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Hardships and a Photobook

 

 

 


Mentioned by @byun_baekkk : @jaebyun_98  Good morninggg :) 

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Happy to see her crush tweet first thing in the morning made her insides flutter with happiness. But seeing that the tweet was mentioned to another girl who wasn't her, made Seo Eun feel bitter and crushed. And even though she knew she would feel like she was tangled in something mixed with thick envy and a tinge of jealousy, she still stalked Baekhyun every single time, just to see him sweetly directing messages to @jaebyun_98.

And so she opened the Twitter app - and her eyes would always be drawn into that one special username. @byun_baekkk 

Seo Eun was thankful Twitter only permitted one username per user.

And if that username was already taken up, too bad for you. It had been taken and you either create a new one, or you leave.

No one can share a username.

 

 

And Baekhyun was just like a username. He already belonged to someone and Seo Eun had to live with it.

The morning was chilly and Seo Eun was sitting at her favourite seat. It was empty as usual and the air conditioners were roaring in the bus, making Seo Eun's hair stand on ends. As usual, checking Twitter was a daily routine. Seo Eun always anticipated reading Baekhyun's tweets. But he hardly tweeted, and even if he did, they were mostly to Jae Yi ; his girlfriend.

And if the world wasn't coincidental enough, Jae Yi and Seo Eun were blood-related. But Seo Eun never mentioned to her cousin about how she developed a long infatuation on Baekhyun ever since she met him. Besides, what was love? They were still young.

Then as the bus bumped softly and rhythmically along the empty roads of young morning, it came to the next stop. The sun had already risen, casting a pale orange light from one side of Korea. 

 

Seo Eun in air as she peered excitedly at the front of the bus. She checked her cellphone.

 

0 6  :  4 7  AM  

 

Then, a young brunette walked up the bus, his bag over a shoulder as he casually walked to the second row seat located beside the window. He didn't look at Seo Eun nor did he glance at anyone on the bus. But Seo Eun wasn't upset or disappointed because she knew that was how Baekhyun was, every single morning. She didn't exactly wish for him to sit next to her or take a look at her or ask her if she'd look familiar because she wouldn't have the slightest clue on how to react.

So she'll just watch him. And he'll just use his phone. And she'll just admire the back of his head.

And that didn't matter at all.

Seo Eun let out a mini mental applause as her prediction was correct.

I knew it's 6.47AM when the bus stopped here, in fact, I don't think I have to check my cell phone anymore! I knew he'll take that seat. I know he loves the windows. Just like I do.

And with that content radiance the emitted out of the young girl, Seo Eun leaned back at her seat and let the cushion embrace her, the trees of spring were blurred still beautifully as the wheel's went round and round. And the young girl tapped the cold, condensed windows with a light sweet beat, enjoying the bus ride to school with Baekhyun only.

 

Nothing else seems changeable. 

Everything was the same.

 


 

"Quit wasting paper on drawing useless things, Seo Eun-ah," one of her classmates blabbed. "The Earth is dying because of little wanna-bes like you."

 

No, the Earth is dying because people like you who do not appreciate art and failures are constantly taking up more oxygen than you actually should on this planet. 

 

That was what the petite and quiet girl wanted to say. But Seo Eun blocked out words that tried to worm in her ears by her insensitive classmates, and so she let the fine pencil tip dance on the white papers, drawing what expressed her feelings on a cold Tuesday morning.

 

"She's nothing like her cousin, nothing."  She would hear them titter like mice as Seo Eun stood behind the pillar.

"Does Jae Yi even acknowledge her in school?"  Seo Eun would clutch her notebooks tightly.

"I think she's innocent and sweet." Seo Eun would smile a little, and then hold her head a little higher and walk out from behind the pillar.

 

Seo Eun was used to these murmuring that echoed throughout the school, some of which were mean and some would be considered compliments. Of course, what was high school without gossip and rumors? But Seo Eun never participated in all these unworthy "discussions".

It only brings hurt and uncertainty to the victims. It just circulates exagerrated opinons and false facts. So no, I don't like it. Not one bit.

Seo Eun thought that it was all redundant drama, and so she'll shrug off the comments and comparison between her and lawlessly beautiful cousin, Jae Yi.

 

Jae Yi was well-known around the school. Mostly because she looked as pretty, if not prettier, than the Kpop idols everyone were crazy about. Her high nose bridge and thin red lips framed with thick brown locks that bounced vigorously as she cat walked down the hallways - just that Jae Yi didn't cat walk on purpose, it was her style of walking. Was that even possible?

