entrance when Yeonjun restricted her movements, "Hey, if you don't like it in the next five minutes then we'll leave. I just want you to try it. Pwease~" He pulled out the big guns and did Yeji's weakness
"Ugh! You're so unfair!" She wailed and looked away at his pouty expression, "How is it unfair?! You just have to try it, it'll be fun anyway."
Sighing, she reluctantly nodded her and followed the boy inside who immediately grabbed two pairs of skating shoes and handed the first pair to her, "I have a bad feeling I'll end up in the hospital again." She murmured, struggling to tie the laces
"No, you won't. If you can't balance yourself in the next ten minutes then I'll just enjoy myself in here without you." He mused and stood before skating on the rink without exerting an ounce of effort, "Hurry up, slowpoke."
"Easy for you to say! This freaking shoes must hate me a lot by the looks of it. Ugh!" She narrowly tightened the knot and tried standing with the help of the bench but the gravity ended up pulling her on the solid ice with a groan
"Why can't you be sensible for yourself?" The pink haired boy chuckled from above her and helped her to stand up, "Okay, just relax your muscles and let yourself glide." He held both of her hands while skating backwards as the girl did what he said, except the first one
"You're trembling too much, Yeji." He concluded with a teasing smile, "Way to go, Captain Obvious! Perhaps it's really cold in here that's why I'm shaking like a leaf." She sarcastically remarked, "Oh, really?"
Truth was she's only wearing a plain T-shirt and black sweatpants with boots. So, it wasn't a surprise if she'll freeze to death anytime soon
"Obviously because I'm scared to break my skull— Ah!" As if destiny was with her. Her feet lost the balance and swayed from side to side before Yeonjun's hands shot to her waist and the other on her shoulders, "I told you to relax." He chastised immediately
"How can I? I feel like death is chasing me around this ice rink." The boy rolled his eyes and slide past to her side, "Just relax and don't think of any thoughts." Huffing a frustrated breath, she straightened her spine and looked down at her feet
"See? You're getting the hang of it!" He praised and slowly withdraw his hand on her waist, "Unfortunately." She giggled lowly while smiling to herself, "Now, Yeji. I'm gonna let go like Elsa and let you do this for awhile."
"Wait, what?!" Too late when the boy skates a bit too far from her liking, "Yeonjun, I swear to God if I fall over and hit my head. I'm going to cut your pea sized eggplant and feed it to the Piranhas!"
His right eyebrow arched in amusement, "And how did you know my middle friend was small in size?"
"Is that everything you heard?!" She inwardly face palmed when he nodded his head without a second thought, "You made my friend inflate in size by the way." Despite the drop chilling atmosphere, her cheeks are doing miracles to heat up her face
"How can you say that so casually in front of a girl?!" Her unbelievable question made him cackle like a maniac, "You mean in front of the girl I like?" The urge of punching him across his arrogant face is critically high for the girl [(A/N: This is so me🤣 Ehem, you know what that means)]
"That doesn't mean you can just randomly confess your horny middle friend about his current situation!" She chastised while crossing her arms but the boy is just smirking at her, "You're the reason why I'm horny. You should take responsibilities for this."
The girl glowered at him while grinding her jaw, "Keep your horny mind at bay then! I don't have the time to deal with those kind of stuffs in the middle of my life and death situation like this!"
Yeonjun smirked broadly as if telling her a hidden message, "Hold up..." Her sentence drawled as she looked down at her feet that are no longer shivering from her anxiety, "I'm... Skating?" Her question came out as a peeved sentence
"Oh, Yeji. There's more about skating, you're simply just balancing yourself but good job!" He intertwined their hands and pulled her in the middle of the ice rink, "Woah! I think we're going a bit too fast!"
"Nah, it's fine! You need to get use to this!" Surprisingly, she could keep up with his speed as they both slide their skate blades with ease, for Yeonjun at least, "Uh... Isn't balancing myself already enough for this?!"
"Where's the fun in that?" The boy grinned from ear to ear as he slides past every people around, "My life is gonna end if you don't slow down right this instance, Yeonjun!"
"Ah ah ah! What did we talked about calling me oppa?!" Her lips formed a irresistible pout for the boy, "Can't I just call you Yeonjun?! Like your name is already mouthful and I'm gonna add two syllables from it? It's so tiring!"
"You're just simply gonna call me oppa even if without my name before it." Groaning in exaggeration, she responded, "It's so mouthful, two syllables are so mouthful!"
He coughed in mock, "Like brother, like sister? Same dramatic personalities but yours is minimum?" She rolled her eyes before retracting her arms, "We may be twins but that doesn't imply that I'm the exact copycat of my brother."
