Kim Yura was in a state of panic. Anyone who saw her right now, dashing through the corridors of Seontang International High School, would think that today was just any other day. After all she was famed as the highly energetic and enthusiastic Kim Yura, complete with a loud voice and cheerful personality. But today wasn't any other day, it was distinguished from the rest because of one small white envelope that was crumpled in her left hand. She slammed open the home room door and was relieved to find a black haired boy sitting by his usual place by the window, a book in one hand and a serene expression on his face. Hong Jonghyun would know what to do. Her best friend since her nappy years, and the more level-headed out of the two of them, would certainly know what to do about-

 

 "A love letter?" he said with a confused tone, looking at the envelope Yura had slapped down in front of him. 

 

 "O-Oy! It won't be unusual; I'm very popular among the guys you know!" Yura exclaimed, affronted. He looked up at her and saw her hands on her hips, lips stretched in a line. He gave her a smile and shrugged; he knew his best friend had a tendency to be side-tracked. 

 

 "All the same, what do you want me to do?" he asked, his eyes returning to his book. Yura was slightly irked that her troublesome situation didn't interest Jonghyun in the slightest, but she persisted. 

 

 "What do I do?!" she wailed loudly, sagging onto the chair in front of him. "I hate rejecting people!" 

 

 "Don't you ever read your love letters?" he murmured, still absorbed into his book. "Because if they took the time to write you their feelings, don't you think you should give them the courtesy to read it?"

 

 Yura winced and mumbled something defensive under her breath. She knew she was rather careless when it came to rejecting the boys, but she didn't know how to deal with it otherwise. Once they're friends with them, she can't help but think of them as just friends. So she just never read her letters, avoided the boys who admitted to their feelings, and lived as blissfully ignorant of others as she wants. She took the white envelope and stuffed it into her pocket. "Well there's no point, because we're graduating soon and I don't need a boyfriend right now." She smiled a stupid smile, her arms raised above her head and swaying a little. "Because I'm going to fall in love with some guy in art college and we'll have a beautiful romance together!"

 

 "You're an idiot," Jonghyun sighed, turning a page. 

 

 Yura glared fiercely at him. "Easy for you to say!" she flicked his forehead, causing him to yelp and jump back slightly. "You science types are so boring!  Like smarty Ayu in class 1-B and her boyfriend; they've been together for a full year but they still can't look each other in the eyes! Haven't you done anything remotely romantic in your whole life?!"

 

 He shrugged. "I suppose I don't really have anyone to be romantic to."

 

 Yura's eyes gleamed. "Then, there's a thing on Saturday, and we're missing one guy-"

 

 "No." 

 

 "But-!"

 

 "Yura, no." Jonghyun put his book down temporarily and glared at her. 

 

 "Jonghyun!" she said, standing up abruptly. "Why can't you just have some fun-?!"

 

 "Because that's a stupid thing to do in your spare time!"

 

 "It is not stupid!"

 

 "It is completely-"

 

 "My, my, you're both so energetic this morning!" a friendly voice said above the bickering. They both turned and gave Lee Hyeri a vicious glare. She grinned widely back at them. "And so feisty too! All set up for a morning of good ol' fashioned school romance-"

 

 "EWWW!!"

 

 "She can dream on!"

 

 "Hey! Any guy would-"

 

 "-rather die than be seen with you." Jonghyun finished, smirking evilly.

 

 "YAHH!! HONG JONGHYUN!"

 

---

 

 That was a complete disaster, Yura thought to herself as she made her way out of her last lecture of the day. She tiredly made her way home with her art supplies under one arm, her school bag hanging off her other arm. Senior year was definitely the worst, she had decided. Deadlines this, this must be in by that date... man! If university was going to be like this, then it would probably the life out of Art, the one subject she was good at. She sighed and moved on, thinking about what kinds of things she would be doing in art college.

 

 She hoped she could draw lots of landscape. She was good at drawing people, but she was best at sunsets. Working with colour was great freedom, and she enjoyed getting her hands dirty. She hated science, because she wasn't methodical or neat like Jonghyun. Anyway what was up with him today?! He was even more of a jerk than usual! She wondered for the millionth time why she was best friends with him, but she merely sighed some more and thought that he was a great friend even when he was mean to her. But... weren't best friends meant to help each other out!? 