 

Her long fair legs were slender and flexible, earning her the magnanimous title - Queen of Cheerleading. But she wasn't exactly the typical Queenka who pushed nerds against their lockers like a big meanie, or threaten girls to stay away from their boyfriends. Jae Yi was simply a kind person with good words, knowing how to turn one idea against the other in just a few persuasive sentences.

 

Normal people would need to acquire tons of qualities before earning a commendable amount of attention, but because of her great looks that seemed to be carved by the Gods of Beauty, all Jae Yi needed was one positive characteristic of her own to earn the friendship with the entire school population. 

But of course, there were bound to be haters right? 

 

And then there was Baekhyun, Byun Baekhyun. 

 

He wasn't exactly very popular. But he had a consistent circle of friends whom he always mingled with, or so they clung onto him. Some were sporty and some were in the Drama club. Some were notorious while some were relatively quiet. Some were very skinny while some ate heavily during meal times. And if anyone could point out the subtle similiarity they shared in common -

All of them loved Baekhyun. 

Of course, Baekhyun was so easy to love. That was how Seo Eun would always put it, be it a dead Monday or an exciting packed Saturday, she always thought of Baekhyun as a simple, lovely boy who wore his red earpiece and a bag over his left shoulder.

 

"Yah! What's your secret?" His friends teased when they found out who Jae Yi was currently with.

"I thought she's still hooked with, er, what's that guy's name? There's too many guys." Luhan stuttered. 

"Suho! Suho from the Rugby team, right?" One replied.

"Yeah, yeah! Looks like they've lost it within what, one month?" Luhan said.

Baekhyun kept silent.

What was his secret? That never crossed Baekhyun's mind.

 

What did Jae Yi like about him? He didn't know.

What started this relationship? He didn't know.

How was he going to keep the engine of this relationship running? He didn't know.

Admire her perfection and stay faithful, that was what he knew.

Oh and, Baekhyun learnt from often repeated Tumblr pictures that girls liked 'good morning' texts, and so he practised that too.

 


 

Back home, Seo Eun never fails to quickly rest her school bag beside her bed and excitedly jump to the study table. Then, she would switch on her laptop and watch it come to life, as though it had been resurrected with the touch of an angel's fingers.

 

Seo Eun was an angel. 

 

Kim Seo Eun.

People in school thought she was an introvert, shy and intellectually advanced. With her thick and black-framed glasses, many mocked that Seo Eun must have started reading novels ever since she was a foteus. However, little did they know how and who Seo Eun really was. 

Yes, she was a little quiet in class - To the extent that when she opened he mouth to let her gentle voice hit the corners of the classroom, to speak about her queries during lessons, everyone found her soft voice so precious, so fragile.

But when one had an eagle's eyeview of why Seo Eun was a 'reserved' girl, it wasn't because she was 'reserved' or 'shy' or 'timid' or 'insecure'.

Why? Because what the girls boomed about in school everyday were gossip and overused phrases like :

oh my god ; what the hell

And the guys just hurled vulgarities like punctuation marks, and these were conversations Seo Eun definitely didn't want to be involved in.

One day, dear Seo Eun actually wanted to count how many times the loud clique of girls would use those dramatic phrases. And it was a horrible number.

She realised how those words shot out of their mouths like happy spits. To Seo Eun, those words had no meaning, they were empty - Like empty plastic cases that clashed with one another in the air, making unnecessary collisions.

Silently thinking to herself, empty vessels make the most noise, she happily retracted to her favourite novel. 

And so, in school, mostly thought Seo Eun was a typical solitary student with oversized glasses. Just like that. Typical. Solitary. But there was more of her that others didn't uncover. Maybe because they thought it wasn't worth their time. 

Outside of school, where anonymity casted over individual shadows, Seo Eun wasn't Seo Eun. She was actually an open-minded and popular Internet user, one who would spend many cups of coffee and tea beside her while she was dressed comfortably in her pyjamas, typing and drawing, uploading and clicking.

And there was where Seo Eun felt like she belonged. She was heavily hooked onto comics. Whatever comic it was, a form of cute drawing, word bubbles, fonts, words, jokes, art and pages. Seo Eun loved it all. And it wasn't long before she created a webcomic of her own, where she would bravely upload her mini works online, intriguing people at fast pace from all over- wherever. And soon, Seo Eun was really well-known, creating her very own forums with unique themes and feedback pages. And whenever she opened up the webpage, it didn't matter the numerous comments Seo Eun received. It didn't matter if the comments had similar intentions, which was to compliment how well she illustrated her comics, because Seo Eun would still hold her breath and anticipate the new friends online. 