"You are actually and his virus is threatening to take over you as well." Grunting in response, she began to sway her legs but also skate with ease, "Speaking of him, what did you guys spoke about Mingi the last day?"
She almost bang her head on the ice when she felt her feet shook in force at the question, "I... Well, he's someone related to me that I don't know of until now." She smiled weakly and casted her gaze down once again
"Oh, what kind of relation?" Is it just me or he sounded jealous right there? "Uh... Nothing personal, just a friend I forgot from the past."
Yeonjun kept staring at her, assessing some kind of answer in her expression, "And may I know why you forgot him?" She shrugged in response, concealing the fact that the question affected her tremendously as she's still foreign from whatever the reason it was
"Hyunjin told me I lost part of my memories but I don't remember something horrible that happened to me to lose my memories and him."
"Perhaps you also don't know that part, it could either be you got into an accident or you have Alzheimer's Disease but the doctors failed to have that in their diagnosis." Her hands shot to slapped the boy on arm
"Ouch! Just stating probabilities here. What is Mingi has been up to you?" Although she finds it odd that he asked, she still replied, "Uh... A good friend and coworker, we often hang out and talk about things."
His expression significantly darkened for no apparent reason, "Oh, yeah? Like what exactly? Care to tell me." Her roamed around as indication that's she's reckoning, completely oblivious how the pink boy is burning up with jealousy
"Oh, well nothing important. Just on how the trainees will be handling the practice and everything—"
"Hold up a second, if he's your coworker then what exactly is your job by the way?" Bullshit! Way to go spill the nuts, idiotic self! "Uh... I— What?!"
His lips morphed into a frown, "Yeji... Why are you not willingly telling me anything about yourself?" Her mouth opened to answer but no words were coming out from her throat, what was the point in retaliating if he was right anyway?
"Why do I always have to find out a thing about you by accident?! If you didn't drink and got hospitalized, I wouldn't have known that you have a brother. If Eunji didn't have the guts to tell me that you're hanging out with Mingi, I wouldn't have found out that you were a working student and now you accidentally blurted out that Mingi is actually your coworker and I still don't know what exactly is your job?!"
Her mind went blank at his sudden outburst, "No, Yeonjun. I just can't grasp the right time to tell you any of these. I honestly don't know how to tell you a thing or two without being hesitant—"
A derisive chuckle interrupted her rantings, "You're being hesitant? That means you still don't trust me, do you? I sometimes don't understand you, Yeji. I gave no reason for you not to trust me but I guess it was still not enough for you, eh?"
His expression became forlorn as he turned his back to skate back to the exit, "Wait, Yeonjun!" She hasten her pace so she could catch up but only slipped her balance and ended up on the solid ice, landing on her elbows roughly which elicited a quiet whimper from her
She didn't even took a glimpse to assess the damage and struggled to take off the stupid skating shoes to put on her previous boots before bolting out to look for him but she found no trace of the boy
Fishing out her phone, she dialed his number and waited for a few seconds but it caught her off guard he actually hang her call up. Ironically, her hands began to shiver even after exiting a cold atmospheric room as beads of sweat formed on her temples
She dialed his number again but it says he was unreachable and Yeji couldn't have been shock in horror that he actually turned off his phone to mute her. Casting her gaze on the floor, her hand unconsciously lost the grip of her phone and landed on the solid ground
Uncaring that it broke into pieces, all emotions knotting her brain makes it hard for her to even move a single fraction of her muscle. Blinking in confusion, she picked up her broken phone as if contemplating if she would eat it or not
Downhearted, she waded out of the building like the undead, currently lost from all the petty doubts swirling in her mind, "Oh, wait! It's Yeji noona!" After hearing the familiar voice, she still kept walking out of the building
"Noona!" She halted her steps and glanced over her shoulders with blank face, "We finally did it!" The youngest boy from her brother's small group of friends cheered as he linked his arm with hers before dragging her elsewhere
Ignoring the excruciating pain from her elbows that Jeongin failed to notice
"We finally threw Hyunjin hyung in the ocean like what you asked for... well totally not in the ocean but in a lake actually. It was hilarious and priceless when Hyunjin hyung splashed on the water." All of a sudden, the thoughts about Yeonjun diminished before she cackle along with Jeongin
Just imagining her brother being thrown in a lake was funny enough to eradicate her worries, "Where is he right now?!" She had difficulties controlling her laughter as she blurtes out, "Probably still in the lake. Lemme tell you how you screamed like the Mean Girls when we—"
"Jeongin! Christopher! Han! Changbin! Felix! Seungmin! You Know who!" The young boy froze at the roaring voice of their tallest friend right outside the door, glaring menacingly at him, "Wait, the rest of the boys are here?"