 

 "AAARGGGH!" she screamed, letting her things fall onto the floor, finally feeling the soft carpet underneath her feet. "That guy!" She grumbled as she changed into her pyjamas, ready to just pass out and let the rest of the day pass as she slept. She was about to crawl in bed when she glimpsed the envelope in her skirt's pocket. Jonghyun's words ran through her head, and she felt guilt creep into her conscience. She rolled her eyes and steeled herself to go through the task of reading said love letter. 

 

 ... How hard could it be? 

 

 

 

 "Kyaaaaa!!" Yura let out a very un-Yuralike squeal. This person was certainly very sincere, and it was quite adorable how his tone was so formal. She found herself enjoying it, and she smiled to herself. What was he like to talk to in real life? Would he keep his tone or was it just because of this letter? Her smile got wider as she read on.

 

 

 "Wha-?!" she sputtered, checking the back of the paper to make sure there wasn't any continuation. "That's it?! That can't be..." she checked in the envelope, and searched it inside out just in case there wasn't a microscopic piece of paper that had the rest of the letter. She then checked the letter once more, and frowned in confusion. "Are love letters always this short?" she wondered out loud. She settled amongst her pillows, and stared at the ceiling wondering what she should do next. She liked his letter; she thought it was very cute and didn't think once that it was creepy. Maybe... 

 

 She sat up and gasped, then grinned widely and got out a pen and paper. She frantically scibbled her thoughts on the paper and stared at it when she was done. She smiled dreamily, wondering if she'll get a reply on her own love note. 

 

 

 

 

 

 It's been a whole week since she responded to the letter, and she finally got a response. When she opened her locker, she was ecstatic to find a small note on top of her shoes, with a fudge toffee sweet on top. She jumped in her joy, causing the people around her to give her bewildered looks. While chewing on the sweet, she read his reply:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She smiled at her playful response, and left her reply where his had been. She hoped he'd respond quicker than last time.

 

 

 

 Yura laughed out loud and imagined a faceless boy blushing as he wrote the note, thinking that this was much more fun than she thought it would be. She wrote her reply and giggled, folding it. "What are you giggling about?" she whirled around and saw Jonghyun approaching her, his brows furrowed. She crossed her arms and stared at him.

 

 "That's really none of your business," she said loftily, her nose in the air. "Anyway, you wouldn't understand. You're so against romance and- Hey!" 

 

 Jonghyun had snatched the paper from her hands and was now dangling it over her head. "'You're a creepy creep, Mr. Letterman, and you know it!' keh keh keh..." he read out loud. He glanced at her and gave her a smirk, her face reddening by the second. "You've really lost haven't you?"

 

 "Give it back!" she yelled at him, jumping up in a futile attempt to take back her note. Jonghyun laughed as he dangled it high above her, her shrieks getting louder and her actions more violent. "Jonghyun, you stupid poop, I'm going to-"

 

 "What? I'd love to hear you say it!" he laughed, turning to run outside. Yura yelled at him to stop, but he kept going, laughing as he made her chase him around the car park. "Come on Yuraaa! It's getting awaaaay!" 

 

 "YOU FREAKIN' FOR BRAINS!" Yura screamed at him, throwing a narrowly missed punch, much to Jonghyun's amusement. "GIMME BACK MY NOTE OR I SWEAR TO GOD YOU'RE GOING TO BE SORRY!"

 

 "And how are you going to do that?!" 

 

 "I'LL TELL YOUR MOTHER!"

 

 Jonghyun stopped dead, making Yura run into him. "Ow! Don't just stop dead like-" He turned to her with the most solemn look on his face, and she shut immediately. 

 

 "My mother died years ago," he said quietly. 

 

 "I-I'm sorry!" she said frantically, her cheeks flushing. "You-You know I didn't mean it like..." she frowned, and her eyes narrowed at him. "Your mother is not dead! She gave me some chicken pie yesterday!" She saw the corners of his mouth twitch in amusement, and she planted both her fists on his chest. "That's a horrible thing to joke about! Auntie is such a lovely person, and you'll be sorry about- WILL YOU STOP LAUGHING?!"

 

 "Aahahhaha!" he laughed, doubling over and tears streaming down his face. "Y-You... You actually...! Oh my god!" He heaved as Yura glared at him, her hands planted on either sides of her hips and her eyes getting narrower and narrower. "You said sorry! You actually apologised! Oh my god, my mum is going to cry with laughter w-when I... ahahaha!"

