Chasing Her

Chapter Eleven

“You are everywhere;

In the sights I see

In the books, I guarantee

In the tears I free

In the skies, so carefree

But never truly beside me.”

— K.A

Ah Reum felt the sudden urge to correct him, to tell him that he misunderstood the entire situation, but then again, a part of her also wanted to yell at him for seeing her as that cliché princess in games that needs to always get saved by the protagonist. She was not that princess, and soon enough, she would make sure Sehun and everyone else who had ever presumed she was fragile would not think it anymore. After all, she could save herself if the situation called for it. They live in the 21st century for god’s sake. Shouldn’t the belief that women can protect themselves be a generally well-known fact?

However, Ah Reum had been a tad bit too late to tell him the truth. She had barely opened when he immediately added on to what he had originally told her.

“Or, at least, that’s what I thought,” he mumbled dejectedly.

He looked rather deflated, as if the confident and arrogant guy that used to inhabit that body had long moved out; all that was left was an Oh Sehun that Ah Reum was not too familiar with. It was an unusual sensation for her to feel. She had been so used to him knowing all the right things to say and do, that the man in front of her didn’t seem recognizable at all.

Ah Reum plopped down on the two-seater swing her mother had bought a few years ago. Neither of them had used it much; its only purpose was to make their house look homier, which it had accomplished with flying colors. It was comfortable, to say the least; albeit having a few quirks such as that one screw her mom was so sure wasn’t necessary. She could only shake her head at her mom’s assumptions. It was one thing for mothers to know best when it came to life and how to survive with the cards you’re dealt, but it was simply another thing when her mother had built the swing herself, relying only on the instructions halfway through until she decided to ‘wing it’. The swing not breaking yet was a miracle; unfortunately, after that fluke, her mother grew a passion for renovating their house, and of course, that required multiple visits to Home Depot to get her supplies.

She stared toward the street as she observed his still form. “What do you mean?” she asked, leaning in forward to look him in the eye while she placed her feet on the ground to stop the contraption. “What you thought…” Ah Reum drawled, “Meaning you believe you had it all wrong?”

He nodded sheepishly. “You could say that.”

She had known what he supposedly saw, but it didn’t necessarily mean she couldn’t question him about what else he knew. Besides, what better way was there to dig for more information than asking someone who remembers almost every detail?

Ah Reum gently poked Sehun’s side, knowing the action irritated him. “So, I was right,” she concluded.

Sehun raised an eyebrow at her abrupt proclamation. “Really, little girl? You want to play this game with me?” he challenged, taking hold of her hand as he brushed a stray hair away from her face. “You do know that I always win, right?”

She didn’t look fazed at all. “That’s only because I’ve never unleashed my full potential,” Ah Reum pointed out, a nonchalant expression on her pale face.

“Alright, so what are you right about?” he dared to ask, voice nearly shaking.

Ah Reum smiled. “About your feelings,” she remarked. “Since your reasons for hiding your supposed feelings for me are unfounded, doesn’t that mean you were dishonest? Well, that or you had another reason.” She shrugged, leaning back on the swing to observe his figure once more. “Pick your poison, I suppose.”

Sehun gulped. He never thought this would happen. Ever. Never in his life did he imagine that Ah Reum would outsmart him. He usually figured out her tactics from miles away, but now? Now he had been blown miles away.

He sighed as he scratched his head in frustration. “You’re right,” he conceded, holding his arms up in mock surrender. “I had another reason for saying what I said.”

It frustrated him. It was as if the Ah Reum he was conversing with now was no longer the Ah Reum he knew. Sehun found it unsettling that the little quirks they were able to show to one another was no longer an option.

“Spill.”

Sehun stepped towards her while she stared at him in disbelief. He found it a bit amusing that Ah Reum had gotten nervous simply because he had closed the distance between them. Sehun kneeled to her level in hopes that she could see for herself that he wasn’t lying. He placed his hand on her cheek, it ever so gently that her face instantly flushed a light shade of pink.

Face planted on the window with a sign that read, ‘You’re too close’ in all caps, bolded, and written in a very dark black marker, Yixing side-eyed him.

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it upon what he saw. Sehun’s eye twitched at the irony of it all. Here he was finally confessing to Ah Reum in hopes that he could reveal his true intentions, but he was getting interrupted by none other than Zhang Yixing. Sehun couldn’t believe his eyes. What exactly was Yixing’s motive for not staying in the living room when he should’ve kindly waited his turn to speak to her?

The guy pressed against the window continued to glare before turning to another page. The words on the next piece of paper made Sehun scoff. Again, in all caps, in bold, and written with a very, dark black marker; however, this time, there was a hint of red at the end that sent chills to his spine.

‘Sehun, don’t overstep your boundaries.

If you do, you’d be a hypocrite,

considering that you used to moan and groan

about how Ah Reum never left you alone.

P.S. Don’t touch her. I mean it.

Sincerely,

Your friend.’

Sehun shook his head, coughing and narrowing his eyes so that Yixing would no longer be in his line of sight. He needed to remind himself that Yixing’s actions were illogical. After all, all Sehun was doing was talking to Ah Reum. It’s not like he was going to beg her to look his way or anything.

Removing his hand from her cheek just as a form of reassurance, Sehun readied himself to explain. “I did it for myself,” he declared. “I didn’t want to lie to myself any longer. That’s why I confessed to you.”

Ah Reum bobbed her head in mock surprise, eyes flickering with skepticism. “Right,” she acknowledged, tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. “Why now?”

Sehun stood up straight and shoved his hands in his pockets, clearly baffled by the question. “Pardon?”

“You’ve had the chance to confess for so long, but you chose now of all times.” Ah Reum positioned her head on her right hand, tilting her head ever so slowly while looking Sehun in the eye.

She knew he’d be looking at her. “Why?”

“Ah Reum.”

He said her name so gently she nearly flinched.

“You wouldn’t understand,” he insisted as if to convince her to drop the topic.

He wanted a game? So be it.

“Try me,” she challenged.

Sehun ran his hand through his hair, unsure of how to reply. If he insisted on not telling her anything, she’d badger him forever about this. Then again, if he told her, then maybe she’d trust him once more. Perhaps it’d cancel out the distrust she feels towards him for hiding things from her.

And so, he decided he’d tell her. “It’s not a very short story,” he told her.

Ah Reum looked a