 

New friend requests!  click to view

New subscribers!  click to view

New comments! click to view

New comics available!  click to view

 

And Seo Eun felt touched and appreciated, and then the veins in her body would jerk towards the pencil, moving her hands like real magic over a new piece of white, fresh paper - To draw and create something new. 

 

Then one day she Saturday night she received a notification late at 1AM. 

 

1 new wall post! click to view

 

Even though she felt groggy from the lack of sleep, she clicked on the quick link.

 

Comment by @quiet_guy1234 : have been quiet for a while now, but your work is simply amazing ^^ fighting!

 

Seo Eun felt her heart thumped. She was beaming with delight, even though if it was from a stranger.

And as she replied with a humble thanks, the webcomic user replied again. And so did Seo Eun. And the conversation trailed incessantly like a well-oiled bicycle wheel, deep throughout the peaceful night. 

 


"Seo Eun!" Her classmate sitting beside her, Yuri, chimed. Seo Eun looked up from her novel and turned to her side. 

"Yup?" 

Yuri responded by smiling brightly and pointing to both her eyes. Seo Eun cocked her head in confusion.

"Eyes?" Seo Eun tried to guess what Yuri was implying.

"Yeah, what about them?" Her classmate squealed.

Seo Eun raised an eyebrow, then she leaned back, trying to spot a difference. Then, Seo Eun snapped her fingers.

"Ah! You're not wearing glasses anymore!"

"Yeah! It took you so long! Ha ha ha, Seo Eun!" Yuri burst out in light chuckles and patted Seo Eun's shoulder. 

Being polite, Seo Eun felt that it was right to show some interest, "What happened to the glasses? Can you see clearly?" 

Then as though she had prepared this speech a long time ago, Yuri said, "I'm wearing contact lenses! It's like clear plastic magic, I can see so clearly, Seo Eun!" 

Seo Eun decided to keep her novel under her table. Now, she was actually interested in what her friend had to say about this 'magic plastic'. 

"Remember how I told you I liked this guy?" Yuri continued. "He didn't like me at first because of my spectacles and because I looked like a total nerd," she sighed exaggeratedly and pouted. "And I was determined to change that, and so I practiced smiling in the mirror everyday, making sure my hair was neat, ensuring my laughter sounds cute, my nails are manicured-"

Yuri's list went on and on until Seo Eun could register no more.

"But now, he said I'm actually by far the prettiest girl he's ever seen!" Then she clapped and smiled. 

Seo Eun was a little confused, but she smiled along with Yuri, sincerely happy for her friend. 

If I do what Yuri did...If Baekhyun ever said that to me....

Her thoughts trailed off as she slapped her cheeks lightly. Wake up, wake up!

 


 

Back home, Seo Eun actually looked in the mirror before she showered. She unclipped her fringe and unclasped her clothing one by one. She let lose of her rubber band and let her red-brown curls fall lightly onto her bare, milky shoulders. Slowly and carefully, she she took off her heavy spectacles, letting them slip off effortlessly.

Then, she stared into the silver mirrors. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what she felt about what she was seeing, because Seo Eun never really took a close look at how her features were, neither did she appreciate the fair and smooth skin she was blessed with. But if people in school saw what the lights reflected off her bathroom mirror, then there was only one word they would use to describe Seo Eun -    b e a u t i f u l.

And for a good ten seconds, Seo Eun actually neared her face towards her reflection, smiling on and off, trying to give her sweetest smile. Then she felt as though someone was watching her do all these stupid expressions. Reddened and embarrassed by her sudden vanity, she stepped into the shower and the waters.

 

That day Seo Eun drew a quick comic of the what Yuri had talked to her about in school. And she posted a small paragraph on how she felt afterwards.

And almost immediately, she saw comments with her username tagged, @pinktips_

 

"Unnie, though I'm a stranger to you, i believe you're very beautiful already, don't be influenced! <3 " 

"Contact lenses are expensive..."