 

 Yura was still very displeased with him, but she saw her chance and yanked her note from his loosened grip. He didn't seem to care however, as he continued to cry over her embarrassing failure. As she watched him, she suddenly realised that this is the fist time Jonghyun openly laughed in front of her since... well, since forever. She tried to remember the last time he was so carefree in front of her, and failed. He was so very straight forward and head strong, always keeping a calm face and a clear head. He was dependable, and very much in control of his life. She couldn't think of a single thing he didn't excel at, and she grimaced when she thought how she was slightly jealous of him. Even her own mother thought highly of Jonghyun, and was always praising him even while he wasn't in the room. And she felt guilty for feeling jealous of her own best friend. It's not like he bragged, and he never talks about himself anyway...

 

 "Hm? What's wrong?" Jonghyun suddenly cut through her thoughts, and she was startled to find he had leaned it. Quite close. So much so that she could feel his hot breath fan across her face. She looked up and saw his eyes wide, curious with Yura's silence. Seeing up close, he really was handsome. He deserved the attention that he got from the female population of the school, and he was now patting a hand on her forehead to see if she was warm. A hot flush spread from her neck and crept upwards to her cheeks, and she quickly jumped back and turned from him. "Yura?"

 

 She swung back around to face him. "Have you ever been scared oppa?" she blurted out, surprising herself with the use of the word 'oppa'. He also looked surprised, drawing back a little and parting his lips. His lips. That looked so perfect, and kissable and-

 

 "All the time," was his truthful reply. It was her turn to look at him with curiosity, as he looked wistful while adjusting the sleeves of his already perfectly ironed blazer. She could see a rosiness appear on his cheeks, and she cocked her head to one side. 

 

 "Well... since we're graduating soon..." she waved her arms around. "Why don't we just do the things we're scared about? I'm scared of the cold, so..." she took off her blazer and dumped it on the ground. Shivering, she looked up at him and gave him a wide smile, his frown at her weirdness a delight. 

 

 "It's summer..." he began.

 

 "But it's also very cold for the day, yes?!" 

 

 "Well..." he looked around and shrugged. "I suppose it is."

 

 "Great! Then why don't you do something you're scared of? Just make sure when you do it, you're absolutely terrified! It could be anything, it could be-" her breathing stopped and she was frozen into place.

 

 Jonghyun had leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against hers, taking a moment to gently wrap his arms around her waist and her shoulders. She stood helpless against him, her eyes confused as to whether they want to flutter close, or look at him to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But he was kissing her, and if the heat he radiated didn't tell her otherwise, then the pressure of his lips would surely tell her this was real. And she was no longer cold. He was warm, and smelt of clean linen and his own manly scent. He began to slowly move his lips, urging her to respond to him by kissing him back. She was so disoriented that she broke away from him, pushing him away from her and stumbling slightly. Dizzy, she looked back at him. "W-Wh... Why did you d-do that?"

 

 "Because... I'm absolutely terrified," he replied quietly, his eyes soft as he slowly brought his arms back to himself. She could see his hands fidgeting, not quite knowing what to do with themselves. But his eyes never left her face, and he was looking at her with confusion, anticipation and... sadness. She was overwhelmed by these new thoughts pouring into her brain, and she took a few steps back.

 

 "I'm fine!" she laughed loudly, frantically patting at her hot cheeks with her cold hands. "There's nothing wrong, I... Oh! Kwanghee-oppa! It looks like I'm needed! I... I have to... Gotta go, bye!" she ran towards Kwanghee, who didn't even look like he knew she was around. When she pounced on him, he jumped and started yelling at her to not make people themselves like that. She laughed lightly, but as she turned to walk indoors with Kwanghee, she looked back at Jonghyun and her eyes widened. 

 

 His brows were knitted together and his mouth was drawn back slightly into an angry scowl, his eyes watching them with an intense glare.
Yura wondered why.

 

---

 

 As the weeks passed, she got busier and busier with exam preparations. She didn't see Jonghyun again, and was told by her friends that he spent most of his time in the library, his head buried in a book. Her notes to her Mr. Letterman too were taking the back seat, and they talked less and less. She had asked to meet him on more than one occassion, but he had refused almost vehemently every time. Well, as vehement as he could on paper. Yura sighed, tapping her pencil against her paper, ignoring the nerves that accumulated in her stomach for her first exam tomorrow. She didn't have many as she was an art student, but her exam times were extra long. One of them was a full day of sculptures. She shuddered and looked down at her note:

 She had put it in her locker, where it remained untouched for a whole week. She checked her locker after her third exam, finding the note gone. Pleased with this, she walked off to grab a bite to eat with her friends, but noted that she hadn't got a reply until her very last exam. She was very sad about parting with him, even though she barely knew him and he only talked to her through pen and paper. But she was happy; nobody passed notes or letters anymore. This way of communicating was very romantic, and she loved how he would have to think about his words before he wrote them down for her. She smiled sadly, and opened the note to reveal a slightly longer note than what she usually got:

