Requester: unravelmysoul

VIP pass to the EXO Planet for oneshot

Name: Yoon Julie
Partner: Luhan
One-shot: She never felt like she belonged. Or that she'll ever be enough for anyone. So, she bottles everything up and hides. They met at university and he's the first boy to make her feel anything close to whole. And he makes it his duty to usher her out of her shell with little gestures and acts of commitment until she believes she's enough for him.

She looked around insecurly and hugged her books close to her chest. She swallowed and lowered her head as she walked, not daring to meet the students' eyes, afraid that they will judge her. All of a sudden, in a blink of eye, she was covered in flour from head to toe. The students around laughed openly and snickered. She ducked her head and continued walking, controlling the urge to not let tears fall. Students pointed at her as she walked and some even had the guts to throw raw eggs at her. This is the daily life of Yoon Julie in Seoul High; and not once had she ever felt she belonged there.

"Julie-ssi? Can you help me bring that stack of books to the fifth story, room 05-23?" A girl asked politely with a small smile on her face. She nodded meekly, not wanting to reject the girl's request. After all, it's the first polite request that she have ever recieved. The girl smiled before leaving the room. The petite girl sighed softly before taking the books in her arm. She staggered back at the weight but managed to gain her balance back. By the third flight of stairs, Julie was sweating and panting a little. The books swayed dangerously and she prayed that it doesn't fall off her arms. Just as she stepped foot on the last step, a person bumped into her, knocking the piles of books onto the staircase. The person glanced at the books and her and without offering a hand, he rushed away. The girl sighed and went down the stairs to gather the books back up. After a full 15 minutes, she finally knocked on the door. The door opened and revealed a rather angry girl from before. 

"What took you so long?" She asked flatly as she snatched the books from her. 

"I--" She opened but was interrupted immediately. 

"You can leave now." The girl slammed the door in her face, causing her to flinch. She let out a tired sigh and walked off as she gently hit her aching arms. 

"Julie dear, how was school?" Her mother asked her as she scooped dishes into her bowl.

"It was..." She hesitated. "Fine. I'm doing well in school, mum." She felt awful for lying to her but she decided it would be best to just bottle up her feelings; she doesn't want the mum to be worried for her. 

"Really? Are your friends nice to you?" Her mum continued to ask. 

"Yes. They...are very nice to me." She answered as she keep her eyes down, not wanting to make eye contact with her mum.

"That's good to hear. Your dad would be glad to hear this in Heaven, too." Her mum innocently replied, but unknowingly, she felt like she had been pierced with daggers right in her heart. She felt guity for lying to her parents, and not able to tell her true feelings make it ten times worse than it.

Months passed by in a blink of eyes, and it was time for Julie to step into her university. She felt all sorts of feelings in her: anticipation, nervousness, adrenline and many more. The most important of all, she felt scared. She was afraid that people would judge her even more, especially when she is in university. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the huge school, trying her best to look confident. 

Just as she thought everything was going to be fine, a boy rushed past, bumping her shoulder in the process. As her guard was completely down for that moment, she lost balance and fell. This scene was all so familiar to her; she could guess what he would do. He would look at her, turned and walked away. To her ultimate shock and surprise, the boy who had skidded to a stop was standing in front of her with a concerned expression. 

"Are you okay?" The boy asked, and she cursed herself mentally for fawning over his smooth, slightly accented voice. She managed a meek nod and struggled to stand up. The boy chuckled softy and offered his hand. She blinked at the hand. 

"Come on, I help you up. My hand won't bite." He smiled. She shyly placed her hand in his and he gently pulled her up on her feet. "See, not so bad huh?" She peeked at him and quickly darted her eyes away. She saw him smiling, and she could tell that she was blushing. "Anyway, I'm sorry for knocking you down. Are you alright? Any injuries?" 

"N-no. I'm fine. Thank you." She muttered. 

"Thank you? Why are you thanking me?" He asked, genuinely confused. 

"Thank you for helping me up." She answered softly. The boy ahh-ed and smiled. 

"Hyung!"

The boy turned to the direction of the voice and saw his friends waving him over. He turned back to the girl whose head is still down. "Hey, I'll see you next time!" He sent her a final heart-fluttering smile before walking away.

She let out a deep breath, not realizing that she had stop breathing ever since the boy smiled at her for the first time. She swallowed and shook her head. The boy was probably someone who she would not see again; why is she still thinking about him? Shaking her head for the final time, she make her way towards her office to collect her timetable. 

Class finally ended. With a tired smile, she walked out the classroom and down the staircase to the ground floor. "Hey! Wait up!" A voice sounded out of nowhere.  Confused, she stopped and turned her heels. Her eyes widened in surprise when the person was close enough for her to realize who he was. He stopped in front of her and smiled. "Do you still remember me? I'm the one who knocked you down this morning." He said sheepishly and smile goofily. The girl stared blankly as she was still in the state of surprise. The boy chuckled and snapped his fingers which bought the girl back to reality. 

Glances were thrown at them, or rather, her as she walked with the boy. She squirmed uncomfortable at the judgemental stares but she did not dare to tell the boy in case he gets offended. "I haven't introduce myself yet. I'm Luhan; I'm a senior here." He smiled.

"Oh I'm really sorry! I-I've forgotten to introduce myself." She bowed in apology. "M-my name is Yoon Julie, a freshmen. N-nice to meet you." 

Luhan chuckled. "Are you nervous?" 

"H-huh? Why?"

"Because you're stammering." He raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Oh..." She grew speechless. What was she supposed to say?!

"It's okay. I find it cute." The girl blushed and looked at him only to see his sincere expression with no hint of teasing or joking. She quickly looked away before her cheeks could get any hotter. Silence took over and soon, they reached the main gate. 

"Bye Luhan sunbae." She bowed. "Thank you for walking with me. I'll be going now." She bowed again. After Luhan bid his