"As long as you are happy with yourself, that's good enough! ^^ "

 

The comments went on and on, and Seo Eun read every word that her supporters typed in. It made Seo Eun think about it and she decided that most of them were right. If she wanted Baekhyun to like her, she would prefer him to like her for who she is, and not someone Seo Eun carved herself into. But then again, Baekhyun liked Jae Yi. And Seo Eun was far from her forever chatty cousin.

That chilly night, she tugged her blanket high up her neck, silenting thanking God for the constant supporters she had on the Internet.

Because that night Seo Eun learnt something. You can wear the best and branded contact lenses and have the clearest view of the Earth, but if you can't see the inner beauty of yourself and others, then maybe not wearing any lenses was a better choice.

 

Seo Eun could see the moonlight pouring down on the peaceful and calm night. Turning to the cool side of her pillow, she closed her eyes and instructed her brain to think of Baekhyun, praying that it would lead to a sweet dream of both of them together in a quiet and tranquil place. 

 

10 January | Windy 

Oh dear, dear God. I lov- no, I like Baekhyun a lot, please, just please, make him notice me someday, any day?

.

.

What can I do to make him see me, the un-exposed me? Not as a quiet or reserved person, Lord, but me?

 

 

 

 

 


A/N

 

Hello to those who've read the foreword, description etc till here. Thank you too! 

*This chapter is not complete. (I don't know) 

I've been unsure for a long time haha. I'm new to writing here and I actually wanted to make this a one-shot.

But i realised i may want to write in long chapters because I like to write in detail. I appreciate detailed things.. keke

 But if I do then I can't update regularly because of school, and maybe readers won't feel the emotions of the story due to the wait of the chapters. I don't know...How?

Can you let me know? Cos I don't know how to divide this and it's bothering me...

I love this story and I will write it to the end. I need to let this out one way or another.

Whether I have supporters/readers or not. I will write this whole-heartedly. \

*But still...If you like it or you're interested, a subscribe or upvote or comment would make my day <3

Do comment and let me know okay? Doesn't hurt to type something haha.. xoxo

 

 

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Kristiful
Since some of you were asking me about what it meant by Baek still texting Seo Eun, I editted it a little now, hope it's clearer! ^^

Comments

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Baekhyunsoul
#1
Chapter 6: So many ideal ways to have a first crush turn to first kiss and boyfriend
Baekhyunsoul
#2
Chapter 5: That was a cute start to their friendship 💕
xunqii
#3
Chapter 9: Oh my god!! I don’t think I have cried this much for any story. I’ve been avoiding reading this for so long knowing that it’s a sad ending but it is so beautiful and painful I literally have no words. The characters felt so real. The story is so well written and it’s not confusing at all. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be thinking about this for the next few days 😭 my heart
vanillavanilla
#4
Chapter 5: Oh my gosh. This was 2013??? If you were this good at 2013... Then you must be a monster now at 2022. LOL
So I just saw the year this was posted. Amazing.
vanillavanilla
#5
Chapter 5: When you said the chapters were all flashbacks, I don't want to think about anything but I could feel more angst coming from this story. It's so beautiful. This one. It's like staying at a little quaint coffee shop with a mini library. That's what this overall feel of the Foreword till this chapter gave to me. I'm surprised there are people who didn't like this fic. They way you express from Seo Eun's perspective was very profound. I'm actually reading this right now with IU's My Old Story piano cover as background. It somehow fit this story. This chapter is so beautiful. It's in the perspective of a student who likes making art. Do you make doodles and drawings, as well? I can't help but feel Seo Eun is you. But seriously, it's so amazing to see from artist's perspective what love is. I'm an artist too and I'm so excited to read the next chapters. The angst also, I could feel it and maybe because of my song choice haha
Baekkyoongja
#6
Chapter 9: <span class='smalltext text--lighter'>Comment on <a href='/story/view/553062/9'>{ last of sets }</a></span>
I just read this eventho I’ve subscribed to it for a while ago.. particularly because am afraid since am such a weak for angst and definitely story about separation >__<. Authornim u did great.. i was crying like a mess in the middle of the night >__<. They loved each other so much but yep hardships will find a way umm.. such a harsh reality indeed. How I wish they didn’t go through that harsh break up tho >__<. Thank you for sharing this story authornim!
kawaiianimae
#7
I have been reading this yearly ever since this came out and it still makes me cry. Best story ever!!!
dwiindahno #8
Chapter 9: I'm crying at the end of 2020
SwgNorlin852
#9
Chapter 9: ahh i already know its gonna be a sad ending but still!!! very very beautiful :')