 

 

 Poetry? Her eyes widened in pleasure; she never got poetry from someone before! It looked like it was torn out of a book. She was utterly in love with the romance of it, and she smiled widely. Tucking it delicately between the pages of her diary, she started to make her way homewards. Maybe... maybe she should go and see Jonghyun. Just to clear the air between them. She wanted to apologise for pushing him away, and that she didn't mean to do so. Maybe she was unable to respond properly because that was the first time she ever felt anything so... raw between them. And she got a little scared. She took a deep breath and took a detour to Jonghyun's house. He lived a few blocks from her home, and they always walked to and from school together. She missed their mornings and afternoons together, where she would just talk nonsense and he'd criticise her. She smiled as she saw his house; she would definitely make things right between them. 

 

 "Ah! Yura-ah!" his mother opened the door and ushered her in with a warm welcome. "I'm sorry hun, Jonghyun isn't here yet. Why don't you wait in his room, and I'll prepare some snacks?" Yura smiled sweetly, but frowned when she turned her back. Was that a mischievous glimmer in her auntie's eyes? Surely not.

 

 She made her way up the wooden staircase, her socks making soft pats on the floor. She knocked on his door, even though he wasn't home before entering. His room smelt just like him. A little more spacious than hers, everything was neat and in place and very clean. They say that people's rooms reflected their personalities; his bed was made, his desk was clean of clutter and even his paperbasket was empty. She wondered how long he'd be, and what she should say. "Hi Jonghyun-ah!" she practised, her voice loud and obnoxious. She shook her head. "No, no, that won't do at all... How about... Your omma told me I can wait here until you got home, so... hi! How're your exams?" she then practised walking up to him, and skidded on the polished wooden floors. "Kyaaa!" she shrieked before losing her balance and falling on the floor.

 

 "Ahh..." she winced, rubbing her and climbing to her feet. She then noticed the hand shaped print she made on his paper... wardrobe door... "Ohh, nooo..." she assessed the damage on his wardrobe, then cursed him for having such a traditional storage unit. Who uses paper these days, what's wrong with plastic for God's sake?! She muttered angrily to herself while she searched in her bag for some sticky tape. She half-opened his wardrobe for a moment, trying to stick the paper back to its original form. "Stupid Jonghyun and his stupid slippery floors, and damn his stupid paper wardrobe!" she cursed out loud. She sat on the floor to get comfortable, her leg jutting out and hitting a laundry basket. "Who the hell puts their laundry basket in their wardrobe?!" she wondered out loud, cursing Jonghyun and his strange behaviour. Was exam stress loosening a few screws in his brain?! 

 

 She yanked the basket out of the wardrobe, but noticed the piles and piles of envelopes in it. She set it down, staring at it. That's an awful lot of envelopes. "Maybe that's all the apologies he should have made for being a jerk to me," she snickered, and picked one up. "Well, since he's saying sorry, I'm going to go ahead and read them." She ripped it open and took it out, expecting a full apology on everything he's ever done to her.

What the ? "What the ?!"  she exclaimed. 

 She froze.

 

 ...

 

 "Oh, golly..." she breathed, turning to the other envelopes. Were they...? Who were these for?! Jonghyun was in love with someone?! She dug through the identical white envelopes and pulled another one out, opening it and reading the first few lines. 

 "YURA?!" she screamed, gripping the paper in shock. "Me?!"

 

 "Yes, who the else would it be?!" she whirled around and saw Jonghyun standing in the doorway, his bag slipping off his shoulders and his hair uncharacteristically dishevelled. His face however, was bright red and still deepening in colour. "And why are you in my room?!"

 

 "These are for me!" she retorted, temporarily forgetting her shock. "And your mother said I can wait here!"

 

 "She's too freakin' meddlesome for her own good," he muttered darkly, pulling off his blazer and throwing it on the bed. He threw her a disgusted look. "And you weren't meant to find those!"

 

 "Well, you shouldn't have had them lying around!" she shot back, completely forgetting the words of love and adoration written on the paper she held. It was strange; they were still bickering like friends but... it's different somehow. They were both the same people, and at the same time, she didn't feel like the same Yura who was arguing with him about the littlest things.

 

 He groaned out loud. ing a hand out, he yelled at her, "That was in there! Why would you go through my things?!"