Jeongin could only subconsciously nod his head unsure, "She's the mastermind!" He pointed at the cat before sprinting for his life
"This cheeky brat!" Yeji giggled and whirled her head at her brother marching with seaweeds on both of his shoulders and head along with clamshells on his feet and arms
Droplets of water travelled down to his jaw and chin, she couldn't help but to tease, "Wow! Mermaid fashion now, are we? Ariel must be quacking at your fashionable look."
"Oh, shut up!" He proceeds to take off the seaweeds and clamshells before glowering at her, "Hey, don't look at me like that. I was only joking when I said that to the boys. I didn't know they'll take it too seriously."
His expression softened when he pin point a tint of sadness in her voice, "Is something wrong?" She expertly played it off knowing Hyunjin can read her like an open book, "No, everything's fine and all. How was the lake by the way? Got any mermaid girlfriends already?"
Lucky for her, the llama is easily distracted as he ranted many unnecessary things that were not needed to mention, keeping her negative emotions at bay and specially the unbearable pain swallowing her arms
Fake smile and fake laugh, is that how you live your life even though you're actually in pain and breaking apart from the inside? The eldest boy with pink hair wondered to himself as he had witnessed how she acted naturally as if everything was normal
As if she her elbows weren't injured and he didn't make feel remorseful. Raking a hand in his hair, he almost punched the wall behind him in frustration but he eventually just walked out and dragged himself back in the dorm
|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|
*Monday, 7:54 A.M
Most of the Hanlim students are now in their original homes and spending their time with their families but the boys and girls are simply still packing their things. The blonde boy finally heaved a sigh of relief after folding his cloth in his bag and proceeds in the living room
Only to hear distinct voices talking, more specifically his roommate and he couldn't help but to feel guilty for ignoring the girl just to clear up his mind
"Hey, Chaeryeong. Are you feeling fine now?" The short blonde haired girl queried in concern, after hearing what happened, she almost barged in Yunkyoung's dormitory to teach her a lesson, but then again she doesn't where is her dormitory residing
"Mostly... I still can't help but to feel insecure whenever they look at me as if I'm an abomination. Jaemin even had to cancel the ball and break friendships with me. Like damn, I'm really that disgusting to look at now, huh?" His hands automatically fisted at how the girl is ridiculing herself
"No, you're not disgusting! Those people just love sticking their noses and follow the lead of what comes the superior, don't listen to them, Chaer. Your life doesn't revolve around them." There was numbing silence before he heard a silent sob followed by hushing sounds
His insides felt like crashing into million pieces just assuming that his roommate is crying from the other side of the wall, "Can I just go back in Daegu permanently and continue my education in there?! Clearly transferring in here wasn't the best or worst idea ever."
The blonde boy became a statue at her request to her friend, frazzling his mind, "What?! How are you going to live there alone? Your grandmother is taking care of your sister and..."
"And I might just be another burden to her? I've thought about that but don't worry. I'll fend my own self anyway, I know a friend of my older sister that could help me." Taehyun couldn't fathom if she's being serious or what but she does sounds so determined
"But Chaeryeong... You're going to graduate anyway. Why not finished your high school in here before going back in Daegu? You just have to endure a few months." The squirrel silently pray that she'll reconsider Ryujin's suggestion
But only disappointment can grant his wishes, "I'm sorry, Ryu. But I don't think I can face anyone after the vacation without deprecating myself."
Gritting his teeth, he peeped through the corner of the wall seeing the same eyebags he saw from last time under Chaeryeong's eyes. He basically told her to inform him if she's feeling insomniac and prevented her from swallowing any of her sleeping spills but turns out it affected her tremendously than he thought
"Are you sure about this? We will support your decision but please be certain of it." And as if his morning could get any worse, "I'm certain, unnie. I'll leave by next week."
He turned his back and slammed the door shut in his room which startled the two girls, "Who was that... Well, anyway. What about Taehyun? I thought you liked him and he's also infatuated to you."
Chaeryeong leaned against the couch with dejected sigh, "I guess I'll talk to him... If he's willing to talk to me that is." She giggled in irony before standing up, "I'll go prepare to go outside, I want jog today."
