Chasing You
Chapter Twenty Three
The One

It was a week before Sehun’s birthday, and Ah Reum was less than overjoyed.

She buried her head between her knees as she listened to the soft sound of rocks skipping through the water. Yixing, who was sitting beside her, said nothing as he lightly patted her on the back with his free hand.

He expected her to cry like she once did when she was with him, but she was surprisingly calm. She was taking it pretty well, and Yixing didn’t know if he should be glad or worried about her. He wouldn’t be surprised if she showed up at school the next day and acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing; she was like glass, feelings so transparent ― so clear that unlike others she had to work harder to hide her emotions.

Hesitantly, she raised her head, her eyes meeting with his coffee, brown orbs. She could see herself swimming within the depths of his eyes, just barely holding on. Ah Reum couldn’t believe it; was she that vulnerable in front of him?

“Ah Reum.”

She quickly looked away as she stared at the river, reminiscing about the conversation she had with Sehun a few months ago. Ah Reum could feel the tears coming, yet somehow she managed to hold it in. “Yeah?” she managed to choke out.

“If we knew each other in the past, would you have fallen in love with me instead?” he questioned her, his gaze fixed on her hesitant face.

Ah Reum lifelessly frowned upon hearing his question. “That’s an obvious one, isn’t it?” she mumbled. “I would’ve. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because I’m not like what everyone thinks I am,” Yixing quavered.

He hears it every time, that he’s the second lead to her story, that even if he does anything and everything he can to make her look his way, he still doesn’t have a chance. Ever since he started to hang out with her, supporters of Ah Reum’s story have constantly been reminding him that it will all end in Sehun’s favor, the same Sehun who makes her cry, the same Sehun who loves Da Eun, the same Sehun who can’t make up his mind.

It’s as if people assume that just because things don’t work out between Sehun and Ah Reum right now doesn’t mean that they won’t be together in the future.

Yixing was honestly fed up with that logic.

Ah Reum lightly tugged on his shirt as she slowly rested her head on his shoulder. “Well, I don’t care about how other people see you,” she shyly confessed. “What’s important is how you see yourself and how you act based on that.”

Yixing, in turn, smiled, the same goofy smile that ignited a spark inside of her. Her insides began to churn when she saw it; it was a feeling she didn’t know, but it felt so familiar. Ah Reum couldn’t quite pinpoint it and why she felt so comfortable around him. Even so, she was relieved that she could get along with other boys, unlike what she feared when the mere six-year-old her latched herself onto someone so impossible to win over.

Being with another guy at her secret place almost made her feel normal. Whenever Sehun and her fought, she would sit there, sulk, and wait until he arrived because she knew he would be looking. Now that things were changing, she wondered if that was even important anymore. Ah Reum started to question herself more and more each day, and she was running out of ways to find excuses for herself.

Why can’t it be someone else? Why does it have to be Sehun? Why can’t it be someone like Yixing?

Six to seven times, she was almost swayed by Yixing’s kind words, but that was all there was to it. He was kind solely for the reason that her and Sehun’s friendship would not crumble. He appeared before her to make sure of that. Helping her go out on a friendly outing with Sehun was just his job as Sehun’s friend. As much as she wanted for his feelings for her to be true, Ah Reum knew that he didn’t go through all of that trouble because he liked her.

…

Sehun glanced at the door restlessly. By now, Ah Reum would be coming by with her annoyingly happy voice and broad smile, yet he hadn’t seen her all day. Even though he waited in front of her house during the morning, the only person that greeted him was Ah Reum’s mom who briefly told him that she had already gone ahead with some boy.

Some boy.

Sehun did not like the sound of that. Jiyoung seemed so happy when she told him about what she saw, for the only boy Ah Reum has ever told her about was Sehun.

His eyes strayed off to Yixing, who was busy at the lunch line. Even though he said he was serious, Sehun couldn’t trust him. He befriended Yixing for the sole reason that he would stay away from Ah Reum, but he still found a way around that. Sehun didn’t understand what Yixing was planning.

Luhan snickered as he set his tray down. “Judging by the way you’re glaring at Yixing, I can tell you’ve heard the rumor.”

“What rumor?” Sehun scowled. If looks could kill, he would be dead by now.

“It’s not confirmed yet,” Luhan shrugged, “but I heard that Ah Reum and Yixing are dating.”

Before Sehun could answer, Yixing comes over and sets his tray down, a confused look on his face, for both Luhan and Sehun, were giving off an evil aura. “Um, hi?” he tensely greeted. “Is there something I did?”

“I told you to stay away from her if you’re not serious,” Sehun scoffed. “What the hell are you planning?”

“I don’t know what you heard, but are you really the type of person to deem rumors as factual?” Yixing countered. “If you did, you’d actually consider going out with Ah Reum instead of misleading her all the time."

Sehun was taken aback; it was the first time he’d seen Yixing look at him that way. Meeting Yixing again during the first year of high school, Sehun was convinced that he didn’t remember anything from all those years ago. When he saw Yixing, he wanted to kill him; who wouldn’t? The person that caused Ah Reum all that grief and suffering was right in front of him talking so comfortably with others as if he didn’t do anything bad. Seeing his smiling face every day irritated Sehun; he learned to forgive Yixing at the time because he was told to act normally, but seeing as the events of the past didn’t affect him, Sehun went berserk with anger.

“Do you actually think you can make her happy?” he spat in disgust.

He was losing it. Sehun was at the point where he couldn’t even stand to look at him or else the words he’d been keeping to himself for the past year would leave his mouth. He was honestly glad Ah Reum was not there to watch. After those horrendous weeks of watching her cope with the tragic news, he grew afraid of her losing her sanity and doing something dangerous. She suffered the most, yet he was continuously in her prayers. Sehun didn’t understand why Ah Reum was doing all of that for someone who didn’t even come to visit her, for someone who disappeared like he was never there.

Yixing didn’t say anything in response to that. How odd. Just when he wa