 

 She gasped. "I wasn't going through it! It's something that I found by accident!"

 

  "Oh sure, just admit that you were nosing and have nothing better to do!" 

 

  dropped in shock. She grabbed a handful of the envelopes and threw them at him, then stuffed some into her bag. "Well I'm taking these! And when I read them, I can remember why I didn't like you in the first place!" she stopped when she saw the look on his face. He was red and was looking at the floor in embarassment, his hands fidgeting with his half tucked in shirt. She immediately felt regretful, and her voice softened. "W-Well... I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to say something so horrible-"

 

 "Just get out," he mumbled. Yura ignored him, taking a few steps towards him.

 

 "Jonghyun..."

 

 "I knew you'd say that," he said angrily. "I knew you'd be insensitive and would reject me straight away, and then you'd avoid me just like you did to all the others. That's why those ones never made it to you. Because I was scared of losing you, even though you're the only friend I had." He glared at her. "And I was stupid enough to fall for you like that."

 

 Her heart clenched, and she rushed to him, enveloping him in a tight hug. "I wouldn't have done that to you!" she cried, feeling so sorry for him that she started to feel tears streaming down her face. "And... And I wouldn't have rejected you! You're a really precious friend-"

 

 "I don't want to be your friend!" he pushed her away and she stumbled backwards, hearing the hurt and the desperation in his voice. "I've been with you since I was a kid Yura, and even then I knew I felt something different. I didn't want to break our friendship, so I just... I don't know..." he rubbed his cheeks, a habit he had when he was nervous or embarrassed.  He sighed and looked her straight in the eye. He flushed and he was rubbing the hem of his shirt furiously, but his gaze was determined and she felt herself melt. "I'm at emotion, you know that. I don't know how to be romantic, you're right. I can't even confess properly, and I have to yell at you before I can finally feel the least bit confident to tell you I..." he stopped, looking so embarrassed he covered his face. "I limme ahhyyoo..."

 

 "What?" she laughed, closing the gap between them and lowered his hands from his face. "You... you were doing so well." She smiled widely and waited patiently for him. 

 

 He paused, assessing her reaction and her smile. "Are you making fun of me?"

 

 "No!" she cried indignantly, slapping him on the shoulder. "I just want to hear it from you!"

 

 "I'm not going to say anything else until you tell me... what you think about me," he crossed his arms, but she could tell he was still shy. "I'm waiting."

 

 "So am I," she mirrored his actions and crossed her arms, but her wide smile was still in place.

 

 "I've embarrassed myself enough," he resolved, staring her down.

 

 "Well I-!" 

 

 "Enough of this," he muttered, before reaching out with one hand and pulling her in for a swift kiss. It was clumsy, their teeth clashed and his lip trembled, but Yura thought it was the sweetest thing he's ever done for her. So far. She smiled in the kiss, and he pulled back, frowning with a blush on his cheeks. "What are you smiling about?"

 

 She shrugged and wrapped her arms around his waist, savouring the adorable expression on his face. "Nothing," she said casually. When he didn't respond, she rolled her eyes and took his arms, wrapping them tightly around her. "Just you're wrong. You can be romantic, but only to me okay?"

 

 He sighed and tightened his hold on her, seemingly casual but Yura could hear his heart pounding as she pressed her ear against his chest. "Why would I be romantic for anyone else?" She merely smiled against him. 

 

 

 

 

One month later...

 

 

 

 "Ho? You're already doing so much skinship for someone who couldn't tell me they liked me for..." she counted in her head, while Jonghyun scowled at her. "What was it, six years?"

 

 "You know it was longer than that," he growled, rubbing his cheek. The hand that held hers began to grow sweaty, and her heart skipped a beat. They've been dating for a month, and Jonghyun was still so passive aggressive. Sometimes he'd sit on the other side of the sofa, and sometimes he'd hold her down so that she couldn;t move from his lap. She grinned widely and jumped up, throwing her arms around him. He caught her and, looking around embarrassingly, he sighed at her loud laughter. "Why did it have to be you?"

 

 "Because!" she said, kissing his forehead. "You made the mistake of giving me love letters, and I was stupid enough to fall for it." She cuddled him closer, their smiles growing together as they kissed. 
 In the middle of the graduation ceremony. 

 

 

F I N

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The end product was much, much different than I thought it would be. I know I posted this like 6 months ago, but a lot of happened, and I could only find the time to write about it now. I'm very sorry subbies, and have a very merry Christmas!

JONGAH FTW! <3