Bzzz. Bzzz.

As Chanyoung pressed the doorbell outside Bo Na’s, well, mansion – house was an understatement – he slid his palms down the side of his pants, leaving small stains of sweat.

A high-pitched voice answers, wondering who was there. Chanyoung guessed it was the maid.

“Ah, I’m Yoon Chanyoung – I’m a classmate of Lee Bo Na and she missed some work today. As the class representative, I thought I would stop by to make sure she receives her makeup work.”

“Just a minute, let me ask Bo Na!”

Small unclear murmurings come through the speaker, obviously the maid (?) and Bo Na talking.

In a few minutes, he hears a click and the massive gate in front of Chanyoung slides open. A beautiful garden, full of anticipating cherry blossoms and small green plants that would soon burst into delicate flowers in the coming months surrounded the front yard. Without hesitation, the boy murmurs a polite greeting upon entering the courtyard before seeing a young woman with dark hair opening the front door. She wore a short sleeve white button up blouse with a narrow black pencil-skirt reaching the mid-thighs. A simple black apron covered her waist, affirming Chanyoung’s guess of her identity.

“Chanyoung, is it?”

“Ah, yes, I’m the class representative.”

“Bo Na is in her room but you can wait in here while she comes down,” The lady gives him a gracious smile, and Chanyoung nods, taking a seat on a white leather couch. He had been led to an open living room next to the front door after taking his shoes off. Setting the books and paper work down on the glass coffee table in front of him, Chanyoung gazes at the artwork on the wall, wondering who was the artist. He was quite sure it wasn’t his classmate, as many art and calligraphy classes they had been in together had resulted in quite a chaotic mess on her part. Meanwhile, these paintings were of serene sceneries – a mountain, a lake, the beach. All of nature’s beauties. Hearing a thumping coming nearby, Chanyoung immediately repositions himself and expectantly waits for Bo Na as she appears a few seconds later through the arched doorway.

“Well, hi.”

She was wearing a simple outfit, her hair in a topknot above her head. Her black and white striped shirt was loosely tucked into black denim shorts, exposing long milky legs. Those were definitely not appropriate for school, Chanyoung thought.

“You don’t look sick.”

He immediately regrets his first sentence in the silent atmosphere as Bo Na’s face contorts into disapproval at his somewhat rudeness.

“You don’t know me.”

“I don’t.”

Silence.

“Well,” Chanyoung starts once more while standing up, “I have your missed work. I guess it doesn’t really matter why you were gone, just as long as it wasn’t because of yester-“

A hand covers his mouth as Chanyoung, startled, immediately looks up. Fierce dark chocolate eyes stare back at him.

“Nothing happened last night. And you better not tell anyone,” Her words are a sharp whisper as he locks eye contact and nods slightly. With that, the small hands release his mouth, allowing his next words to be heard.

“If nothing happened, then how would I tell anyone?” Chanyoung jokes slightly, freezing up when she turns on him again.

“Don’t you dare say anything, Yoon Chanyoung. It’s only going to hurt both of our families’ reputations, so just leave now. Don’t forget what I said.”

More silence.

“…I understand.”

Chanyoung quickly gathers his things before saying a formal goodbye to her and the maid (who he suspected was trying to eavesdrop) and headed out of the house as soon as he could. He had thought Bo Na had been sleeping the whole time yesterday, but it was apparent that was not the case.

Lee Bo Na was smarter than she seemed.

--

--

Bo Na watches as her classmate exits the front yard through the gate, his dark hair shifting at the slight wind. Last night had been a shock to her, yet he seemed so calm about it…why?

She retreats from the window to her bed, plopping her body onto the mattress while staring intently at the ceiling.

“Bo Na, your mother and I love each other and you very much. We’ll always be together, so don’t worry, okay? I promise that we’ll always stay together. Even though we have some fights, it all works out. Alls well that ends well, hm?”

What had happened? That promise she had taken for granted…broken. They had lied to her.

Plenty of her friends’ parents had gotten divorced. Some of her friends had come to her sobbing, the others silent before whispering how much they had hated the fighting. Yet, Bo Na had never ever – not even once – thought of her own parents splitting up. Sure, they would have a couple fights here and there – never in front of her of course – but after a few hours they would seem so lovey dovey that even Bo Na, a true romanticist, was sick of it.

There was no mistaking it last night, though - Chanyoung’s mom and her father. Being a light sleeper, Bo Na had silently listened to everything they said, whether she liked it or not. She hadn’t moved so that Chanyoung wouldn’t wake up, but that didn’t work out either. 

Something was happening, and she did not like it.