A bright smile instantly took over the blonde girl's features, "Oh, yeah! It's been awhile actually!" The scarlet girl sluggishly strutted back to her room with flat look, uncertain if she could face another awkward time with the boy
Blowing a breath, she receded the door open and calmly acted like she's in her normal days, she was expecting the boy to be folding her clothes in his bags but she only saw two zipped bags in the bed with no signs of the boy around
Perplexed, she still slides it off and gather her own clothes to shower since she didn't hear the shower running. Opening the bathroom door, she almost jumped over the ceiling when she spotted the boy in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection
Until he sweeped his steely gaze on her that immediately softened, "Uh... I-i didn't know you were using the b-bathroom. Sorry!" She squeaked an apology before rushing to get out of the bathroom but only to be pulled back in a back hug which causes her clothes to fell of her hands
"Uhh... T-taehyun?!" She grasped his arms to wrench it away from her it only tightened significantly, not to the point where it's actually hurting her, just enough to trap her in his arms, "H-hey! I-i need to s-shower, are you d-done already?"
She patiently waited for his response but she got nothing, "Seriously, Taehyun. I have to go out with Ryujin unnie today but I need to shower first!"
"Because you're going?" Her grip from his arms loosened as she looked over her shoulder where he was nuzzling his nose, "Going where? I'm need to go in the bathroom if that's what you're talking about."
"Don't go." He mumbled meekly and all of her resolves immediately melted, "Then endure my foul odor like Yeosang proclaimed it to be." She folded her arms on her chest with a frown, unable to catch what's going in his head of him
"Don't go back in Daegu." She deliberately froze and unfolded her arms, realization dawning her when he actually eavesdrop, "Taehyun, why—"
"I sound selfish to demand for you to stay in the place where it's actually the one causing you a lot of pain but I can't help it. It's in my human nature to be selfish for my own good, when Yunkyoung narrated me something that you could have done, there's no single cell that was mad and disappointed."
Sighing, he continued, "I only wish you to tell me your secret willingly, Chae. Not the others nor from your friends, I want it coming from you. It's different if it's actually from the girl I'm admiring, feels like she's trusting me and opening her mysterious world for me. Makes me feel special."
Then she randomly asked a completely irrelevant question, "You're a Once?" The blonde boy chuckled at her randomness and cute reaction, "No, I just heard it always in the malls, repetitively blasting my ears. And it got stuck in my head I guess."
Her eyes suddenly glistening in excitement and turn around to face him, "You should listen to their songs more often! They actually just released a new song and I swear to God you're not gonna..."
The girl kept rambling about he should stan the artist behind the song, totally forgetting what they were talking about and Taehyun couldn't have been more lucky to have a unique girl like her, "... Oh! You should also listen to their latest album—"
She was rudely interrupted by Taehyun stealing a kiss from her lips, "What was that for?!"
"Because of your randomness." He smirked when she blushed profusely in embarrassment, "Oh... I-i'm sorry. W-what are we talking about again—" Then another peck from her cheeks, "That's because of your cuteness."
"Uh... Tae, I think—" Another one from her forehead, "For being too smart of thinking a nickname for me." She groaned at his mischievous side kicking in, "I thought we were just talking about—" Stealing another kiss from her lips, she glared at him
"I'm not gonna stop, so preserved your saliva from telling me to stop 'cuz I won't... Not unless you tell me about yourself." A distraught expression took over her face instantly, "Hey! I've already heard what happened back then but I didn't judge, did I?"
"Yeah... But the other are already ridiculing me." The blonde boy shuts his eyes before murmuring, "Chae, please. Don't listen to them, I'll handle those shits myself but trust me when I said I won't be like those people."
"But you maybe after hearing my story." He stared at her in contemplative seconds before he unexpectedly lifted her then hanging her on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, "Hey! Put me down! This is so weird when I'm staring at your butt upside down!"
She felt his chest vibrated because of his laugh before she got thrown in the bed unceremoniously, followed by the boy collapsing in the mattress backwards beside her, "Taehyun, I needed—"
"No, stay and tell me, Chaeryeong." He defiantly stated, blocking her possible escape routes by seizing her waist and crushing her in between his arms, "But Ryujin unnie is waiting for me outside."
"I'll tell Beomgyu hyung to keep her company." He dismissed, "Huh? How is he gonna do that?"
"I don't know and I don't care. He can teach her how to be a cave woman like himself for all I care but I need you to be the one telling me, Chaer."
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Okay, holy crappy pattie!!!! THANK YOU FOR 30k reads!!!! UWU HUHUHHHUUHUU I didn't expect this book has gone so far before this year's ends!!!
And I'm basically struggling to anything in that new book HUHU TXT is influencing me with long titles ISTG!