Silence. There was a silence that loomed around the two of them, too obvious to ignore and too thick to break.

Eun Mi and Chunji sat in silence as they made their way toward school in Chunji's small car. As much as they both hated it and wanted to change it, there was nothing that either of them could do, nothing that would come to their minds. It killed them. This wasn't them. They didn't act like this, they weren't these people. 

Eun Mi glanced out the window. Maybe she shouldn't have accepted Chunji's offer to take her to school. She should have just driven herself and avoided the silence. There had never been a silence before. Whether they were yelling at each other or laughing together, there was never a silence. Not one like this. She didn't know how to handle this silence. Had she done this? Had she somehow caused this?

It was too much. Too much silence, too much emotion. Was being with other people really worth this? They had been together forever. How could they end up like this now?

This is what love did. It made you care too much, made you do things you didn't want to do, make you say things are okay when they really aren't. But then she didn't love Mung Ri did she? And he didn't love Sang Ae. So how did they explain this silence? Why were they like this?

Could it be love for each other? 

Eun Mi glanced over at Chunji. He was focused on the road, eyes looking directly ahead. Or at least he was acting like he was focused on the road. There was no way he didn't feel the silence, heavy between the two of them. Chunji glanced over at her, giving her a small smile when they met eyes. He still cared about her. Of course he cared about her. It was because he cared about her that he acted the way he was acting now. But he did miss the way they used to be. This silence had hung between them for too long now. But if she was happy, he could endure it.

“We’re here.” Chunji stated, parking the car. He kept his hand on the steering wheel for a moment, mentally preparing himself for the day ahead of him.

Eun Mi nodded, staring at her bag. She took a deep breath and with a forced smile, opened the car door. Their last argument had been days ago, and it was time to move on. For their own good.

“Let’s go Chunji.”

Chunji nodded silently, slipping out of the car. He knew it too. They had to forget whatever had brought on the silence, and live with their reality.

“I’ll walk you to class.” It was a habit now, escorting her to her morning English class. Eun Mi nodded with a smile. It had been a few days. He had been leaving that task to her boyfriend the last couple of days.

“So, are you excited for the Autumn Carnival?” Chunji asked, attempting for the first time in a few days to make conversation.

“Not really,” Eun Mi laughed lightly, enjoying his company, “I still have to organize all the performers and make sure the outdoor stage is done in time. It’s really too much work for what it is.”

“Well, it’ll be fun at least.” Chunji smiled encouragingly.

“Maybe. Mung Ri wants to match. I don’t even have a dress yet.” She felt Chunji tense at the mention of Mung Ri. It was still a delicate subject.  “Does Sang Ae have a dress yet?”

She knew Chunji had seen her a few more times since that first date she happened to walk into. For his sake, she acted like it didn’t bother her. It bothered her that she was bothered by it.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really asked her about the Autumn Carnival at all.” Chunji grimaced slightly.

Eun Mi nodded, keep quiet. They had reached her classroom anyway, so there was no need to say anything more now.

“See you at lunch?” She asked without really thinking. Lunch. Another thing that had changed between them.

“Meet you in the courtyard.” He smiled, waving goodbye.

A/N: Its short but its there! Comment my lovelies! <3